Mark spent quite a bit of time enchanting. He’d gotten better and decided to help Brightest Dawn's people by providing enchanted gear. He still couldn’t work on the other Atryx rings, though, as they needed to be infused with very pure spatial mana. He instead enchanted swords, axes, chest plates, helmets, and many other pieces of equipment.
He also taught some people how to start enchanting, though few were interested. He did provide some preferential treatment for his family, but he still made off with quite a lot of System credits. So when the time to leave had come, he was considered among the wealthiest people in the Brightest Dawn.
Soon enough, he stood outside the gates with his family, preparing for his journey.
“Please, be careful out there, sweetie,” his mother said tearfully. She reached around him and hugged him tight. Her white robes glimmered with golden runes. “And, come visit. Don’t just disappear forever.”
“Yeah. Don’t forget; you’re always welcome in our home, son,” his father followed Cecilia’s example and hugged Mark. He didn’t wear his armor or any of his equipment, so none of Mark’s work was visible.
His brother and sister were quiet, but they came up for a hug as well, and Mark felt them holding back their emotions.
“I’ll be fine, and I’ll come visit when I can,” Mark said as he let go of his family. “I gotta go, though, or it’s gonna get harder.” He was struggling with his emotions as well and knew he had to leave before he could change his mind.
He took a few steps back, smiled, and turned around. He blinked several times in succession to make some rapid distance before he reverted to just walking. He had to keep his eyes and ears peeled since the area was still full of monsters, but he felt quite confident.
He’d spent some time meditating around the city and had discovered a trace of spatial magic flowing in from the southeast. It was his best option to find a good spot to cultivate, so he headed in that direction.
The journey was long but straightforward. Monsters appeared as he traveled, but nothing too dangerous. He managed to avoid most of them, but not all.
He walked through valleys, over hills, a mountain range, and even a small desert, but nothing proved sufficient to work as a cultivation spot for him until he walked through a final mountain pass.
It had taken almost a month of travel, which wasn’t too bad, but he felt he finally reached his target.
The mountain he saw in the distance was immense. It stretched upward seemingly forever, and he could see a gargantuan tree at its peak. It all looked very fantasy-esque.
The mountain had several layers of clouds surrounding it, like barriers, but the tree proved to be what held his attention.
It stood at the very peak of the mountain, but the branches didn’t reach down; they seemed to stretch further into the atmosphere as if reaching for space, and Mark knew on an instinctual level that it had some attunement to spatial mana. He could practically feel the waves pulsing from it, even from kilometers away.
He saw several small shapes flying around the branches and trunk of the tree, but he would deal with them when he got there. He knew he had to claim that spot, as he couldn’t imagine any other place, except outer space itself, more suited for him.
It took him a few hours to reach the mountain base, which towered above him, but he didn’t let it dissuade him. Step by step, blink by blink, he climbed until he reached the first layer of clouds. He felt some sort of pressure from the clouds, but he couldn’t stop and pushed forward.
He immediately stumbled back, as the clouds proved a strong barrier, but he formed a field of space in front of him, shaped like a wedge, which proved enough for him to push through.
He felt it odd that he didn’t face any monsters but wrote it off as the clouds being too hard to get through. That didn’t explain the lack of creatures near the base, but he’d figure that out another time.
Three cloud barriers were passed, each one denser than the last, until something changed. The fourth barrier didn’t push him back but pulled him in, and the space around him warped. He reappeared at the mountain's base in the blink of an eye.
“Fuck!” Mark swore, shook his head in frustration, and started climbing again.
This happened nine more times before he managed to get through. It required him to push the clouds away while isolating himself from the energies that rushed into the vacuum left by the clouds’ parting. It took some effort, but it was doable.
Another three clouds had the same measures, similarly ramping up. Then it changed again.
When he entered the next cloud layer, he felt his feet leave the ground, and his blink was blocked. He started falling upward until he focused on his Gravity Concept and countered the effect. Back on the ground, he kept climbing. He stumbled and slammed to the ground when the clouds disappeared around him, canceling the gravitational effect, meaning his increased gravity fully acted on him.
He made it through the next two clouds, and based on his count from a distance, he was facing the last three layers.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
When he entered the clouds, he was blinded and felt his skin start to burn as an immense heat radiated around him. He repeated his efforts from the last few clouds, just with heat and light. Having protected himself, he climbed the last part of the mountain.
When he walked out of the last cloud layer, he was faced with one of the giant roots of the tree. Strangely enough, none of the local creatures made a fuss about his presence.
Having climbed the mountain, he looked up at the tree and found it towering over him still. A sense of vertigo struck him as he wondered how high up he was, but he didn’t give it much thought. The feeling of the spatial mana in the air was intoxicating, and he felt like he could finally breathe freely, even if the atmosphere should be far thinner at this elevation.
None of the creatures in the branches turned hostile, even as he climbed the tree, and he soon reached the center of a plateau at the top of the trunk.
A vast open space, framed by the rising branches, welcomed him when he climbed the last few meters, and he felt immediately drawn to the center of it.
He didn’t know what was happening, but he felt a sense of belonging like he belonged here, and this place belonged to him. The moment he sat down in the center and started drawing mana from the air, a message appeared in his mind.
[You have discovered the Lesser World Tree of Karphan. ]
[As one of the remaining members of the Karphani race and the designated Monarch. Your claim has been accepted.]
[Royal Guards, Wards, Advisors, and Lords are summoned to attend.]
“What?!” he exclaimed. “What the hell?”
So, the System was still messing with him, or rather giving him everything he didn’t even think to want. A part of him was happy, but another part was upset. He kind of wanted a proper challenge, and while the climb up the mountain provided some challenge, he really wanted a good fight. He was also very worried about the future consequences.
Had the Karphani, the Administrator mentioned, already paid the price? Or will he have to pay it in the future? The System never gave out anything for free, so why was he getting all these benefits?
“Anything?” he asked the sky. “Any answers? How about a hint? No? Nothing?! Fucking hell.”
He spent some time grumbling and worrying before he forced himself to think of something else.
The System had mentioned people being summoned here, which would strongly imply that he’d get guests eventually, so he should at least familiarize himself with the area and the mountain.
***
Alyssa was leading her people through a rather dense forest when she felt the pulse. A rush of power flowed through her, and a message appeared in her mind.
[A Monarch has claimed the World Tree. All Royal Guards of Karphan are called to attend.]
***
Joshua sat in a quiet clearing, with several bloody corpses littering the ground around him, when the message appeared.
[A Monarch has claimed the World Tree. All Royal Guards of Karphan are called to attend.]
***
[A Monarch has claimed the World Tree. All Advisors of Karphan are called to attend.]
[A Monarch has claimed the World Tree. All Lords of Karphan are called to attend.]
***
Several disparate groups of people started following the same signal and moved toward the mountain. Many would take weeks, even months, but some would arrive in days. They had all faced a terrifying Tutorial and survived. They had all received classes related to Karphan, though most didn’t know what that meant. They all knew that following this signal was their way to improve themselves. After all, they had to act within the bounds of their classes to advance, and they had been stuck since the Tutorial ended. This was how they could kickstart their leveling again.
***
Alyssa saw the mountain in the distance, and the pull was unbearable. She couldn’t have resisted, even if she wanted to, and she urged her followers to speed up. They were exhausted, but they still followed. After all, she had saved their lives more times than they could count, and they trusted her. Still, it took a few hours to reach the foot of the mountain, and the climb would be rough. Except it wasn’t.
As soon as they started climbing, it was like space folded before them, and they reached the peak in a few steps. People stumbled and shouted in fear, but Alyssa only felt a sense of rightness. She was a Royal Guard, so of course, the mountain wouldn’t stop her.
She found that the others couldn’t climb further, though, as if the air turned solid above their heads when they tried, but she faced no such challenge. It felt like she was being lifted up and reached the top in moments.
She saw a man sitting at the center and knew this was her Monarch. His skin was pure white, and his hair was black as night. He wore a black and purple coat that fanned out around him. His eyes were dark purple, and Alyssa saw floating lights glimmering in his iris. He looked at her with some confusion mixed with expectation, and she wouldn’t disappoint.
Alyssa walked up to him with confident steps and kneeled before him.
“I, Alyssa Saintclaire, swear fealty to the Monarch of Karphan!” her voice was strong and steady, and she felt a connection form immediately. A flood of messages entered her mind, along with a rush of power.
She gained eleven levels immediately, bringing her to level seventeen. She knew she was limited to his level, but she couldn’t make heads or tails of the power she felt from him. Why would he need a guard? He was far stronger than her, after all.
“Hm. Interesting,” came a voice in her head, which she knew was her liege. “As to your question. My class is not combat oriented, and while I can use it as such, I have yet to find the true purpose of it. It’s likely a leadership class, based on recent evidence.”
Alyssa’s eyes widened at hearing his voice in his head and realizing he could hear her thoughts.
“That’s going to take some getting used to,” he said out loud. “My name is Mark Johnson. You are Alyssa Saintclair, and you brought quite the following. I fear they must also swear fealty if they wish to remain here. Not my choice. It’s the mountain itself that will reject them before long.”
“As you say, my liege,” Alyssa responded. “Shall I grant them the choice, or do you wish it to be done by force.”
“A choice, of course. I have no need for unwilling people. Do ensure they’re aware that more people are coming,” he closed his eyes, and a pulse went through the tree. “Tell them that they may use the mountain for resources. Stone can be mined and used to build some houses.”
“At once!”