Chapter 384 - The end of the tournament (Patreon)

The remaining challenges of the 5th event continue, but other than a few more powerful members of Hell difficulty, we do not pay them much attention.

“So Nat, your sister…” Maya starts carefully.

“Yes?”

“She seems kind of… nice. Hehe.”

“I see.”

“But damn, why do you siblings both fight like that? What kind of combat even is it, regrowing your body and tearing the limbs off her opponents? She even used Lily’s arm to smack her.”

“It makes sense if you think about it. Lily’s arm should logically endure [Disintegration] at least a bit, so she used it as a shield.”

“That’s the problem with you, Nat. You don’t even see what’s so abnormal about it. Tess, long ago you said you met his sister. How is she?”

Tess takes her eyes off the screen and turns to Maya, “She is very polite.”

Maya blinks a few times and gestures wildly at Sophie, who also shakes her head.

I let them talk and jump down to the common area. Reaching one of the places to start the challenge, I stop and look at the screen. There are so many options for me as to who to challenge, but at the same time, there is only one. The only person I feel something like admiration for.

“I want to challenge Lissandra Hawthorne, the Absolute of Eladore.”

Feeling myself pulled, I do not even examine it and find myself inside the arena. Like everyone else’s, mine is unique. It is a clearing with vibrant grass and purple flowers that cover it in its entirety. There are a few cracked pillars, showing their ancient age, and to the side, some ruins of a building that used to be glorious long ago.

Absolute Lissandra stands opposite me, just a few steps away. She is as I remember her. Tall, in a black suit that seems to be more fitting for a male. Around 60 years old, and her hair is gray. But most importantly, there is that absolute confidence of hers, showing even in this Avatar.

A ten-second countdown starts and black mana from the orb I create seeps into my mind, the world feeling as if it slowed down. My Mana Wavelength Iris activates as well, and in this state, I stack layers upon layers of barriers around me, using all of my body’s mana.

When it’s done, I reach into the reservoir and start using that as well, and a third of my reservoir disappears like that.

The second third powers [Redistribution], which I’m ready to use at any moment to defend myself.

The last third I use to further power my mind and eyes while keeping a single black orb in front of me, the last attempt to defend myself.

In these ten seconds, my body gets ruined beyond measure. There is too much mana used too quickly and recklessly. All my reserves are emptied in mere seconds. But I just need to endure for a moment.

Ten seconds pass.

Absolute Lissandra looks at me and then takes a single step. That step sounds like it’s infinitely echoing, and I feel myself stumble and fall to my knees, barely able to keep myself from fainting.

Another step and the echo continues, but I hold on and force myself to keep my eyes and mind in one piece, staring at the most powerful being I have met so far, not counting Rulers.

Lissandra stops holding back her mana, and it radiates from her. It moves like a wind that, without any effort, blows through all of my defenses. It’s not even an attack, just the sheer pressure of her released mana.

All of my efforts to be nothing in front of this Absolute.

Then the black orb absorbs some of her mana, but it bursts open like a bubble, unable to contain the overwhelming force.

I find myself back outside and for a long moment, I stand there, replaying what happened and trying to decode what my eyes saw.

It is a long way to go, but it doesn't feel as hopeless as before.

I have seen her move her mana, and with it came a tiny bits of understanding. This kind of knowledge I value more than any reward, more than any item.

***

In the remaining few hours, we try to challenge the 1st Beyonder, but his Avatar fails to appear. We attempt it multiple times, but no combination of words seems to work. Even intent or Rulers cannot be summoned, but that isn’t too unexpected.

I also catch Channeler and force onto him a few upper rare items, making him by far the strongest and richest member of Easy difficulty.

I notice a few members of his group having interesting looks, so I mention that if something happens to Channeler, I will find the one responsible. I make sure this message spreads.

We don’t want my PR guy to get hurt.

Then my mana stones also get sold, the last shards received from the tournament shop.

Congratulations, your items were all sold in the tournament shop! You have gained 10,346 shards. Ten percent will be taken by the system.

The amount is even higher than expected.

There are a lot of goodbyes, some people becoming friends in the span of one week, something I consider far from normal. It takes me months to get used to waking up 30 minutes earlier or later than usual and these people made friends.

Humans can be scary indeed.

Gareth, Brainiac, Lootenant, and even Samuel come to say goodbye. I also notice Tacita standing in the distance. The direction she is staring at is towards Lily, but for a moment she also glances at me. She then disappears as she likes to do.

We also say goodbye to the twins, who will be separated from us the moment we exit the tournament. They still have wounds on their bodies, something they had to endure the entire time here.

When there are a few minutes until the end, I move to the side where, for one last time, I use the impossibility to die here. I create a big orb of black mana and feed it to my crown.

The result is the same as before. Despite all my training, experience, careful thinking, and inscriptions, none of these help me control it.

After disconnecting from the crown that steals almost all of my mana, it crumbles and explodes in a shockwave that washes over the entire common area, giving one last scare to the people there.

A small goodbye from me to them.

Congratulations on completing your 1st tournament! The second tournament will take place 2 years after the start of your tutorial.

In the second tournament, all rounds of the Earth’s tutorial will participate.

Congratulations, you have placed 1st overall in the 1st tournament of the 5th round of Earth’s tutorial. Your reward has been improved.

Congratulations, you have placed 1st in the overall crafter rankings of the 5th round of Earth’s tutorial. Your reward has been improved.

You have rejected multiple event rewards in order to increase your final reward. Your reward has been improved.

Please pick 2 out of 5 possible rewards before you will be transported back to the 6th floor where your Floor Quest will then continue.

Rewards to pick from:

Passive skill combination token (upper epic)

Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)

Passive skill (upper epic)

Item (upper epic)

15,000 shards

“I pick passive skill combination token and trait strengthening token.”

Passive Skill Combination Token (Upper Epic) - Allows you to combine two passive skills up to upper epic rarity. The resulting combination will be a unique skill that cannot be obtained otherwise. Passive Skill Combination Tokens cannot be bought or sold in the system shop.

Trait Strengthening Token (2nd Stage) - Allows you to strengthen your trait by one stage, either from the base to the 1st stage or from the 1st to the 2nd stage.

After that, the scenery changes and I find myself where I was before we entered the tournament.

Both Aaron and Dennis are gone, the lush grass is replaced by rocky ground and there is the dark sky with a nebula glowing on most of it.

We are back on the 6th floor.

I open my system and check, and it is as I thought. There is just a bit more information on passives:

Name: Nathaniel Gwyn
Difficulty: Hell
Floor: 6 - Astral Prison
Time left until forced return: 3y 357d 23h 59m 21s
Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3

Lvl 237
Strength: 113
Dexterity: 110
Constitution: 268
Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015

Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic)
Sub-class: [Initiate of Pride]

Active skills:
Focus - Lvl 49
Perception - Lvl 46
Redistribution - Lvl 48
Resonance - Lvl 45
Mana Domain - Lvl 40
Tether - Lvl 36
Infusion - Lvl 29
Mana Crown - Lvl 24
Mana Manipulation - Lvl 47

Constructs:
Reinforcement (Construct)
Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct)
Mana Regulator (Construct)
Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)
Vortex Core (Construct)

Passive skills:
Mana Reservoir (upper epic)
Arcane Resilience (mid epic)
Phoenix Embrace (mid epic)
Mana Overload Absorption (low epic)
Cognitive Fortress (mid epic)

Tokens:
Beyond difficulty entrance token
Passive skill combination token (upper epic)
Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)

Shards: 135,369

It looks like a bit more of the system has been unlocked. The same shows for the item in my hand.

Flamebearer (low Arcane, Damaged) - Flamebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This ax’s blaze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened flames, moments of intense heat surge through its blade, offering a glimpse into its fiery past.

But before I can think of it more, another window pops up.

You have been invited to become a disciple.

If you decide to accept, you will be summoned to train and study under your master for 2 weeks.

If you choose to reject, there will be no consequences.

You have 10 minutes to decide.

Do you accept?

Yes/No

Well, this is unexpected.

***

Three minutes later, the entire group 4 that is here sits down in silence, all of them processing the news of the invitation I got.

“I think it’s an additional tournament reward. You said you rejected event rewards multiple times, so I think this is part of it,” Tess says.

"It could be it. The message seems to be nearly the same as the one my disciple received before she entered the tutorial," I answer.

“Didn’t you want to go Beyond, the 3rd trial?” Min-Jae asks.

“I wanted to go to trial, get Aaron and Dennis out of the Black Tower, and do a lot of other things. This message ruins it all.”

“Maybe you will get it again even if you reject it now,” Sophie muses. “Or it’s only a one-time thing. And what is it even? Will you get summoned out of the tutorial? Will your master be someone from inside the tutorial, native?”

“We can’t forget Rulers can be messing around as well.” I shrug my shoulders.

“I think you should accept it. If the tutorial picked well, your master can help you a lot. You might even get someone powerful and be declared a Champion candidate, whatever it means.” Tess seems to be pushing the most.

The same as me, she knows they will face a much tougher time if I leave, yet she still does it.

She seems to read what I think, “Don’t worry about us. We will get the boys out and wait for you with the Floor Quest.”

I wonder, is it worth it to push Beyond even further than the tournament did? But I also agree with Tess. The rewards I picked for the tournament are more than amazing, but it makes sense for this invitation to be part of it. There is a weird twisted logic to it.

If I get a capable master, it could allow me to become more powerful than any reward I could get. And who knows how much information I could collect? I might even get summoned out of the tutorial.

At least I do not worry about group 4, well, not that much. They have a few monsters in their ranks, and Tess will make sure to keep them all alive.

Okay, I will go with my gut feeling.

“I will accept,” I tell them.

Then after getting some stuff from our hidey-hole and leaving the rest with them, I get ready.

I do not use the passive skill combination as I have a great plan for it but I don’t have enough time to think of it properly. As for trait strengthening, it’s still too soon to strengthen my eyes. Mana Wavelength Iris is just that powerful trait.

So just like that, we get separated again. Both sides wishing luck to each other and throwing lastminute lame jokes.

“I accept,” I say and once more feel myself pulled away.

***

POV Earth - one and a half days after Nathaniel got summoned into the tutorial

“Professor, I-I have to tell you something.”

“Go on, Liam, don’t make me pull it out of you. You young should be more energetic and direct. Leave being careful to us old folks.”

The young man called Liam gulps, “We… we have seen a spider on the moon.”

“Oh, you did? Maybe contamination left by moon landing missions? No, wait a moment, since when do we have telescopes that would allow you to see that?”

“Professor, we didn’t use a telescope...”

“Excuse me? Liam, I don’t know what you are trying to do, but I’m deeply disappointed if this is how you imagine a joke.”

“We didn’t use any of our telescopes, Professor. That spider is possible to see with the naked eye.”

Silence ensues, and the old man starts heartily laughing, but as a minute passes and he sees the face of his student, the laugh gradually dies off.

With a serious expression, Liam continues, “That spider is as big as the entire state of Colorado.”

***

I quickly recognize the place I find myself in. The poisonous lake nearby, the weird inscriptions high in the sky. Even the forest I recognize.

Where I find myself is on the 5th floor, and by the looks of it, the Veil is in the same state as when I was leaving it. It might even be the same instance.

But there is something that shocks me more than any of these things. There are three presences beyond the trees on a small clearing near the lake. I can’t see their owners yet, but I recognize their signatures.

One of them is the murderer from Easy difficulty. The other is a tall lynthari woman and the last…

“Little pup, will you come over or do I have to grab you by your neck and pull you here?”

We were wrong. This was never part of the tournament reward.

***

Next Chapter

***

Author's Note: With this chapter, Book 4 of Hell Difficulty Tutorial ends. Even Amazon readers shall not escape my cliffs!

I hope you enjoyed the book and the tournament arc.

I will make some changes before Book 4 goes to Amazon (sometime in February of next year), but overall, I'm quite happy with it.

Thanks for being patrons and hurray to Book 5!