Maximilian raised an eyebrow at his mother and then scanned the gathered crowd. The united family and other survivors were more absorbed into their situation. He doubted they were the issue. His gaze turned to the generals behind his mother and could tell something was off. They weren't angry per say nor did they have weapons so he was confident they didn't intend to fight him. Further his instincts were warning him of danger so he decided that wasn't it. Still, he took a step forward so he could defend his mother just in case. "What's wrong?"

  His mother gestured for him to follow as they started into the city. "Two things happened while you were gone. First, it appears your actions or perhaps our own have sped up the timer until the beast tide. We have less than a month to prepare. Second, someone came through our teleporter. A person from the 'United World Government'. They have offered us a chance to rejoin the true government."

  Maximilian raised an eyebrow as she continued. The quest timer was a problem but it didn't bother him too much. It wouldn't change his plans he would need to get stronger and he would take as many people away as he could. The second bit of a news was far more interesting. He hadn't considered there being two governments. Though now that it had happened another world of possibilities was born. He had to assume several nations governments had survived in some form. Whether it were parliaments, congresses or dictators what were the chances that they were all killed at the same time? Of course there was little chance they would all continue. Age had clear influence over your likelihood to be a cultivator. He was considered old by the Network's standards if the tutorial was to be believed which should mean the new world would be led by the young.

  "Is their representative still here? Have you asked about dad?" He glanced back at the generals who still followed them. He considered just going to their teleporter and finding out himself but that wasn't the best idea. He still wasn't sure how the world would react to him or the other cultivators. So far, they had acted like petty bandits, but his gut told him that the strongest of them wouldn't be like that. That they would be obsessed with advancement. Ideally, he would like to encounter them before the government.

  "No, they explained that they would return in two weeks to take anyone that wanted to join them before the tide."

  Maximilian grinned ruefully as he looked up at the sky. "Let me guess. They don't intend to take everyone with them? Only the people that could be of use or some other nonsense?" He asked the question though he already knew the answer. He had killed monsters almost nonstop sense returning from the tutorial and he wasn't sure he could afford to bring everyone here over. Further the kills in the tutorial had offered both more energy and more credits per kill. There was no way they could do it. Not unless they had recruited more members.

  "They offered those of us in leadership and some of the soldiers." His mother's reply was bitter as if she had been forced to swallow something horrible. Which in a sense she had.

  "I see and the generals are following us to make sure I go with you or to make sure that I don't tell anyone?" As soon as he finished he caught movement on a building north west of him. His gaze shifted and he found someone else to the north east. "What do you want to do?"

  "Stay calm. I don't want you to start a battle in the middle of the city. Who knows how many people would get hurt."

  Maximilian nodded his agreement but prepared his spiritual energy in case. He was pretty sure he could deal with the people on the ground without killing them but if the two he could see where snipers? He hadn't tried to use a reduced Static Bolt at that range. It would be easier to —he stopped that train of thought and stepped closer to his mother. He wouldn't become a killer because it was easier. They settled into an uncomfortable silence until they went separate ways at the museum. He had considered taking her back to Nubia where she could run things for him but she refused. Part of him admired her determination but now it seemed more of a hindrance than anything else. Still, there was nothing he could do. He left the museum and was about to leave the city when he stopped. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and the eyes on him as possible but that wouldn't work. Or rather he wouldn't leave his mother undefended. He could tell that his arrival had upset the order here. Instead he made his way to the roof of a nearby building and placed his back against a metal door. Once he was comfortable he pulled up the quest and confirmed it complete. As soon as he did a box appeared on the ground six inches in front of him.

  He still didn't get how the Network did that. Not only had he felt nothing but he had looked away for less than a moment. He wasn't sure how but he had to get a skill like that. If he could just appear next to someone it would make life so much easier. He brought himself back to reality and turned his attention to his reward. He opened the box and pleasantly surprised. He only needed one look to know that these were higher quality than the lasts one. The sigils that made up the array were the same but took up less than half the space. The robes were in a different style than the last one as well. This set was a mixture of white and emerald, green. The outer robes were completely white except for several emerald clouds. The largest which went across the front. The robes came with a white silk like strap that he would use to hold it close. The inner robes were the inverse in color with green taking up most of the space. The inner lining of the outer robe was emerald while the inner outfit was white. The inner robes lacked clouds and was basic in design but not in texture. They had a skirt design for the lower half that made him think of a kilt. The whole thing felt delicate both in texture and in appearance, yet he could tell that the opposite was true. The clouds on the outer robes were closer to a work of arts than anything he had ever owned. This set had long sleeves that were reminiscent of a graduation gown, and he was worried that they would get caught when he moved. Though he doubted that would happen. He doubted the Network would create something with such an obvious weakness. He was pretty sure his body was more durable than the robes, but he couldn't be completely sure.

  He stripped down and quickly put on the new set of robes and activated the resizing array. Soon after the whole thing fit like a glove. Even better than the fit was the weight or rather the lack of weight. If he hadn't known better, he would've thought he was naked. It would take some time to get used to the skirt like bottom though. He doubted he would accidentally flash anyone, but he didn't want to take the risk if he could avoid it. When he was finished with his experiments he picked up the spirit stones. He should be able to skip a few more levels if he consumed them and he seriously considered it. Despite the obvious benefits he decided against it. The spirit stones were a way to level but like his mental energy crystals they were a way to recharge. Severing Disc and Static Bolt didn't consume much energy but the same couldn't be said for Prismatic Barrier. Between all ten stones he could keep the defensive skill going for a few hours at full consumption. It could make the difference if he had to fight a horde on his own. Something that filled him with a mix of excitement and curiosity. If he wasn't worried about the innocent, he would be tempted to stay and fight. Just to see how long he could go. He hadn't done anything that pushed him to the point of exhaustion. Even his most recent battle wasn't enough. That was something to think about later though. For now, he had one more reward to go over. A new title.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Overpower: Defeat an Enemy 15 or more levels above your own. Reward: +3 points to all Attributes

  At first glance the reward was disappointing, but he knew it wasn't. Three points to all attributes was the equivalent of gaining two levels. That didn't take into account the boost to luck. Which explained why he was able to fight something that much stronger than him anyway. It was hard to calculate since he had both potency and the percentage boosts but his level was a lie. Or rather it was misleading. He was level 15 but if you only took into account the base attributes he was level 319. Of course, he knew that wasn't really true either. If he had titles and Dao boosting him to this level than someone at level 319 would have the same thing. They would also have other weird boosts. What it did though was making his current situation complicated. If he met someone at level 15 he wouldn't know how dangerous they were. At least not without seeing them fight. It also continued the trend of unfairness under the Network. Power begets more power. Even this early it was clear that if you didn't get into the tutorial, you were behind. If you took it easy after returning you were behind. If you did anything besides pushing forward, you would fall behind. People had to adjust, or they would be left behind. A bunch of civilians had to become warriors overnight. What would that do to the mind? He shook the thoughts away and placed his spirit stones into his bag. He did the same with his spare clothes. He wasn't sure if it was possible, but he would try to add sigils to them. If he could make them strong enough than he could dress however he wanted. Though he had to admit the robes were starting to grow on him. It made him feel fancy. He chuckled to himself and got to his feet. He took a moment to stare at the remains of the city and admired its beauty. Part of him wanted to return to Nubia already but it wasn't time. He wouldn't leave his mother again and he wanted to be here when it was time for that person to come back. Which meant he had time to kill. Time he could spend training.

  The next two weeks passed without incident. Though to say they passed without incident was incorrect. Despite the League's attempts to silence them rumors began to spread. Rumors that there was a real government out there and that people should make an effort to rejoin civilization. Unfortunately, people's memories turned out to be shorter than he expected. Most of them had forgotten who it was that killed the serpents and who had saved the scouting party. Many believed Maximilian to be someone working for the League, so it was natural especially considering who is mother was. It didn't stop there though; a rather nasty rumor had begun to spread that they were both dictators in disguise. Something that bothered him to his core. He had worked as hard as he could to not be seen like that and here it was. He knew it was propaganda of course. His guess was that the council wanted to make sure they wouldn't be trusted if they revealed the truth. Not that he would. It didn't matter. It was clear that the settlement was going to be abandoned it was just up to who got the life vests. Naturally Maximilian had done what he could. He had killed most of the creatures in their surroundings but that slowed to a crawl last week. It was like they had all gone into hiding. He wasn't sure if that was the beasts or something the Network had done but it had made him worried.

  Despite all that he had to admit has gains were pretty impressive. He glanced at his completed sphere and smiled. He wasn't sure what to call his new ability, but it was impressive. He had been forced to change it and use his rain dao to form the sphere and let the electricity form the ring. He still couldn't tell if that restriction was based on his ability or if it was inherent to the two daos. Though he leaned toward the former. It wasn't easy to finish even after he switched. Still, what he had was a finished product at least he thought it was. He could reliably make it and throw it at things. Its destructive ability was on par with Severing Disc. Which was impressive when he considered that it wasn't a proper skill. That he hadn't used spiritual energy to make it, just dao. He had tried to make it a skill during that time, but he couldn't or to be more accurate he had no idea how. He tried to pick a random slot and push the new ability into it but that not only failed but it hurt. He was forced to give up on that line of progress. He would need to check the library when he returned to Nubia. He had wanted to spend more time in the wilderness, but something stopped him. Which brought him to today. Where he stood on top of the tallest building in New Philadelphia. Today was when the representative was supposed to return which meant it was time for him to make an appearance.

  Part of him wanted to leap off the building and plummet straight down. He knew that wouldn't work of course. The force from the landing would crater the ground and send debris in every direction. Instead, he leaped on top of a series of buildings and into the ruins of another. Less than ten minutes later he was on the ground and headed toward the museum. As soon as he was close enough, he encountered the first problem. Several people in tactical gear stood out front. From what he could tell the gear was sourced from multiple stores. It made them look like chaotic jumble instead of a cohesive group. Not that it mattered to them. They each held one rifle and a handgun. "I guess this demonstration is for the people?" He took a step as his mind worked to piece together the likely next steps. He had just reached the stairs when he realized what he was actually dealing with. They wanted him to do this. If he charged up the stairs no, he would look like a tyrant. If he didn't, he wouldn't get what he wanted. The little conundrum was irritating but not a deterrent. Which had to mean his mother was being held inside. He suppressed his anger and let the rational part of his brain take over. They wouldn't hurt her. Not unless they were idiots. They had to assume he would go ballistic if they did. Even he wasn't sure how he would react in that scenario so how could they? Which meant she was safe but imprisoned somewhere. This would also keep him contained. He couldn't and wouldn't drown the place in his killing intent. He couldn't determine if his mother would survive. It was a bit like a game of chess. They had seized his queen, so he had to act. The question was how?

  He glanced up as one of the guards started toward him. Based on their voice he could tell they were a woman, but their helmet made it difficult to see anything else. He could tell that they were below level three, so they weren't a threat. Despite that he decided to back off for now. He could blast a hole in the front door, but he would need a plan. It wasn't that he didn't want to do the blunt approach but that it was boring. He already knew he was stronger and they knew it to. What he needed was a stealth skill or at least a movement skill. After ten minutes he had resigned himself to forcing his way in when something changed. A man beckoned to him from an alleyway almost two blocks away from the museum. It took him a moment to realize that he knew the man or rather he had met him before. It was the father of the scout he had saved. Maximilian made his way over and the two ducked further into the alley.

  "Listen I don't have much time. You are trying to get inside right?" When Maximilian nodded the man continued in a hushed tone. There is a section of the old sewer remaining. If you head down the alley until you get to the end you can go through the sewer grate. I am sure you are strong enough to move it on your own. If you follow the paths you should find a store room. I think the museum used it to dispose of things before this craziness began."

  Maximilian listened dutifully to the man and then handed him a first realm spirit stone. The man looked like he was going to argue but Maximilian didn't let him. Stay close by. I am going to open a pathway out of here soon. If you don't want to leave that way then take this and take your family out of here." He then thought about it and handed the man four more. "Take these and use them for trade. Cultivators need them." He considered explaining further but he decided against it. The was already spooked so Maximilian didn't think he was listening too hard. That and he didn't want to get the man in trouble. On the off chance that something unexpected happened. The man went over a few more details and ducked out of the alley. Maximilian gave him to the count of thirty before he made his way to the grate. He pulled it up and jumped down. When he confirmed that no one was waiting for him he cracked his fingers. It was time to get the show started.