Chapter 1797

Chapter 1797

Randidly wavered for several seconds as he looked at the branching path before him. He didn’t want to keep going down this Pathset at the moment, but also he didn’t wait to take such an obvious bait from the System. From all the times that it had tried to screw him over in the past, he wanted to dig in his heels and keep going.

Then he shrugged to himself. I suppose I’m allowed a little bit of stubbornness. I’ve earned that much.

Congratulations! When you eventually give up on your determination, +10 of each Attribute per Level! When you eventually give up on your determination, +1 free Stat per Level.

Influence +109!

That sort of ‘reward’ certainly got Randidly’s attention. The System was practically holding the bonuses hostage until he gave up on the Path. Which, of course, just made him narrow his eyes and bare his teeth at the notification. Jokes on you. With Acri devouring all my experience, I can wait as long as I need to to get those bonuses.

Still, Randidly wanted to look at some other Paths with the remaining chunk of PP. Mostly because he earned next to nothing even after blazing through three Paths in a row. He looked at his available Paths and his remaining PP of 4200 and narrowed his options down to five.

Exodus, the Terror 0/1000, Genesis, the Considered 0/1000, The Shadow Beyond the Threshold 0/???, Architecture of Yggdrasil I 0/????, Violent Currents of Amenoumi 0/2500

Three of the choices were focused on Yggdrasil, which Randidly still wished to elevate into a higher Rarity in the near future. During his Skill grinding of the last few months, he had been particularly taken with the capabilities of the Genesis and Exodus Skills. They seemed to provide almost percentage-based enhancement to his other attacks, even before he improved them. That is, the Mien of Genesis and Price of Exodus naturally rose with Randidly himself.

And as he started getting those Skills to higher Levels, the boost they provided became more ridiculous, albeit only applicable in very specific circumstances.

The other Yggdrasil Skill was Architecture of Yggdrasil. One method he considered to boost Ygggdrasil’s power was to revamp the complex runic symbols that covered the whole of the World Tree. This Path would hopefully push him in that direction.

Meanwhile, Shadow Beyond the Threshold would focus more on the Stillborn Phoenix. Specifically, Randidly hoped it would improve some of his ability to predict and anticipate, which was the only reason that he hadn’t been blasted to oblivion by whatever strange being possessed Techetadore’s body. Although the Swacc Family seemed now to be on the run for hiding the Skull of Truth, Randidly couldn’t help but suspect that this wouldn’t be the last time he fought against Raymund’s brother. Both his future prediction Skills tingled in anticipation at the thought.

Shal too, Randidly’s expression shifted into something guilty and pale as he saw Shal’s slumped shoulders. He clenched his hands into fists. Although fighting was the way he taught me to communicate, perhaps a dialogue is what I need to reach him.

The final Path he considered was the one related to Cutting Tides of Amenonuhoko, which would hopefully consolidate his combat-related abilities. Honestly, this was the Path that tempted him the most, but the possibility of it spawning its own image made him hesitate. This amalgamation toward a Skillset needed to be handled carefully.

For several seconds, he shifted between the three options: Yggdrasil, Stillborn Phoenix, combat Skills. With great hesitation, he eliminated the Stillborn Phoenix option from contention. That was a reactionary choice; his current Grim Intuition and Skills had already proven effective. He didn’t need to improve them further. The other two aimed at improving his own strength.

Finally, Randidly selected the Yggdrasil option. And in turn, he decided not to finish the general Architecture of Yggdrasil and instead just complete the specific Skill Paths. Mostly, he appreciated that he would be able to finish both of those Paths at once, whereas the Violent Currents would take over half of his remaining PP. He started with Genesis, the Considered which earned him 1 Wisdom and 1 Resistance for every 20 PP he spent.

Congratulations! You have completed the Genesis, the Considered Path! Before the Great Seed sprouted, there was nothing. The infinite grey stretched in all directions. How long did that seed lay dormant? It is impossible to estimate. But it is beyond doubt that all that has occurred since the World Tree bloomed is a split-second flash compared to the primordial emptiness. As you proceed down this Path, you manage to capture the slightest hint of that timeless weight and momentous alteration. The substance of your gaze grows strong.

She frowned over at Randidly after she had steadied herself. “Trying to start a fight?”

Satisfied with the evolution of his Skill, Randidly hid a smile and shook his head. “No. I think we are done here. It’s time to return to the Nexus and make sure we aren’t missing too much.”

Instantly, Claudette’s expression became serious. He could see her wrestling with what their return meant; they had improved about as much as they could expect to before Don Beigon’s party, assuming it would still happen. Now that the Nexus was coming to pieces, it would be much more difficult for her to slip away and put so much effort toward improving her abilities. At the same time, Randidly was worried about interacting overmuch with Don Beigon before he knew what he wanted with his favor.

But all that’s for later, Randidly told himself as he pulled out his Philosopher’s Key. Claudette floated over toward him and waited for him to open up a portal. They proceeded through and found themselves in a stretch of empty space filled with cosmic dust. To their left was a floating camp of the Elite Squad, but the vast stretch below them-

“What happened here?” Claudette whispered, looking down.

Randidly’s frown steadily grew. He hadn’t forgotten all about the issue of Don Beigon binding the Frost Matriarch, but he figured that offending all the Pinnacle Seekers was not worth whatever contributions he could earn by turning her into Military High Command. The best option was that she would quietly leave and he could honestly say that she was more powerful than he was and escaped.

She vanished alright, taking all traces of her planet with her. Not even pebbles or tiny bits of ice were left in her wake.

“Likely, she fled,” Randidly said. “I’ll explain-”

But before he could continue to speak, they were both struck with an inexorable urge to raise their heads and peer in a very specific direction. For a brief moment, time and space didn’t seem to matter. Both responded instinctually to a sudden presence; the feeling was like a window being opened and sunlight shining on their skin. Randidly licked his lips and his heartbeat quickened.

His eyes narrowed.

The Nether King had opened a door to the Path to the Pinnacle, but he had only stayed within for a short amount of time and come out without causing much of a stir; Randidly suspected that the Path to the Pinnacle was only a means to an end for him. Meanwhile this-

“Someone is attempting to reach the Pinnacle,” Claudette said with awe in her voice, the issue of her teacher forgotten. “This image-”

Why does it feel so vaguely familiar? Randidly wondered.

But the next instant, his senses were overwhelmed by similar impressions, each tied to a different sensation. Four new images echoed outward as others made their bid to seize the Pinnacle on the heels of that leader.

The second after that, eleven images radiated outward, muddying the waters even further.

And in the third second, a horrifying, monstrous pressure that Randidly definitely recognized revealed itself; Elhume was on the move, making a beeline toward one of the attempts to reach the Pinnacle.