Chapter 836 - Let's check out the surface!

POV Savant

A comfortable quiet settles over me once I return to the first floor of Beyond. I do not suspect the Ruler of Diligence would break his word, but I still check my bag. As expected, within it lies a metal shard with an oval stone imbued inside it, covered in delicate inscriptions.

I close the bag and decide to use the item on the Sword of Aeons later. My goal remains the same, by the end of the tutorial, I want to restore the Sword of Aeons to at least mid-pristine rarity, and this stone will help with that.

The negotiations we took part in were terrifying, but they bore fruit and provided a wealth of information. I have gained knowledge on gods, fragments, and the identity of Nathaniel’s handler, among plenty of other things.

Seeing beings as powerful as the Rulers is also a reward in itself. Though they were heavily restricting themselves, getting used to such a powerful presence carries its own advantages. After all, freezing mid-combat due to fear is a very real danger.

“Was he always like this?” Weslin joins my side.

“Excuse me?”

“Nathaniel, I mean. You knew him before I met him. Did he always talk to the Rulers like they were some back alley merchants?”

I observe him for a moment longer. He still seems a bit shaken, and when I check my own state, I notice similar tension in my body.

“He might not seem like it, but he is very calculating. He behaves that way because he either thinks he can do so without significant consequences, or because he believes they prefer it. If you think about it, being a Ruler must mean almost everyone cowers in fear before you. Having someone so straightforward must be refreshing for some of them.” I say.

Weslin chuckles. “It is easier to deduce that than it is to actually behave that way. Well, having a ridiculous amount of mana must also make him more accustomed to the sort of pressure they radiate.”

I nod in agreement. Then, I take a few steps and pick up the Leviathan Fish’s core from the ground, likely left there by the Ruler of Diligence. All of us are now outside the body of a god and likely far away from it. I don’t think this was meant to stop us, but rather served as a hint and a silent request to leave it alone. I don’t think it would be a bad idea to get on the good side of a Ruler, so I should do my best to prevent the others from returning there.

“Oh, look, Brichant,” Weslin says as Brich approaches, while Morwag sits on the ground to meditate. This time, I notice the movement of his binding energy. He is still heavily covered in sweat, and heat seems to seep out of his body, which occasionally twists and audibly cracks.

I notice his horns getting thicker and slightly longer, too. The only thing that comes to mind is a Primary Class upgrade, as I estimated he already had his third trait before our expedition started. So, does the class upgrade influence the body? Is it his newly allocated stats? Or something entirely else?

Even without this, Morwag is an interesting case. He doesn't have a fifth trait, or even a fourth. According to the information I have, he wasn't even born with a demon heart, so his traits are limited to three, much like a human. It is a disadvantage for him, and knowing demons, he was likely looked down upon. However, he possesses a binding primordial energy I haven't seen in anyone else yet.

There is a lot I want to observe regarding him, but it wouldn't be efficient. Weslin is someone I can learn much more from. So, I turn back to him and his conversation with Brich.

“I swear, Isolde will eat me alive... or she will skin me alive! You know, maybe a hint of Diligence’s presence remains on my skin, and she could observe it or something,” Brich says as happily as only he can. “Do you really think he would rename me to Brichant if I became an ant?”

“For sure,” Weslin answers, then calls out toward the demon. “Morwag, do you still want to go to the surface?” His question surprises me, but he seems to have caught onto something I missed.

I listen for whatever Morwag might answer.

Weslin appears to be correct, as the demon answers while remaining seated with his back to us. “I thought about it, Weslin, and I think I want to compare myself to Nyssa one more time with all that I have acquired now. Just a few days remain for my tutorial, and I also want to see how far I can push the thirteenth floor.”

At that moment, Nathaniel appears as well, but noting the demon talking, he stays quiet. As always, there is that unnerving feeling that my mana is about to betray me and listen to him instead. My constant detection, which searches for enemies, breaks around him. Particles of my mana and the ambient mana swirl and stop within his reach, as if happy to obey him. His eyes, glowing with his trait, sweep over us, the area, and then toward the location of the god’s body.

Morwag speaks again. “But there is someone else I want to challenge much more now, and from whom I think I can gain more.” He stands up and, taking a few heavy steps, stops in front of Nathaniel. He is much more muscular, wider, and taller. His eyes are the reddest I have seen in any demon.

Of course, that guy doesn’t flinch. He just stands there, watching the demon’s suffocating pressure with nothing but calm curiosity. He stays well within striking distance, despite his ridiculously fragile body.

“I’m not saying no, but how about we go to the surface for a day or two. We return to Duncan for the shards, I stop by the Doc, and then we find some place to fight.” Nathaniel says.

“I agree. To the death,” Morwag declares.

“Honestly, I won’t kill you even if I win. But you won’t mind, right? After all, the winner is correct.”

“That is true,” the demon agrees.

“Well, then, why don’t we leave. It is time to check out the surface.”

POV Nathaniel

I sadly look toward where the body of a god rests far in the distance. I really want to head straight there, but I know it would take longer than currently fits our schedule. Unfortunately, by rough estimation, reaching the body of the god would take over a week. That simply does not fit with how long Morwag can stay, so perhaps next time.

It is truly far away, but at the same time, there are storms, defensive arrays, zones with mana radiation, and many other dangerous areas like that. My marks are also gone, not erased by Diligence but rather crumbled, as if they could not exist within such an area.

It is safe to say we reached that place so easily only because we hitchhiked on the lynthari lurker’s teleportation, and the experience is still fresh in my mind. I will have to experiment with using the environment to aid my long-range teleports. Something like that should increase range and drastically reduce cost, though it requires more detailed mapping of wavelengths, ambient mana, and things that feel like mana rivers and currents.

We are fairly close, but it still takes some time to reach the portal and use it to head to the Entrance Floor. Once there, we enter one of the outposts to find a guide offering information on active teleports to the surface.

I let Weslin and Brich deal with that while I rest with my back against the wall, observing the many attendees appearing there. They are fresh Beyonders, some of them barely escaping the surface alive. I still remember the time I arrived with my leg missing, and there are many here in a similar state.

One such human stumbles against the wall near me, clutching a hole in his side. Tattoos appear on his skin, rushing toward the injury and closing the wound while he breathes heavily. His wild eyes then shift to look at me, but his expression freezes.

As I calmly watch him, his aggression vanishes. He opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it, gulping and slowly walking away.

In the same way, I catch the attention of half a dozen more attendees, always making sure to look as impressive and mysterious as possible, and by the 6th one, I’m quite good at it as I look down at him.

My crown spins over my head, and with my domain skill, I drain some colors from around my face to make my Preeminence Eyes seem even brighter, wearing the mysterious look of a guy staring at a man he’s shared a gym with for years and talked to every day, yet can't for the life of him remember his name.

Honestly, we are attracting quite a bit of attention. With Morwag being taller than most thylarin, almost reaching the size of a velnar, he is quite threatening. I wonder which one of us scares the attendees more.

But once we have the information, we leave the outpost and head through the tunnel system until we find a simple crack in the wall. It is pitch black and far from the usual pathways.

I do not seem to be the only one disappointed by its lack of grandeur as I step in front of it.

“Want to hold hands while we pass through? So we do not get separated,” Brich offers, only to be rejected by the silence.

Every one of us switches to a combat-ready state we were preparing for, and then I take a step forward with all of them following right after.

The moment the teleportation activates, I know something is wrong. From deep within me, something burns my very being. Notifications ring in alarm, and all my mana is gone in a blink, with even more of it pulled straight out of my veins.

The world around me spins as I materialize and fall to my knees, my hands barely stopping my head from hitting the ground.

When I lift my head, I see a shoe right in front of me, playfully tapping the floor. And as I continue to look up, I hear a voice. “Damn, feral one, falling to my feet the moment you see me? How flattering.”

I let out a groan, not just because of pain, and several other voices from behind me mimic the sound of painful groans as well. The boys.

“Though I did not expect you to bring company. But the more the merrier!”

Another voice cuts her off. “Little kitten, why don't you continue with your mana shaping exercises instead of being a bother? And you, little pup, get control of yourself, or you will sink even lower in my estimation. Your handling of the transport is, quite frankly, pathetic.”

I open my mouth to say something, but instead, I vomit, barely missing her legs, but as she asked, I push myself to my feet after wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

What I thought was a mountain acting as a backdrop to Lissandra now moves. A lizard-like head on a long neck twists around. Just that movement disturbs the air and creates a breeze as the head moves behind Lissandra. Just one of the pale golden eyes on that head is multiple times bigger than Lissandra herself, and I notice pale gray scales with a hint of a purple tint.

The enormous wyvern lets out a long noise that shifts from the sound of cracking rocks to deep vibrations rattling my bones, ending in a longer call reminiscent of a whale. It is a mix of sounds with a rhythm to them, making me realize the monster is talking to us.

"I have no idea what it says," Myrra whispers to me when I look at her.

Unlike her, Lissandra listens to it. After the wyvern stops talking, Lissandra lifts her hand and waves in a dismissive gesture, causing the wyvern to show its enormous teeth and slightly open its maw before it turns away to rest as it was doing before.

I cannot even observe more before I realize Lissandra is creating a field around us, which doesn’t let my senses through. It seems to defend us against the pressure from the wyvern and possibly from this place itself. I don't look around further before I glance towards the boys, who are crawling on the ground and groaning in a similar way to how I did. Myrra, curious as always, reaches them with a few nimble steps and begins to playfully kick Savant with the tip of her shoe.

"I hope you didn't hurt the vyssari that was with us," I say, not noticing Zant anywhere here.

"I just stopped him when he tried to follow. I don't see a point in antagonizing a Ruler without reason, so I didn't kill his vessel."

For a few long seconds, I stare at her. Then a chuckle escapes me. "Yes, no reason to ant-agonize him," I repeat after her. I chuckle again and almost fall down as Myrra slams into me from behind, rubbing her face against my hair.

Still standing and feeling a bit better, I ignore the lynthari and take a deep breath. "So, what’s the plan?"

Instead of answering, Lissandra asks, "Tell me, little pup. How much do you know about the nature of that 'black mana' of yours?" As she says it, Redacthaniel snaps into existence, and the words "black mana" are spoken in my own, but very monotone voice.

Thinking of where she might be going with this, and whether she just wants me to be a supply of black mana again, I reply, "Not that much, but it's not as if I spend too much effort on it."

After my answer, she stands there staring at me. There is a hint of disbelief in her expression. "Little pup."

"Yes."

She lifts her hand slowly and points at a spot under one of the trees. "Go and sit there. You have one hour. Then, I will ask you the same question again. If you are dumb enough to give me another useless answer, I vow by the power I hold: I will leave you on this floor."

The wyvern behind her shifts again, enormous and terrifying, and not just because of its size but because of the power it holds. It speaks again, a deep growling noise coming from deep within its throat that shifts in frequency and sounds like it spreads for dozens of miles.

Lissandra doesn't even turn toward it as she answers. "I do not care. I will find another way."

Myrra slides off me, and I turn around, walking past the very confused bunch of S ranks and Savi to sit on the ground under the tree.

With an hour of free time, I guess I could also finally use one of my low pristine passive tokens.