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Chapter 681 - The Open Path
🕑 Added 2025-08-24 08:53:38 +0000 UTCPOV Nathaniel
You have been invited to meet your master for 10 minutes. Will you accept?
Yes/No
It has been a week since I returned from the Beyond quest, meaning I still have at least 2 weeks left from my stay token, maybe longer, since it is boosted by the Primordial Knights.
During that time, I have been bullied by Weslin. Something tells me he did not like that he had to wait for me. But it is all good, since we still work on the progression of my quest as well as some side stuff he claims he needs to do “to make a living.”
“Hey, I need ten minutes,” I tell him.
He looks around to check for danger, then sits down on the ground in the next moment. “Go on.”
As a man of developed taste, I create a manabloc chair and sink into it before confirming.
The same as when I meet with my minion, I find myself in never-ending white space. Everything is just… white. There are no walls, floor, or ceiling I can see, but when I walk, I feel flat ground beneath my feet. With a few steps, I reach a figure standing ahead.
Lissandra has looked better. She is missing her right arm, and her clothes are in poor condition, though someone has done their best to make them look neat. Her left eye stays closed, and her silver hair has been burned down short, leaving it weaving and twisting at the edges.
“Rough day?” I ask.
Even in her state, she smiles with absolute confidence. “It reminds me of the good old times, before I even became Champion.”
“So, it could be better, I guess?”
“Likely, but there was a promise I had to keep. Little pup, I thought I would not see you for a while, not until you came to Eladore.”
“That is what I thought too. Did you get fucked over?”
“It was one of the results I expected, and nothing I can not handle.”
“I see, even without a heart?”
“How very perceptive. Little kitten shares her mana with me, so it is enough for now.”
“For now only?”
“Yes, for now. Little pup, I might have changed my mind. I will stay here longer, dig deeper, and see what it is all about.”
“Until they kick you out?”
“They will need a strong majority for that. It is not impossible, but it will be difficult. Even if they manage it, it would still work in my favor, since it means I would be sent out of the First Dungeon, along with little kitten. After that, I would return. But enough chatter. Do you know what I want from you?”
“My black mana?”
“Exactly.”
“Will it even work? I mean, where the hell are you?”
“We are on the twelfth floor of Beyond. It is spatially sealed, though the seal is, honestly, quite pathetic. Unfortunately, without my heart, there is not much I can do, but a few days ago, they loosened it enough for me to connect to you.”
“What even is the First Dungeon?”
“I do not know.” She smiles, and it is a big, excited smile. Damn, she really seems to be enjoying herself.
I try to see if I can channel and compress my mana. At first, it moves strangely, sluggish in this place, but the moment I compress it enough to turn black, it flows easier. As if this space does not affect it as much.
“Can you even take it? We are not meeting in person, after all,” I say as I shape it into a dagger, almost the same as the first one I ever created.
“Thanks to its inherent properties, it is possible.”
“They will not stop it?”
“It does not break any rule, so they cannot interfere. Little pup, will you not ask me for the name of your… black mana?”
“Nah, I'm done with that shit. I ask. You tell me you will reveal it next time, or feed me some other bullshit. The number of times it happened would surprise you. So, currently, I am at the point where if someone comes to tell me what it is called, I will tell them to fuck off, then later force everyone else to call it black mana.”
She blinks her single open eye a few times and reaches her hand forward, "For some reason, I'm now slightly curious about how many times it happened."
“It would surprise you. What do I get for the dagger?” I ask, still holding the dagger close to my body.
"Information. A small hint from me, left for you to think about on your own."
"Didn’t you get too cheap since you became a greed subclass?"
"How very amusing, little pup," she says as she moves, and I allow her to take the black dagger from my hand.
She immediately starts working on it. Unlike the replica of the last elf, who only pulled a few scraps of mana I fed into the black halo, Lissandra goes further. She uses the same method as before, strengthening and shaping it so it becomes solid enough to be used as a proper bridge between herself and the outer world. That way, she can let the dagger absorb mana, which she will later draw out whenever she needs it.
Without lifting her eyes from the dagger, she says, "There is something you should know about Absolutes and pairings. An Absolute is strongest while on their planet, which is why they almost never leave. But when one does, the system reacts in a very particular way, little pup. The moment an Absolute steps onto another world, that world’s Absolute is alerted. They are told another Absolute is present, and the system forces them to choose between two options."
When she finishes whatever she was doing, she glances at me. After I give a nod, she stabs just the tip of the black dagger into my arm. I make no effort to fight against the pull on my mana.
As she looks at the drop of blood flowing from the wound, she continues, "The first option is simple: nothing happens. The second is far more interesting. You can treat the presence of another Absolute on your planet as a challenge, and if you choose that path, you may proceed to begin Pairing."
When it is all done, she pulls the dagger out and slips it behind her belt.
The last few seconds of her visit begin to run out.
"Take care of Myrra, okay?" I say.
"How foolish you are, little pup. I gave you my word, and I will keep it, even if it costs me my life. You may not see it that way, but I would never break a promise to my disciple."
With a final smile, the place around us breaks, and I find myself back next to Weslin.
Dozens of thoughts swirl in my mind until suddenly the need for my ESM strikes.
"Ten more minutes, mom," I say to Weslin as I use my minion communication token.
Thankfully, my minion is online. Before Weslin even reacts, I already appear in that endless white space once again.
"Master! You haven’t forgotten me!" Just like always, my minion greets me with her mischievous smile. Her brown hair is longer, her horns are sharper, even though they remain short. I only hope the other demons don’t bully her because of that.
"Who are you?" I tilt my head, feigning confusion.
She does not even slow down, only giggles louder. I think she might leap into my arms, but instead, she suddenly stops in front of me. She lifts her arms up, asking me to pick her up.
I do it right away. She quickly nestles her head against my chest, shifting until she can listen to both of my hearts. As always, her pointy horns poke against the underside of my chin.
"Are you eating well?" I ask.
"Yes! I got my first minion, and she cooks for me! She is a half demon, too, and she swore to serve me in return for saving her life."
"Your what?"
"She also has a cute talking dagger! I’m glad I didn’t throw it into the volcano when we fought in that Demon Lord’s castle."
"You were where?"
"A big fancy castle, master! It even had a lake full of man-eating fish. You need to get a castle like that! I went there because I was poisoned. There was a healer who could help me, so I joined a small group of thieves to get inside, but they betrayed me. I had to kill most of them."
"The hell?"
"I met the leader of these thieves in jail, where those silly villagers had locked us up so they could feed us to the monster they called their god! I almost died, but I killed it instead. Then I burned the whole village down! But don’t worry, I stole everything valuable first."
Her face beams with excitement while she rushes through the story of her adventures. Since we only have ten minutes, she pushes herself to share as much as possible. She doesn’t even let me get a word in, but I don’t mind it at all. With a smile spreading across my face, I listen to her, praising her whenever I can while reminding her to be careful.
I only wish she would not always answer, "I’m as careful as master is!"
When only seconds remain, I finally stop her. She realizes how little I spoke and starts apologizing.
I wave it off and describe in a few sentences what I have been doing. My smile seems to calm her down.
"What will you do now, master?" she asks.
I think about it. My smile stretches further. "The only thing I can do, minion. My best. And if that is not enough, then I will make it enough."
***
POV Rafael Vaughn - Channeler
I am alone in the room. It feels strange, remembering how cramped things were only a few months ago, because this one is so much larger and far more luxurious. The wide windows stretch almost from wall to wall, opening onto a breathtaking view of cliffs and the restless sea in the distance. From here, I can see two helicopters lifting off the helipad beside the house, carrying the Easy Difficulty attendees. Out on the water, a smaller ship waits to take them the rest of the way.
I look away from it, and for a while, I just stare at the phone in my hand. Then I dial the number I received only hours ago.
"How did you get this number? Who are you?" a female voice asks after just a few rings.
"Jessica, it’s me, Rafael."
"Channeler? How the hell did you get this number? I just got it today."
I lean back on the couch while clicking through photos on my laptop. "I’m in good graces with the US Army. They give me things if I ask for them."
"They caught you? Do you need help?"
"It’s not like that. We are cooperating. You already know who I work for."
"Gwyn."
"Yes, the mana mania… oh right, Gwyn."
"I guess that makes them think twice before messing with you. So why did you call?"
"First, congratulations on finishing your tutorial. I think you are one of the first from normal difficulty."
"That’s right!" she says, her voice rising with excitement. "I thought it would be a total mess here, but it’s actually okay. Sure, a few monsters appear, like weird animals, but the Hard Difficulty guys will take care of them as soon as they get out. And it has been just one week since I arrived, but I’ve already made more money than in my entire life."
"If I remember correctly, you used to be a surgeon?"
"A Cardiologist. I made half a mil a year. But now? People just keep throwing money at me. I’m sure I can make billions. Oh, wait, is this call secure?"
"I’m not dumb, Jessica," I say. I wait, letting her talk, because I know she likes to show off in front of people she believes are high in the hierarchy. Thanks to my connections, I count as one of them.
"I guess you’re not dumb. You never were." She laughs. "Anyway, in a few weeks, I might even cure baldness. You cannot imagine how much money there is in that shit. I can use my healing skills to create a temporary solution and sell it. Not a one-time cure, but something like a subscription. People will pay me forever. I’ll drown in money."
She looks pleased with herself, waiting for me to say something. I take a moment, then finally speak. "Jessica, I have an offer for you."
"I was wondering why you called. What is it?"
"I want you to be a personal healer for around two years."
On the other side, there is silence until she finally replies with caution, "Go on."
"It’s for a cat. Old, sick, close to dying. I already tried throwing around millions, but no vet or doctor could do anything."
"So you thought a healer from Normal Difficulty would do the trick?"
"Easy Difficulty ones aren’t enough."
"Rafael… really? A cat?"
"It belongs to Grumpy."
I expect a long pause, but it lasts barely three seconds. "Tell me where you are. I’ll be there tomorrow."
***
POV Warden of the Parallax Eyes, Kyralon
Kyralon rises from the low table. A layered field surrounds him, strengthening the reach of his trait. His expression is unreadable as his gaze fixes on a single point in space. From the shelf, he selects an oval mana stone, which unfolds into the form of a transparent blue book.
From his pouch, he draws a wooden pen. With it, he writes the date in the private system only he uses, then begins recording.
16:00 - The Ruler of Pride has entered Beyond. All active Rulers were notified, and those available shifted their focus to it.
16:01 - The Ruler of Pride descended directly to the Twelfth Floor. A brief exchange occurred between him and the imitation of Absolute Lissandra Hawthorne. Without confrontation, he turned and departed, moving toward the center of the Twelfth Floor.
16:11 - The Ruler of Pride cleared the Twelfth Floor and entered the Thirteenth.
18:12 - The Ruler of Pride cleared the Thirteenth Floor and stepped onto the Fourteenth.
18:22 - The Ruler of Pride has departed Beyond. A message sent through the system itself, a reminder that his seclusion has ended, and his strength remains unmatched.
Kyralon pauses, his grip tightening around the pen. His eyes lift to the starlit sky, following paths invisible to others. When he writes again, his hand trembles slightly, though his lines remain precise.
For the first time in thousands of years, the path to the Thirteenth Floor stands open. Not through the effort of many, but through the power of a single being. The First Dungeon remains a mystery, its meaning and purpose still hidden. Perhaps it holds knowledge of the system itself, knowledge Pride seems to grasp more clearly than anyone else.
But the question remains: who among the Rulers will dare to follow?
After all, on the Twelfth Floor, a wounded Ancient Monster now awaits. Placed there by the Rulers to die, she remains, licking her wounds as she waits for those who cast her down.
***
Comments
Audrey WJ
Why is the ruler of pride so a badass, his story has the one of the most epic ever, the type of stories he could tell would be beyond legendary. Actually I don't remember if the ruler of pride is a man or not or if that was even revealed, so many mysteries.
Yshua
I absolutely love that the returnees demonstrate how much they respect the Hell difficulty attendees. It should confirm to all observers that they are not to be messed with.
CJ CJ
They said that’s usually what happens if I’m not mistaken but the fact it’s going through a pairing is what made all the rulers interested. It would be dumb if the absolute started in beyond he would end up with billions of shards as an absolute so…… system breaking to say the least if he’s slightly combat or crafting inclined.
Jacobi Rife
Quick flex from Pride..
Jonathan Nading
“My name is Lissandra, and I’m the first and last Absolute. My mana is the most powerful in this world. Deep like a dark ocean, more viscious than hurricanes on the ruined north, colder than southern seas, and vaster than the plains of the abandoned continent. I’m the most powerful being in this world, and I’m a fake.” More and more, she seems less like a "fake" and more like an "upgrade". Can't wait to see what she does once she makes it out of Beyond.
Dreyday
The “Wounded Ancient Monster” did anyone else think that it’s actually Roachsandra and that maybe she never died but got punished by Pride to serve as a floor boss until someone kills her???
Seamus Harley
That's an interesting idea
Death56
So the pairing intiates when a absolute goes to another planet and challenges them so that means that earth already had 1 I assume the one who started in beyond. Or is it that it pairs new planets into the system when a absolute accepts a challenge
Marshall B
Manabloc THRONE will upgrade pride.
Briar Rosier
She knows that a favor from a member of group 4, especially the one who also specializes in healing, is more valuable than mere money that will probably lose a lot of value soon after the tutorial ends
Johnny
Grumpys gonna be co- absolute ruler alongside Biscuit
William Johnson
I love that Jessica is making millions & drops it in a second to score points with Grumpy. Tutorial attendees got their heads screwed on right!
facetiousk
What if Cerim still hasn't thought of a name he likes for black mana and is using Nat's Pride as a way of stalling us longer while he plays with new names?! 👀
facetiousk
Had a similar thought to this, as well. She provides relevant information to mask her actual intentions for any Rulers who are watching. Her personal gain is that Nat gives her a substitute mana heart, while she gives Nat an opportunity to preview her method of "dominating" the black mana.
zoarian
Another thought: what if the information Liss provided was showing off how to create a construct from black mana? And the Absolute stuff was just a small hint that Nat could chew through, to plan his future Absolute period?
Moon Winchester
The parallax warden said it himself. The scariest skills are all single words. What is the Ruler of Prides singular skill is [Pride]. What is the first beyonders original skill is [Absolute] causing the pairing. Or even scarier. What is the Ruler of Prides skill is [Understanding]. And he has pride in his ability to understand and his understanding of everything else. An infinitely growing pride that cannot stop unless he stops understanding.
TYRELL GRAY
Facts, it’s funny because I’m just here, reading everything and wondering how the hell they came up with those theories
Manther
Readers learn new piece of information, Immediately apply it to everything to 'solve' anything they don't yet understand, and ignoring anything that detracts from their new theories.
Oaktree
So since earth is in its no combat faze. My theory is that the first beyonder is a astronaut that got kidnapped by the last elf or something similar.and thats why theres already a parring. That or biscuits already an absolute maybe even a ruler candidate.
Manther
Ok. Point by Point. First "Having already become an absolute he can't do the tutorial and so goes straight to beyond" -- Beyond is part of the tutorial, and the First Beyonder is definitively part of the tutorial, as he is counted as part of Earth's 5th Round (1 of the 8/10 full Beyonder slots) Second, "Became the absolute candidate. Maybe even an absolute. Returning to earth..." Here you imply they became an Absolute before returning to Earth, meaning that they would have become an Absolute for whatever planet they were on at the time. This leads to 1) They can't trigger a Pairing on Earth's behalf. 2) Even if they were Earth's Absolute, triggering the pairing by stopping on another planet would mean the Pairing was the decision of that Planet's Absolute. We know this isn't the case from their ??? POV's Third, a visit by an Absolute or in fact any individual that's part of the System to an uninitiated planet would bring it's inhabitants into contact with mana, which should immediately initiate them into the System. Not sure how you get around this for the Beyonder having been abducted something like 50-100 years ago. Fourth, if the First Beyonder was just some Absolute that somehow got around his planets initiation, I don't think the Ruler's would be as interested in him/his talent as we know that they are. Everything we've seen thus far has indicated that he's just monstrously talented. Not that he somehow was just already super high leveled. Lmk if anything I said here is unclear or needs further support.
Johnny
Yes! Heal Grumpy cat!
Jonathan Nading
Loved how Pride was aura farming in this chapter haha
TwistedVanity
Re the pairing and earths absolute. what if the unknown beyonder got taken from Earth by another absolute, gained the system on that absolutes world. Became the absolute candidate. Maybe even an absolute. Returning to earth, they stop on an already integrated world, that encounter triggering the pairing, which in turn triggers the system integration and the tutorial. Having already become an absolute he can't do the tutorial and so goes straight to beyond. He can't communicate with the others as he knows too much which the system always censors. Add a twist what if that absolute that took a stray earther from earth was the original Liss?
ChildConsumer
Yippee! More of best Waifu Liss 2nd best Waifu Channeler and best Tommy peaker Kyralon!
Manther
Earth has somehow been Paired with another planet while still going through their tutorial. Planets normally don't pair unless they have an Absolute. Other planet has already gone through 2 Pairings, and has an Absolute, and a Palace (world government) There have been 2 POV's of the paired planet (I think in book 2 & 3) Earth's current Pairing has been assumed to be due to the actions of Greed. Opposing Absolute did not receive a notification about an Absolute visiting his planet and initiate the Pairing himself (Unless he is deliberately hiding this from his subordinates) We learned this chapter that it is apparently possible to initiate a Pairing on purpose, and Pairings are not (only) an automatic function triggered by the System.
Lonnie
This chapter is perfection! Lissliss, Vega, Grumpy, and a little foreshadowing. Great job!
granndfunk
Is anyone able to give me a quick summary of what is going on with earth and the "pairing"? I have been forgetting details. Also, a summary of the beyond/ruler/first dungeon thing?
iLStokes
Oooooo. I like this. I need a Patreon level my kids can inherit
Lonnie
It's going to turn into the lord magistrate's name in beware of chicken. We'll never know 😆
AFunkyLad
That’s how Cerim gets kidnapped
Manther
Ahahahahaaha. WTF PRIDE
zoarian
It's the last book. Nat is hanging out on a Moon base with group 4. Maya is playing a banjo, Lily is petting Grumpy, Nat is tinkering with a mana gizmo. All is well. Suddenly, Kim flies in on an asteroid being like, "Guys, I was going through some ancient mana stones, and I've found out the name for Black Mana!" Book ends 🤣
13L00D13ANE
Mm, im hearing a lot of people guessing a possible earth absolute is the first beyonder, and i gotta say i dont think thats it. I dont remember the chapter, but did we not get confirmation that only those not yet in the system get included in the tutorial? I just dont see how an absolute could go to a new planet that is not in the system and be considered a candidate for the tutorial. I mean, maybe there was some loophole where the 'planet' was considered new and the absolute got thrown in the mix by mistake, but i find that hard to believe. As we all know the system is very hard to fool, but it isnt impossible.
Sondadir
She stole the show wherever she appears ^^
13L00D13ANE
Im leaning towards that idea as well
Matthew Walter
THE CAT THO
Al
Liss is definitely my favorite character. All my favorite parts involve her lol
Al
I can’t believe you withheld the name of black mana. Just cruel
asdsa fasfas
She needs heart with Mana Potency, said so on 4th floor
asdsa fasfas
Such long and juicy chapter, thanks
M Schweibold
Is Nat the last elf or related?
tishane Imperial MageKiller
Lol love Liss, shes like yea this isn't half bad being handicapped and still beating ppl up is another lv of Boss
Gravitea
Love it! Amazing chapter thank you VERY much! I hope we get some more earth updates!!!
Ivan Jelenić
Are you a copy of your parents?
Ivan Jelenić
Why do you think so? You think Lissy told him to help him or what? Seems kinda like self-sabotage, since they're both Pride, albeit very distant in terms of power.
Ivan Jelenić
He already answered about the approximate length. I don't remember exactly, but I think we're, let's say, about half done with the tutorial, and then there's a few books outside, about the same as in the tutorial? I can't recall.
Ivan Jelenić
Agreed.
Ivan Jelenić
It's Superman.
Krzychu0304
I have a conspiracy theory; - In my opinion, it's impossible to start at level 0 on Beyond, because no matter how talented you are, by level 200+ you'd be fodder. - Therefore, to survive starting Beyond, you need to have the strength to surpass the entry threshold (until now, I had no idea what that might be). - But after Lissandra's mention of planet pairing, it's easy to conclude that it was due to the presence of an alien absolute on Earth. - And if we combine this with the fact that, at least, Faora knew that Earth was in the process of pairing, which is knowledge you don't normally have access to in the tutorial... - It's quite easy to conclude that the cause of the pairing is the guy starting Beyond, who is an absolute from another planet (he probably had to meet some conditions, entering the tutorial, to maintain balance, such as resetting his level and removing his skills).
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Julien Fellegara
This one guy that started in beyond is already an absolute. And he is on earth. And that would be real fun if that was Nat and some fuckery with the system. Like a token to start again in beyond.
Rentaro Black
It was greed. She alluded to it during the 2nd tournament.
Scraser
Wait a second didn't lissandra pick patience as her subclass this time around?
Javen
ok thats it we NEED the: "the astonishing adventures of best minion Vega" side story RIGHT now.
frankie doerr
2 hours for the 13th floor
frankie doerr
So if this week starts off this juicy how fucked are we this Thursday
Leyphelio
So, Earth already has an absolute, and probably a strong one at that, who went to their paired planent. Makes me wonder who the first beyonder is... Maybe a disciple or a child?
zoarian
Black Mana wasn't affected as much by the system. I'm a pretty strong believer that it's primordial mana and the way the system is able to create the tutorial is through black mana. Normal mana is just a diluted imitation, black mana is the real "magic" that lets the weilder do whatever they want.
Val the mysterious Jedi
Lol I can see pride tell liss that her original self was great but her not so much, then showing her his power by soloing the floor she is stuck on. The whole grumpy thing is sad and sweet that nats minion is earning his pay.
Nemesis
So, end of the book? Definitely an interesting conclusion!
V
Epic. I have no self-control to store up chapters to binge read, everyday is a cliff.
Oaktree
“I will tell them to fuck off, then later force everyone else to call it black mana.” This sounds familiar cierm you stealing comments again?
Emmanuel Martinez
Cerim, the power gap between current Nat and the Ruler of Pride is insane. I wonder how long this story could go. Will you be writing HDT until your 80s? Because tbh, this is one of those stories that I’d read when I retire. Good shit
Lizy Flore
Okay, first. The pairings. So basically they happen because Absolutes wishes it. Earth has no absolutes. Wtf (1). —> theory : Earth has an hidden absolute, hiding there, who choose the pairing, maybe triggering the tutorial. Second. The cat. Grumpy. Lily is weird, biscuit is weird, and now grumpy is weird. I’m guessing the healer from normal won’t be able to heal him. Wtf (2). —> theory 1 : Lily got disintegration and reconstitution because of grumpy. Grumpy will be healed by Lily. —> theory 2 : grumpy is as weird as biscuit. Wtf (3). Why isn’t he in the hell tutorial then ? Third, Minion. Wtf (4). I want an extra volume of her adventures. Fourth. Pride and Lyssandra’s discussion, and pride clearing the 12th ? wtf ? Then the 13th ? wtf ? TEN MINUTES EACH ? WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK ? At that point you can probably guess how confused I am. This chapter really is something else. That’s seven wtf. Just for that alone, it deserves another one.
frankie doerr
Pride is now aware of an interesting disciple
Florian
What haplens to an absolute that loses their world, can they be appointed the absolute of another world if there is no candidate there, could there have been an absolute on earth since befor proper human civilization? If not who agreed to start a pairing?
Andrew
Thank you!
Fdrugc
Does Lysandra still see herself as a copy?
Fdrugc
Tftc i was kinda expecting nat to offer a heart to lysandra Hope the cat makes it.
Florian
That does Imply that earth already has an absolute, or that there is a third option for when there is no absolute at all.
TDMC
Wow what a chapter
Oaktree
What something liss doesn’t know i was staring to think she knew everything.
Niclas Elmers
Tftc
Mr.Sir
Damn I was too slow
vEnviouz
TFTC!!!
Nerø
FIRST!
