Nexus Runner [EPIC Progression Fantasy litRPG]

The pylon of the system store was situated on one side of the central square near the town castle. I'd been too distracted by the huge crowd last time I passed through there, so hadn't noticed it.

Beside it stood a second, identical white pylon stretching into the sky. A text box appeared above it as soon as I looked at it.

"Training Guild. Would you like to enter?"

I was sorely tempted, but that had to wait. Crystal had set up the town store close to the system store. The fancy wooden medieval-style building with overhanging eaves and steeply pitched roof looked like it had been plucked from Switzerland, or something.

I focused on the system store pylon, and a second later, the world disappeared, replaced by Sythrak's fancy private parlor. The dark wood-paneled walls, tasteful paintings, comfortable chairs, and soft lighting screamed high-class establishment.

Usually, I'd fear a place that opulent would cost me a small fortune just for the privilege of shopping there, but Sythrak gave me better discounts than probably anyone else. Perks of success, I guess.

The tuxedoed humanoid reptilian grinned to see me, his scales shifting to a happy sky blue as he rushed over and grasped my hand in both of his.

"Master Lucas. So good of you to come."

"Wouldn't miss it."

Sythrak snapped his stubby fingers and another, shorter reptilian appeared through the door behind his standing desk. "Go summon the elven representative at once."

The other Krysanthimus rushed off and Sythrak turned back to me. "It will take a few minutes to set up the projection. In the meantime, I have an update on the Shadrael demon faction."

"That's good."

"Or, maybe not so much, I am afraid. The scandal continues to grow, and they are frantic to uncover information about what happened. Publicly, they are blaming Velexis as a rogue element of the faction, but few believe it and they are facing mounting obstacles and pressure. They will likely lose assets and influence. They had been pushing very hard to gain traction in several tier-4 worlds where the Elaris clan has a strong presence. Now those plans appear to be falling apart, and their vast investments will likely be lost."

"That's the price they pay for engaging in murder and assassinations and sabotage."

"Indeed, but the faction is renowned for their savagery. If this scandal pushes them too far, they will likely focus more efforts on identifying you as the cause of their misfortune."

"Hey, they caused their own misfortune."

"Without a doubt, my lord, but they will not see it that way. If they unravel the mystery, they may target you directly."

"Well, Bogota," I cursed softly. The demons might be a big threat, but they weren't an immediate one. I had enough to deal with just staying alive day to day. Hopefully they'd get distracted dealing with more in-their-face issues.

"Maybe don't investigate them any more. I wouldn't want you to tip them off."

"I have been very cautious, but you may be right."

"Have any good news?"

"Indeed, I do," the reptilian man said, flashing another toothy smile. "Enemies of the Shadrael faction are overjoyed at their misfortune. The demons have been spreading their influence aggressively for several centuries. They have made many enemies, but no one has ever found hard evidence pinning their alleged crimes on them. They are notoriously successful at covering their tracks."

"So, the fact that I have Velexis's vault . . ." I thought back to the cabinet full of information and the map of targets. No way Velexis should have kept all that evidence around. She'd been a naughty demoness on many levels.

"You catch on quickly, sir. Some factions have already made public offers to purchase artifacts that had belonged to Velexis. Should they acquire the evidence they seek proving Shadrael involvement in some very high profile cases, they could bring legal action against the demons that could cripple their influence and undo centuries of their work."

"I bet that makes the demons happy."

"Not in the least, my lord." He didn't get my sarcasm that time. Sythrak was usually quicker on the uptake. The demons really worried him. It sounded like I'd sparked a multi-planet scandal that could escalate to all-out corporate war.

"So are you suggesting I let you reach out to those enemies to negotiate selling them her scythe, and maybe some of the documents I discovered?"

Sythrak's eyes flashed a strange silver color and his scales faded to a muted orange. "You have documentation?"

"I think so. All kinds of stuff like—"

"Don't say it aloud," Sythrak interrupted, scales fading to a pallid gray. "Even here, it is too dangerous."

"You're kind of freaking me out." Who were those demons? Was I an idiot for not immediately trying to make peace with them? Was that even possible?

Sythrak regained his composure, coughed once, then said in his normal, calm voice. "A scythe was one of the items most often mentioned specifically. You could indeed sell it for a princely sum, and even win important connections with powerful factions that would see your victory over Velexis as a great boon."

"Tempting. Let's hold off for now. Feel free to collect a list of who's offering what until I decide how to proceed."

"Very good, sir."

Maybe I should just sell the stupid scythe to one of the demon faction's enemies. It wasn't doing me any good, and it sounded like I could get some sweet rewards and make important connections. On the other hand, doing that would seal the demons' hatred of me. Was it wiser to appease them? I needed more information before I could make a decision.

Sythrak pulled me from my thoughts. "On to other good news. The sale of the goods Jeeves provided from your initial sorting of Velexis's vault is complete. Even deducting the cost of your custom order, I just deposited to your account another 12 tier-8 mana crystals."

"My custom order?" I asked, a bit distracted by the happy news of so many mana crystals for all that junk.

Either it was worth way more than I'd thought, Sythrak was in an exceptionally good mood, or maybe he planned to sell some of it to those parties looking for stuff the demons had owned. Either way, that was a ton of mana crystals.

He waved one 4-fingered hand and a full suit of green plate armor appeared hovering in the air nearby. The plates looked thick and sturdy, made out of a smooth material that looked more like ceramic than metal. It took a second to realize what I was seeing, and Identify kicked in.

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"Overlord chitin armor. Legendary. This heavy plate armor is crafted from reinforced chitin donated willingly from an elite Mantis matriarch. Far lighter than steel, it still provides extreme defense against all physical attacks, while absorbing 50% of all magical attacks to reinforce its own durability. Plus 10% to Strength while equipped. Self repair."

"Note: Any insect or crustacean class monsters will be thrown into a berserker rage at the sight of this armor. They will attack without hesitation or mercy, with double their Strength but half their normal Agility and Intelligence. Experience gained from defeating monsters suffering this debuff will be doubled."

As I marveled over the incredible armor, Sythrak added, "The custom order you requested, sir. Our crafters were delighted with the chance to work on such a rare item. One master crafter even gained a level for the first time in 20 years."

"That long?"

"Master crafter levels are only gained from working on exceptional items that are difficult to acquire. Game worlds produce many times more items of high enough quality, but few contestants bother commissioning special orders. Our master crafter asked me to thank you for the privilege of working on this suit."

"They did a fantastic job. Actually, I have 2 other custom orders I'd like to request."

Sythrak's grin widened and his scales flickered to gold before returning to the previous sky blue. He must receive enormous rewards for bringing in high-level custom orders. Good to know. I produced the suit of armor Sixel had worn, along with the roll of wolf hide I got from defeating Alpha. The armor had been repaired when I got that refresh token after sending Noctarus to the moon.

While Sythrak inspected the items, I added the new chitin armor to my inventory, then willed it to swap with my Colossus Mantle and other equipped armor. The chitin armor encased me with solid protection, and I felt like a living tank. My muscles swelled with power from the boost to my Strength, and I had to grin.

Despite the thickness of the armor, it felt unbelievably light, and when I moved, the plates barely impeded my range. The helm covered my entire face, but I could still see through it with no loss of vision at all. I could also breathe without issue, and the air tasted great.

Whatever the enchantments to make that possible might be, they worked flawlessly. No tiny eye slits to limit my view and leave me vulnerable, or narrow nose slits to limit breathing. If I moved my Embersteel pin to my skullcap, I could wear it under the helm and keep my ethereal armor active too.

"This is incredible."

"Indeed, even compared to other legendary armor, that suit is exceptional," Sythrak agreed. His eyes flashed golden one final time as he completed his scans of the other items I'd produced.

"The wolf hide will make an exceptional piece, no doubt, but what do you wish done with this elven armor? It is fully repaired and in pristine condition. May I assume you wish it resized to fit you?"

"Not me. Ruby."

"Ah, an excellent choice to gift it to your lady. It was the armor of an elven princess, after all."

I decided to ignore the suggestion she was my lady. "I have 2 sets of great armor now, so it's time to look to my team."

"Wise words from a great leader. The armor will provide unrivaled protection once it is resized properly. I will see it done."

"You don't think the elves will object?" Should have thought about that earlier.

"No, my lord. Each of their champions receives many sets of armor, all custom made for them."

A new voice interrupted. A melodious tenor that spoke the words more like a song set to music only they could hear. "Indeed, I would consider it a great honor to know my daughter's armor can serve her avenger."

The newcomer was a slender elf who towered over me. He had to be at least 12 feet tall, and he radiated an aura of immense power and absolute confidence. His clean-shaven face had the same kind of inhuman beauty as Sixel, but more manly.

His pointy ears poked out through black hair, streaked with gray. He wore a silver suit that could totally be made out of mithril under a well-tailored long jacket of forest green, trimmed in blue. He wore a slightly curved sword at his hip.

"Kaelor Elaris, level 99 tier-4 elven clan patriarch. Kaelor battled his way to greatness as a champion of the infamous Draeven fighting pits. With legendary discipline, mastery of the blade, and ruthless cunning, Kaelor gathered together a brotherhood of champions and overthrew the Draeven Syndicate to establish his own clan as the new power on Thal Mythas. Clan Elaris dueling arenas are now the premier entertainment on 36 planets across multiple tiers."

Whoa. Sixel's dad was the real deal. His aura must be getting suppressed, but even so, it filled the room. The elf leader was like 1000 times more powerful than me, and that was ignoring the huge level gap. That feeling of strength I'd enjoyed a moment ago vanished under the weight of hard fact. Despite all my power, I was still a minnow in a universe of sharks.

Kaelor inclined his head and flashed a dazzling smile, and I realized he was amazing. I'd do anything he said. Hell, why would I sell him the vault? If he wanted it, I should just give it to him and thank him for the privilege.

Then the feeling disappeared like I'd been hit with the mental equivalent to a bucket of freezing water. I blinked a couple times and realized I'd fallen under the elf's Charisma. He'd totally dominated me, despite my high resistances.

"Apologies, my lord," Sythrak said quickly. "I have adjusted the dampeners so that we can meet on equal footing." He turned to Kaelor and bowed deeply. "Forgive me for not having everything set up already. I know it was not your intention to influence my client."

"Indeed it was not," Kaelor said, giving me another smile that seemed genuine and warm, although his ice-blue eyes were studying me with the intensity of a predator.

Surprisingly, Eva interrupted.

"Congratulations, Lucas! For surviving the Charisma of a tier-4 clan patriarch without melting your brain, you receive a platinum Lucky Stiff loot box."

I brushed the random achievement notification aside. I'd check the loot box later. The tall elf leader was in the process of dropping to a knee. "I am Kaelor Elaris, patriarch of my clan and eternally in your debt."

By the look of absolute shock on Sythrak's face, a tier-4 clan patriarch kneeling in gratitude to a guy in a tier-0 game world had to be way outside of the norm.

"I'm Lucas. Ah, trying to survive this game. Pleasure to meet you, sir."

He rose and said, "The pleasure is mine. The grief at the loss of my beloved Sixel can be softened just a bit now that I have met the man who avenged her, released her soul from captivity, and slew the vile demoness who made a mockery of her life."

His eyes blazed with inner fire as he spoke and his right hand clenched over the hilt of his sword. His aura flared and, despite the dampening Sythrak had in place and the fact that the elf patriarch was just a projection, I had to fight to keep from retreating. This was one old dude I did not want mad at me.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Honestly, I had no idea what I was walking into."

Kaelor regained his emotions. "Forgive the grief of a father for the loss of his daughter. The fact that you stood victorious over one of the demon assassins is a testament to your fortitude and skill as a warrior. You are new to the multiverse, thrown into a game of death, with no idea of the impact the game has on the rest of us."

He took a step closer and added, "Though many watch your desperate battles, few understand the significance of your duel with Velexis and my daughter."

Oh, no. People could watch my battles! If any of the demons saw me fighting Velexis—

Cyrus interrupted, as if knowing where my thoughts would go. "Know that no one from the home world of any boss, or affiliated with the organization of that boss, is allowed to watch any footage related to that boss while the game is underway."

I relaxed, but just for a moment. That meant, the Shadrael faction would gain access to the footage in a couple more weeks, after the game ended. Assuming we won and returned to Earth, they'd know it was me who killed her, and how I did it. Suddenly, the thought of a multiverse full of potential enemies studying my every move made the skin on the back of my neck crawl.

"I arranged special permission to watch the duel, since my Sixel was only a pawn of that cursed Velexis," Kaelor said. "As one who spent decades in the fight pits, I salute the skill and valor of your battle." He paused, regarding me with an inscrutable expression before adding, "I admit, despite my respect for your victory, I do struggle to ignore the fact that a baby in the multiverse with powers they barely grasp could defeat my Sixel in single combat."

Yikes. Sixel was the darling of their clan and I'd killed her. Maybe meeting the old elf ruler hadn't been so wise.

Choosing my words carefully, I said, "I doubt I could have defeated her if she was still herself. I defeated Velexis. She was possessing your daughter, but it was still a heartless demon moving her body."

Kaelor breathed deeply, then nodded. "Of course you are right. Grief clouds my mind. Velexis was an assassin, not a duelist. Even leeching my daughter's abilities, she lacked the heart of a true warrior. Again, thank you for freeing my daughter and slaughtering that monster. I sang a ballad in your honor after witnessing how you took off the demon's head."

That had been a nasty job. Velexis had been a 40-foot-tall gigantic demoness, with a neck more than 5 feet thick. Cutting through that with a short sword had been a chore and a half.

Sythrak interrupted. "Now that greetings are completed, perhaps we should commence negotiations. Time is short, I am afraid."