Chapter 902: Speedrun

Chapter 902: Speedrun

Petra followed the Keeper’s words, spreading her shadow out to bring this layer of Fyor into her dominion. With it, she was able to get a basic grasp of the terrain, her face contorting slightly. “Keeper, this layer--”

The Keeper nodded his head, interrupting her. “I’ve noticed.” The water content of the layer was less than one percent, with only very rare patches of oasis scattered around. “Give me a moment.”

The Keeper erected a floating mirror before him, and Petra could feel his divinity radiating from the mirror. Oddly, the divine power felt more... focused than most gods that Petra had encountered in the past, though she wasn’t sure how to properly describe it. The Keeper simply stood there, waiting for several long moments before extending his hand into the mirror. What he pulled out was a pale blue orb the size of his fist, which he tossed towards Petra.

“Keep that in your inventory for now.” He said, before the landscape around them shifted once again. The city seemed to vanish, the dunes around them shifting enough to let Petra know that they had changed locations. However, the black gate still stood before them.

“Gate’s Rise, so quickly?” Petra asked, blinking in confusion. When the Keeper said that they were going to rush through the floors, she assumed that it would still take at least a couple of days. Perhaps the Goddess Aurivy was guiding him to their destinations?

“Do you know how many floors there are in Fyor, in total?” The Keeper suddenly asked, glancing back to Petra, who shook her head.

“I’ve never considered whether there was an upper limit or not, sir. Such a concern is impractical until we reach that point.”

The Keeper gave a brief nod to show his understanding. “I had Ashley calculate it a while back. Based on the total expected size of Fyor, there should be exactly ninety floors. Until now, we are only on the twenty-ninth, with a level limit of just fourteen hundred and fifty, not counting the orb in your hands.”

“I do not mean to belittle your strength. As a true Maxer, your power is remarkable. However, this level limit is preventing many similarly powerful people from being able to explore Fyor. Those who would be able to drive progress are unable to contribute. That’s why I am increasing the level limit in this way.”

“Until now, Fyor has been forced to fall behind because of the level limit. In recent history, Fyor’s contribution has not been able to play a part in other worlds, unlike the card magic of Deckan, the cultivation of Lorek and Spica, the technology of Desbar, or the magical research of Earth.”

Petra couldn’t help but nod her head, before thinking of something. “What about Kione and Sher Dien? I don’t think that they have been able to help out all that much either, have they?”UppTodated from nô/v/e/lb(i)n.c(o)/m

The Keeper shook his head. “Sher Dien’s planar research isn’t able to keep up with our needs, either. That’s why I plan to ask Ryone to help their mages. As for Kione...” He seemed to think deeply about it. “We know how to create fourth tier familiars, but I do not believe we know how to make proper use of them. I’ll get the relevant information soon. After that, I may even decide to get a familiar, myself.”

Petra blinked, but quickly nodded her head. “I’m not all that good with magic, so I won’t bother with it.”

The Keeper glanced back at her with a small grin. “What if you could have a familiar that took the form of a powerful weapon, having it release destructive powers on your behalf while you wield it in battle? The familiars of Kione are not only for mages, Petra.”

Petra’s eyes went wide in understanding. “I... see. Well, I’ll see what information you can find, then!” As for the gate before her, she knew that it was her job to activate it, while at the same time the Keeper created yet another desert city.

The opening for the next gate was dark, making Petra fear that something had gone wrong with the crystal, but that turned out not to be the case. Rather, the gate was within a small cave on the side of a mountain. The chill quickly set into her body, causing her to shudder.

“Is this... a layer for gods?” Petra couldn’t help but ask, causing the Keeper to nod in agreement.

“That’s right, Petra. Whether man or beast, every living thing in this floor possesses some form of divinity, even if it is just that of a demigoddess like yourself. If there is any floor that deserves special attention in the future, it will be this one, so remember it well.”

Petra nodded her head, the Keeper in the process of searching for this layer’s level orb when a golden light flashed before them. Standing before the Keeper was a figure clad in golden armor, wings behind his back. “Who are you to build a city in this land?” He asked in a harsh tone, giving off the demeanor of a trained soldier.

Petra gulped, knowing that this was likely to be out of her league. They had traveled so many floors, it wasn’t just a matter of the enemy being one or two hundred levels higher than her. Not only was the enemy more than one thousand levels above her, but he was also a god.

The Keeper looked at the angelic figure calmly. “I am the creator of this world. Whoever rules this land, you can tell them that I will speak to them in the near future. However, I am quite busy at the moment.”

The angelic being’s eyes went wide, and a sword manifested in his hand. “I will not take an insult like that lightly. Do you take me for a fool?”

The Keeper arched a brow, shaking his head. “Deliver my message to your leader.” He said, waving his hand dismissively at the angel. For a brief moment, the Keeper’s divinity turned overwhelming, almost oppressive, the opposing soldier vanishing just as quickly as he had arrived. “I’ll need to spend a bit more effort on the defenses of this city, it looks like...”

As he muttered that, the divinity in the air became thinner, receding like a tide to form a golden barrier around the city. Once that was complete, he gave a satisfied nod, though Petra quickly cleared her throat.

“Uhm... sir? What will you do if the location of the other gate is within one of their cities?”

The Keeper paused when he heard that, seeming to consider it. “I would prefer to get all the way to the fortieth floor like I said before. Stopping just one step short will both me to no end. I suppose I could just barge into their city, and throw you at the portal?”

Petra’s red face went pale at that idea, before she noticed that the Keeper was smiling playfully. “You... you wouldn’t really do that, right?”

The Keeper shook his head. “You already have enough orbs on you. Once you turn those in, it won’t be a problem for me to take the next gate myself. It’d be best if you could have the location for your travels, but that isn’t strictly necessary.”

As he said that, he stared into his mirror. “Thankfully, the portal isn’t in a public square or a temple, or anything like that.”

“So it is in a city.” Petra groaned, having assumed so. The fact that one gate was left unattended in this area was already an anomaly, but she couldn’t believe both would be in a land of gods. Then, however, she noticed an awkward expression on the Keeper’s face. “Where is it?”

“Are you sure that you don’t want me to just throw you into the portal?” He asked, glancing back at her.

“Please, no. Sir... where is it?” Petra asked again, the Keeper turning the mirror to let her see the black stone monument resting within a golden pond, the ring of the pond filled with flowers, and walls all around them. Petra couldn’t help but cough lightly. “Sir, is that a bath?”

“I do believe it is, Petra. I do believe it is.”