Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 67: How it is

"I want you to deal with the outlaws when they come for me again," Xan said.

I studied him. I didn’t immediately agree but thought about it. ’I need someone to tell me about the second layer, and this guy seems like the type who’d know it really well. But the problem he has with the outlaws... well, if it’s too much, then I can just ditch him. Yes, he’s not the type that can fight, after all’

I nodded firmly. "Alright, I accept. You have yourself a deal. Protection for your abilities and information."

Immediately, Xan relaxed and smiled. "I’m glad. I’ve not been able to sleep for some days now, constantly looking back to see if they’ve caught up to me."

"Okay, now tell us the real problem you have that makes the teams leave you and the outlaws target you," I said.

Xan winced and cleared his throat. "Well... once I use my power too much, I will gain a negative impact that targets the people I’m with."

"A negative impact?" Slya said flatly.

I sighed. ’Here we go. I knew it was going to be something strange’

"It’s like a backlash, but it only affects the team I’m with. Or family, or friends. And yes, if I’m alone, I gain no negative impact," he muttered.

Slya snorted. "Seems your power wants you to be a loner."

Xan, used to such comments, continued to explain. "The negative impact will be as strong and last as long as how much power I’ve used. It only affects the mind."

That made me shift uncomfortably. ’It only affects the mind? That’s even worse’

"What is the negative impact?" I asked.

"It will put a deep fear of something inside their mind. For example, a person who isn’t afraid of insects might suddenly gain a fear of insects. Or trees, or fire. They might even begin to fear anything," Xan explained.

"Anything?" Tiber asked softly.

"Yes. I’ve seen a Knight begin to fear the air we breathe until they suffocated," Xan said.

I shuddered. That was indeed a terrifying backlash. ’There are indeed different types of Knights out there because... what is this?’

"Does it affect everyone in a group or just one person?" I asked.

Xan sighed. "It’s random. Sometimes everyone, and sometimes just one or three people. This is why the teams kicked me out. But for the outlaws, it was because the negative impact was really bad on them..."

I gave him a sharp look, prompting Xan to quickly explain. "The Blackened Blade is involved in illegal slave trafficking. They got some gang to transport the slaves here to the second layer from the outside, and then they sell them to other outlaws or interested teams.

"The recent batch hadn’t been sold yet and was put to work on the ruin that Zara controlled. Unfortunately, that was when the negative impact hit everyone... except me, of course. Anyway, they got a fear of fellow humans, and... that led to irrational breakdowns, with them fighting each other with the digging tools.

"Even the Blackened Blade members were hit by this, and they fought each other. In the end, a lot of the slaves died, along with some members of the Blackened Blade," Xan finished, wincing.

The silence that followed was thick. I stared at the little man who looked like a boy. ’What in the Infernal hell? You’re telling me he can cause something like this?’

I thought of a solution. "Then what if you distance yourself from the team after you use your power so heavily? That should avert the problems, right?"

Xan shook his head. "Remember, it’s a problem of the mind, right? Once a team accepts me, my mind will be in that team. Like, I’ll think of them as my team. Even if I’m not working personally with them and only send the information over. Immediately I’m made a team member, the team becomes my backlash catchers."

I raised my brows. "How often does an incident like the one with the Blackened Blade happen?"

"Not often! It’s only because I searched for a ruin that Zara specifically asked for. It’s rich in a specific type of essence, and I used a lot of my ability to find it."

I nodded, weighing it carefully. ’Yes, for now his ability is beneficial to me. Later, I’ll find a way to get rid of him’

"Very well. I’ve already accepted your deal. Now tell me, this ’Ten’ you talked about, why don’t they stop the illegal slave trafficking?"

I wasn’t surprised that something like this was happening. Slave trading had been banned during the time of the Emperor and Empire, and after its fall, it wasn’t unbanned. But it wasn’t banned either, so it all depended on the territory and how the leaders viewed slave trading.

Still, it was something usually done in the dark, through black markets and such.

We began to walk again. Slya stayed close to Xan, her eyes watching him for any misbehavior, but the small man simply ignored her as he talked.

"Right now, there are thirty-four teams in the second layer. The top ten teams are considered the strongest, so they form the Board to rule over the second layer. But no one really calls them the Board, we call them the Ten. They sit and make the rules and stuff. They’re also the ones who keep the monsters of the core at bay, preventing them from spilling over."

I didn’t have to ask before Xan started explaining the core and the general layout of the second layer. For starters, it’s far bigger than the first layer, like the size of a city, but without buildings or streets.

The core is an area of concentrated, powerful ruins, and it also has a Rift Seed.

The others and I stared at Xan. ’What the...? I’ve never heard of a Rift Seed before! I’m a Prince of the Athrimir, and even I haven’t heard of this. I think I made the right decision in bringing this guy along’