NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32: I am a Conqueror
The situation had changed from annoying to stupid as they fired another gun at me. I wasn't sure what kind of gun it was outside of "Large Sniper Rifle" but the bullet once again shattered. This was the fifth attempt after the man ran away and I was tired of it. I wasn't sure where they had even gotten many different kinds of guns. I sprinted toward the apartment building and activated Apportation. A storm of bullets ripped through that spot just as the portal closed. I stood in the apartment's main lobby with a surprised receptionist who was half-dressed. As if she had gone to a Halloween store and got an outfit meant to look like a slutty receptionist. I cocked my head at her. We just stood there staring at each other for a moment before her wits returned. She screamed and ducked behind the desk.
I chuckled and looked straight up. "It's not a huge leap to assume that the big boss would live at the top," I spoke out loud as Apportation activated again. I stepped through the portal just as the guards threw the doors open. I gave the man who shot at me before I winked as the portal sealed itself. I stepped out of the portal in the middle of a hallway. The carpet made the entire building seem older. A dark brown and white made me think of a grandmother's house. Did they an old folks home and convert it into a base of operations? I added the thought to the many things that I would ask about. A pair of voices from down the hall told me which direction so I made my way forward. I found two dark-skinned guys standing in front of room 306. They had long swords and a chain mail-style breastplate which made me curious.
As soon as they saw me they both drew their blades. I held up my hands in a mock surrender. "Hey, I am looking for Anthony. I am going to go ahead and assume he is in there. I am going to head inside."
The pair hesitated for a second. A fact I took advantage of as I slammed a fist into the larger one's chest. The man was forced back a step. White hot pain shot along my wrist. "Son of a bitch that's hard. I guess that confirms that it's from the System." The second guard's attack bounced harmlessly off of Psychic Aegis. This time I decided to leave it alone. I opened the door and my danger sense woke up. I threw myself back into the hallway just as an arrow slammed into the wall. The wall exploded like it had been hit with a bomb. Psychic Aegis protected me from the splinter but the two guards didn't fare as well. I grinned as a tall and wiry man stepped through the destroyed doorway. He wore a black pinstripe suit with two ornate rings on his right hand. His hair was cut into a fade and he had a bow in his hands.
"Now look at what we have here. I am told that you have some words for me?" He pulled back the string of his bow as if he had knocked an arrow only there was nothing there. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as he released the string. In the instant before the string snapped forward an arrow of pure spiritual energy formed. The arrow crossed the distance between us in an instant. It slammed into Psychic Aegis and a spider web of cracks spread out from the impact spot.
The man's smile faltered a moment before he wiped it away and pulled the bow back again. I cocked my head to the side as he fired again. Once gained the arrow slammed into my barrier. I felt the defensive spell shutter and knew it would break with the next shot. Still, neither of these shots had the same destructive power as the first one. I couldn't tell if he held something back or if he had a skill he couldn't activate. Either way, I wasn't going to let him loose another arrow. I lunged for him with the force that my new body could manage. The distance between us almost blurred but before my fist could slam into his stomach one of his rings glowed. A golden barrier sprung up around him. It felt like I had hit a brick wall. My hand went numb from the impact.
Anthony grinned and raised his bow. The entire bow glowed a beautiful sky-blue color before an arrow made out of condensed air formed. I pushed more spiritual energy into Psychic Aegis as a scream of danger told me what I already knew. I launched myself away and slammed through the opposite wall just as he released the arrow. The arrow practically teleported as it slammed into my barrier. Psychic Aegis slowed down the air for less than a second. Just enough time for me to bring my arm up. Pain exploded through my body as the arrow buried itself in my right hand. I gasped as pain radiated through me. I bit back a scream as the arrow burst into a torrent of slicing wind.
I took a second to catch my breath and process what the hell had just happened. That was a skill and a powerful one. It probably wouldn't have killed me unless it had gone through my heart but that fact did little to calm me down. I popped a pill in my mouth and grimaced as the skin, muscle, and bone began to stitch themselves back together. The sight made me want to puke but I pushed that down as well. The voice in the back of my mind that wanted to not kill these people had gone silent. I pushed spiritual energy into Psionic Rain. The spell quickly turned into a starving vortex that drained more than twice as much energy as usual before it was satisfied. For good measure, I pushed the strand of adamance into it as well.
Psionic Rain appeared in the air like an indigo sun. The sphere now had a dense set of sigils that spread across it like hieroglyphics. I felt like I could learn something if I could just stare at it longer but there was no time. I got to my feet just as Anthony and his people rushed forward. Before they made it halfway I unleashed my attack. The sphere shattered into innumerable needles that rained down on the trio. The needles shot through their bodies and for a second it looked like nothing happened. They stood stark still as if someone had pressed pause on the world. Once the dull glow of the attack faded they collapsed.
A surge of spiritual energy flooded me but when compared to the energy I had spent since I entered this town I was still at a loss. Once the attack was finished and I was sure they were dead I shook my head. I knelt and collected their weapons but decided to leave the armor. This wasn't a game and I didn't want to strip a corpse. I made my way into Anthony's office and blinked in surprise. These people had a System Hub? How the fuck did he well I guess if he was in the tutorial he would have gained one. The heaviness that had fallen on my shoulders started to fade. I placed my hand on the hub and the voice of the System filled my mind.
You have found a claimed System Hub.
As the previous claimant has died you are free to claim this hub.
Would you like to Claim?
I accepted the prompt and a pulse of energy spread out from the hub. A second message notified me that everyone in the area had been notified and that I needed to defend the area for ten minutes. I sat in what used to be Anthony's chair and waited. Within three minutes a group of guards flooded including the man from earlier. He raised his gun at me and I considered picking up where we left off but I was tired. I was tired and I wasn't in the mood to waste more of my energy. I conjured a thin blade of mental energy and shot it into his chest. I held back as much as I could but based on the way his face twisted it hurt like a mother fucker.
"Listen I am not in the mood for this. If you insist on fighting me I will unleash serious attacks until the timer ends. I will kill you." As soon as I finished my sentence I realized that this whole situation probably could have been avoided if I had just used my killing intent. I was still operating under the whole dangerous paradigm that I hadn't even considered it. Thankfully the three corpses outside and their new leader panting on his knees took the fight out of the others. They placed their guns on the ground and bolted. I raised an eyebrow at the military guy and waited. He glared at me and stood up. I was sure that he wanted to test me again but knew that he would die. He turned and promptly left the room.
I leaned back and waited for the timer to hit zero. As soon as it did I was given full access to the System Hub and realized that he hadn't unlocked anything. He had access to the skill and spell shop but that was it. Even the things available were pretty useless. They were all worse versions of the ones I had access to and those were worse versions of the ones we got in the tutorial. I scrolled down to my normal options and found a new category. I rubbed my hands together as I made what should be the greatest purchase in my life. A half million credits disappeared and a grey disc appeared on the ground. The disc was as big as a manhole cover and emitted a slight hum. I stared in disbelief for a second before letting out a howling laugh.
"I got a teleporter. I got a fucking teleporter." I placed a hand over the disc and a list of names appeared or rather one name in a list format. I selected Amara and stepped on the disc. A familiar pulling sensation came over me and I shut my eyes. When I opened them I was back in my boardroom. I took a second to relish having my teleporter before I realized a problem. The room right next to where I lived was a horrible place to put the teleporter. I was just about to open the menu again when Saanite floated in.
"Hey, do you know if I can select a separate teleporter location? And if so is it possible to move one once I already purchased it?"
Saanite paused and its gaseous form pulsed slightly. I wasn't sure how I knew that it irritated me but I did and I wasn't sure why.
"Yes, I can deactivate the teleporter and have it moved elsewhere. Is there a reason that you have chosen to conquer a new territory without notifying me? Managing different areas requires considerable effort if you don't have the appropriate support staff. I can make up for it since you selected a relatively empty place. For future references, you will need to select a person or ideally a group of people to settle your domains. You will also need a proper force to govern and protect your territory. Despite your strength distance is a difficult thing to deal with."
I nodded and rubbed the back of my neck. "Right, I hadn't planned on conquering anything but people kept attacking and I didn't explain things. One thing led to another and I started killing. Now that I say that out loud I realize I kind of sound insane but if you were there it would make more sense."
"Do not misunderstand it is well within your abilities and rights to do so. I am pointing out that you lack the critical infrastructure to properly integrate those areas. If you wish you may leave them as lawless lands. I would not recommend having too many of those in place but they can be useful."
"Alright well, I don't plan on conquering anything else for a while. Is there anything that needs my attention? I should probably let people know that I just took over that other place. I also want to check out the commonwealth."
"No, the other humans are getting acclimated. There were a handful of injuries when they encountered a larger group of enemies than they expected but they were able to deal with it."
"Perfect, alright I am going to make a few purchases and then I am heading back out. Speak with Christopher or the headmistress of the academy about where a good spot for the teleporter would be." I left the room and after a quick sprint down to the System shop and a ridiculous portion of my wealth, I got a new bottle of pills. I was back through the portal within thirty minutes. I made my way down to the reception area and found the receptionist standing in the corner as if she was trying her best to go unnoticed.
"Uh, you don't have to stay here anymore. You also don't have to dress like that either."
She nodded and stared at me like I was a cross between her savior and a wild animal that would rip her apart. "Right of course Sir I um—"
I held up a hand to stop her from whatever she was about to say. "I don't care. Also, you don't need to call me Sir. Listen what did you do before everything went changed?" I looked her up and down. Despite the ridiculous outfit, it was clear she had an easy or easy life before this which meant she might be useful."
"I was interning at a law office." She said with a slight tremble in her voice.
I sighed when I realized that this was getting me nowhere. "Alright go find some clothes in the apartments or wherever and come back. I think I have a job for you. It won't be law related or I guess more real sense it will be. Either way, if you aren't interested just don't come back."
I watched her leave before stepping into the main square where I found a crowd waiting for me. When I appeared they got so quiet you could have heard a pen drop. Every eye stared at me as if my next few words would determine their lives which was true. I had to cough to keep my voice from trembling. It was one thing to be in the tutorial and fight alone. It was one thing to let people live in the same building that I controlled but this was different. I walked through here like a natural disaster and completely upended their lives. I pushed down the guilt I felt and reminded myself that I had tried to speak. I tried peace but they wouldn't listen.
"Greetings let's start things off with my name. I am Amari, Amari Jackson and I killed Anthony and two guards with him. I have started building a nation under my control. I want to be clear none of you have to stay here. I have no interest in holding you captive or forcing you to do anything you don't want." I paused and let my gaze travel across the crowd. A part of me found it ironic that between my law school education and public speaking classes, it was the latter that was going to help me the most. "I will be implementing law and order throughout my territories. For now, those of you who wish to leave gather whatever it is that you need. I will begin an accounting after which taking anything will be considered stealing. Formal laws will be posted soon but for now, assume that if it was illegal before the world went to shit it's illegal now."
The irony of that last statement wasn't lost on me but then again this wasn't that different than the old world. People and governments who had power could get away with doing just about anything they wanted. I took another breath. If any of you wish to get stronger you may sign up for what will be my military. More information about that will be available soon. If you have any management experience please make your way into the reception area. I am looking for people who will be able to help me manage this town as well as any others. Compensation will be provided as soon as I work out how the System operates."
I paused for questions but everyone just stared at me like a deer caught in headlights. After two minutes of silence, I waved a hand and left the middle of the square. I stepped back into the reception area and took a seat on the desk. Honestly, the whole situation was insane but I couldn't say that I disliked how things had gone. I would have rather not killed those three but the System encouraged violence and we were rather close to each other. How long would the System have given us before we were forced to go at it? There was also the fact that the System preferred people who put the extra effort in and conquering a rival city so soon was an effort. I opened my title screen but found nothing new. I would have expected to find a title for doing that. Which either the System didn't think this was an achievement or someone else had beaten me to it. I looked up just as the receptionist returned and close behind her were ten people. None of them were cultivator clothes so I assumed they weren't in the tutorial. I waved them to come closer and leaped off of the desk. It was time to get things going.