Chapter 541: Its Quest Time
“Alright, alright,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. “It’s not like I don’t want to help you. It’s just… one thing after another kept coming up, and I didn’t get the chance to focus on you guys. Anyway, first tell me, what are your quests?”
Steve glanced at North and said, “You go first.”
She nodded and took a small breath before answering. “It’s called Courageous Death. I have to kill twelve level 199 humans by striking their hearts. The cause of death must only be the destruction of the heart—no accidents, no side damage, nothing else.”
I blinked, taken aback by the phrasing. “Wait, it actually says ‘humans’?”
She nodded, her expression serious.
“How’s the progress so far?” I asked.
“Only four out of twelve,” she admitted. “It’s harder than it sounds. You have to control every strike perfectly so nothing else kills them first. And finding level 199 humans willing to fight to the death… that’s another problem.”
I nodded slowly. The quest was brutal but not impossible. It would push her precision, control, and endurance to the limit, all the things that matched her fighting style.
I turned to Steve and motioned for him to go next.
He grinned, stretching his arms behind his head. “Mine’s called Abyssal Repetition. I have to activate my skill Abyss Severance a million times.”
I stared at him. “A million times?”
“Yep,” he said proudly, as if that ridiculous number was an achievement in itself.
“Damn,” I muttered, shaking my head with a chuckle. “Looks like the system’s trying to keep you from ranking up till next century.”
Steve laughed. “Hey, repetition builds mastery. By the end of it, I’ll probably cut through time itself.”
“Yeah,” I smirked, “or your remaining lifespan.”
North sighed, half smiling at our banter. “So,” she said, turning toward me, “you’ve heard ours. Now what’s your plan?”
I rubbed my chin for a few seconds, thinking it through, then looked at her first.
“Yours should be easier,” I said. “We’re on Peanu, a world with billions of people. Finding level 199 humans isn’t hard. The real problem is speed. You’ll need to finish your quest before we run out of bad ones to kill. But if that happens, I can still help them level up to 199 myself.”
North met my eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded firmly. “Alright,” she said quietly.
Then I turned to Steve. “Yours, on the other hand, is really tough. How many times can you activate Abyss Severance right now?”
“Twice a minute,” he said. “And that’s already pushing it, it drains me completely.”
I nodded, already calculating in my head. “The drain’s not a big issue. I can help with that easily. What’s really bad is your speed. Twice a minute is too slow. You’ll need to reach at least thirty activations per minute if you want to finish within a month, assuming you train nonstop with only a few rest days.”
Steve’s jaw dropped. “Are you insane?” he scoffed. “From two to thirty? Not everyone’s a walking cheat code like you.”
“I know,” I said calmly, “but even a month might be too late for us given what’s coming.”
They both looked at me, expressions turning serious. “What situation?” they asked together.
So I told them everything, about the Genesis Rune, the possibility that it was real, the Ferans on their way, and my plan to leave this place after that. To go beyond our world, toward the center of power in our galaxy itself.
“So we need to finish your quests and get both of you into the Grandmaster rank. If the Genesis Rune turns out to be real or even if it’s not, whatever lies there will still help us. Based on my calculations, it’ll take at least a week of travel to reach that place. Steve, you can keep training on the way there, but North, you’ll have to finish your quest before we set out.”
Steve’s expression turned serious. “But I can’t really hit thirty activations per minute, even if you take care of my exhaustion.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s the real problem. But I’ve been thinking of two possible ways to help you.
First, we break your skill down and strip it to its core function. The quest only says to activate it, it doesn’t say what the result should be. If we just trigger the skill instead of using its full form, you might be able to count it.”
His eyes widened, and he grinned. “Damn it, why didn’t I think of that?”
“The second thing,” I said, standing up, “is something that’ll need a little help to set up properly.”
I closed my eyes and whispered, “Lyrate.”
Crimson mist poured out from my core, swirling and condensing into form. Lyrate stepped out with her usual grace, her eyes scanning the surroundings until they locked onto North.
North rose instinctively, her gaze hardening as if meeting a rival. The air between them felt charged.
“Lyrate,” I said, cutting through the tension, “I have a task for you.”
“I’m listening,” she replied, still not looking away from North.
“I want you to analyze Steve’s skill, Abyss Severance and help him activate it as many times as possible per minute. Also, handle his exhaustion and Essence recovery while you’re at it.”
Finally, she turned to face Steve, a small smile curling her lips. “How far can I push him?”
“Near death,” I said, smiling back.
Steve froze, looking between the two of us. “Wait, what—”
I clapped his shoulder firmly. “You’ll be fine. Give it your best. I’m sure you can do it.”
Lyrate’s eyes gleamed crimson for a moment, and I could already feel the Essence in the air shifting around her as she prepared.
Before Steve could protest, I turned toward North, pulled her into a quick hug, and whispered, “Lets go and finish your quest fast. We’ll regroup once yours is done.”
I smiled faintly and then let my Essence flow. The ground beneath me cracked as I pushed off, shooting upward like a bolt of violet light.
The ruined capital fell away beneath me, the horizon stretching wide and empty.
As I flew through the sky with North in my arms, I reached out with my Psynapse and connected to the world core of Peanu.
I began scanning. My senses spread out from the capital, sweeping through nearby cities first, then entire continents. I filtered every strong presence I sensed, searching only for those who matched the exact strength I needed.
Dozens appeared at first, then hundreds. Some in cities, some in forests or remote islands.
By the time my scan covered the entire world, I had already marked enough of them for North to finish her quest.
I opened my eyes and looked down at her. “Found them,” I said softly.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!