SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling-Chapter 68: Building Forward

Three weeks after the fight with Kane, Luthra stood in the center of a newly constructed training ground, watching Rebecca struggle through her hundredth push-up.

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred," she collapsed to the ground, breathing hard, "I hate this, I hate you, I hate push-ups."

"Good, now do another hundred."

"You’re evil."

"I’m practical, if you want to fight alongside me, you need to build your foundation, fire powers are useless if you can’t control your body."

She groaned but got back into position and started again, Luthra had learned long ago that building strength was ninety percent mental, the body would adapt if you forced it to.

While Rebecca trained, Luthra worked through his own routine, modified for his still-healing injuries, fifty thousand push-ups was currently impossible, but twenty thousand was manageable, his ribs were mostly healed thanks to the enchanted medical supplies, though they still ached when he pushed too hard.

Khorvash watched from the shade of a newly built shelter, her tail swishing lazily. "You know, there are faster ways to train people, most hunters use mana-enhancement exercises to accelerate their physical development."

"Rebecca doesn’t have fine enough control over her mana yet, if she tries to enhance while training, she’ll just burn through her energy and collapse, we’re building the foundation first."

"And after that?"

"After that, we teach her how to actually use her fire without accidentally setting everything around her on fire."

As if to prove his point, Rebecca sneezed mid-push-up and a small gout of flame shot out from her nose, scorching the ground in front of her.

"Sorry."

"Control, Rebecca, you need to learn control, fire is reactive, it responds to your emotions, so when you’re exhausted or frustrated, it wants to come out."

"That’s not helpful advice, I’m always frustrated when I’m exercising."

"Then you need to learn to be frustrated without letting it affect your mana, meditation helps."

"I hate meditation too."

"I’m noticing a pattern."

Misha approached the training ground, carrying a stack of papers. "Luthra, we need to talk about the expansion plans."

He stood up, wiping sweat from his face. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing’s wrong, that’s the problem, we’re growing too fast, we’ve got over five hundred people now, and more arrive every week, we’re going to need more infrastructure, more food supplies, and more security."

"How much more?"

She showed him the papers, which had detailed breakdowns of current resources versus projected needs. "At our current rate, we’ll need to double our food production in the next two months, triple our housing capacity, and train at least fifty people for security duties."

’Five hundred people, when did this become my responsibility?’

"What about the mines themselves, are they still profitable?"

"Very, Borris has the mining operation running at peak efficiency, we’re pulling out high-quality ore and a decent number of mana stones, selling them through independent merchants is bringing in enough money to keep everyone fed and supplied, but barely."

"So we need more income sources."

"Exactly, I’ve been thinking we could establish some smaller operations, maybe farming on the surface, or setting up trade agreements with nearby settlements."

Luthra looked at the numbers, doing calculations in his head. "What if we offered training?"

"Training?"

"Yeah, there are a lot of low-rank hunters who want to get stronger, but the big guilds and the Association charge ridiculous fees for training programs, what if we offered basic combat training and physical conditioning for a reasonable price, we’ve got the space, we’ve got the knowledge, and we’ve got a reputation now."

Misha considered this. "That’s actually not a bad idea, word has spread about you beating a B-Rank hunter, people are curious about your methods, we could easily fill training slots."

"Make it happen, start with small groups, maybe ten people at a time, charge enough to make it profitable but not so much that only rich people can afford it."

"You’re getting better at this whole leadership thing."

"I’m getting better at delegating to people who actually know what they’re doing."

She laughed and walked off to start organizing the new venture.

Rebecca had finished her second set of push-ups and was lying flat on the ground, making dramatic groaning sounds. "I’m dead, this is what death feels like."

"You’re not dead, you’re building character."

"Character is overrated, I want food."

"Food is your reward for finishing the full routine, we still have squats and sit-ups to go."

More groaning.

Luthra’s system screen appeared in front of him, Lilith’s text scrolling across it.

[Your teaching methods are questionable at best, most instructors would use a more gradual approach for a child her age.]

’Most instructors aren’t training someone to survive combat against hunters and monsters, gradual doesn’t work when the threats are immediate.’

[Point taken, however, I should inform you that your negative level progression has been accelerating, you’re currently at Level -7, approaching the -10 milestone faster than initially projected.]

’That’s from the Kane fight, high-stress combat accelerates growth.’

[Correct, your understanding of the system is improving, at Level -10 you’ll unlock your first significant absorption ability, the capacity to temporarily steal and utilize your opponent’s mana enhancement techniques.]

’That could change everything, being able to use someone else’s mana reinforcement would cover one of my biggest weaknesses.’

[Indeed, however, the ability has limitations, you can only hold stolen enhancements for a short duration, and the more powerful the stolen ability, the more strain it puts on your negative core.]

’Still better than nothing, how much longer until -10?’

[At your current progression rate, approximately three to four weeks, assuming you continue engaging in high-intensity combat or training.]

Luthra looked around at the growing settlement, at Rebecca who was now attempting squats with terrible form, at the workers building new structures in the distance.

’Three to four weeks, and then I’ll have a new tool in my arsenal, but that assumes nothing goes wrong, assumes the Syndicate keeps their word about staying away, assumes no new threats appear.’

As if summoned by his thoughts, one of Borris’s security team came running up to the training ground, out of breath.

"Luthra, we’ve got visitors, a group of about twenty people just arrived at the main gate, they’re armed but they’re not attacking, they’re asking to speak with you."

’Here we go.’

"Do they look like Syndicate?"

"No, they’ve got Association markings, official hunters by the look of them."

’The Hunter Association, that’s either very good or very bad.’

"Tell them I’ll be there in ten minutes, and keep security on alert."

The messenger ran off, and Luthra turned to Rebecca. "Training is done for today, go eat something and stay with Khorvash."

"What’s happening?"

"Probably politics, nothing you need to worry about."

She looked skeptical but nodded and headed toward the main building where food was being prepared.

Khorvash had stood up when she heard about the visitors. "You want me to come with you?"

"Yeah, having a dragon at my back tends to make people more polite."

"Good point."

They walked to the main gate together, Luthra’s mind already working through possibilities, the Hunter Association had largely ignored this area because it was technically Syndicate territory, but now that he’d won the mines through combat, the political situation was unclear.

At the gate, a group of twenty hunters in official Association uniforms waited, they were well-equipped, professional, and led by a woman with short blonde hair and a staff strapped to her back, she looked to be in her thirties, with the confident bearing of someone who’d been fighting for a long time.

When she saw Luthra approach, she stepped forward and gave a polite nod. "You must be Luthra, I’m Captain Vera Stormwind, A-3 rank hunter with the Association’s Northern Division, I’m here to discuss your recent activities in this region."

A-3, that’s significantly more dangerous than Kane, this could go badly.’

"What about my activities concerns the Association?"

"Several things, actually, first, you’ve freed over two hundred Syndicate slaves and established an independent settlement in territory that was previously under criminal control, second, you defeated not one but two B-Rank hunters in single combat despite having no official rank or training, and third, you’re accepting refugees from multiple other operations, which is disrupting the entire regional balance of power."

"Is that a problem?"

"That depend on your intentions, are you planning to simply run a settlement and stay out of Association business, or are you building something that could become a threat to regional stability?"

Luthra met her eyes directly. "I’m building a place where people who’ve been thrown away by the system can actually have a life, I don’t care about the Association’s politics, I don’t care about the Syndicate’s territory, I just want to be left alone to do what I’m doing."

Vera studied him for a long moment, then smiled slightly. "That’s what I was hoping you’d say, here’s the situation, officially the Association can’t support you because this is still technically Syndicate territory, but unofficially several of us are very interested in seeing someone challenge their control of the northern regions, so I’m here to offer you a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"The Association will provide you with limited support, medical supplies, information about Syndicate movements, and occasional backup if you’re attacked by forces you can’t handle alone, in exchange, you agree to two things, first, you register yourself officially so we have records of your capabilities, and second, you share information about any Syndicate operations you discover."

’She wants me to be an unofficial agent, someone who can operate against the Syndicate without the Association taking official blame.’

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we leave you alone, but we also won’t help if the Syndicate decides to wipe you out, which they eventually will, you know that, right, Kane buying you time was a kindness, but kindness doesn’t last forever in this world."

Khorvash’s tail swished dangerously. "That sounds suspiciously like a threat."

"It’s a reality, not a threat, the Syndicate controls over forty percent of the continent’s criminal operations, one independent settlement isn’t going to topple them, but it could be the start of something bigger if it has the right support."

Luthra thought about Kane’s warning, about the timeline he’d been given, about the fact that he needed allies if he wanted to survive long-term.

"I’ll register, but I’m not becoming an Association operative, I share information about Syndicate activities if I discover them, and you provide support when I need it, but I maintain complete independence, I don’t take orders from the Association, and they don’t dictate how I run this place."

Vera considered this. "That’s acceptable, I’ll draw up the paperwork, you’ll be registered as an independent contractor with temporary Association backing, your official rank will be determined by testing, which we can do here if you prefer."

"No testing, you can put me down as whatever rank makes sense based on my combat record."

"You beat two B-Rank hunters, that would normally qualify you for at least B-5, possibly higher."

"Then put me at B-5."

She raised an eyebrow. "Most people fight for higher rankings."

"Most people care about rankings, I care about being left alone to build what I’m building."

"Fair enough." She extended her hand. "Do we have an agreement?"

Luthra shook it. "We do, but I want something else."

"Name it."

"Access to Association libraries and training resources, I need information about mana theory, Path development, and advanced combat techniques, not for free, I’ll pay or trade for it, but I need access."

Vera smiled. "That can be arranged, welcome to the Association’s unofficial northern division, Luthra, I think this is going to be an interesting partnership."

As the Association team left to set up a temporary camp nearby, Luthra felt the weight of another alliance settling onto his shoulders.

Khorvash looked at him. "You just made a deal with both the Syndicate and the Association, you realize that puts you in a very dangerous position if they ever figure that out."

"Kane’s deal is personal, not official Syndicate business, and this deal with the Association is specifically about fighting the Syndicate, there’s no conflict as long as I’m honest about what I’m doing."

"You’re playing a dangerous game."

"I’ve been playing a dangerous game since the day I was born without a mana circle, this is just a different field."

They walked back toward the settlement, and Luthra looked at what they’d built in three weeks, permanent housing, training grounds, a functioning mine, a growing community of people who’d chosen to stay and build something new.

’Six months ago I was doing push-ups in a one-room apartment, eating protein bars and wondering if my training would ever matter, now I’m negotiating with A-Rank hunters and running a settlement, life is weird.’

Lilith’s screen appeared again.

[Your trajectory continues to exceed projections, at this rate you may reach Level -25 within six months, possibly Level -50 within two years.]

’And then what, what happens when I hit -50?’

[Unknown, the system was designed to support your growth indefinitely, but there’s no precedent for how powerful a fully realized negative Path might become, you’re quite literally making this up as you go.]

’Story of my life.’

That night, Luthra stood on the roof of the main building, looking out at the settlement below, lights were on in dozens of buildings, people were eating dinner, talking, living normal lives for the first time in years.

Rebecca came up to join him, carrying two bowls of soup. "Misha said you didn’t eat dinner."

"Been busy."

"You’re always busy, eat anyway." She handed him the bowl and sat down next to him. "Are the Association people bad?"

"No, just complicated, they want to use us as a tool against the Syndicate, which benefits us right now, but might become a problem later."

"Do you think we’ll actually be safe here?"

Luthra didn’t answer immediately, he thought about Kane’s warning, about Vera’s implicit threat, about all the forces that wanted to either control or destroy what they were building.

"I don’t know if we’ll be safe, but I know we’ll fight to protect what we’re building, that’s all we can do."

Rebecca leaned against his shoulder. "I’m glad you’re teaching me to fight, I want to help protect this place too."

"You will, give it time."

They sat in silence, eating soup and watching the settlement below, somewhere in the distance, Borris was shouting at someone about proper mining techniques, Misha was organizing supply inventories, and Khorvash was probably setting something on fire just because she could.

It was chaotic, it was complicated, and it was absolutely nothing like the solitary existence Luthra had lived for five years.

’I should hate this, too many people, too many responsibilities, too many ways for things to go wrong.’

But he didn’t hate it, somewhere along the way, this place had become something worth protecting, and these people had become something worth fighting for.

’Alright then, if I’m doing this, I’m doing it right, six months until the Syndicate sends someone serious, that means I need to hit Level -15 minimum, train Rebecca and others into a functional defense force, and build this settlement into something that can actually withstand an assault.’

It was an ambitious goal, probably impossible.

But then again, so was surviving as a non-hunter in a world of monsters and mana.

He’d done impossible things before.

He’d do them again.