Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning Matt got up and reviewed the cultivation guide he read last night. There wasnt anything complicated at Tier 1, and he just had to relax and focus on his essence.

As excited as Matt was, he couldnt relax enough to reach the required state to cultivate. He tried sitting legs crossed, tried sitting in a chair, even tried slow movements. None of the top-recommended positions worked for him. Eventually, he flopped on his bed and was slowly able to get a good grip on his essence.

The essence he had accumulated delving was sitting in his spirit, concentrated in the center but also present dispersed through the rest of the sphere.

Once Matt had a good mental grasp on the essence, he could feel two paths. One led to his body, and that path was open and seemingly thirsty for essence. The other led to what he knew was his mana but felt completely sealed off. No matter how he tried, the essence couldnt go down that side.

Matt hadnt actually believed it would work, but it had been worth an attempt. Giving up, Matt sent the essence to the physical side.

That was all Matt had to do; there was no real effort to cultivation, just concentration and time. He had to constantly coax the essence along, or it would try and settle stagnant in his spirit.

He found it incredibly boring.

What felt like minutes later, Matt was finished, his spirit empty of essence. He looked at his pad and saw it was almost 3:00 pm. He had started at just after 7:00 am. Where had eight hours gone?

Matt felt robbed. And hungry. Sighing, he got changed into sparring clothes and quickly ate a light lunch.

He went to the training room and did what Melindas group suggested last night. For one thousand credits, he could purchase a simulation of the final room of the Tier 1 rift. It even came with the variations.

Matt made the purchase and wandered looking for an open training room but didnt find one until the fourth floor. Linking his pad and simulation to the room, Matt activated [Cracked Phantom Armor].

Six training aids came out, and Matt began.

After his training, Matt went and had dinner with Melinda and company, but they had a tactics training class after dinner, so they didnt linger long.

Matt went back to his room and browsed the available classes, everything seemed useful, but he had to prioritize at least a little. It was only recommended to take one or two classes at a time, and with them meeting once every three days, they were built around the three-day delve schedule.

First, Matt looked up the finances class Dena had recommended. Most classes lasted two months, and he was in the middle of a cycle, so hed be waiting no matter which classes he chose. The other one he decided on was Manners and Etiquette, a recommendation passed on by Melindas groups sponsor.

Then he looked up the personal trainers.

***

Matt stood in front of the rift again. It shimmered with colors he couldnt put names to. With a bracing breath, he stepped through.

The beginning of the rift was the same as it had been three days ago. The entire rift was a repeat of the last delve. That was until the final room, where he only saw four goblins in the scale armor. To the side, he found the fifth.

It was an archer. Matt didnt have anything to fear from this goblin, it was only mid-Tier 1 in strength, and its bow wasnt particularly powerful.

Still, Matt went over the scenarios that had worked for this combination yesterday.

Stepping through, Matt ran at the four charging goblins veering off to the right-most goblin and stabbing his longsword through the small monster while charging at the goblin with the bow.

Using its comrade as a meat shield, Matt closed the distance before the others could rescue the goblin who stood shooting arrows into the corpse on Matts blade for a breath too long.

That mistake let Matt add one more to his goblin shish kebab. Turning while using his foot to push the goblins off his blade Matt lashed out at the hobgoblin, who had nearly reached his back as it was closer to the rear when Matt ran past the group of them.

Matts attack caused the hobgoblin to step back, aborting its swing. That change in location caused the goblin charging past to catch the axe in the side.

The final two goblins flanked Matt to either side, trying to box him in and restrict his movement. He stepped to the right, blocking the goblins swing before stepping on its feet and hip-checking the smaller creature.

The force sent the goblin falling back, but Matt standing on his feet caused his weak ankle bones to snap.

Matt stomped down to finish it off while keeping an eye on the hob and remaining goblin.

The goblin stuck to the left of the hob and refused to move. It was probably the best move the weak creature could make at this point by covering the hobgoblins weak side.

Matt tried baiting out the goblin, but it refused to wet his blade-like its brothers did. And with its assistance, Matt was forced to retreat from the heavy blows of the axe.

Biding his time, Matt waited for his opportunity, and when the hobgoblin struck out, Matt didnt dodge or deflect the strike but blocked the haft of the weapon with the flat of his longsword.

Matt took advantage of the stalled axe and ran his blade down the haft to catch the hobgoblins unprotected fingers.

Flesh met steel and lost.

Screeching in pain, the hob retreated, unable to hold his weapon. Matt finished the goblin next to the hob off with a clean cut.

Seeing the hob was just clutching its mangled hand, Matt thrust through the unprotected arm opening in the plate, bisecting the last remaining monster.

Looking around, Matt felt like this could have been done cleaner. He might not have been hit, but that didnt feel like a particularly high bar to set with opponents this weak.

There is a reason this rift was kept when they made the PlayPen.

Sighing, he collected the bloody armor and weapons before moving to the reward distortion.

Sweeping it with his spiritual sense, he felt this time it was an orange color. But not quite. It had a multicolored thread weaving through the field.

Matt wasnt sure if it meant anything but waited until the thread was at its most visible pulse before dispelling the field.

There were two bars of metal. He thought they were steel but wasnt sure. He wasnt a smith, after all.

Something to look into, a class on blacksmithing would be useful. At least then, he would be able to identify better and worse weapons.

The more Matt thought about it, the more he liked the idea. If he was going to be a mostly melee fighter, it would do him well to understand his weapons of choice better.

Matt exited the rift and sold the steel bars to the receptionist for 500 credits apiece.

Overall he felt it was a successful delve.

***

The next month and a half were some of the best in Matts life. He delved, he cultivated and advanced, he learned.

All while becoming closer to Melindas group. Most days off were spent with them. After delve days, they all relaxed together, movies, games, drinking, or just exploring the island.

They became true friends, and Matt was grateful. He hadnt let anyone get close at the orphanage or Bennys. Matt didnt think he had kept people away, just that he hadnt met people he wanted close. Most of the people at Bennys were older and jaded from life, content to eke out enough to live but little more.

Matt wanted greatness. Melindas group wanted the same. They pushed themselves and refused to languish at the lower Tiers.

The classes were interesting. The financing class was an eye-opener. Matt didnt realize that he had misunderstood Denas letter. When she had said 20k, he had assumed she meant credits and based his purchases around that misconception.

He had been given a credit limit of twenty thousand Tier 1 Mana stones, not twenty thousand credits. Matt couldnt even imagine that amount of money. It was an ungodly number of credits. That extra cash let Matt hire a Tier 7 melee trainer to give him lessons.

It was subsidized by the Empire, but Matt still had to pay fifty thousand credits. Matt had been hesitant to go into that much debt, but after the first lesson, Matt had no regrets.

Dominic was a 64 monster who mainly used a sword and shield but was competent in most weapons. After seeing Matts skill, Dominic had Matt rotating weapons, with a focus on a shield and one-handed weapons. His reasoning was if Matt ever joined a team, a shield was usually better for the group than a single longsword user.

It was challenging. Matt thought he was good with the longsword, and Dominic even confirmed that he was, but when using a shield and sword, he felt clumsy and had a hard time getting into a groove that felt natural.

After Dominic felt he was ready, he had Matt tackle the Tier 1 rift with the sword and shield. It was a different experience from his runs with a longsword. With a longsword in hand, he barely took half an hour to clear out the rift. With the shield and sword, it took almost two hours. There was an incremental improvement in each run, but not something Matt was satisfied with.

Dominic had even started Matt with spear training, with and without a shield. So Matt was sure that would be his next weapon to take into the rift.

During his delves, Matt hadnt had exceptional luck, either good or bad, with the prizes. Mostly around the average of seven mana stone value.

Matts cultivation was almost a quarter of the way through Tier 1. It was only that fast because he didnt have to split the essence but was warned by everyone that the Tier 2 rift was a large step up in difficulty.

Once Matt broke through to Tier 2, he would see a larger improvement. While cultivating and distributing essence, a cultivator only got half the results and got the other half when he broke through the Tier barrier. It was the reason a new Tier 2 was so much stronger than a peak Tier 1.

Even so, Matt was seeing improvements in his strength, speed, and endurance. The changes werent massive, but after every delve, Matt could fight a little longer, strike a little harder, and move just a bit faster.

Matt was cultivating after a delve when his pad chirped. He ignored it until the pad vibrated. He had it set to do not disturb, and only an emergency contact would override that setting.

Matt sat up and looked at the message.

Melinda: Have you seen the news? Come to our suite. Quick.

A worried Matt hurried to their collection of rooms and found them in the common area watching the tv.

An official-looking man was speaking to the screen. Behind him was an expensive-looking manor with people crawling over it like ants.

..rise. The Empire expects its nobility to guide and protect the common people. After a thorough investigation, the Empire has found the Juniper family negligent to the extreme. With this verdict, the Empire will be sending relief efforts to repair all cities that have been affected by rift breaks.

Matt gasped. Thats what this was about? Negligence from the nobility letting cities get shredded because they hadnt wanted to take measures to prevent it?

Holy s... Matt was hushed by everyone.

He squeezed in between Vinnie and Sam on the couch as the broadcast continued.

Because of the devastation, there will be compensation to all affected parties. Please be patient. Millions have lost loved ones and family members, the Emperor, can not bring them back. But reparations will be given to those remaining and punishment to those responsible.

A crowd behind the camera started cheering at that. The official held up and hand, and it was instantly quiet. By the Emperors will, all will be made as whole as possible. Healers, both mundane and magical, will be arriving on Lily in the next few months. This includes psychiatrists. Their services will be on a need basis. All will get their time and help. Please be patient.

He looked down at his pad for a moment, then back at the crowd and camera. Standby for a Royal Decree from his Majesty Emperor Emmanuel the Third, hear and obey.

With a flick of his fingers from his pad to the camera, a new image replaced the official and manor.

The man on the throne was tall and in seemingly simple clothes, but Matt was sure they probably cost more than twenty planets would generate in a decade.

The Emperor was dark-haired with gold eyes that gave off a golden light. The odd part was it didnt interrupt the view of the mans eyes. Matt wasnt sure if it was how the Emperor looked in person or if it was a camera trick.

Once again, the others just agreed.

Matt was really concerned now. He felt jittery. His flight or fight response was going haywire. His body screamed at him to do something, even though his mind knew either would be useless in the face of the powerhouses in front of Melinda.

The only thing letting him keep a hold of himself was they werent hostile. Clearly, they were here for Melinda and considering what she had just been doing, there were only a few possibilities of what could have drawn these people of position and power here.

Just what did her Talent reveal?

Matt could check but didnt feel comfortable reaching for his pad with the stillness in the hall. If he broke it, those three might just decide to act.

It only took another few minutes for the other five to come out, and as soon as Tara walked out of her room, they were ushered into a conference room down the hall.

The official started as they entered the room Miss Combs, we were all alerted to your Talent. We couldnt see what it is, but the rating came back as Exceptional: Unique, top priority. We would like to offe...

A quick two beeps interrupted the man, and his face drained of blood. With shaking hands, he pulled his pad out and flicked a finger at the wall. For the second time that day, Matt saw the Emperor, a Tier 50.

Matt gulped as everyone went to one knee, heads bowed.

Your Majesty, what can your humble servants do for your excellency?

Out of the corner of Matts lowered head, he saw the official shaking slightly.

Good, you got to them already. You three get out. There was a power in those words. Even with his face towards the ground, Matt felt it. He could see it. The world grew sharper, and colors gained contrast for an instant before returning to normal.

Matt didnt know what the Tier 50 did, but Griff and the other two looked pale and haggard after the words.

Like that the official, Griff and the woman were just gone. Matt didnt even hear the door.

Still kneeling, they waited for what came next.

Get up kids. Will you? Ugh, this is a shit show.

As they stood and faced the Emperor, they saw him at a desk with pads scattered about with papers covering the free spaces. Screens were obstructing part of the desk until a waive from the Emperor made them vanish.

Thats better. Hey kids. Who would have thought that Id be hearing about Lily twice in one day? The Emperor smiled and waved at them. Matt felt his stomach tighten.

Ill get right to it. These inter-planet connections are expensive, so Ill try to be brief. My AI just pinged me about your Talent Melinda. Can I call you Melinda?

Melinda just nodded, still struck dumb. The Emperor seemed surprisingly personable. During the royal decree, he was stern, and even in a recording, he had an air around him that screamed power and authority.

Now he was like a kind uncle. Even his luminescent eyes were warm. It unsettled Matt, in his experience, people with strength did not take notice of the weak unless they had something they wanted.

Thanks. I deal with enough formalities every day. Would you mind sharing why my AI lost its shit with notifications? You dont have to, but it might make things easier.

Melinda had to clear her throat twice before she could get out. You cant just Umm... see it, your majesty?

The Emperor chuckled at that. Nope, if there is one loophole, it risks security breaches, so not even I can see without permission.

That surprised Matt. Everyone said no one could see your Talent, but this was the Emperor. The very man who controlled the system. Matt wouldnt have believed it if he hadnt heard it out of the mans mouth. But why else would he be talking to them now and not just viewing her Talent himself?

Melinda nodded and said, I dont mind. It would answer some questions I have as well.

Good, the six of you are... Wait, why are there seven? Who are you? Looking at Matt, the Emperor clearly didnt expect him.

Hes an ally and a friend. I trust him. And weve all already shared our info. Melinda spoke up for him.

Ah ok. Still... the Emperors golden eyes flicked as if he was reading something Matthew Alexander. Age: almost 15, Tier 1 Talent rating of Detrimental? Humm... Sponsored by Humm... Ok, Matt, I gotta ask for your story. Thats just too weird.

Matt felt put under a microscope the glowing eyes of the ruler of thousands of planets seemed to strip away everything that made him unique. Quickly he thought about how to explain as fast as possible.

I was given a detrimental Talent at Tier 1, your majesty. Matt brought his pad out and flicked his information to the screen. Talent and skill now showing to the seven in the room and the Emperor planets away.

The Emperor read the information over, and Matt continued, I wasnt able to join the guild with the rating and worked at an inn called Bennys where I met my sponsors and got my skill shard.

The Emperor, reading the skill information, asked, Did your sponsors... he looked away Dena and Eric give it to you?

Matt really wanted to lie and say they did, but he didnt want them to get in trouble. He also figured that lying to a Tier 50 would be a recipe for disaster.

Reluctantly he told the story. Instead of being angry at the theft, the Emperor just laughed during the story.

Hold on, you said it was called Bennys? Let me get the security footage.

A moment later, footage showed that night, the group swaggered in at twice the normal speed and replayed the event as Matt described. The Emperor laughed so hard when the man threw the skill shard. Matt thought he might hurt himself.

As the footage showed Matt pulling Zephyr out of the brawl. The Emperor asked, Wait, where did you get the skill shard?

Matt told him, and the Emperor went back and replayed the moment before saying, Good hands, kid. I cant even see it with you pointing it out.

The video continued to the man waiving the mana wand at patrons and demanding that Benny let him search others. When they walked out of the frame, it showed Matt pulling the pad apart and hiding the skill shard, being scanned, and then the man leaving in a huff.

So your majesty, thats why Dena and Eric sponsored me.

While this was very impressive of you. No, it wasnt. They put the paperwork in for your sponsorship two weeks before this happened.

The Emperor flicked a finger and on the screen showed a sponsorship form to the PlayPen, and it was dated just as the Emperor said. Two full weeks before the duel and theft.

Matt didnt know what to make of that. Dena and Eric had planned on sponsoring him before the spar? He had thought it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Thanks for the laughs, kid. That was good. With your Talent and their recommendation, I expect great things from you in the next few hundred years. Youve got balls.

He then looked back at Melinda. Now to you, Melinda. If you would?

Melinda took her pad and flicked information to the screen. On it appeared.

Melinda:

Talent Tier 1: All healing skills are 50% more effective and cost 50% less mana to cast.

Talent Tier 3: All Healing has the Overhealth effect.

Skills: [Ranged Heal]

The Emperor looked as shocked as Matt felt. He let out a whistle with widened eyes. The sound created the same effect as before, the world sharpening for an instant.

Do you mind if I call my chief healer over? Honestly, Im not sure what this means. I have some ideas, but. Well, Id rather get an experts opinion.

At Melindas yes, he flicked his glowing eyes, and not a full second later, an older man appeared.

After being quickly filled in by the Emperor, he glanced at the screen and spoke, Ah well, this is rare. Overhealth has only been seen on some cracked or upgraded skills before. Well, to start, Overhealth functions like an automatic directed healing skill, so limbs regenerate with no effort, and the skill wont stop when a normal undirected skill would.

It works kind of like the [Regeneration] controversy. It will take some testing to see if a Talent works the same way. I dont think anyones ever gotten a Talent with Overhealth before.

That seemed to clue the Emperor in, but Matt was still in the dark. Judging by the looks around him, Melindas party felt the same way.

Looking through the screen, the older man asked, Im assuming none of you have heard of it? It usually doesnt matter till after Tier 15.

At Melindas no, he continued, Well there is a rare orb from Tier 15 and above rifts that can upgrade any skill. When used, it makes massive changes to the skill, and its always more powerful.

Well mostly always, which is where [Regeneration] comes in. Normally the skill works like any normal healing skill, you put in mana, and you heal. With the upgrade orb, it changes.

Then its more like a channeled skill where you can dump as much mana in at a time to increase the effect. Not only that, but it also changes how it heals. If you are a physical type cultivator, [Regeneration] is always useful, but it can take months to grow back an arm. With [Upgraded Regeneration] its like healing a percentage of health. At the same mana, it heals better the more physical cultivation you have.

Its easy to think of with numbers. If you have a hundred health healing, ten per minute is a lot, but if you have ten thousand, it doesnt help much. [Upgraded Regeneration] is like healing one percent of your max health a minute. The upgrade is good for physical cultivators who have more health, the non-upgraded is better for mana cultivators. There are some people who think this means we all have hidden health bars and are in a video game, but they are idiots.

The statement looked to irritate the older man, and he scoffed, Physical cultivation makes you stronger and tougher. Of course, its harder to heal whats harder to damage.

Overhealth is most commonly seen when someone takes what should have been a lethal hit with [Upgraded Regeneration] active. They can come back from what should have stopped a normal healing spell because they were dead. The Overhealing wont stop when they are considered dead by a normal skill. It only stops when the mana put into the skill has run its course.

A good example is of a healer with a cracked [Healing Touch] with an Overhealth effect. Someones head got smashed flat. The man clapped, The brain was completely destroyed, and even with the best medical technology and healing, he should have stayed dead. Even if he had been saved, his memories should have been wiped. New grey matter had to grow.

With the Overhealth, though, it was like a balloon inflating. Poof, he was up and perfectly fine, memories intact. Closest thing to a miracle youll ever see.

Melinda asked with eyes wide, What does that mean for my Talent?

The healer looked to the Emperor before saying, It means you just became the most valuable healer in the Empire. Every spell you cast will guarantee your party doesnt stay dead. Further testing will need to be done, but I dont think youll ever need to learn directed healing skills. You can have a very lucrative career in either the civilian or delving side of medicine. Id be happy to...

The Emperor lifted a hand, and the man stopped immediately. She and her party are on The Path, and we wont interfere

Of course, your majesty. I got ahead of myself.

The Emperor waved him down and looked through the screen. If you wish to leave The Path, I wont stop you, and Im sure Tullies would snatch you up in a heartbeat. But instead, Ill just leave the offer on the table if you guys decide to stop climbing or fall off.

My time on The Path was some of the best of my life. Its where I made the truest of friends and had the moments Im proudest of. I only made it to Tier 20 before falling off, but those Tiers are truly mine. No one can say that I didnt earn those.

Ascend as much as you can. I can guarantee that no one will talk about your Talent, but I want a promise from all of you.

The seven of them nodded. For the first time, the Emperor looked stern. Even the soft light radiating from his eyes grew hard. For a moment, the colors contrasted, and the world sharpened. It lasted only a breath. Dont die. Dont push yourselves till you take stupid risks. I dont just say this because of your Talent but because its a trap. So many try to be the next Duke Waters and end up corpses. Ive lost too many friends to rifts, and Ill never know how they died. Dont add to their numbers

The Emperor looked to the side and said, Ive taken up enough of your time. Can you send in the other three? I need to make things clear to them. Go and enjoy your evening and have the rager you deserve for reaching Tier 3. With a smile, he dismissed them.

Hurrying out the door, they saw Griff and the other two pacing the hall. When Melinda informed them that the Emperor wanted to see them, the trio looked like they were walking to their own executions.

Matt noticed that none of them hesitated to enter the room despite their trepidation.

They all looked at each other before Vinnie said, I need a fucking drink. And a change of underwear.