It wasn’t until another few minutes went by that the presence of the Abyssal Hydra vanished and herds of monsters came into view. All sorts of creatures made the swamp their home, though most were reptilian in nature and were low to the ground, patterned after a crocodilian progenitor.
Most of them were Tier 8s, though a few Tier 9s led the packs. Those creatures were immense, hundreds of feet long and covered in rows of rippling scales and corded muscle. Each step sent tremors through the muck, occasionally startling smaller monsters lurking in the depths.
Jonathan waved his hand and a vertical blade of Void energy swept across the swamps, beheading dozens of the monsters in a single go. Essence flooded into him, and he quickly ascended to the next level.
“Leave some for the rest of us!’ Eliza called out playfully as she swooped down towards the monster below. Her sword glowed in her hands as she channeled power through it, leaching off of the stored energy she had added earlier. The Hungering Blade was a uniquely potent weapon, and Eliza demonstrated this quite effectively as she sliced through twenty monsters in a single go with one blade of wind.
Arkanon, not wanting to be upstaged, summoned a volcano around himself, almost a thousand feet in height. Lava spilled out over the edges as a titanic, muscular golem shaped like an Uthraki made from molten rock clawed its way out.
“I’ve been working on this skill for the last few weeks!” Arkanon roared. “Time to see how it does in battle.”
The golem leaped from the edge of the volcano and plummeted down towards the marsh below, the humid air steaming as it came into contact with the superheated rock. It crushed two of the reptilian beasts beneath its feet as it landed, flash baking the mud into brittle stone.
Edgar and Eva worked together, the former gathering a hurricane around the spear of the latter. Eva hurled her spear down with enough force to send her hurtling back, even with all of Edgar’s efforts to keep her in place.
The spear was soon lost in the center of a snow white lance of ultra compressed air, landing with the force of a nuclear bomb. The spear sped back out of the center of the detonation, while blades of wind moving at hypersonic speeds raced out to cut through monsters like chaff.
A cry of rage rose from the surviving beasts as they finally got their wits together and fought back. The Tier 9 alphas opened their mouths wide and pointed them at the skies, light beginning to glow from between their teeth. Beams of heat and dark green light sliced out towards Jonathan and his crew.
Jonathan smiled thinly and waved a hand. Panes of glass like Void energy formed before the incoming beams, reflecting them away, or in some cases, canceling them out entirely.
Jonathan descended to meet the alphas in battle, driving his fist forwards with all of his might. He streaked down like a gold flamed artillery shell, a corona of purple trailing out behind his Divinity. His fist impacted the largest of the alphas right on the snout. Its entire body flipped in an instant, its jaw disconnecting from the rest of it. The jaw forced its way into the earth, digging a deep hole as it went. The rest of the body skipped backwards like a stone, landing a few miles away.
Jonathan pivoted as soon as his feet hit the ground, leaping at the next largest alpha. The first one hadn’t died yet, but he had some time to make his mark on the other before finishing that battle.
The alpha crouched low and shimmering plates of energy slotted together across its body with a series of clicking noises. Its muscles bunched and it exploded into motion, tearing the ground underneath it into a canyon.
Jonathan didn’t move a muscle for a moment, staring down the speeding multi ton monster. Then he set his feet, pulsed a bit of extra Divinity through his muscles and punched. His fist met the center of the monster’s snout and it crumpled around it, the momentum of Jonathan’s fist easily overpowering the creature’s own.
It died in an instant, its brain turning to jelly. Jonathan had grown far more than anything else at his level save for the Circle Lords, and as such, even higher Tier basic monsters were no challenge for him at this point. It would take a much higher level gap than a single Tier.
As the first monster rose once more, blood pouring from its mutilated face, Jonathan pointed a finger. A tiny ray of purple light crossed the gap between him and his foes within a fraction of a second.
The crocodilian stood there, confused, before its entire body started to glow purple from within. It let out a rattling hiss through its ruined mouth before exploding into a cloud of dust.
There were only two more of the Alphas remaining, both of whom turned tail and fled, digging into the marshy ground below. Jonathan let them go, turning around and heading back for the rest of the monsters. At this point, over half of them were dead at the hands of Jonathan’s party, with the rest not really able to do anything about it. Every one of the warriors there were more than equal to most Tier 8s, and certainly equal to almost any Tier 8 monster.
Jonathan leveled up again from the essence of the Tier 9 Alphas and decided that he had already gotten everything that he needed out of this battle. It would be better to leave the others to grow stronger and level up in their own right.
Instead, he helped out in a more minor role, sending portable shields in to deal with the few errant attacks that got through his allies’ defences. For the most part, they wouldn’t have done much, but a few, like a claw arcing towards Edgar’s undefended throat, could have been nasty. While Jonathan’s allies were stronger than any of the monsters by a long shot, they still weren’t invincible. In a battle like this, only Jonathan was.
The fight wrapped up soon after, with piles of corpses left on the ground. Eliza stood on one of them, looking off towards the distant horizon. Her sword trailed along the scales of the monster as she leaped off, heading back towards Jonathan.
“How many levels did you get?” Jonathan asked. ‘I was only able to earn two, but I am higher level than the rest of you, I suppose.”
“Four for me,” Eva replied. “Three for Edgar, I think.”
“Three for me too,” Eliza added.
“And for me,” Arkanon finished. “That was quite profitable.”
“Let’s keep moving then,” Jonathan said. “We can level up quite a bit before trying to take on the Hydra. Once you all get to Tier 8, and I get a ways into the Tier, maybe to Tier 9, we’ll be ready.”
***
Two days passed, and a good portion of the outer circle of swamp had been cleared. Jonathan was now level 754, and he was feeling a lot more confident about his chances. For the first time in a while, he opened his stat sheet.
Jonathan Harlowe
Tier 8
Void Human(Ascended)
Divinity Aspect: Void Hegemon
Elemental Mastery: 29%
Godling: Tier 8 Legendary
Active Blessings: The Third Eye of Exal’drin
Level 754
(8975 free points)
Health: 2005628/2005628
Stamina: 2271071/2271071
Mana: 2066783/2066783
- Titles
True Unbound Spirit: Unique
Fourth Circle Breaker: Unique
Lesser God: Godly
Supreme Giantslayer: Primal
Supreme Initiate: Ancient
Stand Against the Unknown: Ancient
Prodigy of Fusion: Mythical
Lesser Xenocide: Legendary
Iron Will: Epic
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Leader of Men: Epic
Refined Form: Epic
Avenger: Epic
Lineage Hunter: Rare
Righteous Killer: Rare
- Skills
Spark from the Dark: Unique
Maw of the Void: Ancient
Aegis of the Void’s Dichotomy: Ancient
Void’s Hunger: Ancient
Wrath of the Void: Ancient
Minor Endfire: Ancient
Ephemeral Quartet: Ancient
Void’s Eye: Ancient
Fatal Strike: Mythical
Void Piercer: Mythical
Void Missile: Mythical
Runic Overcharge: Mythical
Anchored Mind: Legendary
Rune Savant: Legendary
Void Drill: Legendary
Sense the Weave: Legendary
Fists of the Maelstrom: Legendary
Minor Enlightenment: Legendary
Void Slipstream: Epic
Warrior’s Trance: Epic
Battle Focus: Rare
Impact: Rare
Focused Scry: Rare
Runes of Power: Rare
Redirect: Uncommon
- Pathway Skills
Blunt Weapon Mastery(Advanced): Master 2
Runecrafting Expertise(Advanced): Master 1
Energy Manipulation(Advanced): Master 1
- Martial Path
Flowing Maelstrom: Expert 9
- Weapon Domain: Master 1(Advanced)
Metaphysical Domain: Master 1(Advanced)
Energy Domain: Master 1(Advanced)
- Quests
The Strongest: ???
Hellbreaker: Impossible
Pathway of the Titans: Heroic
Just by looking at his sheet, Jonathan knew there was a problem that needed to be remedied. The egregious number of free stat points he hadn’t managed to allocate since defeating Avarana. He had thousands of them, enough to dramatically improve any one of his stats. Seeing the power of the Dream King, and feeling that of the Abyssal Hydra, Jonathan knew that he was going to need all the power he could get.
For a while now, his physical stats had been lagging well behind the power of the Void. Jonathan had been relying on it like a crutch, given his unique abilities in that field. Most elementalists were limited in the amount of power they could use and process at any one time. Jonathan was not. As the Void existed everywhere, simply on a different dimensional plane, Jonathan could always draw it through the cracks in reality to serve him.
Despite this, he truly was a powerhouse in his own right, just by raw stats. He was over ten thousand times stronger than a regular human, and that much faster too. Adding on the many bonuses he had stacked for his stats, he was likely far beyond even that.
Eyeing over his choices as he sat on the grinning skull of one of the swamp’s denizens, Jonathan decided to go for an even split between Dexterity and Resilience. Both would work well together to ensure that he didn’t get hit in battle, and if he did, that damage wouldn’t mean much.
This left him with a much more satisfying stat sheet.
Jonathan Harlowe
Tier 8
Void Human(Ascended)
Divinity Aspect: Void Hegemon
Elemental Mastery: 29%
Godling: Tier 8 Legendary
Active Blessings: The Third Eye of Exal’drin
Level 754
(8975 free points)
Health: 2005628/2005628
Stamina: 2271071/2271071
Mana: 2066783/2066783
“Now that’s the sort of power I need to take out the Circle Lords,” Jonathan said happily. “If I keep growing like this, I’ll be able to defeat Angranor for sure.”
“I would be careful about such hubris,” Sarnakthros said suddenly, stepping out of Jonathan’s body. Jonathan was startled slightly, but he didn’t say anything. “It is how I was defeated,” Sarnakthros continued. “I believed myself to be above my siblings, and truthfully, I was. Only individually, though. When all eight banded together, my defeat was certain.”
“I’ll take that into consideration,” Jonathan said blandly. A question came to him a moment later. “I’ve noticed that my stats are starting to get quite absurd, and I’m not even a tenth of the way through the Tiers.”
Sarnakthros grinned. “Ah. I was wondering when you would ask that question. I assume your stats are even more striking than most. You should be about three to four times more powerful than the average person your level, just in base stats.”
Jonathan smiled. “It does seem to be the case. What about the stats though? Is there something that’s going to change soon?”
“I won’t tell you too much about this, as it might ruin your chances of passing the trial, but every so many Tiers you have the opportunity to condense your stats into more powerful forms. Tier 10 is the first time you can do that. It should clear up your stat sheet a lot.”
“Oh… That seems quite simple, all things considered.”
Sarnakthros. “In my dealings with the System, I’ve learned a few things. It has almost no patience, and whenever it can choose to be lazy, it will do so. While the System might seem complicated to you, it is far, far too limited to fully chart every aspect of its users. You may be able to see your stats, but you cannot see all of the caveats and alterations to their usage that exist.”
“Anything else you can tell me about the System? I assume you are much more knowledgeable about it than me?”
Sarnakthros scoffed. “Of course I am. When I was still Tier 100, I communed with the System daily. While my brother Tantus is the one who actually helps to interface the System with the real world, all of the gods use it heavily.”
“What did you use it for? Communing with the System doesn't just mean using it, right?”
Sarnakthros nodded. “There are some things you should know about the System. I probably should have told you earlier, but it is just as useful now.” He raised a palm, and summoned some dark fire to it. A spinning orb appeared, speckled with spots of lighter colors. “This is the universe of Telvaria. It floats in an infinite sea of other universes, one of which was your own. The System came from not only another universe, but another Multiverse. Our multiverse is cut off from the rest of existence to some extent, because of fluctuations in the Astral Plane.”
“And the Astral Plane is the space between the universes that I came to Telvaria through, right?” Jonathan asked.
“It is. However, there exists a far larger, infinite space between the Multiverses. One that goes beyond time and space, but beyond the very concepts that underpin reality itself. For example, gravity is one of the fundamental forces in this Multiverse. That is not the case in many others. Not that I am an expert on Multiverses. I simply know what the System has told me.”
“Where did the System originate? What is its purpose?”
“Now that is where things become more muddled,” Sarnakthros admitted. “The System is not omnipresent. It spreads over reality, though it does have an origin point. In the largest Multiverse. The so-called Prime Reality. The System, at the peak of its power, is incomprehensibly vaster than we could ever imagine. It has tendrils in every Multiverse, though its hold over the universes within its not absolute. Because of the incompatibilities between our Multiverse and the others, the System was only able to arrive partly complete.”
“What’s the missing bit, then?” Jonathan asked.
“The System is very unclear about this. There is supposedly an equal and opposite natural force to the System that never arrived in this Multiverse. That force is known as the Dao.”
Jonathan smiled. “Oh, I know all about that. One of my favorite series on Earth mentioned that. The Boundless Expanse, it was called.”
Sarnakthros froze. “How do you know that name?”
“What, have you read it too?” Jonathan asked, surprised.
“No. That is the name the System gave me for the wider arc of Existence. The entire cosmology of everything that was, is, and will ever be. The Boundless Expanse.”
“Huh. That is pretty weird. Names probably get reused all the time over an infinite Multiverse, though. It’s probably just a coincidence.”
“Yes,” Sarnkathros hurriedly said. “Just a coincidence.”
“Anyway, that all makes a lot more sense. The Runes really do act like the Dao, in a sort of rudimentary way. In the book, the main character used them directly, warping reality in alignment with the concepts that his Daos represented. I don’t actually embody my Runes, though, which is the main difference.”
“I fear we have become a bit sidetracked,” Sarnakthros said. “While this is all interesting, we were talking about something else beforehand. I was trying to give you a breakdown of the System.”
“Alright,” Jonathan said with a quick nod. “Tell me all about it.”
“Where to begin…”
***
In the end, Jonathan learned a lot more about the System than he had been expecting to. While Sarkanthros had originally said that he didn’t know that much about the System, that was relative to the knowledge of a god. He had lived for billions of years, and had amassed almost as much knowledge as existed within the entire universe, outside of the thoughts of its citizens.
Sarnakthros had taken full advantage of his nature as a soul entity to transport as much wisdom as he could directly into Jonathan’s mind, which, now that the process had happened, both agreed was overkill. Jonathan hadn’t been able to see or walk for almost thirty minutes after the procedure, his mind filled with every single interaction Sarnakthros had ever had with the System.
Now that he was recovering, most of those memories were pushed to the back of his mind with only the relevant ones remaining. The ones related to the System’s motives and its purpose. Jonathan closed his eyes and sank into one of those memories, watching it play out like a vision. He rarely took full advantage of his highly advanced mind, but this was one time that he was able to.
Jonathan found himself sitting on a throne, one hand propped up against his cheek. In front of him stood a figure, made from what looked like stardust and darkness. The System Avatar.
“What brings you here today?” Sarnakthros asked cordially. “I have already given my tithe.”
“I have not come for your tithe,” the Avatar said, its voice slightly robotic. “I came to discuss something with you.”
Sarnakthros leaned forward, removing his hand from his cheek. “Oh? What is it?”
“Your siblings have all agreed to set aside a permanent portion of their power for my consumption. In return, I shall broaden the scope of power possible within this universe.”
“I have no interest in something like that. If I truly wished to grow stronger, I would travel to an older universe. I have reached the point of power where I am content to coast for a while, developing talents that are more important to me than martial skill.”
The System Avatar frowned, the motion somewhat hard to see on its monochrome face. “I see. Then I am afraid we are at an impasse. I am nothing if not thorough, and I wish the collect the whole set, as it were.”
“The whole set? Do you mean myself and my siblings?” Sarnakthros’ lip twitched in annoyance. “Get out. Get out now!”
The System Avatar tsked and vanished, leaving Sarnakthros sitting alone in the throne room. “Thorough my ass,” he muttered. “You still haven’t fixed half of the errors that I reported.”
The vision ended with Sarnakthros’ disgruntled complaint, and Jonathan emerged back in reality.
“Is that why you were at war with your siblings?” Jonathan asked. “Because the System sided with them?”
“That and many other reasons. It is power hungry beyond belief. The only reason it had to make deals with us is because we are more powerful within this universe than it. In most of the Multiverses in which it holds dominion, that would not be the case.”
“You’ve given me a lot to think about,” Jonathan admitted. “I’ll have to look at some more of those memories. Thanks for showing me.”
Sarnakthros nodded once and vanished, sinking back into Jonathan’s body.