Liam took another glance at the gathered group and then signalled Luna to prepare for takeoff. It was surreal that he now actually had a flying mount to use outside the game. The condition he was in last time around and the condition he was in now was just too insanely different. With Luna here, his work had become so much easier. Her speed alone was enough to take several laps around their city in just a couple of minutes. With a small smile, he hopped onto the fox, who undoubtedly attracted the attention of everyone in the vicinity. The civilians wondered what the heck was going on, but the guild members, who had all already seen Luna in full form, gasped in shock. The fox was also here with them? So their big boss not only managed to retain his power level and keep his undead minions, but he also managed to bring out the powerful fox? This was simply too amazing! Their big boss was still the top player, even in reality! The world might be going to shit, but their start was impeccable! Not only Crimson Abyss members but Liam's mount was also famous among other players. Since he was the mysterious top ranker and hidden boss of the S-Rank guild, all the available information about him was widely spread. Naturally, there were also rumours mixed in with this, but everyone had seen this fox in the PVP tower match and on several other occasions. So information about Luna was low-key popular among the players. And thanks to the massive popularity of the game, these players were everywhere. Seeing the giant white fox up in the air, the few players who were residing in the same city immediately knew that the top boss of 'Evolution Online' was actually a resident of their very city! This was completely unbelievable! The elusive figure actually lived right next to them! If only they could share this news right now on the internet! There would be a huge uproar immediately. However, the next second another burst of thunder loudly rumbled, reminding them of the painful, harsh reality. At the moment they did not have internet or electricity. Everything had changed. Heck, they weren't even fully aware of what was happening outside. While these people debated whether to go down and check things out or to continue staying holed up inside their houses and apartments, Liam and Luna lifted up in the air. "Don't fly too high. Stay low and use your best speed." Liam patted her. Kyuuu! The fox bobbed her head and started sprinting around the city, painting the sky with her colours. The little fox was very excited about the new place she was currently in. More importantly, she was very happy that Liam was right next to her. Unlike others, she did not have any other burdens, so she was happily grinning without a care in the world. Liam sensed her mood and patted the fox with a smile. He then focussed on the task at hand. He took a deep breath, inhaling the abundant mana in the air and rotated his mana core. This was the first time he had a chance to do this at his own leisure. He was kicked out right after the awakening, so he was yet to test this new stage of his mana core. What did awakening truly mean? Just how much stronger did he become? He still needed to understand all of these. This was important because only if he knew this could he prepare for the next step and the step after that. One had to know oneself thoroughly first. Otherwise, they would never be able to defeat the enemy. And before that, there was also something else that he needed to do. Liam summoned his status screen to take a look at his level 80 stats. He did not even have a chance to check this one out yet! He rubbed his hand in excitement and opened the interface as he had worked long and hard for this, suffering unbearable torturous pain. The next second, a red-coloured screen flashed in front of him. "Hmmm? It's red in colour?" He didn't think much of it before, but now that he saw this, he felt that it was a bit unique. This was because, typically, the status screen was blue in colour. Right now, everyone else's screen was blue in colour. Even in his last life, his interface had been blue in colour, but now it was different. "Is this because of mana awakening?" Liam pondered as his gaze shifted to study the stats that flashed in front of him. ______________ Name: Liam Species: Human being Gender: Male Level: 80 Mana Core: Red, Partially Awakened Health: 10,000/10,000 Mana: 50,000/50,000 Mana Regeneration: 5000 mp per minute Soul: First Order Pet: Luna ______________ Vitality: 250 Stamina: 250 Strength: 250 Intellect: 300 Agility: 250 Physical Defense: 250 Mental Defense: 5000 Soul Defense: 5000 ______________ "Hmmm… So my health and mana have increased quite a bit." Liam thought to himself. It was not surprising that his health had increased because he was Level 80 now, after all. The health increase was pretty much just correlating with this Level. There wasn't that much of a bump otherwise. However, his mana increase was quite evident. There was a significant improvement in that. His mana regeneration had also increased decently. But… it seemed a little anti-climactic for the horrendous experience he had to go through, and the sacrifices that he had to make and others had to make. He somehow felt that his power level should have risen by a few more levels. Even though he was quite overpowered at this stage, the world was not going to remain the same as today. It was only going to keep evolving constantly, and at that time, his current level would be nothing. He still needed to keep improving every single day. Otherwise, when the actual threat arrived, all of this would be for nothing. "Tch. Tch." Liam clicked his tongue in disappointment. At least his soul defense and mental defense were quite high. Maybe that's all he gained from all the struggles. With a sigh, he looked over the details once again when his gaze stopped at the mana core. "Partially awakened?" His eyes shone with a cold glint as he wondered why this was the case. "The old elf told me I had to awaken completely. Hmmm… I also felt like I did it. Then why is it still showing partial?" Liam sighed. He had no idea what was happening. He desperately needed more information. He clenched his fist as he thought about the grumpy elf who had guided him. The regret that he probably cost that person his life still lingered. "There is no use thinking about that now. I have to look forward and become stronger. Only then can I actually help them?" Liam let out a deep breath. Being regretful or grateful was simply a waste of time. What he needed to do was become strong enough to do something for them in return, perhaps even save them from that hell. As he continued to gaze at the stat panel in contemplation, suddenly, a thought sparked in his mind. His mental defense was high, and his soul defense was high, but right next to those two, his physical defense was staggeringly weak. It was definitely higher than what others probably would have, but when compared to his other two stats, it was rather low. "Could this mean that the elixir was not effective enough?" Liam thought about this issue. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Due to the tremendous efforts, he put in, both his soul and his mind had undergone a qualitative leap, but what if his body was lagging behind? Was that why his mana core was still partially awakened? Moreover, there was no issue of corruption. Grandmaster Acalan had warned him about it, and the draconian princess had given him a solution for it. Unfortunately, Liam did not have the time to do anything about this at all. He only managed to awaken at the last minute, but that still did not solve the problem. Liam quietly thought about these things for a few minutes, but no matter how much he tried to understand, he just did not have the tools to analyze the situation. "Fine. I will deal with things as I go. Besides, when that thing opens, maybe I can purchase more information." His gaze became steady as he cleared the different conflicting thoughts in his head and looked around. Thanks to him and their guild members, their part of the city was still mostly the same except for a couple of buildings that had collapsed because of the earthquakes. However, a little distance away, that was no longer the case. If one stood on top of the terrace of a high-rise building or, in Liam's case flying at a height, the true mayhem of the apocalypse was visible. The other part of the same city was in complete chaos. Fire trucks, sirens, everything was blaring loudly, and people were running helter-skelter. "Let's go there." Liam patted Luna, and the fox immediately bobbed her head as her figure blurred towards their next destination.