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Chapter 144: Direct Descendants
🕑 Added 2023-03-27 16:36:00 +0000 UTCFive-chapter batch release! Woohoo!
Every once in a while, I enjoy treating you guys. Have fun!
P.S.: The chapters will come at 10-minute intervals, so give it some time if you're fast.
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“Done!” Jack shouted, pulling open the curtain. The same little cabin waited for him, but he was not the same.
He had fused a Dao Root. He had advanced a skill into a Dao skill. He’d gotten sixty stat points—the equivalent of twelve levels, though only half of those went into his main stats.
Still, the increase in Will was significant. It had practically doubled, and Jack felt so unfettered. It was like he had complete control over his mind, like the lamp light that illuminated his island of conscious in the sea of subconscious had expanded. All errant thoughts had seized. The noise that always filled his mind went silent, and only now did he realize just how strong its impact was. He’d just learned to ignore it so far in his life, but doing so was surprisingly tiring. Suddenly, many mental resources were just…available.
He felt like he could do anything.
Name: Jack Rust
Species: Human, Earth-387
Faction: Bare Fist Brotherhood (E)
Grade: E
Class: Fiend of the Iron Fist (Elite)
Level: 69
Strength: 262
Dexterity: 262
Constitution: 292
Mental: 30
Will: 60
Skills: Ghost Step (I)
Dao Skills: Meteor Punch (II), Indomitable Body (II), Iron Fist Style (I)
Daos: Perfect Dao Seed of the Fist (early), Dao Root of Indomitable Will (fused), Dao Root of Power
Titles: Planetary Frontrunner (10), Planetary Torchbearer (1), Second Ring Conqueror
Perhaps I should invest in Mental, too, he considered. This feels so nice.
“Do you need to shout?” Nauja’s irritated voice came as her curtain slid open too. The barbarian girl revealed herself sitting on the bed with her back against the wall, resting.
Jack smiled at her. His excitement was hard to contain. “I don’t need to be quiet either.”
“How are you done already?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. “I thought you needed an hour.”
“My wounds were lighter than I thought.”
Jack had no idea how long he’d spent training in his soul. It had felt like hours, but perhaps the time inside and outside wasn’t the same? In any case, his upgraded body skill and the extra thirty points in Constitution had worked wonders for healing. Besides some soreness in his muscles and a lingering sense of exhaustion, he felt fine.
Nauja watched him for a moment, then shrugged. “Well, whatever. I’m glad you’re okay. In that case, we can head back.”
“Right,” Jack said slowly. Now that he wasn’t in pain, he could think clearly again. In fact, he could think clearer than ever. Out of momentary curiosity, he scanned her to see how much she’d leveled up from the tyrannosaurus.
Human (Trial Planet), Level 101
Faction: -
Title: Direct Descendant
Two levels… Seems about right.
He then spoke again. “Don’t get me wrong, but I’m in a hurry. Since I completed the requirement of the Ring Quest, there’s no need to come back and impose on your tribe further.”
A hint of something went through her eyes. Jack saw it, but failed to decipher it. It wasn’t ill-intentioned, nor was it polite hesitation. She hadn’t fallen for him, either. It was concern, in a way. Worry. But it wasn’t for him.
Before he could consider it further, Nauja replied, “You aren’t imposing at all. We are glad to have guests.”
“But I must still hurry. I have a friend—kind of—waiting for me at the Village Ring, and I must find allies to descend the tower. Plus, you know my deadline now. A year is very short. I have no time to waste.”
Nauja bit her lip. “You are leaving too quickly,” she said.
“Too quickly for what?”
“I—” She bit her lip. “Nevermind. Staying longer would give me more time to deal with a personal decision, but I cannot hold you back for my own weakness.”
“What weakness?”
“I said, nevermind.” She glared at him. He could see the flickering light in her eyes. She wasn’t really looking at him. Her mind was busy, whirling around…something.
But what? he considered, letting her glare slide over him. She doesn’t seem to have fallen for me. Could it be she needs me as an excuse to stay away from her tribe? But no, she just said we could go back. Then, what could it possibly be?
…Oh.
“Say,” he asked leisurely, “can barbarians descend through the planet?”
Her gaze hardened, betraying nothing. “We can. But we have to fulfill the same requirements as you.”
“Which you just fulfilled.”
“What are you implying?”
“I’m just wondering… Are you considering coming with me?”
“Absolutely not.” Hard rejection, emphasized. “It is something I could consider in the future, but it’s still too early for me.”
“Oh? How come?” Jack asked again, not fully convinced. He remembered how she described her tribe. It is a blessed life, but… That but was never completed. She wasn’t fulfilled here. She was missing something, which could only be adventure. He knew because he’d felt the same way, back before the System arrived on Earth.
Then again, barbarians never lied, according to her.
“Because you’re a delver,” she replied, “and a stranger. I don’t know you. I admit that I am intrigued by the deeper rings and the universe outside, and I struggle to wait now that I am a veteran hunter, but I cannot just tie my life with yours. I just met you yesterday. That isn’t how we do things.” She took a deep breath, calming down somewhat. “When we choose to delve, we form a carefully designed team of our own. Barbarians only. Only we are trustworthy. Everyone else is treacherous, greedy, prone to temptation, and unreliable. Just because you seem like a better person than everyone else doesn’t mean you’re one of us. My father would never trust you with my life.”
“Hmm.” Jack nodded somberly. “That’s very reasonable. Sorry for pushing you.”
“It’s okay. If I didn’t want to speak my thoughts, I wouldn’t speak them.” She shrugged. “I can wait a couple years. I just toyed with the idea a bit, tasting the temptation, but that is weakness.”
He smiled. “Well, for what it matters, fighting the tyrannosaurus with you was a fun experience. I haven’t fought alongside others in a long time.”
“Same there!” She smiled back, seeming as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Now that she’d shared the thoughts she kept hidden, hints of her enthusiasm started resurfacing. “We make a good team!”
“Hardly. We’re both muscleheads.” He roared in laughter. She pouted. “I’m kidding,” he hurried to add. “We did fight well. Thank you for not skewering me on the back of the tyrannosaurus.”
“I was aiming at you, I just kept missing.” Her smile widened. Jack once again noticed how her pale face made a stark contrast against the jungle environment and the hut’s dark walls, giving an out-of-place impression. “So. Since you’re leaving, I suppose you need instructions to the nearest exit down.”
“Yes please.”
“Listen closely. There is one exit right under the nearby delver camp, but you want to avoid that one. If you show up alone, you will probably get in trouble.”
Jack nodded.
“The second nearest is in the bowels of a close-by mountain. It’s five days away—maybe more for you, since you’re unused to the jungle. Just walk straight east until you spot the mountain. There is a ravine by its base, mostly empty save for the occasional delver. The exit is at the far end. There are pteranodons inhabiting the ravine, though, so be careful.”
“I will. But how do I tell east here? There is no sun.”
“I’ve heard of that.” Her eyes took on a dreamy look. “A giant ball of light that travels through the sky… How incredible is that?”
“To each their own. I find the light mushrooms here equally amazing.”
“I guess. Well, we may not have a sun, but we do have compasses. They work just fine. I don’t have one with me, but” —she pointed to a direction— “east is that way.”
“Wow. Did you swallow a compass when you were a kid?”
“I’m a hunter. Comes with the territory.” She gave him a toothy grin. “You are always welcome to rest in our tribe before going. We can give you a proper compass, too.”
“Thank you, but it’s fine. Yesterday’s rest was plenty.”
“Very well. In that case, I suggest you leave quickly. You are healed, as I understand, so the faster you get going, the better. This place is not completely safe.”
“Neither is the jungle.”
“More than here. Delvers sometimes come to the forbidden cave, and if they find you here—”
“Trouble, I know.” He grinned. “Are you trying to get rid of me? I thought you enjoyed my company.”
“Hesitation is unbefitting of a barbarian. We know to let go.”
“A great quality. Took me many years to learn.”
“It does make life simpler.”
Nauja paced toward the door, and Jack followed suit. There was nothing in here besides dust. His mind was already filled with thoughts about his next trip.
Five days in the jungle… he considered. Provisions won’t be a problem, but what about predators? I would see a tyrannosaurus coming from a mile away, but… Hmm.
“Are there strong, stealthy predators in the jungle?” he asked.
“There are. They range between levels 60 and 100, so you should be careful.”
“I might be able to take them, actually.”
“A level 100 predator while you’re still level 69?” She looked back and raised a brow. “You were pretty good at not dying against the tyrannosaurus, but don’t get overconfident. Needless risks lead to death.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Jack lied. He still believed he could fight a level 100 creature. His titles gave him a cumulative +35% efficacy on all his stats, plus the Immortality Serum that was the equivalent of ten levels, plus his perfect Dao Seed, the fused Dao Root, the unfused one…
He had his chances. He just had to not get ambushed—which he had zero skills for.
Whoops.
“Can I ask you a final thing, Nauja?” he said.
“Sure!” she said, hand on the doorknob. “What is it?”
“Why’s your title Direct Descendant? I’m just curious. You said you’d explain to me after the tyrannosaurus fight.”
“Oh, that?” She smiled awkwardly. “Everyone knows by now, so I guess it’s no harm telling you. It’s because we are direct descendants of the Ancients, the species that created the System.”
“What!?” He gaped. “Really?”
“Or so the title says.” She shrugged. “We don’t know anything about it, really. We’ve been in here for countless generations.”
“Wow… What does it give you?”
“I’m not telling you that.” She stuck out her tongue.
“Hah, fair enough.”
“Is your curiosity sated?”
“It’s reignited.”
She chuckled. “Delvers,” she said, pushing the door open. A clearing was revealed, looking into the greenery with the forbidden cave to their back. Jack had considered circling around and coming back to explore it, but the barbarians had been nice to him, and he didn’t want to disrespect their wishes. Maybe another time.
Brock, surprisingly, was right in front of the door. He seemed frantic. In fact, they opened the door just as he was about to dash into it, making him crash into Nauja before he could stop himself.
“Oof,” she said, grabbing him. Her gaze was already scanning the perimeter, her bow drawn. “What is it?”
“What’s going on, Brock?” Jack asked, feeling the brorilla’s tension. Brock tried to mime something. He was indicating that four cultivators were approaching, led by the Animal Kingdom minotaur that Jack had witnessed fighting a giant in the Giant Ring. Said minotaur had also leveled up rapidly since then, rising from level 109 to 115.
Of course, Brock’s miming wasn’t that good. Jack understood everything because the four cultivators had just stepped through the ferns and into the clearing. They were an odd assortment. One was a walking tree and another a walking…ferret? There was also a human with a shaved head and a purple robe covering her body.
Leading them was the plate-armored, hulking minotaur that Jack remembered clearly. He was part of the team that had butchered that poor giant. The other two were missing, thankfully, and the three that had replaced them were of a lower level, each hovering in the mid-nineties.
“Can we help you?” Nauja asked.
Jack tried to pace his thoughts. Perhaps this minotaur had never seen Jack’s bounty, never received his information. Those hopes were dashed as the minotaur instantly locked eyes with him.
“You can’t, but he will,” the minotaur replied leisurely, seeming in complete control, mouth forming into a triumphant grin. His voice was deep and sure. Commanding. “You caused a lot of waves, Jack Rust.”
Comments
Kris Boxall
Thanks for the chapters! Small correction, Brutalising Aura is missing from Jack’s Status
dangerous mob
Well here goes my work time <3
