Chapter 408: Almost There For Sure
But before I could say anything, a heavy presence washed over the whole area.
Cassian muttered beside me, "It’s awake. Let’s go."
I immediately understood what he meant. The strongest abomination in the zone had stirred. And it was... a butterfly.
I blinked. "Wow... this is the first abomination I’ve seen that still looks beautiful."
Cassian scoffed. "No time to admire. Let’s move."
I nodded, flapped my wings, and we shot out of the Gamma zone. I sent a mental command to the trio, telling them to pull back as well. Together, we crossed the Beta and then the Alpha zone. I finally landed just outside the boundary, feeling the wind settle around me.
I looked at Cassian. His brows were furrowed, his body tense. He kept his eyes fixed on the forest. "There’s a high chance it’ll lead the remaining masters and grandmasters to attack us."
I nodded. "Yeah... isn’t that why you came with me? The Emperor already predicted this would happen."
He gave a slow, grave nod.
Turning my head, I saw Leo leading a few soldiers, rushing toward us. When he reached us, he saluted Cassian. "General, our preparations are done."
Cassian nodded. "Good. Our goal is defense, nothing else."
Leo turned to me, his eyes full of respect. "Commander... all of us saw what you and your team did. I don’t even have words for it."
I chuckled. "Just say it was awesome."
He smiled, eyes still wide. "It was more than awesome. You’ve literally cleaned every zone except Gamma."
I shook my head. "Don’t worry about it." Then I looked at Cassian. "Alright, I’m going to finish my rank-up. That way, I can come back and help if needed."
He gave a simple nod. I said my goodbyes to Leo, and with a burst of speed and a sonic boom, I shot off in the opposite direction of the forest, passing the base as I went.
Silver, Lyrate, and Knight followed without hesitation. I could feel their excitement through our bond.
Soon, I found an isolated clearing. I descended softly, landing with my wings tucked close, the forest quiet behind me.
I looked at the three of them and said, "I’m expecting that once I finish my rank-up, the same will happen with you three as well. But for now, I’ll have to send you back. I’m not sure how this whole process will go, so... see you soon."
With that, I sent them back to the core and sat down cross-legged on the ground. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and opened the notifications.
[Quest Completed]
[Initiate Rank Up?]
That was it. There were no other messages, no hints, nothing.
I closed my eyes for a moment and recalled some things about the grandmaster rank.
The requirements to reach Grandmaster rank. It was... complicated and not the same for everyone.
There were some common conditions, like having a high Essence affinity, at least above Level B.
The System classified Essence affinity from D up to S+, though mine was listed as Infinity on my status panel.
Aside from Essence, reaching Grandmaster also required at least two minor laws at Level 3 or higher.
I looked at my laws.
Laws :
- Minor Law of Absolute - 40%
- Level 3 - Minor Law of Space
- Level 2 - Minor Law of Fire, Ice, Lightning, Light, Wind, Repulsion
- Level 1 - Minor Law of Vitality, Conversion, Absorption, Shadow, Attraction
I only had one minor law at Level 3, but I was already meeting the System’s condition. I knew exactly why.
Instead of having something like Minor Law of Space Anchoring , Minor Law of Space Distortion , or Minor Law of Space Compression listed under my profile, I had the entire Minor Law of Space at my disposal. The full law, complete and unrestricted, was mine to command at Level 3.
It made sense when I thought about it. My control over Psynapse and Essence was already far beyond normal. The System recognized that, and it had given me the law in its entirety rather than fragments.
But there was one important question and that was - How do Grandmasters grow stronger?
Grandmasters grew stronger in three main ways.
First was the most basic, leveling up through normal means like battles, training, and absorbing Essence.
Second was increasing the level of the laws they had already comprehended. The higher the law level, the stronger and more stable their foundation became.
And third was the most difficult—fusing two or more laws together. This wasn’t easy. It required deep understanding and control. But those who managed it gained powerful new abilities that could shift the tide of battle.
Once a person gained a deep enough understanding of a few of these, they could start fusing them. The result would slowly form a major Law and their journey to the next rank up would begin then.
"Hmm..." I hummed, thinking about the process of ranking up.
I knew why Grandmasters were so much stronger than Masters. This rank wasn’t just about raw power, it was a preparation path for the next step: Transcendence.
First, the body had to be restructured. It made the body more suitable for handling Essence and the laws. I wondered if my body even had any restructuring left. I had already gone through the process multiple times.
Second, the rank-up enhanced comprehension. It made a person’s understanding of laws and Essence far sharper. But I was already beyond the threshold where the System could help me. My body and mind were ready but I wasn’t going to leave any advantage behind.
I narrowed my eyes and made a decision. Why leave the laws behind when I could focus on them first? I transferred all my stored Essence into my Psynapse, temporarily boosting it past 2,500. It jumped from 2,339 to 2,809.
I felt instant changes. My connection with Essence deepened, and the laws around me felt sharper, more responsive. It was like the world itself was humming in tune with me.
"Time to level up my laws," I said quietly.
I closed my eyes and started with the minor law of Vitality.