Path of Dragons - A LitRPG Apocalypse (BOOK TWO STUBBING AUGUST 15)

Sadie was not a stealthy person.

Indeed, given her prerogative, she would simply stride toward any obstacle and dare it to stand in her way. But that wasn’t the way the world worked, and more often than not, she was forced to admit that she simply wasn’t strong enough to maintain that sort of attitude. On more than one occasion since entering the Trial, she had been grossly outmatched. The only reason she’d survived so far was because of her teammates.

And she found that galling.

Not because she didn’t appreciate their efforts. Nor was she jealous. Rather, she hated the creeping suspicion that she was neither as strong or independent as she had been led to believe. When she’d been visited by Gabriel and given an Angel Core, she’d thought herself special. By now, she knew that wasn’t really the case. Sure, she could boast more raw power than most others, but it came with a significant price.

Sadie had taken the Crusader class, hoping that it would give her an edge against the undead plaguing Hong Kong. Fighting against such abominations was its specialty, at least according to the description she’d found. And at first, it seemed perfect. Her skills were strong against any opponent, but against the undead – or the demonic creatures that came with them – they were peerless.

Then, she’d fallen prey to hubris, and her sister had paid the price. Certainly, no one blamed her. It wasn’t her fault, they’d said. But she knew the truth. She was the strongest. She was always meant to protect Lisa, and she had failed in that all-important endeavor. It was at her lowest point, with the war against the undead having pushed them to their limits, that Gabriel had come.

He’d offered salvation in the form of a powerful elder core. None of them could resist. They simply couldn’t afford to refuse, especially with the power on offer. Yet, Gabriel hadn’t explained everything. He’d claimed that doing so would taint their perception. But knowing now what she hadn’t known then, Sadie suspected it was more likely that he’d withheld that information so that they would have no reason to refuse.

The problem wasn’t the power. That had been as advertised. Sadie’s core was at least as strong as anyone else’s on Earth.

She glanced at Elijah, who was kneeling beside her and amended that assessment. Dragons, apparently, trumped Angels, and even if it wasn’t by much, the difference was noticeable.

Regardless, Sadie had no issues with the level of power she’d been given. That had set her apart, and it had given her the tools she’d needed to further resist the onslaught of undead. Because of her efforts, the war had reached something of a stalemate, which was the only reason she’d been given the mission of recruiting allies.

No – she was happy with her power.

The issue was with how her core had affected her class. At first, she’d thought Sense of Sin was simply a part of the Crusader class. After all, it fit well enough. However, after reading a guide on the subject, she’d learned that it was a vastly more powerful variant of a skill called Sense Truth. Ever since gaining the ability, she’d struggled to control it. Everywhere she looked, she saw sin. It was at its worst in the Trial, where every participant was absolutely drenched in blood. Survival was a brutal prospect in the post-apocalypse, and most people had been forced to do horrible things simply to remain among the living.

Sadie had.

So had Dat.

And they were not unique.

Rationally, she knew she had no right to judge anyone. Not with how much blood was on her own hands. Yet, the ability was too powerful to ignore, and it had driven a wedge between her and basically everyone but Dat. She struggled to control it. She wanted to ignore it. But the reality was that she simply wasn’t strong enough.

Now, she had another problem in the form of a skill called Confession: