– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 218, Season of the Rising Sun, Day 3 –

Terry had the sense to not interrupt Apex in her monologue about the intricacies of locating treasures and dao chambers in a folded space.

I don’t recall her ever speaking that much without threatening anyone.

Definitely a treasure hunting nerd.

‘Appy, I don’t know why you are so desperate for power, but I always thought you had a brain between your ears.’ The words from his dwarven aunt resurfaced in Terry’s mind.

While before, Terry had only been slightly amused, now he was wondering what Sigille had seen in Apex. He could tell that the martialist woman had a more thoughtful side and was not only the battle lunatic he had seen before, but what was he supposed to do with this information?

In the end, this side might also be seen as a symptom of striving for power. Clearly, the woman had issues.

‘The Guild is only for crafters, dreamers, and the insane.’

‘Normal people don’t make it that far. You won’t find a single normal person in the ranking or beyond. Everyone is obsessed in some way or other.’

Terry remembered the words that Matteo had once said to the elven woman he considered to be his little sister. Back in Tiv’s Guild, Apex had been named one of the ranked rookies.

“You’re weird, you know that?” Apex’s voice reached his ears.

Terry woke up from his pensive daze to find Apex looking at him. He had stopped listening to her at some point and almost forgotten that he wasn’t alone. He had little contact in Thanatos and ever since coming to this secret realm, Terry had tried his best to avoid other people whenever he could. In his social isolation, his old dungeon habits were dangerously close to resurfacing again.

Who am I kidding? I’m already talking to myself all the time again. Even if the martialists weren’t driving me insane, stuff like the meditation with time dilation definitely leaves a mark. I’m probably less adjusted than back with the ghouls and—

“Oy! I’m talking to you!” Apex yelled and stabbed her finger towards him.

“I know,” mumbled Terry.

Weirdo.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Apex narrowed her eyes. “Are you making fun of me?!” Little azure flames licked around her fingers.

I hate this place so much.

Terry sighed inwardly and tried to calm her. “No, I’m just passing through. You can take the dao chamber, I’ll take the other path.” He tilted his head and could not help but ask. “How can you stand using dao chamber after dao chamber? Isn’t that… exhausting?”

“Not being a sissy helps,” spat Apex. “Without a strong mind, you’ll never make it far.”

“A goal in mind probably helps too,” muttered Terry without thinking much and while being completely oblivious to the jab at his own supposed weakness.

Concentrating on the divine hammer and on getting home to Arcana sure helped me, but still. Even with breaks, I’m not sure if I could stomach another round like the last one.

“...and what would you know of my goals?” growled Apex with cold anger in her eyes.

“Huh?” Terry could sense that the woman’s attitude had changed instantly. He almost reflexively switched into a combat stance, but thought better of it. “Nothing. Don’t know. Don’t care.”

Apex was taken off-guard by his reply. She calmed down and looked at him more closely. “You’re not from the martial sects. What are you even doing here?”

Terry chuckled with a hint of insanity before answering: “Trying to get out.”

Apex searched his expression and after a pause, she continued. “When we first met here, they told you my real name and background, but you didn’t react.”

Terry shrugged. “Why would I? I don’t even know what heretical cultivation is supposed to be. I’ve never heard of a Martial Tower either.”

Apex glowered at Terry with suspicion. “You’re telling me that you’ve never heard of the Martial Tower? I find that hard to believe.”

“Believe what you wish.” Terry retorted with his own patience thinning out at a speedy pace. “I don’t like lying.”

“You’re telling me that Matteo never mentioned…?” Apex stopped her question half-way.

“Wait, what?” Terry’s eyebrows shot up. His mind was racing to find something related to Matteo and a Martial Tower.

“Nevermind,” barked Apex. “None of your business anyway.”

No… ohh! Terry had a sudden realization. Matteo is from the Free Factions Union, specifically from a region called the Land of the Four Towers.

Towers. Plural.

Could one of the four towers be the Martial Tower?

“You’re reeking of death.” Apex remarked suddenly. “I have a proposal that could help you resolve your affliction.”

Terry’s thoughts stumbled over themselves. His theories about Apex’s background and connection to Matteo were pushed to the background while he tried to digest the mentioning of death and reeking.

Terry barely contained the desire to sniff himself. Admittedly, his continued isolation and frequent battling might have caused a slip in hygiene, but this was probably not what Apex was getting at.

Probably.

“What do you mean ‘reeking of death’?” asked Terry slowly.

“Are you trying to keep it hidden?” retorted Apex with a scoff. “You feel older every time I encounter you, older than you have any right to be given the time we haven’t seen each other. Something is causing you to lose lifeforce at an accelerated rate. My best guess is you have been poisoned or stung by a death beast.”

Oh, so it’s just that. Terry visibly relaxed when he realized that Apex was mistaking his intentional aging for something out of his control.

“You should not take it that lightly,” warned Apex. “No matter if it’s poison or the magic curse of a beast, these afflictions have a tendency to accelerate exponentially.”

Terry had no desire to reveal the reason for his calmness and he was indeed curious. “What kind of proposal do you have in mind?”

“Going by the grass outside as well as the angle of the…” Apex began rambling again. “...there should be a secret path in here that leads to a Spring of Rejuvenation. That would take care of your little problem. Even if it’s a weaker version and fails to outright cure your affliction, it should buy you considerable time.”

Terry crossed his arms in thought. He knew he did not really suffer from one of these afflictions, but his intentionally accelerated aging did indeed come with theoretical drawbacks.

He had reasoned the loss of lifespan away as something that would be evened out by his increase in mana pool as long as he kept up his mana foundational training, but could he do better?

Even if he had no reason to worry, what if he could negate the drawback completely? This Spring of Rejuvenation sounded like something to reverse aging.

But would it also revert the strengthening of my body? If it ends up reverting the mana transformation of my physique, then I would be back at square one.

Terry wondered quietly before making up his mind.

I refuse to believe that mana martialists would use such a means of rejuvenation if it carried the risk of losing their power. At the very least, I can give it a try. If it ends up undoing my body transformation, then I’ll stop.

“You said, you have a proposal,” said Terry while carefully observing Apex. “What do you want in exchange?”

Apex bit her lip. After a moment of hesitation, she explained: “The dao chamber in this place is special and particularly suited to my cultivation. If I’m right, I’ll be able to push for a breakthrough.”

Terry waited for her to continue, but after a minute of silence, he felt the need to prod her. “And?”

“‘And’?” Apex looked at him as if he was an idiot. “And this area…” Her words trailed off into silence.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Terry stared at her blankly.

Apex’s expression flickered between anger, frustration, offense, and incredulity. “Are you making fun of me? Or are you really that dense? Do I seriously have to spell it out for you?”

Terry’s eyes darted from left to right and back to Apex. He shrugged. “Yes, please.”

“I’ll be vulnerable during my breakthrough attempt.” Apex forced her words through gritted teeth. “This area is secluded but not as protected as I would like. You are the closest thing to a neutral party I know of in this inheritance site.”

Ah. True, everyone else seems to hate her guts… or at least her cultivation. Although her character probably doesn’t help with the whole thing either.

Terry recalled the situation when he had been transported to an area where several people were fighting with Apex.

“I’m confident you won’t find the Spring of Rejuvenation without my help,” stressed Apex. “So it is in your interest that I stay protected while pushing for a breakthrough. Afterwards, I can show you how to access the secret passage.”

Terry was wondering if he would really require her help to locate the Spring of Rejuvenation. He could not be sure that she would keep her word either. In the end, Terry’s curiosity won over his skepticism and cynicism.

This was a chance to see a martialist cultivation breakthrough up close. He did not want to miss the opportunity.

“I agree,” declared Terry.

***

“Don’t try to absorb the heavenly yang energy here. It is required for my breakthrough,” barked Apex while she moved towards a crystal platform at the center of the chamber.

‘Heavenly yang energy’?

Terry furrowed his brow and concentrated on his mana sight.

Isn’t this just a mixture of mana? Life, fire, lightning, blood, also—

“Did you hear what I just said?!” Apex yelled at him. Her tone betrayed both exasperation at his lack of a response as well as a hint of unease.

“Yes, no absorbing mana because you need it.” said Terry drily. “Don’t worry, my mana pool is full anyway.”

Apex did not seem entirely satisfied with the way he had phrased it, but she sat down regardless. She placed a few items around herself – all within reach for easy access. She lit three incense sticks at specific locations and then closed her eyes.

Terry walked towards the entrance of the chamber and transfixed an unfolded tertium cube just in case. He used one of his previously filled mana containers to replenish his mana pool without harvesting mana from the chamber itself.

Afterwards, Terry fixed his gaze on Apex, who was now breathing regularly and deeply.

Is this what meditation looks like from the outside?

Terry noted the accelerating mana circulation in Apex’s body. At the beginning, it wasn’t obvious, but after a while, he could tell that she was following a specific circulation pattern for hitting her acupoints in a particular order and rhythm.

She relies primarily on fire and lightning, but also on air to a lesser degree…

The faint trace of the weird mana I can’t place is still there as well…

Terry felt slightly uneasy when he sensed the unknown mana that was still lingering around.

Is it related to her injury from before? Is it part of her cultivation and it only appeared after I saw Apex in Tiv? Was it always there and my mana sense wasn’t sensitive enough to pick it up back then?

Either way, not like I can do anything about it. Even if I wanted to ask her, now would not be the right time…

Terry resolved himself to wait and keep an eye out for trouble. Meanwhile, he carefully observed the change in mana around Apex.

Huh, I believe I sensed something like that before…

Terry realized that he had unwittingly observed a handful of cultivation breakthroughs from afar while he had been gazing down at the martialists from his shelter in the sky.

Although observed might be overstating it. He had only picked up the change in mana signature with his mana sense, but he had never seen the actual sight with his own eyes before.

Terry knew that time was accelerated in Apex’s mind. He guessed that whatever breakthrough she was aiming for was related to some insight she hoped to develop in the mental experience with diluted time. He could also make out that most of the items Apex had placed around her were matching her mana aspects.

Probably to use them after she is done with the meditation. After the insight, there might be a required change in body as well.

Terry calmly observed Apex and the vicinity for nearly an hour when he detected a change in the way that Apex was circulating her mana.

The mana slowed down at a specific spot while the mana from the back was rushing towards the same point. As if she was pressing it forward while erecting a dam at the same time.

Suddenly, Apex tore down the dam to have all her built up energy rush towards a single acupoint…

Terry opened his eyes wide when he sensed a change in the weird mana right at this moment. In an instant, the weird mana was appearing at the same spot that Apex had targeted, interfering with the rest of the mana.

Terry had still wondered if this was normal when he could see Apex becoming deathly pale. She vomited a mouthful of blood while still keeping her eyes closed.

“Crap.” Terry sensed Apex’s mana becoming erratic and she appeared weaker and weaker by the second. He felt the urge to dash towards her and use some healing items, but he hesitated. After all, he had no certainty that this was truly abnormal and if it was, if his own interference risked making it worse.

Terry narrowed his eyes when the weird mana appeared to flash in his mana sight. Shortly after, he could sense another mana signature appear outside the chamber. As if the strange mana had linked with something, only for a creature of darkness to rise up from the floor.

Vicious.

Terry realized whom the mana signature belonged to the same moment that Apex opened her eyes.

“The… little… shitstain…” Apex forced through bloody teeth. She had collapsed on the floor and was weakly pushing herself up. “I’ll… kill… him…”

Terry rushed to Apex and placed a few of his recovery items next to her. “I can sense Vicious coming here. I’ll buy us time.” He examined her in his mana sight. The trace of weird mana was gone.

Focus.

Terry forced himself to concentrate on the problem at hand before worrying about introspection and examining how they had gotten into this situation. He addressed Apex: “Tell me if there is anything specific that would help.”

“Heeheehee…”

Terry could hear the idiosyncratic laughter of Vicious from the hallway outside. He quickly retrieved his barrier spear and made sure that the spell blocking the entrance was still charged.

How did Vicious get here so quickly? Shouldn’t he be forced through the same trials as us to come here?

Terry’s expression darkened when he thought of a possibility.

Vicious earned new channeled abilities from the Shapeless Pond. Something to mark people and then to attack them whenever he wants? Including moving to their position?

Like the spell I talked to Siling about? To move herself to her soul spirit’s location.

A corner of Terry’s mind was pointing out how overpowered such an ability was in a place like this secret realm. Vicious could simply mark targets and then take them out when they were at their most vulnerable, stealing their rewards in the process.

“What’s this?” Terry noted a thin mana invading the chamber from the gaps in the transfixed tertium cube. A determined glint flashed in his eyes. “Oh no, you don’t!” He unleashed his own mana to crowd out the mana that belonged to Vicious. Whatever the channeler was trying to do, Terry wasn’t having it.

“Which muppet is trying to interfere with my fun?” Eric asked teasingly. “Apex, Apex, Apex. Whatever happened to fighting your own battles? I know that isn’t you with that mana.”

“Go…” Apex was glaring hatefully at the blocked entrance while absorbing energy from one of the items she had placed on the ground earlier. “...die!”

Terry was holding back a remark to tell Apex to stay calm and not let herself be taunted into something stupid. He knew that this would be a waste of words and might only worsen her temper.

Terry had pushed the invading mana out of the chamber and prevented it from entering by blocking it with his own.

“Come little muppet, speak to me. I know you’re there.” Eric’s voice echoed through the tunnel. “I know what Apex is like. You probably thought of killing her yourself already. Why don’t we split her possessions?”

“If you…” Apex was glowering at Terry with wariness written all over her face.

Terry just shot her a glance. He shook his head and raised his finger in front of his mouth.

Vicious evidently doesn’t know who I am. Or at least, he doesn’t know that it’s me that is here. Let’s try and keep it this way…

Terry made sure not to trigger Apex into something stupid. He intentionally distanced himself a bit further and took care to not make any sudden movements.

“Bitch got your tongue?” sneered Vicious. “Fine, but don’t whine when you regret your decision.”

Terry could sense the dark water moving in the passage. It accelerated and crashed violently into the transfixed tertium cube that Terry used to block the entrance.

“What is this?” Eric discovered that his attack had failed to move the tertium obstruction even the slightest bit. He was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly recomposed himself and used his fluid body to press through the gaps instead.

“No!” Eric involuntarily exclaimed when he found his way obstructed by something deeply terrifying to him. Something that caused a visceral reaction of loathing and fear.

The layers of divine mana that Terry had summoned with his inscribed wrappings were the perfect tool to unsettle Vicious’s mind. Nothing like being reminded of painful defeats to shake the confidence out of the cowardly channeler.

“This is not possible…” muttered Eric whose fluid body was raging with tiny bubbles. He pushed through the gap once more.

“Ahh!” Eric screamed in pain when he was assaulted by a cloud of mana-coagulant powder that Terry had prepared for him on the other side.

Eric hastily retreated back into the passage and wheezed with quivering eyes. “No. No no no.” Ripples washed over his skin like the waves by water disturbed by an intense wind. “No! You’re dead, you decrepit…!”

On the other side, Terry was pleased with the effectiveness of the mana-coagulant powder. He had seen his aunt Sigille use something similar against Vicious in the battle over Syn City. He had known that it could work, but he had not been sure if the powder they had purchased when searching for the four-leaved blood tulip would work on Vicious. Even though the powder did not seem as effective as whatever Sigille had used, it seemed to work well enough to buy time.

The only problem is I don’t have that much of the powder. Most of the powder was with Calam, Siling, and Miguel.

Terry moved his consciousness through his storage items.

Worst case, I can use some of the martialist talismans I still have. Although I don’t know how well they will work against Vicious’s abilities.

Wait…

I’m an idiot. Terry suppressed the urge to slap his own forehead.

Vicious is a channeler. That means…

Terry focused on his mana perception until his eyes were glued to a location at Eric’s left heel.

There! That’s where his channeling anchor is! Okay, I can try aiming whatever I have—

“Heeheehee!” Mad laughter interrupted Terry’s thoughts.

“I know who you are, little muppet!” Vicious gleefully exclaimed. “You must be the brat from the decrepit hag! Terry!” His realization had allowed him to regain his momentary loss of composure.

“I’ll take my time with you, Terry!” Vicious jeered. “Sadly, I did not get to kill the decrepit hag with my own hands, but I will take pleasure in sending you to the Pond.”

Terry believed he had reached the limit for the anger he could feel.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be lonely,” gloated Vicious. “I’ll be sending Matteo over soon enough!”

Terry discovered that he had believed wrong.

***