A few minutes later, he spotted Edgar, the man floating over the city, with Eva in his arms. It looked like they were in the middle of some sort of romantic outing. They certainly seemed like they were enjoying it. Jonathan averted his eyes, his enhanced sight making him feel somewhat of a voyeur. He would wait until Edgar was free to bother him.

About half an hour later, the man descended from the sky, and spotted Jonathan. He smiled broadly, and gave Eva a quick kiss before leaving here.

“Jonathan! You’re back. How fares it in Mire?” He asked.

“Great. Are you ready to ascend?”

“I suppose so. I finished off my quest, and I gained a few levels from the monsters in the Rim. I’m level 195 now. With my titles and bonuses, I should be ready. However, I’m not sure what to tell Eva.”

“Ah,” Jonathan replied. It was coming to this. The path to power in the Hells was different to the outside world, and for a relationship to last, it would have to be maintained by an equal level of power on both sides. Eva’s level was far behind that of Edgar’s and it would hardly be safe for her to ascend. Even with funneling monster kills to her, it would be highly dangerous to level her up in a Tier 3 realm.

“However, Mire is not all that far from the Ash Heaps, and your portal can connect to it whenever you want, right?” Edgar asked. “I could easily visit her.”

“Yes, you could,” Jonathan replied, eager to give Edgar a reason to ascend.

He needed powerful supporters if he was to succeed on his quest, and Edgar was his most powerful. Well, Branth was actually stronger, but Edgar had a lot more potential overall. He had gained a title from aiding in the battle against Granath. While it was not upgradeable, it provided a sizeable power boost.

“I’ll go talk to her now,” Edgar replied, suddenly nervous.

Jonathan simply nodded in response, and sat down on a boulder left behind by his fight with Granath. Edgar ascended into the air, and flew towards where Eva had last been, leaving Jonathan to brood over what would happen going forwards.

As he sat there, he took in the city that he had conquered. Most of its inhabitants had made the transition over to the new rule smoothly, and with the end of Granath, people could finally level up to their heart’s content. The oaths that they had made under the System to Granath had all been voided with his death, and they were now free. Many had been expecting new oaths to be forced upon them, but they had been surprised when none came. Jonathan would not be a tyrant. If he had his way, he would make a heaven out of hell.

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Some time later, Edgar returned, with a dour look on his face.

“She agreed, but was not entirely happy about it. She’s going to start grinding the dungeon for levels, and will come join us as soon as possible.”

“What level is she at now?” Jonathan asked. It was in their best interest to have as many powerful fighters as possible for their assault on Slothari. Just because they had won once did not guarantee a second victory.

“Around level 160, after the assault on the capital. She has an Epic class, so that counts for a bit more than it would normally.”

“Hmm. Well, with the scaling of the dungeon, she should probably be able to get a few levels every time she clears it. Perhaps she can join us within a few months, or even weeks.”

“That would be ideal. Now, what do you wish to do with the Uthraki? They are eager to ascend as well.”

“Really?” I would have expected for them to return to Tartarus.”

“It seems that a certain someone destroyed the leadership of the Uthraki race within the first realm of Tartarus. There isn’t much left there, save for warring factions and a near infinite number of monsters.”

“Ah. Well, where are they?” Jonathan asked.

“They were out on a hunting trip, but they should be back shortly. With their strength and speed, they can reach the outer rim of the realm within a day.”

Jonathan sat on a step, and crossed his legs, closing his eyes. As he sat there, he inspected his new pathway skill, intrigued by how exactly he was supposed to train it. Within his body, there was now a chaotic, but somehow intensely organized at the same time, mess of energy tendrils. His mana core had softened, extending tendrils out into the rest of his body. Meanwhile, his stamina had sharpened in intensity, and seemed to coat the interior of his body evenly. Finally, his elemental core, which usually was hidden, seemed to hover behind his body like a vertical halo, bathing it in rays of purple light.

All three were connected on a fundamental level, likely due to the influence of his Ephemeral Trifecta skill, as well as the pathway skill. With a bit of time on his hands, he began to experiment.

All three energy sources seemed to have the same basic principles and methods of cultivation, but he could sense that furthering one would bring the others along with it. Concentrating on his mana core, first, he maintained the lessons that he had learned while experimenting with it earlier, investigating its connection to the outside world.

Reaching Expert Rank would likely be a convergence of his ability to manipulate his internal mana, and his external mana. However, he did not know how this would impact the rest of the Pathway skill. Logically, he would need to reach Expert in all of the components in order to rank it up fully, but perhaps he would gain the stat bonuses for the specific parts.

A few minutes later, he felt a tap on his arm, and he opened his eyes to see Edgar standing over him. Four figures raced up the street, the forms of his Uthraki followers. Hushar, Tukar, Maranta and Bordeg had all gained power since he had last seen them, with the lowest level being 180. Hushar had crossed the 190 mark, and was the strongest among them.