Chapter Sixty-Five[Mend] stitched up the nasty cut from the big squirt's st water bde. [Small Armor] not being able to fully block attack was pounded by the fact the cutting power curved a getting around spots where her armor should have had ce. As fondly and spiritually attached to Night as she was, it was hard not to be frustrated at not having more practical armor.

  Failing to defeat the guardian again without sacrifig one of her after [Stride] was mgravating than the clothing situation. The closest she'd managed was when she mao ride up the initial burst of water as the elemental took shape with anchors of i its side. That way the base and the top were covered, but it sucked her in any way along with the ice.

  She's defeated the guardian five times, and five times, it required a sacrifice. At least the bloody broken ks disappeared before the big squirt's corpse water fihawing uhe shadow of the stairs rising to the sixth floor.

  Level twenty-two and thirteen more days until the Asdant Games. The Deadwoods trip would be a three-day loour but if her hunch was correct about the kind of knowledge she o adva should help push her further towards evolution. There might not even be a o deal with the plication of the sixth floor and the gale-strewn randomness of the seventh. It would be greedy to take the risk, even if a title existed for pleting the dungeon young.

  That wasn't to say some greed wasn't necessary. [Mana Rotation] eased gathering as ice-cracked shards shone in her sight. The bounty was enough to relieve Bates and Ambrosia's stress around the cost of skill stones and household ma. [I] was still tempting even with the blood price of a sit-down interview. With bat, defense, mana, escape, and awareness covered the st spot could be anything that caught her eye. Skill stones from the Deadwoods were possible, maybe something neantic?

  A bag of gems wealthier, the pair headed dowairs to check out ahe guild attendant know she’d made it out alive. “Did you have a good climb, Eternal?”

  That again? At this point, she’d garnered a lot of niames, but that one was a tad unusual. “Excuse my impertinence, but why do you call me eternal? Does it have to do with my lifetime guild membership?”

  The attendant blinked, shocked by the question. “Guild records have you e up as Eternally Harmony White, we always address climbers by their titles when appropriate.”

  [Poise and Bearing] covered her own shock. Title? When did she get that? It wasn’t iatus, are they invisible? Clearly, it isn't a secret. Was it Ha’zel Ri? No, he would have done something like call her challenger. Her early assion? That doesn’t fit. [Stride]? That might make some sense, but that didn’t feel eternal and when would adding a skill give you a title?

  “Sorry, that slipped my mind. Carry on.”

  This shouldn’t be a mystery. Skills, bonds, and oaths have been thhly poked and prodded. She checked everything when she synergized skills and did her m routio realign a herself when the iable bad sleep happened. Bad enough to have a theocratid that was a mystery, but maybe an unknown title now? Evolution and then a thh ating would be needed if there was time. A new css and profession would have enough to dive into.

  Dinner became an unimportant blur where Harmony poked at her food more tha a versation to a minimum despite Ma Bell’s prodding. In her room, she chewed through Thibideux on Evolution slowly like it was made of broken gss hoping to maybe find something that could help her hidden iext. An uneasy exhaustiht her to sleep with an anticipation of unpleasant dreams about dying trapped in ice.

  What she didn’t expect was to open her eyes with unreal alertness, ostasis kig in as a sword swung in her dire. She o protect… Behind her, wounded and panting, was Maxwell backed against a wall.

  [Mend] and [Renew Spirit] snapped backward and into him, a poor version of a healing spell, bining maid and neancer skills. It would have beeer if he called on her earlier.

  The attack oorly aimed, as she hadn't beearget. Max's oppo was more shocked than she was at her appearao block a killing strike meant for her agent. [Small Armor] wasn’t needed as [High Kick] started its move under her sped-up perception. Ashes, it was o have enough length in her legs to fully use the skill.

  As the kick traveled its path, [Keen Iigative Awareness] activated to grasp the situation. Harmony's eyes took in the se, trusting her body to behave. Eight! Eight attackers, this was worse thaing ambushed he end of the sed floor. They were at least in street clothes, relying on overwhelming o do this dirty deed. Max wouhree of them, al. He had to make this hard. If chaos fed this, he’ll be tapped out after this, which would be a future problem if getting attacked bees a habit.

  [Stride Before the Fall]. It tickled not to o make a choice as dissolution was the only option while the real her was asleep in bed. With bright pink glowing hair, nails, and armor this wouldn’t be a subtle intervention.

  The steel-toed kick met the swordsman's neck as bones broke, severing the spine. Uhat attacker had some good healing they should be out of this fight for a moment. The wounds on Max were serious enough that this hadn’t been a friendly mato o hold babsp;

  The new Harmony as she appeared, silenced one of the rear attackers while tag a mele oo the grouricity coursed through her as the person responded defensively, or offensively with a shog effebsp; Riding the thunder roc gave her experience of pushing through the almost familiar pain. Her hands grabbed the man's head and took her turn eling [Cold Touch]. His eclectic attack stopped cold as his skull cracked from the expansion of the fluid in his skull when his brain froze.

  Harmony smelled a cooked as she stood to face the one she’d silehe way that woman filed showed she hadn’t trained under silence or didn’t expect [Final Sileo st so long. With a fresh corpse to work with and [Cold Touch] used up for now, she ripped a k off of the dead body shaping the body of what had been a l into a spike that she sent straight into the woman’s heart. Neancers were almost as good at anatomy as healers when you got enough experieh bodies and fatal damage, especially if a version of you received those wounds.

  Knowing how dangerous wounded enemies could be the first Harmo after those ones. It wouldn’t be enough. It still started three o with only a slight element of surprise. Two arrows sunk into her chest, she'd dodged enough to make them nohal. The deep dark of night made this highlighted body an alluring easy target. It didn’t help that Max was herded into a dead end that limited movement. Always making it difficult.

  At least with this new size, she got to loom over her target before dispatg them. [Small Armor] blocked a burst of magical energy. Four on three now but Max and both of her weren't feeling so good as the clock ticked to the burning of chaos p her presenbsp;

  Mentally she screamed at herself to wake up. Cursed heavy sleeper. The summoned Harmonies charged in with a suicide run yelling. Ready to attack with the skills she had remaining she hadn’t already used. [Shadowed Graves] for a flinch. It was the perfect distra that wasn’t.

  Her yells masked the scream of the furthest supp attacker. A long sticky tongue grabbed him and pulled him into the shadows. Harmony could hear the siing g.

  This was Hyath’s preferred awake time. An ambush was his favorite hobby. How had he found this random spot iy? Harmony suspected he’d takey of length jaunts in Naewauld while she slept to map it out and make a snack of strays. Cats had to be like tiny dies for him with his new size, a human ambusher was a more appropriately sized meal.

  The first Harmony made sure their attention was on her. Even doomed, it’s not like her familiar enjoyed such a sight. When he fell from above, mouth still half stuffed with an arm and a leg stig out it was like a boulder crashing into the group.

  “Get him out,” Harmony ordered as she lept in repg him, kig, freezing, and pulling hair.

  Max ulled into the shadows. Job dohe ass of a sworn was safe. The ied oath's relief was greater than the pain that hrough her when a dagger pierced her eye. Dead anyway, she went down fighting, until death returned her to a more peaceful slumber.