Chapter 14: Into the Tomb

Chapter 14: Into the Tomb

Status | Quests | Inventory

A Paragons Path:

Over the Eons, many gods have arisen, but few have tread The Path of Paragons, and fewer have succeeded.

Requirements: Raise all attributes to 1000 at the same time for a perfect ascent to the Warrior Tier. Unlock your bloodline before ascending to the Warrior Tier. Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

*If accepted, all attribute gains over 999 will be redirected as Stat Points, until all conditions are met.

Accept

Y/N

Luke mulled over the text. It explained what was happening. The world, it seemed, had more layers than he thought it did. More than that, it offered him a path to becoming stronger, stronger than he would otherwise be, but in return, he had to ascend perfectly or not at all.

He read it again. The prompt inadvertently revealed a lot about Theos, and cultivation in general. Confirming some of what he knew, and spawning even more questions in its wake.

So even if I raise just one attribute past one thousand, Ill enter the Warrior Tier. Arya said as much on the way over here. In vague terms.

The Quest is weird though. Its not coming from the Seed. At least not entirely. It's more like the Seed is contextualizing it for me. Which means the very act of cultivating is baked into this reality. Nice.

He tried to stand up, but found he couldnt.

Its like my limbs lost connection. Freaky, but Im not freaked out. I just have to accept or deny, and the world will go back to normal. This pauseIt's giving me time to decide. Interesting.

Lets think this over. The seed is giving me the option to refuse. Implying that I dont have to do this. Its not like the normal Quests it gives me. Those just seem to be things that I need to do, either to survive or become a god. Likely both. I cant reject them. Dont know what happens if I fail at them though.

An image of Arke, ripping his soul from his body, and removing the Seed that was implanted in his soul, flashed through his mind.

Death. That seems likely if I fail.

Do I want to accept this one in particular? Locking myself in the Mortal Tier until I unlock my bloodline is going to take a lot of time. The fact that I can refuse it though is interesting. It means, or should mean, that I dont strictly need to do this. I can still become a god without it. Except not all gods are equal. This It's promising me the strength needed to be unparalleled. A Paragon. But not really. Its promising to let me stand at the precipice. I still need to get there though. Accepting this wont make me any stronger right now. I may not even be that much stronger when I ascend to the Warrior Tier. Except, Ill always be the strongest I could possibly be at the peak of every tier. Even when I become a god.

Curious, he directed his thoughts towards the seed, and his thoughts reeled in surprise when it actually answered. He had gotten used to it ignoring his inquiries.

Sweet.

Let's see what it says.

The Path of the Paragon emerged from the Primordial Order, manifesting alongside the Creation of Theos. The Path demands that all who tread it, do so without hesitation. Once embarked upon, it cannot be abandoned. If rejected, it is lost forever. Quests given by the God Seed guide the host through danger and opportunity. Directing the host through the eddies of Fate towards the ultimate pursuit of Divinity.

He read it, then read it again. Just to make sure he wasnt missing anything.

If I didnt have the Seed, or the sword, Id be locking myself at the mortal tier, perhaps forever. I might not even have known if I had a Bloodline. With it though I know exactly how far away I am from my goal, and exactly what I need to do to get there. Just killing monsters will be enough.

More than that, if Aeolos had chosen the Path of the Paragon, would he have been killed by Arke, even after he reached godhood? Its clear that the Seed will guide me, but it wont make me the best version of what I could be. That, that is what this Quest is about. Perfection. A Paragon is Perfect.

So really, the question is can I afford to be lazy? No. Not now, and not ever.

I knew youd understand. Spiros said, wrapping his other hand around Luke, in an awkward hug.

Luke awkwardly smiled at the people staring at them, as they walked by. Peeling Spriros off of him, Luke led him towards a table, and after dropping Spiros on the chair, sat down himself. Observing the crowd as they mingled with each other. Seemingly unaware that in a few hours, they would all be competing with each other. Perhaps even fighting to the death in order to sate their greed.

Theyre doing this, so we'll be nicer to each other tomorrow. You missed the speech they gave earlier. Spiros said, his mouth full of cake.

Did they say anything else? Anything important?

Mmmm. No. Just some stuff about trying to stay friendly. Maybe some people will listen, but some wont. You know how it is He trailed off, shoving another slice of cake down his throat.

I can guess.

Eating his fill, Luke left the party, after unsuccessfully and half-heartedly trying and failing to find any other familiar faces in the crowd. A futile task considering how many people were gathered.

The next morning, saw all the cultivators assemble on the roof of the building, before their respective elders flew them out of the City, and towards a large lake.

The assembled cultivators stood around patiently, as the three Warriors walked up to a seemingly random spot. Three rings flashed, and in each of their hands three identical keys appeared. They walked towards the edge of the water, close enough to risk their feet getting wet in the lakes shallow waves. In unison, they stabbed them forward, and turned them.

Gasps of awe proliferated through the assembled crowd, as a wide, stone bridge appeared. Leading to the center of the lake, where it cut off randomly.

The oldest of the three warriors flew a dozen feet into the air.

Walk along this path and complete the trials within. I wish you all the best of luck. He flew back down, and the three Warriors stood to the side of the bridge.

The crowd shuffled uncertainty, before a blue robed figure broke away, and sprinted along the path. The crowd watched him with baited breath as he ran all the way down to the center, before disappearing in a flash of white light, breaking the floodgates. The rest of the cultivators ran forward, and started pushing and shoving as they approached the entrance of the bridge.

Ready? Arya asked, stepping beside him.

Yeah. Said Luke. Watching Spiros break free from the cluster, and run down the length of the bridge. Im ready. Lets just give it a minute tho. Let that mess sort itself out.

Agreed.

They waited for a few minutes. Letting the crowd thin, before stepping onto the bridge. Watching curiously as the people disappeared once they reached the end of the bridge.

What do you think the trials are going to be like? Luke asked nervously, as they walked along the cobbled stone of the bridge. Quickly approaching the point where people were disappearing.

I dont know.

Only one way to find out then huh. They took the final step forward.

Luke covered his eyes with his hand, as the world became white. When his vision cleared, he was standing alone. In a poorly lit room. Moss growing between the cobblestones, and an array of lanterns leading into a dark hallway.

So much for sticking together.

He stepped forward cautiously, only to stumble back a moment later as his foot sunk into the ground, and with a mechanized whir, a wall opened up.

Well, this is going to suck. Luke thought, peering into the cavity.