Genetic Ascension

Chapter 505: Coward's Courage

Sylas moved nimbly, hopping from solid root to solid root, his visualization scanning below while he looked for a proper entrance. He wanted something a solid distance away from where the others had entered, but also close enough that he could slowly make his way back when the situation allowed.

Soon, he found what he was looking for. He stepped onto the sand and slipped downward.

The process was smoother than quicksand. He almost felt like a smooth marble slipping through the sand, falling down below with practically no resistance.

When he landed on the ground, it flexed and bowed as though he had landed on a trampoline instead. The visibility was quite low, but with his visualization, he was able to see that the reason for this was that he had landed on a mesh of tree roots.

It seemed that even underground, the entire network was formed of these trees. It made the ground a bit unstable and difficult to work with, but Sylas got used to it quickly. At the very least, it was easier than fighting on water, and he had already become used to that as well.

If necessary, he would just freeze it over and make it even more solid. Though in this humidity, it would be even tougher.

The underground space was even hotter than the surface, and there was an uncomfortable stench.

This region of the Africor continent should have been quite dry, but this space in particular seemed to accumulate a ton of water vapor, so much so that a normal human would have had trouble getting enough oxygen to breathe.

Sylas moved forward, picking his way through the tunnels of branches slowly.

It was quite a mess and didn't seem to be very organized. Though, he didn't expect it to be if this was a natural formation. Unfortunately, that made it so that following along often required some innovation.

He found himself climbing through the roots and spitting falling sand out of his mouth several times.

However, slowly but surely, he was getting closer and closer to the location that Ragnar, Germaine, and Britt had vanished into. With his visualization, he was able to keep an accurate map in his head, and his steps were measured enough that he could keep track of the distance perfectly.

Soon, he felt that he was getting there, but he still hadn't found anything out of the ordinary. Aside from the poisonous critters that were constantly finding chances to attack him, there didn't seem to be much danger at all.

However, the more it was like this, the more cautious he became. He knew that the other foot was going to drop soon.

'It's possible that they're even deeper than this...'

Sylas looked below his feet. There was no reason that this would be the final layer of the mesh network of roots.

Just as he was about to approach closer, the situation changed again.

[Transfer Rights of Multi-Quest <Evergreen Territory Claim> have been given to you by former Originator <Lucius Grimblade>]

-

[A Warrant has been put out for your arrest]

[You have been labeled a Fugitive]

[You have been set as a 'Kill On Sight' target]

[Your Privileges have been Restricted]

[Your Stats have experienced a 50% Deduction]

[Your Professions have been Restricted]

[Restriction Failed]

[Some Profession Abilities have been Limited]

Sylas watched as the blaring warning notifications popped up before his eyes one after another. He read them one after another, his gaze almost too calm given the situation. His mind, however, was churning as he thought of how this would be possible.

If you could just take so many of his stats away, he would have been targeted like this long ago. And also, why transfer the rights of the Quest to him? Although he could have taken it whenever he wanted, this was strange.

That was when he realized what it was.

'Bloom.'

A beacon appeared above Sylas' head, and a whirring noise shot out. In the darkness, he became like the one source of light.

...

Bloom hacked up mouthfuls of blood, veins of black crawling up her neck and body as she was placed beneath a great deal of strain.

Soon, the pain was too much, and she directly fainted.

Lucius looked toward Mark. "Take your sister away to be treated."

Though he sounded calm, his emotions were churning. He already knew that Bloom would be out of commission after this. But he had expected her to hold on for long enough to tell him

how it went.

Now he had no idea just how much Sylas had been Restricted by, and that made things very tricky to handle. He was flying blind again.

But once more, he calmed quickly. He had made enough contingency plans that one not going perfectly wouldn't make a large difference.

Luckily, because he had expected this, he already had Bloom use her abilities to transfer the Multi-Quest over to Sylas first. But... not before he used a particular item.

[Coward's Courage (FFF) (Treasure)]

[Level: 30]

[Double the Rewards of any Quest or Multi-Quest. Should you fail, suffer Demerits Proportional to Quest Grade]

[Uses Left: 0/1]

Before, the Grade of the Multi-Quest had been unknown, showing up as (???). This was because depending on the changes and paths taken during the Multi-Quest, the Grade could change, and thus the challenge could likewise change.

But now, thanks to Sylas pressing the issue and clearing everything so perfectly for them...

[Evergreen Territory Claim (Multi-Quest) (Silver)]

... The Grade had been locked in.

"Do it," Lucius said.

Nathan nodded and sent out the orders. At that moment, all around the Evergreen Territory, traderoutes Lucius had given his blood, sweat, and tears to build up were destroyed. But no sacrifice was harsher than the one of his city itself.

-

[You have spent too long away from your City]

[Your City Stele has collapsed without a Leader]

And the moment this happened, the Multi-Quest failed, and Sylas suffered a string of

Demerits.

From first on the Merit Leaderboard, he was erased completely.