God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

They had just two days to prepare.

Cain first made the effort of putting things back together. Many had lost their lives, with others feeling destitute and scared for the future. Some people refused to leave the safety of whatever shelters they were holed up in.

He had to bring them assurance that they would be safer henceforth.

There was also the problem of making the Central Island more habitable. Right now, the place was in complete ruins.

Then there was the issue of providing food and basic amenities like drinking water, washing soap, and so on. Water was relatively easy to acquire thanks to the efforts of Old Man Ling, who could turn the moisture in the air into drinkable water.

However, in the long run, this was not a viable method. And with perishables almost running out, things weren't going to be looking good in a few weeks.

Cain sighed, 'We need to reach the city as fast as possible.'

If they got to the city, then half of these problems could be solved. Water filtration systems shouldn't be completely nonfunctional, so they would tackle one problem. The city was also litered with stores and all sorts of maintance provisions that would be useful for a large group of people.

This only made Cain feel like his decision was the wise one. Still, he had to be patient. Haste maketh waste, as the saying went... If he was too impatient, he would be forced to make mistakes. Nobody would want that to happen...

The most important thing he needed to take care of currently was himself. Yes...

He had finally become a Tier 1 being, and so, he would need to understand the changes that came with this advancement.

Ignis sat opposite him, staring at him silently.

A smile appeared on his lips, "How are you feeling now?"

Ignis' eyes twinkled, "Somehow, that strange fire essence you gave me restored my strength."

Cain was a bit curious, "How powerful were you in your prime?"

Ignis flashed him a haughty smirk, "Hmph... Back then, the current you wouldn't even qualify to touch me. At Level 199, it would be good to say I was invincible amongst Tier 1 beings. I could even defeat a few Tier 2 beings on my own at the time."

Cain pondered on her words for a bit, "Judging from your words, it would seem not all Tier 1 beings have the same level of power."

Ignis nodded, "It all has to do with potential. The higher one's potential is, the more powerful one would be as the Tiers increase. Some Tier 1 Celestial grade being would be able to defeat a Tier 3 Normal grade creature. This difference isn't quantitative. Rather, it is an essential difference. One was born with superior genes, the other only slightly better than shit..."

Cain nodded as he glanced at his status screen. It was very different from how it had been when he was Tierless.

***

Name: {Cain Lenosi}

Level: 100.

Strength: 12,074.

Agility: 13,434.

Stamina: 9,000/9,289.

Vitality: 9,727.

Defense: 9,115.

Control: 807.2..

Perception: 821.4.

HP: 5/130,200.

MP: 1,750/120,000.

Magic: 17,012.

Ki: 401,790.

Spirit: 10,100.

Resistance: Poison- 90%. Fire- 140%. Lightning- 50%. Ice- 90%.

Skills: Burning Spirit, Burst Step, Divine Essense of Metallurgy, Blood Regeneration, Azure Burst, Mana Heart, Intermediate Seal, Devil Eye: Eye of Clairvoyance, Elemental Body, Abyssal Dragon Blade Mastery Tier 1, Spirit Sense, Gravity Defying, Nexus Tether, Golden Wyrm: Asura, Beginner Mage, Neophyte Blacksmith, Red Shift.

Spells: Infernal Celestial Arts: {Flame Orbs, Imploding Star, Vampiric Star}, Infernal Wings, Wind Weaver, Sigil of Darkness, Blue Lightning, Spatial Jump, Golden Halo, Falling Stars of Orion, Frozen Paths, Frost Temple, Poison Arrows, Flames of Darkness.

Abilities: Elemental Vault, Ki Fire, Fiend Counter.

Titles: Champion of Ashur (locked), Sorcerer's Mind, Blessed by Mana, Pioneer, Devil Hunter, Loved by the Spirits.

Free attribute points: 500.

System Points: 10,201,200.

{Inventory}. {Shop}

***

His stats had gone through the roof, all of them almost doubling. His understanding of his skills and spells had also gone up. All he needed to do was test his new understanding to turn his skills into true Tier 1 skills.

"How strong do you think they were?" Cain suddenly asked.

Ignis seemed to understand what without being provided enough context,

"Judging from the spells and skills they used, I can only say they had just completed the Trial very recently. Leveling up and earning more stats becomes exponentially harder once one starts to climb Tiers. Power is not so easily acquired after all... They are just a bit stronger than Tierless right now."

Cain fell silent, his mind churning,

'System, how does leveling up differ now that I am a Tier 1?'

{Replying to host: Now that the host has become a Tier 1 creature, the system will remove certain privileges...}

{1. Killing creatures of lower Tiers will grant little to no experience points, unless they are of the Legendary grade or higher}.

{2. Random stat points will no longer be acquired per kill. For each kill the host makes, the host will be granted a certain number of free attribute points that can be assigned to any stat of the Host's choosing}.

Cain read through to make sure he understood clearly. He had been made aware early on that the system was just like training wheels. Once he began to learn how to ride by himself, they ould be taken off. It was just a guide that would make his acquisition of power easier.

Even without the system, it would be possible for one to grasp power. However, it would be far more difficult.

A grin stretched out across his face. The gains for ascending to Tier 1 were not just combat related. He would be able to produce better equipment now. His understanding of magic and energy would blossom as well. He couldn't wait to get started.

"Cool your horses... Now isn't the time to indule in self-study... There was a reason you called me over here, right?" Ignis could only roll her eyes at Cain's antics.

Obviously embarrassed, Cain cleared his throat,

"You are right. Now that you are all healed up, and your power has been restored, I wanted to know how long it would take for you to reach your former status."

Ignis fell into thought, "Its not going to be easy getting back there. But since I've done it before, it shouldn't be too difficult."

Cain smiled, "In that case, let's go hunting!"

***

Now that they only had two days to prepare, Cain and the others had to make the most of it. The Beastmen would be able to handle weaker creatures, but engaging in that would only be counter productive.

Cain stood on the shore, facing the inky black ocean with a calm gaze. Ruby, the giant Mutant Crimson Bear sat beside him.

'Master where are we going?'

Cain grinned as he stroked her fur, "I want to test out a few ideas, Ruby."

If there was one thing the inky depths didn't lack, it was game...

Beneath the churning black waves, were countless abominations of a multitude of variety.

"The more powerful Tier 1 creatures will nit dwell so close to the surface. How do you plan of hunting them down?" Standing to his other side was Ignis.

"Although these creatures have become more intelligent and many times stronger, it still doesn't change their fundamental nature as beasts."

Beasts were often victims of their hunger and curiousity. For Mutant Beasts, there was nothing as delicious as human flesh. This was because humans were saturated with high quality mana that is usually irresistible to these creatures.

"Put simply... We are bait. As long as we make our presence known enough, they will come for us."

Ignis nodded, seemingly satisfied with his plan. As a mutant Beast herself, Ruby didn't seem comfortable saying anything.

Cain rubbed her fur and chuckled,

"Of course, that doesn't apply to Ruby over here! She's too smart to fall for those dumb tricks."

'Hmph! Of course!' The Mutant Bear proclaimed proudly.

Ignis cleared her throat, "What are we waiting for then?"

Cain smiled, "We obviously can't go with just the three of us. If we run into sometijg that we can't handle, I'll get swallowed up and transported to another world again."

Ignis stared at him blankly. What the hell?!

Cain just shook his head at her confusion. What did she know? How would she understand all the unfortunate events he had been through?!

"We are here!" Suddenly, a voice called out to them.

Sue and Jenny approached from behind,

"You want to hunt down a behemoth you say? That sounds like fun!" Sue exclaimed as she walked up to Cain and gave him a hardy slap across the back,

"Seems I was wrong about you, Scarface! You might not be a bore all the time after all.

Cain gave her a dirty look before glancing at Jenny, who seemed more beautiful that always.

Ignis frowned, "Is this all?"

Cain shook his head. Suddenly, the shadows beneath his feet rolled as though some nightmarish creature was about to burst free. Instead, Evangeline appeared from the darkness, her figure dangerously tantalizing.

Susan appeared soon after, her face serene as she stared Cain down.

Surrounded by beauties, Cain felt his heart tremble. These beauties were as fierce as they were beautiful.

Cain sucked in a deep breath.

It was time to hunt a behemoth...