ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟙𝟚𝟙: 𝔗𝔥𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱 𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯【𝟏/𝟐】ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ
----------------------------------------
As soon as Jay left the virtual space, MJ transferred everyone back to the Earth's Foothold. Technically, they had never physically left the Foothold—their consciousness had merely been sent to MJ's Virtual A.I. Space.
Now, back in the real world, the group emerged from the Virtual Space Chamber, visibly energized from the intense training and competition.
Among them, the Alpha Chosen who had earned the least RPs—Kasim, Gabriel, Andrea, and Henry—immediately crowded around MJ. They brought out spare Spirit Equipment they weren’t using, eager to exchange them for additional Reward Points.
After all, Alpha Chosen could only equip seven Spirit Items at a time. Any excess equipment held in their possession would merely sit idle unless swapped out, making them perfect for conversion into RPs.
MJ patiently facilitated the exchanges, providing fair conversion rates based on the Spirit Equipment’s grade and rarity. The gathered RPs were then quickly used by the group to level up, as they rushed to make the most of their newly earned points.
Meanwhile, Jay had already reached the system barrier between Trial Zone 33 and Trial Zone 34. He stood before the transluscent divide, waiting for the cooldown of INVERSE mode to end so he could cross. As he waited, his mind drifted back to the third assessment.
Although the Lightning Flame element had played a pivotal role in his victories, Jay knew that even without it, he wouldn’t have lost in any of the stages. His true edge lay not just in his stats but in the diversity of innate talents and skills he had looted over time.
For instance, against Brandon, Jay could have relied on Wood Element skills to counter Brandon’s Lightning Element attacks. Against Sergei, Light Element skills would have given him the upper hand against the darkness user. His mastery over various elements and resistances from multiple innate talents ensured he had a built-in advantage against most opponents.
Yet Jay had revealed none of this to the Earth's Alpha Chosen. He intended to keep his
The rest of the Earth’s Alpha Chosen were even less informed, assuming Jay’s abilities were limited to controlling monster corpses and using their skills. Jay preferred to maintain this impression.
If the true scope of
Jay’s thoughts were interrupted as the cooldown for INVERSE mode ended. He activated the skill and effortlessly broke through the system barrier, entering Trial Zone 34.
Without wasting time, he pressed onward, his focus locked on exploring further zones and continuing his search for the Arch Spirit Fruit.
Not far behind, the Storm Eagle MJ flew after Jay, carrying Dante and Akor on its broad back.
The wind whipped around them as they soared, but Dante’s dejected expression remained fixed. Unable to contain his disappointment, he asked the Storm Eagle MJ, “Why wasn’t I allowed to participate in the assessments like the others? I wanted to test myself too.”
The question came as no surprise. Using the Party communication feature, Dante had learned about everything that transpired during the assessments from Kasim, and it had only made him more eager to be part of the action.
As the Storm Eagle MJ carried Dante and Akor, a familiar chime came from Dante’s wristband prototype. MJ’s calm voice spoke directly to Dante.
“First of all, you’re far away from the Virtual Space Chamber, which is equipped to transfer one’s consciousness into my Virtual A.I Space. Unlike my Master, you cannot enter my space at will. Secondly, you don’t need to worry about Reward Points. Master will provide you with more than enough for assisting him in the search for the Arch Spirit Fruit. Finally, RPs wouldn’t be particularly useful to you right now for leveling up, as you’re stuck at Tier-2 due to you being unable to advance your
Dante’s dejected expression faded as he listened. The reasoning made sense, and his usual cheerfulness quickly returned. “Alright, fair enough, MJ! Guess I’ll keep focusing on my tasks with Jay.”
Akor, listening quietly, took the opportunity to learn more about the recent assessments. As Dante enthusiastically recounted the events, Akor thought to himself, ‘I wonder where I would rank among the Earth’s Alpha Chosen if I had participated in those assessments. But it won’t be long before Day-10 starts, and I’ll see their progress firsthand.’
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Meanwhile, Jay continued his expedition, crossing trial zone after trial zone. It had been hours since he left the 33rd trial zone, and so far, the monsters he encountered showed no strange behaviors.
Without signs of the Hive-mind monster, Jay set the issue aside, confident he would deal with it when the time came.
His focus was now on finding the elusive Grade-4 Spirit Essence Fruit, but the search wasn’t going well. Despite exploring 45 trial zones, he had yet to locate the fruit.
The translucent arrow that Dante had created using Fate stats still pointed further ahead, urging Jay to continue deeper into the Trial World.
Frustration gnawed at him. ‘Do I use INVERSE mode again and push through three more trial zones? There’s still a chance it might be there.’ But after weighing his options, Jay decided against it.
The reason was simple: his overall stats had reached 990. Activating INVERSE mode one more time would bring him to the cusp of 1000 overall stats—the threshold for the 1st Universe Limit.
Once he crossed that barrier, INVERSE mode would be temporarily locked until he advanced to Tier-3 and broke through the limit. He couldn’t risk losing such a valuable ability, especially with the Trial Region Tournament looming.
‘Better to save my last use for the Tournament,’ he thought. Jay wasn’t omniscient, and he couldn’t predict what variables might arise during the event. Keeping INVERSE mode as a trump card was the wisest choice.
Unknown to Jay, this decision spared him from significant trouble. In the 47th trial zone, a grave threat lurked—a threat so dangerous that it could have jeopardized the lives of every Alpha Chosen in the region.
MJ had earlier concluded that the unknown monster from the 33rd trial zone likely had a Hive-mind type Innate Talent, controlling other monsters to do its bidding. Under normal circumstances, this deduction would have been accurate. But in this case, MJ’s estimation was far from the truth.
꧁𓊈𝔓𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔪𝔞 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔡𝔞𝔱𝔬𝔯𓊉꧂
Within the depths of the 47th trial zone, nestled inside a Tier-3 High-Phase monster dome, a towering figure loomed, a 5-meter-tall humanoid monster with an appearance that was nothing short of grotesque.
Its body was sheathed in scales of brown, and pale yellow, each cluster blending into the next in a chaotic, unnatural pattern.
Its sharp claws glistened menacingly under the dim light, and its back was adorned with black, jagged spikes that jutted out from its head, shoulders, forearms, and spine. The spikes tapered down its long, muscular tail, adding to its fearsome silhouette.
A shark-like maw filled with serrated teeth and a pair of horns, one above its nose and another on its forehead, completed its abominable visage. Even a mere glance at this creature was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.
At present, the monster was communicating with a group of Tier-3 Low-Phase monsters that stood nervously outside the system dome containing it.
What was unusual wasn’t just the monster’s terrifying appearance but the fact that it spoke in an unknown language, articulating its thoughts with intelligence far beyond its kind.
The intelligence of Tier-3 monsters was typically limited, comparable to early primates at best. They lacked the cognitive ability to vocalize their thoughts or form coherent strategies.
For a monster to achieve such a level of sentience, it had to be either at least Tier-7 or possess an awakened Bloodline. In the case of this sinister abomination, it was clear that the latter applied.
With a guttural growl, the monster interrogated the gathered creatures, repeatedly asking about the whereabouts of a figure it referred to as the "Silver Alpha Chosen." The other monsters cowered under its gaze, meekly shaking their heads to indicate they had found nothing.
Their response enraged the abomination. Its frustration erupted in a sudden, fierce swipe of its claw, emanating a soft orange glow. The strike wasn’t aimed at the monsters but at the system dome barrier.
In an instant, the claw sliced through the barrier as if it were paper. The dome, designed to contain even the strongest Tier-3 monsters, offered no resistance against the pale-orange energy that coated its claw.
The scene was staggering, but the abomination’s power wasn’t entirely inexplicable. If one were to examine the "Estimated Tier" section of its Status, they would find the creature ranked with the power level of a Tier-4 High-Phase monster.
Under normal circumstances, the System would have detected its overwhelming power and automatically teleported the monster to the later stages of the Trial program upon reaching Tier-4.
Yet, the abomination had deliberately refrained from advancing to Tier-4, despite fulfilling all the necessary conditions long ago.
This restraint wasn’t due to ignorance. On the contrary, the monster seemed to have a deep understanding of the System’s rules. By remaining at Tier-3 High-Phase, it stayed beneath the radar of Alpha Chosen and the System alike.
The source of its incredible strength lay in its Mastery, which had reached the peak of Stage-4.
Despite having the overall stats of a Tier-3 Peak monster, the abomination’s capabilities were far greater due to the awakened Bloodline coursing through it.
If MJ were to lay eyes on the abomination, he would immediately recognize the truth: this was no ordinary monster but one that had awakened the Plasma Predator Bloodline. The pale-orange energy it wielded was none other than Plasma Energy.
----------------------------------------