Path of the slayer a lit.., p.36
Path of the Slayer: A LitRPG Adventure Action Fantasy, page 36
Another demon ran out of Vitality. Another demon stepped up to offer its arm on the altar to me. The energy trickled in laboriously.
Even Hellion found the act more of a chore. The blood and Vitality wasn’t as enriching compared to stealing it from stronger entities. We kept doing it anyway as my Path Energy rose steadily.
I wasn’t planning to meditate any time soon. There was a lot of work ahead depending on how this conversation went. So far, Merlin still had the ball in his court while I listened, trying to pretend that I wasn’t too eager.
“That’ll explain why your Path Energy is only Exquisite,” Merlin continued. “Without the proper pre-Pathwalker foundations, it is easy to fall into Exquisite, or System forbid, anything lower.”
“How do I push up the Quality of my Path Energy?” I asked again.
There was a spark in Merlin’s eyes. He was the type that liked to theorize. “You can’t! Or that’s what we’ve been told. Everything is supposed to happen step-by-step. I was Rank 4 before I became a Pathwalker.”
“Rank 3,” Thumper added. “Didn’t get any further. Ended up with Epic Path Energy.”
“I’m guessing the ones who went higher reached an even higher Quality of Legendary,” I said.
“No, even further than that!” Merlin exclaimed.
There was something further than Legendary? What the hell could that be?
Merlin ranted. “There are Pathwalkers who pushed all the way to freaking Rank 6, and reached a Quality so far above Legendary, it’s mostly hidden from the rest of us who can’t hold a candle to the true power players. And those would be the scions of the biggest noble Pathwalkers!”
Merlin drummed his fingers on the table. “The Dragon Princess of the Dragon Supremacy Empire. The First Heir of the Gigantomachy Conglomerate. The Chosen Prince of the Forever Crusader Regime. The Purest Child of the Peak Elven Family. And that’s only speaking of the brightest young masters and young mistresses of all Pathwalkers!”
He took a deep breath. “There’s the branching arms beneath those major noble camps, if you will. And then there are branches beyond even that, going further and further down. Must I mention the legions of Rankers who fall under all of those Pathwalkers, even!? They practically hold sway over the entire Realm Verse System! At least in the Realms that matter!”
Huh.
That sounded like a lot.
But all of that wasn’t my immediate concern, so I filed it away for later. “Give me ideas, Merlin. Theories. You sound like the most experienced one here.”
“Well, I’m considered fairly young in experience and age. Only twenty-two.”
“Twenty-four,” I said.
Merlin blinked. “What?”
Thumper raised his hand. “Nineteen.”
Merlin kept his eyes on me. “You, uh, come across as much older than twenty-four.”
“I had a rough start. Ages you fast. But the point is we’re not that far from each other in age, but your experience is greater than mine here. You’ve Ranked Up and became a Pathwalker under this … noble rule set. I didn’t. Yet, here I am. A wild Pathwalker. There must be something you’ve heard that’s contrary to what everybody thinks.”
“If I tell you all that I know, would that remove my debt to you?” Merlin asked.
“It could lead to something better,” I said.
Merlin chewed on that for half a minute before continuing. “There’s a World Realm that contains a particular city. In that city are the journals, scrolls, and writings of many Pathwalkers who wanted to make their knowledge known to the public. It’s called the Platinum Codex Library City.”
“That’ll be in the Crossroads Citadel World Realm. That whole place is high up there,” Thumper said. “You’ll get crushed as you are now, Hunter.”
I kept that in mind. I also noticed how Thumper sounded more certain of himself when he added that. He knew a lot more than he’d let on earlier.
Merlin tapped his fingers rapidly on the desk. “If you’re at least Level 61, you might meet the bare minimum to be there among Pathwalker society. Though, I can’t say you won’t go through some difficulty with Path Energy below Epic. All I know is if there’s a way to overcome the limitations of Path Energy, the knowledge has to be contained in Platinum Codex. At least for our Levels.”
“Would this library city happen to be owned by Senior Codex?” I asked.
“The Senior of the Path of the Codex? Uh, no. It’s owned by one of his juniors. Nobody gets to meet Senior Codex outright like that. I certainly haven’t.” Merlin was in the middle of laughing it off when he suddenly choked on air. “Wait a minute! How do you know about Senior Codex?!”
I kept that to myself.
I couldn’t give everything away too easily.
Another demon walked away tired and without Vitality. Another demon stepped up to sacrifice their Vitality.
I was going to miss these guys once I left. “This library city sounds like a good move for me. I’ll hit Level 61 before then. I appreciate your forthcoming info. Whether I figure out a way to get my Path Energy higher there, it’ll make for a decent rest point before the real main event.”
“You should let go of any aspirations to be part of the Grand Generational Passing.” Merlin took out another sandwich from his pouch, unraveled the crinkly brown paper from around the top, and took a nervous bite. “Those names I dropped … Dragon Princess, First Heir, Chosen Prince, Purest Child … those are the forerunners of the event that’s supposed to be the greatest of all events. Everyone else getting involved is in one of those four camps and has been raised up to support the forerunners.”
“You were in the Dragon Princess camp, weren’t you?” Thumper asked.
“Not really, but close,” Merlin said around his sandwich, his eyes downcast. “I got out from under the Dragon Supremacy at a cost. Hence, the debt.”
I sensed an opportunity and seized it. “What if I helped you pay off that debt?”
Merlin looked up at me sharply. “We don’t really know each other. You don’t even know what you’re talking about. You’re wild. And you’re unlikely to push far with only Exquisite Path Energy.”
“Answer the question, Merlin. What if I helped you pay off your debt?”
“Then I would have to ask what you want in return,” Merlin muttered.
“I want your help,” I said.
I could go solo. I could try to figure it all out on my own. But I didn’t get here all on my own.
Despite everything I’d done, the ones who helped me the most – Toregrit, Fritz, Britta – remained in memory.
I had asked little from them, but they’d offered their help anyway.
My journey to become the best didn’t have to be a lonely one. And I was at a place where I was okay with asking for help.
I couldn’t just stay silent about it and wait for it to happen on its own. Sometimes you just gotta go for it.
My request struck Merlin silent.
He looked at me oddly.
I stopped drawing Vitality from my demons. I removed my damaged helmet, placed it on the table, and looked Merlin eye to eye.
“I want to be a part of the Grand Generational Passing. I don’t care what it takes to join in. But I’m going to do it. Why? Because I want to be the best. That’s all there is to it,” I said.
Merlin cursed. He ripped into his sandwich angrily and cursed some more around the meal.
Once he finished, he removed his spectacles and rubbed his hands up and down his face. “Dammit all. Why did you say those words?”
“Which words?”
Merlin’s voice rang with the mystic power of an Epiphany. “I Will Know The Best.”
Ha!
I got him.
My wanting to be the best resonated with his Epiphany to know the best. This meant our Paths could work together well or benefit each other.
“This must be a mistake. Or maybe just a plain coincidence. Plenty of Pathwalkers want to be the best. You’re not the only one,” Merlin grouched. “Besides, my Epiphany is mostly personal. That doesn’t mean we are aligned.”
“Never met a wild Pathwalker who’s completely detached from Pathwalker society and can fight like a devil,” Thumper said. “That’s new. Maybe we’re here because our Paths are aligned.”
“Yeah, what Thumper said,” I added.
Merlin glared at the rogue. “What got you here?”
“Hunter helped me when I was trapped in a challenge for a year. I’m not making my way home anytime soon. I figured I’ll hang out and see what happens next.” Thumper shrugged. “He’s got a habit of turning exes into cursed motorcycles, though.”
“That isn’t true, and you know it!” I pointed at Thumper.
The rogue shrugged again.
I turned back to Merlin. “I was making a comparison to an ex while I cut out the heart of a boss monster before turning it into a single-cylinder engine for my autocycle. It turned out to be Rank 3 and Epic, by the way.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask this … but uh … are you perhaps evil?” Merlin asked.
I sighed. “No, I’m not evil. I’m resistant to cursed magic and can use it. That’s all there is to it.”
“How curious,” Merlin said. “If I was to agree to help you, and that’s a big if, then I’d have to observe how you work … from a safe distance.”
“So, we’re in agreement? You help me grow and make it to the Grand Generational Passing, and I help with your debt. And for you, Thumper, how about you stick with me and, well, I’ll see what I can help with?”
“I want to be the Perfect Rogue,” Thumper said.
“I’m practically challenging the heavens, so you can get a lot of practice perfecting that against all the people who’ll want to backstab me.”
Thumper shrugs. “Okay, I’m in.”
“Six months,” Merlin muttered.
I blinked. “What?”
“The Grand Generational Passing begins in six months. By then, you need to be Level 101. And you need to at least have Epic Path Energy or something interesting about you that’ll let you in. You’ll also need a backer, because this event requires some heavy monetary investments.”
Merlin sighed. “This isn’t just an event run by the System. It involves the noble Path Seniors, the Primordials especially. So, you have to get one camp to take you in to overcome the financial issue and obvious political issues.”
I glowered. “Sounds like a way to block off the poor people.”
Merlin gave me a look that meant I was stating the obvious.
I kept going. “We’re not joining any of the camps. Not even a minor branch. We’re going to be independent. We’re our own camp.” I stood up and walked around the table.
“Okay, now you’re being outright ignorant. You can’t go in without joining one of the major factions or their branches. And I didn’t agree to being part of the Grand Generational Passing. I’m only interested in–”
I wrapped an arm around Merlin’s shoulders. He was stocky and weighty, and the little Path Energy he had left crackled harshly against me with its Legendary power.
The potency was enough to activate Pain Eater Gluttony and Gaining Lifter Focus. With my skills, I kept Merlin pinned to my side.
I waved my other arm in front of us as I went into one of my more excitable rants I reserved for moments like these. I hadn’t done this in a while, but the determined optimism shone through anyway. It almost felt like I was the version of me before I was stuck at Rank 0, before my guild turned against me.
“I can see it already! The three of us! Like outcasts in fabled adventurer stories! Risking life and limb to do what others would deem impossible. We’ll break the rules if we have to. We’ll take down monsters and enemies far greater than us. We’ll reach the Grand Generational Passing and stand as our own group. The three of us and whoever else joins in and wants to be independent from the rest!”
Merlin shouted. “You’re mad! Nobody can be independent from the major camps! The forerunners will send their peons to destroy us!”
I laughed. “Maybe I am mad. As for the forerunners and other issues … we’ll bomb those bridges when we cross them.”
“Pardon me?! Bomb what?” Merlin shouted.
I kept moving onward, letting go before Merlin struck me with something Legendary even with his low energy reserves. “Now go on and meditate. Thumper will watch over you. I have preparations to make.”
“What preparations?” Merlin asked with a grumble.
“Bombs. Lots and lots of bombs. Cursed javelins and other projectile types. Might make a big gun or two. The hard part is how I’ll design the bullets and how they’ll shoot. Beyond that, I’ll also need to store as much of my artificing supplies and machinery as I can. It’ll take three days max. Then we’ll go find a Rank 4 Realm. Preferably one that’s Exquisite or Epic.”
“Uh.” Merlin’s mouth flapped open and closed. “We haven’t formally agreed to anything, yet. And we shouldn’t just jump into Rank 4 so hastily! I’m only Level 32!”
“And I’m Level 31.”
“I’m Level 37,” Thumper said.
I cheered. “Great! We’re all relatively close to each other’s Levels. Just listen to your Epiphany, Merlin. Your Epiphany knows best.” I made for the exit as Merlin broke out into a storm of curses.
Yeah, this felt right. I was going places for real now.
And I had a party with Epic and Legendary powers.
37. The Party Begins
“Hunter, what’s your real name?” Thumper asked as the three of us descended a series of stairs toward the Portal under the city.
I’d gotten all that I needed done. Merlin had remained in the library, poring over books and jotting down notes and stress-eating sandwiches.
Thumper had acted like a ghost in the shadows, only emerging to pass information between me and Merlin to complete the details on our journey. The past three days went by like a blur until it was finally time to move on.
Ceiling lights flickered repeatedly with unstable power granted by the Hell Realm. Back on street level, a crowd of waving ghouls, perched imps, and flower-holding demons stayed behind to see us off.
My stride remained certain, even if I felt something prickly in my chest. I’d gotten used to having my infernal monsters around, and that was soon ending.
“Arden,” I answered after a long stretch filled with footfalls, with Merlin’s clumsy stomps being the noisiest. “Arden’s my real name.”
Thumper hummed and asked nothing more.
I could feel Merlin’s eyes studying me. Now that the dwelf – what they call a half dwarf/half elf – was back to his full power, his Legendary Path Energy made the air around him heavy and jumpy. It jerked and crackled more noticeably with Merlin’s moods, especially when he was agitated.
It wasn’t like Suppression, but it certainly could make an impression. Thumper and I would be hard pressed to fight him if Merlin went about things seriously – unless Thumper had his own trump cards he wasn’t disclosing.
He’d mentioned something about limitations.
What was being limited?
I was pretty sure we all had secrets – Merlin, too. The only secrets I cared about keeping were my Path of the Slayer and my talent for Great Skills. The rest could get unraveled with time.
“Here’s the Portal.” We entered a basement room with a shimmering purple oval hovering over some dank water. “It’s Rank 2 and Rare. Purple Naga Forest Realm.” I glanced at Merlin. “Though, I’m curious why we’re choosing another Rank 2 instead of a Rank 3.”
“Yes, well, if you want to find a high Quality Rank 4, it’s easier to go through several Rank 2s to find one than it is to search through one Rank 3,” Merlin explained in a scholarly tone.
“Makes sense. Rank 3s and up get big. Could take a week in one Rank 3 compared to several days through easy-enough Rank 2s,” Thumper added. “As long as we don’t get, uh, tricked into bad challenges.”
“Well, let’s get going then,” I said.
“Wait.” Merlin moved in between me and the Portal. “I just want to establish that I am helping because you said you’ll help with my debt. I’ll go as far as helping you get to Level 101, too. I wouldn’t mind getting to that Level as well even though pushing to Level 101 so fast is, well, risky without the right support. Still, this all ends within six months. I’m not joining the Grand Generational Passing.”
“Is that it?” I asked.
Merlin nodded firmly.
“Okay. We’ll see how things go in six months. Gentlemen, shall we?”
“I don’t think he’s taking me seriously,” Merlin muttered toward Thumper as I led them into the Portal.
“Maybe that’s the problem. Stop being serious,” Thumper said before the rest of the conversation was washed over by a flash of purple light and the soft hum of dimensional Realm magic.
***
[You’ve entered the Purple Naga Forest Realm: Rank 2 Challenge (Rare)!]
[You have until (3) days to complete this challenge and return to the Raining Ruins Hell Realm. Or you’ll lose your Title as Raining Ruins Hell Realm Master and your Realm will go from Passage back to Challenge.]
After leaving behind the Raining Ruin Hell Realm, the welcoming party to the newest Realm arrived to greet us. We slaughtered them.
It happened so fast, I barely had time to recollect how we did it. Then everything became a standstill, giving me a moment to observe our surroundings.
There was a perpetual purple twilight on the horizon being smothered under the heavy star-studded sky. The low forest trees cast an even darker embrace. The forest floor was spongy and covered in mushrooms and glowing flowers that also seemed like stars in the shadows.
The Purple Naga Forest Realm’s starting point was picturesque. The four dozen man-eating snake men lying around mutilated seemed to blend in well even with all the gore.
I hadn’t even gotten the chance to see the monsters fully before the killing started and ended. They seemed to have the lower bodies of snakes, with dark scale coloration, four arms, and serpentine heads that had large fangs sticking out of their mouths. They’d even attacked with weapons, but their weapons had fallen apart just like their bodies to our overwhelming might.
