Chapter 74: Gabe

The state of his latest host shocked Percy. On one hand, he’d spent way too long searching for a body, so he had no choice but to compromise. This person’s condition was much worse than he’d like. However, as broken as it was, this was still one of the strongest souls any of his clones had come across.

Knowing that a good first impression was half the battle, he wasn’t in a hurry to reach out. Instead, he took a moment deliberating how to best introduce himself, unwilling to spook an otherwise promising host. Though he never got the chance. The stranger spoke first.

This wasn’t among the reactions Percy was expecting, but he didn’t sense any hostility, which was a good sign.

he explained.

his host asked.

Percy would have creased his brow if he had one. While he’d never thought of his clones like that, they invisible, incorporeal and could possess bodies. Functionally, they did fit with what he imagined a ghost to be.

the spirit sounded amused.

The response left Percy stumped.

he asked.

his host explained.

The spirit’s words made Percy want to rub his hands. This was shaping into quite the treasure trove already. A powerful host he could communicate with, and a rich world coveted by all. But their body was deteriorating fast, and this person seemed suspicious of him.

amam he said.

he hurriedly added.

His host sent him something akin to a mental shrug.

Percy was surprised once more. He wasn’t the most altruistic person either, but he wouldn’t be so indifferent if an outsider tried to use him to take down Remior. Still, his host’s callousness made him easy to work with.

A pang of laughter rang in their shared consciousness, but it sounded hollow.

the spirit protested.

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Percy remained silent for a few seconds. It was true his offer was lopsided, but he couldn’t help it.

They appeared to be at an impasse.

Percy asked again, unwilling to lose this chance.

Percy considered it for a few moments. Despite what his new host might believe, he wasn’t exactly an expert on souls. Everything he knew were just bits and pieces he’d discovered by accident. Still, he took this seriously. Technically, he lie to get what he wanted, but deceiving a dying person didn’t sit well with him.



he ultimately said.

The spirit didn’t reply right away, taking a few minutes to contemplate Percy’s words. Eventually, he probably realised this was the best he was going to get.

Percy felt the natural resistance of his host disappear, allowing him to move more freely in the damaged vessel. Seeing that their condition was critical, he stretched his soul wisp, touching as many fragments as he could without delay. Only then did he release some of the stashed mana, letting it flow to the cracks, gluing himself to Gabe.

Having already sent out over thirty clones, Percy was a bit of a veteran by now. He’d grown somewhat proficient at patching his hosts up efficiently, meaning he didn’t need to use all his mana right away. The rest, he kept as a trump card, in case Gabe needed a follow-up treatment.

he replied.

Finally able to tap into the body’s senses, a bizarre sight greeted him. He found himself lying face-up in a spacious room, its ceiling as high as its sides were long. It appeared to be a dark grey cube, over 50 meters wide, entirely made of a smooth metal.

Bright runes covered all its surfaces, their combined glow more than sufficient to illuminate the place. They were smaller, denser and far more intricate than anything he’d seen before. The symbols were joined together with all sorts of geometric shapes and curved lines.

If this magical script could be likened to a detailed painting from a talented artist, then everything they had back on Remior – including the glyphs in the Alchemists’ Guild – were nothing more than a toddler’s scribbles.

shifting a little made him wince, the pain breaking him out of his daze.

It hurt all over, though this wasn’t his first rodeo. Soon, he filtered out the unpleasant sensation, before gazing down at his body.

While Gabe was vaguely humanoid, his flesh was transparent. Through their skin, Percy saw an assortment of strange organs decorating the interior of their torso. A pale sphere-like thing pulsed rhythmically like a heart in their chest. It was right behind the bright blue star burning in their sternum. Percy didn’t know what affinity it was, but a quick activation of Mana Sense revealed the core was at Green. As for the rest of the squirming organs, their colours varied from turquoise to deep purple, and Percy couldn’t name any of them if his life depended on it. He also had four limbs – his favourite number to have – but they all ended in just three digits.

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More concerning was the lack of clothes – other than a pair of brown shorts – and the numerous cuts all over their body, all oozing out a clear, viscous liquid.

Seemingly oblivious to the novelty of his guest’s situation, Gabe didn’t even register his words, clearly impatient to get himself healed. Without even giving Percy a chance to read his new Status, he spoke.

“Cube. Restart the ‘swarm’ challenge. Green level. User ID: 004527945512.”

“Authorization granted. Restarting ‘swarm’ challenge, Green level. The user has already cleared wave 5. Do you wish to resume at wave 6? WARNING: Wave 6 contains elite enemies.” a soulless voice boomed from all around them.

“Yes.” Gabe said, not missing a beat.

“Choice confirmed. Wave begins in 18 rits.”

Percy protested.

Gabe shrugged.

“Wave begins in 12 rits.”

Percy wasn’t sure how long a rit was. He estimated it was a little longer than a second, which meant they were running out of time. Fast.



“Wave begins in 6 rits.”

Gabe’s words didn’t sound particularly reassuring, but Percy had no choice but to trust him.

“Wave begins. May your challenge be successful!”