Chapter 822 Unfortunately [Ko-Fi Donation Bonus Chapter]
[Rune Enlightenment (Gold) (Chain Quest)]
[The people of Earth have a deep and storied history. In its past, much of its language encompassed the secrets of this path and embodied the hope of nations.]
[Fallen and forgotten, the ebbs and flows of time have suppressed this storied heritage. As an Earthling who has rekindled that flame, you share part of this responsibility.]
[Rise up and claim your Rune Enlightenment.]
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[Fragmented Requirement Cleared]
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[Common Requirement]
[> Use entry into System City's Library to find information about Lost Civilizations and clues about an Ancient Dungeon.]
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[Common Requirement Cleared]
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[Bronze Requirement]
[> Deduce the location of Ancient Dungeon.]
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[Bronze Requirement Cleared]
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[Silver Requirement]
[> Clear Dungeon: The Mountain of Giza.]
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[Silver Requirement Cleared]
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[Gold Requirement]
[> Discover the City of Gold.]
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[Gold Requirement Cleared]
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The golden coin in Sylas' hand began to glow with a bright light. For a moment, even Sylas couldn't look at it directly, feeling as though his eyes were being burned from the inside out, almost like an image was trying to embed itself into his mind.
A city…
Sylas grunted, blinking his eyes closed.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like you were able to upgrade the Quest to the Legendary level," Arcane Madness sighed. "If you had, maybe you would stand a chance. I cannot help you any longer. Now that I am not in a position to suppress it any longer… it is coming."
Slowly, Sylas regained his calm.
He didn't bother to argue with Arcane Madness. It would be nothing more than a waste of time. Instead, he asked something with unexpected composure.
"I believe I have been targeted by another Madness Disciple. My body has not one Seed, but two. What do you know about this?"
"Hm?" The ancient voice hummed, and for the first time, its neck craned, turning back to look at Sylas.
Rather than explaining again, Sylas used his Vipermancy to project his understanding of his current situation directly to Arcane Madness. Not only was this much faster, but it also removed every hint of misunderstanding such a complicated matter might cause.
What Sylas didn't expect was for Arcane Madness' body to suddenly quake—not with fear, but with fury.
"RAT! You've grown bold!"
Blood began to ooze from Sylas' eyes, his pupils constricting into pinholes. The power Arcane Madness was exuding now was so far beyond what its stats and even its Silver Grade origins should suggest that even Sylas himself was shaken.
Suddenly… he felt that maybe he should take the words of the creature far more seriously than he had before.
He raised a hand, wiping a line of blood from his nose.
It took several seconds before Arcane Madness calmed, and it was only because he realized that Sylas had been so direct and to the point because he knew they likely didn't have much time.
And he was very much correct.
"… The Scurrying Madness Disciple. You seem to have dealt with it for the time being, but it's hard to tell how long you will be able to suppress it. Your Will has far outstripped it in speed of growth, which is why you are so careless and nonchalant with it, but it's impossible to guarantee that you'll never reach a bottleneck. And until the day your Will surpasses The Rat, it will be impossible to deal with it completely."
"His name is Rat?"
"The Madness Disciples have seven streams, each one represented by a creature you likely have no fond feelings for: The Rat, The Boar, The Crow, The Spider, The Tortoise, The Monkey, and… The Snake.
"Greed is represented by The Rat… and you have fallen into his schemes, in part."
"And there is no way to destroy it?"
"You can never destroy a Seed. It is ingrained into your Will Core. The only way to destroy it is to destroy yourself."
"And if I have a method to manipulate my Will Core?"
The eyes of Arcane Madness narrowed.
Eventually, it shook its head.
"It still wouldn't be enough. The Seed manifests in the Will Core, but its roots sink far deeper."
"And if I can reach those roots?"
"… Then I assume that… yes, you could remove it from yourself…"
"If such a thing were possible, is having a stronger Will than Rat still the only way to deal with it?"
"Young one, the weight of a Seed is heavier than you can imagine. I can see that you are prideful, and maybe you would have been better suited to be Monkey, but I have seen many fall… even those with Legendary Classes."
This time, it was Sylas' turn to narrow his eyes. But he didn't refute it.
"Setting aside whether you will survive the hurdles of progressing a Legendary Class and not revert, a Class is only one aspect of one's strength. There are those who exist at Level 0, just like you, who could kill you with a mere Bronze Class simply by virtue of the Race they were born into.
"The system is fair, and it lowers the difficulty for those at a lower starting position. But this also breeds weakness, and that is why the Ancient System was far superior. It was far crueler, but cruelty is the way of the world.
"If you become complacent now because of these small accomplishments, you will die."
Sylas didn't reply, and Arcane Madness' stance softened.
"Though, I am speaking too much. I can also tell that you aren't the sort to grow so careless, but sometimes being clever is not enough."
The creature's scales bristled, lifting and then gently laying themselves down as though breathing.
"What is the most efficient way to level up the Scorned Wraps?"
Arcane Madness chuckled. "Haven't you already figured it out? The best way is to piss off that impotent system, and then piss it off some more."
"But I had several Demerits and didn't benefit from them. What distinguishes that from a Taboo?"
"The difference is that your Demerits were for this enclosed system alone. Demerits once the impotent system has integrated your world will count for far more.
"By comparison, a Taboo is a Taboo no matter where it is.
"You want to improve to Level 3? A Gold Demerit in the outside world should do…"