Ain’t polite to just wake a man up and ask him about his dreams Hank grunted standing and moving past her to the bedside table He almost sighed when he saw the aspirin and the glass of water waiting for him there He had hoped but in his heart he knew that he hadn’t left anything of the sort there she had brought it
Even now she wanted something from him Just what was it
Saying nothing about the newly arrived medicine Hank took the pills and threw them back then gulped down the water Some spilled out the edges of his mouth and ran into his quickly growing facial hair but he ignored that The feeling of cold water was too sweet to pass up
Another benefit of the System Hank reflected lowering the glass Water quality had improved by leaps and bounds as it had to pass somehow through the barrier around the Zones to reach them What came through was free of lead and other contaminants although Ghost had released a study that seemed to indicate it was also full of strange unearthly nutrients
But by that point they had been drinking the stuff for months so what was the point
Hank turned around Laurel had just waited for him looking at him with her sad eyes Shrugging Hank said It was just about my father It probably didn’t have anything to do with you Why’d you come anyway I thought after we uh had that talk we agreed to spend some time apart
Hank did his best not to say that he had assumed she had broken up with him Her presence here seemed to indicate that she hadn’t shared that interpretation of events
Laurel shrugged Look Hank it’s not a big deal I’m not gonna say I don’t want kids but if its a choice between you and the kids I pick you This isn’t some bullshit trap either if you say no I won’t try and convince you somewhere down the line If you change your mind I’ll be right here just as I have been
She stood and walked up to him her eyes searching his I came because you are leaving for this mission and the spirits are whispering about something big This opening of the Zone it feels like it’s a trap somehow Like something dark is waiting out there If you are going I’m going to
Hank opened his mouth to deny her He agreed with everything she had said about the danger It raised his hackles that they were so bolding going off into this new unknown territory Hank felt like that having the Zone be rather static aside for some high level dungeons that spawned 6 months ago had lowered some of their guards
He was also quite glad that she had come to visit him now and agreed to resolve things so simply But for all the reasons she didn’t want him going alone he didn’t want her coming along at all But Hank knew that fighting her on this would work but it would likely put him back into her bad graces No need to throw more shit on himself than he already had
Instead of saying no Hank elected to say I can’t make a decision like this on my own Why don’t we ask the rest of the squad
This ended up being a mistake
Of course why not Ezekiel said his face serious as he pushed his glasses up his nose The more the merrier If it’s going to be dangerous out there I would love another trusted comrade at my back
His voice was dripping with sarcasm of course But Laurel ignored it if she noticed it at all The miserly assholish man completely ignored Hank’s glares As it turned out after Hank had laid down he had slept for almost 24 hours Being forced to wait like that for no real reason likely didn’t sit well with Ezekiel and the contrary man was taking it out on him now just by inviting Laurel along
That amount of sleep shook Hank for another reason he would not normally sleep that long and the only explanation was that Laurel’s Spirit Walker Skills had in fact influenced him causing that dream A part of him wanted to go back over the details and try and figure what the spirits had been meaning to tell him but another just wanted to let the matter drop After all Laurel would be insufferable if he admitted she was right
Hank made a mental note to grab Laurel’s ass as much as possible in front of Ezekiel in a perverted form of retribution against them both should things not go his way
She seems capable I agree Affina said simply sipping on a tea that she had either brought with her or dug up in the cesspool that was Hank’s kitchen She was something of a mystery and the more Hank thought about it the more foolish he felt for putting this up to a vote
Aye for me as well I’ve heard a lot about your ability Invaluable for Dungeon Divers warns of danger beforehand yea I’d love to see it in action Katie said offering a had to Laurel The two women shook exchanging smiles Hank had even slept long enough for Katie to return from her hometown what with less than 24 hours remaining until they had to be on red alert ready to depart
They of course wouldn’t actually depart until another Zone connected but Hank would humor them and keep himself in a semblance of readiness It was an excuse to do more patrols anyway Get him some more alone time in the woods
Seeing the two women next to each other made Hank realize how uncanny their likeness was Although Laurel was a bit wider in the hips and Katie had a narrower face with higher cheekbones they were almost identical in the colors skin hair and eyes
Although Hank felt somewhat weird about it both of them moved smoothly into simple compliments for the other’s hair and dress
But the nail in Hank’s emotional coffin came from an exterior source
Hmph The orange haired kid said folding his arms across his chest Look you might be pretty but this is a serious mission You can’t just have a bunch of girls running around ruining things My vote is no
You don’t get a vote Affina quipped sipping her tea
As the kid turned to glare at Affina Ezekiel turned to Hank amusement clear in his gaze Your little deputy voted no Looks like you are still outvoted chief
Helplessly Hank threw his hands up in the air
Chapter 491
Congratulations You have been connected to New Earth
Congratulations Your Zone 1 is the first Zone to connect to New Earth As such a random effect will be added to both of the Danger Zones that spawn near your Zone In addition all individuals who originated in Zone 1 will benefit from 2x experience and item find until the next Zone connects to New Earth
Now that New Earth is slowly forming you have come to realize that to truly continue growing sources of energy are needed to give your people access to better Classes as well as increase the speed at which you train Addition energy will be given to your Zone by controlling Fate Stones Your first Fate Stone is within your Raid Dungeon and automatically controlled by you However beware allowing neighboring Zones access to the Raid Dungeon or they will steal that energy for themselves
For your safety you will be given a notification when you are moving into a named Danger Zone
The Danger Zone the Black Caverns has received a Rare random effect Demonic energy has been added to the Black Caverns Warning monsters in the Black Caverns have increased in power However controlling the Fate Stone of the Black Caverns generates double the amount of ambient energy as a normal Danger Zone
The Danger Zone the Crystal Arena has received a Runic random effect The body of an old god is buried beneath the Crystal Arena causing unpredictable effects It is impossible to determine how controlling the Fate Stone will benefit your Zone
Hank along with the rest of the squad looked carefully at the messages they received the next morning signaling that their Zone had proceeded to the next stage of this System In his heart Hank felt a hot rush of pride that theirs had been the first to reach here He wasn’t sure of the details but he believed at least 5 other nations on Earth had received word of the System’s arrival just as they had
Yet here they were number one both in numbering and in the finish
But very quickly Hank tempered those feelings down settling down to wait After all this just meant that they had a small headstart They couldn’t slack off now in the least or other’s would catch up with them