Path to Transcendence

Chapter 793: What Is Extortion?

Julius did his best impression of a penny-pinching grandma looking for a good deal, but it would seem that the Words of the World was being a little stubborn. The first notification he got wasn’t something he was exactly excited about.

Congratulations, you have helped contain a dangerous entity within this rift.

Would you like to accept your rewards?

Please select one of the following rewards…

• Skill Combination Token (Epic Rank)
• Kinetic Starfruit (High Grade)
• Pill of Enlightenment (High Grade)

“Seriously?” he asked with a flat stare at the sky. “You can’t do any better than that? Why are you being so stingy? Didn’t I help you out?”

He crossed his arms and stared at the sky expectantly. He wasn’t going to accept the rewards, nor was he going to leave this rift until he got something fair in return.

Congratulations, you have helped contain a dangerous entity within this rift. Substantial increase in risk detected. Rewards have been upgraded.

Please select one of the following rewards…

• Skill Combination Token (Epic Rank)
• Kinetic Starfruit (Superior Grade)
• Pill of Enlightenment (Superior Grade)

He read the new notification he was met with. Honestly, he hadn’t really thought that negotiating would work. But then again, he did feel like he was wronged. He understood that he had been put between a rock and a hard place, but he felt like he deserved something a little more for his troubles.

The new rewards were a little better, but he felt like he could get more. He sighed and looked at the sky with disappointment.

“Is that it? What about how I managed to not succumb to the attempted possession or mind manipulation?”

He could have sworn he saw some tendrils of the gold chains flicker in his peripheral vision. But he dutifully ignored them. He must have been seeing things.

Instead, he simply waited patiently. It took almost five minutes this time around before he got a response.

Congratulations, you have helped contain a dangerous entity within this rift. Emergency protocols have been deactivated. For successfully surviving and resisting the entity’s possession, you will be rewarded.

Please select one of the following rewards…

• Skill Evolution Token (Unique Rank)
• Skill Removal Token
• Seed of Authority Enhancement
• Kinetic Starfruit (Pinnacle Grade)
• Pill of Enlightenment (Superior Grade)

He did his best to hide his excitement. Honestly, just the fruit would have been good enough for him.

Still, he felt like there was more that he could negotiate with. He had a lot of leverage, and he wasn’t about to be shy, not when he knew how fate treated him. He would need everything he could get if things like this continued.

“Why do I need to select the Kinetic Starfruit as one of my rewards? I would have easily gotten one from the fourth floor if there hadn't been any intervention. Am I allowed to search for one now that that maniac is back in chains?” he asked, more out of curiosity than anything.

Notice: The rift will be undergoing maintenance to restructure and strengthen the procedures meant to contain this rift’s entities. Further exploration will not be possible.

He grumbled under his breath about the injustice of it all and cursed that stupid spirit man who tried to possess him. He had ruined everything.

“I think the notification is missing something about the fact that the rift was specifically trying to kill me. I’m pretty sure you or the rift empowered those Tier 4s, and I would like to mention that they almost killed me. Because of that, most of my body was destroyed by their ambush,” he added with a glare.

His eyes flicked over to the chains that once again flashed behind him. They swirled around like angry snakes, and he could practically sense their annoyance. Still, he didn’t turn around to look at them, nor did he get nervous.

He was well within his rights. He fixed something and deserved compensation. That was the rule of this world, and it was something he knew the Words of the World would abide by.

Congratulations, you have helped contain a dangerous entity within this rift. Emergency protocols have been deactivated. For successfully surviving and resisting the entity’s possession, you will be rewarded.

Notice: Substantial increase in risk detected. Improvement to rewards has been granted.

Please select two of the following rewards…

• Skill Evolution Token (Unique Rank)
• Skill Removal Token
• Seed of Authority Enhancement
• Kinetic Starfruit (Modified Grade)
• Pill of Enlightenment (Pinnacle Grade)
• Boundless Affinities Scripture (Fragmented/Soul Bound)

Notice: This is the final offering you will receive. If you do not choose your rewards within the next five minutes, you will be removed from the rift automatically.

The author's chapter lives on Royal Road; this display was copied without consent, so the published page is the supportive choice.

Julius didn’t even try to hide his joy. He not only managed to increase the quality of the rewards, but he was also able to select two of them. The greedy part of him wanted three, but he quickly bonked himself on the head, reining in that greed.

He quickly reviewed his options, though. He didn’t have a lot of time, and though he already knew one of his rewards, he needed to figure out the second one.

That being said, he was curious about the modified part of the fruit. What did it mean? Was it like the one Zereth tried to give him? Something that would ultimately hurt him?

Notice: The Kinetic Starfruit (Modified Grade) has simply been altered so that it can be consumed outside of the rift. The period of optimal consumption is 24 hours. Consumption past this period will result in a drastic reduction in effectiveness. It has also been modified so that only Julius Von Hyperius can consume it.

He was a little surprised to get clarification in response to his question. It was nice to see that it wasn’t anything bad. And it made him feel a lot better about selecting it.

With that decision made, he looked over the others. And to be honest, it was a little more difficult than he expected it would be.

He immediately ruled out the Skill Removal Token. He knew it would likely be something he could use to remove a skill safely and without repercussions, but he also had a very good skill that could heal any soul damage given enough mana, time, and suffering.

The Skill Evolution Token was very intriguing, mostly because it was unique rank. He hadn’t really seen many things like that. But if the Words of the World was classifying it as unique, then it must be something quite interesting. However, he eventually decided that it wasn’t the right fit for him right now.

He had already gotten too many legendary skills in a relatively short amount of time. That recent acquisition of [Mantle of the Everlasting Void] still weighed heavily on his soul. Not to mention, he still had a Skill Combination Token to use. Perhaps at another time he would have chosen it, but alas, he didn’t think it was the right choice.

Then he removed the Pill of Enlightenment reward from contention. As with the Skill Evolution Token, he didn’t feel the need for it at the moment. He had already gained many new skills and concepts. He needed to consolidate, not expand, his already vast set of skills and concepts.

That left the last two.

Honestly, the Seed of Authority Enhancement was more alluring than he expected. One might think it was one of the more boring options, but he had several things to consider. For one, he wanted to get stronger. His Seed of Authority was by far the weakest part of his path.

Consuming the Kinetic Starfruit would certainly help his kinetic affinity, which would then increase the strength of his Seed of Authority and his subsequent gains. But the direct enhancement would be quite a nice boost. Especially with his current level of strength.

It was clear he had almost already reached the limit of Tier 4 outside of his Authority. Fighting that massive undead troll and those Tier 4s earlier showed him what he could do. But it also showed him how his tier limited him.

A domain would really help him at this point. He could defend against one well enough with the technique Doren had shown him. That was purely defensive. Against multiple strong, coordinated Tier 4s, he was still in real danger, even with his healing skill. A domain would shore up many of his weaknesses and let him fight more opponents.

And to create a domain, he needed to cultivate his Seed of Authority to the pinnacle of Tier 4.

However, that final reward was by far the most tempting. It was also the most risky. From the name alone, he could guess a few things it might do.

• Boundless Affinities Scripture (Fragmented Grade/Soul Bound)

It almost seemed meant to help his other affinities. He wasn’t certain, but it was possible it would help him elevate and improve his affinities to perfect. Something he was sure would help him when he advanced to Tier 5. Not just Tier 5 either, but far beyond it.

While the fragmented descriptor might have made others more skeptical about grabbing it, he saw it differently. He believed that the descriptor might mean it was an even better reward. That it had been fragmented in order to satisfy what was appropriate for a reward. The added “Soul Bound” descriptor also made him believe this was the right way to think.

The soul-bound aspect was more likely not a means of protection; rather, it kept him from sharing the information with others. Another shackle placed on the reward to balance its value.

You have one minute to select your rewards before you are transported out of the rift.

Julius really didn’t know what to choose, and he let the time tick all the way down to the very last seconds. What ultimately made up his mind was the thought that he could get a Seed of Authority Enhancement as another rift reward later down the road, as well as the reminder that if he managed to improve his affinities to perfect, it would have a far wider impact on his seed than a simple direct enhancement.

Congratulations, you have acquired Kinetic Starfruit (Modified Grade) and Boundless Affinities Scripture (Fragmented Grade/Soul Bound).

He felt a warm light encompass his hands, and a sparkling white fruit appeared in his left hand and a worn-out book in the other. He barely got a chance to look at these items before he felt himself get squeezed through a tunnel of space. He wasn’t even able to resist for a single second, something he took note of.

He was spat out of the rift portal with a lot more force than he had ever experienced. He nearly slammed into the wall and would have if he hadn’t slowed himself down with some kinetic energy.

He wondered why the Words of the World seemed like it was in such a bad mood. Typically, it was the one who tried to get Julius better rewards, whether that was throwing him into danger or something.

Then again, maybe it was different because it had messed up. Maybe Julius had screwed its numbers up or something, and it didn’t appreciate being reminded of its mistake.

When he rolled onto his back, he spotted the same old man from before, less than three inches from his face. A dangerous, wild look flashed in the man’s eyes. A complete shift from the bored look he'd worn when Julius first entered.

“Umm, can I help you?” Julius asked politely, not too subtly moving half a foot to his right and away from the old man’s gaze.

“What did you do inside there?” the old man asked him. Although he felt no aura or mana, Julius couldn’t help but feel as if an invisible force was drowning him.