The world blurred as Maximilian rushed through the forest. He replayed everything the group had told him in hopes of finding any information he had missed. The rumors were only two weeks old which should make them pretty good, but the monsters put that into question. He wanted to more information, but the group held steadfast to not sharing any more information or telling him who had heard the rumor. He couldn't blame them though. According to them the group was led by someone who considered himself a king. The man hadn't been kind to outsiders. If he was in their position he wanted want to risk a crazy person's ire for a stranger either. The fact that they provided what they did showed they wanted to help. As for Maximilian he couldn't bring himself to worry about the madman. If he had been here for the last month than he wasn't a cultivator. Ideally the man would want to form a partnership or at least stay out of his way. If not then he would deal with it than.

  Despite his hurry there was something he needed to take care of now that he was alone. He scanned the forest until he found an empty tree hollow. The lack of bones or animal signs told him the area was abandoned at least for the time being. Which should work for what he needed. He entered and took a breath. He was on the threshold for two advancements which should give him a drastic increase in power. Just in time to deal with his problems. He sat down in the lotus position and slipped into a meditative trance. He released the mental block he placed and let his new comprehension wash over him. Comprehension, enlightenment, understanding and whatever else a person could call it surged through him like lightning. For a moment it felt as if his blood had become liquid energy. He wanted to stand, to run, to strike. The sensation wasn't strong enough to make him lose himself but he didn't restrain himself either. He allowed himself to relish the sensation until it passed. Only then did he open his eyes and check his status screen.

  Lesser Dao of Rain - Comprehension: Low. Attributes: Constitution +15, Endurance +5

  Lesser Dao of Static - Comprehension: Middle. Intelligence +30, Wisdom +10

  He wasn't sure if Static's attribute change was due to his slight change of focus to outright offense or if it was on a preset path. It was something that he would need to look into if he ever got the chance. The fresh surge of attributes was amazing, but it wasn't the most important part of his change. He hadn't been sure how much control he had over the nature of a new Dao. He wasn't sure if it was the best way, but he had a Dao that represented lightning. Which meant he should pick up another related to the weather. Which gave him two options Wind or Water. In the end water had won out due to a hope that it would give him something related to healing. He hadn't suffered a serious injury yet but he wouldn't and couldn't just rely on luck. Now that he had succeeded it was time test just what his efforts had brought.He held his right hand palm up and willed the Dao of Rain to enter it. He controlled the amount of mental energy and a moment later a spout of water shot into the air. The pressure was reminiscent of a shower head which should deal with his cleanliness for now. He ended the flow, aimed at the entrance to his hollow and released it again. This time without limitation.

  The resulting jet crashed into the ground and began to dig through it. He cut the energy flow after another few seconds. Its power was impressive, if he had to estimate it he would put rains offensive power on the lower end which was fine with him. He had offense and healing which meant next he would need defense or perhaps utility. Next he spread the Dao through his body. He didn't have any injuries at the moment so there was little for it to do but the minor aches and pains alleviated. Further some of the more stubborn cuts and bruises visibly faded. He was pretty sure that the Dao's effects would improve as his comprehension grew. As far as he was concerned his experiment was a success.

  He conducted a few tests on his improved Dao and discovered it hadn't changed much. He wasn't sure if that was because that's all that Dao could be or if if he had influenced it. Either way he wasn't upset with the change. Based on the energy it used the Dao was as strong as a basic Static Bolt. Which should reduce his energy consumption, and he could imbue his skills with the individual dao. He tried to combine the two, but the energy wasn't stable. He wanted to take some more time with it but gave up after an hour. He had meditated around two hours which meant he had already sacrificed three hours to his advancement. Further he wasn't sure how long it would take him to see real progress. If it would take another hour, he would bear it but if it took days? He couldn't take that gamble.

  When he emerged from the tree hollow, he discovered that his assumption was correct. His breakthrough had drawn the attention of a trio of beasts. They were quadrupedal reptiles. Though that was the only thing he recognized about them. He wasn't sure if they were some mutations from one of the other planets or if they were some amalgamations of never seen creatures on Earth. Each one was the size of a wolf; they had two eyes on the right and left sides of their heads. Their eyes were covered in a thin film that he assumed was there to protect the eye. They had a thick layer of black scales that covered dense muscles. Muscles that were like steel cables than anything a living creature should have. The trio formed a half circle around him that made escape unlikely. Not unless he wanted to take some serious damage. When the creatures saw him, they let out a clicking sound. It began low and then rose to the point that his ear drums began to ache.

  "I am assuming you won't let me leave." He said as he circulated his spiritual energy. He got his answer when the trio rushed him. He imbued Severing Disc with the Dao of Static and launched it at the middle creature. The buzz saw of an attack tore through the air like the headsman's axe. Its target reacted too late to avoid the skill but it managed to transform a fatal hit into a lethal one. Maximilian blasted the one to his right the Dao of Rain. The pressurized jet of water slammed into the creature like a Mack truck but was only enough to slow it down. His instincts warned that he was out of time. He narrowly dodged the final beast's charge.

  He abandoned his planned follow up in favor of retreating. When the beast exploded toward him in a feat of athleticism that defied common sense. He knew he made the right call. He activated the array on his robes seconds before another of the beasts crashed into him. He unleashed an Imbued Static Bolt into the creature followed by a Severing Disc. The paralysis leaving it unable to defend. A gout of green blood from the stump that used to be its neck confirmed the kill. He turned back to the other two and prepared a new line of attack. When neither beast moved to charge him, he began to put together a plan. They were smarter than most of the one's he fought during the tutorial. Which meant he needed to deal with them at the same time. He activated Prismatic Barrier. As soon as the barrier appeared the beasts charged.

  Maximilian unleashed his killing intent and aura. The sudden change caused both beasts to stumble. The one to his right received an empowered Static Bolt followed by a Severing Disc that took it out of the fight. The third and final beast turned and fled. For a moment he considered chasing it down but decided against it. If he didn't have to kill than he wouldn't. Especially not an enemy that was running away. He also didn't want to waste the energy. Neither beast gave enough to repay what he used to kill them which annoyed him. When he was certain that the retreat was real, he cracked his neck and stuffed the corpses into his bag. He doubted anyone short of a cultivator. Or someone heavily invested in strength would be able to cut through its scales or muscles, but it might be important. He might be able to sell it to a vendor later. Once he had his settlement up and running. With his hiding place exposed any reservations he had about leaving were gone. He needed to reach the mountain and then find the settlement.

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  He spent three more days traveling. He fought four more battles before he reached the base of the mountain. Now that he was there, he realized it was bigger than he gave it credit. Not the actual size, but the experience. It felt like he looked up at Olympus or some divine mountain. A place where an angry god would smite him for traveling or where priests would sacrifice people. Instead of it discouraging him though it encouraged him. The feeling that drew him had only increased which made him rethink his plan. Every time he considered leaving something inside him rebelled. It wasn't enough to stop him from doing what he wanted. If anything it was more like a minor addiction. He took one more look at the mountain and then left. His instincts had served him well so far but he couldn't let them lead him around by the nose. His goal was finding his family. After that he would focus on exploring and his personal strength. He couldn't let himself forget that.

  As he ran he noticed a stark lack of monsters. Based on what little he knew about wild animals he figured their was a apex predator nearby. Which was not something he wanted to deal with. He withdrew his aura as deep inside himself as he could and slowed his pace. The lack of noise was deafening. A silence that hung on his shoulders like a blanket. It wasn't until he had traveled for over three hours that the sensation faded. That sound returned. That he felt safe. He was about to leap into the trees again when something jumped out at him. He ducked a pair of furry long arms that looked like they could rend steel. He then launched a kick that caught the monster in its ribs. By the time his mind had caught up to what happened the ugly thing had been launched into a tree. It was a lemur like creature. It was as if someone had taken a lemur doubled its size and then stretched its limbs. For a moment he wasn't sure the creature was alive and not some undead monstrosity. When it started moving he braced himself.

  Despite its weird appearance it was fast, incredibly fast. Maximilian attempted to activate his but was forced to abandon the attempt. His attempt at side stepping the beast allowed the creature to grab hold of his right arm. Spiritual energy surged into the limb just in time to stop it from being crushed. In the next moment the lemur slammed him into the dirt with enough force to crater it. He bit back a scream of pain, unleashed his aura and killing intent. The change stunned the beast just long enough for him to unleash a blast of both his Dao. The combined assault forced the beast back enough for him to retake his feet. Next he activated Prismatic Barrier.

  The beast let out a screeching noise reminiscent of metal on a chalkboard before jumping at him. Once again he was too slow to dodge. This time it was his defensive skill that took the brunt of the damage. A latticework of cracks spread across the rainbow as Maximilian charged up a Severing Disc. The beast reared back and slammed both of its arms down with bone shattering force. He cut the connection to his defense and fired his attack. Somehow the ugly beast was able to avoid losing its head at the cost of an arm. Crimson blood dripped to the forest floor as the creature let out another screech. Blood dripped from his ears as his vision blurred. Spiritual energy surged into the symbol for Static Bolt. A burst of dao followed up the skill. The combined assault killed the beast. Maximilian stumbled and fell to one knee when he tried to collect the body. The damage to his ear drums making it difficult to stay up right. Instead, he closed his eyes and circulated the Nine Lightning Canon. The cultivation technique didn't provide enough energy to make up what he lost but it helped calm his mind and bring his thoughts under control.

  When he felt well enough to move. He stuffed the beast into his bag and leaped into the trees. He hoped that anything that might've noticed their fight wouldn't chase him up there. He had his fill of battle for the moment. The more of these beasts he fought the more he realized his power estimates were all over the place. At first, he thought they were between levels one and five only for a new monster to display more power than that. He was putting together an assumption that would explain the difference. Without more information it would be little more than a guess.

  He traveled for another two days before he started to find signs of civilization. At first it was scattered weapons and bullet casings but as he continued it became more. The remains of cities and towns. What he saw made no sense. There were several roads that crisscrossed in ways that no city planner would design. At least not a sane one. Further the streets were all different designs. as if someone had grabbed random streets and placed them in random order next to one another. He understood why of course, the Network had "shuffled" the planet, but it was one thing to hear something and another to see that something. He was awed by the power required to do that. Another part wondered if he could learn how to do it. Not because he wanted to shuffle planets around, but it would make city design easier. If he could just grab and move the things he needed. Either way it was something to worry about later. He leaped on top of the buildings to avoid fighting the few monsters he could see. He had to assume that this settlement would hostile or at least distrustful of outsiders. Especially ones that could make the journey here.

  He also wanted to make sure he would see the settlement before they saw him. Something that was proven wise about an hour later. He had just leaped on top of a convenience store from a different country. When he saw the "city". Though calling it a city was being overly kind. It was a set of sheet metal walls with bullet holes that connected to a "frame" of wooden stakes. The makeshift wall wouldn't be able to keep him out and thus he doubted it would work against most monsters. The meat of the settlement was three city blocks that he assumed came from somewhere in the UK. As for where he couldn't begin to guess. The settlement had a gate that was more of a large chain link fence patrolled by two men with long guns. There was a line of people trying to get access and from what he could see they were being extorted. Which added to his confusion. He didn't get why some people had done enough to gain Spirit Stones while the guards used old world guns. If he assumed that he had twice as many attributes as everyone else than it made some sense. Only why would the Network give the people spirit stones and not robes? Or better weapons.

  He watched the lines for several more minutes. What he saw caused his emotions to go from confusion to irritation and finally frustration. It wasn't just spirit stones the guards were taking in exchange for passage. It was anything of value. He had to restrain himself from going down and knocking some sense into them. Men and women were forced to part with what was likely the vestiges of everything they owned. Part of him could understand it. Building a place like wasn't cheap or easy. Yet the terror on their faces made his stomach. Taking their valuables was a stab in the stomach for no reason. They had no evidence the Network would accept any of it for trade. He doubted the owner of the settlement believed it would. Despite his emotions he wasn't sure what to do. There was little chance of him sneaking in. His robes would cause him to stick out like a sore thumb. He couldn't even dirty them since the array would clean it all. There was no way he would go in naked. Which meant he would have to announce himself. Something that would make it easier to find his parents for sure but would put him on a crash course with whoever ran the place. If they were friendly it wouldn't matter. If not, he might have to defend himself. A defense that could put the innocents around him in danger. He didn't need to get any closer to tell they had no defense against his killing intent. He thought about for a few more moments before he decided he would have to play it by ear. It was time to rejoin society.