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Chapter 748 - How do you become an Absolute?
🕑 Added 2025-12-02 09:41:40 +0000 UTCDuring my wait for the next event, I am interrupted by a bus-sized, pitch-black wolf with not a single hair of a different color. Only his eyes are golden, shining with deep intelligence. I get a feeling from him, not dissimilar from Biscuit, just much weaker, even now.
Biscuit's disciple appears in the common area the same way many other disciples do, as people summon them thanks to their rewards from the previous events.
There is obvious screaming and all that stuff, but most of the people seem to remember him soon enough. Not that he cares, they still scream and rush out of his way. Some pull out cameras, and a drone starts circling over him.
Ignoring it all, he heads towards the barrier, he sniffs at a few times before snorting and taking a bite into it. He pulls his head back, tearing a hole in it. The black wolf then walks inside while chewing on that piece of the barrier he bit off. That mana behaves very differently from how it should. It should just disrupt, turn into particles, or be devoured by him. Yet, it somehow seems to be turned into food.
Atop the black wolf's head sits a tiny figure: Biscuit in all his glory.
(Pathetic Human and member of my master's pack, I see you haven't changed at all!) As he talks, his voice is the same as before, sounding like that of a young boy.
He doesn't get to say more, as atop of his head Biscuit starts bouncing on his front paws and scratching the head of his disciple.
(I apologize, master! But I wasn't rude at all! And you must see it as well! What kind of lunatic would... Master, please... I did... It's all that humans' fault... Oh, I have heard about such food... I'm not hiding anything... Maybe we could... I can't fly, I told you already, please stop showing off... You are great, master, yes... One hundred ninety eight... Huh? Like this? I require sustenance... Thank you, but I need no vest...)
The conversation turns away from me, and Lily and I exchange glances. She smiles, taking a step closer and sitting down to rest her back against one of the wolf's paws.
He turns his huge head towards her, mouth slightly open in a show of sharp teeth and a lip lifted in a threatening manner, but he doesn't do anything else.
(Yes, master, I promise to tell you if I see any deer!) He finishes his conversation before turning back to me, (Human from my master's pack, I wish to see your disciple, that smelly young half-demon, so I can laugh at her once more and have revenge for the way she treated me previously.)
“Minions do not smell. If they ever do, they get tossed into a volcano. I doubt she will join us this time, unfortunately,” I say.
(How barbaric and unfortunate,) He truly seems a bit disappointed, but gets over it quickly. (I have decided not to call you an asshole anymore, so I hope you appreciate that. I have also become much more powerful since the last time we met, so while I hoped to compare our skills this time, I can see that it would not be honourable to challenge someone in your state. Are you sure you are not a demon?)
For a short moment, the wolf pushes through all the mana and thermal energy around me, while primordial energy similar to Biscuit surrounds him. It makes him feel like he is just a two dimensional shape of a wolf that is pitch black to the point it seems like it devours even the light. There are just two golden eyes shining where the head is. Like, he isn't even real, just a nothingness of that shape.
His eyes get close to me, and his big nose sniffs a few times before he pulls back. That eerie feeling surrounding him pulls back as he moves further back and sits down. Lily, using the opportunity, once again comes closer and sits down, resting her back against his side while he ignores her.
"Why do you ask that?" I ask him.
(You feel like a demon, more so than some I've met. You carry the subclass of their Father very well.)
I blink a few times, almost forgetting about the body upgrade and everything else, "Tell me more."
The black wolf's teeth show in a big smile, and a rumble sounds as he lets out a noise that sounds like a laugh. (Ha! Wouldn't you like to know? This is something I have heard from the Elders of my pack, you will have to...)
"Biscuit," I say simply.
The black wolf whimpers as Biscuit, atop his head, bites into his fur there and tugs on it a few times. He then whimpers again, and a novels-long conversation is exchanged between the two of them before those golden eyes turn back to me.
(Treacherous human, I shall remember this betrayal!) He calls in that young voice, (This time I will share that information with you because of my great master. You have to supply him with all the food he wishes and many... many pets. You also have to carry him around a lot.)
It is obvious where these requirements come from, and I look up at Biscuit, who shyly hides himself in the black fur.
"Deal," I say and listen up the same as Lily, who also seems more curious.
(The Father of all Demons is one of the titles of the Ruler of Pride. A long time ago, he and the Ruler of Kindness were studying Mana Hearts, and while they were doing that, they discovered a way to connect hearts to energies that existed even before the system.)
"Why? How?" I interrupt him.
(How would I know, human? The Ruler of Pride and the Ruler of Kindness are close to what many consider gods, so who am I to know their thoughts? Just know they successfully created a trait called Demon Heart for those who became the 100 Progenitor Demons. These demons were then moved to distant planets of the universe where the system wasn't awakened yet, allowing many of them to multiply and grow for thousands and thousands of years before the system reached there. During that time, the Ruler of Pride continued to move them to many different planets, spreading demons through the distant edges of the universe.)
"Is Pride a human?" I ask.
(Yes, he is.)
"Did they create more races?"
(Yes, I don't know much more, but many of the current races are the result of his and the Ruler of Kindness's acts.)
"Just why?"
(Human, you are annoying, you surely must know that! No one knows. Rumour is that he is building an army against a danger outside of our universe. Some say he was bored. Others say he did because he just could. Many more say he did it, hoping to create a stronger species, so that in the future someone would finally be born who could challenge him.)
His words lose some of the edge as Lily buries her face into his black fur with an expression that shows how much she likes the feeling.
That causes the wolf to finally snap, (ENOUGH! You animal!) he barks and twists to bite into her shoulder to fling his head and send her rolling through the ground.
After coming to a stop, Lily stands up, not wounded nor even scratched. There are just a few bruises on her neck and arm from where the black wolf bit. I can't tell if Wolfy held back or if the petite maniac is just that durable.
(My bloodline is that of an ancient wolf who used to devour entire planets. I will not let myself be bullied!) As he growls, Biscuit doesn't try to calm him down this time and continues to lie atop his head.
Lily and the wolf then exchange a conversation, with Lily apologizing multiple times while the wolf uses the opportunity to continue to brag about his bloodline.
When they finally stop, I ask again, "I wanted to ask it for a while, but how do you become an Absolute?"
It is Lily who answers instead, "Nat? You surely must be joking. Tess already found out months ago and..."
"Shhh," I interrupt her, "I want to hear it from Biscuit's disciple."
It gets me a snort, and I watch that massive body sit down and then lay his head on his crossed front paws. Those eyes, each bigger than my head, look at me with that intelligent light in them.
Out of nowhere, Biscuit rolls down from that head across the nose and slides and bumps on the ground with a short squeak. The corgi then stands up and shakes off the dust from his body before floating into the air and booping that enormous black nose a few times with his front paw.
The entire time, the black wolf watches him lovingly, and Biscuit then floats closer, where he nestles between the wolf's front paws and under his nose that blows into Biscuit's fur as the wolf breathes.
(Human, we have wolves like you in our pack. The Deep-Scarred One, The Two Tailed One, The One Who Flies In Darkness. They are all very powerful, but also... lacking in the intelligence department. It is not their fault, they were just born that way, the same as you.)
"Okay," I nod.
(I could see it the day we met for the first time. Those two tiny sparks behind your eyes, trying to spark thought to life yet failing so often.)
"Okay."
(But The Deep-Scarred One, The Two Tailed One, and The One Who Flies In Darkness enjoy the thrill of battle, human, though sometimes I wonder if they just don't care. If they are intelligent the same way we are, they just prefer to let others think and like to be pointed towards the battle where they can put their bodies into the protection of our pack. You might be similar.)
"Okay."
(Yes, something about your expression still irritates me, but I can't find out what. I don't have much experience with humans, so I haven't learned to read your expressions well! Maybe it is your eyes. They are extremely disturbing at times and very arrogant. But Master has said you aren't that bad because you feed him the best food in existence, so I have to believe what he says.)
"Yeah. The Absolute thing I asked about."
(Oh, I almost forgot! Human, it is the same in the entire universe. For you to hold a title of an Absolute, you need to hold ownership over a Sovereign Spark. Most of the planets have it, and some moons have it. For worlds that just awakened, you need to clear their World Dungeon deep in the center of that world and bond yourself with that Sovereign Spark.)
"I see, how about if you kill an Absolute?"
(You can take over the Sovereign Spark and cause a Pairing between your planets if you are an Absolute as well, or you can just leave it be for some other Native to claim it.)
"So you don't need to clear the World Dungeon again?"
(You do, dumb human! 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. Once that Absolute dies, the dungeon is more dangerous than it was before, requiring a more powerful person to reach the Sovereign Spark. Some planets' world dungeons are so dangerous that they got no new Absolute after their original Absolute died. There are legends of Rulers dying in World Dungeons of the oldest, most powerful worlds!)
This becomes an interesting thought. I have heard some of the things the wolf is telling me, but some are new even to me, and judging from Lily's expression, even to her.
"What if your planet already has an Absolute and you want to become an Absolute as well? Let's say as a Champion that doesn't want to stay on their world anymore."
The black wolf yawns and gently nudges Biscuit when he yawns as well. Turning back to me, he answers, (A Champion can't cause Pairing. You can try to challenge some other world, kill its Absolute, after which the system acknowledges you, and you can try to take over. Some even search for planets newly added to the system, where the World Dungeon just got cleared. They try to kill the fresh Absolute since they can’t enter the dungeon as non-natives. These people are trash and looked down upon by other Absolutes, but not as much as another kind. If you have a thing of value or are willing to offer your service, you can buy a planet. These fools in The Corporation have a map of many dead planets or moons with danger levels of their world dungeons calculated, and they sell them to Champions, just so they can get the title if they are capable of it. Though there are such pathetic ways to gain the title, a World Dungeon is never simple and always tests a Champion and rewards only the deserving one with its Sovereign Spark.)
Comments
Hms
Since Greed didnt run this Adrian experiment, I am guessing his handler is probably Kindness with the whole rebirth thing sounding like something she is most capable of. Outside of getting enough power to kill her, I am wondering what Adrians motivation is. Only thing I can think of is that since he is an empath he likely is one of the masters of kindness and this will allow him to replace her as the Ruler.
Youkai-sama
Would Tyven's unbound 🕷️ give the 🌕 a Sovereign Spark for the taking? That would let Nat & Adrian not have to fight over 🌍's.
Balsamic ThunderThighs
I can possibly see Nat winning against Adrian once if theres a fourth and final tournament if he gave his all and extra... but for this tournament and his body upgrade I can't quite see him being 1st sadly.
Antony Silva
Lvl 400 trait is right there heheh
Isaac Lung
Nat will win 2/4 events and Adrian will win the other two. The two will fight to determine the victor of the tournament, during which Nat completes his quest. Adrian will probably win, and maybe receive an earth stay token for winning the tournament. Or he just straight up wins 3/4 events and gets the token. After going to earth, he clears the world dungeon and becomes the Absolute. This is probably what he wants from the tournament when he explained his motivations to Nat in 743.
Johnny
So there’s no way to become an Absolute without attaching yourself to a planet? Hmm Nat wants to be a free agent tho
Hypnotical
Yeah, I have thought Nat was a submind of Pride for a long time now. Him and group 4 are just too freakishly powerful
Morde24
So does the beyond dungeon have a spark? And would you become a regular absolute if you conquered it, or some other title?
Morde24
"Those two tiny sparks behind your eyes, trying to spark thought to life yet failing so often": I actually died laughing.
DeadbearKill
Wonder after the tutorial what the title will be.
Audrey WJ
See see, nat is going to go to another planet and become absolute after killing their absolute and clearing a hard af world dungeon. I just feel like this is who he is and I have no other reason why he would do this and not just try for Earth's title if he wants it, other than to say I don't think he'd be a great leader for a new planet whos inhabitants are trying to figure things out after the tutorial and massive shift of power and the pairing looming over them.
Joel
All this lore just tells me this series will take decades to complete. Yay
Jonathan Nading
So what are the chances that Nat can eventually create a black mana demon heart? Low, right?
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Pride -Nat. Kindness -Lily though she is wrath. Envy- Min Jae. There are clear parallels with the rulers of these vices and our main characters. Is it time travel, some type of cloning? is Nat a submind of Pride somehow? Are those just signs of a pattern that have existed before and after Nat? Between powerful people their healers and henchmen?
Ivan Jelenić
But the Ruler of Pride isn't dead, so how can he be his reincarnation?
Ivan Jelenić
What if by becoming the Absolute, by getting the Sovereign spark, you're the Sovereign Candidate, and you become the Sovereign of the System by beating the First Dungeon in the Beyond? Beating it causes a pairing with another System from another Galaxy/Universe. Is the dungeon in Beyond the "Galactic dungeon" for the System or the Tutorial for the System? Why have Rulers and Ruler Candidates then? So I'm wrong or they're a side-grade or something.
Ivan Jelenić
I don't think he would be satisfied with something inferior like a Progenitor Heart.
Ivan Jelenić
You mean the series? Maybe he ends it after the pairing ends, and after a break, starts another series in the same universe?
zoarian
Beyond predates the Tutorial, doesn't mean it predates the system. I think it's System -> Beyond -> Tutorial.
13L00D13ANE
Has everyone here forgotten that Beyond predates the system? Ruby tells nat (waiting room of beyond if memory serves) that the tutorial floors were modeled off of Beyond. Ergo, Beyond -> system -> tutorial floors. Now i *could* be wrong, or it could be a 'universe dungeon' and the world dungeons mimic it as well, but it seems like its doubtful Beyond is system-made.
Michel Kommers
That's probably how a lot of planets end up with two absolutes. Only for them to kill each other again.
Michel Kommers
Starts to make sense why the beyond exist and all the noise about first dungeon
Kirin
Thank you for the chappie!
TBONEMAN
The first dungeon is probably a galactic dungeon
rapatel01
Yeah I think the same
DocSmitty
Probably wrong, but Beyond = Eladore’s world dungeon? Eladore existed pre-system Planet was mana nuked = desolate exterior of Beyond LissLiss is an “ancient monster” = no one can clear beyond (including Rulers) because it’s set to her power level Ruby is repopulating it = Beyond locals Ruby likely became absolute on some other world LissLiss is trapped in her own world dungeon and needs to become more powerful than her original self to get out
Nathan Holliday
The cockroach going to get out and clear it.
Nathan Holliday
I’m I the only one who thinks Nat might actually be the ruler of pride somehow. The ruler of pride invented demon hearts and Nat basically did the same thing. Time travel. IDK but I think the idea is worth considering.
Kevin
Did you mean to say bug instead of virus? Also, I don’t think he is considered an absolute anymore. He did start the pairing as if he was one but he also wouldn’t be allowed in the tutorial if he was an absolute. Adrian himself talked as though he started over completely without any titles or skills.
Kevin
The outside of beyond where people first start could be a planet. I think it’s more likely that the first dungeon is something entirely different from a world dungeon.
Gutz
Why do i feel like Elydor's world dungeon is still uncleared ?
J W
Minion is still a young child. She likes Nat but that doesn't mean she is ready to let everyone in so she is guarded. I think she is the perfect representation of a scared child trying to act older, nat just happens to be the worst influence.
Reps A
I believe Champion is far easier and is mostly a level requirement and some feats or accomplishments then boom you get it but Absolute is like hell mode difficulty to Champions Hard mode imo
Andrew
Thank you!
I Is Patron
Has Cerim told us how to become a Champion yet?
Malestan
Why not ? He's born on earth
Malestan
For bonuses toward traits or skills, just like champion candidate
Spam X
Than is beyond propably also a world dungeon?
Fdrugc
So if you are a native and you kill the absolute do you need to go to the world dungeon for the Sovereign Spark?
Fdrugc
Can only absolute candidates enter the world dungeon. If not, what's the point of being an absolute candidate?
Melih
Given how many pairings Eladore has survived and how powerful Lissandra is, the World Dungeon on Eladore is probably insanely dangerous, even for the universe's strongest absolutes (and rulers)
Arnon Parenti
Bullily bullying young boys and their pets.
RJ Barnes
TFTC PLEASE DONT END THE BOOK AFTER THE PAIRING 😅😅😅
RJ Barnes
Let’s pray the title doesn’t mean the story ends once they finish the tutorial and pairing
RJ Barnes
SAME
tishane Imperial MageKiller
Lol this was a gr8 chapter deff learned alot, there might be a way for NAT to get some of the primordial blood from Nyssa and fuse it with his hearts to create a Progenitors heart Unique or 2 unquie make it into thermo-kinect-mana heart
TheOne320
So I assume Adrian cannot become the Absolute of Earth because the planet will not give him the spark.
zoarian
I guess winning a Pairing means one of the planets absorbs the Sovereign Spark which is valuable if you're an Absolute. Maybe there's a merger of planets also, or maybe the other planet is left alone but without a Spark.
Caden Hofer
Oh boy
Lance Beam
TFTC. Yes, master, I promise to tell you if I see any deer! Perfect priorities for Earth's true Absolute Candidate.
TYRELL GRAY
Or there is no spark and it’s endless
Stoney
I love Biscuit's disciple. I think the fact that Nat's disciple is always 'nice' in front of him yet cold when he's 'not looking' makes me like her less. Like Biscuit's disciple is more blatant/obvious in showing their disdain/hatred of others. TFTC
TYRELL GRAY
So let me get this straight :Adrian is still an absolute of his planet. But he is also a native of earth,. So can he get that spark of sovereign by entering and defeating the dungeon or does he have to take it from somebody. Because if he wasn’t an absolute of his planet earth would never have a pairing. And if he wasn’t a native he could have never join the tutorial. So Adrian is like a virus.
Apollo Greed
Beyond isn’t a planetary spark but universal. They are fighting for universal Absolute or whatever Cerim will call it.
tishane Imperial MageKiller
Why do I feel like Nat is the convergence of the Ruler of pride? If you want to know what I mean look up a movie called >Jupitor ascending< you will understand kinda like universal Reincarnation.
Mark Bullock
I want my biscuit plushy
Nemesis
I suspect he doesn't intend to leave Adrian as Earth's Absolute, but he knows he can't beat him before he himself reaches Absolute. So yeah, go out, grow, come back and kick arse. Or, since he doesn't want to be involved in Earth's future challenges he plans to leave his sister as Absolute and do his own thing.
Nemesis
Maybe you become the system 🤔
Nemesis
I think Kindness' world was destroyed as a result of her first suicide attempt. So when she dies i guess her spark becomes unclaimable? Assuming rulers even still have the same spark?
Erebus
Moooorreee
Nemesis
That might have been Lissandra's intention when she told him to find her on Eladore. A reward if he managed to beat her
mitchell kaiser
Ooooo interesting lore dump! Thanks Cerim!
Gardor
Haha...the tutorial is essentially a sequence of "dungeon" floors, Beyond is a bunch of less "instanced" dungeon floors, and now after they get out they'll do the World Dungeon...bet it has episodic floors. Im bummed. Ive been silently upset that Beyond is just a parallel dungeon slowing down the tutorial, and now we've got another dungeon on the horizon. I just want them to complete the tutorial, go back to earth and deal with system apocalypse stuff, fight the other planet, and then head out into the multiverse or whatever. But it is in the name, guess i can't be too surprised the focus is all tutorial all the time. 3.5 more dungeon floors, probably 2 or 3 more beyond floors, however many beyond quests...i will endure.
Alexikon
Beyond is a super dungeon with a really powerful Spark.
Hardworking Guy
Ooooooooh, so will Nat step aside, let the SOB Christoph take the title of Absolute on earth, then he will go and get himself a world of Eladore caliber? Or whatever the name of the planet Liss was from. It would be a nice middle finger to everyone involved, and then he could challenge Earth's Absolute and initiate a pairing. I don't know what will happen, but when new lore drops, it's exciting!
Moonfrost
HDT will continue post-tutorial? cerim has estimated post-tutorial content to make up roughly half of the entire story
frankie doerr
Beyond is prides world dungeon and I can see Nat the mad lad trying to go for lissandras world or kindness
Poutine Au Syrop d'érable
Nice lore.
Lorevi Q
Hmm so if you need to clear a world dungeon to become an absolute then beyond is what? A universe dungeon to become absoluter?
Some bloke
Nat is definitely going to try and become the absolute of lisandra's original world if he can't become one of earth.
Wasim Petersen
Yip Fraudstoph will become absolute. Gotdamnint. Nat gonna have to cheat his way to absolutehood it seems. Wouldn’t be the first time we see him cheating the system. We’re probably really gonna see biscuit become Earth’s Absolute overlord.
Emmanuel Martinez
Finally, we get a CLEAR hint to what would happen after the tutorial. Hopefully on Cerim’s next story after HDT? Does this mean Cerim is as addicted to writing stories, just as much as Us reading theirs?
Isaac Lung
bIbLicAl aLluSiOn
TwistedVanity
Thanks for the chapter
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
vEnviouz
TFTC!!!
