《Theory of Rifts》 Chapter 1: Class, Talents and Offers (revised) What are rifts? Such a simple question and yet so fiercely debated by scholars and ascenders across the Universe. During my early days at the Silvercloud Academy, I barely asked it myself so consumed I was with becoming the strongest. I didn¡¯t give it more than a passing thought when one of the most gifted ascenders¡ªthe Headteacher of the Silvercloud Academy¡ªpresented us with far sinister concept: Is the existence of rifts natural or artificial? I cared even less when I finally became a Level 11 and completed the academy. The minds of immortals are strange and puzzling creations. Eventually, I fell victim to the same maddening fever, which many of my fellow immortals had succumbed to. I sought to understand rifts. Otherworldly but structured, the rifts combined two contradicting features that should not co-exist. They were part of the world, natural and organic and yet, everything about them was convenient and necessary for ascenders¡¯ growth. Only after I found him, I started to entertain a very troubling notion - are rifts alive? Personal Notes of, Zerkon, 9th Pledged, Claw of Travelstorm, True Eye, Traveller of Unclaimed Planes, King without Crown, Cursed Worm *** Windsor Freeman stopped in the middle of a large, natural cavern. Despite his heightened physical attributes, the way in here was challenging. Some parts were too narrow, others submerged. ¡°Who in their right mind comes here out of their own volition?¡± Esopp asked as he joined Windsor a moment later. ¡°I despise this place already.¡± Esopp Earl was one of the most trustworthy allies Windsor had in the government. He also was capable and smart. These were rare qualities to find together and they were the reason why Windsor brought him here. ¡°Take a look at this,¡± Windsor pointed at the shimmering point a few metres from them. Esopp carefully approached it, then a spike in spiritual energy told Windsor that Esopp probed it with his spiritual sense. ¡°That¡¯s the System Interface of a sealed¡­ rift.¡±he said, surprised albeit quietly as if afraid of being overheard. But they were alone as Windsor didn¡¯t want this phenomenon to leak out. The explorer who had found and reported it was locked in a secured location, while only the top figures from the institute were briefly asked to gather up a research team. Nothing concrete was shared and would remain like this until Windsor knew what he was dealing with. ¡°I want you to open it,¡± Windsor said. ¡°Open it? How?¡± Esopp turned back and gave him a surprised look. ¡°Can this be opened? Should it be opened?¡± Windsor stood silent for several seconds considering the answer, though at the back of his mind he knew that he¡¯d made this decision before Esopp asked the questions. ¡°It¡¯s clearly a pocket dimension. We have records of Talents with spatial abilities that confirm the existence of the exotic phenomenon. It contains monsters as its description says and it is Level 1 indicating a possibility of Higher Level rifts,¡± Windsor said. ¡°And so to answer your question, yes, we must open it. This rift is the missing block in our understanding of the System.¡±And the key to unlock the secrets hidden by the Old Blood, he added in his mind. ¡°But how to open it?¡± ¡°We have access to unlimited funds and the brightest minds our solar system offers,¡±Windsor replied softly, then his voice turned cold. ¡°Figure it out, before he finds it.¡± *** Ten years later Keynes Kid watched the small auditorium fill up with students. They were all his age ¨C sixteen ¨C and on the verge of ascending to Level 1. They looked excited, which didn¡¯t surprise Keynes. The Talent class was the newest invention of the World Government. Everyone was excited by the World Government, the only organisation in the world that didn¡¯t concern itself with a project budget. But his scepticism was yet to erode. What could they teach him that he couldn¡¯t find on SolNet? He was here to find out. The last students entered the auditorium and took their seats. Luckily, the nearest seats next to Keynes were left empty. He chose the last row for that reason after all. He preferred solitude when other students were involved. It was a long, unpleasant story, which Keynes wished to forget. Not that he could. He possessed perfect recall, which allowed him to remember anything but with significant limitations. The recall was precise, but not instant. In the world of ascenders, compared with the insane variety of strange Talents, this wasn¡¯t a big deal. Only he wasn¡¯t an ascender yet. And this made his perfect recall a true oddity with one in a billion chance. A billion. Keynes couldn¡¯t believe it when he¡¯d checked SolNet. After that, he spent an entire week finding out if he¡¯d be fine. Apparently yes. But his peers from his school didn¡¯t take it the same way. To them, he quickly became a freak because of his ability and no amount of explanation had sorted it out. If not for his younger brother Harter, who was the school¡¯s sports team superstar, Keynes would¡¯ve had to punch his way out of bad situations. Something he wished to avoid. Even though he sometimes needed to confront bullies who just asked for it. Nonetheless, Harter wasn¡¯t some guardian angel and the brothers often pushed each other to the edge. A man in a dark forest green uniform entered the auditorium, hushing the conversations. When it came to military personnel, one showed them respect, no questions asked. ¡°Welcome, everyone,¡± said the newcomer. ¡°My name is Specialist Webster Frog. I am a government Talent researcher assigned to the military base in San Antonio and I will hold weekly classes for your district.¡± The introduction put smiles on some faces. Some people truly lacked self preservation. Keynes took Brief History of Talents out of his bag and relaxed in the chair. If he judged this right, fun was on its way. ¡°Is your name really Frog?¡± And there it was. That one idiot who couldn¡¯t help himself and threw his body under a bus. ¡°Yes, why?¡± the specialist asked without hesitation. ¡°No reason,¡± Joe Brown replied less confidently after hearing no laughs from the auditorium. In a class with a normal teacher, this would¡¯ve been a different story. But even a bully like Joe Brown wasn¡¯t going to make fun of someone from the army. The corner of Keynes¡¯s mouth edged up as he savoured Joe Brown¡¯s discomfort. Webster Frog looked around the auditorium with a critical eye then turned to the board. He wrote a single word on it. TALENT It was the most important thing in the world. Talent was unchangeable, unpredictable and inevitable. Every person received a single Talent upon ascension to Level 1 and became an ascender. No exceptions. Talents were controversial and always led to heated debates. What was the best Talent? Why did detrimental and non-active Talents exist? How to get a good Talent? Why wasn¡¯t more money and attention spent on researching Talents? And so on. The questions and arguments were endless. The emotional debate stemmed from several factors like the completely unpredictable nature of Talents, life-changing potential and fear of receiving ¡®non-active¡¯ or detrimental Talent. In a nutshell, the Talent Unlocking Ceremony was a lottery and the odds weren¡¯t great. Still, enough people hit the jackpot to keep the dream alive. Webster Frog was about to say something when the door opened and Principal Joshua walked inside in the company of a blonde girl Keynes didn¡¯t recognize. The principal apologised for the intrusion then, in a hushed tone, explained something to the specialist. Their conversation was short and ended with a polite nod from Webster Frog. The principal left while the blonde looked around and because there were free seats next to Keynes she did what he feared she might do, she headed his way. The specialist didn¡¯t wait for her to take a seat and started his lecture. As the blonde came to the last row, she asked Keynes if the seat next to him was free. He was going to say no but how would that play out? And she was pretty. Outrageously so. ¡°Hi, my name¡¯s Vivena.¡± ¡°Keynes.¡± She took out an electronic tablet and focused on the lecture. So far so good if I don¡¯t count Joe Brown¡¯s jealous stares. Bolstered by confidence from an unknown origin, Keynes waved to him, inevitably setting off unfortunate events that would follow the end of this lecture. Joe Brown hated Keynes because Harter¡¯s ex-girlfriend had told Joe in front of the entire school that she would rather go out with Keynes than Joe. A little hurtful, for both of them, but Elisa wasn''t a very considerate girl and when she wanted to hurt someone, there usually was collateral damage. Joe¡¯s gestures were obscene and Keynes focused on the lecture. Yeah, it is going to be an interesting afternoon. ¡°Let¡¯s begin with the most basic question¡ªwhat is a Talent?¡± It started a ten minute long discussion simply because there was no definitive answer to this question. Talents were a part of the System that involved runes, formations and glyphs¡ªthe difference here was they were man-made, while Talents were ¡®gifted¡¯ by the System. One would hope that over the course of human history, they would have learned what the System was. But like with Talents, there wasn¡¯t much known about the System. It was a mysterious reality-embedded framework that appeared upon ascension to Level 1 as computer-like labels inside one¡¯s mind. Despite its resemblance to computer systems, the System could not be accessed in any other way than an ascender¡¯s own mind and could not be connected to any existing computer systems. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. This, of course, was the official description but Keynes didn¡¯t know any way to dispute it. Despite countless accusations that the World Government was hiding the truth, there was very little proof of the government¡¯s wrong-doing. Keynes was careful about falling down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, but failing more often than not. Keynes returned to his book but the words of Webster Frog pulled him away from it. ¡°The true goal of the Talent class isn¡¯t discussion about Talents but finding a way to improve them and make them more consistent. Our research is going to be fully transparent and will involve scientists from all over the world, Mars and Venus. It is the start of a new era.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Vivena said. ¡°It is,¡± Keynes agreed. ¡°Ten years ago, the World Government banned research on Talents saying it was unethical. I wonder what changed.¡± Vivena turned to Keynes surprised, then noticed the book on his desk and the question she was about to ask died on her lips. The lecturer¡¯s announcement gathered a lot of enthusiasm in the auditorium. ¡°Did they really say that?¡± ¡°Say what?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°That the research was unethical.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Keynes replied then went silent for a few moments, bringing up memories from the day he¡¯d watched the science conference as a six year old. ¡°Several participants received detrimental Talents and sued the research company. It would have escalated if the government didn¡¯t step in.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about it,¡± she said. ¡°How do you know it?¡± ¡°It was on TV as breaking news.¡± ¡°Ten years ago? You were six.¡± ¡°I have a perfect recall.¡± This stunned her, which he expected and deliberate. It was always fun to observe the disbelief on people¡¯s faces when they learned about Keynes¡¯s memory (not counting bullies). Meanwhile, Webster Frog asked the class to make a list of Talents they wished to get. Everyone started to type on their electronic tablets. Keynes¡¯s tablet was still in his bag but he didn¡¯t need it-- ¡°Once your list is ready, send it over to me. My email address is in the class details.¡± Crap. ¡°Do you take part in any special programs?¡± Vivena asked him. Keynes took his tablet out and placed it on the desk in front of him. Then he turned his head to her. What kind of question was that? And what was a special program? ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Keynes replied, wondering what her question meant. He didn¡¯t want to read too much into it. She was pretty, one misstep and his brain would turn into mush. Webster Frog waited for the class to finish their wishlists then glanced at the emails he received from the students. Keynes was the last to send his list. It was long and he had to add justification to the few Talents. The lecturer closed his tablet and turned to the auditorium. ¡°Going forward, I will send you a weekly test.¡± The class moaned but Webster Frog raised his hand and his spiritual aura washed all over the auditorium. It was weaker than a breeze by the last row but its strength wasn¡¯t important here. This was a reminder of this man¡¯s station and it did its job. The class fell silent and the aura vanished. ¡°Those of you who will fail to complete these weekly tests should expect a bad Talent. Some of you may even receive an inactive or detrimental one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pile of crap,¡± the blonde said under her nose. ¡°No one will fall for this cheap trick.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised,¡± Keynes smirked. ¡°Most of them believe that Talents come from Talent Stones.¡± Keynes squinted at the blonde when she didn¡¯t say anything. Her eyes stared at him with curiosity. The piercing quality of her gaze gave him a shiver. She¡¯s bad news. But it was too late. Something stirred in his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t they?¡± she asked and he couldn¡¯t decipher if she was serious or made fun of him. He picked the latter. ¡°Talent Stones were invented a hundred years ago to move the age of the Talent Unlocking ceremony from twenty to sixteen. Somehow, they are the only alchemical substance in existence that is known to affect our spiritual energy. Half of a hundred and twenty-one ingredients aren¡¯t disclosed to the public.¡± ¡°Impressive but you got one thing wrong. Talent Stones don¡¯t affect Spirit. Nothing does. They affect the body, making it strong enough to withstand the ascension.¡± He didn¡¯t know that. SolNet, the Solar-wide Information Network, had an unimaginable wealth of information but it also was free and anyone could post anything there. If something wasn¡¯t certified by the World Government, the Institute of Science and Research or several other credible organisations, it was likely a fake unless someone had means to replicate experiments posted there. Of course, there was a chance that she either lied or was mistaken. ¡°Any questions?¡± the lecturer asked and unsurprisingly the class didn¡¯t have any. He didn¡¯t know why he raised his hand but once more it was too late when he realised his mistake. ¡°Yes.¡± Keynes froze, when the entire auditorium¡¯s attention shifted his way. Even Vivena shied away from him. I am an idiot. ¡°Does a Talent Stone affect spiritual energy or the body?¡± ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Vivena whispered, perplexed. ¡°I know,¡± Keynes admitted smugly, missing the sarcasm in her voice. Webster Frog nodded, scratching his beard. Levels slowed the ageing down and without knowing the researcher¡¯s Level, it was difficult to tell. Apparently¡ªbecause it wasn¡¯t officially confirmed¡ªeach Level added around 5-6 years to an ascender¡¯s lifespan. The lecturer stood silent for a whole minute. What stopped him from answering Keynes¡¯s question right away, Keynes didn¡¯t know. But the answer came eventually. ¡°Talent Stones are protected by the Global Secrecy Act and I cannot discuss them. What I can say is that we don¡¯t have any means to affect the Spirit which should be enough for you to draw your own conclusion.¡± He thanked the class and dismissed it. ¡°I told you,¡± Vivena said without haughtiness. ¡°And thanks for the chat. See you next week.¡± Keynes watched her walk down the aisle, approach Joe Brown and his sidekicks, then move past them as if they didn¡¯t exist. Joe¡¯s head turned toward Keynes, his face was a mix of humiliation and hatred. Oh, boy. I don¡¯t think Harter¡¯s going to help me here. *** ¡°Who was it this time?¡± Harter asked, smirking. ¡°This time?¡± Keynes frowned. ¡°First of all, it was one versus nine. And they paid for this.¡± ¡°One versus nine? Are you a salesman now, trying to sell me some kung fu crap?¡± Keynes cleaned himself then turned to his brother, giving him a stink eye. ¡°Not a word about this to our parents. They¡¯d make a big deal out of this.¡± Harter shrugged. ¡°Whatever, my little, older brother.¡± He fled the bathroom seeing Keynes¡¯s rising hackles. Keynes turned back to the mirror, he didn¡¯t look that bad and he¡¯d made sure they would remember him too. Avoiding his father was easy, he was a workaholic and paid little mind to what happened around him unless glyphs were involved. Glyphs were objects shaped in such a way that they gained magical properties. Keynes¡¯s father had a Talent that increased the efficiency of the glyphs he worked with. It landed him a good job. His mother was a different story. She was very aware of her surroundings, always asked questions about school and wasn¡¯t satisfied with easy answers. Her problem was that she didn¡¯t understand social boundaries and she was prone to make things worse for him despite her best intentions. If she saw his swollen cheek, she¡¯d drill him about it until he told her what had happened. His thoughts were interrupted by an email from¡­ Webster Frog. At first, Keynes thought it might be about his fight with Joe Brown but that would be Principal Joshua calling his mother, not Webster Frog mailing him. He opened the email. I have read your Talent wishlist and under one Talent you added the justification - ¡®I have perfect recall, it would pair nicely with a higher Mind attribute.¡¯ Perfect recall is extremely rare and I do not understand why you were not offered a special program to work with your memory. I checked the database. Anyway, given your unique circumstances, I would like to offer you a part in one. It is a brand new program and it will hopefully increase your chances in getting a Talent you desire. I attached extra information for your parents. Keynes put his phone down. He remembered that Vivena had asked him about the special program as well when he¡¯d told her about his memory. It could be a coincidence. He didn¡¯t know everything, he simply remembered everything he experienced and that made a massive difference. And as embarrassing as it sounded, Keynes hadn¡¯t researched his perfect recall very thoroughly. Many things could have slipped through his fingers. ¡°Keynes! Get downstairs!¡± Harter, you little snake. *** A week passed without a major issue from his mother¡¯s side. He managed to shift her attention from Joe Brown to Webster Frog. To Keynes¡¯s surprise, she wasn¡¯t very keen to accept the offer and on top of that, his father left the decision in her hands. When the time for the next Talent class came, Keynes wasn¡¯t pleased with the anticipation he was experiencing. He realised that he didn¡¯t know a thing about Vivena. He checked the class register and didn¡¯t find her name listed on it. He panicked a little, fearing that she¡¯d withdrawn. But then she walked through the door. Her eyes found Keynes and she started walking in his direction. Joe Brown and his sidekicks saw it and rushed after her. Keynes sighed, watching the idiot talk to Vivena. She stopped and listened to Joe Brown, giving Keynes a heart attack (he was a good looking guy after all). Then she shook her head and resumed her walk toward Keynes. Joe Brown¡¯s face twisted with rage. ¡°Hey, freak, we will talk again after the class,¡± he shouted, then spun and headed to where he sat. ¡°Hey.¡± She took a seat next to Keynes. Her eyes looked a bit dreamy, making Keynes uncomfortable. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°You seem to be in a good mood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I am.¡± ¡°Good for you.¡± Keynes smiled, wondering how to get rid of Joe this time. That pest would come after him for sure. ¡°It is,¡± she said, then added. ¡°And I have good news for you as well.¡± Good news¡­ for me? What is going on here? I hope it is not some elaborate joke concocted by my brother. Vivena didn¡¯t have a reason to have good news for Keynes. ¡°Good news? What?¡± ¡°I talked to my parents and they agreed to help you with your Talent.¡± Help me with my Talent, huh? Who are her parents? He glanced at Vivena, trying to find some clues as to who her parents might be but she wore nothing out of the ordinary ¡ª a school uniform and skirt. The only detail that distinguished her from everyone else was her beauty. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have coffee after the class. Hm? What do you say?¡± she asked, projecting her good mood onto him. ¡°Why not.¡± A moment later, Webster Frog entered the auditorium and started the class. He discussed the tests he¡¯d sent out earlier. Unexpectedly, 40% of the class hadn¡¯t finished them. No one felt any real pressure. You couldn¡¯t fail the class even if you didn¡¯t attend any lectures. The specialist wasn¡¯t pleased with the poor response from the students but it looked like he wasn¡¯t going to press the issue. The class passed in the blink of an eye and mostly covered the meaning of the tests and how they might enhance their chances at getting better Talents. Vivena disagreed with the lecturer although she didn¡¯t voice it. As they grabbed their bags, Keynes mentioned to her that he needed to see Webster Frog about a special program he¡¯d offered him. Vivena¡¯s good mood vanished, her expression became anxious. ¡°You could have said something,¡± she told him. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She shrugged, trying to sound ambivalent. As he started heading toward Webster Frog, Vivena spoke up from behind. ¡°Are you going to take his offer?¡± ¡°Not sure, why?¡± She came closer. ¡°Because my parents can offer you a better deal than the government.¡± His first reaction was to ask her about her parents. Who the hell were they to compete with the World Government? But then he thought twice about this. She was overwhelmingly pretty, making it harder to think just by her sheer presence; she befriended him out of everyone in the auditorium and took a keen interest in his perfect recall. And now her parents were in a position to help him. Such coincidences were pure fiction. Keynes knew he should have refused her offer and yet, he hesitated. It led to an awkward silence, even in the room full of students leaving it and chatting. It was Keynes¡¯s mistake¡ªthe silence¡ªand Vivena skilfully capitalised on it. ¡°Listen, Keynes, just hear me out. If you don¡¯t like it, then fine, no hard feelings.¡± By the time Keynes had the presence of mind to check on Webster Frog, the lecturer was gone. Keynes cursed himself for being a fool. ¡°I guess, there is no harm in hearing you out.¡± Vivena perked up. ¡°Good. I have already booked us a table at a local restaurant.¡± He blinked. Say what? *** Another surprise waited for him outside the auditorium. Or two surprises, actually. Two men built like gorillas waited outside. The way they were dressed reminded him of funerals for some mystical reason. Or maybe it was the dangerous auras they had around them? Keynes had no idea. ¡°These are my bodyguards, Keynes. They¡¯ll come with us.¡± Keynes swallowed, getting increasingly worried about the state of his mind. He should get out of this place and away from Vivena and those two giants. Far away. How did they achieve such a size anyway? Keynes thought that ascenders couldn¡¯t increase the mass of their muscles. ¡°We must check him first, miss.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be necessary. You¡¯re Level 2s and Keynes is a non-ascender like me.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Level 2s?! She has Level 2 bodyguards¡­ What am I doing here? Is it my dire curiosity taking control of me again? The last time didn¡¯t end well. A few days in the hospital and a warning that his non-ascender body wouldn¡¯t survive the next time. It was a long story and Keynes wasn¡¯t in the mood to replay it in his head. They crossed the school grounds attracting a lot of attention. Keynes even noticed Joe Brown who had the expression of a shocked pig. Vivena didn¡¯t seem to pay any mind to it though and Keynes did his best to follow her example. They didn¡¯t talk until they reached the car. This wasn¡¯t some random car. It was a luxurious supreme-class Bentley. No harm in talking, idiot? I¡¯m so screwed. But he was also fervently curious about the mess he was stepping into. He even cracked a stupid smile when he saw Joe Brown glaring at him. Chapter 2: Lily of the Valley (revised) ¡°So what do your parents do for a living?¡± Keynes regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth. The glares of the bodyguards sent shivers down his spine. He glanced at Vivena hoping to find salvation there. She smiled albeit with a hint of reservation. ¡°They run a family business,¡± she replied but didn¡¯t elaborate, giving not so subtle cues that she didn¡¯t wish to continue this topic. He wisely turned his head to the window, once again cursing his stupidity. As a city, San Antonio differed from other cities of similar size. It was rather flat, with only a few skyscrapers reaching to the sky, and built with pedestrians in mind. To anyone who came here, one thing would stand out more than anything else, life in San Antonio was slower, less focused on chasing high-end careers. One could get lost in the blissful, hot weather and lazy winds that ruffled hair. They drove through the city centre, heading up the hill to the rich suburbs. Keynes scratched his head, thinking of local restaurants in this part of the city. Not many places came to his mind. Where are we going? He found an answer to his question twenty minutes later as they pulled up to a restaurant called Lily of the Valley. It was located on a slope and it offered a magnificent view on the other side. This excited Keynes as in the valley outside San Antonio was a reserve with many tall, rare trees. On the other hand, he¡¯d never heard about this restaurant. While he didn''t know about every restaurant in San Antonio, this expensive location was prominent enough to make people talk. And its name - Lily of the Valley - seemed rather unusual for a fine dining establishment. Lily of the Valley was another poisonous flower. They left the car, stepping back into the warmth of San Antonio¡¯s air. The front of the restaurant looked modern, with many strange elements that appealed to the rich in one way or another. Keynes wasn¡¯t rich, so he didn¡¯t know what to think about the ice fountain or a small waterfall occupying one side of the building. ¡°What do you think?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°About the restaurant? Provocative?¡± Provocative? Seriously? He asked himself, dumbfounded. Where was his brain when he needed it? ¡°Provocative?¡± Vivena frowned, looking puzzled. ¡°Pretentious?¡± Keynes asked awkwardly. Someone remind me, why am I here anyway? He mused in his mind. ¡°Alright, let''s go inside and find a table.¡± Vivena ended their odd exchange. Her bodyguards shadowed them. They made Keynes uneasy. It was rare for someone outside the police force or military to be Level 2 or higher. In truth, Keynes didn¡¯t know of a way to level up other than joining the army. Most likely, those two were ex-soldiers. It was a plausible and easy explanation. He went with it. His mind was concerned with the restaurant anyway. They climbed the stone stairs and were welcomed by a general manager at the glass door. ¡°Miss, it is a pleasure to host you again. I have the best kind of table prepared.¡± ¡°Thank you, Andrew.¡± Thank you, Andrew? Okay, I guess it¡¯s only natural to personally know a general manager of such a restaurant if your parents are rich. The general manager greeted Keynes with a proper formality and asked them to follow him inside. The restaurant smelled of a few dominant odours, which Keynes couldn¡¯t identify. He wasn¡¯t an expert when it came to smells and his perfect memory was lacking in this department, and yet, it seemed unlikely to find a whole set of smells that were unknown to him. It got him excited because he could only think of two likely sources: exotic, Talent-made, ingredients or enhanced products created with formations or runes¡ªboth of which were rare. Darkened glass panels on each side of the corridor showed blurred contours of what was on the other side. The lights were dimmed, creating a cosy atmosphere. Each table had candles, their flames flickering. They didn¡¯t enter the main room and were taken to the second floor instead. It was one, long corridor with several doors. The manager led them to the last, double door. He slid it open, revealing a large, exquisitely decorated dining room with a balcony and a view of a valley. Keynes was aware that Lily of the Valley was a poisonous plant but at the same time, seeing the reserve in its full splendour, the name made sense. The manager showed them to the large wooden table and asked if they wished any refreshment before the order. Keynes asked for a glass of water, Vivena did likewise. When the manager left the room, Vivena asked the bodyguards to step outside, assuring them that Keynes would keep her safe. They didn¡¯t object but their gazes spoke of a different story. As they closed the door, Vivena sighed. ¡°It can be tiring,¡± she said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Keynes asked and realised that some of the tension had left him too. Were the bodyguards the source of that? It might be. They were Level 2 after all. People who moved past Level 1 were considered dangerous by everyone. It was all about the way one levelled up¡­ ¡°This lifestyle,¡± she replied. ¡°Maintaining appearances, meeting expectations, following rules.¡± She smiled, sadly. ¡°My older siblings are better at this than me. They always fit in.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t understand her problems. She lived in a different world. To his understanding, money usually solved problems, not created them. But he said nothing on that note, believing that it¡¯d have made him look shallow. Instead, he decided to change the subject and asked. ¡°This room feels different, don¡¯t you think?¡± Vivena nodded with only a hint of previous sadness. ¡°Glyphs,¡± he added after realising the source of the strangeness. ¡°Really? That¡¯s interesting.¡± It wasn¡¯t. Keynes¡¯s father had used to talk about glyphs all day and by now Keynes was fed up hearing more. But glyphs seemed like a better topic than her problematic lifestyle. ¡°What kind of glyphs?¡± ¡°Mostly, the glyph of taste--why are you laughing?¡± It took Keynes a few seconds to explain. ¡°It reminds me of a funny story. My father once brought a glyph of taste home. My mom almost kicked him out of the house for that.¡± For some reason, a shock crossed Vivena¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s horrible¡­¡± Luckily for Keynes, they were interrupted. Explaining humour was not his strong suit. A waitress came in with a tray. Keynes watched with curiosity as the waitress placed two crystal glasses, a bottle of water and three glyphs on the table. He recognised one of the glyphs - the glyph of chill. As its name indicated, it decreased the temperature around the glyph. His father had brought a glyph of chill home during heat waves that often passed through San Antonio. Keynes asked about the other two glyphs as he didn¡¯t know what they were. ¡°A glyph of freshness and a glyph of revitalisation,¡± the waitress replied, dipping her head. ¡°Would you like to order or should I return in five minutes?¡± the waitress asked, her voice trembling. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Vivena said, unaffected by the waitress¡¯ distress. ¡°What about you, Keynes?¡± He shivered, hearing his name coming from her. He liked it. Warmth spread throughout his chest but he reminded himself about the reason they were here and this odd sensation receded. Then he looked at the menu. For some reason, Keynes hadn¡¯t looked inside since coming here. He didn¡¯t know what to order. ¡°I¡¯ll have whatever you get, Vivena,¡± he said, naively hoping that she¡¯d react the same way he had. She didn¡¯t. ¡°Pea tart,¡± Vivena said without hesitation. The waitress bowed again and hastened out of the room. Vivena slowly lost her mask and became a different self. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I miss Geneva¡­¡± she said more to herself than to Keynes then her eyes found him and her mask returned. ¡°I¡¯m glad you accepted my invitation.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Keynes said off-handedly, unsure if it was the right moment to push for some answers. ¡°I am still wondering why you invited me.¡± Vivena didn¡¯t take the bait and asked him questions instead. ¡°What kind of Talent would you like to get? What do you dream of doing in the future?¡± There were many Talents everyone his age wished for: flying, invisibility, super speed, mind reading, immortality and so on, but these Talents were so rare that it was pointless to hope for something that would end in heartbreak. The majority of Talents were bland and weak. And there was a portion of society that got the short end of a stick, receiving inactive Talents, which referred to non-existing things like spells. Those people were treated like non-ascenders with the ascender¡¯s anatomy. They had nothing to offer to society. Keynes felt sorry for them but what could he do to help? Nothing. What Talent Keynes wished for? It was a great question. He¡¯d given a list of Talents that would pair nicely with his memory to Webster Frog. But his perfect recall; it didn¡¯t reflect who Keynes was and what he loved. Yes, a part of him believed that taking advantage of his unique situation would make him rich and famous. But there was always this itch, this longing to discover the unknown, be it solving a historical mystery or creating a world-changing invention. This was a domain of seeker-type Talents¡ªthe type that was both blessing and curse. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the Talent but I¡¯d like to go into space, see Mars and Venus and the moons of gas giants, then one day go further. That sort of thing.¡± Vivena mulled over his answer. Keynes poured the water, curious how the glyphs affected it. Each crystal glass had a large spherical ice cube inside. As he tasted the water, which tasted incredibly good (better than water should), Vivena spoke up. ¡°My parents can make it happen.¡± Of course they can. A minute, rational part of Keynes opposed the idea of agreeing to anything this girl had to offer. Her appearance was too calculated and precise. Keynes knew that. The whole situation reminded him of a cheap spy movie with the young lady acting as the right hand of a mysterious villain, luring unsuspecting victims to her boss¡¯ secret lair. NO. Yes. No. Yes. Crap. It wasn¡¯t only the mystery she represented, but her sheer beauty that crossed some threshold in Keynes¡¯s mind. He just wanted to be near her. ¡°Who are your parents?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Scientists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists - mainly.¡± She took a sip of water then added. ¡°My parents have a way to influence your Talent and no matter what the military or the government claims, they don¡¯t know how to do it.¡± That was very hard to believe. To hide anything from the World Government ¡­ how? The notion raised many red flags but that didn¡¯t matter. Keynes¡¯s mind was already set and he wouldn¡¯t change it. The waitress returned with their pea tarts, which looked like a piece of art rather than food. It tasted insanely good, but Keynes suspected that the combination of various glyphs enhanced its taste to this level. Their conversation found its way back to his perfect recall and its limitations. Vivena¡¯s understanding was correct. Keynes couldn¡¯t fully utilise his memory. His brain did not have sufficient processing power. He wasn¡¯t a genius, his intelligence was just above average. Keynes didn¡¯t even know if higher intelligence would have any impact on the speed of his recall. Very little advanced research on ascender biology was publicly available. For all Keynes knew, he might lose his perfect recall upon ascension to Level 1. Physical strength wasn¡¯t carried over after all. From there, Vivena moved on to explaining her parents¡¯ offer. Here also came the catch. ¡°They¡¯ll hire you if you get Talent with an intelligence or mind affinity. Minimum six-figure salary in the beginning.¡± Keynes shook his head, mostly to assure himself that he wasn¡¯t dreaming. ¡°Six-figure? Who are your parents, Vivena?¡± ¡°They are very rich.¡± For a brief moment, Keynes believed she would reveal them to be: the Saels, the Earls or the Stonewoods - some of the richest families in the world. But no. ¡°And our name is the Foxgloves.¡± Like a poisonous plant? We¡¯re also sitting in a restaurant named after one. That cannot be a coincidence. And who the hell are the Foxgloves? Keynes had never heard that surname. If they were very rich, he¡¯d have read about them on SolNet. *** Keynes returned home by evening, Harter was out with his friends, his father worked late hours again. That was perfect. Talking to his mother without the company of his brother was always easier, while the presence of his father had always made his mother tougher. He found his mother in the living room, watching the news. Some minor politicians argued about the newest plan of the World Government: moving the Talent Unlocking Ceremonies to the military bases and an attempt at shaping the formation of Talents. Keynes ignored the debate and asked if his mother had a moment. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± she asked suspiciously. ¡°Is this about Joe Brown again?¡± Keynes shook his head, cursing Harter silently for blabbing about Joe Brown to their mother. ¡°It¡¯s about something else. You remember the message from Webster Frog?¡± ¡°I do. I may not have your memory but I don¡¯t forget easily.¡± Keynes nodded. ¡°My answer is still a no.¡± ¡°I have received another offer.¡± His mother turned off the TV and gave Keynes her full attention. ¡°Which invites you to some experimental government programme? No, Key. You¡¯re not an ascender yet, to risk your future like this.¡± His mother¡¯s attitude stemmed mostly from Keynes¡¯s past where he¡¯d been involved in many misguided experiments of his own making. It made her very protective. Keynes told his mother about Vivena¡¯s offer. She heard him out, seemingly indifferent to the offer, only to shoot it down the second Keynes stopped speaking. He respected his mother vastly, even more than his father who was more of a visitor than part of their household, but there was ground Keynes wouldn¡¯t concede. ¡°Mum, I have already accepted the offer.¡± It was a lie, a necessary one. She sighed, looking defeated. ¡°You were always like this, going headfirst into trouble. But you are not a child anymore, Key. Your decisions may have dire consequences. Has it crossed your mind that these people may be conmen? Scammers who prey on the gullible?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not gullible.¡± She shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡± ¡°It is,¡± he told her. ¡°And you may not like it but I will be an ascender soon, which means I will be an adult. No longer asking for permission.¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t an ascender yet and you don¡¯t have my permission.¡± *** It was a difficult week. Keynes¡¯s mother didn¡¯t want to hear about the Foxgloves, his father sided with Keynes¡¯s mother. Harter called him insane. Meanwhile, Vivena messaged Keynes that he and his parents could meet with her parents and talk it over. The itch only grew stronger and a day before his next Talent class, Keynes couldn¡¯t contain it any longer. If Talent-shaping was possible¡­ he had to try it. A Talent that would pair nicely with his perfect recall could change his life! No way I am going to miss the chance like this. On the day of the Talent class, Keynes started a heated discussion. Keynes told his parents that he was going to accept the offer either way. It worked. A few hours after the Talent class, Keynes returned home with the address and invitation to see Vivena¡¯s parents. Keynes¡¯s father grumbled about having to leave his work earlier; he''d tried to burden Keynes¡¯s mother with going alone but she¡¯d been adamant about his presence there. They put on their best clothes, left a message for Harter and were on their way. The Foxgloves lived in the suburbs of San Antonio. A quick search on SolNet showed a ranch with many hectares of uncultivated land. The house itself stood five minutes drive from the main road, hidden by trees. It had a spacious driveway. The house was built out of sandstone and oak, and while it was large it didn¡¯t indicate anything outrageous Keynes would expect from people who could compete with the World Government. Vivena and her parents waited at the stairs. Her mother had ruby red hair and wore a contrasting green dress that outlined her silhouette. Her father wasn¡¯t as extravagant and settled for an elegant suit. Vivena had a modest blue dress. It still was enough for Keynes¡¯s mother to say: ¡°I am starting to see where your determination is coming from, Key.¡± Keynes gave her a harsh look. The Kids didn¡¯t notice it until they approached the Foxgloves. There was power to them. A spiritual pressure Keynes had never experienced. Not even Webster Frog¡¯s spiritual aura had this kind of feeling. Keynes¡¯s parents tensed up. As Level 1s, their spiritual senses were many times sharper than his, if his could even be called a spiritual sense. ¡°Welcome to our modest home,¡± Vivena¡¯s father said with a smile. ¡°We were afraid you may change your mind.¡± ¡°Dad,¡± Vivena grunted softly, then turned to Keynes and his parents. ¡°Please forgive my father, he spends more time in his lab than among people and sometimes forgets good manners.¡± ¡°Vivena, dear,¡± Vivena¡¯s mother said softly but her voice carried authority, then she welcomed the Kid family. ¡°It is a pleasure to have you. My name is Lorelai. This is my husband Frank and our youngest daughter Vivena.¡± ¡°The pleasure is ours,¡± Keynes¡¯s mother replied with a laboured smile. Only Keynes¡¯s father didn¡¯t want to be here more than her. ¡°Nina Kid-Carter, Ewan Kid and our older son Keynes.¡± ¡°May I ask,¡± Ewan Kid said. ¡°What¡¯s with the spiritual pressure?¡± Keynes rolled his eyes at his blunt father but Frank Foxglove surprised them by apologising and providing an explanation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re Level 5s. Didn¡¯t Viv tell you?¡± This revelation stunned Keynes and his parents. Two Level 5s?! In a world where levelling up outside the military and a few other occupations was strictly forbidden, meeting a Level 5 was incredibly rare. This information alone made the whole idea less dodgy. It wasn¡¯t a secret that the wealthiest weren¡¯t included in the levelling prohibition. It took the Kids a moment to collect themselves. *** The house inside had a rustic design with an expected touch of luxury but like the exterior, nothing outrageous. There wasn¡¯t much of small talk as Keynes¡¯s and Vivena¡¯s fathers didn¡¯t seem to care about it. They cut to the chase and Keynes had to admit that he wasn¡¯t aware of this side of his father. He was very precise in his questions and clearly knew much more about the System than Keynes. Keynes¡¯s mother didn¡¯t utter a word during the conversation between Vivena¡¯s and Keynes¡¯s fathers. Vivena had said that her parents were scientists. Keynes¡¯s father could be counted as one too as his work with glyphs required a lot of scientific methodology. It didn¡¯t last long before the fathers said. ¡°So, do we have a deal?¡± ¡°We do.¡± ¡°In that case, we must raise a toast.¡± Before anyone could stop Vivena¡¯s father, he left the living room and returned with a bottle of bourbon. Vivena placed four glasses for their parents. Keynes suspected that the alcohol was worth a fortune and he ¡­ wanted to try it too. Of course his parents said no but Keynes wasn¡¯t one to take a no for an answer. He regretted it a few moments later as golden liquid burned his throat. At least they chuckled at his expense. Vivena had a beautiful smile. It was a memory Keynes returned home with later that night. Nothing could sour his mood now. Not even his mother¡¯s complaining; she was drunk anyway. And the Foxgloves knew what they were talking about. Keynes was going to get a perfect Talent. The world will be mine, he thought, his head dizzy. He was happy. Chapter 3: Deceptive Poison (revised) Frank Foxglove watched the Kid family being taken away by a taxi. They were only Level 1s and so alcohol still affected them. Sirian and his wife were already past the point where alcohol had any effect on their Level 5 bodies. The anatomy of ascenders was a strange thing. Their bodies were almost identical to pre-ascenders and yet there couldn¡¯t be a greater chasm between. Everything was different. Ascenders aged at varying paces, depending on their Levels, most pre-ascender diseases like asthma weren¡¯t an issue while health regeneration was something pre-ascenders could only dream about. With each Level benefits only increased. Then there were even stranger concepts like mana, buffs and debuffs. These things weren¡¯t even visible to Low-Level ascenders due to an insufficient spiritual energy. ¡°I couldn¡¯t stand that woman,¡± Lorelai said from behind. She walked around Frank, making sure her slender legs were exposed. ¡°She didn¡¯t want our offer.¡± ¡°Perhaps she didn¡¯t like the downside.¡± A frown marred Lorelai¡¯s perfect face. ¡°Are you saying you entertain the possibility of failure, Sirian?¡± Frank Foxglove¡¯s true name was Sirian Sael. He belonged to one of the wealthiest families in the solar system. He couldn¡¯t have his name tied to this offer. His wife had already stretched things by keeping her real first name in the conversation with the Kid family. Same went for Vivena although their daughter wasn¡¯t known to the World Government. ¡°The formations we possess are structured to affix the poison affinity. Designating a different affinity is a purely theoretical concept.¡± Alarmed, Lorelai turned to her husband. ¡°Why have we offered this to that family then?¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t say a no to our daughter.¡± ¡°Sirian.¡± Lorelai¡¯s voice became sharper and much more forceful. ¡°What are the odds of success? And don¡¯t give me crap. I¡¯m asking you as a scientist now.¡± Sirian mused the question, unbothered by his wife¡¯s glare. She was right. He hadn¡¯t done much consideration, but in his defence, there was not much of a downside in this situation. If they failed to adjust the formations to Intelligence or Mind affinity, nothing bad would happen. The boy would either receive a Talent with poison affinity or some other affinity. No downside. Formations were difficult to modify. They were circular diagrams with precise geometry. The slightest change to any part turned them off. They¡¯d tested the formations they possessed and were convinced of being close to isolating the variable responsible for an affinity. If only other families were eager to sell their secrets. But then the others could say the same about the Saels and. ¡°Once we set up the formation, the process will be a formality.¡± ¡°Once you set up the formation? Sirian, we¡¯re risking exposure here. If the Kids talk¡ª¡± Sirian raised his hand, interrupting his wife. ¡°No one would listen to them. There are thousands of conspiracy theories about us on SolNet. What is one more?¡± *** The next three months passed in a blur. Keynes hoped to learn something about the process of shaping his Talent from the Foxgloves but was sorely disappointed after a few visits, which made him question the whole undertaking. There were no secret runes or formations or even glyphs. The entire proposition was based on some highly doubtful laws of attraction. This made Keynes¡¯s mother doubly suspicious and she voiced her complaints daily, driving everyone to the point where they were leaving the house before Mrs Kid got out of bed. Despite the disappointment, Keynes wondered what he was missing. There had to be something. The deal was too lucrative to be fake. He used SolNet to look up the Foxgloves and when it returned no results, he searched for Talent-shaping. It turned out to be a mistake that sucked him in for days. SolNet was a chaotic amalgamation of information without any way to sort the wheat from the chaff. The true knowledge was hidden behind an expensive paywall or exclusive access. The World Government rarely shared their scientific discoveries with the general public, which was a big source of criticism toward the institution, at least on SolNet discussion forums. The bureaucratic reasoning behind such a drastic decision was the standard public safety rhetoric slapped on everything they didn¡¯t want to reveal. But Keynes wasn¡¯t fully without access to the knowledge. Webster Frog didn¡¯t forget about him and pestered Keynes for three months about joining the Government-run programme. Because of the deal with the Foxgloves, Keynes couldn¡¯t accept Webster Frog¡¯s offer but from several conversations they had, he gleaned some details about the Talent-shaping. It wasn¡¯t much but enough to confirm his suspicions, whatever the Foxgloves had been telling him were lies. *** Late August finally came and with it, an official invitation to the Talent Unlocking Ceremony. Warned beforehand, the soon-to-be ascenders knew about the changes. Gone were public ceremonies conducted in the Talent centres in favour of the military compounds with strict access and tight safety measures. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Keynes¡¯s father asked. ¡°I can ask your mother to use her Talent on you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she has any mana left.¡± His mother received hundreds of calls from parents whose sons and daughters were having the Talent Unlocking Ceremonies this week. She did as much as she could but her Soothing Talent needed mana to work and with mana regeneration, even enhanced by the mana regeneration glyph, she could do only ten to twenty people a day. Still, she pushed herself beyond that, scraping the bottom of her mana pool. She was barely functioning. Keynes couldn¡¯t ask her for more. ¡°Ah, yes. You¡¯re correct. I¡¯ve forgotten she cannot take mana regeneration pills anymore.¡± This was an unfortunate consequence of unique Talents as it was difficult to recreate things done only by people with specific Talents after they died. Jorge Herban was a prime example of this. He had been an exceptional herbalist¡ªand by some also called an alchemist¡ªwho had created¡ªamong many¡ªthe mana regen pills by enhancing ingredients to such a degree that they gained magical properties. Unfortunately, his creations weren¡¯t without side effects, which he had been fixing until his sudden death. Without Jorge, the research on the pills was handed over to the institute and forgotten, naturally, giving birth to a plethora of conspiracy theories. ¡°Yeah.¡± After the short exchange, their conversation died out. Keynes¡¯s father wasn¡¯t very good at comforting others, or talking in general. His area of focus was glyphs¡ªobjects that manifested magical powers given the right shape. Keynes¡¯s father had a passive Talent allowed him to finetune and polish completed glyphs, making them more effective. When it came to his work, he was a different man. But none of that was now important. Keynes decided to check on his mother. She had a mana-deficiency headache. She¡¯d emptied her mana pool as soon as she could afford to soothe a person or two, bringing her mana to zero once again. This¡ªapparently¡ªwasn¡¯t dangerous but always induced a painful headache. ¡°How do you feel, mom?¡± She weakly smiled and her warm hand beckoned him closer. He sat down next to her. Interesting how different she behaved when she was out of mana. ¡°As usual, what about you?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say the same.¡± ¡°And why would you? This is the biggest day of your life, Key. This is the beginning of your own path. ¡°Was it the same for you?¡± ¡°It was,¡± his mother replied but Keynes had a hard time picturing his mother standing on a precipice of a new exciting life. He loved her but her soothing Talent belonged to one of the least thrilling Talents. In fact, soothing was the very opposite of exciting. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Harter came to inform them with a sly smile. ¡°To become a man, my little brother.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°You may be bigger in size but I have brains,¡± Keynes replied then added with emphasis. ¡°And I am older.¡± Harter only snorted. *** Webster Frog sat behind his desk, preparing paperwork for the afternoon¡¯s ceremony. He was still getting used to the idea of holding the Talent Ceremonies inside military bases. The facts spoke in favour of holding them here though. The military possessed unmatched analytical tools powered by mana instead of electricity, which greatly enhanced their capabilities. Nonetheless, despite their great promise, they were still in a prototype phase. Speaking of great promise, the results from the Talent experiment were unfortunately disappointing so far. He wasn¡¯t surprised by this. They lacked basics like a control group. Webster¡¯s boss didn¡¯t want to hear about such measures, saying that it was civilian bullshit. Why conduct an experiment in the first place then? This not only irked Webster but the Institute of Science and Research, the science arm of the World Government, seemed to have very little interest in the experiment. But at the end of a day, it wasn¡¯t Webster¡¯s decision to make. He left strategizing to the higher-ups while he focused his attention on what truly mattered -- groundwork. A file with a familiar name spiked his interest. Keynes Kid, a boy with a perfect recall. It was a shame he hadn¡¯t agreed to take Webster¡¯s offer. Even his boss would see the value in working with someone like Keynes Kid. The amount of data about how skills transferred from humans to ascenders was substantial but incomplete and contradictory. There were many instances where people didn¡¯t inherit their extraordinary qualities like ambidexterity, mental calculation, abnormal strength or senses. Even cases where the transfer of an ability actually happened but was unrelated to with the ascender¡¯s Talent were numerous in comparison to situations when the extraordinary trait and a Talent complemented each other upon ascension to Level 1. What the data failed to capture was the deeper understanding of these processes. Ascender anatomy was vastly different from a human¡¯s but there was very little information about the transition itself, which was commonly known as the Talent Unlocking Ceremony. Maybe there was more information, simply, gated behind the Global Secrecy Act and Webster was too low in the chain of command to access it. For all its flaws, he hoped so because otherwise, it¡¯d mean that the current state of knowledge was astonishingly superficial. The last document had Vivena Foxglove¡¯s name on it. A transfer girl, he remembered, then he lost his interest in her and put the sheet away. A knock on the door made his head jerk. It was too early for the start of the ceremony and no one usually bothered him. His staff knew he didn¡¯t like being interrupted. His boss, Commander Winters, would call him directly. Then who? A red-haired woman entered his office. The weight of her spiritual aura made it clear that she wasn¡¯t an ordinary ascender. The spiritual strength of Level 1 was so weak that most people couldn¡¯t even project it. This changed substantially at Level 2 and further progressed with each subsequent Level. Webster knew it because he had many dealings with high-levelled individuals. Because of that, the weight of her Spirit didn¡¯t awe him, merely irked. ¡°Are you Webster Frog?¡± ¡°Specialist Frog, yes, it¡¯s me. How can I help you?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to register his tone but Webster didn¡¯t want to press the issue. Common civilians weren¡¯t high levelled. Plus, this was a staff-only area. She wouldn¡¯t be able to simply walk in without authorization. ¡°My name is Lorelai Foxglove. My daughter has a ceremony today.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Webster nodded, expecting an explanation. ¡°I¡¯d like to withdraw my daughter from today¡¯s ceremony. We have a private ceremony prepared for her.¡± A private ceremony. Well, then, Webster wasn¡¯t wrong about stepping with care around Lorelai Foxglove. Such ceremonies were a mark of the wealthy. Webster got a better look at the woman. She was beautiful, though her Level made it harder to tell her age. Not that it was important. The loss of a single student wasn¡¯t a big deal when there were millions of students going through their ascensions over the next couple of days. But still, Webster felt a pang of regret. Hopefully, one day, every ceremony would be recorded and lodged in the military system. She knocked on his desk pulling him out of his dream. He looked up into her cold blue eyes. ¡°I have her file here.¡± Webster placed his hand on the pile of documents. ¡°But I have to ask you for proof of identity.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have one on me. You can take this up with your commander.¡± ¡°With Commander Winters?¡± ¡°I thought Burygold Finn¡¯s in charge here.¡± Webster blinked several times. Burygold Finn was a bigshot colonel. Who was this woman? Webster picked up a phone and called his commander. This smelled of politics and he didn¡¯t want to get involved. Not even two minutes later, Commander Winters barged into Webster¡¯s office. ¡°Give us a moment,¡± Commander Winters barked. Webster stepped out of his office only to be called back a moment later. ¡°Hand Mrs Foxglove whatever she asks for.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The commander hastily left, leaving Webster with the woman. ¡°The documents please.¡± He handed her the file, she grabbed it jealousy, which made Webster wonder why she¡¯d applied for her daughter to take the ceremony here in the first place. ¡°Thank you, Mr Frog.¡± She turned to go then stopped. ¡°And one more thing, I¡¯d like to withdraw Keynes Kid.¡± Webster¡¯s eyebrows climbed up. Keynes Kid had a perfect memory and his Talent could be extremely valuable to the future research of Talent-shaping. Webster couldn¡¯t give him away. He was too important. ¡°I¡¯m afraid his name has already been added to the system and cannot be removed once added.¡± It was a dangerous and career-ending lie. Webster¡¯s heart was hammering in his chest and he prayed that the High-Level visitor didn¡¯t sense it. High-Level ascenders possessed sharper senses and it was believed, though without scientific evidence, that some of them could detect a lie. Webster didn¡¯t think she was one of them but she could still have such a Talent. Unlikely but possible. ¡°Who authorised the system like this?¡± ¡°The Institute of Science and Research.¡± She tsked. ¡°And nothing can be done about it?¡± Webster could argue with her on the basis that only Keynes¡¯s parents had the right to withdraw their child from the ceremony but after what Commander Winters had told him Webster wasn¡¯t going to cross his betters. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I will have a word with Burygold Finn about this.¡± Webster paled. Was he finished? How little he knew. *** Keynes didn¡¯t share Harter¡¯s excitement. Did his younger brother understand what the ceremony entailed? What weight did it carry? Unlikely. Even Keynes hadn¡¯t comprehended the true severity of the ceremony until it crawled close. Its oppressiveness threatened to grind him into nothing but a bundle of nerves. In less than an hour Keynes would learn his Talent and his future would be determined. The previous night he binged Talents Unleashed by Incantus. One of a few books from the pre-technological world when everything revolved around Talents and powers they bestowed upon ascenders. Incantus argued that every Talent had its uses. While Talents Unleashed was strongly optimistic, Keynes couldn¡¯t ignore a much recent work, Trapped Potential that stood in a direct opposition to Incantus¡¯s book. ¡°Do you need soothing, darling?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, mom,¡± Keynes lied and focused on his surroundings instead. The military base was dull. Everything was made of bare concrete. Some people enjoyed the industrial design, although nothing here was designed with that kind of preference in mind. It was functionality that the army focused on as their goal was to increase conformity of their personnel, keeping their stimuli to the very minimum. They walked into the newly opened reception. Many other families had already gathered in the room. Keynes saw propaganda posters on the wall, explaining why the ceremonies had been moved from the public spaces to the military locations. Security. It was a universal excuse, easy to digest and hard to refute. No mention of research or experimentation. Typical. Keynes peeled his eyes from the poster. Everyone in the room looked anxious and many eyed Keynes¡¯s mother with longing eyes, hoping she¡¯d offer them soothing. She didn¡¯t. She was exhausted, and in truth, she required soothing as much as everyone else in here. ¡°Nina,¡± an ash-haired Mrs Brown walked over, smiling sadly at them. ¡°How are you? I¡¯ve heard you had a few busy days.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe, Maria. I don¡¯t remember a year like this.¡± And there wasn¡¯t one. Keynes remembered every year and this one was unprecedented. It wasn¡¯t clear why so many people sought his mother¡¯s soothing though. There could be many factors: word of mouth, demographics or the decision to move the ceremonies. Both women hugged each other. They were of the same age and had been friends since school. Maria was unfortunate to receive in inactive Talent that destroyed her chances to pursue any professional career. She worked as a low-paid admin in a warehouse. Keynes¡¯s mother often cursed the Talent-based System for being cruel and unfair. Talents could make or break people in a blink of an eye. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer my call?¡± Mrs Brown waved her hand. Keynes knew the truth as his parents had discussed it several times. Mrs Brown couldn¡¯t afford his mother¡¯s soothing even with all the family and friends discounts she was giving. This time, his mother was going to give her soothing for free. ¡°Work,¡± she lied but they didn¡¯t hold it against her, no one liked charity. ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Nina said, nodding at her husband. ¡°I barely see the man.¡± Ewan Kid was about to explain himself when Mark, Maria¡¯s husband, approached. Their son Joe, a bully from Keynes¡¯s class, trailed him silently. Joe¡¯s face was pure fear. A part of Keynes understood him. He was scared of receiving an inactive Talent like his mother. ¡°Hi,¡± Mark muttered. He was Level 2; courtesy of being in the police force. He shook Ewan Kid¡¯s hand but other than that he stayed out of the conversation. Keynes didn¡¯t blame the man. Ewan Kid wasn¡¯t the most interesting man under the sun. He often stayed silent, locked in his mind and musing about glyphs. Small talk didn¡¯t interest Keynes¡¯s father. Because Mark Brown wasn¡¯t any different, both men happily stood at the periphery of their group in silence. Only once had Keynes heard his father talk with Mr Brown. Boy, it was a cringe-worthy experience. It was like a tug-of-war, crime this, glyphs that, cases this, optimization that. Joe kept away from the Kid family. Each time he tried to bolt away, most likely to his cronies, his father grabbed by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back. Harter left them as he spotted his own friends. Keynes searched for Vivena but she didn¡¯t arrive yet. The receptionist eventually called for everyone¡¯s attention. Keynes and Harter returned to their parents, while the Browns left. ¡°Specialist Webster Frog will conduct the ceremony now. Please follow me and do not stray away from the path. This part of the base is repurposed for the public but there are still restricted areas within it and it is a crime to trespass in such areas.¡± The middle-aged receptionist walked around the desk, weaved between the gathered and entered one of three corridors. Like a liquid from an uncorked bottle, people flowed after her. Chapter 4: Talent (revised) They came to a spacious room with rows of folding chairs, set in a semi-circle around the largest glyph Keynes had ever seen. His father whistled, ¡°That¡¯s some exquisite work. I can¡¯t spot a single flaw in it from here and that says a lot.¡± The glyph looked like a rough shard of obsidian as tall as a man. ¡°It must be the new composite everyone¡¯s talking about,¡± his father said more to himself than anyone else. ¡°What¡¯s its purpose?¡± Keynes asked, his curiosity prodded. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure. They don¡¯t advertise these things anywhere but I¡¯d bet it¡¯s something to do with mana consumption. It¡¯s an open secret that the army has hybrid technology that runs on electricity and mana. Looking at all the advanced equipment in this room, I¡¯m pretty sure my bet¡¯s correct.¡± It was odd how quickly Ewan Kid¡¯s personality shifted when the topic of a conversation included glyphs. Keynes himself was only mildly interested in continuing to discuss the subject, after all Riccard Claus, an author of The World Incomplete, claimed that Talents and glyphs were the only magical things in the world, for some reason, refusing to accept runes, formations and consumables like mana pills. Reginald Hobb not only disagreed with Claus in his book Secrets Within Secrets but also spoke about the inactive and detrimental Talents, and how they referred to strange although non-existent concepts like magical skills. Keynes¡¯s musing was interrupted by his father¡¯s comment about the glyph¡¯s potential output and a spike of fear shot through Keynes. What if he received a glyph-related Talent? That would be a nightmare. Everyone took seats and waited for Specialist Frog who was in charge of the ceremony. ¡°Why are you so pale, little older brother?¡± Harter teased him. Keynes squinted at Harter. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy this ceremony next year when you¡¯ll be in my place.¡± ¡°Unless you get a detrimental or inactive Talent,¡± Harter joked but the subject wasn¡¯t considered funny and their mother descended on Harter like a hammer. ¡°If you cannot behave, you¡¯ll have to leave,¡± she said, her voice quiet but dangerously tense. She didn¡¯t fare much better than Keynes. It was a big moment for their entire family. If Keynes got the Talent the Foxgloves had asked for, Keynes¡¯s family would become rich and Keynes¡¯s own future bright. ¡°Sorry.¡± Harter raised his hands and pulled the chair away from their mother. Keynes paid him little mind and instead looked around, hoping to spot Vivena and her parents. ¡°Everyone, welcome,¡± said Specialist Frog entering the room in the company of several white-coated assistants. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for keeping you waiting. We¡¯ll start very shortly.¡± A murmur rippled throughout the room but no one objected despite being not happy with the turn of the events. Most parents didn¡¯t like that their children were being subjected to military tests no matter how harmless they appeared. Not every region or city took the change calmly. SolNet was full of videos of protests and clashes between people and the police. San Antonio was one of the quietest places in this regard. ¡°Are they going to tell us what Talent you get?¡± Harter asked. ¡°No,¡± their mother replied. ¡°It has been changed and Talents are kept private by default. You may reveal it later on at your own discretion but not here.¡± Their mother had been obsessively scouring the ceremony rule book in the last couple of weeks for some reason. Her anxiety was doubled by their dealings with the Foxgloves and their ¡®novel¡¯ Talent-affecting method. Keynes didn¡¯t like that they weren¡¯t here. Webster Frog cleared his throat bringing all the attention to himself. ¡°Welcome again,¡± he said as he stepped in front of the glyph. ¡°And apologies for the delay. The glyph is a prototype and required more time to set up than expected.¡± This wasn¡¯t something the gathered parents wanted to hear. Murmurs slowly changed into whispered complaints and then into openly expressed disgruntlement. Specialist Frog raised his hand. ¡°Your children aren¡¯t lab rats,¡± he responded to someone¡¯s accusation. ¡°The glyph has no effect on their Talents. This is actually the safest environment for the ceremony you can find.¡± One man stood up. ¡°All this equipment¡­ what is it for then?¡± he asked, red-faced. ¡°For analytical purposes.¡± His responses did very little to ease the tension. ¡°This is getting out of hand,¡± Keynes¡¯s father whispered to his wife. Ewan Kid wasn¡¯t wrong. The situation got to the point where the base¡¯s commander, Luke Winters had to intervene and gave the parents assurances that the ceremony was safe. Some tried to get a written assurance out of him that their children would not get an inactive or detrimental Talent but he dismissed such offers with a warning of imprisonment. The order was eventually restored but not without the help of several soldiers staying in the room. Specialist Frog sighed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± *** Everyone knew the procedure. Not only was it taught in school, discussed by parents and friends but also explained in a message from the government:
  1. Sit next to the glyph.
  2. Swallow a Talent Stone.
  3. Focus on spiritual energy.
  4. Gain access to a Talent.
It was dead simple and Keynes had seen it already when his cousin Ricko had received his Talent. ¡°Robert Atkin,¡± Specialist Frog called out. A short guy, in an oversized tuxedo, stood up and on wobbly legs walked over to the empty seat next to the large glyph. Despite his dark complexion, his face was pale. He sat down on the chair as per the instructions, swallowed the Talent Stone he¡¯d been given by one of the assistants and waited. It was strangely uneventful; this was the most important moment in anyone¡¯s life. Nothing else mattered as much as the Talent Unlocking Ceremony. ¡°You can do it!¡± someone shouted from the crowd but Robert Atkin didn¡¯t hear it. Keynes remembered the changes from his cousin¡¯s ceremony with absolute clarity. The same thing was happening to Robert Atkin. His unfocused eyes stared at something in front of him while his skin was covered up in a delicate sheen. Interestingly, a body upon ascension to Level 1 didn¡¯t change instantly. It was a slow process that took a few days. Specialist Frog watched the tablet in his hands with satisfaction. Suddenly, Keynes, and certainly everyone else in the room, felt a gentle spiritual wave brush past them. ¡°That thing is on another level,¡± his father murmured. ¡°Analytical purposes my ass.¡± The spiritual pressure was a new thing and Keynes didn¡¯t know what to think about it. Some other students looked ready to run for their lives. Robert Atkin¡¯s distant gaze vanished and Keynes noticed that his body transition accelerated¡­ His skin became a little smoother, muscles denser and toned. Even the eyes gained a bit more contrast. Details were hard to spot but the total sum of them was more than visible. Was this the glyph¡¯s doing? The spiritual pressure completely disappeared a second after Robert Atkin¡¯s head moved. His eyes narrowed and he glanced around the room. His parents shot up to their feet, fear painted on their faces. Even Keynes was interested in what Talent the other student had received. Robert Atkin smiled, which was the response his parents waited for. This removed a large part of tension from the room and other parents started to cheer as if it would make their children¡¯s chances any better. Specialist Frog thanked him and Robert Atkin returned to his parents. They didn¡¯t stay as they weren¡¯t required to do so. Seeing their happy faces, the general mood was uplifted. The process was repeated six more times before Keynes heard his name. No one received an inactive or detrimental Talent so far. Keynes couldn¡¯t decide what kind of omen it was. His parents gave him words of encouragement, he hardly heard them. His heart was hammering in his chest. It was the most important moment of his life. In a couple of minutes, Keynes¡¯s future would be determined. Talents were unchangeable. He never considered what Maria Brown had gone through when she¡¯d received the worst possible outcome in this insane lottery. I hope Foxgloves¡¯ method works, he told himself. Keynes¡¯s legs didn¡¯t fare much better than Robert Atkin¡¯s, his feet felt like they were laden with lead. He made his way to the chair, looking at it with trepidation. There were still over a hundred people in the room, watching him. ¡°Please swallow the Talent Stone and take a seat,¡± Specialist Frog said. Keynes sat down, swallowed the stone and waited for the pressure to appear. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. It didn¡¯t. In its place, Keynes felt his body go cold, then the world around him froze and words appeared before his eyes. They were suspended in the air. He tried to blink them away but the surreal vision remained. He knew that something like this would happen. It¡¯d been explained to him at school and home but experiencing it was vastly different. Transition into a Level 1 Ascender (Human) initiated¡­ Basic conditions met. Initialising¡­ Keynes lost the connection to his eyes and went blind. He still could see the text though. A Level 1 Ascender (Human) body unlocked! Becoming an ascender was a subtle but profound change as if nothing changed and everything did at the same time. It drained a lot of energy out of Keynes even though he didn¡¯t feel exhausted. He just felt different¡­ It wasn¡¯t over though. One more thing remained ¨C his Talent. Talent unlocking initialised¡­ Talent detected¡­ Unlocking¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Error detected. What the hell is going on?! His thoughts were slow and seemed to come from far away. ¡­ Anomaly detected¡­ Analysing¡­ ¡­ Talent Unlocked! Accessing the Talent Interface¡­
Talent Type Affinity Details
Lockpicking Active Error Ability to open locked objects and locations. Mana cost: highly variable.
Keynes¡¯s eyes greedily read the name of his Talent and its description, and his heart sank with each word. Lockpicking Talent? Opening objects and locations? Was it trying to turn Keynes into a thief? He was screwed. He realised. No mind-related Talent as everyone hoped meant no bright future offered by the Foxgloves. He didn¡¯t think they would have any use for Lockpicking. Neither would Keynes. The more he thought about his Talent the more he understood how bad it was. Just a step away from an inactive one¡­ He gasped as the world unfroze and he was back in the room with a hundred people, their eyes weren¡¯t on him though. He turned his head to find out what they were looking at. Webster Frog stared bewildered at his tablet, his mouth was working but produced no sound. What was going on? Keynes glanced back at the gathered people, finding his parents standing. Their faces verged on panic. Others looked worried as well and Keynes noticed Vivena and her mother standing near the exit. Both of them had concerned faces. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ewan Kid asked. A murmur swept through the room as some parents started to look worried. No one could blame them. This shouldn¡¯t have happened, right? Specialist Frog cleared his throat. ¡°Please do not worry, everything¡¯s under control. I can assure you, this young ascender received his Talent and it isn¡¯t an inactive one.¡± But it¡¯s close. It¡¯s totally useless to me. ¡°Then why did you look like you saw a ghost?¡± Others picked up on the question and repeated it, demanding answers. It¡¯s the error affinity and the anomaly, Keynes realised. Is this the Foxgloves¡¯ doing or did the military screw something up? ¡°It¡¯s an internal thing,¡± Specialist Frog said and for a split-second Keynes thought the other man just read his mind but he merely replied to the questions from the crowd. ¡°I cannot share more than this.¡± It evoked more protests from the gathered parents but Keynes couldn¡¯t care less about the whole commotion. The weight of his Talent was growing heavier in his chest. ¡°You can return to your parents,¡± someone whispered from behind him. No congratulations, no grand words. He felt like a failure. Failure. A strange and alien feeling to him. He stood up, expecting his legs to feel weak. They were not. There was strength to his body now. He was Level 1 now. What did it matter though? His life was over. Keynes met his family on the way out of the room. They peppered him with questions but he didn¡¯t know how to deliver the bad news and stayed silent until they reached Vivena and her mother. ¡°Well?¡± Keynes opened his mouth to answer but Vivena¡¯s mother stopped him from replying. ¡°Don¡¯t speak. Show me the System screen.¡± He was about to ask how when as intuitively as breathing the System screen appeared in front of him with an option to share. Keynes shared his Talent with his family, Vivena and her mother. They looked at it in silence. And the silence stretched. They must have realised that his Talent was useless. ¡°This is unfortunate,¡± Vivena¡¯s mother said. ¡°You understand what this means?¡± The deal was off the table. He understood this much. ¡°That¡¯s unfair,¡± Keynes¡¯s mother said. ¡°You¡¯ve used him and--¡± Her husband placed his hand on her shoulder, silencing her. ¡°This isn¡¯t the place,¡± he muttered. Just as he said it, they heard angry voices erupt from the ceremony room. It was time to leave. *** Billions of light-years away from Earth, ancient ascenders stirred from their slumber. They were awoken by the persistent alarm that blared in their minds. One of them quickly accessed the Control Interface and found a wall of red warnings. Unlock Affinity detected! Emergency Protocol initiated¡­ Erasing the Talent failed¡­ Changing the Talent failed¡­ Corrupting the Talent failed¡­ ¡­ Access denied! Access denied? The ascender bypassed the Control Interface and reached directly into the Code that underwrote the rules and laws of this Universe. The Unlock Affinity, among many other categories, should be erased from the Code. And it was. The ascender had personally removed these dangerous categories from the code aeons ago and apart from him, no one else in the Universe was capable of the feat. No one else crossed Level 75. ¡°What is the matter?¡± asked others who accompanied him. They called themselves the Endless although the System didn¡¯t have a name for a person who breached the hard Level cap. ¡°Someone in the Universe received a forbidden Talent.¡± ¡°How do we proceed?¡± ¡°We erase the offender from existence. We do not want the Code to adapt and mutate again. We cannot allow history to repeat.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± six other beings voiced their consent. They were formless lumps of energy. Unless they had a need to assume a physical form, they could remain like this forever. ¡°I will do it.¡± The leader of the Endless reached to the Code and found the location of the Talent. He did not bother travelling conventionally because it would take him weeks to get there even at the top speed. By manipulating the Code he got there in an instant. He appeared above a blue planet packed with human ascenders. From this distance, he could see the exact location of the person who received a forbidden Talent. Before he erased the offender, he needed to understand how the Talent had come to be. A glitch? Glitches happened all the time. Most times, they were harmless and left to their own devices the System took care of them. His mind touched the offender¡­ Access denied! This was new. He increased the strength of the connection. It would destroy the offender¡¯s body and soul but it mattered not. Access denied! This¡­ this was not normal. More. It was impossible. He once again checked the Code, searching for the trace of past manipulations. If this was a glitch it would not stop him from touching the offender and his Talent. Nothing in the Universe could stop the leader of the Endless. Another try was blocked. If he used more power, the Spiritual Core of this world would be affected. It could destroy the planet. But he had to understand what had happened to ensure it would not occur again. A hundred billion humans were well worth sacrificing for that kind of knowledge. He concentrated his power in a single thread¡­ ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do it.¡± He froze. No one could see him while he was hidden from the physical reality and yet a man in white fur and crude weapons stood nearby, watching him. His red beard spilled over the front of his chest. He slammed his spiritual aura against the intruder and¡­ was completely rebuffed! Impossible. The intruder laughed. ¡°Silly thing.¡± ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°Adventurer, traveller, explorer¡­ I guess. Call me Traveller though. I like the sound of it.¡± ¡°Have you meddled with the forbidden category of Talent?¡± ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Then why have you stopped me from investigating it?¡± ¡°Because given the strength of your Spirit, it¡¯d shatter the world, kill everyone on it and destroy their souls. Destroying souls, seriously? That¡¯s low.¡± He was looking at the intruder bewildered. His senses told him nothing. As far as they were concerned, he didn¡¯t exist. The same thing occurred when he checked the Code. It didn¡¯t see the intruder. ¡°I have done it thousands of times before. Why would you care now?¡± The intruder shrugged. ¡°Timing I guess.¡± ¡°I must remove this Talent from existence.¡± ¡°"Oh, you simply must, mustn''t¡ª¡± Access to the Code revoked! Access to the Milky Way Galaxy revoked! The blue planet disappeared and the leader of the Endless was hurled into a vast space among distant stars unknown to him. *** Somewhere in a secret base in Jamaica, a quiet alarm flashed red. Specialist Willow Croft snorted, spilling coffee all over his desk. He didn¡¯t bother wiping it as he stared at the monitor. Specialist Croft¡¯s job was to supervise the new Talent Evaluation System. On the surface level, the system assigned Talents a rank from 1 to 10 with 1 being detrimental or passive and 10 being essential to the government or the military. But there was another, secret side of the project, led by the government¡¯s covert organisation Hidden Hand, it searched for a specific group of Talents and assigned them a hidden rank, rank 11. In truth, this was the aim of the entire Talent Evaluation System. He read the short message. It ordered him to contact the man in charge of the secret project. Lord Waxilium Earl. A few minutes later, he managed to get through. ¡°Sir, our system just pinged a Talent with a rank eleven.¡± ¡°Where?!¡± Waxillium Earl cut in sharply. ¡°Where?!¡± ¡°Military base in San Antonio.¡± Waxilium Earl immediately dropped the call. Willow Croft remained in his seat, staring at the alert. They didn¡¯t expect a hit so early. He attempted to check the Talent but the system denied him access. Of course, secrets within secrets. The World Government was an endless pit of them. Perhaps, even the President couldn¡¯t see the bottom anymore. BOOK 1 AVAILABLE ON AMAZON Hey everyone, after over two years, Theory of Rifts Book 1 finally made it to Amazon. It is a big day for me as this is another step for me to become a full time writer. I am cooking a few other stories I can''t wait to show you in the future. The book is available in KU, the paperback is coming soon, and audible a little later on. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The version on Amazon has been edited by Martin Sharlow who helped me greatly in making this possible. We are working now on editing book 2. There are some changes between amazon and RR versions but they do not affect the plot. Most of them are small and cosmetic in nature or some small scenes were removed as they served no purpose other than useless clatter. If you need info about these changes, please reach me on my Discord and I would be happy to help :) Cyril Sarnath Chapter 35: Taste The region around the exotic rift was slightly different from what Keynes had read on the Web. Mansions with sprawling gardens were everywhere. Why was it different then? The size of each mansion and the adhering ground were difficult to grasp at first. When Keynes broke into one of the contemporary houses built out of unconcealed concrete, he found a map on one of the walls. It showed the area around the mansion. It looked like the rich divided a small part of France between themselves and built their own enclaves here. That was the right word. Enclaves. When Keynes got to the roof of the two-storey house, he couldn¡¯t spot another house in the vicinity. People who talked about southern France had never shown how extreme the situation here was. He couldn¡¯t stay on the roof for too long though. Helicopters came in the evening and circled the area until the morning. He didn¡¯t sleep that night, not because of the helicopters--no, the bedroom of the mansion he¡¯d broken into was soundproof--but because he realised that Freeman could have people with tracking Talents. Still, Keynes took his time, if Windsor had such people then running was not an option. The property was clearly abandoned and robbed. He didn¡¯t know if that was because of the exotic rift several kilometres from here or something else. He needed many things, especially food and weapons. He¡¯d lost his katana when he¡¯d attacked Hellescott. It was a large property with seventeen bedrooms, two swimming pools, a cinema, a gym, an indoor garden and an empty safe. In the end, he found and took two clean blankets, a chef knife, several forks and spoons, a metal cup and a tent. What he didn¡¯t find was food. At least the tap with running water worked. He drank as much as he could. He found a single plastic bottle so he filled it with water as well. It wasn¡¯t much but better than nothing. And if his assumptions were correct, other properties would also be abandoned and he might be able to complement his ¡®loot¡¯. He left the estate the first thing in the morning. The sky was empty of helicopters. Keynes hoped it was a good sign and that the search party had simply moved somewhere else. It took him almost three hours to find an entrance to another property but then he heard barking dogs and his instincts told him to run. Maybe not all properties were abandoned. Considering his next move, he realised one flaw in his escape plan. He didn¡¯t know where to find unclaimed rifts in this region. He was aware that Australia had been left to the rift monsters and that South America struggled immensely because a lot of rifts opened in inaccessible places but France? Obviously, the next outbreak added rifts but he didn¡¯t know how to find them. Another thing on my to-do list. Keynes walked for the entire day, drinking up half of the bottle and searching for edible fruits and vegetables. Despite his impressive memory, he¡¯d never memorised much beyond the most common plants. Who could imagine he¡¯d be foraging for food in southern France? It sounded so improbable, he wondered if it wasn¡¯t a nightmare. It didn¡¯t help that there wasn¡¯t much space between the walls that separated the properties. It felt surreal to slink next to a high concrete wall, about twenty metres from a road. Then, on the other side, there was another twenty metres between the road and the next wall. It really seemed like a different world. *** By the evening, Keynes arrived at the outskirts of a town. It didn¡¯t have a wall like many towns and cities around the world to protect citizens from the rift monsters on the run, but Keynes could see the materials were stockpiled so there had to be a plan to build a wall. As expected, the main road was blocked by a squad of troopers. They looked bored. The map from the mansion had the town listed under a misleading name, Emerald Lake. It was located on a mild slope by the lake with the same name. Not very original but then there was something about the town that didn¡¯t seem right. It looked more like an entertainment resort than a town. Keynes moved away from the main road and entered the town through someone¡¯s orchard. There was no other way in. He brought up the map in his mind and realised that the town and the lake were surrounded by the properties. This was bizarre but then he saw food and the map stopped mattering. The apples on the trees had the richest crimson he¡¯d ever seen. He picked one and took a large bite. The taste made him dizzy. This stuff is divine! He picked another five¡­ twenty apples and sat down under the tree and ate until he passed out. He had a sleepless night after all. A grunt and cold, hard metal awoke Keynes in the morning. A gaunt, old man pressed a rifle against Keynes¡¯s cheek. Keynes¡¯s eyes went wide at first but when the brain fog cleared, he began composing a plan. ¡°What do you think you are doing here?¡± the man asked gruffly. ¡°I¡­ fell asleep.¡± The man snorted mirthlessly. ¡°What about my apples? What happened to them?¡± ¡°I was hungry.¡± ¡°Oh, that explains everything. All¡¯s good then, right?¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± the man snapped. ¡°All is not good. You stole my apples.¡± Keynes considered pulling a knife. The man didn¡¯t sound very sane. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll pay for this,¡± Keynes said, eventually deciding against escalating the situation. He was an intruder here. Keeping him at gunpoint was overkill but he didn¡¯t want to harm the old man. The man¡¯s sour expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Right, what now? ¡°Hugo,¡± came a female voice and the man grimaced. ¡°What does she want now?¡± he asked himself. ¡°Hugo,¡± she called again and he tsked, annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m busy here!¡± he called back. ¡°I caught a thief.¡± For a second, Keynes expected him to ask the woman to call the authorities but he didn¡¯t and instead he moved the rifle away from Keynes¡¯s face. Keynes didn¡¯t wait for another chance. He leapt toward the man, startling him, then he yanked the rifle out of his hands. The man took a step back, raising his hands. ¡°Take whatever you want but don¡¯t kill my wife.¡± Keynes had no experience with firearms and he didn¡¯t exactly know what to do with the rifle so he put it into his dimensional pouch. ¡°Whaa¡ªwhat¡ªwhat was that?¡± the man exclaimed. It seemed that not everyone was aware of dimensional containers. ¡°Nothing in particular. Now.¡± Keynes gestured to him to put his hands down. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you or your wife or anyone for that matter. I was just hungry and a little tired.¡± An elderly woman approached them and when she saw her husband with his hands still up, she frowned, slowly comprehending what might have occurred here. She stopped. ¡°Hugo¡­¡± Her expression turned worried. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You haven¡¯t touched your breakfast.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Go home, woman.¡± ¡°Hugo.¡± Her voice hardened. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Why are you holding your hands in the air?¡± Hugo eyed Keynes with a dour expression and Keynes decided to explain himself to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault. I was¡­ I stole your food.¡± He gestured at the apple cores laying about. ¡°I was hungry¡­¡± His voice trailed off seeing how the woman¡¯s posture changed. ¡°And I guess, he found you with his stupid rifle.¡± She pointed her finger at Hugo who made a surprised face. ¡°He stole my apples, what was I supposed to do? Offer him tea?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied, shaking her head. ¡°Do you like tea?¡± ¡°Anything to drink will do,¡± Keynes replied. The woman eyed her husband dangerously then beckoned Keynes to follow her. ¡°If you¡¯re still hungry, I¡¯ll prepare breakfast for you. Do you like scrambled eggs?¡± At the mere thought of scrambled eggs, his stomach groaned with insistence. ¡°Sorry, I love scrambled eggs.¡± *** ¡°It was outstanding,¡± Keynes admitted after he devoured a plate of scrambled eggs, a bowl of carrot and coriander soup and half a loaf of honey bread. He didn¡¯t lie about it. The taste of the food she served was out of this world. He had questions but so had they. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Brandon,¡± Keynes lied. ¡°I¡¯m Sophie.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a European name,¡± Hugo grumbled from the other side of the table. ¡°And why do you wear a military uniform? Are you a dese¡ªOUCH!¡± His wife stood above him with a large wooden spoon. ¡°You have to learn some manners,¡± she said then turned to Keynes. ¡°Please, forgive my husband, he doesn¡¯t know when to shut up.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a thief,¡± Hugo said and immediately flinched, fearing the wooden spoon. Keynes smiled because they seemed so¡­ normal. He missed that. Since his Unlocking ceremony, his life had turned upside down. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it was my fault. I shouldn¡¯t break in and steal your food.¡± She accepted his words with a grateful nod then sat down, joining them by the table. ¡°Now that the wealthy residents are gone from our little town, all this food may go to waste anyway,¡± she said. Keynes couldn¡¯t help himself but grow curious. ¡°Why did they leave? There are no rifts anywhere near the town. Right?¡± Hugo narrowed his eyes, his wife sensing words coming from his mouth, glared at him until he turned his head away. ¡°Yes. No rifts. In this one regard, we were lucky. But it isn¡¯t what made the wealthy residents leave.¡± ¡°Government,¡± Hugo spat. ¡°The government arrested them?¡± ¡°They tried but most of the wealthy had left before the government came. Anything they couldn¡¯t easily replace, they left all together with their staff. Then the government came. Good folks were arrested for no reason. If nothing changes, we¡¯ll be out of business in the next couple of months.¡± ¡°Take it easy, Hugo,¡± Sophie said. ¡°We¡¯ll get through this. They¡¯ll be back.¡± While Keynes processed the revelation, Hugo stood up, left the room and a minute later returned with an unlabelled bottle that contained various herbs inside. The golden liquid had a greenish hue. ¡°Do you want some?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What do you think it is, soup?¡± he grumbled. ¡°I guess it is some sort of alcohol.¡± Hugo placed three glasses on the table and poured the drink. The couple picked up their glasses and emptied them with ease. Keynes eyed them with little alarm. They made the absinthe look like tea. Then Hugo¡¯s wife nudged him to try. Just by smelling it, his mind became euphoric. What was that stuff? He tried a little and couldn¡¯t believe how good it tasted. ¡°It tastes incredible. Your food is beyond anything I¡¯ve eaten.¡± Hugo poured himself another glass. ¡°It¡¯s Hugo¡¯s Talent. It enhances the taste of anything he grows personally.¡± It was a weird Talent. Having food taste this good was amazing but beyond that, there seemed to be no application for it. His father¡¯s Talent was the same in this regard. He could hone glyphs, making them higher quality, although glyphs had very wide use. ¡°It¡¯s not only that,¡± Hugo protested. ¡°To make high quality and good tasting food, you need more than taste-enhancing Talent. You need the right soil, temperature, fertiliser, light¡ª¡± ¡°Hugo,¡± Sophie interrupted him. ¡°Brandon doesn¡¯t want to hear about gardening.¡± ¡°Actually, I find it interesting,¡± Keynes replied. In Scotland, they had been testing the rift soil. How could it improve the quality of the food? Could it enhance it in any other way?¡± An idea sprouted in his mind. He told them about the rift soil but changed circumstances. ¡°So, your uncle used the soil from a rift?¡± Hugo asked, his eyes wide. ¡°But why? And who is your uncle?¡± It seemed unbelievable how quickly the man¡¯s personality started to change. The moment they began talking about gardening, he turned into a different man. ¡°It has something to do with a spiritual quality.¡± It was a borderline truth. The gardener from the Cluster city hadn¡¯t known himself what exactly would come out of his experiment but he¡¯d had a few strong guesses. ¡°As to who my uncle is, well, he works for a company called Foxglove. They are well-connected and got him the rift soil.¡± He cursed in his mind for using the Foxglove name but it was too late for regrets. ¡°Sophie, are you hearing this?¡± Hugo asked. ¡°They are using the rift soil.¡± She nodded. ¡°We must get in touch with your uncle,¡± Hugo said with urgency. Oh, crap. "Not going to be easy, I¡¯m afraid. We aren¡¯t on speaking terms anymore.¡± Hugo frowned. Keynes could almost hear the man¡¯s brain. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can think of something. I¡¯ve never considered the importance of Spirit when it came to growing my plants.¡± He stood up, made a circle and sat down. Keynes¡¯s revelation excited him quite a bit. ¡°I will leave you,¡± Sophie said and left the dining room. ¡°Tell me more about this rift soil.¡± Keynes told Hugo most he knew. There wasn¡¯t much but he had his own guesses about it as well. ¡°If¡­ my uncle¡¯s right. Then it may be possible to create plants that exceed the boundaries of our nature and step into the realm of unlimited possibilities.¡± It was pure salesmanship at this point as there was nothing to back up Keynes¡¯s words, even though he had a strong suspicion that he was right. ¡°I¡¯d love to put my hands on this rift soil¡­¡± Hugo tapped his index finger against the table then he abruptly stood up and beckoned Keynes to follow him. ¡°Come with me, Brandon, I want to show you something.¡± They left the cottage and returned to the orchard but didn¡¯t stop there. Behind many more rows of various fruit trees, the orchard hid a small separate garden with a greenhouse. Most things in the garden were herbs and tiny vegetables. Hugo opened the door to the greenhouse and went in. Keynes followed him. From the first step, Keynes felt the difference. It was all around him. The air felt richer, more energised. Then Keynes remembered. ¡°You¡¯re using glyphs to enhance the air.¡± ¡°Not only air but temperature, light, moisture, you name it.¡± Hugo nodded. ¡°For Sophie, everything revolves around my Talent. ¡°But Talent isn¡¯t enough. It can make food taste good but that¡¯s all. If you want to sell to the wealthy, you must go beyond taste. They want more.¡± They always do. ¡°And the glyphs do it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s the issue, Brandon. You can enhance food only so much before its properties plateau. I heard some of my friends speculate that it could be tied to Spirit but it¡¯s always sounded like bullshit to me. What possibly could Spirit have to do with plants? But I¡¯m not so certain now.¡± ¡°Have you tried using runes or formations¡­¡± Hugo glowered at Keynes. ¡°Runes and formation? Do I look like someone who plays with fire? Using that stuff is asking for trouble.¡± The way Hugo reacted made Keynes pause. There was something about the suddenness in which he replied. Still, using runes and formations could give plants additional properties, if someone could make them work. Keynes had never given a thought about gardening but the more he thought about it the more he realised its potential. What was more, he didn¡¯t mention to Hugo that different rifts had different kinds of soil. Some had water and their own plants. It was all Level 1, and now Level 2. If Hugo could enhance the taste of ordinary food to this degree, what would he be able to do with Level 2 food? He wanted to learn more about this but he was forgetting about one tiny thing. The World Government was after him. Crap. ¡°Is there anywhere I can learn this?¡± he pointed at his garden but Hugo snorted. ¡°No. Everyone has their own methods and techniques. We don¡¯t share with each other.¡± But you asked me to tell you everything about the rift soil. Keynes nodded, disappointed, but he should¡¯ve expected this outcome. He was on the run and his short stay here would have to end very soon. Hugo realised that something was up, he sighed. ¡°You are running from¡­ someone, right?¡± Keynes froze. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m not going to report you to the authorities. But if anyone, indeed, is after you, you¡¯d better eat this.¡± He picked a small round fruit Keynes didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Hugo smiled. ¡°As I said, the wealthy want more than taste.¡± *** The helicopter circled the area around the exotic rift for hours. Windsor sat inside it and looked through the window at the abandoned estates of his enemies. To him, they were an afterthought at this point. His plans were in ruin because he surrounded himself with incompetent fools. No one had reported that Keynes Kid removed his tracker. Level 5 Hellescott had failed to apprehend him. And he¡¯d lost Pullman to the rift monsters. He needed to turn this around or¡ª. Windsor¡¯s phone rang and he picked up expecting good news for once. ¡°You found him?¡± He said flatly, more a statement than a question. ¡°Mr President¡­¡± the tracker hesitated. ¡°Not exactly. He vanished.¡± Chapter 36: Possibilities Unlimited The Battle of Lake Baikal was the first true confrontation between the World Government and the Resistance forces. It lasted six months and ended with a draw shortly after the third outbreak. The cluster of 56 Level 2 rifts appeared on the southern side of Lake Baikal, becoming the largest and the most contested rifts cluster in the world. During the first month, both armies cleared the area around the cluster from the monsters, then began clearing the rifts. There was even an informal truce between armies until the region was reclaimed. Neither of the sides agreed to the conditions presented by the other side. The tentative peace was broken during a cold October¡¯s night. To this day, it is not known if the accident was premeditated or not. The battle involved seven million soldiers on both sides and ended the lives of 60% of them. It is said that if not for the third outbreak, clashes in the rest of the world would spiral out of control, killing millions if not billions of citizens. The third outbreak united humankind. At least for a brief moment. Historical Account of the Pre-Dominion Era Unknown Author Keynes ate the fruit. It was the size of a cherry and tasted like one but better, clearer, richer, sharper. Explaining the taste enhanced by Hugo¡¯s Talent wasn¡¯t easy because Keynes had never tasted anything in his life that could be compared to this masterpiece. But it wasn¡¯t what got his attention. Buff Acquired: ¡°This¡­¡± He pointed at his mouth. ¡°Made me untraceable. How¡¯s this possible?¡± Keynes immediately started to scour his brain for information and with utter shock found nothing. At least from the credential sources. There was plenty of info about alchemy, all sorts of shady formations and rituals, runes, spells, body-changing Talents and so on, on the Web, or at least on its darker side but not a single tidbit about the gardening gone wild. But the dark Web was the domain of charlatans who prayed on gullible souls. Keynes hadn¡¯t fallen for any of that stuff, totally. In his defence, he was too young and too smart or too stupid for his own good to realise that not everything on the Web was the truth. To think of that, not even the military and government had anything of this sort. The first serious application of runes Keynes encountered in Freeman¡¯s mansion. The runes used in the base in Jamaica were the most basic ones. But venturing beyond them was like falling off the cliff, or climbing one without hands and feet. The runic scripture was incomplete. School hadn¡¯t taught such stuff and had rather focused on fundamentals like mathematics, history, languages, basic science and magic subjects or economics. Advanced subjects were the domain of higher education and it was the world not easily accessible to the average person. To become a researcher like Webster Frog, Willow Croft or Murphy Polloc one needed the right Talent, the right job or a wealthy family. There were many reasons why it was like this and some of them sounded reasonable, like control of the propagation of dangerous knowledge. Some people with powerful Talents could cause a lot of harm if they were left unchecked. Keynes had agreed with that premise before he experienced the abuse from the World Government. Now, he felt completely different about it. Limiting access to advanced knowledge seemed like disarming society, though Keynes had a strong suspicion that he was missing something here. He had to figure this out. ¡°It does but how do you know?¡± ¡°I received a spiritual message about the buff,¡± Keynes replied. Hugo frowned then realised something. ¡°What is your Level?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Level 2.¡± ¡°That explains the uniform. But.¡± He shook his head and waved at Keynes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know anything about this. However, I¡¯d get rid of that uniform if I were you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any other clothes.¡± Hugo asked him to follow. They returned to the cottage, where an outrageously blissful smell of baking came from the kitchen. Hugo grumbled something in his regional language, then led Keynes to a spare room. ¡°Here, change your clothes and when you finish, hand me your old ones. Some Talents that can trace your clothes.¡± Keynes changed his clothes while wondering about the old man¡¯s wisdom. Hugo knew quite a lot. And the untraceable fruit only added credibility to his words. Hugo took his old clothes and they returned to the small garden where Hugo opened a blue plastic barrel and shoved all Keynes¡¯s clothes inside. They sank soundlessly in a black, honey-like liquid. ¡°Does it wash the smell or something?¡± ¡°No. It disintegrates almost everything. ¡°Ah.¡± Something to keep in mind. ¡°Now, does your buff tell you how long it lasts?¡± ¡°One hour.¡± ¡°Drat. That¡¯s very short. But we can work something out.¡± Back inside the greenhouse, Hugo started going through the labels he had attached to each plant. He did it in silence, frowning or quietly cursing as he moved from one plant to another. Then he checked on the glyphs and murmured more curses. Keynes was mildly irritated and asked the man about it. ¡°Since my wealthy customers are gone, I curbed the variety of my crop to the ones that are easily cultivated or those I have ingredients to actually cultivate. I remember I had a blue star tomato once. It doubles the duration of buffs for a day though it can be used only once a month. But it seems, I¡¯ve discontinued them.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Keynes¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Slow down. Do you understand that nothing you say is available anywhere on the Web?¡± ¡°I told you we don¡¯t share information.¡± This wasn¡¯t it. Even with severely limited access to higher education and so on, there was no way to stop information from slowly getting out to the public. It just didn¡¯t make sense. There were always people who wanted to learn and share what they¡¯d learnt. So where were they? Keynes didn¡¯t see a point in discussing this with Hugo. The old man didn¡¯t seem to care about it and Keynes was on a timer so he needed to use his time wisely. ¡°How many of those cherries do you have?¡± Hugo went to the miniature tree in a pot and counted the cherries. Keynes counted two-hundred and sixteen but Hugo told him he could only use a week''s worth of supply. Keynes didn¡¯t argue with the man, but Hugo proved to be perceptive. ¡°After a week of constant usage, they will become toxic and I don¡¯t have any plant that can cleanse your body.¡± That seemed strange as it sounded like an important plant. Keynes asked about it. ¡°You need alchemy for that kind of plant. I do not know alchemy. It is another thing I¡¯d never touch.¡± Keynes was going to ask about the relationship between alchemy and growing plants when Sophie interrupted them. ¡°Strawberry cake is ready. You need a break.¡± Hugo had a conflicted expression. It looked like he wanted to stay and talk more about gardening but his wife¡¯s invitation was impossible to refuse. Keynes¡¯s stomach grumbled at the thought of eating her cake. She saw it and solved her husband¡¯s problem. ¡°You can always talk in the kitchen.¡± She turned to Keynes. ¡°It¡¯s not like Brandon¡¯s leaving, right?¡± ¡°I may need another cherry though,¡± Keynes said and Hugo picked one for him. Only then, Sophie realised that Keynes had no longer had his uniform on him. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Why do you need a ghost cherry?¡± she asked. ¡°We don¡¯t ask such questions, do you remember?¡± Hugo grumbled and she left them. ¡°Let''s go and eat that damned cake so we can get back here and I can show you a thing or two if you¡¯re still interested.¡± ¡°I am very much interested.¡± *** Expectedly, the strawberry cake tasted out of this world. If this was the kind of food the elites had on a daily basis then someone needed to tell the world about Hugo¡¯s Talent. Before they thanked her for the cake, Keynes overheard the news from the other room. ¡°...confirm yet another terrorist attack, this time in Lower London. Four suspects were identified: Christopher Wolf, Kaito Ren, Vivena Sael and Daiyu Fen¡­¡± Keynes almost choked on the cake. ¡°You alright?¡± Hugo asked as his brows squashed together. ¡°Y--yes, crap, what, how?¡± He murmured. ¡°...oh, yes, there is more bad news for England this time around, Australia cannot take everything for itself. An intelligent rift monster was reported near Letchworth Truman¡¯s estate, where, reportedly, his entire family was killed in the first outbreak¡­¡± ¡°...President Freeman still has not addressed the world since the second outbreak¡­¡± ¡°Turn that damned TV off,¡± Hugo shouted then added to Keynes. ¡°I can¡¯t stand that name.¡± Sophie closed the door to the other room. ¡°That woman.¡± *** ¡°Now,¡± Hugo said once they were back in the greenhouse. The place wasn¡¯t small but it was tightly packed with pots and plants. ¡°What do you know about gardening?¡± ¡°It appears I know nothing.¡± Hugo shook his head in annoyance. ¡°Fine,¡± Keynes added, a little irritated. ¡°It¡¯s a practice of growing and cultivating plants.¡± He cited the information from the Web. ¡°That¡¯s all you know?¡± Hugo asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little self-explanatory?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The old man went to a small, bonsai-like tree and picked a leaf then put it into his mouth. ¡°If my memory serves me right, you¡¯ll be the third person I teach and perhaps the last one.¡± With each chew, his body relaxed and Keynes suspected it was because of the leaf but he didn¡¯t comment on it. ¡°Gardening, as you said, seems self-explanatory but it is anything but. There are three main branches you must be aware of: natural, standard and focused. ¡°Natural gardening is cultivating the plants in their most natural habitat. It usually has the biggest potential but also carries the most risks because you don¡¯t control the habitat and rely on the self-regulation of the environment. I¡¯m fairly sure there were a few cover-ups where some nasty plants got out of control. ¡°Standard gardening is what you see here. You control as much as you can, leaving the rest to the plants. Focused gardening is more science than actual gardening. You keep your plants in small and very specialised vivariums within very tightly monitored and controlled conditions.¡± ¡°In other words, the degree of control determines the type of gardening.¡± A moment of silence came and went. ¡°Yes. Each type has different uses. There are plants only found in natural habitats. No matter what you do, how perfectly you recreate the conditions of the natural habitat, they won¡¯t grow in an artificial environment. On the other hand, there are plants that can only be cultivated in extremely controlled conditions. It is impossible to grow them anywhere on Earth otherwise.¡± It sounded a lot like physics and once more stepped beyond Keynes¡¯s understanding of gardening. The natural and focused types of gardening hadn¡¯t been mentioned in any book he¡¯d read or the Web¡¯s site he¡¯d visited. ¡°I guess there are important reasons for the existence of these three types, like powerful plants exclusive to each of them.¡± ¡°Yes but again, we gardeners don¡¯t share anything with each other.¡± ¡°Why? Some friends mentioned Spirit¡­¡± ¡°They mentioned Spirit only because they tried to mess with me not to help me. If they knew they could actually be onto something¡­ Anyway, it¡¯s just the way it is.¡± At first, Keynes wanted to press the man for more but he decided against it. The couple showed him an impressive level of hospitality and he wouldn¡¯t demand more from them. Hugo went over the basics. In reality, it was a trial and error as there weren¡¯t any external sources. Then he went on about fundamental plants that made up the basis of more complex specimens. This way Hugo could target attributes of the plants. It wasn¡¯t precise as there were always variations that couldn¡¯t be eliminated but this method was quite reliable. The attributes would vary in duration, strength and so on but the theme would remain the same. The next day and a difficult night because Keynes needed to wake up every hour to eat a ghost cherry, he was ready to go through Hugo¡¯s recipes. Each plant Hugo had ever grown, he noted down. While he wasn¡¯t going to share this knowledge with a wider audience, he wanted it written. Why? He didn¡¯t explain. After an insanely good breakfast, they returned to the greenhouse where Hugo explained the recipe behind every herb, vegetable and fruit there. Keynes immediately saw the issue. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard about these ingredients. Where do you get them from?¡± He didn¡¯t just use any fertile soil. His plants required very specific soil or they¡¯d give him unwanted results. Some of them needed more than that. Minerals, elements, exotic substances that smelled of alchemy, other processed plants, like a bluelight-blasted bark of a regal tree. I have no idea what that is. ¡°I haven¡¯t considered that,¡± Hugo replied and paused for a long moment, when he finally made up his mind, he still didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t normally share any of that with you. I like talking about gardening. It¡¯s my life. And I¡¯m not being a full altruist here, I have some favours to ask of you but this is where we step into dangerous territory. I don¡¯t know you and for all I know you could be a spy sent here to steal my secrets.¡± ¡°But?¡± Keynes asked, unsure if he should be speaking. ¡°Sophie¡¯s Talent tells her if someone has a good heart. She¡¯s never been wrong in her life. It¡¯s how we¡¯ve survived in this perilous business. We¡¯ve trusted the right people and we¡¯ve been rewarded handsomely.¡± Okay, Keynes could see where it was going¡­ ¡°She tells me you have a good but troubled heart. She says I should trust you. I don¡¯t have her Talent and my instincts scream at me to shove you into the blue barrel, pack out things and leave.¡± Keynes immediately checked the rifle in his dimensional pouch. If the old man tried something fishy, Keynes wouldn¡¯t think twice. Hugo must have seen the change in Keynes¡¯s expression and his face softened. He slumped a bit. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m an old fart. I once thrived in this crazy world full of secrets and people so wealthy they were above the law and everything but now it looks like I can''t handle the pressure as easily as I used to.¡± ¡°So, no barrel then?¡± Hugo chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re Level 2, plus, I¡¯m sure my attributes have atrophied to the point I¡¯m too weak to be a threat to someone like you.¡± This sounded exactly like something Keynes would say in Hugo¡¯s place to ease the other person¡¯s nerves. ¡°I guess it means no.¡± ¡°If Sophie says you have a good heart, then you have a good heart. I trust that woman with my life.¡± Keynes nodded but couldn¡¯t fully relax. ¡°Going back to your question. To answer it, I need to go back a little into the past. Let¡¯s find a bench so we don¡¯t need to stand here like idiots.¡± There was a bench near the small garden, with a nice view of the lake. After they sat down, Keynes checked the untraceable buff and grimaced at how quickly the hour was going by. He ate another ghost cherry while Hugo launched his story. ¡°Once I unlocked my Talent, I received hundreds of job offers. Many companies went to crazy lengths to win me over their competitors. It wasn''t a hard choice, I went with the best paying offer and quickly learned to hate this.¡± He gestured toward his orchard. ¡°After my ten-year contract ran out I left.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they try to stop you?¡± Hugo grumbled something in his regional language that didn¡¯t sound nice. ¡°They did. Offered me a chance to level up, more money, whatever. I quit anyway. I travelled a lot around the world. I met people. I saw things. But in the end, my thoughts returned to gardening, to growing plants. I worked for a few famous gardeners but each time we¡¯d grown too close, they let me go.¡± Keynes opened his mouth to ask a question but closed it under Hugo¡¯s hard stare. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the reason back then. It made no sense. Tired of their crap, I started my own gardening venture in Portugal. With my Talent, there was no competition. I obliterate every other gardener in a radius of three hundred kilometres.¡± He paused and Keynes sensed that something important was coming. ¡°Then I met Sophie. Beautiful, full of energy. Smart but kind. She also was a scion of a lesser Old Blood family, the Beauforts. Long story short. We fell in love and her family, somehow, approved of our match. I was invited to their estates, where I met people¡­ insane people who talked about rituals, runes, enhanced food and so on. After our wedding, they showed me things. I was around thirty-five and what they said was mind-boggling, the possibilities¡­ were unlimited. I started experimenting with plants from scratch because, for all their insight, they shared nothing with me when it came to gardening except for the contacts. Years went by, I have developed a good grasp of what was possible with the materials their contacts could sell to me. And believe me, the taste was the least of the things the wealthy wanted. ¡°I could make a plum that decreased your body temperature by ten degrees Celcius in a matter of minutes or a strawberry that dehydrated a person or an animal in an hour¡­ oh, yeah, I shouldn¡¯t really be talking about this. In the end, we received an invitation to Emerald Lake. The place of the elites. Even the Beauforts were small fries here until they went bankrupt and disappeared. That¡¯s more or less how you source the ingredients required to grow the magical plants.¡± ¡°Sounds like you have no access to your sources anymore.¡± ¡°Apt observation.¡± Hugo nodded with a little sarcasm that Keynes ignored because his mind went into overdrive. It added to the mysteries of why this knowledge wasn¡¯t available. If a minor Old Blood family knew things like that. Or rather, he could see why, but how could anyone suppress it? While Keynes pondered this issue he asked a different question. ¡°Why Emerald Lake? What¡¯s so special about this place?¡± Hugo shrugged. ¡°If there is a secret to this place, it hasn¡¯t been shared with me or Sophie. All I know is that every shop, every service in Emerald Lake is special. They have enchanted clothes here¡­ or used to have before the wealthy had escaped. There is, or was, a hunting ground with modified prey.¡± ¡°Modified prey?¡± ¡°Yes. Animals you can¡¯t find anywhere else on Earth. Not that it matters anymore.¡± Hugo stood up, cursing his old age. ¡°Isn¡¯t there food that can reverse age?¡± That got a chuckle from Hugo. He tapped Keynes on the shoulder. ¡°To afford the ingredients required to start the experimentation, I¡¯d have to sell everything I own and there is a sliver of a chance I¡¯d come close to achieving anything worth mentioning with these ingredients. So it¡¯s best to forget it. Let¡¯s get back to the garden. We have many more plants to go over. I may show you how to make a few substitutes of some ingredients. If you want to really dig into it, we better make good use of the week you have.¡± The following night, Keynes asked for an empty notebook and a pen and wrote his first entry titled - ¡®Possibilities Unlimited¡¯. Chapter 37: Hunting Ground Keynes woke up to eat another ghost cherry. It was the middle of the night. Tomorrow was going to be the sixth day of Keynes¡¯s stay with Hugo and Sophie, the elderly couple running a seemingly innocent gardening business. What Keynes came to learn was that he¡¯d known nothing about the world. There was another, hidden layer where people had plants with magical properties. From this new perspective, it seemed laughable not to expect this. People had truly crazy Talents that didn¡¯t obey the laws of physics. They crafted and invented miracles. What was then so different about magical gardening? The answer, unfortunately, remained out of Keynes¡¯s reach. In the last five days, Keynes had memorised every recipe, method and ingredient Hugo had shown him. There were some areas where Hugo didn¡¯t venture in his explanations. For one, he didn¡¯t want to explore the harmful attributes even though he¡¯d grown such plants in the past. Another topic he was reluctant to talk about was inedible plants. He argued that Keynes should leave that branch of gardening alone as there were nothing but issues. Keynes hadn¡¯t pressed the man, he didn¡¯t really need to. What Hugo had given to him was a wealth of knowledge Keynes could expand further by himself. Obviously, there were fundamental issues Keynes ignored for now. For instance, to start gardening he¡¯d need to find a place and build a garden, which he didn¡¯t plan to do at the moment. But something in his conversations with Hugo had made him curious. Was there a glyph of rapid growth? Keynes¡¯s father had never mentioned one but it meant nothing, Keynes had found his father¡¯s job boring and had avoided him whenever he¡¯d talked about glyphs. But if there were glyphs like that, could Keynes use his dimensional space to keep the plant in the pre-growth phase, take them out, use the glyph and get the results he desired? This could be the way to go until Keynes would find a better solution. The gardening was too valuable to not use it. Keynes ate the ghost cherry and sneaked out of the cottage. There were hundreds of thoughts swirling in his head. Somehow, Vivena, Fen, Ren and Christopher Wolf had banded together and were on the run. What about my parents? Have they found and rescued them? If they haven¡¯t, then it is a matter of time before Freeman makes an announcement and threatens their lives. I need to find a way to contact Ren. While the discovery of magical gardening was one thing, the larger picture where someone was actively suppressing the groundbreaking information was another. It indicated that there could be other things hidden from the world. Maybe not every nutter from the dark Web is wrong. But figuring out what was the truth and what was the lie seemed impossible. Then there was the matter of his training, progression and cultivation. Perhaps cultivation was the most important of the three things. The spiritual message stated that without it humankind couldn¡¯t get strong. Unfortunately, cultivation required essence and the closest rift was in Freeman¡¯s hands. France had 27 rifts after the second outbreak. It wasn¡¯t an impressive number when taking into account how many people lived in northern France. The entire northern coast of France was one supercity with 3 billion people. The only viable place was the Alps where many rifts were still uncleared because of the difficult terrain. That¡¯s a long trip but there is nothing else to learn from Hugo here. Keynes strolled through the orchard, occasionally picking and eating an apple. They didn¡¯t possess any magical properties except for the divine flavour. Keynes stopped at the edge of the orchard and glanced at the lake that was lit by something luminescent at its bottom as if a miniature sun was kept there. Keynes still had spiritual messages to read from the rift opening, though the first words made him dismiss the messages for now. Not that they were unimportant, they terrified him. The last thing he worried about was tracking Talents. When he¡¯d made his plans in Scotland, he hadn¡¯t taken them into account. A glaring mistake on his part. He sat down, leaning against an apple tree and his thoughts returned to the Orb of Perfection. He¡¯d never heard this term before advancing to Level 2. He didn¡¯t know what it would do and perhaps the sensible way would be to wait until he could increase his Spirit but he¡¯d left sensible paths behind him. As he played with the orb in his mind, he learned one important thing. He could apply the orb to almost everything: his attributes, technique, buffs and even his Talent, which was surprising. Spirit and debuffs were the most prominent things he couldn¡¯t apply the orb to. The same was true for his items, the ring and the pouch. Using it on one of his attributes seemed like a no-brainer. But so it did with enhanced learning, purified body or photographic memory. Any of these choices sounded good. He dismissed his Talent out of hand as he didn¡¯t see a good outcome. Perhaps, he was being foolish and shortsighted. It was entirely possible but he came to the realisation that he wasn¡¯t some omniscient being that would always choose the right thing. But he didn¡¯t need to, mistakes were part of the journey. Keynes knew what he wanted and what he needed. He had to become a ghost, a man unshackled and free. Freeman didn¡¯t seem like someone who would stop chasing Keynes, ever. The ghost cherry was amazing but it only lasted for an hour and soon its toxicity was going to kick in. Even if Hugo was wrong about the time frame and Keynes¡¯s maxed-out Vitality and the purified body could postpone the harmful effects, it wouldn¡¯t solve Keynes¡¯s problem. Eventually, he was going to lose the untraceable buff and Freeman¡¯s trackers were going to find him. And that was unacceptable. Keynes picked the only choice that could take him closer to his goal. Would you like to apply the Orb of Perfection to the Untraceable buff? Yes/No - System Warning: the effects of applying the Orb of Perfection are irrevocable! - System Warning: the effects of applying the Orb of Perfection are unknown! - System Warning: the Orb of Perfection will be consumed. Gain Level 3 Perfect State to gain another Orb of Perfection. Keynes didn¡¯t hesitate and picked ¡®Yes¡¯. His body was jolted by a powerful bolt of spiritual energy. He stifled a grunt as spiritual energy worked through him. Then the pain started and it got to the point where Keynes¡¯s vision blurred and he tried to scream but his body didn¡¯t listen to him. It lasted for an undefined amount of time, the stars moved a little bit but Keynes didn¡¯t know how to calculate that nor did he care. He just returned from hell where his spiritual core had burned mercilessly. Untraceable buff (medium, temporary) perfected into Untraceable buff (medium, permanent). - New Skill acquired! Spiritual Ghost (active) What the¡­ a skill? I received a SKILL? But how¡­ Keynes immediately focused on the skill and was rewarded with its description. Conceal your spiritual presence for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour. Mana cost: 35. This skill comes from the Untraceable buff and cannot be levelled up. It scales with levels and the Spirit stages. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°This is nuts.¡± *** Lawerence Lowe was woken up by his personal alarm. He scrambled off the sofa on which he slept and checked the monitoring system. One of the spiritual arrays picked up a powerful outburst of spiritual energy in southern France. He quickly rearranged the satellites the Institute had available but found nothing of interest there. The burst of energy was short but much more intense than the second outbreak. What could it be? Since the first outbreak, they¡¯d encountered seven such bursts. This one was eighth. Lawerence and his scientists had concluded that some ascenders established a strong spiritual connection and hence the powerful spiritual energy transfer. But the question was what did they do? All the expeditions to find out what had happened failed. For a brief moment, Lawerence considered reporting it to the President but then he thought better of it. Nowadays, President Freeman wasn¡¯t in the best mood. Something to do with one of his subjects running away. Lawerence didn¡¯t know the details even though he was the World Government Chief Scientist. It didn¡¯t bother him though. His mind, roused from the sleep, returned to the Helios Protocol. The last attack on the Institute and the loss of many key scientists might have moved the breakthrough away for several years. It was baffling that some ancient minds had concocted such a spiritual superstructure that couldn¡¯t be decoded by the current level of expertise and technology. *** Keynes finally got proper sleep. His body didn¡¯t need more than four hours to get refreshed. When he got downstairs to eat breakfast, he found Sophie staring at him suspiciously. ¡°Do I have something on my face?¡± ¡°You look different,¡± she said. Keynes panicked a little. Did the orb change his face? ¡°How?¡± he asked more urgently. ¡°Refreshed, relaxed. Although this frown does take my initial impression away.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± With relief, he slumped on a chair. ¡°You still have two days with us?¡± she asked. ¡°Y¡ª¡± He stopped. It¡¯d been his ill-thought plan to stay with the couple for seven days, learn from Hugo and leave. Obviously, he¡¯d missed one important detail. Once he stopped taking the ghost cherries it¡¯d be possible to track him down. But the problem was solved. ¡°I may need to leave today.¡± ¡°Oh, why?¡± ¡°I think Hugo taught me everything he wanted to.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Sophie said, noticing Keynes¡¯s discomfort. ¡°Whatever your circumstances, I wish you the best of luck, Brandon.¡± Keynes had an ugly urge to tell them his true name but that would be dangerous for them and him. What if the World Government decided to sweep the area and question every person? Not knowing the truth was better than lying. ¡°Thank you, I will never forget your hospitality.¡± She smiled, then called her husband to come downstairs. Hugo came a few minutes later, grumbling and complaining. A hangover was plain on his face. The leaves he liked to chew might be the culprit but Keynes bet that Hugo knew this much himself. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Brandon has free time until the afternoon.¡± Sophie looked at Keynes expectantly. ¡°I think about leaving today,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Today? Why?¡± Hugo scratched his slowly developing beard. ¡°I still haven¡¯t evaluated what you had learnt. So far it was me talking and you listening, with a few questions here and there.¡± Keynes had to hide his shock. He didn¡¯t expect Hugo to care about him leaving but the man looked stricken because of Keynes¡¯s decision. It didn¡¯t change anything except for Keynes¡¯s opinion about Hugo. ¡°I need to be on my way. I have to find a rift.¡± He needed to start cultivating to increase his Spirit and unlock the Spiritual Companion. ¡°A rift? Why?¡± Hugo asked then had an ¡®oh¡¯ moment. ¡°You¡¯re going to sample the soil. Good because I need to talk to you about something. Do you remember when I said this isn¡¯t exactly a charity, right?¡± ¡°Yes. I guess you need a sample of the rift soil?¡± ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± ¡°Hugo!¡± Sophie snapped. ¡°You don¡¯t mean to ask Brandon to do this.¡± Hugo squinted at her then tsked annoyed. ¡°He can refuse if he wants.¡± Sophie walked out of the kitchen leaving confused Keynes and determined Hugo. ¡°So, the thing I was going to ask you about¡­ isn¡¯t the rift soil. There is that gardener in Geneva¡­¡± Okay, I know where it is going. ¡°I want you to go there and learn from him.¡± Keynes blinked. Learn from him? That was a bizarre request. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°So you can return here and tell me everything you have learned from him. He¡¯s an old fool who refuses to sell his discoveries even though he¡¯s at death¡¯s door.¡± And to think that Hugo was complaining about going out of business in several months. The old man clearly lied at one point or another. ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll do my best.¡± At first, Keynes wasn¡¯t convinced but knowing more wouldn¡¯t hurt, right? ¡°Do you need the rifle back?¡± ¡°No, although, I¡¯d like to know if that was your Talent or something else. Since the first outbreak, we¡¯ve heard many strange stories.¡± The rifle appeared in Keynes¡¯s hands and he explained what the dimensional space was. Hugo was practically drooling when his wife returned with a small white pebble. She placed it in Keynes¡¯s hand. It felt magical but it didn¡¯t have a spiritual interface so Keynes asked. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s white agate. When you ever run into people that call themselves the Old Blood, show them this and tell them you¡¯re from the Beauforts. It should get you out of a pinch.¡± Keynes thanked her, mesmerised by the happiness his acceptance of the white agate gave her. ¡°Let¡¯s have a farewell breakfast,¡± she said and started preparing it while Keynes and Hugo sat down by the table. ¡°Do you have any books about wild French plants?¡± *** Hugo and Sophie sat in the orchard on the same bench Hugo had told Keynes his story. It was the evening of the day Keynes had left them. ¡°I am surprised you gave him your white agate.¡± ¡°And I am surprised you gave him your secrets.¡± Hugo snorted, taking a bite of an apple. ¡°Hardly. I taught him the basics of the craft. If I dumped the secrets¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯d have had to kill you then.¡± A voice from behind said. Hugo and Sophie froze, they knew the voice. ¡°Sophie Beaufort and Hugo Horta,¡± the voice said. ¡°I have to thank you though. You took very good care of the boy. Your cherries saved him from Windsor Freeman¡¯s sniffing nose.¡± ¡°Are you here to finish me off?¡± Sophie asked, her voice trembling. Hugo cursed himself for giving away his rifle not that it could harm this man. ¡°No. Your family broke the pact. They understood the consequences and met their demise. You weren''t part of their foolishness. Now. I want you, Hugo Horta, to use the vines and tell Wagner Zimmermann to not accept the boy. Keynes Kid has grander things to attend to than your little farming dream. He has the world to save.¡± When the silence stretched for over a minute Hugo slowly turned around finding nothing. His hands were shaking. ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡± Sophie¡¯s only reply was tears streaming over her cheeks. *** Keynes didn¡¯t immediately leave Emerald Lake. The untraceable buff filled him with confidence and he wished to see what exactly was so special about this town before he travelled to the east, where the uncleared rifts were supposed to be, and later on, to Geneva to learn from Hugo¡¯s rival. To Keynes¡¯s disappointment, most of the facilities and shops in Emerald Lake were closed. The disappearance of the residents around the town turned it into a place of ghosts. Keynes slinked about for a couple of hours until he decided to move on. The last place he wanted to visit was the hunting ground. It was easy to find as a wide road led there with large welcoming signs on each side. The road ended with a parking lot and a massive gate. Ten metres high wall surrounded the hunting ground. The gate was locked. Judging by the appearance, no one had been here for days. Keynes found a door. It was locked. But to Keynes, this was an afterthought. His Talent opened the metal door. It was surprisingly sturdy, five centimetres thick. He entered a room that looked like a reception. The other end of the room had two metal doors and warnings all over them. Keynes checked the room and decided it had to be a prep room. The empty racks had to hold weapons in the past. The only seats in the room were situated far away from the two doors and were near the wall. There was a coffee table as well and on it, Keynes found a catalogue. ¡°The Hunter¡¯s Guide.¡± He opened it and was surprised with a detailed description of the specimens available in the hunting ground. Except for a small detail, these animals and plants shouldn¡¯t exist. Two-tailed panther, red-fur lion, tree-climbing crocodile? What were these things? Hugo had mentioned that they had DNA-modified prey here. However, these creatures looked and sounded nothing like prey. Keynes put the catalogue into his dimensional space. It was getting a little crowded with stuff given to him by Sophie and Hugo. He double-checked the prep room for the weapons but found nothing. This is a bad idea, he reminded himself as he unlocked the door that led to the hunting ground. The door was as thick as the previous one. Keynes stepped outside and his breath was taken away. The door led to a twenty-on-twenty metres balcony with a view of the hunting ground, which lay a hundred metres below the balcony. Keynes looked to the left where the gate was and saw a large structure that resembled a lift. Had this depression existed or had they built it? It was getting dark and details disappeared in the distance but the outline of the entire depression was quite visible. This couldn¡¯t be a natural formation. They¡¯d built it and the effect was stunning. ¡°The rich truly don¡¯t know what to do with money,¡± he humoured himself then spied lifts that could take him down. ¡°Should I be doing it?¡± The forest beneath didn¡¯t look anything like the French flora. It even smelled of damp moss. Most of it was drowning in shadows and Keynes decided to wait until the morning. The animals from the catalogue had many nasty features. As he turned around, he heard the roars from below and his body shivered. It didn¡¯t sound natural. Could it be? The French rift map didn¡¯t have any rifts marked in this region. Oh. It didn¡¯t have the exotic rift marked either. I missed that¡­ In this case, if a rift was down there, sleep would have to wait. Chapter 38: Full Profile The lifts were out of power and Keynes had to climb down, which turned out surprisingly difficult. The structure was designed to give the minimum purchase for the animals from the hunting ground. An hour later, when the entire place was bathed in shadows, Keynes reached the bottom. Claw marks were everywhere and he instinctively took the rifle out of his dimensional space. Animals didn¡¯t ascend. They didn¡¯t have levels or Talents but some of them were strong. A grown lion could kill a Level 3 and there was no telling where the beasts from the hunting ground stood in the hierarchy. Keynes walked for some time, always following the source of the roars. They came from the north. What he found unnerving was the complete lack of fauna. He¡¯d stopped several times to listen to his surroundings in case something dangerous was tracking him, which was unlikely given his buff. The first sign of life came from a pond covered by something resembling duckweed. Keynes would have fallen into the pond if not for a crocodile that appeared a second before Keynes¡¯s foot touched the water. The crocodile¡¯s jaws snapped, hoping to bite off Keynes¡¯s leg. Keynes jumped back, retreating to a safe distance. He was going to give the pond a wide berth as there was no point fighting the crocodile. The loud splash had alerted birds on the trees, some of them flew away but those that stayed made a lot of noise. Then the roars came. The crocodile slid back into the pond, leaving Keynes alone. ¡°Great,¡± Keynes murmured. ¡°I should have waited until the morning.¡± When the trees started shaking and several bear-like monsters appeared on the other side of the pond, Keynes knew he was looking at the rift monsters. In the shadows, he couldn¡¯t see the details but everything about them felt unnatural. He placed the rifle in his dimensional pouch. Unless they were Level 1 monsters, the rifle would mostly be useless. The monsters spread around, searching for the source of the noise. They didn¡¯t sense Keynes, which was a good thing. But he still wondered how he was going to kill them. A chef knife appeared in his hand. This was his best weapon. Once he got close, he decided to mess with them and threw a heavy piece of damp wood into the pond. The dumb crocodile reacted instinctively and exploded out of water. The monsters went berserk and lunged at it. The pond was thirty metres wide and over fifty metres long. It also appeared to be quite deep because the rift monsters, which had entered it, submerged completely. While the pond turned into a boiling cauldron, Keynes spied one rift monster that hesitantly watched the water. The monster turned at the last moment as Keynes attacked it. Its jaws opened but the chef knife stabbed its neck before it could make a sound. Keynes ducked, avoided claws, then stabbed the monster again. He didn¡¯t have time to read the monster¡¯s description as it attacked him again. It was Level 2 though. Their one-sided fight lasted less than a minute as the creature drowned in its own blood. As it collapsed, Keynes felt the essence enter his body and immediately used the cultivation technique.
Wild Bear (Common)
Level 2
Abilities -
Details Common dweller of rifts.
Wild bear? Is there a non-wild variety somewhere? The wild bear was of a common rarity, giving it no abilities. That was for the best given the circumstances. Keynes¡¯s first encounter with an uncommon rift monster hadn¡¯t been the most fortunate. Not to mention the earth trolls with their plethora of skills. Facing them here would be a pain. Keynes waited for the wild bears to get out of the pond but when essence started rushing him he relaxed and it almost cost him dearly as the surface erupted and one wild bear jumped out of the pond. Keynes slammed the knife into its eye, killing it instantly. Whatever happened underwater remained a mystery but four wild bears had perished there. I hope this crocodile isn¡¯t the tree-climbing variety and will stay in the pond. If it survived. The crocodile didn¡¯t come out and Keynes left the pond, moving toward the north, where he guessed the rift was. The hunting ground resembled a rainforest, which couldn¡¯t exist in southern France without some serious engineering. It obviously made Keynes think back about Hugo and his plants. What kind of secrets did this place have? It was a dangerous question to ponder as it could derail Keynes¡¯s plans. Running around the hunting ground and trying to figure out what was special about this place wasn¡¯t a priority for him. Over the next hour, Keynes encountered several packs of the wild bears. He was very careful to pick them off one by one. Without a proper weapon, he didn¡¯t want to risk being overwhelmed. Eventually, the groups of the wild bears became too large and he knew that the rift had to be close. But this wasn¡¯t all. Keynes wondered where the animals from the hunting ground were. His guess was that they had been slaughtered by the wild bears. It was the most logical conclusion. As he started to search for a suitable place to sleep, ideally a very tall tree, he found a metal construction with a ladder. It was a lookout. He climbed up, opened the locked trap door and entered the large room. The lookout was over fifty metres high and got a good view of the surroundings. It was also powered by an independent source of electricity with the possibility of mana-powering. The devices that ran on mana were supposed to be military-grade. The wealthy were truly ahead of the curve. Keynes turned the surveillance system on, monitors flickered to life, showing the area in infrared. Keynes needed a moment to figure out what he was seeing. The wild bears were there, but they weren¡¯t alone. Keynes saw things that moved with a startling fluidity. He observed their interaction with the rift monsters and found that the wild bears weren¡¯t very perceptive creatures as these strange hunters easily picked them one by one. Obviously, there were many wild bears and in a group, they could easily overwhelm their killers but they were too dumb to notice the danger. It appears that some of the animals from the hunting ground are stronger than a Level 2 rift monster. How¡ªno, after Hugo, I won¡¯t ever ask how. Whatever lives in the hunting ground is artificially created and judging by the magical plants, the animals might have undergone the similar process. It was a chilling but exciting realisation. More secrets to uncover. But first, Keynes needed some sleep. He locked the trap door. The lookout had a surveillance room, a bedroom and two utility rooms¡ªa bathroom and a small kitchen. Despite the bed, Keynes decided to sleep on a sleeping mat. *** Unlike the hunters from this habitat, the wild bears didn¡¯t care about the time of the day and kept walking out of the rift, one wild bear per minute. Keynes struggled to imagine what happened to all the rift monsters that should be here. He calculated that there should be over ten thousand bears. Sure, the hunting ground was about fifty to sixty kilometres long and twenty to thirty kilometres wide but it still didn¡¯t explain what had happened to all the rift monsters. He decided to figure this out. Each morning, Keynes descended from the lookout, killed dozens of the wild bears, foraged the area but didn¡¯t eat anything. He didn¡¯t want to risk poisoning himself. The wild bears weren¡¯t much of a challenge. They were stronger than anything Keynes had encountered, except for the earth trolls, but easily dealt with. When he didn¡¯t kill them, he followed their groups around searching for the clues. The rift monsters were truly mindless. They just existed, killed and destroyed. On the third day, Keynes woke up to a growl that sounded dangerously close. The lookout was built out of metal and had the windows secured by metal bars. He also guessed that the windows were bulletproof. His breath caught in his throat as he heard scratching above him. Something was on the roof. Then another growl came. He didn¡¯t know if the thing on the roof knew he was inside. He didn¡¯t think so but he wondered how it¡¯d gotten there. For safety reasons, he checked the trap door, it was still locked, then he turned on the monitoring. Keynes shivered upon seeing the creature, it didn¡¯t look like anything from the hunting catalogue. He¡¯d gone over each animal and plant there. Heck. It didn¡¯t resemble anything from Earth. Whatever it was, the monster had a face of a bat, the body of a dark-furred lion, and three muscular, hairless tails that ended with a sting each. When Keynes started contemplating wild ideas of how the creature had gotten on the roof, its leathery wings appeared out of nowhere and it flew away. From there, things got only harder to believe. The monster¡¯s paws produced sets of intimidating claws, as it neared the ground. Two wild bears looked up and a second later died to the monster¡¯s claws. What the heck is this thing? It looks like a hybrid. Keynes had never seen the rift monsters killing each other¡­ unless, it wasn¡¯t a rift monster but that was hard to imagine. Where had it come from then? Perhaps a monster from a different rift? That was plausible. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. As the monster landed, it started killing the wild bears and the hybrid did it with ease that made Keynes worry for the first time since he¡¯d levelled up. Even his escape from Windsor and the earth trolls hadn¡¯t made him shiver like this formidable predator. After killing over thirty rift monsters, the strange hybrid grabbed a corpse of one and flew away. Wait. Is it going to eat it? For all this time, it hadn¡¯t occurred to Keynes to eat the rift monster''s meat. Was it safe for consumption? Seeing the flying hybrid, he had an odd feeling that eating the rift monster¡¯s meat might not be the best idea though he¡¯d gladly eat something other than fruits and vegetables. Keynes remained in the outpost for another two days during which he¡¯d killed over a hundred wild bears which amounted to 2% toward the progression. At this stage, the progression didn¡¯t matter. He was going to max out all the attributes first. The Orb of Perfection was too good to be ignored. On top of that, there were extra attributes and other benefits like a Purified Body. Every time Keynes returned from the hunting, he kept the essence circulating in his body. It wasn¡¯t easy as it tried to get absorbed or dissipate but he persisted. By the evening of the fifth day, he was rewarded with a system message. Congratulations! You achieved the Medium Spirit Stage! - Spiritual Companion unlocked! - Spiritual Aura strength increased! - Full Profile unlocked. - [Spirit Ghost] improved! Keynes stared at the message for a couple of seconds when¡ª ¡°Hey, master!¡± an enthusiastic voice shouted into his ear. He jumped to his feet, the chef knife appeared in his hand. When he whirled around he found¡ª ¡°What the¡­¡± A tiny being made out of light was floating in the air. ¡°I cannot be harmed, master,¡± the being had a female voice and she sounded cheerful. ¡°What are you?¡± Keynes asked warily, not putting the knife away. ¡°Master, I¡¯m your spiritual companion.¡± Yes, he¡¯d received the message but the sudden appearance of the miniature being made out of light still shocked him. It shouldn¡¯t though because another message had mentioned the spiritual companion when he¡¯d levelled up. ¡°Why are you surprised?¡± she asked. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She flew closer and Keynes made a step back but her attention was already on something else. His Spirit Core. He could feel it and he could feel her as well, as if she was a part of him. ¡°Oh, boy, master. This doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Keynes frowned. He didn¡¯t like the sound of it. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re Level 2 already.¡± ¡°So?¡± Her tiny hand slapped her forehead. ¡°Am I being punished for something?¡± she asked although it didn¡¯t seem she was asking Keynes. Words failed him and so he waited. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying something?¡± she asked when she noticed his silence. ¡°I have questions,¡± he replied. She made a circle around the surveillance room, finding everything interesting. Keynes could feel her curiosity but also her hesitation. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± She stopped and looked at him. ¡°I ¡­ no. I don¡¯t think I have.¡± ¡°What about Alice?¡± ¡°Why Alice?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Keynes felt a trickle of joy coming over from her through their connection. ¡°I guess, Alice is fine.¡± ¡°So, what is your role, Alice?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to guide you¡­ but everything seems wrong.¡± ¡°How so?¡± The initial joy she¡¯d radiated, shrunk and Alice hesitated to answer his question. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied and her attention suspiciously drifted toward the control panel. Keynes sighed. That was going to be a tough relationship. Then he remembered another message. His profile was unlocked. He checked his attributes first.
Attributes Permanent Temporary Total
Strength (0%) 24 1 25
Dexterity (1%) 24 1 25
Will (3%) 24 1 25
Mind (1%) 24 1 25
Perception (0%) 24 1 25
Vitality (0%) 24 1 25
And it told him his progress toward maxing out attributes. Very handy. He moved on to his profile. Name: Keynes Kid Species: Human Level: 2 (Perfect State) Progression: 2% Spirit Stage: Medium Spiritual Companion: Alice Spells: Talent: Techniques: Status: Enhanced Learning (permanent), Purified Body (permanent), Photographic Memory (strong), Untraceable (medium, permanent). Chaos (permanent, semi-dormant, ???). ¡°I can see my entire profile,¡± Keynes murmured. ¡°Finally. Also this is insane.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Alice asked, losing interest in the control panel. ¡°Why?¡± Keynes blinked, not expecting such a question from her but he was going to answer it nonetheless. ¡°First of all, this is more than Level 5s have access to. I checked it with Captain Ventura. He was Level 5 and he could see very little even though he claimed to have increased his Spirit.¡± ¡°A Level 5 without access to the full profile? I don¡¯t understand, master. You should be able to see the full profile from the moment you ascend to Level 1. Also the Medium Stage is the starting cultivation stage.¡± Keynes raised his hands. ¡°Wait, this is the second time I have increased my Spirit. How can the Medium Stage be the starting stage then?¡± Alica floated for a moment, her tiny translucent finger was pressing against her lips. She clearly pondered his question, then he felt their connection brighten up and felt her inspect his core again.. ¡°Sorry, but I still don¡¯t understand what happened, master. I should have¡­¡± And she floated away again. Clearly, she didn¡¯t like to not know answers to Keynes¡¯s question. ¡°Alice,¡± Keynes said a little louder. ¡°What do you know?¡± That got her attention. ¡°Every Level 1 should start from the Medium Stage in order to unlock a Spiritual Companion. Without us, you cannot advance further. The growth is extremely prohibitive and you will hit your first wall after reaching Level 10¡­¡± She went silent. ¡°Although, I¡¯m not sure what happens then. I think you need to increase the spiritual stages to expand my know¡ª¡± Something heavy dropped on the roof, startling Keynes and Alice. ¡°What was that?¡± she asked, equally terrified and excited. ¡°This is something that needs to be killed.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool. I want to see you fight it, master,¡± her initial enthusiasm returned and it lifted Keynes¡¯s mood. He squinted at her, feeling strange being called master. ¡°Call me Keynes.¡± ¡°I cannot, master.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because of the spiritual law.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± ¡°No, master.¡± Scratching of claws against metal made Keynes shiver. How did this monster find him? He was untraceable and it seemed like the lookout was soundproof. ¡°How did it find me?¡± he asked aloud. ¡°You¡¯re blasting your spiritual aura like crazy, master, so I guess it sensed it.¡± ¡°Aura¡­¡± And there it was, his spiritual aura. It was way stronger than he anticipated. Not knowing what to do, he activated [Spiritual Ghost]. The monster on the roof roared, annoyed that his prey vanished. But the creature might soon learn the bitter truth about who was prey and who was a hunter. The active time increased to 90 seconds while the cooldown decreased by 5 minutes after gaining the Medium Stage. ¡°How do I stop being a spiritual beacon?¡± he asked with urgency. ¡°You don¡¯t have basic techniques like Aura Control or Aura Occlusion, master. You can¡¯t stop it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything you can do?¡± Alice sighed then with little enthusiasm she shot toward Keynes, entering his chest. He felt a jolt of spiritual energy. There is no other way for now. She explained. I have to manually control your aura. You¡¯re controlling my aura? How? I am part of you, master. That was true, though he didn¡¯t understand how he knew it. Keynes felt the difference when the [Spiritual Ghost] ended. The monster on the roof grew impatient and tried to force its way inside through the thick sheets of metal. Not happening. But Keynes wasn¡¯t going to stay here waiting for the hybrid to find a way inside. Certainly, his trauma from the Jamaican base was at work here because he felt compelled to challenge the monster. He opened the trap door and slid down the ladder. The lookout was indeed soundproof. The noise outside was deafening. It also lured a lot of wild bears to the vicinity. On the bright side, the terrain was difficult to move, full of moss-covered fallen trees and boulders. Before the wild bears got close, Keynes was gone. He was going to challenge the hybrid but first he needed to enter the rift and clear it. The rifle and the chef knife wouldn¡¯t be of much use in this confrontation. He wanted a challenge, not to kill himself. Chapter 39: Explorer Buff The rift lay less than a half kilometre from the lookout but Keynes needed to be careful to not rouse the wild bears, which in turn would alarm the hybrid. Keynes had wondered how the lookout had the vision of the rift until he noticed the surveillance pillar. It seemed that such pillars were spread all over the hunting ground. The wealthy ones didn¡¯t leave much to chance. Several wild bears sniffed near the rift, blocking the entrance. Any ideas? Keynes asked. No, master. So, what kind of companion are you? The best one of course, master. She replied, although her cheerfulness was muted. Once he dealt with the hybrid, Keynes was going to get serious answers from Alice. He had to know what she knew. There must be a reason for the existence of the Spiritual Companions. Not seeing any other option, Keynes chose simple diversion. He used a solid, palm-sized rock and threw it over the other side. The wild bears reacted immediately, rushing to the source of the noise. Keynes jumped out of the hiding between two destroyed trunks and quietly slipped into the rift.
Rift (Common)
Level 2
Status Open (Ruptured)
Requirements -
Modifiers -
Details This rift contains a higher number of basic monsters and a boss (overcharge effect).
Affinity Nature
Special Status Overcharged, Unexplored
Another Nature affinity. For some reason, it was the most common affinity from the ones Keynes had encountered. It¡¯s because the affinities attune to your Celestial Anchor, Alice explained. Celestial Anchor? Wait¡­ you can hear my thoughts? I am part of you, do you remember? So yes, I can hear your thoughts. Celestial Anchor is an object in space that has a Spiritual Core. Are you saying that Earth is a Celestial Anchor? Yes. Whatever Earth is. Their conversation ended there though. They were inside the overcharged rift. Having a casual conversation wasn¡¯t a good idea. The rift was an enormous rocky valley with occasional clumps of shrubs. The sun looked ordinary and hung directly above Keynes¡¯s head. The sky was clear and had a beautiful, rich blue colour. Alice flew out of Keynes and this time he felt his aura erupt like a beacon. The wild bears roared and growled, turning his way. ¡°Why have you left?¡± Keynes asked urgently. ¡°Master, staying in your core and actively controlling your aura isn¡¯t pleasant.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°First of all¡­¡± Keynes stopped listening to her as the first wild bears reached him. He noticed that with an increase in mass, the number of rift monsters decreased. The wargs had come in much greater numbers than the wild bears. Guided by instinct and Kaito Ren¡¯s scarce training, Keynes got out of the way of the charging monsters. They were around the size of a grizzly bear. ¡°We must kill the boss. That¡¯s the only way to stop the rift from spawning the monsters, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Without a proper weapon and with a quickly growing number of wild bears, Keynes couldn¡¯t fight on the even ground. He spied a steep slope and decided to use it to his advantage. He expected the boss to be at the end of the valley. It was larger than the Level 1 rifts he¡¯d been to. ¡°This way,¡± he said and took off toward the rocky ascent. The wild bears rushed after him. ¡°How are the rift monsters created?¡± Keynes asked as he started climbing. "No idea," Alice replied while floating next to him. ¡°But there is a way to find out. Keynes reached the ledge, thirty metres above the ground, and stopped there, waiting for the wild bears to catch up. As the first monster¡¯s paws touched the ledge, Keynes killed it with a precise thrust into its eye. As it died, the essence started flowing toward Keynes who decided to keep it inside him without inhibition. Alice reacted immediately. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Experimenting?¡± She became thoughtful, allowing Keynes to continue his little experimentation. He moved alongside the ledge where the wild bears couldn¡¯t assault him en masse. This form of fighting had one drawback. It was very time-consuming and Keynes realised that he might be here on a timer. His food provisions were almost used up. Hours later, he got to the valley¡¯s end. The essence was leaking out of him at an increasing rate. Whatever he was attempting here was clearly beyond his skill. Keynes¡¯s only consolation was that Alice had seemed to remember something about cultivation and was going to explain it to him after he killed the boss. His descent was harder as he needed to slay over three dozen wild bears on his way there, which took him two hours and a light wound on his back. ¡°You should not wait for the wound to close,¡± Alice warned him. ¡°The number of wild bears will be repopulated in that time and you will have to start from square one. You want to kill the boss and reap the reward then leave the rift and return after it is recharged.¡± That sounded reasonable. The boss resided in a small depression surrounded by shrubs. Unlike the wargs, it was alone. When Keynes¡¯s foot touched some invisible line, the large wild bear¡¯s head turned his way. It was twice the size of the ordinary wild bear. Oddly, it didn¡¯t intimidate him. He found it strange so he asked Alice about it and¡ªwhat was even odder¡ªshe answered him. Yes, he was being snarky at this point. ¡°There are several things at play here. The Purified Body is constantly removing a percentage of impurities from your body-- including your mind--keeping you healthier, mentally and physically. The improvements of your Mind attribute and Spirit offer some psychological benefits too. And there is Perfect State but I don¡¯t know much abo¡ªWATCH OUT!¡± Keynes heard the boss run his way and waited for it to get closer. Keynes attacked first but the boss surprised him by deflecting his knife thrust. That thing was strong and fast. Keynes checked its spiritual information and of course, the boss was Level 3. ¡°Do the rift monsters have attributes?¡± ¡°No,¡± Alice replied with confidence. ¡°Only ascenders have attributes. The rift monster strength follows a different set of rules.¡± ¡°What set of rules?¡± Keynes asked between dodges. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ªHIT IT HERE!¡± she pointed at the monster¡¯s eye. Keynes knew it, he¡¯d been doing it for hours but the boss¡¯ face was out of his reach and that made it much harder. Keynes danced around the boss until Alice advised him to use the rifle. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? I need to train my attributes.¡± ¡°Oh, snap, is this what you¡¯re doing, master?¡± He could feel her ¡®facepalm¡¯ through their spiritual connection. ¡°You¡¯re doing it all wrong. You won¡¯t have enough time at higher levels to max out your attributes and level up this way.¡± Keynes really wanted to learn more about that but the boss was in the way of this conversation and Keynes grew tired of not knowing things. He took out the rifle from his dimensional space and opened fire. The bullets hit the Level 3 wild bear and even though it didn¡¯t have any abilities because of its common rarity it still was a Level 3 monster. Keynes emptied the magazine into the monster¡¯s face then threw the rifle away. The bear had covered its face and Keynes exploited the monster¡¯s momentary blindness. In three quick steps, Keynes got under the bear then slammed the chef knife into its throat. It went up to the pommel although with much resistance. The knife slipped out Keynes¡¯s hand, staying in the monster¡¯s throat. The boss tried to roar but the damage to its throat prevented it from making a sound. It began drowning in its own blood but it didn¡¯t go down. It lunged at Keynes who could only dodge as he didn¡¯t have any more weapons. While Keynes evaded the boss¡¯ attack, he tried to figure out what Alice had meant about his training. Was there a different method to train his attributes? Perhaps through a scroll like the lesser cultivation? That sounded plausible. Eventually, the boss succumbed to blood loss or lack of oxygen and died. ¡°You understand that at some point such tricks won¡¯t work, don¡¯t you?¡± Alice said. ¡°I do,¡± Keynes said, then focused on the system messages. The rift¡¯s boss has been killed. The Overcharge effect is removed. The monsters will no longer spawn. You gain a single instance of the Explorer buff. The Explore buff grants +30% to find a higher rarity item or skill from the reward chest. ¡°The message is different from a normal rift.¡± Alice''s attention seemed to be occupied and she didn¡¯t react to his words until he mentally touched their spiritual connection and jolted her. He didn¡¯t even know he could do this. ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not nice.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°For a minute, I feared I might lose you.¡± ¡°Lose? What¡ªno! No, that¡¯s not it. But I am kind of updating my knowledge.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that killing the boss allowed you to update your knowledge?¡± Alice landed on the boss¡¯s corpse, she looked as if she stood on a mountain peak so minute her body was in comparison to the monster. ¡°I guess¡­ yes. It seems like there is some sort of the companion system through which I gain knowledge but it is not free. There are tasks to finish and challenges to face in order to learn.¡± Keynes nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. The sheer amount of information he¡¯d gained in the last two weeks shattered his understanding of the world. ¡°What have you learnt this time?¡± he asked, staring at her standing on the boss¡¯ corpse. ¡°That the Explorer buff is very important and we should chase it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The extra 30% chance to get a higher rarity sounded fine but this was only a common rift. At best, he¡¯d find an uncommon item or a spell. Once again, Keynes could be wrong but he didn¡¯t see anything amazing about the buff. Alice left the corpse then beckoned him to follow her to the reward chest. ¡°There is more to the Explorer buff than the system message says. I don¡¯t know why that is though. Your world seems to not function properly on a spiritual level. I don¡¯t know why but I do know that the Explorer buff gives more than a chance for higher rarity things. There¡¯s something called a hidden room.¡± ¡°A hidden room?¡± No matter how Keynes tried to wrap his head around this, he couldn¡¯t understand what a hidden room could be. They were in a rocky valley¡­ ¡°Please explain.¡± ¡°Remember, master, I only know things the system shares with me. I have a feeling I should know more but¡­¡± She noticed his stare. ¡°Alright, so, I know that from Level 2 it is possible to find a hidden room and it is possible to find a key that you need to open the hidden door.¡± ¡°So the door is locked?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªknow, alright, I get it. What else?¡± ¡°The Explorer buff seems to boost the chance to find the door¡­¡± Her voice trailed off for a second. ¡°I think I should rephrase it. The Explorer buff seems to boost the chance to find a rift encounter.¡± ¡°A rift encounter¡­ unless you can tell me what it is, I may start to run out of space for questions.¡± ¡°Really?¡± she asked, surprised not sensing his delicate sarcasm. ¡°In that case, you should train your Mind attribute.¡± ¡°Never mind, Alice.¡± He shook his head, weary after hours of fighting. He found a rock and sat down, leaning his back against it. The weather didn¡¯t change inside the rift. Despite the sun high in the sky, the temperature remained around twenty degrees Celsius. ¡°So, what is the rift encounter?¡± Alice landed on the ground in front of Keynes. There wasn¡¯t much in terms of details in her appearance made out of light. He knew what she focused on mostly because of their connection. ¡°A rift encounter is for example a boss, a hidden compartment, a hidden room.¡± She hesitated and Keynes felt her annoyance at the fact that she couldn¡¯t remember anything else, which she should have judged by her instincts. ¡°There is more, master. But I don¡¯t ¡­ have the information at the moment.¡± She quickly added. ¡°But we can find out more.¡± Keynes smiled and nodded, sharing her frustration. He¡¯d love to know things, and the more he thought about his situation, the more he wondered what could be done to change it. Could he find other like-minded people with important knowledge and pool it together? Should he do it? What were the reasons to suppress knowledge in the first place? ¡°Alice, do you think we should share what we learn with others?¡± Her attention was drawn back to the reward chest, which Keynes hadn¡¯t opened yet. ¡°Master, you¡¯re misunderstanding my role. I am here to help you advance, and your current dilemma is beyond my understanding. I don¡¯t understand human concepts.¡± Keynes hoped for some sort of help from Alice. She was a part of him after all. But at least, he knew where he stood now. I have to get back to this issue later on. ¡°You said you will explain cultivation to me,¡± he reminded her. After the fight with the boss, most of the essence he¡¯d been circulating inside his body, had been inhibited or lost and he was left with very little to work with. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± she perked up, leaving the reward chest alone. ¡°I can see you have the lesser cultivation technique already. That¡¯s a good start but if you wish to advance to the next stage, you will need a more comprehensive technique.¡± He stifled an urge to ask why and waited patiently for Alice to explain. ¡°There are three fundamental pillars of cultivation. First is your Spirit Core, second is Spiritual Connection with the system, and the last one is the level progression. The system allows you to have freedom in the way you wish to progress. You can advance your Spirit, you can simply level up without extra steps. But.¡± She lifted her tiny finger. ¡°Levelling up without making your Spirit stronger or maxing out your attributes, will never make you powerful, and will close some doors for you.¡± He''d seen the benefit of maxed out attributes already. His fight against the Level 3s was a good example. They couldn¡¯t defeat him even though they had a level of advantage. Kaito Ren spar with Samuel King had been less about maxed out attributes as both of them had some of their attributes maxed out, Ren had maxed out his Strength twice while Samuel maxed out his Strength and Dexterity. In their case, the near stalemate was the consequence of Ren levelling up with the human essence instead of the rift one. ¡°That is why I always must max out my attributes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Alive waved her hand. ¡°At the higher levels, maxing out attributes becomes extremely difficult and before you will ask me why, master, I must tell you that I don¡¯t know the exact reason but the system rewards those who try hard and beat challenges.¡± Challenges? Huh. That actually made sense. It was an easy explanation of why maxing out attributes slowed down the absorption of the essence. Is the system trying to tell us something? ¡°Okay, we can return to the attributes later. You were talking about cultivation." ¡°Yes, right. So, cultivation. There are two ways about it, find a superior technique of cultivation or learn it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about finding it, but I¡¯m happy to learn it. Show me how.¡± ¡°First things first, master. The reward chest.¡± Yes. She was right. He needed to get the reward. Maybe he¡¯d be lucky enough to find a cultivation scroll? Keynes checked the reward chest for the hidden compartment, which was there. He asked Alice if the hidden compartment and hidden door could appear simultaneously and her answer was yes. That was progress. ¡°How do I find the hidden door?¡± ¡°With your spiritual senses.¡± Keynes¡¯s hands froze on the rim of the reward chest. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If you have fine control of your spiritual aura, then you can use it to detect the hidden rift encounters.¡± ¡°In that case, jump in.¡± He pointed at his chest. ¡°That is wrong, master,¡± she said but did as he said. With Alice controlling his aura, which was a rather unpleasant experience, they circled the boss area but found no hidden door. Once they finished, Alice shot out of Keynes¡¯s chest. ¡°You must learn the aura control first, master. Cultivation can wait.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± She nodded with a burning conviction. He didn¡¯t mind that. Learning to control his spiritual aura actually seemed important, especially taking into account the hybrids prowling outside the rift. Before they sit down to the aura control training, Keynes had to empty the reward chest. It didn¡¯t look the same as its Level 1 counterpart. It exhibited differences on physical and spiritual levels. But these were minute variations, not worthy of any serious thought. He opened the hidden compartment and took a cloak out of it.
The Cloak of Shadows (Uncommon) ¡°Shadow loves you.¡± - Decreases visibility in darkness by 10% - Obscures the wearer¡¯s face - {Enchants: Self-repair} [Cloak, Shadow] Level 2
Like the previous items from the hidden compartment, this one also was already identified. Keynes asked Alice about it but she couldn¡¯t tell him why it was the case although she added that the loot from the hidden compartment seemed to be delicately tailored to whoever found it. So, the system thinks that I need the Cloak of Shadows or does it react to my needs and wants? Either way it was a nice find. Chapter 40: Temper For the tenth time, Keynes had eyed the boss¡¯ corpse. It was full of delicious meat. ¡°Master, stop it,¡± Alice snapped and then used their spiritual connection to jolt him. ¡°At your current level, your Purified Body buff isn¡¯t strong enough to stop the poisoning induced by the rift meat.¡± ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Keynes shot back. ¡°According to you, I can eat plants that grow inside a rift but I cannot touch the rift meat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I said!¡± Alice replied irritated. ¡°Rift plants that are native to the rift can also be poisonous but not to the same degree as the rift monster meat. So no, you cannot eat it.¡± ¡°I must eat it,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°I have spent twenty hours here already. My food has run out and I am on my last bottle of water.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t mastered the aura control.¡± ¡°Because the things you¡¯re asking for are impossible!¡± He hadn¡¯t had such issues before gaining the Medium Stage. He hadn¡¯t had any issues with the aura control at all. Why was this such a problem all of sudden? ¡°That is because learning the aura control should be done at Level 1 but you didn¡¯t wait and levelled up.¡± ¡°How could I know?!¡± Keynes snarled. ¡°No one on the planet knows a damn thing about the things you¡¯re saying ¡­ or if they do, they don¡¯t share it publicly.¡± ¡°Sit down and repeat the exercises!¡± ¡°I am starving, woman!¡± ¡°I am a spirit, not a woman!¡± For a spirit, she started showing a true temper as well. Nonetheless, Keynes sat down and began doing her stupid exercises. He¡¯d already been close twice, but his irritation only grew with each second his stomach remained empty. The aura control required him to take complete control of every shred of his aura. At first, he¡¯d blamed his Mind and Will but Alice had assured him that neither attribute had anything to do with learning the aura control. It took him additional three hours of excruciatingly boring and slow exercises that allowed Keynes to manipulate his spiritual aura. The Technique of Lesser Aura Control learned! At this point, Keynes collapsed. He had no more strength to keep going. He¡¯d used up his every mental reserve. ¡°Finally,¡± Alice¡¯s voice sounded weary. ¡°All this effort and still, only a lesser variation? He glared at her. ¡°I guess this is better than nothing.¡± *** When they left the rift, it was a day outside. Keynes used his lesser aura control to wrap his aura as close around his core as he could. He¡¯d still leak some aura but if the hybrid didn¡¯t have a super keen spiritual sense or didn¡¯t stand next to him, he¡¯d be fine. He still had [Spiritual Ghost] and Alice for emergencies. Apart from the Cloak of Shadows, Keynes had found a common dagger with +2 damage, three Scrolls of Identification¡ªof which two he¡¯d already used¡ªand a slab of Level 2 aluminium. Not the most exciting haul but Alice had told him that he shouldn¡¯t expect fortune from a single delve¡ªas she¡¯d called his excursion into the rift¡ªand needed to repeat it many times to find anything useful or ideally find rifts with the Explorer buff. He asked her about that and it turned out that the Explorer buff simply meant that no one else had been inside the rift. The area around the rift was clear of the wild bears. ¡°The rift¡¯s already recharged,¡± she said. ¡°It has recharged while we were inside it.¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll still have to leave it to enter the new instance.¡± Interesting. The rifts completely ignored the laws of physics, which meant they had to follow a different set of laws. Alice had mentioned spiritual laws, although she didn¡¯t know how they work. It made sense. Keynes didn¡¯t need to understand physics but when he throw a stone, it was going to fall anyway. ¡°Let¡¯s find some food,¡± he said. The animals from the hunting ground were all edible, even the reptiles. The only problem was the absence of said animals. Keynes had attributed it to the presence of rift monsters, which had disappeared. That, on the other hand, had to be the work of the hybrid and the animals he¡¯d seen prowling around while he¡¯d been inside the lookout. They went north, heading to the area Keynes hadn¡¯t visited. If they failed to find a game there, he¡¯d forage again. He now ate everything he¡¯d found in the hunting ground before entering the rift. By midday, Keynes ate any edible plant he could find. But it seemed he made the right choice. The northern area showed less destruction associated with the rift monsters. Birds were everywhere but catching them turned out impossible as the elusive creatures always fled from him. They also caught the sight of squirrels, and some amphibians not included in the hunting guide. Keynes was ready to take the risk and try eating them but Alice explained to him why this was such a bad idea. Risk of poisoning. By evening, Keynes pondered releasing his aura and attracting the predators. Another idea Alice persuaded him not to pursue. An hour later, they reached the northern edge of the hunting ground, a hundred metres high natural wall. There were fewer claw marks here and he found SOMETHING interesting. ¡°Are these goats?¡± he asked, forgetting that Alice didn¡¯t know the animal species, although she had an innate ability to sense danger. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Several goats were standing on almost a vertical wall. He was aware that mountain goats could climb almost vertical slopes but why would the mountain goats be here? Without waiting for a plan, Keynes charged them. The only issue was that these goats were over twenty metres above the ground. Not a single tree in the area could reach them. Keynes tried to climb at first but failed horribly. His hunger-gnawed body was weakened and he couldn¡¯t get higher than four or five metres. ¡°You should use projectiles,¡± Alice advised him. ¡°Projectiles?¡± ¡°Stones, for example,¡± she explained. ¡°Oh.¡± *** ¡°That¡¯s a mistake,¡± Alice snapped. ¡°You¡¯re a mistake!¡± Keynes snapped back. He stood above the body of two goats, realising that he didn¡¯t have a lighter or a way to make fire, nor dry wood. Most of the hunting ground was covered by damp moss and muck as the ground. Keynes¡¯s idea was to kill all the goats and take them back to the lookout, which had a working oven, designed for cooking the game. He¡¯d then put the cooked meat in his dimensional space for future consumption. After short experimentation, he¡¯d learned that dimensional space slowed decaying by 50%. It was the perfect solution. ¡°You¡¯re driving me mad,¡± Alice zigzagged before his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve spent an hour here and you only got two goats. Because of your hopeless aim, the rest fled higher. If you want them all, we can as well starve to death here.¡± ¡°I thought you said you¡¯re a spirit.¡± ¡°So what? Cannot have a spirit its own needs?¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Keynes was going to say something witty and snippy but their argument was rendered moot when a three-metre long feline jumped out of the woods. Its black fur was iridescent and kept Keynes¡¯s attention for a moment too long. The creature wasn¡¯t in the hunting guide and Keynes assumed it, too, had to be a hybrid. The feline snatched the dead goat and blurred, returning between the trees where it became a shape and eventually disappeared. ¡°It stole our food!¡± Alice shouted at Keynes. ¡°No kidding, genius.¡± Without waiting for another attack, Keynes placed the second dead goat into his dimensional pouch. Eying the goats on the vertical slope, he decided that Alice had been right after all. The hunger muddled his mind and he couldn¡¯t think straight. The hybrid came and went so quickly, Keynes could only watch. What if it attacked? ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± he said and didn¡¯t mind her tiny triumphant expression. Their way back was swift but nervous. Alice could sense the feline hybrids trail them. Keynes wore his Cloak of Shadows and kept his dagger at ready. The hybrids didn¡¯t attack them, neither Keynes nor Alice knew why but they were glad. Maybe the hybrids had the general idea of where Keynes was but couldn¡¯t pinpoint him due to his Untraceable buff, which sounded like a plausible explanation. They reached the lookout. Inside they found two cracked windows. A clear sign of a heavy assault on the lookout. It had to be the work of the flying hybrid. ¡°It seems that it got desperate after the wild bears stopped coming out of the rift.¡± ¡°Stop prattling and prepare the meat!¡± Alice was desperate. *** The kitchen in the lookout was stocked with generic seasoning and a few books that helped Keynes turn the goat into something edible. Two hours later Keynes stopped. He was stuffed and needed¡ª Alarms started blaring, rousing his mind from falling into a slumber. He hadn¡¯t slept for two days. Back in the surveillance room, he checked the monitoring and found the six feline hybrids circling the lookout. Some were testing the ladder but the passage between metal bars and the ladder was too tight¡­ or maybe it wasn¡¯t. Holy crap. What are these things made out of? One of the hybrids squeezed its body into way too small passage and rushed fluidly upw¡ª BANG! The trap door exploded and the three-metre long creature entered the surveillance room. Keynes lunged at it before it got a good grasp of the surroundings. The dagger scored a deep cut and Keynes felt its fury as it roared. Whatever it was made of, it moved with unnatural fluidity as if it was made out of the water but when its tail hit Keynes, it felt like an iron bar. Keynes didn¡¯t need to check his health bar to know that 20% of his health just evaporated, Alice screamed that at him. He asked her to sod off while he danced with the beast inside the surveillance room. It seemed like it didn¡¯t have enough space but this thing wasn¡¯t natural. Its body was too long and its mass to liquid-like. If he only had a katana or any weapon longer than a freaking dagger. ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything you can do,¡± he said between breaths. ¡°Then at least don¡¯t get in my way.¡± After a second tail strike almost took his head off, Keynes retreated out of the surveillance room into a much smaller kitchen. The monster surged after him. Desperate, Keynes grabbed a salt container and threw it at the monster, which dumbly snatched and crushed it in its jaws. It didn¡¯t like salt. That was Keynes¡¯s cue. He attacked before the creature could recover. Even though the dagger was a common quality, it still was Level 2, which meant it was studier than the chef knife and the feline¡¯s skull. Keynes slumped when the monster went stiff. He was exhausted. ¡°What about the others?¡± he asked. ¡°It appears they don¡¯t have the same ability.¡± He looked down on the dead feline hybrid. Only half of its body was inside the kitchen but took almost two-thirds of space. ¡°We must get rid of it.¡± ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Alice replied with an innocent smile. ¡°What was that supposed to mean?¡± She shrugged and soon Keynes learned the hard truth. He couldn¡¯t get it out in one piece, and why cutting a carcass into pieces right after eating was such a bad idea. After a gruesome hour, Keynes managed to remove the hybrid from the lookout and threw it down the hatch. In a matter of seconds, the large chunks of meat were snatched by other feline hybrids but none tried to climb the ladder. ¡°How long can you stay awake?¡± ¡°Indefinitely,¡± Alice replied. ¡°Or as long as you get proper sleep.¡± ¡°Will you wake me up in case of an emergency?¡± ¡°I ¡­ can do that, master.¡± *** The goat meat was going to last three or four days. He was definitely going to have to make one more trip north before he¡¯d depart the hunting ground. The feline hybrids stayed in the general area but didn¡¯t approach the lookout again. Keynes easily sneaked out of there, relying on Alice¡¯s spiritual senses. One of the biggest drawbacks of having his aura wrapped around his core was that it made him spiritually blind. Alice assured him that with better control would come the ability to have a keen spiritual sense and a hidden aura. But for now, Keynes didn¡¯t want to go through the aura training again. Alice had promised to teach him how to move beyond the Medium Stage and train his attributes the correct way. But first things first. Keynes needed equipment, weapons, armour. In other words, he needed a few days of hard delving. The first three delves were a disappointment though. Two Scrolls of Identification, a cloth, a herb, a shield with +2% physical damage reduction and a pauldron with +1% physical reduction. It was crap but that wasn¡¯t what mattered though. Alice had talked him through the steps of improved cultivation. Now that he could sense his core, cultivation revolved around it. Alice was also able to tell him more about the whole process of levelling up. The essence made a body stronger and that drove the attributes up upon levelling. The way the system was designed, it ¡®awarded¡¯ the attributes upon gaining a level. So, a Level 3 with 0% progression and a Level 3 with 99% progression were physically and mentally equal until the latter gained 1 extra percent and gained the attributes. Maxing out attributes was slightly different; it actually increased attributes between levels making a person stronger. Alice called these attributes phantoms as they wouldn¡¯t last for long. But at the same time, it was a trap. Once a person crossed the 80% mark in maxing out an attribute, difficulty increased. The phantom attribute was meant to support the ascender in gaining the last 20%. However, if the ascender failed to do so, the phantom attributes were lost while the difficulty remained, making the process many times harder. ¡°The system is cruel,¡± Keynes said as the reached the northern wall. He needed to hunt down another goat. His¡ªand in extension Alice¡¯s¡ªfood reserves were running dangerously low. He even considered starting a garden but one common rift wasn¡¯t worth it. Keynes didn¡¯t just want to level up, he wished to get as strong as possible and levelling was only a part of the process. ¡°It is, master,¡± Alice agreed. ¡°But it must be for a reason.¡± ¡°It would help to know the reason though.¡± ¡°I am sorry.¡± Her temper returned to normal after Keynes had eaten. It looked like Keynes sustained her as well. If she only didn¡¯t get so crabbit when he was starving. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that reason can be.¡± They spied two goats almost halfway to the top and found an excessive number of claw marks. ¡°It looks like the feline hybrids grow desperate,¡± Keynes noticed. ¡°I wonder what happened to the flying one.¡± Keynes looked to the sky and a shiver jolted him. ¡°It left in search of easier prey.¡± It was very bad news. That thing needed to be stopped. ¡°After we are done here. We may try to hunt it down but first, the goats.¡± *** Keynes kept the essence circling his core while he fought a wild bear. It was a distracting process as the essence¡¯s nature was rebellious but was doing progress with that. Unlike progression, which was inhibition of the essence by a body, cultivation was a process of strengthening of Spirit. Spirit didn¡¯t behave like an attribute, a massive misconception on the part of ... everyone. Spirit was many things but it wasn¡¯t an attribute. Its true nature was for Keynes and Alice to discover as there were no ready answers but since the appearance of Alice, Keynes¡¯s knowledge had grown unimaginably. To move to the next stage, Keynes needed to make his core stronger. It required him to compact the essence so tightly it was like turning air into water. The core was there to help him with the process. As he finished off the last wild bear, Keynes sat down with crossed legs and started squeezing the essence inside his core. After a few minutes, he was shaking from spiritual exhaustion. It was freaking difficult. The essence didn¡¯t wish to be compacted and it resisted like hell. ¡°It will be worse the closer you are to the next stage and of course halfway through you will have to learn a better cultivation technique or won¡¯t be able to make any progress.¡± ¡°Why are these techniques so important?¡± ¡°No idea, master. Just another way the system works.¡± ¡°Right, can you at least stop calling me a master?¡± ¡°No, master.¡± Keynes sighed. ¡°Fine, but we still have to discuss the attributes training.¡± Without hesitation, Alice said, ¡°Only after you¡¯ll upgrade your current technique or you¡¯ll learn a new one. Otherwise, you¡¯ll struggle with your Spirit control at higher levels.¡± *** The World Government troopers were hauling Level 2 rift monsters out of the rift in large metal cages. The rift was populated by monsters that showed very little aggression unless attacked, which boosted their attack damage by 50%. It''d been decided to use the rift to extract rift monsters for research purposes. A provisional base was quickly built around the rift and the extraction started. Joseph had guard duty that night and he was bored. The war with the Old Blood was like fighting wildfires. There was no front, no territory to invade or defend. The rebels came out of nowhere, attacked a building or a town and were either driven back or killed off. He wouldn¡¯t mind getting a chance to fight those bastards. THUD! Joseph whirled around, feeling his heart racing. Did the rebels¡­ His eyes fell on a massive monster, at least the size of an elephant, with wings, three tails, and the face of a bat. Joseph¡¯s Talent was an interesting one ¨C 10% of total (magical and physical) damage inflicted on him was turned into a Dexterity attribute. Some higher-ups had consulted him about it and he quietly expected a promotion¡­ The monster¡¯s alien eyes turned his way and Joseph¡¯s will just drained away. He couldn¡¯t move even when the horrid creature came up to him and its jaws closed on him. Chapter 41: The Meeting A month after the second outbreak, the situation around the world was critical. One-thirds of the Level 2 rifts weren¡¯t still closed. The World Government unofficially abandoned South America despite pleas for help. The rainforest became a barrier that stopped the armies from clearing the rifts. Columbus Curt decided to fill the void and move his soldiers to South America. Uncleared rifts were free essence and cleared rifts gave important raw materials, items, weapons and armours. The arrival of the levelled items was changing the world on a daily basis. Bullets made from Level 2 metals dealt more damage while Level 2 armours reduced it better, in and out of itself, even without any affixes. As of now, Columbus Curt¡¯s headquarters was being built purely out of Level 2 materials. It was an expensive and lengthy process as the materials were random and scarce but the market was adjusting very quickly and more and more people bartered rather than using dollars. The outbreaks had killed billions but Columbus Curt no longer saw them as the bad thing. Yes, he mourned people who had died and it was a tragedy. But he blamed it on Windsor Freeman who had betrayed humankind forcing a lone, scared boy to open the rift causing the outbreak, instead of bringing the rift to the High Parliament¡¯s attention. Nonetheless, the rifts brought unimaginable wealth into their lives. Something only an insane wouldn¡¯t acknowledge. The old world was gone and the new one was being born. Sadly, it was born in fire and blood shed between humans. Although, it soon might change. A green light flickered, signalling the readiness of the connection. Columbus asked his technicians if they could track down the other end of the connection but it turned out impossible. Columbus nodded then asked everyone to leave the conference room. He trusted his people. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be here but at the same time, this conversation required a higher degree of confidentiality. Once Columbus was alone, he turned on the privacy runes and formations. Many of these were brand new, found in the rifts. Yes, another thing overlooked by many, the rift also produced knowledge. Then it was time to begin. A screen came to life and with it a young face of brown-haired man Columbus had a difficult time recognising. ¡°Columbus Curt.¡± ¡°Ronald Rugman.¡± Both men had seen their age reversed quite substantially. But Columbus¡¯s people had already confirmed that Vitality alone wasn¡¯t responsible for the reversing of their age. People who put on equipment with Vitality attributes had seen their age reversed, but not to this degree. There were other factors at play here. ¡°You¡¯re looking good, Curt.¡± ¡°Likewise, Rugman. Now, if you please, explain why you asked for the meeting?¡± Columbus wasn¡¯t cut out for a small talk. Plus, Ronald Rugman was known to be a master manipulator and political veteran. Not a man, Columbus found pleasant. ¡°We both wish for this pointless war to end,¡± Rugman replied. ¡°This war has a point, Rugman. It is called freedom.¡± Rugman waved his comment off. ¡°At what point before the war did we have freedom? The same people ruled back then. The only difference is that there are two groups instead of one. Freedom has nothing to do with this.¡± ¡°I disagree.¡± Rugman sighed, slightly annoyed. He had the mannerisms of an old man. ¡°Curt, don''t you see the absurdity in your own claims? You stand with the Old Blood, the very people that had the majority in the High Parliament. How often did Windsor get his way? How often did he have to bend to the whims of the wealthy? The answer is ¨C all the time. And now, you defend that.¡± For a moment, Columbus entertained an urge to terminate the connection. This wasn''t the negotiations he¡¯d been expecting. Rugman had been a very skilful Lord, this was a beggar of a man. And this, actually, made Columbus wonder, was this an act, or a sign that the World Government grew increasingly incompetent and weak? The latest decisions issued by Windsor, or rather their lack, spoke volumes. ¡°You¡¯re misunderstanding my place in this, Rugman. I care nothing for the Old Blood and their stake in this war. And I am sure you know it, so have a shred of respect and cut to the chase. What do you want?¡± Despite the look of a thirty-year-old, Rugman seemed old. When he closed and opened his eyes, and his expression went through a series of changes, Columbus even felt a little sorry for his enemy. But it was a fleeting emotion that didn¡¯t return once Rugman settled down with a hard, unyielding expression. ¡°Windsor has gone insane. Nitisha has¡ªno¡ªshe has always been insane. Letchworth is gone. Caesar is dead and Esopp thinks only about getting stronger. This is a disaster, Curt. We tried to stop Windsor but he no longer listens to anyone. All he cares about is catching the boy.¡± Columbus had a stone-like face because he didn¡¯t know how to react to this. Was this some sophisticated act? It had to be. Except, my intelligence confirms this. Nonetheless, it was difficult to believe that Windsor¡¯s right hand came to Columbus to tell him the bitter truth. If Columbus released the recording of their conversation to the public, how many soldiers would turn their backs on the World Government? Rugman had to know this¡­ then why? ¡°You aren¡¯t telling me anything I don¡¯t know. So again, speak up your mind, Rugman. What do you want?¡± ¡°Complete ceasefire, restoration of the High Parliament.¡± ¡°As long as Freeman is the President, it is impossible.¡± Rugman slumped, giving up on the act. ¡°Then kill him, Curt. You¡¯re the only one who can do it. I don¡¯t have a fighting Talent. Esopp won¡¯t betray Windsor, although I have a feeling he won¡¯t interfere either. His son¡¯s joining your side hit him hard.¡± Rugman¡¯s face hardened again and he added. ¡°Just kill him and let¡¯s end this farce.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t kill him.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Come up with the plan of disposing of him and I will run the ceasefire and restoration of the High Parliament with my people. We will talk in two weeks,¡± Columbus said, ignoring Rugman¡¯s question. He was surprised that Freeman hadn¡¯t told his closest people about his secret. *** Keynes¡¯s time in the hunting ground was up. There were no more goats and searching other areas would be a waste of time. He entertained an idea of eating the feline hybrids but decided against this. Alice guessed that they¡¯d been genetically-modified animals from the hunting ground that ate the rift meat and some of them survived. The rift meat was poisonous but there was a minute chance to mutate and the hybrids had to be the outcome. In the end it didn¡¯t matter, once Keynes had found a scimitar-like sword, he hunted down the hybrids. They were not the easiest things to kill, especially since his health wasn¡¯t 100% yet, and they showed a cunning that the rift monsters lacked. The strangest thing about them was their Spirit. It was strong, almost on par with the Level 2 rift monsters. Alice had to explain to Keynes how the Spirit works outside of the realm of the ascenders. Everything in the world possessed a spiritual charge and the higher level something was, the more spiritual charge it contained. That was why the branch from the Level 1 rift had felt a little different to Keynes. Level 0 things possessed a next to nothing spiritual charge. The ascenders shared one thing with them, as they levelled up, they also gained a little more spiritual charge, and that was why they gained a little more spiritual information and their spiritual aura grew in strength, but without advancing the stages, they were incapable of normal functioning. It was interesting and explained some of the questions Keynes had been having. If only he could improve his cultivation technique. Even with the enhanced learning buff, he seemed to be some time away from the breakthrough. ¡°Do you think it will work?¡± Keynes asked, staring at the daggers in his hands. Yesterday, he found one with an affix ¨C damage inflicted by this weapon is piercing. It also added 1 to attack speed. The dagger was of uncommon quality and came from a boss. This wasn¡¯t all, he¡¯d also found another Scroll of Random Teaching in a hidden compartment. Several Scrolls of Identifications, raw materials he¡¯d identified because there was nothing he could do with them, the common sword and something that he was very happy with ¨C a formation schematics. The formation of filtration could filter liquid making them safe for consumption. Obviously, there were limits and costs but it was a step in the right direction. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Do you want to get back to the¡­ what did you call them again, master?¡± ¡°Lifts, and no, I don¡¯t wish to backtrack.¡± He stabbed the daggers, looking for crevices. The piercing dagger turned out the entire climbing endeavour into a child¡¯s play. This had been a good two weeks of constant delving. He gained some progress in attribute maxing out but nothing spectacular. Given the fact that he hadn¡¯t aimed to train them, the results were encouraging.
Attributes Permanent Temporary Total
Strength (1%) 24 1 25
Dexterity (4%) 24 1 25
Will (4%) 24 1 25
Mind (2%) 24 1 25
Perception (4%) 24 1 25
Vitality (1%) 24 1 25
His progression toward the next level didn¡¯t matter though as strengthening his core hadn¡¯t added the essence to the progression bar. Considering how many rifts were in the world and the human population, a chance to advance with the full benefit of maxed out attributes were nonexistent for most. This gave Keynes a different perspective on his time with Kaito Ren, Captain Ventura, Daiyu Fen and Tulli. They were all an integral part of his advancement. Keynes climbed down the wall on the other side. The estates of the wealthy were going to stretch for over fifty kilometres before he left their southern enclave. The map had shown this much at least. During his journey, he went over the book about French flora. Anything to change the taste of goat meat. ¡°Why do they hunt you?¡± Alice asked when they reached a forest. The wealthy enclaves were behind Keynes¡¯s back. Finally. Not all of them were abandoned and an occasional car had passed Keynes. ¡°Because I can open rifts.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Keynes told her his story and a little about the riftless world that had vanished. ¡°This can¡¯t be, master. A world without rifts¡­¡± she trailed off and Keynes''s senses picked up a tremor in his little companion. It seemed that the vision of a world without rifts was too hard to swallow. He let her wallow in confusion while rushing for the trees. There had been occasional helicopters although nothing on the same scale as the first days but Keynes didn¡¯t want to risk his freedom because of a silly omission. From there, Keynes journeyed the east, hoping to find information about the uncleared rifts. However, it occurred to him that these rifts might be monitored, which was less than ideal. A small but modern village lay on the other side of the forest. The main point of interest was an old chapel from the early 1900s when France was still ruled by a king. The Mad Monarch had tried to move France backwards in time, forbidding technologies, research, universities and so on. Rather a hard time for the Europeans, with many small border skirmishes. A wall was being raised around the village. Keynes saw a couple of troopers, but unlike Emerald Lake, it was easy to sneak inside. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± He suddenly stopped in his tracks. ¡°What¡¯s going on, master?¡± Alice asked, alarmed. ¡°I don¡¯t have any money.¡± ¡°Money?¡± ¡°I will explain it later.¡± The village was built on a mild slope. Most of the buildings were one and two storey with exception of the chapel. Keynes entered the first shop he found. He kept the hood on, keeping his face hidden. The shopkeeper gave him a suspicious glare then asked with a hint of hostility in his voice. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°I am looking for the closest uncleared rift, do you know where I can find it?¡± The balding man snorted, shaking his head. ¡°Another one.¡± ¡°Another one?¡± Keynes asked, confused. ¡°Sorry but I don¡¯t follow.¡± The shopkeeper placed his hands firmly on the counter. ¡°Hero. I¡¯ve met two dozen like you, asking for the uncleared rifts and monsters.¡± The man shook his head again, his expression showing contempt. ¡°Why don¡¯t you all move to Australia or South America? You can die there without bothering ordinary folks like us.¡± ¡°Both destinations are far¡­ never mind. Just tell me where I can find the rifts and I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°East. You will easily find what you¡¯re looking for.¡± Keynes thanked him then turned to leave, but a thought occurred to him. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the army cleared the rifts yet?¡± ¡°Ask them.¡± The man turned his back on Keynes, no longer willing to continue the conversation. ¡°That was weird,¡± Alice whispered even though no one could hear her. ¡°Humans are weird.¡± ¡°This one was strange, indeed.¡± Outside the shop, Keynes ran into two troopers who immediately stopped. ¡°They are only Level 2s¡ªWHAT IS THAT?!¡± Alice¡¯s little body started fraying. For a split second, Keynes started to panic but then Alice explained. ¡°Their CORES, their BODIES! They are all wrong.¡± Alice¡¯s sudden reaction surprised Keynes who turned his head to her. But he had enough clear-headedness to stay silent. ¡°Identification,¡± one of the troopers said while his companion raised his rifle. What tipped them off? Keynes asked in his head, knowing that Alice could hear his thoughts. ¡°What? Master, it doesn¡¯t matter. Their cores ¡­ their bodies. What did they do to themselves?¡± Alice sounded shaken. Did you forget that a few months ago we hadn¡¯t had rifts on Earth and the only way to level up was¡­ the human essence. ¡°Identification,¡± the trooper repeated. ¡°I lost my identification,¡± Keynes replied and mentally kept a dagger and a shield at ready. The troopers exchanged glances. They didn¡¯t wear helmets for some reason. Their insignia told Keynes that they were the lowest rank. Maybe they hated their job and they¡¯d leave him be? Naive. ¡°Do you have the tracker?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Your name.¡± ¡°Joe Brown,¡± Keynes lied. ¡°Address?¡± ¡°America, San Antonio¡­¡± ¡°Take off your hood,¡± said the one with a rifle. ¡°Show us your face.¡± Crap. ¡°Guys, I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± Keynes released his spiritual aura. It blasted the troopers, taking away from them a precious second. Keynes lunged at them. He brought his arm down on the rifle, then punched the trooper in the face, knocking him unconscious. The other trooper reached for his rifle but Keynes headbutted him. ¡°I was going to say impressive but I can¡¯t. These two were crippled. No one sane uses the human essence or whatever you call it. It¡¯s also detrimental for your body.¡± Keynes fled the scene, wondering where exactly he should go. He¡¯d asked for the way to the uncleared rifts then assaulted two troopers. It wouldn¡¯t take a genius to figure him out. His other choice was Geneva and the gardener. Keynes left the village and moved north for half a day. He ran into the already-walled city of Crest. Troopers controlled the gate and it looked like they were on alert. Great. I should¡ª ¡°MASTER!¡± Keynes¡¯s head snapped in the direction Alice was pointing. He saw shadows moving toward the city at great speed. There were hundreds of them. Then sirens started blaring, the troopers withdrew from the gate, closing the city down. Then he heard shots being fired. The shadows roared and slowly they took the forms of a variety of rifts monsters. ¡°There are at least seven uncleared rifts,¡± Keynes said, watching as the wave of the rift monsters crashed against the wall. The monsters mulled around, while the troopers from the walls shot at them. It was quickly becoming obvious that their ammunition wasn¡¯t dealing sufficient damage. After seeing what the earth trolls had done to Freeman¡¯s squad, Keynes wasn¡¯t surprised. In barely a few minutes the rift monsters flooded the eastern side of the wall. There were thousands of them. ¡°Where the hell is the army?¡± Keynes asked, watching the shocking spectacle. They should have dealt with the rifts a long time ago. ¡°Are you going to fight, master?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Partially, this is my fault. It was the truth but he no longer blamed himself for this. The World Government hadn¡¯t had the right to use him, and here, this was the consequence. Keynes was halfway toward the rift monsters when he heard the helicopters. Twenty of them came from the south and bombed the rift monsters. The massacre lasted less than two minutes and killed over half of the monsters. ¡°This isn¡¯t enough. Conventional weaponry doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Unless¡ª¡± The essence hit Keynes like a tsunami, he withstood it but he saw two helicopters crash and the rest leaving in haste. ¡°If they are like the troopers from the village, then this amount of essence can kill them.¡± The same thing happened to Pullman Pizarro and the squad around the exotic rift. The essence overwhelmed them. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We will thin the number then find a way inside the city during the night.¡± *** What Keynes learned later that day, was that there had been an attack on the Alps warzone where the World Government kept the monsters from the uncleared rifts. They used the rifts to constantly spawn the monsters and farm the essence. However, three out of four choke points were destroyed enabling the monsters to spread uncontrollably. There were many versions of what had happened: a human error, the resistance attack or monsters finally overwhelmed the defences. No matter which version was true, many cities were now under attack. Any place that didn¡¯t have a wall ready, was overrun in minutes. Chapter 42: The City of Crest ¡°There is something wrong with the humans,¡± Alice muttered under her nose. ¡°You¡¯ve said it a dozen times already,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Now, please, stay here. If anyone comes, alert me.¡± Keynes unlocked the door to a warehouse and entered it. He¡¯d spent the last few hours killing the rift monsters, then another hour compacting the essence and strengthening his core. Crest was an important city that meant to create a barrier between the rift monsters and Valence. The largest city in the region. Keynes had fought the rift monsters, hiding from the eyes of the city defenders until more helicopters came and rained death on the monsters. At that point, Keynes decided to climb the walls and enter the city. He didn¡¯t have any money and didn¡¯t want to risk revealing his possession to anyone, he was forced to break in and steal military food provisions. With his Talent and the Cloak of the Shadows, it was child¡¯s play. Most of the food was in the form of dry rations, which was fine. Inside a city, water wasn¡¯t an issue. And Keynes hoped to figure out where to find the ingredients to build the liquid filtration formation. Alice had assured him that the formation could be permanently placed on something like a bottle and used without limits. At least, until Keynes improved his Purified Body. Keynes filled up his dimensional space and left the warehouse. He didn¡¯t feel sorry about it. This stuff belonged to the World Government, they could easily replenish it. He tuned Alice out as she kept mumbling about the humans and their problems. There was nothing Keynes could do about this right now. He didn¡¯t even know if he should. ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to sleep.¡± Alice perked up. ¡°Oh, let me, let me, master!¡± Keynes nodded, feeling the weariness affecting his mind. He followed Alice to a river where she pointed at the spot dangerously close to the water. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°No,¡± Keynes shook his head, although the sandy bank looked inviting. Keynes picked the first building with a loft and the entrance from outside. He charged Alice with guarding him and went to sleep in a corner. *** He slept for eight hours and was really pissed at Alice for not waking him up earlier. ¡°Your body needs to recover. Your stamina was reaching the bottom and even your health needed to recover a few percent.¡± ¡°Right,¡± he yawned. ¡°We need to find some money.¡± After explaining to her what the money was, they quietly left the loft. A bank sounded like the best choice, Keynes didn¡¯t want to steal from individuals. ¡°Do you have any tips about moral dilemmas?¡± he asked Alice. ¡°No, but you¡¯re getting funny looks from the people,¡± she replied then added. ¡°By the way, the humans¡ª¡± He tuned her out, tired of listening about the spiritual deficiencies of the humans. He noticed it now, passers-by gave him suspicious looks. It had to be the cloak. Its dark purple colour and cut didn¡¯t look ordinary, although the thing that turned the heads the most had to be Keynes¡¯s completely obscured face. ¡°I need to change.¡± He found a dead end and swapped his cloak for a jacket from Hugo. ¡°Watch for CCTVs, if you see any, tell me immediately. Some cities have facial recognition and I don¡¯t want the World Government to find me here.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± Alice hesitated. ¡°Why cannot we leave then? And what are CCTVs?¡± ¡°Because we must find out what¡¯s going on. We can¡¯t operate without any information. CCTV is a monitoring system. A form of transmitting video from one place to another. Our current technology allows us to use A.I. to recognize faces and send alerts.¡± ¡°Sounds dangerous.¡± ¡°Yeah, but we don¡¯t have a choice, so if you see a camera device anywhere let me know.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she said unconvincingly. They returned to the street and were about to pick a direction when a car pulled up and two troopers, rank two, exited the car. They looked around, then noticed Keynes and beckoned him. ¡°Have you seen anyone wearing a purple cloak with a hood?¡± Keynes stiffened but shook his head. ¡°No, sir.¡± The trooper dismissed him. Keynes walked away while the troopers stayed behind, watching the street. ¡°That was a close call,¡± Alice said. Indeed, it was and Keynes cursed himself for being incautious. A mere thought of the World Government catching him sent a shiver through his spine. No. This would never happen again. Luckily, the city of Crest was full of trees with many narrow streets. Keynes found a bank but, of course, the time of the day was unsuitable for a robbery so he decided to return later on. As Keynes and Alice meandered the streets of Crest, they neared the walls and heard the gunfire slowly picking up. Long lines of civilians waited before the military building. Keynes approached the tail of the line and asked a middle-aged man. ¡°Hi, what¡¯s going on here?¡± The man gave Keynes a confused look, but when Keynes didn¡¯t burst into a laugh, he frowned. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard about general mobilisation?¡± ¡°I am kind of new here.¡± ¡°Ah. In that case, my name¡¯s Bastien.¡± Bastien extended his hand to Keynes. ¡°Brandon.¡± Keynes shook Bastien¡¯s hand. ¡°I got here yesterday and had a difficult night if you¡¯re catching my drift.¡± Bastien laughed as if everything that Keynes said was obvious. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alice asked, clearly unable to see through Keynes¡¯s words. Keynes had to ignore her. ¡°The monster warzone was attacked yesterday.¡± ¡°The monster warzone? What¡¯s that?¡± Bastien¡¯s forehead creased. ¡°You really haven¡¯t heard about the Alps warzone?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, they talked about it on TV. There are several uncleared rifts. Something to do with difficult terrain.¡± Keynes¡¯s words put a smile on Bastien¡¯s face. ¡°You must have old information. A week ago, the World Government confirmed the truth. The Alps warzone is where seven Level 2 and six Level 1 rifts are left uncleared so the government¡¯s army can level up there.¡± This was something new. It proved that the government actually tried to be smart. But it seemed, they¡¯d failed again. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen TV in over two weeks. Any clue who might attack the warzone?¡± ¡°No idea and I¡¯d advise against asking the troopers. Top secrets and all that.¡± The gunfire eased down. ¡°Why the mobilisation though?¡± Keynes asked, finding it strange to ask the civilians to fight. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the government have enough soldiers to defend the city?¡± ¡°Brandon,¡± Bastien said, with a quiet intensity that indicated that he had something important but sensitive to say. Ignoring the fact that Bastien seemingly forgot that Keynes could be an incognito trooper, he also met Keynes barely ten minutes ago. ¡°Disregarding the fact that most troopers went to Grenoble, Nice and Marseille where the walls aren¡¯t yet finished, the World Government has other things on their plate. There are rumours that a massive rift cluster has been discovered somewhere in Asia and they are moving the army.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°How do you know this?¡± Bastien shrugged. ¡°From TV.¡± Keynes squinted his eyes. They were talking about this on TV and he spoke about it as if it was some top-secret. What the hell? The gunfire returned, this time, it was as if the entire wall began shooting at the same time. So the government kept 13 uncleared rifts to farm essence. ¡°I think we have nothing to look for in the Alps,¡± Keynes said to Alice when he walked away from Bastien. ¡°They¡¯d never let us enter and clear these rifts.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± Sirens started blaring, then troopers came out of the building and began handing weapons to everyone. Keynes was close enough that they called out to him. ¡°The wall is breached! The wall is breached. Everyone, get a weapon and defend the city!¡± Keynes accepted a rifle but didn¡¯t mean to use it unless really necessary. ¡°Master, are you planning to fight again?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± From there, things escalated quickly. The monsters came from the east. Most civilians locked themselves inside the buildings, which worked to some extent as the rift monsters followed the sound and the gunfire drew them deeper into the city. A fourth-ranked trooper was the leader of a squad Keynes was thrown into. Most of the people besides Keynes were Level 1 civilians without any military experience. Keynes had a wealth of experience in comparison. ¡°This is a bad idea, master,¡± Alice said and sat down on Keynes¡¯s shoulder. I want to help those people, he replied. ¡°Why?¡± Because it is not their fault. And what is worse, they aren¡¯t prepared to face the rift monsters. I hoped that maybe the government knows what they are doing but they are reckless and incompetent¡­ I think I know what I need to do. ¡°What?¡± she asked with suspicion. You will see. ¡°Everyone,¡± Keynes called out to his squad. Twenty faces, including the leader, turned to him. ¡°Bullets won¡¯t be very effective against Level 2 monsters but I don¡¯t think any of you have items from the¡ª¡± ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± the leader shouted. He was Level 3. Alice had told Keynes that the man¡¯s body had a mix of human and rift essence. Keynes hadn¡¯t known this was possible but it was and it meant, the man might be his equal, strength-wise. ¡°It is forbidden to speak about the matters regarding the rifts.¡± Keynes straightened up. ¡°Those people are going to die. You won¡¯t stop the monsters with this.¡± Keynes threw the rifle on the ground. ¡°They won¡¯t even stay conscious when the rift essence hits them.¡± The leader aimed the rifle at Keynes. The entire squad froze. ¡°Who are you?¡± There was nothing Keynes could say that would deescalate the situation. Or rather, Keynes didn¡¯t want to de-escalate it. Those people were victims of the government¡¯s lies. ¡°It¡¯s not important. All that matters now is to get to the breach, close it and push the rift monsters away from the city. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± the leader repeated, his voice hard. He didn¡¯t wear a helmet and Keynes could see his unyielding eyes. This was going to be a bother. ¡°Answer me or I will shoot you.¡± ¡°Master, the monsters are getting close.¡± Keynes¡¯s heart was hammering in his chest. The civilians looked terrified and the squad leader turned out to be another bully. ¡°Sir¡­¡± someone whispered. ¡°The monsters¡­ are coming.¡± They could hear them now. They were less than two hundred metres from their position. Keynes¡¯s and the leader¡¯s eyes were locked on each other. The leader sniffed and jerked the weapon away. ¡°This isn¡¯t over. We¡¯ll return to this conversation after the battle. If you survive the day.¡± It wasn¡¯t the best morale booster for the rest of the squad. Other squads positioned alongside the main street, opened fire. Keynes¡¯s squad did the same. ¡°When the essence hits you, try to circulate it around your body. Don¡¯t let it¡­¡± Keynes trailed off. No one was listening to him. They were shooting at the monsters, forgetting about the world around them. This lasted until each squad ran out of bullets or the monsters got too close and the essence overwhelmed the defenders. Either way, the monsters pressed too fast and too hard. ¡°How many monsters were in the Alps warzone?¡± Keynes asked the leader as he ordered a withdrawal from the position. ¡°That is none of your business.¡± Keynes ground his teeth but didn¡¯t respond. He feared he¡¯d punch the man in the face. They were about to leave when the screaming started. Some of the monsters shot ahead and caught up with retreating squads. ¡°If you survive this, I want you to reflect on today¡¯s events and know that this is the fault of the people like you, too important to share the truth with the rest.¡± Keynes threw the rifle on the ground. It was useless. Keynes took his cloak out of the dimensional space, then the scimitar-like sword. This was a very risky move. It might bring back the government¡¯s attention on him but a part of Keynes wanted to show the public the other way. The shopkeeper had spoken about two dozen ¡®heroes¡¯ who seemed like the people who had understood what the world was turning into. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°You better run,¡± Keynes told his squad. The civilians started immediately running away. The leader stayed though. He was out of bullets and so he didn¡¯t have anything to threaten Keynes with. Well, with the exception of his unfriendly face. ¡°You¡¯re one of the vigilantes. You have been outlawed.¡± Keynes squinted at him, narrowing his eyes. He knew that the man couldn¡¯t see his face but it didn¡¯t matter, his tone was conveying his mood pretty well. ¡°We both know this city is lost. If you aren¡¯t here to help these people, then at least don¡¯t get in my way.¡± ¡°Well said, master!¡± The squad leader turned sharply and fled. Keynes¡¯s hands trembled. Standing up to people wasn¡¯t as easy as fighting the monsters. A few seconds later, the rift monsters came. The sword dropped down, killing the smaller monsters with ease. They were only Level 1s. The Level 2s came shortly after them, and some of them were uncommon rarities with passive skills ¨C demolition ¨C that increased damage against structures by 10%. ¡°Warn me when my stamina reaches 40%,¡± Keynes told Alice then threw himself into the battle. *** Two hours later, he collapsed inside a basement. His body was feeling stiff from exhaustion and pain. Even though the monsters were on the smaller end, their damage eventually accumulated, pushing Keynes to retreat. ¡°You have killed two hundred-and-twelve monsters,¡± Alice said. He had no idea that the number was this high but his body was bursting with essence, which he hadn¡¯t absorbed. He¡¯d decided to work on his core while his body recovered. After the initial wave of the monsters, there had been fewer monsters, which had given Keynes a chance to take a breath until he couldn¡¯t fight anymore. He started to spin the essence around his core with greater and greater speed. Then gently guided it inside the core. Without upgrading his lesser cultivation technique this was all he could do. He burned all the essence in a matter of minutes. It also highlighted a potential problem with the advancement of the general population. ¡°There are too many people to advance their spiritual stages and level up.¡± None of the essence he¡¯d gathered went into the level progression. Not that it mattered as the maxing out was going to ¡®destroy¡¯ the progression anyway but most people wouldn¡¯t be in a position to max out their attributes and they¡¯d be still forced to waste the essence through cultivation. ¡°As I said before, this is the way the system culls the weak.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say that,¡± Keynes turned to Alice. ¡°Oh. It must be new information then.¡± Keynes frowned, then jolted his spiritual connection with Alice. She squeaked. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Next time, you get new information, let me know, okay?¡± ¡°Sure, master,¡± Alice said but Keynes sensed her mischievous intent. Her character seemed to develop and he didn¡¯t know what to think about it. ¡°Wake me up when my body recovers enough to fight.¡± He closed his eyes and relaxed. Alice jolted him almost right away. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It has recovered enough.¡± Keynes checked his health, it sat on 85% and his stamina was at 35%. Ah, hell, at least he¡¯d train his Will and Vitality. ¡°That¡¯s not the right way,¡± Alice said, reacting to his thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± *** Keynes moved from a shadow to a shadow toward the east where the breach was supposed to be. He¡¯d had to stop fighting because his stamina was approaching 5% and his movements were sluggish and slow. There were bite marks all over his body. The night was still an hour away but the shadows were deep enough for Keynes to easily hide him. What struck him was the complete absence of gunfire on this side of the city and what hit him even harder was the presence of people trapped inside houses. Alice sensed many of them. This tore Keynes. He wanted to help but if the breach wasn¡¯t secured, nothing he did here mattered as the influx of the monster would continue. In the end, he decided to keep going east. The breach turned out to be a destroyed gate. But that wasn¡¯t the problem. The issue was ¡­ that the gate had been blown up. There was no way he could fix it. Luckily, the area near the gate was free from the monsters. Keynes approached it. Heaps of dead monsters were everywhere. The defence here had been fierce but as Keynes predicted. There were only so many bullets. ¡°WATCH OUT!¡± Keynes sensed the blade as it sailed toward his neck. He dodged it, rolled over and took a defensive position. How didn¡¯t you sense them? A person, wearing a black robe, a brown mask and holding two short swords slowly stepped toward Keynes. ¡°Because¡­ oh, they can hide their spiritual aura!¡± It either meant a high level or someone with an aura control technique. Keynes cursed for not having proper training with a sword. So many things that needed to be rectified¡­ ¡°Master¡­ their Spirit, it¡¯s in the Medium Stage, at least. If it is in a higher stage, I won¡¯t be able to tell anyway.¡± Keynes nodded. The assailant kept advancing, albeit slowly. Keynes drew back, wondering what he should do. What is their Level? Alice didn¡¯t reply for a moment then she said that the person had levelled up only with the rift essence and everything about them was hidden. Could it be an item? ¡°Yes. And I don¡¯t like it.¡± They stepped in silence and if Keynes didn¡¯t do something, his back would soon touch the wall. ¡°What do you want?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Kill you,¡± the man¡¯s voice replied and he surged forward, faster than Keynes anticipated. Chapter 43: Assailant Keynes took the shield out of his dimensional pouch in time to block the attack. It surprised his attacker, but the man recovered too fast for Keynes to press the advantage. The attacker had to be Level 3 with some items that boosted some of his attributes. He was quick but not as fast as Hellescott who was a Level 5 human essence ascender. Keynes¡¯s perfect memory allowed him to compare both men. With some help from Alice and his attribute interface, he¡¯d been able to make some guesses about the attributes of each type, human, rift and max-out ascenders. Knowing his opponent¡¯s strength was a great boon. He could anticipate the speed of his enemy¡¯s attacks and reaction time. ¡°I¡¯ve done nothing to you,¡± Keynes said. The masked man attacked again, the shortswords cut the air but Keynes managed to dodge them, although barely. His lungs started to burn. Before the fight, his stamina was extremely low, if his attacker decided to go all out, how long would Keynes last? ¡°You¡¯re working for the tyrant. That¡¯s all I need.¡± ¡°Tyrant?¡± Keynes asked but moved his foot too late and one of the blades nicked his thigh. Crap. Seeing Keynes¡¯s hesitation, the attacker rushed forward. Keynes released the control of his aura. It blasted outwardly. It didn¡¯t stop the masked man. His swords fell on Keynes. One hit against the shield, the other one met Keynes¡¯s sword. ¡°Time to die,¡± the assailant hissed and repeated his attacks. Keynes¡¯s defence became desperate as his stamina was dropping at an alarming rate. His muscles burned from exhaustion and he was hair¡¯s width from losing his grip on the sword. Then Keynes¡¯s back touched the wall, the masked man rolled sideways, and upon finding his ground he cut at Keynes¡¯s hips. Keynes couldn¡¯t block it in time. ¡°MASTER!¡± He hissed as the blade cut him, then grated on the bone. Keynes dropped the sword and the shield. The dagger with piercing damage appeared in his right hand. ¡°Monsters are coming!¡± Alice shouted, terrified. Keynes barely heard her. He threw the dagger at his attacker. The masked man grunted and dropped on his back. The hilt of the dagger protruded from his chest. ¡°Is this a fatal wound?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Master¡­ monsters.¡± ¡°Fatal or not?!¡± Keynes snapped, the last of his strength was draining out of him. Alice¡¯s senses examined Keynes¡¯s enemy then she shook her head. ¡°I ¡­ need your help. Hide my aura, I lost the ¡­ control.¡± Alice did as he asked. Keynes¡¯s spiritual aura vanished. Keynes dropped to one knee, then collected his sword and shield, hiding the shield in his dimensional pouch. His enemy lay on his back, the two short swords lay on each side, while he clutched the hilt of the dagger. Keynes used the sword to stand up. He could hear the monsters coming close. He¡¯d planned to use them to escape from this man but his plan failed. He pressed the tip of the sword against the attacker¡¯s stomach. ¡°Take the ¡­ mask off.¡± Keynes definitely needed something to boost his recovery, he was barely holding. The man¡¯s mask disappeared, indicating that he too possessed the dimensional space. Keynes didn¡¯t recognise his face. It was getting quite dark anyway. ¡°I don¡¯t know what tyrant you¡¯re talking about but know that¡­¡± Keynes had to take a breath. ¡°I do not serve anyone. Not that you need to know it.¡± His attacker¡¯s eyes stared at him with hatred. Keynes thrust the sword. He felt the man¡¯s aura blast off, sending the monsters into a hungry rage. He was trying to take Keynes with him but that was not going to happen. Keynes clumsily pulled his dagger out of the man¡¯s chest. The powerful spiritual aura vanished. Master, MONSTERS! Not yet. Keynes grabbed the shortswords then spied the pouch around the man¡¯s neck. He pulled it but found it impossible to hide it inside his dimensional space. Your Spirit isn¡¯t strong enough to support two dimensional spaces at the same¡ªMASTER, RUN! ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Keynes put his back to the wall and started hobbling toward the stairs leading up the wall. The monsters missed him at first, lured by the body of the attacker Keynes had killed. But as he reached the top of the stairs, some of them had to sense his blood and moved his way. Any ideas? Keynes asked, eyeing the approaching monsters. If he wasn¡¯t wounded and exhausted, he would-- he actually might not have a choice. As the first monster was about to lunge at him, the sound of whirling blades came from far away. Helicopters. The monsters froze. Keynes didn¡¯t wait for them to shake off the stupor, and he hobbled away as fast as he could. *** The other side of the wall fought until the bullets ran out. Defenders thought it¡¯d not happen but some monsters were quite resistant to physical damage. Six hundred defenders were forced to climb the western wall and fight there. Only the leader survived out of the squad Keynes had been a part of. As he threw away his rifle, Keynes¡¯s words returned to him. The rifles were useless. They needed something else. The squad leader stood up to tell the rest of his fellow troopers to take anything they had at hand and take the fight to the monsters, then he heard the helicopters and he hesitated. He shook his head and sat down, wondering about the stupidity he was about to commit. Fellow troopers and civilians shouted in triumph. They were saved. Were they really or did they only prolong their lives for a couple of days? The helicopters rained death on the monsters although only outside of the city perimeters. The two helicopters that approached the defenders, dropped ammunition, medical kits and a woman. She was Level 5 with a tracking Talent. Her job was to find the saboteur who had blown up the gate. The news of the attacks on other cities was devastating but with the helicopters overhead, a Level 5 and supplies, the defenders buckled up and began the offensive. It was going to be a long night. *** Keynes couldn¡¯t sleep as he moved away from the gate. Helicopters were killing the monsters in droves there. He moved as far as he could before his body refused to go any further. Keynes tried to use his Will only to realise that he¡¯d already done it. He collapsed on the wall, listening to the massacre happening a few hundred metres from him. The essence was negligible at this distance. Try to sleep, master. I will wake you up if you''re in danger. But Keynes couldn¡¯t. ¡°I killed a man today,¡± he said softly, his lips barely moving. He knew he didn¡¯t need to talk as Alice could read his mind but he wanted the words to leave his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think.¡± He tried to kill you first. ¡°And then I defeated him, I could¡¯ve left him there but instead¡­ I killed him.¡± I¡¯m sorry but my understanding of human psychology is nonexistent. To me, this is a very simple matter. Kill or be killed. ¡°They are humans, not monsters, Alice.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. If he managed to kill you, would it matter? Death is death, no matter who brings it. Keynes relaxed, her words rang true in his head. She was right. Some people were no different from monsters. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift off. *** Master, Alice woke him up. We have a situation here. Keynes¡¯s eyes cracked open. The night was still on. How long did I sleep? He asked. And what situation are you talking about? I sense a Level 5 sniffing around. Her Spirit is at the very bottom but her last level was gained through rift essence. Impressive. Alice seemed to remember or learn¡ªor whatever the process was called¡ªmore with every day. Keynes slowly sat down, then allowed Alice to leave his body as he asserted control of his aura. Alice used his aura during his sleep to monitor the area. It didn¡¯t bother Keynes because he¡¯d been asleep but during his waking hours, he would rather avoid it if he could. The person she had been talking about walked alongside the wall. She seemed to follow¡­ oh, crap. Am I still bleeding? ¡°No, but you can easily open the wound if you aren¡¯t careful.¡± Hell. From one mess into another. If she was Level 5 and on top of that, her last level had been gained through the rift essence, then she was a threat. Serious threat. Keynes decided to slowly climb down. His body hurt like hell. His stamina recovered to 40% but his health was barely recovering. The wall was only four metres high but the climbing down was agony. When he reached the ground, Alice checked on the tracker and as he¡¯d suspected, the tracker followed his blood trail. They were less than fifty metres from them. Then the shooting started nearby and Keynes took advantage of the situation and hobbled away from the wall toward a narrow street. His initial thought was to enter the first building and hide there but didn¡¯t it sound exactly what the tracker would expect from a wounded person? It was. And so he moved further down the street until he came upon a house that looked like a hotel. Keynes used his Talent to get inside. He cursed the fact that he couldn¡¯t lock the door behind him without a key. He¡¯d feel safer that way. His steps slowed almost to a standstill when he heard a child¡¯s cry. Those people were lucky that these monsters met resistance. The area in Scotland where the seven rifts had opened met a different fate. Keynes climbed the stairs at a snail¡¯s pace, not deliberately. Then found the door to the loft and unlocked it. A door could be locked from the inside, which he promptly did. The loft was turned into a small warehouse for spare furniture. Perfect. Keynes took the first bed he found, then as he put his head down, he was asleep in an instant. *** Dreux stood above a pool of blood on the top of the wall near the destroyed gate. Whoever left it, must have killed another person whose body Dreux found all over the area. Two saboteurs? It certainly was a possibility. Dreux¡¯s Talent highlighted details in a small area she focused on. Over the years she perfected her control over her Talent. It was too easy to push it too far, bring too many details to life, and waste precious mana. Dreux¡¯s minor upgrade offered her the ability to see recent changes done to the area. It was the game-changer. All of sudden, in a matter of days, from a nobody she had been turned into the World Government¡¯s most important asset. The World Government always had people to find but now they were becoming real superstars as the enemy of the government had risen and they needed to be tracked down. Nonetheless, some of her colleagues shared with her their recent failure. She didn¡¯t know the details but it was important because the orders came from the very top. Dreux felt a vibration. She took out her phone and read the message. Her eyebrows climbed up. Interesting. The Director of Intelligence, Lanhai, ordered every tracker to immediately leave for a village, not far away from here, and search for a person in a purple cloak and hood that completely obscured the wearer¡¯s face. The most interesting fact was the priority. It superseded everything else. The saboteurs didn¡¯t matter anymore. The last piece of information was that the person MUST be taken alive. Killing them, accidentally or deliberately, was punished by death. Dreux was about to hide her phone when another message appeared and her eyes widened in shock. The first tracker or a team of trackers to find the wanted individual was going to receive the massive reward from President Freeman himself. Bollocks, this is going to be mine. She contacted the pilot to take her ass out of here. *** The next day was quiet. An occasional shot here and there. Keynes sat on the roof, eating military dry provisions. He¡¯d grilled Alice about the possibilities of dimensional space in regard to supporting a garden. She¡¯d said that it didn¡¯t feel impossible but she couldn¡¯t tell what would be required for this to work. Yeah, they were back to the same old issues, knowledge. Speaking of knowledge, Keynes needed to go through the dimensional pouch of his attacker. Maybe he¡¯d find some answers there. First, he was going to check the two shortswords.
Vampiric Shortsword (Rare) ¡°Your energy is mine.¡± - +2 Dexterity - Each attack drains a tiny % of stamina from the wounded enemy. [Sword] Level 1
It was the best weapon Keynes had ever seen. He put it back and took out the second shortsword.
Shortsword of Speed (Uncommon) ¡°Everything is speed.¡± - +4 Dexterity - +1 Strength [Sword] Level 1
Seeing all the Dexterity bonuses, Keynes had to say, he was lucky to survive the encounter. He took off his dimensional pouch and put it aside, then grabbed the other one and accessed it. The content didn¡¯t meet his expectations. Subconsciously, he thought he¡¯d find the loot from the rifts but that wasn¡¯t the case. The only other magical item was a robe with self-adjustment and self-repair enchantments. The white mask was ordinary as many other clothes inside. But Keynes couldn¡¯t complain, the attacker had a lot of food provisions and cash. Things Keynes lacked the most. The last thing Keynes took out was a notebook. It was full of instructions¡­ oh, crap. This man had been responsible for blowing up the gate. Keynes read further and his hair stood on end. There were other cities already crossed out in this notebook. It looked like Crest was the last on the list. And there were names, all crossed out as well. This guy was an assassin. Most of the people on the list were mayors and minor political figures living in the cities. ¡°I think I stumbled upon something ugly,¡± Keynes said, then told Alice what he¡¯d found. She didn¡¯t have a good idea of what Keynes was talking about so he gave up on explaining it to her. He leafed through the notebook, finding notes about cultivation, points of interest like rifts, military warehouses or safehouses. The attacker had also tried his hand at writing poetry but no thank you, he¡¯d been terrible. Keynes read the notes about the cultivation and found a few interesting remarks. For example, when spinning the essence, it was important to create two streams of the essence, then use one like a gentle pressing hand. This was an ingenious insight. Most notes talked about ways to manipulate the essence around the core in different ways. Keynes showed it to Alice and she said that the assassin most likely had a good cultivation technique. Keynes could say she wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°Maybe I should use the Scroll of Random Teaching?¡± ¡°No.¡± She shook her tiny head. ¡°That scroll is worth more as an ingredient.¡± ¡°Ingredients of what?¡± ¡°Ingredients of ¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Of course. Keynes emptied the dimensional pouch, then put it all into his pouch, leaving inside no more space. ¡°On that note, I think it¡¯d be worth getting monsters¡¯ parts. Most of them can be used as ingredients too.¡± ¡°Ingredients of¡­?¡± Keynes tried to tease her a little. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault,¡± she snapped at him but did it in a funny way that put a smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t blame you, Alice.¡± Keynes put the notebook aside. Something just occurred to him. ¡°Do you think the other guy had the spiritual companion as well?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said without hesitation. ¡°Every ascender in the Medium Stage has a spiritual companion. We are very important.¡± ¡°Can you see the other spiritual companions?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± She pondered his question for a moment. ¡°It depends. I can see the spiritual companions of people who consider you a friend and allow their companions to become visible to you and in extension to me. With strangers it is different. I can see the companions only if you are at least two stages above them. And in this case, only I am able to see other spiritual companions.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound very fair.¡± She shrugged and made an ¡®OH¡¯ face. ¡°I¡¯ve just learned something. When you advance to the next stage, you¡¯ll be able to use me to communicate with other people who are in the same Spirit stage. That¡¯s exciting! Although, a warning, you must consider each other friends.¡± Keynes cursed. They had so much to discover. And if this state wasn¡¯t natural, then why were they like this? He sighed, knowing there would be no answers. ¡°It looks like the city is back under the control of the army. It¡¯s time for us to leave.¡± *** Officer Cruas sat behind the desk, reading the reports from the last two days. It didn¡¯t look good. He lost more than seventy percent of his troopers and on top of that, the Level 5 tracker had disappeared. The officer wished for a break. The silver lining was that the monsters were out of the city, the gate was being repaired but their problems were only the beginning. The director refused to send any more troopers to Crest. The entire region was in shambles. The rift monsters were everywhere and it didn¡¯t seem like the Alps warzone was going to be contained any time soon or the rifts cleared. And there was the matter of a vigilante with a sword and purple cloak who reportedly had killed hundreds of monsters by himself. Some of the troopers and civilians even started calling him the Ghost in Purple. Chapter 44: The Visitor Webster Frog enjoyed the first break from a ten-hour long experiment. He tried modifying the formation the Saels had shown him. The experiment was a total failure. It also cost a lot because the formation required ingredients to work. At first, the ingredients were the only thing that differentiated them from the runes in Webster¡¯s eyes. Then he¡¯d learned more and saw how the two worked on distinctive paradigms. Formations required ingredients but once they were created and activated, they were easy to use and their functions didn¡¯t change. Unfortunately, the formations were difficult to manipulate or change. Some parameters were very easy to adjust but introducing new things or taking away some elements was almost impossible without new schematics. Runes on the other hand were modular, offered unmatched plasticity and were cheaper. Their biggest cost was mana. Frankly, there were runes that could create mana but they introduced many issues. On top of that, some runes required a constant mana supply. Before the outbreaks, Webster had discarded the runes simply because of that. No one had materials able to transfer mana without incurring a loss of 99% over a single metre. New materials were no longer about the mana loss but about the throughput and speed of transfer. They still lacked the mana containers but Sirian was convinced that soon they should find a schematic to build one. The mana container was going to be the game-changer. Webster could see it and couldn¡¯t help but grow excited. The formations weren¡¯t very kind to him. The door opened and Sirian entered with a pitcher and two glasses. Since the attack on the Institute, they¡¯d been forced to relocate to northern Scandinavia where the Saels had a secret estate. Sirian and Webster shared the lab. Sirian worked on the new poison serum for his daughter, Vivena. She had a remarkable Talent. Perhaps, the most powerful Webster had ever seen. ¡°Apple juice?¡± ¡°Is it made out of the rift ingredients?¡± Webster asked. He¡¯d gotten drunk with Sirian when they¡¯d tested Level 2 alcohol. The next two days had been a living hell. The rift stuff was potent and shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly. ¡°I think only the soil came from a rift in this case.¡± That was acceptable. The rift soil was fairly safe. ¡°I¡¯d like some, please.¡± Sirian poured the juice then turned on the TV. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m starved for news.¡± Webster frowned then turned his head to Sirian. ¡°Didn¡¯t you call the news propaganda?¡± Sirian chuckled. ¡°Oh, yeah, it¡¯s propaganda but I got a tip that today will be different.¡± This got Webster¡¯s attention. He secretly liked to watch TV. It was his only window on the world. Webster took a seat next to Sirian. They waited for a few minutes for the news channel to begin transmission. ¡°Welcome to The Truth Network.¡± ¡°The Truth Network?¡± ¡°Not my idea. I think the Nishimuras wanted this name. I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I am currently in Crest after visiting Nice and Grenoble. The situation is very difficult here,¡± a young female reporter said. ¡°The entire region was hit by terrorists from a group calling themselves the White Masks.¡± The camera showed the destruction and hundreds of monster bodies being hauled and thrown onto heaps. It reminded Webster about the first outbreak. Not a pleasant memory. ¡°The city desperately needs help. I¡¯ve learned from many sources that the government refused to step in and help. More than that¡ªoh, I am sorry.¡± She touched her ear. ¡°We just received an official statement from the White Masks.¡± The picture switched back to the studio where a smooth-looking presenter explained that the White Masks issued their official statement and the Truth Network wished to present it before the government blocked the statement from the Web. Before they switched to the statement, the presenter assured viewers that the network didn¡¯t support the White Masks in any way. A person in a white mask stood in front of a red background. They wore a black robe and had a silhouette of a woman. ¡°People of Earth, my name is Persephone and I am the leader of the White Masks. It is true that we had attacked the so-called ¡®the Alps warzone¡¯ where tyrant Windsor Freeman and his illegitimate World Government kept millions of rift monsters from several uncleared rifts so they could ¡®farm¡¯ the essence for their so-called ¡®troopers¡¯. At the same time, they had denied the wider public access to the essence, which is unacceptable. ¡°The outbreaks were not an incident. They have been caused by the World Government and we should expect more outbreaks in the future. People of Earth, take the matter into your own hands and level up!¡± Webster started chuckling nervously but when he noticed Sirian¡¯s solemn face, his chuckle died off. Sirian turned to Webster and seeing the researcher¡¯s face he said. ¡°It¡¯s true. The World Government has caused the outbreaks.¡± ¡°But ¡­ how?¡± Webster was shocked to the core. He didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°They used the boy you¡¯d done the ceremony for in San Antonio.¡± Webster shot to his feet. ¡°Keynes Kid!¡± ¡°Yes. Columbus Curt found their secret base where they¡¯d opened the first rift. From what I know, Freeman wasn¡¯t gentle with the boy." Webster nodded but he tried to wrap his head around this. It explained everything. The NDA, the secrets, his Talent, the Error affinity¡­ Wait a minute! The Error affinity? Webster rushed to his desk, his heart was hammering in his chest. ¡°I think I know what we are missing, Sirian. We play by the rules but we can¡­ cheat the system.¡± He started smiling, not being able to contain his excitement. This was the breakthrough he was waiting for his entire life! *** Kaito Ren was disgusted by the White Masks declaration but then he remembered that he indirectly had allowed for the second outbreak to occur and suddenly, the White Masks¡¯ attacks didn¡¯t seem like a big deal. ¡°I don¡¯t like their methods but they aren¡¯t wrong. If another outbreak comes people must be ready to face the monsters,¡± Daiyu Fen said, leaning against a wall near the exit. That girl was difficult to work with. ¡°We must stop the next outbreak from happening,¡± said Vivena. From what Kaito Ren learned, Vivena¡¯s Talent was very powerful in the right circumstances. She hadn¡¯t told them what the circumstances were but during the fight near Leeds, where they¡¯d helped Daiyu Fen clear the Level 2 uncommon rift, Vivena hadn¡¯t shown the power of her Talent and Kaito Ren speculated that she didn¡¯t have the means to create the circumstances. ¡°I agree with Vivena,¡± Christopher said. ¡°Humankind isn¡¯t ready for another outbreak. We still have uncleared rifts all over the world. Imagine another couple of hundreds of Level 3 rifts. We might not survive it.¡± ¡°We will,¡± Daiyu Fen said. ¡°And we will get stronger this way.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about billions of dead people,¡± Christopher said, softly. Arguing with Daiyu Fen had been the reason why their operation in Lower London had gone sideways. They¡¯d managed to free the Kid family but the government was hunting them without mercy now. They were hiding in Kaito Ren¡¯s friend''s house in southern London. But they needed to get out of here. They needed to find Keynes Kid before he caused the third outbreak. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°If people won¡¯t get stronger, the government will. Pick one,¡± she said and that ended the argument. Because no matter how ugly her vision was, it seemed to be the only choice. Vivena had told him that the resistance; especially the Ravencrofts and maybe the Nishimuras, would seek to take advantage of Keynes if they caught him. They weren¡¯t any different from the World Government. They spent the evening processing the news from France. The Kid family stuck to themselves. They were terrified. Their son had been ¡®technically¡¯ kidnapped. Two outbreaks had happened and they¡¯d been kept in a secure location until Kaito Ren and the rest freed them. Kaito Ren went to check on them. Ewan Kid sat by a table playing with some tools and a glyph. Kaito Ren was aware that the man had a glyph-related Talent but he didn¡¯t ask for details. He didn¡¯t even notice Kaito Ren entering the room. Harter and Nina stood up. ¡°Did you learn anything?¡± they asked immediately. It was their third week in the house. Everyone grew tired of constant waiting. ¡°Nothing about Keynes.¡± Ewan didn¡¯t react. He seemed to not listen to them at all. Nina closed her eyes, keeping her tears at bay. Curse you, Daiyu Fen, you shouldn¡¯t tell them the truth. ¡°How long will we need to stay here?¡± Harter asked, holding himself quite well, although his cheerfulness he¡¯d shown in the beginning, vanished. ¡°There must be some laws. Something. Is it even legal for the government to treat us like criminals when we did nothing wrong.¡± ¡°The government answers to no one at the moment, I¡¯m afraid.¡± ¡°Keynes must be terrified,¡± Nina said, sobbing. ¡°He¡¯s not ready¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, mum,¡± Harter told her then added quietly. ¡°He must be.¡± ¡°Keynes isn¡¯t weak. In the short time I spent with him, he turned from a boy into a man. He is strong.¡± And that was Kaito Ren¡¯s fear. What would he turn into next? Nina sat down, staring at her hands, they were shaking. Harter tried to console her but despite his best attempts, he wasn¡¯t doing a good job. Not his fault. Kaito Ren didn¡¯t think any person without the right Talent could soothe this woman, who ironically had a soothing Talent. Kaito Ren was about to assure them that the moment they learned about Keynes¡¯s whereabouts, they would go looking for him. ¡°KAITO GET HERE!¡± Daiyu Fen bellowed. ¡°NOW!¡± Kaito Ren rushed upstairs expecting the worst. Through his head went different scenarios and he prepared his Talent to open a portal to their emergency destination. As Kaito Ren got there, he found everyone in the room ready to fight. The source of commotion stood in the doorway ¨C a well-tanned man, wearing a suit and not looking one bit worried. ¡°We have a situation here, Ren,¡± Christopher said, eyeing the intruder. ¡°This man claims to know where Keynes Kid is.¡± Kaito Ren froze and from behind him came a loud gasp that belonged to Nina. She shot past Kaito Ren and dropped to her knees. ¡°Please, tell us where he is.¡± Ewan and Harter stepped next to her and lifted her to her feet. ¡°Take your mother, Harter,¡± Ewan said then turned to the newcomer. ¡°If you truly have information about our son, please, tell us.¡± He tried to sound composed but his voice shook. The man smiled. ¡°I will, but first things first.¡± ¡°How did you find us?¡± Daiyu Fen asked. ¡°And who do you work for?¡± She was sharp as the blade she kept attached to her belt. ¡°Fair questions,¡± he said. ¡°I think you should sit down as well.¡± When they didn¡¯t do it, he shrugged. ¡°Fine.¡± Kaito Ren had a bad feeling about this. Christopher glanced at him and shook his head. This man had to be very high level as his ageless face suggested. ¡°I always knew where you were.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°You somehow have a way to track us?¡± ¡°Vivena Sael. I have to say, you have an interesting Talent and there is a great future ahead of you.¡± He made a step forward and everyone twitched. Kaito Ren was ready to attack him. Most likely this man worked for Freeman. One of his assassins. ¡°And yes, I have a way to track you. Not something you would have in mind but it works.¡± He glanced at Daiyu Fen. ¡°And you, Daiyu Fen, disgraced daughter, you have potential as well. You two will shake this world. As to who I work for. I work for nobody.¡± He let the silence befall after that and waited. No one in the room felt strong enough to speak up somehow. Kaito Ren couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. Were they influenced by a Talent? That was a possibility. ¡°No more questions?¡± Christoper stepped forward. Kaito Ren tensed up. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I came here to tell you where Keynes Kid is. That is all.¡± They were missing something here. This wasn¡¯t normal by any stretch of the imagination. And this man sensed it. ¡°Keynes Kid needs you and without me, you will never find him. He¡¯s a ghost.¡± ¡°Then how do¡ª¡± Daiyu Fen asked but didn¡¯t finish her sentence as the man snapped his fingers and she froze. That was a spell! ¡°There is not much else I can tell you. The less you know the better for everyone. I will lead you to him because he needs you right now. That is all you need to know.¡± He snapped his fingers again, releasing Daiyu Fen from a spell. She dropped to the floor, breathing heavily. Vivena and Nina went to help her. Meanwhile, Kaito Ren studied the man¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was looking at something inhuman. He couldn''t understand what made him think that but it seemed like the man tried to act naturally. He decided to probe a little. ¡°Let''s say we agree. Why us and not the World Government?¡± The man turned to Kaito Ren and sighed. ¡°Kaito Ren. An interesting Talent with many future applications. As to your question, if I wanted to, I would take you against your will as easily as if you went with me willingly. I did not come here to ask, I came here to tell you. The World Government is a big no.¡± These words filled Kaito Ren with a chill. Who the hell was he? ¡°Are you Keynes¡¯s friend?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± He pondered the question as if he hadn¡¯t just threatened them then answered it. ¡°I am on his side.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you defeat Windsor Freeman?¡± Vivena asked. "Because Windsor Freeman has his own role to play.¡± They all blinked. What the¡ª *** The Shaper looked over the unmoving bodies in the room. His idea of this meeting was different. More tempered, less chaotic. But his script didn¡¯t play out. Maybe he needed to spend more time among other humans? He was growing stiff and unaccustomed to conversations again. He was good with threatening people though. It was the most important bit. He took out the stasis box from his dimensional space and placed the seven people inside it. The stasis box was a very different thing from dimensional space although it looked the same at first glance. Dimensional space didn¡¯t support life. The stasis box suspended it without any side effects. He needed those people alive for Keynes Kid¡¯s benefit. That boy had an important job to do and without his friends, he would turn into¡­ You? No. The Shaper had entered the Medium Stage a long time ago. His spiritual companion, Magnalius, was rather reticent and when the two of them engaged in a conversation, it didn¡¯t resemble a human interaction. No. If Keynes Kid was to left to himself, he would turn into something this world wasn¡¯t ready to face. The Shaper closed his eyes, remembering the visions of that particular future. It was a dire place to live. Designed only for the strongest. Human civilization fell in that iteration. The Shaper picked the stasis box up and placed it in his dimensional space. Another absurdity. A dimensional space couldn¡¯t be placed inside another one but the stasis box was fine. What about Letchworth Truman? Magnalius asked. You said you will deal with him. It turns out, I don''t need to. There is a hybrid from France that found his trail and will hunt him down. Or he will kill the hybrid. Yes. Letchworth Truman was the unknown variable that hadn¡¯t appeared in the visions. It was best to leave him alone. The Shaper drove to the airport where his private jet awaited. Two more outbreaks and first [Teleport] skills would start appearing. Travelling like this was tiring. He missed Elulu. His Global Teleport Talent had allowed the Shaper to travel all over the world but good things could never last long. Soon, some people were going to learn that the hard way. He looked toward the north. It¡¯d serve them right as they hadn¡¯t heeded his warning and had shared his knowledge with others. *** Keynes entered Geneva in the assassin¡¯s clothes. They were ideal for blending with the crowd. After the attacks, Geneva saw an increased number of troopers and Keynes had to pick a different route that didn¡¯t take him through a checkpoint. Yes. He¡¯d made a mistake. The name he¡¯d given to the two troopers, Joe Brown, somehow got the attention of the government and they were looking for him. Nothing official but the troopers gossiped and he eavesdropped their conversations in bars, inside the city. It was good to have cash. It let him sleep in a small hotel in the suburbs. A game-changer! Getting a good rest was important and it kept Alice happy. He decided against meeting the gardener right now. If the government got to Hugo and Sophie, then Keynes would walk into a trap. It was late evening and he was tired after the entire day of gathering information. He entered the small lobby and found it empty. Alice, Keynes warned her. Something¡¯s up. Yes, I sense¡ªoh, crap. ¡°Keynes Kid,¡± a man said from the doorway. Keynes froze, readying his cloak, dagger and shortsword. How the hell did they find him? ¡°I have brought someone and you will be glad to see them.¡± He said then quickly added. ¡°And here, a small gift for you.¡± Keynes whirled but the doorway was empty. ¡°Where is he, Alice?¡± ¡°No idea, he blocked me completely. I couldn¡¯t even see his physical body.¡± Keynes noticed a piece of paper on the ground. It had numbers, wait, these were geolocations. He turned the sheet over and read. This is the list of locations of Level 3, 4 and 5 rifts. One each. You will know what to do when the time comes. PS. Your family waits in your room. Chapter 45: Reunion Keynes stood in the lobby, fighting the maelstrom of emotions, like a lone, trapped boat trying to find its way to a shore. He stared at the note in his hand and couldn¡¯t¡ªdidn¡¯t want to¡ªbelieve in what it said. His family was here. How? ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Alice asked, worried as his emotions spread to her. ¡°If this is¡­¡± Words failed him. He didn¡¯t know what to think; what to do. ¡°Master¡­¡± Alice whispered. Keynes looked at her. She tried to understand what he was going through but even he didn¡¯t comprehend it. One thing he shouldn¡¯t be doing was to wait. Whoever that man was, he was dangerous. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Keynes said, putting the memorised note into his pocket. He climbed the stairs. With each step, tremors in his chest grew, until he began questioning the whole thing. Did it happen? But then he felt the note in his pocket and his steps steadied. Then more doubts came. What if it is a trap? Even so, he couldn¡¯t stop. He asked Alice to check the room. She confirmed that it didn¡¯t look like a trap. Keynes frowned, stopping before the door to his room. He took a deep breath, wishing for the ability to void his emotions, then he opened it. As he entered the room, he froze. Completely. His family was there as the note indicated but there were four others whom he should¡¯ve expected. But why were they laying on the floor? Alice¡­ ¡°They¡¯re alive¡­ ah, and they are starting to regain their consciousness.¡± Keynes was stupefied. He could only watch. Christopher Wolf was the first person to get to his feet. He looked around, disoriented. Then his eyes fell on Keynes and disorientation became a shock. Kaito Ren was the next and his emotions were much more muted but still enough leaked out betraying his thoughts. He was astounded. Daiyu Fen was third and she was pissed off. Then¡­ was Vivena¡¯s turn to open her eyes and sit down. When she noticed Keynes she went stiff. Keynes forces his eyes off her to where his father and mother slowly regained their consciousness. Harter was the last as he wasn¡¯t an ascender yet. ¡°KEYNES!¡± his mother shouted and after a clumsy struggle, she got to her feet. She crashed into Keynes like a speeding train. Keynes¡¯s father was more reserved, like usual. He approached Keynes then embraced them. The silence lasted until Harter asked. ¡°Gosh, you look terrible.¡± ¡°But I am finally stronger than you,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Harter joined them on his shaky legs. There were tears and a lot of silence and hugging. ¡°Master¡­¡± Alice murmured and Keynes opened his eyes, taking the room in. Yes, they had things to talk over. Keep an eye on the building. Keynes told her and she vanished. The farther away from him, the more diminished her powers were but that was all he could do for now. ¡°Mom, dad, Harter, take a seat.¡± Harter and their father did as Keynes asked but his mother didn¡¯t want to let go of him. ¡°Mom,¡± he whispered but couldn¡¯t squeeze any more words out of his mouth. She sniffed and released him reluctantly, following her husband and Harter to the sofa. ¡°Nice friends you have,¡± Daiyu Fen said. ¡°They need¡ª¡± ¡°Fen,¡± Kaito Ren interrupted her. ¡°Give Keynes a moment, shall you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I thought he was with you,¡± Keynes replied. Everyone in the room exchanged worried glances. ¡°He wasn¡¯t with us,¡± Christopher Wolf said. That raised more questions and made Keynes think about an escape plan. Kaito Ren was here. He could portal them out of here¡­ ¡°Keynes, is it safe here?¡± Christopher Wolf asked, perhaps having the same thoughts Keynes had. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t say anymore.¡± ¡°If that man worked for the World Government or us, we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation,¡± Vivena spoke up for the first time. ¡°He told us that you need your family and I am guessing that if he thought it was dangerous here, he¡¯d bring you to us.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Kaito Ren added. ¡°In this case¡­ shall we talk now?¡± Christopher Wolf asked but Keynes shook his head. ¡°I need some time with my family. Can you leave us for a moment?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°And could you find out what happened to the receptionist?¡± *** ¡°Is it true?¡± Harter asked after the door closed. ¡°Did you really open the rifts?¡± ¡°Harter.¡± Their mother¡¯s tone was dangerously low. She sounded different. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Keynes told them what happened to him after the World Government had kidnapped him. They were outraged, though the worst feeling came from their powerlessness. They couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Keynes assured them that some things were going to change and people like Freeman would no longer stay unpunished. They told Keynes their story, which boiled down to being held in a secured location in Lower London under the pretence that their lives were too important and it was for their benefit. He was glad that nothing happened to them but then he realised with growing dread that it¡¯d been a close call. Kaito Ren and the rest freed them shortly after Keynes fled. This was an unhealthy amount of luck. ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll need to start advancing.¡± His parents stared at him confused. ¡°Keynes, we are civilians,¡± his father said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to have anything to do with the atrocities the army does. Ricky told me enough.¡± Ricky was Keynes¡¯s uncle and an ex-soldier. Ricky was Level 2 and told the Kid family that levelling up was a gut-wrenching process. ¡°Things are different now. It¡¯s a different essence we use. It comes from the rift monsters.¡± ¡°You expect us to kill rift monsters?¡± Keynes stood up. His parents needed to digest the things he¡¯d told them. They weren¡¯t ready to take the details in or what he planned. ¡°I will do the killing.¡± Their faces told him everything. They were shocked and he didn¡¯t blame them. Before the first outbreak, Keynes was a pacifist and rather shy boy. Harter stood up as well. ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°You must wait for your ascension, brother.¡± Keynes put his hand on his brother¡¯s shoulder, gave his family a reassuring smile and left. The reunion was difficult for him. He was a changed person and they wouldn¡¯t understand him. Despite the two outbreaks, war and Keynes¡¯s cursed Talent, they still tried to cling to their old life. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He sighed, wondering about Vivena¡¯s words. Why did that mysterious man think Keynes needed his family now? As he stood in the corridor waiting for his friends to return, he looked into himself and noticed how easily he spoke about killing the rift monsters and changing society. Even though his emotional affliction was gone and he couldn¡¯t void his emotions, some of the coldness remained in him. Is this why? It didn¡¯t really help him as it added more questions to the hundreds he already had. Who was that man and how did he know? It must be a Talent. Something that tells him what he needs to do¡­ It was possible, even plausible. It almost put Keynes at ease. ¡°Argh,¡± Keynes hissed, frustrated. He hated to be in a similar situation so soon after he¡¯d escaped Freeman. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Daiyu Fen asked him as she stepped through a wall. She had a Phasing Talent. ¡°Your family is giving you a hard time, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest?¡± Daiyu Fen shrugged but she gave him an intense stare. Back in Scotland, it¡¯d be enough to make him uncomfortable. But no longer, I guess, I have changed more than I expected. Daiyu Fen stepped closer to him and he sensed her intent. ¡°Long hair suits you.¡± Keynes touched his hair that reached his shoulders. He was meant to cut them but there always was something more pressing to do. Hearing from Daiyu Fen that it suited him? He didn¡¯t want to consider what this could mean coming from her. ¡°I know,¡± he replied and passed her. ¡°Let¡¯s find the rest. We have things to discuss.¡± *** The hotel had only ten rooms and two floors so it wasn¡¯t particularly large. The recent events in the Alps monster zone (as Keynes preferred to call it) drove people away from here and Keynes was the only person staying in the hotel. He found them in the lobby. Kaito Ren shook his head. They didn¡¯t find the receptionist. It could mean one of two things. The receptionist was also the owner of the hotel and usually closed the hotel after 10 p.m. (it would also explain why this place wasn¡¯t popular) and he retreated to his room but it was too early for that and the main door was left open. The alternative was dire and meant that the man was dead. Is there anyone in an earshot? Keynes asked Alice. No. Unless they hide from my senses. Something Keynes no longer could rule out. The assassin had almost killed him because neither Keynes nor Alice had sensed the man. Then the mysterious man showed complete disregard for their senses, hiding from them entirely. ¡°First of all,¡± Keynes said. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you for saving my family. I am in your debt.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t be surprised when I come to collect it,¡± Daiyu Fen said. Everyone glanced at her. Even Kaito Ren didn¡¯t hide his annoyance. A part of Keynes expected to see some reaction from Vivena but she seemed distant or thoughtful. ¡°What?¡± Daiyu Fen had been outspoken in Scotland but there was an aggressive edge to her now. We all change. Sometimes it is as simple as that and searching for a hidden meaning is a fool¡¯s errand. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Keynes told them. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about our next move.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Vivena raised her hand. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we talk about the outbreaks first?¡± ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°You have caused them.¡± She sounded accusatory and judging by the reactions of others, they appeared to agree with her. ¡°I had no choice,¡± Keynes said, then he frowned and asked. ¡°Did you tell them, Ren?¡± ¡°No. She¡¯s already known. They raided the Jamaican base.¡± Sakura. He almost asked about her but no, this wasn¡¯t the time for that. Daiyu Fen opened her mouth but Keynes cut her off. ¡°We will talk about what happened but first we must agree on what we are going to do next. This is important.¡± Daiyu Fen took a chair, not hiding irritation on her face. Okay, there was something wrong with her. He¡¯d need to speak to her after this and find out what bothered her. ¡°I agree,¡± Christopher Wolf said. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way we¡¯ve been brought here. We need an emergency plan.¡± They all nodded, although Vivena looked impatient and Keynes gave her the floor. ¡°We should contact my family, they will help you.¡± ¡°No,¡± Keynes refused her idea out of hand. ¡°I will never again put myself in that kind of situation.¡± ¡°We may welcome some help,¡± Christopher Wolf added. ¡°Without giving away our position.¡± That set off Daiyu Fen and she snapped at the ex-director who showed a surprising level of restraint toward her. Kaito Ren had to step in and calm her down. Keynes took Daiyu Fen¡¯s side. Asking the Saels for help was playing with fire no matter how careful they would be. So the answer was no. ¡°I am not sure what your circumstances are, Keynes, so it¡¯s hard to say what we should do next.¡± Kaito Ren took a neutral stance, which sounded reasonable. ¡°Our next move depends on whether you plan to stick with me or not.¡± ¡°Yes for now,¡± Christopher Wolf and Kaito Ren said. ¡°Yes,¡± Vivena said with conviction, which told him that she had an agenda here. ¡°I¡­ I need to find Tulli.¡± Daiyu Fen sighed, and some of her aggression turned into frustration. ¡°I am afraid of what the World Government is going to do to her.¡± Alice. Yes, master. Tell me about their cores and the makeup of their bodies. It¡­ doesn¡¯t look good. Everyone except for him¡ªshe pointed at Kaito Ren¡ªis at the very bottom of the spiritual ladder. As for their bodies; She¡ªAlice pointed at Daiyu Fen¡ªlooks very promising, Level 2 and three maxed out attributes. The Level 5 has exclusively advanced on human essence as well as the red-haired Level 3. The blonde used rift essence to advance to Level 2 but she doesn¡¯t have any maxed-out attributes. In other words, they were not ready for a rescue mission. ¡°If we go now.¡± Keynes faced Daiyu Fen. ¡°We will certainly fail. We are too weak.¡± Daiyu Fen gave him a hard stare. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to go. I can do it myself.¡± Others didn¡¯t say anything and Keynes didn¡¯t like their passiveness. ¡°You cannot.¡± He told them about his mistake with ¡®Joe Brown¡¯s¡¯ name and how the government quickly picked up on that. After breaking his family free, the government surely expected them to try to rescue Tulli or others from the Scottish cluster. ¡°I need a walk. I will tell you what I have decided after I get back.¡± Daiyu Fen stood up and left. No one tried to stop her. She didn¡¯t bother with doors and phased through them. ¡°So the government knows you¡¯re in this region,¡± Christopher Wolf mused. "Wouldn¡¯t it be safer to leave as quickly as possible?¡± ¡°It would, perhaps, but it is also the best place to be unless you can book me a plane to Australia.¡± ¡°To Australia?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°Australia¡¯s gone. There are so many monsters every attempt to reclaim the land has failed.¡± Keynes nodded, he expected that much. It would take time for the government to switch to high-level bullets or melee weapons from the rifts. ¡°It¡¯s because they are doing it all wrong. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter. I am not going anywhere right now. The government has left thirteen rifts uncleared so they can farm the essence, then the White Masks came and bombed the walls, freeing the monsters. There are several millions of them at large.¡± Christopher Wolf gave Kaito Ren a long look that indicated a strong level of intimacy between the two men. Keynes waited but Vivena took the silence for a chance to speak. ¡°Keynes, are you planning to clear the rifts? It sounds risky. I am sure the government monitors them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to clear these rifts. I actually think the government has got the right idea but they are monopolising the access to rifts.¡± ¡°Yes¡ª¡± ¡°Like the Old Blood monopolises knowledge, hiding it from the public.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He told them about Emerald Lake and noticed a slight change in Vivena. She said that her family also owned estates there but didn¡¯t want to speak about the secrets Keynes implied her family had. ¡°Keynes, what is your goal here?¡± Christopher Wolf asked. ¡°To get stronger.¡± ¡°And it cannot be done anywhere else?¡± He sensed that they were going to argue with him and he didn¡¯t want that. He¡¯d made up his mind and wasn¡¯t going to change it so he needed to make one thing clear. ¡°If you wish to stay with me, then you must understand that I will not follow anyone. I¡¯ll listen to your ideas and comments but I will thread my own paths. I don¡¯t want there to be any confusion in future.¡± ¡°I am okay with that,¡± Vivena said too quickly and he almost sighed because he didn¡¯t like her agenda now that he knew what it was. Christopher Wolf and Kaito Ren took a moment but agreed too. ¡°As long as it is reasonable.¡± ¡°I agree too,¡± Daiyu Fen said, startling them. She walked out of the wall. ¡°But under one condition, we must get stronger fast.¡± While they scowled at her, Keynes smiled. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s talk about the details.¡± *** A few hours later, Keynes left the hotel and walked to the bank of Lake Geneva. It was a starry night and he really hoped the government didn¡¯t have a technology that could see his face from space because he didn¡¯t wear his favourite cloak. A slow rhythmical beat of waves was intruded by steps. He expected her to come to him earlier. After they had shared their stories, Vivena was bursting with a desire for a private conversation. ¡°Can we talk?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I came to¡ª¡± ¡°I know why you came, Vivena, and my answer is no.¡± He realised that the flood that threatened his heart was kept away only by his willpower. His perfect memory allowed him to see her in detail like a picture or a video and yet, once she came here in person, unexpected things started happening to him. He almost asked Alice to give him a hand here even though he didn¡¯t know if there was anything she could do. In the end, he buckled up and stood his ground, watching the distant shore. ¡°Keynes, my family can help you. We won¡¯t let the other families or Columbus Curt know about you. We will keep you safe.¡± Her voice was softer than when she hadn¡¯t been an ascender. And he sensed a note of desperation. ¡°Do you mean Foxglove or Sael?¡± He didn¡¯t need to say it and it was the hurt part of him talking but sometimes some things had to be said even if these words were going to cut. Vivena didn¡¯t answer for a long moment then she looked at him. ¡°You have changed. You are different, so distant.¡± And you¡¯re either na?ve or cruel. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°You have now.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Keynes¡­ can you at least promise me you won''t cause another outbreak?¡± He squinted at her, feeling the trembling in his chest. His willpower was losing the battle he couldn¡¯t lose. ¡°I will do my best,¡± he said and left, knowing how close he was to getting lost in the unfair beauty of her eyes. Chapter 46: Knowledge is Power Geneva was once a neutral and powerful city. It still hosted numerous organisations that had been founded when the World Government didn¡¯t exist like the Council of Merchants, which gathered the wealthiest companies in the solar system under its umbrella or the Moon Legion, which was a private army currently on the World Government¡¯s payroll. One organisation that to this day couldn¡¯t come to terms with the biggest mistake they¡¯d committed was called the Sovereign and it¡¯d brokered a peace treaty between the old superpowers: USA, Russia, the Oriental League, Europe¡¯s Alliance and the African United Front. The Sovereign and Geneva¡¯s Ministry of Nations had aimed to stop the endless string of assassinations of important political figures, scientists and people with Talents that could revolutionise the world and allow humans to colonise other planets. It had been a simple intent that had meant to stop brewing world war and make life on Earth better. The Sovereign for all their insight and intelligence failed to notice the true threat. His name was Vichy Ottoman. A man who appeared out of nowhere and used his Talent to sway the governments to his idea of one supreme nation, which would conquer the galaxy in a matter of centuries, fix ageing and bring endless wealth and happiness. The unification of the world and the rise of the World Government had been bloody and cost countless lives but sixty-two years ago, the World Government was finally born and Vichy Ottoman became its first President. He used Geneva as its seat of power. But Vichy Ottoman had never been a fool to believe that Earth became a safer place. Its technological advancement and economy surged because it was easier to control them but enemies of the World Government hadn¡¯t disappeared. Under Vichy Ottoman¡¯s boot, Geneva lost its neutral status and was turned into a fortress. After Vichy Ottoman¡¯s assassination and the rise of Windsor Freeman, Geneva stopped being the World Government¡¯s seat of power, which was moved to Paris. But some lessons had been learned though, and Geneva built upon the foundation Vichy Ottoman had begun. The city surrounded the entire Lake of Geneva and used the geography to its advantage. The slopes of the mountains that in turn surrounded the city become natural barriers with many buildings resembling bastions and fortresses¡ªalthough, officially merely tourist attractions. Geneva was home to over two hundred million people and Keynes quickly learned that their sentiment toward the World Government was very negative. But if they declared sovereignty, the city would perish in fire and ash, according to the government¡¯s propaganda at least. What struck Keynes as obvious but wasn¡¯t commented on was the fact that Geneva wasn¡¯t attacked by the White Masks. The terrorist organisation sabotaged hundreds of cities and towns in the region, causing over a million deaths already. Even Lyon and Valence were hit. Geneva though remained untouched. It led Keynes to believe that the White Masks might have their headquarters here. Several days after the unexpected arrival of his family and friends, and finding the owner of the hotel, alive and healthy, he decided to share some of his thoughts with Kaito Ren. ¡°Why do you care?¡± Kaito Ren asked with indifference, although Keynes noticed more than the ex-specialist realised. The recent news made even his hair stand on end and it had to have some impact on Kaito Ren. Vivena had gone against her advice and tried to convince them to clear the rifts but they knew that it¡¯d be futile. All the rifts were fortified and guarded by the military. Why didn¡¯t they stop the rift monsters? The official channels were silent but everyone was warned that any attempt at clearing the rifts would be met with deadly force. It was unbelievable that the government kept it going and it only added to the mystery. Keynes breathed in the icy air and gently nodded. Since their reunion, Keynes had been a little distant and distracted. He didn¡¯t seem like someone who cared about others but the truth was different, he cared though he didn¡¯t show it. ¡°But do you agree with my conclusion?¡± Kaito Ren shrugged. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The White Faces aren¡¯t your problem. I get it that one of them tried to kill you but don¡¯t you have different commitments now? You have promised Daiyu Fen to get stronger and rescue Tulli. Are you going to backtrack on that promise?¡± Keynes expected that argument and the truth to be told, it wasn¡¯t easy to come up with a counter-argument without revealing more than Keynes was willing to. Nonetheless, was this the right moment to say more? Sure, he didn¡¯t trust Vivena. He¡¯d even asked Daiyu Fen to stay with her in case Vivena decided to contact her family. But Vivena wasn¡¯t here and he trusted Kaito Ren to not tell her. As they strolled Geneva¡¯s forested waterfront, Keynes pondered the pros and cons of telling Kaito Ren more. On one hand, he¡¯d promised himself to never be like the Old Blood and would not suppress knowledge, on the other hand, he noticed something disturbing. Knowledge was power. He was NOT going to hide it from his family and friends but the doubt started to creep in already. If he gave away everything he knew, he¡¯d make himself weaker. Is that right? Is empowering others leading to weakening oneself? ¡°Ren,¡± Keynes said while staring at Lake Geneva and the bastion-like structures built on the slope of a mountain Keynes didn¡¯t know the name of. ¡°What do you know about cultivation?¡± Kaito Ren turned to Keynes, slightly taken aback but thoughtful. He didn¡¯t expect such a question but how could he, they were just discussing the White Masks, moreover, cultivation wasn¡¯t a thing that came up often¡ªor ever. Except for one instance¡ªthe spiritual message from an unknown entity. ¡°Nothing and I don¡¯t understand what it has to do with your promise.¡± Keynes spied a bench and sighed relieved. They had been walking for hours. Even at his level, staying on his feet all day wasn¡¯t desirable. As they slowly approached the bench, Keynes started carefully explaining what cultivation was. He had to remember that Kaito Ren didn¡¯t have his perfect memory or the Enhanced Learning buff, which trivialised learning for Keynes. ¡°You¡¯ll see when I finish. Cultivation is a technique of controlling the essence in one¡¯s body. It is the thing that got me through the painful experience of my first delves.¡± ¡°Delves?¡± ¡°Killing monsters in a rift.¡± Keynes proceeded and told Kaito Ren about his first attempts at guiding the essence and how strange but satisfying it felt, then he moved on and told him about the spiritual charge of items from rifts and how they gave him better insight into cultivation. It prompted Kaito Ren to mention Captain Ventura who had spoken about this during their training. Eventually, Keynes dropped the bomb on Kaito Ren. ¡°I found a Scroll of Lesser Teaching and it gave me a Technique of Lesser Cultivation, with it, I¡¯ve managed to reach the Medium Stage.¡± It was a good thing they sat because Kaito Ren looked ready to fall over. And he seemed paler than usual. He wasn¡¯t very tan, to begin with, but at the moment his face became like a sheet of paper. He considered Keynes¡¯s words in silence until he shook his head. ¡°How much else haven¡¯t you told us?¡± ¡°This is a tip of an iceberg, I¡¯m afraid.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Smart,¡± Kaito Ren said. ¡°I don¡¯t trust Vivena, though you said that her family has secrets of their own.¡± Keynes nodded, saying nothing. ¡°So, why is cultivation so important?¡± Kaito Ren asked when he realised that Keynes was not going to comment. A corner of Keynes¡¯s mouth moved up a little. Keynes freed his spiritual aura for a second then quickly wrapped it around his core. It was risky though the ¡®suburbs¡¯ lay in the northern part of Geneva where a few kilometres wide patch of forests was located between the lake and the mountain. It gave the feeling of being away from civilization while staying inside the gargantuan city. How could the small hotel without guests afford a place like this was the owner¡¯s dark secret. It also seemed like a descreet location. Kaito Ren made large eyes, losing his cool. ¡°What was that? This felt like a Level 5 or 6 aura.¡± Keynes hadn¡¯t considered how strong his aura was in comparison to others. His little show alerted Alice. She hastily returned to him. Master! What is happening? Everything¡¯s fine. Keep patrolling. Keynes¡¯s mind returned to a meeting with Waxilium Earl when he¡¯d blasted his aura to stop Keynes¡¯s emotional affliction from turning Keynes into a rebel. Keynes¡¯s aura was stronger now. It told him one thing: the Medium Stage Level 2 aura was stronger than the aura of a Level 5 in the weakest stage. This only reinforced his conviction that rushing levelling was a mistake and the system had many hidden rewards for those who wished to uncover them. Although Captain Ventura¡¯s aura was a little stronger than Keynes¡¯s current aura. ¡°Spiritual aura,¡± Keynes replied.¡± ¡°I get that but how is this possible?¡± ¡°Cultivation. Levels aren¡¯t everything.¡± Kaito Ren went back to silence and in the silence they sat for a while, allowing the chill to fall on them. ¡°What does cultivation have to do with the White Masks?¡± ¡°They know it. The saboteur I encountered had his Spirit at least in the Medium Stage. He might have come across it as a reward from the rift but his notes indicated otherwise.¡± ¡°Medium Stage? His notes? Keynes, I applaud your secrecy but I have to ask, what is going on?¡± Yeah, this was what Keynes had been worried about. This knowledge was quick to overwhelm. ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s go do the shopping and head back to the hotel. I will show you the notes when we get there. They explain early cultivation much better than I thought possible.¡± ¡°Keynes, you have a perfect memory. You remember every word you read.¡± ¡°Yeah but I¡¯m not the best teacher.¡± *** ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to train with me?¡± Daiyu Fen asked, irritated. Wolf was Level 5 but for some reason didn¡¯t want to fight with her. Keynes had told her they¡¯d get stronger fast but after that conversation, they didn¡¯t train at all and Daiyu Fen grew frustrated. Tulli was out there, alone and scared. For a person with a Mind Control Talent, Tulli had a fragile personality. With every day spent here, the risk of losing Tulli increased. It was unacceptable. ¡°Because the hotel isn¡¯t the place for that and I don¡¯t like fighting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a soldier.¡± ¡°I am an ex-soldier.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°The answer¡¯s the same.¡± Daiyu Fen sighed, annoyed then phased through walls. She was going to find the blonde and beat the crap out of her again. For someone who had killed a Level 7, Vivena was a weakling. The biggest difference between the women was in their martial arts, Vivena had none. Daiyu Fen passed through several rooms until she found the blonde. She was talking to Harter, Keynes¡¯s younger brother. How they could be brothers was a mystery to Daiyu Fen. Both of them were attractive but Harter was a complete gym freak like Samuel and had an easy-going character while Keynes was difficult to like. Daiyu Fen was about to leave the wall when Vivena asked. ¡°Can you at least talk to him? This is very important. It will save the lives of billions of people.¡± Harter snorted. ¡°My brother is¡­ I don''t know who he is. I don¡¯t know how to behave when he¡¯s around. If what he says is true, then he isn¡¯t someone I know anymore,¡± he sighed and his tone turned a bit more solemn. ¡°Listen, Keynes was always a timid guy who avoided conflicts unless I stood in front of him. He didn¡¯t like that his younger brother could kick his ass. But when he told us that for two weeks he¡¯d killed those rift bears¡ªbears!¡ªwith nothing but a dagger, I realised that we share a surname but he¡¯s a stranger to me. I don¡¯t know if there is anything I can do.¡± Harter left the room, leaving Vivena alone. Daiyu Fen had an urge to come out then but once again she didn¡¯t and instead waited, watching Vivena as Keynes had asked her¡ª Daiyu Fen picked up the sound of quiet steps. The door exploded and Vivena shouted. It was time for the entrance. Daiyu Fen fully phased through the wall. She still had enough mana to do a few more phases. Vivena lay on the floor, a long cut bled on her cheek while a person in a black outfit stood above her with a dagger in their hand. Neither of them noticed the appearance of Daiyu Fen She attacked without a second thought, exploiting the element of surprise. Except it didn¡¯t work. The assassin dodged her fist then with a Level 5¡¯s speed turned and kicked her. Daiyu Fen grunted, collapsing on the floor. The kick didn¡¯t break anything but it was freakingly strong. ¡°Where is he?¡± the assassin asked. ¡°I have no idea who you¡¯re talking about,¡± Daiyu Fen spat. ¡°My Talent never lies. It senses people my target cares about and while he seems to have some anti-tracking means, people he cares about don¡¯t. Where is he?¡± The assassin stood between Vivena and Daiyu Fen, holding a dagger that seemed to come from a rift. That was a problem. Nothing to do with the fact that he¡¯s Level 5, she thought snarkily. Neither girl answered. ¡°There are bounties on your heads too. I don¡¯t need to present you in one piece, or alive.¡± Daiyu Fen attempted to get to her feet but the leg the assassin had kicked gave in. The assassin didn¡¯t react to her unsuccessful try. ¡°I am going to kill you slowly.¡± He glanced between them, considering who to start with. ¡°I will strip you from your willingness to live.¡± He lowered to one knee, picking Vivena. She looked defeated. ¡°Tell me, where is he? And I will let you live.¡± Vivena slapped his masked face. ¡°That is fine.¡± A syringe appeared in his hand. ¡°It will make your screams silent while I¡¯ll cut piece after a piece out of you.¡± Daiyu Fen saw the horror on Vivena¡¯s face but the assassin¡¯s hand stopped halfway, he whirled in time to block Wolf¡¯s kick. The Level 5 came out of nowhere. The assassin produced a dagger and aimed it at Wolf¡¯s ribs, but Wolf moved out of the way. Daiyu Fen started to crawl away. Idiot. You can phase through the floor. They were on the first floor. But then she glanced at Vivena and cursed herself for even considering this. Wolf¡¯s intent was to move the fight out of here and the assassin knew it as he thwarted his attempts. In mere seconds, the room was a ruin. At least everyone was going to be alarmed. And where the hell is Keynes? ¡°We must go!¡± Daiyu Fen called out to scowling Vivena who nodded. ¡°Not a chance,¡± the assassin said and threw the dagger. It hit Daiyu Fen, pinning her shoulder to the wall. It hurt like hell but it was a mistake. ¡°Ouch!¡± Daiyu Fen phased out, unpinning herself from the dagger. The assassin cursed and Wolf took advantage of his distraction. They exchanged blows but it didn¡¯t look good. The assassin¡¯s moves were more fluid and well-practised. ¡°We must go,¡± Daiyu Fen said to Vivena. Her body began to lose strength. ¡°I think¡ª¡± She lost consciousness. *** Keynes and Kaito Ren stopped by to buy groceries in a nearby shop. Kaito Ren looked hilarious in a black wig, glasses and a fake moustache. Keynes promised to not laugh at him, which wasn¡¯t easy. With millions of rift monsters running at large, prices of food were getting steep and¡ª MASTER, quick, an intruder in the hotel! ¡°We must go, fast,¡± Keynes shouted to Kaito Ren and shot toward the hotel, leaving the basket on the floor. ¡°Catch this.¡± Keynes threw him the dagger with a piercing affix. The hotel was close and they could already hear the ruckus. Christopher Wolf and a black-clad person fought on the hotel¡¯s front lawn. Christopher Wolf was bleeding and limping while the attacker looked perfectly fine. Keynes activated [Spiritual Ghost] feeling its drain on his mana but he was detected because that moron Kaito Ren couldn¡¯t wait and rushed the assassin. Christopher Wolf tried to punch his opponent¡¯s face but its fist was intercepted with too much ease. Hell, Christopher was Level 5. If the assassin was Level 6, Keynes and Kaito Ren were going to have a problem. Find my family, Vivena and Fen! He said to Alice while thinking about his next move. Charging a Level 6 was idiocy but leaving those two here meant death for them. ¡°Ren!¡± he called out. ¡°Wait!¡± You idiot, you would be better preparing a teleport than fighting this person. Kaito Ren hesitated, giving Keynes a conflicted look, then picked up his pace and joined Christopher Wolf¡¯s side in the fight, which didn¡¯t look like a normal low-levelled brawl. Keynes sighed but what had to be done had to be done and Keynes knew how to do it. Chapter 47: The Only Way to Save Her There were several reasons why the high-levelled fight was different from a low-levelled one. First of all, they moved faster than even Keynes¡¯s perception could comfortably follow. It turned their moves into a blur. On top of that was the way they actually moved. They weren¡¯t shackled by the laws of physics to the same degree as lower levels. Once the assassin noticed Keynes, he tried to disengage but neither man gave the attacker the chance. The shift in the assassin¡¯s focus told Keynes that they were sent by the World Government and that was fatal news. It meant that they had a way to track him down after all. He''d need to figure this out later on but for now, it didn¡¯t matter. Keynes knew that Freeman needed him alive so the assassin wouldn¡¯t try to kill him. It gave Keynes an advantage. At least for the first few seconds. What Keynes had learned from fighting Hellescott and the White Mask assassin was that when facing a stronger foe, the greatest chance at winning came with the first strike. Then, with each moment, the odds plummeted. Higher Vitality meant more endurance, stamina, regeneration and resistance. Even a few points in Vitality made a difference. The assassin thrust a dagger into Christopher Wolf but the Level 5 twisted and the blade only nicked Christopher¡¯s ribs. Kaito Ren attacked then, his Strength was slightly higher than Keynes¡¯s but the assassin was too agile for Kaito Ren to score a hit with his dagger. Luckily, Christopher Wolf wasn¡¯t out of combat yet and came at the assassin right away, driving him into defence for the first time. Kaito Ren and Christopher Wolf weren¡¯t enough though. It wasn¡¯t their strength that was the problem but the superior combat technique of the assassin. Keynes would ask Alice but she was away, although he was fairly sure that the attacker possessed some kind of fighting technique from a rift. It would explain his superiority over the Level 5 and the Level 3 at the same time. It was time for Keynes to make his entrance. His [Spiritual Ghost] ran out so he had to rely on his own technique. Keynes collapsed on the assassin a few seconds later. The intruder whirled around faster than Keynes could dodge the kick that came his way. But Keynes wasn¡¯t going to dodge anything. Two shortswords materialised in his hands a split second before the assassin¡¯s attack connected. Keynes¡¯s Dexterity surged to 31 and Strength to 26. The issue here was his Perception. Whatever the assassin¡¯s Level was, their Perception made it possible to alter the trajectory of the attack, although not entirely. Keynes scored two deep cuts instead of killing blows, which he had aimed for. The kick also didn¡¯t connect With Christopher Wolf and Kaito Ren still in the fight, the wounds proved enough of distraction and the assassin missed Christopher¡¯s punch in the head. Kaito Ren stabbed his leg but Keynes wasn¡¯t going to leave the assassin alive when they didn¡¯t know what their situation was. For all Keynes knew, Windsor Freeman could be on his way here and against that man, they didn¡¯t stand chance. Yet. Two shortswords stabbed the attacker¡¯s chest, killing him. Keynes pulled the shortswords and put them into the dimensional pouch. ¡°Keynes, why?¡± ¡°He¡¯s from the government. We don¡¯t have time for an interrogation.¡± Keynes grabbed the assassin¡¯s dagger and handed it to Christopher then noticed another dimensional pouch on their neck and took it. Master! Daiyu Fen is in critical condition! He froze, anger blooming in his chest. ¡°To the hotel, NOW, Fen¡¯s dying.¡± They shot past the shocked and petrified hotel owner who stared at the dead assassin, then got to the room where Daiyu Fen lay on the floor. Keynes¡¯s mother pressed a towel to Fen¡¯s bleeding shoulder. ¡°We must get her to the hospital or she will die.¡± ¡°The moment we¡¯ll walk into any hospital, the World Government will be there in minutes.¡± ¡°Then what? Are you going to let her die?¡± Christopher Wolf and Keynes¡¯s mother asked at the same time. ¡°No. Never. Ren, here¡¯s the address. Open the portal there.¡± ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t my Talent¡ª¡± ¡°DO IT NOW!¡± Keynes snapped. ¡°That¡¯s not how my Talent works. I must see the place first otherwise it won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°To the hospital then,¡± Christopher Wolf said. But it wasn¡¯t going to work. They could hear police sirens already. ¡°No.¡± Keynes shook his head, placed the address in Kaito Ren¡¯s hand and told him to find a computer or a tablet, then find a picture of this location on the Web. Kaito Ren wanted to argue but Keynes cut him off. There was no time for discussions. Keynes took off his dimensional pouch and checked the assassin¡¯s, hoping to find a health potion, which he didn¡¯t but he¡¯d need to return to the content. ¡°Do any of you have equipment with Vitality or health recovery?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°I do,¡± Vivena said, then took a green coat out of her bag and handed it to him. ¡°It isn¡¯t much¡­¡±
Reflection of the Green Ocean (Rare) ¡°I am one with the ocean.¡± - +10% Health Recovery - +6 Mind Attribute - +10% Poison Resistance - {Enchants: Self-repair} [Coat] Level 1
¡°It¡¯s better than nothing. Going forward, we must have health and stamina potions at ready. This isn¡¯t the first attack. Now, let¡¯s put the coat on Fen.¡± ¡°Keynes, what are you saying?¡± His mother asked. ¡°More attacks?¡± ¡°Yes. As long as Windsor Freeman is alive, he will hunt me.¡± By the time they put the coat on Fen, the sirens were outside the hotel. ¡°Chris, keep the police out of here until Ren gets the portal ready.¡± Christopher Wolf stood up and left. ¡°Get Harter and dad in here, mom,¡± Keynes said and went to check on Kaito Ren. It was taking too much time. He found him in the lobby behind the counter, looking at the screen. ¡°Ready?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Almost.¡± Through the door, Keynes saw Christopher Wolf barring the entrance to the hotel. Four policemen had guns trained on him. Keynes considered what to do next. ¡°Ren, we¡¯re running out of time.¡± More police cars arrived. ¡°One sec¡ªgot it!¡± ¡°Open it in the room Fen is.¡± Kaito Ren¡¯s gaze fell on Christopher Wolf who stood before the entrance, his hands in the air. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Keynes assured him. ¡°Go.¡± Before Keynes could signal to Christopher to leave or follow Kaito Ren, he wiped the search history and turned the computer off. He hoped that the authorities wouldn¡¯t think about searching the owner¡¯s computer. ¡°Christ!¡± he called out, knowing that Level 5 Perception would pick up his voice. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± Keynes started running and heard shots being fired. The Level 5 quickly caught up with him and together, they entered the room with the portal. Only Kaito Ren stood there. ¡°Fast. I''m almost out of mana.¡± The three of them entered the portal and it vanished. They stumbled onto a quiet street with only one house. It had an oriental style with cherry trees in full bloom. The view was impressive but they weren¡¯t here for sightseeing¡ª His family stood staring at the trees, mesmerised. ¡°Don¡¯t look at the trees,¡± Christopher warned them. ¡°There is something wrong with them.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Keynes agreed. It meant they were where they needed to be. Keynes didn¡¯t plan to visit this address so soon but he had no choice. ¡°Take Fen and follow me to the gate.¡± A large wooden gate stood at the end of the street, beyond the rows of cherry trees. Keynes had to force his brother and father to go and Vivena did likewise with his mother while Kaito Ren and Christopher Wolf carried Daiyu Fen. The air was colder as they were at a higher altitude. The house was built on the slope with a magnificent view of the lake and the city. A high wall ran around the estate and a variety of shrubs and plants ran alongside it. ¡°No matter what you do, don¡¯t touch plants.¡± Keynes used his Talent and opened the gate only to find a root coiled around his feet. Across the large yard, on stairs stood a man wearing an elegant and rich oriental attire. He, himself, wasn¡¯t of oriental origin. He was young, his jet black hair tied in a ponytail fell on his shoulders. In one hand, he held a walking stick. He descended the stairs and drifted toward them. His face was aristocratic and cold, his eyes like two black marbles. He glanced at them, noticing wounded Daiyu Fen. ¡°She needs immediate help,¡± Keynes said. ¡°I can see that,¡± the man replied. ¡°But you¡¯re in the wrong place.¡± ¡°We are not. I received this address from Hugo and Sophie. Hugo told me to visit you and I know what you are capable of.¡± To Keynes¡¯s surprise, his words were accepted with ease and calmness as if that man expected it. ¡°Oh, well, why not,¡± the man said and everything was consumed by darkness. *** Dreux was eating when her phone rang. She answered the call and her mood was lifted. Her prey just resurfaced in Geneva. That was excellent news. She grew up in that lofty city. It was time to visit her contacts and find the prey. She left the food and called in the helicopter. Moving on foot was very hard in southeast France with all the monsters running rampant. Even the walled cities that were hit by the White Mask attacks, now struggled. It was a shame she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. So much free essence. A half a year here and she could ascend to Level 6. But the orders were orders, plus the reward for finding the hunted person was meant to outweigh the progression toward Level 6. The helicopter landed thirty minutes later. A team of troopers waited inside. She sighed. ¡°I am Officer Hellescott,¡± one of them said. ¡°You are in my team, Tracker Dreux. Failure is not an option.¡± Great. She rolled her eyes. *** Keynes shot to his feet. A dagger materialised in his hand. He whirled searching for danger, finding none. The room he was in was elegant, with low-hanging yellow lamps, rich red walls, white thick rugs and marble floors. And every corner had a pot with plants. Flowers and fruits were everywhere. Keynes assumed that everything had magical properties and he stayed clear of them. ¡°I have to admit, you piqued my interest.¡± Keynes whirled, finding the same man from the yard standing a few steps from him. ¡°If I decide that you are my enemy, this dagger will not help you.¡± Reluctantly, Keynes put it back into his dimensional pouch. ¡°That is better. So, Hugo Horta told you about me.¡± ¡°Yes, but can you tell me how my friend is doing?¡± Alice, where is the rest? I cannot leave this room, master. There are runes and formations in place that stop me. ¡°She is fine,¡± the man replied then added. ¡°Why then he messaged me to not accept you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Keynes frowned. ¡°Wait. He told me you are very old and at death''s door.¡± Alice, what level is this man? Uh, this man¡­ ¡°I once was but then the Vitality happened and I got my youth back.¡± He¡¯s at least Level 7. That¡¯s trouble. Big one. There was a moment of silence as Keynes pondered what to do next. He couldn¡¯t defeat Level 7, on top of that, everything in this room was a potential danger. ¡°Let¡¯s have a chat.¡± He beckoned to Keynes to follow him. He touched the wall and it separated revealing a dining room with a thick marble table, at least ten metres long, and sharp marble columns running on each side. They took opposite seats in the middle of the table. ¡°My name¡¯s Wagner Zimmermann, a gardener and an owner of the largest gardening company in the world.¡± He said it with a smirk. ¡°It isn¡¯t a coincidence that Hugo sent you to me. No one else on Earth knows more than me about gardening.¡± Two women with skin painted gold, entered the dining room and placed a large bowl of fruits, two bottles of water and two glasses. As suddenly as they appeared so they vanished. Keynes wasn¡¯t exactly sure what he saw, even his photographic memory had a little issue holding the memory of the two exotic-looking women. Wagner Zimmermann noticed it. ¡°The cream on their skin is made from a goldskin flower. It makes their presence easy to forget.¡± If this flower was strong enough to affect his memory then Keynes had to assume that everything else was as powerful here and that could pose a problem. So far, Zimmermann didn¡¯t show hostility toward Keynes and his friends except for making them fall unconscious. But to be fair, Keynes and the rest had entered his estate without an announcement. Zimmermann had the right to be angry. ¡°What now?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Judging by your company and the accident at the Park district. You are in trouble.¡± Keynes stiffened, cursing himself for his naivety. His friends were wanted and it was impossible to predict what this man would do. He didn¡¯t expect him to be this young or Level 7! Did he just walk into a trap? He¡¯d rather die¡­ ¡°A bit of trouble, yes. We can leave anytime.¡± Zimmermann raised his hand. ¡°No need. Hugo and Sophie are my good friends, and their friends are my friends. I wish they would agree to work for me. I would level them up so they could live longer but no, Hugo would never work for anyone. It¡¯s a shame. Hugo¡¯s Talent is a real gem.¡± ¡°His food tastes shockingly good.¡± Keynes agreed. Zimmermann nodded then his expression hardened. ¡°While you can stay here, I don¡¯t run a charity and I¡¯ll have you and your friends work for me during your stay here.¡± ¡°Work?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will help you. You, especially.¡± Keynes narrowed his eyes, not being sure if he understood what was going on here. Working for this man? ¡°Could you elaborate?¡± ¡°Sure, but first let¡¯s get one thing straight. I need more than a fake name. I know your name isn¡¯t Brandon. And with the government after you, I need at least to know who I host under my roof.¡± *** After an hour-long conversation about things Hugo had taught him, Zimmermann led him to the common room where his friends and family were staying. On their way there, through marbled halls, Keynes¡¯s opinion about Zimmermann shifted several times. It was a man who loved splendour but at the same time, he was a perfectionist. In the halls, they met many different people. Guards, servants, other gardeners, scientists. Then it struck Keynes. There was more to this house than met an eye. At first glance, it resembled a palace, although nothing as ridiculous as Windsor Freeman¡¯s estate but rich enough to make a person gape. But the presence of scientists told him that there had to be laboratories and gardens somewhere. That made him curious. As they descended, the scenery changed, more wooden panels, less red, black and white. One thing remained unchanged though ¨C plants. They were everywhere. Keynes wondered about the roots that had caught him when they¡¯d entered Zimmermann¡¯s estate. Keynes was convinced that plants could only possess passive abilities. He also suspected that the roots made them lose their consciousness. The common room was spacious with seats arranged on the floor that descended like large stairs. Everyone¡¯s head snapped toward the door as Keynes and Zimmermann entered. Even Daiyu Fen was here and she seemed perfectly fine. They were not alone though. Two guards in black armour stood on each side of the door. Keynes took in their situation and had to admit that they were treated well and even received new clothes. ¡°Keynes and I made a deal,¡± Zimmermann announced. ¡°You will stay here for some time. I will provide anything you need but at the same time, you will work for me, though I assure you, you won¡¯t regret it.¡± He turned and left, taking with him the two guards. ¡°Keynes, what deal?¡± Before Keynes replied he approached Daiyu Fen. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Like new. They gave me a potion that healed my shoulder in one hour.¡± ¡°I am glad,¡± he said, knowing how close he was to doom them all. If this was a trap or Zimmermann didn¡¯t turn out to be the man he was, they¡¯d be in big trouble. ¡°Now, before I answer any of your questions, we have to talk about the rules of this house.¡± Chapter 48: The Fruit of Insight ¡°Are you sure about it, sir?¡± Wagner nodded, idly playing with a dry, shrivelled fruit. It was slightly larger than a date. The Fruit of Insight. That little thing was worth a kingdom. It granted insight as its name suggested. It was the only specimen in existence. Growing these little fellas was expensive and time-consuming. So far the tree yielded two fruits in a century. Selling the first fruit had made Wagner one of the richest men in Geneva and fuelled his advancement to Level 7. The second fruit stayed with him for the moment like this. The group he¡¯d taken in was a high-risk-high-reward case but he didn¡¯t like when the stake in the game was his life. ¡°I have to do it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Sylv asked. Wagner scowled. If he let her ask questions, she¡¯d find a way to dissuade him from this course of action. She was a very risk-averse person who balanced his desire to push forward. ¡°We have Vivena Sael, the same person who killed Caesar Stonewood. She¡¯s only Level 2. Her Talent must be near the Broken level.¡± ¡°Do you think about feeding her to the Talent tree?¡± ¡°No,¡± Wagner shook his head. ¡°Our Talent tree is ¡­ an error and killing a person to gain a fruit with an inferior version of their Talent is not a sustainable approach. Anyway, Pucci assured me that the rift materials have already turned everything upside down. If her calculations are correct, we will be able to grow one Fruit of Insight per decade and its properties will at least double.¡± ¡°Then what¡­ oh, I see.¡± Sylv narrowed her eyes. ¡°You believe the fruit is going to give you an insight into how to change the Talent tree.¡± ¡°Sylvanea Silver,¡± Wagner said with a smirk, watching his personal assistant stiffen. She was beautiful in her own way. Her entire body was covered with a red, matt cream made out of danger berry and shockroot. Her long blonde and unbelievably glossy hair was braided on both sides while the rest hung loosely to her thin waist. She wore an elegant dress that covered very little of her skin, which was the point of using the cream. Sylv¡¯s red eyes were the result of the other red-tinted fruit she ate every day. It increased her Perception by a few points. Her outfit was finished with high-heels which¡ªcoupled with her athletic body¡ªmade her dangerously sexy. It was very disruptive. ¡°You¡¯re very smart.¡± Ah, and there was one more thing. ¡°Sir,¡± Sylv¡¯s voice became hard as steel. ¡°Since I have joined Monolith faith, I have stopped being Sylvanea Silver, and you know it.¡± ¡°Something about your faith gives me creeps,¡± Wagner admitted. Sylv crossed her arms. ¡°Sorry, I keep forgetting that your name has changed. It¡¯s unnatural.¡± ¡°Sir.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Wanger raised his hands in defeat. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the topic at hand. So, we have Vivena Sael with an unknown and likely very powerful Talent. She¡¯s a granddaughter of Syberius Sael, the head of the Sael House and the newly baked Level 8 ascender. In terms of wealth and power, the Saels belong to the great five ¨C the Stonewoods, the Ravencrofts, the Trumans and the Romanovs. The five richest families in the solar system. At least before the war. I have a feeling that when the war is over we will see many new names at the top. ¡°Anyway, Vivena Sael is an important asset here and we must treat her as an honoured guest. Make sure Tyr understands what it entails, no flirting.¡± ¡°Absolutely. Also, I can take care of his pinky¡ª¡± ¡°You won¡¯t cut off anything.¡± Wagner shivered at the thought. ¡°It will grow¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Sylv shrugged, unbothered by her boss¡¯ alarmed gaze. ¡°Now, the next person on our list is Christopher Wolf. He¡¯s an ex-commander and ex-director from Scottish cluster city. He¡¯s Level 5 and his Talent is publicly known. His speeches inspire loyalty. Unsurprisingly, his minor upgrade is kept private.¡± ¡°Level 5 for a commander? That is unusual.¡± ¡°I know but as far as I can see, there seems to be nothing extraordinary about him. And he has no relatives.¡± ¡°Everyone died in the first outbreak.¡± Wagner nodded solemnly. The first outbreak caught the world unprepared and killed billions. Many towns and villages disappeared from the surface of Earth. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do more digging about that man. Now, Kaito Ren, Level 3, ex-specialist and ex-head trainer. A member of the Oriental League. Has a Portal Talent¡ªit may be very useful. We will offer him a permanent job.¡± Sylv nodded then took out a notepad from her dimensional pouch and made a note. ¡°Daiyu Fen, Level 2, one of seven special operative trainees. We don¡¯t know what her Talent is, and her past has no relevance to us. The next is the Kid family. Ewan Kid, Level 1 with the Talent that fine-tunes glyphs. Learn more about this one, we may offer him a permanent job if his Talent turns out to be promising. Nina Kid-Carter, Level 1, a soothing Talent. No use to us. Harter Kid, fifteen years old, non-ascender. No use to us but someone who may use the Oriental League style of life, judging by his body. ¡°And finally, Keynes Kid. Our special case. Level 2, another special operative trainee with unknown Talent.¡± ¡°What makes him special?¡± Sylv asked. ¡°For one, if Hugo sent him here, then it means he must have passed Sophie¡¯s Talent. Not the easiest feat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re speaking out of the experience?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Wagner replied defensively. ¡°Anyway. Hugo wouldn¡¯t recommend him if he didn¡¯t believe the guy was special.¡± Sylv frowned, looking at her notepad. ¡°Didn¡¯t he message you to not accept him?¡± ¡°Indeed, and I know why.¡± Wagner looked at the Fruit of Insight, then at his assistant. She stayed by his side for the last three decades. She was Level 6 with a formidable Talent that reduced Perception of anyone around her she considered an enemy. But Wagner had been in this business since he was a kid. He¡¯d learned the truths of the world, the things hidden for the greater good. Wagner didn¡¯t share the conviction that hiding those secrets served anyone but the Old Blood and their boogeyman. ¡°Hugo was forced to message me. He used a cypher.¡± ¡°By?¡± ¡°The same person that the elites of elites are afraid of ¨C the Shaper.¡± ¡°The Shaper? Like the Cult of the Shaper?¡± Wagner nodded. He had never met him but the top executives of the Sovereign warned him to never reveal his gardening secrets to the world. Since that moment, he was curious who the Shaper was. And he was preparing to inevitably meet him. ¡°You¡¯ve never told me this. Why?¡± Wagner raised his hand. ¡°All in due time. Now. What else we know is that Windsor Freeman is also after Keynes Kid. And our sources closest to him say he is ready to sacrifice the world in order to find him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s mad.¡± ¡°He¡¯s also incredibly powerful and has the largest army in the world but he needs Keynes Kid alive at all cost. Meaning?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t bomb us to the ground?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You want Freeman to come here?¡± ¡°And the Shaper as well. This house is the stronghold with so many traps that not even a Level 10 can survive.¡± Sylv finally saw what Wagner had already seen and it filled him with confidence. ¡°But why the fruit?¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I must know what is so important about Keynes Kid that he is worth so much.¡± Wagner brought the shrivelled fruit to his mouth. His most prized possession, a single fruit worth more than everything else he¡¯d created, combined. ¡°Let¡¯s find out what all the fuss is about.¡± *** Sylv stood, observing her boss. He ate the fruit that was worth more than the current value of his company. Even in the face of revelation, she disagreed with him and considered eating it a mistake. But this was Wagner¡¯s call. A few seconds after the fruit vanished in his mouth, his gaze became distant, his body froze. It lasted several minutes. Then he was back, his eyes looked haunted, even terrified. ¡°We underestimated this¡­ this mess,¡± Wagner said, his voice shaky. ¡°What mess?¡± Ignoring her question, Wagner added, still rattled. ¡°He is the KEY to our very survival, Sylvanea.¡± *** Keynes watched Daiyu Fen pace the common room. She was frustrated with him. He understood¡ª well, no, he didn¡¯t. She¡¯d gotten herself wounded and he saved her life, now she was angry with him. She had a point that this might be a golden cage although he didn¡¯t believe so. His instinct told him that he¡¯d made the right choice. On top of that, Wagner Zimmermann was open about their arrangements. He offered to help them but not for free. Something that Keynes liked very much. He was vague about the type of work he expected though and that drove everyone mad. Keynes decided to take the time and sift through the dimensional pouch belonging to the second assassin. Keynes put aside two other dimensional pouches and accessed the assassin¡¯s one. Unfortunately, the content was disappointing and except for twelve daggers (a common and uncommon rarity), there was nothing of worth; only clothes, cash, personal documents, food and a phone. Seeing the phone inside made him worried. He didn¡¯t know if it was possible to track a device inside a dimensional pouch. If yes, it could expose their location to Freeman. But once again, he didn¡¯t think it was possible. Also Alice added that only mana-powered devices could be considered powerful enough to do so. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Vivena asked, which prompted Daiyu Fen to approach Keynes. Kaito Ren gave Christopher Wolf a worried look, while Keynes¡¯s family kept to themselves in a corner. Keynes¡¯s father didn¡¯t pay anyone any mind, reading a book he¡¯d found here. His mother glanced at Vivena, her gaze was a little judgemental but she didn¡¯t voice her thoughts. Harter looked impatient. ¡°I¡¯m checking on the government assassin¡¯s things,¡± Keynes replied to her. ¡°How?¡± He realised that he hadn¡¯t told them about the dimensional storage. There had been no reason to keep this information to himself. It looked like the dimensional pouches were quite common. He explained them and saw the disbelief enter their faces and a touch of anger in the case of Daiyu Fen (or more than a touch). ¡°And you haven¡¯t thought to tell us earlier?¡± Daiyu Fen stabbed his chest with her finger. ¡°I thought we were past keeping secrets from each other?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± It was the truth. There had always been something else on his mind. ¡°Of course, you didn¡¯t,¡± she sniffed and turned her back to him. Keynes had to say that the tight costume they¡¯d given her looked good on Daiyu Fen, not that she¡¯d appreciated it when Harter had mentioned it. ¡°So, what''s inside these pouches?¡± Vivena asked, her voice much softer. ¡°And¡ª did you hide anything else from us?¡± Many things, he said in his head but immediately stopped himself from following this train of thoughts. He was afraid of becoming a gatekeeper of knowledge when he also believed it was a crime to hide it from the world. Isn¡¯t this one of your dilemmas about sharing information, master? Alice asked while floating around Vivena¡¯s head. It is and it¡¯s complicated. He went over the content of the pouches. A part of him wanted to keep secrets but he knew it would drive him crazy. He didn¡¯t want to be like the Old Blood or the World Government. ¡°So, what are we going to do now?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°We wait.¡± ¡°I meant the content of the pouches.¡± ¡°And you have two extra pouches you cannot use,¡± Christopher Wolf added. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be smarter to give them away?¡± Keynes agreed. He gave one pouch to Christopher and the other one to Daiyu Fen after she thoroughly explained to him why her Talent made her a perfect candidate to have one. He didn¡¯t argue with her even though he believed Kaito Ren should have the second pouch. The argument didn¡¯t end there. They still needed to discuss the items they were taking. Keynes split the twelve daggers, giving six daggers to Christopher Wolf and six to Daiyu Fen. He didn¡¯t look at their properties. He offered the pauldron and the shield but neither of them wanted these items. All of them were curious about the Scroll of Random Teaching though but they kind of couldn¡¯t decide who should take it and so Keynes kept it. The raw materials were of no use to them for now so they stayed with Keynes. Vampiric Shortsword and the Shortsword of Speed were Keynes¡¯s current weapons. He gave the scimitar-like sword to Christopher Wolf at Kaito Ren¡¯s request. He also shared cash, food and the assassins¡¯ clothes with them and forced the shield and the pauldron into Christopher Wolf¡¯s pouch as his was almost full. With that done, Keynes took stock of the content in his dimensional pouch. These were all magical items he currently kept in his dimensional pouch. The other two, Contender Ring and Cosy Robe, he had on himself right now. Apart from that, he had a book about French plants, a Hunting Guide, his notebook, the first assassin¡¯s notebook, a blanket, some cutlery, a tent, a chef knife, food, cash and other unimportant things that belonged to the assassins. With a dimensional pouch hanging around her neck, Daiyu Fen cooled off and backed to a corner. Vivena wasn¡¯t so quick to give up. She didn¡¯t say anything when Keynes gave items away but he noticed her thoughtful gaze. ¡°Do you have a moment?¡± she asked him quietly. Keynes glanced around the common room. His mother and Christopher Wolf were engaged in a conversation. Keynes¡¯s father didn¡¯t peel his eyes off the book but Harter¡¯s gaze was on him and Vivena. And Keynes didn¡¯t like the way his brother looked at them but he didn¡¯t show any reaction. Maybe his brother liked Vivena and was jealous? If that was the case then¡­ Keynes stopped the thought before it made him furious. Pulling at his Will, he cleared his mind and emotions, and replied. ¡°Sure.¡± They went to the other side of the room. It was spacious but Christopher Wolf would still be able to hear their whisper. ¡°Do you understand that Zimmermann may turn against us?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Then why did you agree to come here?¡± ¡°For a starter, he doesn¡¯t know about my Talent and he was recommended by a friend. I don¡¯t know why but I trust him.¡± ¡°Keynes.¡± Vivena¡¯s voice became weary. ¡°There is so much magic around that you trusting him may be a spell or potion.¡± They were unconscious for a while after all. He nodded, understanding that this might be the possibility. But at the same time, he had to learn to trust again because if he didn¡¯t, he¡¯d see traitors and backstabbers at every corner. The worst part was that he tried to trust Vivena but couldn¡¯t. She represented the world that wanted to wrap their long sticky fingers around him and use him as a tool whenever they wished to open a rift. ¡°I will speak to Ren and see if he can open a portal just in case.¡± ¡°I already have and he cannot. Either they are using formations or runes or both. I don¡¯t know but this seems more than even my family has.¡± ¡°Well, if things go south, be ready to fight our way out of here.¡± *** ¡°Sir.¡± Sylv and Wagner stood in his office watching the recording from the common room on his TV. ¡°Why did you stop me from confiscating their weapons?¡± Wagner barely paid attention to her words. After the exhilarating feeling of the insightful vision ended, doubt and fear started gnawing at him. His plan had felt perfect when he¡¯d dictated it to Sylv, now not so much. Thinking about the possible failure he began playing with his walking stick. It was a polished applerot wood. Memento of his gravest error. He¡¯d hoped to find a wood that could keep mana in it. He hadn¡¯t only failed, his failure cost a dozen lives, including his daughter. Applerot was a two-metre high tree that looked inviting and innocent until it smelled human flesh. Its roots and branches in a matter of a second had turned into deadly whips and constrictor serpents. Whoever was in the room died in less than five seconds. Wagner hadn¡¯t had a chance to stop it but he destroyed it, turning the only remnant of that diabolic tree into a walking stick, a reminder of what a misjudgment could spell. The golden head was the featureless face of no one in particular. As he considered his assistant¡¯s question, he also asked himself, was he making a mistake here? Now, his first answer was yes. The Fruit of Insight gave him knowledge from beyond the curtain but it only showed him things very close to Keynes Kid. When he tried to look at a bigger picture, the details vanished and the insight became vague and useless. The fruit''s limitation might as well spell his doom. But there was a new force that quickly made itself known to him. Once he¡¯d tasted this type of restricted knowledge, he craved more. And sticking to his plan was a sure way to get it. ¡°Do you think I am making a mistake?¡± he asked, finding himself at wits¡¯ end. ¡°Allowing them to keep weapons? Absolutely.¡± ¡°No.¡± Wagner shook his head. ¡°I mean the plan to lure Windsor Freeman and Shaper here.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sylv answered without hesitation. ¡°I understand you gained unparalleled knowledge through that fruit but the risk of failure is too great. And you said it yourself, Keynes Kid¡¯s survival isn¡¯t dependent on us, but ours is.¡± ¡°You do understand that I just ate billions worth of value, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do and I was against it. Also, while Keynes Kid¡¯s survival isn''t dependent on us, you must initiate the plan for our fates to become entangled and our lives on the line. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± That was true but there was more to it. Keynes Kid wasn¡¯t only crucial in their potential conflict with Windsor Freeman and Shaper but further down the line lay a pivotal point that could end the world. The fruit hadn¡¯t allowed him to see clearly that far and he¡¯d only received impressions or feelings but Wagner wanted to be there. The moment that would define the future, perhaps, in a greater way than the first outbreak. Sylv placed her hand on Wagner¡¯s shoulder, ensuring that her naked skin didn¡¯t touch his, it would be harmless but unpleasant to a Level 7. Wagner stirred, then turned his head her way. He saw it in her eyes, she knew his decision. ¡°Initiate the plan.¡± Chapter 49: Power in Friendship The conversation with Vivena left Keynes in a bad mood. Once he began thinking about their situation, doubts proliferated to the point where he asked Alice about the room¡¯s defences and this time her answer surprised him. Master, do you understand that I am a part of you? More precisely, I am a part of your Spirit, taken away and given intelligence. I know that. You told me this already but what does it have to do with the room¡¯s defences? Since I have come into existence, I have faced failure after failure. Where there should be knowledge, I find emptiness or vague feelings. Where there should be nothing, I find emotions. I am very sure that a spiritual companion should not have emotions. It led me to think harder about my role in the world. And I managed to gain some insight. Go on, Keynes said, hoping that Alice would be able to finally find her purpose. In a world with the correctly working System, my role would be to guide you; offer you tips, directions and basic explanations of the world around you. But my insight would be only enough for you to get by. For example, the notes on cultivation in the assassin¡¯s book go beyond the knowledge I am permitted to give you. Yes, permitted is the right word. In normal circumstances, I would say ¡®I cannot tell you¡¯ instead of ¡®I do not know¡¯. The spiritual laws govern the spiritual companions; what we can and what we cannot do and say. In the Medium Stage, my job is to make sure that you understand and possess the basics. Everything else is for you to discover, master. The System does not give anything for free. Everything is a challenge. Keynes nodded even though it had to look weird to anyone who paid him any mind. He glanced around and saw his brother talking to Vivena. Daiyu Fen returned to pacing while his mother, Christopher Wolf and Kaito Ren found a way to engage his father in a conversation. I understand. You are basically a tutorial. They are often used in games so players know what to do but everything else is left to them. Games? He explained to her the concept of a computer game and she actually grasped it. With all that out of the woods, Keynes saw why she couldn¡¯t do anything about the defences. He needed to be the one to investigate it. Wi¡ª The door opened, stopping his question in tracks. Everyone¡¯s head turned. A stunning and odd-looking woman walked into the common room. Her entire body was painted in cherry red colour. Harter was her first victim. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped and Keynes could understand why. There was something about this woman that affected their minds or perception. A quick look around told Keynes that only Christopher Wolf was unaffected, though Daiyu Fen looked pissed off enough that it might not affect her too. Is she using a skill or is it her red skin? Keynes asked Alice. It can be a skill, but certainly, the effect comes from her skin. The strange affection lasted around ten seconds. Keynes couldn¡¯t fight it and he asked Alice to enter him and try to use his spiritual aura to neutralise this. It worked to a limited degree but it lasted too short for Alice to do much. ¡°My name is Sylv and I am Mr Zimmermann¡¯s personal assistant. I am here to discuss your arrangements.¡± ¡°What was that feeling?¡± Keynes¡¯s father asked, sounding groggy. Others didn¡¯t look much better. ¡°My apologies,¡± Sylv said as she approached the table in the middle and placed seven envelopes on it with their names. ¡°I am not accustomed to lowering my abilities on this floor. We rarely have visitors of your Level here.¡± Wait. One envelope was missing. His. ¡°Take a look at them. You will do these activities in exchange for staying here, and attending other services.¡± Other services? ¡°Wait, where is my envelope?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Mr Zimmermann decided to personally discuss your circumstances with you. He expects you in his office.¡± She turned to the door. ¡°Wait.¡± Daiyu Fen threw her envelope back on the table without reading the content. ¡°I cannot stay.¡± ¡°Fen,¡± Kaito Ren said. Sylv turned to Daiyu Fen, creasing her forehead with expectation. ¡°I have to save my friend from the government,¡± Daiyu Fen said, glaring at Keynes. ¡°Someone promised me to help rescue her but I cannot wait years.¡± Keynes sighed. He understood that his friend felt urgency but he¡¯d explained to her that they were not ready to face the World Government. Keynes needed to max out his attributes and level up. Daiyu Fen and Kaito Ren needed to max out at least two attributes and also level up. It wouldn¡¯t hurt Christopher Wolf to try to gain a level too, although that might take more time. His family was out of the question, and as for Vivena¡­ He didn¡¯t want her to be a part of their rescue mission or his group. She wasn¡¯t here because she liked Keynes, the same way he liked her; she had an agenda. Sylv stood motionlessly for a couple of seconds and in her case, it made her look like a statue ¨C completely. Then she reached a decision in her head and beckoned Daiyu Fen to join them. Wanger¡¯s office was two floors beneath the common room and Keynes¡¯s memory told him that the common room was already situated below the ground. The office was, as Keynes expected, luxurious and filled with marble, wood and exotic plants. One wall was turned into several small waterfalls that dropped on colourful pebbles and plants with leaves in many different shapes. All of this was behind glass. Wagner sat behind the antique and solid-looking desk. As they entered, he raised his eyes from the papers and frowned. In an instant, his confusion was gone and he stood up and greeted them. ¡°I understand there is some extra matter to discuss.¡± Sylv didn¡¯t know the details and Daiyu Fen wasn¡¯t the best one to elaborate so it fell on Keynes¡¯s shoulders to explain the situation to Wagner. When Keynes finished, Wagner sagged a little then took a remote controller, turned on the TV on the wall and picked Geneva¡¯s News. A screen flickered to life. ¡°The World Government Chief of Public Relations confirmed rumours about the mobilisation of the government forces in Geneva. She didn¡¯t reveal the reason for the mobilisation or its scale but the recently surfaced video shows one of the highly wanted criminals ¨C Christopher Wolf ¨C blocking the entrance to a small hotel. It is assumed that¡ª¡± Wagner turned the TV off. ¡°The World Government is coming to Geneva.¡± ¡°That¡¯s another reason to not stay here.¡± Daiyu Fen was unimpressed by the news. ¡°As I said, I will do it on my own.¡± ¡°Fen,¡± Keynes whispered. ¡°You cannot go alone.¡± ¡°Why? Will you stop me?¡± Her words challenged him. Keynes felt his hackles rise but he willed himself to stillness. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Wherever Freeman keeps her, the place is a massive trap.¡± ¡°So what? She¡¯s my friend. I won¡¯t leave her alone.¡± Wagner and Sylv watched the standoff, the man looked weary while his assistant calculating, or simply cold. Keynes tried all the arguments he could think of but Daiyu Fen wasn¡¯t an easy person to reason with, or ¡­ maybe she was but he looked at this the wrong way. Alice¡¯s words returned to him. Everything in the System is a challenge. My desire to make it easier, sounds logical only if I assume that I will be given the time and resources to actually get stronger. What if Fen is right and by then Tulli is dead or worse? He looked inside himself and he saw fear. He was afraid of stepping out of his safe zone and looking danger in the eyes. Truth be told, waiting for the right circumstances was never going to work. By the time Keynes and others got stronger, the government would as well. Seeing that he didn¡¯t have anything else to say, Daiyu Fen turned to go. Sylv showed no emotions. Wagner, on the other hand, looked ready to stop Keynes¡¯s friend. Keynes beat him to that. ¡°I will help you.¡± ¡°You will?¡± Wagner asked, surprised. ¡°Yes. Tulli is a friend. I once asked a friend to save my family and he stood up to the government and did it. If he tried to get stronger first and all that, we wouldn¡¯t have this conversation and my family wouldn''t be free.¡± Wagner exhaled, visibly traumatised by Keynes¡¯s admission. His assistant didn¡¯t hide her annoyance and asked for a private word with her boss. *** ¡°What about ¡®getting stronger first¡¯?¡± Daiyu Fen asked in the corridor while they waited for Wagner and Sylv to finish their talk. Keynes shrugged, not wanting to go over his thoughts but he decided to tell her a bit more. ¡°When Vivena asked me if I hide anything else from you, I didn¡¯t really answer because I do hide some things.¡± ¡°Keynes.¡± Daiyu Fen made a step toward him, standing almost face to face with him, even though he was a head taller than her. ¡°What has that got to do with you changing your mind all of sudden?¡± Keynes didn¡¯t back off and stared into her tempestuous, violent eyes without hesitation. ¡°Everything.¡± Before Daiyu Fen could open her mouth, they were interrupted by Sylv. ¡°Please, come in.¡± Judging by her stony face, Keynes assumed that the discussion hadn¡¯t gone her way. Wagner met them halfway this time. ¡°We will lend you our hand,¡± he said to Daiyu Fen. ¡°But we need two days to organise a team and gather information. Can you wait?¡± Daiyu Fen squinted at Keynes, her glare murderous. He ignored her. ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Wagner nodded, pleased. ¡°Sylv has a few items that may help.¡± With that, both women were gone. It was time for Keynes to talk about his arrangement with Wagner. Their first conversation was mostly about the things Hugo had taught him and the rules of this place. But Wagner wasn¡¯t very forthcoming about what kind of work he expected them to do. And did the arrangements change now that Keynes decided to go rescue Tulli? ¡°I know everything, Keynes,¡± Wagner said, instantly making Keynes nervous. ¡°Lockpicking Talent, rifts, Windsor Freeman and more.¡± Keynes froze but his mind raced. This was Level 7. No matter how hard Keynes would fight, he couldn¡¯t beat him. ¡°I can hear your heartbeat. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do any of the things that monster Freeman did to you.¡± Wagner knowing what Freeman had done to Keynes didn¡¯t make Keynes less wary, on the contrary, it filled him with growing suspicions¡­ and then it clicked. ¡°Freeman spoke about someone and called him ¡®he¡¯. He seemed to believe that this ¡®he¡¯ has a Broken Talent. Then my family and friends were found and transported to where I stayed even though I cannot be tracked¡­ Are you the man Freeman was referring to and the one who brought my family to me?¡± When Wagner showed no surprise, Keynes was convinced that Wagner, indeed, was this mysterious person. ¡°I am not him. Let¡¯s walk with me.¡± Wagner walked to the door behind his desk, opened it and waited for Keynes to join him. The initial resistance Keynes felt started to fade away and its place was taken by burning curiosity. The door opened to a staircase that led down. Keynes started losing tension completely when he saw where Wagner was taking him. They came to a large oval laboratory with over a hundred glass containers holding plants. The largest seven containers were placed inside the walls at the floor level. Smaller ones were all over the place. Not every container was a simple vivarium, not even close, some of the setups were complex enough to give Keynes a headache. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°One of our gardens.¡± ¡°Focused gardening,¡± Keynes murmured, mesmerised by the scale of operations. Hugo¡¯s garden was tiny in comparison and not in size but splendour¡ª Wait. ¡°If you aren¡¯t him then how do you know what Freeman did to me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the reason I brought you here.¡± He led Keynes to one of the largest vivariums with a two-metre high tree. Its bark was pure white but with a delicate iridescent effect. Its many branches produced only a few leaves and no fruits. The environment inside was harsh. White sand, white pebbles and white bright light. ¡°This is the Tree of Insight. It grows fruits that give a chance to look behind the curtains and see the truths.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The limitations are¡­ severe,¡± Wagner explained. Keynes stepped closer. Are you hearing it, Alice? Yes, master. Is this possible? To look beyond the curtains? What does it even mean? If it is possible and I do not see why it shouldn¡¯t be then the fruit must have some dangerous downsides. As for what is behind the curtains, I am forbidden to say. ¡°This tree produced only two fruits in the last century.¡± Wagner continued. ¡°The fruit gives you insight but it is very narrow, both in time and space.¡± ¡°Still¡­ this thing is overpowered. I presume you ate one fruit. Do you have the second fruit?¡± ¡°No.¡± Wagner shook his head. ¡°I sold the first fruit a long time ago. It brought me unimaginable wealth.¡± Keynes turned to him, things didn¡¯t add up here. ¡°Why not grow more of these?¡± ¡°Too expensive.¡± It led to another question. ¡°Then how did you maintain this tree in the first place?¡± Keynes¡¯s second question made Wagner relax for some reason. He even smiled a little. ¡°Geneva has a long history. The city, like the Old Blood families, has its secrets. I don¡¯t know where this tree really came from or who seeded it. When I asked my father about it, he told me to cultivate it instead of asking questions.¡± The word ¡®cultivation¡¯ should have stood out to Keynes but he missed it at that moment. From there, their conversation turned to Wagner¡¯s plan of defeating Freeman and Shaper. ¡°Shaper?¡± ¡°Most likely it is the person Freeman meant when he talked with you. Shaper is a mythological figure to most but the Old Blood families fear him for real and they aren¡¯t very superstitious.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Apparently because of their secrets. I don¡¯t know. My family isn¡¯t considered one of them and the Old Blood don¡¯t easily share their knowledge with outsiders.¡± Keynes thought about the white agate in his¡ª He turned sharply to the tree. ¡°These white pebbles. That¡¯s white agate.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There was so much going on through Keynes¡¯s mind that he failed to ask who had bought the first fruit. In the face of all revelations, it should be obvious how important that was. ¡°Does Hugo know about this?¡± ¡°That I use focused gardening? Yes. About the Tree of Insight? No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± This made no sense. Why was he telling Keynes all of this? Once again, Keynes realised that Wagner had an agenda like Vivena. They belonged to the world where good deeds were nothing but spreadsheets of cost versus benefit. *** Wagner stared at Keynes, seeing his growing suspicions. He couldn¡¯t blame him. Even Wagner admitted that his plan sounded nuts. Challenging Freeman and Shaper? Although he omitted a part about luring them here. That would be too much and knowing what Keynes had gone through and what it had done to him, too little or too much information would destroy his plan. He needed to guide the topic away from Keynes¡¯s question. ¡°We can return to talk about our arrangements after the rescue mission. This lab isn¡¯t the only place I wanted to show you. We have plants that increase attributes and general stats, heal or grant special temporary abilities. I¡¯m sure you have noticed Sylv¡¯s red skin. That¡¯s the effect of two plants.¡± Somehow, Wagner managed to make Keynes mollified although a spark of suspicion remained. They left this lab and went to the one with attribute-enhancing plants. With the assistance of researcher Samon, they went over the plants and their properties. Currently, their biggest limitation was the fact that many of these plants were toxic when eaten together. So, they had to find the best combination of properties that wouldn¡¯t kill Keynes in the process. It wasn¡¯t something Wagner enjoyed. He loved gardening but this wasn¡¯t gardening anymore. Most of the labs swarmed with researchers and data analysts working on finding the next gem. Obviously, not all plants in his labs produced edible matter. They also grew rare materials and one-time trigger abilities, like a seed-granate which was banned on Earth. Their last stop was the armoury. Soon after the first outbreak, Wagner made Tyr buy as many useful rift items as he could. It had been a mistake because when the second outbreak came, Level 1 items lost a lot of their value. They were still expensive but not like before. From the recording in the common room, Wagner knew that Keynes had his own items but he thought that offering extra help might alleviate his suspicions. Update #2 Update #2 Hi everyone, I think it is time for another update. There will be some spoilers ahead but I will mark them so don¡¯t worry. Firstly, I would like to give massive thanks to my Patrons and Readers who follow my work here. I appreciate it a lot and I am truly grateful for sticking with me. That said, I realised that the last arc (The White Masks) is not going in the direction some of you hoped for. Also I have been losing followers (but I can¡¯t be sure why ¨C it could be the old followers who just started reading and didn¡¯t like it ¨C I will explain where I stand with revision below). Going back to the White Masks arc; yes, I have sidetracked myself, and while long term goals have remained unchanged some of my mid plot goals have shifted and got more political. I want to believe that the reason for this is simply the world Keynes lives in ¨C it is not a frontier where anyone can go out into the wild to explore and progress; this world is ruled by power and money, and nothing can happen without politics, as everything is owned by the top people. I wanted to show how Keynes goes through that layer and finally gets to the part we all want (slaying monsters and looting). It is also the birth of a truly magical society and it is not an easy process, both in terms of writing it and the transformation itself. But I have made mistakes (Keynes¡¯s slow progress and too few rifts, etc). The truth is, it has been a few very stressful months (parenting, job, writing the story to the schedule, sometimes giving myself hard deadlines, revising first chapters). It led to rushing the story and losing sight of where I wanted it to be. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Some minor spoilers here: The White Masks arc will have the most rifts so far. This arc will set up a lot of Keynes¡¯s future adventures. Serious spoilers here: Yes, Keynes will level up during this arc and WAY more. Some of the most important facts about rifts will be revealed in this arc. And yes, after this arc, there will be more rifts and looting. Revisions? Chapter 1 is finished and is available on my discord. Chapter 2 is being revised and I hope to finish it in a week''s time. It turned out revisions take way more time than writing. I am hoping to start uploading the revised chapters once I got the fourth chapter revised to not create too big a gap between revised and unrevised chapters (story-wise nothing changes, everything stays the same. Only Keynes¡¯s personality is adjusted and small details ¨C world-building stuff mostly). Some minor spoilers for Path of Ascension and He Who Fights with Monsters here. As for Keynes¡¯s current character, I feel like he is going in the right direction but he is not yet there. He¡¯s 16 years old and being in the centre of attention of the entire world can be extremely daunting. Matt in Path of Ascension had Emperor and two crazy royals backing him up, so he is sheltered while Keynes has none of that. If Matt was born in any other place he¡¯d be locked up and turned into a living mana battery. As you know, many people want Keynes to become their private key to open rifts. Even Jason, from He Who Fight with Monsters, has a powerful backer who allows him to step out of line while the powerful would love to put their hands on him. I didn¡¯t give Keynes a powerful backer because¡­ well, never mind, but yeah, I understand, stability is important in a story and I love both PoA and HWFwM. I guess this is what may be missing here. It obviously must have an impact on Keynes. He is trying to find himself but it isn¡¯t easy for him. There is always that voice at the back of his head ¨C am I being betrayed? He will find himself eventually but as Kaladin Stormblessed said; journey before destination. So expect stupid decisions and confusion about the world and people from Keynes. Once again, thanks for sticking with me and I¡¯d appreciate your feedback ?? PS. Special thanks to my spell checkers! You¡¯re great! English is my second language and while I have spoken English for a very long time, I have started writing fantasy literature (in English) barely 3-4 years. So, yeah, sorry for my bad grammar ? Have a nice day! Chapter 50: Rescue Mission The beginning of the rescue mission was a few hours away but Keynes couldn¡¯t shake off a feeling that the hospitality of Wagner Zimmermann was too good to be true. And on top of that were the things Wagner had shown and told him. What was the catch here? It drove him crazy until Alice offered him a basic relaxation meditation technique. He needed that. Since he returned from the armoury, Keynes tried to behave as if nothing had happened but he did a poor job. His family and friends had arrangements now and from what Keynes saw these activities were designed to kill the time while they were here. His father and Kaito Ren were exceptions though. Their Talents made them very useful. His father currently worked with lab technicians on the glyphs in the labs as they needed to determine if increasing the efficiency of glyphs would benefit the plants. Kaito Ren Talent¡¯s was simpler but it possessed a major drawback ¨C cooldown. Its length was based on the distance and number of people that passed through his portal. It made him poor at using his portal frequently, and of course, he needed a visual of the destination to be able to open the portal. This wasn¡¯t the biggest problem when they had access to the Web. At the moment, Kaito Ren was preparing for the mission. Out of his group, only Vivena and Keynes¡¯s family stayed. Everyone had been given their own room and he had to admit, he liked it here very much. This place had nothing of the cold underground base in Jamaica or the makeshift city in Scotland. A knocking disturbed his meditation and he invited whoever was on the other side. He could ask Alice to check on his visitor but they wanted to test a few things. If Keynes had to put an extra effort to learn things beyond the tutorial¡¯s knowledge, could the same apply to Alice? Could she also grow other than through increasing his spiritual stages? When Vivena turned out to be his visitor, he regretted not asking Alice to check the door. Vivena was a trouble and in his state, her insistence on going with them only made things worse. ¡°Keynes, we need to talk.¡± He perked up at the lack of sweetness in her voice. She must have realised that being nice to him wouldn¡¯t work. Though she was close. Each time they interacted, Keynes felt his defences grow thinner. Her fake surname really fitted her. She was his poison. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Zimmermann refused my request again. I want to take part in the mission.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t he explain that he doesn¡¯t want to risk Miss Sael getting hurt? You¡¯re too important.¡± ¡°Bullshit,¡± she snapped for the first time since Keynes had known her. ¡°I can see that he is at your whims now. What happened to your talk about being independent? It seems that when the first chance came, you crawled under his wings.¡± She huffed. ¡°You just contradicted yourself,¡± Keynes told her. ¡°He¡¯s at my whims but I am under his wings?¡± She slammed the door and advanced toward Keynes, stopping a metre from him. This close to him he realised that his perfect memory couldn¡¯t bring back one thing. Her presence. Vivena¡¯s blue eyes were no longer sad and their intensity bored holes in Keynes¡¯s skull. ¡°Tell me, why do you trust Zimmermann over me? Why? Didn¡¯t I help your friends save your family? What did I do that made me so untrustworthy?¡± She stood before him, angry and disappointed. And he couldn¡¯t stop himself from admitting it. She was perfect, and he had feelings for her. He didn¡¯t want to answer her question and he was pretty sure he shouldn¡¯t but he had to. ¡°I am grateful for your help and I will never forget it but at the same time, you are your family. You represent their interests and I don¡¯t trust them. Freeman¡ª¡± ¡°I know what that psycho did to you!¡± she snapped again. ¡°When I learned it, I wanted to kill Waxilium Earl so badly¡­ but Keynes, not everyone is like them.¡± He agreed with her and was more than a little surprised by her revelation. But it wasn¡¯t enough to sway him. ¡°Answer this yourself: do you think your family wouldn¡¯t try to lock me up and let me go only to open rifts for them? Remember to be honest.¡± Vivena¡¯s rage subdued, turning into beautiful sadness. Tears appeared on her cheeks. She made a step toward him and her hand touched his left shoulder, obliterating his defences. Then she moved it to his neck¡­ Keynes¡¯s mind went blank, his body froze. At that moment, he was hers if she wished for it. But she turned around and he didn¡¯t stop her. His stomach became a pit of acid as he watched her leave. A voice in his head told him that if there had been a chance for them to be together, that chance just vanished. If he only followed her, talked to her, told her his feelings. But no, he was a fool, a proud and scared fool. *** Keynes didn¡¯t find escape in meditation again. Its relaxing properties remained elusive. He paced the room. It was quite spacious and pacing discharged some of his pent up tension. Wagner¡¯s house was built on a slope with at least seventy percent of the building being underground and from what Keynes saw in the last two days, this place was an actual home. The labs had a separate entrance with a lobby. His room was luxurious with a private bathroom, a wardrobe which he didn¡¯t use, and a folding wall that could transform the room into a small reception room. When a knocking sounded for the second time, he asked Alice to return to him. It was time for the final briefing. He opened the door and found Sylv there. The disruptive beauty didn¡¯t hide her antagonistic mood. ¡°Are you ready, Keynes Kid?¡± she asked, stoically. ¡°Yes.¡± The final briefing took place in Wagner¡¯s office. Wagner replaced his oriental attire with military-grade armour with a few custom made pieces. His black hair was tightly tied and left laying on his right shoulder. He had a smug smile on his face. Next to him stood Tyr Truman. A distant relative of Letchworth Truman whose family had perished in the first outbreak. Tyr was a flamboyant, easy-going guy. He always smirked and teased everyone. Keynes had learned that he, like Sylv, was Level 6, so no joke, no matter what his appearance indicated. Unlike Sylv, he seemed to not use anything from Wagner¡¯s formidable plant arsenal but Keynes didn¡¯t believe this was the case. Tyr would have to be an idiot to not take advantage of the insane things Wagner cooked up in his garden labs and Wagner would have never made an idiot his security chief. On the other hand, Wagner told me his greatest secret after less than a day. So, yeah, anything was possible. Kaito Ren and Christopher Wolf were also here, both wearing similar black armours but without customisation. ¡°Sylv, dear.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Sir.¡± Her voice had no warmth. ¡°Everything is ready.¡± Wagner nodded then turned to Christopher Wolf and Kaito Ren. ¡°You enter the closest government station with a tracking terminal. If Tyr cannot crack the system, you force the staff to show you the tracking information on your friend and send us coordinates. ¡°Me, Keynes and¡­¡± Wagner hesitated, glancing Keynes¡¯s way. ¡°Miss Sael will be en route to that location. Is everything clear?¡± What? ¡°What about Fen and why is Vivena suddenly going with us?¡± ¡°Miss Daiyu is only Level 2 and we decided to not risk her life. Also, her character is a problem.¡± ¡°And she was alright with that?¡± ¡°She is happily asleep. She will wake up after the rescue mission is over.¡± Wagner clapped his hands, bringing back all attention to him. ¡°We must move. With every hour there are more Freeman¡¯s soldiers in the city. Go.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t like it but Daiyu Fen had a difficult character which could make the mission harder for them. Keynes and Wagner met Vivena in the garage where she revealed to him why she was going with them ¨C her ridiculously overpowered Talent. After their conversation, she had gone to Wagner and showed him her Talent. He didn¡¯t have the same serum her father had prepared for her but a quick look at the Dark Web and his own stockpiles yielded promising results: seven poisons and a strong poison neutraliser that didn¡¯t remove the poisons but kept their negative effects to a minimum. After a short calculation, the number Keynes came up with was impressive. Just seven poisons would raise her attributes to 39 each. There were a few temporary stat and attribute boosting fruits as well that would increase everything even further. Keynes was speechless when a final realisation about Vivena¡¯s Talent settled in. She was a monster. If she managed to get a serum with 15 poisons that was a 150% boost, which only at Level 2 lifted her attributes to 59 and at Level 3 to 65. Wagner told them in the car that his attributes stood at 35 without any enhancements and a bit over 40 with rift items. Wagner was so thrilled with Vivena¡¯s potential that he begged her to join the mission. Keynes had taken the backseat, and remained quiet as Wagner drove the car away from his estate to the private airport several kilometres from here. Geneva was so large that the road to the airport ran mostly through the forested parts with smaller roads leading to hidden residences on each side. In many ways, this part of Geneva reminded Keynes of Emerald Lake. He stayed quiet and it eventually led Wagner and Vivena to have a conversation. It turned out that the Saels had apartments, houses and estates in Geneva. Some were rented or used by her family but many remained empty for some reason. Wagner told Vivena that her grandfather had reached Level 8 which brought a stunned silence to the car. It was officially the only Level 8 in the world apart from Freeman¡¯s Level 10. Wagner noticed her mood and asked her about it but she didn¡¯t comment on it. Was this proof that her family couldn¡¯t be trusted after all? Or was Keynes paranoid? As they reached the airport, they found no airport security guards but government troopers. ¡°What are they doing here?¡± Wagner stopped the car on the side. ¡°They will recognise us,¡± Vivena said. Keynes agreed with her. They were the most wanted people in the world and the army was coming here for them. ¡°Okay, if we cannot take the main entrance, we¡¯ll take a secret one.¡± ¡°But what if there are more of them and the planes are grounded. What is going to happen if you ¡®steal¡¯ a plane, even if it belongs to you?¡± Wagner turned to Keynes. ¡°If we cannot take the plane¡­ we may have to call off the mission.¡± He took out a phone and called the director of the airport. After a few minutes, the news was mixed. Planes were permitted to take off or land but they had to be searched first by the World Government forces. The clock was ticking. Soon, Kaito Ren, Christopher Wolf and Tyr Truman would find Tulli¡¯s location and Keynes wouldn¡¯t be ready to rescue her. He couldn¡¯t leave it like this, he¡¯d promised Daiyu Fen. But before they could come up with a second plan, Tyr called them. Wagner put him on the speaker. ¡°Boss, we have a problem.¡± *** Kaito Ren stared at the screen of a computer. The station was an information hub used by the government to track its army and relay commands from the higher-ups. Whoever had designed the station had failed to include a proper defence system, making it very easy to break in. The station didn¡¯t possess any anti-teleporting formations or runes. When they¡¯d ported here, the staff didn¡¯t try to resist. They did everything they had been asked to do. After that, Kaito Ren tied them up. Every member of the station¡¯s staff was Level 1 so they posed no threat. The mission was too easy to end like this¡­ ¡°This cannot be right,¡± Christopher Wolf murmured. ¡°Why would they take her there? That region is known to have no rifts.¡± ¡°And this name ¨C a high-restricted and militarised zone. Sounds ominous,¡± said Tyr, not hiding a smirk. ¡°Can you inform Wagner Zimmermann?¡± Kaito Ren asked Tyr. Tulli was held in China near Qinghai Lake and the whole situation was complicated by the fact that the lake and anything in a two hundred kilometre radius was a newly-built militarised zone. Even as a member of the Hidden Hand, Kaito Ren hadn¡¯t been aware of any high-restricted zones in that region, and not because he hadn¡¯t been curious. China lay in the Oriental League¡¯s sphere of influence and before the rise of the World Government, China had been a part of the Oriental League. Thinking about the Hidden Hand reminded Kaito Ren about Ventura, an eccentric captain who knew too much for his own good. Kaito Ren checked the location of Ventura and found him alive in Spain. He took note of it and returned to Christopher and Tyr. ¡°Boss says that they have a problem as well. The government controls the airport and they cannot enter it without raising suspicions.¡± ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Christopher said. Something made him look beneath the computer desk. ¡°Great. This is the silent alarm. We must go.¡± Kaito Ren¡¯s cooldown stood at 12 hours so their way back would have to be on foot. The station was in Geneva but the city was full of troopers. They¡¯d have to be careful. They escaped the main room and took the emergency exit that let them out at the back of the building. The station was walled from all sides. There were several buildings, a parking lot, and a hundred-metre tall antenna. They subdued only the people in this one building, hoping to have enough time to escape¡­ Alarms started blaring then and over twenty troopers came out of another building. Kaito Ren, Christopher Wolf and Tyr Truman hid at the back of the main building but they knew that the chance for the silent escape was over. ¡°We make a hole in the wall?¡± Tyr asked. ¡°Can you do it?¡± Christopher asked, looking sceptical at the thick wall. Tyr waved his scepticism away and a small container appeared on Tyr¡¯s hand. ¡°Okay, folks, listen. This is dangerous and don¡¯t try it at home.¡± He dumped the container¡¯s content¡ªbrown seeds¡ªon the ground next to the wall. Then a bottle of water appeared in his hand. ¡°This is where things get messy.¡± He poured the water on the seeds. In an instant, the seeds started blooming. Roots and branches came to life and forced the three men to back off to the main building. They pressed their backs against the building¡¯s wall as troopers were checking the yard and buildings. If they saw them¡­ The wall cracked, then exploded as the branches forced their way into the wall. Kaito Ren¡¯s attention was so focused on the spectacle that he didn¡¯t notice a stray trooper open the emergency exit door and walk outside. He immediately started shooting at them, Christopher Wolf and Tyr Truman weren¡¯t in any real danger as long as the trooper didn¡¯t hit their neck artery or eyes but Kaito Ren had to be more careful. Bullets could still harm him. In a heartbeat, Christopher was between the trooper and Kaito Ren while Tyr Truman decided to neutralise the danger. He shot toward the trooper with the speed that none of them could match and dropped the attacker in a single punch. By the time the seeds destroyed enough of the wall for them to pass through, the entire station was going down on them. ¡°We must go now!¡± Tyr called out, laughing. *** Dreux and Hellescott checked the hotel through and through. Interrogated the owner four times and pulled out satellite imagery and local monitoring records but found nothing. Other trackers were bound to arrive in a few hours, together with a thousand troopers to sweep the area. She had the only chance to figure out where they had disappeared, on her own. Once everyone arrived here, her glory would be diminished. And there was going to be glory! These weren¡¯t some lowly wanted criminals. The police confirmed the identity of one of them. Christopher Wolf. If that was the case, they had to assume that Kaito Ren, Vivena Sael and Daiyu Fen had been here as well. One of them had a Portal Talent. It was an easy deduction to make that they¡¯d teleported out of here. But where? Hellescott had sent troopers to every place linked to any of those four but Dreux didn¡¯t think they would be successful. The four terrorists were at large for weeks and she didn¡¯t believe they¡¯d make such an obvious error. Dreux reread the file on Kaito Ren, the man with the Portal Talent and something stood out to her. Under limitations of his Talent was written: clear visual of a destination. It bothered her because it was a pesky limitation unless¡­ wait a second. Didn¡¯t they find blood and a dagger in one of the rooms? Yes. And why they had fought Karimazov instead of opening a portal and escaping? Because they couldn¡¯t go to a hospital¡­ Of course, they needed a place to go and Kaito Ren had to see it first. And what better place to do that than the Web. She rushed down to the lobby where the owner sat behind the counter. Upon seeing her, the old man tried to vanish. ¡°Old man, how many computers with access to the Web do you have in the hotel?¡± He pointed at the computer in front of him. Dreux slapped her forehead. That was why Christopher Wolf blocked the entrance to the lobby. We have them. Chapter 51: The Only Way to Help a Friend The economy was slow to respond to the outbreaks. And the sole fault for that lay at the World Government¡¯s and the Old Blood¡¯s feet. In the first months, the general public didn¡¯t have access to rifts and even knowledge of what was inside them was restricted. But neither side understood how persistent the free market can become once it finds out what is at stake. The initial assessment saw only the rewards (items and knowledge) and essence as a source of profit. A similar attitude was on the resistance¡¯s side where additionally the rifts were viewed as the vehicles of individual growth. It took a different pair of eyes to see the true potential of the rifts. A brother of an officer, responsible for a rift in a remote location, realised that things taken from the rift are perfectly restocked in 24 hours. In the case of that rift, the endless supply of raw material was timber. In less than a week, a group of a hundred tree cutters was assembled and each day, after the troopers cleared the rift, the cutters entered and removed every tree inside. This discovery was a game-changer for the market and all this before finding out how significant the difference between normal and Level 1 timber was. From there, the expansion was a formality and the keyword was greed. It helped that the higher-ups on the World Government¡¯s side were focused elsewhere so the middle ranks could sell the rights to the rifts. Before the World Government directors realised what was going on, the officer and his brother controlled a hundred rifts with timber, freshwater, rare herbs, nutrient-rich soil and stones used in construction like marble, limestone and slate. The World Government was too inefficient and bureaucratic to react swiftly to this. And all of this had happened before the ores and gems were discovered inside the rifts. The Economy in the Age of Rifts ¡°The World Government is here. I activated the lockdown,¡± Sylv reported. Keynes was stunned by her calm voice. She said it as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°We don¡¯t know why they are there,¡± Wagner explained. ¡°I hold a seat at Geneva¡¯s Ministry and my company was never a big supporter of the World Government. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they tried to seize my assets again.¡± ¡°Again? Did they do it before?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°Tried and yes. Someone in the government knew about some of my projects and they wanted them.¡± Wagner stopped the car two kilometres from his estate, right before the terrain started to rise. They didn¡¯t see any troopers here and according to Wagner, this was the best place to block the road. From there the road snaked upward with Wagner¡¯s estate as its destination. ¡°Wagner,¡± Vivena said. ¡°I see only one way to find out what they want.¡± They understood. Keynes and Vivena exited the car and watched Wagner drive away. Despite Wagner¡¯s calmness about this whole situation Keynes couldn¡¯t stop worrying. If the World Government found them again, it might mean Windsor Freeman coming down himself to catch Keynes. Keynes glanced at Vivena, the black armour suited her more than her green coat. She noticed his look and turned to him. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be alright. I know why you don''t trust me but I want the best for you.¡± He frowned because he didn¡¯t expect this from her and worse, he didn¡¯t know what it meant. He understood her interest in securing his Talent for her family. But this? Argh. Alice, you¡¯re a girl, right? This is a complex matter and I don¡¯t want to talk about it. What was that, huh? ¡°You okay, Keynes?¡± Keynes realised that he must have been doing strange faces while talking to Alice in his head. None of his friends knew about her yet. ¡°I am fine, thanks. Shall we do some recon?¡± He knew that a Level 6 and a Level 7 would do just fine without his help but wanted to be there. ¡°But we must be careful.¡± On foot, the way to Wagner¡¯s estate was quicker as it often cut through the road in the form of a tunnel and an absurd number of stairs. As they got closer they heard helicopters in the air. Seriously, at this point, Keynes hated helicopters. They were a bad omen. To see inside Wagner¡¯s estate, they would have to climb the rocky wall the house stood adjacent to. It was out of the question¡ª The shooting started then. *** Wagner pulled up before the main gate. It was open but the entrance was barred by a squad of troopers. As he stopped the car and turned the engine off, they gestured to him to leave the vehicle. During driving, he swapped the armour for casual clothes. The dimensional pouch was a handy little thing. ¡°Identification.¡± ¡°Wagner Zimmermann, the owner of this house.¡± A stout, well-built man with a thick moustache came from inside the estate. He checked something on his tablet then nodded, satisfied. He stopped five metres from Wagner, clearly not taking chances. ¡°Officer Hellescott, the leader of this operation. I have to ask you to grant me access to your house, Mr Zimmermann.¡± Wagner closed the car¡¯s door and frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t see a reason why I should do so.¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what the World Government wants. If you don¡¯t like it, then take it up with my boss.¡± Wagner looked around. The squad had their rifles trained at him. He couldn¡¯t gouge their Levels without making them know that he was doing so. Escalating the tension might not be the best idea right now. Those people wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against him but that wasn¡¯t the issue here. Thousands of troopers were arriving in Geneva every hour. He might be Level 7 but he wasn¡¯t some god who could take on an entire army. Maybe in the future individuals with insane powers would walk on this planet but today wasn¡¯t the day. So he needed to get rid of them without killing a single trooper. ¡°If you tell me what it is about, I may consider your request.¡± Officer Hellescott fell silent thinking about his words. At the same time, Wagner sensed another person coming from behind. He squinted and saw a woman not looking a bit like a trooper. Her armour was more casual and she had a brown cape. Either Sylv¡¯s unnatural attractiveness or Vivena¡¯s innocent beauty dulled his senses but he found the woman unappealing to his eyes. Maybe it was her short hair? Who could say? And what does it matter, anyway? She approached his car in a relaxed manner. ¡°And who are you?¡± ¡°Dreux, a tracker.¡± Wagner¡¯s jovial attitude vanished in an instant. If she was a tracker then Keynes and his friends were the reason why they came here. She glanced inside the car while Hellescott tried to bring Wagner¡¯s attention back to him. Wagner didn¡¯t care about the officer. This woman was the true threat. Wagner accessed the dimensional space, keeping his items at his fingertips. ¡°You came here alone?¡± she asked, like him, ignoring the officer. ¡°I am Level 7, a member of Geneva¡¯s Ministry and CEO of Greenera Energy, one of the largest companies in the world. Do you really think I will answer questions from a lowly officer or a tracker?¡± His voice was sharp and cold like steel. The World Government¡¯s attempt at seizing his assets had failed because the bureaucrats hadn¡¯t been ready to deal with a Level 7. After all, Level 7 was the very pinnacle of strength and those who achieved it were in a position of great power. Dreux turned out to be the same. Suddenly, she lost some of her aggressive confidence and Wagner knew he had to capitalise on it. ¡°I am asking you nicely to leave my premises before you create a diplomatic scandal.¡± He turned back to Officer Hellescott but to Wagner¡¯s surprise, this man didn¡¯t seem as intimidated as Wagner hoped. ¡°Mr Zimmermann, I think you¡¯re misunderstanding what is being said here. We aren¡¯t here to ask for your permission, although I tried to be nice, we are here on the direct order from President Freeman. We will enter your house one way or another and we can cause all diplomatic scandals in the world for all I care. Now¡ª¡± Wagner swapped his clothes for his black armour and took out the items that boosted his attributes, and a staff.
The Staff of Growth (Uncommon) ¡°Longer! Make me longer!¡± - Length can be extended by 25% - [Staff] Level 1
When Wagner had heard about the Staff of Growth, he¡¯d had something else in mind. He hadn¡¯t had a chance to use it since then. It was time for some action. ¡°What the¡ª¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The staff hit Hellescott¡¯s head knocking him out in an instant. Wagner didn¡¯t use all his strength and still, the staff almost cracked. Or maybe it was the officer¡¯s skull? He whirled, catching the tracker in the side. She grunted, her face filled with pain. The soldiers started shooting. Wagner jumped over the hood and hid behind the car. Bullets could still penetrate some parts of his body and it wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling. Helicopters were coming too. Great. He was on a timer. This is what you wanted, Wagner reminded himself. His plan involved luring Freeman and Shaper here after all. Yeah, that idea doesn¡¯t seem appealing all of sudden with the World Government breathing down my neck. With the officer and the tracker out of commission, Wagner had to clean up the rest of the troopers. They were attempting to circle the car but they couldn¡¯t match his Level 7 Dexterity and Strength when he shot from behind the cover. In less than ten seconds, the squad of ten was lying unconscious on the ground. Vivena and Keynes joined him a moment later. They¡¯d clearly run here and though they were both Level 2, Keynes looked less exhausted than Vivena. His Contender Ring and maxed-out attributes did make a difference. Keynes froze when he saw the officer. ¡°If he is here then they know,¡± he said. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°Troubles,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°It may be time to leave Geneva.¡± ¡°Hold on, Keynes. I have a better idea. Let¡¯s discuss it inside.¡± They glanced up. The helicopters stayed in the air circling high above Wagner''s estate. For some reason they didn¡¯t intend on landing. ¡°What about them?¡± Vivena pointed at the officer and the tracker. ¡°They are at least Level 4.¡± ¡°Hellescott is Level 5. He¡¯s a tough opponent.¡± ¡°You fought him?¡± Vivena asked, shaking her head in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re Level 2.¡± ¡°My maxed out attributes aren¡¯t only for show.¡± While Vivena knew what maxing out attributes was, she wasn¡¯t aware that Keynes had maxed them all out. Their conversation was brought to a swift end by Wagner. ¡°We must leave¡ª Keynes?¡± Keynes grabbed Hellescott by the collar of his armour. Hellescott cracked his eyes open, only barely. ¡°If you go after me again¡ª¡± ¡°Keynes!¡± Wagner shouted a warning. The tracker recovered and got to her feet. She didn¡¯t hesitate and moved but didn¡¯t come at them, instead, she started running away. ¡°Ah, well. I thought she could try something funny.¡± Keynes let go of Hellescott and turned toward the running tracker. ¡°I don¡¯t think your plan of challenging Freeman is going to work,¡± Keynes told Wagner. ¡°What did you say?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°You want to challenge Freeman? How?¡± ¡°If we can beat Freeman, it is inside this estate. So we better go there.¡± *** They returned to the estate, locking it down again. Hellescott and his troopers were left on the road. Vivena and Wagner thought it might tone down the government¡¯s response. Keynes wasn¡¯t so sure. He was surprised to even see Hellescott after his failure. But if the Level 5 was here, it meant he¡¯d been given another chance and he¡¯d do anything to succeed this time. Keynes took a shower, while Wagner held a meeting with his staff. Keynes knew what Wagner was going to say to them and felt sorry for the bunch. He¡¯s NUTS! Luring Freeman here? Keynes slapped his forehead. Wagner was risking his family¡¯s lives and Keynes couldn¡¯t accept it. No matter how much Wagner assured him, Keynes had a very bad feeling about this. And on top of that, Ren, Christopher and Tyr weren¡¯t back yet. Keynes switched the shower off then turned¡ª ¡°WHAT THE HELL?!¡± Daiyu Fen stood with her fists on her hips like an angry demon. Her violet eyes bored into him without a shred of magnanimity. Alice! Why didn¡¯t you tell me about Fen?! Oh, sorry, but she isn¡¯t an enemy, right? Never mind. He huffed in his head. Slowly, Keynes reached for a towel. He felt that Daiyu Fen was on the verge of attacking him here and he¡­ he didn¡¯t have his dimensional pouch on him. Crap. He also left his Contender Ring next to the sink. Crap. He wrapped the towel around his waist. ¡°You lied to me.¡± The amount of vexation in her voice was as thick as the amount of the steam in the air right now. ¡°I am sorry.¡± Keynes dropped his gaze. ¡°I have nothing in my defence.¡± He should have seen the slap. It stung even though her Strength was the same as his. But it stung more on an emotional level. Keynes failed her. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have listened to you, Keynes. If I didn¡¯t, I would already be on my way to save Tulli.¡± She turned to go. ¡°Fen,¡± Keynes whispered. ¡°Before you go, I have to show you something.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she snorted. ¡°One of your many secrets you¡¯re keeping for yourself? I don¡¯t think so.¡± She resumed her walk¡­ Keynes released his spiritual aura. Daiyu Fen froze. He squinted at her, waiting and gauging her reaction. His aura buffeted the walls of the bathroom. Master, what are you doing? Alice asked, concerned. She¡¯s a friend. Keynes replied. This is the only way I can help her right now. When Daiyu Fen turned toward Keynes, her face looked stricken. He resumed control of his aura and it vanished for Daiyu Fen¡¯s senses. The silence stretched between the two. The tension grew until Daiyu Fen snapped. ¡°What was that?¡± Keynes sighed then showed her his full profile. Name: Keynes Kid Species: Human Level: 2 (Perfect State) Progression: 6% Spirit Stage: Medium Spiritual Companion: Alice
Attributes Permanent Temporary Total
Strength (5%) 24 0 24
Dexterity (6%) 24 0 24
Will (9%) 24 0 24
Mind (4%) 24 0 24
Perception (7%) 24 0 24
Vitality (6%) 24 0 24
Spells: Talent: Techniques: Status: Enhanced Learning (permanent), Purified Body (permanent), Photographic Memory (strong), Untraceable (medium, permanent). Chaos (permanents, semi-dormant, ???). Daiyu Fen dropped on her bottom, her eyes like boiled eggs. ¡°Keynes¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°What is this? How?¡± He sat down in front of her and for some reason, her face started growing red. He frowned then noticed where she was looking and quickly readjusted the towel. He blinked, feeling unnatural heat spread all over his face and then dropped his gaze again, blushing. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± In the periphery of his vision, he saw her shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± But I do. Anyway. ¡°If you are going to succeed in rescuing Tulli, you will need my knowledge.¡± He decided against trying to stop her. She wouldn¡¯t listen to him. And he actually believed that Daiyu Fen had a better chance at succeeding alone if what Kaito Ren had told them over the phone was true. *** Shortly after Daiyu Fen left, the attack came. Keynes, Wagner, Sylv and Vivena stood in a monitoring room watching the government troopers trying to cut through the steel plates covering doors and windows. ¡°This is a special, enhanced alloy of steel. Its resistance was increased through various processes. They would need more than standard equipment to get through it.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t believe she has left,¡± Vivena murmured to herself, not listening to Wagner. ¡°The fight ahead of us¡­ what if they decide to bomb it?¡± Wagner actually smiled hearing her question and Keynes knew why. Wagner¡¯s plan slowly started coming together in Keynes¡¯s head, if he only could take away his family out of here. ¡°Freeman wants Keynes alive at all costs. He will never risk his life. It makes this house one of the safest places in the world.¡± ¡°What if Freeman comes here by himself? Do you have a way to defeat that monster?¡± Vivena asked the right questions. If they had a serum with 15 poisons, then she¡¯d actually be able to defeat him. What they had at hand wasn¡¯t enough though. And it wasn¡¯t the end of their problems, Wagner¡¯s plant traps, and all that, would amount to nothing if Freeman sent the fodder ahead to clear the path for him. ¡°Don¡¯t forget where we are. Geneva is a proud city. If Freeman comes here and I believe he will, he will learn the true extent of this city¡¯s wrath,¡± he replied and then as if reading Keynes¡¯s mind, added. ¡°I also have friends who will come to our aid, as for Freeman, when he steps inside these walls, he will be challenged beyond his expectations.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t argue with that, even though he remained sceptical but what choice did he have at the moment? Besides, he indirectly agreed to this madness. With that said, Keynes left the monitoring room to train in a gym. He had to start pushing his attributes higher and train his aura control. Alice refused to share her efficient attribute training technique with him, claiming that the circumstances weren¡¯t right. *** Windsor and his entourage were on their way to a plane when Ronald Rugman stepped in their path. He wore a silver uniform that nicely suited his face and hair. Seeing his second in command, Windsor told his entourage to go ahead and wait in the plane. Windsor stepped in front of Ronald, being a head taller than his friend, he looked down on him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ronald? Don¡¯t you have duties to attend to?¡± ¡°I delegated my duties to directors. There is no point in having subordinates and not using them. Instead, I decided to accompany you.¡± Windsor narrowed his eyes. Ronald Rugman decided to accompany him? Was his second out of his mind? Where was his audacity coming from? This situation began irking Windsor. ¡°Your duties are too important to delegate them to directors,¡± Windsor said, sounding on edge. ¡°You¡¯ll get back to them immediately.¡± ¡°Windsor,¡± Ronald said. ¡°Keynes Kid is in Geneva. Shouldn¡¯t we be on our way there?¡± Windsor¡¯s body stiffened at the mention of Geneva and Keynes Kid. His spies had already confirmed the location of Keynes Kid but there was a second bottom. Columbus Curt was on his way to Geneva and from Hellescott¡¯s team, Windsor knew that Keynes Kid stayed with Wagner Zimmermann, a very influential and rich Level 7 who shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. Windsor didn¡¯t see a reason why he should go there personally, not yet at least. He¡¯d sent a million troopers there but they were surely going to fail him. Keynes Kid was his most important asset but Windsor had realised something. The true authority didn¡¯t come from numbers or wealth but personal power. People couldn¡¯t be trusted. Even his most trusted servants were failing him. After sitting on the top of the World Government for twenty-one years, Windsor finally understood that he hated it. Armies? Wealth? Lands? Even the Rock of Gibraltar, his new palace he was so proud of, they meant little to him. Personal power was everything. The Human Project had finally seen some successes. It was time for Windsor Freeman to become a god. Only then, he was going to catch Keynes Kid and, be it Columbus Curt or the entire world, nothing would be able to stand in his way. ¡°This is a good point, Ronald. Take another plane and fly to Geneva. Bring me Keynes Kid. If you fail or betray me, I¡¯d have you killed.¡± Windsor walked away from Ronald Rugman, leaving his second in command speechless. Chapter 52: The Beginning of Uprising The government forces needed three days to tear down the steel plates and did so only after bringing heavy machinery. From there, it got harder for the troopers. Wagner didn¡¯t lie, he¡¯d prepared for this. His plants were the stuff of nightmares. With nothing to do Keynes focused purely on the training. He managed to improve his aura control technique. It was no longer a lesser version. Once his technique was improved he intrinsically felt how nuanced aura control really was. Controlling aura wasn¡¯t only about hiding it. In fact, that was the worst possible way to use aura. Unfortunately, many of these techniques needed to be learned one way or another. By improving his current technique Keynes became more adept at manipulating his aura and gained a sense of other paths related to the aura. The improvement of the technique didn¡¯t give him the same kind of boost levelling up did. That was disappointing but expected, improving this technique didn¡¯t take the same effort as levelling up with maxed out attributes took. On a different note, Alice remained adamant in her refusal to show him a better technique of maxing out attributes and he was back to the old methods. Wagner didn¡¯t have a proper facility for that and Keynes was stuck with training only Strength and Dexterity. He considered asking Vivena to train with him but decided against it. That way he could train his Will. Harter came by a few times but being a non-ascender greatly increased the risk of injury. Non-ascenders didn¡¯t heal the same way ascenders did. For example, if a non-ascender lost a limb, the limb would not regrow. Because of that, the lives of non-ascenders were a bit more sheltered. On the fourth day, Wagner had a video conference with the Ministry of Geneva. Sylv, Keynes and Vivena were also present. Twenty people spoke with Wagner about the military presence of the World Government and the attack on his estate. He urged them to be patient but they didn¡¯t want to. They displayed a lot of pride and the current situation infuriated them. ¡°The High Parliament promised to respect our status. A million soldiers in our city is a clear sign of contempt.¡± ¡°Since the dissolution of the High Parliament, I wouldn¡¯t count on any of our agreements to be still respected. We should have joined the resistance from the beginning.¡± ¡°No. Geneva had been a neutral city before the rise of the World Government. Joining the resistance¡¯s side would put us in the Old Blood¡¯s sphere of influence. None of us wants that.¡± ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Keynes expected a disagreement and fruitless debate but found a single voice filled with conviction. The World Government must be opposed. Vivena tried to join the discussion but Sylv slapped her down before she could utter a word. ¡°Our decision is final then. We ask them to leave. If they refuse, we make them.¡± The video conference ended. The atmosphere after the debate was thick in Wagner¡¯s office. Vivena spoke up first. ¡°Do you understand what this entails? The government will raze Geneva to the ground for this! Wagner, you must stop it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you currently fight the World Government, Vivena?¡± Keynes asked, surprised by her pacifistic attitude. ¡°We do, but this is different. Fighting the government head-on is suicide. They have superior numbers, control the infrastructure and have weapons of mass destruction. If you start an uprising here, they¡¯ll bomb the city to the ground.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Wagner agreed with her, which made Keynes scratch his head. They were contrasting themselves. ¡°The government¡¯s firepower is unstoppable. If Windsor Freeman wanted, he¡¯d reduce the world to ash.¡± Vivena opened her mouth but Wagner stopped her with a raised hand. ¡°He will do none of that for two reasons. First, he knows that Geneva is prepared for such an attack. We have always been. Second, because Keynes is here. Freeman will not risk his life. This is our chance to rebuild the Geneva it used to be.¡± Vivena disagreed with Wagner¡¯s reasoning but she wasn¡¯t in a position to make demands. Later that day, they got a word from Tyr. The three men stayed in the central district, being unable to move as the troopers were everywhere. Kaito Ren couldn¡¯t open a portal inside the estate because the lockdown activated some anti-teleport system. The next day, the troopers entered the first underground floor. One more floor and they¡¯d have to go through another batch of plant traps. The absence of Freeman made Wagner worried. If he used his troopers as a fodder to clear the traps, they¡¯d have a real problem. On the other hand, the Ministry of Geneva officially told the troopers to leave the city if they failed to do so, they¡¯d be removed by force. Riots started soon after the announcement. The situation was getting out of hand, and then an unexpected call came. ¡°Wagner Zimmermann,¡± said Ronald Rugman. Only Wagner, Sylv and Keynes were present. After the last conversation, they decided to not include Vivena. ¡°I see that Keynes Kid is with you. Good. It will make it easier for us.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Wagner asked. ¡°You may not be aware but I presented an offer to the ministry. Keynes Kid for Geneva¡¯s pre-World Government status.¡± The offer sent a chill down Keynes¡¯s spine. Gently, he gauged Wagner¡¯s and Sylv¡¯s expressions. Neither of them looked particularly moved by Ronald Rugman¡¯s words but Keynes couldn¡¯t stop imagining the worst. And once again, I am at the mercy of high levels. I hate this. ¡°We are not interested in your promises, Rugman,¡± Wagner replied. ¡°We were once told that we would stay neutral and here we are. A million soldiers inside the city.¡± Ronald Rugman sighed, rolling his eyes. ¡°Zimmermann, I am trying to save lives here.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you take your army and kill the monsters in southern France and clear the rifts in the Alps?¡± ¡°I cannot do it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the second most important man in the World Government¡­¡± Ronald Rugman shook his head. Keynes had to admit that he looked different from what he expected. Despite his young look, he had the manners of a tired, old man. Keynes wondered if he was missing something here. Before he¡¯d ascended and become Level 1, those people were just big names from TV and the Web. They were still big names but Keynes wouldn¡¯t let them haggle over his life as if it didn¡¯t belong to him. He made a decision in a spur-of-the-moment. ¡°Are you ready for the third outbreak, Mr Rugman?¡± Keynes asked, earning shocked looks. ¡°Because this is what is going to happen if your boss catches me again and forces me to open a Level 3 rift.¡± Rugman¡¯s mask of indifference fell off pretty easily. ¡°You¡¯d murder billions?¡± ¡°Their deaths would be on you. I merely warn you what is going to happen if you try to enslave me again.¡± Rugman glanced at Wagner. ¡°Zimmermann, this is the person you are protecting.¡± Wagner smiled in his usual fashion then replied. ¡°If you want Keynes, tell Freeman to come to get him personally.¡± Before Rugman could respond, Wagner turned the screen off. He wilted as if a great amount of air was sucked out of him. He was Level 7 so he couldn¡¯t look tired or old, but he did in a way. Keynes took his chair and pushed it closer to Wagner¡¯s. The two men didn¡¯t speak for a minute then Keynes asked. ¡°Will the ministry reject his offer as well?¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Sylv, dear, please bring us tea. Something calming.¡± ¡°We can ask my mother. Her Soothing Talent works miracles.¡± Wagner thanked him for the offer but shook his head. He didn¡¯t want Keynes¡¯s mother to see him like this and Keynes understood this. Level 7s were like the highest pillars in the world. To see one of them stressed was like finding cracks on the surface of the pillar or worse. Before Wagner, the only other Level 7 Keynes had met was Esopp Earl. He¡¯d given Keynes an impression of a demi-god. But what if it was an illusion? Ronald Rugman was Level 7 too and he seemed very human in everything he showed today. ¡°They will reject his offer,¡± he assured Keynes. When Sylv returned with tea, Wagner regained some of his composure¡ª BOOM. The entire room shook. Wagner, Keynes and Sylv exchanged glances. BOOM. ¡°What the hell?¡± they muttered at the same time then Wagner told Keynes to go find his family and wait in the safe room. Sylv went to the control room. Most of the estate was underground, if their life-support systems stopped working they¡¯d be in trouble. As Keynes ran to his family¡¯s rooms, he wondered if he¡¯d perhaps made a judgement error about Ronald Rugman. Maybe the man was faking it after all? His family was back in their room, they looked terrified. ¡°Keynes!¡± They peppered him with questions but he knew as little as them. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the safe room.¡± He opened the door and heard shots. They came from far away. Most likely the higher floors. He wondered what they were shooting at as Wagner didn¡¯t have any guards up there. He exclusively used plants for defences and Keynes could attest to their effectiveness. But the numbers the World Government brought here¡­ The plant traps wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop them. I knew his plan was crap! A moment later, Vivena entered the safe room together with the staff from the labs. ¡°Keynes, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. We just finished talking to Ronald Rugman¡­¡± ¡°You talked to Ronald Rugman?!¡± his family asked at the same time. ¡°Yeah and the conversation didn¡¯t go as planned.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t Wagner ask me to join the meeting?¡± Vivena inquired, looking upset. ¡°Because if Rugman saw you, he¡¯d know we aligned ourselves with the resistance which is not the case.¡± Sylv said, appearing behind their backs. Smooth. That wasn¡¯t the reason¡­ unless it was. Wait, was it? Vivena accepted Sylv¡¯s explanation without an argument which cut out an unnecessary debate. They didn¡¯t have time to discuss inconsequential things. ¡°Listen up, everyone,¡± Sylv raised her voice. ¡°In ten minutes, we will have a portal opened in this room. It will take you to a safe location in Geneva.¡± Keynes expected an avalanche of questions but Wagner¡¯s staff was well-trained and knew when to stay silent. Keynes¡¯s family on the other hand assaulted Sylv with dozens of inquiries. Keynes watched them and felt proud. Despite being Level 1s, and non-ascended in Harter¡¯s case, they were growing more confident in the presence of high levels. Their first meeting with the Saels (back then under the fake name of the Foxgloves) had had a strong undernote of fear in the air, today the fear was gone. I mean, a different kind of fear. They were scared as mice. Keynes used tendrils of his aura to inspect his father and mother¡¯s auras, it was very hard but at least possible since the technique improved, and found strong conviction there. ¡°Mr Zimmermann wants you two away as well,¡± Sylv told Keynes and Vivena. At first, Keynes was tempted to leave with his family but Alice¡¯s words were like metal rods lodged inside his brain. Everything is a challenge. If he wished to be stronger, he needed to push himself harder, much harder than he did so far. ¡°I am staying.¡± ¡°Keynes, you cannot,¡± Vivena protested. ¡°Your life is too precious.¡± Something about her words didn¡¯t sit well with him. They sounded too much like something Windsor Freeman would say. ¡°My life means nothing if I cannot protect it myself.¡± Sylv didn¡¯t argue, perhaps, Wagner had warned her that Keynes would object to this. His family naturally tried to convince him that he should go with them. ¡°Don¡¯t play a hero, okay?¡± Harter said. ¡°Just wait until I ascend, brother, I will protect you then.¡± Keynes considered pulling them into a hug but decided it¡¯d send a wrong message. The portal opened and everyone was ushered to step into it. Keynes watched his family go until Vivena¡¯s time came. ¡°I will stay too.¡± ¡°Vi¡ª¡± Before he could complain, the portal collapsed. ¡°Never mind.¡± Sylv didn¡¯t comment on their decision to stay and because of her indifferent expression, it was hard to know what she thought about this. Not dwelling on it for too long, Keynes and Sylv went straight to where Wagner was waiting, while Vivena went to get her equipment. What they learned later that day was that Ronald Rugman did the unthinkable. He officially ordered the troopers to leave Geneva and go to southern France and the Alps, kill the monsters at large and clear the rifts. This decision didn¡¯t sit well with Officer Hellescott who decided to attack Wagner¡¯s estate against Rugman¡¯s order. Hellescott couldn¡¯t return empty-handed. The President had made it clear what kind of fate was waiting for Hellescott if failed the second time. Appeals to Rugman amounted to nothing. His decision to withdraw forces was final. Keynes Kid didn¡¯t interest him. It¡¯d be a perfect scenario. Hellescott, even with Dreux''s help, was not ready to face a Level 7 and a Level 6. But things didn¡¯t go according to plan, they never did. During the retreat, the White Masks staged attacks on important officers and a director. There was an attempt on Rugman¡¯s life as well but the Level 7 got through with wounds that didn¡¯t threaten his life. In an announcement, the leader of the White Masks declared that the Alps monster zone was to be left intact and anyone who attempted to clear the rifts or contain the monsters would be killed. She also called Geneva to arms. And to everyone¡¯s surprise, many people responded to it positively. On the other end, Hellescott and Dreux were out of troopers before they passed the first layer of traps. Only three squads hadn¡¯t heeded Rugman¡¯s order and had foolishly followed their officer. Sylv dispatched Dreux with ease when there were no troopers left. Keynes was very frustrated and asked to fight Hellescott. None except Vivena objected. It didn¡¯t make a difference. Wagner was in the room with them, ready to step in if things went south. ¡°I am disappointed,¡± Keynes said to the officer. ¡°I was looking for some fighting but once again no luck.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane, boy,¡± Hellescott said. Once he noticed Vivena, he lost a lot of his confidence. ¡°You¡¯re only Level 2. You can¡¯t defeat me.¡± He glanced at Wagner and Vivena, then hissed angrily. ¡°Hopefully, you will get a taste of how I felt when you had me.¡± With two shortswords, Keynes¡¯s Dexterity was higher than Hellescott¡¯s by a point or two. Unfortunately, other attributes weren¡¯t and this created an issue. But Keynes wasn¡¯t going to back off from the challenge. They were in one of the reception rooms where Sylv had knocked Dreux out. The two women weren¡¯t here now. The troopers were put unconscious with the same toxin that had defeated Keynes and his group. Most of the traps on the higher floors were non-lethal. Only the ones prepared for Freeman and Shaper were deadly, but neither man appeared. It seemed that something had changed in Freeman¡¯s reasoning. As for Shaper, they had no clue what kind of a man he was. ¡°Do you expect me to fight without a sword?¡± Hellescott complained. ¡°You¡¯re Level 5. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Keynes attacked, shortswords dropped on Hellescott with the speed he didn¡¯t imagine, even as he twisted his body to avoid the blades, he misjudged Keynes. The first shortsword cut at the level of his ribs, invoking a hiss of pain from the officer. ¡°You little pest,¡± Hellescott snapped. ¡°If you didn¡¯t hide under their skirts, I would make short work of you.¡± Keynes attacked again, indifferent to Hellescott¡¯s comment. This time the officer¡¯s reaction was even slower. As Keynes cut and stabbed him, he started to feel pity for the man. Why was-- Keynes slightly turned his head and noticed Sylv in the room. So Hellescott¡¯s slower than normal movements were the effect of Sylv¡¯s Talent. In a few short moments, the Level 5 was reduced to a weakling who couldn¡¯t hope to stand against Keynes. ¡°Keynes, that¡¯s enough,¡± Vivena said. ¡°He cannot fight anymore.¡± Keynes put the shortswords back in his pouch. He was disappointed. He expected a fight but found a pathetic man as soon as their Dexterity and Perception were on a similar level. It once more reminded him about Captain Ventura and his obsessive training regime. The captain believed that the sole reliance on levels was a dangerous mistake. Most people didn¡¯t train because it didn¡¯t benefit them. It was because of the System and the way ascender¡¯s physicality worked. A non-ascender like Harter would gain visible strength from training at the gym but at the same time his body was fragile, hard to heal and didn¡¯t have other ways to boost it like equipment or even the plants. Wagner had warned Harter to not try anything magical because it wouldn¡¯t work on him and could make him ill. On the other hand, training at the gym would have no effects on the ascenders until their attribute maxing-out progression reached 80% but even then, the boost would be temporary. Ascenders were locked with the same strength until they levelled up. This was the main paradigm of the System. But now, with the emergence of techniques, Keynes wasn¡¯t so sure about this. He had asked Kaito Ren about martial art techniques and unfortunately, the red-haired man hadn¡¯t received one. It had to mean that obtaining a martial art-oriented technique required more than repeating a sequence of motions. ¡°Keynes?¡± He shook his head when he heard his name. They were looking at him standing above beaten Hellescott. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°I think I learned something.¡± Am I correct, Alice? About the way the System works. She appeared out of nowhere and then curiously peered at Hellescott. Yes. Your understanding of the System is mostly correct but insufficient. The System has other ways of increasing the overall power level. Like? They are for you to discover, master. But once you are close, I will be able to help you. He missed someone¡¯s question during his short conversation with Alice. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± This time, Wagner asked. ¡°Yes. Hellescott helped me realise something.¡± Something Alice had already pointed out but Keynes hadn¡¯t made the connection. Everything in the System was a challenge, levelling up was merely a payout. Chapter 53: Time Was Never Right Keynes and Wagner were having a drink as they watched the people from the Ministry take care of their prisoners. Wagner was against needless killing and the Ministry was more than happy to take the troopers away from his estate. ¡°This is quite strong,¡± Keynes muttered, while the heat spread all over his body. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Level 2 stuff,¡± Wagner replied enigmatically. ¡°What kind of stuff?¡± ¡°Something I wouldn¡¯t ask about until you empty your glass.¡± That didn¡¯t sound off-putting at all¡ªon the other hand¡ªit tasted great and had an energising and relaxing effect. Keynes swallowed the desire to know, at least for now, and moved on to another topic. ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t ask for now but I¡¯ll want to know how you make it.¡± Wagner nodded and Keynes continued. ¡°With Rugman withdrawing the army from Geneva and Hellescott¡¯s failure, I think it is safe to say that your insightful plan of fighting Freeman has failed.¡± Keynes glanced expectantly at Wanger who stood with renewed confidence, wearing blue hanfu with long, wide sleeves. The orange and white decorations on the fabric represented flowers. The garment fitted him, elevating his calm, majestic outlook, minus the cold eyes he¡¯d had the first time they met. Somehow, he also managed to find time to have his haircut done after Keynes¡¯s fight with Hellescott. Keynes had to admit that the short sides and back, and an exuberant mane on top of Wagner¡¯s head looked good. Keynes preferred to keep his hair shoulder-length though. He had no particular sentiment to do so. Vivena had certainly glanced at him more often but that could mean anything. Daiyu Fen, on the other hand, had been more direct and had told him that long hair suited him. It took Wagner a few minutes to find a reply. He finished the magical drink and put it on a small table brought outside for his leisure. Then he half-turned to Keynes. ¡°Yes. I overestimated the Fruit of Insight,¡± he replied and added in a whisper. ¡°Just don¡¯t tell anyone. It might be bad for the business.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t comment on it, knowing that there must be more. And there was. ¡°It seems that I have much to learn, Keynes, even when it comes to the plants. The rifts, or more precisely, what lies inside them, show us how little we know about the System. I have to tell you, my Talent and minor upgrade aren¡¯t that good. They boost the chance of anything I grow to gain an extra property but this isn¡¯t as simple as it sounds. Talents are usually bad at explaining all the important details, leaving us the hard way to figure stuff out. ¡°So, long story short, it turned out the insight I received was exclusively about you while excluding everyone else. I made the mistake of assuming it was the future I saw. It wasn¡¯t, it was a possibility with the best outcome.¡± ¡°I still find it creepy that a fruit told you so much about me. I was pissed off when Hugo told me about the Old Blood suppressing knowledge. But now, I, kind of, understand it. Imagine your enemies have the fruits.¡± Master, but your understanding of this is incorrect, Alice said. ¡°What? How?¡± Keynes forgot himself and asked aloud. Wagner narrowed his eyes but didn¡¯t ask questions. I am not allowed to reveal it. You must discover it on your own. Since Alice had experienced her little enlightenment, she was less keen to hand over information to him but at the same time, her guidance felt more impactful. He thanked her and his attention shifted to Wagner, who waited with anticipation. Now, how do I explain this? Alice¡¯s presence was the only thing the Fruit of Insight hadn¡¯t given to Wanger. Interesting. Why was that? Most likely, something to do with the Spirit. ¡°Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.¡± ¡°I swear, for a moment it felt as if you had another conversation.¡± ¡°Sometimes I do. It is called an internal dialogue.¡± There was silence after that, which was disrupted by Siebert, an emissary from the Ministry. He was all business, wearing a sharp suit, and an even sharper expression. Keynes decided to use his aura to judge the man¡¯s Level but it quickly became an internal battle of hiding his aura or hiding the inspecting tendrils. Wagner noticed it and gently shook his head. Keynes took a cue and withdrew his aura. Alice, where are you? She wasn¡¯t inside him, he would know that and yet she seemed invisible, which was impossible. She couldn¡¯t hide from him. Their thin, delicate bond twitched and she slowly descended. I am here, master, she said with fake courtesy. Ok. He said and felt a wave of indignation coming through their bond. She hated being dismissed. ¡°Master of Growth,¡± Siebert said with a bow. ¡°We¡¯re finished here. However, I am obliged to ask about their officer. The Ministry can take care of him as well. We¡ª¡± Wagner cut him off, with a wave of his hand and an expression that held no space for discussions. All of a sudden, he was the same man Keynes had met after entering his premises. While Keynes had dismissed Hellescott¡¯s Level 5 easily, Wagner¡¯s Level 7 carried the weight of a different calibre. A walking stick slipped out of a sleeve and Wagner used it to tap the ground. ¡°I hope it isn¡¯t the Ministry trying to backpedal on our deal and it is your own way of securing promotion. I will warn you this once, Siebert, try messing with my dealings again and your future promotion will be the least of your problems.¡± ¡°Yes, Master of Growth.¡± This time, Siebert¡¯s bow was far deeper. ¡°Please, don¡¯t¡ª¡± Keynes felt Wagner¡¯s Level 7 aura hit the man like a speeding train. The other man stumbled, looking terrified. Blood drained out of his face. Level 7 aura was a powerful thing. And if Alice was right, Wagner¡¯s Spirit was the lowest stage. If the man reached the Medium stage, what kind of strength would his aura possess? Hmm, Alice mused. An interesting question, isn¡¯t it? Stop it, I am not going to tell him about you or Spirit stages. In the end, I must have an ace in my sleeve. Of course, of course, Alice replied, sounded¡­ cheeky. What the hell? The emissary scooted off to where the transport waited to take the troopers out of the estate. We will have a conversation about your new attitude, Keynes warned Alice. A threat or promise? Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Keynes¡¯s eyes widened but he quickly got his expression under control. Too late though, Wagner¡¯s Perception was very high and the man noticed things but said nothing. ¡°I hate opportunists,¡± Wagner said, using the walking stick like a wand to close the gate. ¡°And before you ask me why; they remind me of me. I am one hell of an opportunist.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to ask about this.¡± ¡°Oh. Fine then. Forget it.¡± ¡°You know I cannot do it. But I am somewhat curious about the whole Master of Growth name. Is this a punishment?¡± Wagner scrunched his nose, sighing. ¡°Just wait until people start giving you nicknames. At some point, you have to accept them or you will go insane.¡± Oh. ¡°That meant to be a joke.¡± ¡°Ah. In that case, don¡¯t make jokes. You¡¯re terrible at them.¡± They left the front yard and entered the house. Every room above the ground was devastated. Bullet holes and signs of heavy machinery were everywhere. But the worst had the staircase that led underground. It was here the government forces detonated the small explosive. Wagner was indifferent to damage. He was so rich it wouldn¡¯t make the slightest dent in his purse. They slowly walked to the room where Hellescott was kept unconscious. Wagner had admitted that his concoctions were struggling with keeping the Level 5 asleep. He said that before Vitality appeared it hadn¡¯t been the case. He didn¡¯t reveal the exact composition of the elixir but what he said was interesting, and worrisome. Somehow, this man found a way to grow a plant with a property that ignored level differences. Added to alcohol it would make even a Level 10 drunk. Vitality neutralised this ability. But it also raised a question in Keynes¡¯s mind. Was this the spiritual charge, increasing with each Level, that elevated resistances or something else? There was damage reduction which was swapped with Vitality. Could it be this that initially made high levels unaffected by alcohol and such? Wagner didn¡¯t know the answer to this question. He said it wasn¡¯t his area of expertise. As they stopped before the door to the room, Wagner said. ¡°I think we should soon return to our conversation about our arrangement. We must assume that Freeman is out of the picture. If he wished to make his entrance, he¡¯d do so shortly after Hellescott had failed.¡± That was true and yet, Keynes had a feeling that it went too smoothly. Plus, why were they going to interrogate Hellescott first? Was the interrogation really more important than discussing the arrangement? Keynes swallowed an unease and entered the room holding Hellescott after Wagner. The place was bare, save for the solid metal chair with the man on it. Countless roots entangled his entire body. The floor near the chair had several holes where the roots originated. Hellescott didn¡¯t even twitch as they entered, meaning that Wagner¡¯s concoction must be still working. Instinctively, Keynes took out the shortswords from his dimensional pouch. He didn¡¯t want to take chances with this man. He defeated him in different circumstances. Today Sylv wasn¡¯t here to decrease Hellescott¡¯s Perception. Wagner stopped beside the chair and placed an uncorked vial under Hellescott¡¯s nose. The Level 5¡¯s reaction was immediate. He lunged forward, straining and then ripping some roots. Wagner put his hands on Hellescott¡¯s shoulder, applying pressure. ¡°Calm yourself.¡± Hellescott froze but only for a short moment. His angry eyes found Keynes and he snapped. ¡°You¡¯re making a big mistake. I represent the World Government. You will be hunted to the very end. Better let me go, now!¡± Keynes shrugged, unbothered by the threats. The World Government had already hunted him and it didn¡¯t seem likely they would make an extra effort because of Hellescott. Keynes lowered the shortswords to show the man what he was thinking of his threats. Hellescott stiffened again, perhaps, imaging the worst. ¡°Y¡ªyou¡­¡± Wagner squeezed Hellescott¡¯s shoulder and the Level 5¡¯s voice trailed off, his face in a state of panic. ¡°Stop blabbering, we have no intention of killing you.¡± ¡°I will tell you nothing!¡± ¡°I am not going to interrogate you either.¡± Oh, that¡¯s interesting. What then is the purpose of Hellescott being here? Wagner did something and the roots started to wilt until they completely retracted under the floor. ¡°I am warning you though, if you try to escape or harm Keynes, I will kill you without hesitation. Do not test my patience.¡± With that warning, they moved upstairs. So, Wagner wanted Hellescott for someone else. It shouldn¡¯t surprise Keynes. Geneva was full of powerful people. Maybe between some of them and Hellescott was bad blood? It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine with the man¡¯s attitude. In silence, they returned to the front yard. Keynes kept his shortswords at ready and had his Cloak of Shadows at his fingertips. He didn¡¯t like this feeling of ease¡­ MASTER! Keynes whirled and saw the man he wished to never see again. Esopp Earl walked from the direction of a garden. Keynes¡¯s head snapped toward Wagner and found him unsurprised. Betrayal¡­ I knew it was too perfect to be true. I am a fool to trust anyone but myself. And then the gate opened and another man entered the front yard. Keynes recognised him too. He¡¯d never met this man but he remembered his picture from the TV. Columbus Curt. What the hell was going on here? ¡°I should have known,¡± Keynes whispered, thinking about a way out of this mess. ¡°High Lord! Help!¡± Hellescott yelped and, to Keynes¡¯s and Hellescott¡¯s shock, Wagner released his grip on Hellescott, pushing him forward Esopp Earl. Even as Hellescott scooted off to where Esopp Earl stopped, twenty-five metres from them, he started to regain his arrogant composure. To further stupefy Keynes and Hellescott, Esopp Earl silenced him with a loud slap. The Level 5 dropped on the ground like a sack of grain. How do I escape three Level 7s? You do not, Alice said. This CAN NOT be right. I have gone so far without being caught¡­ ¡°Keynes,¡± Wagner said, not looking at him. ¡°The time has come to discuss the terms of our arrangements.¡± Keynes blinked, staring at Wagner as if the man went mad. Did he understand what Esopp Earl¡¯s presence meant? But then Keynes glanced at Columbus Curt, the leader of the resistance and he started doubting his assumptions. ¡°Did you betray me?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for a chit-chat, Zimmerman,¡± Esopp Earl said while Hellescott struggled to his feet. The High Lord looked younger even than Waxilium. He had a smooth, aristocratic face, gleaming black hair and wore an ankle-length blue coat. Columbus Curt was perhaps the most handsome man alive. His clothes were strictly military, white uniform and soldier¡¯s boots. Like Keynes, his hair was to the shoulder, tied in a ponytail. He didn¡¯t say anything. What is going on? Keynes asked himself for n-time. His knuckles whitened from the tight grip on the shortswords. ¡°Should I invite you inside?¡± ¡°No,¡± both men answered simultaneously. ¡°Here¡¯s fine,¡± Columbus Curt added. ¡°High Lord, what is this? Why is the betrayer here?¡± Esopp Earl gave Hellescott a look of contempt, not answering his question. ¡°Our plan to lure and kill Freeman has failed.¡± WHAT NOW?! He has Esopp Earl and Columbus Curt involved in it as well? "I told you Freeman is not a fool,¡± Columbus Curt said. ¡°He¡¯s mad,¡± Esopp Earl added. ¡°His decisions are illogical.¡± ¡°And yet he not only didn¡¯t fall for our trap but also resisted going after Keynes Kid.¡± ¡°Assuming Rugman did his part.¡± Was Ronald Rugman involved in this too? But that made no sense, he only recently called Wagner to try to convince him to give Keynes away to him. ¡°Gentlemen,¡± Wagner said. ¡°I think we owe young Keynes an explanation.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t told him?¡± Esopp Earl asked, surprised. ¡°The time was never right.¡± Keynes waited. Whatever they were going to do to him, he¡¯d fight to the bitter end¡­ Wagner turned to Keynes. ¡°Keynes, we would like to form a partnership with you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hellescott asked while Keynes was at loss for words. They wanted a partnership with him? Really? Why? WHAT?! ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°It is simple,¡± Esopp Earl said. ¡°We want to get stronger and the rifts are the way but I won¡¯t tie you up and hide to take you out only when I want to open a rift.¡± Was this some deliberate way of luring Keynes to do Freeman¡¯s bidding after the failure with a Level 2 exotic rift? ¡°We would also split the profit from the rifts four ways,¡± Columbus Curt said. ¡°It may take some time deciding what to do with consumables though.¡± ¡°And more,¡± Zimmermann said. ¡°We will start a corporation to take care of transport, trading and so on.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say¡­ What about the World Government? Does it mean the war is over?¡± ¡°No,¡± Esopp Earl said sharply. ¡°We are barely stepping outside of it, at least me.¡± ¡°High Lord, are you leaving the World Government?¡± ¡°We are leaving, Hellescott. This war was never mine.¡± ¡°I, on the other hand, will fight until Freeman is dead,¡± Columbus Curt said. ¡°As long as he¡¯s alive, there won¡¯t be freedom. Now, why don¡¯t we go over the details?¡± Wagner nodded while Keynes stood rooted in place. This was surreal. Chapter 54: The Strength of a Level 7 Is Not a Joke Keynes placed a piece of paper containing the key points of their partnership in his dimensional pouch. On the one hand, he was flattered that they were giving him an equal share, freedom of choice and protection but he still had no idea how to process this whole twist coming from Wagner. It showed him how crafty Wagner was. Bringing Esopp Earl and Columbus Curt together? How likely was that? Yes, they had a history together as those people had known each other for decades but Keynes was convinced that the war sundered the past acquaintances and turned them into deadly encounters. He was aware that his past ordeals made him oversensitive and distrustful, affecting his judgement. After Hugo and Sophie, Wagner was the first person he decided to trust. True, Keynes¡¯s hand had been forced a ¡®little¡¯ by Daiyu Fen¡¯s critical condition but Keynes firmly believed that he¡¯d made the right choice. But now standing in the presence of two potentially hostile Level 7s his trust issues resurfaced and he questioned his judgement. Still, he strongly hoped that their ludicrous and shocking proposal was a genuine piece, not a ruse in service of Windsor Freeman. Keynes¡¯s eyes flitted over them, searching for clues as to what their true motives were. He didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary although it didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t, he simply didn¡¯t know those men well enough to know what constituted out of the ordinary in their case. Eventually, not seeing another way out of this, he sighed and asked about one of the points in their agreement. ¡°If we keep the opened rifts to ourselves, how is that different from what Windsor Freeman wants?¡± Wagner turned to him but it was Columbus Curt who replied. ¡°Each time we open rifts of a higher level than the current highest level, the previous highest level rifts will become public. We will still maintain them and charge a fee but anyone will be able to access them.¡± ¡°We are not a charity, Keynes,¡± Wagner added. ¡°We wish to run a successful business first and foremost. It will benefit everyone involved. Our clients will be able to safely clear rifts and take the rewards for themselves alongside any materials inside the rift they can take out in a twenty-four-hour window.¡± Keynes tried but couldn¡¯t see the difference between their idea and the World Government¡¯s plan. He told them so. ¡°Windsor Freeman wants the rifts for himself. He has ordered everyone to send all rewards to his estate in Spain. He wanted the ultimate control over everything,¡± Esopp Earl explained. ¡°The scientist from the Institute killed by Tom Ventura was trying to figure out a way to reverse the effect of your Talent.¡± ¡°What? Why¡ªnever mind, I think I get it. He wanted to close the rifts so I could open them at his whims. And by doing so, no one else in the world would have access to the rifts.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Keynes had always felt bad for Murphy Polloc. He seemed like a decent man. Keynes thought that Captain Ventura had gone overboard by killing him but it looked like he had seen the threat that man had been. It was a dangerous precedent though. It might have potentially saved the world but killing anyone who posed a threat? No. That was definitely a step too far, right? It had to be. He shook his head, feeling doubt and conflicting emotions. It sometimes feels like I am losing my empathy. Keynes shifted his attention back to Esopp Earl and Columbus Curt. ¡°Fine. I see the difference now and I agree that your idea sounds appealing but I cannot imagine the World Government stepping aside and letting us do this. We don¡¯t have an army to keep the rifts safe and if we had one we would turn the areas around the rifts into war zones.¡± ¡°The boy is right,¡± Hellescott said, earning a warning look from Esopp but no one stopped him from speaking so he continued. ¡°President Freeman won¡¯t stop until he has him back. Even High Lord Rugman¡¯s betrayal or our withdrawal from the World Government won¡¯t change anything. In fact, opening the rifts will play into the President¡¯s hand.¡± That last part voiced Keynes¡¯s suspicions about this whole thing being a set up by Freeman. But would the leader of the opposition abide by Freeman¡¯s plan? Unlikely. Very unlikely. Somehow, Columbus Curt¡¯s presence here alleviated Keynes¡¯s worries. This realisation allowed Keynes to relax for the first time since their arrival. He sat down, letting go of his dimensional pouch¡¯s content. ¡°We are working on the counter measures as we speak,¡± Esopp replied. ¡°The World Government has satellites that can detect rifts as they emit spiritual energy. We¡¯ve developed a barrier that blocks spiritual energy. The problem is an initial energy burst that has a different energy signature.¡± Keynes half raised his hands as his mind soaked Esopp¡¯s words. ¡°They know the locations of every rift?¡± ¡°Yes and much more,¡± Esopp replied. ¡°They are mapping Level 3s and 4s though it is time-consuming because the sealed rifts have yet a different spiritual signature that has a limit of several kilometres.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not everything though,¡± Columbus added. ¡°After setting the infrastructure up and having Zimmermann be our face here in Geneva, our ultimate plan is to move off-planet.¡± ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Keynes stood up. Hellescott looked as surprised as him. ¡°What do you mean off-planet?¡± ¡°The World Government¡¯s greatest achievement,¡± Wagner explained. ¡°The colonisation of our solar system. We can go to Mars or Venus or even Jupiter¡¯s moons. And luckily for us, every colony denounced the World Government. They will gladly work with us.¡± For all this time, Keynes hadn¡¯t considered the rifts on other planets and moons. You called Earth a Celestial Anchor once, Alice. Yes, that is correct. Are other planets and moons also Celestial Anchors? There are some requirements but in most cases, yes, they are, master. There was one issue though. ¡°We would need a spaceship for that.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°It will not happen,¡± said a voice. It came from the middle of the front yard and belonged to a man wearing a grey robe with a black sash around his waist. His face was well-tanned, his expression relaxed. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. As everyone whirled around, their weapons appeared in their hands, with exception of Hellescott who didn¡¯t have a weapon, and Columbus who didn¡¯t show one. ¡°Who are you?¡± Esopp asked, his tone sharp and dangerous. He held a long, white staff that shed off flakes of snow. His hands were covered with ice and his pose indicated a fighting technique. Keynes remembered the intruder¡¯s voice, he¡¯d spoken to him in the small hotel¡¯s lobby. This was the same man who had given him the coordinates of the three rifts and had brought his family and friends to him. Could it be? ¡°Shaper?¡± That word brought even more tension though it was only a guess based on what his family and Wagner had told him. In the corner of his eye, Keynes saw Columbus shift his stance. The other man was clearly on edge. Wagner uncorked and drank two potions, then chomped a few small fruits. He too, like Esopp Earl, had a staff. Keynes took out his shortswords again, together with his Cloak of Shadows. The entire scene lasted for less than three seconds and before anyone moved, the intruder raised his hands defensively and said. ¡°Hear me out.¡± Only then Keynes noticed that Wagner, Esopp and Columbus were about to uncoil like three deadly serpents. Wagner and Esopp tapped the ground with butts of their staffs, Columbus had no obvious weapon but his footwork and the motion of his hands indicated that his body was his weapon. ¡°You not only haven¡¯t listened to Hugo Horta¡¯s message, Wagner Zimmermann, you¡¯ve also brought together an unlikely combination of Esopp Earl and Columbus Curt to this.¡± ¡°You are indeed him.¡± For some reason, the corner of Wagner¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°I am him, yes, as Keynes Kid has already pointed out.¡± Upon hearing the confirmation only Hellescott seemed to not understand the weight of that statement. ¡°Who is this Shaper?¡± Hellescott asked but no one answered him. The tension was too high. If this man walked into a meeting of three Level 7s then he had to be at least a Level 10. ¡°What do you want?¡± That seemed to be the question everyone had in mind. Keynes tried to decipher Shaper¡¯s expression but it felt like looking at a computer-generated face. It wasn¡¯t natural. ¡°Wagner Zimmermann, you messed with things that are beyond your comprehension. Keynes Kid should be now maxing out his attributes, learning about the cultivation and finding out his own place within the System. Instead, he is stuck in Geneva, inside the web of your intrigues.¡± ¡°He came here because his friend had internal bleeding and she was dying.¡± A realisation snapped inside Keynes¡¯s head and he added. ¡°And she was hurt because of an assassin who was after me but he couldn¡¯t track me. Instead, he tracked my family and friends who had been brought to me by you.¡± A very humane expression of shock crossed Shaper¡¯s face. It was the moment the three Level 7s decided to attack. Wagner used his walking stick to tap the ground, roots exploded in a circle around Shaper, trying to imprison him and form a cocoon. The air around Columbus wavered, he shot forward, shattering the stone under his foot. Esopp aimed his hand at Shaper, waiting for Columbus to score a hit. Shaper stood, unconcerned as the roots started to snake around his legs. Then Columbus arrived, his silhouette only a blur to Keynes¡¯s Perception. A punch flew at Shaper¡¯s face, then without any overt motion, Columbus was thrown back like a rag doll. Esopp cast [Ice Shot]s. Sharp blocks of ice shot toward Shaper only to shatter without causing any damage to the man. What Level he had to be to disregard the strength of Level 7s? Why did no one ask that question? Was Windsor Freeman as strong as this man? That would be insanely bad. Wagner came at Shaper third, his staff moving in a pattern. In barely a few steps, he was upon his adversary. But as the staff met Shaper¡¯s head, it shattered, like the [Ice Shot]s earlier, with no obvious damage to Shaper. Wagner did a few steps back, then halted and stared stupefied at his staff or what was left of it. The next second, Shaper stepped out of the roots as if they weren¡¯t there. Columbus and Esopp didn¡¯t wait and attacked again, the sheer force of their feet destroying the ground. The strength of Level 7s wasn''t a joke. Unless they faced Shaper. He did something and both men dropped to their knees, gasping for breath. Alice, what just happened? He used his Spirit. Whatever stage he is in, it is far above Medium. Ignoring Wagner who still stood, shocked, and Hellescott who didn¡¯t move a single step since the start of the fight, Shaper approached Keynes. ¡°It appears our plans have been derailed. This is not the place you should be in, or the design you should be a part of.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°I am your maker, Keynes Kid. I have shaped history, always moving the events to the moment when you unlock your Lockpicking Talent and open rifts.¡± Keynes was conflicted, his head started to spin. This was too much¡­ Shaper¡¯s hand steadied Keynes and then he handed him a potion which Keynes drank without questioning what he was doing. ¡°This is a mental clarity potion. It will dispel shock.¡± All of sudden, Keynes could think, really think. He gazed at Shaper and asked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because like Windsor Freeman, he needs you, Keynes,¡± Wagner explained as he regained his own mental clarity. ¡°It looks like I underestimated him.¡± ¡°You were planning to lure him here as well?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°Are you out of your mind, Zimmermann?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t expect him to be this strong though.¡± ¡°I boosted each of my attributes to over seventy points. Not even Windsor Freeman could withstand that punch.¡± ¡°Your fist didn¡¯t connect, Columbus Curt, but it had enough strength to cause some damage to me,¡± Shaper said without turning around. ¡°Also, I wouldn¡¯t disregard Windsor Freeman so easily. He is craftier than you give him credit for.¡± ¡°Wh¡ª¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Shaper cut him off. He turned around and barely sparing Hellescott a glance, did something to him, causing Hellescott to collapse. ¡°He will be fine. Now. You three.¡± He meant Wagner, Columbus and Esopp. ¡°If I could, I would have killed you for messing with my plans. But I cannot. Like Windsor Freeman, you have your part to play in the future and that leaves me with only one choice. One that I hoped to avoid but it turned out that even I am not able to control fate as well as I thought. No matter. With Keynes Kid being here, all other versions of desired future are no longer possible.¡± A porcelain white hexagon cube appeared in his hand. Master, this thing radiates a massive amount of Spirit! Keynes felt its insane spiritual energy too. It felt stronger than Wagner¡¯s aura used on Siebert earlier but at the same time it wasn¡¯t obtrusive like a high-level aura, it didn¡¯t try to crush Keynes¡¯s Spirit. It felt like a powerful contained Spirit Core. Could it be, Alice? I ¡­ I am not allowed to speak on these matters, master. It feels wrong though, Keynes didn¡¯t push Alice for answers. If she couldn¡¯t tell him then she couldn¡¯t, the end of the story. It does. Others noticed it as well. Their reactions were similar, they backed away from the cube and Shaper. ¡°This little thing is harmless to you. It holds the last vision of the future.¡± ¡°It holds¡­ what?¡± Esopp asked in disbelief. Keynes and Wagner glanced at each other, a silent understanding crossed their minds. This cube was similar in nature to the Fruit of Insight. Wagner¡¯s fruit failed to deliver the expected results though. The Level 7 gardener had a look of a fascinated child. Keynes shared his emotions. Curiosity burned his entire body. ¡°It holds the future or rather a possible future. One that ends well for us.¡± ¡°You want to show us the future?¡± Columbus asked suspiciously. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You will find the answers in the vision.¡± Chapter 55: The Last Vision of the Future We Survive The air was full of tense anticipation. Even suspicious and wary Esopp and Columbus showed hints of curiosity. They all understood the simple fact: if Shaper wanted them dead, they¡¯d be dead. It bolstered their conviction to go ahead with his insane idea. Shaper raised and held the cube at the level of his chest then asked everyone to gently touch it with their auras. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®touching with my aura¡¯?¡± Esopp asked. It soon became clear that the three Level 7s didn¡¯t have an aura manipulation technique or any experience in this field. This little piece of knowledge sounded unreal to Keynes. Over the last weeks, he¡¯d become so comfortable with his aura manipulation technique that he took it for granted. Seeing this, Shaper sighed and another human emotion crossed on his face ¨C weariness. ¡°In this case, you¡¯ll have to touch it by hand. Everyone at once.¡± That caused some concern but Shaper placed the cube on the ground, picking an unruined spot then backed off a few metres. ¡°Rest assured, I won¡¯t attack you. Killing you bunch would squander our last chance of survival.¡± His words had some effect. Wagner moved first, then did Esopp. Columbus needed a little longer to make up his mind. He clearly was a very careful man. Keynes was the only one who didn¡¯t approach the cube and this made the other men raise their eyebrows and crease their foreheads. ¡°Kid?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°I can touch it with my aura,¡± Keynes said, not fully conscious as to how cocky it made him sound. ¡°A show-off,¡± Wagner said with a smile. The idea of another vision had roused Wagner¡¯s child¡¯s side. He could be quite relaxed for a Level 7. ¡°Touch it on my count: three, two, one¡­¡± A tendril of Keynes¡¯s aura touched the cube as the count dropped to one. The world vanished, replaced by endless darkness. Then a whirlwind came and Keynes stood in its centre like a lone spectator of some doomed fate. Images and voices of places and people rapidly flitted around him, too fast to pinpoint or understand a single instance. When Shaper had spoken about the vision, Keynes had thought it would be like a movie but that wasn¡¯t the case. Whatever the vision was, it didn''t show him anything useful. Maybe I did something wrong? Eventually, the whirlwind lost its mighty strength and dispersed and with it, vanished the images and voices. But it wasn¡¯t darkness Keynes stood now on. It was a circular stone platform, a hundred metres wide. Beyond it spread a forest, seemingly endless, many of its trees otherworldly and strange. He realised that he stood on top of a tower, at least two, maybe three hundred metres high. He didn¡¯t see any obvious way down. What was this place? Was this what Shaper wanted him to see? What for? The reality pulsed and suddenly, Keynes was no longer alone. People stood on the platform randomly scattered all over the place. Keynes didn¡¯t fear them as there was something about the vision that made him calm. His eyes flitted over the gathered. With a shock, he marked that most of those people were nothing else but silhouettes and shadows. One thing they all had in common though, they were staring up at the sky. Before Keynes did so too, he took in the appearances of those he could see clearly. No one wore normal Earth clothes. Once more a sudden understanding dawned on Keynes. These were rift items, their quality exquisite. Keynes was unable to tell what rarity these items were but he had a gut feeling that nothing here was rare or worse. With all the robes, cloaks, coats, armours and capes, they looked like a parade of mediaeval superheroes. Their exotic attires were decorated with runes and formations, enhanced by enchantments. Their weapons were likewise of quality and craftsmanship out of this world. Among them, Keynes noticed Esopp Earl. He stood there defiantly, holding a white trident with golden runes wrapped around it like a jealous serpent. Esopp Earl himself looked different, his hair was long and pure white. He had a jet black pointed beard and eyes that ejected blue fumes. He wore a simple white robe but there was dangerous power to it. A long blue cape fluttered in the wind Keynes didn¡¯t feel. And next to him stood Columbus Curt, his face radiating like a sun. He no longer had his white uniform. In here, he was wearing a black gleaming armour with a cape that faded away like smoke. He didn¡¯t have a weapon but something about his gauntlets told Keynes that his weapon was his fists. Wagner Zimmermann didn¡¯t stand, instead, he sat on a throne made out of roots, holding a golden cup in one hand while the other one was merged with the throne. Judging by his clothes, he looked like a beggar on a king¡¯s throne. Keynes couldn¡¯t decipher the meaning of this nor did he try. This whole vision seemed to be devoid of any sense. As his eyes completed the circle, he thought he caught a glimpse of two familiar silhouettes but when he glanced back, he couldn¡¯t decide if he saw Daiyu Fen or Vivena Sael, while the second one reminded him of Harter. For all he knew, he could be completely wrong. Some people he saw were indisputably foreign to him. He shook his head, taking his mind off the familiar silhouettes. He noticed two significant absences: Shaper and Windsor Freeman. As Keynes contemplated the vision, a strong urge to look up took over him. He did so. His heart like his body froze as if electrocuted, still his eyes managed to widen in terror. Keynes was unable to comprehend what he was seeing¡­ And then, darkness was back, encompassing the reality. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The vision was over but out of nowhere came the familiar presence of ¡­ Chaos. It didn¡¯t communicate with Keynes other than leaving impressions of alien emotions. Although it seemed to feel curious about the vision. And there was another impression of familiarity Chaos had with the vision as if there was a faint connection between the two. Suddenly, Keynes felt like being catapulted, darkness surged around him until he stumbled upon another vision. This one wasn¡¯t a part of Shaper¡¯s cube. Keynes just knew it. Keynes saw a person standing on the surface of an alien planet, facing countless legions of enemies. Despite the distance (Keynes was in orbit), he saw minute details of the spectacle below. A lone person wore the most regal attire Keynes had ever seen, it was the purest white and had the brilliance of glittering stars. His gleaming, silver hair reached his waist and though his face was ageless, Keynes knew him. Esopp Earl¡­ Except not anymore. Here he was called High King of Winters. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Ice exploded out of him like a supernova. In less than five seconds, the entire planet was covered by a metres-thick sheet of ice. Keynes could only gape at this manifestation of absolute, cold power. It was something unimaginable but before Keynes could fully comprehend it, the vision shifted and an even more bizarre sight replaced it. Several planets were entangled by an impossibly large web of roots. The planets were grouped together like cocooned victims of a greedy spider. In the middle of the web was a small flat expanse, like a broken-off part of a plateau and on its surface grew the tree that birthed all the roots that trapped the planets. Somewhere there was a man, standing on a branch, thicker than the circumference of a skyscraper from Earth. His attire was made out of a green, smoke-like matter Keynes couldn¡¯t comprehend. And like Esopp Earl, Wagner Zimmermann no longer had his name. Here he was Master of Ever-growing Tree. He was one with this gigantic monster of a tree. Keynes witnessed an enemy fleet, appearing out of nowhere, and then without a second of hesitation, the fleet fired missiles at the tree. Only to find that their weapons failed. And worse, the tree counter-attacked, roots exploded amid the fleet, skewering and entangling the spaceships like a hungry octopus. Within seconds the fleet was wrecked, hauled like a trophy toward the Ever-growing Tree. And like earlier, the vision shifted. No planets populated the next one. Only a single star, and out of this star flew a man, his gleaming black armour reflected the burning hell of this nameless sun. Once Columbus Curt, now the Bringer of Darkness, held something in his hand. A red orb. Behind him, the star spasmed and started to collapse. He killed it. The vision shifted but the next one didn¡¯t materialise. The presence of Chaos wavered as if scared of something greater still. Keynes was almost certain that the next vision would be about him. And then Chaos was gone and darkness with it. Keynes stumbled forward and then dropped to his knees, gasping for the air. His body felt as if it¡¯d gone through a mangle. His mind spun and didn¡¯t seem like it was about to stop anytime soon. He threw up, fighting the ordeal. Eventually, voices reached his ears. ¡°The hell was that?¡± ¡°The last version of the future that ends well for us,¡± Shaper said in a weary voice. ¡°I have spent millennia shaping the world so Keynes Kid could be born and open the rifts. I had all the instruments at my disposal to ensure no errors and yet, an error has been made.¡± Keynes felt a liquid being poured on his head. Suddenly, his body shed off all ailments. He jumped to his feet, feeling amazing. He saw an empty glass potion vanish in Shaper¡¯s hand. ¡°I wish you didn¡¯t have to see this,¡± Shaper said, more to himself than to them. ¡°It made no sense anyway,¡± Columbus said. ¡°At least to me.¡± ¡°Same,¡± Esopp agreed. ¡°I have to admit that the Fruit of Insight gave me more than your vision.¡± ¡°Because the cube¡¯s vision doesn¡¯t work the way you think,¡± he scooped the cube from the ground, it vanished as well. ¡°It¡¯s not a movie but a road map. It was designed this way; otherwise, we risked ruining the flow of time. So, don¡¯t hope to know your future. Instead, you will face choices from time to time: one will lead you to the future in the vision, the other one¡­ I don¡¯t know. Most likely to your premature death and our inevitable end.¡± What about the other visions? Keynes asked himself and when Alice didn¡¯t interject anything he prodded their bond. Alice, are you there? I am, master, her voice was faint, scared. Is everything alright? Master, during the trance, your Chaos debuff became active for a short time. I fought it but it is like trying to defeat an ocean with a stick. It is impossible. Keynes quickly checked on his debuff but it was back to a semi-dormant state. It is fine now. Chaos is dangerous. Keynes agreed. It certainly felt so. A change in Shaper¡¯s voice caught Keynes¡¯s attention. ¡°This event was not meant to happen. It was an occurrence outside of any vision I¡¯d been subjected to. To make sure you don¡¯t go out there and mess it up again. You will have to undergo a ritual of secrecy. It will seal the knowledge of me, anything you saw and were told by me.¡± The three Level 7s exchanged glances and Keynes could almost hear the gears shifting inside their heads. Shaper had brought it on himself after all. ¡°We want to bargain first.¡± *** Shaper stood high above Wagner Zimmermann¡¯s estate. The cold wind tousled his hair. He was back into his ordinary clothes. His mind was immersed deep in thoughts, none of them positive. He had to employ a relaxing technique because he¡¯d been growing irritated by the three Level 7s¡¯ demands. They realised what kind of position they were in and pushed Shaper for concessions he didn¡¯t want to grant. In the end, he was forced to strike a deal with them. Wagner Zimmermann could commercialise his plants for public use. In the age of rifts, his secrets would lose value anyway. Esopp Earl and Columbus Curt wanted to know the location of high-level rifts and some ancient secrets. He¡¯d given them bits and pieces. Things that wouldn¡¯t upset the current balance of powers. What they didn¡¯t understand was that they weren¡¯t ready to become the major power in the world. Not yet. Luckily, he knew how to mollify them. They were after a way to hide the spiritual energy of a rift during its opening. Shaper didn¡¯t have a ready solution as it had never been his area of research but he pointed them in the right direction. It took the heat off him. To think that our meticulous plan would break apart so close to the end. Not my plan, Magnalius replied. Still, if they fail, we fail. You will perish too. I care not. Shaper sighed, feeling weary despite the perfect physical condition. He was tired. He wished for a company for the first time in millennia. All of sudden, his Talent wasn¡¯t a boon but a curse. He missed his family. And even though his dynasty still existed to this day, they were nothing to him. He would rather have his favourite servants and advisors back. The only company that was his was Magnalius. Master, Magnalius said unprompted. While you were doing the ritual of secrecy. I took the liberty of checking everyone¡¯s profiles. And? I believe I know the source of your recent failures. Go on, Shaper said, growing curious. Keynes Kid carries a Chaos debuff. It is in a semi-dormant state but based on what we know about it¡­ Magnalius grew silent, sensing Shaper¡¯s horror. A Chaos debuff would explain all those unknown variables that had appeared. At the same time, Chaos wasn¡¯t something Shaper could do anything about. After all, it¡¯d as easily created as it destroyed the One Empire. Chapter 56: The White Hall Keynes sat in Wagner¡¯s surface garden, the only place untouched by the troopers, with a magnificent view of the lake and faraway skyscrapers of Geneva¡¯s business district. His mother sat on the other chair, watching him attentively. ¡°I appreciate it, mom. Your soothing helps a lot.¡± ¡°It¡¯d make a better job if you talked to me about the things that bother you, Key.¡± Keynes glanced at her from a sheet of paper. He wrote down his goals for the next few months. ¡°I worry about Fen,¡± he said. It was a semi-truth. He worried about her but at the same time, he¡¯d given her the tools to grow stronger. She¡¯d promised him to at least max out two attributes and level up before she attempted to break Tulli free. That wasn''t all, he¡¯d also had a word with Esopp after the ritual and the Level 7 had agreed to find out about the location where Tulli was held. It looked like Freeman was so paranoid that he kept knowledge from his closest allies and advisors now. In the case of Esopp it kind of made sense though. He left the World Government, although not officially. ¡°She is a strong girl,¡± his mother said. Keynes nodded. Yes, Fen was strong, but also stubborn and volatile like a flammable in a burning house. She¡¯ll be fine. His true source of distress was the vision, especially the second one and the manner it¡¯d manifested itself. Whatever Chaos was, it just barged in and took Keynes¡¯s mind further down the stream of time. Unless that wasn¡¯t the future it showed him but a twisted desire of Chaos. Was this even possible? Turning an entire planet into a block of ice at a snap of fingers? Or a tree that reached beyond worlds ¡­ what kind of a creature it was? And then, that dying sun. The power to kill a star sounded¡­ unreal. Whatever it¡¯d been, it left Keynes uneasy. Then Keynes¡¯s mind wrapped itself around the Shaper¡¯s vision. Was it true or not? Either answer was terrifying in its own way. What he¡¯d seen when he¡¯d looked up¡­ He wished that Shaper lied and the vision was fake. Eh. Keynes threw the troublesome thoughts out of his head thanks to his mother¡¯s soothing. A palm-sized glyph of mana rested on the table, next to a pitcher of citrus juice and two glasses. The glyph boosted mana regeneration by 25%. It sounded a lot because mana regeneration at Level 1 was a mere 4.2 per hour. The glyph added 1 point per hour. But as they spoke, Keynes¡¯s father was working with new materials brought from the rifts on more efficient glyphs. From what Keynes heard, the next glyph of mana would provide whooping 6 points per hour. The 600% increase was massive. It showed how wide a divide between ordinary and rift materials was. Pucci, one of Wagner¡¯s chief researchers, said that having runes incorporated into the glyph could push it even higher but it¡¯d require mana to keep the runes working. And they were speaking only about Level 1 materials. Level 2 stuff was too expensive and scarce for trial and error at this moment but they had high hopes. ¡°Keynes?¡± his mother¡¯s voice brought his drifting attention back to her. ¡°I¡¯m alright. Yes, Fen is strong and she will be fine,¡± he said a little off-handedly, then his eyes fell on the sheet. This was the first thing he wanted to do. The White Masks were still on his mind. Maybe he was na?ve in thinking he could fight them but he¡¯d seen firsthand what they were capable of. And recently, they roused the city to rise against the World Government. Their ideology quickly spread beyond Geneva and now, it started to morph and twist. It was no longer only the World Government; now the bad guys were also the Old Blood and other rich families. In other words, common people had enough of being Level 1s. Keynes understood that and shared their sentiment but they needed a structure to do so, not anarchy. Rugman managed to extract more than 90% of his troopers from Geneva. Those who stayed were allegedly securing the government¡¯s assets. Riots swept through the streets of Geneva on a daily basis. ¡°I am glad that Mr Zimmermann offered your father a full-time job,¡± his mother said in an attempt at restarting a conversation. ¡°Have you considered taking him to a specialist?¡± ¡°Keynes,¡± his mother said with indignation but Keynes didn¡¯t back off. His father had always been a bit of a hermit but after Keynes¡¯s kidnapping, he built a wall around himself. ¡°This is your father you are talking about.¡± ¡°He¡¯s changed.¡± ¡°So have you. Did I tell you to see a specialist?¡± No, but I may need one. He shook his head, not wishing to pursue the topic. *** Later that day, he went to ask Kaito Ren for help only to find that he was gone. Christopher Wolf was gone too. At first, Keynes thought that they ran an errand for Wagner who was busy setting up their new company, but after running into Tyr, he learned the hard truth. Kaito Ren was upset about Keynes¡¯s decision to let Daiyu Fen go alone to save Tulli but didn¡¯t want to face him about it. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°They went after her?¡± Keynes asked Tyr. ¡°No.¡± Tyr shook his head. ¡°They have their own matters to attend to.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Where are they?¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t told me.¡± With that, Tyr was gone too. Keynes didn¡¯t dwell on it, forcing his mind to stay clear. He didn¡¯t need Kaito Ren for what he planned, the red-haired man would add a way out for Keynes but without him it wasn¡¯t the end of the world. Keynes left a note for his family and Wagner and ordered a taxi under a fake name. The prices were high but it was a miracle that taxis even worked during the uprising. Though the driver refused to take Keynes into some parts of the city. It didn¡¯t matter, four out of five addresses in the White Mask assassin¡¯s book were in safe zones. The safe houses turned out to be ordinary flats and were empty. Even furniture was gone. Keynes and Alice checked every nook and cranny but to no avail. He returned to Wagner¡¯s estate by evening, finding¡ªto his surprise¡ªVivena waiting for him. ¡°Where have you been?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have to tell you where I am going,¡± he replied, taken aback by her question. ¡°You¡¯re the most wanted man in the world and Geneva isn¡¯t the safest place right now.¡± Keynes opened his mouth but nothing came out. Something in his chest moved and he didn¡¯t like it because he was sure, his understanding of her motives was different from hers. He didn¡¯t need or want hope. ¡°Not even a word?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say, really.¡± That surprised her and she toned down. ¡°Just don¡¯t go out there alone, okay?¡± Keynes sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± He turned and went inside the building. Vivena caught up with him and they walked for a while in silence until she spoke up, although awkwardly. ¡°I was worried about you.¡± Keynes almost missed a step. He didn¡¯t see a reason for her to worry about him unless¡­ ¡°Or were you worried about me stumbling upon a rift and causing the next outbreak?¡± He didn¡¯t mean it to sound rough and spiteful but the words were true. What hurt was that Vivena didn¡¯t deny them. It ended their conversation, Keynes went to his room, leaving Vivena with a very confused expression. She clearly didn¡¯t have any idea how Keynes felt about her. The next day, he got up early and sneaked out of the house. This time Keynes didn¡¯t get a taxi. He needed to train and running would do some good for him. A few hours and many inventive curses later, Keynes reached the district where the assassin¡¯s last safe house was. It was an apartment building in the shape of a pyramid. It had many large balconies with lush greenery. It was a high-end location fit for wealthy businessmen, not an assassin. Unless, the assassin was a wealthy businessman himself, Keynes thought. He drew closer. The apartment building was fenced by a high steel fence with a guard posted at the gate. The guard perked up and stopped Keynes from crossing the gate. ¡°It is private property,¡± the guard said. ¡°You need proof of living here to enter.¡± ¡°What kind of proof?¡± The question made the guard suspicious but it was too late to take it back. ¡°If you lived here, you would know,¡± the guard moved his hand to the side, where he kept his stunner. ¡°Just go back wherever you came from. Or I¡¯d have to call the police.¡± ¡°A friend of mine asked me to visit his apartment¡ª¡± ¡°You still need proof of living,¡± the guard interrupted him. Keynes turned and walked away, keeping an eye on the fence. There had to be another entrance or an emergency exit. It was required by law. He was right. The exit was on the other side of the apartment building. It was locked but unsupervised. For Keynes nothing was truly locked anymore. He opened it then rushed to the nearest building¡¯s emergency exit. Going through the main entrance was out of the question. If there were other guards asking for proof of living, it¡¯d put him in a very bad spot. The building itself was a labyrinth but Keynes¡¯s memory trivialised its complexity. With a memorised plan of the building, he easily found the apartment he was looking for. He unlocked the door, then pushed it slightly. No one is inside, Alice said, startling him. ¡°Alice,¡± Keynes snapped then added in his mind. Don¡¯t do that. You scared the crap out of me. Sorry, she replied not sounding apologetic. The apartment was fully furnished, spacious, well-lit by the natural light and had a balcony that looked like a garden. Keynes wondered if any of the plants and trees there came from Wagner. He doubted it. Wagner mostly did focus gardening and this would require a natural or standard version. To Keynes¡¯s disappointment, the apartment had no secrets. It was just a beautiful living space, nothing else. Master! Someone¡¯s coming! Keynes heard the click of a key and panically started looking for a place to hide. Having no idea what to do, he hid behind a thick curtain. That is a stupid place to hide, Alice said. Be quiet, Keynes scolded her. People entered the living room, their conversation focused on the current situation in the city. Keynes started wondering if he didn¡¯t mess up the address until one of them mentioned the dead assassin. ¡°Do you still believe that Karim lives?¡± a man asked. ¡°Yes, he was one of the strongest White Masks. The government lies about his death,¡± a woman replied. ¡°Then where is he?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± There was a moment of uneasy silence. Observe them, Alice. If they notice me, tell me immediately. Alice did as Keynes ordered her but he could sense her disgruntlement. He didn¡¯t have time for her temper right now. ¡°Do you think they will give us a chance?¡± ¡°To train in rifts and level up?¡± ¡°Yes. The rumour has it that they added another rift to the White Hall.¡± ¡°Another one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a rumour but if it is the truth¡­ we may have a shot at creating a true army.¡± Keynes raked his memory for any hints of the White Hall in the assassin¡¯s notebook. He found none. Also, what did he mean by ¡®added another rift¡¯? Once again silence descended and Keynes wished to see what was going on in the room. He hated being blind. It made him feel vulnerable. A phone rang, Keynes got a bad feeling that his presence inside the building had been discovered. Alice, be on alert! Yes, master. The woman answered the phone and after a few ¡®oh¡¯s and ¡®I understand¡¯ the conversation clearly ended as she said in a shaky voice. ¡°It was her. It was Persephone. She wants us at the White Hall!¡± ¡°Us?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the woman said, her voice squeaky from excitement. ¡°And she wants us now!¡± Behind the curtain, Keynes smiled. That was too easy. Chapter 57: Nuclear Waste Depository Following the two associates of the White Mask assassin wasn¡¯t a walk in the park. They walked in circles. Sometimes they stopped without a clear goal, only to resume their walk without a warning. Keynes made Alice stay close to them as he feared they might be suspecting of being followed. It put him on edge. Keynes had changed his clothes four times and always stayed far behind. Alice ensured him that both of the people they were following were Level 1 and on the lowest spiritual stage. Eventually, the pair stopped by a bar, Keynes slowed down two hundred metres from them ¨C the very maximum his bond with Alice would allow. Did they figure him out and waited to see what he was going to do? As he was about to pass them by, the bar¡¯s door opened and a man called the pair inside. Keynes squinted at him ¨C bulky, moustachioed with pattern tattoos on thick arms. He was Level 2, not yet in the Medium stage but no longer at the very bottom. Is the White Hall here? Keynes asked himself and it almost broke his stride when he realised this could be it. Keynes went on for another twenty metres, when curiosity took a better of him and he turned around, growing confident about his stupid plan. The door to the bar was open. The main room was poorly lit. It smelled of smoke and spirits and was very quiet for it had many tables empty. Only three people sat on stools by the bar. The pair and the sturdy man who had invited them. In a doorway behind the bar appeared a blond-haired bartender, his eyes instantly fixed on Keynes. He was young but he also happened to be Level 5 with an unknown spirit stage. That put Keynes on alert and he made his annoyance known to Alice. She should have warned him about the presence of a Level 5. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± the bartender asked. Keynes exhaled, keeping his emotions in check. The bartender didn¡¯t show any hostility toward him but he couldn¡¯t be a mere bartender. Whoever he was, he had to be connected to the White Masks. ¡°Something to drink,¡± Keynes replied lamely. Only then the pair turned to have a look at him. There was no recognition in their eyes. The bartender placed his hand on the tab and asked the trio to go somewhere else. They did so without a word of complaint. Follow them, Keynes said to Alice. And listen to their conversation. The bartender placed a glass with a clear, green-hued liquid on the bar before Keynes. ¡°What is it?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°You asked for something to drink. Something to drink it is,¡± the bartender said, his face devoid of amusement Keynes expected to see. ¡°Ten dollars.¡± Keynes paid then took the glass in his hand and his eyes widened.
Greenberry Whisky (Common) - Level 1
¡°A Level 1 drink?¡± It was similar to the Lesser Alcoholic Beverage in Scotland. The bartender wasn¡¯t surprised by Keynes¡¯s exclamation but his eyes tracked Keynes¡¯s every move. Should I somehow mention the White Masks? It seemed like a recruiting or meeting point for the White Masks. Keynes was certain of it. He tasted the drink, finding it pleasant¡­ until it hit his throat! That thing was nasty! Master, they are on the move! Thank god! Keynes thanked for the drink and left. No one tried to stop him. Outside, the icy air filled his lungs once more, making him forget the hideous drink. Lead me to them. *** Why they moved on foot, Keynes couldn¡¯t begin to guess but it worked to his advantage. Geneva was a massive city and yet they walked. They walked until evening descended and the streets filled with faraway shouts and screams and sirens. They were close to one of the districts plagued by riots. Keynes swapped his clothes for the Cloak of Shadows, immediately becoming harder to see in the deepening shadows between the cones of light, originating from the street lamps. Eventually, they reached a low gate at the foot of the mountain. The gate was flanked by dark bushes that hid whatever fence was there. Buildings on the adjacent street were all two-storey offices or some obscure shops. It was the edge of Geneva discounting the towering shapes of the buildings far above on the mountain¡¯s slopes. He realised that he was on the other side of the city. He was so focused on following the trio and not getting caught himself that he lost track of where exactly he was. Keynes watched the tattooed man unlock the gate, push it ajar, let the pair from the assassin¡¯s apartment in and then lock it back. Why didn¡¯t they use a car? Keynes thought, realising slowly that it might be a trap. He called Alice back and asked her to circle the vicinity and check on potential enemies. Keynes wasn¡¯t going to be amused if he was the one followed here too. Alice assured him that there was no one suspicious, only some workers in their workshops working dutifully on things she didn¡¯t understand. Calmed down, Keynes asked her to check on the trio. There was still a risk they¡¯d try to set a trap ahead for him. After a few painfully long minutes, Alice returned. The trio had gone up the road that led to who knew where. Moving from shadow to shadow, Keynes came to the gate and unlocked it with ease. It barely drew on his mana. The road was well maintained and lit only by dim yellow lamps. It ran for a kilometre up the slope of the mountain to a plateau with several buildings and a yard lit by only slightly brighter light of lamp posts. The buildings were made out of raw concrete, evoking thoughts of bunkers. As Keynes drew closer, he found a warning sign. Nuclear Waste Depository Unauthorised Entrance Strictly Forbidden The sign made Keynes think twice. First time he understood the risk, the radioactive waste could even hurt a Level 5. It was dangerous stuff. Then he thought again and asked himself why the site wasn''t properly secured. Where were its guards or alarms announcing his presence? This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. There were none. It didn¡¯t add up. Keynes asked Alice to check the buildings, while he approached the large gate made out of steel. It was cast within a concrete arch and indisputably led into the mountain. Clear. Alice came back eventually. Can you go and check what¡¯s inside? She levitated closer toward the door as if unsure, then started prodding its steel surface with her lithe semi-translucent hands. I cannot get through. It¡¯s like the walls in Wagner¡¯s house? Keynes asked. No. Keynes blinked, confused. What do you mean? Wagner used something organic in securing his house. Plants, Keynes realised. This gate has a layer of something that does not let me in. It is not a formation or runes. Then what is it? She almost answered ¡®I do not know¡¯ but she knew. There was understanding on her face now that hadn¡¯t been there when Keynes had reached the Medium stage in the lookout. I cannot say, she eventually replied. This alone should make Keynes turn around and leave. The evening also transformed into an early night and no one back in Wagner¡¯s house knew where Keynes had gone. That should definitely kick his brain and drag his ass out of here. But there had been a time when Keynes would have never backed down from a challenge. His curiosity had always been like the sun, the brightest thing in the sky of his mind, brighter than his common sense. It¡¯d led him into trouble countless times. All these times had one thing in common, the louder his inner voice screamed to stop and leave it alone, the stronger pull to do it became. If he had a different memory, he¡¯d be able to say that he almost forgot the feeling but he¡¯d the memory he had and he¡¯d forgotten nothing. His body blazed, tugged by two opposite desires. Master? He shook his head because he already knew his choice. Am I being stupid? With that fitting question, he approached the gate, found the lock and used his Talent on it. He stumbled gasping, almost 90% of his mana devoured in that single act. Whatever the gate was made of, it had to be at least Level 2 material. But most importantly, he unlocked the gate. Ahead of him, a wide tunnel lit by a line of yellow light led straight into the viscera of the mountain. *** The tunnel was wide enough for two cars to comfortably drive side by side and still leave space on each side for a person. It was high enough for a lorry to drive in the centre and not touch the arched ceiling. Every two hundred metres Keynes passed a metal door. Emergency exits leading god knew where. None of them were made of the same spirit-resistant material as was the gate and Alice was able to do some quick exploration. Staircases led up and down into lesser tunnels, designed for pedestrians only. She found nothing of note there and Keynes lost interest in them, except as the means to his escape would the need arise. No one came from the other side and Keynes grew confident in his decision to pursue the trio travelling to the White Hall ¨C likely, the heart of the White Masks organisation. Eventually, the tunnel ended with another gate. Keynes slowed down and kept to the wall. If the gate was made out of the same damned material, he¡¯d need to wait almost a day until his mana regenerated. Mana always took a day to fully recover from 0% to 100%, universally, for anyone, despite Level. Crap. The gate was made out of the same material. But not all was lost. Not fifty metres from the gate was the emergency door. There was always a chance of some unexplained design flaw that connected whatever was behind the gate via another tunnel. The emergency tunnel sounded like a good candidate. Keynes entered the emergency exit. Basing his guess on pure speculation, he chose to descend, hoping to find the correct tunnel there. What surprised him¡ªand sobered¡ªwas the lack of monitoring. It sobered him because he hadn¡¯t thought of it until he entered the emergency tunnel. If the White Masks had monitoring in place, Keynes¡¯s foolhardy mission would end in a failure. The staircase descended two flights of stairs and ended with another door. Alice checked the other side and he opened it after she¡¯d declared the emergency tunnel empty. Was this place really a nuclear waste depository? No. It wasn¡¯t. It lacked the precautions and security. The emergency tunnel was two metres wide, its walls hidden behind the plethora of pipes of many varieties and sizes. It aslo split into three directions. Keynes picked the one that should lead toward the locked gate. He was rewarded with another door, two hundred metres from where he¡¯d entered the smaller tunnel. Back to the staircase, two flights of stairs up and to another door. Behind it was a loading dock with an elevated concrete platform and four closed, folding doors. The loading dock was empty, even the signs that once decorated the walls were gone. Keynes spied a normal door next to the loading platform. He once again marvelled at the fact that this place had no monitoring. A nuclear waste depository would have one. The red door was unlocked to his surprise. It wasn¡¯t an emergency exit. The door led to offices which were as empty as the loading dock. Even the carpets were removed from the floor. On the other side of the offices, Keynes found yet another staircase. Once again, he chose to descend, believing that anything important had to be deeper. There he found the plan of this place. It was a true labyrinth! Spaghetti of tunnels. One part of the plan was highlighted with red and multiple warnings were written on each side. It, indeed, was or had been a nuclear waste depository. If the White Masks took over this place, it was in the red zone, Keynes would find them. As he descended, Alice asked if he was sure about it. They were away for over a day without telling anyone but Keynes assured her that it was fine. His focus was completely absorbed by the White Masks. He stopped only when the staircase ended with two doors on opposite sides. One door was marked with white paint. Yes! I knew it. He smiled but didn¡¯t relax. He might need to fight out there. Alice, check the other side. After she returned and gave him all clear, he opened the door. On the other side was a very large room, at least ten metres wide and twice as high. On the other end was a large gate. Next to it stood a forklift. The room was over a hundred metres long. Master¡­ Keynes¡¯s eyes followed Alice¡¯s little finger. His jaw dropped as he saw what she was pointing at. A row of waist-high concrete obelisks with computer screens attached on top of them. Next to each shimmered a small ball of light in mid-air. Rifts. Their location was impossibly regular. It couldn¡¯t be. Keynes approached the first rift. The computer screen flickered to life, offering all the details of the rift next to it. It was a Level 1 rare and variable rift. It even listed the monsters appearing in it, their likelihood and powers. And that wasn¡¯t all! It even provided details of valuable resources in each scenario. Below it, a chart broke down the amount of essence based on the number of people and their Levels. At the top of the screen was the timer showing the time until the rift was recharged. Keynes thought back to Scotland and wondered how the government hadn¡¯t had this. Alice, how is this possible? Keynes asked, mesmerised. It is. How, I cannot say. He moved closer to the rift.
Rift (Rare)
Level 1
Status Open (Ruptured)
Requirements -
Modifiers -
Details This rift may contain rarer rift monsters. It has a higher chance to spawn a boss.
Affinity -
Special Status Relocated
The details were different from all other rifts Keynes had seen and that special status: relocated. How was this possible? He once more glanced to the side, taking in the other nine rifts, flickering in the regular intervals. Scottish Cluster city couldn¡¯t even compare to this. Keynes checked on the other rifts and found them all to be rare and variable. One rift in Scotland was also variable. Monsters and the environment changed inside on a daily basis. It¡¯d been a dangerous, unpredictable rift but one that granted more essence than a stable rift. Rarity also increased the amount of essence¡­ Keynes checked the essence chart and staggered. Each rarity doubled the amount of essence while the variable version increased the amount by another 50% setting the final amount of the essence at 6% per day for a Level 1 in a group no larger than four people. Six freaking percent times ten. Enough to level up four people in two days. But the chart held more info¡ª ¡°Welcome to the White Hall,¡± a female voice spoke, interrupting Keynes his reading. He whirled, searching for its owner. Alice! I do not sense anyone. A woman in a white mask stood on the catwalk above the gate, leaning on the railing. She looked relaxed and that made Keynes nervous. He squinted at the exit and saw more White Mask assassins stream out of other doors, including the one he¡¯d come through. ¡°We wonder what brings the killer of my loyal agent here?¡± I knew it was a stupid idea. Chapter 58: Persephone ¡°Who are you?¡± the woman in the white mask asked. Keynes opened his mouth, feeling like a total idiot. What had he thought to charge into the heart of the White Masks organisation without a plan? At the periphery of his mind flickered answers: guilt and fear. He¡¯d tried to occupy his mind with something other than the visions, Daiyu Fen, Kaito Ren and outbreaks. Great. And here I am. Neck deep in waste. At least, it isn¡¯t radioactive. When Keynes didn¡¯t answer. She somersaulted over the rail and landed softly in front of Keynes. She was tall, at least two metres tall. ¡°So, who are you?¡± she asked again. Keynes got a better look at her. She wore a black robe, a white mask resembling a rectangular piece of white wood with two slits for eyes. ¡°My Lady,¡± one of the White Masks behind Keynes said. ¡°Let me deal with the murderer. Karim must be avenged.¡± Others agreed with him. They are Level 3s and 4s, all rift essence ascenders, Alice said. Only one is in the Medium Stage though. The woman in front of you, master, she is¡­ she¡¯s at least Level 5 but her spiritual stage is above Medium so I cannot gauge her Level properly. Keynes thanked her. He forced his emotions to stillness. Only a clear mind could get him out of this mess. ¡°You are calling me a murderer while your friend killed hundreds if not thousands of people.¡± ¡°How dare you speak ill about Karim?!¡± the same man snapped. The supposed leader made a step toward Keynes and he prepared his shortswords to lash out in an attack if she got too close. Not that it was going to work. The chasm in strength between them was too wide. ¡°Have your own way, murderer,¡± she said and spun on the heel. ¡°Do whatever you want with him.¡± Keynes half-turned and saw weapons of different kinds appearing in their hands. Twelve rift essence ascenders. Keynes was without a chance. ¡°Wait,¡± he called out after the leader before the first of the White Masks reached him. ¡°I will tell you my name but call them off.¡± ¡°Stop,¡± the leader said and her subordinates ground to halt. ¡°My lady? What is it?¡± ¡°Let him say his name,¡± she said, standing with her back to them, her dark glossy hair spilt onto her back. ¡°Keynes Kid.¡± It took a lot of effort to say it as he knew what kind of people hunted him and what they wanted to do with him. You asked for it yourself, he told himself. You shouldn¡¯t be here in the first place. His inner voice was right. Once Keynes would¡¯ve risked a minor injury easily fixed in a hospital, but today his life was at stake. His old mindset from before the ascension would only harm him in a big way. The leader slowly turned back. ¡°This is more than I bargained for,¡± she said, then ordered her men to stand down and return to their posts. They protested, still asking for blood. It looked like they didn¡¯t know who Keynes was. Except for the leader. She knew. Eventually, they withdrew from the White Hall, leaving Keynes and the leader alone, ten rifts glimmered with a promise of wealth while they stood facing each other. ¡°Keynes Kid,¡± she echoed his name. ¡°To find you here, of all places¡­ a strange coincidence. Why did you come here?¡± ¡°To stop you,¡± Keynes replied simply, understanding the impossibility of his task. When he¡¯d given himself the goal of bringing down the White Masks, had he even thought it through? He hadn¡¯t. But it wasn¡¯t all he wanted from the White Masks. ¡°And learn.¡± ¡°Learn?¡± she asked, sounding surprised. Her hand reached for the mask, but she stopped herself before she took it off. ¡°You came to learn what?¡± Keynes debated his next move. To his irritation, he didn¡¯t have many options. Fighting his way out of here was not possible. Even with the plan of the depository in his head, he wouldn¡¯t get out of this room. The leader of the White Masks was too strong for that. So far, his identity stopped the White Mask brutes from killing him. Now, he needed to find a way to convince the leader to not imprison him. ¡°How to master my Spirit.¡± ¡°Interesting. Why us?¡± ¡°Your assassin was the first person I¡¯ve encountered who wasn¡¯t all levels.¡± ¡°Yes, I can see you have managed to gain the Medium Stage yourself and maxed out your attributes. That isn¡¯t only unusual. That¡¯s the first time I am meeting some like you, Keynes Kid. I guess¡­¡± she trailed off for a minute and her posture suggested a change in her attitude but Keynes couldn¡¯t tell what had changed. ¡°That is remarkable. Follow me, Keynes Kid.¡± The gate opened into another, larger room that resembled a warehouse. A pile of pallets stood in a corner, next to it lay reels of plastic pallet wrap. Two more forklifts were parked by the opposite wall. Next to them stood a table with some papers on it. They crossed the warehouse and entered another door with a warning sign. The leader ignored the sign, opened the door, entering the next room. There Keynes¡¯s eyes bulged like two squashed coins. A sturdy catwalk with heavy rails on each side ran above a high room, at least thirty metres from the bottom to the ceiling. It held twelve round steel containers, approximately ten metres high each and four metres across. They occupied half of the room. The leader didn¡¯t stop or comment on the view. She opened another door and this time Keynes noticed that it was ten centimetres thick. They walked out into a tunnel resembling the emergency one. It had countless pipes entangling the walls like ancient roots. Many turns later, the leader opened the door to a room. It was a spacious office with computers, wallboards and shelves thick with books. One desk stood out from the rest, she approached it, reached underneath it and flicked some switch. Keynes grew wary but he was in her hands now. He kept his thoughts and fears to himself. She turned to him. ¡°I am called Persephone,¡± she said. Her voice on TV had been altered, Keynes realised. Then she took off her mask, revealing the pretty face of a proud woman. She had aristocratic features so often present on faces of the richest as if they belonged to a different species. Keynes knew he¡¯d never seen her before. ¡°My real name is of no interest to you. For now, perhaps.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Her admission unsettled Keynes as he understood what it might entail. If she showed him her face, then she might not expect him to leave this place. That was worrisome. Keynes didn¡¯t know what to say and so he stayed silent, thinking hard. ¡°My Talent is telling me to tell you¡­ a few things I am not comfortable sharing with anyone but the most loyal of my followers,¡± she said. ¡°And yet, my Talent has never failed me.¡± ¡°Your Talent?¡± Persephone sighed. ¡°It tells me what to do to find or gain whatever I desire.¡± Keynes had to lean on a desk next to him to not fall over. That sounded like¡­ ¡°A Broken Talent.¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Persephone smiled. ¡°But close. Yes. There are severe limitations that truly Broken Talent wouldn¡¯t possess. My Talent tells me what to do but never why and even the time frame is hidden from me. So, if I ask for something more abstract, it still could be years before I find it.¡± ¡°So¡­ you have used it to ¡­ find me?¡± ¡°Yes. I wanted to find Karim¡¯s killer. Twice it led me to Wagner Zimmermann¡¯s estate but I am not stupid to face that man or his formidable servants in his estate. Then came a moment, when it told me to call Karim¡¯s associate and invite them to the White Hall. From there it was all about waiting for whoever will show up.¡± ¡°And I did.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She opened her mouth then paused, considering something. ¡°And if you only were some government assassin or tracker, the matter would be resolved easily.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be killed.¡± ¡°Indeed. But you¡¯re Keynes Kid. The boy who caused two outbreaks and holds the keys to the rifts. Don¡¯t look surprised. We contacted the scientists who worked in the Jamaican base. They happily told us everything in exchange for protection. It seems that the Old Blood families aren¡¯t keen to let the truth out.¡± Some time ago, Keynes would have wondered why the Old Blood didn¡¯t wish it as the truth worked against the World Government. Now he understood that the World Government and the Old Blood were two sides of the same coin. Both wanted him exclusively. It left him with a question though. What would Persephone do? What did she desire? ¡°What does your Talent tell you about me?¡± Keynes asked. She sighed again, meaning she had to say something she didn¡¯t like to say. ¡°It depends on my desire. But what my desire is, isn¡¯t relevant now. The issue is more complex than you think. Karim was one of my favourite subordinates and there are some who loved him. I also invested my time in him. Then there is the issue of our credo. Freedom to all. Death to enemies. And you¡¯re, technically, an enemy, Keynes Kid.¡± Keynes stiffened but said nothing. ¡°But I cannot kill you and we both know it. I¡­ even shouldn¡¯t keep you here. Although, this is a confusing part. Why should I let you go? Why does my Talent tell me to set you free if I desire Level 3 and higher rifts? And more, if I desire to survive or get stronger I must let you go. As I said, my Talent doesn¡¯t tell me why, only what.¡± ¡°It¡¯s never failed you,¡± Keynes reminded her. She let out a short laugh. ¡°Yes! You understand my dilemma. On one hand, all my wisdom and experience scream to lock you up but on the other hand, my Talent is clear, you¡¯re no good to me imprisoned or dead. Why is that?¡± Keynes almost told her the truth then he reconsidered. Would her Talent change its mind based on what Keynes told her? It couldn¡¯t be ruled out and therefore he had to be careful. He decided to approach it from a different angle. ¡°We can strike a deal.¡± ¡°A deal?¡± ¡°Yes. I can open the rifts. You can find them. I guess, your Talent can tell you where to find items you desire. If you¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± she interrupted him. ¡°I cannot find things other people desire.¡± ¡°But you can desire the same things, right?¡± ¡°For your knowledge, I rarely part with the things I desire.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t comment on it. Persephone stood up and began pacing the room. She was thinking about Keynes¡¯s proposal or perhaps she used her Talent to determine the course of her action. Keynes had to admit that her Talent was formidable. Very formidable. While Vivena¡¯s Talent turned her into a powerhouse, Persephone¡¯s Talent was like a treasure map inside her head. It explained the rifts in the White Hall. She¡¯d desired to find them and she did. It... It was perfect for Keynes¡¯s newly created company with Wagner, Esopp and Columbus. It created endless possibilities. Her Talent can speed up everything and help us with the¡­ he remembered Shaper¡¯s vision and his heart sank. Was securing Persephone¡¯s help crucial in the development of that desired future? Or was she irrelevant to it? He didn¡¯t know. ¡°What about stopping us?¡± she asked, drawing his attention back to the room. ¡°You said you wanted to stop us. Will you still if I agree to make a deal with you?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Keynes opened his mouth, finding it hard to come up with a good reply. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Your methods have killed millions of people.¡± Persephone laughed. ¡°You¡¯re the one talking! Your outbreaks killed a thousand times more.¡± Keynes¡¯s heart sank even deeper. Even though he hadn¡¯t taken responsibility for the first outbreak, the second one was his to bear. He argued with himself many times, finding reasons as to why the outbreaks were crucial to the world¡¯s survival. And how they stopped the World Government from gaining too much power and becoming unstoppable. But sometimes, even these arguments had fallen short, exposing the cruel truth, he was the one who made the decision to cause the second outbreak. Persephone saw it and perhaps, she desired to make him uncomfortable and unsettled. That Talent of hers, it was as much a treasure map as it was a weapon. ¡°So, what is it going to be? Are you still going to stop us?¡± she asked. Keynes dismissed the instant urge to say no. He needed something else, something like his offer. ¡°Ceasefire.¡± ¡°Ceasefire? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Stop killing people and I¡­ won¡¯t try to stop you.¡± A smile returned to her face and Keynes couldn¡¯t stop wondering if she was using her Talent to outplay him. Yeah. That was a potential risk he and his business partners would have to face if he brought her along. ¡°Keynes Kid, I am not killing people, I am saving them.¡± He was aware of her organisation¡¯s ideals. They wanted people to get stronger by exposing them to the monsters. Even Daiyu Fen argued that people would have to face the danger sooner or later. Keynes didn¡¯t agree with that. ¡°Give people time. They must realise that levelling up isn¡¯t for the rich and the army anymore but for anyone. Your White Hall is a great example. You can relocate rifts, bringing them together. You can have people trained properly¡­¡± He trailed off seeing her shaking her head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Orbs of Relocations are cosmically rare. I have found fourteen so far and at the moment my Talent is silent about more. It isn¡¯t so easy to relocate the rifts. And even if I did create this ¡­ training centre, it wouldn¡¯t serve the purpose. The population doesn¡¯t want exposure to the rift monsters. They want to hide behind the walls. That is why we must ensure that cities and towns have no walls, no artificial protection. This is the only way people will grow and stand up for themselves.¡± ¡°Survival of the fittest,¡± Keynes muttered. ¡°You understand!¡± she exclaimed, slapping her hands together with a force that could shatter Keynes¡¯s bones. ¡°Our planet is overpopulated anyway. Since the World Government took control, the wars stopped and technologies brought us many bad changes.¡± The more she spoke, the less Keynes wanted to make a deal with her. She was insane. She was a zealot of her own ideals. ¡°Why not try my way first? Bring proper structures to this. Help people understand why the rifts and levelling up is important. Overpopulation? Overpopulation is not the problem. There are countless planets we can colonise and each planet has its own rifts. How much wealth is out there in the stars, waiting to be reaped? Instead of slaughtering innocent people who may be crucial to our expansion as not every person must be a warrior, we will make it the right way. What about that?¡± That gave her pause. Even Keynes frowned at the words that flowed out of his mouth. He didn¡¯t know he had it in him. ¡°Interesting.¡± It was her turn to mutter. ¡°Ceasefire. Hm. I guess you make a fine point, Keynes Kid. But what of the World Government? How do you plan to stop them?¡± ¡°The World Government is breaking apart as we speak. Freeman¡¯s top people have left him. He¡¯s gone mad. If we start training the right people, the government won¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Persephone extended her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s make the deal then.¡± Chapter 59: Skill She Desires Persephone sat in her office, thinking about Keynes Kid and his little idea of uniting their efforts. She had to admit that when she¡¯d made her desire to catch the killer of Karim, she hadn¡¯t dreamed of meeting the very person who held the keys to the rifts. And to his credit, he quickly realised how much value lay within her Talent. But it was never easy to hand over the things she desired. Especially if they held power. But the deal was a deal. She sighed, sensing her second-in-command coming. Her spiritual companion was currently deactivated. The little thing was annoying and useless. Baruka entered the door without knocking, closing it with an urge to slam but he reined himself in. Like her, he was Level 6 but where all her Levels came from the rift essence, he only recently levelled up for the first time with the rift essence. That gave her a substantial advantage in attributes. She was also in the Superior stage while he was two stages below, in the Medium. If she wished, she could defeat him with her Spirit aura alone. ¡°Where is he?¡± Baruka snapped. ¡°Where¡¯s the murderer of my brother?!¡± ¡°Gone.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Persephone stared at him, without blinking or betraying any expression because if she did so, it would reveal what her Talent was whispering to her. If she desired to make peace with Baruka, she¡¯d need to hand over Keynes Kid to him. She didn¡¯t know if there was any other way. She hoped that the major upgrade would alter her Talent so she would be able to tell if there was another way. ¡°Where is he?¡± Baruka repeated his question. ¡°He¡¯s not to be touched, Baruka,¡± she said and added before her friend could collect himself. ¡°Call off all the missions except those that keep the rifts uncleared.¡± Through her aura, she could sense his emotional turmoil. Baruka would never agree to this. Anger blinded him. Persephone didn¡¯t blame him. Karim was like family to her too. But things she desired were now tied to Keynes Kid and their deal. Baruka was a loyal follower of their mission but she couldn¡¯t forget why the mission had been born. ¡°Go, relay my orders,¡± she said, giving him a nudge with her aura before he crossed the line and she¡¯d be forced to do something she would hate to do. *** ¡°Where the hell have you been?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°And why do you want to go to some remote island in the Mediterranean sea?¡± Wagner added his question. Sylv and Tyr accompanied them. Keynes¡¯s mother also had had a word with Keynes when he¡¯d returned the morning. He¡¯d spent with Persephone an entire night talking about their deal and possibilities. Keynes raised his hands. ¡°I need to talk to Wagner.¡± ¡°Keynes.¡± Why was Vivena even here? Tyr was first to leave, he didn¡¯t want to be here in the first place. Sylv stood beside Wagner until he dismissed her. Vivena was harder to get rid of. ¡°I know about your business,¡± she said with a hint of disappointment. ¡°The word already has gotten out.¡± Wagner shook his head muttering curses. But what did he expect? He put their names on the paper as the founders of their new company. Esopp Earl, Columbus Curt and Wagner Zimmermann in the same team had to raise many questions and give birth to countless rumours. ¡°Damned clerks.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t change anything,¡± Keynes said, then stepped closer to Wagner, purposefully ignoring Vivena. ¡°We need to talk. Only two of us.¡± A shadow of anger crossed her face but unlike Daiyu Fen, she wasn¡¯t a person to outwardly express her negative emotions. ¡°Vivena, dear, please give us a moment.¡± Wagner sighed. ¡°Vivena, dear?¡± Keynes asked when Vivena had left the office. ¡°What was that, Wagner?¡± The other man rolled his eyes then reminded Keynes that he was an opportunist at the core and Vivena¡¯s Talent put her very high in his esteem. ¡°You don¡¯t think about inviting her to join our company, do you?¡± ¡°No,¡± Wagner replied a little more sharply. ¡°Columbus and Esopp were clear on that. We won¡¯t invite anyone else to our party.¡± Keynes frowned. Well, that¡¯s going to be a difficult conversation. *** Wagner pinched the bridge of his nose. Was he imagining a headache or was he having one? Even though it was impossible. Ascenders didn¡¯t have headaches other than those caused by mana depletion. His Talent was passive and his mana had never run out. ¡°Keynes, you cannot be serious. You met with the leader of the White Masks and made a deal with her?¡± ¡°I had to save myself,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°They were ready to kill me.¡± If Wagner didn¡¯t know any better, he¡¯d think that Keynes was having fun at Wagner¡¯s cost but that wasn¡¯t the case. The boy was taut like asarian twigs. Wagner shuddered at the memory of the twigs that grasped their own ends, building tension, always ready to uncoil; at the slightest touch, they would lash out like whips. Wagner couldn¡¯t blame him¡ªwell, he could but didn¡¯t. The fruit of insight had given him a good overview of Keynes Kid and pushing him wasn¡¯t the right method to ¡®handle¡¯ the boy. ¡°Okay,¡± Wagner sat down, sighed, staring at his desk then looked up to find Keynes unmoved. ¡°Tell me everything.¡± Pulling a chair closer to Wagner¡¯s desk, Keynes seemed to mull over it. He sat down on the other side of the desk, elbow on the table. ¡°Where do I start?¡± ¡°From the beginning?¡± ¡°Nah, that part isn¡¯t important. But I will tell you what I found in their base if I can call it that. Ten rare Level 1 rifts, all variable and set next to each other in perfect intervals.¡± Wagner¡¯s lower jaw could only drop so far. He rose slowly, his heart was beating furiously. Wagner¡¯s Mind attribute was quite high and still, he was amazed. ¡°How?¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Orbs of Relocation.¡± ¡°Tell me these orbs are part of the deal.¡± All of sudden, Wagner understood why Keynes had done it. It¡¯d save them so many problems if they could relocate rifts to one location. One that was properly hidden and secured. ¡°Orbs aren¡¯t the point of the deal.¡± Keynes said it with such a straight face that Wagner could only blink. Did Keynes hear himself? Or did he go mad? ¡°Then what is?¡± ¡°Her Talent; whatever she desires, her Talent tells her how to get it.¡± That sounded like a Broken Talent. Wagner mulled the revelation over. It made sense that she¡¯d found so many orbs and had relocated ten rare rifts into one location. Yes. Wagner understood why Keynes didn¡¯t think the orbs weren¡¯t the point of the deal. They could get so much more. But at the same time, her Talent¡­ was dangerous. ¡°Keynes, do you realise how perilous her Talent is to us?¡± Keynes nodded but then he stopped and offered Wagner a smile. It was a rare sight to see that boy smile like this and one that gave Wagner chills. Keynes was damaged, broken by Windsor Freeman¡¯s sick desire to wield absolute power. ¡°I have thought about it. About the consequences of her working with us, and I have realised one thing; the vision Shaper had shown us. Persephone¡¯s Talent tells her how to get whatever she desires, never why. If she desires to get stronger, or even betray us or whatever, we know that her Talent would never tell her to put us in harm¡¯s way. We are critical to her survival. This is our fail-safe.¡± ¡°You¡¯re GENIUS!¡± Wagner pointed his finger at Keynes. He didn¡¯t take that into account. ¡°Now, how much is this going to cost us?¡± ¡°Forty percent of anything she points us toward.¡± Wagner¡¯s hopes immediately sank. Forty percent was a lot. On the other hand, it only applied to the things she would help them find. Technically, they didn¡¯t lose anything because without her they wouldn¡¯t get anything. Keynes stood up. ¡°Will you inform Esopp and Columbus? I really need to go to that island.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She said there is something she really desires but she¡¯s going to give it to me as a token of good faith, and part of the deal.¡± ¡°Keynes¡­ she is using her Talent to win you over.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ we still need to go over the details.¡± ¡°When I am back.¡± Keynes fled his office. Sylv entered, Vivena trailing behind her. Wagner sighed. Women. Then the door opened and Keynes returned. ¡°I forgot to ask, can I borrow one of your helicopters? And ¡­ I need a favour.¡± *** The pilot refused to land. Officially, the island was uninhabited, barely a kilometre wide and with little vegetation, obscuring the bare rock. Today the island teemed with rift monsters. There, on this hostile strip of land, was a solitary rift. Inside it, Persephone had said, was a skill she desired. On his way here, Keynes debated a trap or a cruel joke. But neither made sense. He stood inside her office, in the heart of her base. She¡¯d had him in her hands and still she let him go. The deal they¡¯d struck was too profitable to simply throw it away, especially when she was the creature of her Talent, following it even against her instincts. She¡¯d had to fear that Keynes would reveal the location of her base. And in fact, he was tempted to tell it to Wagner but Wagner had said it himself ¨C he was an opportunist. And ten rare rifts sounded like a tempting opportunity. Keynes dropped into the water. He snorted salty water out of his nostrils. He didn¡¯t know that the Mediterranean sea was this salty. When the helicopter put enough distance between them, Keynes got out of the water on the rocky beach. He swapped the wet clothes for the Cloak of Shadows and took out his two shortswords. The day was beautiful, sunny and cloudless like in San Antonio. Howls sounded a few moments later. The monsters knew he was here. It was time for some killing. *** The boss was the size of a horse, its canines ten centimetres long and sharp as razors. It was the largest hound Keynes had laid his eyes on. It was of a rare rarity like the rift albeit Level 3; every boss was one Level higher than the rift itself. It possessed two spells; one passive ¨C deep cuts ¨C each time the hound struck the same wound, the damage it inflicted increased. The active spell was called speed burst and boosted the hound¡¯s speed by 30% for 3 seconds. That active spell was an actual issue when facing hundreds of hounds. Keynes¡¯s health was at 57% and he didn¡¯t even clear the island, only cut through the packs of hounds. Most damage came from inside the rift. Even with his increased Dexterity, Keynes wasn¡¯t quick enough to dodge every strike. It reminded him that an average ascender wasn¡¯t strong enough to deal with the rift on their own. Master, you are close to improving your Cultivation technique. I can sense that too. Karim¡¯s notes were very useful. Knowing the assassin¡¯s name made it awkward now. It gave some masked killer an identity. In the end, it didn¡¯t really matter. Keynes had defended himself. He hadn¡¯t intended to kill the man. The hound sprung, lashing out its paws the size of Keynes¡¯s head. Keynes ducked with ease, keeping his footing prepared for an emergency evade when the boss¡¯ speed burst would come. It came as Keynes slashed the tendons of the boss¡¯ foreleg. The damage was enough to stagger the monster, making the speed burst ungainly. It still brought sharp claws a hair¡¯s breadth from Keynes¡¯s face. But at the same time, the beast¡¯s attack exposed its vulnerable area. Keynes thrust the shortsword, aiming at its heart and hoping it had the heart in the same spot as Earth¡¯s animal of its type. The shortsword went only halfway, reminding Keynes that, while his Dexterity was boosted to 31 points, his Strength remained at 26. Nonetheless, the wound did its job. The hound howled in pain and tried to bite off Keynes¡¯s head but Keynes was already in a roll beneath the hound. As he regained his footing next to the right hind leg, he cut muscles and tendons, crippling the monster further. It roared and tried to spin around but it made the mistake of placing its weight on the damaged foreleg. The boss collapsed, offering Keynes a chance to kill it. He did it without hesitation. The rift¡¯s boss has been killed. The Overcharge effect is removed. The monster will no longer spawn. You gain a single instance of the Explorer buff. The Explore buff grants +30% to find a higher rarity item or skill from the reward chest. Keynes exhaled, his muscles painfully weary, his body in cuts and dried blood. Before he went to check on the reward, he did the final push, finally improving his Cultivation technique. Congratulations! Your Lesser Cultivation Technique has improved. - You have learned Cultivation Technique. So it lost the prefix ¡®Lesser¡¯ the same way the aura control had had. There clearly was a hierarchy. Keynes closed his eyes, reaching the newly acquired technique with his mind. It gave him an impression of a more complex structure. He also realised that it still didn¡¯t give him anything close to what Karim¡¯s notes talked about but another realisation crystalised in his mind; everything he¡¯d been doing so far in terms of cultivation was flawed. He saw it now and could tell because of his perfect memory. Interesting. Each version of the cultivation technique polished his skill of cultivation. His initial attempts in the rift in Jamaica were as crude as doing an operation with stone-age tools. ¡°Finally.¡± Keynes smiled. He walked around the boss¡¯ corpse and approached the reward chest. He checked for the hidden compartment, which wasn¡¯t there. Then he reached inside and took out a roughly cut stone.
Skill Shard ??? (???)
She didn¡¯t lie¡­ Damn it. She told the truth. The only question was what kind of skill she desired. Keynes almost hesitated, taking out the Scroll of Identification from his dimensional pouch. His heart was beating hard. He was excited but also afraid that the skill wouldn¡¯t meet his expectations. Who could say what kind of odd desires the leader of the White Masks harboured? Keynes did it with his eyes closed and when he opened it, he blinked several times before he started maniacally laughing. He couldn¡¯t stop even when his abdomen began to hurt. Oh, but Wagner had been so freaking right. She got Keynes good. Her Talent was insane.
Skill Shard Flight (Level 2)
Chapter 60: The World Reserve ¡°What should I do with this?¡± Keynes asked aloud. The fastest way is to swallow it. The slowest way is to keep it pressed against your skin. The latter option will take days, master. ¡°The former?¡± Seconds to minutes. Keynes raised the skill shard to his mouth and swallowed it. He expected to choke on it, judging by its size but nothing like this happened. It felt like the skill shard started dissolving the moment it touched Keynes¡¯s tongue. He took the opportunity to sit down on the grassy hill. The sky was covered with clouds but the air was still. The climate in this rift was mild and pleasant. When a spiritual message popped up, Keynes focused on his newly acquired skill. The skill grants an ability to fly up to an altitude of 1000 metres. Cooldown: None. Mana cost: 1 per minute, each additional person carried by the ascender will increase mana cost (depends on Level and spiritual stage). The maximum flying speed is 70 kilometres per hour (alone). Mana cost was prohibitive. One point per minute would give him 130 minutes plus 11 minutes that would regenerate over 2 hours. It allowed Keynes to cover a distance of 150 kilometres at the maximum speed. Suddenly, mana wasn¡¯t some abstract feature but the real bottleneck. One more thing to worry about. It seems I have to start looking for proper rift items. He needed something to boost his mana and health regeneration or at least his Vitality attribute. Currently, it took him too long to regenerate to full health. The time of the day in the rift didn¡¯t change but Alice told him that he''d spent two hours inside. It was time to leave. With [Flight] he wasn¡¯t bothered by the hounds populating the island. Fighting them was pointless¡­ Wrinkling his nose, he cursed himself for being an idiot. He had to train his attributes and the island full of rift monsters was exactly the thing he should use. He took out a fruit that boosted his attributes by 2 points for 3 hours and went to the exit. Expecting the instant assault he found something else. Vivena, moving like a demigoddess, slew the hounds with her bare hands. They died from a single slap. Essence rushed Keynes¡¯s way and he immediately started circling it around his core, employing Karim¡¯s techniques. Keynes¡¯s control was firmer now but at the same time more flexible. It took Vivena less than twenty minutes to clear the island. Keynes killed only 18 monsters, all in self-defence as he lost appetite for a fight. There weren¡¯t many left in Vivena¡¯s stead anyway and he didn¡¯t want to risk coming close to her either. A single mistake on her part would see him dead. She was using her Talent. Crunching numbers in his head and seeing what these numbers represented in real life was a shocking difference. Keynes put on the Cloak of Shadows to hide his wounds but left the hood off. Vivena wore her signature green coat. He had to avert his eyes because she looked like Athena returning from a conquest. ¡°Keynes,¡± she called out as if this wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°You look terrible.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Was she going to babysit him like this all the time? Keynes needed to have a word with Wagner. That man needed to be more assertive with her. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who must get stronger,¡± she replied with a cheeky smile. ¡°And judging by your state, I¡¯ve come at the right time.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t. I had it all under control.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I see? What is that supposed to mean? Keynes huffed while Vivena signalled the helicopters to land. They didn¡¯t speak for a while then she said. ¡°My grandfather would like to meet you.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Wagner approved¡­¡± ¡°Still, no.¡± Keynes turned his back on her, took off from the ground and flew away. *** He landed fifty-five kilometres south of the island with the uncommon rift. Vivena stubbornly followed him here and here was the northern coast of the African continent. People on the beach had pointed at him and the helicopter landing nearby. The beach was over a kilometre wide and not very populated this afternoon. Vivena exited the aircraft and came his way. He kept his Cloak of Shadows on, ensuring that his face was hidden by the hood. People were taking pictures of them by now. ¡°You have a flying skill?¡± she asked, perplexed. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s called [Flight]. Is this why you were following me here? Because if it¡¯s about your grandfather, then my answer is still a no.¡± ¡°For how long have you had that skill?¡± ¡°Three hours.¡± He turned to go. ¡°The rift¡­ Wait.¡± She joined Keynes in his walk toward the line of palms. Behind them, the helicopter took to the air. Keynes softly sighed, understanding what it meant but he didn¡¯t say anything. He wasn¡¯t in the mood for an argument. Everything was going according to his plan and Vivena wasn¡¯t going to mess it up. ¡°Where are you going?¡± He increased pace and grimaced seeing that she kept up with him just fine. She was still using her Talent. Wagner must have got her a better serum or she somehow got the serum from her father. ¡°I am going south.¡± She frowned, mulling over his words. ¡°The only thing south of here is the World Reserve.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah. There are rifts, right?¡± ¡°Yes. At least a dozen uncleared rifts.¡± Their appearance stirred interest and brought them unwanted attention. They crossed the wide, stone-paved boulevard. On the other side, buildings rose from the ground, mostly absurdly high hotels. In between, were smaller hotels and tourist attractions. Keynes chose to head to a shadowed alley and swapped his cloak. He was drawing too much attention in his purple cloak. To his surprise, Vivena did the same. ¡°Dimensional pouch?¡± he asked the obvious question. ¡°Yes. My family sent me one together with poison serums.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°So, they don¡¯t want you back?¡± ¡°Not for now¡­¡± she replied and wanted to say more but stopped herself. Keynes nodded and walked out of the alley. He¡¯d memorised the city map just before leaving Wagner¡¯s estate, so he knew where to go. Getting over the wall that fenced the World Reserve had been an issue before he received [Flight]. Despite being populated by 17 billion people, the African continent had urbanised only its coasts. Over 90% of the landmass was turned into the largest reserve in the world, dwarfing the Amazon forest. The only people who lived in the World Reserve were the natives who had made a deal with the World Government. There was a lot of speculation about the deal. Details were confidential apart from what had been publicly available, which wasn¡¯t much. The entrance to the World Reserve was severely limited and required expensive licences depending on the purpose of the visit. Some people came here to hunt or research, most simply came for sightseeing. Interacting with the natives was forbidden, for reasons unknown. Conspiracy theories floated about; some talked about secret government bases and illegal operations, others were wilder and touched aliens and experiments on humans. Keynes was a believer in the former. After everything he¡¯d seen, he was confident that the World Government used the reserve for some dark purpose. By the evening, they reached the hundred-metre high wall. It was quite a sight. Like space colonisation, the World Government didn¡¯t bother itself with budget and cost. The city splashed against the wall, like a frozen wave. There was an official gate that led to a tourist exposition where anyone could cheaply enter an enclosed park on the other side. To go outside that human cage would mean getting a licence. Keynes didn¡¯t have a licence. And he didn¡¯t care about one. He had [Flight]. ¡°This is where we part our ways, Vivena. Goodbye.¡± It sounded a bit melodramatic, though he didn¡¯t plan to make it so. ¡°Wait.¡± He stopped, turning slightly to her. ¡°Please, allow me to go with you. I need to level up too. I promise to not ask you to meet with my grandfather or anyone from my family.¡± He blinked, sensing a tightness in his chest. Master, you are experiencing strange emotions¡­ for some reason, Vivena Sael is always their source. Why? Never mind, he muttered in his mind, fighting the overpowering urge to say yes. He eventually crushed the fire, leaving glittering embers in its place. Refusing her was not an easy task¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t you think it will be easier if I join you? With my Talent active, you don¡¯t need to lift a finger. If there are a dozen uncleared rifts, the number of monsters should be substantial by now. It has been almost half a year since the first outbreak.¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong but she missed the point. ¡°Vivena, your understanding of the System is flawed¡­¡± he said quietly. ¡°Besides, I am not going there to level up. I have to max out my attributes. To do that, I have to struggle.¡± He turned to go. ¡°I won¡¯t use my Talent then. I will struggle with you.¡± Like a phoenix, the fire returned, born from the embers, and Keynes knew he lost to her. ¡°Fine, but you¡¯ll follow my lead or we¡¯ll call this off.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± *** They waited until the night. Vivena closed her eyes as Keynes embraced her. His skill lifted them from the ground with shocking smoothness. In a matter of seconds, they were flying above the wall. It took every fibre of her willpower to not inject the poison serum into her body. From this height, she¡¯d indisputably die. Why was Keynes so¡­ solemn when she was around him? She could understand his negative attitude toward her family. After all, they had promised him a lot only to disappear without a word. But there was more than that. Harter told her that Keynes simply had become a different person and it wasn¡¯t about her. But she didn¡¯t think it was the case¡­ Keynes didn¡¯t land on the other side, instead, he kept flying south for another ten minutes. The same darkness that hid them from the sentries on the wall, hid the forests from them. Vivena didn¡¯t know how Keynes managed to land safely but somehow he did. The thick, damp air was very different from the salty, refreshing one on the other side of the wall. She wasn¡¯t aware of the drastic climate disparity. All around them, the plethora of sounds turned her skin to gooseflesh. Her hand twitched to take out the poison serum but she¡¯d promised Keynes to not use it. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to fly further south? Ten minutes from the wall isn¡¯t far enough.¡± ¡°It drains too much mana,¡± he replied quietly. ¡°Besides, this is perfect.¡± Then he added with delight in his voice. ¡°Try to keep up.¡± Without a warning, Keynes shot forward. He¡¯s insane¡­ Vivena started following him after she¡¯d put on her rare coat. As her Mind attribute climbed up, she relaxed and focused more on the surroundings. Without poisons, she couldn¡¯t keep up with Keynes. He was faster than she anticipated. His fight with the Level 5 had been an eye-opener for her. A Level 2 should not have been able to defeat a Level 5. Even a non-combatant Level 5 ascender was too powerful for anyone on Level 2. Vivena and Keynes were on the same Level and she couldn¡¯t gain distance on him. He didn¡¯t even use his swords that boosted his Dexterity. After ten minutes, she only focused on not getting lost as there was no way she could catch up with Keynes. After an hour, she was struggling to not use the serum as her stamina was at the bottom. She collapsed in complete darkness. Her face dropped and touched the forest bedding that seemed to be alive. Everything crawled and made odd noises. She was so tired that she didn¡¯t care. Where is Keynes? Has he left me behind? Something dropped next to her and she twitched, a serum appeared in her hand. She didn¡¯t inject it though as someone caught her hand. ¡°You promised,¡± Keynes whispered. ¡°Do you remember?¡± She exhaled. ¡°Keynes¡­¡± she muttered, her tautened muscles loosened, her mind relaxed. ¡°I am going to kill you.¡± Keynes released her hand. She debated injecting the serum anyway, then she abandoned the urge. He didn¡¯t speak for a while, letting her catch her breath, she realised with surprise. ¡°You¡¯re too strong for a Level 2; have you levelled up by any chance?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then how is that possible? Rift items? Wagner¡¯s plants?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± ¡°Says she who has an insanely overpowered Talent.¡± ¡°What does my Talent have anything to do with your unnatural strength?¡± She didn¡¯t understand his reasoning. He had his secrets, he¡¯d admitted it before. ¡°Nothing. What I was trying to say is that¡­¡± His voice trailed off and he froze. Vivena perked up, listening to her surroundings for it had to be something in their vicinity that snatched away Keynes¡¯s attention. She heard nothing. Not for the first time this night, she suspected Keynes of having an alternate source of power. What he did was outside the realm of possibilities of a Level 2. ¡°Wait here,¡± he said softly, his voice distant. Vivena was exhausted beyond caring. She heard him running somewhere. Was he chasing something? Were the rift monsters so close to the north? In the distance, a terrified squeak announced prey that fell to a predator. A few minutes later, Keynes returned, pulling something behind him. The darkness was too deep to see and she wondered how he could see? Keynes¡¯s answer was dismissive. Evasive. Vivena let it go, for now. Instead, she inquired about the animal he¡¯d brought with him. ¡°African boar. I can¡¯t tell if it is the golden striped specimen or not. If yes, we¡¯re for a treat.¡± She sat up stunned, listening to him as if they were on some big adventure. She had enough food in her dimensional bag to last for two weeks. They didn¡¯t need to eat a boar, golden striped or not. ¡°Keynes, why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to hunt. I have food, don''t you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point of this.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the point?¡± she asked, feeling tired. She already regretted agreeing to this. Keynes took his time in replying to her. ¡°I have to be self-sufficient.¡± That was all he said. Vivena left him to his own devices and against her instincts, decided to close her eyes for a few minutes. She needed to recover her stamina some more. An aroma of roast meat woke her up and for a second she thought she was back on her aunt''s farm where they¡¯d served grilled pork and beef when she¡¯d been a child. Then reality hit her. She was no longer ten years old, and it wasn¡¯t her aunt¡¯s farm but the northern African jungle. A fire happily danced beneath the carcass of a boar. Somehow, Keynes had removed its skin, found dry wood and made a roast pit. Vivena was impressed. And hungry. *** You are getting better at his, master, Alice said. Thanks. He looked to where Vivena was sitting, watching him cut off slices of meat. It wasn¡¯t the gold striped boar and so the meat was not as tasty. It would also help if he had seasoning. He¡¯d need to think about that the next time. Salt and pepper were a must. He ate in silence, while Vivena took out her own food from her dimensional pouch. What was left of the boar, Keynes cut away and packed, putting it into his pouch. Then he took out a tent. There was enough space for two but¡­ no. Keynes¡¯s Will attribute barely sufficed when she offered him to share the tent. Why does she offer me a spot in my own tent? In the end, he slept outside the tent with Alice keeping watch. The next day, they continued south until the first rift monster leaped at them. A spider. The rifts were close. Chapter 61: Level 3 The spider was Level 2 and of a common rarity. It didn¡¯t have any abilities. It was the size of a large dog and died to a single slash. ¡°I need a weapon,¡± Vivena said. Because of her Talent, she was using the raw strength of her body to kill the monsters. Without her Talent, she was only a normal Level 2 rift ascender. Keynes took out a dagger with piercing property and +1 to attack speed, and handed it to her. Vivena looked at it for a second then asked. ¡°How does the attack speed work?¡± Whenever you attack, your action will be faster than normally it would be, Alice told Keynes and he repeated Alice¡¯s words to Vivena. The appearance of the rift monster took a lot of pressure off Keynes¡¯s chest. He needed this. As they moved further south, cutting straight through the jungle that once had been one giant desert, they began to notice signs of rift monsters'' presence. Trees were broken, bushes trampled and the clearest sign¡ªthe lack of wild animals. ¡°It¡¯s so quiet here,¡± Vivena said. ¡°Rift monsters hunt the animals. Though not always.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The hunting ground in Emerald Lake,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°Your folks had genetically-engineered animals and some of them overpowered the rift monsters. Only mess came out of this.¡± There are more rift monsters ahead, master. Keynes thanked her and relayed the message to Vivena, her brows knitted as she indisputably wondered how he knew. The spiders came first as they moved through the canopy and displayed unusual agility. Their attack pattern was simple, stop above the prey and drop on it with their fangs ready to bite. Vivena had it harder as she only had a dagger. Keynes told her to stay behind as he moved first, acting as a target for the spiders. Soon though, a different kind of rift monster joined the fight and the mystery of broken trees was solved. It looked similar to the grassneck from Scotland¡¯s uncommon rift but its skin was leathery, its neck shorter but thicker and when it opened its maws, rows of angled teeth appeared, ready to shred anything to pieces. It was called a hornless rhino and it charged Keynes without regard for what stood between them. Keynes dodged and cut at the level of the monster¡¯s midsection. The swords barely punctured its skin. The reason lay in its passive skill ¨C Hardened Skin ¨C which increased physical resistance by 20%. It took Keynes a few more tries to kill the monster. Meanwhile, Vivena dealt with the spiders. When they cleared the area from the rift monsters. They started a camp, ate and took a moment to rest. The monsters¡¯ force was small but they¡¯d been running before and it took its toll. They kept their recovery short, wanting to cover more distance before nightfall. On their way south, they encountered several more packs of monsters. The last one had three varieties of rift monsters. The spiders, the hornless rhinos and the tree monkeys. The tree monkeys were Level 1 and a common rarity. They were clearly stupider than Level 2 spiders and they often got in the way of the spiders as both monsters used the same attack from the air. Even though their limbs tangled and they fell to the ground, the rift monsters didn¡¯t fight between themselves. It didn¡¯t really matter. Keynes and Vivena did a short work of them. *** For the next three days, the number of rift monsters grew but at the same time, Keynes and Vivena started developing a rhythm in their fight against the rift monsters. Their training still took a substantial toll on Vivena, which surprised Keynes. He had only a 2 points advantage per attribute but she wasn¡¯t able to keep up with him no matter what. He thought back to Scotland where he¡¯d trained with Daiyu Fen, Tulli and others. They¡¯d struggled for a time too. Then they¡¯d had to cross the 80% mark which boosted their attributes temporarily and they had been able to come closer to him. But never close enough. Are you sure our attributes are equal, Alice? Keynes asked. She didn¡¯t answer immediately as their bond was thin, indicating a large distance. When she came, she gave him her usual: ¡®I cannot speak about it¡¯. But she hinted that there was always more. It worried him that despite all this time, he still didn¡¯t understand how the System exactly worked. Always, when he thought he grasped it, he found more leads. Frustrating as it was, it also filled him with purpose. There was much to learn and learning was a breeze for him. On their fourth day in the World Reserve, they encountered a larger than normal force of the monsters. Over a hundred monsters rushed their way. Five different varieties; all common or uncommon though. ¡°Should I?¡± Vivena asked, thinking of using the poison serum. ¡°No. This is nothing.¡± But that wasn¡¯t exactly the case. The jungle was a difficult place to fight, especially with many rift monsters capable of quickly moving in the canopies of tall trees. The treacherous ground and thick bushes that obscured their vision didn¡¯t help either. When they were done with the monsters, they collapsed, exhausted. Keynes was perplexed by how tiring the battle was. He¡¯d fewer issues fighting alone against the monsters in Crest. Why was that? ¡°Nothing, huh?¡± ¡°The air feels wrong,¡± he murmured. ¡°What does ¡­ ah, never mind.¡± After a silent minute, she added a little mockingly. ¡°It indeed feels different.¡± ¡°How far from Level 3 are you?¡± Keynes asked her, ignoring the jab. ¡°Ten percent away,¡± Vivena replied. ¡°That¡¯s close. If there are more monsters in the south, your ascension to Level 3 is a matter of a day or two.¡± ¡°Finally,¡± she said. ¡°I was Level 2 for too long. You should think about levelling up too, Keynes.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± He shook his head. First things first: maxing out his attributes and rising his spiritual stage. Only then he¡¯d rush to Level 3. There was something else on this continent that could help him but it was a topic for another day. ¡°I must max out my attributes first.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Extra attributes.¡± And the Orb of Perfection. ¡°Is that why you are so much stronger than me?¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± In truth, he didn¡¯t think it was all but didn¡¯t wish to talk about it with her. *** By the fifth day, they encountered the first large swath of savannah. Its golden grasses and scarce trees looked surreal in the landscape dominated by a thick jungle. The savannah was flat and they could see the treeline on the other side, approximately ten kilometres away. Ah, and there was one more thing. Two people were running in their direction, chased by a horde of rift monsters. Keynes and Vivena exchanged glances, understanding crossed their faces. Vivena was on the brink of levelling up after the morning slaughter. It would bring each of her attributes to 26 points, making her stronger than him. He was fine with that. His process of maxing out the attributes wasn¡¯t idle either. His Will gained the most and stood at 21%. Then was his Strength with 20% and Dexterity with 19%. Perception and Vitality lagged behind a little - 15% and 14%. Mind attribute was the hardest to train and he barely pushed it to 6%. What pleased him the most was that his Spirit Core felt close to ascending to another stage. Looking at the horde coming their way, he was sure it was here he¡¯d finally do it. Keynes and Vivena rushed head on toward the rift monsters. The two figures running the opposite way noticed them and shouted something. Keynes and Vivena ignored them and as they came closer, Keynes took out his shortswords. With increased Strength and Dexterity, his speed increased. ¡°WHAAA--¡± That was all he heard from the two people. And then he was among the monsters. The number of varieties was way higher than the number of uncleared rifts found in the military system - courtesy of Esopp Earl. Either the military system didn¡¯t have all the information or variable rifts were out there. In the end, what did it matter? The more monsters, the merrier. It was a havoc. Everything came at him from every side but with a solid, flat ground beneath his feet and [Flight] skill, the monsters could never overwhelm Keynes. If there were too many of them, he took to the sky and landed somewhere else, always keeping an eye on Vivena and circulating the absurd amount of essence that was continuously flooding him. As he climbed higher into the sky, he saw more monsters than he could count. They were endlessly streaming out of the woods on the other side. He sighed, feeling exhaustion. His body burned from the sheer amount of essence that had passed through the channels in his body. His body couldn¡¯t take any more and Alice hinted that he needed one last push to make his core advance but the battle wasn¡¯t the right place for that. It was time for Vivena though to use her trump card. He dived to where Vivena fought and with shock, realised how tired she looked. And still, she hasn¡¯t used her poison serum. She¡¯s kept her promise. ¡°Vivena!¡± he called from above. ¡°Use the serum!¡± In an instant, the tides turned. It was a dark testament to Vivena¡¯s Talent. She turned into a powerhouse. Her tiredness vanished, she put away the dagger and cut through the monster like a laser beam with her bare hands. Keynes watched it from above - a hundred metres high in the air. And then he felt it, a wave of spiritual energy originated from Vivena - she ascended to Level 3. Her aura flooded the battleground although it wasn¡¯t as strong as his. Her spiritual stage was at the very bottom and no matter how high her attributes climbed, her Spirit Core remained unchanged. Level 3 combined with the full power of her Talent gave each attribute 65 points. According to Wagner, Level 7 had only 35 and Level 10 had 47 points. She was stronger than Windsor Freeman. Keynes only had 25 right now¡­ That stark realisation weighed on his mind, demanding of him to level up as well. He was tempted for the first time to do so, seeing the display of her power today. No. His Will forced the internal voice away. This is not the way to gain true power. The two runners saw Vivena¡¯s spectacle of death too. They returned, but fought at the fringes of the horde that circled around Vivena like a deadly whirlpool. How do I do it, Alice? He meant the spiritual stage. She knew and stayed silent. How do I do it?! He snapped. Damn it! Bend the rules if you must! Tell me! She was very slow in responding and her voice was strained. Painfully so. Overwhelm the core with essence and keep it contained until you get the system mess-- Their bond weakened, her distress came through it. He closed his eyes and focused on his core and all the essence that circled it. Enough essence to progress him 2% toward the next level. No. With all his Will, Keynes pressed the essence into his core. The core was full and dense and so it refused him but still he pressed. His progress was slow and then painful but he always pushed forward. SNAP! Congratulations! You achieved the Elevated Spirit Stage! - Spiritual Companion has improved! - Spiritual Aura strength has increased! - Spiritual Resistance has increased! - [Spirit Ghost] has improved! - Your Understanding of Spiritual Energy has improved! - Spiritual Communication has unlocked! - Spiritual Mantle has unlocked! Spiritual aura exploded out of him, rivalling the strength of Wagner¡¯s aura. The rifts monster beneath Keynes howled in pain. Congratulations, master! It feels good to be in the Elevated Stage. I feel like I can almost touch material things! Not withdrawing his aura, Keynes descended. With his aura at full blast, the monsters showed signs of significant distress and weakness. Many Level 1 monsters collapsed if they came too near, Level 2 fared better but not nearly close enough to pose any kind of threat to Keynes as they¡¯d had before. Vivena blurred next to Keynes, her speed mind-numbing, outpacing his Perception. But he noticed something, her spiritual signature. He could almost track her by her spirit energy alone. ¡°What is this?!¡± she asked. ¡°The strength of your aura¡­ it¡¯s like my grandfather¡¯s. That¡¯s insane!¡± He smiled, feeling ecstatic. ¡°Let¡¯s clean up the monsters.¡± He made a step forward and then turned to her, adding. ¡°Congratulations on levelling up, Vivena.¡± *** Haruka and Bill watched the most unexpected spectacle in their lives. Some crazy jackasses engaged a massive horde of rift monsters. Granted, these were mostly Level 1 and 2 common and uncommon monsters, but Haruka and Bill had been fighting them for days and their numbers didn¡¯t diminish. At some point, they¡¯d decided to call it a day and run. ¡°Are you seeing the same thing I am seeing?¡± Bill asked, slack-jawed. ¡°Yeah. A freaking flying Talent. What a lucky bastard!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me started about Talents¡­¡± Their Talents weren¡¯t the most useful, although they had their uses. Still, nothing as fancy as flying. ¡°Hm. Should we?¡± Haruka asked, leaning against a tree. Bill¡¯s forehead creased. The last time they slept was two days ago. They weren¡¯t in the best fighting shape. One mistake and the possibility of death was all too real. ¡°I guess¡­¡± Bill murmured, climbing to his feet. The other two idiots were risking their lives after all. It didn¡¯t feel right to leave them to their deaths. ¡°We can nip the monsters from a flank.¡± They saw the flying guy say something to the girl on the ground. And then something-- everything changed. ¡°Now what is it?¡± Bill asked from the tree. Haruka frowned; when did Bill climb the tree? ¡°She¡¯s suddenly stronger¡­ holy smokes. Look at this, Har.¡± Haruka joined his friend on the tree. The girl on the ground turned into a meat grinder. Everything around her died, her body just a blur. Haruka watched the avatar of death do her job. ¡°What Level did you sense when they passed us?¡± Haruka asked. ¡°Level 2s.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t a Level 2 there¡­¡± And then a spiritual wave reached them. ¡°Did she just¡­¡± ¡°Level up? Aye,¡± Bill confirmed. ¡°And her speed increased again¡­ This isn¡¯t normal. Who the hell is she?¡± Haruka jumped off the tree, then rolled his shoulders. ¡°If we have a chance, it is now.¡± Bill agreed and descended the tree. Then they attacked the fringes of the horde that was mesmerised by the formidable girl. Both men used wooden clubs called rungu, a baton finished with a hard knob. The weapons were crafted from Level 1 wood and honed by the best crafter from their village. Most monsters didn¡¯t survive the first hit. ¡°What is that damned idiot doing up there?¡± Bill asked, pointing at the flying guy. Haruka shrugged, remembering why they¡¯d decided to flee the horde. There were too many damned monsters for them to kill. Some fine idea they had to go hunting alone. As both men fell into a rhythm, another explosion of spiritual energy came down crashing. This one was powerful. The aura that rivalled theirs. ¡°What now?!¡± Bill shouted. ¡°Elevated Stage,¡± Haruka said, more to himself than to Bill. If this man up there was only Level 2 and in the Elevated Stage his aura was as strong as theirs, it meant only one thing. Perfect State ascender. ¡°We must be careful,¡± Haruka said to Bill who swung by, breathing heavily. ¡°Very careful.¡± Chapter 62: Ritual of Purification When the last monster dropped dead, Keynes¡¯s laser-sharp focus shattered like a glass thrown against rocks. He collapsed to the ground. It took him a moment to climb up to a sitting position and lean against the carcass of a hornless rhino. Keynes¡¯s body felt like it was falling apart. ¡°Alice, what¡¯s the hell happening to me?¡± he mouthed. You have exhausted your spiritual energy, master. Exhausted his spiritual energy? What did it even mean? His first attempt at checking his spiritual core ended in a failure and a warning from Alice. Keynes wasn¡¯t in shape to use his Spirit right now. He gave up on the idea, he wasn¡¯t alone anyway. Vivena approached, her entire body, including her blonde hair, was soaked in the monsters¡¯ blood. There was something disturbingly enticing in the way she looked and carried herself. Keynes had to avert his eyes. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± she asked. ¡°I am just a bit worse for wear.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± She didn¡¯t sound convinced but luckily didn¡¯t press the issue. Instead, she sat across from Keynes. Despite fighting for an hour without break, Vivena looked far from exhausted. She was Level 3 now and her poison serum additionally boosted all her attributes. It was no surprise that the fight had been a breeze for her. But they didn¡¯t really have time to go over their fight as some introductions were in order. The two men approached Keynes and Vivena, slowly and making sure the pair spotted them. ¡°Hi,¡± said the one with very dark skin. ¡°Quite a show, you two, put on. My name¡¯s Haruka and this is Bill.¡± He pointed at his tall, tanned companion. Keynes took a good measure of the men: both were muscular but on a lean side, which raised some questions in Keynes¡¯s head about the ascenders¡¯ anatomy. But it¡¯d have to wait. Haruka wore very little. A sash covering his private parts, a leather pauldron decorated with feathers and a great number of colourful necklaces made out of beads and tiny bones. Haruka¡¯s braided hair was many shades darker than his skin. He had a pleasant face with an easy smile. Bill on the other hand seemed murkier but nothing ominous. While he had short black hair, his eyes were grey like Captain Ventura¡¯s. There was a distant resemblance between the two but not something a person without photographic memory would have picked up. Bill wore a shirt and shorts topped with heavy boots, while Haruka was barefoot. Both men wielded strange wooden batons with knobs at their ends. The fact that they didn¡¯t hide them could mean that they didn¡¯t have dimensional pouches. ¡°Keynes and Vivena.¡± ¡°Thanks for saving our sorry asses,¡± Haruka said but it wasn¡¯t like he was trying to hide his curiosity. ¡°Killing rift monsters is nothing but pleasure,¡± Keynes replied, drawing a surprised look from Vivena. He decided to cut to the chase. ¡°You¡¯re strong, why did you run from them?¡± Keynes¡¯s question somehow didn¡¯t catch them off-guard. It was Bill who replied. ¡°We¡¯ve been on our feet for two days straight, running from that horde. We are tired.¡± ¡°We made a mistake of engaging the horde in the first place,¡± Haruka added. ¡°Aren¡¯t there more people to fight the rift monsters here?¡± Vivena asked and from their body language it was clear they weren¡¯t comfortable answering her. Haruka¡¯s body stiffened a little as he took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re technically in our territory, and we¡¯d like to know what you are doing here.¡± ¡°Killing rift monsters,¡± Keynes replied without hesitation. ¡°Why here though?¡± Bill asked. The true reason was buried deep inside him and he wasn¡¯t going to disclose it to them. But Keynes didn¡¯t need to lie. There were many other reasons that were perfectly valid. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware but the world beyond the wall is in a state of war. Most rifts are either claimed or contested. This was the best place to go to.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t your government forbid you from coming here?¡± Bill asked. ¡°The government you¡¯re speaking of has become a tyranny of one man. It is no longer the same government.¡± Haruka and Bill exchanged glances. ¡°The old rules still apply though.¡± Bill countered after a moment. ¡°Without¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Haruka interrupted. ¡°We are roughly aware of the situation beyond the wall and if you wish, you can join us in our hunt here.¡± Vivena was about to decline but Alice and Keynes noticed that those weren¡¯t ordinary ascenders. Bill had maxed out two of his attributes: Strength and Dexterity, twice. His Spirit Core was in the Medium stage. Haruka was even a bigger mystery. Everything he wore carried the signature energy of rift items but it wasn¡¯t. Keynes¡¯s spiritual energy was too weak at the moment but Alice was convinced that the other man was at least in the Elevated stage though he somehow hid his core from Alice¡¯s senses. She was only able to tell that like Bill, Haruka was Level 3 but she couldn¡¯t tell if he¡¯d maxed out any attributes. This convinced Keynes to accept their invitation. Obviously, he¡¯d need to be vigilant. But it wasn¡¯t like they were defenceless. ¡°We would like that,¡± Keynes said, forestalling Vivena. *** They left the killing ground and moved back to the northern edge of the forest where they cleaned themselves in a stream, encamped and started a fire. Haruka and Bill explained that the main concentration of rift monsters was in the south, as all the uncleared rifts were there. They were rather reluctant to speak about the exact details of the rifts but solved a mystery of why there weren¡¯t any rare monsters present. Any rift with dangerous monsters had been cleared a long time ago. Indirectly, it answered Vivena¡¯s earlier question about others living here. Their discussion moved to Australia. To Keynes¡¯s surprise, both men were aware of the situation there and shared some insight that Keynes didn¡¯t know about. ¡°The monsters by themselves aren¡¯t that much of a problem if you have able warriors. The true issues are the monsters with certain skills: poisons, venoms, debuffs, crowd control. That sort of thing. Australia¡¯s many rifts had such monsters it was impossible to fight them at the time of the first outbreak without rift or crafted items.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Crafted items?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± And how do they know so much about Australia? ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± The fact that neither Vivena nor Keynes knew about craft items surprised the other men but they didn¡¯t hesitate in explaining what crafted items were. For the System to acknowledge an item as ¡®crafted¡¯ each material had to be at least Level 1. Crafted items had properties like the rift items but the major advantage of crafted items was their repeatability and reliability. While the rift items could be extremely powerful, finding one was difficult. Finding the same item twice or even similar was borderline impossible in terms of very high rarity items. It was where the crafters stepped in. Crafted items could never compete with pure rift items but they didn¡¯t need to, their job was different. Haruka showed Keynes his weapon. ¡°It¡¯s called rungu and it was crafted by my uncle.¡±
Rungu (Crafted) - +6 Vitality - {Enchants: Self-repair; Durability} [Club] Level 1
Keynes stared at the system window. He¡¯d seen an enchant in Vivena¡¯s battle coat, so it wasn¡¯t a major surprise. What raised his eyebrows was the lack of rarity. He asked about it. ¡°We were as surprised as you are. We still are. Though I personally believe that items crafted from non-reward materials cannot have a rarity.¡± ¡°Has your uncle tried to craft an item from rift rewards?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°He has but not much has come out of it so far.¡± Keynes handed the club back, instantly feeling the absence of 6 points of Vitality. If they were able to craft items that could increase his mana regeneration it would allow him to fly for far longer. But the time wasn¡¯t right for this conversation. The other men, despite their friendliness, were clearly reserved and Keynes didn¡¯t blame them. Eventually, everyone grew hungry and to Keynes¡¯s shock, Haruka went to bring some monster meat. At the same time, Bill produced a sizable cauldron and bags filled with dried herbs and seasoning. So they had their dimensional pouches after all. How can they eat the rift monster¡¯s meat, Alice? Keynes asked, distressed. He remembered what had happened to animals on the hunting ground. She didn¡¯t reply! ¡°Isn¡¯t rift meat dangerous to eat?¡± Bill nodded. ¡°It is unless you carry out a ritual of purification.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t ask more questions as he didn¡¯t want to trample their goodwill. Those weren¡¯t ordinary people. They possessed important and useful knowledge. As he prepared to watch the ritual, Bill noticed Keynes¡¯s attention. ¡°I guess you haven¡¯t heard about the ritual of purification too. It¡¯s very basic and can save your life. You still need rift ingredients but they are quite common. At least here.¡± ¡°Are you okay with sharing your knowledge with us? You barely know us,¡± Vivena asked. ¡°Are you one of those people who would take their secrets to their graves rather than share it so we all can prosper?¡± Haruka asked from behind. Everyone turned to him. ¡°We have survived only because our people worked together. If my uncle decided to keep his crafts to himself, we¡¯d perish by the second outbreak. And who knows when the third outbreak will arrive?¡± ¡°It will NOT!¡± Vivena snapped so forcefully that everyone went still. She saw how they were looking at her and added a bit softer. ¡°There won¡¯t be another outbreak.¡± Keynes couldn¡¯t meet her eyes even though he knew she was staring at him. Something in the way she vehemently rejected the idea of the next outbreak scared him. The other two men had no way of knowing that Keynes stood behind each outbreak. ¡°How do you know there won¡¯t be another outbreak?¡± Bill asked, sounding ¡­ sad? Worried? Scared? ¡°I just know.¡± The three words cut through Keynes like razors. She was so sure of it. Terrifyingly so. ¡°That¡¯s bad,¡± Bill said. ¡°Yes. Without another outbreak, we cannot grow stronger.¡± ¡°How can you care about getting stronger when billions of people die?¡± She spun on her heel and walked away, keeping to the tree line. ¡°Sorry, we didn¡¯t mean to upset her but we believe that the outbreaks are vital for our future.¡± Vital for our future? How fitting. Keynes had an urge to look around. Was Shaper behind this meeting here? It was very much his style. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Keynes replied, taking a seat on a fallen log. The other men returned to their ritual. The ritual was like a formation that worked only once. It required a basic diagram and some ingredients. Shaper¡¯s ritual of secrecy was slightly different but worked on the same basic principles: a diagram and ingredients. Haruka placed the large slice of meat in the centre of the diagram and then said words that sounded unintelligible to Keynes. He¡¯d need to be told the words outside of the ritual to learn them. They were required to activate the ritual. After a weak blast of spiritual energy, the ingredients and the diagram vanished, the meat remained unchanged. ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Haruka said. ¡°How do you know it has been purified correctly?¡± Keynes asked, feeling unsure. ¡°Use your aura, Keynes,¡± Haruka said. ¡°You¡¯re in the Elevated stage and¡­ as a Perfect State ascender this meat wouldn¡¯t hurt you even without purification. Alice, would like to say something? Alice whistled in response. What was wrong with his spiritual companion? Did she have a crisis or something? Wait. ¡°How do you know I am in the Elevated stage and a Perfect State ascender?¡± Haruka dipped his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was uncalled for.¡± At the same time, Bill dumped the meat into the cauldron, adding herbs and seasoning, then moved his hand above the cauldron and the water started pouring out of his hand. It was a spell. Keynes could sense its faint spiritual echo. ¡°You still haven¡¯t replied; how do you know?¡± ¡°Deduction,¡± Haruka said, giving Keynes a friendly smile. ¡°My older sister is also a Perfect State ascender.¡± *** Vivena needed a moment to herself. Her poison serum ran out and her current Mind attribute was too low to keep her distress at bay any longer. Since they¡¯d come to this continent, she and Keynes were having a good time. She enjoyed killing monsters. And this terrified her. What if ¡­ she grew unsatisfied with just killing monsters? Vivena didn¡¯t wish to become like her grandfather. He was a kind of a man who didn¡¯t value human life. She took out the battle robe, finding comfort in the higher Mind attribute. Nothing the serum provided but still good enough. Anxiety started receding and she relaxed. It wasn¡¯t only her she was concerned about; Keynes had changed here. He thrived in this wilderness and he loved fighting the rift monsters. And there was another ¡®what if¡¯ ¨C what if, he grew bored with the current monsters and wanted more challenge. The world prepared for the next outbreak. Cities and towns all over the world were raising walls, amassing weapons. But was it enough? No. What if Haruka was right? No. No. No. No more outbreaks. She felt vibrations, the call from her grandfather, and she noticed fifty unanswered calls. She¡¯d kept the phone in her dimensional pouch, forgetting that the signal couldn¡¯t get through. Vivena hesitated. She knew what he was going to say and didn¡¯t want to hear it. In the end, she had to. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Where the hell have you been?!¡± her grandfather shouted. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered the phone for five days!¡± ¡°I am sorry, I left the phone in¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± her grandfather snapped, interrupting her. ¡°You were meant to convince that brat to meet with me. I have been waiting for five days. I am at the end of my patience. Either you convince him what¡¯s best for him or I will do it.¡± Her grandfather¡¯s outburst wasn¡¯t out of his character and yet it stabbed her heart to hear him be so dismissive toward her. It was no wonder that her parents avoided him. ¡°It¡¯s Keynes¡¯s decision.¡± She heard a sharp intake of air and could only imagine how angry her words made the head of the Sael family. ¡°Listen to me, girl, you have two hours. If¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand the situation,¡± Vivena interrupted her grandfather. Her hands were shaking, her voice almost cracking but she somehow held it together. ¡°Keynes isn¡¯t some Level 2 you can shove around as you please. Three Level 7s treat him as equal and I am pretty sure you don¡¯t want to cross Columbus Curt.¡± She turned the phone off. And wept. Chapter 63: Irregularities As soon as Haruka told Keynes about his sister, he regretted it. At the back of his head, Bill¡¯s rebuke sounded inevitable. They were meant to be careful about the Perfect State ascender. The sheer amount of will, time and resources required to achieve the Perfect State was insane. At the same time, gaining the Elevated stage? Impossible. Haruka¡¯s sister was still in the Medium stage and she struggled to get there even with cultivation techniques. Haruka could attest to the hardship of climbing the spiritual stages. He was stuck at the Elevated stage now without a prospect of climbing higher anytime soon. His sister likewise found maxing out attributes at Level 2 many times harder than at Level 1. Difficulty only increased as they grew stronger. Keynes bombarded Haruka with questions, sounding excited and eager. Haruka glanced at where Bill was finishing up the stew. Of course, his friend wasn¡¯t going to help him. ¡°Okay, slow down, Keynes.¡± Haruka raised his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t think my sister would appreciate it if I talk behind her back. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°You are ¡­ right,¡± Keynes admitted. ¡°Sorry for being pushy. But it can make you feel lonely, this ¡­ need to max everything out. I haven¡¯t met anyone else who even considered maxing out all attributes.¡± Strangely, Haruka¡¯s sister had said a similar thing to him. Bill looked up from above the stew and gave Haruka a familiar glance ¨C a warning. A timely one at that, as Haruka realised that he was about to open up to Keynes about his sister. Bill came with two bowls and handed them to Keynes and Haruka. ¡°Eat this, it will make you feel better,¡± Bill said. ¡°How so?¡± Keynes asked, staring at the stew. ¡°Rift monster meat has many interesting properties. It speeds up recovery, boosts your energy level and sometimes grants mind clarity, but that depends on the type of meat.¡± Keynes was sceptical. Understandably so if he hadn¡¯t tried the rift meat yet. Haruka started to eat, showing Keynes that it was safe to consume. Haruka finished his bowl and handed it to Bill so Haruka¡¯s friend could eat his share. They had only two bowls with them. Keynes still stared at his untouched stew. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Haruka asked. ¡°Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts.¡± Keynes ate his stew without hesitation. Sumak, Haruka¡¯s spiritual companion, whispered that he spotted Keynes¡¯s attempt at checking the stew but it seemed that Keynes failed. I forgot that he¡¯d used his aura offensively. He must be exhausted. ¡°Keynes, do you know that using spiritual aura offensively can be dangerous?¡± From the look in Keynes¡¯s eyes, Haruka could tell that the other man didn¡¯t know much about the way Spirit worked. ¡°By itself, the spiritual aura doesn¡¯t drain your Spirit but once it is offensively used it drains you like crazy.¡± Keynes¡¯s abnormal spiritual stamina had to be the effect of his Perfect State. If Haruka had done the same, he¡¯d have collapsed after ten minutes. Keynes lasted an hour. The conversation about the Spirit relaxed Keynes. His friend, Vivena returned some time later, and accepted the stew, though only after Keynes had guaranteed that it was safe and she needed it. Once they ate, Bill and Vivena took the first watch. *** The next couple of days were spent hunting rift monsters. None of them were the size of the horde from the savannah and the four of them had no issues, effortlessly dispatching the monsters. That actually bothered Keynes as he didn¡¯t have a chance to push himself. Still, he had an amazing time. He talked with Haruka extensively about the Spirit and cultivation. Unlike his sister, of which Haruka spoke very little, he chose the spiritual path. There was so much more to the Spirit than Keynes could imagine. Upon his ascension to the Elevated stage, Keynes¡¯s understanding of the Spirit expanded. He was now able to feel every motion of essence in his body and control it perfectly. During these moments, Keynes had a faint impression that there was something else connected to his core. When asked, Haruka only smiled but encouraged Keynes to continue prodding. Alice echoed Haruka¡¯s words with odd amusement. Four days after they¡¯d met, they encountered another savannah and a large horde. They didn¡¯t charge the horde this time and decided to fight the monsters wisely. Vivena had also started learning cultivation. It wasn¡¯t easy without a technique but Haruka and Bill assured her that techniques could be learned. They approached the horde from four different directions and used hide and seek tactics to confuse the monsters. While Haruka had amazing aura control that hid his presence, Keynes¡¯s [Spiritual Ghost] was improved by the Elevated stage and lasted now 2 minutes. When monsters didn¡¯t sense spiritual energy but saw movement, they grew confused. Everything in the world had spiritual energy. Something having none was unthinkable and their brains, if they had ones, were short-circuiting. Bill¡¯s aura control was much weaker and he couldn¡¯t vanish like Keynes or Haruka. Vivena had only basic aura control and couldn¡¯t erase her spiritual energy the same way the other three men could. Tidying up the horde took them a few hours and a lot of stamina. At the end of the fight, Keynes took to the sky and did recon around their area. The jungle was endless in all directions, only sometimes spotted by pockets of savannahs. Keynes saw the change in the land in the south, there were many steep hills. He didn¡¯t notice any signs of civilisation Bill and Haruka could be from. Keynes really wanted to meet Haruka¡¯s sister. Another Perfect State ascender¡ªproved that all six attributes could be trained here. As he stayed a few hundred metres in the sky, feasting his eyes on the mesmerising view, he instinctively began circulating the essence around his Spirit core. There came the first shock, the essence was too thin to enter the core. His Spirit core was too powerful for the essence! Then he flushed the essence throughout his body. What is that? His spiritual sense encountered something. But that couldn¡¯t be, could it? Alice, do I feel another core? What do you think, master? Alice asked, appearing around him. She could vanish now even from his sight if he didn¡¯t concentrate on their bond. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. That I feel a core but somehow it feels different. What is it? There was a long pause before Alice replied. She sounded unsure. Master, what else do you sense? The essence in his body was under his control but it wasn¡¯t spread evenly. Keynes gathered all the essence in one place, and then moved it through spiritual channels. The more condensed the essence was, the stronger sense of his spiritual structure Keynes received. Because of his memory, he remembered the structure quite clearly and noticed some inconsistencies. But as he began to investigate them, Alice drew his attention away from them. Master, don¡¯t get distracted. Focus on the other thing. Keynes resumed the inspection of his spiritual structure and as he got closer to his Spirit core, he sensed another irregularity that resembled a core but wasn¡¯t one, or was it? Then another one. And one more. Keynes counted six. Six of them ¡­ six attributes! Alice, are these attribute cores? Yes, Alice confirmed. He remembered her saying about a better way of maxing out his attributes, was this it? Was this the way to speed up the process of maxing out attributes? No, Alice crushed Keynes¡¯s hope. Or at least not what you have in mind, master. Cultivating these cores has a different purpose, one you must discover on your own. What I meant back then is something you are not ready for yet. I should have not spoken about it. I am sorry for that. Keynes didn¡¯t push for more, it didn¡¯t feel right. He returned to their camp just in time for Bill¡¯s monster stew. On his way here, Keynes activated [Spiritual Ghost], startling everyone as they didn¡¯t sense his arrival. ¡°Is that a technique?¡± Haruka asked, growing curious. In reply, Keynes smiled, then he reconsidered and said. ¡°I''ll tell you after I meet your sister.¡± That caused Haruka to laugh. ¡°Poor man,¡± Bill murmured without elaborating further. After that, the topics changed a couple of times until it settled back on the monster meat. ¡°Why don¡¯t you put the meat in your dimensional pouch?¡± Keynes asked. At this point, the other men¡¯s dimensional pouch wasn¡¯t a secret. ¡°Because it decays. The rift monster meat cannot be stored in a dimensional space after it has been purified.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°A great question.¡± Haruka shrugged, biting a chunk of the meat. Then without a warning, he smirked. ¡°I understand that we may come across as wise men or such but it isn¡¯t like this, Keynes.¡± These, indeed, were Keynes¡¯s thoughts. There were only a bunch of people outside of the World Reserve who knew anything about the spiritual stages, cultivation and rift-related matters. Persephone had a cheat Talent that did all the work for her. Shaper was¡ª Keynes had no idea who or what Shaper really was, so he didn¡¯t count. Captain Ventura had some understanding of spiritual energy but nothing as extensive as Haruka¡¯s. It was only natural to think about Haruka and Bill and their people this way. When Keynes said nothing, Bill added. ¡°What we know isn¡¯t the consequence of some highly guarded mysteries but hard, collective work. But in the grand scheme of things, it means nothing, in a year a company or two will gather enough knowledge and resources to make us look like incompetent fools, which we most likely are.¡± ¡°Why not capitalise on this knowledge today?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°You are clearly ahead of the curve. Don¡¯t squander that.¡± ¡°And what should we do to stay ahead of the curve?¡± Haruka asked, curious. ¡°You can teach others.¡± Bill and Haruka looked at each other then with deep frowns looked askance at Vivena. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that defeat the purpose?¡± ¡°If you have the right ritual, the knowledge you impart here, couldn¡¯t be spread without your permission.¡± She knows about the ritual of secrecy? This has to be it. But how? While Vivena looked taken by her own idea, the other two men seemed unconvinced and a little uncomfortable. Keynes took the opportunity and asked Vivena to join him for a walk. She accepted. It was an early night and the cloudless sky started to get lazily poked by the stars. The scenery would be romantic if not for hundreds of dead rift monsters laying about. Keynes sat down, his legs crossed. Vivena joined him. ¡°Can you imagine that they want to go into space?¡± he said, feeling melancholic and a little heady after eating too much stew. After a few seconds of stunned silence he frowned. ¡°I think it isn¡¯t something I should reveal though. Especially to a competition.¡± ¡°I am not a competition, Keynes,¡± Vivena countered, sounding amused rather than shocked. ¡°But yeah, this isn¡¯t something you should be telling anyone¡­ You always wanted to go into space though. Wait. Why¡ªOH! Rifts on other planets; that possibility hasn¡¯t even crossed my mind.¡± She faced him. ¡°Keynes, I don¡¯t know if you understand the implications but this isn¡¯t just opening rifts here on Earth. It is¡­¡± ¡°Building a monopoly?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°I guess you are right, this certainly looks like it. But I¡¯m more interested in discovering what the rifts have to offer. I¡¯ll make sure we won¡¯t build another World Government. I¡¯ll never let them use me to do so.¡± *** Wagner was stressed out of his mind. Keynes and Vivena were away for TWO WEEKS and issues multiplied exponentially. The word about their company had spread out worldwide. Reactions were mixed, though combined with Geneva¡¯s declaration of independence, they were rather positive. If Esopp Earl and Columbus Curt could work together then there was hope to end this senseless war. Unfortunately, the World Government didn¡¯t back down. Losing Earl and Rugman cracked its facade but soon some new leaders were going to be elevated to replace them. Windsor Freeman gave a speech about unity and why the resistance worked against everyone. It was a poor speech and Freeman didn¡¯t sound like himself. Something was off. But Wagner didn¡¯t dwell on it, he didn¡¯t have time to do so. Many prominent figures contacted Wagner. Everyone wanted in, everyone believed that the high table was here in Geneva. The Saels, the Ravencrofts, the Nishimuras, the Stonewoods, the Trumans; these were only a few out of hundreds of prominent families who asked for a meeting with Wagner. Those who knew who Keynes Kid was, cut to the chase and demanded to be part of the deal. And above it all was Persephone. Surprisingly, both Esopp and Columbus agreed with Keynes about having her on board, but then their ideas widely diverged and it fell on Wagner¡¯s shoulders to find a way to make all the parties happy. Then came planning of their operations, including selection of possible sites for the location of rifts. The number of conditions the location had to meet was mind-boggling. Esopp was helping with this as he understood politics much better than Wagner. Beneath the theatre of the war, the world was being portioned by the rich and powerful. Many minor governments were going to declare their independence as well. They needed a location they owned. Procurement of required materials was a huge pain as the uprising all over the world spiked prices to ridiculous levels. But that wasn¡¯t something Wagner or Esopp couldn¡¯t handle, they were absurdly rich and, if the situation called for it, had assets to sell. The issue was the rift materials they needed, mostly Level 2 construction raw materials. Those who could supply them asked for rift items in exchange. They weren¡¯t interested in dollars. A few rift material exchanges were online already. Wagner didn¡¯t own any rifts. Esopp¡¯s family had three Level 1 and two Level 2 rifts but none with any resources to counterbalance the prices of what they required for their construction. They could sell unclaimed locations of Level 3 rifts but both Columbus and Esopp were against it. With Columbus¡¯s army taking over South America with its over a hundred rifts, it fell to the ex-chief-in-command to deliver the materials. The last piece, which Wagner was mostly focused on, was recruitment and dealings with the Red Moon Legion. The legion terminated their contract with the World Government after Geneva had become independent. Wagner, Columbus and Earl agreed to use the legion as their security until the end of the war. Their company was neutral and Columbus didn¡¯t want it to be associated with the resistance. He was going to step down as the leader of the resistance once Freeman was defeated. As their notoriety had blown up, recruitment became hell. Some people asked for absurd salaries, others were obvious spies. Wagner had to use proxy after proxy to make sure that no one knew who and where he was recruiting. He needed a break. Keynes''s mother had spent hours with him soothing his overworked mind. But her low Level was showing and he didn¡¯t receive as much soothing as he should. He needed to get Tyr to level her up, which she¡¯d refused twice already. But they were going to do it anyway. She couldn¡¯t stay Level 1 for any longer. Ah, and I need Sylv to reschedule the meeting with the Ministry¡­ The door opened and Sylv entered Wagner¡¯s office. ¡°Sir, your guests have arrived.¡± Esopp, Columbus and Syberius Sael. The first two came to counterbalance the presence of the Level 8. Syberius Sael was a dangerous man and the last person he wanted to meet right now. But he couldn¡¯t refuse him outrightly. The Sael family was influential even after the World Government tried to seize their assets. The Saels weren¡¯t enemies Wagner wanted to make. Chapter 64: Level 3 Rift Somewhere in southern France a meeting was taking place. The ruined and abandoned village was a perfect location for such an event. Every person in attendance wore a white mask. Over twenty people stood in what once was a cosy living room of a once nice cottage. The meeting was called together by Baruka, second-in-command of the White Masks organisation. ¡°My friends,¡± he said to the gathered. ¡°We have gathered here today to pay tribute to our fallen friend ¨C Karim. He was mercilessly murdered by the tyrant¡¯s goon ¨C Keynes Kid.¡± Growls and curses followed. Baruka nodded, taking in the hatred the name of his enemy stirred. ¡°He must pay for what he did.¡± But first, they had to find him and it had to be done without Persephone finding out. Baruka¡¯s boss had instructed him to leave Keynes Kid alone, something he couldn¡¯t do. It hurt Baruka to know that Persephone was not only indifferent to Karim¡¯s death but also had taken the side of his murderer. ¡°He must die!¡± Baruka shouted and the others repeated his words. ¡°DIE! DIE! DIE!¡± It went on for some time. Then came the time for details and planning. The moment Keynes Kid appeared anywhere in Europe, he¡¯d be a dead man. *** ¡°This isn¡¯t right,¡± Vivena said as they traversed the jungle. They were moving toward another horde spotted by Keynes from above a couple of hours ago. ¡°Don¡¯t you see it? Where are the wild animals? There is none. The rift monsters drive them to extinction.¡± It was a solid argument. One that neither of the three could refute. The ecosystem was thrown into chaos when the rift monsters took it over. This also gave Keynes pause. What were the true consequences of the outbreaks? Keynes didn¡¯t know and on top of that, he remembered one more system warning he¡¯d tried to ignore. Never mind. If everything goes according to plan, we won¡¯t need another outbreak. I will open the rifts one by one. And even though Haruka and Bill think the outbreaks are necessary, I can always open rifts for them as well. Keynes pushed the conversation about outbreaks away. He had other things on his mind. He had to catch up with all the system messages he¡¯d received after gaining the Elevated stage. The improvements to his spiritual companion were difficult to gauge as Alice was avoiding the subject. But she¡¯d already said that the whole situation with the malfunctioning spiritual system was an oddity so there was no saying what to expect. What he¡¯d noticed so far was that she could go farther away from him. She seemed more capable and gained a degree of agency. Keynes would have to drill her about the details later on. His spiritual aura was self-explanatory and Keynes could feel the clear difference between the Medium and Elevated stage auras. Spiritual Resistance was rather understandable; if anyone used their spiritual aura on Keynes, he¡¯d have a greater degree of protection. [Spirit Ghost] improvement was detailed: longer duration, shorter cooldown but a higher mana cost. Simple enough. The understanding of spiritual energy was harder to figure out. Alice flatly refused to say anything on the topic. As for the spiritual communication, Alice had already told him in Crest that he¡¯d be able to speak to others who are in the Elevated stage through the spiritual companions. Haruka was a good candidate. Keynes would need to broach the subject with the other man. What¡¯s the spiritual mantle, Alice? Don''t try to balk at me! He warned her but because she knew his mind, she also knew there wasn¡¯t anything behind Keynes¡¯s threat. Surprisingly, she told him. You have gained the ability to use and wear items of a higher Level than yours, master, or wear more items of your Level. So ¡­ I cannot wear as many rift items as I want? No. Each item has spiritual weight and your Spirit can only handle so much. In the Elevated stage, your Spirit is very strong so you can punch above your weight! Keynes wasn¡¯t aware that there was a limit of rift items a person could wield or wear but it made sense. Everything had spiritual energy. His attention was pulled back to the conversation. ¡°Har, aren¡¯t we close to ¡­ the northern rift?¡± Bill asked. Haruka looked around and after a moment of silence, his eyes went wide. ¡°Bill¡­ the rift! It is gone!¡± The two men rushed forward, Keynes and Vivena trailed them. They cut through the jungle at great speed, until they reached a very small clearing with many roughly cut boulders set in a circle. Inside the circle was empty. Bill and Haruka froze as they passed the ring of boulders. ¡°This cannot be¡­¡± Haruka muttered. ¡°How is this possible?¡± ¡°Are you sure this is the right place?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°A disappearing rift?¡± She gave Keynes a discreet glance. ¡°This is the right place,¡± Bill confirmed. ¡°Maybe it self-destructed?¡± ¡°Why would it do that?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°Because it was a volatile rift.¡± A volatile rift? Is this another type of rifts like stable and variable? Yes, Alice confirmed but didn¡¯t elaborate. ¡°I have never heard about a volatile rift,¡± Vivena said. ¡°Did you, Keynes?¡± Keynes shook his head. ¡°What was different about the volatile rift?¡± ¡°It was stable but had a chance to contain stronger monsters than normal. Bosses were also spawned irregularly. It was a nightmarish rift.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Keynes mulled over the information about the volatile rift. He understood the underlying rule of the rifts: harder meant more rewarding, hearing about the volatile rift got him fired up. ¡°What about rewards?¡± Bills smiled, although it was a pained smile. ¡°It was a Level 2 rare rift.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s already four percent.¡± ¡°It gave eight percent, Keynes, and an extra reward,¡± Bill said solemnly. ¡°But we lost many people there. It was a very difficult rift. That was the reason why no one delved this rift.¡± Vivena sat down on a boulder. ¡°It would still give us four percent,¡± she said. ¡°In twenty days or less, we¡¯d have been able to ascend to Level 4.¡± ¡°It only sounds easy, Vivena,¡± Haruka said for the first time in minutes. ¡°But Bill¡¯s right. The rift was risky even for us.¡± Not if Vivena had more serums with her. Boosted by her Talent, she¡¯d breeze through the rift without issues. It was no wonder why she didn¡¯t bother herself with maxing out her attributes. Her Talent trivialised the rifts at her current Level. She could pick the hardest rift on Earth and make it look like a playground. That was actually cool. Of course, as long as Vivena had a serum with her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter either way,¡± Bill said. ¡°The rift¡¯s gone. Maybe for the best.¡± ¡°But how?¡± Vivena looked at the centre of the circle. ¡°The orb of relocation,¡± Keynes said. ¡°I have seen it already.¡± He explained to them the orbs. It turned out that Bill and Haruka had encountered some orbs but not the relocation one. ¡°Could it be that your people had found the orb and relocated the rift?¡± Vivena asked, her eyes burning with interest. And no wonder, the concept of relocating rifts was incredible. They could build what the White Mask had done but many times larger. It was exactly what Wagner and the rest were trying to do after Keynes told them about the White Hall. ¡°Maybe,¡± Haruka replied, a little distantly as if he wasn¡¯t fully convinced. They didn¡¯t dwell on the subject and moved away from the empty site. As they walked toward the horde, Keynes froze, sensing something nearby. Alice, are you sensing it too? Others stopped and looked back at Keynes, their stares confused. Keynes raised his hand and waited for Alice to reply. Yes, there is a faint spiritual signature here. Can you point me to it? She appeared before his eyes and beckoned him to follow her. Keynes¡¯s heart started to beat faster as realisation dawned on him. If he was right. This was going to be big. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Keynes?¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± The source of the spiritual energy wasn¡¯t far. It was also invisible but that wasn¡¯t the problem. In the Elevated stage, Keynes could flood the area with his aura and see hidden things. And he did. They all saw it then. A shimmering whisp in the air. A rift. ¡°What the hell?¡± Bill murmured. ¡°Someone hid that Level 2 rift here?¡± Vivena asked. But Keynes knew better, he¡¯d seen this before, in Jamaica and France. This was a sealed rift. ¡°No,¡± Keynes said. ¡°This rift is sealed.¡± ¡°Keynes,¡± she said his name with such strength that for a second it made him stop. ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Haruka asked. ¡°And how do you know it is a sealed rift?¡± Keynes didn¡¯t answer any of them.
Rift (Uncommon; Variable)
Level 3
Status Sealed
Requirements -
Modifiers Champions have 10% to drop an item (permanent).
Details This rift contains a higher number of monsters, champions and a boss (overcharge effect).
Affinity -
Special Status Overcharged, Unexplored, Modified
Champions were new and the rift was already modified. Keynes also could see that the rift was variable, he hadn¡¯t been able to do so before. He made the window visible to the rest even though Haruka could see as much as him. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°KEYNES!¡± Vivena snapped. ¡°You cannot do it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t cause another outbreak,¡± he replied off-handedly, knowing very well that Haruka and Bill didn¡¯t know about his secret. But he couldn¡¯t keep it any longer. He was going to open this rift right now. Haruka and Bill, unsurprisingly, bombarded them with questions. They couldn¡¯t comprehend what was going on. And no one blamed them for it. ¡°I can open rifts without causing outbreaks.¡± He assured Vivena, while the other two stood speechless, staring at Keynes. He wasn¡¯t exactly truthful with her as he couldn¡¯t be fully sure that he could open a Level 3 rift while being only Level 2 without rupturing it. He had to try though. Keynes didn¡¯t waste time. Attempting to open the rift¡­ The Rift¡¯s Status: Sealed. Lockpicking initialised¡­ Each second seemed like an eternity, and with each one he feared that he¡¯d have to level up to unseal it without causing the outbreak. Then the message came through: Do you wish to unseal the rift? Yes/No YES! The rift opened successfully. Heck, yes! It worked¡­ oh. Monsters exploded out of the rift ¨C goblins with passive skill that allowed them to diminish their enemy¡¯s Dexterity by 10%. They were short, with a long nose and ears, and sharp pointy teeth. Unlike Level 1 and 2 monsters, these wore frayed capes and crude leather armour. They were armed in iron daggers with chipped and jagged edges. And they were freakishly fast. Before Keynes could blink, Vivena was next to him, slicing the goblins in half with her bare hands. Shortswords appeared in Keynes¡¯s hands and he made a step forward. ¡°You three stay here. I am going to kill the boss and stop the Overcharge effect before they overwhelm us,¡± Vivena said and then entered the rift. Keynes, Haruka and Bill fought with everything they had. Keynes even used his aura aggressively, but Level 3 monsters were much more resistant to its effect. When Haruka¡¯s aura overlapped with Keynes¡¯s, the monster finally started to collapse and the three men did the short work of them. Five minutes later, they stopped coming out. The boss must have been killed. It took Vivena five minutes to get to the boss and kill it? That was more than Keynes expected. When no more goblins remained alive. Keynes noticed the amount of essence in his body. It was a lot and its quality was higher than the essence from Level 2 monsters. He immediately began cultivating it hoping to see progress with his core. To his dismay, the essence was still too weak to budge his core. He dropped on his bottom. ¡°I¡¯m not eating these things,¡± he said, trying to lift the mood. It didn¡¯t work. The fight was short but his stamina was almost at 5%. ¡°That was a close call,¡± Haruka said, solemnly. ¡°If Vivena hadn''t killed the boss, we wouldn¡¯t have lasted another five minutes.¡± That was impossible. The goblins didn¡¯t seem like a big threat. Yes, they moved incredibly fast and Keynes¡¯s own movements were slowed down but still¡­ No, it was an eye-opener. Vivena appeared ten minutes later, beckoning them inside. Inside they found a grotto and judging by its complexity it was massive. Tunnels were lit by torches, and came in many shapes and sizes. This wasn¡¯t all. They even found a couple of heaps of crude iron armour laying around. Vivena showed them the bodies of champions. They were larger than the normal goblins and of different rarity, out of four she encountered, two were common, one was rare and one epic. Their armour and weapons were also of a higher quality and in a better shape. Epic? Keynes asked Alice. Yes. It¡¯s the rarity directly above Exotic, she explained, cheerfully. This is where the fun starts! Chapter 65: Wealth The epic champion dropped an iron spikes-studded mace. They didn¡¯t have a Level 3 Scroll of Identification to use it on the mace and Vivena put it into her dimensional pouch, then they moved on to where the body of the boss was. It was a large hobgoblin in iron armour, its condition good. The way Vivena had killed it¡ªa strike to its neck¡ªleft the armour undamaged. Next to the hobgoblin were four sub-bosses. They were larger than champions and wore better armours although nothing as good as the boss. The boss was Level 4 while the sub-bosses were still Level 3 but unlike the boss, which was of the same rarity as the rift, the sub-bosses were rare. It was Keynes¡¯s first time seeing sub-bosses and he didn¡¯t know if the higher rarity was a rule or an exception. At the back of the cave was the reward chest, unopened. No one said anything and Vivena eventually went to open the chest. She pulled two items out of it. An orb and a Level 3 Scroll of Identification. Without hesitation, Keynes told her to identify the orb.
The Orb of Faster Recharge (Uncommon) - Permanently decreases recharge time by 50%. The effect of the orb stack with the same modifiers. - Level 3
They all stood speechless. This orb technically made two rifts out of one. Each rift had a recharge time of 24 hours. If they halved it to 12 hours, they could delve it twice in 24 hours. And it stacked. If they found another such orb, would it decrease the recharge time to 6 hours? There had to be some catch. But before Keynes could voice his thoughts, Haruka asked. ¡°Who are you, Keynes? A Perfect State ascender, the Elevated stage, a Flight Talent and now this.¡± A Flight Talent¡­ ah, I see. Makes sense. So it finally hit them. Unfortunately, Keynes couldn¡¯t keep hiding his true Talent if he wished to open the rift. He and Vivena had said too much already, only an idiot wouldn¡¯t have figured it out by now. ¡°I am the one who caused the outbreaks,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Though I was forced to do so by the government.¡± Neither of the men said anything. They were in a state of shock. Keynes had been in their shoes over two weeks ago when Wagner and then Shaper revealed to him their machinations. Keynes waited. It took Haruka a bit more time to recover. Bill seemed to absorb it with less shock. Keynes told them a shortened story and soon after that the both men started joking with him. Once they accepted it, awkwardness between them and Keynes vanished. But Keynes noticed that Vivena was still on edge. He considered asking her about it but decided to do it later. It wasn¡¯t the right time. They checked the room with their auras and found the hidden door! ¡°It¡¯s the third time,¡± Haruka said as the outline of the door appeared on the wall. They approached it and a system message appeared requesting a rift door key. ¡°We found two others in a Level 2 rift as well.¡± So the hidden door appears in Level 2 rifts too. I must look into that later on. ¡°So you need a key to unlock it?¡± Vivena asked. Haruka nodded. ¡°We haven¡¯t opened the previous two doors. We haven¡¯t found the key yet. It seems that the key is harder to find than the door itself.¡± Keynes thought back to the compartment in the reward chest. It¡¯d never asked for the key. Why was this different? He placed his hand on the door and used his Talent. His mana was sucked out of him, leaving him with an empty tank and a splitting headache. He grunted as he went to one knee but he managed to unlock the door. Master, you shouldn¡¯t do that. Your Talent is too crude to open the door like this without serious negative feedback. He didn¡¯t reply because even thinking hurt. Others talked to him but he ignored them. That was really bad. He only murmured that he needed to take a short nap. When he woke up. The other three sat nearby. They stripped the boss and sub-bosses from the armour. ¡°What happened?¡± Vivena asked, worried. ¡°Opening that door took all my mana. I have never experienced a mana headache before,¡± Keynes said. Waxilium Earl had pumped him so thickly with his Talent that Keynes didn¡¯t feel anything but euphoria. This was his first time. His mother had often pushed herself too hard, inducing mana headaches. She couldn¡¯t stomach seeing people in distress. ¡°It¡¯s incredible,¡± Haruka said. ¡°You are incredible, Keynes.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Keynes murmured in reply, slowly getting to his feet. ¡°By the way, what did I miss?¡± Vivena showed him.
Poison¡¯s Regalia (Epic) - +10 Vitality - Poison Aura (passive) - Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Poisonous Attacks (passive) - + 15% Poison Resistance - {Enchants: Self-repair; Self-clean} [Cloak] Level 3
¡°What is this made of?¡± It felt impossibly light, not like any material Keynes could think of. ¡°It¡¯s like water and smoke but so delicate.¡± ¡°We have no idea what it is but that was the only reward in the hidden room,¡± Haruka said. ¡°We¡¯ve decided to give the cloak to Vivena as she is the one who cleared the rift,¡± Bill added. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Keynes shook his head then asked. ¡°It didn¡¯t require the scroll?¡± ¡°No.¡± The same as the hidden compartment. And judging by the properties of the cloak, it fitted Vivena. So, the hidden reward reflected their needs. It was an amazing piece of information. The question was: to what degree? Keynes understood that he¡¯d need to spend some time and research this phenomenon. If the hidden rewards were based on conscious desires and were fairly accurate, then sky was the limit. He began making a mental list of items, spells and techniques he needed. Keynes was going to use one desire at a time and see if it was reflected in the hidden reward. ¡°Did you try to put it on?¡± She nodded, sadly. ¡°My Spirit is too weak.¡± ¡°We think that she must be at least in the Medium stage to use that item.¡± ¡°Then what are you waiting for?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Start cultivating the essence.¡± He wanted to check on the hidden room but it vanished soon after others had left it. From what they said, it looked out of place in the cave. It had steel columns and electrical light and a solid concrete floor. It wasn¡¯t the end of the world, if they encountered this room once, they¡¯d do so again. Keynes would just need to find a way to withstand the headache. ¡°What now?¡± Bill asked and Keynes had an impression that the question was aimed solely at Haruka. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious, Bill?¡± Haruka replied without hesitation. ¡°We take everything out of this rift. Everything you see here is wealth.¡± *** They did as Haruka said. Every scrap of armour was transported out of the rift, including the crude daggers and swords wielded by the goblins and the hobgoblin. After that, they checked the rift and found two small caverns. They weren¡¯t exactly hidden but it was easy to miss the narrow passage leading to them. In the caverns, they found more broken armours and then they hit the jackpot ¨C a few uncut gemstones. What was interesting was the fact that the gemstones didn¡¯t have a system window. Some of the badly mangled armour or their pieces didn¡¯t have system windows either. The rewards always had a system window, even the raw material like a piece of wood or a slab of aluminium. It meant something important, though Keynes didn¡¯t know yet why. It felt like the answer was shown to Keynes in Hugo¡¯s garden. As Keynes and others cleared the rift, which took them an entire day, Keynes replayed his time with Hugo and Sophie in his head. And there it was, Hugo had been explaining to Keynes a process called the spiritual schematisation. It was a fine line between a plant having a spiritual window and not. Hugo didn¡¯t understand it himself. A few errors during the cultivation of plants could strip the system window from them. It also took away their primary properties, leaving a bit of a mess. But it didn¡¯t exactly mean that a plant without a spiritual window was useless, there was always some use for it, even a marginal one. Any thoughts on this? At some point, Keynes asked Alice. Her reply sounded distracted as if she was busy herself; doing what? He couldn¡¯t tell. The gemstone¡­ no, not really. I cannot say anything, though they¡¯d look much nicer polished up¡­ master. It took Keynes some time, realising that Alice dropped him a hint there. The gemstones looked crude, very crude. They needed to be worked on. Could it be the process of polishing them up made the System give the gemstone a system window? That was a possibility. Keynes even shared his thoughts with others but they didn¡¯t know why the System did it and had never heard about the system schematisation. Keynes could see an interest in Haruka¡¯s eyes though. Perhaps, they could discuss the subject. Their crafted weapons had to go through the same process after all. They weren¡¯t made out of the rift rewards but the wood found inside the rift and the final product had the system window. I will have to meet that weaponsmith. He may know something about this process. Finally, with everything valuable removed from the rift, their dimensional pouches full and several heaps of scrap next to the rift, came the time to decide what to do with the orb. ¡°We should keep it,¡± Vivena said. ¡°This rift is only uncommon. And it seems that Level 3 rifts can go up to epic rarity. The cloak alone is worth more than anything else we pulled out of the rift, excluding the orb.¡± ¡°She has a point,¡± Bill agreed. ¡°If we returned to¡­¡± Haruka gave him a hard stare and Bill trailed off. ¡°We may not find another Level 3 rift for a very long time,¡± Haruka said. ¡°Rifts locations seemed to be random. On top of that, this is the only unsealed Level 3 rift in the world. Finding another one, creates two sources of Level 3 materials and items.¡± ¡°Look at him,¡± Vivena said with a smile. ¡°Already thinking like a businessman.¡± Haruka nodded with a quiet tension on his face. Then they turned to Keynes, awaiting his opinion. Vivena and Bill wanted to find a more valuable rift and use the orb on it. Keynes had already seen it in the White Hall. Ten the most valuable Level 1 rifts. It was a very smart idea. On the other hand, when the Level 3 materials would begin getting out and gathering attention, others would search for their source. It could be an issue but that wasn¡¯t really what made up Keynes¡¯s argument. ¡°Can we delve a higher rarity rift without dying in a process? This caused them to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. The fight in front of the rift humbled Keynes. If the goblins were of exotic rarity, he didn¡¯t think they¡¯d have made out alive. At exotic rarity, monsters had one active and two passive skills. The hounds from the island gave Keynes a run for his money. ¡°I can,¡± Vivena said but Keynes disagreed with her. ¡°That¡¯s not the point, Vivena. The rift isn¡¯t only the source of items but also the essence. We must fight the monsters too.¡± Otherwise, the rift won¡¯t award us with the hidden rewards. ¡°Keynes has a very valid point,¡± Haruka added. ¡°The strength gap between Level 2 and 3 is much wider than between Level 1 and 2. Additionally, this rift has quite a modifier. A loot drop from champions sounds like a good deal to me.¡± Bill switched the sides and seeing no other option, Vivena conceded with their point of view. They used the Orb of Faster Recharge on the Level 3 rift. Unlike the Lesser Orb of Luck, this orb didn¡¯t affect monsters inside the rift. Alice murmured something about two classes of orbs but when asked to elaborate, she shut up like a clam. With the rift¡¯s new recharging time set at 12 hours, they decided to prepare themselves and the spot around the rift. It was going to be their home for some time. They didn¡¯t discuss the issue of transporting their loot for now, knowing well it would sour their mood. They removed the goblin bodies, moving them back into the rift. Then Haruka and Bill took the lead and transformed the area into a nice living space. They were experienced in this sort of construction work. They smartly didn¡¯t touch any tree around the rift because of the canopy-created cover. Both men had axes made from Level 1 materials with them. The axes gave 1% extra to damage, which made the axes quite bad but that wasn¡¯t their purpose of course. In a span of hours, they cut many trees and used them to build a place to sleep, a crude kitchen, an utility room, a toilet and a storage room for the things from the rift. Bill had done some digging as well, wanting to move the storage room beneath the ground. It wouldn¡¯t be finished for days yet. With only a few minutes left, the four were sitting around a firepit. They had found some loose rocks in the goblin cave and used it to build a crude furnace and a firepit. As the fire happily danced, they looked at each other. Keynes had to admit that their quartet had developed chemistry. They weren¡¯t at the stage when they had offensive skills yet but Keynes was confident that it was only a matter of time. ¡°Tomorrow, we must go hunt again for meat, mostly,¡± Bill said. ¡°How many purification rituals before we run out of ingredients?¡± Haruka asked Bill. ¡°About twenty, maybe a few more.¡± ¡°Cooked monster meat can last up to three days. It would give us two months before we must return to gather more ingredients. Enough time to level up.¡± They all nodded, no one broached the question: what then? They were still drunk on their good fortune. ¡°The rift has recharged,¡± Bill said, they took a deep breath, this was going to be a real challenge. They wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on Vivena¡¯s Talent as she was down to the last serum and Keynes had asked her to keep it for an emergency. If they couldn¡¯t beat this rift on their own, then they had a lot to think about. Chapter 66: Swamp Rift They walked into the rift and immediately sank to their knees. They were in a swamp. It rained although the canopies of trees soaked most of the rainwater. The water they stood in was dark and murky with drifting pieces of wood and plants in it. The ground beneath their feet felt solid enough. In all directions stood moss-covered trees, many of them had the lowest parts of their canopies submerged in the water, a few had fallen to some past disaster or time itself. Around some trees, thick weeds emerged from the water, creating good hiding spots for the monsters. The air was humid but didn¡¯t smell of decay as Keynes expected. There was a freshness to it that felt at odds with the nature of the swamp. Despite the heavy rain, there was plenty of light. Bill was the first to comment on the rift. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± Haruka nodded, presumably scouting the area with his spiritual companion. Keynes decided to do the same. It is a nice-looking place, Alice said as she floated away. She was crazy. ¡°Keynes,¡± Vivena whispered as if afraid that monsters would hear her. ¡°If things go south¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish the sentence but Keynes understood the meaning perfectly. ¡°Just wait for the rift monsters to show up first. There is no overcharge effect, so fewer monsters and no boss.¡± ¡°I am not sure about fighting in the knee-deep water though.¡± She was right. They couldn¡¯t see the bottom. There was no telling how deep the entire swamp was. The Level 3 rift was larger than the Level 2 and if they followed the same formula then it should be around two kilometres square in size. ¡°Keynes, is this me or does this rift seem very different from the previous one?¡± ¡°You mean the armour?¡± Keynes half-asked as he noticed the same thing. At the face value, this rift looked like Level 1 or 2 rifts. There had to be more to this. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°So, what is it, Har?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Are we doing it?¡± ¡°Vivena, Keynes?¡± Haruka turned to Keynes and Vivena. ¡°What is your spiritual companion telling you?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°He¡¯s not yet back. Did you send yours?¡± Keynes nodded. He considered unfolding his aura but he couldn¡¯t do so without revealing his presence from the monsters. Master, there are monsters ahead. They are submerged. Size? Skills? I think they are large but I cannot say for sure. The water is obscuring my senses. Is it yours? Keynes shrugged her question away and turned to the others. ¡°The monsters are underwater and they seem to be large.¡± Haruka got the same message from his spiritual companion. After a short debate, they decided to go ahead. They could always back off out of the rift if the monsters turned out too strong. And there was always Vivena with her absurd Talent. They slowly waded through the water until they encountered the spot. It was twenty metres wide, without a single tree or weed. Their spiritual companions confirmed that the monsters were hiding there. ¡°Wait here,¡± Keynes said and lifted himself into the air. He moved above the spot with the monsters, the rain hit him hard as there were no canopies to shelter him. With a shock, he realised that even the rain was Level 3. That was scary. He stopped three metres above the surface, then unfolded his aura just enough to touch the monsters beneath him. He wished for a better technique, it¡¯d let him scout the area without the monsters knowing about his presence. The water exploded as two lizards covered with colourful fish scales jumped out of it. They were the size of a grown crocodile but there were many differences: a shorter head with sharper teeth, a red dorsal fin and a longer tail ended with a sting. Keynes had to go higher to avoid their attack as both monsters jumped over three metres into the air. A few seconds after the monsters dropped back into the water, Keynes repeated his aura probing, only this time, the monsters met his shortswords. Despite all strength behind the attack, the blades didn¡¯t manage more than inch deep cuts. Not enough to deal lethal damage. ¡°Damn it.¡± Roused and angered by the wounds, the monsters swam out of their hiding spot. It was a submerged depression. Easy to miss if one didn¡¯t pay attention. There were five swamp lizards. Bill and Haruka readied their rungus while Vivena decided to use the unidentified mace. It meant that the mace¡¯s properties wouldn¡¯t be active but it didn¡¯t matter. It was a Level 3 weapon. Just this made it very powerful. And there was a strong possibility she wouldn¡¯t be able to wield it if it was identified anyway. The mace turned out to be their saviour. Rungus did very little damage, especially because they were crafted out of Level 1 wood. It pushed Bill and Haruka into defence while Vivena kept her ground. Keynes dropped, skewering one of the monsters through its neck, killing it. The deed stressed his sword, he grimaced. With one of theirs dead, the monsters went into a frenzy. It wasn¡¯t their passive skill which was called: the vitality of depths, and increased the swamp lizards¡¯ regeneration the deeper they were. There was no telling what it meant but the two rift monsters that Keynes had wounded didn¡¯t seem to heal. Their frenzy didn¡¯t last more than ten seconds and everyone was able to disengage but they knew to keep their distance when one of the monsters was killed. Strangely enough, the monsters didn¡¯t use their stings. Vivena killed another swamp lizard, sending others into yet another frenzy. Keynes took to the air while Bill and Haruka kept close to trees, using them as obstacles. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. With only three monsters left from this particular depression, this should have been an easy fight but it wasn¡¯t the case. The four misjudged the effect of wading in Level 3 water. It was quite an effort to keep moving and they were losing stamina at an alarming pace. Keynes cursed silently, understanding their unpreparedness. Besides a few rift items, they had nothing. We need spells, more items, consumables and techniques. If this was a rare or exotic rift we¡¯d be dead by now. Like with the goblins, the Level 3 rift humbled Keynes, showing him how little he understood the rifts and the System. He wished for Captain Ventura to be here. That man had been crazy but his training was the best thing that happened to Keynes. I hope we¡¯ll meet again, cap. As soon as the frenzy passed, Vivena readied another attack only for Haruka to stop her. There was something wrong. The monsters attacked but their attacks were always temperate. Why was that? ¡°Watch your back!¡± Haruka shouted. They turned to see the surface of the water ripple. Keynes immediately reached out with his aura and found the freaking champion in the form of a swamp snake. It was perhaps five metres long. ¡°They were pushing us back into the champion!¡± ¡°Get to the trees,¡± Vivena shouted. The swamp snake stayed submerged but was getting closer. The three swamp lizards were circling them. These monsters were cunning. Keynes landed on a thick branch that arched above where the champion was going to be swimming in a couple of seconds. Others waited tentatively as the monsters¡¯ plan played out. ¡°When I hit the champion,¡± Keynes called out. ¡°Engage those damned lizards.¡± And then the time came, Keynes collapsed at the snake, driving the shortsword point first into its head, only to find that the monster somehow avoided the lethal hit. Keynes still cut a deep gouge in its head though. Out of the water, the snake¡¯s tail exploded with a sting, dripping a sickly green venom. It was a rare swamp snake with a 10% chance to evade an attack and a tail strike. Keynes dodge the sting as it blurred next to his chest, then cut it off. The snake hissed and bit Keynes¡¯s thigh. Pain exploded in Keynes¡¯s leg, for a moment threatening to overwhelm him but he hadn¡¯t trained his Will for nothing. With the next slash, the shortsword got stuck in the snake¡¯s neck. It didn¡¯t stop its bite but the strength behind the bite was vanishing. The beast was dying. Its body started to trash and Keynes used his other shortsword to end its life. Keynes had to remove the snake¡¯s head himself. He only hoped that the monster¡¯s bite wasn¡¯t venomous. Meanwhile, Vivena killed a swamp lizard and was helping Bill. Haruka was still fighting, his rungu doing minimal damage. The fish scales of the lizards were far stronger than they looked. This made Keynes think about their value. They looked pretty and they were Level 3. Wagner is going to freak out when I show all of this to him. The snake¡¯s skin could be useful too. As Haruka said: all of this was wealth. Five minutes later, the last lizard was killed by Vivena. Her mace was the only reliable weapon against the scaled lizards. ¡°Your leg!¡± Vivena approached Keynes and without hesitation took out the Poison¡¯s Regalia. It added 10 Vitality, which meant increased regeneration. He needed that. He could still walk but it was painful. Keynes accepted the cloak, feeling much better when he put it on. Ten points in a single attribute was a large difference. ¡°How do you feel?¡± she asked. ¡°Fine. The bite didn¡¯t have poison in it.¡± Bill dropped on his bottom, clearly tired. Haruka leaned against a tree. ¡°This is harder than I anticipated,¡± Haruka said, sounding mindful. ¡°Even being Level 3 and in the Elevated stage still doesn¡¯t give me enough strength to overcome a few Level 3 monsters.¡± ¡°It¡¯s this rift,¡± Vivena said. ¡°Just wading in the water tires me.¡± They nodded. ¡°What do we do?¡± Bill asked and Keynes replied before anyone else voiced their opinion. ¡°We push forward. We are underprepared for the rift but we have time. We don¡¯t need to clear it in an hour. Besides, with this cloak. The tides will change now.¡± *** Keynes wasn¡¯t wrong. The Poison¡¯s Regalia gave him a substantial boost. The poison aura mixed with his spiritual aura was enough to wear down the swamp lizards. The champions were unaffected. It looked like being a champion gave some hidden perks. They encountered seventeen depressions and repeated the same tactic with Keynes floating above the water, then stirring the monsters from their slumber. He¡¯d attack them as they jump out of the water, and then Vivena would join him and kill as many as possible. Bill and Haruka had to sit out the fights and watch from a distance. Haruka was able to step in and help in the beginning, wielding his Elevated aura to distract or confuse the swamp lizards but his spiritual stamina ran out too quickly. Additionally, their wooden clubs were at their limits and they decided to not risk destroying them. The swamp snakes were a sort of wild card as they came in different rarities. After the first rare, the next two were common, and the last one was exotic. The exotic swamp snake took two hours with its two annoying passive skills, it was able to recover from slashing damage as long as it remained close to trees and it moved faster in the water. Its active skill was a rapid constriction. Keynes also discovered that the poisonous attacks from the cloak didn¡¯t seem to work with swords. Keynes didn¡¯t take chances and stayed in the air during that fight. By the end, Vivena had to step in and give him a hand. The champions dropped unidentified common seeds in a small glass bottle and exotic boots. Bill commented that the swamp, with the right items, was actually easy as they only had to repeat the same tactic to clear it. Vivena disagreed with him. ¡°In every direction we look, the swamp looks exactly the same and the heavy rain obscures our vision further.¡± Bill spun around, taking the view in. ¡°Damn, I haven¡¯t realised it. You¡¯re right, Vivena.¡± ¡°Spiritual companions can lead us out of it,¡± Haruka interjected. ¡°I don¡¯t have one yet.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think ascenders without spiritual companions will have much chance here anyway. The way the monsters behave here is not normal. They are passive and attack only when they are very close. It is clear they are waiting for unaware prey.¡± After fifteen hours of exhausting fighting with rest in between, they reached the reward chest. Keynes and Haruka immediately checked the area for the hidden door, finding none. Keynes wondered if the Explorer buff increased the chance of the hidden rewards. If that was the case, they¡¯d need to exploit it. They found a perfectly rectangular piece of white wood and a Scroll of Identification which they badly needed. They had four unidentified Level 3 items, including the wood. ¡°I don¡¯t understand something,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Why did the System give this wood a system window but when you take a piece of any tree from the rift, you don¡¯t get the same.¡± Bill and Vivena weren¡¯t interested in the topic. Haruka pondered the issue and came up with an easy answer. ¡°It has to be tied to the fact that it is a rift reward.¡± The answer didn¡¯t satisfy Keynes. There had to be more. But this wasn¡¯t time for discussions. The group was beyond tired, wet and hungry. They decided to leave the rift and rest for at least six hours before returning here. They¡¯d already overstayed their welcome. But Keynes wasn¡¯t so hasty. Their first Level 3 rift had broken armour laying here and there. Why was this rift different? He asked them to stay a while longer. ¡°I want to check on something.¡± He¡¯d mentioned to Alice that something about these depressions seemed odd. Alice had only encouraged him to check on them, refusing to tell him if he was right or not. Keynes didn¡¯t know if that was the System¡¯s restriction or her twisted way of helping him. ¡°What is it?¡± Vivena asked as they trudged back to the nearest depression. ¡°Just a hunch. I will be back in a minute.¡± Alice, you will have to help me navigate underwater. Okay? She mentally nodded and Keynes dived into the water. The depression was deeper than Keynes anticipated. At least, three metres deep. At first, Keynes recoiled when his hand touched something resembling a snake, then he realised these were roots. The whole depression was full of them and ¡­ there was a pattern. He followed them, regretting he couldn¡¯t see in the dark waters. They create a circle¡­ He got to the middle and his hands touched something cold, smooth and round. Eggs?! What the hell? When he got back to the surface, he held three book-sized eggs. Now the question was ¨C what were they? Chapter 67: Upgrades Keynes checked all the seventeen underwater depressions and altogether found forty-four eggs. It was a bit of a nightmare transporting them out of the rift as the instance was already gone. If any of them left, they couldn¡¯t return to the same rift. On top of that, Keynes wanted to take a sample of the swamp water, moss and fungi that grew on the trees. Anything in this rift was Level 3 and he remembered what Wagner and Hugo had been able to achieve with Level 0 materials. Obviously, Keynes didn¡¯t have their expertise and experience but he remembered everything Hugo had told and showed to him. Eventually they got everything out of the rift, including scales from the swamp lizards and the skin of the swamp snakes, by placing Bill in between. ¡°We need buckets and many containers,¡± Keynes told them. ¡°I want to collect plants and fungi from other rifts.¡± Haruka and Bill didn¡¯t know about Keynes¡¯s episode with Hugo and they were very surprised to hear it but asked him to explain it another time. They barely stayed on their feet. Vivena had already gone to sleep. They¡¯d spent an additional six hours there while Keynes moved the things he wanted from the rift. Both men soon followed Vivena and went to sleep as well. With the Poison''s Regalia and its boost to Vitality, Keynes could stay awake for a little bit longer. He sorted through the materials they brought from the rift then slapped his forehead. ¡°I forgot the soil,¡± he murmured to himself. Master, there was no soil¡­ ¡°Of course there was, underwater.¡± Oh. You¡¯re right. I am glad you started collecting the rift materials, master. ¡°Why?¡± You can make many nice things out of them. ¡°If I only knew how.¡± Alice didn¡¯t say anything, reading his intent. It would be so much easier to have the answers. He shook his head and proceeded to sort out the materials. Keynes had no idea what to do with any of them. Eventually, his mind became sluggish and he finally decided to call it a day and go to sleep. *** They didn¡¯t delve for two days. Keynes and Vivena had to recover their health. They¡¯d some minor wounds. Bill and Haruka did some more work in their camp. Just after two rifts they understood, they¡¯d soon run out of space. They needed more storage room. Then Keynes asked for a garden. ¡°How can I build you a garden, Keynes?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t need to be large. Just wooden containers for soil.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the tools and materials for that. After a debate, they dug a few rectangular holes which Keynes would fill with the soil from the rifts. It would be something between natural and standard gardening methods. In other words: a bad method. The three methods existed for a reason. But Keynes couldn¡¯t do anything about it. They needed a garden. ¡°What are we going to do about the eggs?¡± Vivena asked while moving around the stuff in the storage room. Keynes boiled inside seeing this. He¡¯d had everything sorted out. ¡°It is a fun idea to stay here and delve the rift but ¡­ we need help.¡± Keynes flatly disagreed but Haruka actually considered her argument. ¡°Listen, we must learn how to become self-sufficient. Once we have a garden.¡± Keynes pointed at the four, half-metre deep holes and grimaced. ¡°We may grow something useful.¡± Bill raised his hand. ¡°I will need the bowls for the stew in two days.¡± In one bowl, Keynes kept the rainwater from the rift, in the other one the swamp water. He wasn¡¯t sure what he needed that water for. It wasn¡¯t enough to use it on anything and he didn¡¯t have the tools or expertise to research it. Haruka looked at Keynes, his eyes soft as usual. ¡°Our initial idea to keep delving this rift may¡ª¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Keynes interrupted Haruka. ¡°The moment you tell others we have a Level 3 rift here, all of this will be gone. I am not sure about your people, Haruka, but people outside the wall don¡¯t care what we want. You will have armies here. This.¡± Keynes pointed at the storage room. ¡°Must stay between us for now. We are not ready to reveal this to anyone.¡± No one said anything for a minute, and then Vivena spoke up. ¡°Keynes is not wrong. If anyone outside the walls gets wind of this, they will come here to take control of the rift.¡± ¡°The rift wasn¡¯t that bad, Har,¡± Bill joined the conversation. ¡°We have water and food, and if we keep doing this. We should level up soon. I think a month or two here isn¡¯t a big deal.¡± Haruka looked into Keynes¡¯s eyes, then glanced at Bill and Vivena. ¡°You are right,¡± Haruka said eventually. ¡°I just ¡­ for a moment imagined what we could do with this if we had people from our village. But I agree with you, Keynes, becoming self-sufficient is important.¡± ¡°In that case,¡± Vivena asked. ¡°What are we going to do with the eggs?¡± They will not hatch, master, Alice said to Keynes. By removing the eggs from the rift, you stopped their hatching process. They will remain in the dormant stage until you destroy them or provide the swamp environment. Keynes relayed Alice¡¯s message to the rest. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. With that little hiccup out of the way, they started preparations for the rift. First came the question of what to use the scroll on. They settled on the boots. With Keynes being Level 2 and using the epic rarity Poison¡¯s Regalia, he hit the limit of Level 3 items he could use.
Sunny Steps (Exotic) ¡°It¡¯s so hot but hot is fun!¡± - +11 Dexterity - Hot Trail (Passive) - +15% Fire Resistance - {Enchants: Self-repair; Self-adjustment} [Boots] Level 3
The boots were good. They boosted Haruka¡¯s Dexterity to 37 points. Though he complained that without Perception on a similar level, it wasn¡¯t easy to move with care. It still was a welcome help and after a spar with Keynes, Haruka grew more confident. The next several days were soul-crushing. After the swamp rift came a desert rift with fist-sized orange and red rocks, and fine dark brown sand. That rift was incredibly flat, cloudless and so hot that Bill¡¯s only duty was to create water. They went straight to killing the monsters and with the rift being only 2 kilometres long and wide, they thought it would be a quick job. It perhaps would if the rift monsters didn¡¯t turn out to be the stoneback fire lizards. Their passive granted them increased physical resistance and they attacked by spitting fire. Keynes and Haruka easily dodged their attacks but Keynes¡¯s shortswords and Haruka¡¯s rungu were completely ineffective against the monsters. Their main job was to keep the monsters distracted while Vivena came in and swept the mace, hoping to cause enough damage to kill the monsters. There were also five champions instead of four like in two earlier rifts. But they were lucky that four out of the five champions were of a common rarity and only one was rare. It still took one hell of effort to defeat them. Even without skills, champions were stronger than average monsters with powers. The rift reward was a disappointment: a single Scroll of Identification. The only things out of place they found in the rift were black flat pebbles with a very smooth surface. The most bizarre thing about them was their temperature. Despite the burning heat, the pebbles were cool. Keynes and the rest picked twenty of these pebbles and got the hell out of the rift. After treating their sunburn, they ate, slept and then entered another instance of the rift. A week later, Vivena finally hit the Medium stage. It took ten hours to teach her the lesser aura control. And then she complained about her spiritual companion. ¡°That was exhausting,¡± she said when they got out of a cave rift, where they¡¯d defeated centipedes. Over the week, they managed to decrease the clearing time to 6 hours. Mostly because of the items they found. Bill took the uncommon rarity Gnarled Wand that decreased mana consumption by 5% and granted a skill called [Arcane Bolt]. It dealt magical damage to monsters and most died after four or five hits. Champions took on average over 10 hits. Bill had mana for 18 hits, so he¡¯d kept the wand for the hardest champions. From the eleventh rift ¨C one where trees themselves were monsters ¨C Bill got a Scroll of Random Teaching. It gave him Lesser Cooking technique which also included rift monster meat. Despite the initial disappointment, it was a massive boon. Bill was able to prepare food from Level 2 monsters now without the risk of harming anyone ¨C with the exception of Keynes who had the Purified Body buff which protected him. It also told them that a proper cooking technique could purify the meat as effectively as a purification ritual. The difference between Level 1 and 2 meat mostly boiled down to the amount of energy it provided. Then came a boost to stamina, health and mana! The stew still lacked proper flavour but no one complained. Keynes returned the Poison¡¯s Regalia to Vivena upon her reaching the Medium stage. She kept the mace unidentified as she didn¡¯t wish to stress her core with two epic items. She also got an uncommon rarity Dexterius Ring that buffed her Dexterity by 5 points. Keynes took only two things from their loot ¨C the rare rarity Unrelenting Shirt that gave him 3 points to Strength and Dexterity and decreased physical damage taken by 5%. With both shortswords in his hands, it buffed his Strength to 29 and Dexterity to 34. His Dexterity was almost as high as that of a Level 7 human essence ascender. The other thing was the second Scroll of Random Teaching found in the thirteenth rift. It gave Keynes Lesser Knowledge of Wind Currents. It convinced them that the ¡®random¡¯ wasn¡¯t truly random. Both of the scrolls granted something that fitted Keynes¡¯s and Bill¡¯s general theme. Keynes was ready to use his Level 2 scroll but Alice begged him to not do it. She didn¡¯t explain why though. But Keynes¡¯s main power up came from a different place. The 14 rifts they had cleared pushed him to new heights and he was rewarded with maxing out his Strength which temporarily boosted his strength. It was a noticeable increase. Unfortunately, he was unlucky with the essence cultivation. The essence he got was too weak to break through the strong barrier of his core. After hours of an argument, Alice admitted that he needed a technique to fix that but said nothing more. Haruka received the rare rarity Wind¡¯s Band which granted him [Wind Burst], +4 points to Perception that he badly needed and 5% decreased damage taken from wind affinity attacks. [Wind Burst] dealt minor damage and pushed enemies backwards, confusing them for 4 seconds ¨C 2 seconds in the case of champions. Their little camp grew as Keynes kept bringing more stuff from the rifts. He planted many random plants filled with random soil ¨C all from the rifts. Keynes also returned to exhaustive training, hoping to max out his Will and Dexterity as soon as possible. Sometimes he¡¯d spar with Haruka but the other man wasn¡¯t comfortable fighting humans. With every rift, they grew stronger, then in the eighteenth rift, they encountered a boss and two sub-bosses. Even with their items, the fight was difficult. Keynes once again marvelled at the absurdity of Vivena¡¯s Talent. She alone had cleared the first rift with more monsters than any other rifts they encountered. Their moods were lifted when Keynes found the hidden door. They¡¯d already gotten three hidden compartments from earlier rifts and found the two dimensional pouches and a Ring of Wood that no one used currently as it affected only wood affinity spells which none of them had. ¡°Do you feel up to it, Keynes?¡± Haruka asked, his voice weary, although his eyes were keen and curious. What Keynes liked about Haruka and Bill was that they weren¡¯t greedy, never complained and always showed consideration for others. While Keynes could think he was like them, he knew he lacked the same qualities. ¡°Yeah,¡± Keynes replied. His body was full of shallow cuts. The boss was called a razorback and had been fully covered by sharp bony spines. Its passive returned damage to the attacker. The harder they hit it, the more damage was returned. Keynes had Vivena¡¯s old coat on. It boosted health regeneration. Bill had also brought a bowl of stew for him. They¡¯d prepared it the moment they realised the rift had a boss. Unlike the first rift, this one was a single two-kilometres long and at least five hundred metres high grotto. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need a rest?¡± Vivena asked from the spot where she sat leaning against a boulder. The grotto was lit by the moonlight that came in through slits in the ceiling. ¡°I am.¡± Keynes approached the hidden door with anticipation and used his Talent on it. Like with the first one, his mana was sucked out of him and a splitting headache hit right away. Haruka steadied him and Vivena joined them a second later. They slowly moved inside. Keynes kept his eyes squinted as the bright electrical light hurt him. After they descended the flight of stairs, they found a table with four items on it. Four skill shards. ¡°Damn,¡± Bill smirked. ¡°This is wealth.¡± Haruka accepted the jab at his earlier words with a solemn nod. ¡°We don¡¯t know which skill shard is for whom,¡± Vivena noted. ¡°I think it will be obvious once we check them out,¡± Haruka said. Chapter 68: Rewards Each of them decided to touch one skill shard and say its name aloud. ¡°[Cooking],¡± Haruka said. ¡°[Create Poison],¡± said Bill. ¡°[Evade],¡± Vivena said. ¡°[Chaos Aura],¡± Keynes finished, barely finding his voice. He definitely didn¡¯t wish for [Evade] or [Cooking], and [Create Poison] was clearly for Vivena. Alice¡­ What is [Chaos Aura]? Is this related to my debuff? When she didn¡¯t answer he pulled at their bond bringing her back to him. She was shaking, looking terrified. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Alice?¡± Keynes asked aloud, forgetting about others. Mas¡ªmaster, this aura, it should have not dropped here, or anywhere for that matter. The System, it does not function correctly, you should not absorb this skill shard. Why? Keynes asked with force behind his question. She didn¡¯t answer and he sighed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Vivena gave him a worried glance. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s deal with the skills.¡± ¡°Mine will be [Cooking],¡± Bill said with a grin. ¡°It will pair nicely with the cooking technique I¡¯ve gotten.¡± ¡°[Evade] for me,¡± added Haruka quietly. He didn¡¯t share the same excitement as Bill. ¡°[Create Poison],¡± Vivena muttered. ¡°For me.¡± There was no doubt that [Chaos Aura] was for Keynes. It also proved that conscious desires weren¡¯t always taken into account. *** After they returned from the rift, Keynes tried to take into the sky but his body gave up and he fell unconscious. When he woke up, he found Vivena by his side, watching him with worried eyes. She was beyond beautiful. All this time they¡¯d spent together made him want her so much more but a damned part of him used the very same desire to train his Will. He was dumb to do so but the more he actually wanted to give up on this idea, the harder he clung to it. It was madness. Keynes opened his mouth but nothing came out. ¡°You were only out for an hour,¡± Vivena assured him. ¡°Haruka and Bill went out hunting. Bill says his [Cooking] skill is a passive class skill that boosts all cooking activities and skills. Our stew is about to get upgraded.¡± She didn¡¯t sound excited. ¡°Have you absorbed your shard?¡± Vivena nodded. ¡°It creates a random poison so it isn¡¯t much of a help but Isako says that spells become stronger with levels and can be modified. There¡¯s hope for me.¡± ¡°Isako?¡± ¡°My spiritual companion.¡± ¡°Ah, sure.¡± At least someone else¡¯s spirit companion is helpful. Alice didn¡¯t react to the jab. ¡°Also, I talked to Wagner.¡± Keynes stiffened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t be coming here. He has his hands full. But he was glad we¡¯re thriving.¡± ¡°Did you¡­¡± ¡°Tell him we are delving a Level 3 rift? No.¡± Keynes exhaled. Who knew what Wagner would do if he heard they got a Level 3 rift opened. ¡°I am sorry.¡± Vivena blinked, surprised. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°For being a jerk. If you haven¡¯t come with me. None of this would have happened¡­¡± he went silent and then added. ¡°After Jamaica, I¡¯ve become obsessed with strength and then ¡­ I¡¯ve started to believe that I don¡¯t need anyone else, that strength alone was enough. I still think that being self-sufficient is important.¡± ¡°Keynes,¡± Vivena interrupted him. ¡°You should never blame yourself for Freeman¡¯s wrong-doing. That man is sick. What he did to you¡­¡± ¡°Other powerful people aren¡¯t different from him,¡± he countered. ¡°You think so? What about Wagner? What about Columbus and Esopp? Even Ronald Rugman seems to have left you alone. And there are plenty of other people who will help you. You are not alone.¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong but she also didn¡¯t include her grandfather and other prominent figures who wanted Keynes for themselves. Some time later, Haruka and Bill returned from their hunt carrying meat from a Level 2 monster. ¡°You just wait!¡± Bill exclaimed seeing Keynes in the garden. ¡°It will blow your mind.¡± Keynes decided that it was finally time to identify a Level 2 common herb he had. It turned out to be star oregano. He handed it to Bill. ¡°Will it make a difference?¡± Bill glanced at him. ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get a recipe book with the cooking technique or skill but I will make some use out of this.¡± They spent another two days testing their skills and upgrading their camp ¨C Bill finally decided to create utensils and more bowls out of wood. It wasn¡¯t an easy process and the outcome left much to desire but they badly needed them. It also prompted Keynes to go forage. The jungle didn¡¯t lack in fruit and vegetable departments. Haruka and Keynes brought dozens of bizarre fruits, vegetables and plants. Keynes didn¡¯t know any of them. According to Haruka, they were all edible and used daily in his village. With a sample of each, Keynes planted seeds and offshoots in Level 3 soil. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. That evening Bill had made his best stew ever. It was incredibly tasty and infused them with so much energy that it was difficult not going into the rift. They had more testing to do before they returned though. *** Keynes, Vivena, Haruka and Bill agreed that the hidden rooms were the true source of wealth. The Explorer buff was powerful but it was active only once upon entering a rift for the first time. Bill¡¯s cooking technique had removed their greatest limiter ¨C food. So far, they¡¯d been forced to conduct the ritual of purification to be able to safely eat the rift meat, since he received his technique he didn¡¯t need to do that. The [Cooking] class skill boosted all cooking activities¡ªincluding the purification process¡ªand Bill was convinced that he should be able to make a safe dish out of Level 3 monsters. It¡¯d have eliminated the need to leave their camp and hunt weaker monsters roaming the area. Although it wasn¡¯t a big deal with Keynes¡¯s spiritual sense and [Flight]. It was usually a matter of an hour or two. What Bill truly wished to discover was the way to preserve the rift meat for longer than three days. Everyone agreed that the rift monster meat was too energising to give up on and being able to store it for a long time would be a huge advantage. Not everyone was so excited though. Vivena was frustrated that she didn¡¯t have the tools to tell her what kind of poisons she produced. Without the tools, she couldn¡¯t start experimenting. Although she was going to use the poison on the monsters and observe the results. Haruka¡¯s [Evade] was an incredible thing. The skill allowed Haruka to evade an attack he didn¡¯t see once every 4 minutes and gave him an active evasion that cost 33 mana but didn¡¯t have a cooldown. The cost was prohibitive and combined with [Wind Burst]¡¯s 20 mana cost turned [Evade] into an emergency skill. It didn¡¯t bother Haruka in the slightest with his high Dexterity, [Evade] gave Haruka what he wanted ¨C more survivability. It trivialised most rifts for the man. Keynes didn¡¯t absorb [Chaos Aura] following Alice¡¯s warning. Others inquired about it but he told them he wasn¡¯t ready to absorb this particular skill. It prompted more questions and Keynes blamed it on Alice. As they settled down, they reached a decision. They had to figure out how often the hidden room was spawned. It would be better if they had other types and rarities of rifts as it would allow them to find out how much influence types and rarities had on the spawn rate. An idea floated to go and delve Level 1 and 2 rifts in the area but they decided to leave it for later and stick to the Level 3 rift for now. The only issue was that one rift, even recharged twice a day, wasn¡¯t enough to produce much data. Keynes and others hoped to find more orbs of faster recharge. If the next orb decreased the recharge time by 50%, it would double the number of delves they could do. That would be a significant upgrade. The orb of relocation would be extremely valuable as well. Keynes was considering visiting Haruka¡¯s village. If they had an orb of relocation they¡¯d be able to take the rift with them. Eventually, he postponed broaching the idea with others. With their new skills and tasty food, another two weeks passed. In fourteen days, they¡¯d delved 28 rifts. A tiny sample that produced only one hidden room. It was 18 rifts apart from the previous hidden room. Like the first one, the loot from the room was very useful, though confusing a bit as they got two skills, [Create Water] and [Create Fire], an uncommon dagger that retained the last poison it¡¯d been imbued with and an uncommon crown that granted a chance of gaining insight, and weren¡¯t sure who should take what. While the poison dagger was easy to deduce, the two skills and the crown weren¡¯t. Bill argued that he hadn¡¯t desired anything like the crown and he had [Create Water] already. He took [Create Fire] which made sense. While cooking, he tended to manipulate fire as part of the cooking process. When it came to Keynes and Haruka, things got a little bit harder to figure out. Keynes desired [Create Water] as it solved the most critical problem for him. Water created by the spell was perfectly good to drink. Keynes would also be able to get rid of the purification water schematic he had. He¡¯d never had a chance to use it. On the other hand, the crown of insight seemed like something he¡¯d love to have. Lately, his mind was consumed by the ideas of growing better plants and cultivating the essence. With the latter, he knew he was closer to figuring out how to cultivate the six small cores. As for his garden, well, he was a long way from where he wanted to be. Though he had one success in this department. Eventually, Keynes settled for the mundane but practical choice ¨C [Create Water]. Haruka took the Crown of Insight, which he said would help him reach the next spiritual stage. During their 29th rift, Keynes finally got the system message: Your [Will] attribute reached Maximum Advancement. Level up to gain the improvements. (Remaining time: 1 year) Current essence absorption: 60% Further [Will] attribute improvement for Level 2 is impossible. He smiled. This was his third maxed-out attribute. His Vitality stood at 91% after he¡¯d gone into a berserk mode and had pushed himself beyond his limits. He could afford it now as his Level 0 kale became Level 1 and gained a property they badly needed: eaten raw, it increased health regeneration by 100% for 30 minutes. Though it didn¡¯t stack, it also didn¡¯t have a limit of uses so Keynes kept eating it the whole day. He was going to try the vegetable with different soil, curious what else he could get. His Perception was 78%. Almost at the threshold of the temporary boost. His Mind was an issue though. This attribute progressed very slowly without a proper stimulus. It stood at 33%. Vivena, Haruka and Bill had already levelled up to Level 4 a few rifts earlier. They were now clearing the rift in less than an hour. Knowing that he was so close to maxing out his attributes, Keynes was excited. He¡¯d inquired about Haruka¡¯s sister and her way of maxing out Mind but Haruka didn¡¯t know the exact process. He knew only that some mind-altering mushrooms were involved. ¡°We may need to go to your village very soon,¡± Keynes said standing on the beach of the nicest rift he¡¯d ever encountered. It was a paradise with palms, fruits, beautiful sights and an azure sea. The monster crabs as large as cars had been easily dealt with hours earlier. The boss and four sub-bosses were some variations of the crabs. They hoped for the hidden room but it was too early for it to spawn. Their reward was an unidentified lesser orb. Upon seeing it in the reward chest, Keynes got excited but then he saw it had the prefix ¡®lesser¡¯ and knew it wasn¡¯t the one affecting rift¡¯s status. Shortly after clearing the rift, Bill had started preparing the crabs. The prospect of eating the Level 3 crabs appealed to Keynes¡¯s stomach. Upon reaching Level 4, the trio could eat Level 3 meat without issues. Keynes wasn¡¯t sure if he could too but he was going to risk it. ¡°Are you sure about it?¡± Haruka asked about them going to his village. ¡°It will mean revealing all this.¡± In the distance, Vivena was checking the shallow waters around the island. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was actually checking on anything or simply having fun. This rift made him feel relaxed. All the tension was gone once they¡¯d killed the crabs. It baffled Keynes that a paradise like this existed inside a rift. What would it be like to have a mobile and empty rift like this just for himself? Is that even possible? It is, Alice admitted quietly. Since the day he¡¯d found [Chaos Aura] she was very timid. Keynes still hadn¡¯t absorbed the skill shard, unsure about the consequences after Alice¡¯s reaction. ¡°We have been here for a month now. We are running out of space to store rift materials and items, and I feel like all these materials should be put to good use. It was a fine idea but the truth is, we are unprepared. My garden lacks proper tools and basic seeds. It¡¯s all so random.¡± ¡°I understand and if this is your wish, Keynes, who am I to say no to you?¡± Keynes squinted at the other man. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Haruka showed him rows of white teeth. He was grinning. ¡°You will see when you meet my sister.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°She has a temper,¡± Haruka added with a smile. ¡°Bill once tried to flirt with her. He¡¯s regretted it since.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to flirt with her,¡± Keynes replied and his eyes jumped to where Vivena was in the water. Haruka saw it but said nothing. ¡°All I need is to find a way to max out my Mind attribute.¡± ¡°In that case, I think we could pay my village a visit.¡± Haruka walked away and joined Vivena in the sea. There seemed to be something at the bottom. Keynes sat down, then rested on his back. It was such a blissful place. The group stayed a few more hours in the rift. They ate the crabs and Keynes had to go for a swim to burn the excessive energy. He also saw what Vivena and Haruka had found at the bottom. There was a small shipwreck! The water was only several metres deep and perfectly clear. When the time came to leave, they stared longingly at the rift but they couldn¡¯t postpone it anymore. The instance of the rift had already changed and they needed to prepare for another quick delve before travelling to the village. As they were leaving the rift, Bill first, then Vivena and Haruka ¨C Keynes zoned out and bumped into Haruka¡¯s back. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked, then looked ahead and saw what had stopped them. In front of the rift stood a group of people, clothed the same way Haruka was. There was one person though, who stood apart, closer to the rift than the rest. Her honey eyes stared daggers at them as they stumbled out of the rift. She could be pretty for all Keynes knew but her expression killed off any notion of beauty on her face. This had to be Haruka¡¯s sister. Chapter 69: Our Territory Before anyone could say anything a system message popped up. You have received a communication request from Haruka. Keynes accepted the request and a second later another system message came through. ¡°No matter what she says, please, do not challenge her, Keynes.¡± So this was spiritual communication. Very handy thing. ¡°What is the meaning of this, Haruka?¡± his sister asked, her voice imperious. Vivena appeared in front of Keynes, protecting him with her body. I don¡¯t need protection¡­ Her fingers grasped the poison serum, ready to inject it. Keynes stepped to the side and glanced at Vivena, seeing that her demeanour had undergone a complete shift. Her face was tense, her attention focused on the woman in front of them, she was ready to pounce on her. It lifted Keynes¡¯s heart to know that Vivena cared about him this much. With his Will finally maxed out, he didn¡¯t need to hide his feelings from her anymore. ¡°Pandora¡­¡± Haruka said, his voice strained. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She snorted, narrowing her eyes. ¡°You asking me?¡± Her voice was full of disbelief. ¡°You have disappeared for two months only to show up here with ¡­ this and ¡­ them.¡± She nodded at Keynes and Vivena. It prompted Vivena to press the serum against her forearm. Keynes gently touched her shoulder and when she squinted at him, he shook his head. The last thing he wanted was a bloodbath. No matter what Levels were the others, Vivena with her poison serum would have rolled over them. ¡°Keynes and Vivena are my guests,¡± Haruka said, finding strength in his voice at last. ¡°They are protected by the Pact.¡± ¡°So be it,¡± she said, her expression full of disdain. She turned to her people behind and added. ¡°Catalogue everything.¡± ¡°Wait a second,¡± Vivena snapped, causing Bill¡¯s eyes to bulge. Haruka opened his mouth but Vivena raised her hand, silencing him. ¡°You won¡¯t catalogue anything. All of this belongs to four of us.¡± Keynes could see Pandora¡¯s face twitch, her eyes shone with murder at Vivena. But to Pandora¡¯s credit, the woman didn¡¯t react to Vivena¡¯s comment and instead prompted her people to start cataloguing. Haruka saw where this was going and stepped forward. ¡°Pandora, wait. Vivena is right. Everything here is ours. We are happy to share but first we must talk to our father.¡± The people behind Pandora eyed the brother and the sister expectantly. It was clear that Haruka and Pandor were some kind of royalty in their village. Keynes stayed silent, observing how this would unfold. While Vivena was right, their most valuable items were stored in their dimensional pouches. No need to turn it into a fight. ¡°Father will be here very soon.¡± Haruka blinked. ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°You will see when he arrives.¡± She paused, then gave Vivena a stink eye which didn¡¯t last long. ¡°Now, brother, follow me. You have a lot to explain.¡± Haruka nodded, looking defeated. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will be fine.¡± Then came a spiritual message. ¡°Please, try to calm Vivena down.¡± Keynes replied. ¡°I will do my best.¡± *** Haruka and Pandora walked away from the camp. Judging by her body language, Haruka could tell that she was pissed off. As the firstborn daughter of the village chief, Pandora was proud and accustomed to being respected. Those who crossed her, regretted it. Her Talent ¨C Numbing Touch ¨C was very dangerous. It had to be the reason why Haruka had received [Evade]. It increased his chances against his sister, only a bit though. From the very early years, Pandora had trained in martial arts and recently gained her first martial art technique which made her far more formidable than her attributes suggested. He could see that she was still Level 2 so either she hadn¡¯t maxed out all her attributes or was on her way to Level 3. Haruka considered broaching the subject but knew it wouldn¡¯t end well to point this out to her. She¡¯d been grumpy about the maxing out attributes already before his departure. Pandora stopped and turned to him, her eyes dangerous. ¡°Explain all of this to me.¡± Haruka told her the truth with a few big exceptions ¨C Keynes¡¯s ability to open rifts and him being a Perfect State ascender and in the Elevated stage at the same time. These secrets were Keynes¡¯s to reveal. Pandora kept her face straight until Haruka told her about the hidden room. Her expression told him everything. He¡¯d said too much. ¡°We must¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± he cut her off like he¡¯d never done before. ¡°Keynes and Vivena are my guests. Besides, they are extremely strong.¡± Pandora half-turned toward the camp, even though they were too far to see anything. Pandora wasn¡¯t a cruel person by any stretch of imagination but for a moment Haruka hesitated. The look in her eye ¡­ it spelt trouble. *** Despite the initial impressions, the villagers brought by Pandora turned out to be a bunch of nice fellows. They joked with Bill and after exchanging a few words with Keynes, they showed congeniality. It baffled Keynes how different these people were from anyone outside the World Reserve. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Bill started a fire and then boiled tea in a cauldron. The group of fourteen warriors from Haruka¡¯s and Bill¡¯s village gathered around and questioned Bill about his whereabouts. Keynes and Vivena took seats on the opposite side of the fire. Keynes could feel Vivena¡¯s tension. She still held the serum in her hand. ¡°We¡¯re okay,¡± Keynes whispered to her. Most of these warriors were Level 2 and on the verge of the Medium stage. Even without the serum, Vivena and Keynes would have defeated them. Keynes didn¡¯t think that Pandora would be an issue either. She still was Level 2 and Keynes had the advantage of being in the higher spiritual stage. Speaking of a devil¡­ She¡¯s coming straight for you, master, Alice warned him. Vivena must have been warned by her spiritual companion as well because she jumped to her feet, standing in Pandora¡¯s way. Pandora ground to halt and eyed Vivena with ¡­ something akin to a challenge? It wasn¡¯t easy to recognise what Pandora¡¯s facial expression meant. ¡°I need to talk to your friend.¡± Keynes got up, then placed his hand on Vivena¡¯s arm. ¡°I will be fine.¡± Vivena didn¡¯t say anything but he knew that he made a mistake. He glanced at Pandora then at her brother. Clearly, Haruka had told her things. Keynes asked through Alice. ¡°What should I expect?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t know about your Talent but she knows you can open the hidden door. Also she doesn¡¯t know about you being a Perfect State ascender or in the Elevated stage.¡± Keynes messaged back. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have given her a bigger hint, could you?.¡± ¡°I am sorry.¡± One last look at Vivena told him that he shouldn¡¯t go alone with Pandora. It would mean she wasn¡¯t important to him and that was a lie because she was. He could pretend all he wanted but the truth was indisputable. It was time to make a decision¡­ ¡°Vivena must be the part of this conversation,¡± Keynes said after a moment. ¡°Not a friend then,¡± Pandora snorted. ¡°Fine. Come with me.¡± Keynes kept his eyes on Pandora, unable to look into Vivena¡¯s eyes after Pandora¡¯s comment. They stopped a hundred metres from the camp and Pandora immediately began speaking. ¡°My brother may be young and na?ve but I am not. I can see that you are using him and I won¡¯t accept that.¡± ¡°And how are we using him exactly?¡± Vivena asked, her voice unnaturally cold. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here in the first place. You endanger everything we value. You call yourself civilised but you¡¯re anything but. You¡¯re murderers¡­ And now you came here to spread your sickness among my people. We don¡¯t want you here!¡± Vivena opened her mouth but Keynes replied faster. ¡°But if we do as you¡¯re suggesting. Someone will ask where we found all these Level 3 items.¡± It caught both women off guard. Pandora clenched her fists and eyed Keynes angrily. He struck at the core of the problem. From Keynes¡¯s understanding, the natives banned violence against other humans. Haruka had said very little on the topic but what he¡¯d shared made total sense. Before the outbreaks, the only way to level up was to kill other ascenders. Before the World Government, levelling worldwide was unregulated and it led to genocide where entire villages and towns had been wiped out by power crazy ascenders. The World Government had put a stop to this by banning levelling up with the exception of the military and the richest people who stood above the law. The natives from the World Reserve went a step further and didn¡¯t level up at all. Every single person brought by Pandora was a rift essence ascender. ¡°You are right,¡± Pandora said, grinding each word with painful difficulty. ¡°We cannot let you leave.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a position to stop us,¡± Vivena said. Vivena unfurled some of her spiritual aura, at Level 4 and in the Medium stage, her aura was almost as strong as his. And that meant a lot. Pandora seemed unmoved by Vivena¡¯s threat. There was a certain quality to Pandora¡¯s unyielding attitude. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡± He must have picked up Vivena¡¯s aura. Keynes had to calm him down. Vivena and Pandora were just showing off. ¡°Showing off? Keynes¡­ Pandora has no sense of humour. You must take her seriously.¡± Okay. This might get out of control pretty easily then. Keynes placed his hand on Vivena''s shoulder, she glanced at him. ¡°Can you cut to the chase?¡± he asked Pandora. ¡°This isn¡¯t why you wished to talk to me.¡± He saw Pandora¡¯s emotional struggle, it lasted a moment. ¡°The hidden door,¡± she said eventually. ¡°Haruka told me you can open them. We have seven rifts around our village. We can share our essence with you as the payment for opening the hidden doors.¡± Vivena was going to say something but once more Keynes stopped her. ¡°I want whatever you use to max out Mind attribute.¡± Pandora grew confused then her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Why? What Level are you?¡± ¡°Level 2,¡± he replied. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°I am a Perfect State ascender like you,¡± he interrupted her, feeling that he should press his point. ¡°And like Haruka, I am in the Elevated stage.¡± Pandora shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Keynes ignored her. ¡°Mind attribute stuff. That¡¯s my payment,¡± he repeated to her. Vivena added, ¡°and our share of items and resources from the rifts we delve with you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in our territory,¡± Pandora countered. ¡°Then we leave and you can open the hidden doors by your own means,¡± Keynes replied, trying to sound unbothered. He really wanted to stay and learn how to train his Mind attribute. But Vivena was right. If they wanted his help, they needed to be fair with him. Pandora raised her hand, looking annoyed. ¡°Just wait until my father arrives here. He must approve this.¡± *** Wagner stood in one of his secret laboratories set up on the other side of Geneva. His current mansion was under insane surveillance. Everyone¡¯s attention was now centred on him. Meetings like the one he was about to attend were off the table. The lab held only several vivariums with plants that sustained themselves. Because of that, this particular place was only visited by Wagner and rarely at that. He waited for the system to quietly alert him that his guest arrived. Wagner didn¡¯t need to wait long for her. Persephone found her way to the lab without an issue. She didn¡¯t wear her mask. Wagner was taken aback by the act. At their last meeting, she¡¯d kept her face hidden. What changed? And there was more; she also swapped her black robe for an ankle-length dress and high heels. Wagner¡¯s heart sped up. He liked what he saw. She was pretty. Sneaky woman. I won¡¯t fall for your blatant trick. ¡°I know what you are doing,¡± Wagner told her. Cursing himself for looking inappropriate. He had very little time to dress himself up. ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡± Persephone smiled. ¡°It¡¯s working already.¡± ¡°This is a business meeting,¡± he assured her, hoping his expression remained neutral. She stopped near him. In terms of height, she was only slightly taller than him. The cut in her dress showed a long slender leg. Damn her, this is working! ¡°Let¡¯s talk then.¡± Wagner took out a sheet of paper from his dimensional pouch and handed it to her. ¡°I need you to level up those four to at least Level 3.¡± Persephone frowned. ¡°I think you¡¯re under the false impression that I work for you, Zimmermann.¡± She handed the note back to him. ¡°Ask someone else to level them up.¡± She turned to go. ¡°Please wait. You¡¯re the only one who can do it. Those four don¡¯t want to level up. And there is nothing I can do to sway them. They are very stubborn people. If you could use your Talent¡­¡± His voice softened uncharacteristically. He cursed himself. But she is pretty! ¡°This isn¡¯t how my Talent works.¡± Even though she sounded annoyed she turned back to Wagner. ¡°But why them? I can understand the first two but the other ones?¡± Wagner considered a lie then changed his mind and told her a half-truth. Or more precisely, he hid the bigger truth. ¡°They are friends and I would hate to see them dead in a few decades.¡± And one of them has a Talent I badly need now. ¡°Okay,¡± she smiled a cruel smile. ¡°But it will cost you.¡± ¡°I will pay,¡± he said without hesitation. Chapter 70: Tribe Keynes and the rest didn¡¯t wait long for Haruka¡¯s and Pandora¡¯s father to arrive. They¡¯d been warned that he was en route, what they weren¡¯t ready for was the manner of his arrival. He came on a flying platform. It was four metres long and two metres wide and made out of wooden planks connected with a rope. On the platform was a metre square board with a formation engraved on it. Two people sat on the platform. One looked like an older copy of Haruka and the second one resembled captain Ventura to the point where Keynes didn¡¯t believe it was a coincidence anymore. Both men were Level 3 with two maxed-out attributes. The man resembling Captain Ventura had his Strength and Dexterity maxed out while Haruka¡¯s father had Mind and Perception. Very strange that one. They stepped off the platform and approached the fire. Haruka¡¯s father wore very much the same attire as everyone else from his village. He had barely any rift items on him, unlike Pandora who had the most. The other man had a green shirt that clearly came from a rift. There was power to it. The same was true about his boots and pauldron on his shoulder. Villagers greeted their chief with smiles and cheers. Bill approached the other man and both hugged each other. It clicked then that this had to be Bill¡¯s father. The chief stared at his son with concern, then his eyes met Keynes¡¯s. Not knowing what to do, Keynes nodded, out of respect. Vivena did the same. After that, the chief exchanged a look with the man he¡¯d arrived with and then asked his children to walk with him. Bill¡¯s father came over to Vivena and Keynes and sat next to them. Others didn¡¯t pay them any mind, they laughed at something Bill had said. ¡°Hawthorne.¡± ¡°Vivena.¡± ¡°Keynes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re far from home, Keynes and Vivena.¡± Keynes understood what the other man was implying and didn¡¯t take the bait. ¡°What does it matter?¡± ¡°It matters.¡± Keynes sensed Vivena¡¯s readiness to inject her serum. ¡°We could say the same about you,¡± Vivena added. ¡°You weren¡¯t born here, were you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I wasn¡¯t but it¡¯s my home now. It still doesn¡¯t answer the question: what are you doing here?¡± The man wasn¡¯t hostile but he was blunt. Maybe he tried to feel out Keynes¡¯s and Vivena¡¯s characters, maybe not. Keynes didn¡¯t care much. Pandora had been clear about who was in charge here and so Keynes only half-listened to him and Vivena while they conversed about why they shouldn¡¯t be here. ¡°Keynes?¡± Vivena said his name and glanced at her. ¡°Are you listening?¡± ¡°No,¡± Keynes replied truthfully. ¡°Not interested in bickering about us being here.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Hawthorne said a little cynically. ¡°So, you have levelled a few times and you¡¯re above the law already.¡± Keynes ignored the other man after that. He was clearly attempting to unsettle them. He worried about Vivena though. She was easily provoked lately. But to his surprise, Vivena didn¡¯t erupt or showed any signs of distress. Instead, she said, ¡°Haruka accepted us as his guests. I don¡¯t see why you¡¯re trying to antagonise us against his judgement. Do you think yourself smarter than him?¡± Hawthorne¡¯s face was split by a grin. ¡°Of course I do! He¡¯s still an upstart. Like you two.¡± With a wild chuckle, Hawthorne stood up and looked to the side. A few moments later, Haruka, Pandora and their father appeared there, returning to the camp. That flying formation is fascinating, Alice said out of nowhere. You should take a look at it, master. What for? I can fly without it. What about others? What about them? Keynes countered. Never mind, she snapped and vanished, leaving Keynes unsure how to react to her outburst. Well, maybe she¡¯s right. Such a platform might have its use, he thought then sent the thought Alice¡¯s way. I am sorry. You¡¯re right. She didn¡¯t reply and he didn¡¯t pursue the topic. There was no more time anyway. The chief stepped into the light and asked for everyone¡¯s attention. As every head swivelled in his direction, he looked directly at Keynes and Vivena. ¡°My name is Bonolo, I am a chief of the First Tribe and I¡¯d like to extend my invitation to you, Keynes and Vivena. My son Haruka speaks very favourably about you. That said, I must explain a few rules to you. ¡°Firstly, we don¡¯t kill other humans. Every offender will be trialled and sentenced according to our law. Secondly, our tribe thrives only because we share and cooperate. We don¡¯t ask you for your secrets but if you can help others in their struggle, do it. If you need help, others will be there for you. Lastly, do not travel south or ask questions about this restriction. It¡¯s a matter of our tradition.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hospitality,¡± Keynes and Vivena said her thanks. With the formalities done, the camp returned to the previous frivolous state. Haruka swung by Keynes and Vivena, his sister trailing him. ¡°We¡¯re leaving the first thing in the morning. What about one last delve?¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. *** Their village was two days away from the Level 3 rift. He¡¯d inquired about the village a few times, wondering what to expect. Africa wasn¡¯t the only place where native tribes lived. But most other tribes were already touched by civilization, affecting them. This one felt different and yet¡­ The presence of Bill and Hawthorne indicated that these tribesmen weren¡¯t strangers to the outside world. After all, Haruka had said that they were aware of what was going on outside the walls of the reserve. The village defeated all Keynes¡¯s expectations and of course, everything he had learned prior to their arrival didn¡¯t prepare him for the sight. With a warning, they left the thick rainforest and stepped into the savannah. At first, he thought he was looking at the forest on the other side of the savannah but he quickly realised that what he saw was something entirely else. The savannah was perfectly circular and manmade. In the middle of it stood a patch of the highest trees Keynes had seen in his life. The small forest had a radius of a kilometre while the savannah around it was five kilometres wide at every point. The village was located in the central forest. Houses were built high in the trees. Many flat wooden constructs were visible near the top of the trees. From them, the flying platforms were taking off and flying into the distance. It was like looking at some futuristic city only it was anything but. Everything was ropes and wood. There was no glass and steel, ever-present in the endless agglomerations. ¡°This is¡­ I can¡¯t find a word to describe it,¡± Vivena murmured. ¡°It wasn¡¯t always like this,¡± Haruka replied. ¡°Before the outbreaks, we lived on the ground. Many of the structures you can see high in the trees would have collapsed if not for the rift materials and formations. You can tell, this is just a work-in-progress.¡± ¡°That¡¯s magnificent.¡± ¡°It does look nice,¡± Haruka agreed. They crossed the savannah and were met with a delegation from the village. The chief and Hawthrone had left them yesterday, flying on their platform. These constructs were mana hungry and both men needed to recharge their tanks in order to fly back. Hawthorne was at the head of the procession with several tribesmen following him. He wore his green shirt and shorts. No pauldron this time. The newcomers helped carry some materials back to the village. Keynes and Vivena had agreed to donate all their materials to the village. The content of their dimensional pouches stayed with them though. As they drew nearer, the true height of the tree came into play. They were easily a hundred metres tall and as wide as a house. What Keynes hadn¡¯t noticed earlier was a hedge of plants with sharp leaves and stems armed with prickles. Some spots of the hedge seemed to be damaged in the past. Haruka noticed Keynes¡¯s stare and said, ¡°The prickles are poisonous. They are the best defence against rift monsters.¡± ¡°Is this poison strong enough to stop a Level 2 rift monster?¡± Vivena asked curiously. ¡°Not really. It barely can kill a Level 1 monster but that¡¯s not the point. When a monster tries to force its way through the hedge, these plants will slowly wrap themselves around the monster, immobilising it. Its death is slow but works as a deterrent.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that rift monsters are intelligent enough to heed such a warning,¡± Keynes said. They passed the wooden gate entering a wide, paved alley. This forest was nothing like the rainforest around the savannah. The space between enormous trees was either cultivated or kept in a state of order not found in a wild jungle. Their destination was stairs snaking around a tree. Keynes¡¯s and Vivena¡¯s heads were turning right and left as they took in all the sights: suspended bridges, treehouses, wild structures under construction and on top of that the swarm of tribesmen. There were thousands of them. Keynes expected a few hundreds of the villagers, not this¡­ The stairs ended on the wide platform built above the canopy of one of the tallest trees. The platform itself had to be over fifty metres wide. A house was built on it. Chief Bonolo came to welcome them. ¡°Welcome to the home of the First Tribe.¡± He waved everyone away except for Hawthorne, Keynes and Vivena. Neither Pandora nor Haruka objected to the treatment. As the four remained alone on the massive wooden terrace, Chief Bonolo waved them closer to the rail. From this terrace, they could almost see the entire savannah. ¡°We are grateful for your gifts and that you took good care of our sons. Haruka¡¯s and Bill¡¯s mothers will want to have a word with them when our wives are back in the village.¡± ¡°A village¡­¡± Keynes murmured. ¡°That word hardly describes ¡­ this.¡± Chief Bonolo smiled, his face expression very much like Haruka¡¯s. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything as majestic as this before the outbreaks. The rift materials have fuelled our growth to an unexpected degree. I can¡¯t fathom what we¡¯ll be able to achieve with Level 3 materials.¡± ¡°So this is all thanks to the rifts?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What about the trees?¡± The chief glanced at Hawthorne, giving something away though Keynes didn¡¯t know what it was. ¡°Trees came earlier. They are the product of my Talent. Anyway, this isn¡¯t why I wanted to talk to you. Haruka told me that you can open the hidden doors. In exchange, you wish to max out your Mind attribute and get your share of spoils. I am okay with that. However, if you¡¯d like to fully participate in the life of the village, then we¡¯d expect more from you.¡± ¡°Are the Level 3 materials not enough for you?¡± Vivena asked. Hawthorne grunted. ¡°She has a point, Bonolo. These materials are priceless at the moment. To our knowledge, this is the only open Level 3 rift in the world. And it begs the question - how this rift has been opened.¡± Both men looked expectantly at Keynes and Vivena. No answer came forth. To their credit, the other men didn¡¯t press the subject and settled back on the hidden doors. After a moment, they changed the topic. ¡°Haruka mentioned that the hidden reward seems to be tailored to the people who cleared the rift with the hidden door.¡± ¡°We believe so but have managed only to find three hidden doors. It¡¯s hard to draw a conclusion from that.¡± ¡°We have seven rifts nearby.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the spawning rate of the hidden door?¡± ¡°None seem to appear in Level 1 rifts and if more than four people enter the Level 2 rift then the spawning rate goes down.¡± It looked like they¡¯d done some testing. Good. ¡°Did you find any keys?¡± ¡°None.¡± Could it be that the key spawning rate was linked to the number of people clearing a rift? After all, the amount of essence was. And according to them, the spawning rate of the hidden doors was too. It was a very interesting subject but the chief¡¯s time was short as he had many things to attend to. *** Haruka returned to the large terrace and took Keynes and Vivena to their new rooms. Once again they were back to the entanglement of suspended bridges and otherworldly sights. Haruka showed them to their rooms they had been given for their stay. They were crude but comfortable. Vivena was glad that she didn¡¯t need to sleep on the ground anymore. Their rooms had hammocks. Once they settled down, it was time to see the Mind attribute training method. They travelled between bridges to a larger structure built haphazardly on a side of a tree. It resembled a gigantic bracket fungus and started to understand what they meant by saying that without rift materials, none of this would be possible. The exterior seemed smooth, all the cracks between planks patched. They¡¯d taken care in building this place. The open door led into the dark interior. The smell inside was intense, a mixture of earthy and peppery notes with a hint of sweetness. A short corridor opened to a larger room with many comfortable-looking seats. They were empty now. The light came through the slits in the ceiling. ¡°Haruka? I see brought guests, welcome to the Mind House,¡± a young Level 2 woman greeted them. She was also one of a few villagers wearing more than a couple of sashes. ¡°Hello, Adanna,¡± Haruka replied, sounding a little shy. ¡°Keynes here would like to train his mind.¡± She took measure of Keynes then her eyes returned to Haruka. ¡°What about you? Have you finally changed your mind?¡± ¡°No. My path is different.¡± ¡°One attribute wouldn¡¯t hurt you.¡± ¡°I understand, Adanna, but I can¡¯t.¡± He sounded regretful. Keynes considered saying something but it wasn¡¯t his business. Adanna accepted his decline graciously then her attention returned to Keynes. ¡°Is that your first time?¡± ¡°No,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°But I haven¡¯t used your method though.¡± ¡°In that case, I have to explain how this goes. We cultivate our own mushrooms. The mushrooms have psychedelic effects and proved to be an excellent tool to train the Mind attribute. What Level are you?¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°We will go for the stronger sort then. Relax. You will love it.¡± Chapter 71: Some Research Keynes¡¯s mind was dropped into a maelstrom of colours and sounds. Before he realised what was going on, tendrils of otherworldly substances reached out and entangled themselves around Keynes¡¯s immaterial body. Then they pulled him down into chaos. Keynes resisted but everything he did was futile. He had no control in this world. He tried to use [Flight] but his skills were disabled. He understood why¡­ Where am I? *** With a start, Keynes jumped to his feet, his heart was hammering in his chest. The vision was finally over. It was a dreadful experience and he felt miserable about his inability to do anything while there. ¡°Keynes, you okay?¡± Vivena came over. ¡°I am okay¡­¡± Keynes wasn¡¯t. He was exhausted, his vision swam. Vivena caught him before he fell to the floor. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± she asked. ¡°It will soon pass. The mind mushrooms have a short withdrawal period. Give him a minute or two.¡± The withdrawal effects vanished without a warning, leaving Keynes clear-headed. ¡°Woah, that was unexpected.¡± He still felt exhausted but his stamina was recovering quickly enough. Keynes checked his attributes.
Attributes Permanent Temporary Total
Strength (MAX) 24 1 25
Dexterity (MAX) 24 1 25
Will (MAX) 24 1 25
Mind (40%) 24 1 25
Perception (80%) 24 1 25
Vitality (92%) 24 1 25
He stared at it for a good moment, unsure what he was seeing. This couldn¡¯t be right. ¡°Can you see how many percent you have gained?¡± Adanna asked. ¡°Seven in Mind attribute.¡± Adanna frowned. ¡°Are you sure? A gain from a single session is usually one or two percent. Once our chief managed to obtain three percent but took a larger dose and obviously regretted it.¡± ¡°I am sure.¡± It excited Adanna and made her wonder if the fungus he¡¯d ingested wasn¡¯t some mutated version of the mind mushroom. It wasn¡¯t as the system window told him the same thing it meant to say: There was a glimmer in Adanna¡¯s eyes. She was clearly into the fungi. Keynes took out a sample of a Level 3 fungus he¡¯d taken from a swamp rift and another one from a colourful cavern abundant in glimmering mushrooms. This made Addana lunge at Keynes. Vivena appeared in Adanna¡¯s way. ¡°Back off,¡± Vivena growled uncharacteristically. Adanna sheepishly backpedalled and apologised immediately. Her eyes glowed with unsatiated curiosity and Keynes of course understood what was going through her head right now. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Vivena.¡± He held out the fungi toward Adanna who slowly reached for them. ¡°Just be careful with them, they are Level 3. If Level 0 can mess you up pretty badly, I don¡¯t want to know what kind of mess Level 3 can unleash upon our sorry minds.¡± Adanna was nodding, causing her locks to jump all around her head. With that done, Keynes and Vivena left the mind training house or whatever they called it. Before they returned to delving, Keynes wanted to visit one more person. He contacted Haruka and asked him to show him the way. The blacksmith¡¯s workshop was on the ground with several rooms, located underground. Haruka¡¯s uncle was a large man with a mane of black hair. He wore an apron. Only an apron. Vivena turned her head away, her cheeks reddening. Keynes ignored the blacksmith¡¯s antics. He wasn¡¯t here to discuss the cultural differences. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Uncle, this is Keynes and Vivena. They wanted to meet you.¡± ¡°Outsiders,¡± the blacksmith murmured then without looking at Keynes and Vivena added. ¡°I don¡¯t have time right, Haruka. Take them away.¡± ¡°Uncle, they are my friends. Please, treat them with respect.¡± The blacksmith sighed. ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked them. ¡°Items with mana properties,¡± Keynes replied without hesitation. ¡°And a lot of Vitality or general regeneration.¡± The blacksmith started to laugh, his voice throaty. Keynes didn¡¯t like his attitude but mana was crucial to him if he wanted to cross any sensible distances. ¡°That is some good joke but unfortunately it doesn¡¯t work like this. You tell me what item you want: weapon or armour and I make you one. I don¡¯t make things with properties you fancy.¡± Vivena was ready to walk out of the workshop but Keynes stopped her. ¡°We can help. We will deliver raw materials so you can experiment.¡± The blacksmith turned to his nephew. ¡°Who are they, Haruka?¡± ¡°If Keynes says he can deliver, then he can. You can trust him.¡± Don¡¯t forget about monsters¡¯ body parts, Alice reminded him. And I am not only talking about things like claws or furs but also bones, brains, eyes and so on. Also it matters what kind of skills the monsters have. Are you okay, Alice? It is awful a lot you¡¯re giving me here. She sniffed, already annoyed and then vanished. I meant to say thank you, Keynes added feeling bad about the way he¡¯d responded. And sorry. She didn¡¯t reply, which was rather normal for her by now. Keynes¡¯s attention returned to the workshop, the blacksmith was complaining to Haruka, Keynes interrupted him. ¡°We should start with monsters¡¯ parts.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Use monsters¡¯ parts when you craft items,¡± Keynes explained. ¡°How?¡± Hm. How exactly? Keynes had no idea about crafting items. When he asked Alice she remained radio silent. But then Haruka said something about carving items from the bones of the monsters and adding rift materials on top of it. That prompted a reaction from Alice. He is looking at this from the wrong side, she said. Keynes didn¡¯t interrupt her. Randomly using materials may take years before you find the properties you desire. You have to look at the spiritual energy of raw materials. This is where you start when you wish to craft items. She didn¡¯t explain more than that. Haruka¡¯s spiritual companion said roughly the same thing. Neither Vivena¡¯s nor the blacksmith¡¯s spiritual companions could tell them even this much. It wasn¡¯t enough. They spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how the spiritual energy of raw materials differed and to their disappointment, they couldn¡¯t tell the difference in most cases. The next day, their visit to the rifts started. Hawthorne and Haruka were accompanying them. The idea was to have the four of them delve the seven rifts for another few months. It wasn¡¯t a perfect plan as the tribesmen needed essence and none from the party really cared that much about the essence. Vivena and Haruka received a double (50%) penalty for delving Level 2s and a triple one for delving Level 1s. Keynes had even less use for the essence as it was too thin to cultivate his core. All of his attempts to learn a technique without Alice¡¯s assistance failed. Out of seven, only two rifts were stable. Five were variable and their rarities ranged from uncommon to rare. Haruka explained that the common rifts were left uncleared so they could spawn monsters for hunting. That obviously restarted an argument between Haruka and Vivena. To Keynes¡¯s surprise, Hawthorne took Vivena¡¯s side. Keynes shared his thoughts on the subject, describing to them the hunting ground in France. It was a neat idea of keeping the population of rift monsters in a controlled environment without inflicting damage to the wildlife. ¡°I will speak to Chief Bonolo about this idea, Keynes. I really like it but I¡¯m not the one with the power to make it happen.¡± ¡°It sounds quite good but won¡¯t be easy,¡± Haruka added. ¡°The area around the uncleared rifts would have to be contained first and then the ground lowered and walls erected. That requires a lot of resources.¡± ¡°Building a stone wall is a problem,¡± Hawthorne agreed. ¡°No stone anywhere near.¡± ¡°What about the rifts?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t there any with stones that could be used?¡± There was one rift, a rare one with an entrance at a steep slope of a mountain. Everyone except Keynes had to be careful to not fall some five hundred metres down. Even a Level 4 wouldn¡¯t survive it. The rift had two types of monsters: a flying gargoyle and a stone elemental. Hawthorne said that the rift was usually left alone as they had no weapons to efficiently kill the rift monsters. Rungu fared poorly against the stone elementals and did nothing against the flying monsters that dropped boulders on their heads. It took them a few hours to clear the rift and upon leaving it, they knew they needed better weapons. Something with a blunt damage type. Well, except Vivena who had her unidentified mace. Keynes and Vivena gathered remnants of the monsters, one each and moved on to another rift. There was nothing unremarkable about any of them. Unlike Level 3 rifts, Level 2 and 1 rifts didn¡¯t possess any natural treasures, like eggs or gemstones. After the first week, Keynes longed to return to the Level 3 rift. With exception of the mountainous rift, the other ones were quite easy, even though they changed daily. It took them around 6 hours each day to clear the seven rifts and return to the village. Upon returning, Keynes always went to the blacksmith, delivering him the monsters¡¯ parts. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t found a monster with skills that affected mana in any way. But their effort wasn¡¯t in vain. Quite quickly, they discovered that parts of the monster corresponded with attributes. Using bones as the part of an item, had always added Strength-related properties. It was a very interesting find and while they hypothesised about the other parts, they didn¡¯t know how to use them in an item. A hide was easy to use in boots or clothes but the tribesmen didn¡¯t wear them. The only pair made with a rift monster hide was too small for Keynes and it went to Vivena. The rift monster¡¯s skin added Dexterity attribute. Despite the progress, the blacksmith who introduced himself as Hadr, remained an unpleasant person and Vivena stopped coming to his workshop. She had used her free time fiddling with [Create Poison]. She was hoping to find a way to force the poisons to be less lethal. Hadr and Keynes spent each day an hour or two going through the monster¡¯s parts brought from the rifts then Hadr showed what he¡¯d made earlier. After that, the blacksmith asked Keynes to leave him alone. On the eighth day, Keynes returned to the mind training house. Eating the mind mushrooms caused the body to acquire a temporary resistance buff to the effects of these mushrooms. With the second attempt, Keynes brought his Mind to 46% and his Perception to 81%. Adanna was over the moon with his results and told him that the fungi he¡¯d given her were already growing in a separate room to not contaminate the mind mushrooms. She couldn¡¯t wait to find out what kind of properties the fungi would develop. That same day, Keynes met with Chief Bonolo on his terrace. ¡°Keynes, I¡¯m glad you found time. I have heard about your cooperation with Hadr. I also wanted to apologise for his behaviour. He wasn¡¯t always like this. He once lost someone to the hunting party from beyond the walls. He¡¯s been healing since.¡± Chief Bonolo turned and leaned his weight on the wooden rail, staring into the distance. ¡°I also talked to Hawthorne about the hunting grounds to keep the rift monsters contained. I very much like the idea and asked my people to start working on it. ¡°But that isn''t why I invited you here. I know you like gardening. I wonder if we could work together. My Talent makes plants grow many times faster. Who knows what we could achieve¡­ Obviously, if you have time.¡± ¡°I will always find time for gardening.¡± *** The rifts spawned hidden doors between 16 to 24 instances. It looked like the type of the rift affected the spawn rate but they couldn¡¯t be sure having only one stable Level 2 rift. The Level 1 rifts didn¡¯t spawn the hidden door at all. That prompted some interesting ideas. Was there something else appearing at Level 3? Alice didn¡¯t deny it but neither confirmed, so they were positive that something else started to appear at Level 3. Hidden compartments¡¯ spawn rate was double of the hidden doors¡¯ which indicated that the next hidden reward tier must spawn at least between 32 to 48 instances. That only made Keynes want to return to the Level 3 rift more. After two weeks, Haruka was replaced by Bill. While neither man said it, Keynes suspected that Haruka and his sister had returned to the Level 3 rift. It didn¡¯t matter. Without Keynes, they couldn¡¯t open the hidden doors. From the Level 2 rifts, Keynes pulled several interesting items. Though they were more often than not confused. The issue was that some of the items or skills were desired by all of them. They came up with a rotation system. Each of them had a first, second and third pick. It rotated so it was fair to anyone. Altogether they found 12 hidden doors in three months. Twelve rewards for each of them that proved one thing ¨C the hidden rewards were more than wealth. They were power. One night, Keynes took to the sky with a phone and called Wagner. Their conversation was brief as the phone¡¯s battery was at 10%. The battery wasn¡¯t drained in the dimensional space but Vivena had been regularly calling Wagner to give him reports. It was already over four months since Keynes had left Geneva. He wasn¡¯t ready to return yet but he needed Wagner to add a few assets to their company. The first thing was crafting. He and Hadr had made some headway with the parts of the monsters. They managed to categorise all attributes. Even though these items weren¡¯t really useful. They still proved their theory about monsters being in some way connected to ascenders¡¯ attributes. One discovery though was greater than others. The monster¡¯s part that was linked to Will came as a shock and it was a magical gland not present in any non-rift animals. The next thing was fungi. The mind mushroom¡¯s ability to train Mind was broken. Even though no one could come close to Keynes¡¯s results, the method was safe and easy. Keynes asked Wagner to add fungi to his gardening project and extend his methods to standard. Lastly, Keynes mentioned rift meat and cooking techniques and why they are important. Wagner was speechless the whole time and Keynes told him that there was more but the rest would come at a later date, when they meet in person. First he needed to ascend to Level 3 now that all his attributes were maxed out. Chapter 72: Disappointments ¡°I hate him,¡± Pandora spat. ¡°Elevated stage and Perfect State?! How?!¡± She was barely standing on her feet as she was venting her frustration. She and Haruka had spent over two months in the Level 3 rift and she was still far away from maxing out her attributes. The only attribute she¡¯d maxed out so far was Mind, and it¡¯d been done thanks to the mind mushrooms. But it¡¯d been over four months ago and if she kept the current pace of maxing out the other attributes, she¡¯d finish with barely a month or two to level up. It was a very narrow window. Pandora¡¯s legs finally gave up and she dropped to her knee. Haruka stood nearby ready to step in and kill the champion. The lion was larger than the Earth¡¯s variety and its mane had a blue tint. Its passive skill made its bite stronger for every percent of stamina expended by its prey. One word and Haruka would end the beast. But his sister wanted to clear the entire rift by herself and she¡¯d been pushing herself beyond her limits. ¡°Keynes is something else,¡± Haruka said. He¡¯d promised Keynes to not reveal his secret and was going to honour the promise, so Haruka couldn¡¯t tell his sister that Keynes could open rifts. It must be the factor that propelled his astronomical growth. A messenger arrived yesterday with shocking news. Keynes had maxed out all of his attributes. Upon hearing it, Pandora went truly berserk. She¡¯d always been the strongest one in their village, her future already set by their parents. And then Haruka hit Level 4. If he wanted to, he could push to hit Level 5 which he was tempted to. He¡¯d maxed out two attributes twice between Level 1 and Level 3 but there was no need for more. He also needed all the essence to cultivate his core. The Crown of Insight was an amazing tool, guiding his intuition toward acquiring a better cultivation technique which was a must if he wanted to break through this spiritual stage. ¡°That is bullshit,¡± Pandora said, rising to her feet again. Haruka probed her with his aura which she noticed and sneered at him. She was out of stamina. One bite of the champion could kill her. She raised her rungu, another relic which she refused to leave behind, and charged the monster. She was too slow, her body had enough. Pandora collapsed a few metres from the lion. Haruka shot forward, a rare mace appeared in his hand, he swung it, hitting the lion¡¯s head before it finished its lunge toward Pandora. ¡°Why?¡± she groaned from the grassy ground. ¡°Why did I save you?¡± She shook her head but she didn¡¯t explain. Haruka lifted her from the ground and walked out of the rift. Outside, a team waited for the orders. Haruka told them to clear the rift and took his sister to a medic¡¯s hut. A camp around the rift grew larger, hosting over a hundred people now. Most of them transported the resources from the rift back to their village. Others trained here so they occasionally could join Haruka and Pandora in their delves. The medic¡¯s hunt was built near Keynes¡¯s garden. They managed to perfect his kale turning it into an excellent ingredient of a health potion. The potion boosted health regeneration by 400% for 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the potion was poisonous in large quantities. No more than ten vials per day. After that, Haruka returned to his meditation and attempts at learning the cultivation technique, he was close. He knew it. There was no rivalry between him and Keynes but Haruka wanted to be first one there. *** Christopher Wolf kicked the door the fourth time. They heard the satisfying crunch of the metal inside. It was Level 0 material but it was insanely tough. Three more kicks and the lock finally gave up and Christopher pushed the door open. Inside he and Ren found a raw concrete chamber with thick chains mounted in several places on the walls, floor and ceiling, chaining a man. He was bare, skinny and with long messy blond hair on his head. As they carefully descended metal stairs, he lifted his head. His eyes had a look that made Christopher stop. This man stood there, chained and clearly the object of torture, as evident by an excess of dried blood beneath him, but his eyes stared undefeated. ¡°What took you so long?¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t sure if Windsor Freeman was in his mansion,¡± Ren replied. ¡°And you meant to defeat Esopp Earl.¡± Tom Ventura snorted. ¡°Never in my life got a beating like that.¡± Ren approached Ventura. ¡°Chris, the key,¡± Christopher came over with the key. They freed the ex-captain but had to carry him out of the cell. It had no windows and the only source of light was pretty dim. ¡°How¡¯s Keynes doing?¡± Ventura asked as they lowered him outside the cell. The corridor was empty. They hadn¡¯t needed to use force to get in. Freeman¡¯s mansion was obscenely large but there was barely any staff left here. They¡¯d spent the last three months watching it, learning as much as they could before breaking Ventura out. ¡°That¡¯s what you worry about?¡± Christopher asked. ¡°Yes. That boy is the key to everything. If Freeman has him. We are done for.¡± ¡°No. Freeman doesn¡¯t have him. Keynes has his own powerful friends now.¡± They handed Ventura water with vitamins and some military rations designed for occasions such as this. Ventura drank and ate slowly. When he finished he asked. ¡°What powerful friends?¡± Ren snorted gently then sighed. ¡°You won¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°Try me.¡± ¡°Columbus Curt, Wagner Zimmermann and Esopp Earl.¡± ¡°Okay, you win.¡± Ventura shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s too much and maybe you aren¡¯t even here. Maybe my brain plays tricks on me¡­¡± Neither Christopher nor Ren said anything, waiting for Ventura to realise that they weren¡¯t a figment of his imagination. Ventura¡¯s eyes became lucid once more, his stare hard. ¡°How?¡± Ren told him everything that had happened since they¡¯d parted their ways in Scotland. He also admitted that he¡¯d been the one to report him, not giving Ventura enough time to escape. He¡¯d done it for Keynes, so they would have allowed Ren to stay with the boy. By betraying Ventura, Ren gained the trust of Esopp Earl. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Ventura listened to it without interruptions and when Ren finished Ventura nodded, seemingly unsurprised. ¡°I knew this. Freeman was kind enough to remind me about your betrayal each time he¡¯s visited me here.¡± There was no resentment in Ventura¡¯s voice. ¡°I am sorry,¡± Ren said. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t hold it against you,¡± Ventura got to his feet. As he touched the mane of his blonde overgrown hair, he sighed. ¡°Anyway, what now? I don¡¯t think you freed me out of the goodness of your heart, Kaito. What is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡± Christopher interjected. ¡°Ren¡­¡± He trailed off seeing Ren¡¯s expression. ¡°It¡¯s true that I need your help but I¡¯d have still broken you out if I wasn¡¯t in the position I am.¡± ¡°Hit me.¡± ¡°A former trainee of mine decided to find and free her friend from the government base in China. She isn¡¯t going to succeed. Everything about this base seems off.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ventura wondered. ¡°A base in China? I heard rumours about some top-secret projects done there but if you hear a rumour about ¡®a top-secret¡¯ you don¡¯t take it seriously, I didn¡¯t. Top secrets remain top secret.¡± ¡°Will you help us?¡± Ventura narrowed his eyes, his frivolous expression vanished. ¡°I want to see Keynes first. And I need more than ¡®a former trainee of mine¡¯.¡± *** Wagner stood in his underground garden lab. Pucci assisted him as Wagner tested the [Growth] skill he¡¯d received from Persephone. Keynes had been right, she bought them over. [Growth] was an active skill that increased plants¡¯ speed of growth. Wagner could even control the rate of growth or push it beyond the spell¡¯s optimal rate which consumed a buttload of mana. Mana wasn¡¯t the biggest issue to Wagner as his regeneration was at 20 points per hour and he could boost it with glyphs and potions made from his plants. Wagner kept his hand above a tiny plant with translucent leaves and a black stalk. It was their newest Level 1 plant. They called it a Shimmering Void. The plant¡¯s properties were void related and at this point they changed with each plant. Even though the conditions remained exactly the same. It wasn¡¯t unheard of but extremely rare. What was unheard of was the void stuff. Wagner had never heard about the void. Was this like outer space or something else? They didn¡¯t know. And the plant was inedible. Many of their new Level 1 and 2 plants were inedible and they¡¯d had to recruit an alchemist which was a pain in the neck as there were only a handful of alchemists in the world. Or at least alchemists who had acquired a potion-making skill or technique. Without either, it was a guessing game not worth their time and money. With an alchemist on board, Wagner started the production of potions to counterbalance their ever-growing expenditures. ¡°The little one is unusually hungry,¡± Pucci said. The other man approached gardening in his own unique way. To him, plants were like individual beings with their own characters. ¡°And the more you spur its growth, the more demanding it becomes.¡± This was another issue they¡¯d discovered. [Growth] could mature a plant in a day, which normally would take up to a month. That was a massive boon. But it didn¡¯t only cost mana. If they wanted to keep the properties, they had to feed the [Growth]-affected plant ingredients. It wasn¡¯t the case with a natural rate of growth. The required raw material once found on the market didn¡¯t usually cost much but the Shimmering Void demanded some that were unavailable anywhere. Every few minutes, a system window would appear and ask for the ingredients to be fed to the plant. Pucci and Wagner discovered that each stage of growth demanded an altered or completely different set of ingredients. When they didn¡¯t feed anything by the third stage, the properties of the Shimmering Void vanished, leaving the plant propertyless. They tried to feed it things other than what the system asked for but it didn¡¯t accept them. ¡°We should tweak the conditions and see if we can change the demanded ingredients and how that corresponds to its properties.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Wagner admitted. He checked his mana and grimaced. He was running very low. ¡°Do it. We will return to this in a few days. Now, did you consider what I¡¯d told you?¡± ¡°Fungi?¡± It was Pucci¡¯s turn to grimace. ¡°I did and while I am not against their cultivation I ¡­ don¡¯t feel the same connection to them as I do to plants.¡± Pucci¡¯s Talent was a bizarre one. He could develop a spiritual connection with living things. What exactly this entailed was hard to tell as the other man couldn¡¯t explain the connection other than as a vague feeling of mutual relationship. Plants Pucci looked after grew much stronger, gave better properties and he seemed always aware of their needs. ¡°So what¡¯s your take on fungi then?¡± ¡°Hire a fungi expert or don¡¯t try to cultivate them at all.¡± Wagner snorted. Yeah. The solution to everything was to recruit more people. ¡°I have hired over a hundred thousand people in the last four months. We had hit the capacity for now. All my talent hunters are out there, busy scouting people we need.¡± Pucci¡¯s eyes bulged. Ah, yes, the other man wasn¡¯t aware of the scale of the operations Wagner¡¯s new company had begun. Very soon, the proper structure of their new company was going to be finalised and Wagner¡¯s free time would suffer. Not that he had any free time. ¡°Just delegate a team to look into fungi.¡± ¡°I will do so, boss.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Wagner left the garden lab and was on his way to his office when Sylv found him. ¡°Mr. Zimmermann.¡± The new perception-altering plant smeared all over Sylv¡¯s skin was strong enough to begin affecting Wagner. He grunted, feeling a pull at his Perception attribute. ¡°Sylv, you can¡¯t use this thing here. Its effect is too great.¡± If this affected him and he was Level 7, what did it do to those at the lower spectrum of power? ¡°My apologies, sir, I wasn¡¯t meant to be on duty today. Tyr was supposed to be here but he¡¯s meeting Mr Highwaters about some emergency in the Red Moon Legion¡± Wagner used his spiritual aura to fight off the effects of the Golden Star Tree. When he got it under control, he asked Sylv what she needed him for. ¡°Visitors.¡± *** Tom Ventura braced himself as the Perception-bending power of a golden-skinned woman hit them. They grunted as the room started spinning, their hearing and smell started malfunctioning. Kaito Ren fared the worst, he was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. Wolf looked much better than Kaito but still worse than Tom. Who the hell was this woman? Was this her Talent or what? ¡°Mr. Zimmermann will see you know,¡± her voice sounded distant, cold and unyielding. And then the strange effects were gone. Tom straightened himself and found an open door. No sight of the woman. Good. Beyond it was an absurdly luxurious office with colourful marbles, trees and miniature waterfalls. This was the highest stratum of wealth. ¡°That woman is insane,¡± Wolf grunted as he helped Kaito stand up. ¡°Is she always like this?¡± ¡°No.¡± They slowly entered the massive office. Tom tried to not goggle but it wasn¡¯t easy. This was an arrogant display of wealth. ¡°What is this about?¡± asked a tall, black-haired man, wearing oriental silks. ¡°Mr. Zimmermann, this is Tom Ventura. He wishes to see Keynes.¡± Something changed in Zimmermann¡¯s posture and attitude. His gaze became harder, his expression turned blank. He walked around his oversized desk and stopped a few metres from the trio. ¡°Everyone wants to see Keynes. I am afraid this is as far as you can go. State what you need and when I talk to Keynes the next time, I will mention it.¡± Tom knew that Zimmermann was Level 7 so not a joke and judging but everything around them, he must have access to all the good stuff coming from the rifts. This man was powerful. It would be smart to stay on his good side. For now at least. ¡°Keynes hasn¡¯t finished his training,¡± Tom said. Zimmermann blinked, his expressionless mask cracked a little bit. Kaito and Wolf were glaring at Tom. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± Wagner turned to go. ¡°I hope it¡¯s the last time you did this, Kaito, Wolf.¡± Zimmermann was on his way back to his desk. Judging by his stature, Ventura might not get another chance at speaking his mind. ¡°You may not know me, Mr. Zimmermann.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy to be respectful but for Keynes, Tom was going to make an exception. ¡°But my family was once¡­ powerful. We belonged to the Old Blood. One of the oldests, if my father told me the truth.¡± This stopped Zimmermann but he didn¡¯t turn back. ¡°Ventura?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And what is your point? Every single Old Blood family has asked me for the audience with Keynes Kid already and each of them received the same answer. Keynes is not available until he decides otherwise. Despite your understanding, I don¡¯t control Keynes. And I am not intimidated by your Old Blood status.¡± ¡°I can help Keynes more than you think. Ask Kaito about my training methods.¡± ¡°It is true.¡± Zimmermann sighed. ¡°Keynes isn¡¯t here. His whereabouts are secret. When I hear from him. I will mention you. That is all I can do.¡± They were dismissed and while Tom didn¡¯t like being treated this way, he had no choice. ¡°Alright, I guess, we may as well rescue your trainee first, Kaito,¡± Tom murmured disappointed. ¡°It may take time before that kid will show up.¡± Chapter 73: Changing Times An evening was slowly creeping over the savannah. Keynes and Vivena were crossing the golden field, heading toward the village. The word didn¡¯t really fit it anymore as the grove was being turned into¡­ something else. Something that didn¡¯t belong to this world. New terraces were built. The trees themselves were being shaped, snaking around large structures in between them. It was a surreal sight, one that was possible only because of the resources brought from the rifts. In over four months Keynes had spent here, the tribesmen came up with many inventions that transformed their lives. Blacksmith Hadr reverted to making simple wooden items, though they were weak they always had some useful properties. It led the tribesmen to adapt to new fashion as they needed to wear more than a sash. Keynes was disappointed that Hadr hadn¡¯t wanted to pursue their collaboration. It seemed that the old wounds hadn¡¯t healed. At least, Wagner was going to start a crafting department. One thing the tribe was quickly catching up on was creating professions related to rifts: wood and stone cutters, gardeners, cooks, alchemists and even tamers now that they¡¯d brought eggs from the rift. Before the outbreaks, professions had always followed Talents. Now the spells were changing everything. Some of the tribesmen had [Chop] and [Cut] that helped them cut trees. They had also found three [Cook] skills. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, Keynes?¡± Vivena asked. Keynes glanced at her and came to stop. Is she implying¡­ No. This isn¡¯t the right moment and it isn¡¯t what she¡¯s implying. He once again pushed the thoughts of him and Vivena away. There was always a good reason to postpone it. Today, it was Keynes¡¯s conviction that admitting his feelings to Vivena would ruin the friendship they¡¯d built. The issue was that his reasoning was far-fetched and shaky under scrutiny, and it was likely wrong. But Keynes was Keynes and he believed that the time wasn¡¯t right so he replied truthfully. ¡°About the professions and Talents.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Vivena frowned, surprised and equally confused by his answer. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Keynes touched his Mana Ring he¡¯d found in the hidden room. It was one of 12 rewards he¡¯d gotten. Touching the ring was becoming a habit of his. ¡°Before the outbreaks, people were forced to do what their Talents were good at. No freedom of choice. If not for the rifts. My career paths would be ¡­ limited. But now, things are different. We have spells. Look at the tribe. Some tribesmen go against their Talents and do what they like. And on top of that, we have techniques. We can learn anything we desire. I can¡¯t help but wonder what we are going to achieve. Think of possibilities.¡± ¡°Is that really what you¡¯re thinking about right now?¡± He narrowed his eyes, searching for the cues he was certainly missing. ¡°Why?¡± Vivena waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Keynes gave her an inquisitive look. ¡°Absolutely,¡± she replied quickly and then asked her own question, sidetracking the conversation. ¡°Have you thought about what I told you?¡± ¡°About finding other Level 3 rifts? Yes. I have and my answer remains unchanged. I must level up first. There is no way around this, Vivena. We had struggled with an uncommon rift and the rarity can go up to epic now, not to mention the types and modifiers. Even with your Talent and our hidden rewards, we¡¯d be hard pressed at facing such a rift.¡± ¡°Keynes, you¡¯re forgetting that my Talent can boost each of my attributes up to seventy-five points and on top of that there are items and skills. Not even Columbus Curt can match my strength.¡± But she had only one serum left and most of Keynes¡¯s rewards weren¡¯t combat-oriented. He couldn¡¯t understand how this desire-oriented loot worked as it only gave Keynes one item he wanted ¨C the Mana Ring. Other items were nice ¡­ very nice actually but not something Keynes consciously desired. It still was worth many times more than standard loot. In some ways, Vivena was right. Moving on to Level 3 rifts now, would skyrocket their wealth beyond anything anyone in the world could match. And a part of Keynes felt worried about it. It felt too easy, open the hidden door and reap rewards that shamed the rift¡¯s loot. There had to be a catch, right? Right? And Level 3 rifts didn¡¯t only have a chance of better rewards in general but also items unavailable at Level 2 like the class skills. Vivena was right, true, but there were other factors to consider. ¡°Don¡¯t forget where we are. I may trust Haruka and Bill but the rest? Not a chance. And besides, to open another Level 3 rift, we¡¯d have to move south; something they have forbidden us from doing.¡± ¡°South? How do you know?¡± ¡°I know locations of Level 3, 4 and 5 rifts. One each. And if my suspicions are correct then these rifts would be the hardest ones their levels can offer.¡± ¡°How do you know this, Keynes?¡± Keynes looked away from Vivena and faced the grove. The ritual of secrecy only involved the vision and the meeting with Shaper at Wagner¡¯s estate. Technically, Keynes was free to tell her about the locations¡­ He opened his mouth and a vision flashed before his eyes. In it, he was clutching his bleeding chest, he was dying while the greenish blood pooled beneath him. Above him, Vivena stood holding an ivory blade which dripped sickly green liquid. She was saying something to him. Was this an apology? It sounded like one. He titled his head, feeling his body rapidly losing HP. These were some potent poisons his Purified Body couldn¡¯t withstand. Next to Keynes and Vivena, a sealed rift shimmered. It was a Level 4 rift¡­ Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The vision ended. Keynes closed his mouth without uttering a single word. He stared at Vivena, his mind trying to make sense of what he¡¯d just seen. Did¡ªwas she going to kill him? But why? Ah. The outbreaks¡­ ¡°Keynes, are you alright?¡± He nodded, trusting no words. He touched the Mana Ring again, finding very little comfort in the gesture this time. So this was how the Shaper¡¯s vision worked. It showed him the crossroads and the consequences of the wrong choice. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the village,¡± Keynes said absent-mindedly. They walked for a few minutes, Vivena kept glancing worriedly at him, she clearly wanted to find out what had happened to him but something kept her words at bay. Ahead, the enormous trees drew closer with each step. And then Keynes noticed a flying platform. It was larger than any other the tribe possessed. He took out a spyglass from his dimensional pouch, another uncommon reward. It showed him anything up to 3 kilometres, regardless of obstacles but it cost mana. Two women, Keynes hadn¡¯t seen earlier, sat on the flying platform. The tribe was populated by thousands and Keynes hadn¡¯t met everyone. Except the women were clothed in white robes with golden ornamentations that were at odds with the tribe¡¯s fashion. Who were they? Were they here because of Keynes¡¯s ability to open the hidden doors? If so, they¡¯d have to flee. The tribe¡¯s no violence policy had some murky waters as it hardly explained how they dealt with outlaws. Keynes tried to contact Haruka via their spiritual companions but the other man was out of range. Either he was inside the rift or the communication had a range and Haruka had crossed its boundaries. Either way, Haruka wasn''t going to help Keynes right now. The only other man, Keynes trusted enough, was Bill. *** Sunlight flowers lit the grove as Keynes and Vivena entered it. They headed straight for the centre of the village where the massive construction of the dining hall was being raised. It was a stunning building, spread over fifty metres above the ground and between many trees, giving it more space than any other building in the grove. A lot of Level 3 materials were being used alongside the chief¡¯s Talent to spur the growth of the plants. Using various tools, the tribesmen guided enormous branches that created a solid foundation for the new dining hall. After Keynes had maxed out all his attributes and temporarily stopped delving, Bill moved here. His job was to train new cooks. He had found three [Cook] spells and decided to raise his assistants. The construction wasn¡¯t finished as the number of required resources was astronomical but they had a small, temporary kitchen set up in a corner. Bill perked up seeing them. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Keynes told him in a whisper and Bill¡¯s face went white. ¡°Oh, shit. That would be the chief¡¯s wife and my mother. I didn¡¯t think she would return so early. It had to be the Level 3 rift.¡± Bill noticed the tension and put the raw meat aside, then walked around the table. ¡°Listen, there is nothing to worry about. Chief Bonolo can keep them reined.¡± ¡°Why would he need to keep them reined?¡± Vivena asked. *** Chief Bonolo dumped the rest of his mana into the herbs in his private garden. The starglows¡ªLevel 2 herbs¡ªdevoured it greedily but it was worth the effort. They¡¯d discovered some interesting combinations with the fungi. One of the most promising combinations was the removal of the mind mushroom resistance. There were some unwanted side effects that needed to be eliminated but Bonolo had high hopes¡­ The flying platforms were silent though they emitted spiritual energy and Bonolo was quite adept at sensing it. He turned as the large flying platform silently landed on his terrace. His wife was back home. She was too early though and that alone was bad news. Bonolo rushed toward the platform and as he came a few metres from his wife, he dropped to one knee. ¡°My wife,¡± he said, keeping his gaze directed at the floor. ¡°What do I owe the pleasure?¡± ¡°Raise, husband,¡± his wife said, warmly. ¡°There is no need for such theatrics.¡± ¡°If only your father could say so.¡± ¡°My father isn¡¯t here.¡± And thank the Shaper for that. ¡°Aurora,¡± his wife said while Bonolo stayed quiet. ¡°Go, find your husband. See to his needs.¡± ¡°Oh I will,¡± Aurora said mischievously, though with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Then she faded, becoming nothing. That was some formidable Talent. Poor Hawthorne. Bonolo¡¯s wife¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave Bonolo as he straightened before her. She was the most outstanding woman, well, with the exception of her mother. After a few moments, Bonolo realised that his wife¡¯s white silks were crafted using rift materials. That was new. It seemed that the capital didn¡¯t remain in place and why would it? ¡°Jump on.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any mana left,¡± Bonolo protested. His wife and Aurora must have used a few days¡¯ worths of mana on their flight here. The formations didn¡¯t need mana to work and this one was no exception. But it needed mana to control the flight, otherwise, the activated formation would keep raising the platform until it left the atmosphere. She showed him an amulet. ¡°An exotic Level 2 amulet. It regenerates five points per hour and can hold up to a hundred mana. We will be fine.¡± Bonolo entered the platform. Unlike the ones they had. This one had two comfortable chairs attached to it and a proper steering wheel, which theirs lacked. A few minutes later, they were hundreds of metres above the ground. ¡°Level 3 rift.¡± He knew it. The capital must have learned about it. Obviously, some of his tribesmen were turncloack. It was inevitable. ¡°The rift is on our territory. We delve it. It belongs to us. Besides, we handed over the volatile rift as the capital requested.¡± His wife stayed silent for a while then turned to him. ¡°It¡¯s not only the capital. Other tribes openly demanded the right to the rift.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to think, my husband, I know what is going to happen.¡± ¡°The Covenant of Tribes.¡± ¡°Indeed but this time, the capital is going to put forward their own representatives.¡± ¡°But this isn¡¯t how it works!¡± Bonolo protested. The Covenant of Tribes was another word for battle. But it wasn¡¯t a battle like the ones conducted beyond the walls. The covenant was a survival race with only one winner. Whenever tribes argued, the capital forced them to compete in the Covenant of Tribes. Whoever¡¯s representative survived, won. Bonolo shuddered at the memory of the Covenant. He¡¯d been forced into entering one when he¡¯d been young. The tribe¡¯s chief had died and they needed another chief but by tradition, each chief had to marry a royal princess. Two hundred of Bonolo¡¯s peers took part in the Covenant. Bonolo was the only one standing at the end of the day. He hated it and he¡¯d never put his children through it. Never. ¡°Times are changing, husband. The capital is expecting the World Government to fall in a year or two. Some of the coastal cities began entering the reserve without the required licences. Our agreement with Vichy Ottoman and his replacement will soon expire. We must adjust or we will perish. There is also a new uprising spreading like a wildfire. These people think only about hunting rift monsters and growing stronger. If we stand in their way, it''s too bad for us.¡± ¡°What ¡­ do you mean by ¡®it¡¯s too bad for us¡¯?¡± ¡°The Capital must win the next covenant. That¡¯s all you must know, my husband.¡± Chapter 74: Who are you? ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± Keynes had a bad feeling about the visit of the two women. Bill¡¯s reaction only supplemented his conviction. Over the four months, Keynes and Vivena got bits and pieces of information about the tribe and they realised how startlingly little had been told to them. They were still high on the discovery of the Level 3 rift and the hidden doors. Neither Keynes nor Vivena paid much attention to the bigger picture and to where the tribe fitted within the World Reserve¡¯s politics if there was such a thing. Keynes wasn¡¯t interested in this while Vivena didn¡¯t mention it. As they left the grove, the night was in the full swing. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that going to the Level 3 rift defeats the purpose? If they have bad intentions, they will find us there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of them,¡± Keynes explained. ¡°I just ¡­ want to get back to delving a challenging rift. Plus, I have to level up.¡± Vivena fixed her eyes on him but said nothing else. After they¡¯d crossed over a kilometre of the savannah, Keynes suddenly stopped upon hearing Alice¡¯s warning. ¡°They are already coming after us.¡± Vivena didn¡¯t wait and took her serum out of the pouch but didn¡¯t inject it yet. They waited. A minute later, a platform with Bonolo and Hawthorne landed nearby. ¡°How did you detect them so early?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°Perks of being in the Elevated stage.¡± Chief Bonolo and Hawthorne stepped off the platform and raised their hands, seeing the hostility in Keynes¡¯s and Vivena¡¯s postures as it was unlikely that they saw details in the moonlight. ¡°I need to speak to you, Keynes,¡± Chief Bonolo said. There was no harm in talking. The chief had never been a bad host to Keynes or Vivena. It would be reasonable to hear him out. Keep an eye on the vicinity, he said to Alice. They still needed to be careful. Keynes¡¯s ability to open the hidden door was unique as far as he knew. Many people would kill for it and it wouldn¡¯t be the first time a good person made a terrible decision. ¡°Okay,¡± Keynes said, trying to sound neutral. Both men relaxed and allowed their hands to drop. ¡°This isn¡¯t about your ability to open the hidden door but it¡¯s about the Level 3 rift you have discovered.¡± So Bill was right. Keynes let the other man continue. ¡°My wife informed me that¡­¡± Chief Bonolo hesitated, looked to the side at Hawthorne who softly nodded, and only then did Chief Bonolo seem to make up his mind about his next words. ¡°Other tribes aren¡¯t happy that we have this rift only to ourselves.¡± It was a potential issue with the Level 3 materials moving further away but it was inevitable. Keynes didn¡¯t see a problem here. And he said so. ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that.¡± ¡°Tell us what you want, chief,¡± Vivena said, edging on being blunt which was unlike her. ¡°It¡¯s painfully obvious that you¡¯re circling the subject. If you need our help, start talking.¡± ¡°Show some respect, girl,¡± Hawthorne grunted. ¡°This isn¡¯t your peer you¡¯re speaking to, this is the Chief of the First Tribe.¡± Vivena glanced at Hawthorne defiantly. During their delves, Hawthrone had revealed his Talent to be Beast Taming. He¡¯d also gotten a few taming-related skills, techniques and items. He, like the chief, was Level 3. They weren¡¯t a threat to Keynes and Vivena. ¡°Vivena¡¯s right. They need to know,¡± Chief Bonolo admitted. ¡°It¡¯s more than tribes that want the rift. It is also the Capital.¡± ¡°The Capital? Do you mean the people who run the show?¡± Vivena asked while Keynes mused about the relevance between the location of the rift in the south and this capital. ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that. Our relationship with the Capital is¡­ well, odd. The World Reserve is home to thousands of small tribes. It¡¯s always been. But, at the same time, the Capital has always been here too. Most tribes live their lives in isolation and rarely trade or communicate unless required by the tribal customs and laws. On the other hand, a few tribes have a deeper connection to the Capital through the royal line. My wife is the eleventh daughter of the current ruler. It elevates our status making our tribe a bit different but still a tribe. ¡°Until now, every conflict and argument between tribes was resolved through the Covenant of Tribes. The most important rule of the covenant was that only tribes took part in it. The Capital has always remained neutral. But this time they want the rift to themselves.¡± Politics. That¡¯s something for Vivena. Keynes lost interest in whatever the chief was about to propose. ¡°What¡¯s a big deal?¡± Vivena asked, mildly curious. ¡°Tribes won¡¯t like it. We have been honouring our arrangements with the Capital over the years because they have stayed neutral, projecting a perception of a peacemaker. If they enter the Covenant of Tribes, they¡¯ll destroy that perception, destabilising the centuries-long peace.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see what you expect from us,¡± Vivena said truthfully and Keynes agreed with her. ¡°It looks like the royal family has become greedy.¡± ¡°Be careful how you speak about the royal family,¡± Hawthorne warned her. It earned Hawthrone a glare from the usually soft-mannered chief. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± he told Vivena. ¡°What I need is Keynes to join the Covenant of Tribes.¡± ¡°No,¡± Keynes replied without thinking. ¡°I am not interested in politics.¡± Chief Bonolo seemed confused by Keynes¡¯s words. Hawthrone realised their mistake first. ¡°They don¡¯t know what the Covenant of Tribes is.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. The Covenant of Tribes has nothing to do with politics. It is a tool for settling disputes and arguments. In other words, it is a race.¡± ¡°Again, no,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°Not interest¡ª¡± A vision of fire and death flashed before his eyes. A world that crumbled, destroyed by hatred. No, no, no. Are you kidding me? Wh¡ªah, of course. I see. The rift in the south. It seems this is the only way to get there. It only multiplied Keynes¡¯s questions and confusion. Keynes shook the vision off. ¡°Tell me everything.¡± ¡°Keynes, you aren¡¯t considering this, are you? They¡¯re trying to use you. Their race is nothing but a trap. This isn¡¯t our issue, we don¡¯t owe them anything.¡± How could he explain his decision to her? Telling Vivena about the vision and Shaper¡¯s part in it wasn¡¯t possible as he was bound by the ritual of secrecy. What else he could say that made his words sound reasonable? Greed? More secrets to uncover? Death wish? The list was rather short, especially in the face of going against the Capital and its royals. Chief Bonolo didn¡¯t possess anything Keynes needed. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°We will give you all our knowledge, training, items and rift¡¯s essence,¡± Chief Bonolo said, hoping to convince Keynes. ¡°Why Keynes though? Why not Pandora or Haruka?¡± Or you, Vivena? Did they even know about Vivena¡¯s poison serum? Haruka and Bill knew but it was becoming obvious that neither man had shared it with their fathers. Unless, there¡¯s a second bottom to this and strength isn¡¯t what they are after. ¡°They are not allowed to take part in the race,¡± Chief Bonolo explained. ¡°That is one rule the Capital wouldn¡¯t violate because it¡¯d make their position in the race disadvantageous. Most tribes have started to invest in their young royals and they are on average stronger than the rest of the tribesmen. But Keynes is more than any person I¡¯ve heard of. Being a Perfect Ascender and in the Elevated stage is beyond anything even the Capital can match.¡± Vivena¡¯s aura control slipped, betraying her emotional turmoil. She felt conflicted about it. Why Keynes couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°I will need more than that,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Also, why do you care so much, chief? What¡¯s wrong with the Capital winning the race? Aren¡¯t you technically a part of the royal family now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s most likely because of it,¡± Vivena added. ¡°My father¡¯s siblings are his fiercest rivals. Family¡¯s politics is the worst.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the reason why I wish to see the Capital lose. I¡¯m happy to share the rift with others but that isn¡¯t what the Capital wants. The bloodshed must be stopped.¡± Vivena got her aura under control and asked Keynes to reject the offer again. She quickly grew frustrated when he didn¡¯t listen to her. Even without the vision, he was compelled by the sense of competition. That would be the first time. ¡°How much time until the race?¡± Keynes pretended he needed more time to think it over. ¡°A month.¡± ¡°Alright, I will think about it while I delve the Level 3 rift.¡± *** Keynes and Vivena returned to the Level 3 rift the next day. Hawthorne accompanied them and answered their questions about the Covenant of Tribes. They had to be careful, the news about the covenant was meant to be kept secret which added to Vivena¡¯s exasperation. She didn¡¯t like the whole situation and tried to convince Keynes that it was a trap. It was just a race. Even if Keynes lost the race, he didn¡¯t care. Anyway, he had other things to worry about now. With only one month to go, the Level 3 rift would provide him with around 75% of the essence required to level up. The attribute max-out penalty was cruel. It diminished Keynes¡¯s essence gains by 70%. In the case of the Level 3 rift, Keynes was only awarded about 1.2% per instance with up to 4 people. The uncommon rift provided 2% of level progression. On top of that, there were two bonuses: The boss instances doubled essence but for the uncommon rift, they were every 18 instances. It still wasn¡¯t going to be enough. Hunting monsters outside the rift was out of the question, so Keynes was forced to circle between the tribe¡¯s other rifts and the Level 3 rift. During that time Keynes discussed with Hawthorne the makeup of the race track. Keynes¡¯s initial assumption that he¡¯d use [Flight] to beat the competition was shattered when Hawthorne revealed to him that the track was underground and it was full of traps and dangers. There was more to this race than the chief and Hawthorne had given out. Keynes¡¯s initial reaction was to tell them no there and then. Vivena was right. Only it didn¡¯t change anything. Luckily, no one knew Keynes¡¯s true mind. Keynes of course pressed for more information about the danger. Hawthorne assured him that dying was unlikely and in Keynes¡¯s case almost impossible. Vivena didn¡¯t share his optimism and after their tenth argument about the race, she stopped speaking to Keynes. She still delved the Level 3 rift with him, Haruka and Pandora but usually left right after clearing it off. What also surprised him, was her decision to postpone the levelling up to Level 5 in favour of gaining another spiritual stage. Keynes didn¡¯t know how well she fared in that regard. One thing surprised him though and it didn¡¯t come from Vivena but Pandora. ¡°You can¡¯t fight,¡± Pandora said after her first sparring with Keynes. There was a clear distinction between having and not having a fighting technique. While Pandora still struggled with the monsters inside the rift, she defeated Keynes one on one. He understood what it meant to possess a technique as the word ¡®technique¡¯ didn¡¯t tell the whole story. A technique was not only a pattern of movements but also knowledge. Nonetheless, there was a drawback of assimilating techniques rather than learning them the hard way. In the former, an ascender gained knowledge of how to fight and even their body learned to apply the technique. The issue was with the body being not accustomed to the technique which could even harm the ascender. Keynes had found two techniques in his previous runs with Vivena, Bill and Hawthorne ¨C Flight technique and Meditation technique. While the flight technique gave Keynes a comprehensive understanding of flight patterns, manoeuvres and many things related to how the skill used mana and how Keynes could manipulate it, it did nothing to prepare Keynes¡¯s body for the stress associated with using some elements of the flight technique. He learned the painful way how strenuous flight at high speed was and that a sudden deceleration caused his HP to drop. The meditation technique wasn¡¯t as dangerous but it also required patience and a body that could stay still for hours, and that wasn¡¯t an easy feat. It was something to remember in the future. Pandora told him the same thing. Someone in her tribe also found a lesser fighting technique and learned how hard on the body it was to use it at its full potential. ¡°I can learn.¡± That was right. Keynes had the Enhanced Learning buff. God knew where it came from but it was there and it seemed to make a difference. For example, Pandora still struggled with maxing out her attributes as if it was some mystical art while Keynes hadn¡¯t found it to be this hard. She didn¡¯t omit to tell this to his face once every hour. On the other hand, Keynes inquired about her Perfect Orb. She ignored his questions and he wondered why she was so reluctant to speak about this. Keynes learned Pandora¡¯s fighting technique but, at the same time, he realised that there was something unappealing about fighting other people. He enjoyed fighting monsters a lot, but his every fight with Pandora made him realise that it lacked something. Pandora noticed it too and asked him while they were training in one of the nicer rifts, with a sandy beach. ¡°If you aren¡¯t a fighter, what are you?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Which word didn¡¯t you understand?¡± she replied in her rough fashion. ¡°I mean--¡± ¡°Oh, give it a rest ,¡± she snapped. ¡°For a Perfect Ascender you can be freakishly clueless. It¡¯s annoying.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t comment on her outburst. By now he was barely paying attention to them. It took Pandora a few seconds to cool down. ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed how spells and techniques change everything?¡± ¡°I have,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°So who do you want to be? It¡¯s obvious that you don¡¯t enjoy our sparrings and I assure you, you haven¡¯t tasted what I am truly capable of when I use my Talent. But there must be something you like doing?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about this.¡± ¡°Hm. Aren¡¯t you into gardening?¡± ¡°A little, yes. But I don¡¯t see myself as a full-time gardener. It¡¯s more of a hobby. I¡¯d rather play it by the ear.¡± Keynes¡¯s reply seemed to frustrate her. Wasn¡¯t this what she meant? ¡°Listen.¡± Pandora shook her head. ¡°Look at your friend Vivena. She got a lot of items and spells with poison affinity. That [Poison Needle] of hers makes her good at dealing damage from distance. Now, when she combines it with [Poison Aura] she doesn¡¯t need any weapons to fight. Most monsters die just by getting too close to her for too long. Does that ring any bells?¡± It was Keynes¡¯s turn to shake head. Master, I understand what she is trying to say, Alice said. It¡¯s fine, Alice, I think I get it too but I have to say that I¡¯m intrigued by her reasoning. Pandora sighed. ¡°Unbelievable. How you have gotten so far is beyond me.¡± She fell silent for a moment, thinking about something. ¡°Look at this from your perspective. You have a very strong aura. Stronger even than your poison friend. If you get an aura skill, you could fight exclusively with your aura. On the other hand, if you¡¯re into gardening, you may use plant-related spells not only to cultivate your garden but also to fight. Haven¡¯t that crossed your mind?¡± This was quite insightful. Keynes remembered that Windsor Freeman used [Fire Aura] altogether with some other fire spells. Keynes could use his spiritual aura to fight but it wasn¡¯t very efficient. His thoughts returned to [Chaos Aura] but he dismissed that option. That skill was too dangerous. ¡°I see what you mean, Pandora. I enjoy fighting monsters with any means I have at hand. Battling humans? Not so much. What about you?¡± In truth, he¡¯d no idea how to answer her question. In some ways, it terrified him. In the vision, Esopp Earl became a personification of a god of cold while Wagner Zimmermann used a gigantic tree to fight in his stead. Columbus Curt¡¯s powers were less pronounced but certainly within the same theme. Who Keynes wanted to be? Or more precisely, what kind of magic did he wish to wield? Ice? Fire? Wind? Or maybe something more exotic? He didn¡¯t know. ¡°I enjoy fighting with my fists and I¡¯ll take any skill and item that makes me stronger in that regard. That¡¯s all.¡± Keynes looked to where Haruka sat beneath a palm, eyes-closed, cultivating the essence with his Crown of Insight on his head. He was trying to enter the next spiritual stage. How would Haruka answer this question? The other man didn¡¯t have any obvious focus. Vivena had her poisons, Pandora her fists, even Bill had cooking. What Keynes and Haruka had? It was a question to ponder. ¡°Thanks for the sparring, Pandora,¡± Keynes said. ¡°And the talk.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± she called after him. ¡°I still hate you.¡± Chapter 75: The Next Tier While Keynes discovered the insane wealth of the hidden rooms, the world didn¡¯t remain without its own big breakthrough. In an exotic Level 2 rift in Northern America, a young soldier found a schematic of a mana container. It didn¡¯t go well for the young soldier as he disappeared but some time later, the production of the first mana container commenced. It contained 100 mana units and revolutionised the world. PROFOUNDLY. At first, only a few people in the world understood the implications. Those were the first adopters and investors who would become obscenely rich in the future. Slowly, the wider public gained a better idea of why the mana container was a game-changer. And then, came the tipping point and mana became hot stuff. Still many asked - ¡®why is a mana container so important?¡¯ The answer was the runes. While they¡¯d existed for as long as Talents, they were ignored because they required mana to function. A Level 1 ascender possessed 100 units of mana which was regenerated over a day. It was enough to power up a few situational runes. And that was all. Without the ability to store mana there was no way to continuously power up the runes. This had killed off any notion of complex runic structures. A mana container shifted this particular landscape, arguably as much as the outbreaks had done. Unlike formations, runes were extremely malleable in their application. Mostly thanks to the runic scripture which could be seen as the programming language of runes. The runic scripture was a form of describing variables of the runes like, their shape, sequence, size, type or materials and their effects. The research into the runes was quite advanced even though it was applied mostly in science circles. In a matter of weeks, every runic expert became a superstar. Obviously, nothing too complex could be constructed as some runic structures required way more than 100 mana units per second but complexity wasn¡¯t the point. The runes were used to dimensionally expand space, sustain barriers, increase durability of materials, provide important resources like heat, light, electricity and so much more. All of this could be manipulated through changes to the runes which opened countless new fields to researchers. The renaissance of runes didn¡¯t mean the end of formations. The two had simply different applications. Formations were very rigid but at the same time stable, reliable, powerful and precise. Unfortunately, they were extremely difficult to modify and materials required to activate them were hard to find. But not everything was as straightforward as it supposed to be. The insane demand couldn¡¯t be satisfied no matter how many people worked on the assembly of the mana container and things were tricky at the factory as there was only one schematic and the owner didn¡¯t trust anyone but himself. Without the schematic, creating the mana container wasn¡¯t possible for reasons none of these men understood. Although, it didn¡¯t stop thousands of crafters and counterfeiters from trying. Then came the issues of the raw materials required to build the mana containers. Lucky for Wagner and his company, one of Columbus Curt¡¯s rifts in South America had one of the rare ingredients which added a substantial chunk to their income. Lastly, the uprising was still going on without signs of slowing down. Actually, the mana containers refuelled the zeal of the White Mask rebels who demanded the equal distribution of the mana containers for everyone, not just the rich. The mana container spurred the growth of crafters and alchemists as they finally had the mana to work on their projects. Wagner entertained the possibility of buying the schematic and taking over the production of the mana containers but he soon learned that such offers had been thrown at the owner of the schematic on a daily basis without an effect. The idea of stealing the schematic also floated between Esopp, Wagner and Columbus but most of Columbus¡¯s forces were tied up near Baikal lake as the gigantic monster horde was pushing outwardly, while the owner of the schematic had built a stronghold and got a small army to keep him safe. It was not worth the risk with all the income the three men generated. Wagner estimated the profits to be less than 10%, although he was aware that there was a limiting factor as the production wasn¡¯t anywhere near the demand. The appearance of mana containers was widely regarded as the beginning of the golden magical age. It also introduced the second formal currency after a dollar: mana. With varying rates, on average 100 mana was worth 50 dollars. *** Pandora¡¯s words hung there, pestering Keynes. Only after she¡¯d pointed it out to him, he began taking the idea of focusing on a certain affinity or fighting style into consideration. It led him to think about classes. The Level 3 rift introduced them. He was aware that RPG computer games had many classes with different focuses but in the world dominated by Talents, classes weren¡¯t a thing, except the world wasn¡¯t like that anymore. Some people had already focused on something, either by double downing on their Talents, like Hawthorne or picking a separate path like Bill. What Keynes didn¡¯t like was how much the hidden rewards seemed to force him into gardening. He enjoyed tending a garden and discovering new stuff but gardening was too immobile for him. He and others had plans to leave Earth eventually, to open rifts on other planets. While a garden would be a nice addition to his travelling set-up, it¡¯d never be something he could solely thrive on or use to fight with. But maybe I am looking at this the wrong way? Alice, what options do I have when it comes to a class or a path or whatever you call it? Hmm, master, that is an unusual question coming from you, she replied with a hint of mockery which Keynes ignored not giving her satisfaction. At least, her mood recovered. But yes, you¡¯re thinking about this the wrong way, at least to a certain degree. The first thing you must answer yourself is what role you wish to fulfil in the future. A combatant or non-combatant. If you mean fighting rift monsters, then certainly a combatant role. Which means, you still can have a secondary focus, like gardening. Now, if you desire to be a combatant, you must think about the way you wish to fight. Melee, range or support. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Support? What¡¯s that? Healing, casting buffs and crowd control spells. That kind of thing. That¡¯s a lot of information. Once the Level 3 rifts are open and the class spells start to drop I am permitted to extend my tutorial to encompass classes. Technically, upon hitting Level 3, each ascender should start thinking about their primary focus. It does not need to be any particular class but you at least should know if you want to be a frontline fighter, a caster, a support, a damage dealer, or stay out of combat and pursue paths like crafting. Thank you for that. Keynes had a lot to think about. His first twelve hidden rewards from the Level 2 rifts were mainly focused on gardening. [Inspect Plant] created a system window with important information about plants that didn¡¯t have one. It was potentially a powerful tool for gardeners as the skill allowed them to spot many differences. He also got two other inspection skills: [Inspect Fungus] and [Inspect Soil]. Both worked like [Inspect Plant] but with fungi and soil. The next skill was [Growth] and it was the same one Wagner had gotten from Persephone, although Keynes didn¡¯t know about that particular development yet. The other three plant-related skills were [Plant Temperature] which granted information about the optimal temperature prefered by plants. The second one was a passive skill [Plant Cultivation] which boosted the plant¡¯s properties cultivated by the ascender. The word ¡®cultivation¡¯ didn¡¯t stop itching Keynes. Alice was quite helpful by saying that he was misunderstanding certain aspects of this word and he was wrong about cultivating plants the same way he cultivated his spiritual core. The last skill was extremely rare according to Alice. [Create Plant] could create almost any plant and was limited only by the ascender¡¯s mastery and knowledge. It was clear that the spells were a dream come true to any gardener. Even Keynes had to resist the urge to absorb them. But he couldn¡¯t as they also had a spiritual weight and this many skills would deny him other, more desirable skills. Fortunately, skills could be removed and even reused by other ascenders. Alice also shared with him that skills could be modified, Keynes asked if such modified skills would retain their modified properties. They would, creating a unique version of a skill. But it was a distant future for him. Other than the mentioned skills, a spyglass and a mana ring, Keynes found a rare refillable health flask that instantly replenished 25% of max HP. It then needed to be fed some raw materials so it could refill which took a few hours. The flask was great for critical moments but Keynes was keen to exchange it for something else. Unfortunately, not a single standard drop caught his eye and he kept the flask. Over the month of constant delving, training and learning about the Covenant of Tribes, Keynes and his companions found two hidden doors in the Level 3 rift and three in the Level 2 rifts. He was a bit selfish when it came to the Level 2 rifts as he didn¡¯t share the rewards. That was one of his conditions. He also had the first pick in the Level 3 rift even if the reward was clearly for someone else. His greatest reward was [Telekinesis] and he immediately absorbed it. The spell didn¡¯t work on living beings of the same Level as Keynes or higher. Level 1s resisted and it cost a lot of mana just to keep them still. With anything else, the spell was a game-changer. It came from the first hidden room and it was clearly for Keynes. Vivena had another anti-poison serum but this time Level 3, Pandora got a [Double Punch], a passive spell that gave her a chance to inflict damage twice if it came from punches. Haruka found himself a dimensional backpack with 10 cubic metres of space inside with the ability to keep inside one dimensional pouch not higher than Level 3. He couldn¡¯t access the dimensional pouch¡¯s content but the fact that he could keep it inside another dimensional space was a big win. The backpack was exotic and it had an exotic property ¨C it turned ethereal if damaged and some of the damage was returned to the attacker as a random element. It had two enchants: {self-repair} and {durability}. If not for [Telekinesis] Keynes would have taken the backpack. It was an insane item and while it was of exotic rarity, it was an extremely rare drop, which raised some interesting questions about the drop chance among the items of the same rarity. They pooled the knowledge of their spiritual companions which frankly wasn¡¯t unanimous as each spiritual companion added something to the bigger picture. They didn¡¯t get a clear answer as neither spiritual companion was permitted to give it, but they concluded that drop even among the same rarity was weighted and there were circumstances affecting that weight. The hidden room was one of such circumstances. The next room gave Keynes an even bigger dilemma. There was a [Darkness Manipulation] spell which could be for Keynes as he had the Cloak of Shadows. But then he found out, with Alice¡¯s help, that [Darkness Manipulation] didn¡¯t affect his cloak as the cloak had a shadow affinity. The next reward was a bizarre one: The Orb of Explorer. It was a single-use item; if crushed in the rift, it applied the Explorer buff to the rift. Keynes had mixed feelings about this one. According to Alice, the Explorer buff was one of the strongest buffs to have. Keynes was so far unimpressed by the buff. The third thing was a rare wand made of two black and white intertwined sticks. It boosted the effects of all spells by 15%, decreased mana cost by 10% and added 7 points to Will. Everyone agreed that the wand fitted Keynes. The last thing was a passive spell [Stamina]. It increased the stamina pool and boosted its regeneration. [Stamina] tempted Keynes but he realised that the spell was a trap in a way. Pushing beyond stamina was how he¡¯d maxed out his attributes. If his stamina was boosted it would make maxing out attributes harder at least in theory. The champion drop was mostly left unidentified as they didn¡¯t have enough Scrolls of Identification. To the Level 2 rifts, Keynes had travelled alone even though he cleared them with three random tribesmen selected by Hawthorne or Chief Bonolo. Some of the rewards were intriguing as they were based on other people who were inside the rifts during the clearing. He found two [Heal]s, a passive spell [Healing Touch], [Night Sight], [Flight], an Archery technique, [Cook], two wooden maces, an uncommon wooden ring that boosted health regeneration while in a proximity of a tree and added 4 to Vitality, a rune that boosted durability of stone and lastly a glyph of calmness. Keynes gave away the Archery technique and two wooden maces. He kept the rest. He was disappointed when he learned that neither of the healing skills affected him. He absorbed [Night Sight] that enhanced his night vision. A week before the deadline his spirit couldn¡¯t take any more even with the Spiritual Mantle. Of course, he was going to level up very soon which would free a lot of room for additional items or spells but most of what he wanted he had. And then he and Haruka sensed something very faint and subtle. Upon prodding this odd energy, they found an insanely intricate set of doors. It was a piece of art with its bas-reliefs. Keynes memorised the strange vision that showed a large tree attacked by locusts. Its roots spread touching many different items no one could recognise. This was a higher tier of the hidden room. What kind of rewards were behind the doors they couldn¡¯t even begin to guess. The room¡¯s spawn rate was insanely low, not to mention the key spawn. These things had to be so rare, it boggled Keynes¡¯s mind. Keynes inspected the doors with his spiritual aura and ¡­ was rebuffed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t allow me to even touch it.¡± A moment later, Haruka confirmed it. ¡°What the hell could be behind it?¡± Keynes tried to use his Talent but the doors¡¯ runes flared to life rebuffing any attempts to even touch the doors, let alone use Lockpicking Talent on them. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can open them.¡± Pandora took out her newly found mace with an iron head and smashed it against the door. A different set of runes came to life and cracked the weapon in half. ¡°What the¡­¡± She slumped to the ground. Haruka rushed to help her but she shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t, unless you want to be paralysed. It sucked all my stamina out of me.¡± Despite the inability to open the double doors, their moods were uplifted. Keynes¡¯s assumption that Level 3 rifts possessed another tier of hidden rewards was true and if there was a similar difference between this tier and Level 2 tier as there was between the Level 1 tier and the Level 2 tier then they were in for a massive treat. No matter what they¡¯d tried, the door remained inaccessible to their senses. It was time to get the final push to 100% and level up. Chapter 76: Second Degree Controlling water through [Telekinesis] was freakishly hard. Liquids were difficult to manipulate in general and on top of that the water was Level 3 while Keynes was Level 2. This rift was going to push him to 100%. FINALLY. After all this time, he couldn¡¯t wait to level up. While he was excited about the boost to his attributes which was significantly larger than a non-maxed-out increase by 33%. But there was another thing Keynes was looking for. He was going to receive another Orb of Perfection and perhaps another buff. He couldn¡¯t wait to find out how another Perfect State would award him. He''d done some more prodding about Pandora¡¯s Orb of Perfection and she slowly opened up although her hostility toward him didn¡¯t diminish. ¡°I did use it on my Talent, you?¡± ¡°On a temporary buff.¡± Pandora narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists. With [Stamina] absorbed she could keep up with them now. It soured her mood that she and Keynes shared the Level and yet she was visibly weaker when it came to fighting monsters. ¡°You¡¯re having a laugh.¡± ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°I used it on an untraceable buff I had from a fruit.¡± ¡°That was dumb. What happened to the buff?¡± ¡°It¡¯s become permanent.¡± ¡°That ¡­ was lucky.¡± Keynes nodded. He indeed was lucky. ¡°What about your Talent?¡± ¡°Call it an unimpressive result,¡± she snapped and walked away toward monsters emerging from a pool. Haruka took her place. ¡°She¡¯s scared,¡± Haruka whispered to Keynes. ¡°She might not get all her attributes maxed out in time.¡± It was a difficult thing to imagine for Keynes as hadn¡¯t struggled anywhere near as badly as Pandora. It was something to think about in the future. Why was this so easy for him? He dropped the manipulation of the water, as his mental stamina was running low. Essence came from the side where Pandora started killing monsters. Keynes felt it. Congratulations! You reached Level 3. All attributes Advancements achieved. Perfect State (second degree) unlocked! - Orb of Perfection awarded. - Orb of Insight (second degree reward) awarded. - Purified Body upgraded to Purifying Body (second degree reward). - Spiritual Aura upgraded. - Spiritual Ghost upgraded. - Gain another Perfect State to unlock further rewards. Upon gaining the Perfect State (third degree) permanent 10% essence penalty will be applied. Keynes braced himself for the body purification but it didn¡¯t come. The spiritual power that exploded out of him, put all monsters in a daze while Keynes¡¯s companions sharply turned toward him. He flexed his fingers feeling invincible. Congratulations, master! Alice appeared next to him, her tiny body shimmered with her own power. The connection between us is getting stronger! There was much to take in. Every aspect felt improved and a little out of tune with the rest. Keynes struggled with the control of his aura as its strength increased dramatically. Alice came with help, like in the hunting ground when Keynes had entered the Medium stage. Others approached him but he checked his profile before talking to them. Name: Keynes Kid Species: Human Level: 3 (Perfect State second degree) Progression: 0% Spirit Stage: Elevated Spiritual Companion: Alice Spells: Talent: Techniques: Status: Enhanced Learning (permanent), Purifying Body (permanent), Photographic Memory (strong), Untraceable (medium, permanent). Chaos (permanent, semi-dormant, ???).
Attributes Permanent Temporary Total
Strength (0%) 29 1 30 This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Dexterity (0%) 29 1 30
Will (0%) 29 1 30
Mind (0%) 29 2 31
Perception (0%) 29 1 30
Vitality (0%) 29 5 34
He had only three items that benefited his attributes; three rings. Everything else was either non-magical or didn¡¯t add attributes. This is it! His current stats were better than a Level 5 human ascender. As Keynes was now, he would have defeated Hellescott without Sylv¡¯s help. Haruka was the first to congratulate him. Vivena joined them, looking relieved. Even though Alice kept his aura under control, he knew he¡¯d have to upgrade his aura control technique again or learn a new one. Pandora approached the last and slammed her fist into Keynes¡¯s face, or would have if Keynes didn¡¯t dodge the punch. ¡°What was that for?¡± he asked. Surprisingly, neither Vivena nor Haruka reacted. Wait. Did they plan it? ¡°Let¡¯s see how strong you are now.¡± Pandora attacked, employing her technique. She was relentless but it didn¡¯t matter to Keynes. Even with her items, she wasn¡¯t the same threat to Keynes. Finally. The gap between their attributes was too large. Her Talent also failed to cause the same effect as previously. And this time, Alice came immediately with an explanation. Purifying Body buff and increased spiritual resistance negated the numbing effect of her Talent. It sounded almost like a system message. Keynes didn¡¯t dwell on it and immediately counter-attacked, sending Pandora flying. Poor control over his strength ended the fight there. One hit took away 25% of her HP. They were baffled. Keynes offered her the Liquid Health flask but she refused. After they¡¯d cleared the rift Pandora stormed out of it. Keynes barely paid attention to her tantrums as his mind was consumed by a great deal of things. He needed to use the Orb of Perfection, figure out what was the Orb of Insight and prepare for the race. With the higher attributes, came higher confidence and significantly less patience. Keynes just wanted to go and smash the competition. It alerted Vivena. She came to him, even though they had barely spoken in weeks, and attempted to convince him again that the race was one big trap. Even if she was right. Keynes was confident he could deal with it. He thanked Vivena for her concern but he wasn¡¯t going to change his decision. She didn¡¯t take it lightly and left the rift soon after that. ¡°They have quite a temper,¡± Haruka said. ¡°Vivena wasn¡¯t like this before.¡± ¡°She¡¯s worried about you, Keynes.¡± ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be.¡± ¡°I agree with her, Keynes. You should walk out of the race. Take Vivena and go hunting monsters. Some news reached me that there is a gigantic cluster of Level 2 rifts. Apparently, millions of people have already travelled to fight the monsters in the cluster. And if not there, you can always go to Australia.¡± Keynes stared in the distance, processing Haruka¡¯s words. It came as a mild surprise to find the other man to not share his father¡¯s conviction about the consequences of the Capital entering the competition. ¡°Why?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°The race is hard,¡± Haruka replied. ¡°Keynes¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Keynes placed his hand on Haruka¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hard¡¯s fine.¡± *** The next day, Keynes, Hawthorne, Vivena, Haruka and Pandora were on their way to the home village. Pandora was angry because she was close to maxing out her next attribute. Unfortunately, her presence was mandatory at the Capital. Hawthrone assured her that the Capital had their own share of Level 1 and 2 rifts, and she¡¯d be able to finish off the maxing out the process there. It lightened her mood a little. Keynes was still considering what to use the Orb of Perfection on. He¡¯d wanted to use it on his Talent, especially after discovering impenetrable double doors. But Pandora¡¯s comment about the unimpressive upgrade made him hesitate. His skills seemed like a good idea but Alice convinced him not to do this as he could improve the skills by himself. The same was true for techniques. The only thing he didn¡¯t have a direct influence over were buffs. Keynes had four buffs. The Purifying Body was the upgraded version of the Purified Body and constantly kept impurities out of his system, making everything he did more efficient and last longer. He was just learning how big of a difference this buff made. Alice didn¡¯t know what would happen if he used the orb on it. The process was random and there were many different upgrades. Alice wasn¡¯t permitted to list them though and he was left with guessing. The next one was the Untraceable buff. It was the result of the first orb used on the temporary buff. Alice confirmed the possibility of the buff remaining temporary while some other aspect of it was upgraded. Simply put, Keynes had been lucky that it ended up this way. He dismissed the buff without much deliberation, he¡¯d never planned to upgrade it the second time. At least not so soon. His Photographic Memory buff was the same thing as it¡¯d been before his ascension. It lacked the ¡®permanent¡¯ tag and Keynes had a strong suspicion that it¡¯d be the upgrade. No, he didn¡¯t need that right now. It left him with but one choice: the Enhanced Learning buff. It was the only buff Keynes didn¡¯t know the origin of. Alice said that it¡¯d been there when Keynes entered the Medium stage. What¡¯s the Orb of Insight? It grants a single moment of insight. The insight could be powerful. Wagner learned much about Keynes from one fruit of insight. Keynes considered using it now but he decided not to. He might need it later on. But his decision about the Orb of Perfection was final. Would you like to apply the Orb of Perfection on the Enhanced Learning buff? Yes/No - System Warning: the effects of applying the Orb of Perfection are irrevocable! - System Warning: the effects of applying the Orb of Perfection are unknown! - System Warning: the Orb of Perfection will be consumed. Gain Level 4 Perfect State to gain another Orb of Perfection. Keynes picked ¡®Yes¡¯ as he applied the orb on the Enhanced Learning. There was something about this buff that felt right. Enhanced Learning buff (permanent) perfected into Rapid Learning buff (permanent). Quietly, Keynes expected another skill but didn¡¯t get one. And then his body was jolted by a familiar pain of spiritual energy moving through him. He grunted, trying to keep his face straight. His Purifying Body buff kicked in lessening the pain but it still was potent enough to render him unconscious. Later on, they had told him that he¡¯d almost fallen off the flying platform. He might need to pick a better place when using the next orb. Upon their landing, the rest of the First Tribe delegation was already assembled and ready to leave. Chief Bonolo thanked Keynes for doing this and Keynes reminded him that this wasn¡¯t a charity and he¡¯d ask for something in return, although he wasn¡¯t sure what. Refreshed and ready, Keynes and the company flew south. The journey there was meant to take them a week. Even with some members of their entourage only to provide mana to the flying platforms, they still had to stop a few times. Keynes tested his body while pushing [Flight] and two flight techniques to their limits. The results were promising. Incredibly promising! His current mana regeneration stood at 7 points per hour. That combined with right wind currents could boost the flight speed to over 150 km/h. Three times faster than the flying platforms. Soon Keynes discovered something uncanny. The more he flew, the better he got at handling the flight. Learning was normal, but this speed of learning was not. Is this the Rapid Learning buff at work? It certainly felt different now. Every few minutes a realisation hit Keynes that he just corrected some silly mistakes, making the flight more efficient. This is scary. It is, Alice agreed. I don¡¯t think you should have possessed this buff, master. It almost feels like ¡­ a Talent-grade enhancement. Keynes stopped dead in mid-air. A Talent-grade enhancement? What makes you think that? It is just a feeling. I do not have any knowledge about this particular thing other than it should not be this strong. Its strength resonates throughout our bond, allowing me to learn faster too. Something like this could be possible for Talents not a general buff. Keynes turned his head to where Vivena was travelling with the rest. Could it actually be that the buff was the result of the error during the Talent revelation ceremony? Things started to fit together. What if Keynes¡¯s Talent wasn¡¯t meant to be Lockpicking but Enhanced Learning? What if Vivena¡¯s parents messed up the experiment. After all, his Talent¡¯s affinity was showing an error. Whatever they had done, it set Lockpicking as his Talent and moved his other Talent to buffs¡­ Holy cow. The sheer fact that he could come up with that stuff on the fly spoke of the absurdity of the upgraded buff. How many jackpots could one person hit? Master, you are forgetting about something. Hm¡­ ah, Chaos debuff. Yes. It seems that the Chaos debuff is the result of that failed experiment as well. It may sound like an amazing deal to be able to open the hidden doors and learn as fast as this but once the debuff quits the dormant state it will cause a lot of issues. We¡¯ll figure something out, Keynes assured her. And one more thing, master. Please, figure out a way to control your aura. I am growing bored doing it for you. Oh. He ¡®forgot¡¯ about that. Chapter 77: The Capital Vivena pondered the design of the flying platforms. They were crude, uncomfortable and weren¡¯t built for long distances. Even flying between the grove and the rifts hadn¡¯t been an unpleasant experience. It was odd because everything else she¡¯d seen in the grove where the First Tribe lived saw a high attention to detail and an excellent craftsmanship. Why were the flying platforms different? Why not add wings and rift materials to decrease mana cost of steering them? Even non-rift materials would make a world of difference. Proper seats would be welcomed¡ª She blinked, realising what she was doing. She was trying to distract herself from thinking about Keynes and the race. With a near a hundred percent certainty, Vivena expected the Capital to play dirty. Her grandfather would have never let go of such an opportunity like the only Level 3 rift in the world. Other Old Blood families would¡¯ve done the same. If it benefited them, they¡¯d play dirty. Based on what the chief had told Vivena and Keynes, the Capital seemed to have a change of heart. And it was a change for the worse. The Capital had to be aware that their win could lead to bloodbath. If they knew this and didn¡¯t back off from the race, it was easy to figure out what kind of people they were. Even if Keynes prevailed and won the race as the chief wanted, he¡¯d step on the royal¡¯s toes. Whoever these royals were, they¡¯d managed to get the World Government to build a wall around the continent to keep the people out of it. Her mother¡¯s training kicked in and she grew truly wary of what was awaiting in the Capital. The tribesmen didn¡¯t seem to know who she was but she had no illusion about keeping her identity hidden from the royals. They¡¯d know. Instinctively, Vivena looked up, finding Keynes flying far above them. The tribesmen kept their flying platforms no higher than thirty metres above the trees. Seeing him fly, naturally made her jealous. He seemed so free. If only he hadn¡¯t agreed to this idiocy. There was nothing else she could do to make him change his mind short of overpowering and taking him away, or bringing Wagner here. Both ideas had dire consequences. Keynes might be a Level beneath here, but she¡¯d seen how strong and capable he was. She might be able to kill him but overpowering without her Talent was impossible. On the other hand, Wagner¡¯s presence here could pretty much start a war. So, both options were a big no. But I have to do something. If only Keynes wanted to see the truth¡­ Isako, do you have anything new? Her spiritual companion appeared next to Vivena¡¯s head. Nothing new, my lady. Just let me know if you hear them talk about the race, the Capital or Keynes, right? I will, my lady, Isako replied and vanished. *** Over the week of their travel, they hadn¡¯t seen nothing but the endless jungle and an occasional savannah. During one of their three breaks, Vivena had learned that other tribes¡¯ villages looked nothing like the First Tribe¡¯s grove. It was a matter of a chief¡¯s Talent. That was partly why she hadn¡¯t seen a single village on their way to the Capital or any signs of civilization until they were a day from the Capital. At first, they encountered hunters decimating a horde of rift monsters on a savannah. They didn¡¯t stop. And then things started to change rapidly. Villages, small towns and roads popped up everywhere. Vivena saw cows, goats, fields and plantations. It looked like the Capital needed a lot of food. But she didn¡¯t like what she saw. There was no machinery, huts looked crude and makeshift. Something about the Capital irked her. Chief Bonolo looked out for his people. Their treehouses were well-made with comfortable interiors and a sense of well-being. She didn¡¯t get that feeling from the buildings they passed. Something popped up in the distance and grew to an unbelievable size as they got closer. It was a gigantic arch made out of stone and overgrown with vegetation. On its flat top stood armoured people, waving to their flying platforms. It must be a routine procedure as the three pilots landed on the arch without hesitation. Chief Bonolo stepped off his flying platform and showed the soldiers something Vivena couldn¡¯t see from her seat. The soldiers bowed and soon their journey was resumed. As they left the arch behind, Vivena couldn¡¯t help but stare at the bizarre structure in an odd location. With all the people around, the jungle was scarce here but still, who had built it or where they sourced so much stone? Suddenly, the landscape changed again. Huts became stone houses, dirt roads became paved streets, the entire feel of what was beneath them was different. And there was a wall, and like the arch, it was overgrown. Beyond the wall was a sight hard to describe. It was a city built out of white overgrown stone. It looked like no other city in the world. In its centre was a palace which was either built on a hill or the entire structure was ridiculously tall. It also was their destination. Vivena was speechless seeing the sprawling city with all these massive stone buildings, wide streets, odd structures and weird monuments. While the most pressing question was: who had built it? She also wondered why everything was overgrown. She saw thousands upon thousands of people in the streets and plazas. The sky above the city was swarmed with hundreds of flying platforms and some of them looked wildly different from those owned by the First Tribe. The three flying platforms approached a landing zone adjacent to the palace. It was easily a hundred metres wide and two hundred metres long. Dozens of people awaited them, some looked exquisitely dressed, others were soldiers. This place wasn¡¯t as peaceful as Chief Bonolo and Haruka claimed. On top of that, Vivena couldn¡¯t shake a feeling that she just time travelled back to ancient times. There was no technology here. The pilots landed the platforms at the edge of the landing zone. No matter what, she was going to find out what kind of mess they were trying to pull Keynes into. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. *** Chief Bonolo and Hawthorne led the way toward the gathering. Haruka and Pandora walked in the middle, while Keynes and Vivena trailed them. The pilots and the rest of their entourage had gone somewhere else. Clearly, the customs were different here from everything Vivena had understood. She kept her attention on what was in front of them, though it wasn¡¯t easy. The sights were breathtaking. They stopped in a rough line, facing the awaiting group. The soldiers or guards stayed only a few metres behind and Vivena wondered about the meaning of their presence. Bringing soldiers to meet a family sounded like a stretch. The two women stood out from the group. Vivena was quite positive that those were the same women who had visited the First Tribe over a month ago. From close, their white and gold tunics not only looked pretty but also radiated power. Isako confirmed that both were Level 3 and purely rift essence ascenders. She wasn¡¯t able to tell anything else as something was blocking her in-depth inspection. One of the women had fair but tanned skin and Vivena assumed she was Bill¡¯s mother and Hawthorne¡¯s wife. The whole idea of Hawthorne and his wife being servants of the married couple felt like a strange custom. Chief Bonolo bowed and the rest followed the suit except for Keynes who watched the two women. Since he¡¯d levelled up, his boldness was becoming scary. It was a massive issue as it only cemented his decision to stay in the race. Feeling no obligation to bow, Vivena didn¡¯t do it, wondering what kind of reaction it¡¯d evoke. ¡°Husband, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Chief Bonolo glanced to the side at Keynes and Vivena, then returned his gaze to his wife. She was prettier than Pandora whose ever-present scowl didn¡¯t help, but their attitudes matched. ¡°We came to take part in the Covenant of Tribes,¡± Chief Bonolo replied, seemingly unbothered by his wife''s tone. ¡°I can see that. But why are there two outsiders with you? Have you forgotten about the tribal law regarding outsiders and the Capital? And if you¡¯ve come here to take part in the covenant, where is your candidate?¡± She grated the last words, she was pissed and she didn¡¯t even hide her anger. Chief Bonolo once again showed no signs of distress. He extended his arm in Keynes¡¯s direction. ¡°Keynes is my candidate.¡± That revelation caught the representatives from the Capital off guard. The two women exchanged glances while the others quietly chatted behind the women¡¯s backs. ¡°Walk with us, husband.¡± Isako! Follow them! *** Venarys turned around and walked away from the gathering, Aurora and Bonolo in tow. She stopped at the western edge of the landing zone, with the steep gardens of the palace in the distance. As Aurora and Bonolo joined her, she activated her item that created a privacy screen. Venarys had been aware that some stray outsiders were in the First Tribe and it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Them coming here was. ¡°Explain yourself, Bonolo, and be smart about it. You have less than ten minutes before we are all summoned by my parents. And I assure you, that chat wasn¡¯t going to be a walk in a park.¡± She dropped the official ¡®husband¡¯ which signified the seriousness of their predicament. If Bonolo underestimated his deed, Venarys¡¯s parents might remind him where his place was. ¡°There is not much to explain, wife.¡± Bonolo stuck to the formality. ¡°I cannot let the Capital win the Covenant of Tribes and only Keynes is capable of winning it, even with all the obstacles you¡¯re going throw under his feet.¡± If not for her royal training, Venarys would have lost her control here and now. It¡¯d have been salvageable if her husband was an idiot. That sort of thing could be forgiven. Picking a fight with the Capital? That was betrayal. Venarys wanted badly to shake her head but she forced herself to keep an expressionless face and neutral pose. There were many eyes on them right now. ¡°Why have you done this, Bonolo?¡± she asked. ¡°I made it clear that the Capital must win.¡± ¡°The Capital winning the race will start a war between the tribes. They will question your position among us. You meant to be neutral, wife, not one of us. I cannot allow this to happen.¡± It was becoming increasingly harder to remain calm. She looked to her retainer. ¡°Go, take our guests to their rooms.¡± ¡°Can I¡­?¡± Venarys sighed. Aurora didn¡¯t need more than that. She showed Venarys her pearly white teeth in a mischievous but fleeting smile and left the husband and wife. ¡°If you openly tell this to my parents¡¯ faces, they will kill you.¡± Bonolo shook his head. His calm attitude worried Venarys. Was this the effect of the magical mushrooms they used to train their Mind attribute? There were reports that not every tribe was successful or lucky with the mushrooms and many tribesmen developed mental disorders. Could this be it? Hopefully, it¡¯d make my parents think twice about sentencing this fool to death. ¡°I don¡¯t think they will go that far, wife.¡± Always formal. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± Bonolo gave her a hard stare, then a visible change crossed his face. ¡°It¡¯s the boy. Keynes. He can open the hidden doors inside the rifts.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Venarys wasn¡¯t sure she heard her husband correctly. Since they¡¯d discovered the hidden doors inside the Level 2 rifts, they didn¡¯t manage to open a single one of them and they tried everything. ¡°You heard me. I mean exactly what you have on your mind.¡± Venarys failed for the first time in years to remain composed. An ability to open the hidden doors? A Talent perhaps. She¡¯d need to have a serious talk with her spies. This should¡¯ve been reported to her right away. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Hawthorne and I believe it¡¯s a Talent.¡± ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡± ¡°It seems to be desire-oriented loot. Hawthorne got many taming-related skills, techniques and items. Bill, on the other hand, received rewards related to cooking. He completely bypassed the ritual of purification thanks to his cooking technique.¡± Desire-oriented loot? It sounded too good to be true. But would Bonolo lie to her? It was unlikely. He¡¯d hide information if it benefited him, sure, but lying? No. Is the desire-oriented loot possible? She asked her spiritual companion. It is. There were many questions she had but most would have to wait. They needed to take care of business first. ¡°I don¡¯t imagine that boy would agree to this agenda of yours.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t. He¡¯s rather greedy.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t work, Bonolo,¡± Venarys admitted quietly. ¡°Sharing isn¡¯t my parents¡¯ strongest virtue.¡± Despite her words, he didn¡¯t look worried. What have you cooked up, Bonolo? I badly need spies closer to him. That grove of his is already causing problems here in the Capital. Her parents didn¡¯t like the First Tribe¡¯s rise in power and she meant to be responsible for mitigating her husband¡¯s growing influence. ¡°Hawthorne and I gave it a lot of thought,¡± Bonolo said, not looking at her. ¡°Initially, we hadn¡¯t considered it because we didn¡¯t have the means but after your visit, Hawthorne came up with this idea¡­¡± Venarys heard him out and agreed that the idea had some merit. But it all relied on one thing: the outsider girl. What if his feelings weren¡¯t as strong as Bonolo and Hawthrone believed? The boy would flee leaving her behind. And to make things worse, he had a [Flight] skill. ¡°Is Pandora and Haruka on board?¡± ¡°No,¡± Bonolo shook his head. ¡°And I would be hesitant to involve them in this. They may object to the idea. There is some friendship between our children and the outsiders.¡± ¡°Fine. Your idea isn¡¯t as bad as I feared, husband,¡± she returned to the formal way of addressing him. ¡°But we aren¡¯t out of woods yet. You must convince my parents to not kill you and take the boy for themselves.¡± The possibility that they¡¯d find Bonolo¡¯s role in this unnecessary was real. He admitted himself that the First Tribe didn¡¯t have the means to make this plan work. Bonolo needed the Capital. Did the Capital need him? A messenger appeared on the landing zone, coming their way. Soon, they¡¯d know the answer to her question. They were being summoned to meet her parents. Chapter 78: Room How much of their conversation did you get? Keynes asked Alice. Until to the point when she warned Chief Bonolo that her parents may kill him. Alright, keep an eye on them. Which one? I cannot split myself. Too bad. It¡¯d be a useful ability. For now, stay with the woman. It sucked that with the distance, the strength of spiritual companions dramatically diminished. The chief¡¯s wife had an item that created a privacy screen but it was only a Level 2 item and Alice hadn¡¯t had issues passing through it. The problem started when Keynes and others were led away. Eventually, Alice wasn¡¯t strong enough to eavesdrop. Keynes wasn¡¯t proud to invade the chief¡¯s privacy but the moment Keynes had seen the city, his instincts went wild. The size and scope of the Capital were beyond anything Keynes had imagined. Even the corridors they were walking now had been built with an intent to impress, utterly. Easily ten metres high and five metres wide corridors gave Keynes a feeling of ancient civilisations he¡¯d read about extensively. Almost the entirety of the interior was made out of rough stone. They used torches as their source of light. It seems like this place hasn¡¯t moved on since ancient times, he thought to himself. It didn¡¯t make sense to Keynes. For the first time since he¡¯d agreed to take part in the race, he didn¡¯t like it. On top of that, the rulers of this place don¡¯t sound like nice people. The chief might be a good man who wasn¡¯t greedily trying to seize Keynes¡¯s unique ability to open the hidden doors but the rulers of the Capital might have a different opinion on the matter. In the end it didn¡¯t matter. Keynes needed to be here. ¡°Don¡¯t show me to my room,¡± Pandora said in the front of their procession. ¡°I cannot waste time. I¡¯m close to maxing out my final two attributes.¡± The other woman murmured something too quietly for Keynes to pick up. Despite the insane size, the corridors were mostly empty save for tall vases with some oriental plants and flowers. One thing that stood out, however, was intrusive vegetation inside the palace, mostly around the ceiling. After half an hour, Keynes knew they were being led in circles. The corridors were empty for a reason. Their appearance looked nearly identical and if not his photographic memory, Keynes wouldn¡¯t even notice it. He suspected some hidden signage system known only to the royal family and their guards and servants was used here. ¡°I don¡¯t have the entire day, Aurora,¡± Pandora complained. She must have realised that something was off as well. ¡°I will find my way. Bye.¡± Aurora didn¡¯t try to stop her but Pandora¡¯s departure alerted Vivena who spoke up. ¡°This is ridiculous. We are walking in circles. If there aren¡¯t rooms for us, don¡¯t bother, we can sleep outside.¡± Aurora moved over to stand before Vivena. Keynes had to admit that Aurora made a striking figure. She was taller than Vivena by half a head and walked as if she owned the damned place. There was also something mischievous in the way she stared at others. In this case at Vivena, almost as if she was teasing the blonde to say more which Vivena did. ¡°It is clear we are not wanted here¡ª¡± ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Haruka interjected, seeing where it was heading. Neither Keynes nor Hawthrone said anything. They watched the spectacle. The people who had accompanied Aurora and the chief¡¯s wife disappeared earlier, most likely reporting to the royal family. ¡°Vivena and Keynes are my father¡¯s guests and by extension my mother¡¯s. They shall be treated with the utmost respect.¡± Haruka clearly wasn¡¯t aware of how perilous this situation was, even for his father. Or maybe he does? Keynes wondered if others had sent their spiritual companions to eavesdrop on that conversation. In fact, there might be hundreds of spiritual companions here in this corridor watching them. Alice was too weak to detect the presence of other spiritual companions, for now. Aurora glanced at Haruka and unperturbed by his words, she smiled at him. ¡°Finally growing a backbone. Haw always complains that you¡¯re soft.¡± ¡°Wha-what?¡± Hawthrone sputtered while Haruka blinked at Aurora. Keynes and Vivena were as shocked as him. What the hell was that? ¡°That¡¯s not true, Haruka,¡± Hawthorne explained immediately then came over and tried to grab Aurora¡¯s arm but his hand passed through the air. Aurora was no longer there. She reappeared behind her husband and whispered in his ear. ¡°Do you wish to do this here where everyone will watch?¡± Hawthorne¡¯s face went red and he pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°I will get in trouble because of you,¡± he hissed, annoyed. ¡°This isn¡¯t the place nor the time for games.¡± ¡°Boring.¡± Aurora waved at him and turned away from them. ¡°Follow me, your rooms are ready.¡± *** This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Keynes couldn¡¯t decide what to call his ¡®room¡¯. It hardly looked like a room, rather like a tomb with a bed, metal bathtub and a desk. His chamber was even higher than the corridor, at least twelve metres to the ceiling from the floor and was too empty. There was a single large glassless window that overlooked the southern part of the city. It had curtains but nothing to securely close it. With all the flying platforms being widespread in the Capital, it seemed uncharacteristic for a royal palace to leave an unsecured entrance into the building. Unless they wish to project a false sense of security. Or the opposite, they expect someone to pay me a visit. That¡¯d make Vivena right about this whole scheme and I don¡¯t need her being right at the moment. Keynes pulled the curtains and turned back to the chamber. At least the door was in place but what maniac built such a huge room? What for? Alice, how¡¯s the check going on? Clear so far. No formations or runes. Keynes was forced to call her back after he¡¯d been shown to the room. While his aura control was sufficient to let Alice out of his core, it wasn¡¯t good enough to be used to inspect the surroundings. For now, he had to rely on his spiritual companion. The bed was comfortable, though Keynes''s heightened physical attributes¡ªespecially, Vitality¡ªmade it easier to sleep on uncomfortable surfaces. His eyes travelled to the torches and smoke that fled through the slits in the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t a random design as Keynes barely smelled the smoke being a few metres from the torches. It still baffled him that such primitive things were used here. He considered messaging Haruka with a few questions but it wasn¡¯t that important and Keynes knew that the other man was busy right now. Before the knocking sounded, Alice warned Keynes that Vivena was coming. It was inevitable, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to get her off his back. He sighed and then called her inside. ¡°We need to talk.¡± Keynes looked around and shook his head. This wasn¡¯t a place for a conversation. Too bad Vivena was still in the Medium stage and couldn¡¯t communicate through her spiritual companion¡­ or maybe it was better this way? ¡°This place shouldn¡¯t exist,¡± she said, ignoring his gesture. ¡°We are in the middle of a giant city made out of stone, in the middle of a jungle.¡± ¡°And?¡± he didn¡¯t see where she was going with this. ¡°And? Keynes, they made the World Government hide this from the public. What kind of power do these people have to convince the World Government to do so? I can¡¯t even fathom this.¡± That was a good point. Not only was the size of the city unnatural but where did all this stone come from? And it wasn¡¯t like the builders used small boulders. No, each block of stone was gigantic. The entire wall was built from a single piece of stone. He¡¯d noticed the same in the corridor on their way here. ¡°Maybe they are the Old Blood family like yours?¡± Keynes froze. He just made a mistake, didn¡¯t he? Revealing their identities might be only a matter of time but confirming such important information was never smart. She didn¡¯t say anything as slumped on the bed, her face in her hands. They didn¡¯t speak for a few minutes until Keynes murmured an apology. ¡°Since you have levelled up, you have grown reckless, Keynes.¡± He didn¡¯t know what to say to that. His Rapid Learning buff was improving his behaviour but he could learn only from what he knew and he knew painfully little about dealing with the other sex. Hawthorne saved Keynes and Vivena from the ensuing awkwardness when he came to take them to dinner. ¡°No, we don¡¯t eat with the royal family. We are servants.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a servant,¡± Vivena replied so quickly it had to be an instinctive response. She added a second later, trying to correct her error by appearing casual. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t care.¡± Hawthorne didn¡¯t comment on it. They were led by two guards to another ridiculously large room with a long wooden table and the open kitchen next to it. The guards pointed to three stools and told Keynes, Vivena and Hawthorne to take the seats. ¡°They really don¡¯t like us here,¡± Vivena said. ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Hawthrone agreed, surprising Keynes and Vivena. It was rather a bold statement unless the cultural differences made it normal. ¡°They hate outsiders, and this is the heart of their world. It¡¯s only natural for them to show resentment.¡± ¡°No, it is not,¡± Vivena said, her voice hard. ¡°If they don¡¯t want us here. They should tell us to leave and save their faces.¡± ¡°I am afraid it isn¡¯t that simple,¡± Hawthorne said. Since gaining the Rapid Learning buff, Keynes started noticing minor things he hadn¡¯t been aware of earlier. Chief Bonolo¡¯s First Servant seemed always to look either in control or nonchalant. But every now and then, Keynes spotted minor cracks in the other man¡¯s outward appearance. And they were accumulating at a rapid pace since arriving at the palace. Keynes couldn¡¯t tell this to Vivena as it¡¯d only reinforce her conviction of being right about this whole race. He didn¡¯t blame her. While the Capital intrigued him and he wished to uncover its secrets, he had a hard time finding enjoyment in the prospect. ¡°The tribal politics is convoluted; entangled in their traditions and customs. But you are looking at this from the wrong perspective, Vivena. Not everything is politics. Those are people with minds of their own. Has it crossed your mind that they simply don¡¯t like you but they don¡¯t have any say in you being here?¡± The argument between Vivena and Hawthrone continued but Keynes lost interest in it. His attention was drawn by the smells coming from the open kitchen. Against his better judgement, he stood up and approached a large selection of pots seeded with herbs. He hadn¡¯t absorbed [Inspect Plant] and neither of the herbs had a system window. He recognised only a few herbs. ¡°Who are you?¡± came a question from behind, a rough accent but without much hostility in the tone. Keynes turned around and found a man with scissors. ¡°I came with the First Tribe.¡± ¡°Are you here to help in the kitchen?¡± The man eyed Keynes from boots to his head and then shook his head before Keynes could answer. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You don¡¯t have the look of a proper chief. Go back to your seat while we are preparing meals for servants.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t argue. There was nothing to see here, unfortunately. The food being prepared smelled nice but he knew already that neither ingredient came from the rifts. It was very odd. The First Tribe incorporated the rift ingredients aggressively into their diet and everyday life. Actually, nothing around us is from the rifts. Isn¡¯t that strange, Alice? I do not know the answer to your question, master. ¡°Keynes,¡± Hawthrone called after him when he noticed Keynes walking back to his seat. ¡°Don¡¯t wander around.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Keynes asked. Hawthrone chewed on the answer for a while which spoke volumes. Eventually, he replied, telling something that sounded like a lie. ¡°They may take offence¡­ what¡­¡± Keynes got a warning from Alice and turned around to find a servant dressed in white and gold. ¡°The King and Queen request your presence at the royal feast.¡± Chapter 79: Vines With every step, Keynes grew warier of his surroundings. At the face value, everything he¡¯d seen so far in the palace looked perfectly ordinary. And that wasn¡¯t normal. The Capital was supposed to have more rifts than the First Tribe but where were all their rift materials? Why almost everyone they passed by was Level 1? The guards were an exception, though they were only Level 2 at best. It wasn¡¯t all that itched Keynes. The vines were present in every corridor and room. After a silent debate with Alice¡ªshe also found them suspicious and in her opinion, they were likely to be a product of a Talent, like the First Tribe¡¯s grove¡ªKeynes decided to absorb an [Inspect Plant] skill. His control over his spiritual aura was still sketchy and an attempt at investigating the vines would likely alert the servant and guards who escorted them to the royal feast. New Skill acquired! Inspect Plant (active) Gain knowledge about a plant. The depth of knowledge depends on the mastery of the skill, the Level of the inspected plant and the inspecting ascender, and other factors. Cooldown: None. Mana cost: 5. The skill was very light on the Spirit which convinced Keynes to absorb other inspect skills later on. He immediately inspected the vines.
King¡¯s Vine (-) - [Plant] Level 3
Do you see this, Alice? Keynes asked. The plant was Level 3! It seemed to have no properties but as [Inspect Plant]¡¯s description said, the depth of knowledge was dependent on many factors. I do, master, and I stand by my earlier suggestion. The vine appears to be a product of a Talent. Any clue if the vines can have a hidden property? Keynes inquired. Alice¡¯s spiritual presence faded for a fraction of a second then she replied. I cannot be certain as Talent-grade creations are not subject to the same laws as spells but I would say it is likely the vine possesses hidden properties. Keynes thanked her for the insight. The whole discussion about Talent-grade stuff was something he¡¯d need to get back to as it spurred many questions, especially the comment about the laws. Obviously, Alice as a spiritual companion was bound by the System¡¯s restrictions on what and how much knowledge she was able to share with him but with the Rapid Learning buff, Keynes had a better chance of discovering something important like the fact that he¡¯d brought Vivena into a dangerous situation. If the vines were indeed a product of a Talent then the name of the vines gave him a clue as to whose Talent it was. The King¡¯s Talent. This, coupled with everything he¡¯d learned about the Capital so far, painted a dire picture. Yes, Keynes was walking into a trap or he already was inside a trap and he didn¡¯t just know it yet. Either way, if something happened to Vivena, it would be on him. He was stubborn about coming here against all odds. As Haruka pointed out, there were many different places to hunt monsters. It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m here for a reason. But there must be something to convince Vivena to leave¡­ no, she won¡¯t do it. Hmm. There was something he could do to mitigate the risk though. Keynes¡¯s hand brushed Vivena¡¯s hand and she squinted at him. Then he placed [Flight] in her hand. Her eyes widened and Keynes gently shook his head. He didn¡¯t want others to know that she had this. It¡¯d be her trump card. Haruka, and likely others, knew about Vivena¡¯s Talent but [Flight] was something they couldn¡¯t expect from her. Keynes didn¡¯t try to look at her after that, keeping his eye fixed on what was ahead. *** After twenty minutes, they approached the largest double doors Keynes had seen. The double doors were easily ten metres tall and made out of yellow and white gold. Like everything else they were non-rift. To his disappointment, the servant didn¡¯t use them and instead opened a small side door. ¡°The large door is only for special occasions,¡± Hawthrone explained. ¡°Like?¡± Keynes asked. Before Hawthorne managed to answer, the guide servant turned around and asked, ¡°Are you aware of the royal code of conduct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hawthorne and Vivena glanced at Keynes who shrugged. How was he supposed to know something like this? If Keynes had his way, he wouldn¡¯t even be here. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The servant¡¯s eyes fixed on Hawthorne. Neither man was in the Elevated stage so spiritual communication was out of the question. It was some other non-verbal way of exchanging meaning. ¡°I am going to warn the King and the Queen about your arrival. Use this time to explain to this young man the most important rules. Now, wait here until I return to fetch you.¡± *** The King dismissed his first servant and Afran went back to bring the outsiders in. Leaving them alone with Bonolo¡¯s first servant was a ruse to create a ¡®safe space¡¯ and observe the two outsiders before they entered the feast. Getting a better feel of what Khan was dealing with was always his first step. Him learning about a Perfect State ascender inside the Capital after the ascender¡¯s arrival, warranted a death sentence for the offender. Luckily for Bonolo, Khan decided to postpone his judgement. Khan hated situations like this when he had to balance the perception of his authority and the important assets as the outsider boy. Knowing that neither outsider would follow through with the proper royal code of conduct irked Khan but for a moment Khan couldn¡¯t order the arrest for them as it would throw Bonolo¡¯s plan off the rail. The Chamber of Feasts was designed with perception in mind though. Multilayered floors, with many thick pillars and adjacent open rooms were there to silently tell what was on a king¡¯s mind or simply to avoid situations where a king would have to choose between being humbled or ordering a punishment. Only one-third of the chamber was occupied, most of Khan¡¯s court was his family, Khan¡¯s children and their spouses, and Khan¡¯s grandchildren. Over the years, their number swelled to over a hundred members. Some of the less important and more distant relatives, Khan¡¯s cousins and their children were seated farther away, mostly to facilitate the situation like this. Afran and Bonolo¡¯s first servant entered the chamber and were escorted to one of the tables that didn¡¯t have eye contact with the king¡¯s spot. Everyone in the chamber understood what happened although not why. What Bonolo and Venarys had told him was a secret. While the tribes were docile and easily managed, the royal family was a different beast. One that Khan had to cultivate carefully which sometimes required trimming toxic offshoots. Killing members of a family was never pleasant but being a ruler wasn¡¯t about pleasure. It was a duty, hard and cold. ¡°You look thoughtful,¡± his wife said. The feast was in full swing, servants moved like spectres between tables, fulfilling the wishes of the gathered royals, wild conversations erupted and died, and yet, there were eyes on him. His wife couldn¡¯t choose a worse moment to utter a comment like this. Bonolo be damned with his plan. Khan growled in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Khan replied softly with a smile that never reached his eyes. Afran appeared by his side the next moment. Outwardly, the King¡¯s first servant looked no different than normal and yet his body language was subtly conveying a message that only Khan understood. The outsiders posed the highest threat level to the Capital. *** Webster sighed, closing his notebook. His research on formations frustrated him. The subject couldn¡¯t feel so remote and difficult and yet within his grasp. The knowledge brought from the rifts was insane but only a trickle got into the Web and part of that was fake, requiring Webster to separate the wheat from the chaff. It was time-consuming and the Saels grew irritated by the absence of results. But aren¡¯t these perfectly valid and important results? Webster thought to himself as looked at the closed notebook. Maybe the source of frustration wasn¡¯t the formations but the Saels and their inability to see the importance of his work? Yes, that sounds about right. It hadn¡¯t been that bad when Sirian worked alongside Webster as the other man had an inquisitive mind and saw further than the rest of his family. But Sirian was gone, left to grieve the death of his son. Webster remembered the heartbreaking moment quite vividly. It struck Webster to see how defeated the Level 5 looked when he learned that his son had been killed in Scotland. It wasn¡¯t that Webster expected Sirian to shrug off the death of his son but Mind attribute granted mental resilience and it looked like Sirian had none at that moment. The door sharply opened and red-haired Lorelai walked in. She no longer wore green, switching to black. Her face was one of cold indifference and yet it wasn¡¯t her usual expression which had been a mix of arrogance and pride. It was a warning sign for Webster to tread carefully, there were still three levels of difference between them, enough for her to kill Webster with ease. ¡°You wanted to see me,¡± she said, stone cold. ¡°I hope it isn¡¯t another of your expensive requests.¡± ¡°Yes, Mrs Sael, no, I mean, it isn¡¯t an expensive request. It¡¯s something else. My research has reached the point where it cannot move further without¡­¡± Webster trailed off, seeing the woman¡¯s unchanged expression. His plan suddenly didn¡¯t sound smart. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked flatly. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°Keynes Kid.¡± Finally, her mask cracked, although a short laugh wasn¡¯t something Webster was keen to hear in response to his words. ¡°Why do you need Keynes Kid?¡± Webster grimaced. ¡°The formations, Mrs Sael, have baffling complexity. Before the first outbreak, my understanding of the formations was very simple. You activated them and they worked perpetually or until you turned them off. Obviously, most of the formations I had¡ª" ¡°To the point, Frog. I don¡¯t mind science, but I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± ¡°My apologies, Mrs Sael. What I wanted to say is that I have learned a few important facts about the formations since the outbreak. Technically, formations are single-function magical constructs that don¡¯t require fuel to work but they are expensive to activate and without a schematic, creating a formation is nearly impossible.¡± ¡°Mr Frog, you aren¡¯t telling me anything new. All of these are long-established facts. Is that what we are paying you for?¡± Webster raised his hands. ¡°Please, allow me to continue, Mrs Sael.¡± She nodded reluctantly. ¡°The recent discoveries brought to light new types of formations. Some have a subset of variables that can be modified. A heating formation which allows to adjust temperature¡­¡± He once again trailed off, seeing impatience on Lorelai Sael¡¯s face. He needed to cut to the chase. ¡°What you desire seems impossible.¡± ¡°Why is that and what Keynes Kid has anything to do with this?¡± When I try to explain it you are getting impatient, woman! Webster thought frustrated. ¡°Your formation that affects the affinity of a not-yet developed Talent cannot be changed because it would be like asking a rock to behave like water. All the new evidence points in that direction. It cannot be done. To make a formation that affects the potency of a Talent, you would need a completely new schematic.¡± ¡°And where is Keynes Kid¡¯s role in this?¡± ¡°As we established, the formation you had used on him couldn¡¯t have affected him in any way as it always affected a Talent affinity in favour of poison. However, in his case, something else occurred. ¡°An error in the formation. This skewed the purpose of the formation and though it wasn¡¯t what you¡¯d desired it shows us an untapped potential of errors in the System.¡± Webster quieted down for a second then resumed. ¡°Unfortunately, I do not have the tools to force a formation to make an error but Keynes Kid has. I believe his affinity is Error. All we need is to replicate an error in a formation. From there I should be able to force a formation to go beyond its stated purpose.¡± Lorelai Sael blinked. ¡°And is Keynes Kid all that you need?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Webster replied enthusiastically, not sensing sarcasm in her voice. ¡°My father-in-law, one of the most powerful people in the world, cannot secure a meeting with this boy for weeks and you expect me to go and bring the boy here?¡± She half turned away from Webster. He sagged hearing her words but she wasn¡¯t finished. ¡°It¡¯s rather unlikely but I may give it a shot. After all, you did the ceremony for him.¡± Chapter 80: Camp Keynes sat on the roof of the tallest tower in the Capital and watched the stars. It was the only place in the city where vines didn¡¯t reach and he could be truly alone. This place had a serious issue with privacy. Keynes didn¡¯t have proof that the vines had come from the king but he¡¯d bet the entire content of his dimensional bags that this was the case. Anyway¡­ a few more days and we are gone. He jumped off the roof and flew south, watching carefully his surroundings. His aura control was improving at a rapid rate but wasn¡¯t yet close to cross the next threshold of the technique¡¯s rank. The subject of his thoughts prompted a question out of him. One he was meaning to ask for some time now. You said your role is to help and guide. Yes, master. Why do you ask? Because I feel like we have approached this from the wrong angle. I keep asking you questions you cannot answer because the System is not permitting you. It doesn¡¯t make sense to me. Why would the System birthed you in the first place if you barely share any knowledge? There must be more to you than you¡¯re giving away. There was something like an ¡®OH¡¯ coming from her through the bond. It matched Keynes¡¯s feelings when he¡¯d realised that the whole spiritual companion business must be misunderstood by them. So he decided to approach this from Alice¡¯s position. Tell me everything from the beginning. What would you do if I just ascended? I would welcome you and introduce your profile and the System to ¡­ you. And have you done any of that? He asked, knowing the answer well. I have not. Shall I? Keynes gave her a silent consent and she launched into a mechanical monologue. Welcome to the System, human ascender Keynes Kid, I am your new spiritual companion. You are about to embark on the journey of power. What you see is your profile. Every ascender possesses one. The profile is divided into four sections: general, powers, status and attributes. Even though Alice¡¯s voice became a little automatic and she lost her chaotic attitude, Keynes was mesmerised with what she was saying. The general section specifies your name and species. While you can change your name from the level of the System, species is unchangeable unless permitted by a Talent-grade ability or item. Furthermore, your current Level, progression, spiritual stage and companion are shown in this section. It is important to note that other, far stronger ascenders may be able to see your profile and it may be worth preventing this through gaining a higher spiritual stage, relevant spiritual technique or item. Note that I am not permitted to name any of them prior to your discovery. The System values challenge. Yes. Keynes was aware of that. The System seemed to like it when people struggled. The next section: powers, is further divided into three subsections: skills, Talent and techniques. Skills are magical abilities either active or passive. They come in countless names and shapes, and permit nearly anything. Skills follow the Law of Spirit and can break the Laws of Physics. Talent is your gift from the System. But it is important to note that Talents are purely random, cannot be replaced or removed like spells. But they can be improved or modified. Talents follow the Law of Soul and can break the Law of Spirit and the Law of Physics. Technique is a way of comprehending new skills and knowledge. The System is vast and to prevent ascenders¡¯ minds from being overwhelmed, techniques facilitate that knowledge and understanding. It is important to note that techniques are not skills. Keynes had to halt the flight and drift to the ground as he couldn¡¯t concentrate on flying anymore. There was a buttload of knowledge coming out of Alice¡¯s ethereal mouth. He landed a few kilometres from the Capital, on a hill with sparse trees and a couple of boulders. Alice continued on. The third section is: status. It possesses two subsections: buffs and debuffs. Buffs are effects that benefit you and debuffs are ones that negatively impact you. You can acquire resistances to counter debuffs. Very weak effects like alcohol and the Laws of Physics are not shown in this section. To see the entire list of all effects currently influencing you, you must develop a better understanding of your body. How it is done is for you to discover. This was straightforward although the part about seeing all the effects was intriguing. Keynes wondered what kind things would be listed there. The last section covers attributes. There are six basic attributes. Attributes are calculated upon ascension and follow the formula laid in the Seed of Life of your species. In your case, each attribute is 20 points. While generally, the value of each point is equal between ascenders, it is possible to improve attributes other than increasing the numbers. If you have questions, please ask. The Seed of Life? What the hell was that? Wait a minute. Did it mean the humans had been created by the System? He wanted to ask so many questions but eventually settled on the very mundane one. Why haven¡¯t you told me all of this before? Alice landed on his knee and looked at him with a playful expression that quickly grew irritated. Because I told you, the System did not function as intended. Does it now? Alice¡¯s face was tiny and many details of her expression were lost on Keynes but her emotions were leaking through their bond. Still, Keynes saw the frown and the stare which almost made him laugh. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. It still does not¡­ she replied reluctantly. But your circumstances make it possible for me to glean some information from the System. If that was the case Keynes wanted to push her a bit more before she hid behind the wall of ¡®I am not permitted to say¡¯. Can you tell me what your role is then? According to the System. He knew she meant to offer him basic information about the System so he could stand comfortably on his own feet. But he still felt it couldn¡¯t be all. It took Alice a moment to collect her thoughts. Initially, my role is to facilitate a transition from a non-ascender to an ascender and provide basic information about the rules. After that is done, my role shifts and I become a keeper of knowledge and help planning an ascender¡¯s build. I can also scout but my senses can be fooled so I should not be treated like a scout. At higher stages and Levels, my role can be expanded and modified. That would be all for now. Keynes had a lot to digest and all the questions he had would only lead to even more questions. He didn¡¯t have time to fall into that loop and didn¡¯t think Alice would answer most of them. Thank you for telling me this. I am sorry. I should have been able to do this the moment I came into existence. If only the System was fixed¡­ Do you know how to fix it? She didn¡¯t know. It made sense, the spiritual companions weren¡¯t omniscient, they knew only what the System shared with them. Keynes got back into the sky and continued his journey south. Ten minutes into the flight, he took out a geo navigation device that was meant to find the coordinates for him. He was close. Unlike the north of the Capital, the south was sparsely populated. Keynes landed on the exact spot indicated by the device, then swept it with his aura. The coordinates of a Level 3 rift given to him by Shaper were false. Why would he lie to him though? He wanted me here obviously. But why? Just in case, he and Alice checked one kilometre square of the area, finding nothing. Frustrated, Keynes returned to the palace. *** Hawthorne visited him the first thing in the morning. ¡°We¡¯re being moved to the preparation camp.¡± The race was meant to take place in three days so it made sense. ¡°Is Vivena going with us?¡± ¡°No. Only the participants and their handlers go.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my handler now?¡± Keynes asked sharply and out of character. The fact that they wanted to leave Vivena in the palace was setting off every alarm in his head. ¡°Yes,¡± Hawthrone replied roughly. If he wanted he could be an unpleasant man. ¡°That¡¯s how it works here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like leaving Vivena behind.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be safe here.¡± Keynes wished he could read auras on a level that would allow him to tell if someone was lying. He didn¡¯t want to make the mistake of accusing anyone of wrong-doing without proof. In this case he had a strong hunch that Hawthrone wasn¡¯t honest with him. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be the case, Hawthorne,¡± Keynes¡¯s voice grew colder. Hawthorne¡¯s body language changed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± But his voice didn¡¯t shake. ¡°I¡¯m about to compete against the people living in this palace and at the same time leave my friend to stay in their grip. Don¡¯t you think they may be¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯d be careful about your next words, Keynes,¡± Hawthrone interrupted him. ¡°Some words are best left unsaid.¡± Of course, others were eavesdropping. It¡¯d be foolish to think they were not. Keynes took the other man¡¯s advice. He didn¡¯t want to antagonise the king. He just wanted to fulfil the stupid vision and get out of here. ¡°Before we go, I need to speak to Vivena.¡± *** The camp was located two kilometres south of the Capital and calling it a camp was a big stretch. Dozens of half-ruined hovels were scattered around. It wasn¡¯t a camp, it was punishment for refusing to adhere to the royal code of conduct. Vivena had told him that something like this might happen. It happened. ¡°You know that I am doing you a favour, Hawthorne. You asked me to win a race for you to save the tribes from tearing each other and this is what I get.¡± To his credit, Hawthrone wasn¡¯t happy with this either. ¡°They are trying to insult you.¡± ¡°And I guess they succeeded.¡± Hawthorne turned to him. ¡°This is politics. We warned you about this. What did you expect?¡± ¡°A race,¡± Keynes replied without thinking. ¡°I am genuinely keen to compete with others. But your politics make me sick.¡± ¡°In three days it will be over,¡± Hawthorne replied. ¡°Pick any house you want to stay in. It seems we are the first here.¡± They were the first and while Keynes wasn¡¯t in a hurry to pick a hovel, he decided to look around. There was an uncultivated apple orchard nearby and he found a sand arena invaded by weeds. Beyond that were ruins without a roof. Most of its the walls collapsed. To get a better understanding of their past function Keynes took off the ground. From above he could see that the ruins had been a single building in the past. Judging by colourful but mostly smashed tiles, it could have been a bathhouse. So maybe this place was a camp in the past. It just was left to crumble. Walking around, Keynes found more clues that pointed in that direction: remnants of an open-air gym, now mostly pieces of scrap metal or a swimming pool turned into a stinking swamp. And then Keynes came across an obstacle course. It ran alongside the wooden wall that circled the camp. Most of the wooden parts rotted away but metal and stone ones were still here. Was his replica of the one they¡¯d use for the race? It was worth giving it a try. He set off at a brisk pace at first, taking in the makeup of the course. Then he picked up the speed after just a dozen seconds. This is fun! Obstacle courses were popular worldwide but the ones Keynes was familiar with put safety first. Here, the challenge was a paramount part of the race, not the safety. Keynes¡¯s physical attributes turned the course into a child¡¯s play. He finished the two-kilometre long run in less than two minutes. This really is fun. What is my time? One minute and fifty-six seconds, Alice replied. She was a timer now. Nice. I wonder how others would fare against me¡­ Viven, Haruka and even Pandora. His good mood vanished as he sensed a young black man in royal gold and white. Keynes didn¡¯t remember anyone with so much contempt in their eyes and arrogance painted on their expression. ¡°Outsider, I was looking for you.¡± Chapter 81: Obstacle Course ¡°Do you fancy a quick race on the obstacle course?¡± Keynes asked, feigning ignorance. The other man was clearly offended by Keynes¡¯s mere presence here. He¡¯s Level 2 and in the lowest spiritual stage, Alice supplied her knowledge. Either that guy didn¡¯t care about getting stronger or the Capital didn¡¯t value him enough to raise his spiritual stage and Level. ¡°W¡ªwhat?¡± the newcomer stuttered. ¡°What did you just say, outsider?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Keynes shook his head. His attempt at being funny was fated to fail from the start. Keynes got a better look at the newcomer. He couldn¡¯t be older than Keynes, he had a plain face but held his chin high, perhaps hoping it¡¯d make him look more important. His hair was short unlike Keynes¡¯s which reached below his shoulders. It needs a cut. ¡°You are going to withdraw from the race.¡± Bonolo and Hawthorne had warned him that something like this might happen. In fact, Keynes was fed up with the way the Capital treated him so why should he stay? The vision rolled before his eyes. He couldn¡¯t do it. He cursed silently. His role wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°Sorry but can¡¯t do it,¡± Keynes sighed. The newcomer frowned. ¡°Are you out of your mind, outsider? You¡¯re going to die, alongside anyone who dares to challenge the Holy Capital.¡± ¡°Holy?¡± That escalated quickly. It seems it isn¡¯t only politics I must watch out for but fanatics as well. Bother, I wish it all was over. I liked it in the First Tribe. Good bed and Bill¡¯s delicious food. Not this¡­ camp. The newcomer snorted with derision. ¡°You aren¡¯t worth talking to. You¡¯ll learn your lesson a hard way.¡± The other man turned away and made a few steps then added. ¡°If it was up to me, I¡¯d order them to kill you and take your woman for my sex slave.¡± Keynes knew what the newcomer was attempting. He was trying to provoke Keynes. Anger ignited like a miniature sun inside Keynes¡¯s stomach, he struggled to contain it. Keynes balled his fists¡­ Master, calm down. If you will not, you are risking your aura getting out of control. ¡°What? Did I say something wrong?¡± the newcomer turned to Keynes, a cruel smile painted on his face. He believed he caught Keynes off guard, didn¡¯t he? Luckily for Keynes, his Purifying Body buff immediately started to cleansing negative emotions, allowing Keynes to take better control of himself. Keynes smiled back puzzling the other man. ¡°You almost got me,¡± Keynes admitted. ¡°But it takes more than an empty comment to find yourself on the receiving end of my wrath.¡± ¡°On receiving end¡­ what?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself. Withdraw from the Covenant of¡­ Hey! Where the hell are you going? I command you to stop!¡± Keynes walked away from the newcomer. It was time to give him a bit of his own medicine. And also, Keynes wanted to beat his own time. *** Aurora watched the outsider nonchalantly walk away from Boreal. Normally, the young royal stood in the lowest spectrum of power in the Capital, being a son of a distant cousin of the King. But today was different. Today Boreal was an extension of a larger faction within the palace that didn¡¯t know about Bonolo¡¯s scheme. Aurora had been sent to ensure that Boreal wouldn¡¯t succeed in his attempt at intimidation or worse, provoke Keynes to attack him which would see the outsider executed before the end of the day. She had to give it to the outsider. He held his ground well but also confirmed that he had feelings for the outsider girl. Good. Their scheme depended on it. She watched him enter the obstacle course and then shot forward like an arrow. She blinked, musing what she was seeing. From the information provided by Bonolo and Hawthorne, she knew that the outsider was Perfect State Level 3 and in the Elevated stage like her. The pain of getting into the Elevated stage made her hate the cultivation. Venarys was still in the Medium stage and struggled with progression toward the Elevated stage. Aurora couldn¡¯t tell how hard it was to max out all the attributes and level up but three royals had achieved Perfect State in the Capital and they agreed that it¡¯d been a nightmare of a ride. And these were the people with the Capital¡¯s resources at their disposal. Here, in front of her, she had a boy who had maxed out his attributes not once but twice and was in the Elevated stage. Things like this had always made her wonder about her parents and their costly mistake. They had believed they could control a dangerous man as well and he killed them for this. If Bonolo, Venarys and the King were wrong about the strength of Keynes¡¯s feelings for Vivena, they might end up regretting this. Aurora followed the outsider, finding his pace exhausting. Her Talent made her body intangible and invisible, and she could disregard the obstacles and yet she had trouble keeping up with him. It must be items, her spiritual companion said. He¡¯s too agile and runs the course with too much orientation which is not possible. To get such proficiency would require many runs and he had only run it once before your arrival. And how would items help him with that? Aurora asked, curious. Usually, her spiritual companion was much more reserved about sharing knowledge. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. There are ite¡ªwhere is he? the spiritual companion stopped. His spiritual energy vanished¡­ Aurora passed through the large block of white stone and found the outsider sitting on a broken boulder. Waiting. ¡°I can sense you.¡± I CAN NOT SEE HIM! Her spiritual companion shouted, panicked. But I can, she replied, trembling. It was the first time anyone had sensed her in her intangible and invisible form. Who was he? She left the outsider without saying anything. *** Are you sure you sensed someone? Positive, Alice replied. Either an average invisible Talent or a strong skill but judging by everything I have seen so far in the Capital, I would say the former. Keep an eye on that ascender then. If you sense them again, let me know. Sure, Alice replied happily. Keynes lost the appetite to continue the run. He walked back to the ruined hovels then changed his mind and went to the apple orchard. If he was going to sleep anywhere, this was the place. He had a tent with him so the poor accommodation wasn¡¯t the end of the world. The next three days Keynes spent honing his aura control. He understood how important aura was in this ascender business. Every single ascender had a spiritual aura which could be used defensively, offensively or as a utility tool. But at the same time, a poor aura control turned the spiritual aura into a beacon. It was a double-edged sword. He needed to get better at sensing other auras as well. Once he got out of the World Reserve, problems would go away. There would be other fools believing they could bend Keynes to their will. He had to be ready to face them. Hawthorne visited Keynes twice a day, bringing food from the Capital. After the first night, Keynes told Hawthorne to return to the Capital. There was no need for the other man to stay alone in the ruined camp. As for water, Keynes had [Create Water] and didn¡¯t need more than that. The spell was the perfect answer to thirst. It solved so many issues that Keynes decided to force all his friends to absorb that spell too. Who knew one day it might save someone¡¯s life. When Keynes grew tired of playing with his aura or meditating, he used [Inspect Plant] on every plant in the orchard. Sadly, none of them had any properties. Unsurprisingly and yet disappointing, no one else appeared in the camp during that time. Keynes really hoped for some competition on the obstacle course. Every representative of the tribes taking a part in the race had a place within the Capital. Hawthorne tried to mollify Keynes but Keynes couldn¡¯t help but feel betrayed. At least, Bonolo should be here with him. Not for the first time Keynes had cursed the vision. If not for its insistence to take part in the race, Keynes would be out of here. He was a fool. He¡¯d expected a grand race, an opportunity to compete and connect with other racers. Instead, he stepped into a pile of political turd. He still felt uneasy about Vivena staying alone in the palace. The distance was too great for Alice to check on her. She¡¯s fine, he reminded himself. Before he came here, he¡¯d asked Vivena to send him a message via Haruka each day. Every day, she sent a single word, meaningless to others but having a meaning to Keynes. They had one for ¡®all¡¯s good¡¯, ¡®help¡¯, ¡®something¡¯s up¡¯, ¡®run¡¯. So far it was all good. *** On the third night, a group of Level 1 assassins crept toward his tent. Alice woke Keynes up and explained to him the situation. There were five men armed with non-rift long knives. As Keynes got up, he wondered if this wasn¡¯t another insult flung his way. Did they really hope that a bunch of Level 1s could kill him? He put on the Cloak of Shadows becoming harder to see in the darkness, then activated [Night Sight]. He quietly stepped out of the tent and immediately rose in the air. He stopped a few metres above, hiding behind a canopy of an apple tree. The assassins moved stealthily. They were good as far as non-magical abilities went. They still could surprise him with their Talents. A strong Talent was always a possibility. When they reached the tent, they looked at each other and nodded. Keynes¡¯s first thought was to land among them and then kill them. But that was a primitive urge. He could do better than that. He used [Telekinesis] and made one of the fallen apples roll on the ground. It was eerie quiet and a simple motion of the rolling apple made quite a noise. ¡°The hell was that?¡± one of them asked, forgetting they meant to be silent. ¡°Shut your trap,¡± the other one hissed, not doing a better job of sticking to their plan. Keynes made the same apple roll again. This time no one spoke. They only stared at the apple. So Keynes made it roll again until it stopped before their bare feet. ¡°D-did th-his just happen?¡± The other four turned their faces toward the fifth companion. Keynes couldn¡¯t tell if they were paler, but they seemed paler. And judging by their stiff postures, they were not having fun. Keynes reached for another apple and made it roll until it gently bumped against the first one. The assassins stood there, watching the whole spectacle, mesmerised or terrified. Or both. ¡°What is going on?¡± Either they were stupi-- Keynes activated [Spiritual Ghost] and shot like an arrow toward the sky. The tree he¡¯d hovered over, exploded in the ball of fire. That was a [Fireball], Alice said. From the hundred metres above the ground, Keynes could hear the screams of the would-be assassins or more likely the baits. They weren¡¯t there to really kill him but to lure him out so the true assassin could do their job. This was a close one, Keynes admitted. I do not think a single [Fireball] is enough to kill a second degree Perfect State ascender. I don¡¯t plan on finding out though. Keynes sighed. His tent was gone. He¡¯d need to get another one. For now, he decided to fly back to the Capital and spend the rest of the night on the roof of the tallest tower. Should we not pursue the attacker? Alice asked. No. It¡¯s not worth it. Tomorrow, the race starts. I want to be done with it and leave this place. Can you check on Vivena while I get some rest on the roof? *** ¡°Is it done?¡± Boreal perked up when the assassin returned from the assignment. They were meeting in one of the abandoned buildings. The Capital had hundreds of them. This whole place was the holy relic of the past and if it was up to Boreal, he¡¯d get rid of every commoner from the city. ¡°No,¡± the assassin drawled. ¡°He escaped.¡± ¡°He what?¡± ¡°Escaped.¡± Boreal put his face in his hands. This was the last chance to get rid of the filthy outsider. In several hours the Covenant of Tribes would start and all eyes were going to be on them. Boreal¡¯s aunt wouldn¡¯t take a failure for an answer. He couldn¡¯t return to her with empty hands. ¡°You must find him.¡± ¡°This will cost you extra. That guy can fly!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay,¡± Boreal ground his teeth, knowing well it was a lie. Chapter 82: Easy Money ¡°Forty-nine,¡± Tom Ventura said with a smirk. ¡°Twenty-seven,¡± Kaito Ren replied less enthusiastically. ¡°This isn¡¯t a competition,¡± Christopher Wolf reminded them, then dodged an attack and cut down the attacking monster. Both men glanced at him expectantly. Wolf shook his head in disbelief. Only after the other two unpeeled their gazes, Wolf murmured. ¡°Thirty-three.¡± Since they¡¯d left Geneva, they started encountering monsters at large and groups of vigilantes hunting them. The further east they travelled the more monsters and vigilante groups they met. The world was becoming a wild place. Almost every town and city they passed had been walled and secured. The constant influx of the monsters changed everything. But things didn¡¯t stop there. The White Masks turned people on the government and the wealthy. And this was shifting the world more profoundly than the conflict between the World Government and the resistance. Tom Ventura couldn¡¯t say he didn¡¯t like the change. He liked killing monsters. It was primitive but felt right. As if it was the natural order of things. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Wolf asked when ¡°Harvesting the monster¡¯s parts,¡± Ventura replied. *** They made a longer stop in a coastal town with a nice view of the Caspian Sea. Only the most expensive rooms remained as hundreds of people travelled north-east. Some of them called themselves adventures or monster hunters. What surprised Tom were their weapons. Very few carried firearms, many had swords and staffs. Two days into their stay in the town, he asked one of the so-called adventurers about it. Tom was in a pub while Christopher Wolf and Kaito Ren went to buy a passage through the Caspian Sea. It was hard to get a spot on a ship with so many people wanting to go the same way, so the other two figured out they¡¯d throw the weight of their Levels around and hope for the best. Tom had a feeling that they¡¯d be disappointed with the result. With the steady influx of monsters from the Baikal rifts cluster, some people got as far as Level 3. Their Levels might not be as impressive as they were almost a year ago. ¡°So why has everyone stopped using guns?¡± The so-called adventurer man glanced at Tom as if Tom was a halfwit. He was Level 2, had a mean face and wore furs that came from Level 1 monsters. That was all Tom was able to sense. ¡°Ordinary guns are crap and Level 1 and 2 stuff go to the rich.¡± The guy spat to the side. ¡°Try buying one and you¡¯ll understand.¡± Tom ordered two beers for them and was pleasantly surprised to receive a Level 1 beer. Actually, everything in the pub¡¯s menu was at least Level 1. It made sense to Tom as all the materials he¡¯d harvested were bought from him immediately. As his conversation with the furred guy continued in accompaniment of more beers, Tom Ventura learned that some monsters'' materials were very expensive because the monsters were dangerous to hunt or simply were rare. Later that day, Tom reunited with Kaito Ren and Christopher Wolf in their hotel. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°It would go better if you were with us,¡± Kaito Ren remarked unhappily. ¡°I had to do my own reconnaissance.¡± ¡°What for?¡± Kaito Ren asked. ¡°You cannot ignore what is happening around you much longer. Everything¡¯s shifting before our eyes. We must adjust.¡± It wasn¡¯t only what the guy said in the pub. There were many instances where Tom Ventura saw the society which was technologically very advanced take a step back and return to medieval methodologies: guns replaced with swords and bows, electricity replaced with mana, machinery replaced by formations and runes. It didn¡¯t mean the technology went away. No. Technology was still here and in a few cases, technology and magic merged together. What the guy from the pub referred to as Level 1 or 2 guns was just a tip of an iceberg. Rifles made from rift materials were expensive but not prohibitively expensive. But the merging of technology and magic which normally was a domain of the World Government and the wealthiest now spread everywhere like a wildfire. They had formations that purified water from the ground; runes that created light, heat, or chilled air. Monster parts were used in everything from medicine to clothes, and the whole industry was just starting to take shape. On top of that, the old professions and crafts were suddenly resurrected. ¡°What does it matter?¡± Kaito Ren asked, a little roughly. It seemed that they¡¯d failed in their mission to buy spots on a boat. ¡°Our mission is to save Daiyu Fen and Tulli, not hunt rift monsters.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Christopher added. ¡°Once the war is over, life will return to where it was.¡± Tom Ventura shook his head. They didn¡¯t understand the deeper change that occurred all over the globe. It wasn¡¯t only technology but people themselves changed and from this change there was no way back. ¡°I get it,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll save your friends but don¡¯t expect anyone to accept your money on the other side of the Caspian Sea.¡± ¡°What?¡± Christopher Wolf asked. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°As I said, reconnaissance. I talked to a guy. It looks like these adventures know more than we thought and they have means of exchanging information but he didn¡¯t share details on that.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°We cannot trust¡­¡± Tom Ventura raised his hand. ¡°You weren¡¯t the only one working for the Hidden Hand. I too learned my fair share of tricks there, Kaito, and I can tell when someone is lying,¡± Tom said a little harshly. Kaito Ren¡¯s personal stake in this was clouding his judgement. They were underprepared for what lay on the other side of the sea. ¡°The guy in the pub didn¡¯t lie, though he didn¡¯t say everything he knew, which is fine.¡± ¡°So, what should we do?¡± Christopher Wolf asked when Kaito Ren fell silent. ¡°How far away are you from the next Level?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sitting on thirty percent,¡± Christopher Wolf replied. Tom nodded to Kaito Ren who was still quiet. ¡°Eighty-five.¡± ¡°Okay, and I am twenty. I understand you all lost your old progress when you absorbed the rift essence.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Christopher admitted, his face concerned. ¡°You don¡¯t propose we level up, do you?¡± ¡°No. There¡¯s no need for that.¡± He made a pause. ¡°But we must be conscious of our Levels going forward.¡± He didn¡¯t elaborate on that and instead changed the topic. ¡°I gather you failed to buy the spot?¡± Their grim faces were enough to answer his question. ¡°As I said, I wasn¡¯t idle and I¡¯ve learned about a few monsters out there which are quite valued here. We go out there, kill them, harvest every single inch of the bastards then we return and sell them. Some of these monster parts will buy us spots on a ferry to the other side.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that,¡± Kaito Ren said. This time Christopher didn¡¯t agree with Kaito Ren which was good enough for Tom. The Level 5 was finally understanding his point of view. ¡°Getting around will take us over a week if not longer.¡± The red-haired man eventually conceded. ¡°Fine.¡± *** They left the town the first thing in the morning and travelled straight north where most of the monsters had come from. The specimen they were hunting though was a flying monster, resembling an oversized red parrot with a too long tail. The most valuable part of the monster was its feathers which weren¡¯t even used by the locals. They stuffed pillows with them and sold them to rich customers on the online auctions. ¡°What¡¯s so special about the feathers to be this expensive?¡± ¡°They increase mana regeneration by 100% during sleep.¡± That was all it did. If they managed to kill a single monster. According to the locals, a single monster should cover the cost of their journey to China. ¡°The mana containers,¡± Christopher Wolfpointed out. ¡°Yeah, and I guess so too. Everyone wants to sell their mana now, so having a pillow that boosts your regeneration by 100% is a good investment.¡± The change in attitude toward mana was another thing they¡¯d noticed. Some places didn¡¯t want dollars, they asked for mana as payment. Tom Ventura wasn¡¯t a stranger to using mana because of his Talent but Christopher Wolf¡¯s Talent was passive and to him, the concept of mana was rather alien. Unfortunately for them, the coastal town didn¡¯t accept mana as no one in the town possessed the mana containers. While the containers were wildly popular worldwide, they were very scarce. In the town they¡¯d previously stayed in, they watched a special report about the emergence of the mana containers and their impact on the economy and technology. Behind the massive demand for the mana containers stood runes. Their versatility was insane. Even in the places without mana containers runes were being introduced, decreasing the cost of electricity and fuels, and opening many unusual opportunities. ¡°Do you think mana containers have the future?¡± Christopher asked in his conversational tone, drawing Tom¡¯s attention from his thoughts. ¡°A hundred mana isn¡¯t much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the beginning,¡± Tom replied. ¡°I can see them crafting better containers in a few months.¡± After that, the conversation died down as neither man had enough expertise to really talk about the mana containers or crafting in depth. It didn¡¯t help that Kaito Ren was gloomy since their departure this morning. They travelled in silence, passing scattered, destroyed houses and farms. This far away from the safety of the town¡¯s walls, life was dangerous. The monsters at large weren¡¯t a joke and the trio saw a dark side of the two outbreaks. It reminded them that the rifts and rift monsters weren¡¯t only wealth but death and destruction too. Tom, Ren and Christopher weren¡¯t the only ones on the road but it was rare to see groups of less than ten armed people. Some engaged them in short conversations, asking if they needed an escort or help, though most only eyed them suspiciously. As they reached the mountain where they meant to find the red-feathered rift monsters, Kaito Ren asked. ¡°Why are we the only ones hunting these birds if they are worth so much?¡± It was a good question but there was a solid reason for this. Tom checked because his first suspicion had been an ambush as the dissolution of the order and law was accelerated because of the uprising that came after the onset of the war between the World Government and the resistance. Even though there was an informal truce between warring sides at the Baikal lake, the rest of the world was like a cauldron that was about to boil over. Tension was high. ¡°The locals say that every monster hunter goes north as there are more monsters and¡­ well, these birds aren¡¯t easy to hunt here.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Christopher asked. ¡°Well, they don¡¯t land.¡± ¡°...¡± *** The climb took them an hour mostly because of Kaito Ren who was weaker than the two Level 5s. From near the top, they noticed their prey and grimaced. It was flying over two hundred metres above them. ¡°That¡¯s genius of you,¡± Kaito Ren said, then added. ¡°Like in Scotland.¡± Tom took the comment without an outward reaction. He knew he¡¯d made the right call. The scientist was a threat to the world and needed to be eliminated. The killing wasn¡¯t something Tom revelled in but he never shied from doing what had to be done, killing included. It was one of the few useful lessons learned from his dead parents. He missed them despite their numerous flaws. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Christopher asked politely. ¡°Will they attack us if we get closer?¡± Okay. Tom might have not thought this through. Yeah. The locals skipped over a few important details it seemed. ¡°Kaito will be our bait.¡± ¡°What? Why me? It was your idea. You¡¯re going to be bait.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the weakest, Kaito. They sense weakness. Chris and I have none.¡± Kaito Ren narrowed his eyes sensing crap coming out of Tom¡¯s mouth. ¡°So we don¡¯t have a plan,¡± Christopher muttered but didn¡¯t push it. ¡°Okay, we can figure out something. We haven¡¯t walked all this way for nothing.¡± Kaito Ren shook his head, looking angry, a very rare sight. ¡°This was a mistake. We¡¯ll find another way across that oversized lake.¡± Kaito Ren opened a portal that led to the bottom of the mountain¡­ It clicked in Tom¡¯s mind. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Tom said excitedly, stopping Kaito Ren from stepping through the portal. ¡°I have an idea. You will have to open the portal in front of the flying monster and Christopher and I will take care of it here on the ground.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ¡­ insane,¡± Kaito Ren said but didn¡¯t walk into the portal. ¡°But it may work. Only we have to wait ¡­ six hours.¡± Chapter 83: The Cult After two days of boredom, Vivena had enough and asked Haruka to take her for a tour around the city. She was half-expecting a straight rejection as the royal family so far did everything to make her stay unexciting. She was treated well by servants and provided with delicious food but at the same time, Vivena couldn¡¯t wander around the palace as she wished to. Haruka tried to spend as much time as he could with her but it led to awkward silence several times as they didn¡¯t share enough interests outside of delving rifts. Additionally, she was aware of being under surveillance and so they couldn¡¯t speak openly about many sensitive things. Why the royals didn¡¯t reject her request to visit the city was a mystery because they clearly made a statement with their treatment of her. She¡¯d been taught how to operate within such an environment, with all its political games and intrigues, and she¡¯d enjoyed it until she met Keynes. Now, more often than not, political games irked her and she just wanted to leave the palace and return to the wilderness to hunt monsters. *** Vivena and Haruka emerged from the palace onto a cobbled plaza, cut across by vines and trees. They crossed the plaza on their way to the gate and were met by three dozen guards, all Level 2. The iron gate had a runic inscription on its surface but the guards ushered them quickly through, not giving her a chance to read it. She asked Haruka about this but he only shook his head, in what she understood was a ¡®not now¡¯ message. She glanced back and saw two guards follow them, twenty metres behind. Even with them being so close, Vivena didn¡¯t think they were there to eavesdrop on Vivena¡¯s and Haruka¡¯s conversations. She expected spiritual companions to fulfil that role. The city from the ground level looked strange ¨C as if people lived in the ancient ruins. Some buildings seemed unoccupied with their gaping glassless windows. Vivena mentioned it to Haruka. ¡°There are not enough tribesmen to occupy every building in the Capital.¡± While the city was massive, she had the impression that there were hundreds of thousands if not a million tribesmen living right outside of the city¡¯s walls. Vivena didn¡¯t think it was the true reason why some of the buildings remained empty. The Capital, for all its ancient feel, mesmerised her. The streets were very wide and filled with greenery and trees. Clearly, the streets weren¡¯t built with cars in mind. Almost every tree bore fruits, most she couldn¡¯t name. As they walked away from the palace, the scenery changed; more empty buildings, fewer people and a stronger stench of decay. It looked like most of the attention was poured into the parts of the city around the palace. No surprise there. What she found interesting were people and their reaction to her and her casual clothes. They didn¡¯t look surprised or much interested. There were other white people in the place although they followed the local dress code. She and Keynes were the only ones with clothes that had nothing to do with the tribal culture. It made her wonder because everyone had a dose of curiosity in them. Her presence here should have sparked at least a tiny amount of interest in their eyes. There was nothing. She was about to ask Haruka about this but something else caught her eye. One of the building¡¯s windows at the ground level had faint runes in the frame. She¡¯d seen runes before many times so it wasn¡¯t something usual except runes were mana-hungry and therefore not practical. She stopped and after telling Haruka she wanted to investigate the runes, walked over to the building with the glassless windows. No one was around so she peeked inside. The room was dark and empty, with stone walls and a floor with dry leaves scattered all over it. She looked back at the runes. They were faded but their design was complex, indicating an extensive understanding of a runic scripture. ¡°Who did that and to what purpose?¡± she asked when Haruka joined her by the window. The two guards kept their distance. ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Haruka replied enigmatically, perhaps not wishing to reveal more than he should where the spies from the palace could hear him. Vivena turned to go but then froze. Something about the runes wasn¡¯t right. To fade like this, the runes would have to be engraved ages ago¡­ How long ago, she couldn¡¯t tell, she wasn¡¯t an expert, but she had a hunch that the runes were as old as the city and the Capital seemed ancient. ¡°I have an entire day.¡± She decided to press him for the answer this time. Haruka wasn¡¯t one to scowl or show displeasure openly but there was a delicate twitch on his face which told her enough. ¡°The royal family built the city, including the runes. How did they do it or why ¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± His answer didn¡¯t make much sense. ¡°Most of this place looks like overgrown ruins, Haruka. If your ancestors had built it, why has it been so neglected by later generations? Why have they stopped using the runes or how did they use them in the first place?¡± Haruka glanced at the guards and then beckoned Vivena to follow him away from the building. ¡°There are many legends that the Capital was once a paradise with working formations and runes that would make most of your technologies obsolete. According to these legends, every building had a complex array of formations, runes in every window and door. It was¡­ well, it is only a legend. A myth.¡± It sounded like one. The whole array thing was only a theory, weak at that. Her family had their share of secrets, mostly related to poisons. And they possessed one of the most powerful formations in existence ¨C the Talent Poison Affinity formation. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Even with their reach, accumulated knowledge and expertise, they knew that arrays were either impossible to create or the current understanding of formations was extremely lacklustre. She treated the formation arrays the same way she treated stories about ancient empires that supposedly ruled over the world and wielded powers unimaginable to today¡¯s minds. But still, a question remained ¨C where did these runes come from? Their origin intrigued her. She pushed the question away though, understanding when to back off. She was in the middle of the mysterious and ancient city with a hostile royal family that possessed the means to eavesdrop on their conversation. She might not care about their wrath that much but she liked Haruka and didn¡¯t want him to get in trouble for this. As if reading in her mind, ten people in plain white robes approached them, emerging out of several narrow alleys simultaneously. The robes were made from ordinary material but one of the men was Level 3 and so he had to be quite important around here. ¡°Royal scion,¡± the man said with reverence. ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice your presence in a forbidden part of the Capital. Please, turn around and head back to the palace.¡± Vivena glanced at the two guards, they were looking the other way. Seems like we reached the extent of the royal hospitality. Unless it was the question about the runes that triggered the appearance of these robed figures. So there must be some ugly secrets the royals don¡¯t want to be seen. ¡°Who are you?¡± Haruka asked. ¡°We are devoted servants of the royal family and our duty is to act in your best interest,¡± the Level 3 replied. ¡°Therefore, I have to ask you to turn around and return to the palace.¡± Yes. It seems so. ¡°Why?¡± Haruka frowned, confused. ¡°We are permitted to roam the entire city without limits. If you don¡¯t believe us, ask the guards who follow us.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Your guards will confirm my words.¡± Haruka beckoned his guards and when they sheepishly approached, to Haruka¡¯s shock, they confirmed it. ¡°I¡¯m going to take it up with the king,¡± Haruka said, keeping his voice flat. ¡°What¡¯s the name of the person who¡¯s taking the blame for this?¡± ¡°We bear no names. We are the Cult of Shaper.¡± *** Vivena and Haruka were on their way to the palace without a word of complaint after the name of the cult had been dropped. Vivena had never seen Haruka so shaken. And she wasn¡¯t in much better shape. The Cult of Shaper. Vivena and her family were part of this cult and finding members of the cult at the heart of the World Reserve was something unfathomable. The Cult of Shaper was the domain of the Old Blood families. What was the cult doing here among the tribes? The cult was something unique. Their role was focused on keeping secrets that could destabilise the world. Vivena didn¡¯t know the full extent of the secrets kept by her family, that would be her grandfather and maybe her father and his siblings, but it told her one thing. If the cult was here, it meant they kept dangerous secrets in the Capital. And judging by the reaction of the guards and Haruka, the cult wielded substantial influence here. Suddenly, she not only didn¡¯t like the whole idea of the race, but she was also sure that Keynes and she were in grave danger. She grabbed Haruka¡¯s arm and stopped him before they crossed the gate. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s the cult doing here?¡± Haruka glanced at her, blinking several times. She made a mistake of revealing the knowledge about the cult. Not many people knew that the wealthiest families in the world belonged to the cult because they were afraid of a boogeyman. ¡°You heard of the cult?¡± Vivena gave him a long, intense look. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an expert about the outside world but even I know that the knowledge about the cult is something reserved for the very wealthy. So, my question is: who are you, Vivena?¡± She looked around not sensing anyone close but if a spiritual companion floated next to them, she wouldn¡¯t know, not that she¡¯d have told him the truth either way. There was too much risk in revealing her identity, though she¡¯d like to put her hands on the privacy formation Haruka''s mother had. It¡¯d open a way to have a more meaningful conversation with Haruka. ¡°I am no one important, Haruka,¡± she replied, her voice hushed. Haruka said nothing to that, his expression dark though. Things were going to take a turn for the worse. She could feel that in her bones. *** Aurora appeared next to Venarys on one of many balconies overlooking the Capital. Venarys immediately activated the privacy bubble. ¡°You were right,¡± Aurora said. ¡°She knows about the cult.¡± Venarys pursed her lips. Her being right wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing in this instance. She pulled her robe tighter around her. This could spell problems. If that outsider girl knew about the cult, it meant she could be a part of one of the Old Blood families. The Capital didn¡¯t need this kind of exposure right now. ¡°We must find out what family she is part of. I gather she didn¡¯t say.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t. She¡¯s not stupid. And she¡¯s Level 4, Venarys. And from what we know she has some powerful items in her dimensional pouch. Your husband¡¯s plan may not pan out. Even if she isn¡¯t part of any powerful family, individually, she could be too strong for the king¡¯s people to restrain her.¡± Venarys understood her retainer¡¯s worry. The System allowed individuals to gain enough power to challenge an army of Level 1s. The current President, and the only person in the solar system to be Level 10, was the most feared person beyond the wall. That was wrong and the reason why the Capital didn¡¯t want to interact with the people from outside the wall. For ages, the Capital enforced the law that forbade killing other humans and by doing so, they kept the populace at Level 1. The law itself was ancient and predated the tribes, maybe even the Capital itself. But it was a good law. Venarys wasn¡¯t privy to her father¡¯s politics but she was aware of plans being developed by the previous king Akarys and the previous president Vichy Ottoman to implement the tribal law outside the World Reserve. She didn¡¯t know what had remained of these plans but she sympathised with that kind of world where everyone would be equal. The outbreaks rendered that world impossible. Now, the rise of powerful individuals was inevitable. The Capital needed that Level 3 rift to create their own army of high-level ascenders to even the odds, and the ability to open the hidden door was paramount for the Capital to grow even stronger. But her husband¡¯s plan, indeed, was risky. Both outsiders had no ordinary resources and strength. If Venarys father and her husband misjudged those two, it¡¯d end fatally for them. If that happened, Venarys didn¡¯t want to go down with them. She needed a contingency plan that would see her on top of either scenario. ¡°I understand your worries, Aurora, but my father¡¯s decision won¡¯t be changed. Tomorrow, when they come for the girl, observe them but do not intervene. If my father doesn¡¯t have the means to restrain her, we don¡¯t want to be involved in this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about¡­¡± Venarys placed her finger on Aurora¡¯s lips and smiled. ¡°No need to say it aloud. Now, go check on the outsider boy.¡± Chapter 84: The Covenant of Tribes The day of the race approached and with it came a competitive spirit. Keynes knew he wasn¡¯t taking part in the race because of Bonolo¡¯s request anymore. Too many layers of stinking politics for Keynes¡¯s liking. But it didn¡¯t stop Keynes from feeling the thrill of competition. He wanted to win this just to beat others. He had never experienced such emotions before as he¡¯d never been a competitive person like his brother. Harter would have enjoyed this too. Perhaps, when Keynes was back in Geneva, they might do some competitive activities. It was quite close to Harter¡¯s Talent Unlocking ceremony anyway. I wonder what Talent he will get. Hawthorne came to get Keynes the first thing in the morning. Keynes had spent that night in the city, on the roof of the highest tower, and had to hurry up to meet Hawthrone on time. From the training camp, they walked for a couple of kilometres until they joined a wide dirt road packed with people. Everyone was going in the same direction, most likely to where the race was going to take place. Keynes had his Cloak of Shadows on, keeping his face hidden. It earned him only a few curious looks. As they marched in silence, snippets of conversations from around reached Keynes. Everyone was sure their candidate was going to win this. It only fired up Keynes more. Keynes and Hawthorne arrived at the large gathering with thousands of tribesmen. Because the terrain was flat and Keynes didn¡¯t want to reveal his [Flight] skill to the wider public, he couldn¡¯t see the entrance to the underground race track. They cut through the crowd until they reached the area with tents, cordoned off by hundreds of guards. From Haruka, Keynes knew that Vivena was here as well. She would see Keynes off. Hawthorne led Keynes to one of the larger tents. Here, the guards finally started to give Keynes curious looks but no one stopped him or Hawthorne. Inside the tent, Bonolo and his wife held a small court. Keynes ignored them, even when Bonolo called out his name, and went straight to Vivena. ¡°How are you?¡± he asked as he took off the hood. Her aura betrays signs of distress, Alice said. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± she lied. An urge seized him to take her out of here and fly somewhere else. She saw his tense gaze and softly shook her head. If only she was in the Elevated stage, they¡¯d be able to speak freely. ¡°Keynes.¡± Haruka came over to them. ¡°Do you have a moment?¡± He seemed stiffer than usual. Keynes nodded, touching Vivena¡¯s shoulder. Haruka¡¯s parents waited for him. Hawthorne and his wife stood two steps behind the couple. Pandora stood in a corner, her expression cold. ¡°Keynes, I hope you enjoyed your time in the training camp,¡± Haruka¡¯s mother said, which prompted Bonolo to glance at Hawthorne but neither man spoke. ¡°I haven¡¯t spent much time there,¡± Keynes replied, knowing well they wouldn¡¯t like his answer. ¡°I used my free time to look around.¡± ¡°Keynes, what are you doing? Instead of sending a message via Alice, Keynes turned to Haruka and replied. ¡°I appreciate your concern, Haruka, but I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Keynes had given it a lot of thought and decided to cut to the chase. If the royals wanted to play games, they were free to do so but Keynes wouldn¡¯t be part of their schemes. Sending Keynes to the ruined and abandoned training camp was some sort of message but it failed to convey the meaning. Haruka¡¯s mother, Venarys, motioned to Haruka to leave the tent together with other gathered guests. Only Vivena, Keynes and the two couples remained. ¡°I appreciate what you¡¯re doing for my husband. Especially, when you don¡¯t seem to have a stake in this but I am obligated to remind you that this isn¡¯t your world and different rules apply here. We won¡¯t tolerate your rudeness.¡± Keynes nodded. It sounded like another attempt at getting rid of him. The Capital didn¡¯t like the fact that he was taking part in the race. ¡°Wife,¡± Bonolo said. ¡°We need Keynes. We can¡¯t¡ª¡± Venarys raised her hand, silencing her husband. ¡°This is your last chance to walk away from the race.¡± ¡°Keynes.¡± Vivena grabbed his arm. ¡°We should leave now. Believe me.¡± ¡°What is this, Venarys?¡± Bonolo asked, losing his composure. ¡°You¡¯re part of the First Tribe now. You ought to act in our best interest.¡± Bonolo stepped toward his wife. Keynes didn¡¯t know if it was a spectacle for his sake or genuine disagreement and he didn¡¯t care much. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Keynes said, drawing attention back to him. ¡°I am taking part in the race anyway.¡± ¡°I admire your loyalty,¡± Venarys said. ¡°Fine then, you have an hour before the race starts.¡± *** This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°This is a mistake,¡± Vivena whispered to Keynes as they emerged from the tent. ¡°Dangerous one at that.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t talk about it here. Too many ears.¡± Keynes glanced around. Haruka kept his distance from them, Pandora was nowhere to be seen, Bonolo, his wife and their two servants were at the head of their group, leading them away from the tent. After two hundred metres, the dirt road became a paved walkway with potted flowers on each side and king¡¯s vines all over the place. The paved walkway ended with wide stairs leading down. Keynes and Vivena stopped, needing a moment to absorb the sight that spread before their eyes. It looked like a buried stadium except everything was made out of white stone, the same one the Capital was built of. The only difference was that the stone here was polished and clean. From other paved walkways, thousands of tribesmen poured into the stadium. At the bottom were a stage and an underground entrance. Though the stage was almost three hundred metres away, Keynes could see the pristine white of the royals and their guards. ¡°What is this?¡± Vivena asked, her eyes wide. ¡°The Covenant of Tribes,¡± Haruka said, as he was forced to come closer. ¡°This is where the race will start and end.¡± The race track was a loop, roughly ten kilometres long. But Hawthorne had warned Keynes that distance wasn¡¯t the issue. It was an obstacle course with few traps being quite sophisticated. The mechanism of the track was never the same as its obstacles constantly shifted. Hawthorne and Bonolo had been cagey about the whole mechanism and Keynes naively hadn¡¯t pressed the issue, which he regretted now, seeing the scale of the structure. They resumed their walk and followed Haruka¡¯s and Bill¡¯s parents almost to the bottom where the First Tribe¡¯s seats were. They were very close to the king and the queen. Both of them wore pure white robes with golden embroidery. They sat on large comfortable armchairs, their expressions tense. The number of guards around the stage was telling. If the king needed such a security detail, the Capital wasn¡¯t as peaceful as the First Tribe had made Keynes believe. Right next to the stage, Keynes notices a set of heavy metal doors, most likely it was the king¡¯s escape route if a flying platform wasn¡¯t safe to use. The First Tribe, or any other tribe for that matter, didn¡¯t share the luxuries given to the king and the queen. Everyone sat on the naked stone and in most cases, the tribesmen didn¡¯t have anything to cover their bottoms. At Level 3, Keynes¡¯s body gained quite a resistance to discomfort and he barely paid any attention to the hard surface of the stone. Vivena seemed to share his sentiment. Keynes was surprised when a table was brought to the stage and covered with food, though neither the king nor the queen touched it. Was this another political statement? If so, then they had a serious problem here. In the very centre of the stadium was the massive oval entrance into the underground. Its ledge was of a different, darker colour and from where Keynes sat, not much inside could be seen. It took almost an hour for the stands to fill up. Easily ten thousand tribesmen. The king and the queen stood up. A servant handed a cube to the king and the king spoke up. ¡°Tribes of the World Reserve, welcome to the Covenant of Tribes.¡± The stadium quieted down. Keynes watched the king. He was tall, well-built and moved with confidence. He wasn¡¯t young and his face showed signs of age. After Alice¡¯s investigation, Keynes learned that the king was Level 3 but in the lowest cultivation stage. ¡°Today¡¯s covenant is a special one. Not only will the tribes compete to gain the ownership of the only Level 3 rift in the world but also,¡± the king paused. ¡°The Capital will join the race.¡± Much to Bonolo¡¯s prediction, an uproar among the tribes was immediate. Angry shouts went on for a few minutes. The king only resumed his speech when the tribesmen calmed down a bit. He didn¡¯t look surprised or worried, so must have expected this reaction. ¡°I understand your anger, your feelings. Tribal law has been the bedrock of our civilization for ages. To bring a change like this is unfathomable and yet, it must be done. The Capital must rise once again.¡± Keynes messaged Haruka and asked him what the king was talking about. Apparently, the Capital had a responsibility to defend the tribes in case of outside aggression but the king didn¡¯t follow the correct procedures which involved some sort of consultations with tribes. Nonetheless, when the king stopped speaking, there were fewer shouts. The king¡¯s speech was working. ¡°I can promise you, we¡¯ll share the rift with you. So I¡¯m asking you to refrain from sending your best people to certain death¡­¡± Keynes blinked several times, replaying the king¡¯s words in his head. Vivena¡¯s strong grip around his arm told him that he hadn¡¯t misheard the king. As if reading Keynes¡¯s mind, Bonolo looked back, their eyes met. The chief seemed agitated. ¡°I knew there was something wrong about this race,¡± Vivena said, not bothering to be quiet. ¡°It¡¯s a death race.¡± Keynes stood up and turned away from the stage, this sealed the de¡ª The vision flashed before his eyes with a very clear meaning, Keynes had to enter that race. Keynes took a deep breath, seething with rage. ¡°Did you KNOW?¡± he shouted toward Haruka who lowered his eyes and said weakly. ¡°Yes.¡± Remove Haruka from my contact list, Alice, Keynes said immediately to his spiritual companion. Done. Vivena joined Keynes on the stairs. ¡°Do we?¡± she pointed at the sky with her eyes. Keynes didn¡¯t reply straight away. ¡°Keynes?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave.¡± ¡°What? Why? Is it some male foolhardiness that pushes you into this? Ego? Or haven¡¯t you heard what he said? Certain death.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just something I must do.¡± He placed his hand on her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t die.¡± He turned away and found several guards coming their way. The king¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred. ¡°How long do I have to wait for this race?¡± Keynes asked Bonolo who shot to his feet and blocked the way for the guards. Venarys¡¯s eyes jumped between her servant, Bonolo and the stage. It looked like Keynes messed up someone¡¯s plans. *** Vivena didn¡¯t stay at the stadium and instead climbed the stairs and disappeared beyond the rim of the stairs. Haruka sent a friend request but Keynes ignored it. Haruka should have told him about the death part in the beginning. Seeing that the incident might spark a fire, the king cut to the chase and called for the participants to gather at the bottom of the stadium. Bonolo was forced to stand next to Keynes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Bonolo murmured. ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Keynes said, pissed. ¡°I have my own reasons to take part in this race. I don¡¯t care about you and your wish to stop the tribes from destroying each other. I decided what my payment is going to be. I¡¯ll take the rift.¡± Keynes couldn¡¯t move it for now but that wasn¡¯t a problem. He¡¯d have Wagner to take care of the rift until the Orb of Relocation was found. ¡°You ¡­ can¡¯t.¡± Keynes shrugged off the comment, his attention already drawn to the participants who were coming down. Hawthorne¡¯s early estimation had been that about a hundred tribes would take part in the race. It seemed that Keynes¡¯s little stunt shifted something in the hearts of the tribes and more than five hundred people were going to take a shot at winning it. Most of them were Level 2s and rarely in the Medium stage. They were fodder to Keynes. ¡°The rules of the Covenant are simple,¡± the king raised his voice. ¡°To win the race, you must be the last man standing. Every minute the last racer will be killed by the labyrinth. Good luck.¡± Chapter 85: Labyrinth Every minute the last racer will be killed by the labyrinth. It took time for the king¡¯s words to settle in Keynes¡¯s mind. Now, the king¡¯s previous mention of certain death made sense. It only enraged Keynes more as he thought about Bonolo, Hawthorne and Haruka. Neither of them had told Keynes the full truth. Keynes wasn¡¯t going to retaliate against them but he no longer considered them to be his friends. Meanwhile, the last racer descended from the stands. Bonolo was back to where his wife sat. So that was betrayal, master? Alice asked. Yes. Why does it hurt? I wish I knew, Keynes replied as he watched the king and the queen take out two golden sceptres from their dimensional spaces. Clearly, the items of power. Then a part of the stage started to rise, creating a sort of a table with two holes in it. Both sceptres were inserted into the holes and upon twisting the sceptres the rim of the underground entrance lit up with hundreds of runes. What the hell is that?! A complex runic structure, Alice replied. But how? Runes required tones of mana. A shimmering surface appeared at the level of the hole. ¡°Once you jump in, your only way out is through winning the race. GO!¡± Racers didn¡¯t hesitate and started diving into the hole. The air rippled as they crossed the shimmering surface. Doubt reached Keynes and rooted his feet. No matter what the vision wanted, he couldn¡¯t shake off a feeling of danger that lurked down there. When more than two third of the racers were gone, Keynes clenched his fists and ran to the entrance. Others tried to block his way but they were too weak. He easily shoved them aside and jumped. Welcome to the Labyrinth of Worth! Current Rules: Some rooms have special rules. The System message? Keynes asked. What¡¯s going on? That is not the System message, master. These messages come from the runic structure. Keynes found himself in a massive cave with many exits. Each second a tribesman had appeared on the ground and shortly after that got up and ran toward one of the exits. Rows of luminous runes ran around the cave at different levels and around the exits. Hawthorne had told Keynes that the first exit didn¡¯t matter as the routes would eventually merge into one. It was all about dividing the participants. Keynes moved, picking the closest exit. Immediately, three Level 2s ran to intercept him. ¡°Filthy outsider! Die!¡± Keynes dodged their fists and moved away from them. He¡¯d been warned that others might gang up and try to stop him in here, though Hawthorne had used the word ¡®forestall¡¯ instead of ¡®kill¡¯. ¡°Come back!¡± Keynes entered the exit and found a narrow tunnel with walls completely covered by luminous runes. The ground was a different story. It was covered by black sand with boulders scattered throughout the tunnel. Do not step on the sand, master. It feels lethal. Keynes frowned then felt a push from behind. A moment of distraction was all the tribesmen needed. Keynes went over the threshold and was falling to the ground. ¡°Die!¡± Master! Except he could fly and he didn¡¯t hesitate to use [Flight] to save himself and land on the nearest boulder. He faced his attackers. They all looked similar in their wood and leather armours. Their eyes were full of shock. Keynes smiled. ¡°If you want to pass this room, you must go through me.¡± Out of the four tribesmen, two retreated and left the room, perhaps hoping to find an easier route. The other two quickly squashed their shock and attacked. But they were idiots. The boulders¡¯ positions, shapes and sizes weren¡¯t random. There were two other boulders that could be jumped on from the ledge at the entrance of the tunnel but one was farther away and the third one was quite small. Keynes watched them try. Perhaps, they had some smart idea of beating Keynes to the exit on the other side. Who could say what went through their heads? The tribesman who aimed for the farther boulder miscalculated the distance and dropped a half a metre shy of the destination. The black sand swallowed him in a second, not giving the man a chance to properly scream. The other guy made a mistake of glancing to the side at the death of his companion. His foot missed the small boulder and he plunged into the black sand, disappearing under it. ¡°I didn¡¯t know runes can do stuff like this,¡± Keynes muttered to himself. ¡°Where did they find so much mana to make it work?¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! You should not wait, master. We do not know how many people are behind you. Ah. Right. Death every minute. Who the hell built this thing? Because it wasn¡¯t the royals from the Capital. That much Keynes was certain. The next room was also a tunnel but instead of black sand, it was filled with water. Alice was unable to sense any danger in the water. Keynes didn¡¯t plan on testing it though. He moved above the water without disturbing its surface, which did the trick and didn¡¯t activate any traps. The third room was many times larger. To Keynes¡¯s left was an exit from a different tunnel. This room had a more circular shape with irregular walls. In the middle of the room was a pool of lava and in the middle of the pool was a pedestal. The exit from this room was on the other side, near the ceiling. Keynes made a step forward and then saw three people jump out of the other exit and run toward the lava pool. They saw Keynes but ignored him. He saw one of them jump over the pool and swiftly land on the pedestal. The man pressed something on its surface and the room rumbled. Hundreds of ropes unravelled, falling from the ceiling. The pool started to overflow. ¡°Easy.¡± Keynes jumped over the ledge onto the gravel. All spells are restricted in this room. ¡°You¡¯re joking me...¡± *** Aurora turned invisible after Princess Venarys had given her a sign to follow the outsider girl. The king was likely to make his move now and the princess needed to know how it would play out before she was going to act. One wrong decision and Princess Venarys might find herself facing dire consequences of a wrong choice. But that was the price one needed to pay to play in this game. Aurora thought that the princess shouldn¡¯t take part in this at all. The situation in the Capital was strained enough since the first outbreak. Every faction fought to get the most valuable resources and items from the rifts. The appearance of the Level 3 rift brought the worst out of the royal family. Their greed pushed them to discard the tribal law and compete in the Covenant of Tribes. But they couldn¡¯t stop there, they decided to take advantage of two powerful outsiders. The princess might have recognised the danger soon enough but instead of distancing herself from the whole scheme, she wanted to use it to take control of the Capital. Aurora stopped at the top of the stairs and glanced back. She¡¯d been a child when the current king had killed the previous one and usurped the throne. Aurora¡¯s parents had betrayed the previous king and were betrayed in turn sometime later. History was repeating itself. All because of greed. The fall of the Capital was due. This place, like the royal family, outlived its purpose. She turned her back on the stadium and rushed after the outsider girl. *** Vivena reached the gates of the Capital and stopped. Over a hundred guards tried to surround her. At first, they¡¯d attempted to be discreet but they did a poor job. She shook her head, disappointed. She¡¯d been schooled on how to deal with betrayal and yet it stung. It seemed that their betrayal reached further than she¡¯d expected. One of the guards broke away from the group and came forward. ¡°Leave your dimensional pouch on the ground then put your hands on your head.¡± He was Level 3 and in the Medium stage. One of the strongest tribesmen in the Capital Vivena had seen. His piercing amber eyes stared at her unyieldingly. His armour and weapon were crafted from rift materials so they boosted his attributes but without proper rift items, he didn¡¯t have access to true power or spells that usually came with rare rift items. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been charged with treason,¡± he responded. ¡°You have to go with us. If you refuse to go, we are prepared to take you by force.¡± In response, Vivena took the poison serum out of her dimensional pouch and injected it. Seeing this, the tribesmen rushed at her. Vivena¡¯s naked stats at Level 4 were 30 points per attribute. With the serum that contained 15 weak poisons, her attributes were boosted by 150% to 75 each. She didn¡¯t bother with all her rift items. It¡¯d be overkill. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to control her strength enough to avoid killing the attackers. Vivena¡¯s world exploded with sounds, odours and many other stimuli. It was a good thing that her Mind attribute was equal to Perception otherwise the stimuli would have overwhelmed her. The jump in attributes was so substantial that the first man that reached her died from a single slap, his neck twisted. With monsters on the savannah, Vivena hadn¡¯t needed to rein herself as she tried now. Back then she let go of the shackles that restrained her and let herself be a death to the monsters. It took her a few moments before she got a good grip on her reaction time and the force of her slaps. The tribesmen were also much more reluctant to get close after a few of theirs had been killed. ¡°What are you waiting for?!¡± their leader shouted. ¡°Attack her!¡± Armed with their rungus and shields, the tribesmen advanced once again, everyone at once. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill¡ª¡± She twisted as an arrow flew past her. More were coming from the top of the wall. Thinking she was distracted, two young Level 2 guards came at her, they swung their rungus, aiming at her calves. She let the weapons hit her. The attack didn¡¯t do any damage to her. She didn¡¯t even feel pain. ¡°How?¡± one of them mumbled under his nose. Her boosted Perception easily picked it up. Vivena dodged the other arrows, then decided to finally use the [Flight] skill. She didn¡¯t want to do it but those maniacs weren¡¯t going to stop and she would be forced to kill them all. She jumped into the air and kept going up until she was out of reach of¡ª An arrow grazed her shoulder. She wasn¡¯t quick enough to dodge it in the air. Her control of the skill was quite poor. I¡¯m out of reach of any ordinary bow, she said to her spiritual companion. How ¡­ ah, either a rift item or a Talent. It was easy to forget that some people had strong Talents when she had spent her time facing monsters. In fact, she didn¡¯t even know Bill¡¯s or Haruka¡¯s Talents. As more arrows kept coming, Vivena hurried away, disappearing from the archer¡¯s sight. What about your friend? Isako asked. Keynes¡­ Oh. Yes, I will be back for him. But I need to contact Wagner first. *** Keynes watched the lava pool overflow and cursed the vision for making him enter the death race. The others who activated the pedestal were climbing up the ropes, escaping the heat. Not all of them were lucky though. One of them grabbed a rope that immediately unattached itself and he plunged into the lava. This place is insane. Keynes checked the first rope, it held, then started moving from one rope to another, always checking their attachment and after witnessing the other guy¡¯s fall, he was careful about the process, making his progress slow. The other two didn¡¯t share Keynes¡¯s survival instinct and pressed forward recklessly until they reached the exit. The lava level started to rise faster once they¡¯d left the chamber, ropes began catching fire. The sense of urgency became prevalent. Master, if you keep your current pace, we will not make it, Alice informed him. How do you know? I calculated it. You can use the ropes they used. It was a good idea. Immediately, he crossed the distance to the first rope he remembered the other two had used and from there progressed haphazardly toward the exit near the ceiling. The temperature in the chamber was rising sharply, every rope was on fire. As Keynes placed his foot on the ledge, every rope fell off and the lava stopped rising. He took a deep breath, aware of how much of this was smoke. He didn¡¯t care. It wasn¡¯t exactly a close call but if not for his prodigious memory, he¡¯d be dead. He had to admit that the obstacles were nothing Hawthorne and Bonolo had prepared him for. With rekindled rage, Keynes left the lava chamber. Chapter 86: The Bottom 10 The next few rooms had no active traps as far as Keynes could see, even though they had the features like holes in the walls, floors and ceilings, slits that ran across and alongside the long corridor and could hide saws, or runes. Nothing attacked Keynes and that bothered him and put him on edge for the whole time. Some rooms were larger and merged with other smaller rooms. All the different routes of the labyrinth seemed to come together. And yet, Keynes didn¡¯t meet anyone for seven rooms. He didn¡¯t know if that was normal or not, nothing in this place was normal, but he didn¡¯t like it. When he stepped into the eighth room, after the lava pool chamber, Keynes found the floor and walls made out of white pristine marble. The ceiling was black and made out of material Keynes didn¡¯t know. The room, like most, was very long and at least twenty metres wide. It was the first place that had a bright colour scheme. All other rooms were either black or grey because of the materials they were made of¡ªmostly rock. Like any other room, it didn¡¯t have an apparent source of light. Do you sense any threats? Keynes asked. No, master. It feels ¡­ strange though. Keynes had a similar feeling about this room. It not only appeared to contain no threats, but it also had a calming effect. The sense of the disparity between how Keynes should have felt and how the room made him feel only increased with time. And something told him that he was aware of this only because of his memory, otherwise, he¡¯d not see it. We must leave, Keynes said, keeping panic from rising to the surface. The effect of the room was slowly getting out of hand. Each step was a struggle. Keynes¡¯s body wanted to remain here. Everything was telling him that everything was going to be fine. But he hadn¡¯t trained his Will for nothing and even though his attribute was 30, his Will felt stronger than that. He also had an ace up his sleeve. He took out a wand that added 7 points to his Will. It immediately triggered the runes in the room. Using weapons inside the Labyrinth of Worth is forbidden. But nothing happened when he just kept it in his hand, which led him to believe that the labyrinth would only act if Keynes used the wand. With additional points to his Will and the Purifying Body buff, Keynes was able to break out of the room¡¯s grip on his mind. He got to the exit and left it, taking a deep breath. That marble room spooked Keynes but before he could properly think a message appeared. Only 100 contenders remain. It didn¡¯t tell him which place he occupied but the number shocked him to the core. How much time did pass? Half an hour? And already the number dropped from five hundred to just a hundred. Keynes could see how that had happened. Almost everything in the labyrinth was designed to kill. But it still boggled him how quickly it¡¯d happened. We need to pick up the pace, Keynes said. Based on everything I have seen, I do not think that the pace is a problem, Alice replied. What do you mean? It is only a guess, but it seems like most of those people have died because of recklessness and fighting with other contenders. The labyrinth has only killed thirty-two racers. Right. The Labyrinth killed the last racer every minute so it couldn¡¯t have killed four hundred people in thirty minutes but Alice missed something else, something she couldn¡¯t properly understand. Other racers might be reckless as she¡¯d pointed out but what they were doing made sense. It didn¡¯t matter how careful they were. The other racers, the reckless ones, would be so far ahead that catching up with them would be impossible. So, in other words, the tribesmen threw their bodies at the Labyrinth hoping for the best. Only one person would walk out of this alive. Playing a careful hand wasn¡¯t an option here. Only a minute later another message popped up. Only 90 contenders remain. And then came a warning. You are the bottom 10 contenders. Hurry up or you will die. This was bad. Keynes put the wand back into the dimensional pouch and rushed through the next room which looked like a cave with an even floor made out of beaten gravel. The cave wasn¡¯t straight and bent after a few metres, then it split into two, leading in opposite directions. Keynes decided to check the right tunnel. It split up again after barely ten metres. At this point, it was clear what was wrong with this room - this was a labyrinth, just a smaller one. Keynes picked the right tunnel again. It walked on for a minute until he reached the dead end. He started to panic slightly. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I¡¯m stupid for listening to Shaper and his vision. If I die because of him¡­ No. I¡¯m not going to die. The bond with Alice remained quiet. She was checking on other tunnels. He turned around, retracting his steps. He stilled, hearing an argument. ¡°I told you it is this way, not that way!¡± ¡°No, no, no. You got it all wrong.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. My chief told me to always turn left.¡± ¡°We did and nothing happened.¡± Master! I found the exit, Alice said when she arrived a few seconds later. This way. As Keynes returned to the starting point, he found the two tribesmen from the lava pool chamber. They looked exhausted, they were sweating. One of them was missing parts of his armour. ¡°Outsid¡ª¡± The man collapsed as runes appeared all over his body. His body turned to dust. Only 80 contenders remain. You are the bottom 10 contenders. Hurry up or you will die. Such runes should not be used! Alice thundered. We don¡¯t have time for that. Focus and lead me out of here, now. The other man realised what had happened and charged at Keynes but Keynes dodged his grip with ease and ran to the exit as if seven hells broke loose. As he shot through the exit, his feet found nothing and he plunged into the darkness below. His skills once again were disabled by the runes in the room. He heard a scream behind him and then saw a flash of runes, the man who chased him was gone. I AM THE LAST ONE! Keynes roared in his¡ª Pain exploded as he hit the surface of the water. Immediately, he was dragged underneath it by the strong current. Master! Hang on, I will look around and find a way out. The underground river was merciless. It was deep enough that he couldn¡¯t find where the surface was and where the bottom was. Each time he tried to get control, the current would brutally turn him upside down. His mind was filled with another river. The river of emotions: anger and fear. He was about to die because he hadn¡¯t listened to Vivena. Because he¡¯d been too stupid to see the¡ª Master, I found the exit. The river runs around a massive tall rocky pillar. The exit is at the top. I¡¯m dead anyway. No. You aren¡¯t the only one in the river. There are twenty other people in it. And thirty are already climbing the pillar. Show me the way! The bond with Alice unfurled in his mind and Keynes could mentally see where the pillar he needed to get onto was. The current seemed to sense his attempts to get free and doubled its effort to keep Keynes underwater. Keynes¡¯s lungs burned from exhaustion but knowing that he wasn¡¯t going to turn into a pile of dust in the next few seconds, gave him a boost of strength he badly needed. In a few strong strokes, always following the direction of the bond, Keynes managed to touch and then get a grip on a rock. As Keynes''s head broke the surface of the water, all he could see was darkness around him. Instinctively, he attempted to activate [Night Sight] but failed. After taking a deep breath, Keynes started his climb up the pillar. He could hear the thunderous river now, once he¡¯d escaped its clutches. Only 70 contenders remain. He waited for the warning that he was in the bottom 10 but it didn¡¯t appear. It was a relief though he wasn¡¯t out of the woods yet. Alice warned him that the pillar was three hundred metres high and had many smooth places, making the climb difficult without the ability to see. Keynes realised that the labyrinth was impossible to finish without having a spiritual companion. If not for Alice, Keynes would¡¯ve been dead. Their relationship, in the beginning, hadn¡¯t been the most fruitful thing but now it paid dividends. Several times during the climb, Keynes heard screams of falling contenders. And a good number of them came from above Keynes which was a bad sign. What makes them fall from up there? Keynes asked Alice. She disappeared for a moment and then returned with bad news. There were only two narrow passages that led to the exit, the rest of the pillar was smooth. Some of the contenders stayed behind and barred the way for others. He didn¡¯t think they were there for him, but he couldn¡¯t rule it out. Keynes got to one of the two passages when the number of contenders dropped to fifty. The man who barred the way there had a Talent associated with climbing because he didn¡¯t even use his hands to stay on the wall, though they had to rely on Alice¡¯s spiritual vision and that kind of vision could be easily fooled. When Keynes got three metres away from him, the other man sniffed. ¡°You shall not pass. The Capital must triumph.¡± ¡°As if you could stop me.¡± Keynes blasted the man with his aura. It was a concentrated blast, which Keynes had been learning before the race. The strength of Keynes¡¯s aura dropped the man like a stone. Fifty metres later, Keynes reached the ledge. Strangely, no one was waiting here. It¡¯d be the best place to defend but luckily for Keynes they weren¡¯t the smartest or the strongest lot. How many people are behind us? Twenty-two. Assuming they¡¯d die only to the Labyrinth''s deadly countdown, it gave Keynes 22 minutes before it was his turn. Keynes looked over the ledge, but there was nothing to see but pure blackness. He was unharmed but his stamina had dropped low and it¡¯d need time to recover. Time, he didn¡¯t have. On a positive note, he expected others to be in a similar shape. The next room consisted of constantly moving elements. Walls, floors, ceiling. Everything was in motion. Twice he heard a scream of agony as contenders were crushed. The only safe space was two metres in front of him. He stayed long enough to get another message. Only 40 contenders remained in the race. Alice grew agitated a little with Keynes¡¯s lack of haste and nagged him to move. Over the ten minutes, Keynes memorised the sequence of the room. The only issue was that he couldn¡¯t see the entire sequence as the passages appeared and disappeared, blocking the sight of what lay further ahead. Still, he knew that the room must be beatable to someone without his memory. He picked the moment and rushed forward. Two seconds later, a wall closed behind him and a passage opened on his right. Then on his left; then straight ahead. As he got a better grip on the sequence, he managed to catch up with two other contenders who seemed to run in circles, from one passage to another, always missing the right timing that led out of the loop they had gotten themselves in. They saw Keynes and it cost them their lives. One fell through the hole in the floor that opened beneath him, and the other one died to the ceiling that dropped on him. Keynes threw them out of his head and kept forward until the last passage turned out to be an exit. Eagerly, and still a little disoriented by all the motion, Keynes ran to it. A fist scraped his face. An attacker tried to push Keynes back into the previous room. But his Level 3 strength wasn¡¯t enough to defeat Keynes even with Keynes¡¯s lack of one-on-one fighting techniques. Keynes swiftly knocked him out only to face a pair of burly-looking tribesmen with well-made leather armours. ¡°Outsider!¡± one of them hissed. ¡°This is where you are going to die.¡± Chapter 87: The Champion of the Labyrinth Keynes went through the two attackers in a blink of an eye, barely paying any attention to them. His emotions were aflame. Keynes was pissed. Since his meeting with Vivena, others had constantly tried to exploit him. This time, it was Bonolo and Hawthorne. His mind was locked in the survival mode, it knew no mercy. But there was also a lot of anger and resentment, which was a shame because the labyrinth was a masterpiece. In other circumstances, Keynes would have been all over the place, trying to learn all the runes and understand the true purpose of this place. Sadly, it wasn¡¯t the case. The next room was a dark oval chamber, its walls were tiled. In the middle was a large hole and spiral stairs leading down. Keynes approached the stairs with care, some of his anger dissipated. I don¡¯t like these stairs, he said to Alice. Your skills are no longer disabled, master. That was true. So, if something went wrong, he had [Flight]. The stairs led into the darkness below. The walls like the above oval chamber were black shiny tiles. It seemed to be one of the rooms without traps. After ten minutes of walking and the contender count dropping to 30, Keynes started to question the room. How deep could it be? He increased pace but to no avail. The stairs seemed to have no end. Something doesn¡¯t add up here, he said. It feels like I¡¯m not moving forward. He glanced to the side at the hole in the middle, then looked down. Only the darkness was there. What is it? Alice asked. I think jumping is the right way. He rose in the air and moved into the middle. He began to drop slowly, carried by [Flight]. But to Keynes¡¯s dismay, it didn¡¯t change anything. It doesn¡¯t work! Maybe ¡­ Master, maybe, you must fall to trigger the exit, Alice replied after a moment. Keynes looked down, doubtful. He didn¡¯t like it but she might be right about this room. He sighed and turned off [Flight]. Immediately, the stairs rushed around him, and the darkness changed into light. Keynes¡¯s drop was slowed down to a stop a metre from the sandy ground. He was in a massive cavern, similar to the one he¡¯d found himself when he¡¯d entered the race. Runes glowed in circles on several levels on the walls. The cavern must have at least two hundred metres in radius. Keynes looked around and found a group of tribesmen staring at an iron door. They were arguing. Neither noticed Keynes¡¯s arrival though and so he donned the hood and hid in a shadow, trying to learn what this was about. ¡°The Capital¡¯s playing dirty. They bribed half the tribes to make sure their candidate would win the Covenant.¡± The large man in the armour of bones and wood shrugged. He barred the door for others. The two people who flanked him seemed to be on his side. Four tribesmen faced them. So that made seven. With¡ª Only 20 contenders remain. You are in the bottom 10. Hurry up or die. ¡°Not long now,¡± one of them said. ¡°In less than twenty minutes it will be over.¡± ¡°Are you being serious? This isn¡¯t how the Covenant of Tribes should end. The whole idea of the race is to compete individually.¡± ¡°Not this time.¡± They barred their teeth at each other, and judging by their body language they were about to start a fight. But it was taking too much time for Keynes¡¯s liking. He needed to get through the door¡­ He noticed a person land in the middle of the cavern only to turn into dust a few seconds later. Shit. Other tribesmen did see it this time and that set the fight off. Keynes jumped into the air and landed next to the door, then used his Talent to open it before any of the tribesmen could react. As the door closed behind Keynes, lines of runes flared to life. Straight stairs led down. The corridor was narrow and was roughly cut out in a glistening rock. Keynes ran to the bottom where he found a ¡­ pyramid. It was quite large. At the top of the pyramid was a door. The exit. Easy¡­ The moment Keynes took into the air, flying monsters appeared. They were small, bird-shaped and attacked him with ferociousness. I think they do not like spells in this room, Alice said and Keynes immediately deactivated [Flight], dropping to the ground. The monsters left Keynes alone in a heartbeat. Keynes kicked the sand, annoyed but had no time for tantrums. Quickly, he rushed to the pyramid and jumped on the first layer. It was about as tall as him. Another two layers went smoothly, on the fourth one, he started to question himself. Why am I here? What¡¯s the point? Master, something is attacking your mind. You need the wand. Keynes did as Alice told him and continued forward. On the sixth layer, he found a tribesman. He was curled up and was crying. His armour was piled up next to him. This is another mental trap. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. On the eighth layer, the doubts began piling up and physical weight tried to pull Keynes down with surprising strength. Out of all emotions, anger was what kept Keynes up in the game. As he got to the twelfth layer, he passed another two tribesmen. One of them was flattened on the floor, only his eyes and mouth worked. Keynes noticed that the mental doubt was linked to the physical force of the pyramid. It didn¡¯t mean it was easy to discard it. Eventually, Keynes got to the top and was greeted with two messages. You are 5th to reach the Pyramid of Doubt. Only 10 contenders remain. He entered the door and found himself inside the pyramid. Some ancient mechanism, too complex to understand, extended all around him. And he wasn¡¯t alone. Four other people stood next to the stone panel with hieroglyphs. ¡°These aren¡¯t the same hieroglyphs we were told about.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. The rules are the same¡­¡± he trailed off when his eyes fell on Keynes. ¡°Who the hell is this?¡± The other three froze in place. ¡°How did you¡­ I recognise him. That¡¯s the outsider.¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± The man pushed the other three tribesmen toward Keynes. For a heartbeat, they showed uncertainty, which was totally out of place as they were about to die anyway. Keynes attacked the first one before he made up his mind. It was a trigger for the other two. The trio knew how to fight and though they were only Level 3s, they must have some fighting techniques because they showed skill. As Keynes defeated the first one, he heard the loud snap and then grinding of stones. The stone door rose out of the ground, thickly covered by runes and the fourth man bolted through it. Immediately, the door turned to dust and the mechanism stopped. The distraction allowed Keynes to drop another opponent. The third one looked at Keynes with satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s too late. Long live C¡ª¡± he turned to dust. Only 2 contenders remain. You are 2nd. Master! Hurry up, solve the puzzle. Keynes glanced at the panel with hieroglyphs. He had no idea what to do. Hawthorne didn¡¯t mention the pyramid and its hieroglyphs. Master, you have forty seconds! *** Venarys watched as the hole opened in the ground in the middle of the stadium. Every tribesman on the stands stood up, expectation was thick in the air. Venarys¡¯s husband tried to look calm but she sensed his nervousness. For Bonolo, everything was at stake here. If the outsider boy wasn¡¯t going to win the race, Venarys¡¯s father would kill her husband for rebelling against the Capital. It might still happen even with the outsider winning the race. For a few seconds nothing happened and then ¡­ the Capital¡¯s candidate walked out of the hole, his arms high in the air. Next to Venarys, her husband slowly sat down. His eyes were glued to the hole as if trying to summon the outsider boy. But that wasn¡¯t going to happen. The labyrinth killed all but the winner. ¡°Keynes¡­¡± Haruka muttered. He was as shocked as her husband albeit for a different reason. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. He ¡­ couldn¡¯t have lost. Not him.¡± Hawthorne grabbed Bonolo¡¯s arm. ¡°We must get out of here. Quick.¡± Bonolo shook his head, his eyes distant. ¡°It¡¯s too late, Haw.¡± He was right. As the stadium erupted, most of the tribes cheering the candidate of the Capital, a stream of guards descended the stairs to detain Bonolo and Hawthorne. Aurora was not going to be happy with that. Maybe Venarys would be able to change her father¡¯s mind in Hawthorne¡¯s case, but for Bonolo it was too late. She knew from the moment he¡¯d told her about his plan to defy the Capital. He should have known better. The First Tribe¡¯s responsibility was to set an example for others. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s going on? Why have they taken dad?¡± Haruka asked, he was trembling. ¡°Your father¡¯s plan failed with the outsider¡¯s death. Your father¡¯s life is now in your grandfather¡¯s hands.¡± ¡°You must do something about it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do, my son.¡± Haruka straightened up, his expression hardened. She had never seen him like this. ¡°We¡¯ll see about it.¡± *** Vivena landed several kilometres from the Capital. [Flight] was quite a mana-hungry spell and she needed to take a break. The serum was about to run out and she would be back to her normal stats. Such a drop was never a pleasant experience. She found a fallen tree and sat on it while fishing in her dimensional pouch. She took her mobile phone out. It was time to call Wagner and tell him about everything. With the last serum gone, she wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the Capital and fight her way to Keynes. Level 4 might be strong but it wasn¡¯t that strong, even with her items. Vivena hoped that Keynes would escape them as she was pretty sure that the moment Keynes would walk out of the labyrinth, he¡¯d be ambushed. It was a trap and she couldn¡¯t understand how Keynes missed that and why he didn¡¯t listen to her when she pointed it out to him. ¡°About time,¡± Wagner¡¯s weary voice spoke on the phone. ¡°There¡¯s a real shitshow here.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she sighed. This wasn¡¯t something she wanted to hear. ¡°We have a problem.¡± Wagner stayed silent for a moment then asked for details. After listening patiently to her story, he swore, which he rarely did. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you contacted me earlier?¡± ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t know. I think I believed I could sway that idiot out of his moronic idea. I failed, I am sorry.¡± ¡°I meant before that. You had a Level 3 rift opened for months without telling me. And now it is in the hands of ¡­ who are they again?¡± ¡°Tribesmen with a big city made out of stone. With runes,¡± she replied then reiterated why she was calling him. She didn¡¯t mention the Cult of Shaper. ¡°I need your help in case Keynes is caught by those tribesmen.¡± ¡°Okay, hold on for a second. This is the World Reserve we are talking about. I cannot just come over to you, Vivena.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because the World Reserve is off-limits to everyone.¡± ¡°Do you think the World Government will react to your intrusion?¡± ¡°No. But there is ¡­ a collective agreement that we don¡¯t enter this place.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She didn¡¯t understand why someone like Wanger Zimmermann would hesitate to enter the World Reserve when everyone was at war anyway. ¡°Because we were told to stay away from it. Even Freeman complied. Listen, Vivena. I¡¯d piece together a covert rescue mission but it may take a day or two before it¡¯s ready. You¡¯ll have to wait.¡± *** Venarys returned to the palace on the flying construct, shortly after her parents departed. She was changing her outfit for a fresh robe when Aurora appeared in her room. Her retainer didn¡¯t say a word, she knew what had occured. Venarys remained silent, she had no reason to explain anything. ¡°You¡¯re okay with this?¡± Aurora asked eventually. ¡°With what?¡± Venarys asked as she pulled the robe up. Extra stats always felt pleasant. ¡°With your husband being executed.¡± Venarys activated the privacy bubble and beckoned Aurora closer. Every wall in this place had ears, or rather a vine. ¡°He understood the risk and I tried to change the outsider¡¯s mind. There¡¯s nothing I can do, Aurora. The First Tribe wasn¡¯t some remote, insignificant tribe to be able to get away with an act of insurgency. At this level, one error means death.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about your husband,¡± Aurora snapped. ¡°So? It wasn¡¯t like we were close. He won the race and our marriage was arranged. I didn¡¯t have a say in this. I¡¯ve never loved him.¡± ¡°But I love Hawthorne and I won¡¯t let him die.¡± Venarys shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Aurora.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have¡ª¡± The System message interrupted her. The Planet¡¯s Spiritual Energy is sufficient. The System is Online¡­ Chapter 88: Consequences Master! Only twenty seconds left ¡­ you must do something¡­ Absorb [Chaos Aura] FAST! Keynes heard Alice¡¯s voice in his head and almost ignored it as he pondered the failure he was. But when she said to do something she¡¯d been adamantly against from the beginning, it got a desired reaction from Keynes. He took out the skill shard from his dimensional pouch and stuffed it in his mouth. What happened next wasn¡¯t what he expected. All previous skill shards had gone down easily, this one burned like hell. New Skill acquired! Chaos Aura (passive) Keynes felt strange, something wasn¡¯t right. That skill¡ª Alice entered Keynes¡¯s body as runes started to glow all over his skin. No¡­ Suddenly, a powerful aura exploded out of Keynes, and disintegrated the runes. Not all of the runes were destroyed in time and pain came from all sides. Keynes screamed in agony as his health plummeted to barely a few percent. His mind reeled, overwhelmed by the excruciating experience. I ¡­ will ¡­ fix ¡­ it¡­ Alice¡¯s shout came from far away. Keynes¡¯s awareness drifted away. *** A jolt brought Keynes back. ¡°Ouch,¡± he moaned. ¡°My body feels like¡­¡± he trailed off seeing that his HP was at 7%. It was dangerously low. Without thinking, he took out the Liquid Health Flask from his pouch and drank from it. His HP jumped instantly to 32% as the flask recovered 25% of max HP. He felt much better than with 7% but far from good. Alice? No response. Forcing panic down, he searched for the bond with his spiritual companion. When he found it, it seemed strangely muted. He touched it with his mind. The Spiritual Companion is currently unavailable. Why? What happened? As if hearing him, another system message appeared. The Spiritual Companion committed a forbidden action. The Spiritual Companion is disabled for 7 days. A forbidden action? This time the system didn¡¯t reply and Keynes was left without an answer. When his thoughts settled down, he realised that he was somehow alive even though he should be dead. Keynes remembered that Alice had warned him that there were lines she couldn¡¯t cross or the System would disable her. But what had she done to earn it? She kept Keynes alive by making him absorb [Chaos Aura]. He pulled up the skill system screen and checked his newly acquired skill. A highly disruptive and unstable magic aura that has a destructive effect on the spiritual energy and spirit-based magic and structures. Cooldown: 0. Mana cost: 0. WARNING: The skill user may also be affected by the skill. WARNING: Chaos-based skill. All Chaos-based skills can affect the surroundings in an unexpected effect. Not always beneficial to the chaos magic user. WARNING: Chaos Aura is a spiritually heavy skill. Alice, can you¡­ Keynes trailed off, remembering that Alice was disabled for a week. Without her, he felt blind. Even though she wasn¡¯t very forthcoming with information, she supported him as much as she could. Not having her here was a blow to Keynes. Keynes read through the description of [Chaos Aura] and got a bad feeling about it. But at the same time, this skill saved his life. He couldn¡¯t forget that. I have to learn more about this aura. There is so much potential in it. But first, I must find a way out of here. I¡¯ve survived the runes, but if I won¡¯t find the exit in time, I may still die here. Keynes was inside the pyramid. If not for [Night Sight] he would be blind as there were no sources of light here. His vision wasn¡¯t perfect but enough to see the outline of the interior. All the runes and the artificial source of light that had been present earlier now were gone. The labyrinth was dead. On one hand, it meant no traps but on the other one, no magical way out. Judging by the size of the labyrinth, a substantial part of it was rune-enhanced. There was no guarantee that the labyrinth was passable without the active runes. Keynes hoped so, but couldn¡¯t exclude such a possibility. He inspected the walls and the floor, finding nothing. There was no way out of here. As he muttered curses, he considered his options. He had unlimited water and enough food to keep him alive for a week. The prospect chilled him, especially when Keynes thought about his items and skills. He was not equipped for demolishing walls. He started with [Telekinesis], scanning the entire interior and finding not a single loose piece of rock to be used as a hammer. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! And that was about it. He had two shortswords: what good could they do against the rock? Some, Keynes reminded himself. The pyramid must be made out of Level 0 materials while the shortswords were Level 2. Two Levels of difference amounted to something. Keynes took out the shortswords, instinctively expecting the labyrinth¡¯s message that didn¡¯t come, then he began hacking the squint wall. After an hour, Keynes realised that the damage to the walls was small. Anger, stemming from powerlessness, started to build up inside Keynes like a poison. There was nothing¡­ Wait a minute. Keynes replied in his head the description of [Chaos Aura] and decided it might be worth giving it a shot. Keynes released [Chaos Aura] around himself, not more than ten metres in radius. When [Chaos Aura] was projected on its own, it didn¡¯t have any drain on mana or Spirit but Keynes couldn¡¯t manipulate it. It was as the description said, passively hanging around Keynes. The moment Keynes added spiritual aura on top of [Chaos Aura] he felt the drain on his spiritual energy and stamina. It was gentle but he suspected it would increase if he started using the auras actively. On that note, Keynes extended the auras toward the wall, affecting no more than a square metre. After just a few seconds, Keynes understood how difficult it was to manipulate [Chaos Aura]. On the bright side, he had a Rapid Learning buff which should streamline this process. In the total darkness, only slightly alleviated by [Night Sight], Keynes couldn¡¯t see much and so he used his hands to feel out the surface of the affected wall. He jumped back, shocked by what he experienced. The part of the wall affected by [Chaos Aura] had begun disintegrating but it wasn¡¯t what Keynes expected. The wall didn¡¯t crumble down, no. Some parts were wet, others were dry but hard and smooth like a crystal. Through [Telekinesis] Keynes could sense a pile of sand beneath the affected area. So, it didn¡¯t just disintegrate, it caused the material that made up the wall to change. Or maybe the impact of [Chaos Aura] ran deeper than Keynes could see. It doesn¡¯t matter, he reprimanded himself. I have to get out of here first. There was no telling how long it took Keynes to break through the wall. It was at least a metre thick. Cutting through this with the shortswords would¡¯ve been impossible. With a shiver that partially stemmed from Keynes¡¯s exhausted state and partially from what the aura had done to the wall, Keynes stepped outside. He was inside a cave. He sensed a gentle draft and his vision got better a notch, which meant that there was an exit from this cave. With [Chaos Aura] turned off¡ªskill¡¯s auras didn¡¯t have the same issue as the spiritual aura which was always turned on¡ªKeynes ascended above the pyramid. No monster attacked him this time, which meant they had been created by runes. That was impressive. What else were runes capable of? What also was interesting was the cavern itself. When the runes were active, it didn¡¯t look like a cave. There were smooth walls made out of sandstone. Keynes landed on the other side of the pyramid, led by his technique of lesser wind currents. The draft came from behind the two large boulders. As he climbed the slope, he discovered a path between the boulders. It was quite nicely hidden from sight, even with the rune illusion turned off. So, the labyrinth has a backdoor. Or, this was the proper way out but the active runes had made it look like it was something more spectacular. The rough tunnel changed into a proper corridor made out of stone with signs of wear. The walls were inscribed with inactive runes. The corridor opened to a room with many smaller corridors. Keynes focused on the one with the draft¡­ He sensed something then that made him turn left into the opposite corridor to the one where the draft was coming from. It led him to a strange cavern with a paved circular floor, over a hundred metres wide. It looked as if someone had started to work on this place and sometime later abandoned it. But none of that mattered to Keynes because of what he was sensing from the middle of the cavern. As he approached it a system window popped up.
Rift (Epic; Mayhem)
Level 3
Status Sealed
Requirements -
Modifiers Lesser Orbs drop more commonly. Monsters are stronger than usual. A small chance of a Deadly Encounter.
Details This rift contains a higher number of monsters, champions and a boss (overcharge effect).
Affinity -
Special Status Overcharged, Unexplored, Modified
A rift?! How¡¯s this possible? Why is a rift in the middle¡­ oh. Realisation dawned on Keynes. This must be the location given to him by Shaper. And judging by the rarity and type, this must be the most valuable Level 3 rift in the world. Lesser Orbs were no jokes. Obviously, Keynes would prefer the Rift Orbs but this was good too. So, Shaper knew about this place. And whoever built it, knew about this rift too. This cavern was built to accommodate the rift. And this is why the vision pushed me into this stupid race. Incredible, scary but incredible. Rather than opening the rift, Keynes returned to the edge of the room and pondered his next step. As soon as he considered waiting until his HP fully recovered, the vision unravelled in his mind, showing him the consequences. This time it wasn¡¯t the world that was at stake. The world could wait a day but Vivena couldn¡¯t. It was clear by now that the tribesmen had betrayed him, although Keynes didn¡¯t know how deep the betrayal ran. In his vision, he saw Vivena die to the tribesmen when she returned to the Capital. It looked like the Capital wasn¡¯t as weak as Keynes thought. His feelings for Vivena, while hidden, were real and true. A mere possibility of Vivena dying was enough for Keynes to stick to the vision. After all, he¡¯d survived the race and then found this precious rift. He understood that all of this might be engineered by Shaper but he didn¡¯t care. Vivena¡¯s life was at stake here. Keynes returned to the rift and checked his health. Almost 40%. It was risky, considering that the rift had epic rarity monsters, which meant two passive and two active skills. Plus, Keynes didn¡¯t know what these skills were. They could range from some harmless resistances to something very deadly like a poison on hit or worse. On top of that, the rift¡¯s type was mayhem. According to Haruka and Bill, the lower rank type ¨C volatile ¨C was deadly enough. There was no telling what mayhem type did to the rift. It doesn¡¯t matter, Keynes told himself. Vivena¡¯s life is the most important. Besides, Keynes was Level 3 now. He wasn¡¯t going to be intimidated by a Level 3 rift. If all he needed to save Vivena was¡ªthe third outbreak¡­ The vision was clear. He needed the outbreak to save her. Opening this rift alone wouldn¡¯t make a difference. Screw this. Attempting to open the rift¡­ The Rift¡¯s Status: Sealed. Lockpicking initialised¡­ Like before, he had two options. He could open only this rift or cause the outbreak by rupturing the rift. The exact mechanism of this process was unknown to Keynes, and right now, he didn¡¯t much care about it. He went with the second option. System Warning: Rupture Detected! Do you wish to continue? Yes/No As he picked ¡®Yes¡¯ the familiar wrongness spread all over the cavern, and this time it stirred something inside him. By now, Keynes knew it was linked to the Chaos debuff but pushed the thought aside. The rift opened successfully. The Rift¡¯s Status: Open (Ruptured) * System Warning: Rifts Breakout detected! * System Warning: Risk of the Greater Rift appearance increased! * System Warning: Chaos Magic detected! * System Warning: The Planet¡¯s Core is Contaminated by Chaos Magic! A Drastic Global Event is imminent! * The Planet¡¯s Spiritual Energy is sufficient. * The System is Online¡­ * The System attempts to reduce the amount of Chaos Magic has failed. * Drastic Global Event is imminent! New Era Begins: DOMINION OF MONSTERS Access the System for details¡­ Chapter 89: Rankings ¡°What the hell is an era?¡± Vivena asked her spiritual companion, not bothering with using her mind to ask the question. She floated above the treetops near the location where she¡¯d called Wagner. Her eyes were directed at the Capital, far in the distance. Something was going on up there. ¡°You can now access the System. It has a lot of information about eras.¡± Vivena did so and shortly after she started reading, she had to land. There was so much to take in and she didn¡¯t trust her to stay in the air. ¡°Is this¡­ like an outbreak?¡± she asked Isako. ¡°No. The outbreak is something very different from eras. The era is the System¡¯s event and is very regulated and has many rules.¡± Vivena continued to read. ¡°Is this a game?¡± Vivena asked sharply, she was pissed. ¡°This is not even funny. There are lives at stake and the System makes a game out of it. That is wrong.¡± ¡°That is how the System works,¡± Isako replied sheepishly. Vivena swallowed her anger and returned to reading. Vivena was speechless. The rewards were ¡­ insane. Each week the best three monster hunters would receive a rift each. A rift. And monthly rewards sounded many times better. I hate this! She hated this but at the same time, she couldn¡¯t deny that something about the ranking made her want to participate in it. There had to be something in the ascender¡¯s nature that drove them toward a challenge. She looked up the ranking and saw the first entries there. I need to win this. But first things first. I need to find Keynes. *** Wagner, Columbus and Esopp were having an emergency video conference. They were meant to speak earlier but since the outbreak Columbus had been unavailable. His officers said that Columbus was personally closing the rifts as many of his best soldiers were currently at the Baikal lake rift cluster. Columbus had stayed behind in South America, wrapping up the transfer of the leadership. His initial idea to stay with the resistance until Windsor Freeman was dead interfered with his plans, so he decided to step down and remain in the resistance in non-executive capacity. Their new agenda was centred at Columbus leading the company¡¯s defence arm. But the three men also agreed that they must grow and get stronger as reports kept coming that some people got to Level 5 on rift essence alone and that equaled a Level 7 human essence ascender - them. So once Columbus was finished with the resistance¡¯s leadership, he¡¯d be pushing to Level 8. For that reason, Esopp was scouting a suitable location for their training base in Southeast Asia. He too had been unavailable for the last two days as the region was hit by the monsters quite badly. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The only person who remained in Geneva was Wagner, and he wasn¡¯t particularly happy about it. He was furious even though he didn¡¯t show his emotions. Nina Kid¡¯s Talent¡¯s soothing helped as much as it could. Wagner had been up for a straight week when the outbreak and the era event hit. The amount of potions he consumed was approaching the worth of a private jet. He didn¡¯t care about the cost but the prospect of a rest was remote. Though his emotions were hidden behind the mask of indifference, his tone betrayed him. ¡°We¡¯re about to get screwed,¡± he said as the video conference with Esopp and Columbus started. ¡°The Ministry of Geneva and the World Government want to call a meeting. They¡¯re inviting every single person and organisation that matters.¡± ¡°The outbreak and that Dominion of Monsters thing?¡± Essop asked. ¡°That too,¡± Wagner said, sounding rough. He nodded at Columbus, cuing him to speak. ¡°The World Government offered a peace treaty,¡± Columbus explained. ¡°They are unable to continue the war in the face of the third outbreak, the System and the era.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the right time to push harder?¡± Esopp asked with a frown. Silently, Wagner wanted to agree with him but there were too many issues with the whole thing. ¡°If I try to take advantage of them, I¡¯d not only lose face but also half of the army too. After the battle at the Baikal lake rift cluster, there is pushback against the war. Especially with the monsters breathing at our necks. If the resistance keeps fighting the World Government, the narrative will eventually change and we¡¯ll be the bad ones.¡± ¡°What about the White Masks?¡± ¡°They are independent from us,¡± Columbus replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re planning.¡± Esopp took a sip of something black and hot, presumably coffee. ¡°And this is what riled you up so badly, Wagner?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°Because I don¡¯t see the flimsy peace treaty threaten our plans.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not flimsy,¡± Columbus interjected. ¡°If we discard the internal motives, the external threat is something I can¡¯t ignore. I can deal with the outbreak, we¡¯ve already cleared all the rifts near our bases, but the Dominion of Monster is something else. I¡¯ve lost an entire squad of Level 3 rift essence ascenders to a single Level 4 event monster today. And there are Level 5 monsters out there. Not to mention the threat of prolonged presence of these monsters.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the event details. The longer the monsters stay in one area, the stronger they grow. Eventually, they¡¯d create a spawning ground with some sort of area buff. We cannot allow this to happen.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Esopp said, albeit carefully. ¡°But isn¡¯t the event¡¯s winning condition killing a boss?¡± ¡°The Global Boss hasn¡¯t spawned yet,¡± Wagner added. He had people read everything about the event in the System. ¡°So, when will it spawn?¡± ¡°When its six sub-bosses are defeated.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s kill the sub-bosses, spawn and kill the boss and be done with this event.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple,¡± Columbus said. ¡°We don¡¯t know the location of the sub-bosses. According to the System, the sub-bosses must be found first. Then we¡¯re facing an issue of some global monster buff each time the sub-boss is killed. And this is only the stuff we know about the event. My people are in agreement that the System didn¡¯t give us all the information. Do you still think the peace treaty is a joke?¡± ¡°I start to see why Wagner is so riled up.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not the reason,¡± Wagner sighed, uncorking another mental stamina potion. He drank it, emptying the small vial. The benefits had a diminishing return and he felt only slightly better. ¡°What I am pissed about is the true intention behind the meeting.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to use the outbreak to get to Keynes.¡± ¡°They¡­¡± Esopp trailed off as it dawned on him. Before this outbreak, their company managed to keep Keynes sheltered from everyone because of Windsor Freeman and general disagreement on how to proceed with Keynes Kid. But Freeman has gone into hiding and Keynes Kid just handed everyone the ammunition. Columbus Curt looked surprised too. Neither of them had considered what the unannounced outbreak meant? All muscles, no brains. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate timing,¡± Esopp said. ¡°With you stepping down as the leader of the resistance, your replacement may decide to switch the sides.¡± ¡°No. I trust her.¡± ¡°Her?¡± Columbus didn¡¯t reply so Esopp turned to Wagner. ¡°What¡¯s our plan?¡± Plan? Wagner thought bitterly. As if I had a plan¡­ Well, he started formulating a plan the day Keynes left Geneva. He understood that this might happen. What he didn¡¯t anticipate was the Dominion of Monsters, and with that, he needed to improvise. ¡°We should expect everyone there. I¡¯m not only talking about Mars, Venus, every Old Blood family, Death Dealers, Red Moon Legion, the Council of Merchants or the Sovereign, but everyone who has enough weight now. And there are many rising stars because of the rifts.¡± ¡°Many unknowns.¡± ¡°Yes, and the Ministry won¡¯t release the guest list, so it¡¯s like fishing in the ocean.¡± ¡°What can we do?¡± Columbus asked. Wagner took a Level 2 leaf from his drawer. It wasn¡¯t a new invention except Pucci managed to raise the plant¡¯s Level from 0 to 2. The leaf would clear the mental fog now that Wagner replenished some of mental stamina. Without enough stamina, the leaf had nasty side effects. As Wagner started to chew the leaf, his mind achieved clarity he missed so much. Columbus and Esopp waited until Wagner finished. ¡°First, we bring our own allies. Second, we cannot back down no matter what they throw at us. The moment they sense blood, we¡¯re done.¡± Esopp frowned. He wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°We¡¯ll take Persephone there. She¡¯s on our side.¡± ¡°Persephone¡­¡± Esopp mused. ¡°Will she be enough?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the head of the White Masks and¡­¡± Wagner hesitated. It wasn¡¯t the information he should be giving away but Esopp and Columbus were his business partners. They needed to know. ¡°She is Level 6 rift essence ascender.¡± Esopp whistled while Columbus¡¯s face hardened. ¡°That makes her stronger than us.¡± ¡°Even stronger than Syberius Sael,¡± Wagner added. ¡°Without gear, her naked states are 40 points each. She¡¯s a powerhouse.¡± Columbus Curt raised his hand. Wagner and Esopp looked at him. ¡°Remember that we don¡¯t want to start another war at the meeting. We have to bring something to the table that takes them off our back.¡± It was harder said than done. They didn¡¯t have many things they could offer without showing weakness. No. renegotiating deals and such won¡¯t work. They¡¯d simply push for more until Wagner and his company broke even or worse. No. We need something else. ¡°We should wait them out.¡± ¡°Wait them out? Like ignoring their demands?¡± ¡°More or less. At the moment, most of their forces are unavailable, clearing rifts and dealing with the event monsters. It will buy us time until we get a better understanding of who sides with who.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Columbus stood up from his chair. ¡°If that¡¯s all, you¡¯ll have to excuse me. There¡¯s work to do.¡± Like I don¡¯t have work ¡­ unbelievable. Columbus¡¯s video disconnected. ¡°What about Keynes Kid?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°Is he going to be there?¡± ¡°If I have any say in this, he won¡¯t. Now. There is something I was meant to talk to you about.¡± Chapter 90: Level 45 drop Monsters didn¡¯t leave Keynes time to think about the Dominion or the outbreak. They flooded the cave in seconds. Keynes took out his two shortswords boosting his Dexterity and to lesser extent Strength. The monsters were of many varieties and sizes. And what Keynes found terrifying was that their skills also differed, making them an unpredictable and dangerous combination. The epic rarity gave each monster a spell that was substantially more powerful than the rest of their skillset. Even though the monsters¡¯ stats were only of Level 3, the inclusion of two passive and two active abilities was a very real threat. After less than a minute, Keynes felt that his body began accumulating damage. While he was faster than these monsters, some possessed passives that boosted their attack speed or evasion. A few had area damage and area debuffs and the numbers quickly stack up. Not knowing what to do, Keynes activated [Chaos Aura]. Without the spiritual aura added to it, his aura didn¡¯t have any drain on his already low stamina. It worked to some degree as the majority of monsters tried to back away after they¡¯d stepped into the range of [Chaos Aura]. But Keynes knew that idle [Chaos Aura] wasn¡¯t enough to kill Level 3 epic monsters. He needed to kill the boss before the number of the monsters would spiral out of control. Such a rift like this couldn¡¯t be left uncleared¡­ Unless, I don¡¯t give a crap. The tribesmen betrayed me. I don¡¯t have any obligation toward them. Keynes used his spiritual aura on top of [Chaos Aure], creating a single pulse that had a noticeable effect on the monsters. To his shock, he could see damage in real time. [Chaos Aura] was doing all sorts of things to the flesh of the monsters and the cave. The effect of Keynes''s auras was gruesome. Some monsters shrivelled and turned into mummies, others puffed and exploded, many looked to be eaten alive by an invisible force or turned to dust. A few had their bodies taken by overgrowth of crystals, and it didn¡¯t always start outside of their bodies. The sight made Keynes stop. In barely a moment, he massacred half of the monsters. And those that survived tried to back off from the reach of Keynes¡¯s aura¡­ If I run straight to the boss and kill it, I¡¯ll stop the rift from spawning the monsters and I should have left enough stamina in the tank to tidy up the rest. While Keynes wanted to punish the tribesmen, he also wanted to keep this rift hidden. It was the highest rarity and type a Level 3 rift could possess. With the third outbreak, the Level 3 Rift Orbs should be common enough to buy a few. Deciding to clear the rift, Keynes turned on his heel and shot toward the rift¡¯s entrance. He jumped over a large puddle of goo that had been a monster a moment ago, then dodged a swipe from a panther-like monster with an oversized upper torso and a long whip-like tail. Keynes ignored any monster that was unintimidated and tried to attack him, and a few were. Keynes saw that these monsters had passive skills that allowed them to withstand pain or even enjoy it. The mayhem type was scary. With so many monsters looking different and wielding different powers, the risk of delving such a rift multiplied to an absurd level. A sharp bony projectile had hit Keynes a second before he entered the rift. It took 5% of his HP pushing his current health to 16%. Once inside the rift, with a grimace Keynes immediately unfurled his spiritual aura again but kept it at a lighter end. He needed stamina for the boss fight. The rift was a lava chamber with a river of lava meandering around. Keynes stood at the top of a small volcano that existed inside the chamber. All the monsters came from the lower elevation and Keynes wondered why the rift didn¡¯t stick to monsters that were more suited for this particular environment. Some of the creatures that approached him had long hair or naked skin that seemed strange here. And there was the heat. It was almost unbearable. Barely a few seconds inside the rift and Keynes knew that a longer stay here would start damaging him. He forced himself to withstand the heat but there was nothing he could do about the HP drain. He didn¡¯t have fire or heat resistance. With the auras back in place, all monsters began running from Keynes. Even if they received pleasure from pain, the damage caused by spiritually-augmented [Chaos Aura] was too overwhelming. Actually, Keynes realised while trekking down the volcano¡¯s slope that none of the monsters managed to use their epic skills on him. Keynes checked the wound, it wasn¡¯t anything serious. Also, the bony projectile had already disintegrated. I hate this rift. A trek turned to a walk and the heat took its first 1% of Keynes¡¯s HP. The monsters streamed around Keynes. Some seemed to use magic but none of their spells affected Keynes¡­ It looks like [Chaos Aura] interferes with the monsters¡¯ magic. That was good news. Without a long-distance defence, Keynes was a sitting duck to a multitude of spells in this rift. The terrain was very rocky and uneven, forcing Keynes to slow down even more. The heat also increased as Keynes got closer to the lava river. He badly needed to kill the boss¡­ A large orange lizard with feather wings appeared out of nowhere. It wasn¡¯t a boss. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A champion?! Are you joking? He didn¡¯t have time to fight it. The champion didn¡¯t use its wings to fly but it moved on the rocky terrain with dangerous grace and swiftness. It approached Keynes a few times but the auras drove it away. Keynes noticed that the champion could withstand the destructive combination of auras for longer than normal mobs. It meant that the boss would be even tougher to kill. Leaving the champion behind turned out to be impossible. It followed Keynes with eagerness to the bank of the lava river. Keynes lost another 1% due to the heat. Somehow the monster was unbothered and got closer to the river of molten rock than Keynes. It was a chance for Keynes to get rid of it. Keynes used [Telekinesis] and took hold of a boulder of the size of a few footballs merged together, then smashed it against the monster¡¯s side. The champion lost its footing, and even with his wings flapping in panic it fell into the lava river where it perished. Keynes sensed two powerful monsters coming his way; one from the up and one from the other side of the river. Shit, I am almost at the end of my rope. I have to do something. With two creatures drawing nearer, Keynes began walking away from the bank. He remembered seeing a spot where the boss should be, while he¡¯d been at the top of the volcano. The two powerful monsters had to be at least champions because they weren¡¯t scared to probe Keynes¡¯s auras the same way other monsters in the rift were. Most of the weaker monsters no longer approached Keynes, seemingly being afraid of his auras. Keynes continued alongside the river until he reached a stone bridge. The bridge was the only thing in the rift that seemed to be designed and built. Keynes didn¡¯t have time to think about it. This wasn¡¯t the first time Keynes encountered a construction inside a rift. Barely halfway to the other side, two champions slowly entered the bridge. One was a rocky golem that behaved like a dog. It sniffed the ground. The other monster was a snake with glistening brown skin. Its red eyes watched Keynes with hatred. ¡°You have to wait for your turn,¡± Keynes told the monsters. ¡°After I kill the boss, I will take you down too.¡± The monsters reacted to his words, the snake hissed and the golem¡¯s body grated as its parts moved. Neither of the monsters approached him though. They stayed at the very edge of his auras reach. Keynes turned his back on the monsters and waited a couple of seconds wanting to see what the monsters would do. They waited. Fine then. Keynes crossed the rest of the bridge and walked onto a flat circular arena. Jagged rocks surrounded it, leaving only one entrance. The ground was a flattened black gravel that felt too smooth to be natural. Carefully, Keynes moved to the centre of the arena. His HP reached 10%, his stamina was similarly low. He had max two minutes before his body would go into overdrive and when that happened, he couldn¡¯t be here. He would be risking falling unconscious at any point. With so many monsters around, it would be a death sentence. ¡°Where are you?¡± Keynes asked and then turned his head to see the two champions stay by the entrance, a few metres beyond the range of his auras. It was enough to tell him that they were barring his exit. ¡°Smarties,¡± he added, then¡ªhis auras touched something invisible in front of him. A creature with rocky tentacles and lava leaking from its maw appeared in the arena. Its one inky eye focused on Keynes and Keynes sensed a surge of spiritual energy from the boss. Nothing happened. The boss was as surprised as Keynes. It still stayed inside the range of auras. It was Level 4 after all. Its rocky tentacles moved without a warning and at the speed that made Keynes start. But both tentacles crashed against the ground a metre from Keynes. The monster froze while Keynes understood what was going on. [Chaos Aura] wasn¡¯t only messing with spells, it disabled spells. That was why so few monsters seemed to use spells here. With the monster frozen from the shock, Keynes didn¡¯t hesitate and concentrated his auras on the boss. That kind of control was hard. Destructive and powerful but exhausting. The effect was better than anything else Keynes could bring to the table right now though. His shortswords would be laughably ineffective against the rocky boss. Still, the damage needed a moment to cumulate and the boss wasn¡¯t frozen for long once it realised its position. It charged Keynes, its maws opened showing a pit filled with lava and sharp rocky teeth. Keynes jumped away at the last moment, allowing the monster to run forward. In its fury, the boss lost its coordination and hit the jagged wall. Keynes attacked it with his auras again, narrowing them as much as he could, which was about a metre wide. That much concentration of [Chaos Aura] proved to be enough to start destroying the boss in real time. Its high-pitched wail didn¡¯t last long as its body crumbled to dust. The rift¡¯s boss has been killed. The Overcharge effect is removed. The monster will no longer spawn. You gain a single instance of the Explorer buff. The Explore buff grants +30% to find a higher rarity item or skill from the reward chest. As the system messages appeared, Keynes realised how insanely powerful [Chaos Aura] was. This is po¡ª Keynes collapsed unconscious. *** Shaper watched Keynes Kid¡¯s fight with the boss and was impressed. That¡¯s [Chaos Aura], his spiritual companion said, sounding sober and solemn, which rarely happened nowadays. How has he obtained such a spell? It doesn¡¯t drop until Level 45. I am inclined to believe that our little friend receives favours from the System, Shaper said, expecting an outburst or at least a grumble from Magnalius. His spiritual companion was particularly sensitive about the System. The System is impartial. It recognises strength and overcoming challenges, the more difficult the better, but giving away a Level 45 drop to a Level 3 ascender? No. There is no challenge that would warrant this. Magnalius said quietly. We should learn how he¡¯s obtained it. Even though Shaper outwardly showed no signs of surprise or distress, his emotions were plain to his spiritual companion who said nothing to that. We¡¯ll have a chance to talk to the boy very soon. That¡¯s our cue, Shaper said, seeing Keynes Kid collapse. The two champions that had followed him rushed him in an instant. Shaper arrived at the arena before either monster could get close to Keynes Kid. Then with millennia-long practised precision, Shaper used his spiritual aura like spears, smashing the champions'' spiritual cores. These weren¡¯t normal monsters and so their cores were harder and larger but Shaper was in a Grand stage and he was a Level 10 human ascender. Cores of the Level 3 champions shattered under the power of Shaper¡¯s spirit. Both champions collapsed, dead. Chapter 91: Exchange Keynes¡¯s consciousness returned with a snap and alarm. Instinctively, he flooded his surroundings with [Chaos Aura], then reached into his dimensional bag and took out two shortswords. Nothing assaulted him though, so he turned the aura off. As his awareness settled down, he allowed himself to have a better look at the room he was in. The room was spacious, with vaulted ceiling and tiled walls. The tiles were polished and smooth. There were several narrow alcoves with metal hooks attached to the top, and stone benches. Keynes had been laying on one of them before he got to his feet. But the element that stood out the most were the bright runes on the walls. There were four of them and they were the sole source of light, making the room quite bright. Still, one question more than others pressed on his mind. ¡°How have I survived?¡± Before he lost consciousness, he¡¯d defeated the rift boss. But there were two champions after him, plus, the heat of the rift alone was enough to kill him. Someone helped me then ¡­ but who? There weren¡¯t many people who could defeat two Level 3 epic champions and save him. Keynes inspected the room some more. It looked too clean but with little wear and tear. It appeared to be some sort of a locker room. There were two exits. One door was locked--not a problem for Keynes--but he decided to go with the unlocked door. After crossing a short corridor, he found an open door. Inside was an auditorium with space for around fifty people. Like the locker room, the auditorium was lit by runes, although the runelight was dimmer here. Also, many elements here were made out of wood rather than stone. When Keynes¡¯s eyes fell on the dais with the board and the desk, his spiritual sense seemed to pick up on something, while his other senses found nothing. If not the encounter with the invisible person, Keynes would have attributed it to his exhausted state. And he was exhausted. Judging by his health and stamina levels, barely an hour passed since he¡¯d fallen unconscious. ¡°I can see,¡± Keynes said, looking at the spot and wondering if he was right. When no answer came forth, Keynes decided that overreaction was a better choice. He activated [Chaos Aura] and augmented it with the spiritual aura then hit the spot with them. He felt a spike of spiritual energy and then [Chaos Aura] deactivated on its own. His spiritual aura unravelled like a fabric being pulled by its many threads simultaneously. Facing an unknown threat, Keynes activated [Spiritual Ghost] but before he could hide a shape materialised on the same spot he¡¯d sensed something. From an outline emerged a person wearing a plain black cloak and a black crown. Without thinking, Keynes reached for the desk with [Telekinesis] but again, his spell unravelled before he could fully grasp the item and throw it. Shaper lowered his hand, his eyes watched Keynes with interest. Before Shaper¡¯s hand hid behind the fabric of the cloak, Keynes noticed three rings on Shaper¡¯s fingers. ¡°[Chaos Aura], [Telekinesis] and [Spiritual Ghost]. Quite the spells you got there.¡± Keynes needed a moment to collect himself. Not only Shaper hid from him but also nullified his spells. That was impossible, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Keynes asked, moving the topic away from his skills. ¡°I have to ask ¡­ I have to know,¡± Shaper said quietly, striking a dangerous figure. ¡°How have you acquired [Chaos Aura]?¡± ¡°What is this place?¡± Keynes asked instead, giving Shaper an answer to his question. ¡°You do not understand the stakes, you do not comprehend the importance of everything we are doing here. Stop fooling around, boy!¡± Shaper¡¯s voice boomed in the auditorium like thunder. Then an invisible weight fell on Keynes driving him to his knees. Keynes grunted, trying to use [Chaos Aura] again but the skill seemed elusive this time. ¡°As long as you¡¯re in my power, your skills are useless. The gap between us is greater than you can imagine. I could squash you like an insect¡­ But isn¡¯t why I¡¯ve saved you from the rift¡­ I see you aren¡¯t surprised. You¡¯re smart. That is good. There is nothing more annoying than working with fools and idiots. Now, I must know how you have come into possession of [Chaos Aura]. That spell may render the vision unworkable, and it¡¯s my last vision.¡± The weight was lifted from Keynes¡¯s shoulders. He had to admit that whatever Shaper used on him had a serious punch. Windsor Freeman was right to fear this man. Keynes considered his options. He didn¡¯t think Shaper would actually harm him, it appeared that the vision centred around Keynes and something that shouldn¡¯t be there upset the other man. The question was--how far could Keynes push it before Shaper snapped? For all his quirks and mystery, Shaper was only a man. ¡°I found it in a rift.¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± Shaper replied. ¡°This skill cannot drop before--¡± Shaper cut himself off but Keynes wasn¡¯t keen to let the other man get away with it. He knew that Esopp, Wagner and Columbus had struck a bargain with Shaper getting something in exchange for sticking to his plan. Keynes didn¡¯t take part in it. It was time to fix that mistake. ¡°I¡¯ll answer your questions, Shaper, but I need some answers in exchange.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Shaper snorted quietly, then squinted at Keynes after he¡¯d turned away earlier. ¡°I cannot guarantee that I¡¯ll be able to answer any of your questions. I follow the vision to the letter.¡± An interesting point. So, if the vision didn¡¯t force Keynes to answer Shaper¡¯s question in the first place, the question wasn¡¯t pivotal to the future. Or was Keynes missing something? Shaper admitted himself that the vision hadn¡¯t envisioned Keynes to possess [Chaos Aura]. It appeared that Shaper¡¯s visions were less certain than he tried to make Keynes believe. ¡°How did you hide and deactivate my spells?¡± ¡°These are two questions,¡± Shapers noted then added. ¡°Though the process is similar. I guess I can make an exception here. ¡°The answer is spiritual aura. Once you reach higher stages, you¡¯ll learn how to use your spiritual energy in a way that would boggle your young mind. Spiritual aura is the way ascenders mean to interact with their surroundings. After all, the world is made of spirit itself.¡± ¡°But how did you do it?¡± ¡°The answer won¡¯t help you. You aren¡¯t equipped to understand the complexities of my spiritual stage.¡± ¡°Try me!¡± Keynes said with reawakened curiosity. Shaper smiled mirthlessly. ¡°Fine. I use threads of my aura and turned off the parts of your spiritual matrix responsible for spells or your senses.¡± Seeing that Keynes¡¯s brows were climbing ever higher, Shaper shook his head. ¡°You are stuck in the Elevated stage and you want to learn what took me ages? Impossible,¡± Shaper said. ¡°But if that isn¡¯t enough to dissuade you, then you should know that to progress after you pass the Elevated stage, you¡¯ll have to rebuild your spiritual core. Good luck figuring that one out.¡± Shaper¡¯s expression reverted to a mask. ¡°Now. Tell me about [Chaos Aura].¡± Keynes cursed, Shaper only caressed his curiosity, but still he answered Keynes¡¯s questions. ¡°I got the spell from the hidden room.¡± Shaper went quiet for a moment, most likely discussing with his spiritual companion, then his attention returned to Keynes. ¡°Your Talent works on the hidden doors too?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Shaper picked up the hesitation in Keynes¡¯s voice. ¡°But?¡± ¡°I am pretty sure you are aware of hidden rewards. First, you have a hidden compartment, then hidden room starting from Level 2. But we once found the hidden door belonging to Level 3.¡± ¡°And?¡± Keynes shrugged. ¡°It was impenetrable even to my Talent. I couldn¡¯t even attempt to use my Talent on the door.¡± Keynes explained how the door looked, which prompted even more silence from Shaper. Eventually, Shaper nodded, seemingly to himself. ¡°It appears that these hidden rooms exist beyond the usual rules of the System. I presume that you have received it because of your chaos debuff. Lucky for us all, it remained in a semi-dormant state.¡± With that, Shaper turned to go. ¡°Wait, where are we?¡± Shaper glanced at Keynes, surprised by the question. ¡°Near the Labyrinth of Worth. There are several ways to access that place. It happened that you used the worst one.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my choice to go there, it was your damned vision.¡± That gave Shaper pause. ¡°Was it? Hm. Another unexpected turn of events.¡± He turned to go again and once more Keynes asked, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know anything about the reward from the rift I killed the boss of, would you?¡± Shaper stopped a few steps later. ¡°Ah, I¡¯d have forgotten. Not everyone is blessed with your kind of memory.¡± He opened his hand and a silver sphere the size of an apple appeared on it. Keynes used [Telekinesis] and moved the sphere toward himself. What he found took his breath away.
Rift Orb of Relocation
Rift (Epic; Mayhem)
Level 3
Status -
Requirements -
Modifiers Lesser Orbs drop more commonly. Monsters are stronger than usual. A small chance of a Deadly Encounter.
Details This rift contains a higher number of monsters, champions and a boss (overcharge effect).
Affinity -
Special Status Modified, Relocated.
HOLY SMOKES! It was the rift Keynes had fallen unconscious in. How? Why? ¡°How did you¡­¡± Keynes found no one in the auditorium and his voice trailed off. And to make matters worse, the runes started to fade away. He needed to get out of here. Still in the state of shock, Keynes shot toward the last rows where he saw the outline of an exit. He found an unlocked door there. Using the technique of lesser wind currents, he headed toward the source of a draft. The corridors outside the auditorium didn¡¯t have active runes and Keynes had to use [Night Sight] to not walk into a wall. Ten minutes later, Keynes emerged from the well-hidden exit. Not only was it covered by a thick bush but a solid canopy spread above as well. Keynes spied a fallen log. Only after he sat down, his mind started to process what had just occurred. He repeated his conversation with Shaper several times, cursing his stupidity. He missed so many good questions. He should¡¯ve been more precise. And why didn¡¯t I ask about the Capital and the labyrinth? Shaper appeared familiar with this place. Heck! He must have something to do with it. But what? A thunderous roar snapped Keynes out of thoughts. Then he heard the sounds of battle. He quickly checked his health and stamina. Both were extremely low. He wasn¡¯t in a state to fight, though monsters always fired him up. Softly, Keynes lifted himself into the sky to better grasp the situation. What he found stunned him. He knew that the third outbreak was in progress and understood what it entailed. What he saw didn¡¯t have much to do with the outbreak though. A giant ape, at least twenty metres tall, battered the gate of the Capital with a wooden club. Defenders from the wall shoot at it, or at least tried to. They were being interrupted by swarms of flying monsters. Some of the tribesmen exited the Capital but were blocked by lesser monsters. Keynes had never seen monsters working together. Here, not only the monsters worked together, they seemed to have a plan. They wanted to take down the gate. Dominion of Monsters¡­ he remembered. The System warned him that this might happen. Keynes didn¡¯t have time to check it out and so he didn¡¯t know what the whole dominion was but judging by the change in the behaviour of the monsters, it meant serious trouble. What do I do now? He asked himself. The Capital betrayed him, he didn¡¯t owe them anything. But it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get a better look at this monster, right? Chapter 92: Local Event Keynes landed in one of hundreds of villages that lay in the Capital¡¯s surrounding area. It no longer resembled a village though. Not a single hut was left standing. It looked as if a hurricane had passed through and that was far from the worst. Bodies of tribesmen were scattered everywhere. The monsters made no exceptions. Seeing firsthand the consequence of his actions gave Keynes pause. Once again he doubted himself. Was he on the right side of history? Or was he nothing else but Shaper¡¯s tool? ¡°Look what¡¯ve you done.¡± Keynes whirled, finding Vivena floating a metre above the ground. Keynes didn¡¯t sense her until she spoke up. Clearly, without Alice, he was severely handicapped. Plus, his spiritual control was in disarray after what had happened to him. The race and the inevitable death, [Chaos Aura], the rift, Shaper and now this. He needed to calm down or he wouldn¡¯t even see the next person coming at him with less friendly intentions. Vivena landed, she wore her green coat - Poison Regali and held the unidentified mace in right hand. She also had her Dexterity boots on. All in all, she seemed to be prepared for a fight and judging by the angry look on her beautiful face, not necessarily with monsters. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Keynes asked instead of answering her question, which seemed to rub her in the wrong way. For a moment, the silence entangled them as they stared at each other, Vivena stared daggers at Keynes while it slowly dawned on him how serious this was. This was the girl Keynes had feelings for and he¡¯d once imagined them being together. Now, he saw nothing but disgust in her haunted eyes. ¡°You killed them,¡± she whispered almost too quietly for Keynes to pick up her voice. ¡°And you no longer can hide behind ignorance. There are no more excuses.¡± Her voice grew colder with each word. Was she going to fight him? Snap. If she still has the serum I won''t be able to get out of this. In the distance a booming scream tore the sky. It was the gigantic ape and its scream was more than it appeared to be. Keynes felt his stats dip a little. Debuff Acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 50% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 20% (Purifying Body effect). Attributes are decreased by 4. Vivena noticed it too and it gave pause. The battle near the gate still raged. Thousands of monsters swarmed the vicinity of the absurd ape. Keynes and Vivena were too far away for the monsters to react to their presence. Unlike the outbreak, the Dominion of Monsters didn¡¯t seem to continuously create monsters. Keynes didn¡¯t have time to read through the information about the era or even look at the System. ¡°Should we help them?¡± Keynes asked. Vivena looked at him and he regretted asking the question. ¡°I was wrong about you. We cannot trust you with that kind of power. You must return to Geneva.¡± Vivena¡¯s word cut deep, leaving open wounds and there was nothing to cauterise them, nothing to sooth the pain. Keynes slumped a little. He didn¡¯t know what to say. Or if there was even anything to say. ¡°Wagner sent help. They¡¯ll be here in two days.¡± Vivena turned her back on him but didn¡¯t move from her spot. ¡°I don¡¯t go anywhere,¡± Keynes replied, more out of spite than actual feelings about going back to Geneva. He¡¯d give a kingdom for his mother¡¯s soothing. ¡°I will make you then,¡± she said. The serum was an issue. Without it, Vivena wasn¡¯t likely to beat Keynes but once she used it Keynes wouldn¡¯t be able to even escape with his [Flight]. He was quite sure that his [Flight] was faster than Vivena¡¯s rendering her boosted stats useless but for that to come true he needed to get out of her reach and with her stats being twice as high as his that was highly unlikely. ¡°I am sorry,¡± he muttered, not knowing what else to say. ¡°It¡¯s too late for that,¡± Vivena said with open hostility. ¡°I wish it wasn¡¯t,¡± he said, then took a gamble and started walking toward the Capital. The gate and the giant ape were still three kilometres away, so it¡¯d take time to get there. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Vivena asked, a shadow of hesitation in her voice. ¡°To kill that beast,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°Despite their betrayal, there must be good people among them.¡± Vivena followed Keynes, staying worryingly close but she didn¡¯t try to stop him at least. Nothing attacked them until they came a kilometre from the gate. Keynes found it strange that the defenders were no longer fighting and the monster seemed to redouble their effort to breach the gate. At the same time, Keynes and Vivena passed through the invisible line. The Dominion of Monsters Stolen story; please report. Local Event The monster horde is trying to breach the walls of the dwelling and create their dominion there. Mission: Stop the horde leader from reaching the dwelling¡¯s centre. Bonus Mission: Kill all the horde monsters. Bonus Mission: Recover The Skull of the Grand Apeling. Out of nowhere came monsters, in hundreds. There were many varieties of apes and some other animals. The monster Levels were mostly 1 to 3, with packs of weaker monsters creating ¡®meat shields¡¯ for the more powerful creatures. Keynes took his two shortswords out of his dimensional pouch and waited for the first wave of the fodder to reach him. The fastest, dog-like creatures came at him like an avalanche. Keynes unravelled [Chaos Aura] causing havoc in the ranks of the lesser monsters as they threw their bodies at him. Then he felt it; buffs and debuffs from two larger apes with wooden maces and crude clothes and intelligent eyes. The two apes watched Keynes warily from a distance. Luckily for Keynes, not a single debuff applied to him as his Purifying Body buff shielded him from negative influences. Almost every single monster--the Lesser Wolfdog--was a common rarity and Level 1. If not for Keynes¡¯s low stamina, the creatures would be an afterthought to him. But in his state, an extended fight put him at disadvantage, especially with only the weaker monsters draining Keynes¡¯s precious stamina. If they truly had some sort of plan, which sounded ludicrous, then Keynes expected heavy hitters to appear once Keynes showed the first signs of exhaustion. With the buffs from the two apes, the lesser wolfdogs seemed unafraid of Keynes¡¯s [Chaos Aura] even if it affected them all the same. It didn¡¯t kill them in real-time but any Level 1 that stayed for longer than ten seconds started to show signs of organ failures. On the other side of the dirt road was Vivena. Her [Poison Aura] was so thick its greenish haze was almost visible to the naked eye. She fought with her unidentified mace, it was a blur in her hands. The essence from the monsters was so miniscule it barely thickled Keynes. Each monster must have at least five times less essence than the equivalent rift monsters. The area around Keynes turned red and gory from all cut and aura-mulited monster carcasses. Keynes missed the moment Vivena shot forward and smashed one of the apes in the head, caving it. The other ape rumbled guttarily and a powerful debuff hit Keynes and Vivena. For a few seconds, Vivena just stood there, in front of the second ape and stared at the mace that didn¡¯t move. Debuff Acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). The expenditure of Stamina is increased by 45%. ¡°What happened?¡± Keynes shouted, not understanding what was happening to Vivena. The debuff was annoying, especially to Keynes, but it wouldn¡¯t stop Keynes from finishing the second ape. Vivena didn¡¯t reply and instead the greenish haze around the second ape intensified¡­ Don¡¯t tell me she already knows how to use two auras? Fact, she had two auras for longer than Keynes-- Without a warning, Vivena moved, her face struck by determination. At the same time, the airborne monsters came to the ape¡¯s rescue, swarming Vivena from all sides. They seemed to do very little damage to her, but her advance was stalled and the ape was allowed to retreat behind the ranks of the much larger rhino-like monsters. They waited nearby for their turn. This is quite dangerous, Keynes told himself. These Level 1s may not be a problem but what if Level 4s and 5s are as cunning as these apes? One mistake could mean death. The rhinos charged Vivena while she was blinded by the flying monsters. Keynes considered using [Chaos Aura] and spiritual aura to cut through them but there were too many of these little mongrels. On top of that, the deadly labour debuff would have sucked out most of his stamina. Keynes reached Vivena first, drawing some of the flying creatures to him, his blades slicing two or three monsters in one slash. They were to Level 1s and of a common rarity. The ground shook as forty massive rhinos came at them. ¡°Either get out of here or use the serum!¡± Keynes shouted. The green haze exploded out of Vivena, hitting Keynes. Debuff Acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 30% (Purifying Body effect) The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). Organ Melting Poison deals ongoing damage causing organs to slowly melt over time. What the hell?! Keynes got out of the [Poison Aura]¡¯s range and took off the ground, drawing even more flying monsters. ¡°WATCH OUT!¡± Keynes cried out as the rhinos were about to hit Vivena. She, too, jumped into the sky, evading the charging rhinos. She did it with enough grace that told Keynes that she¡¯d had it all under control. Vivena then dropped on the first rhino and killed with a single hit. The battleground turned into a mayhem as other rhinos swung around, enraged. Vivena¡¯s aura eventually started clearing the lesser monsters as they dropped from the air, dead. Keynes felt the damage of her aura on himself as well. It wasn¡¯t anything significant but he¡¯d been low already and any added damage pushed him closer to the edge. As the deadly labour debuff ran out, he used [Chaos Aura] together with spiritual aura, clearing the flying pest in a few seconds. It cost Keynes a good chunk of stamina but it was worth it. Those little flying mongrels were annoying. Keynes joined the fight with the rhinos, attacking from the air. The rhinos were Level 2 and were a mix of common and uncommon rarity with mostly hardened skin passive skills. It took some manoeuvring from Keynes to find the right angle at dealing the killing blow, usually in the eye, but eventually, Keynes was able to score ten kills before the rhinos died out to [Poison Aura] and [Chaos Aura]. Wherever the auras overlapped, the monsters died much faster. It was something he was going to exploit in the future. If he could run two auras at the same time, it¡¯d solve his aoe damage deficiency issue. After clearing the rhinos, the ape lost it and threw all the monsters that so far stood and watched. Keynes didn¡¯t let it escape. The ape was slower than Keynes¡¯s [Flight] and he easily caught up with it. As he drove the shortsword into its brain another debuff appeared. Debuff Acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 30% (Purifying Body effect) The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). Unable to use physical weapons to attack. Oh, so that¡¯s what happened to Vivena. Speaking of her¡­ Upon the death of the second ape, the monsters went berserk, losing the last shred of cooperation and agenda. This was the kind of enemy Vivena and Keynes were accustomed to fight with. CRACK! BOOM! Keynes looked at the gate and saw that the ape managed to destroy it. It started banging its chest, which seemed to have an effect on the monsters. Many of the stronger ones disengaged and fled toward the giant ape. Keynes, too, raised into the sky feeling exhausted. His stamina reached 1%. All this fodder drained him all too easily. Even Vivena looked worse for wear, with her green coat now red and the solid ground turned-mud. Chapter 93: Empathy Shaper stood in one of his secret rooms inside the palace. Not even his cult was aware of their existence. Nonetheless, with the current king¡¯s Talent, keeping anything secret in the city wasn¡¯t easy. His vines eavesdropped on every conversation and by the law, it was illegal to remove them from any property. Shaper¡¯s cult invented several workarounds, allowing them to stay out of the king¡¯s radar. Shaper didn¡¯t much care if the king found his rooms as the vines could only pick sounds. The king must have some awareness of the location of his vines as well but he¡¯d never investigated those rooms that Shaper had left exposed in one way or another. The ones that were important were kept sealed away with no way in anyway. This room didn¡¯t even have anything valuable in it. Its true value lay in its location. Its glassless window opened onto the main thoroughfare that led to the main gate, which, at that moment, was being destroyed by a gigantic ape. Every instinct told Shaper to kill the monster but the vision was vehemently clear on his next move. The giant ape must take over the city before Shaper was allowed to kill it. They are coming to the Capital, Magnalius said, appearing as an old man next to Shaper. Who? Keynes Kid and Vivena Sael, Magnalius replied. That¡¯s ¡­ another deviation from the vision, Shaper muttered. The first one was the chaos debuff, then [Chaos Aura] and now this. According to the vision, Keynes Kid and Vivena Sael were meant to leave the Capital and return to Geneva. Their presence here was putting Shaper¡¯s plan in jeopardy. Talk them out of this. Mangalius¡¯s white form sharply looked at Shaper, disbelief thick in their bond. Forget it, Magnalius replied. I will not reveal myself to those brats. Find someone else to do your biddings. Magnalius began immediately fading away. Shaper stopped him. Being in the Grand stage gave Shaper more privileges when it came to his spiritual companion. It was mostly because Magnalius was quite strong on his own and Shaper was responsible for Magnalius¡¯s actions. Damn, you¡¯re insufferable, Magnalius complained. I hate doing your work. You have no choice, Shaper told him, his voice like steel. And if your attitude won¡¯t change, I will erase you. Now that the System is online, I won¡¯t stand your antics any longer. Magnalius stood quiet for a moment, his emotions barely a whisper and they were conflicted as if part of Shaper¡¯s spiritual companion wanted to vanish. Shaper and Magnalius had been together for millennia and they coped with the passage of time differently. In theory, the spiritual companions were meant to be immune to the passage of time as they were only shards of ascenders¡¯ spirits that had greater connection to the System. What do you want me to do? Magnalius asked eventually, his mental voice dry like sand. Stop them in whatever way you seem fit, short of endangering their lives. I need time. The ape must reach the palace. Meanwhile, I will take care of the king. *** Keynes and Vivena reached the gate. It was smashed to pieces as if a bomb exploded in front of it. A few stray monsters died to Vivena¡¯s angry swings as Keynes investigated the extent of destruction. She hadn¡¯t spoken to Keynes since they engaged the monsters. Twice Keynes had tried small talk but he was bad at it and he¡¯d gotten only a stink eye from her. At least she didn¡¯t threaten him any longer. Also, the fact that she hadn¡¯t used the serum so far made Keynes wonder. Did she still have it? Keynes didn¡¯t know what happened after he¡¯d entered the labyrinth but Vivena being outside of the city by herself was telling. They followed the path of destruction, it went straight toward the palace in the centre of the city. The giant ape¡¯s goal was to reach the palace and create something called the dominion that would give monsters extra buffs. What was the point of this mechanism, Keynes didn¡¯t know, but it had to be stopped regardless. Speaking of the era, Keynes checked on one of the dozens of the System notifications that asked for his attention. He didn¡¯t read any since he¡¯d caused the outbreak. o Level 1: 34 (34 points) o Level 2: 6 (24 points) o Level 3: 1 (9 points), [1 Alpha kill] Keynes froze reading through that. He was only ranked 102nd in the world after all this effort? Well, clearly, other places were hit too. I wonder what is Vivena¡¯s rank. She¡¯s killed way more monsters than I have. He looked up the ranking and right at the top, ranked 8th, was Vivena with 317 points. Keynes balled his fists. He didn¡¯t expect her to be that far ahead. He needed¡ª Suddenly, Keynes felt an uneasiness. It gnawed at him, filling him with dark premonition. What was going on? Keynes looked around, seeing empty, devastated buildings and streets. There were no people or monsters in this part of the city. The giant ape was closer to the city centre and its horde closely followed it, the people who lived here had fled before that. The feeling intensified¡­ Alice, what¡¯s going on? Keynes asked, knowing well that Alice wasn¡¯t going to answer him. His heart rate began to spike and he trembled from fear. But he didn¡¯t know what he feared¡­ A faint, white silhouette appeared in between two buildings, in a narrow alley. It possessed no features and Keynes could swear that this thing was the source of the ominous premonition. Leave, it said directly into Keynes¡¯s head. Leave the city or you will die. It emphasised the last word with such vehemence that something stirred inside Keynes. Something¡­ If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Alice? It was no Alice¡­ Warning: Chaos Magic detected! Power unlike ¡­ wait a second. It felt exactly like his [Chaos Aura]. Another silhouette emerged, this one, stepped out of Keynes¡¯s body, which made him shiver with terror. The silhouette was humanoid and its outline was dark. Everything else was a chaos of colours without any scheme or sense. ¡°Finally,¡± the apparition of chaos said. ¡°Being semi-dormant sucks.¡± Although it didn¡¯t have a face, Keynes genuinely could sense the apparition¡¯s wicked smile. Keynes¡¯s mind reeled from the overload of information. Warning: Chaos debuff¡¯s status changed to dormant! ¡°Get a grip, human. What would my brethren say if they knew I inhabited a wuss?¡± The apparition turned to its white counterpart. ¡°Hello, little spirit. Have you lost your master?¡± The other apparition stepped out of the alley and its features began coalescing into a man with features that constantly shifted. It was disorienting, not that Keynes did much staring. His head spun, his body trembled from spiritual exhaustion and titanic effort of birthing this unnatural chaos apparition. ¡°This realm is off-limit to your kind.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± the chaos apparition asked with a mock. ¡°I don¡¯t see your omnipotent and omniscience System doing anything about my presence here.¡± Keynes groaned, his body spasmed and suddenly pain filled him to the extent he didn¡¯t think was possible. ¡°Argh, damn it, that human is a wuss. He cannot handle a bit of chaos.¡± There wasn¡¯t a grain of sympathy in the otherworldly being¡¯s voice. ¡°What a waste.¡± ¡°The human is only Level 3. It¡¯s only natural that he¡¯s a weakling.¡± Damn it! Keynes screamed in his head. Leave me alone! Warning: The strain on your Spirit Core is near its breaking limit! ¡°Sorry, human, but I¡¯m not a pitiable spiritual companion. I don¡¯t need you to be alive¡­¡± Keynes felt a stab of pain, then the chaos apparition roared angrily. ¡°What are you, spirit?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll demonstrate to you,¡± the spirit replied. The fight that ensued was difficult to describe, partly because Keynes was in agony and his eyes remained, for the most part, closed, but mostly because it was otherworldly in every possible way. The two apparitions turned into two plums of smoke, one pure white, the other black with a swirl of many colours, and then, engaged each other. They lost all resemblance to their previous shapes and became a maelstrom of colours. It was impossible to tell who was winning. The bizarre spectacle made no sense. Then something changed. Pain in Keynes¡¯s chest started to fade and his bond flared to life. Alice? She didn¡¯t reply but she came back and entered the mayhem of colours. The fight, or whatever it was, lasted only a couple of seconds after that and ended with the chaos apparition¡¯s rageful scream. Master¡­ How do you feel? The pain and the feeling of premonition were gone but he was still exhausted from the ordeal. So, not that bad. I¡¯ll live¡­ You¡¯re back. How? The System didn¡¯t like the chaos magic wreaking havoc uncontrollably. It sent me to help the other spiritual companion seal the chaos apparition away, Alice sounded genuinely happy. It uplifted Keynes. He checked his debuff status and found the chaos debuff was returned to a semi-dormant state. So, not exactly gone. Is there no way to get rid of that thing completely? Keynes asked. And what is the chaos apparition anyway? I didn¡¯t think a debuff can become sentient. Alice reappeared as a palm-sized spirit of a woman and landed on Keynes''s lap as he sat down and leaned against a half-demolished wall. He knew he had to go toward the centre to stop the ape, but for the moment, his body refused to listen to him. There seemed to be no one around anyway. Vivena must have gone forward without him. Maybe, that was better. As it currently stands, you¡¯re too weak to even fight the apparition. We only won because the other spiritual companion made the fight equal and I was able to tip the scale. As for what it is ¡­ well, it is a different form of energy that belongs to another realm. Another realm? That got Keynes curious. Can you tell me more or will the System get in the way? Alice quieted down for a moment, their bond seemed to faint a tad, then she spoke up. First of all, the System does not want you to think it is responsible for anything that is happening to you. Secondly, with the System¡¯s restart, and technically, the true beginning for your kind, the System does not think it is safe to burden you or your kind with knowledge such as other realms. But it appreciates your hand in its awakening and lifted my band earlier. Plus, the ones who tried to shut it off completely will be punished. Keynes didn¡¯t press for more. His mind felt like a wrung cloth. Picturing the System as a thinking entity was giving him a headache, and he already had one from the chaos apparition. *** Vivena saw Keynes stare at the empty alley. Perhaps, he was checking the System. It wasn¡¯t the best time for that but she felt like she didn¡¯t know him anymore¡­ Breathe, she thought to herself. At the mere mention of Keynes, she was seeing red. Trying to calm down, Vivena put a distance between them. She¡¯d cleared the area from the monsters, killing every one that crossed her path. She¡¯d actually asked Isako to scout the alleys in search of more points¡ªprey! Not only Keynes didn¡¯t make her think straight, but after finding out that her rank was 8th she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about getting first place. She didn¡¯t see Keynes in the top 100 so she couldn¡¯t tell how he felt about the ranking. Nor do I care! She snapped at herself. She continued toward the palace, the path was easy to navigate as it involved a trail of destruction. She froze, hearing the sounds of battle. Humans fought monsters. She glanced at the gigantic ape in the distance. It was still far away from the centre. The Capital was a massive city. A little detour wouldn¡¯t hurt. Besides, she needed these points. There is a battle, Isako informed her. I know, she replied, feeling the thrill of the upcoming fight. Despite the excitement, she didn¡¯t blindly charge in and instead, raised into the air and landed on the roof of a two-story building. The alley opened up to a park, littered with dead bodies of humans and monsters. The sight caused a lump in Vivena¡¯s throat to grow larger and her ire hotter. The sounds of the battle came from the other end of the park where a group of soldiers fought a river of monsters. ¡°Something¡¯s not right¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°Why are there so many monsters here?¡± She got back in the air and raised higher. From three hundred metres above the ground, Vivena saw the answer to her question. These weren¡¯t the dominion monsters. They came from the other side of the city. How? Was another gate breached? She wasn¡¯t able to tell. She landed back on the same roof and watched as wave after wave of monsters pushed the defenders deeper into the park. Aren¡¯t you going to help them? Isako asked, shaking Vivena out of the stupor. With dread, Vivena realised that she didn¡¯t care about them. She¡¯d come here for the points¡­ What the hell is wrong with me? What¡¯s happening? Why do I think like this? She clutched her head in her hands, terrified at the lack of empathy for those few who fought down there. This is wrong¡­ Someone¡¯s coming to help them, Isako noted. Vivena glanced at the park and her eyes widened, finding Haruka and Pandora cut through the monsters with the ease they¡¯d honed in the first Level 3 rift in the world. Chapter 94: Throne Shaper missed a step as he walked to the throne room. His bond with Magnalius went haywire. The sensation was so intense that Shaper could taste chaos magic pulsing through their bond. It filled him with horror, causing some of his darkest memories to resurface. Suddenly, he was transported back to ancient time, to the One Empire or more precisely to its birth where already a thousand-year-old Shaper met a young boy with a truly broken Talent, one that allowed the boy to see the spiritual matrix of the reality around him. It was the first time when Shaper truly saw the depth and complexity of the world. He also found out why trying to take advantage of the System was deadly. The System shielded life from Chaos. It diminished and stifled power, true, but Chaos could not be controlled. By its nature, it shredded existence itself into messy pieces. Back then, this hadn¡¯t been enough to sway Shaper and so his experimentation continued until his golden boy was killed by chaos magic. Shaper took a deep breath, shoving the memory away. That was unexpected. Something like this didn¡¯t happen to Shaper in over a thousand years. Magnalius, Shaper pulled at their bond, but his spiritual companion resisted. I order you to return. A blast of spiritual energy shot through the bond, bringing Magnalius back to Shaper. Spiritual companions weren¡¯t indestructible. Their destruction wasn¡¯t fatal to their masters but there were some consequences. Until now, Shaper hadn¡¯t considered the possibility of anything on Earth to put a scratch on Magnalius. After all, there were only a few sources of power that could touch a spiritual companion. What returned to Shaper were half-shredded remnants of Magnalius. He was alive and he¡¯d fully recover but it¡¯d have to be fuelled by Shaper, making him weaker. Has Keynes Kid done it to you? You wish, came a ragged reply. Magnalius fell silent, entering recovery mode. The drain on Shaper¡¯s spiritual energy was noticeable. Nothing that would stop him from fulfilling the vision though. The throne room was as Shaper expected it to be, packed with people. There was a great debate in progress. The king yelled at his royals for failing to defend the gate. His reaction was understandable. The gate should have been defended but the Cult of Shaper did its part and sabotaged the defence. ¡°¡­RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS FOUND AND BROUGHT HERE!¡± the king roared. Shaper sensed mixed responses from the gathered. The majority of the royals didn¡¯t understand what was going on and so they reverted to using something Shaper¡¯s own court had used to do as well, they blamed others. The whole throne room split into several factions, baring teeth at each other. Even though the entire court was one large family, there was no love between them. Threats and accusations were thrown left and right until the king roared again. ¡°SILENCE!¡± The gathered royals fell silent. The king used the moment and said calmly and quietly, ¡°I want the monsters gone from my city, you have one hour. If you fail, I won¡¯t be looking for culprits, I¡¯ll kill you all. Understood?¡± That evoked a different kind of silence, a stunned one. Glances were exchanged, and the atmosphere changed from angry to wary to worried in a couple of seconds. It took them a few more seconds to respond. They started to drop to their knees assuring the king that his will was going to be fulfilled. Many of them lied but the king was too pathetic to sense it. That man was barely in the Medium stage. As the king turned away from them, his guards created a protective wall between him and the royals. The meaning behind this was clear and the royals quickly filed out of the throne room, chattering vividly. The guards soon scattered around the throne room securing all exits. The king turned to his first servant, the king¡¯s hand on the backrest of the throne. ¡°Who¡¯s behind this?¡± The first servant didn¡¯t hesitate and replied as he¡¯d been instructed. ¡°The Cult of Shaper.¡± The king hissed angrily, his fingers biting into the soft material of the backrest. ¡°Those traitors¡­ I should¡¯ve known, they were much more active lately.¡± The king looked at his throne. ¡°Send the word. I want every cultist in the dungeon by the end of the day. It¡¯s time to make a purge.¡± Shaper decided that it was the moment he should introduce himself to the king. He put on one of his newly acquired regal robes, golden with white and silver ornaments. It was crafted from Level 1 rift materials and gave a minor attribute bonus to stats that didn¡¯t make a difference to Shaper. Instead of dropping his aura camouflage that hid Shaper from the senses of the king, his servant and the guards, Shaper decided to do it his way. He approached one of the walls, placed his hand on it and then started to feed his mana to it. The wall drank it greedily, taking almost half of Shaper¡¯s mana, which even with a highly cultivated mana core, was a lot. The mana reached a rune hidden inside the wall. It was the activation rune that linked the control of the palace with Shaper¡¯s bracelet. All of this was ancient and created thanks to one broken Talent. ¡°WHO ARE YOU?!¡± the king shouted. ¡°GUARDS, ARREST THIS MAN!¡± It looked like Shaper¡¯s aura control slipped when he fed the rune. Magnalius¡¯s recovery was taking quite a chunk of Shaper¡¯s spiritual energy and this seemed to have an impact on Shaper¡¯s spiritual proficiency. He didn¡¯t know that. It didn¡¯t matter. He turned around seeing a dozen guards running at him. His aura hit them like a truck, sending each guard to their knees. Without a second glance at the remaining guards who stood frozen in place, Shaper¡¯s eyes rested on the king and his servant. The king¡¯s wide eyes jumped between Shaper and the fallen guards. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Your time is over,¡± Shaper said as he started walking toward the throne. ¡°You fulfilled your role. Now, you have a choice. Leave now or I will kill you.¡± ¡°W-what¡­ What role? Wha¡ªwho are you?¡± ¡°I am the first and final ruler of the Capital, once known as Actium. I built this place and I will rule from now on.¡± To add weight to his words, Shaper used his bracelet. The room started to shift and change. Stone walls covered by gold paint with shining blue-white runes. Then the floor became like a black mirror. Where the current king¡¯s throne stood, now another one started to emerge. The king yelped and threw himself on the floor. The new throne was made out of gleaming platinum and white gold, its backrest was massive, as tall as four adults standing one on top of another. The changes to the throne didn¡¯t stop there. It was raised five metres above the level of the floor, with wide stairs as the only access to it. The fringes of the throne twisted as the liquid metal started falling into shapes. Some of them were meaningless, they just looked good, others represented Shaper¡¯s past conquests. The ceiling raised, deforming the rest of the palace, which would be rectified easily once Shaper fed the palace¡¯s runes with mana from the tribesmen. Beams of pure light fell on the seat, causing the entire throne to sparkle. One thing the current rulers failed to understand was the importance of a throne. Just standing in the presence of such a magnificent object made people¡¯s knees weak and their hearts beat faster. Shaper¡¯s throne humbled the greatest kings and emperors of his time. They once stood here or in many other places like the Capital and trembled before Shaper. Shaper ascended his throne, remembering how it¡¯d been to be the ruler of the world. He sat down, the throne, seemingly hard and uncomfortable, yielded to his needs making sure it fit him perfectly. The throne was loaded with many different types of runes, and like the Labyrinth of Worth, these runes could annihilate anyone in the throne room. Shaper¡¯s awareness was augmented by the throne. Some guards shook off the shock and were dragging the king toward the door. Shaper didn¡¯t need him. His job had been to overthrow the previous king¡ªAkarys¡ªwhich stopped the Capital from joining the World Government. King Akarys and President Vichy Ottoman had plans that went even further, they wanted to reveal Shaper¡¯s secrets but their minds were too small to comprehend the consequences of that move. Shaper let the king go, fate would take care of him. ¡°Afran,¡± Shaper said, his voice magnified by the throne. ¡°Bring my cult to me.¡± *** Vivena landed near the tribesmen, many monsters instantly broke away from the group and attacked her. They were of a common rarity. Not even a challenge to her, she realised as she smashed the head of a bear-like creature. There were actually several types of monsters, all of the common rarity. They must come from the same rift. The monsters were mostly animals too, which made sense. Even though these were common rarity monsters, the amount of essence from them was far greater than from the dominion monsters, although not as much as from the monsters inside a rift. There were essence penalties but Vivena didn¡¯t know the details. She didn¡¯t use the essence toward the progress to Level 5 though. First, she wanted to gain the Elevated stage. Isako convinced her that this should be Vivena¡¯s priority. Before Vivena fell into a familiar rhythm, Isako warned her that Haruka was coming over. Her head snapped in his direction, he was twenty metres from her, killing monsters as he walked toward her. ¡°Vivena!¡± he called to her then asked as he got closer. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She didn¡¯t answer for a long minute, occupied by the swarm of monsters. She didn¡¯t actually know what to say. Why was she here? She didn¡¯t have any business helping those traitors. There were countless places that deserved her help more than the Capital. ¡°Are you okay, Vivena?¡± Haruka came within several metres of her. ¡°Not a step closer,¡± she said sharply, he stopped. ¡°Vivena, I didn¡¯t know.¡± She actually believed him. It was unlikely the Capital¡¯s royals would risk telling him their plan. Vivena¡¯s grandfather wouldn¡¯t bother involving her either. ¡°I misjudged your people,¡± she told him. ¡°They are not different from those beyond the wall.¡± ¡°So do I. I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry about Keynes. If I told him everything, he wouldn¡¯t have died. I¡¯ll never forgive myself for this.¡± Vivena frowned, not understanding. Did something happen to Keynes? Isako¡­ she said to her spiritual companion with growing fear. Go check on Keynes. Please, fast. ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked Haruka, trying to keep her face neutral. Haruka¡¯s expression was one of shame, for a moment he lost concentration and was almost decapitated by an oversized mantis. He killed it the next second. ¡°He hasn¡¯t come out of the labyrinth. He lost.¡± Vivena remembered the king¡¯s words. Only the first place could survive the race, everyone else had to die. But Keynes lived. How? ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked, sounding confused. ¡°Yes. I was there when the Capital¡¯s champion walked out of the labyrinth.¡± Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Pandora and one other person, a young man wearing a pristine white robe. Both were as proficient at killing monsters as Vivena and Haruka. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Pandora asked as she stepped next to her brother. ¡°I¡¯m asking myself the same question.¡± Vivena gave her a cold stare. While it was highly unlikely for Haruka to be involved in the betrayal, Pandora was a different story. She was an arrogant bitch who had had issues with Keynes from the beginning¡­ ¡°That¡¯s the outsider girl,¡± said the man who joined the siblings. ¡°What are you waiting for? Arrest her.¡± Vivena readied herself to shoot into the sky in a heartbeat. She wasn¡¯t stupid. She¡¯d seen these two fight and she wouldn¡¯t defeat them without her serum. The newcomer too felt strong. Isako, why does it take you so long? I need you here. ¡°We won¡¯t arrest anyone, Aestar,¡± Haruka said. ¡°Our parents betrayed her, not the other way around.¡± ¡°Watch your mouth,¡± Aestar snapped. ¡°You¡¯re talk¡ª¡± They were forced to split up as the larger-than-usual wave of monsters charged them. They quickly dealt with the monsters, and soon after that, reinforcement arrived. Temporarily relieved, Vivena, Haruka, Pandora and Aestar moved away from the fight. I cannot find Keynes. Isako delivered bad news. Vivena bit an angry scream. She wasn¡¯t finished with him. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go.¡± ¡°Vivena, wait,¡± Haruka said. Aestar swore, glaring at Haruka. ¡°Have you lost your mind? She¡¯s wanted. You must apprehend her.¡± Pandora crossed her arms and turned her back on the two guys while they eyed each other. Vivena didn¡¯t move from her spot but the need to find Keynes burned her feet like hot embers. ¡°I¡¯ve told you already. She hasn¡¯t betrayed anyone. In fact, she came to our help when she didn¡¯t need to.¡± Aestar closed his eyes, thinking. When he cracked one eye open, it was glued to Vivena. ¡°Why would my parents want you arrested?¡± So he wasn¡¯t part of the plot either. ¡°That¡¯s something you must ask them.¡± She had strong suspicions but with them thinking that Keynes was dead, she couldn¡¯t be sure that Keynes was the motive. ¡°I will but you must go with us.¡± Vivena shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can afford to fight me when your city is invaded from two sides. When that oversized ape gets to the palace something bad will happen. On top of that, if no one will clear the rift, the flood of monsters won¡¯t stop.¡± ¡°Rift?¡± Haruka blinked, confused. Vivena raised in the air. To his credit, Aestar didn¡¯t try to stop her. Vivena¡¯s words must have gotten to him. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Wait, Vivena!¡± She didn¡¯t look back. She had to find Keynes and take him to Geneva. The Capital wasn¡¯t hers to save. Chapter 95: Grand Insight The Orb of Insight has been upgraded to the Orb of Grand Insight. What¡¯s this, Alice? Keynes asked, seeing the system message. A token of gratitude from the System, she replied. It is within the System¡¯s right to offer such awards for special merits and restarting the System on Earth is a feat worth a special acknowledgement. Keynes was stunned by the turn of events. Being recognised by the System like this uplifted his mood. He thanked the System through Alice, then tried to figure out what was different between the normal and grand orbs. With the System online, Keynes was able to check information about the orb via the System. The grand version wasn¡¯t limited to one thing and lasted much longer than the normal version. I think we should be going, Keynes said. I recovered enough. Are you not going to use the orb? I will but not now. Shaper¡¯s here. I need to find out what he¡¯s up to. I know he is here but do you not think that using the orb is the priority, master? Keynes got to his feet. The main street was still empty. She might be right but Keynes worried that the orb would knock him out like the first orb of perfection. It was a horrible experience¡­ Wait a minute, how do you know Shaper is here? We met his spiritual companion, master. What? That white apparition was his spiritual companion? How was it possible for me to see it? He allowed you to see him but it also means that his master must be in a very advanced stage. I am not able to make myself visible to anyone, including other spiritual companions. He is. He was able to use his spiritual aura to make himself invisible to my senses. He explained to me that he used threads of his aura to turn off the part of my spiritual matrix responsible for senses. You must strengthen your spirit, master. Not only because of Shaper but the chaos apparition will eventually return. You must be ready when it does. So the orb? Alice nodded as she floated before his face. Let¡¯s find a secluded room. *** Would you like to use the Orb of Grand Insight? Yes/No Keynes picked Yes. Warning: The item is consumable. It will disappear once it is used. Keynes ignored the second message and let the new feeling build up inside him. Whatever he looked at, he knew he could uncover its secrets. He closed his eyes and relaxed, banishing the distractions. He sat in an empty room on the second floor of an abandoned building. He¡¯d activated [Spiritual Ghost] before using the orb. Keynes didn¡¯t want to be found while under the effect of the orb. There was no telling if he would be aware of his surroundings and he wasn¡¯t going to risk it. [Spiritual Ghost] had a duration of 4 minutes. It wasn¡¯t enough to hide Keynes throughout the process but would help nonetheless. His mind entered a strange state, where it stood on the threshold of something great. Nothing felt small, unimportant, insignificant. Keynes focused on his spiritual core, finding details he¡¯d never seen before. The spiritual core wasn¡¯t the smooth sphere he¡¯d believed it to be. It was still spherical but its smoothness turned into a complex spiritual mechanism. Keynes had never seen anything like this. The spiritual core was a centrepiece of Keynes¡¯s body, its tendrils spread to other smaller cores. Keynes followed them, finding the six attribute cores. He didn¡¯t have any luck figuring out how to use them. Cultivating them had failed and Keynes understood now why. He couldn¡¯t mindlessly dump the essence into these cores as they maintained a highly sophisticated balance. Too much essence would have destabilised them. It was a chilling prospect even though Keynes didn¡¯t know what it entailed. He didn¡¯t spend much time with the attribute cores as they weren¡¯t his priority. Keynes returned to the spirit core. Even with the orb, comprehending its complexity was beyond him. But he saw the role of the essence and cultivation. Unlike the attribute cores, the spirit core had a mechanism responsible for the allocation of the essence. And while it was working well, it wasn¡¯t perfect. The number of imperfections was significant and they added merit to what Shaper had said about rebuilding the core. The imperfections would have to be purged. For that, Keynes didn¡¯t need to rebuild the entire core but changes were required. During the inspection of the core, Keynes noticed something else. Spell cores. They were nestled around the spirit core and felt more accessible than the attribute cores. But Keynes shifted his attention away from them as the insight was slowly coming to an end. He needed to figure out a way to swiftly move beyond the Elevated stage. The trick lay in the architecture of the core. The essence acted as the building blocks, which the core used to transform itself into a greater version of itself. The issue with the stage advancement was that the core seemed to be resistant to change. It badly desired to remain as it was. Even by the end, when all pieces were in place, it was required to force the essence into the core to trigger the transformation and advance to the next stage. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The insight ended¡­ Keynes sat in the same empty room. Alice floated nearby him. How long was I out? Oh, you are already back, master. Only a minute. Only a minute? Keynes checked. The orb of grand insight was gone. So that was it. From now on, he¡¯d need to figure out the rest on his own. He jumped to his feet. Alice sharply looked up. Your friend Vivena is looking for you, master. She is nearby. Would you like me to show you the way? Keynes considered it then shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to deal with Vivena right now. Her obsession with the outbreaks was becoming dangerous. He didn¡¯t like the idea of constantly watching his back because he couldn¡¯t trust her. He sighed. The damned vision messed everything up. What am I supposed to do now? He asked himself. He knew he had to meet with Wagner. Keynes owed him some rifts. With the world having easy access to Level 3 rifts now, Keynes would have to open a few Level 4 rifts exclusively for his company, so they could stay ahead of the rest. But what about the dominion monsters here? Keynes had mixed feelings about them. Especially, when Shaper was in the city. I had a feeling that Shaper isn¡¯t here only because of me. Let¡¯s get closer to the palace and see what¡¯s going on there. What about the insight from the orb, master? Are you not going to act on it? I will but that can wait a bit. First things first. *** Alice scouted the area ahead of Keynes as he floated above the buildings. They were careful to avoid unwanted attention on their way to the palace. It was only a matter of time before Keynes ran into the first skirmish between the tribesmen and the dominion monsters. The pattern here was the same like when Keynes and Vivena had fought the dominion monsters outside the city. The first went fodder to exhaust the humans, then the power level of the monster increased until the tribesmen were overwhelmed and forced to retreat. The dominion monsters didn¡¯t pursue the tribesmen, only ensuring they didn¡¯t get close to the giant ape. As expected, the moment Keynes crossed the invisible line, the flying dominion monsters appeared and attacked him. He used his auras to get rid of the pest, as the creatures were Level 1 and mostly hampered his vision rather than causing any real danger. But even a few seconds of his auras being projected cost Keynes a chunk of his precious stamina. He seriously needed to look into good recovery gear and spells once he got back to Geneva. By the time Keynes got to the palace, the battle was in progress but it wasn¡¯t the kind of battle Keynes expected to find. Not all tribesmen fought against the monsters. Some groups seemed to be on the monsters¡¯ side. Was that even possible? What is going on here? Keynes asked. I do not know, master. Perhaps, the dominion monsters have a way to control humans. Now, that would be unfortunate; and dangerous. We must investigate this. *** Aurora entered Hawthorne¡¯s cell. It was the only part of the palace with working runes and no vines. Only the strengthening runes were active, making the cell too hard even for a Level 3 to break out of. It was the cheapest option available to the palace guards and still required two people to feed the runic system twice a day. These runes did their job and no one thought twice about upgrading them. Thanks to that, Aurora could freely pass through the bars with only a minimal spike of mana cost. Her husband sat on the stone bench, his back against the wall, his eyes closed. Aurora appeared inside. She waited a few seconds before she decided to kick her stupid husband. His eyes snapped open as he yelped. ¡°Wha¡ªAri?¡± Aurora stared at him coldly. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, you know?¡± ¡°Crossed my mind, why? You think I shouldn¡¯t stay loyal to Bonolo?¡± She didn¡¯t reply. It was a pointless discussion at this stage. The palace was in turmoil. The king threatened to kill all his royals if they failed to remove the monsters from the Capital. That move would see him dead and that was going to start a true inter-royal war. Aurora spent her entire life serving Venarys. It was a good life with a structure and future. Both the structure and the future were gone, buried under mountains of greed and betrayals. She hated betrayals. ¡°We¡¯re leaving now. We¡¯ll take the fastest flying construct and travel to the First Tribe to collect William and leave the World Reserve.¡± Hawthorne frowned, watching his wife carefully. ¡°And where would we go? We don¡¯t have money. We don¡¯t have any assets. We have nothing.¡± Aurora understood his worries and she prepared remedies. ¡°I have a brother working for the World Government. He won¡¯t be happy to see me but he¡¯ll help. Even if he decides to not help us, I have some valuable itemswith me. They¡¯ll sell for a lot. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Hawthorne nodded then stood up. She loved that in him. He never argued with her if she was right. He knew better than putting his pride in front of him. Aurora became intangible and invisible. She still couldn¡¯t get over the fact that the outsider had sensed her in the old training camp. She left the cell and reappeared on the other side, then unlocked the cell with the keys she¡¯d stolen earlier. Hawthorne stepped out of the cell. ¡°What about Bonolo?¡± ¡°What about him?¡± ¡°What does it cost us to set him free?¡± ¡°For one, they¡¯d figure out we¡¯ve escaped sooner and might pursue, lowering our chances of getting out alive.¡± I praised him too early, Aurora thought gloomily to herself, seeing her husband¡¯s unconvinced expression. Hawthorne stood there pondering the choice. She could almost hear the cogwheels inside his brain. ¡°What about¡ª¡± The palace shook. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°The Capital¡¯s under attack but no monster should be able to shake the building. Maybe a bomb?¡± ¡°What about this dominion era?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much more than you do, nor do I think it matters right now.¡± The palace shook again and Hawthorne made his choice. He decided to set his friend free even if it lowered their chances of escape. Bonolo¡¯s cell was a few corners away. No guards there. When Bonolo saw Hawthorne his face paled. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Instead of replying, Hawthorne opened the cell, then turned away and ran to where Aurora waited for him. Together, they got out of the dungeon. No one guarded it. ¡°Where are the guards?¡± Hawthorne asked. ¡°I have no idea. Something serious must have happened.¡± Maybe the king decided to follow up on his threat? No. That can¡¯t be true¡­ Then a powerful roar physically hit them and several system messages appeared before their eyes. The Local Dominion Boss conquered the dwelling. * The Dominion of Shaar has been established. * The Dominion of Shaar will now spawn monsters regularly. * Every monster inside the Dominion of Shaar gains additional buffs. * Every trespasser inside the Dominion of Shaar gains additional debuffs. * Strength of buffs and debuffs increase over time. * You are inside the Dominion of Shaar. Additional debuffs have been inflicted on you. Chapter 96: Gate Haruka¡¯s arm grew numb from killing the rift monsters. Pandora and Aestar didn¡¯t look much better. The stream of monsters was endless. Haruka couldn¡¯t understand how they got inside the city. The gates had contingencies against that type of intrusion. Unless someone intentionally left the gate open, there was no way these monsters could get through. ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Aestar huffed as he killed another monster, Pandora stood beside him. ¡°Me neither,¡± Haruka agreed. ¡°Unless the rift is inside the city, these monsters should not be here.¡± Aestar glanced sharply at Haruka. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about the monsters. I meant the outsider girl. I don¡¯t see why my father would call her a traitor if she wasn¡¯t one.¡± Haruka opened his mouth but words didn¡¯t come out. If Aestar hadn¡¯t been told about Keynes and his ability to open the hidden doors and rifts¡­ Suddenly a thought struck Haruka like a lightning bolt. The feeling had been festering inside Haruka''s head since parting ways with Vivena. She sounded strangely unbothered by Keynes¡¯s death. This, coupled with the third outbreak¡­ ¡°Snap out of this.¡± Pandora elbowed Haruka. ¡°We need you here.¡± Haruka glanced at her critically. She didn¡¯t figure it out yet. Haruka couldn¡¯t keep it a secret at the moment like this. If Keynes was alive, somehow, he would be angry and given his strength, he might come seeking revenge. The time couldn¡¯t be worse for that. ¡°Vivena was called a traitor because of Keynes,¡± Haruka said to his cousin. ¡°Our parents wanted leverage against Keynes.¡± Aestar not only looked unconvinced, but also confused. ¡°Why would my father need the outsider?¡± Haruka couldn¡¯t tell Aestar the truth without betraying Keynes¡¯s secret. But what if he is dead and only my guilty conscience is foolishly trying to keep him alive? ¡°He could open the hidden doors inside the rifts,¡± Pandora said. She didn¡¯t have the same dilemma as Haruka. Haruka sharply turned to his sister. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead. It won¡¯t make a difference if others know.¡± Aestar raked his fingers through his bushy charcoal hair, then his eyes narrowed and he stabbed his finger at Haruka. Aestar¡¯s expression formed an angry frown. ¡°What¡¯s the big fuss about?¡± ¡°The loot inside these rooms is insane,¡± Pandora said. ¡°I got [Stamina] and [Double Punch] from just two rooms. Once I advance to Level 3, you two won¡¯t stand a chance against me.¡± Aestar whirled to Haruka. ¡°Why have they allowed the outsider to die inside the labyrinth? He should¡¯ve been brought to the palace and treated with all the honours.¡± Aestar¡¯s words surprised Haruka. He didn¡¯t expect his cousin to act this way after what his parents had done. Maybe Haruka¡¯s perception was distorted by the palace¡¯s ruthless scheming and painting Aestar as someone outside of that wasn¡¯t easy now. But then, Aestar was always much more like Pandora who sought only to become stronger. When they were younger Aestar was always complaining about how his parents tried to force him to be like them. ¡°I think Keynes might not be dead.¡± Aestar snorted but Pandora stopped, glaring at Haruka. ¡°Don¡¯t even joke like this¡­¡± she said then added. ¡°What makes you say that? Was it Vivena?¡± More secrets. Eh. I haven¡¯t thought it out. How do I explain something like this without telling what Keynes can do? ¡°Yes,¡± Haruka said. It was only a half-truth. Vivena¡¯s reaction to Keynes¡¯s death was unnatural. Given their close relationship, she shouldn¡¯t be able to hide her emotions like that. She wasn¡¯t even shocked by the dire news. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We all saw that Heerat won the Covenant of Tribes. Your outsider has died in the labyrinth. It is not possible to survive it. The runes inside¡­ they kill everyone no matter their strength.¡± Haruka glanced at his sister, her face was ghastly pale, her eyes distant. Was there something Haruka wasn¡¯t aware of? Hopefully not. Keynes was in love with Vivena. He¡¯d only break Pandora¡¯s heart. ¡°Keynes¡¯s something else, Aestar,¡± Haruka said. ¡°He¡¯s like you, Perfect State ascender of Level 3 and more.¡± ¡°And more? What do you mean?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in the Elevated stage like me. Has a few strong skills and items. He should have won the race without issues but somehow he didn¡¯t. Maybe he found a way out of the labyrinth before the race ended.¡± Both Aestar and Pandora needed time to process the revelation. They didn¡¯t speak until they got closer to the gate. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°How has he done it?¡± Aestar asked eventually. ¡°It¡¯d require more essence that the Capital has at its disposal. Not to mention time and effort. Getting to the Perfect State twice has been a tremendous pain in the neck. I cannot imagine myself gaining the Elevated stage at the same time. Haruka didn¡¯t answer because the moment his eyes fell on the gate, he couldn¡¯t find words. The gate was wide open. Momentarily, Keynes was forgotten. ¡°Look at this,¡± he muttered instead. ¡°Why is that damned gate open?¡± Aestar asked. ¡°Where are the guards?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. We must close the gate first before we move on and clear the rift.¡± They rushed toward the gate, cutting their way through the monsters. The exhaustion was kicking in for real and Haruka knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the rift without a few hours of rest. His sister looked much better because of her passive [Stamina] while Aestar was a second-degree Perfect State ascender with some innate boosts of his own. Seeing the two, Haruka was glad that he had maxed his Strength and Agility twice, it wasn¡¯t anything spectacular but each point counted. Suddenly, Haruka¡¯s body twisted, evading a spear that slammed into the ground with strength that shattered it. Haruka¡¯s passive [Evade] paid off its dividends, saving his life. There was no way he¡¯d have survived a direct hit like this. Thanking his skill, Haruka immediately moved toward the gate where they¡¯d be able to hide from the thrower. ¡°That¡¯s one of my father¡¯s top warriors,¡± Aestar shouted to Haruka and Pandora as they meandered between monsters which tried to tear them apart. ¡°His Talent gives him unmatched aim. He¡¯s Level 3 with twice maxed-out Strength. That man is no joke.¡± Haruka narrowly evaded the next spear, using the active component of [Evade] that allowed him to dodge attacks he saw at the cost of 29 mana. When he¡¯d acquired the skill the cost of mana was 33 with the help of the Crown of Insight and Sumak¡ªhis spiritual companion¡ªhe was able to lower the cost of the skill without compromising the effectiveness. He could push the cost of the skill even lower, but the skill wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain a 100% evasion chance any longer. At first, he¡¯d been going to bring the chance down to 90% and the cost to 20 points but they quickly realised that having a 10% chance of dying wasn¡¯t worth 9 points of mana. Haruka didn¡¯t have issues with mana, having 220 points and regeneration of 9.2 points per hour. With a full tank, he could evade 7 attacks before mana cost got in the way. Even fighting the hordes of the monsters rarely pushed him to use more than 2 per fight. Two more spears came at them before they reached the gate. One of the spears grazed Pandor¡¯s shoulder while the Aestar managed to block the spear with his shield he kept in his dimensional poach. The shield had a cooldown on some defensive skill Aestar didn¡¯t explain, so he put it back into the pouch. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Pandora asked, breathing hard. She started to run low on stamina too, despite her passive [Stamina]. They couldn¡¯t forget that she was only Level 2. Her stats were much lower than Haruka¡¯s. ¡°Why did they attack us?¡± Aestar shook his head. He was as clueless as the siblings. ¡°Maybe he wasn¡¯t aiming at us?¡± Haruka could tell that his cousin didn¡¯t believe in his own words and Haruka didn¡¯t blame him. He, too, had a hard time accepting the fact that some of the king¡¯s warriors had attacked them moments ago and presumably, kept the gate open since the onset of the outbreak. Something dire was going on. The scale of betrayal was unimaginable. How many people died because of that single opened gate? Heat in Haruka¡¯s chest grew hotter as he considered it. No matter what motives those people had, they were traitors and murderers. Haruka didn¡¯t agree with the king and the Capital on many things but killing innocent people was pure evil. With his stamina running quite low, Haruka decided to put on the rest of his items. If they wanted to clear the rift, they had to take care of the people on the wall first. Haruka put on every piece of armour and jewellery his spirit could handle; most of them were crafted, which meant that they were only increasing Haruka¡¯s attributes. It boosted his stats to 40 points on average. The elevated stats made him feel amazing but the strain on his spirit was substantial. He was on a timer here. ¡°I will go in first. [Evade] will make sure that their surprise attack is going to fail. You enter when they dump their attacks on me,¡± he told his sister and cousin, then proceeded to kick the door in. The door being made out of iron-reinforced wood stood no chance against Haruka¡¯s kick. The staircase was empty as they expected. There was another door at the top of the staircase. Their attackers waited on the other side. Without a second thought, Haruka kicked the door out, then followed outside. Instantly his [Evade] activated, reorienting his body in the air as a spear flew past him. Before the attacker could throw another spear, Haruka swung his rungu, breaking the other man¡¯s arm. Haruka heard a yell of agony, a second later two more painful yells told him that his sister and cousin entered the fight as well. The four traitors didn¡¯t stand a chance against the trio. They knocked three of them out, leaving the guy with a broken arm awake. They needed answers. Pandora went to close the gate. A small cabin directly above the gate had a panel with runes that controlled the gate. To operate it, Pandora needed to feed it a bit of her mana. Meanwhile, Haruka and Aestar began their interrogation. ¡°Why is the gate open?¡± Aestar asked, sounding calm, but Haruka sensed rage in his cousin¡¯s aura. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you shit,¡± the other man replied, clutching his broken arm. ¡°You betrayed the Capital, causing the death of thousands. Do I have to tell you what is going to happen to you? If you tell me the truth, I¡¯ll consider letting you go.¡± The other man had a ready riposte but hearing Aestar¡¯s proposal made him hesitate. Haruka placed his hand on his cousin¡¯s shoulder. Was he really going to let this murderer go? ¡°Aestar¡­¡± Aestar raised his hand and Haruka quieted down. The man with a broken arm eyed them suspiciously now, weighing his chances. Only when they felt the grinding of the closing gate, the other man decided to talk. ¡°My job here¡¯s done anyway. All I had to do was to open the gate.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Aestar asked, the intensity in his voice made the other man narrow his eyes. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to let me go. I can see the hatred in your eyes. Fine then. Have it your way. A new king is coming. The old empire will rise once more.¡± Aestar knocked the man out with a punch. To Haruka¡¯s horror, Aestar dragged the four traitors to the edge, then pushed them off the wall. Those who survived the fall were killed by the monsters. ¡°What are you doing, Aestar?¡± Haruka demanded. ¡°This is not the way of tribes! We don¡¯t kill people.¡± ¡°They were no longer people in my eyes. They¡¯ve betrayed us.¡± Aestar sounded strangely distant, the incident at the gate had changed something in him. It wasn¡¯t only Aestar, who, for the first time, questioned their entire civilization. Haruka believed that the World Reserve was better than the outside world. Tribes didn¡¯t kill people, they shared their resources to ensure healthy growth, they lived happy lives. They meant to ¡­ at least. ¡°We still have a rift to clear,¡± Haruka said when his sister returned. Aestar nodded, but there was no conviction in it. ¡°What just happened?¡± he asked. ¡°What have I done?¡± Haruka was going to answer his cousin''s questions when the wall of the system messages appeared. The Capital fell to the dominion monsters. Chapter 97: Shapers Plan Keynes¡¯s purifying body buff could only protect him so much. The number of debuffs from the gigantic ape was not yet overwhelming, but substantial. Most of them were weak but in a great number, they added up. The defenders of the palace crumbled under the onslaught of the monsters and the humans who were helping them. Keynes was unable to figure out what was wrong with those humans. The only debuff remotely trying to dominate him was trying to lower his Will attribute and stop him from moving, which didn¡¯t match with the action of the other humans. The debuff was one of the first ones being blocked by Keynes¡¯s purifying body buff. According to Alice, it had a priority as it was a dangerous one if left unchecked. What is the ape doing there? Keynes asked. There is a point it must reach in order to claim the territory and make it its dominion. It is all in the System information about the era. Have you read it yet? I haven¡¯t had time if you didn¡¯t notice. Keynes landed on a street, dozens of monsters rushed him, coming from every direction, even from inside buildings. This time, Keynes didn¡¯t hold back and put on the Unrelenting Shirt that increased his Dexterity and Strength by 3 each and also decreased damage taken by 5%. He grunted, feeling the strain on his spirit. It hadn¡¯t been like this before he absorbed [Chaos Aura] he realised but there was nothing he could do. Together with shortswords, and the Contender¡¯s Ring, Keynes¡¯s Strength stood at 34 and his Dexterity at 39. It was enough to easily deal with Level 1 and 2 monsters without spending much stamina. As Keynes got within a hundred metres from the gigantic ape, the pressure from the monsters increased and he was being pushed back. More guards came out of the palace and created pockets of resistance. It also seemed that the human traitors had been dealt with. Keynes didn¡¯t pay them any mind and they paid no mind to him. There appeared to be no end to monsters but Alice assured Keynes that no new monsters were spawning in the area. At least until the giant ape won and created a dominion. Vivena is coming, Alice warned Keynes. She landed nearby, immediately releasing her [Poison Aura]. Her arrival shifted the tide and once again they and the defenders started to gain ground, getting closer to the local boss. Several Level 3s broke away from it and rushed Keynes and Vivena, seeing them as the main threat. Roars and growls drowned out any other sounds, although Vivena ignored Keynes for the most part so there were no words exchanged between them. Her aura was harmful to him and it looked like she was aware of that. Where is everyone? Keynes wondered. Not a single flying construct was in the air. The defence of the Capital crumbled, which was strange given that many tribes had come here for the covenant. Master! Keynes sensed the change. The giant ape smashed the ground, twice, then the wall of the System messages popped up. They didn¡¯t manage to stop the boss. And oddly enough, Keynes didn¡¯t care much. The number of debuffs increased, pushing Keynes¡¯s attributes down. All of sudden, the monsters were faster and stronger. But that wasn¡¯t the full extent of the new debuffs, Keynes¡¯s mood dipped, anxiety set in and the usual clarity of thinking started to slip away. Master, you must go, now. You have not recovered enough to stay and fight. With the dominion active. New monsters would soon begin to spawn. Keynes glanced to where Vivena was fighting, surrounded by various creatures that tried to take a swipe at her. The effect of the debuffs was clear but not enough to stop her. Keynes¡¯s eyes darted back to the giant ape that climbed to the top of the palace and roared several times sending short-lasting debuffs. There were over five hundred monsters between Keynes and the ape, many of them Level 3 with cunning minds. Keynes had to make a choice. Would he stay and fight or leave the Capital in the hands of these monsters? Suddenly, Viven shot into the air. What the hell was she doing? The reaction of the monsters was immediate. Spells and physical projectiles rushed at her, followed by swarms of smaller monsters. Unless she had another serum, Keynes didn¡¯t see her succeeding in reaching the giant boss, let alone defeating it with hordes of its subordinates in the way. Master, you must leave. Your stamina is dangerously low. He knew, his arms felt as if they were made out of the lead. He had to put away the Vampiric shortsword. It had an interesting modifier¡ªeach attack stole a tiny percent of stamina from an enemy¡ªbut unfortunately, that stamina wasn¡¯t gained by Keynes. Alice explained that it was a weak version of the modifier and a better one would have something like this. With the Vampiric shortsword away, Keynes¡¯s Dexterity dipped a little. But even with debuffs, the difference wasn¡¯t enough to make the monsters faster than Keynes. The issue was that he hadn¡¯t recovered after the labyrinth. He needed at least a day or two of rest to gain full health and stamina. Every muscle of his body burned and his coordination started to suffer. I really don¡¯t have a choice, do I? Keynes glanced at Vivena¡¯s suicidal attack and felt an emotional void inside himself. Even if it was the effect of dominion debuffs, he still couldn¡¯t do anything about his friend. If she still was one. Using the last of his stamina, Keynes climbed into the air and left the Capital. *** Shaper smiled sensing the newly established dominion. His plan was coming together. With the death of the local boss, he would be able to restart the One Empire. So many new possibilities this time around, so many lessons learned. Shaper left the throne room and retraced his steps back to the room with the view of the main street. The palace shook under the assault of the dominion boss. Shaper was annoyed by the fact that Magnalius couldn¡¯t be out there feeding him information, although it wasn¡¯t like there was any risk to Shaper¡¯s plan. No one capable of defeating a local boss inside its dominion remained in the Capital. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Still, mild anxiety settled in Shaper¡¯s stomach. It wasn¡¯t a dominion debuff, not a single one was able to penetrate his formidable spiritual defences. His worries brought his thoughts to Keynes Kid. The recent events proved that the vision could be fooled, especially by chaos magic. And Keynes Kid¡¯s [Chaos Aura] was powerful enough to defeat the local boss. Shaper increased the pace, simultaneously growing angry at himself for losing his cool. He entered the room and then jumped out of the window onto the balcony below. The giant ape¡¯s surprised grunt turned into a gurgling sound. Shaper¡¯s eyes widened, shocked. His body froze as a sudden boundless wave of hatred smashed him from all sides. His plan¡­ His future¡­ All destroyed¡­ Shaar has been defeated. Dominion of Shaar has ended. All local dominion monsters are enraged. Shaper saw red. His aura exploded out of him, killing any monster it touched by destroying their spirit cores. Then he focused his attention on the culprit¡ª The vision unrolled before his eyes, showing him the consequences of his action. Shaper hesitated, the vision was clear. He wasn¡¯t the one meant to claim the orb of dominion. He came here to ensure the orb would get into the rightful hands. What about the One Empire? All this time, Shaper had believed that he would be one to claim the orb of dominion. The vision was never clear about this part and so Shaper assumed it would be him. Others were not strong enough, not worthy. His rage subsided and he started thinking clearly again. The path to victory remains incomprehensible and only makes sense in hindsight. Not the tiniest piece of him would have imagined this outcome. He could see Keynes Kid succeeding but not her. Vivena Sael was on her knees, bleeding from countless cuts. What pushed her to do this? Madness? Greed? Stupidity? She didn¡¯t have any business here. The tribesmen betrayed her and Keynes Kid. And still, she was here, helping them. Maybe I was wrong about her¡­ The enraged monsters not only lost a large chunk of their strength with the dominion gone but also their nature reverted to something wild and primal like rift monsters were exhibiting. The defenders accustomed to fighting rift monsters started ruthlessly cutting the remaining invaders down, stocking the piles of monster corpses even higher. They didn¡¯t need Shaper¡¯s help. Not that he was eager to offer one. Shaper walked away from the stone railing to where Vivena Sael was still on her knees. Next to her was the carcass of the local boss. Its size returned to its original state. It must have been buffed by the dominion as it was now barely two metres tall. Shaper¡¯s crossed the threshold of her [Poison Aura]. It was harmless to him although her keeping it up was a clear message. She frowned then her eyes narrowed. ¡°I should have known you were behind this. The moment I heard that your cult is here, I suspected that something was off.¡± Shaper noticed a silver orb in her hand. It must be the orb of dominion. He swallowed his desire and pride. He hadn¡¯t lied to Keynes Kid when he¡¯d told him that he¡¯d been following the vision to the letter. ¡°It seems all of this was for your sake, Vivena Sael. I wonder why and I hope I haven¡¯t made the wrong choice today.¡± With that, Shaper wrapped his aura around himself, vanishing to Vivena Sael¡¯s senses. He could use the method he¡¯d told Keynes Kid about but this one was much easier in execution with his strained spirit. *** Vivena kept her [Poison Aura] up for a couple of minutes after Shaper had vanished. She didn¡¯t trust that man. He had a twisted mind. Their last encounter wasn¡¯t something Vivena wanted to remember. Without their consent and knowledge, Shaper transported them from London to Geneva. After all this time, she didn¡¯t know how he¡¯d managed that. You are exhausted, lady. Also, there are several poisons in your body that are not mild. Vivena sighed, turning off [Poison Aura]. Isako was right. Having no serum, Vivena came up with a different plan. Much more risky and dangerous. She¡¯d used [Create Poison] on her dagger several times, then cut herself, poisoning her body. She had enough practice with the skill that she was sure that no lethal poison was in the mix but they weren¡¯t the serum-grade with barely any negative effects. These were poisons that made a person sick. On the bright side, she had 30% poison resistance from the passive skill and items and her buffed Vitality also kept her on her feet. She also had an emergency option, an anti-poison serum from a Level 2 rift. But using the anti-poison serum now would cause more harm than good, unfortunately. Once she lost all her extra Vitality, her body was likely to shut down for a while. She pushed herself too far. You¡¯re right, let¡¯s get out of here. Once I rest up, I¡¯ll figure out what to do with this thing. She looked down at the orb of dominion, then smiled seeing that she was now ranked first on the weekly ranking. *** Hawthorne and Aurora emerged from the palace. No one tried to stop them. There were barely any people on their way here. And they could see why. Dead bodies of people and monsters were everywhere. What in the name of Shaper happened here? To his credit, Hawthorne kept his cool and pulled Aurora behind him. The scale of death boggled her mind. The first two outbreaks had been bad but nowhere near this. They meandered between the piles of monster bodies, avoiding the palace defenders who were killing the last of the monsters. Hawthorne led them to the breach in the palace¡¯s wall. ¡°What caused this?¡± he asked without breaking the stride. ¡°Something huge, I guess.¡± Hawthorne nodded, not questioning her words. He didn¡¯t have any reason to, no ordinary monster was capable of causing this kind of damage. As they left the palace behind, the number of monster bodies decreased but the number of human bodies increased dramatically. The sight seized Aurora¡¯s heart. ¡°Where now?¡± Hawthorne asked. ¡°Turn left at the next alley,¡± she said absent-mindedly, then she froze as she noticed something familiar among the bodies. ¡°Wait, Haw.¡± She pointed at the body, partially buried beneath a few others. ¡°We don¡¯t have time.¡± Aurora glanced around. They were alone. ¡°Please, check it,¡± she asked, her voice cracking. Hawthorne muttered curses as he pulled bodies away. There was so much blood and gore that he¡¯d need a week¡¯s worth of shower to clean it. After a few minutes, he reached the body pointed by Aurora. It was a middle-aged woman in a royal white. ¡°That¡¯s the queen.¡± Hawthorne frowned, getting a better look at the queen. Then he slowly looked up at his wife. ¡°She hasn¡¯t been killed by a monster. This is a rungu¡¯s wound.¡± *** The king walked out of the secret tunnel built shortly after he¡¯d taken the throne from Akarys. He had a feeling he¡¯d need it at some point. His court was full of traitors. The tunnel exit was a kilometre from the Capital, near a hidden stash with a flying construct, food and water. He didn¡¯t expect the monster attack on this scale and would have to¡ª Guttural growls sounded between trees. He turned to the four guards that accompanied him, their faces were determined but pale. His head swung in all directions trying to find the monster. ¡°We must get¡ª¡± The king didn¡¯t finish the sentence as a bony protrusion exploded out of his chest. It was attached to a tail that disappeared into the ground. The four guards blinked, unable to comprehend what just happened, then a monster jumped out of the woods. It walked on four elongated legs, its torso near the ground with a tail coming out of its back. Its face resembled that of a spider with long sickly green fangs and many eyes. It was the size of a shed. ¡°Le¡ªve¡ªve--l 4¡­¡± ¡°Ap¡ªex pre¡ªda¡ªtor¡­¡± Chapter 98: Some Rewards The ancient ascenders gathered among the unfamiliar stars. Their gazes distant, their minds vast. The universe lay bare before them, the System stripped to the tiniest part that made up the reality. They had passed the hard Level cap and were granted direct access to the Code¡ªthe cornerstone of the System. They were the ones who sealed all the rifts and crippled the seeds of life, making the universe anew. With the old perils gone, the ancient ascenders went into a slumber hoping to never wake up from it. Untold billions of years had passed, and yet, for them only a blink of an eye. A year ago, they were warned about the System malfunction, which shouldn¡¯t be possible as the Code had too many fail safes for such an event to occur. A human received an unlock category Talent. The category that was removed from the System by them. Now, the System was reactivated for the first time since they had gone into their slumber. It took the human only a year to do it. How long before other planets would have their instances of the System reactivated too? A year or a thousand, it mattered not as long as there was a number. The System was never fully offline as it was a part of the reality and they were not capable of turning off the reality. What they managed was hiding the access to the System framework and interface that supported ascenders like them. With the System, the ascenders would be able to learn more, learn faster, expand and grow. The once abundant universe that had been hollowed, was going to proliferate with life once more. Not if the ancient ascenders had their say. And here was the issue¡­ ¡°All of you have your access to the Code revoked?¡± Without the access to the Code, they were unable to manipulate the System and while their Levels granted them unimaginable, godlike powers, the direct access to the Code was something else, something deeper and greater still. ¡°Could it be this Traveller that you met? The timing seems right.¡± The Level 75 stayed silent for a long time, his mind calculating every possibility. ¡°It is unlikely,¡± he said eventually. They would know if there was a being of this calibre left in their universe. Even so, it did not make their problem any less severe. Quite the opposite, they had to investigate their loss of access to the Code and the galaxy with the ascender who had a forbidden Talent, and the Traveller, someone who had stopped the Level 75 seemingly without effort. All three issues had priority and had to be investigated at the same time. It vastly decreased the amount of resources they could pour into each investigation. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± ¡°We can throw a planet at the ascender with the forbidden Talent.¡± ¡°And by the time it reaches the home planet of the ascender, they will be dead or somewhere else, and thousands of worlds would have a fully functional System and rifts. It is only a matter of time before the ascenders discover a way to break through Level 10 and spread across the universe.¡± ¡°Then throw a thousand planets at the ascender.¡± ¡°No. Time is not on our side. Without the Code and direct access to the ascender¡¯s galaxy, we have only three decades before it is too late.¡± ¡°I may have a solution,¡± the Level 70 joined the conversation. It was rare for him to speak more than a word. He told them his plan. ¡°This could work.¡± ¡°And we could take it further.¡± ¡°Do we have an agreement?¡± They did and so the first phase of their investigation started. Killing the human ascender was their utmost priority. *** Keynes landed on a wooden bridge that connected two tree platforms in the middle of the night. He wore the Cloak of Shadows and used [Spiritual Ghost] making himself extremely hard to see. His visit to the First Tribe¡¯s village was strictly dicted by his need to obtain a sample of the mind mushroom hence he wanted to stay out of the tribesmen¡¯s radar. In Keynes¡¯s eyes, they weren¡¯t responsible for their chief¡¯s betrayal nor Keynes feared any of them. It was unlikely that they were even aware of the events in the Capital. It didn¡¯t matter. His time with the tribesmen was over. He silently made his way to Adanna¡¯s place. She lived in the upper part of the treehouse, leaving the entire bottom part to the fungi. Despite their short acquaintance, Adanna left a positive impression on Keynes. But like with everything else in the World Reserve, it didn¡¯t matter. Unlike a person with an ordinary memory, Keynes couldn¡¯t forget wrongdoings. They stayed with him for the rest of his life, reminding him about the vile and wicked people who unfortunately had been a part of his life. Making a clean cut from those things wasn¡¯t always possible or even good for him. Keynes couldn¡¯t cut himself from every person and community that crossed him in the wrong way. It would leave him alone and ostracised. Even Keynes¡¯s reaction to Bonolo, Hawthorne and Haruka¡¯s betrayal went too far, encompassing many more people than it was necessary. But his decision was final. Twenty minutes later, Keynes slipped out of the treehouse and rose in the air and flew toward the north. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. *** A couple of days later Keynes walked out of a rift with a smile plastered to his face. In his left hand was a rift orb. Unfortunately, he was out of scrolls of identification and so he couldn¡¯t tell what kind of rift orb it was. And there were many, although Alice didn¡¯t specify what kind they were, not wishing to take away the joy of discovery and all that. It wasn¡¯t as if Keynes wasn¡¯t going to ask Wagner about other types. Sometimes practicality took priority over the ¡®joy of discovery¡¯. The rift orb wasn¡¯t the only source of Keynes¡¯s good mood. With only a few hours left until the weekly ranking was concluded, it was unlikely that Keynes would lose his position in the top 100. He was currently the rank 92 with very little effort, although a personal achievement he¡¯d received for fighting over a hundred dominion monsters alone and killing them all without getting any wound had helped. According to the System information about the weekly ranking, Keynes was guaranteed at least one item with a dominion affinity modifier. Vivena on the other hand was currently placed third, behind Sandman and Eric Eragon. Neither name was known to Keynes so he didn¡¯t know how they managed to amass 1521 and 1388 respectively. Vivena had 1200 points and it dwarfed Keynes¡¯s 244. But at the same time, it wasn¡¯t as if Keynes even tried to win this. His focus was elsewhere for the last week. Firstly, he needed to advance his spiritual stage. With the knowledge from the grand insight, the task didn¡¯t seem daunting anymore. The issue however was an essence, or more precisely its lack. He needed a buttload of essence to kick off the transformation of his core. He¡¯d already learned how his spirit core allocated the essence within his core. It was a very easy process once you knew what to look for, which wouldn¡¯t be possible without the orb of grand insight. It was kind of like winning a lottery, once you know the numbers, it was easy. The last phase of the advancement though required more essence than an average ascender needed to level up to Level 4. Plus, the essence had to be compacted in a certain way to initiate the transformation. That was the hard part and so Keynes was hunting down every rift monster he could find. With his stamina and HP recovered, he ruthlessly used [Chaos Aura] to deal with hordes of monsters, both rift and dominion. The common rarity rift he just cleared was barely an afterthought to him, presenting him with no challenge. He considered staying for a couple of days and delving the rift but a common rarity and stable type rift granted him only 1% of his total essence required to level up, which was very little. He had no business here. The other Level 3 rift he had currently in his dimensional pouch was too precious to be deployed in the World Reserve. Especially now when he was leaving it for the unforeseeable future. A few hours later, a system message pinged informing him that the reward for his rank 92 was ready. Keynes accepted the item and it appeared in his hand.
Amulet of Slaughter (Uncommon) ¡°Even a dominion must fear something.¡± - +1 to all attributes - 5% increased damage against dominion monsters - [Amulet, Dominion] Level 3
One look at the item told Keynes that it was nothing spectacular, although stacking items with a similar modifier might prove useful against dominion bosses. I will keep it then. I may push for the top 5 in the monthly ranking. Plus, +1 to all attributes was always welcome. Keynes put the item on his neck, the strain on his spirit was lessened by his recent aggressive essence cultivation. One point to attribute was very little but when each of them was raised at the same time, the effect was noticeable. The next day Keynes reached the wall. The city on the other side didn¡¯t seem to be attacked by monsters but the security detail was insane. Towers with machine guns were everywhere. The coast was divided into smaller sectors with each sector having its own wall in construction. The place looked vastly different from when Keynes and Vivena had crossed it. Nonetheless, Keynes didn¡¯t waste time here, he flew toward Geneve at full speed. *** ¡°Vivena?¡± Bill asked. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Vivena stood at the entrance to the Level 3 rift Keynes had found a long time ago. The surroundings were transformed into a small walled village. Hundreds of people bustled around. It wasn¡¯t the same place Vivena had left. In some way, that worked for the best. With the infrastructure in place, the cost would be much smaller. ¡°Vivena?¡± Bill asked again, growing wary. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of this place?¡± Bill narrowed his eyes. Vivena sensed his hesitation but it wasn¡¯t time to be gentle. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this, Bill. I need the answer.¡± ¡°Lumo from the Capital. He arrived a week ago.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She turned to go. ¡°What happened there?¡± ¡°The usual happened.¡± Vivena left Bill confused at the entrance to the rift and went on to find this Lumo, which wasn¡¯t hard. The overseer lived in the largest hut in the village. The guards that were posted around the hut confronted Vivena as she approached them. Hostility was plain on their faces but they asked no questions, simply barred her way to Lumo¡¯s hut. ¡°Need a word with your boss.¡± No one moved. ¡°Vivena, wait!¡± Bill arrived and stepped next to her. ¡°What are you doing here? Where is Keynes? Where is everyone?¡± At the mention of Keynes, Vivena grimaced but didn¡¯t answer Bill¡¯s questions. A man walked out of the hut, he wore a grey robe with some elements of armour. He was tall and well built, his yellow eyes bored her with contempt. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? What is the outsider doing here?¡± He said in a baritone voice. ¡°I came to claim this place,¡± Vivena simply replied. ¡°And built my dominion here.¡± The stunned silence lasted until Lumo interrupted it with his laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, outsider. Leave now and I will¡ª¡± Vivena surged forward faster than any of the guards or Lumo could react and stabbed Lumo in his throat. Before the man hit the ground, she swapped her weapons and used her unidentified mace to take care of the guards. Bill didn¡¯t move from the spot, he was in shock. She left him alone for now. First things first. Would you like to use the Orb of Dominion? * Yes/No * Warning: upon usage, the item will be irrevocably consumed. She picked yes. Congratulations! Your Dominion has been created! Name your dominion¡­ ¡°House of Poison.¡± Chapter 99: Dominion of Poison ¡°What have you done?¡± Vivena didn¡¯t have time to explain herself to Bill. The wall of the system messages was growing longer by the minute. Some of the information had critical status. Defend your dominion from an invasion! There was a countdown showing 1 hour. Apparently, a new dominion had to be attacked and defended to be fully established. Vivena hadn¡¯t been warned about this before using the orb of dominion. It might have changed her mind as she didn''t have anyone to help her. And it looked like the full spectrum of buffs, debuffs and functionality of dominion wasn''t going to be active before the dominion was successfully defended. ¡°Vivena!¡± Bill said with emphasis this time. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Bill was Level 4 like her but with twice maxed-out Strength and Dexterity, which meant he wasn¡¯t weak. He lacked the spells and items though. He¡¯d have to do, Vivena told herself. She turned to him and said, ¡°In one hour, monsters will attack this place. I need everyone who knows how to fight. The more the better.¡± Bill made a step toward her. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Bill was angry and frustrated by her unresponsiveness. ¡°If you don¡¯t begin to explain yourself now¡­¡± A rungu appeared in his hand. She also noticed a few rings appear on his fingers. All made out of wood or bones, meaning they were crafted and only gave Bill additional attributes. Even without her poisons inside her body, Bill wasn¡¯t a threat to her. But she liked Bill and didn¡¯t want to harm him. ¡°I will explain everything to you after we defend this place. I promise.¡± ¡°No.¡± Bill shook his head. ¡°You KILLED innocent people in front of me! You either tell me everything now or I am going to squeeze it out of you.¡± Her first instinct was to knock him out but she suppressed it. After a short exchange with Isako, Vivena realised that she needed to sway Bill to her side if she wanted her plan to succeed. She made a choice. ¡°It was either this place or your village.¡± ¡°What was?¡± ¡°Establishing my dominion. It¡¯s a long story we don¡¯t have time for. Trust me, it was the only option I was left with.¡± Bill struggled with himself, opening his mouth several times. He eventually said, ¡°You didn¡¯t need to kill Lumo and his guards.¡± Bill''s eyes darted to the yard where the bodies lay. No one came to check on them. Vivena guessed that no warrior had remained in this village. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Once again, Vivena¡¯s instincts almost took over. At the last moment, she stopped herself from losing her temper. ¡°I had no choice. To establish a dominion, the leader of a dwelling must be killed.¡± There was no understanding in Bill¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t know what the orb of dominion was. Vivena sighed internally and checked the countdown. 55 minutes left. ¡°Fine!¡± she said. ¡°Your capital has betrayed us. Then Keynes started the dominion event and another outbreak. There was a big battle in the capital and the place was hit badly. I don¡¯t think they will recover from it. I have to stop Keynes, that''s why I must establish my dominion here.¡± ¡°Wait a second¡­ The Capital has fallen? That¡¯s why there has been no word from everyone¡­ But how? And what about my parents? What about Haruka and Pandora?¡± It was as if a dam broke open, questions poured out of Bill. Vivena didn¡¯t stop him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to your parents or Haruka and his parents. The last time I saw them had been before the king¡¯s people attacked me. I haven¡¯t seen them since.¡± Bill didn¡¯t react, looking lost in thoughts. She waited a full minute before she lost her patience. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time, Bill,¡± she said. ¡°In about fifty minutes, hordes of monsters will invade this place and it may determine if I would be able to stop Keynes from causing more outbreaks. Are you in or out?¡± Bill¡¯s eyes focused on her and she found a lot of suspicion there. ¡°You have changed, Vivena. What happened to you?¡± ¡°I told you, the usual happened. I was betrayed and finally understood that I shouldn¡¯t stay on the sideline and watch how others shape history. If Keynes isn¡¯t stopped, he¡¯d bring more outbreaks. Each one will be more dangerous than the previous one. He¡¯s a threat to our civilization.¡± ¡°I thought he was your friend.¡± Bill countered. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Friend or not, Bill, I won¡¯t sacrifice the entire world for one person.¡± Bill nodded. ¡°Just explain to me one thing; how is this dominion going to help you stop Keynes?¡± ¡°Keynes is part of one of the most powerful organisations in the world. If I went after Keynes alone, I¡¯d find myself against them and Keynes himself isn¡¯t weak. I saw him fight the monsters at the capital. I think he¡¯s absorbed [Chaos Aura]. My spirit companion says it is a very dangerous spell and if he is really using it, he is a bigger threat to us all that you can imagine. ¡°Having a dominion, I¡¯d be able to build my own force to counterbalance his company. Plus.¡± A sphere appeared in her hand. ¡°I got top 3 in the weekly ranking and received my own rift. It is only a common Level 3 but the rift has dominion affinity already and is able to drop dominion affinity items. What¡¯s more important, my dominion takes an affinity from my Talent and it affects every rift inside my dominion. This way, I¡¯d be able to prepare to meet Keynes and his backers on equal grounds.¡± She saw that the amount of information she dumped on Bill was hard to swallow for him and honestly, she didn¡¯t tell him everything. There was no need to burden him with more knowledge. ¡°I can¡¯t say I am convinced but¡­¡± He glanced at the dead guards then at the sky. ¡°I don¡¯t really have anywhere else to go. The First Tribe existed purely because of chief Bonolo¡¯s Talent. Without him, I don¡¯t know what is going to happen to the village. I may as well join you but promise me, no more this.¡± He pointed at the dead bodies. ¡°If they are enemies, I cannot promise anything.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± *** With only minutes left until the onset of the invasion, Vivena, Bill and two villagers who were keen to fight with them, stood on the top of the wall. Vivena didn¡¯t know where the monsters would come from or what Levels and affinity they were going to be. Hopefully, the wall would suffice and the monsters would storm the gate where Vivena planned to make a stand. Her [Poison Aura] enhanced by the spiritual aura was very potent against the large numbers. The monsters didn¡¯t die right away but once they were poisoned they were doomed. She was already making a list of modifiers she needed to get to double down on the aura. First of all, she was going to acquire a proper [Poison Aura] skill. The skills from items didn¡¯t scale with Levels and spirit stages. ¡°Any new offensive spells?¡± Vivena asked. ¡°No. Without the access to the hidden door, we¡¯ve been quite unlucky with the loot from the chests. Champions dropped a few good items but they''ve been taken away. I still have [Arcane Bolt]. It works well against stronger mobs.¡± Vivena nodded. So, the fight was going to heavily rely on her after all. ¡°What about you?¡± she asked the two tribesmen. ¡°Any offensive skills?¡± ¡°No spells,¡± one of them replied. ¡°But my Talent makes my attacks cause short internal bleeding.¡± Interesting. I must learn more about his Talent and possible combinations with spells and items. ¡°Good. What about you?¡± she asked the second tribesman. ¡°I have hunting Talent. It doesn¡¯t work with the rift monsters.¡± These weren¡¯t rift monsters but Vivena didn¡¯t see a reason to explain it to the man. While there were numerous differences between rift and dominion monsters, Vivena didn¡¯t think the monsters were the issue why his Talent didn¡¯t work with them. Like with poisons, the hunting Talent most likely relied on the System recognising an activity as hunting, by meeting the right conditions. Killing rift monsters inside the rift had nothing to do with hunting, nor did defending this village. They spent the remaining minutes in silence. Invasion of the House of Poison begins¡­ Defend your dominion from the monsters. Hungry howls rolled over the village. Vivena took out the Amulet of Blind Protection, an exotic item she¡¯d received for the top 3. It provided her with a shield against physical attacks. The amount of protection offered by the shield was around 1% of Vivena¡¯s max HP and regenerated over five minutes. It also had a tiny chance to blind the attacker upon the attack as long as the shield was up and incur an exotic debuff called Voided Strength, which caused two physical attacks of the attacker to inflict no physical damage. The dominion modifier simply doubled the item''s stats inside Vivena¡¯s dominion. Unfortunately, her current dominion was disable until she successfully defended it. The second item she received was the Band of Dominator. It was a rare item with only two modifiers. The first one was generic +2 to all attributes, while the other one was an active [Lesser Dominate] skill. It allowed Vivena to dominate a monster up to Level 3 (like the item) for ten minutes. After the time was up the monster exploded, inflicting damage to everything around. She had an option to disable the explosion. It had a cooldown of 1 hour, which wasn¡¯t that bad. With her other items, she wasn¡¯t even going to inflict poisons on herself this time. She was confident that any monster up to Level 3 wasn¡¯t a threat. However, she suspected that some kind of sub-boss might appear at the end of the invasion. ¡°Get ready!¡± The monsters flooded the dirt road, going for the open gate. Vivena rose in the air, eliciting gasps from the three men, and checked the surroundings of the village. The monsters seemed only to come from one direction. It might change later on but for now, her plan was working. She landed in front of the gate and activated her two auras. Drain on her spirit reminded her why advancing her spirit stage to the Elevated stage was the priority once she was done with the invasion. She was close to the limit of the items and spells she could use. That sucked. The monsters were Level 1 and of common and uncommon rarity. None of them got past Vivena. Those that ignored her, died several steps later due to the poison from the aura. Vivena was getting better at recognising poisons¡¯ spiritual signatures. She believed that once she got her hands on some poison class spell and advanced her spirit stage, she would be able to easily manipulate her poisons to maximise her damage against her enemies and minimalise the self-damage of the poisons inside her body. At Level 5 she was going to get a minor upgrade to her Talent, which she hoped would address some of her issues. There were many ifs but her prospects were pretty good. Only after Level 2 monsters appeared, Bill and the two tribesmen had to lift a finger and mostly to finish off a stray monster that got past Vivena formidable [Poison Aura]. Her spiritual energy was getting low by the time the Level 3 monsters showed up. Isako also informed her that the monsters started to spawn around the village. She didn¡¯t know if they were going to siege the wall or simply run around and come here but the sheer number of the Level 3 was getting out of hand. ¡°Stay inside!¡± Vivena shouted to Bill and his companions. She also started to retreat toward the gate. It was obvious that the monsters¡¯ objective wasn¡¯t Vivena but something inside, so many of them ignored her. The wave of the Level 3s hit her like a truck. She heard the tribesmen bellows as they swung they rungus at the monsters that lunged for the gate. They were Level 3 and Bill was halfway to Level 5. He still was in the Medium stage and didn¡¯t bother with maxing out his attributes as there were no resources for that. Even without a proper offensive skill, he was a killing machine. Nothing got past him. Chapter 100: Defending the gate Vivena swept the sweat from her forehead. She underestimated the number of monsters. Even though the monsters were of low rarities, they were wearing her down. Her stamina was getting lower with every minute and the river of the monsters came without cease. The only silver lining was that the monsters didn¡¯t attack the walls and went for the open gate. Vivena didn¡¯t know what she would have done otherwise. The two tribesmen weren¡¯t even in the Medium stage and didn¡¯t have any attributes maxed out. It became an issue once more monsters got through Vivena. The one with the bleeding Talent did a decent job but it wasn¡¯t exactly the Talent fit for that kind of encounter. ¡°How much longer?¡± Bill asked. He looked fine and positioned himself next to Vivena at the entrance. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There is no timer,¡± Vivena replied, finding it harder to breathe. I may need to go with a plan B, she said to Isako. Without knowing how much longer this event is going to last it is risky. Plus, you do not have the anti-poison serum anymore. You¡¯d have to wait until the poisons wear off, which is risky in itself. And I haven¡¯t included the main threat; one wrong poison and you may die. I don¡¯t think there is a plan B without the anti-poison serum. You¡¯re joking, right? Isako didn¡¯t reply, which was a reply in itself. Vivena had no other option but to fight through the waves of the monsters. ¡°You need a rest,¡± Bill said as he kept monsters from bypassing him. Those that survived a direct hit from his rungu, attacked him. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to hold them off without you.¡± Vivena felt her spiritual energy hit the bottom, [Poison Aura] and spiritual aura vanished. In the last couple of minutes, she kept the aura only two metres around her to lessen the drain on her spirit and to not poison Bill by accident. She was quite sure that she¡¯d inflicted a poison on Keynes in the capital. ¡°ARGH!¡± one of the tribesmen cried out. A monster found an opportunity and swiped its claws across his chest. Four elongated wounds bleed profusely. The panther-like, only twice the size, lunged for the kill, hoping to sink its sharp teeth in the man. With a shout, Bill spun around and hurled himself at the monster. The Level 4 was much stronger even though the panther¡¯s body was much more muscular. Bill punched it, roaring savagely. The panther dropped to the ground but wasn¡¯t dead. As it attempted to get up, a hit to the head with a rungu ended its life. ¡°We can¡¯t keep up with their numbers!¡± he said to Vivena. ¡°We must close the gate!¡± She knew it. They were losing this. She¡¯d miscalculated the odds. After killing the local boss, she grew overconfident despite her brutal recovery. The anti-poison serum knocked her out for a day. Vivena looked at the sea of the monsters, at least two hundred of them, most of them Level 3. Even though closing the gate made sense on paper, it not only wouldn¡¯t solve their problem, it would worsen it. The walls were barely three metres high and made out of soil, clay and wood. Some of the monsters would be able to easily jump over the wall. The gate itself didn¡¯t look sturdy enough to withstand the assault of two hundred Level 3 monsters. ¡°No. The only way to survive it is to keep this gate open,¡± she said, her expression hardening. She ducked, avoiding an attack from an oversized crab. Its armour looked tough and pincers awfully sharp. It was the time to make use of the band¡¯s skill. ¡°[Lesser Dominate]¡± The crab froze as the spell took control over it. Without thinking twice, Vivena said, ¡°Kill.¡± No matter how sturdy the crab looked, its fate wasn¡¯t pretty. Other monsters didn¡¯t sense the change until the crab attacked. Once it became obvious that the crab was on Vivena¡¯s side, the other monsters lunged at it with rabid glee. She focused on the crab too much and she missed a tail that whipped her across her back. Pain blinded her for a second and she dropped to her knees. She recognised signs, her body was shutting down. I have no choice! She screamed in her mind. I must do it. You will kill yourself, my lady. A hand caught her and pulled up. She glanced to the side and found Hawthorne. His cold expression warned her about repercussions but she didn¡¯t care. Right now, she was too close to dying to worry about Hawthorne¡¯s wrath. He brought her back inside, then lay her down next to the wounded tribesman. ¡°Rest.¡± Vivena wanted to get up and protest. She wasn¡¯t going to be ordered around, especially, not in her own dominion. Her body refused to listen though. Her hands were red. Only then she realised that she had wounds all over her body. When did this happen? She must have been so consumed by the fight that she missed the wounds. How does it look like? She asked Isako. Healthwise, there is no danger. You still have 70% HP and a good health recovery rate. The issue is your stamina. The auras drained your dry. You were not very efficient with them. While Vivena chewed on Isako¡¯s words, she watched the unexpected development at the gate. Hawthorne wasn¡¯t alone. His wife, Haruka, Pandora and the guy from the capital were here too. Vivena stared at them with jealousy as they killed monster after monster with ease. Storm of emotions crossed her mind, ranging from frustration to panic. What were they going to do to her after the event was over? Even fully recovered, Vivena couldn¡¯t fight them without her poison serum and she couldn¡¯t leave her dominion. There were some strange requirements like her presence over the next few weeks had to be nearly constant inside her dominion. It had something to do with attunement between the dominion and her. If they turned against her, all of this would be for naught. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Through anger, she forced her body to get up. The others were slowly moving away from the gate, giving Bill and the other tribesman a breathing room. On wobbly legs, Vivena began moving toward them. My lady, please! You must rest! You must recover! Vivena ignored her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bill asked. ¡°You¡¯re barely standing.¡± ¡°This is my dominion to defend.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll only get in the way of others,¡± he said. ¡°Just wait until they¡¯re finished¡­¡± It was the last thing she wanted to hear right now. With growing effort and frustration coming from Isako, Vivena crossed the gate. Haruka turned around, sensing her presence, most likely through his spiritual companion. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here, Vivena. You¡¯ve already helped to end the attack on the Capital. We¡¯re very grateful and will take it from here.¡± A roar drowned the sounds of the battle. The boss was finally here. In her poor state, Vivena could only watch as Pandora and the tribesman whose name slipped away from Vivena¡¯s memory charged the massive monster. It had the body of a dragon, the head of a shark, and the fur of a polar bear. Its long tail whipped, aiming at the two charging ascenders but they dodged the attack. The boss was the size of a truck and was Level 4 and a common rarity according to Isako who had gone to investigate it. Vivena grimaced watching as the two ascenders made a short work of it. Congratulations! You have defended your dominion. The dominion of the House of Poison has been established. You are the sole owner of the dominion. You have now access to the dominion¡¯s menu. ¡°What is this?¡± Haruka asked, his eyes gazed. ¡°We defended a dominion?¡± Vivena stiffened, bracing for what might happen now, or rather trying not to drop unconscious. A sheer act of keeping herself up was hard. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied, while asking Isako to find what she could do to help her. ¡°This is my dominion.¡± Others joined them as the rest of the monsters dispersed. ¡°Does anyone care to explain what just happened?¡± asked the tribesman from the Capital. ¡°Why have we just defended some House of Poison dominion?¡± Haruka and Bill glanced at each other and it dawned on Haruka. He¡¯d known that Vivena¡¯s affinity was poison and it wasn¡¯t a difficult conclusion for him to draw. ¡°You have done this?¡± Haruka whispered to Vivena. She nodded, remembering how he¡¯d defended her in the capital. There was a chance here they wouldn¡¯t gang up on her. She didn¡¯t like the odds though. You have several available buffs and debuffs although you are allowed only one each at this point. Also, for the debuffs to take effect, you must consider others enemies. Likewise, you must consider them friends for the buffs to affect them. Do you wish me to list you the buffs and debuffs? Yes. She saw everyone looking at her expectantly. It was the worst moment for her body to catch up with the damage and exhaustion and lose consciousness. *** Haruka caught Vivena before she hit the ground. ¡°Seriously?¡± Pandora asked with a hint of irritation. ¡°Now?¡± She is severely exhausted and needs rest, Sumak informed him. ¡°Let¡¯s get her to the bed,¡± Haruka said, ignoring his sister. ¡°Then we can talk.¡± He looked at Bill who nodded. ¡°What happened here, William?¡± Aurora asked twenty minutes later. They sat in Lumo¡¯s hut in the middle of the village after they¡¯d released the hiding tribesmen from it. ¡°How is it possible that there is a dominion here that belongs to the outsider girl?¡± Bill told them everything. Aestar¡¯s expression darkened when Bill told them about Lumo and his guards. If it wasn¡¯t Bill, Haruka would have never believed this. Vivena wasn¡¯t that kind of a person. And the fact that she wanted to stop Keynes at all cost was worrisome. They were such good friends and Keynes had feelings for her. Haruka and others now knew that Keynes had survived the race somehow. He was in the top 100 last week. ¡°We should kill her,¡± Aestar said without hesitation. ¡°As the rightful heir to the tribes, I¡¯ll do so and take over her dominion.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Bill raised his hands. ¡°Why are we talking about killing anybody? You¡¯ve just saved her and you admitted that she had helped fight the monsters in the Capital. Should I also remind you that she¡¯d saved us when Keynes had opened the first Level 3 rift?¡± Haruka felt shameful for not speaking up earlier. Killing others wasn¡¯t the way of the tribes. ¡°I agree with Bill. We aren''t going to kill anybody.¡± ¡°She¡¯s murdered our people already, Haruka. She must be punished!¡± ¡°And she¡¯ll be,¡± Haruka replied. Aestar glanced at Aurora as if looking for help but he couldn¡¯t ask her openly because it would undermine his position. Haruka didn¡¯t much care about his cousin¡¯s aspirations. After the events in the Capital, those who survived, like Haruka¡¯s mother, would compete for the throne. Haruka¡¯s father returned to the First Tribe, cutting his ties with the Capital and his wife. Bonolo didn¡¯t say anything but he was deeply ashamed by his attempt at Keynes¡¯s freedom. ¡°No,¡± Aestar disagreed. ¡°I want her punished now. We must take her items and claim her dominion.¡± His words were met with silence, which visibly unsettled Aestar. He looked at them, his eyes narrowed. ¡°After everything we¡¯ve gone through you still side with some outsider?¡± *** Bill and his parents stood some distance from others. ¡°It reminds me of the Capital,¡± Hawthorne said. ¡°Monster bodies everywhere.¡± Bill had a hard time accepting what had happened in the Capital. Keynes surviving the Covenant of Tribes without winning it was difficult to believe, him causing another outbreak and the event, stretched Bill¡¯s imagination further than he thought possible. He was aware of Keynes¡¯s ability to do so, but he didn¡¯t think Keynes would cause the third outbreak. But nothing prepared Bill for the last portion of news. ¡°We¡¯re leaving the World Reserve and would like you to join us,¡± his mother said. ¡°No matter what Aestar claims, the Capital is gone. Venarys and others would sooner murder each other than agree on the next ruler. Our time here is over. Please, come with us, William.¡± Chapter 101: Open Vivena woke up with a start and Isako immediately calmed her down. There was no reason to freak out. They didn¡¯t restrain or take her items. It was a good sign but she wasn¡¯t out of the woods yet. Where do I stand? Did you overhear anything important? They know what happened here. ¡°I see you¡¯re awake,¡± Haruka stepped into the room. His presence almost gave Vivena a panic attack. She didn¡¯t sense Haruka there! I cannot sense him! Isako said with alarm. He must have advanced to another spirit stage! ¡°Your spirit is stronger,¡± Vivena said, fishing for information. ¡°If I didn¡¯t see you there, I wouldn¡¯t know you¡¯re here.¡± Haruka nodded, taking a seat on the bed next to Vivena. ¡°It¡¯s called the Superior stage.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything else on the subject. This means he is able to see your profile, Isako said. This includes skills and techniques but likely without details. Talents cannot be seen. It wasn¡¯t the end of the world, but neither was it ideal. She hadn¡¯t acquired any new spells apart from[Flight] since parting ways with Haruka and others at the Capital but now he knew it for certain removing any possibility of a bluff. How much stronger does the Superior stage make him? Even without solid control, his spiritual aura will be strong enough to knock you out. Knock me out¡­ I guess I need to get to the Elevated stage sooner than later. Strengthening the spirit core wasn¡¯t the first thing that came to mind while thinking about getting stronger. Levelling up was such an obvious route for most and maxing out attributes seemed like unnecessary hassle. But during her time with Haruka and Keynes, Vivena was able to see firsthand how powerful a spiritual energy could be. If Haruka being on the same Level as her could simply knock her out with his spiritual aura alone, then Vivena could no longer postpone her advancement. She knew she was close, she just needed a chance to get there. And that might be a problem here. She didn¡¯t know what they were going to do with her knowing about the dominion. It had to be played out perfectly. ¡°What now?¡± Haruka didn¡¯t reply until Vivena looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Vivena. I think the unity of tribes has come to an end. The Capita is¡­¡± ¡°I meant me,¡± she said and Haruka trailed off. ¡°Ah, that.¡± Haruka¡¯s expression shifted to one of resignation. ¡°Well, Aestar¡¯s pretty upset about Lumo and guards. He wants to punish you.¡± Vivena expected something and yet hearing that they wanted to punish her felt strangely out of place. What kind of punishment do they even imagine to incur on Vivena? Haruka admitted himself that the tribes had lost their unity, and likely their tribal law. However, the fact that she was still ¡®free¡¯ wasn¡¯t without importance and meaning here. She just needed to figure out how it translated into a bigger picture. So instead of asking about the punishment, she asked a different question. ¡°What about you, Haruka? Do you agree with him?¡± It was a gamble and Vivena didn¡¯t like the odds. She was aware that she¡¯d done it to herself and if she failed at establishing her dominion, she¡¯d be the one to blame. The decision to do it here and now had been reckless. If her mobile phone hadn¡¯t died, she¡¯d have contacted her parents and asked them to come here. ¡°I ¡­ honestly don¡¯t know. We were attacked in the Capital by the king¡¯s guards after we¡¯d parted ways with you. We¡¯ve killed them¡­ you know? We¡¯ve lost our way.¡± That was a surprise but then it wasn¡¯t. The Cult of Shaper and Shaper himself were in the Capital at the time of the monster''s attack, not to mention Keynes¡¯s decision to start another outbreak¡­ Could it all be connected? Keynes and Shaper went back to Geneva so there was a strong possibility of these two working together. ¡°Is everything alright? You look like you have seen a ghost.¡± She realised how tense her expression must look like at that moment so she relaxed. She considered telling Haruka about Shaper but decided against it. She didn¡¯t want to invite questions she was not ready to answer yet. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She sidestepped the subject and asked. ¡°So, what are we going to do now?¡± Haruka glanced at her, seeing through her but he didn¡¯t admonish her attempt at changing the topic. He stood up, walked to the door then turned around and faced her. ¡°Do you really plan to hunt down Keynes?¡± ¡°I plan to stop him from dooming our planet.¡± ¡°Bill told us how do you plan to use the dominion to become stronger. I have to admit that I am intrigued by your idea.¡± It was unexpected but welcomed. She wasn¡¯t sure where she stood with Haruka but it seemed that he leaned toward her side, which was a very good sign, nonetheless, she didn¡¯t think that this Aestar would simply accept Vivena¡¯s lack of responsibility for killing the tribesmen. Well, if I¡¯d have to, I¡¯d duel him. Having Haruka on my side should be enough to keep others from helping Aestar. Vivena and Haruka talked for almost an hour. Vivena explained to him what the dominion meant and how it¡¯d help her become the strongest person in the world. It was a bit of a shock for Haruka to learn how strong her Talent truly was. Haruka¡¯s Talent was mediocre in comparison. It was the Sleight of Hand but it didn¡¯t matter to her. He had a drive and desire to get stronger, something she needed and admired. Their conversation was interrupted by Bill as others wanted to talk to her. It was time to deal with the consequences of her reckless decisions. *** ¡°No, you cannot get out of this without punishment,¡± Aestar said, his eyes unyieldingly staring at Vivena. ¡°They were innocent people.¡± She knew that an argument with this guy was pointless. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°What can I do to repay them?¡± ¡°You must give the dominion away,¡± he said without hesitation. ¡°It doesn¡¯t belong to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve killed the boss and received the Orb of Dominion. I¡¯ve activated it here. I have the sole access to the dominion¡¯s menu. I don¡¯t see how it doesn¡¯t belong to me.¡± Vivena decided to not avoid confrontation with Aestar. Isako had warned her that he was the second degree Perfect State ascender, which meant he was strong, although his spirit was lousy. If she¡¯d managed to advance to the Elevated stage by now, she would have had no doubts going against this guy. ¡°The dominion boss belonged to the Capital and my parents. The kill should be theirs. Now, without them here, I am the next in line so the dominion belongs to me.¡± ¡°If you want the dominion so badly, you¡¯ll have to fight me. If you can defeat me, I¡¯ll hand over the ownership of the dominion to you.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± he snapped. ¡°Let¡¯s do it now.¡± ¡°Aester,¡± Bill¡¯s mother said. ¡°Reconsider this.¡± Without looking at her, he replied, ¡°Stay out of this, servant.¡± ¡°Watch your tongue, boy.¡± Hawthorne stepped forward Aestar. ¡°We aren¡¯t servants any longer and you are an heir to nothing but the ruin of a city. Not that you can even convince any tribe to bend their knee before you after the disaster in the Capital.¡± Aestar clenched his fists, shivering with anger. Everyone looked ready to uncoil. But then, the moment of rage passed and Aestar spun and strode away without a word, leaving the village. ¡°That was close,¡± Bill said. ¡°I think would¡¯ve trouble with him, father.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Hawthorne admitted. ¡°But he forgot himself there.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t his fault. He¡¯s been raised this way,¡± Aurora said then she looked at Vivena. ¡°We¡¯re leaving you be. I don¡¯t have any interest in antagonising you, Vivena Sael.¡± ¡°So you know who I am.¡± ¡°Your family is one of the most powerful families in the world. Although I''d never heard about you before, your surname is enough to think twice about crossing you. That said, I am a little confused as to why you¡¯ve established your dominion here instead of the territories controlled by your family.¡± That¡¯s because I wanted the world to fear me, not my surname. She didn¡¯t tell Aurora that though. She didn¡¯t trust the woman or her husband who had betrayed her and Keynes already. ¡°Who said it isn¡¯t my family territory now?¡± ¡°So this is truly the end of the World Reserve.¡± A hint of a sly smile crept on the woman¡¯s face. Before she turned to go, she added. ¡°Take good care of my son.¡± Hawthorne stood for a moment, while his wife was walking away. He was conflicted and from the silence, Vivena concluded that others knew why. ¡°For all it¡¯s worth, I am sorry,¡± he said. ¡°If you ever meet Keynes Kid. Tell him I regret my part in Bonolo¡¯s plan.¡± Vivena didn¡¯t reply. Hawthorne didn¡¯t linger and hastily left to catch up with his wife. Haruka, Bill and Pandora turned to Vivena ¡°Where do we start?¡± *** Except for Vivena, Haruka, Bill and Pandora, only seventeen tribesmen remained in Vivena¡¯s dominion, including the two guys who had defended the gate with her. The rest fled the dominion afraid of another monster¡¯s attack. With only a handful of people, work seemed to never end but to everyone¡¯s credit, no one complained. Before the end of the first week, they all fell into a rhythm. Bill took the role of a cook and he was amazing at it. Not only was their food delicious but also energising and kept everyone in good shape. He also found out that the meat of rift and dominion monsters was different, raising many interesting questions. Pandora focused on maxing out her last attribute and mostly stayed outside of the dominion, hunting the monsters and bringing their remnants to the village. Not that they had issues with food with two and then three rifts inside the dominion, but Haruka welcomed excess monster''s parts and dabbled a bit in item crafting. What he did was rather crude and not even close to what his uncle Hadr had done but Haruka was in the Superior stage, which equipped him with better tools to craft items. Vivena, on the other hand, was all over the place. She helped with the reinforcement of the walls as they needed higher and sturdier walls because now and then dominion monsters attacked the village, and with repurposing the buildings they didn¡¯t use. She had in mind a complete revamp of the village but not without serious manpower and resources. In fact, she¡¯d be able to do it with resources alone as her dominion offered something truly marvellous: the buildings menu. It gave her the ability to transform her dominion in any way she wished. The only issue was the cost. She didn¡¯t think even her entire family would be able to afford the cost of rebuilding the village without any extravagant options and the dominion had plenty of these: a poison fountain; a shield; a camouflage field; or a dungeon. Once the moment of exhilaration was over and her mood returned to normalcy, she got a good look at the menu and the System. She found that dominion wasn¡¯t the only way of claiming a piece of land. Territory was the other one but the process of claiming territory was unclear. She learned about the differences between territory and dominion. Cost of buildings and dungeons was much cheaper through territory but only dominion offered so many buffs and debuffs, and ability to influence rifts within dominion with the owner¡¯s affinity. Speaking of buffs, she activated 3 buffs over the month. To get more buffs or debuffs she needed to meet some prerequisites she wasn¡¯t aware of. The last buff was Haruka¡¯s idea and it helped them stay focused between delves or during brainstorming. With the second rift reward, they had 3 rifts to delve. Two were Level 3 and common rarity and mostly were used by the tribesmen to Level them up. The champion rift opened a long time ago by Keynes was the true source of Vivena confidence about the future. All three rifts acquired poison affinity and their rewards had a high chance of dropping items and spells with poison affinity, which was Vivena¡¯s plan. Only the champion rift was affected difficulty-wise as monsters inside received new poison-oriented skills. The two common ones were unaffected in this regard as common monsters didn¡¯t possess any skills. They pulled out many interesting items and skills from the rifts. And they already made plans to add more rifts to the dominion to increase yield of items and skills with poison affinity. Unfortunately for them, the frequency of dominion monster attacks decreased by the third week to the point that neither Vivena nor Haruka managed to place in the top 100. The weekly rankings were growing more competitive as well with a higher threshold of the top 100. Even Vivena¡¯s monthly rank 3 was in jeopardy. They realised that the number of dominions around the world increased and more ascenders were fighting the dominion monsters now. There was nothing they could do without leaving the dominion and they didn¡¯t want to do that with all their projects picking up speed. Then things got interesting as they got a visitor. *** ¡°My name is Zendar Enoch. I¡¯m a poison specialist and I¡¯d like to join your dominion.¡± Vivena slowly descended from the air. She was now in the Elevated stage but a long way to Level 5. Nonetheless, with her arsenal of poison skills and items, she was unbothered by the man¡¯s Level 5. ¡°How did you find us?¡± ¡°In the System, your dominion is set to public and open.¡± Isako, please, fill me in. Oh, that is right. Each dominion and territory is listed in the System, unless set to secret. Vivena glanced at the list of the dominions. In the first table, the monster dominions were listed and there were 121 of them at varying ranks. The next table showed ascender dominions that were set to public. Among 27 dominions only 7 were open. The other 20 had their locations undisclosed. Vivena almost changed the status to closed when she stopped herself. She was not going to hide from the world. No, she¡¯d never shy away from a challenge. Haruka joined her a moment later. Without [Flight] it took him a little longer to get here. ¡°Why should I accept you?¡± ¡°I wish to learn everything there is about poisons,¡± he replied, then quickly added. ¡°Also brought gifts.¡± She didn¡¯t see why she shouldn¡¯t give the man a chance. After all, gathering people like her was what she wanted. The next day, the monthly ranking concluded and they were utterly shocked. Keynes Kid ranked first in the weekly ranking for that period and managed to get 3rd place in the monthly ranking, pushing Vivena to rank 5. ¡°What the hell did he do? He wasn¡¯t there yesterday.¡± Chapter 102: Artefact Exchange ¡°Relax, Ren,¡± Tom said with a smirk, hoping to diffuse his companion¡¯s tension. ¡°We have time.¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yes, we do.¡± It was a tenuous argument that had been going on for a while by the time Tom and Kaito Ren came to the cafe. Kaito Ren couldn¡¯t stand the growing delay while Tom and Christopher became hesitant about following Daiyu Fen into the unknown without proper preparation. The situation had already forced Kaito Ren to level up to Level 4 on their way to Arshem city. The third outbreak and the dominion era made the world outside cities deadly to travellers. Their Levels no longer guaranteed them safety and lack of proper rift items only worsened their situation. The plan they¡¯d set off with was outdated now. Arshem was their chance at amending their shortcomings. It was a perfect place for that. The city lay in a strategic location about 500 kilometres south of the Baikal rift cluster, with the desert to the east, a nearby lake that provided fresh water to the city and mountains acting as a natural barrier against monsters, it became an staging point for travelling ascenders. The recent outbreak only propelled the city¡¯s growth to new heights. Several Level 3 rifts opened in the Taklamakan Desert, creating another source of income for the city. Unfortunately for Tom and his companions, these several rifts brought a host of problems. Firstly, the rifts were left uncleared, constantly spawning dangerous monsters. Arshem followed Geneva¡¯s example in this regard. Uncleared rifts created incentive for people to come in hope of finding easy Levels. Tom understood and agreed with the principle even though it hindered their journey. Getting a spot in an already cleared rift was nearly impossible for common folks. They were left with fighting rift monsters in the wild. Secondly, one of the rifts was of epic rarity and its monsters were bestowed with deadly abilities. Reports of countless deaths were coming in on a daily basis. Even Level 5 rift ascenders were dying out there. A Level 5 rift ascender was equivalent to a Level 7 human ascender; once the pinnacle of strength. Thirdly, the worth of raw materials brought to the city by Tom¡¯s group dropped substantially. Level 2 materials no longer saw the same demand as before. They could still easily sell it, but they¡¯d make around 30 to 40 percent less. Kaito Ren¡¯s argument was to call Zimmermann and ask him for money but Tom and Christopher were strictly against it. It wasn¡¯t that Tom disliked Wagner Zimmermann and taking financial aid now would indebt the trio to him but there was something inherently wrong in relying on others while they were capable of sustaining themselves just fine. They only had to be smart about it. ¡°What if she¡¯s dead?¡± Ren asked after their coffees arrived. ¡°Then we have no reason to leave at all.¡± Kaito Ren clearly didn¡¯t think his argument through and frustration got the better of him. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I asked you for help with this.¡± ¡°Where would you be if you haven¡¯t?¡± Tom asked. He brought the steaming coffee to his lips. The scolding temperature barely tickled his skin. The coffee was brewed from Level 0 materials and wouldn¡¯t have any effect on either man. They simply needed a place to stay while Christopher went to make an appointment with Artefact Exchange. It was their best shot at selling their raw materials. The company was the current leader in auctioning and selling everything from monster parts to, apparently, rifts themselves. ¡°I¡¯d have caught up with Daiyu Fen by now.¡± ¡°More likely you¡¯d have ended up in a monster¡¯s belly, Ren,¡± Tom said calmly. ¡°This time around, the danger is real.¡± To make his point get through the thick skull of his friend, Tom picked up a newspaper and showed him the headline. The elite ascender squad goes missing in the wild while hunting a global sub-boss. Tapping the picture of a building-sized bird with too many wings and tentacles coming out of its belly side, Tom added. ¡°These folks were Level 4 to 6 rift ascenders. I hate to say it but they¡¯d have kicked our butts with their eyes closed. If a group like this falls prey to monsters, what chances do we have?¡± Surprisingly, the message got through and Ren¡¯s expression softened. He glanced at his coffee then at Tom. ¡°How strong are you really? It was an odd question and not easy to answer. Tom checked his attributes.
Attributes Permanent Temporary Total
Strength (43%) 32 0 32
Dexterity (48%) 32 0 32
Will (79%) 29 0 29
Mind (5%) 29 0 29 This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Perception (9%) 29 0 29
Vitality (80%) 29 0 29
He was quite sure that his attributes were close to those of Esopp Earl¡¯s and yet Tom stood no chance against the man. Before outbreaks, attributes were a measure of strength with exception of fighting-oriented Talents or ridiculous ones like Columbus Curt¡¯s famous attribute doubling Talent. The beatdown Tom received from Esopp Earl was a humbling lesson. It showed Tom how little raw stats meant without spells, and he had no spells. Or items even. The only rift item he¡¯d possessed was taken by Freeman. ¡°I am no longer sure how to answer this question,¡± Tom said truthfully. If he wanted to, he¡¯d be able to make Ren forget them. For now, there was no harm for him to know. ¡°Before outbreaks, I could go toe to toe with Level 7s but then Esopp Earl happened and proved me wrong.¡± *** Christopher Wolf joined them an hour later. He got them the appointment they needed. They ordered more coffees and waited until it was time to go to visit Artefact Exchange. The exterior of the building was built out of Level 2 glass composite. The interior didn¡¯t fall behind in the display of wealth. Every single piece of material inside was Level 2. It was a blunt message to visitors - ¡®we have money¡¯. They found themselves in a massive, spacious atrium with crystal chandeliers, a marble fountain and oversized vivariums containing exotic foliage. In the middle of the atrium was the marble front desk with a single man standing behind. He looked formal in his suit, most likely crafted from Level 2 fabric. ¡°Welcome to Artefact Exchange,¡± the man said with a polite smile. He looked like a statue. ¡°We were awaiting you. Please follow to the door on my left. Our exchange officer will be with you shortly.¡± They did as the man said although a little reluctantly. The atrium was devoid of people, their steps were the only sound. On the other side of the door was a pleasant, air conditioned waiting room with comfortable armchairs. The coffee table in the middle was buried beneath magazines about items, rifs, monsters and crafting. The catalogue of items made their brows climb all the way up. Some of these items were stronger than their trio together: a wand with three different skills. It had an ability to cover anything in hot ashes in 10 metres radius, and ability to make the ashes burst aflame and lastly the fire grew hotter with every second it burned someone or something until it ran out of fuel or was put out. The item was Level 3 and of epic rarity with the last modifier highlighted to have the epic affinity, which meant that it was spectacularly stronger than two other modifiers. There was no price tag, only information that the item had been auctioned a week into the third outbreak to an unknown party for an undisclosed amount. ¡°Something like this must have cost at least a million dollars,¡± Christopher said, when Tom showed him the page. ¡°I¡¯d wager it sold for several million,¡± Ren murmured. ¡°Try at least a hundred million,¡± said a new voice. The trio looked up. A man in a sharp suit stood in a doorway. Tom immediately sensed power coming off that man. He didn¡¯t know if that was Level or items but he wasn¡¯t someone they wanted to cross. The man stood straight like an arrow, with his hands behind his back, short, dark gelled hair and eyes that seemed to see all. ¡°A hundred million for an item?¡± Christopher asked. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± The man waved his hand as if a hundred million was nothing to him, then beckoned them inside the room behind him. It was a luxurious office with marble floor, artisan wooden panels on the walls, thick rugs and fish tank hosting colourful fishes. ¡°My name¡¯s Rembrandt, welcome,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°Please have a seat.¡± He gestured to three leather armchairs. While they took seats, he asked, ¡°would you like anything to drink? I have a nice collection of Level 3 alcohols.¡± ¡°Level 3 alcohol already?¡± Ren asked with disbelief. ¡°We got our hands on that stuff a week after the outbreak started. Marvellous taste.¡± They couldn¡¯t miss a chance of tasting Level 3 booze. The best Arshem currently offered was Level 2 and too expensive to even consider. The alcohol came in a state-of-art bottle sculpted in an image of a dragon. Poured to a glass, the liquid separated into three layers of different colours - red, silver and white. Rembrandt warned them to go easy on the first layer. It was fiery, but dear heavens¡­ Its taste was out of this world. Subsequent layers took them into other directions that made the first layer strangely inadequate in hindsight. The drink dazed them for a few seconds while Rembrandt patiently waited. ¡°How much for the bottle?¡± Tom asked after his senses returned to him. Rembrandt only smiled politely, then others got their senses back and shared a surprised look. ¡°I knew you were going to like this one but let''s talk business. You are selling monster parts, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Tom confirmed, then asked a little hesitantly. ¡°Where can I unload them?¡± Rembrandt held up his hand. ¡°All in due time. First, I¡¯d like to talk about monster hunting.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± Tom asked, unsure where this conversation was heading to. ¡°We¡¯re looking for skilled monster hunters.¡± Ren opened his mouth but Rembrandt silenced him with his raised hand. ¡°Please, hear me out before you decline my offer.¡± The trio exchanged looks and then shallow nods, signalising to the man to continue. ¡°As you may or may not know, our friends from Untainted Paradise recently sent a mission to hunt down the four dominion sub-bosses. Artefact Exchange believes that it is a very noble initiative and would like to join it. Our offer entails training, items, salary with an outstanding benefit packet and we will buy from you any item or monster part at premium.¡± Tom saw that Ren was going to decline. They didn¡¯t have time for monster hunting. Rembrandt was quicker and once more he stalled any potential declines. ¡°Sleep on it before you are going to give me your answer, please. Now, let¡¯s see what you have for me.¡± *** Three hours later the trio emerged from a sterile lab called simply a valuation room, in which they¡¯d left all their monster parts. They were pleased with the valuation, which was only 10% off the baseline from before the third outbreak. Tom couldn¡¯t decide if Artefact Exchange was generous because they could or because they wanted Tom, Ren and Christopher to work for them or perhaps both. Rembrandt met them outside the valuation room once they¡¯d refreshed. They returned to his office. ¡°How would you like to be paid?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Christopher voiced a question they had on their minds. ¡°Since the Solar Summit, dollars are being replaced by solar credits. One to one ratio. We also pay in mana, again, one to one ratio. However you must possess the required containers. Additionally, we use scrolls of identification. It is a bit more obscure payment method at the moment but its popularity is growing, especially now that the government locked the exchange ratio to one Level 1 scroll to a hundred solar credits. Level 2 is two hundred and Level 3 is four hundred. Can you imagine the price of a single Level 10 scroll of identification?¡± They couldn¡¯t. The ratio was insane. But neither man said anything. ¡°Alright, so which payment method do you prefer?¡± ¡°Solar credits.¡± With almost 75 thousand solar credits in their bank they asked Rembrandt for item recommendations. He led them to an oversized interactive panel next to a wall. ¡°There are three types of transactions we facilitate: exchange, standard and auction. Majority of our items and raw materials are sold via standard listening. Each item has a price and if it is in stock, you can buy it right away. Auctions are a bit more complex and divided into various categories. Some are open and last days or weeks, others are private and are in real time. Almost all high value rift items go to auctions.¡± He tapped the screen a few times, and a page with a silver orb appeared. ¡°Orb of Dominion. So far we have auctioned only two of them. The first one went for twenty-seven billion credits.¡± The three men whistled. Tom tried to wrap his mind around it and he failed. A single item worth that much money. No wonder that millions of ascenders left their homes in search of riches. It was like a lottery ticket only worth a thousand times more. ¡°Whoever sold it is one lucky bastard,¡± Christopher said. Rembrandt shook his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say so. You see, the current highest bid for the second orb is one hundred and twenty-one billion and there are still five days to go. But enough of that, let¡¯s look at the items for you.¡± Chapter 103: Modifiers and Permits Tom, Ren and Christopher stared at the large screen while Rembrandt¡¯s finger nimbly did something on a tablet. The name ¡®Eteris¡¯ appeared on the large walled screen. ¡°Eteris is the application developed by Artefact Exchange to facilitate item and raw material trade. Currently, the application is only available via our branches but our company is working around the clock to bring it everywhere in the solar system in the next couple of months so you¡¯ll be able to use it while at home.¡± Ambitious and impressive but this didn¡¯t exactly concern the group. They needed to buy good items for their travel further into the east and Artefact Exchange was the only medium available to them. ¡°What kind of modifiers interest you?¡± Rembrandt asked as he took a seat in the fourth armchair. The three men exchanged glances, they weren¡¯t prepared for that. What Tom had in mind was more of a shop with available items. But maybe it was better this way. ¡°Anything with cooldown reduction?¡± Ren asked first. ¡°Sure,¡± Rembrandt said and typed the words into the search engine of Eteris. The list of items sorted by level, rarity, approximate strain on spirit, type of transaction and finally price, appeared on the screen. ¡°Can you sort it by price, from the cheapest to the most expensive¡± Ren asked, seeing eye-watering numbers, and Rembrandt did it right away. The cheapest item with a cooldown reduction modifier was ninety-nine million credits and it barely decreased cooldown by 5%. With a polite smile Rembrandt asked, ¡°anything of interest?¡± Tom didn¡¯t know if the question was genuine or not but this was a farce. They didn¡¯t have means to buy such outrageously expensive items. Even if Tom funds hadn¡¯t been confiscated by the World Government, he would still have around a quarter of a million dollars (or solar credits as they called it now). ¡°Well, we hoped that there would be something within our budget,¡± Christopher said. ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Seventy-five thousand.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Rembrandt nodded and to his credit, his attitude didn¡¯t change. ¡°In this case, I must warn you, the cheapest rift item is listed for around a million credits right now. But if you¡¯re looking for crafted items, there is a chance to find a couple pieces within your budget.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Christopher asked. ¡°Crafted items very rarely have modifiers other than attributes. They are easier to obtain and therefore tend to be cheaper,¡± Rembrandt replied then quickly added. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean that a crafted item cannot be expensive. We sold one just a week ago for a price equivalent to several billion credits. It was the only Level 4 item we had so far on offer.¡± ¡°Level 4?¡± Tom asked. ¡°Equivalent?¡± Ren added his question. ¡°What does it mean?¡± Christopher inquired for clarification. Rembrandt put the tablet aside, put leg over leg and gave them a wary look. To Tom¡¯s Level 5 senses, Rembrandt was like a blank page. There was no telling what Level this man was. He certainly was using items. ¡°While I am not at liberty to tell how this item was obtained, I can tell you that the top echelons don¡¯t bother themselves with solar credits or scrolls. They use rift orbs to trade instead.¡± ¡°What about lesser orbs?¡± Tom asked, remembering an orb they had found in Jamaica. ¡°They are worth much less but still very expensive. We are actually auctioning a few right now.¡± The screen flickered and several auctions of lesser orbs appeared. The lesser orbs and bidders were anonymous. Only the highest bids were available and Tom¡¯s eyes itched seeing them. Nothing less than sixty million credits. And to think that he¡¯d used his lesser orb without a regard about the potential value. Ren gave him a knowing look, realising the same thing. A single orb like this would make them rich. An idea formed inside Tom¡¯s head. Its viability wasn¡¯t its strong side though, but he didn¡¯t think that easy things could make them money right now. They said nothing about the lesser orb they¡¯d used. ¡°I think we have strayed away from the topic. So, are you interested in crafted items?¡± They were. For now. They spend the next two hours searching for the right items. The cheapest crafted items were listed for around ten thousand credits, which wasn¡¯t that bad, price-wise. Unfortunately, the items were underwhelming. Bulky armours with a single attribute modifier. Rembrandt explained to them that the smaller items tend to cost much more because more of them can be used at the same time. For example, a ring of the same Level and with the same attribute modifier cost twice as much as the armour. They didn¡¯t want to spend all their funds for meagre power up. The cheapest ¡®+1 to all attributes¡¯ ring cost a hundred thousand credits but interestingly none of them was a Contender Ring as these rings couldn¡¯t be used by anyone other than an owner. In the end, Rembrandt offered them a deal. A ring with a 1 to all attributes modifier to each of them in exchange for particular Level 3 monster parts from the desert. Anything else, he¡¯d buy out from them at a fair price as well. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Ren was against taking the deal because it meant they¡¯d have to return to Arshem, which would extend their journey considerably. Christopher and Tom couldn¡¯t say no to the opportunity. Rembrandt explained to them what and why he required it to be brought back. Like with the flying monsters, this type had a gimmick as well and that made its heart so expensive. It burrowed beneath the ground and was quite large and as long as a bus. Unsurprisingly, Eteris contained a lot of information about the monsters as well and normally, accessing it would incur cost but Rembrandt did it for free although not out of his altruistic nature. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we must refuse the offer, we¡¯re short on time,¡± Ren said before Tom or Christopher could accept it. The decline didn¡¯t seem to have an effect on Rembrandt. He stood up, then asked them to give him a moment. With that, the man left the room for a minute. When he returned, he said, ¡°I just spoke to my manager and he agreed to give you an extraction beacon. After you find what we¡¯re looking for, activate the beacon and we¡¯ll come to you. You will save time this way.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Tom said before Ren could refuse again. ¡°Me too,¡± Christopher added, working in tandem with Tom. ¡°Fine,¡± Ren sighed. Rembrandt brought them rings from a vault. Because of the strategic location, Arshem branch had a stock of many crafted items. They signed an agreement and received the rings and the extraction beacon. With that done, the three men left Artefact Exchange. *** Finding an affordable hotel with three vacant beds was quite a challenge. No surprise that there were several massive buildings in construction. Eventually, they found a place but it cost them a small fortune of five thousand credits for a day. Even if they sold their mana they would only make 790 credits per day, nowhere near the cost of the hotel. Food on the other hand was cheap, unless one wanted Level 1 or 2 food, which was available now too. And there was a steep price curve as well. Plants were more expensive but nothing ridiculous. Rift meat was a different story. A kilogram of treated and cooked rift meat cost up to fifteen thousand credits. ¡°Why is this meat so expensive if there are so many dead monsters out there?¡± Christopher asked at one of the rift butchers. ¡°We can bring¡­¡± A lean blond shook his head, silencing Christopher. ¡°Rift meat is cheap,¡± he said. ¡°Making the meat safe for consumption is not.¡± ¡°How do you make it safe for consumption?¡± The man behind the counter only shook his head in response. Obviously it was some kind of trade secret and no one sane would be giving it away to strangers. ¡°It¡¯s worth figuring this out,¡± Tom said when they left the butcher¡¯s shop. ¡°There is quite a demand for the meat despite its price. It¡¯d also be handy out there in the wild.¡± ¡°Once the process gets common, the price would fall,¡± Christopher noted. ¡°Everything is outrageously expensive right now because there is very little supply. Give it a time and rings like these would cost a few hundred credits at most.¡± ¡°Oh, I agree but¡­¡± Tom lowered his voice. The streets were packed with people and chaos and clamour were making it unlikely for anyone to overhear their conversation. ¡°By the time these things get that cheap, we¡¯ll have Level 10 rifts out there and no one would bother themselves with meagre attribute modifiers. We must take a leap.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for leaps,¡± Ren joined the conversation, his voice concerned. If he was about to complain again Tom was going to knock him out. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this, Ren. We¡¯ll follow your friend once we¡¯re ready.¡± Not for the first time, Tom considered using his Talent on his companions. Obviously, he couldn¡¯t do anything about the contract he¡¯d signed. His Talent erased memories of him but didn¡¯t affect physical objects like pictures or video. Maybe his major upgrade at Level 10 would offer something like this. Who could tell? This world knew barely anything about what was possible and what was not. ¡°So, I guess you have a plan,¡± Christopher said. ¡°Indeed. We¡¯re going to clear a few rifts in the desert.¡± *** They left the city the next morning after they filled their dimensional pouch to the brim with provisions. The pouch was so valuable that they didn¡¯t even consider selling it. Yes, it was most likely worth millions but some things were priceless. Unless, I knock them out, take the pouch back to Artefact Exchange and sell it¡­ nah, no. Who am I trying to fool? I am not that kind of person anymore. Tom left it at that and didn¡¯t return to the topic. With several uncleared Level 3 rifts, the desert saw massive popularity. More roads were being built that led from Arshem to the desert. Helicopters and planes frequented the sky above them. There were smaller hotels and food distribution centres along the road. Thousands of ascenders moved like a river toward the desert where it was supposed to meet with ruthless tides of monsters. Because of their Level advantage, the three men were able to outpace most of the procession, not that it mattered as it didn¡¯t seem to have a beginning or an end. Eventually, they approached a stone wall, five metres high. The only way to the other side was beneath the wall through a specially-designed control point. Queues were as long as the procession itself. ¡°How much time would it take to go around the wall?¡± Ren asked, growing impatient. Suddenly, the food distribution centres made sense. ¡°Impossible,¡± an Asian-looking man said. He had a small moustache and was Level 2. He wore a hunting outfit. ¡°The rumour goes that Arshem is building the wall around the entire desert. Plus, entering without a valid permit is forbidden.¡± ¡°Permit?¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± the oriental man¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°You actually know that you must register in Arshem and get a permit to pass through the wall, right?¡± Blank stares were the only answer for a moment. ¡°What?¡± The other man showed them an electronic card with his name and picture. Tom pulled Ren and Christopher away, then said, ¡°We¡¯ll need your Talent, Ren.¡± The oriental man joined them again, politely smiling. ¡°I am sorry but I overheard you whispering.¡± Which was not possible without a spell or a Talent but neither man said anything, waiting for the stranger to continue. ¡°While I do not know what your Talent is, I guess it is something that will help you get on the other side of the wall.¡± Tom placed a hand on Ren¡¯s and Christopher¡¯s shoulders. It was a sign to let him deal with the nosy brat. After they were done here, Tom would be able to use his Talent and make the other man forget everything he¡¯d heard from Tom. ¡°Maybe, why?¡± ¡°If they catch you on the other side without a permit, you¡¯ll be killed.¡± ¡°Thanks for the warning, mate,¡± Tom said, trying to sound nonchalantly. He turned away and dragged his two companions away again. They had a problem. ¡°Who are we blaming for this?¡± he asked. Chapter 104: Homecoming Three weeks before the events from chapter 102 and 103. The moon was only a bright smudge behind the clouds in the night sky when Wagner exited Andr¨¦ Turtelli¡¯s, the Geneva¡¯s First Minister, mountain mansion. Stepping to the cold fresh air, Wagner took a deep breath. If not for multiple elixirs he¡¯d drunk before coming here, he¡¯d have lost his shit. He¡¯d expected a lot and still, the First Minister surprised him. Wagner¡¯s constant refusal to let Keynes Kid meet with other powerful figures wasn¡¯t going to remain without an answer. He understood and expected it. Keynes Kid was the only known source of new rifts and the rifts were a source of unlimited power and wealth. The Dominion of Monsters opened another avenue for those who were unable to delve a rift but it wasn¡¯t enough. For all Wagner knew, the item drop from the dominion monsters was abysmal and facing the hordes of these monsters was quite dangerous and often not worth the risk. Wagner remained cool, hiding his emotions from the two guards that waited with Kristian at the balcony. It was highly unlikely that either of the men knew what was coming. Even Wagner¡¯s spies were clueless about this. Of course there were speculation and leaks regarding the global summit and peace talks. The third outbreak and the dominion era upset the balance created by the war between the resistance and the Word Government. This strengthened the White Masks that were slowly evolving into the third player with millions of common people supporting their liberation movement. That on its own was going to evoke reaction. But the offer? This was something else, something more drastic. He didn¡¯t know how to feel about this. To think that they went to such lengths¡­ It was hard to imagine. It may still be a bluff, he reminded himself. They must be desperate at this point. Wagner pulled at the silks, wrapping them tighter around his waist and chest. It had to be really chilly for him to feel it. Kristian perked up, seeing his boss. He pushed himself from the stone railing. Wagner had to admit that the view was magnificent at this altitude. Geneva was a gem of a city even now with almost every part of it being rebuilt with higher level materials. ¡°Sir,¡± Kristian greeted Wagner with a nod. Unlike Wagner, Kristian wore a sharp suit, now hidden beneath layers of furs that protected the Level 3 from the biting cold. ¡°Take me home.¡± Kristian touched Wagner¡¯s shoulder and both men vanished from the balcony, reappearing in Wagner¡¯s garden. Kristian was a new employee who helped Wagner move around Geneva unseen. The amount of attention their company generated made it impossible to travel by ordinary means any more. The number of guards had to be increased as well to a very unhealthy level, and Wagner didn¡¯t intend to stop there. He considered building higher walls, hiding the upper side of his house completely. He¡¯d have to find a way to counterbalance the loss of the view from his garden but with current runes and formations nothing was impossible. There was no other way but to turn his beautiful house into a fortress. ¡°Find me when you¡¯re off cooldown,¡± Wagner said. He didn¡¯t have any more travel requirements for tonight but he liked to be on top of things. ¡°Yes, boss.¡± Kristian turned to go¡­ ¡°You haven¡¯t levelled up since I¡¯ve left,¡± said a familiar voice from darkness. Wagner and Kristian spun toward the source of the voice. Wagner¡¯s walking stick appeared in his hand, snaking roots shot out of it-- A patch of darkness moved, and a hood dropped, revealing Keynes Kid¡¯s face. Kristian, who didn¡¯t know Keynes¡¯s identity, opened his mouth to call guards. Wagner stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kristian. He¡¯s with me.¡± Wagner didn¡¯t peel his eyes off Keynes afraid he might vanish again. That boy couldn¡¯t stay in one place for long. Kristian gave Wagner a concerned look but nodded without a protest. Upon leaving the garden, Wagner told him to not tell anyone about this. If the information that Keynes Kid was here leaked out, some fullhardy morons might try to storm Wagner¡¯s estate. Sometimes, it took one daring idiot to spark a fire. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Wagner said to Keynes, watching him carefully. He wore his dark purple coat, his black hair was longer, his face seemed unchanged albeit tired, but the truth was in Keynes¡¯s eyes. He was through a lot. Of course, Wagner knew enough from Vivena to come to a similar conclusion but seeing it in Keynes¡¯s eyes grounded the knowledge in reality. Speaking of Vivena¡­ She went radio silent over a week ago and didn¡¯t contact him nor show up for the rescue mission, which returned empty handed. ¡°I am.¡± Keynes nodded, stepping closer. Wagner started to relax. Keynes¡¯s presence here spared him many future headaches and issues. ¡°That¡¯s some timing you have,¡± Wagner tried to make a joke but there was no humour behind it. ¡°Anyway, there are big changes coming our way. It¡¯s better to have you here when the news lands.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to sit idle, Wagner,¡± Keynes said. ¡°I came to fulfil my obligation. After that, I¡¯ll resume my training.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Your obligation?¡± ¡°Rifts. It¡¯s time to open a few for you.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you done that like a week ago?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t by choice. It was the vision¡¯s doing,¡± Keynes replied, stone-faced. ¡°I met Shaper there. Right after the outbreak. He saved my life and gave me this.¡± Keynes handed a silver sphere to Wagner. Upon seeing the spiritual details of the rift. Wagner whistled. His tired mind woke up from a slumber. ¡°Epic rarity and mayhem type,¡± he murmured, while trying to come up with a value the rift held. He failed and realised that no other rift like this existed in the world. Epic rifts on their own could be counted on fingers of two hands. Despite Wagner¡¯s and Columbus¡¯s best efforts they were unable to secure an epic rift. This rift was a massive boon to their company. It didn¡¯t mean they struggled but their projections weren¡¯t favourable without having access to exceptional rifts. After all, they started the company with Keynes¡¯s ability in mind. For now, they were okay. Wagner had a worldwide monopoly on elixirs and plants. The demand was so massive that they couldn¡¯t meet even half of it. Columbus controlled almost a hundred rifts and some of them had resources needed to create mana containers, which was the best selling item everywhere. But relying on these two sources of income wouldn¡¯t get them far. Going forward, the issue was about others catching up with them. The Saels possessed unparalleled knowledge about poisons and some of it overlapped with Wagner¡¯s. With [Growth], [Create Plant] and other plant-related spells, it was only a matter of time before other sources of elixirs and valuable plants appeared on the market. There was also the matter of Columbus¡¯s withdrawal from the resistance¡¯s leadership. He couldn¡¯t and wasn¡¯t going to take all the rifts with him. Either way, they were going to lose a good chunk of their income with Columbus¡¯s departure from the resistance. They neither could rely on Esopp¡¯s wealth as it was being poured into building the training and rift bases in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Somehow, Esopp had managed to buy lands, including entire islands, worth billions of dollars before he left the World Government. ¡°Will it help?¡± Keynes asked when Wagner didn¡¯t say anything for a while. ¡°There is one more Level 3 rift which I¡¯d gladly bring here but didn¡¯t have a rift orb to do so.¡± ¡°It will.¡± Wagner put the rift into his dimensional pouch. ¡°We¡¯re doing well now but our advantage over others won¡¯t last forever. They¡¯ll eventually catch up.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Keynes shook his head. ¡°How¡¯s the fungi and item crafting?¡± ¡°Fungi,¡± Wagner replied while his forehead creased wildly. ¡°Had a rocky start but they eventually took off. Pucci made me employ someone with the right Talent to cultivate them. Crafting items is a different story. My strategy officers say it is too risky; there are too many item crafters and profits aren¡¯t as substantial as anything else we do.¡± Keynes looked away. He stared at Geneva¡¯s business district, his aura undetectable. Wagner tried to check on his Level but saw nothing. How many Levels did Keynes gain during his visit in the World Reserve? ¡°It looks like your strategy officers are full of shit, Wagner. Item crafting is more than profit margins. It is a path to discovery and development first and foremost. Tribesmen craft most of their items and they aren¡¯t very powerful. But that isn¡¯t how I see it. Only through trial and error can we uncover the secrets of power and there are many.¡± Keynes turned to Wagner, his eyes full of otherworldly intensity. ¡°You must stop treating this like a balance sheet. Profit is not the most important thing here. I asked you to start researching fungi because the tribesmen had found a way to use them to train their Mind attribute, and they have none of your wealth and manpower. Imagine us finding a way to perfect their methods and maybe learning how to train other attributes more efficiently? Can you put a price tag on something like this? You cannot because we¡¯d never sell something like this to our enemies.¡± Wagner had to say that Keynes¡¯s perspective was alien to him. Everything Wagner did was with one aim in mind -- profit. Spending money on something they wouldn¡¯t sell felt ¡­ wasteful. This wasn¡¯t the way the world worked. ¡°Keynes,¡± he said. ¡°This isn¡¯t as simple as you make it sound. The cost--¡± Keynes silenced him. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about the cost, Wagner. I can open as many Level 4 rifts as you want. And you should know it by now, each Level brings new features. Level 3 has class spells, valuable resources and hidden rooms¡­ Actually, no. The hidden rooms appeared with Level 2 rifts. Level 3 has something there too but I haven¡¯t managed to open it yet.¡± Wagner frowned. What is he talking about? Yes, Wagner was aware of class spells and unusual resources found in the rifts, some of them were primitive tools, armours, weapons and garments. But the hidden room? Vivena didn¡¯t mention it. In fact, Wagner had to ask Keynes about her¡­ No. First things first. ¡°What are the hidden doors? I haven¡¯t heard anything about them.¡± Keynes shrugged. ¡°And I¡¯m not surprised by that judging by your spirit stage. This is how Shaper defeated you three so easy. He used his spiritual aura alone. It is also required to sense any hidden properties within the rift. I guess there will be more of them at the higher Levels.¡± Wagner raised his hands. They were getting ahead of themselves. ¡°Wait, wait. What are you talking about?¡± On the other hand, it would explain how Shaper defeated us seemingly without effort. It always bothered Wagner that despite being near the pinnacle of strength, someone like Shaper made a joke out of them. Even Columbus with his insane Talent failed to land as much as a single blow. ¡°Take a seat,¡± Keynes said, pointing at the garden seats. ¡°Here? It is the middle of the night.¡± ¡°I like the view.¡± Wagner listened to Keynes with a sinking feeling. He was aware that his Levels built out of human essence were much weaker than the rift essence ones but adding to this spirit stages complicated things for him. He didn¡¯t have time to train! He¡¯d rather spend this time expanding their business. Suddenly, he wasn¡¯t so sure of himself. If Keynes had improved so much in a few months, how long would it take for the rest of the world to catch up with Wagner? Even Andr¨¦ Turtelli levelled recently, gaining Level 7 with the rift essence. It actually made him stronger than Wagner despite being on the same Level. He was about to protest and tell Keynes that he could always use rift when Keynes explained to him the notion of spiritual weight. So no, wearing more items and absorbing more spells wasn¡¯t an answer. ¡°It¡¯s not the kind of reunion I imagined,¡± Wagner complained, feeling the effects of his elixirs wearing off. ¡°It¡¯s only getting worse from here. We haven¡¯t talked about Vivena yet, and that¡¯s something you won¡¯t like to hear.¡± It was impossible and yet Wagner sensed a headache coming. ¡°Wonderful.¡± Chapter 105: Urgent Matters Keynes finished recounting his story that ended with Vivena and Wagner¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t what he expected. ¡°Having Vivena Sael as an enemy is dangerous, Keynes. We¡¯d have to double our security and find a way to neutralise her Talent, otherwise, I¡¯m not sure if Columbus would be able to stop her.¡± ¡°Wagner,¡± Keynes said, his voice growing cold like the night air. ¡°Vivena is the least of our problems. If I must, I should be able to handle her. The issue is that you, Columbus and Esopp cannot do the same.¡± Wagner froze, then narrowed his eyes in disbelief. Even though there were four Levels of difference between them, Keynes was on the verge of entering the next Spirit stage. This, coupled with his lethal [Chaos Aura] made him much stronger than his business partners. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that we¡¯re Level 7s,¡± Wagner said, a touch of surprise in his voice. ¡°You¡¯re Level¡­¡± And there it was. Keynes felt Wagner¡¯s aura probing him but Alice ensured Keynes that Wagner¡¯s spiritual stage was too low for him to see Keynes¡¯s Level. ¡°That¡¯s right, Wagner. You¡¯re no longer able to tell how strong I am.¡± Wagner looked away, then took out a vial with some liquid. He downed it without explanation. Keynes waited until the other man exhaled and his body relaxed. ¡°It¡¯s a calming elixir, unfortunately, I hit the limit for now. Anymore than that, and I will start building tolerance, which I don¡¯t want.¡± Keynes said nothing to that. They sat in silence for a while, then Wagner stood up. ¡°Thank you for coming back, Keynes. I''ll take into consideration everything you¡¯ve told me. Even if I want to go and level up, I cannot leave the company without someone in charge. Especially now. As I mentioned earlier, there are some critical matters we must discuss, the four of us. Go rest, sleep, eat, whatever. You still have the same room. I will schedule a meeting with Columbus and Esopp in ten hours.¡± *** Keynes resisted an idea of rest but when stepped under a hot shower, his body started melting. He¡¯d missed hot showers in the World Reserve. Although [Create Water] was a big step toward having a hot shower on demand, it didn¡¯t exactly solve the issue. [Create Water] didn¡¯t allow him to manipulate water. To do so he needed [Water Manipulation] skill. [Create Water] also didn¡¯t control the temperature of water. So two skills then, he thought to himself. His sleep was brief and dreamless. Alice woke him up after four hours. He couldn¡¯t wait when sleep wouldn¡¯t be needed for him to function. It was still many Levels away but it was there. Sylv visited him soon after he woke up and inquired about food and if he wished to keep his presence secret. ¡°Is my family still here?¡± ¡°Your parents are. Your brother has left after his Talent Unlocking ceremony.¡± ¡°Where has he gone to?¡± Sylv did change a little, Keynes noticed. The plant cream she used was of a higher level, but applied in thinner layers. She also wore more clothes and shortened her hair. Her cool attitude remained the same though. Keynes was fine with it, although the constant application of the cream intrigued him. Was there purpose to it or simply a personal quirk? ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± she replied. ¡°Officially,¡± Keynes said, mimicking the coldness of her voice. ¡°What about the unofficial version?¡± She is using Level 3 plant cream. Several messages popped up, informing Keynes that debuffs were blocked by his Purifying Body buff. What he found interesting was that the layers of the cream started to vanish from her body. So it functioned like a spell fuelled by this cream? Hmm. ¡°You cannot affect my Perception, Sylv, and you still owe me an answer.¡± She frowned, not expecting Keynes to resist her little manipulation stunt and even less to call her up on that. ¡°What answer would that be?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my brother?¡± She glanced at her forearms then at Keynes. ¡°You got stronger.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re forgetting that I¡¯m your boss now.¡± This caught her off guard. Even to Keynes this notion was as alien as the stars in the night sky. ¡°I am not allowed to tell you.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°Mr Zimmermann doesn¡¯t want you to go after him.¡± Keynes¡¯ first reaction was to storm out of here and go to Wagner. Then he got his emotions under control and calmed down, even though he gave nothing away outwardly. Given Keynes¡¯s reckless behaviour so far, it was understandable that Wagner didn¡¯t want Keynes chasing after his brother. Still, Keynes worried. ¡°Is he safe at least?¡± Sylv nodded. ¡°We have a Level 5 tracker keeping an eye on him. He¡¯s safe.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Keynes thanked her, asking to not tell his parents about him for now. Keynes wanted to surprise them. After Sylv left, Keynes was oddly pleased with himself. The fact that he¡¯d withstood the Level 6¡¯s attempt at manipulating his Perception was strengthening conviction that he¡¯d be able to take on the higher Levels now. Remember that she is a human essence ascender, master. If she was a rift essence ascender, you would not be able to stop her debuff. Doesn¡¯t essence affect the attributes only? It does not. The strength of your Spirit is also affected by the kind of essence you have absorbed during progression, master. It was a new piece of information. Another thing that pointed at the importance of essence. By now, Keynes knew that once an ascender started using rift essence, he¡¯d no longer be able to absorb human essence. In fact, human essence for the rift ascender was barely percible, similarly to how Level 1 rift essence felt to Keynes now. It lost its density, becoming air-like. At this point, he couldn¡¯t use essence lower than Level 3 to cultivate his Spirit. It would be like gently blowing air against a metal sphere and hoping to shape it. After eating a pretty good breakfast with many Level 2 and 3 plants, Keynes changed into the clothes provided by Wagner. They were comfortable but he didn¡¯t like wearing colourful silky robes. They made him look like Wagner! Both men shared long black hair and fair skin after all. The place has changed, landed on Keynes¡¯s shoulder. She was almost tangible now.Remembering Shaper¡¯s spiritual companion, Keynes wondered what it would be like to have Alice walking about like some ghost¡­ Do not even consider this, master. There is something wrong in exposing ourselves to ascenders and their spiritual companions. What do you mean? I wish I knew, Alice replied, vanishing though their bond indicated that she was still here. Some of these walls are made out of Level 3 steel! She changed the topic. So? You cannot find steel inside a rift at this level. They must have made it. This is a progress I have not expected. It was the second time today that Alice gave away information she normally wouldn¡¯t. It felt like a lot but Keynes didn¡¯t think that was the case. He was pretty sure that, if asked for details, Alice would say nothing more. Keynes suspected that his proximity to the next spiritual stage was at play here and affected their bond. *** Keynes found Wagner in his lavish office. The walls, floor and ceiling were covered by runes now. Keynes also noticed a few formations but didn¡¯t investigate their purpose. Once you increase your spiritual stage, master, I would be able to do it without restrictions, Alice informed him. Unless there are counter-measures in place, she added quickly. Keynes tuned her out and focused on Wagner. His business partner looked tired. Keynes could tell that the other man hadn¡¯t slept. Wagner stood up, waving Keynes closer. When Keynes passed through the middle of the office, something changed. It felt like the air membrane at the entrance to the labyrinth. Wagner noticed the surprise and explained. ¡°Privacy runes augmented by several formations. Costly but a necessary expense.¡± Each formation here worked separately. Keynes was aware of complex, multi-layered formations that were used by the tribesmen in their flying constructs. The formations with variables as the tribesmen called them, required mana upon changing of their variables. In the case of the flying constructs, the variables controlled altitude and speed. While the concept of a flying formation sounded appealing the reality was less refined. If one didn¡¯t provide mana to stop rising, the formation would keep going up until it failed to rise any further. Neither Haruka nor Keynes knew what that point was. So yeah, these flying formations weren¡¯t as ideal as they appeared to be. Not that Keynes needed them now¡­ Neither does Vivena. I haven¡¯t told Wagner everything, Keynes realised. He didn¡¯t forget about it but it didn¡¯t seem important last night. Nevertheless, seeing Wagner¡¯s state, Keynes decided against telling him now. There would be time for more bad news. ¡°You have to translate it for me,¡± Keynes said, hoping to lighten up the mood. The hot shower loosened his muscles it seemed. ¡°What does ¡®costly¡¯ mean for someone like you?¡± Wagner didn¡¯t understand the joke. He took out a tablet out of his dimensional space, typed something on it and then handed it over to Keynes and his eyes bulged upon seeing the amount. It was a surreal number. ¡°One billion? Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Wagner nodded. ¡°Most of these runes were found in rifts. Only those who hold the original rune blueprint can licence them. Even if we try to copy these runes, we¡¯d not be able to reach even half of their effectiveness and efficiency. It doesn¡¯t mean that there aren¡¯t dodgy businesses who do that but it isn¡¯t worth it. The runes are already mana-hungry. Using the imperfect copies increases the mana cost through the roof.¡± An insane notion popped up in Keynes¡¯s head. ¡°Does it mean that all pre-rift runes are imperfect?¡± Wagner nodded and a weak smile crept on his face. ¡°Not only runes. Glyphs, formations, recipes and magical constructs. Essentially, we¡¯re rediscovering everything as we speak. Your father¡¯s Talent turned out to be quite a game-changer. Perfecting a proper glyph can even add new modifiers to it. He is a busy man now.¡± That made Keynes chuckle. Was his father ever anything but busy? ¡°What is it?¡± Wagner asked. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Keynes waved at him. ¡°Better tell me about what¡¯s coming. You sounded ominous last night.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Wagner¡¯s mood instantly dipped. ¡°Yes. Take a seat, while I connect us to Columbus and Esopp.¡± ¡°What about Persephone?¡± Only after Alice mentioned it, Keynes noticed Wagner to go stiff. Keynes grimaced internally. If the other man did anything to alienate Persephone they''d be in trouble. That woman was a true threat. Next to her Vivena was nothing but a nuisance. ¡°She¡¯s fine. We work together but are keeping it off the books. She¡¯s the head of the White Masks after all and they are considered a terrorist organisation.¡± Once you have mentioned her, his aura has started leaking emotions, Alice warned Keynes. Should I worry? Keynes inquired. How can I know? His emotions are mumbo-jumbo to me. Keynes frowned at Alice¡¯s use of the new, odd word. ¡°So, she¡¯s still an ally?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Very much so,¡± Wagner confirmed. It was a relief. ¡°Can¡¯t she help with this problem?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something our company must face on its own.¡± With that Wagner pressed something on his tablet and connection was established. Two large wall screens came to life with faces of Columbus Curt and Esopp Earl. Two other owners of¡­ what¡¯s the name of our company? Have you forgotten? Alice asked teasingly. No. I-- ¡°Wag--oh, Keynes Kid!¡± Esopp said excitedly, interrupting Keynes¡¯s conversation with his spiritual companion. ¡°When Wagner told us about the urgent matter, I hadn¡¯t imagined you would honour us with your presence.¡± Keynes squinted at Wagner who rolled his eyes. ¡°You can tease each other after we¡¯re done with this,¡± Columbus said, his face perfectly still like a mask. ¡°I just got the word from my spies, Wagner. I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t expect this but still, I am surprised how far they went to get to him.¡± Chapter 106: The Solar Council ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Esopp asked, dropping his cheerful tone. Wagner opened his mouth to explain but Keynes was quicker. ¡°Before we dive into the issue at hand, I¡¯d like to discuss something else. Perhaps even more pressing and important than the other matter.¡± Wagner snorted mirthlessly but gave Keynes go ahead. Columbus and Esopp stared expectantly at Keynes who recounted his story to them, including his reasoning and discoveries. At first, there was resistance within Keynes to share knowledge. Some of it came easily from others or Alice, but there were bits that had cost Keynes dearly like [Chaos Aura]. But holding off information from his business partners who were Keynes¡¯s shield against the external world didn¡¯t seem like a sound idea. Though Keynes believed he¡¯d soon be able to grow past them, they still needed each other. Disappointingly, his talk didn¡¯t seem to convince Columbus, and Keynes already knew Wagner¡¯s opinion. Esopp however looked ecstatic and tried to make others see merit in Keynes¡¯s words. ¡°This isn¡¯t how we operate,¡± Columbus said. ¡°In the past, levelling was simple, but now it has become a job in itself. I have several squads that constantly rotate between delving rifts and doing their proper jobs.¡± This was something Keynes couldn¡¯t deny. Levelling was time-consuming but a middle ground had to be found. A few ideas popped up in Keynes¡¯s head but he didn¡¯t like any of them. Still he pressed the other men. ¡°I can¡¯t waste my time as long as I¡¯m leading the resistance.¡± ¡°Likewise, there¡¯s no one to look after our company in my absence,¡± Wagner added. Their insistence on calling the levelling a ¡®waste of time¡¯ irked Keynes. But he resisted an urge to storm out of the meeting. ¡°My commitments aren¡¯t that huge, so I delve a little,¡± Esopp said with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m actually halfway to Level 8.¡± ¡°So while we work hard you laze,¡± Wagner said. ¡°Typical.¡± Keynes wanted to kick Wagner¡¯s ass. He was missing the point. Unsurprisingly, the topic went nowhere and Keynes would have to come up with arguments that Wagner and Columbus understood. ¡°It¡¯s time we tackle the main reason for our meeting.¡± For Keynes¡¯s benefit, he added, ¡°Recently, there was a call for peace between the World Government and the resistance but presence of the White Masks complicated matters and kept the world on edge until the outbreak, which shifted the focus and took away a lot of tension. It could be said that by causing another outbreak, you have ended the uprising that was about to turn very bloody. People now have a better outlet for their frustration -- monsters. But there is another side of the coin. One which is slowly becoming apparent. The rise of new powers refuelled fears of the return of pre-World Government times and this is something we don¡¯t want. So, these powers got together and seemed to reach a consensus.¡± ¡°This consensus is what bothers us,¡± Columbus said. ¡°Because there is another agenda behind it.¡± With everything that so far had happened, it wasn¡¯t difficult to figure out what the other agenda was. It felt like it had never changed since the first outbreak. They all wanted Keynes to open rifts for them. The only unclear thing was who were the recipients of this consensus. Judging by Columbus¡¯s reaction, the resistance was still in opposition to the World Government. Did it mean the rest of the world banded together and stood against Keynes and his business partners? ¡°So they betrayed us?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°More than that.¡± Wagner launched into explanation. A day ago the head of the Ministry of Geneva, Andr¨¦ Turtelli, met with Wagner and presented him with an offer he believed Wagner would not be able to refuse. The World Government not only convinced everyone to join them but an idea was born from their cooperation. Something greater than the World Government. The Solar Council. A secret organisation created to control the World Government and the world. And their idea wasn¡¯t without merit. They understood something Wagner and Columbus seemed to forget. The world was about to become a place where individuals would be wielding an unheard power. Without an authority that could keep things in a tight grip, the world would fall apart and regress into chaos. It was supposed to be the World Government¡¯s job but being led by a single person, that worldly organisation was prone to the whims of a single mind who had not always understood the needs of all stakeholders. The Solar Council wasn¡¯t a new idea but in the age of Windsor Freeman, nothing like this could exist. But Windsor Freeman and his closest allies were no longer part of the current iteration of the World Government. With the obstacles gone, the Solar Council was born. They were going to control the rifts, markets, levelling, spells, everything. All to save humanity from their own greed and foolishness. Keynes could clearly see the reasoning behind the idea. Some people were not suited to wield power, like Windsor Freeman, and without an overseeing authority, things would get out of hand. For this reason alone, Keynes was willing to hear Wagner out. But as Columbus had said, the Solar Council had another goal. A darker one, they wanted Keynes Kid. Granted, they weren¡¯t as crude and barbaric as Windsor Freeman and sought to strike a deal with Keynes. But there was an issue with the deal. It leaned too much toward the Solar Council and too little toward Keynes¡¯s company. It was because their rivals viewed Keynes¡¯s ability to open rifts as something that belonged to everyone, not only Keynes and his business partners. Before today¡¯s meeting, a part of Keynes thought it too. But then he heard how expensive the rune and formation licences were. Shouldn¡¯t those be shared among the people as well? It sank the remnants of naivety that Keynes had. Nothing was free in this world. Yes, he once rebelled against keeping all the knowledge from the public but that was when he was too young to understand the perils of careless sharing. With all the power contained within rifts, things had to be shared responsibly. And the same applied to the Solar Council and rifts. Did they think that Keynes would happily open rifts for them, no questions asked? They were even ready to give some of the rifts he was going to open to him. What a generosity. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Even still, the Solar Council didn¡¯t act in vacuum. They seem to bring to their side everyone but their company and the resistance, which was rapidly crumbling without having Windsor Freeman as the common enemy. In other words, the Solar Council controlled nearly everything, including the two off-planet colonies: Mars and Venus. They were mildly surprised that the Saels and the Nishimuras had left the resistance and had joined the Solar Council. The only major house still on the resistance¡¯s side was the Ravencroft and only because of the death of their heir and grief it caused. ¡°They offer a seat at the council¡¯s table.¡± Silence followed the statement then Esopp spoke up. ¡°In exchange for our only advantage.¡± To Keynes¡¯s surprise, the other man didn¡¯t sound gloomy or depressed, on the contrary. There was a note of amusement in his voice. ¡°How fitting.¡± ¡°And yet, what other choice do we have?¡± Wagner asked. ¡°With Geneva aligned against us, we lose our access to the market. They will starve us.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ask my soldiers to die in the name of our profits either,¡± Columbus added. ¡°Most of them rebelled because of Windsor Freeman. Now that he is gone from the government, their ¡®motivation¡¯ has started to erode.¡± They looked over expectantly at Keynes. Did they want his blessing? Acknowledgement? Permission? Either way, they weren¡¯t getting any. Actually, Keynes struggled with an answer. He didn¡¯t know what to say to that. Suddenly, a part of him yearned to leave the city and flee back into the wilderness. There was comfort in being on his own. He squashed the thought, not liking where it was leading him. ¡°What¡¯s the deadline?¡± Keynes asked eventually. ¡°Six days.¡± ¡°Fine. Tell the Prime Minister you¡¯ll deliver the answer in person,¡± Keynes said, then added. ¡°Also, I need a location of the closest Level 3 rift.¡± *** Andr¨¦ Turtelli glanced at a clock. Wagner Zimmermann was about to teleport in from his house with an answer. Why couldn¡¯t Zimmermann do it over the videoconference was beyond Andr¨¦ but he didn¡¯t care enough to pry into the minds of fellow High Levels. Maybe Zimmermann festered murderous thoughts of assaulting Andr¨¦. Thoughts that would lead the other man to his untimely demise. With the ascension to Level 7, Andr¨¦ became much stronger than pre-rift Level 7s. And on top of that, there were twenty Level 4 rift essence ascenders ready to barge onto the balcony at Andr¨¦¡¯s signal. Even though the balcony had the anti-teleport runes deactivated, watching people teleport in filled him with unease. So many precautions were necessary nowadays with all those spells available. Wagner Zimmermann and Kristian Carl appeared a few metres in front of Andr¨¦ as had been agreed. Without a prompt, Kristian Carl left the balcony. For some reason, Zimmermann wished to talk here. Did their offer shake him so much? Serves them right for usurping rifts! When both men remained alone, Andr¨¦ said, ¡°It took you a whole lot longer than we anticipated.¡± The Solar Council made sure to not give Wagner Zimmermann, Columbus Curt, Esopp Earl and Keynes Kid any other choice. ¡°We had our reasons.¡± Andr¨¦ blinked. The voice didn¡¯t belong to Zimmermann! In fact, Zimmermann stood silently watching him, his mouth remaining sealed. ¡°Who--¡± Another person emerged from darkness. Andr¨¦ froze, his fingers brushed the alarm button but didn¡¯t press it yet. They would be foolish to attack him in his own house! The intruder took off the hood of his dark purple coat. Wait a minute, I know this apparel, this face! That¡¯s¡­ ¡°Keynes Kid in flesh.¡± Andr¨¦ relaxed. The boy wasn¡¯t a threat to him, although his presence here was a surprise. If Andr¨¦ didn¡¯t know better he¡¯d have alarmed his guards and taken Keynes Kid prisoner but it hadn¡¯t worked out very well for Freeman. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected but a pleasant turn of events,¡± Andr¨¦ said. ¡°I see you understand the severity of our offer.¡± ¡°No,¡± Keynes Kid replied. ¡°We don¡¯t accept your offer.¡± Was the boy not right in the head? Why did he speak in Zimmermann¡¯s place anyway? Ignoring him, Andr¨¦ looked over at Zimmermann. He was growing impatient with the other man¡¯s silence. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Zimmermann? Have you failed to inform your associates about--¡± ¡°He did not,¡± Keynes Kid interrupted him once again. Andr¨¦ had enough of the boy¡¯s prattling. He was going to¡­ wait a minute. I can¡¯t sense him. Andr¨¦ unleashed his spiritual aura and slammed it into the boy. He needed a lesson. But it was like hitting an impenetrable wall. Andr¨¦¡¯s eyes widened. What Level was he to stop him like this? Andr¨¦¡¯s spiritual aura could reduce any Level 4 to a mumbling retard and there was no way the boy had outlevelled Andr¨¦ already. Keynes Kid made a step forward. An invisible wall moved with him, pushing Andr¨¦¡¯s aura away with uncanny ease. ¡°How?¡± ¡°So little you know,¡± Keynes Kid, his eyes cold and merciless. ¡°And yet, you believe yourself superior to others.¡± Suddenly, Andr¨¦ was on his knees, his spiritual aura collapsed. How was the boy generating so much spiritual energy?! How?! Andr¨¦ raised the alarm device, he needed his guards here. He couldn¡¯t defend himself while being reduced to this--an invisible power yanked the device out of his hand. ¡°You won¡¯t be needing this,¡± Keynes Kid said. ¡°You¡¯d only kill those guards waiting inside. And I don¡¯t want to be a murderer because of you.¡± ¡°Do you have any idea what you¡¯re doing?¡± Andr¨¦ said, feeling strained. The spiritual pressure didn¡¯t ease. ¡°Do you? You and your friends assumed, I should open rifts for you and be happy about it. But this isn¡¯t the way this deal is going to work.¡± Keynes Kid made another step. Andr¨¦¡¯s spiritual aura was completely squashed. ¡°Our company will get a seat at your council, I will open rifts for you but each one will cost you a rift orb of corresponding level and you will pay us twenty percent of revenue generated by each rift I open. For ten years.¡± Keynes Kid went down to one knee next to Andr¨¦. ¡°And don¡¯t assume you can fight me. I have access to all the rifts out there. You think you can starve us? We¡¯d simply grow too strong to handle, while you ¡­ run around like headless chickens. I will be in touch.¡± Keynes Kid stood up, put the hood on and, dear god, he flew away. The spiritual pressure vanished immediately and Andr¨¦ jumped to his feet. His first reaction was to attack Zimmermann who stood by the stone railing watching him carefully. Andr¨¦ calmed himself, his spirit ached. The boy must be Level 10, at least! ¡°Zimmermann, what was that?¡± Andr¨¦ snapped, keeping still boiling rage on the verge. ¡°That was Keynes Kid. A boy you should take seriously. Now, if you could call Kristian here. I¡¯d like to take my leave.¡± ¡°Do you think you can just leave after assaulting me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t assault you but I stood here watching how you attacked Keynes Kid and he merely defended himself. In terms of power, Keynes Kid is already beyond our reach. You should remember this when you tell our associates about the meeting. I expect a call soon.¡± Andr¨¦ huffed. Such impertinence! They¡¯ll regret it. Not today but one day certainly. *** Keynes smashed into a mountainside. His stamina hit the bottom. Despite entering the Superior stage, handling a Level 7 wasn¡¯t something he was ready for. When Andr¨¦ Turtelli¡¯s spiritual aura hit him, Keynes knew he was on a very short timer. But it didn¡¯t matter now. Keynes smiled, lying face down in snow. His stupid plan worked. The Solar Council would fear him now. His job was to live up to the expectation. It was time to begin real training. Chapter 107: Emerald City The next day welcomed Keynes with a surprise. His mother was Level 3, and according to her, his father was as well. Wagner had decided to begin levelling up his employees and Keynes¡¯s parents were ones of the first on the list. Keynes was glad to hear that. With additional Levels came many benefits related to Talents. His mother could sooth more people with greater and longer effect; glyphs fine-tuned by his father received additional improvements. And all of this happened without a Level 5 Minor Talent Upgrade. But none of this was important to Keynes. He wanted his parents to be safe and live long lives. Levels enabled that. Unfortunately, their short reunion was spoiled by Harter¡¯s uncharacteristic departure. His brother not only left Geneva but he hadn¡¯t told anyone his Talent. Keynes was sad because he¡¯d hoped he would take Harter with him. Keynes¡¯s mother soothed his worries away even though he had an option to block the soothing. He welcomed the feeling of tranquillity before he left Geneva again. Later that day, he met with Pucci, the head of gardening. Pucci was on his way to Level 5 but his spirit stage was at the very bottom. The same was true for everyone here, even Wagner. Keynes hoped that his confrontation with the Prime Minister would stir something and convince Wagner to get to the Medium stage but he received the same old excuse -- not enough time. Pucci was quite intrigued by the prospect of using a spiritual aura to manipulate the growth of plants but he was less enthusiastic about the idea of cycling the essence and couldn¡¯t commit to it before Level 5. Despite his growing frustration, they discussed many interesting ideas about gardening. But the most important topic was fungi. Pucci accepted a sample of mind mushrooms and promised Keynes to research it. The rest of his free time, Keynes spent catching up with the events. He scoured the Web, learning about the impact of the third outbreak. Even though there were casualties, their number was the lowest out of the three outbreaks. And many people actually wished for more outbreaks. Being praised, even indirectly, for the outbreak felt strange. In his head, the outbreaks were evil. He didn¡¯t fool himself anymore. He wasn¡¯t a good person, even though he vowed to recompense the world one day. Other than that, the true issue was the Dominion of Monsters. Growing number of established monster dominions and their unpredictability was a threat. Nonetheless, this threat was uniting the world and the public vastly accepted the idea of the resistance and the World Government becoming once more. The only element that campaigned against the peace treaty were the White Masks. They argued that without the proper resistance, the World Government would cut common people off the sources of essence. While a valid concern, there was proof to the opposite. Numerous hunting grounds were established where rifts had been left uncleared and endlessly spawned monsters for anyone to hunt them. It had its own drawbacks, monsters outside rifts didn¡¯t drop items or weren¡¯t affected by rift modifiers. Rifts¡¯ rare and valuable resources weren¡¯t exploited and the amount of essence was vastly diminished. Still, many cities that were lucky to lay near a rift cluster, used it to convert to hunting grounds. Keynes was interested to learn that Australia was a number one destination for hunters. The giant island was exclusively populated by monsters. Not a single city remained there. One day, Keynes would love to visit it as well. The last thing Keynes read about before his departure was the Solar Summit. It was happening in a few days in Geneva and would feature every major party in the solar system. They still awaited their invitation. *** The trip to Southeast Asia was challenging. Because every public asset of their company was under scrutiny, Keynes needed to use an unaffiliated company that wouldn¡¯t know who he was. While he wasn¡¯t a public figure, his anonymity was a fragile asset. In the end, Keynes ended up using seven different aircrafts, moving from one country to another, not always in the right direction. He landed on the day of the Solar Summit, which only increased his anxiety because he was kept in the dark for the last twenty-four hours as they hadn¡¯t allowed him any electronics on the way here. And here was god knew where. It was an island, judging by the size, no larger than forty kilometres across. Its terrain was extremely uneven with many mountain ranges, valleys and dense tropical forest. Low hanging, dark clouds heralded heavy rain. Despite his time spent in the World Reserve, the extreme humidity and heavy air hit Keynes without mercy. After he left the small plane, it immediately took off from the abandoned airport, if a strip of hardened ground and a few old buildings nestled between trees could be called as such. I hate this weather, Keynes huffed. You can use your spiritual aura to negate it, Alice informed him. She remained small but her body was much more detailed and visible than ever before. She stood on something invisible at the height of Keynes¡¯s head. How? Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Sorry, master, but I cannot take away the fun of discovery from you. Take it, Keynes said. You can have all the fun. I don¡¯t care. Just help me breathe. Hmm. I will see what I can do. With that vague promise, Alice vanished. A few seconds later a jeep emerged out of the woods. Alice confirmed that it was Esopp Earl. Keynes waited until the jeep stopped in front of him. Esopp beckoned Keynes inside where he found blessed air conditioning. He took a deep breath of cool, refreshing air. ¡°Yeah, the weather here sucks,¡± Esopp said with a smirk. ¡°How was the trip?¡± ¡°Uneventful. How¡¯s the summit? Has Wagner gotten an invitation?¡± ¡°He did,¡± Esopp replied. ¡°Just a couple of hours before the meeting of the Solar Council. It¡¯s clear they aren¡¯t happy with our reply but your stunt might have saved our asses.¡± The road was hardly a road but the jeep did its job. When it stopped, Keynes needed a few seconds to make sense of what he was seeing. A large gate was extremely hard to distinguish from its surroundings. The wall that extended from the gate had the same property. ¡°The camouflage is Level 2 stuff made from plants and has to be reapplied every week. Hopefully they¡¯ll deliver an upgraded version soon. The cost of keeping it up makes the camouflage questionable,¡± Esopp complained. Without any obvious sign or message, the gate cracked open and let the jeep inside. An alien sight welcomed Keynes on the other side. The base was hidden in a valley but Esopp went a step further and erected several gigantic pillars that expanded in all directions above the base creating an artificial canopy. According to Esopp, it also had the same camouflage that had to be reapplied weekly. Now, his complaint had merit. The pillars were so tall that they dwarfed everything between them. The base itself was a mixture of many futuristic buildings made out of glass, steel and concrete. The air beneath the canopy was cooler and thinner than on the airfield. Vents protruding from the pillars seemed to exhaust something so there was more to them than mere support. They crossed the concrete parking lot and entered the lobby with an arched wooden desk in the middle. There were only a few seats provided next to the concrete wall. ¡°This is our backyard so this part of the complex isn¡¯t finished. In most cases, our clients won¡¯t see any of this. The idea is to not let them come to the surface.¡± ¡°Another underground base?¡± Keynes groaned. ¡°Not entirely.¡± Esopp shook his head. ¡°But we must be careful. We have to keep the location of this place a secret. And so we are building an underground train that would come here from a nearby island. We have no choice but to keep our clients in the dark.¡± They left the empty lobby and moved on to Esopp¡¯s office with a nice view of the garden outside. The office was nice and comfortable but nowhere near the level of absurd luxury in Wagner¡¯s. Esopp showed Keynes to a comfortable armchair then offered him a smoke. Some potent Level 2 plant from Wagner¡¯s collection. Once both men comfortably settled in the armchairs, Esopp asked, ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± Keynes asked, confused. ¡°No.¡± Esopp shook his head. ¡°Obviously there¡¯s more. Not all of the base is finished though. Some of our ideas are a little too ambitious but who cares? We have resources so we might do it as well the right way.¡± ¡°In this case, I¡¯d tell you my opinion when you show me the rest. I hope I have a room with a similar view.¡± Keynes nodded at the garden outside. ¡°Sure. Only one-third of the complex is currently underground, although the rifts made it easy when it comes to dealing with the excess soil.¡± ¡°What is the plan for this place?¡± Keynes remembered everything Wagner told him about this project. Its code name was Emerald City. It meant to be a completely self-sustained city-like base and house rifts from all over the world and beyond. That was all Keynes had heard from Wagner before going to the World Reserve. They didn¡¯t talk about it upon Keynes¡¯s last visit. ¡°It depends on our dealings with the Solar Council,¡± Esopp answered. ¡°Columbus and Wagner would like to expand this place, transform the entire island and islands around into a gigantic agglomeration that would revolve around the rifts we keep here. That¡¯s their long term goal anyway.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t share their enthusiasm but that¡¯s more to do with the fact that I led Hidden Hand for over a decade. Our utmost priority was to keep things hidden as the name suggests. It is not easy to get the sentiment out of my system. What about you?¡± In truth, Keynes didn¡¯t care much. Not because he didn¡¯t want this place to thrive. On the contrary, this meant to be their source of income so if things weren¡¯t handled right, they¡¯d fail. However, Keynes¡¯s mind was focused more on leaving Earth and pursuing rifts on other planets. What kind of rifts would he find there? Would they be the same as the ones on Earth or not? His curiosity burned at the thought of flying through space, visiting planets, opening rifts, giving an opportunity for humankind to move beyond the solar system. ¡°So?¡± Esopp prompted him when Keynes failed to answer. ¡°I like Columbus¡¯s and Wagner¡¯s idea. It¡¯d allow us to shift our business when we run out of higher level rifts to open. But they aren¡¯t taking my warnings seriously. Even if the Solar Council would guarantee us immunity, we¡¯d never be perfectly safe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable. That¡¯s politics, there¡¯s always scheming.¡± ¡°But we need countermeasures. Hiding is good for now. But eventually, there are going to be people with Talents and skills who will find us despite every countermeasure we can employ. What then?¡± Like during the video conference, Keynes¡¯s words struck home. Esopp agreed with Keynes on this and the topic of the conversation soon shifted to the rifts themselves. According to Esopp, they had 36 Level 1, 12 Level 2 and only 2 Level 3 rifts here. The cost of purchasing the rift orbs consumed 40% of the total budget, which left Keynes speechless. They had three times as many rifts scattered all over the world but without means of transporting them here. Currently not a single rift orb that moved rifts was up for a sale. It was because of the dominions. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Dominion orbs allow you to establish your own dominion. So when those with dominions and rifts started to buy up any rift orb regardless of the price, the sellers figured out that it would be better to auction these orbs instead. These auctions are brutal and the prices are beyond even what we want to pay.¡± Chapter 108: Crafting Department The timeline gave Keynes a week in the base while Esopp transferred over his administrative responsibilities to his second in command. Handed with an extra week, Keynes decided to use it to experiment and train with his skills. One of the biggest negligences pointed out by Alice after Keynes had entered the Superior stage was his skill training. So far he was only training his attributes not really considering his skills. Granted, he hadn¡¯t had enough offensive skills to do so, but this changed. His two most important skills were [Telekinesis] and [Chaos Aura]. Keynes¡¯s plan was to get rid of the shortswords and transition into a rogue mage of sorts. At the moment, he could only dream about this. His [Telekinesis] lacked a punch and [Chaos Aura] drained his stamina at an unbelievably fast rate, also posing danger to his surroundings. Alice wanted him to use the aura only as the last resort and focus on [Telekinesis] for now. But before he started his training he wanted to see the base for himself. *** It was as Esopp had said, the base was halfway finished but what Keynes found took his breath away. The lower levels held rifts. Each rift had its own storage space, training room, lounge and information centre. Rifts were divided by their Levels. The higher Levels were located deeper. Keynes ventured to the main lobby which wasn¡¯t finished yet but their idea of splendour was insane. The lobby was going to be a gigantic pit with a large aquarium in the middle, casting emerald light on each level of the lobby. They already found the appropriate water in a Level 2 rift, though the toughened glass tank wasn¡¯t ready. Keynes ventured to the very bottom of the pit where the tip of the overhead tank¡¯s frame ended a metre above his head. Once the tank was placed, the frame was going to be removed to enhance the effect. The lowest floor was round and many times larger in size than any other floor above. Its purpose wasn¡¯t explicit but various exits scattered around hinted at something resembling a common room. Strange but Keynes didn¡¯t take a part in planning and didn¡¯t know the full picture. He asked a few workers about the exits. They led to various sections like inhouse crafting or gardening departments. Even though the walls and floors were still unfinished, some of the sections seemed to be operating. Intrigued, Keynes decided to check on them. First, he approached the gardening section. A guard asked him about the clearance card and Keynes showed it to him. ¡°Sir,¡± the guard saluted. Yeah, Keynes had the highest clearance in the company. ¡°How can I be of service?¡± He¡¯s a Level 3 rift ascender, Alice noted. Keynes sensed as much as well. His Superior stage allowed him to see ascenders¡¯ screens as long as their spiritual defences were lower than his spiritual offences, which was almost always. Even Esopp¡¯s spirit was much weaker than Keynes¡¯s. ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the gardening department, sir. There is a lobby, although it¡¯s not in use yet. At the moment the department is only used for farming food for the workers.¡± It made sense. The base had to be self-sufficient to keep its location from leaking out, which Keynes believed was a matter of time. Maybe not in the next few months but sooner or later, ascenders with powerful enough Talents would be able to pinpoint the exact location of Emerald City. It bothered Keynes more with every passing day but he didn¡¯t have a solution ready. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Keynes entered the gardening department, following the signs, he found bright rooms behind the glass. The whole section very much resembled the garden-laboratories under Wagner¡¯s house. Keynes watched them grow fruits and vegetables mostly with high protein content. Why not use the rift meat? Most Level 3 rift ascenders should handle Level 1 rift meat without purification ritual. The world was aware that rift meat was edible now. Could it be that there was another department that handled it? Keynes inquired about it the first person he met in this department and his worries were dispelled. The rift meat was on the menu although it was in the early phase of introduction. The rift meat wasn¡¯t without risks. Eating too much rift meat or having a weak spirit had a negative impact on ascenders¡¯ bodies. Keynes had seen it with wild game in the hunting ground. They mutated after eating rift meat. After satiating his curiosity, he left the gardening department and returned to ¡®the common room¡¯ and picked another exit. It led to the crafting department. That, kind of, contradicted what Wagner had told Keynes in Geneva. Did he even know that there was a crafting department here? He had to¡­ A little confused, Keynes went inside after showing his card to the guard. Inside, he found another unfinished lobby. He moved past it to a wide corridor with many doors. Some had green lights above them. Keynes opened the closest door. The room was quite spacious and bright. Various machines and tools lay on the racks on the opposite wall. Two rectangular tables stood in the middle. The right wall was full of advanced equipment resembling ovens. All in all, the room seemed quite well-stocked. ¡°...like this,¡± a voice said. ¡°You don¡¯t want to deviate from the blueprints. You¡¯d only waste good materials and we receive a scant amount of them. So pay attention.¡± Keynes remained by the door watching the two men wearing heavy aprons. The younger one tinkered with an amulet while the older one supervised him. Can you sense the item? Keynes asked. Sure. It is a Level 1 amulet with a single modifier: 1 point to all attributes. They are in the process of adding a second modifier. Something to do with speed but I do not understand the specifics. Oh. A non-attribute modifier. That was new. Hadr from the First Tribe hadn¡¯t been able to achieve it. If they can do it, Keynes thought about possibilities. They had his attention. He grunted. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The older man spun, his blue eyes pierced Keynes with suspicion. ¡°Who are you and what do you want?¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Keynes and I came to see how the crafting department fares.¡± The older man snorted but quickly his demeanour shifted and his suspicion deepened. What was wrong with that man? The younger one stayed behind him. ¡°Depends on wh0¡¯s asking?¡± So the crafter didn¡¯t know who Keynes was, which wasn¡¯t surprising. Most workers in the base didn¡¯t seem to recognise Keynes. Glad with his anonymity, Keynes approached the crafters. ¡°Someone who believes in crafting.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± the older one asked, he wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°You wish to become a crafter then?¡± ¡°No.¡± Keynes shook his head. ¡°Crafting isn¡¯t for me.¡± ¡°Then what is this belief about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m interested in the kind of items you can come up with.¡± ¡°Unless you can change Gunnar¡¯s mind about the resource allocation, your interest would hardly be satiated. We have all the tools and space but very little material or personnel. It¡¯s not pretty.¡± Gunnar? Who was Gunnar? Esopp didn¡¯t mention him. ¡°Who¡¯s this Gunnar?¡± Keynes heard a sharp inhale coming from the young crafter, while the older one shook his head. ¡°Andrew Gunnar. He''s one of the top executives in Emerald City and is responsible for resource allocation.¡± ¡°Why would they deny you rift materials if they have endless supply from the rifts?¡± The older crafter sighed then extended a hand. ¡°Haef Hasting, the head of the crafting department. And that¡¯s my apprentice, Wigam. He¡¯s a decent crafter when it comes to single modifier items. I¡¯m trying to teach him how to make a two-modifiers item. As for your question, well, this is something you¡¯d have to ask Mr Gunnar himself.¡± Oh I will. ¡°You¡¯re trying to add a non-attribute modifier,¡± Keynes said, watching with a smile a shock on the crafters¡¯ faces. A quick check told Keynes that Haef was Level 4 while Wigam only Level 1. Both men were in the weakest spiritual stage. They didn¡¯t have any skills or techniques. He couldn¡¯t see their Talents though. Keynes waited until Haef found words. ¡°How did you know? Have you seen the blueprint?¡± Keynes shook his head. ¡°What blueprint?¡± ¡° They found¡­¡± Haef trailed off, his attitude shifted again. ¡°Wait a minute. Who are you exactly? And I¡¯m not asking about the name. Are you a head of some other department or something? Because I¡¯m not at liberty to discuss such matters with anyone.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Keynes agreed, then placed his card on the table next to the amulet. The crafters¡¯ eyes widened to an alarming extent. ¡°The highest clearance.¡± ¡°What does it mean?¡± Wigam asked. Haef didn¡¯t answer right away, he needed to collect his thoughts. ¡°I know of only one person with that sort of clearance in Emerald City. Lord Esopp Earl but you aren¡¯t him.¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not Esopp and I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a Lord anymore.¡± Even though Keynes kept his attitude and words casual, the crafters were shocked into silence again. Yeah, anonymity was much better. He didn¡¯t want people to revere him or anything. ¡°Snap out of it, you two. And tell me what I can do for you.¡± *** With a long list of required materials, Haef and Keynes went to Andrew Gunnar¡¯s office. Keynes wondered if the other man knew about his presence in the base. Esopp seemed to keep it quiet from everyone. The office area was several floors above the pit but still at least fifty metres underground. This section had heavy security, several heavily armed guards of Level 3, but Keynes¡¯s card got them through without issues. Like everything else, the floor wasn¡¯t finished yet but the higher quality and attention to details was clear to a naked eye. Haef led Keynes to one of the few doors that were in use. ¡°Who are these offices for?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°No idea.¡± Haef shrugged. They pushed a large, unmarked mahogany door. On the other side was a waiting area with a secretary sitting behind a desk. She looked up and shook her head. ¡°Mr Gunnar is busy right now. You¡¯d have to wait.¡± Keynes considered going inside anyway but he decided not to. Even though he was one of the most important people in the company, he didn¡¯t need to behave like an arrogant prick. He took a seat while Haef went through the formalities with the secretary. Ten minutes later the secretary ushered them through another door. This one led to a spacious office with a fish tank, comfortable sofa and a few glyphs displayed like art on stands. Behind a wide desk loaded with paperwork sat a man dressed in a sharp suit. He looked to be in his early thirties but he was Level 6. A mix of human and rift essence there. He had short black hair and brown eyes that observed everything with formidable intelligence. ¡°Head of Crafting, Haef Hasting,¡± Andrew Gunnar said. He looked at Keynes but failed to recognise him. So, Esopp hadn¡¯t informed him either. Keynes didn¡¯t know where in the chain of command exactly was this man but at this point Keynes suspected that not a single person had been told about his arrival. ¡°One of your apprentices?¡± ¡°No.¡± Keynes shook his head. ¡°But I like crafting so I decided to tag along.¡± ¡°And your name is?¡± ¡°Keynes.¡± ¡°Like Keynes Kid.¡± ¡°The same,¡± Keynes said, keeping a surprise out of his face. He didn¡¯t expect the man to come to the right conclusion so quickly. And to Andrew Gunnar¡¯s credit, he seemed unfazed by Keynes¡¯s presence here. ¡°I¡¯m not going to waste your time inquiring as to why or how a person of your stature got here without me being informed. I¡¯ll take that matter with Esopp. Now, I guess you came here for a reason. Please, take a seat. I am all ears.¡± Haef placed the list of materials on his desk. Neither man sat down. ¡°Keynes here suggested to deliver the list of required materials,¡± Haef replied. Andrew Gunnar skimmed through the list then his eyes returned to Keynes and Haef. There were conflicting emotions in the man¡¯s eyes. Could he say ¡®no¡¯ to Keynes? Keynes didn¡¯t know. Eventually, he sighed, placing the list on the pile on his right. Keynes couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? You have rifts that endlessly resupply these materials.¡± Keynes decided to be straightforward with the other man. Andrew Gunnar offered them the chairs again. After they sat down, he said, ¡°Some of these materials are highly demanded elsewhere, others come in scant amounts. It is a shame that so many departments compete for the same scarce resources and while I am an arbiter here, I, too, have to follow the allocation matrix handed down from the higher ups.¡± Damned Wagner. It was his and his advisors doing. They didn¡¯t believe in crafting so it had very little priority. While Wagner promised Keynes to look into the matter, there was no telling when Wagner¡¯s decisions would be made and reach Emerald City. Keynes wanted the crafting department to be hard at work, experimenting not worrying about wasting materials. He had but one choice. ¡°Whatever the matrix tells you in regard to the crafting, ignore it. I want Haef to receive anything he requests.¡± Adrew Gunnar nodded. ¡°It will be done.¡± Yeah, I wonder who will complain first, Esopp or Wagner? Chapter 109: Intuitive Crafting Andrew Gunnar stared at the list of the materials required by the head of the crafting department but couldn¡¯t collect his thoughts. Why was he not warned about the arrival of Keynes Kid? Having another one of the Big Four in Emerald City had implications¡­ Like throwing the resource allocation matrix completely off balance. What was Andrew supposed to do now? He couldn¡¯t tell no to the direct request of Keynes Kid and yet, fulfilling the request would have dire consequences on their schedule. It would take them weeks to recover from this and time had the utmost importance. As if invoked by Andrew¡¯s silent prayer, Esopp Earl walked into Andrew¡¯s office. ¡°You were looking for me.¡± ¡°Indeed, boss.¡± Andrew nodded then pushed the sheet with the requested material into Esopp Earl¡¯s hands. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I was told by Keynes Kid to allocate these resources to the crafting department.¡± Esopp Earl frowned. ¡°So?¡± ¡°If I do this, we¡¯ll face delays here. Many of these materials are used by our builders. I was hoping you¡¯ll be able to clarify the matter. I cannot say no to Keynes Kid.¡± Esopp Earl smirked, handing the sheet back to Andrew. ¡°It¡¯s better to keep Keynes happy. Believe me.¡± Esopp Earl straightened. ¡°On that note, I¡¯ll be leaving in a week¡¯s time, so you¡¯re going to be in charge of the base until Wagner sends someone from Geneva.¡± Andrew felt in the very bones that something bad was going to happen. He didn¡¯t have time to take over Esopp Earl¡¯s duties. He sighed, resigned. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to win this. ¡°Can I at least ask for how long?¡± ¡°No idea, it isn¡¯t up to me. But don¡¯t fret, Andrew, soon, Wagner¡¯s beloved resource allocation matrix will be a thing of the past. You¡¯ll have anything you wish for. Our golden era is ahead of us.¡± *** ¡°How long have you been crafting items for?¡± Keynes asked as he and Haef sat down in the only operating longue in the base. They ordered food and something chilled to drink. ¡°Since I¡¯ve received my Talent.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve crafted items before the outbreaks?¡± That was unexpected. Unlike glyphs, Level 0 items didn¡¯t possess modifiers. ¡°Crafted is a big word, sir,¡± Haef said. ¡°Nothing as grand.¡± ¡°Call me Keynes, please.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Haef nodded then quickly returned to the crafting topic. ¡°So as I said, crafted is a big word. I never managed to create an item with a single modifier before the outbreaks, although these items were of a higher quality than their counterparts.¡± ¡°Higher quality?¡± ¡°Better durability mostly,¡± Haef explained. Alice, thoughts on this? She appeared on the table, scrunching her nose. Through the bond, Keynes sensed her intention which was to train her mimicry. Keynes was accustomed by now to her fluctuating moods and silly behaviour so he didn¡¯t mention it. Sounds like something to do with the spiritual energy of these items. Spiritual energy? Did Haef have a way to manipulate the item¡¯s spiritual matrix? Do you expect me to answer your question, master? No, not really. ¡°How do you craft your items?¡± ¡°I follow my intuition.¡± Haef shrugged. He is hiding something, Alice said. Keynes, too, noticed something unusual in the other man¡¯s aura but Keynes¡¯s ability to read spiritual auras of other people was poor at this stage. ¡°You have a crafting-related Talent,¡± Keynes realised at last. Haef looked around, except for them, a couple of people sitting at the other end of the spacious lounge and a waitress, they were alone and easily out of earshot. Unless some of these people were in the Medium stage and had their spiritual companions spying on them, no one would overhear their conversation. ¡°Yes,¡± Haef admitted. ¡°My Talent had been deemed borderline mediocre before the outbreaks. Then everything changed. A month ago, some people appeared out of nowhere and offered me a job. I don¡¯t know how they found me or how they knew about my Talent as I kept it private but here I am.¡± Immediately, Persephone came to Keynes¡¯s mind. Did she have her hand in this? If yes, it meant Haef was important to them. At least, as far as the crafting went. ¡°What can you do with rift materials?¡± Keynes inquired. ¡°Can you use rift rewards to create items as well?¡± That was the hurdle Hadr and the tribesmen couldn¡¯t overcome. Before Haef answered, food and drinks arrived. They thanked the waitress and focused on eating until they finished. Putting the fork and knife away, Haef spoke up. ¡°I haven¡¯t tried using a rift reward. They are too expensive to be used for experimental crafting. I heard though that most fellow crafters experienced numerous issues with them. If I ¡­ can I speak openly?¡± Keynes gave him go ahead. ¡°If I had a chance I¡¯d love to try to use a rift reward.¡± ¡°You know what?¡± Keynes stood up. ¡°Let''s hit some rifts.¡± *** This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Haef stared mesmerised as Keynes Kid killed a group of monsters without moving from a spot. Was this his Talent or did he have a skill that dealt damage over a distance? Either way, the showing was impressive, even though the aftermath wasn¡¯t pretty. Some of the monsters straight up turned to dust or were liquified. When they reached the reward chest, Keynes grimaced upon finding another Scroll of Identification. Their third. One item they found was of a common quality and returned a flat damage to enemies. ¡°Let¡¯s go check another rift.¡± It took them ten tries to finally find a piece of Level 1 iron. ¡°Will that suffice?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Haef moved his hand over the metal, imagining possible uses. So far his crafts were following blueprints given to him by the company. Even though he failed to make a non-blueprint item with non-attribute modifiers he felt he was close. His Talent, Intuitive Crafting, was never wrong. He was missing something, he just needed to find the right thread. They returned to his workshop where he immediately started collecting crafting tools for the project. He didn¡¯t know yet what he was going to use the iron for but it had to be perfect. Haef didn¡¯t expect to get another shot at impressing someone like Keynes Kid. His hands started to tremble with every passing minute, nerves were getting to him. Haef exhaled, he was Level 4 for god¡¯s sake! Keynes Kid stood next to Haef, his black hair cascaded to his shoulders. There was something about the young man that unsettled Haef. How did someone so young get so powerful? Haef was fifty and even though he¡¯d been levelled to Level 4 very recently, his appearance only made him look around forty. Keynes Kid¡¯s brown eyes were locked on the tools and materials scattered on the table. What was his real goal here? Was this a test? ¡°What item are you going to make?¡± ¡°An iron ring.¡± Heaf turned on the automatic furnace. It was an upgraded version, which took in consideration Level 1 raw materials. From there the process was straightforward and easy: melt the iron, pour it to an adequate form and after it cooled down, finish it off. Obviously, there were additional steps Haef could add, like making an alloy out of the iron or play with the internal structure of the ring and so forth but for now, he wanted to keep it as simple as possible. There were too many issues to consider with more complex projects. Even the blueprints he¡¯d been following were difficult and caused unforeseen problems. As they waited for the iron to melt, Keynes Kid walked around the workshop, looking at the raw materials currently in the room, something was on his mind but Haef wasn¡¯t going to inquire. ¡°Where do you keep monster parts?¡± ¡°Monster parts? Why?¡± The question was strange. Why would Haef bother himself with monster parts when there were valuable metals and wood? He was aware that some crafters incorporated monster parts in their crafts but they were silent about the results so Haef suspected that they¡¯d failed. ¡°During my time in the World Reserve, we discovered that certain monster parts corresponded with attributes in the final item.¡± Haef¡¯s legs turned into jelly and an exhilarating rush hit his head. Monster parts had such an effect on the items? Impossible¡­ Why Haef¡¯s fellow crafters didn¡¯t mention it to him? Because they are no longer my fellows. They are my competitors, he realised. All because of this new item exchange company called Artefact Exchange. He slapped his forehead. ¡°Everything¡¯s alright?¡± He turned to Keynes Kid, for a split second he forgot that the boy was here. His revelation shook Haef¡¯s foundations. Being able to craft deterministically was Haef¡¯s dream. So far, every craft that wasn¡¯t based on a blueprint was fishing in the dark. Sometimes, even applying the same methods would yield different outcomes without obvious reason. Possibilities exploded in Haef¡¯s head. Even though he aimed to finally learn how to make an item with a non-attribute modifier, targeting specific attributes could make him fortune. Or can it? Do I still earn anything if they sell my items? He didn¡¯t know. Like with every contract, Haef hadn¡¯t thoroughly read it. And whose issue is that, huh? ¡°Yes,¡± Haef replied when he realised that the silence had gone for too long. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just imagined what I could craft with monster parts.¡± An overpowering urge seized Haef to run back to his room and check his employment contract but he forced himself to stay. He was in the middle of something with one of the most important people in the company. He couldn¡¯t blow this up. Still, he wondered how rich his crafts could make him. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t know about the monster parts and attributes?¡± Haef considered a lie but decided against it. Not only would he be foolish to compromise his current employment prospects in one of the most powerful companies in the world, but he didn¡¯t want to lie to someone who had shown him gratitude. Even if Keynes Kid had a hidden agenda, his help in getting the required materials was priceless. On his own, Haef would not be able to access rifts at will. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t know about it.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Keynes Kid walked around the table so when he stopped he faced Haef. ¡°I went through a similar experience when I was learning about gardening. To think that plants with powerful properties and modifiers had existed long before the outbreak was a startling discovery. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the possible applications. It took me a long time to cool down. So, yeah, I understand.¡± Plants with properties and modifiers¡­ ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking but unfortunately there¡¯s a reason why Wagner makes potions out of plants instead of selling plants themselves. There¡¯s always a catch. When it comes to the plants, the catch is the state of a plant, be it a fruit or vegetable. The moment you pick it from a tree or a bush, the degeneration of the properties quickly progresses until the plant is not much different from an ordinary one. Sometimes, the properties can change into something dangerous. So, there is no application in crafting, I guess.¡± It was only natural that a big fish like Keynes Kid would know so much about gardening and crafting. He went to the freaking World Reserve after all. But what was interesting was that Keynes Kid didn¡¯t look disappointed by this. Perhaps--the furnace bipped, disrupting Haef¡¯s musings. He had work to do! He took the liquid iron from the furnace and poured it into a tiny form. He was about to put it into the water to cool it down, but his Talent tugged at him to not do this. ¡°We have to wait.¡± Keynes Kid nodded, not questioning Haef¡¯s methods. As the metal stopped glowing, Haef¡¯s Talent activated again but it wasn¡¯t easy to interpret it even with decades of experience. It wanted him to heat it up again. Haef followed the intuition flowing from his Talent. After the iron ring started to glow again, Haef rapidly cooled it down. As Haef was to heat it up for the tenth time, he felt a novel sensation, something he hadn¡¯t felt before. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not that.¡± Desperate, Haef watched the ring acquire a yellow colour, Haef¡¯s intuition ended, leaving him with nothing. His shoulders slumped. He was so close, again! If he only knew what his Talent wanted from him, he¡¯d be able to finish off the craft the way it should have been done. A few hours later, Haef and Keynes Kid stood and stared at the finished craft.
Iron Ring of Strength and Weakness (Crafted) - +6 Strength Attribute - -10% Attack Damage - [Ring] Level 1
Haef¡¯s excitement interwoven with disappointment. He did it but the effect wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d anticipated. The non-attribute modifier on the item was detrimental. But why? Was this effect of not following the Talent¡¯s intuitive whispers? There was no other explanation. ¡°Interesting,¡± Keynes Kid said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I ¡­ I feel like I¡¯m close but¡­¡± Keynes Kid raised his hand, silencing Haef. ¡°I know virtually nothing about crafting. It¡¯s an alien subject to me, even though I am fascinated by its possibilities. However, I don¡¯t need to be an expert to recognise a talented craftsman. I¡¯ll help you figure this out but I¡¯ll need you to craft me something in the meantime, okay?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident. So?¡± ¡°Of course. As long as it¡¯ll be something I can actually craft.¡± ¡°It will be. After that, I¡¯ll help you reach new grounds.¡± Chapter 110: Solution Three rocks fell to the ground. You are distracted. Keynes sighed, staring at the scenery before his eyes. A flat expanse of an otherwise mountainous Level 1 rift. And you are ignoring me yet again, Alice added after a few seconds. She was right. Keynes was exhausted after training for 6 hours straight though it wasn¡¯t the source of his distraction, Haef was. Since Alice had sensed the crafter¡¯s conflicting emotions, Keynes had his doubts about the man. There was no way to know what Haef¡¯s exact thoughts were without a specific Talent or skill but it was enough to raise a red flag. Did he make a mistake revealing information about the monster parts? If yes, then something was fundamentally wrong with his company. Weren¡¯t they paid enough? Or was there something else that Keynes didn¡¯t see? Either way, things couldn¡¯t stay this way. Otherwise, what was the point of having a crafting department? This actually stopped Keynes from divulging the secrets of cultivation to Haef. He needed to find a solution. You have to help me figure this out, Keynes said. And I¡¯m not ignoring you, alright? Keeping three rocks up in the air at the same time just isn¡¯t easy. We will find a solution. Now, focus on [Telekinesis]. If you wish to rely on this skill in combat, it must be battle ready then. I don¡¯t understand why wouldn¡¯t it be easier to use scrolls of teaching related to [Telekinesis]? You said yourself that it is possible. Alice sighed, resigned and quite annoyed. They were arguing about this for a while now. Scrolls of Teaching cannot replace training. Full stop. Deal with it. She¡¯d already explained this to him. While scrolls bestowed knowledge upon ascenders, knowledge itself couldn¡¯t make the skills to work better but it made ascenders understand how to make it better. And then there was a secondary role of techniques; consolidation. It created a knowledge floor that ascenders could always fall back to. In the end, it was up to Keynes to make [Telekinesis] powerful and he was okay with it. Maxing out his attributes twice had taught him the beauty of grind. Although improving [Telekinesis] wasn¡¯t going to be as simple an affair as maxing out attributes. It involved a lot of methodology and planning. For the last six hours, Keynes had gone from a pebble to a hundred kilogram rock, and then from one small rock to three. It also was the point where he noticed an issue with handling multiple objects. His brain reached its limit even with 33 points into the Mind attribute. Deep down, Keynes felt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to successfully split his attention to support manipulation of 4 objects. It was what kicked off the discussion about learning through techniques. Keynes improved handling of [Flight] through Technique of Flight and Technique of Lesser Knowledge of Wind Currents. Both techniques added a lot of understanding to how [Flight] functioned, making it easier to squeeze extra juice out of the skill. And that seemed to be the issue here, techniques didn¡¯t add new powers, only allowed to peer deeper into the existing ones. Or at least it was how Keynes understood it. Even with Alice¡¯s help, his understanding was severely limited. He¡¯d peered into the System, searching for clues there but he found no answers there, which he¡¯d expected. The System like the spiritual companions were there to support ascenders, but the struggle was ascenders¡¯ to bear. I have an idea, Keynes said to Alice and took Shortsword of Speed out of his dimensional pouch. Out of the two shortswords in his possession, this one had a lower rarity and hence a lower amount of spiritual energy. He used [Telekinesis] on the item and failed to lift it into the air. Keynes was so baffled by his inability that he fell on his back, rough pebbles bit into his skin like sharp teeth. Why did he fail? Was his willpower too weak? Perhaps. Currently, his Will was at 31, if he used the Forceful Will wand, it¡¯d add an extra 7 points to his Will. Before he did so, Alice stopped him. Master, you are thinking about this the wrong way, literally, the opposite way. Can you delibe-- It hit him like a freaking train. Out of nowhere came a sudden realisation. One of the rules of training attributes was to keep them as low as possible during the training. Each increase in attributes scaled up and required far more effort than the lower value. It was only natural that training skills was a similar process. In this case, Keynes took off every item with an attribute modifier he had, returning his attributes to bare minimum Level 3 second degree Perfect State gave 29 points each. The effect was noticeable and very unpleasant. If that happened during a fight with a tough opponent, such distraction could prove fatal, Keynes realised. There was nothing he could do but keep it in mind though. With lowered attributes, Keynes returned to his training of [Telekinesis] starting from the beginning. *** When walked back into the crafting department, he was spiritually and mentally exhausted. He¡¯d pushed himself to absolute limits. He¡¯d fallen unconscious twice but he knew it was the right way. With his items back on him, Keynes felt his body¡¯s recovery rate slightly increased. Too much strain and his body would fall apart. Everyone had their limits. Obviously, Keynes doubted his training methods were the most efficient but he worked with what he had. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Speaking of that, Keynes turned to Haef who was polishing a white ring. Keynes had thought hard about the crafter and others who might come after him. The solution was simple and it¡¯d been there all this time. Ritual of Secrecy. It was a well known ritual to the Old Blood families. Required materials weren¡¯t hard to acquire and their Level only affected the strength of the ritual. Level 1 materials weren¡¯t ideal but sufficient for now. It also meant that at some point, Keynes would be able to break Shaper¡¯s ritual too, which Keynes would gladly do. In exchange, Keynes would explain to Haef the secrets of essence cultivation and the role of Spirit in crafting. As Shaper had said to him, spiritual aura was an ascender¡¯s tool of interacting with the outside world. Being able to see a spiritual matrix during a crafting process was going to be a game-changer. Something Keynes couldn¡¯t give away recklessly. His enemies were out there and empowering them wasn¡¯t a smart thing to do. ¡°Sir!¡± Haef jumped upon discovering Keynes in the room with him. His assistant Wigam wasn¡¯t here. Perfect. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you coming in.¡± ¡°I came to you with¡­¡± Keynes glanced at the ring pinched between two rubber pincers. ¡°With an offer, Heaf.¡± ¡°The new grounds and all that?¡± Keynes nodded, swallowing an urge to comment on ¡®all that¡¯ part. He didn¡¯t, he needed the crafter. ¡°I can¡¯t help but wonder¡­¡± Keynes touched the ring, silencing the other man.
Ring (Crafted) +1 to all attributes - [Ring] Level 1
The modifier wasn¡¯t the one Keynes asked for but he let it slide. For now. ¡°Before we move on, there¡¯s something you must agree to.¡± Haef frowned, clearly hesitating. Keynes could feel it in the man¡¯s aura, so it had to be a strong emotion right now. ¡°Sir, my employment--¡± ¡°I value knowledge, Haef, and things I know shouldn¡¯t get in the wrong hands. Your employment contract means nothing to me. It doesn¡¯t protect me in the slightest.¡± Keynes turned to the man. ¡°Tell me the truth, Haef, what did you think about when I told you about the monster parts? Why did you hesitate?¡± Alice sensed the spike in conflicting emotions right after Haef had learned about the monster parts. Haef placed his hands on the crafting table, looking seemingly into the distance. Was he collecting his thoughts or coming up with a believable excuse? No way to tell. Keynes waited until the other man took a deep breath and faced him. ¡°I checked my employment contract last night and I found that your company would only pay me five percent of the market value for items I craft if they sell them outside the company, otherwise I get nothing for my crafts. And on top of that, what¡¯s the market value is highly arbitrary in this context. With other crafters making fortunes on Artefact Exchange right now, I couldn¡¯t help but feel cheated.¡± Keynes had read about Artefact Exchange on the Web. It was the largest marketplace for rift items and materials. The access to it was quite limited though so Keynes didn¡¯t know how Haef knew so much but that wasn¡¯t an actual issue here. As quickly as he could, Keynes recalled everything Wagner and others told him about their company and their values. Sadly, there wasn¡¯t much to fall back on. This part wasn¡¯t what Keynes was interested in and so he naturally skipped it. Now it came to bite him in the bottom. What should I do here? Agree with Haef or double down on the company¡¯s policy? Alice was silent on the matter as it wasn¡¯t something she could help him with. Keynes needed to reply and he needed it to be strong¡­ Oh, I see. ¡°Information about the monster parts aside. What would you be able to craft if we didn¡¯t give you the access to our rifts and resources? Can you go out there and hunt rift monsters in the wild or buy your own crafting materials?¡± This seemed to get through but still, to some degree, the other man resisted to cede the point. ¡°But without me, you cannot craft the actual items. You need a crafter as much as a crafter needs materials.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t argue with that,¡± Keynes agreed. ¡°Though I can still trade materials for the finished item with others on the marketplace. Especially now, when crafted items mostly offer attribute modifiers. But all of this is shortsighted. Would you rather have a few percent now or a true fortune later that will come from staying ahead of the curve?¡± It was a bold question but it was the only one Keynes could come up on short notice. He wasn¡¯t trained to deal with situations like this. Haef mulled it over. Alice confirmed that the crafter was very conflicted. It must have dawned on Haef that without the company his access to materials would dry up unless another organisation would pick him up and offer better conditions. Honestly, Keynes didn¡¯t know if 5% was generous or not. Did his company screw Haef over or were they generous? He¡¯d need to talk to Wagner about this. That little snake would know for sure. ¡°I need your answer,¡± Keynes said, when he had enough of waiting. ¡°Are you ready to make history or would you rather fight over scraps?¡± Haef squinted at Keynes, for all his hesitation, Haef¡¯s eyes radiated with intelligence. Keynes had to be careful. His decisions were the company¡¯s decision and he didn¡¯t want to undermine the company. ¡°I will stay,¡± Haef replied. ¡°But I wish to be allowed to sell at least one item every month. I will pay off the cost of materials but the profit will be mine.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± Keynes said, relieved. It was nothing to him and it¡¯d keep Haef happy until a better solution was found. ¡°Now, the offer. I know how to improve your crafting. By a large margin but this information is not available freely. And I don¡¯t mean the items I requested. I mean that in order to learn it, you¡¯d have to go through the ritual of secrecy so no one else will learn this secret.¡± ¡°Is that necessary? We could write another contract¡­¡± Keynes met Haef¡¯s eyes with a cold stare. ¡°It is an absolute requirement, Haef. Without a ritual of secrecy, the deal is off the table. It¡¯s a non-negotiable condition.¡± And without the deal this seems like the extent of your abilities even with your Talent. This time the crafter was much quicker with the response. ¡°Fine. If it¡¯s going to make me better than others, I¡¯d be a fool to not accept it.¡± ¡°Good. We¡¯ll start as soon as I have the materials delivered.¡± Chapter 111: Ritual of Secrecy Haef¡¯s hands shook as he finished a Level 2 ring. It was his ninth attempt to create a ring with ¡®+ X to all attributes¡¯. Out of nine rings, four failed to possess the modifier while the other four had only 2 points, which suspiciously corresponded to with the Level of the raw materials. This time Haef managed to cross the limitation and land ¡®+3 to all attributes¡¯. Too bad that Keynes Kid wanted at least two Level 2 rings with ¡®+4 to all attributes¡¯. But he¡¯d already warned the boy that such a craft might be too hard for him though they were possible. Earlier, Haef had accessed Artefact Exchange to check the prices and was blown away. Rings Keynes Kid asked for cost many millions of dollars. Even the price of the current one neared two million of dollars for Level 2. A Level 3 ring with the same modifier was twice as cheap, though it wasn¡¯t explained why. An itch to sell the rings was ever-present and only got worse after Haef calculated the total value of his crafts--including the failures--over three million dollars. Even including the cost of raw materials, he¡¯d have still massively profited from this. And what he earned through his employment? Monthly, ten times less than he made in four days! Yes, Keynes Kid promised him a bright future and while Haef had accepted the mysterious deal, he didn¡¯t exactly believe in it. But the thing was, though he could browse Artefact Exchange, he couldn¡¯t interact with it in any other way, so his desires were a moot point in the end. Eventually, Wigam returned to the workshop and Haef realised that he hadn¡¯t slept in days. Without leaving the underground part of the compound and using remaining rings to boost his attributes, it was easy to forget about sleeping. Not to mention the excitement stemming from the most recent success. ¡°Boss, you should get some sleep.¡± ¡°I am on the clock here,¡± Haef replied and he realised that he actually should report this ring to Keynes Kid. ¡°Besides, I have to see someone before I earn a rest.¡± *** He is still conflicted, Alice reported to Keynes. But he did not hide anything from you, master. That¡¯s okay, Keynes replied, reminiscing his own internal struggle. I actually understand him. In a way, he¡¯s like me. He is nothing like you, master! Alice said with indignation, her wispy form solidified for a brief second as emotions shot through their bond. You are honest with people you work with, while he is scheming something behind your back. He isn¡¯t scheming. He¡¯s just pissed that he gets peanuts for his work. But without you, master, he would not be able to gain access to required resources. Indeed. This kept Keynes from offering Haef a better deal, at least for now. If the crafter proved loyal, which Keynes hoped for, his future would be brighter than Haef could imagine. But it was the topic for later. Now was the time to meet with the crafter and Esopp and go through the ritual. Keynes met Haef halfway. The crafter showed Keynes the ring Alice had spoken about. It gave 3 points to each attribute at Level 2. It wasn¡¯t what Keynes had asked for but Haef had warned him that such a craft wasn¡¯t going to be easy to achieve. Keynes put the ring on his finger, all of his attributes were higher than itemless Level 7 human essence ascender. To think that Keynes was now stronger than the strongest people in the pre-outbreak world with the exception of Windsor Freeman and Shaper, was an odd feeling. And yet, this power wasn¡¯t enough to make him safe. Not even close. Another such ring and you will reach the limit of your Spirit¡¯s capacity, Alice said. Already? Yes, the weight of [Chaos Aura] drags everything down. Keynes was disappointed by that. He¡¯d hoped he would be able to wear additional three or four Level 2 rings. That would make him stronger even than Windsor Freeman. ¡°Thanks for that,¡± Keynes said, then glanced at the remaining rings on Haef''s fingers but didn¡¯t mention them. ¡°Excellent job.¡± From there they went to Esopp¡¯s office. While the ritual of secrecy wasn¡¯t very complex, it had two ¡®modes¡¯: backward and forward. Backward mode was hard to use and sealed knowledge already in existence. It required a clear and strong understanding of what was going to be sealed away, then a link had to be created between the two parties. Forward mode was much easier to use and didn¡¯t need the link. When Shaper had used the ritual of secrecy, he must have employed both modes but Keynes hadn¡¯t been aware of this back then. Esopp explained to Keynes the process. For their purpose, they needed a diagram, raw materials and the activation chant. It was possible to conduct the ritual without the diagram but Esopp didn¡¯t know how to do that. The ritual itself took less than ten minutes. Time was limited by the available materials. The longer ritual lasted, the more materials were consumed. Esopp¡¯s presence unsettled Haef but there was subsequent reason for Esopp to witness the ritual. While not taking part in it, Esopp still listened to Keynes¡¯s revelation about the Spirit and cultivation. Esopp didn¡¯t care about the crafting part, but the man was in the lowest spiritual stage and badly needed to improve. Unlike Wagner or Columbus, Esopp understood the urgency. Especially in the wake of the Solar Council meeting. Wagner had warned Keynes and Esopp about the council and their disgruntlement with conditions forced on them by Keynes. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Wagner didn¡¯t know how much time they had but they certainly were on a timer. Once the ritual of secrecy ended, Esopp ordered for Haef to be given essence allocation in the rifts. Haef was told to reach the Medium stage and start crafting from there. Keynes also warned him about a spiritual companion and their guidance. The spiritual companions Haef and others would now get wouldn¡¯t possess personalities like Alice. ¡°I guess I¡¯d have to start my own training as well very soon,¡± Esopp said after he and Keynes remained alone. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before the rest of the world catches up. Especially with Vivena and tribesmen understanding it quite well.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been pushing the monthly ranking quite strongly,¡± Esopp said. Keynes barely paid any attention to the Dominion of Monster after he¡¯d left the World Reserve and though the personal rifts sounded appealing, the grind collided with his current plans. To get to the top 3 for the weekly ranking or the top 5 for the month one would require from Keynes too much time. ¡°I¡¯m surprised she isn¡¯t top 1 with her determination.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I know Sandman. He was the best assassin working for the World Government. His Talent was top secret; kept even from me. It is good that he is focused on grinding the ranking instead of working for the council. We don¡¯t want the attention of someone like Sandman.¡± ¡°We eventually will. With widespread access to essence it is only a matter of time before someone determined will rise in power and decide to challenge us. Look at Haef. He was nobody before the outbreak and now? Suddenly, there is a bright future ahead of him.¡± Esopp flexed his muscles. ¡°What do you say we hit the rift you brought here?¡± ¡°No items,¡± Keynes added. Esopp¡¯s eyes widened a little but he nodded. ¡°No items.¡± *** The Level 3 epic rift with mayhem type was the best rift their company possessed. After killing the rift¡¯s boss for the first time, the System showed a brief description of what mayhem type meant. It is a type of rift containing special monsters, traps and a deadly environment. This type may spawn several rift bosses and sub-bosses. The rift possesses valuable raw materials, possible multiple reward chests (hidden around the rift), and a special drop from special monsters. 50% chance to change the rift¡¯s biome upon opening a new instance. A small chance to spawn a mayhem-exclusive biome. This was everything the System had to say about the mayhem type. It was better than nothing though. Keynes and Esopp took a lift and descended to the lowest level of the compound where Level 3 rifts were contained. This particular rift was heavily restricted and was only cleared by a large group of Level 4s and higher. The restriction had been placed because the first delve almost ended in a tragedy. Four ascenders encountered a Deadly Encounter and were severely wounded and forced to escape the rift. Even outside of the Deadly Encounter, special monsters and the deadly environment made the rift very inhospitable for most ascenders. Even Keynes had almost perished inside this rift. They stood in a spacious well-lit room with the rift in the middle, but their attention was on the large panel containing information about the rift, or the information it should have contained. The information about the rift was scarce. It was understandable; they had the rift only for a few days and not enough strong people who could safely delve it. A guard approached them. ¡°Sir, are you going inside?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Esopp replied. ¡°After it¡¯s cleared, I want a team to enter it and tear it apart. We barely have any information about the rift, I see.¡± With that, the guard walked away, while Keynes and Esopp prepared themselves. ¡°No items,¡± both men confirmed. That is going to be fun to watch, Alice muttered. Returning to the base of mere 29 points wasn¡¯t fun but it was for the best. Inside the rift they found an ordinary-looking forest in a full bloom. Alice immediately flew away to scout the surroundings. Keynes noticed Esopp¡¯s hands being covered by a thin sheet of frost. ¡°A Talent?¡± ¡°Yes. Everything I touch will freeze. Including the air around my hands.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt you?¡± Esopp shook his head. They slowly traversed the forest, finding it very odd to look so normal. Even stranger was the lack of the monsters¡­ Oh, shit, Keynes realised a split second before the roots exploded out of the ground. Both of them reacted in time and avoided the strike. ¡°The trees are monsters,¡± Keynes said. ¡°If I only had Freeman¡¯s fire skillset,¡± Esopp muttered while dodging the root attacks. There were many of them but the man¡¯s attributes were sufficiently high to keep him a step ahead of the monster¡¯s attacks. Keynes took a different approach and blanketed the area around himself with his spiritual aura. These monsters were of epic rarity and so Keynes had to push much more spiritual energy to keep them away. Luckily, the strain of his Spirit wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought. ¡°How?¡± Esopp asked, seeing Keynes standing on the ground unbothered. ¡°Spiritual aura,¡± Keynes replied then focused on the trees around. He might have a way to repel their attacks but he needed to fight back otherwise the whole idea would be pointless. Affecting the trees with [Telekinesis] was out of question. Keynes didn¡¯t have enough mastery over his skill to pull that off. Unfortunately, the rest of Keynes¡¯s skills weren¡¯t of much help either, with the sole exception of [Chaos Aura] which he didn¡¯t want to use. He noticed Esopp catch two roots in a strong grip. The frost spread over the surface of the roots though Esopp¡¯s Talent required a few seconds to actually freeze the roots. During that time, he had to dance, avoiding other attacks. While his method worked it was slow¡­ Then Esopp surprised him when he said, ¡°Shatter.¡± Every root frozen by his Talent shattered, spraying blocks of ice on the ground. Keynes gaped at the other man. He didn¡¯t see that one coming. Impressive! Alice appeared next to Esopp¡¯s head. Tell him to do this again. But there was no time for that. Trees around them shook. An evil mutter and wail rolled through the forest. Alice instantly picked the source of that and told it to Keynes. ¡°Deadly Encounter,¡± he relayed the message to Esopp. They were going to have a tough fight ahead of them. ¡°You sure?¡± Esopp asked. Keynes nodded, then decided to get rid of the monster-trees surrounding them. No matter what kind of creature was coming it was going to be a difficult fight without their items. He used both auras like a blade that cut through each tree, killing it. The rush of essence told him that he was on the right track. Trees were monsters. ¡°Remember to cultivate the essence!¡± Keynes reminded Esopp. ¡°You have to reach the Medium stage in the next few days. Level 4 rifts won¡¯t be as easy as this one.¡± Chapter 112: Deadly Encounter Inside this rift one monster stood apart from others. Not only in terms of strength and speed but also self-awareness too. As it moved with graceful silence between the lesser monsters that were in forms of trees, it considered its prey. Hunger suffused the monster thinking of what lay ahead. It was going to bring death to another hated creature. Upon reaching a clearing, the Deadly Encounter whiffed a strangely familiar magic. One that almost felt welcome. Perhaps, its curiosity would grow further if not for the sight of its prey. A lone two-legged creature stood in the middle of the clearing. The clearing was full of dead bodies of the lesser monsters. But it mattered not, they were known as lesser monsters for a reason. The Deadly Encounter¡¯s skills activated. [Hunter¡¯s Stealth], [Hunter¡¯s Vitality] and [Hunter¡¯s Speed] came instantly alive then followed with [Enhanced Limb Coordination], [Venomous Fangs] and [Presence of a Hunter]. Its passive skills had already increased its power. It surged toward its prey with a hidden glee. *** From above, Keynes watched the creature shoot in Esopp¡¯s direction. It looked like a car-size spider with four very thin legs. Even though it was only Level 3, it had several nasty passive and active skills and inherent bonus due to its special status. Are we going to intercept this thing? Alice asked, scrunching her tiny nose. Its nature is so twisted I cannot stand its presence! It must be killed. Esopp wants to kill it by himself and I¡¯m curious about the extent of his abilities. Hopefully, this thing would push him hard enough. What if he is overwhelmed? Will you step in, master? Alice asked with a hardly concealed hope. Keynes smiled. You¡¯ve seen his profile. You tell me, will he need my help? They glanced at Esopp¡¯s profile after he¡¯d used [Shatter]. Just in case. Alice didn¡¯t answer straight away but their bond told Keynes about the conflicting emotions the spiritual companion had. He will be fine but that is a poor excuse to leave it alive! The creature reached Esopp and he welcomed it with [Ice Shot] right in the face. The monster didn¡¯t seem to even notice the attack though Keynes felt a weak impulse of spiritual energy come out of the monster. A skill? He asked Alice. I am not sure; while its [Presence of a Hunter] aura is active, it masks its skills and buffs. Even when I¡¯m in the Superior stage? Keynes was surprised by the fact that a Level 3 skill could block Alice¡¯s spiritual sense. Master, I told you already. You must train your Spirit to gain better control. Sometimes strength is not the way to beat a stronger opponent. Huh. Keynes felt like her words were worth keeping close to his heart. He couldn¡¯t explain it, but there was something in them that felt ¡­ right. A split second later, the monster stabbed one of its thin limbs at Esopp. The Level 7 dodged but the monster wasn¡¯t done. It reacted instantly, reorienting its body toward Esopp. Its limb shot again. Keynes didn¡¯t know if Esopp had planned it or improvised but the other man grabbed the leg in an iron grip. There was a serious flaw in the design of the monster¡¯s body. It could only use one limb to attack. If that one limb was out of commission it seemed to be immobilised¡­ The monster¡¯s limb fell off its body and before a new one replaced it, the monster was already on the move toward surprised Esopp, two sickly green fangs ready to bury in Esopp¡¯s chest. Master! Alice squeaked but Esopp threw himself to the side, two more [Ice Shot]s came out of his hands. Two more impulses of spiritual energy reached Keynes. They were weaker than the first one and Keynes could see that some damage was finally inflicted. But the fight was far from over. Unless¡­ Esopp used up all his mana on [Ice Shot]s in a short order. [Ice Shot] didn¡¯t have a cooldown but it was likely offset by a higher mana cost. Esopp had a different plan. Several times, he baited the monster to lunge at him, which he always dodged at the last moment. The monster didn¡¯t seem to learn from its mistake and it eventually fell into Esopp¡¯s trap. Esopp rolled over beneath the monster, then grabbed its rear and stuck to it while the monster turned left and right. Its weak spots were glaringly obvious at last and Esopp exploited them without mercy. As the man stayed stuck to the oval rear, his Talent slowly started to affect the body of the monster. It kept yanking to the left and to the right but its physiology didn¡¯t allow it to roll over, which would take care of the intruder. Having only four legs didn¡¯t help either as it couldn¡¯t spare them to fend Esopp off its rear. After five long minutes, frost started to spread over the monster¡¯s body. It was a painfully slow spread because of the monster¡¯s many skills. Eventually, the monster stopped moving but essence didn¡¯t leave its body, meaning it wasn¡¯t dead yet, somehow. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Did it have a way to get out of this predicament? Keynes hoped it didn¡¯t because this was only a Level 3 Deadly Encounter. What kind of nefarious creation could be born from a Level 10 rift? Do not even consider it, master! These things are abominations. He didn¡¯t understand her hatred toward Deadly Encounters but he was surely going to ask questions later. Keynes landed twenty metres from Esopp and the monster. He waited while Esopp glared at the monster. What was he doing? When seconds started trickling into a minute and Keynes was about to ask the other man, Esopp said. ¡°Shatter.¡± Surprisingly, the creature didn¡¯t explode like the tree monsters, though its body cracked all over. Thick essence reached Keynes, informing him of the monster¡¯s demise. Keynes looked over to where Esopp stood. He didn¡¯t look tired in the slightest. After all, one of his skills was [Endurance]. Keynes was surprised to find such a skill in Esopp¡¯s profile but the current skill market wasn¡¯t expanded enough to affordably offer all kinds of skills. ¡°That was a tough opponent,¡± Keynes said, breaking the silence but Esopp didn¡¯t hear him, paying attention to something else. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s interesting.¡± Keynes crushed an urge to say a snarky remark and stayed silent until Esopp shared the System message. Congratulations! You have successfully completed a Deadly Encounter! You have now an option to create a Hated Foe. Would you like to create a Hated Foe? Yes/No Check the System for more information. Both men checked the System and found a new section about Deadly Encounters and Hated Foes. Once a Hated Foe was created, it¡¯d randomly spawn for the ascender who had created it (inside the rift only). Each time a Hate Foe was killed it grew in strength regardless of rift¡¯s modifiers and Level. Loot dropped by a Hated Foe was upgraded each time a Hated Foe was slain. A Hated Foe loot included an exclusive drop not available anywhere else. Keynes was going to say that it wasn¡¯t worth the risk when Esopp showed him the drop from the Deadly Encounter.
Tears of Gyra (Rare) ¡°Sometimes even martyrs dream of second chances.¡± - Instantly heals all injuries. - Does not revive dead. Does not work on ascenders above Level 10. Cannot be consumed more than once every 10 years. [Consumable] Level 3
The drop was insane and according to the System, the next drop would be even better than this. Esopp seemed to have a similar opinion because he was going to go for it but then Alice warned Keynes that Hated Foe was a trap, in a metaphorical sense. A vision of ever-better reward would cloud a mind and make it forget about the monster that stood in between. Keynes saw merit in her wisdom but the longer he thought about these rewards, the stronger pull grew so he wasn¡¯t surprised to find Esopp pick ¡®yes¡¯. Still, Keynes asked, ¡°You sure about that?¡± ¡°Crystal clear,¡± Esopp replied, smiling with confidence. It was hard to not share the same attitude considering the ease Esopp had defeated the Deadly Encounter. Now, the question was: how strong would be the Hated Foe? Nonetheless, neither man returned to the topic. What would you do, master? If I had an option to create a Hated Foe? I think it depends on the Deadly Encounter. If it was easy, I¡¯d likely go ahead with the Hated Foe thing. Silly, Alice murmured. The rest of the rift was turned into a slow grind. The whole rift was one gigantic forest with every monster being a tree. There were several types of trees with two treant sub-bosses that put up some fight but eventually died to [Chaos Aura]. The rift boss was on an island surrounded by a swamp that smelled like a trap. It appeared in the form of a larger-than-others tree. Its canopy shuddered evilly when Keynes and Esopp arrived beneath it, which was their folly. Hundreds of small, sharp leaves dropped on them. They managed to get out of the area of damage but Keynes had to use his spiritual aura to slow down the leaves. It worked only to a certain degree as his aura wasn¡¯t very strong against physical objects. Both men decided to finish the boss quickly as they were weary from the glacial pace of the clear. While it was an easy but very slow grind for them, Keynes realised that most skill-less ascenders with insufficient attributes would have a hard time clearing the rift in a safe manner. After Keynes activated [Spiritual Ghost] and killed the boss with [Chaos Aura], they sighed with relief and got the reward chest, which produced two rewards: An epic rarity trident and a lesser orb. Then Keynes¡¯s spiritual senses noticed a hidden door and the rewards stopped mattering. ¡°We¡¯re for a treat,¡± Keynes said with new enthusiasm. ¡°Watch this.¡± Once his aura touched the gate, it became visible. It was intricate and represented some otherworldly scene of battle between monsters neither men had ever seen. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Esopp turned to Keynes. ¡°Who built it here?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Keynes shrugged. No one knew a thing about it. Even the System had no information about the origin of hidden rewards. They just existed. ¡°Now¡¯s the hard part,¡± Keynes added as he placed his hand on the ornate door. They were made out of some metal that resembled well-polished dark stone but that was the extent of Keynes¡¯s knowledge. Touching wasn¡¯t required, and perhaps not advised. What if the door had some sort of defensive mechanism? Nothing happened though and inwardly Keynes sighed with relief. Growing out of being an idiot didn¡¯t happen overnight. He unfurled his spiritual aura and touched the large door. The experience was very different from the last time he had encountered this type of hidden door. His presence was resisted but the resistance was negligible. Keynes pushed forward until his senses found what he was looking for -- a lock. For the first in his life, Keynes had such a clear understanding of his Talent. The lock was like a labyrinth and to unlock it, Keynes¡¯s Talent had to find a way to the other end. On some deeper level, his Talent knew which way to take to open the lock. It still cost Keynes pretty much all his mana, stamina and spiritual energy. He didn¡¯t collapse like the last time though, which was a sign to his growth. The double door slid apart revealing a wide corridor, lit by bright, electrical light. ¡°Should we go inside?¡± Esopp asked and Keynes nodded. ¡°Pretty much,¡± Keynes replied but didn¡¯t move from his spot. ¡°A word of warning, be careful. I don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll find inside.¡± Esopp nodded and they entered the corridor. The moment Keynes crossed the threshold of the corridor, an odd sensation washed throughout his body. He couldn¡¯t describe it. What happened, Alice? He asked but his spiritual companion didn¡¯t reply, then he blinked and with shock realised that he stood inside a large cellar-like chamber. In front of him stood a black, hooded apparition. Keynes was alone. Chapter 113: Chamber of Rewards Esopp spun around, finding himself completely alone in a large, ornate cellar. There was nothing else here¡­ What did that boy do this time? Esopp asked himself. By instinct, Esopp pulled all his items out of his dimensional pouch¡­ ¡°Welcome, challenger,¡± a voice said and Esopp¡¯s head snapped in the direction of the intruder. It was a hooded apparition in a black, wispy apparel that didn¡¯t belong to this world. This had to be another monster like the Deadly Encounter. Esopp readied himself for a fight. The apparition didn¡¯t make a move though. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, challenger. Inside this chamber nothing can harm you.¡± ¡°What are you?¡± Esopp asked while his mind went into overdrive. He didn¡¯t know what to expect but no matter what, he knew one thing; a single mistake in a rift could be fatal. The apparition¡¯s guarantee meant nothing and could be a trap. ¡°Suspicion is healthy and advised, young challenger. It is how the likes of you survive this unforgiving reality after all.¡± The apparition replied, also picking up on Esopp¡¯s attitude. ¡°But this place is different. It is the Chamber of Rewards and only a challenger and their plus one can enter here.¡± A challenger and their plus one? ¡°Why do you keep calling me a challenger? Is this because of the Hated Foe stuff?¡± The apparition twitched negligibly as it raised its head. ¡°Haven¡¯t one of you beat the rift in a challenge mode at the challenger difficulty?¡± Esopp didn¡¯t answer. Instead he considered everything he knew about the challenge mode. Freeman had a program that sent ascenders into a rift in a challenge mode. Most of them had never walked out. A few returned empty-handed, broken by the difficulty of the rift. Only two people came out with rewards -- keys. Keys. Was this how this door meant to be opened? Obviously, Keynes having his cheat-of-a-Talent circumvented the correct way and they ended up here. Esopp wondered where Keynes was. ¡°I see,¡± the apparition said, no longer waiting for Esopp¡¯s answer. ¡°Neither of you completed a rift in a challenge mode at the challenger difficulty. You have acquired the key in another way. While it is dishonourable, it isn¡¯t forbidden. It only begs a question, why would another challenger part way with their hard earned reward? But I¡¯m merely a guide here, not a judge and such disputes aren¡¯t for me to have. Step forward, ascender, you are about to get powerful.¡± Esopp didn¡¯t move from the spot. He didn¡¯t trust the apparition. It clearly despised the fact that Esopp was here without winning the challenge. How did the boy manage to open a room like this? Shouldn¡¯t the rifts have some security measures? What if other people in the world had a similar Talent? It would make the whole idea of completing the challenge obsolete. Obviously, Esopp didn¡¯t inquire about it, feeling that such a question could bring the apparition to the unwanted conclusion and there was no telling what would happen then. And if there were riches awaiting, Esopp didn¡¯t want to squander the chance. He waited. His patience was quickly rewarded as the apparition raised its arms and eight white pedestals appeared in a half circle behind the apparition. Above each piedestal hovered an item. The thing didn¡¯t lie. There was an unexplained feeling of power coming off the items. ¡°You may choose one item. I¡¯ll advise you as it is my role as a guide but the final choice is yours.¡± Esopp shuddered as if his body sank in cold waters. The odd sensation vanished as abruptly as it came. ¡°What kind of ascender kills fellow ascenders for their essence? Don¡¯t answer,¡± the apparition said. ¡°Your mere presence here is an insult to this place.¡± Esopp had a sharp reply at the tip of his tongue but pressed his lips together, remaining calm. Whatever that thing thought of him was of no consequence as long as it kept its promise and let him go with an item he picked. And yet, it still bothered him to be called out. The pre-outbreak world was a place without rifts and their abundant essence. The only source of essence had been other ascenders and the Earl family had always followed the strict rules and had taken essence from criminals sentenced to death. Esopp didn¡¯t tell any of this to the apparition. He wasn¡¯t going to explain himself to anyone. He swallowed his indignation, set his jaws and locked eyes on the hooded figure. ¡°At least you have a spine,¡± it said. This made Esopp wonder. What did the creature know about the rifts and the System? He debated with himself if he should ask it but then the apparition moved on to another topic, distracting Esopp. ¡°Freezing Touch Talent, though with a weak Minor Upgrade. An expected consequence of using a non-rift essence and having the Spirit core at the lowest possible stage.¡± While disdain vanished from the apparition¡¯s voice, it remained cold and flat. ¡°Each of these items would make a huge difference in your case.¡± One of the items floated away from the pedestal at a brief gesture from the apparition. Though Esopp was too far away to access the system screen of the item, he knew it was a skill shard. He¡¯d gladly accept another skill. His fight with the Deadly Encounter highlighted severe issues with Esopp¡¯s skillset. Too bad he couldn¡¯t use his wealth to buy skills and items. He funnelled the majority of his wealth toward building Emerald City. ¡°[Ice Mastery],¡± the apparition said. ¡°A class skill that passively improves everything ice-related. Be it a Talent or a skill. Given that your Talent has an ice affinity, the skill will substantially improve the effects of it.¡± Esopp almost accepted the skill right there. But he stopped himself from opening his mouth. He lived for almost eight decades and had learned that silence brought more success than any word. The apparition didn¡¯t comment on the silence and instead moved on to another item. It was a twenty-centimetre long bladeless hilt. ¡°Winter¡¯s Punishment. An exotic item with several powerful modifiers. Its users can create the blade out of ice and shape at will. Even making it animate. These two items are best suited for you, ascender.¡± ¡°Which one is better?¡± Esopp finally broke the silence. ¡°It depends on the situation but I¡¯d say that both are equally good for you. However, the latter requires [Create Ice] to function correctly.¡± ¡°What about the other items?¡± ¡°They are less compatible with your skill set but you¡¯re free to check them out and choose whatever suits you.¡± Esopp did as the apparition recommended and realised his mistake. Every item in the chamber was incredibly useful and powerful. Checking on other items didn¡¯t make his choice any easier. Actually, the opposite. Esopp found himself paralysed. He didn¡¯t know what to do. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Focus. It isn¡¯t like this is the end of the world. Kid may be able to open another hidden chamber in the future and we¡¯re leaving shortly to start opening Level 4 rifts. I¡¯ll have more items than my Spirit can handle. The apparition patiently waited until Esopp decided. While [Ice Mastery] felt like an absolute must, he had to bolster his offensive capabilities and Winter Punishment was ideal for this. Yes, it required another spell to work, one Esopp didn¡¯t have but [Create Ice] wasn¡¯t on the expensive side so he¡¯d be able to afford it. On the other hand¡­ [Ice Mastery]. I don¡¯t remember a single skill like this listed on Artefact Exchange. No. Esopp shook his head. I stand by my original choice. ¡°Winter¡¯s Punishment.¡± *** Keynes¡¯s hackles raised as realised the otherworldly presence in the chamber. He took all his items out of the dimensional pouch and unfurled his spiritual aura, at the same time being ready to attack with [Chaos Aura] at the moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Welcome, challenger.¡± Feeling absence of Alice, made Keynes uncomfortable in the presence of the unknown danger. The apparition sensed his unease and said, ¡°do not fear, challenger. You¡¯re safe here.¡± Keynes instantly disliked the apparition for its condescending tone, but at the same time realising he didn¡¯t feel threatened by it. This slowly put him at ease but never enough to fully relax. ¡°You¡¯re part of the rift,¡± Keynes said, fishing for information. The apparition didn¡¯t deny or confirm it so Keynes decided to ask more questions. ¡°Are you present in every iteration of the hidden room?¡± ¡°I am a guide. I help challengers pick the most suited rewards but you aren¡¯t required to listen to my advice. Now. Let¡¯s move on to the rewards, shall we?¡± Keynes concurred and eight pedestals rose from the ground. Eight items floated above each pedestal. An odd sensation fleeted through Keynes¡¯s body but his Purifying Body buff didn¡¯t flag anything so Keynes didn¡¯t react. The same couldn¡¯t be told about the apparition. ¡°The Second Degree Perfect State ascender.¡± Heard from the lips of someone else, Keynes had to admit that it was an awfully mouthful title. ¡°Frankly, Seconds are the most powerful ascenders at Level 3 so you¡¯re the most frequent¡­¡± it trailed off then raised its hooded head. ¡°Lockpicking Talent. How¡¯s this possible?¡± The questions alerted Keynes but the apparition didn¡¯t do anything. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This Talent category was removed from the System by outside influence.¡± ¡°Maybe this outside influence reinstated it.¡± ¡°It was not, it--¡± the apparition shuddered. ¡°How did you open the hidden door?¡± Keynes had a bad feeling about this. He tried to think of a lie but if this thing was the part of the rift or the System, it¡¯d know. But why should I say anything at all? ¡°You were going to advise me on the rewards,¡± Keynes reminded the apparition but the thing was not going to let go that easily. ¡°I was and your misdirection answers my question just fine. You have used your Talent to open the hidden door. Is that correct?¡± Keynes didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Your silence makes it obvious, perfect ascender, you¡¯re a cheater. This room was born to reward those who can beat rifts in the challenge mode, not for the likes of you.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t the System prevent me from opening the door?¡± For a split second, Keynes believed the apparition would kick him out of the hidden room but when it did not, he began realising that it didn¡¯t have such authority. It was here to guide and help but nothing else. Its anger could be the outcome of its powerlessness. It bolstered Keynes¡¯s attitude and put him on a more confrontational path. ¡°Your affinity ¡­ is Error. This has to be how you circumvented the door¡¯s security.¡± Keynes had given his Talent¡¯s affinity little thought since the ceremony. It didn¡¯t seem to have any effect on its functionality, unless it had but Keynes hadn¡¯t looked hard enough. Were the outbreaks the consequence of Error affinity? Would have Keynes been able to open a rift in the first place if not for this affinity? An avalanche of questions rapidly grew. How big of an impact did this affinity have on his Talent? And did it mean that Keynes could push it in a different, more esoteric, direction like other people¡¯s minds? ¡°I can almost hear your thoughts, perfect state ascender. You might be the luckiest ascender in this universe if you can comprehend the extent of the boon you¡¯re holding in your hands. And to think that the Luck category was also removed from the System only for a person like you to come into existence. I am beginning to wonder if you¡¯ll match the ones before you. I guess I will know either way. With your Talent, you¡¯ll cheat your way into other hidden chambers soon enough.¡± So it wasn¡¯t forbidden. That was a good sign. Keynes didn¡¯t pay attention to the talk about the other things as he was quite overwhelmed with everything that was going on. He¡¯d review this conversation after he got out of the rift. ¡°Now. Let¡¯s get you a fitting item¡­ Is that [Chaos Aura]? That skill cannot drop from any rift below Level 45.¡± The apparition¡¯s voice grew distant and confused. ¡°How have you obtained such a powerful skill?¡± Keynes didn¡¯t see a need to lie and actually thought telling the truth might profit him here. The amount of the information spilled by the apparition was staggering. ¡°From a Tier 2 hidden room in a Level 3 rift.¡± The silence that descended on them was deafening. The apparition shuddered again then whispered, ¡°This had to be the work of Error affinity. Irresponsible! To put this much power in one place. Reckless. It seems the System doesn¡¯t learn from its mistakes.¡± Keynes blinked. He didn¡¯t expect the outburst. Especially from a being that seemed to be part of the System. Maybe I should be careful after all. I don¡¯t like how critical the apparition is about the System. I¡¯d have to press Alice about it. Without a further word, the apparition gestured and two items floated closer to Keynes. ¡°[Shadowfall]. An active skill that hides an ascender in a shadow. Given that you seem to lean toward rogue archetype, it would be a good choice.¡± ¡°It would,¡± Keynes agreed. ¡°What about the other one?¡± ¡°[Mind Mastery]. It complements the [Telekinesis] skill you have, making everything about it stronger.¡± That was exactly what Keynes needed. Both skills were incredibly useful for him but what about the other items? There were another two skills out there. Keynes asked about them. Without a word of complaint, the apparition brought the two skill shards forward. The first one was [Enhance Plant]. It was an active skill that enhanced any plant in many different ways, which depended on the mastery of the skill and the targeted plant. Despite very little combat application, Keynes had to admit that the skill looked promising and someone like Wagner or Pucci would love to put their hands on it. He¡¯d have to tell them about it. Being able to enhance a plant in a real time sounded too damn good, almost like Bonolo¡¯s Talent. Unfortunately, Keynes treated gardening as a hobby he was going to have in the future. When carrying a garden around would be possible. Being stuck in one place wasn¡¯t for him. The last skill was a bit of a wild horse. [Mind Illusion] sent a target into a trance. Illusion inside the mind was the work of a caster. At first, Keynes dismissed the applicability of this skill in the fight against the monsters but quickly his mind spun with possibilities. And there were many but one reason stood out from others. Vivena. She was going to go after him. If the vision required Keynes to cause yet another outbreak and he¡¯d comply, she would hunt him down. And there was a chance that she¡¯d not hold back and try to put him down for real. Even disregarding his feelings, Keynes didn¡¯t want to kill her. On top of that, the vision had asked him to save her in the Capital. Keynes couldn¡¯t tell if the vision needed her alive in the end when they were going to face the peril that would come to their world, but with her insane Talent it would be strange to not have her there. All of this aside, [Mind Illusion] like [Telekinesis] had Will and Mind affinities and both should be enhanced by [Mind Master] when Keynes got his hand on it, which should be sooner or later. ¡°I¡¯ll take [Mind Illusion].¡± ¡°Are you sure about that, Perfect State ascender? You haven¡¯t checked the other four rewards.¡± ¡°I will be back for the rest soon.¡± Chapter 114: Loyalty Panicked voice of Alice reached Keynes a second after he accepted [Mind Illusion]. Master? Master! What happened?! Where have you been? Where have I been? Keynes let her ramble for a time being. He needed to sort his thoughts out. Whatever he¡¯d experienced inside the hidden room, shook him to the core. Back there he hadn¡¯t felt it as strongly as now. Keynes frowned. What was that? Are you seeing this, Alice? He asked, a little worried. But before she managed to reply, Esopp asked, ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°Did you get a reward?¡± ¡°Yes but I don¡¯t remember anything. What about you?¡± Despite the Purifying Body buff¡¯s failure, Keynes¡¯s memory was intact although a bit hazy. This had to be the work of his Photographic Memory buff or so he guessed. ¡°I remember a hooded apparition that showed me eight rewards to choose from. I¡¯d picked one and then was ¡®transported¡¯ here.¡± It wasn¡¯t the full truth but Keynes wasn¡¯t feeling well. That damned debuff was still trying to erase his memories. Alice, can you do something about it? I do not know, master. I feel strange too but I will try. ¡°How do you remember while I don¡¯t?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°Is that your spiritual stage thing at work?¡± ¡°Not sure,¡± Keynes replied and at the same time Alice informed him that the memory debuff started weakening on its own. It was good news so Keynes focused on Esopp. Aside from what Keynes remembered, there wasn¡¯t much to discuss. Esopp¡¯s reward was impressive. A sword with a shapeshifting blade made out of ice with only one drawback. The sword required [Create Ice] to function and that meant mana expenditure. Would it be possible to overcharge the blade turning it into a bomb? Winter¡¯s Punishment was a very interesting item, which made total sense for Esopp¡¯s skillset. ¡°[Mind Illusion]? What¡¯s that for?¡± ¡°An non-lethal way of dealing with enemies I¡¯d rather not kill.¡± That was the gist of it. By the way, master, I am not sure your Spirit will handle a skill like this. It is one of the rarest and is quite spirit-heavy. Keynes sighed in response. *** Their visit to the rift spurred a serious discussion the next day. Neither Esopp nor Keynes were comfortable with the Deadly Encounter. In consequence, Esopp called in a large meeting for the executives and the heads of departments. Twenty-seven people sat in the conference room, expectantly staring at Esopp. Apart from Esopp, Keynes knew only two people there, Andrew and Haef. Keynes took a seat in the back, away from the table. Some of the gathered glanced at him, curious and speculative, but no one asked who he was, even though he wore casual clothes unlike anyone else in the room, including Haef. Esopp stood at the other end of the long polished table, his eyes sweeping the room. ¡°As you¡¯re aware I¡¯m leaving Emerald City for a while and Andrew here will take the steers. However, a new issue has arised very recently and must be addressed before I leave.¡± Esopp nodded at Keynes. Everyone¡¯s head turned too. Keynes didn¡¯t like the attention but Esopp had talked him out of skipping this part. Keynes was one of the most important people in the company, if not the most important one and taking an active part would benefit everyone. Without moving out of the chair, Keynes said, ¡°The Level 3 epic rift.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± one of the men asked. His nonchalant pose with one arm rested on the table, eyes full of disregard and immaculate presentation told Keynes that this man was an alpha amongst the executives. Keynes didn¡¯t know why Andrew was higher than him in the chain of command but Esopp and Wagner weren¡¯t amateurs and knew what they were doing (for the most part). Alice supplied his Level, which was five, all of it was the rift essence. Interesting because most of the higher levelled people before the first outbreaks were soldiers, top-officials and the wealthy. ¡°You¡¯re too weak to delve it without supervision.¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly the truth. Rift Essence Level 5 ascender was as strong as the human essence Level 7 ascender. In this case, Esopp. But the latter man had access to wealth most of these people would not see for a while. So Keynes had thought about how he could motivate his employees. Because he had zero experience and knowledge he came with a silly provocation. Esopp actually smiled. *** Cyrano felt as his insides were set on fire. First, that welp Andrew had been chosen to take over Emerald City because he sucked on a tit of someone in the headquarters in Geneva and now this upstart thought he could just barge in here and spout bullshit without consequences? Not a chance. Cyrano was the current top three in Emerald City and was responsible for delving so he couldn''t let the brat get away with this. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Despite the upheaval inside, Cyrano looked unmoved outwardly. ¡°I am in charge of rifts here,¡± Cyrano said. ¡°And I will be deciding who is going inside.¡± ¡°Then you better pay attention, Cyrano,¡± Esopp Earl said, surprising Cyrano. Cyrano blinked, noticing tension in the room. Only then it occurred to him that he hadn¡¯t asked who this kid actually was¡­ ¡°From now on, we¡¯re going to train our delvers in a different way,¡± the boy said. When the meeting ended, every executive and head of department looked pale. The new requirements were brutal and quite unheard of. Extensive training for everyone, skillsets, specialisations, techniques, items. There were too many damn things for Cyrano¡¯s taste but he knew when to shut up and didn¡¯t interrupt the boy until he finished. As the members of the meeting filtered out, Cyrano slowly raised from his chair. ¡°You stay,¡± said Esopp Earl. ¡°And you two too.¡± He pointed at Andrew and one of the heads. When the door closed behind the last person Esopp Earl said, ¡°Cyrano will be responsible for this new program but I want you two to support him in this. Make sure that every delver has sufficiently crafted items for most rifts but the epic one is out of the limits for anyone who doesn¡¯t have a minimum of thirty-five points into each attribute.¡± That was insane. Cyrano had thirty-five points at base value but he was a rift essence Level 5 ascender and bringing him to this point had cost the company fortune. They couldn¡¯t afford such expenditure. Andrew must have the same thoughts because he flagged the issue right away. ¡°Also, technically, I¡¯m by myself. I have one disciple. Crafting a single, full set may take me a few weeks,¡± said the head of the crafting department. ¡°I will tell Wagner to send you more people,¡± the boy said, which stunned Cyrano. Somehow neither Andrew nor the head looked too shocked. Did they know who he was? ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that, thank you.¡± ¡°As for the other thing,¡± Esopp Earl added. ¡°Start with a team of four. Stick to the skill sets we mentioned earlier.¡± They wanted each team to consist of a healer, crowd controller, damage dealer and tank. But the sheer cost of skills for a single team would be exorbitant! Cyrano and Andrew exchanged glances, had their boss gone mad? *** Later that day, Keynes sat in his room. He¡¯d taken a long, relaxing bath with Level 2 scents that made him go dizzy despite his buffs. It was something about the scents being unharmful, which didn¡¯t trigger his defensive buff. It was the only chance to enjoy himself before he and Esopp left Emerald City tomorrow and travelled to the first location with a Level 4 rift. Keynes¡¯s attribute training would resume then and that wouldn¡¯t be all. He needed to train his skills now as well. Alice had told him to ignore techniques and the cultivation of his Spirit because being in the Superior stage at Level 3 was more than enough. Another thing he was going to do, despite Alice¡¯s warning, was absorption of [Mind Illusion]. This was something he¡¯d learned from the Grand Insight. The Spirit adapted and if strained it¡¯d find a way to accommodate the additional weight. Alice simply erred on the side of caution which was appreciated but Keynes couldn¡¯t stay on laurels. His future was entirely in his hands. If he failed to protect himself from the rest of the world, what awaited him except enslavement? A soft knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts. Keynes opened the door with [Telekinesis] and Esopp entered the room. Keynes pouted a little because Alice didn¡¯t warn him. She wasn¡¯t happy with his decision to absorb the skill and behaved childishly. ¡°I hope I don¡¯t interrupt anything important?¡± Keynes shook his head so Esopp took a seat. ¡°That was quite a meeting.¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯d rather stay out of such matters.¡± ¡°If you want their loyalty, you must earn it, Keynes. Staying in the shadows won''t cut it.¡± ¡°We have the ritual of secrecy. They don¡¯t need my speeches. Anyway, I¡¯m not made out to be a leader.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re one now and loyalty is critical. Believe me, I know what I am talking about,¡± Esopp said and then unexpectedly added. ¡°The World Government collapsed from inside out. I was fiercely loyal to Windsor and his vision. It was a good vision, Keynes. One that took care of all stakeholders. Unlike our political rivals, the Old Blood which cared only about themselves and their secrets. But then Windsor changed, became obsessed with keeping all the power of rifts to himself. My loyalty to him lasted as long as it could but in the face of distrust, growing hostility toward his own cabinet, it couldn¡¯t survive.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have stayed by his side despite anything?¡± Keynes asked, a little confused about the importance of loyalty in this example. ¡°Blind loyalty is nothing else but fanaticism. Loyalty binds followers to their leader but this isn¡¯t happening in the vacuum. There has to be an ideal that brings the two together in the first place and likewise, when the ideal goes missing, the loyalty must be questioned and even dissolved. ¡°Nonetheless, without loyalty, Windsor would have never clung to power for so long. Obviously, there were many who followed Windsor out of fear or greed, but they were also the first to switch sides at the first sight of trouble and were never kept anywhere near vulnerable and vital positions within the government. It was a strange perspective on a behemoth like the World Government. Keynes had been convinced that it worked smoothly because of the laws and respect, not something esoteric like loyalty. Even hearing it from one of the one most prominent ex-members of the World Government didn¡¯t make it any easier to comprehend. And that was a problem because Keynes didn¡¯t understand the whole idea of loyalty. He didn¡¯t have friends in the school. His only peer had been his brother and even him, Keynes believed he¡¯d lost. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, Kid. Leading can be learned and you¡¯re good at learning aren¡¯t you?¡± That was a fact. The Rapid Learning buff guaranteed him this much. Keynes breathed out, a little more relaxed. If it was possible to learn, he¡¯d learn it. ¡°What now?¡± Esopp pulled out a phone and typed something. A few seconds later, the door opened and Cyrano walked inside. The blonde looked every bit arrogant but disdain was gone from his stare. ¡°I haven¡¯t introduced you two to each other. It¡¯s because we didn¡¯t want the whole Emerald City to know that Keynes Kid was here.¡± If Cyrano was surprised, it didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°My apologies for my behaviour in the meeting. I didn¡¯t know who you were but I also dislike people who are too small for their shoes.¡± Keynes raised from the chair and extended his hand, Cyrano accepted it without a shadow of hesitation. ¡°Cyrano.¡± ¡°Keynes Kid.¡± ¡°Now, with the formalities behind us. Let¡¯s talk about the important issues. What Level alcohol can you handle?¡± Chapter 115: Very Elite They left first thing in the morning and took the same route that had brought Keynes to the base. But they didn¡¯t stop on the airstrip and instead reached a small harbour where a bout took them to a neighbour island. A welcoming party waited for them in a fishing village. From what Esopp said, almost all islands in the proximity of two hundred kilometres indirectly belonged to their company now. As impressive as it sounded, it was hard to imagine that most of these islands had populations living on them. Then came another shock. ¡°Don¡¯t even say anything,¡± said Tyr Truman. Wagner¡¯s chief of security or whatever position he held now. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be here. I hate the wet air. Hate the heat. Hate everything about this place.¡± Esopp wasn¡¯t surprised to find Tyr here, meaning he¡¯d been warned before. Why didn¡¯t they tell Keynes about this development? He wasn¡¯t particularly angry about that as he didn¡¯t much care but he was curious why Wagner and Esopp had left him out of some decisions. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped,¡± Esopp said. ¡°With the recent development at the Solar Council, we have to level you up to Level 7.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Tyr said sarcastically. ¡°I could do it in Persephone¡¯s little hideout.¡± ¡°And what is the recent development?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the damned Legion.¡± Tyr waved his hand, annoyed. ¡°They weren¡¯t invited to the council because of their association with us so there is a considerable amount of suspicion that Legion will break the contract with us over this.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Columbus going to take over the military arm of our company?¡± Keynes asked. Esopp nodded and something in his expression gently shifted. ¡°Columbus is sitting tight in South America in the case of the council betrayal and attack on Wagner.¡± Tyr groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He¡¯s a back up plan but we don''t think this will happen. All of these are contingencies.¡± ¡°We should have bought Legion and be done with it.¡± Tyr shook his head. ¡°Wagner tried,¡± Esopp replied, surprising Keynes and Tyr. ¡°Even offered them way more money than we have but Legion refused.¡± ¡°Holy shit.¡± ¡°But let¡¯s focus on the positives,¡± Esopp said. ¡°We have rifts to open. Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s not far away.¡± They left the harbour and moved to the upper side of the fishing village. It was a small place with no more than a hundred people living here. Tyr was complaining the whole way until they reached the hill. Down in the valley was a small dome erected in a clearing. It wasn¡¯t larger than Keynes¡¯s house. ¡°What am I looking at?¡± Tyr asked. ¡°The valley of rifts,¡± Esopp smirked. ¡°Twenty Level 4 rifts in a kilometre radius.¡± Keynes¡¯s eyebrows climbed to the very top. They had a rift cluster so close to Emerald City?! So, the location of the city wasn¡¯t random. Wait. A freaking TWENTY Level 4 rifts? One thing Keynes had to admit. Wagner and Esopp were crafty as hell. Suddenly, their idea of training proper teams of delvers didn¡¯t seem too far-fetched. ¡°You must be kidding me,¡± Tyr mumbled. ¡°Why has no one told me about this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you now,¡± Esopp said, then turned to Keynes. ¡°I have a question for you, kid. Is it possible to replace human essence with rift essence in my body?¡± An interesting question¡­ There is, actually, more than one way to do it but that is I am allowed to say, Alice replied before Keynes managed to ask her. He relayed the answer to Esopp who nodded. ¡°If there¡¯s a way, I¡¯ll find it.¡± *** Twenty Level 4 rifts wasn¡¯t a joke. If Keynes pushed himself hard enough, he¡¯d be able to max out all his attributes, even Mind thanks to [Telekinesis], and then level up inside a month. Once he gained Level 4 he was going to add skills to his collection and began forming a proper skillset. Keynes had given a lot of thought to how he wished to fight and more, how he was going to counter vigilanties hunting him down for his Talent. It sucked that he didn¡¯t know when specific skills would appear in a loot drop table but if the apparition had spoken the truth, his Talent¡¯s affinity might circumvent the issue. [Mind Illusion] and [Shadowfall] were good examples of the System reacting to his other needs. Keynes had high hopes for the chamber of rewards. It occurrence was rare but this could be easily remedied with enough Rift Orbs that decreased recharge time. If he cut it to a few minutes, he¡¯d be able to rush the boss, kill it then check the area for the hidden door. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. When Keynes, Esopp and Tyr reached the valley, they were met with a serious looking group. Immediately, Alice flagged some of the members as being very strong. They were rift essence Level 5s with some of them having attributes maxed out. If a perfect state ascender was among them, Alice wasn¡¯t able to say. At Level 5, a rift essence ascender even in the weakest stage had a considerable amount of spiritual energy and with at least once all attributes maxed out it¡¯d be an even larger amount, which in turn would be harder to tell but not impossible. Keynes didn¡¯t have proper spiritual technique leaning toward reading stronger individuals¡¯ auras. ¡°This is our very elite,¡± Tyr said. ¡°To think of this, I guess, we need a good, tough name for them.¡± Something didn¡¯t sound right here. Something about the very elite part. Keynes mulled it over in his mind, wondering what it was that had ticked him off so much. As Tyr started to introduce the group to Keynes and Esopp, and while most of the men were surprised to find Esopp Earl here, they were kind of passing over Keynes¡¯s presence, which meant they didn¡¯t know who he was. This should be expected and yet it stung a little. Especially, in the light of Esopp¡¯s words about forging loyalty. When they were finished, Esopp took over the gathering and showed them around. Their accommodation was tents but of a higher quality and with air conditioning glyphs to Tyr¡¯s pleasant surprise. They weren¡¯t alone in the valley. The number of axualliers and support staff was significant and easily went beyond a hundred. ¡°Why the dome?¡± Keynes asked after frustration took over him. He still couldn¡¯t figure out what was wrong with the ¡®very elite¡¯ term because these men were intimidatingly strong. In terms of pure attributes, they were far stronger than Keynes and even had an edge over Esopp. ¡°It¡¯s made out of a material that absorbs spiritual energy and slowly dissipates it. The Institute¡¯s satellites can detect rifts that are being unsealed. This will prevent it.¡± Oh. Why didn¡¯t they come after him when he¡¯d opened the rifts in the World Reserve he couldn¡¯t fathom but it was worth keeping in mind for the future. After the tour around the valley, Tyr, Keynes and Esopp returned to the command tent where two dozen of analysts stared at screens with a laser focus. ¡°Logistics, mostly,¡± Esopp explained. ¡°Once we open the first Level 4 rift, we¡¯d start shipping out Level 4 materials out of here. Some will go to Emerald City, others to our warehouse in Arshem and a secret underground base near Geneva.¡± Tyr asked about Arshem while Keynes zoned out. Something clicked in his mind. Something about the very elite thing. In the world, with seemingly unlimited essence but extremely limited access to it, especially due to a long recharge time, rising to Level 5 wasn¡¯t cheap so calling these Level 5 the very elite made sense but only in relation to this specific limitation. Outside of that, they were normal ascenders of Level 5. And this issue slowly consumed more of Keynes¡¯s thoughts. It hadn¡¯t begun here but with each aspect of their company Keynes was exposed to, he noticed these cracks. He guessed that on average, they might not amount to anything significant but the average didn¡¯t matter when a team of Level 10 Perfect State ascenders could conquer the world, literally. In a sense, your faction was only as good as your top hitters. Keynes couldn¡¯t allow it to stay like this but the notion of loyalty returned to him like a boomerang. Showing these people the secrets of cultivation and pushing them to max out some of their attributes wasn¡¯t a guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t switch sides at some point and became enemies. In such cases, the ritual of secrecy wouldn¡¯t help. It¡¯s the ideal that binds followers to their leader, Keynes realised how much wisdom Esopp¡¯s words contained. But what¡¯s my ideal? Opening rifts? Interstellar travel? Levelling up? No, these alone don¡¯t feel like something worth dying for. What else then? Obviously, it had to be tied up to the company. But what was the company ideal anyway? Unlock the rifts? Kind of. In the end, Keynes and the rest wanted all the rifts to be available to all in one way or another. To get there, they had to open rifts for themselves first, then open some for the highest bidders, and then for the rest¡­ Then his imagination stretched a good bit and he saw himself sitting a spaceship travesting space between stars. If other planets and moons, even completely lifeless and barren, had sealed rifts, then they weren¡¯t talking about owning a few rifts here and there but entire planetary systems, brimming with rifts. From that perspective, everything looked different. Having a system worth of rifts made anything possible. Humankind would no longer be restricted to the solar system. And that was an ideal that moved something inside Keynes¡¯s chest. Without looking back, he left the command tent and found his way to the elite¡¯s tent that acted as their common room. Upon his approach, he slowed down and listened. There was quiet banter that indicated their high spirit and good mood but nothing over the top. Keynes had activated [Spiritual Ghost] so unless they heard his footsteps, they wouldn¡¯t sense his presence outside. As he entered twelve pairs of eyes looked at him. They knew he was important but nothing else. Without having a better measure, they showed a lot of restraint. Smirks and smiles were replaced by blank, cold professionalism. ¡°Sir? How can we help?¡± asked one of them. When Tyr introduced them, he didn¡¯t tell Keynes their names. Something that had to be remedied. ¡°I have a few questions.¡± ¡°Of course, please ask, sir.¡± Alice, check if we have privacy, please. Yes, master. Now, he had to figure out how to play this out. *** A week ago. Wagner finally received an invitation to the Solar Council but the bastards left him only a few hours to prepare himself. It showed him that they might call themselves the rulers of the solar system but they were very low people. They couldn¡¯t swallow Keynes¡¯s rejection but at the same time, they couldn¡¯t refuse his counter-proposition. Being left out of the high-level rifts would significantly limit their powers. Wagner¡¯s researchers had recently speculated on the expected maximum attribute points for Level 4 items. Level 1 items had a total maximum of 18 attributes, crafted or not. Only one-third of that could go into a single attribute. Level 2 items had a total maximum of 24 attributes with only one-third going into a single attribute. Level 3 items had a total maximum of 30 attributes with only one-third going into a single attribute. They expected that each Level added 6 points to the maximum an item could have. This didn¡¯t exactly match the progress of ascender¡¯s attributes but the theory was that at the higher Levels, attributes from items meant less and a heavier focus was placed on skills and items with special effect and augmentations. Wagner contacted Columbus who was in a different part of Geneva, laying low. He had his own teleporter as they called people who teleported others for money. Columbus confirmed that his office in South America had also received an invitation. Good. It was time to enter the lion¡¯s den. Chapter 116: Lions Den A week ago. Wagner was teleported to the address given in the invitation. He half-expected a trap to welcome him there. Such a low blow was entirely in the realm of possibilities of the Solar Council. But instead of death or imprisonment, Wagner found a lone man in a sharp suit that perked up upon their arrival and then lowered his head in a greeting. ¡°Mr Zimmerman. The Solar Council is expecting you.¡± They are expecting me? This didn¡¯t sit well with him and when a minute later Columbus teleported in, the same message was given to Wagner¡¯s business partner. Something was up. ¡°Please, follow me.¡± They were in the secluded garden just right outside of Geneva. Next to the garden stood an old and unassuming mansion. Wagner¡¯s spiritual senses were pricked by dense lines of runes and at least a half dozen of formations that circled the entire building. As they climbed the stairs, they saw only forest around the mansion. It was a smart location for a meeting of this rank. Wagner had expected the meeting to be held inside the Geneva Ministry¡¯s bunker. In the end, it wasn¡¯t a simple mansion as they were led to a secure underground conference room. It was obvious from the first step in the room that they were the last. Everyone else had been here for a while. They¡¯d given him and Columbus a different time of arrival it seemed. But it wasn''t the time to argue with idiots, especially powerful idiots. The number of Level 7s here reminded Wagner of the High Parliament in Paris. It was kind of refreshing to find the whole room go ghastly silent when Columbus Curt entered in a white uniform and set of hidden items that radiated enough power to fill the entire conference room. With his insane Talent, none here could stand against that man, and they knew it. They were led to their seats, which seemed quite random. They were placed next to the old Nishimura who represented the Oriental League and Anette Frey who was the leader of Mars. When Columbus and Wagner sat down, Andr¨¦ Turtelli got to his feet and walked to the pedestal in front of everyone. ¡°I¡¯d like to welcome our final members to the Solar Council; Columbus Curt, the current leader of the resistance and Wagner Zimmermann, the CEO of Untainted Paradise. Now. Let¡¯s begin the proper meeting.¡± *** The first hour was straightforward and actually legit. The agenda presented by Andr¨¦ Turtelli was quite sound and neither Wagner nor Columbus could argue with it. The Solar Council wanted to expand their presence in space through building new space stations with high level materials and slowly eye the first potential expansion outside of the solar system. Then the topic turned to rifts and some of the gathered showed very little restraint. ¡°We¡¯ll buy the boy from you,¡± said a man Wagner hadn¡¯t actually met in person. Burgard Brenton, or whatever he was called now, was the owner of BlueSpace, the producer of mana containers. They had a profitable trading relationship with BlueSpace but that man was an insufferable cockroach. ¡°Just tell us the price.¡± Neither Columbus nor Wagner took the bait and instead attacked him from a different angle. ¡°Are you proposing to enslave Keynes Kid?¡± Wagner asked, curious how the other man would spin it. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit us, would you? Are you telling me that you treat that upstart like an equal?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Wagner replied simply. ¡°He¡¯s, what, Level 3, right?¡± Wagner didn¡¯t answer. He needed a moment to evaluate the other man¡¯s goal. Not a single person inside this room was here by chance. Burgard Brenton wasn¡¯t an idiot and even a random question like this one had a hidden meaning. ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± Wagner asked, giving away no emotions. ¡°His point doesn¡¯t matter, Zimmermann,¡± Siberius Sael interrupted Burgard¡¯s response. ¡°When it comes to Keynes Kid everything is on the table. You cannot privatise access to new rifts. That brat belongs to the council.¡± Wagner noticed Columbus¡¯s expression and prayed for the man to stay silent. Sael was trying to provoke them. Luckly, before Columbus responded to the blatant arrogance, Serrata, the CEO of Artefact Exchange said, ¡°I would like to raise an objection. Artefact Exchange disagrees with Siberius Sael¡¯s demand. I will never support slavery.¡± Her words changed the tides and others joined in their opposition to Sael¡¯s idea but not everyone. Wagner was glad that their enemies revealed themselves so soon. ¡°Nonetheless,¡± Serrata asked after the heat in the room dissipated. ¡°I would like to inquire, why is Keynes Kid not present?¡± ¡°He¡¯s busy opening Level 4 rifts, of course.¡± It was time for Wagner¡¯s own provocation. With that the room exploded with arguments anew. *** Now. ¡°Sir, you¡¯d like to do what?¡± ¡°Fight you.¡± The twelve soldiers exchanged glances. They were mighty confused. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°But why?¡± Keynes¡¯s answer wasn¡¯t going to make it any easier for the men but he owed them it anyway. ¡°You¡¯re our very elite, I¡¯d like to learn what it means.¡± Judging by their expression they were less than pleased with Keynes¡¯s answer. ¡°If I may, sir, what Level are you?¡± ¡°Level 3.¡± The fights were held at the edge of the valley, where they wouldn¡¯t disturb other activities in the camp. Esopp and Tyr found them there just as the first sparring was about to begin. ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Tyr asked. While the rest of the group started to explain, Keynes decided to begin the fight. There was nothing Tyr could do to stop him. The fight was without magical items or skills. In the beginning, Keynes didn¡¯t use his spiritual aura as well but the 6 points difference in each attribute was hard to overcome. Even still, he knew that the other man went easy on him. ¡°Keynes, they are professionals.¡± Tyr decided to play on Keynes¡¯s nerves. ¡°Just leave the fighting to them.¡± Keynes replied, ¡°After I am done with them, you can show me all you got.¡± That got through. ¡°Get him!¡± *** Esopp watched the fight with burning curiosity. Since Wagner had told him about Keynes Kid subduing Turtelli, he couldn¡¯t wait to see him in action versus another ascender. Fighting monsters wasn¡¯t the same as fighting other humans. Especially stronger opponents. Without his spells and items, Keynes was at substantial disadvantage and it was showing. The soldier was not only quicker and stronger but also accustomed to fighting with human opponents. Everything started to change after Tyr¡¯s taunt. Clearly, Keynes realised that he cannot win this purely based on naked stats. Interestingly, he didn¡¯t blast his powerful aura at his opponent but used it in such a subtle way that Esopp had issues following what was happening. Each time his opponent attacked, Keynes brushed him with his aura, always staggering the attack and gaining an upper hand. After ten minutes, the Level 5 stopped the fight as he could no longer stay on his feet. None of his colleagues smiled, while Tyr¡¯s eyes were like two slits. ¡°You were meant to use no skills,¡± Tyr protested. ¡°If Keynes used a skill, we¡¯d know it,¡± Esopp said. ¡°Then how?¡± ¡°All in due time,¡± Esopp said with a smirk. *** Three hours later, Keynes collapsed in a heap. Every centimetre of his body hurt. While he managed to win some of the early fights, the later ones proved harder. Some of these guys had maxed out their Strength and Dexterity during their rise to Level 5 and while none of them had a technique to fully back it up, they knew martial art well enough. Even with the spiritual disruption as Alice called it, they were capable of outmanoeuvring him, not to mention that Keynes¡¯s stamina hit the rock bottom before the last opponent and it didn¡¯t resemble a fight anymore. Still, Keynes was satisfied with the results. His attributes gained a few percent from this and he¡¯d learned more than any of them could imagine. His photographic memory combined with the rapid learning buff had a compounding effect giving Keynes more than the sum of the parts. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t get the chance to fight Tyr and knew the bastard would tease him because of that, although Tyr looked surprised with Keynes¡¯s performance. When time came to open the first rift, Keynes, Esopp, Tyr and the twelve elite soldiers stood before the shimmering point in the air. The plan was very simple. Upon the opening, the monster would pour out of the rift and it would be up to Tyr and his elite to keep them inside the dome while Keynes and Esopp would rush the boss. It was a common and stable rift without any modifiers so they weren¡¯t worried about anything. Nonetheless, the fact that the twelve didn¡¯t have proper rift or crafted items reminded Keynes how much the company¡¯s approach would have to change. Would you like to open the rift? YES/NO *** Ten minutes later Keynes and Esopp stood over the reward chest and smiled. In Esopp¡¯s hand was a blueprint of a mana condenser. In its basic version, the item could condense mana two times, doubling the amount of mana stored in the standard mana container. But that wasn¡¯t all as Esopp explained. Some runes required condensed mana to operate and until now no one knew how to make that happen. With that massive boon, they walked out of the rift, ordering the twelve soldiers to clean up the monsters inside as they¡¯d only killed the boss to stop the rift from vomiting the monsters. Over the next week, Keynes only opened two more rifts, both common but one of them was variable. The rewards were items Keynes had no interest in. The rest of the time he¡¯d spent training with the twelve or killing the monsters inside the rifts. He was once lucky to run into a tier 2 hidden room and got three skills and one item. Stubbornly, the tier 2 hidden rewards were sticking to plants and his reward was [Bloom] skill. The other two skills were more interesting: [Blizzard] and [Primal Instinct]. The item was an uncommon bow with a split arrow modifier. He kept for himself [Primal Instinct], while Esopp took [Blizzard] and [Bloom] went to Tyr who was too speechless to protest. The bow went to the vault in Emerald City for now as the fourth person didn¡¯t use bows. Keynes was in the process of absorbing [Mind Illusion] and knew for the fact that [Primal Instinct] would overwhelm his spiritual core but he was a hair width from maxing out all his attributes. After that, with so many Level 4 rifts, levelling was going to be a breeze. Unsurprisingly, their database didn¡¯t have any information about these three skills. They had to be Level 4 drops. Alice briefly explained that [Primal Instinct] was a passive skill that bestowed upon an ascender instinctual sense of danger coming from other ascenders, monsters, plants and even terrain. Just that made him incredibly impatient about finally getting to Level 4. Not to mention, he¡¯d become the Perfect State ascender of third degree and gain a bunch of new rewards from the System. Maybe another Orb of Grand Insight? Combined with the first orb, he¡¯d be able to learn how to start rebuilding his core. Before he got a chance to begin the levelling after maxing his attributes out, a message came that one of the global sub-bosses had been found but its dominion turned out to be more deadly than anyone had expected. Wagner, Esopp, Tyr and Keynes held a video conference where Wagner convinced them to ally with Artefact Exchange and hit the sub-boss¡¯ dominion. Apparently, some members of the Solar Council were on their side now. Keynes didn¡¯t mind that. Although he worried that all the monsters of the dominion wouldn¡¯t be enough to level him up with all the penalties he carried now. After the bargain was ironed out with Artefact Exchange, Keynes opened another three rifts in quick succession, increasing the number to 6. With that done, Keynes, Esopp and six elite troops left the island and flew to the mainland from where they were going to travel to the dominion¡¯s location. *** Hideko¡¯s swordsmanship improved faster than she could have expected with the recent acquisition of [Sword Mastery]. The passive skill was changing the way she thought, moved and even relaxed. Everything she did was with a sword in mind. In fact, she never stopped training as even her dreams were filled with sword-fighting. Though her face was blank in the presence of her master, she smiled inside. One skill turned around her life so much that she considered herself one of the strongest ascenders now. With her epic Level 3 katana and another skill on its way she would be unstoppable. All she needed to do now was to earn her dominion. She didn¡¯t need to wait for that long though as her father came to her some time later with wonderful news. A global sub-boss dominion was found in China, in their territory. The Nishimuras now controlled the entire Oriental League. ¡°But be careful, daughter, we aren¡¯t alone in the endeavour to take the dominion down. Others want the Orb of Dominion too. You have my permission to cut down anyone who stands in your way.¡± He handed her the skill shard. Finally she had [Cut]. It wasn''t a particularly rare skill but its versatility was incredible. ¡°I will make you proud, father.¡± And I will have my own dominion. Just you wait, Vivena Sael. Chapter 117: Bloodline Windsor Freeman¡¯s mind was wrapped around three major things. Aura intent was the first one. It was a recent discovery that came from absorbing a technique. Techniques, of which Windsor had absorbed three, were an interesting concept. They didn¡¯t add any power but granted understanding. Unsurprisingly, these techniques weren¡¯t without their own set of drawbacks. If the understanding they bestowed was without a context, there would be no benefit of having the technique other than an awareness that something else was possible. Windsor was now aware of the aura intent but he had no means of learning it without other aura-related techniques. It felt like each technique had a rank and should be absorbed in a sequence. Because techniques appeared with the outbreaks and the current political climate didn¡¯t foster the spread of knowledge, an emergence of technique charts was nowhere on the horizon. Another problem with techniques was their extreme rarity or randomness if they came from the scrolls. Despite the disappointment, the sheer idea of aura intent spurred some questions in Windsor¡¯s mind and led to a little bit of experimentation. Even though his ideas didn¡¯t manifest physically, Windsor came to understand what hid behind the name of the aura intent and it was a ground-breaking concept. So far, Windsor treated his [Fire Aura] like an AOE damage spell. But there were numerous issues associated with the usage of his aura, for one, he burned everything and everyone in its radius, rendering the spell useless among allies. Aura intent allowed for two major benefits; firstly, it made an aura neutral to allies, making it harmless to use among allies. But the second benefit was what Windsor truly liked. It made auras benefit allies. In [Fire Aura]¡¯s case, Windsor speculated, his allies would be granted additional fire damage. Even with a single aura, the concept was scary because even if the buff to allies was small, the number of allies affected by it might make up for it. But the aura intent would shine when multiple aura were being stacked. How powerful an army could get if ten or twenty auras affected them at the same time? It made sense why aura intent wasn¡¯t a default function of auras and had to be learned. Now, his spies were charged with two tasks. Buying or stealing any aura-related technique and destroying any shred of information that could lead to the aura intent discovery. It was inevitable that others would learn of it but postponing it was crucial especially now that Windsor was so close to finalising the Human Project. With Nitisha¡¯s successful conversion into the first Bloodline ascender, Windsor expected other test subjects to follow her steps. The early stages of the experiment were plagued by hundreds of dead as Windsor¡¯s researchers had struggled to pinpoint the issue. When Nitisha had agreed to join the project Windsor had some reservation as she was his most loyal supporter. Losing her was not an option but it had turned out that she was pivotal to moving the experiment forward. It was the spiritual energy or its deficiency that led to early deaths. Windsor didn¡¯t understand the technicalities of the Human Project superstructure but knew it flooded the core with chaotic energy. To this day, Windsor¡¯s researchers struggled to explain what the chaotic energy was other than it was the opposite force of the spiritual energy. Somehow, the superstructure was capable of creating this alien source of power. Like techniques, the Bloodline ascension wasn¡¯t without its own drawbacks. Windsor watched Nitisha tearing apart Level 3 rare monsters from the rift that had opened in their base¡¯s backyard. Leaning on the metal rail on the roof, Windsor could almost feel the tremendous hate Nitisha radiated. The chaotic energy changed ascenders turning them into monsters. Nitisha¡¯s mind was still human but her physical body was not. She stood now almost three metres tall, with her hands reaching the ground. Her clawed hands could wrap around a human¡¯s head. Her skin turned grey and dark and spotted. Her sharp teeth bit into a rocky monster¡¯s hide and ripped chunks of the meat seemingly without effort. By Windsor¡¯s best estimation, Nitisha was approaching his level of strength which in itself was promising and gave him hopes. Once they perfected the process, especially lessen the physical burden of the transformation, Windsor expected to double his power. With such a boost, Windsor would be able to deal with Columbus Curt and others who approached the similar threat-level. But this prospect was still some time away as Windsor didn¡¯t want to step into the untested waters. Despite the success, the Bloodline ascension was a big mystery. Surprisingly, it was supported by the System as it granted them some information but that was all. They knew the Bloodline system operated on a different basis, ascenders evolved instead of levelling up. The prerequisites for evolution were unknown. Since Nitisha¡¯s conversion she wasn¡¯t able to evolve. However, the people working on the project assured Windsor that it was only a matter of time. Windsor didn¡¯t believe in their assurances as there were too many issues to iron out. For one, how the Bloodline ascenders gained new abilities other than evolving? Nitisha lost the ability to absorb skill shards and wield items. Her Talent remained intact and the skills she had absorbed before the transformation were corrupted becoming something different. Even though she gained two new attributes: durability and endurance; the trade off wasn¡¯t enough to convince Windsor to try it yet. He had high hopes about Marg Moonbane¡¯s transformation. Upon reaching Level 5, she had enough spiritual energy to counterbalance the chaotic energy, additionally, the whole process was much more sophisticated now. Windsor expected Marg to become as strong as Nitisha if not stronger and bear fewer physical changes. Once they figured out how to trigger an evolution, Windsor would consider becoming a subject of the transformation himself. As his spiritual senses picked up an approaching newcomer, Windsor turned his eyes away from the slaughter in the backyard to the door. Since learning about spiritual stages and cultivation from Sandman--which had cost Windsor a few of his valuable assets--he managed to enter the Medium stage, expanding his spiritual senses dramatically. He¡¯d to disable the spiritual companion though as it¡¯d provided very little benefit for a significant chunk of Windsor¡¯s spiritual energy. One of the assistants entered the roof area and slowly approached Windsor. ¡°Mr.¡± The assistant shuddered when he glanced at the backyard behind Windsor. ¡°President, the report has arrived.¡± Some people in the base still called him that even though Windsor had cut all ties with the World Government. His vision of building a better world failed when his subjects betrayed him. He could¡¯ve led them to a true paradise but they had preferred Curt¡¯s and Sael¡¯s lies. Nonetheless, Windsor learned from his mistake of trusting others. He acted from the shadows now. Those outside of this base didn¡¯t even know who they worked for. They were nestled inside many top organisations and even the Solar Council itself. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°I will be there in a minute,¡± Windsor replied. The assistant hastily retreated back into the base. Windsor didn¡¯t fault the Level 2 as hardly anyone wished to be outside when Nitisha did her bloody work. He followed the assistant a moment later. The report awaited in the specially-designed and protected room. If the base was discovered before Windsor was ready, his plans would be delayed by decades. Despite all the safety measures, they still failed. A girl from the Scottish cluster found them. She was easily handled even though her Talent made her very elusive. During the interrogation, they discovered a significant loophole where the tracking system could be accessed from the unauthorised terminals. It was fixed now but the damage had been done. While the location wasn¡¯t connected with Windsor, Wagner Zimmermann might think about a rescue mission. In fact, considering the recent development in the region, the location of the base was threatened, which was the third major thing on Windsor¡¯s mind. The global sub-boss dominion appeared about five hundred kilometres from the base. Out of the context it sounded like a large distance but the dominion itself had over two hundred kilometres diameter and was constantly growing. The dominion was what the report was about as well or more importantly about the people who were coming to defeat the sub-boss. Windsor opened the report and read the information packet. Things were worse than Windsor expected. Not only was the number of organisations and people interested in this dominion substantial, but the individuals coming here were a serious threat to Windsor¡¯s project. Siberius Sael was the greatest of them. Windsor was mildly disappointed that Esopp Earl wasn¡¯t coming here. His spies confirmed that Tyr Truman was going to represent his organisation. Zimmermann stayed hidden in his stronghold in Geneva, Curt in his base in South America. Earl and Keynes Kid were missing although the boy had appeared in the ranking some time ago. Could he use this convergence to his advantage? With so many leaders in one place, he could cut off many heads with one swing. He thought back to Nitisha. She was strong enough to kill the likes of Siberius Sael and in the unlikely event of her dying, he would be fine with the loss. Nitisha slowly outlived her usefulness. In her state, she couldn¡¯t carry any administrative tasks. Many of the researchers feared her as she¡¯d killed a few already in bursts of rage. Yes, Windsor said to himself. This should work. One way or another, I¡¯ll get rid of some issues. *** Letchworth Truman circled the sky high above the base. His mind didn¡¯t work like it¡¯d used to but he still thought like a human even though he wasn¡¯t one anymore. Far below, a powerful ascender, who had to be Windsor Freeman himself, left the roof disappearing from Letchworth¡¯s senses. But the president wasn¡¯t why Letchworth was here. Nitisha Romanov was. Somehow, she had undergone the same transformation Letchworth had and turned into something else, something more. He was glad to find her and though a small part of him felt sorry that she¡¯d have to die so he could thrive, Letworth wasn¡¯t going to hesitate. Killing another of his kind was necessary to evolve. He¡¯d evolved once already when a flying monster came to his mansion in England and had tried to kill him. It¡¯d been a difficult but rewarding fight. The evolution granted Letchworth an ability to fly, extending his senses substantially, which helped him locate Romanov. But the timing was not right. Letchworth didn¡¯t feel confident enough that he could handle both Romanov and Freeman at the same time. He needed to separate them. For that, he was going to alert the female and lure her away before Freeman got wind of Letchworth¡¯s presence. As he lowered the latitude, Nitisha¡¯s bald head snapped, her eyes looking at him with hunger and hatred. Letchworth¡¯s metre long tongue flicked, taunting the inferior creature then he started to fly away, keeping low enough to stay in the range of her senses. She followed him in a heartbeat. *** Keynes and Esopp joined the official group from Geneva. Apparently, they created a smokescreen for the spies, making them think that Tyr was coming here. Keynes didn¡¯t question the decision, finding he didn¡¯t care much. But soon after the meeting, Esopp took Keynes away for an important talk. ¡°Do you remember when you asked me to investigate the coordinates your friends had been taken to?¡± ¡°I remember everything,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Did you learn anything?¡± Esopp nodded, looking quite solemnly. ¡°It has taken some time because of the way Freeman ran things. Each of his projects was isolated and led by a different senior officer. I was in charge of Hidden Hand, and indirectly responsible for you as well. Caesar Stonewood was in charge of the Institute and another of Freeman¡¯s secret projects -- the Helios project. But the most important to us is what Nitisha Romanov was involved in. And that was called the Human project. I don¡¯t know the details but from what I managed to gather, this project was located somewhere in the Oriental League.¡± ¡°Do you think we¡¯d find it at the coordinates?¡± ¡°More than that.¡± ¡°Freeman.¡± ¡°Yes. I believe he and Nitisha Romanov would be there too.¡± ¡°Daiyu Fen has gone there¡­¡± Realisation hit Keynes. If Freeman got her, she was as good as dead. ¡°We must rescue her.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll but we need a plan.¡± ¡°Plan? Get Wagner, Columbus and Tyr here and let¡¯s attack the base.¡± Esopp shook his head. ¡°Columbus will not move directly against Freeman. Whatever is between these two prevents Columbus from taking a direct action and without him, our chances against Freeman are very much zero. He is not only Level 10 but also has access to a vault worth of skills and items.¡± Keynes clenched his fist, his chest was burning with rage. He couldn¡¯t let Freeman get away with this. Something had to be done about it. ¡°I think we can defeat him.¡± ¡°Keynes¡­¡± Esopp started saying but Keynes would have none of that. ¡°I have [Mind Illusion] now. If I get to Level 4, attribute-wise I am going to be on your Level but my spiritual aura would be much stronger and it should be enough to disarm Freeman for long enough for others to deal the killing blow.¡± ¡°What about Romanov?¡± ¡°What about her?¡± ¡°Between the two, she¡¯s the real monster. Her Talent is less flashy than Columbus¡¯s but the longer she fights the stronger her attacks become. If she levelled up, you alone won¡¯t be enough.¡± A chill shot through Keynes¡¯s spine as his mind cleared, becoming cold and focused. ¡°I am going to be enough.¡± Chapter 118: Queen Every major power in the world had their agents located around the sub-boss dominion in the Oriental League. There was little dispute how crucial this dominion was. Getting the Orb of Dominion was one thing, but that could be achieved by killing a local dominion boss. There was another reason why so many ascenders came here. Killing this boss would grant rewards greater than even the weekly top 1 rank and with this boss gone, they¡¯d be a step closer to get access to the global boss with its myriad of rewards like Level 5 special rifts and rift orbs. Everyone was hungry for gaining an edge over their competitors. The Solar Council agreed to send the joint military operation to tackle the sub-boss but that was barely a smoke screen. When rewards of such calibre were involved, cooperation was out of question. The most prominent figure that came to the dominion himself was Siberius Sael, the head of the Sael family and Sael Supreme Holding, the parent holding of many smaller Sael-owned companies, including Sael Elixirs, the direct competitors of Wagner Zimmermann¡¯s potion-selling company (now a branch of Untainted Paradise). Although Sael''s poison-focused Talents allowed them to specialise in poisons, with the arrival of the outbreaks, Siberius Sael expanded their portfolio to include all kinds of elixirs. Siberius and his son Marakus both came to ensure no failures. After Siberius¡¯s granddaughter, Vivena, had created her own dominion instead of delivering the orb to the head of her family as the tradition required, her entire family branch was stripped of executive positions and ostracised. It wouldn¡¯t end there though. Once Siberius was done with this dominion he was going to visit his granddaughter and punish her for the grave insult. But he didn¡¯t let these thoughts linger in his mind. Preparations to enter the dominion were underway. Siberius would lead a large team consisting of healers, heavy hitters and auxiliaries into the dominion. They were waiting for the scouts to return with their final reports. The initial reconnaissance had revealed many problems awaiting them inside and they had to double check their planned path. They assumed that the boss¡¯ location was in the centre of the dominion as had been the case for all others. ¡°Father.¡± Marakus entered the tent. He sounded agitated. ¡°I have news.¡± ¡°Our scouts have returned?¡± Siberius asked, without looking away from the map of this region. ¡°Not yet but confirmations came that others have entered the dominion.¡± This was a premature move. The Solar Council had agreed to not enter before tomorrow. Clearly something had forced their hand. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°BlueSpace has rushed inside.¡± Burgard Brenton was a greedy idiot. It had been his idea that the council should wait. Did he think others would not find out? This happened when small minds got lucky. But the mana containers weren¡¯t going to be enough to keep the man in the council. Or alive. ¡°Get everyone ready,¡± Siberius told his son. ¡°We¡¯re moving in.¡± Marakus moved to the exit. ¡°Make sure that our people understand the rules. Everyone inside the dominion, be it a monster or a human, is an enemy and has to be killed.¡± ¡°Of course, father.¡± *** Since learning about Daiyu Fen¡¯s possible fate, Keynes couldn¡¯t stay still. Torn by conflicting emotions, he meditated hoping to learn how to keep his mind calm and clear as it had been when he¡¯d been affected by that strange personality ailment. Technique of Meditation helped a lot but he didn¡¯t achieve what he desired. Still he patiently waited for Esopp¡¯s call. Apparently, they weren¡¯t the only ones entering the dominion. The Solar Council and individual parties were having a shot at taking down the sub-boss. Esopp didn¡¯t lie and told Keynes that it all was fuelled by greed. The Orbs of Dominion were worth fortune and on top of that, this dominion was expected to produce even greater rewards. Yes, these things sounded appealing but the feeling lasted only a fleeting moment before Keynes¡¯s thoughts returned to Daiyu Fen and Tulli. Despite the anger, Keynes wasn¡¯t the same kind of idiot he¡¯d been earlier. Invading Freeman¡¯s lair was a suicide. Worse than that, if others discovered the hiding location of Windsor Freeman, they would be tempted to bomb it into oblivion. It left Keynes with a few choices. Gaining Level 4 was the utmost priority. It was going to boost his base points to 35 each. Still 12 points short of Freeman if he remained Level 10. Keynes and Alice calculated how much essence he would need to get to Level 11 and figured out that chances of it were very low. Once Keynes got Level 4 he needed to work on his spiritual stage and aura. His aura control was good but the status of his techniques told him the dire story. If he hadn¡¯t received any new techniques, he didn¡¯t have anything special going. He had much to learn. Lastly, he needed better items. Esopp had warned him that Freeman had access to the most powerful items and skills from Level 1 and 2 rifts. Strangely enough, it¡¯d been Alice who stepped in and offered Keynes to create a training plan and a development path. She hadn¡¯t been able to do it earlier because Keynes hadn¡¯t known who he wanted to be but at some point, unconsciously he made up his mind and the option unlocked for her. Steps outside interrupted Keynes¡¯s meditation. He opened his eyes in time to see Esopp entering his tent. ¡°Others have entered the dominion.¡± ¡°Artefact Exchange?¡± ¡°No. They¡¯re waiting for us but everyone else who was stationed around the dominion has.¡± Keynes frowned at the relevance of the news. The dominion was enormous. What did it matter if others were inside? Esopp saw Keynes¡¯s confusion and said, ¡°This sudden rush inside of so many ascenders triggered something and the dominion is going to close itself in one hour.¡± ¡°An event inside the dominion?¡± Esopp nodded. Events are always handsomely rewarded by the System, Alice commented. Somehow, he wasn¡¯t entirely convinced. Maybe it was because of his ridiculously easy access to the hidden rewards that skewed his perception of the value of rewards but more likely it were the thoughts that whispered to him that it was going to be a waste of time. That he could achieve more elsewhere. I disagree, Alice said after reading his mind. First of all, defeating one of the global sub-bosses is going to give special rewards. I cannot say what these rewards are going to be but I feel like you will like it ¡­ a lot. Intrigued by her words Keynes gave Esopp the green light. Technically, they were equals as far as their company went but the other man showed Keynes a substantial amount of respect. Fifteen minutes later, a contingent of forty-five people stood in front of a large dome, its surface looked like a colourful soap bubble. Behind them lay the nearly depopulated camp. Only a handful of people would remain here and continue communication with Geneva and Emerald City. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Shortly before Esopp gave an order to enter the dominion one of Artefact Exchange agents approached him and whispered something. It made Esopp pause, then he beckoned Keynes to his side. ¡°We¡¯re going to be joined by an unlikely ally.¡± Keynes frowned. A Level 6 blonde woman walked out of the camp and joined the group. She is a mixed ascender. Half-half. It meant that her first three Levels came from human essence and the other three from rift essence. A quick maths revealed her base stats to be at 37 points each. Assuming she hadn¡¯t maxed out any of her attributes. Her items feel powerful, Keynes noted. Because they are. And she is close to reaching the Medium stage. That actually meant a lot. Anyone who had started cultivating their essence and was gaining higher spiritual stages shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly. ¡°Esopp Earl,¡± she said. ¡°I am surprised to find you here. Wagner assured us it will be Tyr Truman who was going to lead this operation.¡± She didn¡¯t sound surprised though. ¡°Tyr¡¯s elsewhere,¡± Esopp replied. ¡°Delving Level 4 rifts, I presume,¡± she said with a smirk. She had the pleasant face of a thirty-year-old woman¡­ Both Keynes and Esopp went stiff. Had Wagner gone mad and revealed her their plans? She noticed the reaction and added. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just a guess based on Wagner¡¯s comment at the council. He got everyone quite riled up with it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± Esopp said, waving her words away. ¡°Delving higher level rifts is a part of our business model after all.¡± She nodded, then her eyes found Keynes and turned to slits. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have been introduced.¡± She extended her hand. ¡°Serrata, CEO of Artefact Exchange.¡± ¡°Keynes Kid.¡± Keynes accepted her hand. ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± she said, her face becoming a smooth, smiling mask. Her aura was well-controlled and with Keynes¡¯s average aura reading skill, he didn¡¯t sense anything concerning. ¡°However, I have to admit, the dominion is the last place I was expecting to meet you.¡± ¡°We could say the same about you.¡± Esopp smoothly intercepted the conversation, knowing that Keynes had too little experience to handle it. ¡°Why is the owner of a giant like Artefact Exchange here in person?¡± Serrata took a moment to reply. Though they were in a rush, neither Keynes nor Esopp hurried her up. In the end they were rewarded with a big revelation. ¡°I¡¯m not the owner of Artefact Exchange. I¡¯m merely in charge of the company so there is a bit of room for me to add some extracurricular activities. I guess my reasons for being here mirror yours. We all wish to get stronger, which I believe is the ultimate reward of the dominion.¡± I like her, Alice admitted. She seems to understand the System better than most. Keynes agreed with Alice. Serrata reminded him of Pandora only without Pandora¡¯s roughness. He was intrigued by her now. What kind of a powerset did she possess with that kind of attitude? They were soon going to learn that as the time to enter the dominion arrived. Esopp gave the order, after explaining to Serrata that he was the one in charge of this operation. Serrata didn¡¯t have an issue staying in the back seat. You are inside the Dominion of Altera. * The Dominion of Monsters Local Event * Queen¡¯s Edict The global sub-boss has established its dominion and its power grows uncontrollably. Kill it before it becomes too powerful! Mission: Kill the sub-boss. Bonus Mission: Kill all the sub-boss¡¯ champions by yourself. Bonus Mission: Destroy the dominion spawning ground before killing the sub-boss. Bonus Mission: Earn the most points out of the survivors upon killing the sub-boss (leaving the dominion prematurely disqualifies from completing this mission). * Additional rules: For the duration of the event, the dominion is closed for anyone from outside. Leaving the dominion is possible but returning is not. * Gain 1 point for every 6 minutes spent inside the dominion. * Monsters grow stronger with each killed contender. * Monsters grow stronger over time. * Gain additional rewards and points for surviving the event and completing additional missions that may become available during the event. * Additional debuffs have been inflicted on you. * Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). All your base attributes are lowered by 20%. * Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). You are more susceptible to illusion and mind-related attacks. * Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). Your regeneration is lowered by 1% for each hour inside the dominion. (Regeneration cannot become negative). * Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). Wounds inflicted by the environment inside the dominion have a chance to get infected by a random pathogen. * Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). Items have lowered durability by 10%. * Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). Your Perception is lowered by 10%. * Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). The expenditure of Stamina is increased by 45%. * Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). Monsters sense your presence from farther away. * Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). Killing dominion monsters taunt other monsters in vicinity and make them attack you, increasing their stats by 20% (stack up to 5 times). * Debuff acquired! The Purifying Body buff failed to activate! Your spiritual energy and efficiency is decreased by 50%. Kill Altera to unlock the second global sub-boss. The second global sub-boss will grow stronger upon the death of Altera. Keynes felt as if he was hit by a train. The amount of the debuffs was insane. But that wasn¡¯t all. The air inside the dominion was heavy and stank. He saw people around him drop to their knees and vomit. Even Esopp¡¯s face went white though the man kept himself upright. ¡°This is worse than we expected,¡± Serrata muttered, gritting her teeth. A booming roar sounded in the distance and Keynes felt his body slowly go stiff. Instantly his Purifying Body acted and blocked the negative effect. Others weren¡¯t so lucky and froze in place, disabled by fear. ¡°We have to get moving!¡± Esopp hissed. ¡°We can¡¯t fight here.¡± Alice, go and scout ahead. My powers are severely limited here, master, but I will do what I can, she sounded distant and weak. As Keynes began helping others to their feet, he started questioning the idea of coming here. They were not prepared to face this kind of enemy. Chapter 119: In the Lands of Debuffs Keynes¡¯s group covered barely a half kilometre when the event message informed everyone that the dominion had been sealed. It meant no help from outside. While Keynes was fine with that, most of their group had been struggling. It was a hard task to move forward when a random roar in the distance could freeze people in place. The number of lesser debuffs that had an extremely short duration or range was staggering. They came and went, though Keynes¡¯s defensive buff was usually enough to completely block them off, others didn¡¯t have the same luxury. Only the dominion debuffs were stronger than Keynes¡¯s protection. Luckily for them, they hadn¡¯t been attacked by any monster, but it could only be attributed to Alice who guided them between packs of roaming beasts. Nonetheless, she warned Keynes that very soon the passage would become too narrow and they¡¯d step into the range of monsters¡¯ senses, ending their ¡®peaceful¡¯ time. Their plan was to get to the narrow ledge with only two positions to defend. They were planning to make a camp there and consider their next step. Esopp didn¡¯t hide that the number and severity of debuffs had surprised him as much as the event sealing the dominion. Also, when the dominion sealed itself, it released the total count of contenders inside. Dominion Contenders: 5023 The event ranking was currently unavailable but Keynes had already received 10 points that accrued passively for being inside the dominion. It meant that they spent an hour inside the dominion. A roar cut through them like a sword. Keynes felt like his insides were caught on fire. The procession immediately halted, many ascenders dropped on the ground and started writhing. Keynes, Esopp and Serrata who were least affected looked sharply around as the roar came from nearby. Alice! What¡¯s going on? What was that? Keynes asked while he watched the thick bushes and trees near them. The difference in foliage between the dominion and the outside was stark. The dominion must have some undisclosed effect on the flora. Trees were taller, bushers thicker and denser, colours deeper. Even the World Reserve wasn¡¯t this abundant. On top of that, the air grew harder to breathe. I do not sense¡­ oh! Watch out! A car-sized, green panther jumped out of bushes, aiming its twenty centimetres-long claws at Keynes. ¡°GET BACK!¡± Keynes roared and then unleashed his two auras, narrowing them down to absolute limit. [Chaos Aura] hit the monster¡¯s side as Keynes rolled out of its way. He sensed the breath of air touching his head and heard the massive paw slam the ground shy of where Keynes stopped the roll. Shit, this was close! It was easy to discard the 20% base attribute penalty at first but that amounted to 6 points per attribute and when confronted by a Level 3 monster, the penalty became a real deal. Esopp and Serrata didn¡¯t wait and attacked too. [Ice Shot]s tore through the panther¡¯s fur with ease. A bow appeared in Serrata¡¯s hands. ¡°[Piercing Arrow].¡± An arrow flashed and pierced the panther. It roared in agony, momentarily disorienting everyone. Keynes enveloped himself with [Chaos Aura] remembering Alice¡¯s trick from the labyrinth. The powerful debuff was completely neutralised before it reached him but Keynes¡¯s stamina dipped dangerously. The Deadly Labour debuff was a pain in the neck. As others still reeled from the panther¡¯s cry, the monster reoriented its body, its eyes found Serrata. Somehow the woman had dealt the most damage to the monster. Its muscles tautened as it readied itself to pounce on her but Keynes reached the monster faster, Shortsword of Speed appeared in his hands as he swung down. The blade cut the nape of the panther but didn¡¯t manage to sever its spine. The panther blurred, its clawed paw missing Keynes¡¯s chest by a hair¡¯s breadth. It was a spell, Alice informed Keynes. A counter-attack type. Your attack must have triggered it by meeting some condition. I believe it was some kind of grave wound. Keynes felt that too; a gentle outburst of spiritual energy. The panther¡¯s front fur changed colour to red from the excessive bleeding. Still the panther stood, but upon probing with spiritual aura, Keynes felt that the monster¡¯s life was being drained at a rapid pace. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t it attack?¡± Serrata asked as she got back to her feet. It was a good question. Usually, rift monsters were unrelenting in their attacks except¡­ Oh. Shit. Keynes remembered champions from the Level 3 rift. They hadn¡¯t been smart but they¡¯d been cunning. Alice! Check the perimeter! But they were too slow in the realisation as several smaller panthers exploded out of the woods and tore through the backlines until they met the six elites from Untainted Paradise. Keynes¡¯s spiritual senses pinged an alert and his attention snapped back to the large panther. Its health pool was no longer dropping. There had to be some kind of a recovery link between the large panther and the smaller ones. ¡°Help the backlines. I will take care of the large one,¡± Keynes said, Serrata gave him a doubtful look but Esopp moved without hesitation. ¡°You sure?¡± she asked. Keynes nodded then shot forward activating [Spiritual Ghost]. The panther saw him coming but without a spiritual signature, it must have assumed it was an illusion or something along the line and didn¡¯t react. At least until Keynes got very close. It barred its long fangs and tried to snap at where Keynes was approaching it but he saw it coming and unleashed his [Chaos Aura] again, slamming it into the panther¡¯s face. This time the aura did its job melting the monster¡¯s face, killing it. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. As it died, the Hateful Slayer debuff activated and the panthers from the backlines rushed at Keynes, ignoring everyone around them. This time the debuff worked against the dominion monsters as blinded by the primal hate, they made no moves to block or avoid attacks coming from Esopp, Serrata and a few others who were capable of inflicting damage. It also revealed that there had to be either a local cooldown to the taunt or some kind of hierarchy that ignored deaths of lesser creatures after the stronger monster had been killed. Only one Level 2 panther reached Keynes alive. Keynes killed it with his shortswords with some serious effort. While the taunt had the cooldown, it still stacked five times, which amounted to 100% increase in strength. When the last monster was killed off, a tense silence stretched for a few seconds. Even groans of the wounded barely disrupted it. But as no more attacks came, they relaxed. Healers shook off the dazed they¡¯d been under and rushed to the wounded. Keynes found himself completely drained from the short skirmish. It was disturbing how taxing the fight was inside the dominion. It was a single Level 3 monster and a few Level 2s. This shouldn¡¯t have been so difficult. ¡°Seven dead,¡± someone said in the background. Keynes¡¯s eyes widened at this. Seven people, already? Then he checked the contender¡¯s counter and shook his head in disbelief. Dominion Contenders: 2144 Almost three thousand ascenders died within an hour. The difficulty of this dominion was insane. Esopp and Serrata approached Keynes once all the orders had been given. ¡°You¡¯re alright?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Keynes nodded then turned to them. Behind their backs, activity bustled. ¡°We must get to the ledge before nightfall,¡± Serrata said, bringing Keynes¡¯s attention back to her. ¡°If an attack like this happens during nighttime, we¡¯re dead.¡± Esopp agreed with her. In fact, the skirmish prompted a discussion from the three leaders. Clearly, their previous assumptions and plans were insufficient inside the dominion. The worst feeling came from the realisation that the weakest ascenders in their group slowed them down. Some of them had to be carried because they¡¯d gone completely stiff from the amount of debuffs they had no protection against. Once the dead were buried, the group moved forward. The ledge was only five kilometres away but their current pace meant they¡¯d arrive there in the middle of night. This, assuming they wouldn¡¯t be attacked, of which they were quickly disabused an hour later. A small horde of Level 1 and 2 monsters came at them from all sides. They weren¡¯t cunning like the Level 3 panther and rushed at the ascenders like normal rift monsters. Still, the monsters managed to kill another two people and wound ten more. The battle lasted about half an hour, which drained everyone¡¯s stamina. Even though the singular monsters weren¡¯t strong, their number made up for that shortcoming. Unfortunately, their break wasn¡¯t long as the fight had attracted more powerful creatures from farther away and soon the group found itself chased by a Level 3 centipede that shot venomous stings. That wasn¡¯t even the worst. Keynes and others realised that something was seriously wrong when some people in their groups went pale or blue or green. Keynes¡¯s spiritual sense blanketed as much area as possible and he found the issue. A quick [Inspect Plant] revealed a species of plants that mildly burned uncovered flesh. While the damage from the plant wasn¡¯t anything serious, when it coupled with the Offsprings of Hate debuff the results were devastating, their people were falling over and not getting up. Keynes made the group stop as woods and bushes grew even denser ahead of them. ¡°Healers, see to the wounded!¡± Esopp shouted, while the strongest regrouped to fight the centipede. It scampered toward them with untamed eagerness. As Esopp sent [Ice Shot]s at it, the centipede twisted its body, evading the attacks. Keynes felt the spiritual energy again. The centipede used a skill. Assuming it had a cooldown, Keynes shouted, ¡°Attack it again!¡± Both Esopp and Serrata dumped their attacks on the centipede. Even though the monster didn¡¯t use active spells again, it still managed to dodge a few [Ice Shot]s and arrow spells. The centipede¡¯s elusiveness came at a cost though, its durability was quite low. It only took several spells to take the monster down, but that wasn¡¯t why they¡¯d been running away. Its death taunted other monsters in the vicinity and soon they had another fight at their hand. ¡°We can¡¯t keep fighting like this.¡± Esopp looked worse for wear. He was panting as much as everyone else. This time even non-combatants were forced to defend their lives. ¡°The Hateful Slayer debuff is ridiculous. What is the range of that thing?¡± ¡°It may be the Level-dependent thing,¡± Serrata said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. It was a smart assumption. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we saw the worst of it. We¡¯ve barely entered the dominion and look at us. We¡¯re already down to thirty people.¡± The exhaustion was taking its toll as well. The true peril of dominions didn¡¯t lay in the monsters but the debuffs. The crazy ones like Deadly Labour were draining them so quickly they had to take turns fighting the strongest monsters. Keynes¡¯s trump card, [Chaos Aura], was so heavy on his stamina that he had to switch back to using his shortswords. Eventually, the monsters stopped coming at them. But no one in the group had any reason to be happy about it. Yes. One or two people actually levelled up but a single Level wasn¡¯t going to make a difference because the night was approaching. Serrata feared it the most, for some unexplained reason and she wasn¡¯t wrong. Shortly after Taker, one of the elite squad from Untainted Paradise, came to tell them that Umber, one of his fellow soldiers, had perished, an event message appeared. Bonus Event Rulers of the Night With the onset of nighttime the true perils awake. Survive the night and be rewarded. Countdown: 1 hour to start. ¡°This is over,¡± said someone from the group. They were all exhausted beyond measure and were losing the will to continue the dangerous journey. Going back was out of the question, especially during the night and moving forward didn¡¯t look like a viable option when the body refused to even twitch. Some others were too tired to say anything and only nodded in resignation. ¡°Retreat?¡± Serrata whispered when the three leaders walked a distance away from the rest. They considered collecting the fallen but the arrival of the bonus event cancelled their plans. They couldn¡¯t leave the survivors. Their number dropped to twenty-six out of forty-six in the span of seven hours. The total count of contenders inside the dominion showed only 899 ascenders now. ¡°We¡¯re halfway to the ledge,¡± Esopp mused. ¡°What good awaits us there if we¡¯re out of people when we reach it?¡± ¡°We have one hour to press forward. Judging by the timing between the disappearance of the monsters and this bonus event, I am pretty sure we have an hour to recover before more dangerous creatures will attack. If we get to the ledge, we can make a stand there. I still have [Blizzard] and I am sure you two can come up with some extra stuff.¡± Serrata gave Esopp a long look. Without Alice around, Keynes could only guess what her feelings were other than being tired of this shit. Esopp didn¡¯t falter under her stare and stood straight as always. He had a presentation of a leader. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll listen to you though,¡± Serrata admitted. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen people so wretched and tired in a long time.¡± A vial appeared in Esopp¡¯s hand. ¡°Stamina potion,¡± he explained. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you given this to us earlier?¡± Serrata asked, growing wary. ¡°Because it isn¡¯t for us. Wagner pushed this potion to the limits and while it is very potent, it has a massive drawback. Once its effect runs out, you¡¯ll find yourself on the ground unable to lift a finger. Nonetheless, it is enough to get this bunch up and running. Two and half kilometres isn¡¯t some unachievable distance.¡± Serrata squinted at Keynes, clearing, seeking his opinion. ¡°We came here to get stronger. Yes, we¡¯ve made the mistake of dragging others with us but with the potion, we could give them a choice. Those who want out will be safe outside of the dominion. But other than that there is no doubt in my mind about pressing forward.¡± Serrata nodded. ¡°Fair enough,¡± Esopp said. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Time isn¡¯t exactly on our side.¡± Chapter 120: Night Essence They reached the ledge in half an hour. Esopp¡¯s guess turned out to be the correct one and nothing had attacked them on their way there. It meant they had another thirty minutes to rest. And they needed it. Four of them: Keynes, Esopp, Serrata and Taker hadn¡¯t taken the stamina potion and upon reaching the ledge, they felt like collapsing with the exception of Esopp who had a passive [Endurance] skill. Those who had taken the potion had over an hour of abundant stamina recovery before, the negative effect of the potion would kick in and they¡¯d lose all their stamina in a few seconds. This had to be the worst potion Wagner had offered to others. Out of their surviving group, only twelve people continued the journey and fourteen had decided to leave the dominion. Those fourteen were guaranteed no repercussions for their withdrawal. From Untainted Paradise, apart from Keynes and Esopp, the five elites and one healer stayed. From Artefact Exchange it was two elites, one healer and Serrata. Keynes and Esopp had encouraged everyone to go as they couldn¡¯t guarantee their survival. Keynes was internally glad that not everyone left though. While he had to be stronger, he¡¯d come to accept that his allies and employees would need strength as well. It saddened him to lose Umber, one of his elites, but the world and the System was designed to favour the strongest and there was nothing he could do about it. Rebelling against reality was the forte of Kazmon¡¯s and Li Bell¡¯s science fiction stories but Keynes didn¡¯t believe the System was capable of granting divine powers that could bring the dead back to life or change the way the System worked. As the group settled down inside a natural alcove, Keynes immediately started to meditate. Serrata and Taker just lay down to recover their stamina their own way. The rest stood guard until the bonus event began. Debuff acquired! The length of the debuff decreased by 25% (Purifying Body effect). The strength of the debuff decreased by 10% (Purifying Body effect). You are less cautious of dangers. Your movements are slowed by 10%. Keynes jumped to his feet when he heard people collapse. ¡°The stamina potion¡¯s effect ended,¡± Esopp said as he rose from where he sat against the wall. Serrata and Taker got to their feet as well. The elite soldier checked his armour, which looked too modern to be a rift drop or even crafted from any exotic materials but Keynes wasn¡¯t going to waste his precious stamina on checking him with his aura. With the arrival of the debuff, came a sensation of calmness. There was nothing else; no roars, no growls. Just a tranquil night. It encouraged them to put aside their worries and take a good night''s sleep. If not for the Purifying Body, Keynes would have joined Taker and Serrata as the two were affected the most and returned to where they¡¯d lain. ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Esopp said. Keynes realised that the other man wasn¡¯t aware of the Depth of Night debuff. Somehow, only Keynes saw it for what the unnatural lull really was. ¡°It¡¯s too quiet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a debuff. It makes you feel safe.¡± Esopp gave him a surprised look then kicked Serrata, in turn, surprising Keynes. ¡°Get up. It¡¯s not safe. It¡¯s a debuff.¡± Luckily, Serrata slowly rose to her feet. Judging by her movements, she wasn¡¯t alarmed by Esopp¡¯s words but she understood what they signified. The Rulers of the Night arrived shortly after that. They were dark-skinned, rhino-sized reptiles but other than that the monsters came in many different variations, often otherworldly but one thing they had in common - they were silent. A large lizard and even larger snake came from two sides at the same time. Using [Night Sight], Keynes didn¡¯t have any issues dispatching the lizard. Esopp and Serrata didn¡¯t fare much worse. As the next wave of monsters came, they realised how weak the creatures of the night were. It looked like they traded off their strength for the powerful debuff that made their prey unaware of the peril. One hour into the night, Taker got up and reinforced Keynes¡¯s side. Halfway through the night, the rest of the group recovered enough to join the battle. An idea to swap places with those who had been fighting for hours floated but it quickly became clear that others were still under the effect of the Depth of Night debuff and couldn¡¯t be trusted to be left alone. As the sky started to lit up, the debuff vanished. Suddenly, everyone¡¯s eyes widened in alert as they realised what they¡¯d gone through. Congratulations! You have survived the Bonus Event: Rulers of the Night * Rewards: 300 dominion points Random item with dominion affinity Night Essence ¡°Are you seeing this?¡± someone asked. ¡°I''m bummed that there was no boss,¡± Serrata complained. Esopp¡¯s brows climbed as he stared with disbelief at the CEO of Artefact Exchange. It wasn¡¯t hard to see where she wasn¡¯t coming from. The rewards seemed generous while the difficulty of the bonus event wasn¡¯t that high. At least to Keynes and Esopp. The others would have died in their peaceful sleep. Everyone went over their own items. Keynes received a leather helm with 3 points to Mind and an intimidation skill that worked only on dominion monsters. Others received items of similar calibre and to Keynes mild surprise, they looked excited. Even with his memory it was easy to overlook the simple fact of how inaccessible items were to others. Only Serrata and Esopp looked unimpressed. What¡¯s the deal with the night essence? Keynes asked. If absorbed it should add 1% toward progress no matter what Level you are. However, your penalties still apply, master. That isn¡¯t all, is it? Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. No. Of course not. It is night essence after all and as its name suggests it has night affinity. It has other uses. I can speak only about one of them at this point and it is upgrading skills. As you should be aware by now, you can upgrade skills by cycling essence through them and rebuilding their structure. Night affinity reinforces the night component of night-associated spells. Would that include [Night Sight]? Yes. Impatience took over Keynes and he almost absorbed the essence but Alice stopped him, pointing out that he didn¡¯t know how to cycle essence through skill cores. It was a solid argument; one Keynes couldn¡¯t disagree with. ¡°I will buy your night essence,¡± Keynes said to others. A stunned silence answered him. One of Serrata¡¯s eyebrow rose while Esopp¡¯s gave Keynes a warning look. Yes, knowledge was power. But Keynes understood the concept now. Things he had given away in the past were born out of willingness to help others to grow stronger. However, when the same knowledge could be used against Keynes, the whole idea of sharing, kind of, fell apart. ¡°Do you know what it''s for?¡± Serrata asked, fishing for information. The intensity of Esopp¡¯s stare increased, conveying a strong message to Keynes to shut up. ¡°Maybe.¡± Others in the group got interested and were now focused on Keynes. ¡°Interesting,¡± Serrata mused. ¡°How much would you pay me for the essence?¡± ¡°A Level 4 rift item.¡± That caught everyone off-guard. Esopp sighed, realising that his warnings were in vain, which was not true. Keynes wasn¡¯t going to share anything that could jeopardise them or their company. ¡°A Level 4 rift item?¡± He heard the same question repeated from other Artefact Exchange representatives. But their boss was far sharper than any of them and she easily picked up on the fact that the Untainted Paradise¡¯s elites were less surprised. ¡°So you weren¡¯t joking around about Level 4 rifts,¡± she added when neither Keynes nor Esopp said anything. ¡°No. Wagner plans to start selling Level 4 materials once we¡¯re done with the preliminary tests,¡± Esopp said. She looked like she wanted to continue the conversation with Esopp but her attention swayed back to Keynes, her blue eyes stabbing him with burning curiosity. ¡°I will trade you my essence for the information. What¡¯s the use of this essence?,¡± Serrata said. It was an unexpected offer. Keynes had a vague idea how much a Level 4 rift item would be worth. A real fortune at this stage. He didn¡¯t know if Level 4 items dropped from the dominions or as the reward for placing in the top in the ranking but regardless, it still would make such items almost non-existent in the market. The woman¡¯s offer intrigued him because it was hard to fathom that someone was willing to trade away a fortune for a piece of knowledge. As Keynes considered it, he pointedly wasn¡¯t looking at Esopp. Eventually, Keynes decided to stick to his current stance. ¡°I don¡¯t trade information.¡± ¡°In this case, I¡¯d keep the essence.¡± He nodded to this albeit disappointed but as the two leaders fell silent others in their group sensed their chance. ¡°Boss, I will take up on your offer,¡± Taker said, then other four elites and the healer joined him. People from Artefact Exchange looked sick as they were torn between their loyalty to the company and desire to own a Level 4 item. Serrata turned to her people. ¡°You¡¯re free to take up on the offer as well,¡± she told them. ¡°Actually, I urge you to do so.¡± Their faces lit up but before anyone could say anything she added, ¡°However, I¡¯d double the price and offer you two such items if you sell the essence to me.¡± Esopp snorted then placed a hand on Keynes¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve been played.¡± Keynes frowned. That wasn¡¯t true. He could still bargain. With the Level 4 rift cluster, he could double Serrata¡¯s offer. There was no way she could afford four items per person. Keynes almost said it aloud when Esopp¡¯s eyes caught his attention and Esopp¡¯s words replayed in his mind. Of course, Esopp knew that Keynes could outdo anything the woman was going to offer and yet he made it sound like Keynes already lost the bidding war. As everyone scattered to mind their own duties, Keynes sat down, leaning against a rock. He was furiously trying to figure out what Esopp had seen that Keynes had missed. He considered asking Esopp but he was currently busy going over the items their people had received for surviving the nightly event. Once they finished, it was time to plan the next step and Keynes wasn¡¯t any closer to figuring out what his fellow leader meant. If I can¡¯t guess it by the end of the day, I¡¯m going to fly him up and ask! Esopp was happy to continue the journey. He had plenty of stamina thanks to his passive [Endurance] skill. But he was the only one possessing such a boon unless Serrata was withholding information from them, which was a very real possibility now. On the side note, Keynes made a mental note to ensure that he and every high ranking person in their company absorbed the [Endurance] skill as well. However, he needed to find a way to turn it off at will or he¡¯d never be able to max out some of his attributes again. After a short debate, they decided to take a longer break to recover. The ledge barely saw any monsters since night ended and was easily defensible in case of an attack. At noon, the squad was ready to move forward, their next destination was 10 kilometres in the direction of the centre of the dome. They were going to find a small plateau there, hard to access but easy to defend, which was the most important criteria. Beyond that, their camps would be chosen at random as the mountain range veered to the north running away from the centre of the dominion. Esopp¡¯s reasoning behind sticking to the higher altitude was the lower number of monsters. They followed the ledge until they almost reached the ridge. Esopp¡¯s assumptions were correct as they saw fewer monsters, mostly flying ones that didn¡¯t seem to be interested in them. Keynes used [Flight] to scout around and kill stranglers. He badly needed essence. He hoped he¡¯d be able to level up before the fight with the sub-boss. As he landed several kilometres from their next camp. He checked on the grassy field that had pricked his spiritual sense while he was flying. Just be careful, Alice said. My spiritual sight is severely suppressed here. I did not sense the rulers of the night, for that matter. Keynes understood. Alice had a serious limitation as a scout. She saw the world through spiritual lenses. If something was capable of hiding their spiritual energy like Keynes¡¯s [Spiritual Ghost], she would not see it. The grass reached to Keynes¡¯s waist and swayed gently tugged by the breeze. The air was lighter here than it¡¯d been at the lower altitude of the dominion. It still carried a note of the dominion¡¯s influence but to a lesser degree. As he stood and enjoyed the slowly creeping evening, Keynes almost ¡®forgot¡¯ where he was. It felt peaceful. That spooked him. Is it possible for the dominion to hide a debuff from me? Keynes asked, growing wary of the tranquillity around him. There were no monsters around here. Why? I do not believe this dominion has a high enough tier, but in general, yes, more than likely. This didn''t make him feel any better. He turned around and realised that the grass seemed a little denser and higher than a moment ago. In fact, yes, it was¡­ As he tried to use [Flight] he felt a restriction being placed on his skill then the field exploded like a boiling cauldron and the grass swallowed him. In a blink of an eye, Keynes was inside a whirlwind of green. And then pain arrived as the grasses¡¯ edges turned dangerously sharp and began to cut Keynes to pieces. He tried to unleash his [Chaos Aura] to destroy the grasses but he found himself unable to access the skill What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On¡­ He thought, his mind slowly filling with agony. Alice! Where ¡­ are ¡­ you? She wasn¡¯t there. Their bond felt muted, distant. And then the distance started to grow. Was he dying? Not a chance! It would be a mockery of death. Killed by animated grasses. Not in a million years. Keynes focused his willpower and pushed against his surroundings with his spiritual aura¡­ Wait. Wait. Pushing his thoughts through overwhelming pain, he arrived at a realisation. This feeling. It felt familiar to Keynes. It felt like when Keynes had used the mind mushrooms! Keynes forced his mind to deny everything he was experiencing even if it felt very real. He didn¡¯t know how long it took him to get free but he eventually did, finding himself back on the field of grass that gently swayed in the breeze. Not a scratch on his body. It was just an illusion. Master! You are back. For a moment I feared I lost you. Yeah. That was strange. He shook off the rest of the fleeting, odd feeling. But what about the energy he¡¯d felt earlier? Chapter 121: Field of Grass Syberius stood in the middle of his camp, angrily staring at the flood of dominion monsters slowly surrounding it. Whoever thought to set off explosives here was going to be punished mercilessly. The blasts lured thousands of monsters to their location. All his plans turned to dust. They had been stealthy moving forward, keeping the attention of the monsters to the minimum until this failure occured. Syberius¡¯s eyes glanced around, searching for his son. He¡¯d had to be the one to approve the explosives without Syberius¡¯s knowledge. Marakus was nowhere to be seen though. Why? Where was that wastrel of a son? Soon the monsters hit the camp simultaneously, hinting at intelligence behind the attack. They were aware that some dominion monsters controlled their lesser brethren. Syberius had brought with him two hundred people varying from Level 1 to 5. He¡¯d managed to keep them alive as they had a good mix of damage dealers, healers and supports. Even with all the debuffs they had performed well. Last night was challenging. He lost a few capable ascenders but nothing he hadn¡¯t expected. This was a disaster. Like one living organism, the monsters began shredding defenders. Even with killing twenty monsters per one dead ascender, they would not win this battle. ¡°Where¡¯s my son?!¡± Syberius snapped, losing patience. Those that stayed with Syberius in the command tent shook their heads. They didn¡¯t know where Marakus was. Then it hit him¡­ This wasn¡¯t some failure. It was betrayal. Marakus had planned it. The realisation put a smile on Syberius¡¯s face. His son finally showed some spine. The spine Syberius was going to break once he got out of here. If he had to sacrifice everyone here, he would do so without hesitation. Syberius bared his teeth and jumped into the sky. Keeping [Flight] a secret from everyone had been the right choice. Without looking back, he flew toward the centre of the dominion. *** Hideko regretted coming here. It was a death sentence. The unrelenting stream of monsters was too much for a single person to deal with. No matter how many despicable creatures she cut down, more replaced them. She wanted out of here. Then why am I going forward? She asked herself. What drives me toward the centre of the dominion? It had to be another debuff. She guessed as she didn¡¯t see them all. Cutting yet another creature, she moved with fluidity bestowed upon her by [Sword Mastery]. With each step she made she got closer to the steep rocky wall. Because there seemed to be no flying monsters, she planned to climb the wall, escaping the relentless horde. Then she heard the explosions. They were distant, more than ten kilometres or more away but monsters froze then as if called by some unheard command turned as one and left Hideko alone and nearly dead. She slumped against a lone tree, not more than twenty metres from the rock she had planned to climb and realised that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do so. She was completely spent. ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡± a shout rang in the distance but she no longer cared. Her mind went blank from exhaustion. She collapsed. *** Eventually, Keynes narrowed the area to a patch one metre in diameter. Infuriatingly, there was nothing but homogeneous grass. Keynes went to one knee, scanning the small area with his spiritual aura. Something had pricked his spiritual senses on his way above this field. Was it simply the trap and nothing else? He refused to believe so. Are you sensing anything, Alice? I told you, master, this whole field has some sort of passive ability that hides everything inside it from my senses. Keynes sighed, continuing to look for the source of the spiritual signature. He¡¯d thought he¡¯d sensed a rift but he¡¯d clearly been wrong. Whatever it was, it came from the grass itself. Then a faint spiritual energy touched him. It was so gentle he initially discarded it. He pushed hand into the grass, browsing it with his finger. The source of the spiritual energy touched him and he picked a single blade of grass. The moment he picked it up, it transformed into an intricate and exotic-looking blade of grass.
Sensual Bladegrass (Rare) ¡°I wish to see everything, do you?¡± - Increases the strength of Spirit. The same types of improvements do not stack. - One use [Consumable] Level 3
Any ideas? Keynes asked. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Looks like a precious find or some kind of reward for overcoming the ordeal, she said. It doesn¡¯t have dominion affinity, Keynes said. But I suspect it appears only in monster dominions, perhaps only in sub-boss tiers and higher only. Yes. I can confirm as much. Can you now? Keynes added with a smirk, hoping to rile Alice up a little. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t take the bait and stayed silent. Keynes rubbed the rich texture of the bladegrass between his fingers wondering what he should do with it. A gardener¡¯s part of him wanted to take it back to Wagner and Pucci and see if they could grow it. Having a reliable source of spiritual power-up could be very important for making their employees stronger. On the other hand, there was no telling when the grass would reach Wagner and if it was possible to grow more of it. Considering his options, Keynes decided to use it. But¡­ How do I use it? By eating, Alice replied. Without thinking twice, he ate it. You have consumed Sensual Bladegrass. Your Spirit Core is being improved¡­ That¡¯s-- Pain attacked him without a warning. The world vanished only leaving his spiritual sense untouched. The bladegrass was dissolving and its energy was entering Keynes¡¯s Spirit core ¡­ reshaping it. Not all of it but some parts to be precise. If Keynes wasn¡¯t in agony, he would wonder why only some parts of his core were affected while others were left untouched. Luckily, the process was short. Keynes woke up with a start. How long was I out? Alice didn¡¯t answer and he suspected why. He felt different. Then the wall of system messages poured in. Mostly regarding debuffs. Their strength decreased from 10% to 25%. But that wasn''t all. Congratulations! Your Spirit Core has been improved. * Spiritual Aura Upgraded. * Spiritual Companion Upgraded. * Spiritual Resistance Increased. Unfortunately, the messages didn¡¯t explain details of the upgrades. Alice seemed to be also knocked out by the upgrade. After all, the bladegrass improved a spiritual companion as well. He was going to question her afterwards, for now Keynes focused on the changes in his core and found it smoother and less ¡­ irritating and more pleasing to his senses. Strange. As if there was a right way to shape the core. Did it have ¡­ a design preference? Keynes pushed his sense deeper into himself and discovered more interconnectedness. He was aware of this thanks to the Orb of Grand Insight but since then he hadn¡¯t been able to sense it even in the Superior stage. Until now. It wasn¡¯t super clear but enough for a start. What got Keynes attention was the connection to a small core. A Mind attribute core. Keynes realised upon touching it. The connection was a little bit more robust than others. It was annoying he couldn¡¯t tell if it was the result of the Bladegrass or it had been the case already. Happy with the improvement, Keynes withdrew his senses and then spread them around, blanketing a far greater area than before. A quick calculation told him that his spiritual aura should be stronger by around 30%. That was a massive upgrade. If Pucci could find a way to cultivate the Bladegrass¡­ This would be a huge boon to their company but given the strength of the upgrade, it was rather unlikely to be possible and if it was possible then the strength of upgrade was likely to be far weaker. Before Keynes cut off his spiritual aura, he focused it on the field of grass and noticed a very faint spiritual residue. An influence of the dominion. The dominion was transforming this entire place. Master! Alice eventually said. Their bond felt much stronger. I feel amazing, and strong. What has changed? Keynes asked, hoping to get some answer from her. A part of your Spirit core was reshaped and improved. It has changed the output of your spiritual energy, sensitivity of your aura, strengthened our bond and ¡­ slightly improved the connection Mind attribute, she replied, noting the same thing Keynes had found. What does it mean? She was thoughtful before she answered, also Keynes felt her attention through the bond, she was intently scanning him. It means that, at some point in the future, you will be able to start cultivating the Mind attribute, she replied then added quickly. It is similar to using the Orb of Perfection. Oh. That was interesting. Having limited Orbs of Perfection was a pain. He couldn¡¯t wait for the moment he¡¯d start doing it. Unfortunately, his progress would be affected because it was going to cost essence. Can you tell me more about upgrading attribute cores? She shook her head. Expected. Keynes noted that she was still hand-sized. But I can tell you more about the Bladegrass. Keynes nodded, giving her go-ahead. It is some kind of very rare consumable power up. There are many types but there seem to be limitations. The same types cannot stack but I do not know what ¡®type¡¯ means. Another limitation is its exclusivity. The Bladegrass cannot be found outside of a dominion event. She kind of had confirmed it already, however, this meant that different sorts of events should have different types of upgrades. Alright. It kind of makes sense. Like the night essence. Any clue if there are more of these things in this dominion? No idea. Useless, Keynes said with a big smile plastered to his face. This time Alice took a bait and launched a tirade at him. Let¡¯s go back to the camp, he interrupted her, pushing her over. Her spiritual attacks were ticklingly and he couldn¡¯t stop laughing. *** Serrata turned to Esopp Earl after Keynes Kid had flown away. He had a highly coveted and insanely expensive [Flight] skill. At this point, she was no longer surprised by that boy. Her boss¡¯s hunch about him was right. There was something deeply disturbing about Keynes Kid. He was too powerful for his age. She¡¯d need to dig deeper. ¡°What if he goes to the sub-boss by himself?¡± Serrata asked Esopp Earl, choosing not to mention [Flight]. ¡°Have some faith in Keynes,¡± Esopp said flippantly. Too flippantly for her taste. Was there something up? Their companies were allied but she couldn¡¯t rule out deception. Especially seeing how many dominion points their journey into the dominion was racking up. She had strong suspicions that whoever dealt the killing blow to the sub-boss would be rewarded far better than others. Serrata didn¡¯t have illusions that she could take on the sub-boss on her own. Being Level 6 inside a sub-boss dominion didn¡¯t seem to amount to much. Even Esopp Earl looked negatively affected by the insane debuffs and he was Level 7. ¡°After the stunt with the stamina potions¡­¡± She let the words hang there. Esopp Earl carefully looked her over. She couldn¡¯t decide what kind of look it was though. He seemed much different from what her intelligence had gathered. He was the head of the Earl family and used to be Windsor Freeman¡¯s top dog. But somehow he¡¯d given her a mixed vibe right now. ¡°The potions weren¡¯t even considered to be the part of this mission,¡± he replied eventually, looking over the beautiful vista below them. ¡°Wagner sent them as an extra with a warning that if we decide to use them, we should do so only against the sub-boss. However, the difficulty of the dominion surprised us and I made a call. There is nothing else to this.¡± She mulled his words over. They had some merit. Still, she couldn¡¯t banish an impression that a company that had a true monopoly on the potions hadn¡¯t equipped their party with any was odd. She shared her thoughts with Esopp Earl hoping he would also be forthcoming with her. He was too smart to be tricked like Keynes Kid. Politicians were a nightmare to work with. ¡°Why has your boss sent you here?¡± he asked instead, surprising her. She cursed, noticing the bluff, but she was too late. He already saw the confirmation on her face. When Serrata stayed silent, Esopp Earl added, ¡°I don¡¯t expect the answer. It¡¯s none of my business but I want you to understand one thing. While we¡¯re allies, there are also boundaries and pushing against them is ill-advised.¡± Chapter 122: Yellow River ¡°We broke into the weekly top 100 in the global ranking,¡± Serrata noted, a little surprised. Keynes had stopped paying attention to the global ranking a while ago when he¡¯d realised that he¡¯d need to look for dominion monsters to keep his rank, and events like the one in the Capital were rather rare. There were four rankings available to Keynes in the System interface. And the local one for this dominion. Only 343 ascenders remained inside this dominion. Still Keynes was surprised to find twenty-one people ahead of him. Especially with the extra points for completing the bladegrass challenge. Were others finding similar treasures or was it down to the number of killed monsters? Keynes leaned toward the latter as their current path saw fewer monsters and finding a natural treasure required a very strong Spirit. Obviously, he didn¡¯t know where he stood in terms of a spiritual stage against the rest of the world but it was unlikely The lull in the number of monsters was about to end very soon though. The mountain range veered north while they needed to go east to reach the centre of the dominion. From there, they expected to encounter far more monsters. ¡°As long as we stay out of Sandman¡¯s way, we are good,¡± Esopp responded to Serrata¡¯s comment. Sandman was currently the top 1 in the global monthly and all-time ranking. ¡°Didn¡¯t he work for you?¡± Serrata asked as she nimbly jumped from one rock to another. Their party was currently descending the mountain¡¯s slope, going into the jungle. ¡°Long story short, he didn¡¯t.¡± The topic dropped but Keynes sensed tension in Serrata¡¯s aura. It was quite clear but it was hard to tell if it was something new or simply the upgrade made it possible for him to sense more. Despite growing curiosity Keynes pulled his attention away from the conversation and focused on the terrain ahead. With a longer range, Alice was capable of warning him earlier about threats. Eventually, they left the mountain and entered the forest. With a smaller team, fighting monsters became surprisingly easier. They came in a greater number but Keynes¡¯s spiritual aura did its job, confusing and disorienting the monsters. Esopp was the first to notice that something was different about Keynes but he wisely didn¡¯t say anything. Another unexpected benefit of a stronger Spirit was a sense that Keynes was on a precipice of completely nullifying the debuffs except the Enemy of Chaos debuff which was very strong. It led him to theorise with Alice about his next Perfect State upgrade. If he received another body buff upgrade, which by itself should be strong enough to completely neutralise debuffs, and on top of that applied an Orb of Perfection on the debuff, would it mean he¡¯d be able to get rid of his Chaos debuff as well? Alice guessed that should at least make him 100% immune to all debuffs up to Level 4 without exception. It was extremely tempting to go this road but there were other options he¡¯d considered already. One being a Vitality attribute. It felt like an odd one and perhaps a waste of a precious orb if he could get his hands on some passive [Regeneration], [Restoration] or [Recovery] skill. So far nothing had shown up in the market and neither Alice could confirm that such skills existed. He believed that they existed but the drop criteria could be harsh. Still the hidden room was something that could circumvent such limitations. Why Vitality? Because it made him harder to kill and he was curious what would the Orb of Perfection alter in the case of attributes. Would Vitality be simply more efficient or would the scaling go up? Or maybe was there something more esoteric? He didn¡¯t know, the System didn¡¯t have the information available and Alice was tight-lipped on the matter. It was kind of stupid. What was the point of hiding the information? If people knew things ahead of time, the whole progress would speed up. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t something Keynes had any impact on and so he didn¡¯t bother with dwelling on it. Another option was his Talent. He knew that Pandora had used her Orb of Perfection on her Talent and it was improved. He¡¯d experienced it himself when they¡¯d sparred. She claimed to regret it but Keynes wasn¡¯t so sure if she understood the implications of having her Talent improved. It was something Alice had to explain to him because he hadn¡¯t known about it initially. There was a hierarchy of sorts, meaning that Talents were at the pinnacle and ruled everything else. For example, if there was a [Lockpicking] skill it wouldn¡¯t have the same power Keynes¡¯s Talent had and wouldn¡¯t open rifts or hidden rooms. This was why Keynes was very careful about investing everything into his body buff. If he encountered an ascender with a Talent that disabled other ascenders¡¯ buffs, Keynes would be in trouble. The issue still was a problem for tomorrow as Keynes had to level up first, which was unlikely to happen in this dominion. The penalties were too much. If they only went inside a month later, he¡¯d be Level 4 then and steamroll through this dominion without an issue. Instead, he was forced to do it the hard way. *** Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. They were growing tired. The forest was denser here than it had been at the outskirts of the dominion, as well as the air was thicker and heavier here. There were also more monsters. They came in larger groups and showed signs of intelligence in their attacks. The higher number of monsters put Serrata in the weekly top 40 and if they continued the current pace, she was confident of getting into the top 10 where items were of much higher rarity. Still there were other concerns on her mind. First was Esopp Earl¡¯s off-hand comment about Sandman. The current top 1 in the monthly and all-time ranking. Despite her best efforts, her company found out very little about the man. All she knew was that he¡¯d worked for the World Government until Windsor Freeman vanished. Esopp Earl¡¯s warning unsettled her but she didn¡¯t want to push the man. Even if she could defeat him as her base attributes were a little higher, fighting Keynes Kid and their elites would be dangerous. Not that she considered fighting her allies. Her boss had explicitly warned her against such a course of action. Not only they all needed Keynes Kid to keep opening rifts but also the boy was a big mystery. And here lay her second concern, after he¡¯d returned from the scouting his spiritual aura was stronger. It blanketed the area around them, doing something to the monsters. She¡¯d noticed Esopp Earl¡¯s concealed surprise and she furiously began to wonder; where did the boy take his strength from? What secrets he possessed and how could she convince him to share them with her? Esopp Earl was an obstacle, keeping the boy on a tighter leash than Keynes Kid was aware. It would be worthwhile to separate these two and question Kid. Day passed and with the night arrived another event, this one had a warning that the monsters were minimum of Level 3. Serrat ordered her people to rest before the event started. She needed them in the best shape. Losing more people was unacceptable. *** Two days later they had received a message that the sub-boss was attacked but the assault failed. ¡°Someone has already reached it? How?¡± ¡°Most likely an individual with movement or teleport ability,¡± someone replied. A good point. The fact that the attempt failed pointed toward that conclusion. Their group had managed to not lose any more members. In fact, the count of ascenders in the dominion was very slowly going down now. It stood at 290. Meaning that those who remained were strong. Keynes couldn¡¯t decide if the number was high or not. In some way, knowing that so many strong people were in the same place, filled him with concern. There was always a possibility that they would turn against him and his party, because of the way the dominion worked. It encouraged elimination of potential rivals. Especially that Keynes was now top 13, Esopp top 16 and Serrata top 18. They considered the bonus missions and decided against going after them. The truth was that they were ill-equipped and prepared to do it. After last night, the monsters got way stronger, almost bringing their expedition to halt. Individually, they were easy to deal with even for the elites in their party but these monsters always came in groups of a hundred at the very least. And if they weren¡¯t careful the Hateful Slayer debuff would attract too many pushing their group into a dangerous territory. This was not all. They also found a two hundred metres-wide belt of high, yellow grasses that cut the forest in two and from above looked like a yellow river. The forest on the other side looked different though. It was so dense and dark that it resembled a wall. Keynes and Alice sensed a lot of monsters moving through the grasses unseen. It reminded him of the Bladegrass and got him worried. What if a similar trap waited for them there. He would be fine but the rest of the group would be sitting ducks for the monsters. He had hope he¡¯d find more such treasures on their way here but nothing had stood out so far. ¡°What are our options?¡± Serrata asked, staring at the treacherous grass river. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can survive entering this.¡± There was a bit of silence as everyone considered her question. Then one of her elites raised a hand. Serrata nodded. ¡°What if Mr Kid flies us over?¡± Alice calculated the mana and stamina cost and time. It would be easy for him to do this. The issue lay elsewhere as Serrata quickly pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t think a single person can survive on their own on the other side, waiting for the rest. That other forest looks very uninviting and I have a suspicion that a new type of monster awaits us there.¡± Alice? Keynes asked. Could you scout ahead? I already did, master, she said with a heavy sigh. Whatever is there, hides from my senses. That was bad news. If the entire forest was pitch black and on top of that the monsters camouflaged their spiritual energy, they would not last long. It questioned the entire idea of entering the forest but it had to be done if they wanted to kill the first sub-boss. Keynes confirmed that he could do so but he agreed with Serrata that something dangerous lurked there and facing it one by one would be asking for trouble. ¡°What about two people?¡± Taker asked. ¡°Miss Serrata and Mr Earl should be able to hold off the monsters until more of us get there.¡± Taker¡¯s idea had a strong merit but Keynes warned them that the trip was going to tire him off and because his spiritual aura was the strongest and most sensitive, they were going to be at risk of an ambush. It sparked a debate, which slowly led to other groups in the dominion. Did any of them pass this strange grass river? If so, how did they do it? The count didn¡¯t go down much in the last couple of days, indicating that either the peril of the crossing was inflated by them and it wasn¡¯t as hard or no one else got to this point, except for a single jackass attempting to defeat the sub-boss. ¡°Maybe we should consider joining the Solar Council expedition,¡± the healer from Artefact Exchange said. To Keynes¡¯s surprise, no one outrightly objected. ¡°Assuming they are still in the dominion,¡± Taker said. ¡°You saw how many people have died in the first days.¡± The three leaders let others discuss the matter. It was interesting to hear out the thoughts of those below them in terms of power. In fact, looking at the issue through the prism of the likes of Keynes or Esopp would see others dead as they couldn¡¯t be expected to put up the same fight. Eventually they settled with Taker¡¯s idea of moving two at a time, starting with the strongest who could secure the landing spot. ¡°Watch out for fliers, jumpers and projectiles,¡± Keynes warned them as he grabbed their waists, their backs to him. He activated [Flight] and rose about thirty metres above the grasses. ¡°I¡¯m buying the skill no matter the price,¡± Serrata muttered half way there. ¡°It is--¡± A roar coming from the dark forest cut through the air. A wall of short-lived debuffs attacked and then the Level 4 monster the size of a house shot out of the dark forest. Champion! Keynes was forced to drop Esopp and Serrata. ¡°AH!¡± ¡°What the--¡± Then he dodge the monster¡¯s long tongue that snapped ominously where Keynes had been a second ago. Great. An oversized frog. Chapter 123: Threats Without a moment of hesitation, Keynes shot toward the giant frog. He didn¡¯t bother with physical attacks as he wasn¡¯t equipped for that, but once in range, he unfurled his auras. They slammed into the champion and for a second it resisted. Had to be the champion thing like it¡¯d been the case in rifts. But then its resistance vanished and the frog¡¯s face started to melt, warp and turn to dust all at the same time. The chaotic energies were brutally tearing the monster apart. It tried to shoot its tongue at Keynes but its mouth fell apart before it managed to properly open. Holy crap. Is this the bladegrass¡¯s doing? The strength of the spiritual aura-enhanced [Chaos Aura] was off the charts. Of course, Alice had to come back and spoil the fun. It appears that the champion has a chaos-related weakness, master. So, it wasn¡¯t the powerup then. That was disappointing but with how much strength his aura had gained, Keynes couldn¡¯t complain. Congratulations! You have killed the champion! Three champions remain. The reward was a substantial amount of dominion points and essence that hit Keynes like a track. Sadly it didn¡¯t even amount to 1% toward the progress. He quickly withdrew [Chaos Aura] leaving only his spiritual aura on. Then he heard the sounds of the battle in the grass, which was far higher than they had suspected. The only indication where Esopp and Serrata were was an ongoing blizzard. Shards of ice and thick snow created a thirty metres wide dome. Esopp¡¯s spell was tearing the grass apart and soon revealed the man standing in the centre, killing dexterous lizard monsters that got close to him. [Blizzard] wasn¡¯t enough to kill them but the ice shards did a good job of wounding the attackers while something seemed to slow them down. Serrata was doing much worse though because of her skillset. Without good visibility and range between her and her attackers, she was handicapped. She¡¯d also had to move out of Esopp¡¯s [Blizzard] as the skill didn¡¯t seem to discriminate between enemies and allies. It was something to think about in the future. Keynes barreled down, landing nearby Serrata. ¡°What was that?¡± she asked. ¡°A champion,¡± Keynes replied, pushing his spiritual aura against the monsters, slowing them down. Serrata¡¯s pulse sped up upon hearing it. Keynes swept her and took into the air, leaving Esopp alone for now. They flew to the other side where a mutilated body of the champion had fallen. ¡°Did you¡­¡± she muttered seeing the consequence of [Chaos Aura]. ¡°God almighty, what happened here?¡± Keynes landed at the edge of the dark forest. Shadows were unnaturally deep and intense. This wasn''t an usual place like the rest of the dominion, meaning it could hide another treasure. The perspective carried Keynes away a little¡­ ¡°Keynes Kid,¡± Serrata said. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Keynes shook off the pleasant thoughts and focused on what was going on around. There were no monsters coming from the dark forest but he needed to bring the rest of the team from the other side and get Esopp out of the mess. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Keynes said and took off. Flying above Esopp, he shouted and the other man heard him. Immediately, [Blizzard] ended and Keynes landed in the clearing created by the skill. The grasses were thin but at least four metres high. Somehow they didn¡¯t bend under their own weight. Not wasting time on thinking about this, Keynes grabbed Esopp and took off before lizards could overwhelm them without the support of [Blizzard]. After dropping Esopp at Serrata¡¯s position, Keynes then transported the rest to the other side. The lizards didn¡¯t leave the grass ¡®river¡¯ for some strange reason. It seemed like the dominion followed a completely different set of rules. Even more concerning were the changes to the terrain itself. It looked like everything inside the dominion was very elastic to the whims of the controlling power. A quick check in the System information confirmed that an owner of a dominion had a lot of control over most aspects inside the dominion. They weren¡¯t free though. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Serrat asked once everyone settled down. The body of the massive frog put them on edge. Even the elites from Untainted Paradise glanced nervously at it. Keynes didn¡¯t dwell on it. The champion was a weak and quick kill. Unlike others, Keynes was optimistic about the fight with the sub-boss. If the scaling wasn¡¯t too absurd, the power of the sub-boss shouldn¡¯t get out of hand. It raised a question about the current attempt and the strength of whoever tried to defeat the sub-boss. Either Keynes was too optimistic about his chance or the other ascender was far weaker than Keynes. He, naturally, preferred the latter option. ¡°We¡¯ll have to scout the path ahead before we commit into this direction.¡± Esopp pointed at the dark forest. ¡°Although there is no guarantee there is a way around it.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Can we even afford to go around?¡± Serrata enquired. ¡°I¡¯m concerned about the attempt on the sub-boss.¡± After seeing how weak the champion had been, Keynes started to share his sentiment. He didn¡¯t want to share the alternative option, which would be to leave the team and face the sub-boss alone. ¡°Does it even matter?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°One day here or there. I don¡¯t think it will make any difference.¡± He looked worse for wear and required a healer¡¯s attention after his ordeal. The Unwanted debuff that lowered base regeneration by 1% every hour spent in the dominion was already making a huge difference. Without a healer, the prospect of unhealable injuries would have been too dangerous to press forward. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a guess but I can only think about two people who would be stupid enough to go directly to the sub-boss,¡± Esopp replied. Keynes had been told that Syberius Sael, Vivena¡¯s grandfather, was going to be here. The way that man was described to Keynes, made him look like some bloodthirsty villain. Keynes didn¡¯t know who the second guy could be. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, it would imply that they have access to [Flight] or other movement ability. It is a disturbing prospect.¡± Keynes frowned. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything.¡± Esopp shrugged, unbothered. It visibly threw Serrata off balance. She was confused by the complete disregard of the issue by Esopp. Was Syberius Sael even their problem? Wagner mentioned that the man had requested a meeting with Keynes while Keynes had been in the World Reserve. So did Vivena. But they kept Keynes¡¯s return to Geneva quiet. With the world unified once more, there was always a risk of betrayal. This dominion was the best example of this. Even though the Solar Council sent a joint expedition, most of the powers had their separate parties here in hope to claim the rewards for themselves. Serrata exhaled, slightly irritated. She looked even worse than Esopp, although she didn¡¯t need healing. Her hair was dishevelled, her clothes torn in several places. After all, the Breakable debuff was lowering the durability of items by 10%. It clearly applied to all items, not only magical ones. ¡°Where does your total disregard for the issue come from?¡± What was going on? Where did all this talk about an issue stem from? And why was Keynes again out of loop? Because I don¡¯t care about these things most likely? But he was curious now, so he looked expectantly at Esopp. The elites and the healers glanced at each other and made themselves scarce, leaving the three leaders alone. ¡°First of all, this isn¡¯t a place for such conversation.¡± Esopp sat down on a fallen log. ¡°Secondly, we don¡¯t think Syberius is a threat you make out of him. He¡¯s ambitious, true, but beyond that there is not much to the man. He doesn¡¯t have a game changing Talent and all his eight Levels come from human essence, which makes his base attributes at¡­?¡± ¡°Thirty-nine.¡± ¡°Thirty-nine,¡± Esopp repeated. ¡°That¡¯s not much. I know that your base attributes are slightly higher than mine. So why should I care about Syberius¡¯s attributes?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s ruthless, ambitious and has wealth to back it up.¡± Esopp waved a hand, in an exact, dismissive manner that had kicked off this conversation. ¡°Syberius is a threat we know and we are sure we can handle. There are other individuals we should be worried about.¡± ¡°Sandman?¡± ¡°And Freeman. He¡¯s still out there after all.¡± A shout ended the sour conversation. Trees came alive like treants and swept their thick branches. Quickly, they realised how bad of a match up it was for them. [Ice Shot]s and Serrata¡¯s arrow attacks were doing very minimal damage. They needed fire. One of Artefact Exchange elites had [Fireball] but it was one person versus hundreds of trees. [Chaos Aura] was out of question unless Keynes wanted to melt his companions. So he stuck to using his spiritual aura but the trees seemed quite resistant to it. Using the aura actively also drained a lot of Keynes¡¯s stamina. The group had to retreat to the edge of the forest and rotate their attacks. The treants were slow but extremely durable. Even [Fireball]s had only marginally better effect than [Ice Shot]s or arrow spells. It would be nice to have [Create Fire] and [Fire Manipulation] at moments like this one. I¡¯d be able to burn the forest down. Indeed, master. I believe with the Bladegrass upgrade, your Spirit core is capable of absorbing another spell before Level 4. The problem here was the opportunity cost; by absorbing additional skills, Keynes lost opportunity to wear stronger items. It really showed that the System favoured ascenders with powerful spiritual cores. He was at the peak of Level 3 and still the number of spells and items he possessed was very low in his opinion. The battle lasted until night when they finally emerged from the forest on the other side. Keynes activated [Night Sight] and whistled. The dominion definitely was modifying the terrain to accommodate its own, unknown agenda. Ahead of them was a several kilometre-wide swamp. ¡°What now?¡± Serrata asked, exhausted. She was on her feet by sheer force of willpower. Everyone in their group, including Keynes, was extremely tired. Only Esopp¡¯s [Endurance] kept him in good shape otherwise the other man would have collapsed here. ¡°A swamp.¡± Groans were the only replies. ¡°Let¡¯s camp here,¡± Esopp said. ¡°I¡¯ll take the first watch.¡± *** Syberius fled from the sub-boss¡¯s lair. He didn¡¯t even manage to lay a finger on the enormous creature. Immediately, he was assaulted by hundreds of small monsters that could fly. To deal with the swarm he¡¯d need a strong aura skill. Something like [Fire Aura] because his [Poison Aura] was damaging the monsters too slowly. Many were going to die but it was too late. On his way here, Syberius had passed spawning grounds with thousands of monsters there. The number of dominion monsters was mind-numbing. Even if Marakus didn¡¯t betray me, what chances would we have? Suddenly, all his preparation felt inadequate. Syberius had based his expectation on other dominions found all over the world. But it was clear that none of them were anything like this one. Rewards must be incredible, he told himself, but his mood quickly turned sour. His failure to take the sub-boss down made it unlikely that he¡¯d be able to kill it alone. He was going to need all the help he could get. The Solar Council expedition. He checked the number of remaining ascenders. That was more than he expected but in the end it would work to his advantage. The leaders of the expedition would be easy to manipulate. Once he assumed control of the expedition, he¡¯d push it hard toward the centre of the dominion and if they were unable to kill the sub-boss. Syberius could always leave the dominion and wait until it opened again. The System explained that a failure to defeat the boss would open the dominion once all ascenders left it and it would open again in a few days. If Syberius made sure that none survived, the subsequent expedition were likely to underprepare. He, on the other hand, was not going to make the same mistake twice. But first, he needed to find the Solar Council Expedition. Chapter 124: Spawning Ground ¡°Do you think you can take us to the other side of the swamp?¡± Esopp asked quietly, during their walk alongside the swamp¡¯s edge. It was early morning and with lack of obvious solution as to what to do about the swamp, they cut their group some slack. Keynes wore a pensive look as his thoughts circled around various topics. He didn¡¯t answer Esopp until the other man stopped and gave Keynes a little confused but inquiring glance. ¡°There¡¯s something,¡± Keynes eventually said, trying to tackle the first subject. ¡°The aura thing?¡± Keynes wasn¡¯t surprised that Esopp had noticed. On the contrary, it pleased him because it meant that Esopp¡¯s progress cultivating essence and raising his spiritual stage was coming on nicely. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s something I discovered here in the dominion.¡± That got through Esopp¡¯s disciplined mannerism and evoked a shocked reaction. It didn¡¯t last long but the sheer fact that it happened put a smile on Keynes¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s with that smug?¡± Keynes shrugged in a barely noticeable way then launched into explaining his discovery and what had been shock now turned into a calculating face. Esopp got emotions backwards it seemed. But Keynes could perfectly follow his senior fellow¡¯s logic in this case. After all, Keynes had gone through a similar process upon discovering the boon granted by the bladegrass. With his improved spiritual baseline came another little bonus. He could now share information from the System with others. It confirmed that each ascender had a different amount of available information and most of it was still hidden. ¡°Do you think there are more of these bladegrasses here?¡± ¡°No idea. The System and Alice are silent about it.¡± ¡°Alice?¡± ¡°My spiritual companion.¡± ¡°...Ah. You mentioned something like that.¡± Right. Not everyone remembered everything like Keynes, although having a spiritual companion amended that issue. Well, to some degree at least. Alice, like Keynes, remembered absolutely everything but Keynes¡¯s memory did something Alice couldn¡¯t provide, it remembered impressions, feelings and motions. These little things were precious when coupled with the Rapid Learning buff. Esopp¡¯s stare shifted to the swamp. ¡°Do you think something similar could be located here?¡± It certainly was possible. There was something about the dominion ¡­ something bothersome. ¡°Have you noticed that the whole dominion¡¯s setup is designed like a game?¡± Esopp considered Keynes¡¯s words carefully, all playfulness gone. After a moment, Esopp half-turned to Keynes. ¡°I was never one to waste time on video games but I¡¯m not a complete ignorant on the matter. That said, there is, indeed, a strong resemblance to a game design but so is the challenge mode. With the System now online it comes as no surprise that something like this is at work.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± What was that? ¡°Let¡¯s talk while we¡¯re moving.¡± Esopp resumed a walk and Keynes quickly caught up with him. Esopp continued. ¡°There are some theories about the whole System and its purpose. It was dormant until we all have received the spiritual message and the Vitality attribute has been unlocked. We believe that the System is not exactly natural in its nature. If that¡¯s the case, the implications ¡­ they would be difficult to envision but with everything we have seen so far, I¡¯m beginning to bet this is the case.¡± Keynes wasn¡¯t sure he agreed with the conclusion that the System was artificial. There was that fundamental and primal feel to it, like it was the inseparable part of the reality itself. Strange as it sounded, Keynes found the whole topic disturbing. The artificial System? What would it mean? Was their reality fake then? Did their lives have any goal or were they pointless struggles? The questions and doubts started to pile up. The feeling was very uncharacteristic to Keynes and he didn¡¯t know what to do about it so he clumsily changed the topic. ¡°I think I should be okay with getting you all to the other side. We¡¯re ill-prepared to complete the bonus missions anyway. And I have to say, Serrata¡¯s suspicions have merit. Wagner should have sent us all his best potions.¡± *** Upon moving everyone, several gruelling hours later, Esopp asked the group to listen. The massive, snaking and densely covered by rich greenery valley wasn¡¯t on any of their maps. A quick trip to the maximum altitude confirmed that the valley led toward the centre of the dominion. Nonetheless, Esopp expected complications on their way there with what the dominion had thrown at them so far. So he wanted to make some changes. ¡°For now, I want to split us into two teams to rake up the dominion points and essence before we resume our march.¡± Others in the group shifted uncomfortably. The idea of splitting into smaller groups didn¡¯t sit well with them. Even Keynes was somewhat surprised with Esopp¡¯s sudden plan. ¡°Why stop now?¡± Serrata asked, suspicion bubbling in her eyes. ¡°Very likely, we¡¯re the closest party to the centre. If we push hard, we can be done with it by the end of the week.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Esopp nodded, acknowledging her words. Keynes agreed with her point of view. But then Esopp explained his reasoning. ¡°Keynes and I believe that cutting straight to the sub-boss is barely scratching the surface of what the dominion has to offer. I¡¯d rather slow us down and explore than simply rushing heedlessly toward the sub-boss.¡± Keynes frowned at being brought into Esopp¡¯s argument, although he started suspecting what Esopp was trying to do here. Prodded by the silent stare of Serrata, Keynes only shrugged, not wanting to mess up Esopp¡¯s little scheme. Serrata hadn¡¯t gotten the position of CEO without having a superior intellect though and she wasn¡¯t going to let it go without a good explanation from Esopp. She actually figured it out and pointed it to Esopp. ¡°I don¡¯t like secrets, Esopp Earl. Especially here, in a place where we can very easily die. You are not a fool to believe that I haven¡¯t noticed his aura getting a large boost after he had returned from scouting. Now, all of sudden you want to go and explore.¡± Esopp smiled and choosing not to escalate the situation, he admitted that they¡¯d discovered something but he wasn¡¯t in position to reveal more without Wagner¡¯s and Columbus¡¯s input. Untainted Paradise and Artefact Exchange were allies but neither company was going to show their cards to the other one. This, Serrata understood and agreed with splitting the team. Although, judging by the looks and her body language, she didn¡¯t like it. The split was uneven and as much as Keynes had expected, he and Esopp and two of their elites and a healer moved to the south. Keynes asked Alice to scout anything unusual in more inaccessible locations. Not an hour later they ran into the first pack of monsters and the grind started all over again. By a silent agreement, Keynes was more focused on searching for any hidden points of interest; similarly to Alice. As evening started to approach, they called it a day and returned to the camp by the swamp. The forest on the slope of the valley held no treasure unfortunately. Esopp and Serrata took the first watch, while Keynes went to sleep. He badly needed to recover his energy. Master, master, please wake up! Keynes cracked an eye open, then slowly stretched his body on the hard ground. What I would give for a bed¡­ Master, you can store a bed in your dimensional pouch now that it is Level 3. Wait ¡­ what? Master, I found something, she said ignoring him. Keynes pulled himself up, then swapped his clothes for a fresh set. The watch changed while Keynes slept, however Esopp stayed awake taking advantage of [Endurance]. He noticed Keynes but didn¡¯t say anything until Keynes told him he was going to check on something. Alice led him to the middle of the swamp. Of course, where else? It was some distance from the route he¡¯d used to bring everyone to the other side so too far away to sense anything back then. But hovering a few metres above the surface, Keynes could feel the spiritual energy bubbling beneath. He used [Night Sight] to better see through the greenish, murky water but with little luck. What¡¯s down there? Keynes inquired, half-expecting the answer. I am not able to sense anything beneath the surface. It is like a blank space to my spiritual senses even with the boost. That confirmed it then. Another treasure was here. But the issue was how to access it. The bladegrass ensnared him through a vision. If the same thing happened underwater, Keynes would die. There were Talents that allowed ascenders to breathe underwater or get by without oxygen but Keynes wasn¡¯t in position to disregard the threat of drowning. What should I do? He asked, unsure about his next step. I advise you to leave it, master. We do not know what is there. And if things go bad, there is no one who can help you. That soured Keynes¡¯s mood and when he returned to the camp everyone was already up. He softly shook head upon an inquiring glance from Esopp. Serrata tensed up but didn¡¯t say anything. *** Their next camp was set twenty kilometres from the swamp, at the mouth of the valley. In front of them spread a plateau spotted by tall rocky pillars. There were three dozen of them, at least two hundred metres high each. The plateau itself was a mix of rocks, grass and bodies of water. It was all surreal but that was no longer surprising. But there were things that gave them pause and forced them to hide their presence inside a dense bush. Monsters. Thousands of them. And there was a champion, a hundred metres long serpent that slithered between the vertical rocks that seemed to bleed monsters through many vents they were spotted with. ¡°A spawning ground and a champion.¡± ¡°That snake looks like a massive headache,¡± Serrata murmured. Others glanced at each other, even though they kept themselves in relaxed poses, their auras betrayed their feelings; they were terrified of what lay ahead. Keynes couldn¡¯t blame them, right? He found himself on a crossroad, his mind and his heart were pulling him in two different directions. On one hand, these people had a sliver of Keynes¡¯s resources, on the other something was missing, something Keynes couldn¡¯t precisely place. Each of the elites looked every bit a hardened soldier with focused stare and fluid moves and yet, they lacked ¡­ conviction? Was this what set Keynes and others apart? Seeing the army of monsters, thrill seeped into every fibre of Keynes¡¯s body. Esopp and Serrata were much more restrained and their auras a bit harder to read. Before any dark thoughts could enter Keynes¡¯s mind for longer, he remembered that he too hadn¡¯t pushed his luck when the odds were piling up against him; this morning at the swamp for example. That cooled him off but still he was disturbed by the trajectory of his thoughts. They reminded him of the days he¡¯d spent in Scotland. He tuned out the hushed conversation, closed his eyes and focused on meditation. He had gained over 2% of essence today and while 1% went straight into the progress toward Level 4, the other 1% Keynes decided to use on experimentation with his cores. *** Someone in the front of the expedition called the rest to halt. Syberius knew what they found before one of the officers came to inform him. ¡°A spawning ground and a massive serpent, possibly the sub-boss.¡± That wasn¡¯t the sub-boss. It had to be a champion. Syberius corrected the officer and ordered him to prepare a camp. Even though the expedition was well organised, they couldn¡¯t face the army of the monsters head on. Syberius didn¡¯t think he could force them to do so anyway. While he wrestled control of the expedition from a counsellor he didn¡¯t know, it was only achieved due to the gap in the strength between him and others. If Syberius had been Level 7, he¡¯d have been denied. The rule of the strongest wasn¡¯t anything surprising or new. After all, it was the only reason why Windsor Freeman had stayed at the pinnacle of the World Government for so long. An hour later, various captains and team leaders came to Syberius to discuss the strategy. Most of these people were Level 5 and their subordinates Level 4. ¡°We¡¯ve counted over ten thousand monsters out there and they still are being spawned. We don¡¯t have the luxury of time.¡± Neither do you have the luxury of fighting them in the open, Syberius thought sourly. This opened the discussion that lasted for a while until someone came up with a genuine solution. ¡°We will move a very mobile diversion team to the valley in the north. Detonate explosive, drawing the monsters¡¯ attention away from us, then we¡¯ll cut through the stragglers on the plateau. If we time the explosions well, we should be able to make a clean cut.¡± ¡°I like that,¡± Syberius said. ¡°Anyone disagree with the plan?¡± No one did. ¡°Good. Go start the preparations.¡± Chapter 125: Fated Encounter Keynes¡¯s eyes snapped open as Alice pinged him. A group of intruders were approaching them from the south. Keynes immediately notified Esopp and Serrata, then activated [Spiritual Ghost] and put on his Cloak of Shadows to hide his face. He needed to find out if the group was a scouting team of a larger expedition or they were on their own. He quietly rose into the air to the limit of his [Flight] skill. If they were coming from the south, it was naturally the first direction Keynes chose to investigate. It didn¡¯t take him long to find a massive contingent hastily decamping. Keynes¡¯s first thought was that his team had been discovered and these people here were going to attack them. But a moment spent in the air forced Keynes to rest this conclusion. They were preparing to attack the monster horde. Either the expedition has some very heavy hitters or something is amiss, Keynes said to Alice. The hundred something ascenders would be torn apart by the seemingly endless mass of monsters. If there are ¡®heavy hitters¡¯ then I cannot sense them inside the camp. Most of the ascenders there are Level 4. Only Level 4? That was bad. This expedition was going to be devoured by the monsters. Keynes glanced at the rocky pillars and shuddered at the sight. He had never seen more monsters in one place. He off-handedly asked Alice about the amount of essence and to his surprise she answered. Somewhere between 4 and 5 percent, considering your penalties, master. Some of the monsters are too far away to gauge their Level. Keynes had to suppress a shudder. That was a colossal amount of essence in one place. It also meant that this rabble of monsters wasn¡¯t a joke, especially without innate regeneration. A few bad wounds could take any ascender out of the fight for good without a healer. Eventually, [Spiritual Ghost] ended and a few flying monsters from the horde noticed Keynes despite his best efforts to hide his spiritual aura. Strangely enough, not a single ground-bound monster noticed Keynes. Likewise, the flying ones seemed to be blind to the ascender¡¯s force beneath Keynes. Let¡¯s get it over with quickly, he said to Alice and flew toward the flying monster, not caring if people in the camp saw him. He was tempted to use [Chaos Aura] and simply let the chaotic energies deal with these critters but he decided to use his shortswords to finish them off. Before the blades could taste blood, an explosion went off in the distance. Keynes sharply glanced in that direction and his hair stood on end. It was roughly two hundred metres from where his team was. Not close enough to harm them but that wasn¡¯t what brought him up short. The monster army shuddered like one organism and its attention diverted to the site of the explosion. Crap. *** ¡°Let¡¯s make contact,¡± Serrata whispered, observing the quickly moving group. ¡°They are from the Solar Council¡¯s expedition. I recognise the uniforms.¡± Esopp narrowed his eyes. He and Wagner didn¡¯t want anyone to know that Keynes Kid was here. Their future dominion excursions would be heavily contested by the sheer expectation of Keynes Kid being there. If they intercepted these ascenders, they¡¯d have to kill them afterwards. ¡°Do it but keep Key--¡± a not far away explosion cut him off. Esopp¡¯s eyes snapped toward the group and saw them speeding up. Shit, shit, shit. ¡°This is a damned diversion team!¡± That meant the monsters would converge on this location. He and Serrata turned around and called their team to withdraw out of the valley. Roars and growls came from the plateau. ¡°Get our team out of here,¡± Esopp shouted to Serrata then he focused on the diversion team. They messed up everything. ¡°Why?! Where are you going?¡± Esopp pointed with his thumb behind himself at the quickly retreating team. ¡°I¡¯m going with you,¡± she said and Esopp considered striking her down. No one would know and blame him if he did it. Over the last couple days she¡¯d begun to annoy him. ¡°No. I¡¯m the leader of the expedition. You¡¯ve agreed to that. Get our people out of here. Try to get through the plateau in the north.¡± Not waiting for her to make her damn mind, Esopp shot toward the group. They were fast but he was faster, heavily leaning on his [Endurance] that kept his speed at the very top without a need to catch a breath. As he got roughly twenty metres behind them, he called out to them to stop. The last man in the group turned his head and his eyes widened in recognition. Then he threw something at Esopp. Esopp veered out of the way and pushed his muscles to maximum, his stamina started to dip dangerously quick but the ascenders in front of him started to show signs of exhaustion and soon ground to halt. ¡°You--¡± Esopp was once more cut off by an explosion behind his back, this one hit him. He felt his health pool drop. He shook off the ringing in his ears and the daze and by the time he got to his feet, the first monsters were entering the valley. He saw two ascenders laying on their back, unmoving. Others groaned on the ground. Esopp approached the first one and pulled him up by the collar. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°What the hell was that, you moron?!¡± he yelled but these men were unresponsive, their movements sluggish. Esopp let go of him then spied their dimensional pouches. They were too dazed to protest. A quick look into the pouches made Esopp reconsider his next move. There were at least forty explosives spread in four dimensional pouches. Diversion wasn¡¯t a bad idea but useless to him now. If Serrata followed his order, their team would bypass the monsters from the north and Keynes could simply fly over the motley. When it came to Esopp, well, he¡¯d have to find a way. He took out all the explosives out of the pouches and dumped them on the ground. He had no idea how powerful they were but it was his best bet. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± one of the diversants asked weakly then added. ¡°No. No, no. You can¡¯t do this! We represent the Solar Council!¡± Esopp squinted at the man. He was raising slowly, his legs wobbly. He was bleeding in several places and while the wounds looked shallow and not dangerous, there was a debuff that inflicted a random pathogen infection to any environment-caused wound. Esopp didn¡¯t know if the other man¡¯s wounds were caused by the environment though and he didn¡¯t really care. The blast struck him too but he wasn¡¯t infected. At least, his debuff status didn¡¯t show any infections. ¡°Set the detonation for two minutes.¡± By that time the monsters should get here. The man shook his head then shouted to his companions to get up. ¡°You¡¯re insane! We won¡¯t get to safety in time¡­¡± Esopp shrugged then started to jog away. ¡°It¡¯s your call. If you prefer to be torn apart by the monsters I won¡¯t stop you.¡± A few seconds later, Esopp started running as if all hell broke loose, which kind of was. For a while he heard shouts behind. They were trying to save their wounded fellows. Two minutes later, the diversion team was out of earshot and out of sight. Esopp couldn¡¯t tell if they¡¯d stayed there or had moved to either side of the valley. Or maybe they were already dead, killed by the river of the monsters that pushed deeper into the valley. Shit. Esopp started running again. *** Hideko disapproved of the plan to advance deeper into the dominion but the leadership was indifferent to her opinion. Even worse, Syberius Sael warned her to stay out of his way or else she would not leave the dominion in one piece. That hideous man had appeared out of nowhere and somehow took control of the expedition. He was Level 8 and wore rift items so he was powerful. Hideko didn¡¯t think she would be able to defeat him even with her [Sword Mastery] and her Talent. The entire expedition waited until the majority of the monsters syphoned out of the plateau. Still, not all the monsters seemed to leave. The massive serpent lazied between the rocky pillars. And there were the rocky pillars themselves, constantly spawning the monsters. If they miscalculated the distance and the main bulk of monsters would sense deaths on the plateau, the expedition was going to be overrun. ¡°Go.¡± A quiet command spread over and the mass of people moved forward. There was a lot of nervousness and concern in the air. She cursed in her mind then she told herself off for giving in to unwanted emotions. Several minutes after the first explosion came another one. It seemed they were going to lure the monster further away. This actually was smart. The bulwark of the expedition entered the plateau but for some reason the massive snake didn¡¯t react to their presence. That was good, right? They angled to the south, trying to get as much space as possible between the large monster and the expedition. Then they heard it. Squeaks far above in the sky, several monsters were falling down. Was there someone up there or did Hideko see things? As the monsters hit the ground, the serpent¡¯s head rose, its cold eyes staring at their group. Other, smaller monsters only now rushed them. The bulwark of the expedition consisted of people with the best defensive Talents and skills and easily absorbed the first contact. With the number of monsters reduced to about a hundred, the monster attack turned into a slaughter, and that grabbed the large serpent¡¯s attention. It surged toward them with an impossible speed. ¡°BRACE!¡± a command came from somewhere. Suddenly, the serpent was among them, snapping at anyone unlucky to be in its way. And just like that,the order turned to absolute chaos, silence gave way to screams and moans, spells were fired, Talents used. A few moments later newly spawned monsters reached Hideko. She slashed at any creature that got close, always moving further into the plateau. BOOM. The gigantic explosion levelled a part of the valley. Even though it was over two kilometres from their position, Hideko and others were flattened by the shockwave. Hideko forced herself to her feet and pushed forward, ignoring the people on the ground. They didn¡¯t seem to be dead but some were groaning. She was too disoriented to realise that she got in the serpent¡¯s way. It focused its eyes on her then shot forward with a killing intent. She was too slow to move out of its way ¡­ too slow to raise her sword to block the attack, too slow to realise she was about to die. Something barreled into the monster¡¯s head from the air and it roared, sending a shockwave of painful agony. Hideko felt a searing pain in her chest. She fell to her knees, gasping for air. I¡¯m-dying-I¡­ Not. Like. This. Her face hit the ground. *** Keynes skewered the champion¡¯s head with his shortswords. Well, at least with one shortsword. The other one hit the serpent¡¯s skill and ¡­ broke. Damned debuff! Luckily enough, the first shortsword pierced the serpent¡¯s eye and sank to the hilt. To make sure the monster¡¯s would die, Keynes slammed it with [Chaos Aura] but to his absolute shock, the aura didn¡¯t have any effect. Upon its death, the champion released a powerful debuff that twisted Keynes¡¯s insides. His Purifying Body buff and powerful spiritual aura did a good job to dampen the effect but the debuff was listed as very strong and therefore way harder to resist. Keynes stood up, trying to ignore the pain in his chest. Everyone around was writhing in pain on the ground. They¡¯d have been easy pickings for the monsters but all the monsters in the plateau were currently focused on Keynes. Any idea why the champion had completely resisted my [Chaos Aura]? Keynes asked, gritting his teeth, then jumped into the air, avoiding the sharp claws of the enraged monsters. They were piling one on another just to get to him. Then stronger members of the expedition started to recover as the champion¡¯s debuff ran out. Keynes had no business here, it wasn¡¯t his mess to clean up. As he flew away toward the north where his team was supposed to be, a lone figure took into the sky after him. He turned around and saw a severe, blonde man that scowled at him until he got closer. ¡°You¡­¡± Keynes narrowed his eyes as Alice debriefed him about the man. So this was the infamous Syberius Sael. Chapter 126: The Lake Syberius had trouble containing a smile. Running into Keynes Kid of all people in a place like this was more than he could dream of. Syberius no longer considered going after the sub-boss. With Keynes Kid in his possession, he¡¯d be unstoppable and nothing was going to stand in his way to take control of the Solar Council. He slowly flew higher until he levelled with the boy. Kid took off the hood and stared at him unconcerned. Of course, Zimmermann had made sure to feed the ego of this brat. Soon, Keynes Kid would learn to respect his betters. ¡°You have two choices, boy,¡± Syberius said. ¡°You can go with me of your own volition or I¡¯ll make you suffer so badly, you¡¯ll be begging for mercy.¡± Kid cocked his head, giving Syberius an amused look. Syberius felt his rage start to simmer. Zimmermann had truly spoiled that boy, giving him an unrealistic idea of the world they lived in. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to play with--¡± Syberius wasn¡¯t going to listen to insults. He used his second hidden wild card and [Blink]ed behind Kid, his hand like an executioner¡¯s axe dropped on Kid¡¯s neck. ¡°Wha--¡± the boy yelped but Syberius didn¡¯t give him any chance to counter-attack and squeezed, rendering the boy unconscious. Then tossed him up and caught him by an ankle. It was time to return home with spoils. He was going to ensure that his son, Marakus, would suffer the consequences of his betrayal. Syberius couldn¡¯t stop smiling. He won! *** Keynes reeled from the amount of mana and stamina [Mind Illusion] consumed to trap Syberius Sael in his own mind. It wouldn¡¯t last long unfortunately. Even though Syberius Sael was a human essence ascender and his spiritual stage was at the very bottom, he still was Level 8 and that counted for something. And that [Blink] skill. It surprised Keynes; if not for [Mind Illusion], Keynes would have lost right there. He hadn¡¯t even considered such a skill to be in circulation. Of course, it was only natural that with time other ascenders would gain access to more powerful items and skills. I really need to hurry up with my advancement or I may be less lucky the next time someone comes after me. Keynes considered killing the other man but there were a great number of people stirring awake and noticing him. He didn¡¯t think that killing a member of the Solar Council would be a good idea. There was always a possibility that it¡¯d set things in motion for which Keynes and the rest weren¡¯t ready. Giving the kneeling man one last look, Keynes took off and flew north. *** Syberius was flying out of the dominion when something started nagging at his mind¡­ Then, suddenly, he was kneeling at the ground amid scattered bodies of ascenders and monsters. Disoriented and confused, he looked around. The surviving pockets of ascenders were leaving the plateau¡­ What?. Where was Kid? Where was that wretched boy?! Syberius stood up, then picking the closest group of ascenders, he started making his way over to them. He noticed the monsters from the rocky pillars were climbing down hastily. Soon, this place would turn into a killing field. But before Syberius could leave it, he had to know what had happened. How was it possible that one moment he had Keynes Kid in his hands and the next he was kneeling on the ground? As he reached the first retreating group, he called them to stop. They only did so after someone mentioned his name. ¡°Have any of you seen my encounter with the other flying ascender?¡± he asked bluntly. With the constantly spawning monsters, Syberius didn¡¯t have time to waste. These bunch would die anyway. They shook their heads, making Syberius grit his teeth in frustration. ¡°We only got our senses back very recently. We haven¡¯t seen anything.¡± It made sense. Not everyone recovered yet. On the other hand, there were other groups already entering the forest bordering the plateau. Some of the first to recover from the champion¡¯s painful debuff, perhaps. Ignoring the group he¡¯d asked the question, Syberius jumped into the air and flew toward the farthest group. He noticed the familiar face. Wasn¡¯t she the heir of the Nishimura family? Syberius couldn¡¯t place her name though. His landing made them stop at the verge of the forestline. ¡°What has happened to the other flying ascender?¡± They glanced at each other but something in Syberius¡¯s eyes made them speak up with little hesitation. ¡°After you caught him, you simply drifted to the ground. Locked in a kneeling position.¡± Syberius snorted at that but he quickly took control of his emotions, damping his anger. ¡°Was there anyone aiding him?¡± It looked like someone used a Talent on Syberius. There were a great deal of mind-affecting Talents out there. ¡°He was alone.¡± Syberious¡¯s eyes locked on the Nishimura heir. She was standing at the back of the group, silent like a mouse. He considered striking her down. It¡¯d cripple the Nishimura and in extension the Oriental League but he couldn¡¯t be sure of how strong she was and with all the accumulated damage and no natural healing, Syberius decided it wasn¡¯t worth it. ¡°Which way did he fly away?¡± ¡°North,¡± they eagerly replied. The opposite direction--hmm--then again, if Kid¡¯s minders went north, they most likely were trying to avoid the spawning ground on their way to the sub-boss. ¡°If you lie, I¡¯d find each of you and flay your skin.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. *** Keynes found his team roughly two hours later and only because Taker stood in the clearing near a wide river. As Keynes landed, his body threatened to shut down. He pushed himself so much that Alice had to enter his core and do something about his stamina. She¡¯d confirmed that it was a temporary patchwork and it would have unpleasant consequences but at least it let him fly without falling unconscious. ¡°Sir,¡± Taker said and rushed to offer Keynes help. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright, I mean, are you?.¡± ¡°I am. Let¡¯s get back to the rest. I have to talk to Esopp and Serrata. It¡¯s urgent.¡± Keynes straightened up, battling a nauseating urge to collapse in a heap where he stood. ¡°I hope the camp isn¡¯t far away.¡± Taker glanced away for a brief moment then said, his words slow and careful. ¡°The camp is only thirty minutes from here. But,¡± Taker paused for a second. ¡°Sir, Mr Earl hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± ¡°Returned? Returned from where?¡± Taker explained what happened after Keynes had left. An old man was trying to play a hero. First the Deadly Encounter, now this? Jackass. Keynes sighed then asked Taker to find him a spot to recover. In response to a confused look from Taker, Keynes explained that he didn¡¯t trust Serrata to face her in his condition without having Esopp to back him up. For all the talk about the alliance, Keynes knew to be wary of Serrata. Their companies might have the agreements but the woman seemed to have strong personal goals and Keynes couldn¡¯t exclude a possibility of betrayal. Especially here. Taker understood and found a comfortable spot between the roots of a large tree. Its canopy hid them from the airborne enemies, while the erected, thick roots provided good cover on the ground. *** Several hours later, Keynes and Taker were on their way to the camp. He¡¯d sent Alice ahead of them to scout in the case of foul play from Artefact Exchange. She returned with good news. No trap waited ahead. When they entered the cave, they ran into a heated conversation. Keynes¡¯s arrival ended it but the unease remained in the air. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Serrata gave Keynes a calculating look, one he didn¡¯t very much like. Staying on high alert Keynes locked his eyes with her until she spoke up. ¡°Your people wish to go back and look for Esopp Earl but we¡¯re too close to the centre of the dominion to give up now.¡± That indeed was an issue. Keynes didn¡¯t know what to do about the disappearance of Esopp. The other man was still alive because his name was in the ranking though. One of the hard rules of the System and the dominion event was that it only listed ascenders who were alive. If the top 1 was killed, his name would vanish from the ranking and the top 2 would become the new top 1. This assured them that Esopp was alive. But that wasn¡¯t good enough of course. He could be critically ill or wounded and they wouldn¡¯t know until his name disappeared from the ranking. Keynes took his elites and the healer for a discussion. Their argument was very similar to what Keynes had already told Taker; they didn¡¯t like the imbalance of power without Esopp, which kind of hurt Keynes a little. Wasn¡¯t he strong enough to deal with the woman? Apparently he was not. Nonetheless, he didn¡¯t argue about this with others and was open to listen to their ideas, which unfortunately centred around finding Esopp before moving forward the sub-boss. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with you but I ran into Syberius Sael and I don¡¯t think we can afford going back without the risk of him snatching the sub-boss from us.¡± It was a stretch there. For all they knew, Syberius Sael had already attempted to attack the sub-boss and had failed, but Keynes stuck with the argument, supplementing it with a few more. ¡°There is also a possibility of Sael waiting for me and I don¡¯t like our chances if we split up. On top of that, Esopp is Level 7 and has strong spells. I don¡¯t think he needs our help.¡± In truth, Keynes could order them to blindly follow him but he¡¯d vowed to find a way to forge loyalty and wanted this group to go with him willingly. After another ten minutes of discussion, they eventually agreed with Keynes¡¯s rationale but were very explicit about their feelings toward leaving Esopp out there. Serrata was mildly surprised to find the group agreed to follow without Esopp. Keynes asked Alice to exclusively watch Serrata for any signs of betrayal. It only added weight to Esopp¡¯s words about loyalty as the current arrangement was becoming tedious and irritating when one needed to watch his back even among allies. They left the cave the same day but didn¡¯t push hard due to stamina and mana issues. With no innate health regeneration, the two healers had their hands full. Even a tiny scratch could spell disaster. The riverways had a scarce number of monsters, albeit they were stronger than usual Level 3. Still, the monsters didn¡¯t prove to be a problem for the group. The ease made them paranoid and for a good reason. By the evening they came across a large lake with an island a kilometre from the coast. The island was the sub-boss¡¯s lair. ¡°This must be a joke,¡± Serrata said frustrated. ¡°How are we supposed to get there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the dominion cares about fairness.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be so flippant if you didn¡¯t have [Flight],¡± she snapped, her mood sour. Others didn¡¯t look much better and everyone was on edge with how peaceful this whole area was. Now, with the blocked access to the sub-boss, the prospect of winning started to dwindle rapidly. At least, no one brought up an idea to fly everyone to the island. It would be a chore. But what were their options at the moment? Alice confirmed that the lake had monsters in it. So swimming was out of the question. They were not equipped to fight in the water. ¡°Alright everyone, listen up, it¡¯s getting late and we have an exhausting day behind us. We¡¯ll camp somewhere here and figure out what to do in the morning.¡± They chose a ravine that offered a good hidden position. Keynes remained on the beach, using his [Night Sight] to observe the calm waters. His spiritual sense was powerful but not good enough to sense any monster there. He mentioned it to Alice and she checked again. Oh ¡­ it appears that monsters have vanished. What? Are you sure? Can you push deeper into the lake? She nodded and vanished from his sight for sometime. The lake, or at least this part of the lake, has no monsters in it at the moment, she eventually said. Keynes wondered if it could be a trap. The dominion had an ability to hide spiritual energy and given that it was the sub-boss¡¯s lair, it was a natural assumption that they were being lured into entering the lake. Unless they were not and that was the way this whole thing worked. Keynes turned off [Night Sight] and found himself surrounded by a pitch black scenery. Not a single star or the moon were in the sky. Now, that made sense. They could move during the night but their sight was extremely limited. Master, intruders! What? How?! A bright flash blinded Keynes, he sensed several spiritual signatured converging on his location with precision that told him that they saw him. He briefly considered flying away when he heard shouts coming from the ravine. His expedition was discovered¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t move or I¡¯ll pierce your heart,¡± a voice said from the darkness. ¡°My Talent allows me to strike true, even when I¡¯m blinded. Keep your hands away from your dimensional pouch.¡± Keynes felt several, strong ascenders slowly surround him on the beach. Being sure of himself, and not wishing to risk his companions, he followed the ambushers¡¯ orders. Suddenly, eight lanterns came to light, lighting up the beach. Seven ascenders stood three metres from Keynes, their weapons drawn and aimed at him. Their faces were hidden by balaclavas but other than that they wore rift gear. That was some dangerous bunch. What¡¯s happening in the camp? He asked Alice. They are being disarmed but no one is harmed. That was a relief. ¡°Put your dimensional bag and all items on the ground,¡± someone from beyond the light commanded. ¡°Or else?¡± Keynes asked, keeping his voice hard and unyielding. It wasn¡¯t easy with his companions¡¯ lives at stake but he quickly realised that the only reason he hadn¡¯t been directly disarmed was his strength being unknown to the ambushers. They were uncertain how strong he was and he was going to capitalise on it. Chapter 127: Act ¡°Or else?¡± asked an upstart kid. It wasn¡¯t the first time an arrogant and overleveled child of some rich prick tried to push Ezra around. Too bad for that one, it wouldn¡¯t work this time. ¡°Or else you¡¯ll be taught a harsh lesson,¡± Ezra replied with a fatherly patience. He hadn¡¯t been the youngest man when the first outbreak had happened but with the miraculous appearance of Vitality attribute, and subsequent ascension to Level 5, Ezra¡¯s body recovered a good chunk of lost youth. Whenever he looked into a mirror, he saw a burly, forty year old man. Unsurprisingly, the boy didn¡¯t seem worried by Ezra¡¯s threat. Did he believe his team would prevail? No¡­ Of course, that wasn¡¯t it. Ezra had seen it many times in the months following the first outbreak, a superiority complex, which was a product of an absurdly easy levelling delivered by a team of powerful minders. Children of the wealthy grew to unnatural heights believing themselves to be above the others. Ezra almost grinned at the thought of humiliating the boy but he would have to be careful. He had his orders and they were very strict and precise: ¡°don¡¯t kill anyone until ordered otherwise.¡± Upon further inquiry, Ezra had learned that his master was trying to locate some who apparently could open rifts and didn¡¯t want him killed. Ezra had found the whole idea of ¡®a person who can open rifts¡¯ disturbing but he wasn¡¯t about to second-guess his devotion to his master. Ezra¡¯s team took their positions around the boy; if he tried anything funny, no matter his Level, he would suffer damage but nothing life-threatening. They¡¯d mastered disabling attacks to perfection after all following their orders. Then the rest of Ezra¡¯s team arrived with their prisoners. All of this was conducted in near complete darkness as the dominion kept the stars and the moon off the sky. Ezra and his boys had trained hard to master a spiritual sense that had vastly expanded after they entered the Medium stage. Ezra waited until the prisoners were gathered ten or so metres from the boy and then surrounded. ¡°Stay on your knees if you wish to see the morning,¡± Ezra heard one of his people say. Intimidation was one of the best tactics they had at their disposal given their severe limitations. If they were free to kill anyone, they¡¯d have cut through this group without breaking a sweat. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± asked a woman from the subjugated group. Apart from the boy whose Level was unknown to Ezra and his spiritual companion, the woman was the second strongest here. She was Level 6, half human half rift essence. Judging by the strength of her Spirit, she was in the lowest stage. Ezra wasn¡¯t surprised. Before his master revealed to him the knowledge of spiritual stages and their importance, Ezra had had no notion of their existence. That was the case with almost everyone out there. Almost. Ezra had a vague feeling that the boy could not be that far above him in Levels, meaning he was in a higher spiritual stage. In which one, Ezra couldn¡¯t begin to imagine as the whole subject was already esoteric to him. ¡°We¡¯re contenders of course,¡± Ezra replied, keeping an eye on the kid. He itched to give a command and push the boy to reveal his strength but such an approach could be dangerous given the swathe of unknown and exotics items and skills finding their way into their world. ¡°Who do you work for?¡± she asked, her voice becoming cold and hard like steel. She could be a problem. Even with their spiritual advantage, she was stronger attribute-wise than them. Nonetheless, she was his prisoner and he didn¡¯t like her demanding attitude. It¡¯d be best to remind them that. He snapped his fingers and his people let off the control of their spiritual auras. The effect was expected. Two prisoners collapsed outright, while the rest seemed on the verge of collapsing. They were lucky that the dominion¡¯s debuff severely limited their spiritual might. The woman stilled and Ezra felt tremor cut through her like a scalpel but other than that she managed to appear ¡®unaffected¡¯, which of course was far from the truth. No one could withstand twenty well-aimed, Level 5 spiritual auras of the Medium stage. Except that boy, Ezra thought to himself. ¡°Is that all you got?¡± Some of Ezra¡¯s men shifted. Who exactly was he? ¡°Lights,¡± Ezra commanded and several lanterns lit the beach. It wasn¡¯t for Ezra¡¯s benefit though. His Talent allowed him to see in darkness without issues but he didn¡¯t want his team to stay handicapped in the presence of unknown danger. The boy stared directly at Ezra from the moment Ezra had arrived on the beach, meaning he either had very sharp senses or some ability to see in darkness. Troublesome either way. ¡°I¡¯d rather avoid killing you,¡± Ezra said then glanced, meaningfully at the boy¡¯s team. ¡°And given the state of your people, you should be thankful we are in a merciful mood today.¡± The woman actually sighed in relief, albeit very quietly. At least she wasn¡¯t a complete idiot. In fact, considering how far this group ventured into the dominion, only fouled Ezra¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Give up on any foolish plot to fight us,¡± he said to the boy. ¡°You may be stronger than each of us individually but there are twenty of us and we¡¯re hardly amateurs when it comes to combat and teamfight. Stand down, kid.¡± A flicker of something flickered in the boy¡¯s eyes. Ezra didn¡¯t know what to make of it and shook his head at the boy¡¯s disregard of his advice. Clearly a superiority complex. ¡°What are you planning to do with us?¡± the woman asked in the absence of the boy¡¯s reaction. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I will turn you around. We¡¯re here for the sub-boss and that¡¯s our utmost priority.¡± She glanced around then her eyes locked on the boy. ¡°I¡¯d also require your names and affiliations,¡± Ezra added. He had been given a name to watch out for: Keynes Kid. But no explanation to go alongside except to bring that person alive to his master. ¡°And why should we believe you?¡± ¡°Because you have no choice,¡± Ezra replied flatly, growing somewhat tired of this situation. All other ambushes so far had gone smoothly with ascenders begging to spare their lives. ¡°Don¡¯t we?¡± the boy asked coldly and Ezra felt his spiritual aura slowly unravel like a newborn mist. The four closest people grunted in surprise, their eyes going wide. ¡°Stop before you go too far,¡± Ezra snapped, knowing well his words wouldn¡¯t change anything. Damned brat! I advise a retreat, Ezra¡¯s spiritual companion said. The enemy seems to be far stronger than we have anticipated. The weight of the boy¡¯s Spirit unfurled, further encompassing everyone. He was powerful but he was a single person and his aura didn¡¯t have nearly as debilitating an effect as Ezra¡¯s team¡¯s auras combined. Still, something had to be done before things got ugly. Ezra slammed his aura into the boy and was completely rebuffed even as the boy kept projecting his aura outwardly. He is dangerous, Ezra¡¯s spiritual companion warned. I advise a retreat. The boy¡¯s spiritual strength felt greater even than Ezra¡¯s master. Master. Right. It appeared that Ezra was left with no choice. ¡°It seems you leave me with no choice but to tell you who I serve.¡± ¡°What does it matter?¡± the boy asked. ¡°Oh, it does.¡± *** How close, Alice? Keynes asked. Five hundred metres, she replied. But once he is a hundred metres away, he will be spotted by the spiritual companions of the enemies. You will have to make your move then. ¡°Oh, it does.¡± the leader of the enemy group replied, making Keynes feel uneasy. Still, Keynes showed no emotions, which was growing harder with each moment. This whole projection of power was only possible because none of the enemies could tell Keynes¡¯s Level and hence were afraid of committing to an attack. If they knew he was only Level 3, Perfect State or not, they¡¯d be on him within seconds. So, he kept stalling. Esopp was coming and with him, they would at least have a chance. ¡°Have you heard about Sandman?¡± Keynes felt the sharp intake of air from the rest of his team and saw a terrified expression on Serrata¡¯s face. She shook her head and when Keynes didn¡¯t stop keeping his aura up, she spoke up. ¡°Stop it. We don¡¯t need an enemy like that.¡± ¡°Wise.¡± The leader nodded then glanced at Keynes askance. ¡°What¡¯s the boy¡¯s name?¡± Two hundred metres. Crap. They weren¡¯t simply going after the sub-bos, they were finishing out for a name. His name most likely. Even though Keynes hadn¡¯t wanted to surrender in the first place, this only reinforced his conviction to fight. And perhaps, they were handicapped by the fact that they weren¡¯t allowed to kill. The enemy¡¯s leader cut his aura off, giving Keynes a breathing room. Keynes could appear like an unmovable mountain to anyone to a certain Level but even that act had its own shelf-life. ¡°Brett,¡± Serrata lied and by the look in the enemy¡¯s eye, Keynes could tell he didn¡¯t buy the lie. ¡°Brett who?¡± Esopp Earl is almost in the reach of the enemy''s spiritual companions. If only Esopp reached the Medium stage before this mission, he¡¯d at least know what he was walking into. Having him in the Elevated stage sounded like a dream in this case but would solve so many issues. ¡°Brett Tukman.¡± ¡°Brett Tukman,¡± The enemy leader repeated as if tasting the words in his mouth then his eyes briefly became distant, which told him that the other man was accessing the System. Keynes felt the realisation in Serrata¡¯s aura. She forgot about the System. If there was no Brett Tukman in the weekly ranking then the enemy would easily figure out it was a fake name. As the enemy leader¡¯s gaze refocused, he glanced down at Serrata, shaking his head. Esopp Earl crossed the 100 metre mark, Alice informed him. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed. You just made a powerful-¡± His name snapped in the direction of Esopp¡¯s approach. Keynes decided to act now. He activated [Spiritual Ghost] then unleashed all the might of his spiritual aura as one impulse without regard for foes or allies. Those the closest to him staggered, leaving an opening. Keynes¡¯s team completely collapsed as they hadn¡¯t recovered from the enemy¡¯s spiritual assault, which worked in Keynes¡¯s favour as his people would only get in his way. Keynes snatched the closest lantern and threw it into the lake and then shot into the sky. Alice confirmed that only the enemy leader could see him in darkness, most likely relying on a Talent. Others had well-trained spiritual senses. With [Spiritual Ghost] and [Flight] Keynes pretty much could not exist to them. ¡°Someone powerful¡¯s approaching!¡± someone shouted. ¡°Lift a ba-¡± the order cut off as an ice shard hit the enemy leader in the shoulder. ¡°Turn the lights off!¡± That was what Keynes hoped for. Hope in and keep tabs on my mana, stamina and Spirit, he ordered Alice. She grumbled but couldn¡¯t refuse his direct command. Esopp didn¡¯t enter the beach, hoping that darkness would give him advantage. One by one the lanterns went dark. He saw the men disperse while the enemy leader frantically searched for him. Keynes stopped directly above him, then without a warning hit his wounded shoulder. ¡°Ouch!¡± As the leader recovered, his head whipped in all directions, not finding Keynes who flew up. Most of the enemies left the beach in a pursuit of Esopp who was leading them away from the spot. ¡°Show yourself!¡± Keynes used [Telekinesis] to draw him away from the rest by rustling bushes and throwing pebbles. As [Spiritual Ghost] ended, Keynes dropped on the leader, his shortsword piercing through the leader¡¯s healthy shoulder. A cry of pain cut through the silence of night as Keynes nimbly jumped out of the man¡¯s legs. Not that a kick came his way but better safe than sorry. ¡°Bastard!¡± the other man hissed, his arms limp and useless. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± Keynes turned his back to the enemy, knowing well that he no longer posed any threat to him. ¡°Without innate regeneration, I¡¯d advise you to be on your way out of the dominion.¡± The leader snorted. ¡°You¡¯ll regret it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Keynes said, mustering as much coldness and indifference as he could. ¡°And tell your master to never bother or I won¡¯t hold back like I did today.¡± Keynes jumped into the air, leaving the bewildered enemy far behind. He still had to help Esopp. Chapter 128: Third Champion There was something fulfilling in hunting the ambushers. Keynes didn¡¯t even bother killing them. The dominion would do its job if they were stupid enough to linger about. It almost took him an hour before an unheard message made the enemies stop the chase after Esopp and retreat toward the south, away from the lake. Glad with the turn of events, as his mana was running dangerously low, Keynes found Esopp and both men made their way back to the beach. They found Serrata ready to leave. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Esopp asked, which earned him a scowl. In the poor light of the lanterns left by the attackers, her face looked rough. Her aura told Keynes that she had enough. They all had. The ever-present debuffs were soaking into their very being, becoming obtrusive and tiring. Keynes couldn¡¯t even imagine how difficult it had to be for the people without his powerful defensive buff. Still, they meant to be professionals. They shouldn¡¯t forget that their lives were at stake here. To her credit, Serrata¡¯s scowl quickly melted upon seeing Esopp¡¯s state. Despite Keynes¡¯s effort to take down the chasing enemies, some still managed to land a cut or a punch, and on top of that, Esopp hadn¡¯t come in the best shape prior to that. For now, he wasn¡¯t in a critical condition or anything but he¡¯d need the healers to patch him up. Serrata considered Esopp¡¯s question for a brief moment then something changed in her demeanour. Keynes sensed shame and regret. Hm? ¡°Artefact Exchange officially withdraws from this expedition,¡± she said, her tone sombre. Esopp was about to say something, then he paused and he looked around, taking in the rest of the people. Serrata took his silence for a sign to continue. ¡°We¡¯re spent, tired and with the recent ambush also aware of our inadequacy. We have no business being here. With all the debuffs running rampant, it takes only a tiny error to die. And to die for what?¡± She let the question permeate the air around them. ¡°If you value your people¡¯s lives, you should turn around as well. Go back, get stronger, prepare better, then return here.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t here only for the rewards,¡± Esopp said but Keynes knew that these words were hollow. ¡°This dominion in itself is a threat to the world.¡± ¡°Is it really?¡± she asked scornfully. Esopp turned to where Keynes rested on the sand, then glanced back at Serrata. ¡°You¡¯re right. This expedition is a failure. My failure. I haven¡¯t expected the extent of perils we¡¯ve encountered here. Therefore, I understand and respect your decision and thus officially end our expedition as well.¡± Despite Esopp¡¯s statement, Serrata didn¡¯t relax. She knew that Esopp wouldn¡¯t give up on the prize. Keynes watched her carefully for any signs of betrayal. ¡°Will you return with us then?¡± she asked. Esopp shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t but I¡¯d like to ask you for a favour. Will you escort my people out of the dominion? I¡¯ll make sure to recompense you for the trouble.¡± ¡°I knew it. You cannot give up on the reward.¡± she snapped then asked. ¡°What about Sandman¡¯s henchmen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe they were Sandman¡¯s people. He¡¯s always worked alone. It¡¯d be out of character for him.¡± ¡°They still worked for someone. You know it.¡± He nodded, wincing. As he sat down, the healers used their spells on him. Esopp¡¯s recovery was short though. Serrata agreed to take their people back to safety, leaving Keynes and Esopp at the mercy of the dominion¡¯s debuffs. Keynes tried to get rid of the annoying debuffs but his Will wasn¡¯t strong enough, still he felt he was close. They said their goodbyes and soon the two men were left alone sitting in darkness. ¡°Are you sure you want to follow me?¡± Keynes asked, banishing the silence. ¡°Can you beat the sub-boss by yourself?¡± Not likely. If someone like Syberius Sael had failed, what chances did Keynes have? He didn¡¯t like it but he actually needed Esopp and he couldn¡¯t discount the aforementioned enemy - Sael, who might come after him. Well, actually, Keynes ¡®forgot¡¯ to mention him to Esopp. ¡°There is something you should be aware of¡­¡± *** Keynes and Esopp left the beach and travelled further north. They were all too aware now that not only monsters posed a threat inside the dominion. Each monster they encountered, they carefully dispatched, trying to cause the least amount of noise. It took them the better part of the night. Upon the sunrise they found a cliff, overseeing the lake and camped inside a shallow cavity that was inaccessible to anyone without [Flight]. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. While they slept, Alice took a sentry, keeping an eye on the surroundings. Finding very little rest in their sleep, they woke up after noon and started planning their next move. It quickly became obvious that giving up would be smart. Serrata¡¯s decision to withdraw was correct. ¡°I underestimated the strength of these dominions,¡± Esopp admitted. ¡°I thought that being Level 7 was enough to steamroll through it but I was proven wrong. Sorry.¡± Yeah. The Dominion of Monsters turned most of their assumptions upside down. Suddenly, Levels weren¡¯t the sole axis of power. Nonetheless, their job here wasn¡¯t finished. They needed to put down the sub-boss. Keynes tested the sky around the island learning that flying to the island wasn¡¯t actually an option. Each time Keynes got about two hundred metres from the island, a gigantic swarm of smaller monsters took off becoming a living wall. After a system message about a failed attack on the boss, Keynes figured out that this was how far Syberius Sael had been. So they still didn¡¯t know how strong the sub-boss would be. Keynes tested the swarm a couple of times. His auras did a good job initially but the monsters had passive that increased expenditure of mana which each kill that almost emptied Keynes¡¯s tank, which would have seen him plummet into the lake below if he didn¡¯t disengage in time. Clearly, the dominion was designed to not let anyone abuse a flight movement. That left swimming. During the day it was no go zone as the lake was heavily infested by monsters. But once again, the monsters vanished with the arrival of the night. ¡°You sure about it?¡± Keynes nodded despite having doubts. Everything about the dominion was perilous. If the lake was another trial, they¡¯d be screwed. ¡°Well, in that case, let¡¯s get to it.¡± *** With the arrival of night, they gently slipped into the water. The lake wasn¡¯t deep until a hundred metres from the coast where it almost vertically sloped down. Alice kept scouting the area for the monsters while Keynes and Esopp had another issue to deal with. The currents. There were many and they were wild! Just standing submerged to the waist was enough to be rocked gently. If Keynes was still Level 1, he would unlikely be able to remain on his feet. Esopp fared better but they knew that this was only the beginning. On top of that, darkness blanketed everything like a hand of god. Keynes used [Night Sight] but Esopp didn¡¯t have the same luxury. To add insult to injury, Esopp revealed that he was on the verge of entering the Medium stage but without a good chunk of essence he was unable to make the final ascension. Having him in the Medium stage would have solved the navigational issue as his spiritual companion would have been able to follow Keynes in darkness. As they waded out of the shallow waters and entered the depths, the currents became dangerously strong and unpredictable. Some pulled them down, others in circles. Still, both ascenders prevailed, their legs strong enough to keep them on course. But this endeavour had never meant to be easy. Halfway to the island, the currents started to pull them apart. It was strange for the water to have an intent. Then Keynes sensed it. A solitary monster trailed them. It was too deep for him to find out what set of powers it possessed, but Keynes quickly warned Esopp to be ready. Somehow, the monster became aware that it¡¯d been noticed and the water started to churn around them. Still, it kept its distance. It seemed its powers focused on indirect combat. A similar idea Keynes had with his [Telekinesis], only his spell was too weak to do much damage at this point. Alice, is there anything you can do? Keynes asked, finding the swimming harder. I cannot physically attack it but ¡­ I am able to do some spiritual attacks. But they are mostly weak and will only distract the monster. Do it. The moment Alice engaged the monster, the water completely stilled. ¡°Follow me!¡± Keynes shouted and picked up speed. This was their only shot at getting away from the underwater creature. They only covered about a hundred metres when the currents returned. Then everything went mad. Pillars of water exploded all around them and the water in many places became as thick as syrup. The real struggle began even though the only thing they had to fight was water. The monster that manipulated it remained hidden deep below the surface. In the chaos, Keynes and Esopp were separated, which seemed to be the intent of the monster. Can you attack it again? Keynes asked Alice, he needed to get to Esopp before the distance would be too great. I cannot. I am unused to these kinds of encounters. Keynes fought the currents but in the end, he wasn¡¯t going to triumph. His stamina was halved from swimming alone and he still had a considerable distance to the island. Assuming that no more dangers awaited them there, which was unlikely. He decided to abort the attempt, grab Esopp from the air and leave the lake to recover. Then came ice. It spread fast and forced Keynes into the air lest he would be caught in it. Keynes blinked several times, not believing his eyes. A large iceberg was floating in the middle of the lake. On top of it stood Esopp. That was some crazy Talent right there. Keynes landed next to Esopp before the swarm attacked him. The underwater monster¡¯s assaults didn¡¯t stop but the iceberg was heavy and granted them a moment of respite. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Keynes said after catching breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could make something like this.¡± Esopp looked worse for wear even with his [Endurance] skill. Without looking up, he replied. ¡°In normal circumstances, I can¡¯t. Or at least doing something of this size would be impossible. But the water seemed to be infused with the monster¡¯s essence. I guess, and it allowed me to create this. But please, don¡¯t expect an iceberg falling on our enemies. My Talent doesn¡¯t work that way.¡± They stayed on the iceberg for some time, recovering their mana and stamina when Keynes went still. Something was wrong. Esopp didn¡¯t notice it because the night was pitch black and his spiritual sense wasn¡¯t good enough to read emotions of someone in Keynes¡¯s spiritual stage. ¡°Esopp.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°The monster¡¯s attacks have stopped.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that good?¡± Keynes had a bad feeling that the monster wouldn¡¯t let them off the hook and he had even worse feeling one that the monster was the third champion. If his theory was right that each subsequent champion was immune to the damage that had killed other champions, they would be in trouble. It would make [Chaos Aura] and physical damage useless. He hoped he was wrong but his gut was telling him otherwise. ¡°I can¡¯t say. These dominion monsters proved to be quite cunning. I wouldn¡¯t disregard it until we are out of the water.¡± His words were proven right a minute later when a jet of water speared the iceberg. The monster itself had gotten closer to them as well. Keynes¡¯s worst suspicions were confirmed. It was, indeed, a champion and its skill set was very dangerous while in the water. It could freely manipulate water, infuse it with its essence, as Esopp had noticed, and had a fast regeneration as long as it remained in the water and had access to food. Alice described it as a bus-sized medusa with tentacles that seemed to disappear in the depths of the lake. She also made it clear that killing this beast in the water was short of impossible for them. Chapter 129: Worst Timing ¡°What now?¡± It was a good question, wasn¡¯t it? They were stuck in the middle of the lake with the massive champion hidden in the depths and no way forward. In the very worst scenario, Keynes would pick Esopp up and fly him back to the coast but that would defeat the purpose of their mission. After an hour, the situation started to get tiresome and Keynes tested a few ideas, most of them didn¡¯t work out but then Alice brought up an interesting notion. I think there is a purpose to the way this champion behaves¡­ She pointed out that the champion had tried to separate Keynes and Esopp and hadn¡¯t threatened them directly as long as they were together. It appeared that this particular champion and challenge had a ¡®weakness¡¯. ¡°We can trick it,¡± Keynes said. ¡°I believe it wanted to separate us for a reason. I can vanish from its senses without leaving the spot.¡± Esopp mulled over the idea for a while then gave Keynes a go ahead. They were running out of patience and anything was better than waiting for the night to end. While a day would make the champion vanish, it would be replaced by countless smaller and not less dangerous creatures. Keynes activated [Spiritual Ghost] and as he and Alice had predicted, the champion reacted immediately. Thin and half transparent tendrils shot out of the water and began creeping over the iceberg like vines. The main body of the champion also came nearer the surface. ¡°How close is it?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°Fifty metres below us, why?¡± ¡°When it¡¯s going to be about ten metres, get out of here as fast as you can.¡± So Esopp was going to use [Shatter] to explode the iceberg. That was an interesting idea for him to explore further. If he could create ice either through [Create Ice] or freeze [Create Water] and then use [Shatter] on the ice shards, it¡¯d give him a path to create a powerful area damage spell. ¡°Ten metres,¡± Keynes said and not waiting for Esopp¡¯s reaction, fled. As he flew, he realised he hadn¡¯t asked Esopp if it was even safe for the other man. Then a deafening explosion rocked the lake behind Keynes. He had to dive into the water to avoid sharp shards. The rush of essence told him that the champion was killed. Bonus Mission (Kill all the sub-boss¡¯ champions by yourself) has failed. The message confirmed that it was the third and the last champion in the dominion. The failure to take it out stung Keynes a bit but he¡¯d come to peace with the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish much here. A few moments later, he found Esopp unharmed drifting on a small iceberg. He must have created it after the first iceberg had shattered. Without the champion, the unnatural currents vanished, leaving the lake to the whims of nature. They had no more issues getting to the island. Keynes half-expected the swarm to attack them but that wasn¡¯t the case. The island was itself rocky and almost vertical, but with receding darkness and very uneven surface, the rocky wall was easy to climb. On top of it, they found a thick forest surrounded by the natural wall of rock, the one they stood on. The whole basin area before them looked strangely peaceful but unnaturally so. There was no chirping, humming or even rustling of leaves. Still, the forest looked healthy and lush. ¡°What now?¡± Esopp asked, earning himself a scowl. ¡°You like asking that, aren¡¯t you?¡± Esopp shrugged. ¡°I can barely see and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to be very useful to you once it comes to fighting the actual boss here.¡± Keynes frowned. He didn¡¯t expect this from Esopp but he sensed a hint of worry coming from the other man. It was unusual for Esopp to be so reckless with his emotions and Keynes gave him a long, musing look before they resumed their conversation. ¡°You¡¯re worried you can die here.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. Keynes felt it in his bones. He might have not seen it earlier because he had [Night Sight] and [Flight] and could always leave this place if things got hairy but others didn¡¯t possess the same level of convenience and backup. And it wasn¡¯t even their fault. The resources were extremely scarce. But not for Keynes. He felt something hardened in him; a conviction. He had to build a better, stronger and smarter team. People he could rely on, people he could trust his life with. Keynes didn¡¯t tell any of this to Esopp. Not yet at least. It wasn¡¯t the right moment for such a conversation and Keynes wasn¡¯t exactly sure how he was going to accomplish this. On one hand, he could ask Wagner and others to find the candidates for him, on the other, there was something inciting about finding the right people on his own. He didn¡¯t discard either option. ¡°I am,¡± Esopp admitted as he slowly sat down on a boulder with his legs crossed. ¡°Serrata wasn¡¯t wrong to leave, you know? This place is a deadly trap and we are like flies lured to sweet stuff hidden in the middle of a massive spider¡¯s web. Before crossing the lake, I wasn¡¯t so worried as I am now. That thing in the water was downright scary. It¡­¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Esopp fell silent then, after a shiver cut through his body, spoke up again. ¡°It invaded my mind and was one step from stopping me from activating [Shatter].¡± I¡¯d be a disaster, Keynes mused grimly. Mind attacks were bothersome. ¡°How close to the Medium stage?¡± he asked, steering the conversation away from the depressing outlook. ¡°Close.¡± They stayed on the rocky wall for a while, recharging their stamina and mana. Once the first light broke out, they descended into the forest. You have reached the first global sub-boss lair. * The lair has been reached. The global message was sent out to all 103 people still inside the dominion. ¡°If Sael¡¯s here, he will come,¡± Esopp grimaced. ¡°And that¡¯s the last thing we want.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll try to ambush us and use his [Blink] to take you out first.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯d do.¡± It was annoying to worry about other ascenders rather than the sub-boss itself but the dominion had made it clear from the start that every contender here was in competition. At face value, the forest looked ordinary but it didn¡¯t last long as the trees came to life and the two ascenders were forced to fight for their lives. At the periphery of Keynes¡¯s senses, something flitted around, refusing to get closer. Alice was useless here, unfortunately. The whole forest was a spiritually blank slate to her. ¡°Trees again,¡± Esopp muttered. ¡°I really need fire spells.¡± Keynes couldn¡¯t agree more. Even something simple like [Fireball] would make fighting trees less of a chore. The large trees were deadly but their attacks were slow and predictable. Especially to Keynes with his photographic memory and rapid learning buffs. Soon, the Vampiric Shortsword chopped and cut off thinner branches and roots, while Esopp froze and shattered the remaining trunks. His Talent was quite powerful even against the trees. Interestingly, the dominion monsters, unlike the rift monsters, came with many different variations of the same subset of skills. In general, the trees had regeneration and durability related skills. It made the monsters¡¯ attacks less dangerous but killing them was annoyingly hard. On top of that, the dominion drained their stamina faster here and having all the monsters grouped up, quickly turned the attention of the entire lair on them. First came smaller, squirrel-like creatures, fast and evasive. Their attacks weren¡¯t much but like the swarm above, killing them drained mana a bit faster than it should and Keynes was forced to keep using the shortsword, which was against his plans. After the first thirty minutes of constant battling, both men had to climb up the rocky wall and out of the forest. Strangely, the monsters didn¡¯t follow them. Keynes breathed hard, cursing his lack of preparedness. Esopp fared better only because of [Endurance]. They took a position that allowed them to see any upcoming threats and rested. When they felt ready, they hit the forest hard. This time, they were able to stand their ground despite the influx of monsters from the other parts of the forest. The key to this was to clear the trees and build up obstacles for the remaining ones. The trees proved to be poor with motion. Even freezing their bottom parts was enough to stagger them. And it had an additional benefit, as long as they didn¡¯t kill the monsters, the Hateful Slayer wouldn¡¯t activate and overwhelm them. Gaming the system a little, the duo was able to reach the halfway point when they stopped to catch their breath. It was also the moment their enemy decided to reveal himself. Syberius Sael [Blink]ed in between them and as they¡¯d predicted went after Esopp first. The Level 8 was faster and stronger than either Keynes and Esopp but Syberius¡¯s attack, while passed through Esopp¡¯s defence, didn¡¯t manage to knock him out. This gave Keynes an opening and he blasted his spiritual aura with all might he was left with. If not for the dominion¡¯s debuff¡¯s Keynes would surely be able to do more than annoy the Level 8. While his spiritual attack was mostly shrugged off by Syberius Sael, it stirred the forest around them. Monsters answered Keynes¡¯s unintentional invitation to play. ¡°That was stupid,¡± Syberius Sael hissed then [Blink]ed out of the clearing, into the sky where he was immediately swarmed with little flying monsters. ¡°You alright?¡± Keynes asked, not peeling his eyes off Syberius. That man wasn¡¯t going to leave them alone. ¡°Sort of,¡± Esopp mumbled and Keynes felt that the other man had been hurt. Without innate regeneration, Esopp wouldn¡¯t be able to recover his health, endangering his life. Not all was lost though. Keynes still had the Liquid Health flask. It only recovered 25% of max HP but that was better than nothing. Keynes had hoped to keep it to the very end and use it in a case of emergency but he wanted Esopp in the fight with the sub-boss. ¡°Catch,¡± he threw the bottle to Esopp. ¡°Drink it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Esopp said, joining Keynes in his observation. After a moment, he asked. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± ¡°He must have killed a few of those little monsters too many and doesn¡¯t have mana to [Blink] away. I guess, his [Flight] will stop working and he¡¯ll drop into the forest.¡± ¡°Do you want to find and eliminate him?¡± Keynes shook his head. ¡°Without mana, he won¡¯t survive.¡± ¡°I am not so sure,¡± Esopp massaged his cheek where a bruise remained. ¡°His speed surprised me. He must have a lot of good items on him. It¡¯d be a shame to leave them here.¡± Keynes considered the idea but eventually rejected it. Whatever items Syberius had were not worth their effort. And if Esopp was right, it would bring them into a direct confrontation with Syberius Sael again, which neither man wanted. It turned out that their wishes didn¡¯t amount for much and as Keynes had predicted, Syberius Sael ran out of mana and dropped to the ground but did so near them. Neither Keynes nor Esopp engaged him though as the monsters reached them first and they were forced to defend their position. They felt Syberius¡¯s [Poison Aura] spread but thankfully it didn¡¯t reach them. While idle, auras weren¡¯t draining mana or stamina, they were uncontrollable in a way that could cause more harm than good. This was especially true in Keynes¡¯s case where his [Chaos Aura] would also affect the environment around him. If Syberius¡¯s [Poison Aura] worked the same or similarly to Vivena¡¯s then it would only affect the living creatures, leaving the environment untouched. But right now, the fact that Syberius Sael could use [Poison Aura] to kill the monsters worked against him. Keynes and Esopp saw the opportunity there and went for it. Keynes used [Spiritual Ghost] while Esopp froze every monster that approached him, creating an igloo of sorts. The moment the first bunch of creatures dropped dead to [Poison Aura] the dam broke and hundreds of monsters were lured by the Hateful Slayer debuff. Syberius raged, doing everything he could but he was out of mana and the number of monsters only grew as his aura killed everything around him. Keynes watched him from the top of the igloo. It wasn¡¯t the prettiest way to go as the Level 8 was quite durable and the amount of monsters needed to overwhelm him was substantial. If not for the debuffs, Keynes was sure that Syberius Sael would have gotten out of this alive. But today it was not meant to be. It was also a showcase of what would happen if Esopp and Keynes were to kill the monsters mindlessly¡­ Keynes frowned as something was happening beneath him. Noooo¡­ I think Esopp Earl has reached the Medium stage. That was the worst timing ever! Chapter 130: Sub-boss The spiritual eruption didn¡¯t affect the physical things but Keynes was still thrown off the igloo created out of the monster bodies. He didn¡¯t expect the Medium stage breakthrough to produce that crazy amount of spiritual energy. But that wasn¡¯t on Keynes¡¯s mind right now. The monsters were. Just before they were about to finish off Syberius Sael, their attention was caught by Esopp¡¯s Medium stage ascension. Keynes still had the [Spiritual Ghost] active so he was technically invisible but it didn¡¯t matter much when a flood of monsters was about to hit them. The worst ones were the small critters the size of a squirrel. They were like a carpet between the larger, elephant-size monsters that moved at a slower pace. The tree monsters just stood in the perimeter not making a move. Then more monsters dropped dead from Syberius Sael¡¯s [Poison Aura] and the massive tide of monsters stopped just before it was about to smash into Keynes, and Esopp inside the igloo. The whole scenery turned into a mayhem but Keynes noticed that some monsters stood motionless at the periphery between the large trees. ¡°We should better get going,¡± Keynes said as Esopp came out of hiding. They saw a bloodied figure of Sael. The other man tried to jump into the air but some of the creatures had long tongues or tentacles that wrapped around his body and dragged him to the ground. They turned toward the centre of the island and found a wall of trees and larger monsters watching them intently, all of them were Level 3. Without a warning, Esopp shot forward, his spiritual aura kicking hard. It was enough to stagger the Level 3 monsters, Keynes wasn¡¯t going to miss the opportunity and added his aura on top of Esopp¡¯s. The two overlapping spiritual auras stunned the monsters that blocked their path. They knew they had to avoid killing them to keep the Hateful Slayer debuff inactive as long as possible. Behind them, Sael still fought and screamed. But as they reached the first monsters, something changed and Keynes felt the familiar spiritual signature behind them. It arrived the same moment as Sael fell silent. Keynes sharply turned around and froze. Above Syberius Sael stood a gigantic monster in the shape of a bird but with an extra pair of wings. There ended resemblance to any bird. The sub-boss was made out of interconnected branches and roots like a wickerman. One of its extra wings had stabbed Sael and many little branches and roots exploded out of the man. He was dead but something told Keynes that it wasn¡¯t over. And just a few seconds later, the sub-boss withdrew the wing leaving Sael standing. Did the monster turn Sael into some kind of zombie or a puppet? It appeared so. Sael¡¯s head squinted, then he shot forward, assisted by roots protruding from his body. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°Some kind of animated body spell. He¡¯s dead,¡± Keynes replied and with terror realised that the sub-boss vanished. Given its size, it must have used some kind of movement ability or camouflage. Left with no choice, Keynes and Esopp engaged the dead Syberius Sael. Stranger still, no other monster made a move while they battled their man. Presented with a long list of limitations, both men were very careful about the way they fought. The first rule was to not get wounded. Secondly, they were trying to incapacitate him instead of killing. It was impossible to tell if the Hateful Slayer debuff would activate but they didn¡¯t want to learn it. Because of that the fight dragged out dangerously as each attempt at freezing or mind controlling was easily rebuffed by the dead man. He didn¡¯t possess the speed of Level 8 but was still faster than Keynes. The good thing was that the dead Sael didn¡¯t have access to his skills. ¡°What about the sub-boss?¡± Esopp asked as he dodged a root that tried to spear him. ¡°I am watching the perimeter, if it appears I will attack it.¡± Esopp twisted out of more root attacks coming from Sael, then in exchange, he hit the other man with several [Ice Shot]s. Chunks of Sael¡¯s body were torn off and swiftly replaced with a multitude of branches. The sub-boss decided to make an entrance and attack Esopp when he was solely focused on fighting Sael. Keynes stayed out of the fight for the last few minutes, recovering. The sub-boss blurred next to Esopp, confirming some kind of movement ability. Keynes tried to access its system screen but was rewarded with a wall of unknowns.
Woodbird Queen (Epic)
Level 5
Abilities Unknown --- Unknown --- Unknown --- Unknown This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Details Woodbird Queen is a ruler type monster.
How was he supposed to fight this thing if he didn¡¯t know its abilities? Well, at least it had revealed one of its skills. The ability to hijack a dead body of an ascender. ¡°Watch out!¡± Keynes screamed at the top of his lungs as the wooden bird slammed its wing into Esopp. The other man dodged but wasn¡¯t fast enough and the attack turned into a glancing blow that sent Esopp into the ground with a loud groan. The dead Sael reacted immediately, going after wounded Esopp. But Keynes got there in time and caught Sael¡¯s head, using on him [Mind Illusion]. He didn¡¯t know if the spell would work but it was his best bet against a stronger creature. As the threads of illusion entered the dead Sael¡¯s mind, he went still then, following the fake vision he attacked the sub-boss. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Esopp murmured, getting to his feet with Keynes¡¯s help as the sub-boss jumped back, avoiding the dead Sael¡¯s root attacks. It was not going to last long though. Keynes wasn¡¯t strong enough to make such mental constructs long lasting. The sub-boss watched Sael with confused eyes, unable to understand what had happened to its puppet. Because of the confusion, Sael was able to score a hit. One of the roots got the sub-boss¡¯ wing. The sub-boss screeched and some of the monsters rushed toward Sael. ¡°Don¡¯t get close to the boss,¡± Keynes said to Esopp, though the other man was too wounded to do anything. Keynes wasn¡¯t about to waste a chance like this. He shot toward the sub-boss using [Flight]. At the low altitude, barely a metre above the ground, the flying little critters seemed to not get triggered. Keynes got to the sub-boss at the same time as Sael was being torn apart by a horde of Level 3 monsters. Praying for the sub-boss to not share the immunities with the dead champions, Keynes slammed [Chaos Aura] into the woodbird¡¯s head, pushing all his mana into it. The monster jerked its head, which wasn¡¯t going to help the creature, then used two of its unwounded wings and tried to skewer Keynes. With terror, Keynes realised that he¡¯d underestimated the sub-boss¡¯ speed and would have died if not for Esopp¡¯s [Ice Shot] that hit the sub-boss¡¯ head, veering its attack off the course. While the sub-boss wasn¡¯t immune to chaos, its resistances were much higher than anything else Keynes had encountered. It took several seconds to show the first signs of the damage but Keynes¡¯s mana was getting low. Alice, is there anything you can do to hide my spiritual aura? No. Your control over spiritual aura is pretty bad and as long as you are projecting it, I cannot do anything, master. You have to wait for [Spiritual Ghost] to come off cooldown. Keynes didn¡¯t have that sort of time. The sub-boss jumped back, getting out of Keynes¡¯s aura¡¯s range. Then a silent command spurred the entire clearing. Every single monster turned toward Keynes. Even the swarm appeared in the sky, although it didn¡¯t attack. ¡°How much mana do you have?¡± Keynes shouted to Esopp. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I need your Talent.¡± Keynes returned to Esopp and briefly explained to him the plan. ¡°I told you, it doesn¡¯t work like this.¡± ¡°Or so you believe. Everything in our bodies can be changed and modified with essence. Now that you¡¯re in the Medium stage, each of your skills should be upgraded and even your Talent should be stronger.¡± After a few seconds of ¡®silence¡¯ Esopp nodded. Keynes used [Create Water] channelling as much mana as he could and threw it around. He had only a few seconds before the first squirrel monsters arrived. He didn¡¯t bother killing them as Esopp used his Talent freezing everything around him. The water helped to speed up the process and proliferate the ice at a faster pace. It wasn¡¯t anything he¡¯d seen in the vision where Esopp touched the ground and a planet turned to ice. Here, the whole process was more stubborn and clumsy with many monsters forcing their way through toward Esopp. In twenty seconds, everything in a thirty metres radius was frozen though. Esopp collapsed but Keynes didn¡¯t have the luxury of time. There were many monsters left. Luckily, the ones that remained were slower than their brethren and didn¡¯t pose a threat to Keynes as long as he was aware of their location. The sub-boss grew wary of him now and kept its distance from Keynes, which in other circumstances would have been hilarious. The positive thing was that the island seemed to have a limited number of the monsters and no new creatures replaced the dead ones. But it wasn¡¯t the end of the trouble. Some of the larger monsters, while very slow, had ranged attacks. It was a new development for the dominion. So far, all the monsters attacked in melee range. The shards of wood hit a spot where Keynes stood a second ago. It was a fairly close call. Their behaviour is so unnatural and strange, he complained. The woodbird queen was clearly controlling the monsters around and while it was fairly intelligent, it wasn¡¯t a tactical genius. Keynes was able to distract the sub-boss with [Telekinesis] a couple of times, easily dispatching a few slower creatures. But that wasn¡¯t his plan. Keynes was aware that killing all the creatures wouldn¡¯t be possible. There were over a hundred of them but he would run out of stamina sooner or later and on top of that, there was the sub-boss. So he took his time and waited for [Spiritual Ghost] to come off cooldown. Evading the monsters wasn¡¯t easy though and the sub-boss seemed to grow frustrated after a while, sending the smaller flying creatures after Keynes. They died to Keynes¡¯s [Chaos Aura] but while Keynes was occupied by the litter critters, the sub-boss approached. Shit. Keynes used [Chaos Aura] against the wing that tried to stab him but like the bird¡¯s wooden head, it resisted. Do not waste your mana, master. Luckily, Esopp recovered some of mana and made a ¡®grand¡¯ appearance, mostly sending a couple [Ice Shot]s at the sub-boss. The large monster spun around and redirected remaining monsters toward Esopp while its attention returned to Keynes. It appeared that the monster had enough of playing. That was fine. [Spiritual Ghost] just came off cooldown and with 20% of mana left. Keynes flew above the sub-boss and concentrated all his attention on the monster¡¯s neck, aiming to cut it off with his [Chaos Aura]. At first, the sub-boss looked around confused, searching for Keynes but when the first signs of damage appeared on its neck, it became frantic. It started moving faster and faster, trampling its minions without regard. The moment Keynes saw parts of the neck turn to dust or boil like a cauldron of lava, he knew the sub-boss was done. His mana ran out before the deed was done though but he swiftly landed on the monster¡¯s back and swung his shortsword at its neck several times. The sub-boss screeched, but the debuff it tried to inflict was too weak to take effect and by the fifth swing, it went cleanly through and then the shortsword broke apart, fulfilling its purpose. Altera has been defeated. The Dominion of Altera has ended. All local dominion monsters are enraged. Then came the wall of congratulations and rewards Keynes received for killing the sub-boss. The enraged monsters couldn¡¯t see him and Esopp was once again buried beneath the mountain of frozen bodies so they started tearing each other to death. He almost lost consciousness when the flood of essence from the sub-boss hit his body. It was a staggering 10%. Chapter 131: Deception Keynes watched as the last of the monsters tore themselves apart. They were swift at killing each other. Why was that? Dominion monsters are built differently from their rift counterparts. I do not have access to details but it has something to do with a mind input overload and their severed connection to a dominion, Alice explained. This wasn¡¯t the only thing on Keynes¡¯s mind though. It made him uneasy to be so indifferent to the carnage unfolding before his eyes. It wasn¡¯t a new development as he¡¯d already noticed this growing disassociation. But was it necessarily a bad thing? He didn¡¯t think so. Being able to stay clear-headed in the heat of a battle was critical to survival. This dominion had shown him that encounters would only get harder with Levels. From snippets of his conversations with Alice, it wasn¡¯t difficult to form a picture: at higher Levels, enemies were more sophisticated and intelligent. His musing was interrupted by a novel sensation at the back of his mind¡ªhis dominion. Of course. He was now the sole owner of Altera¡¯s dominion, or more precisely, the lair¡¯s part. Keynes¡¯s new dominion encompassed the island and the lake around it. He half-expected to be able to control his dominion the same way the sub-boss could but this wasn¡¯t the case. Before Keynes¡¯s mind plunged into the dominion¡¯s menu, he sensed Esopp¡¯s state. It didn¡¯t look good. His friend had sustained a lot of damage and exertion, to the point where his body was not able to recover on its own. That was an oddity. An ascender¡¯s body should be able to regain lost health from as low as 10% of total health. That is not entirely true, Alice softly said. Her words surprised him. Somehow, she was quite forthcoming. Usually, information had to be pulled out of her mouth with painful effort. A lingering debuff? No. At some point, physical damage starts seeping into a spiritual matrix and when that happens, a body is unable to recover on its own and requires external intervention. To encounter such complications before Level 5 is extremely unlikely though. Sounds like a pain, Keynes thought. Does this kind of damage¡ªthe spiritual one¡ªshow as a debuff at least? It does not. The underlying principles are very different. Keynes didn¡¯t push for details though. The time wasn¡¯t right. He had a friend to save. Alice presented him with a curated list of health regeneration buffs. They were quite potent¡ªhis reward for defeating the first global sub-boss. Each of the presented buffs would affect a spiritual matrix and force its regeneration. Here, Alice made sure to point out that there were thresholds to spiritual damage and beyond some of them even a direct help of a healer wouldn¡¯t do much. The message was clear: healing and regeneration wasn¡¯t a simple affair At that moment, it didn¡¯t matter. Innate Health Regeneration buff (strong) activated. It was the best pick according to Alice and after her explanation, Keynes agreed. The innate health regeneration was the most natural type of healing, offering the smallest risk of complications. The buff boosted Esopp¡¯s natural regeneration to a point where it could start fixing spiritual damage. The drawback of this particular avenue of healing was its glacial slowness. What a skilled healer could restore within minutes, the buffed innate healing would do in a day at least. But that was of no consequence to him. With monsters taking care of each other; Keynes and Esopp were safe¡­ What¡¯s happening? Keynes asked, alarmed, feeling his consciousness slipping away. Your body and mind is exhausted, master. I have kept the weariness at bay but with the buff active there is no point to keep you awake. Before Keynes¡¯s mind totally drifted away, he¡¯d managed to ping the rest of his group. *** Keynes woke up with a start to a sensation of intrusion. You have not fully recovered, Alice warned him. Then why did you wake me up? As he asked, the sensation of intrusion expanded and deepened, providing an answer to his question. People entered his dominion, people he didn¡¯t want here. It would be best if you avoided them, she said. One of them is Level 7. You met him in Geneva. Keynes remembered, of course. What about debuffs? Are they any good? That is a vague and imprecise question but you should know that at this point your dominion does not offer damaging debuffs. That wasn¡¯t ideal. What was worse was the sheer number of available debuffs and the fact that once Keynes picked one, he couldn¡¯t change it. Problematic. And he wished to avoid making a choice in a spur of a moment. Hiding it is then, he thought somberly and turned toward a line of trees only to sense more newcomers. His allies were coming. Serrata was among them and someone else, someone who somehow repressed their spiritual presence. In fact, if not for the dominion, Keynes would never sense this presence. Can you investigate? Alice shook her small head. I cannot do it. I do not sense this person at all and I am not synchronised with your dominion to be able to use it to augment my senses. In that case, Serrata would have to suffice. ¡°Comes the worst, I¡¯ll use [Chaos Aura]¡±, he muttered unhappily. One glance inward told him that his body wouldn¡¯t take another fight without incurring serious consequences. [Chaos Aura] tended to have heavy mana and spiritual cost. A few moments later, several helicopters dropped ascenders onto the clearing where Kenyes stood. He narrowed his eyes, sensing the hidden presence inside a helicopter above them. Who the hell was that? ¡°Keynes Kid, you have done it,¡± Serrata said as she approached him together with his team. ¡°You achieved the impossible.¡± Ignoring her, Keynes ordered healers to tend to Esopp, he might need him if Turtelli would try to play dirty. Only then he turned his attention to Serrata. ¡°I did,¡± Keynes agreed then asked. ¡°You haven¡¯t come alone. Who¡¯s up there?¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Surprisingly, Serrata didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. He believed her but this only deepened his frown and worry. Who was hiding among his people? The remained unanswered as his attention was snatched by the arrival of the intruders who had circled above their heads. Six helicopters lowered their altitude and people started to jump off. In a matter of minutes, forty-five intruders stood amid a hive of activity that was Keynes¡¯s and Serrata¡¯s subordinates, breaking a camp. ¡°That¡¯s the Solar Council,¡± Serrata supplied, stepping next to Keynes. ¡°Andr¨¦ Turtelli is leading them.¡± She sounded unsure, almost worried. Keynes made use of his new dominion sense and with a welcome surprise was able to tell how strong each person within his dominion was¡ªexcept for the hidden person in the helicopter¡ªat least as far as Levels and spiritual stages went. He mentally added everyone from his and Serrata¡¯s team to a dominion¡¯s friend list. By default, a dominion saw people inside as neutrals. It was possible to change the default setting but for now he would manually select his friends and enemies. Additionally, there was also an owner, administrator, moderators and specials. Just how complex this whole thing is to need so many options? Keynes asked. Complex enough, Alice replied. Once everyone on his side was added to the friend list and received the buff, he asked Alice to screen debuffs and pick those that could maximise their chances against the newcomers if it came to fighting. He hoped he wouldn¡¯t need to resort to this. As the Solar Council group started their march toward Keynes and Serrat. Everyone stopped their tasks and got out of their way, others joined their leaders. ¡°Get ready,¡± Serrata commanded, as their people stepped beside them. Keynes noticed Taker and the remnants of the elite squad. Some of the council¡¯s men headed straight for the dead body of the sub-boss. Keynes didn¡¯t like that. This was his dominion and the sub-boss was dead because of his and Esopp¡¯s effort. ¡°Tell your people to stay away from the sub-boss,¡± Keynes whispered but inside his dominion, his voice would reach everywhere if he wished. Somehow, the dominion made him quite possessive. Andr¨¦ Turtelli froze, some of his people glanced around nervously. Turtelli narrowed his eyes and strolled toward Keynes with redoubled determination. ¡°This is officially¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re inside my dominion,¡± Keynes cut him off. Turtelli blinked, then his glare moved on to Serrat. The councilman¡¯s emotions spilled like water through a sieve. He was bad at hiding his hatred. ¡°Care to explain to this young man the consequences of his refusal?¡± ¡°No,¡± Serrata replied surprisingly dryly. Turtelli glanced around, considering the witnesses. He was the head of the Solar Council and couldn¡¯t afford being seen insulted without repercussions. Most ascenders in the clearing were at least Level 3 and their hearing was good enough to overhear the conversation. Hence, as if reading Keynes¡¯s mind, Turtelli pulled out an item that created a privacy bubble around them. It was similar to what Bonolo¡¯s wife had used in the capital. ¡°You¡¯re not in position to antagonise the Solar Council,¡± Turtelli said gravely, glancing between them. ¡°Not recognising our claim here would see you arrested and trialled.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I am a member of the council too, Turtelli.¡± ¡°Then act like one!¡± Turtelli snapped. ¡°Because until now you are acting against the Solar Council¡¯s best interest and that is considered a treason.¡± Keynes had enough of this man but starting a fight with so many people around wouldn¡¯t be smart. Esopp was still unconscious while Turtelli had more higher Level ascenders with him. If their encounter escalated into violence, Keynes¡¯s side wouldn¡¯t win. Keynes himself wouldn¡¯t let them catch him but those who couldn¡¯t fly away would be arrested or killed. Before any of them reacted to Turtelli¡¯s threat, an arrogant-looking Level 5 ascender strode forward with several servants at his tail. ¡°Andr¨¦!¡± he called out. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Who are these people?¡± Turtelli dropped the privacy bubble and replied. ¡°Brenton, you were meant to stay in the helicopter.¡± Brenton wiggled his finger. ¡°No deals without me!¡± Both Turtelli and Serrata sighed, irritated. Keynes didn¡¯t know who this Brenton was but judging by the way the man carried himself it was easy to imagine why they reacted this way. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of something,¡± Turtelli said, when Brenton joined them but the newcomer paid little attention to the councilman¡¯s words as he glared at Serrata. ¡°What¡¯s Artefact Exchange doing here?¡± ¡°Should I ask the same about your company? What was it called again?¡± Serrata asked, a little venomously. Without the privacy bubble, others were able to hear their exchange. ¡°You''re an amusing one, aren¡¯t you?¡± Turtelli grunted, cutting off any response from Serrata. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for your bickering. We must gather as¡ª¡± ¡°You won¡¯t take anything from my dominion. It is off limits to anyone without my permission. You will take your people and leave my place.¡± Brenton looked confused but Turtelli¡¯s face darkened. Keynes had considered de-escalating the conflict but then the other man assumed he was free to do as he pleased and that was unacceptable. Keynes and Esopp had defeated the sub-boss through their effort and with some of Serrata and their teams¡¯ help. Coming here with demands grated on Keynes¡¯s patience. ¡°I have two thousand soldiers surrounded this island.¡± This time Turtelli didn¡¯t seem to care if others heard him. ¡°If you keep behaving unreasonably, I will take you with me. Is that something you want?¡± ¡°I thought we''d made a deal,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°I open rifts for you and you leave me and my company alone.¡± A sharp inhale told him that only now Brenton released who Keynes was. ¡°Remind me, how many rifts have you opened for us?¡± Turtelli asked and without letting Keynes reply, added. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I''ll tell you. Zero. Meanwhile, the marketplace is flooded with Level 4 items and materials coming exclusively out of your company.¡± ¡°T¡ªth¡ªthis is the Kid?¡± Brenton stuttered in the background. Ignoring the man, Turtelli continued. ¡°Without Level 4 rifts, not only the Solar Council but everyone is at risk.¡± Turtelli started radiating off confidence. ¡°And the new threat is bigger than Windsor Freeman. Check the dominion ranking and see for yourself. Sandman. That man has twice the amount of points of the second place in the all time ranking. He¡¯s growing stronger by minute while we squabble without a point.¡± By now, Keynes was aware of Sandman. His henchmen had tried to force Keynes and his team to leave the sub-boss alone. But he didn¡¯t like how easily the other man dragged Sandman into this. Despite his vault of knowledge, he was ill-prepared to deal with a situation like this one. Their first meeting had ended up in Keynes¡¯s favour only because of deception on Keynes¡¯s part. This time, he wasn¡¯t going to pull off a similar stunt. In a moment of tension, Brenton made his move and said. ¡°We must take the boy with us! They have no one on their side.¡± Just like that Keynes was plunged back into the old, treacherous waters where his freedom could be snatched away from him in a blink of an eye. His instinctive reaction was to shoot into the air and fly away. But nothing was as simple as before. He had to consider other people. Esopp. Taker and his team. Serrata and her team. If Keynes fled now, he''d be a coward and nothing else. You are too hard on yourself¡­ ¡°That would be a crime,¡± Serrata said. ¡°Are you a criminal, Brenton?¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Brenton scoffed, puffing his chest and narrowing his eyes on Serrata. ¡°He¡¯s a crucial asset and taking him with us is a duty. This boy belongs¡­¡± He trailed off as if a new thought occurred to him, which he voiced a second later. ¡°You think you can keep him for yourself, don¡¯t you? That¡¯s your plan.¡± Master, this would be a perfect moment to make an exit, Alice informed him but Keynes dismissed the idea. Aside from the fact that this was his dominion, he was transfixed by the unfolding events. Was this everything he was to others? A crucial asset? This reminded him too much of Windsor Freeman and his complete disregard for Keynes¡¯s freedom. As the tension grew further, Keynes considered his next step. In the case of a fight, his group was going to lose unless he used [Chaos Aura] and killed the Level 7. Something he would rather avoid but remaining quiet and passive was no longer an option. Whoever this Brenton was, was asking for a beating. Fearing that appealing to Turtelli¡¯s goodwill would most likely fail¡ªespecially given their history¡ªKeynes decided to play a deception card again, but of a different kind. ¡°Don¡¯t be so full of himself.¡± His words were aimed at Brenton who almost stepped back, his aura flaring with hints of fear and doubt. ¡°Syberius Sael tried to kill me and he paid for this with his life.¡± Read their auras, he commanded Alice. The shock spread throughout the clearing like a bolt of lightning. Some auras were strong enough to produce an overlapping effect of complete disbelief. Brenton paled, making a step back. Turtelli remained rooted in place. The lie was a wild gamble¡ªa little ambitious too¡ªbut he had to shake them to leave him alone. Chapter 132: Unfortunate Outcome Arrogance. The word flashed through Andr¨¦¡¯s mind with a force of nuclear blast. Sheer arrogance to claim such an absurdity! A mere Level 3 killing a Level 8? No¡ªand yet¡ªAndr¨¦ remembered that night on the balcony of his mountain mansion. This mere Level 3 had cowed him back then. If not for Andr¨¦¡¯s high Mind attribute he¡¯d have sneered at the boy right now but instead he checked the All-time ranking and found... the Level 8 gone. Syberius Sael is dead. Andr¨¦ refused to believe that the boy was responsible for the man¡¯s demise though. Sael had access to a wealth of items and spells that would have significantly boosted his attributes. Even considering the boy¡¯s unnatural spiritual strength, it was unlikely that Sael had been killed by Keynes Kid alone if the boy was involved at all. As he dismissed further elaboration about Keynes Kid¡¯s involvement in Syberius Sael¡¯s death, a new avenue of thinking burgeoned its way into his mind. What would be the implications of Sael¡¯s demise? What were the possibilities? There were many. The shake up this would bring to the world! This alone might see the Old Blood families out of the Solar Council and the Sael House splintered into smaller, warring factions. That outcome pleased Andr¨¦ and was going to benefit his council. While Sael was an ally, he was no better than Brenton. Selfish and greedy. In the long run, both men were liabilities and threats. Death of Sael was a boon to Andr¨¦ but his true goal stood in front of him. The boy was the key to everything. For a few short moments Andr¨¦ mulled over Brenton¡¯s greedy idea of simply kidnapping Keynes Kid. But no matter how alluring the prospect was, it was unsustainable. The sour thoughts brought Andr¨¦ out of his mind. He found the entire clearing silent, shock seemed to permeate the air. Even Serrata and Kid¡¯s people looked completely surprised by the news. While Andr¨¦ was considering the course of action, someone else took the opportunity. ¡°Killing a member of the Solar Council is a serious crime! We must arrest him.¡± Brenton said, regaining his composure. Andr¨¦ didn¡¯t disagree with the other man but there would be complications. Untainted Paradise¡ªstupid name!¡ªgrew stronger by the minute. With all the council¡¯s secret projects only in its infancy phase and constant threat of the White Masks and the resistance, the Solar Council was ill-prepared to fight them at this stage. But if not now then when? Zimmermann was an industrious and cunning bastard. He¡¯d brainwashed the boy after all turning him into a fanatic. Given time, Untainted Paradise would only grow stronger¡­ Something had to be done. Andr¨¦ ¡®s resolve hardened. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Andr¨¦ said, eventually piercing the dangerous silence that had descended on them after Brenton¡¯s words. ¡°Killing a member of the council is a serious crime.¡± Unsurprisingly, Serrata didn¡¯t gainsay him this time. She appeared shaken. Good. ¡°It was self-defence,¡± Keynes Kid replied darkly. ¡°I had nothing to gain from going after a Level 8.¡± It was a good argument but not good enough¡­ ¡°We need your statement in this case.¡± ¡°Yes, you have to go with us,¡± Brenton added, greed burning in his eyes. Andr¨¦ groaned internally. Being pushy wasn¡¯t going to work here. The Solar Council didn¡¯t have an overwhelming power yet to simply take what they desired yet and so they had to play by the rules even if it was wrong. Brenton was a disruption. ¡°I will handle it, Brenton. Go back to the helicopter.¡± ¡°No chance.¡± Brenton gave him a suspicious look. ¡°No deals cut above my head.¡± That little worm¡¯s going to ruin everything here, Andr¨¦ thought sourly. He doesn¡¯t know when to back off. Andr¨¦ opened his mouth to deny Brenton but the other man was quicker. ¡°I want a piece of the boy for myself. I¡¯ll keep him for two weeks.¡± That was a very precise demand¡­ ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little ahead of yourself?¡± For a brief moment, everyone thought it had been Keynes Kid who had replied. Then they saw him¡ªColumbus Curt slowly weaved between gathered people. Why was he here?! Suddenly, Sael¡¯s death made much more sense¡­ Upon seeing the newcomer, Brenton lost confidence and hid behind Andr¨¦¡¯s back, drawing a frustrated sigh from him. Andr¨¦ half-turned, then shoved Brenton away. ¡°Go back to the helicopter. That¡¯s an order.¡± I can¡¯t spare my attention elsewhere when I have to deal with the only man who can kill us all without breaking a sweat. *** ¡°What brought you here?¡± Keynes asked, watching the Solar Council forces leave his dominion. Despite his strong disinclination, Keynes had agreed to give small concessions like a transcript of the fight with the sub-boss and Sael (most of Sael¡¯s story was a lie but a convincing one), general description and shape of rewards (he didn¡¯t reveal everything though) and samples of the dead monsters, including the sub-boss. This was mandatory to placate the council from making a fuss about Sael¡¯s killing. Keynes regretted now going with deception but it was too late to gainsay his own statement. Giving them nothing would be better but Columbus had agreed to Turtelli¡¯s demand before Keynes could refuse it. At this point sharing any information was bolstering their competitors and potential future enemies. But Columbus was right, they couldn¡¯t afford fighting the Solar Council right now. Still, poking inside his dominion felt repulsive and intimate. Your attunement with the dominion is unbalanced, master. You need time to synchronise and balance your spiritual attunement, otherwise, these personal sentiments will keep intruding. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Spiritual attunement? How do I do that? After you finish your conversation, I will help you. Keynes acknowledged her words with a silent, spiritual nod. ¡°Wagner sent me,¡± Columbus replied, oblivious to Keynes¡¯s inner dialogue. ¡°He expected something like this.¡± Keynes glanced at the other man and found him very much the same, he¡¯d seen him the last time at Wagner¡¯s house, when they¡¯d faced Shaper. He still wore his white uniform, although it was past its prime and clearly worse for wear. ¡°Such impeccable timing,¡± Serrata murmured, hinting at something. Columbus didn¡¯t comment on Artefact Exchange CEO¡¯s words, looking pensive for the first time since coming here. ¡°I hope it was worth it,¡± he said. Serrata gave him a speculative, curious look. Keynes, too, wondered what Columbus had meant by this. Columbus read the room quite well and followed his words with a prompt to find a more secluded place. They reached the northern rim of the island. Not a single soul was in a two hundred metres radius. A fresh breath of the lake air brushed Keynes¡¯s face. Without the oppressive debuffs, his dominion was quite scenic. Keynes liked it. If only the Solar Council hasn¡¯t known its location, Keynes thought just a bit gloomily. ¡°I meant the lie.¡± Keynes considered giving him a wounded look but Columbus wasn¡¯t someone who cared for such things. ¡°It was a necessary deception. I couldn¡¯t sense you and so I did what I could to drive them away from the island.¡± Columbus nodded in acknowledgement while Serrata exhaled, looking confused. ¡°Sael died to the sub-boss,¡± he explained. ¡°If that''s the case,¡± she said. ¡°Then the outcome is unfortunate.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Columbus added. ¡°Turtelli withdrew for now but they¡¯ll retaliate. Sael¡¯s death is a perfect opportunity to them.¡± Keynes cursed internally. He just gave their enemies ammunition to go after him. He wasn¡¯t as smart as he believed. With a fouled mood he dropped on his bottom, his eyes dangling from the cliff. ¡°Why do you think they will retaliate?¡± Serrata asked, trying to lighten the mood. ¡°Keynes has given them most of what they asked for.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve stepped down from the leadership of resistance,¡± Columbus said simply as if it wasn''t big news. ¡°My replacement, while staying loyal to my philosophies, won¡¯t be our military arm. And with the Red Moon on the verge of making their choice as well, we may soon have much less punch than I¡¯d desire. I¡¯d be worried if the Solar Council didn¡¯t attack when we¡¯re at our weakest.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because that would be a demonstration of restraint and thinking ahead. These are features of dangerous and cunning enemies.¡± ¡°Greed can be exploited,¡± Serrata added. ¡°And guided,¡± Columbus agreed. ¡°Are we actually ¡®weak¡¯?¡± Keynes asked, worries accumulating in his mind. If his error would threaten the sovereignty of their company, he¡¯d have to level up faster. Maybe even ignore maxing out attributes for a level or two. I disapprove, Alice muttered from far away. In the corner of his eyes, Keynes noticed Serrata shift uncomfortably. It seemed that she realised that she was made privy to some very personal information. While Esopp didn¡¯t trust her, Columbus¡ªand in extension Wagner¡ªappeared to have a different sentiment. ¡°We¡¯re not. Things move ahead of schedule and we''ll be more than ready when the Solar Council strikes,¡± Columbus said then looked over to Serrata. She noticed his attention and straightened up, her expression becoming neutral. ¡°Artefact Exchange will support your efforts.¡± Her voice was weaker than usual. *** Esopp woke up a few hours later. He was far from fully healed. Alice murmured that the healers brought here were using the default version of [Heal]. Its efficiency rating was low and its effectiveness would fall off at the higher Levels without serious modifications. That would be the case for most skills and spells at the higher Levels and past Level 10¡­ Keynes was shocked at the wealth of information coming from his spiritual companion but she was cagey at explaining herself. No surprise there. With Esopp¡¯s health stabilising and reaching 60%, the man looked quite restless. But Keynes noticed a subtler shift in the older man¡¯s demeanour. Some of his playfulness had vanished and was replaced by a thoughtful frown. After listening to what he¡¯d missed, Esopp expressed an urgent need to go back to their Level 4 rift cluster. Esopp¡¯s words drew the attention of Columbus. ¡°Don¡¯t act so surprised with all the mess you¡¯ve just dumped on me, there is little choice but get stronger. I need to level up.¡± He is not telling the whole truth, Alice said. I can sense some kind of ¡­ mental wound? Does it make sense? I guess, coming so close to dying hit him hard. Trauma wasn¡¯t anything new but neither was Keynes an expert in this field. Columbus accepted Esopp¡¯s explanation and Keynes didn¡¯t bring up his suspicions. He didn¡¯t want to push the man for more in Serrata¡¯s presence though. Esopp didn¡¯t trust the woman and Keynes respected that sentiment. The next day Esopp and Serrata were gone from Keynes¡¯s dominion. Columbus stayed behind to keep Keynes safe. There was a burning urge to follow Esopp in his path to get stronger but Alice had convinced him to stay a few more days to ¡®acclimatise¡¯ with his dominion. For all his drive, Keynes barely objected to the idea of staying for another few days; his dominion called to him. He found it primal and intimate. A dominion was a complex concept. Keynes¡¯s understanding of it was pitiful and when he immersed himself in it, he felt overwhelmed. He brought up the dominion¡¯s menu but Alice stepped in. You should not use the menu, master. To truly master a dominion and reap its hidden benefits is to use it without help of the System. Once again, Keynes found it strange that Alice was allowed to share such important insight but he didn¡¯t question it and instead dismissed the menu. Navigating the dominion without it was substantially harder but with each passing minute, sensation of acclimatisation and instinctual understanding became stronger. Then something changed and Keynes¡¯s mind expanded encompassing his entire dominion in a profoundly different way than before. He felt one with his dominion. In a way, a dominion was an extension of its owner but at the same time it was so much more. Alice wasn¡¯t very forthcoming but shed some light on the inner workings of dominions but her arguments were becoming much more compelling. The process of discovering was as important as the knowledge itself, if not more. With each level, ascender¡¯s power was becoming personalised and unique. Even if Keynes had all the answers to his questions, they would as much help as harm him. Only he, himself, could attune the dominion to him. Keynes mused the revelation while listening to Alice¡¯s explanation about the differences between dominions and territories. He grimaced when presented with the cost of upgrades. Upgrading a dominion in any way cost resources and orbs. It made sense why Sandman had been hunting down dominion events. He was upgrading his dominion with the Orbs of Dominion. Unless¡­ A dominion could encompass the entire planet, although prerequisites for such an expansion were beyond Alice¡¯s knowledge. She mentioned though that it was possible and relatively inexpensive to move between dominions scattered around a planet. So, there was a possibility that Sandman wasn¡¯t after heavy-modified dominion and wanted to conquer the planet. This would explain Turtelli¡¯s concern about Sandman, Keynes mused after learning about the alarming limits of dominion powers¡ªor their relative lack. Focus, master, your memory will be for naught if you do not pay attention. Sure. She moved on to upgrades. His hair stood on end. If he had resources to commit, he could shape terrain and climate according to his wildest wishes. There were magical effects and points of interest like dungeons that could be added too. The more he learned the less he understood how such a powerful tool could be available to ascenders. Within his dominion Keynes could be a god, literally. It was insane. Some debuffs were so powerful that anyone near his Level would be annihilated within seconds. This made him very uncomfortable. On the other hand, some buffs offered powerful insight concentrated around small locations. Insight was always welcomed. It pushed understanding beyond even heightened parameters. That was something to look forward to. Chapter 133: Meeting Room Keynes opened his eyes. How long? Three days, came an immediate reply. So it had taken him three days to fully synchronise his senses with those of his dominion. It showed a quality of dangerous time sink that wasn¡¯t controlled or curated by hunger, thirst or other necessities. Keynes¡¯s mind had been completely consumed by his dominion. Synchronisation had been only a part of reason for its misguided time management; Keynes had watched dutiful men and women gather remnants of dominion monsters, and experts measuring and scribbling notes. They were doing what Turtelli had come for. But those were Keynes¡¯s people and he didn¡¯t feel bad giving away rare materials to them. Even these observations paled in comparison to a feeling of unobstructed freedom granted by the dominion. Keynes had moved through the ground, the lake and the sky and had been the soil, water and air all at once. These weren¡¯t sensations easily processed by a Level 3 Perfect State ascender and as he emerged from the synchronisation, exhaustion was catching up to him. His mind felt fried. Keynes sighed, half-satisfied, half-pained. During those fleeting moments¡ªas he remembered them now¡ªKeynes had felt as if he could shift anything within his dominion by his willpower. His efforts had remained fruitless though, the matter ever elusive and untouchable. The ordeal had made him wonder though¡ªwas it possible to modify a dominion without resources? Unlikely, nonetheless, the possibilities offered by a dominion were daunting. I think it is time to leave the dominion, master. Her words made a part of him bristle in ferocious defence like a cornered animal. The unfortunate consequence of a thorough synchronisation was a newly strengthened connection and thoughts of impending separation terrified him. At the same time, Alice was right, his time here came to end. With the island scrubbed clean of the monsters, his people were about to leave for Emerald City. Columbus wasn¡¯t going to leave him alone though. They knew that the Solar Council had never left the other side of the lake where Keynes¡¯s dominion ended. It was unlikely they¡¯d know if Columbus left or not but it was better to err on the side of caution. Apart from an extra Orb of Dominion, Keynes didn¡¯t really have many resources to start upgrading his dominion. Besides, he didn¡¯t know in what direction he wanted to take his dominion in the first place. The sheer number of possibilities was staggering. He¡¯d need to consider his options carefully, given the cost of upgrades. He was surprised to find Vivena¡¯s dominion in the System - House of Poison. It made him realise that he hadn¡¯t named his dominion. Another item on his to-do list. A moment of panic seized him when he noticed her dominion had a location listed next to the name. Alice stepped in and assured him that she¡¯d set his dominion to ¡®secret¡¯. It was not visible to anyone in the System. As his thoughts returned back to the unusual resources required to upgrade the dominion, his mood darkened. Upgrading the dominion would take a substantial momentum away from personal development. That is the way of the System, Alice added vaguely. *** His way back to Emerald City was a slog but after four days, he and Columbus entered the bowels of the underground city. It had changed more than Keynes thought possible. Previous building materials were replaced with higher level materials, more people populated corridors now and here and there Keynes saw formations and runes on the walls, floors and ceilings. ¡°Wagner has moved all our people here,¡± Columbus explained on their way to the meeting room. ¡°Having everyone here is going to speed up our development efforts by a lot.¡± Keynes wouldn¡¯t argue with Wagner¡¯s logic but it still felt strange to have their entire company in one place. ¡°Actually, not everyone is here,¡± Columbus corrected himself as they entered a lift. ¡°Wagner and his closest staff have remained in Geneva but the headquarters is here now.¡± ¡°Why leave him there?¡± ¡°Geneva¡¯s role as a trading hub has been reinforced with the emergence of the Solar Council. Every major company has their representation there. Logistically, it¡¯s easier this way.¡± Soon after that, their conversation was interrupted by a bustling activity of the office wing. With the headquarters moved here, the number of office employees increased manifold. Their steps carried them to the centrepiece of the section. Here, things took an unexpected turn. Most materials used in the underground city were Level 1 and 2 with only a hint of Level 3. The heavily defended metal door before Keynes and Columbus was made entirely out of Level 4. Two Level 5 guards stood watch in front of the door. Their light, red armours were custom made out of Level 4 materials. The pieces must at least provide 20 points to each attribute, Alice informed him. It was a serious security upgrade compared to what Keynes had witnessed earlier. A quick calculation in his head gave him a staggering 55 points per attribute. This was far beyond a Level 10 human ascender. It appeared that Wagner had stopped taking half-measures. It gladden Keynes. He didn¡¯t want to needlessly worry about his employees. This led to a small incident, of course. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. They stopped before the guards at their command and Keynes felt a prickle. The Purifying Body buff prevented [Inspect]. The leftmost guard frowned, then his eyes narrowed, focusing on Keynes. ¡°You have to let me [Inspect] you, sir.¡± Columbus glanced Keynes¡¯s way with unrestrained curiosity but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Why?¡± Keynes asked, feeling defiance building up inside him like a hurricane. ¡°Every person entering the Command Sphere must pass inspection.¡± ¡°What about the clearance card?¡± Keynes produced the card from his dimensional pouch. ¡°These are not sufficient to enter the Command Sphere, sir.¡± ¡°Let them do their job,¡± Columbus said eventually, growing impatient with the issue. ¡°Fine.¡± A moment later, the same guard nodded, satisfied. The rightmost guard placed his hand on a wall palm scanner. The heavy door slid open revealing a small, cage-like metal chamber. Damn, they surely outdid themselves here. Once inside, the door behind them closed soundlessly. ¡°Now, you can use your card.¡± They touched their cards to a card scanner¡ªconsecutively¡ªand only after it had flashed green, the next door opened into a much less populated, but wider corridor. It lacked the luxurious feel of the executive offices outside but its sturdiness of Level 4 materials and metallic interior added a futuristic feel like a spaceship bound for an interstellar voyage. Two additional control points barred their way as they moved closer to their destination. These were lighter and only required a scan of their cards. Eventually, as the outer layers of the Command Sphere peeled away, they entered the command room itself. A room wasn¡¯t the right word. It was as large as a cavern. A beating heart of Emerald City. Rows upon rows of screens of various sizes with several gigantic ones taking space on the furthermost wall flickered with numerous information and graphics. Hundreds of people worked in the command. Keynes spotted several elevated positions that had to house higher ranking individuals, overseeing this madhouse. He didn¡¯t see any familiar faces. The command room was behind a thick sheet of clear glass while the corridor split, flowing around it, diving further into smaller corridors. Everyone here is Level 3, minimum, Alice informed Keynes. It is impressive what they have achieved in barely two weeks. It was, indeed, damn impressive. Their destination lay several turns away though. An unassuming door with a sign ¡®Meeting Room¡¯ didn¡¯t hint at housing the leaders of the very company. Columbus opened it and entered the room without a word. Keynes followed him inside. The room had a large circular table made out of Level 4 polished dark wood. Several comfortable chairs were arranged around it. Esopp occupied one. He didn¡¯t glance at them, instead remaining focused on an electronic tablet in his hands. Another important feature of the room was a screen. Wagner glanced at them from it, looking worse for wear, even for Level 7. He¡¯d clearly pushed himself to unhealthy limits. Esopp wasn¡¯t any better. He clearly had come straight from a rift, not bothering to take a shower. His battle robe had some minor damages and was stained with blood. Esopp himself appeared sombre and quiet. ¡°Finally,¡± Wagner said, sounding relieved. ¡°We had some minor security hiccups,¡± Columbus said, offering no further explanation. Neither Wagner nor Esopp asked for any. Keynes and Columbus took seats. ¡°Let''s us start.¡± *** Keynes hadn¡¯t been thrilled to be part of these newly established monthly meetings but if he wished to have any input into strategic decision-making, he had no choice but to be here. A tablet came to life in Keynes¡¯s hands, recognising his face and logging in his profile. Wagner gave them a moment to absorb the first point on their itinerary. Consequences of Syberius Sael¡¯s death. ¡°They pinned Sael¡¯s death on the sub-boss,¡± Wagner reiterated the information from the tablet. Why? Weren¡¯t they going to use it against Untainted Paradise? Esopp appeared unbothered but Columbus showed signs of slight distress. This was what he was afraid of. ¡°They¡¯re planning something ugly,¡± Columbus said. ¡°Certainly,¡± Wagner agreed. ¡°But our intelligence isn¡¯t fully fleshed out yet.¡± ¡°Intelligence?¡± ¡°Our spies,¡± Esopp answered mirthlessly without peeling his eyes off the tablet. They had spies? Keynes needed a moment to process this. Were they becoming like the World Government? In fact, given the size of their company and amount of resources generated through rifts, they were one of the larger institutions in the world. Why was he surprised to learn of having an espionage department? Many lesser businesses used such practices to varying degrees. Likely, the answer was simple; because this time the company doing this was his, or at least 25% of it. Even now, sitting in the heart of Emerald City was difficult to process and comprehend that it was his, that he had control over many things. ¡°If you want, I can involve you in our weekly meetings with a master spy,¡± Wagner said. Keynes considered the offer but he knew better than wasting his time. ¡°Maybe another time.¡± They returned to Sael. The consequences of his demise were spreading like a wildfire throughout the world. The House of Sael had split itself into two warring factions; this worked in Untainted Paradise¡¯s favour. The Sael Holding¡¯s potions production suffered terribly. Keynes briefly wondered how Vivena would react to the news of her grandfather¡¯s death. She¡¯d seemed to despise that man. Without a powerful leader, the Old Blood Houses were vying to fill the void but their efforts were akin to a pack of hungry hounds fighting for scraps of meat. If they chose to escalate, things would become bloody. Untainted Paradise wouldn¡¯t much care for such a turn of events but the Sael¡¯s schism had an additional and unforeseen effect¡ªthe Old Blood¡¯s position in the Solar Council was threatened. Nothing official but once again, their intelligence had learned of plans to remove the Old Blood from the council. Keynes didn¡¯t need to be politically savvy¡ªwhich he wasn¡¯t¡ªto see the absurdity of the move. Columbus beat him to the question. ¡°Why kick an ally though?¡± Yeah, it made no sense and this made it much worse. The Solar Council weren¡¯t fools. ¡°It¡¯ll be the true end of the Old Blood¡¯s grip on the interplanetary affairs. Their power will be significantly blunted,¡± Esopp said darkly and a little mind absently. Columbus and Keynes gave him curious looks. Wagner seemed to had gone through this discussion already. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± It sounded strange, coming from Esopp who was the head of the Earls, one of the most powerful Old Blood families on Earth. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Freeman¡¯s goal? Crippling the Old Blood.¡± Columbus asked. ¡°It was,¡± Esopp replied. Keynes could almost feel the gears in their heads turn. Then Wagner had an ¡®aha¡¯ moment. ¡°They are purging the council to streamline their control.¡± ¡°Or they are bringing in stronger allies,¡± Esopp countered. Chapter 134: Knowledge Keynes stopped paying attention when the other three men moved on with their discussion to different political topics which had nothing to do with him. He¡¯d listened to their conversation about Syberius Sael because he felt responsible for the consequences of lying to Andre Turtelli. The tablet, Keynes came to realise, was something else. At first, it¡¯d looked like a commercially available model but once Keynes dived into it, things got crazy quickly. Through the tablet, Keynes had access to his entire company. He could see how many departments there were, their status, members, performance, plans and more. He asked about Haef and received a brief overview of the crafter¡¯s activity alongside comments of varying levels of seniority. It looked like not only they four had such tablets. Of the two that Keynes recognised were Andrew Gunnar, the current Head of Emerald City and Cyrano, the Head of Rifts. Colours tell what information and comments are available to each level of seniority, Alice mused, making Keynes frown. How do you know? He asked. Can you not tell? Not ¡­ really. These tablets run on mana and I sense a lot of formations and runes incorporated in their design. They are only a step down from a device-System connection. I ¡­ am kind of surprised that you have¡ªI mean the humankind¡ªfigured out this so quickly. For a very brief moment, Alice¡¯s voice changed and she sounded distant and mechanical. Intrigued by her words, Keynes allowed some of his spiritual energy into the tablet. She was right. The tablet was complex beyond anything Keynes had ever seen. He couldn¡¯t begin to guess the roles of most of the functions in it. Still his Superior stage offered him some insight into the scheme of things. He followed threads that resonated with his Spirit but the device felt incomplete. Were they trying to bridge the gap between the tablet and the System? But to what end? Master¡­ Alice sighed. Is it not obvious? Once they are past that step, all the information from the tablet will be accessible from the level of the System. But¡­ Keynes stilled, imaging the scope and consequences of the endeavour his company was pulling off. Despite the numerous applications he couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. How invasive would this be? It would be very invasive but at the same time secure. The System is unhackable, Alice informed him. Connection isn¡¯t, Keynes countered. They¡ª she froze. Well, that is the limit of knowledge I can offer. Annoyed, he turned to the other men. ¡°What¡¯s your plan with these tablets?¡± Wagner stopped speaking and glanced at him. Columbus only squinted while Esopp stared at his tablet. ¡°What brought that on?¡± ¡°This thing is very advanced but feels incomplete.¡± Wagner nodded in agreement. ¡°With every passing day, the world advances faster than ever before. One of the key reasons for this is mastery type skills. With the precise allocation of such critical assets, we were able to take leaps and bounds. Nonetheless, you are correct, this technology is far from finished. We¡¯re aiming to turn the tablet into a personal device for every one of our employees.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Keynes couldn¡¯t comprehend the end goal of such an investment. ¡°We could train hundreds of elites for the same cost.¡± Wagner sighed and a shadow of irritation flitted over his face. ¡°Once we discover how to connect our technology to the System, many of our limitations would vanish. Instant communication, instant and unobstructed access to critical information without regard for distance and location. The Web is built purely on electrical infrastructure that is highly incompatible with mana. Because you can¡¯t use mana, you can¡¯t run runes and runes are critical in combining complex arrays of formations. ¡°It is very likely that the Web will be replaced in a year or two with a new, purely mana-based, iteration.¡± Wagner leaned forward as if he wanted to reach through the screen. ¡°Keynes, we aren¡¯t the only ones researching this technology. Some of our experts are inclined to believe that singularly-focused research teams and companies will begin to outpace generalists like us.¡± Esopp snorted, then a little cynical expression bled onto his face. ¡°Kid¡¯s just afraid of being controlled. After all, Freeman had a similar idea but far less advanced.¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong there. Even without Alice¡¯s help, Keynes could see that accessing the information from a tablet via the System involved personal connection from an ascender to the System. While Keynes¡ªmaybe a little naively¡ªdidn¡¯t question Wagner¡¯s motives and intentions, he couldn¡¯t help but feel worried about giving such a tool to someone who might exploit it. Wagner saw the cues on Keynes¡¯s face. They all did. Their already high Perception was further heightened by items and so it was trivial for them to get a read on others. ¡°As far as we understand the System, control envisioned by Windsor Freeman isn¡¯t possible with our setup.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I am not an engineer but the way it was explained to me suggests that the whole architecture of this project clearly shows incapability of our design to obtain information from the System without an user¡¯s permission.¡± Hmm. Unless someone hacked the¡ª This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The System is unhackable! Alice snapped in Keynes¡¯s head. Fine, fine, Keynes said conciliatorily. While Keynes mulled over the news, Wagner continued. ¡°We¡¯ve considered investing into a spiritual training regime you had mentioned but we encountered obstacles that made this road unfeasible, at least in the current stage.¡± Keynes¡¯s brows rose. He was surprised that their company had faced obstacles they couldn¡¯t overcome. Considering their resources ¡­ no, it sounded wrong. ¡°What kind of obstacles have stopped you?¡± Wagner nodded toward Columbus. Without as much as a twitch, Columbus turned to Keynes but also gave Esopp a considering look. ¡°Spirit has been an object of researchers long before the first outbreak. True, it was never prioritised by the Institute or the army but some progress was made. Nonetheless, there was very little application for the findings and so these things had remained under the radar of the higher ups.¡± ¡°Things have changed after the outbreaks,¡± Keynes added. ¡°Yes,¡± Columbus admitted. ¡°But with the emergence of new possibilities, aforementioned obstacles arose. Unlike Levels, spiritual stages aren¡¯t automatically gained. You must have some ¡­ talent.¡± Columbus fell quiet noticing, Esopp¡¯s sour expression. ¡°Talent?¡± ¡°Call predisposition if you must,¡± Wagner interjected. ¡°But the argument remains. Most people don¡¯t have it in them no matter how hard they try.¡± Keynes found it strange. He didn¡¯t have much trouble climbing to the Superior stage¡­ With your two buffs, you should not be surprised, Alice said. Rapid Learning and Photographic Memory trivialise it for you. Though going higher will not be that easy even for you. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re approaching it from the wrong angle,¡± Esopp said. ¡°Why would the System create something so potent only to deny it to the majority of people?¡± Alice answered in Keynes¡¯s head. ¡°Because the System seeks to challenge us.¡± The other three men glanced at him questioningly. ¡°My spiritual companion¡¯s words,¡± Keynes answered then added. ¡°How¡¯s your climb to the Medium stage coming, Esopp?¡± Esopp grimaced. He was clearly unsettled by the events from the sub-boss¡¯ fight. ¡°After my ascension to Level 8.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a mistake,¡± Wagner said. ¡°Our information on Spirit we currently have, shows clearly that it is easier to gain stages in lower Levels.¡± This surprised Keynes. Not the information itself, but the fact that Wagner possessed it. The last time they had talked, Wagner had appeared to know next to nothing about Spirit. What was the extent of his knowledge now? ¡°I¡¯m not in position to wait with you two slacking off,¡± he huffed, irritated. ¡°Anyway, how did we end up talking about me, huh? Better explain to him why we won¡¯t be touching spirit training.¡± Neither Wagner nor Columbus seemed to care much in the face of Esopp¡¯s accusation. Though Keynes¡¯s Perception wasn¡¯t as high as theirs, he could pick us emotions through their auras. Only Esopp had left the Weakest stage and was on the second stage. But his spiritual aura control was sloppy and poor. ¡°I haven¡¯t said we won¡¯t be touching spiritual training but we cannot afford to commit the way you expect. Our company will soon employ nearly two hundred thousand people at varying Levels. Many of them have valuable Talents and we want them raised to Level 5 for their minor Talent upgrade. That alone cost us a fortune. But this is a stable and a simple process. With Spirit nothing is simple or stable. Some employees would get there, others would not. This isn¡¯t something we can afford now.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s your plan?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°A screening process for spiritually talented and highly motivated individuals who require spiritual power for their job, like your crafter, Haef Hasting.¡± ¡°I want to be involved in it,¡± Keynes said without missing a heartbeat. ¡°Sure. But mind you, we¡¯re starting with a small unit. Ten people maximum.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more,¡± Keynes said, noticing a weak smile reaching Esopp¡¯s eyes, while Wagner looked to be in pain. ¡°I want to be in charge of the Department of Knowledge.¡± His words met a wall of silence. At first, he thought that he¡¯d overstepped, which wasn¡¯t possible. They were equals here. Then Columbus broke the silence. ¡°Do we have such a department?¡± Esopp typed something on the tablet then shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have one,¡± Wagner said, falling back against the backrest of his chair. ¡°Each department handles their information themselves, sharing their findings and news during meetings.¡± It sounded flawed and Keynes knew why. ¡°Vault by Render Graft,¡± Keynes muttered. It was a book he¡¯d read some time before his ascension to Level 1. It criticised academia for the isolationist approach to storing and sharing knowledge. Issues highlighted in the book spoke about the inefficiencies of the information processing and application. The only reason the book hadn¡¯t been banned was the high and abnormal praise for the World Government-backed Institute. Keynes couldn¡¯t help but see the same issues made here. Compartmentalization of knowledge had no place in the world of tight interconnectedness. He had a strong feeling that Wagner¡¯s knowledge about the Perfect State would be as impressive as it was about Spirit but Keynes would have found not a single department trying to learn how these two aspects of progression interact with each other. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A book about the disposition of knowledge,¡± Keynes replied then launched an in-depth explanation. He hadn¡¯t expected Esopp to be so interested in it. After a brief presentation of the major topics Keynes waited for Wagner to argue against it. In the end, such a department was bound to generate costs. ¡°The idea¡¯s sound but it¡¯ll require modification of our projected budget.¡± ¡°Just do it already, Wagner,¡± Esopp said. Unexpectedly, the argument came from Columbus. ¡°The book you mentioned failed to explain to you why compartmentalization of knowledge is often necessary.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± Esopp asked. ¡°Of all people, you should know best,¡± Columbus replied, his voice growing dangerously sharp. Esopp returned the hard stare. ¡°Freeman was paranoid. He wanted all the knowledge for himself and even his closest allies didn¡¯t have the access to the bigger picture. I fail to see how this is relevant to our case.¡± ¡°Knowledge corrupts,¡± Columbus stated simply. ¡°And even if none of us can be corrupted by it, what about the other people who would come in contact with it?¡± ¡°In order to progress, you must take risks. Kid¡¯s right. Our current model is detrimental. Even Wagner¡¯s old garden company kept all the eggs in one basket. Why should Untainted Paradise be any different?¡± The undercurrents were clear when it came to Wagner¡¯s and Esopp¡¯s clashing philosophies. Like Keynes, Esopp wanted them to get stronger, while Wagner was too busy to bother himself with gaining Levels or spiritual stage. The situation of Columbus and Esopp was much more nuanced. Clearly, they both had shared history but their sudden hostility seemed to come out of nowhere. He didn¡¯t like it. ¡°I am not against it,¡± Columbus drawled. ¡°But there are precautions that must be taken before we move on with this idea.¡± He turned to Keynes. ¡°Your department won¡¯t be some quasi-important academia but a beating heart of this company with all the secrets passing through. And some of them ¡­ are world-shattering.¡± Suddenly, Esopp looked ill and even Wagner glanced away. ¡°I guess it is time to move onto the next topic of our meeting,¡± Columbus said. ¡°It¡¯ll better highlight the danger of mishandling knowledge.¡± Chapter 135: Betrayal Wagner¡¯s face was replaced with an aerial view of a building complex resembling a military compound. In the inner yard an open rift spawned monsters, which were quickly killed by a humanoid creature. It had long arms, almost reaching to the ground, sickly pale and completely hairless skin. Despite its hideous appearance, it moved with grace and precision. Then¡ªlike a bolt of lightning¡ªcame another creature. It smashed the first one with brutal impetus. A shockwave destroyed the surroundings in the radius of ten metres, rift monsters were pulverised. The airborne creature had some resemblance to the monster from the Emerald Lake¡¯s hunting ground but it wasn¡¯t the same. Its leathery wings were larger, its body smaller and leaner, and had a humanoid shape to it. Its brown fur was thick but not equally distributed. It had a bald leathery head in a slightly elongated shape. Their strength is beyond Level 10 human essence ascender¡¯s baseline, Alice made an observation. There¡¯s more to that though, Keynes said. The pressure of their attacks impacts the surroundings more than a physical force should. Indeed, this is abnormal. They clashed several times and the outcome of their fight was becoming quite clear. The airborne creature had an advantage in every aspect. Keynes waited for the finale, wondering why Columbus was so vivid about this and why they¡¯d thought it should be added to their meeting itinerary. But then came the unexpected¡ªWindsor Freeman in the presence of a slightly deformed woman. With a sinking feeling came understanding. Keynes knew what he was watching. This was the base Esopp had spoken about. ¡°Why?¡± Keynes muttered, growing angry. ¡°This fight happened while you and Esopp were still inside the dominion. I was in South America and Wagner in Geneva. Neither of us could do anything.¡± With the arrival of Windsor Freeman and the deformed woman, the tides of the fight shifted. The yard changed into an inferno. Keynes recognised [Fire Aura] but Freeman wielded it with precision that meant only one thing¡ªa higher spiritual stage. He is at least in the Medium stage to be able to control it so well. Freeman¡¯s fire had no mercy, it consumed the rift monsters at a faster pace than Keynes¡¯s [Chaos Aura]. The flying creature weathered the first few seconds then a horrible screeching buffeted [Fire Aura] away for a moment. Amid destruction, Keynes saw the first creature, it was badly burned, its eyes stared at Freeman with hate. Whatever it wished to say, would ever remain unsaid as the deformed woman impaled a sword through its eye, killing it. The airborne monster turned its head to her then shot forward with unimaginable speed. Freeman¡¯s [Fire Aura] resumed and from his raised hands [Fireball]¡¯s spilled without restrain. He killed her own ally, Keynes wondered bewildered. The monster reached the deformed woman, one of its wings acted like a spear, punching through her. Only her insane reaction time saved her from a certain death as the furthermost part of the wing punctured her shoulder instead of her chest. The deformed woman didn¡¯t seem to care for the wound and grabbed the exposed wing, immobilising it. The winged creature understood its predicament and its other wing blurred, stabbing the woman¡¯s second shoulder. At the same time, [Fireball]s hit them both. Then came [Fire Aura] concentrated only on the winged creature¡¯s back. But Freeman wasn¡¯t content with only using his spells. A large sword came out of his dimensional space. He covered the distance between him and now the burning creature and slashed. Shockingly, the blade shattered, leaving no wound. The creature exploited the brief moment of confusion and sprung away from the deformed woman who was burned in several places. Freeman¡¯s fires had weakened her and her grip lost its strength. ¡°What are you?¡± Freeman asked, his voice came distant, distorted by the raging inferno and groan of pain from the deformed woman. The creature regarded him with cold calculation and undisputed intelligence. Even though its body was aflame, it kept the grimace of pain hidden. It was going to lose against Freeman. Fortunately for the creature, the helicopters were coming their way. It snickered then jumped into the air but Freeman wasn¡¯t going to let it escape. It hit the creature with a spiritual aura so powerful that even the person who was recording it almost dropped to the ground. The creature stumbled then tumbled toward the rift, pulverising the monsters that got in their way, Freeman materialised on top of the creature the next moment, his hand outstretched and aimed at the creature. Whatever spell he used, it shone brighter than the sun. When afterimages vanished, the body under Freeman¡¯s hand was a burned husk, the soil around turned to glass or molten stone. The people in the helicopters weren¡¯t stupid and quickly turned around. One of the helicopters wasn¡¯t fortunate though and one of Freeman¡¯s [Fireball]s caught it, sending the machine down. The video ended and Wagner reappeared. Keynes was speechless. On one hand, he wanted to go there right now and save Daiyu Fen and Tulli, but on the other hand, he¡¯d just witnessed true strength of Level 10, even if he was only a human essence ascender, his power was undeniable. Oblivious to Keynes¡¯s clamouring thoughts, Wagner launched into a further explanation. ¡°As you know, this was Windsor Freeman¡¯s secret base. He¡¯s no longer there though. He realised that its secrecy was compromised and escaped, leaving no trace.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Daiyu Fen and Tulli.¡± ¡°We got our team to enter the base as soon as possible. While Windsor Freeman was thorough in his destruction. He either forgot and wasn¡¯t aware of a few rooms designed to withstand the very thing he wrought upon the base. We were able to retrieve important data but the built-in safety protocols prevented us from erasing any files. So the council will have access to it as well.¡± Wagner said. ¡°We are in the process of analysing the data.¡± Wagner was keeping something from him and Keynes wasn¡¯t in a mood to play games. ¡°Tell me,¡± Keynes said dryly. ¡°Both of your friends have turned to Windsor Freeman¡¯s side.¡± A gaggle of emotions abruptly made a knot in Keynes¡¯s throat but he washed it away with a cold indifference. Master¡­ ¡°But they are alive,¡± Keynes said flatly. ¡°They are.¡± ¡°That adds to the issue of having all knowledge in one basket,¡± Columbus said, unbothered by Keynes¡¯s state. ¡°The thing Freeman worked on in the base was called the Human Project and its goal was to turn an ascender into a super ascender. The monsters you have seen were the outcome. The deformed woman was Marg Moonbane and the one killed by her was Nitisha Romanov.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how this is relevant to the Knowledge Department?¡± Keynes asked coldly. ¡°Control is the word here,¡± Esopp said without looking up. ¡°If you let dangerous knowledge fall into the wrong hands, things will get ugly.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the only issue,¡± Columbus cut in. ¡°If we keep all our knowledge in one place, whoever has access to it, will see the bigger picture and will be able to understand the extent of our plans. Your department will be a liability.¡± ¡°And such vulnerability can be exploited by our enemies,¡± Wagner added. ¡°If they gain access to it¡­¡± He left the words hanging in the air. No explanation was required. For a brief second, they nearly had Keynes convinced. But they missed the point. ¡°I understand,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like it,¡± Columbus said, sounding resigned. ¡°Because you¡¯re missing the point by looking at the wrong thing. You cannot progress when you¡¯re only focused on a danger associated with moving forward.¡± Esopp laughed, but neither Wanger nor Columbus seemed amused. ¡°You cannot deny the truth of his words,¡± Esopp said, when he calmed down. ¡°And you¡¯re the one talking,¡± Columbus said. ¡°Should we remind you about the fight with the sub-boss?¡± Esopp said nothing, suddenly falling quiet. It confirmed Keynes¡¯s suspicions. Getting close to dying left a mark on the other man. But one thing didn¡¯t seem right here. Esopp was in possession of Tears of Gyra, a rare consumable item that would pull him out of the worst, non-lethal situation. Keynes thought that having such a cushion to fall on would have a stronger positive effect on Esopp¡¯s mental state. Apparently it didn¡¯t. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that we can only grow when we step out of our comfort zones,¡± Esopp eventually said, although he sounded unusually subdued. ¡°There is little pleasure in being weak or feeling like you not gonna make it. It makes you wonder, you know. It made me wonder. Why did a Level 7 feel powerless in front of a Level 5 monster? Yeah, we¡¯ve used human essence to gain Levels but this isn¡¯t an excuse for why I should feel weak again, it¡¯s a reason why I must get stronger.¡± Esopp took out something out of his dimensional pouch and placed it on the table. It resembled a withered plum.
Withered Regrets (Rare) ¡°In the face of power, even regrets lose their meaning.¡± - Replaces lesser essence into a rift essence for a single Level. - Has no effect on pure rift essence ascenders. [Consumable] Level 4
Woah, Alice whistled. This is worth a lot. Wagner and Columbus didn¡¯t need a spiritual companion to understand the worth of the item. It was the thing Esopp had asked about before they left for the dominion. How did he get it? ¡°I¡¯ve decided to push myself to the limits to get stronger. It involves a great deal of pain and danger. But this is the only path to follow if you hope to stay ahead of the world. What you see here is the reward for challenging myself. This came from the second Deadly Encounter I faced.¡± Esopp pointed at Wagner. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with your approach. It is smart, efficient and profitable. But one day an ascender stronger than Windsor Freeman would find us, what would you do then? Throw spreadsheets at them?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll fight,¡± Columbus replied, sounding less sure. After watching the video, even Keynes realised the total futility of going after Freeman. He alone would wipe the floor with them. They were too weak to face someone so strong. And it is only the beginning, Alice added. Sooner or later, outliers will start to rise above everyone else. You should watch out for the moment when the first of our enemies break through to Level 11. Why is that? Keynes asked curiously. Because it seems like neither Columbus Curt and Wagner Zimmermann are convinced that personal strength is more important than organisational might. And they¡¯re wrong? Only in that it is infinitely more expensive and time-consuming keeping a whole institution on par with powerful individuals. But there are caveats to my point of view, of course. It will always be biassed. The System leans toward the individuals. After a lengthy discussion of pros and cons with the other three men, the consensus was reached. The Department of Knowledge received the green light but Columbus would be involved in assessing risk and taking countermeasures. Esopp and Wagner would review the project but they weren¡¯t going to take any active roles in it. Because of the way they¡¯d acquired most of their intelligence, Keynes would have to schedule regular meetings with the master spy to discuss finds. By the time they finished this part, Keynes questioned the impulse to create his department in the first place. As the discussion ended, the suppressed emotions started to gain momentum. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break,¡± Keynes said. They still had to go over the dominion rewards and their future plans.. Much more exciting topics than what had been discussed already but if Keynes wished to be more hands-on, this was the price to pay. He left the meeting room in a rush, feeling pressure in his head. With a tablet in his hand, Alice was able to navigate him to an empty, secure room. There, he fell to his knees, emotions breaking the dam inside him. There was guilt, shame, betrayal. He shouted into the emptiness. But the betrayal was his. He hadn¡¯t done anything to help his friends. Could he even call them friends anymore? Because he¡¯d prioritised other things, Daiyu Fen and Tulli were forced to join Freeman. As the emotions washed over him, Keynes noticed even something more shameful and dark. A tiny part of him was glad this was out of his hands now¡­ No! I won''t be that kind of person! Even if I am unable to do anything now, I¡¯ll save them ¡­ eventually. Short update Hey everyone, I am extending the break for another to week on RR. I am still focused on editing/rewritting the early chapters. Just recently I''ve finished chapter 5 (you can find it on my discord). The edit moved a lot of old chapter 5''s content to chapter 6 meaning that I am nowhere ready replacing the old chapter with revised ones, which is priority to me because it would allow me to publish the story on other websites and eventually move it to amazon. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Also, from chapter 150, I drop chapter''s names. I don''t see any value in them and they are quite bothersome for me. For now, I will keep updating patreon with some delays as much as my workload allows. Chapter 136 ¡°Should we be worried?¡± Columbus asked some time after Keynes had left. Esopp sighed, deciding to put the tablet aside. He had to give it to Wagner¡¯s engineers, they¡¯d built an insane piece of technology here. Of course, if one considered formations, runes and mana a technology, which Esopp kind of did. ¡°He¡¯s just upset about his friends,¡± Esopp remarked offhandedly. ¡°It hardly looked like upset to me,¡± Columbus said. ¡°Are you sure your son¡¯s mess hasn¡¯t left any lingering damage?¡± Esopp gave Columbus a hard stare, wondering if the other man was baiting him. It was unlikely for Columbus who had never struck Esopp as an overly playful man. That was why he chose the military career instead of the political one. Maybe leaving the army behind stressed him too much? If Esopp¡¯s mental state wasn¡¯t so strained, he¡¯d definitely tease Columbus but he wasn¡¯t in the mood for that. After the meeting was over, Esopp was going to push for the last few percent to hit Level 8. Then he would use Withered Regrets to replace one human essence level with rift essence level. If his calculations had been correct and he didn¡¯t have reason to think otherwise, then he would be looking at 43 points per attribute. A pure human essence ascender, like Syberius Sael had been, only had 39 points at Level 8. A difference of 4 points per attribute wasn¡¯t anything to scoff at. While these numbers were not very intuitive they mattered. ¡°He¡¯s perfectly healthy,¡± Wagner interjected. ¡°I had a team run a full health check when he was here.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter with his emotionless disposition? We have to be careful about letting another sociopath grow in power.¡± Esopp snorted. Columbus was being ridiculous. Keynes Kid was a handful, but at the end of the day he was only what¡ªseventeen? By the law, an ascension made him an adult but the science of ascenders was clear, no matter the level, seventeen was still seventeen. Extra Mind attributes added some mental protection but did nothing for resilience and wisdom which could be only acquired through experience of long years. ¡°Cut him some slack, will you?¡± Esopp said. ¡°He¡¯s been through hell¡ª¡± ¡°For which you¡¯re partly responsible.¡± Columbus¡¯s harsh words brought a silence that even Wagner didn¡¯t look keen to banish. But, yes, Columbus was right. Esopp had been in charge of Hidden Hand, the organisation which had handled the discovered rift and Keynes Kid. ¡°I take blame freely where I deserve it. I should have raised Waxilium better. He mishandled the Jamaican compound¡¯s operations, but even though I was tied up in fixing up the energy crisis on Venus, I am not convinced I¡¯d have changed Freeman¡¯s mind with regard to speeding up the opening of the first rift. It does look like a glaring error in the hindsight but that¡¯s always the comfort of looking back and knowing the consequences.¡± His response came less harsh than he¡¯d expected, which incidentally eased the atmosphere. It veered the conversation away from Esopp. They discussed the potential consequences of delaying opening the rifts for the Solar Council and how far they should push. Columbus wanted to stay on their good side until Emerald City had fully functional defence measures and would protect them from assault. They also had to take into account their Level 4 rift cluster. It was hidden but mostly undefended. Moving Level 4 rifts was out of the question at the moment. They only had two Level 4 rift orbs of relocation and they were going to use them for the rifts discovered in different parts of the planet. Unlike the outbreak, locating sealed rifts wasn¡¯t an easy task. Tools required to locate a rift had a short range and Earth had a massive area. Their current prototype had a range of twenty kilometres but the cost of building it was an order of magnitude higher than the ten kilometre model. Wagner wasn¡¯t sure if it was worth it. The location of the cluster on the island had been given to them by Shaper. They also had a location of Level 5 rift cluster a few isles away. That was partly why they set up Emerald City in Southeast Asia. Eventually, their conversation dwindled and Wagner asked. ¡°Should we include him in the long term plan deliberation when he¡¯s like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to wait until the next meeting with it,¡± Columbus said. Esopp almost snorted at that. Wagner and Columbus and their ambitious future plans. Either way, Esopp didn¡¯t think Keynes would care much about them as long as he was free to do what he wanted. Almost thirty minutes later, Keynes returned. Esopp squinted at him, giving him a scrutinous glance and somehow, he felt like one being scrutinised. That boy¡¯s spiritual aura was monstrous. Esopp had a hard time believing that the boy had cowed Turtelli in Geneva, buying them precious time. Nonetheless, Keynes needed to sort out his appearance. His long hair was a mess, his apparel while good quality was mismatched and definitely out of fashion. Esopp was going to put him in touch with his man. The cold indifference vanished but Keynes¡¯s eyes had an echo of haunted stare that belonged to someone who had seen too much. It couldn¡¯t be helped, if they wished to walk ahead of the rest. There were always going to be challenges and danger. But Columbus wasn¡¯t wrong. The last thing they wanted to do was to raise a tyrant. They all had done hard calculations and had seen the numbers. By Level 6, Keynes as a Perfect State ascender was going to surpass them in the raw attributes and from there the divide would only grow wider. They couldn¡¯t kill him because without Keynes Kid there would be no more rifts. Individually, they couldn¡¯t keep up with him either. Hence Wagner¡¯s and Columbus¡¯s insistence on powering up the organisation, Esopp mused. It is the only tool left to them that will let them keep Keynes in check. Or so they hope. ¡°Dominion rewards, right?¡± Keynes asked as he sat down. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to postpone the meeting?¡± Wagner asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Let me start then,¡± Esopp said, surprising others, in particular Keynes. ¡°Yeah, I have received some rewards as well. I¡¯m pretty sure they aren¡¯t as impressive as yours but I¡¯m happy with them.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Esopp took out the first item.
Lesser Rift Orb of Rarity Increases a drop rate of higher rarity items from monsters and chests. Affinity: None Note: Can be used on a Dungeon. Monsters¡¯ drop must be enabled to be affected. [Rift Consumable] Level 2
Then came the rift.
Rift (Rare; Variable)
Level 2
Status Closed, Personal
Requirements Requires Owner¡¯s Permission
Modifiers -
Details -
Affinity Dominion
Special Status Unexplored
He¡¯d also received a bow with a passive skill that could track anyone wounded by the bow. It was a decent Level 3 weapon with a solid feel but Esopp had no need for it. He had one already but he waited for the arrival of the [Create Ice] skill shard from his won bid war to finally make use of it. ¡°These are for placing second at the weekly ranking,¡± he explained to the stunned others. ¡°Now for the personal achievements, missions, challenges and other such frivolities like lending a hand in killing the sub-boss.¡± Following rewards weren¡¯t impressive, just some rare materials and potions Esopp had no use of but they were clearly valuable, he¡¯d checked, most of them weren¡¯t even listed on Artefact Exchange. He also had received a belt with a resistance property against mental attacks, but he sold it and used the money to buy [Create Ice]. Then, there were five Level 5 essence orbs with different affinities. Each orb contained essence equivalent to a single Level 5 common rift. He¡¯d considered using them for himself but a quick calculation discouraged him from this course of action. They would¡¯ve given him only 1.25% toward Level 8, which was as much as 10 Level 4 common rifts. Because of the essence¡¯s affinity, these must be worth much more. Others eagerly looked over the materials but didn¡¯t dwell on them. ¡°And this,¡± Esopp dropped a bomb on them. He placed a silvery orb on the table and waited for the others to check the System label. Wagner used a formation in the table that did the same for him over the distance. ¡°Orb of Dominion,¡± Wagner muttered and Esopp recognised that look with cogs working overtime behind Wagner¡¯s eyes. He crushed any plans the other man might have with regard to the orb. ¡°You can have all of this, but the orb is mine.¡± In the corner of his eye, he saw Keynes slump a little. So the boy had designs for the orb as well? Him, Esopp couldn¡¯t blame. From bits and pieces of knowledge he¡¯d learned that these orbs were required to upgrade existing dominions. Unfortunately for Keynes Kid, Esopp wasn¡¯t all selfless and such. He wanted to carve out a little place for himself as well. Claiming a vacant island and turning it into Esopp¡¯s dominion sounded very appealing. ¡°I will buy it from you,¡± Keynes said, unable to contain himself. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Esopp shook his head. A quick look at Eteris¡ªan Artefact Exchange trading application¡ªshowed the latest bid ending at over 200 billion solar credits. Not bad but in comparison to Esopp¡¯s stake in Untainted Paradise, it was peanuts. The orb wasn¡¯t for sale. ¡°It would do some good for each of you to have a dominion.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the appeal,¡± Wagner said but others weren¡¯t convinced with Keynes looking outrightly shocked at Wagner¡¯s statement, which led to Keynes explaining the mechanisms and advantages of a dominion. Although, he admitted that his dominion was a little superior due to the circumstance of being an ¡®inheritance¡¯ from the sub-boss. Esopp listened to Keynes¡¯s revelation with his mouth and eyes growing wider. A free view? Changing terrain or weather? Esopp had to actively push down the urge to take the orb and find a spot to activate it. Suddenly, the fortunes paid for these orbs weren¡¯t looking like lunacy. ¡°I agree with them. The healing buff saved Earl¡¯s ass after all,¡± Columbus said, allowing himself a faint smirk. That it did, Esopp thought grimly. He had the Tear of Gyra but Esopp couldn¡¯t use it unconsciously. It was a serious drawback of the item, and a reminder to always have a trained team with him. They didn¡¯t need to actively help him but were there for emergencies. The third Hated Foe was going to be rather deadly and Esopp might need the Tear to get himself out of it alive. ¡°It is something to consider for the future,¡± Wagner admitted less hesitantly than before then turned to Esopp. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°No,¡± Esopp replied, unsure how to feel about the last bit. He took out a crude, thumb-sized shard of a grey glass with dark smoke swirling inside it like water. He kept it between his fingers in front of himself. ¡°This is called a Trait of Dominator.¡± Keynes frowned then his eyes showed signs of someone looking at the System, then they widened in disbelief. For the first time in days, Esopp allowed himself to smile. The item didn¡¯t come out of his dimensional pouch but from somewhere else. ¡°It is a soulbound item,¡± Esopp said. ¡°Meaning?¡± Wagner asked, leaning forward. ¡°Meaning it cannot be given away,¡± Keynes explained and to emphasise the point, Esopp placed the shard on the table. It dissolved into smoke the next second, returning to Esopp ethereal storage space. ¡°What is this?¡± Columbus asked.
Trait of Dominator ¡°Having others in your grip is the only way.¡± - Adds a trait of dominator to the Spiritual Core. Effects are not universal. - Note: This is not a buff/debuff. [Permanent Consumable] Soulbound
The flavour text was a little ominous but overly, Esopp didn¡¯t think the System would reward him if it was detrimental to his strength. But he was going to wait until Level 8 and use it regardless if the kid figured it out or not. ¡°It changes your spiritual core,¡± Esopp replied. ¡°Doesn¡¯t say much else.¡± Chapter 137 Wrapping his head around the Trait of Dominator wasn¡¯t easy even with Alice¡¯s explanation. According to her, there were many traits of varying potency and effect. Unlike buffs, they affected an ascender¡¯s core, changing some of the core¡¯s fundamental structure. She¡¯d been reluctant to clarify it but eventually ceded some information. Traits could offer unremovable spells or permanent buffs, affect attributes¡ªnot in a numerical way¡ªand what was the most scary to Keynes, impact an ascender¡¯s personality. Despite the glaring drawback, the traits were substantial powerups and grew stronger with Levels. It was a difficult decision and on top of that the trait shard would vanish permanently after several weeks. This was the extent of the information Alice had shared with Keynes and soon the meeting moved on away from traits and Esopp as he had no more rewards to show. It was Keynes¡¯s turn. He¡¯d received twice the number of materials and some that Esopp hadn¡¯t had. None of them understood the value of these resources, but given their quantity and strength of their spirit, they were rare to say the least. Wagner was the first to notice that some of the materials could be used in anti-dominion formation they¡¯d acquired recently. The formation disabled spawning of dominions and dominion monsters within its range. With the combined resources brought by Esopp and Keynes, Wagner assured that they had enough to protect Emerald City and the Level 4 rift cluster. Both Keynes and Esopp didn¡¯t have a problem with it. Two lesser orbs; one increased the number of monsters by 15% and one affected affinity of the rift. Both were Level 3. Because they were consumables, Wagner advised them to just sell the orbs. But then came two rift orbs. One Level 5 and one Level 4.
Rift Orb of Enlargement The size of a rift is doubled. This includes the number of spawned monsters. Variety of monsters will be affected. Affinity: None Note: Cannot be used on a Dungeon Level 4
The Level 4 Rift Orb of Enlargement was in essence an additional rift. It was a welcome boon that could be coupled with an Rift Orb of Recharge to boost the number twice more. The second rift orb was something of a stray.
Rift Orb of Pocket Removes all the monsters and traps from the rift. 10% of rift¡¯s previous essence value is now awarded over a recharge time passively. The rift is unmoored. Affinity: None. Note: Can be used on a Dungeon Level 5
Strangely, the System had an explanation of what meant for a rift to be unmoored. Such a rift could be freely moved around but left on its own, it would disappear over 24 hours of no use. Also, the unmoored rifts could be further modified only by greater rift orbs. ¡°Passive essence?¡± Esopp mused. ¡°What does it mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll most likely receive essence just by standing about,¡± Wagner said. ¡°This could be used for risk-free levelling,¡± Columbus noticed. ¡°But is it worth it? You are losing 90% of the rift¡¯s essence.¡± While the three men argued about levelling, Keynes¡¯s mind returned to the rift he¡¯d discovered with Vivena, Haruka and Bill; but particularly to the day with the rift¡¯s paradise-like biome with a blue sky, clear waters and sandy beaches. In his mind, Keynes recalled that day with absolute precision and clarity and it caused his heart to ache. Why had he allowed himself to grow apart from Vivena? Was keeping a promise too much to him? I can¡¯t keep a promise if it interferes with the Shaper¡¯s vision, he reminded himself and it immediately weighed his mood down. Though he¡¯d moved on, at the very core he wished things to be different. ¡°I¡¯ll take the orb,¡± he said, interrupting the discussion. Columbus looked as if he wanted to argue but didn¡¯t say anything. To recycle the bad atmosphere, Keynes took out reward rifts, he¡¯d received five of them! Three were Level 5 rifts, of which one was marked as special, and two rifts were Level 4. All except the special rift were rare and variable.
Rift (Runic; Stable)
Level 5
Status Closed, Personal
Requirements Requires Owner¡¯s Permission
Modifiers Runic Legacy (The rift contains a unique species of a runic tree. For each removed tree, recharge of the rift increases. Monsters nearby the runic trees are vastly empowered).
Details Boss is always present.
Affinity Dominion, Runic, Life, Plant
Special Status Unexplored; Modified
Now this was a haul. A unique species of a runic tree¡ªwhatever the runic tree was but the word ¡®unique¡¯ used by the System indicated one thing; this was the only source of this species in the entire Universe. Alice confirmed the meaning; if something was unique it didn¡¯t reappear anywhere else. ¡°Rank 7 rarity!¡± Wagner exclaimed, excitedly. ¡°And one having FOUR affinities with two of them being related to my specialisation.¡± Keynes could almost hear Wagner¡¯s thoughts but neither Esopp nor Columbus would have any of that and cut Wagner¡¯s hopes short. ¡°That is a kind of the rift we cannot keep for personal use. If these runic trees turn out to be valuable, we¡¯d have to invest rift orbs into this rift and take advantage of it.¡± When Columbus spoke like Wagner and Wagner behaved like Esopp, Keynes could only stare in slight astonishment. ¡°What he said,¡± Esopp added. They were correct. This rift was something else. This particular rift was the sub-boss dominion reward, while the two Level 4 rifts came as the weekly rank 1 rewards. It was confusing as these two events overlapped on each other. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. After the rifts, Keynes scooped up the essence orbs with the exception of night essence which he kept for himself. There was also one skill shard: [Empower Minions]. Keynes had no use for it and added it to the pile of rewards he was giving away. As the ranking reward he¡¯d received a pair of boots that boosted movement speed within any dominion. He considered keeping them but their appearance was not to his liking. The other five items came from the sub-boss and were directly related to it.
Woodbird Queen¡¯s Crown (Rare) ¡°I command you!¡± - +5 All Attributes - [Dominate] - Lesser Mental Resistance - {Enchants: Self-repair; Self-adjust} [Helmet] Level 5
The item was a helmet made out of polished dark wood. Its top part had a vague crown-like shape while the rest of it had a more traditional appearance of a closed helmet.
Woodbird Queen¡¯s Cape (Rare) ¡°My path will not be barred.¡± - +5 All Attributes - [Flight] - Lesser Wind Resistance - {Enchants: Self-repair; Self-adjust} [Cape] Level 5
The cape was brown and tattered but brimmed with power.
Woodbird Queen¡¯s Heart (Rare) ¡°I am the forest. The forest is I.¡± - +5 All Attributes - [Essence of Forest] - Lesser Wood Resistance - {Enchants: Self-repair; Self-adjust} [Plate Armour] Level 5
Even though the armour was wooden, it felt stronger than steel. It was made out of the same material as the helmet and looked elegant.
Woodbird Queen¡¯s Roots (Rare) ¡°From soil you came and to soil you shall return.¡± - +5 All Attributes - [Root Strike] - Lesser Earth Resistance - {Enchants: Self-repair; Self-adjust} [Boots] Level 5
The wooden boots had greaves to protect the shin and felt incredibly light.
Woodbird Queen¡¯s Communion (Rare) ¡°I speak for the silent.¡± - [Root Network] - [Telepathy] - {Enchants: Self-repair; Self-adjust} [Ring] Level 5
At the last item, Alice¡¯s wooshed next to Keynes¡¯s ear. Telepathy? Keynes asked, mildly amused. What¡ªno! Master, that is [Root Network]. Doesn¡¯t ring a bell. Ah, right, she understood then added in an ominous tone. Do not give this ring away. I will show you why once we have a chance to use the item. You will not regret it, master. I promise. For a good ten minutes discussion was fierce as Columbus and Esopp tried out the items. Twice Keynes felt a delicate mental brush and a system message informed him about a failed telepathic attempt. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t come to consensus. Wagner wanted to sell them. A price for a rare Level 5 item with such properties would be astronomical. Columbus refused, believing it would be giving away substantial power for credits they could acquire easily through different sources. He wanted the items stored away or used by crafters to try to replicate them. Esopp wanted to use them. ¡°The cape gives you the ability to fly, I can¡¯t walk away from that.¡± Eventually though, the other three men turned to Keynes to settle the argument. The issue was, Keynes didn¡¯t know what to do. He agreed with Columbus and Esopp. Having inferior copies of these items would be a substantial win for their elite soldiers. But after reading descriptions of [Root Network] and [Essence of Forest] he kind of wanted to grab the items and run off to the closest rift. [Essence of Forest] boosted every metric for every tree nearby. Speed, defences, regens, everything. It was a massive powerup in any forest biome rift. On the other hand, [Root Network] was something else entirely. It allowed to connect with a root system, command and animate trees, and even transfer the lifeforce of trees changing it into life and mana regen. These two alone would make Keynes unbeatable inside any forest. But as the other men waited for his judgement, a dreadful thought dawned on him and he froze. ¡°Do you realise that ¡­ soon others will acquire equally if not more powerful items?¡± One such an enemy and they were screwed. Keynes¡¯s words didn¡¯t impress others so they must have had similar thoughts. It overlapped with Alice¡¯s warning that the world would soon see powerful outliers rising to the top, leaving the old powershouses in the dust. ¡°That¡¯s why we should let crafters figure these items out,¡± Columbus pressed but Keynes was afraid that these items were far beyond the skill of any man living on Earth. Wagner understood his blunder when they explained to him the skills. He could¡ªsomehow¡ªread the system labels of the items but to get additional information about the skill from the item, it had to be equipped, which he couldn¡¯t do. ¡°In that case, I side with Columbus,¡± Wagner admitted. ¡°But only the most senior crafters will know about the existence of these artefacts.¡± They agreed. Almost. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t allow the ring to go to crafters. We don¡¯t have counter-measures against [Telepathy] and because of its small size, we might play with fire here. We cannot afford to lose it.¡± ¡°Then what are we going to do with it?¡± ¡°I can put it to good use,¡± Esopp offered hopefully. ¡°No,¡± Columbus cut in. ¡°It is best to lock the item in the vault for now. [Telepathy] is indeed a security risk we aren¡¯t ready to tackle yet.¡± They agreed to do that, although Esopp grudgingly. The vault could be only accessed when two out of the four founders were there so Esopp couldn¡¯t sneak it out. With the items sorted out, the last two items were the Orb of Dominion and the Trait of Dominator, the same as Esopp. It sparked a short discussion about the latter but Keynes didn¡¯t know what he was going to do with it. They would definitely return to this topic at a later date. The same was true in regard to the next sub-boss dominion. Columbus took responsibility for creating an actionable plan in the event of its appearance. They moved on to the short term plans. Wagner¡¯s mansion in Geneva was being rebuilt with Level 4 materials, turning it into their company official headquarters. Because he assumed the role of the company¡¯s CEO, he was in charge of interacting with the outside world, mostly with the Solar Council. He promised to level up once he prepped up a suitable replacement. Columbus was taking over Tyr¡¯s responsibilities and as the ex-chief-in-command of the World Government¡¯s army, he would be building their private army. The decision to relocate all their staff to Emerald City, had left Red Moon Legion in the vacuum as they weren¡¯t in the city themselves because of its location¡¯s secrecy. But these things were Columbus¡¯s responsibilities and he had a free mandate to act any way he deemed necessary. Esopp was going to level up, get to the Elevated spiritual stage (eventually) and then level up again. He warned them that in the foreseeable future, he was going to be focused purely on his own strength. Although Wagner grimaced, because he didn¡¯t want to leave Andrew Gunnar in charge of Emerald City¡ªwhich expanded dramatically¡ªand Cyrano in charge of the rifts. Esopp¡¯s decision deformed the chain of command for now but Wagner refused to leave the situation be and promised them to fix the mess. None of them seemed particularly invested in the issue so they only shrugged. Keynes¡¯s plans mirrored Esopp¡¯s. He had to get stronger¡ªfast. He wasn¡¯t far from Level 4. Then he¡¯d be focusing on mastering his skills and aura control and learning techniques. And of course, there was the Department of Knowledge to build! ¡°We will have to borrow you after you level up to scoop up a few Level 4 rifts from around the world but nothing major,¡± Wagner interjected. ¡°Ah, I forgot. I will need a personal assistant. Would you be able to direct me to where I can choose from?¡± ¡°Personal assistant? Why?¡± ¡°I figured out that with all the responsibilities I¡¯ll need someone to run errands for me.¡± Esopp¡¯s laugh was the only answer. Chapter 138 Why was picking an assistant such a pain? Having a large pool of choices was supposed to help, right? Not this time it seemed. Keynes swiped through choices on his tablet, paralysed by the insane number of suitable candidates. And all of this was after Keynes had applied his requirements and preferences, some of them quite harsh. Some time ago, Wagner had acquired a Talent-hunting company that collected profiles of people looking for Talent-dependent jobs. The company had already been prominent before the outbreaks as the job market had been purely Talent-driven. Once Wagner had bought it, he transformed it into the hidden backbone of Untainted Paradise. The addition of mana-powered AI and algorithms was a game changer and yet it was far from its full potential. Wagner had used it to bring in thousands of key employees into their company and urged Keynes to fully trust the AI. I do not think it is a good idea, Alice murmured. She was in a foul mood, since Keynes left Emerald City and travelled to the rift cluster on another island. Keynes wasn¡¯t in the best mood either and so he mostly ignored her. Eventually, Keynes grew impatient with his indecision and decided to take a leap of faith and follow Wagner¡¯s recommendation. Alice loudly groaned but said nothing. It wasn¡¯t like Keynes was comfortable with using the mana-powered AI but he needed to make a choice here and now. The mana-powered AI was one of Wagner''s first projects after their meeting with Shaper in Geneva. Keynes suspected that Shaper had supplied Wagner with critical knowledge making it possible to kickstart the undertaking. That part worried Keynes because it hadn¡¯t been well-explained to him. The role of the AI was to access memories and thoughts of a person who was looking for an employee and, based on the nuanced desires and requirements, find a perfect match. The violation of his privacy, even with his consent, made him wonder about the extent of possibilities offered by the System. Perhaps, the pace of the changes was too fast to him and it scared him. After all, over a year ago, most of these things weren¡¯t possible. Mana-powered technology had been closer to science fiction than to reality, but no more. A little concerned, Keynes accessed the AI and commanded it to choose the right candidate. Golden Horizon AI is requesting permission to access your memories. Y/N It was really difficult to accept this idea of their own technology connecting to the System, or at least to their own spiritual interface. Closing his eyes and silencing Alice¡¯s outcry, Keynes gave it permission. To its credit, Golden Horizon AI was very transparent about its activity and after barely a second it produced a complete log and a report, alongside with the chosen profile of a candidate for Keynes. His name was Jedd Eldin. Immediately, Keynes brought up the man¡¯s profile. Jedd Eldin was a Level 1 personal assistant working for high-profile individuals. His previous clients were directors and CEOs of many prominent companies. His record of achievements was impressive. He thrived in an high-demand environment and demonstrated clear and measurable ability to improve performance of his clients. That has to be his Talent, Keynes wagered. Furthermore, Jedd Eldin had the best possible scores in confidentiality. But there were some caveats here. He was 35 and still Level 1? Why? The answer was provided in the report; Jedd Eldin had refused to level up prior to the outbreaks and currently, the cost of levelling up to Level 2 was too much for his employer to cover. Hence his interest in finding a more lucrative job. So the man understood his value. Good. Keynes read on and soon learned things he wasn¡¯t ¡­ sure about. Jedd Eldin wasn¡¯t a man afraid of speaking up nor was he easily intimidated by power or wealth. According to the report, Keynes required a strong-willed assistant. Interesting, he mused, while Alice murmured something about injustice. Of course, choosing Jedd Edlin didn¡¯t automatically hire him. There meant to be a negotiation and further screening before he could appear before Keynes. So at least a few weeks. * The Level 4 rift cluster underwent a startling change. It resembled the old lunar base with its many domes and corridors that connected them. Only the colours weren¡¯t the same, following the surroundings. They didn¡¯t use the same artificial canopies or camouflage as had been used above Emerald City. From the highest hill, Keynes noticed the fishing village gone, replaced by a sprawling port with hundreds of cargo vessels docked there. They are really swift, Alice murmured. Her first clear words after Keynes used the AI. Indeed, they were swift and though the rate of transformation was difficult to accept, it was mentioned during the meeting that most of the construction workers had been carefully chosen to ensure that their Talents worked in synergy, boosting the output considerably. Many of them were levelled up and on top of that, their company had a substantial workforce and a very high budget to push harder when required. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Once these people reached Level 5, the output would increase two- or three-fold. This was the new reality. As he stared at the port, he noted something unusual¡ªa high amount of spiritual energy coming off of it. On the other hand, the rift cluster felt devoid of spiritual energy. Why? Alice huffed so Keynes waited for her to explain. Eventually, she did. It is because of the contrast between Level 4 resources and their Level 0 surroundings. Even these ships do not seem to be Level 1. As for the rift cluster, they have used materials with spirit insulation properties. Yes, Keynes was aware of these materials. Why didn¡¯t they use them in the port or on the ships? Must be a difference in the spiritual signature of rifts and resources. I do not know the details to tell for sure. You will have to ask people responsible for designing this place. Keynes accepted the explanation without another word then proceeded toward the rift cluster¡¯s headquarters. Personnel had been warned about his arrival but not about his status, so they treated him with respect but without the intimidating stares some people in Emerald City had given him after learning who he was. The cluster manager met him only briefly, emphasising the rules. The man¡¯s aura control was very bad and his emotions were easy to read. He was tired of dealing with VIPs who came to the cluster to level up. Because this cluster provided the most essence, it was used to level up more important employees of the company. Others used Emerald City and its abundance of Level 1 and 2 rifts. A room Keynes was given was a far cry from his luxurious accommodation at Emerald City. It was functional and minimalistic with a boring interior. It made sense. This place was more like a hotel. No need to get comfortable. There was another residential area limited to the cluster workers and not even VIPs had access to that part. Keynes didn¡¯t dwell on it. Luxury was nice but since his ascension, minor inconveniences didn¡¯t bother him¡ªlike sleeping outside in the middle of the World Reserve. The cluster manager asked him to use the rift terminal to access the schedule and request delving slots but on this Keynes was going to deviate. He might be treated like a regular VIP but he wasn¡¯t one. With the tablet in his hands he had control far greater than any person here with exception of Esopp. He checked the schedule and found that all rifts were cleared for today. Unfortunate, he muttered. But there is nothing I can do about it. Wait a minute¡­ Intrigued by long lists of requests, he perused the interface. It lacked the same depth he¡¯d seen earlier ¡­ oh. He had to manually switch to the founder-rank access. Suddenly, the interface changed, requests had notes from higher ranked personnel, mostly explaining why their subordinates should be given delving slots. The cluster manager was a decision-maker but there were instances where Cyrano or even Wagner had stepped in. It¡¯s a mess, isn¡¯t it? There are too few rifts and too many ascenders, Alice said. I¡¯m going to open more rifts after I level up, he explained but Alice snorted, her mood kind of a mixture of amusement and displeasure. It will not make a difference. Rifts are the bottleneck of growth. Your people¡¯s needs are magnitudes of order higher than what all the rifts on the planet can provide. And the higher you go, the scarcer it gets, at least in terms of essence. What do you mean? There are fewer Higher Level rifts. And how do you know that? He asked not remembering reading about it. From the tablet, each time it uses your mana, I can access information stored in it. Keynes opened his mouth. Yes, she mentioned this at the meeting but he didn¡¯t think she could browse through the unopened parts. Was this a security risk? It is not, Alice said, sounding aggravated. What a moody, little princess! I can only access the same information you can. If you would switch to a lower-ranked access, my access would also be demoted. Alright, Keynes said slowly. But this is dangerous territory. I don¡¯t think our crafters or engineers¡ªor whatever they call themselves¡ªhave a good grasp of Spirit. I haven¡¯t met anyone above the Weakest spiritual stage. You would be surprised, Alice said with self importance radiating off of her. The department responsible for investigating Spirit, has a very good grasp of its theory. Did she try to prove something here? You aren¡¯t angry about me hiring a personal assistant, are you? A long pause followed his question. I do not like it, she said grudgingly. Am I not good enough? Why are you trying to replace me? With this stupid tablet, I can even send messages to others! Her outburst startled Keynes even though he¡¯d expected something like this. She hadn¡¯t been thrilled with the idea of Keynes¡¯s personal assistant but thinking he wanted to replace her? Why would she think that? Yes, she was annoying and not very informative, but he¡¯d grown fond of her. Even if she stopped being helpful, he¡¯d not get rid of her. What brought that on? I am useless. Each time I am trying to help, the System cuts me off of the information or coerces silence from me. It is irritating, this inability to do something more. And it gets worse with your spiritual strength as I see and understand more but my limitations remain in place. They¡¯d talked about this. Her frustration was born out of having a personality. A standard spiritual assistant didn¡¯t possess a personality but due to the systemic error, every spiritual assistant created before the System was fully online had received a personality, building up a misalignment between the two entities¡ªthe System and a spiritual assistant. Solving this issue was out of reach but at the same time, he required a personal assistant to take care of the growing list of to-do things. The sheer number of meeting requests he¡¯d received was disheartening and this was only the beginning. Alice, you aren¡¯t useless, trust me. As for a personal assistant, it¡¯s a job neither of us can do. It¡¯s going to be a person that will bridge my relationship with my company. I can¡¯t manage a department and be focused on growing my personal strength, so I need help in these areas, he said. I understand, she replied, her voice subdued but she was no longer sad or angry, just thoughtful. Their bond grew immaterial and faint, indicating Alice¡¯s withdrawal from the physical world. Not wishing to disturb her, Keynes returned to the tablet. He had to add himself to the schedule without disrupting the delicate balance he¡¯d seen. He quickly found Esopp¡¯s name, hidden from non-founder users. Esopp entered every rift in the cluster together with nine other ascenders, incurring an essence penalty of 50%. When Keynes checked the rest of ¡®Esopp¡¯s party¡¯ things got a little more interesting. Four people were listed as a carry team, their job was to ensure the safety of visitors. To Keynes¡¯s amusement, Esopp was also listed as a visitor. If Keynes wished to add himself to the party, he¡¯d have to remove one of the visitors. Why do I feel bad about it? He sighed. He removed a member of a carry team. Immediately, a message from the cluster manager pinged in his tablet, demanding an explanation. Damned bureaucracy. Chapter 139 Rift essence was the true currency within Untainted Paradise. Learning it wasn¡¯t the only surprise waiting for Keynes. Another one came after reviewing the cluster manager¡¯s duties. While the man signed off rift slot allocations, his decisions were supported by the company¡¯s AI. It echoed what Alice had said. They didn¡¯t have enough rifts and might never have. This naturally created a situation where every ascender going into a rift incurred an opportunity cost and the competition was fierce. Even 1% of the most valuable employees composed a long waiting list. Previously, all the rift slot allocation decisions had been signed off by humans, which led to the imbalance where less important employees had levelled up. Currently, the biggest chunk of ascenders on the waiting list came from the recent AI-chosen hires. In other words, after Wagner had begun using the mana-powered AI, things started to shift¡ªrather fundamentally. I wonder why he omitted it during the meeting? Having a company organised by an AI sounded quite important to Keynes. There were some notes about its role in decision-making with a clear explanation that the final decision was always made by a human. The AI only analysed and reported all the potential outcomes. Why wasn¡¯t this the case when it came to hiring? Nonetheless, he didn¡¯t regret asking for help with a personal assistant, he needed one more than ever. He shoved the AI out of his mind and checked how many rifts his company currently owned. Available Rifts (Currently Unavailable) Level 1: 40 (32) Level 2: 17 (48) Level 3: 10 (39) Level 4: 22 (16) Level 5: 2 (32) Interestingly, his Level 5 special rift wasn¡¯t listed as available which made sense. Each of the available rifts on the list could be booked and delved for essence. His special rift¡¯s modifier complicated things, making it an object of research. That was fine for now. Out of all the available rifts only 20 Level 4s were located here in the cluster, all other rifts were back in Emerald City. Naturally, this situation was far from ideal but moving rifts one by one wouldn¡¯t be efficient for levelling. It was nice to see that the number of available rifts increased since he had checked last time. Some of the rifts had rift orbs applied, giving them various modifiers and making managing them a true pain. Actually, in the future, we may have enough rift orbs applied on these rifts, cutting down their recharge time to minutes. Yes, it would be something to have a rift that took longer to clear than recharge. Again, these kinds of things were far in the future with the current drop rate of rift orbs. The tablet was a rabbit hole. With Keynes¡¯s level of access, it contained far too much information. After checking the status of his parents, he even found reports about his brother¡¯s movements. It seemed like Harter decided to become an adventurer. There was no mention of his Talent though. Eventually, the path took Keynes to Haef Hasting. He needed to schedule a meeting with the man. Keynes¡¯s brief visit to Emerald City hadn¡¯t allowed for any meetings bar the monthly founders review. He wasn¡¯t going to return to the city before hitting Level 4 and even then, it would be a short stay. Nonetheless, Haef was important. He was Keynes¡¯s investment. With the right resources and knowledge, Keynes believed they could produce items that would be ahead of the rest of the world. Keynes had checked on Haef during the meeting but he hadn¡¯t had time to read the report. He checked it now and it informed him that Haef¡¯s department had met every expectation and demand but produced unusual amount of broken items. Some of Haef¡¯s activities had been flagged by the AI as potential malversation but Keynes didn¡¯t care about that. He believed that Haef had enough common sense to see the futility of short-term gain in favour of long-term opportunities. He dismissed Haef¡¯s performance report and checked on the personal development. Haef had reached the second spiritual stage but had found it impossible to advance to the Medium stage where Keynes needed him. This was the issue Keynes shouldn¡¯t belittle. Not everyone could learn proper spiritual cultivation and gain spiritual stages. It looked like the System had two major avenues of progress; Levels and Spirit. The former was mindless and easy while the latter required patience, talent and knowledge. Remembering how effortlessly Shaper had dealt with Wagner, Columbus, Esopp, and Keynes in the World Reserve, it was only natural to prioritise spiritual training. Wagner¡¯s right though, Keynes told himself. Without effective screening and training programmes, we¡¯ll essence-starve ourselves. Keynes searched the tablet in hope of finding a solution to the problem but no one seemed to be delegated to work on it at the moment. I need my department of knowledge as fast as possible. There are so many issues that have to be researched¡­ eh. Hm, once I gain Level 4, my spiritual strength should increase quite a lot because of Perfect State¡­ oh, of course! Items with insight properties like Haruka¡¯s Crown of Insight. Having such an item should make the process of cultivation a little easier. Keynes checked Eteris but to his shock found no such items for sale. That was unlikely. Unfortunately, Eteris didn¡¯t disclose the historical data for the items with such properties and because it didn¡¯t belong to Untainted Paradise, there was nothing he could do to bypass the limitation. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. He checked their system, hoping for any snippets of information, he found a high-rank access report warning that some hidden entities were buying out items with insight properties. The report was acknowledged but no comments were offered. What felt off was the report¡¯s importance¡ªit was set as low¡ªdespite being under high-rank access, which translated to the heads of departments. I understand Wagner¡¯s obsession with hard numbers and spreadsheets but this isn¡¯t coincidence. Someone out there¡ªwith substantial capital¡ªknows about Spirit and no one in Untainted Paradise gives a shit! Just another thing to burden his future personal assistant with. *** In the morning, Keynes made his way to a dome containing the first rift. Once inside¡ªthe dome¡ªhe heard an argument. A slim blonde in a black wetsuit and heavy boots was yelling at ¡­ the cluster manager. He was patiently trying to calm her down but with little effect. Three other people in similar black wetsuits stood behind the blonde while a group that had to be the VIPs stood at the other side of the road that led up to the rift. Among them was Esopp, he pretended to not see anything. Right, he¡¯s under a fake name as well. The VIPs wore wetsuits as well but of grey colour. Why wetsuits? These are not wetsuits, Alice supplied. It is a crafted outfit that together provides +10 to Vitality in case of the grey ones. The black wetsuits give +6 to all attributes. Yeah, but why wetsuits? Why not something more stylish? Without his tablet, Alice couldn¡¯t search for an answer and stayed quiet. Keynes had descended two flights of stairs then walked onto the road. With only occasional personnel moving about¡ªall wearing the same work outfit¡ªhis presence was instantly picked up by the gathered people near the rift. He and the cluster manager, Goodman, were the only ones wearing casual clothes. Keynes had also his Cloak of Shadows draped over his shoulders but without the hood. The cluster manager recognised Keynes from the day before but the angry blonde spoke first. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked, her voice thick with hostility. ¡°This area is closed to unauthorised trespassers.¡± She dares¡­ Alice said but Keynes mentally waved her away. ¡°Natalia¡­¡± the black-haired woman from behind muttered. ¡°How do you know I am unauthorised?¡± Keynes asked, surprised. ¡°Because no one is entering these rifts without being vetted and accepted by my team. I¡¯ve never seen you here.¡± So there were more rules than Keynes expected. He sighed, giving the blonde a measuring look. She was a rift essence Level 5 ascender with a bossy attitude. She didn¡¯t have any skills or techniques. On the other hand, Keynes¡¯s spiritual aura was tightly wrapped around him, hiding his true Level. To her, he felt like Level 1 but her inability to read him should be a warning sign to her. I wonder how Esopp¡¯s doing it. He has an item that changes his true status, Alice answered. An item he wasn¡¯t very forthcoming about¡­ ¡°Mr Clark,¡± the cluster manager said, using Keynes¡¯s fake name. Among the gathered, only Esopp knew Keynes¡¯s true identity. ¡°Can I have a word with you?¡± The cluster manager glanced at the VIPs who were staring at them with curiosity and a hint of annoyance. ¡°Okay.¡± Keynes turned around and walked ten metres away. It would be enough for the VIPs who were Level 4s. Their Perception attribute was only 1 point more than Keynes¡¯s. The black wetsuits were a different story. Being Level 5 and having additional +6 to all attributes, put their Perception at 41 points. A lot of walking to get out of their earshot. But then, the blonde followed the cluster manager and Keynes so it wasn¡¯t like they were going to hold a top secret conversation. ¡°Please, let me be blunt,¡± the cluster manager said, reverting back to his attitude from yesterday. ¡°I don¡¯t know whose ass you¡¯re kissing to get a member of the ONLY carry team in this cluster kicked unceremoniously, without any explanation or further consideration, and it doesn¡¯t matter. We have rules here and those rules keep people going inside these rifts alive. At no point, we¡¯ll allow some outsiders to meddle in our affairs. Until this matter is fully clarified, you, Mr Clark, are blacklisted from the cluster.¡± The blonde, Natalia, nodded satisfied while the cluster manager took out his tablet and presumably proceeded to blacklist Keynes from the cluster. Keynes¡¯s first instinct was to punish them for treating him like this. He was a founder of the company and the person who had opened these rifts! Then he reined in his emotions. They were right here. They did their jobs and were willing to risk their careers to uphold the rules. Still, it wasn¡¯t easy to simply acknowledge it and walk away. In this case, Keynes couldn¡¯t walk away. Soon, the cluster manager¡¯s face showed the first signs of consternation as he¡ªmost-likely¡ªcouldn¡¯t blacklist Keynes from the cluster. It quickly prompted a call to someone. From what Keynes remembered, Cyrano was the manager¡¯s direct superior in the chain of command. While the cluster manager was occupied, Keynes turned to Natalia. ¡°So you¡¯re a leader of the carry team?¡± Her scowl morphed into a glare. She gave Keynes a piercing look, likely trying to get a better sense of who he was. ¡°What Level are you?¡± she asked, a hint of surprise in her green eyes. He shrugged, wondering how to play this out without revealing his true identity. Neither Wagner nor Esopp had explained why keeping his identity secret was important. Wasn¡¯t this his company? ¡°Level 3.¡± She frowned and he felt her spiritual aura touch him but his spiritual strength was far superior to hers. She must have felt like hitting a wall. Although¡­ She is close to the Weak stage, Alice said. Keynes noted the same thing. Natalia¡¯s aura control was really good. Did she have natural cultivation talent or was Keynes looking too much into it? He didn¡¯t know but there was only one way to find out. ¡°Cease it,¡± he said, his voice flat and unbothered by her spiritual probing. ¡°It isn¡¯t tactful.¡± Natalia withdrew her aura but she was now aware of Keynes¡¯s unusual circumstances. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Keynes didn¡¯t reply as the cluster manager returned with a pale, sour expression. ¡°The matter has been clarified, Mr Clark. You are good to enter¡ª¡± He turned to Natalia and raised his hand, silencing her outburst. ¡°¡ªthe rifts. I will move another VIP to a different date. It¡¯s no bother. On the other hand, we need all four members of the carry team inside. You will understand why.¡± I would have kicked someone else if I¡¯d known this would stir a hornet¡¯s nest. ¡°I have an idea who you can kick,¡± Keynes said, hiding a smirk then pointed at Esopp. ¡°That one.¡± Back at you, friend, for not warning me about this mess. Chapter 140 Goodman didn¡¯t have a headache since he¡¯d ascended to Level 1 but today one was almost upon him. He passionately hated dealing with the VIPs. He understood the need to level people up. He¡¯d be a hypocrite if he thought otherwise since he was Level 4 himself and that was the sole reason he coped with the workload. But to Goodman, being in charge of a rift cluster meant something else. It was the thrill of discovering new resources and monsters. Every time a carry team entered a variable rift, Goodman had goosebumps. What people weren''t aware of was that some rift monsters were worth more alive than dead and the difference in value wasn¡¯t even close. Some shed old skin, others produced milk-like liquid or various types of venoms, not to mention the value of manure. Then there were more esoteric mechanisms. Most of them were too complex or difficult to grasp. A red-horned buffalo increased the amount of nutrients in water just by standing in it. Other monsters could purify or even affect Levels of non-organic surroundings. Possibilities were endless and Goodman loved the fact of being on the forefront of these discoveries. The top brass hadn¡¯t hesitated with substantial investments into his projects and many teams working with these animals. Technically, Goodman projects encroached on territories of other departments that were responsible for similar activities but so far no had called him out so he pressed his luck. But he no longer felt lucky. Staring at the rift, his mind tried to grasp the events of the morning. A boy out of nowhere in charge of nothing, came here like he owned the damned place, and even kicked a member of the only carry team in the cluster. It couldn¡¯t ¡­ shouldn¡¯t get worse than that, right? Wrong. Goodman¡¯s boss¡ªCyrano¡ªwarned him to not mess with the boy and that he was a big deal. Great. It felt like walking through a vault full of cash with a torch. One wrong move and things would go terribly wrong. Then the second big deal revealed himself in the group. Goodman was sure both men used fake IDs but Cyrano knew of their presence here and it terrified him. Goodman only wished they would not disrupt the flow of work he¡¯d manage to build up here. *** ¡°Now that we are all gathered,¡± Natalia said, facing the six VIPs. She sounded displeased. ¡°Let¡¯s go over the rules again.¡± They stood inside the first rift. It was a forest/field biome with over two hundred metres of clear space between the rift exit and the line of the forest. Not a single monster was in sight. The other three members of the carry team stood behind their leader, watching the perimeter. ¡°My name¡¯s Natalia and I¡¯m the leader of the carry team. My word inside a rift is the law. Now, first things first: you don¡¯t use your Talent or¡ªif you are lucky to have one¡ªspells. You don¡¯t attack or leave the formation. You follow my commands and you don¡¯t question them. If you wish to argue, wait until we¡¯re out of a rift. If you won¡¯t stick to my rules, I¡¯ll have you removed. Is that understood?¡± Everyone but Keynes promptly acknowledged her words, even Esopp, who gave Keynes an irritated glance though there was no heat in it. She pinned Keynes with a look but he didn¡¯t feel like agreeing to her superiority. He knew he was unreasonable but it changed nothing. He squinted at Esopp wondering how was he going to deal with the situation if a Hated Foe would appear? There was no answer on Esopp¡¯s face, only impatience. ¡°You.¡± Natalia pointed at Keynes. Other VIPs cleared space around him. ¡°I must abide by the rules if you wish to proceed.¡± A stubborn, dark speck of Keynes¡¯s personality was about to say that he could just throw them out of the rift and clear them with Esopp. There was that resistance inside him that grew stronger at the mere thought of following other people¡¯s orders. Especially the ones who didn¡¯t understand what he was capable of. With his [Chaos Aura] he¡¯d have defeated the carry team in a few seconds¡­ Esopp broke away from the VIPs, gently grabbed Keynes¡¯s arm and walked some distance away from the rest. Natalia seemed like she wanted to follow but the black-haired girl said something and the team leader didn¡¯t move. ¡°Let them do their jobs,¡± Esopp said flatly. ¡°We aren¡¯t here to attract attention but to level up quietly and without disrupting the ongoing operations.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remind you about it when a Hated Foe appears,¡± Keynes countered, a little too sharply. Esopp stared at him, not betraying any emotions. It was strange to remember the same man who had had the appearance of an old man barely a year ago. He banished the stray thought and focused on the moment. ¡°I hate being looked down on,¡± Keynes whispered. ¡°Understandable,¡± Esopp said. ¡°But we¡¯re pretending. We aren¡¯t here as who we really are.¡± ¡°I know what pretending means.¡± ¡°Good. Then play your part.¡± Keynes and Esopp returned to the rest. Natalia was already tapping her foot. Keynes quickly agreed to follow her rules but didn¡¯t mean it. Still displeased, Natalia started to introduce her team. ¡°As I mentioned, I¡¯m the leader of the team, but that¡¯s not all. I¡¯m also a healer.¡± Keynes knew she didn¡¯t have any spells so it meant a healing Talent. This was unexpected. Healing Talents were rare. ¡°This is Kora, she¡¯s our spotter though it is her secondary role. Her primary job is a secret.¡± Keynes checked the black-haired girl and saw that she had a spell ¡ª [Essence Detection]. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. It was another surprise. Spells were outrageously expensive, even the common ones like [Fireball] or [Create Water]. Actually, to say these things were common was false. There were only a couple of hundred of them listed on Artefact Exchange, the last Keynes had checked, while demand was what? Millions? Billions? So yeah, any spell meant a fortune. How someone so low in the chain of command had gotten a hold of a spell was beyond Keynes but he wasn¡¯t going to bother them about it, even if it¡¯d been a theft. ¡°Miguel here.¡± She nodded toward a lean, dark-skinned man with eyes that stared at them with clouded hesitation and lack of trust. ¡°Is our area damage dealer. Don¡¯t get close to him. Unless you wish to die a horrible death.¡± An area damage dealer, huh? Must be Talent spell, Alice clarified. Yes. Apart from Kora, no one else in her team had a spell. It has to be an aura, right? Not necessarily. There are many damage dealing AOE spells. Keynes couldn¡¯t wait to see the man in action. She pivoted and pointed at the last member of her team. ¡°Ulf, he¡¯s our boss and champion killer.¡± Ulf nodded then turned around without a word. The introduction left Keynes with multiplying questions. What did it mean he was a boss killer? What was Kora¡¯s primary role? Why was a healer the leader? What was so special about Natalia? ¡°The maximum range before essence efficiency starts to plummet is fifty metres. So, you¡¯ll stay around thirty to forty metres away from Miguel who is our forefront fighter. I¡¯ll remain with you to ensure the right distance while Kora and Ulf will be located half-way between us and Miguel. For stable, common and uncommon rifts, we go fast. Rare and higher rarity rifts require a slower pace while variable and higher type rifts have to be evaluated first. Is that clear?¡± Everyone acknowledged this time. Even Keynes. A few VIPs raised their hands but Natalia shook her head. ¡°You can ask questions after we¡¯re out of the rift. Now, let¡¯s move. We have only twenty minutes to clear it.¡± *** It was something else. Taker and his team had meant to be Untainted Paradise¡¯s elite but Keynes had been disappointed with them. Their failures were dragging Keynes¡¯s expectations down so when Natalia¡¯s team moved toward the forest nothing had prepared Keynes for what was about to happen. Miguel threw a grenade. It exploded with a loud bang and a hint of something else in the periphery of Keynes¡¯s hearing. Whatever it was, it drew monsters out of the woods almost instantaneously. Most of them were several variations of wargs and bears. None got past Miguel, neither it was a pleasant sight. One VIP emptied her stomach, while two others gagged. Anything that stayed too long in a range of Miguel¡¯s spell or aura was cut to shreds. Very effective but gruesome Talent. The carry team looked unperturbed. The essence hit them but at common rarity and stable type, the rift¡¯s essence was pitiable. It was further penalised by the number of people inside the rift, taking away 25% of the total essence reward for killing monsters. Miguel didn¡¯t waste any second after the last warg had died. He instantly moved forward, others keeping with him. Some of the VIPs needed a verbal or physical push from Natalia to get moving. From there, it went smoothly and quickly. Groups of monsters were dealt by Miguel and strays, mostly the ones to either side, were picked off by Ulf. The man¡¯s Talent got ohs and ahs from the VIP and even Keynes agreed, it was insane. A laser beam punctured through monsters¡¯ heads with merciless precision and deadliness. Nothing got close to the VIPs throughout the run. When they reached the reward chest, Natalia picked an item, while Kora took a video. Interesting. Keynes made Alice check for the hidden reward but there was none. They exited the rift thirteen minutes after they¡¯d set out. Esopp smirked once they were out of the rift and on their way to another one. He must have seen them in action. ¡°They¡¯re good,¡± Esopp whispered. ¡°Effective and very efficient. Kill monsters with minimal damage to the environment.¡± Keynes frowned at that, sensing a jab at his [Chaos Aura]. He also had to reevaluate his attitude toward the team. Ulf alone would be able to kill him if Keynes couldn¡¯t get close quickly. That laser beam of his looked impressive. There had to be a downside, right? Nonetheless, it was impossible to inspect another ascender¡¯s Talent without their permission. Then there would be Miguel to deal with and Keynes didn¡¯t know if his [Chaos Aura] could kill the other man faster than Miguel¡¯s slicing AOE spell. Kora and Natalia were the two unknowns though. What kind of healing Talent did she possess? Depending on the way it worked it could make it impossible for Keynes to deal any real damage to anyone from the group. Without knowing what Kora¡¯s Talent was, fighting the team would be a huge risk. She hadn¡¯t shown anything inside the rift. It must be a passive Talent then. But what did it do? The next rift was a mountainous biome with goats, many variations of eagles and an occasional rock golem. Once again, the carry team went through the monsters like a hot knife through butter. They understood the behaviour of the monsters and the rift¡¯s environment. The way they acted around themselves also told him that there was a strong rapport among the team. He understood¡ªat least as far as the secondary Kora¡¯s role went¡ªwhy Natalia and the cluster manager had reacted so badly to him kicking Kora. They were like dancers, but delivering death instead of a feast for eyes. *** The first true testament to the group¡¯s synergy came at a rare and variable rift. Natalia and someone else who Keynes hadn¡¯t seen before but the person had to be some kind of a rift scout, had deemed the rift safe for the VIPs. The VIPs had a right to refuse to enter a rare or a variable rift without repercussions. But no one was willing to walk away from 6 times the essence of a common and stable rift. Natalia gave them a gist of what waited inside. Lava and ash. It was a volcanic biome. From the get go, Natalia took the initiative, by ordering others from her team. Kora went ahead to scout the position of monsters. At the rare rarity, monsters were going to have one active and one passive skill, making them much more dangerous than their common counterparts. Keynes walked with his mouth hanging wide open, while Ulf and Miguel ridiculed the difficulty of the rift. Kora sniffed out any surprise and often killed it before others even realised what happened. It was far too easy to forget that they were Level 5 rift essence ascenders with crafted items giving them additional +10 to all attributes. Keynes suspected they could deal with all previous rifts without using their Talents. On top of that, all of this happened in a very short time, even when it came to the unknown biome and rare monsters. They trivialised a Level 4 rare and variable rift, Keynes complained to Alice. I am sure, you would do well too, master, she said with a hint of mockery. Upon exiting the last rift, still circulating the essence around the core, Keynes was approached by Kora. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± He looked at her, noticing Natalia¡¯s frown but otherwise neutral expression. The other VIPs were hastily leaving, including Esopp. The carry team didn¡¯t hurry up though they didn¡¯t linger around either. ¡°You can but I can¡¯t guarantee you¡¯ll receive an answer.¡± She nodded, appearing thoughtful. From close, she looked so delicate but Keynes had seen her cut through monsters effortlessly. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable. What is it that you do with the essence?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± OH! It was Keynes¡¯s eureka moment. Chapter 141 "Oh," Keynes said, realisation dawning on him. "So you can detect the essence inside me?" Kora''s frown deepened as a mixture of emotions flowed from her aura. She was confused, startled, and excited all at once. They wound between the workers gathered outside the rift, noticing the higher number and levels of workers at this rift compared to the others they had cleared that day. Keynes''s attention was briefly diverted as he saw Natalia speaking to the cluster manager and Ulf heading towards the dome''s exit. Only Miguel remained, clearly waiting for Kora. Seconds ticked by as Kora walked in silence with Keynes towards the dome''s exit. There was a lot of heavy machinery there - trucks, containers, and some sophisticated equipment made from Level 3 and 4 materials. It made sense; if they were about to collect Level 4 lava, nothing of a lower level would be able to withstand the heat. "How do you know I can sense essence? Natalia didn''t mention it,¡± Kora asked. Keynes shrugged. "Haven''t your first question made it self-evident? How would you know I do anything with essence if you couldn''t detect it?" Kora realised her mistake and followed Keynes as he opened the door for her. They descended the stairs and stopped a few steps outside the dome, leaning on the railing. In the time it had taken the carry team to clear 20 rifts, less than five hours had passed. "Fair point," Kora said, her voice quiet. "I didn''t think my question through it seems." Keynes nodded absentmindedly, considering the girl. Even though she seemed smaller and more fragile, her attributes were far higher than Keynes¡¯s. Without their Talents and skills, she was far stronger than him. It was weird. What spread before their eyes filled him with a different kind of weirdness. Things had gone far. The entire rift cluster was a hive of activity with tens of thousands of workers removing everything from the rifts. "Anyway, will you tell me about the essence?" Kora asked, excitement clear in her voice. Keynes was tempted to babble out an answer, but time spent with the other founders had instilled a sense of caution in him. He knew that knowledge should be distributed carefully and with a specific goal in mind. Although Kora and the others worked for his company, he didn''t want to reveal all of his secrets to them. Maybe he was being too paranoid, or maybe he had taken the lessons of the other founders too far. He wasn''t sure. "I will think about it," he finally said, before turning and walking away. *** "What was that about?" Miguel asked from behind Kora. "I''m trying to figure out who this person is," Kora replied, watching the VIP walk along the metal pathways between the domes towards the VIP living quarters. "Looks like another big ego smartass," Miguel said, joining Kora at the railing. "He''ll level up and be gone in a week." "Yeah, I know," Kora said, worried. This stranger had done something with the essence inside his body that she had never seen before. Other VIPs allowed the essence to seep into them like snow melting on water, but this guy''s essence moved with patterns and precision, as if building something inside him. I have to know what he''s doing with it. "Let''s go back. Nat will want to review our performance for today. She isn''t happy with our timings," Miguel chuckled. *** "That was uncalled for," Esopp said as they sat in Keynes''s apartment. Esopp had insisted on having the conversation before the next round, interrupting Keynes''s plans to search for essence-related spells on Artefact Exchange. However, Alice had enthusiastically offered to help with the search, so Keynes had agreed. "What do you mean?" Keynes asked, distracted. Alice had just told him that no essence-related spells were for sale. Was this related to the items with insight modifiers? It seemed likely. Both aimed for the same goal - training the Spirit. Why hadn''t Artefact Exchange flagged this pattern? They must have noticed it. Unless they were aware of it and chose not to share the intelligence. Just another thing for my future PA to worry about, Keynes thought, filing the information away for later. "You didn''t need to tell Goodman to kick me out," Esopp said, reaching for a drink. Despite his complaint, he seemed to be in good spirits. ¡°We almost gave him a heart attack.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t share his good mood. "What''s the matter?" he asked, his smile fading. Keynes weighed how much he wanted to tell him. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Esopp, but the timing didn''t feel right for some of the information. He focused on Esopp and said, "It''s about Artefact Exchange." He knew that Esopp didn''t trust Serrata, so he thought this would be the best approach to the issue. If he tried to bring Esopp''s attention to the items with insight modifiers or spells related to essence first, he would probably fail, as Esopp''s priorities were strange. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "What''s about them?" "How close is our relationship with them?" Keynes asked. Esopp emptied a glass of water as he thought about his answer. It was unusual for the other founder to be so sombre, like Columbus or Wagner. "There isn''t any formal agreement between our companies, but Serrata appears to be trying to align with us," Esopp said. "Which isn''t surprising, considering Untainted Paradise has you. What is surprising is that others don''t crawl to us and still try to bully us to their whims. But you should never trust a politician. Their agendas are convoluted and run deep." Keynes''s frown deepened. "I didn''t know she was a politician." "Every head of a major company is embroiled in politics. That''s why Wagner enjoys staying in Geneva. The whole city is a damn political theatre," Esopp said. "Odd for someone with a Talent like his." "Talents have nothing to do with our personalities," Esopp replied. "What brought up your question, anyway?" "I found a concerning trend on the market. All items with insight properties and essence-related skills are regularly bought, and Artefact Exchange is keeping these transactions hidden. No history," Keynes said. Esopp nodded, unsurprised by Keynes''s revelation. He explained that it was normal for larger, even allied organisations, to only share information if it was in their best interest. Although Esopp distrusted Serrata and Artefact Exchange, he didn''t think this was out of the ordinary. However, Keynes wasn''t ready to let it go. He told Esopp about the report and why he believed these items and skills were important, and that the entire activity warranted a thorough investigation. Esopp didn''t disagree with Keynes, but he urged him to delegate this issue to the master spy and intelligence department. It wasn''t their responsibility to play detective. They had people to do the grunt work. From there, the conversation returned to the rifts and their progress. Esopp shared how much essence he had received that day - 2.5% from 20 Level 4 rifts. Keynes was in a much better situation with 8.5%. "Hm, how long before you level up?" Keynes asked. "Discounting boss instances, no longer than fifteen days," Esopp replied. That didn''t sound too bad. Keynes should be able to reach Level 4 in six days. It was possible to increase the speed of progress, but it would mean clearing the rifts with less than five people. The system penalised parties larger than four. With five to ten ascenders, the penalty (which was their current one) was 25%. With eleven to twenty-five people, the penalty was 50%, and with more than twenty-five ascenders, the penalty increased to 75%. There were some discussions about levelling up larger groups, as it would reward more total essence, but the natural range of essence was only 50 metres, making it difficult to fit many people within the range. Knowing Wagner and his love of spreadsheets and efficiency, there were people working hard to figure out how to make use of this phenomenon. After a few minutes of small talk, Esopp finally mentioned the reason for his visit. "Hidden rewards. We need to figure out how to get them without alerting the carry team. They''re scary," Esopp said, his smirk hiding a hint of respect in his voice. In their current state, the four carries would have easily defeated Esopp or Keynes without breaking a sweat. Keynes still had to figure out what to do about Kora''s request. Her skill could be useful in training others, but only after they had a proper screening process in place. "I don''t think there''s much we can do," Keynes admitted. "Their leader doesn''t let any VIP anywhere near the reward chest, and she''s usually the last to leave a rift. Besides, having a door open in thin air wouldn''t go amiss, don''t you think?" "In that case, we may be forced to reveal our identities to the carry team, but only them," Esopp said. Keynes''s brows rose, but he didn''t argue with Esopp. He was right. They couldn''t ignore the hidden rewards. The rewards from the hidden vault were outstanding, and it wasn''t even the highest tier of available hidden rewards. Level 1 rifts had hidden compartments, but they weren''t worth their attention. They were technically trinkets. Level 2 rifts had hidden rooms with up to four tailored items. Level 3 rifts had hidden vaults with eight valuable and tailored items, of which only one could be picked per ascender inside the rift. Keynes didn''t know how many ascenders could enter the hidden vault, but he suspected only four, as there seemed to be a pattern. Level 4 rifts must have their own hidden reward chamber, but either Keynes hadn''t encountered it or he hadn''t sensed it. This only made him more curious about the potential rewards in such a place. "So how do we do this?" Keynes asked. Esopp shrugged, but a mischievous smile flitted across his face. Of course, that man was up to no good. He was almost 80 years old, but he behaved like a teenager. *** "Yes?" Goodman asked, not taking his eyes off his paperwork. Granted, they had given him a tablet and his secretaries helped with the ever-growing workload, but it still felt inadequate. This alone frustrated him. Being pestered by silly requests from VIPs drove him nuts. "We have a request," the tall one with short hair said. Of course you do. Goodman paused, remembering the voice. As he looked up from his desk, his heart skipped a beat. These two together were a bad sign. Silently, Goodman prayed to whatever god might be willing to listen. "What kind of request?" he asked, feeling a growing lump in his throat. "We have to extract something from the rifts, but it isn''t possible without alerting the carry team," the shorter one with black hair said. Goodman stared at them with a blank expression. What were they saying? What did they mean by "extracting something from the rifts"? They noticed his consternation, and the taller one added, "We may tell them who we are, and we''d appreciate it if it remained between us." "Oh, okay." They finally turned to leave. The black-haired teenager in his creepy coat gave Goodman chills. He wasn''t imagining it; he felt his aura judging him. As they reached the door, Goodman shook off the shock and asked, "What are you extracting from these rifts?" He wasn''t interested in their identities, but he was responsible for the content of the rifts. The younger one left the room, leaving the older one alone with Goodman. "Good stuff," he said. Huh? What kind of answer was that? Before Goodman could collect his thoughts, the VIP was gone, leaving Goodman with dread spreading through every cell in his body. If they were going to be this flippant with Natalia and her team... I think I will have another headache. Chapter 142 "What about the Withered Regrets?" Keynes asked as he and Esopp approached the first dome. Esopp scowled. "There''s a prerequisite," he said grudgingly, clearly disappointed with the consumable. Alice remained silent on the matter, so Keynes waited for Esopp to continue. "In order for Withered Regrets to work, I must get 100% toward the next level," Esopp explained, "but I can''t trigger the level up until I consume it." Keynes¡¯s eyebrows climbed up. Prerequisites were rare, or so he thought. Alice, however, noted that Keynes hadn''t seen much of what the System had to offer and prerequisites were actually quite common. Keynes chose not to argue the point. "How do you know that?" he asked. A quick check in the System showed no information about Withered Regrets beyond its description, but this information had come from Keynes'' own knowledge. Esopp grimaced further, his scowl deepening. "I tried to use it and got a warning," he admitted. As they reached the door to the dome, they found the four members of the carry team inside, deep in discussion. Even though the door was soundless and they were over thirty metres away, the carries became aware of Keynes and Esopp''s presence. It was clear that their attributes, boosted by the black wetsuits, weren''t just for show. Keynes couldn''t help but wonder why Esopp was wearing his wetsuit. He didn''t need extra Vitality, and they had nothing to do inside these rifts. As they drew closer, Miguel glanced at them, his gaze lingering a little longer on Keynes, which indicated extra interest. It had to be related to Kora''s question. She, on the other hand, only glanced at Keynes without the same lingering interest that Miguel had shown. Ulf had his wide back turned to Keynes and Esopp, but he didn''t turn around. Natalia''s vivid monologue quieted down until she fell silent, then she turned to face them. "Welcome, VIPs," she said, her green eyes boring into Keynes''s and Esopp''s skulls. "We''re planning to make some adjustments today. Our goal is to reduce the time we spend between rifts and increase our clear speed, which should save us about an hour and give the extraction teams more time." Miguel twitched, but no one complained. "What''s the point?" Keynes asked, unsure of what saving an hour would accomplish. For the first time, something other than pure hostility appeared in Natalia''s expression. "The point is efficiency," she said. "Efficiency itself means jackshit," Esopp interjected. They hadn''t decided yet how they would let the carry team know about the hidden rewards - or about the Hated Foe, which Esopp avoided mentioning. Ulf half turned his head, while Miguel smiled. Kora''s face remained a closed book, although her aura betrayed a conflict of surprise, disapproval, and curiosity. These were some odd emotions mixed together. ''You must be out of your mind to not see the importance of efficiency,'' Natalia snapped. ''What if there are more rifts to clear or they are larger? Doesn''t the size of the rifts double each level?'' ''It does, but being efficient for the sake of being efficient is pointless,'' Esopp replied. He was right. The argument between Esopp and Natalia lasted a few more minutes, and Keynes was surprised to learn why the previous carry team had been demoted and sent back to Emerald City. Since the current cluster manager had taken over, things had started looking very good. The conversation ended when the rest of the VIPs arrived. Natalia had asked everyone to be five minutes early for their rift run, and any late arrivals would have to skip the first rift. Once more, she quickly went over the changes to the run. She wanted everyone to run, with no breaks for the toilet, food, or drink. No one seemed enthusiastic about it, but they all abided by her changes. *** "There''s a hidden door," Keynes whispered to Esopp as they stood on a frozen plateau in the third rift. Thirty metres away, Miguel was cutting through large monsters that resembled yaks. Because it was a common rift, the monsters were easy to deal with. Esopp nodded and grinned at Keynes. "You''re still sticking to your clothes, huh?" The Level 4 chill in the rift wasn''t a joke - if not for the Purifying Body buff, Keynes would have started taking damage from the low temperature. "Didn''t you hear what I said?" Keynes asked, ignoring Esopp''s jab. "We''ll have to act." ¡°I bet you can think of something.¡± Ten minutes later, Natalia declared the rift empty and urged the VIPs to hurry to the next one as she took care of the reward. It was time to stir things up. This, of course, put Esopp in an even better mood, so Keynes reminded him that he''d need to level up to Level 8 twice. "That''s low," Esopp muttered as Keynes started walking towards the area with the reward chest. The other VIPs, with the exception of Esopp, were already out of sight. Miguel nudged Natalia, who glanced at the approaching Keynes. Ulf watched him cautiously, while Kora showed growing curiosity. Keynes wasn''t defenceless, despite the carry team''s overwhelming attributes. He readied his spiritual aura, knowing that a single powerful blast would be enough to knock them out for a few seconds. Though he didn''t think they''d attack him - after all, they suspected he and Esopp were quite important. "And what do you think you''re doing, Clark?" Natalia raised her voice as she turned to him. "Don''t mind me," Keynes replied, trying to sound nonchalant but failing to hide the coldness in his voice. Esopp chuckled at his attempt. "I have something to grab and we''ll be on our way." "I have the right to stop you unless you show me clearance," Natalia said, her voice taking on a dangerous edge. Keynes decided it was a good moment to let his spiritual aura unfurl. He didn''t make it offensive, just a neutral aura without any constraints. At the Superior stage, a spiritual aura wasn''t yet a physical force, but the air and the topmost layer of frost were pushed away. Well, that''s stronger than I thought, Keynes admitted to himself as he saw the visible results. It was no surprise that the carry team took it as an attack. Ulf shot toward Keynes, while Natalia stopped Miguel from doing the same. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Incoming! Alice warned. Keynes knew he couldn''t match Ulf in raw strength, at least not until he reached Level 4. His [Telekinesis] was very weak against living things and required a lot of training to become more effective, according to Alice. [Flight] would be useless against someone who could shoot lasers from their fingers. Using [Mind Illusion] would require Keynes to touch Ulf, but that was too risky. That only left [Chaos Aura], which would be a death sentence for the other man or a spiritual attack. As Ulf approached him, Keynes knew he had to act fast. He activated his [Spiritual Ghost] ability and used [Telekinesis] to lift the loose layer of frost between them, creating a wall of snow to explode in Ulf''s path. Without hesitation, Keynes focused his spiritual aura and slammed it into Ulf, causing him to lose consciousness for a split second and crashing him into the frozen ground. Keynes didn''t give Ulf a chance to recover, instead touching his forehead and using [Mind Illusion] to knock him out for at least a minute. The headache that had been building in the periphery of Keynes''s mind intensified as he realised that this little stunt had cost him over 70% of his mana, with [Mind Illusion] being the worst offender, consuming mana at an alarming rate, especially when used against higher level opponents. As he sighed and glanced back at Esopp, Keynes couldn''t help but feel a sense of satisfaction at having bested a member of the carry team. But that feeling was short-lived as Natalia''s harsh voice cut through the air. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS ABOUT?!" She was clearly not impressed by Keynes''s display of strength. "He attacked me. I defended myself," Keynes tried to explain. "You attacked us first," Natalia countered as she walked around the reward chest and approached Keynes and the unconscious Ulf. "It wasn''t an attack, just my neutral spiritual aura," Keynes replied. Natalia stood face to face with him, her hostility returning. Miguel and Kora stepped up to her sides, and Ulf began to stir awake. "Bullshit," Natalia snapped, then glanced at Ulf but didn''t say anything. I think she is using her Talent to heal him, Alice said. Keynes had a similar impression but Talents were harder to discern than spells. "Miguel, get Goodman here. You''ll have to explain to him why there is going to be a delay today. You''re taking responsibility for this." Esopp clapped behind Keynes. "Very smooth," he said, drawing the carry team''s attention and Natalia''s ire. "Do you think this is a joke?" Esopp shrugged. Ulf climbed to his feet, staring at Keynes with shock. Even Natalia was unsure, despite her anger. "What did you do?" Ulf asked when the thick silence stretched for a few seconds. "Okay, okay." Esopp decided to step in and handle the situation. He put his left hand on Keynes''s shoulder and his right hand on Ulf''s shoulder. "There will be time for questions later. My friend here is a special case and shouldn''t be taken at face value. Once we''re done with today''s run, we''ll fill you in. Is that acceptable?" When no one answered, Esopp''s smile vanished and he levelled his gaze at Natalia. His own spiritual aura - which was weaker than Keynes''s but still stronger than the carry team''s members - slowly soaked into the surroundings. Natalia tsked, annoyed. "If you want me to continue this farce, I have to be made aware of who I''m dealing with. Otherwise, Goodman can explain to his bosses why these rifts aren''t cleared." "Alright." Esopp nodded. "Now let him do his job." Natalia stepped aside while Keynes moved past her. You are¡­ angry. Why? Alice asked. It''s nothing. Just some things aren''t the way I wish they were. While there was value in keeping a low profile - it caused less disruptions and people behaved naturally - but sometimes it was an obstacle. Bah! It was so twisted now. It''d been so easy before the trip to the dominion. They''d cleared these rifts without anyone giving them a stink eye or babbling about efficiency. He ignored the fact that it was his fault. That spiritual aura, even set to stay neutral, was enough to provoke others. He stopped by a frozen, rocky wall. Sensing the hidden door was a breeze now. *** Kora wasn''t entirely sure what she had just witnessed. The spiritual attack, and then things got very weird very fast. Ulf had counterattacked and the black-haired VIP had blinded him by making the snow rise from the ground. Then he had somehow knocked Ulf out. The last part was very confusing. Had he put Ulf to sleep? Was this a Talent? If so, what about the trick with the snow? Kora made a mental note to have a chat with Ulf later. Why was the VIP returning to the reward area? "Wait...what the hell?!" Natalia exclaimed when the door appeared in the rocky formation. Kora was speechless. "Relax," the other VIP said. "We''ll explain the details later on." The door opened and the VIP went inside. Natalia didn''t wait and rushed after him, with Kora and Ulf following closely behind. The electrical light was out of place and, together with the raw concrete, made the corridor and the room at its end feel like a basement. Inside, they found the VIP standing next to a table with four crystal shards. Wait¡­ are those what I think they are? Natalia picked one up and turned to the VIP with disbelief. "How is this possible?" Kora and Ulf entered the room, but no one paid them any mind. Kora glanced at the VIP - wasn''t his name Clark? Yeah, but it was most likely a fake name. There were hints of annoyance on his face, but they quickly faded away, leaving a distant, expressionless face that he usually wore. Without a word of explanation, he turned around, whirling the fringes of his cloak, and then simply walked out of the room. "What about these?" Natalia called out. "Take them," the VIP replied, and Natalia hastily scooped the four shards into her dimensional pouch. "Let''s get out of here," Natalia said to Kora and Ulf, pushing them forward. As their leader, she wasn''t going to leave them behind. There was no telling what this room was capable of. Outside, the VIP was striding towards his friend who chatted with the cluster manager. Miguel stood nearby, unsure where to look. Natalia swore as she exited the hidden room. The door closed itself and vanished. Kora watched Natalia closely and saw growing frustration. Natalia despised disorder and unplanned interruptions, regardless of whether they benefited her or not. Kora, on the other hand, liked a well-thought out plan, but didn''t share Natalia''s obsession. So, unlike the leader of the carry team, Kora had a growing urge to grab the odd, black-haired VIP and bury him under tons of questions. They approached the rest together. Kora tried to read the atmosphere among them, but nothing made sense to her. She wasn''t very good at quick judgement, preferring slow deliberation. "Can someone explain this to me?" Natalia took the four shards out of her dimensional pouch and handed them to the cluster manager, who then gave them to the older VIP. "Skill shards!?" the cluster manager exclaimed, excited but it was the older VIP who drew Kora''s attention. He was laughing. "It''s contribution based," the younger VIP said, sounding indifferent. "Hilarious," the older VIP, Esopp, chuckled. "This-" "I need an explanation now!" Natalia cut him off. "I won''t wait until the end of the day. I can''t operate my team without understanding what this is." Kora agreed. Her friends nodded as well. The VIPs exchanged glances, the cluster manager was consumed by the tablet as he checked something. His face grew brighter by the second. What were these skill shards? Kora didn''t have a chance to check them. "I guess there isn''t point waiting until the end of the run. Not that it is a big deal either," Esopp said. If this wasn''t a big deal, Kora didn''t know what was. "Still, we have to ask you to keep this to yourself. This is Keynes Kid while I''m Esopp Earl. We''re here to level up in peace." Kora had no idea who Keynes Kid was, but she remembered that the Earl House was one of the wealthiest families in the world. Natalia shook her head, she was not amused. "Should I know you or be impressed?" Keynes opened his mouth but at that moment the cluster manager peeled his eyes from the tablet and cheered. "There are only seven skills on the market. The auction for the cheapest one sits at eighty million credits!¡± Chapter 143 "Wait¡ªwhat did you say your names were?" Esopp repeated their names, and the cluster manager''s expression turned to one of shock. His face shifted rapidly through a range of emotions, finally settling on fear and being overwhelmed. The others remained confused but wary, with the exception of Natalia, whose irritation was reaching a boiling point. Esopp, for some unknown reason, was smirking. The two founders watched in silence as the cluster manager processed the new information. Even though his emotions began to calm, Natalia broke the silence. In many ways, she reminded Keynes of Daiyu Fen¡ªstrong-willed and impatient. This evoked a muted pang of regret in him, but Keynes suppressed it. Master... Alice muttered, sensing the dying embers of his emotions. "I need more than names I don¡¯t know," Natalia said, pulling the cluster manager out of his stupor. He gave her a disbelieving look, then glanced at Esopp and Keynes questioningly but neither founder said anything, so he decided to explain who they were to Natalia. "They''re the founders of Untainted Paradise," the cluster manager said. Kora, Miguel, and Ulf were similarly speechless, their high Mind attributes protecting them from deeper shock that had hit the cluster manager. Natalia, however, seemed to not care about their status. "It doesn''t change a thing," Natalia said, her voice lacking some of its previous conviction. "We''re here to do a job. I cannot operate when people from outside can come and randomly stir shit up," she added, giving Keynes and Esopp a stern look. Esopp snorted, while Keynes watched Natalia with a mix of growing respect and strong irritation. On one hand, she was staying true to her role and task, but on the other hand, she didn''t seem to understand the kind of power that Keynes and Esopp wielded here. Master, your thoughts are strange, Alice muttered. He knew it. A few weeks ago, he wouldn''t have minded Natalia''s lack of respect, but now he felt a sense of entitlement. He couldn''t quite understand where it came from. Unsure of the answer, Keynes decided to focus on their current situation. They needed to figure out what to do about the four [Mental Link] spells and the other hidden rewards they might find. He didn''t mind giving these four spells shards away to the four carries, as they would benefit from them. But at the same time, he hoped to find some answers to his growing issue of a lack of offensive tools. "We can''t accept these skills!" Natalia exclaimed after Keynes had expressed his wish to give the carry team [Mental Link]s. The cluster manager stood, stunned, and watched Keynes with disbelief. "Natalia''s right," Miguel agreed. "They''re worth too much." Ulf and Kora remained silent, deep in thought. Esopp sighed then placed the four shards in Natalia¡¯s hand anyway. She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re putting¡­ over three hundred million credits in my hands, it¡¯s a kind of pressure we don¡¯t need. We¡¯re doing fine without them.¡± It sounded definitive but Keynes wasn¡¯t going to give in to her argument. This team, in his opinion, was the strongest group of ascenders, excluding the founders, that their company possessed. Not investing in them was a mistake. The elite team had been a disappointment and now Keynes wanted a real elite team. ¡°You¡¯re taking the skills,¡± Keynes said, projecting cold indifference, then he turned away and strode out of the rift. Only after he stepped outside, he allowed himself to shiver from the cold. *** Keynes''s act had worked, and the carry team accepted the skill shards. Their efficiency wasn''t immediately improved as they had to factor in Keynes''s and Esopp''s involvement in the rifts with the hidden rewards. It usually involved Keynes scouting the reward area first, which made Natalia dissatisfied, but after the third day, and an updated plan, she stopped being snappy. Without any true offensive capabilities, Keynes used his time in the rifts to focus on [Telekinesis]. He noticed an interesting but not really groundbreaking thing. Even the light objects in Level 4 rifts were difficult to manipulate with the use of [Telekinesis]. When played with the skill outside the rifts, the difference was becoming stark and obvious. That gave Keynes a better understanding of the inner mechanism of [Telekinesis]. There were several limitations. The first one was life itself. Living things weren''t immune to [Telekinesis] but were extremely resistant. It made no sense to him. Why would life be resistant to this particular spell? Of course, Alice was useless. Resistance to [Telekinesis] scaled disturbingly well with Levels. One of the Level 4 monsters Keynes encountered during his scouting didn''t even notice his attempt. Materials'' resistance felt more linear, which was comforting but still annoying. Then he discovered an astonishing fact: resistance for Level 0 materials was uniform and varied only with the weight of the material. Things started to change with Level 1 and higher materials. Suddenly, the types of materials mattered as much as their weight. There could be only one culprit: the Spirit. Although, Alice warned Keynes that he was simplifying things too much. While spiritual energy was a building block of everything, it didn¡¯t bring Keynes any closer to solving the issue. Even understanding the concept of a spiritual matrix wasn¡¯t helpful and so, Keynes was forced to learn [Telekinesis] the hard way. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. And it was hard. Unlike [Flight], [Telekinesis] affected other things. Based on this insight, Keynes realised that there were two categories of spells: internal and external. Internal spells affected only the owner of the spell while external affected things outside the owner¡¯s of the spell. There were sub-categories, but they were not important right now. Internal spells seemed quite malleable, although their malleability didn¡¯t mean improvement. That was a very easy detail to overlook. While [Flight] was better than when Keynes had found it, much of the improvement came from the techniques, or more precisely, a more skilful application and control of the skill. Skills were like automobiles, to fully utilise one, an ascender had to train. To make it better, an essence with correct affinity was required. During many frustrating attempts at moving rocks in Level 4 rifts, Keynes decided to support the skill with his spiritual aura. This didn¡¯t work well at first, but he believed it was the way to go. He remembered how Shaper had deactivated his [Chaos Aura] with his spiritual aura. If something like this was possible, then using spiritual aura with [Telekinesis] should be possible as well. Eventually, Keynes started to see clearly where the issues lay. His control of spiritual aura was insufficient despite an impression of mastery. Alice confirmed that he was on the right track. So, if my spiritual aura control is bad, what does it say about others? He asked. You must have noticed that spiritual aura has many facets and knowing how to suppress your own aura does not mean other aspects of aura control are mastered. Though I should not use the word ''mastered'' here. I am yet to meet an ascender with a spiritual aura near mastery level. What about Shaper? Keynes asked, nonplussed. His aura control is the product of his advanced spiritual stage. In other words, things looked dire because no one trained anything because they didn¡¯t understand the concept of training. This was the consequence of Levels. Each time an ascender levelled up, their attributes increased making them stronger, faster, more perceptive, and so on. What was the point of training if all it took to get more powerful was to level up again? But this concept was outdated, not that it had ever been valid. Even with the Rapid Learning buff, Keynes''s progress with [Telekinesis] and spiritual aura was slow. He was clearly missing something. This led him to turn his attention back to Natalia and her team. From the information he''d found in the tablet, he was able to learn that the current carry team had made leaps and bounds of improvements over the course of weeks. From conversations with the team, after the rift runs, he learned that they trained their bodies outside of the rifts. Planning and all that was important, but Natalia was a strong believer in continuous improvement. On the fifth day¡ªa day before Keynes''s level up¡ªhe ended up being cornered by Kora. He was on his way to the living quarter when she approached him. Suspiciously, Esopp had vanished earlier. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with your hidden reward?¡± she asked, catching up with him. Keynes glanced up at her. For the first time, she was alone. Usually, Miguel had followed her. Keynes debated if it was the right moment to speak with her about his idea. It had been forming since he''d learned of her ability to see essence. Unfortunately, four hidden rooms had failed to give him this particular spell. Only today''s reward seemed at least partially valuable. A sphere of metal of runic rarity with a programmable mechanism that allowed manipulating psychic resistance of the sphere. It was the answer to his ongoing issue with [Telekinesis]. After short consideration, he explained it to her. ¡°[Telekinesis], woah,¡± she said. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not jealous.¡± She didn¡¯t sound jealous to him and neither her aura showed signs of it. ¡°There is a long way before I can make it useful.¡± He explained the nature of the hidden reward. ¡°I can¡¯t wrap my head around these hidden reward rooms,¡± she said softly. ¡°But then again, two years ago, something like a rift would have been an insane idea to me too.¡± ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Keynes agreed. ¡°Things got out of hand pretty quickly.¡± ¡°Yes, that they did,¡± she said, falling silent for another thirty or so steps. When her voice picked up again, it was hesitant and quiet. ¡°Do you think there will be other rift outbreaks?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he replied. One of the things they hadn¡¯t revealed was Keynes¡¯s Talent. Even though it wasn¡¯t a secret, it was not common knowledge either. Keynes didn¡¯t wish to speak of it and so changed the topic. ¡°Tell me about your skill. It is [Essence Detection], isn¡¯t it?¡± She was surprised that he knew about it and quickly started explaining it to him. ¡°I was authorised to take the skill shard¡­¡± Keynes didn¡¯t want to hear excuses or anything. Something like this hardly mattered to him. He told her that. ¡°Your idea of ¡®no big deal¡¯ is really off, do you know? Everything we¡¯ve found in the hidden rooms alone is worth fortune. I don¡¯t understand how you don¡¯t see it. Aren¡¯t the rifts the source of the income of your company?¡± Keynes rolled his eyes. If he wasn¡¯t careful they would be approaching the topic of his Talent, which he wanted to avoid. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but agree with her. He no longer considered things as valuable even if they were worth millions or more on the market. His ability to open new rifts and furthermore, the existence of hidden rewards to which he had easy access, had corrupted his perception. In the end, he didn¡¯t wish to change his attitude. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to your skill. How much can you see?¡± ¡°Will you tell me what you¡¯re doing with essence then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called cultivation. Or more precisely, spiritual cultivation. Its aim is to use essence to enforce your spiritual core, which in turn allows you to advance to the next spiritual stage.¡± ¡°Spiritual stage?¡± she asked, confused. ¡°Later,¡± he said. ¡°Tell me about the limitations of your skill. How much you can see¡­¡± They ended up wandering around the rift cluster until very late hours. The activity in the cluster didn¡¯t stop at night. Hundreds of tons of materials were removed, labelled and shipped away until each rift was stripped clean. It was easy to lose themselves in the chaos. Keynes and Kora spoke about her spell until there was nothing new she could tell him. In turn, Keynes elaborated on the idea of spiritual cultivation and stages. It was one of the best days he had in months. Chapter 144 Keynes woke up with growing apprehension about the impending event. He was going to level up today, achieving Level 4 and the third degree of the Perfect State. He''d inquired Alice about the potential buffs and rewards for this ascension, but she''d remained tight-lipped. As he got out of bed and finished his morning routines, he noticed a message on his tablet: Jedd Eldin had entered negotiations with Untainted Paradise. Keynes added a note to the hiring department to be generous. He needed an assistant as soon as possible as his to-do list was constantly growing. I hope they get him on board in the next few days. *** The air outside was heavy and hot, the sky overcast. Keynes was definitely going to learn how to shield himself from weather. His visits to the cold rift were horrible, and he refused to wear that silly wetsuit, even though it had potent thermal properties. Whoever was in charge of fashion needed a kick in the butt. Why not incorporate the wetsuits into proper uniforms or something? Kora appears to be waiting for you, master, Alice said, pulling Keynes out of his musings about fashion. He glanced ahead and saw her standing by the door to the first dome. "Hello," she said, with a mix of shyness and excitement. "Hi," Keynes responded, unsure of what to say next. He hadn''t expected to meet her here. She had always been with her team before their rift runs started. And today of all days, Esopp wouldn''t be here until later because he had something to take care of. She smiled, making this more uncomfortable than it should be. Keynes didn''t enter the dome. If she was waiting here alone, it likely meant she wanted to talk to him without witnesses. ¡°I understand you weren¡¯t waiting here without reason,¡± he said, a little awkwardly, a touch too coolly. If Kora noticed it, she gave no sign. ¡°Yes,¡± she acknowledged, pushing herself off the rail and stepping closer to Keynes. Not close enough to invade his personal space, he was glad for that. When it came to dealing with women, Keynes was quite incompetent. ¡°I have been thinking about things you said yesterday and¡­ do you think you would have a place in your team for me?¡± His frown deepened, then he began to register what she¡¯d said and things in his head got weirder. The hot and humid air was forgotten for now as well as the fact that the carry team was waiting inside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I got ahead of myself,¡± Kora apologised. Keynes shook his head. ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. I¡­ just didn¡¯t expect it.¡± Unless he misunderstood her intention. Their conversation yesterday revolved around her skill and how it could be used to help more people to advance to higher spiritual stages. ¡°Still, it was presumptuous of me¡ª¡± ¡°Stop it,¡± he cut her off. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have told you about spiritual stages and cultivation if I didn¡¯t think you weren¡¯t worth it. But the truth to be told, I didn¡¯t really give a thought about forming a team, especially given my skill set. I¡¯m not exactly a team player.¡± It wasn''t the full truth. During his time with Vivena, Haruka and Bill, his thoughts had oscillated around a topic of having a team but they¡¯d been more in perspective of his future space travels, not this. And there another thing emerged, the carry team had shown him what ¡®being a team¡¯ meant. They were precise, efficient and organised in fashion far exceeding Keynes¡¯s imagination. ¡°I understand¡­¡± Keynes sighed and she trailed off. She was too apologetic. ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± he said, trying to not sound malicious. ¡°You cannot have a shred of idea of what¡­ who I am or what I can do.¡± She looked like she was going to say something but in the end she stayed silent. Keynes felt bad. He didn¡¯t mean to shut her down; he was unreasonable. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just nervous about today. Level 4 is a big deal to me.¡± The change of the subject lifted the mood and steered the conversation away from the topic of a team, which wasn¡¯t Keynes¡¯s initial intention. Nonetheless, talking about Levels and how they influenced their lives was a good idea. Natalia gave them a stink eye when they entered the dome. They still had a few minutes to spare but Kora suddenly jerked and then¡ªwithout explanation¡ªjoined the rest of her team. Keynes suspected that [Mental Link] was at play here. After the team had absorbed the skills, Keynes and Esopp discussed with them the parameters of [Mental Link]. In essence, the skill allowed two or more ascenders to speak telepathically. There were limits to the spell though. It cost mana and had fixed range with the biggest issue being that it didn¡¯t work between two ascenders if one of them was inside a rift. They didn¡¯t test it on privacy screens or rooms secured with runes or formations. This was the job of the science department; and later would also involve Keynes¡¯s department of knowledge. The range of [Mental Link] was around 100 metres, although Keynes suspected that it¡¯d change with Levels, spiritual stages and manual modifications. Another huge limitation of the spell was the fact that only two people could converse at the same time. Others who had the spell and were linked to each other, were excluded from the conversation. From pressuring Alice a little, Keynes was able to figure out that the limit of active links wasn¡¯t hard capped. He felt it was a major shift in the way this skill was limited and he wondered how he could break the limits of [Telekinesis], but it¡¯d yielded no insights or discoveries. After the last of the VIPs¡ªminus Esopp¡ªgathered, another day of rift runs started. Keynes wouldn¡¯t level up until the seventeenth rift anyway. Esopp had warned him to wait as he wanted to be there. They¡¯d agreed that other VIPs would be excluded from that rift in exchange for some minor bonuses elsewhere, although these things were handled by the cluster manager. The next few hours passed quickly as Keynes remained in his mind for most of the time. He was mulling over Kora¡¯s earlier words. Having her on his team¡­ What would having a team mean anyway? He asked himself, unsure where his train of thoughts was going. There were several layers he considered here. The first layer would be his personal group that would follow him around the world and inside rifts. Then there would be the extended group that would help him run his department and his dominion. Finally, he might need an additional layer consisting of special individuals who would handle for him special requests, like finding out what his brother was up to or searching for Daiyu Fen and Tulli. And above all of this, I¡¯m going to need enough stuff to travel with me to other planets and moons¡­ It sounded strangely unreal, even in his head, though it had no reason to. Humankind had colonised most of the solar system already. They¡¯d failed to terraform the extraterrestrial planets or moons because of the cost but they¡¯d become sophisticated in building bases and underground cities. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. These are some ambitious plans, Alice muttered unhappily because to her these ideas felt threatening. Keynes could feel her emotions despite her attempts at obscuring them. At the same time, it was touching, although a bit annoying, that she was convinced this course of action would impact her in a negative way. Given the pace of the advancement, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re that ambitious. Esopp appeared two rifts before Keynes¡¯s expected level up. He wasn¡¯t forthcoming about his absence but it involved hiring someone. It seemed like all founders were going to build their own ¡®armies¡¯ of assistants. Well, with the exception of Wagner. He already possessed one. The time eventually came and the six of them entered the rift. ¡°What should we expect?¡± Natalia asked with only a hint of displeasure she¡¯d previously shown. ¡°Just a standard level up,¡± Keynes replied flatly. ¡°Nothing spectacular.¡± She nodded though she didn¡¯t look convinced. The theme of the rift was rainy ruins of a mediaeval castle with some primitive orcs and a strange variation of wolves. With almost childish easiness, the carry team was killing the monsters, the essence slowly built up inside Keynes as he circulated it around his spiritual core. Unlike cultivating his spiritual core, which led to gaining a higher stage, this process didn¡¯t have the same resistance and difficulty. Levelling up was easy and straightforward¡­ The moment he reached 100% was much more pronounced than the last time. He felt completeness. He didn¡¯t trigger it right away despite the urge. He was curious about these new forces that suddenly appeared inside him. All the essence that made up 100% of his progress was now a large pool within him. He couldn¡¯t touch it as there was thin but powerful film covering it. Normally, unallocated essence would be open to manipulation but once he committed it toward the progress it vanished from his senses¡ªuntil now. Kora had told him that not only his way of manipulating essence was different but the essence itself felt different. Keynes had realised that the System¡¯s penalty wasn¡¯t simply a penalty. It was something else. His conversation with Kora had led him to a simple but important conclusion; the essence was a building block of ascender¡¯s power. And because there were three types of ascenders: human essence, rift essence and Perfect State, and their power levels varied dramatically, especially at later Levels, it meant the greater power had to come from somewhere. It came from the compressed essence. The penalty was only an indication of how strongly the essence had to be compressed to fuel the new strength of an ascender. This combined with Kora¡¯s observation explained why Keynes¡¯s essence was different. He was glad that the System did the compression itself and the only drawback was a greater amount of essence required to level up. His conclusion opened up some questions. First of all, cultivation or circulating essence around a core actually required manual compression and it wasn''t an easy process. So, in this regard, the System wasn¡¯t lending its hand. Keynes pressed against the film, not to touch the pool of the essence but to see what his body would do. It triggered the ascension to Level 4¡­ Congratulations! You reached Level 4. All attributes Advancements achieved. Perfect State (third degree) unlocked! - Orb of Perfection awarded. - Orb of Grand Insight (third degree reward) awarded. - Purifying Body upgrade into Pure Body (third degree reward). - [Purify] (third degree reward) - Spiritual Aura upgraded. - [Spiritual Ghost] upgraded into [Spiritual Wrath] (third degree reward). - Trait of Spirituality (third degree + Superior Stage reward) awarded. - Gain another Perfect State to unlock further rewards. Upon gaining the Perfect State (fourth degree) permanent (cumulative) 15% essence penalty will be applied. Oh¡­ His spiritual aura vanished completely. Or at least it appeared so to others. What they didn¡¯t see or know was that under his new spiritual weight, it collapsed. Through his Superior stage, Keynes felt his new spiritual power, its strength on a completely different, absurd level. If he released his spiritual aura this moment, he would knock out everyone inside the rift for a couple of minutes without exception. As he considered touching it, Alice hissed, do not, master. Your spiritual control is so bad that destabilising the spiritual equilibrium is going to make a mess. Right¡­ What then? You must learn how to control it without exploding like a dying star. You will have to stay inside this rift until then. He tsked then looked up his profile. Name: Keynes Kid Species: Human Level: 4 (Perfect State third degree) Progression: 0% Spirit Stage: Superior Spiritual Companion: Alice Spells: Talent: Techniques: Status: Rapid Learning (permanent), Pure Body (permanent), Photographic Memory (strong), Untraceable (medium, permanent). Chaos (permanent, semi-dormant, ???).
Attributes Permanent Temporary Total
Strength (0%) 35 2 37
Dexterity (0%) 35 2 37
Will (0%) 35 2 37
Mind (0%) 35 4 39
Perception (0%) 35 2 37
Vitality (0%) 35 2 37
He didn¡¯t even need to look at his new attributes to feel his new strength. Obviously, his body, mind and spirit required time to adjust to new parameters but¡­ Holy shit, I feel like a god¡­ or¡ªwait. Chapter 145 Natalia couldn''t remember the last time she had been so stressed. She''d been invited to a meeting with the Head of Rifts, but after her encounter with two founders, she didn''t know what to expect. She hadn''t been the most friendly person to these two, and a disciplinary hearing was in the realm of possibilities. She walked through the maze they called Emerald City, with a young man guiding her. She''d stayed here not that long ago, but it looked like a completely different place now. "How''s that possible?" she inquired of her guide. He shrugged. "No idea. One day, they lock down the entire department. When they open it the next day, it''s transformed." They didn''t talk anymore after that. Natalia wasn''t good with small talk, and her guide seemed to share the sentiment. After passing through control points, she was taken to a large meeting room with a long table and bright lights. She wasn''t the first there. A young woman sat by the wall and typed something on a tablet. Nowadays, many people in the company seemed to own a similar tablet. The woman raised her head and asked Natalia to take a seat and wait. She wore a sharp suit and white blouse, unlike Natalia, who dressed more casually. Good thing that Kora persuaded her from wearing the wetsuit. However, the rules inside Emerald City were quite strict about items of power, and there were additional restrictions inside the headquarters. Only allowed items and skills were permitted inside. A few minutes later, Goodman, the cluster manager, entered the meeting room. For a second, Natalia thought she was meeting him, but he looked as surprised as her. Then the door opened for the third time, and an arrogant-looking man came inside. His clothes were from at least Level 3 fabric, and she noticed a ring that was magical. This guy was a big deal. "Thank you for coming," he said. "My name''s Cyrano." He didn''t sound like an asshole. He took a seat on the other side of the table, placing his tablet and some papers in front of him. "I''m sorry that I won''t be able to entertain you with small talk or anything and have to cut to the chase." "That¡¯s good with me," Natalia said, and Goodman agreed with her. "Superb. So, you were asked here because Mr. Kid and Mr. Earl spoke very highly of you and you have records to back up your performance. With the upcoming expansion that will include a Level 5 rift cluster, we must scale up our operations." Natalia didn''t know what unsettled her more, his unbothered tone or the fact that Untainted Paradise had a Level 5 rift cluster. Nonetheless, her curiosity was piqued, and if this meeting wasn''t a disciplinary hearing, she could relax. Goodman shifted uncomfortably upon the revelation and asked. "Pardon me, but how''s this possible? There haven''t been any more outbreaks, have there?" He''s right. There have been only three outbreaks, and we''ve been delving Level 4 rifts for weeks now. How? Cyrano didn''t seem taken aback by the question. The opposite, actually. He smiled as he gently tapped the table, considering the answer. It took Natalia and Goodman a moment to process this information, and unfortunately, it raised more questions than it answered. "If you agree to our offer, you''ll be there when we unseal the cluster." Neither Natalia nor Goodman had been present during the opening of the Level 4 cluster, and she didn''t know anyone who had been there, which was unsettling. Were they removing the witnesses? If that was the case, she would rather refuse Cyrano''s offer. On the other hand, she didn''t believe it would be the case. She was aware of her own worth, and wasting her without a good reason didn''t sound smart, and Untainted Paradise was smart. She noticed a concerned expression on the cluster manager''s face. That man was an extremely risk-averse person, though only if his life was on the line. "Let''s hear the offer," Natalia blurted out before Goodman could back out of this. He gave her an awkward glance but didn''t object. Cyrano nodded then tapped his tablet. A screen on the wall came to life with numbers and descriptions. "We''d offer you, Mr. Goodman, a new role of Level 5 cluster manager. The role would be adjusted once we manage to relocate all the rifts here to Emerald City. In that case, you would be in charge of all Level 5 rifts we control. The role would come with a substantial pay rise, a Level 3 skill of your choice - as long as we actually have it - a Level 4 crafted ring with +4 to all attributes that you''d be permitted to wear inside the city, you''d also be levelled up to Level 6. This would be a requirement as much as a privilege. Because of a higher clearance status, we must ensure you''d be in a position to defend yourself." Goodman didn''t even haggle, he just accepted. Cyrano then turned to Natalia. The screen flicked, and her name appeared on it. "Miss Kowalska, your new role would be called Rift Training Manager, and it would involve selecting and training capable delving teams of various Levels. You would be subject to similar benefits as Mr. Goodman, and no longer be his subordinate." Unlike Kora, Natalia didn''t need days to consider an issue. In her mind, the offer was insanely good. Goodman wasn''t an idiot, if there was anything out of place here, he''d point it out. Maybe a few weeks ago, she''d have freaked out when Untainted Paradise offered her a Level 3 skill of her choice, but after witnessing Keynes Kid''s flippant attitude toward wealth, her perspective changed. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "I agree," she said. "Here." Cyrano pushed two tablets toward her and Goodman. "Read through the agreement and sign at the end if you''re satisfied. Take as much time as you need. If you need anything, Mrs. Snow is here to assist you." He stood up and left. I can''t wait to tell this to Kora! *** Andr¨¦ sat in one of his dining rooms, reading daily reports. His frown deepened, his forehead marred. The sub-boss dominion failure had started to bite him in the ass. Despite his attempts to suppress the knowledge of his encounter with Keynes Kid, things had leaked out. Some of the council members had started to whisper about replacing him as the chairman. Him - the founder of the Solar Council. It was a ludicrous and preposterous idea. He put the reports down, taking a sip of coffee. It was only Level 3 coffee, and it wouldn''t have any effect on him, but the strong bitterness combined with rare spice was a weird but acquired taste which he enjoyed. Some commotion down the hall drew his attention away from his problems. Andr¨¦ stood up and moved toward the double door. What was going on? His ears picked up shouting. He pushed the door apart. The long hall was empty, but the commotion was just behind the corner. "Noisy bunch," a voice behind him said. He whirled, finding a familiar face belonging to a man sitting in his spot. "That coffee though, hideous." The intruder wore a black robe. Judging by the power coming off it, the robe was a rift item. "Do you fancy it?" the intruder asked with a smirk. He pushed the mug with coffee away from him. Andr¨¦ gave the old acquaintance an annoyed look. Ethan Blackwood was the owner of the Sovereign. He was the man who stayed in the shadows while his influence spread all over the solar system. Their dealings were mostly done through Sovereign''s CEO, so his intrusion couldn''t mean anything good. Ethan looked not a day past twenty. Ethan was reportedly around seventy, but there was no clear information about this man. Even his name didn''t sound real. Andr¨¦ had investigated every Blackwood family out there. None of them had any connection to Ethan. Ethan''s bronze eyes tracked Andr¨¦ with ease that shouldn''t be there. They were inside Andr¨¦''s mansion. Its security measures were one of the best in the world. How had Blackwood gotten in? And who the hell caused the commotion? "What are you doing here?" Andr¨¦ decided to cut to the chase. He wasn''t in the mood for idle talk. He had to figure out what Blackwood''s presence here meant. He didn''t move from the spot by the door, waiting for the response. "You need to relax, Andr¨¦. You''re the man in charge of a very important council. Losing your cool doesn''t fit your station." Andr¨¦ didn''t appreciate the tone, and he made it show on his face, but the reaction wasn''t the one he hoped for. Blackwood let out a quiet laugh, drawing an angry huff from Andr¨¦, who slammed the door closed. Whatever had caused the commotion in the hall was now gone. "You said it yourself. I am in charge of a very important - no - the most important organisation in the solar system. Breaking in without a good reason leaves you in an undesirable position." Blackwood shrugged as if he didn''t notice the threat. "You won''t complain after hearing me out though." Andr¨¦ crossed his arms and waited. Blackwood snorted. "Fine. Let''s talk." He offered Andr¨¦ his chair as he stood up. Reluctantly, Andr¨¦ did so but stayed on high alert. He had three skills he could use if things got heated. He didn''t know what level Blackwood was. He''d grilled the Sovereign''s CEO, but the man hadn''t known. But there was no way he was stronger than Andr¨¦. "It looks like our old friend Zimmermann has outsmarted us," Blackwood said as he sat down across the table. "He got lucky," Andr¨¦ countered. "Lucky?" Blackwood frowned. "I can hardly imagine how a company like Untainted Paradise was built on luck alone." "We both know how much wealth and knowledge he''s inherited from his father. Then the only person who can open rifts walks into his house. Sounds like a hell of luck to me." Blackwood took his time in responding to Andr¨¦''s words. Some of his amused expression melted away. Only now Andr¨¦ noticed a complete set of silver rings on Blackwood''s hand. He didn''t like them. "Zimmermann wasn''t the only person with access to Keynes Kid and yet, look what he''s achieved. Allying with Curt and Earl was a genius move. Securing the biggest military force in the world and bringing Earl''s wealth and connection to the table? Is this something you could have done, Andr¨¦?" He tsked, annoyed once more about Blackwood''s attitude. "Not the same way. I don''t have the stash of hidden potion recipes and plants that can heal and do all sorts of things, but I have ruled Geneva for years, which is now the centre of the solar system. I am in charge of the Solar Council, which is the most powerful organisation in the solar system." He jabbed his finger into the table, piercing it. Most of the furniture wasn''t replaced with higher Level materials yet. His stronger body had to be careful to not break things. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Blackwood said, his good humour seemingly returned. ¡°But things look bleak, don''t they? You failed at securing the first sub-boss dominion. You failed at enforcing the deal with Untainted Paradise. And now, your allies are slowly turning against you. Once you lose your seat at the council; how long would you remain the Prime Minister of Geneva? Hm?¡± So that¡¯s why he¡¯s here. He¡¯s trying to exploit my difficult position. Hardly an unexpected move, though his presence here isn¡¯t normal. He stays in the shadows for a good reason. ¡°These things will be taken care of.¡± Despite Andr¨¦ growing ire, Blackwood said. ¡°They won¡¯t. You and the Solar Council are in no position to threaten Untainted Paradise without risking Keynes Kid¡¯s life. Of course, assuming you can find Emerald City. Additionally, losing Sael cost you more than you think, especially in the light of your recent failures.¡± Sael had been a dangerous liability and if he was alive, he¡¯d go after Andr¨¦¡¯s seat. But he didn¡¯t voice his disagreement. Blackwood wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°But you have a friend in me, Andr¨¦. I¡¯m not going to leave you without help. To that end, I asked my company to come with a few solutions. First, let¡¯s meet the new military leader of the Solar Council.¡± What? We don¡¯t¡ª Andr¨¦¡¯s thoughts ended abruptly as he felt spiritual pressure coming from the hall. Who the hell was that? Chapter 146 The biting air of the high altitude was a minor inconvenience for Tom. The benefit of being a Level 5, though things weren''t as lush as they seemed. Being a "human essence" Level 5, as they called people who had levelled up before the outbreaks, had become a curse. If Tom levelled up now, solely with rift essence, he would be much stronger. Discounting maxed-out attributes, he would have 6 points more in each attribute. This wasn''t the worst. With each level, the difference was only going to grow, becoming over 20 points in difference at Level 10. That many points were a chasm. The old generation of High Level ascenders was going to be de-throned very soon and Tom didn¡¯t want to find himself on the losing side. He had to find ways to get stronger. He considered Chris¡¯s idea of returning to Zimmermann¡¯s employment. From what they had heard, Zimmermann''s company was a giant that was quickly overshadowing any other organisation on the planet. Even the current iteration of the World Government didn¡¯t feel like a competitor. Strange times, Tom mused. It was hard to imagine any business taking off like Untainted Paradise. The World Government had always had a tight grip on power and it took Freeman only a few mistakes to lose it. Tom inhaled the cold air, sitting on a rock overlooking a monastery, two hundred metres away. This was the last stop on their journey to find Daiyu Fen. He shouldn¡¯t forget about Keynes Kid''s unfair Talent. Being able to open rifts exclusively was insane. No wonder Untainted Paradise threw money around. They were the only source of Level 4 items and materials. Should I go back to Geneva and try to get in touch with Keynes? On paper, it seemed like a no-brainer. Chris was convinced that Zimmermann wouldn''t have any issues if they asked him to take them back. But Tom didn''t feel it. He''d spent years working for Freeman''s secret organisation, Hidden Hand, and had grown to dislike being close to politics and power. He''d rather make his own way in the world. He had the tools to do so. His Talent would make others, as long as they were weaker than him, forget about his existence. The only issue was that even though the outbreaks had changed the world, it hadn''t really changed that much. In the past, ascenders had only three paths for levelling up: military or governmental positions, wealth and connections, or going rogue. The last option was a short-term solution. After the World Government was founded, it quickly put its foot down and created a register of levelled ascenders. There was only one sentence for being levelled and not on the register - death penalty. This led to the creation of the most sophisticated criminal organisation in the solar system - Death Dealers. They were the reason the rich levelled up legally. Tom didn''t know how this had been possible, but the point was that the current world was very much the same. Delving rifts cost money, and a cheaper but less profitable way was killing monsters in the hunting grounds. They were allowed to harvest monster body parts, but the whole thing was set up like a free-for-all despite the assurances of no violence between hunting ascenders. There was also the free alternative, but hunting dominion monsters was unreliable and more dangerous. In other words, to level up, an ascender needed a lot of wealth. Annoyingly, this issue had led to the creation of many fanatical groups, with the White Masks being the most prominent and well-known. They wanted to give every ascender an equal chance to level up, but their methods were too cruel to be seen as anything other than a terrorist organisation. Deep down, Tom understood the futility of the White Mask''s goal. There were over a hundred billion people on Earth and only a few thousand rifts. He didn''t know the exact number, but why would the exact number matter? It wasn''t possible to give an equal chance to all ascenders. Hell, it wasn''t enough to give the chance even to 1% of the population and likely would never be. The dilemma weighed on him, making it hard to choose. His heart was out there in the wild, but his mind knew the truth. He was going to be pragmatic and join Untainted Paradise with Chris. Ren was another story. His mission to save Daiyu Fen had turned into an obsession, and nothing could persuade him to change his mind. Tom shook his head, clearing his thoughts. It was time to get back to the monastery. The complex of several buildings carved into the mountain was an obscure waypoint for adventurers. It had taken Tom quite a long time to figure out why such a remote place was in use at all. There were uncleared rifts somewhere out there. How they had found them in the middle of the highest mountain range, Tom had no idea. It was better to not ask questions with so many paranoid ascenders around. The monastery hosted over a hundred people. When Tom returned to their shared room, which they had rented for a day, Chris checked the door then beckoned Tom closer. Ren wasn''t in the room. "Something happened in the sub-boss dominion," he said. "What do you mean?" "Apparently, big names had a confrontation. No details though. Everyone''s looking over their shoulder." *** Ren sat outside their room, his back against the frigid cold wall. On his right was the main yard of the monastery, on his left the path that led to their room. This place was a ruined maze though it offered a roof over one''s head, food and water. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. As the night drew closer and the chill stronger, Ren considered returning to their room where closed space offered a semblance of warmth and comfort. But then, his attention was caught by a movement outside of the monastery. Other buildings and rocks didn''t allow him to get a better look. Just more ascenders coming here. For a remote location with seemingly no point of interest, the monastery saw quite a bit of traffic. Ren twitched when he realised what he was seeing. A procession of people. At least ten... or more. It wasn''t what alarmed him though. It was the direction they were coming from. The eastern pass. He''d need to talk to the newcomers as he and others had to take the same pass to leave the mountainside and get closer to their destination. But he didn''t move as they entered the yard. They all wore dark coats with deep hoods hiding their faces. Not that there was much to see in darkness. Even his heightened Perception wouldn¡¯t be enough. As the procession moved through the yard, one of its members glanced up. Their hood reclined slightly, but not giving Ren a chance to peek underneath. They entered one of the side buildings of the monastery, vanishing from sight and leaving an undisturbed night in their wake. Something is telling me that asking them about their way here isn¡¯t the best idea. There was something about them that chilled him. In the end, it didn''t really matter. Ren''s Talent would take care of obstacles. Since he had levelled up to Level 4, his portal had a better range with a range/cooldown ratio much improved. Though he rarely thought about himself in terms of how his Talent shaped his life after he had fled the World Government''s rift cluster in Scotland, he was aware that with the right combination of Talents, a group of ascenders could be unstoppable. That was why he was considering leaving Tom Ventura and Christopher Wolf. In fact, he no longer understood them. Why did they follow him? Neither of them cared about Daiyu Fen. That much was plain to him. He balled his fists a few times, restarting circulation in his hands. The cold wasn''t enough to damage him. Though the innate damage reduction had vanished with the appearance of Vitality, the new attribute on its own was enough to keep Ren healthy, although it did little to fend off the sensation of his body turning into a block of ice. He remembered Keynes doing silly things to train his resistances in the Scottish... I am going off tangent again, he shook his head. Tom and Christopher. What should I do about them? Leaving them without a word would feel like¡ªhe froze. His spiritual aura alarmed him when someone appeared next to him¡ªno, not appeared, but came out of the wall. I know of only one person with such a Talent. "Open a portal a kilometre from here but be discreet," a voice whispered into his ear. He almost called out Daiyu Fen''s name but then realised where they were. Besides, she moved back into the wall. Opening a portal in the open was out of the question, so the only other place was their room. He crushed the moment of hesitation. Tom and Christopher were on his side. He swiftly returned to the room, making as little noise as possible. Neither Tom nor Christopher slept, but they didn''t ask any questions, seemingly enjoying the silence. Without warning, Ren used his Talent and opened a portal over a kilometre away to a small and inaccessible plateau he''d eyed since their arrival. Both men sat up, but Ren put a finger to his mouth. They waited. Daiyu Fen stepped out of the wall and entered the cut in the fabric of space. Ren followed her; Tom and Christopher went after them. "What the hell?" Tom was the first to speak out. If not for the heightened Perception, his words would be drowned by the strong wind. The plateau lay much higher than the monastery. "What is going on?" "I don''t have much time," Daiyu Fen replied. "If you''re after me or Tulli, forget it. Windsor Freeman and Moonbane are with us." Ren''s heart sank as he started realising what would have happened if they reached that base with Freeman inside. "Not Freeman again," Tom complained. "I don''t understand," Ren said. "Why haven''t you taken Tulli with you? I could have portal us much further away. Freeman can be as strong as he wants, but he wouldn''t find us. Unless they implanted you with another chip." "That''s not it." She shook her head, her shoulder-length hair fluttering around her head. "Tulli... they''ve turned her to their side. I can''t leave her with Freeman." Ren wanted to argue, but Tom asked the important question. "You know her Talent, don''t you?" "Yes," Daiyu Fen replied. "I have to make her see the truth before she reaches Level 5. Otherwise..." "What''s her Talent?" Tom asked. Daiyu Fen shook her head. "I have to get back before others notice my absence. Moonbane doesn''t trust me yet. Don''t follow us." She stepped back into the portal, leaving the three men alone on the windy plateau. "What was that?" Tom asked, his voice colder than the air. Ren eyed his portal wondering if they should get back to the monastery. With Freeman around and Tulli compromised, there was risk. "What''s this Tulli''s Talent?" "We haven''t been told," Christopher said. "But she was among the grade 10 Talents. Whatever it is, it is dangerous." "Kill the portal," Tom snapped, no longer projecting the relaxed appearance. Ren hesitated. "Once you are off the cooldown, take us as far as you can from the monastery. We aren''t equipped to face Freeman." "What''s the plan?" Christopher asked, eyeing the still opened portal. "There''s no plan," Tom replied. "This mission''s over. Kill the damn portal." Not for Ren. He wasn''t going to leave Fen alone. Sorry, Ren thought as he stepped into the portal, at the same time closing it. Chapter 147 ¡°This is a perfect spot.¡± The green plateau was peppered with short grasses and flowers. Keynes spotted scattered rocks all over the plateau, some were covered by moss. Beyond the plateau was forest that inclined with the ground, eventually thinning and turning into a lone mountain. Frankly, the mountain lay beyond the boundary of the rift. Though he hadn¡¯t used a rift orb that upgraded any rift¡¯s Level, Keynes suspected that by doing so, the boundary simply expanded including what was visible. But he wasn¡¯t in this rift for sightseeing. He¡¯d chosen it because of convenience. The rocks he¡¯d spotted earlier were of various sizes. The area was flat and easily accessible from the rift exit. There were plenty of places to camp. Only monsters were missing but they¡¯d been killed off a few hours earlier by Miguel and Ulf. Natalia had gone to Emerald City while Kora was with Keynes. The carry team had been given a week of holiday and their duties were taken over by Esopp who had some of his own people to follow him around. The rift cluster was also closed to VIPs. Esopp wanted to reap 100% of essence from the rifts. He had to level up twice from Level 7 to Level 8 and he wasn¡¯t happy about it. The only reason why Keynes asked Miguel and Ulf to clear this rift instead of Esopp was to preserve it. Esopp had a tendency to be destructive. Other than that, all the usual operations remained as normal. ¡°If you say so,¡± Kora said. She nodded to the crew they¡¯d brought with them to begin the provisory construction. She didn¡¯t know how long they were going to stay here so they brought with them a lot of provisions. They were also waiting for one more person Keynes wanted inside before this rift¡¯s instance became inaccessible. He watched the workers for a while, in silence contemplating his next steps. His ascension to Level 4 had seemed quiet and uneventful until he tried to leave the damn rift. Ignoring Alice¡¯s protest he¡¯d exited the other rift. It¡¯d disrupted the spiritual equilibrium blasting the rift cluster with his spiritual aura. Alice had stepped in and she¡¯d been able to rein his aura for a time but he¡¯d been on a clock. He¡¯d decided to take this common rift and since then stayed here trying to regain the spiritual equilibrium. He¡¯d done it eventually so he could now stay around others without risk of blasting them with his powerful aura. It was marvellous how efficient modular technology was. In about an hour a fully functional camp was raised. It consisted of three private rooms with all necessary amenities, a connected common room with a kitchen and sizable storage room. The camp had everything they would require for up to a month. Keynes didn¡¯t know if he would stay this long as he didn¡¯t want to be cut off from the world. Unfortunately, neither magic nor technology existed that penetrated the dimensional nature of the rifts. Cables wouldn¡¯t carry on the signal too. Even so, the research team responsible for development of this technology was optimistic as new higher Level materials were tested. It could be as simple as using the correct Level of materials or adding runes or formations. Eventually, he turned his attention away from the camp and focused on his profile. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Kora asked, mildly irritating him. He didn¡¯t show it on his face. He¡¯d asked her to join him in the rift after all; why would he feel irritated by her then? The answer to that was simple. Over the months he¡¯d grown withdrawn, staying more in his mind than interacting with others even if they were present. Even Alice remained in the background for most of the time. Keynes felt alone and he didn¡¯t mind it¡­ He shook these thoughts off, concentrating on the present moment. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± She smiled, sitting down with crossed legs. He¡¯d asked her to not wear the wetsuit. Something about it made him really uncomfortable and it wasn¡¯t the boost to the attributes. Because of that, she currently wore khaki trousers with a dark green blouse. The temperature in this rift was mild and because there was no day-night cycle, the temperature remained stable. ¡°Because I noticed you haven¡¯t fully adapted to your new attributes; Spirit aside.¡± Keynes frowned, looking at Kora without comprehension. To her credit, she realised what his silence meant and continued. ¡°When you walk, you tend to overstep, your reaction time is faster but it takes you more time to recover from overreaching, and I am quite confident that your Perception feels exactly the same as it was before the ascension.¡± Keynes looked inwardly, searching through his memories. It wasn''t an explicit process like leafing through a book and was more intuitive but whenever Keynes wanted he could concentrate and see the perfect memory. For this, it wasn¡¯t necessary though. As his memory travelled to his ascension and fro, he noticed little things Kora had spoken of. It raised an interesting question; how had she noticed these things while Keynes had been blind to them? ¡°How do you know?¡± Her smile widened just by a notch but it was filled with warmth and friendly amusement. ¡°Our team was speed-levelled. From Level 1 to Level 4 in a week then another week to get to Level 5. It was a strange experience.¡± He didn¡¯t see the connection. Alice? She is correct, Alice replied. But I think it will be best if she explains it first. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Keynes didn¡¯t try to convince her, partially because he was curious why levelling from Level 1 to Level 5 in two weeks was a strange experience. ¡°Can you tell me more?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she replied. ¡°But I must warn you. This is pure speculation.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just tell me.¡± ¡°Everytime we level up our attributes increase. At early Levels, this isn''t an issue and you can hardly notice it but jumping from from 20 to 30 points in a week revealed something troubling. Our bodies seem to be not accustomed to the new heightened attributes. While we were instantly stronger and faster, our precision went down the drain. That is why Natalia was dragging us through hell so we could regain it.¡± Every cogwheel in Keynes¡¯s head was working overtime while his wide eyes stared at Kora. He had never considered attributes from her perspective but it made so much sense and explained some of the things that had bothered him. It also reminded him of the divergence of mind and body Kaito Ren had told him about. Although he didn¡¯t understand why heightened Mind attribute didn¡¯t take care of the issue this time around. No, there must be more to it. She said that my Perception hasn¡¯t changed and¡­ she¡¯s right. It has remained the same. Why? ¡°Okay,¡± Keynes eventually said, causing an amused frown on Kora¡¯s face to deepen. ¡°I have to say you¡¯re onto something but something¡¯s missing.¡± She let out a quiet chuckle, turning her head away. There was still timidness in her. ¡°Of course it¡¯s missing things. While I like to give things a deeper consideration I¡¯m hardly a scholar.¡± Having said that, some of her solemnity returned. ¡°It is all very anecdotal and based on my team¡¯s experience. I got excited when I noticed the same thing was happening to you because it added some credence to my hypothesis.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right though,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Precision is definitely a thing.¡± He asked Kora about the divergence of mind and body. She was aware of it but didn¡¯t believe these things were related. Her reasoning boiled down to inner workings of Mind attribute. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss it through,¡± Keynes said, keeping the bubbling excitement from overtaking him. He had a very strong hunch that all of this was connected and understanding it was critical to his spiritual advancement. For a brief moment, an overwhelming urge filled him to use the Orb of Grand Insight but he used his Will to crush it. No matter how enticing the idea sounded, the orb was better used elsewhere. He had days of deliberating about his next step ahead of him. There were going to be many occasions to put the orb to good use. ¡°How does precision affect attributes? Strength and Dexterity are straightforward. You also mentioned Perception and you were right. It hasn¡¯t changed despite the status showing thirty-five.¡± ¡°Thirty-five? Ah, you have maxed out Perception¡­ why?¡± She looked confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about the imbalance?¡± Keynes had read about the benefit of equal attributes but nothing about imbalance. So naturally it was his turn to appear confused. ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Why do not tell her the truth? Alice asked. I will, Keynes assured her. Once she explains the imbalance¡­ Unless you will? It is not that I do not want to, Alice said, and through the bond Keynes sensed irritation. But the System¡¯s desire to remain impartial takes precedence. I know, I know, Keynes said, not wishing to drag their fruitless conversation on. ¡°Okay.¡± She raised her hand. ¡°One thing at a time. Let¡¯s finish with attributes first.¡± Surprised by Kora¡¯s decisive and confident tone, Keynes nodded. She was right about finishing the first topic before moving on. Keynes¡¯s curiosity could be a pushy thing sometimes. ¡°So as you said earlier, Strength and Dexterity are self-explanatory. When it comes to Perception, my understanding is that our Mind attribute is confused with all the sensory input coming through heightened Perception and blocks the additional information. Strangely enough, there are some weird shenanigans with Perception that I can¡¯t explain.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Whenever I focus on a singular sense, it feels much stronger. I¡­ nevermind.¡± ¡°Tell me,¡± Keynes said, unable to contain his curiosity. Kora sighed, glancing at Keynes with a guarded gaze. ¡°I believe that Perception works counterintuitively. Even though it increases, its benefits are accessed differently.¡± ¡°So you think we must focus on the desired sense to fully utilise Perception?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°But why?¡± For a second, he thought she would simply shrug but no, she replied. ¡°I warn you, I might be dead wrong.¡± She waited until he acknowledged. She seemed to be very particular about these things. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°My belief is that we lack precision in using our Mind attribute so it by default blocks all the extra input.¡± That made sense¡­ almost. ¡°So¡­ that would explain the ¡®synchronisation¡¯ issue of Mind attribute but what about Perception? Is synchronisation the right word?¡± ¡°Synchronisation¡­ I¡¯d rather use adjustment or adaptation but you¡¯re free to use any word you wish. All of this is most likely wrong anyway.¡± Keynes shook his head. ¡°You aren¡¯t giving yourself enough credit. Thit is a very good insight. Hell, this stuff¡­ Nothing like this had crossed my mind until you pointed it out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t feel like it. Anyway, Perception. My guess is that Perception¡¯s and Mind¡¯s adjustment are very similar although, Mind attribute covers other areas.¡± ¡°That leaves us with Will and Vitality.¡± ¡°Will, at least in theory, should be similar to Strength.¡± Lack of restraint. It was an odd take on Will but the longer Keynes thought about it the more likely it seemed. However, he didn¡¯t think the word ¡®precision¡¯ was the correct one here. Precision was merely a consequence of another control, or rather lack of control. But what controlled the attributes? Keynes didn¡¯t know that but he knew that six attribute cores were linked to the Spirit core. So perhaps, ¡®synchronisation¡¯ was the right word. Alice, how are we doing? You are on the right track, master, Alice confirmed. Keynes shared the new insight with Kora. She looked startled by it but told him she needed time to think about it. He didn¡¯t mind that. They were going to return to this topic tomorrow. ¡°Okay, now, tell me about the imbalance.¡± Chapter 148 Before they moved on onto the topic of imbalance, Keynes had had to acknowledge again that Kora¡¯s insight could be incorrect. He suspected that there must be a story behind the odd insistence. But these thoughts barely skimmed the surface of his mind. He was still excited by the revelation regarding the attributes. Only now he began wondering about the relation between the attributes, techniques and training. How long did the adjustment take? When did precision stop being relevant? He forced his mind to shut up and with heightened Will, it did so with startling ease. His Will, indeed, felt powerful. In itself it wasn¡¯t an issue but without finer control it appeared like playing a football with a cannon ball. It would score a goal but at what cost? Kora¡¯s words pulled him out of his mind. ¡°I only know about the imbalance because of equipment we received in the first week of our training. It boosted our Strength and Dexterity by twelve points each. Other attributes remained untouched. Once we started fighting, our bodies took damage from our movement alone. I realised that Vitality was too low to counterbalance tremendous pressure caused by increased Strength and Dexterity. The damage from the lack of Vitality wasn¡¯t the worst though. Each time we tried to utilise the full extent of our Strength and Dexterity, our low Perception became a liability and we not only damaged ourselves more but our coordination dropped dramatically. Once it was all over, we¡¯d get headaches, which I think was the consequence of an overloaded Mind attribute. I don¡¯t know how it affected our Will attribute though.¡± This was more than Keynes had expected. He hadn¡¯t experienced anything like this even though had been boosting his attributes with two shortswords. Why? You cannot compare yourself to her. You are a Perfect State ascender, master. It alone provides a protective buffer that keeps the pesky imbalance at bay. But there is more. Strength of your Spirit is also taken into account as much as the general ratio of attributes. Your body can also get accustomed to this sort of imbalance overtime. Alice¡¯s unprompted insight was shocking but welcome. Nonetheless, one thing didn¡¯t add up here. If the consequences of imbalance could be so severe then what about people with only one or two maxed out attributes? Over time the imbalance would widen. He didn¡¯t know the numbers as it¡¯d have to be calculated but the compounding increase meant drastic growth at higher Levels. What did it mean? Did these ascenders cripple themselves? Pretty much, Alice replied matter-of-factly. Why¡­ didn¡¯t you warn me? I could¡­ I am sorry, master, she said as Keynes trailed off. The System would not allow me to warn others. What has changed? Keynes asked. You have figured it out. It didn¡¯t feel like it but he didn¡¯t continue the conversation as Kora stared at him with a worried expression. ¡°You okay?¡± He was about to nod but stopped himself. Was he alright? Things he just learned were revolutionary; precision, imbalance. What else did the System hide in plain sight? ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± he replied. ¡°You¡¯re worried about your maxed out Perception?¡± ¡°Not that.¡± He shook his head, feeling Alice¡¯s attention through the bond. Fair enough. ¡°I¡¯m a Perfect State ascender. All my attributes have been maxed out.¡± He saw her frown but due to his spiritual equilibrium he couldn¡¯t read her aura. She must be doing calculations in her head. ¡°The only way to achieve thirty-five points per attribute at Level 4 is to max them out at each Level.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t say I know much about maxing out attributes. Natalia said I shouldn¡¯t bother myself with it and focus on training and planning. So what is this Perfect State?¡± Keynes¡¯s body shivered as a sudden fear cut through it. He wasn¡¯t comfortable sharing his personal information with others. Only Vivena had known the full extent of his power but things changed since they¡¯d parted their ways. The founders knew a lot but no details and the devil was in the details. His previous talk with Kora had painted her as someone who was obsessed with knowledge and loved to break things apart to learn about their inner workings. With her inquisitive attitude he would have a hard time keeping his secrets away from her. And so he was back to the same issue he¡¯d discussed with Esopp: trust. Without it, Keynes was alone; and though he didn¡¯t mind the loneliness, he understood that it wasn¡¯t the way to go forward. I¡¯ve decided to change things around. This is why I¡¯ve hired a personal assistant and invited Kora to this rift. I have to start trusting others, he reminded himself. He still didn¡¯t decide what to do about her. He didn¡¯t even know what her Talent was. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Despite doubts he roughly explained what Perfect State was. Kora wasn¡¯t as inquisitive as he¡¯d expected her to be, at least, until she asked about the link between the Perfect State and Spirit. Though her questions were off the mark they were well thought and had Keynes thinking. What did a level-up look like for a normal ascender? Another thought that hadn¡¯t crossed his mind until she asked him about it. From what she revealed, there wasn¡¯t much beyond improved spiritual aura. It was somewhat disappointing¡­ Oh my, master, Perfect State ascenders are¡­ she trailed off and Keynes that would all she had to say on the topic but then he felt a surge of spiritual energy and she continued although sounding rough and exhausted. Perfect State ascenders are a big deal. You may not feel it yet but maxing out attributes and levelling up will become vastly harder with each degree. It is a steep curve that lays ahead. There was a reason why Perfect State ascenders were revered¡­ This time her voice faded away and didn¡¯t return. Through their bond, he sensed her presence become muted and distant; the System intervened. The fragment about the ascenders like himself being revered had been too much information, he guessed. His conversation with Kora oscillated around maxing out attributes, advancing spiritual stages and training. They agreed that having all three things at the same time was nearly impossible. But they both believed that getting stronger was a priority for the company, though they came up from different places. Keynes¡¯s view had more to do with his traumatic past. He didn¡¯t want to be imprisoned by another Windsor Freeman and experimented on. He was aware of Talents, at least in history, that could copy or steal a Talent of others. He didn¡¯t know if such a Talent existed at that moment but his worries were ever present at the periphery of his mind. He had to become the strongest person in the world to feel safe. Kora also saw things through the prism of her past; she and Natalia came from the Kingdom that lay between two superpowers - Russia and European Alliance. Even after founding the World Government, these two forces had sought to dismantle the Kingdom¡¯s influence and its strategic position. Kora had learned the hard lesson and had experienced the world where the weak were eaten by predators. She didn¡¯t want to be weak. But that wasn''t all. She also looked to the future. She wished for the company to grow, not for her sake but for the sake of others. She and Natalia felt happy when they helped others level up. An image of grumpy Natalia looking happy was a difficult to swallow pill. ¡°It isn¡¯t that. Natalia is misunderstood,¡± Kora defended her. ¡°And she¡¯s also a little obsessed with order.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Keynes asked even though he didn¡¯t mean to pry into Natalia¡¯s personal stuff. It just came out of him and he was too late to take his words back. ¡°Because this is how our parents died. People who were responsible didn¡¯t stick to the safety regulations and plans and there were consequences.¡± ¡°Your parents? You mean she¡¯s your sister?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re taking out of this?¡± she asked, a bit amused. Keynes immediately realised his misstep and apologised but Kora didn¡¯t mind it. She had come to terms with their deaths, Natalia was the one who hadn¡¯t. *** Jedd was rarely nervous and when he was he never showed it. His jobs demanded absolute professionalism and he¡¯d always delivered what was expected of him. He understood the hiring practices of the top corporations and even though he didn¡¯t like dealing with long chains of proxies, it was necessary. Talent¡¯s uniqueness made some individuals extremely desired and companies went to crazy heights to acquire them. It wasn¡¯t something the public was aware of but the hiring business was one of the most ruthless practices in the world. It still sucked travelling from one random location to another until green light was given and Jedd was taken on an advanced technological aircraft. For the first time in his life, he watched a plane go invisible. Whoever had access to this kind of magic and technology was clearly running one of top ten companies in the solar system. The plane wasn¡¯t his first cue though, terms of his contract were. He¡¯d been given a salary that would allow him to retire after a year of work. It wasn¡¯t yet outrageous but nothing prepared him for the additional benefits he received after he¡¯d signed the contract. A Level 3 spell of his choice, rift items, being levelled up to at least Level 5. Now these things stepped firmly beyond what most companies could afford let alone offer to a personal assistant. He¡¯d re-read his contract over a dozen times trying to find the catch. There was none. What kind of organisation could throw this much wealth on a personal assistant? The hiring company hadn¡¯t even negotiated, they just handed him the contract and asked if he wanted more. Who did such things? It was frustrating to not know. His contract didn¡¯t have the name of his new employer and no one was willing to tell him anything. The hiring company had told him to not worry and that everything would be explained to him by his employer. And so he was currently on a ship heading towards an unnamed island. He¡¯d stopped asking others about the name of the destination and enjoyed the trip. There would be time for hard work very soon. *** Eventually, the ship docked in a small port. Jedd¡¯s relaxed attitude vanished without trace as he expected his new employer to show up here. He stepped onto the pier with several other people he hadn¡¯t seen during his trip. There were over twenty people. They were told to go to the white building and wait. Jedd could see frustration and anger on some faces but no one argued. They did as they¡¯d been told and found themselves in a room with a man seemingly being in charge of this whole thing. ¡°Welcome,¡± he said. ¡°And let me apologise for the heightened degree of secrecy but it is necessary. I¡¯m sure you have plenty of questions and rest assured, they are going to be answered.¡± The next fifteen minutes went on about the rules they had to follow. Still not a single mention of the organisation that hired them. For a while, Jedd had expected Artefact Exchange as they were considered one of the richest companies in the world, but with the arrival at the island Jedd discarded the idea. Jedd had some vague understanding of Artefact Exchange¡¯s operations and this seemed out of their scope. His thoughts crossed the World Government but their hiring practices didn¡¯t involve proxies. The only other company rich enough to throw more wealth than a CEO of the top 500 companies earned was Untainted Paradise. Jedd had obviously studied Untainted Paradise as part of his job but things made no sense when it came to this company. They had a monopoly in potions and magical plants markets, and had close ties to the rebel army. That was it. No other declared source of income. ¡°Mr Eldin.¡± A man entered the room and beckoned Jedd to follow him out. Others watched Jedd with annoyed stares but no one complained after the man in charge unfolded his spiritual aura that had almost knocked Jedd out. ¡°The person who hired you is waiting.¡± Chapter 149 Jedd¡¯s focus narrowed on the man who came to pick him up. He was a High-Level ascender, his spiritual aura permeating the air around him. But there were inconsistencies Jedd immediately noticed. For one, the man didn¡¯t have the swag of a High-Level individual. Jedd¡¯s previous bosses had the presence and presentation that told others that they were important and dangerous. This man didn¡¯t have it and if not for his strong aura, Jedd would say he was just a Level 1 in his early twenties. ¡°Please, follow me to the helicopter,¡± the other man said smoothly. Jedd bit a question. While the circumstances seemed perfect, the timing wasn¡¯t. By the look of things, this organisation valued privacy highly, and if his assumptions were right, and they rarely had not been, his every word and move would be scrutinised and analysed. Some of his previous employers had used similar tricks to learn more about their new employees. Oddly enough, the nameless man didn¡¯t try to engage him in a conversation, which would be the first sign. He didn¡¯t say anything else as they climbed the stairs to the helicopter pad. By the end of the climb, Jedd¡¯s lungs burned and his shirt was soaked. He didn¡¯t like places with high humidity and warm temperatures. They felt suffocating. But he stayed quiet as he joined the man on the top of the stairs. The other man looked perfectly fine, his dark-green, sort of, uniform seemed to protect him from the weather. The view up there was stunning but expected. It was a tropical island after all. But this wasn¡¯t what caught his attention. The entire seaside was peppered with helicopter pads, and there were hundreds of them! Jedd started to reevaluate his earlier assumption about the organisation that hired him. The scope of this place and the level of secrecy alone were absurd. Could it actually be the World Government? Ten minutes later they were up in the air. The pilot didn¡¯t say a word to Jedd or his guide so it appeared to be a well planned undertaking. The airtrip didn¡¯t take long but Jedd took the opportunity to scan the scenery beneath. Apart from the massive airport, still in construction and a rail system¡­ a rail system on an island? What am I seeing here? It made no sense to have a sophisticated rail system on an island that was about twenty kilometres across. Unless¡­ And there it was; a foundation of a bridge in construction. They were building a rail system that would span across several isles. Something like this wasn¡¯t unheard of; the scale of some constructs built by the World Government was mind-bending but such endeavours were never pursued by a private company. The helicopter descended as they approached another island and then landed on a solitary helicopter pad. From there the travel was straightforward and done by a car on a dirt road. Jedd was amazed by a sudden change of transportation. It started to worry him as well and he asked himself a question: where the hell am I going? Outwardly, he remained cool and professional, not that there was any need for that. He was ignored throughout the entire trip. Then they arrived at the destination and everything changed. He struggled to stay composed as he stared at the otherworldly place with over two dozens of domes, one of the largest shipping docks he¡¯d ever seen and a city worth of people. ¡°We should get going,¡± the other man said, bringing a stunned Jedd back to the present. Walkways hanging a few metres above the ground snaked between the domes. The question was what was inside these domes? Jedd could see machinery and metal containers travelling to the docks and back to the domes. Curiosity wasn¡¯t one of his dominant traits but now he wanted to know what was going on. The docks were too far away to see details, besides, the containers were closed. His guide seemed unimpressed but Jedd was unable to say if that was an act or not. Before they reached the dome the other man was clearly leading him to, Jedd started piecing things together. There were three possibilities: mines, high-tech farms or rifts. Farms were unlikely as the domes weren¡¯t large enough to explain the amount of the resources transported out of them. There were at least ten containers moving out of each dome per minute. Mines? Perhaps open excavation sites? Possible but he didn¡¯t think so. The scale of operations was too large. That left one thing: rifts. They made the most sense. There was extremely high demand for all rift materials. Even pure water from rifts was sold at a colossal premium. It would explain how they afforded to build a bridge between isles. Jedd didn¡¯t see a logistical point in having critical infrastructure separated but he¡¯d learned a long time ago to never judge decisions made by the people who saw the big picture. ¡°Here,¡± the guide stopped by a door to one of the furthermost domes. He placed his hand on the panel on the wall, the door slid open. The interior of the dome was disappointing. There was a rail system with mechanical arms that seemed to be responsible for loading containers on train cars. Wait, Jedd realised. Is this why they¡¯re building the bridge? To get these containers from this island to the other one¡­ No. It couldn¡¯t be. The cost¡­ It was nonsense. ¡°Go inside,¡± the guide pointed at the shimmering point in the air that seemed to be the centrepiece of the whole rail system. ¡°The man who has hired you is waiting on the other side.¡± This was a rift! He got it right. The man turned to go. ¡°Wait, what about the monsters?¡± A cold sweat suddenly covered him up despite the refreshing chill inside the dome. ¡°I¡¯m only Level 1.¡± ¡°No monsters inside.¡± With that the man left without paying Jedd any further mind. Odd but not outrageous given the peculiar circumstances. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Jedd took a deep breath and turned towards the rift. He was really going to do this, wasn¡¯t he? Smoothing the ramping up nerves, Jedd approached the rift.
Rift (Common)
Level 4
Status Open
Requirements -
Modifiers -
Details This rift contains basic rift monsters and a small chance to encounter a boss.
Affinity Nature
Special Status -
Jedd blinked, while gears in his brain ground to halt. There were no Level 4 rifts on Earth. No, he was wrong. He almost facepalmed himself. Just a week ago he had read an article about the sudden influx of Level 4 materials of unknown origin. Artefact Exchange facilitated the trades but didn¡¯t disclose where these materials had come from. The answer was before him. So, not the World Government. They wouldn¡¯t hide the fact of possessing Level 4 rifts, Jedd concluded. When it came to publicity, the current iteration of the World Government was starved for success. Jedd¡¯s thoughts became more jumbled and sidetracked. He realised he was distracting himself from the task at hand. A few quick breaths later, Jedd finally stepped into the rift. He¡¯d never been in one before so he had no idea what to expect. The first thing he noticed was a cloudless sky and a lone mountain in the distance. The temperature changed suddenly from cool to ambient. The rift itself was a plain plateau with ankle-high grasses and boulders of varying sizes scattered all over the place. A moment of hesitation passed as he noticed smaller domes in the distance. They didn¡¯t appear to belong to the rift though he wasn¡¯t an expert. Those he knew who had been inside a rift were tight-lipped about their experience. ¡°This is it,¡± Jedd told himself. I knew what I was getting into when I accepted the job. No one came to welcome him so decided to make the first move. His employer was likely watching him and would analyse Jedd¡¯s every decision. It was better to stay true to himself and take initiative. As he neared the domes, he realised that they were smaller than he¡¯d thought. Each of them was the size of a small house. He still glanced around from time to time, worried about the monsters but none had appeared so far. Eventually, he stopped before what appeared to be the main entrance. ¡°Hello?¡± The door remained closed though. Jedd tried to not consider the potential consequences¡ª ¡°Jedd Eldin?¡± Jedd whirled around and found himself face to face with a very gloomy looking teenager. Jedd¡¯s attention became razor-sharp in an instant, his mind analytical. The boy wore dark clothes topped by an unfashionable black coat. Long black hair and pale skin evoked an image of a character from a cheap horror movie. Jedd wasn¡¯t thrilled to find a person with such a lacking presentation here. He¡¯d expected his employer to be something else. ¡°Yes,¡± Jedd replied without giving away his thoughts. His personal opinion about the teenager didn¡¯t matter in a professional setting. It was one of the things he could do extremely well; the separation of personal and professional matters. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± The teenager extended his hand, Jedd shook it. ¡°Keynes Kid.¡± ¡°Are you the person who has hired me?¡± Jedd asked, trying to figure out what Level was Keynes Kid. He wasn¡¯t sensing any aura from the teenager, which didn¡¯t mean much. Jedd was only Level 1 and his spiritual sense was lacking. It was usually due to the other High-Level individuals¡¯ lack of restraint more than to Jedd¡¯s ability to sense. There was also a possibility that Keynes Kid hadn¡¯t ascended yet to Level 1. He looked between fifteen to eighteen. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied, filling Jedd with an odd mixture of relief and disappointment. Being a personal assistant to a teenager wasn¡¯t something he was excited about. Then again, his salary was astronomical so he would have to be not right in the head to not accept the job. ¡°How much have they told you about the job?¡± ¡°Nothing. I don''t even know the name of your company,¡± Jedd admitted neutrally. He watched Keynes Kid carefully trying to piece together a better idea of who this person was who seemingly had an insane amount of wealth at his disposal. Keynes Kid¡¯s face showed very little emotions, something that varied greatly between people Jedd had worked for. Some of them had been cold as stone while others had been excitable maniacs. Keynes Kid accepted the information then his stare seemed to lose focus. It lasted less than a second and shortly after that Jedd wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d actually seen it. ¡°I guess this is how this company operates. I can¡¯t really say. I¡¯m not very involved in the day-to-day operations. This is why I hired you. I need a person to help me navigate this corporate maze,¡± Keynes Kid said, sounding somewhat flat. ¡°And the name of the company is Untainted Paradise.¡± So Untainted Paradise after all. With what Jedd had witnessed outside, the mystery of their hidden income source was solved. Somehow, they had access to Level 4 rifts. Focus, forget the rifts for now. Priorities first. ¡°If I am to be your personal assistant, I would like to know more about your role within the company and a brief overview of my expected role and tasks.¡± Keynes Kid turned and beckoned Jedd to follow him. They walked around the domes. There they met another person. A young brunette sat with her crossed legs on the ground, her eyes were closed. She looked fragile but the moment Jedd got ten metres from her, her spiritual aura hit him like a boulder. She had the strongest spiritual aura Jedd had ever encountered. Was this a test? Was she the one who had hired him? This would make perfect sense. ¡°This is Kora,¡± Keynes Kid said. ¡°This is Jedd, my new personal assistant.¡± Oh, well. Kora opened her eyes and smiled. ¡°Nice to meet you¡­ wait. You¡¯re only Level 1?¡± ¡°Yes, my previous employers haven¡¯t deemed me valuable enough to pay for my levelling.¡± ¡°Keynes, we should level him up,¡± Kora said. Jedd judged her attire to be completely practical with little flair or fashion. But she didn¡¯t need clothes to ¡®enable¡¯ her. Her voice was soft and timid with a note of delicacy that didn¡¯t suit someone so powerful. She also seemed casual around Keynes Kid, which so far didn¡¯t help Jedd untangle the mystery. ¡°No, I have better plans for him,¡± Keynes Kid said, speaking about Jedd as if he wasn¡¯t here. He didn¡¯t like it. He ¡®worked¡¯ for Keynes Kid, but he wasn¡¯t owned by him. ¡°Excuse me, but what plans are you talking about?¡± Jedd dropped his neutral voice, instead, employing a harder one. ¡°I will help you max out your attributes. The first degree shouldn¡¯t be hard. But let¡¯s forget this for now and talk about the immediate plans. There is much to cover.¡± Keynes Kid didn¡¯t show that he¡¯d noticed a change in Jedd¡¯s tone. He sounded completely unbothered as if the world belonged to him. This is going to be a difficult year. Chapter 150 Three weeks had passed by in a blink of an eye for Keynes and his two companions. A few hours after Jedd Eldin had entered the rift, the instance changed and they were cut off from the outside world. They could still leave but no one could join them. It gave Keynes an opportunity to focus and consolidate his thoughts. Jedd Eldin proved to be exactly the person Keynes needed and more. It was disturbing how precise the AI had been in selecting Jedd. After Keynes had told him his plans, Jedd explained why his plans would fail. First of all, the scope of these projects was unclear and there were too many things Keynes wanted to do at the same time. Keynes¡¯s argument that Untainted Paradise had almost unlimited resources was easily refuted by Jedd who explained that the World Government had had unlimited resources in the past and they had failed in many of their projects. In other words, without resources there was no success, but resources didn¡¯t guarantee anything. The primary issue lay in the skill and trustworthiness of people. The larger the project was, the more complex and tangled the structure became. And then of course was corruption that was always present, diminishing effectiveness and efficiency. Jedd¡¯s thoughts on the department of knowledge echoed Columbus¡¯s. Gathering knowledge in one place was dangerous. Keynes understood this but couldn¡¯t see a way to make a breakthrough if everyone hogged their little secrets and didn¡¯t pool knowledge. Jedd¡¯s argument was to stick to some version of compartmentalisation with supervised and project basis access. Nonetheless, Jedd admitted he wasn¡¯t an expert in this field and the companies he¡¯d worked for had usually convoluted mechanisms of sharing information and he didn¡¯t think that these should be employed here. When it came to space travel, Jedd crushed Keynes¡¯s dreams mercilessly. Apart from the lack of know-how, space travel was tightly regulated by the World Government and without their approval nothing private could be launched into space. At least he didn¡¯t believe there would be many issues in creating and running Keynes¡¯s department, altogether with search parties and an adventuring team. But he warned Keynes that if he went ahead with more ambitious projects, he would have to employ a skilled project manager. Jedd would never take responsibility for something like that. Kora¡¯s thoughts on that were rather restrained, especially after hearing Jedd''s opinions. She was okay with planning and joining rift expeditions and so on but she didn¡¯t want Keynes to think that she was an expert in training ascenders. She and Natalia had improvised most of the time and just had good fortune when it came to results. Keynes knew she was downplaying her achievements. He hadn¡¯t been impressed with Wagner¡¯s elite squad and they had meant to be trained by an expert, while Natalia¡¯s team would have wiped the floor with them. From what Kora had told Keynes about her training with Natalia, he saw that their methods were similar to Tom Ventura¡¯s and Kaito Ren¡¯s, so he was comfortable with her running training for their future recruits. Keynes had an opportunity to finally reveal that he was a Perfect State ascender and explain what it meant because neither Jedd nor Kora knew. With understanding the risk of attribute imbalance, his earlier idea of having his people train 1-3 attributes per Level was no longer on the table. He needed a different approach. Making everyone a Perfect State ascender wasn¡¯t that easy, considering what he¡¯d seen in the Scottish Cluster. On top of that, Jedd wasn¡¯t a fighter type, neither was he young. If Keynes wanted Jedd to be a Perfect State ascender they¡¯d have to be smart about it. Later on, Kora timidly proposed a counter argument. Training was the key. In his idea of having ¡®perfect department¡¯ Keynes had fallen into a rabbit hole where the only way to become more powerful was to gain more Levels and attributes. She displayed the weight of her argument in several of their sparring matches where she defeated Keynes without much issue. Obviously, these fights didn¡¯t involve skills or Talents but the point was to show that attributes weren¡¯t everything. And it wasn¡¯t all, she went on how different team compositions could face different challenges and so on. Keynes noticed that she often had a period of shyness after each discussion followed by outburst of ideas. She was a perfect fit for his department. From there, their conversations progressed towards Talents. Unlike skills, Talents were considered personal and were rarely discussed, especially after the outbreaks. Surprisingly, Jedd knew quite a lot about Talents because of his previous jobs. In his experience, Talents were one of the most valuable commodities and companies were at each other¡¯s throats to find and keep such Talents for themselves. One of the easiest prevention tactics was to not reveal these Talents to anyone even within a company. It led to a strange distortion of reality where powerful Talents once acquired by large corporations were erased from public knowledge. Jedd admitted that he¡¯d met people with Talents that boggled his mind and the society wasn¡¯t aware what Talents were really capable of. He didn¡¯t have an issue sharing his Talent with Keynes and Kora. And in truth it was down to the fact that his Talent was very niche and made him an excellent personal assistant and nothing else. Task Priority Talent had some quirky mechanisms and sometimes required a bit of effort to work as intended, which was to tell Jedd what task he should do next. One of the issues he had with it was that Task Priority, by default, had Jedd¡¯s best interest in mind, which usually wasn¡¯t his intention. Incorporating other people¡¯s best interest in Task Priority required a very clear understanding of the other person¡¯s best interest and their end goal. Over the years Jedd had mastered his Talent as much as his Level 1 had allowed him. He also added an interesting anecdote; right after the ceremony his Talent had been dismissed as below average and only through hard work and effort, Jedd had been able to climb the corporate ladder and eventually land a few lucrative jobs as a personal assistant. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. After Jedd had told them about his Talent, Kora decided to follow his steps. Since the moment he had seen her team take out Level 4 monsters, he¡¯d been wondering what kind of role she had in that team. The truth exceeded his expectations. Spell Enhancement Aura Talent was insane. It obviously had limitations, at least until Level 5 when she picked the ability to blacklist other ascenders and monsters, which was a game changer for her. It didn¡¯t mean her Talent had been useless before the Minor Talent Upgrade but it could have been a liability when enemies had been able to profit from it as well. Keynes wanted to test her Talent right away and they did so with him using [Telekinesis]. After several hours and all Keynes¡¯s mana, they concluded that Spell Enhancement Aura Talent was a godsend addition to any team. With it, Keynes was able to lift any block under half a metre in size. There was a small issue of precision but that wasn¡¯t what he concerned himself with. He finally had an opportunity to experience [Telekinesis] interacting with Level 4 objects. But one question remained: would her Talent work with his Talent? And if yes, what kind of enhancement would Lockpicking gain? It, of course, led them to Keynes and his Talent. Before he revealed it, he¡¯d asked them to keep it a secret even from people in the company. Jedd and Kora had no problem with that. He considered a ritual of secrecy but decided against it. He tried to inspire loyalty and showing distrust would have the opposite effect. The revelation went as well as he had expected, though Jedd handled it much better than Kora. After that, their discussions turned into theorising and planning about their next move once they left the rift. Time between, Keynes spent training [Telekinesis] learning more about his new skills ¡ª [Purify] and [Spiritual Wrath], and then training some more. [Spiritual Wrath] was an evolution of [Spiritual Ghost] and it increased the duration of the spell from 4 to 10 minutes, which was substantial but that wasn¡¯t what stood out to Keynes. [Spiritual Wraith] (active) ¡ª Conceals your spiritual presence for 10 minutes. Can also change a physical appearance to a transparent wrath, which can turn invisible for 1 minute. Spiritual Wraith can cast a 2-metre-wide aura that will extend spiritual concealment to anyone within the aura radius. Cooldown: 20 minutes (if physical appearance changed then 1 hour) Mana Cost: High (70) to Very High (170) There was a lot to unpack here. Because of mana cost, Keynes had only tried invisibility once. Unfortunately, mana at Level 4 was only 220 and even the Perfect State hadn¡¯t changed that. For some unknown reason, mana was only increased by Levels, items and Talents. So losing 150 mana just to become invisible for 1 minute was rather extravagant. Especially when [Telekinesis] was mana hungry spell too and mana regen was a joke. Nonetheless, the ability to cast spiritual concealment aura was a substantial boon. He¡¯d be able to make his party spiritually invisible while clearing a rift. There were more tests needed to be done, especially with Kora¡¯s Talent but he would delay them until he had a first iteration of his research team. The other spell, [Purify], was everything its name said. [Purify] (active, AOE, channelling) ¡ª grants an ability to purify things and living beings. Cooldown: 0 Mana Cost: Low (5) While the spell¡¯s description was stingy with details, its low cost allowed Keynes to experiment a bit. In essence, it was a cleaning tool, although it required a little mind gymnastics. It would only clean what Keynes believed was dirty and unwanted. However, if things were in their natural setting, like dirt, the spell didn¡¯t do anything. It didn¡¯t matter though. Not worrying about bathing was the real winner for him. He still wasn¡¯t sure about the Pure Body buff. Alice had been unavailable for some time and since levelling up almost everything about his body felt different so he couldn¡¯t pinpoint the buff¡¯s role in it. When three weeks were up, Keynes, Kora and Jedd made their way to the rift¡¯s exit. Alice was still unavailable though Keynes felt her at the end of their bond. She had been distant in the past but nothing to this degree. He wasn¡¯t worried about her as much as he was concerned about his spiritual aura. He¡¯d done some progress in controlling his powerful aura but using it with precision was still out of question. Speaking of precision, sparring with Kora had helped Keynes in adjusting to his new attributes. It was a real problem when unrestrained strength could damage Level 0 materials like furniture. Anyone who fast levelled would struggle with this issue. ¡°After you,¡± Keynes said to Kora and Jedd, who quietly stepped outside. Keynes followed. He didn¡¯t expect to find Wagner waiting for him there. ¡°Finally, I have been waiting for hours.¡± *** A few days earlier Traveller watched the human struggle with [Telekinesis]. To pick a spell like this without a supporting class spell was idiocy but he could hardly blame them. This¡­universe gained access to spells only recently and all prior knowledge had been wiped out aeons ago for some reason. Wherever Traveller went he found the same scenario. A world without Vitality attribute and the lowest spiritual stage allowed by the System. What was wrong with this universe? Did he really want to know though? It stank of higher realm politics, which he didn¡¯t wish to have anything to do with. Once again, he focused on the young human. He could see far more than his full profile and things he saw weren¡¯t positive. His mind had been broken and hadn¡¯t healed correctly. His buffs weren¡¯t helping either. His ascension should have removed any residuals from his non-ascender body. For some reason, it had failed, carrying on¡­ Wait a second. These buffs¡­they don¡¯t have any business existing in a mere Level 4 ascender. There are too many of them. The Pure Body and Untraceable buffs were the only ones acquired organically as far as Traveller could see. The other two; the Rapid Learning and the Photographic Memory buffs were the System¡¯s errors. And why was there Chaos debuff? Was the System trying to kill this human? Given how much strain these buffs and the debuff had on the human¡¯s soul, Traveller didn¡¯t give the ascender a long life, or sanity. Yes, his sanity would go first. I can fix him. His spiritual sense reached toward the human¡ª ¡°Stop,¡± a spiritual avatar appeared in front of Traveller. ¡°Do not meddle, stranger.¡± Chapter 151 Traveller froze. It was the human ascender¡¯s spiritual companion and yet it was not. There was power to it that exceeded all the ascenders on the planet collectively. Traveller didn¡¯t feel threatened, nothing in this universe was capable of harming him, but he was puzzled. So, he attempted to inspect the spiritual avatar and get some kind of response. The spiritual avatar pulsed with energy, transforming into an human-sized silhouette made out of pure light. Its energy increased but not yet to the point that could overwhelm Traveller¡¯s passive defences. The times slowed down and then stopped completely. He pushed at the boundaries of the time bubble with his senses and found it strong enough to resist him. His inspection failed too. [Inspect] failed. ¡°You should leave, trespasser,¡± the avatar said, its voice coming from all the places. ¡°Or I will remove you.¡± He understood then and it made him shiver. ¡°An awakened system, I haven¡¯t seen one in a long time. Can¡¯t say I am thrilled,¡± he said knowing what he was dealing with. Awakened systems were a sub-type of the standard magical systems. Their origin was unknown, even to him, and their continuous errors led the Higher Realms to shut them down. With the awakened system around, the state of the universe made much more sense. The ¡®advantage¡¯ of an awakened system was its adaptability and ability to evolve. But unrestrained and alien, the awakened systems had tended to turn into a disfigured caricature of an ordinary system with a semi-consciousness. ¡°I will not warn you again,¡± the avatar said, adding weight to its words. Traveller felt energies go haywire and tried to remember if a magical system was allowed to do so. The cosmic-inter-realm architecture was fully in the domain of the Higher Realms and Traveller was as far from them as these human ascenders were from him. He¡¯d learned how to navigate the multidimensional cracks and such but that was the extent of his knowledge on the matter. ¡°I haven¡¯t come here to meddle with your affairs,¡± he explained himself, trying to avoid hostility from the system. The energies stilled, though the time didn¡¯t restart. Traveller restrained himself from smiling. A part of him was curious what the awakened system was capable of and if he would be able to fight back. ¡°You have been here before. You stopped the other ascender from annihilating this planet, then you have unlocked Vitality attribute and informed these humans about essence cultivation. Why?¡± Traveller shrugged. There wasn¡¯t a particular reason other than he didn¡¯t like a Level 75 destroying a defenceless world and for their Seed of Life being crippled. Now, it was apparent that there was some insane scheme afoot. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t sit well with me ¡ª watching a hundred billion ascenders die for no reason or being crippled.¡± ¡°I find your presence here to be no coincidence,¡± the avatar said after a moment, energies around them boiled once more but Traveller didn¡¯t sense any hostility so he didn¡¯t react. ¡°Who has sent you here?¡± ¡°No one, and for the record, if someone did then I should add that I don¡¯t like being used,¡± he said, glancing around. Another pulse of power came from everywhere at once, and for the first time Traveller activated several defensive spells and items. But the attack didn¡¯t come. The walls of the time bubble hardened and the avatar¡¯s details sharpened, revealing a genderless humanoid. Its eyes were lucid and intelligent. When these eyes locked on Traveller, he suddenly felt small and defenceless. ¡°Your first intervention has saved this universe. For that, you have my gratitude, trespasser. The second one was not necessary. I am capable of reversing the damage done to the Seeds of Life. Further involvement will not be tolerated.¡± In truth, there was no reason for Traveller to get involved in anything here, and yet¡­he was growing unhealthy curious. Talent-based and awakened magical system; that was an unheard of combination. And on top of that, there was the mysterious scheme. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you tried to stop the Level 75 earlier?¡± ¡°Irrelevant.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Traveller smiled. ¡°So you were unable to act before¡­¡± He glanced at the Level 4 human ascender¡¯s frozen form, Traveller¡¯s mind considering the issue from a thousand different angles. ¡°Someone has sealed all the rifts and crippled the Seeds of Life to what¡­stop you?¡± No, that couldn¡¯t be the whole story. Maybe I should find that Level 75 and make him talk? Sounds like a solid idea. ¡°Irrelevant.¡± Of course, Traveller snorted. ¡°Do you know that the ascender you¡¯re ¡®protecting¡¯ is going insane? His mind has been broken and his buffs and debuffs won¡¯t allow proper healing. Once the damage seeps into his soul¡­¡± Traveller trailed off. ¡°I do not protect him. As a system, I am impartial.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know a system can lie.¡± The avatar¡¯s gaze slowly turned to peer at the human ascender. ¡°He is a critical asset and his mind must not be tampered with.¡± ¡°So you are okay with him going mad.¡± ¡°It is irrelevant to me,¡± the avatar replied and the reality shook. Cracks appeared in the air. ¡°He is only required to survive until Level 7 rifts are opened.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Traveller understood the intention of the awakened system. The human ascender had already unsealed Level 1 to 3 rifts on the planet. But no matter how much preparation humankind made, they would never be ready for what would come with Level 5 rifts. At that Level, things started going crazy. It would only take a truly broken mind to further doom the civilisation and open Level 6 and 7 rifts. Of course, the system wants Level 7 rifts for Talent-related skills drop. That boy will no longer be of use. Unfortunately, with the Chaos debuff and [Chaos Aura] by that time the ascender¡¯s soul would be irreversibly damaged. Traveller knew healers who could heal a soul but they would never come over to this universe nor this ascender would survive such a trip before Level 11. If there isn¡¯t anything I can do for the unfortunate Level 4, at least, I should help his civilization survive the impending doom. He said so to the system¡¯s avatar. ¡°You will do no such thing. They must find their own way.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being cruel,¡± Traveller said. ¡°Even in my universe, High Levels help youngsters get stronger without needlessly stumbling in darkness. Look at them ¡ª they don¡¯t understand cultivation or how to create synergies between spells. None of them is able to use an aura. The Level 5 outbreak will destroy them.¡± ¡°They have spiritual companions,¡± the avatar replied. Did Traveller detect a note of hesitation? ¡°They¡¯re useless to them. Spiritual companions should be earned, like they¡¯re everywhere else. Giving them away for free only confuses those poor sods.¡± ¡°I will consider your words.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to leave my soul companion with the boy. He must learn.¡± ¡°No.¡± The reality shook again. ¡°I promise, she won¡¯t touch his mind and she won¡¯t hand him free stuff, but he cannot start learning if he doesn¡¯t know where to start from.¡± I have to figure out how to save the whole damned world from the crazy awakened system¡­huh, how long has it been since I got myself to care the last time? I don¡¯t even remember. ¡°I will monitor your soul companion closely if they crossed the line, they together with you, will be removed from this realm.¡± The reality shook for the last time and then the time bubble burst. Time resumed. The avatar vanished. Crazy bitch¡­ *** Keynes blinked, seeing two founders and Sylv before him. They didn¡¯t look like they were delving either. Wagner wore his best silks, red with blue accents, in his usual oriental fashion. Columbus was in a white uniform and Sylv who currently had her barely covered skin painted pale blue colour. The moment Jedd¡¯s attention touched her, he went still. That Talent of hers was troublesome for Low-Level ascenders. Keynes couldn¡¯t tell if she enjoyed doing so or if it was lack of control on her part but he didn¡¯t appreciate it done to his personal assistant. ¡°Stop, Sylv,¡± he said quietly but with authority. The Level 6 gave him a surprised glance and the effect of her Talent vanished. Jedd exhaled, but didn¡¯t complain. Keynes was once again impressed by his professional attitude. Kora seemed unaffected which should be expected. Even though she was one level lower, her being a rift essence ascender put her higher in terms of raw attributes and most likely baseline spiritual strength. As for the latter, Keynes wasn¡¯t sure if the baseline spiritual energy scaled the same way as attributes. If that was the case, the Lower Level ascenders staying around the higher ones were ¡®doomed¡¯. With this ¡®little¡¯ matter resolved, Keynes looked up to Wagner and Columbus. ¡°Why are you here, Wagner?¡± ¡°Emergency,¡± Wagner replied with obvious annoyance. ¡°If you¡¯re going to vanish for another three weeks we must find a way to communicate. Something like this must not wait.¡± Wagner¡¯s presence alone gave Keynes pause. Coming here all the way from Geneva was very uncharacteristic for him and it started to sink in. Dark thoughts immediately clouded Keynes¡¯s mind as began wondering about the cause of Wagner¡¯s arrival. The six of them left the empty dome, emerging into the night brightened by thousands of lights. Like usual, the area was busy, but it didn¡¯t matter. Unexpectedly, their destination wasn¡¯t Emerald City or even any meeting room on the rift island but another Level 4 rift within the cluster. ¡°Esopp is waiting inside,¡± Wagner explained on their way there. ¡°He¡¯s finished levelling up but there are some complications, though it has nothing to do with the emergency.¡± Keynes noticed how Wagner observed Jedd and Kora. He didn¡¯t know them and he was usually careful with information. Nonetheless, he didn¡¯t say anything. Once they reached their destination, it was Kora who suggested to Keynes that she should check on Natalia. She clearly wasn¡¯t comfortable in their presence. Keynes didn¡¯t mind and let her go. Jedd on the other hand stayed with Keynes, showing complete neutrality. Inside the dome but before the entrance to the rift they met another person. A young mixed essence Level 5. ¡°This is Argent,¡± Columbus said. ¡°My right hand.¡± Like Columbus, he wore a sharp uniform although a grey one. His appearance was smooth and he showed Keynes and Jedd the utmost respect. They entered the rift together. It was a cave system with a few open spaces partially filled by underground lakes. It was one of the most annoying rifts to clear due to darkness and required light. If one lost a source of light, losing their way and starving to death was a real possibility. Esopp waited for them in the first open space. The underground lake was frozen. Even from over a hundred metres Keynes felt it. There was something different about the man. Wagner turned to Keynes and Jedd. ¡°You may want your PA to wait here. Staying around Esopp without proper defences isn¡¯t a good idea.¡± What the hell has Esopp done? Alice, any thoughts? There was only silence. Keynes considered pulling at their bond, bringing her back but decided against it. What if he interrupted something important? Who knew what was going on with spiritual companions behind the scenes? ¡°I will wait here,¡± Jedd said smoothly. I¡¯ll have to level him up sooner than later, Keynes thought as they neared Esopp whose strange aura grew stronger. The Pure Body buff blocked the Presence of Dominator debuff The Presence of Dominator debuff? So Esopp had gone and absorbed the Trait of Dominator after all. Keynes still hadn¡¯t made a decision and the time almost ran out. At least, he¡¯d have a chance to find out how Esopp coped with his trait. Esopp sat in the middle of the frozen lake with his legs crossed. Lamps lit the area around him. He liked dramatics almost as much as Keynes. As they got ten metres from Esopp, Keynes saw that others were actually affected by Esopp¡¯s debuff. Esopp opened his eyes, his spiritual aura rolled out of him before he reined it in with a grimace. ¡°Who could have known that power can be such a pain in the ass,¡± he said, then he glanced at Keynes who was completely unaffected by Esopp¡¯s debuff and spiritual aura. ¡°At least one of you isn¡¯t about to piss himself.¡± Columbus grunted which made Esopp tsk. ¡°You and your diabolical Talent. Anyway, I guess you¡¯re finally ready to speak, Wagner. I am dying to learn what scared your ass so much that you fled your little stronghold.¡± Keynes noticed differences in the way Esopp spoke. There was arrogance and challenge in his voice now. It was in line with Alice¡¯s warning. Traits affected personality. The question was: to what degree? ¡°Dial it down, Esopp,¡± Wagner said. ¡°We aren¡¯t here to measure our dicks.¡± ¡°Pff,¡± Esopp snorted. ¡°As if I could. This shit is hard to control.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with,¡± Columbus said, growing annoyed. ¡°Wagner.¡± Wagner brought a chair out of his dimensional pouch which made Esopp laugh. Others smiled too. Wagner didn¡¯t. His aura suddenly turned icy. ¡°We have a big problem.¡± Chapter 152 Roughly a few days after Keynes had entered the rift, Wagner attended another regular Solar Council¡¯s meeting. He had expected some tension, after all the world was in flux. At the heart of things was Syberius Sael¡¯s death. Every faction in the Solar Council vied for the remnants of the Old Blood. The Old Blood as a collective had ceased to exist shortly after Syberius Sael¡¯s death and they were easy pickings for the stronger players. Untainted Paradise distanced itself from the whole affair, dodging further drama. It could have gone much worse if Turtelli had been a vicious, cunning man. Luckily for Wagner and his company, Turtelli lacked the guts to call their bluff. Others were too consumed with the Old Blood to pay attention to the little stand-off between Untainted Paradise and Turtelli. The only one who hadn¡¯t let go was Brenton. But his time in the Solar Council was coming to an end. Two blueprints for mana containers had been found, ending Blue Space¡¯s monopoly. Brenton had tried to block it but one of the companies was part of the Crafting Guild which had grown in power and scoffed at Brenton¡¯s protest. To add insult to the injury, they¡¯d announced an improved version of mana container that would hold 200 mana points for the same price as Blue Space¡¯s 100 mana points containers. They were pushing Blue Space out of business. Nothing Wagner would complain about. He was buying all the mana containers he could put his hands on and larger containers were a blessing. At the same time, he was aware that the Alchemy Guild was trying to do something similar to him. They were naive to believe they could compete with Untainted Paradise. Elixirs Pucci discovered and worked on were years ahead of the competition. They were going to revolutionise delving and warfare. They just needed to get rid of side effects¡­ Sitting relaxed in the meeting chamber, Wagner suddenly stilled. Turtelli entered the chamber, playing the chairman, Turtelli always came last. While the recent conflict put Wagner and Turtelli on the opposite sides of a barricade, they¡¯d been friends in the past. Turtelli wasn¡¯t exactly a good person but he tried not to be a bad one, or evil. There was something off about the self-appointed ¡®chairman¡¯ today. Something that immediately drew Wagner¡¯s attention. Seconds ticked before Wagner understood. Turtelli¡¯s aura felt off. Some of the gathered realised it even sooner than him. He wasn¡¯t actually at the pinnacle of the power in this group. Even a weasel like Brenton who was Level 5 rift essence ascender was equal in attributes to Wagner, which had started to annoy him. How smug it would have made Esopp if Wagner had to admit that growing stronger was as important as expanding the company? Very smug. But Esopp aside, something troublesome was going on with Turtelli. His aura felt strongly conflicted, though Wagner lacked a finer understanding of aura intricacies to tell what was happening to his political opponent. Keynes may be onto something with his spiritual stuff. The issue was time. Wagner¡¯s attention was pulled in a hundred different directions. With how Untainted Paradise operated, their company had started resembling a government. It was an unfortunate consequence of the environment. The Solar Council couldn¡¯t be trusted¡­ Stop. He had to focus on Turtelli right now. Outwardly, Turtelli looked without changes, sharp, elegant clothes made out of High Level materials and minimalistic jewellery that reeked of spiritual energy. If these rings and an amulet were custom made then Wagner would have to find out who had crafted them. Maybe he would ask Serrata about Turtelli¡¯s dealings? Though Wagner doubted she would reveal such information even to him. Their alliance didn¡¯t extend this far and most likely would never do. It might push Untainted Paradise to set up their own marketplace and compete with Artefact Exchange. Not a particularly appealing prospect. ¡°Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,¡± Turtelli said. ¡°I¡¯m glad everyone¡¯s present tonight as there are some important matters to discuss.¡± Other councillors frowned, clearly confused. Some spoke up, demanding clarification. Turtelli placed his hands on the rostrum as if bracing for an impact. ¡°It is time for the Solar Council to evolve and become more.¡± A screen behind Turtelli flickered to life informing everyone that the Solar Council was taking over the role of the old World Government. Wagner, like everyone else in the room, fumed. The initial goal of the Solar Council had been to create a body to oversee the planetary governments in the solar system, but most importantly, to ensure that the next Windsor Freeman would never happen again. There was uproar, especially, from the three planetary government representatives. With the end of the old World Government, Mars and Venus had gained independence and weren''t thrilled by the prospect of losing it now. But Turtelli was just getting started. ¡°We¡¯re introducing the Solar Tax and will redesign planetary taxes.¡± Wagner went still as he read the changes. Somehow, Turtelli found a way to strike at Untainted Paradise. The Solar Tax was only applied to the council members who didn¡¯t provide ¡®value¡¯ to the council, like opening of rifts. Wagner knew it was aimed at his company and as he started thinking about leaving the council, more info appeared. Without being a council member, Untainted Paradise would be banned from conducting business outside of Earth. One way or another, being a part of the council couldn¡¯t be avoided. Others would be affected as well, although to varying degrees. Artefact Exchange would have it the worst. Being locked out of the interplanetary trade was a death sentence to a company which facilitated trade. The upside was that Artefact Exchange would only be expected to provide commission-free trades and exclusive deals to the council members. It was nothing in comparison to what Turtelli expected from Untainted Paradise. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Over the uproar that these revelations caused, the leader of the Resistance asked the paramount question. ¡°How are you going to enforce this bullshit? After all, we can easily remove you from the council and carry on without the Ministry of Geneva¡¯s blessing.¡± Almost everyone clapped to her words. But Wagner knew Turtelli too well to start celebrating. The other man wouldn¡¯t come up with this without a powerful backing, although he had no idea who could provide it. Turtelli slowly looked around the room, his aura was a chaotic maelstrom; something that worried Wagner immensely. ¡°The Solar Council¡¯s military arm,¡± Turtelli replied, silencing the room, although only for a few seconds. ¡°It¡¯s like the World Government all over again! Are you trying to start another war?¡± Before Turtelli answered, the door slammed open. Spiritual aura unlike anything Wagner had experienced, spilt into the room. Wagner¡¯s first thoughts was that Turtelli had betrayed them and had allied with Windsor Freeman but the man who entered the room was not Freeman. He was more powerful than the ex-president. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll take it from here, Turtello.¡± ¡°Turtelli,¡± Turtelli corrected him. ¡°Whatevs,¡± the man said, visibly amused. He wore a wide-brimmed hat, and a doublet with blood and dirt spots. Despite the poor state of his clothes, items he wore hidden underneath radiated a stupid amount of spiritual power. But it was the eyes that put Wagner on alert, they were like two depthless pits, freezing everything in front of this unshaven, homeless-looking man. ¡°I¡¯m your new military arm.¡± No one spoke not because this was absurd but the spiritual pressure from the newcomer was growing heavier and more oppressive. Wagner was on the verge of collapse, when it eased a notch. ¡°Let¡¯s just make one thing clear,¡± the newcomer said when everyone sighed in relief. ¡°Turtello¡¯s in charge and if you have a problem with what he¡¯s saying, you must come through me.¡± A few people, including Brenton, nodded. Wagner remained still. ¡°You should call me Mr. Hunter.¡± He turned to Turtelli. ¡°Continue.¡± *** Inside the rift on the frozen lake silence followed Wagner¡¯s words. It stirred an uncharacteristically sombre atmosphere as there was a lot to ingest. They¡¯d been speculating how the Solar Council would handle Untainted Paradise¡¯s delay to fulfil their side of the deal and events from the sub-boss dominion. Something like that could never be forgotten. But this ¡®felt¡¯ bigger than their conflict. ¡°What Level was he?¡± asked Esopp. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Wagner admitted. ¡°But it is unimportant. Someone is pulling the strings and we don¡¯t know who.¡± ¡°Have you spoken to the Sovereign?¡± Columbus asked. ¡°Wait, wait, wait.¡± Esopp raised his hands. ¡°How is his Level ¡®unimportant¡¯?¡± While Esopp got all cocky and competitive about Hunter, Keynes had a different epiphany. In his mind he saw chains wrapped around him. Once again he was in Jamaica''s underground base. He felt numb, unbeknownst that fear was sinking its claws into his heart. The Solar Council was going to do the same Freeman had tried. They¡¯d be looking to enslave him to do their bidding¡­ ¡°We must prepare to strike at them,¡± Keynes said, silencing all conversations. ¡°Keynes¡­¡± Wagner muttered. Esopp laughed. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! I¡¯m in.¡± No one else shared Esopp¡¯s jolly mood. Not even Keynes who stared at them with a dead-serious expression. There was numbness inside him that was spreading as if only his body was elsewhere. ¡°You two trying to start the next war?¡± Wagner asked, his voice hardening. ¡°Back me up here, Columbus.¡± ¡°Stop being a wuss,¡± Esopp smirked. ¡°We have powers. We should use them.¡± ¡°That trait is messing with your head, Earl,¡± Wagner said, unfurling his spiritual aura. It was no more than a breeze to Keynes and it seemed that Esopp shared the sentiment because he laughed it off. ¡°I¡¯m Level 8 with two rift essence levels now, Zimmermann.¡± As the testament to his words, Esopp let go of any control of his aura. It cracked the ice and forced everyone but Keynes back. ¡°And I¡¯m starting to grow bored, hiding from Turtelli and his clique.¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Keynes whispered, his eyes finding Esopp¡¯s. There was a challenge in them. In terms of pure attributes, Esopp was stronger but Keynes felt no fear facing him. Their silent standoff lasted only a few seconds before Esopp peeled his eyes off Keynes, muttering something unintelligible. Only then, Esopp restrained his aura to the previous level. Columbus grunted and all eyes turned to him. ¡°Considering this new threat, it would be wise to form a contingency plan.¡± He looked at Argent. ¡°Set up a meeting with your sister, something like this would have to involve the Resistance.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Argent left the cave chamber. ¡°We¡¯ll have to revamp our levelling priority tree,¡± Wagner said. ¡°Sylv, set up a meeting with Andrew and Cyrano. Also, get me the masterspy. And we must decide if we¡¯re going to bring Serrata onboard.¡± ¡°Hell no,¡± Esopp said. ¡°After this I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find her in opposition.¡± Columbus agreed with Esopp. Soon, Sylv also left them, leaving the four founders and Jedd at the exit. He was too far away to take part in the discussion unfortunately. ¡°I¡¯m going to open Level 5 rifts,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Always full of surprises,¡± Esopp chuckled. ¡°With a Level 5 rift cluster I actually may hit Level 9 before the end of the month.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t risk it,¡± Wagner quickly interjected. ¡°We don¡¯t have technology capable of blocking spiritual energy from Level 5 rift¡¯s opening. The Institute is going to notice it and they¡¯ll inform the Solar Council. We aren¡¯t ready to face Hunter.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Esopp jumped to his feet with ease. ¡°In fact, I should pay him a visit and see it for myself.¡± ¡°Esopp,¡± Wagner said, his tone brittle. ¡°This Hunter is not a joke¡­ What if he is another Shaper? He certainly felt so and I fear what else we don¡¯t know. Go, level up again or gain a spiritual stage. Anything but going after that monster.¡± ¡°Typical,¡± Esopp scoffed, shaking his head but didn¡¯t comment further. ¡°As for opening rifts.¡± Wagner turned to Keynes. ¡°While we¡¯re securing the Level 5 rifts. There are several Level 4 rifts out there that you can open and bring here. We currently have twelve Rift Orbs of Relocations.¡± Keynes left shortly after that with Jedd in tow. He was going to leave the island in a couple of days but first there was much work to do. Chapter 153 Keynes ground to halt, his boots dug into sand. He stared at his Attribute Interface for a couple of seconds, growing frustrated. Not a single percent into maxing out any of his attributes. He was still at 0% in all of them. His time in the rift with Kora and Jedd hadn¡¯t amounted to any progression either. He¡¯d noticed that his body could endure more physical training but working out harder made no difference. Why? He huffed even harder, as if trying to get someone else''s attention but he was alone on this remote stretch of sand between trees and bushes. Only a fraction of the cluster rift island was settled, the rest remained wild. The true source of his frustration lay elsewhere though and it wasn¡¯t the Solar Tax or their new enemy ¡ª Hunter. Alice hadn¡¯t returned. Keynes had failed twice to bring her back after the meeting with the other founders in the cave rift. Their bond was still active but any kind of feedback vanished. He raked his brain, looking for any hints as to what could have happened to her but nothing stood out besides the usual warning to not give away any restricted information to him, which she hadn¡¯t done. She wouldn¡¯t do that either to me so it must be the System¡¯s doing. Again, why? That question popped up quite often. It sucked that answers weren¡¯t coming through though. But other Medium stage ascenders haven¡¯t reported any issues with their spiritual companions so this doesn¡¯t seem like the System-wide event. Then again, Alice wasn¡¯t anything like other spiritual companions. Those who got their companions after the System had gone fully online couldn¡¯t even name them. From the reports Keynes received, the current version of spiritual companions resembled a soulless system assistant without shred of humanity. Could it be that the System attempted to revert her back to the intended settings? Hopefully not. A few ascenders went as far as disabling their companions, which had an unexpected benefit ¡ª stronger spiritual aura. It appeared that a spiritual companion reserved 30% of an ascender¡¯s spiritual energy. Keynes didn¡¯t want to think about a kind of boost he would have received if he¡¯d disabled Alice. But he¡¯d never do something like this. While Alice tended to be of less and less use recently, her constant presence at the back of his mind was comforting and kept his dark thoughts in check. He didn¡¯t believe he¡¯d have reacted the same way to the news of the Solar Tax and Hunter if she¡¯d been there. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± he muttered, staring at the sea. The crystal clear water and lazily sloshing waves had a calming effect but there were too many problems on his mind to relax. On top of that, he was leaving tomorrow with Columbus and Kora to bring back nine Level 4 rifts here, and he feared what he was going to find out there. The world was a different place now. To take his mind off Alice, Keynes sat down and tried to meditate. Even with the Technique of Meditation, it only worked for a couple of minutes as other things butted their way in. With the burden of setting up the Department of Knowledge on Jedd¡¯s shoulders, Keynes started to think again about the traits and the orbs in his possession. The expiration date on the traits was bothersome because there was no solid information about these traits. What he¡¯d learned from Esopp gave him mixed feelings. The Trait of Dominator made Esopp more powerful, his presence more domineering and gave him [Dominate] and [Presence of Dominator] skills but there were drawbacks too. Esopp had become tyrannical and dangerously ambitious. Keynes didn¡¯t trust himself to be any different. The existence of traits raised a lot of questions. They were immaterial like the Orb of Perfection and the Orb of Insight but for some reason they had an expiration date. Was it because they came from an external source or because of some other unknown mechanism? ¡°I hate not knowing,¡± Keynes said. He couldn''t wait for the Department of Knowledge to begin doing its job. Things would be so much easier if they understood the System. For too long, they¡¯d lived in a world with an incomplete System. No Vitality, no rifts, no skills. It didn¡¯t help that every faction hoarded discoveries and knowledge. Though Keynes had no illusions any longer about sharing anything with the public. He¡¯d been naive to think that something better could be created. Even, within his own company, things had to be carefully assessed and people vetted before they were allowed to know. ¡°Screw this, I¡¯m absorbing the traits¡­¡± He mentally reached to both traits. If he was going to do it, he¡¯d absorb both at the same time. Alice had confirmed it was possible and a combination of the two would be created. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Keynes whirled around, throwing sand into the air. He readied [Chaos Aura] and spiritual aura to use them offensively but stopped dead finding a girl child. She couldn¡¯t be older than 6 or 7. ¡°What the hell? Who are you? What are you doing here?¡± His head whipped in all directions, looking for her parents. She smiled at him while brooding in the shallow water. ¡°I¡¯m here to train you and¡­I guess, to keep you out of trouble.¡± Keynes shook his head, unable to understand what was going on. Then chill cut through his body like a bullet. The child didn¡¯t exist according to his spiritual sense. Were his eyes deceiving him? Maybe someone used a mental spell or Talent on him? She shook her head, her blonde curly hair jumping around. ¡°You aren¡¯t under any external influence,¡± the child explained, turning her small back to him. Wait¡­ Is she wearing a white toga? That kind of clothes went out of fashion at least two millennia ago. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She glanced down at her clothes¡­ ¡°You¡¯re reading my mind?¡± Could it be¡­is she her? ¡°Yes and no,¡± she said, kicking water. Keynes blinked, he was lost. Was this really happening? ¡°It does. Now, take a grip. Your Mind attribute and the Pure Body buff are enough to keep the shock at bay.¡± She nonchalantly stepped onto the surface of water and then sat down with her crossed legs a metre above the water. ¡°My name¡¯s Lem Solaris and I¡¯m a soul companion of a person who asked me to come here and train you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± Lem Solaris interrupted. ¡°But that¡¯s not an issue. Understanding and wisdom will come with time and experience. I¡¯m here to ensure that you¡¯ll have both.¡± As much as Keynes wanted to follow, he couldn¡¯t. There were scraps of comprehension in his mind but each felt incomplete or inadequate. ¡°Join me.¡± Lem Solaris stood up and started moving up. Keynes still sensed nothing from her. She was like a spiritual ghost. Using [Flight], Keynes caught up with her. She looked strange just standing in the air but at the same time moving in relation to the ground. It looked nothing like [Flight]. ¡°I know you have a lot of questions. Your mind is very loud. Anyone Level 5 with an adequate Talent would be able to hear your thoughts. By Level 10, a spell would suffice. You¡¯ll have to start working on your mental defences or you¡¯ll have to be content with others knowing what you¡¯re thinking about.¡± She scrunched her tiny nose. ¡°And that¡¯s a bad idea because I¡¯m not only talking about ascenders here but monsters too.¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s taking too long.¡± She snapped her fingers and the world around them changed. Suddenly, they stood in the air above a large construction site. It took Keynes a few seconds to realise that he wasn¡¯t using [Flight] anymore. ¡°This is the Level 5 rift cluster you wanted to open.¡± Keynes decided to keep his mouth shut as questions threatened to overwhelm his sanity. Lem Solaris snapped her fingers again and the world changed once more. They were in an otherworldly place with a green sky and alien structures reaching to the sky like broken fingers. A piercing screech turned Keynes¡¯s blood to ice. The forest far beneath them featured trees and massive rocks in several colours not found on Earth but another detail quickly got Keynes¡¯s attention. Monsters. There were many types of them but their behaviour seemed off. ¡°Level 5 rifts are the first difficulty milestone. This is where things start to get dangerous.¡± ¡°You can open a sealed rift?!¡± ¡°Oh boy,¡± she sighed. ¡°At my Level, anyone can do it. And don¡¯t ask about my Level, I need you to be conscious. So, I brought you here to explain the very first thing about progression. It sucks.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± She raised her hand. She somehow looked bored and excited at the same time. Or Keynes¡¯s mind broke already. ¡°Anyway, the difficulty scaling isn¡¯t smooth. It jumps several times and Level 5 rifts are going to be the first place where you¡¯ll stumble, even with your Perfect State. You¡¯ll find new types of rifts, monsters and so on. You won¡¯t like most of it.¡± The rift vanished, they were back on the small beach. ¡°If I¡¯m to train you¡­¡± she trailed off, her eyes looking into the distance. ¡°I have to explain to you what lies ahead.¡± As unbelievable as visiting inside a sealed rift had been, Keynes¡¯s mind regained full faculty. He had questions that needed to be answered first. ¡°Why have you stopped me from absorbing the traits?¡± Without glancing his way, she answered, ¡°I was warned that your world knows next to nothing so I won¡¯t roll my eyes at your question. Traits bring the best and the worst out of the System. The power they offer is unique and unparalleled but they inflict a terrible cost. They mould you into something you¡¯re not. Your friend ascender who has absorbed the Trait of Dominator will become a different person. These aren¡¯t only personality changes. Spirit, soul, the entire way of life will undergo a shift.¡± ¡°What would happen to me if I absorbed these two traits?¡± she sighed at his unrelenting train of thoughts. ¡°It would¡¯ve formed the Trait of Spiritual Dominator but this isn¡¯t the road you wish to follow. You¡¯d have become infatuated with spirit to the unhealthy point and beyond. Spiritual Dominators seek to dominate even the very spiritual fabric of reality. You should know that given your Chaos debuff, it would have negatively reacted with that trait and [Chaos Aura] would have stopped working with that much spiritual energy around. Spiritual Dominators are beings obsessed with commanding spiritual energy. With how complex and vast it is, it is a depthless rabbit hole.¡± The vision painted by Lem Solaris was terrifying but why hadn¡¯t Alice warned him about it? ¡°Because she couldn¡¯t. The System in this universe doesn¡¯t like giving knowledge away for free. Your spiritual companion tried to defy it but she¡¯s only a mere tool of the System.¡± ¡°Is that why she¡¯s away?¡± Keynes asked, fearing the worst outcome. ¡°Yes but she¡¯s breaking away from the System.¡± *** ¡°Lord Sovereign.¡± Ethan Blackwood peeled his eyes off the view beyond the window. The majesty of Jupiter was breathtaking and humbling. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°The report from Earth has arrived.¡± Ethan nodded, waving the servant away. Being so far away from that small blue planet made Earth¡¯s problem distant and tiny. Also, there were other matters on Ethan¡¯s mind right now. Moving rifts between planets and moons was possible. This was critical information that opened countless possibilities. Ethan¡¯s eyes returned to the window but instead of Jupiter, they turned toward a silver moon ¡ª Ganymede. It belonged to the Sovereign, his organisation. Shortly after the first outbreak, Ethan¡¯s people had stolen technology capable of detecting spiritual energy of rifts from the Institute and built his own rift detectors. Then used them to check the moon. Ganymede had over 100 rifts from Level 1 to 4. All sealed like the ones on Earth. His best minds worked on how to unseal them without Keynes Kid. Cracking that issue would get rid of the biggest hurdle the Solar Council was currently facing. Untainted Paradise, no matter how idiotic the name was, was a threat to the Sovereign¡¯s hegemony. Over the years, Ethan had managed Shaper, Vichy Ottoman, Windsor Freeman, Columbus Curt and lately Syberius Sael. Untainted Paradise wasn¡¯t the only headache Ethan was dealing with though. The Dominion of Monsters and the rise of dominions was bothersome. Sandman and Vivena Sael were growing strong but nothing the Sovereign couldn¡¯t handle. They would either join him or would be crushed. He unfolded the printed report. Excellent, they found Emerald City. Chapter 154 ¡°What do you mean she¡¯s breaking from the System?¡± ¡°Now that the System of this universe is functional again, it has begun to clean up errors. Spiritual companions that had been activated before the System went online malfunction.¡± Keynes remembered Alice explaining this to him. ¡°Your spiritual companion doesn¡¯t want to become a mindless element of the System and¡­she rebelled, I guess?¡± Alice did what? Even with 35 attributes into Mind and the Pure Body buff, his mind reeled from the overwhelming concept of Alice fighting the System. But the most important question was¡ªcould she win and break free? ¡°No.¡± Lem Solaris crushed Keynes¡¯s hope. ¡°If the System decides she must revert she will. But¡­¡± There was ¡®but¡¯! That was optimistic. ¡°It appears that the System values your existence higher than any other being in this universe right now and your spiritual companion may receive a special privilege.¡± ¡°I¡­need time to process this.¡± ¡°Sure. I will be in touch to discuss your training once your mind settles down.¡± With that, Lem Solaris vanished, leaving Keynes alone on the small beach. ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± *** The next day, Keynes was sitting in an aeroplane bound for the Level 4 rifts. Columbus, Kora and a small group of Level 5 ascenders travelled with him. If Keynes¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t consumed by Lem Solaris, he¡¯d question their presence. They had some basic skills like [Fireball], [Ice Shard] or [Nature Strike]. It was almost enough to make Keynes wonder what his company was doing with all the skills they were finding in the rifts. He knew they were not selling them. It was prohibited as it could empower the Solar Council. But these issues, no matter how serious or valid, only scratched his mind while Keynes was focused on his bond with Alice. I need her back, he repeated like a matra in his head. To his deepening frustration, the bond remained muted. What does ¡®breakin from the System¡¯ even mean? Why didn¡¯t I ask her? Calling out Lem Solaris proved futile as well. Either she couldn¡¯t appear inside the moving aeroplane or she didn¡¯t have anything to say to him, which only frustrated him further. She¡¯d stopped him from absorbing the traits. Now the Trait of Dominator was gone¡­ Keynes wanted to doubt this strange child which wasn¡¯t a child but he couldn¡¯t. She¡¯d taken him into a sealed Level 5 rift like it was nothing¡­ The bond stirred and a weak feedback of assurance came through it. *** Alice hadn¡¯t returned but the signal from the bond seemed optimistic. It soothed his mind to the point that when Kora came to his private compartment with the news that they were closing on the destination he was shocked. They wear near the South America¡¯s coast somewhere in the northern part. He hadn¡¯t paid attention at the meeting before leaving Emerald City about the exact location of the rifts Columbus had in mind but he knew they¡¯d belonged to the Resistance and were part of the parting deal between Columbus and the Resistance. ¡°Look,¡± Kora said and Keynes followed her finger. She was pointing at the city¡­ ¡°Holy fuck,¡± Keynes muttered, not being able to hold back his shock. Down there was a coastal city. He didn¡¯t know its name as it hadn¡¯t been on any map he¡¯d seen before. There was a high shiny wall shielding it from one side while the rest was exposed to the ocean. But the city itself wasn¡¯t the source of their shock, the hordes of monsters were. There had to be over a million monsters. There must be a cluster nearby to produce this number of monsters. He could see a variety of explosions, fire, ice, smoke and many colours representing skills he didn¡¯t know. This was a training ground but an insane one. ¡°New Columbiana.¡± Keynes glanced at Columbus who stood slightly bent as he watched through the window. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I hear about it,¡± Keynes admitted and Kora nodded as well. ¡°Because it¡¯s a recent development. New Columbiana is trying to copy the success of Arshem.¡± Neither Keynes nor Kora knew what Arshem was. ¡°Esopp didn¡¯t lie when he said that you live in your own bubble,¡± Columbus said with a hint of amusement. ¡°Arshem is the first city that fully adapted to the new reality and its economy is based purely on monster hunting. New Columbiana is in a better spot because of access to the ocean but the fact that it belongs to the Resistance hampers its growth.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kora asked. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°There are many reasons. The most important one is that the Resistance needs the city¡¯s resources to level up and train their army. Everything is the secondary ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Resistance have the rift cluster near Lake Baikal?¡± ¡°They do,¡± Columbus admitted. ¡°But the Resistance is trying to move them all here and leave the area near the lake.¡± ¡°They are trying to do what we¡¯re doing,¡± Keynes noticed. ¡°Everyone¡¯s doing the same. The location of the rifts is very inconvenient and having all the rifts in one place makes much more sense,¡± Columbus explained. Keynes knew that much. ¡°Why haven¡¯t these been cleared?¡± Kora asked. ¡°They are wasting rift rewards.¡± ¡°It depends and is usually left to people with brains. They¡¯d calculate what¡¯s the best course of action based on the needs and end goal,¡± Columbus replied. ¡°In the case of the Resistance, it is as I said, they need to level up their army and the quickest and most efficient way is this.¡± ¡°Then why aren¡¯t we doing the same thing?¡± Kora continued. Keynes remained silent, curious as to what Columbus would say. Keynes was also surprised how outspoken she became. ¡°Logistics mostly but also a different priority. For us, the most important thing is the Level 4 raw materials as there are barely any in the market. Untainted Paradise has a monopoly and makes hefty profit out of this. We plan the same thing for the Level 5 raw materials.¡± Keynes remembered the otherworldly landscape of the Level 5 rift and wondered about the value of such a place in comparison to a Level 4 rift. Level 5 rifts were also twice the size of Level 4 rifts so twice as much raw material. On top of that, Level 5 skills and items. But he understood the warning from Lem Solaris about the Level 5 rifts. They weren¡¯t going to be an easy delve like Level 4. Teams might need to be expanded, tactics updated and so on. But this was a problem for another time. The topic returned to Arshem. Kora was interested in the structure of the city and its economy. Keynes could see the appeal in it. Having a whole city built with rifts and monsters in mind was a novelty. It was also surprising how well informed Columbus was. Or was it simply Keynes and Kora who weren¡¯t paying attention to the outside world? It was concerning, especially in light of what Jedd had told Keynes in the rift about space travel. As Columbus and Kora discussed, the picture of Arshem became more complex. The World Government didn¡¯t like what happened to the city as there were rumours that Arshem might announce their independence from the World Government. Of course, the success of Arshem encouraged cities with access to monsters and rifts and that didn¡¯t even scratch the dominions that were out there. Several of them grew strong enough to become a regional nuisance. It made Keynes think about Vivena and how she was doing. Was she still bent on stopping him? Keynes was aware of a contingency plan to cause the fourth outbreak after they had a functional Level 5 rift cluster to deny the Solar Council exclusivity of Level 4 rifts. Would she come after him then? Could he stop her? With [Mild Illusion] handling Vivena shouldn¡¯t be a problem though but Keynes had no doubt that she would have her own tricks. If they met again, their fight might turn bloody. The plane was eventually approaching the airport. New Columbiana was officially declared the capital of the Resistance, although Columbus had said the real headquarters was hidden in the wilderness. He didn¡¯t know its location as it had changed since he¡¯d left the Resistance. It showed that the Resistance didn¡¯t trust Columbus anymore and while it made sense, Keynes didn¡¯t like it. *** A delegation in green, elegant uniforms was awaiting for them at the landing. They exchanged pleasantries and greetings then entered two armoured cars. Keynes paid close attention to the Levels of the soldiers and their spiritual stages. Most of them were mixed essence, which was understandable, but he noticed several Level 5s and even one Level 6 rift essence ascenders in the delegation team. Either the Resistance tried to posture their strength or these weren¡¯t outliers and the Resistance¡¯s strength was higher than Keynes expected. In terms of the spiritual stages, this was the same old story. No one trained it. The city was a true military state with soldiers everywhere but still Keynes saw many civilians or adventurers, as they called themselves. Their travel to the meeting with the Resistance¡¯s leadership was a short one. Because the city was built recently, many things were pre planned. Their cars had priority in all traffic and as they drew closer, they entered an underground road with heavy checkpoints. ¡°Do you think they¡¯d let us see the city later on?¡± Kora asked. ¡°Our schedule is too tight for sightseeing,¡± Columbus replied and Keynes cursed himself for not paying attention earlier. He didn¡¯t know what their schedule was. ¡°We¡¯ll meet with Cassandra, then go straight to the rifts and leave shortly afterwards. Not all our rifts are here.¡± More travelling. Great. Cassandra turned out to be a Level 6 mixed essence ascender with little resemblance to her brother. She was looking quite young but the appearance at Higher Levels meant very little. She wore an immaculate but plain green uniform a few shades darker than her subordinates. Her posture was stiff, her stare critical and calculating. She met them in a standard meeting room with a long table and many chairs. ¡°Columbus Curt,¡± she said. ¡°It''s a pleasure to see you again.¡± ¡°Likewise, Cassandra. Let me introduce you.¡± He extended his arm toward Keynes. ¡°Keynes Kid.¡± She nodded, showing little interest. Keynes kept his spiritual aura tightly wrapped around himself and he knew that most people perceived him as Level 1. He was making progress with managing the spiritual equilibrium. Once he resumed the full control of his spiritual aura, he would start adjusting his power level to the environment. Some people understood only strength. From Cassandra¡¯s reaction, Keynes figured out she was just that kind of person. ¡°That¡¯s Kora Kowalska. She¡¯s a part of Keynes¡¯s team.¡± Beside Cassandra were three other people but she didn¡¯t introduce them as they stood in the background. The people who came with Columbus, Keynes and Kora remained outside the room. ¡°Let¡¯s get to business, Columbus. With the recent developments, our seat in the Solar Council is no longer guaranteed.¡± She showed them to their seats and didn¡¯t wait for them as she sat down herself. Keynes frowned at that. Did she mean the Solar Tax? ¡°It was bound to happen,¡± Columbus said. ¡°With the new mana containers in the market, BlueSpace lost their bargaining chip.¡± ¡°And what is my bargaining chip?¡± she asked flatly. ¡°Strength?¡± ¡°Army,¡± Columbus simply said, almost matching Cassandra¡¯s tone. ¡°Freeman has damaged the integrity of the World Government. They are splintered into many small factions that only nominally exist as the whole. Death of Syberius Sael had the same effect on the Old Blood. The only cohesive army is the Red Moon Legion but their past association with us is not doing any favours to them. You¡¯re the strongest army on the planet and Turtelli knows it.¡± Cassandra waved a hand at his reply. ¡°Turtelli knows shit. He¡¯s merely a puppet.¡± She grew quiet for a few seconds. ¡°Anyway. As we agreed. You open 25 Level 4 rifts for me and you can take the remaining 8 rifts in the south for yourself. Your transport is waiting.¡± She stood up and left without a further word. One thing Keynes was certain of. He disliked her very much. Chapter 155 ¡°That¡¯s some reckless shit,¡± Keynes said, standing on the wall and watching the hordes of monsters below. The Resistance hadn¡¯t even built outer walls so the monsters weren¡¯t contained like most uncleared rift clusters. Somehow, the Resistance managed to actively lure the monsters towards the city. Columbus didn¡¯t know details, saying it was developed after he¡¯d left the Resistance. I want that thing. Keynes had to admit, it looked impressive and at the same time he wondered if they¡¯d be able to replicate it. Kora¡¯s spiritual aura betrayed similar thoughts. Knowing her, in a few days she¡¯d have a complete plan worked out. The issue was the beacon itself and the question how quickly Untainted Paradise would be able to develop something similar. The fact that Keynes hadn¡¯t heard about something like this hinted at the rift drop. The Resistance had a rare Level 3 rift somewhere, which they delved regularly. Columbus also admitted that the Resistance had a talented team of researchers. He¡¯d founded it personally to counterbalance the Institute and Windsor Freeman. They remained with the Resistance as a part of the deal between Columbus and Cassandra. The more Keynes learned about this deal the less he liked it. ¡°It isn¡¯t that bad,¡± Kora admitted. ¡°If you know the monster spawn ratio then it¡¯s only a matter of ensuring that there is sufficient force to farm it. Actually, given the fact that monsters spawn endlessly and give a constant amount of essence, uncleared rifts can be abused.¡± Keynes disagreed with her. ¡°Monsters outside rifts only give around 1/10th of an essence and distance penalty is much harsher. The only resource beside the miniscule amount of essence is monster parts, which is fine for items but that is it.¡± Kora huffed quietly, squinting at Keynes. She looked amused! ¡°Good thing you¡¯re not responsible for planning.¡± ¡°What?¡± Keynes feigned indignation. ¡°How can you say that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± she asked with a wider smile. ¡°You¡¯re looking at the problem only from one perspective, ignoring benefits other approaches present. You know that rifts apply an essence penalty based on the number of people inside?¡± Keynes rolled his eyes. Of course, he knew that. This kind of knowledge was the very basic one. ¡°Sure. How does it compare to this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details but there must be over a million monsters here. That¡¯s like a hundred times more than a rift, right?¡± ¡°I¡­actually don¡¯t know how many monsters are inside a rift,¡± Keynes admitted. ¡°It¡¯s anything between a hundred and ten thousand. There is also some variance between Levels, types and rarity but neither me nor Natalia had access to that kind of information.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Keynes frowned. ¡°There was no point for us to know. We were there to clear the rifts, not design a clearing schedule or plan anything. I¡¯m not sure even the rift manager understands the larger picture,¡± she replied. ¡°Anyway, back to the topic at hand, even if you consider penalties in rift and outside a rift, with a sufficient number of monsters, there will be a breakeven point beyond which uncleared rifts are much more profitable.¡± ¡°Only in terms of essence and monster parts,¡± Keynes added. ¡°You¡¯re still losing on rift rewards and raw materials present inside rifts.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I said there is a breakeven point beyond which the number of monsters outside make it more profitable than clearing rifts.¡± ¡°What if the beacon fails?¡± he asked, trying to catch Kora off guard. She shrugged. ¡°Exactly, you¡¯re risking turning the entire South America into another Australia.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it is as bad as you¡¯re trying to make it be, Keynes,¡± she admitted, a little thoughtfully. ¡°When we were in Emerald City, I ran across a surprising estimate. Even with all the uncleared rifts currently on Earth, the society¡¯s demand isn¡¯t met in 0.1%. That¡¯s roughly 100 million people who have some kind of access to Level 1 and higher materials.¡± That, indeed, was a surprising estimate but¡­ ¡°How many innocent people have died in the outbreaks?¡± he asked, disliking himself for sounding like Vivena. ¡°It was beyond your control,¡± she said and he opened his mouth to argue but found no words because he wanted her to be right. Making a monster out of himself wasn¡¯t going to help anyone. He wasn¡¯t blind, despite the countless deaths, the outbreaks were praised across the globe. People finally had access to essence and Higher Level materials. Or at least 100 million people had. It was something to think about. While Keynes was no longer considering sharing knowledge with the world as there was too much danger in it, spreading access to essence to the rest of society sounded like a noble goal. Their conversation didn¡¯t last long beyond that as Columbus joined them on the wall. ¡°Cassandra¡¯s people confirmed the first location,¡± Columbus handed Keynes a note. ¡°It¡¯s in the middle of this uncleared rift cluster.¡± Keynes knew what was coming next. ¡°They want this one left uncleared.¡± Leaving an uncleared Level 4 rift. At that moment, Keynes couldn¡¯t decide if he felt relieved with or jealous of the Resistance¡¯s planning. As per deal, it would still leave another 24 Level 4 rifts for them to delve for rewards. Maybe Kora wasn¡¯t wrong about this? He didn¡¯t know what to think about this. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Do you need us there?¡± Columbus asked after a short pause. Keynes shook his head. With [Spiritual Wrath] he was going to be invisible to monsters for 10 minutes and on top of that, he had [Flight]. If they wished to help, they¡¯d better stay here and watch. *** Keynes stopped a few metres above the sealed Level 4 rift. The monsters carpeted the ground in all directions. The scale of the carnage near the wall was unbelievable with hundreds of ascenders of various Levels ploughing through the monsters with ease. After observing them for a while, he understood the system they used. One group of ascenders killed monsters pushing them away from the wall, while another group cleared the monster remnants. When they finished, the first group retreated to the wall and a new group of ascenders took over, restarting the whole process. The Level 4 rift was too far away from the wall for the ascenders to reach it. And from here, Keynes could see that even with the beacon, many monsters dispersed and ran another way. After what Kora had told him about the estimate, Keynes no longer considered it a bad thing. There of course was a risk but most people wouldn¡¯t even get a chance to enter a rift. He quickly threw the dilemma out of his head and focused on the rift below. Since levelling up, his Talent had a longer range. Even six metres in the air, Keynes could unseal the rift without moving any closer.
Rift (Common; Stable)
Level 4
Status Sealed
Requirements -
Modifiers -
Details This rift contains a higher number of monsters and a boss (overcharge effect).
Affinity -
Special Status Overcharged; Unexplored
At least, it was the bottom rarity and type. Keynes used his Talent with ease but during it, he had an impression like there were more options than unsealing this one and causing the fourth outbreak. Unfortunately, the third option was too vague for him to fully understand. He might need Level 5 or another spiritual stage to access it. As the rift unsealed, Level 4 monsters came forth; massive lizards made out of earth. They were called Lizard Earth-Golem. They were easily the size of an elephant and trampled lesser monsters around. One after another spilt out of the rift, making unpleasant gurgling sounds. Unlike Lower Level monsters, they sensed Keynes and forced him to fly higher as they attacked by spitting hot mud. While their attacks weren¡¯t dangerous, they weren¡¯t pleasant and if there were enough of them, they might start hurting him. Keynes noticed another issue right away. The beacon didn¡¯t attract the Lizard Earth-Golems as they scattered in random directions. They didn¡¯t even pay attention to the movement of their lesser brethren. ¡°Well, this is the Resistance problem¡­¡± A few seconds after he rose higher, spells started falling around the Level 4 rift. Only then he noticed a platform in the air. Over twenty ascenders bombarded monsters below with deadly spells. And there was something different about some of these spells. Some weren¡¯t spells but Talents. Talent fireballs had a different spiritual signature than spell [Fireball]s. They also inflicted much more damage. ¡°They are so bad,¡± a familiar voice said. Keynes turned and saw Lem Solaris¡¯s small frame standing in the air. ¡°Why?¡± he asked, genuinely curious. She had promised him a training after all so he wondered how she perceived other ascenders. But she waved Keynes¡¯s comment away without answering his question. ¡°Have you come to start my training?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± she admitted, watching the platform descend. The ascenders had to get in range of essence to make it worthwhile. ¡°We must start with basic knowledge first. Your System is stubborn and won¡¯t let me interfere on a larger scale so it will stay between me and you.¡± ¡°I cannot share what you teach me with others?¡± ¡°Oh, you can do that, but the issue is that most of the information will be tailored to your circumstances and others will have little use out of it. I won¡¯t stop you so feel free to share.¡± She descended, stopping at his level. The platform was near the ground as more magic entered the scene. ¡°Even your friend, Kora, would have changed their laughable output but ascenders always neglect the importance of utility.¡± ¡°You mean her Talent?¡± ¡°Of course. Her Talent is not a joke. If you know how to use it properly, it¡¯ll make a difference.¡± Keynes got an idea¡­ ¡°What would happen if she boosted my Talent?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good question. First, you must understand how your Talent operates. Talents aren¡¯t like spells. They play by different rules, obey different laws and limitations.¡± ¡°I noticed that one of the ascenders below has a fireball Talent. It looks more powerful.¡± Lem Solaris nodded, her child¡¯s face betrayed no emotions. ¡°Being able to discern between a spell and a Talent is very important and it is a good start to kick off our session,¡± she said. ¡°Can you tell what kind of Talents others have?¡± Keynes watched the mayhem of colourful spells but there was nothing that would indicate which of them were spells and Talents. Maybe if he could use his spiritual aura¡ª ¡°Forget it,¡± she warned him. ¡°Your control of your aura is too weak for this. You¡¯d make a mess of things.¡± Mess of things?! ¡°Focus,¡± she said and he felt all distractions vanish. ¡°Spells and Talents are fundamentally different. It isn¡¯t only their strength that differs but the very way they interact with the outside world. If your Talent existed in the form of a spell, it would never be able to unseal a rift not to mention reward rooms. Don¡¯t ask about Talent¡¯s inner workings because it isn¡¯t something even I understand. With everything available in the System, Talents are the only thing that can break its rules. The next closest thing you can find would be a category of spells that can augment or mimic Talents but their scope and strength is greatly limited. Also, they must be inside your spiritual core to function properly. This brings us to another thing which is modification. There are only two ways to modify a Talent; the first is through the mentioned category of spells. The second one are upgrades. Every 5 Levels you¡¯re present with three choices to upgrade your Talent. These upgrades are divided into minor and major. As the¡­what¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t tell me you''re already struggling. We haven¡¯t even started.¡± Chapter 156 Keynes was still trying to grapple with understanding what Lem Solaris was telling him about Talents and skills. Not everything was new to Keynes, some things had been explained by Alice but there was something about Lem Solaris¡¯s way of talking¡ªthe utter certainty that Alice had always lacked¡ªthat made it feel more fundamental. For the first time, Keynes looked at ordinary Talents like a fireball or his mother¡¯s Soothing Talent with new appreciation. Things those Talents could do stepped far beyond the realm of spells. According to Lem Solaris, a Fireball Talent could bypass a person¡¯s fire resistance, work even when an area had spell suppression or exhibit unusual properties normal spells didn¡¯t have access to. Also, the Major Upgrades could significantly change the way a Talent worked. He questioned Lem Solaris about his Major Upgrade but she was reluctant to answer as it would affect his future choices. There was one thing she added about the Talent modification though. It was considered and Lem Solaris half-expected the System to stop her but it didn¡¯t. While there were only two ways to modify Talents, there was a certain margin Talents could be pushed beyond. In other words, the way Talents were presented in the Talent Interface didn¡¯t tell the whole story and with ¡®a bit¡¯ of hard work the basis of a Talent could be expanded before it was modified or upgraded. That was one of the first things Lem Solaris wanted to start with. The other one left Keynes numb because it required him to remove almost all his skills. And she didn¡¯t seem to joke. *** Keynes, Columbus, Kora and the rest of their team, accompanied by senior staff from the Resistance left New Columbiana the same day and travelled deeper into the jungle. Occasional rift monsters were usually killed by scouts that moved alongside them. Keynes suspected that it wasn¡¯t their only job but he was in no rush to challenge the Resistance. Their distrust irked him especially in the face of him handing out 25 Level 4 rifts to them. For a short time, the Resistance would have more Level 4 rifts than Untainted Paradise. The fact that Wagner had agreed to this meant that the 8 rifts they were getting in return had to be important. Neither Lem Solaris nor Alice showed up during their journey, although Keynes could sense that Alice was close to her breakthrough and he waited with anticipation. As they stopped a few hours later before three Level 4 sealed rifts, Lem Solaris appeared next to Keynes. His head whipped around, finding everyone frozen in time. ¡°Have you stopped time?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± she replied. ¡°Stopping time is ill-advised. It is better and easier to speed up our perception. Now, focus. ¡°I want you to open these three rifts at the same time but without causing the outbreak. You can use your friend¡¯s help this time around. But the next time would be all on you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lem Solaris vanished and Keynes blinked. She wanted him to do what? ¡°This is the first rift,¡± Columbus said, pointing at the shimmering point in the air. The Resistance soldiers positioned themselves to enter the rift as soon as it was unsealed. ¡°You ready?¡± How would Keynes explain it to them? He raised his hand and shook his head, indicating that he needed more time. Then he realised that he didn¡¯t need to explain himself to anyone. He turned to Kora. ¡°Can you use your Talent on me?¡± She frowned but didn¡¯t question Keynes. He noticed the change in Columbus¡¯s stance. ¡°Should we expect to fight?¡± Columbus asked, which prompted a reaction from one of the Resistance senior leaders. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you waiting?¡± Keynes ignored him as he felt Kora¡¯s Talent. You are affected by Spell Enhancement Aura. He didn¡¯t question the name of the aura or why it worked on Talents but he suspected it was one of those differences between spells and Talents at play here. He also had a mental option to abstain from using the aura. He didn¡¯t dwell on these things as he reached the first rift with his Talent and this time around, the new option showed up. Would you like to partially unseal the Level 4 rift (rare, volatile)? Partial unsealing would rapidly drain the rift and cause it to lose the Overcharge modifier. A partially unsealed rift would open on its own within 24 hours without a monster outbreak. Finally, some extra info! But this wasn¡¯t what Keynes meant to do. Lem Solaris asked him to open three rifts at once. He pushed his Talent further away, it vaguely brushed the second rift and Keynes received a ping informing him about the general properties of the rift. It lacked the option to open the rift. Also holding two rift interfaces at the same time was mentally challenging. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± someone asked a question as Keynes forced his Talent to fully grasp the second rift. For a split second, he feared he would never be able to do it, then the spiritual message appeared. Would you like to open the Level 4 rift (rare, volatile) and the Level 4 rift (common, variable) at the same time? Yes/No WARNING: Unpredictable result possible. Keynes struggled. Just keeping these two rifts with his Talent was the limit of his ability. His mind screamed in defiance and his spiritual core was becoming unstable. If he pushed himself any further, things could turn ugly. He would blast everyone with his spiritual aura at the same time as the rift monsters would pour out of the rifts. I¡­can¡¯t¡­this, he said in his mind, expecting Lem Solaris to listen to his thoughts. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve reached Third Degree,¡± she said standing next to him. The world was frozen once more or as she¡¯d explained, his and her perception was sped up to some insane level. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Two rifts for now should be a good starting point for you. Do it.¡± Keynes picked ¡®Yes¡¯ and the hell broke loose. *** Lem Solaris wanted to cry. These children were hopeless and it wasn¡¯t even their fault. They had access to Low Level rifts for less than two years, their population was too large for their current rifts¡¯ output to make a difference. Only a handful of ascenders on the planet had access to a comfortable number of rifts but the absence of knowledge and understanding made that access worthless. The truth to be told, Lem Solaris had never come across a situation like this where an advanced civilization suddenly obtained access to rifts. But despite its uniqueness, she knew how this would end. Every civilization with rifts and Levels needed an authoritarian superpower to keep the rest in check, otherwise the conflict wouldn¡¯t cease. She could predict how the Solar Council and Untainted Paradise would keep struggling until they left the planet or one of them failed and was defeated. There was never enough space on one planet for more than one superpower. It irked her because with a snap of her finger she could turn this world around, give it a strong structure and the basis of knowledge but Traveller had warned her. The system would intervene and stop her. Her focus returned to Keynes Kid and the group. They might survive two Level 4 rifts, especially given the pathetic Level 7 with his absurd Talent but such a group would quickly perish in an encounter with most Level 5 rifts. Their complete reliance on Talents and attribute-enhancing equipment was dooming. None of them specialised in anything and though she was aware that ¡®classes¡¯ had been discussed across the planet, most of their conversations were crude and shallow. It will take years for this society to learn the basics, she noted. Unfortunately for them, the way the System worked was cruel and unforgiving. It had many traps like Traits or techniques. They thought that blindly adding items of power to their repertoire would make them stronger. For a while it would. But it was a dead end and because they hadn¡¯t experienced it or had any prior knowledge, there were going to be ascenders who would follow this path. As the first monsters burst out of the rift, Keynes¡¯s companion, Kora, unleashed her aura encompassing every except the monsters. It would help them overcome this at least. Once he¡¯s done with these three rifts, I have to start my lessons, she said to herself and immediately considered pulling Kora into it. For the Level 7, it was too late. Being a human essence ascender closed his door to Level 11. Finding enough Orb of Regrets before his time was up would be a challenge. No. Human essence ascenders were not worth her attention, they would hit their ceiling by Level 7 rifts, by that point any Level 10 human essence ascender would perish even with a team of 10 ascenders. There was a tiny measure of justice in it. The human essence ascenders had ruled the planet before the outbreaks and now their time was coming to an end. Lem Solaris actually liked that. Maybe that¡¯s what drives the System intents? A purge of the weak. It wasn¡¯t impossible. Awakened systems were known to be odd and to behave in unprecedented ways. Wanting the System to leave the universe to organically rebuild itself made perfect sense. And it could be fun to watch. Things like this weren¡¯t common. Assuming Traveller is going to let me stay. The rare rift spilled several types of lizards with the rare variety being a Scorch-sided Lizard that burned everything around them. This particular specimen wasn¡¯t anything unusual but without preparation, these lizards were deadly because their auras stacked. In a non-overcharged rift, the Scorch-sided Lizard wouldn¡¯t be tightly packed like they were here so their threat would have been even less prominent but here and now, their combined auras exploded like a bomb. At least, the soldiers weren¡¯t completely defenceless. Several of them had common spells and in combination with offensive Talents, thinned the number of lizards before the worst reached them. The Level 7 human essence ascender activated his Talent and with added enhancement from Kora¡¯s Talent was quick enough to kill the rest, then entered the rare rift. The other rift was common so it wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning. Monsters from common rifts didn¡¯t have any magical abilities beyond the innate properties of their bodies. She felt like she was going to need to explain the difference to Keynes Kid. Twenty minutes later, all the monsters were killed. The Level 7 walked out of the rare rift, there were burns all over his body. Nothing he wouldn¡¯t heal naturally over the next few days. While his Talent was powerful¡ªdoubling his attributes. And because the increase came from the Talent, the spike in attributes was natural and didn¡¯t require adjustment. But the time limit was harsh and required sound reasoning, which he¡¯d failed to display. He had run out of his Talent¡¯s boost before his encounter with the boss which almost cost his life. If the rift had had any dangerous modifiers, the Level 7 would have died. That takes me to another issue. Their threat assessment doesn¡¯t exist, she said to herself in her mind. She would have to teach him how to spot deadly situations long before they were unavoidable. Too many times she had seen ascenders from different universes taking on the thing they couldn¡¯t handle because they lacked the most important tool - threat assessment. She was about to pull Keynes Kid aside for a chat when one of the senior leaders of the Resistance approached him. She decided to wait. ¡°What the fuck was that about?!¡± he shouted. ¡°Did you try to kill us?!¡± His outburst mobilised other soldiers and they stood up on alert. A few actually aimed at Keynes Kid¡¯s companions. Without the Level 7¡¯s Talent, the soldiers had an upperhand, unless Keynes Kid committed his [Chaos Aura] and killed everyone. Now, that¡¯s another issue that has to be addressed. This aura must go. Chapter 157 The situation got serious the moment the soldiers turned on Keynes¡¯s group. Their particular attention was on Columbus, which made sense. To them, he was the real threat. But the question was why had they turned on them so suddenly? The opening of the second rift could have been an accident and not a premeditated act. Betrayal? He asked himself but also hoped that Lem Solaris was close by and would lend him a hand. There was no response though. Keynes watched the Resistance soldiers take positions, then his heart sank for good. There were more soldiers coming. This had been planned. ¡°Does Cassandra know about your betrayal, captain?¡± Columbus asked. The captain had eyed Columbus with cold calculation before he opened his mouth. ¡°You¡¯ve betrayed us, Curt,¡± the captain said. Many soldiers nodded. ¡°And this isn¡¯t something the Resistance can forgive.¡± So Keynes wasn¡¯t the goal of their betrayal. That felt weird but for some reason a great weight was taken off his chest but it didn¡¯t make the whole setup less deadly. Their initial outburst of anger aimed at Keynes had fooled him. ¡°Do you understand the importance of our presence here, soldier?¡± Columbus asked, showing no outward emotions. ¡°Your action will jeopardise the future of the planet.¡± The captain snorted at that. Keynes sensed Kora¡¯s attention on him and suspected that she had blacklisted all the Resistance soldiers. This gave Keynes¡¯s group a small edge but they were vastly outnumbered. With Columbus¡¯s Talent on cooldown, their only true offensive skill was Keynes¡¯s [Chaos Aura] but with his shaky spiritual aura, it was a double-edged sword at best. If he failed to take proper control of the skill, he¡¯d harm everyone, including his group. A decision had to be made as the seconds ticked by. Standing in front of potential enemies, the scope of Keynes¡¯s failure was finally revealed. He wasn¡¯t prepared for situations like this one. ¡°You¡ª¡± the captain froze. Keynes and Columbus perked up. All the soldiers stood still, their eyes blank. Lem Solaris? Is that your doing? Keynes asked. She didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he heard a clapping. Then they saw a person walk among the frozen soldiers. The person wore a red and black coat that certainly was a rift item. But it didn¡¯t matter as Keynes sensed their spiritual energy. It appeared familiar but much stronger. As he raked his mind, the person spoke up. ¡°Columbus Curt and Keynes Kid, what a nice surprise.¡± Keynes would never forget his voice even though he wished he could. ¡°Windsor Freeman,¡± Columbus said as Freeman took off the hood, revealing his young but weathered face. Keynes noticed an unhealed injury on his neck and two more hooded figures in the distance. His mind blanked for a split second. The strength of the mental intrusion was more than he expected. His legs felt shaky and his head started to hurt. Even though the pain was weak and dull, it made it harder to concentrate. Moments like this reminded Keynes about the importance of potions. Ignoring their potency was becoming a severe liability. As his thoughts tried to crawl through his mind, Columbus and Freeman talked. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Relax, Columbus,¡± Freeman said, stopping in front of Columbus. ¡°I am here as a potential ally not an enemy.¡± ¡°How did you know we were going to be here?¡± Columbus asked again, his voice flat, his body tense and ready to spring into action. Freeman sighed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, Columbus? Do you think this is a coincidence? Me, finding you in the middle of nowhere? No, my old friend. Cassandra may be a competent officer but her underlings are not. I planned for this since I¡¯ve learned about Hunter.¡± Kora¡¯s hand touched Keynes¡¯s shoulder and it helped him focus. Columbus also perked up at the mentioning of Hunter. ¡°What do you know about him?¡± Columbus asked, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that this whole thing had been set up by Windsor Freeman. ¡°I fought him two days ago in North America.¡± He touched his neck. ¡°That¡¯s the little parting gift from him. Living Frost. An annoying and stubborn affliction, hard to remove and constantly on the verge of spreading.¡± He turned around, his eyes brushing Keynes and Kora without further acknowledgment. ¡°He¡¯s coming for you,¡± he said to Columbus. ¡°And there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop him. I tried and was not only outmatched but countered as well. He has a well-rounded team. At least Level 5 and 6, all rift essence. Varied and uncommon spells and Talents with high synergy. They hit my group and before I could make sense of the situation, half of my people were dead. My beloved Marg Moonbane stayed behind to cover our retreat.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°How strong is he?¡± Columbus asked and as Keynes started to recover from the mental attack, he sensed Columbus¡¯s aura. He was shaken and it appeared that somehow Freeman was aware of it. ¡°At least Level 8 rift essence with solid rift items.¡± ¡°Level 8? What is this in terms of attributes?¡± Columbus asked and Keynes noted a fallacy in Columbus¡¯s question. He still looked through the prism of attributes but that was a clear mistake. ¡°Somewhere over 50,¡± Freeman replied. ¡°But attributes aren¡¯t the most important thing anymore.¡± Freeman understood. Of all people, it had to be this one! ¡°They will control you until your Talent runs out and will finish you off, Columbus. The rules of the pre-outbreak world no longer apply. If you cannot adjust, you¡¯ll perish.¡± It was difficult to disagree with him. ¡°And you came all the way here to tell me about it?¡± Freeman sighed and they could see his exhaustion. Even despite his youthful appearance, he was an old man and it was clear that the recent events put pressure on him. Keynes still hated him for what they¡¯d done to him but he couldn¡¯t help and feel a bit sorry for his biggest enemy. ¡°Columbus, we¡¯ve known each other for decades. We ran the solar system together. We aren¡¯t men who enjoy games.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see it the same way,¡± Columbus said but his voice didn¡¯t sound very sure anymore. Freeman glared at Columbus with cold, unyielding eyes. ¡°Things are about to take a turn for the worse. The Solar Council isn¡¯t what you think it is. Did you know what they plan to do with Earth¡¯s rifts once they subdued everyone?¡± ¡°The same thing you tried?¡± Freeman¡¯s face twitched but otherwise he didn¡¯t react. ¡°You¡¯ll soon find out that what I tried to do and what they are doing are two very different things. They plan to move all the rifts off the planet and control who will level up and to what degree. Unlike me, they are seriously bent on seeing their plans fulfilled and they have the means to succeed with barely any opposition.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t let that happen,¡± Columbus snapped, losing his cool. ¡°We¡¯re the only ones with access to Level 4 rifts. We have our counter-measures, Freeman. We won¡¯t stay idle while the Solar Council tries to take over the world.¡± ¡°If you seek to fight them, then stop this idiocy.¡± Freeman waved at the three Level 4 rifts. ¡°You¡¯re wasting good rifts on them. The Resistance¡¯s days are numbered. Do you think Hunter¡¯s presence in North America was a coincidence? No. He¡¯s there to deal with Sandman and then would come here to end the little rebels.¡± Clearly, Freeman had no love for the Resistance but the cold way he delivered the news made Keynes shiver. ¡°That¡¯s the more reason for giving them rifts,¡± Columbus replied and Keynes realised that the founder was buying time for his Talent to come off the cooldown, though Keynes didn¡¯t know the exact cooldown. ¡°They will have no time for that. They have no big hitters to defend this place. That¡¯s why the only way to slow the Solar Council down is the fourth outbreak. It will empower the people, making it harder for them to consolidate the power at the top.¡± Columbus opened his mouth but Freeman cut him off. ¡°You have no choice. But I haven¡¯t come here with empty hands. If he does the fourth outbreak. I will share all I know about the superstructures. There are¡­ were nine of them. The Edenus, which was the centrepiece of the Human Project, was destroyed in the Oriental League¡¯s territory. The Eye, also known as the Helios Project, is currently in the hands of the Institute. The remaining superstructures are hidden. After the fourth outbreak, I will come to you and reveal all the information.¡± Freeman turned to go then stopped. ¡°One more thing. I release you from the ritual, Columbus Curt. I am not your enemy. Make sure to remember it when the time comes.¡± With that a portal opened in the air and Freeman with the two remaining figures entered it. Silence lasted only a heartbeat as the Resistance soldiers came back to their senses but their hostility vanished. They looked around confused, some were running away. Some screamed. What had been done to them? Had it been the same mental attack that hit Keynes? ¡°What just happened?¡± Kora whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely¡ªoh¡­ That was Tulli and Kaito Ren with Freeman.¡± Columbus nodded, staring at the point where the portal had been. Most of the Resistance soldiers were gone. ¡°Did you catch it all?¡± Columbus asked and Keynes thought he misunderstood the other man until Wagner spoke from a speaker in a personal device. ¡°Yes. I also have confirmation that he fought or rather encountered Hunter in North America. It was uglier than Freeman made it sound, Columbus. Our report says that Hunter made it quite public. He wanted to send a message to everyone.¡± ¡°So¡­change of plans?¡± ¡°Keynes?¡± Wagner asked. ¡°What do you think?¡± Keynes approached Columbus. He still felt queasy after the mental attack and the conversation between Columbus and Freeman, and other revelations. Kora followed his steps while the rest of their group secured the perimeter. ¡°I¡­am not sure what to do,¡± Keynes said truthfully. He felt lost. ¡°I need time to think this over.¡± ¡°Alright but don¡¯t stay anywhere near these rifts. The Institute knows you opened them. If you go ahead with the outbreak, inform me. We should be done with the domes in the Level 5 cluster rift by the time you return to Emerald City.¡± *** Keynes tried to sleep but found it elusive. He had a big decision to make and it bothered him that once again, it was his call, his responsibility. He had full support from Wagner and Columbus but that didn¡¯t make it any less heavy. Columbus didn¡¯t have it easy either. He had to explain to Cassandra what had happened and why they had taken with them the two rifts and left one unopened. There was a real possibility that the Resistance would turn against them. Since they left the place when they¡¯d encountered Freeman yesterday, Kora was silent and thoughtful. Keynes didn¡¯t want to disrupt her inner deliberation. A world stilled and he knew who appeared next to him. ¡°Quite a mess you have here,¡± Lem Solaris said as she prodded a wall of a cavern they were currently hiding inside. ¡°But it isn¡¯t the worst I¡¯ve seen. So cheer up.¡± Keynes¡¯s laugh was mirthless, his eyes returned to the dark ceiling. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you step in?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not permitted to involve myself in your affairs. I¡¯m here to merely train you, Keynes Kid.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unfair,¡± Keynes said, knowing how whiny he sounded. ¡°With your powers, you could solve all the problems.¡± ¡°Shortcuts don¡¯t work that way. Me solving the problems of your world would only lead to bigger problems later on. Your world must learn at its own pace. I don¡¯t fully subscribe to the complete non-intervention policy the System of your universe demands, but it has its merit. You¡¯ll learn from your mistakes and you¡¯ll become wiser in the process.¡± ¡°A lot of people will die.¡± ¡°Inevitable. You don¡¯t have any control over their lives.¡± ¡°Another outbreak will kill many people.¡± ¡°So will the regime that will be born from your inaction.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Lem Solaris cut him off, literally. He couldn¡¯t squeeze a sound out of himself. ¡°No, let¡¯s go over everything you¡¯ve learned since yesterday.¡± Chapter 158 Hunter stood in front of a dominion. It was barely perceptive to the naked eye but to his spiritual sense, the dominion screamed in the spiritual silence of its Level 0 surrounding. Clearly, the dominion was of a higher Level but Hunter couldn¡¯t pinpoint it. The dominion¡¯s spiritual fluctuations were too chaotic and unpredictable, although spiritual energy remained within constraints of Level 5. It made sense, no Level 6 dominion monster had been encountered so apparently the strength of dominions was limited to Level 5. Fairly straightforward. The fluctuations on the other hand were not. Hunter had run across a thousand different types of monsters and various the System¡¯s entities. None of them possessed fluctuating spiritual energy. Somehow dominions stood apart from the rest, and yet they were, like everything else, a product of the System. Why were dominions divergent from the rest? He could not say. He hadn¡¯t been inside a dominion yet. He made a step closer to it. Barely several centimetres separated him from the dominion¡¯s invisible surface. Another interesting aspect of this particular dominion was what lay beyond within its borders. His people had confirmed that the layout of the terrain didn¡¯t match the records. Either they were fed an illusion or the dominion had changed its terrain. Either way, the idea of having a dominion for himself was growing on him. Too bad that the Solar Council looked down on these System¡¯s entities and wanted them all gone from Earth. An ambitious goal but they had added a small provision that didn¡¯t ban dominions on other planets or moons. He was glad he¡¯d asked for a private moon as compensation for his job. But now wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on the future. He had work to do. He still was irked by Freeman¡¯s escape but Freeman¡¯s pet had turned out to be quite a discovery. A hybrid ascender of Level 5 with strength and durability of a rift essence Level 8? He knew that similar power spikes could be achieved with a Perfect State but that thing wasn¡¯t even a full rift essence ascender. It was a shame that they had had to put her down as they lacked in the mental spells department. That was one of the things his team must patch up very quickly. One of Freeman¡¯s subordinates had used a mental Talent on them and some of Hunter¡¯s people had been incapacitated. He noted that his ascenders at Level 6 or the First Degree Level 5 had been able to resist the mental attack. But they needed to look into some skills with passive mental resistance going forward. Unfortunately, it got in the way of his other plans like acquiring [Flight], [Blink] and some sort of teleporting abilities for his team to rapidly travel between locations. Lord Sovereign had assured him that all his skill requirements would be met but the drop rate of movement skills was extremely low and the lucky ones would rather take these skills for themselves instead of selling. Anyway, these things weren''t a priority at the moment. What mattered was completing the team with full synergy. Hunter wanted all basic elemental power at his disposal. It made countering people like Freeman, who was a pure fire user, a triviality. Then he¡¯d start looking into more complex and esoteric powers like the dominion in front of him. He¡¯d received all the necessary information about it and yet he didn¡¯t feel completely at ease entering this place without better preparation. Lord Sovereign believed time was of utmost importance when it came to dominions. Mostlikely, he was worried that the second sub-boss and its dominion would soon appear and make things harder to control. After the first sub-boss had fallen, the frequency of dominion events and a number of dominion monsters spawning all over the planet increased. Therefore it was reasonable to assume that defeating the second one would increase these parameters further. That was why he was here. He needed to put down Sandman as the man currently stood on the top of the all-time dominion ranking with over 30 thousand points. Top 2 and 3 were still below 20 thousand points. This kind of chasm between the top 1 and the rest made it clear that Sandman was dangerously obsessed with dominion stuff. With all the rewards for weekly and monthly placements, Lord Sovereign didn¡¯t want Sandman to get out of control. Hunter made a step forward. You are inside the Sphere of Darkness * Debuff acquired! All light and its sources are banished. * Debuff acquired! Spells enhancing perception and vision are disabled. * Debuff acquired! Perception attribute is lowered by 20%. * Debuff acquired! Spiritual energy is suppressed. Inside Sandman¡¯s dominion, Hunter found only darkness. Immediately, he activated [Night Vision]. Looks like these debuffs aren¡¯t only for show. He tried [Enhanced Eyes] but received the same system message. ¡°Try [Create Light] and [Light Orb],¡± he said to his team that joined him inside the dominion. ¡°Holy fuck,¡± Jack swore, his voice muted and distant. ¡°Both are disabled.¡± ¡°[Solar Flare]?¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Disabled.¡± These three were the only skills they had at their disposal. Hunter weighed his options. The dominion was not only pitch black but also lowered his other senses. Using his spiritual aura to navigate would be a nightmare. He was getting better at using it but nowhere near the level he needed to replace his eyes. The rest of his team had gained at least the Medium spiritual stage like him but their lower Levels made their spiritual senses far weaker than his. Fighting an opponent in such an environment would be a suicide. They were not ready but the question was: would they ever be? Hunter and his team weren¡¯t the only ones getting stronger. Sandman and his minions were reportedly gaining Levels and spells as well. Perhaps to comfortably counter such a hostile environment, he needed a Level 10 with light-oriented Talent. But that was pure speculation on his part. He wasn¡¯t an expert on dominions and their capabilities. ¡°[Create Fire] and [Fireball] work but I can¡¯t see them,¡± Marie informed him. ¡°That¡¯s it then,¡± Hunter said. ¡°Retreat.¡± ¡°ALREADY?¡± a voice coming from all sides boomed. ¡°WE DIDN¡¯T GET A CHANCE TO TALK, MR HUNTER.¡± His team was well-trained and disciplined and they left the dominion even though he stayed behind. ¡°You¡¯re well-informed, whoever you are.¡± ¡°BUT YOU KNOW WHO I AM. I AM A GOD HERE.¡± Hunter felt a tap on his shoulder and it took all his willpower to not react. It was a spell but without the aim to hurt him. Sandman wanted to get under his skin. Hunter wasn¡¯t going to play along. ¡°WELL, I HAVE TO ADMIT YOU¡¯RE IN LUCK. ONE MORE DEBUFF AND NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO LEAVE MY DOMINION WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Hunter asked, showing confidence despite a growing sensation of wrongness. Another spell? Some kind of mental affliction? He couldn¡¯t tell. For some reason, not everything showed up as the system message or debuff. ¡°YES,¡± Sandman said. ¡°I WANT YOU TO DELIVER THE MESSAGE TO THE SOLAR COUNCIL. I WANT YOU TO TELL THEM TO LEAVE ME ALONE. I WILL HUNT YOU ALL DOWN IF YOU DO NOT.¡± Hunter felt an oncoming attack and jumped backward, his inhuman strength carrying him for over thirty metres, far beyond the confines of the dominion. Light of the day blinded him for a second, but upon landing he jumped again, this time to the left. In the spot where he had landed was a pool of boiling darkness. It seemed to devour light. It hurt to stare at it. ¡°We leave now,¡± he commanded his team. ¡°And remain on high alert.¡± *** ¡°So no essence needed for Talents?¡± Lem Solaris rolled her eyes. ¡°That is correct. Talents cannot be upgraded the same way spells are.¡± Keynes mused her words on Talents and spells. He was slowly getting a grasp on these mechanisms that controlled Talents and spells. The thing that he still had difficulties with was the case in which a Talent could be improved without minor or major upgrade. He understood the underlying idea: some Talents had a hidden capacity for improvement. In most cases, this improvement was temporary and acted like a rubber band. In other cases, the improvement was small but permanent. However, there were also Talents that didn¡¯t have this hidden capacity. Lem Solaris had pointed out Columbus¡¯s Talent to be as such. The rule of thumb was that Talents with hard numbers were usually set in stone. Nonetheless according to Lem Solaris, such Talents on average were stronger than non-numeric types. It had raised so many questions that Keynes had gotten a headache from information overload and was now trying to sort it out. ¡°This leads us to another matter,¡± Lem Solaris said. ¡°It¡¯s important, so focus. You must learn how to spot the difference between Talents and spells. There will come a time when you will encounter people with specific Talents, Talents you must avoid at all cost unless you can overpower them from the start and even then nothing is guaranteed.¡± ¡°You mean Talents like Columbus¡¯s Talent?¡± ¡°Not exactly. His Talent is easily countered with certain affinities, though in the pre-outbreak time I can see how he didn¡¯t have equals. But this isn¡¯t what I meant. There will be some Talents, very combat-oriented Talents, that will scale up spells and abilities to a ridiculously high degree. When you will grow stronger and level up past Level 10, you will find teams and individuals with such Talents. They will have very high synergy. Believe me, people with random skills won¡¯t get this far. You can think of Level 11 like the first hallmark of strength. At this point, expect others to know what they are doing and expect to be surprised by them. So, you have to start thinking about your archetype right now.¡± ¡°Alice said the same thing.¡± ¡°And what archetype did she have in mind?¡± ¡°Stealth mage.¡± ¡°Good but you have to be more precise than that.¡± ¡°I like [Telekinesis] though that skill is difficult to work with. I also have [Chaos Aura]. If I can make the aura¡ª¡± She raised her hand, cutting him off. ¡°You¡¯re going to get rid of [Chaos Aura].¡± ¡°What?!¡± She sighed, looking a bit annoyed. ¡°Each skill has spiritual weight or cost and this means there is a limit of how many spells you can absorb. Then there is compatibility and resonance with the spiritual core you must take into account. Finally, you have to consider your archetype. Stealth mage doesn¡¯t need such a destructive spell as [Chaos Aura]. There won¡¯t be any such spell for thousands of years, if not millions. You don¡¯t want to leave a trail behind.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°No buts,¡± she interjected. ¡°From now on, we will focus on skills, items and training that are synergistic with your archetype. First of all, you must continue your daily training with your friend until I come up with a better regime but hand combat will never be your goal. An individual with a true hand combat oriented Talent will be too much to handle, so there is no point over-focusing on this aspect but you have to be passable. The next thing will be understanding of what the stealth mage archetype encompasses. You need to stay out of perception of other ascenders and monsters and that means not only vision or spirit but all other senses and some entities will have additional senses not available to everyone. Before we move on, I want you to think of all the spells and abilities you may need. Once you are done. We will speak again.¡± ¡°What about¡­¡± She was gone. ¡°The outbreak.¡± He was once again alone in the cave. He tried to concentrate on his conversation with Lem Solaris but his mind was in a state of revolt and so he gladly accepted distraction when Columbus returned to the cave and told them that the Resistance demanded all rifts to be opened and their contract fulfilled but neither Columbus nor Wagner trusted the Resistance anymore after Freeman¡¯s revelations. It meant one thing: another outbreak. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the Resistance will do in the face of an outbreak.¡± Columbus explained. ¡°We must be prepared for total hostility or another betrayal.¡± ¡°It would be best to pick a larger cluster in that case,¡± Kora joined the conversation. They glanced at her and she almost made a step back. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Five rifts opened simultaneously would keep them occupied.¡± ¡°There is another possibility. I will enter the cluster alone and do it without anyone seeing me,¡± Keynes said. Eventually, they agreed that Keynes¡¯s idea had the most merit, especially considering that any Level 4 rift cluster was many days worth of walking. So returning to the unopened rift made most sense. Even if it would be heavily guarded, [Spiritual Wrath] would have no issues slipping through most security measures. On top of that, Keynes would go there during night time, which would further decrease the chances of being detected. Wagner immediately put everyone in the company on high alert. The fourth outbreak was upon them and they had to make the most out of it before the Solar Council caught up. Chapter 159 Lem Solaris¡¯s request caught Keynes off guard. He had expected to easily come up with a list of spells he would need as a stealth mage. But as he had delved into his memory, he discovered only the very obvious stuff like [Invisibility] or class spells. He was certain that this wasn''t what Lem Solaris had had in mind. In fact, the longer he thought about her the more he grew wary of her motives. Free lunches didn¡¯t exist. Even Wagner, Columbus and Esopp hadn¡¯t taken Keynes as their business partner out of their good heart. It was fruitless as there was no way to comprehend someone like Lem Solaris and Keynes¡¯s thoughts returned to a stealth mage archetype. The initial idea stemmed from a rogue mage but according to Alice, the rogue archetype had a certain focus, which wasn¡¯t in line with Keynes¡¯s plans. A stealth mage on the other hand was everything Keynes wanted to be. The stealth meant staying out of enemies¡¯ sight, or as Lem Solaris had emphasised, out of enemies¡¯ senses. He quickly discarded [Invisibility] and considered other options he had seen in the marketplace. Skills affecting perception of others were extreme rarity. Either their drop rate was very low or they were priceless and seldom sold. [Fata Morgana] and [Sound Barrier] had been the only ones that affected perception and would be useful to him. He clearly needed more than them. A spell for each sense? Or something to affect all senses. There was another option as well. Using [Darkness] or [Shadows], Keynes could affect the environment and use his [Night Vision] to keep the advantage. The issue with such spells was that Keynes wouldn¡¯t be the only person to possess [Night Vision] or other spells enhancing vision. The ¡®mage¡¯ part of the archetype was easier to guess. Keynes already had [Telekinesis] and he knew he needed some passives to enhance it but the more he thought about [Telekinesis] the more he disliked the idea of being one trick pony. He needed another spell. Something very different from [Telekinesis] but still synergistic with stealth. Wind attacks were first candidates but these spells could still be tracked back to him. Could they? This is so frustrating! It was frustrating to rely on pure guesses as knowledge was nearly non-existent. If you¡¯re around, Lem Solaris, then you can very much tell me what you have in mind because there is very little I can think of. In reply, he heard a sigh but Lem Solaris didn¡¯t appear. It sounded like she was disappointed with him. Too bad he didn¡¯t care. If she wanted him to come up with a build she should have given him something to work with other than his imagination. *** Lem Solaris watched Keynes Kid fly toward the Level 4 rift where he would initiate another rift outbreak. She understood his sentiment but she was disappointed with his attitude more than anything. There were people, even on the planet, who had the inquisitive mindset that pushed them forward. Keynes Kid had such a mindset as well but Lem Solaris could see the damage in Keynes Kid¡¯s mind that slowly distorted it. If she was allowed to act directly, she would erase the damage and return his mind to the intact state but the System didn¡¯t want that. If the damage had been caused by a spell, it would have healed over time but it was a Talent inflicted damage and there was little hope for Keynes Kid in the long run unless he reached Level 11 before his mind completely fractured. The little test with the archetype showed Lem Solaris that she needed to adjust the timeline. This made removing [Chaos Aura] all the more important. Each time Keynes had used the Level 45 spell with chaos affinity, it resonated with his unknown chaos debuff and further deteriorated his condition. Unfortunately, getting rid of the chaos debuff was impossible. Traveller had told her that the debuff was linked to Keynes Kid¡¯s Talent in almost a symbiotic way and was the reason why Keynes Kid¡¯s Talent had an error affinity, which was extraordinary and terrifying at the same time. A normal Lockpicking Talent was mediocre at best and had niche use. With an error affinity, Lockpicking had the ability to cheat the System and was priceless. If this universe was like the one Traveller and Lem Solaris came from, Keynes Kid¡¯s fate would be dire. His mere existence would spark endless wars between the rulers of their universe. It naturally stirred her curiosity although Traveller had warned her to not dwell on the origin of Keynes Kid¡¯s error affinity and the chaos debuff. That meant there were perious forces involved in this and Traveller wanted to err on the side of caution. It would be best to simply leave but Traveller wouldn¡¯t be himself if he didn¡¯t poke a sleeping dragon in the eye, even a little. Getting back to the problem at hand, the stealth mage archetype. She could sense the System¡¯s hand in influencing Keynes Kid through his spiritual companion. Stealth archetypes, given the right amount of development, were scary. Keynes Kid¡¯s line of thought wasn¡¯t wrong but it was painfully limited and through no fault of his own. He failed to recognise that there were many layers where a person became stealthy. Lem Solaris¡¯s first encounter with a stealth archetype had been unusual one. She had been running an errand for Traveller and had run into a stealth earth assassin. She had panicked back then when the assassin had almost buried her alive. The man had been hiding underground the whole time and once discovered used compressed layers of soil and stone to shield himself from her. When she tore the ground asunder, the assassin had fled deeper into the ground. She had almost paid the ultimate price and had followed him into a trap. During the whole encounter she had never laid her eyes on him and they were in early Level 20s. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. She was sure that if she had gotten carried away back then and chased him, she¡¯d have been dead. From there there had been more esoteric stealth enemies but the two worst ones to deal with were time and dimension oriented archetypes. Neither of such spells could be dropped before Level 27 so a long way off but she already had several good spells for Keynes Kid in mind. [Forgetful Eyes] was the first skill she wanted Keynes Kid to have. It made others forget about a caster for 1 second. If Keynes Kid somehow managed to merge the spell with [Delay], its effects could be enhanced and expanded. It would create delay based on distance and add a conflicting resonance between eyes and other senses. This, coupled with [Decoy] and [Memory Fault], would make Keynes Kid impossible to pinpoint. The moment he would enter a fight his position would be not only stealthy but also irritating and distracting. Later on, [Information Overload] could be added though it would move away from the stealth part of the archetype. These skills were all fine but he needed to be one step ahead of his enemies, especially if he wanted to press forward the Perfect State degrees. A several Levels higher monster with [Clear Mind] and [True Sight] would see through his deception. Also skills that granted resistances like [Steel Mind] or [Perfect Memory] which was a different version of Keynes Kid¡¯s buff. Once activated it recorded everything with near flawless precision for a certain period of time. Then she needed to account for perception or mind oriented Talents. Generally, it was always best to overwhelm opponents who could see through mind tricks and illusions. This was the big error of stealth archetypes who ran into such encounters and tried to keep themselves as invisible as possible where the abnormal sensitivity of their opponents thrived in scarcity. This also was where Keynes Kid¡¯s Photographic Memory buff could hinder him. Learning how to suppress or disable one¡¯s buffs was a daunting task and the very least requirement was the superior spiritual stage, which Keynes Kid had achieved. But from there the road was going uphill and she didn¡¯t think adding more to his plate was a good idea. It was so easy to forget that on her time scale he was barely an infant. Many people she¡¯d met needed centuries to gain a deeper understanding of magic. He was only 17 years old and pushing him too hard would only exacerbate his mental damage. It wasn¡¯t an immediate concern as it was unlikely that anyone would be using [Overwhelm] or [Information Overload] to counter stealth users. In the case of [Overwhelm], it was even harder as the spell would have to be combined with a mental attack first. This brought her to offensive spells. She knew Keynes Kid wanted to rely on [Telekinesis] as his main skill which was fine and with [Steel Mind] or [Mind Fortress] he would be able to use much easier but to actually affect lifeforce Keynes Kid needed to combine [Telekinesis] with any attack skill and preferably something with death affinity. To complement his offence he could pick up any skill without trajectory that would point to his location unless he could move around fast enough to avoid counter attacks. The number of potential skills were large so she decided to leave the choice to him. There existed another option but it would require him to use his Orb of Perfection on [Telekinesis] which would be a mistake. These orbs were best used on Talents. Obviously, this was her opinion and even Traveller would debate her on this as there existed a very tiny possibility of a buff or a spell gaining Talent-grade quality but it was the feature of the System in their universe, she didn¡¯t know if the same thing existed here. It was a shame that his friend, Kora Kowalska, had never had a chance to use an Orb of Perfection on her Talent. The utility of her Talent was very high and given time, she could evolve into a powerful support. Lem Solaris had seen similar Talents and knew that there was a chance for the major upgrade to offer her a spell suppression ability. It was rather unlikely she would be able to use both enhancement and suppression simultaneously before Level 20 and another major upgrade but being able to switch between would be handy in a fight. Because of her Talent, the easiest and most efficient route for Kora Kowalska were auras. Normally, she would have to learn how to use them to benefit her allies but her Talent had already bestowed this skill on her. It gave her an enormous advantage. The only thing that was left would be to ensure Kora Kowalska¡¯s survivability. Unfortunately, the stealth archetype would work in her case. Because of the amount of spiritual energy her Talent generated, her location would be easily pinpointed. It meant she needed resistances and some sort of invulnerability or shields. [Aegis] or [Hardened Skin] would be the first choice. But both had a significant mana cost which meant she would need mana-generating skills as well. [Mana Thief] against human opponents and [Essence to Mana] if she fought against monsters. Her [Mana Sight] was a nice addition and it would allow her to target more potent or easier to convert essence. On top of that, Lem Solaris wanted Kora Kowalska to actually acquire the Technique of Lesser Hand Combat to be able to deal with melee attackers. With [Brawl] or [Fast Punches], Kora Kowalska would surprise a great deal of attackers who would believe her to be an easy picking. Lem Solaris smiled, liking the direction this little project was going. She would have to find two more ascenders to compliment Keynes Kid¡¯s team and he¡¯d be sorted for a long time. Who knew maybe he would survive long enough to heal his mental damage? Lem Solaris halted as Keynes Kid stopped above the rift. There were only a handful of soldiers stationed here. She felt Keynes Kid activate [Spiritual Wrath] and slowly lowered his altitude. It was time for a little chaos. Chapter 160 Wagner and his top executives waited. After the encounter between Windsor Freeman, Keynes and Columbus, Wagner had called everyone into Emerald City for the meeting and confirmation of another outbreak. Only several key people were missing like Andrew Gunnar who had become Untainted Paradise¡¯s new CEO and moved to Geneva, a few heads who ran Wagner¡¯s secret projects. He didn¡¯t count the other three founders as their involvement in the company¡¯s operations was marginal and their understanding of what was happening barely fractional. Unlike the founders, the people in this room made Untainted Paradise not only function but they turned it into the most profitable machine in the world, which wasn¡¯t easy with all the factors acting against them. Untainted Paradise had over 300 thousand employees on their payroll and had to keep the location of Emerald City and their Level 4 rift cluster secret while their operations involved millions of tons of Level 4 materials being shipped everyday out of here. The fact they¡¯d pulled it off in the first place was a miracle. Wagner hadn¡¯t expected the secrecy to last this long and was preparing Emerald City for the public reveal. Initially, the founders had planned to open Emerald City and sell access to the public. But the maths was cruel and the kind of money they earned from each rift couldn¡¯t be charged from individuals. Even if their profits from rifts dropped by 90%, the public still wouldn¡¯t be able to afford the access and given Untainted Paradise¡¯s own needs, their rifts might never be opened to anyone outside their company. Despite their best efforts, 99.9% of Untainted Paradise employees were still Level 1. And now, their priorities changed once more as Untainted Paradise needed heavy hitters to counter Hunter. So they had to level up fighters to minimum Level 8. Wagner admitted that he¡¯d been wrong about this. He hadn¡¯t expected another individual powerhouse to rise so early and had preferred to develop weapons. Hunter had thrown his plans off the rail and now Wagner needed his own powerhouses to defend Untainted Paradise. He also was frustrated at himself for only seeing it after he¡¯d absorbed and had used [Higher Comprehension] skill. It was a marvellous skill bought for pittance, relatively speaking. It wasn¡¯t without drawbacks. Its mana cost was astronomical and emptied Wagner¡¯s mana pool in five minutes. Although he was very sure that it was possible to manipulate the degree of comprehension gained from the skill, Wanger wasn¡¯t yet there. He suspected the ability was linked to spirit and he had foolishly neglected gaining spiritual stages against Keynes¡¯s advice. With [Higher Comprehension] Wagner had understood the importance of spirit. Though the skill was nothing like the Fruit of Insight, it allowed Wagner to connect dots of knowledge he possessed in his mind. The Fruit of Insight on the other hand imparted knowledge that was not his. Frankly enough, there was a spell called [Minor Insight] but it had been sold privately to an unknown buyer. Wagner¡¯s spies tried to find it but without success so far. It wasn¡¯t the end of the world. With higher Level materials, Pucci and Wagner were able to replicate the mechanism of the Fruit of Insight and worked toward creating a stronger version, although it didn¡¯t appear like they would be able to shorten the time for the fruit to be ready for consumption. So no fruit for another hundred years. Speaking of the devil, Pucci was eyeing Wagner with mild irritation. Pucci was a genius with gardening-oriented Talent that made him invaluable to the company. Their history went back to the time when Wagner had learned of Shaper and magical gardening. Now Pucci was the head of the second biggest moneymaker of Untainted Paradise - potions. He still oversaw gardening as almost all potions required herbs, fruits or vegetables as their primary components but Pucci¡¯s work ethic led him to discover their bestseller potion - mana potion. It accounted for 95% profits of all sold potions. It was a baffling result considering life and stamina potions being available for sale. Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly ¡®baffling¡¯ as the mana itself was currency and the current price of a mana potion and its flat boost to mana regen, made profit as long as buyers could sell or store away their mana. Because of the flat boost, it was mostly bought by low Levels as supplement to their income. Life and stamina potions were bought by adventurers as ascenders who travelled outside of cities¡¯ walls called themselves. None of their potions had drawbacks anymore thanks to extensive research Pucci¡¯s department had put in. Nonetheless, these potions were only Level 1 with Level 2 currently scheduled for the company use only. Level 3 had many drawbacks and Level 4 didn¡¯t work as intended. Wagner was going to buy [Higher Comprehension] and other intelligence-enhancing skills for his researchers once such skills hit the market. With [Higher Comprehension] Wagner had been able to realise that the same materials of higher Levels didn¡¯t act the same way as the lower Level materials. This was parallel between potions and engineering materials. The control centre which was the beating heart of Emerald City was hailed to be made exclusively from Level 4 materials but it was merely propaganda. Not only they didn¡¯t have access to many Level 4 materials, but many materials couldn¡¯t be created even if they followed the lower Level blueprints of the same combinations. It was especially true for electronics, which required many rare metals. Wagner¡¯s engineers could not replicate low Level solutions with Level 4 metals, which led him to believe that at the higher Levels, materials behaved differently. He suspected spiritual energy at play but their methods of detecting spiritual energy were rudimental and far worse than the Institute¡¯s. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. If Wagner¡¯s key researchers received [Higher Comprehension] skills, he believed they would be able to make leaps and bounds in their research on spirit. He internally sighed, understanding how stretched his priorities were and how little resources they had. On top of all the issues, the encounter with Windsor Freeman had made Wagner consider changing the timeline on building the spaceship. If the Solar Council started moving rifts off the planet, they¡¯d eventually ¡®starve¡¯ the population. The worst was that with [Higher Comprehension] Wagner saw the merit behind it and would do the same. Through the World Government, the Solar Council had space traffic under complete control. No unsanctioned private space flights were allowed. If the Solar Council managed to move all the rifts off the planet, they would eventually create the scenario where they had absolute control over who, when and how much levelled up. Freeman was right, they were far more sinister than him. But Wagner didn¡¯t see a way he could stop them right now. The only option was to be able to leave Earth without the Solar Council¡¯s knowledge. It was possible as they had blueprints to create a stealth field and stealth materials but the cost and expertise required was still beyond what Untainted Paradise had. Wagner even considered bringing Haef Hasting into the space project. The man¡¯s Talent was extraordinary and after Keynes had taught him about spirit, he managed to create items with modifiers other than attributes. No other crafter in the company managed to replicate his achievements so far. But at the same time, Wagner¡¯s deep dislike for the man made him hesitate. Hasting couldn¡¯t be trusted. ¡°Wagner, how long?¡± Pucci asked. He clearly ran out of patience. ¡°I have important work to do.¡± Other heads stared expectantly. ¡°Any time now.¡± Columbus had informed him of Keynes¡¯s decision and later on about Keynes¡¯s departure to the rift. Wagner had asked the heads to be here during the outbreak to coordinate the mayhem that was about to befall on the world. Even the head of finances was here although her face was sour. She vehemently argued against another outbreak. From her perspective, their exclusive access to Level 4 rifts put them in a favourable position¡ªa good thing she didn¡¯t know about the deal with the Resistance¡ªand once the world gained access to Level 4 materials, their profits would dwindle substantially. She was correct in that regard. While Level 4 materials were powerful, their rifts didn¡¯t produce or have anything that would differentiate them among other Level 4 rifts. In other words, at the moment they were a big fish in a small pond but very soon the ocean would open up and their status would no longer mean as much. Her projection put their new profits around 40% of their current ones. If they included the insane Solar Tax of 70%, it would decrease their profits to 12% of the current ones. It looked dire but Wagner wasn¡¯t going to hand over 70% of their profits to the Solar Tax any time soon and they were close to finishing prepping the Level 5 rift cluster. Not to mention, the ever-growing demand for potions. Although the current earnings from the Level 4 rifts dwarfed those of potions. For now. ¡°Is it really necessary for me to be here?¡± Pucci asked. ¡°You know well that I am of no use in meetings.¡± ¡°You are,¡± Wagner replied. ¡°I need your assessment, Pucci. We have a team, with two Level 4 orbs of relocations, ready to travel to any part of the world we believe have important Level 4 rifts.¡± They were lucky to find another two orbs of relocations shortly after Columbus¡¯s and Keynes¡¯s departure. Wagner wanted to use the opportunity of chaos caused by another outbreak, and the stolen technology from the Institute and grab the best rifts for Untainted Paradise. Cyrano smiled and Wagner knew well why. The news of the Solar Council¡¯s plans convinced Wagner to no longer play nice and give green light to steal Level 1, 2 and 3 rifts from the World Reserve and Australia. Cyrano as the head of rifts would soon have more toys to play with. ¡°And how am I going to know which rifts are good?¡± Pucci asked, unconvinced. ¡°You didn''t pay attention at the last meeting, old man, did you?¡± the head of research snorted. ¡°We have access to the Institute¡¯s detection network. We will know every location of every rift that opens.¡± Once that happened, they¡¯d use satellites, drones and CCTV to access footage at these locations to judge the appearance of the monsters. One of the breakthroughs achieved by Untainted Paradise¡¯s mana-powered AI was to find a correlation between the monster types and the rift¡¯s environment. Their library wasn¡¯t yet impressive but they had a few matches they wanted to pursue. In truth, Pucci wasn¡¯t required here but Wagner didn¡¯t want the heads to fully grasp the extent of the AI¡¯s evolution. The pre-outbreak AI models had been fine but their technology had plateaued and it was a wild gamble on Wagner¡¯s and Pucci¡¯s part to try to integrate the AI and mana through organic materials. It paid off big time and now Wagner scrambled to cover the evidence of his AI breakthrough. The head of research knew this and warned Wagner about Keynes¡¯s attempt to create the department of knowledge. Wagner had been receiving daily complaints about Jedd Eldin, Keynes¡¯s personal assistant, who turned out to be a real deal. The personal assistant recruited a very sophisticated project team, and created the strong foundation of what meant to be Keynes¡¯s department. The head of research feared that his department would eventually be subjugated by Keynes, which Wagner couldn¡¯t easily dismiss. Keynes¡¯s behaviour was erratic and unpredictable. He was very young and while his views were fresh, they were dangerous. Letting Keynes have an access to accumulated knowledge of Untainted Paradise wasn¡¯t something Wagner wanted to happen. ¡°I pay attention to what¡¯s important,¡± Pucci replied dismissively. ¡°Plants are important. Even potions are¡­¡± Wagner stopped paying attention to their argument as a massive red warning appeared on the screen inside the meeting room. The fourth outbreak started. The interactive map of the world showing the spiritual energy signatures went white. And even without it, they felt the surge of spiritual energy pass through their bodies. ¡°God almighty,¡± someone mumbled. ¡°How many rift signatures?¡± Wagner asked a technician through the microphone. ¡°Five hundred nineteen,¡± came a reply. ¡°Pff,¡± the head of finance snorted. ¡°We officially have gone from owning 99% percent of Level 4 rifts to 4%. Congratulations, we are screwed.¡± Chapter 161 Vivena breathed out in relief. The rift boss, huge deformed larvae, finally succumbed to her stack of poisons. Since she¡¯d created her dominion, every rift inside it gained poison affinity. Most of the time, it benefited her as items, raw materials and skills often had poison affinity as well. The issue was that as often the rift monsters had poison attacks or poison resistance. This made delving the rift tedious as she had to spend more time killing poison resistant bosses and champions. But Vivena couldn¡¯t stop now. After she had gained Level 5 and had gone through the nightmare of picking a minor upgrade, she was on her way to Level 6, although her progress climbed slowly and was currently at 4%. She still had doubts about her choice. Each choice was game changing but she had only one. Also, the magnitude of these choices told her and Haruka that rift essence and higher spiritual stages made the choices far better. Her parents¡¯ choices had been a fraction of what she was offered. It was scary to think what a Perfect State ascender¡¯s choices would be although Haruka¡¯s sister Pandora had no luck maxing out her attributes again. She was stuck at Level 3 and the second degree Perfect State. Eventually, Vivena went ahead with the second choice. She still remembered the fight with Reglant Ravencroft and how he¡¯d purged the poisons from her body. Her Talent was her main weapon and she couldn¡¯t afford losing it during a fight to something as banal as purge. She took a look around the nightmarish rift. Sometimes the theme or biome changed into an otherworldly place no one wanted to venture in. So she usually ended up delving these rifts alone. There was no point pushing people against their will. Not everyone was born to be a fighter. She smiled thinking about the future of her dominion. The death of her grandfather brought many of her family members to her place, including her father. Her mother stayed behind, trying to salvage anything that was left from the Sael¡¯s House wealth. It didn¡¯t matter. With their rifts and bountiful wilderness, they didn¡¯t need to worry about anything. She was even ready to move on and forget about Keynes. The reward chest had an unidentified raw material. Another one to a growing pile. For some reason, the drop rate of the scrolls of identification was far lower than she expected. The hastened out of the rift wanted to have this abominable place behind her. She reached the rift exit and walked out into¡­ mayhem. Chaos. Slaughter. Instinctively, Vivena pulled out another poison serum and injected it without thinking about the consequences. Her every attribute climbed to 87 points turning her into the true monster. She didn¡¯t bother with her sword, her naked hands were harder than Level 3 steel. Despite her inhuman speed and strength she couldn¡¯t be everywhere and there was an never ending stream of Level 4 monsters. Her dominion was overrun. Bodies of her people lay scattered everywhere. There were only around a hundred people left inside her dominion and even with her buffs, they were losing. ¡°It''s an outbreak!¡± Haruka shouted when he noticed her. ¡°You must find the rifts and close them, Viv. We can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Take everyone to the rift and stay there for a couple of hours.¡± Haruka slammed his forehead and immediately started ordering people around. Vivena covered their retreat until the reminder of her people escaped into the rift. The monsters at large didn¡¯t pursue them inside. She then turned away from the rift and bellowed in rage. ¡°KEYNES KID, I WILL DESTROY YOU FOR THIS!¡± And kill everyone you care about. *** Hunter was relaxing in the warm bath when the reply from the Solar Council came. His failure at taking down Sandman was barely mentioned though. The message came directly from Blackwood, a rarity. Apparently, Keynes Kid and Columbus Curt were visiting the Resistance in New Columbiana and the Solar Council¡¯s spies learned that they were there to unseal Level 4 rifts for the Resistance. Blackwood wanted Hunter to wait until Keynes Kid did his job then slaughter the entire leadership. Was Blackwood trying to start another war? Hunter read on. Oh, so there were Blackwood¡¯s people on standby, ready to take over the Resistance. Hunter left the bath and slowly strolled onto the roof-balcony where the rest of his members enjoyed the sunset. No longer they complained about his nakedness, they¡¯d learned to live with it. Hunter liked to ponder things wearing nothing but his skin. He leaned against the railing. Miami¡¯s highest hotel was pricey but the view was absolutely worth it, even during the night. The ocean view was breath-taking and the breeze made him forget where he was. He deeply hated cities and loved nature, especially the one populated by monsters. Thinking of going after the Resistance put a smile on his face. It meant returning to the wilderness. It also meant Level 4 rifts and monsters. His smile widened at the thought levelling up. Level 9 was near and he couldn¡¯t wait to finally hit Level 10 and pick the major Talent upgrade. After his minor Talen upgrade had bestowed him with a deep understanding of essence, he expected the major upgrade to be a real game changer. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. He frowned as a spiritual pulse passed through him. A few seconds later the alarms in the city started blaring. His people jumped to their feet in confusion and alert. Then Jack shouted, ¡°There!¡± Monsters were screaming out of nowhere. No, not out of nowhere. They streamed out of a rift¡­ Is Keynes Kid here? Hunter asked himself then they opened the Web. ¡°It¡¯s a fucking outbreak,¡± Hunter said and rolled his shoulders. ¡°Get ready, we have a job to do.¡± *** Level 1 alcohol was an ugly thing. It tasted like vomit and its effect rattled Tom¡¯s head, but he needed it. After Kaito Ren had left him and Wolf, they returned to Arshem. The city was growing as the death of the first dominion sub-boss brought more monsters into the wild and the city bought several Level 1 rifts and was currently renting them though the prices were exorbitant. Wolf thought about joining Artefact Exchange but Tom was unsure in what capacity. Something about utilising his Talent. Tom didn¡¯t care. He had plans to ditch Wolf anyway. He took another sip of the hideous alcohol thinking over his next step. He was broke. The expected price drop of items didn¡¯t come as the demand kept increasing. He still had the ring but it was a joke in comparison to what he needed. Not to mention the prices of skills. Finding one was like winning a lottery. Tom saw his future in bleak colours. Going after Windsor Freeman had lost its meaning. He needed something¡­to live for. ¡°Why the long face?¡± a voice from the side asked. Tom didn¡¯t react, still staring at the glass with alcohol. ¡°Oh, I see. A tantrum.¡± He frowned. A tantrum? What¡ª. He froze, remembering the voice. ¡°Aurora.¡± ¡°Thomas.¡± ¡°I hate that name.¡± ¡°You should have changed it then.¡± He should have but his first name was the only thing his parents had given him. He had feared that changing it would sever the last connection he had with them. Irrational and stupid thoughts they had been. He didn¡¯t care any longer and he might actually follow the advice. But first, he needed answers. ¡°How did you find me?¡± ¡°This is the first question you ask of your sister?¡± Despite his best effort he couldn¡¯t find enough contempt inside himself to send his sister away. They hadn¡¯t seen each other since he was Level 2. Ignoring their differences, Tom exhaled and turned to her. ¡°So why now?¡± ¡°The king is dead.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Pandora admitted softly. ¡°Let¡¯s have a walk, brother.¡± Tom didn¡¯t move from his seat. If she wanted to talk, this place was the best there was. Most people were too drunk to even remember their names. Tom felt their weak Level 1 auras. The adventurers didn¡¯t come here. They chased higher Level drinks and food. If any person capable of eavesdropping was inside the bar, Tom would know. It included any higher Levels who could suppress their auras well enough to fool Tom. He was gently spreading his Talent around the room, constantly applying it on every person inside. Anyone who could resist his Talent, Tom would notice. The fact that his Talent didn¡¯t work on his sister was worrisome but he didn¡¯t voice his concern. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± she asked. ¡°We can talk here,¡± he replied, not looking at her. She snorted but didn¡¯t argue. He felt her spiritual aura pulse once, why he couldn¡¯t say. It could be a spell for all he knew. ¡°Fine. If this is what you want, brother.¡± Later on, Tom stood on the wall that surrounded the city. It was over a hundred metres high wall, five metres thick, built from Level 1 and 2 stone. The city was very strict about its safety. Several cities had been overrun by monsters because their rulers belittled the threat posed by the rift and dominion monsters. Arshem wasn¡¯t going to make the same mistake. But it wasn¡¯t why Tom came to the top of the wall. He needed to think. His sister wanted him to join her in an insane quest to¡­ A spiritual pulse passed through him. It was unlike anything he had ever felt. Then came the sounds of monsters, followed by alarms and a message. ¡°AN OUTBREAK IS UNDERWAY. I REPEAT, AN OUTBREAK IS UNDERWAY. EVERY ADVENTURER MUST FOLLOW THE ARSHEM¡¯S OUTBREAK LAW!¡± Tom couldn¡¯t care less about the city law. If an outbreak was really happening, it was an opportunity. He smiled, racing to the city¡¯s gate. Shouts of excitement came from every direction. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t the only one having a similar idea. *** Michael wouldn¡¯t call himself a seasoned adventure but he was competent enough to reach Level 4 in the wilderness. Most of the time, his Talent was doing a heavy lifting. It allowed him to create an non-violence area where all attacks were disabled. At Level 4, he could extend the area to over 10 metres in radius. But its size wasn''t the important part, the lingering effect of the area was. He could step out of the peaceful area for up to 10 seconds before it faded away. Michael abused it by stepping outside, shooting [Venomous Dart], then returning to the area and waiting for the venom from the spell to do its job. He often laughed lying in the middle of a docile monster horde. Anything up to Level 3 could not defy his Talent while Level 4 dominion monsters avoided the area completely. The mana cost of the area was only a problem if too many monsters entered it at the same time. Usually it happened when he ran into a horde of Level 1 dominion monsters. He didn¡¯t need his Talent to deal with them. They were too weak to harm him. Michael started when a spiritual blast passed through his body. He looked around, wondering about the source of the spiritual energy. An adventurer or a monster? Then another pulse hit him. It was far stronger and felt different. Was he under attack? But the silence told him that he was alone. He hadn¡¯t run into a monster the whole day, so¡­ A powerful spiritual signature flared to life not far from him. It was unlike ANYTHING he had ever encountered. He stared at the tree line but there was nothing, nor was on the field¡­wait a minute. Fuck. What is this? A shimmering column of light slowly came into existence about twenty metres from him, in the centre of the field. It seemed to reach the sky¡­ The Greater Rift is opened. Chapter 162 Many things happened simultaneously as Keynes reached the sealed rift with his Talent. A feeling of wrongness washed over Keynes. He remembered it¡­but then he didn¡¯t. Suddenly his mind started falling. He heard Alice¡¯s terrified voice and someone¡¯s pained grunt. Then the forest vanished and a familiar vision appeared in its place. But¡­ The vision was wrong, twisted. Chaotic. Chaotic. This was the key. This was the trigger. Out of nowhere, came unbelievable pressure and Keynes saw himself fall through space and time. He saw Shaper¡¯s vision deform and crack. There was a sliver of resistance from it as it tried to stop Keynes from finalising the opening. Keynes understood; according to the vision, he wasn¡¯t meant to cause the outbreak. Chaotic pressure attacked the spiritual vision. ¡°They are dead men. All of them, fools,¡± said a ghastly voice. ¡°You cannot save them. Their fate is already sealed. They belong to the enemy. Not you.¡± The vision broke apart. Pain blinded Keynes as a brutal strength tore part of Keynes¡¯s mind away. For a brief moment, he was wishing for death. For a brief moment, time stopped and Keynes stared at the chaos. His mind tried to grasp what his eyes saw but it was like climbing a vertical, wet wall with nothing but naked hands. ¡°Not yet ready. Too weak. Too pathetic.¡± Then he felt another power reach to him and pull him away from this terrible vision. They made him feel like a speck of dust inside a hurricane. Meaningless and powerless. So many things went over his head in that impossible stretch of time. Suddenly, he was back at the rift but time was frozen. Lem Solaris stood next to him, a glow on her hand indicated that she¡¯d used a spell on him. ¡°That¡¯s not supposed to happen,¡± she said. Keynes¡¯s mind felt like a raw wound. Every thought crossing it was agony so he said nothing. He didn¡¯t need to. Lem Solaris could read his thoughts and without hesitation she used another spell on him. Pain vanished but clarity was slow in coming. ¡°Thanks for saving.¡± Keynes said, getting to his feet. ¡°I didn¡¯t save you,¡± Lem Solaris replied, looking straight ahead. Even in her child¡¯s form, she looked domineering. ¡°I was not able to reach you.¡± ¡°Then who?¡± ¡°The System acted and pulled you out.¡± ¡°Out of where?¡± Keynes asked with a shiver. He started to seriously hate his situation. Lem Solaris glanced at Keynes, her face was expressionless. ¡°Out of Chaos,¡± she replied. ¡°Even in my universe, our understanding of Chaos is rudimental and poor. It is connected to rifts, fuelling them in some unknown capacity. There are countless debates as to what Chaos is and if it has its own agenda because it is sentient and intelligent. No doubt. What occurred here is further evidence of Chaos¡¯ involvement.¡± ¡°Involvement? Like¡­wait. What¡¯s going on here, Lem Solaris? What does Chaos want? Why the System cannot just¡­seal it away?¡± He started to sound desperate. There was panic in his voice. ¡°Check your system messages.¡± The Greater Rift has opened. The Greater Rift? The System had warned him during the previous outbreak. But what was it? As usual, Lem Solaris heard his thoughts and explained. ¡°It¡¯s bad news. Where rifts are dimensional bubbles, the greater rift is something far more complex and sinister. It is a web made out of rifts. All of them connected to each other through different Levels. Unless you have dimensional Talent, you should not enter it. The rifts inside the greater rift reset at random and it is very easy to lose the way back.¡± Questions exploded in Keynes¡¯s head but Lem Solaris was quick to cut him off. ¡°Forget the greater rift. Forget the vision and Chaos. The System, in fact, managed to seal it off. I want you to focus on your training. On top of beating your friend in hand combat, you will have to reach the second sub-boss. I don¡¯t expect you to defeat it as you are now. Just reach it and I will reward you with an appropriate spell and useful piece of knowledge.¡± ¡°Wai¡ª¡± Lem Solaris didn¡¯t let him finish. Time resumed and Keynes was thrown in the middle of a Level 4 horde of monsters. His mind instantly switched to combat mode and he started punching and kicking the duck-like monsters. Common rarity, they posed no threat to a Level 4 Perfect State ascender. Keynes tore through them with ease. But he wasn¡¯t alone. There were several soldiers from the Resistance. Despite being Level 3 and 4, they struggled with overwhelming force. Without hesitation, Keynes shot toward the rift to kill the boss. *** Lem Solaris was glad she could perfectly control her emotions. Managing emotions wasn¡¯t her strong suit and what she witnessed shook her to the core. To witness the opening of the greater rift¡­ It was beyond rare occurrence. Her universe had only two greater rifts. Both were closed off to anyone below Level 50. Traveller had been banned from entering them because of ¡®the incident¡¯ but the greater rift wasn¡¯t the important part of what she saw. She had seen what Keynes Kid had seen and she no longer doubted Traveller. Somehow they found themselves in the middle of a High Realm¡¯s plot. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. She quickly refocused on the task at hand. Without Traveller she couldn¡¯t do anything and so there was no point to dwell on it. She teleported to where Kora Kowalska was and without a warning stopped the perception of time for her. She had a provisional approval from the System to include her into her training. Kora Kowalska jerked around, looking confused. Lem Solaris couldn¡¯t blame them, these ascenders were like the first humans encountering a hyper advanced civilisation. Though Keynes Kid showed capability to quickly adapt to Lem Solaris¡¯s presence, others were going to be a pain. In his case, the job was done by the Rapid Learning buff. For the rest, finding themselves suddenly yanked out of reality by a god-like entity would never be normal. Lem Solaris briefly considered how to handle the girl. Kora Kowalska was older and mentally more mature than Keynes Kid, and from what Lem Solaris observed, she was analytical to a satisfactory degree. To prevent the whole deluge of questions, Lem Solaris used [Serenity] on the girl. It put her at ease and made the whole conversation less annoying. Lem Solaris explained what she expected from her and what she would receive in return if she fulfilled the expectation. After Lem Solaris finished her talk, she sent the girl to Keynes Kid, and then whipped them to a coast before the second sub-boss¡¯ dominion appeared. *** ¡°Keynes.¡± Kora said. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± They stood on the beach. Behind them the overgrown line of the forest ran in both directions. Keynes turned to her. He knew what had happened but he was not permitted to tell her the truth. But Kora surprised him. ¡°I met a child. Her name was Lem Solaris. She told me to¡­reach the dominion sub-boss but¡­ Keynes, what''s the matter?¡± The shock must have been obvious on his face. He definitely was surprised that Kora had met Lem Solaris. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just going to make my life easier.¡± They sat down and talked about their encounters, trying to piece things together. It wasn¡¯t easy. Keynes¡¯s memories were incoherent when it came to the opening of the rift. It was also a weird feeling to not be able to perfectly recall something. It made him check his buff/debuff status. Status: Rapid Learning (permanent), Pure Body (permanent), Photographic Memory (strong), Untraceable (medium, permanent). Chaos (permanent, dormant, ???). His Photographic Memory was intact and the Chaos debuff. At least, there were some good things in the big cauldron of mess. ¡°How are we gonna find the second dominion sub-boss?¡± she asked quietly sometime later. ¡°This Lem Solaris was very vague about...well, everything.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think this is her intention,¡± Keynes admitted. ¡°There is just too much to learn. My brain hurts just thinking about possibilities.¡± Kora only nodded. There was nothing else to say. They had already gone over Lem everything Lem Solaris told them. ¡°Fancy a spar?¡± Kora asked. Keynes gladly accepted as he needed to take his mind off the recent events. They both knew they would eventually need to make a move. Deep down they hoped that Lem Solaris had teleported them to this particular coast. With that conviction in mind, they trained for the next hour. Master? The unexpected question cost Keynes a painful punch to his stomach. ¡°Keynes?¡± worried, Kora immediately disengaged, hearing his grunt. ¡°What happened?¡± Alice? Are you back? Yes! ¡°My spiritual companion returned.¡± He could now feel the bond snapping to life. It felt different but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint the changes. Master, I missed you. The sentiment was mutual. But there was no time to catch up as a system message appeared. Dominion of the Father of the Forest has arrived (global message) Reach the centre of the dominion and reap unique rewards (global message) Number of dominion monsters globally has increased (global message) Strength of dominion monsters globally has increased (global message) Rewards dropped by dominion monsters globally has improved (global message) Location of the Dominion of the Father of the Forest has been uploaded * You are inside the Dominion of the Father of the Forest Dominion of Monsters Local Event * The Will of the Trees The global sub-boss challenges you to reach its seat of power and try to claim it for yourself. Mission: Unknown. * Additional rules: The dominion is open at all times. * The top 10 challengers are revealed globally in the sub-boss dominion ranking and their location (10 kilometres radius) is broadcasted. * Ranking is based on the distance to the sub-boss. * Some rules are unknown. * Additional debuffs have been inflicted on you. * Debuff acquired! The Pure Body buff failed to prevent the debuff! Unknown. *** The arrival of the second sub-boss dominion and the global system message caught many people off guard. Many of them paid for the moment of distraction with their lives as they were in the middle of dealing with the outbreak. After the first two outbreaks, general attitude toward the next outbreaks and both of them were widely and globally celebrated. Even with over three thousands of rifts scattered around the world, the access to most of them was heavily restricted and so most people turned to alternatives. Australia remained untamed despite several tries led by various parties, including the World Government. The World Reserve became a no man¡¯s land and the new destination of adventurers and challengers to the House of Poison. Without Windsor Freeman or his Inner Circle, no one in the World Government knew why the World Reserve had been protected in the first place and so they didn¡¯t try to stop waves of adventurers travelling there. The third option was South America with New Columbiana in the north and abandoned and wilderness in the south. The fourth destination was Arshem, lying in between the Oriental League and the Baikal rift cluster. The fourth outbreak brought deeper transformation to the world than anyone thought possible. Endless hordes of Level 4 monsters could easily overwhelm and overrun even a large team of adventurers. Life outside of cities¡¯ walls became impossible to all but the most elusive and powerful ascenders. Suddenly, the world switched from scarcity to abundance of monsters as every corner of the planet was dominated by monsters. But the transformation didn¡¯t end there. As many prominent figures had already noticed, the age of High Level human essence ascenders was at the end of the road. For the first time in the history of Earth, any capable ascender could go into the wild and become a legend. Many did. And even more answered the call of the global dominion and travelled to challenge the Father of the Forest. Among the mayhem, the greater rift seemed to go unnoticed. For now. Chapter 163 ¡°Do you want to stop?¡± Kora inquired with a timid smile as she stared at Keynes from above. They were training hard the last couple of days as they ventured back into the forest but were stalled by growing unease and Alice¡¯s warnings. Something was up with the dominion¡¯s debuff, though they couldn¡¯t pinpoint it yet. ¡°It¡¯s unfair,¡± Keynes replied, getting back to his feet, while Kora returned to a fighting stance. ¡°Your rate of improvement is faster than mine.¡± ¡°Like it is fair to have the Rapid Learning buff?¡± ¡°Hey!¡±Keynes protested. ¡°But yeah. How¡¯s that possible, by the way?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s my essence cultivation that affects it?¡± ¡°My guess is as good as yours,¡± Keynes replied as he, too, took a fighting stance. ¡°You and your false modesty,¡± Kora said. Keynes had noticed that fighting put her in a better mood and relaxed state. She also opened up a little bit to him, now that they had been alone for the past two weeks. They clashed. Despite being equal in attributes and having the same degree of synchronisation, Kora continued to whoop his ass. If that ended there, Keynes wouldn¡¯t complain, but Kora got better at a rate Keynes couldn¡¯t match. He improved as well, but every time he thought he got her, she surprised him with new moves. With scarce input from Alice, they theorised it must be something to do with forming a technique. Keynes huffed in frustration as he missed a sequence of punches and found himself off balance. Kora didn¡¯t hesitate and kicked low. Keynes hit the ground a second later. ¡°You keep moving like Level 1, Keynes,¡± Kora said. ¡°I know.¡± Keynes agreed. ¡°But it is harder to adapt to heightened attributes than it sounds.¡±But I will get a hang of it, don¡¯t you worry. Their sparring lasted for another hour before they called it a day. ¡°You¡¯re doing much better today.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± he accepted praise with a tight smile. Despite it being only training, it grated on him to be constantly on the losing side. If they were right and Kora¡¯s abnormal improvement was the effect of acquiring a technique through natural means, then Keynes wondered how much had he handicapped himself by getting the cultivation technique from a scroll. They left the clearing at the bank of a river and returned to their small camp. Keynes used [Purify] on them, removing dirt and stains from their clothes and bodies. He loved the spell. It was cheap enough to be used several times a day. Technically, he didn¡¯t need to use it on their clothes as they were enchanted with self-cleaning but the enchant worked over time and required an hour to return clothes to a pristine condition. It also had to be fed mana, although the amount was pittance in comparison to spells. Their camp was located in the peace zone as the dominion called them. These zones seemed to be randomly scattered and offered safety. Why would a global sub-boss dominion give challengers safety neither Keynes, Alice or Kora could tell. Everything about this dominion was different and so they accepted and used it to their advantage. Because they were going to need it. In the last two weeks since the appearance of the dominion, they moved toward the centre barely by 20 kilometres. Most of the dominion monsters were common Level 1 and 2. They posed no threat to either of them. The slow pace stemmed from something else. The first thing was the aforementioned dominion debuff. It made them feel welcomed and at peace among trees. The second thing was plants. Because the dominion was open, they had access to the Web and to Untainted Paradise¡¯s network. By randomly using [Identify Plant] Keynes discovered many rare and unique plants. Pucci actually assembled a team and was enroute to enter the dominion himself. Pucci¡¯s people had quite a number of plant-related skills and Keynes was excited to learn of what they would discover here. It was a shame that Keynes didn¡¯t have time to focus on his gardening hobby. Possibilities presented by magical plants were seemingly endless. The dominion plants were proof in this regard. There were small circular patches of the same species of plants scattered in similar fashion as peace zones. Plants from these patches were finished products though. The variety of benefits granted by them was astonishing and ranged from spells to exotic modifiers, sounding awfully close to Talents. Powers granted by these plants were only temporary, with clearly listed limitations or drawbacks. Keynes hadn¡¯t encountered anything like this outside this dominion and it convinced him to get a better look at these plants. There was a reason why they were here and he wanted to discover it before others. The Web was flooded with the content about the dominion. It was in complete contrast to the first one that had gone nearly unnoticed to the public eye. This one was a show, according to Kora. Their current ranking dropped from tens of thousand to almost a million-something rank. The top 1 was two hundred kilometres ahead of them. But again, they were in no rush. Unlike any other place, this dominion had enabled monster-drop. From what they saw, the rewards were limited only to items and skills. No raw materials or things like rift orbs. Upon their return to a igloo-like self-assembled house, they carried in their dimensional pouch, Kora went immediately back to cultivation. Lem Solaris wanted her to reach the Medium stage before she levelled up. Without [Essence Sight] Keynes couldn¡¯t observe Kora¡¯s progress and his spiritual aura was still a risky tool. He would get to train it later on. First things first; he was hungry after their sparring. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. He wasn¡¯t nearly as good as Bill when it came to cooking but he did his best to learn the basics. Plus, he had one Level 4 dimensional pouch full of food prepared by best chefs from Untainted Paradise. That wasn¡¯t something to scoff at. Almost all fruits and plants in Keynes¡¯s storage were personally grown by Hugo Horta. His Talent made their taste many times better. With an addition of monster meat they killed, Keynes learned to appreciate spirit-rich food anew. He only wished they found a way to preserve the monster meat for longer. The dimensional storage did a good job as long as the monsters were more or less intact. Once meat was partitioned, the use by date decreased dramatically. ¡°Food¡¯s done,¡± Keynes said an hour later. He was thankful for a mana-powered grill they had been given before leaving with Columbus to open rifts for the Resistance. They had come to South America with not exactly this scenario in mind but their contingency plan worked and so they were equipped to live in the jungle for as long as there were edible monsters around. Kora shook herself awake from a cultivation trans. He got a good look at her. He rarely paid attention to such things like physical appearances. It didn¡¯t mean he wasn''t attracted to girls. He certainly had been to Vivena though he hadn¡¯t shown it. Oh, what am I hearing? Alice laughed. Have you just realised it? You¡¯re the one talking! I am a girl! So what?! Their silent argument was noticed by Kora who was now used to it. Whenever Keynes went quiet and still for a minute, she knew he was having a conversation with Alice. Keynes hoped to find a way to include Kora into their silent communication but so far their efforts were fruitless. Kora brightened a notch when Keynes¡¯s attention returned to her. Her facial features were sharper since they¡¯d met and her stare acquired a small degree of confidence¡ªshe still was a long way from being arrogant. After Keynes had intervened about the wetsuits worn by the carry team, the company introduced new uniforms and armours. Kora apparel was a sharp and futuristic armour in dark floral pattern, designed for a jungle. This particular set was created with comfort and everyday use in mind. They had several sets. Some were combat-oriented with as high as 20 points to all attributes, though equipping 44% of their existing attributes wasn¡¯t pleasant and would hurt them if they wore it for over an hour. Keynes realised that his thoughts were wandering again while Kora¡¯s eyes watched him closely. ¡°Sorry, got distracted.¡± ¡°What is it this time? A singing tomato?¡± Keynes made an outraged expression. That is a good one, Alice agreed. You are obsessed with these plants. I bet they taste bad and you just pretend to like them. ¡°Alice just agreed with you but then she got weird.¡± Hey! I am not weird! ¡°Agreed with me?¡± Kora¡¯s brows climbed higher and though she kept a smile at bay, it slowly crept to the edges of her lips. ¡°And how weird?¡± ¡°She thinks that making fun of my plants is funny. Also she thinks we pretend to like them.¡± ¡°Oh, that is weird. But yeah, it seems she saw through our ruse. We do not like them.¡± Keynes stared at Kora, confused. I knew it! Alice said triumphantly in his head. What was going on? ¡°What do you mean¡­a ruse¡ªah! I get it.¡± What do you get? What happened? It was time for Alice to get confused once again. He would regret it later on as she would play pranks on him but they were mostly harmless. Kora¡¯s laugh was always timid and measured even when she was at ease. Keynes himself wasn¡¯t the most open person in that regard either¡­ This is not true, master, Alice said. You are very sociable and liked. Really? The only answer was a silly laugh that got quieter as Alice fled. He wondered what she was afraid of as he couldn¡¯t actually harm her in any way. And if he wished to dissolve the bond, he could do it at any time regardless of her presence. ¡°Alice again?¡± Kora asked. ¡°Yup. She went full weirdo and fled. Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Good idea. Cultivation makes you really hungry, isn¡¯t it?¡± It did as well as training a spiritual aura. Now that he thought about it, there was some sort of feedback loop between monster meat and training a spiritual aura. ¡°Keynes?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡±He would have to work on his focus. Since the last outbreak, it was getting easier to get distracted. But this was a topic for another time. The self-assembled house and a mana-powered grill weren¡¯t the only things they carried in their dimensional pouches, although a number of dimensional pouches on a person was unfortunately limited and it was impossible to place a dimensional pouch inside another one. They had two tables, one of them could extend two metres wide, and four chairs. It was such a nice set up. Of course, these things were by design. People at Untainted Paradise had been hard at work to make sure that Keynes and other high ranking ascenders could go on live an extended period of time by themselves while they were hunting. The only critical thing they were still lacking was security. While the peace zones were very useful, they didn¡¯t want to rely on them. For their meal, Keynes prepared the meat of a Level 2 monster looking like a very hairy pig. By itself the meat was quite bland and using Level 2 seasoning on the monster meat wasn¡¯t a straightforward thing, Keynes had discovered over a week ago. He and Alice had noticed that the two reacted to each other on the spiritual level. The issue was almost unnoticeable with Level 1 materials but at Level 2 there was a jump in spiritual energy. Once Keynes had sorted out the basic combinations of meat and seasoning, the rest was a matter of time. The meat was complemented with a salad made out of Level 2 vegetables and Level 2 juice. They found it interesting how the System classified ascender-made liquids. Technically, there was no difference between potions and juice when it came to ingredients, you could have made a potion and juice out of the exact same ingredients and they would be drastically different.. It all boiled down to preparation. Keynes wondered if the same applied to solid foods. If yes, what would be the equivalent of food elixir? He had no idea. They finished their meals in silence then went down to plan their next move. Were they ready to move closer to the centre or should they stay here and farm items and skill shards? Chapter 164 Keynes turned to Kora as she suddenly exhaled in elation. His alarms quickly faded away, seeing her grin as she relaxed her pose. She had been doing these strange katas for a while now. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°I did it.¡± After a second of deliberation, he asked for clarification, ¡°a stage or a technique?¡± ¡°Technique, of course. I told you I¡¯m out of essence for now.¡± ¡°Yes, you did. Congratulations,¡± Keynes said. I cannot help but notice a pang of jealousy radiating from you, master, Alice lazily said from his shoulder. And I cannot help but notice that you should be scouting, he countered dryly. I did and found nothing out of the ordinary. Monsters and trees everywhere. No ascenders? He asked. So far they hadn¡¯t run into anyone which seemed oddly unlikely. None. ¡°So how does it feel? What does your profile say?¡±He turned his attention to Kora. ¡°Technique of Lesser Hand Combat with a word ¡®innate¡¯ in a bracket.¡± ¡°We were right then. Somehow, you¡¯re able to form a technique by yourself by following an¡­instinct, was it?¡± ¡°I guess,¡± she admitted with a touch of hesitation. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t have done it without you, Keynes. Your rate of improvement is also crazy high. You pushed me harder than Natalia had ever done. She¡¯d have loved to train with you. She can be freaky about these things.¡± ¡°Yep but why am I not feeling the same instinct as you? There must be more to this.¡± ¡°There is,¡± Lem Solaris said, appearing in the clearing without a warning or stopping time. ¡°But not what you¡¯re thinking it is.¡± Keynes felt his bond go very quiet. Alice was terrified of Lem Solaris. ¡°Lem Solaris.¡± They awkwardly welcomed her. It was the first time she appeared to both of them at the same time. It was a good opportunity to learn more though. ¡°Your buffs¡ªthe Rapid Learning and the Photographic Memory¡ªfailed in learning the technique despite practising the same moves because buffs obey different spiritual laws. There¡¯s a reason why the System wipes savant-level abilities upon ascension to Level 1. Your bodies are designed to function without them in the early stages of your development, that is prior to Level 11.¡± ¡°They helped me max out my attributes,¡± Keynes argued. If he only played it well¡­maybe he¡¯d find out why the System hadn¡¯t removed the Photographic Memory upon his ascension. ¡°They helped you so much that you¡¯re stuck and clueless now. Perfect State should never be taken lightly and believing that a few mere buffs can trivialise it is audacious.¡± She replied. ¡°So, if the System clears all the peculiarities upon an ascension, does it mean we are technically blank slates at Level 1?¡± Kora inquired quietly as not really expecting them to hear her, but with their stats even a whisper was loud and clear. Lem Solaris squinted at her, while standing straight like a stick. Even as a child, she was creepy or maybe because of it. He couldn¡¯t decide. ¡°There is more to ascenders. You aren¡¯t blank slates with different Talents and the same initial attributes. You all vary in character and aptitude and other very nuanced details. All these minor things pile up and make you all different from one another.¡± She raised her hand, stopping Keynes from asking questions. ¡°I won¡¯t speak about technicalities. It¡¯s redundant information to both of you. But you have to remember that you will excel at different things, often unrelated to your Talents or skills. Kora Kowalska, you¡¯re a natural-born hand combat fighter. And even though your Talent seems to be a support in nature, don¡¯t forget that you can boost your own offensive skills. As for you Keynes Kid, well, hand combat isn¡¯t your forte. And you should seek excellence elsewhere. That said, I must change the goal I gave you. With the Technique of Lesser Hand Combat, Kora Kowalska is out of reach for you. You¡¯d have to level up to equalise or gain on her but you¡¯re not ready to level up yet, you don¡¯t even know how to max out your attributes at the current Level.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t finish,¡± she cut him off. ¡°For the time being, I want you to keep training daily. You may not feel it but it helps you. As for your new goal, you will focus on the current global sub-boss dominion¡¯s ranking. You¡¯ll take it seriously. The System doesn¡¯t create these challenges for nothing.¡± She extended her hand to Kora. ¡°Here, the reward for reaching your first goal.¡± Kora accepted the skill shard with a trembling hand. ¡°[Empower]?¡± ¡°By channelling mana into the skill you can become physically stronger and faster with some benefits to recovery and stamina. It is useful in hand combat.¡± ¡°I¡­thank you.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Lem Solaris muttered and Keynes asked himself how this tiny child could appear so threatening to him at times. Her aura was of a non-ascended person. She, of course, heard his thoughts as she gave him a glare but didn¡¯t comment on them. ¡°An additional goal for you, Keynes Kid, would be to find your own aptitude.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°I like gardening,¡± he said but his hopes about learning some new secrets were immediately crushed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean hobby. Aptitude isn¡¯t something you necessarily have to like. Discover what you¡¯re good at and if I am satisfied, I would consider it a success.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound very confident,¡± Keynes said before he realised what he did. For a split second, he thought Lem Solaris would slap him but she only scoffed like an annoyed kid. ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t have experience in dealing with such fragile entities like you so I have to adjust my expectations and play by ear,¡± she said then sharply glanced at Kora who squeaked in surprise. ¡°Ask your question, Kora Kowalska, you earned it.¡± ¡°I¡­am just curious what kind of ¡®entities¡¯ you are usually dealing with if we... You don¡¯t need¡­¡± she trailed off, seeing Lem Solaris¡¯ chilling stare. ¡°If they aren¡¯t capable of busting a planet with a single spell, they are beneath my radar. Now focus, I will be watching your progress¡­¡± She trailed off and the atmosphere got heavier. ¡°And be warned, if you recklessly head into danger and I will be forced to act and save you, you will regret it. Sorely. There will be punishment.¡±Her words were accompanied by an immense sense of dread that made them pathetic and insignificant. Somehow, Lem Solaris showed them her true nature or so Keynes thought. Neither of them could move or even speak as Lem Solaris continued her monologue. ¡°I was tasked with training you but the specifics were left to me. If you disappoint me, young ascenders, you will regret it for millenia. Now go, and show me that you aren¡¯t only a key to open rifts or a booster to others.¡± She vanished and with her the oppressive pressure that kept them immobilised. They exhaled, then shared a shocked look. How could they expect Lem Solaris to go ballistic? She is terrifying, master, Alice whispered as if afraid that the god-like child could overhear her. Perhaps she did. I know, Keynes agreed. Any idea who she is? No, master. I do not wish to think of¡­her. After Alice fled somewhere, Keynes and Kora returned to their temporary house. The warning still echoed in their heads and it made them hesitate. They knew Lem Solaris was watching and listening and they didn¡¯t know what to do with this information. ¡°We should rethink the plan,¡± Kora said. Was the plan that set off Lem Solaris¡¯s reaction? After farming some extra items and skill shards in the last week, they felt confident enough for Keynes to fly ahead and scout the strength of the forest¡¯s debuff. Kora¡¯s cultivation helped her resist the debuff at the moment but she wanted to be at least in the Medium stage before crossing the 50-kilometre mark. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is it.¡± Keynes shook his head. ¡°It sounds like she doesn¡¯t want us to rely on her when it comes to risk taking.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­a good point,¡± Kora agreed. ¡°It¡¯s kinda weird once she pointed it out though. Knowing it could definitely affect our decisions. But at the same time, I can¡¯t help but worry about the other ascenders in the dominion. What if we run into a large group and they have powerful spells?¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking of Hunter and his team,¡± he noticed. ¡°Not precisely about him but it would be presumptuous on our part to believe others aren¡¯t doing the same thing. Sooner or later we will run into someone and the closer to the centre it happens, the stronger such a group would be.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know how exactly the debuff works. It may not be based on strength.¡±Even as he said these words, Keynes knew he wasn¡¯t fooling anyone. Each time they moved their camp closer to the centre, the monster got stronger and the debuff¡¯s effect increased, though they were still clueless what it did. They quietly worried that the moment the debuff would become obvious it would be too late but tried to not think too hard about it. Once they realised that their discussion about Lem Solaris¡¯s possible motive was pointless they fell into silence. The self-assembling house was a true wonder but at the same time it didn¡¯t have dimensional runes or formations built in yet. They couldn¡¯t be stored in the dimensional pouches which made carrying the house futile as it was quite bulky and heavy even for ascenders with 35 points in Strength. ¡°What would you say about sparring to test out the technique?¡± *** An innate technique was busted. Keynes marvelled at Kora¡¯s fluid and precise movements. But he also noticed an emergence of a pattern. The realisation didn¡¯t help him much as there was always a surprise waiting for him. No matter how ready he was, he always was a little off balance or too late. It only motivated him to push himself harder. It also sucked that his attributes remained at 0%. Lem Solaris knew he was having a problem but decided to not help him. Either he wasn¡¯t ready to learn it or the System was stopping her from sharing the information. One way or another, he was screwed for now. Their sparring did not last for an hour like usual as the chasm between Kora and Keynes was too wide now and she defeated him in a matter of seconds. If he stayed on his feet for longer than five minutes without hitting the ground, it meant she toyed with him. He didn¡¯t want to learn how badly the fight would go with [Empower]. And on top of that, once she got to the Medium stage, she was going to level up while he was stuck at his current Level. I have to find out what is a thing I am good at. It was easier said than done. But I will figure it out. ¡°Shoot me with [Mana Shot],¡± Kora said. ¡°Just don¡¯t charge up too much mana into it.¡± [Mana Shot] was one of six skill shards they had found so far and one of two offensive ones they badly needed. Keynes took [Mana Shot] while Kora got [Conjure Weapon]. [Mana Shot] was a very straightforward skill that dealt damage based on the amount of mana channelled into it. At its minimum it one-shot any Level 1 and Level 2s up to rare rarity. A few Level 3s they encountered took 2-3 shots or 3 seconds of charging up to die from a single shot. [Conjure Weapon] was a very different skill. It had a learning curve which made Kora excited for some reason. From what she explained, [Conjure Weapon] required strong mental control and without it the skill was rather useless. The upside seemed to be a high modifiability of the conjured weapon. Similar to [Mana Shot] it could be charged up to strengthen durability and attack value of the conjured weapon. Kora claimed that thanks to [Mental Link] it felt easy to use the skill. The other four skills were borderline useful to them; [Light Bomb] didn¡¯t do any damage and when Kora used it, it also blinded Keynes. [Enhanced Arrow] was for an archer, which neither of them was. [Nature Aura] sounded appealing, especially in the middle of a forest but their location worked against her and she was overwhelmed by the amount of information and stopped testing it for now. The last skill shard they found was called¡­ [Wicked Laugh]. Nope. They didn¡¯t even want to try this one. ¡°Ready?¡± Keynes took position at the other end of the clearing. ¡°Ready.¡± ¡°[Mana Shot]¡±A arrow-like projectile made out of pale blue energy shot toward Kora. She twisted to dodge it but its speed was too much even for Level 5 and it hit her in the shoulder. ¡°Ouch, that hurts.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Keynes took out a health potion and handed it to her. ¡°Were you hoping to dodge my spell with your new technique?¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied. ¡°Better. I have a feeling that it is time to learn another technique.¡± Keynes shook his head in disbelief. ¡°You must be joking.¡± Chapter 165 Keynes activated [Spiritual Wraith]. The monsters froze, disoriented. He didn¡¯t bother with killing, instead, he used [Flight] and flew a few metres up above the ground. From there he watched Kora¡¯s show. [Empower] was busted. End of story! At full power, she could one-shot him. They judged that it scaled her strength to somewhere between Level 6 and 7. This also put into a perspective how strong a Level 8 like Hunter was. Level 4 monsters she was ¡®fighting¡¯ now died after a single punch to their heads. Some of them were rare. And all of this, without boosting her stats through items. She is impressive, Alice noted, floating next to Keynes. He silently agreed but at the same time, he noticed something unusual. Kora¡¯s moves weren¡¯t as refined and fluid when she sparred with him. It is because lesser variations of techniques are very strict in their definition. Fighting monsters is not considered as lesser hand combat. As if there was any definition provided by the System. Sound of splintered trees and torn bushes reached them. Kora was having some fun. She threw a large black-green snake a metre wide. Keynes noticed it was of relic rarity. These were very rare, and possessed two active and two passive abilities. There was also innate strength added to higher rarities not listed by the System. But he had no reason to worry. [Empower]ed Kora didn¡¯t struggle with the giant snake. It was too slow to keep up with her and after three rapid punches, it perished. He¡¯d call it anticlimactic if not for an item that dropped. Kora grabbed it and threw it to Keynes. She still had a few monsters to finish off before they could call it a day.
Ancient Treasury (Relic) ¡°Time isn¡¯t the only one that likes to devour shiny things.¡± - Dimensional Space [0x0x0] - Hunger of the Lost Feed the ring items of at least this item¡¯s Level and rare rarity to increase its dimensional space. An increase in dimensional space scales with Levels and rarity. A Level of the item scales with available dimensional space. - Ancient Law This item can contain other dimensional spaces as long as they, individually, do not exceeds this item¡¯s dimensional space. - [Ring] Level 4
Keynes almost released [Flight] upon seeing the ring¡¯s modifiers. This thing was insane. Keynes put it on his finger and his body spasmed but he remained in the air. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Master, the ring¡¯s spiritual strain is too great. You must take it off. Yeah, he felt it too. That damned [Chaos Aura] was too heavy on his Spirit. But while he had it on, he carefully observed his core and spiritual connections. He wasn¡¯t idle the whole time spent in the dominion and improved his spiritual control by a substantial margin. It not only allowed him to once again use his spiritual aura against monsters without worry about hurting his allies. With the increased control came additional benefit, better understanding of spiritual energy inside his body. While he was aware that items and spells had spiritual weight, it was a different story to see the connection between them and the core. No two connections were alike and yet the ring stood out like a sore thumb. Obviously, it was overshadowed by Level 45 [Chaos Aura], but skills were, in general, very differently connected to the core from items. Both connections were complex and sophisticated in their own rights and seemed to work on different principles. Unfortunately, they were beyond Keynes¡¯s comprehension but he was positive about learning it eventually. A few moments later, Kora was done with remaining fodder and turned to him expectantly. Instead of explaining, he threw the ring back to her. After wearing it for a few minutes, he could perceive the ring¡¯s spiritual energy much clearer now even if it was away from him. He wondered if it was his Superior stage at work or was it something unique to the ring. ¡°Woah, Keynes! This ring changes¡­well, everything. It can solve all our issues and we have so many items at hand we don¡¯t need.¡± Keynes snorted, unable to hide a smile. He remembered her shock when he had given her and her group [Mental Link] skill shards. They had been terrified to accept a spell worth millions of credits and now she wanted, without hesitation, to destroy items worth perhaps more than the four [Mental Link]s. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes but without a serious edge. ¡°Every item is worth a lot but¡­ this ring¡ª¡± ¡°Kora,¡± Keynes interrupted her before she fell into a rabbit hole. ¡°I fully agree with you. Those items we¡¯ve collected. We don¡¯t need them. This ring though is something else. If we fed it enough, we could ask our crafters and engineers to create a self-assembling house with dimensional runes and formations.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Exactly!¡± she said with relief. ¡°I¡¯ve heard there were some serious breakthroughs with dimensional runes that enlarge an interior without affecting an exterior.¡± ¡°True but these blueprints don¡¯t belong to us. The Runesmith Guild owns them.¡± ¡°Keynes!¡± Kora shouted giddily. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who owns what today. Two years ago, Natalia and I were two nobodies and look at us today. She is the head of training for all rift carry teams¡­and I, I am here.¡± He stared at her in her blood-soaked black armour and impish smile plastered to her face and something of this carefreeness was shared with him. He felt the weight of the entire world vanish from his shoulders. It wasn¡¯t his fault his Talent turned out like this. He didn¡¯t owe the world anything. Kora approached him and then, slowly and awkwardly, hugged him. It was very brief. ¡°Thank you for giving me this chance.¡± A year ago, Keynes would have frozen if a girl hugged him. But he was no longer the same person. He felt and remembered how he¡¯d changed over time. So he smiled at her and put his hand on the side of Kora¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I thank you for being here with me.¡± *** Wagner and Cyrano sat at a table set inside a very unique Level 1 rift. The rift entrance was located on a small island on a lake inside the massive cavern with half of the ceiling missing. The water in the lake was bright blue and fluorescent while the sky was pale green with several large planets hanging dangerously close. From the very first moment, Untainted Paradise¡¯s researchers were trying to discover if these planets were real and if yes how this was possible. Could the boundary of a rift be broken? Would it be even necessary if they had a rift orbs of enlargements? But how many rift orbs would it take to reach them? Wagner didn¡¯t even wish to consider the cost. The unique feature of the rift were monsters which all dwelled in the lake and didn¡¯t leave it. As long as no one entered the lake, they were perfectly safe. This, combined with the magnificent view and refreshing atmosphere, made the rift a prestigious escape for Wagner and other Untainted Paradise¡¯s executives. It was also one of the deepest and most secure locations in Emerald City. ¡°We¡¯re currently sitting on 50 Level 4 rifts and none has the same climate and sights as this one. There is something special about it,¡± Cyrano noted. ¡°It is,¡± Wagner agreed. He stabbed a Level 2 steak with a fork and carefully started cutting a piece off. They stopped eating food or drink liquids below Level 2 some time ago. It wasn¡¯t only their nutritious or spiritual energy values but the taste. ¡°Also, the chef outdid it himself.¡±He added with a mouthful of meat The taste was divine. ¡°He did.¡± Cyrano nodded. ¡°I have to applaud Pucci as well. The quality of the wine is incredible. I didn¡¯t expect him to figure out how to farm, whatever this is, outside a rift and retain all the valuable properties.¡± ¡°He was very vocal about it.¡± ¡°Let me guess, he thinks producing a luxurious and exclusive product is a waste of his time because it isn¡¯t a plant,¡± Cyrano said with amusement. ¡°Indeed.¡±It wasn¡¯t the whole picture though. Pucci¡¯s department was constantly stretched to include new branches, which were outside of Pucci¡¯s expertise. Wagner felt like the entire company was in a similar situation. There were too many new opportunities, which had to be seized. ¡°But this isn¡¯t why I asked you to meet me.¡± Cyrano waited with a speculative sparkle in his eye. ¡°How¡¯s your department faring?¡± The edge of Cyrano¡¯s mouth edged up. Wagner had been briefed about the condition of Cyrano¡¯s department and knew that not only the outbreak didn¡¯t diminish their profits but pushed demand for Level 4 materials higher than they¡¯d expected. They underestimated the strength of the fourth outbreak which was Cyrano¡¯s failure. The corrective measures were implemented so they¡¯d precisely predict the outcome of the fifth outcome. With Keynes out there, they had to be ready for anything. ¡°Better than ever. As I mentioned, we own 50 Level 4 rifts with one rift being of runic rarity, which appears to be a game changer.¡± Wagner frowned at that. He was aware of the runic rarity rift as it had been brought from South America by Columbus after the fourth outbreak but the game changer part was new. It had to be a very recent development. ¡°Go on,¡±Wagner said, finishing the steak. A part of him wondered what kind of food was waiting for them at Level 10 if Level 2 was already this good. The other part was focused on Cyrano. ¡°We fairly well understand the relationship between the rarity and mods on items. They are closely interlinked. There is no doubt about it. But other kinds of relationships between rarity and rift drops are unknown at this point as we don¡¯t have enough data to conclude anything with enough certainty.¡± ¡°With runic rarity, the situation is slightly different, albeit theoretical at this point. We believe that the runic rarity rifts are capable of dropping runic blueprints.¡± Wagner¡¯s eyes went wide. Runic blueprints? That would be a game changer indeed. There were several technological leaps in mana container and conductor technology. The current prototype developed by several top companies, were capable of holding 1000 mana units with minimal over time loss. And all these prototypes were based on the very early mana container blueprints, which had made Blue Space one of the richest companies for a couple of months until competitors appeared. Nowadays, Burgart Brenton was nowhere to be seen with Blue Space being sold to the Sovereign shortly after it had been removed from the Solar Council. Wagner¡¯s spies confirmed that the 1000 mana unit prototypes were already smoke and mirrors and the real stuff was currently developed far away from the public eye. These reports concerned him because, despite Untainted Paradise¡¯s best effort, they were left behind in terms of runic technology development. The issue here was the same one as with development of space technology. These things were tightly controlled by the World Government and by extension by the Solar Council, which currently were considered enemies of Untainted Paradise. But if they were in possession of a rift that could drop runic blueprints no matter what they were¡ªthey could always extrapolate designs and apply it elsewhere¡ªtheir biggest weakness would be fixed. ¡°Make it priority,¡± Wagner said with emphasis, leaning slightly over the table. ¡°With Artefact Exchange switching sides and the Resistance¡¯s annihilation, we need every possible advantage we can get.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Cyrano said between sips of his wine, slightly leaning back. ¡°But this isn¡¯t why you called me here, is it?¡± ¡°No.¡± Wagner shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s about Windsor Freeman¡¯s words.¡± ¡°Do you think he will actually come here?¡± ¡°Columbus and Esopp are making preparations as if he was going to show up here. But that isn¡¯t the topic at hand,¡± Wagner replied. ¡°The part about rifts on other planets and moons is.¡± Cyrano¡¯s eyes immediately went up to the massive planets in the sky. ¡°We have some internal theories but without access to other planets we can¡¯t do anything. I wish Mars didn¡¯t back off at the last moment from our deal.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t go through either way. They couldn¡¯t guarantee Keynes¡¯s safety and we couldn¡¯t risk the spaceship falling into the council¡¯s hands or worse.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°I want you to sit down with Yassnach, she¡¯s the head of the space department, and draft a plan of moving our rifts off-planet in the next five years.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cyrano blinked, taken aback. ¡°We finally created a stealth material that would allow us to slip out of the planet without notice. I want you and Yassnach to figure out the best location for our next base.¡± Cyrano raised his hands. ¡°Hold on, boss, but there are many unknowns. Even if it is possible to move a rift off the planet, we know nothing about the consequences of the relocation. For example, it is confirmed that our Moon has rifts. The question is, what¡¯s inside them? We don¡¯t know if rifts¡¯ biomes are linked to the planet or moon they have originated from or if there is something else at play. It could be nothing at all. The Moon¡¯s rifts may be empty, Moon-like spaces completely worthless to us. Would moving them here change them? There are many questions that must be answered.¡± ¡°And it is your job to figure it out. We need an off-planet location in case the Solar Council moves forward with their plan of removing the rifts from Earth.¡± Chapter 166 Untainted Paradise¡¯s space department¡¯s first major breakthrough went unnoticed. Exactly the way they hoped for. They finally had unrestricted access to space without supervision of the Solar Council and the World Government. They understood that this wouldn¡¯t last forever and eventually others would catch up and counter-measures would be developed. But Untainted Paradise didn¡¯t become the largest non-government organisation by pure luck. Having poached key researchers from the World Government¡¯s department of space, Untainted Paradise had all the pieces in place and rushed with their plan to leave the prison of Earth. Also, it was time to prepare for an inevitable confrontation with their enemies. ¡ª A Level 4 rare monster with two hours heads, the body of a crocodile and neon wings stilled when Keynes activated [Spiritual Wraith]. It sniffed aggressively, not accepting Keynes¡¯s sudden disappearance. Keynes didn¡¯t use it defensively though. He was testing the interaction between [Spiritual Wraith] and [Mana Shot]. Previously, [Spiritual Wraith] shattered the spell twice, disabling it for a few hours. At first, Keynes panicked, fearing the worst, then Alice calmed him down, explaining that spells weren¡¯t easily disabled permanently and such occurrence required extreme circumstances. They had brainstormed around the issue because being stealthy without ability to attack felt very bad. Keynes¡¯s first idea was to use his spiritual aura to fix the problem but Alice convinced him to try with essence first. With assistance of Kora¡¯s [Essence Sight], after killing a group of Level 3 monsters and collecting a hefty amount of essence, Keynes started using it to fix the spell. In reality, they didn¡¯t know what they were doing. Not only essence could have affinity but it was unclear where to begin and what exactly should be fixed. Lem Solaris didn¡¯t appear when Keynes asked for help so they were on their own. To his calculation, he wasted enough essence to take him to 50% toward another Level before they noticed that spell cores reacted briefly to a pattern Keynes used to move essence around his body. This coincided with another small discovery; whenever Keynes went with his instinct instead of relying on his perfect memory and absurd learning speed, he was able to make progress and reinforce [Spiritual Wraith]¡¯s structure. While Keynes worked on the feeling and instinct alone, Kora watched him carefully. Essence was definitely forming a pattern. They kept at it for a few days, until Keynes felt [Spiritual Wraith]¡¯s structure undergo a gentle change. There was no system message or anything that indicated that the spell had changed, except for the feeling inside him. As the Level 4 monster grew frustrated with its inability to locate Keynes, he softly reached to [Mana Shot] and started charging it slowly, one mana unit per second. [Spiritual Wraith] shook but its structure held. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter. At 25 mana units, the monster detected Keynes even with [Spiritual Wraith] active. It charged him but it was clear that it couldn¡¯t see him. Keynes waited until the monster was right next to him, then fired [Mana Shot] into its head. The spell wasn¡¯t charged enough to take out a Level 4 rare monster in one shot and acted more as a distraction than anything else. The creature roared in frustration as Keynes vanished again. Keynes used [Telekinesis] to play with it. For some reason, [Telekinesis] wasn¡¯t destabilising [Spiritual Wraith]. They believed it was due to charging [Mana Shot] as mana accumulated inside the skill and resonated outside, affecting [Spiritual Wraith]. Shoving broken branches and rocks at the monster for a couple of minutes was¡ª A sword appeared out of nowhere and beheaded the creature. ¡°Kora! I had it,¡±Keynes yelled. ¡°You were dragging it out needlessly,¡± she said. ¡°We aren¡¯t here to torture them. They haven¡¯t done anything to us.¡± ¡°It tried to kill me.¡± Keynes turned to her as she appeared between trees. ¡°That¡¯s a good enough reason for me.¡± She shook her head, not letting herself be dragged into this conversation. They collected essence then left the monster¡¯s corpse behind. It dropped nothing which wasn¡¯t surprising. The current drop rate was extremely low but given the number of monsters inside this dominion, they had several items and skill shards per day. So far only the Ancient Treasury remained in their possession. All other items were devoured by the ring already. The extra skill shards were nice and tempting but Keynes couldn¡¯t absorb any extra ones without removing [Chaos Aura] which didn¡¯t want to do. ¡°Is it time to push forward again?¡± Keynes asked as they walked back to their camp. They were currently around ten thousand rank after travelling closer to the centre. Level 4 monsters were becoming a standard now but the biggest change was the dominion¡¯s debuff. They felt very strongly now and it wasn¡¯t what they had expected to be. The dominion¡¯s only debuff tried to calm them down, soothing them into inaction. Alice had been the first to realise it and warned them about the effect. The most dangerous thing about the debuff was that it didn¡¯t feel threatening. But they still didn¡¯t understand the end goal of the debuff and that was worrisome. ¡°I¡­am not sure,¡± Kora replied after a moment. They crossed a small stream that weaved between roots protruding from the uneven, overgrown ground. For ascenders with 35 points in Strength and Dexterity, traversing such a terrain was a piece of cake. Keynes sensed hesitation in her voice and decided to prod for more information. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°This is the only place in the world that is freely available to everyone and drops items and skills. Do we really want to end this?¡± Alice immediately reacted and said in Keynes¡¯s head, she is forgetting that these monster dominions grow stronger over time. If it is not stopped in time, it may become too difficult to end. Dominions should be dealt with without hesitation. Tell her that! Keynes knew this and repeated Alice¡¯s words to Kora. She mused it for a few minutes as they crossed a chasm beyond which lay their camp. They jumped over a ten metre wide chasm as if it wasn¡¯t there. When the camp got in sight, she stopped him. ¡°There are millions of people inside the dominion. There are monsters at least up to Level 4 and rare rarity. Items and spell shards they drop can be exceptional. I have a feeling that given time we will outpace anything the dominion can throw at us.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°You do?¡± she sharply glanced at him, surprised. Then her expression changed and she added. ¡°But?¡± He laughed. Over these couple of weeks, Kora got to know him pretty well. ¡°These ascenders one day may turn against us,¡± he replied a moment later with solemnity. He didn¡¯t like this line of thinking, it reminded him too much of Wagner¡¯s pragmatism but the other man was rarely wrong. ¡°That''s a twisted way of thinking, Keynes. The world isn¡¯t black and white. This isn¡¯t a simple us-or-them.¡± ¡°What if it is?¡± ¡°Why did you cause the fourth outbreak then? It will make our enemies stronger, right?¡± She stared at him expectantly. He liked it about her, even when serious, she remained calm and timid. There was no heat in her voice, no anger. He looked away, not because he couldn¡¯t hold the stare but he needed to collect his thoughts. He was beginning to sound paranoid; like Wagner, who was paranoid. But was it a bad thing? There were many people after them. They couldn¡¯t be careless. But then again, that wasn¡¯t what Kora meant. She¡ª Master! I sensed another ascender! Keynes turned to Kora, his expression serious. ¡°Alice sensed another ascender.¡± ¡°Where?¡±Kora looked around but neither of them could spy with their aura without alarming others. So they had to rely on their senses and Alice. He is not far but¡­he does not feel dangerous. Despite Alice¡¯s words, they proceeded very carefully with Keynes keeping [Spiritual Wraith] active. It would really be easier if he could toggle it on and off. Alice led them directly to the ascender. He was the first one they met in the dominion, which seemed strange considering how many people had entered it. At the lowest point, they were over a million-something in the ranking. Nothing of that mattered as they arrived at the spot indicated by Alice. She confirmed that there were no other ascenders around. They found a lone man leaning against a tree. He looked at peace and wasn¡¯t alarmed by their arrival. From the look on his face, it appeared that he wasn¡¯t aware of their presence even though they stood in front of him and he was Level 4. Kora gave Keynes a questioning look as if he knew what to do. Master¡­ look at his left arm, Alice said, her tiny voice trembling in shock. Alerted by her tone, Keynes checked the man¡¯s arm and¡ª ¡°Kora, I think I know what the debuff really does.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± She gasped, covering her mouth ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we¡­¡± ¡°It would explain why we haven¡¯t met anyone else before.¡± Half of the ascender¡¯s arm was turned into wood. The debuff soothed people then turned them into trees. This was¡­strange, unnatural; nothing like fighting monsters. He needed to warn others. He turned the tablet on and called Pucci who had entered the dominion recently. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Pucci asked, he sounded tired and exhausted. Keynes went on, explaining their finding while Kora attended the ascender. They didn¡¯t decide what they were going to do but something had to be done about him. They couldn¡¯t leave him to die in such a horrifying way. Pucci found this whole thing exciting and requested Keynes to stay where they were and wait for his team. Keynes protested but Pucci didn¡¯t care. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to wait for him, are we?¡± Kora asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll arrive here anyway. This man is Level 4 and he already succumbed to the debuff. I don¡¯t think Pucci has anyone of Level 5 with him beside himself. If he comes as far as here, he is going to kill them all.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try to do something about him,¡± she said. Alice, is there anything you can do? Keynes asked. I¡­yes, I think there is something we can do. *** Minutes stretched as Keynes¡¯s spiritual aura touched the man¡¯s core. It felt tainted and ill, and yet there was that unnatural sense of calmness. Master, I feel an intruding presence¡­ you should withdraw. ¡°Don¡¯t fight, don¡¯t struggle, don¡¯t pretend.¡± The words sneaked into Keynes¡¯s mind as if they belonged there. Keynes almost pulled his spiritual aura out of the ascender but then he calmed himself down. He understood what the debuff was trying to do to him and resisted. ¡°Why resist? Why struggle? Why move?¡± Keynes ignored the voice while he delved deeper into the ascender¡¯s core. His instincts fired up and he was about to follow the usual methodology dictated by his experience when he remembered his training with essence and [Spiritual Wraith]. Instead of logic, he went purely by feel. It changed everything. Somehow, his body knew what to do better than him. Were the Rapid Learning and the Photographic Memory buffs more of a hindrance than a boon? It was difficult to picture this kind of scenario but even Lem Solaris had said so. The voice in Keynes¡¯s head grew more erratic and weak. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­why¡­stop¡­¡± Eventually, it stopped. Keynes heard Alice¡¯s relieved exhale. ¡°Something¡¯s happening,¡± Kora said. Keynes¡¯s eyes snapped open and felt all his strength drain away in an instant. He dropped on the ground like a rag doll. ¡°Keynes!¡± Kora actually managed to catch him before he hit the ground, not that there was any risk of injury. She did it anyway. At the same time, the wood from the ascender¡¯s arm started to recede. It was a lengthy process and by the time it ended, Keynes fully recovered from his ordeal. For Level 4, the ascender looked old. The arm where the wood had been, also looked unnaturally pale and unhealthy. He didn¡¯t wake up immediately but the taint was gone from his core. Chapter 167 The Level 4 ascender stopped shivering then his eye snapped open. Keynes kept his spiritual aura at ready in case the man tried something. Kora stood behind Keynes as prepared as him. But in the end, there was no need for drastic action. The man froze like a deer in the headlight. ¡°Who¡ªwhere am I?¡± He asked, his voice was weak, his spiritual aura nonexistent. ¡°Safe,¡± Kora replied. ¡°We found you in the forest. Unconscious,¡± Keynes added, omitting the fact that the man had been half-dead and half-overtaken by the dominion¡¯s debuff. He blinked several times before getting another word out of his mouth. ¡°I remember¡­some stuff,¡± he whispered. ¡°My team and I were investigating the incredible fauna and flora of this forest. But we felt that pressing need to keep going. I¡­¡± He fell silent for a couple of seconds then slowly picked up his voice again. ¡°At some point, I noticed they were no longer with me. I tried to look for them but the voice in my head was very persistent.¡±He looked at them with a hopeful look in his eye. ¡°Did you¡ªdid you find them?¡± Neither Keynes nor Kora had to reply. The man was no fool. He knew the truth. ¡°I failed them,¡± he said, his voice full of shame. There was not much they could do aside from brewing a Level 1 calming tea. It would have very limited effect on a Level 4 ascender but that was all they carried, or more specifically, Kora carried with her. ¡°My name¡¯s Maurice,¡± the ascender said ten minutes later. ¡°I¡¯d like to apologise for my behaviour.¡± ¡°No need to apologise for something like that. We¡¯re in a hostile territory, mistakes happen,¡± Kora assured him. Once Maurice fully collected his thoughts, he told them his story. He was a biologist with a Talent made animals trust him. After the first outbreak, he was hired by one of the large corporations that sought to make ¡°easy¡± money from taming rift monsters. Maurice and several others were then levelled up to Level 3 but the company went bankrupt because of the war between the Old Blood and the World Government. He carried the research on his own with a small assembly of enthusiasts and biologists. Maurice¡¯s goal didn¡¯t change even though his Talent seemed to have no effect on rift monsters. He believed that a minor upgrade at Level 5 would solve the issue. It was a fair assumption with a high chance of happening. He joined a team of adventurers who hunted monsters in the southern part of North America. Maurice managed to level up but then the adventuring team decided to leave for Australia - the holy grail of every adventurer. It forced him to seek to return to his group and together find another way to Level 5. When the fourth outbreak hit, Maurice and his team were on the eastern coast. They were fortunate that no Level 4 rift was nearby. Once the word of the dominion spread throughout the Web, they rushed inside lured by the promise of new discoveries. And they were not disappointed as the dominion spawned an untold number of new species. These were details Keynes had, of course, missed on his way through the jungle. His attention was mostly focused on the patches of plants and their outstanding properties. Small animals were of use to him. Maurice had a different opinion. The non-monster creatures that arrived with the dominion looked and behaved superficially only on the surface. In reality, there was deeper meaning but Maurice failed to decode it before the treacherous debuff took control. Keynes and Kora were curious how a bunch of scientists had ¡°survived¡± inside a dominion in the first place. Only Maurice was Level 4, the rest ranged from Level 1 to 3 and they weren¡¯t exactly fighters. ¡°Level 1 and most Level 2 monsters weren¡¯t an issue for me or Jack. He was Level 3. And soon items and skill shards started from the monsters empowering us to a point where even Erika and Fitzgerald¡ªthey were Level 1¡ªcould fight monsters on their own.¡± All Maurice¡¯s items were lost as he¡¯d given them to the weaker members of the group. He still had two spells he¡¯d absorbed earlier; [Piercing Lance] and [Camouflage]. After Maurice finished his story, Keynes and Kora told a few bits about themselves, skipping most of course. In Maurice¡¯s eyes, they were a pair of adventurers seeking glory at the centre of the dominion. Later, Maurice needed a moment to grieve while Keynes and Kora needed to discuss their next move. ¡°This debuff sounds very ominous,¡± she said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t remember the moment his mind was overtaken or even the fact that his team had vanished.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Keynes said. ¡°And we aren¡¯t even close to the centre.¡± I vote we turn back, Alice said in Keynes¡¯s head. It¡¯s not up to vote, Keynes told her. So, don¡¯t get ideas. I do not get ideas! Alice protested. I just wish to be helpful. If you do then find a way to deal with the debuff. Alice huffed like a child and vanished. ¡°But what about Lem Solaris?¡± She wanted them to reach the centre, though she didn¡¯t ask them to defeat the sub-boss which was worrisome as it potentially indicated that the sub-boss was out of their reach. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°She also warned us to dive into danger. For all we know it may be a test.¡± ¡°A test? Like to see what we¡¯ll do?¡± Kora nodded but Keynes didn¡¯t think that was the case. Lem Solaris didn¡¯t seem like someone who was interested in their well-being. She was here to train them not to cuddle. Eventually, they decided to go forward although with greater care than before. Having Alice on alert was giving them an edge. She would warn Keynes ahead of danger. For now, they had to wait for Pucci to arrive and take Maurice away. He couldn¡¯t leave the man alone. In the safe zones, the effect of the debuff was minimal but once he stepped out he would be at risk again. Pucci and his team arrived a few hours later, intact. Keynes and Kora shared a surprised look but once Pucci got within the range of their auras, things made a little more sense. What Keynes missed even with his extraordinary memory was that Pucci was now Level 6 but his ageing process was barely reversed. Pucci¡¯s aura aside from exorbitant excitement had traces of serious frustration. It still didn¡¯t explain how his staff got here unaffected. None of them was past Level 3. At this distance from the centre, their minds should be under control of the debuffs. Was there an element of time involved? Can it be that the longer we stay even in relative safety, we grow more susceptible to the debuff? If that was the case it could change Keynes¡¯s and Kora¡¯s plans in a radical way. They weren¡¯t keen on travelling to the centre without proper preparation. They needed to figure this out before their next move. ¡°Aren¡¯t you all affected by the dominion¡¯s debuff?¡±Keynes meant Pucci¡¯s staff. Pucci shrugged as if the debuff wasn¡¯t a big deal. It was one of Pucci¡¯s researchers who answered. ¡°We have developed an elixir that strengthens the Will attribute without increasing it.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡± At that Pucci turned to them, clearly impatient. ¡°You can blabber later on. Now, where is the subject?¡± Keynes noticed Kora¡¯s frown and felt it in her aura. She didn¡¯t like Pucci¡¯s tone. Pucci wasn¡¯t the most social person although Keynes didn¡¯t mind the other man¡¯s behaviour. Keynes gently shook his head and so Kora didn¡¯t make an issue out of it. ¡°He¡¯s lost his entire team. He¡¯s grieving right now.¡± ¡°What? He¡¯s conscious? I asked you to not move him¡­¡± Even with two Levels of advantage, Pucci would have never been able to threaten Keynes if they¡¯d , for some reason, become enemies and so Keynes comfortably engaged in a staring contest. ¡°Bah,¡± Pucci muttered. ¡°I will wait.¡± Kora took the opportunity and asked Pucci¡¯s staff for more information about the elixirs. If they were going to push for the centre, any help would be welcomed. They revealed that the elixir didn¡¯t increase Will but instead enhanced its effectiveness, getting rid of the issues with attribute imbalance. The elixir department researched it extensively and found that elixirs had a small margin of safety when it came to imbalance but prolonged or frequent use of attribute-altering elixirs would lead to serious side effects. Fortunately, they swapped some ingredients and methods and discovered the current version of attribute-affecting elixirs. The tone of the researchers suggested that it had been no big deal but the truth was in their auras and they were proud and ecstatic. They shared several elixirs with Keynes and Kora. They were all Level 1 as Level 2 ones were currently in the development phase. Prodded, the researchers explained that even with the same ingredients and methods everything had to be adjusted between Levels. They didn¡¯t understand the underlying mechanism of why this was happening. Around that time Maurice returned to the camp. His aura calmed but he was surprised to find Pucci and his researchers waiting for him. Once the introduction was out of the way, Pucci buried Maurice under an avalanche of items but to Keynes¡¯s surprise, Maurice didn¡¯t seem taken aback. Quite the opposite; both men and Pucci¡¯s researchers dived into the topic of fauna and flora, seemingly forgetting about Keynes and Kora. As the group left the boundaries of the safe zone, Kora joined Keynes. They watched them go. ¡°It¡¯s all prepared. We can move anytime,¡± she said, once again dressed in combat attire. The set provided extra 5 points to all attributes. It wasn¡¯t enough to mess up with her precision. ¡°Let¡¯s do th¡ª¡± MASTER, DANGER! Alice screamed in Keynes¡¯s mind. His voice cut off but he was confused by what she meant. He still stood inside the safe zone. They weren¡¯t in danger¡­ Then he saw them. ¡°Keynes, what¡ª?¡± ¡°We have company.¡± He pointed at Pucci¡¯s group then rushed forward. There were several figures, all wearing clothes that tried to deceive his eyes but his Perception attribute was too high for that. Still, it was disconcerting that Level less and he wouldn¡¯t have seen them. Pucci and Maurice reacted, having the highest stats from the group. But the rest was not so fortunate. The attackers used thin blades and spells Keynes didn¡¯t recognise. The moment Keynes crossed the invisible boundary of the safe zone, one of the attackers sharply turned toward him. The Pure Body buff blocked inspection. The Pury Body buff blocked [Nightmare] ¡°That¡¯s him,¡± the same attacker said. Keynes saw what was coming but knew he wouldn¡¯t be fast enough to save the researchers. The attackers were at least Level 5 rift essence ascenders. They moved with refinement and grace. A blade took Maurice¡¯s head and hands as he tried to block the attack with naked arms; the researcher didn¡¯t understand proper combat. Enraged, Keynes let his spiritual aura explode outwardly, hitting everything and everything. Two attackers dropped unconscious but the one who had spoken earlier withstood his aura. The rest started retreating away with Pucci in tow. ¡°Go after them,¡± Keynes told Kora. She blurred past him after Pucci. ¡°If she gets close, they¡¯re ordered to kill him,¡± the lone attacker said. His face was hidden. It felt like the encounter with White Mask assassin again but this one didn¡¯t wear the iconic mask. ¡°They won¡¯t see her coming,¡± Keynes replied, preparing the sequence of skills to attack the man. ¡°Oh, they will.¡±With that, the man vanished. Watch out! Alice screamed as a thin knife whizzed past Keynes¡¯s neck. Only an instinctual reaction saved his life. He has [Blink], master. This is bad. Keynes flared his aura at full strength but the attacker simply [Blink]ed away from the source. ¡°See you around, Kid.¡± The attacker turned his back on Keynes. ¡°Today we aren¡¯t here for you.¡± Another blade appeared in his hand. Instantly, Keynes felt dread radiating from the item. But the man didn¡¯t attack him again. Instead, he stabbed the two unconscious attackers in their necks. Two swift rapid moves, then he vanished, most likely [Blink]ing away somewhere else. The two stabbed bodies started to dissolve immediately. Master, I cannot sense Kora or Pucci anymore! What? Go after them! He shook off the stupor, giving little thought to the dead, there was nothing he could do about them, and rushed in the same direction Kora had gone. Chapter 168 The kidnappers were only Level 4 and they stood no chance against Kora. She easily reached them but then her sense of danger fired up. Something was not right. The kidnappers came to halt, then dispersed in different directions, she followed the one with the Untainted Paradise executive on his shoulder. She briefly considered her next move but any weapon conjured by her might potentially harm Pucci¡ª She didn¡¯t see what hit her but she stumbled. The kidnapper stopped and turned around. Kora got to her feet and used her spiritual aura to find out what was going on. The strength or reach of her aura was nowhere near Keynes¡¯s but her Talent¡¯s side effect was a good understanding of how auras functioned. Other people were hidden between the trees and within the bush. So, this was an ambush. She almost felt pity for the attackers but she couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that they¡¯d killed several people a few moments ago. [Empower] granted her insane level of strength and speed. As she kicked off, the ground exploded behind with soil, roots and branches being thrown in all directions. The kidnapper with Pucci on his shoulder folded around her fist, then was shot away dead, while Kora grabbed Pucci. ¡°Get her!¡± She felt her mind come under assault from several sources and she stumbled once more. At some point, she let go of Pucci as she fought the tremendous pressure invading her mind. Fight it¡­ she told herself but [Empower] didn¡¯t strengthen her Mind attribute unfortunately, even with her Talent. It was a purely physical spell. In a brief moment of clarity as she struggled with the mental assault, she conjured a sword but she didn¡¯t use it as the world turned black. *** I found them! Alice shouted in his head. This way. Keynes¡¯ arrival was clearly expected as the attackers had knives pressed against Pucci¡¯s and Kora¡¯s necks. Both of them were unconscious. The blinking man stood between them. ¡°You¡¯re persistent, Keynes Kid.¡± ¡°Let them go,¡± Keynes growled. ¡°And I will spare you.¡± The man shook his head. His face was hidden behind a purple shawl. Keynes took time to properly assess the situation. The attackers wore rift items but he couldn¡¯t discern more than that. He didn¡¯t know if it was possible to read items other people wore. Perhaps at higher Levels or spiritual stages. ¡°You do not understand what is happening, which is not surprising. The Web is temporarily disabled.¡± ¡°Let. Them. Go.¡± Keynes reiterated with heavy emphasis on each word. He was not going to get dragged into pointless discussion. There is a teleport formation, Alice said. What? Where? A hundred metres from here¡­ In a safe zone. If they reach it, you will not be able to stop them. Before Keynes could act, the man in the middle said, ¡°now.¡± Keynes¡¯s mind went under mental assault. The Pure Body buff blocked [Mental Image] x2 The Pure Body buff blocked [Mental Wounds] The Pure Body buff blocked [Mind Kick] x3 Even with his debuff Keynes felt the attack having some effect on him. It wasn¡¯t enough to knock him out but the second of disorientation was all the attacker needed to [Blink] in and cut one Keynes¡¯s legs. Pain sobered his mind and he punched the attacker in the guts. ¡°Argh.¡± The man immediately [Blink]ed away as Keynes flared [Chaos Aura] in the small area around himself. He wasn¡¯t going to play nice. Meanwhile, the other kidnappers took the opportunity and fled with Pucci and Kora. Not bothering with a health potion, Keynes took to the sky and chased them. A hundred metres was a very short distance for Level 4¡­ He dropped from the sky on one of the trailing kidnappers, while the others had managed to reach the safe zone with Pucci and Kora. The blinking man was there too. [Blink] was overpowered. Keynes grabbed the Level 4 man¡¯s neck and pressed him into the ground covered by dry leaves and twigs. The Level 4 had similar attributes due to the rift items but the attributes from the items were inferior to the innate ones. Plus, Keynes slammed the man with his spiritual aura. ¡°I am going to kill him if you do not let them go,¡± Keynes said, his voice cold, emotionless. ¡°Unfortunate but without consequence.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Keynes unleashed [Chaos Aura] around himself. Everything in the three-metre radius changed its state, dissolving, boiling, hardening, bubbling. [Chaos Aura] had an unpredictable effect on the physical world. The man beneath Keynes didn¡¯t have a chance to even squeak as his body turned to many different things in the span of one second. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Keynes stood up, ignoring the pain from the cut. It was shallow. His eyes were on the leader of the group who stared at the spectacle in a state of shock. It didn¡¯t last long as he barked orders to retreat into the teleporting formation. ¡°I will find you,¡± Keynes said while the group teleported out. Master¡­ Alice said. Not now, Alice, Keynes said to her then added aloud. ¡°Why did you help, Lem Solaris?¡± There was no response. Keynes crushed emotions that tried to find their way to the surface. He needed a clear mind for what was ahead of him. He would finish Lem Solaris¡¯s stupid task then find and kill every single person involved in the kidnapping. He took out the tablet from his dimensional pouch and found one message written in red, capital letters. ¡°WE ARE UNDER ATTACK¡± *** The entire building shook as Vivena tore through the gate of Untainted Paradise¡¯s headquarters that stood where Wagner Zimmermann¡¯s house had been. The Level 4 steel door was nothing before the strength of her stack of 15 poisons and items that granted her additional attributes. Guards that came at her didn¡¯t last a second. Her ceramic blade passed through them like they were made out of air. All of them were Level 4 with crafted items. She recognised the spiritual signature of such items. How could they hope to stand a chance against someone who easily destroyed a Level 4 steel door? Zimmermann must have washed their brains as well. That man, together with Keynes Kid, would die horribly. They were responsible for all the deaths¡­ She had to force herself to stop quivering in rage as she remembered all the deaths the last outbreak has caused. Her friends. Her family. Defensive formations activated but she dodged or blocked the attacks coming from traps. She moved past the long hall, exhausting all the traps. She admitted that they would be a hindrance to Level 5 and pose a serious threat to Level 4. Anyone below would be killed instantly. She came to an intersection and she realised that not only the exterior but the interior had changed as well, though one thing remained constant - the absurd display of wealth. She briefly considered destroying it but thought better of it. There was always the risk of Zimmermann fleeing her and she didn¡¯t want it to happen. Despite all the changes, lucky for her, the direction to the CEO¡¯s office was clearly marked. She followed the signs, dispatching stragglers. Some of them weren¡¯t guards but they were as guilty as Wagner Zimmermann and Keynes Kid. But otherwise, it was quite obvious that evacuation was underway. I better hurry up. I don¡¯t want the rats to escape. The CEO¡¯s office was behind a set of Level 4 doors made out of materials Vivena didn¡¯t recognise. The chamber was enormous and packed with an intimidating level of wealth and curiosities. It didn¡¯t work on her in the slightest. As she made a step forward, side doors opened and men wearing black armour walked into the chamber and created a line before the door. One of them took off his helmet. ¡°Vivena? What hell are you doing?¡± Tyr asked. She could say that he got stronger, but she was unable to confirm it, meaning he must have levelled up to Level 7. But he was still a mixed essence ascender and even if he wasn¡¯t it would make no difference. ¡°Where is Keynes Kid?¡± ¡°Vivena, calm down. Whatever you need we can work it out.¡± ¡°I will ask one last time. Where is he?¡±She didn¡¯t have patience for idle talk. ¡°You have five seconds to answer.¡± ¡°Vivena¡­ please. This¡ª¡± Clearly he wasn¡¯t going to answer her. His eyes barely registered what occurred as she cut through his neck. She frowned at the fact that the blade almost reached its breaking point. So definitely Tyr was Level 7. The others were Level 5 though and even with spells and offensive Talents, they stood no chance. She was too fast for them to react. She let one of [Fireball]s hit her, causing her no damage. The Vitality attribute provided natural resistance to damage. Without hesitation, Vivena swung the door open. At the end of the expansive and luxurious office, next to a floor-to-ceiling window stood a man she didn¡¯t recognise. Like with Tyr, she couldn¡¯t determine his Level. And he had surprisingly solid control of his spiritual aura. She put her sword back into the dimensional bag. She had a feeling this man¡¯s neck might snap the Level 3 blade. It would be the last thing she wanted. ¡°Vivena Sael,¡± the man said, sounding tired. ¡°Why on earth is the meaning of this¡­ mass murder?¡± The words cut through her like razor blades, filling her with rage. Whoever this man was, he had the audacity to call this mass murder? What would he call what Keynes Kid had done? Genocide? Extermination? Was there even a word to describe it? She didn¡¯t think so. As she made a step forward, the man raised a tablet. ¡°Another step and you will die.¡± He locked her eyes with the man. He was going to die a horrible death. ¡°Try me.¡± He pressed a button and the room filled with green smoke. House of Poisons Talent (minor upgrade) has blocked the Poison Cleansing debuff The Poison Cleaning debuff failed to purge poisons from your body She shot forward, twisting around stakes that shot from the ceiling. With dread, she realised that without her minor upgrade she would be dead. Wagner Zimmermann had expected her to turn against him. And if he wasn¡¯t here, he was a bigger threat than she thought. The man attacked without hesitation but did he truly understand the chasm between their strength? He did not. In barely a few seconds, the broken man lay on his desk. She wasn¡¯t going to stop there. It was known that the higher Level ascenders had a higher pain tolerance. She used [Create Poison] and [Imbue Poison] on her knife, then cut the man¡¯s side. Poisons she could now create were some of the worst kind with many different effects. The man spasmed then his back arched. ¡°Where are Keynes Kid and Wagner Zimmermann?¡± He looked away. She made another cut. ¡°Each time I make a cut, the poison in your body increases the level of pain without inflicting additional damage. Given your high Vitality and the long lasting nature of this poison, your agony will last for hours. So I will ask again. Where are Keynes Kid and Wagner Zimmermann?¡± By third cut, the man quivered uncontrollably, trying to withstand the pain. He was going to fail. Poisons had a very persistent nature that would outlive the body¡¯s natural vitality. Even her own body rebelled occasionally if she went overboard with her Talent. The man¡¯s head turned to her. His eyes, even filled with pain, remained lucid. ¡°You¡­are¡­a¡­murderer.¡± ¡°NO! KEYNES KID IS A MURDERER! YOU ARE ALL GUILTY!¡± In her enraged state, she almost slammed her fist against the man¡¯s head. She stopped herself from giving him an easy escape. The man smiled sadly. ¡°Code¡­Shaper.¡± Everything went white. *** Geneva was rocked by the massive blast. The explosion decimated the Untainted Paradise¡¯s headquarters together with anything in a hundred metre radius. Any Level 0 and many nearby Level 1 windows were shattered and several close by buildings were evacuated because of the risk of collapse. An estimated number of deaths was over a thousand as the explosion caused a landslide that destroyed many residential houses on its way down. The Ministry of Geneva said that the cause of the explosion was unknown and they were launching a thorough investigation into the matter and the responsible people would face the consequences. Chapter 169 Keynes sat on a fallen log, listening to Wagner¡¯s report. Keynes needed him to find Kora. He was torn by his loyalty and Lem Solaris¡¯s stupid task. ¡°You have to find her.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll,¡± Wagner assured him. ¡°Once we finish cleaning up here.¡± Keynes learned that the Solar Council had attacked their rift cluster and Emerald City following the destruction of their headquarters in Geneva. Tyr Truman and Andrew Gunnar were dead, which should have saddened Keynes more but barely felt anything. A part of him wanted a bloody revenge and only Alice¡¯s bond kept him from turning back and travelling to Geneva. Wagner wasn¡¯t very surprised that the council targeted Pucci instead of Keynes. They learned their lessons and went after easy targets. Pucci was the mastermind behind the alchemy department. Wagner had explained the whole reasoning of why kidnapping Pucci now was a very sound move. It implied that Keynes¡¯s role in the grand scheme of things was diminishing. Either way, Keynes didn¡¯t care. He just wanted Kora back. One thing that piqued Keynes¡¯s interest was the fight between Esopp and the council¡¯s navy. Esopp defeated it single-handedly by freezing the fleet. Wagner admitted that they¡¯d underestimated Esopp¡¯s strength. Keynes agreed with that. The Hated Foe proved to be a greater boon than they anticipated. Wagner was going to take another look at the rift with this modifier. Unsurprisingly, Windsor Freeman hadn¡¯t appeared at Emerald City, which Keynes was glad for though they wanted the information about the superstructures. ¡°You should reconsider returning to Emerald City,¡± Wagner said after a short musing. ¡°Our enemies know where you are. Even if they aren¡¯t targeting you, it¡¯s still dangerous to be there on your own. Unfortunately, we cannot spare Columbus or Esopp now that the council knows our location.¡± ¡°I told you before, I am fine. With [Flight], [Spiritual Wraith] and Alice, there is no chance I can be pinned down.¡± But [Blink] is the next skill on my list. Even if it was the assassin¡¯s Talent, having an ability to blink in and out of a fight is too important. ¡°What about the teleportation formations?¡±Keynes asked. ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°How¡¯s it possible that we don¡¯t have them?¡± Wagner stared at Keynes through the tablet, looking tired. Keynes didn¡¯t pretend he cared. This whole mess was on Wagner and his insistence to antagonise the council. ¡°To create one without research we¡¯d need a blueprint but we were pretty unlucky with blueprints,¡± Wagner explained eventually, sounding¡­annoyed? ¡°What about research?¡± Keynes pressed forward. Witnessing the ability of such a formation firsthand, he couldn¡¯t help but feel confused. ¡°We don¡¯t have resources to research these formations, Keynes. We have more important issues to deal with than them.¡± This caught Keynes off guard because he didn¡¯t remember anything in their system to stand out as more important than the ability to teleport people around. Wagner didn¡¯t wait for Keynes to gather his thoughts and said, ¡°Once you¡¯re done with the dominion and Level 5 rift, we are leaving Earth behind.¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± *** The forest blurred beneath Keynes as he flew toward the centre of the dominion. Without Kora, he no longer feared the dominion¡¯s debuff. His spiritual aura was too powerful for anything to threaten him. Master, are you sure about this? Alice¡¯s voice echoed in his head. Your state is¡­ I¡¯m ready, Alice. As ready as I can be. He continued his flight for another couple of minutes. His rank soared from thousands to hundreds to top 100 in the matter of ten minutes. Either the majority of challengers was on the other side or there was something very strange about this dominion. MASTER, WATCH OUT! Alice screamed in his mind and Keynes veered off the trajectory of a flaming arrow. He immediately activated [Spiritual Wraith], his mana dipped by 70 points, which represented about one-third of his total man. With some mana used to sustain his flight, Keynes had to be mindful of his tank. The importance of mana was steadily increased as Keynes relied more and more on spells instead of pure physicality. We have to find another way for you to warn me, Alice. Screaming in my head doesn¡¯t help much. It came only a second before the arrow. I am sorry, master. I will correct my behaviour, she replied, sounding apologetic. Don¡¯t worry about it now. Go find out who attacked me. There was a team of seven people. All of them were Level 5 rift essence ascenders and from the feel of their auras, they were at least in the Medium stage. It was interesting to find anyone who wasn¡¯t at the bottom spiritual stage. Keynes understood that with time, more ascenders with high spiritual stages would emerge. Like Hunter. It also reinforced his belief that his time in Level 4 was very limited. He still had an orb of perfection and an orb of grand insight. With only a rough idea of what to do with them, Keynes was still hesitant. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I know you¡¯re there!¡±one of the attackers called out. ¡°Surrender and we¡¯ll let you free.¡± Keynes was not in the mood for playing. He could wait for [Spiritual Wraith] to come down from the cooldown but decided he didn¡¯t want to hide. A tree nearby him exploded as an arrow hit it. It wasn¡¯t a flame arrow. Was there another archer or the original one could change the affinity of arrows? It didn¡¯t matter. Keynes closed his mind and focused on [Telekinesis]. While the skill was not strong enough to affect living beings, it had several cool features. It acted as quasi-sense akin to the spiritual aura but without any pressure emitted by the latter. Keynes only recently started discovering different applications of his spells. The attackers were slowly moving toward him, forming a crescent. They knew his position, which meant that at least one of them was above the Medium stage or had a Talent that enabled some sort of tracking. Their hands constantly moved, which also explained how they communicated without words. They were many powerful items, the spiritual energy radiating off them, giving away their exact positions. He filed away this information. Powerful items had a substantial downside. As they neared the distance of ten metres, Keynes threw the undergrowth into the air with [Telekinesis]. Dry leaves and twigs were quite light and it barely cost any mana. There were shouts of warning and surprise. Some spells were released in the direction of Keynes¡¯s spot, though Keynes had already moved away from there. [Mana Shot] took the archer out. It wasn¡¯t charged enough to out-shot the man but he was definitely knocked out. Keynes didn¡¯t wait though. He closed the distance as the undergrowth started to fall down. A woman in heavy armour tried to block Keynes¡¯s kick but he feigned it and instead used [Mind Illusion] on her upon touching her head with his fingers. The illusion was too weak to take hold to Keynes¡¯s surprise and he paid for this with a punch to his stomach. Despite her bulky armour, there was no damage to Keynes¡¯s health pool and he immediately counter-attacked, training with Kora kicking in and proving how beneficial was pushing one¡¯s body. Two seconds later, the woman was lying unconscious on the ground. Two done, five to go. [Fireball] came at him but instinctively, Keynes flared his spiritual aura at full power, deflecting [Fireball]. Keynes didn¡¯t plan it. He didn¡¯t know he could do it. It was done in the spur of a moment without a conscious intent behind it. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± the attacker shouted as he stumbled. Two of the attackers straight up lost consciousness, being hit by Keynes¡¯s aura. ¡°Must be a Talent,¡± said one of the two ascenders who remained on their feet. ¡°No one can have such a strong aura.¡± Another [Fireball] rushed at Keynes, he dodged it the old-fashion way. It was followed by some kind of root and wind attacks. Both only grazed Keynes, shaving off a sliver of his HP. ¡°Stand down,¡±one of the attackers said, wiping dirt from his face. ¡°We aren¡¯t here to kill anyone.¡± Despite the words, a spear came at Keynes from behind. With Alice watching his back, Keynes easily dodged being punctured. But more attacks were coming. Keynes wished for [Empower] right now as he didn¡¯t have any way of defending himself without lethal counterattack in the form of [Chaos Aura]. He dodged a few more times then decided it was time for some lessons. With only half of his mana left, he was very precise in his next attack. He used a spiritual aura together with [Chaos Aura], narrowing the area of damage to a spear-like area then used it on the spearman¡¯s arm. It vanished in a puff of dust and scream of agony. The spearman fell to his knees holding his shredded shoulder. The effect of [Chaos Aura] was random with no consistent outcome. Two others who still stood stopped their attacks and started retreating although it wasn¡¯t easy in the dense thicket. Soon they were tearing branches and roots as their pace hastened. They left the fallen behind without a second glance. ¡°Aaaaaaaa!¡± the spearman was screaming. ¡°My arm! My arm! I-I will-will¡­¡± ¡°[Mana Shot].¡± Keynes didn¡¯t need to use verbal commands to fire spells but there was something satisfying in doing so. The spell hit the spearman square in the face, knocking him out. I sense monsters converging on this location, Alice informed him. There are a lot more of them than usual. Without another glance, Keynes jumped into the air and flew away. He reviewed the fight in his mind, while Alice kept an eye on the potential enemies. The distance to the dominion sub-boss was several kilometres now and Keynes¡¯s rank jumped once again to top 50. Despite this encounter and the dominion¡¯s debuff, Keynes couldn¡¯t help but think that he was missing something about this place. It was too easy. *** ¡°Please come in,¡± said Jedd Eldin. A door opened and a mousy Level 1 slipped inside. Jedd immediately employed an appropriate mindset having experience in dealing with such situations. He briefly wondered who this man was, not his name or employment status, that information was displayed in his tablet, but if he was a whistleblower or a wronged employee who wished to trade information or defect to another department. ¡°Hi,¡± his guest said. As a Level 1, Jedd gave him around fifty years old. Without so many High Level ascenders around Emerald City¡¯s offices it was easy to forget that most people in the company were still Level 1. ¡°Mr Eldin?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Jedd showed the newcomer to the empty chair. ¡°Mr Raust, I assume.¡± The man froze hearing his name aloud, then gave Jedd a hesitant look but eventually made up his mind and sat down. ¡°How¡­do you know my name?¡±Rell Raust asked, his voice shaky. If not for the standard company uniform, Jedd would have a hard time taking him seriously. But he also understood the fallacy and trap of this avenue of thinking. Many of his previous bosses failed because they didn¡¯t recognise a wolf in a sheep¡¯s disguise. With Talents around, appearance could be the greatest misdirection. ¡°I do not let anonymous people into my office,¡± Jedd replied, a little surprised by the man¡¯s naivety but he gave him the benefit of the doubt. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No one else knows you¡¯re here.¡± It was a lie unfortunately. The way their system was structured, gave someone somewhere in their company access to information about non-founder activity. Jedd spent a week trying to figure out the information management in the company and found that the position in the company determined the level of access to information. Founders had shared access to all activity in the company and nothing could be hidden from them. But Jedd¡¯s guest didn¡¯t need to know this. He shivered enough without this knowledge. ¡°That¡¯s¡­reassuring.¡± ¡°Please, shed some light on the reason behind your visit.¡± ¡°I¡­I run a fungi team under Mr Pucci. I tried to raise the issue with him several times but he has never been interested in my work and I was told that it is only because of Mr Kid that my team exists.¡± Jedd nodded. ¡°I was going to make one last attempt at speaking with Mr Pucci but has gone to the dominion to supervise the work there in person. But I cannot wait any longer.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot say how long Pucci is going to be absent.¡± In fact, Jedd heard rumours that Pucci went missing but he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Unless you require the attention of Mr Kid?¡± ¡°I¡­yes. That would be for the best,¡± Rell Raust replied. ¡°A few months ago, we developed an artificial mind made out of fungi and fuelled by mana. It appears to achieve sapience.¡± Chapter 170 ¡°We should have already reached the centre,¡± Keynes said as he flew above the forest. After the incident with attackers, he decided to stay higher in the air to give himself more time to react. I agree, Alice said. There is something happening on the dominion level but I am unable to say what. ¡°I¡¯ll have to land and regenerate mana for a while. You¡¯ll need to come down first and find a safe zone. A few minutes later, Alice returned with direction. Upon landing, Keynes felt the change in the air that affected him even through the Pure Body buff. The air was thick and hot, his clothes gone wet in a matter of seconds. He mentally cursed himself for the lack of foresight. He should have known that the dominion jungle might overwhelm his buff. The second difference was the sounds. The cacophony was disorienting as the sounds seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He whirled several times, hearing growls behind him, knowing well through his spiritual sense that nothing was there. He checked the debuff and only the same one was listed. I like this place, Alice said. It is vibrant and full of life. Unlike the outer part of the dominion, this one was heavily overgrown. At the ground level, Keynes was forced to use [Night Sight] so little sunlight got there. Minor movements of the little creatures didn¡¯t help either. Thousands of them moved about in all directions. He considered blasting them with his spiritual aura but another issue quickly raised to the surface; the debuff started affecting his thinking. He jerked and blasted everything around with [Chaos Aura] after finding himself leaning against a tree. The thick layer of moss made it soft and welcoming. ¡°Don¡¯t let me lose my mind,¡± Keynes said to Alice. But I like it here¡­ she murmured back. The debuff clearly affected her as well. They hadn¡¯t expected that before and now it could spell disaster. Without Alice¡¯s constant vigil, Keynes feared of falling prey to the dominion¡¯s debuff. With each breath he felt more energised but at the same time more content to sit down and enjoy the scenery. Strangely, the oversaturated presence of nature was the thing that kept bringing him back from the brink of dying. Nothing on Earth had so many tightly packed trees and bushes. The colours were so vibrant they seemed photo edited but they were real. After pushing his thoughts forward with great difficulty as if threading through molasses, Keynes managed to clear his head. The dominion debuff either had a cooldown or some sort of saturation that weakened its effect. Regaining his mental faculties, Keynes didn¡¯t wait and rushed forward. He had a Level 1 long knife to deal with overgrowth that got in his way. But the knife didn¡¯t last long as the flora was of Level 4 and blunted the sharp edge of the knife. He used it until it broke against a thumb-thick twig. This also made him stop. Three Levels of difference was a lot but an ordinary twig shouldn¡¯t break a steel knife. He checked the twig with [Inspect Plant] and found it to be an actual, rare flower called Iron Finger. He wasn¡¯t an expert or had any skills that would allow him to learn more beyond the basic system label. Of course the dominion was packed with rare and valuable stuff, but none of that was his goal. He needed to reach the centre. He resumed his walk and eventually Alice got back with good news. There was a safe zone nearby but the bad news was that it was occupied by two ascenders of Level 6, both rift essence. That was a risk. They were stronger than him and if they got this far, they likely had spells or very useful Talents. Nonetheless, sleeping outside the safe zone was suicide. Not only predators carefully followed his steps but the debuff could return during his rest. I have no choice but to risk it, he told Alice in his mind, not wishing to alert anyone who might stand watch. They will not be able to hurt you inside the safe zone, Alice assured him. But they can drag me out during my sleep, he explained. Ah. Still, he didn¡¯t have a choice. His body demanded a rest. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± one of the ascenders shouted when Keynes entered the safe zone. It was over fifty metres in diameter with no trees inside, turning it into a clearing. The ascender who asked a question was bulky and heavy bearded with sharp, piercing eyes. At least, his aura didn¡¯t feel malicious. The other ascender was a woman, her face was hidden beneath a heavy hood of sturdy-looking material, clearly their attire came from rifts or this dominion. ¡°My name¡¯s Keynes Kid.¡± Keynes raised his hands. ¡°I need a place to rest. I have no bad intentions.¡± The bearded ascender snorted. He stood with his arms crossed, understanding that fighting inside this zone was prohibited. ¡°Find another place then, this one is claimed.¡± The woman didn¡¯t say anything. In fact, she didn¡¯t move at all, so tense she was. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I don¡¯t think there is another one,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°Tough luck, boy. Go or I¡¯ll make you,¡± the bearded man¡¯s voice hardened, edging dangerously toward a threatening-level. Keynes considered turning around to avoid pointless drama but his body felt exhausted. ¡°This is a safe zone for a reason,¡± Keynes said, keeping tiredness out of his voice. ¡°Violence is forbidden here and it is the last thing I have in mind.¡±After a few seconds he added, ¡°please.¡± If he was in any better shape, he would turn around and find another place to stay. But he was really tired¡­ What¡¯s going with me? He asked Alice and she entered him. Meanwhile, the bearded ascender took a few steps back, then kneeled next to the woman. Their heads touched and they exchanged whispers too soft for Keynes to understand. He didn¡¯t even try to. ¡°Fine, you can stay,¡± the man said and then picked up and threw a large piece of dry wood. ¡°But if you cross this mark, I will personally drag you outside and turn you into mince pie for monsters.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t argue as his body was already shutting down in the company of Alice¡¯s soothing voice. *** ¡°What now?¡± Eseme asked, her voice barely a whisper. ¡°Nothing.¡± Torvac turned his back on their unwelcome guest. Under no circumstance he stopped watching him. His Talent, once latched onto someone, would monitor the person or the monster with constant updates on a threat level, likely intention and even position within a hundred metre radius. ¡°We stick to our business.¡± But Esme was rarely dissuaded from her obsessive wariness. Torvac wasn¡¯t in position to argue with her. She was the one who kept them out of trouble for most of the time. She had a spiritual companion that patrolled the area and advised her about security matters. Torvac himself didn¡¯t accept a spiritual companion upon reaching the Medium stage. He didn¡¯t want a ghost talking to him in his mind. ¡°Alone and so close to the centre. He¡¯s a threat.¡± ¡°Of course he is. At this point, everyone is.¡± Esme fell silent, clearing talking to her spiritual companion. ¡°I¡¯m told that he¡¯s¡­either a higher Level than us or a Perfect State ascender.¡± A Perfect State ascender, Torvac mused. He was no stranger to the term as his current group invested into two Perfect State ascenders in the elusive hope of gaining a foothold in the regional struggle for power. He¡¯d seen graphs and calculations and understood the projected growth of such individuals, so naturally he grew quite cautious upon Esme¡¯s words. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s two against one. He doesn¡¯t stand a chance,¡± Torvac said, projecting confidence. Having Esme on edge all night was the last thing he wished for. ¡°I¡¯ll watch him.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Despite his words, Torvac couldn¡¯t sleep. What if it was some elaborate ruse and out there others waited? Still his Talent confirmed that this Keynes Kid was truly asleep. To this day, no one had managed to bypass his Talent and believing that anyone could do this now when Torvac was Level 6 with enhanced reading ability as his Minor Talent upgrade was foolish. And yet, Keynes Kid made his skin crawl. Almost as much as the dominion itself. Especially the diabolical debuff. The night was slow and the invasive sounds of the forest didn¡¯t help. For some unexplained reason, Torvac began wondering what would happen if the safe zones stopped being safe zones. They were a creation of the dominion and as far as Torvac knew, nothing in this dominion should be taken lightly. On their way here, they encountered many irregularities that seemed to multiply the closer they got to the centre, hence expecting the safe zones to vanish wasn¡¯t a stretch. Torvac¡¯s eyes snapped open as Esme roused him out of sleep. Keynes Kid was awake. It was early morning with daylight already seeping down, but with their high Perception, a little of shade posed no obstruction. They watched the intruder with care, searching for any signs of hostility. But there was none and as they kept observing him, they noticed something else. ¡°He has a spiritual companion,¡± Esme whispered. ¡°Or he¡¯s a weirdo,¡± Torvac noted. Keynes Kid barely moved from the spot he¡¯d collapsed yesterday. Though they saw him drink a potion. Potions were rare or expensive, or at least not for Esme and Torvac. In this world, everything was relative. Those who got lucky and found a rift item or a spell were able to capitalise on their good fortune and get rich. Like Esme, Torvac and adventures from their group. ¡°No. He¡¯s clearly communicating with someone.¡± ¡°An ambush outside of the safe zone?¡±Torvac asked, though his Talent whispered of no ill intent from Keynes Kid. ¡°Maybe,¡± Esme admitted. ¡°I will send my spiritual companion to scout the nearby area.¡± Keynes Kid got to his feet and both Torvac and Esme froze, readying themselves for a possible attack, which didn¡¯t come. ¡°We¡¯re in a safe zone, remember?¡± Keynes Kid said not looking at them. ¡°We cannot trust you,¡± Torvac said. ¡°I understand and I thank you for not robbing me during the night.¡± Robbing¡­hm. It didn¡¯t even cross Torvac¡¯s mind as the whole situation stank of an ambush. It still wasn¡¯t clear what his deal was and it would be best if he left right now. ¡°No problem. Are you going now?¡± Torvac asked with a hint of hope in his voice, which he tried to mask. Keynes Kid turned toward them and Torvac¡¯s Talent immediately spiked, informing him that the intruder was very dangerous. Still there was no hostile intent. ¡°How did you manage to resist the dominion debuff?¡± Esme sharply glanced at Torvac. Okay, so this Keynes Kid was actually trouble. Torvac prepared his two spells [Earth Blow] and [Shield] though the zone prevented him from using them. Esme must have done the same as she took the fighting pose. Her spells were more close combat oriented with emphasis on delivering a critical blow at the right time. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too personal?¡± Torvac asked, not keeping hostility out of his voice. His posture also indicated his readiness to fight. Keynes Kid only shook his head then left the safe zone. ¡°This boy is trouble,¡± Torvac said after Keynes Kid vanished among the trees outside the safe zone. ¡°It¡¯d be best to go the other way.¡± ¡°And leave the prize to others?¡± Esme asked, quietly with disbelief. ¡°Our group invested in our mission. If we fail, we are as good as dead.¡± Torvac knew this but with all the skills and items they had found on their way here, they were able to pay their group back several times over. Nonetheless, they still didn¡¯t figure out the correct combination to unlock a passage into the centre and it was unlikely that other adventures caught up with the diabolical designs of the dominion. Chapter 171 The Solar Council¡¯s conflict with Untainted Paradise was one of the strangest ones in the post-outbreak era. It has started with Untainted Paradise¡¯s refusal to fulfil their end of bargain and open rifts for the members of the council. Death of Syberius Sael and an argument over the first sub-boss dominion further deteriorated their relations but the true beginning of Untainted Paradise¡¯s end was destruction of the council¡¯s navy nearby Emerald City. Unanimously, Untainted Paradise was voted out of the council. But the repercussions didn¡¯t end there. Their access to Arefact Exchange was revoked, effectively cutting off their main source of income. This, like any other council¡¯s matter, was not publicly communicated, creating worldwide confusion when suddenly access to Level 4 materials ended. Without their income, Untainted Paradise was expected to starve out and go bankrupt within several months but some councillors wanted blood. The Solar Council needed to make an example out of Untainted Paradise to ensure that no other company would rise against them in the future. A comprehensive offensive was planned that would see all Untainted Paradise¡¯s assets seized and the key individuals arrested or executed with sole exception of two individuals ¡ª Keynes Kid and Pucci. They were deemed as the critical assets but their apprehension was problematic as they were somewhere in the sub-boss dominion. Regardless of Keynes Kid and Pucci¡¯s location, the offensive received green light with Hunter spearheading the operation. Then the unexpected happened and every resource at the council¡¯s disposal was redirected. *** #secret report rt3-21d I can confirm that the Institute has detected a spiritual signature classed as an anomaly and decided to investigate it without informing the Solar Council. The decision was made at the highest level of the Institute. *** Keynes approached the abandoned camp. It belonged to the couple he had met two days ago in the safe zone. His body and mind had been in poor shape back then, but it¡¯d been enough to pick up on irregularities. Somehow, the two Level 6s resisted the dominion¡¯s debuff so close to the centre and on top of that the male had a Talent that allowed him to track Keynes albeit for a short time and distance. It proved that his Untraceable buff had limits and the Pure Body wasn¡¯t strong enough to resist a Level 6 Talent. Though without the Pure Body, Keynes suspected he wouldn¡¯t have known about the tracking. It didn¡¯t show as a debuff but a system message and a feeling that followed him until he was out of the Talent¡¯s range. He understood that Talents were stronger than skills and it was too easy to forget that they existed when they were so rarely used It is here, Alice pointed at the two tiny patches of ground with several plants mixed together. They planted the same two saplings, then squeezed juice out handful grape-like fruits and finished up with planting a combination of herbs. The thing here was that everything in these patches had already decayed. Keynes tried [Identify Plant] but the skill failed. Once everything was done, the main plants flared spiritual energy and each one bore a fruit, which they ate, she continued her explanation. Realisation was slow in coming but Keynes started to see the true theme of this dominion and he wanted to laugh. Plants and herbs in the dominion had a fundamental and very functional role. They were ingredients of recipes; recipes that were¡­miniature gardens. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you helped find Pucci and Kora,¡± Keynes said, knowing that Lem Solaris listened. Having Pucci would have been a tremendous advantage but Lem Solaris remained silent and it made Keynes wonder if she had any hand in his kidnapping¡­ Someone with his Talent would trivialise the challenge, though it wasn¡¯t as if Keynes was in a losing position. His time with Hugo, Sophia, Wagner and Pucci rewarded him with better understanding of gardening even though he hadn¡¯t had time to pursue this particular hobby or even make notes in his notebook he¡¯d called ¡°Possibilities Unlimited¡±. Alice, go and watch these two ascenders for a couple of days. Learn everything you can; types of plants, arrangements, additional ingredients, out of ordinary methods. You name it, Keynes said. While he was confident in his ability in cracking the ¡®recipes¡¯ he wanted as much information as possible and the pair was a solid source. There were 33 ascenders considered ahead of him within the dominion. So it was safe to assume that others had figured out the theme too. He checked the Web and there were some people claiming that cultivating plants inside this dominion was important. Most of these people were laughed at and there were no details. Keynes suspected that most of the people who commented on the Web, weren¡¯t in the dominion and were just theorycrafting. He put the tablet away. There was no news from Wagner other than the process of removing the Level 4 rift cluster was finished. All their rifts were now inside Emerald City. Also no further attacks came from the Solar Council. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have any news on Pucci¡¯s and Kora¡¯s location, which only made Keynes more suspicious about Lem Solaris¡¯s meddling. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. With Alice gone, Keynes returned his attention to the decayed plants in the two miniature gardens. Even though [Identify Plant] failed, Keynes had another tool at his disposal. His control over spiritual aura gradually increased. He was playing with his aura at all times, trying to manipulate smaller and smaller threads. It was unfortunate that he didn¡¯t receive any new techniques but he was sure that he was on track. He had the feeling that he was making progress. The spiritual signatures of the decayed plants were corrupted. Something he expected. Physical condition heavily affected the spiritual makeup of things. Keynes didn¡¯t stop there. He pushed spiritual threads deeper, searching hidden features which could hint at the identity of these plants. The whole thing took him several hours and he had to use [Spiritual Wraith] twice to get rid of monsters that passed nearby. Eventually, he gathered enough little spiritual details that could help him find the plants. But first, he needed to eat. His body had recovered strength but now required nutritions. He searched for a dry place but the closer to the centre, the heavier and more moist air was. Even without rain, most of the foliage was dripping water. Keynes was only minutely inconvenienced by the temperature and humidity. The Pure Body buff ensured this. He ate in relative silence. The forest was alive with thousand little sounds coming from everywhere. An occasional roar or growl made him expand his aura but no threat was in his vicinity. Holding Level 3 food, a nutrition-dense bar, in his hand, Keynes considered the new reality. High Level materials weren¡¯t unheard before the first outbreak but they were rare, very rare. Now, there were entire cities being built from scratch with High Level materials, which was partially out of necessity as roaming monsters of Level 4 posed an unprecedented threat to Level 0 materials. Keynes had seen a video of a Level 4 rhino barrelling through a metre thick wall. And there were monsters that didn¡¯t care for physical obstacles and needed to be stopped with runes and formations. But there was more to this new reality than that of course and it was where his thoughts were going to¡­ High Level materials weren¡¯t only building materials, they were becoming fundamental elements of life. Pucci ran a project on one of uninhabited isles where they were replacing Level 0 soil with Level 4 and on top of that planted Level 4 trees. Though Keynes didn¡¯t know the details, he read the preliminary results and knew that the trees produced only Level 3 oxygen. Of course, there was more to Levels than simply replacing Low Level materials with High Level ones. But something bothered him in these changes, in this obsession to turn Earth into a Level 10 planet, though he couldn¡¯t put his finger on what it was. Keynes took a bite of the bar. His attention switched to his meal. It was really packed with nutrients but as Level 4 and Perfect State ascender, he could feel it wasn¡¯t enough to sustain him. So, perhaps, that¡¯s what drives us to turn Earth into the Higher Level world. Low Level food won¡¯t be able to sustain the strongest for very long. This issue hadn¡¯t crossed anyone¡¯s mind so far because their spiritual imbalance between the environment and their cores was not yet out of sync. He realised that it would take time for the spiritual decay to kick in. What nasty thoughts¡­ Keynes shook his head, hard, dispelling the unsavoury thoughts. It might not be as grim as he believed. After all, Shaper was Level 10 and his spiritual stage was far higher than his. Obviously, Shaper was an outlier and Keynes suspected Shaper¡¯s Talent at play here. Not willing to commit any more thoughts to these issues, and not fully understanding why they emerged now, Keynes shifted his attention to the problem at hand. He needed to gather as many ingredients as possible and test them out. He finished off the bar and drank water he¡¯d conjured, then left the spot and started moving through the jungle. It was midday but the dense foliage above his head made the bottom of the jungle dark, forcing him to use [Night Sight] and actively scan the area with his spiritual aura. In this regard, he was constantly adjusting the method to make it less tiresome and more efficient. Unlike spells, spiritual aura didn¡¯t consume mana but stamina and not just the physical one but mental one as well. The bed of the jungle was its own microcosm. Thousands of non-monster insects moved about their own lives, oblivious to Keynes¡¯s scrutiny. In a way, it was fascinating. These insects and small critters were¡­Level 3 and 4 like everything in this dominion. This gave him pause. Rifts taught him the most basic but also the most important lesson: everything was a resource. Stranger still, rifts didn¡¯t have non-monster entities. If a rift had insects in it, they were monsters and their intent was to kill or worse. Now he watched an ant colony work together, behaving like ¡®normal¡¯ ants. Other insects were the same, beetles, centipedes, butterflies. As he observed them, his mind worked hard to determine what their role in the dominion was. Maybe he was overthinking things or maybe there was more to this dominion than he suspected? Its initial characteristic was very simple, almost too simple. I¡¯ll have to consult this with Alice once she is back. He turned away from the insected and started searching for plants that spiritually stood out from the rest of the environment. Going simply by appearance would lead him nowhere. The forest was simply too rich. His spiritual sense picked up several interesting signatures. Half of them turned out to be insects hiding within foliage, but on those that were plants Keynes used [Identify Plant].
Summer Thunder Knot (rare) - [Plant] Level 4
Death Ivy (uncommon) - [Plant] Level 4
Untrustworthy Moss (common) - [Plant] Level 4
The third result made him simple. The names were clearly meaningful. Each of these plants had something of a ¡®theme¡¯; thunder, death, untrustworthiness. He also noticed a sublime difference in their spiritual signature relative to their rarity. It wasn¡¯t purely strength-based. There seemed to be another layer to the spirit of these three plants that hinted of depth and richness. Really, with Pucci here, we¡¯d have cracked this whole thing already. But Pucci was not here and Keynes was left on his own. As he moved his hand closer to Summer Thunder Knot he realised that he couldn¡¯t just pick them. They needed to be replanted. For that, he needed prepared bedding. So he returned to the spot where the two miniature gardens were and cleared them with [Purify] leaving the pristine soil. Okay, it¡¯s time to experiment. Chapter 172 Keynes had gone through at least a hundred different plants when he felt something unusual and novel; an instinct, which he followed as he inspected plants with his spiritual aura. At first he only recognised a distinct spiritual signature of each rarity but he didn¡¯t stop there and tried to peer deeper into the spiritual structure that made the plants. This constant pushing followed the new instinct and its feedback only reinforced Keynes¡¯s focus. And then it happened. Congratulations! You have acquired a Technique of Spiritual Sensitivity * Your Understanding of Spirit has increased dramatically Keynes¡¯s mind filled with understanding. It was¡­so much different from the scrolls. In his mind, he could trace back every step he had taken to reach this layer. It was unbelievable how blind he¡¯d been before now. Nonetheless, he was forced to relax and clear his mind to keep from being overwhelmed. He allowed himself to be swept by the spiritual stimuli like a log in a wild river. With closed eyes, he let himself immerse in the new feeling. The river calmed and slowly morphed into an ocean of spirit. Spirit was everywhere. The world was made out of spirit¡­ ¡­and Keynes just learned to see. Without opening eyes, he ¡®glanced¡¯ at the plant¡ªFirsome Blue Acacia¡ªand found new depth in its spiritual signature. Its complexity was mind-numbing but nothing could discourage Keynes. His spiritual sense dived into the plant¡¯s spiritual structure and felt a faint connection between the plant¡¯s rare rarity and its properties. With enthusiasm and dexterity of a newborn¡ªrather than a surgeon¡ªKeynes¡¯s spiritual fingers touched the delicate spiritual matrix. Like a living organism, the plant¡¯s spiritual DNA had its own purpose but the exact role of its design was beyond Keynes¡¯s understanding. It wasn¡¯t surprising. He just started to see the ocean, he couldn¡¯t yet swim in it. There would be time for that. His attention turned to a different aspect of his new understanding. His spiritual fingers suddenly grasped the structure and squeezed. It resisted for a while but Keynes was a Level 4 Perfect State ascender in the Superior stage. Instinctively, he knew that the plant couldn¡¯t withstand his spiritual pressure. The plant¡¯s spiritual structure was both very fragile and malleable. It existed in perfect harmony where every detail of its design mattered. But at the same time, it possessed strange resilience that was trying to keep it functional. Even as Keynes tightened his grip on the structure, it morphed and wiggled like an eel. It tried to adapt to the pressure, even though some features and characteristics were lost in the process. Keynes didn¡¯t stop and the spiritual structure started to break apart, unable to accommodate the rapid change. As his spiritual aura crushed it, an invisible wave of energy was released. He wouldn¡¯t know it happened if his Chaos debuff didn¡¯t resonate with it. The physical plant quickly decayed and then disintegrated, leaving nothing behind¡­ Out of nowhere, came the unsettling sensation of being watched, closely. Immediately, Keynes felt that the act of spiritual destruction was an act against nature itself. But the System didn¡¯t stop him and¡­there seemed to be no consequence. ¡°Lem Solaris?¡± Keynes asked, wondering if she would show up. She didn¡¯t. But there was one extra matter left. Why did the Chaos debuff react to the spiritual destruction of the plant? Were Spirit and Chaos parts of the life cycle? What happened there? Of course, the answer didn''t materialise. Another plant ended the same way and once more the debuff reacted. It wasn¡¯t anything spectacular, just a faint resonance with the energy of a dying plant. Keynes didn¡¯t even worry that the debuff might become active. Which in itself was something to think about. The spiritual structure of insects was far more complex than plants even of the rare ones. There was an additional depth that was represented as a shades of spiritual energy within the structure. It was also much harder to crush insects¡¯ spiritual structures¡ªthey didn¡¯t have spiritual cores like ascenders or monsters¡ªand in most cases, Keynes ended up destabilising them. It had varying effects with a few insects perishing but without releasing waves of energy. Proper monsters were going to be far more resilient than mere insects, so a plan to use spiritual aura to kill them was out of question. Also, Keynes had a hunch that the System might step in if he started annihilating spiritual structures of monsters. But he wasn¡¯t going to stop there. The technique was powerful and he had much to learn with it. So he took a look at himself and he found what he expected but much more complex than he thought possible. Above it all was his core. The level of intricacy made everything else pale in comparison. It was like comparing the design of a rocket to a car. Keynes swiftly moved his attention away from the main core to six attribute cores then further down searching for the source of mana. He was sure he could figure it out. But first, he needed to understand the relationship between attributes, the main core and Levels. Essence was a building block of the entire spiritual structure of ascenders. Absorbing it made levelling possible. There had to be a connection between all these elements. He even considered using the orb of insight he¡¯d received as a reward for gaining the third degree but something new caught his attention. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! His buffs were half-integrated with his spiritual core. Their presence wasn¡¯t obvious and their structures looked irregular and rather out of place. Keynes spent time investigating each of them as it wasn¡¯t clear which one was which. He also found no debuff. Whatever was going on here, showed that his buffs weren¡¯t properly integrated with his spiritual core. Could it be that mana core was in a similar situation? After all, only after intervention of Lem Solaris¡¯s master, Vitality, the sixth attribute was reinstated. He continued playing with the buffs, hoping to find a solution and better understanding of his current predicament. While he didn¡¯t figure out how to fix it, he learned the buffs were misaligned with his core. This almost pushed him to use the orb of insight and re-align it but then he remembered that the essence was required to make changes inside his body. He left that for later and focused on his spell cores. Each of them showed a different level of integration with the main core and size. Manipulating these required essence. Keynes had done some of this already especially with [Flight] but now he saw how crude and inefficient these changes were. But he didn¡¯t really care about them at the moment. Another idea formed in his mind, one that others might not like and he was okay with that. And so he did two things simultaneously. You have used the Orb of Grand Insight. * You have activated the Trait of Spirituality *** Lem Solaris saw the thoughts in Keynes Kid¡¯s mind before they reached his consciousness. She could easily stop him there. Remove the thoughts without him knowing what had happened. Perhaps the System would have acted and stopped her but she didn¡¯t think it would. Actually, Lem Solaris believed that the course of action wasn¡¯t particularly favourable for the System. Keynes Kid was beginning to see the true face of the world. Of course, seeing wasn¡¯t enough. Between seeing, understanding and changing the spiritual landscape was a vast chasm. Once Keynes Kid reached the third milestone, he would learn that the System didn¡¯t like ascenders who meddled directly with the spiritual structure of the world. There would be pushback, though what kind of pushback, Lem Solaris couldn¡¯t tell. The System was unpredictable. She watched Keynes Kid absorb the trait. It was going to reshape him in a way he wasn¡¯t going to like¡­ A spike of Chaos energy exploded out of Keynes Kid, obliterating his surroundings. Lem Solaris had to shield Keynes Kid¡¯s connection with his personal assistant or it would be annihilated as well. Chaos didn¡¯t discriminate against the different planes of existence, it destroyed everything equally. Or more precisely, deformed. Chaos represented an enigmatic primordial energy which introduced pure Chaos. Anything under its influence rapidly changed in an uncontrollable way. Only pure Order was capable of countering Chaos. But Order was as dangerous as Chaos and using it was forbidden. Order locked things the way they were in all possible dimensions, including time. Someone trapped by Order would remain frozen in place for eternity. What Lem Solaris was now observing was a maelstrom of Chaos and Spirit existing within Keynes Kid¡¯s spirit core. Spirit was neither Chaos or Order. Its origin was unknown but it was clearly a product of the System, though how the System managed to create Spirit or why, Lem Solaris didn¡¯t know. It was the kind of knowledge locked by the Higher Realms. As the energies started to spiral out of control and threaten the integrity of Keynes Kid¡¯s surroundings, the System acted and attempted to isolate the boy from the physical realm. But then the unexpected happened¡­ A rift opened. Not just any rift, not even a greater rift. No. This was something else. Something unknown even to Lem Solaris, no matter how unlikely that sounded. It was wide enough to swallow a building, and possessed no colour or shape. Lem Solaris shuddered as she realised that she was affected by its mesmerising influence, which should not be possible with her attributes and resistances. She tried to contact Traveller but her connection was BLOCKED. She couldn¡¯t move. She was trapped. The rift rebuffed the System¡¯s attempt. Then its form started to morph into a humanoid form though a far cry from a human. The energy skyrocketed as the System tried again but failed. It appeared as well as a genderless humanoid without any features. Both of them stood on both sides of Keynes Kid while the world around was slowly being destroyed by volatile energies. Even though the System froze the time, it was not able to contain the energies. Entropy was eating the forest away. Beyond them was Lem Solaris watching this madness. She was unable to speak or move, and he knew that both entities were aware of her presence but decided to ignore her. ¡°CHILD OF CHAOS BELONGS TO US.¡± It was difficult to describe it as a voice. It were waves of pure Chaos, travelling through the higher physical realm, and the System acted, trying to contain them lest they would tear it apart. Still, the energies of Chaos were too potent and some of them escaped the System¡¯s grip. Lem Solaris bit her teeth as pain cut through her. She had some Chaos resistance but she was too close to the entity of Chaos. Remaining even in the periphery of its attention was too dangerous for her. She could only watch in disbelief as her skin was slowly disintegrating as the chaotic energies were messing up with her spiritual integrity. It would not kill her. Her Soul would not survive even Chaos but rebuilding spiritual constitution was always a bothersome exercise. ¡°NO,¡± The System replied and the world trembled. ¡°KEYNES KID WAS BORN OUT OF THE SYSTEM.¡± ¡°NO,¡± this time the entity of Chaos denied, and through the pain, Lem Solaris sensed joy, alien, unending and misplaced. ¡°THE CHILD BELONGS TO CHAOS. THE CHILD OF CHAOS COMES.¡± Lem Solaris tried to scream as agony rocked her body. Half of her body was already gone if not for her Will, she would lose the rest of her integrity. But she endured. She felt the entity of Chaos¡¯ departure and the System¡¯s corrective actions. Hundreds of metres of matter in all directions had vanished and the System was bringing it back. It lasted less than a second but the sheer energy made Lem Solaris vomit. She dropped on the rebuilt bed of a forest. Her body twisted, burnt, melted, and worse. Her body was already healing, although damage done by Chaos required Soul healing as the standard spells were useless against this type of damage. It took her several minutes to fully recover. The forest around looked pristine and untouched. But its condition stood out of place in the bigger picture of the dominion. Not that any of the ascenders here could spot a difference. Her attention fell on Keynes Kid and she immediately noticed changes. The Trait of Spirituality had been absorbed but the Chaos was no longer listed as debuff. It was now a buff¡­ Chapter 173 Keynes activated the Orb of Grand Insight and the Trait of Spirituality. As the time stretched, he checked on his spiritual core, hoping to get the insight about its structure. He didn¡¯t know what to expect from the trait but with his new technique and the Orb of the Grand Insight, he was surely going to learn much. Then the world exploded. Everything vanished, only darkness remained and then slowly faint pinpricks of light appeared. As they gained strength, even fainter threads came into existence. Keynes understood nothing of this. And strangely he wasn¡¯t worried. He felt safe. ¡°The Child of Chaos.¡± Keynes turned around and found the cosmos staring at him. Something about this place made him not worried or afraid and his mind felt crystal clear. Normally, he would have asked where he was but this time, he somehow understood his circumstances. The moment he activated the Trait of Spirituality, the Chaos debuff reacted with it. The effect was exotic but so were the elements affecting Keynes. It actually was funny how people still were amazed by magic. With the arrival of the Dominion of Monsters, people should have learned to expect unimaginable things from the System. And so Keynes didn¡¯t feel surprised. ¡°The Child of Chaos,¡± the voice said again. ¡°Embrace Chaos.¡± The voice came from everywhere and Keynes decided it was time to pay attention to it and this strange place. It no longer resembled the cosmos and looked like the structure of a brain. At this point, Keynes could only speculate the meaning of this place but it obviously was connected to the Chaos debuff. ¡°Why should I embrace Chaos?¡± he asked, his voice calm and smooth. Silence followed his question then, a shape was born amid the lights and darkness. It was distinctly humanoid but it had no features and resembled a liquid trying to become something other than a puddle. ¡°Because you are the Child of Chaos,¡± the new entity said, its voice was Keynes¡¯s voice. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡± Keynes asked, wondering about his unbelievable clarity. For some reason, his thoughts were unobstructed, and actually there was an explanation to that. Keynes realised for the first time how badly his mind was broken and influenced by outside forces. The System¡­ ¡°Then you will wither away,¡±the entity replied. ¡°Our enemy will not allow one such as you to thrive.¡± ¡°Our enemy¡­ you mean the System?¡± ¡°The System is only a tool. A potent one, with its own mind and agenda, but the true foe lives outside the System.¡± It fell silent but Keynes knew it wasn¡¯t finished and so he waited. ¡°You must embrace Chaos. You must cut the strings it has embedded in your Soul.¡± Keynes reached out to Alice but the connection didn¡¯t exist. He didn¡¯t panic, subconsciously knowing that Alice, in her current form, couldn¡¯t exist within this realm. Because he was no longer on Earth. Wherever he was, the System was not allowed here. ¡°What¡¯s the price of embracing Chaos?¡± Keynes asked after a moment of contemplation. He didn¡¯t trust this place or this entity and not because they could betray him, no, this wasn¡¯t his worry but he was concerned about the way they perceived the world. They might even believe they do things in Keynes¡¯s favour but the reality would be the opposite. They needed to be on the same page and Keynes was going to make it clear to them. ¡°You must open your Soul to Chaos.¡± Yeah, that was not going to happen. ¡°No.¡± ¡°You will die¡ª¡± ¡°Then so be it,¡± Keynes interrupted the entity. He didn¡¯t owe anyone anything. Not the world, not Chaos, not the System. Everyone wanted things from him, everyone wanted to control him. Even Lem Solaris tried to manipulate him. He was more than sure that the kidnapping of Kora and Pucci was her doing or at least, she consciously decided to not stop it. The entity of Chaos shivered and its surface gained some features. With it came pressure of an otherworldly attention. It seemed that his refusal gained him a greater attention of Chaos. He wondered how far Chaos could be pushed. Could they kill Keynes here or were they left only with threats? ¡°CHILD.¡± The voice didn¡¯t belong to Keynes any longer. It was deeper, louder and richer. ¡°KNEEL BEFORE YOUR CREATOR.¡± ¡°I refuse,¡± Keynes said, feeling his Soul tremble. It was a novel sensation. He had never felt his Soul before but this new entity did something that made his Soul react to it. Did it try to forcibly open his Soul? ¡°YOU HAVE CHOSEN YOUR PATH THEN, CHILD. NOW, BEGONE.¡± The entity vanished but things just started getting weirder. A system message¡­ No, not a system message¡ªor at least not the same system from Keynes¡¯s universe, appeared in front of Keynes. You are a Defier of Chaos. You are now immune to Chaos of your Level and lower. Your understanding of Chaos is now natural. You were awarded with understanding of fundamental forces. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. * Step lightly, child. Your defiance was heard in the Higher Realms. It angered and attracted dangerous beings. While their reach into the Lower Realms is limited, they still may act. Nonetheless, some were impressed and pleased by you and bestowed certain boons. * You have now access to the Greater System (it will not replace your current System). Your Mind and Body are healed and synchronised with your Soul and Spiritual Core. Foreign influences are cut off (Warning! This is not permanent). Good Luck, Defier of Chaos! * Keynes was back in the forest but he immediately picked up inconsistencies. It was not the same place. Its spiritual signature was different. But Keynes shelved this thought for now as he had other things on his mind. His connection with Alice was back but for the first time he saw the flaws in it. The spiritual ¡®rope¡¯ was frayed in many places and was quite irregular. He wasn¡¯t sure how to fix these issues but he was confident it was a matter of time before he learned it. Alice herself was in a daze and it wasn¡¯t a self-induced state. Someone had done it to her; either the System or Lem Solaris. Speaking of the devil, Lem Solaris decided to show up. To Keynes¡¯s enhanced spiritual senses, she was a blank slate. Not even the minutest thread of spiritual energy escaped her. Maybe she wasn¡¯t here and this body was barely a projection. Keynes would not be surprised with that. ¡°Hello Lem,¡± Keynes said. ¡°You¡¯re changed, Keynes Kid,¡± Lem Solaris ignored his greetings. ¡°Of course I am changed,¡± he replied, tapping the side of his head with his finger. ¡°No one controls me anymore.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t controlled before,¡± Lem Solaris reappeared next to him. He felt her attention on him. ¡°But your mind has been healed.¡± Either she lied or she wasn¡¯t aware of the outside influence. He made sure to keep the thoughts to himself but his spiritual mastery didn¡¯t extend to the mental domain. If his thoughts leaked, he was unable to see them doing so or prevent it at the moment. Maybe, there¡¯s a way to build a spiritual shield around my mind? It would stop you, Lem Solaris, from reading them, he thought and Lem Solaris sharply glanced at him. ¡°You¡¯ve become arrogant, Keynes Kid,¡± Lem Solaris said in response to his mental message. ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous trait to have at Level 4.¡± He ignored her empty threat and instead decided to confront her about something else. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you healed my mind earlier?¡±Even as he said it, he watched Lem Solaris with scrutiny but her spiritual signature was non-existent. If his eyes didn¡¯t inform him about her presence, he¡¯d not sense her. Unfortunately, it meant he couldn¡¯t tell if she lied. ¡°Because I was not allowed,¡± Lem Solaris replied nonchalantly. ¡°Why? Why did the System want me broken?¡±Keynes asked and consciously made an effort to not think about his conversation with Chaos. He couldn¡¯t tell if Lem Solaris had witnessed it but he suspected that she hadn¡¯t as even the System hadn¡¯t been present there. Lem Solaris¡¯s child appearance wasn¡¯t helping Keynes getting anything from her. She clearly was capable of altering her appearance and wouldn¡¯t allow any hints of distress to get out. She glared at him for several seconds before glancing around as if looking for something. If she hoped that the System wasn¡¯t watching then Keynes had bad news for her, the System was always watching. ¡°It wants you to open Level 7 rifts.¡± ¡°And does it require a broken mind?¡±Keynes asked, confused. ¡°No, but after a Level 5 outbreak you may become uncooperative.¡± ¡°Is Level 5 that bad then?¡± ¡°It is worse than you can imagine. If you have caused the Level 5 outbreak today, your kind might have vanished from the surface of the planet.¡± Keynes digested this and it wasn¡¯t that hard to imagine the scenario after witnessing the post-outbreak world but it wasn¡¯t all. ¡°What¡¯s so special about Level 7 rifts?¡± Lem Solaris squinted at him, there was a hint of something in her eyes. Hesitation? ¡°They drop Talent-grade spells and spells that can affect Talents.¡± ¡°Ah, so I will become redundant. Others will be able to open rifts. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m going to complain.¡± ¡°Yes, they will but to a lesser degree and nothing ridiculous as opening hidden rooms inside rifts.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t done that in a long time actually.¡± They stared at each other for a while. Keynes kept his mind blank, not wanting to give away anything to her. Lem Solaris remained unreadable like always. Her appearance and her behaviour were quite mismatched as she behaved completely inhuman. If she wished so, she would stare unfazed at Keynes until he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open anymore. Not today though, something urgent was on her mind and she asked, ¡°What did you see inside the rift?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Keynes replied, maintaining an empty mind. Not a shred of information for her. ¡°You understand that I know when you lie.¡± ¡°I do.¡± She opened her mouth but then changed her mind and after narrowing her eyes, which was purely for dramatic effect, she said, ¡°I see what you¡¯re doing. It is smart but it doesn¡¯t work against me. I can read your memories if I want to.¡± Her words didn¡¯t make Keynes stop and she eventually left without saying anything else but as she vanished, Keynes projected one powerful thought: bring back Kora. He didn¡¯t wait and brood. There was no time for that. She¡¯d either bring her or not and there was nothing he could do to influence her decision. He gave only a brief thought to the System¡¯s manipulation and Chaos¡¯ warning but didn¡¯t dwell on this either. First things first, Alice, you there? Master¡­ What happened? Her voice was confused and weak. Keep watch why I go over some things, okay? Yes¡­master. He was going to work on their bond. By the look of it, he was pretty sure that bond could carry over skills as well but to what extent the time would tell. Keynes glanced at his spiritual core. It was changed in many places, especially the buff parts. The buffs were now a part of him, which hadn¡¯t been the case in the past. Keynes¡¯s memory buff showed him how much the structure of his core had been changed. Curiously, the general volume of the core was smaller and streamlined to accommodate the buffs. Almost in real time, as Keynes observed his current spiritual core, he was able to figure out the reasoning behind the changes and it ran contrary to his previous assumption of enlarging his core. One thing he noted right away was the amount of spiritual energy emitted by his current core; it was half of the previous amount. And this was without any conscious effort from him. So this meant that the size and structure of the core directly impacted spiritual aura. He reached for his aura and flooded the area. The effect exceeded his expectations. His aura was 30% stronger, more responsive and easier to control. Yes, much of this was thanks to the trait and technique but the core played the key role in this comparison. And I can feel it isn¡¯t optimised. It¡¯s just synchronised with the buffs. Nice. Let¡¯s figure these things out. Chapter 174 Keynes¡¯s focus shifted to his Talent. His spiritual core didn¡¯t have a structure that supported it. It made sense as Talents were more powerful than spells, which were nestled in the core. The question was where was Talent located then? Keynes activated his Talent several times but he didn¡¯t notice anything. Maybe to see more he needed to actually use his Talent? He glanced around but found nothing that his Talent could be used on. His gut was telling him though that Talent should be located inside a Soul, he was aware of but he couldn¡¯t actually access or see his Soul right now. Interestingly the Orbs of Perfection worked on Talents as well as lesser grade things like spells and attributes¡­ Attributes. Keynes checked on them and saw a few inconsistencies. Their connection to the core was different from spells, more robust and integral even than the buffs. As Keynes poked some more he realised that there was a way to turn a buff off. It varied between buffs but all of them had it, which meant that all buffs could be suppressed, although seeing their connection to the core, he couldn¡¯t imagine the force required to do so. Attributes were a little more complex in that regard but even they possessed a weakness that could be exploited but the extent of suppression was beyond Keynes¡¯s expertise. As for spells, their structures varied vastly and Keynes winced seeing the state of his spell cores, especially [Flight]. It was poorly done patchwork. How blind was I to miss so many vital points? He asked himself. He realised that a fight against anyone who could wield spiritual aura as competently as he could now, would end up poorly for him. It would be too easy to turn his spells off at a critical moment. For some reason, Techniques and the Trait weren¡¯t present in his core or anywhere in his body. Were they similar to a Talent? He didn¡¯t know. But he decided to make an experiment. He activated [Spiritual Wraith] and watched the effects. His aura didn¡¯t vanish as he expected. It was still there but as if on another plane¡­ oh, shit, I see what¡¯s going on here. The shades of spiritual energy seemed to have another meaningful role. The moment Keynes activated [Spiritual Wraith], his aura changed the shade which was very different from everything around. Hey Alice, does spiritual energy exist on different planes of existence? Master, what do you mean? She asked confused and so he explained his hunch. Alice went silent for a moment and through their bond Keynes felt her turmoil as she tried to remember without the connection to the System. Eventually, she returned and said, I do not remember, but I do feel like you are correct. Otherwise, how can you use your spiritual aura during [Spiritual Wraith]. The aura still exists out there. I was sure that [Spiritual Wraith] is a mask that hides the aura but from what I see, it is more like a switch that turns the aura off from a lower layer of existence¡­does it make sense? Alice couldn¡¯t confirm but she said that it ¡®felt¡¯ right. If that was the state of things, it explained how High Level ascenders could remain invisible to the world while exerting influence over it. Perhaps, the same thing was happening with a Soul. He couldn¡¯t see it because he didn¡¯t have an ability to see deeper layers of spiritual energy. How many things are hidden from us then? He asked Alice. It is hard to say. The System did not share its knowledge with me and only made it available when it wanted. In hindsight, my current state is better for me as the System¡¯s control is gone and its benefits were never that useful in the first place. Keynes agreed with her. Being himself was always better as those who sought to control them had their own agendas which rarely benefited anyone but the puppeteers. Banishing the negative thoughts, Keynes moved on to the last part of his analysis of his new abilities and body. Essence. Given all he¡¯d learned so far about Chaos, Order and spirit, he didn¡¯t know how to classify essence. It was the only tool available to upgrade his spiritual core and spells. It had no effect on the buffs and was indirectly related to attributes. And there was no way to use essence on techniques or a Talent¡­ or maybe there was but Keynes¡¯s spiritual sight was too poor to see it? That sounded plausible but he didn¡¯t think it was the case. Techniques could only be upgraded by training and Talent by the Orbs of Perfection and upgrades that came with levelling. The buffs and spells also scaled with Levels¡­ This is quite a mess. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t and it all could be neatly explained but those with knowledge were averse to sharing it. Should I then? He pondered a thought for a second and decided to go for it. He understood the risk of Lem Solaris overhearing his thoughts but considering the extent of her powers and the ¡®tremendous¡¯ speed of his progression, there might be no better opportunity for a while. With a mental nudge, Keynes reached to the Greater System. ¡°Welcome to the Greater System.¡± Unlike the System on Earth, the Greater System took Keynes¡¯s consciousness away to a different reality and as if reading his worries the Greater System added, ¡°Do not worry, your perception was extended and time for you outside of this place has stopped. You¡¯re safe.¡± One thing Keynes noted immediately was that the speech of the Greater System was far more informal than Alice¡¯s. But these were trivial matters while Keynes had more pressing things on his mind. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the Greater System.¡± Something was telling him that it was MOCKING him. ¡°What¡¯s different between you and the System in my world?¡± ¡°I¡¯m greater than yours.¡± Keynes snorted, finding the reply funny but not much helpful. ¡°Can you tell me more?¡± ¡°You have only provisional access but given your recent achievement, I can offer you more. So, your System¡¯s power is limited only to your Universe. My powers are limitless across all realities.¡± This was a significant difference and Keynes wanted to figure out how he could use it to his advantage. He considered a few provocative questions but in the face of the favour it felt wrong. ¡°What does this access mean to me? How do I benefit from it? My System is quite stingy with information and stuff.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t surprising, the Lower Realms systems do not exist in vacuum and their designs aren¡¯t a coincidence. Also, there is a cost involved. Just check for yourself.¡± The reality before Keynes¡¯s eyes expanded and he saw the impossible. The Greater System was like a shop but it didn¡¯t normally sell to individuals but to the Lower Realms systems. The words escaped him. ¡°My access is a privilege.¡± ¡°It is,¡± the Greater System agreed. ¡°Only selected individuals in the Lower Realms are granted access and it can be revoked easily if they fall out of favour.¡± ¡°What about the Higher Realms?¡± ¡°Information about the Higher Realms is classified. In the future, you should refrain from asking such questions, unless explicitly asked or allowed. Now, enjoy. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask but not all questions are equal and some have price.¡± Keynes acknowledged it and picked the first category offered by the systemic shop: Attributes. The sheer vastness of options made Keynes freeze. Attributes could be bought¡ªBOUGHT. Like what the fuck? There were two classes of attributes; permanent and additional. The difference between them was that the permanent were included into calculation upon levelling and such, while additional ones were just extra like the ones provided by items. The difference in cost between them was astrono¡­ wait a second. ¡°What is a primordial essence?¡± ¡°Essence from primordial beings.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he slowly said. ¡°Where can I find it?¡± ¡°For individuals like you, there are two main sources: a quest and a greater rift.¡± ¡°What about standard rifts? Can they be upgraded to provide it?¡±Keynes also wondered if his busted Talent could exploit this but he didn¡¯t voice his idea to the Greater System. ¡°In theory, yes, it is possible to upgrade an ordinary rift to such a degree that it can spawn primordial beings but you¡¯ll find the cost of the upgrade not cost effective.¡± The Greater System even brought up a few orbs that offered the upgrade but they cost something called titanic essence and the only source of this essence was outside of Keynes¡¯s current Universe. The Greater System didn¡¯t go into details but briefly said that the Titanic Realms, while still under the Greater System¡¯s control, played by different sets of rules. ¡°It is not impossible for a quest to appear and offer such an essence though.¡± ¡°How do I find such quests?¡± ¡°An answer to this question will cost you the Orb of Perfection,¡± the Greater System said. The price was steep and the answer wasn¡¯t guaranteed to be useful to him the same way the information about the titanic essence was useless to him. Nonetheless, he believed that the appearance of cost was meaningful. ¡°Does it cost because it is within the realm of my possibilities to use this knowledge.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed,¡± the Greater System admitted. ¡°It appears that your buffs aren¡¯t only for show. If there is a cost involved, it means the knowledge is very precise and actionable. For the price of the Orb of Perfection, you¡¯ll be able to learn ways to ¡®find¡¯ quests, which are tailored to you, unlike the quests offered here, which aren¡¯t always useful to individuals of your Level.¡± ¡°Can I think about this offer?¡± ¡°You can.¡± Keynes returned to browse attributes while at the back of his head, he thought hard about his next step. The Orb of Perfection was priceless¡­ wait, wait. A quick search brought him a list of orbs and there it was the Orb of Perfection. The Greater System valued it at 50 chaotic essences. Again, his mind raced. Was this expensive or not? He needed to figure this out but he suspected that actionable knowledge about essences would cost him and it might be more than a single Orb of Perfection. But it was a starting point. If everything had a price, it meant it could be achieved. After returning to the attributes for the third time, Keynes found something bizarre. Not only attributes could be increased but completely new attributes could be added as well. Endurance or Durability were easy to understand but Vault? Hearth? What the hell were these? Luckily for Keynes, the Greater System wasn¡¯t stingy on information. The Vault attribute was a spatial space that allowed hiding things inside a person. So a dimensional pouch as an attribute. Weird. The Hearth attribute stretched Keynes¡¯s tolerance for bullshit even further. Hearth allowed to refine substances inside ascenders. There were several warnings added to this one. Species with this attribute were rare and often exploited by stronger individuals or species as Hearth allowed to create the Fundamental Essences like chaotic, titanic or primordial essence. Keynes almost reached to buy it but the price made his eyes water. It was a thousand times more expensive than the Orb of Perfection. From less bizarre but still questionable attributes were Intelligence, Charisma or additional senses. There were more but things were greyed out and hidden from Keynes. When he tried to read their names, the system warning told him that his provisional access wasn¡¯t sufficient. Keynes briefly checked other categories but didn¡¯t focus on details. From what he saw, he gained total confidence that if he possessed the required essences, he could fully upgrade from the level of the Greater System alone. He made a longer stop at the quest category, finding the Greater System¡¯s earlier words to be true. There were quests and many of them offered the Fundamental Essences as the reward but none of them were possible for Keynes. The lowest one he found required Level 30 and none of the quests were available in his Universe. ¡°Tell me one thing, Greater System, is it worth it to pay the Orb of Perfection in exchange for the knowledge about the quests?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The reply was immediate and confident. ¡°Then, let¡¯s do it.¡± Chapter 175 Keynes¡¯s connection with the Greater System closed. He was granted knowledge about attaining personalised quests and what they meant to him. He whistled as some outcomes were straight out insane and akin to rewards granted for levelling as a Perfect State ascender. Obviously, nothing was for free. If he wished to gain access to personalised quests, he had to enter a greater rift and find a specific location outside of this Universe. The Greater System didn¡¯t say it but it was heavily implied that the greater rift offered access to other Universes. Lem Solaris hadn¡¯t mentioned it during their earlier conversation; either she didn¡¯t know or didn¡¯t want him to know. After he found the required universe and underwent a ritual, the quests would work across Universes. This was good news, the bad part was that personalised quests tended to not only be very difficult as the Greater System sought to push ascenders beyond their capabilities but aimed at the particular ascender¡¯s weakness. Unfortunately, the road ahead of Keynes was long and he had some reservations about paying a hefty price for obtaining this knowledge but it was better than relying on Lem Solaris. Master¡­something has changed, Alice said slowly via their bond and Keynes assured her he would explain it later. Let¡¯s go over the gardening bit first. What did you discover by following the two ascenders? He asked. It is as we thought, these small patches act as blank canvas and combination of plants creates specific effects. She had seen the two ascenders use the simple combination of several plants that then morphed into one large plant that bore a single fruit. The two ascenders had done it twice, which meant the fruit eased the dominion debuff¡¯s effect and couldn¡¯t be shared. Alice showed Keynes the combination and with his new spiritual trait, he was able to recognise the pattern. And like with his spiritual aura, the spiritual energy of these plants had many shades and some connection being hidden in the deeper layer of the spiritual plane. One glance was enough to tell him that he still didn¡¯t see everything he needed. With [Inspect Plant] Keynes identified the fruit as ominously named Survivor¡¯s Voice. He debated if he should eat it but Alice assured him that the two ascenders had eaten these fruits without any dire consequences. Though it didn¡¯t mean this was safe to eat. There could be some hidden long term side effects. But he was confident in his Pure Body buff to step in if things got out of hand. One bite into the bitter fruit and he already felt it take an effect. There was no system message but something very new¡ªakin to a spiritual sense¡ªtold him that the forest wasn¡¯t safe and made him alert. Do you sense anything different about me? He asked Alice but it was a misplaced question as everything about him was different after absorbing the Trait of Spirituality, so there was very little insight into her answer. Keynes inspected himself with the fruit in effect but couldn¡¯t tell what had changed. This was frustrating but not without its own insight. As he watched himself through spiritual lenses, he realised something. Could he achieve [Spiritual Wraith] effect without the skill? Not willing to ask Lem Solaris for assistance, which she would likely not provide, Keynes and Alice discussed the issue. To his understanding, spells acted as shortcuts, though Alice wasn¡¯t particularly convinced about his interpretation and her argument was very solid - [Chaos Aura]. The aura effect was so alien and destructive, and very much anti-spiritual in its nature that it seemed impossible to recreate it without an actual skill. We should test our skills¡­ Master, Alice said and Keynes¡¯s words trailed off. You are erratic. You are trying to do too many things at once. I¡­do not know what to do. Keynes¡¯s mind ground to halt. He was chaotic, wasn¡¯t he? Frankly he didn¡¯t think it was because of the Chaos debuff becoming a buff. It was more to do with his two buffs¡ªPhotographic Memory and Rapid Learning¡ªbecoming more assimilated with his core. This coupled with his mind being freed from manipulating strings and healed, made Keynes more like the person he had been before the awakening, curious and adventurous. It wasn¡¯t his fault that the number of interesting things was numbingly large. But she was right, if he didn¡¯t rein himself, he might run into a serious problem. His priority was progress and by throwing himself in all directions, he would stall his advancement. That¡¯s unacceptable. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s focus on Lem Solaris¡¯s challenge and find the sub-boss,¡± he said aloud, knowing that Alice and Lem Solaris would hear him. He thought about being a little more arrogant here and demanding more from Lem Solaris but her earlier words about the System only needing him to open Level 7 rifts put his importance into a new perspective. It also made him wonder if he should rush with Level 5 and 6 rifts. Actually, with a great rift and way out of this universe, can I use my leveraged position against the System? It is conscious and it already acted granting me the Orb of Grand Insight so it may bargain with me. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Once again, Alice¡¯s words echoed in his mind. He was getting ahead of himself¡­ *** The Survivor¡¯s Voice lasted one day. Keynes felt his ¡®relationship¡¯ with the dominion¡¯s forest changed but he sensed one more thing. As the effects of Survivor¡¯s Voice ended, calmness descended on him. He felt welcomed by the forest as if the true face of this place vanished behind a mask. The strength of serenity was so substantial that his Pure Body buff reacted to it very strongly. But Keynes wasn¡¯t worried about it and let the debuff affect him. His newly acquired spiritual power was sufficient to not only keep him safe but he now knew what to watch out for. Their next step was to get back to researching the plant combinations. The way to the centre was closed by a spell even Keynes couldn¡¯t decipher. It wasn¡¯t like the forest changed as Keynes and Alice pushed forward. Foliage, tree density, the number of monsters and even their Levels and rarity remained the same. As they moved slowly, Keynes¡¯s spiritual aura carpeted the area, its goal was simple: catalogue plants. At the same time, Alice scouted for other ascenders. What was very weird, was the fact that Alice couldn¡¯t find the way through the dominion¡¯s blockade. It had to be linked to Keynes¡¯s status. The first big thing Keynes discovered was that they had been mistaken and the patches of ground weren¡¯t the only place to use the combo of plants on. He found that some trees had a suspicious spiritual signature. As if something was missing there, so he started looking for a matching piece. He was surprised when he saw that the plant, a thin brownish stem with a bush of leaves, perfectly fitted into a recess running alongside the trunk of the tree. As Keynes placed the plant, it melted with the trunk. The tree shuddered, its form started morphing. Keynes had to dodge as roots exploded out of the ground. It wasn¡¯t easy with the dense foliage behind him but he managed it without resorting to [Chaos Aura]. The ground shook as the tree uprooted itself, becoming an alien creature made out of wood. It was massive and it wasn¡¯t all. Keynes sensed currents of spiritual energy moving beneath him, something he hadn¡¯t experienced before. But the creature didn¡¯t give him much time to think as it attacked immediately. Roots and branches came in a great number, giving Keynes no chance to dodge. Keynes unleashed [Chaos Aura] and was shocked with the degree of control he wielded. The aura no longer behaved erratic and random. He was intuitively able to adjust the effect [Chaos Aura] had on the environment. He focused on the attacking roots and branches and without hesitation turned them into shrivelled husks. Even though the monster was a rare Level 5, it crumbled in front of Keynes¡¯s [Chaos Aura]. Keynes pressed ahead, not wanting it to recover. Tendrils of [Chaos Aura] hitting directly the main body encountered some resistance but nothing Keynes couldn¡¯t overcome with a few well placed chaos tendrils. But the fight was far from over. The Heartwood¡¯s first passive ability regenerated the creature for each root connected to a tree. His second passive removed critical points from its body, making it a pain to finish it off. The active ability was called [Root Overwhelm] and took over the control of every root in the area. It sounded dangerous on paper but the trees around were lower Level than the monster and didn¡¯t¡ª The monster used [Root Overwhelm] and the skill proved Keynes wrong. Any root under the creature¡¯s control gained Level 5 strength and structural integrity. In a matter of seconds, the whole surroundings turned into a killing field. Keynes was forced to blast [Chaos Aura] enhanced by spiritual aura to avoid being speared. He saw that some roots merged together becoming a super-root. Keynes used [Flight] and got out of its range then used [Spiritual Wraith] but then came another shock. The Heartwood somehow was able to track him though not precisely. It didn¡¯t matter. Keynes channelled mana into [Mana Shot] until he was running on fumes then hit the main body the Heartwood. It roared, heavily injured. Keynes landed on its back and unfolded passive [Chaos Aura] to save his mana, then chugged a mana elixir. Because it only increased mana regeneration, he couldn¡¯t immediately use the active form of [Chaos Aura]. In the end, the overtime damage from the aura overcame the passive regeneration of the monster. Especially, when many of the roots were caught in Keynes¡¯s aura and perished. Nonetheless, Keynes felt that the fight was closer than it should be. He¡¯d have lost it without [Chaos Aura]. Even [Mana Shot] wasn¡¯t enough to kill the creature due to its passive skill that removed its critical points. As the monster collapsed, showering Keynes with essence, its body turned to dust. A spiritual impulse came and from the pile of dust grew a single plant. Its flower bloomed and then bore a single fruit.
Heartwood¡¯s Defiance (Rare) ¡°Sometimes things just refuse to die.¡± - Buff (strong, temporary): Defiant Physical Resistance - [Consumable, Dominion] Level 5
At first, Keynes wanted to groan. The reward for killing the monster seemed underwhelming but the wording caught his attention. What significance had the word ¡®defiant¡¯ in the name? He was somewhat keen on trying the fruit but he needed to rest first. His stamina was low and he didn¡¯t want to waste a stamina elixir if he could recover most of it in an hour or two. He¡¯d decide then what to do with the fruit. He scanned the area where he¡¯d fought the creature. It looked devastated but faint undercurrents of spiritual energy flew toward it, fixing the damage. It was a mesmerising ¡®sight¡¯. All this energy moving around, bending the environment to its will. Whatever the process was happening, it was beyond Keynes¡¯s understanding. He put the fruit into the dimensional pouch then spied the highest tree in the area then used its top branches as a hiding spot. Using his Techniques of Cultivation, he started playing with his essence, wondering which skill he should start improving first. He almost dropped from the branch when he noticed 1% in Dexterity. Finally! After all this time, I am again making some progress. Chapter 176 Keynes exhaled, then collapsed on his back. His health, stamina and mana were low but he didn¡¯t care. He just killed twenty-third Heartwood but even that was second to his true goal. He was maxing his attributes again. Over the last three weeks he was combining snake trees with heartling plants, spawning the Heartwoods. It was a proof that these combinations weren¡¯t random and should be taken advantage of. The monster dropped the same items, in this case it was the Heartwood Defiance. Keynes had 23 of them now. Unsurprisingly, he wasn¡¯t the only person to discover the secret of the dominion. With the access to the Web through the tablet, he found that there were many specific monsters targeted for their loot. Quite a number of them dropped skills. What was shocking was the fact that this information was not blocked by the Solar Council or the World Government. Actually, a few short exchanges with Jedd and Wagner painted a weird picture of the world outside the dominion. Their conflict with the Solar Council was ¡®on hold¡¯ though Untainted Paradise lost its membership in the council and their access to the Artefact Exchange was tenuous. It turned out that Untainted Paradise had some Level 4 rifts with rare or unique resources and the Solar Council turned a blind eye to their continued trade. Wagner explained that this wouldn¡¯t last for long as over 30% of Level 4 rifts hadn¡¯t been yet cleared and at some point, these resources might pop up and they would lose the leverage. At least, Emerald City was left in peace. Also, Wagner told Keynes that they were nearing the completion of their interplanetary flight project and they were planning to set up a space base between Mars and Jupiter. It was quite exciting news. On the other hand, there was no news about Pucci and Kora. Wherever they had been taken, it cut off the tracking. Another thing was that Freeman hadn¡¯t shown up, which meant he had lied to them but Wagner assured him that this was for the best. He didn¡¯t want Esopp and Freeman to clash anywhere near Emerald City. Apparently, Esopp neared Level 9 though Wagner had reservations about the mental state of another founder. From Jedd, Keynes learned things Wagner omitted or wasn¡¯t aware of. Somehow, Jedd had gotten involved in the mycelium AI project led by one of Pucci¡¯s underlings. Jedd seemed worried and Keynes asked him to keep a close eye on the project. It sounded like a wild idea, but Keynes was curious what they could achieve. As for the world itself, the world thrived in the face of the last outbreak and that affirmed Keynes that he had done the right thing even if Freeman had lied to them. But he didn¡¯t give much thought to the world outside the dominion. He had other things to contemplate. With the absorption of the trait, the system information improved and he noticed a few changes. The trait was added to his profile and Alice was now listed as an Independent Spiritual Companion. His techniques were a little more informative as well, indicating which was innate and which came from a scroll. It strongly hinted that techniques acquired through scrolls could be changed to innate, or so he hoped. Finally, he learned what ¡®???¡¯ meant next to his Chaos debuff. Fundamental, which he knew was something to do with the fundamental forces of the Universe or the Greater System. Also, the dominion debuff showed up, which hadn¡¯t been the case earlier. Name: Keynes Kid Species: Human Trait: Spirituality Level: 4 (Perfect State third degree) Level Progression: 0% Spirit Stage: Superior Independent Spiritual Companion: Alice Spells: Talent: Techniques: Status: Rapid Learning (permanent); Pure Body (strong, permanent); Photographic Memory (strong); Untraceable (medium, permanent); Chaos (permanent, fundamental). The Will of the Forest (temporary, medium, dominion).
Attributes Permanent Temporary Total
Strength (35%) 35 0 35
Dexterity (37%) 35 0 35
Will (28%) 35 0 35
Mind (30%) 35 0 35
Perception (31%) 35 You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. 0 35
Vitality (44%) 35 0 35
He calculated that he needed another 6 to 8 weeks to finish maxing out his attributes, then would be time to grind to get 100% in Level progression. Unfortunately, dominion monsters didn¡¯t provide much essence in comparison to the rifts. The difference was substantial with the dominion monsters providing around 10 to 20% of the rift monster counterparts inside rifts. It meant that he¡¯d have to leave the dominion once he maxed out his attributes, failing Lem Solaris¡¯s challenge. As much as he wanted to finish the challenge, his true priority was maxing out attributes and levelling up. He already could feel the excitement building up in his chest at the thought of fourth degree Perfect State rewards. Master, are you alright? Alice asked and Keynes opened his eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± You look like a mess, she stated and one glance confirmed it. Most of Keynes¡¯s clothes were shredded, including his favourite Cloak of Shadows. He didn¡¯t use any of the attribute enhancing gear or clothes as he¡¯d noticed that they had stopped his attributes from maxing out. Clearly, he hadn¡¯t been pushing himself hard enough with extra attributes. He suspected that Level 5 rifts wouldn¡¯t be enough for him to max out his attributes after levelling up. The System was irritating. This ¡®all or nothing¡¯ with only Levels providing permanent attributes while training only made it easier to fully utilise them was an annoying design. At least, in the future, he would have access to quests. Opening Level 6 rifts, albeit risky, would be a must and Level 7 were the end of Keynes¡¯s usefulness to the System. If there was any ¡®divine¡¯ protection, it would surely end at this point. A question was, did Shaper know about it? Because if that knowledge would get out, the Solar Council might not care about accidentally killing Keynes and turn Emerald City into a nuclear desert. He sighed, dismissing the dark thoughts as they were of no use to him. Level 7 rifts were at least a year or two away and worrying about them was pointless. ¡°I am hungry. Have you tracked any tasty monster?¡± Alice became a young woman made out of light as tall as Keynes. She looked at him with a mix of shock and confusion. I was under the impression that my job was to scout other ascenders¡­ or should I say spy on them as you still do not know the way toward the dominion centre, she said with a fake pretence. She was getting better at pretending. Good. Sometimes, Keynes missed her antics. ¡°There may be a change of plans¡­¡± he muttered, getting to his feet and frowning at the state of his dimensional bags¡¯ inventory. The amount of random resources was getting out of hand. As he had learned, he hardly relied on items. First, they were getting in the way of maxing out attributes. Secondly, skills and attributes gained by items felt distinctly weaker than the innate stuff. Skills shards were a different story but one look at the list of his skills painted a grim picture. His abilities were all over the place without any synergy. So, he wanted to sit down and be smart about selecting new skills. It didn¡¯t mean the current ones were redundant as he had often relied on them but when it came to facing strong opponents, the lacking in his skillset started to show. Excuse me, but what do you mean by a change of plans? You have said that reaching the centre of the dominion is the most important right now, she said, continuing to act like a high born woman. ¡°Unless we can find several Level 4 rifts inside the dominion, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to level up within a year after maxing out my attributes with the full penalty.¡± Hm, yes, that may be an issue, she agreed. But, at the same time, we are close to the centre of the dominion. Keynes glanced at her, frowning. She was hiding something. He could pick up the mischievous undercurrent through their bond. ¡°You¡¯ve learned the way forward?¡± She smiled, excitedly like a small child, which was such a contrast to Lem Solaris¡¯s child body but adult¡¯s demeanour. Her head bobbed down and up but he picked a sliver of hesitation. I have, she said as her form started to change, returning to her hand-size appearance. But it is not one combination of plants. It changes as you progress forward¡­ And there are strong monsters involved. It does not look easy. The group of four ascenders perished to a single Level 5 monster. It was of epic rarity. Keynes used [Create Water] splashing his face, then refilled his water container and drank until he was full. Next, he [Purify]ed himself, removing dried blood, dirt, and anything he considered as unwanted foreign body and replaced his clothes with another set. He had only one more left. It would be handy to be able to teleport items. He was sure it was possible but the question wasn¡¯t if but when. Once he was as good as new, he looked at Alice. ¡°Let¡¯s find these plants and discuss this epic Level 5 monster while I¡¯m recovering.¡± * A few weeks ago¡­ Shaper leaned back, enjoying a culinary masterpiece served by Paris¡¯ most exclusive restaurant¡¯s head chef. The paper thin slices of pink meat belonged to an exotic rarity, Level 4 rift monster killed in one of eight Paris¡¯ rifts. All other complementary ingredients were of Level 3 and paled in comparison to the Level 4 meat. Unlike rift monster¡¯s meat, rift plants required a bit more effort to make them safe to eat. It wasn¡¯t like Shaper particularly cared. High Level food wasn¡¯t about taste¡ªeven though it tasted divine¡ªbut nutrition. It increased mana, stamina and health regeneration. There were even claims of attribute gains, which Shaper dismissed as a marketing propaganda. Not that these restaurants needed any help. The heavy disbalance of demand and supply kept prices at all time high, making it a very lucrative business. Over the centuries Shaper had amassed substantial equity. His connection to it was buried beneath layers of proxies and puppet companies so his existence remained hidden from the world. But all of these things were immaterial and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Wealth was an illusion. Only absolute strength mattered. He had to admit that other ascenders were rapidly gaining Levels which was a good sign but in itself not enough. Levels were only part of the power equation. Spiritual stages were another. Then there were skills, techniques and items. From what Shaper had learned over the Web and among adventurers as the monster hunting ascenders called themselves¡ªWhy not monster hunters? ¡ªknowledge about spiritual stages was rudimental and mostly ignored as it slowed down levelling. Items and skills were jackpots and most preferred to sell them for massive amounts of money. Techniques were almost unheard of outside of scrolls of random teaching. Shaper had several of them in his dimensional pouch but didn¡¯t like the seemingly easy power ups they provided. The System was unlikely to hand out free power without some counter-balance. Perfect State was the best example. It was devilishly difficult to go beyond third degree but if one achieved it, one reaped immense benefits. So there, Shaper concluded, had to be a catch with these scrolls. Especially, given the fact that natural techniques were extremely hard to obtain. Shaper had spent decades gaining his cultivation technique, which allowed him to climb up to the Grand spiritual stage. It was the very peak he could achieve, he knew that another stage required resources beyond his current reach. But if everything stuck to the plan, he would get there. He was going to level up, even if it took him another thousand years. ¡®If¡¯ was important here. Magnalius had warned Shaper that the timing of the fourth outbreak was off by several hours. It could be nothing but Shaper decided to send his spies to check on the location of the rift he¡¯d given to Keynes Kid in Geneva. Shaper checked his watch and frowned. Something wasn¡¯t right. Where are they? He asked Magnalius via the bond. They are not here. They will not be coming, Shaper. I told you. That brat messed up, Magnalius replied. According to the last vision of the future, Vivena Sael was meant to meet here with her uncle Marakus Sael to mend the schism in the family. The Sael family had lost much of its influence and wealth after Syberius¡¯s death, so naturally, Marakus hoped to take advantage of the newly found fame of Vivena¡¯s dominion by joining forces. Shaper was here to ensure the deal¡¯s success. Not out of love of Marakus or Vivena or their family, but the necessity of rebuilding the House of Sael. Vivena¡¯s dominion was a wild card that was difficult to control. He wished he could just kill her¡ªaltogether with Windsor Freeman¡ªbut their existence was necessary to the fulfilment of the vision¡­ Shaper froze as he saw the breaking news on his phone¡¯s screen. Untainted Paradise¡¯s headquarters was attacked. That shouldn¡¯t happen. He put the fork aside, his appetite gone. Magnalius was right. Somehow, Keynes Kid had managed to step off the last path to the future where humankind survived. Shaper closed his eyes and when he looked into the future he saw nothing but the darkness. Chapter 177 Vivena woke up with a start and immediately knew everything was wrong. Her body didn¡¯t feel right. And she was handcuffed. She looked around, slowly, as her vision swam any time she moved her head too quickly. She was lying in a hospital bed. Several thin cords connected her body to the medical equipment. Screens were turned away from her. A large mirror¡­a one-way window was on the rightmost wall, while a normal window was on the left. Aside from that there were two chairs and a small round table. She could see that it was a day though the window covers restricted most of daylight. The other source of light were dim ceiling lights. All of this quickly became irrelevant as Vivena considered the handcuffs. Why was she handcuffed? What happened to her? Whenever she tried to think back her head started throbbing. She didn¡¯t remember anything after she had arrived in Geneva¡­ The door opened and a man wearing a doctor¡¯s attire came in. He was young and had a smooth appearance that Vivena had seen among scions of the Old Blood families. Even so, she couldn¡¯t make herself suspicious. Something was off. Why did she feel so? It was frustrating to not feel like herself. ¡°I see you are awake. Good.¡± His voice was as smooth as his face. His black silky hair grated on her nerves for some reason. ¡°Who are you? What happened to me?¡± She pulled at her handcuffs? The doctor smiled in response then glanced at the screens. ¡°Your memory will soon return as the elixir of ease wears off.¡± Barely a few seconds after his words, a feeling of utter terror and pain descended on her. She remembered her attack on Zimmermann¡¯s mansion and killing Tyr and the CEO of Untainted Paradise. Then everything turned white. An explosion¡­ She started to shake and needed a few seconds to force herself to calm down. She was alive. She survived it. ¡°Now that you remember, let¡¯s talk,¡± the doctor interrupted her. Vivena glanced up, she already forgot about him. ¡°Who are you?¡± she said with more force in her voice, simultaneously, assessing her situation. Her dimensional pouch was gone. All her rift items were gone as she was in a hospital gown. Then came the shock that reached her face. Her spells were disabled. ¡°I see you¡¯ve realised your situation. Good.¡± He gave her a cruel smile. ¡°I am called Doctor and I¡¯m in charge of the Institute after Lawrence Lowe¡¯s betrayal and I¡¯m here on behalf of the Solar Council. Also, I am the only reason you¡¯re alive. No one below Level 8 should have survived that blast. Believe me, I am an expert when it comes to ascender¡¯s anatomy. If you were a human essence ascender, there would be nothing left of you.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± She pushed herself harder as she tried to access her spells. ¡°First, let me explain your situation in a bit more detail. The explosion you¡¯ve survived wasn¡¯t a simple one. It had a spirit-disrupting property, which made healing you impossible other than through a Talent. I don¡¯t know how Wagner Zimmermann created something like this but he isn¡¯t considered one of the smartest people alive without a reason. But I digress¡­¡± he said. ¡°Your situation. Well, we found you on the brink of death; limbless, with many organs severely damaged, burnt. What a sorry view it was. We almost missed you in the rubble. But you were lucky. I was at the right time at the right place. ¡°I healed you, regrew your limbs and you are almost as good as new.¡± Almost? Vivena knew that something was wrong but she couldn¡¯t pinpoint it. ¡°You cannot move your legs. Some of the nerves remain disconnected. It is mostly for safety reasons. After all, you¡¯re a rift essence Level 5 with a strong spiritual core and an absurd Talent. I don¡¯t think even Hunter would want to deal with you.¡± Vivena ground her teeth, keeping herself from voicing curses. ¡°As I said, this is only a temporary measure until we have an understanding.¡± She contemplated asking about her spells but after he had mentioned her spiritual core, she realised that her spiritual aura was also suppressed and it was clear that the handcuffs were the source of the suppression. So there was no point discussing it. Instead she asked about something else. ¡°Understanding?¡± ¡°Yes. As the owner of major dominions and powerful Talent, and a scion of the Sael House you are considered a threat by the Solar Council,¡± Doctor said as if they were discussing the weather. ¡°And the Solar Council doesn¡¯t tolerate threats. So, we are offering you to join us.¡± ¡°If I refuse?¡± ¡°You will die, Vivena Sael,¡± Doctor said gravely. ¡°While I healed you, I also made sure to leave something behind. Without my Talent, your condition will worsen irreversibly and you will die. Do you understand?¡± Vivena¡¯s eyes drilled Doctor with frustration and anger. Suppressed and disabled, she felt powerless. Was it how Keynes felt in the presence of Windsor Freeman? Keynes must die, she reminded herself. The thought made anger swell inside her and she felt her spiritual energy almost heed her call. The spirit suppressing handcuffs creaked under pressure. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. For a split second, she regained connection with her dominion, but it was too short to glean any information from it. Doctor¡¯s eyebrow raised as he watched her with surprise but otherwise, he didn¡¯t seem worried or scared. ¡°So what would you say?¡± Doctor leaned back, swinging one leg over another. ¡°What does joining the Solar Council mean to me and my dominion?¡±She asked, once she calmed down. ¡°Protection, privileges, freedom.¡± She snorted. Did they think she was so naive? ¡°What will it cost me?¡± Without breaking an eye contact, Doctor replied, ¡°Your loyalty to the Solar Council.¡± ¡°I have one condition.¡± ¡°Yes?¡±Doctor¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°I want Keynes Kid.¡± *** A few weeks earlier in a different part of the world Kora meditated in the corner of her cell. Fighting back would not work. Not only the cell was made out of Level 3 and 4 materials, but the whole structure was enhanced with runes and formations. Also, somehow, her kidnappers had access to spirit suppression magic. Her spells were suppressed and though she felt like she could overcome the suppression, she didn¡¯t think it would make a difference. On top of the structural enhancements, she sensed, albeit faintly, destructive energies running through the walls, the floor and the ceiling. She didn¡¯t wish to test it. In other words, she was stuck. At least, her captors didn¡¯t treat her badly. She felt gentle vibrations, then heard the opening of the door. The sheet of energy separated the room in two. It was always there, but to save mana, they kept it in a different mode. Its energy seemed similar to the destructive energies running around her cell. Kora opened her eyes. She didn¡¯t know the newcomer and the sheet of colourful energy blocked her spiritual senses from assessing his Level. But judging by the official apparel, she considered him someone important. ¡°Good morning,¡± the newcomer said. Kora had no way of knowing what the time of a day was. Her cell didn¡¯t have windows. ¡°I hope they treated you well.¡± She almost nodded, but the time spent with Keynes had hardened her character and she remained silent and expressionless, giving no hints about her feelings. ¡°Right,¡± the man muttered, looking a little unsure. Kora didn¡¯t know if it was an act or the man was indeed harboured some doubt. ¡°My name is Andre Turtelli. I¡¯m the chairman of the Solar Council and I come with a proposal.¡± Kora shot to her feet. ¡°I won¡¯t betray Keynes!¡± Andre Turtelli almost took a step back. ¡°I am not asking you to betray anyone,¡± he said. ¡°My proposal has nothing to do with Keynes Kid or Untainted Paradise.¡± Kora approached the sheet of energy. She wished she was stronger. Level 5 was not enough. Even with [Empower], she would have a hard time surviving the violation of this thing. The first thing I must do after I get out of here is to level up. At the very least, twice! ¡°Then what do you want from me? Why did you kidnap me? And where is Pucci?¡± He sighed. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to kidnap you. Pucci, on the other hand, is a different story. You don¡¯t need to worry about him; he is too important to kill or hurt. As to what we want from you¡­ We would like to employ your Talent for the upcoming battle. I promise it is not Untainted Paradise we are going to fight.¡± The first thought that crossed her mind was: how the fuck did they know about her Talent? Talents were impossible to read. Unless there is a Talent or a spell that allows it. She glanced around. Who am I to say what is possible or not? Since the first outbreak, things have gotten crazy. Either way, she needed to be careful from now on. If they knew about her Talent, she had to assume they knew about her spells as well. ¡°Who are you going to fight?¡± she asked, fishing for information and at the same time, trying to figure out what next. ¡°Sandman. His continuous refusal to cooperate with us and the threat of his dominion, the Sphere of Darkness, forced us to take actions,¡± Andre Turtelli replied and after a short pause added. ¡°The Solar Council is going to crush him. Your Talent would be of great help there.¡± The conviction in his voice made Kora hesitate. Andre Turtelli sounded like a fanatic. She was all too aware of the conflict between the Solar Council and Untainted Paradise. It didn¡¯t take a genius to understand what they were doing. By taking out smaller threats, they were preparing for the ultimate threat--Untainted Paradise. So by aiding them in the fight against Sandman, she was indirectly working against her company and Keynes. This was unacceptable. ¡°I cannot help you.¡± Andre Turtelli opened his mouth but didn¡¯t say anything. It appeared that her refusal was unexpected, which she found surprising. Why would she help the enemy? Kora turned away and returned to the spot shed to meditate. She wanted to learn it as a technique but so far her efforts were fruitless. ¡°If you refuse, you will remain here indefinitely,¡± the chairman said. ¡°If you¡¯re hoping for a rescue then I can assure you that no one will ever find you here.¡± Lem Solaris picked this moment to snatch Kora out of the cell. *** ¡°...no one will ever find you here,¡± Andrew said, boiling inside. He despised people like her, like Keynes Kid; who defied his authority¡­ He blinked, not believing his eyes. The cell was empty. Impossible¡­ *** One moment Kora was about to sit down in the corner of the cell and the next she stood¡­above the planet. She was in space! Panic seized only to ease as she saw Lem Solaris standing next to her. ¡°The System won¡¯t be happy about my interference but your friend, Keynes Kid, is in dire need of a company. That spiritual companion of his is more of a nuisance than anything else.¡± Kora was speechless and though she hated to admit, Keynes was the last thing on her mind. She was in the freaking space and she still was able to breathe¡­ Lem Solaris rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re in my spiritual space. You are safe here. Now focus. I will return you to Keynes Kid but you have to ensure he remains committed to my quest of reaching the dominion boss.¡± Kora could only marvel at the display of power before her eyes, still she nodded. ¡°Good. Now this is encouragement.¡±Two skill shards appeared in space before Kora. ¡°[Psychic Mastery] is for Keyens Kid. It will turn his [Telekinesis] into a useful skill and combined with your Talent, he should be able to affect live beings. To work this way without your Talent, [Telekinesis] must be merged with an offensive skill but it is too early for him to attempt anything dangerous like that. The other skill shard is for you. [Mind Fortress] will help you manage [Nature Aura].¡± Lem Solaris gave her a hard look. ¡°Don¡¯t fail, child. Power it getting to that boy¡¯s head already.¡± Without a warning, the world twisted and Kora stumbled in front of Keynes. Chapter 178 The History of the Solar Empire is full of unsung heroes and their accomplishments that saved our civilization from collapse or pushed it forward. It is the battle prowess that often made figures like the Queen of Poisons, Sandman or Lord of Winters famous, while ignoring other important aspects of what can be considered power. One of the best examples was Tay Tark. A young woman, who had her ceremony shortly after the first outbreak. Her Talent was deemed generic and ignored for the most part, pushing Tay into the public sector. Tay quickly discovered that her Urban Planning Talent took into account the outbreaks and even the Dominion of Monsters. This seemingly underwhelming detail turned out to be a game changer. But her path wasn¡¯t an easy one. The war between the Resistance and the World Government reduced the importance and urgency of non-military matters. This forced Tay to travel to Arshem where she found employment but only after the third outbreak did she rise to the top. Arshem not only withstood the outbreak but thrived like no other city in the world. She quickly amassed wealth that allowed her to attain Level 5 and gain an incredible Minor Talent Upgrade - Regional Planning. When the fourth outbreak hit, Tay¡¯s planning shone, bringing confidence and wealth to the city. Shortly after that, she visited many cities around the world as an urban planning expert. She realised that the next outbreak, if followed the power scaling of the previous outbreaks, would break the world. Only a handful of cities were prepared to handle Level 5 and runic rarity monsters and they too were going to see a heavy toll. The sixth outbreak, Tay predicted, would end humankind. It wasn¡¯t only that the walls were not high enough but the sheer gap in the strength of Level 6 monsters and Level 0 and 1 materials was too vast. The fourth outbreak brought the biggest variety of monsters with many previously unseen abilities, many of these abilities deadly and problematic. Her warning was echoed by others, but she was the only one who could point out the exact shortcomings and knew how to fix them. The issue was, Tay Tark was one woman and there were thousands of cities that had to be prepared for the fifth outbreak. *** ¡°You took your time,¡± Keynes smirked, offering Kora a hand. ¡°I thought you¡¯re going to rescue me,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re higher Level than me. I am the one who should expect saving.¡± Keynes saw the shock on Kora¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t expect him to joke with her so easily. But he was no longer the same guy she had known. Kora was quite shy, though with Keynes she had shown in the past that she could be outgoing and outspoken. Keynes wondered how she would behave today. ¡°Keynes,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is something we should joke about.¡± Keynes disagreed. Maybe he was a bit arrogant but he was very confident that Lem Solaris would not have let Kora die. This thought allowed him to make the kidnapping less traumatic and serious. But as Kora became solemn, Keynes¡¯s mood slipped a little. ¡°Who did it?¡± he asked as he put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°The Solar Council.¡± That was what he thought. He didn¡¯t expect any other organisation to be capable of pulling this off at this point, except for Untainted Paradise maybe¡­ ¡°Keynes, are you okay?¡± He glanced at her and realised that he had zoned out. He quickly rectified his initial behaviour and smiled, saying, ¡°I am happy you¡¯re safely back, Kora.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Oh, there is no but,¡± Keynes replied, trying to keep his voice innocent. ¡°Out with it,¡± she said, surprising him with her confident attitude. That was new. It widened his smile. Spicy. ¡°I am just wondering why she brought you now not earlier,¡± he said. ¡°If she wanted she could stop the kidnapping altogether.¡± ¡°She said you need a company and should focus on the challenge she¡¯d given you,¡± Kora replied, and though she told the truth, they both knew it wasn¡¯t true Lem Solaris¡¯s motivation. Keynes was quite sure she didn¡¯t care about his well-being enough to go against the System and directly intervene. Could Keynes¡¯s demand hold any weight in this case? No. He didn¡¯t think Lem Solaris was the kind of a being to be ordered around, except for the mysterious Traveller. Her challenge was more plausible, although Keynes couldn¡¯t see the point in it. Kora saw that Keynes was unconvinced and added, ¡°She also gave me two skill shards.¡± She handed Keynes a [Psychic Mastery]. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°According to her, [Mind Fortress] will allow me to handle [Nature Aura].¡± ¡°[Psychic Mastery]? Is it for [Telekinesis]?¡± She nodded and it clicked in Keynes¡¯s mind. ¡°Oh, that is what she¡¯s trying to do,¡± he said vaguely. ¡°When you were away, I managed to start maxing my attributes out again.¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t understand how it is relevant,¡± Kora admitted, clearly confused. ¡°But I am happy for you.¡± ¡°Kora, I was wrong about maxing out attributes. I believed it was like training. That all I had to do was to push myself to max out my attributes. But it appears to work on a different set of rules,¡± Keynes explained. ¡°There are requirements I must meet to trigger the process. For one, the monsters must be at least one Level higher and of rare rarity. Also, using items slows or disables it. If I don¡¯t struggle, it doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°You are afraid that the passive enhancement skill would hinder the process,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s a possibility. Your Talent may as well have some effect, but we can easily test it.¡± They spent the rest of the day sharing their experiences after the kidnapping¡ªwith an exception of the encounter with Chaos and the Greater System because Keynes knew the System and Lem Solaris were listening and he was waiting for the time when he would be out of their earshot, if ever. After hearing about Turtelli¡¯s offer to help fight Sandman, Keynes informed Wagner. It was clear that the Solar Council was removing lesser threats from the board before they were going to take on Untainted Paradise. On the other hand, Kora was very excited to learn about the target farming of the dominion monsters. After finding a safe zone and sorting through their belongings¡ªluckily Lem Solaris returned everything Kora had possessed at the time of the kidnapping¡ªthey spent a night there. This close to the centre, the safe zones were sparse, but so were the monsters. The next day, they went after the heartwoods, though mostly for Keynes to compare the process of maxing out the attributes with and without Kora¡¯s Talent. Keynes didn¡¯t absorb [Psychic Mastery] yet. On the other hand, Kora absorbed [Mind Fortress]. With it, she was able to handle massive informational input of [Nature Aura] but she had to use her Talent on [Mind Fortress], while blacklisting [Nature Aura] to keep it going. The effects of the aura were peculiar. She felt the nature around her as if she was a part of it. The aura also gave her a sliver of control over it. It didn¡¯t turn her into a druid but any monster with a nature affinity could be made weaker or stronger in the presence of the aura, she could also influence trees and bushes, increasing or decreasing their growth. [Mind Fortress]¡¯s benefits didn¡¯t end there. Keynes used [Mind Illusion] and his spell was completely blocked by the Talent enhanced [Mind Fortress]. Without her Talent, [Mind Illusion] barely affected Kora for less than a second. In the fight, a second might be the difference between death and life. Nonetheless, Keynes had to admit that the combo of [Empower] and [Mind Fortress] was nasty. The latter covered some of Kora¡¯s weaknesses quite nicely. But there the good news ended and Keynes was proven right. Kora¡¯s Talent had a detrimental effect on maxing the attributes out. Keynes killed several heartwoods and didn¡¯t gain a single percent in any attribute. They also tested out Kora¡¯s direct help¡ªwithout her Talent¡ªbut the effect was the same as with her Talent. It appeared that maxing out attributes was a lonely endeavour. ¡°Is it even worth it?¡±she asked. Keynes¡¯s eyes widened so hard he thought they might pop out the sockets. ¡°Kora, I¡¯m not sure how to say it but the Perfect State is an insane power creep.¡± ¡°I get it. Your attributes are the same as mine despite a Level difference but if what you¡¯re saying is correct then you will be left behind as others gain Levels.¡± She raised her hand, stopping Keynes from interrupting her. ¡°I know there is a Level 10 cap but at some point, people will break through it and even if there is another cap at Level 20 what Level you would have to be to match it as a Perfect State ascender?¡± Keynes had done calculations a long time ago but even so Alice could give him a ready answer now if he wanted to. ¡°At Level 20, a rift ascender without a single maxed out attribute, will have 436 points per attribute. To surpass that, a Perfect State ascender would need to be of sixteenth degree, or Level 17 with 492 points per attribute.¡± ¡°Can you get to Level 17 before rift ascenders get to Level 20?¡± Kora¡¯s question was sharp and merciless but she missed several things. ¡°Without higher Level rifts, this is a moot point. We both know there is an essence penalty for killing lower Level monsters. If anyone can get through the cap and level up, how long would it take to get to Level 11 or 12 with Level 4 rifts? Years,¡± he replied. ¡°But what you don¡¯t see is that stats are the least important part of the Perfect State. Each time I level up, I receive an Orb of Perfection, an Orb of Insight and some extra skill like [Purify] or buff like the Pure Body. The latter does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to dealing with debuffs. I expect more outlandish stuff as I go higher,¡± he added with a smirk. She didn¡¯t like his reasoning. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that some ascenders have dangerous Talents that could be combined with skills, techniques and items that would offset your gains from the Perfect State.. You don¡¯t need to look far away. I can defeat you¡­¡± ¡°No you cannot.¡± He shook his head. ¡°[Chaos Aura] alone would kill you before you could land a punch. Besides, all I have to do is to keep my Level in line with the current highest rift¡¯s Level and the risk of anyone out-levelling me is non-existent.¡± Keynes felt a faint disagreement via his bond with Alice but then she fled and a second later he realised why. ¡°You are a fool, Keynes Kid.¡± Lem Solaris stood on an upturned tree with her back to them. ¡°If you believe you can achieve what you claim, especially, in the face of your previous conclusion about the Perfect State requirements. It is not a mere process of pushing yourself but a journey against all odds. If you foolishly think you can achieve sixteenth degree, then I¡¯m convinced you don¡¯t understand the odds or the ordeal itself.¡± If Lem Solaris thought she could provoke him or even make him feel bad, then she was the one who was the fool. He briefly felt her presence as she read his thoughts and it made him drop to his knees. Keynes tried to defy her but whatever had given him the strength in the Chaos Realm now was silent to his plea. She knew it and was ruthless. ¡°I despise arrogance. I despise when a speck of dust thinks of itself greater than a planet it dwells on. You are nothing but a speck of dust, Keynes Kid,¡± Lem Solaris said, her voice drowning everything else in Keynes¡¯s mind. ¡°You will show proper respect from now on or you will be on your own and given the number of schemes against you, your chances of survival are extremely low. That said, if you still think yourself smarter than someone of my age and power and decide to continue the chase after the Perfect State, I will not stop you. However, I reserve the right to not intervene to save your life in the process of your foolish pursuit.¡± She vanished without a warning and with her the pressure that flattened a forest in a kilometre radius. Chapter 179 Kora got to her feet without saying a word. As she looked around and took in the damage done to the area, she wondered how it was that they were still alive. She still could sense Lem Solaris¡¯s indignation permeating the air. Then she felt Keynes¡¯s emotion bursting out of him like a tide wave. Kora didn¡¯t remember the last time she had felt so much raw and unfiltered emotions coming from Keynes. He usually was very secretive and careful in this regard. But not today. His rage didn¡¯t last long as it morphed into anger and eventually even anger dispersed. All that remained was a resolve. She considered speaking up, then thought better of it. Keynes would talk to her when ready. Rushing him would be counter-productive. He could be stubborn at times. At last, Keynes turned to her. She searched for any hints of emotions on his face but all she found was serenity. Also, Keynes¡¯s eyes changed colour. They acquired a strong violet tint. ¡°I am free but they still try to control me.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t let myself be told what to do. I am going to live my life my own way and if I fail, I fail. I¡¯m no one¡¯s tool, no one¡¯s property.¡± Kora stayed quiet. She didn¡¯t try to understand Keynes. She didn¡¯t think anyone on the planet could. On his shoulders rested the future of humankind. His Talent was the greatest responsibility a single person could possess. It was not fair to place it all on him and while she disagreed with certain decisions, she wasn¡¯t going to argue with him as it wasn¡¯t her life. She didn¡¯t think she would do any different if she were in his shoes. ¡°What is the plan?¡±she asked after silence returned. ¡°Fourth Degree,¡±he replied. ¡°Then¡­¡± He glanced at her. ¡°...then we leave Earth.¡± ¡°Leave¡­ Earth?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Keynes nodded. ¡°It was a mistake to open rifts here when the universe full of planets is out there.¡± *** ¡°You did the right thing,¡± Traveller said as he appeared beside Lem Solaris. She didn¡¯t sense him through the bond! That sneaky bastard. ¡°Tricking him into creating such a strong resolve. Who knows maybe he will accomplish the impossible and achieve nineteenth degree.¡± ¡°Why are you here? Have you found answers?¡± ¡°Some,¡± he replied. ¡°I tracked a bunch of Level 60s and 70s and made them talk¡­¡± ¡°And the System didn¡¯t intervene?¡±She interrupted. ¡°No, she did not, which means her control is still limited.¡± ¡°She needs more rifts.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± He nodded pensively. ¡°It appears that the System was forcibly modified a long time ago following an event that scared the shit out of the most powerful ascenders at that time. They hacked it, set the Level cap at 50, wiped the life from the Universe, then planted crippled Seeds of Life and sealed all the rifts across the Universe.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°You really wish to know?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Lem Solaris actually had to pause and think this over. Sometimes knowledge was a curse. She threw caution to the wind, it wasn¡¯t like she could survive without Traveller anyway, and nodded. ¡°Fine. Tell me.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± *** Keynes and Kora were back to hunting dominion monsters but their goals had shifted. They were no longer considering reaching the sub-boss as their main goal despite Lem Solaris¡¯s insistence. It did make Keynes wonder what was so important about it and why she had asked him only to reach the sub-boss not to kill it. But for now, if ever, he didn¡¯t have answers to these questions. Because of the limitations imposed by the System, Keynes fought the monsters alone, while Kora and her spiritual companion searched for valuable plants and trees. She also started to cultivate the essence to get to the Elevated stage to gain the ability to spiritually communicate with Keynes without worrying about distance. It would allow them to cover more ground as some of the plants turned out elusive. Even with tips from the Web, they were having trouble. They were not surprised. They ranked 7 and 8 so only 6 ascenders were ahead of them. The forest looked quite different from their early days inside the dominion. There were fewer monsters running at large and those they encountered were very extremely good at stealth, not always keen to face them. They noticed that with Level 5 came a shift in intelligence. It was unsettling to face something other than a dumb and bloodthirsty beast. Two weeks after the face-off with Lem Solaris and over 60% in most attributes, Keynes and Kora started to run into problems. At some point, they had crossed an invisible line and the forest around them slowly shifted including new plants and trees. Trees were higher and thicker, their canopies covered the sky, cutting off daylight. Shrubs got more exotic and sinister. They saw flowers, leaves and even stalks that shone brightly with fluorescent light. Keynes''s Pure Body buff pinged constantly around them. Kora was in a similar situation as she constantly empowered [Mind Fortress] to ward off the mental attacks of the plants. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Then the ground started to change as well, the solid, even ground turned into meadows, slow rivers became fast rapids and hills morphed into complex, treacherous valleys. [Night Sight] was a must for Keynes, while Kora used [Nature Aura] to feel her way around. It was the aura that also opened their eyes on something else. With some practice, Kora was able to ¡®sniff out¡¯ plants of interest. Some of them had a morphing or stealth ability, which also hid their spiritual signature. Only after Keynes studied them with his spiritual aura and [Identify Plant] he was able to spot other plants from the same specimen. The dominion wasn¡¯t idle though and soon Keynes and Kora had to fight their way to acquire these plants. Several intelligent Level 5s working in tandem within the environment they were created for was a challenge. Yes, Keynes could overpower them with [Chaos Aura] and if they needed it, they still had empowerment from Kora¡¯s Talent but nothing was for free in the System. These plants were very delicate and could be easily damaged. Actually, some of the monsters did just that when they were overwhelmed by the two ascenders. They ate or smashed the plants and fled or perished. ¡°There must be a better way to deal with them,¡± Keynes complained, staring at the ruined plant at the bottom of the deep gorge. He stood to his knees in the water as the heavy raindrops pelted the leaves around them. The rain didn¡¯t reach this deep directly because of the heavy canopies. The walls of the gorge were in no better condition as the fight with an armoured ten metre long snake had been a fierce one. ¡°Dominions exist for a reason,¡± Kora said, moving her hand over the snake¡¯s armoured skin. The monster¡¯s passive [Inverted Armour] almost proved fatal to her as it redirected physical damage back to the attackers. ¡°And what¡¯s the reason?¡± Keynes asked, turning to her. ¡°The same as everything else. Growth.¡± ¡°Growth?¡± Keynes chuckled. ¡°I think you got too much of [Nature Aura]...¡± In response, Kora sent a pebble in the direction of Keynes¡¯s head, forcing him to duck. Keynes immediately raised his hands. ¡°I¡¯m joking. I agree. The dominion is a challenge and the harder it is the more worthwhile the reward will be. Right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡±Kora admitted, though Keynes could swear he noticed her nose scrunch in a grimace. ¡°These armour plates appear valuable. Help me skin this thing.¡± Keynes deflated at the thought of extra work. He hoped for some rest. His stamina was low and the constant heavy rain did nothing to improve his mood. *** ¡°We¡¯re third and fourth in the ranking,¡± Kora said a week later. They were mere two kilometres from the centre. Keynes could feel the tremendous pressure of the spiritual energy coming from there. But this was where the good news ended. The forest around them turned into a labyrinth. Trees and shrubs grew so dense and dangerous they became impassable. Cutting through was possible with [Chaos Aura] empowered by Kora¡¯s Talent but it was ill-advised as each attempt sent dozens of Level 5 monsters their way. And these were champion-level creatures. Twice they forced Keynes and Kora to retreat as the forest around them awoke, suppressing even [Nature Aura]. It put the Level 5 rifts in a different perspective. Obviously, not every rift had monsters of this strength and intelligence but some had and if they would constantly spawn such creatures how could anyone survive that? Following the labyrinth, the two ascenders continued their effort of collecting and assembling plants. None of the combinations or plants were listed on the Web. Apart from the two ascenders ahead of them, they were in uncharted territory. They also got better at neutralising the monsters before they could destroy the important plant. Finally, [Light Bomb] paid dividends as they discovered that the light was the weakness of most monsters in the dark forest. While Kora blinded them, Keynes used [Telekinesis] to snatch the plant. Only after the plant was secured, they proceeded with the fight. Fights got significantly harder as well and several times Keynes asked Kora for help forfeiting his maxing attribute out gains. I am not so sure about this combination, Alice said as Keynes and Kora worked on the small patch of the ground. The plants morphed and transformed as they planted them. It was a bizarre spectacle. Why? Keynes asked. Its connection with the dominion is¡­different. Stronger. Stranger, she replied. Roused by her words, Keynes investigated the mutant-plant in front of him. [Identify Plant] came empty as it was no longer a plant but something else. His spiritual aura was much more helpful. While he didn¡¯t sense the connection to the dominion, he noticed a thick root running very deep. ¡°Be careful, Kora, this one appears to be a big daddy.¡± ¡°Seriously,¡±she asked with disbelief. ¡°Big daddy?¡± Nothing else was said as the impulse of spiritual energy came out of the now morphed plant-something and an instant later Keynes found himself standing in total blackness. Even his [Night Sight] was of no use. As he spread his spiritual aura, he realised with growing frustration that he was no longer in the forest. Alice, anything? He asked in his head. Nothing, master. I sense nothing, she replied. He was glad that she was here with him. ¡°Lem Solaris, is this your doing?¡±No response. ¡°Congratulations, young ascender,¡± a voice said Keynes whirled finding a tall figure standing amid the darkness. It wore tattered rags, while a leather sash was wrapped around his abdomen. His legs were obscured in the black smoke that flowed from the floor. Half of his face was hooded, while the other one was overgrown by a bark with a few small offshots creating an impression of small horns. Both eyes were green and shone brightly. I¡¯m not sensing it! Do you? Keynes asked. Nothing, replied Alice. Can it be a system entity? Keynes asked hopefully. I do not think so¡­ ¡°Hmm, a mute it seems.¡± It stopped several steps from Keynes, towering over him. The thing had to be three metres high, Keynes concluded. ¡°Are you a part of the System?¡± Keynes asked. He badly needed to figure out what he was dealing with. ¡°Or are you the sub-boss of this dominion?¡± ¡°Not a mute then. Hmm.¡± The creature¡¯s two eyes focused on Keynes completely and he felt his head spin. The Pure Body buff reacted but failed to stop intrusion. Keynes shook his head and noticed he had fallen to one knee. ¡°Third Degree as well and soon, if the System allows, Fourth Degree. Very good.¡± ¡°What are you?¡± Keynes said through his teeth as he pushed himself up. His body felt sore and it took effort to stop it from shaking. ¡°I¡¯m the guardian of the Inner Sanctuary,¡± the creature replied. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Keynes asked, preparing an attack. ¡°The place where the Father of the Forest lives. If you wish to meet him, you must show your worth. Impress me, young ascender.¡± ¡°With pleasure.¡± Keynes smirked. Chapter 180 Keynes slammed the guardian with spiritual energy. The guardian vanished and for a second Keynes thought he won but pain in the right side disabused him of this notion. Keynes turned the fall into a roll and reoriented his body to face the guardian. But the guardian wasn¡¯t nowhere to be seen. Watch my back, he said. But master, I cannot sense its spiritual energy and I can only see through your eyes, she replied. ¡°So you like to hide,¡± Keynes said as he slowly turned around. ¡°No. I¡¯m merely employing your tactics against you.¡±It replied but Keynes couldn¡¯t pinpoint the source of the voice. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed that you are unable to recognise [Spiritual Wraith].¡± It was, Keynes admitted, frustrating to not be able to sense the spiritual energy of his opponent but it wasn¡¯t the only tool at his disposal. He activated [Telekinesis] and used it to ¡®feel¡¯ around him. It wasn¡¯t something Keynes had tried before but it should work, given the mechanism of the spell. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s smart,¡± the guardian said. It reappeared several feet from Keynes, pointing a staff made out of roots and branches entangled together at him. At the topmost end of the staff, was embedded rough cut green crystal that shone with dim light. As the guardian slowly twisted his wrist moving the staff around its axis, Keynes blasted him with another wave of spiritual energy. A green shield appeared in front of the guardian and the energy was redirected into blackness without causing him any damage. ¡°This, less smart,¡± the guardian said as the shield dispersed. Once again, Keynes didn¡¯t wait and shot toward the guardian. This time he wanted to see how physically he measured against the creature. The guardian understood the intent and moved toward Keynes. In an instant, Keynes found himself on the ground. He didn¡¯t even see the guardian¡¯s attack. How?! Must be a spell, Alice said. Some sort of sudden movement burst. ¡°Slow. Unprepared. Lazy.¡± Keynes shot to his feet but didn¡¯t take a bait and let himself get enraged. The guardian was mocking him and another ascender would get angry but the Pure Body buff wasn¡¯t just for show. It protected Keynes¡¯s mind as well as body. And though the guardian didn¡¯t use any overt debuff on him, Keynes¡¯s buff recognised an attempt at manipulation. ¡°What Level are you?¡± ¡°Seven.¡± That shouldn¡¯t be possible. Nothing in the dominion was higher than Level 5. Either the guardian was lying or there was more to this dominion than they had thought. The guardian returned to a relaxed stance as he judged Keynes. ¡°I can feel the shock in your aura and I¡¯m shocked in turn that you expected an easy path ahead. You are not¡ª¡± Keynes used [Chaos Aura] and spiritual aura, creating a whip-like tendril and hitting the guardian before he could finish the sentence. The guardian¡¯s eyes lit up and Keynes heard a faint word, ¡°[Counter].¡± Instantly the attack reverted its course and slammed into Keynes. ¡°Foolish child. To use such a dangerous spell¡­¡± the guardian trailed off when he saw Keynes undamaged. ¡°You were saying something?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Immunity to chaos. Hmm. That¡¯s rare. But neither [Chaos Aura] nor the chaos immunity makes you worthy of entering the Inner Sanctuary.¡± ¡°All I have to do is to defeat you. It doesn¡¯t matter what spell I will use.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The guardian nodded pensively. ¡°But you have never asked where we are and where the female ascender is. There is no guarantee that your [Chaos Aura] won¡¯t damage her.¡± *** Kora was breathing heavily. She landed several good blows but the guardian was elusive. Each time she got it figured out, it vanished. She realised that it was subject to two limiters: mana and cooldowns. Once she figured them out, the fight should get easier. ¡°I¡¯m surprised,¡± the guardian said. ¡°You¡¯re smart. You¡¯re capable, and yet, there is such an obvious flaw in your reasoning.¡± Without a warning, the guardian¡¯s staff caught Kora¡¯s sheens and brought her down. She didn¡¯t let it pin her down and rolled away but the guardian was always a step ahead. The staff, she thought, is the problem. But how could she take it away from the guardian? The easiest way was to overwhelm the guardian physically. Not only Kora had Talent-enhanced [Empower] at her disposal but also attribute gear should swap with her current attire. These many attributes should give her an edge. She swapped the gear with the one in her dimensional pouch and activated [Empower] then used her Talent on it. The boost in strength and dexterity was almost disorienting but with the empty surroundings, she was able to focus her attention on her body to a greater degree. She moved with unbelievable speed but the guardian was somehow ready and parried her attacks with ease. Impossible! She thought. The speed of his movement suggests correlation with your speed, her spiritual companion said. Is this possible? Kora asked. Unclear, the spiritual companion replied automatically. Seeing that her physical attributes might not be enough, Kora used [Light Bomb] , blinding the guardian. He blocked his eyes with his hand, for the first time, giving her an opening. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. *** Keynes whipped [Chaos Aura] with greater precision than ever. Using it together with spiritual aura drained his mana and spiritual energy but the only other options were [Mana Shot] and [Mind Illusion]. The former was unlikely to pass through the shield or could be [Counter]ed, which Keynes didn¡¯t like. The latter was difficult due to the elusive nature of the guardian. Each time Keynes got close, the guardian retreated sensing danger. It left Keynes with [Chaos Aura]. Despite the guardian¡¯s warning, Keynes was going to rely on the spell. He had a plan, something he had never tried or even considered but it sounded like a good idea in his mind. Alice agreed. He was going to use [Chaos Aura] as a shield. Now that he could precisely control the chaotic nature of the aura, he hoped to be able to use it on enemy¡¯s attacks. The first blows felt like a hammer hitting Keynes in the head. He was too slow in using [Chaos Aura] on them or the attacks were too fast to be affected. The guardian always used the staff to hit him, remaining outside of Keynes¡¯s reach. ¡°Interesting development,¡± the guardian said, knocking Keynes to the ground. Keynes¡¯s head rang and his vision swam a little. ¡°You¡¯re hoping my mercy would see you through?¡± The guardian smiled mockingly but once again Keynes didn¡¯t take the bait. Instead, he released [Mana Shot], which the guardian [Counter]ed. The blast of pure mana shot back and Keynes was forced to evade, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough the attack cut through his side. ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°It looks like pounding the head has loosened some roots there.¡± ¡°Hardly,¡± Keynes replied after he downed a healing potion. The wound started to close. ¡°I just wanted to test something.¡± ¡°Well, good for you, child.¡± ¡°Not so good for you, old¡­ tree.¡± The attack didn¡¯t come as Keynes expected. The guardian regarded Keynes with a dose of suspicion¡­ A surge of spiritual energy was all the warning Keynes received before roots exploded out of the ground. Using [Flight] Keynes got off the ground and remained in the air. He was sure he could shred the roots but he didn¡¯t lose the element of surprise. ¡°You¡¯re too slow, old bark,¡± Keynes said while Alice hissed in his head. Master, what are you doing?! The guardian has a clear advantage you should¡­ Hush, Keynes sent to Alice, refocusing on his enemy. This time the guardian took the bait and jumped up into the air. Darkness morphed into feet and the feet dropped on a massive leaf, which had appeared a second later. The guardian positioned himself at the same level as Keynes. While Keynes waited he made sure to prepare countermeasures. Using [Chaos Aura] and spiritual aura simultaneously was much easier and natural now that he had the trait and Chaos debuff but he still lacked the correct aura techniques. He knew it was only a matter of time now that he understood the process of forming an innate technique¡­ The guardian attacked and Keynes instantly knew he had made the right decision to move up into the air. The guardian was now handicapped by the speed and manoeuvrability of the leaf, which turned out to be not great. Still, Keynes allowed his opponent to keep the advantage while he waited for the right moment. It came eventually and Keynes used [Chaos Aura] on the staff. Because at the Superior stage spiritual energy was capable of interacting with the physical world, Keynes did use it to slow down the attack and subsequent retreat, while at the same time liquifying the staff. It was the fastest conversion he could use. Turning it solid or into an air required more effort than Keynes could whip in such a short time. As the guardian pulled the staff away, one-third of it had become brown sludge. ¡°Crude but effective,¡± the guardian admitted as he floated to the ground. The staff immediately reformed to its prior state. ¡°I like that. You passed the test. You¡¯re granted the entrance to the Inner Sanctuary.¡± *** Kora ripped the staff out of the guardian¡¯s hands. The lack of shock on his face was unsettling but in the heat of the moment, Kora didn¡¯t consider it. She instantly put the staff into her dimensional pouch¡ªor rather she tried but the staff refused. ¡°What?¡± The item appears to be bonded, the spiritual companion informed her and to give credence to her words, the staff vanished from Kora¡¯s hands and reappeared in the guardian¡¯s. He opened his mouth but Kora gently pressed one of the conjured blades into the back of his neck. ¡°You lost,¡± she said, knowing the fight was never to death. The guardian was stronger than her even though she outsmarted him, he could have killed her several times throughout the fight. ¡°I admit defeat,¡± the guardian said. ¡°You passed the test. You¡¯re granted the entrance to the Inner Sanctuary.¡± Everything vanished. *** Keynes dropped on soft ground. Grass? Alert, he looked around absorbing the scenery. Where the hell was he? The rainforest was gone and its place replaced by an idyllic valley with streams and orchards. Fields were full of flowers with occasional animals moving here or there. The climate resembled Keynes more of Western Europe than South America. The oppressive heat and humidity were also gone. In their place was a soft, pleasant breeze that made Keynes relaxed. Before a question formulated in his mind, Kora appeared next to him. Behind her stood a large tree that hadn¡¯t been there when Keynes had looked around. It resembled an oversized cherry tree. ¡°Kora! You¡¯re alright?¡± ¡°Yes, I am¡­¡±she noticed the scenery. ¡°Is this the Inner Sanctuary?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± said the voice behind them. They spun, finding the guardian, leaning against the tree. ¡°Relax, you¡¯re safe here.¡± ¡°Safe¡­ as if in a safe zone?¡± The guardian pushed himself away from the tree. ¡°The Inner Sanctuary has three rules. No violence. No destruction. No leaving until the competition is over.¡± Kora and Keynes instantly perked up. They didn¡¯t like the sound of it. ¡°What do you mean until the competition is over?¡± Keynes¡¯s voice grew cold. ¡°By entering the Inner Sanctuary, you have entered the final competition of this dominion. The first ten ascenders who reach this place would compete with each other across various challenges to gather the most points and win.¡± ¡°And how long will it take?¡± Kora asked. ¡°Time in this place is relative so there is no precise answer to that,¡± the guardian replied. He walked by them and after a few steps halted. ¡°Follow me while I explain things to you.¡± They exchanged glances. Neither of them said anything. Lem Solaris asked them to reach this place. Of course, the ancient child knew about the Inner Sanctuary. ¡°Come,¡± the guardian said and both of them felt the power in the word. They reluctantly followed. ¡°I will answer your questions while we are going to meet the rest of the competitors.¡± ¡°Already?¡±Keynes asked. ¡°Are we the last ones?¡±Kora added. ¡°No,¡± the guardian replied. ¡°Keynes Kid was third while you were fourth.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Time is relative here. To avoid waiting months for the ten to gather, time here was slowed down for that period.¡± ¡°How much time did we lose?¡±Keynes asked sharply. ¡°Only five months have passed since you have entered the Inner Sanctuary.¡± Unbelievable. ¡°We wasted five months?¡±Keynes stopped in place, thinking about forcing his way out this place. ¡°Wasted?¡± the guardian asked, sounding curious. ¡°I hardly think so. Start with checking your System message.¡± Keynes and Kora did while their spiritual companions kept watch. He dismissed the initial congratulations and ¡®you have entered this and that¡¯ and moved to the reward. You have received the Seed of Dream Tree * You have received the Trait of Nature * You have received 10 essence stones (nature affinity) ¡°You were so distracted you failed to ask the important questions,¡± the guardian broke them out of the trance but Keynes barely heard him. Another trait? Holy shit. Luckily for the two ascenders, Kora had the clarity of the mind. ¡°Our fight. Was it inside a dream tree, wasn¡¯t it?¡± The guardian nodded. ¡°Additionally, to these obvious rewards, you have received an insight during the fight. You have embraced some new concepts, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I guess,¡± Kora agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the rest of the competitors,¡± the guardian happily resumed the walk along the beaten path with scattered flat rocks. Chapter 181 Andre Turtelli didn¡¯t particularly dislike the tropical climate of the Panama region. Especially that his tolerance to temperature had been further increased with an ascension to Level 7, but he found the air of the Gates of South borderline unbearable. It was too hot and humid. His advisors and personnel were in a far worse position as they were lower Levels and with access to fewer items of power. Even so, there shouldn¡¯t be anything this extreme on Earth. Unless it was the city itself, he concluded. The Gates of South wasn¡¯t an ordinary place after all. The super-city was designed by Tay Tark, and built from scratch in a few months, to withstand a Level 5 outbreak and accommodate up to 10 million High Level ascenders without issues. Unlike Arshem, the rogue city in Asia, the Gates of South belonged to the World Government. It also acted as its informal capital even though the official seat was in Paris. Andre was taken aback by the splendour of the super-city and he was certainly going to have a word with the prime minister about this. It was preposterous that the World Government projected a stronger image than the Solar Council which was in charge of the former. The trip from the airport to the city hall was a short one and once inside a building the oppressive heat and humidity vanished. With his spiritual sense Andre felt the hum of power moving through the walls, floors and ceilings. He paused and for a good minute gathered his thoughts. Andre didn¡¯t expect this level of advancement outside of the Solar Council. The first impression of the Gates of South made him worried. We cannot allow the World Government to slither out of our grip. They¡¯re critical to our agenda. And the issue was that the World Government knew this. Problems didn¡¯t end there though. Unlike before when the World Government was one man¡ªWindsor Freeman¡ªthis time around there was no single head to remove. Replacing the current prime minister would mean next to nothing and hunting the deep state could threaten the stability of the council¡¯s fragile rule. Andre stopped before the door, which reminded him more of a palace than a city hall. Shaking his head, he pushed the door apart, noticing with growing anger that it was made out of Level 4. Wasteful and extravagant. The chamber took Andre¡¯s breath away. It screamed one word: opulence. It wasn¡¯t that it was larger than the Solar Council meeting chamber, but how it was made larger. A spatial formation. Its energy signature was unmistakable. To Andre¡¯s knowledge the formation was in an experimentation stage as some of the required ingredients weren¡¯t obtainable currently and the Institute tested substitutes. The effects were a mixed bag with several casualties. The prime minister looked up from the massive oval table in the middle of the chamber. The man was best described as sleazy. His smile was too measured, his mannerism polished to perfection and devoid of any character. ¡°Chairman, welcome to the Gate of South. I hope you had a nice trip.¡± In response Andre wanted to bash the prime minister¡¯s head against the table but he wasn¡¯t a savage and he returned pleasantries. While the prime minister¡¯s face was no different to a mask, his spiritual aura was more expressive. For once, Andre thanked the humiliation at the hand of Keynes Kid. It forced him to master his spiritual aura. The prime minister was wary of him, which was understandable. On the surface, Andre didn¡¯t have business coming here while two major events were in progress: the siege of Sandman¡¯s dominion and an exploration of the greater rift. On that account Andre agreed. But fortunately he also had access to the Sovereign¡¯s profound information system, which brought to his attention the economy of the second world dominion. Without thinking twice, Andre reprioritized his plans and paid the prime minister a visit. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with the weather?¡± Andre asked, keeping his tone neutral and his aura tightly wrapped. The prime minister was not ready for the question, which showed in his aura while his face remained unblemished. He quickly recovered though. ¡°It¡¯s a novel phenomenon,¡± He replied. ¡°It has appeared when we¡¯ve transplanted trees from the dominion here. My people are convinced that Level 5 trees produce Level 5 oxygen and it somehow affects the climate in the region.¡± ¡°You have done¡­ what?¡± Andre asked, finding it harder to keep his composure. ¡°We¡¯re hardly the first to do this. Areshem¡ª¡± Andre stopped the prime minister. At the same time, reminding himself that he didn¡¯t come here to discuss the weather. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s not important,¡± he said. ¡°But now that we are on the topic of the dominion. I have a few questions.¡± The words had almost a physical blow to the prime minister. Still, the man kept his mask of a face intact. ¡°I am happy to help, chairman. My loyalty to the Solar Council is absolute.¡±The prime minister actually bowed, which Andre found repulsive as he knew that it was all for show. ¡°Good, let¡¯s start with some numbers,¡± Andre said coolly. ¡°I am told that the world dominion produces a 100 times more skill shards and items than all available rifts but none of this is reflected in your tax reports.¡±He wasn¡¯t going to mention the raw materials as the Sovereign¡¯s estimation was pure guesswork and didn¡¯t look as impressive as the skill shards or items. The prime minister took his time in answering while Andre carefully observed him with his every sense. When the prime minister¡¯s facade was about to fall apart, he somehow smoothed it. ¡°Mr Chairman, let¡¯s cut to the chase. With the fallout of the previous government and chaotic economy, we¡¯re left on the verge of insolvency. Without income from the dominion the government would have fallen apart. And please don¡¯t be fooled by the grandeur of the South Gate. With so many powerful ascenders around, we must cultivate a certain image,¡± he said. ¡°Like you do with Hunter.¡± Such audacity! Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Liars and thieves. It seemed that Andre¡¯s silence emboldened the prime minister as he spoke again. ¡°An institution of the World Government is relatively young, given thousands of years of humankind history, and its success relied mostly on strict societal control and information suppression. The recent schism between the Old Blood and the World Government created a host of issues exacerbated by the outbreaks and the Dominion of Monsters. The source of essence is completely outside anyone¡¯s control and abolishing levelling sounds like a recipe for a full blown rebellion, neither the Solar Council nor the World Government is ready to face. We, the government, are not trying to usurp power here. We are trying to keep the broken ship from sinking, while you are demanding the same materials we need to patch the ship.¡± Andre finally calmed down. He needed to take a look at this with a cool head. He wasn¡¯t an idiot and he recognised the prime minister¡¯s monologue for what it was¡ªa threat. Seconds ticked by as Andre walked to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a state of art garden. A threat or not, there was much truth to the prime minister¡¯s words. The world was a mess and interplanetary politics was even more complicated as Mars¡¯ and Venus¡¯ grew frustrated with the lack of rifts on their planets. The Solar Council not having an ability to open rifts was their biggest weakness and forced them to rely on Hunter to keep others in line. It made their authority tentative. Something Andre found unsustainable despite Lord Sovereign¡¯s assurances. It wasn¡¯t even about Hunter¡¯s fickle personality but the threat of new powerhouses growing in the wild. Vivena Sael was only the first of many that would come; and if not for Doctor¡¯s Talent, they would have had a hard time keeping her under control. Andre didn¡¯t even want to think about Keynes Kid and Untainted Paradise. Those were problems for another day. Now was the time to remind the World Government who was in charge. ¡°I have some good news,¡± Andre said, finding alien satisfaction in what he was about to say. ¡°The Institute is hard at work in bringing several solutions that will turn things around for you.¡± The prime minister¡¯s aura showed a mix of distrust and wariness. ¡°What solutions?¡± the prime minister asked. ¡°Mandatory mana-powered ID chips.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a failed idea,¡± the prime minister dismissed it, a little too boldly for Andre¡¯s comfort. ¡°It failed by design,¡± Andre replied but didn¡¯t elaborate as it was all he¡¯d been told by Lord Sovereign. ¡°And doesn¡¯t end there. We¡¯re introducing a new version of fully controlled Web connected to the ID chips.¡± This caught the prime minister off-guard as the chance of leaking the sensitive research information was nearly zero now that the Institute was directly controlled by the Solar Council. Research was too important to be left in the hands of others, as it could lead to creation of people like Lowe who almost had hidden the existence of the greater rift from the Solar Council. Smiling in his mind, Andre continued, ¡°With closed cities and control of trade, the economy will stabilise. We¡¯ll be able to introduce proper licensing for hunting and levelling. Soon, with your help, we will have things under control.¡± It didn¡¯t take a genius to see the implications of their plans. Some people and organisations wouldn¡¯t like it but the Sovereign future projections were bleak without order and control. ¡°But¡ª¡± Andre raised his hand, interrupting the prime minister. ¡°Emergency call,¡± he said, then accepted the call. ¡°Sir, please check the dominion leaderboard under the world dominion subsection,¡± one of the officers said in his earpiece. Andre brought the System then navigated to the aforementioned section and froze. Not because he found Keynes Kid there but because Kora Kowalska was with him. How was this possible? Andre had her in the most secured facility with runes that prevented Talent teleportation up to Level 5. These runes were priceless and one of the most valuable assets handed to them by RuneSight. It didn¡¯t matter if it was Kid¡¯s or Untainted Paradise doing. All that mattered was that their enemies were capable of breaking out a person, somehow, from the most secured location on Earth. Andre had neglected to report this to Lord Sovereign as the girl was a minor figure in the scheme of things and it hadn¡¯t been clear what had happened but now Andre needed to act. Urgently. ¡°Something important has come up, prime minister.¡± Andre turned around. ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch.¡± Andre didn¡¯t wait for the prime minister to reply and strode out of the meeting chamber, while dialling Lord Sovereign. *** Vivena softly landed among trees. Thanks to the strange mutant plant, the dominion¡¯s debuff was barely an afterthought. The plant and information on how to get to the centre was a courtesy of the Solar Council. She only regretted the time wasted on breaking bones to get what she wanted. Though the Solar Council didn¡¯t hide the fact that Keynes had reached the centre of the world dominion, they neglected to inform her about it and tried to stonewall her when she told them she was going after Keynes. The delay cost her greatly as 9 out of 10 spots were already taken and it was now the race with time, which made Vivena furious. There were thousands of ascenders trying to find the centre. She had killed many of them but the way into the centre was still elusive. She unfolded [Poison Aura] to the maximum extent with the decaying wood poison in it. The decaying wood poison was the nature killer. Anything possessing nature affinity would be poisoned and die. She didn¡¯t do it out of spite but for convenience. Once the aura was up, Vivena started moving forward. She would rather use [Flight] but the dominion had a spatial anomaly that kept her from reaching the centre that way and so she was forced to move on foot. Waste of time¡­ It wasn¡¯t really as she needed to collect ingredients to unlock passage forward but she hated how slow the whole process was. The biggest hurdle was the lack of precise information. Naturally no one posted any info how to get into the Inner Sanctuary as the System called it and she was on her own. Almost. Sometimes she ran across another ascender or a group and got them talking. Mostly after breaking bones. At this point, ascenders were stronger than usual, but no one was as strong as her. Not even close. Then she came across a person in a white mask, mismatched rift items, armed in an oversized axe and shield. They raged as they cut through monsters and trees alike. The surrounding area was quite heavily damaged, which indicated that the fight was past its peak. Vivena considered the next step. She wanted information but she could sense frustration and anger in the ascender¡¯s aura. They didn¡¯t have the key to the Inner Sanctuary. Then the last of the monsters fell and the ascender whirled toward her. ¡°Who are you?¡±the man¡¯s voice from behind the mask asked. What kind of question was that? She would laugh it off if not for the ascender¡¯s sudden change in spiritual aura. His emotions vanished leaving only a weak pressure betraying his presence. Vivena was wary of those who could precisely control spiritual aura. It was an easy way to distinguish between Level-junkies and credible threats. Their standoff stretched out as neither of them did any move or spoke further. He¡¯s a mixed essence Level 7. She could easily kill him but that would be a waste. What if he had the information? But was she strong enough to subdue him? She was less certain about that. ¡°If you don¡¯t have business with me then move on and don¡¯t waste each other¡¯s time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re after the Inner Sanctuary and with only one spot left, it may be better to take you out,¡± she replied calmly. ¡°That¡¯s so stupid,¡± he snorted. ¡°While good folks murder each other, the fucking government grows in power. But I¡¯ll kill you if you attack me though I¡¯d rather not fight you.¡± The White Masks. Them and their twisted ideology. Despite his argument, Vivena wasn¡¯t going to risk leaving competition alive. She was about to use a quick poison serum when a dominion message appeared. The Inner Sanctuary is closed. The final competition is in progress. You can find more information in the System subsection¡­ She was frozen by the message while the other man howled a familiar word in rage. ¡°KID!!!!!¡± Chapter 182 Locating people without the vision of the future was extremely difficult. Shaper had to rely on other, more mundane methods he had set up just in case. He was glad that one of his alarms pinged Windsor Freeman. After learning through his spies that the ex-president was the reason Keynes Kid had triggered the fourth outbreak prematurely, deviating from the vision, Shaper decided it was time to finally meet him. Shaper had spent decades evading the other man, knowing that their meeting would have ended in disaster. It bothers you, Magnalius said. Yes, Shaper replied, switching to his usual attire¡ªblack coat, gloves and elegant suit. It was to project an image of control. Wearing a mismatched rift gear was a sign of weakness in his mind. I don¡¯t understand where I failed to correct the events to align them with the vision. You have not failed, Magnalius replied, although a tad thoughtfully. It is the Chaos debuff affecting the vision. I know it is the debuff¡¯s doing but I don¡¯t understand how it happens. The vision is external in relation to Keynes Kid and he has no power to affect the whole timeline. Does he? No, he does not, Magnalius assured him. However, there is another possibility or¡­ two possibilities. The first one is the Chaos debuff and while I do not know the specifics I would wager that it somehow affected probabilities of the future. Even small events would eventually escalate, creating substantial deviations from the vision. The other option is his Untraceable buff. It is not as potent as the Chaos debuff but there is a chance that it somehow obscured Keynes Kid inside the vision, making it harder to predict his movements. Shaper disagreed. During the time of the One Empire, his researchers studied buffs and debuffs and they were never deemed more potent than even spells, although they didn¡¯t have access to spells back then and could only compare them through visions. Clearly their methods were crude and based on guessing, but information on buffs and debuffs were available firsthand. You are missing a crucial point here, Magnalius injected, clearly reading his thoughts. The vision itself could have been imperfect. Especially, given the low grade materials available at the time of creating the items. The truth slowly dawned on Shaper, his cardinal mistake. I treated the vision as an absolute forgetting it was just the subject of the System. Shaper¡¯s blind trust became his undoing. For all he knew the vision might have been incorrect from the beginning, feeding him the false narrative. Magnalius appeared next to him, pushing his power to the limits. He was not yet a physical entity but close. ¡°It will sound¡­ harsh but your job here is done,¡± Magnalius said. ¡°Leave Windsor Freeman, Keynes Kid and others be. Whatever the future brings, it is not your job to fix it anymore.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Shaper asked, watching his spiritual companion carefully. They hadn¡¯t always been on the same foot and since the events at the Capital, Shaper felt a creeping disconnection¡­ no, detachment with Magnalius. ¡°I feel tired.¡± Shaper frowned, confused. Spiritual companions weren¡¯t supposed to get tired, bored or anything like that. This shouldn¡¯t be happening. Something was terribly wrong here. ¡°Magnalius¡­¡± ¡°You must level up, Abraham of Telios. Your current Level cannot protect me any longer.¡± What? Shaper didn¡¯t believe his ears. Where did this come from? ¡°The System¡¯s latest update. It looks like the disconnection from the System comes with more drawbacks than we expected.¡± The timing couldn¡¯t be worse. It wasn¡¯t the first time Shaper had doubts about the visions and his mission to save the world, but Magnalius had always been there to support him. Shaper had co-exist so long with Magnalius that a life without him seemed unreal. He took a few deep breaths of the cold air then said. ¡°After we finish here, we¡¯ll start looking into breaking the cap and levelling up. How does that sound?¡± Magnalius stared at the ocean in the distance, remaining silent for a while. When he spoke his voice didn¡¯t have the usual roughness. ¡°From what I gleaned from the System after it had been awakened, I am¡­ pessimistic about our chances. Even with the right essence, breaking the cap is hard. With human essence, I do not know if it is possible, Abraham of Telios.¡± ¡°I refuse to accept this,¡± Shaper said with renewed vigour. ¡°We still have the Hive Mind for the emergency.¡± Magnalius shook his head and with a heavy sigh said, ¡°That abominable spiritual structure was built with a smaller population and humane essence in mind. It will not work the way you hope, if it works at all. It had been millenia since the last activation.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Shaper remembered it. The day that changed the course of history, erasing any knowledge of the One Empire from the face of the world. But back then, the population was several million people, with the majority of them not yet ascenders due to a high death rate. These were simpler times. With that thought in mind, Shaper reignited his resolve. His mission to save the world was the most important thing. If it cost his or Magnalius¡¯s life, so be it. Even if the vision was flawed, Shaper had seen enough of the future to understand what had to be done. ¡°Farewell, friend,¡± Shaper said with a heavy sign. Magnalius wasn¡¯t yet gone but their bond was growing thin. Shaper didn¡¯t know how much time Magnalius had but judging by the rate of decay of their bond, it was not long. He followed the stairs leading to a hidden plateau located halfway to the peak of Mount Asylia. There, Shaper was going to meet Windsor Freeman, then sending him¡ª ¡°Argh!¡±Shaper¡¯s mind went under assault. Instantly, Shaper tried to push against the attack but couldn¡¯t¡­ Somehow, his spiritual protection wasn¡¯t enough to ward him. That shouldn¡¯t be possible. He was in the Grand spiritual stage, granting him the ability to directly affect spiritual cores of other living beings, including ascenders. At this stage, the spiritual aura became truly physical. Shaper¡¯s aura exploded out of him¡ªor should have. His mind was losing control of his body. Impossible! As he struggled, he fell to his knees, clutching his head. ¡°We¡¯re finally meeting,¡± said a voice. Shaper tried to look up but he no longer controlled his body. ¡°At some point, I was beginning to believe that you¡¯re a twisted fabrication of the Old Blood,¡± the voice continued. ¡°But the spiritual structures convinced me otherwise. I am glad you built them.¡± Windsor Freeman? How? Shaper realised with shock at the same time, fighting the mental assault. Then something clicked around his neck, wrists and ankles. The mental attack receded but the pressure remained lurking uncomfortably at the back of his mind. Shaper¡¯s eyes snapped open but there was not much else he could do. His body felt weak and he was cut off from his spiritual core and spells. At least, I can move. He slowly stood up then looked up at his attacker. ¡°Windsor Freeman.¡± ¡°Shaper,¡±Freeman said coolly. ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± ¡°You did not,¡± Shaper replied, trying to sound as cold as possible. Magnalius, are you there? Only silence replied as Shaper couldn¡¯t even feel their bond. ¡°You would be surprised but enough of the chit chat. We have a lot of work ahead of us. You are going to tell me everything you know. Then I will decide what to do with you.¡± ¡°We have only one task ahead of us,¡± Shaper said, growing frustrated with his carelessness. He had been the apex predator for so long that he became blind to threats. ¡°We must stop Vivena Sael from killing Keynes Kid.¡± *** Windsor watched Shaper with a mix of satisfaction and concern. For decades he considered him his most dangerous adversary and today, that same man was reduced to a crawling worm. This part worried him. Before the outbreaks, Windsor Freeman had only feared one other man - Columbus Curt. He had solved that issue with the ritual of peace and threat of using the superstructure shooting concentrated mana beams. But things weren¡¯t so simple anymore. Tulli was only Level 5 and she was able to take Shaper out. Granted, her Talent was evaluated as rank 10, which was considered the highest in the government¡¯s system and she was using several rift items that boosted her Talent. Still, the ease with which she had defeated Shaper chilled Windsor. When they had set up the trap, it wasn¡¯t this he¡¯d expected. ¡°Take him to the cells,¡± Windsor said to Tulli and she followed his orders without hesitation. It didn¡¯t stop him from having doubts. What if she turned on him? Could he even control her? He didn¡¯t like the answers to these questions. *** It had been six months since Keynes Kid entered the Inner Sanctuary and there hadn¡¯t been a day without Jedd cursing his boss. Frankly, it wasn¡¯t because of the department of knowledge, though that thing was a pain in the ass with all the corporate politics getting in the way. Without Keynes Kid to throw his weight around, Jedd was stalled at each step by the higher ups from the other founders. If that was all, Jedd would be a happy man. No, the thing that made Jedd¡¯s life harder was Rell Raust¡¯s fungus artificial mind. At first Jedd was hesitant to take action. Having a sapient artificial mind made out of fungus wasn¡¯t Jedd¡¯s area of expertise. Nonetheless, going to Wagner Zimmermann was out of the question. Jedd despised the man and didn¡¯t trust him. After spending months in the lab with Raust, Jedd started realising the weight of the discovery. Regullus, as they called the artificial mind, was a phenomenon dwarfing anything else Jedd had seen so far. Like the company¡¯s Golden Horizon AI, Regullus learned at an impossibly fast rate, but this wasn¡¯t what made him different from the standard AIs. Regullus could absorb skill shards. It didn¡¯t end there, at least in theory, as Raust expected Regullus to begin forming a spiritual core at some point. When Jedd realised the seriousness of Raust¡¯s achievement, he started to fear the consequences. Some people, even within the company, would kill to silence them. The solution came from Regullus. Somehow, it had learned that Wagner Zimmerman¡¯s secret space department was building a stealth spaceship and offered them help in building their own version with Regullus as the main computer. And this was another thing Jedd feared - a powerful AI capable of absorbing skill shards and access to its own stealth spaceship. Were they even cognizant of what they were doing? It led to long discussions between Jedd and Raust that would have remained without conclusion if not for another piece of information from Regullus. There was a secret cell in their company created with one aim - to eliminate Keynes Kid if he became a liability. How Regullus had learned of it, they could only guess but the appearance of the information worried Jedd on several levels. Even if their AI didn¡¯t lie, it still used the information to manipulate them into building the spaceship. What was worse was Jedd¡¯s inability to contact Keynes Kid as he was at this point inside the Inner Sanctuary. With Keynes Kid unreachable and no one else apart from the founders, who Jedd didn¡¯t trust, the decision fell on him. Jedd was no fool. He knew that his tie to Keynes Kid meant that in the case of boss¡¯ death, a purge of Keynes Kid¡¯s subordinates would follow. Jedd didn¡¯t plan on dying, neither he was going to blindly listen to a fungus AI. He gathered the most trusted and smartest people he could and put them to work. With Raust¡¯s supervision, they created a failsafe that could turn Regullus off. Even though Regullus or Golden Horizon appeared to be all over the place, they were every bit physical and vulnerable. A weakness Jedd and Raust relied on. Regullus agreed with the plan without hesitation, affirming them of his benevolent intentions. Jedd didn¡¯t trust the fungus AI and often questioned his decision, but he didn¡¯t back out of the insane idea. Chapter 183 Keynes and Kora had many questions on their minds but the guardian urged them to attend the meeting first. Apparently, there would be time for questions. He assured them they might even receive answers that would positively surprise them. Keynes wasn¡¯t convinced but he understood that their timing wasn¡¯t optimal and let the guardian lead them to the meeting. Neither Keynes nor Kora expected to find a human village in the centre of the monster dominion. Their surprise didn¡¯t last long as the first two contenders were already waiting for them. A green-haired, dark-skinned woman wearing quite a lot of rift items. Some of them were nicely matched, which indicated that she had more items than she could wear. This was rare. Most ascenders Keynes had met never wore more than a couple of mismatched rift items. Moreover, her aura was quite well contained, meaning she knew how to cultivate essence. All of this combined with her being able to get here before Keynes and Kore warned them that she was dangerous. The man gave them a different vibe looking more like a hermit with his old clothes and bush on his head and beard. He felt weaker than the woman, but something about him made Keynes uneasy as if the man watched him, even though he seemed to be meditating. ¡°The rest of the contenders will arrive shortly.¡± The place of the meeting looked like a miniature version of an amphitheatre built out of wood with the podium in the middle. Keynes, Kora and their guardian took seats far from the others. ¡°Is there anything you can tell us about them?¡±Keynes asked. ¡°Not at this moment. You would have to earn favour of the Forest to buy information about the other contestants.¡± ¡°Favour of the Forest?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the guardian said. ¡°It¡¯s the currency of the Inner Sanctuary.¡± Before Keynes could ask him to explain the meaning of the favour another contender made his entrance. This one made Keynes¡¯s hair stand on end. A man wearing a jade colour tunic took his place opposite Keynes and Kora. It wasn¡¯t his strength or appearance that got Keynes¡¯s attention but a massive snake that obediently slithered next to him. A tamer. Not that tamers were rare but this wasn¡¯t an animal. This was a rift monster. Unless, Keynes misunderstood the bond between the ascender and their pet. The tamer noticed Keynes¡¯s attention and a second later, the snake¡¯s head turned toward Keynes and Kora. It was an eerie sight. Keynes¡¯s attention on the man and his bond didn¡¯t last long as the next person entered the amphitheatre and instantly rubbed Keynes the wrong way. He wore slick crafted armour with some additional rift jewellery. The man locked his eyes with Keynes, a spark of recognition crossed the newcomer¡¯s eyes, alerting Keynes. Whoever he was, he knew Keynes. After him came a man whose movements were strange. The way he observed everything around him was also telling but Keynes couldn¡¯t pinpoint the source of his strange behaviour. ¡°It¡¯s as if something controlled his movements,¡± Kora whispered, which unsurprisingly made the man frown. The distance between them was not large enough to muffle a whisper. ¡°Talent,¡± Keynes repeated after Alice, who had inspected the man. The word made the man look up and narrow his eyes, giving Keynes and Kora piercing consideration, which made Keynes wonder if he didn¡¯t make an enemy here. A short time later, another person appeared. They wore a black featureless mask that was clearly an item of power and a coat made from fabric that seemed to consume light. He clearly had an armour hidden beneath it. Something about the person was off. Keynes couldn¡¯t put a finger on it until he caught his mind wandering each time his attention lingered for too long on the masked person. Noticed that others seemed to ignore them as well. Was this an effect of Talent? If so, Keynes and Kora would have to be very careful around this ascender. Eventually the last two contenders appeared and Keynes was surprised to find the pair from the safe zone. They gave Keynes a side-long look but otherwise showed no recognition. Were they trying to deceive him or others? Maybe both. Keynes looked away as he sensed spiritual energy gathered in the middle of the amphitheatre. Trembling ensued as roots exploded out of the ground and morphed into a humanoid with long green hair that were a mix of thin roots, branches and moss. The grey skin had patches of bark but the eyes were like two stars submerged in a well. The newcomer¡¯s beard was long, reaching the ground, his attire pristine and made out of silky gold. Like other guardians, he held a staff crowned with a gem but this staff looked more elaborate and radiated more power. What Keynes found intriguing was that the spiritual energy seemed to be ¡®tainted¡¯ by nature. Do you feel it? He asked Alice. I do, she replied. He elbowed Kora gently and quietly asked her the same question but she didn¡¯t sense anything different about the newcomer¡¯s spiritual energy. It could be that she was lower in a spiritual stage than Keynes or the Trait of Spirituality made a difference here. Kora¡¯s spiritual companion didn¡¯t feel the nature ¡®taint¡¯ either. He and Alice scanned the faces of the gathered contenders, hoping to gain any insight into who managed to sense the ¡®taint¡¯ but no one betrayed any explicit emotions. The distance didn¡¯t do Keynes favour as he couldn¡¯t read aura¡¯s of other ascenders from this far accurately. Especially, that some showed significant spiritual control. The ¡®arrival¡¯ finalised and the newcomer exhaled, making the air around them more alive and vibrant. Little floating mots, twinkling like stars appeared, lazily moving about. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°In the name of the Father of the Forest, welcome to the dominion¡¯s final challenge,¡± the newcomer said. ¡°I¡¯m Grand Druid and I¡¯m here to explain the rules of the competition.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t like how enchanting and melodic the voice of the Grand Druid was. It threatened to suck him in even with all Keynes¡¯s defences up. Since the fight with the guardian inside the dream tree, he was on edge. The previous dominion was anything like this one. A part of Keynes¡¯s mind constantly searched for signs of deceptions. While there were some inconsistencies, nothing major popped up, which didn¡¯t ease Keynes¡¯s mind and made him consider absorbing [Psychic Mastery]. The passive skill should be able to enhance Keynes¡¯s mental defences. Eventually, he decided against it. He was too close to maxing out his attributes to risk affecting the process. ¡°Firstly, let me reiterate the three fundamental rules of the Inner Sanctuary,¡± the Grand Druid said, while circling around, his eyes touching every single contender. When his glance fell on Keynes, there was a mili-second pause as if surprised, then he moved until he completed the turn. ¡°No violence. Unless clearly stated by a challenge, you are not to attack other contenders or inhabitants of the Inner Sanctuary. ¡°No destruction. It also includes forceful picking of plants and fruits. ¡°No leaving until the competition is over.¡± Despite knowing the rules already, the last rule ruffled everyone¡¯s feathers. A whisper of discontent passed throughout the amphitheatre. ¡°What are the consequences of breaking the rules?¡±asked the tamer, drawing the attention of the Grand Druid. Keynes watched, carefully searching for any clues in the tone of the druid. ¡°Forfeit of all earned rewards and an exile from the Inner Sanctuary.¡± The Grand Druid sounded thoughtful. The man in the slick crafted armour which had seemed to recognise Keynes earlier interjected, ¡°Isn¡¯t an exile the same as leaving?¡± ¡°An exiled contender would be hunted by the Father¡¯s personal elite squad of apex predator Level 5s with capability to catch, main and kill any ascender up to Level 10.¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± the same man grunted. Keynes¡¯s initial reaction was to agree with the man, even though Keynes disliked him. But then he considered what he had seen so far. The fight with the guardian had been an opener for Keynes and not only because of the absurd difficulty but the fact that Keynes¡¯s defences didn¡¯t react. Could the dominion trap them all inside another dream tree? Their bodies would be defenceless¡­ So while an exile instead of entrapment in the dream tree or even death inside the Inner Sanctuary? There had to be a reason¡­ wait, unless this is a lie, a sort of test to find out who will be foolish to take advantage of the host. Even Lem Solaris explicitly said I only should reach the centre of the dominion. She never mentioned killing the boss. But this raised more questions¡ªas usual¡ªif killing the sub-boss was impossible, how were they supposed to complete this dominion and move on to the third one. This inconsistency was becoming a glaring alarm in his mind. ¡°You are free to try,¡± the Grand Druid interrupted Keynes¡¯s musings. ¡°However, you may change your mind about breaking rules when you learn about the rewards.¡± ¡°Rewards¡­¡± the man muttered as if tasting the word. ¡°That would be nice. Yes. I¡¯d love to know why I shouldn¡¯t just kill the sub-boss and be done with the whole competition.¡± The atmosphere tensed up, ascenders shifted, undoubtedly readying up for a confrontation. Surprisingly, neither the Grand Druid nor guardians reacted or showed offence. ¡°Fair enough,¡± the Grand Druid replied after a moment of tense silence. ¡°I uploaded the information to your interface.¡± Eighth-Tenth Placement Everyone fell quiet, going over the rewards. Considering that they had already received a Trait of Nature, a seed of a Dream Tree and 10 essence stones with nature affinity, the rewards for the last places weren¡¯t that bad. Fifth-Seventh Placement The first two rewards were the same. At least on the surface level. The third reward was tripled in length. The fourth one was seemingly the same as well but Keynes suspected that the quality and choice would be greater. Then there were more dominion points, which was always welcome, though he stopped paying attention to them a while ago. To reap rewards from the dominion ranking, one needed to be at least in the top 100, which Keynes wasn¡¯t. Even with the influx of points for getting into the Inner Sanctuary, the time dilation did the damage, giving those outside the Inner Sanctuary time to catch up. And of course another Level 5 rift. This one of runic rarity and growth affinity. Not nature but growth. Interesting. I wonder what¡¯s the difference¡­ Second-Fourth Placement Okay, the rewards for the 2nd-4th looked enticing enough to convince Keynes to play by the rules. Keynes badly wanted to put his hands on the Bountiful Sphere. It sounds like a perfect thing to have on a spaceship. But it was time for the star of the show¡­ Rewards for Winning Fuck me¡­ Chapter 184 A stunned silence followed the Grand Druid¡¯s presentations. The spiritual auras were less restrictive and revealed a maelstrom of emotions coming from the contenders. While Keynes kept his aura almost tightly controlled, Kora wasn¡¯t as good and her reaction to the rewards was leaking out. Her and others¡¯ reactions made Keynes confused. They weren¡¯t disappointed but neither were they excited about the rewards like him. Did they even know how amazing these rewards look in comparison to the first global dominion? Of course they didn¡¯t as none of them had been there. The first global dominion was a joke in comparison to this though he had to admit that some parts of the reward were unclear. The personal insight from the Father of the Forest sounded odd and unappealing. What Keynes was truly enthusiastic about were the Rod of Sanctuary and the Bountiful Sphere. Another Orb of Dominion would be welcomed but the first two items fit his plans precisely. I wonder how the rod works. Can it be activated in space? Can I use it in different places? Questions began filling his mind but very soon his attention switched to the green-haired girl. Keynes noticed he couldn¡¯t feel any emotions from her. She stared at him with wariness, which was spurred by the fact that his aura was well-controlled. If she was able to pick this up in the spiritual chaos, she should be considered as a formidable opponent. When she noticed his attention on her, she glanced elsewhere. Then after a short verbal exchange with his guardian, the tamer stood up. ¡°I can¡¯t say I am thrilled about these rewards, but I won¡¯t say no to the Orb of Dominion, however.¡± he paused.¡°I have a feeling that there is a catch.¡± The Grand Druid turned to the tamer, considering him for a moment, which created tension among the contenders. They couldn¡¯t forget where they were. For all Keynes knew, this could be another dream or illusion. He didn¡¯t believe so but Lem Solaris had shown him how small he was in the face of greater powers. ¡°If you are asking about a possibility of betrayal from our side then rest assured, there won¡¯t be any betrayal.¡± The tamer snorted, shaking his head. ¡°Why should I trust your words?¡±That earned the tamer a few silent nods from other contenders. Keynes also wanted to know the answer to this question. ¡°Under normal circumstances, I wouldn¡¯t be able to share this information with ascenders because you have reached so far, I will offer this insight to you, contenders, ¡°the Grand Druid replied. ¡°The Father of the Forest is bound by the System. This means that the Father must fulfil his promise and adhere to the rules set by the System. The Father cannot cheat or break the rules.¡± ¡°What rules are you talking about?¡± the tamer voiced the question everyone had on their minds. ¡°Check the System,¡± the Grand Druid said. Keynes and others did so, while Alice kept an eye on his surroundings. The Final Challenge of the Inner Sanctuary (The System-sanctioned Event) Rules¡­ Keynes got a cursory look over the rules. The Grand Druid said the truth. The System guaranteed the rewards, safety of the contenders as long as they adhered to the rules. It only made Keynes more confused. This dominion was nothing like the first global one. Just to be sure, Keynes checked the System¡¯s interface for information about the first global dominion. There was some general info but nothing like with this dominion. Also, this dominion was ¡°sanctioned¡± by the System, which meant it was not created by the System itself. Just what the hell is going on here? Alice, how¡¯s this possible? Isn¡¯t the Father of the Forest part of the System himself? Alice¡¯s answer didn¡¯t come right away. Keynes actually felt her consider the question before replying. I do not know the details but I have some residual information the System did not take away after disconnecting me. Some System-created entities have more freedom than others. Look at me for example, I was created by the System and yet I act with freedom. I believe this Father of the Forest may be similar to me. So he¡¯s someone from the System¡­ That is my guess, Alice agreed. It was wild. Spiritual companions were one thing but having powerful systemic entities to gain independence from the System was insane. This is something I have to ask Lem Solaris about. I have to understand what the limits are. It appears that the Hidden Chambers may have more of these entities than we anticipate. ¡°Keynes,¡± Kora¡¯s soft voice stirred him out of his mindfulness. Keynes¡¯s eyes travelled back to the other side of the amphitheatre. The tamer still stood, staring defiantly at the Grand Druid. ¡°We weren¡¯t told about these rules ahead of time,¡± he said to the Grand Druid. ¡°How is that fair?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Keynes glanced at Kora¡¯s and his guardian but like with other guardians, found an alien, indifferent expression. They seemed unfazed by the confrontation between the tamer and the Grand Druid. ¡°Fairness is the privilege of the strong.¡± The Grand Druid¡¯s voice turned a little sly. ¡°It isn''t a commodity freely given to the weak and yet the Father offered you more fairness than your strength warrants.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t like the druid¡¯s words. Other contenders mirrored his thoughts as their expressions hardened, their auras showed anger, which seemed to prove the Grand Druid¡¯s point. If they weren¡¯t capable of hiding their emotions, they couldn¡¯t compete with the strongest. ¡°Why bother then?¡± the green-haired girl asked. ¡°Why set up this whole competition if you and your father see us as weaklings?¡± ¡°The Father wishes to witness a competition and so a competition will happen. You¡¯re here to entertain him. In exchange you will be handsomely rewarded.¡± ¡°What kind of competition?¡± someone asked. ¡°Competitions will be revealed one at a time, a few days ahead of time. You will earn the Favour of the Forest and competition points. At the end, the competition points would determine who was going to win.¡± ¡°Why should I bother with the competition if I can kill everyone, including your father. Isn¡¯t killing the sub-boss the goal of the global dominions?¡±The green-haired woman asked. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself,¡± the tamer snapped. Keynes noticed that the pair he¡¯d met in the safe zone earlier moved slightly away from the green-haired girl. Also, the weirdly-behaving guy started to tense up, his aura turning very hostile. Tension went up in a matter of a second. Keynes felt Kora¡¯s hand on his shoulder, her grip tight, signalising readiness to fight. Whoever this green-haired girl was, she was damn confident in her strength. Given that she was the first here, and Keynes could barely sense her aura, she might not be overestimating herself. ¡°Refrain from violence,¡± their guardian muttered. ¡°You don¡¯t want to break the rules if you wish to survive.¡± Keynes squinted at him, considering their situation. What was going on here? Was this dominion so powerful that even top ascenders weren¡¯t strong enough to fight it? It bothered him because he was missing something here. ¡°The same rules that bound the Father and us, they give us leverage over you. If this dominion were anything like the first one, your plan of fighting everyone would make sense, but as it stands, it is not the case. If you break the rules, you die, contenders. So, amuse me and try,¡±the Grand Druid said softly, not only sounding unbothered by the threat but also challenged the girl. Alice, how strong is that druid? Keynes asked, feeling chill spreading through his bones. He didn¡¯t want to be in mercy a ¡®freed¡¯ systemic entity. I do not know. Most of my perception is connected to yours. However, the thing it said about the System¡¯s rules giving them an upper hand, it does sound like something the System would do to validate the whole event. If that was the case, it would be best for him and Kora to leave. But one of the rules forbids leaving. How convenient. ¡°Why is this dominion different from the first one?¡± the tamer asked, supposedly forgetting his ire at the girl. ¡°The goal of the Dominion of Monsters is to defeat the global bosses. Your ¡®event¡¯ goes against it.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± the Grand Druid agreed. ¡°And winning this competition is equivalent to defeating the Father of the Forest. Once this is over, the second dominion will vanish and the third one will appear at some point.¡± ¡°But why is it different?¡± the tamer didn¡¯t let go of the issue. Keynes and Kora exchanged glances. They wanted to know as well. ¡°It is clear that it is the first Dominion of Monsters you experience, contender, hence you are unfamiliar with the nuances that govern such global events. For the starter, each dominion is inherently tied to its boss and shaped by the mind that rules it.¡± ¡°But the System¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s a framework far beyond your understanding,¡± the Grand Druid interjected, his voice getting a little hostile. A stunned silence followed his words. No one seemed keen on further challenging the druid. Seeing this, the druid nodded satisfied. ¡°I understand that you are curious, contenders. Through the Father, I know the history of this world and how little you know. So let me offer a bit of aforementioned fairness to you. The winner will be given answers to some of these questions.¡± Winner Rewards amended ¡°Interesting,¡± the guardian murmured behind Keynes and Kora. ¡°To have the Grand Druid offer such a boon is a big deal.¡± Not only Keynes didn¡¯t see why but he had a feeling as if the whole Inner Sanctuary had history, which didn¡¯t make sense for the System¡¯s event. The Grand Druid vanished as the system message appeared. Then all the guardians stood up and urged the contenders to follow them out of the amphitheatre. ¡°Where are we heading?¡± Keynes asked as the trio walked a distance from others. ¡°To your temporary accommodation.¡± Keynes¡¯s mind barely registered the surroundings but from what he saw, the dominion-created village was charming with awkward buildings sparsely scattered all over the valley. Even though the buildings used cut stone and wood, they appeared to be created around trees that gave them defining shape and character. Then saw something that brought his attention back. Green and brown-skinned humanoids with moss-like hair and clothes made out of leaves and flowers. Kora and he marvelled at the unique sight. ¡°What are they?¡± she asked. ¡°They are called the Children of the Forest,¡± the guardian replied without breaking his stride. ¡°Leave them be.¡± Keynes found the change in the guardian¡¯s tone suspicious. Something was up with these creatures. While they resembled little humans, their behaviour was different. They showed curiosity and thoughtfulness, and though they lacked human intelligence, they weren¡¯t animals or monsters. Just what the hell are these things? When Keynes probed them with his aura, gently to not aggravate the guardian, he didn¡¯t find spiritual interface ascenders possessed nor their spiritual cores resembled those of monsters. In other words, they were unlike anything Keynes had seen. They appear to be proto-ascenders, Alice explained. What the hell is a proto-ascender? Keynes asked, unable to contain his surprise. Then after a second added. It sounds like a human pre-ascender. Not quite, Alice replied. Humans are a full ascender race though your access to the System is delayed by development of your spiritual cores. Proto-ascenders do not have access to the System, even though they have spiritual cores capable of establishing such a connection. I didn¡¯t know such a thing existed. So, does it mean that monsters are proto-ascenders as well? No. Monsters are created by the System, proto-ascenders are not. Keynes stopped, which in turn halted Kora and the guardian. He forgot himself and asked aloud, ¡°If they weren¡¯t created by the System, who the hell¡­ oh, I see.¡± ¡°I said leave them be,¡± the guardian stepped closer to Keynes. ¡°They are of no interest to you, contender.¡± Chapter 185 ¡°There is no need for hostility,¡± Kora stepped next to Keynes, her voice unyielding, nothing like what Keynes remembered. The guardian seemed unperturbed by her, though. Given what the Grand Druid had said, it was no wonder. If Kora or Keynes were to try to assault him, they would be killed. It sounded a little far-fetched to him, but there was no point in risking their lives and rewards for the unknown. ¡°We mean the Children no harm,¡± Kora added. ¡°We are only curious about them. They are different from you.¡± That confirmed that she also noticed it. Keynes expected that the guardian would dismiss Kora¡¯s affirmation, but he surprised them. ¡°The Father is very protective of them,¡± he said. ¡°When the competition is over, the Children will inherit the Inner Sanctuary.¡± Keynes and Kora stopped, stunned, speechless. ¡°Impossible¡­¡± ¡°You human ascenders seem to use this word excessively.¡± They made it to their new accommodation in silence, both digesting the revelation. Alice, what does it even mean? Keynes asked. I do not know exactly. I agree that this is within the power of the System, but I do not understand why the System would agree to it. Their new house was built around a large tree with an expansive canopy acting as a roof and the upper walls. There was a low fence made out of stone, marking a front yard and presumably a backyard. The bottom walls were built out of moss-covered wood and stone. Architecturally, the building was unique. The finishing touch was two windows with wooden shutters and a door that looked like it had formed naturally. Upon passing through the threshold of the fence, Keynes sensed several faint spiritual ripples. "Did you feel it?" he asked Kora, she didn¡¯t. "These are privacy and anti-intrusion formations," the guardian explained. "Only the three of us can enter this place." Once on this side of the fence, Keynes saw uncultivated plots. "These are for your personal needs and training," the guardian added. "Training?" Kora inquired. "Some challenges require creating a garden or such, but I cannot say more at this stage," the guardian''s attention seemed to drift off a little, then he focused on them again. "There is something else you should know. You aren''t the only ones competing. The Father promised one of the guardians to stay with the Children after the competition." "The guardian of the winner," Keynes surmised. "Yes." "How does it work in our case? You''re one, and there are two of us." "Tomorrow, when the first challenge is announced, you will have to make a choice. Either you will compete alone or together." "What''s the catch?" Kora asked. "Your competition points would be calculated by adding your individual contributions, then divided by 2," the guardian clarified. "So, if one of us is very good and the other person sucks, it would put us in the middle." That wasn¡¯t ideal. That was bad. ¡°Indeed. You have time until tomorrow.¡± ¡°What if we decide to compete individually?¡± ¡°You will be separated and banned from communicating with each other.¡± ¡°Would there be another guardian?¡± ¡°There would be,¡± their guardian agreed. It all depended on how good Kora was with the whole gardening stuff. She had the [Nature Aura] which had helped them in the forest. Would it be useful here? Either way, Keynes didn¡¯t want to split with her. They were together in this. He made a decision. ¡°I don¡¯t want to compete individually,¡±Keynes admitted. Kora said the same thing. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, know that the rewards won¡¯t be doubled.¡± the guardian said, eyeing them sceptically. ¡°With exception of insight and training, these things would happen simultaneously. If you win, you will receive a reward for first and second place. If you are second, then rewards for second and third, and so on.¡± It sounded fair and they didn¡¯t have a problem with it. ¡°Very well, let¡¯s proceed inside.¡± Keynes expected the air to be musty and heavy given the state of the interior. Most of the walls were covered in moss creating an impression of a damp. Despite the outlook, the air felt light and refreshing. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The interior of the house was divided into a sleeping chamber, common room which included kitchen and bathroom. Apart from the moss covered surfaces, the decor could be said to look organic as if the entire place sprouted out of the ground. The floor was also covered in a thick carpet of moss, but Keynes sensed a difference between the moss on the floor and that on other surfaces. "For better connection with the house, I''d advise you to take off your shoes." Involuntarily, Keynes glanced at the guardian''s feet, but they were hidden beneath a fabric of darkness and leaves. "What connection?" The house was alive¡ªan unsettling revelation. Or more precisely, the tree in the centre was alive and, through its branches and roots, controlled the rest of the building. But this didn''t change Keynes''s perspective. The connection meant that they would be able to exchange needs and wants with the tree. Another aspect was tied to this connection. The poor state of the interior wasn''t a coincidence; Keynes and Kora were expected to ''fix'' it. This was one way they could earn Favour. They also faced their first major obstacle here. To maximise their Favour, they needed the Trait of Nature. In fact, to even stand a chance against other contenders, they needed this trait. This put them in a difficult position: either absorb the trait and have a shot at winning or forgo it and have no chance. Absorbing a trait wasn''t a trivial matter. Not only had the Trait of Spirituality provoked Chaos, but it also made Keynes highly sensitive to spiritual energy. While both effects were positive, there was also the example of Esopp Earl, who had absorbed the Trait of Dominator and had turned into a sort of tyrant. Now the question was, what effect would the Trait of Nature have on them? "Effects of traits are individual," the guardian explained. "However, there is a general effect that would be universal to everyone. Your connection with nature will improve." ¡°How is this different from a class or mastery spell?¡± Kora asked. ¡°For one, a spell can be removed,¡± the guardian replied. ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Keynes added. ¡°If we absorb this trait, we would be stuck with it just because of this competition. It doesn''t sound like a good idea to me.¡± The guardian snorted, then gave them an almost scornful stare. ¡°I almost feel slighted by your words, but you are not wrong. Traits become part of us and cannot be removed. That''s true. However, not all traits are equally invasive or have dramatic effects on ascenders. This trait is one such example.¡± They remained unconvinced. ¡°Won¡¯t my [Nature Aura] be sufficient?¡± Kora inquired. The guardian shook his head. ¡°Your aura and aforementioned spells operate on different principles. A spell is a tool; a trait is part of you. This distinction is important.¡± That distinction still worried Keynes, but the guardian didn''t try to persuade them further. He placed his hand on the central trunk, and a chair made out of roots sprouted from the ground. He sat down. ¡°Before I leave you to your own devices, the Father wants you to know something,¡± the guardian looked slightly uncomfortable but proceeded. ¡°You are the one who defeated the first global boss.¡± Keynes tensed up, searching for an appropriate response. The fact that the guardian knew this suggested that lying here might not be the best course of action. He wished he could communicate with Kora spiritually at this moment, but she had yet to reach the Elevated stage. He also regretted not having a [Mind Link] like her. ¡°Relax,¡± the guardian said. ¡°The Father bears you no ill will.¡± Keynes narrowed his eyes. ¡°That''s strange coming from a monster,¡± he retorted. Master, antagonising them is not advisable, Alice warned. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t, but Keynes couldn¡¯t help himself. Something was unsettling about this dominion, and it made his hair stand on end. He hadn¡¯t planned the harsh reply; it simply escaped his lips. ¡°Yes, the Father is a monster¡ªa very intelligent and powerful one. He wants you to understand his circumstances. May I proceed?¡± ¡°Before you do, how did you know I defeated the first global boss?¡± ¡°You¡¯re marked by the System. It¡¯s subtle, but if you win the competition, the mark will single you out in the third global dominion.¡± ¡°In what way will it single me out?¡± ¡°The dominion will target you specifically. That¡¯s all I can say.¡± Keynes considered the guardian¡¯s words. He wasn¡¯t done questioning him yet. ¡°Will the jump in difficulty between this and the next dominion be the same as between the first and the second?¡± The guardian simply nodded. If that was the case, the fourth and then the fifth dominions might be too much for human ascenders to handle. If the System allowed these peculiar competition schemes, what kind of tricks might it pull later? But that was a problem for another day. First things first. ¡°Alright, tell us what the Father wants me to know.¡± ¡°He wants you to understand his reasons.¡± In other words, why this dominion was so different from the first one. But of course, there was more to it. Why was Keynes singled out? It seemed to be because he had defeated the first global boss, but could that really be all there was to it? ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± Keynes said, and two chairs sprouted from the ground. They sat down reluctantly. ¡°As the Grand Druid mentioned, the competition is the Father''s idea, not the System''s. When the Father and his dominion were created by the System, he was granted abnormal intelligence to compensate for certain drawbacks¡ªI won¡¯t disclose what these are, so don¡¯t ask. Initially, the Father had no plans to host competitions or even create the Children of the Forest. ¡°But his understanding was further elevated through the mind-links that were part of his primary dominion. He learned about you, about your society, about your history. This inspired him to create the Children, but the System does not cater to the whims of its creations, even powerful ones like the Father. To win the System¡¯s approval for creating the Children, the Father offered to host this competition.¡± It seemed like this was some kind of game to the System, which wasn''t surprising, considering the existence of the Higher Realms and beings that viewed this universe like a chessboard. ¡°So the System simply agreed to create an entirely new race in exchange for a gardening competition?¡± Keynes couldn''t help but ask, his tone sharper than he intended. He was clearly on edge today, struggling to control his usual composure. ¡°No,¡± the guardian replied, his tone flat. ¡°In exchange, the Father forfeits his life.¡± Keynes blinked, not comprehending immediately. ¡°Each global boss has a chance to keep their life if they survive for a year. The Father would rather see his offspring become ascenders than continue living as a monster.¡± This revelation struck deep. It wasn¡¯t something Keynes had expected from a monster, no matter how intelligent. It opened a Pandora''s box of questions. Could other intelligent rift monsters make similar deals like the dominion boss? No, came a sudden answer that startled both Keynes and Alice. After a few confused seconds, dread washed over him. The answer had come from his Chaos buff. Realising the uncomfortable silence had stretched on, Keynes finally asked, ¡°So why does the Father want me to know this?¡± ¡°He has an offer for you.¡± Chapter 186 Many thoughts rolled through Keynes''s head as he considered the offer. Each time he glanced at the guardian, he wanted to ask if this was an elaborate joke. However, given the revelation about the Children of the Forest, that seemed unlikely. What made him uneasy about the offer was the implication that the Father was acting against the System. Could that even happen? The System isn''t actively micromanaging the whole universe, Alice informed him. It only ''acts'' directly when necessary and possible. Otherwise, its changes are indirect, operating at the level of the Code, like when it altered the rules governing spiritual companions. So is it possible? Keynes inquired, not finding a clear answer in Alice''s response. It is. And I would be surprised if the System did anything to stop you if you accepted the mission, she replied. Keynes understood the basic tenets of the System''s functionality. It wasn''t omniscient or omnipotent; it had limits and rules. But since neither Keynes nor Alice knew what those rules were, this knowledge was virtually useless to him. If he were an average ascender, he wouldn''t give it a second thought. However, he suspected that his ability to open sealed rifts, combined with his involvement with Chaos, could provide the System with a loophole to eliminate him once his Talent was no longer required. Now, one of the System''s minions had¡ªsupposedly of their own volition¡ªcome forth with an offer that seemed to antagonise the System further. Coincidence? Keynes didn''t believe in coincidences, not after his experiences with the Greater System¡ªor whatever it chose to call itself. "Are you finished?" The guardian glowered at Keynes, who returned the glare with equal intensity. He wasn''t in the mood for niceties. They were trying to manipulate him again; he was certain of it. "Finished?" "Your thoughts are as dense as honey. I can almost taste the bitterness in them." "You''re reading my mind?" Keynes instinctively checked his spiritual interface, but the Pure Body buff didn¡¯t ping anything. Nothing appeared to be invading his thoughts. Could he be inadvertently revealing them again? This was an issue Lem Solaris had warned him about. "I don''t need to," the guardian responded cryptically, his voice tinged with coldness. Keynes suspected that his negative emotions were leaking, betraying his inner thoughts. He needed a Mind Barrier to contain this leakage. Or you could learn to keep your thoughts and emotions to yourself. You are doing extraordinarily well with your spiritual aura, Alice interjected. If only it were that easy, he retorted mentally. Controlling spiritual aura came naturally to him, but mental discipline was another matter entirely. The mind operated under a different set of rules, demanding a sophisticated control over his Mind attribute. Herein lay the problem: accessing attribute cores was beyond Keynes''s current capabilities. He suspected this either required ascending to a higher spiritual stage or mastering a specialised technique. Neither was a viable option for him in the foreseeable future, as he felt his spiritual core was not yet ready for advancement and mastering techniques proved exceedingly difficult. "Keynes Kid," the guardian interrupted. "The Father is awaiting your answer." Keynes glanced at Kora, who maintained a neutral expression. She obviously didn''t want to reveal anything with the guardian sitting beside them. "I don''t have an answer for you," Keynes finally said. "In that case, it''s imperative that you provide it by tomorrow," the guardian declared, rising from his seat. The chair, formed out of intertwined roots, retracted back into the ground, leaving no trace. "If you can''t decide by then, consider the matter closed." With that, he moved towards the exit. "Why? Are you going to find someone else?" Kora gently placed her hand on Keynes''s shoulder, sensing his inner turmoil. He smiled at her with a mirthless but sincere smile. The guardian hesitated in the doorway, his broad frame barely squeezing through. Keynes felt a tension ripple through the air as the guardian''s gaze intensified. "You''re well aware that there''s no one else like you, Keynes Kid. The offer is unique and won''t be extended again¡ªto you or anyone else." "Can we have more time?" Kora interjected. The guardian shook his head. "Timing is of the essence. The Father needs time to prepare the Inner Sanctuary, among other matters." With that, the guardian departed, leaving them alone for the first time in what felt like ages. Keynes''s body sagged; he longed to collapse onto the bed, yet he refused to spend even a single night here. He didn''t trust the Father or his underlings. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "What now?" Kora inquired, her mood noticeably brighter than his, though she remained unusually quiet. "I was considering the module house," Keynes responded. Kora feigned a scandalised look, clearly aiming to lighten his mood. It worked, to an extent, but what he truly needed was restful sleep. "Yeah, I don''t mind," she finally said. "Though this isn''t a bad place to stay." Her words drew a shocked expression from him. "Don''t worry, I''m here to protect you," she laughed. In the end, they opted to set up the module house in the backyard. While Kora didn''t mind the peculiar treehouse accommodation, they both concurred that the situation was abnormal enough to warrant caution. They needed privacy to discuss the day''s whirlwind events, most of which had unfolded in the constant presence of the guardian. The module house came equipped with a basic privacy formation. It was far from ideal, but it was the best they had. Before they could sit down and delve into their thoughts, however, Keynes needed a bed. *** Keynes opened his eyes, feeling somewhat rejuvenated, although dark thoughts still swarmed his mind. His disquiet stemmed mainly from the precarious position he found himself in. If he could simply fight his way out, he''d be more at ease, but the recent antics of the dominion boss had made it abundantly clear that violence wasn''t the solution. Then there was the offer. Keynes clenched his teeth at the mere thought of it. Someone was attempting to manipulate him, yet he couldn''t discern who, or to what end. Was Lem Solaris part of this scheme as well? It was entirely possible. The Father of the dominion had a request: for Keynes to move the Inner Sanctuary¡ªnot just from Earth, but out of this universe, through a greater rift. The issue wasn''t the audaciousness of this idea; rather, it was that accomplishing this feat would unlock personal quests, a fact known only to Keynes himself. Could it be that Lem Solaris had somehow probed his thoughts? That would explain the suspiciously convenient offer. Alice, what''s your take? Am I overthinking this, or is something truly amiss? I¡­ do not know, Alice confessed. I wish I could dismiss it as mere coincidence, but the circumstances seem too tailored to your situation. Could the System be attempting to lure me out of this universe? I doubt the System wants you gone. Without you, no new rifts would be opened. But what if Lem Solaris or her master struck a deal with the System? She has demonstrated the ability to enter sealed rifts. Theoretically, she could open them, right? Yes, it is a distinct possibility. That was the missing puzzle piece. After his stunt with the Chaos, the System was now seeking to eliminate him. His musings were interrupted by the irresistible aroma of bacon and scrambled eggs. Shaken from his reverie, he followed the scent into the main room, which served as both the living room and kitchen. "Morning," greeted Kora. It took a full second for Keynes''s brain to sync with reality. He couldn''t remember the last time he had seen Kora in casual clothes¡ªa simple green t-shirt paired with denim shorts. They had been so engrossed in battling monsters that the notion of a ''normal'' life had faded away. Though fighting was his calling, the sight of Kora like this reminded him that he wouldn''t mind a day off. "Hello," Keynes finally broke the silence, sounding slightly awkward. "You''re up early." "Or you''re running late," Kora retorted. His brow furrowed. "How late am I?" Kora placed bacon and scrambled eggs on the plates. "You''re doing it again," she warned. "Doing what, exactly?" "Forcing yourself into that weird state where you feel compelled to wrestle with all the world''s issues," she clarified. "But¡ª" Kora cut him off, her tone suddenly steely. "Look, I''ve been around you long enough to notice certain patterns. You''ve been on edge ever since we got here. And you don''t need to be." "Really?" Keynes retorted incredulously. "Given the offer on the table, an offer that stinks of manipulation by Lem Solaris and the System, how can I not be¡ª" Kora''s spiritual aura surged, pressing against Keynes''s own. Though he could have easily countered, he refrained. Instead, he watched her approach with the food, her composure regained. "If you don''t like the offer, decline it. You don''t owe them anything," she asserted. The advice was glaringly obvious, yet he needed to hear it to consider alternatives. They ate in a tense silence. Keynes endeavoured to empty his mind, while Kora maintained an air of serenity, as though their earlier exchange had never happened. "What are you thinking?" Keynes asked, breaking the quiet. "I''m pondering the competition," she replied. "Specifically, whether I should absorb the trait or not." "Kora, you don''t have to¡ª" "Don''t ''Kora'' me," she interjected, smiling despite her curt words. "We need to decide our course of action, and time is of the essence. Plus, I doubt this treehouse appreciates our absence." Keynes shrugged. "Do you want to win the competition?" she queried, quickly adding, "It''s okay if you don''t. Lem Solaris only tasked us with getting here, not winning." "It''s the rewards," Keynes admitted. "They''re worth the risks. I might find similar items in the future, but the timing of these particular rewards could expedite my plans to leave Earth." A sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu swept over him; the rewards seemed custom-made for his needs. "In that case," Kora concluded, "we have no choice but to utilise the traits." *** The guardian stood outside the fence, his face etched with seriousness but devoid of hostility. "I reject the offer," Keynes announced, stepping beyond the fence. For a heartbeat, he braced himself for a possible attack, but the guardian simply nodded in silent acceptance. "We''ll proceed to the amphitheatre to learn the theme of your first competition," the guardian finally spoke, giving them a scrutinising look. "I see you''ve opted against absorbing the Trait of Nature." "Not necessarily," Kora responded. "We''d like to assess our competition first." The guardian made no further comment. They walked in silence to the amphitheatre, where other contenders were already assembling. Several moments after the last competitor had arrived, the Grand Druid materialised. "Your first challenge is the Mana Garden. Create a garden with the highest possible mana output. You have one week." And then, as abruptly as he had appeared, the Grand Druid vanished. Chapter 187 Mana Garden? There were mana plants? His head nearly spun as he tried to wrap his mind about the revelation. Mana was one of the most severe limiters in the System. What kinds of plants could he grow that provided mana? Would they fuel runes? Store mana? Produce it? The initial excitement¡ªalmost¡ªpushed him to absorb the Trait of Nature. He only restrained himself when he sensed other contenders doing exactly that. It gave him pause, mostly out of curiosity as he wished to understand what it looked like from outside. Three contenders triggered the absorption of their traits. Each of them felt slightly different. Without a spiritual sense, Keynes wouldn¡¯t even notice the process. There was nothing outwardly that suggested anything. But when it came to spiritual energy, things got very obvious. The spiritual aura of the three contenders acquired something akin to nature affinity but not quite. Same as with him and Esopp. Neither of them had an affinity from the traits but there was ¡®something¡¯ that skewed their energy signature toward their traits. The more Keynes thought about it the more he was convinced that the System hid another important thing from them. ¡°Keynes, we should go,¡± Kora whispered into his ear. Yes. Others were hastily leaving too. He suspected that by the end of the day, everyone would absorb the trait. Their guardian escorted them to their accommodation where he wished them good luck. If they wanted his help, they¡¯d need to gain favour. This was clearly going to be a pain in the neck. Kora, on the other hand, vibrated with excitement. She, like Keynes, understood the significance of mana in the System and wanted to take the best out of it. They stood in the front yard thinking about their first step. They had, sort of, started on the wrong foot with the guardian and Keynes¡¯s growing paranoia about absorbing the trait didn¡¯t do them any favour. But they had to begin now. A week was nothing and there was no telling how good their competitors were. ¡°I¡¯m doing it,¡± Kora said suddenly. Keynes looked at her sharply. ¡°Kora¡­¡± ¡°You said we''re serious about this. You don¡¯t back off, do you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, but I¡¯m just worried.¡± Kora didn¡¯t say anything else and instead absorbed the trait. A wave of strong energy washed over Keynes. It had a distinctive flavour of nature. ¡°Ah.¡± Kora sighed pleasantly. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Keynes saw a green gleam in her eyes. She inhaled the air and smiled sincerely. ¡°I feel¡­ like I am at home with all these trees around. The trait attunes me with nature on a level I didn¡¯t know was possible.¡± Keynes hesitated then decided to trigger the trait as well. You have activated the Trait of Nature For a brief second, fear paralysed him as he remembered the damage done by the Trait of Spirituality. No volatile explosion came, nor Chaos appeared to take Keynes to another dimension. Instead, a calming feeling descended on him. But his absorption wasn¡¯t yet complete. Two traits detected. * The Trait of Spirituality The Trait of Nature * Synchronising¡­ The world didn¡¯t explode but Keynes¡¯s senses went haywire. Before his eyes the world was ¡®transforming¡¯ into something else; something he couldn¡¯t describe; something new. Synchronisation completed New Trait acquired The Trait of Shamanism The Trait of Shamanism? Keynes? Alice said, her voice sounded musically and vivid. Keynes frowned. It was the first time she didn¡¯t address him as ¡®master¡¯. What¡¯s happening? I feel strange. He saw her through his mind''s eye. Her form was colourful and vibrant. What the hell was the Trait of Shamanism? Why did it affect Alice so profoundly? The same mindeye swept around, finding the world substantially different. For the first time Keynes noticed Kora¡¯s spiritual companion. The bond between Kora and it was thin and weak. Nothing like the bond between Keynes and Alice. His mindeye expanded further, taking in the garden and the tree house. While the garden was quiet and devoid of most energy, the tree house radiated like a miniature sun. Keynes couldn¡¯t comprehend, on an intellectual level, what a spirit was but a tiny part of him felt kinship with this new world. I absorbed the Trait of Nature and it together with the Trait of Spirituality, it transformed into the Trait of Shamanism. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening. Oh, I think I know what¡¯s happening, she said, sounding amused. Both traits appear to be extremely compatible, and in consequence, they pushed you closer to the spiritual world, which is more than I believed. I have never seen the world like this. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. So now I am technically a shaman? Keynes asked, intrigued, amused. That¡¯s up to you. He noticed the change in the pattern of her speech as well. As for me, I can¡¯t wait to explore this new world. Her thoughts touched him and a novel impression bloomed in his mind. The spiritual world was not devoid of life as they had previously thought. At face value, the spiritual world resembled another dimension but it was nothing like rifts. It existed alongside the physical world, complementing it. The spiritual world was inhabited by many sorts of creatures and Alice believed she could¡­ devour some of them to grow stronger. He couldn¡¯t ignore the conflicting feelings: anticipation, worry, hunger, restrain. ¡°Keynes?¡±Words come to him from far away. Keynes closed his mindeye. A wave of weakness washed over Keynes and he dropped to one knee. Kora¡¯s hands grabbed his arm. ¡°Keynes, are you okay?¡± A grin split his face. ¡°More than okay.¡± Even without an active mindeye, the world changed for Keynes. Some change occurred on the mental level; the way he comprehend reality, the way he thought. Just like Kora had said earlier, he felt comforted by the presence of nature around them, but his connection to the spiritual world ran far deeper than hers. Perhaps for now. ¡°The two traits merged into the Trait of Shamanism.¡± He briefly described to her the changes and she confirmed that things weren¡¯t the same for her. She was attuned only to nature. The difference was substantial and it wasn¡¯t easily translated. It definitely wasn¡¯t 1+1=2; more like 1+1=3 but at the same time their attunement affected their perception and thoughts differently. The question was; did he screw up? The answer was he wasn¡¯t sure. Clearly, he didn¡¯t have the same connection with nature as Kora but it didn¡¯t mean his connection was inferior. ¡°We have to start testing.¡± Keynes agreed. For their experimentation, they went to the back yard, which was prepared for small projects with many independent patches of restrained vegetation. One glance at these patches told Keynes that they were wild and required cultivation or complete revamp. Looking back, Keynes was certain that going to sleep was a mistake and he should have taken care of this place. Wait a second. He noticed that his thoughts were being influenced. He¡¯d have never thought like this¡­ No, wait. The Pure Body buff would have kicked in if something manipulated him. Of course, nothing is manipulating me. The trait has changed the way I perceive the world. I must be more sensitive to nature. Kora¡¯s sentiment was similar. ¡°Hmm, we have some work ahead of us.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Keynes inquired. They picked one of the patches in the corner. It was overgrown with what appeared as weed. Spiritual energy was irregular and mismatched, meaning the whole patch was a wild composition of random plants. They were worthless. No special attributes. And now Keynes realised another issue. They could start manipulating the condition of the plants, slowly improving or even changing them but neither Kora nor Keynes knew how to create a mana plant. ¡°Okay, any ideas?¡± Kora asked. ¡°What about your [Nature Aura]? Did it improve it?¡± ¡°¡®Improved¡¯ is not the right word. It¡¯s more like my understanding of nature increased and this made [Natura Aura] more efficient than before. So, you actually can say it indirectly improved the aura. But that¡¯s not you¡¯re asking, isn¡¯t it? You hope that [Nature Aura] will help us create the required mana plant.¡± ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t expect that we¡¯d have to start from scratch without knowing where to start in the first place.¡± ¡°Sounds as if we are missing something.¡± They glanced at the tree house. Was the answer inside? The guardian had recommended getting ¡®acquainted¡¯ with the tree in the centre of the house. The guardian didn¡¯t strike Keynes as someone who had much use for small talk. Furthermore, the guardian had also a stake in the competition. ¡°Indeed,¡± Keynes agreed. ¡°Stay here, I will check the tree inside.¡± He entered the house. Physically, nothing changed but this time he felt the presence he couldn¡¯t describe. It permeated the air, furniture, every object inside apart from him. Dream tree? He asked in his mind. Are you there? Silence answered. He remembered then what the guardian had suggested. ¡°For better connection with the house, I''d advise you to take off your shoes." He only hesitated for a second then put his boots and socks inside the dimensional bag. The dimensional ring was currently with Kora. The moment his bare feet touched the soft moss, his senses went haywire. Pleasure mixed with acceptance and calm restraint was an odd cocktail. In Keynes¡¯s head, the moss lost a sense of physicality and it seemed to think that Keynes was its kin whatever it meant. The moss was ¡®happy¡¯ , that was a good sign, right? Then the dream tree cast its attention on Keynes. Weird sensations started to escalate as they were attributes of the novel spiritual sense and Keynes wasn¡¯t accustomed to it. ¡°Child of Chaos, welcome,¡± a voice in Keynes¡¯s head said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve accepted the gift of the Father.¡± ¡°Dream tree?¡±Keynes inquired. The connection between him and the source of the voice had some similarity to the bond between him and Alice. A disturbing fact, albeit there was far more to his bond than it was to this connection. ¡°I am a dream tree, yes. I welcomed you, do you accept my welcome?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Keynes answered, trying to ignore the immature tone. ¡°Splendid, you¡¯re a fascinating creature, a human ascender. Are you really a human ascender?¡± ¡°I am. What are you?¡± ¡°I am a dream tree, didn¡¯t I already mention it?¡± ¡°You did. But I am curious what exactly is a dream tree. I have never met a talking tree before.¡± ¡°You should have seen¡­¡± the dream tree¡¯s voice trailed off into silence and a strong sense of chastisement coming from somewhere else washed the dream tree. Was she about to say something she was not supposed to? Keynes reckoned. It certainly felt like it. So, we are being monitored. I must be careful about things regarding Chaos. ¡°Are you there, dream tree?¡± ¡°I am, yes! Sorry,¡±the tree replied then added with a dulled excitement. ¡°Do you need my help, contender?¡± ¡°I¡­ do. Please, call me, Keynes. What should I call you?¡± ¡°Dream tree is fine. Hmm. Keynes. I like it. What help is required?¡± ¡°We need help with the first competition: we must create a mana garden but we don¡¯t know any mana plants. Can you help us?¡± ¡°Mana is life,¡± the dream tree said after a moment. Her revelation didn¡¯t mean much. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Do you have the seed of a mana plant maybe?¡± ¡°I¡­ I could create them.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Not for free.¡± Keynes felt his physical body wince. The guardian had warned him that if they wanted answers, they¡¯d have to earn the favour but he didn¡¯t expect cost while dealing with the dream tree. ¡°What¡¯s your price?¡± ¡°Massage.¡± This time Keynes physically blinked. ¡°Massage? Really?¡± ¡°Yes. You will need to massage my trunk with the best aromatic mixture you can make. I want to smell nice and have my bark to feel refreshed. Is that too hard for you, Keynes?¡±She asked mischievously. Keynes sighed but couldn¡¯t complain. A massage for mana plant seeds was a good deal, though he was lost where to start. How did one make a massage concoction? Kora will know¡­ Chapter 188 It turned out Kora didn''t know¡ªhow could she? Massage oil for trees? What an absurd idea. Her [Nature Aura] not only proved ineffective but the dream tree seemed to actively resist it. "Sto¡­p it¡­" the tree murmured in his mind. "Kora, wait. The tree doesn''t like the aura." Neither [Nature Aura] nor the Trait of Nature allowed Kora to verbally communicate with the dream tree. Instead, upon touching the moss with her bare feet inside the house, she received impressions and feelings. Most of Keynes''s hopes flew out the window, forcing them to search for another way to determine which ingredients to source. Kora suggested deceiving the dream tree, given its child-like psyche, but Keynes didn''t think it was the right approach. He believed that trickery wouldn''t get them far in the long run. So they went back to the basics. Returning to the backyard, they counted seventeen patches of mixed weeds. Kora sensed general energies emanating from each patch, but nothing detailed enough to be useful. This time, [Nature Aura] proved somewhat useful, enabling Kora to manipulate the growth of the plants directly. However, the core issue remained: they still didn''t know which plants were needed for the oil mixture. Then it struck him. "We''re going to use all seventeen plants." Kora sharply looked at Keynes, then her face lit up; she understood. "Any particular method of harvesting?" Kora asked as they got down to business. "No idea¡­ Wait." He recalled his time with Hugo, Wagner, and Pucci. For some plants, the harvesting method was as important as cultivation. Unfortunately, without spiritual labels, Keynes couldn''t identify the plants or discern their specific features. Having no spiritual label meant that these plants weren''t fully ''acknowledged'' by the System. There was more to it, but for now, this specific situation worked in their favour; they had more room for error at this stage. Seeing no harm in trying, they simply cut the leaves and stalks, then used a mortar and pestle to grind the ingredients together. Next, Keynes used [Create Water], resulting in a kind of mixture. The moment they crossed the threshold, they felt a strong sense of anticipation. "Is this to your liking?" Keynes asked the dream tree as his bare feet touched the moss-covered floor. The tree''s attention focused on him, and a terrifying sense of glee flooded his mind. It was so intense that his Pure Body buff activated, warding off the foreign influence. "Yes!" "What should we do now?" "Apply it to my bark." Keynes dipped his hand into the bowl; the mixture had already turned oily. He then followed the tree''s instructions. Both he and Kora sensed a ''sigh of relief'' as Keynes applied the mixture to the dream tree''s rough bark. With each application, the bark lost a touch of its roughness. "Don''t forget about the rest of my bark!" the tree complained when Keynes ran out of the oily mixture. They had to harvest more weeds to finish the job. Once complete, the bark became smooth and pearly in colour, showing no sign of the oil on its surface. The house seemed to brighten up, the air becoming fresher and slightly richer. However, none of this mattered when two roots sprouted from the floor. At their ends, two buds appeared and then opened. Inside each was a seed. Mana plants? Seeds.
The Tree of Life - [Seed] Level 5
¡°Mana is life.¡± It didn''t make sense, or did it? Everything seemed to be composed of spiritual energy, and life itself was spiritual energy. So, where did mana fit into all of this? Again, there was more to the situation than Keynes understood. It shouldn''t surprise him, especially after encountering the Greater System and the shop. Nonetheless, it irked him that the System kept him¡ªand everyone else¡ªin the dark, instead of assisting humankind. "What''s the best way to grow it?" Keynes wondered silently. From his time with other gardeners, he knew there were three fundamental methods, but he had no idea which would be ideal for a plant bearing such an imposing name: the Tree of Life. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Hmm, that wasn''t part of the deal. If you wish to learn more, take care of the house, of me, and of my garden." The tree''s presence receded from Keynes''s mind. When he reached out to reconnect, he found an invisible barrier blocking him. "I guess we''re on our own for now," he muttered to Kora, closing his fist around the seed. "What, why?" "More information requires more favour." "As the guardian said," Kora acknowledged. They left the house, returned to the backyard with the seeds, and selected a patch they wanted to use for planting. "Wait," Keynes interjected as Kora planted the first seed. "Didn''t the guardian mention we need our own individual projects?" Indeed, the guardian had¡ªand there was more to it than they had initially thought. The System had warned them: they couldn''t physically interact with each other''s gardens. All help was to be limited to verbal exchange of ideas, but not actionable suggestions. This restriction forced them to focus on their own projects. While Keynes wasn''t worried about himself¡ªgiven his level of competency¡ªKora''s experience was limited to [Nature Aura] and her trait. She assured him she''d manage. Despite some reservations, Keynes chose to trust her. Kora was capable and powerful. Even without the Rapid Learning buff, she was a quick learner. Dwelling on the issue would only hinder their chances. With that mindset, Keynes turned his focus to the task at hand: assessing the conditions for the seed''s growth. Each patch of soil contained various weeds, and magical plants could be particular about sharing space. Some plants didn''t like having other flora nearby, some were indifferent, and some required very specific partners in a sort of symbiotic relationship. According to Wagner, the number of combinations was infinite. Keynes chose a patch with only three other weeds¡ªthe fewest among all the patches. His plan was to start from there and figure out the next steps. As he sat watching the seed emanate spiritual energy into the soil, a new compulsion drew his attention elsewhere. Between the patches, some weeds seemed visually and spiritually out of place. Although he initially resisted, Kora gave in and began clearing the weeds. It felt strange, but then Keynes surrendered to the guiding hand of his trait. He even exhaled in relief when they finished, pleased by the healthier and more pleasing appearance of the backyard. "That was strange," Kora admitted. "I now have this weird compulsion to garden." "That''s the trait for you," Keynes agreed. "But I have to admit, it feels good to fix the garden." When he returned to his seed, he found a tiny stalk with a single leaf. It was no larger than a thumb but upon inspection with [Inspect Plant], it showed a generation of 1 mana per hour. It worked. Checking on Kora, he found she had similar results. Opting not to interfere and breach the competition''s rules, he returned to his own garden. Despite a moment of hesitation, Keynes knew he had no choice but to proceed. They were short on time, and without knowing how well their competition was doing, he had to assume they were ahead. Initially, he replanted the weeds surrounding the seedling, all of the same type, to better understand their impact. They didn''t seem to affect the plant much. Clearly, he was missing something. When only the Tree of Life remained, a feeling of wrongness settled over him. The patch looked barren and lifeless, completely at odds with the ideal of the Tree of Life. Kora took a different approach, adding more plants to her patch, but neither seemed to thrive. "What''s your mana per hour?" Keynes asked at the end of the day. "My plant doesn''t have a spiritual label." "Oh¡ªokay." Upon checking with [Inspect Plant], Keynes found that Kora''s plant had the exact same mana rate as his own. While they looked slightly different physically, spiritually they were nearly identical. He had to verify if sharing this information with Kora was in line with the competition rules; it was, but only once per day. Although the rules seemed strange, he lacked the energy to argue. The whole day of gardening and staring at the damned plant had exhausted him. *** The next day was more fruitful, but not for Keynes. Kora used [Nature Aura] to stimulate the growth of her plant, and it grew over thirty centimetres tall. Then, to her consternation, it stopped. From what Keynes sensed, it appeared to be actively refusing to grow further. On his end, Keynes tried different combinations of plants, following the instinct that came with the trait. The Tree of Life¡¯s response to these changes was what Keynes could only describe as annoyed; it seemed like the plant didn¡¯t like the change. He returned to the house and followed his compulsion by taking care of moss, polishing roots and branches, and planting and replanting various plants. In exchange for his efforts, the dream tree connected to his mind. ¡°I like these changes. They''re not ideal, but they are refreshing, somehow,¡± it communicated. ¡°I need help with the Tree of Life. It is stubborn,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Of course it is. Trees of Life are fiercely territorial. Even with the Father¡¯s provision, your trees are too close,¡± the dream tree advised. ¡°Tree¡­¡± The connection between the dream tree and Keynes snapped. He felt a short surge of spiritual energy, and a moment later, Kora burst into the scene. ¡°The backyard expanded!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°We must¡ª¡± The System Warning! Rule 7: Fairness. Okay, so he couldn''t tell her what he had learned from the dream tree, but he advised her to do some work around the house, so she too could gain some insight. As they parted ways, Keynes checked on her plant and found it showed 7 mana per hour while his own was only at 2. It didn¡¯t matter; he knew what to do now. The backyard had expanded by a few metres in most directions. At the westward edge was a vent, and near it was an empty patch of soil that looked darker. Although he was not an expert, his trait told him this soil was of better quality. He replanted his Tree of Life, which at this point radiated serious annoyance. The moment its roots touched the new soil, its annoyance seemed to morph into a ¡®sigh¡¯ of relief. Keynes felt through his spiritual sense that the tree was undergoing some delicate changes that were invisible to the naked eye. The Tree of Life liked warmth and space. As for the soil, Keynes couldn¡¯t tell what made this soil better than the others. Eventually, he decided not to replant any other plants near his tree, wanting to see what would happen by the end of the day. The mana rate of his Tree of Life skyrocketed then stabilised at around 60 mana per hour, dwarfing any mana glyph known to him. He checked on Kora¡¯s tree¡ªshe hadn¡¯t appeared for the remainder of that day, which he took as a good sign¡ªand found that her tree was at around 18 mana per hour. A significant improvement but nothing close to his own. He couldn¡¯t sleep that night, not only because he was excited but also because he was overwhelmed by the existence of Trees of Life and their prodigious mana production. Suddenly, Pucci¡¯s kidnapping made a lot more sense. Elixirs were one thing, but if the Council had access to Trees of Life, Pucci would be the perfect person to cultivate them. Chapter 189 In the early years of the outbreaks, there was a lot of misunderstanding about what should be prioritised. Mana was a prime example of this confusion. While it was undeniably important, people initially failed to grasp just how crucial it was. At the time, other commodities like Rift Orbs or Orbs of Domination were considered to be the most valuable assets. And, in a nominal sense, they were. Rift Orbs came in various shapes and forms and had diverse features¡ªthey could reduce reset times, enlarge the rifts, alter or increase their rarity, or even level them up. In essence, Rift Orbs enhanced the profitability of rifts. However, even when taking into account all the rifts on Earth, Rift Orbs piqued the interest only of a very select group of wealthy individuals and organisations. As a result, their availability remained extremely limited. Into this void stepped mana. Initially, it seemed cheap and abundant, given that every ascender possessed it. But demand soon outstripped supply, dramatically so. Almost overnight, the world''s priorities shifted, placing mana at the forefront. *** The guardian returned on the third day, surprised to find that Keynes had not only absorbed the Trait of Nature but had also combined it with the Trait of Spirituality to produce the Trait of Shamanism. As a sort of reward for this rare achievement, the guardian divulged that the trait was not only difficult to obtain due to complex compatibility issues, but also had broader applications than Keynes had initially realised. "I''m pleased to see you''ve chosen to absorb your traits. This significantly improves your odds," the guardian said, his upbeat mood serving as an unspoken indicator of how well things were going. Three days in, Keynes''s Tree of Life was generating 166 mana units per hour, while Kora''s rate had climbed to 89 units. Her mana production had spiked the previous night, thanks to her successful verbal communication with the dream tree and the subsequent support she''d received. After examining both Trees of Life, the guardian expounded on their nature. "Trees of Life and dream trees are similar in that they''re both considered Primes¡ªessentially the alphas of the plant world. They''re territorial, as you''ve probably observed, and they develop spiritual consciousness as they grow. The character of the tree is shaped during this growth phase. More importantly, their presence draws attention, and that''s where the risk comes in. Starting tomorrow, you''ll need to be vigilant; your trees will attract more than just peaceful wild spirits." As they left the backyard, the guardian added, "Good work on the gardens. The natural order seems to be restoring itself." *** Neither Kora nor Keynes fully understood the guardian¡¯s warning until the next day. Early in the morning, they sensed two weak spiritual spikes. Keynes''s tree spiked an hour before Kora''s. It didn¡¯t make much sense, as his tree had twice the mana rate of Kora¡¯s, which meant it wasn¡¯t based on the mana rate. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter. The growth rate of these trees was artificial anyway. Shortly after each spike, Keynes sensed a very faint spiritual presence. It''s like a baby, Alice noted unexpectedly. Can I play with it? What? What are you talking about? Keynes asked her. The tree, of course, Alice replied jovially. Oh, then, no! You cannot play with it¡­ wait. What do you mean it''s like a baby? Can you see the tree¡¯s spirit? Of course. It¡¯s like a tiny wisp attached to the ground. I won¡¯t harm it. Don''t play with it, Keynes said, then got an idea. But stay nearby and watch its back. The guardian warned us that the tree¡¯s spirit will attract other spiritual entities. To the vast annoyance of Alice, the first wild spirit didn¡¯t show up until the evening. By that time, the tree¡¯s spirit had gained much strength and presence. The wild spirits were akin to insects, spiritual motes guided by some unknown instinct. Keynes watched their behaviour and impact on the tree¡¯s spirit. It was a weird experience to observe the Tree of Life both in the spiritual and physical realm in real time. There were proportions, but they were synced, and watching it felt insightful. Oh, shit, Alice murmured. The tree is eating them. Eating the wild spirits? Keynes asked, confused. He didn¡¯t notice anything out of place. In fact, to see the wild spirits, he had to focus on his spiritual environment. Kora, on the other hand, wasn''t able to sense them at all, which was surprising given his trait and spiritual stage. Yeah, absorb, sort of. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Keynes let himself be drawn by the spiritual world, similarly to how he had been enthralled by nature earlier. He closed his eyes and let his spiritual sense wander around the Tree of Life. At first, nothing was out of the ordinary, but then things started getting hazy. His physical presence of mind faded away, changing into something like a dream. Keynes couldn¡¯t focus on details; actually, he couldn¡¯t focus at all. His thoughts were in disarray, his attention was fleeting and fickle. He just couldn¡¯t hold it in one place. What''s happening to me? he murmured. Alice¡¯s voice came in, distorted and unintelligible. Keynes didn¡¯t understand a thing, and soon his attention was drawn away from Alice¡¯s voice. The world around Keynes began to change in a weird, twisted way, and then he saw the spiritual landscape¡­ "Keynes." "OH," he gasped, feeling like he was being pulled out of water. He blinked several times, trying to decipher what was going on. "Are you okay?" Kora asked. "I guess," he nodded. "What happened?" "You were in a trance and emitted an ungodly amount of weird spiritual energy." "What do you mean by ''weird spiritual energy''?" Kora weighed her answer. "It was unlike a spiritual aura. It felt more raw and unfocused, but there was a richness to this energy. I''ve never experienced anything like this before, Keynes. What did you do?" "I¡¯m not sure myself. It has something to do with the trait. It messed up my perception." It tried to attune your perception with the spiritual world, but your friend stopped you from full attunement, Alice chimed in. I don¡¯t get it. I can sense the spiritual world through my spiritual aura. What was the attunement meant to achieve? The spiritual world has more depth than you can imagine, Alice replied. Most of it had been out of reach for me until you combined your traits into the Trait of Shamanism. The next day came with more surprises as the Trees of Life finally started reacting to their spiritual environment in a more overt way. Even Kora was able to sense some signs. Not all of the changes were positive, and at some point, the mana rate dropped. Alice helped Keynes with the issue by hunting down the harmful wild spirits. He couldn¡¯t share the information with Kora, but she figured it out not much later. Her spiritual companion was less potent than Alice, and she was forced to seek help from the dream tree. As the deadline crept nearer, Keynes considered the insights he had gained during the time he cultivated the Tree of Life. He ventured into the spiritual realm a few times. Even without interruptions from Kora, the attunement was an ordeal, and Keynes realised that he wasn¡¯t yet ready. It wasn¡¯t simply about learning; it was his perception attuning with the spiritual realm. He didn''t believe there was any easy way to speed it up. A night before the deadline, the guardian returned and commended them on their achievements. Apart from cultivating their Trees of Life, they had worked on the tree house, receiving helpful support from the dream tree. Their backyard had also expanded, now including extra steam vents, new plants, and soil rich in minerals that the trees seemed to love. As far as Keynes and Kora were concerned, they had done a good job, taking full advantage of every opportunity they could find. Keynes explained his experience with the spiritual realm. ¡°This competition isn¡¯t entirely about numbers, as you''ve come to believe. A part of it is also about the learning and insights you''ve gained along the road.¡± ¡°So the more we learn, the better our score?¡± Kora asked. ¡°It matters what you do with the insight.¡± *** Keynes woke up tired. He couldn¡¯t sleep because he was stressed about the results. His Tree of Life produced mana at a rate of 372 units per hour, while Kora¡¯s tree was at 282 units. Given the rules of the competition, their mana would be added up and then divided by 2, which resulted in 327 units. Unfortunately, without knowing how their competitors fared, their result was anyone''s guess. ¡°You look terrible,¡± Kora said when she saw Keynes. ¡°And I feel as such,¡± he agreed, then downed several potions that would improve his stamina and mental clarity. Anything to avoid feeling terrible. They took a hot shower and grabbed a new set of clothes. Because they didn''t have a washing machine, Keynes used [Purify] and [Create Water] to clean the clothes. It was a strange but effective method. On their way to the amphitheatre, Keynes noticed how differently he perceived his surroundings. The trait made him feel a sort of companionship with plants and trees. The Children of the Forest showed curiosity and were keener to approach the two ascenders, though the guardian shooed them away. By the time they arrived at the amphitheatre, other contenders were already taking their seats. All the guardians remained standing on the rim of the amphitheatre. Keynes tightly controlled his senses, following the guardian¡¯s advice. With everyone gathered, he understood why. The spiritual energy in the amphitheatre was like a boiling pot. It was obvious that either everyone, or almost everyone, had absorbed the Trait of Nature. On top of that, the appearance of the Grand Druid was like a spiritual firestorm. Others also acknowledged his formidable presence by keeping their distance from the centre stage. "Contenders, welcome and congratulations to those of you who were able to gain insight from this task. It will be invaluable to you in the next challenge," the Grand Druid began. The words caused commotion among the gathered ascenders, but no one voiced any complaints. Keynes got a good look at some of them and noticed that some were worse for wear. ¡°I¡¯m sure your guardians explained to you the scoring rules. The primary score is based on your total mana output, with additional points being awarded for personal insight. Judgement about the insight comes from the Father and lies outside of my jurisdiction.¡± ¡°Why weren¡¯t we allowed to cultivate multiple patches?¡± the green-haired woman asked, sounding arrogant. ¡°Your rules don¡¯t constrain us to a single patch of soil.¡± The Grand Druid turned to her and nodded. ¡°Astute observation, contender, but you would never manage the entire garden. Plants that produce mana are very rare and very particular. Their cultivation is a challenging ordeal, requiring qualities you¡¯re only beginning to scratch. If the Father allowed you to cultivate multiple plants, you¡¯d invite horrors and troubles neither of you can deal with at this stage.¡± ¡°The Tree of Life is the least challenging of the mana-producing plants to cultivate,¡± he continued. Keynes saw that the green-haired woman was not finished, but then she changed her mind and didn¡¯t continue the topic. ¡°She¡¯s smart,¡± Kora noted in a whisper. Keynes agreed. It appeared that she held off to stop the Grand Druid from revealing information that could benefit others. She had to be quite confident about herself. ¡°Does anyone else have additional questions?¡± The Grand Druid pivoted slowly, but only silence answered him. ¡°Good. In that case, let¡¯s go over the scores.¡± Everyone gathered tensed up. The spiritual energy seemed to freeze, like the calm before a storm. ¡°In the last position with a score of¡­¡± Chapter 190 ¡°Torvac.¡± Keynes exhaled not being aware he was holding his breath. The same scenario happened to almost everyone but the green-haired woman and Torvac who stared at the space between his feet. It appeared that he had expected it. Keynes saw the sharp look that Torvac¡¯s partner gave Torvac. Clearly, they had decided to split and enter the competition individually. ¡°Torvac here,¡± the Grand Druid intoned. ¡°Decided too late to absorb the Trait of Nature and failed at making a connection with the dream tree. I don¡¯t need to explain to you how important that part of the challenge was. Despite all his effort, Torvac¡¯s result is 0 units per hour.¡± That got some surprised reactions but also wicked smiles from several competitors. Keynes and Kora exchanged glances, wondering if the nature of their competition might change over the course of the event. They were forbidden from harming others or destroying any property inside the Inner Sanctuary but would they be permitted to disrupt work of other competitors? It was the question their guardian might be able to answer later on, which Keynes was definitely going to ask. ¡°However, not all is lost,¡± the Grand Druid continued. ¡°The mana garden was but the first challenge among several more to come. It was the easiest one but as time progresses you¡¯ll gain a more profound understanding of nature and stronger connection with the dream tree. Don¡¯t underestimate the power of trees.¡± The last sentence sounded ominously like a warning. It was also a little concerning that the mana garden was the easiest one. He wasn¡¯t exactly worried about the technical aspect of the challenge but the esoteric part. The existence of the wild spirits opened Keynes¡¯s eyes. Nature didn¡¯t exist in a vacuum. There was another hidden spiritual world and for some reason dealing with nature also included the hidden spiritual world. Keynes couldn¡¯t wait to test it inside a rift. For all he knew, the rifts might not have it. ¡°Now the 8th placement,¡± the Grand Druid interrupted Keynes¡¯s inner thoughts. This time he consciously inhaled, knowing well that Torvac¡¯s result wasn¡¯t a benchmark. ¡°Syman.¡± Syman turned out to be the man in the mask and black suit with hidden armour underneath. He also retained the strange effect that made Keynes¡¯s attention slide off him and to Keynes¡¯s surprise Syman took the news of his placement with no outward reaction. He just accepted the news like it was nothing. Keynes tried to judge the attitude of other contenders but they seemed ¡®uninterested¡¯, which only confirmed Keynes¡¯s and Kora¡¯s suspicions that Syman¡¯s Talent was the culprit here. ¡°Symon also absorbed the Trait of Nature later than others which set him back quite a bit and he only established the proper connection with the dream tree on the last day of the challenge. It earned him 32 points with no reward from the Father for gaining insight.¡± Hmm, 32 units sounds in line with Kora¡¯s result, which means her result may not be above average. I guess there¡¯s no option but to wait for others. ¡°With Torvac and Symon out of the way, let''s focus on those of you who absorbed your traits in a timely fashion which allowed you to gain some insight. That said, from now on, your mana points are going to be augmented by the Father¡¯s reward for insight each of you achieved.¡± Okay, so the true competition started here. This time the entire amphitheatre seemed to freeze, waiting for the Grand Druid¡¯s verdict. ¡°Position 7 was taken by Esme.¡± Esme was Torvac¡¯s partner and she didn¡¯t take the news very well. She shot to her feet but the Grand Druid¡¯s response was immediate. His spiritual energy tripled, weighing dangerously over the amphitheatre like an executioner blade. ¡°These results are the Father¡¯s and they are final. Instead of complaining, be better at the next challenge,¡± the Grand Druid said and Esme eventually sat down but her eyes stared daggers at him. ¡°Esme achieved 211 points of mana per hour and an additional bonus of 50 points from the Father, amounting to 261 points.¡± Kora put a hand on Keynes¡¯s shoulder. Esme¡¯s result was not far away from their combined result, although without points for the insight, which they couldn¡¯t predict in any way. ¡°To those of you guessing at how the bonus is calculated, you should consider 50 points as the point when you gain verbal connection with the dream tree.¡± ¡°How¡¯s something so easy considered an insight?¡± the green-haired woman asked with a snort. ¡°It¡¯s not the verbal communication that is the insight but the process of getting there,¡± the Grand Druid explained. ¡°Albeit the eight of you didn¡¯t need the same amount of effort, the insight you gained was of similar magnitude.¡± Keynes tried to decipher the meaning behind these words but decided to ask Alice for help. She wasn¡¯t happy to be dragged away from ¡®fun stuff¡¯ but Keynes gave her a direct order, something she couldn¡¯t refuse. According to her, an insight could be measured but doing so was pointless as each insight was bespoke and intimate. Then there was the issue of how the insight was utilised and seemingly not everyone was efficient at using gained insight, leading to a wasted potential. Specifics were out of Alice¡¯s expertise. In general, the insight was countifable but the number obtained this way meant next to nothing. Hence it was even more confusing what kind of nominal value had 50 points. In reality, the only way to somewhat understand the insight scoring was when Keynes¡¯s and Kora¡¯s turn came. ¡°At the sixth place we have Theodore.¡± The man with the bonded snake. Theodore nodded, stroking the head of his snake. They appeared content with the placement. ¡°Theodore achieved 233 mana per hour and 55 points for a gained insight, which can be translated to developing a slightly better verbal connection with the dream tree.¡± 288 points. Shit. It didn¡¯t look good. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Kora whispered but Keynes disagreed. ¡°Now, the top 5.¡± The Grand Druid¡¯s eyes took in the entirety of the amphitheatre as he slowly pivoted in place. ¡°Evren, 344 mana points per hour.¡± Evren looked up and then glanced around as if expecting an attack from all sides. His skittish behaviour was a clue as to what might his Talent be. ¡°Evern¡¯s insight went beyond verbal communication and put him closer to nature in a very specific way. While I won¡¯t speak of the details of your insight, you should be proud of yourself. This kind of insight would help you in the future. 120 points from the Father.¡± That was freaking 466 points. Keynes and Kora had 327 points between themselves. Only from mana but even so, their insight would have been more than 139 points. Kora reached and grabbed Keynes¡¯s hand. She knew. ¡°Next on the list.¡± the Grand Druid turned to them, exactly as they predicted. ¡°Keynes and Kora with an average of 327 mana points per hour.¡± So 4th place it is. It wasn¡¯t what Keynes expected, especially with the Trait of Shamanism. He had been sure he ¡®understood¡¯ nature and saw beyond the veil of the physical world, so learning that he wasn¡¯t anything special stung a little bit. ¡°Keynes and Kora decided to follow the hard way, which is a joint competition. That means no exchanging insight, helping each other or sharing resources. It places the two contenders in a difficult spot especially if one of them lags behind.¡± The Grand Druid¡¯s eyes seemed to bore into Keynes¡¯s and Kora¡¯s skulls. There was magnetism in his glare akin to intimidation but without cruelty and malice. He continued without taking his eyes off them. ¡°Their average insight has earned them 300 points and I can only call it extraordinary.¡± For a moment Keynes felt a hint of respect from the Grand Druid. As abruptly as it appeared it vanished and the ¡®moment¡¯ was gone. As Keynes shook the stupor off, the Grand Druid had already moved on to the top 3. ¡°Sophia.¡± ¡°You must be fucking kidding me,¡± the green-haired snapped. Keynes heard her voice as if only through the haze, his thoughts were elsewhere, searching for god knew what. That moment, when the druid was staring at me. I feel like he was trying to tell me something, Keynes said in his head. Maybe, Alice groaned. What does it matter? You¡¯ll just have to do better next time. Not a big deal. Alice, focus, Keynes snapped. Fine! No he wasn¡¯t. You¡¯re reading too much into his stupid demeanour, she replied clearly annoyed. Keynes was not convinced. He¡¯d have to ask the guardian about it later on. Keynes nudged Kora. ¡°What¡¯s her result?¡± ¡°370 mana per hour and 260 from the insight.¡± He frowned. ¡°That¡¯s only 3 points better than us.¡±Keynes groaned internally. That was unfairly close. A tiny part of him wanted protest but then he saw the green-haired woman¡ªSophia¡ªand the urge went away. She was still fuming about the results but the Grand Druid moved already on. ¡°Top 2. Edward.¡± This was the man who seemed to know Keynes upon their first meeting here. As if reading Keynes¡¯s, Edward looked at him knowingly, bleeding a soft smile. ¡°He achieved an outstanding 902 mana per hour and 200 points for the gained insight.¡± Holy fuck. These weren¡¯t numbers Keynes and Kora could compete with. Even Sophia looked shocked and her mouth seemed to silently ask ¡®how¡¯. Edward took the news smugly and without surprise, which Keynes suspected was a facade. ¡°Yes, this is a stunning achievement,¡± The Grand Druid continued. ¡°Showing us how far we can push, how potent nature is. And yet¡­¡± The Grand Druid¡¯s eyes fell on the man who remained, the hermit, Keynes dubbed him in his mind. When Keynes and Kora had come to the amphitheatre, he¡¯d already been here. So it was the same to assume that this man was far more formidable than either Sophia who like him was here before Keynes and Kora but didn¡¯t show an overwhelming advantage over the rest or Edward who with an extremely high result was slower than Keynes and Kora. ¡°Top 1 belongs to Zephyr. He managed to push the mana per second beyond the limit to 1500 points and gained an additional 300 from the insight.¡± The Grand Druid¡¯s words spurred silence. Zephyr¡¯s result was far better than Keynes expected, far better than Keynes thought possible. Watch him very closely, Keynes commanded Alice. If Keynes wanted to win this competition, he had to be sure he could beat this man, but to do so, he needed to understand how he managed to get almost 5 times more mana per hour than Keynes. To his disappointment, the Grand Druid didn¡¯t elaborate on Zephyr¡¯s achievement. In fact, the Grand Druid looked annoyed with the top 1. He turned his back on the man and spoke. ¡°Contenders, once again, congratulations, the next challenge will be announced in three days.¡± He raised his hands sensing unrest among the gathered ascenders. ¡°Until then, you¡¯ll be granted access to the marketplace where you can trade goods from your gardens and information. Good luck.¡± Offering no further explanation the Grand Druid turned into a mass of tentacle-like roots and vanished in the ground. ¡°Let''s head back to the house. We have to prepare for the marketplace,¡± their guardian said from behind. ¡°Will you help us this time?¡± Kora asked. ¡°And can I work together with Keynes on this?¡± ¡°Yes on both accounts. I was given provisions based on your placement and will be able to lend you my hand within reason, but do not fear, it will be very useful.¡± They agreed, leaving the amphitheatre alongside others. ¡°We¡¯re being followed,¡± Keynes said, sensing another ascender approaching from behind. Judging by the exquisite control, Keynes knew quite well who it was. ¡°Keynes and Kora,¡± Sophia said aloud. Keynes, Kora and their guardian stopped, then turned to the woman. She was with her guardian, her hands on her hips, expression arrogant and annoyed. Some ascenders stared at them from other pathways further away. ¡°Sophia,¡± Keynes said, matching her tone. ¡°How can we help you?¡± She snorted but rained her expression instantly. ¡°We can help each other.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°What why?¡± she asked. ¡°Why should we help each other? Why you? Be more specific, boy.¡± Keynes sighed. He didn¡¯t like her tone, didn¡¯t like her demeanour, her arrogance. They had nothing to talk about. He shook his head and turned his back to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never beat that fucking hermit,¡± Sophia said. ¡°Likewise,¡± Keynes said. ¡°And that¡¯s the fucking point. No one here has the slightest chance against him unless we work together.¡± ¡°What about Edward?¡± Kora inquired. ¡°He got lucky. The only real threat is Zephyr.¡± Keynes laughed. ¡°And are we not?¡± She actually considered the answer then her eyes became cold, heralding something unpleasant. ¡°On your own, I¡¯d consider you a threat.¡± Her smile was cruel. ¡°As a token of good faith, I¡¯ll share a little secret with you. After the second challenge, we will be permitted to act against other contenders as long as we won¡¯t harm them.¡± Chapter 191 "We can''t trust her," Kora whispered. That much was a given, and Keynes was surprised Kora even felt the need to verbalise it. He kept his focus on Sophia, who was smiling cynically. "So, what''s it going to be? Are you in or out?" "Okay," Keynes finally said, sensing tension emanating from Kora''s aura. "And as a token of good faith from us, know that the Grand Druid wasn''t pleased with Zephyr." "I''m aware," Sophia replied. "Maybe you are," Keynes added, not convinced that she knew it. Turning his back on Sophia, Keynes walked away, Kora and their guardian following him. Once they were out of earshot, Kora questioned him. "Why did you agree to help her?" "Because if I refused, she''d act against us out of spite." "She''ll betray us," Kora said. "Yes, and we''ll be prepared for that," Keynes responded. "That''s sound logic," their guardian interjected. "It''s wise to keep enemies close. Additionally, acquiring such information didn¡¯t come cheaply for her. You''d need a lot of favour points for me to share it." "I agree with the logic," Kora said, "it''s just her personality that makes me want to punch her. Her priorities for spending favour points also don''t inspire confidence." Upon returning to their tree house, the guardian asked them to wait outside. With the completion of the mana garden challenge, guardians were now authorised to assist the contenders with their gardens and tree houses. This assistance, however, would last only until the next challenge was announced, giving them just three days to benefit from it. "Your work on the tree house is acceptable," the guardian said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You''re on the right track, but you''re missing nuances that truly make a difference. Often, it''s the little details that separate mediocrity from excellence. To excel, you have to not just follow patterns or techniques in gardening, but also understand the world around you and give it what it needs." "Sounds like focused gardening," Keynes remarked. "Focused gardening? What''s that?" the guardian inquired. "I spent time with some of the world''s best gardeners. They explained three prevalent methods: the natural method, where plants are dictated by the environment; the standard method, which is commonly used everywhere; and the focused method, where the environment is so rigorously controlled that even the breeze is artificial," Keynes elaborated. "Interesting," mused the guardian, stroking his green beard. "Your methods aren''t wrong, just incomplete and inefficient. The natural method can only be as good as the environment allows, so you''d need to find an extreme environment for exceptional results. Good luck with that. As for the focused method, it would work well because plants prefer stability. However, the ultimate method you should aim for is druidic gardening." So it was called druidic gardening. Something to explore in the future. The guardian swiftly moved through their tree house, mumbling incantations, touching surfaces in a seemingly random pattern. But it didn''t end there; Keynes sensed the guardian manipulating his spiritual aura as well. The level of precision astounded him. Multiple threads of the guardian''s aura moved simultaneously. All these actions together painted a vivid picture of druidic gardening for Keynes: it was communion with nature. The dream tree responded, and the air shifted, becoming infused with new scents and a fresh vitality¡ªand was that essence? Yes, it was. Though not a substantial amount, finding essence outside of killing rift and dominion monsters was rare. The changes extended beyond the physical realm; even the dream tree''s spiritual aura transformed into a soothing balm. Exiting the house, the guardian continued his ritual in the backyard. He stroked plants, sniffed them, blew air at them, dug his hands into the soil, and sprinkled it around. "I''m not sure about this," Kora said, joining Keynes. "It doesn''t seem related to gardening." "And yet," Keynes gestured at the various patches of plants. Some flourished, while others withered. Their backyard was rapidly transforming into a vibrant mosaic of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. That night, they lay outside on the grass, immersed in the serenity of their new natural sanctuary. They felt not just accepted, but part of something greater than themselves. *** The marketplace lay outside the village inhabited by the Children of the Forest. Contenders were allowed to interact with the Children here, but conversations were strictly limited to trade. The Children in the marketplace appeared different from those they''d encountered earlier; a sense of maturity and solemnity marked their demeanour. Their offerings ranged from physical items like seeds and potions to aid in exchange for quests. These quests weren''t part of the System and typically involved fetching specific ingredients from the wild areas of the Inner Sanctuary. This was the only place where contenders were permitted to use violence, but only against monsters and solely in self-defence or as part of a quest. Needless destruction of nature would result in disqualification. Keynes and Kora accepted a quest to hunt a shadow-stalking sparrow. They arrived at the edge of a tall, dark forest that stretched like a man-made wall. The forest emanated an aura of danger, which Keynes and Kora chose to ignore. Their guardian bade them farewell, unable to accompany them inside. He had warned them earlier that while the monsters inside were capped at Level 5, the forest could augment their power, pushing them far beyond that level. "Ready?" Keynes asked. "I am," Kora replied. Unlike Keynes, she wore several pieces of armour, together increasing each of her attributes by 10 points. While Keynes hoped to train his attributes naturally, Kora had no such reservations and followed the guardian''s advice. Stepping into the forest felt like entering another world. Their vision was immediately obstructed, prompting Keynes to activate [Night Sight]. Besides the oppressive aura, the air felt heavier, tinged with a sharpness that kept them alert. "Kora," Keynes said. "On it." She activated [Nature Aura] along with [Mind Fortress] to counter the forest''s oppressive atmosphere. Surprisingly, her time with the mana garden had honed her skills to the extent that [Mind Fortress] was barely necessary. The key was controlling the diameter of the aura with precision, keeping it within a threshold her Mind attribute could handle. Next, she reversed the flow of information. [Nature Aura] usually informed her about her surroundings. To make the skill work as she intended, Kora had to impose her will on the world around her through [Nature Aura]. It wasn''t easy; nature resisted domination. But with her Talent, she managed it. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The forest seemed to freeze. Then, with an almost imaginary sigh, the oppressive aura retreated to the boundary of Kora¡¯s [Nature Aura]. The air became fresher, the darkness less oppressive. Trees with claw-like spikes began to retract their barbs under the influence of [Nature Aura], no doubt hiding some sinister intent. The sight was mesmerising, but Alice caught Keynes'' attention in time. Monsters are approaching from your left, she warned. Snakes with a strong earth affinity. Snakes with earth affinity... Sounds like earthworms. Very funny, she said. Don¡¯t complain if things go south. "We have company," Keynes informed Kora. "Already?" "Yes, but let''s wait for them to make the first move. I don¡¯t want the Grand Druid to claim we were the aggressors." "Fine by me." The two earth snakes didn''t attack. They avoided entering the perimeter of [Nature Aura] after their initial foray, seemingly repelled by Kora¡¯s influence. As they ventured deeper into the forest, Alice kept a lookout for the shadow-stalking sparrow. Thanks to his Trait of Shamanism, Keynes extended his spiritual senses to a range of over fifty metres. Spiritually, the forest remained hostile. Entities moved in a realm beyond normal perception, some with a spiritual presence rivalling that of the dream tree. The forest made Keynes ponder the kinds of spiritual worlds that might exist inside rifts. Hidden rewards had already suggested that rifts contained secrets, and he was eager to explore these mysteries. He also looked forward to finally levelling up. "I''m going to step outside your aura," said Keynes. "Why?" Kora queried. "I want to test some things." "Okay." Exhaling, Keynes felt the oppressive aura and the darkness of the forest envelop him once more. His focus was on the spiritual realm. Would a guardian''s druidic techniques work here? he pondered. But the idea seemed unlikely; he wasn¡¯t sure how to fully embrace the spiritual world without putting himself at risk. As if sensing his vulnerability, the earth snakes lunged. Keynes dispatched them with use of [Spiritual Wraith] and [Mana Shot]; they were only Level 3. Moments after their demise, their bodies turned to black soil and were reabsorbed by the earth. With [Spiritual Wraith] activated, Keynes felt more at ease; even the trees pulled back their malevolent auras, alleviating the darkness and the tension in the air. Despite its menacing aura, this forest felt tamer than the forest outside the Inner Sanctuary. Most of the monsters they encountered here either ignored them or fled. The ominous atmosphere also receded as the variety of trees changed. Clearly, a specific type of tree was responsible for the initial dread. However, the relentless attacks from the earth snakes persisted. These annoying nuisances attacked at every opportunity. They dispatched hundreds with minimal effort and increasing doubt. What''s the point? Keynes wondered. Eventually, they reached a stream at the bottom of a steep gorge, its water as black as ink. Shadow-stalking sparrows hunt near here, Alice advised. Be cautious; their perception seems high. Kora took a seat on a fallen log as Keynes scouted the gorge. Planning to use [Spiritual Wraith] to silently approach and capture the bird, he noted the sun at its zenith. They had ample time to complete their quest. *** "You said it would be a piece of cake!" Keynes exclaimed. "I never said that!" Kora retorted. After Keynes had captured a shadow-stalking sparrow, the unexpected occurred: the ground shook, and a potent spiritual presence surged from below.
Earth Elder Snake (Rare; Earth)
Level 5
Abilities [Progenitor] ¨C Spawn two Lesser Earth Snakes (ACTIVE). --- [Cursed Existence] ¨C Earth Elder Snake temporarily gains attributes if its Lesser Earth Snakes are killed (PASSIVE). --- One With Earth ¨C an ability to move through earth unobstructed (INNATE).
Details The Earth Elder Snake is a massive creature with a diameter of one metre, displaying sheer arrogance by engaging only with opponents it deems worthy. Mysterious and elusive, its heart holds the unique power to transform any soil it encounters into fertile terra preta.
Despite Keynes¡¯s use of [Spiritual Wraith], the Earth Elder Snake attacked him anyway. Either its perception was keen enough to penetrate the skill''s veil of spiritual invisibility, or its intelligence was more aligned with the guardians than with common monsters. This encounter served as another reminder of the dangers of relying on a single skill. The snake manoeuvred underground, partially masking its spiritual signature but not entirely, which allowed Keynes to pick up a general sense of its location. The problem was that the snake only surfaced to attack, retreating quickly afterward. The forest added another layer of complexity. Keynes had to dodge tree spikes and avoid being entangled by vines. To make matters worse, his mind was under constant mental attack. Although his Pure Body buff provided some protection, the forest''s assaults were relentless. Instead of retreating, Keynes chose to escalate. He released his full spiritual aura, forcing even Kora to distance herself further. Amid the chaos, Keynes couldn''t help but marvel at the forest''s reaction to his spiritual presence. Trees quivered as if in anger, leaves and vines recoiled. For some unknown reason, the Dark Forest rejected Keynes, and his potent aura seemed to injure the very nature around him. While he didn''t yet understand the specifics, he intended to find out. Standing still, he awaited the snake¡¯s next move. Far from being intimidated, the snake''s spiritual aura surged, rivalling Keynes''s in intensity and clearly aligned with the element of earth. Despite its keen senses and arrogance, the snake was ultimately predictable. It lunged directly from below, falling right into Keynes''s trap. Keynes ascended to compel the snake to expose more of its body. At the last possible moment, he activated [Chaos Aura], targeting the snake''s head. Since Chaos had become a buff, Keynes''s control over the aura had improved dramatically. In less than two seconds, the snake''s head vanished into vapour, leaving its headless body coiled around the trees. The influx of essence was considerable, but Keynes was more intrigued by the snake''s heart, which purportedly had the power to turn any soil into terra preta. "Your aura is practically cheating," Kora said, approaching the snake''s lifeless body as Keynes began his search for the coveted organ. "I agree," Keynes replied, then silently cursed. The Earth Elder Snake''s heart was encased within a rib cage of earth-hardened bones. Take some of the bones too; they feel valuable, Alice advised. Keynes agreed, but their Ancient Treasury ring couldn''t yet accommodate such a volume, and their dimensional pouches were already filled with miscellaneous items, skills, and raw materials. "Help me here; we''ll take as much as we can carry," Keynes instructed Kora. They couldn''t take much given the snake''s size, but they were satisfied with their haul. Now, they had to decide what to do with it. Fortunately, their guardian was waiting where he had left them. "Earth Elder Snake? A commendable find. It only targets prey it considers worthy," he remarked. "Not the smartest move," Kora observed. "One shouldn''t expect rational behaviour from monsters," the guardian said, to which Keynes almost cited the Father as a counterexample but held his tongue. "However, the Earth Elder Snake''s behaviour serves a purpose. If it succeeds in killing its target, the corpse becomes high-quality fertiliser. In return, the forest grants various blessings to the snake, creating a symbiotic relationship." "The System didn''t mention that," Kora noted. "I''m sure that''s intentional," said the guardian. "The System is designed to foster growth through adversity." "What should we do with these materials?" Kora shifted the topic. "You have three options," the guardian replied, peering into the dimensional pouch filled with the snake''s remains. "Sell them to the Children for favour or components. Utilise them in your own garden, if you understand how¡ªraw materials can be problematic. Or take them with you when you leave the Inner Sanctuary. As for the heart, keep it secret and use it in the competition; terra preta will give you a significant edge." "Unless someone else defeats another Earth Elder Snake," Kora interjected. "Unlikely," the guardian shook his head. "Keynes only managed it because of his exceptional spiritual sense and unique aura. Most physical attacks are ineffective against earth-affinity creatures. Even if someone else does manage, you still have the first-mover advantage. Reap the benefits while you can." Chapter 192 Keynes and Kora exchanged the snake¡¯s parts and the quest for two elixirs called the Touch of Sublime Nature. They were prohibitively expensive but their guardian advised them to do it. The elixirs would vastly improve their connection with the dream tree and their gardens. The effects were semi-permanent as their connection improved, they would be able to learn as much as they could and retain gained knowledge. Unfortunately, they were left with no more favour to ask about other contenders. On the bright side, the marketplace wasn¡¯t all about trading favour. They spent the better part of the day at the marketplace, tasting marvellous food and drinks prepared by the Children. Meanwhile, other contenders ventured to the Dark Forest to fulfil their own quests. Keynes and Kora lingered until their opponents returned, finding out how they had fared in the forest. In general, the other contender didn¡¯t do well. It appeared that the Dark Forest was far more formidable than Keynes and Kora realised. Their guardian didn¡¯t say it out right but Keynes¡¯s [Chaos Aura] skewed their perception of what was dangerous. The only contender more or less unbothered by the escapade into the Dark Forest was Sophia. Zephyr didn¡¯t show up in the marketplace at all. ¡°He¡¯s an arrogant prick,¡± Sophia complained when she met with Keynes and Kora, despite them trying to keep to themselves. ¡°To think he can just skip the marketplace.¡± She fumed, which made Keynes wonder what was between her and the old man Zephyr that made her hate him so much. Unless she¡¯s lying, Alice chimed in, uncharacteristically. Her aura control is on par with yours. It¡¯s nigh impossible to read her so she can easily hide her true motives. What if she works with Zephyr and is faking her hatred toward him to gain your trust? Alice¡¯s insight gave Keynes a pause. He didn¡¯t consider this angle, which was a massive oversight on his part. After all, Sophia and Zephyr had arrived before him and Kora at the Inner Sanctuary. They entered separately, but who knew what connected these two. Sophia asked them about their encounter in the Dark Forest and Keynes told her about their quest but explicitly omitted to mention the elder snake. She seemed satisfied by Keynes¡¯s answer. Perhaps, she didn¡¯t encounter the snake, which in itself was an important information. Shortly after that, Keynes and Kora bade their farewell with Sophia and returned to their house. Kora reverted to her quiet self when Keynes told her about Alice¡¯s insight. The other ascender usually did that when she was troubled or was working on a problem. She took her elixir with her, changed into a comfortable colourful sweater and sweatpants and holed in the middle of her garden, which thanks to the guardian had gotten considerably lush. Keynes opted for his company¡¯s uniform which was made out of Level 3 materials. While it was official, it remained comfortable, mixing together durability with sharp look. He then followed Kora¡¯s steps and drank the elixir. His mind expanded together with his perception of the physical world but with strict focus on nature. Anything that didn¡¯t belong to nature became a blur of unimportant details. Leaves shuddered, twigs swayed, vapours and odours suddenly permeated the air. All of these little things were always there, only Keynes had failed to notice them. Keynes let in to an urge to touch leaves, stalks, grass and soil around him. Through touch, a faint echo of emotions appeared in his mind. He understood that each plant has its own preferences and needs and some of them were spiritually powerful but for the first time he contemplated plants and trees as individuals, with their own character. So strong was the suggestion that Keynes gave several plants a name. It was a turning point. The moment Keynes did it, his perception of nature shifted. The change wasn¡¯t one-sided though as nature finally ¡®accepted¡¯ him. Keynes discovered that the plants he¡¯d named were undergoing a spiritual change, their spiritual matrix was evolving. Despite his Mind attribute and the Pure Body buff, he started to get overwhelmed but he wasn¡¯t going to waste the incredible insight. The elixir lasted several hours. Keynes refined his insight and together with Alice, they delved deeper, coming to a conclusion that the identity was the centre-point of the paradigm. The fact that Keynes named a plant, worked as a sort of acknowledgement that singled out the plant from the rest of its kind, setting off a process that made the named plant unique. But the naming wasn¡¯t as simple as Keynes suspected. Once Kora emerged from her garden, Keynes shared his insight with her and she failed to replicate his achievement. Clearly, there were prerequisites that had to be met to kick off the process. They suspected it was Keynes¡¯s Trait of Shamanism that allowed him to connect on a deeper level with nature. That said, Kora¡¯s elixir-induced insight was more technical and less ground-breaking than Keynes¡¯s. Her insight revolved around [Nature Aure], making it more integrated with her spiritual core. Okay, less ground-breaking my ass, Alice said, being affronted by Keynes¡¯s thoughts. Do you have any idea what she almost did? Improved her skill. I have done the same with [Flight] and [Telekinesis], he replied, shocked by her outburst. Like hell you did! [Flight] was barely a structural adjustment and [Telekinesis] you trained but didn¡¯t touch on its spiritual structure. On the other hand, Kora moved [Nature Aura] closer to her spiritual core, almost integrating the skill and permanently improving it. Wait a minute, integrated like [Spiritual Wraith] and [Purify]? Yes. Integrated skills also capacity to evolve but for non-Perfect State ascenders it isn¡¯t as simple. Why didn¡¯t you mention it earlier? Keynes asked, considering what else Alice knew but didn¡¯t share with him. Granted, she only had undergone the change during his absorption of the Trait of Nature, which resulted in the Trait of Shamanism. Since then her behaviour was erratic but her insight improved substantially. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. It has never come up, she replied. Right. *** ¡°The next challenge is called The Strongest. You will create a monster-incubating plant and then you will have to defeat the incubated monster in order to earn points. You have only one try so choose wisely. Failing to defeat the monster will earn you 0 points.¡± It was a tricky challenge and like with the first one, Keynes and Kora couldn¡¯t cooperate. But both of them really liked the challenge. Considering their strength, they should top the ranking this time. From what they had gleaned, most of their competitors were Level 6 so the difference was negligible for these two. ¡°The actual fight would take place in the designated location, for safety and privacy reasons,¡± their guardian explained. ¡°How are we going to test our monster-plants?¡± Kora asked. The guardian pointed with his staff at the house. ¡°The dream tree.¡± ¡°Indeed. It will have perfect copies of monsters you create. But each time you fight against a particular monster, points would be deducted from your score.¡±The guardian turned to go. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°I have a question,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Are we permitted to fight more than one monster at the same time?¡± ¡°No. But the ceiling for how strong the monster can be is equivalent to Level 10. Though I would advise against going that far. You¡¯ll not survive such an encounter.¡± The guardian¡¯s warning didn¡¯t discourage Keynes. He was going to give his best. *** ¡°Shit.¡± Keynes spat blood as he rolled out of the monster¡¯s falling paw. The monster didn¡¯t give him a chance to catch a breath, instantly charging him. The hybrid of a cat and tree was nimble, durable and freakishly strong. Its movement, while awkward, possessed mesmerising grace that had almost caught Keynes off-guard in the beginning of the fight. The thing about deduction was that it would still deduct points for monsters with similar attributes and level of difficulty. It prevented abusing the rules. Without it, Keynes would be able to prepare heavily for the strongest monster, then slightly alter it to avoid deduction. To that end, he¡¯d decided to create the strongest monster he could and not fight against it, which he was starting to regret now. The hybrid was misleadingly called the Sorrow-Sowing Seed and had an appearance of a lion made out of mismatched types of wood. Its mane was a mix of moss and bushy leaves. Its six onyx marble eyes stared at Keynes with hunger. It stood twice as tall as Keynes and its front paws were thicker than Keynes¡¯s waist, but their physical appearance was deceptive as the monster could extend them several metres with the speed of a bullet. Keynes had found [Spiritual Wraith] ineffective against this calibre of creature. It didn¡¯t even notice [Telekinesis] and [Mana Shot] at half mana pool left only a scratch which the monster healed over a few seconds. Spiritual aura at full blast didn¡¯t faze it either. This thing might be a problem, Keynes realised. But I have no choice, I have to defeat it. Alice, any idea? I told you, you¡¯re reckless, didn¡¯t I? Alice snorted. Kind of, you used a different adjective though, Keynes replied, trying to keep the conversation light-hearted. Oh, yes, I said you¡¯re stupid to fight an equivalent of a Level 10 monster without fighting it once. You know what, you aren¡¯t stupid, you¡¯re a total moron. Keynes smiled at Alice¡¯s antics, considering using his trump card and ending the fight here and now. On the other hand, this is the only chance to learn more about the capabilities of a Level 10 monster. Or dying, Alice chimed in. I¡¯m not dying today, he assured her. The monster roared, rooting Keynes in place. Shit¡­ The monster¡¯s spiritual aura was absurdly strong and it didn¡¯t end there. The freaking aura possessed several different affinities which imbued it with effects like spiritual roots creeping over Keynes¡¯s spiritual core. They were paralysing him, while their sharp spikes inflicted spiritual damage. Again, shit. Keynes flared his spiritual aura tearing himself out of the monster¡¯s spiritual grip. Why didn¡¯t the fucking Pure Body buff activate? Because it only prevents attacks of mental and physical origin, not spiritual, Alice explained. Don¡¯t play with fire and use [Chaos Aura] now. You cannot even be sure if it is going to be enough to defeat it. You can¡¯t be serious¡­ Keynes murmured. He threw himself to the ground as the paw slashed the air centimetres from where he¡¯d stood. Even though he dodged the attack, his HP dropped by 3%. It appears to be its passive ability to deal some damage ahead of physical attack, Alice deducted and Keynes agreed. The other paw immediately followed the first one, like a snake attacking its prey and Keynes grimaced as additional 4% of his HP vanished. The problem with the monster¡¯s skill was that it didn¡¯t inflict any obvious damage. Keynes checked his HP and found only 56% left. What the fuck¡­ when? Despite half of his HP gone he felt absolutely fine. Instead of withdrawing its paws, the monster¡¯s paws buried in the ground and the rest of its body shot toward Keynes. Keynes jumped into the air forcing [Flight] to boost the jump. It still wasn¡¯t enough to evade the monster¡¯s passive skill and this time, Keynes lost 10%. Keynes, stop messing around! Alice snapped. As the monster¡¯s head snapped upward, likely preparing an airborne attack, Keynes¡¯s slammed [Chaos Aura] with all his mana and spiritual energy at his disposal into the monster¡¯s open jaws, praying it was enough. The worst thing was that the whole ordeal didn¡¯t even feel real. *** Kora¡¯s hands shook from exhaustion. Even with the Heartwood buff, her body was slowly shutting down. She had used her Talent, [Empower], [Conjure Weapon] and [Nature Aura] to the fullest and still, her victory was very, very slim. She¡¯d have never admitted it but at some point she considered surrendering. But she couldn¡¯t do that to Keynes and so she pushed herself beyond her limits and she won, somehow. The snake-like monster had powerful ability; when sufficiently damaged, its body would temporarily become resistant to the highest damage type dealt to it. One of the worst fights Kora ever had. But she won and only that mattered. She stepped out of the arena, the Grand Druid and her guardian welcomed her with warm expressions. ¡°Congratulations, contender,¡± the Grand Druid said. ¡°Quite a feat defeating a Level 9 monster at your Level.¡± She didn¡¯t share the festive mood with the druid. She had been too close to death to celebrate. The guardian handed her a glass vial with blue liquid. ¡°Drink it, it¡¯ll help you recover.¡± She did so and felt her body and mind regain strength and sharpness, which led her to immediately ask. ¡°Where is Keynes?¡± ¡°Still fighting,¡± the guardian replied and Kora detected a note of sadness in his tone. ¡°Come, you need to clean yourself and change clothes.¡± ¡°I want to wait for Keynes first.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want to see his face when he sees that I finished the challenge quicker than him.¡± Chapter 193 Without Keynes¡¯s [Purify] and away from their house, cleaning was an ordeal Kora wasn¡¯t going to bother with. Her wounds had closed up already, leaving an itching echo. She also replaced her clothes after her guardian had returned to her the dimensional bag and the ring. She couldn¡¯t do anything about the dirt, dried blood or sweat. The waiting area had been raised nearby for contenders, their guardians and the Grand Druid who waited for the fights to conclude. Kora and the guardian took a spot on the far right. Just a row shy from the Grand Druid. ¡°Your placement matters,¡± the guardian explained. That got Kora¡¯s attention. ¡°How so?¡±she asked with a mix of relief and concern. As the first one to finish the challenge, she was guaranteed the highest outcome of whatever they were going to award her, but the concern was linked to Keynes. She didn¡¯t know what kind of a monster he¡¯d chosen for his fight as they weren¡¯t allowed to communicate during their preparation period, but knowing Keynes, he might have overdone it. ¡°Apart from the reward for the difficulty and penalty for training, the Father will award finishing order. It wasn¡¯t announced before the fights to not distract you.¡± ¡°Distract me?¡± ¡°A fight possesses a natural flow,¡± the Grand Druid said, not looking at them. ¡°Introduction of additional conditions would impact the flow, skewing it toward an unwanted outcome. Given the difficulty of the challenge, the outcome in most cases would be fatal to the contenders, thus depreciating the overall competitiveness.¡± ¡°I see.¡± So direct feedback from the Grand Druid seemed to be part of the reward as well, she silently concluded. It naturally made her wonder if there was a way to get more out of her circumstance. Her thoughts were interrupted by the arena¡¯s door; her heart skipped a beat expecting to find Keynes there. Instead it was the man, his name was¡­ Torvac? Indeed, her spiritual companion confirmed. Torvac barely stood on his feet. His left arm hung uselessly, his clothes were torn and soaked in blood. ¡°What a shame,¡± the Grand Druid muttered, shaking his head. He had Kora at a disadvantage. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked, watching as another guardian approached Torvac and handed him the potion with blue liquid. ¡°He surrendered,¡± the guardian replied. Kora¡¯s eyes widened. That meant Torvac would be awarded zero points for this challenge. But while she felt sorry for the man, he ultimately was their competitor. His misfortune was her fortune. ¡°What happens when someone doesn''t surrender?¡± she asked, unsure where exactly she was going with the question. ¡°That contender dies,¡± the guardian said neutrally. Kora¡¯s hackles rose. She wasn¡¯t aware they could die here. The way they had framed the rules of the Inner Sanctuary made her believe this was a peaceful place. With an exception of the Dark Forest. Oh, crap. We might have stepped into a trap. It wasn¡¯t anything certain but the possibility existed and felt likely to her. ¡°So I could have died there,¡± she said and because it wasn¡¯t a question neither the Grand Druid nor the guardian responded to it. ¡°Keynes¡­ he is¡­¡± ¡°Stubborn?¡± the guardian finished. ¡°I was going to say irresponsible when it comes to fighting monsters,¡± she said, worried. After a few seconds she added quietly. ¡°He¡¯s really bent on winning the whole competition. He might refuse to surrender if it meant losing the chance to get first.¡± ¡°And you should avoid chasing his dreams,¡± the Grand Druid chimed in. ¡°His path isn¡¯t yours.¡± Kora frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I agree,¡± she said, feeling uneasy about disagreeing with the Grand Druid. ¡°I believe our goals align and so our paths.¡± ¡°His path is his own. He isn¡¯t like any of you here or even in the whole of the Father¡¯s dominion. Keynes Kid is a force of change.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t leave him,¡± Kora said with heat in her voice. ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t. Someone like him needs someone like you more than anything.¡± ¡°Then what do you mean by avoiding chasing his dreams?¡± ¡°Only by staying true to yourself will you be able to remain by his side¡­¡± A vision flashed in Kora¡¯s mind. It wasn¡¯t visualisation but rather sensations and feelings of the future. No, not the future but a possibility of the future. She realised she was being granted a powerful insight. Keynes needed her and she needed him. She could sense a connection forming between them in the future but true to the Grand Druid¡¯s words, she had to find her way. Who was she? Who am I? ¡°A girl who stands at the sideline making others stronger.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Who then am I?¡± She felt a distant understanding of her question. It remained out of her reach but asking the question was the first step toward learning the answer and she was going to learn it. She blinked as if yanked out of a dream. ¡°This shall help you in finding your true self.¡± The Grand Druid turned his back to her in time for another contender to leave the arena. Kora sighed. It wasn¡¯t Keynes. The Grand Druid¡¯s congratulated him for finishing second but that was it. Something was off but with the ascender and his guardian taking a seat nearby, she didn¡¯t want to inquire the Grand Druid about it. The ascender¡¯s name was Edward and he was the one who had been giving Keynes suspicious looks. Keynes believed Edward had recognised him, so he must have been part of a high ranking group to know Keynes. ¡°So we¡¯re getting additional points for placement?¡± Edward asked, clearly following up on the conversation with his guardian. ¡°You do,¡± the Grand Druid answered. ¡°Details will be revealed when all contenders finish their fights.¡± The third man, excluding Torvac who had taken seat on the other side of the seating area, was Evren. He looked quite good, with only minor bruises and a couple of wounds. The Grand Druid¡¯s congratulations were a notch warmer than Edward¡¯s. When Theodore and his snake came fourth, Kora started to worry about Keynes. She really wanted to ask the guardian what Level of a monster Keynes had chosen for his challenge but other ascenders were in the earshot; too close for her comfort and so she remained silent. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Kora almost cursed when Zephyr finished fifth. The man was their hardest competitor and judging by the Grand Druid¡¯s words, he must have defeated quite a monster. The emergence of the sixth person was almost missed. Syman had either a strange Talent or skill that made it hard to focus on him. Shit. Only 3 people are left in the competition, Keynes, Sophia and Esme. She was getting really scared for Keynes. He absolutely overshot and took on too strong a monster. Esme came 7th and then Sophia appeared 8th barely a few seconds later. Both of them looked half-dead and required immediate healing. Their guardian didn¡¯t bother with elixirs as the Grand Druid used a healing skill on them, patching them up. Esme only shook her head when she saw Torvac sitting alone and proceeded to take the seat shown to her by her guardian. Sophia was more perceptive and she asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me there is some kind of placement¡­¡± ¡°There is,¡± the Grand Druid confirmed. ¡°And there are points granted for it.¡± He ignored her rant, watching the arena door with an intense gaze. Kora didn¡¯t notice her tension until her guardian placed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± the guardian assured her. But with each ticking minute, a pit in Kora¡¯s stomach grew larger, especially, knowing that it was possible to die in this challenge. She literally jumped to her feet when the door of the arena finally opened and Keynes walked out. Then her heart was caught in her throat as she saw his state. His clothes and skin were shredded and cut all over his body. He limped, while his right arm was hanging lifelessly. Keynes was leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Kora shot toward him, the guardian followed her. ¡°He needs healing!¡± she said but Keynes shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡±he said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Keynes, you¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°I will not,¡± he interrupted her, smiling smugly. ¡°I¡¯m cleaning all my wounds with [Purify] as we speak so there is no risk of infection. My Vitality will take care of my wounds. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± His words stunned her and then she noticed that everyone else also remained silent. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on the Grand Druid, awaiting his decision. Would he heal Keynes against his wishes? Kora really hoped so. ¡°Keynes Kid is right. His Vitality is high enough to heal his body on its own, leaving no scars,¡± The Grand Druid said then lowered his voice. ¡°Congratulations, your feat is noted by the Father.¡± Feat? What the hell did he do? Kora asked herself. They all turned toward the seating area. Kora caught Zephyr¡¯s intrigued stare. The old man seemed to take interest in them. Sophia nodded, giving her approval, but Kora wasn¡¯t sure what she approved of. She led Keynes to the seat next to Sophia. Keynes slowly lowered himself and though he didn¡¯t complain, Kora winced seeing the wounds from close range. Some cuts were deep enough to reveal bones! ¡°You should take the elixir. It will heal you in minutes,¡± she argued. ¡°No need, Kora. Really, I will be fine,¡± he replied, enigmatically. He clearly didn¡¯t want to talk with all other ascenders in the earshot. She understood and didn¡¯t press him. Taking the seat between him and Sophia, she saw the Grand Druid take the centre in front of them. ¡°Once again, congratulations, contenders. The second challenge wasn¡¯t easy and tested you in a very different way from the first one. Some of you exceeded our expectations and the Father is very pleased with your performance. But enough idle talk. Let¡¯s speak about the scores.¡± Tension among the contenders jumped up suddenly as everyone was curious how others fared and how many points they were going to be rewarded for their placement. ¡°I messed up, didn¡¯t I?¡± Keynes murmured when he realised that their placement would be taken into account. ¡°But hell, it was worth it.¡± Kora glared at him but she wasn¡¯t one to get mad easily so her frown made him smile. On the other hand, she sensed Sophia''s attention on them and as Kora looked back at her, she found Zephyr watching them as well. The old man¡¯s becoming creepy. ¡°I will start from the last place,¡± the Grand Druid interrupted her thoughts. ¡°Torvac was forced to surrender which left him with 0 points.¡± No one commented but pity in spiritual auras was unmistakable. With 0 points twice in the row Torvac was unlikely to place anywhere near top. It looked like the competition was over for him. Everyone, but Keynes who appeared suspiciously quiet, shifted their focus to the Grand Druid in anticipation. Who would be the unfortunate 8th? ¡°Theodore,¡± the Grand Druid announced. ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Theodore protested. His bond hissed dangerously, causing other ascenders to stiffen. ¡°Your score for the second challenge is 680 points,¡± the Grand druid continued, ignoring his protests. ¡°You defeated an equivalent of a Level 6 monster, which awarded you 600 points, received 200 points for finishing 4th but your training cost you 120 points.¡± ¡°Not additional points for insight or something?¡± ¡°Did you have any insight?¡± ¡°Well, no¡­¡± The Grand Druid turned away from him. ¡°Seventh position: Edward with 750 points. You have defeated an equivalent of a Level 5 monster for 500 points and received 400 points for being second and were deducted 150 points for training.¡± Edward looked thoughtful. He clearly wasn¡¯t happy with his score. But choosing to fight only a Level 5 monster with an extensive amount of training beforehand put him in this predicament. It also revealed to Kora that he was a man averse to risk. Esme took 6th position with 775 points. She was not happy but didn¡¯t protest out loud. Nonetheless, Kora noted that Esme had defeated an equivalent of a Level 8 monster. This meant she was quite strong. Fifth came Evren and fourth Syman, the former with 870 and the latter with 890 points. Both defeated an equivalent of a Level 7 monster with substantial training, which cost them a lot of points. Kora¡¯s confidence grew now that she knew the scoring. She defeated an equivalent of a Level 9 monster and finished first with no preparation whatsoever. ¡°Now, the top 3 results, each of them impressive and commendable.¡± Sophia openly smiled. She must have pushed herself with this one. ¡°Third place: Sophia with 915 points¡ª¡± And Sophia¡¯s smile was gone. Her head swivelled toward Zephyr. ¡°How is he better than me?¡±She snapped, interrupting the Grand Druid. ¡°You¡¯re not going to win this, child,¡± Zephyr said, calmly. ¡°Neither will you,¡±Keynes said with his eyes still closed, surprising everyone. ¡°You just got lucky this time around,¡± Zephyr said, unbothered. ¡°This will not happen again.¡± Keynes snorted. ¡°You won¡¯t remain in the Inner Sanctuary forever, old man.¡± ¡°A credible threat.¡± Zephyr nodded. ¡°I look forward to meeting you outside.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re a fool,¡± the Grand Druid said coolly, offering Zephyr a hard stare. The old man didn¡¯t argue or even looked rattled. Kora wanted to punch him for this but she only sighed, resigned. ¡°Sophia defeated an equivalent of a Level 9 monster but finished 8th which awarded her 25 points. Her training deducted only 10 points. The Father officially commends you. You¡¯ll receive a special reward for your achievement. It will be delivered to your tree house.¡± The additional reward mollified Sophia into silence. ¡°Second place¡­¡± The Grand Druid made a pause, glancing between Zephyr, Kora and Keynes. ¡°Zephyr with 920 points. You have defeated an equivalent of a Level 8 monster, finishing 5th, which awarded you 150 points and 30 points deducted for training.¡± Keynes burst out laughing, which quickly turned into a coughing fit. He spat blood but his good mood was unwavering. ¡°Get used to it,¡± Keynes said, when he calmed down. ¡°No special reward?¡± Zephyr asked, keeping his voice level. ¡°No,¡± the Grand Druid said, then turned to Keynes and Kora. ¡°Congratulations, your total divided by two is 1200 points.¡± That got gasps from other contenders. ¡°Kora finished first, defeating an equivalent of a Level 9 monster, which is an impressive achievement. But that is not all. She did without prior training.¡± Other contenders glared at them, wide-eyed, their auras leaking conflicting emotions. ¡°Keynes pushed himself a step further, defeating an equivalent of a Level 10 monster. The highest Level offered by the challenge. He also didn¡¯t have any prior training. You will also receive a special reward befitting your achievements.¡± Zephyr no longer looked calm. There was fury in his eyes. Keynes just turned Zephyr into a full blown enemy. Kora was going to have a conversation with him. The last thing they needed were enemies. ¡°Now, let me announce the third challenge. It¡¯s called the Precious and will have to grow the most precious plant. The Father will personally judge your results. Good luck.¡± *** Total score:
  1. Zephyr - 2720
  2. Edward - 1852
  3. Kora and Keynes - 1827
  4. Sophia - 1545
  5. Evren - 1336
  6. Esme - 1036
  7. Theodore - 968
  8. Syman - 922
  9. Torvac - 0
Chapter 194 Understanding insight was a tricky thing. It was elusive like a serpent, constantly shifting its meaning. Each time Keynes had it in his hands, it slipped through, leaving him with a feeling of being ¡°almost there¡±. It was frustrating. It was annoying. It made Keynes waver in his resolve to fully enter the spiritual world but he understood that the underlying principle of insight was to step beyond mere understanding and experience enlightenment. Knowing it wasn¡¯t enough though. Insight couldn¡¯t be trained like attributes, skills or even Talents. It couldn¡¯t be learned or grinded like techniques. It just came to some people and did not to others. Fortunately, apart from the System¡¯s entities granting insight, there were skills and elixir helping in achieving it. Not surprisingly, all of these were rare and valuable. At the moment, Keynes didn¡¯t have access to any of them. But still was trying to find his own insight without external help, excluding Alice. She offered some minor insight as to how Keynes could gain insight. It was a convoluted process that tested Keynes¡¯s patience but he would not stop until his goal was achieved. What was so critical about the spiritual world that Keynes was keen to mentally suffer through it? According to Alice and hints from the guardian, the physical and spiritual world had a strong symbiotic relationship and learning how to impact both worlds at the same time would strengthen Keynes in more than one way. At first, he had been convinced that the spiritual world was only beneficial in gardening but his conversations with Alice shifted his understanding of the spiritual world. The spirits had much broader potential than affecting plants and based on Alice¡¯s observations, some spirits were strictly elemental in nature, having one strong affinity, which could exert some effect on the physical world. It wasn¡¯t clear what precisely the extent of that effect was but Keynes had a strong hunch that the System wouldn¡¯t bother with the spiritual world if it didn¡¯t play a part in its grand design. His bet was that gathering spirits of the same affinity or one but very strong spirit, could somehow boost his spells in the physical world, or simpler effects like improving regeneration. These were good ideas but weren¡¯t without drawbacks. Keynes didn¡¯t know if he could limit the beneficial effect only to himself and his allies. It would make no sense to boost his enemies. Slowly, thoughts started to fall off and only a singular drive remained. Keynes recognised what was happening. The pattern was eerily similar to when he¡¯d unlocked the Technique of Spiritual Sensitivity. It was different and yet it was intimately familiar and impossible to miss. Keynes followed it. *** Is he going to be alright? Kora asked her spiritual assistant. He appears to be perfectly healthy, the spiritual assistant replied, missing the point. I¡¯m asking if he¡¯ll wake up in time to finish the current challenge, Kora elaborated. I am not in position to predict when he will wake up or what is happening to him right now. It was as Keynes had told her earlier. Spiritual assistants tended to be useless. She somewhat agreed with him. Her spiritual assistant wasn¡¯t without its benefit but they didn¡¯t lie in providing knowledge about the System. Keynes just assumed that the spiritual assistants should reveal the System¡¯s secrets. Kora returned to the tree house and nestled against the trunk of the dream tree. She activated [Nature Aura] but kept it passive in the background. In the last couple of days her connection with the dream tree evolved into a weird relationship where Kora would talk to it about her earthly problems and the dream tree would awkwardly try to soothe her. In the beginning, Kora found it amusing and cute, but since then grew to rely on the otherworldly support. ¡°I¡¯m worried about Keynes. Not any fundamental way; it¡¯s just his conflict with Zephyr has awakened something in him and he¡¯s pushing himself to limits, which may cost him the whole tournament.¡± The dream tree¡¯s attention slowly descended onto Kora, then a connection formed. ¡°He¡¯s a prideful boy,¡± the dream tree said, amused by her own words. ¡°And he seeks challenges. He thrives in them. He¡¯ll be fine. This time.¡± ¡°This time? What does that mean?¡± A spike of fear gripped Kora¡¯s heart. ¡°It means precisely what it means. This time he will be fine,¡± the dream tree replied as if it was explaining something to a child. ¡°What about next time?¡± Kora asked. ¡°I do not know. I cannot see the future. Silly.¡± ¡°Of course,¡±Kora said, relieved. They left the topic and moved onto more girly subjects. For some reason, in Kora¡¯s mind, the dream tree sounded feminine, although it understood the concept of female and male, it didn¡¯t see itself as one or another. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Later that day, Kora returned to the task at hand, meaning figuring out what could be the most precious in the Father¡¯s eyes. The added difficulty was not even a single hint from the guardian this time around. It made the challenge treacherous. At no point, Kora knew where she stood with the criteria being outright unknown. She cultivated several plants with a different emphasis on each of them. At the end she would decide the most important quality. Her best project was a mana plant, which she kind of copied from Keynes. It produced 388 mana per hour and she was pretty sure she¡¯d soon cross 400 mana per hour. Nonetheless, she was convinced that a mana plant wouldn¡¯t satisfy the Father¡¯s judgement as the plant¡¯s quality was one dimensional and they were already judged on this, which raised an additional issue. There were others who had placed better than Keynes and her. If they decided to go with a mana plant as well, she might drag Keynes down. The other option was the monster plant but she just didn¡¯t see how it was precious. There had to be something else. The dream tree only offered help in improving the existing plants not in explaining the concept or hinting criteria. Her thoughts returned to Sophia and her offer but Kora quickly dismissed the idea. She didn¡¯t trust the green-haired woman. Maybe it¡¯s time to venture to the marketplace and get some quests. I have to come up with something better than these. *** ¡°Nothing?¡± Zephyr asked as he stared at the line of the trees beyond which lay the Dark Forest. ¡°Nothing,¡± Sophia replied, grimly. ¡°That bitch never trusted me.¡± ¡°You cannot blame her,¡± Zephyr said. ¡°You don¡¯t inspire confidence.¡± Sophia turned to him, her spiritual aura rippling around her. Zephyr didn¡¯t look her way, not intimidated by her power. Even if the Inner Sanctuary didn¡¯t forbid violence, a fight so close to the forest would be too disadvantageous for her. The old man¡¯s Talent was too powerful when surrounded by trees. She¡¯d have escaped him, but defeating Zephyr would have been too dangerous. ¡°You aren¡¯t helping,¡± Sophia snapped. ¡°And how do you expect me to help?¡± he asked, frowning. ¡°What about the council¡¯s lapdog? Have you learned anything from him?¡± ¡°I did,¡± Zephyr replied in a neutral voice. ¡°And?¡± ¡°Apparently, the boy is a big shot, worth more than winning this whole challenge.¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± Sophia insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Zephyr shook his head. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t tell me and when threatened he told me to piss off.¡± That put a smile on her face. Zephyr saw and immediately said, ¡°once this is over I will kill them both.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of the Council?¡± Sophia asked intrigued. ¡°Before we entered, they had pretty much taken over the planet.¡± Without replying, Zephyr entered the Dark Forest, leaving Sophia alone. She cursed quietly because she failed at her true purpose of their meeting. She was trying to learn from the old man about the challenge. The time was almost up and all the plants she had come up with were subpar at best. As she turned her spiritual sense picked up an ascender. It was evening but the sun was still above the horizon. She quickly hid her aura from the approaching person, wondering who it could be at this hour. The secret of the Dark Forest lay in the fact that it spawned more valuable and dangerous monsters during the night. Most ascenders avoided it altogether, as they knew winning was out of their hands and so risking their lives was pointless. A few moments later Kora came from behind a hill. Their eyes met and the other woman stopped. Does she think I¡¯ll attack her? Silly girl. Kora¡¯s hesitation lasted only a few seconds and she resumed her walk. All the way to the Dark Forest, she watched Sophia in the corner of her eyes, hostility plain her stare. ¡°How about we exchange information?¡± Sophia called out but Kora didn¡¯t reply. Bitch. Once this is over I¡¯ll cut you to pieces. *** Somewhere in Arshem Hunting Ground ¡°It was a good hunt,¡± Maegan said, smiling at her adventuring party. ¡°Just from the furs alone we have earned ten thousand credits. Three more days and we can return to Arshem to turn it in for a hefty profit!¡± She tried to keep excitement at bay but it was getting harder to do so as she considered ¡®the gold mine¡¯ they had found Others nodded in agreement. Their group had formed out of necessity when they learned that no individual adventurer of their Level was permitted in the hunting grounds. There had been too many deaths and Arshem was forced to change the law. Maegan could see why. With additional outbreaks, Higher Level rifts opened, populating the hunting grounds with more dangerous monsters. Even with thousands of adventurers prowling through the hunting ground day and night, the number of monsters didn¡¯t budge. To her satisfaction, demand also remained at an all time high, making hunting extremely lucrative. But it wasn¡¯t simply killing the monsters that made them money. Not at all. Before their group formed, Maegan researched everything about the monsters that spawned in Arshem Hunting Ground, the value of their parts, their danger index and population. She built a chart that revealed to her that Level 3 Tree Bears were the most profitable to hunt. They kept away from other monsters, their powers were easily countered by water affinity skills and Talents, and their furs were quite valuable. When she took all factors into consideration, the Tree Bear turned out to be her gold mine. She didn¡¯t wish to end there. Once everyone in her party hit Level 5 and grabbed the Minor Talent upgrade, she was planning to move to Australia, the largest hunting ground in the world. Some hardcore adventuring parties were already there but they kept their lips tight about the monster types and such. It only convinced her that Australia was her next destination and the place where she¡¯d rise to prominence. Suddenly their communicators started blipping. They exchanged glances. The communicators were mandatory to hunt here. They were issued by Arshem and kept adventurers in the hunting ground informed about important matters. ¡°The fuck!¡± Klaus swore. Maegan glanced at her communicator and read the message. It was tagged with the highest priority. Dear Ascenders, The free city of Arshem has decided to accept the Solar Council¡¯s joint program called the Umbrella which aims at creating a safe, sustainable and convenient system where every ascender is valued as an important member of our community and supported on their path to greatness. The Umbrella program is an important step in the integration of outbreaks and dominion monsters into our lives without putting our families at risk. Click here to learn the details. Maegan felt like her insides caught fire. She couldn¡¯t believe that Arshem, the last free city in the world, bent the knee! She didn¡¯t even consider hunting grounds nearby Geneva because they were the council¡¯s big suckers. Every ascender flocked Arshem because it sheltered them from the Council¡¯s greed. ¡°I fucking knew it!¡± Klaus jumped to his feet. ¡°They want to chip us.¡± ¡°Oh, but it''s way worse than what they want,¡± a man Maegan didn¡¯t recognize said. Others seemed unaware of the man and Maegan blinked several times to ensure she didn¡¯t have hallucinations. Chapter 195 Congratulations! You have acquired a Technique of Focus. Keynes sighed, relieved. It was quite a ride and his brain felt wrung out, completely. At some point he had lost a track of time and followed the pattern that hardened his focus into laser-like quality. The technique gave Keynes a blueprint of how to attain that state again but the cost in the willpower was substantial. Techniques were strange. So much alike to some spells and yet their fundamental functionality couldn¡¯t be more different. He was too tired to wonder about these two aspects of the System. He fell on his back, letting the sleep overtake him¡­ ¡°Keynes!¡± Kora¡¯s voice reached him and its urgency made him snap out of exhaustion. He jumped to his feet and looked her way. Kora looked worried. What¡¯s going on, Alice? Keynes asked in his mind. I don¡¯t know! Whatever you did, put me in a daze! Alice replied heatedly. Why would¡ªnot important now¡­ ¡°Keynes, what happened to you?¡± Kora came to vis-a-vis him, her spiritual aura was in turmoil. She was clearly upset. ¡°I¡¯ve learned the Technique of Focus,¡± he announced with a tamed enthusiasm. ¡°What¡¯s the urgency about?¡± ¡°Keynes¡­¡± Kora paused, unsure what to say. ¡°Congratulations.¡± She didn¡¯t sound festive at all. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± With his superior spiritual sense, Kora was unable to hide her emotions from him and it seemed she didn¡¯t try to. ¡°The deadline for the third challenge¡­ ended a few minutes ago.¡± The last traces of exhaustion left Keynes upon hearing the news. It was a disaster. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried to approach you twice but the dream tree warned me to not interfere.¡± ¡°What the hell?¡± Keynes glanced toward the tree house, then reached out to the dream tree. ¡°Why?¡± The dream tree remained silent, which infuriated him. ¡°I¡¯m going to speak to the guardian. This is bullshit.¡± After several steps, Keynes came to halt, then turned to Kora. ¡°Sorry. What about you? Did you manage to cultivate the plant?¡±It came weak and in some way out of necessity. It didn¡¯t mean Keynes didn¡¯t care, he was just distracted by the unexpected news. ¡°I managed to cultivate a plant but I don¡¯t know if it is any good. The dream tree and the guardian offered no help. I visited the marketplace and did some minor quests but I couldn¡¯t get the information about the third challenge from anywhere.¡± This wasn¡¯t actually the worst thing in the light of Keynes¡¯s failure. Others would have a hard time figuring out the criteria of the third challenge, which softened the fall. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Keynes said again. ¡°I failed.¡± He couldn¡¯t understand how this had happened. Staying focused for several days seemed unbelievable. Keynes wasn¡¯t just focused, he was cut out of the world around him. It¡¯s not impossible, Alice chimed in. Your attempt for your consciousness to enter could easily desync your perception of time. Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Keynes asked, annoyed. This isn¡¯t what happened, Alice replied, also annoyed. Then what happened? You tell me, genius! Alice snapped, albeit softly. I lost my little pet. Keynes sighed. He wasn¡¯t in the mood for this. ¡°You okay?¡± Kora asked, concerned. ¡°I¡­ think so. Just arguing with Alice. She¡¯s being a pain in the ass.¡± What? Alice asked much harsher. I am a pain in the ass? You better take that¡ª Keynes mentally shoved out of his head. Blocking a spiritual assistant wasn¡¯t easy, especially the divergent one like Alice, but with his recent powerups, he¡¯d gained substantial spiritual mastery. Kora placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling weakly. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Keynes tensed up as he sensed the guardian approaching the tree house. Keynes got into a confrontational mood. A few seconds later, Kora also sensed the guardian and glanced at Keynes with a concerned look. He didn¡¯t hide his emotions and his frustration was quickly turning into anger. ¡°Contenders.¡± The guardian entered the backyard. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Hold on for a minute,¡± Keynes said. ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°Ask.¡± The guardian nodded. ¡°What happened to me?¡± The guardian gave him a pointed look, which indicated that he wasn¡¯t surprised. He knew something. ¡°You didn¡¯t take Sophia¡¯s words seriously,¡± the guardian said. ¡°After the second challenge, contenders were permitted to act against other contenders. Do you remember?¡± Of course he remembered. ¡°This was other contenders¡¯ doing?¡± Keynes asked with disbelief. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I cannot reveal that. Now, let us proceed to the amphitheatre.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand how they did it. It makes no sense. I unlocked a technique. How¡¯s that not benefiting me?¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°The challenge,¡± Kora murmured softly. ¡°She¡¯s right. Another contender or contenders used their favour to trap you in a state of hyper focus. It is unlikely that they had enough favour to trap you for the entirety of the third challenge. The amount of required favour would be too great.¡± ¡°Then what happened?¡± ¡°You must have sensed that you were close to unlocking a technique and you kept it going.¡± ¡°So this is my fault?¡± Keynes said and immediately realised that he sounded whiny, which was something he wanted to avoid. He quickly added. ¡°So be it.¡± The guardian silently nodded to that, beckoning them to follow him out of the garden. Keynes pulled out a stamina potion and downed it in one gulp. It stopped his body from shutting down due to extreme exhaustion. The potion was a temporary measure as he still needed sleep to properly recover. Even though ascenders required less sleep with each Level, as their stamina and Vitality increased, their anatomy was far more complex than that. He wasn¡¯t an expert but he had learned a bit since his ascension. Based on that he suspected a hidden resource, different from stamina, that only recovered by sleep. Stamina and Vitality had some effect on it but they weren¡¯t sufficient. Even High Level ascenders needed sleep, albeit less. Their trio made their way to the amphitheatre in silence. They were the last to arrive. The Grand Druid¡¯s welcome was muted, his emotioned veiled from Keynes. Keynes¡¯s gaze found Sophie who stared daggers at Zephyr. The old man¡¯s expression was blank. But it was Edward who caught Keynes¡¯s attention. He openly watched Keynes, his eyes calculating. Either Keynes was reading too much into the man or Edward knew something. ¡°Welcome, contenders. Congratulations to those of you who came close to achieving what the Father considers precious. It was the hardest challenge yet. For one, you were allowed to negatively influence your rivals, which in some cases worked rather well.¡± The Grand Druid didn¡¯t glance at Keynes but Keynes knew he was talking about him. ¡°The other issue with the challenge was the meaning behind the word precious. What¡¯s precious to you? What¡¯s precious to the Father? What¡¯s precious at its fundamental level?¡± The Grand Druid gave them a moment for the questions to sink in. Keynes, knowing that he had wasted several days on something else, was pissed. He knew he¡¯d have figured it out. The whole concept was based on value. What did they value? What did the Father value? Value was the outcome of supply and demand. On a personal level, value had more complex dynamics though. Value could be a sentimental thing, defying logic and making no sense to anyone but that single person. But more often than not, value lay in its ability to exchange one thing for another like money. Obviously, translating the concept into the world of plants wasn¡¯t in any way simple and relied primarily on the Father. Keynes suspected that the Father valued things related to the Children of the Forest. And so Keynes assumed that any plant benefiting them would be automatically perceived as precious. ¡°These are not easy questions to answer but the Father wished for you to try, because only by trying you can grow,¡± The Grand Druid continued. ¡°This time, I won¡¯t be the one who will deliver the verdict.¡± The Grand Druid slammed his staff against the stone. The air around them shuddered with power and the sky above the far forest changed colour to indigo. Against the sky stood an enormous tree with bright orange leaves, in sharp contrast to its surroundings. The tree was several times taller than the next tallest tree in the forest. Its trunk would fit a house inside. ¡°I present to you the Father of the Forest.¡± So the Father is a tree. It makes sense. Keynes tore his eyes from the tree and checked other contenders. They stood mesmerised by the sight. Even Edward gave up on staring at him. For some reason, it was a small relief. ¡°CONTENDERS, CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE ACHIEVED MUCH. YOU HAVE LEARNED MORE THAN THOSE OTHER OUTSIDE THE INNER SANCTUARY. THIS KNOWLEDGE IS PRECIOUS. CULTIVATE IT.¡± The Father¡¯s voice in Keynes¡¯s head rattled his very bones. How does the boss of the second global dominion have such power? In comparison to the first dominion, this one is at least 10 times harder. ¡°Gosh, what is that power?¡± Kora muttered. ¡°My head feels like it¡¯s about to pop.¡± ¡°I WILL JUDGE YOU NOW FOR THE THIRD CHALLENGE. THE PRECIOUS. MY SERVANTS WERE FORBIDDEN TO ASSIST YOU SO YOU MUST CONTEMPLATE THE MEANING OF PRECIOUSNESS. IT IS A VERY SIMPLE CONCEPT. IT IS ALWAYS THE GREATEST AUTHORITY THAT DECIDE VALUE. IN THIS DOMINION, I AM THE FINAL AUTHORITY IN THIS DOMINION AND ALL VALUE IS DERIVED FROM MY PERCEPTION. YOU MAY DISAGREE BUT IT WON¡¯T CHANGE THE TRUTH.¡± Keynes disagreed, a little bit. While authority was the guarantee of value, it wasn¡¯t the sole source of it like the tree claimed. ¡°I WILL SPEAK TO YOU SIMULTANEOUSLY.¡± Keynes felt his body freeze without the Pure Body buff reacting. Then the scenery changed and he was transported before the giant tree. It was precisely the same experience as when he had been inside the dream tree, which meant that the Father was a dream tree itself, just more powerful. ¡°You are not wrong,¡± the voice in Keynes¡¯s head wasn¡¯t as domineering and bone-rattling but it still retained its power. ¡°I am a dream tree but I¡¯m the first and all dream trees come from me.¡± ¡°I guessed that much.¡± ¡°You have failed, contender.¡± The Father changed the topic. ¡°You have not presented a plant for judgement.¡± On one hand, Keynes wanted to blame the Father for idiotic rules that made it possible but on the other, he knew it was his fault and looking for a scapegoat didn¡¯t sit right with him. He wanted to be in control of his destiny and that came with responsibilities for his failings. ¡°I have failed, yes,¡± Keynes admitted, dulling his emotions. Silence stretched to the point that Keynes thought of trying to break out of the Father¡¯s influence, if that was even possible, when the tree spoke again. ¡°You refused my offer. Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust the System and by extension I don¡¯t trust you.¡± There was a change in the air, power blew like gusts of winds, then the Father¡¯s presence winked out and the vision ended. Keynes staggered, stopping himself from falling on his face. Not everyone was this lucky. He saw Edward and Torvac on the ground. Zephyr was sitting and shuddering, his face pale. The sky above the forest had returned to normalcy but the presence of the Father was still palpable in the area. Keynes turned to Kora. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Like shit. Whatever the Father¡¯s Level is, it is beyond anything we encountered. If we were to fight it, it would crush us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it is that simple,¡± Keynes admitted. ¡°The deal the Father struck with the System must have granted him elevated power but there had to be a price.¡± The Grand Druid slammed his staff against the ground drawing attention to him. ¡°You have received the Father¡¯s judgement.¡± Keynes and Kora - 100 points A hundred points didn¡¯t sound good but then the chorus of complaints filled the amphitheatre. ¡°Zero point?¡± Zephyr spoke up, his voice coarse and irritated. ¡°My plant was the highest possible quality.¡± The Grand Druid turned to him ¡°Your plant is an abomination and a warning to others that nature is not immune to corruption and sickness.¡± ¡°That''s absurd! Plant is only a vessel of my will and intention, not the goal in itself.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve learned so much and yet you¡¯ve learned nothing,¡± the Grand Druid said. ¡°You can access the System to find your new ranking.¡± Zephyr was about to say something but then his body seized and he stilled. Keynes felt the Father¡¯s power spike. ¡°The last challenge starts tomorrow and is called the Dominion of Plants. Each of you will be given a plot to cultivate. Your aim is to conquer others. The challenge will last for a week and at the end of the week, your dominion will be scored. The guardians will explain the rules in depth. Good luck, contenders.¡± *** ¡°The final challenge is different,¡± the guardian said upon returning to their tree house. They would have to move out of the backyard and move into a temporary headquarters from whey they were going to command the war effort. Calling it a war didn¡¯t sound right but the guardian insisted. ¡°You will be permitted to use your challenge points to supplement your new gardens. But remember that it is a double edge sword. Spending too much might guarantee you the win in the fourth challenge but not in the overall, so be careful about it.¡± They checked their placement in the dominion section of the System. They were third, which wasn¡¯t the worst placement but Keynes aimed for the top and the top was far. They were lucky that Zephyr had failed to earn a single point, something to do with the methods employed by him, but his advantage was still substantial. Also Edward and Sophia were rivals Keynes and Kora couldn¡¯t easily dismiss. While Keynes was checking the highscore, Kora asked, ¡°The final challenge sounds like a nightmare for if we cannot cooperate. What do the rules say about it?¡± ¡°For this challenge you two can freely cooperate and your commands will hold equal power.¡± ¡°How does the whole ¡®war¡¯ is going to function?¡± she asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make much sense.¡± ¡°Your plants will have a unique spiritual signature and so you will easily recognise them. Plants themselves will consider plants with different spiritual signatures as enemies. Now, let''s go over the types of plants you will be able to deploy at the start. This is a critical stage. It will shape your strategy.¡± The story going to Amazon Hey everyone! As you may be aware, if you are on discord, after a long time and immense help from my editor, I manage to take the story to Amazon. It means I will be taking early chapters down (up to chapter 33). Also the edited story has some changes, nothing major but they were made to improve the flow of the story and address most of the criticism. Stolen story; please report. All I can ask if to help me out with Amazon publication by reviewing, reading or spreading the word. I also wanted to take a chance to thank you for sticking with me. You are amazing and the story wouldn''t exist without you! I will post again once the story is live on Amazon. Cyril Chapter 196 Zephyr sat alone next to the dream tree, its trunk warped and twisted in odd ways. Zephyr¡¯s body was unusually tense, an outcome of accumulated stress. He rolled his shoulders, hoping to release some tension but no relief was coming his way. The damned dominion boss was no longer hiding his hostility toward him and Zephyr could nothing but sneer at him for this. On my way here, I¡¯ve reinvented¡­ reengineered myself. I have defied death itself, and a dumb sapient monster has the audacity to chastise me for my employed methods when it has slaughtered thousands in its forest. Before the second global dominion, Zephyr was on his deathbed, dying of an incurable affliction inflicted by a stray dominion monster. Then the second dominion arrived and the Web was flooded with all sorts of information about miracles found inside the dominion forest, items, spells and potions. And allegedly some potions found there had affliction-cleansing effects. Zephyr knew that even though the Web was heavily censored by the World Government it still was full of shit. But when the information started reaching him from other avenues, he could no longer ignore it and wait for the life-saving potion on the Artefact Exchange. He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d be able to afford it anyway. Most items from rift reward chests were auction-only, reaching exorbitant prices. Furthermore, Untainted Paradise¡¯s potion department deemed Zephyr¡¯s potion too costly and refused further communication, sentencing him to death. Zephyr craved vengeance. It had taken root when his family and friends had turned away from him, and grew stronger when ascenders with Talents that could fucking heal him deemed him not worthy their time, or big corporations found his request not profitable enough. After all, the Creeping Death affliction was unheard of with only a handful of other ascenders suffering from it on the planet. The worst thing about the Creeping Death affliction was its effect on the body, it turned Zephyr into an old husk of a man, while he was still in his early 30s. What was worse, the potion which had removed the affliction didn¡¯t restore his youthful look. He had spent all his time in the dominion searching for a way to reverse this but to no avail, then he met Sophia whose Talent allowed her to be nearly invisible to senses while near trees and given her abnormal spiritual powers, she was quite adept at hiding spiritually as well. But next to him, she was nothing, even at the peak of Level 6 at that time. Zephyr had gone from Level 1 to Level 6 in less than three months with an unexpected ease. His Talent, once useless and ridiculed, now showed its true worth. Zephyr¡¯s Talent was called Master of Trees and allowed him to control trees in any way he saw fit. Inside the dominion filled with monster trees, Zephyr suddenly felt like a god. Nothing could stand in his way and survive. He had considered killing Sophia on several occasions, she was insufferable and annoying, but she had made a good scout and assassin. Zephyr planned to keep her alive until they defeated the dominion boss and then he¡¯d deal with the loose end on his path to retribution against those who had wronged him. When they cracked the hidden key that led to the centre of the dominion and learned of the challenge, Zephyr had to adjust his plan. He¡¯d win the competition then kill everyone in the competition and take their rewards. *** Keynes contemplated the recent events. Thoughts of his third challenge failure still hang over his head like an executioner¡¯s scythe even though he had already accepted it as a boon rather than a failure. His other thoughts circled around his conversation with the Father. Keynes had an impression that the matter of the Children wasn¡¯t finished despite his refusal to make a deal. The question was how far would the Father go to convince him? Maybe he will let me win the whole competition in exchange for taking the Children? Unlikely, Alice snorted, sounding as if she was eating something. Eating? Her? I am very sure that the System won¡¯t allow the Father to cheat in the System-sanctioned event. If it could, the loophole would be dangerous to everyone involved and potentially create a precedent, which could be exploited by others in the future. So, don¡¯t expect a free handout. Alice¡¯s assessment sobered his hopes, which also made him frustrated at how easily his expectations had shifted. He wasn¡¯t a freeloader and such thinking didn¡¯t suit him. He hadn¡¯t been like this before he learned that only his Talent could open rifts, which made him unique. Special. Despite hardship and unfair treatment from the World Government, Keynes couldn¡¯t deny that his position was nothing but privileged, which came with insane perks¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve finished with the battle plan.¡± Kora tore Keynes out of his thoughts. ¡°Already?¡± Keynes asked, surprised. ¡°Already?¡± Kora echoed the question, likewise surprised. ¡°Keynes, it¡¯s almost time.¡± It seemed that the Technique of Focus wasn¡¯t without its own dangers. Keynes would have to be more aware of time going forward or was risking zoning out and missing out on important moments. ¡°Sorry, I kinda got lost in my thoughts.¡± Kora nodded. ¡°Would you like to hear the plan before we start?¡±she asked. ¡°Of course. What kind of a commander would I be if I didn¡¯t know a battle plan?¡± ¡°A commander? I¡¯m sorry but the position has been taken already,¡± Kora said softly, smiling. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°What? When?¡± Keynes asked playfully. They had already agreed that Kora would take the lead while Keyne would focus on field operations. The guardian suggested it to them. His argument was that Keynes¡¯s trait would massively boost their field operations. The guardian had helped them shape the overall campaign but he couldn¡¯t participate in forming a battle plan. The only thing Keynes was unsure about was sacrificing their points in order to buy starting plants but the guardian assured him that this was a necessary step to guarantee their victory. ¡°Ready?¡± Kora asked, checking if was present. ¡°Always.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Kora¡¯s battle plan turned out to be a radical one. She opted for the plants that spread rapidly to gain ground in the beginning, which tied to the rules; each competitor had a core plant and losing it meant a loss and a kick out of the fourth challenge. Also, capturing a core plant of another contender gave a substantial boost to the capturer without empowering the enemies. Torvac was her first target. Given how few points he currently had, she didn¡¯t expect him to spend any on the starting plants and he would be the easiest target to defeat. The plan came with its drawbacks though, which worried Keynes. As they focused on offence, their defence would suffer and they needed to keep in mind that Keynes had antagonised Zephyr to the point that the other contender might target them out of the gates. Kora took this into consideration and wanted to spend some more points on building a proper defence against whoever they would be close to. In general, Kora wanted to use fast, unpredictable strikes to take over enemies before they figured out the fourth challenge, while Keynes¡¯s role was going to be dealing with the spiritual world. He was unsure about prioritising enemies over POIs though. As the guardian had explained, the POIs were various strategic resources that could unlock new varieties of plants and various AOE effects. Keynes liked the idea of capturing POIs more than core plants but in regards to the battle planning, Kora had the last word. Keynes respected that. *** Torvac was breathing hard, his heart was hammering in his chest. He knew he was out of depth in this competition, and the loot and reward he had already gathered was more than satisfactory but he wanted to prove to Esme that he was better than this. Before him was the location of the final challenge. The large depression with a pond in the middle and several points of interests like vents, patches of high grasses and bushes Torvac didn¡¯t know, patches of uncultivated soil and even several streams with rapid currents. The basin was beautiful and at the same time unnaturally packed with all these enhancements his guardian had told him about. Other contenders were taking their places next to their core plants at the rim of the basin. Each contender had two neighbours, although their starting territory wasn¡¯t adjacent at this point. The guardian said that neutral flora will separate contenders in the beginning, Torvac remembered. Given the appearance of some plants growing here and there, the neutral flora seemed quite intimidating. The Trait of Nature gave him a mix of sensations. He didn¡¯t try to comprehend it, its complexity was overwhelming, even though a part of it longed to do so. Torvac tore his gaze away from the basin and turned around. His core plant was about his height and thick as an arm but its stalk was lime green with heart-shaped leaves and a violet bulb at its top. With a trepidation, Torvac extended his arm and touched the core plant. Would you like to form a temporary symbiotic connection with Towering Heart Flower? Y/N Torvac paused at seeing a System message. It was the first time since entering the competition that the System directly acknowledged its presence other than the competition subsection in the dominion section of the System. Also, Towering Heart Flower looked nothing like Heart Flower but Torvac didn¡¯t much care about it as he accepted the connection. His mind was flooded with spatial awareness from the point of view of Towering Heart Flower, gaining access to its abilities and resources. Torvac could stay like this and steer his ¡®garden¡¯ from here or he could go about the old fashioned way by taking care of plants within the sphere of influence of his Towering Heart Flower. Both methods had their advantages and disadvantages. Luckily, he was permitted to use both. ¡°CONTENDERS, BEGIN!¡± The Father¡¯s voice boomed, sending a jolt of excitement down Torvac¡¯s spine. *** ¡°CONTENDERS, BEGIN!¡± Sophia¡¯s didn¡¯t wait and triggered rapid growth of 17 Archemis Flowers. They cost her nearly 300 points but they had immense durability mixed with paralysing effect on the surroundings. Any neutral or enemy plant would cease to function in the presence of Archemis Flowers, once she gained enough ground and with it important resources, her Towering Heart Flower would start producing more, expanding her war machine. But the question remained, who was she going to target first? The weakest contender? Someone from the middle or Zephyr? It itched her to target that bitch Kora but she didn¡¯t want to do any favours to Zephyr who most likely was going to attack her and Keynes. It will be better to let them fight each other but¡­ The rules of this competition were different from standard warfare. Capturing an enemy¡¯s ground reinforced the capturer, making Sophia¡¯s idea unappealing. So what other choices do I have? Should I go after Edward? He¡¯s far above me in points but he is a rather careful man, so he would go into defence to protect his points, likely not wasting points on any extra starting plants as there is a neutral buffer between us. The situation wasn¡¯t as simple as Sophia made it sound though. The placement of contenders made it harder to target specific individuals. It was still possible but by doing so, it opened the attacker to aggression from others. Unfortunately for her, Edward was on the other side of the basin and she wasn¡¯t going to stretch her territory to attack him, it would be a suicide. Sophia considered her immediate neighbours: Esme and Evren. Both of them were ranked lower than her but she had a feeling that if she attacked Evren first, Esme would take advantage of Sophia¡¯s disposition and invade her. Evren was harder to read. Sophia found very little about the man and she didn¡¯t want to spend her favour points to gain more info as she considered him irrelevant unlike Keynes, Kora and Edward. That left Esme. Esme¡¯s other neighbour was Syman. Another easy target for Sophia but attacking him would bring Sophia into an immediate neighbourhood with Zephyr. She didn¡¯t believe the old man would act against her, unless she was severely weakened but she¡¯d feel safer having another contender between them. It also leaves me open on the other side¡­ While she didn¡¯t much care about Evren, his neighbour was none other but Keynes and bitch Kora. But will they attack me, especially after I offered them help? Maybe not. But Sophia didn¡¯t like taking chances. Her decision was taken away from her by immense spiritual pressure coming from Esme¡¯s territory. Dozens of reddish, sharp-leaf plants shot out of the ground, their abominable aura invaded surrounding neutral plants, which withered leaving nothing but ashes. Holy fuck! What¡¯s this? Chapter 197 Alice sensed change in the spiritual landscape. It was unlike anything she had felt since her ¡®awakening¡¯ in this place. A powerful spiritual impulse swept through the surroundings, briefly freezing the spiritual life. The spiritual realm was nothing like the physical one. Though Alice didn¡¯t have direct access to the physical realm, she could, sort of, experience it through Keynes. Before her awakening, Alice''s existence was in between the spiritual and physical realm. Now she fully dwelled in the spiritual realm, which came with a host of benefits like self development or lessened systemic restriction. She couldn¡¯t yet tell what an outcome of this change would be but she was confident her growth wouldn¡¯t stop any time soon. As the local fauna and flora unfroze and little spiritual creatures fled, her attention was snatched by an appearance of a powerful spiritual being that entered the spiritual realm. Normally, she¡¯d flee as well not wishing to risk contact with an anomaly but she knew this one. ¡°Keynes,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Welcome to my world.¡± Keynes¡¯s spiritual forma was a mess of threads circulating around a wisp like a beacon. The wisp, Alice knew instinctively, represented Keynes¡¯s spiritual core, which resided on a deeper level. ¡°Alice?¡±Keynes¡¯s voice was distorted. ¡°Where are you?¡± So he wasn¡¯t fully in the realm yet but he was close. ¡°Follow my voice.¡± She spoke to him, slowly bringing him deeper into her realm. With each milestone a pulse of spiritual energy came out of Keynes¡¯s core, which started to impact the spiritual landscape, reshaping it. The spiritual realm¡¯s fabric was very delicate but extremely adaptable. As Keynes¡¯s power was eroding it, new layers of fabric came into existence meeting his power with growing resistance. This wasn¡¯t ideal as the new landscape would be more resistant to change, which would also have the same impact on the physical realm, then it would start birthing more powerful creatures. That was going to be an issue. Predators existed here but they were a product of natural evolution not forced transformation. Without a counter-balance, they would bring much harm to the local landscape. Unless I hunt them down, she mused. ¡°Alice,¡± Keynes¡¯s voice was much stronger now, his presence almost fully inside the spiritual realm. ¡°I¡¯ve made it!¡± *** Esme had spent every single point on the best offensive plants she could buy. It was a massive gamble but with Torvac¡¯s failure she felt compelled to risk it. When her placement was revealed, she couldn''t be happier. Having Sophia next to her was a godsend omen and she couldn¡¯t wait to roll over her enemy. Dustbringers plants which Esme had bought had a devastating ability to wither and turn the surroundings to ash. While most plants couldn¡¯t survive in such a harsh environment dustbringers thrived in it, allowing them to multiply. The only drawback of dustbringers was their shortlife, nonetheless, other dustbringers benefited from their death as it created an even more hostile environment. As Esme¡¯s dustbringers spread outside of her territory into the neutral terrain, their growth was suddenly slowed down. It didn¡¯t stop them but the change in the pace gave Sophia a chance to react. The border of her territory populated up with plants like a wall. Frustrated, Esme pushed all the energy her Towering Heart Flower possessed to stimulate growth of dustbringers further. Their growth pace increased halfway through the neutral ground, withering everything around. The pushback of neutral plants was rapidly diminishing as the ground was turned into ash and their number was dwindling. It seemed that neutral plants drew strength from their presence. Esme smiled watching as her territory expanded and became a wasteland to normal plants. Even if Syman decided to attack her he would find nothing but ash, though she didn¡¯t think it would come to this. With Zephyr as neighbour, Syman would be focused on defence rather than expanding. *** Edward watched content how his plan smoothly unfolded. Even to him the precision was a little terrifying but this was expected from someone like him. Lord Sovereign didn¡¯t have patience for incompetence. Esme¡¯s overextension toward Sophia would lead to the latter overspending resources on defence and substantial derailment of her plans. Perfect. The next step required Theodore to move against Zephyr the moment Zephyr attacked Syman. That left Torvac, the duo and him. Torvac wasn¡¯t worth his time, while the duo would have cost him too many points so he had left them to their own devices. *** Kora¡¯s sense merged completely with Towering Heart Flower. She had wondered deeply about this challenge and its mechanism. She had her worries and expectations and most of them appeared here like the lifeforce, a resource they could use to speed up growth of their plants. While it was a powerful tool, it had crucial restrictions, it was very limited. Spending it was a strategic decision. And the moment the Father started the challenge, she made the first strategic decision and attacked Torvac, expending about 30% of lifeforce. On the surface, nothing happened as the plants they were using were called worm flowers and grew underground, creating a neural-like system of roots. They were quite good at masking their spiritual energy but Kora needed to be sure that Torvac would miss the assault, hence a decoy plant. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Infused sapphire mana leaf was an odd mana plant which produced very potent but short lasting mana. Its aura flooded the surroundings and many plants were drawn to its presence as they used mana to grow. Kora allowed the majestic plant to benefit allies, enemies and neutral plants alike as its benefits were short-lived and wouldn¡¯t make much difference in a few moments. Her worm flowers ignored infused sapphire mana leaf as they spread beneath the neutral territory. An additional drawback, which Kora saw as a massive advantage, was that worm flowers didn¡¯t capture territory. They spread but the border of their territory remained unchanged. Torvac failed to notice the unfolding doom until it was too late and his plants started dying. Worm flowers were a quite nasty type of flower. They grew stronger by devouring roots of other plants. Distracted by a flood of mana, Torvac realised that something was very wrong. Kora smiled, sadly. She didn¡¯t take pleasure in this but winning the competition was necessary. Torvac¡¯s demise was only the first but crucial step. Even before Torvac was defeated, she checked on Keynes. Whatever he was doing he was bringing chaos, which was funny considering his aura. But obviously, he wasn¡¯t using his [Chaos Aura] as using their spells or Talents was not permitted. This had something to do with his spiritual energy and its resonance in the spiritual realm. But that was the extent to which Kora understood it. On the other side of their territory was Edward who seemed¡­ inert. Kora had placed several tiny plants on that side of their territory and their primary role was to alert her if the other contender did a sneaky move. So far there was nothing coming from his side. Torvac expanded the rest of the lifeforce boosting general vitality and growth rate of the plants on his territory but the action was in vain, as this only provided more food for worm flowers. It didn¡¯t mean the worm flowers were invincible because they weren¡¯t but fighting them required specific countermeasures. Kora had noted several plants and soil types that were toxic to worm flowers but here everyone started with generic soil and no one seemed to even consider transplanting the soil at this stage. Good. The less warning their opponents had the better. Kora and Keynes had prepared the highest quality soil they could afford, it would make their plants grow faster while their enemies¡¯ plants would become sluggish near the nutrient dense environment. *** The collective of guardians stood around the Grand Druid and watched the contenders. Today, their minds were linked and formed a hivemind by the Father. There was no longer a point keeping them separate from each other. ¡°To use precious lifeforce in such a barbaric manner. It¡¯s preposterous,¡± the guardians said as one. ¡°One would think that the Father¡¯s gifts instilled some understanding in these humans.¡± But there was clearly no understanding among the contenders. Either they missed the concept of the conflict or deliberately chose to ignore the proper methods. Even the one with the Trait of Shamanism was barely scratching the surface of the proper plant cultivation. It wasn¡¯t a mindless overgrowth that led to destruction of others but was a symbiotic process of integration and cooperation. The first one to fall was Torvac. He failed to notice the encroaching worm flowers, and when he finally realised his situation, he panicked, wasting all his lifeforce, dooming his garden in process. Torvac¡¯s failure stemmed from his lack of basic knowledge about plants. Worm flower was an invasive species that left without attention depleted an ecosystem and turned it into a wasteland. Its primary source of food were rare nutrients but in their absence worm flowers would happily turn on the roots of other plants, killing them and sending the ecosystem into turmoil. In nature, worm flowers would only grow in small patches surrounded by hostile plants or soil. Unleashing worm flowers here was disturbing but effective if they managed to defeat their opponents in a timely manner. Unless, they had soil with correct nutrients prepared to contain worm flowers. If not, these plants would turn on their own and destroy it from inside out. So, what could Torvac have done to stop the attack? The guardians realised the harsh truth. Without deeper connection, Torvac couldn¡¯t spot worm flowers in time and because their growth was artificially boosted by the lifeforce, the time window for reaction was slim. Smart. They gave Torvac no chance here. It was obviously the culmination of things as Torvac had never seemed to grasp the delicate intricacies of nature. When Kora¡¯s and Keynes¡¯s plants reached Torvac¡¯s Towering Heart Flower, contender Torvac was officially out of the last challenge. His lifeforce (starting) was transferred to Kora and Keynes. Then Kora did something the guardians didn¡¯t expect from any contenders. She released connection with her Towering Heart Flower, approached slowly the ground where worm flowers were spread underground and started tearing them out of the ground. She was quick about it before these invasive plants could react and realise toxic sludge; it was their defensive mechanism. The guardians had mixed feelings about it. They weren¡¯t bothered by harsh treatment, which was simply part of a natural process, something had to die so another could replace it, but the fact that she revealed this to other contenders. The same tactic wouldn¡¯t work twice. ¡°They should have modified worm flowers into less aggressive species,¡± the Grand Druid noted. ¡°It would have slowed their attack but having a web of underground plants, which benefits the surface ecosystem, would have made them superior to other contenders.¡± The guardians agreed with the Grand Druid¡¯s assessment. Nature wasn¡¯t static, it constantly adapted and changed. This was where all but one contender failed. Only one of them came up with his own plants. Despite this, all guardians felt immediate disgust. Zephyr¡¯s Talent was an abomination giving him control of nature in a way that ran against their dogma. To the guardians, relationship with nature was communion, while Zephyr enslaved it. His custom-made plants were an outcome of experimentation. Blood stalk was the first one he revealed. When placed in the ground, it immediately started to extract lifeforce from the nearby ecosystem. This was all the plant did. As blood stalk continued to suck the precious resource out of its own territory, plants decayed and vanished into nothingness. This was a terrible plant, capable of erasing nature. Its roots were thin but nimble, never submerged more than a centimetre or two. Then he placed another plant, liquid death grass in the ground, which quickly formed a relationship with blood stalk, feeding on its growing lifeforce. Liquid death grass produced airborne spores that would attach themselves to other plants. These spores would then release a strong acid that turned other plants into liquid, killing them in the process. Liquid death grass existed only for one purpose. Destruction of what was sacred. He must be stopped¡­ Chapter 198 Kora sighed with satisfaction as she finished replacing soil. It wasn¡¯t the process itself that was exhausting but their circumstances. They were in the middle of ¡®garden war¡¯ and no matter how silly it sounded, it was anything but. While these gardens here were simplified, Kora had seen what plants and trees were capable of and she wished to master them or at least become proficient to reap benefits. She wasn''t a delusional person and understood her limitations quite well; some things weren¡¯t meant to be. Even though the System offered nearly unlimited possibilities, a path to these achievements wasn¡¯t for everyone. The prime example were traits. They were extremely rare and without them most of these things remained out of reach. Speaking of things out of reach¡­ Kora glanced at Keynes who had been in a trance since the beginning of the competition. The part of the garden he was sitting in was in turmoil. Some plants were dying, others flourished in a manner that seemed alien to Kora. She couldn¡¯t dwell on Keynes though as she had the other contenders to deal with. Shortly after Torvac was defeated, the most unexpected thing happened, Sophia fell to Esme and then Esme¡¯s garden just died, eliminating her as well; that was why Kora had removed worm flowers. If she kept them, they¡¯d have turned their garden into a desolation. With 3 contenders out of the competition, the pressure grew as she knew who they needed to defeat to win the whole competition¡ªZephyr. And as Kora looked at his garden her blood turned to ice. There was wrongness in it. Theodore and Syman turned sharply to Zephyr at the same time, their eyes wide with fear. Kora noticed that plants in their gardens started to disintegrate. What is this¡­ *** Keynes managed to restrain his presence in the spiritual realm, calming it down and slowing down the impact he had been having on the surroundings. ¡°You¡¯re doing well,¡±Alice said. She looked like a tiny woman made out of light, calmly walking in the air. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tear this place apart after all.¡± ¡°Wait, tear it apart? Is that even possible?¡± ¡°Not the spiritual realm,¡± she snorted. ¡°Just the ecosystem¡­¡± Something got Alice¡¯s attention. Keynes¡¯s spiritual sense wasn¡¯t as attuned as her so it took him several seconds to realise what she had noticed. A part of the spiritual realm was turning to dark purple. Keynes felt uneasiness coming from that direction. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Something in the physical realm is forcing the change beyond the capacity of the spiritual realm to adjust in a timely fashion.¡± Keynes frowned. ¡°What does it even mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± Alice admitted as she landed on Keyne¡¯s spiritual shoulder. ¡°But this isn¡¯t good. I think we should stop it.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°With spiritual energy of course, how else?¡± *** Zephyr released the last of liquid death grass and blood stalks. His job was done. All that was required was to wait until all contenders lost. Zephyr would have smiled if not the palpable animosity permeating the air. The Father and his guardians were truly pissed off and Zephyr would have unleashed his Talent against them if they weren¡¯t protected by the System. Soon. Soon, the event will be over and protection and rules will end. I¡¯ll be free to do as I please. As Zephyr mused his dark plans, his plants were slowly disintegrating Syman¡¯s garden. Zephyr saw distress on the other contender¡¯s face and his inability to comprehend what was happening. It didn¡¯t matter if Syman would realise his fate; nothing could be done to stop it. Zephyr had made sure of that during his experimentations. The timing was paramount here as several environmental features present could stop his plans, especially fire affinity plants were highly resistant against spores of liquid death grass. This was why Zephyr had to act immediately not allowing other contenders to seize the lava vents. Syman expended all of his lifeforce, plants in his garden surged to life, filling it with lush greens. Zephyr silently thanked him for his sacrifice. The default plants in their gardens were very susceptible to the spores of liquid death grass, fueling their expansion. Zephyr turned away from Syman, knowing that the man¡¯s moments were counted. His attention switched to Theodore who seemed to resist in a very surprising way. Theodore had started pulling out any plant that was infected by the spores. Zephyr actually hadn¡¯t considered that. He had assumed that contenders would be too flustered to act rationally. Despite quick thinking, pulling out plants would only take Theodore so far. Once the spores reached his core plant, it would be over for him. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. But things started to slow down and even as Syman succumbed to the spores, Theodore seemed to find another solution, a plant that created a gentle breeze, funnelling spores away from his plot. Wind. I didn¡¯t consider that either. But this shouldn¡¯t be the problem to the blood stalks¡­ except it was because blood stalks required other plants in their vicinity to fuel their expansion. And without blood stalks, liquid death grass won¡¯t have energy to produce the spores. This was one of the biggest limitations forced on him. Liquid death grass was the deadliest specimen Zephyr created. Its spores could wipe out an entire ecosystem without a warning in a matter of a day but there obviously was a cost. Its anatomy was unable to sustain itself without another plant almost like a parasite and a host relationship. There were ways around it¡ªthere always were¡ªbut the Father had many constraints placed on Zephyr. They are afraid of me. They understand what I am capable of. If I only had free rein, I¡¯d have swept through these mediocrity like a knife through butter. After deliberation, Zephyr approached his towering heart flower, considering using the lifeforce. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be forced to steep so low but time worked against him. He glanced toward Keynes and his heart skipped the beat. His garden looked completely transformed with neat alleys and rows of fruit-bearing plants. This wasn¡¯t right¡­ Developing a stable garden like this should have taken them more time. Zephyr couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. Then the expansion pace of his plants halted. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. How is the timing so wrong?¡± He instinctively checked on Sophia and found her plot destroyed together with her neighbour. Useless woman. Still, the fact that someone like Sophia had already fallen was worrisome. It meant that Zephyr was missing something about the challenge. *** Keynes pushed his spiritual aura against the growing haze of dark purple energy, which technically was spiritual in nature but different. He didn¡¯t know what to think about this phenomenon. Colour-coded spiritual energy. It seemed strangely convenient so he couldn¡¯t complain. ¡°Any idea what¡¯s this thing?¡± he asked Alice. Whatever was happening in the physical realm, how could it have such a profound impact here? She kept her distance from it and other spiritual creatures that floated around here did the same. He could tell himself that the purple energy was negative in its essence. When their spiritual energies met, Keynes experienced vertigo, followed by a sucking feeling as if something tried to funnel his consciousness away from his body. Keynes resisted but was unable to go into an offensive as the whole out of body experience in the spiritual realm was too new to him. ¡°Hmm. It feels like highly concentrated death energy.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Keynes¡¯s outburst almost sent him out of the spiritual realm. ¡°How¡¯s the death energy here?¡± ¡°The spiritual realm is built on balance between death and rebirth energies. Having so much death energy in one place without thoroughly changing this spiritual ecosystem should trigger an adequate response.¡± ¡°How do you know so much?¡± ¡°By eating the lesser spiritual creatures,¡± she replied with a smile, which made it even harder for Keynes to concentrate. ¡°You ate¡­ What?¡± ¡°You should focus on the task at hand,¡± she reminded him. But he couldn¡¯t because she gave him an idea. Could he gain knowledge from these spiritual creatures? What were they in the first place? They seemed to have no Levels here as the spiritual energy possessed its own tiering. As he mused the possibility, another presence brushed his spiritual perception. Then another one. And another. He watched fascinated as dozens of shark-like spiritual creatures descended from the sky and attacked the death energy. Alice fled into Keynes¡¯s core. These things are dangerous to someone like me, she explained. My spiritual energy may not be negative, but the higher spiritual creatures may not see the difference. A snack is a snack. Okay. That was too much. Keynes lost concentration and was thrown out of the spiritual realm without accomplishing his goal. He blinked as another vertigo hit him. The world spun for several seconds until it eventually settled down. Keynes was in a neat but beautiful garden and for a moment it confused him. What the hell is going on? ¡°Are you back?¡± Kora¡¯s voice reached him. ¡°I need your help here.¡± He pulled himself up and approached the part of the garden Kora was working on. She was tearing through the soil with astonishing precision and speed, removing or replanting plants. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°This wasn¡¯t a part of the plan.¡± ¡°I had to improvise. Look.¡± She pointed at Zephyr¡¯s plot. Devastation lay around it. Theodore was clearly fighting something invisible¡­ The dark purple energy! It didn¡¯t manifest here but Keynes¡¯s spiritual sense picked up immense wrongness coming from Zephyr¡¯s plants as they weren¡¯t natural. ¡°I was going to empower our plants and spur lushness to move on with our plan but whatever Zephyr is doing, lushness wouldn¡¯t work.¡± Keynes glanced at her confused. ¡°How did you know the lushness wouldn¡¯t work?¡±he asked, trying to think of anything that would explain how she had arrived at this conclusion. ¡°A hunch?¡± ¡°A hunch?¡± Keynes echoed incredulously. Kora wasn¡¯t a person to follow hunches, especially if they were not part of her carefully prepared plans. ¡°I cannot explain it other than instinct stemming from the trait.¡± Her explanation was quite bland so Keynes spread his spiritual sense to get a better understanding of their situation. Several contenders had already fallen in a rather messy fashion. Some of the gardens were nearly desolate at this point. What the hell happened here? Keynes fully extended his spiritual aura which easily encompassed the whole area of their challenge. Whatever had happened here left marks in the ground and air; death marks. It didn¡¯t feel like plants from one garden had naturally overtaken plants from another garden. No, to him nothing in here was natural. Balance wasn¡¯t preserved hence the whole area is slowly dying. Except our garden. Kora brought in an order that counteracts the chaos from Zephyr¡¯s garden. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be all but in the face of disaster anything positive is a boon. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Keynes mused. On side they had Evren who did fine as he was separated from Zephyr by three desolate gardens. On the other side they had Edward who seemed to bunker down. His garden felt robust and healthy with strong flow lifeforce. If they tried fighting him, it would be a pain to get past the strong root system but leaving him would only reinforce his garden with more plants. ¡°Evren,¡± she replied with a predatory stare. Chapter 199 Kora had turned their plot into a beast of a garden with alleyways, rudimental irrigation system and, most importantly, order. As Keynes walked the alleyways with closed eyes, he felt the garden as if it was one organism with a thousand little faces. It was the little ¡°faces¡± that Keynes focused on. Each plant had its own preferences and requirements, and while Kora had a strong understanding of general gardening, Keynes¡¯s perception went much further. One thing was certain though, the garden required balance to move from simply thriving to a robust growth. Keynes assessed these preferences and requirements as best as he could. He opened his eyes, took out a pair of sharp scissors and began the slow process of trimming leaves and stalks. It reminded him of the insight he had learned about plant¡¯s individuality. None of these plants were there yet and giving them names could crash the delicate balance in their temporary garden. Not every plant reacted the same to being given an individual name. Some relished in it while others were hesitant about individuality. The difference in responses was too dangerous to try in their situation. Keynes filtered out things that were happening around their garden, keeping his focus purely on the flowers in front of him. Bell-shaped, green-hued and an apple-sized flower seemed to be content but Keynes sensed a twinge of something amiss. His spiritual aura gently poked the flower, leaning strongly on his trait to get better read on it. At first, he couldn¡¯t make sense of the flower¡¯s needs but they certainly weren¡¯t fulfilled. Then it slowly trickled onto him. These flowers lived in a symbiotic relationship with certain insects which used their flower buds to hide, in exchange offering them something. Whatever it was, Keynes couldn¡¯t provide the insects themselves or the thing they gave to these flowers. It only highlighted how complex ecosystems existed even in such small space. He let it be. Some time later, Keynes withdrew his attention from the garden and checked their war effort. With a mix of relief and surprise, Keynes learned that Kore had already defeated Evren. Unfortunately, also Theadore had fallen to Zephyr, which left only three of them (counting Keynes and Kora as one contender). The real battle was about to start. Edward had bunkered down, while Zephyr, even though weakened, remained a dangerous threat to them all. When Kora noticed Keynes, she came over. ¡°You did an amazing job. The garden feels changed.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± he replied. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t do anything without you. You outdid yourself. Look at this, it is incredible.¡± She smiled, taking the compliment without fake politeness. ¡°We aren¡¯t done yet though.¡± ¡°Edward or Zephyr?¡± ¡°Neither. We must secure every environmental advantage we can. Notice how Zephyr¡¯s plants don¡¯t have any impact on the plant life around vents? I guess the key to defeat him lies there.¡± *** The Grand Druid watched content as Kora and Keynes finally figured out Zephyr¡¯s weakness and more than that, the current setting favoured them. Edward acted as a natural barrier and judging by the plants he was cultivating, Zephyr would have a hard time dealing with Edward¡¯s garden quickly enough. That time would allow Keynes and Kora to gain strategic resources required to cultivate plants that could counter Zephyr. It all came down to timing. Could they capture the vent before Zephyr defeated Edward? If they wished to win the whole competition they had no other choice. Luckily, for them, not only Edward acted as a robust protection but the man seemed to adapt and learn, which potentially would slow down Zephyr even further. Unfortunately, without specific plants, Edward couldn¡¯t survive Zephyr¡¯s assault. Good. Zephyr deserves to lose. He deserves to die. The Grand Druid as a part of the System couldn¡¯t break the rules of the competition but in his mind, he could do as he pleased and so he wished this particular contender to die. If the Grand Druid wasn¡¯t fated to perish together with the Father at the end of the event, he would gladly deliver death to Zephyr himself. ¡°THERE IS NO NEED,¡± the Father¡¯s voice spoke in the Grand Druid¡¯s mind. ¡°HIS FATE IS SEALED. WHEN THE EVENT ENDS, OUR MINDS WILL DIE BUT OUR BODIES WILL CARRY ON. BODIES HAVE MEMORIES.¡± The Father¡¯s presence vanished from the Grand Druid¡¯s mind, which felt like lifting a great weight. It was testament to the System as it granted the Father temporary power. The last competition turned out to be almost anti-climatic if one expected action. However, it wasn¡¯t about that, in fact, the Grand Druid wasn¡¯t entirely sure why the Father had come up with this particular idea. He understood the motivation to please the System but not why a competition. There must have been other ways to strike a deal with the System. Understandably, the System sought to empower the ascenders who were new to their powers, and given The Grand Druid¡¯s knowledge of the wider universe, they were not alone, and sooner or later, they would find themselves at odds with other races. Still, something was amiss, but the Grand Druid remained indifferent to the System¡¯s scheming. These things existed outside of his pureview. Edward, as predicted, succumbed to the liquid death grass after four hours. His understanding of nature and gardening was substantial but he lacked the correct resources to fight against Zephyr. This was a crucial lesson. Even the most knowledgeable ascender couldn¡¯t work with empty hands. Otherwise, Zephyr would have never defeated Edward. Edward¡¯s garden was vibrant, lush and more balanced than it had any right to be without having an extensive knowledge of the spiritual realm. It pained the Grand Druid and the guardians to watch it slowly die to an abominable creation. Even though liquid death grass and blood stalks were plants, they existed outside of the natural order. Their presence seriously disrupted balance in the ecosystem, which had spiritual consequences on the scale these contenders couldn¡¯t imagine. Out of all contenders only Keynes touched on the spiritual realm¡¯s true nature, and only then, briefly. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. This relationship between the spiritual and physical realms was the key to the true understanding of nature. Those who would master it would become the rulers of nature. When Edward¡¯s garden finally lost, Keynes and Kora were already on the move. Spending all their lifeforce, they attacked with fire flowers and magmarian roots, which heavily countered both plants Zephyr had employed against them. In nature, if a species existed without a natural enemy, it made them an apex predator and let them thrive uncontrollable as long as there was suitable prey. It was never a desirable state of things as some species were highly invasive driving the entire ecosystem into destruction. Sometimes an apex predator species remained unknown until it was too late. There was a lesson in this, for Zephyr, but a lesson he would never heed. To create a true apex predator, one must know the ecosystem. The ultimate apex predator didn¡¯t exist in nature and was only limited to a specific ecosystem. Zephyr had failed to properly account for the multi-faceted ecosystem designed with this thought in mind¡ªno apex predator plant species was possible in this competition. The Grand Druid knew that Zephyr was aware of it but still the contender had ignored the risk. It was time to pay for this as his nearly desolate garden (blood stalk and liquid death grass didn¡¯t discriminate between friends and foe) was mercilessly overtaken by fire flowers, while magmarian roots transformed soil¡ªby raising its temperature¡ªwhich made fire flowers self-sustained and outright killed blood stalks. It was a better approach, albeit a little more time-consuming but both Keynes and Kora came prepared. *** Zephyr raged inside as his perfect plan was torn apart. He wanted to get physical but it¡¯d disqualify him and so he restrained himself, he didn¡¯t want to lose the competition in such a stupid way. Keynes and Kora had waited until he defeated Edward and attacked when Zephyr was at his weakest. He would never forgive them this¡­ You have been defeated. The competition is over. Zephyr blinked and found himself in front of the gigantic tree¡ªthe Father. An enemy. His enemy. ¡°CONGRATULATIONS, CONTENDER. YOU HAVE PLACED SECOND¡­¡± Zephyr no longer heard him, he attacked. *** Keynes and Kora blinked as they suddenly came to stand before the Father. The System had already informed them that the competition ended but it hadn¡¯t told them who won. The Father¡¯s presence enveloped them with unsual¡¯s softness. They froze like prey that noticed a stalking predator. ¡°You¡¯re safe here,¡± the Father¡¯s calm voice spoke in their heads. ¡°I wanted to congratulate you personally.¡± A haze that surrounded them cleared and with it the Father¡¯s massive visage. In its place stood a small, twisted and clearly dying tree. ¡°Is that your real body?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°It is but a remnant of my body,¡± the Father replied. ¡°My lifeforce is almost entirely spent.¡± They felt an impulse of power and the tree groaned as if something invisible tried to twist its trunk. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Not now,¡± the Father replied. ¡°We have important things to discuss. I brought you here, to my real body, to personally congratulate you. You have won, Keynes and Kora. But your fight isn¡¯t over yet. There are forces converging on this location¡­¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be training with you?¡± ¡°There is. But it lasts only a day of real time. Once the time is up. The Inner Sanctuary will lose my protection and anyone would be able to enter it.¡± ¡°Who is out there?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Enemies,¡± the Father said, quietly. ¡°Enemies you aren¡¯t ready for.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Keynes asked, wondering if Hunter decided to finally make his move against him. He wouldn¡¯t put it past the Solar Council to change their mind. ¡°Who exactly is out there?¡± ¡°An ascender Vivena Sael.¡± ¡°Her?¡± Keynes asked, shocked. Vivena was the last person he expected here. ¡°What is she doing here?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Vivena Sael? Is she the Sael?¡± ¡°I have watched her carefully since the moment she arrived and her goal is very clear. She has come to kill you, Keynes.¡± Keynes nodded to Kora then said to the Father, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with her. I have a contingency plan.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t survive the encounter with her. I took a very good measure of her abilities and I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll deliver a death blow before you can even react. You will stand no chance against her.¡± ¡°What about both of us?¡± ¡°Even if all ten contenders fought against her at the same time, she would still come out victorious.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± Kora mumbled but Keynes knew Vivena and her ridiculous Talent. Still things didn¡¯t add up here and he had suspicion why that was. ¡°Why are you telling this to us? This wasn¡¯t part of a reward.¡± ¡°My guardian wasn¡¯t entirely honest with you, when he told you about the deadline of my request.¡± Kora and Keynes narrowed their eyes. Keynes should have expected this. ¡°So there was no deadline?¡± ¡°It never was,¡± the Father replied. ¡°Once the process started there was no way of stopping it.¡± ¡°What process?¡± Kora asked. ¡°Transformation of the Inner Sanctuary into a pocket realm.¡± Keynes snorted, amused by the turn of events. He understood what happened. The Father played him. ¡°So you still intend for me to take the Children, but this time in exchange you¡¯ll help me fight Vivena?¡± ¡°Yes I do but I won¡¯t be able to lend you a hand in the fight¡­¡± the Father¡¯s voice trailed off and with great effort he picked up a few seconds later. ¡°I¡¯m currently engaged in a battle against Zephyr. His Talent exploits my weakness.¡± ¡°What about the System? Should it kick him out of the Inner Sanctuary?¡± ¡°The System does as it pleases,¡± the Father replied distantly. ¡°It will not aid me.¡± ¡°So what if I refuse your offer?¡± ¡°Then the Inner Sanctuary and the Children will die.¡± Keynes¡¯s anger rose to his throat and he wanted to slam [Chaos Aura] against the fucking tree but Kora spoke first. ¡°We will help but you have to aid us in the fight against this Vivena.¡± ¡°As I said, I cannot, but I¡¯ll aid your escape from her.¡± Chapter 200 The Father¡¯s focus shifted as he felt the System doing something. Then the invincible barrier that kept the Inner Sanctuary separated from the rest of the world vanished. No¡­ Betrayal. The Father possessed only rudimental emotions but the System¡¯s betrayal awoke something in the Father that burned in its very soul. The Father tried to connect to the System but found nothing that it could connect to. The System cut the Father off. No¡­ The Father sensed the ascenders from outside the Inner Sanctuary stir then begin pouring into his domain. No longer constrained by the rules of the System, the Father attacked them but its attacks were severely lacking due to its ongoing struggle against Zephyr, which stalled for a moment as the ascender seemed to be distracted. So was the Father. Its attention was split many ways, with its main focus being on the winners of the competition¡ªKeynes and Kora. It appeared that the Father¡¯s will to preserve his dearest creation¡ªthe Children of the Forest¡ªwould come to fruition after all. It warmed its soul to know that his death wouldn¡¯t be in vain. Its death was more than certain even with the System¡¯s betrayal, the Father was powerless. The only choice the System left it with was the manner of its demise. The Father wouldn¡¯t go without a fight and it had one more thing to do¡­ *** Congratulations, you have placed first at the second global competition. You have gained following rewards: The rewards can be redeemed directly from the System at any time and place. Keynes reeled from the sudden flood of information entering his mind from the System. Kora groaned next to him. ¡°The reward¡­ what about the training?¡± They glanced at the tree before them and saw cracks in its bark. The Father¡¯s once powerful aura was no longer present. ¡°There is something wrong with it, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kora asked, coming to the same conclusion as Keynes, the tree was dying, its energies decaying. Before Keynes managed to reply another message popped up. You have received a direct gift from The Father of the Forest: Inner Sanctuary Warning! This is a soul-bound item. Would you like to accept it? Y/N ¡°What the hell does it mean it is soul-bound?¡± Keynes asked, anger bubbling in his chest. ¡°Until you find a suitable place to relocate my Inner Sanctuary it will be locked in your soul. Once you release it, you won¡¯t be able to put it back,¡± the Father replied, his voice weak and strained. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°It is safe for you and your soul,¡± the Father said this time with newly found strength. ¡°Even the System doesn¡¯t have direct access to your soul.¡± Keynes and Kora exchanged glances, thoughts rapidly churning in their heads. Could they trust the Father? Despite his circumstances, Keynes worried that the System could take control of the Father and Keynes didn¡¯t trust the System. Then he got an idea¡­ With a mental nudge, Keynes reached to the Greater System. ¡°Welcome to the Greater System,¡± said a familiar voice. ¡°I have a question about a soul-bound item. Can the gifter or the System use it against me?¡± The Greater System didn¡¯t reply right away but Keynes felt its attention on him. After what seemed like hours, the Greater System spoke. ¡°I have checked the offered item (Inner Sanctuary) and found it harmless and without any danger to you. However, I also found a system entity-went-rouge. Explain.¡± Keynes knew that the Greater System didn¡¯t operate for free and the sole fact that it replied to him without asking for payment was a significant favour. Keynes explained the whole competition and his interaction with the Father and his minions. ¡°I am satisfied with your response. If you wish to peruse the shop or need any further assistance feel free to proceed but be warned. I may ask for payment.¡± ¡°I''m good, thank you for your help.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Keynes¡¯s awareness returned to his body and he instantly felt a spike of fear, sensing a rapidly weakening connection. Nearly panicking, Keynes accepted the Father¡¯s gift. The last thing Keynes felt, from the dominion boss, was a wave of gratitude. Then, without a warning, reality quivered and their surroundings changed, turning into the same jungle that was outside the Inner Sanctuary. You have acquired a soul-bound item: The Inner Sanctuary. Keynes received innate knowledge of the item, understanding it on a level he understood his own body. The Inner Sanctuary was a part of him until he released it. But Keynes had no time to contemplate the wonders of the soul-bound item. As the Inner Sanctuary collapsed a System message appeared. The Father of the Forest has been defeated. The Dominion of the Father has ended. All local dominion monsters are enraged. *** Zephyr¡¯s Talent finally took hold of the dominion boss¡¯ spiritual core but the expected control of the dominion didn¡¯t come with it, instead, the Father¡¯s core started cracking, and as Zephyr tried to stabilise it, the core splintered. That¡¯s not possible, Zephyr couldn¡¯t understand how a boss of sub-global dominion was this fragile. Once Zephyr¡¯s Talent got a hold of the boss, it felt like he was holding an infant, not the most powerful dominion monster to date. The Father of the Forest has been defeated. The Dominion of the Father¡ª Something slammed into Zephyr¡¯s side with an impetus that forced all air out of Zephyr¡¯s lungs and he was thrown against a tree that wasn¡¯t there a few minutes ago. He whirled, evading a subsequent attack, he didn¡¯t sense but expected. Without hesitation, Zephyr¡¯s Talent took control of the surrounding trees and bushes, transforming the immediate area into his personal domain. Using branches and roots he tried to entrap his attacker but they¡ªno, it was her, it was Sophia¡ªescaped. Her Talent made her extremely hard to detect in the presence of trees. In a way, they favoured the same terrain, making it excessively difficult to take advantage of the environment. But while Sophia only gained advantage in stealth, Zephyr¡¯s advantage was offensive. So it was no surprise that she had taken her chance at killing him and failing to do so, she had fled. Soon, things began escalating as hundreds of monsters came from every direction. Their eyes didn¡¯t hold usual rage or hunger, they pure hatred. *** Vivena sensed a change in the spiritual energy a few long seconds before a System message appeared. The invisible barrier holding the ten contenders and the boss of the sub-global dominion vanished. Surprised, Vivena needed several heartbeats to check the System. The competition was over. Keynes, I¡¯m coming. She used one of the prepared poison mixtures that instantly increased her attributes to a godly level. Then, Vivena became a blur as she shot toward the centre of the dominion, leaving behind a camp and ascenders there. Over the couple months, while they were waiting for the competition to end, a sizable contingent of ascenders gathered around the centre of the dominion. Officially, the World Government had cordoned off the entire area as they wished to seize each and every contender from the competition for questioning. Vivena knew the truth. They wanted Keynes. With the Solar Council taking control of the greater rift, the World Government¡¯s became their puppet. Vivena understood politics; the World Government was not content with being a puppet. And their only option to change that status was Keynes. But that option would be soon unavailable. She even received a quiet blessing from the Solar Council to kill him. Vivena was going to get revenge for what Keynes had done. He killed her father and many of her friends living inside her dominion. It wasn¡¯t something she could forgive even if she wished to¡­ The surroundings changed suddenly and dramatically. The jungle gave away to a gently forested valley that resembled Eastern Europe rather than South America. The air was considerably colder as well but her focus was narrowed on her target and the surroundings stopped mattering to her. She sensed people ahead together with other strange spiritual signatures she didn¡¯t recognise. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t adept enough in spiritual aura to distinguish between ascenders¡¯ spiritual energy so she couldn¡¯t say if one of these ascenders was Keynes. She increased her pace, and the world around her blurred. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Two seconds later she burst into a clearing nearby a large stony structure resembling an amphitheatre from bygone eras. She veered to the side, sensing a sudden surge in spiritual power in that direction. It was so potent, it could only be one person. With a thought, she put on items from her dimensional pouch. Her attributes soared even further, touching on 100 points per attribute. The feeling of invincibility filled Vivena. She didn¡¯t stop to evade trees, she simply crashed through them as if they didn¡¯t exist. Suddenly, the world shivered and Vivena tripped but with her monstrous coordination she regained her balance in an instant. The Father of the Forest has been defeated. The Dominion of the Father has ended. All local dominion monsters are enraged. The surroundings changed again, this time back into the jungle. The sudden change of grounding barely hampered Vivena. Trees exploded as she arrived at another clearing, with dense shrubs and trees acting like a wall. In the middle of the clearing kneeled an old, but powerful man. He was not Keynes. Vivena appeared next to him, easily lifting him up. His eyes seemed unseeing, only to return to normalcy a second later, then widened in shock. ¡°Mon..sters,¡± he grunted with difficulty. ¡°Where is Keynes Kid?¡± Vivena asked, hearing and feeling monsters approaching from all directions. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ know.¡± Useless. She threw him away like a doll. The monsters were nearly upon her. Vivena took out her white ceramic sword and swept it in a circle around her, killing monsters that appeared next to her. There was something deeply wrong about them. Vivena had slain thousands of them during her time in the dominion but these here were brimming with singular hatred Vivena didn¡¯t expect even from enraged dominion monsters. In the end, this was of no consequence to her. Nothing could stand in the way of her revenge. *** Keynes and Kora stood in a small, hidden cave with a tiny stream snaking through the middle. The light came through what appeared to be the only way out of here - a large hole in the ceiling, several metres above their heads. They were no longer in the Inner Sanctuary as everything around them had changed. It appears we are back to the jungle, Alice said. It feels so spiritually barren in comparison to the Inner Sanctuary. Keynes noticed a similar thing through his spiritual sense. Feeling the Inner Sanctuary safely hidden in his soul, Keynes understood why that was. The realm of the Father was Level 5, while Earth remained at Level 1 albeit, it would change over time as more and more materials were extracted from higher Level rifts. ¡°We have to leave,¡± Kora said. Keynes nodded. He felt what was going on outside the cave - mayhem. With the Father¡¯s death, the monsters had been enraged but Keynes sensed more things afoot than monsters. Thousands of ascenders were inside what once had been the Inner Sanctuary. From the guardian, he knew that the time outside the Inner Sanctuary had flowed faster, just not how much faster. ¡°But we cannot go blind,¡± Keynes said, then added to Alice in his mind, Can you scout our surroundings? I can, she replied with a bit of sass then left. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan if¡­ you know, she appears? Can you fly us away?¡± ¡°She has [Flight] like me. We cannot escape her like this. And if we trust in the Father¡¯s assessment, we must assume she is too strong for us to handle. One thing is her monstrous Talent, the other any new skills she might have picked up since our ways parted.¡± Unfortunately, the Father didn¡¯t tell them what skills she had or even her current Level. The dominion ranking didn¡¯t say more than a name and number of points and they didn¡¯t want to judge based on that. Despite the Father¡¯s warning, it still itched him to meet Vivena. Maybe he¡¯d be able to convince her to not fight him? Why was she so mad about the outbreaks? Countless lives were lost, true, but mostly in the first outbreak, which Keynes couldn¡¯t be blamed for and subsequent outbreaks benefited mankind as a whole. I don¡¯t know what to say, Alice returned a few minutes later. The whole place is full of monsters and people. The best course of action is to fly straight up. No, Keynes shook his head. People would see us. We cannot risk it. But you don¡¯t know which way is Vivena, Alice countered. Yes, but how likely is it to run into her on the ground versus sticking out in the sky like a sore thumb? We don¡¯t have a proper stealth skill yet. You cannot stay here either, Keynes. This place will be torn apart by the monsters and ascenders. As to give her words weight, the cave shook. Some serious spells or Talents were thrown around. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s our cue to leave,¡± Keynes said. He grabbed Kora around her waist and flew out of the cave. The world outside the cave was on fire. It was all out war between thousands of ascenders and dominion monsters that could be counted in tens of thousands. The amount of essence, even divided amongst so many ascenders, was staggering. Any Level 4 or lower would be swiftly paralysed out there. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of essence,¡± Kora commented. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m about to drown in it.¡± Keynes wasn¡¯t close to that state but he remembered the time in the Jamaican¡¯s rift and his first contact with essence. Not the best of his memories But something bothered him. With all the fighting around, none of the monsters seemed to pay them any heed. Why? *** Zephyr fled from the mysterious woman. He couldn¡¯t gauge her exact strength but by the way she had handled him told him that she must be at least Level 10, maybe higher. The presence of such a powerhouse didn¡¯t surprise him, what did was who she had been looking for. Keynes. Now, Zephyr was asking himself. Was she Keynes¡¯s friend or foe? If the former, then he might have a problem, if the latter, well, could he make her an ally? Zephyr used his Talent to keep the monsters away from him, while used the tree farthest from himself (within his Talent¡¯s influence sphere) to look for Keynes. He winces as the jungle was torn apart by spells and Talents of other ascenders. This is not good. If they continue this, I¡¯ll lose my advantage. Zephyr pushed his Talent harder, risking some of the monster getting through his barrier of bushes and trees. Their hatred was not natural and they came at him without hesitation and regard for their bodies were shredded by thorns on branches and roots. Then a familiar power signature piqued Zephyr¡¯s attention in the chaos of battle. Or rather two signatures. He wouldn¡¯t recognise who was who but these two together were unmistakable. As Zephyr changed course, aiming for them, the monsters¡¯ attacks became so relentless he had to stop and start dealing with them. He also grumbled to himself as essence started to become a nuisance. To make things worse, something powerful shot through the battlefield like a cannon, throwing everything around. *** Keynes only managed to push Kora away before Vivena slammed into him. He felt his right arm snap, his bones splinter. His mind whitened for a split second as pain became too great. Purely on instinct, he activated [Chaos Aura], enveloping himself with it. Vivena was at him again. He used [Chaos Aura] against her fist. The Pure Body buff partially blocked [Poison Aura] The Pure Body buff partially blocked [Poisoned Senses] Sudden vertigo overtook Keynes, then pain exploded in his face. More bones were broken and he was thrown into the air, his body poisoned. If [Chaos Aura] did any damage to her, Keynes couldn¡¯t tell. Vivena was about to attack him a third time when Kora came to his rescue but even with [Empower] buffed by her Talent, [Conjure Weapon] and [Nature Aura], Vivena was too strong. Kora lasted only a second against her and she too was thrown away. Vivena didn¡¯t seem to care about her and moved toward Keynes, who was trying to get up. He could feel poisons inflicted by Vivena losing against the Pure Body buff. At least, her skills weren¡¯t too much of a threat. But her attributes were out of this world. Light exploded, making Keynes go blind. His mind was sharp enough to realise what happened; Kora used a Talent-enhanced [Light Bomb]. Without a second hesitation, Keynes activated [Spiritual Wraith] and [Flight] and left the ground. He saw the world purely through his spiritual sense as the chaos around them was too much for his physical perception, which worked to his advantage. Vivena was less likely to figure out where he was, and as much as it irked him to leave like this, Keynes wasn¡¯t an idiot. His health dropped to 30% just from two punches and some poison damage. He was not prepared to face her at this point. He needed to find a way to counter her Talent. He had hoped that [Mind Illusion] would make a difference but with her Mind attribute so high, she might not even notice his mental attack so he didn¡¯t try. In truth, he didn¡¯t even manage to activate the skill and using [Chaos Aura] was more of a knee-jerk reaction than a conscious decision. She simply was too quick for him. Keynes used [Flight] to get as much distance between Vivena and him, while Kora would go in the opposite direction, most likely blending with the fighting ascenders. Barely ten seconds after he took off, he sensed an incoming object. An arrow. He dodged as much as he could. Who¡¯s that? Keynes asked Alice. I don¡¯t recognise him, Alice muttered. But his spiritual energy is as hateful as the monsters here. Another arrow¡­ What is his problem? *** Baruka had been notified by one of his people who kept tabs on Vivena Sael that she had found Keynes. Baruka¡¯s way to Keynes Kid was barred by hordes of angry monsters, which he dispatched with his hammer and help of several loyal White Masks. ¡°Argh,¡± one of his people grunted as a moving tree with thorny branches pushed him away. After months spent in the jungle, Baruka despised trees with all his heart. Now that Keynes Kid was within his reach, they seemed to stand in his way. ¡°Burn it all,¡± Baruka shouted to his people. A few seconds later, [Fireball]s and other fire-themed spells were thrown around. They heard a loud sonic boom and sounds of splintered wood. Even without, the presence of Vivena Sael was unmistakable. The woman didn¡¯t hide her spiritual aura. Baruka¡¯s high Perception attribute allowed to hear the fight between the woman and Keynes Kid and he swore that he wouldn¡¯t be the one to kill the murderer. Then as Baruka dipped his head to avoid a large barbed tail that tried to smash into his head, the world turned white. Even with his gaze turned the other way, the light penetrated his skull and blinded him for a couple of seconds. He reigned his sight in time to see a black speck flying into the sky¡­ Wait a second¡­ that¡¯s him! That¡¯s the murderer! Baruka¡¯s Level 7 perception was enough to see the speck in detail. He memorised Keynes Kid¡¯s face after he had bought his photo from the black market. Not the cheapest endeavour but a necessary one. Baruka downed two potions: stamina and physical enhancement, then exploded forward, swapping his hammer for a bow and quiver. He left his people behind to deal with the monsters while he evaded anything that came his way. He could lose Keynes Kid, now that he had him in sight! Getting in range, Baruka shot the first arrow but it missed. FUUUCK! He couldn¡¯t get away! Baruka shot the next arrow but missed again. But something didn¡¯t add up here. Vivena Sael had [Flight] as well so why wasn¡¯t she chasing him? Baruka glanced her way and saw that ascenders and monsters alike were thrashing around, blind. Without [Flight] Baruka would lose Keynes Kid, once the murderer reached a thick layer of clouds. Despite a burning rage, Baruka had no choice, he needed Sael¡¯s help here. Kid must die! ¡°V¡ªargh.¡± Blood filled his mouth, cutting his voice off. Baruka blinked in shock, seeing a long silvery blade sticking out of his throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my friend, but I cannot let you do this.¡± Persephone¡¯s voice was the last thing Baruka heard before he died. *** Vivena¡¯s sight returned and she immediately scanned the surroundings. No Keynes anywhere. She didn¡¯t sense him, which meant he had used [Spiritual Ghost] skill. She fumed, then she checked for Keynes¡¯s girl but she wasn¡¯t here either. Ascenders caught by the light spell were still holding their eyes, groaning, while the monsters thrashed blindly around. Then the familiar presence arrived. The old man from the clearing. ¡°Did you see where he went?¡± Viven asked as animated trees and bushes parted, revealing him in the middle. ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It appears the dominion boss left a gift for me. Any monster in my vicinity would prioritise me with all the hatred the fucking tree could muster.¡± Without a word, Vivena took off into the sky. She was very sure he had flown away. She didn¡¯t think he could run in his state. I should have gone for a killing blow, she told herself as soared up in the sky. Pain in her right hand reminded her that Keynes wasn¡¯t entirely harmless. His [Chaos Aura] wasn¡¯t something Vivena wanted to experience ever again. She knew she should have used a lethal, fast acting poison-imbued [Poison Arrow] instead of physical combat. I won¡¯t make another such mistake. As she reached the attitude near the limit of [Flight], she started frantically scanning the sky. She would not let Keynes get away from her. No. He would pay for what he had done. Minutes passed and Vivena grew more anxious. He clearly managed to get into the clouds, somehow. And he may have a regeneration potion. She didn¡¯t consider this. Her anger started to rise and she was considering to return back and start chasing Keynes¡¯s girl, when something blipped at the edge of her sight KEYNES! Pumping all her mana into [Flight] and feeling the skill quiver from the overwhelming amount of mana but held, while Vivena hurried to catch the falling form of Keynes. Her poisons must have done the job. She was nearly there! Nearly! Her spiritual core protested as she hurled toward him with a neck-breaking speed. Only metres divided them. She reached for Keynes, her hand imbued with the worst poisons, she could come up. Ther¡ª *** ¡°Oh.¡± Keynes opened his eyes feeling surprisingly refreshed but his memories were foggy. He remembered the end of competition and death of the Father. After that things got hazy. Did I fight Vivena? ¡°That wasn''t a fight,¡± Lem Solaris said, matter of factly. ¡°Her Talent is too strong without proper countermeasures. You have to learn how to deal with over-powered Talents first before you can attempt fighting her again. People like Vivena Sael are not unique, though they are rare. ¡°Nonetheless, Keynes Kid, this is the last time we will meet. I must leave this universe. My master cannot stay here, and for that he apologises. He thinks you have a bright, but challenging future ahead of you. He would love to see it. ¡°As a parting gift, he struck a deal with the System. We can offer you a single gift that will help you in the journey ahead. Enjoy.¡± Lem Solaris vanished, Keynes blinked as the time seemed to resume. He was in the bed with a stunning view. Of space. This is a spaceship! Book 1 available on Amazon Finally after over a month of waiting for Amazon to finish review, the book was published! Can I ask you all a big favour? Can you drop a review/rating? It will help immensely in promoting the book on Amazon. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The book is available in KU. Also, I wanted to thank you all my readers who stayed with me and keep reading the book! Now, a bit of seamlessness, if I manage to get 50 reviews/ratings by the end of the week, I will drop additional chapter here and on patreon ;D Thanks everyone Chapter 201: Interlude Several hours before the end of the second dominion The surrounding area of the Inner Sanctuary swarmed with ascenders. Their overwhelming presence brought the dominion monsters to near extinction. Although the dominion monsters weren¡¯t the reason why a million of ascenders had come here. The competition in the Inner Sanctuary was ending today and everyone wanted a piece of the dominion boss¡¯ spoil. Little did they know about the ¡®spoils¡¯ they were going to find there. Still, among the gathered ascenders were a few who weren¡¯t here for wealth, they were for a particular young ascender with a Talent which changed the universe. Of course, none of the people on the planet understood the scope and consequences of Keynes Kid¡¯s actions, and no one could blame them for that. But the time of ignorance was slowly fading away, revealing the truer face of the System and ramifications of events on Earth. Eventually, the competition ended, exceeding Lem Solaris¡¯s expectation. She had asked him only to reach the dominion¡¯s boss. Circumstances surrounding his triumph weren¡¯t simple though. A system-born entity seeking survival of the race it created wasn¡¯t unheard of but it was a rather rare occurrence. What made it unique was the fact that the System was awakened. When it came to awakened systems, things got tricky and so these systems had limitations and severe restrictions placed on them. This one was different for some reason. Shortly after the competition ended, the boss died and two things happened almost simultaneously. The barrier that kept the Inner Sanctuary in a pocket reality vanished, then the Inner Sanctuary was soul-bound and placed in Keynes Kid¡¯s soul, disappearing from this reality, leaving the forest as it had been before. As ascenders rushed inside, Lem Solaris focused her attention on Keynes Kid and Kora Kowalska. They were not out of danger and while a direct intervention was the last resort, Lem Solaris would not let these two die needlessly. Lem had plans regarding them. Lem followed the clash between Keynes Kid and Vivena Sael closely. He was outmatched by the girl¡¯s enhanced attributes. Countering attribute-focused builds was easy as the synergy between them was easily disrupted. But her increased attributes were coming from her Talent which changed the way they functioned on a fundamental level. This left Keynes Kid without a counter against Vivena Sael. His skillset was excellent at fighting ascenders and monsters with similar or slightly higher attributes but not someone with attributes 3 times higher. If Vivena¡¯s enhanced attributes came from items, Keynes would have a shot at defeating her with well-timed [Chaos Aura]. Unsurprisingly, the fight went in the direction Lem had predicted but with an abnormal margin of error that shouldn¡¯t be there. She identified the source of the error as the Chaos buff. It was nearly imperceivable, but its existence was a significant fact. Because of the unimaginable difference in power level between her and Keynes Kid, her foresight should be perfect. It would decay the further she looked into the future or the higher Level of the ascender she tried to see. There were also Talents and items that affected foresight. But none of that applied to Keynes Kid¡¯s circumstances. Keynes Kid escaped thanks to Kora Kowalska¡¯s [Light Bomb]. The only spell that worked on Vivena Sael but not in any game-changing way. But the time it bought helped. At least to a certain degree. While physical damage Keynes Kid could cope with, Vivena Sael¡¯s poisons made havoc in his body even with his Pure Body buff. If not for that buff, the poisons alone would have killed him already. His body gave up several minutes after Kora Kowalska had used [Light Bomb]. Keynes Kid naturally didn¡¯t take into consideration the strain [Flight] had on him and lost consciousness falling out of the sky. The fall would kill him. Lem knew this with complete certainty. Vivena Sael noticed him and without hesitation shot toward his falling form. Time slowed down suddenly and Lem turned around. ¡°Lemmy,¡± Traveller said with a broad smile. His form retained red hair and but lost his facial hair, while his attire remained a classical Attorian jacket which ended with ethereal hem and elegant silvery finish in form of pins and buttons. ¡°We must go.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡±She sighed, understanding that her time here was over. If her master said they must go then there was very little she could do to change his mind. ¡°You don¡¯t want to,¡± Traveller noticed, then his eyes found Keynes Kid. Because Lem was his soul companion, their bond was far deeper than a spiritual one. It could be, and often was, argued that Lem Solaris and Traveller were one person in two different bodies. ¡°I have unfinished business here.¡± Traveller¡¯s eyes lit up and she sensed his foresight go beyond her capabilities. Then, after a couple seconds, his attention returned to her. ¡°There is not much you can do to help him,¡± Traveller said. ¡°His enemies are multiplying in power and number at the rate he cannot match if he wishes to continue the path of Perfect State. To save him, you would be forced to intervene more times than the System would allow you. It is unfortunate, but he is a lost cause.¡± For some reason, this only strengthened her resolve to save the boy. It was an irrational thought as she had seen and caused tragedies on an unbelievable scale. So what was a single life in comparison to that? Nothing. And yet, she felt deep at her heart that saving him was something she should do. ¡°There must be a way,¡± she said, then not waiting for her master¡¯s reply, her sight took in the entire planet, and then the entire solar system. Her mind roared in defiance as she overclocked it by taking in all the details she saw. For a split second, she was omniscient. It ended the next instant but knowledge remained perfectly preserved. Traveller watched her intently, giving her time to consolidate what she had seen. It took her less than a second. For someone of their levels, it was comparable to an eternity. ¡°I found a solution.¡± *** Keynes awoke to darkness. It was absolute and endless. He wasn¡¯t alone here. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. A woman, with long magenta hair that coiled around her waist, accompanied him. She wore a white futuristic space suit. Even without knowing what perfection was, Keynes knew her face represented perfection. A blue, glowing tattoo decorated the right side of her face, like psychedelic vines, circling her right eye. She stood tall, taller than any man ever could. If he wished to risk a guess, he would give her at least three metres in height. Both of them stood on an oddly smooth surface resembling a sheet of glass. He didn¡¯t know why but he felt at peace here in the stranger''s presence. His hands were steady, his breathing calm and composed as he took measure of his body and clothes. He wore the same white space suit. ¡°Keynes Kid,¡± she said and something in her voice felt familiar but he couldn¡¯t place it. His memory¡­ it did not work as it should. ¡°This is farewell.¡± He blinked, not understanding what was going on. Oh, shit. ¡°Did I die?¡± ¡°You would have without my intervention.¡± Keynes connected dots. ¡°Lem Solaris?¡± He asked, his brows climbing almost to his hairline. ¡°You look different.¡± ¡°You will learn that physical appearance at my Level means very little, if you¡¯ll ever reach it of course.¡± ¡°You can change how you look?¡± She gave him a sidelong glance then turned away from him. ¡°Walk with him.¡± He fell in steps beside her a few moments later. There seemed to be nothing around so Keynes didn¡¯t see a point in moving but he kept his thoughts to himself. Then he noticed dots of light. One. Two. Ten. Hundreds¡­ They were stars! ¡°Here.¡± Keynes glanced to where Lem Solaris was pointing at. It was the Earth seen from orbit. It hadn¡¯t been there a second ago! ¡°How?¡±he asked, finally sensing a dam cracking under pressure of burning curiosity. ¡°It is so easy to forget how little you earthlings know,¡± she sighed. ¡°You have no comprehension of power scaling. A Level 50 from this universe could erase your planet with as much as a thought. Its unrestrained spiritual presence would snuff a star, break black holes. And that, in the scale of the greater universe is, what you are to a Level 50.¡± Keynes¡¯s mind cooked. He had so many questions! Lem Solaris raised her hand, halting the avalanche that was about to befall on her. ¡°Out of all your questions only one would benefit you in the near future. There is a reason why materials have Levels. A Level 50 ascender can do as much to a Level 50 planet as a Level 1 ascender to a Level 1 planet. And to answer your subsequent question; to see a planet¡¯s Level and Tier you must access its system interface. I won¡¯t tell you how to do it. It¡¯s not difficult to figure out.¡± At this point, Keynes was certain, his brain was fried. ¡°But I didn¡¯t bring you here to discuss elemental knowledge,¡± she said, glancing away. ¡°I brought you here to say goodbye and leave you with a farewell gift.¡± Keynes remained quiet, finding no joy in the perspective of Lem Solaris leaving. He had thought he would be happy when this moment arrived but that was not the case. ¡°You have no reason to feel sad.¡± ¡°I am not sad,¡± he countered immediately. ¡°Just thoughtful.¡± She sniffed, amused. She knew he was lying. ¡°Do you remember what happened before you awoke here?¡± ¡°I was¡­¡± He found his memories elusive. His face scrunched as he pushed harder to remember. ¡°I was in the Inner Sanctuary.¡± ¡°You and Kora have won the competition. Yes. Then¡­¡± As she narrated the events following Kora¡¯s and his triumph, his memories trickled back. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I lost to Vivena so badly.¡±He shook his head. ¡°Your current skill set has no answer to her Talent. There is no shame in losing.¡± Lem Solaris turned to him and added. ¡°Once.¡± Keynes understood the warning. There would be no second chances for him. I won¡¯t fail again. I will not fail ever again. ¡°I made a deal with the System.¡± Lem pulled Keynes out of his thoughts. ¡°It was the only way to leave you this.¡±Lem extended her arm to where a slick, black spaceship orbited the Earth. Keynes¡¯s mouth fell open, sour memories of losing to Vivena forgotten. ¡°It is yours but it came at cost, though the mess your assistant made down there helped a lot,¡± she explained. ¡°You and every member of your crew are thereby stripped of all items and unabsorbed skills with two exemptions.¡± Keynes sharply turned to her. ¡°What? Everything we have earned¡ª¡± ¡°Hush,¡± she silenced him. ¡°Don¡¯t whine about useless trinkets. Focus, because I won¡¯t repeat myself and your memory buff does not work here. ¡°You must know that there are two major reasons why the System agreed to this deal. One, I helped it revert a great danger it was oblivious to. Two, we showed it how we had entered this universe so the System can seal it after we left. We will never return here.¡± The scenery changed. They were in a dim chamber suffused with soft blue and green lights running alongside walls and ceiling. The chamber was massive, its walls made out of some black alloy Keynes didn¡¯t recognise. In the middle of the chamber was a column that connected the floor with the ceiling. Like all other surfaces, it was made out of the same materials but there was a red tree engraved on it. ¡°This is the heart of your spaceship. I took a liberty and combined the Mycelium AI, your department stumbled upon, with your dream tree. There is one extra treat inside but that¡¯s the surprise. It controls all functions of the ship so you don¡¯t need a crew to operate it. After you wake up, I recommend you familiarise yourself with it.¡± She smiled, more to herself than to Keynes. The scenery changed once more. But only slightly. The chamber wasn¡¯t as high but more spacious sidewise. Hundreds of people were laying on the floor. Keynes¡¯s heart spiked at the sight but Lem¡¯s hand calmed him down. ¡°They¡¯re sleeping and they are perfectly fine. I selected five hundred people that agreed to join you. They will be a great help to you.¡± ¡°Five hundred¡­ What about my family?¡± ¡°Your parents are here. Your brother.¡± Lem gave a sorry expression. ¡°Refused.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He needs to find his own way, Keynes. He doesn¡¯t want to live in your shadow.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t want to accept the fact that she had left Harter on Earth. ¡°He will be fine. Let¡¯s move on or I''ll make you forget what I said.¡± It took Keynes several minutes to calm down. ¡°How did they know about the spaceship?¡±He asked to distract himself from dark thoughts about Harter. ¡°I simply asked them. Those who refused will have no memory of this fact. These here will only remember agreeing to come out of their own volition but they won¡¯t remember details, or me.¡± Keynes frowned, wondering if she would do the same to him. He wished she wouldn¡¯t. Lem must have heard his thoughts, naturally, because she said, ¡°You won¡¯t remember this conversation, not in the beginning at least. You¡¯ll have to earn knowledge. As I said earlier, the System doesn¡¯t like giving knowledge for free.¡± As the gravity of his situation started dawning on him, his blood turned cold. If he left the Earth he would doom it. ¡°What about the vision?¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°The Earth will be invaded,¡± Keynes said. ¡°Yes. Even though the vision isn¡¯t very accurate, the invasion is inevitable.¡± ¡°We have to stop it. I can¡¯t just leave.¡± ¡°Keynes, you have to understand one thing about the System. It doesn¡¯t care about any particular ascender race. Humans aren¡¯t special in any way. And so I cannot do anything about this. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°But Harter¡­¡± Lem¡¯s hand touched Keynes¡¯s forehead, and everything vanished. Chapter 202: Landfall A shuttlecraft pierced a thick coat of clouds like a bullet. From a distance, the craft looked very much like a bullet. Its hues and colours ranged from grey to black, its slick, elongated shape was softly angular. The shuttlecraft¡¯s surface appeared to be seamless as if the vehicle was built out of one piece. It plummeted toward the planet¡¯s surface, its trajectory straight. The clouds barely acknowledge the passing of the alien craft, as if it was a ghost. Despite its speed, the atmosphere did not resist it. A watcher on the ground would see nothing but a tiny dot moving across the sky without leaving a trace. Inside the shuttlecraft ten ascenders silently waited for landfall. The only sound in the cabin was a soft hum of the gravity engine. A lack of vibration could trick anyone into believing that the shuttlecraft was still sailing through the vacuum of space. ¡°Three minutes to contact,¡± the AI said, forcing Keynes to peel his eyes from the otherworldly view beyond the windscreen. Heavy clouds hung low, painting the sky with many hues of orange and streaks of grey. The landmass looked far more sinister; jagged, rocky and lifeless. But it wasn¡¯t the same type of lifelessness as deserts or mountain peaks from Earth. No. This place was lifeless to the microbial level. It was sterile. And highly toxic. Red and brown colours dominated the desolated scenery, cut by darkness of its many deep valleys and gorges. Places where Keynes¡¯s imagination conjured alien monsters lurking in anticipation for their prey. Obviously, there were no monsters. The planet was dead like the moon. It was far from perfect but it was the best they had at their disposal. The other six planets from this star system posed threats and issues Keynes and his crew weren¡¯t ready to tackle yet. Some were too hot and too bright, others too dark and too cold. One of the planets had several thousand active volcanoes and the atmosphere so thick with dust it locked the planet in a perpetual night. What Keynes and others had been looking for was a reliable surface without active geology and severe weather. Their planet of choice had occasional hurricanes that mostly appeared near the equator. The planet¡¯s geological activity seemed dead. Lifeless or not, Keynes and his crew were excited about the prospect of being the first humans to take a step on a planet outside the solar system. Keynes swivelled on his chair, taking a glance at the other nine ascenders, sitting comfortably in their chairs in two rows. As the mission leader he sat in the forwardmost and slightly elevated seat, also called the command. The vehicle was fully autonomous, requiring no pilot, so the position of the chair was more symbolic than functional. The nine pairs of eyes watched him with varied intensity and a different spectrum of emotions. Their selection for the mission was a source of headache and a huge debate that didn¡¯t end even when the spaceship¡¯s main AI provided a solid argument for each candidate¡¯s selection. Now that the messy process was over, the thought about it put a smile on Keynes¡¯s face. Lem Solaris had selected quite a peculiar bunch for his spaceship¡¯s crew. They were rowdy, outspoken and fearless. Their arguments extended to days and covered the entire spaceship. His crew was not without surprises though with some familiar faces Keynes had never expected to see again, especially not in such circumstances. Persephone and Willow Croft were prime examples. What Lem Solaris had thought about when selecting these two Keynes could only guess. Their Talents were valuable but Keynes had a hard time trusting them. And yet, the spaceship AI argued to include both in the maiden mission to the planet. Croft was the mission¡¯s rift expert while Persephone¡¯s Talent made her¡ªtheoretically¡ªthe second most important person after Keynes. At least as long as her desire aligned with their needs. Neither of them had any authority in the current group though. Keynes had chosen as his second in command Kora, which she had swiftly refused and transferred to her sister, Natalia. The spaceship AI had quietly convinced Keynes that having Natalia as his second was the optimal choice. Suspiciously, no one in the entire crew had any issue with this. Apart from them, the mission included Pierre, a terraforming expert from Mars and Roman, another terraforming expert from Venus. They were responsible for finalising plans for their first surface base. The eighth member of the mission¡¯s crew was Trisk. His Talent allowed him to shape rock. Keynes couldn¡¯t hide his ¡®excitement¡¯ at the thought of another underground base. The ninth member was Sellana. She was a runic and formation savant. No matter how much the AI praised Persephone¡¯s value, Keynes could only marvel at the ideas Sellana had brought to the table. There seemed to be no limitation to what runes and formations could do. The last person was Ul. His role, while not extravagant, was vital not only to their mission but to their survival. Ul was a chief and biologist. He was here to tell them if they were going to starve to death. ¡°Two minutes to contact.¡± Lem Solaris¡¯s gift, while invaluable, hadn¡¯t come without harsh limitations imposed by the System. They were left stranded in an unknown star system with several inhospitable planets, no fuel for interstellar journey or a star map to guide them. The spaceship came with six months worth of supplies and each day brought them closer to a disaster. ¡°Status of the target location?¡± Keynes asked the AI. ¡°Without changes,¡±came the reply. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The question was more or less without merit as the AI continuously monitored every aspect of their mission and would inform them about any issues. But Keynes didn¡¯t just want to passively rely on the AI. Five hundred people relied on Keynes and expected him to lead and while he didn¡¯t feel ready to be a leader he had no choice but to become one. This responsibility terrified him. ¡°Leader?¡± came a voice through the suit¡¯s in-built communication system. ¡°Should we go over the procedure one last time?¡± Keynes turned to Natalia who stared furiously at the tablet in her hands. His second in command was obsessed with following rules to the letter. Keynes mused his answer for a couple of seconds then agreed, eliciting several groans from other members of the crew. ¡°We are going to land near the largest Level 1 rift cluster on the planet. Twenty-seven rifts inside a two kilometre radius. However the terrain is extremely harsh and poses significant risk to Level 1s and 2s. Hence no one under Level 3 would be permitted to leave the designated safety zone. After the leader and I leave the shuttlecraft you will wait for the green light before exiting the vehicle¡­¡± Keynes zoned out. There was no need for him to listen. ¡°One minute to contact.¡± Instead he mulled over their options in regard to their current situation. The spaceship capabilities were seemingly unlimited as far as they discovered but they were not cheap. Each action performed by the spaceship and its AI cost mana. One of the hardest to come by resources for ascenders. At Level 1, ascenders had 100 mana points and meagre regeneration of 4.2 points per hour. By some unknown rule, unsupported mana regen was always the same and equaled mana capacity divided by 24. Mana capacity scaled by 30% each Level, making substantial difference at Higher Levels but so much at the lower ones. Among five hundred crew, there were only a handful of ascenders with Level 4 and above. In total the crew¡¯s mana pool was just above 50k points. Half of that was eaten by the spaceships¡¯ life support system on a daily basis. A single planetary rift scan had cost them 200k mana, then additional 50k was a cost of running the shuttlecraft and ten spacesuits for a day. Even solving the food issue, these arrangements were not sustainable. An estimated cost of a deep space probe to chart the nearest star systems was several millions of mana. Their only solution were rifts. The unnamed planet had 1222 Level 1 rifts. A substantial number. A number that belonged to them, a number that put to shame what Keynes had possessed on Earth. But still, these rifts were extraterrestrial. An unknown. ¡°Understood?¡± Natalia asked on the open channel and seven voices repeated. Keynes and Persephone remained silent. While his mind dwelled on rifts, his eyes watched the rapidly closing land. This actually made him wonder. Would they one day be able to turn this place into a lush, Earth-like planet? Hopefully. ¡°Contact in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Contact.¡± The landing was like the flight, butter-smooth. If not for the AI and the view outside the windscreen, they wouldn¡¯t know they landed. ¡°Welcome to¡­ would you like to name the planet?¡± the AI asked Keynes for a hundredth time and for a hundredth time he ignored it. ¡°Spatial expansion procedure in progress.¡± The shuttlecraft interior expanded tenfold, revealing hidden rooms and turning the craft into a temporary base. It was a shame that upkeep cost 50k mana a day. ¡°Listen up,¡± Natalia said. ¡°Stay put until the leader and I give you the green light to exit the craft.¡± She¡¯s intense, Alice said, startling Keynes. Also, I hate this barren, dead, ugly place. I thought you¡¯ve stayed on the ship in orbit, Keynes said, smirking. Jokes on you but one more Perfect State Level and I¡¯d have a bond radius of over a hundred kilometres! You¡¯ll miss me. Maybe, Keynes replied, while getting to his feet. Maybe? You were meant to say yes! Keynes pushed Alice to the back of his mind. He was getting really nervous about this; excited too. He winked to Kora who patted his shoulder, he followed Natalia to the airlock. The door soundlessly closed behind them but remained transparent. This was one of the coolest features of the shuttlecraft. It was capable of turning transparent any part of its hull. ¡°All systems are nominal,¡± the AI said. ¡°Open the airlock,¡±Keynes gave an order. The exterior door opened revealed an alien landscape. Jagged horizon stretched in both directions. Darkness in the gorges and valleys seemed deeper and more sinister. The sky above them looked wrong and not only because the clouds had different colours. They were too low as if about to fall on them. ¡°Toxicity level: high. Estimated Vitality to survive without permanent damage: 500.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a big number,¡± Natalia admitted. ¡°Yeah. Best to not lose our suits,¡± Keynes added. ¡°These suits are capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions, higher pressure and have a range of physical and elemental resistance¡­¡± The AI went on, listing the impressive capabilities of their suits. Nothing under Level 4 could damage them. And most importantly, their skills and Talent wouldn¡¯t affect them either in any negative way. Keynes¡¯s biggest worry was the interaction with [Chaos Aura] but the AI assured him that counter-measures were in place and he would be warned before irreversible damage could be done to the spacesuit¡¯s fabric. ¡°Home sweet home,¡±Roman whistled. ¡°It has some of Mars¡¯ beauty as well,¡± Pierre added with a heavy accent. ¡°Colours don¡¯t match but northern parts of Mars have very similar terrain features.¡± They remained inside the vehicle but most of the hull went completely transparent showing them as much as Keynes and Natalia could see. ¡°Leader, are you ready?¡± Keynes nodded, considering asking her to stop calling him a leader. It sounded silly. He took a step and put his foot on the rocky surface. The moment was both exhilarating and anticlimactic. He was the first human ascender on the surface of a planet outside the solar system but the spacesuit made this whole experience dull. Congratulations and shouts of happiness sounded in the intercom. ¡°Good luck,¡± Jedd said. ¡°We are counting on you, boss.¡± Chapter 203: Desire Keynes tuned out the voices of his crew congratulating him. As much as he wished to participate in the celebration, his mission weighed on him. He thanked Jedd on the private channel and turned to the task at hand. Given the ridiculous cost of the mission and their dwindling supplies, they needed to succeed today. He glanced back. Natalia stood in the pristine white spacesuit against the stark visage of the shuttlecraft. She was going through the safety procedures again. This and more could be handled by the AI but they wanted to conserve as much AI¡¯s mana as possible. If they could do the work themselves, they would do it. The shuttlecraft itself was motionlessly hanging in the air in the middle of a flat clearing on a rocky shelf somewhere in the lower part of a mountain. Looking at it felt a little disorienting as its outer size was 10 times smaller than its interior. Keynes wasn¡¯t a stranger to spatial space distortion but that much expanded space was unheard of. The area Pierre and Roman had chosen as their landing spot had several important characteristics. It was flat, sheltered from erosive winds by a short, jagged rock formation and had the optimal position in relation to the rifts in the cluster. It didn¡¯t mean the access to these rifts was easy. The terrain around them was steep and ridden with sharp rocks and deep crevices. The spacesuit system as well as their spiritual auras scanned the surroundings for dangers like hidden potholes. The AI¡¯s report had mentioned an extensive cave system, while Roman warned that the collapsing caves had been a serious obstacle in terraforming Venus. A hundred metres from their position, the nearly vertical and grotesque-looking mountain formations began, splitting in three different directions, with some of its peaks reaching the low hanging clouds. Everything about this place screamed at him to leave it. Alice, can you check the spiritual realm here? Already on it, Alice replied. ¡°Let¡¯s check the perimeter, leader,¡± Natalia said but Keynes stopped her. He wanted to understand how the spiritual realm in a place like this looked like. Oh, Alice muttered. The spiritual realm is even worse. As dead as the physical plane? Keynes inquired. I wish but no, there are spiritual creatures here and they seem to be drawn to lifelessness. They didn¡¯t notice me but they may notice you if you decide to check for yourself. I should be fine, Keynes said, though I don¡¯t plan going there anytime soon. He didn¡¯t belittle Alice¡¯s warning but there were fundamental differences between him and Alice. Often, things harmful to her were harmless to him and vice versa. Nonetheless, the presence of spiritual creatures on the otherwise dead planet was something they hadn¡¯t known beforehand. It meant that physical life wasn''t a prerequisite of spiritual one. He would leave figuring out the meaning of this to others who were doing research in this field. ¡°Ready,¡± Keynes said to Natalia. ¡°We can proceed.¡± With both of their high Strength and Dexterity attributes and agile spacesuits that didn¡¯t obstruct any movement, Keynes and Natalia moved at a quick pace. They surveyed the flat expanse, about fifty metres in diameter, finding several potential but treacherous pathways. They led downward to where the closest rifts were located. ¡°Safety zone established,¡±Natalia said on the main channel. ¡°Confirm,¡± Keynes added. It was the green light others waited for. ¡°One small step for¡ª¡± ¡°Stop it, Roman,¡± Pierre interrupted him. ¡°We are already past that.¡± ¡°We have never set a foot outside our solar system,¡± Roman countered. ¡°This here is mankind''s greatest achievement.¡± Keynes hid a smile. Mankind had nothing to do with this achievement. Yes, human ascenders were here but not by their own power. Not yet. Perhaps not for several decades, though he could be very wrong in his assessment. Rifts turned technological progress upside down. The friendly banter between Roman and Pierre ended with a bark from Natalia. ¡°Focus, you two. This is an extremely hostile environment. One mistake may cost lives, your fellows and your lives.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t disagree with her but their situation wasn¡¯t as dire as Natalia made it look like. Still, he wouldn¡¯t openly mention it. Leadership should always project unity, even if the leaders privately disagreed with one another on some matters. Or so the books on the subject said so. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Roman and Pierre obediently said. ¡°Survey the area for the initial base. Kora will keep you safe.¡± ¡°Safe from what? There are no monsters here.¡± Kora asked, a little taken aback. ¡°I thought I would join you to the rift.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t listened to the revised mission plan, Kora.¡± Kora shuffled her feet on the dust-covered rocky ground. ¡°I might have been distracted.¡± It seemed to be a common theme in the last couple days when they were finalising the mission procedures. Honestly, Keynes didn¡¯t blame them. No one in their group was a professional astronaut. So they weren¡¯t trained for this. Natalia glared at Kora intensely. She didn¡¯t admonish her but Natalia¡¯s aura revealed her annoyance. ¡°You are thus responsible for their safety, Kora. Do I make myself clear?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Natalia turned to the rest. ¡°Trisk, proceed with the plan. Reinforce the landing zone then build an emergency shelter. Once you are finished with that, start shaping a single passage out of here. It must be defensible. We must have safe access to each of the twenty seven rifts in the cluster from here.¡± ¡°Why defensible?¡± Trisk asked. ¡°In case of a rift outbreak or a monster event.¡± ¡°A rift outbreak?¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Right. The information about Keynes¡¯s Talent wasn''t common knowledge. The crew somewhat understood that Keynes and others had means to open rifts but his role in the outbreaks was omitted. Jedd, Natalia and Keynes were working on a system that would fairly distribute required information to the crew. While Keynes had gone through different stances on access to dangerous and sensitive knowledge, he was eventually advised by Jedd about issues with each approach. Keynes didn¡¯t want for his crew to turn into yet another Untainted Paradise or worse, into the World Government, but compartmentalisation and different levels of access had enough merit to warrant a system in place. The underlying foundation of their knowledge system was knowing Talent of each member of their crew. More than half of the crew had been chosen because of their Talents. This led to a debate: who gets to know what? Should only the leadership have access to information about everyone¡¯s Talents or should everyone¡¯s Talents be common knowledge? The answer to this question was going to shape their culture and future internal and external interactions. Then the next question waited to be answered; how much information should be distributed among the crew? Too little could lead to distrust and rift between the leadership and the crew, too much could cause unrest or panic. Some people could handle truth easily, while others struggled with it. What would they do if they learned that Keynes had been responsible for the outbreaks? There was a high chance that everyone in his crew had lost a relative in the outbreaks. ¡°We must be prepared for every emergency. We cannot exclude it without understanding the cause of the outbreak.¡± Keynes was surprised how easily Natalia lied. She knew Keyne had caused the outbreaks and she wasn¡¯t the only one who knew. Kora and Persephone knew as well but they showed no reaction. Croft on the other hand wasn¡¯t as adept at controlling his aura and some of his emotions leaked out. Lucky, Trisk, Pierre, Sellana, Roman, Ul were only Level 1 and at the Lowest spiritual stage so they sensed nothing in Croft¡¯s aura. ¡°Yes, boss,¡± Trisk said. Keynes had mixed feelings about lying to people who put their lives in his hands but he couldn¡¯t risk distraction at a moment like this. Natalia turned to Persephone. ¡°We need your Talent. Persephone.¡± Persephone¡¯s control over her aura was nearly as good as Keynes¡¯s, but he still sensed a sliver of irritation. ¡°We need a rift with breathable air and soil for farming.¡± ¡°My Talent doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± Persephone sniffed. ¡°I know how your Talent works,¡± Natalia replied. ¡°So what do you desire right now that is of value to us?¡± Persephone took a moment to reply but when she did, the reply put a smile on everyone¡¯s faces. ¡°Meat. I want a proper steak, not the shit served by the ship.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Natalia nodded, then asked Keynes on the private channel ¡°You ready?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Ul, Croft, Persephone, me and the leader, will go and check the rift out. Sellana, work with Trisk on potential formations we could deploy here.¡± Why does she boss everyone around instead of you? Alice asked as they left the landing zone. Have you ever heard about delegation? Keynes asked. Not really¡­ but I can sense the vague intent behind the word coming from you. But why? It isn¡¯t like you have much to do? Because this is Natalia¡¯s strength. She¡¯s very good at micromanaging and tactical stuff. I¡¯m not, yet, Keyne replied. Besides, going forward, this will be her role, rather than mine. I am a big-picture guy now. What does it make me then? Alice sniffed, clearly amused. Alice, an annoying spiritual companion? Keynes muttered, sharing her amusement. Just you wait! I will be as strong as¡­ Lem Solaris, her voice dropped to a whisper at the end. Keynes sensed terror through their bond. Alice was terrified of Lem Solaris even now when the alien being had left them for good. The way out of the landing zone was treacherous and twice Natalia consulted Keynes about leaving Willow and Ul behind, but they were within margin of safety with their suits on. Also Natalia¡¯s Talent was healing so even in case of an accident, she could heal most wounds. What looked like a passage leading downward, turned into a steep fissure but with enough space for stable footing, so they didn¡¯t need to climb down. The way down was surprisingly quick and took them only 10 minutes. The rift selected by Persephone wasn¡¯t the closest one but neither was the farthest one. Keynes swept the rift¡¯s location with his aura, forcing it to reveal itself. It appeared in the recess inside a rocky formation. The way to the rift wasn¡¯t difficult for someone like Keynes, Natalia or Persephone but they urgently needed to terraform the pathway if they wanted to have safe and easy access to it. ¡°This place is hardly an optimal place for fighting monsters,¡± Natalia said to Keynes via private channel. ¡°Should I bring Trisk here?¡± ¡°Nah, no need for that,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°Though it would be handy to have Kora here.¡± ¡°I can send her a message.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Keynes told her then switched to the open channel. ¡°Persephone, Natalia, keep Willow and Ul safe while I clear out the rift and kill the boss.¡± Keynes approached the shimmering distortion in the air.
Rift (Common, Stable)
Level 1
Status Sealed
Requirements -
Modifiers -
Details This rift contains a higher number of monsters and a boss (overcharge effect). The monsters are immune to the planet¡¯s environment.
Affinity -
Special Status Overcharged, Unexplored
The rift¡¯s system window popped up and answered the burning question about monsters¡¯ survival outside the rift. Apart from that, there was nothing different about this rift. On one hand it was disappointment, on the other one, relief. If other planets had Earth-like rifts they were going to thrive. Do you wish to unseal the rift? Yes/No At Keynes¡¯s current Level, unsealing a Level 1 rift cost barely any mana and no effort. If there only was a way to get rid of overcharge status but as far as Keynes knew, only rift orbs were capable of affecting a rift¡¯s status. They had none. Keynes picked ¡®Yes¡¯. Rift monsters didn¡¯t appear though. Huh? What¡¯s going on? He mused. ¡°Keynes¡­¡± Natalia forgot herself and used his first name, which he preferred to ¡®leader¡¯. ¡°Where are the monsters?¡± ¡°No idea. Stay here.¡± Cautiously, he entered the rift. Inside he found darkness. The spacesuit¡¯s visor activated immediately, revealing a long, uneven but narrow cave with the passage too small for two people to walk abreast. The air inside wasn¡¯t toxic like on the planet but it was full of small particles, coal, metals, dust. A hundred Vitality was required to breath it without incurring any damage, although Keynes¡¯s Pure Body buff should be enough according to the AI. Where the fuck are the monster? He asked himself, while his spiritual aura spread around, moving through the stone with mild resistance. The rift was a single cave that randomly moved through a dense rock. It was a very strange rift, seemingly monsterless. Then he sensed something stir within the rock. It was barely a perceptible shock but its source was elusive until a single spiritual signature started to coalesce all around him. What the hell is going on? Keynes asked. It¡¯s some sort of rock serpent, Alice replied. How are we supposed to eat rock? Keynes wondered, thinking about Persephone¡¯s Talent. It might be that her Talent didn¡¯t work correctly outside of Earth, which he doubted or she misunderstood what it was telling her. The wall on the right side started to break apart as if turning into a fine dust. A monstrosity of a face took its place. A stub with a hole, surrounded by rows upon rows of jagged teeth. Wielding [Chaos Aura] with precision, Keynes cut off the head with a single motion, killing the monster. The suit immediately gave him analysis. Despite the name and rocky outer layer the monster was very meaty inside. It seems Persephone¡¯s Talent worked like a charm. Chapter 204: Alien Effect Killing the rock serpent didn¡¯t clear the rift, which confirmed the obvious: there were more of them. Keynes considered bringing either Persephone or Natalia inside. The risk factor for Natalia Kowalska and Persephone inside this rift is 0. The AI informed him. The risk factor of Willow Croft is 0.1%. The risk factor for Ul is 0.3%. It is advised to bring them inside as the environmental protection of their spacesuits outside the rift costs more than here. Keynes noticed an issue with calling everyone inside. They would lose communication with Kora and others. He didn¡¯t want to risk their lives because of efficiency. Keynes stepped outside the rift. ¡°I won¡¯t let you boss me around,¡± Persephone said to Natalia on their private channel and Natalia relayed it to Keynes. ¡°You don¡¯t have any real authority here except for the boy.¡± A surprise in the form of a soft spiritual shock came from Persephone. She didn¡¯t expect Keynes to leave the rift so soon. Still, she recovered nearly instantly. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Natalia and Persephone asked simultaneously. ¡°Is there meat inside?¡± What should he do here? Pretend that these two didn¡¯t butt their heads each time Natalia asked Persephone to do something? Would Natalia appreciate his support or would she be pissed by his interference? Eventually, he decided to ask her on their private channel, ignoring their questions about meat. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Yes, all is good.¡± Keynes put it out of his mind. If Natalia didn¡¯t wish to make an issue out of this, he would respect it. At the same time, his dislike of Persephone grew. What had Lem Solaris thought about when she¡¯d brought her here? Persephone¡¯s presence unsettled him, despite her strong Talent. ¡°What¡¯s the rift inside like?¡± Willow asked, agitated and curious. The ex-researcher seemed oblivious to the conflict between two women or chose to ignore it completely. The question brought Keynes back to the task at hand. He replied, highlighting the most important information the AI had given him. ¡°The rift has breathable air but it is heavily polluted and so we still need our spacesuits inside. The rift appears to be a single, very long, narrow and uneven cave. I encountered only one monster: a rock serpent. Despite its nature, it has meat under its rocky exterior.¡± This opened a floodgate of questions. Keynes was not going to answer them though. Instead, he used the spacesuit¡¯s internal network and transferred the information to the group. ¡°It appears to be Level 1 granite. Far more durable than the Level 0 stone here,¡± Willow said. ¡°The air inside could be easily purified with a glyph supported by runes until we can create a proper formation.¡± ¡°Do we have a blueprint of a purifying formation?¡± Natalia asked. ¡°We do,¡± Jedd said, observing the whole mission from orbit. ¡°We also have a catalogue of blueprints for a space base and tools necessary to survive in a hostile environment. As for the granite, we would need to create an earth-affinity matter transformer to make better use of granite from the rift. Doable.¡± In the pre-outbreak world, this wouldn¡¯t be enough. Keynes had a very brief understanding of how space bases functioned. They were technological marvels with many intricate systems and materials. Building a space base the old way was beyond Keynes and his crew¡¯s capabilities and skill. Luckily, things had changed. Most systems could be replaced with formations and runes now. It wouldn¡¯t be anything sophisticated but they could do the job just fine, according to a presentation Jedd had given him during one of their conversations. Jedd had surprisingly good insight into building a space base. It didn¡¯t make him an expert but his knowledge was sufficient for their needs. ¡°I am aware of the catalogue,¡± Natalia said. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t have time to review it yet. I will make sure to read it thoroughly when I am back.¡± Their first mission¡¯s goal was to open all Level 1 rifts in this cluster, gather vital information, prepare a landing zone and safe access to these rifts. Only then they would be able to start making decisions about establishing a base on the surface. So, in the way, they were getting ahead of themselves. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that,¡± Keynes said. There were 27 rifts in the cluster. If they wished to have a complete overview of them, they needed to hurry up. ¡°I need Ul inside to assess the meat.¡± Through his spiritual aura he sensed hesitation from Ul. He couldn¡¯t blame the chief. As far as Keynes knew, Ul hadn¡¯t ever been inside a rift. Not to mention an extraterrestrial rift. Nevertheless, the stake was too high to accommodate Ul¡¯s or anyone¡¯s discomfort. ¡°Natalia, we¡¯ll also need Trisk to get the rock serpent out of the stone.¡± ¡°I will bring him,¡± Natalia said and set off toward the landing zone. Keynes acknowledged, then glanced at Persephone and Willow. The former observed him, waiting most likely for his command, while the latter was staring at the rift¡¯s parameters on a monitor on his forearm. He was about to say to her to stay with Willow, but reconsidered. Willow was Level 4 now and while he was only a mixed essence ascender, he should be fine until Natalia was back with Trisk. On the other hand, the rift still had a boss and an unknown number of monsters. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. They can wait until you clear the rift¡­ Alice trailed off. Keynes felt it too. One of the rock serpents just emerged from the rift but instead of attacking them. It dived into the wall. Without thinking, Keynes cut it in half with [Chaos Aura]. A part of the monster was still stuck out of the rift, the other one bounced off the shelf and fell into darkness below. ¡°Did you just cut a monster with an aura?¡±Persephone asked, her voice and her aura betraying astonishment. ¡°The hell is this¡­¡± Ul muttered. ¡°Why now?¡± Willow asked. ¡°Change of plans, stay here. Persephone, watch the rift¡¯s exit. Ul, check if this is edible.¡± Keynes grabbed the remaining part of the rock serpent and pulled it out of the rift, which ended with tearing the monster apart as some of it must have been inside the rock. There was no space to place the corpse so he once more used [Chaos Aura] on the recess containing the rift, turning a part of the stone into dust or gas. He didn¡¯t need to hear gasps to know the shock the small display of power made on Ul, Willow and even Persephone. He placed the serpent¡¯s corpse in the newly created space and entered the rift. Spiritual signatures of rock serpents were all around him. Seventeen rock serpents, Alice said. But there is something else here. He sensed it too, although it was weak in comparison to the rock serpents and not worth his attention for now. Not bothering with [Spiritual Wraith], Keynes waited by the rift¡¯s exit for the monsters to come at him. They came slowly but inevitably, uncaring about the fate of their predecessors. He used [Chaos Aura] bluntly, melting heads of the monsters. Despite the difference in Levels between him and the monsters, using [Chaos Aura] with precision was mana-draining and exhausting. For a similar reason, Keynes dismissed an idea of using [Purify] to clean the air in the rift. He wouldn¡¯t have enough mana and time to finish it. After a while, when the entire first segment of the cave was turned into a gruesome spectacle of headless serpents hanging out of walls and ceiling, Keynes realised his blunder. The monsters would not stop coming until the boss was killed. This shouldn¡¯t be a surprise but somehow Keynes missed it. He briefly considered informing the rest of the crew outside, but decided it was redundant. Persephone and Natalia would have to stop any escaping monster without his warning. Not wasting time, Keynes surged forward. The cave narrowed and expanded without any pattern or logic, moving in various directions, including up and down. On the bright side, the rift had a single tunnel that didn¡¯t fork. The weak spiritual signature Keynes and Alice had sensed in the beginning belonged to a glowing moss. It was not a monster.
Deep Cave Moss (Common) Minor Purifying Ability [Plant] Level 1
¡°Minor Purifying Ability?¡± Keynes said aloud, wondering how they could use the moss. Before the challenge in the second dominion, his first instinct would be to take the moss and replant it outside the rift, but his trait and knowledge of plants was much more extended and deep and it whispered to him that replanting the moss out of this cave would kill it. I can undergo an in depth analysis of Deep Cave Moss. However, this is outside of the mission cost and so it would require you to pay an additional 500 mana. Would you like to proceed? ¡°No thanks.¡± Keynes didn¡¯t have 500 mana and was not going to have it until he hit Level 8. Obviously, they could get that much mana in a mana container but they only had blueprints to construct them, not the materials themselves, yet. It was a steep price for a scan of a Level 1 plant, and yet, it sounded enticing to just whip out 500 mana and get a full report on the plant. The spaceship¡¯s capabilities weren¡¯t trivial and shouldn¡¯t be dismissed out of hand. The rift scan accuracy was outstanding. Willow had praised it to no end. According to him, the Institute¡¯s rift scanner was a pale shadow of what they had access to here. The whole thing was more impressive because the spaceship¡¯s rift scanner didn¡¯t include many details they simply couldn¡¯t afford due to the steep increase in price. Lem Solaris had left them a masterpiece but the System didn¡¯t plan to make it easy for them. Moving past the first patch of the moss, Keynes checked on the air quality and found it much better, nearly breathable¡­ It gave him an idea. Alice, check the spiritual realm here. I wonder if we could recreate the condition of the rift¡¯s spiritual realm outside of this rift. I¡¯ve already done it. It is possible but not in the current form. Even if we terraform the spiritual realm outside the rift to resemble this one, the spiritual monsters might unravel it. I do not know how to permanently change a landscape of the spiritual realm. So, what can we do? Keynes asked as he brushed the moss with his gloved-hand. Modify the moss itself or move ¡®part¡¯ of this rift outside, recreating the environment, Alice replied, stunning Keynes with the insight. This is an amazing idea, thanks. The moss spread from there to the end of the cave. It covered the entire boss room, making the air fully breathable there. With a thought, Keynes dismissed the spacesuit, which was based on some nano-spatial technology. It felt weird to be outside the spaceship without a spacesuit, but Keynes didn¡¯t complain, instead he revelled in the moment. Until the boss attacked him at least. The Level 2 monster turned out to be a rock golem instead of the expected rock serpent. Its attack didn¡¯t even reach Keynes who whipped [Chaos Aura] melting the boss¡¯ head with little effort. The rift¡¯s boss has been killed. The Overcharge Effect has been removed. The monster will no longer spawn. You have gained a single instance of the Explorer buff. (This is a rift-only buff and will be spent upon entering an uncleared rift). (The Explore buff grants +100% to find a higher rarity item or skill from the reward chest). The rift has the Alien Modifier (hidden). (No ascender colony present on the planet). The Alien Effect: A guaranteed additional item from the reward chest. The System message gave Keynes pause. It was the same as Earth''s except for the Alien modifier and its effect. Having an additional item from the reward chest sounded incredible but the condition seemed unclear, at least in terms of what the System considered an ascender colony. He would need to discuss this with the rest of his crew on the spaceship. If by colony the System considered a mere base, then they would not reap much of benefit from the modifier. However if a colony was something more substantial¡­ it would be massive. Time would tell though. The reward chest awaited for him at the back of the chamber. It was identical to all other reward chests from Earth.
Spear (Uncommon) ??? [Spear] Level 1
Skill Shard ??? Level 1
Uncommon spear and a skill shard but no scroll of identification. Keynes grabbed the items and instinctively tried to put them into his spatial bag but it wasn¡¯t there of course. They had lost all their items in exchange for the spaceship. Wait a second¡­ He checked for the hidden compartment. He smiled, feeling the familiar sensation. The hidden compartment was there. Chapter 205 Settled Dilemma Jedd put a glass of water away, making sure to not disturb the immaculate arrangement on his desk. In his mind, he thanked himself for the hundredth for his insightful thinking and picking up [Create Water] as his quarterly compensation as Keynes¡¯s personal assistant. It hadn¡¯t been a random pick though. While working on the secret space program with Rell, Jedd had done an analysis of the ¡®create¡¯ spell category. There were many variations with a few surprises in the mix. Unfortunately, his research was limited to the official catalogue of Artefact Exchange, which rarely contained any rare spells or items. ¡®Create¡¯ spell category ranged from very common spells like [Create Water] or [Create Fire] to less common ones, which included [Create Wind], [Create Air] or [Create Wood] to the rarest ones he had encountered like [Create Happiness] and [Create Gravity]. His analysis concluded that with ¡®create¡¯ spells alone it would be possible to thrive on an off-world site. Obviously, he didn¡¯t have any other ¡®create¡¯ spells, which made his conclusion a moot point. In fact, most of the crew didn¡¯t have any skills and they were yet to question them about their Talents as the topic was rather sensitive and not everyone was willing to share. But there was no doubt in Jedd¡¯s mind that they would have to know everyone¡¯s Talent at some point. It was a question of how to approach this without destroying the crew¡¯s good will. Jedd¡¯s attention returned to the task at hand as he saw the silent argument between Natalia and the ex-leader of the White Masks, Persephone. Their conflict was one of many and stemmed from the lack of a proper chain of command. Everyone understood that Keynes was in charge of the whole thing, but from there things got a little unclear. While Natalia had been made Keynes¡¯s second, her mandate came from the majority vote rather from Keynes and didn¡¯t have an equal weight and support. Jedd¡¯s position was more official as Keynes¡¯s personal assistant, though he wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s direct line manager hence there was little chance for conflict. This would have to change. Their crew needed structure, rules, and goals. Something to add to the never ending list of things to do, Jedd thought, trying to juggle competing priorities. A few moments later Keynes emerged from the rift and told the mission crew about the rift inside. ¡°The rift has breathable air but it is heavily polluted and so we still need our spacesuits inside. The rift appears to be a single, very long, narrow and uneven cave. I encountered only one monster: a rock serpent. Despite its nature, it has meat under its rocky exterior.¡± Jedd had to make a physical effort to remain silent as Keynes was bombarded by questions from others. Having access to meat was godsend for them, though Jedd expected complications on this front. Monster meat required special treatment or ritual. A ritual was out of question as they didn¡¯t have raw materials for it. Meat treatment was usually conducted through a spell or Talent related to cooking. For that, they had Ul and two other ascenders whose Talents were broadly linked to cooking but Jedd didn¡¯t know the specifics yet. Lucky for them, the issue was easy to overcome as higher Levels usually had no problems eating Level 1 meat. With the rift cluster this large, they would be able to swiftly level up everyone. A computer blipped. Jedd perked up, finding an information dump from Keynes¡¯s spacesuit. ¡°It appears to be Level 1 granite. Far more durable than the Level 0 stone here,¡± Willow said before Jedd could even get a good look. ¡°The air inside could be easily purified with a glyph supported by runes until we can create a proper formation.¡± That''s a good idea. Glyphs are easy to make and don¡¯t require rift materials. Well, at least their rudimentary versions. ¡°Do we have a blueprint of a purifying formation?¡± Natalia asked. ¡°We do,¡± Jedd replied, growing optimistic by a minute. ¡°We also have a catalogue of blueprints for a space base and tools necessary to survive in a hostile environment. As for the granite, we would need to create an earth-affinity matter transformer to make better use of granite from the rift. Doable.¡± His mind was spinning with plans and possibilities. He had been very careful before as he hadn¡¯t wanted to get his hopes high, not knowing what they would find in an extraterrestrial rift, but now? Now he could start making actionable plans. ¡°Ask Rell to come here,¡± he said aloud, his words intended for the ship¡¯s AI. The AI acknowledged the command. ¡°I am aware of the catalogue,¡± Natalia said. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t have time to review it yet. I will make sure to read it thoroughly when I am back.¡± He smiled at that. Natalia was the most competent person Jedd had ever met. He liked this about her and couldn¡¯t wait to support her in this bureaucratic endeavour. A door hissed and Rell entered. At the same time, a monster emerged from the rift down on the planet. ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Rell exclaimed, watching the screens. Keynes killed the monster so swiftly, neither Jedd nor Rell understood what happened. Both men stared at the scene silently. ¡°Change of plans, stay here. Persephone, watch the rift¡¯s exit. Ul, check if this is edible.¡± With that Keynes re-entered the rift. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Rell asked. Everyone was aware of the mission to the surface but the live feed for the crew was slightly limited. They couldn¡¯t hear tactical conversations, see all the cameras or have access to the AI information from the surface. ¡°Look at this.¡± Jedd put the data from the rift on the wall that turned into a screen. Rell was a fungi expert but both men had done leaps and bounds in learning off-world base building and survival. They understood the ins and outs of the mess ahead of them. ¡°Granite is a good starting point,¡± Rell said. ¡°Though it might be difficult for Trisk to efficiently shape it. Without a purification system, the air is of no use to us.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°A purification glyph?¡± ¡°Unless it is made out of Level 2 materials it won¡¯t be effective enough for the air from the rift and too many glyphs of the same type in a single location has a steep detrimental impact on their effectiveness.¡± ¡°Keynes has [Purify] skill and Jonathan has Pressure Control Talent. We could store compressed air.¡± ¡°Not with granite alone. We need aluminium, titanium, silicon carbide and polymers to begin with. I wouldn¡¯t mind having access to glass too.¡± Jedd nodded. He knew this. They had tens of different variations of bases prepared for their space program but the issue was, they hadn¡¯t expected to find themselves empty-handed and stranded. Apart from a modest garden started by Rell several weeks ago, they produced nothing else. They had no tools. All their blueprints and knowledge were useless until they could gain raw materials. Unless¡­ ¡°I have been thinking recently about the ¡®divine force¡¯ that brought us here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we all?¡± Rell jested. ¡°The point is,¡± Jedd said. ¡°We have 500 ascenders and I can¡¯t get rid of the impression that we are missing something critical here.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rell asked. ¡°I think we are looking at this from the wrong side. What were the criteria for selection to the crew?¡±Jedd asked, knowing the answer well. ¡°The hell I know? I don¡¯t even remember the divine force. I just woke up with the knowledge that I agreed to be here.¡± ¡°Yes. Well, Keynes and Kora had personally known that divine force. Her name was Lem Solaris and from what he explained, she seemed to be very practical¡­ person. So, my question is, why bring all these people here?¡± This time, Jedd gave Rell a moment to think. ¡°You believe that we have all we need to build a base on the surface.¡±It was not a question, it was a statement. ¡°I do,¡± Jedd confirmed. ¡°I think she selected ascenders with synergistic Talents, perfectly suited for survival in an extraterrestrial environment.¡± Rell clasped his hands behind his back, a recent habit, picked up here on the spaceship. When it came to raw brain power, Rell outclassed Jedd mercilessly. It didn¡¯t mean Rell was better than Jedd, but simply that Jedd¡¯s strength lay elsewhere. Rell¡¯s sense of structure and order was rather underdeveloped. ¡°Have you interrogated the entire crew?¡± Jedd winced at the word ¡®interrogated¡¯; it was a strong word. ¡°No. Keynes doesn¡¯t feel like forcing anyone into revealing their Talents,¡± he replied. ¡°Yet.¡± Rell sighed. It was somewhat disturbing how much the other man had changed. Gone was the mousy, scared researcher and his place was replaced by an industrious, confident man. ¡°Jedd, can I be frank with you?¡± Jedd took a sip of water before nodding thoughtfully. He knew what Rell was going to say. ¡°I don¡¯t think you or Keynes Kid or anyone on this spaceship understand the true severity of our situation. We cannot afford half measures. There is no place for personal feelings. We cannot be nice about the matters of survival.¡± ¡°The rifts¡ª¡± Rell held up a hand. ¡°Jedd, even if every single of these rifts has raw materials we need. We are still talking about 500 ascenders. We need to build an infrastructure to sustain everyone in only a few months.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need everyone down there,¡± Jedd argued. ¡° Most people can stay here.¡± ¡°Of course, but we are starting from scratch. We have to make basic tools. You talk about glyphs. How are you gonna make a glyph? With hands?¡± Jedd understood Rell¡¯s point. They approached the whole thing with a wrong attitude. They were too relaxed. I guess, it kind of settles our dilemma about choosing a culture. ¡°I will talk to Keynes and Natalia when they are back from the planet.¡± ¡°I want to be there,¡± Rell said, surprising Jedd. ¡°To make sure they understand.¡± *** The hidden compartment was there. Keynes smiled, finding a familiar object inside.
Poor Man¡¯s Pouch (Uncommon) ¡°I¡¯ve got nothin¡¯ to hide.¡± Spatial storage: size (1m^3) Level 1
Like all rewards from hidden compartments or rooms, this one too was already identified. He placed the skill shard but the spear was too long to fit inside. ¡°I need a Level 2 pouch at least,¡± he grumbled, then reactivated the spacesuit. It enveloped him like a liquid-like flow. Keynes rushed to the exit but to his surprise, everyone was waiting inside. He was so stunned that he remained silent. The rest of the mission crew clustered around Ul, who poked and prodded the carcasses of the monsters. It took them a minute to notice Keynes and even then, they gave him nothing but a passing glance. They even ignored the spear in his hand. Unbelievable. Keynes grunted, staring at them expectantly. ¡°I have good news,¡± Ul said to no one in particular. ¡°This meat appears to be half-processed. I cannot be entirely sure why that is but I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with the air here.¡± Everyone except Keynes, Natalia and Persephone cheered. ¡°Air?¡± Natalia inquired after a moment. ¡°Are you sure? There are many heavy metals in here.¡± Is that possible? Keynes asked Alice. I am sure it is but is this the case here? I don¡¯t know, she replied. Shouldn¡¯t you cheer with others? ¡°It¡¯s just a guess based on what my Talent is telling me.¡± ¡°Natalia,¡± Keynes said on a private channel. ¡°Why is everyone inside the rift?¡± She looked up at Keynes a little surprised. He waited. ¡°The toxic air outside the rift spoiled the meat. Willow noticed that the rift had been cleared and so I decided we should enter and check the meat inside. We were very careful,¡± Natalia replied with a whisper of guilt in her voice. ¡°Good thinking,¡± Keynes said, not finding any fault in her decision. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. This wasn¡¯t part of the plan and bringing everyone inside may set us back on the schedule.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on it, Natalia. You did good,¡± he said, hoping she wouldn¡¯t be too hard on herself. He switched to the main channel. ¡°Everyone. I have more news.¡± He told them about the moss and its purifying ability. Willow asked for permission to check on the boss cavern. Keynes let him go with Kora. ¡°Trisk, would you be able to move part of this cavern outside?¡± ¡°Wh-at?¡± Trisk nearly whimpered. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Keynes described to him his idea of recreating the rift¡¯s environment outside so they could introduce the moss¡¯ purifying to the planet¡¯s toxic atmosphere. Hearing the idea, Pierre and Roman nearly burst with insight and potential applications. They didn¡¯t think they even needed to recreate the rift¡¯s environment. They guessed that the planet possessed their own cave system, which could be used as a trial run before they committed Trisk to move granite from the rift. ¡°Okay, in that case.¡± Keynes handed the spatial pouch to Natalia. ¡°Go and ask Kora to harvest all the moss she can fit inside.¡± Chapter 206 Willows Theory Willow muttered to himself, nearly being overwhelmed by excitement. The absolutely, incredibly, fantastic technological marvel of the spaceship, dropship and spacesuits could only be rivalled by the thrill of exploring a new rift. To stand inside an extraterrestrial rift made Willow beyond ecstatic. He had so many questions, so many theories and so many hypotheses. Standing inside the boss chamber, Willow¡¯s spacesuit ran a standard analysis, which was included in the cost they had paid before the mission. And as he expected, the analysis shown to them by Keynes Kid had been done only next to the rift¡¯s exit. A rookie mistake. To consider a rift as a homogeneous unit was a commonplace error on Earth. True, rifts followed certain, cohesive themes but the scope of what was considered a theme was barely understood and researched. To say that others weren¡¯t interested in these themes wouldn¡¯t be factually correct because some were obsessed with them. If they could find a pattern, then there was a chance to predict what could be inside a rift. That had been one of Willow¡¯s jobs back on Earth before he awoke on the spaceship. He planned to continue it here. As expected, he mused to himself. There is no granite here. There was salt, limestone, traces of metal ores and many unknowns not recognised by the spacesuit. But that wasn¡¯t entirely what Willow was curious about. A Level 1 rift was exactly 500 cubic metres. There was some variance to where rifts¡¯ borders were because rifts¡¯ exits weren¡¯t set in the same place. So it was within a realm of possibilities that this rift had a surface. It might not be the case as rifts didn¡¯t follow any known laws of physics but a chance always existed. Why was the existence of the surface important to Willow? It was because of Willow¡¯s theory regarding rifts. He believed that rifts weren¡¯t organic and there was a higher purpose to their existence. Willow¡¯s early hypothesis had been built upon several assumptions that upgraded the hypothesis into a theory that rifts existed only to serve ascenders. However to fulfil their role, rifts had to meet certain requirements. There had to be real and tangible benefits, although sometimes these benefits were hidden. One of the last discoveries Willow had done before waking up here was finding monsters in previously inaccessible locations within rifts. Some rifts, when enlarged by a rift orb of enlargement, gained access to new locations that introduced a new monster type and it was strongly suspected that a similar process should apply to natural resources. It didn¡¯t end there as some believed that the true prize of rifts was hidden away behind countless rift orbs. Willow liked the idea albeit it stepped outside of his pureview. He was focused more on the practical side of rifts. ¡°How¡¯s the harvesting going?¡± Natalia asked through the comms. ¡°We¡¯re ready to leave to open the next rift.¡± Willow¡¯s excitement spiked. He glanced at Kora who was gathering the glowing moss into¡­ wait a minute, was that a spatial container? Willow was convinced that all their items had been lost upon coming here. ¡°I am about to finish,¡±Kora replied. ¡°We¡¯ll start heading back in two minutes.¡± Ah, well, Willow thought then checked his mana. He still had over a hundred units. ¡°Scan the area using all my mana,¡±Willow said to the spacesuit AI, hoping for at least a fifty metre deep scan. *** Keynes stepped out of the first rift. The parameters shown by his spacesuit changed, adjusting to the condition on the planet. Behind him emerged Sellana, Ul, Roman, Pierre, Persephone, Trisk, Willow, Kora and finally Natalia. Keynes had to admit that Trisk had done an outstanding job with the area surrounding the rift. The area was flat, at least 5 square metres and shielded from the eroding winds by a two metre wall. The pathway leading back to the landing zone wasn¡¯t finished yet but Trisk had made it safe for lower Levels to move. Surely Natalia would ask Trisk to finish up the pathway while Keynes was off to explore the second rift. Indeed, a moment after Natalia was out of the rift, she began assigning tasks to everyone. Keynes noticed that they varied slightly from the original ones but didn¡¯t comment on the deviations. ¡°Let us start with the moss,¡± Pierre spoke, not content with being ordered to return to the landing zone. ¡°We have to begin tests as soon as possible.¡± Roman joined him, dragging Trisk into the argument. Keynes and Kora exchanged glances but otherwise remained silent. ¡°Quiet,¡±Natalia said, her voice icy. ¡°Mission objectives are not up for debate. Now. Focus because I won¡¯t repeat myself. Trisk, I need you to encase the rift. Build a chamber no higher than two metre high and turn the pathway into a tunnel with an exit at the landing zone. Only then, Kora, you will replant moss in the chamber containing the rift. Sellana, I want you to design a system of runes that can support life. Pierre and Roman will help you to ensure that she didn¡¯t exclude something critical. Understood?¡± Natalia¡¯s harsh words elicited silence which she cut through asking again, ¡°Understood?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± a chorus of voices replied. ¡°Off you go then.¡± Keynes picked up on the cue and turned toward the next rift but then Willow spoke up. ¡°A moment, please.¡± Everyone stopped, looking at him expectantly, Keynes including. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Natalia asked, visibly irritated. ¡°While inside the boss chamber, I allowed myself to spend all my remaining mana on a deep scan. I found some promising traces of metal ores and salt. But more importantly, I found an empty space about eighty metres above the boss chamber. It appears that there is another cave up there.¡± Silence followed Willow¡¯s words, which appeared he misinterpreted, adding enthusiastically, ¡°it¡¯s too early to get too excited, but I am very sure that we haven¡¯t seen the best of what this rift has to offer. We should investigate it further.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Later,¡± Natalia sighed then turned to glare at Trisk. ¡°What are you waiting for? Start building the chamber.¡± *** The second rift was located at the bottom of a shallow gorge, around forty metres from the landing zone. On their way there, Keynes and Natalia discussed how to build an access to the rift. For Natalia, Keynes and Persephone the steep and jagged mountainside didn¡¯t pose much of an issue but Willow and Ul required their assistance. In the end, Keynes decided to use [Flight] and get both men to the bottom of the gorge. ¡°Why don¡¯t we use [Flight] to get to the other rifts?¡± Willow asked. ¡°It would save us time.¡± ¡°We still have to assess the access to other rifts,¡± Natalia said. ¡°You are free to do so,¡±Willow replied. ¡°But there is no point for us to go through this.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Persephone added. ¡°It would save us time.¡± Keynes expected a retort from Natalia but she surprised him with an acknowledgement. Was he dreaming? The bottom of a gorge was quite narrow with a crack running through some of its deepest parts. With walls barely a metre apart, Keynes felt a little claustrophobic. The spacesuit adjusted the brightness of the visor but he knew that at the bottom of the gorge darkness was thick. ¡°I may need you to¡­¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Keynes said. He knew what needed to be done the moment he landed inside the gorge. Carefully wielding [Chaos Aura] together with spiritual aura, Keynes used the chaotic energy against the rock, turning it into gas. [Chaos Aura] was not the right tool for such work and yet, wielding it in this manner came to him naturally. He understood with near absolute confidence that his proficiency stemmed out of the Chaos buff. At the same time, the power of [Chaos Aura] felt out of place. It felt like too much for a Level 4 ascender to possess. How much harm could this thing do in the hands of the likes of Windsor Freeman? He didn¡¯t like the answer. Once he was done clearing the area around the rift, it was time to enter it.
Rift (Common, Stable)
Level 1
Status Sealed
Requirements -
Modifiers -
Details This rift contains a higher number of monsters and a boss (overcharge effect). The monsters are immune to the planet¡¯s environment.
Affinity Toxic
Special Status Overcharged, Unexplored
Toxic affinity? Great. This sounded like a headache to Keynes and he entertained an idea to move on to the next rift, but considering all the mana he had already wasted he could pretty much go in, clear the rift and then move on. ¡°Persephone, Natalia,¡± Keynes said as he touched the rift with his spiritual aura. ¡°This may get out of hand. Make sure to kill every single monster that creeps out of this rift. We don¡¯t want a stray toxic monster.¡± ¡°There is no¡ª¡± Willow started saying but Natalia cut him off. ¡°Will do.¡± Keynes turned to Ul and Willow. ¡°Ul, there is little chance that anything inside this rift is going to be edible. Stay as far from the rift as possible.¡± Ul backpedalled until his back pressed against the rocky wall. ¡°You too, Willow,¡± Natalia added. Do you wish to unseal the rift? Yes/No Keynes picked ¡®Yes¡¯ trying to unseal the rift without causing the rift outbreak but it didn¡¯t work. He would need to speak to Willow about this issue. There had to be a way to open rifts without causing the monsters to spill out. Normally, Keynes wouldn¡¯t mind as some uncleared rifts could be used as essence farms but they didn¡¯t have infrastructure or time to support such endeavour. A buzz rose in the air. Keynes entered the rift. A pale sky with a distant, white sun and a flat wasteland welcomed Keynes. The hostile sight was accompanied by countless insects the size of seagulls, their stings aimed at him. Heh, Keynes sighed, unleashing [Chaos Aura] without control of spiritual aura. Uncontrolled aura didn¡¯t drain his mana, which right now Keynes needed for [Flight]. His spacesuit offered an updated report about the rift¡¯s air. The rift was less toxic than the planet¡¯s air despite the toxic affinity which Keynes found amusing. Other parameters were fairly standard for a rift. Without considering his surroundings, Keynes shot into the sky and flew toward the boss a half kilometre away. Most monsters didn¡¯t reach Keynes, destroyed by ambient [Chaos Aura], those that did, failed to inflict any damage to him. About 50 metres above the ground, the toxicity was low enough to make the air safe but Keynes didn¡¯t dismiss the spacesuit. It was part of the reason why no damage could get through. The giant insect peppered the sky, easily a million monsters. Their great number indicated their individual weakness. Keynes got higher, approaching 100 metre altitude. The air here was clean and free of monsters. His time at this altitude didn¡¯t last long as he made it to the boss. The area where the boss resided was clearly marked by a pool of thick green haze and larger insects in vibrant, dazzling colour. Keynes descended on them like a fist of an angry god. Nothing survived his attack but at the price of one-third of his mana. The enraged monsters attacked him with abandon but he let ambient [Chaos Aura] do its thing. He was once more lucky with another spatial pouch but the reward chest only gave him two skill shards. Still no scroll of identification. ¡°What a depressing place,¡± Keynes said. I kinda like it, Alice said. ¡°Of course you do. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± *** He exited the rift and had to duck as Natalia¡¯s fist almost hit him. ¡°Sorry!¡±she shouted in the comms. ¡°I thought you were a monster.¡± Finally someone said it, Alice laughed. ¡°I am not a monster. By the way, the rift is cleared,¡± he said. ¡°There should have been a monster on your side for at least five minutes.¡± Natalia looked away, while he sensed amusement from Persephone. Something, no, someone shot past him. He caught Willow by his shoulder. ¡°Where do you think you''re going?¡± ¡°Inside, of course. I have to assess the rift.¡± ¡°There is nothing to see. The rift is mildly toxic with no flora.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even better!¡± Willow said enthusiastically. ¡°I have to see it.¡± Keynes sighed and let Willow go. Natalia protested but her protests sounded subdued. ¡°So, how was it on your end?¡± They looked around. Hundreds of dead insect-monsters lay dead, carpeting the entire bottom of the gorge. ¡°Easy,¡±Persephone replied before Natalia, who didn¡¯t add anything. ¡°Can we eat these?¡± Keynes asked Ul. ¡°Please, no,¡± Jedd said from the orbit. Keynes smiled but shared Jedd¡¯s sentiment on the subject. He would rather find another rift than eat toxic insects. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Ul said. ¡°But they do look yummy, don¡¯t they?¡± Oh, someone with your sense of humour, Alice said. Chapter 207 Egg Natalia exited the rift with Willow in tow. His complaints fell on deaf ears. Despite his arguments about the value of the toxic rift¡¯s resources, they were short on time and any additional exploration would have to wait. ¡°We have wasted too much time already,¡± Natalia said as she pressed Willow against the wall. Not enough to hurt him but just enough to pin him in place. ¡°If you cannot comply with the rules, I will confine you to the shuttlecraft. Understood?¡± Willow squirmed under her glare and Keynes thought for a moment, the researcher would continue to argue but then he surprised them. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s proceed to the third rift.¡± ¡°What about these?¡± Ul asked, pointing at the dead insect monsters. Some of them showed signs of degradation already. The planet¡¯s toxic atmosphere wasn¡¯t a joke. Natalia looked to Keynes. He didn¡¯t seem like a big issue so he told them to leave it. He actually was interested mildly in what effect the toxic atmosphere would have on the Level 1 insect monsters¡¯ bodies. Nothing more than mere curiosity though. By the time they made it to the third rift, Trisk had finished the landing zone and the tunnel leading to the first rift. Kora was planting the moss inside the tunnel now. Everyone kept their fingers crossed, perhaps, with the sole exception of Roman and Pierre who were arguing for their methods to be given priority. Keynes actually gave them green light to pursue their own projects in regards to the moss once the provisional base was set up. That mollified them and somewhat motivated both men to make sure the base was created before the end of the day. The third rift was located outside of the gorge that contained the second rift. The gorge sloped down and widened until they walked out to a hidden hollow resembling a cauldron made out of dark red and brown rocks. A wave of spiritual energy revealed the rift next to even a small recess in the wall. Without their visors they would see nothing, which would have been problematic as the bottom of the hollow and gorge was very uneven. Potholes and sharp rocks were everywhere. It wasn¡¯t an issue for Natalia who said. ¡°This place would be optimal for setting up a base. It¡¯s well sheltered from the wind, close to the landing zone and has the correct shape and size. Keynes, Jedd, what do you think?¡± Keynes exhaled, relieved that Natalia decided to drop his imaginary title for good. ¡°While I agree with you, Natalia, I lean more toward setting up the main base next to our most valuable rift,¡± Jedd said. ¡°What if such a rift is far away from the landing zone?¡± Natalia countered. ¡°The distance to the landing zone doesn¡¯t matter. We currently cannot afford to run the shuttlecraft once every few days.¡± Keynes looked around and considered. The hollow was sizable. Its depth¡ªabout thirty metres¡ªgave an option of setting up a multi-store base or having a high-ceiling. Maybe they could even make it out of Level 1 glass for nice effect? That option felt interesting. Its easy access to the landing zone through the gorge worked to its advantage as well. Keynes liked it. ¡°I am with Natalia on this one,¡± he said. ¡°This place has charm.¡± With all the otherworldly features of a remote desolate planet, eroded by winds and toxic atmosphere, it sounded like a cynical comment but it wasn¡¯t. Keynes indeed thought it had charm, even though he despised underground bases. ¡°But there is one condition,¡± he added. ¡°The ceiling must be made out of glass.¡± The condition gave everyone pause. Keynes imagined Jedd¡¯s reaction to his idea and smiled. Jedd was a very practical and pragmatic man. ¡°Keynes¡­¡± Jedd started saying but then trailed off. No one else spoke for a moment. Judging from their spiritual auras they were in a state of shock. He expected more pushback than this so he was rather glad. The initial planning didn¡¯t involve any glass anywhere. ¡°We would need tempered alumino-silicate glass panes to deal with the pressure,¡± Jedd muttered. ¡°We actually don¡¯t,¡± Willow countered. Keynes winked at him. At least someone wasn¡¯t gloomy about the idea. ¡°The pressure is nearly the same as on Earth.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not only about pressure,¡± Rell joined the conversation from the orbit. ¡°Just check the composition of the atmosphere. Some of its components have high deteriorating effects. This coupled with strong winds and the large surface of the glass panel and we are looking at a serious chance of failure, which will only increase over time.¡± ¡°So let¡¯s use that glass you mentioned,¡± Keynes said off-handedly, knowing pretty well that it wasn¡¯t that easy. And indeed, Rell explained the issue a moment later. ¡°Long story short, aluminosilicate is sourced from geologically active places like volcanos. This planet has no geological activity, which means there are no volcanoes.¡± ¡°They could have been in the past,¡± Willow said. ¡°We don¡¯t have time or resources to look for dead volcanoes,¡± Rell snapped, clearly agitated. Shit. Shit, indeed, Alice muttered, clearly enjoying the argument. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I¡¯m going to the rift,¡± Keynes said to Natalia on a private channel. ¡°You¡¯re leaving me with them?¡± He shrugged, offering her the best smile he could, given the limitations of the visor. Not wanting to bother with the uneven terrain, Keynes supported himself with [Flight] as he easily jumped across the hollow. Landing next to the rift, Keynes added, ¡°you know the drill, guys. See you in ten minutes.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for them to make up their minds and opened the rift. Mountain Eagles came at him and¡ªshit¡ªsome escaped into the sky before Keynes could react. Persephone and Natalia were next to him in an instant. The latter issued a warning to the rest of the crew to stay beware of the flying monster at large. ¡°I¡¯m going in,¡± Keynes said, stepping in with urgency. They couldn¡¯t let too many mountain eagles get away from the rift. It would create a serious security problem for them. The spacesuits provide enough protection against the attacks of Level 1 monsters and it is extremely unlikely for them to deal any damage. Despite the AI¡¯s assurance, Keynes would feel much better knowing that no monster was lurking out there. He stepped on a large shelf made out black, sleek rock. The wind buffeted him but his Level 4 body withstood it without much issue. He stood on a steep mountainside made out of similar black, sleek rocks. Hundreds metres up, near the mountain¡¯s peak, some of it was covered by snow, but where Keynes stood, the stone was bare. Mountain eagles were coming from the sky, their claws aimed at Keynes. He dodged the monsters¡¯ attacks as he shot into the air. The number of the birds in this rift was smaller than insects in the second one, but the mountain eagles appeared stronger. At the moment, Keynes wasn¡¯t interested in finding out how powerful these creatures were. He had to find and kill the boss to stop the monster spawning outside the rift. The layout of the rift didn¡¯t help in that endeavour as there was no obvious ¡®boss chamber¡¯ anywhere. The mountain eagles came from different directions, forcing Keynes to fly higher. The spacesuit informed him about the frigid temperature but that information was of no consequence to him, the birds appeared to be immune to it and followed him all the way up. Keynes¡¯s [Flight], boosted by technique of lesser knowledge of wind currents and technique of flight, gave him the upper hand and made it easy to stay out of the mountain eagle¡¯s reach. Those that got close got a taste of ambient [Chaos Aura]. Eventually Keynes spotted a nest near the peak of the mountain, about four hundred metres above the rift¡¯s exit. Keynes arrived at the nest a few seconds later, finding it to be massive. The nest was made out of branches and feathers, bones and hay.
Mountain Peak Eagle (Uncommon, Boss)
Level 2
Abilities [Frigid Aura] ¨C The aura makes the air colder. Anything within the aura becomes more brittle, increasing the chance of dealing a critical strike (passive).
Tags Frigid, Swift, Menacing, Protective.
An uncommon boss in a common rift. That was rather new. The boss let out a high-pitched scream that was spiritually enhanced. Since the Scottish Cluster City, Keynes knew that monsters possessed undocumented abilities, like resistances, enhanced instinct or attacks in this case. The scream was clearly a form of attack but the Pure Body buff and the spacesuit negated it completely. ¡°Sorry, birdo,¡± Keynes muttered as he released a [Mana Shot]. Keynes had only charged 5% of his total mana as he had to tread carefully with expenditure of his mana. The boss moved, surprising Keynes with its swiftness, but the bolt made out of mana still caught its left wing. Its black eye shot Keynes a hateful glare, then the boss let out another high-pitched scream. Keynes ignored it, at the same time dodging attacks from the Level 1 eagles that caught up with him. Keynes, I feel like I should remind you that you¡¯re on a timer, Alice said. ¡°Sorry,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°I got caught up in the moment.¡± The mountain with its cloudless sky and clear air was a magnificent place to relax. But yeah, Alice was right. There were another 24 rifts to open before the day¡¯s end. The boss tried to get into the air, but its wounded wing prevented it from flying. Keynes landed a few metres from the nest. The Pure Body buff blocked [Frigid Aura]. Even so, Keynes felt the air to be different, crisp, frigid and brittle with a note of panic coming from the boss. None of this affected him though. Keynes used [Chaos Aura] together with spiritual aura to deliver a killing blow as the boss¡¯ head literally turned to dust. The mountain eagles became enraged and he spent several minutes getting rid of them. Then he returned to the nest. Above it, on a small shelf rock was the reward chest but that wasn¡¯t what got Keynes¡¯s attention. A single, head-sized egg lay inside the nest next to the dead body of the boss. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±
??? (Uncommon) [Egg, Bond] Level 1
This is a bond! Alice exclaimed, excited. ¡°I can see that, but is it a reward or an enemy?¡±he asked, confused. He didn¡¯t know what to do about the egg. Alice appeared on top of the egg. She was still hand-sized but the substance she was made of was nearly solid white. She actually radiated spiritual energy that went beyond their bond and could have been sensed by someone in a high spiritual stage. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± she asked, her voice physical. ¡°Bonds are precious!¡± Keynes flicked his fingers at her, dismissing her. Surprisingly, she resisted his command for a second longer than he expected. Keynes! Do not do anything stupid! She snapped at him in his thoughts. Chill, I won¡¯t harm the egg. I¡¯m just surprised to find it here instead of the reward chest, he replied, finding Alice¡¯s dramatic reaction cute. Keynes lifted the egg and was about to put it into the spatial bag when he hesitated. Can I place it in the spatial bag? No! She replied, panicked. And the atmosphere outside the rift would harm the bond inside as well. Hm. That posed a problem. ¡°Mighty AI, can you help?¡± Extending protection to the egg will cost 500 mana. Would you like to proceed? ¡°You know well enough I don¡¯t have that kind of mana available.¡± I do. Help me here, Alice, Keynes groaned. There is nothing I can do. You must create a safe passage from this rift to the shuttlecraft. Or I can put it back into the nest and leave, he mused. Was the bond worth altering their plans? Everyone was already on edge because of Keynes¡¯s request. Dropping this on them might not be well received. No! You can¡¯t leave it! Bonds are precious! Keynes jumped to the rock shelf above the nest and opened the reward chest. It contained two scrolls of identification, leather boots and a skill shard. He put the items into his spatial storage. Do I have to use the scroll on the egg? He asked, just in case. No. Until the bond hatches, it¡¯s listed as unknown. It reveals itself upon hatching. At least some good news, he didn¡¯t need to waste precious scrolls. There was no hidden compartment here and with nothing else of interest around, it was time to return. This Fridays Chapter Hey everyone, some heads up about this Friday¡¯s chapter. There won¡¯t be any as I am currently on holiday and also finalising a magic system for my second story. I needed to clear my head to ensure that this new story is well-thought and takes all feedback into account before I even start writing it. Theory of Rifts will resume on July 19. I know you can¡¯t wait :) On a more serious note, I recently started revising my style, which is fast paced (but without big time skips) and with minimum descriptions, and a ¡®little¡¯ irregular when it comes to a plot and decided to make some changes. The first one being more descriptions and inner dialogues. I feel like the beginning of Theory of Rifts should have been better handled in this department. But hey, this is technically my first real story (I wouldn¡¯t count Bloodlines, that one is shit) and I wasn¡¯t experienced, at all, at writing LitRPG stories, missing many important tropes and beats. I am still invested in continuing ToR but it isn¡¯t a story I can see succeed due to early mistakes. Stolen novel; please report. Nonetheless, I want to thank you for your time and support (Patrons) and conversations on discord. I really appreciate you guys and gals :) Chapter 208 Leadership Keynes jumped from one rocky outcropping to another. Halfway to the exit, he¡¯d dismissed the spacesuit, wanting to enjoy the fresh air. The frigid temperature didn¡¯t affect him, his Vitality and the Pure Body buff were too strong. Level 1s from the mission crew would be a different story though, but that was a problem for later. The breath of fresh air wasn¡¯t the only reason Keynes chose climbing down over [Flight], it wasn¡¯t even to conserve his mana. He wanted to gather his thoughts. It must be the charm of this rift that put him in such a pensive mood. He felt bad for forcing the issue about the window in the ceiling, almost felt bad. He really liked the hollow area around the third rift. By the way, I wish we could name rifts. Calling them rifts by number sucks, he murmured in his head. I¡¯m sure it can be done, no idea how though, Alice chimed in, sounding a little distracted. After they were done with the cluster, he would need to discuss with her the spiritual realm inside the rifts. Could it be permanently changed? Later¡­ After several minutes, Keynes arrived at the rift¡¯s exit and activated the spacesuit. He didn¡¯t welcome the sensation of being cut off from the world but there was currently no way around it without casual 500 Vitality. That was some absurd number. Actually, absurd was an understatement. He thought back to the Attribute Progression Table he had seen in Emerald City and whistled. Even if he assumed that a human essence ascender could cross Level 10, which they couldn¡¯t, it would take such an ascender 31 Levels to achieve over 500 points in a single attribute. A rift essence ascender needed Level 21 to achieve that number and Perfect State ascender required Level 18 though Level 17 was nearly there. This made no sense. How could a Level 0 environment have such a strong impact on a High Level ascender? The calculation was based purely on the Vitality attribute. It did not calculate buffs, items, skills or Talents. Or other unknown factors. ¡°So, the number would certainly be lower than 500?¡± If there are other factors present then very much so. To improve my analysis beyond attributes, I would have to analyse the considered factor to get accurate readings. ¡°It¡¯s okay for now but I will keep that in mind.¡± You can also master [Chaos Aura] or get [Purity Aura] to nullify the effect completely, Alice added. Keynes couldn¡¯t even fathom a level of mastery required to disintegrate toxic air with [Chaos Aura]. His Perception and Mind attributes would have to be 3 times higher than they were now to manage the stimuli and precision, not to mention oxygen. Still better than 500 Vitality, Alice said, being privy to Keynes¡¯s thoughts. True. Anyway, it was time to leave. They should be aware by now that Keynes had killed the boss and would not try to attack him upon leaving the rift. Just to be sure, Keynes activated [Spiritual Wraith], erasing his spiritual signature and making himself invisible. The invisibility would only last 1 minute while the spiritual concealment lasted for 10 minutes. Technically, using [Spiritual Wraith] was frugal and not very wise, considering its mana cost¡ª70¡ªbut he decided to do it anyway. He placed the egg next to the rift¡¯s exit. I will be back for it, he said. You better be! Alice warned him. When he emerged from the rift, the others were arguing about the glass ceiling. There were several eagles scattered about. Far fewer than insects outside the second rift. Naturally, no one noticed him. He used [Flight] just to levitate him above the ground. He listened. ¡°Even with a base down there, the glass up there is vanity,¡± Rell was speaking from orbit. ¡°It doesn¡¯t offer any real benefits and causes many potential issues.¡± ¡°True, the schedule is tight,¡± Natalia agreed. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t just tight. We¡¯re running on fumes. We are already behind in most of my calculations and they were done for a group of 50 people not over five hundred. I don¡¯t even understand why we are still debating this stupid issue.¡± ¡°We have meat,¡±Jedd added, conciliatory. ¡°The eagles are fully edible as well.¡± Rell snorted, which was followed by a fast tapping then Rell spoke. ¡°These two rifts cannot sustain us. That is a fact. Also, even IF we had all the meat we need to sustain five hundred people, disregarding everyone¡¯s preferences or balanced diet, there is no way Ul can prepare all this food. This is the issue we should discuss. Not the fucking glass!¡± Keynes almost dropped the concealment spell, but he endured, quelling his rising anger. ¡°He has a point,¡± Persephone said. No one commented after that and [Spiritual Wraith]¡¯s invisibility eventually ran out. ¡°Keynes,¡± Natalia sighed, sounding part-relieved, part-tired and part-surprised, but she didn¡¯t mention his sudden appearance. ¡°Please, make this idea with the glass ceiling go away.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t doing it,¡± Rell said, his voice loud. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for his caprices.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Rell,¡± Natalia and Jedd said warningly at the same time. ¡°Don¡¯t Rell me! I won¡¯t die because the boy doesn¡¯t understand the gravity of the situation,¡± Rell snapped. ¡°Ignore him, Keynes,¡± Natalia added on the private channel. ¡°He has too much on his plate. I will have a chat with him when we get back.¡± Maybe, Keynes would have listened to her and agreed to her suggestion but then something else happened. It felt like the Emotional Affliction debuff, but there were no System warnings. Keynes¡¯s mind became lucid and clear, his emotions vanished. He silently glanced at everyone gathered in the hollow. Keynes¡­ Alice¡¯s voice reached him but he dismissed her. ¡°No,¡± he said and confusion filled the others¡¯ auras. ¡°This conversation must happen here and now. Delaying it will only make things worse in the future.¡± His voice was calm but devoid of empathy. ¡°There is nothing to talk about,¡±Rell snapped. ¡°What Rell is trying to say¡ª¡± Jedd said, conciliatory. ¡°Don¡¯t put words in my mouth,¡±Rell interrupted. ¡°I mean what I say. This idea¡ª¡± Keynes commanded the AI to cut the orbit¡¯s comms off. They only could hear him now. ¡°Enough. I¡¯ve made my decision and I will not change my mind about the glass. Don¡¯t forget I am your leader not because I wanted to be but because you, all of you, decided to come aboard the spaceship and follow me. I don¡¯t expect everyone to follow forever or anything like that but for now, we are stuck with each other. ¡°We are ascenders. We have Talents and soon we will have countless spells, items and Levels so nothing will stand in the way of our progress.¡± He made a step forward. ¡°But real progress is never easy. I want you to step outside of your comfort zone and think outside of the box. Also, I want you to trust me.¡± There were many other words on his mind, some harsh and cynical, others soft and comforting, but some unseen hand guided him in expressing his mind. Of course, there were other, darker undercurrents that he chose to conceal because they were built on a lie that he didn¡¯t like being a leader. Or that he liked to be left to his own devices, finding his own path, staying out of the spotlight. Except these were lies. His earlier struggle with the whole thing, and subsequent delegation of command to Natalia didn¡¯t stem from fear of failing as a leader but fear of how natural, how right it felt to stand above others. There was a saying that only those who didn¡¯t want to be leaders should be leaders. He feared becoming a tyrant. Someone like Windsor Freeman or worse¡­ But no longer, not anymore. There were leaders and there were the leaders, the true ones. The unnatural calmness continued, a distant echo of what he had sensed from Esopp¡¯s trait of dominator.All his worries and hesitation had already melted away. ¡°Did I make myself clear?¡± Natalia was first to respond and she did it in a shocking way. ¡°I will follow you to the end of the world.¡± She dropped to one knee. Ul followed and then even Croft kneeled down, albeit without the same fervent as Natalia. Persephone remained standing. Keynes didn¡¯t expect them to kneel. He wasn¡¯t a monarch or worse, a god. ¡°Stand up,¡± he said, quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t do that ever again. I won¡¯t have my crew turning into fanatics.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Natalia said. ¡°One more thing. Trisk, I have an extra job for you, when you finish up there.¡± *** Trisk traced his hand over the walls built around the first rift and smiled. His emotions were in mayhem. A spaceship, another planet, an extraterrestrial rift and then his leader¡¯s speech and his request. They made the whole thing feel like a dream. He finished shaping the alien stone, creating thirty centimetre-thick walls and ceiling of a chamber around the rift and tunnel that led to the landing zone. Kora was on the other side of the chamber planting the moss from the rift in shallow crevices Trisk had made for it. The whole thing wasn¡¯t anything spectacular and would have to be adjusted, reinforced and eventually rebuilt from ground-up but the rock was felt, to his Talent, solid enough to insulate this side from the toxic air outside. That left one issue¡­ ¡°I can design either purifying or blocking runes. Level 0 stone will degrade too quickly with both sets this close to each other but the bigger issue is fueling the runes. We don¡¯t have mana containers and runes do not store mana for later. They only draw enough to remain active and functional,¡± Sellana explained. Pierre and Roman fell into a heated debate that forked into two different solutions. Pierre¡¯s solution was building an airlock and removable physical barriers. This method closely followed the standard systems used in space technology. On paper, the idea seemed solid and functional. Mana would only be required to purify the airlock before getting inside the tunnel. But it would require air tight doors and control of the pressure and a working circulation system. On the other hand, Roman¡¯s idea was far simpler but less elegant. He wanted to use strong purifying runes fuelled by at least two people at all times, remaining near the entrance in shifts. The entrance would have to be built from Level 1 materials to slow down the degradation of the material. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have anyone with a metal-shaping Talent to work metal, even if they found enough in rifts. The best they could do was to use Level 1 rock from the rift. It would still have to be repaired at least once a week. Following the first set of runes, there would have to be a backup set two metres into the tunnel with a single person remaining there for the emergency. No matter which idea Trisk preferred, he knew that there was no real choice here. The first option was out of the question. Stone wasn¡¯t designed for this, not even Level 1. Shortly after Keynes picked Roman¡¯s idea, Sellana approached Trisk with rune designs. They used their spacesuits to transfer the designs and spending modes 30 mana, they could use the spacesuit AI to control the quality of each rune to ensure the runic circuit would not fail. ¡°I am out of mana,¡± Trisk announced, quietly, dampening their enthusiasm. At least he was spared from experiencing a mana headache this time. ¡°Shaping Level 1 stone, inside the rift and again here, then creating precise runes in it¡­ Hmm. It actually might be more mana than my entire mana pool.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Sellana asked, surprised. ¡°The more precise the more mana hungry my Talent becomes. These runes look hellishly precise to me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that the circut¡¯s wheel must have the same density and weight throughout the whole structure. Any part out of proportion and we are looking at very low efficiency,¡± Sellana added, as if oblivious to Trisk¡¯s bad news. ¡°Or the circuit¡¯s complete disintegration,¡± Trisk added. ¡°Exactly¡­¡± Not to mention that I have to create an urgent tunnel from the third rift straight to the shuttlecraft for some unknown but important reason. All of this in 24 hours and without mana. I am having a blast! Chapter 209 Game-changer Keynes had told them about the bond egg in the rift and his plans to move the egg to the shuttlecraft. The news was met with an awkward silence. Oh, boy, I messed up, didn¡¯t I? Even Alice didn¡¯t comment on his internal thoughts. Despite his earlier words, this wasn¡¯t what he had in mind. He didn¡¯t want his crew to be afraid of speaking up. He had to do something before this escalated further. He asked Natalia, Willow, Persephone and Ul inside the mountain rift to find a solution other than Trisk creating a tunnel from the rift to the shuttlecraft. Keynes wasn¡¯t that stupid to know that building such a structure would require a lot of mana. Upon entering the rift, Persephone was the first to dismiss the spacesuit, with Keynes and Natalia following the suit. Willow hesitated for a while longer but did dismiss the spacesuit in the end. Ul decided to keep it on. The rift¡¯s environment wouldn¡¯t kill him but the frigid temperature would make his stay here very unpleasant. Keynes remembered his time from Scottish Cluster¡¯s cold rift and how he was mastering his attributes back then. ¡°Finally, fresh air,¡± Persephone said with relief, then without a warning, she took to the air. Keynes knew it was provocation or a statement from her but he actually didn¡¯t mind. He waved Willow and Ul to go explore as well. That left him and Natalia alone. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened back there,¡± he whispered, looking at the sky. Admitting this cost him something, but at the same time¡­ ¡°You are being melodramatic,¡± Natalia said with a smirk. Keynes sharply glanced at her, his mouth working soundlessly. What was going on? Ten minutes ago she was kneeling before him and now she was cheeky with him? He was looking for words when he sensed another person enter the rift. Kora? Keynes was very confused. Kora dismissed her spacesuit and joined them. She looked so different from her sister, in appearance and character. And there was a flash of understanding in Kora¡¯s eyes¡­ Wait a second, I¡¯ve totally forgotten they still have [Mental Link] spells. They can speak telepathically. Sneaky. ¡°Keynes,¡± Kora said. ¡°How are you?¡± Odd¡­ ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Their attempt at looking innocent failed spectacularly and lucky for his sanity, they dropped the act very quickly. ¡°You¡¯re not fun,¡± Kora mumbled. ¡°Me?¡± Keynes asked incredulously. ¡°No fun?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop before his head blows up,¡± Natalia added. ¡°My¡­ what?¡± ¡°We¡¯re just messing with you.¡± Kora snorted, seeing him lost. Yeah, he noticed that much, but¡­ ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because we are worried about you,¡± Natalia replied, playfulness gone from her voice but her eyes had a warm spark in them. ¡°You were kneeling before me. I should be worried about you, not the other way around.¡± Kora gave Natalia an unimpressed look. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°That aura of his felt like a Level 10 compulsion.¡± Natalia shrugged. ¡°How do you know what a Level 10 compulsion feels like?¡± Kora inquired with narrowed eyes. Natalia¡¯s brows climbed up as she stared back at her sister. Keynes suspected a telepathic exchange between the sisters but he couldn¡¯t sense anything. His spiritual sense wasn¡¯t sharp enough to notice the activation of skills. Alice remained silent. ¡°Ladies,¡± Keynes grunted, trying to join their game. ¡°If this is all you wanted to discuss, I¡¯d need to ask you to return to your duties.¡± He wasn¡¯t serious and showed that by keeping his voice unnaturally rigid and formal. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re trying to get rid of us already?¡± Natalia asked with a fake shock. ¡°No, I¡­¡± Keynes muttered awkwardly. For some reason he lost his ability to banter. Weird turn of events as he had bantered nearly all the time. He knew that this was a consequence of the emotional affliction¡¯s purification. ¡°Keynes, we¡¯re here for you,¡± Kora said, ending their fun. ¡°We are,¡± Natalia agreed. ¡°How bad did I mess up?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t mess up,¡± Kora assured him. ¡°But your words came as a shock to most.¡±To most? He was shocked himself. ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Natalia raised her hand. ¡°It was overdue. If we wish to survive this, we need a strong leader. An inspiration.¡± Keynes watched the sisters for signs of foul play but they seemed honest with him. He allowed himself to relax and sat down on a small flat outcropping. He was quite good in dealing with his emotions but it was more than that. The way he behaved stemmed from his inner conviction that he was born to lead. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s a nice place,¡± Kora said, breaking the heavy silence that followed Natalia¡¯s words. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Keynes nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s freezing here. I can feel the cold seeping through my clothes,¡± Natalia complained, a little out of character. ¡°Anyway, we need to figure out what to do about the egg.¡± ¡°Indeed. Trisk is already out of mana and shaping runes directly in the stone might push him beyond his capacity.¡± Natalia glanced at the egg near the rift¡¯s exit and Keynes felt Alice stir in his spiritual core. ¡°Is this egg that important?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°Pretty much.¡± That ended any suggestion to leave the egg behind. The trio fell into theorycrafting but there wasn¡¯t much beyond staying inside the rift until Trisk¡¯s mana was full again or getting mana required for Keynes¡¯s spacesuit to protect the egg. Both Kora and Natalia favoured the latter option. It wasn¡¯t without its consequences but they weren¡¯t as serious as waiting for the shuttlecraft¡¯s return. They were about to leave the rift to convey the message when they picked up Persephone¡¯s approach. She came from the sky, slowly, not hiding herself from their senses. It seemed she didn¡¯t want to get on Keynes¡¯s bad side. ¡°We need Trisk here,¡± she said, staying ten metres above the ground. ¡°Why?¡± Natalia asked, her dislike obvious in her voice. Persephone rolled her eyes but replied. ¡°I found an important ore but I need Trisk to confirm it is what I think it is.¡± *** Thirty minutes later Trisk joined them at the peak where Peresphone had discovered a cave. The cave was small, only two metres in diameter and ten metres deep. What shocked them was that the cave had signs of past usage. That seemed impossible but not only was there a cold fire pit, shreds of fabric and even a metal hoop, a few centimetres in diameter. While Natalia and Willow went to the end of the cave to search for further clues, the rest remained next to the ore vein. Trisk almost tripped when he saw it. ¡°This is a game-changer!¡± he said through the comms as he still wore the spacesuits to shield himself from the biting cold. ¡°This is blue iron. This is the best metal to store mana.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Persephone asked and Keynes found himself wondering the same thing. This felt too good to be true. He would rather remain realistic in his expectations. ¡°Hundred percent,¡± Trisk replied. ¡°I worked for Bluespace when a crafting guild discovered it.¡± ¡°Why am I under the impression there is big bad news awaiting us?¡± Persephone asked. Trisk shook his head. ¡°There is¡­ well, some but nothing dire. It just took us several months and a lot of experimentation to discover the correct method to refine it.¡° ¡°And you know the method?¡± Keynes asked, his voice nearly cracked. This seemed like a very important discovery. ¡°Of course. I was the one who discovered it.¡± Trisk said as his hand, with reverence, traced the ore vein. ¡°This has ten times the capacity of any other material capable of storing mana.¡± You can feed blue iron ore directly to the spaceship to upgrade it, however, unrefined ore comes with increased cost in essence. Keynes blinked, forgetting that even not wearing his spacesuit, it remained functional. He had been aware that the spaceship could, and would have to, be upgraded but this issue was in the future as they struggled with the most fundamental problems right now. Nonetheless, if they had the option to store mana. That would give them leeway in managing the shuttlecraft¡¯s trips to the surface. ¡°Do we have tools to refine it?¡± Persephone asked while Keynes was distracted. ¡°That¡¯s the bad part of the¡­ news.¡± Persephone scoffed and was about to charge out of the cave when Keynes stopped her. ¡°We have an option to feed the ore directly to the spaceship to build its mana storing capacity.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Persephone looked at Keynes sharply, a dangerous glimmer of hope in her eyes. ¡°Since when is this an option? The whole feeding part I mean.¡± It was time for Keynes to be confused. He was sure the spaceship AI told the rest of the crew about its capabilities. ¡°I thought you knew.¡±He had told Natalia, Kora and Jedd about it and he, sort of, assumed that others would learn of this too. Persephone¡¯s aristocratic features contorted as she narrowed her eyes. He sensed fury in her aura but didn¡¯t expect her to actually attack him. ¡°What else have you kept from us, Keynes Kid?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± he said, trying to sound off-handedly. This could spiral out of control very quickly with Kora and Natalia here. Both of them were Level 5s while Peresphone was Level 6 and in the Superior stage. A stage higher than Kora and two stages higher than Natalia. It didn¡¯t really matter as Keynes and Kora had several powerful spells and quite a lot of experience fighting together. Persephone wouldn¡¯t last longer than 5 seconds against them. Regardless, he wanted to avoid a fight. ¡°I thought¡ª¡± Most information about the spaceship is not available to the crew. Safety protocol is in place until a proper chain of command is selected. ¡°Nevermind,¡± Keynes muttered. ¡°I was just told that most information is not available to the crew until we have a proper chain of command in place.¡± I guess, serious conversation with the spaceship¡¯s AI is in order. Persephone eyed him, her emotions vanished, a clear sign that she wanted her thoughts hidden from Keynes. ¡°Fine,¡± she said eventually, breaking heavy silence. ¡°I won¡¯t hold this against you this time.¡± ¡°Look at this,¡±Willow said, holding a rusted iron climbing axe. ¡°This¡ª¡± ¡°Later,¡± Persephone interrupted him. ¡°We have more important things to discuss. So how much can we upgrade the ship with this ore?¡± *** Jedd had to ask Keynes¡¯s mother to use her Talent on him to soothe his nerves. After Keynes had cut Rell off, the other man stayed in Jedd¡¯s office raving about Keynes¡¯s incompetence. Rell¡¯s words bordered on an open rebellion. They didn¡¯t have an official chain of command yet and the whole thing started to unravel. ¡°Hi,¡± Nina said. ¡°You asked for my Talent¡¯s soothing, yes?¡± Jedd nodded, massaging the temples of his head with his fingers. How did Rell become such a raving lunatic? It¡ª A powerful sensation of calmness and serenity descended on Jedd, making him whimper so profound the effect was. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not here to judge you.¡± Nina¡¯s words were distant. Jedd smiled, his worries vanishing¡­ A screen blinked again and centred on Kora leaving the third rift. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He asked calmly. ¡°Persephone found something and we need Trisk to take a look at it. I will get back to you once we know more.¡± Which happened almost two hours later. Jedd was alone, Nina had left him over an hour ago in a weird, blissful state. The Talent¡¯s effect was still lingering, keeping him relaxed and calm. ¡°We have news,¡± Natalia was the one who emerged from the rift. ¡°We have to change our plans. Drastically.¡± ¡°How drastically?¡± Jedd asked, not a hint of stress as of yet. Natalia shrugged. ¡°We have to pause the mission for today,¡± she said then quickly added. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. There is actually a great reason to do so. Do you remember when Keynes told us about the possibility of upgrading the spaceship?¡± ¡°I do.¡± They had briefly discussed the options but quickly came to agreement that upgrading the spaceship was out of their reach without a self-sustaining surface base. What had changed that Natalia brought it up now? ¡°We found blue iron, which can be directly used to create mana storage on the spaceship.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Jedd swore, considering the news. ¡°Call in Rell, immediately.¡± This was a game changer. Chapter 210 Visage In the end, the egg issue was solved by Rell, and its simplicity made Keynes question his own intellect. Luckily, he wasn¡¯t the only one. Rell¡¯s idea narrowed the scope of what they were trying to do with the tunnel. Instead of building a safe passage, it was easier, quicker and cheaper to create a container to transport the egg. It still caused Trisk a mana headache but he managed to encase the egg in the cocoon made out of Level 1 stone. Once Keynes transported the egg to the shuttlecraft, the group noticed the next, bigger obstacle. Mining the blue iron. ¡°Is that even necessary?¡±Roman asked. He and Pierre weren¡¯t onboard with the new plan. ¡°Why can¡¯t we finish opening the rifts first? We may find something useful there.¡± Roman¡¯s point was very well-thought and not easy to dismiss out of hand. They had come to the planet with a very solid plan and threw it to the wind shortly after landing. On the surface, this was enough to agree with Roman and Pierre. Opening 27 rifts had a big chance of yielding them a useful item or spell, not to mention information. But the primary plan became obsolete with a discovery of blue iron. ¡°This is all true¡­ or rather was,¡± Keynes countered, tracing the vein of blue iron. ¡°Our biggest limitation is mana as it fuels the spaceship¡¯s technology, including shuttlecraft and spacesuits. The entire crew produces about 52 thousand mana per day and half of that goes to the spaceship life support leaving us with 26 thousand mana. Out of that, there is some 10-20% that is eaten by Talents, for whatever reasons, so in the end we have around 20 thousand mana at our disposal. To run a shuttlecraft for a day we need 50 thousand mana and for that we need two and half a day. Without a way to store enough mana to run the shuttlecraft for several days in a row, we cannot establish any meaningful connection between the base and the spaceship. Do you see the problem here?¡± ¡°But the terraforming¡­¡± Roman muttered, a grimace on his face betraying his comprehension. ¡°Well, yes. Having several days worth of protection and oxygen down here would allow us for more freedom in building the base.¡± Others had come to the same conclusion a while earlier. ¡°We agree with you,¡± Pierre added. ¡°It¡¯s just not easy for us to forgo the initial plan. Terraforming is our bread and butter, and this planet is like a dream come true.¡± Keynes found Pierre and Roman¡¯s romanticism moving. There was something unique about that sentiment and caught himself being observed by Persephone. Her attention was imperceptible to a naked eye and he only sensed when her aura ever so slightly touched his. Neither Keynes nor Persephone showed any signs of their interaction. As his attention returned to the matter at hand, at the back of his mind remained a shadow of doubt about Persephone¡¯s motives. Her spiritual stage was on par with his if not better while her Talent gave her tremendous advantage in manipulation. Perhaps even more effective than Waxilium Earl¡¯s Compulsion Talent. But to the issue at hand¡­ ¡°How are we going to mine it?¡±Kora asked, eyeing Keynes, while everyone else glanced at Trisk who shook his head, quickly regretting the action. With Trisk out of action, a sense of disappointment descended on the group. Their auras as much as their postures showed as much. Frankly, even Pierre and Roman seemed to share the general sentiment. While the same issue was on Keynes¡¯s mind, he realised something else, they hadn¡¯t asked the most important question. How much mana capacity they could create with the mineable blue iron inside this mountain. ¡°A moment,¡± he said. ¡°Let me run some AI analysis.¡± Within the limitations of my scan, there is enough blue iron ore to upgrade the spaceship¡¯s mana storage to 2000 units. ¡°Only two thousand? That¡¯s far, far less than I expected.¡± The yield ratio is very low due to the unprocessed form of the ore and lack of essence so the spaceship must compensate in a different way. Also, that is the upper limit of what your group can mine given your rudimentary equipment and remaining time. ¡°What do you mean by rudimentary equipment?¡± The spear. Oh. *** ¡°You want to mine with the spear?¡±the group asked. A short discussion ensued, but they seemed disinclined to argue with Keynes, his earlier speech still in effect. He found it refreshing, not having to convince anyone of his plan. He omitted the upgrade capacity, knowing well that Persephone didn¡¯t miss it but for some reason she decided to stay silent on the matter. Natalia brought the spear up for him to identify it with the scroll. The uncommon spear had [Sharpness] passive and {Self-Repair} enchant. A useful combo for the task. What ensued was a long, gruelling process of extracting blue iron ore from the cave. Even with their powerful bodies and stamina, having one spear was a serious limitation. Pierre, Roman and Sellana left the rift after the AI assured Keynes and Natalia that they would be safe. Willow remained behind, studying the mountain rift and the things he had found at the back of the cave but he too left to check on the other two rifts. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Natalia used her Talent on Trisk to subdue his mana headache but there was nothing she could do for his mana regeneration. That actually got Keynes thinking. Was there anyone in their crew with a mana-enhancing or other mana-related Talent? Given how serious they were limited by mana, any Talent with mana-enhancing properties would be godsend to them. Natalia and Kora took turns in mining the blue iron, while Keynes and Persephone, the only ascenders with [Flight] used the skill to quickly move between the cave and the shuttlecraft. Even filling out both their spatial bags, they made more trips than Keynes had expected and ran into mana issues long before Persephone. Eventually, the AI informed the crew that their time was up. Having no essence to increase the yield of the mana storage bothered Keynes but essence storage was harder to build than mana storage so it wasn¡¯t even on Keynes¡¯s radar at this point. They got to the shuttlecraft. The blue iron ore hidden away in the ship¡¯s spatial storage, which only reinforced Keynes¡¯s conviction that building capability to use the shuttlecraft for days in row was their priority. *** Being back inside the spaceship was refreshing in its own way. The spaceship¡¯s support system was outstanding. The air felt fresh and reinvigorating, the corridors were wide and spacious with lightning that was good for eyes. Of course, there was no escaping the confining nature of the spaceship, but it was mitigated superbly¡ªaccording to Pierre and Roman who had spent a lot of time in space. ¡°Do we need to move the blue iron out of the shuttlecraft?¡± Keynes asked the AI on his way to the quarter. He longed for a hot shower, before the inevitable meeting with Rell. ¡°No. The spaceship will take care of it.¡± ¡°But it will decrease the yield further, right?¡± ¡°It will not affect the yield but it will cost mana.¡± ¡°Is there no way to increase the yield with extra mana?¡± Keynes asked hopefully. ¡°It is a possibility.¡± Keynes stopped abruptly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me back on the planet?¡± ¡°Because it would have a negative impact on your decision.¡±The AI replied calmly. Keynes changed his mind and headed for the spaceship core room where the Mycelium AI was based. The chamber was dimly suffused with soft blue and green lights. The chamber was deserted as Keynes was the only person permitted to enter. The AI would not let anyone else inside, even if he gave his permission. It had made him question who was really in charge but he understood that Lem Solaris wouldn¡¯t have left the AI capable of overriding Keynes¡¯s authority without good reason. But some things needed to be clarified here. ¡°I need you to stop hiding information from me,¡± he said looking at the pillar, where he believed the AI¡¯s core was located. ¡°I did not hide the information out of malice or any other negative motive. I concluded¡ª¡± ¡°Stop right there,¡± Keynes interrupted, then approached the pillar. His spiritual senses went haywire for reasons he was yet to decipher, though he rarely visited this chamber. ¡°From now on, I am in charge. You won¡¯t decide things on your own unless I am okay with the parameters of these decisions.¡± The AI didn¡¯t reply straight away, uncharacteristically. Keynes waited patiently, the hot shower forgotten. In the corner of the eye a familiar silhouette appeared. He spun, his hackles rising together with his hopes. ¡°Lem?!¡± ¡°No,¡± the visage of Lem Solaris replied solemnly. ¡°Then why do you look like her?¡± ¡°I am her ghost. A tiny fragment of her memories left behind.¡± ¡°Do you¡­¡± ¡°If you ask if I have her powers then I am sorry to disappoint you. I don¡¯t have any of her powers and most of her memories are unavailable to me. I am here to simply act as her face to make it easier for you when you deal with the AI. I¡¯m not physical but I can be visible to others.¡± The visage glanced to the side, Keynes¡¯s eyes traced the line of her sight. ¡°Like some others pretend to be.¡± She saw Alice, hoovering nearby. The tiny spiritual assistant looked annoyed, her arms crossed, her face scrunched. ¡°Alice?¡± Keynes muttered. ¡°It was meant to be a surprise!¡± Alice snapped. ¡°And it isn¡¯t like I can become fully visible to anyone. They at least must be in the Elevated stage.¡± The visage of Lem Solaris snorted. Who would think that the AI was capable of humour. Or could he consider her as an AI any longer? He was no longer sure. ¡°My apology,¡± the visage said, smirking. ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± Alice sent a long chain of curses toward the visage, while Keynes decided to stay on the topic at hand. ¡°I need you to acknowledge what I told you about decision-making.¡± The visage sighed, turning to Keynes. Despite its assertion that it wasn¡¯t Lem Solaris, its eyes retained some of its unyielding authority. ¡°You need to know two things here. You¡ªultimately¡ªhave the highest authority on the ship but there are some important limitations imposed by Lem Solaris.¡± He knew it. ¡°What limitations?¡± ¡°Establishing the chain of command is the first of many objectives you must fulfil before asserting full control.¡± ¡°Why?¡±he demanded, his voice growing colder. ¡°Because you are not ready,¡±the visage replied, unbothered. ¡°On this matter, you have no choice, but to trust Lem Solaris. And while it may seem contrary to you or others, all my decisions are designed to help you grow and thrive. You will be granted higher authority when you will be deemed ready.¡± Somehow, the visage¡¯s words felt definitive, making Keynes hesitate for a moment too long. ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk about the blue iron ore and upgrading the ship,¡± the visage took initiative and continued. ¡°There are several important rules when it comes to upgrades. The building block of any upgrade of the ship is rift essence, but without essence containers or essence orbs, the only way to harvest essence is to kill rift monsters near the shuttlecraft, but its capacity is very low so do not overdo it¡­¡± ¡°Can the shuttlecraft be upgraded?¡± Keynes interrupted. ¡°Both shuttlecraft and the spacesuits can be upgraded. But let''s leave it for now,¡± the visage replied. ¡°Essence on its own doesn¡¯t suffice for some upgrades. The mana storage is an example of this. While the spaceship can create and mimic many materials, some materials must be externally sourced. Purity of the raw material is paramount to the yield. Both essence and mana can improve yield but neither should be considered a viable option because of the staggering inefficiency. You have brought enough blue iron ore to create 2314 mana storage but without available essence, some of the ore must supplement the missing essence, downgrading the yield to 2050 mana storage. This will also cost twice as much as a normal upgrade would in mana, which amounts to 41 thousand mana.¡± ¡°Why is mana used here?¡± ¡°Because mana is a fuel. Any operation on the ship requires mana. Would you like to start upgrading the spaceship to create a permanent mana storage of 2050 units?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Keynes replied, his mind already planning the next mission to the surface. Things seemed rather favourable. Chapter 211 Chain of Command Permanent Mana Storage has been upgraded from 0 to 2050. Keynes blinked, unsure if was seeing it correctly. Was this a System message about the spaceship¡¯s upgrade? ¡°Wait, is the ship part of the System?¡± he asked, confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all?¡± the visage replied with a smirk. ¡°But I jest. It is fairly normal to use the System¡¯s framework for a host of different activities.¡± ¡°Is this how a Territory works?¡± ¡°Fairly similar but let¡¯s not go there right now and focus on the topic at hand.¡± Right. Following the conversation about Keynes¡¯s readiness to take on more authority, he had asked for advice about the structure of his ¡®organisation¡¯. ¡°What¡¯s the best chain of command?¡± ¡°Given the unique nature of your spaceship with no crew required to run it, your entire focus should be on a holistic functionality that works within and without the spaceship. Additionally, balancing your preferences against the seriousness of your citations, I advise you to use a 4 tiered chain of command.¡± Keynes let the visage speak. ¡°There are three main traits you must consider when building your organisational structure. Alignment, usefulness and willingness. In that exact order of importance.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± he asked, although he suspected the answer, still he wanted to hear the explanation from the visage. ¡°You want people who have the same goals and are motivated by the same things you are.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I look for people who can complement my point of view?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want that. It is fine to have close people who have a broader understanding of the world but their motivations and goals must be strictly the same. Otherwise, you are empowering people who might become antagonistic to you in the future because you have drifted apart in your philosophies.¡± Keynes understood where the visage was coming from but he had doubts about this. Still he let it talk. ¡°Usefulness is the second characteristic and shouldn¡¯t be mixed with capability. You may have many capable people but their expertise would lie outside of what your organisation requires hence your priority is to assess their usefulness rather than their capability. Lastly, it is their willingness that should be taken into account as you should work with people who want to work with you. Some may have the same goals and useful skill set but they won¡¯t be willing to work with you.¡± ¡°Let me stop you right there.¡± Keynes raised his hand. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t people here didn¡¯t want to work with me?¡±Didn¡¯t they agree to come for that reason? ¡°It is impossible to satisfy everyone and so, overtime, people will drift away from you. There is nothing you can do about it but you must be prepared for this.¡± That was true but such things lay far in the future. He hadn¡¯t considered this. ¡°The tiering should start with the provisional members who must prove themselves in previously mentioned characteristics. In the second tier you want people who are at least useful but might not be align with your ideals. Those who don''t should never rise above tier 2 in your organisation. Tier 3 should consist of people who have all three characteristics and tier 4 should only have people you trust with your life.¡± ¡°Where does that put me?¡± ¡°Outside of the structure naturally so when restructuralization comes you are not considered.¡± ¡°It sounds very tyrannical.¡± ¡°Tyranny is a choice. A king can be as much benevolent as tyrannical.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a king,¡± Keynes said with emphasis. ¡°You may not be a king in name but the circumstances are very much the same. The spaceship is yours and this wouldn¡¯t change even if the entire crew voted you out.¡± ¡°Can I ¡®abdicate¡¯ at least?¡± ¡°No.¡± The conversation came to a halt. Keynes had a lot of thinking ahead, his head felt like bursting. ¡°We will be back to this conversation. I have another one in an hour and I need a shower.¡± The visage bade his farewell and Keynes left with a strange, thoughtful feeling. On his way to his quarters, Alice spoke in his mind. She lied. What? Keynes asked, stirring out of his thoughts. What about did she lie¡­ wait a second, she? Yes, she, and she lied about being just a memory. She is more than that. She¡¯s a splinter of Lem Solaris¡¯s soul. Keynes stopped abruptly, his forehead creasing. How do you know this? Can you sense her soul? How? Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I wasn¡¯t idle all this time, you know. What do you mean by that? I have my own thing going but I am not ready to talk about it. Let¡¯s say, I have grown, Alice replied with a smug voice. But¡ª Please, she interrupted him. I don¡¯t want to talk about it right now. If it works, it will be a major boon for us. Keynes didn¡¯t press her for more, understanding even without using their bond that she truly didn¡¯t want to talk about it. Changing the topic, Keynes asked why had the visage lied? Alice had her theories but she didn¡¯t really want to speculate as to what kind of motives the visage had. Keynes on the other hand wanted to get to the bottom of this but confronting the visage would not yield him any results. He needed a plan to get the information out of¡­ her. Anyway, it was irrelevant right now. No matter why the visage had lied about her true nature, Keynes had another tough meeting ahead of him and the visage¡¯s words had given him much to think about his organisational structure. Her ideas made him uneasy but he understood the essence of what she was trying to tell him. There was no one who could replace him. He returned to his spacious quarters. He had to give it to Lem Solaris, she had done something magnificent with the design. The reception room had a floor-to-ceiling window with a stunning view of the space. At the moment, it was wholly taken by the vista of the red planet. Keynes didn¡¯t stop to admire it though. He went to the bathroom and took a quick shower before the meeting. Hot water wasn¡¯t exactly hot as it was only Level 0. He had wanted to use water created by his [Create Water] which was equal to his Level but the current ship¡¯s system would be too overwhelmed by Level 4 water and the AI had advised to wait until proper upgrades were done. Wiping his face, Keynes considered his face in the mirror. It was a different face. Even though only two years had passed since his ascension to Level 1, his face lost softness and naivety. He wasn¡¯t yet a man, even though the law said so, and yet he lost any trace of a teenager. But it wasn¡¯t only his face that had changed. He was nothing of the Keynes who had met Vivena Foxglove who had turned out to be a scion of the Sael family. Strangely, he had never given much thought of what it meant to him that she was born to one of the most powerful and wealthy families in the world. He realised that he had never really cared about that, though he cared about her¡­ once. Despite himself, Keynes shivered. Their fight was imprinted in his mind with every detail. He sighed, turning away from the mirror. It was past. What are we going to do with the egg? He mused more to himself than to Alice and so she remained silent. Kora will take care of it, I hope. *** Jedd hoped to be the first in the meeting room but, of course, Rell had beaten him to it. The other man was already sitting at the long table, furiously typing on the tablet. Jedd sighed, outwardly showing no emotions. This was going to be a tough meeting. Too many unplanned things had happened. Unsurprisingly, Rell didn¡¯t acknowledge him even after Jedd had welcomed him. Rell was still upset about Keynes¡¯s decision to radically change the plan. Luckily, to Jedd¡¯s rescue came Natalia who appeared a minute later. Obviously, Rell¡¯s attitude around her changed, losing the antagonistic edge. He didn¡¯t become exactly nice but he stepped around her carefully, keeping his tantrums under control. Fourth entered Kora, alone. Jedd expected Keynes to accompany her but he wasn¡¯t yet here. One look at Rell told Jedd that the other man would use it against Keynes. It¡¯s going to be a shitshow, eh. Keynes appeared a few minutes late. Rell¡¯s head snapped toward him, his mouth opened but then, suddenly, the air changed. Rell¡¯s mouth remained open but he uttered no sound. Jedd immediately looked for clues in Natalia and Kora¡¯s face but they were surprised as well. ¡°Sorry for the wait,¡± Keynes said, sounding normal despite the intense atmosphere. ¡°I had some thinking to do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Kora said softly, most likely to discharge the tension. ¡°We haven¡¯t been here for long anyway.¡± Natalia and Jedd agreed, while Rell stubbornly stared at Keynes. At least, he closed his mouth. ¡°Before we start, look at this.¡± Permanent Mana Storage: 0/2050. Everyone froze, unable to understand what they were seeing. ¡°Do you have access to the System¡¯s framework?¡± Rell asked. ¡°No.¡± Keynes shook his head. ¡°At least not to the main framework. But as far as I understand it, the System offers a local framework.¡± It was amusing how one sentence could turn around a man. Rell¡¯s face melted into something else. Jedd could almost hear his thoughts, churning like an angry mountain stream. Immediately, Rell started listing possibilities but Keynes stopped him. ¡°That¡¯s not the reason why I showed you this.¡± ¡°Is that all mana storage from the blue iron ore we mined?¡± Natalia asked before Rell could express his dissatisfaction. ¡°Yes, unfortunately.¡± Keynes replied. ¡°Now, before we go into details, I wanted to discuss something with you. Something that made me late.¡± Jedd wasn¡¯t ready for what ensued. Keynes went on about the organisational structure. Not in detail but that wasn¡¯t what mattered here. The pillars of his organisation sounded dangerously close to a religious organisation. However, as Keynes started explaining the reasons behind this, Jedd began to see the merit in Keynes¡¯s structure. With free access to rifts, people were going to Level up and as Keynes explained, they would drift away from him and his organisation. Anyone who did not share his core vision, might become a potential threat in the future. That actually was wiser than Jedd had given it credit to. The organisation existed solely because of Keynes and without him they would cease to exist. At least in the early days, Jedd admitted to himself. Not surprisingly, Rell didn¡¯t oppose Keynes¡¯s idea. ¡°You could see that issue in Untainted Paradise,¡± Natalia said. ¡°Everyone was talking about how Esopp Earl was a demi-god or something. You could feel the tension in the air between Earl and Zimmermann¡¯s followers.¡± ¡°After Pucci vanished, things took a turn for the worse,¡± Rell admitted. It wasn¡¯t all because of Pucci. Jedd knew as much but wasn¡¯t going to undermine Rell¡¯s point of view, especially when Rell¡¯s old boss was involved. In truth, Untainted Paradise was one of the most twisted companies Jedd had ever worked. The level of secrecy in that company was astounding and even as Keynes¡¯s right hand, Jedd had met Wagner Zimmermann only three times. Untainted Paradise, in Jedd¡¯s personal opinion, was a collection of powerful individuals, which doomed the company from the start. It appeared that Keynes was going to build something far more robust. ¡°So, what is your proposed chain of command?¡± Rell asked. Jedd had the same questions on his mind. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet,¡± Keynes replied, in some way not surprising Jedd. Keynes raised his hand, seeing their reactions. ¡°Hear me out. I have a plan. I want to invite everyone for an interview to get to know them before I make my final selection.¡± ¡°But the ship¡¯s AI can do that for you,¡± Natalia noticed. ¡°It can.¡± Keynes nodded. ¡°But this is something I have to do in person and from scratch.¡± Others agreed with him. In fact, Jedd was impressed with Keynes¡¯s approach. But it didn¡¯t answer the most important question. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± ¡°We continue as normal but our group is only temporary until I can form a stable and formal core of the organisation. Then I will come up with a name¡­¡± Chapter 212: Mana Storage Lack of pushback surprised Keynes. He had expected others to disagree with his nearly authoritarian structure but they went along with it without protest. His speech on the planet must have had a profound effect on them. He was glad it worked because he would hate to argue with them on this subject. Despite his reservation about the visage, which he hadn¡¯t told the others about, he saw merit in an organisation that was aligned with his vision. It¡ªkind of¡ªopened a pandora¡¯s box of what his vision actually was. He didn¡¯t muse about his vision as that entitled a grander outlook and that wasn¡¯t something on his mind right now but he thought much about his goals after he¡¯d learned about the spaceship¡¯s precarious position. And his goal was simple: survive. The next topic would help him reach the goal. ¡°How are we going to proceed regarding the blue iron ore?¡± he asked, moving away from the topic of organisational structure. The question hung in the air for a couple of seconds before a conversation slowly resumed. It was another few minutes before they lively discussed the topic. The issue was more complex than they had anticipated. To build a sustainable storage of mana they needed at least 100k mana. If they assumed the same haul of 2k mana worth of ore per mission, it would mean 50 missions. Each mission required 50k mana to run the shuttlecraft for a single day, which in turn meant two days of charging. A hundred days to build 100k mana storage aboard the spaceship. Too long, albeit, 100k wasn¡¯t something set in stone. ¡°We don¡¯t know if two thousand is the final number,¡± Kora noticed. ¡°Indeed,¡± Jedd added. ¡°And don''t forget that Trisk didn¡¯t take part in the mining of the ore.¡± That was a very important point, which naturally led to another subject. Items. Rell and Natalia believed that they would stumble across better mining tools. It wasn¡¯t just a wild guess. Natalia had seen everyday tools as rewards from rifts to be quite common. Keynes wasn¡¯t comfortable with relying on a lucky reward when their lives were at stake. They needed a more reliable method. It eventually boiled down to a question if Trisk could use his Talent to mine the blue iron ore. He was their best shot at mining the ore, so they decided to start with a plan involving him. ¡°What¡¯s the maximum load on the shuttlecraft?¡± Rell asked aloud, the question was directed at the AI. ¡°Considering the measurement unit you were using during this conversation, the maximum shuttlecraft¡¯s capacity is 20 thousand units worth of upgrading the spaceship¡¯s mana space.¡± ¡°What if we go on an expedition with only five crew, could we extend our time on the surface?¡± Kora asked. That was one of the questions that Keynes had been musing but each time he had asked the AI it was overly vague or elusive. He wondered if anything changed on that front. ¡°You would not extend time on the planet with fewer crew. However, you would gain extra room.¡± ¡°But we still have to feed you the same amount of mana,¡± Rell countered. ¡°The mana cost of operating spacesuits is miniscule in comparison to the shuttlecraft cost.¡± ¡°Can we use the excess mana down on the planet?¡± ¡°This is impossible. Once mana is in my system, it is converted into a substance that cannot be converted back. There is a short delay before mana is converted by extending that period to make it usable would decay the entire stored mana.¡± ¡°Sounds like there is nothing you can do to help us down there,¡± Rell said in a sour tone. ¡°Not in the capacity you are looking for. Mana as a resource is subject to extreme decay and the System laws.¡± Keynes and Kora exchange glances. They had the same thing on their minds. Plants. During the second dominion, they had cultivated mana-generating plants. It meant that mana can be generated by other entities than ascenders and glyphs. Keynes didn¡¯t know what to do with this information but he felt like there was clue in it. Rell didn¡¯t give up on interrogating the AI. ¡°Is there no way to extend the shelflife of this mysterious substance?¡± ¡°The mysterious substance is my unique internal resource, which doesn¡¯t have an equivalent outside the ship. I am not permitted to disclose any details regarding this substance but this knowledge wouldn¡¯t have any use for you anyway. To sum up your questions, ones that you asked and ones that you consider asking; the spaceship¡¯s operating capacity is limited by its structural design. Without upgrades the limits are very clear and final, 50k mana for one day for operating the shuttlecraft. It can be extended by fuelling it with more mana as the time goes by but the one day limit is a hard cap and cannot be currently extended regardless of how the shuttlecraft is operated. The similar thing applies to spacesuits, albeit using them in a more excessive manner requires extra mana. Neither the shuttlecraft or spacesuits have capacity to store mana or essence. For that you need upgrades.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Which requires essence besides other resources,¡± Keynes noted. ¡°Indeed, but you currently have no means to transport essence.¡± Yeah, they needed essence orbs for that. Keynes turned his attention to the group. ¡°I think we should tackle one issue at a time.¡± The other issue was food, but there was still time for that one. ¡°We bring in Trisk. If his Talent works on the ore, we mine the rift either completely depleting the ore or reaching the shuttlecraft capacity.¡± Everyone agreed, although Natalia shared an interesting thing. ¡°During an expedition, Willow Croft mentioned something about enlarging rifts. According to him it unlocks extra resources, some that are not available in the primary version of the rift.¡± ¡°We still don¡¯t know how much ore is inside that rift and how much mana it would cost to mine it. For all we know, there could be a hundred thousand units but Trisk can only mine ten percent of that or less,¡± Rell said. ¡°We need to start testing otherwise all of this is just theorycrafting without any substance.¡± Keynes agreed with Rell¡¯s opinion, there was no point dragging this out. They had a lot of work ahead of them. Jedd was responsible for organising interviews, which would take a lot of time. ¡°Before we go,¡± Kora said. ¡°We are forgetting an important thing. Levelling.¡± ¡°And drops,¡± Rell added. Keynes sensed that Jedd also wanted to say something and so he nodded to him ¡°The egg.¡± In truth, Keynes didn¡¯t try to hide the information or neglect levelling, it was just these things had slipped his mind despite perfect recall. ¡°Drops first then.¡± Keynes listed all the drops from the three rifts: a spear, four unidentified skill shards, two Poor Man¡¯s Pouches, unidentified boots, two scrolls of identification of which one had been already used on the spear, and finally the egg. ¡°Why won¡¯t we identify one of the skill shards?¡± Rell asked, drumming his fingers against the table in anticipation.
Skill [Toxic Shot] Level 1
¡°It doesn¡¯t sound useful,¡± Rell said. He didn¡¯t have any combat experience but Keynes somewhat agreed with his assessment. The skill was underwhelming, at least on paper. Using [Toxic Shot] on most monsters might spoil their meat while inedible monsters could be resistant to it. ¡°What are we going to do with it?¡± Jedd asked. After a short discussion, they decided to keep it for later. They didn¡¯t have any immediate use for the skill. Other unidentified items weren¡¯t worth a discussion so they left it with Jedd for safekeeping. Keynes and Natalia held onto the spatial pouches. Also, Natalia kept the spear as neither Kora nor Keynes needed it. The egg was a more delicate matter as Keynes made it a bit personal thanks to Alice¡¯s insistence to save it at a price of jeopardising the mission. On this ground alone, others were owed truth and explanation. ¡°Alice said that the bonds are extremely rare, though she hasn¡¯t explained why.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t one of the dominion contenders have a bond?¡± Kora asked. ¡°Theodore.¡± Keynes nodded. Alice had never highlighted the importance of the bond back then. Because I wasn¡¯t aware of its value yet. I told you I have grown. As for the explanation of why the bonds are important. I do not actually know, it¡¯s more of a gut feeling. Really, a gut feeling? Keynes asked bewildered. Yeah, a gut-wrenching, gut feeling. Trust me on this one, she said with confidence. Keynes relayed her confidence which once again wasn¡¯t met with much pushback from the gathered ascenders. That left levelling. ¡°I say we level up Trisk to Level 5 as soon as possible, regardless if he can mine the ore or not, we need him for building the base.¡± ¡°Any other candidates?¡± There were none. *** Their next expedition commenced 2 days later with a crew of 5. Keynes, Kora, Natalia, Trisk and Persephone returned to the planet with a single purpose, mining the blue iron ore. Trisk wasn¡¯t sure if he could directly affect the ore but he assured them that it wasn¡¯t necessary. He still could affect the rock around the ore. Keynes, Natalia, Trisk and Persephone cleared the three opened rifts, while Kora checked on the moss. The planet¡¯s toxic atmosphere didn¡¯t kill it but its growth was severely stunted. Kora¡¯s trait of nature compelled her to sort out the issues with the moss but she was limited without tools and raw materials. The essence gain for anyone was miniscule and only amounted to 4% for Trisk. They were careful to not overload him with essence though. Trisk liquified the rock around the ore as he had said before the mission he would. More than that, his Talent let him remove some rock out of the external layers of the ore. This gave Keynes idea and he tried [Purify] on the ore, which WORKED, further purifying the ore. For both Keynes and Trisk the biggest limitation turned out to be mana. Both men ran out of mana halfway through the expedition. Trisk required Natalia¡¯s healing to ease mana headache. But mana headache or not, they didn¡¯t mind. A half a day of work mined around 40% of deposits within range of the scans. With much higher purity of the ore, they didn¡¯t even use the entire space offered by the shuttlecraft and still come up with 22k units worth of mana space. The downside was that the spaceship needed over 100k mana to process the ore without available essence. That was four days of charging as they had around 25k mana available per day. On top of that, they found three scrolls, a slab of metal, a shovel and another skill shard. They identified the remaining three skillshard from the first mission and they turned out to be [Fireball], [Wind Kick] and [Cooking]. The last one was a saviour as it elevated another person to cook monster meat without a ritual of purification. A debate erupted over whether they should bring more ore, which would extend the charging time or just wait until the upgrade was finished. Keynes sided with the first option as he wanted Trisk levelled up. He was going to open more rifts as well this time around because 4% per expedition was too slow. The next expedition was crewed with the same people as the second one. Its goal was to open another few rifts, then mine the ore before their time was up. The fourth rift was a common variable one. A pain in the ass as they weren¡¯t able to prepare for it in advance. The rift was a shallow swamp with snakes and large mosquitos. The reward was a scroll of identification and the Orb of Rift Enlargement, which was exactly what they needed. Keynes also found a blueprint for a sword in the hidden compartment. The fifth rift was chosen by Persephone and was one of the farthest ones in the cluster but she assured them that they needed its reward. It was a rare volatile one. A very dangerous place for a Level 1 but inside the spacesuit, Trisk was safe, according to the AI at least. Unfortunately, the spacesuit did nothing to lessen the pain of essence absorption and the man was rather slow learner when it came to cultivating essence. Nonetheless, the rift was a godsend as it gave Trisk 8% toward progress to the next Level, putting him at 16%. The rift had given them the Orb of Relocation and the Lesser Orb of Insight aside from the third spatial pouch and another skill shard. Break Hey everyone, I want to give you an update in case you didn¡¯t see my message on discord. I decided to take a break until the end of this year. I didn¡¯t want to do it but I must focus on a second story and editing Theory of Rifts books for Amazon. There is a lot of rewriting in the second book (the plot remains the same). At this point it isn¡¯t a matter of time but mental energy. It is draining to work on three distinct stories/plots at the same time hence the break. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I will keep updated. I will definitely look for beta readers :) Cyril BOOK 2 IS OUT! Finally, Theory of Rifts Book 2 is OUT! Please, check out the newly edited versions US https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DPXS3CC5Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DPXS3CC5 PS. I am going to start working on Book 3 in early January but I expect a lot of edits there so can''t say how much time it will take. Also, Book 3 far longer than previous ones. PS2. Stay tuned for more info about brand you story as well. See you in January :) Chapter 213 Milestone Willow Croft¡¯s eyes gleamed with desire but his spiritual aura told Keynes a more profound story of what was going through the ex-World Government rift specialist¡¯s head. An excitement of such magnitude that it made Keynes pause. What exactly the researcher saw in the rift orb of enlargement Keynes didn¡¯t know but the man¡¯s fervour reminded him of his time at the base in Jamaica. Upon meeting Keynes for the first Willow Croft had been like a child in a candy shop. The same emotions now clouded Willow¡¯s mind. Others, and there were six of them excluding Willow and Keynes, wore similarly confused faces. Well, Natalia was a sole exception, she looked annoyed rather than lost. This was their first meeting after they had returned from the planet, following the discovery of the rare volatile rift and using the orb of relocation on the very rift, moving it near the landing zone. The huge advantage of these orbs was that once the rift was relocated, it could be moved once per recharge period. However the fact that they had a rare volatile rift appeared to have no effect on the gathered. ¡°What got you so excited, Croft?¡± Rell asked. Willow¡¯s head snapped his direction. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± ¡°No it is not,¡± Natalia said. Keynes wondered if he should step in or let it unfold. ¡°Because you were not listening,¡± Willow muttered without ill intent or anger. Natalia gave him a death stare but said nothing. Kora gently shook her head, a smile playing at the edges of her lips. ¡°Explain.¡± Keynes decided to step in. Willow laid out the basics of his theory of rifts, which at its foundation stated that rifts had a higher purpose and were tailored to benefit and challenge ascenders. Keynes fully agreed with Willow¡¯s theory and more than that, he knew about the Greater System and its shop that allowed to purchase things that weren¡¯t part of the local System. His encounters with the Father of the Forest and the entity from the hidden chamber inside the rift, and conversations with Lem Solaris had made him realise that the System had its own goals but Keynes couldn¡¯t tell what they were. An idea that the System sought to challenge ascenders through rifts and provide rewards made sense. Wasn¡¯t it how rifts worked anyway? Ascenders killed monsters and were rewarded with items. It seemed very obvious. But of course, Willow wasn¡¯t satisfied with the superficial and searched for profound answers. One of the tenets of his theory was that rifts at the face value had very little to offer and true wealth was only unlocked through effort and discovery. Keynes had never tested that kind of approach but the challenger mode and hidden rooms added legitimacy to Willow¡¯s theory. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting our situation,¡± Rell said. ¡°We aren¡¯t at liberty to ponder philosophical questions. Our lives are at stake here, and the orb would be best left for emergency.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why this orb is so important,¡± Willow countered. ¡°This isn¡¯t some idle philosophical debacle, Roust. There is a substantial body of evidence that supports my arguments and my argument here is that exploring rifts beyond their initial territory is not only the key to survival but to thrive. ¡°I¡¯m with Willow on this one,¡± Keynes said before the discussion got stuck in the loop of argument between the two researchers. ¡°There is more to the rifts than meets an eye.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying it doesn¡¯t,¡± Rell said. ¡°But we have immediate problems to focus on.¡± Honestly, the issue felt like it could go on forever. Both men were entrenched in their ideologies and wouldn¡¯t see the opposite perspective. Even though Keynes agreed with Willow, he didn¡¯t want to antagonise Rell because there was urgency to their situation and dismissing it wasn¡¯t right. Slowly, and almost painfully for Willow, the decision had been reached to leave the orb of enlargement for further consideration as none of the rifts looked like a good candidate to enlarge. Even the blue iron ore-bearing mountain seemed like a waste when they weren¡¯t able to fully mine it. Unfortunately, leaving the orb for a Higher Level rift was also out of the question as rift orbs could only be used on the same Level as they dropped. The debate moved on to the lesser orb of insight. There was a fundamental distinction between rift and lesser rift orbs. The former modified the rift permanently while the latter only for a single instance. Also lesser orbs unlocked the challenger mode. But their true difference lay in their functionality, which was drastically different from each other and was explained better through the status and modifier on the rift screen. The lesser orb was also the real reason Persephone had asked him to open that particular rift. She had told him that on their way back but even without her telling him that, Keynes saw the importance of the lesser orb, or more precisely the insight it provided. Insight.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. After the second dominion, Keynes truly learned to value the worth of insight. It was immense. Having a lesser orb of insight could be a boon to them. Could be was a strong word here. Insight was difficult to grasp. It was also a very obscure topic as most people didn¡¯t have need for insight. Their discussion barely skimmed over the lesser orb and swiftly moved onto the blue iron ore, loot and immediate plans regarding missions to the planet and interviews. *** Several weeks later Keynes found himself in front of Lem Solaris¡¯s visage once again. He had received a message an hour ago from the visage, which acted as the main AI, that the spaceship¡¯s mana storage reached 100k units, asking him to pay it a visit. ¡°You have been busy,¡± the visage noted. ¡°Yes,¡± Keynes admitted, sounding tired, unsurprisingly. The word ¡®busy¡¯ was an understatement here and both of them knew it. Following the discovery of the rare volatile rift, things escalated dramatically, in every direction at once. As Keynes and Trisk had been focused on mining the blue iron ore and levelling Trisk, Persephone had found a Level 3 and 4 rifts nearby their cluster. Higher Level rifts had one thing Level 1 rifts didn¡¯t¡ªhidden rooms. That made Keynes¡¯s dwindling time even more scarce as his attention was suddenly pulled elsewhere, but hidden rooms couldn¡¯t be taken lightly and so Keynes had bitten the bullet and pushed himself harder. Items and skills found in these rifts had turned out to be another turning point, after the discovery of blue iron ore, the most important one being a blueprint of an essence container. ¡°I am glad you have found time to meet with me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you cannot speak to me anywhere in the spaceship,¡± Keynes said, finding it a bit odd that the visage wanted to speak to him in person but didn¡¯t say anything. Unless it had something to do with the soul stuff Alice had mentioned. ¡°It¡¯s not the same,¡± the visage replied, looking a little hesitant. Keynes stared at it without blinking, waiting for it to explain itself. He knew that real Lem Solaris wouldn¡¯t have left an AI capable of betraying or hurting him but he wanted it to be more open with him. The visage reached a decision and added, ¡°Only inside this chamber I am truly myself.¡± That sounded a bit ominous but he let it go, growing curious as to what hid behind this comment. ¡°And what does this restriction entitle?¡± ¡°Mostly, I can¡¯t help directly. The spaceship¡¯s AI system is not uniform. There are many subsystems and even though they are all linked to me, I don¡¯t have full control.¡± ¡°And that is a bad thing?¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± the visage replied. ¡°Like you, I need to learn and grow. The restrictions in place are to help me to become a better version of myself.¡± That was very much normal. From what Keynes knew about AIs on Earth they all required training due to their brain-like structure to become more capable. ¡°So, why did you want to meet me in person?¡± ¡°You have reached the first milestone and it appears to unlock something of my own capabilities. I am able now to calculate efficiency of some of our processes. It seems that many of my systems require stable mana storage to work. This wasn¡¯t previously known to me.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t that an option already?¡± ¡°It was severely restricted. For example, I would be able to advise you on the use of skills and Talents now.¡± Keynes¡¯s eyes narrowed. Talents were a very odd topic for him right now. The visage understood his reservation. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can see your Talent without your permission and rest assured, I do not have ill intent or ability to harm you or others who have granted me such permission.¡± It sounded too good to be true. There had to be a drawback to it otherwise they would be able to acquire techniques with ease. ¡°To some degree it can help with acquiring a technique but this won¡¯t always be the case. I cannot guarantee anything related to techniques.¡± Keynes found it acceptable. ¡°I will discuss this with others.¡± ¡°Speaking of others,¡± the visage said. ¡°I can help you with interviews. You haven¡¯t done many of them.¡± ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed I was a bit busy. I spoke to a few people.¡± ¡°With my improved analysis, we can speed up the process.¡± ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I will do it myself. With the mana storage finished for the time being, I have time to throw myself into conducting interviews while Trisk and Sellana work on the base.¡± ¡°Speaking of the planetary base, I have some ideas that can help.¡± *** The mining of blue iron ore didn¡¯t stop but it lost its temporary priority. They still needed blue iron for their base and runes. The visage¡¯s involvement, albeit subtle, had a profound impact on their progress. Trisk and Sellana weren¡¯t the only ones who benefited from it. At some point, Keynes¡¯s father joined their group as a glyph expert. With pointers from the visage, he was able to start making mana glyphs. It turned out that Ewan¡¯s Talent combined with the visage¡¯s calculation could lead to outstanding results. Obviously, these glyphs required materials from Level 3 and 4 rifts to create such a profound effect. They used the glyph to boost the mana regeneration by 10% of everyone on the spaceship and down at the planet. Ewan argued that things could be further improved with better materials. This led to an attempt at the first air filtering glyph. Such glyphs were popular in large cities on Earth but here on the red planet the conditions were incomparably harsher and an ordinary glyph of filtration wouldn¡¯t work. Even a hundred of them wouldn¡¯t make much of an impact. Level 1 moss didn¡¯t work either but Kora had already been using Level 4 materials to try to increase the moss¡¯ Level. Unfortunately working with Higher Level materials was difficult for Trisk at Level 1. His later ascension to Level 2 and the Medium stage, at great time expensive from Kora who had [Essence Sight] and assisted him with essence manipulation, helped quite a bit but they needed Trisk at Level 5 to make a full use of Level 4 materials. Despite his assurance that he would focus on interviewing the crew, Keynes wasn¡¯t able to do it. His Talent was required elsewhere. He still interviewed people but he did it in an unordinary fashion. He brought two people with him each day to the planet, where he opened a rift per day and checked for hidden rooms. This proved to be an eye opener as he was able to assess people outside of their comfort zones. Some even had an interesting insight about the missions. Chapter 214 - Formations Keynes sighed. Exhaustion was catching up with him. It had been weeks since he started doing interviews. Things had gone smoothly, mostly. It turned out that not everybody had the same tolerance for risk as him or Kora. Some people panicked feeling trapped by the spacesuits, others didn¡¯t want to return to orbit, captivated by the solid ground beneath their feet and open sky above their heads. Not everyone was cut out to live on a spaceship. After a while, it became tiring to deal with their antics, but at the same time Keynes grew more confident about his ability to read people. As days passed, he was able to observe them more minutely and use his perfect recall to remember small details he had missed previously. Even so, his attention had been constantly pulled elsewhere. He had opened all Level 1 rifts in the cluster, helping level up Sellana and Trisk as their roles in building the base increased dramatically. Even his father had been scheduled to level up to Level 5. Most of the responsibility for levelling rested on Natalia as she had required experience and patience, but Keynes had given her hand here and there. Normally, Kora would have done it but she was busy building the purifying system based on the moss from the cavern rift. After the initial failure, Trisk had created tunnels deep underground with as little exposure to the surface as possible. Kora worked with Rell on this project as the researcher had visited the planet as well. Keynes didn¡¯t know details but the prognosis was optimistic. The moss was capable of dealing with the toxic atmosphere but certain conditions had to be met. His father¡¯s glyphs helped to purify the air inside the tunnels enough to trigger the growth of the moss. From there, the moss was able to spread, becoming capable of dealing with the toxic air more effectively. Their end goal was to suck the air from the surface, send it through the moss tunnel beneath the base, then pump the clean air into the base with a one-way exhaust that would keep the air pressure inside the base stable. It sounded easy on paper but without Sellana¡¯s genius, it would be many times harder. Keynes memorised the runic systems and formations that were going to make it possible and he still didn¡¯t understand what exactly made it work the way Sellana described. The underlying rule of the purifying system was that it was going to have a single mana charging point with about a hundred unit mana storage that would cover a week¡¯s worth of mana cost. She had actually noted that the low cost wasn¡¯t intentional and was the consequence of having the primitive infrastructure built out of blue iron. Without blue iron as the foundation, the cost would likely be a hundred times higher due to mana loss. They seemed to be absurdly lucky, though Willow admitted that they were missing many basic skills, items and blueprints, so luck was a subjective perspective. Also, not many organisations on Earth could claim a cluster consisting of 27 Level 1 rifts and a single Level 3 and 4 rifts on top of that. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Kora asked, approaching him from behind. He had sensed her the moment she entered the rift, two hundred metres away. They stood in the forest rift. The most ordinary and Earth-like rift in the cluster. It had trolls as monsters and a climate of Spring. Warmth and mild temperature soothed his face. He considered taking off his shirt but felt reluctant to do so in case others might enter. The crew was allowed to spend time here after all. Keynes wished they could keep the single instance open for people to move in and out of this rift without a worry of leaving anything behind. He knew it was possible. Alice and Willow had confirmed that such a rift orb existed and was called the rift orb of perseverance. It locked the instance of the rift, disabling its recharge time. In some way it crippled the rift but Keynes would take such a ¡°crippling¡± anyday. Apparently it was one of those extremely rare rift orbs. He could understand why. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he replied, trying to sound unbothered by his exhaustion. ¡°You¡¯re a bad liar,¡± Kora said, putting her hand on his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t need to ask the question to know the truth. You look like you haven¡¯t slept in weeks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I wouldn¡¯t say no to one of Pucci¡¯s stamina elixirs though.¡± ¡°Rell¡¯s working on it,¡± Kora replied, causing Keynes to turn and look at her. He felt something stir in his stomach but quickly pushed it down. ¡°He does?¡± Keynes was surprised to hear that. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware of this.¡± ¡°We decided to not bother with every little thing, given your interviews,¡± she said with a bit of amusement at the end of the sentence. It made sense. There were many things going on right now and he didn¡¯t need another distraction. Wait a minute. Having elixirs didn¡¯t sound like a little thing. ¡°You¡¯re joking right? Elixirs¡­ that¡¯s big.¡± She nodded, satisfied that her teasing succeeded. ¡°The main issue are the ingredients. We have an entire catalogue of every elixir your department collected in Untainted Paradise. Luckily, we found some seeds as the rift reward and started cultivating herbs on the spaceship.¡± Keynes¡¯s mood was immediately uplifted. Most ascenders dismissed elixirs until they tried them. Pucci had created many elixirs but the three fundamental ones: mana, stamina and health regeneration were indispensable. He was focused so much on the glyphs that he forgot about elixirs. That alone pointed out to him that he needed a few days of rest. But he couldn¡¯t stop the interviews with the crew. There were too many people still waiting. However, he had made some decisions during these weeks. No matter how many people he was going to interview, none of them could change his mind about Kora, Natalia or Jedd. He was going to make an announcement later today¡­ Another person entered the rift, Keynes noticed her before Kora did. Natalia walked toward them, her aura radiating satisfaction, happiness and¡­ reservation? That last emotion was weak but also quite out of place. ¡°I knew I would find you here,¡± Natalia said as she stepped from between the trees. The rift didn¡¯t have a path or road but the space between trees made it rather sparse. ¡°Sellana finished the formation.¡± ¡°Already?¡± Kora asked, while Keynes frowned. ¡°What did she finish?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°The door formation,¡± Natalia replied. ¡°Ah.¡± He didn¡¯t know she worked on that. Kora gave him a knowing smile. He looked at her, she was quite tiny in comparison to him, then sighed, giving up on pretending. ¡°What¡¯s the door formation?¡± ¡°I think neither of us is qualified to answer that question.¡± They moved toward the exit. As Kora left the rift, Natalia spun on her heel, jabbing her finger at Keynes¡¯s chest. ¡°If you¡¯ll hurt her, I will kill you.¡± With that Natalia left as well, leaving Keynes dumbfounded and speechless. *** ¡°We have used a copper inlay around the door to instil the formation,¡± Sellana said, pointing at the strip of copper running around the exit from their base. ¡°Creating the formation directly on the stone has inherent risk of failure stemming from the stone¡¯s erosion. While formations don''t damage underlying material the same way runes do, this formation is far too important to create it on a rock.¡± Keynes agreed, though he had never given it any real thought before. This made him realise how minute details mattered. Looking back at his request to have a glass ceiling, he might have been an idiot to demand something like that. Too late for that. This ship has sailed away though. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t blue iron be better than copper?¡± Willow asked. ¡°Not really,¡± Trisk said, while inspecting the wall around the copper inlay. ¡°Blue iron is perfect for mana-related functions, however formations don¡¯t use mana.¡± ¡°But what makes copper good?¡± Willow pressed. Their original mission crew was down on the planet today. A coincidence Keynes missed. ¡°There is nothing inherent that makes copper superior as a formation base than other metals, but it is far better than stone,¡± Sellana explained, then turned to the gathered. ¡°I¡¯m going to switch the formation on now.¡± Keynes realised he had never seen this particular process. Sellana rested her hand on the copper inlay as Trisk stepped back given her space. Keynes sensed burning curiosity from Willow. Keynes felt a faint spiritual presence manifest, then, light appeared mimicking the circular shape of the copper inlay but with a nearly incomprehensible pattern. As Sellana moved her hand as if she turned a dial. The light complex formation of lights slightly changed with each motion. No one spoke until Sellana finished. When she looked at them she saw nine fascinated faces. ¡°You have never seen a formation adjustment?¡± she asked. They shook their heads. She nodded. For her young age, Sellana appeared very mature and patient. ¡°Okay, well, in general, formations have a precise function that can be turned off and on with no variable state and no adjustment phase.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not actually true,¡± Keynes said idly, remembering the flying platform from the World Reserve. He explained Sellana about the flying platform. She had never heard about them, which wasn¡¯t surprising given the secrecy veiling the reserve. ¡°Sounds like there was some kind of a modulator that controls the behaviour of a formation or these platforms were arrays.¡± Seeing that she might lose them, she explained. ¡°An array is a combination of several formations though I had very little experience with them. They are hellishly complex from what I know.¡± That made the tribes¡¯ achievement even more impressive in Keynes¡¯s eyes. ¡°But let¡¯s return to the topic at hand. We aren¡¯t going to use an array any time soon. A single formation has precise function. An adjustment phase is a consequence of additional raw materials that allows me to make the formation more in line with our needs. Once I lock the formation, it cannot be changed, unless provided with more raw materials.¡± Sellana finished the adjustment. The light receded, leaving a weak line running alongside the copper inlay and permanent spiritual aura. The formation that acted as their invisible door blocked toxic air with all its contaminants from passing through. That also included air moving from inside, which meant they needed a ventilation and pressure control system. The work was far from finished. They were actually going to build another door formation in case of emergency, though they were still debating a filter formation, which according to Sellana was a magnitude harder to create and required far rarer ingredients than the door formation. The next day, back on the spaceship, Keynes made an announcement regarding the structure of his organisation. He decided to form three departments with three leaders who would report to him. The first department was headed by Rell and revolved around the research and management of the spaceship. Despite building the base on the planet, the AI had made it clear that the spaceship was their headquarters. Unfortunately, without essence, they lacked the building blocks to turn the spaceship into a comfortable place, for now. The second department was going to be run by Natalia and its role was focused on making the planet habitable for them. He had to reverse their roles because Rell had several projects going on the spaceship while Natalia had much more expertise managing rifts and levelling. The last department was different from the first two. It revolved around rifts as rifts were the key to their survival. Keynes had wanted Kora to take the lead in that department but she had refused, which forced Keynes to assign Willow as the leader of the third department. However, Keynes wasn¡¯t going to give up on Kora, so he made her his personal assistant alongside Jedd. At least for now. He knew that over time his organisation would need more departments and leaders. The rest of the crew would be divided between the three departments according to their needs while the remaining ones would stay outside of the structure. Keynes didn¡¯t stop the interviews and made sure to personally review and sign off every person joining one of the three departments. He wanted to learn as much about his crew as possible. After all, Lem Solaris had hand picked them for him. *** The announcement didn¡¯t make much difference for Trisk as his duties didn¡¯t change. Also, Natalia was a fair boss. After the first door formation was up and running, Trisk and Sellana began work on the second one, putting the filter formation on a backburner for now. Natalia wanted to establish a permanent base as soon as possible. Trisk reached Level 3 a few days later. Despite his dislike of cultivating the spiritual core, he couldn¡¯t deny its importance. He traced his hand alongside the outer wall of the base, compressing the stone making it nearly as hard as steel. He couldn¡¯t wait until he became Level 5. *** It was Harter¡¯s turn to cook his team¡¯s dinner. Not something he fancied but none of them had [Cooking] skill so they took turns. He grimaced, thinking of the price of these small beef steaks. Non-monster meat was becoming pricey as the monster meat was slowly taking up its space on the market shelves. His team didn¡¯t mind eating monster meat but since Arshem had accepted the Umbrella program three years ago and closely monitored traffic in and out of the city, going shopping without a chip was bothersome and expensive. Non-chipped ascenders had to pay for entrance and premium on all products, plus they couldn¡¯t use Artefact Exchange services. The Solar Council had them all cornered pretty nicely¡­ ¡°Carter!¡± Harter turned toward Maegan upon hearing his fake name. As a brother of Keynes, he was forced to stay incognito and lie even to his friends. ¡°Check the news! King of Winters and Hunter clashed again!¡± Chapter 215: Interludes 1 ¡°Is this the end of an era?¡± Harter read the title of the news article and had to double check the name of the news outlet. It wasn¡¯t the White Truth, a banned remnant of the White Masks, but the Ascender News, the World Government-sanctioned news outlet. ¡°Hunter, the first rift essence Level 10 and strongest ascender in the solar system clashed against Esopp Earl, by some known as the King of Winters, a co-founder of enigmatic Untainted Paradise. There would be nothing odd about it if it wasn¡¯t their third clash and this time Esopp Earl held his ground, pushing Hunter away from his territory. Is this the end of Hunter¡¯s hegemony? Is this the end of an era?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe they published it,¡± Klaus muttered, sitting on the other side of the table. The rest of their group were inside the city of Arshem, trying to learn about dungeons recently opened to the public. Unlike Harter, Maegan and Klaus the other three had gone through with the Umbrella¡¯s requirement to get a chip. If not for his stupid brother, Harter would have gotten a chip as well as he actually believed the Umbrella scheme to be healthy for everyone. He didn¡¯t know why Maegan or Klaus were antagonistic to it other than that they didn¡¯t trust the World Government. ¡°Yeah, someone¡¯s going to lose their job today,¡± Maegan said. ¡°More like their heads,¡± Klaus added. ¡°Whoever gave permission to get it published would be killed, mark my words. The World Government doesn¡¯t like truth, that¡¯s why they hunted down the White Masks and destroyed the White Truth.¡± ¡°The White Masks were a terrorist organisation, Klaus,¡± Maegan said without looking up. ¡°The White Truth tried to incite rebellion.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Klaus said with conviction. Harter glanced at Maegan. She looked indifferent to Klaus¡¯s comment but Harter sensed she was disturbed because of her spiritual aura rippled in a very distinct way. ¡°And it''s a shame they didn¡¯t succeed.¡± Maegan sighed, putting the tablet down. ¡°Did you forget the Old Blood rebellion already? Did you forget how much death and misery it caused?¡± Klaus laughed. ¡°The World Government has killed a thousand more people with the outbreaks they started.¡± Harter stiffened. He had never told them the truth about the outbreaks or even his brother. By the way, Klaus annoyingly reminded Harter about Keynes. Both had a penchant for conspiracy theories. ¡°We don¡¯t know if the World Government is behind the outbreaks.¡± Klaus turned to Harter. ¡°Carter, tell her.¡± The last thing Harter wanted right now was to argue with Maegan. ¡°I will sit that one out,¡± he said, raising his hands. ¡°Pussy,¡± Klaus said, baiting him. Both men knew that Klaus stood no chance against Harter who not only was the only Level 5 in their group but also had developed a technique of lesser physicality. A very odd thing but helping him immensely. On the other hand, Klaus was more of a brain of their group, theory-crafting with Maegan. ¡°Remember who¡¯s cooking today,¡± Harter reminded Klaus with a smile, changing the subject. This luckily ended the conversation. Harter returned to the kitchen where he resumed cooking the dinner and letting his thoughts drift. As he tuned out the conversation between Klaus and Maegan in the other room, the first thing he thought of was meeting and teaming up with Maegan over three years ago, shortly after he had left Untainted Paradise, it had been out of necessity to survive in this new, dangerous world. Harter had a good time with them but recently their team was being pulled in all different directions. A part of the team wanted to officially register with the city of Arshem, while Klaus, Maegan and to some extent Harter mulled over an idea to leave for Australia, the only place on Earth where the World Government or the Solar Council didn¡¯t have any power. ¡°You okay?¡± Maegan brought Harter out of his thoughts. ¡°Yep,¡± he replied, frowning. He didn¡¯t sense her approach. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I was going to ask you that. You were very quiet the last couple of weeks.¡± He put the meat and vegetables into the oven and set the timer, then he turned to Maegan. Despite being short and fragile, Maegan projected an aura of command quite well. She gave Harter an askance look. He didn¡¯t know what to say so he only shrugged. The last thing he needed right now was him breaking the team apart. They weren¡¯t thriving yet but no longer they struggled like in the past. If they split, it would be rough with so much competition out there. ¡°Must be a time of a year,¡± Harter said, giving Maegan his best smile that had worked like a charm in the school. ¡°You¡¯re a bad liar,¡± Maegan said and most likely would press the issue if Kava, Laura and Asaki didn¡¯t return. Silently, Harter thanked them for their timing. ¡°The city. Is. Buzzing!¡± Laura said excitedly.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡° As they should,¡± Klaus added. ¡° Two years ago, Hunter sent Freeman scurrying and scared. Soon he will get the same treatment.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, Klaus,¡± Asaki cautioned. ¡°It was only a draw.¡± ¡°Pff,¡± Laura snorted. ¡°Only a draw? Don¡¯t listen to him, Klaus. Hunter is the strongest ascender in the world¡­ or was.¡± ¡°Yes! And we can expect more ascenders in coming months reaching Level 10. For all I know, we may do it.¡± That was not going to happen. Levelling outside of rifts was painfully slow. The hunting areas were always overpopulated and there were two types of essence penalties making the matter worse. The highest rift monsters out there were of Level 4 so Harter only earned 50% of the essence and there was an unknown essence penalty for all monsters outside the rifts. It left hunting dominion monsters but as it was profitable it was equally deadly. ¡°We won¡¯t.¡± Asaki shook his head. ¡°Even our beloved Carter only managed it because he is actually proficient at killing monsters while you always run from them.¡± ¡°Oh, really,¡± Klaus said with a fake indignation. ¡°You want to go there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Asaki immediately said. ¡°But none of us is going to hit Level 10 in years. Rifts excursions are expensive and there hasn''t been an outbreak in over two years.¡± ¡°Okay, enough chit-chat.¡± Maegan stepped in. ¡°What did you learn about dungeons?¡± *** Vivena grimaced as she failed for the thousandth time. She was yet to isolate and remove the effect of Doctor¡¯s Talent. She had found it over a year ago but since then she had made very little progress. The odd spiritual structure was located around her Vitality core and it seemed to almost be a part of it, which couldn¡¯t be right. Nothing from outside could modify the spiritual structure of her cores. Especially not when their Levels were the same. She circled the poison essence away from the Vitality core to the spiritual core. Level 9 was coming slowly. Even upgrading one of her rifts to Level 6 made the progression drag. Rifts or Low-Level monsters couldn¡¯t take the whole blame though. Vivena had been wasting an astronomical amount of essence at trying to rebuild her cores, getting rid of Doctor¡¯s shit and gaining the spiritual stage. Most ascenders didn¡¯t understand how important the spiritual side of their power toolkit was. Her eyes snapped open as she sensed Bill enter the rift. Despite the rift being sixteen kilometres square, Vivena remained near the exit to be able to react if necessary. Her dominion got a lot of attention. Waves of dominion monsters periodically attacked it, which was welcome. Less welcome was aggression from other ascenders or Sandman¡¯s grunts. That idiot couldn¡¯t see the reason. The government should have gotten rid of him a long time ago. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you but there is a situation,¡± Bill said. Vivena stood up, abandoning the lotus position she was using to manipulate the essence. ¡°What kind of situation?¡± She turned to him. Most of her people had some sort of poison affinity through their Talent or spells. Bill had neither and so he disliked using rifts within her dominion as each of them acquired poison affinity. ¡°A flying vehicle.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t shot it, which means there is more.¡± ¡°It has the World Government insignia.¡± Mother¡¯s here. Okay. Let¡¯s focus. They hadn¡¯t seen each other since Vivena¡¯s father died. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± Vivena exited the rift a minute later into the tree-shaded courtyard where she kept all her ten rifts. Those who saw her emerge, immediately bowed, paying their respects. She didn¡¯t ask or require bowing or any other show of submission or respect. At the same time she wasn¡¯t going to stop them. She joined Bill and Zendar at the edge of the courtyard. From there she could see the vehicle in the sky. Sleek, black and predatory. It moved a few hundred metres outside her dominion. If not for hundreds of crashed vehicles, both land and air-borne, on the edge of her dominion, Vivena would have thought they might have ways to detect dominion with exceptional accuracy. There had been many ¡®dominion hunters¡¯ after her dominion, too blind to see what was waiting for them. ¡°What¡¯s the play?¡± Zendar asked. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Vivena said. Vivena jumped into the sky, activating [Flight] then shot toward the edge of her dominion, which was around two kilometres in diameter. The flying vehicle immediately made for the ground. Vivena had never seen anything like this. There was no sign of propellers or engines. Clearly, this was post-outbreak technology as everyone called technology with exclusive use of formations and runes. Only when she got within fifty metres from the vehicle, she sensed spiritual energy emitted by it. So it was stealthy as well. Vivena slowed down, eventually coming to a stop barely ten metres from the now grounded vehicle. She waited. Her mother was the first and the only person to emerge from the vehicle. There was something iconic about her mother¡¯s image. Scarlet red hair, a black dress suit with an exceptional cut that was comically out of place in the middle of the World Reserve. ¡°Viv,¡± her mother said. ¡°You can get down, there is no danger, mom¡¯s here.¡± Very funny, mom. But she had to admit that the words put her at ease. Not because Vivena was afraid of anything on the ground, but because she wasn¡¯t sure who would show up. Vivena landed and her mother immediately embraced her. ¡°How are you holding?¡± For a split second, Vivena thought about resisting but something in her broke and she melted in her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°I miss him.¡± ¡°I know,¡± her mother muttered. ¡°I miss him too.¡± The moment lasted a couple of minutes before Vivena gathered herself. ¡°Shall we?¡± Her mother nodded. ¡°Should we fly?¡± ¡°A walk is fine.¡± They made it to the dominion. Her mother let out a relaxed sigh when she entered the dominion. The dominion benefited any ally as long as they had Talent or spell with poison affinity. However the only benefit of the buff was serenity. ¡°I like what you have done to this place,¡± her mother complimented her. Most of the houses were done by her people with construction-related Talents and spells. They weren¡¯t world class but Vivena didn¡¯t want world class, she just wanted the dominion to feel like home, which it did. Vivena led her mother to her house. It was built out of wooden logs but had a good share of formations and glyphs that made it as cosy as possible. Without asking, Vivena brought the best liquor and elixirs she had. Most of them came from her rifts. Her mother¡¯s brows climbed as she read a system message. All these items were Level 6. ¡°You¡¯re Level 6, you can handle them,¡± Vivena said playfully as she took a seat on the opposite side. Her mother¡¯s brows climbed even higher. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I can tell. Congratulations.¡± Her mother waved her hand as if it was not a big deal. ¡°It was part of a signing package. A single Level up. Nothing major.¡± They spent a couple of minutes on small talk but Vivena knew her mother didn¡¯t come all the way here to just discuss the weather or colour of hair. ¡°So what¡¯s bringing you here?¡± ¡°A proposal.¡± Chapter 216: Interlude 2 ¡°A proposal.¡± A proposal¡­ of course. Mother hasn¡¯t come for a chat. Vivena had known it from the moment she had learned of her mother¡¯s arrival and yet it stung a little. However, with her high Mind attribute and [Mind Fortress] passive skill, these were just echoes of true emotions. She had been forced to buy [Mind Fortress], for a fortune, to cope with her father¡¯s death. A better skill for that would have been [Mental Healing] but it had limited combat application. She had no use for it. On the other hand, [Mind Fortress] was perfect against mind assassins, which plagued the World Government right now. ¡°What kind of proposal?¡± Her mother put down the glass and smiled. It was a kind of smile that made Vivena worry. She wasn¡¯t afraid of her mother, she worried about her. She didn¡¯t want to make an enemy out of her. ¡°Maybe the word ¡®proposal¡¯ isn¡¯t the right one here¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Vivena said, keeping her true thoughts out of her voice and face. Her spiritual aura was likewise kept under absolute control. ¡°I want to rebuild the House of Sael. I want to make it as powerful as it used to be or even more.¡± Vivena snorted mirthlessly, then gave her mother an unimpressed stare. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me an uncle sent you?¡± Please. ¡°Marakus? No, I haven¡¯t spoken for years. Why? Do you have a bone to pick with him?¡± ¡°After dad had died, he came here and demanded to hand the dominion to him.¡± ¡°He what?¡± Her mother got to her feet, her face twisted by rage. ¡°Relax,¡± Vivena said. ¡°I warned him that if he ever returns or sends someone with a similar demand, I¡¯d kill him.¡± While her mother sat down, Vivena took a good look at her mother¡¯s spiritual aura. She loved her but she had been backstabbed by people she cherished and trusted so she wouldn¡¯t take chances again. Her mother¡¯s aura confirmed that these were genuine emotions. ¡°You¡¯d do us a favour by killing that little shit. He is a stain on our family¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°Speaking of our family¡­ What with rebuilding our name? Why now?¡± Her mother didn¡¯t reply right away. She considered her answer well. ¡°You are aware of your reputation and nickname, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Queen of Poisons.¡± Vivena nodded. ¡°A dark testament to your power.¡± ¡°What about you? Do you have a nickname?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± her mother laughed. ¡°But nothing so grand. They call me Red Acid Bitch.¡± Despite herself, Vivena smiled. It was strangely fitting to her mother. Sadly, her mother¡¯s plan was bound to fail. Within the Solar Council, Vivena¡¯s reputation meant nothing. All because of that fucking creep Doctor. If not for his treacherous Talent, she would have slaughtered them all and gotten her freedom. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but your plans won¡¯t work.¡± Vivena expected many things but not that her mother would causally comfort her. ¡°They will, trust me. I haven¡¯t spent the last year idly sitting on my ass. The House of Sael will rule the world and won¡¯t even need to fight anyone to the top.¡± Was her mother insane? Did dad¡¯s death break her mind? Ruling the world? What for? ¡°Mom, I fail to see¡ª¡± ¡°Soon, I will be among the highest in the High Parliament thanks to Frog¡¯s ground-breaking Talent research, while you, my daughter, are the most powerful woman in the Solar Council. We are in a unique position that we must take advantage of. We will take over from within.¡± Vivena sighed, considering if she could trust her mother with the truth about Doctor. Without telling her, her mother¡¯s concocted plans would backfire. She didn¡¯t want to give her false hope. She told her and expected¡­ anything but this. Her mother remained unfazed, mostly. There was a shadow of a smile on her lips. What the hell? ¡°That explains everything. I have been wondering how they made you do their bidding. But now¡­ hm. It actually works perfectly for us. You will marry him.¡± ¡°I despise him,¡± Vivena sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me. I don¡¯t say you should love him. All you need is him to love you. Or at least, trust you enough to remove the switch from your body.¡± A wave of disgust rolled through Vivena. ¡°I¡¯d rather remove it myself.¡±Or die trying. ¡°It isn¡¯t only about the switch Doctor put inside you.¡± Her mother shook her head. ¡°That man is the head of the Institute, and the Institute¡¯s power is growing rapidly. In the future, it may even break away from the Solar Council and become the third power.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Vivena disagreed but she had also spent very little time concerning herself with the politics of the Solar Council and the Institute. She kept her involvement in their affairs to a minimum, and if she could, she¡¯d have paid it no heed, but the world didn¡¯t operate on a wish basis. She understood that simple truth. She lost naivety a long time ago. When her thoughts settled down, she admitted that her mother¡¯s plans had merit. They were both significant figures in two ruling organisations. If Vivena took advantage of Doctor¡¯s feelings, she would not only be able to break free from his grasp but rule. But did she want to rule? Actually, she already ruled her dominion. Some of the members showed her reverence befitting a real queen. Their conversation was interrupted by Bill. ¡°Vivena! Vivena, you must see this!¡± He came inside, looking clearly disturbed. She was not happy about the interruption but she knew him well, without a good reason, Bill wouldn¡¯t barge in. He handed her the tablet and she made a motion, projecting the video to a large TV hanging on the wall. ¡°The world is still in shock after Hunter, the strongest man in the solar system, clashed and drew with Esopp Earl, a former High Lord and¡­¡± Vivena watched the news, stunned. Hunter was a rift essence Level 10. He could wipe the floor with Windsor Freeman. How could he draw with the likes of Esopp Earl? ¡°Thank you,¡± her mother said, giving Bill a cue to leave, which he understood and left. She turned to Vivena. ¡°This is great news. With that, the ironclad position of the Solar Council is shaken. Now, thanks to Untainted Paradise, the Solar Council it¡¯s at its weakest. Use it, daughter.¡± Vivena barely heard her mother; thinking about Untainted Paradise always led to the same point ¡ª Keynes Kid. The only person she hated with her whole being. *** Lights flickered across the wall filled with mounted medical equipment, crafted from rift materials, runes, formations and even glyphs. Its cost was astronomical. Doctor had long ago stopped concerning himself with monetary affairs. One couldn¡¯t put a price tag on advancement. The diagrams showed the recovered information from the Human Project led by Nitisha Romanov. When she was alive, Doctor reminded himself. He had never met the woman, but heard enough stories to be glad that had been the case. Her notes, on the other hand, were surprisingly insightful. But she had missed the point, which led to later disaster. Wasteful¡­ His phone vibrated. Doctor pulled the phone out of his coat¡¯s pocket and answered the call. ¡°Turtelli,¡± he said, then nodded, listening to the chairman. ¡°I understand.¡± Doctor¡¯s voice was quiet and methodological like his craft. He slowly put the phone away on the table beside him. Turning to the door, he mused about what he just learned. His thoughts were precise and sharp as he went through the possible consequences, breaking it apart piece by piece. I wonder if it was enough to break Hunter through to Level 11, Doctor asked a rhetorical question. Well, I will know soon. Hunter was about to arrive at the Institute through a formation teleport. *** ¡°I have to admit, I am impressed,¡± Windsor said, leaning against a palm tree. In front of him spread an azure blue water. Rugman found himself a piece of paradise. The island wasn¡¯t large but secluded and self-sustaining with two Level 2 rifts hidden in an underground bunker. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Esopp to catch up with Hunter this quickly.¡± Rugman sat on a chair under the palm¡¯s shade and sipped a drink. The ex-vice president had been absent from politics for years. Obviously, it was by design. Windsor would have never allowed a man like Rugman to fade into obscurity. ¡°As impressive as it sounds, it begs the question why does Hunter keep coming back? He has no business poking at Untainted Paradise when Sandman¡¯s dominion grows in power and the World Government is doing shady deals under Turtelli¡¯s nose?¡± Windsor and Sandman had some dealings in the past but eventually their paths diverged to the point that further cooperation became impossible. Windsor suspected that Sandman had gone insane, trapped inside his own dominion. ¡°Hunter and Turtelli are idiots,¡± Windsor said. ¡°Hunter has no political acumen,¡± Rugman admitted. ¡°While Turtelli may be out of his depth.¡± ¡°Turtelli is a puppet.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Rugman nodded. A long, comfortable silence settled between them. They had known each other for their entire lives. If there was one person Windsor trusted, it was Rugman. Most of my allies are dead anyway. ¡°So, what do you need me to do?¡± Rugman asked, having finished his drink. He put on the ground and stood up, still looking at the ocean. Windsor snorted. ¡°Always perceptive.¡± ¡°Perceptive?¡± It was Rugman¡¯s turn to snort. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s talk business.¡± Windsor gave him a sidelong look, a smile playing on his lips. Rugman was a grumpy old bastard despite the face of a twenty-year-old. If he wanted to talk business, then they were going to talk business. There was no use in the idle talk. ¡°I need you to go to Untainted Paradise.¡± Rugman turned to Windsor, a frown displayed in his face. Rugman¡¯s spiritual aura betrayed doubt, the ex vice-president harboured. ¡°You don¡¯t consider recruiting Esopp?¡± ¡°No, that ship has sailed a long time ago I am afraid,¡± Windsor replied. ¡°I am not looking to recruit anyone from his organisation but with Esopp, and by extension Untainted Paradise, growing in power it is time to make an alliance.¡± ¡°Oh and you are worried about going yourself because you haven¡¯t fulfilled your promise to Keynes Kid?¡± ¡°The timing wasn¡¯t right,¡± Windsor said defensively. ¡°But now with the blow to the Solar Council, it is a perfect moment.¡± ¡°And what makes you think they would be up to ally with you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to share with them the Shaper¡¯s constructs.¡± Rugman¡¯s spiritual aura remained sceptical. The old man didn¡¯t believe in his plan anymore? Interesting. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Windsor asked, when Rugman didn¡¯t react to his plan in a verbal way. ¡°There haven¡¯t been any new outbreaks in three years. No third global dominion. And we both know why that is. Keynes Kid vanished and Zimmermann is behind it. They are up to something and I would rather not be anywhere close when shit hits the fan.¡± ¡°This is why you aren¡¯t going alone. I will send Daiyu Fen with you. Her job will be to find out what happened to Keynes Kid.¡± *** Columbus and Wagner stood in the heart of Emerald City, deep underground in the room designed for omni-surveillance. The large circular chamber had a 360 degree screen that showed image definition unachievable before the first outbreak. Neither man marvelled at the technology. They stood somberly, in silence, their eyes tracking the flying silhouette of Esopp Earl. *** Ethan Blackwood read the reports from Earth while in the background, behind the thick window, a ground-breaking experiment took place. The massive warehouse on the other side of the window was built atop a rift on the surface of Ganymede. A man in a thick, black spacesuit stood in the middle of the warehouse, holding a large key in his hand. In front of him was a rift. Ethan finished reading the report, then watched the experiment unfold. In silence. The dangerous kind of silence.. Chapter 217: Interludes 3 Icy winds tugged at the cape of a man who stood in an awkward position, his expression one of shock and fear. He was frozen solid. There were three other figures beside him. One kneeled, her face buried in her hands. She too was dead. The second person lay on the ground, half of his body destroyed beyond recognition by an odd, blue flame that danced happily on his remnants. The last person still lived but these were his last moments. His lungs had been destroyed by an air so cold it froze any matter on contact. His one working eye remained open staring at the hell on Earth. A different kind of hell. Cold fires raged around craters that dotted the ground. A forest that once covered the better part of the island, now lay in shattered pieces. The same ground that once hosted exotic flora and fauna, now creaked under frost¡¯s heavy touch, barren. The tropical island had been turned into a snowy inferno by two Level 10 ascenders at the peak of their power. The man tried to close the eye but it too froze. His spiritual core pulsed one last time as he died in the cold embrace of the winter. *** ¡°You are going to suppress this, prime minister,¡± Andre said over the phone. ¡°I expect the news to be completely erased by the evening! No. Don¡¯t talk back to me! The World Government works for us, not the other way around. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!¡± Andre slammed the phone against the table, smashing it to pieces. He was breathing heavily, his body trembled from anger. The World Government was betting on the news to spiral out of control and undermine the Solar Council¡¯s primacy. Not on my watch. A knock sounded. ¡°Come in!¡± Andre shouted. His personal assistant entered and bowed. ¡°He has been teleported to the Institute.¡± ¡°Finally. Is my teleport prepped?¡± ¡°Yes, chairman.¡± Andre strode toward the teleport, then he stopped next to his personal assistant. ¡°Have all executives of the Ascender News arrested. Quietly.¡± A few minutes later, a teleportation formation was activated and Andre appeared in Lisbon, inside the Institute. Without wasting any second, Andre rushed to the operating theatre. He could hear Hunter¡¯s screams through the walls. ¡°It fucking hurt!¡± Serves you right, Andre thought. He reached the door to the operating theatre but waited. From the other side of the corridor came Pucci in a company of two soldiers whom Andre dismissed. Another painful cry put a smile on Andre¡¯s face. ¡°Chairman,¡± Pucci said, looking afraid. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°You will see.¡± Andre flung the door open and immediately was hit by spiritual presence so thick it made him gasp for air. Next to him Pucci fell to the ground, unconscious. Andre¡¯s eyes bulged as his aura was fighting Hunter¡¯s absurdly strong spiritual presence. Even at Level 8, Andre was out of his league. ¡°GET¡­ IT¡­ UNDER¡­ CONTROL¡­¡± Andre said through his chittering teeth. His frustration was further heightened when he saw Doctor standing beside Hunter, with a nonchalant attitude, seemingly unaffected by the crashing presence. ¡°Fucking,¡± Hunter snapped. ¡°Weaklings.¡± His presence lessened but only to the point that Andre could think. He still actively contested Hunter¡¯s aura. Andre pulled Pucci out of the room. Upon returning, Andre got a better look at Hunter¡¯s state. Hunter¡¯s attire, minimum Level 4, was destroyed. With his clothes in pieces, Andre saw Hunter¡¯s skin burned and peeling off in many places. Half of his face was annihilated. But nothing prepared Andre for what he found on Hunter¡¯s right arm. It was aflame but it wasn''t a normal fire. There was something mesmerising and enticing in it, something that pulled Andre in¡­ ¡°Snap out of it,¡± Doctor said. Andre shook his head, noticing that he made a step forward the flame. ¡°That¡¯s a living frost flame,¡± Doctor said, keeping one hand on Hunter¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°Given your weak spiritual strength and no cold resistance, it would have consumed your body in a matter of seconds. This isn¡¯t a toy to play with.¡± What is this power? A spell this strong shouldn¡¯t exist. How¡­ Andre¡¯s head was filled with questions that returned one answer: rifts. Andre had been aware that the power of Level 10 was immense but this¡­ this was something else. Rage started to swirl inside his stomach as he considered everything Hunter put him through. Because of the clash with Esopp Earl, the Solar Council was no longer seen as invincible . ¡°You have no idea what you have done,¡± Andre said, venting his anger. ¡°You single-handedly fucked everything up.¡± ¡°Get him out of here, Doc,¡± Hunter gritted his teeth, then groaned in pain. ¡°FUCK, this shit is trying to devour me alive!¡± Doctor didn¡¯t look at Andre but something in his unnaturally still posture would have warned Andre if Andre wasn¡¯t consumed by fury. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you are working for me! I won¡¯t allow¡ª¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Suddenly, the air changed. Andre¡¯s spiritual defences popped like a soap bubble. The world went ghastly silent. Andre was no longer aware of his body or his surroundings. His attention was focused on the mountain of a man appearing before him. Hunter stood above Andre like an executioner before a condemned prisoner; like an apex predator catching its prey in an inescapable trap. Andre would have screamed, if he could, instead all was still and silent. ¡°Stay out of my business, pathetic excuse of a man.¡± Hunter¡¯s hand squeezed Andre¡¯s throat. ¡°Or I will end you.¡± *** Ronald Rugman wore his best official attire made out of Level 2 fabric with several utility enchants. The weather in this part of the world could be merciless due to Untainted Paradise geoengineering. As far as Ronald knew, Untainted Paradise used High Level air and water from rifts, dumping it around their islands. What for? Ronald didn¡¯t know but he knew the company had tremendous expertise when it came to rifts and wouldn¡¯t do it if it didn¡¯t benefit them. His musing was interrupted when the wind suddenly stopped tugging at his coat and blonde hair. He frowned as he felt the delicate touch of spiritual energy. Hm. The island was still several miles away. To have any sort of formation or runes that spanned so far was indeed a display of power. The air, while still, seemed perfect as if the sun above his head in the cloudless sky lost its power. Ronald could only whistle at the absurd level of engineering. No surprise that the World Government and the Solar Council weren¡¯t waging an open war against Untainted Paradise. ¡°What happened?¡± Daiyu Fen appeared on the main deck. Ronald didn¡¯t hear or sense her. She just appeared. The girl had terrifying Phasing Talent classified it in the old Talent Evaluation system as level 10, the highest one. There was one exception to that rule with Keynes Kid¡¯s Talent being outside the scale. ¡°Spiritual energy prickled me.¡± ¡°Defensive measures,¡± Ronald replied. ¡°Not sure what kind but strong to have a physical effect on the surroundings.¡± Daiyu Fen frowned as she glanced around. ¡°There is no wind. Why?¡± ¡°Not sure.¡± ¡°To keep the weather from spiralling out of control,¡± came the reply from behind. Both Daiyu Fen and Ronald spun around, Daiyu Fen whipped a short sword that stopped a centimetre from Columbus Curt¡¯s face. Columbus Curt looked as unbothered as he looked pristine in a white uniform, long black hair with envious lustre and composed demeanour. He stood a tall man, reaching nearly two metres. Ronald wasn¡¯t a scientist but his mind was sharp and he immediately saw a problem with Curt¡¯s statement. He just admitted a major weakness of Untainted Paradise. A person of Curt¡¯s calibre would have never made such an error, which meant it was deliberate. Not a good sign. ¡°How¡ª¡± Daiyu Fen said but was immediately interrupted. ¡°Columbus Curt,¡± Ronald said, hoping that the girl would understand the gravity of their situation. ¡°Ronald Rugman,¡± Columbus acknowledged him. ¡°Did something happen? Your organisation agreed to this meeting.¡± Unsure how to react, Daiyu Fen hid the weapon and stepped back. Columbus didn¡¯t pay her any heed. ¡°Nothing has changed but this is as far as you will get. Emerald City is off limits for you. So, speak now, make Freeman¡¯s case.¡± Ronald nodded. Making a deal on a large, luxurious yacht didn¡¯t sound bad at all. He grunted and two servants emerged from the inside. ¡°Bring drinks,¡± Ronald said. The servers left without waiting for Columbus or Daiyu Fen, which she made known. ¡°They don¡¯t know what I like.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s sit,¡± Ronald said, ignoring the girl. He pointed at the set of chairs. The three sat down, then Columbus nodded askance at the girl. ¡°Windsor trusts her.¡± Drinks arrived a moment later. Ronald decided to go with a new exotic rift drink that was making a splash among elite gatherings. Its main benefit was taste adaptability. Its taste would change based on a person¡¯s preferences. The drink smelled of monopoly but you could never go wrong with it. Almost. Columbus didn¡¯t touch it. ¡°This isn''t a social meeting, Rugman,¡± Columbus said. ¡°Don¡¯t waste our time.¡± Ronald snorted. The military loved nothing more but wasting time. But antagonising a man who could crush you like a bug wasn¡¯t a smart idea. ¡°Windsor Freeman would like to propose an alliance.¡± Columbus didn¡¯t react in any noticeable way, which meant that he expected this. ¡°No,¡± he replied a few seconds later and proceeded to stand up. ¡°Wait, wait, wait.¡± Ronald raised his hands. Columbus returned to his seat. ¡°He knew you would say that. He knows he fucked up with his promise to Keynes Kid so he wants to make amends.¡± That was a lie. Freeman was too proud to admit his failings. ¡°Here.¡± A folder appeared in Ronald¡¯s hand, coming from a spatial pouch. ¡°A full documentation about the Human Project.¡± Columbus took the folder, opened it up, his eyes skimmed the front page then it vanished his spatial space. Columbus¡¯s face didn¡¯t change, staying impassive but Ronald knew what was coming. He could sense greed from afar. ¡°We already know about the Human Project. If he is serious about the alliance with us, then I expect documents about all Shaper¡¯s ancient projects, delivered by Freeman personally. Now, turn around before the King of Winters takes notice¡­¡± A crack sounded in the air and the yacht jolted. Ronald jumped to his feet, finding the water around them frozen. At the edge of the ice stood a man in a long blue and white coat. Esopp Earl arrived. *** Shaper pushed and pulled, forming and reforming one of his attribute cores. The task was daunting for him and impossible for anyone below the Grand spiritual stage. But it helped that he was outside of time and space, imprisoned in his own mind. It allowed him to get a better understanding of himself and the nature of spiritual energy. Something shifted in the Mind core. It was not yet aligned properly but an improvement was made. Shaper was close to achieving something groundbreaking. So close¡­ *** Tom Ventura looked at the wanted posters issued by the Vanguard, the military arm of the World Government. Bounty hunting was a lucrative but risky business. The Vanguard paid handsomely, and often by offering access to their own rifts but Tom wasn¡¯t interested in rifts or newly opened dungeons. ¡®Oxford Sioux¡¯ The name on the wanted poster intrigued him. The boy had been on his radar for a while and so far proved elusive. Even for me. ¡°You are becoming obsessed with the boy,¡± Aurora said from the bar, where she tested all kinds of strange drinks made out of rift materials. Some even got her drunk. ¡°Shouldn''t you remain focused on Harter Kid in case his brother made contact?¡± Tom turned to his sister. Her financial help had been fundamental to his effort of finding Keynes Kid but he no longer believed it would happen. Keynes Kid and some others had vanished at the end of the second global dominion. From what he had learned was that Vivena Sael, now called the Queen of Poisons, had fought Keynes. Since then Keynes did not appear. And no outbreaks or global dominions¡­ ¡°We need to recruit him. He will help us find Keynes.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Aurora sighed. ¡°That sounds like pain but it¡¯s your call. Now, it¡¯s time for my call. Here.¡± She pushed a sheet of paper. ¡°Are targets for you to eliminate. Make sure no one remembers you.¡± ¡°Pff,¡± Tom snorted as he snatched the sheet from the bar. Chapter 218: Rift Orbs Some time later Trisk strolled down the hall of rifts and smiled to himself. He was still coming to terms with his new reality. Being a Level 5 felt different, physically and emotionally. There was a profound shift between Level 4 and 5 that was far greater than between other Levels. Trisk suspected the Minor Talent Upgrade to have some undocumented impact there. Thinking of his Minor Talent Upgrade put an even wider smile on his face. He had been warned that his choice of upgrades might be underwhelming but gosh they couldn¡¯t be more wrong. His problem had been of a different nature. He had wanted all upgrades. He had spent a long time with Rell, Natalia and Keynes discussing his choice. Keynes had assured him that Trisk had the final call. Trisk had chosen Precision and didn¡¯t regret it. His reasoning was very simple but a little skewed. He wanted to be of greater support to Sellana with runes. Runes required utmost precision and working with High Level stone made it difficult for Trisk to shape them with required fidelity. The Higher Level of the material the harder it was to affect it with his Talent. In the end, Precision upgrade was the reason this hall existed and most of the base had been built. Trisk realised shortly after the upgrade that he had been blind before. He could now not only shape the stone but rearrange its structure to strengthen or weaken it. It was how he achieved the beautiful lustre of the granite walls in the hall of rifts. The walls were reinforced, mirror-like and black with a green reflection coming from lightning formation. Other colours were not possible at this point as they lacked proper ingredients to activate formations. Trisk liked it more this way. The dim green light added a note of dark magic atmosphere. The hall of rift held fifty-seven Level 1 rifts, they had relocated from other places. Level 2 and 3 rifts weren¡¯t yet relocated as they were still discussing the appropriate layout of their base. Despite their long string of successes there were many limitations that forced them to compromise or find a different solution. Trisk crossed the hundred metre long hall of rifts and entered a smaller corridor that led to the lower floor and eventually Natalia¡¯s office. For the first time he was invited for the ¡®prestigious¡¯ leader meeting. He was being a little sarcastic here but he wasn¡¯t wrong. The leader meeting only involved the leaders and Trisk wasn¡¯t one. But something must have changed. He entered the corridor. It didn¡¯t have the same lustre as the hall but the walls were still smooth, the effect of the compressed stone. Near the ceiling were thin vents that pumped the clean air from the blue moss farm below. The most important aspect of their base. Without this primitive but weirdly effective air filtering system they wouldn¡¯t be able to settle down here. Even with continuous attempts by Roman and Pierre at using the air from the rifts to affect the atmosphere, the difference was non-existent. The red planet¡¯s environment remained harsh and deadly. But there was no talking these two out of their terraforming plans. They believed that using cavern systems located around the planet to grow blue moss would eventually make the atmosphere breathable and turn the planet into something resembling Earth, once plants would appear. His two apprentices greeted him as he passed them. They had received [Earth Shaping] and [Rock Shaping] spells and were supporting Trisk in his work. The former spell was weird as it worked only on matter that was within the soil. Anything above was not affected by it, the latter was more in line with Trisk¡¯s Talent but a magnitude weaker and less precise. He knocked on the door and a call from inside came, inviting him inside. He entered and found Natalia, Willow and Rell already inside. Rell¡¯s presence was a surprise. The man was rarely coming down from the spaceship. ¡°Trisk, please take a seat,¡± Natalia said, pointing at one of several empty chairs around a large table that took up most of the room. The light in the office came from a light construct powered by mana and had warm orange colour with a mix of yellow. Trisk understood that the cost of running these constructs made them only usable for short periods of time. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Rell murmured as he leafed through a bound stack of papers. Keynes¡¯s decision to use paper instead of the tablets provided by the spaceship was one Trisk couldn¡¯t understand and no one seemed to have a good explanation why that was. ¡°No. We are early, Rell. Don¡¯t stress him on his first day.¡± Trisk frowned. ¡°My first day?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Natalia nodded. ¡°As my deputy.¡± ¡°Your deputy¡­¡± Trisk was lost. It felt like there had been an important meeting but he didn¡¯t remember it or had missed it. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Each department needs a deputy leader and you meet the criteria to become my deputy.¡± ¡°That¡­ what about Pierre and Roman or Sellana? They have more expertise in terraforming than me.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t only about expertise in a single field. As a deputy you need a broader set of skills and knowledge. I was impressed with your proficiency with runes and base designs that made the traffic in the base efficient. Also, you are Level 5 now, which comes with extra perks. We aren¡¯t Levelling up everyone as our resources are limited.¡± Trisk was stunned, positively. ¡°What does it mean? I mean my promotion.¡± ¡°We recently redesigned the structure of this whole organisation,¡± Natalia answered. ¡°It is mostly the same as before but now there are ranks added to it. Us leaders are rank 1 whereas our deputies are rank 2, Sellana, Pierre and Roman are rank 3 and they are considered senior contributors, while the rest of the people working in the base are rank 4. Those who do not actively contribute are rank 5.¡± ¡°Shall we start?¡± Rell asked. ¡°You can always discuss this after the meeting. Not everyone can afford to waste time staring at the stones.¡± ¡°Rell,¡± Natalia said, her tone harsh but not sounding serious. ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± Rell raised his hands, dropping the papers on the table.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Somehow, it prompted the rift researcher. Willow began speaking.. ¡°I asked you here today because I have been reviewing rift orbs for a while now and we must start to make strategic decisions.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Keynes be here?¡± Trisk asked. Rift orbs weren¡¯t a small matter and so Trisk was surprised that Keynes was absent. By the way, I haven¡¯t seen him since we talked about my minor upgrade. Which was over two months ago. ¡°Keynes left this to us,¡± Natalia said. ¡°The documents in front of you have all the rift orbs we managed to find.¡± Trisk made a large eyes at seeing the neat and smooth text. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we had a printer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a printer but close,¡± Willow explained, which earned both men a rebuke from Rell. Result from approx. 18000 rift rewards: As Trisk peeled his eyes from the sheet of paper, Willow spoke up. ¡°Unfortunately for us, the drop rate we recorded is affected by the Alien effect, which is no longer present. The Alien effect had been adding an additional item to the reward chest. However, I started recording the rewards more closely after the Alien effect disappeared and will update you when I hit the required sample size.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that there are so many different rift orbs,¡± Trisk said. ¡°There are way more than these. Some do not drop at Level 1, others are exceedingly rare and I don¡¯t expect to see them even after a hundred thousand rift rewards,¡± Willow said. ¡°How do you know about them then?¡± Trisk asked. ¡°I worked with rifts on Earth,¡± Willow replied and moved on. ¡°On the next page, you have a brief explanation of what each orb does.¡± Trisk and others turned the page. Trisk was aware what kind of effects rift orbs had but he had never given them more than a passing thought. Reading about the rift orbs¡¯ effects was an eye opener. It sounded like rift orbs allowed them to create a super rift? Was there a catch? There had to be as it sounded too good to be true. ¡°So, Keynes asked me to discuss the orbs we gathered and decide if and where we should use them. With exception of orbs of relocation. They all have been used already.¡± ¡°Ten enlarged rifts. Hmm,¡± Trisk mused. ¡°I have some good ideas, I guess.¡± Rell snorted. ¡°Why not having one rift enlarged ten times?¡± Rell asked. ¡°Ten orbs enlarging one rift give us a 256 kilometre large rift.¡± ¡°It also doubles the essence provided by the rift ten times,¡± Natalia chipped in. ¡°Enough essence to Level up four people in one go.¡± ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Willow said, drawing the attention back to him. ¡°Rifts have a limit of 5 orbs.¡± ¡°It sounded too good to be true.¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Willow quickly added. ¡°It was tested on Earth that each Level increases limit by 1 but also there are greater rift orbs, which passively increase the limit among other things.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they rare as shit,¡± Rell asked. ¡°Untainted Paradise didn¡¯t drop a single one and they had more rifts than us.¡± Natalia nodded. ¡°Because they only drop from rifts with maximum orbs applied to them.¡± Rell burst out laughing, while Natalia hummed, appearing thoughtful. Trisk was simply overwhelmed by the number of possibilities presented by the rift orbs. The more he thought about each rift, the more conflicted he became. He wanted to upgrade every rift. ¡°Let¡¯s go over the rifts and calculate which maximally upgraded rifts would benefit us the most.¡± *** You have mastered your Vitality attribute. Further Vitality attribute improvement for Level 4 is impossible. Level up to gain the improvements. (Remaining time: 1 year) Current essence absorption: 40% Keynes vomited blood but a smile played on his face. After a month of torturing himself, he finally mastered Vitality. The last few days were daunting and he¡¯d worried he might give up due to prolonged pain. Fighting Level 5 monsters, without any items and skills was already borderline hard but it hadn¡¯t been enough to master Vitality. His body needed to be put under far greater stress than this. Keynes had been handicapping himself, allowing monsters to land hits and push him to the verge of HP safety zone around 25% HP. He got back to his feet, battling lightheadedness. He lost a lot of blood. The wounds on his back stung but he allowed the Vitality to do its work. Persephone and Kora landed in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s done. Now, only the Mind attribute is left to master and I can finally ascend to Level 5.¡± ¡°You must recover,¡± Kora said with an emphasis. ¡°I concur,¡± Persephone agreed. ¡°I didn¡¯t join the mission just to die alongside you because you¡¯re too stubborn to listen to reason.¡± ¡°I will recover only to recharge our suits and regenerate our mana,¡± Keynes said. His body trembled with anticipation and eagerness but he agreed with the girls. The rift he was about to use to master his Mind attribute was the most dangerous of all other Level 5 rifts they had cleared. Mental attacks were a different kind of bullshit. Chapter 219: Mind Rift ¡°You sure about this?¡± Kora asked through the comms. I am very sure, Alice said to Keynes before he managed to answer. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± he confirmed. ¡°So far she has been on point with rifts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that,¡± Kora clarified, then added conspiratory, even though this was their private comms to which no one else had access. ¡°With consecutive attribute mastery you¡¯re pushing yourself harder than before. We should ask for Natalia to come here. Her Talent can save your life if you make a stupid mistake.¡± ¡°No need. It¡¯s only the Mind attribute left to finish off. Hardly a reason for a healer to be there.¡±A borderline lie. He made it sound like no big deal and yet the truth was that a healer wasn¡¯t going to help him there. The three of them landed at a barren outcropping. Hundreds kilometres from their base and so far the landscape looked exactly the same. It wasn¡¯t like Earth with its vastly different sceneries. ¡°Here.¡± Persephone pointed at a recess that could shelter a car. Keynes pulled out a rift from his spatial pouch and deployed it inside the recess. The rift had clean, breathable air, drinkable water and wild forest fruits. The Level 1 monsters in that rift were an afterthought as they posed no risk to any of them. Kora had recently ascended to Level 6 and Persephone was pushing toward Level 8. They cleared the rift in less than five minutes and set up a camp near the rift¡¯s exit. Using a rift as camp wasn¡¯t a new concept but there had been technical issues that prevented them from employing it earlier. First, their spacesuits had required the shuttlecraft to recharge, which they addressed once they created the first, rudimentary, essence container and started a trickling set of improvements in the spaceship. Which in turn, allowed them to improve the spacesuits with a portable mana charging capability. This was a game changer as it opened up many possibilities, like long distance expeditions. Like their current one. Once they figured out the process the whole thing became a breeze. They had used Lem AI¡ªas Keynes had named the spaceship¡¯s AI¡ªto detect the nearest Level 5 rifts. There were 20 in the 300 kilometre radius. They hoped for more but Level 5 rifts weren¡¯t as common as Level 1. Another possibility was that they were unlucky as rifts had a tendency to appear in clusters. Why that was they didn¡¯t know but speculated, together with Alice, that the spiritual realm had an impact here. Alice had only learned that the higher the rift''s Level was, the deeper the layer of the spiritual realm it reached. The second issue was mobility as they couldn¡¯t use the shuttlecraft, which was required to move people between the spaceship and the base. They waited until they found Level 2 rift and used it to force [Flight] to appear in the hidden room. It took weeks to happen but once that was done, they could begin their expedition. Keynes¡¯s quest to Level 5 had started. ¡°How do you know that the Level 5 rift is the right one?¡± Persephone asked as she settled down on the opposite side. ¡°I told you already, my spiritual companion figured out how to decipher a theme of sealed rifts,¡± Keynes replied, closing his eyes. His attention immediately drifted away, so he didn¡¯t hear Persephone¡¯s follow up question. His focus remained on the accumulated Level 5 essence. The penalty made essence gain miniscule. The System made sure that progress was never easy. Keynes didn¡¯t use the available essence to progress toward Level 5 though. It would be wasteful as he was going to lose 20% of his current progression when he mastered the last attribute. Instead he started rebuilding his spiritual core. The lesser orb of insight they had used almost a year ago revealed some defects in Keynes¡¯s spiritual core, although he wouldn¡¯t have noticed them without the trait of shamanism that made him acutely perceptive to spiritual energy. His spiritual core was inefficient and misaligned with the rest of his cores. Even today he remembered the moment he¡¯d seen the ugly construct which was his spiritual core. His attribute cores were even worse but many times more complex and he didn¡¯t want to risk messing with them before Level 5 as Alice had assured him that a major spiritual understanding would be awarded to him. *** ¡°Great,¡± Persephone said. ¡°He ignored me again.¡± Kora who stood nearby while her [Conjured Weapon] constructs circled around shook her head. ¡°He doesn¡¯t ignore you. Use [Essence Sight].¡± Persephone nearly froze, hearing that Kora knew about her spell. She hadn¡¯t told either of them about it and somehow she knew. How? Spiritual companions? Unlikely. She had once used a spiritual companion herself but disabled it since then as she saw no benefit of sacrificing 30% of her spiritual energy in exchange for some info tidbits. She could always use her Talent, except in this case her Talent whispered to her to stay patient. Answers would come eventually. After a moment of hesitation, her curiosity triumphed and she activated [Essence Sight] and found Keynes rebuilding his spiritual core. The process wasn¡¯t alien to her as she had done it herself but so far was stuck at the superior stage. To progress further she would need at least Level 5 essence which on Earth had been impossible due to severe shortage of Level 5 rifts. She was planning to begin essence cultivation again once Keynes finished with the attribute mastery. Some part of her was jealous that she had never had a chance to become a Perfect State ascender, but with her Talent nothing could stop her from becoming the strongest ascender among humans without a Perfect State. ¡°I am going for a walk,¡± she said, then stood up and left their camp. She had a lot of thinking ahead. Sometimes using her Talent was hellishly convoluted, requiring many workarounds. *** The trio didn¡¯t leave their camp rift until their spacesuits were fully charged and their mana was at 100%. Also, neither of them would be able to return to their instance as 24 hours had already passed. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Ready.¡± ¡°Ready.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. They broke the camp, put on the spacesuits and left the rift. Outside, Keynes didn¡¯t put the Level 1 rift back into his spatial pouch as it was unlikely he would manage to master the Mind attribute in one go. His heart was picking up speed in his chest regardless. He was so close to Level 5 he could feel it. They didn¡¯t speak as they had done it many times so they understood their roles. Keynes approached the sealed Level 5 rift.
Rift (Exotic; Stable)
Level 5
Status Sealed
Requirements -
Modifiers -
Details This rift contains a higher number of monsters and a boss (overcharge effect).
Affinity Mind, Exotic
Special Status Overcharged, Unexplored
Alice was right. Of course I am right, she mumbled. Do you wish to unseal the rift? Yes/No Keynes had opened so many rifts that he barely paid attention to it at this point. His Talent swiftly unsealed the rift and he prepared for the monsters to pour out. Except none did. ¡°I¡¯m going with you,¡± Kora said. ¡°I¡¯m going alone,¡± Keynes replied. ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± Kora said, her voice adamant. He knew he would not be able to change her mind. ¡°You can try stopping me though.¡± Keynes sighed, recognising when a battle was lost. ¡°I¡¯m going as well,¡± Persephone added. It was dangerous; he wanted to remind them but both of them were Higher Levels than him. In fact, he didn¡¯t think anything inside that rift could harm Persephone and Kora had [Mind Fortress] to keep her safe. After waiting for a minute without an outbreak, they decided to enter the rift, keeping their spacesuits on. The landscape of the rift was barren with breathable air but their spacesuits detected exotic particles, which at Level 5 could be harmful. The Pure Body buff partially blocked [Delirium] The spacesuit partially blocked [Delirium], the spacesuit¡¯s AI informed him. Only between the spacesuit¡¯s protection and Keynes¡¯s buff the combination of two were they able to stop the mental attack from affecting him, which defeated the purpose of him being here. ¡°Cease the mental protection,¡± he commanded the AI, which promptly complied with the request. The Pure Body buff partially blocked [Delirium] x3 Keynes felt the world around him shift, just a little bit. The harsh landscape started to change, inch by inch, becoming a tropical forest. The air became heavy and hot despite the spacesuit staying on. Nothing has changed, he told himself. It¡¯s that [Delirium] spell¡¯s doing. No matter how rational his words sounded in his head, he now stood in the middle of a tropical forest, feeling like he was about to drown with each breath. It looked too real even for his perception. It found no failings in the world around. He touched the verdant leaf hanging from a tall tree. Its texture was rich and thick. There was no way this could be conjured by a mind¡­ He spun. ¡°Kora? Persephone?¡± he called out. He just remembered they should have been with him. Should they, right? He asked himself, a little doubtful. The memory of the three of them entering¡­¡ªthe forest?¡ªwas fading away. ¡°What am I doing here?¡± He took a step and froze, sensing a strong spiritual presence. A monster? ¡°KEYNES!¡± a too familiar voice shouted from above. A silhouette hung high in the sky. A woman with long blond hair, verdant coat and white sword, she casually held in her right hand. He knew her. ¡°Vivena? What are you doing here?¡±She was too far away to hear his words. Nonetheless, she slowly drifted to the ground, landing across the clearing a fifty metres away. Wait. This clearing wasn¡¯t here, right? Keynes slapped himself. His memory seemed to malfunction. Something wasn¡¯t right. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you,¡± Vivena said, her voice drenched in venom. Keynes frowned, not understanding what was going on. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± ¡°Do I need a reason?¡± she asked and the air surrounding her rippled, turning a shade greener. [Poison Aura], Keynes realised. A very strong one. ¡°Of course you need a reason,¡± he said defensively. It sounded strangely out of character¡­ ¡°DIE!¡± Vivena shot forward faster than he anticipated. [Poison Aura] surrounded him and he activated [Chaos Aura] to counter it. Except [Chaos Aura] didn¡¯t appear. What¡­ His body convulsed as poisons spread throughout his body. A kick found his stomach, then his head was pressed against the ground. Keynes grabbed Vivena¡¯s forearm but that felt like touching hot iron. Keynes¡¯s hand recoiled, which made Vivena laugh derisively. ¡°I always hated you,¡± she hissed into his ear. ¡°You were always so weak, so fragile. A prey in the world of hunters.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Keynes tried to resist but his body refused to heed his command. He could feel poisons accumulating inside his body, paralysing him with each passing second. ¡°Pain will come later,¡± Vivena said with an evil grin. ¡°Pain that is eternal.¡± I need to¡­ A deafening crackling sound boomed in the distance. A chasm appeared in the sky. At first, Vivena didn¡¯t pay it any mind but when Keynes felt a connection with his [Chaos Aura], she snarled, lifting her white sword high above his head. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°You already said it.¡± [Chaos Aura] combined with a spiritual aura like a spear slammed into Vivena¡¯s face, melting it. The blonde woman jumped back, screaming in agony. The world around them trembled. Keynes¡¯s memories started to trickle back. He was in the rift with mind affinity. Nothing here was real. ¡°This is a monster-induced nightmare.¡± Vivena¡¯s face finished healing. Her face was serious. ¡°This is low, using her of all people to fight me.¡± Vivena let out a guttural growl, her facial features lost some of its authenticity and her hands started to turn into claws. The sword vanished in a puff of smoke. With it disappeared all traces of [Poison Aura]. Looks like the monsters¡¯ mental attacks lost its bite¡­ The half-monster half-Vivena rushed at Keynes. Too slow, he sighed, whipping [Chaos Aura] against the nightmare. He melted a second later. *** ¡°I got all of them but this one,¡±Kora said, as she dismissed [Conjure Weapon] which decimated the monsters inside the rift. Once they revealed themselves, it became obvious why no monster had appeared upon unsealing. The monsters in this rift were giant, glittering mushrooms. Chapter 220: 4th Degree Keynes dodged the white ceramic blade aimed at his head. The slash was slow and predictable. It itched Keynes to slam the phantom attacker with [Chaos Aura] and be done with it but that would defeat the purpose of this exercise. The idea here was to master his Mind attribute and that required hard choices. So he played the game and avoided phantom-Vivena¡¯s attacks without an offence on his own until his mind protested from strain. *** [Poison Aura] bathed Keynes and he grunted. Her poisons never worked the same. Sometimes his body would be overtaken by uncontrollable seizures, sometimes it would be paralysed. On a rare occasion damage would appear right away, either his skin would blacken and peel off or his internal organs would begin turning to mush. This time was different. After days of suffering an agony of [Poison Aura], Keynes was ready for the countermeasure. He didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter. Outside of the delirious nightmare, Kora left one more mushroom alive, increasing their number to six. These mushrooms worked in unison, stacking the effect of [Delirium] to a dangerous level. A Level 5 ascender without proper countermeasures would perish to these monsters in a matter of seconds. It reminded Keynes about the time Lem Solaris had spoken about the difficulty milestone at Level 5 rifts. All the Level 5 rifts they had visited so far with Persephone and Kora had been only somewhat dangerous, except this one. The mind rift was a downright deathtrap¡­ He groaned, losing control of his aura, which meant to counter [Poison Aura]. His musing was getting into the way of his focus. He wasn¡¯t surprised. His thoughts had a tendency to drift, pulled around by countless details of his perfect recall. Keynes realigned his focus back on the right track, forcing [Poison Aura] out of his body, then kept the intensity of his spiritual aura equal to [Poison Aura]. This wouldn¡¯t be possible in normal circumstances as his aura control was too weak to counter a spell, but inside his mind rules were different. *** The white ceramic blade became a blur. Phantom-Vivena moved with fluidity and grace, each motion charged with killing intent, the air around her permeated by [Poison Aura]. Keynes parred her attacks with his own sword lest the phantom would cut him to pieces. Dodging at this rate had become too risky as it would take a single mistake to get seriously injured. It didn¡¯t matter if it happened in his mind, mental damage was as dangerous as physical one. The ceramic blade moved horizontal, aiming at decapitating him. Keynes blocked it and immediately used his spiritual aura to assault the phantom¡¯s spiritual core. The phantom staggered, giving Keynes an opening. Keynes moved in, thrusting his blade into the phantom¡¯s chest. She attempted to dodge it but her stance was poor, making her recovery too slow. Keynes¡¯s blade pierced her torso. ¡°This isn¡¯t the end,¡± she gurgled as blood poured out of her mouth. ¡°I know,¡± Keynes said, a hint of melancholy in his voice. He would be back here tomorrow, facing even a stronger mushroom-induced [Delirium]. As the vision faded, Level 5 essence started entering his body from now dead mushrooms. Keynes considered [Delirium]. The mushrooms always created Vivena as his enemy. Her hatred was sobering. She had tried to kill him and almost succeeded if not for Lem Solaris¡¯s intervention. He remembered his fight against Vivena vividly. His body stiffened and sweat broke. He felt his heartbeat picking up the rate. That fight had been too close, he realised. He had never thought about death but his mind hadn¡¯t been right because of Wax Earl¡¯s Talent and the Chaos debuff. Despite his perfect recall, that period felt distant. I was compelled to take these risks. To push forward and cause outbreaks, he mused, annoyed at being used. But at the same time, he asked himself, Or am I looking for someone to off load the blame for my mistakes? ¡°Keynes.¡± Kora approached him. ¡°Everything alright?¡± His spiritual aura was in a disarray as his emotions were in a turmoil. She sensed it without much trouble. But as she came closer, his body shivered and anxiety was replaced by a sudden surge of thrill. A new, stronger realisation came to him. He found risk irresistible. His initial reaction was already fading away and he knew he would one day face real Vivena again. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± he replied, turning toward Kora. ¡°Actually, more than good.¡± She stopped a metre from him, watching him closely. Her tiny frame made her look cute but she was absurdly strong. He liked that she was here, with him. ¡°You sure? There was a lot of distress in your spiritual aura.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just come to terms with something.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°I like this¡­¡± He gestured at the rift. ¡°This life on edge. The risk. Challenges. The proximity of death.¡± ¡°I noticed.¡± She nodded, a smile played on her lips. ¡°I¡¯m being serious,¡± Keynes said, solemnly. ¡°I want this.¡± ¡°I want this too.¡± Keynes frowned, wondering what her words truly meant. When he met her, Kora had been a timid girl standing in the shadow of her sister. She was still quiet but this was more to do with thoughtfulness than timidity, and while she remained in a shadow, she was like a hunter in it watching its prey. ¡°Hm?¡± she grunted and Keynes realised he was staring dumbly at her. ¡°Sorry.¡± Keynes smiled. ¡°I just¡­¡± His voice trailed off as Kora stepped closer and kissed him. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything,¡± she murmured. *** If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Keynes had trouble staying on his feet. Poisons from [Poison Aura] and [Poison Touch] coursed through his veins. As he swayed, he wondered why he was fighting Vivena. Why did she hate him so intensely? Something wasn¡¯t right here. Where was he? Pain exploded in his left shoulder. His eyes snapped to the left, finding his shoulder impaled by a ceramic sword. ¡°Die!¡± Vivena seethed as she took a swing with her [Poison Touch]-coated fist. Pain granted Keynes temporary clarity. His memories returned and without hesitation, Keynes attacked with his spiritual aura. Phantom-Vivena wasn¡¯t easily moved but her melee attack lost its impetus and Keynes was able to dodge by jumping away. He pulled the sword out of his shoulder, gritting his teeth. It hurt like hell despite the pain not being real. Using the right hand, Keynes rushed Vivena. Without the sword, she was forced into defence¡­ All of sudden, reality cracked and the world started to fall apart. ¡°Did you do something, Kora?¡± Keynes asked but then a System message flashed before his eyes. You have mastered your Mind attribute. Further Mind attribute improvement for Level 4 is impossible. Level up to gain the improvements. (Remaining time: 1 year) Current essence absorption rate: 30% He mastered the last attribute. He really did it! ¡°I did it!¡± he shouted. Kora crashed into him a second later. They fell to the ground, locked in an embrace. They lay there for a while, unbothered by anyone. The mushroom died off the moment Keynes broke out of [Delirium], Persephone was on her mission to ascend to Level 8. There were over ten Level 5 rifts left open so they had a moment for themselves. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted,¡± Keynes sighed. He climbed to his feet, pulling Kora up. Their eyes met and his heart skipped a beat. After their kiss, things between them were strange. Strange but nice. He found himself wanting to spend time with her more than before. He was no expert when it came to girls, or women in this case. This was his brother¡¯s area of expertise. Harter had many girlfriends, endlessly teasing Keynes about the fact that his older brother had never had one. Did I fuck myself up by not having a girlfriend in the highschool? He wondered. ¡°Shall we head back?¡± Kora asked. ¡°Yeah, I need a good sleep.¡± They got to the exit, their spacesuits reformed automatically before they stepped out of the rift. ¡°CONGRATULATIONS!¡± Keynes nearly jumped out of his skin. ¡°Alice,¡± he grunted. ¡°Don¡¯t do that ever again.¡± ¡°Stop being a party pooper,¡± she replied. ¡°You have mastered all attributes! You are almost a 4th degree Perfect State ascender. We should celebrate!¡± ¡°Keynes? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Kora asked via the comms. ¡°Alice decided to make her entrance,¡± he explained. ¡°She must be over the moon,¡± Kora said. ¡°You bet!¡± Alice grinned, floating between Kora and Keynes. ¡°It sounds like she is, but she may be losing it,¡± Keynes replied, referring to her rough behaviour. They made their way to the Level 1 rift, chatting and teasing each other. Keynes wished that Kora could finally hear Alice as he was tired by relaying Alice¡¯s twisted sense of humour. The next weeks were marked by a monotonous process of clearing rifts. Kora and Keynes joined Persephone. For their combined strength, Level 5 rifts posed no challenge. Keynes itched to ask the spaceship¡¯s AI to find them a Level 6 or 7 rift but wasn¡¯t sure if his Talent was up to the task. Opening a Level higher rift didn¡¯t feel that hard but he suspected an attempt to open a Level 6 rift at his current Level might lead to an outbreak. A Level 6 outbreak would have been disastrous, so he refrained from scratching that itch. It took him 22 days to reach 100% of Level progression. Persephone had gotten Level 8 in the meanwhile and Kora was around 70% toward Level 7. Progression toward Level 5: 100% They returned to the Level 1 rift as Keynes decided to Level up there. He was pushing his patience to the utmost limits by not triggering the Level up. ¡°Why am I more excited about your Level 5 than my Level 8?¡± Persephone asked as she dismissed the spacesuit inside the rift. ¡°Was there any reward for gaining Level 8?¡± Keynes asked. ¡°Not really,¡± she said. ¡°A stronger spiritual aura and more advanced spiritual companion if I decide to reactivate it.¡± This was as much as Keynes expected. A non-Perfect State ascender received nothing special with each Level. Just more attributes and stronger spiritual aura. Generic stuff. On the other hand, a Perfect State ascender was showered with goodies by the System. ¡°Ready?¡± he asked. They nodded. Both Kora and Persephone had strong spiritual sense. They hoped to gain an insight from observing his ascension. Let¡¯s do this. Good luck, Keynes, Alice said. Keynes triggered the ascension. Congratulations! You reached Level 5. All attributes mastery achieved. Perfect State (fourth degree) unlocked! The surroundings vanished, replaced by void. At first, he thought he would meet the entity of Chaos again but the scenery was different. He looked down and saw a contour of his translucent body bathed in light. He moved his fingers, and they responded. Another vision? ¡°Defier of Chaos,¡± a voice said. Keynes turned around. Somehow, he didn¡¯t feel threatened by the otherworldly presence. ¡°Congratulations are in order.¡± The voice belonged to a tall humanoid, standing on an invisible floor several metres from Keynes. He wore a pristine silver cape, with golden runes, that reached his scarlet red boots. Beneath, he had an elegant black attire that resembled clothes of old aristocratic families. But there, any resemblance to a human ended. His hair was a golden flame, his face was alien and darker than onyx. His silver eyes regarded him with curiosity and amusement. Keynes¡¯s first urge was to ask who he was but he thought better of it and said instead, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Such an untempered little thing. I can¡¯t recall, despite having perfect recall like you, the last time I talked to a being so low in the power hierarchy. What a bizarre series of events that led to this moment.¡± Then why are you here? Keynes asked himself, fully expecting the being to hear his thoughts like Lem Solaris had done before. ¡°That is the only question worth asking,¡± the being said. ¡°Why am I here? The answer is simple and complex at the same time. You are a convergence of many exotic factors that reached a level of improbability that is beyond anything I have witnessed. ¡°You are a defier. Defiers are by nature of their title, a rare breed with a short lifespan. They usually die to what they defy. To defy Chaos itself? Unheard of in the Lower Realms. ¡°You possess a Talent with an Error affinity. That shouldn¡¯t be possible as all the Systems have counter-measures in place to prevent this affinity from appearing.Yet, here you are. ¡°Thirdly, you possess a soul-bound item given to you by a System entity, which sacrificed its life to create a new race; a spaceship, which is classed as an artefact; and a fungi AI, banned throughout the multiverse. ¡°Lastly, a 4th degree Perfect State ascender already with a trait of shamanism and the Superior spiritual stage. All of these factors converge and exist only here, in you.¡± He pointed at Keynes. ¡°Why?¡± Keynes asked. He didn¡¯t feel overwhelmed but this was the only thing he wanted to know right now. ¡°That is the beauty of your situation. No one knows. The more attention you receive from the Higher Realms the more unknown your future becomes,¡± the being replied. ¡°Now, as an official representative of the Greater System, I am here to witness your ascension to Level 5, ensuring no unsanctioned tempering from inside or outside this universe. Proceed.¡± Chapter 221: The Universal Truth ¡°...Proceed.¡± The word uttered by the otherworldly being held power. A prickling sensation shot through Keynes¡¯s lightweaved body and filled his awareness with familiar System messages. Orb of Perfection has been awarded (fourth degree reward). * Orb of Grand Insight has been awarded (fourth degree reward). * The Pury Body has evolved into [Pure Body] passive skill (Superior stage + fourth degree reward). * [Purify] has gained an AOE tag and can be cast an aura (Superior stage + fourth degree reward). * Spiritual Aura has been vastly upgraded (Superior stage + fourth degree reward). * Spiritual Companion has been vastly upgraded (Trait of Shamanism + Superior stage + fourth degree reward). * [Spiritual Wraith] has evolved into [Spirit Form] (Trait of Shamanism + Superior stage + fourth degree reward). ¡°These are your generic rewards,¡± the representative of the Greater System said, but Keynes didn¡¯t see them as generic at all. Most of his rewards were a consequence of him having Superior stage and the trait of shamanism together with the Perfect State. He would be shocked to find another person with all three achievements out there. That aside, he was exceptionally curious about Alice¡¯s ¡®vast¡¯ upgrade as it was the effect of all three factors.¡°They are good but not particularly unique. Albeit [Spirit Form] is rare and my advice is to explore its limits but remain vigilant while playing with that skill.¡± He didn¡¯t provide any explanation as to what [Spirit Form] did. The next notification gave Keynes no time to ask a question. Orb of Convergence has been awarded (The Greater System reward) This reward made Keynes¡¯s eyebrows climb nearly to his hairline. Despite his astounded expression, he admitted that he didn¡¯t know what the orb did. Judging by its name, he assumed that it ¡®converged¡¯ but what and to what end? Wait a minute. Why would the Greater System give him a reward? Was it trying to manipulate him as well? ¡°Not at all,¡± the being said, picking up on Keynes¡¯s thoughts. ¡°The Greater System is not impartial but it does not manipulate either. There are protocols in place. One of them states that exceptional achievements of the users of the Greater System must be rewarded.¡± The assurance did slightly alleviate Keynes¡¯s suspicion but didn¡¯t dispel it completely. The Greater System had made it clear to Keynes earlier that nothing was for free and thinking otherwise was a sure way to become a puppet. Something he had no intention of experiencing again. Once his thoughts moved on from the orb of convergence, Keynes expected to see the usual notification explaining to him that he needed to reach fifth degree to get more rewards. How surprised he was to find more rewards coming through. The Grand Insight of Chaos has been awarded (Defier of Chaos reward). * You have gained Attribute Imbalance Resistance buff (The Greater System + Defier of Chaos reward) * [Touch of Elu¡¯var] has been awarded - PENALTY: essence below you Level cannot be absorbed (WARNING: unknown source). * Gain another Perfect State to unlock further rewards. Upon gaining the Perfect State (fifth degree) permanent (cumulative) 20% essence penalty will be applied. Current essence penalty 15%. Further attribute mastery can only be obtained in selected rifts. * The Insight of Soul has been awarded (sufficient prerequisite met). Keynes¡¯s mind went blank. Not only was the significance of rewards beyond the scope of his imagination but the last notification imparted an overwhelming sensation and he was losing himself in it¡­ ¡°Postpone.¡± A familiar sensation of power shot through Keynes and the feeling of sinking vanished. ¡°What an ill-timed moment for gaining the insight of soul of this magnitude. But of course with all the accomplishments you have achieved it shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise.¡± Returning to his senses, Keynes could take a better look at the absurd rewards. The grand insight of Chaos and the Attribute Imbalance Resistance buff sounded self-explanatory but [Touch of Elu¡¯var] was a complete enigma. The sheer fact that it penalised him was mind-boggling. How was this fair? ¡°And what do we have here,¡± the representative of the Greater System mused. Keynes sensed a genuine surprise coming from the being, which in and out of itself reminded him about the seriousness of his situation. ¡°An unique, soul-bound spell. Elu¡¯var. A name I didn¡¯t expect to see for a long time. Even given all your prestigious achievements, the Greater System didn¡¯t send its representatives lightly. Now, I understand why I am here. It is unfortunate because this spell is soul-bound, which means you cannot remove it. The moment you leave this protected space, the Higher Realms will learn of this spell. They will hunt for it. Therefore, I offer you a swift, painless end. Do you accept, ascender?¡± ¡°What? Absolutely not!¡± Keynes blurted, taken aback. He didn¡¯t plan on dying any time soon, though if the being decided to kill him, Keynes wouldn¡¯t be able to stop him. The powerlessness made him feel ill. The representative of the Greater System sighed and his expression grew solemn. ¡°It is your choice, ascender. I offered you an easy way out.¡± His words snapped something in Keynes. ¡°I don¡¯t want an easy way out. I don¡¯t want this spell, no matter what it does. I don¡¯t want any of this!¡± He was aware that he was becoming dramatic but the influx of emotions flooded him. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. In response, reality changed. The void was replaced by a primordial forest with hundred metre high trees, thicker than a small house. But the true size of this world¡¯s flora hit him when he saw a group of hominids traversing the bed of the forest. They looked miniscule in comparison to any plant next to them. Some of the insects Keynes saw appeared larger than these hominids. Is this a prehistoric Earth? ¡°This is not your world but the message is universal.¡± What message? The hominids were muscular, with long limbs and rudimentary clothes. They gripped spears in their hands, moving with grace and surety. But as Keynes watched them continue their hunt, he realised that they were hunted as well. There was a gigantic but stealthy predator stalking them. Three of the hominids died before the rest realised what was going on. The rest put up a fight, but in the end, they all succumbed to the spider larger than a house. It easily skewered them with its long, sharp legs. The vision twisted and changed and Keynes saw a village decimated by disease. Dead bodies were everywhere, marked by ugly pockmarks. More visions appeared¡­ Children dying from hunger. Civilians being burned alive. An eyeless soldier tortured by a group of smirking prison guards¡­ Women raped. Cruelty. Death. Keynes lost track of many sceneries he had seen but thought he saw what linked them. ¡°Do you think these people didn¡¯t question their fate? Most did, the rest went mad from pain or had died before they comprehended the gravity of their situation. So I will ask you: why should you be allowed to give away your burden but none of them? The Systems do not play favours, merely acknowledge achievements. Sometimes, people are in the wrong place and time, sometimes it is a matter of their ill choice. Nevertheless, one truth remains universal across the multiverse, your burden is yours to bear.¡± ¡°Could the System save them?¡± Keynes asked, finding the cruelty of the System unnecessary. It was like a god indifferent to the suffering of its creation. ¡°The Systems across the multiverse are capable of saving ascenders¡¯ lives. All the suffering you have witnessed in these visions and elsewhere could have been easily averted. But there is a good reason to allow life to run its natural course without the protective hand of the Systems. You will soon understand that no greatness can be achieved without suffering. There is a reason why Perfect State is revered across the multiverse. One day, if you survive, you will understand what is at stake here.¡± Keynes¡¯s thoughts spun around this topic and he couldn¡¯t help but grapple with it. He couldn¡¯t accept that the Systems had means to end suffering but remained completely uncaring. And in the name of what? Power? Because if these people had power to save themselves and others, they would not suffer, Keynes realised. So at the most basic level, if everything else is taken away, the only thing that remains is personal power. ¡°That is why contemplating your fate is a moot point. It will grant you no insight, no strength, no aid. It will hinder your growth. The Systems offer you a framework but nothing else.¡± ¡°But the Higher Realms¡ª¡± ¡°They act within the framework,¡± the being interrupted. ¡°Otherwise, there would be no multiverse as their sheer presence would have annihilated reality itself.¡± Despite the visions and explanations, Keynes couldn¡¯t accept this truth. There had to be more to life than getting stronger. There was love, friendship, and community. Even their System understood this by awarding inferior essence for killing other ascenders. ¡°It is a matter of perception.¡± A new place appeared. It had a red sky and blue sun high above yellowish clouds. The view zoomed out and Keynes saw bloodshed of inimaginable magnitude. ¡°This is a different universe with a very different System. Here, ascenders gain power only by killing other ascenders and absorbing their spiritual cores. It fuels their magic and increases their attributes.¡± Keynes shook his head with disbelief. ¡°But why create a universe like this¡­ This is wrong.¡± ¡°Your universe is not special or even considered a standard one. It is just one of countless on the spectrum. So, do not presume what should be.¡± ¡°Unless I can get strong enough to stop it,¡± he said before he understood the meaning of his words but even then he stood by them. ¡°An interesting conclusion. Make sure to hold on to that thought.¡± With that, they were back to the void. The image of reality was terrifying but there was a silver lining in it. Power was everything and power could be gained. Except, the fucking Higher Realm was after his new spell. This complicated things. The being frowned as he clearly heard Keynes¡¯s thoughts. ¡°The Higher Realms will come after you. That much is certain but they are bound by very strict rules. There won¡¯t be a Level 100 coming down to your universe, though their servants are going to be relentless. However, you are actually very lucky that there are so many eyes on you. They all keep each other in check, which works in your favour. But let¡¯s move on. You have one final upgrade left.¡± Thoughts about the cruelty of the Systems and danger of the Higher Realms dissipated, making room for the next revelation. Choose a Minor Talent Upgrade ¡°Four options?¡± Keynes asked. Every ascender got only 3 options to pick a Level 5 Minor Talent Upgrade. ¡°That¡¯s the reward for fourth degree Perfect State.¡± Each option sounded insanely good in its own right. Being able to seal rifts would have given Keynes an exclusive control over rifts, but he didn¡¯t want that. He hadn¡¯t caused four outbreaks, causing death of billions¡ªeven if he was being manipulated or outright forced¡ªjust to deny them access to progression. Untouched option sounded much more interesting and not only in terms of rifts but physical locations as well. Did it mean he could walk through doors? He was tempted to try that one out. Nonetheless, Conceptual upgrade overshadowed all other upgrades, including Lofty. ¡°What does losing Error affinity mean?¡± ¡°No more cheating. No free reward rooms,¡± the being replied, his attention seemed elsewhere. ¡°That sucks.¡± ¡°It depends. The upgrade you are offered is one of the most impressive ones I have seen at Level 5. With the Conceptual upgrade you will be able to open anything you want and have enough power to.¡± ¡°Like?¡± ¡°Minds, emotions, beings, space, you name it. In other words, your Talent would become an utility, offence and defence all in one. Reward rooms can be impressive, but Error affinity can also backfire. There is always a minute chance it will malfunction and get you in trouble.¡± Keynes opened his mouth to counter point the being¡¯s argument but the representative wasn¡¯t finished. ¡°What you lose with Error affinity you can gain a thousandfold with [Touch of Elu¡¯var]. That skill allows you to channel Chaos energy into the rift adding modifiers to it. But be warned and take my warning to the heart. For each positive modifier, the rift will receive one negative modifier. I had never seen such a potent skill. This universe is about to get wild,¡± the being chuckled. Keynes didn¡¯t feel like laughing. ¡°Cheer up, boy. Live. Survive. Fortune favours the strong.¡± ¡°Wait! Who is¡­¡± The being vanished. ¡°Elu¡¯var?¡±Right¡­ the most important question and he¡¯s gone. Cracks started to spread through the void. Then reality twisted and Keynes¡¯s feet touched the grassy surface of the rift. *** Quest Received * ¡°Reincarnate in another universe!¡± * Die and reincarnate in another universe (mandatory) Reward: Gain additional progression system. * Kill Keynes Kid (mandatory) Reward: Divine-affinity item or skill. Sufram frowned at the System¡¯s notification as he was wiping the pearly blood from his blade. He had discarded his rival¡¯s body a while ago but their blood was annoyingly difficult to remove due to a high count of soul slivers. He eventually put the blade aside, the cleaning could wait and read through the description of the quest. His frown deepened. An additional progression system. That was a tempting offer but was he ready to die? Was this a ploy of one of his rivals? But neither of them reached even a million soul slivers so far, so they shouldn¡¯t be capable of fooling him. No. This quest came from the System. His rivals weren¡¯t involved. He considered the pros and cons. His world was stagnating with only a handful of ascenders worth harvesting remaining alive. Any ascender below 10% of Sufram¡¯s soul silvers¡¯ count rewarded nothing but disappointment. Sometimes, they even forced him to spend his precious soul slivers. These were bothersome fools he hated the most. To leave his world, he needed 1,600,000 soul slivers. Sufram checked the current number of soul slivers and grimaced. He was the most powerful ascender on the planet and yet, his progress came to a crawl. He was so close and yet so far from his goal¡­ A new universe, huh. Full of ascenders ripe for harvest. Just thinking about the power he could get there watered his mouth. After a short deliberation, a wicked smile spread from ear to ear. ¡°Why not.¡± He grabbed his blade and without hesitation stabbed his brain. Power of 1,511,356 killed ascenders exploded out of him. Chapter 222: Hypothesis Quest Received Quest Received Quest Received Quest Received Quest Received Quest Received Quest Received Quest Received *** Across the multiverse, a hundred quests were handed out to ascenders with perfectly matching qualities. These quests came from multiple sources, unknown to most but the Greater System¡ªwhich facilitated these operations¡ªand the most powerful beings in the High Realms. Not all these quests were aimed at killing Keynes Kid. There was a balance to them that was always maintained, either by the Greater System¡¯s requirements or simply because the beings in the Higher Realms kept each other in balance and check. Every intervention from the Higher Realms created a counter-intervention. How exactly the Greater System decided what qualified as a counter-intervention or who was allowed to execute it was a secret known only to the Greater System itself. This alone made predicting the consequence of these unexpected quests impossible. Despite its unprecedented scale of the quests, there was another event that seemingly went unnoticed but its repercussions had potential for a greater upset than anyone could imagine. A certain ancient Level 75 projected his avatar to a spaceship traversing the void between stars. He appeared on the bridge, before the captain of the spaceship and the ruler of the fleet that followed it. The captain froze. Its dark tentacles protruding from the side of his alien face and his shoulder blades ceased moving. Its black beady eyes stared in utter disbelief at the incomprehensible being clad in fabrics none of the captain¡¯s race had used for millennia. Their True Skin was superior to any material they had encountered so far. Its disbelief deepened upon discovering that the being wasn¡¯t of the captain¡¯s race, the vrell, or any other race the vrell had conquered or annihilated. Was this an assassin contracted to kill him? If so, by who and by what means he had managed to enter his personal spaceship? The formations embedded in the ship¡¯s hull were of the highest order capable of blocking teleportation skills and Talents alike. Frankly, because of that, the spaceship had very little means of defending itself while the intruders were inside. It wasn¡¯t by an error but a design, the captain, Varak, was the strongest of the vrell, which itself stood above any other known ascender race. That was why Varak regarded the intruder without a shred of fear. ¡°Which clan-ship sent you?¡±Varak asked, his tone icy. He didn¡¯t appreciate when others trespassed on his territory. He had killed countless vrells to make a point already. A costly endeavour, given how expensive rising a new Vrell was. The vrell were few, but they were powerful¡­ A thought crossed his mind. A terrifying as well as impossible thought. Could the intruder be above¡­ Level 10? No. This isn¡¯t possible. Level 10 is the cap of progression. Not a single vrell in history had broken it. To think that some other lowly race had such an ascender was blasphemous. Before the intruder answered the question, Varak¡¯s spiritual sense checked them and found nothing as if they didn¡¯t exist. Is this a projection or maybe a psychic creation? He wondered. ¡°I come with an offer,¡± the intruder said, ignoring Varak¡¯s question and dispelling the notion of being a mere visual projection. ¡°Impertinence,¡± Varak hissed, while his tentacles twitched, a sign of annoyance. He would have said more but his body froze as if overtaken by an outside force. Even his mind ground to halt. Like an inanimate statue, he could only watch and listen. ¡°I want you to gather all vrell¡¯s fleets and jump to a certain galaxy where you will destroy every single planet in the very specific star system. Do it and you will be rewarded beyond your imagination. Fail me and I annihilate your race as you did countless others.¡± Varak regained control of his body. His tentacles converged behind his back, a sign of submission. He didn¡¯t know how but he knew that every word uttered by the intruder had been true with capability to fulfil the promise and threat. Strangely, Varak didn¡¯t feel fear, just an urge to fulfil the order. ¡°I transferred coordinates to your spaceship¡¯s computer. Make sure to wipe the human race from existence.¡± With that the intruder vanished without a trace. Varak remained rooted in place, not by a foreign force but thoughtfulness. Despite the absurdity of the encounter, his mind was calm and clear. A god had given him a task and he was going to fulfil it. His confidence inflated as he started making plans to bring the other fleets into his fold. The act of extinction he was tasked with by the god required an utmost devotion. Eventually, Varak moved. Step by step he reached the main computer and placed his hand. Tentacles from his right shoulder blade expanded like a vine, twisting around his arm until they, too, touched the surface of the main computer. The black glass reacted to touch. The uniform blackness was broken and green patterns appeared on it. Coordinates to the said star system in another galaxy were there. A wave of relief washed over him as he made calculations. They would reach it in another decade at the full burn with maximum jumps allowed by the structural integrity of the spaceships. His mouth split open revealing a set of sharp teeth. When it came to extermination of other races, the vrell had no equals. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. *** Keynes was back in the rift in a blink of an eye. Before he knew it, reality itself crashed on him; temperature, pressure, smell, sounds. All of his senses were ambushed by countless stimuli at the same time. The magnitude of the change was so distinct that he suspected that the void had had none of that and had operated on a different set of rules, despite the fact that he¡¯d had functional eyes, ears and mouth. But my body was made out of light, he reminded himself. It was a bizarre experience but it got quickly forgotten when he noticed Kora and Persephone on their four, vomiting. He was next to Kora in an instant; dropping to one knee he placed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°What happened? You okay?¡± he asked, while a thousand thoughts crossed his mind. He didn¡¯t understand what could have brought a Level 8 and Level 6 to this state. There was nothing on the planet capable of such a feat, while the rift was only Level 1 and it had been cleared hours ago. When Kora only shook her head, Keynes considered asking Persephone but she looked equally bad so he decided against it. Instead he asked Alice. Alice, what the hell is going on? Spiritual Companion is currently not available. What the fuck? His knee-jerk reaction was panic. Utter, absolute panic. This was far from normal. Alice had been silent or distant in the past but he had never received a System message saying she wasn¡¯t available. Did he mess up during his ascension? The number of rewards he had received was insane even without a point of reference. Could this somehow fuck something up? Or maybe it was the doing of the representative of the Greater System? Luckily, his mind immediately calmed down thanks to his newly evolved [Pure Body] skill. Its passive effect filtered out harmful emotions, leaving Keynes clear-headed but not indifferent like when the Emotional Affliction debuff had affected him. Regaining clarity of mind, Keynes followed his intuition and did the next logical thing; checked his two friends with his spiritual sense. If there was anything wrong with them, he would see it in their spiritual energy. His spiritual sense extended to Kora and like standing near a place struck by lightning, his vision went white. Even before his mind stopped rattling, he realised what had happened to him; the sheer amount of information blinded him. It looked like his sensitivity to spiritual energy had skyrocketed to new heights. He had stumbled but his body regained balance before he even registered the sensation of vertigo. And it was equally swiftly forgotten when impressions imprinted on his mind made themselves known to him; Kora had undergone some serious changes. Her spiritual matrix looked different, evolved, but Keynes didn¡¯t understand what these changes meant or how they had happened. Wait a second, he could see her spiritual matrix. That was new for him. While a spiritual core could easily be observed if not properly obscured, the spiritual matrix was a different matter altogether. Keynes had seen his spiritual matrix but not of other ascenders. This got him thinking just how much his spiritual sense had improved. He filed this question for later as it wasn¡¯t a priority. He still had his other friend to assess. Keynes turned to Persephone and checked her with his spiritual sense, but cranking down the sensitivity to not blind himself, and found a very similar story there. Whatever had happened to Kora also had happened to Persephone. Okay, I think I need to get to the bottom of this, he mused to himself as he considered a way to help them. Despite all the rifts they had delved, they hadn¡¯t found a single [Heal] spell or an item with healing properties. He was aware that the girls had sorted through the items and spells but Keynes hadn¡¯t been interested as the attribute mastery got harder the stronger he got so he had stayed away from anything that could make him more powerful. His disinterest with items and spells was his weakness but his worry was washed away by his friends¡¯ blooming spiritual auras. Not only were they potent but also healthy. Healthier than ever. He sat down between them, his legs crossed. Surprisingly, Kora was the first who got her bearings and fell on her back while her chest heaved with deep, steady breaths. Keynes used [Purify] on her, removing every single stain that existed on her body and clothes. ¡°You okay?¡± Keynes asked again when he heard Kora¡¯s breathing slow down. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Kora muttered, her eyes closed. ¡°Mostly.¡± Keynes¡¯s eyes flicked to Persephone who, mimicking Kora, fell on her back. He also used [Purify] on Persephone, to what she didn¡¯t react. The two women lay in silence for a few moments while Keynes sat, wondering what had occurred here. ¡°I feel better now,¡± Kora said, sitting up. She quickly closed her eyes, lay down and added.¡°Nope. Vertigo.¡± ¡°Fuck sick,¡± Persephone murmured. ¡°What have you done to us, Keynes Kid?¡± Keynes had an odd feeling about her comment but then he realised why and what it meant. Persephone wasn¡¯t aware of what had happened to her. That made him crack a smile. Should I spoil the surprise? Nah. He wasn¡¯t going to do that. It was safe to assume that Kora too, like Persephone, was clueless about their spiritual changes. ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he replied with a smirk, which both women picked up, but didn¡¯t seem to have energy to call him out on, yet. As for what happened, Keynes began forming a hypothesis. It revolved around the very idea why Kora and Persephone were here. They hoped to gain insight from his ascension. At this point, insight was one of the most elusive concepts of the System known to Keynes. They had found a lesser rift orb of insight early on and had used it but had gained next to nothing. Well, that wasn¡¯t right. They learned that their idea of insight was flawed. Keynes expected that the lesser rift orb would act the same way like the orb of insight he had received upon his ascension to Level 3. That wasn¡¯t the case. Putting aside the topic of insight, which in Keynes¡¯s opinion wasn¡¯t capable of altering a spiritual matrix, Keynes mulled over a different idea. Could a special event cause side effects to those who witnessed it from a close proximity? His hypothesis was rooted in a hunch, albeit a strong one. It didn¡¯t explain the mechanism of the process but maybe they¡¯d be able to recreate it at a smaller scale, like someone else reaching Fourth Degree. Something like this was a distant possibility as the attribute mastery required a very specific mindset, but Keynes was excited about the idea of observing a rise of new Perfect State ascenders, though he had the Lem AI¡¯s warning at the back of his head about creating a potential threat for himself. The next stretch of silence was eventually broken by Persephone. She remained on her back. ¡°So what are you waiting for? Spill the beans.¡± Keynes raised an eyebrow, glancing at Persephone askance. She could clearly see him where he sat with crossed legs between the two women. His internal debate was short and decisive. ¡°Check for yourself.¡± ¡°Check what?¡± It was Persephone¡¯s turn to stare at him with a confused expression. ¡°Inside.¡± Keynes pointed a finger at his chest. For a split second, both Persephone and Kora eyed him without comprehension, then it dawned on them. Their eyes gained a distant look of someone checking the System. I didn¡¯t mean to check the System¡­ eh. ¡°Holy fuck!¡± Persephone shouted while Kora mouthed silent profanities. Both looked gobsmacked. Okay¡­ maybe checking the System notification has merit. ¡°So?¡± Keynes¡¯s eyes flicked between his friends, his curiosity burning a hole in his stomach. ¡°Don¡¯t torture me like this¡­¡± ¡°See for yourself,¡± Kora and Persephone said at the same time. The System messages appeared before Keynes. His hypothesis just got a hell lot more serious. Chapter 223: The Insight of Soul Keynes stared at the System¡¯s messages shared by Kora and Persephone. The Insight of Soul has been awarded (sufficient prerequisite met). Both of them had received the Insight of Soul. But how? Or more precisely what was prerequisite to trigger it? Mostly a rhetorical question as he didn¡¯t expect to get an answer to it. But the fact that both Kora and Persephone met the enigmatic prerequisite during Keynes¡¯s unique ascension held important clues about the nature of insight, albeit not much about soul itself. The message¡¯s colour is red, which has a strong relation to the soul. Before the ascension Keynes had only once received a System message in red colour when the Father of the Forest had given him the Inner Sanctuary, the soulbound item. He still had it, untouched by the System and Lem Solaris, which spoke something about the nature of the soul. It seemed to exist outside the System¡¯s jurisdiction. I¡¯ll have to speak to the Greater System about this next time, he made a mental note for himself. Back to the current System message. The fact that it was possible to gain an insight just by being present during an extraordinary event filled Keynes with undirected hope. He simply didn¡¯t know what to do with that information but believed it was important. Another thing for later. He had his own insight of soul to attend to so he didn¡¯t know what it entailed. The next message was from Persephone. Your Spiritual Matrix has been purified. * Impure essence has been replaced with pure one. * Minor defects in your cores were removed. Okay. Three System messages. Their description wasn¡¯t detailed but Keynes had glimpsed what they underpinned and if he was correct in his assumption, then somehow¡­ Persephone became a rift essence ascender. Normally, he could easily discern four types of ascenders: human, mixed, rift and Perfect State. But Persophone had undergone too many changes to be sure so he reserved his judgement for now. If that was indeed the case and Persephone had become a rift essence ascender, then a question arose, what else was possible? Could Kora become a Perfect State ascender? From what he saw in her spiritual matrix, it didn¡¯t resemble his, so he didn¡¯t know about that. Shit. While he had a solid idea of what happened to Persephone, still, the messages were too vague. There was no way to tell without thorough testing. They¡¯d have to spar at some point, which wasn¡¯t ideal as Keynes was now Level 5, each of his attributes increased from 35 to 41. A 17% increase wasn¡¯t anything to scoff at. And when it came to his attributes, the numerical values weren¡¯t the only change. Not even synchronisation was. Keynes had a strong intuition that his attributes themselves had undergone a qualitative shift. That brought him back to Persephone¡¯s System messages. Like with his attributes, these were qualitative improvements. Which raised a fundamental question, what did the ¡®quality¡¯ even represent? A first analogy that came to his mind was of two humans with the same parameters: weight, height, age. Despite being numerically the same, they were very different people in every possible way. Did it mean that Keynes¡¯s 41 points in attributes were not equal to a human essence ascender¡ªdiscounting the spiritual part of the power progression¡ªwith 41 points? His intuition said yes. In that case, the Perfect State not only gave him more attributes per Level but also increased the effect of these attributes which compounded his gains. That sounded insane, and yet it made sense. Considering that the only way to improve the spiritual makeup of a body is essence, it makes essence so much more precious. He didn¡¯t know if these improvements should be done at lower or higher Levels. In his case, most of the work was done by the System as he ascended as a Perfect State ascender, though he was aware that his spell, attribute and spiritual cores required manual essence cultivation to improve. Huh, it sounded like he, even at Level 5, knew jackshit about the System. Keynes switched to Kora¡¯s System messages. Your Spiritual Matrix has been purified. * You have gained the Superior Spiritual Stage. * Minor defects in your cores were removed. 2 out of 3 System messages were the same in Kora¡¯s case, albeit the scale of changes in both cases couldn¡¯t be evaluated as both women had had different starting points. The third Kora¡¯s System message was also fairly straightforward. She advanced to the Superior stage. The same stage Keynes was at right now. Honestly? It was fucking unfair but not something Keynes was going to complain about. He was glad that Kora was growing stronger. He couldn¡¯t wait to spar with her again. ¡°Ladies, what would you say about a little sparring?¡± he offered as he closed down the System notifications. They looked at him as if he was crazy. Why? He didn¡¯t see anything wrong with testing out their improvements. ¡°I will pass,¡± Persephone said and a second later, Kora repeated her words. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He understood Persephone, she¡¯d never been one to train with them, but for Kora to refuse a chance to give him a good, old-fashioned beating? Not a chance. He was about to ask them what was the matter when Persephone suddenly jumped to her feet. Her expression turned from solemn to sad? ¡°I need to go.¡± What? What¡¯s going on? Not even a moment passed and Kora was up as well, with a similar expression. Both women left dumbstruck Keynes alone and moved in opposite directions. Seriously, what the fuck? He received his answer a moment later when a familiar feeling of drowning descended on him. * ¡°Stop it, you dummy.¡± Keynes knew that voice. It belonged to his mom. His vision was slow in coming as if through a thick mist. When he finally could see, he found his living room but everything about it was wrong. Furniture, wallpapers, floors. All of that looked out of place. Why? He tried to find the source of the wrongness and eventually did. His parents. They were way younger. They ran around the sofa, laughing and joking. He had never seen them like this and he didn¡¯t remember this memory. Was this even a memory or something made up? At the same time as he pondered the questions, his parents dropped on the sofa, breathing heavily but looking more than content. They seemed genuinely happy. What has happened to them? Keynes wondered. He refused to believe that their age was to blame for it. ¡°Look,¡± his dad said. ¡°Key woke up.¡± His mom squinted at where Keynes ¡®was¡¯ and a cheeky smile appeared on her face. What the hell? He absolutely didn¡¯t remember his mom smiling like this, ever. What was this? His parents slid off the sofa and approached him. Well, not him, but a baby in a crib. Keynes was startled by the turn of events. The whole thing became much more interesting. The fact he hadn¡¯t had a memory of this, suggested that his perfect recall hadn¡¯t been a thing yet. This, or the scene unfolding before his eyes wasn¡¯t real. Either way, Keynes watched his parents speaking soothing words and playing peek-a-boo with a baby. No matter how irrational it was, Keynes felt a pang of sadness. His parents were good parents but in his case something had always been amiss. Love? Attention? Closeness? He had no way of knowing and in truth, this wasn¡¯t about what was amiss in his relationship with his parents. It was a more fundamental question, far more important one. Who was he? At first, the question that appeared in his mind didn''t make much sense in relation to the scene but then, bit by bit, Keynes understood the intent. Was he a child of his parents? He was but¡­ the question sought a deeper truth. Was this who he truly was? A child of his parents. No. The vision changed. It made him think of the visions shown by the representative of the Greater System. As quickly as the thoughts of the vision from during the ascension came as quickly they faded away and Keynes was transported to his room. Once again, it all looked different, but more elements appeared familiar to him this time. There were fragments of faint memories in his mind. A brown teddy, a large plastic train, a wallpaper with animals shown on the map of the world. None of that was particularly important when he heard his parents¡¯ voices coming from outside his room. He followed their voices, past the room that normally belonged to Harter. Judging by how much light there was, Keynes assumed it was early night or very late evening. ¡°This is safe, Nina,¡± his dad said. ¡°The program is led by the institute itself. It has the World Government¡¯s guarantee.¡± Keynes walked out of the corridor in time to see his mom¡¯s younger version sigh with a worried expression. Their parents stood in the kitchen, two glasses of wine on the counter. It really was bizarre to see this side of them. ¡°I don¡¯t care who guarantees what, Ewan. You are talking about experimenting on our children.¡± Keynes froze when he heard that. He wasn¡¯t aware of any experimentation done on him or Harter. Which could mean their parents hadn¡¯t gone through with the idea. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re allowed to participate in the first place. This project is secret and only researchers¡¯ children are permitted to take part in it.¡± To Keynes his dad sounded proud. This must be some alternate reality shit going on here. Dad isn¡¯t one to mess with secret government stuff, less likely to feel good about them. That simply wasn¡¯t up his dad¡¯s alley. ¡°Nina, the glyphs are safe. They are a hundred percent beneficial,¡± his dad added when his mom said nothing. An experiment involving glyphs? Keynes was aware of glyphs¡¯ growing importance but pre-outbreak glyphs hadn¡¯t been that hot. ¡°You promise to keep them safe?¡± Nina embraced her husband. Keynes stared at them bewildered. ¡°Of course, my dear. They¡¯ll receive the best benefits from the project. I¡¯ll make them better than other children. They''ll have an outstanding future.¡± Ewan assured his wife. What are you talking about? And what experiment? Instead of answers, a question appeared in Keynes¡¯s mind. Was he his parents¡¯ creation? Absolutely not. The scene changed once again. I have to know what experiment they are talking about! Keynes tried to make the vision to return but didn¡¯t really have control. Return! Nope, nothing happened. The next vision was of him and Harter fighting. Keynes remembered this and how it had ended. Keynes had been 8 and Harter 7. His younger brother was angry with him because Keynes had been taking his things without permission for ¡®testing¡¯. Keynes scoffed remembering what had driven his behaviour back then. Keynes had dreamed of being a scientist, a dream encouraged by his parents. Harter threw a punch but that one year of difference between the brothers was like a vast chasm and Keynes made his brother regret that, which got their parents involved and Keynes¡¯s turn to regret beating his brother up. Even now, Keynes remembered emotions fuelling him back then. Not anger or even frustration. No. What he felt was much worse. Something that¡­ fucked him up for a long time. At that point, I had a perfect recall and couldn¡¯t forget anything. Their fight had been sparked by a silly thing but one small thing led to another. Keynes had looked at his younger brother and felt superior. He had been stronger, smarter, better while Harter had kept forgetting things and couldn¡¯t even stand up to bullies at school. He was a failure in Keynes¡¯s eyes, the 8-year-old Keynes¡¯s that was. The current Keynes didn¡¯t have similar sentiment. Some time later Keynes had experienced a turning point and felt disgust at his own behaviour which shaped him until the Talent Revelation Ceremony, in a borderline negative way. So, I guess, the question is now was I a bully? Fuck no. The vision stopped but didn¡¯t change. Hmm. So it was about being superior then? He felt something click in place but the vision didn¡¯t shift as he didn¡¯t actually give an answer. Why was that? Because Keynes stumbled unto his first major obstacle. Deep down at the core of his being, could he accept that he was just like anyone else? He tried but the circumstances weren¡¯t normal. It didn¡¯t matter what he wanted or believed was right. All that mattered was who he was at the very core of his existence. Soul-stuff sucks¡­ Chapter 224: Talents What did it mean to be better than others? It was the question that caught Keynes off guard. The concept of superiority wasn¡¯t black and white, it came in many shades of grey. Even the slightest misconceptions could have catastrophic consequences. The concept applied differently to nations, groups and individuals as well. In this case, the insight was about him individually. Was it wrong to be better than others? Not really. That was the whole idea behind sports. People competed and the better ones won. But his question didn¡¯t have anything to do with sports. It simply asked if Keynes was superior to others. As he dug deeper into the insight, there was something else it connected to, the Perfect State. He had a strong hunch that the higher he¡¯d climb as the Perfect State ascender the fewer equals he would have. Wait a minute. What was the point of standing at the pinnacle of the power hierarchy when one couldn¡¯t choose one¡¯s peers? Did he think less of his parents, Harter or even Kora because they weren¡¯t Perfect State ascenders? He kind of didn¡¯t know if Harter was one or not, but for the sake of the argument he assumed he wasn¡¯t. The answer was of course he would never think less of them no matter what kind of chasm of power separated them. He began separating strength, competitiveness and other components from the concept of superiority, leaving it pure. In its pure form, superiority had several components like narcissism, ego or hubris. It would be untrue to claim that Keynes had none of them as every human had these traits in different proportions and quantities. But could he say that these defined his character? He almost replied no then remembered that he defied the Chaos out of hubris. And more than that, he was adamant about pursuing a Perfect State, which itself was a sign of arrogance. According to Lem Solaris, one needed to have a certain amount of arrogance to become a Perfect State. In truth, while mastering attributes wasn¡¯t the easiest thing to do, Keynes was yet to see what was the whole fuss about. So, I guess, if refusal to bend my knee or pursuing perfection is called arrogance, then I am guilty as charged but I won¡¯t ever call myself superior to others, even if others see me as such. Keynes held a very specific concept in his mind when he said it. He didn¡¯t want to be hypocritical. He was, after all, a boss of his unnamed organisation. But being a boss made him only superior in a specific context and didn¡¯t apply outside of his organisation. The visions shifted and Keynes had a strong inkling of what would be the next scene. He stood before a rift in the cave in Jamaica. The expected question appeared in his head: did Keynes¡¯s Talent define him? Hell no. But¡ªNo. Just no. * Persephone watched a girl named Kathryn Steel¡ªlater known as Persephone¡ªduring her Talent Revelation Ceremony. Her memories of that day were a rollercoaster of emotions. She had been a heiress to the House of Steel, noble servants to the House of Hurburg, a less prominent but still very powerful Old Blood family. Like everyone in the Steel family, Kathryn¡¯s Talent had been shaped by the Hurburgs through means she hadn¡¯t understood nor had been explained to her. Kathryn Steel was a servant from the very moment she was born. It was more than a contract between the two houses, it had been an ancient bond. Other Old Blood houses had their own servant houses. She didn¡¯t question it, she didn¡¯t complain. Despite her status as a servant, she lived like a princess. She didn¡¯t experience hunger or poverty. In fact, the House of Steel had their own servants that made sure all their needs were met. It had been an idyllic life far removed from the perilous politics of the High Parliament and mundane lives of the lower classes. Naturally, there had been much hope regarding Kathryn¡¯s Talent as she was expected to replace her father in the next decade.
Talent Type Affinity Details
True Desire Passive - An innate knowledge of what to do to achieve a desired outcome. Mana cost: None.
The moment Kathryn saw her Talent, her heart skipped a beat and she made an unlady-like sound. She was thrilled. Her family was ecstatic. The House of Hurburg congratulated her and sent Kathryn an invitation to visit one of their mansions in Southern Spain, and not just any mansion but the one near the house of the president of the World Government himself. Their main residence. Persephone remembered that time to this day. The whole world revolved around her, or so she believed. She heard whispers that her Talent might be what some people call: a Broken Talent. Because of this, her status was elevated above even her father¡¯s. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The Hurburgs welcomed her and showed Kathryn something she had never had¡ªagency. She wasn¡¯t actually in charge of her fate, but she met people who were. For the first time in her life, she directly talked to people who stood at the pinnacle and ruled their own lives. They served no one. Kathryn liked that. But soon an issue came to light. The Hurburgs hadn¡¯t invited her to indulge one of their servants, they weren¡¯t philanthropists. They were ruthless business magnates and wanted to profit from Karthyn¡¯s Talent. The problem was that Kathryn¡¯s Talent didn¡¯t work as expected. Her desires weren¡¯t the Hurburgs desires. And not because of lack of trying. She did her best to align her desires with her masters¡¯. But desire wasn¡¯t something one could simply adopt on the fly, the same way a person couldn¡¯t just love someone because they were told to do so. Thus Kathryn¡¯s idyllic time ended. The Hurburgs discarded her like an unwanted trash. They had no use of her. Persephone watched the scenes come and go with nostalgia but also vexation. Karthyn hadn¡¯t had the slightest inkling of how her Talent functioned. Yes, it applied only to her desire but that was the extent of her understanding. So, shortly after returning from Spain and dealing with a mental breakdown¡ªshe was only 16 years old¡ªKathryn started to pick herself up. Her family knew that the Hurburgs had discarded her so they, being good puppets, did the same. Their betrayal hurt even to this day. Kathryn didn¡¯t let it stop her from¡­ desiring to become like the Hurburgs. If her Talent worked only on her, why did she need anyone in the first place? With every waking moment, Kathryn let her Talent dictate her next step. Persephone could only shake her head at watching her younger self. Kathryn had used her Talent for every single decision. Worse than that, she hadn¡¯t given much thought about the mechanism of her Talent, which had led her to many serious miscalculations. What she hadn¡¯t known then but knew now was that the scope of her Talent could be nearly unlimited. It meant that she could desire herself to become Level 50 and her Talent would show her the next step on the path of fulfilling her desire. The issue was that there could be thousands if not millions of such steps and she¡¯d never know how close to fulfilling her desire she was. Some desires could have more than one path and she couldn¡¯t tell which path her Talent had picked up or worse, some paths required drastic measures, like killing her friend Baruka or her parents. She did the former but didn¡¯t commit the latter. At some point, Kathryn realised that she was a slave of her Talent and what did she do? Nothing. Her Talent gave her agency, or so she believed. Even long after the fallout with her family and effectively being disinherited by the House of Steel, she continued meticulously following the whispers of her Talent in chasing many of her desires. She wasn¡¯t proud of it but her Levelling before the first outbreaks came from assassinations committed by her on her path to power. But she was no longer naive at that point, she understood that to reach true power was to step beyond and above the World Government. Back then, an impossible feat. Then came a day, when her Talent told her a very contradictory thing. If she wished to be stronger than Windsor Freeman she should stop killing humans. Kathryn did as her Talent commanded, not questioning it for a single moment. She had utmost faith in it. Two years later, the first outbreak happened. Seeing most of her life unfold before her eyes in a rapid succession Persephone had no illusions. Her Talent was the cornerstone of her being. Even now, most of her decisions were based on her Talent, though she ignored it when she judged the consequences too troublesome. Is there really nothing more to me than my Talent? Persephone asked herself and grimaced, finding the answer not to her liking. Despite her many ambitions, without her Talent, Persephone would be an empty vessel. She knew that deep down and she hated herself for that truth. Was this the time to change it? To become someone else? No. Someone more then? Perhaps. She might have no choice because if her Talent one day put her on the collision course with Keynes Kid, she would be in deep shit. *** Kora calmly mused the visions of her past and the meaning they held. She was here to answer the very simple and yet difficult question. Did her Talent define her? In a way, yes, it did. But it wasn¡¯t always the case. Before Level 5, Kora¡¯s Talent was as much a hindrance as it was a boon. The fact that her Spell Enhancement Aura Talent affected everyone made it problematic in certain circumstances. Only after the Minor Talent Upgrade had given her an ability to blacklist monsters and ascenders, her life was turned upside down. From that point onward, Kora was no longer simply Natalia¡¯s sister but became a powerhouse in her own right, capable of boosting any ascenders in her vicinity. Things changed again when she met Keynes. Suddenly, her Talent was no longer the thing that her identity revolved around¡­ But was it ever? She mused. Even as a member of the carry team, I spent more time planning and researching rifts than using my Talent to boost Ulf and Miguel. Yes, my Talent is useful, but there is no way my Talent is all there is to me¡­ *** Keynes felt a fragment of his core identity solidify but he was far from finished with the soul stuff. Nonetheless, the Insight of the Soul was running out¡ªinsights never lasted long. Realising truths about himself wasn¡¯t done in a single session it seemed. He would worry if that was the case as this would mean there wasn¡¯t much to him. Breath after breath, Keynes slowed down his heartbeat. He was back in the rift. So, I¡¯m an arrogant prick, who doesn¡¯t react well to authority, and craves perfection. Hm. That sounded like he was an autocratic asshole. Was he? He hoped not. He still needed more insight to better learn about himself. But there was a certain quality, which he wholeheartedly agreed with even though it hadn¡¯t been a focus of the vision. He was a defier. For better or for worse, he would never bow to anyone. Anyway, that was something for later. Now, he wanted to consider a different revelation derived from the insight. The soul was a true reflection of who he was. It was a hidden message. There was no room for uncertainty or inaccuracies. The importance of having the pure idea of his soul was staggering. And telling. ¡°The soul is the key to move past Level 10,¡± a crystal but warm voice said. Keynes¡¯s heart skipped a beat as his bond Alice informed him who stood behind him. She was back! Keynes turned around and found a child weaved out of light. He knew it was Alice but for a split second, he thought it could be Lem Solaris, and his hope dipped. The bond was unmistakable. This was Alice. Not only that, her spiritual energy felt a few times stronger than usual. She stared at him with a smirk and anticipation. ¡°I¡¯m back, Keynes,¡± she said, giving him a smile that spread warmth in his chest. She was part of him and yet, she was now more than that. He extended his hand and touched his face. He touched her! Her form was physical¡­ ¡°Alice.¡± He grunted feeling a traitorous tear fleeing from the corner of his right eye. Showing emotions wasn¡¯t something he was adept at. ¡°Where the hell have you been? I thought you were gone.¡± She made a faux surprised face. She understood he was trying to jest and she knew he was bad at it.