The Dreamer's POV

[00 Months: 04 Days: 05 Hours]

So many thoughts rushed into my head as I tried to process everything I was experiencing and hearing all at once.

Unfortunately, my opponent wouldn't give me any chance to fully analyze anything.

~VWUSH!~

Like ripple in space, he vanished from his position, most likely aiming to attack me where I least expected it... and before I could even react at that.

"Wrong."

Swiftly turning to my side, I stretched out my hand and clasped my palm at exactly the moment my adversary appeared in that position, grabbing his throat instantly.

'You can't escape <Visualize>...'

Using <Viscosity> to focus most of my slime costing in the position he aimed to touch with what seemed to be his index finger, I could only assume he had intentions of immobilizing me with a Skill.

Fortunately, I dislodged viscosity from my body as soon as he made contact, using <Elemental Attributes (Basic)> to summon the most lightning I could conjure.

"Gark!" He groaned, feeling the sting of electricity frying his body.

As expected, though, he wasn't harmed a lot from my attack—or even at all.

"You're going to be telling me all about your organization."

"Y-you..."

The purple energy that coated him intensified, and using <Visualize>, I knew he was about to vanish again.

'<Gravity Press>' My thoughts echoed, and the sudden interference with gravity caused a delay in his spatial manipulation and teleportation.

"Did you know... Gravity affects space-time depending on the intensity?" I smiled, narrowing my gaze on Lucas.

The heavier a gravitational pull was, the more time became distorted, and the time allocated for the unfolding of a spatial reaction would be compromised.

'I read that in a book once. I wasn't sure if the Law of Physics would apply to Skills, but based on what I was seeing, it seemed like it could.

'Then...' A bright gleam formed in my eyes as I locked gazes with the stunned Lucas.

'<Gravity Press ×5>'

He was able to resist the overwhelming effect of gravity that trapped him in my grasp, but he wasn't able to teleport as instantly as he would have liked.

'If he didn't get caught by me.from the start, he would have been more of a threat. Fortunately, I got a head start.' My thoughts echoed in delight.

'Hm?' I noticed my body taking damage all of a sudden.

The hand that held him was slowly being eaten away for some reason.

'Another Skill?' I wondered to myself, swiftly preparing a countermeasure.

<Viscosity> to cover my skin, and <Regeneration> to heal the injuries I sustained.

To think his Skill bypassed my resistance. He wasn't a Ranker for nothing.

<Full Resistance (High)> only covered the basic resistances, and it was on the (High) Level, which was around basically the middle of the effectiveness range.

There were still resistance-based skills like <Superior Resistance> and <Absolute Resistance> that I couldn't get yet since they were extremely costly.

'Fuck... my Energy Level.' My mind echoed, considering how much <Regeneration> was draining from me.

I had to consider all the factors that currently held me back while trying to fight a Ranker.

How bothersome was that.

That meant ending things quickly.

I didn't have any particularly powerful one-shot Skill, and I didn't want to bring out my Great Energy Rocks or a Minion.

Considering the situation, though, it seemed I had no choice but to—

~VWUUUMM!~

A sudden ripple shot through him, sending a massive wave coursing through the air.

"Garh!" It pushed me away, sending me flying far from my opponent's position.

'Damn. We got separated.' I had just lost my advantage.

'How do I make up for this loss, though?' I glared at Lucas, who was now frowning deeply at me from where he stood.

"You're pretty strong. Your attacks aren't particularly heavy-hitting, but you're tricky. Are you a Ranker too?" He asked, narrowing his gaze.

He didn't really think I would answer that question truthfully, did he?
Your next chapter is on m v|l-e'm,p| y r

In any case, he was sort of correct.

'I don't think I'll be able to beat him if I'm holding back so much.'

Nathan and his crew could wake up at any time. Sure, they were weak, but if they joined their leader to fight against, things could get uglier than they currently were.

"I guess I really have no choice." I sighed

~VWUUMMM~

Two Great Energy Rocks appeared beside me, their smooth surfaces cackling with with both fire and lightning.

"Is that all you've got?" Lucas' grinned, the purple energy around him suddenly expanding to form a very massive purple orb above him.

The orb scattered and formed several tiny orbs of immense power.

'Oh boy...' A sweat dropped down my face as I saw all of them.

"You're dead meat." His grin widened, and two mirage-like figures appeared on both his left and right.

In a flash, the two mirages turned into Lucas himself.

'You're kidding me! There are three of him now?'

I began to wonder whether I should summon more Great Energy Rocks and even bring out Mr. Stone.

'Calm down, Mikey...' I heaved slightly, my attention solely on tbe opponent in front of me.

'... You're not going to lose this one.'

Ranker or not, it didn't matter to me. I had to win this fight.

That meant decimating the foe that stood before me.

"Dieeee—"

~FWISH~

I instantly appeared in front of Lucas using teleportation, grabbing his throat again with my hand which was heavily coated with <Viscosity>.

"Y-you foo—"

His two clones tried to attack me but my Great Energy Rocks shot at them with immense speed, packing their full punch, which was pretty much the sum total of my Combat Ability, added with their bonus effects and the Elemental Attributes that dealt the most damage.

Sure, Lucas wouldn't have fallen from that alone, but the clones weren't as durable as he was.

They instantly vanished as soon as they were hit.

And then, there was the final problem—the multitude of orbs that littered the sky.

"If you don't let me go, you'll die!" Lucas' threatened, his hail of purple orbs closing in on me at a rapid rate.

"Why not use your energy pulse? You'd free yourself instantly." I smiled at him, my eyes narrowing in defiance.

"W-what are you sayi—"

"You can't, can you? It's on cool-down, isn't it? Or maybe you've run out of Energy. Either way, you're trapped."

Perhaps he wasn't really in any real danger. If the orbs hit me, and me alone, he would automatically be free from my clutches.

But why did I highly doubt things were as simple as that?

'Other than the fact that he doesn't want to kill me, he probably doesn't have full control over the multiple orbs in the air. Maybe some will hit him too, and he'll suffer damage.'

There was a chance that he was immune to the attacks since they were spawned by him, but merely looking at his expression, I didn't think he was getting of this unscathed.

"Damn you!"

Seeing his exasperated expression, and realizing how he had devolved from.arroganfe to his current state, made me strangely elated.

~WHOOOOOOSSSSSSH!!!~

The orbs closed in on the two of us, almost hitting us and our immediate surroundings, confirming my suspicions that it was a Wide Area Attack.

But then—

"<Haven>"

All the projectiles dissipated the moment they touched my barrier, all rendered ineffective by the effects of a single Skill.

"A-ahh... y-you just... just like that...?!" Lucas' trembled in my grasp as he watched me render all his efforts futile with ease.

"W-who are you?!" He asked, his eyes bulging with both shock and fear.

"What Rank are you?!"

Hearing his words only made me widen my smile even further.

It was moments like this that made the grind all worth it.

"None of your business."

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[A/N]

Wohoooo!!!

Mikey be really flexing in these past couple of chapters