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Chapter 755 - Where are you headed?
🕑 Added 2025-12-11 09:50:02 +0000 UTCPOV Sophie Martinez
When the fight ends, the wall on the side of Nathaniel's room explodes, and I see his figure step through before using that kinetic movement to appear near us.
We don't say anything, and neither does he, as he looks us over. Then he lies down on the ground before saying, "Lily, I might need a bit of help over here."
The body upgrade that he seemed to have gradually gotten under control now, for some reason, ravages his body again.
Lily is near him before he even finishes, and I see Tess nudging Biscuit while saying, "Go and help him too. Your stupid bond wouldn't ask for help if it wasn't serious."
The corgi moves as well and expands in size to his adult form before jumping on Nathaniel's chest. His weird primordial energy flickers around him, and finally, Nathaniel seems to breathe out in relief. Not like it is obvious to see. I'm sure this man would be arrogant enough to think he can handle anything on his own. And I don't know what I should consider more ridiculous, the fact that he survived the explosion of two modified thermonuclear warheads to the face, or the fact that he did it all while dealing with a body upgrade.
I can estimate most of what he has to deal with, and I heard about his current constitution and his new plan that exploited that low constitution to make deeper changes during the body upgrade. It edited his body and constructs enough to let him create what he calls a vessel in combination with the help of that, honestly, ridiculous skill called [Manifestation].
There are many things that should cause his death, yet here he is, scarier than ever.
The image of the thermonuclear warheads exploding and the contrast between his expression and Christoph's surprise still stays in my mind. It is obvious that Christoph is much, much more powerful. Hell, the guy seems to be more stable than the average Easy difficulty person. But it all stinks, it stinks so much, especially with Izzy telling me that she hasn't noticed Christoph lying, not even once.
Yet, I don't know who I would bet on if it came to it.
"Congratulations on having your question if you could survive an atomic bomb answered," Tess says, and I think she talks to distract him a bit from whatever is happening to his body now.
"Tess, it was just two small ones, it almost doesn't count."
"Nat, I don't think that is how it works. But tell me, how does it feel?"
"A little cool."
"You will be a menace when we return to Earth."
"Nah, Tess, humans are scary and too good at killing. Just wait, some Hard difficulty guy will bring magical metals to Earth, and some country will lock their scientists in a lab. Then they will create a magic bullet, a weapon, or something that would be able to kill me. They don't have to erase my body for that, and will probably try to shoot my brain through my eye or something from far away. That's what I would do."
"Wouldn't you sense the kinetic movement of a bullet heading towards you? I bet you could catch it if you really wanted."
That makes Nathaniel go quiet, though it might be because of his body as he closes his eyes.
"What if they try to shoot me while I poop?" he asks after a few seconds.
Next to me, Izzy chuckles.
I shake my head, checking the timer. Only around 20 minutes remain until the end of the tournament. The 4th event took close to the entire last day. Then I look back at Nathaniel. Unlike before, he is slimmer now. Not in a way that would make him look ill, but that feels as if his body is denser. It is possible to see even on his face, though his eyes show no suffering or the effort that all of this required.
Maybe I'm the only one other than Lily who fully understands it. That man is just taking it all too casually. As if he locked into a single goal and which allows him to ignore things that should break him. And I think I'm the only one to understand one thing, what a glorious mind he has. His incredibly conductive body, his huge mana reserves, his powerful traits or passives, or hearts... I think they are nothing in comparison to his mind.
As someone with the kinds of talents I have, I can see it. It's like he thinks differently from us. And by his mind, I don't mean the effort or focus he can put into things, though all of it is impressive. No, what continues to surprise me more and more is his ability to separate his minds, combine, or focus them on a single task, and all of it at high speeds.
His ability to throw himself into those currents of thoughts without worrying about losing himself inside of them. Not even for a moment does he seem to accept the fact that it could happen, even though he must remember Faora and how shattered her mind became when she tried something similar.
What a maniac.
"Izzy, did you record everything?" I ask my sister.
Before she can answer, Nathaniel calls, "Sophie, I fucking swear, if you are supporting her in making these edits of me..."
"Oh, shut up," I shout back at him. "I just want to rewatch what Christoph was doing, his inscription circles and other things."
"I have to remind you I'm an extremely petty person, Sophie, if you lie and you support that terrible hobby of hers, I will have my revenge."
"Will you have revenge against me, too, Nat?" Izzy asks.
That causes the lunatic to shut up finally, and Izzy giddily dances her upper body while giving a little laugh. I wonder what feelings she just felt.
My sister then leans closer and puts her arm on me while whispering very quietly, "Go and help him too."
I look at her and just nod. I trust Izzy.
Standing up, I say to Nat, "I'm bored, I want to check the process of your body upgrade."
"Go away," he calls from the ground.
"Biscuit, attack," I say instead.
The corgi looks at me and then at Nat, who stares at him with a blank expression. As always, this cute little animal is very smart and understanding if he wants to be, and Nat knows what is about to come.
"I will have my revenge," the lunatic threatens from where he lies, before Biscuit expands in size and jumps to viciously attack his face.
***
POV Nathaniel
The tournament ended, and it’s been two days since I found myself back in Megacity. I spent those two days lying in my bed and dealing with the additional wave of the body upgrade. As a result, my room in the headquarters of the Primordial Knights is destroyed, and the array that surrounded it as well. I worry they will have me pay. I’ve seen the contract, and that sum will be high.
I don't even remember what happened that much after leaving the tournament, losing the help of the others made it increasingly difficult. But I dealt with it anyway. I knew I could.
Now I stand up in front of the mirror, tired, but feeling unstoppable as the pain is entirely gone, causing me to feel incredibly light. The body upgrade has finally ended, and its gains are much bigger than I expected.
I used the upgrade to etch deeper inside of me and strengthened each of my constructs, because why the hell not.
I have gotten a new possibility of trait strengthening. So instead of three, I can now do four. That makes me wonder what the limit is and when my trait would become something as special as Parallax Eyes.
However, just this would be worth all of that pain and losing out on some tournament rewards.
But I also got a way to manifest what I call a vessel. The same as with improving my constructs, I used the opportunity to map my body and make changes that allow me to manifest that vessel to deal with mana and possibly primordial energies instead of me. It is a temporary solution, of course, and not something I want to rely on.
I still want to channel mana so perfectly that it becomes possible even through a Constitution 10 body or something crazy like that. In a way, manifesting my vessel will be like a clear sign that shit is getting serious.
And of course, there is the fact that I, at times during the body upgrade, ran the Restrictive Training Emblem to increase my stats. Everyone caught in my situation would do that, too. I wonder if that made some parts of the process more difficult, but well, it worked out. In the end, it gained me nearly 40 Strength and Dexterity. Each. And one Constitution point for some reason.
Then there is the title of Absolute Candidate, thanks to Adrian. When we started disappearing from the event, I expected him to be angry, disappointed, or surprised. But there was none of that, more than anything, he seemed to be happy. It makes me nervous. Yet another thing to think of.
However, the Absolute Candidate title also improved the body upgrade, as I hoped. I still don't know what my traits being greatly integrated into my being means, but it can't be anything bad.
With the title come the rewards, which I still have to pick from, though I have favorite ones already.
Lastly, the fact that I have this title means my 3rd trait at Level 400 and primary class at Level 450 will be monstrous. Like, truly. Even until then, all my offered rewards should be improved. Passives, items, everything.
All of this is what I really wanted, what I ran after, and now that I have it after all this effort, I don't feel as excited as I thought I would be. I know I'm incomparably stronger than before. Yet, I just feel a bit tired, burned out.
I force myself to smile in front of the mirror, but my reflection doesn't show it. Instead, that asshole stands there with his upper body naked and visible scars on the body. My shoulder, side, chest, right forearm, elbow, the one going from the bottom of my left cheek through my neck, and more.
I touch a few of them before just shrugging and putting on a white T-shirt without any print.
Moving across the room, I sit behind the table and start eating a slightly stale, day-old pastry I find on it.
Of course, there are also tournament rewards. Though I only won the second event and fought against Adrian in the last one, I got myself a spot as 5th in the total rankings. But yet, I can't find myself disappointed, in the end, the tournament almost didn't matter this time.
I open and reread the notification.
Congratulations on completing your 3rd tournament!
The fourth tournament will occur four years from the start of your tutorial. All rounds from Earth's tutorial will compete together against Nythis and 8 more planets undergoing their own tutorial.
Congratulations, you have placed fifth overall in the 3rd tournament of Earth's tutorial. Your rewards have been improved.
You have rejected all event rewards in order to increase your final rewards. Your rewards have been improved.
Please choose 1 out of 3 possible rewards:
- Passive skill combination token (up to mid-arcane rarity)
- Passive skill (mid arcane)
- 1,500,000 shards
So now I'm a bit richer. That's all. The rewards truly are much worse outside of the top three, or maybe I'm just too used to more "luxurious" rewards. It makes me wonder what Adrian even wanted or hoped for from the tournament. Though I should meet with Ruby today, and might find out.
Looking at the notification, I also remember what Maya said.
"Do you think Nythis will tell eight other planets about how this tournament went, and they will all group up against us?"
It can't be, right?
***
When I exited the tournament before, Ruby summoned me to her weird, neverending space. Then she just checked on me and sent me to a room in the headquarters with a promise to talk later. That's what I try to do now, after finding her where she told me we would meet, in one of the smaller restaurants behind the inner walls of the Megacity.
Now, instead of talking about what we should talk about, she just drags me all over the city. We visit a barber where she pays to get my hair cut and styled. Then we visit a bakery where I taste probably one of the best cheesecake like thing I've ever tasted in my life.
Our next stop is a liquor shop where she has me taste several varieties, then buys a bottle of each one I enjoy, even a little. She pays a few tens of thousands of shards for that.
She shows me a tree that Pathfinder Thane planted when she started building the city. It is heavily protected and grows a few weird orange-like fruits. Ruby tells me she sometimes steals some when Thane annoys her.
I listen to her tell stories from Eladore pre-destruction, about her master Lissandra, and how Ruby was just sent to her to spy before everything changed. I also hear a few stories about pre-Absolute Lissandra, a young girl born to a neverending war.
The entire time, Ruby disrupts my mana every time I try to train, and during the entire time, I feel like I have nothing to do.
Lastly, she teleports us to one of the highest places in the Megacity: the roof of the Pathfinder's house.
"I used to be Lioren's Handler, and when he died back then, I did not think much of it," she says, meeting my eyes. "I saw Adrian as less talented, yet more ruthless and more willing to do whatever was required. For me, it does not matter who it is or what must be sacrificed. I will support anyone with even the slightest chance to kill Pride, even if that chance is as small as someone managing to kill Kindness. I do not care if they are cruel, I do not care who dies because of it, or how many worlds fall. I want Pride dead. That is my greed."
Looking back at her, I nod.
And she continues, "I met Adrian again two hundred years ago outside the tutorial and put him in contact with Kyralon. At the time, I did not think much about his plan, and I did not believe he would succeed. What he has done by being reborn on Earth is not that special. What truly borders on the impossible is the system accepting him as an Earth native and letting him enter the tutorial a second time. Even I would not be able to force something like that. The system is not easy to fool, and yet he managed it. I also understand what he is doing by sending you to me. He is not foolish enough to believe this would change your view of him in any meaningful way. This is him mocking you and mocking me. He thinks he understands people far better than he actually does. His skill is not like your friend's, and it has clear limits."
"Tell me more."
She does without hesitation, "One of the reasons why so many powerful people are interested in him is that he shares a skill that is also one of Pride's ten. That skill is called [Mirror]. Adrian uses it to reflect your emotions back onto himself, which helps him understand others and turn those emotions to his advantage. It also lets him mirror other things, such as skills, stats, and passives. There are limits at his current level, yet it remains a very powerful one. Adrian might look weak now, but he is the type who grows stronger when he faces someone stronger."
"I have a question for you."
"Ask."
"What does he plan to do?"
"I can tell you, but if you are not careful, the people you care about will die."
"Tell me."
She tells me, and I listen in silence. Soon after, I walk away, leaving Ruby alone on the roof.
***
A few days later, the Beyond rankings update one more time.
Exploration Leaders
1. Christoph (7th Floor)
2. Adrian (6th Floor)
3. Nyssa Volare (5th Floor)
4. Voss (5th Floor)
5. Orion (5th Floor)
6. Zenith (5th Floor)
I know I have three days, so during that time, I move around the Megacity and head to the 3rd floor of Beyond. Mostly to meet and talk to people from Group 4. I also pick my rewards for the Absolute Candidate quest.
Then I wait.
Just three more days.
***
POV Earth
A blanket of snow covers the mountains as far as the eye can see. The powerful wind continues to blow, moving the snow through the area in a way that gives it a rough beauty. That view looks like something you would put on the front page of a tourist magazine.
That's where a man appears from the air. He looks in his mid-forties, and though he wears thin clothes, the cold doesn't seem to bother him at all.
As he catches sight of a familiar view, he smiles brightly and takes a deep, slow breath. Then another.
He looks around until his eyes find a cabin nestled against the mountain nearby. It is one of those modern ones with big, triple-layered glass for better insulation. It has a terrace, a balcony, and a road leading to it. Nestled there, it offers a beautiful view of the valley below and the mountains around. Though it seems empty, the area around it is cleared of snow, as if someone were taking care of it while the owner was gone.
The man smiles even more and lifts his arm.
Under an invisible force, the cottage shatters into a million tiny pieces. The destruction keeps coming, as if something furious is hammering at it. Then it changes, and big pieces of the mountain are torn off, building-sized rocks that are flung all over, crashing into the other peaks and setting off avalanches. Some boulders fly far into the distance, others are crushed midair.
The man, who was smiling at the start, shows a deep anger as he screams while the destruction continues until the entire mountain is gone. He moves his slightly shaking hand through his hair and then laughs shortly with relief that sounds like he pushed a wrong memory away, the one of decades of desperation and weakness.
He then fixes his clothes and, through the snow, starts walking the road heading down towards the closest village.
***
POV Nathaniel
I check the timer for the last time before I stand up. Then I use the 1-day Earth visitor token.
The world around me twists in a way that doesn't feel any more special than when I go on Beyond quests. It's just the same as always. I don't even know what I had expected.
I find myself in the middle of what seems like a military compound with walls, vehicles, and even towers. An alarm rings right away, but I just take a step and use Wraith Dance. I repeat it multiple times until I find myself on the other end of the city.
The rush and presence of that many human beings hits me powerfully. Standing on the sidewalk, I just look around and take the view in, all these familiar smells and sights. It is weird, and I don't know what I had expected, but none of the people here feel more real than the natives of the tutorial.
I take another Wraith Dance to cross the street as I spot a young man showing off his new watch to a girl. When I stop, I very carefully tap on his shoulder.
"What?" he asks when he turns around, but words freeze in his mouth, and he coughs and asks again, but in a very different tone, "What?"
"Can you lend me 100 bucks? I will give you 100,000 tomorrow," I ask.
He blinks in confusion multiple times and looks between the girl and me before he laughs and pulls out his wallet. "Of course, you will," he snorts. "But take it."
As he hands it to me in multiple bills, I take it very carefully, aware not to touch him, wary of my strength. Though I'm heavily restricting myself, and my tapping on his shoulder didn't break it.
I take the bills and search his expression. It is a mix of strong desire to show off, a bit of fear, but also a bit of kindness. I picked him because he seemed wealthy and an easy target, but he doesn't seem to be a bad guy.
"Thanks, I will give you 200,000," I say. "What is your name?"
Almost forgetting the girl, he laughs, "As if you will, but whatever. It is John Murray." Then adds, "just don't spend it on alcohol, and help someone else."
I nod and remember his looks before taking another Wraith Dance and disappearing to stop in front of a convenience store. There I walk through the aisles and pick a can of soda drink and wait to have my hot dog prepared.
When I pay, I exit outside where I eat it all while resting against the wall near the store. As I chew, I watch cars and people pass by, with it all feeling extremely unreal.
On the opposite side of the street, I notice a bus coming to the bus stop, so I use Wraith Dance again to bring me nearby, and I rush the rest of the distance and jump onto the bottom step as the bus doors hiss open. I move up the stairs, and the air hits me with the heavy scent of diesel and cheap cleaner. The driver, a woman with tired eyes, doesn't look up right away.
"Good afternoon," I say.
She glances up, a weary, practiced expression on her face. "Afternoon. Where are you headed?"
"Wherever the line goes," I reply, handing her the ten-dollar bill I had already pulled out.
She frowns slightly with a spark of annoyance in her tired eyes. "We don't do change for a ten, pal. The bus fare is three fifty."
"Keep it," I say, waving it off.
She sighs, pulling a small stack of crumpled bills from beneath the counter anyway. "Nah, I gotta give you something. Three fifty is the fare." She counts out some bills and coins, pushing a small, heavy pile toward me. "Six fifty change."
"Thank you," I say, taking the bills. I don't count it, just shove the change into my jacket pocket and walk down the narrow aisle.
I pass several silent, tired human beings. A woman is glued to her phone, a teenager is swallowed by oversized headphones, and an older man is just staring out the glass. I head straight to the back row and choose the corner seat. I press my back firmly into the worn, rough fabric of the seat, letting the steady, powerful rumble of the engine transmit through the bus and into my bones.
The bus doors hiss shut, and the entire vehicle lurches forward, pulling away from the curb.
I lean my head against the dusty window and watch the city begin to slide by while pressing my face close to the glass, studying my own reflection.
Comments
Tyler Engelke
I don't think Nat cares about the position of Absolute. He likely intends to be labelled a ruler candidate before the end of the tutorial and let everyone else fight over absolute.
Vithusan Algumalai
Is nathaniel is still dying because of low constitution and construct ?
Krzychu0304
A completely insane thought crossed my mind: What if Nat's plan wasn't to obtain the spark of the world, or to fight Fraudrian directly, but to allow the true absolute of earth to pass through to earth (the way he suddenly gained the ability to pass through to the 3rd floor beyond) and take his rightful place?
Gutz
I used to love Thursdays, now I just hate them: waiting for the next chapter till Sunday is excruuuuuuuuuuciating bouhouhouhou
DarkRain
Your first point could be correct and we have theorized that too. Makes sense. Other things ive heard is that he is mirroring Chris status or something but idk how that makes sense so whatever. As for the Dili thing.....his handler is wrath. We learned that a while ago. A low pristine item cant capture an ex absolute. The armor the whole war happened over was low pristine and while its decent its also nothing special on its own
13L00D13ANE
If chris clears it he gets the spark, doesnt that mean it goes with him? Why would it stay in the dungeon?
Manther
So Timeline: T3 ends Chris clears floor 6 of Beyond - gets a 3 day Earth visitor token Chris goes to Earth, clears the World Dungeon in those 3 days Leaves back to Beyond Nat uses his 1 day Earth visitor token > The moment the first Absolute clears the World Dungeon, it starts to restore to its previous power and then grows stronger with the Absolute and the planet. The Dungeon has just been cleared. It's EMPTY. Chris just used his (probably) only Earth visit token and cannot return to defend the dungeon. Nat just waltzes in and yoinks the spark (edit): Since Absolutes are strongest while on their planet (per Lissandra ch. 681), it makes sense that the Sovereign Spark likely stays there. The Spark is tied to the planet, it is the essence of that planet.
Nemesis
I just had some wild ideas, speculation follows: Firstly, we build on what I suggested previously, that Adrian has been possessing Christoph's body since birth. Adrian is the blue avatar thing, and its how he cheated the System to get into the tutorial. Now that Adrian is in the tutorial, he is preparing to permanently integrate himself into Christoph's body (probably after the tutorial, to avoid the System becoming aware of his trickery - similar to what happened when Lissliss escaped the tutorial). To that end he sought out the possession knowledge the Absolute of the Armory had developed. We could also accept that Diligence is Adrian's handler, and may have even assisted him in his 'rebirth'. With that in mind, what if Diligence's refusal to teleport Nat out of the Armory actually had another reason behind it. Either because Nat was taking/destroying all the research that Adrian would find helpful (but didn't 100% need anymore because he has the Armory Absolute), or because the knowledge/items could potentially be used to hurt Adrian. My theory is; what if Nat, in studying the items from the Armory has developed a means to use one of them to capture Adrian. His second selection from his Absolute Candadite quest was probably a low Pristine item, which he can either use to complete the item from the Armory (IIRC they were incomplete), or more likely he has traded it for what he needs to complete it. Now that he is back on Earth, he may actually be planning to confront Adrian and capture him before he can dive the world dungeon.
mitchell kaiser
I hope there’s a POV next chapter of the Colonel getting the readings of Nat arriving and absolutely freaking out. 🤣
Adrian Rake
On Sunday.
Bruno Correia
No chapter today?
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Adrian doesn’t need blackmail
Nemesis
I'm really doubtful that Nat is strong enough to beat Adrian as he currently is, and I don't think he could complete the world dungeon in a day anyway as a non-champion (I'm somewhat doubtful a Champion could either). I am thinking that maybe Nat is going to make some preparations for dealing with Adrian, like setup some kind of massive mana collector, so that when the tutorial ends he can grab all the mana its gathered and use it to attack Adrian. He may also be seeking to get group 4s families to safety, perhaps Adrian plans to blackmail all of his potential champions with their families well being by having them locked away somewhere.
Tristan
Moreeeeee
Tristan
Omg the next chappie cant come soon enough
rams
It should be trait for use on 3rd trait
MannaDaddy
Idk, after the tournament Nat spent a couple days recovering, I would assume Adrian went to earth right after the tutorial and had his little tantrum.
thisisniall
The importance of the Earth token has been hinted at multiple times - from Diligence/Greed conversing, from Greed arranging things so Nat could meet Liss again - and her explaining about how pairings work, etc. Wonder what he'll use the second reward on - I'm assuming the trait.
M Schweibold
The best written arc of this brilliantly crafted series is the Lioren. Nat must take down Adrian and Ruby confirmed it again. I like the theory that Nat has already beat the dungeon and Chrissy is pissed as such….that would be such an interesting leap for Cerim setting the juxtaposition of Nat chilling on the bus (as he entered) after already screwing Adrian out of absolute. Then, Cerim could go back and recount what had transpired after the fact. That would make this chapter elite storytelling and well within Cerim abilities. You Sir! You make reading fun and engaging!
TiltedCubeoid
Darn it, it's Earth!
Borbino the great
I think he’ll just speed run it while helping Nyssa or whatever her name is get to the next floor of behind
Michael Williams
Do we think fraudrian and nat are on earth at the same time? If so that could be interesting.
Kirin
Thank you for the chappie!
Woojoe
Is John Murray going to unlock his system since he’s been in contact with Nat? I can’t remember if contact with returnees unlocks it or contact with monsters.
Pascal Beaulieu
Pretty sure the 2 points of views aren't happening at the same time. Hope Nat was a few days quicker and stole the dungeon.
Predyca
During the Party Rubi said he has more mana than any Atendee ever had. He definetly has more then all easy and probably normal difficulty members combined
PigNebula
I didn't really consider Adrian using an Earth Return Token. Dangerous thing for him to be back on Earth, probably for the best that Nat did end up getting one as well.
John
It was clear he would do it. makes for a more intressting story, even if unlogical, unless he challenges the first dungeon of earth.
John
Now he can finally freely level again. Bases on how fast he leveld before the tournament he should hit level 400 in 1 or 2 weeks in beyond
tishane Imperial MageKiller
I agree with you bro I think the system let Adrain back in because it had Nat on deck he is both hard working and A Genius while Adrian may have been talented i dont think he's like Nat he doesn't have that special sauce in him he's a coward thats trying to game the system I think the system gamed him he's like the final boss to push Natt to the next limit because he's a danger to his friends and Natt is going hard to protect what he values without compromising his morals and still love kinetic primordial energy if dont think ppl really get how opp that energy is forrreal lol I think its 1 of the 5 energys that make up realities or something. If you look it up on Google
Baramus
Could be, but also I think it was intended to show the contrast between the two: Adrian went up to that mountain to die, thinking he’d gotten the tutorial timing wrong. When he returned to Earth and saw that cabin, it reminded him of his weakness, trapped in an old body without system growth, and so he destroyed it out of anger. On the other hand, Nat is able to enjoy the little things on Earth and relax a bit.
Jonathan Nading
Oh, Kevin. We barely knew you.
Audrey WJ
So let's see, He basically gained much more Mana control and channeling ability with the ability for him to actually go all out by manifesting his Vessel, using his full power was previously something he couldn't do because had too much mana for his crappy body. Then we have the trait integration, he says he doesn't know what that is but we can guess it comes with a general overall enhancement to everything the trait can do and probably makes it easier for him to use them with some extra stuff he will have to figure out. That's all we have been told and can reliably guess at. We will just have to wait for Nat to explore and figure out all the changes himself and right now he seems to be in no hurry. Also he secured his future advancement.
Audrey WJ
Hahah, I said to myself, how funny would it be if Nat picks the 1 day earth stay token instead of any of the things we were debating in the previous chapter. It would be such a Nat thing to do......and here we are, this bloody Lunatic!
facetiousk
*That Time I Spent A 1-Day Stay Token To Return To Earth From A Dungeon And Had To Restart The Dungeon*
Predyca
Hell yeah! We went to Earth baby! Im surprised the Best puppy in all of existence didn't come along for the ride just to annoy Nat hehe. So Fraudrians big Reward was the Return to Earth Token that Nat also took. Fraudrian going through all this just to return and Nat got it as a Reward....hmm Could the System be putting Nat into Fraudrians Path just to spite him and not make it so easy for Fraudrian to cheat the System and become Earths Absolute to early? The question i have, Page wise Fraudrian got here first and destroyed his old home and then Nat appeared. So if it comes down to it, as Nat has shown he would do, will he use their Timers to deny Fraudrian the Title? P.S. Whoever came up with Fraudrian, i Love you xD best name
MannaDaddy
Adrian is furious because he intended to make a spectacle of beating Nathaniel and cementing his power in the minds of everyone from earths tutorial. Instead he got a reminder that Nathaniel is everything he wished he was during his first tutorial. Hope that manipulative old man gets what's coming to him.
Arme nd
Kinda yea, though i remember he was pretty pissed when Brich stole the sword under his nose.
Little Watchmaker
100% believe Nat is now much stronger than Morwag, who i think will challenge him during the expedition and be put down without much effort.
Jonathan Nading
No, that's gotta be his old digs from before the Tutorial. The chapter calls it "a familiar view".
Joel
Did Adrian just kill Nats mom? I remember him saying something about keeping them safe in a secluded area.
Doug
If Adrian is in another body (Christoph), how did Nat recognize his appearance from Lioren memories? It could be from his Kinect signature, but it seems like a stretch.
Doug
I'm mean, story wise, this is nothing new , exposition to important things doesn't always happens to us in a linear sequence, there were other times that we learned only later about some ability or trait from Nat, and normally that happens when it's appropriate to the story and it helps create a better narrative. We will probably see more about the upgrade while Nat is exploring what he can do or in a fight. Probably not even him is aware of everything that changed at this point of the story.
im Panda
As shown by Nat pride can mean many things. We don't know what constitutes Pride's pride
Isaac Lung
He’s mad at almost dying from old age when the tutorial didn’t start when he’d predicted.
Isaac Lung
Pretty sure Nat waited until Adrian had left Earth before using his token. No way he can fight him for the title at his current power level.
Ivan Jelenić
Maybe he's mad that he failed to copy black mana, because it's not a skill iirc?
CrypticAnon
If skills can evolve I think [Reflection], theskill that Kevin had from book 1, would’ve turned into [Mirror]. Really interesting to see that what if’s in the story.
Ivan Jelenić
Is Nat having one calm moment before releasing lots of mana to speed up Earth's development? But probably not, he's not strong enough for that.
Ivan Jelenić
Is this the first time we see Adrian really angry and letting his emotions show?
Ivan Jelenić
He will absorb/fuse with the vessel at some point.
Gardor
Doesnt "Mirror" seem like, not thematically appropriate for the Ruler of Pride
Morde24
Their trauma is manifesting in parallel forms, just like the teins trauma is
Budgie
I just noticed the young guy handing nat money probably recognized him from a video or something :D Probably goes sometthing like "Watch ManaDaddy tank 2 nukes" Turns around on the street -- Sees the guy who tanked 2 nukes ...*hands him money*
Arcanum
Till the 5th floor expedition I believe
TBONEMAN
Adrian must be trying to become absolute with his earth stay token and Nat isnt letting him do it. They are going to fight on earth and scare the shit out of everyone. Hopefully he brought a healing mark for Grumpy.
Budgie
Many questions but honestly just hoping for more earth pov
Andrew
Thank you!
Nemesis
Reactions will include 'I can fix him' part 3
Gardor
Three days till what?
TYRELL GRAY
It would call it infestation, I skill that slowly take everything from you while getting stronger. It takes your mana, your control over your skill, it takes away your primordial energy, mainly kinetic and thermal.
TYRELL GRAY
I been thinking, if nat use the skill combination, it would be cool to combine, redistribute, eclipse. And manifestation—- if it’s possible—-because redistribution helps nat with kinetic energy, and mana, and thermal energy. While eclipse help with taking over skills, and mana, and manifestation helps to manifest objects, construct. And I remember he said that manifestation, make his objects grow stronger over time. Imagine how powerful that new skill would be
Subliminary
They aren’t both there. Nat *was* there, cleared the dungeon, and likely left before Adrian could use his One Day Earth Token, hence the man destroying the cabin and the mountain.
Bryan Yeip
Looks like a mental health day off to me.
Alex Reed
If Nat uses a triple skill combination token to get the skill [Foundation] again, it should theoretically pair VERY well with Manifestation. I don't remember what combo made [Foundation].
William Johnson
I don't think that's what Adrian was upset about, I think it was remembering his time on Earth. For several decades he thought he was going to die before the tutorial started, that's going to leave a mark on anyone.
Alex Reed
Two things:
hunts899
HOLY PEAK
Michel Kommers
It's almost like the first chapter, in a bus.
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Nat’s superpower being his ability to handle splitting and fusing his mind…. Doesn’t that remind y’all of somebody? Victoria also does exactly that when she splits into various bodies… The Gwyn siblings are just hella mentally resistant… or they have such strong sense of self that they can’t lose themselves.
Borbino the great
I’m guessing they can be used as like a universal currency
granndfunk
All those chapters about the body upgrade and it's just... Done? I honestly don't even understand what happened with it all. But whatever. Let's move on I guess.
Riot89
Oooh, Adrian is pissed. I like the show don't tell story-telling by Cerim here. Adrian wanted to over-awe Nat in the fight, but he realize that Nat just used him to strengthen himself without showing his trump cards.
Malestan
Well, this story started on a bus after all.. Symbols and all that jazz :D
Lance Beam
TFTC. I can't wait for the POV reaction to the release of Izzy's "He detonated 2 nuclear weapons next to himself and was not surprised by the result" video beside montages of people filming Nat's escapades during his day-pass on Earth.
Nemesis
Probably some spiteful shit about stomping all the people who looked down on him when he found himself stuck in his progression after reaching Absolute. Plus some dark shit about using people from his home planet to fuel his ascension.
Fdrugc
I'm surprised Nat misses being on a bus.
Fdrugc
Great chapter i ship Nat and Ruby.
Nemesis
Or Nats goal could be to prevent Adrian from clearing the dungeon during Adrian's limited visit token. Its entirely possible Nat isn't strong enough to clear the dungeon yet. He isn't even a Champion yet.
Dune Black
I ship them
Dune Black
Its partly because of that. I think that adrian really believed that his plan failed, and was desperate.
The Arcane Emperor
Why was Cristoph/Adrian so angry ? Because he was reminded of his weak human self or what ? Seems extrem.
V
Holy. Seriously did not expect the Earth visit. Assuming Adrian is the cottage destroyer pissed at the fight with Nat. Real curious what Adrian's goal that Ruby told Nat was. Great chapter, thank you.
Ivan Jelenić
Shhh! Don't mention endings, you will attract them. But you are right.
Woodstock179
HELL YES! THIS WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED FROM THESE 2 CHAPTERS! (More questions than answers yet answered a few key questions I had percolating for so so many chapters 😅) I love the storie's structure /writing and how it rewards my instincts to over think stuff. Lol
Ivan Jelenić
It seems to me Nat got there first and probably did the World Dungeon or something else to fuck up Adrian's plans. And we got to see Adrian after that happened. My theory is Adrian built his cottage next to the dungeon because he knew where it would spawn, and he raged because he immediately saw it was conquered (by Nat, before him), so he tore up everything.
Nemesis
It would seem like Adrian pulled it off via possession (the blue avatar thing) rather than rebirth? The body probably belongs to Christoph, who Adrian possessed at birth. Christoph's body got into the tutorial, and Adrian who is controlling him got taken along with him. That means the wraith possessed Adrian, and not the body, which is why it turned red?
Liam Zay
I know it's likely just a way to apologize for keeping information from Nat, but I'm choosing to believe that was Nat and Ruby's first date. It's nice to see Adrians facade crack finally. Can't wait until the creepy bastard is taught a lesson. I wonder what Nat plans to do on Earth? I was expecting him to get the return token, but I thought he'd be using it way later. I bet the association that handles returnees is shitting themselves at his escape lol
Rodmin
Yes, Adrian surely also finished his absolute candidacy quest and chose the same reward.
Rad
And now we’re back where we started. On a bus.
Nemesis
I've been wondering, what do non-tutorial people use shards for, since the shop apparently only exists in the tutorial? What are they shards of? Perhaps they are used directly for crafting skills, traits, etc?
frozzi
It was trait obviously and most likely he gonna wait to use it on 3rd one
Nemesis
What was his second pick then? He clearly didn't want to use whatever it was while he was undergoing his body upgrade. I bet Nat waited to use the Earth visit because he needed to give Channeler time to set up his most recent request(s) which he sent out with the normal attendees finishing up the tutorial after the tournament (also, crippling body upgrade). While I bet some of them are super important counter-Adrian things, I bet one of them is like 2 backpacks full of Earth sweets
Sergei Hartwig
First Man on the Mountain?? Adrian also with a token to visit Earth?!
Sergei Hartwig
Name:Serj Race:Human Class: Bookworm Sub-Class:Greed Aktiv Skill: slow Reader (always to late in the Komments) I need MORE! TFTC!!
ariel maoz
I mean... The entire point of the tournament was to *survive* 10 seconds against him and doed to essentially twp attacks, maybe now he will be able to survive 20 seconds?
Adrian Rake
Thank you for the chapter. Is it a race between Nat and Christoph for the world’s dungeon? Or is it something entirely different? 🤔
aélskdfjalskjf
Also avalanches are death sentences in the Alps. Villages get wiped out in landslides so easily just see Graübunden in switzerland last summer
aélskdfjalskjf
I appreciate the difference in care fraudrian and Nathaniel showed with the usage of their powers with regards to earth (people, mountains, buildings) Shows what they actually value
Edmund Dillon
I can imagine coming back to earth and it feeling like a fever dream. Tftc!!!!
TYRELL GRAY
Bro, I thought nat was going to get, trait upgrade and skill combination , but as usual nat is crazy 🤪
frankie doerr
This chapter gave more questions than answers though it’s cool to find one of prides active skills now what are the others damn now I’m going to be up because I have so many questions on repeat enjoy your weekend cerim because you’re making lose sleep over here
Lizy Flore
Gotta say, that chapter would be the perfect ending of that book
noname
What
le moi
I just realised that christoff in one of his visits to earth, if that was him, problably was the one that killed the moon spiderino.
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Adrian wants the dungeon, and Nat not gonna let him have it… I wonder if he’s strong enough to oppose Adrian as of now?
Schmidt
Well that forced the issue of the rewards, I assume they are racing for the world dungeon to become the absolute
Y.V_661
I bet they can but nobody would be strong enough. Not even close. Nat won't be able to do it. Chris could probably do it though.
Y.V_661
Adrian also used an earth token to go to earth
Val the mysterious Jedi
Man that last part was depressing but also great pov for nat. The star of the chapter was Sophie, I love her pov as much as Tess.
mitchell kaiser
I love this series
Max Vidal
"I will have my revenge" That's so Nat. I hope it will be as petty as I think he can be. Great chapter, thanks Cerim
Ansordia
Wow.. He used the 1 day earth token.... That is VERY weird... I never imagined Nat being that seminental... Or maybe he did it so he can spawn at another location when he returns that way he is a danger to anyone who wants to hurt group 4... I'm willing to go as far as Adrian telling people to not touch them... Question, anyone figured out when Adrian can leave the tutorial besides the bootout after 5years? I love that even Ruby says what he did should be impossible... But atleast he didn't fully fool the system as they have a pairing going on.
Stoney
> Then I use the 1-day Earth visitor token. Well I was utterly wrong.
Tomislav Fistrić
What kind of body upgrade did he get? No stats.... aaaaaa :((((((((
Terri Harris
Great chapter! Im always impressed when the story leaps forward like this. Nicely done! Have a great weekend!
Isaac Lung
I let out a small yawn, my cheek pressed against the cool bus window.
TheOne320
So both Adrian and Nat are on Earth. I wonder how long Adrian can stay there? He will probably turn people towards him in the time he is there.
Arsenii
Can a tutorial participant complete Absolute dungeon while still in tutorial?
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Blaxxun
Yess please, but i guess we get to see it passively as soon as he meets channeler, at least
mike wazowski
liss was talking about his dedication. here it talks about his ability to use his skills and use his mind
Kevin
I hope we get to see the organization for returnees affair’s reaction to this.
Sushitrash
Right, I forgot about the possibility of Fraudrian getting a token to visit Earth as well. No doubt Nat thought about it which is why he got the token too. There's no way he'll let that bum have his way with Earth
caeven
ofc that fucking xeno received an earth visit token too. smh.
vEnviouz
TFTC!!!
Jinaden
Nooo, Nat why?! What's he hoping to get from the visit?
Irithyll
Tftc! We got it right, earth it is! I can't wait to know more about Fraudrian evil plan
Aoth the Arcane
Tftc!
Oaktree
As someone with the kinds of talents I have, I can see it. It's like he thinks differently from us. And by his mind, I don't mean the effort or focus he can put into things, though all of it is impressive. No, what continues to surprise me more and more is his ability to separate his minds, combine, or focus them on a single task, and all of it at high speeds. His ability to throw himself into those currents of thoughts without worrying about losing himself inside of them. Not even for a moment does he seem to accept the fact that it could happen, even though he must remember Faora and how shattered her mind became when she tried something similar. I think this is what liss was thinking about when she told hadwin that nat was scary it some ways back on the second floor.
Snake With An Aurora Borealis
BISCUIT, ATTACK!
Nerø
TFTCCCC!!
jax rammus
<3
Claro reyes
Tftc!!!
