Maximilian had expected them to argue or even try to kill him. Yet no one did anything. The stark contract was almost enough to make him think they hadn't heard him. It was slightly eerie. Maximilian let his gaze travel across the gathered faces and found that most of them didn't look at him. He couldn't tell if that was due to fear or some other feeling. Not that it mattered to him. Elias was the one to break the silence. "I see. Would you be willing to reconsider?"

  Maximilian shook his head. "No. I understand what you have to say, and in truth, I can't argue against it. I can't even argue that you are wrong. I wanted people to be judged based on their actions in the new world. I understand that it isn't perfect. Honestly, I am not sure what I would do if I encountered the disgusting monsters that were responsible for the worst crimes. Despite all that, I don't believe it is wise to allow you to operate. Your attack on the U.W.G. cost lives. Innocent lives. Not only do I think that was going too far, but I doubt I could get other people to accept it. That being said I am also doing this to take control of this area. There is no justification for that besides my wants."

  Elias nodded along as Maximilian explained. When he finished, the other man spoke up. "I see, and what is to happen to myself and the others? I imagine it will be difficult to get the rest of the world to accept me."

  Maximilian nodded. "You are correct. The way I see it, you have three options. Option one is that you disagree with me and we fight it out. I am confident that I would win, but who knows what could happen. I am alone after all. Option two is that you all leave. You take your chances out in the wilderness. It is unlikely you would survive. The monsters in this region are much more powerful than most of you. Even if you took this option if you continued doing what you were doing before, I would come back. That time, I would have had to kill you all. Option three is that you join Nubia. You will work for me and my interests. I will protect you from the government. You will stop killing people. I have a few ideas for ways you can help me."

  Elias nodded along with his smile practically plastered onto his face. He had to give the man credit. Neither he nor his people moved, though he noticed a few gazes hardened when he explained the first option. He felt like an asshole since technically the three options were Die, maybe die, or be conquered. He knew that he wasn't going to mistreat them, but it was still a show of faith on their end. He considered leaving the room to give them some privacy, but thought better of it. The situation didn't have many options. They would take the choices or not. They also hadn't asked him to leave.

  "I see. Should I join you? What sort of relationship could I expect? I cannot and will not send the people who rely on me into slavery or—"

  "Slavery is banned. I haven't decided on forced work for prisoners or not, but chattel slavery is forbidden. Your people will be the same as everyone else. Same rights and same responsibilities. Nothing more, nothing less." When he realized he had inadvertently released some of his killing intent,t he apologized. He would need to work on that. He couldn't risk losing control of himself in a more serious situation.

  "Very well. I won't lead these people to a slaughter. Even if we could kill you, we would lose too much. Come, I will lead you to the hub, and we can move forward."

  Maximilian nodded and followed behind the leader. He prepared himself just in case it was a trick, but he doubted it. The walk was short, and a few moments later, the transfer was complete. Nubia grew larger, and he was one step closer to leading the entire planet. The thought still amused him, though he had to admit it was much more realistic. He had started to accept the reality and was starting to like it. He wasn't going to turn into Alexander the Great anytime soon, but he would do what he needed to. Once he verified, he controlled the teleportation array he headed back to Nubia. He then explained what had happened and that he needed people to deal with the takeover. He knew he could probably do it himself, but he didn't want to intimidate them any further. That and as much as he could deal with the issues, he knew his time could be better spent elsewhere. At least that was what he told him himself. Once his mother had a handle on things, he teleported back and disappeared into the grass sea.

  He sprinted through the grassy plains, ignoring all the monsters in search of something as strong as the deer, at least. He had gone back and forth on how to handle his next few levels and settled on fighting to hit level 26 and a bit of the way into 27. He would then head back to Nubia, where he would enter closed-door meditation. He would stay like that with the rest of his spirit stones. As soon as he reached level 27, he would gain his class. After that, he wasn't sure. His to-do list was filled with a lot of to-be-decided items. He needed to meet up with the other species. He needed to meet up with the other members of the top ten. He needed to attend the upcoming trial. A trial that still had no start date. It felt like everything was building up to an explosion. An eruption of events that will shake everything. Part of him couldn't wait, while another part hated it. Hated not knowing what to expect. When a group of lions roared and rushed him. There were four in total, and each one had a sizeable killing intent. If he had to guess, they were around level 14 or 15. Which was impressive. Maximilian focused on the fight. A mine field of electrical bombs formed around him as he stopped running.

  The beasts spread out as if they wanted to surround him. There was no way he would let that happen. His Dao fields explode outwards. One after another. He followed the outburst with a rain of attacks. Wind and lightning shot forward like the reaper's scythe. Yet the lions were fast. Fast and smarter than he had given them credit. They leaped through the air. Not only did they evade his attacks, but they maneuvered themselves so that he couldn't focus on any one of them without giving the others his back. Something he couldn't afford. Of course, that wasn't enough to stop him. Spiritual energy surged through his channels and into the symbol for Prismatic Barrier. As soon as the rainbow shield was in place, he renewed his attack. He selected the closest wolf and unleashed a new onslaught. Bluish-white electricity arced like the judgment of Zeus as he sought to claim the beast's life. His danger sense flared, and he released a blast of wind behind him. A wall of hurricane-like wind slashed into another lion. Yet Maximilian paid it no attention. He had already decided his target. He would not get distracted.

  The wounded beast roared seconds before its claws glowed the transparent color of Spiritual Energy. His danger sense warned him seconds before the beast unleashed a swipe with its claws. Maximilian formed a wall of wind and water seconds before a claw mark almost as big as he was slammed into his barrier. A lattice work of cracks spread across its front, but it held. His spiritual energy dropped by almost a tenth as he worked to repair the damage. When the rest of the lions joined the attack, he knew things had to change. He took a moment to calm himself before unleashing a wave of electricity. His dao caught his original target and the lion across from it. Their brethren followed up, but it wasn't enough. Electricity hummed and wind whistled as he formed two imbued buzzsaws with Severing Disc. He considered splitting his attack but abandoned the idea. He needed to thin their number. He focused his attack on the original lion. It tried valiantly to avoid his attack, but there was little it could do. He forced it to leap into the air to avoid the first, only to end up in the path of the second. Maximilian grinned and diverted the first disc as soon as the lion was caught. The first lion was split in two, while the second target received a cut across its side.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Maximilian didn't give the rest of the pack a chance to form up. He formed a mine field of electrical bombs. The area between him and the lion was transformed into a killing field. He doubted it would be enough to hold them back for long, but he didn't need it to be. His dao field exploded outward as rain began to fall. Now that the idea had come to him, he felt a bit foolish for not doing it before. Water could conduct electricity, so why couldn't he use his Dao of rain to open a pathway for his Dao static? The lions roared and tried to resume their attack, but they were afterthoughts to him. He tried to force his dao to follow the drops of rain. Use them as a bridge to his enemies. There was resistance as if the two concepts wanted to be different. Wanted to be on their own, yet he could tell that he wasn't wrong. That this was a valid path for him. He split his attention when one of the lions leaped from him. He maneuvered the first of his electrical bombs into its path. His eye twitched in annoyance when the lion reacted. It leaped back a fraction of a second before it would have been too late. He continued moving the mines through the air while he shifted his focus to his goal. Splitting his mind like that caused a splitting headache, but he didn't care.

  The lions unleashed their claw skill yet again, and he was forced to sacrifice several of his mines. Almost as soon as the attack ended, the rain changed. He grinned as electricity imbued raindrops that fell to the battlefield. The combined attack wasn't as strong as what it could do on its own, but he didn't need it to be. His dao kept its paralytic effect, which made it almost impossible for the beasts to dodge effectively. He activated and imbued Severing Disc yet again. He decided to be greedy from the start this time and shot the attack at two different lions. Both of which tried to dodge, only to find their bodies not listening to them. Two attacks, two kills. His dantian filled with energy as he activated Static Bolt. The skill had fallen out of use as of late, but it was still there. Which meant he could make use of it. The minuscule amount of spiritual energy it used made it worth it. He unleashed the dart along with several blades of wind at his next target. He half expected the pack to flee now that sixty percent of its number were dead, but the last two did not. He wasn't sure if it was madness or if they believed they could win. Not that he cared one way or the other. If they had run, he might've felt bad.

  The two lions tried to attack from opposite directions, but with one under near constant attacks and four more mines lying in wait. There was little they could do. Not even five minutes later, both were dead, and he had sat down to restore some of his energy. He wasn't sure he could call what he had done with his Dao field a skill, nor could he call it an upgrade. It was more like a new use, but it was something he wanted to look into. Something he would like to learn more about. Assuming he could manage that. He shook his head at that and refused. He would learn. He rested for an hour and then stood up. He collected the bodies, though he was pretty sure the meat was useless to him, but the claws. They could be used. Outside of living a superhero fantasy, they should make good weapons. Maybe daggers or gauntlets. Probably nothing he would use. He was decidedly walking the path of a spellcaster. A path that worked well for him. At least as far as he was aware. Now that he was finished, he turned north. He was somewhat sure that he needed a few more battles like that before he would level. No more than four, assuming he played his cards right. The question was which direction to go. North had felt promising before he encountered the lions, but now it didn't. He could head west and go in a circle that would end with him at his new settlement. He decided not to dwell on it too much, it didn't really matter. He was here for the energy, nothing more, and he wasn't needed anywhere else. With his mind made up, he formed a path of electricity and headed west.

  He wished he could say the journey was simple, but it wasn't. He had been attacked less than an hour after he set out. This time it was by a weird pelican-like monster. One that could spit a weird acid at him. He hadn't let any of it hit him, and the bird was on the weaker side. Yet, it did provide a nice boost in energy. Unfortunately, the rest of the bird was useless. Its bones were hollow and wouldn't make good weapons. He considered arrows, but he had no idea. He left the body where it lay and set out again. It was an hour later that he came across something that looked like a massive ant hill. The hole had to be as big as a car, with several large ants coming in and out. The ants only vaguely looked like their namesakes. Their chitin was the color of grass. They had six legs and two pincers on their head. Pincers that looked strong enough to crush steel and bone without much effort. Maximilian stared at the insect hive and considered if he really wanted to go in. From what he recalled, insect species were dangerous. If left alone, they would grow and devour. Their hive mind would unite them, and they would overrun the planet. Right now, the hive wasn't strong. The ants he could see were the weakest thing he had seen in this region. Yet they had survived. Which meant they either relied on numbers or they had elites hiding down below.

  Neither would be great for him. He would also have to fight them in close quarters. A fact that could both hurt and harm him. His Dao fields and area of effect abilities would thrive. There was also the chance the hive leader had found a treasure he could use. He wouldn't hold his breath for that, though. Like everything since the Network arrived, there was risk and opportunity nestled together. He cracked his neck and headed down to the ground. He was going to assault it, but he wanted to know as much as possible. He wasn't sure if the leader was smart and had chosen this place on purpose, but it was very well hidden. If you didn't count the aerial view, then you would likely pass it by. It was nestled between two hills and on the side of a third. Part of him wondered if he could claim the area after he dealt with the beasts. He doubted it since, as far as he could tell, beasts didn't use the settlement system. They were just here. He pulled out a pair of his soul stones and absorbed them. The surge of mental energy was like rain on barren fields. He consumed three stones before he felt like he was at top form. He doubted they would give him the chance to top up later, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

  He chose to sit at the top of the hill for another thirty minutes. He had wanted to see any hint of a stronger enemy, yet nothing appeared. The ants that did come up lacked killing intent. He decided not to underestimate them, though. He still didn't know how killing intent worked. Could a mindless creature have it? He was somewhat certain a weapon could, but there were too many options. Too many possibilities. If he thought about all of them, he would never get anything done. He got to his feet and headed toward the hive. The only way he would get any useful information was by jumping straight in. He ran until he was about thirty feet above the entrance. High enough the bugs wouldn't notice, but low enough he could still see everything. He then got to work. He formed ten lances of electricity and wrapped them in wind. He completed his preparations by expanding his Dao field. The act reveals another interesting quirk of his Dao. It wasn't real rain, so it would fade once it went past his maximum range. That made his dream of a super attack a bit less possible, but he didn't mind. That Dao was never meant for offense. With everything else finished, he took a breath and then unleashed the salvo. It was time to exterminate some bugs.