Unchosen Champion-Chapter 295: No Tea Party

Coop took a moment to admire the vast armies of Primal Constructs as they milled around their castle-like fortresses. The legions of invaders created a dramatic sprawl of gray metals. As they swarmed protectively around the final objectives, they established a stark contrast to the desert of dark brown dirt.

It was quite the scene when viewed from a distance.

The fortresses that the invaders surrounded were islands of activity within the otherwise stagnant underground. The directionless light illuminated the structures on the outside while the lusterless metallic walls barely contained splashes of sinister red from the control points glowing within.

The setting made Coop nostalgic for Ghost Reef, with its pristine beaches standing out among the shallow tropical waters. He caught himself sighing wistfully as he gazed upon the last remnants of the invasion.

After a few moments, he shook his head, focusing on the tremendous metallic armies instead of memories from home. As expected of the single largest settlement on the planet: there were a lot of enemies seeking to claim it. Coop would have plenty to sink his teeth into. Shinjuku Gardens would make a suitable end to the underground grind.

Eight Siege Bosses were present, demonstrating the first time in the Underlayer Event that a civilization shard was assaulted by more than four. Other than that, each objective was also protected by over a million assorted Elite Primal Constructs and 30 animalistic Field Bosses.

Double the number of Siege Bosses was quite an escalation. Coop couldn’t blame the locals for making little progress. Having two of the enormous Prime Constructs covering for each other was a massive increase in difficulty that went beyond simple addition.

For Coop it hardly changed things, but for everyone else, he could see how it would be an overwhelming challenge. He remembered how his first Siege Boss made him run around the beach at the end of the first event. A pair would have been impossible at the time.

Coop was different now. His stats were hardly recognizable, he had new skills in his arsenal, and he had accumulated tremendous amounts of experience.

His ethereal armor continued to emanate wisps of spectral mana, perfectly balanced with dark particles of abyssal power. The two energies swirled together, behaving like a single entity, reminding him of the time that had passed, even just within the Underlayer.

His spear was pretty much the same, with the tip catching the Underlayer’s illumination, glistening with danger. He tightened his grip on the weapon before loosening it a few times, enjoying the reassuring sensation of the familiar manifestation held between his fingers. Aesthetically it may have changed but it was the same reliable spear as it had been in the beginning.

The corners of Coop’s lips angled upwards ever so slightly as he found it within himself to get a little excited, despite the stress and fatigue that had crept up on him.

“Finally.” He whispered. “This is it.” He declared to himself, taking a deep breath in through his nose. He would be free to escape the underground caverns soon enough.

He started walking toward the nearest objective, assessing how he would open on the monsters. Due to the extended travel times he anticipated in between each of the last settlements, caused by the Grand Horde’s progress on the intermediate invasions, he had concluded that there would be plenty of time to recover access to Inheritance of the Mists as he made his way through Asia.

He had activated skills for the dramatic finales in both Can Gio and Gangcheon, but he had made a small mistake. He had been overestimating the gap between Korea and Japan. As it turned out, even with the global expansion caused by the activation of mana, the two massive settlements were right next to each other.

Coop’s geography skills failed him yet again, and if he was being honest, he had no idea the two countries were so close to each other in the first place. In any case, he’d have to start the final grind without an Apparition, but that was fine. At most, it would cause him to take a bit more time in completing his task. Maybe it would take an extra hour. Two at the most.

He had literal weeks to achieve total victory over the Primal Constructs, so it didn’t matter nearly as much anymore. The extra time would give him a chance to enjoy the last battle a little more.

All settlements on the leaderboards had a score, and though many were quite small and he hadn’t personally visited every place in the world, he was comfortable assuming that if any Primal Constructs existed outside of this last holdout, they were on their way out. Between the forces of Ghost Reef, the Assembly of Settlements, and the Grand Horde, just about every official settlement had someone accounting for them.

While Coop knew he should have felt proud, relieved, or so many other positive emotions, he was mostly just exhausted. No amount of class experience could compensate for the extensive travel and sleepless weeks.

Grinding was one thing that he could do forever, but combining all the different roles he had taken on was another. Coop was built for combat, but meeting people, visiting places, and everything else was pushing his endurance to different, mostly mental, limits. A nap was definitely in order.

He promised himself to take it easy for a while after this last series of battles wrapped the Underlayer Event up. Finishing early would grant him some slack. At the very least, he was confident he wouldn’t have any regrets once the event was over.

It had been a long journey, and frankly, despite his own attempts to keep his goals within reach, he had bitten off more than he could chew. The fact that he was capable of demolishing Primal Constructs didn’t entirely correlate with his ability to be everywhere at once. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone in his efforts, and together humanity was able to send what had to have been a clear message to the alien factions: Earth wasn’t up for grabs.

He took his time approaching Shinjuku Gardens, recognizing that, unlike so many other places, there was plenty of human activity in its vicinity. His footprints were lost among countless others, even from miles away. They must have circled their territory several times in the early days, exploring the extent of the Underlayer before deciding to stay put. Coop’s spear became a walking stick as he strolled through the disturbed dirt and added his own trail to their collection.

There were multiple large groups of people spread all the way around the territory, not quite as aggressively posturing as the African shield walls, but still establishing a clear border around what they saw as their space. In the distance, beyond the control points was one of the giant pillars. It was also protected by groups of humans.

All in all, Shinjuku Gardens had a presence in the Underlayer that rivaled Neon Park, but was less than the Assembly of Settlements or the Grand Horde. The main difference compared to those other places was that they were entirely concentrated around a single settlement. There was no way Coop would be able to clear out their monsters without them noticing, so he’d take the chance to exchange words first.

After a few minutes of walking, a group of people left their station, approaching him at a rather brisk pace. If he was a regular person, he might have been intimidated by their aggressive movement.

They wouldn’t find many regular people alive at this point of the assimilation, so it felt a bit unnecessary. Coop gave them a friendly wave, smiling as he prepared to meet yet another collection of strangers with their own unique quirks. This time, there were 10 people at once.

“Hi there-”

“Go away! We have nothing to offer you, stranger!” The leader cut him off, even before they had set their feet. They blew past his greeting, drawing close enough to make it clear they really meant to intimidate.

Coop stood still, taken aback by the declaration. Once he comprehended the words, he started to explain that he didn’t need anything from them. “That’s alright, I-”

“Your kind aren’t welcome here!” “Leave before we hurt you!” Two others interrupted him yet again, causing Coop to lean back in surprise at the rudeness of repeatedly talking over him.

“My kind?” Coop mumbled with an expression of pure confusion as their actual words finally hit him. He inspected the auras of the three who had spoken.

[Human (Level 125)]

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[Kitsune Spirit (Intelligence)]

[Chosen of the Charred Hegemon]

[Sanctified (Beloved)]

[Human (Level 118)]

[Oni Blade (Strength)]

[Chosen of the Charred Hegemon]

[Demonic (Possessed)]

[Human (Level 123)]

[Martial Striker (Agility)]

[Chosen of the Charred Hegemon]

[Corporeal]

The leader was the Martial Striker, the woman on the left that had declared he wasn’t welcome was the Kitsune Spirit, and the man who threatened him was an Oni Blade.

For a moment, he had the thought that they were telling him that they weren’t human, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Each was just a plain old person, just like Coop. He was even more confused, especially that they would jump straight to threats given their positively limp auras.

“Hurt me? You?” Coop scoffed at the absurdity. “What are you saying?”

He inspected the rest who had settled into a concave formation, blocking him from making any forward progress, and found nothing interesting there either. The most notable thing about the group of 10 was that they were all Chosen of the same faction.

“You don’t belong here. Go back the way you came.” The first man continued, pointing away with one hand while his other hand rested on the hilt of his sword as if it could add weight to his demands.

Coop’s face couldn’t hide his distaste at the words that came out of their mouths, but he didn’t move. Was it his fault they behaved this way? Had he unknowingly committed some faux pas? Perhaps he should have borrowed some tea from the Grand Khan and made his greeting more of a ceremonial event. It certainly wasn’t his style, but maybe it would have lended his presence more formality. Either way, these people needed to calm down.

Coop planted his feet, contemplating the situation for a second. When Coop didn’t react the way they wished, the man in the lead continued, speaking slower at first, but mostly just louder.

“Do.. you.. under.. stand? We don’t want, need, or welcome you here. You will get nothing from us and we have nothing to do with you. Begone!” He emphasized his final demand by flicking both arms forward.

Coop ignored him, looking over the man’s shoulder to make eye contact with others that were standing around him, one after the other. It seemed like the soldiers were all on the same page.

They were all wearing loose off-white shirts and equally baggy pants, men and women. Their outfits weren’t traditional kimonos or anything like that, but one look and Coop could tell they were Japanese in style. If he didn’t know any better, he would have believed they were like modernized samurai, without their armor, though the swords at their hips were made of hardwood rather than steel.

Instead, because of their levels, they just seemed like a joke to him.

Coop released Presence of Mind and completely stopped suppressing his actual aura. Obviously, the level gap alone wasn’t enough for these uppity little punks. His aura, empowered by so many kills and titles hit them like a wave. As soon as they felt it, they all subconsciously stepped back, but to his surprise their attitudes didn’t seem to change. Frankly, he expected them to collapse into weeping apologies, but the human spirit was resilient, for better or worse.

He should have known, considering that the alien sponsors had been unable to completely suppress human attitudes, and Coop still had thousands of levels to go before he matched up with them.

Coop took a step forward, keeping the distance between himself and the group the same, just a bit too close for the strangers. From there, he leaned forward, peering into the leader’s eyes as if he thought he might find something hidden inside, like a tiny alien pulling levers or anything else that would explain the man’s obvious death wish. His companions looked back and forth between their leader and Coop, slowly losing some of their resolve as the heaviness of Coop’s Slayer title-filled aura weighed on them, and more importantly, his human attitude equaled theirs.

“Hmm.” Coop contemplated his would-be adversary, actually unsure about what to do. He didn’t want to fight as many humans as there were Primal Constructs left in the Underlayer, especially after navigating the rest of the world while avoiding such conflict, but he was sure that’s what would happen if he fought this group. He had to believe they had their own circumstances, so he kept his spear planted on the ground for the moment.

Tiny beads of sweat formed on the man’s forehead, perhaps finally recognizing that he was severely underclassed to be the one able to deter Coop from doing whatever he wanted. Coop’s unleashed aura had drawn the attention of other groups on both sides of their perimeter line, and a few appeared to be moving in order to join the conversation.

Coop wouldn’t wait for more suicidal mooks to join the party. Instead, he flicked his fingers at the Martial Striker. “Go find someone more important to speak to me.” He lifted his spear, causing them to flinch, but he was pointing the tip beyond the squad of guards toward the nearest Siege Boss. “I’ll be over there.”

He stepped forward, encroaching on their personal space even more as he angled toward the Primal Constructs. They shuffled out of his way, splitting their party in half as he passed them by. The other squads of guards joined them and they seemed to be having a heated discussion as Coop added some heft to his spear. After he threw his weapon into the monsters, a quick inspection of the other groups revealed similarly underdeveloped builds.

[Human (Level 132)]

[Sorceress of the Fallen Leaves (Acumen)]

[Chosen of the Bond of Revelation]

[Sapping]

[Human (Level 108)]

[Moonlit Shadow (Intelligence)]

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[Chosen of the Syndicate of Shadows]

[Lunar]

Coop only had a moment to grunt in acknowledgment, noting that each group of guards was representing a different alien faction, before his attack landed. He wouldn’t let people that weak distract him from a good grind. Somehow, it felt wrong to do anything before finishing off the invaders.

The volatile spear ripped the first Siege Boss in half, sending its upper torso in one direction while its lower limbs slowly toppled to the sides like felled trees. An explosion of ethereal shards ripped through the metallic manifestation, shredding its structural shell, and perforated the weak points. Gouts of orange-red mana blasted into the atmosphere, as if they had been contained under pressure within the raid boss.

Coop flickered away while the guards ducked at the sound of a hissing explosion, caught completely by surprise. He was gone before they could regroup and try to regain his attention. Coop appeared in the middle of the destruction, as if his appearance had been what caused the giant enemy to explode.

He was already resummoning another spear, this time throwing it across the fortress toward the second Siege Boss. The monster was fast enough to react to its partner’s demise, sensing Coop’s aura as soon as it was in range, but not fast enough to provide any type of support.

Coop’s second mistjump put him on the shoulder of the giant armored being, even while it twisted toward the sudden destruction of its companion and braced itself. Coop’s spear melted into his sword as his bonus stats poured into Strength, adding to its already extreme numbers. In the time it took for him to sweep the ethereal blade through the air, his Strength shot up, Mindbender pushing it toward an absurd 20,000 total.

The Siege Boss didn’t exactly have a neck, but it was beheaded all the same. Coop had stats that were approaching the equivalent of 5,000 levels, while the poor Primal Constructs were stuck at level 170.

His sword was barely the size of a needle compared to the Prime Construct, but it had been swung with enough force to send bits of metal in a spray that surprised some of the local groups of guards, minding their own business on the opposite end of the control point compared to where Coop approached. Coop would have to wait a bit longer for his next Apparition, but he was capable of putting on a show even without being possessed.

As the second Prime Construct fell, Coop let himself drop to the dirt, directly in front of its ruined body. He landed first, slamming into the ground with his shield and short sword held at the ready, knees slightly bent, and head facing forward. The Primal Constructs had a moment to recognize his presence while the collapsing metal Siege Boss fell at an angle that followed his original strike, sending a wave of dirt across the battlefield. The Elite Primal Constructs were pummeled by the debris.

Coop turned back to the crippled monster, casually jogging into position before leaping onto the Siege Boss torso and hustling across its broad chest to stand over the central weak point. He stabbed straight into it, making sure the monster was really dead, finishing it off nearly as easily as he would have with the aid of an Apparition.

With both Siege Bosses already destroyed, he leveled his focus on the fortress walls, picking up speed as he rushed through the dirt with his shield held up like a battering ram, smashing through struggling Elites as their formations fell apart.

The booming crash between his armored shoulder and the metallic wall was nearly as loud as the falling titan. The wall gave way, teetering for a moment after splitting at the corners of the castle, before ultimately falling inward.

The solid structure slammed into the soft dirt with a muffled thump, sending another cloud of dirt to roll across the control point that had been hidden inside.

Coop stood for a moment at the mouth of the gaping hole he had created, letting the dirt settle before he stepped onto the smooth surface and entered the control point, allowing Fog of War to spread into the interior of the castle. The Primal Constructs followed him inside, approaching his flank while he faced the interior defenders.

He smiled to himself, satisfied that he would have his fun with or without the blessing of the locals.