Before returning to Earth, Jake needed a proper method to travel back and forth that didn’t rely on being in Haven. Luckily, he had already talked about this with Villy quite a few times and knew the snake god was on it. They both wanted to give Jake the possibility as there were still many things to be done back on his home planet and in his home universe as a whole.
So a quick telepathic phone call later, the snake god popped into his living room – Meira being away at a lesson. Jake not even having talked with her yet since exiting his little isolation session.
“Had a nice time doing alchemy?” Villy asked when he appeared, smiling.
“Pretty good if I say so myself, lots of levels, skill upgrade, a new skill, hemotoxins for days. You know, all the good things in life,” Jake joked in response.
“Nice to know my dear Chosen at least enjoys what I am known for. Well, known for in an at least a semi-positive light,” Villy answered with his own cheeky smile before continuing. “I remember you mentioning you took a skill for rituals, right?”
“I did,” Jake confirmed as he had a suspicion about why the Viper asked.
“Well, that entire travel-between-universes issue will require a bit of ritual-making from your side to function,” the Viper explained as he fished out a crystal he promptly tossed to Jake. It was similar to the one the vampires had given him and contained knowledge.
Jake quickly scanned it and saw it was a guide for some kind of ritual or array. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what the Viper was asking of him. “I need to set up my own teleportation circles?”
He did not like the sound of that. Jake had no experience with magic circles at all, and even if he now had a skill that helped a bit, he had no confidence in setting anything complex up without a long period of practice first.
“Yes and no. You do technically need to make a magic circle, but not a teleportation circle per-se. What you will need to do is make a subordinate circle to the primary teleporter placed in the city. Think about it as a receiver with the monument in your city as the sender. You just need to tap into the signal and remote-activate the monument, and off you go through the void between universes,” Villy explained.Jake nodded a bit as he kept scanning the Memory Crystal. It really didn’t seem that complicated, but Jake could still see setting up the circle would take a bit of time, not making the teleportation anything instant.
“Thanks, man, this should come in handy,” Jake said as the snake god also threw him a bunch of stones, as well as an odd green orb.
“Use those stones to activate the circle and feed it power together with your own mana. As for the orb, give it to that little verdant witch of yours. It is a gift from her Patrons,” Villy said.
Jake inspected the two items he had been given right away and frowned a bit.
[Energy Stone (Common] – A stone containing energy.
[Verdant Orb (Unique)] – An orb made to be used only by those compatible.
It was one of those cases where Identify did nothing. He was a bit surprised at getting common rarity stones from Villy to power the circle, but then again, what the hell did he know?
“Anything else I should bring back?” Jake asked.
“Now that you mention it, I do have this nascent plague I would like to ask for you to spread and then report back on the general deadliness,” Villy grinned.
“I could take it and just eat it with Palate,” Jake commented.
“Funny that you mention it… that is actually quite a normal tactic. A specific poison or disease designed to kill anyone and anything, while being especially weak against Palate, making all those with the skill survive,” Villy said nonchalantly.
“Is that actually something people do?” Jake asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.
“Plague theory is not really a big branch of the Order. If I am perfectly honest, it is due to its generally low level of power. It is only good at killing those significantly weaker, and even then, it is often easily thwarted by talented healers and others finding ways to combat it. But yes, it has been used. More by the Risen than the Order, though, as it is a good way to clear life-affinity energy from an area to kill off all the weak critters, turning it into a land of death,” the god explained. “Now, if you really wanna kill a planet without having to kill everything by yourself… ah, never mind, we’ll save that one for another time. Just know you already possess the necessary tools, even if you lack the power to pull it off.”
“I will not mind, no, as I have no plans of destroying any planets,” Jake shook his head.
“Yet,” Villy foreshadowed with a cheeky smile.
“Anyway!” Jake cut the conversation all. “How the hell do I get back to Earth?”
“Oh. Yeah. That. Well, I already installed the teleporter in your secret sealed-off basement room.”
“I have a secret sealed-off basement room?”
“As of ten minutes ago, Yes,” the god said as he motioned for Jake to follow him.
They went over to the library, where the god went over and pulled on a book that made a bookshelf swing open, revealing a stairway. One that had definitely not been there before.
“A little basic,” Jake commented.
“What can I say? I am a fan of the classics,” Villy answered with a shrug.
“You just infused mana into the entire shelf, didn’t you?” Jake asked, having felt the flow of energy.
“Oh yeah, totally. The book is just for show. The activation mechanism is bound to your mana, well, and mine, but mainly yours. An array covers the entire place, making even most gods unable to locate this area,” the snake god further explained as they both walked down into a small chamber with an intricate teleportation circle in the middle.
Jake looked at it for a moment and the scripts that covered the wall. “I take it you facilitate the teleportation from this universe and back to the ninety-third entirely?”
“Precisely. You just need to step on the platform, put a bit of mana in, and off you go. It even works with others, but only up to a dozen or so at a time. More than that, and, well, some might get stuck in the void mid-teleport.”
“AKA a bad time,” Jake nodded.
“Well, not really an anything-time, as it would just mean ceasing to exist, but that is another conversation my poor little D-grade Chosen is too young to have. By the time you are ready to enter the void yourself, you won’t even be my Chosen anymore,” Villy said with a smile. “Now, better get going.”
“Aight. Thanks for this time, and see you soon,” Jake said as he got on the teleporter. He infused mana into it as he, at that very last moment, remembered: he had forgotten about Meira.
Sadly, he was already swept away before he could stop it as he disappeared from the first universe and went back towards Earth.
Back on Earth, the planet had experienced what many would classify as a second renaissance after the system had arrived. The system event that allowed individuals to revitalize themselves and find a new path had passed, with it bringing about incredible change.
For many, the event didn’t affect them personally. Individuals like Miranda, Jacob, Carmen, Neil, and his party, or any elite really, weren’t affected in the slightest. This event was not for them. No, the true change was found in the level 30 construction worker who had not received a level in months. The warrior who discovered he wasn’t suited for fighting beasts in close range, the mage who learned he was not talented in magic, or just those who had never truly found a Path.
To these people, the event was a second chance. Classes and professions were changed, people found new hope, and a sense of life enveloped every city as progress returned to many. Simply finding a new path and doing the event had also resulted in Records, allowing those who had changed to get an initial period where they almost sprinted, fast getting stronger and more assured in their choices.
For some who were stuck, this event led to no changes, not because they had failed, but because they were already set on their Path – even if that Path was a mediocre one. The small restaurant owner who was satisfied with his life, the smith that enjoyed just working a few hours a day and then relaxing the rest with his family. These people had chosen a Path, even if it wasn’t one to power.
Nevertheless, this led to growth across the planet. The average level of humanity grew, and more and more D-grades appeared as the native humans got a second wind. To make it even better, these people who had just gained another chance could potentially also participate in the next event less than a month away. If not the Path of Myriad Choices, then at least participate in whatever Seat of the Exalted Prima was.
The cities that benefitted the most were naturally the large ones. Sanctdomo had a massive spike in power, but the fringe groups like the Court of Shadows and Risen also got a boost few had expected: re-alignment of their citizens. Many had picked professions and classes during their tutorials with no knowledge they would end up working with shadow assassins or the living dead, but now that they got a chance to change? They adapted.
Among the Risen, Necromancers, death mages, crafters specialized in death-attuned materials, and even people who decided during the event they wanted to become Risen. For the Court, the same was true as many became more specialized in what the Court needed, with a similar thing playing out all around the planet.
Haven didn’t actually experience that much growth overall. Most who went there were already settled in their own Paths, so while some did make use of the event, the vast majority of them didn’t. However, there was one large exception.
Miranda sat in the office and drank some coffee with the man in front of her. The last time they had spoken had only been a week ago, but he had grown significantly yet again. Back then, he had just reached D-grade, and now he was already level 110. However, more surprising than anything was that the man had been stalled for so long beforehand.
“You are looking better than ever, Phillip,” Miranda smiled at the former military man and leader of the Fort.
“It sure is a strange time,” the man said as he also took a sip. His face no longer looked sunken, and he was no longer a tired man at the end of his rope. Miranda had come to understand him quite well with time and come to realize that while he was strong for his level when they first met, it wasn’t because he really wanted to be strong.
He had been part of the military. He had been the leader and sent into a tutorial with people from his camp, and they had all turned to him for guidance. When he got out of the Tutorial, he had appeared in the old base camp, and yet again, all had turned to him for guidance as he was the highest-rank commanding officer present.
Out of a sense of responsibility, he had accepted. Then they found a sanctuary, saved citizens, made the Fort a fortified settlement, and he just kept going because he had to. But then Jake had turned up. A magical bird had rebuffed a force he and his men would get slaughtered by. Miranda came and helped take over the management of the Fort. Suddenly he no longer had any responsibilities and was lost.
Phillip had, by all accounts, retired. He was already a middle-aged man before the system arrived and was tired of the constant pressure and expectations. His sense of responsibility was so ingrained in him that he kept working even after he “retired” as a representative of the former soldiers and those who stayed at the Fort. Not that they needed a representative, he was just the kind of man that couldn’t sit still.
And then… then this system event came. Miranda had expected a lot of people to find their Path through this event, but Phillip was not one of them. He didn’t seem to have the drive anymore, but it appeared she had miscalculated.
The man before her could barely be compared to the old Phillip. No longer was he a man constantly wandering around with his rifle to look “official” or with a profession to lead the troops and defend the Fort. Instead, he sat there with well-defined muscles, skin that had an odd semi-metallic tinge to it, while only wearing a thin shirt and normal pants. He wore no equipment at all, yet Miranda felt his body brimming with power.
Alteration Mage. No, to call him a mage was perhaps incorrect. He was more a fighter than a mage, even if he did use magic as his primary tool of combat. The difference was that the only target of his magic was himself and his own body. His profession had also changed to be some kind of enchanter. Miranda was not privy to the details, but she knew he was no easy opponent, especially not after reaching D-grade.
“Are you sure you want to fully step down from all of your positions?” Miranda asked to confirm. Phillip had still been a part of many endeavors but had slowly phased them out. Now he came to get entirely uninvolved with everything Haven and Fort-related.
“I am,” Phillip nodded. “I have done enough for this place. For others. From now on, I will focus on myself and myself only. I plan on leaving soon to travel around a bit after the event, but before that, I want to get enough levels to properly do the dungeon beneath the city.”
She also liked how he looked when he talked about exploring the planet. He looked happy, perhaps for the first time since she met the man over a year ago.
“It is your choice,” Miranda said approvingly.
“For the first time in a long time… it truly does feel like it is,” he smiled in response.
Back with Jake, he was still making his way to Earth.
Jake felt himself flow through the void once more. He closed his eyes and tried to seal off his Sphere of Perception to not be overwhelmed by the odd sensation the place gave him as he hoped for it to pass quickly.
However… it didn’t.
It took longer than before. Jake suddenly felt like a gaze landed upon him, and he sensed himself stop. At the same time, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger for a fraction of a second before it disappeared just as it came. At the same time, Jake’s sphere no longer felt overloaded… in fact, it felt like whatever space he was in had suddenly turned stable and un-void-like.
Jake opened his eyes and saw the pitch-black darkness of the void as cold sweat appeared, and an innate fear swelled up from deep in his soul. He saw only the darkness that high enough Perception could perhaps one day pierce, as he had no idea what or who was watching. He was unsure what was happening as he felt something besides Villy just staring, with Villy’s attention on him being far weaker.
He felt a bit nervous as suddenly a single eye appeared within his vision. A human eye with an odd multi-colored iris. Then another. Then ten eyes, a hundred, thousand, million. The entire void was replaced by a rainbow of colored eyes before they all merged together and formed what could be described as a malformed head that appeared small yet filled his entire field of vision.
“Deliver. Gift.”
A voice echoed in his head made up of a mix of distorted voices as blood began pouring out of his ears and eyes. Jake had to grit his teeth as he slowly felt his consciousness slip away as if his mind was shutting down to protect his psyche. Something impacted his chest as he began blacking out while floating through the void again.
The final thing he saw before slipping out of consciousness was the entire void suddenly gaining a dark green tinge as a familiar presence descended.