While down in the closed-off bunker, I walk from room to room, controlling air filtration systems powered by my mana through the anchors I’ve placed near them.
Making them work wasn't all that difficult, just a bit annoying given that the bunker’s core is broken and the room containing it has been buried under several tons of stone.
Yet, even though this place has been cut off from the outside, I’ve set thermal orbs all throughout the compound, producing a bright yet gentle light. The filtration system hums gently in the background, but otherwise, it's eerily quiet.
The only other sound comes from my minion and I, searching the various rooms whenever we get bored. That and our race to pack in as much training as we can.
I have decided to spend the remaining few days here, rather than going outside, where who knows what is happening. I'm also taking the opportunity to acquaint myself with the skills that leveled up during the fight with my duplicate. I’ve got a lot of work to do on that front.
Maybe I could be raising my level, or focus on leveling up my skills. I could be fighting any number of powerful opponents, yet every time I look at Vega, I hesitate. She is strong, but she’s returning to her world soon, and I won't be able to help her anymore. So I need to hold back and train her.
I’m not used to this sort of selfless thinking, and I’m reminded of how attached I’ve grown to this smug little half-demon. This silly minion of mine.
“Master! [Mana Manipulation] leveled up again!” Vega shouts as she comes rushing from somewhere behind me.
“Good job, minion,” I answer, and she smiles, happy to receive even this small praise, and returns her focus to the mana stone in her hand.
It all helps her to take her mind off my duplicate. They got close in the days we spent together.
Looking at her, I probe her mana with my senses, and she allows my senses to pierce through her natural barrier, something else she’s gotten used to.
I observe her left eye, the one she received from the duplicate, and I can still sense his anchor connected to it, even now making small changes as he continues to improve his inscriptions.
For a while, I examine the web of delicate pathways, they represent something he’s only been able to do as a result of his collaboration and experiments with the healers from the Sanctuary. He’s spent most of his time working on this, but I’ve spent mine polishing different skills, so I still don't fully understand it. And yet, even I can tell that this won’t be enough.
I head back to the room where I’ve stored most of my things. Looted items from the bunkers, station, and bastion. Items I’ve had since the 4th floor and the auction. There’s plenty here.
Then there is also a small tube that holds Vega's original eye. Something we have kept in case the duplicate fails and the eye he gave to Vega disappears. Irvin also put a mark on the eye. Waiting for the slightest bit of mana to activate it. At that point, the mark will release a dose of healing mana to help reconnect the eye.
I wonder when Lily will reach that level.
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One day remains when others start sending messages in the Community.
Sset (Hell, group 4) - Stay safe, Noname, I’ll see you on the next floor.
TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - I learned a lot, and I can't wait to show you, Noname!
Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - I hope you didn't forget the promise we made!
FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food!
Izzy (Hell, group 4) - I will see you soon, dumb Noname!
I pick up a few messages, and then they disappear, and group 4 enters the 6th floor.
They got to the 5th floor a day earlier than me, so it's not really all that surprising. Now, they’ve left to join the twins, one of which sacrificed his chance at some extra time with his disciple to follow his brother, who lost his.
So that's it. The floor is ending soon, after that, we won’t have much time on the 6th floor before the tournament starts.
What I don't like is that I won't be able to do the 3rd Beyond trial before the tournament; the timing just won’t allow for it with the time left on my cooldown.
That could be interesting, I think Savant should be able to fit the 3rd trial in. It could also cause Savant to miss the tournament. The 1st trial took one day, and the 2nd trial took one week.
So there is a high chance that Savant postpones the 3rd trial until the end of the tournament rather than risk missing it. That's what I would do.
Keeping my mind busy, I find Vega and sit with her, watching her train and observing her eye.
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POV Duplicate of Nathaniel Gwyn
Well, that's it, I guess. I did as much as I could, and the personality imprint I’ve been trying to make is impossible as of now. The work I’ve done up until now is so terrible I would rather wipe it than let it stay in my minion's eye.
Over the past few days, more plans have failed, and my last ray of hope lies in imperfect personality imprints, something more like the signatures my original created. There are five of them, one on me, one is with the original, and three more have been scattered across the 5th floor.
So it's time for the last resort.
I poke the head at my feet with my shoe, “Come on, I know you are lurking around.”
A quiet laugh sounds from the cut-off head of the veil shrieker, and eyes open up, “So did you decide to accept my proposal, oh, unfortunate one?”
“You know very well I did not.”
“I might or might not know. The tutorial does grant its attendees some degree of privacy,” the mouth moves, but it is not at all in sync with the words. It doesn’t even need to move its mouth to speak.
“Hurting Vega is out of the question.”
“I understand, so, what would you like?” Its tone of voice speaks to the cruel pleasure it takes in my current situation.
“Help me to inscribe my personality into the eye of my original's disciple.”
“It's amusing how much tamer you are now, unfortunate one,” the mouth moves in a soundless laugh. “What’s in it for me?”
“After getting my body back, I would be…”
“No.”
“No?”
“Yes, no. You are not worth the investment. Outside of the tutorial, I already have multiple Vessels and beings that serve me; you can't hope to touch any of them.”
“I see, in such a case, how about a bet?”
The mouth of the head closes, and eyes turn right at me, nearly radiating amusement, “Tell me more, unfortunate one.”
“I will kill Gaiathra on my own. I know you don't give a fuck about me, but my success would be amusing enough, right? Might be a nice way to kill time before you return to your stalking.”
“Gaiathra is level 367, meanwhile, you are over 130 levels lower. Do you even realize the sheer difference in your status?”
“Won't that make it more interesting?” I know I don't have much time remaining; I already feel my body starting to weaken. As the system said before, the mirror wasn't meant to be used like this, and my body is only temporary.
So even if I fail, why not end it with a bang?
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“You have made preparations,” the Ruler’s intent muses, he’s probably checking now.
“A few, but that shouldn’t change much, right?”
“Why not, I always love watching bugs like you realize where they belong. Entertain me then, and I will help you.” After that, the head stops moving and the intent is gone, yet I'm sure I'm being watched.
I kick the head, sending it flying, and then straighten up.
This asshole might be lying, but that doesn’t change much. I don’t think I can kill my original, and I don’t want to merge with him. I’m my own being. I won’t be reduced to mere memories, leaving my personality in shreds.
Deep breath in and out.
I can do this.
Taking a few steps, I pass through the barrier into the Valley where not a single presence can be felt as if the monsters had been wiped from existence.
Only a single one remains, standing tall and looking at me.
[Gaiathra- lvl ???]
At its feet, is a big hole, revealing the ruins of the Veil Ignition Station.
I guess the big danger noodle didn’t like us stopping the mana radiation it was sleeping over.
But now the core has been revealed, Nevan’s alloy patch is gone now and the core is radiating more mana than ever before. All to the giant monster's liking.
The big yellow eyes turn to me as the snake whips around on its six nimble legs.
I only have one chance, and I’ll need to go all out. A single series of attacks with as much power as I can muster. Prolonged combat won’t favor me.
My eyes activate, the inscriptions I etched into my skin shine, and black mana seeps into my body in greater amounts than ever before. The amount is sufficient to destroy this body beyond any possibility of repair, yet I refuse to hesitate.
I launch a javelin into the air over Gaiathra with an anchor tied to it. Then I connect to the anchor inscribed into a mana stone I left near the core. Its mana signature either too low, or weak for the monster to care.
Yet the monster notices me when I appear near the core. Simultaneously, the mana radiation from the core crashes against me in waves and almost instantly destroys the epic pendant Nevan crafted for us.
But even that short moment is enough, and a black mana orb forms near me, growing stronger until it's consumed half of the mana in my body.
I activate the anchor on the javelin as it passes over the monster's head and appear in the air above the six-legged snake.
The monster ignores me, curiously staring at the black mana orb that is rapidly devouring the immense quantity of mana leaking from the core.
A massive tongue flickers as Gaiathra tastes the mana leaking from the core and seeping into the black orb that continues to maintain its size, even now. The orb devours and dominates the mana around it, strengthening itself further before pulling on the mana radiating from the monster itself.
Oh, and Gaiathra doesn’t like it.
Its yellow eyes shine, and corroding mana seeps through the earth and surrounds the orb.
To the monster's surprise, that gets absorbed as well, devoured, taken over, and pulled inside of the orb that has begun to feel increasingly terrifying.
A staggering amount of mana surrounds one of the monster's six legs, creating a barrier around it. The monster swings it, hitting the orb and sending it flying away, even out of the Valley.
Then, the monster turns its head towards me with a speed that feels unnatural for something as big.
But I'm already all set with my preparations. The orb plan has failed, so it's time for plan C.
I lift my left arm towards the air and towards the anchor I can still feel high up there. Then I use a skill my original will never be able to use. He doesn’t have the right state of mind to understand, I’ve grown used to the thought of dying over the past few weeks.
He may never even consider trying to learn the skill, hell, he might never be in the same situation as me.
But I can do it. I haven't tried it before, but I know I can.
“[Sacrifice],” I call.
My left arm disappears in its entirety.
I need to follow the traditions, don't I?
Notifications arrive as the skill levels up, and I use it again, my left leg disappearing as well, and a crazy amount of mana flows through me.
The barrier I create blocks the monster’s “playful” attack, nearly draining me of everything I just gained and then some.
The mana batteries I had on me are empty, and I reach through my domain and place an anchor right over the six-legged snake, and then use [Tether], connecting two anchors. One on a physical object high up, and the other is positioned just over Gaiathra.
Then, as iron pulled to a magnet, the object I’ve held floating high in the air gets pulled downward at a speed that continues to increase as I feed the skill with more mana.
Gaiathra senses it but still sees me as an annoyance at most, it just shoots another attack at me, this time a bit stronger.
[Sacrifice] activates, and my hair disappears, my right leg as well, along with a few fingers from my right hand, my last remaining limb. Even then I barely block the attack.
The third attack Gaiathra throws at me is much more serious, and keeping [Tether] on, I do something even Lily was unwilling to do.
I sacrifice my memories.
The first ten years of my life disappear, and the barrier that blocks the attack still cracks, and all over my body, corrosive wounds start appearing, eating away my flesh.
At the same time, it's finally here. The skyscraper-sized mana crystal that I took from the bunker. Later, after examining the Bastion’s levitation, I placed it high in the air, and currently, it's falling at a high speed to the spot right over the snake.
Best of all, it's filled to the brim with a terrifying blend of my mana, thermal, and kinetic energy. Like a meteor, it streaks through the air, shining with golden thermal energy, transparent kinetic, and pale blue mana swirling inside.
Gaiathra tries to move, and 11 more years of my memories disappear.
[Redistribution] activates, allowing me, for a split second, to grasp this powerful monster.
When the skyscraper-sized crystal crashes into Gaiathra, I use the last dregs of my mana to teleport to an anchor far outside of the Valley.
And then I teleport again, sacrificing some of my useless organs to do so.
Without any limbs and with black mana and life seeping out of me, I appear on top of one of the cliffs, leaning against the stone at my back.
I watch as, far in the distance beautiful lights fill the sky, shining against the bottom of the clouds.
Between my attack, the shattered core of the Veil Ignition Station, and the sheer pressure from the explosion the clouds part, blown away by the force. I can feel the shockwave even from this distance, followed by a burst of wind and thunder.
A few more seconds pass before the notification I’ve been waiting for finally goes off after a few more seconds, and a chuckle escapes my mouth.
Thermal energy flows through my body, and I examine my mind, looking at what remains. The things that I subconsciously didn't sacrifice.
My mom and sister are there, something I wouldn't be able to sacrifice. But more faces pop up to my surprise. A girl with red eyes, a cute corgi, a silly blonde, an occasionally terrifying black haired girl, a troubled young boy looking up to me, and more.
People I barely know, yet somehow they are still here, my subconscious mind not wanting to give up on them.
(Not in a million years would I expect someone like you to be able to awaken a skill like [Sacrifice],) the voice of the intent sounds in my mind.
I blink a few times, barely able to keep myself awake, my heart beating slower and slower, as my life seeps out of me.
“Our deal,” I say.
(You showed me something really fun, so consider me entertained, oh unfortunate one.)
I use [Sacrifice] again, and one of my eyes disappears, just to keep my heart beating for a bit longer.
(But I lied,) the intent says.
The voice continues to sound in my head, (I wouldn’t even be able to give you the status of your original's disciple. I just wanted to see you kill her,) the voice sounds coldly amused.
(You have rejected me, and for that, you will die.) The voice says.
Well, I guess that's it. I gave it my all, I defeated an extremely powerful enemy and learned a thing or two about myself. It's not such a bad way to go.
This past year in the tutorial was fun even though it was sad at times.
“Fuck you.” I manage to say.
(So fun. This is what I will do next. In a day, the little girl you call Vega will return to her world, and I will ensure that someone is waiting for her. I can't touch the original yet, but the disciple should be fine. I can’t wait to see how he reacts when he finds out.)
I think I may have only felt the rage I feel now, once in my entire life.
My heart beats strongly, and I'm about to stand up before I realize I have no limbs.
“Do not fucking dare,” I hiss through clenched teeth, feeling blood fill my mouth.
(Oh, but I will, so…)
(You will not,) another voice sounds. This one I can't grasp, unable to identify if it's a man or woman, hell I can’t even guess its age. Yet, at the same time, it sounds powerful.
Very powerful.
(Greed!) the intent hisses.
(He will not touch disciple Vega, nor will he interfere on her planet.) These words are directed at me, ignoring the intent.
Hearing them, I feel myself calm down, and as I do so, my heart finally skips a beat, and the world drains of its color.
The intent says something to the Ruler of Greed, but it feels like a tiny dog barking at a wolf. And I know, at that moment, that he won't be able to do anything to Vega.
I feel a smile appear on my lips, and before everything turns dark, I hear that voice again, (Keeping you alive would be against the rules, but I can let her keep your eye.)
My mind wanders off as the last whisper fills my ears.
(You've been strong, you can let go now.)