Chapter 284
The next 2 weeks passed in a blur.
Rudra constantly moved from the kitchen and his office.
Teaching the entire command structure took time. He had a 10,000 Enlightenment resources pool, and with his Regeneration stat sitting over 2,000, his resource pool completely refilled every few hours. He brought people into his office in shifts, completely draining his Enlightenment resource, taught the skills that could be useful to them, went to the kitchen and cooked while waiting for the resource to return, and started all over again going back to his office.
He structured the transfers methodically.
First came the NPCs. Rudra taught the group the required skills by communicating with Piaro, Mumud and Winfred as to what skill would be safe for them and would be compatible with them He then universally imparted [Mind's Eye] to the Knight Divisions, the Beastman Chieftains, and the Archipelago leaders.
He pushed [Abyssal Step] to everyone in his NPC core circle, ensuring his commanders wouldn’t be afraid to fight in the sky. He gave [Shatter Point] and [Atlas's Rebound] to his physical hitters—Singuled, Amelda, Kentrick, Thalassa, Garrick, Ursa and the others—ensuring his vanguard could shatter enemy shields on contact. He handed the crowd-control skill [Banshee's Wail] and [Spatial Anchor to Vex, Leon, Winfred, Neria and the others who have a much more strategic combat style.
Before he transferred the most dangerous, high-tier knowledge, Rudra paused. He called Mumud into his office.
"I want to pass down your magic tree to Winfred," Rudra said quietly, leaning across his desk. "But that is your life's work, Mumud. It’s the foundation of everything you are. I won't impart it to anyone without your explicit permission."
Mumud smiled warmly, adjusting his silver sleeves. "You have my blessing, My Lord. Give it to him."
Rudra blinked, genuinely taken aback. "Just like that? You spent your entire life creating that theory. You died for it."
"I hoarded my secrets in life because I feared the greed of tyrants," Mumud said, his voice soft but resolute. "But knowledge kept in the dark is just dust in a tomb. I trust you, My Liege. I know you would never hand my legacy to someone who would misuse it. Sir Winfred will use my magic to shield our home and protect this family. There is no greater honor for my life's work than that."
Rudra nodded, deeply moved by the Magic Saint's absolute trust.
With Mumud's blessing, he pushed [Mumud’s Magic Tree], [Elemental Convergence], and [Spell Store] to Winfred. He gave [Alchemist's Repair] to Elysia and Elara. Finally, he granted [Echo Clone] and [Will's Construct Armor] to his core legends and commanders who were able to unlock the [Willpower] stat: Piaro, Mumud, Winfred, Elysia, and Elara.
Then came the Genesis Guild. True to his word, Rudra did not hand out his top-tier combat and mobility skills for free. The only thing they received as a gift was [Genesis Breath], a reward for their help in conceptualizing it.
If they wanted the rest of his arsenal, they had to pay. And pay they did.
Driven by sheer, competitive madness, several core members liquidated their real-world properties. Players sold their cars, cashed out stocks, and took out personal loans to buy in-game gold. Millions of gold poured directly into Stormbreak’s depleted treasury, single-handedly pulling Silas back from the brink of a stress-induced heart attack.
Because Rudra set different prices based on the utility and tier of the skill, the players bought what they could afford. Ash and Gold pooled everything they had to purchase [Abyssal Step] and [Mind’s Eye]. Colt and Galahad, lacking the funds for flight, bought [Mind's Eye].
Viper walked into the office. The tailor held a measuring tape.
"Lift your arms, boss," Viper said.
Rudra lifted them. "You're finally going to make guild coats?"
"Normal coats are garbage," Viper sneered. He wrapped the tape around Rudra's chest. "That Devil Boss might have nearly killed us, but I have to admit, the tailoring on his suit was immaculate. Seeing that, and watching your Troll King coat hit ultimate enhancement, I was inspired."
Viper aggressively pinned a sleeve on a dummy.
"I am tailoring bespoke, aerodynamically optimized trench-coats for Genesis," Viper declared. "We aren't looking like cheap mercenaries anymore. We are adopting your aesthetic. We need a uniform identity."
Mason didn't care about textiles or the city's debt.
The 1st-ranked Architect snatched Mumud's spatial expansion blueprints right off Silas's desk. Mason ran down the hallway. He kicked the door open to an empty, half-ruined guest room and slammed it shut, sliding a heavy wooden chair under the handle to lock it.
For three straight days, nobody saw him.
Loud, bizarre and creepy noises echoed from behind the door.
Thud. Scraping. Moaning.
Silas knocked on the door once, looking deeply disturbed. "Mason, we cannot afford obsidian pillars!"
"You lack vision!" Mason screamed from inside, sounding breathless. "The mana anchors demand structural integrity! The load-bearing symmetry is gorgeous! Just the thought of a perfectly polished, sixty-foot obsidian shaft sliding deep into the foundation is pure, physical ecstasy !"
When Mason finally emerged, his hair was completely white with chalk dust. He had dark bags under his eyes and a wildly satisfied grin with some drool on his face and his pants. He shoved a perfectly drafted, flawlessly calculated set of architectural plans into Silas's chest and promptly passed out on the floor.
Out in the courtyard, the Genesis players were struggling to adapt to the skills they had just mortgaged their real-world houses for.
Ash attempted to test his newly purchased movement skill. The earnest Magic Swordsman channeled his mana and kicked off the dirt.
Crack.
An invisible platform formed in the air. Having never managed spatial footing before, Ash pushed off way too hard. He launched himself like a rocket, cleared the training dummies, sailed over the outer wall, and crashed loudly onto the remaining roof shingles of the manor.
"I am okay!" Ash yelled, sliding down the tiles.
Colt smirked. The greatsword user had purchased [Mind's Eye], and he wanted to show off his spatial awareness. He stood with his back to Elysia, holding out a hand.
"Lady Elysia," Colt said brilliantly, tracking her movements entirely through his Mind's Eye. "Throw that apple at the back of my head. I will catch it without turning around to prove my spatial dominance."
Elysia didn't even look up from her clipboard. She picked up an apple and threw it. Hard.
Colt's hand snapped up to catch it, but his depth perception with the new 360-degree vision was completely inverted. The apple bypassed his hand entirely and smacked him dead in the back of the skull.
Colt swallowed hard, rubbing his head. He turned around and quickly walked away looking to cry on the shoulder of Seris, the witch warrior he chatted with earlier.
Across the yard, Gold tried to practice her expensive new purchase.
Crack.
The timid berserker stepped onto the invisible platform of [Abyssal Step]. But she hadn't accounted for her own body weight and balance. The weight of her heavy plate armor overwhelmed her balance in the sky, causing her to slip. She plummeted toward the dirt.
Galahad dove forward, catching Gold before she hit the ground.
"Thank you," Gold squeaked, her face bright red beneath her visor.
Nearby, Spark and Current tried to sync their free [Genesis Breath] rhythm with their magic.
Spark waved her wand. She inhaled sharply to gather mana.
Zap.
Her lightning spell misfired inside the rhythm, creating a thick cloud of ozone smoke. Both mages inhaled the smoke on their next deep breath. They choked violently, coughing up their lungs and dropping to their knees in the dirt.
"Don't cast lightning magic on the inhale," Current wheezed, wiping his watering eyes.
The two weeks finally ended and by the end of it the guild members showed their geniusness and the reason why they were able to become rankers by quickly becoming proficient in their new skill and added it to their fighting style.
Rudra walked out onto the balcony of the manor. He looked down at his city.
The rubble was entirely gone. The new walls were already going up. The laborers moved with steady, relentless energy, their chests glowing faintly green from the breathing technique. The six-month timeline had shrunk to a few weeks.
But the atmosphere in Stormbreak was still heavy.
The citizens worked hard, but they kept looking at the sky. They were terrified. They were waiting for the red mist to return. They expected the Devil Monarch to drop from the clouds and finish the job. The trauma of the attack lingered in every shadowed alley.
Red walked onto the balcony. The duelist didn't have his usual, shit-eating grin that made you want to punch his face.
"Boss," Red said seriously, leaning against the stone railing. "The NPCs are terrified. We need to increase the morale. We need to throw a massive, territory-wide party. Reassure them that we're still here and we're not running."
Rudra looked at Red. It was genuinely mature, empathetic advice.
"That's actually a great idea, Red," Rudra said.
"I know," Red said. His lazy grin instantly returned. "And I specifically demand stuffed-crust pizza. If there is no cheese in the crust, I am officially rioting."
Rudra rolled his eyes. "Get out of my kitchen."