Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/Later... Around ten days after Babylon ended.../

"Huff... Huff... Arg..."

'This is killing me... Slowly...'

Inside his room, Dale sat down with his legs crossed, rapidly moving mana around his body.

A small blue marble of light moved within his veins, flashing in and out of his skin as it moved rapidly, so fast it seemed as if his body was about to collapse, like a bomb about to ignite.

But in the end, he endured the pain and breached his previous limits, and with a satisfied exhale, he stopped his training.

'Twenty rotations in a single second... It was only for a moment, but I got it.'

'Before returning to the past, I could do about ten consistently even in a fight, now, I can do about six, which is already far beyond what I could do at the same period in time.'

'Well... Being able to circulate my mana a few more times than my enemy won't change anything, but it's about control, flow, speed, potency, etc. That's what can define a fight.'

'Soon, I'll surpass my old self... I'm speaking like a true regressor...'

Ten days had passed since Babylon closed, and about a week since he experienced the memories and settled most of his pending affairs.

In the last few days, Dale meticulously and unwaveringly prepared for his plans, honing his skills, strategizing, and preparing for the most opportune moment to embark on his Questlines, given most of them pointed outside of Resko.

The trend of most of his Quests was to pursue their completion by seeking outside of Resko, it has been like this for quite a while...

But first, in the real world, he slowly settled his issues, which weren't numerous.

He scheduled a talk with Roger not long after their previous talk, discussing as much as he could of what he experienced in Babylon but in a way that wouldn't confuse Roger.

Now, after a few days of trying to explain things to him, Roger had an idea that Dale possessed knowledge of future events and was willing to move on with some of his ideas.

He accepted it all far too readily, honestly... Which Dale assumed was because he better understood the backstage picture.

For him, the idea of his family being attacked wasn't all too far-fetched. He must've been thinking about this possibility for a long while.

lightsvεl m However, despite everything Dale said, Roger did not share much with him, not because he couldn't, but because by this point in time, Dale wasn't an initiate, so he feared the worst.

It was the same old problem again... It seemed they would need to pass by one of the Crucibles again, but this time, not the South American one.

Meanwhile, Roger began acting to move Dale's family to Japan, where it was safer.

Dale's deep concern for his family's safety was evident following what he experienced. He felt no confidence in the American defense force after what happened before.

He did not care about the innuendos, be it corruption, or the enemy's ability, the stars aligned to fuck him over... None of it mattered; what he cared about was their failure to prevent the attack, and that's all.

So, with both in progress, most of Dale's real-world issues were solved or en route to their conclusion.

There was still the matter of his friends recognizing his identity in-game and discussing some things with the Assassin girl, but those two were better left for another time.

His friends were still there, and he exchanged some words with them, while the Assassin girl was currently online doing something.

She had accepted his friend request, which was surprising to him. Had she refused, she may have been able to flee from him, but it seemed she was being genuine... Or she was looking to have him do something for her.

Contacts were rather crucial in this line of work, maybe that's why she accepted it...

Aside from those, if he were to stretch things a little bit further, there was the issue of his real-life opponents, those who received training since they were born, such as the Swordswoman he faced at the end of the Arena.

Dale sometimes wondered how that girl was doing, and he even asked Roger who she was, only to be teased by him a little.

Unfortunately, Roger did not share who she was because, according to him, she was a friend's daughter, and until he got his permission, he wouldn't be introducing any boys to her. Which made Dale cringe a little...

There was also everyone from the first three Generations; Dale assumed everyone apart from a few to be his enemies, as until he understood what the "truth" and "roles" they were assigned following the end of the respective games, he would remain in the defensive at all times.

Back at Resko, Dale put his entire will and energy into improving himself and recovering his past Skills and Abilities.

His time was always full.

In the morning, he would wake up in the Inn, which, by now, was mostly empty.

The only one living here besides him was Illia. They would wake up together and eat in the main room next to the kitchen before parting ways.

She would work on her shop, and he would train with Sarferato.

Many would often join or observe his morning training and exercises, but given how heavy they were, only some of the trained individuals amidst those he rescued from the forest could follow, and even then, not for long.

Sarferato really held nothing back with his training, and nor did Tina, to the point he would leave their sight bleeding or in deep pain.

While the old General had him perform excruciating physical and technical exercises, Tina taught him a lot about energy manipulation and began to push him towards more advanced, more challenging forms of Witchcraft.

The Mark of the Witch on his palm was only the beginning of a lengthy journey; the ritual he performed not long ago was an extension of that, and there were still many left to accomplish.

Gruesome, brutal, hellish experiences...

In the meantime, Qrubin also filled in with his training, or more accurately, studies. Working hard to divert from the future Dale witnessed.

However, it was clear there was no escaping it. They could only prepare for its inevitable arrival...

Aside from Sarferato, Qrubin was by far the most cult person he knew, possessing the ability to answer almost anything he asked.

If he found some strange item, Qrubin would know everything about it, and even if he knew little, he would mention if he ever saw it or at least give Dale an idea of what he was dealing with...

After all, he was the crazy guy who tried to study and understand David's abilities, his actions so foul even the Statue couldn't withstand remaining in persona for long.

That was how he came to know David was very much 'alive'.

Anyhow, Qrubin was also greatly interested in the foreign power Dale achieved, and while Sarferato could not pinpoint why no one had discovered such a power, he had some ideas...

Possibilities for its source, a hypothesis even...

"... Hm... This is more than a coincidence."

"This is too much of a fundamental force for none to reach it naturally." Qrubin said in a deep tone as he observed Dale circulate Kiton around his body

"I'm afraid there may be a limitation... A form of veil. A curse even, embedded onto our very beings, preventing us from reaching this form."

"Somehow, yours broke, and by displaying it around, you shattered the restrictions of those who observed it..."

"This is akin to a mental lock."

Qrubin's soul-fire dimmed as he went into deep thought...

"... Such forms of Imaterial sealing are not unfamiliar to me... However... I can't devise which one it is, as they are as vast as the number of droplets on a pond."

"From Witchcraft alone, I remember a dozen different methods which could lead to a similar result, but this is far greater than a mere form of hypnosis; it's a compelled guidance that affects all worldwide across uncountable generations... It's far too great of an effect to be contained within any matrix I know of."

"I suggest you keep this information tight, as even if this force benefits the user, we cannot discern the consequences that will stem from breaking those seals or whatever these restrictions are."

"There's likely a reason you broke free from them, it could be something from birth, it could be due to your "Unique Experience", but whatever it is, messing with the creation of the Gods, the Human Vessel, isn't something to be performed lightly, much less in the domain of the one who governs Order."

"Whoever imposed it... How can we be sure they won't retaliate against our actions?"

"I'll study it as much as possible in the meantime, but don't expect much; I also suggest you focus on what you're familiar with before delving into the unknown."

"... We'll end our class here, I have much to think." Qrubin said as he opened a portal outside of his room

And like that, this defined most of his training, but not everything he did.

Returning to the last few days, Dale did much more than just studying or training.

It would be safe to say he rarely remained in one place for long, pacing back and forth as he solved problem after problem.

Amidst everything he did, he convinced the merchants to return early by buying supplies at a premium on the Imperial Outspost by the mountains. It took a lot of negotiation and a few gems he found scattered around, but he succeeded.

Like this, he hoped to avoid whatever happened to them in the other timeline, another issue he had yet to solve.

The merchants were an essential "tool" he needed to maintain, as they were a supply line and a source of currency flow Resko needed deeply.

Soon enough, they would return with the building materials, hopefully, sufficient to fix enough homes so everyone could have a proper place to live.

Even now, many refugees work from morning to dusk before returning to decrepit homes... And no matter how much safer and carefree this lifestyle was compared to their days in the forest, it was unforgivable for Dale to have 'his' people live like that.

Butuntilhe had enough materials,nothingwould suffice.

They could only continue to excavate the sand and reconstruct what they could, demolishing that which was far too gone for repairs.

Speaking of that, his Event had exploded in popularity, so much Dale feared the number of players in Resko doubled in those ten days, nearing the tens of thousands already.

It was getting to a point where players outnumbered the Npcs by 3 or 4 to 1, if not more...

He realized that his Event did such an excellent job of spreading the attention of players and rationalizing work amidst them that it became somewhat efficient to become a "worker" instead of a hunter.

The players could now efficiently choose what they wanted to do. Activities that would net them high rewards and the fictional "points" he created at their own pace without going through anyone but the "fair" System.

Then, by using this method, they could contribute to Resko's "Questline" while also gaining experience and Reputation, which would eventually allow them to interact with NPCs and get Quests outside of Dale's crafted infrastructure.

It was a shame his Event couldn't encompass all aspects of Resko, but it was to be expected that if he could affect the Questlines of the NPCs as well, then what prevented him from twisting the System to his benefit...

Although he was already doing that, it wasn't like Dale could directly twist the system to give him free Levels, there were half a dozen things he needed to do and by the time he was done, it wouldn't have been worth it.

The System wouldn't let him abuse it, but it would let him "slave" the players... He was technically paying them, so it wasn't slavery... It's more like compulsive working.

If you don't work, someone will!

In truth, like before, even if his event incentivized fair play and chances, High-Level players were the only ones who could realistically compete for the true rewards of this System of his, so nothing much changed in the grand scheme of things.

The players were finally becoming functional to Resko's economy, and his System was working; it wasn't sustainable yet due to Resko's low production of items and materials, but they would get there eventually.

And even then, thanks to the fact he was sponsoring Roger's agents and a few other player groups, he knew exactly who would be getting those top conditions, which, in the end, was only a means to rile up players and strengthen the loyal ones even further.

Everything was closing up as he intended, but he wasn't ready to call it a day; he knew problems and people would find ways to exploit his creation...

In ways similar to what he did when he was in the beta.

Even then, things were flowing, and it was fine as long as they flowed.

Also, hecouldn't mention the players without talkingabout Rodi and Roger's granddaughter.

After much turmoil, Rodi's Clan was the one furthest in what Dale liked to call "His Questline",but in truth, they were just his errand people.

Whenever he needed something done and didn't have the time to confirm or do it, he would send them after it.

For example, there were dozens of mines scattered throughout the land. Dale gave them a mission to go to each Mine and scan its resources. It's important to mention that each mine is an undiscovered dungeon, and its levels varied from 40 to 60; some were even as high as 70+.

Dale knew which of the Mines held resources, having explored them before, but for his Quests, he needed to recheck them all and a few more he never had the chance to enter.

So, who better than Immortal players to send on this endeavor?

They were all leveling up efficiently, with Rodihimselfalmost reaching Level 50!

That was relatively high for today's standards... Back in Babylon, he saw no player higher then Level 55, with Twilight Moon, the previous Champion, being only Level 47.

By now, she was likely beyond 50, but Rodi wasn't that far off, even though the difference in their strength was as high as the sun and moon...

He even heard rumors that his Clan was thinking about transferring their headquarters to Resko, given the Capital was way too full of people.

Do remember that Azimuth is a single, worldwide server, the dozens of clans from each country would all try to settle down at the center of the world!

Hundreds to thousands of groups, each containing dozens to hundreds of members!

So those with ambitious goals would be looking for opportunities to get far ahead of others, and right now, Resko was proving to be this very place...Which was what Dale wanted.

As for Roger's kin, she was...Doingexactlywhat he expected her to do.

Their first encounter was full of caution and formalities, but after she got to know him personally and that he was a "normal" man, she began opening up... Fast...

Way too fast...

Now, she would often invade his room in the Inn and ask for Quests or "Fun things" to do...

Not anything of that sort, mind you!

She was an overly energetic girl who trusted her grandfather greatly, and this spread to him because he trusted Dale.

Dale wasn't bothered by her antics, but he did discuss how overwhelmed he felt with her grandfather, who spared no time to say how sorry he was...

He helped hergrow,she had the talent and the will, and he had the resources to guide her down her path.

Roger Agents had also all leveled up quite efficiently. Evenmore than Rodi and his group.

They were only in the low 30s when they arrived due to the lengthy travel time between the Capital and Resko; otherwise, given how elite they were, they would all be in the mid-40s.

After ten days of farming and training, they were all in their late 30s, with some already being Level 40+.

Once they reached Level 60, together with good items, Skills, Classes, and the fact they were all Hardcore players. They would become quite the force.

Until then, Dale would focus on his usual activities...

Oh! Not to forget Roger's grandson! He did exist...

After he failed in acquiring Caladbolg in the Church, he and his Clan remained mostly silent, gathering their strength as they tried to recover after that catastrophic failure.

However, thanks to certain events, such as the siege against Kuddan and the death of hundreds of players, they managed to climb back a little. However, they're still as cautious as before.

Although the brother and sister were rather unique, but they both shared the ignorance of Azimuth's real purpose.

Upon asking Roger about that, he said it was due to his negligence and fears...

The fear of pushing his loved ones into danger... How could he not understand?

It was all too dangerous these days... The world was changing, and he needed to get ready.

That was the only thing he could tell the old man.

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"Phew... Alright."

Following his isolated training session, Dale moved to the edge of Resko, going to the Horizon Woods Forest, the small field between the city and the forest where the farms remained and the grass was green... And full of flying spiders...

Today, he would be waiting for a guest...His guide for his next adventure!

Meanwhile... He opened his System Menu, taking a look at his long list of Quests:

[Oppening...]

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