“Shit.”
I bashed my elbow into the wall behind me, creating a large hole that I quickly fell out of. I hooked onto the protruding stones and drew Zhige, instantly slashing through the bodies of the vicious creature that spilled out.
They were a hideous sight. Some had multiple eyes across their entire body; others had yellow fangs dangling from their mouths; some had a black, viscuous liquid leaking out of every orifice in their body.
Demons.
When they met Zhige’s assault, they instantly dissipated into black ash, blowing through the air like fog.
I could see purple and black flames erupting inside the building and the vicious roar of Amelia’s dire wolf as the monsters were quickly reduced.
However, just as quickly as we could kill them they quickly reappeared.
[POLL #1
Which party should face the most difficult monsters?
- Peijin’s World Dominion
- Major Arcana
- Bohemian Grove]
“What the fuck?!” I exclaimed furiously.
[Polling ongoing…
- 35%
- 24%
- 41%]
I used my foot to kick away more of the wall, until the entire thing was practically gone.
The demons began falling straight out of the building and onto the ground beneath, dying from the impact. These were some of the weakest and ugliest creatures we’ve had to face so far.
But, I didn’t want to know what it would be like to fight against monsters not classified as fodder. We still had plenty of nodes left to claim.
“Chang!” I exclaimed, “Are you there?”
I pulled myself back into the building, watching everyone kill hundreds of monsters. I clung onto the ceiling, my hoodie whirring to life as it propelled me upward until I was practically sticking to the surface. I slowly crawled my way over to the node.
The glowing cube was right beneath me now. I strained down, grunting from the effort, until my fingertips finally grazed across the cube. It spun wildly, practically throwing me off.
The sleeve of my hoodie shot forward, wrapping around it and pulling it into the hoodie, placing it right in my grip.
[Disciple Peijin has claimed ownership of the Mediterranean node!]
At once, the node exuded an incredible white light, and it morphed into a small puzzle piece in my palm. I clung onto it.
[Polling ongoing…
- 30%
- 22%
- 48%]
Chang appeared, looking down at the sight and letting out a low whistle. “Look at you go, Peijin! A lovely show as always. It really warms my heart to see.”
“You just like seeing your paycheck come in. Speaking of which, does killing all these monsters give us more starrs?”
“Definitely. You don’t have to ask me about that. It tells you that on its own.”
“I was earning too much money, so I turned off the notifications every time I got more stars. How much more money do I make if I kill a harder demon in the citadel?”
“Maybe tenfold.”
“Tenfold?!”
[Polling will conclude shortly!]
I pursed my lips, thinking deeply.
“Hey!” I shouted at my party members. “How badly do you guys need more stars!”
Yue glared up at me. “Aren’t you one of the richest disciples here?! Leave it!”
“Okay…” I turned back to Chang. “Maybe next time.”
[Polling has concluded! The final votes are as follows.
- 30%
- 19%
- 51%]
The tiniest smirk was visible on my face to see that Bohemian Grove was getting the brunt of the poll’s consequences. After all, it was probably far more interesting to watch the party that would struggle the most.
But if my party was second-most voted… that meant we were still weaker than Ruoming’s party.
“Whatever,” I grumbled, annoyed.
With the node now secured, I quickly jumped back out of the building. “Everyone, let’s move on to the next location! Follow me!”
I watched as the rest of my party members quickly scrambled out, climbing back onto the roof. The other demons struggled and failed to make their way up and reach us. I looked down cockily.
“The American cities are that way,” I said, gesturing toward the direction I had scouted earlier. I opened my palm, staring down the node before opening it back up.
[MEDITERRANEAN NODE]
[Location: Building AK13829 — Floor Two]
[Description: The Mediterranean node controls the citadel’s environment. Use the node’s artifact to toggle these settings regardless of the user's current location.
Temperature: 5/10
Weather: 5/10
Gravity: 5/10
Pollution: 1/10
Light: 5/10
Time Loop: 1/10
Owner: Liu Peijin
Set Temperature: 8/10
At once, the room elevated to a sweltering heat, and sweat broke out on my upper lip.
Yue’s head snapped toward me, and I could tell she was about to yell at me.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Set Temperature: 7/10
“Give it a second,” I said. “Let me lower it slowly so the other parties aren’t too suspicious. Amelia, how difficult was it to spot the node?”
She shook her head back and forth. “Not too difficult. He could sniff them out if we used Stone’s Aura together,” Amelia said, patting her dire wolf on the head. It was a humorous sight given that they were about the same height. He instantly nuzzled her cheek gently, licking her face.
“You do have to activate them, though, in order for the rest of us to see them,” Wei added.
“Huh? How’d you do that?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
Wei pointed at his eye, which suddenly started glowing a deep yellow. “Through the Thirty Aethyrs.”
My jaw dropped, and I brought my hands up to my head. “What?! Have you already tested that skill?”
Set Temperature: 6/10
I was in complete shock. The Thirty Aethyrs was one of the most complicated skills in all of Surviving My First Run. Maybe it was only difficult for a human to wrap its mind around ththe magical planes, but I was utterly shocked that Wei had managed to enter into the Aethyrs without even seeming phased.
“I tested it out back in the train station. It only took a moment, and I only managed to enter TEX, which is the thirtieth layer.
Yue interrupted. “What in the actual fuck are you two talking about? Can we please normalize giving context?”
“Shut up for a moment,” I waved Yue off and turned back to Wei. “So, that allows you to activate the nodes for the rest of us?”
“It’s not the only method, but it worked for Amelia and I.”
“You’re really cool, Wei. I’m happy to be working with you, not against you.”
Wei’s ears flushed a bright pink, and he turned away, fidgeting uncomfortably. “I’m just doing my part. You don’t need to flatter me.”
Set Temperature: 5/10
Now that I fully reset the Mediteranean node’s setting, I quickly secured it in my Boundless Bag.
Yue clasped her hands together. “Aw, both of you are just soo cute! So, can someone please explain what’s happening?”
Yang shrugged. “I have no clue either.”
Wei turned to the both of them, still obviously flustered by my compliment. “The Thirthy Aethyrs are a magical plane I can enter with my skills. TEX is the first layer, and it’s the closest to the material realm. In the center was a massive crystal cube representing Harpocrates, the Greek god of silence and secrecy. There were also four archangels.”
“Are you possessed?” Yue asked genuinely.
Wei pouted, looking annoyed. “No. It just gives me mystical insights and lets me communicate with other gods. I can move onto different planes once I pass a hypothetical test for each level.”
“What was the level for TEX?” Yue said.
“Confront your fears,” Wei gave a humorous but also painful smile. “Not very hard anymore, though.”
Yue winced. “Sorry. Forget what I asked.”
I slapped the back of her head. “It’s one of the hardest skills to use. It’s sort of like a cultivation skill. I wanted Wei to pick it originally because I think it’s one of the best when mastered, and Wei is technically a cultivator.”
Yang poked Wei’s shoulder. “Did you see Archangel Michael?”
Wei shook his head.
[Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts says he is too busy slaughtering demons to hold meet and greets in the Aethyrs.]
[Many divinities from Paradise are criticizing the Divinity Supreme commander of the Heavenly Hosts’ attitude!]
[Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts insists he is being honest.]
[Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts says it is an incredibly time consuming job to manage the Aethyrs.]
[Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts says he is much better at wielding a sword.]
[Many demons feel incredible animosity for Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts!]
[Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts slumps in his seat and goes silent.]
[Divinity Great Sage Equaling Heaven bursts out laughing.]
“My sponsor is just a very busy person,” Wei said, shrugging.
“Yue, what about you? Can you detect them?”
“Of course I can!” She answered. “I was simply looking in the wrong spot…”
“Sure, sure. Let’s stick together from now on, since we know that Amelia and Wei are a good pairing for this. If we get through this quickly, we won’t have to deal with too many votes, and that should benefit us. I’ll hold onto the node artifacts for now.”
I guided the party through the narrow alley and up the buildings, until I reached the same vantage point I was at earlier. I signaled for them to follow, and we ran across the top. What would’ve taken hours before the apocalypse now took us only minutes.
Hundreds of creatures swarmed beneath us, piling up in an attempt to scale the building, but before they could reach the top, they would topple down and collapse. It was almost hilarious to watch them struggle after such a brutal second arc.
“Zhige, take down as many of them as you can,” I said, throwing my blade down into the crowd. Zhige flew all over, slicing them without any resistance. The only difficult part was listening to their horrifying screams and gargles.
I jerked my head at Amelia. “Where’s the node?”
She muttered something to the dire wolf who instantly perked its head and began sniffing out its surroundings. Its nostrils twitched in the air.
It turned back to Amelia with a blank stare.
Amelia looked at me nervously. “Give him a second. He’s just a little shy.”
“He can’t find it, can he?”
“No, he definitely can!” Amelia insisted, looking incredibly frustrated now.
This time, she whispered in the wolf’s ear almost desperately, and he looked back at her almost blankly before letting out a whine and pawing at the ground.
“It’s fine if he can’t find it,” I reassured her. “We can have Yue give it a shot instead. Or I can try using one of my skills.”
Amelia shook her head vigorously. “He’s saying the scent is faint, and it’s moved around all over the American city. It’s not here anymore.”
[Observers Chat]
Socrates: Jia Li… I don’t want to get zapped by Karma for saying this, but you’re not the only smart person here anymore.
Socrates: Trust what Amelia is saying. The other parties didn’t survive the last arc for no reason.
[Divinity The One Who Fights in Front is watching Disciple Peijin closely.]
[Divinity Great Sage Equaling Heaven is growing bored.]
[Demon Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven is wondering when the next poll is.]
My voice was firm now. “Amelia. Take us to where the scent originates.”
She nodded, and the dire wolf leapt ahead, jumping down onto the road. Various demons attempted to attack it, but it snapped its jaws, and they turned into dust almost instantly.
Unlike the Mediterranean landscape, the American city was made up of massive glass buildings. In the sunlight, the glass glistened beautiful shades of deep blues and greens. Some buildings were more historical, made up of various white stone pillars and detailing.
Further down, a massive beach stretched out. A ferris wheel broke the horizon. It had been completely overtaken by demons, who were spilling out from one of the gondolas, crashing into the ground and creating a massive swimming pile of monstrous flesh.
The dire wolf led us down into the sand, and our speed dramatically decreased.
Yue let out a frustrated cry. “Ugh! I hate getting sand in my shoes!” She whined dramatically, whipping her spear around and slashing the approaching demon. She spat whenever the demon’s black dust blew into ther face from the wind.
Yang shouted back. “There’s a skill you can buy in the Azure Dragon Store to keep your feet clean!”
“What the fuck? How do you even know that?”
“I bought it earlier!”
“What the fuck?!” Yue and I exclaime at the same time.
“B-Because I kept getting dirt and mud on my shoes!” Yang exclaimed, trying to justify himself. “And think about it, we don’t get proper showers anymore! If anything, you guys should follow my example.”
“What the hell did you just say, you stinky bastard?” Yue roared, whacking his back furiously with her spear. “Take that back now, or I’ll kill you!”
Yang burst out laughing and began running faster, dodging Yue’s hits by mere millimeters, driving her mad.
You have purchased Cleanly Feet!
I kept my lips sealed as Yang desperately defended himself from Yue’s fury.
Finally when we reached the ferris wheel, the dire wolf shakily leapt onto the first gondola, struggling to find his balance as the gondola swayed back and forth. It then jumped onto the next, heading toward the one all the monsters were spilling out of.
“I have a suspicious feeling, it's that one…” I muttered, pointing at the one colored a bright red as I turned around and looked at the rest of my party. “Lets get on top of it and tear off the ceiling. Leave the two sides open so all the demons keep falling out.”
We climbed onto it, and I gestured for the rest of my party to stay on the gondola positioned one slot lower.
“Zhige!” I cried out, and the blade flew straight into my hand. I stabbed it into the gondola’s metal ceiling and cut out a square, prying it open and peeking inside. Unlike the last node, there was no brightly glowing cube.
Wei’s eyes began glowing a deep yellow shade, yellow sparks flying out until a giant blue screen floated upward toward me.
[AMERICAN NODE]
[Location: Ferris Wheel RN2938 — Gondola #19]
[Description: The American node controls the citadel’s spatial presence. Use the node’s artifact to toggle these settings regardless of the user's current location.
Alter Layout: Yes/No
Trap Frequency: 3/10
Location Size: 8/10
Location Firewall: 1/10]
My eyes drafted to the very last line on the screen.
[Owner: Song Ruoming]