Chapter 57: Ground Folk (3)
The Ground folk have the seismic weapon, which, as the name suggests, causes tremors on the ground, resulting in mini earthquakes. And though it sounds powerful, it's not that useful against all monsters, it's only useful against one specific monster. The Hidden Worm.
Hidden Worm travels through the ground digging its way, probably the space we are now was made by the Hidden Worm itself, and the Ground Folk used and created their own city here.
These people are mundane, so they have no way to fight the countless monsters that are out there on the surface, much less the grade 5 monsters, but they can avoid fighting the Hidden Worm.
Using the seismic weapon they create earthquakes and that messes with the Hidden Worm senses, preventing it from reaching where the Ground folk are. That's how they can live in these underground areas.
"I'm not lending you the seismic weapon," Sike, the leader, said, totally convinced.
"Why do you assume that's what I want?" I asked.
"Because you are with that girl" he answered ponting to Eliza leaning on the wall just watching the conversation.
"Yeah, I'm with her, and I want the weapon"
"But you won't have it"
"But I also want something else"
"I don't want to hear, just leave my office and only come back to report about the battles against the Sky people"
Sike turned around and was about to return to his seat, but my voice stopped him:
"I want to save the Ground folk"
After I said that he glanced back towards me, so I continued, "I want to save your people, and I know you want as well"
"I'm saving my people"
"You are merely prolonging the inevitable, you know that eventually the weapon will break and you have no one here to fix it, and then, what do you plan to do?"
He was silenced by my words, so I continued, "Lend us the weapon, think about it, when is the best time if not now, we are ascenders, we can kill the monsters for you, we can kill the Hidden Worm, just lend us the weapon"
Sike didn't answer me for some seconds that felt like minutes, I was almost sure that he was going to accept it.
But he refused it.
"Leave my office, and you girl, only come back if you want to report something, now leave"
Damn old man, why would you refuse it.
I glanced back at Eliza and she had a smirk and a 'told you so' kind of expression on her face.
We both left the office and as we walked the corridor, she said, "I told you so"
I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, you did"
"Now, what are you planning?"
"We could simply kill him and take the weapon" I said and looked at her.
Her eyes told me that I was not allowed to do that, so I added, "It will be the easiest way"
"It's not about if it's easy or not, it's about what's right and what's wrong, we are ascenders, we exist to protect"
"We were created to kill and only that, remember we even gave up our rights as humans"
"We are not doing that"
"Why not, it's not like he's even a real person, we are in an illusion, he's just a part of it, and above all else, he's just a mundane person, he shouldn't have a say in things related to ascenders and monsters"
She didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, and I thought I managed to win the argument.
But then she said, "You are right, he's just an illusion, everyone here is just an illusion, and he's also a mundane person, weak and pathetic, but we are not doing this"
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to. We ascenders believe in strength as the right to choose, correct? Those with strength can choose, and since I'm stronger than you, I can choose, but you can't"
"I don't agree with you," I said.
"Simply, kill me and then you can do whatever you want" Then she approached me as she released her mana.
The pressure was real. I think she must be on the same level as Liam. In the novel, at this part, he was already at grade 7, almost reaching grade 6, and I doubt she's weaker than him.
I raised both my hands above my shoulders and said, "You won. I won't do it"
She stopped using releasing her mana and smiled, "Very good, now use your head to think about an actual solution to our problem"
I sighed and said, "I have one, but it will be tiresome"
"Are you the lazy type?"
Yes.
"I just don't like doing unnecessary things"
"So, tell me your plan"
"All we need to do is convince the people"
"Convince of what?"
"That we can kill the Hidden Worm"
If we manage to convince the people in here that we can kill the Hidden Worm, it won't matter if Sike won't approve it, he will have to give us the weapon. Eliza understood it.
"And how are you planning to do that?" She asked.
"Kill one of the grade 5 monsters," I answered.
She stared at me, frowning. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, and we need to do ourselves, without the help of the Sky people"
If we show that we can kill one of the grade 5 monsters, it will convince people that we can also kill the Hidden Worm.
"Defeating the Hidden Worm seems plausible with the weapon, but you want us to kill another one? Without the help of the Sky people?"
"Yeah, that's the plan, I said it would be tiresome"
"It's not tiresome, it's difficult"
"Or we could just kill Sike and take the weapon"
She sighed, "No, let's go with that plan, now tell me the details"
"Details? What details?"
"The plan details, which of the three grade 5 we should kill, the battle plan, everything else"
I knew that in the novel you used this plan to convince the Ground folk, but I don't know how you execute it. But I do know which monster you chose.
"Let's kill the Serpent, as for how, I'll let you decide it"
Then she asked, "Are you not even going to help me?"
"No, I'm a patient in recovering, and I bet you can do it, good luck" I said as I started walking away from her.
Leaving the cabin I walked by the guards and made my way towards my hut, my body was still painful, and I would like to rest now.
I already guided Eliza towards the right path, she can do it on her own now, she will kill the serpent, gaining the people's approval, Sike won't have any other option but to trust the weapon to her.
Then she will also kill the Hidden Worm, Liam and the others with the Sky people will kill the White Whale, and then both groups will fight over to see who will kill the remaining beasts.
Then both teams will destroy each other, they will fail the exam, and everything will occur the same as in the novel.
And now I just need to lay low to not change anything else in the events. Good, because I'm so tired that I feel like sleeping until the end of the exam.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone