A long, deep sigh slipped past Isaac's lips.

One day, he would figure out what Rakin's angle was in all this, but it wouldn't be today, tomorrow, a week from now, or not even next month. For now, this mystery was way beyond his pay grade. He could, at best, keep it in the back of his mind while taking care of what was important in the present.

Survival. Growing stronger.

Back to the loot then, Isaac thought, his gaze returning to the pamphlet in his hand.

If everything written there was correct, then the way forward was quite obvious. Decide on the second Origin he wanted to use in the Fusion, and find an artifact to start training it. And honestly? That decision had kind of been made already. The trip through the Burning Wasteland was quite unforgettable after all.

He looked down at his first Storage Brand.

The Fire Stone was still inside there, waiting to be used. It might not be the most powerful artifact he had ever possessed, but it was a start. A very decent start that could lead him toward one of his goals.

To be the one doing the burning next time.

Even if he hated how many times he had been burned back in the Wasteland, he couldn't deny that fire was a powerful element. Basic? Sure. But definitely powerful. Throw his Blood Origin into the mix, and whatever the Fusion would create should be even stronger.

So yeah, even if deciding on his second Origin from the get-go might sound a bit strange, he didn't care. The flames that once burned him would be his. And besides, nothing stopped him from trying something else if he found a better, more interesting alternative. He doubted that would ever happen, but still…

Kinda makes you wonder if it's possible to do another fusion afterward. Something to research later on.

Shaking his head, Isaac resisted the urge to take out the Fire Stone and start experimenting. This was so not the time for that. Not in a potentially hostile environment, and not when he could barely feel any Viron in his body.

Loot. Return to the village. Rest. That was the priority. After that, he could play with the stone.

Okay, so what do we have here? Isaac wondered as he reached for the violet ghost-like cloth. It was smooth, almost weightless, and large enough to act as a scarf if he wanted it to.

Analyze.

[Mask of Silent Oath | Grade: Arcane] A powerful item created from the essence of Phantom-type beasts. When given a spark of Viron, this cloth will bond with the Host, forming a perfect-fit half-mask. It can be removed only by the owner. While this item doesn't provide any protection from physical attacks, it grants the Host moderate resistance to Suppression abilities. Additionally, it's quite useful in colder climates.

Huh… Isaac hummed, his eyes still on the description. For an Arcane item, it might not look like much, but I get the feeling that resistances to suppressions aren't common. I will take that.

With a flicker of the meager Viron still left in his body, the cloth in his hand came to life. It flew toward his face, slowly wrapping around his neck and then the lower half of his face. It even covered most of his nose, leaving only his eyes exposed.

To his relief, though, he had no trouble breathing. Hell, with how light the thing was, it didn't even feel like he had anything wrapped around his face.

He smiled.

I like it.

One item dealt with, Isaac returned his attention to the chest. To his pleasant surprise, the mask had been hiding quite a few other items. One of which was a… carrot?

"What?"

Sure, it was more red than orange like a regular carrot, but it was a carrot nonetheless. Stem, leaves, everything. Though it was quite small. He could most likely eat it in two bites.

Analyze it is…

[Star Blessed Carrot | Grade: Superior] A low-grade vegetable capable of providing a limited amount of Ascension power for two attributes. Consuming it will improve Toughness and Insight.

Isaac snorted. Whoever named you should be shot. But sure, why not?

And just like that, he grabbed the carrot by the stem and ate it in two quick bites. The taste, though? Bland as hell. It had nothing on normal, fresh carrots. Also, as expected, neither Toughness nor Insight advanced.

Next then.

For now, he ignored the sack full of Virality Gems and focused on the object lying next to a few Blueprint shards. A glowing key, quite a large one at that. Nothing like what people used nowadays for their doors.

[Ruinous Key | Grade: Unique] A special key that can open the final chamber in one of the many Ruins of Whispers scattered across the Valleys of Whispers. One-time use only.

Guess I will be back here sooner rather than later, Isaac thought, storing the key inside his Brand. That just left the Blueprint Shards and Virality Gems. He went with the former first.

One of those was of Mystic grade, but considering he still needed three more to combine them into a full Blueprint, it also went into his Storage Brand. Then, there were the Superior grade shards, just enough for him to create a new Blueprint using those he already had.

Let's see…

A flash of light later, a restored Virus Blueprint sat in his palm. His smile, however, slipped off his face once he activated Analyze.

Once again, he couldn't use this item. Sure, it was about the Burst skill, the same one that Elaine was supposed to teach them. But instead of granting the ability, it would only advance it by three tiers if he already had it. Which he didn't.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He clicked his tongue. Bit disappointing, but he could always save it for the future. Or trade it. Or just give it to Elaine. Time would tell.

Okay, that just leaves the gems.

Isaac grabbed the sack and checked its contents. Exactly twenty Normal-grade and three Superior-grade gems. Quite the catch. He didn't even hesitate before consuming ten of the former and all of the latter.

Congratulations! Your Virus has entered the third Phase of development (Assembly Stage).

Even with almost no Viron left in his body, Isaac still felt the shift. Unlike after advancing to the second phase, now his entire form shuddered, warmth rushing from head to toe.

Then it was gone.

Weird, he thought before storing the remaining gems. Having some more currency to use in the Nexus' store could be useful. Besides, if he wanted to advance fast, he needed more Superior-grade gems, not normal ones.

Time to go back.

With a tug on the spark holding his Legacy, his body transformed. It was far from the instantaneous process he was used to, but at the very least, he felt no pain during it, only the lingering exhaustion.

His wings spread, and he jumped high with all the power left in his legs. Just like that, he was off. Thankfully, he still remembered the way he came. His friends would never let him live it down if he got lost now of all times…

About two hours later, with less than three remaining on the timer before the Virus Wars began, Isaac landed inside the Silent Oasis. His arrival caused some ruckus, but once he transformed back, most people just settled on watching him from afar instead of drawing their weapons.

It probably also helped that within thirty seconds of his arrival, Marie and Elaine found him. For a brief moment, the three of them just stood there, staring at each other. Then Elaine muttered her welcome.

"You are insane."

Deep inside, Isaac felt some satisfaction at being right again. Not that it lasted long, as after sharing a chuckle, Elaine pulled him into a third hug of this long day. And with how tightly she held him, not even two hours of recovery kept him from wincing.

That was when the interrogation began. By the end of his quick rundown, he couldn't decide if his friends looked more exasperated or amused. Though, based on the light scolding he got afterward, he hoped it was the latter.

Overall, he didn't even mind being called reckless and insane. It was just… nice to know somebody cared. And besides, it wasn't like they were trying to stop him from ever going out again. No, they were just worried, same as he had been when he heard that Elaine went out with a bunch of strangers.

That said, it also didn't take them long to realize he was running on fumes. Which was why they forced him to lie down in the house they had claimed. Then, after promising to wake him up half an hour before the timer hit zero, they left him alone.

Isaac chuckled in the darkness of the room. All in all, the reunion went much better than he expected.

Time for a quick nap.

Slowly, awareness returned to him, sleep fading from his mind. Isaac blinked his eyes open while trying to focus on the hushed conversation happening somewhere close to him.

Marie and Elaine.

He blinked again and summoned the timer. Shit. His eyes widened. Only ten minutes remained. He sat up within a second, his shuffling cutting off the nearby conversation.

His gaze found the two women sitting across the room on the other bed. A weak neon lamp lay between them, offering just enough light for people to move without walking into a wall. Where they had found it, though, was another question.

"You were supposed to wake me up twenty minutes ago," Isaac grumbled, running a hand across his almost bald scalp.

"Were we?" Elaine replied, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. "Oops."

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Right… Anything happen while I was out?"

"No, but now that you're awake, I can do this."

Just as she said that, a notification appeared before Isaac. This one was quite unlike any other.

[Notice! You and Marie Green have been designated as the Commanders of Silent Oasis. Advanced status panel available.]

"So that's what you planned," came Marie's soft murmur. "Guess it makes sense."

Elaine nodded. "I've been thinking about this, you know. This place might not be home, but we can sure make it into one. Check the panel, it will explain everything."

Curious, Isaac did just that.

[Silent Oasis (Earth)] Owner: Elaine Blake Commanders: Isaac Walker, Marie Green Status: Online (Allied) Strength: Tier I Population: 32 1. Upgrades 2. Status Management

So that's the advanced panel… Isaac mused. Let's see.

Selecting the second option prompted another menu to appear. This one also offered two choices. One to initiate the Safe Zone lockdown. Doing so would temporarily strengthen the barrier, but at the cost of being unable to leave. Probably useful in some cases.

Then, there was the other option, a simple one at that.

Abandon post.

It did exactly what it said. He could stop being Silent Oasis' commander with just a single thought. No penalties for doing so.

Let's leave that alone for now. Upgrades…

[Development] 1. Upgrade Barrier Strength 2. Settlement development.

The first option was self-explanatory. The objects required to buy that upgrade? Not so much. To this day, Isaac had never encountered an Inferior Mana Core. Much less three of them.

Now the second option… While it also required the same item among other things, the description here at least explained what Elaine meant by making this place into a new home.

In short? The technology and enchantments of the Support Nexus made it possible to pretty much print out literal buildings. The first upgrade tier wouldn't allow for much, but it was a start. Besides, this would also unlock more items to buy in the store.

Isaac dismissed the menu and looked up at his teammates. "So it's decided? We're staying here?"

Elaine nodded firmly. "If nobody minds? Yeah. This could be something good. Both for us, and… for others who might come here."

"That's why you named it Silent Oasis," Marie muttered with a soft smile. "Fitting… I like it."

Just like that, all eyes turned to Isaac. He shrugged. "Why not? Gotta rest somewhere after a long day. But just so we are clear… I'm not involving myself in the logistics of managing this place. I would be ass at it."

"We will handle it," Marie said, only to pause when, next to her, Elaine grimaced. "Fine… I will handle it. Not like I haven't been doing it already."

"Sorry?" Elaine offered, trying and failing to look apologetic. If anything, she looked relieved.

Marie chuckled lightly. "It's nothing. We all know I'm not a fighter like you two. This… this might be good for me, too. I just wish everyone could be here."

Right… James.

For a brief moment, silence settled between them. It was then broken by Elaine.

"We will figure it out," she swore. "LA is close. And we now have our own Safe Zone. It's just a matter of asking your boyfriend what he wants to do."

Just like that, whatever tension had lingered was shattered as Marie colored, her eyes going wide. Her head snapped toward Elaine, words coming out of her mouth, but none making sense.

Isaac briefly considered slamming his head into the nearest wall. He really, really didn't want to listen to any of this, or hell, even be here for it. It was bad enough that James made him deliver a potential love letter to Marie.

"Guys?" he cut in before things could get out of control. "The timer. One minute left."

By some miracle, that stopped the two women. Marie still glared at Elaine, her cheeks puffed out, but at least they were silent now.

Isaac sighed.

I should have stayed in the valley…

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