Transcendental Cyber God

Chapter Eight

The mountain wasn't what Dante expected it to be. For one, it looked larger than life, cutting an imposing figure in the backdrop of nature. But things weren't so simple.

"You didn't think I'd let you die now, did you?" Crystal laughed, her tone of derision annoying Dante to no end.

Well, it was a mountain, and yet, it wasn't. That's right, the mountain was just sand piled up to the high heavens and solidified.

"How did you—" Dante was struck dumb. He knew she was powerful, but he had no idea what level. Seeing the structure before him, he couldn't help but admit that she was a force to reckon with.

"Don't sweat the little details. You might not know much, but there are hostile forces here. It's powerful enough to rip apart a seasoned mage. Illusions help keep them away. But if you're bothered by the turn of events, you can hold onto me. I don't bite, I promise."

Dante looked at her quizzically, his heart racing. While they rode the bike, he concentrated more on her otherworldly scent and her hair that shimmered in the wind. Pressing his body against her, he momentarily closed his eyes, unable to believe how firm her body felt.

And well, he paid for that by being thrown off the bike. He wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"Don't worry, I can handle this much." He said, placing a taut rope around his waist.

"Are these legs good enough for climbing?" Dante said, hitting his cybernetic leg. It made a clanging sound.

"They are. But why bother? I can make the mountain formless again," Crystal said, arms folded. She looked a little bit cross, but he couldn't tell if she was serious or not; he hadn't known her for long enough to tell such things.

"If I can't move forward here, when will I?" Dante stared at the obstacle before him, wondering if the real world was filled with people who could do ten times those things at the drop of a hat. The thought made him sweat a little.

"Crystal, don't antagonise him further," Dante heard a voice above him.

"Coming through," the voice sounded positively gleeful, and when Dante squinted, he could see a body falling from the sky.

Woah.

A boy who looked to be a few years older than Dante landed a few feet away from him, making a small crater on the ground. Dante had his mouth agape, unable to believe what he was staring at.

"Show off," Crystal murmured under her breath, and the newcomer flashed a smile so bright it could have blinded the sun.

"Hi, I am Gilgamesh. You must be Dante." The new arrival extended a hand, and Dante was a little slow to take it. Like him, Gilgamesh had been cybernetically altered, but he seemed even more formidable than Crystal.

Can I really do that someday?

"I don't know what to say; who are you people?" Dante asked confusion all over his face. He didn't like looking stupid, but this time, he didn't mind one bit. These people seemed to be the stuff of legends. They were doing things that most people in the lower strata could only dream of.

"Renegades. That's who we are. The Renegades."

The name sounded catchy, but Dante couldn't help but feel out of his depth. Was this what it felt like to be one blessed by the gods?

He didn't even believe in those phonies, and yet, the two people standing in front of him made him wonder if he'd not been myopic in his view of the world.

"Renegades," Dante said, rolling the word off his tongue. It had a catchy feel to it.

"Yes, but before that, allow me to welcome you properly." Gilgamesh held out a mana stone, one that Dante didn't recognise. Well, it was better to say he only recognised one.

But this one was a dark purple, and it felt like staring at a kaleidoscope, the purple colour, not sure what it was, and choosing to be something else.

It seemed priceless.

"You can discard the mama stone on your arm, and you've drained it anyway. Being a renegade means shunning magic and using technology to steal whatever magic we can. We're not the good guys. But I'm guessing you don't care either," Gilgamesh's smile was infectious, but this time, it held a hint of malice so powerful Dante wasn't sure whether to accept it.

"You're scaring him," Crystal slapped Gilgamesh on the back, and it sounded like a thunderclap. Dante winced, wondering how Gilgamesh was still standing after such a hit.

"Okay, okay. I apologise. Here," he tossed the mana stone at Dante as Crystal did. They seemed to be cut off the same cloth, not like Dante was complaining, though. He removed the first stone and cast it away. Nothing seemed to change. The stone was blackened and cracked in the middle.

It was a dead mana stone.

Dante gulped. He steadied his breath, muttered his thanks and placed the new mana stone in the empty slot where the circuits ran in a haphazard gesture.

[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE CONSUMED ONE MANA STONE!]

[ALL STATS INCREASE BY FIVE]

[REALITY BENDS TO YOUR WILL, YOU CAN RESTRUCTURE FATE]

[NAME: DANTE(HUMAN)]

[STRENGTH: 22]

[AGILITY: 18]

[DEXTERITY: 10]

[INTELLIGENCE: 8]

[CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR EVOLUTION FROM LOW-GRADE HUMAN TO HUMAN; ADDITIONAL STATS WILL BE ADDED!]

[CALCULATING NEW POINTS]

[INTELLIGENCE: 10]

Dante let out a whoop of glee so loud it shocked him. His intelligence being so low bothered him a tad. But now, he had a new problem. The voice in his head was no longer just a voice; he could see a floating platform in front of him, like some hologram where his stats were displayed.

"Uh, it's not going away," he pointed at it and tried to bat it away, but his fingers just passed through it like it was not even there.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. The illusion stone you consumed gave you the ability to see illusions. And create illusions too." Crystal explained, but it wasn't adding up in Dante's mind. But they'd been in it longer than he had, so they had more experience.

"It takes your desired form. Nobody else can see it, so most people have a humanoid of their choice read to them instead. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." Crystal smiled at him, and he smiled back.

Then, she turned and punched Gilgamesh with all her strength. He flew off into the distance, a blip in the sky.

"What? What happened? Why?" Dante asked, not sure whether the woman in front of him was just a psychopath or something else happened while he wasn't looking.

"Oh, nothing. He just did something he shouldn't have." She sent a wry smile, but he wasn't ready to return it. He didn't know what Alan was scared of, but he had a vague idea just by seeing how she treated Gilgamesh. He hoped he wouldn't be the one punched into the sky next; the chance of him surviving was abysmally low.

"Let's go see the others; they've been waiting for you," Crystal said conversationally, and Dante dragged his feet, wondering if Gilgamesh would appear as quickly as Crystal did when his force blew her away. A minute, two minutes, three. He still hadn't returned.

"Are you waiting for him? He won't be back until tomorrow." Crystal replied flippantly, and Dante felt his blood run cold. The way she said it made him know that she wasn't kidding.

"Why?" He asked tentatively.

"Because I say so. Now, stop dawdling; we don't have all day." Crystal was a cyborg like him, but she had a dangerous feel, one that only the apex of predators carried. Being in proximity to her felt like courting disaster. Dante was foolish, but not enough to poke a hornet's nest. It was best to let sleeping dogs lie for his sanity and well-being.

"You'd love it here." Crystal held out a hand to him.

I doubt that.

But he didn't say anything; he just gave a pained smile and grabbed her hand. The time to worry about his safety and the safety of Gilgamesh would come later.

The sky suddenly darkened, and Crystal looked scared for the first time he'd seen her.

"Fuck! When I say run, RUN!" She said to him. He didn't understand anything, but if something could scare Crystal, he wasn't safe.

He nodded in the affirmative.

"Run."