Ch 134

  Rudan frowned as he received the orders to have Matt’s party rounded up and either killed or captured, depending on how the meeting he had just forced them into went. He understood that this directive meant Matt and his group were to be removed from any position of influence before long to ensure that Scattered Stars could never reach a point where they might actually threaten Godfrey Enterprises. Instead, its ranks were to be filled with individuals whom Godfrey Enterprises could control and manipulate. This strategy was intended to ensure that even after Matt had conquered his world and Scattered Stars ruled there, the rest of the universe would perceive them as subservient to Godfrey Enterprises, increasing the corporation's dominance and influence across the cosmos.

  As Rudan turned to leave, knowing that his role in this story had concluded, he couldn't help but wonder if he would regret not seizing the opportunity to warn Matt. Although his daughters would be among those integrated into his organization, the vast majority of the recruits were those deemed worthless by society. Even sending his own daughters to join him had been a decision imposed from above, after closely observing everything Matt had done since his capture. This observation led to the belief that Matt's path of hope would render him easy to control. However, Rudan was beginning to question that very assumption based on the brief interaction he had with the man. If anything, he feared that Matt would inflict a lasting wound on Godfrey Enterprises—a wound that the universe was certain to witness.

  Dungeon

  Greg frowned as he sensed a mysterious presence descending upon him while he settled down in the safe room after enduring another tough day without Matt.

  "This is Tempormr, the one Matt usually communicates with, and I am risking much to reach out to you," the voice resonated in his mind, echoing with urgency. "It has been decided that Matt is to become a breeding stud and has been placed in a location where none of his organizational controls can function—a world far from the one you are on now."

  Greg frowned deeper, deciding to pretend he had never heard the voice. He stood up, his expression steely, and started walking towards the room's exit, his footsteps echoing softly on the concrete floor, while Tempormr continued speaking.

  "What are you doing? If you go out there—"

  The rest of the words were cut off as Greg exited the safe room and turned to the others, determination etched on his face, and spoke firmly.

  "It seems like it's time for us to go all out; the moment for our escape has come."

  "Really, why now?" groaned Apricity, stepping out of the safe room. "I know, not in the safe room."

  With those words, the group of now level 24 individuals and one bobcat moved into the tunnel, their hearts pounding with adrenaline, as if they feared no monsters. They ran as though their lives depended on it. As they moved swiftly through the dimly lit passage, Greg filled them in on the situation, and Emily quickly updated the guild board, notifying that Matt was unavailable for the foreseeable future. All of this had been meticulously planned from the moment they realized Matt was at the mercy of others, and they felt confident that Matt would find a way to rise above his circumstances before it was too late.

  Matt

  Meanwhile, Matt continued to float effortlessly in the metallic liquid, his mind occupied with plans for the future. Suddenly, Tempormr's voice cut through his thoughts, laced with unmistakable anger.

  "You have broken our deal on a fundamental level. Greg was supposed to trust me, yet he fled the moment I started to speak with him," Tempormr accused.

  Matt merely smiled internally, pondering his response. "I gave Greg no such orders. However, I suspect they are pushing Apricity's powers to their limits to find a safe path forward. Tell me, what order did he disobey?"

  There was an extended pause before Tempormr finally replied, his tone betraying the petulance of a child accustomed to getting his way, at least in Matt's mind. "He refused to let me finish giving one."

  "Then I don't know what we are even talking about," Matt countered. "It was you who failed to give an order, and even if you had, what do I care if our deal is broken? I have already accepted that no matter what I do, I will bear the consequences of whatever turning against you entails. I am only sorry that I didn’t do so sooner, as I knew from the start that you didn’t have my best interests at heart. I can only hope that what I have done is enough to make a difference in how things play out over time."

  No response came, and Matt sighed internally, trying to gauge how much time was passing, though he had no frame of reference. To make matters worse, his recent massive increase in stats only complicated his perception of time. Yet, he remained focused on simply surviving, allowing his stats to continue their gradual ascent as he let his mind wander once more.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Dungeon

  Greg wasn’t sure how long it had been since they last set foot in a safe room. As they all settled down for a quick break, half of them prepared to take a nap. This had become their new normal, as they no longer dared to enter a safe room, fearing it would expose their location to Tempormr. They all knew that Matt had only agreed to the mysterious entity’s deals because he was holding them hostage in the first place. They also hoped that Tempormr was truly unable to see them moving freely through the dungeon, as had been hinted at before. Lastly, they relied on Apricity’s abilities to lead them to somewhere safe.

  For this reason, Apricity was the only one allowed to get a nap in after every fight, even if she hung back the whole time. Yet, this was still not enough for Greg to feel secure in the path they were taking, even though they had defeated any groups that tried to stop them up to that point. Still, once more they stood after the short break and continued on their way. Then, as if the dungeon was directly reacting to their needs, they found themselves before a pair of ominous-looking doors. Knowing just what these doors likely meant, Greg turned to the others and spoke.

  “All right, we know what lies before us. The question is, do we trust that what’s inside will be better than what we are experiencing now, or do we keep running?”

  “Let’s just get in there and try to kill this dungeon before returning to Earth,” stated Zara, frustration evident in her voice. “Otherwise, how are we supposed to make Matt take responsibility for lying to us?”

  “Right then, let’s go.”

  As Greg said that, he turned to the doors before them and opened them. They were greeted with the sight of a tropical beach, as a barrier of light surrounded them. Expecting something like this, none of them flinched before walking forward into the instance dungeon. They smiled as they received the notice and warning while the doors shut behind them.

  Notice: You have entered an unnamed instance dungeon within the Darkened Expanse dungeon. Clear it to survive and claim rewards for your efforts as you weaken the Darkened Expanse dungeon, bringing it one step closer to being cleared completely.

  Warning: No escape tools will work within this instance dungeon, and no experience will be gained until the instance dungeon is cleared.

  Rose rubbed at the inner side of her collar where she had gathered a few hairs she was sure had been Matt’s. He hadn’t mentioned anything, but when they had been together, she had collected stray hairs that fell out, even though she thought his new body could have eliminated any need for shedding. Yet, she was grateful that it hadn’t, as the ten or so hairs she had collected were part of what let her feel as if he was still with them as she pushed herself to move forward.

  What they found waiting for them was a vast emptiness. Nothing attacked, the waters seemed calm, and the only sound was the breeze gently rustling through the palm trees. While this was unsettling in its own right, to the nine of them it was welcome, as they didn’t move from the entrance. Without anyone saying anything, all but two of them laid down to rest. Thankfully, it seemed that Apricity was still able to delay the activation of the dungeon using her abilities. Next to her was Bob, who, out of all of them, could spot danger the fastest, as he had been doing reliably since Matt left. Had Matt seen Bob acting so responsibly, he might have thought it was some other bobcat pretending to be Bob, but he would have been forgetting that he had been Bob’s security for all those years. He hadn’t been there when things went crazy on Earth, and if Bob hadn’t adapted quickly, his survival would have been impossible.

  Matt

  As Matt's mind continued to wander, after he considered all the various ways his abilities could be utilized, it felt like days had passed. Eventually, his thoughts shifted to his bloodline. The mention of a likely Prime bloodline made him feel that he should focus on it, based on everything he knew. However, his knowledge was limited in scope, as it was all just information others had fed to him—information that was, at best, tainted with schemes he cared nothing for. Instead, what truly mattered to him was the adaptability and survivability of his blood, as he pondered the implications for his own life and future.

  He was aware that his body had developed its adaptability at D rank, but there had been no noticeable change upon reaching C rank. He partly attributed this to the way he had achieved C rank, as it had been a rushed process, and he would have preferred to fight a challenging monster, pushing himself to the limit. This was precisely how he was approaching the current situation, as he willed his bloodline to manifest under the immense pressure he was facing. He could feel that the blood coursing through the majority of his body was slowly dying, a grim reminder of his mortality. It was evident that he couldn't endure indefinitely, and he expected that unless he adapted or escaped, it was only a matter of time—time being Tempormr’s specialty—before he ran out of options.

  Initially, Matt struggled to even slightly awaken his bloodline as he watched more and more of the blood composing his body gradually die. Despite this, he dared not interfere, instead allowing the natural regeneration processes to take place. The main issue was that he lacked the necessary fuel, relying solely on his own dead cells to enable any process to occur. Although the process was almost without cost, it wasn't entirely free, and Matt felt increasingly weaker with each passing moment. Yet, just as he seemed to approach a point of no return, he sensed the darkness that had once saved him closing in again. This time, instead of fearing it, Matt focused on examining the darkness and found himself lost in a vivid vision.

  All around him lay darkness as he, a formless mass, struggled to find sustenance. He was no longer in the metallic liquid he had been in just a moment ago; instead, he was enveloped by an overwhelming void. Then, as if to contradict that emptiness, something collided with his body, and he consumed it without a second thought or care for what it was. All that mattered was that it wasn't part of him, but it could become so simply by consuming it. Once more, Matt realized there was nothing but himself and the vast nothingness of darkness, until, in a sudden and violent moment, everything changed.

  As he consumed yet another piece of something, it felt as if a nuclear bomb had been set off within him. One moment, he was whole, and the next, he was surrounded by bright lights as everything swirled around him in a chaotic dance. He felt disoriented and weak, slowly drifting in a vast sea of gases, as time once more lost all meaning to him. All around him, as if sped up immensely, Matt watched the universe as he understood it take shape. Stars ignited into life, exploded in brilliant supernovae, and their remnants formed new stars and planets that orbited around them. It was within one of these systems that Matt found himself aimlessly floating until he suddenly descended upon a barren world. A world devoid of anything that could be called life, but just like before, he started to consume whatever touched his body. The only problem was that his body had been reduced to nearly nothing, a mere whisper of his former self, and he found that he couldn’t hold onto anything. It was then that he adapted for the first time, discovering a way to split himself into two, before attempting to find a way to communicate with his new self.