Chương 71: Earthbound

[War Asura's Blessing] – You have impressed the one and only Heavenly Asura. All your weapon attacks deal 27% more damage, and your physical strength and speed have increased by 17%, applying to all your forms. Path of the Slaughter has been unlocked. The more you kill and bathe in the blood of your enemies, the more you absorb Blood Qi, allowing you to slash down even the strongest of foes. Walking the Path of Slaughter is a prerequisite to unlocking the Asura Heart Transformation.

Those who tread the Asura's Path are solitary; they seek the power of the Purest Self, existing unbound by the laws of gods or the morals of men. Some would brand it a demonic path, but the philosophy behind Asura's Path resonates deeply with me, across both my lives. Perhaps that Heavenly Asura truly understood me from our brief interaction, though they do claim to be watching the Trials. Still... this Path of Slaughter business is a touch excessive, even for me.

I have no intention of butchering my way through the realms simply to grow stronger. As he finally checked all his rewards, the white realm flashed, and they were moved outside.

Alert: 29 days left until the start of the next round, the Second Trial. Use of the Return Home Ticket is allowed for the time being. Maximus and his pack appeared in a wide, closed‑off square, surrounded by pristine white cylindrical buildings with vines and trees merging seamlessly into their structure, giving a verdant shine to the white walls and golden roofs.

"Took your sweet time…" Jane complained just as the system notified him about the elapsed duration. Maximus turned and saw the trio. Jane wore a new outfit, a dark golden dress that clung tightly to her arms and fit her body, with a V‑cut barely covering her chest and large slits on both sides of her hips held together by golden threads, each a few inches apart, exposing her strong legs. She wore crimson flat sandals bound with shimmering strings up to her knees.

Over her shoulders, a long white cowled cloak fell to her feet. Maximus paused for a moment before darting his eyes toward Tereza. She wore the same outfit as before, but a new bow was strung across her back. The bow looked as if ancient vines had been intertwined and engraved with runes along the entire frame. The thread binding it all together shone with deadly violet light.

The last was Lennox, clad in blood‑red and gold plate armor over his chest and legs, his arms bare except for two golden vambraces on each forearm. On his back rested a massive greatsword, strapped with two sets of leather. The blade was long and thick, obsidian in color and radiating heavy pressure. The handle was T‑shaped and extended for a better grip, with a single rune engraved in the center, shining in azure light.

"You three seem to have gained some nice equipment." Maximus smiled.

"I look amazing, don't I?" Jane spun, showing off her new gear. Lennox ignored her and asked suspiciously, "You were there the longest, and yet you seem not to have gained any new items?"

"I gained skills instead." Maximus shrugged.

"Skills? As in plural?" Lennox gasped.

"I've never heard of anyone gaining more than one skill as a reward for finishing the first trial…" he muttered.

"Two skills and an upgrade for another. And my friends got one each." Maximus said, hiding nothing from the trio. Tereza opened her mouth wide in shock.

"I know, he's ridiculous." Jane nodded knowingly, amused.

"Sure… glad that you're on our side." Lennox shook his head, still confused.

"Now then, we should go sell everything we don't need. You can earn quite a lot of Mithril Coins here," Lennox added.

"Mithril Coins?" Maximus questioned.

"Do you not know anything?" Jane teased.

"Mithril Coins and monster cores are used by everyone as the main currency. You can use them to buy and sell items and even Skill Stones," Lennox explained.

"It's better to sell here than back home since we get a better deal for finishing the first trial. Keep in mind you cannot earn tokens outside of trials, and harvesting cores is a lot of work, so having some coins on you is much better than hoarding the loot you don't need. Naturally, you can also use your country's currency if you don't have Mithril, but things become quite expensive."

"But why Mithril? Why not Gold for the main currency?" Maximus asked.

"Did you live in the mountains back home?" Jane asked.

"In a forest, actually," Maximus replied with a soft smile.

"Mithril has been used ever since the Trials began. You can only get it inside the Trials, and it's obviously rare and the best source of pure Mithril, which is used in all types of crafting, equipment, and devices. We haven't found Mithril ores on Earth yet. So, any source of Mithril is extremely valuable. Of course, you can always exchange it into your country's currency, which non‑participants still use." Lennox explained in detail.

"I see. Quite interesting. Alright, thank you. Shall we then?"

"This will be funny," Jane chuckled knowingly.

"Let's go, but be ready." Lennox cracked a smile as well. Maximus stared at the three snickering and followed.

They exited the closed‑off square and appeared on a wide street, cobblestoned with white stone. Stores and homes of all sizes sprang up wherever he turned. Then he saw them, the citizens. Tall, slim, gold‑haired elves walked in white tunics with golden engravings. They carried staves on their backs and swords sheathed at their waists. Among them, humans sparsely appeared, wearing high‑level equipment and walking toward the large white tower.

"Elves? How is that possible?" Maximus gasped. Noticing a new batch of participants finishing the trial properly caught everyone by surprise; usually, there would be barely a handful each half a year, if that. Most chose to wait out the end of the trial. But what amazed the elves was that one of the participants carried a striking resemblance to their kin, just with crimson hair. One of them, older than the rest, stepped forward.

"Welcome to the City of Beginnings, travelers. As its name says, it is the place where you begin your climb through the Trials. You can acquire Skill Stones, equipment, information, and even train, eat, and live while you wait for the second stage to start," the elf said cheerfully.

"And if I may ask, are you one of our kin?" He turned toward Maximus, eyes wide and shining with pride.

"We have never had one of our own take the Trials on Earth," he added.

"If I may ask… What are elves doing here? From what realm do you come?" Maximus muttered, heart racing.

"We serve Astrae. We do not have a home. We travel through the realms, assisting with the Trials for eternity. That is our purpose," he said simply. Maximus paused and stared. A pain so deep struck him it made him nauseous. Are we destined to live under divine beings in every realm? Are we never to live freely like other races? He frowned.

"Child, I can see where your heart is. This is a gift, serving the grand system of the Myriad of Realms. Every species would give everything to be in our place. Do not feel sorrow for us. There is none to feel," the elf said gently. Maximus just nodded and said nothing further.

"If you would excuse him, he's not good with company. You can talk with him later; we're going to sell some things and eat," Lennox cut in, sensing Maximus was not in the mood.

"Naturally. Let me lead you to the best shop in the city. I am Kolvar. Nice to meet you." He bowed.

"Nice to meet you as well. I am Lennox. These here are Jane, Tereza, and Maximus." He pointed. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The elf nodded and smiled at Maximus before leading them through the city. Elves and humans alike moved out of the way out of respect, but also fear, as Silex, Vesper, and Jade moved, looking as dangerous as ever.

Even Embi flew around the city, while Sprout sat on Maximus's shoulder, sensing his pain and patting his head gently with a vine.

They were led into a large tower‑like building with an enormous oak growing through its center, its branches sprouting outward to form the roof of the entire structure. They entered, and the fragrance of flowers and honey enveloped them, reminding Maximus of home. The room was lit with large light crystals, and three counters surrounded the central space, each manned by an elf waiting with a warm smile. The trio went up first to sell what they had while Maximus remained with Kolvar.

"I am not one of you. I just ended up like this," Maximus finally spoke.

"Hah, you cannot hide elven grace and pride from me, Maximus. I have tended to countless realms and their practitioners, and I can easily recognize our kin with a single glance. Whatever you are now, you once were our brother, is it not so?" Kolvar smiled. Maximus frowned, eyes growing slightly teary. Hah… First time an elf called me their brother. He chuckled inwardly.

"Think what you wish. I am not an elf or human, for that matter." He shrugged simply.

"Well, brother, I will still think of you as one of us. You know, our citizens have married many participants through the years. Even though we wander, our bloodlines flow through countless realms," Kolvar said proudly.

"And you are fine with tainting your bloodlines like that?" Maximus asked, confused.

"Spreading our lineage through realms is a blessed event. Why be against it?" Kolvar stared back, equally confused.

"Ha, never mind… Indeed." Maximus nodded. They are as far from my kin as I am. He exhaled. Seeing Jane finish her dealings, he excused himself and approached the counter. Jane winked playfully as she passed him, making him smile for a moment. This new body contains much more vitality. It is affecting my mind slowly. This could be an issue, he thought as he stole a glance at Jane and shook the thought away.

"Hello, dear traveler. May I ask what you have to sell? We offer the best prices for monster cores you will find anywhere," an elven woman said, wearing a simple black‑and‑white dress with a bow.

"Hello. May I know your conversion rates?" Maximus asked.

"Naturally. Twenty F cores are one Mithril Coin; ten E, five D, and one C is ten Mithril Coins. Then each rank above multiplies by ten, so a B Rank core is one hundred, an A Rank is one thousand, and so on," she explained.

"Alright, I understand. I will give you everything I have, and you can see how much it's worth," Maximus said simply. He took out all the cores he had been saving since the first lizard he fought. He saved some ant cores aside for Jade, but with more than two hundred, he was fine keeping fifty for her. The woman gasped, eyes shining.

"This is unbelievable. Please give me a few moments to appraise them all." She began checking core by core, weighing them and examining their mana potency.

"This is quite a collection, and these last few are very rare. I can give you 193 Mithril for all of this," she announced.

"Lennox, buddy, how does that sound?" Maximus shouted across the room. Lennox sighed, walked over, looked at the cores, and nodded.

"You have maybe ten that are around B-ranking. Sounds about right."

"Thank you." Maximus nodded. Lennox sighed again and returned to his counter.

"I'll take it. How about materials, do you buy those?" Maximus asked.

"We do. Prices are mostly doubled in coins for materials. Some are extra rare and worth a great deal," she explained. Maximus nodded and took out legs, shells, and pincers of centipedes, silk from monkeys and bats, scythes from wasps, parts of ants, and some panther hide he had managed to save.

"Oh, these are wonderful. The centipedes are nicely preserved and C rank, some even B. Wasp parts are C, ants are C, and the panther hide is E," she said.

"That will be 528 Mithril for everything. These will make excellent armor and weapons. Thank you!"

"Alright, I have more things," Maximus said happily. Never bad to have funds to fuel research. He smiled, satisfied.

"I have these two staves, daggers, and a greatsword. And this staff I made myself, though it won't last long," he said, placing them down.

"The Pyromancer's Staff, 10 Mithril. The Willow's Zombie Staff, also 10. The daggers are very nice, 300. The greatsword, 420. And this last staff… Hmm. Crudely made, but the technique is interesting. How about 50?" she said.

"So, 790 for everything?"

"Make it 800, and we have a deal," Maximus said, smiling.

"Alright, but only because you are kin." She winked playfully, making Maximus's heart race. A real elf winked at me. I'm going crazy. I need to leave this place fast.

"Would that be all?" she asked, though clearly expecting more.

"I do have Skill Stones I'd like to get rid of," he said, taking out a large pile, leaving only the ones he wanted.

"I can give you 1 coin for F, 10 for E, 50 for D, and 100 for C," she said.

"Deal."

"That will be 285 for all of these." She counted quickly and took out a large, heavy pouch.

"1, 801 for everything! You've become quite wealthy today, dear traveler." She smiled brightly. Maximus stored the pouch and thanked her.

"I hear you're rich now? You're paying for lunch," Jane smirked.

"I don't mind. Just let us go," Maximus said and left without turning.

"I will leave you then. Enjoy your time here," Kolvar said, walking toward the square.

"I thought you'd get a kick out of looking like one of them," Lennox said as they walked down the street.

"Not at all. I find it disturbing. They are too kind and too easy to talk to," Maximus said coldly.

"I guess that's a bad thing?" Lennox asked, confused.

"Let us just forget it," Maximus muttered.

They entered a restaurant with a few humans inside and no elves except the workers. Maximus chose it for that exact reason. He simply couldn't get used to kind elves, especially elves being kind to him. The whole group, along with his companions, sat around a large table and ordered a mountain of food and drinks, making Maximus spend around 60 Mithril.

"By the way, who are all these strong‑looking people?" Maximus asked.

"They're recruiters from guilds in the upper planes. Once you clear a plane, you can use the Tower to descend to the lower ones, though you cannot leave the main city hub and interrupt the trials. But that's how they contact newbies and recruit the best." Lennox explained.

"They also give stronger loot to their promising newbies in these locations, effectively cheating," Lennox lowered his voice as he added.

"Oh, I see. Can you move up to the Second Plane before the schedule, then?"

"You can stay here and wait for the timer to elapse, or you can move to the Second Plane and observe the ongoing trial, but the city on the Second Plane is much worse resource-wise. So, I wouldn't recommend the second option. Not like watching will help you with clearing…"

"I understand. So, are there some kind of relics you can use to communicate with one another? I have not noticed anyone communicating with participants outside of this plane." Maximus asked.

"There's a Guildhall System. Once you make a guild, Astrae approves it and creates a space where you can talk with your members. However, you need to reach the Third Plane to be able to make one. Normal people can leave their info with guilds in preparation for the Trials. Once they're in, they can be invited and receive information from other members," Lennox said.

"Are you all in Jane's guild then?" Maximus asked.

"We are. That way we can communicate even if we get separated," Jane said.

"The invitation still stands, you know."

"Thanks, but I'm good." Maximus shook his head.

"How about we make a sub‑party within the guild and invite you there? You wouldn't be a member, but we could still contact each other even outside if needed," Lennox suggested.

"You can do that?" Maximus asked, confused. He still didn't fully understand the terminology.

"It's usually used when guilds want to work together. There can be some bonuses outside. Jane, please create a sub‑party and invite him," Lennox said. Jane nodded.

"What's your last name?"

"Reid," Maximus said simply. Lennox frowned for a moment but said nothing. Suddenly, a notification popped up before Maximus. Alert: You are invited into a Sub‑Party: Jane's Henchmen of the Cleaving Storm Guild.

"Interesting name…" Maximus cracked a smile and accepted. A new tab opened on the right side of his status: Party Chat.

"Good. Now we can talk even if we're not in the same place," Lennox said. Once I get to the third plane, I will do the same with Felix and Oscar. What are they doing now, I wonder? Is Oscar even alive… Heavens knows…

"Do other people know about this?" Maximus asked.

"Mostly those with guilds. Regular participants wouldn't be aware of it," Jane explained.

"I see… You're all going back home for the time being as well?" Maximus asked. All three nodded.

"I have some things to take care of now that I'm stronger. I think the rest have their affairs to handle too," Lennox said for all of them.

"Alright. Once we eat, I'll take my leave and prepare to depart the First Plane," Maximus confirmed.

Maximus said his goodbyes and asked one of the elves for a free place to rest. He was led to one of the participant‑assigned homes and entered. Sitting at the table, he took out his remaining Skill Stones. [Skill Stone: Flaming Retreat (E)] [Skill Stone: Heal (F)] [Skill Stone: Ethereal Daggers (C)] [Skill Stone: Critical (C)] [Skill Stone: Double Jump (F)] [Skill Stone: Silver Armament (C)] I can learn all except Ethereal Daggers now. I'll keep that aside.

He didn't want to sell a skill that might prove useful someday. One by one, he absorbed the rest. Then he opened the Store, searching for a new staff, one that could boost both types of his spells and survive the Starstream. [BT: 56, 900] Hmmm… I thought I had a lot, but with this, I can barely buy a high‑level C-rank staff. And if I look for one that can channel both spirit and mana, there are practically none. Curses… This one will have to do. At least it can channel mana, albeit barely.

[Elemental Rod (C)] A staff made from Starmetal and Mithril, enveloped with veins of melted Elemental Ore. Designed to embody the simplicity and destructive power of the elements. Elemental damage increased by 33%. Spirit recovery rate amplified by 30%. Mana regeneration rate increased by +0. 5%. Contains a skill, Float, allowing the user to slightly float above the ground or have the staff follow them, applying its boosts without needing to hold it. BT: 48, 000 This is the best I'm going to find at this point.

He sighed and purchased the staff. It shimmered into existence before him, floating like a mythical weapon. It looked like a simple black rod, two meters in length, but shimmering veins flowed through it, shifting between grey, red, blue, and yellow, giving it a mystical feel. Maximus grabbed the staff and smiled.

"Welcome home, buddy."

"Well then, should we go visit my old home and see what life is like on Earth?" Maximus asked his group.

"Yes, boss, let us depart!" Vesper nodded.

"Aye, Max! You'd better have some good food waiting for us!" Silex growled.

"Embi, please enter your home. Sprout, you as well. I'm not sure what could happen to you two since you're spirits. Jade, stick close to me," Maximus ordered. Embi whirred and entered the crimson leaf of his inner sapling, while Sprout turned ethereal and slipped into the stalk. Maximus had discovered this trick before leaving the Wildlands. He suspected it would work since Sprout was a spirit as well. And it did, allowing Sprout to stay with him at all times. He took out a small silver ticket and ripped it.

A surge of mana engraved the number 29 onto his left palm, and a large portal appeared before them. Like that, Maximus and his three beasts walked through the portal toward Earth, all four visiting for the very first time.