Ten Boundless Days Later...
After a grueling ten days of training as one unified faction, Dominic and the squads were escorted out of the SAS Noxus. This left them with two days before the Faction War. Dominic had allowed them to roam free for the last two days, in case they wanted the time to either rest, prepare mentally, meet their families, or push their growth further if they still had room to improve.
They had done thorough research on their opponents, and what they found left them with a solemn attitude and a single realization... this Death Game might very well be their last.
Currently, Levi sat alone on the floor of his studio apartment. Close to fifty hollowed-out Growth Totems surrounded him.
"This is crazy... so many Growth Totems have been consumed just to reach the first Pathfinder Stage." Levi’s mouth parted slightly in a daze as he scanned the surrounding mess.
Levi had decided to take it slow and grow naturally through the Pathfinder rank. However, after what went down with Wei-Lan and then witnessing the results of the ten days of training, he realized that he needed access to a new sense... and fast.
He had to ensure the faction’s victory, and most importantly... the Daywalkers’ survival.
Earth was already lacking when it came to talented Daywalkers. Levi understood that winning the game wasn’t enough. As the faction’s Captain, it was his duty to ensure the survival of as many Daywalkers as possible.
Earth would never endure without the emergence of more Solarbound Daywalkers... the teams present at the conference held the highest chance of breaking that wall, and Levi would be damned if he allowed the Duskbound Order to wipe them out.
Not when it was clear that a storm was brewing in the background, and Earth would need all the help it could get to ensure its survival.
"It’s normal... you have outgrown such low-quality Growth Totems," Ash’Kral shared calmly. "It’s time you start using the Growth Totems in Alzhukar’s treasury... besides the few Divine-Grades, he has S-, A-, and B-Grade Totems lying around."
Alzhukar had stocked up on plenty of Growth Totems in his wallet. Levi had shared some of these Totems with his friends and brother, but he kept the majority for himself. He knew that his duo Origin Seeds’ demand for solar energy was only going to grow harsher with time.
"I have them saved for when I reach Warden rank," Levi frowned. "The pace is already terrible in Pathfinder rank... what am I supposed to do in Warden rank or higher?"
"You go broke like I did," Ash’Kral snickered.
Levi remained silent.
Ash’Kral had been telling him that he would understand sooner or later just how quickly his resources would dry up to keep up with three Origin Seeds. At the time, his cultivation speed had been so fast that he was skipping entire stages. But now, he realized that if he avoided abusing Growth Totems, it would take close to a year... or more... to reach the evolution stage of a single Origin Seed.
That was including the absorption of Divine Light.
"You shouldn’t complain," Ash’Kral reminded him. "At least you had access to Divine Light... my previous partners didn’t. The natural cultivation process using sunlight became obsolete. They had to invest most of their resources into purchasing Growth and Vile Totems for solar and dark energy. Since these resources are in high demand across the entire universe, it was no longer a matter of having money... but having the chance to buy them at any cost."
Hearing this, Levi felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He had instinctively been comparing his pace to Daywalkers of the same age. But in reality, he needed to compare himself to Ash’Kral’s deceased partners.
Without access to Divine Light like him, chills ran down his spine at the thought of spending years in Pathfinder rank while under the constant harassment of the Three Origin Seeds. Compared to them, he was living on the ninth cloud.
"Levi... you have worked hard to ensure a smooth, painless evolutionary path with all three Origin Seeds until the Solarbound rank," the Titan advised. "You should stop obsessing over your pace... whether it takes months or longer, rushing strength is never good."
"I know, Elder, I know..." Levi sighed as he glanced at his palm. "But at the very least, I need access to a new sense... and hopefully, a new Aspect. I can’t really go all out during the Faction War... this means my Sun and Void powers are useless. Even exposing the Soulleech Maw is a major risk, considering it became extinct eons ago."
Although Levi appreciated unlocking such a powerful mutation... one that granted him access and immunity to Aether Flames... he couldn’t tap into it freely without attracting unwanted attention.
After all, the Soulleech Maw was an entity that struck fear into the hearts of Ash’Kral and his peers. Using it under the Gamemaster’s presence would be nothing short of a universal announcement that Levi possessed the sole remaining Soulleech Maw in existence.
Such prestige was on par with owning an Origin Seed, considering no other soul had access to these eldritch entities... and likely never would.
How could it not draw the attention of the upper echelon’s monsters, who would covet such fearsome power for themselves?
This meant that even after undergoing three evolutions, everything Levi had obtained was not meant to be revealed publicly unless he could guarantee his safety. As long as he remained on Earth, he was a sitting duck... waiting to be hunted.
Now that Levi’s true strength was approaching the point where he could threaten Solarbound-ranked entities within their own Dominions, he was growing increasingly irritated by the need to constantly conceal the bulk of his power.
Of course, he wouldn’t dare expose his Sun and Void powers under his real identity even if he relocated to the Boundless Expanse... but he refused to hide even his Nine Senses powers.
"I need a new hidden card that I can rely on... my opponents know I can utilize Aether, Sound, and Illusion Aspects. They’ll be prepared against my weapons, even if I’ve already developed new techniques."
Levi spoke as he shifted his consciousness into the Ancestral Rooted Plane of the Nine Senses Seed. He then floated toward the gigantic crimson nanogon flower, which glowed with millions of mastered abilities. Yet, only two flower petals had three leaves missing... a number so small that one would need to get extremely close to notice the vacant spaces.
Still, Levi ignored the two unlocked sense petals and fixed his spiritual vision on the remaining seven untouched petals.
"Have you decided on your next sense?" the Titan asked.
"Not yet... but I’m drawn to the sense of touch."
Levi floated before the petal containing countless abilities tied to touch. If it weren’t for his immense talent in spiritual perception, he would have chosen the sense of touch as his second power without hesitation.
He had already asked Ash’Kral to rank the five common senses based on their strengths and weaknesses. The ranking was: Sight, Touch, Hearing, Taste, Smell.
Sight was first... and Smell last.
Without eyes, the sense of Sight was off the table, leaving Touch as the strongest sense he could unlock at the moment.
"But... I don’t know. After unlocking the Soulleech Maw, a new possibility has presented itself."
Levi rested his chin in one hand while gazing at the dormant Soulleech Maw embedded in his other palm.
"Good... you catch on quickly. The ranking I gave you was based on my own personal utilization of the senses," Ash’Kral said with a faint smirk as he hovered beside Levi. "As much as I claim mastery over the Nine Senses, that mastery was limited by the sensory organs I possessed."
He nodded in approval.
"Even I... didn’t have access to a fearsome cosmic entity resting in my palm... one connected to my soul and body, granting me access to a..."
Before he could finish, Levi completed the thought for him.
"A second tongue."