Chapter 821 Nightmare Dungeon 1
The Well of Penitence was just a grand name for a cell, with the only difference being that there were all sorts of training materials available for free which could be used.
Of course, there was a limit, and apparently, they were also only offered the first time that one found themselves here. The idea here was that the first time might be an accident, but if one kept coming back, then it was intended, and the Order did not have any intention of making this a free training ground which could be gotten into if one simply broke the rules.
As Daneel was idle, he picked a Ker Gem nearby and finally began to train after what felt like a long, long time.
The last time he had trained was back when he had still been in the early ranks of the Warrior realm. Right now, as he trained, he realized that he had gotten quite addicted to the feeling of jumping through the ranks in the manner he had done.
That was the main reason why he had not been focusing too much on training even after breaking through to become a Champion, as his goal was to find another way to reach the peak of the Champion realm in one go rather than spending a lot of time to train and train and train.
True, even his potential was higher now, but still, its effect on training speed was not enough for him to abandon this route and focus completely on secluding himself and absorbing Energy.
After all, seclusion also had other drawbacks, such as the fact that he would not be available in case something drastic happened. He liked the way things were now - he could be effective while doing multiple things on the outside, while reaching towards his goal of gaining more power. It felt as if he was making the best use of his time, so he was decided on continuing down that path.
Still, the miraculous advantages of the breakthrough did make him sit and just stare with astonishment after he had absorbed energy for a moment.
Of course, this was only in relation to his Mageroot, but even then, he had only been expecting a slight increase.
His shock was because of the fact that there had been close to a 25% increase, which was pretty unseen even in the previous realms.
This much of a jump in training speed was godly. It basically meant that if he and a different Champion who was a level below him in potential trained with the same resources, then he would become a Peak Champion in just three fourth the time required for the other one!
This meant that he would be able to save years of time, which would be very useful when one was figuring out the second resonance to find their Hero Path and break through. The more time one had to do this, the more the chances of success, and hence, it was crucial.
And besides, the other benefits were also pretty momentous, and he was already extremely fond of the feeling of thoughts running through his mind at the speed of lightning.
At the same time, he had begun to wonder why this level of potential was not possible to be attained by birth. Was it to do with the Energy level of the continent, too?
If that were the case, then the Energy level basically decided the future of the continent, unless if illustrious people like Daneel appeared who would break through all the shackles placed on them to reach new heights.
It could even be likened to the budget of countries back on Earth, which would decide just how much growth they would possibly be able to achieve.
These kinds of random thoughts accompanied Daneel in his three days of training. The Well was supposed to be experienced alone, so he only had himself talk to. So, he actually took it as an opportunity to relax, and he spent all three days going over everything that had been happening recently, while planning for the future.
Hence, at the end of it, he exited with a smile, which startled the Champion who was in charge of the Well. He looked at him strangely, but then shook his head and smiled before allowing them outside.
This was odd, but Daneel understood the reason right after he walked out of the door.
"You're finally here! I have five 4-star missions! That should be enough, right?!"
"Hey, just fight me if you're not scared! To hell with all those conditions!"
"I was going to give you the same treatment, but you made the Overseer put that item on the list of banned items in the headquarters! Damn you!"
Daneel and his sovereigns were greeted by a storm of voices, which were all from a large crowd who had gathered, knowing that this was the time that they would emerge.
They had already talked about this, and broad smiles appeared on all of their faces which made rage spring up in those in front of him.
The shouting increased, but like disgraced politicians who would ignore screaming crowds because they would be content in the fact that they had already swindled millions which were safely tucked away, Daneel and his sovereigns simply sauntered past them all. Five-star missions could not be gotten by just anyone, and those who were capable of getting them would not assemble here like this.
Hence, this crowd did not deserve even a word from Daneel.
If he didn't have the urgency, he would not have chosen this route, because it did place him against a lot of people. However, he knew that he was pretty close to the five 5-star mission requirement, as his master didn't know that he had already finished one which was part of his initiation.
With another one done, there were only three remaining, so the sooner he got to them, the better.
Besides, in the list of rewards, there were also some items which needed multiple 5-star awards to be used in order to be obtained. For these, it was best to accumulate as many as possible before going on a shopping spree that would definitely shock the Overseer. Besides, even if this didn't happen, he might need them when the actual reward to enter the place where the information regarding the Order was stored, so it was best to get as many as possible.
The more time went without Daneel getting any messages, the more he wondered whether his plan had been too simple. He had been hoping that at least two or three would be angry enough to challenge him, but it looked like those at the top were smart enough to recognize a challenge that they should not take. Besides, if anyone was watching, the pattern would be clear, and no one in their right mind would want to meet the same fate.
Thankfully… At the exact moment that Daneel reached his room, he received a message.
A smile pulling up one corner of his lips, he turned around to Faxul and Eleanor before raising the trinket and letting it play aloud.
"I have a 5-star mission… and I have a few friends who had to burn their clothes because of that nasty spell you used. They say they can still smell it, even though so many days have passed. Where do you wish to fight?"
The message was surprisingly much more measured than Daneel had expected from someone who was challenging him out of anger, which made him feel as if something was off.
Yet, it was what he had done this entire thing for, so he ignored that feeling and then replied that whoever it was should come to the arena right away.
There was no further communication, but right as Daneel and his two sidekicks, which was what they looked like as they flanked him on both sides, reached the spot, there was a man surrounded by a gaggle of men and women who looked in his direction as they arrived.
The entire group had been laughing and joking around, but right as the three of them came, they all ceased what they were doing and turned around to glare.
Leaving them, the man whom Daneel had spotted first walked forward before saying, "I'm Perfect. Let's go."
This introduction would have weird in any other place, but in the Order where people were referred to by their titles, it made sense, but it was still odd.
After all, what kind of a narcissistic personality was required for one to name themselves as 'Perfect'?
The man's appearance gave one clue as to why he had chosen that title, though. He had perfectly slicked back blond hair, and his sharp features were those that anyone would want to swoon over. These were all fake and could be manipulated by everyone who entered the Order, though, so the main thing was actually in his eyes-they had an unspeakable allure to them which could not be mimicked, and Daneel guessed that this was the main reason why he had chosen that name.
The man didn't say anything as they went down the corridor to reach the Arena, and even after they reached their battle location, he simply put his hands in his pockets and yawned.
Daneel had already spotted that things were not going as he had expected them to, and the man's words confirmed that.
"Look, I just challenged you to please my girlfriend. I'm not even as good as Ov-, I mean, Underlord, so this fight is useless. Outside, I'll just act like it was a tough fight."
This statement made the King of Lanthanor look at the man with a frown on his face, before he asked, "So you were faking the mission?"
Yawning once more and even going so far as to sit down, 'Perfect' replied, "Oh, no, I don't lie. I have one, but after you find out what it is, you'll beg not to come."
It looked like his intention was to doze off after giving the answer, which made Daneel feel like crushing him anyway.
Still, controlling himself, he said, "Try me. What is it?"
The answer was given in an amused tone.
"5-star Mission: Nightmare Dungeon. The mission with 100% failure rate, and a 30% death rate. Now, can you please let me have my beauty sleep?"
N-nightmare Dungeon?!
Daneel had not expected to come face to face with this mission so soon.
He had heard about it, and its famous 100% failure rate. All records in the Order were always reset every 1000 years, so this meant that no one had passed it in the past millenium.
Besides, the 30% death rate meant that it strongly deterred those who might want to try their luck, too.
The revelation that this was the mission changed things. Should he go for it, and become announced as someone who broke the record twice in a row? Or was that too much attention?
He was confident in himself to succeed, even if it was hard, but it might be a problem if it was another monitored mission.
However…a single thought made Daneel abandon this line of thinking, and give his answer.
'The Path of Domination is the Path where doing what others cannot.'
"I'll do it. When should we leave?"
The answer made 'Perfect' sit up with shock, before turning around and saying, "A-are you serious? I thought I would just go flunk it while keeping myself alive…but wait, no one in their right mind would willingly come to this nightmare!"
In response, Daneel just walked forward and patted Perfect's shoulder before saying something that would stay in his mind for a long time.
"Achievements are not for those who run around and take it easy. Get ready to get your name engraved on the Board of Achievements, Perfect. Let's go."