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Chapter 697 - Man from the Earth
🕑 Added 2025-09-16 08:38:00 +0000 UTCPOV Nathaniel
After talking for a while with my sister, I step back to let Victoria do her thing and organize everything together with Weslin. So far, the two of them seem to get along well, and knowing Weslin, it will likely end up with Vic being the “main” leader. He doesn't like dealing with this kind of stuff either. And I do not think Victoria will have any problem dealing with the demons.
As expected of the best sister ever, she is already an A rank and apparently not a member of any guild, even though she received offers from the top ten that were looking to bring her and her group members in.
I also think it is outrageous that she is still not an S rank. Honestly, it feels unfair. At this point, I am convinced there has to be a conspiracy against her, probably involving shadowy councils, secret meetings, and at least one guy with glasses who likes to fix them constantly while planning it all out.
So far, Victoria has decided to increase her value as much as possible and only join a guild after entering the 4th floor, already being in discussions with some of the top ten guilds. But now with the event coming up, that plan has paused, and she has the chance to raise her and her party's value even more.
Though she seems to be considering something else after meeting Christoph. It is unusual for her, but I can see that she respects him for his power and knowledge, and the fact that he seems to know exactly how to behave around her.
They met on the 4th floor, with him already knowing rumors about an earthling woman who likes to throw her fingers around, so he had been searching for her for whatever the goal.
I hesitated when I saw him for the first time and tried to think of something else, but in the end, I have to accept the facts in front of me.
Christoph is very likely the First Beyonder from our round of the tutorial. And even though there are nine more rounds of Earth’s tutorial, I think it is safe to say he is the first Beyonder, even if those are taken into account. He started in Beyond after all, you can't get here earlier than that.
“Is there something on my face?” Christoph asks me in quiet amusement, standing near me while letting Vic, Weslin, and Gloria talk it out.
“You started in Beyond,” I say.
“It seems that things have happened that way.”
“Are you some sort of world class martial artist, or did you awaken mana through meditation before the tutorial? Or… do you have a corgi for a bond?”
“Corgi?”
“A dog species. Very cute, stubborn, food obsessed. They sometimes, very often, are burrito shaped.”
“I am aware of that breed, I am just surprised by the question.” He laughs shortly and shakes his head. “No martial arts, no mana before the tutorial. I am sure you are aware that all of us got mana awakened after entering the tutorial, with the system altering our bodies and gifting us a mana heart.”
“So how?” I ask.
He returns my gaze before looking away and scanning the area.
“How, indeed.” He takes a breath and smiles. “I am 75 years old, if you would believe it, Nathaniel,” he says before turning back to me. “I have children and grandchildren who I haven't seen for a long time, and who are out there living their lives on our slowly awakening planet. My wife died ten years ago, and in those years I have been living alone in the Alps.”
He pauses and laughs shortly, almost self deprecating at the memory. “It was one of these days when I thought my life was all for nothing, and that I would die alone of old age in my mountains. But then…”
His eyes close, as if he is replaying the memory. “I found myself there, on the surface of Beyond, fighting for my life for three days before I found a portal to the Entrance Floor. With no food, no water, and many monsters lurking around. Just me, with my old, broken body, hiding.”
Finally, his eyes open and he looks at me. “Would you believe me if I said those three days were some of the most joyful of my life, while also being some of the most dangerous?”
“You must have lived quite a life on Earth if the surface of Beyond was only one of the most dangerous,” I note.
That gets a laugh from him. “That sounded dramatic, didn’t it?” At the same time, he reaches out with his hand, and the mana surrounding him, like a living being, moves with that gesture. It seems to caress and protect him.
“You, Nathaniel, are like your sister,” he says. “I have met untrusting children like the two of you, and I realize that you, just like her, look at me with deep suspicion. The others will as well. I have learned what starting in Beyond means, and how differently some people treat you because of it. There are opportunities and dangers it offers.”
The noise around us fades as I focus only on his words and the tiny twitches of his muscles that I sense.
If he notices, he does not seem to mind, holding my gaze with a steadiness. “I do not mind answering your questions, because you, as a tournament winner, are one of the most powerful from Earth. I would rather have both Gwyn siblings on my side, so please, ask. Allow me to satisfy your curiosity and hopefully ease your suspicions against me a little for the start. The rest I will prove with time.”
“You are not S rank.”
“That is true. I have a reason for that which I do not want to share with you right now.”
“So much for answering my question.”
“Trust goes both ways. There are some questions I will not answer.”
“What do you plan on Earth?”
“Our first steps should be to deal with the pairing, and I am doing my best to prepare for that.”
“Deal with the Pairing, under your lead?”
“If it needs to be. You must have seen how most worlds with the system work, and I have heard of many others, by having conversations with attendees that went on for days.”
“How did you survive? Sorry, but people in their 70s are not exactly known for being nimble enough to run from whatever monsters are on the surface of Beyond.”
“I was able to kill a high level monster and invested my stat points in a way that seems to have worked out. I am the last person to shy away from praising myself, but it seems I have a talent for my skills.”
“What did you do all day, living out in the mountains on Earth?”
“I read, mostly. My cabin was small, but the shelves were not. Old novels, new science papers, anything that could hold my attention.”
“You just sat there reading for years?”
"And I kept writing. I also went on walks, moving slowly because of my body, but I refused to stop. No matter the weather, I kept climbing as high as I could, holding on to every step and every view."
“You sound like a bored professor.”
“Perhaps. I studied physics in my youth, then abandoned it for history. Later, I tried finance and languages. Nothing ever stayed. But the curiosity never went away.”
“So you were a dabbler.”
“A relentless dabbler. I long since learned enough of everything to understand how little I truly knew.”
“What was the point?”
“The point was to keep my mind awake when my body was already failing.”
“Did it work?”
“Some days. Other days, it felt like madness. It’s humbling to see how small a single life can be.”
“And yet here you are.”
“Here I am, even more obsessive than I was in my younger years.”
“Obsessive about what?”
He smiles. "For example, about not dying for nothing. There is so much I can do now."
“Are you a patience subclass?”
"That is yet another unexpected question."
“I keep asking you things in a rather rude way, yet you do not seem to mind.”
“I have noticed that, but I also realize part of it is intentional, while part of it is your curiosity. I am sure there is much more you want to know. I would have been the same, maybe even worse, in my younger days. But as I said, you, your sister, the others from Earth exploring Beyond, we are all in this together. So I can endure that curiosity a little. Lastly, my age might play a part in it.”
“How so?”
“I am much older than most of you. As arrogant as it might seem, I can understand most of you. I have been a teenager, I have been a man in his best years, I have gone through a midlife crisis, and I have been a man whose body started betraying him. You learn a lot of patience that way.”
The entire time he answers me with words, he also uses something else to answer. He knows words alone are not enough, so he shows me through his actions. His mana moves around his body, shaping it into an intricate construct that constantly surrounds him, shifting, changing, adapting.
It moves like a mantle, it forms into armor around his body, it creates an armored figure behind him as if guarding him. It is all scarily intricate. Something that looks like that cannot be anything other than extremely dangerous.
It feels like a calm, well trained dog. The kind of dog that lets you pet it, pull its ears or tail, that allows little children to jump on it and even hurt it without ever lashing back.
But at the same time, you know. You know it is not just a family pet. It is a monstrosity of a dog, as large as a bus, that eats grizzly bears for breakfast, yet still allows all of these things to happen.
And you know that if it decides, it can attack back.
So the question comes to my mind. Who would win in a fight, Nyssa or Christoph?
And what about my black mana? How would it fare against him? Should I even try? It sounds more than a little risky. As much as he seems like a pushover right now, it also feels like he only acts that way because, as he said, he wants us to cooperate. Everyone has a line, and if I cross it, he will snap back.
Then there was that fight when Faora and Luan met us for the first time. We likely survived only because they were worried about Christoph’s reaction. In that way, I probably owe him. As annoying as it is to think that Faora and Luan treated him as if he were our future Absolute, while we, as high-ranking attendees, were expected to be his future forces, which he might have been annoyed at losing.
But in the end, Vic seems to already have a plan when it comes to Christoph, since she is both dealing with him and cooperating with him. I trust her decision more than mine, and even if it hurts my pride a little, I can hold back for now and let her do her thing.
I have to channel my inner Savant. Maybe I could even create a part of myself called Cowardthaniel, to be patient in my place.
Let's put off dealing with Christoph for now. For now, let's observe, learn more, and focus on becoming stronger, because only strength opens more options. Until then, I will try to get as many answers out of him as I can.
“Nathaniel,” Christoph brings my attention back to him and speaks as if he knows exactly what is going through my head. “I can tell you this one thing to make your decision simpler.”
He waves his hand, and just for me, for the briefest moment, a line of text appears above his head.
[??? - lvl 403]
"Instead of clashing now for whatever reason, let us use this chance to build strength side by side."
Even after the text disappears, Christoph stands there quietly, his mana shifting like a storm held in chains.
***
Comments
Sushitrash
They are definitely family
Manther
Are you calling Chris a God of Mana? That's a little much. Guys still a peon in the eyes of anyone actually strong as of right now.
Tee
You are right. I call this a total BS. His story does not add up. The only way I see it somewhat working is that he has a OP skill. But even with that the monsters in beyond starts at what level? 250 ? If I would to put it into a simpler perspective, it would be Lisandra after she turned into a hand: facing a level 250 Nathaniel. Nate would win 100%. With all her knowledge and skills she simply didn’t have the power.
karmaslap
Yeah I'm guessing thats what he realized + prevented himself from knowing. Also why he chose to forget it, because it would encourage him to let off the gas pedal knowing his grandpa was so strong
Dictator911
Holly sh*t chief’s kiss cerim
Tommy Hennessy
So does anyone else think Christoph is Nat and Vic’s grandfather?
Lizy Flore
Really ? I would have gone for humility. The fact that he almost undersell his abilities, the aura that makes others almost dismiss him. It screams humility to me. Not to mention, it would make Chris the perfect nemesis to Nat.
Ivan Jelenić
One of the best movies.
PigNebula
I gotta say Chris seems almost certain to be a Pride Subclass imo. The quiet confidence he seems to give off as well as what seems like understanding gives me big Pride energy, especially one with a very mature definition of Pride. His past also doesn't seem like a Patience Subclass, much too distractible. Can't wait to see how they'll likely come into conflict later. TFTC!
Stoney
tftc.
Thomas Ewing
Because it solves one of the current main mysteries. Why is earth's system progressing so much faster than its supposed to? Why is Earth already being paired, when it doesn't have an absolute? And how could Christoph possible survive the surface of beyond as a level 1? The solution that answers all of them is Christoph was an absolute level awakened human that was chilling out on earth somehow and managed to get picked up into the tutorial, possibly his second go-around.
Lonnie
Chris and Nat are definitely going to fight! Vic knows this. I wonder when it will be. Will Chris turn into a crazy dude that power goes to his head? I mean, clearly Nat is the most normal in the tutorial And cowardthaniel... that's just peak content right there! 😆
Terri Harris
Remembering or rereading how hard it was and how close of a thing it was for Nat to only take part in the kill of a wolf under level 10 in order to gain his 1st stat points to invest. Chris' story of finding himself on the surface of beyond as a barely walking old man sure seems far fetched. I mean even with Lily destroying cinder bear, it didn't happen 1st thing. A learning curve of some kind has to be a part of it. That or prior skill, and knowledge. That makes Chris at minimum a liar. Seems more likely that he'd already achieved levels before entering beyond. Otherwise it really does seem bs. The whole series would be undermined in my mind. If there isn't a great deal more to his explanation and starting story.
Little Watchmaker
I'm just glad hes not some wild chaotic neutral barbarian youngling that feasted on the monsters and acts on a whim... I like the idea of an undisputedly strong but much wiser ally. 100% believe he will show Nat a way to manage his mana problem. Maybe he already did, and thats what Nat had sneakythaniel hide? Either way awesome development Cerim!
Manny
Chris probably started with an incredibly powerful skill. Attendees unlock their skills based on what suits them, up to the point in their life that they've joined. Sounds like Chris lived a very full life and never stopped learning and striving. Learned so much about everything, he seems to have gotten a doctorate in jack-of-all-trades. Gained such a well rounded understanding of everything that he went and gained himself a powerful familiar of some sort?
P K
I don't see why Chris has to be anything but a badass human? He was deff extraordinary for a human so I wouldn't be surprised if he got broken starting skills, I think it adds depth when it's not just one strong human We already have nats sister, the rest of group 4 and a couple other standouts, what's one extra amazing dude?
Balsamic ThunderThighs
I could've sworn Nat just reached his 350s lol
Poutine Au Syrop d'érable
Liss mentionned He? Or she?
Poutine Au Syrop d'érable
Who's Ted K?
Moon Winchester
After rereading the description of Christopher. I don’t think he’s a regressor. I think he’s a person with the skill [Mana] and he dumps all of his stat points in the constitution. I don’t think he has a single step point in Manor. I think it is all external manipulation. Which can then be considered infinite mana depending on the environment. The other hint of what his skills can be are in his endless curiosity of dabbling in a bunch of things. As well as the use of the word obsession. Because of this, he can have the skill omniscience, dabbler, understanding which is an old theory of mine, or beyond. While his second skill is probably a concentration type of skill. Which I think is named Obsession. [Obsession] and [Patience] are my final guesses for what his skills are.
P K
I'm drawing a blank on nats current level, I'm assuming it's still in the 300s but I could be way off and nat is still in the 200s
Moon Winchester
Maybe Christopher is Nathaniel’s grandpa. After all he has gray eyes. And isn’t Nathaniel‘s and Victoria’s heterochromia a gray and brown eye. Also would make sense why he would lock that knowledge away since he would be extremely pissed off at his grandfather for not stepping in. It doesn’t matter if he is the father of their mother or their dad. The fact that he never stepped in, wants to help them probably has a shit ton of hatred boiling in Nat. And he probably figured it out because of the way he moves either reminded him of their mother or father or of themselves. The subconscious movements you don’t even think about doing. The one in built in ingrained in your very being through a lifestyle.
Johnny
I’m hoping there’s some conspiracy, like a cheat of some kind. Like the regressor theories cuz I can’t deal with anyone from Earth being stronger than Nat…he needs to fix his body and take some big leaps cuz having Nyssa condescend to him and now the Chris situation…nah maybe we’ll get an even more driven/insane Nat
Jayden Martinez
Mostly because a lot of people are invested in this idea that Nathaniel is the strongest earthling. They hate the idea that Chris was capable of something we can't imagine level one Nathaniel doing so they prefer to imagine cheates. He's a time traveler, he's an absolute from another planet, he's a reincarnated ruler. Maybe he does have a secret, but he could also just be an old man who got really lucky and used that luck to Kickstart his meteoric rise to power with hard work and the wisdom of age.
Hms
Just dawned on me that as the first beyonder he never went through any of the tutorial and never had the chance to draw Lisandra's attention. Could only imagine how it would have played out if the two God's of mana had interacted. For a fake to take out a Ruler and him to survive above for so long means I have no idea who would win but would love for them to battle.
Manga Muse
This guy reminds me of Ted K living in isolation but with even more wisdom and in an even harsher environment. He either received a trait or first skill related to survivalism/hardiness, and obviously has a talent for mana manipulation that Lys would respect. If he is like Ted K he most likely blew up a monster that was already dying and gained who knows how many levels off the bat. If he really is a last elf clone then he’d certainly have the means
Manther
So Chris somehow managed to show a Level above his head, instead of using the preexisting feature of Beyond rank tattoos to display parts of your status (that conveniently have anti-lying features)
William Johnson
The variations on regressor/reincarnator seem like the most likely for Chris, no way a level nothing from Earth knows enough not to just die to some random environmental hazard on the surface of Beyond. On the other hand, maybe he just has some truly BS skill like precognition or simulation that lets him go really nuts with skills experiments because he can avoid the actions that lead to his death. I guess we'll find out! Also, this bit seems important: I was able to kill a high level monster and invested my stat points in a way that seems to have worked out. Killing that first monster would have been a big boost, and having all your kills before class evolution be level 400+ seems like it would give some pretty nonsense class options. This guy seems like he should be pretty unbeatable if his skill is something legit and he's not just benefiting from future knowledge. On the other hand if he's got amazing mana control because Futurethaniel taught him then he can be grown beyond, because he's ultimately got a head start not an unequaled talent. Thanks for the chapter!
Sir Supports Alot
Chris connected to someone else in his mind, he removed the ability for him to make this connection happen again
Goof Nasty
Man this dude is like the first elf, how can he kill a beyond surface monster at level 1. I call bs
Daniel Golding
No, Chris is the level 403
Mark Bullock
I really like Chris.. like a dad Nat never had; I can C Nat trying to impress Chris; can't wait 4 Chris 2 mentor Nat; teaching him how 2 truly control his Mana!!! Or most likely I'm completely wrong 😕
Krzychu0304
So he claims he was an ordinary level 0 human, got new skills, and after less than 3 days of training, was strong enough to kill a level 400 monster... That's impossible, and Chris can't be telling the whole truth.
Lizy Flore
2 months and half, or a bit less
андрей ткач
may be grandpa?
андрей ткач
You forgot that risk help you improve more for the same time. If you alive of corse :)
Abhishek
If Nat is having a convo about Chris being first beyonder what did he make himself forget?
Xander479
Do we know how much longer until the 3rd tournament?
Kevin
I really like Chris’ character. I like how he doesn’t act like demons. I don’t know why everyone is having issues with the guy’s power. I really like how it is written.
GloinJr
Wasnt the pairing caused by Envy's spider on the moon?
GloinJr
I'm trying rlly hard to figure out what this means but I can't 😭
caeven
I just don't buy it that Chris is some random old man from earth. that's like a fat guy telling you they reached bodybuilder level in a month and then won mr Olympia the week after. there's only so much a single person can achieve in the two years they've been in the tutorial. even what Nat achieved seems a bit out there, and he's literally been destroying his body to do it. all the while having the second strongest person EVER as a teacher.
Andrew
Thank you!
M Schweibold
Christo is boring in the sense it’s not organic and pure author privilege if it isn’t Nat or equivalent otherwise not even plausible and undermines all canon - edit, I am just saying that C is something more than a baseline earthling or the story thus far from weak to strong doesn’t make sense as no one could survive beyond without foreknowledge…so it has to be Nat related in some fashion …I like the future Liss/Nat hookup theory best and C is their baby- would be hilarious
tishane Imperial MageKiller
Bro sounds like this dude is went to school with he had 180 IQ bro just did shit for the heck of it and have you looking at him like where did you learn that or when did u find the time to learn that.
granndfunk
Can't believe people think this dude is related to Nat and Vic. That's something from a bad anime. I would drop the series for that, and I know Cerim is a much better writer than that.
Lorevi Q
Ah yes the completely normal people of group 4
Blooper
You know, while I agree it is a massive advantage to have infinite Beyond access, shouldn't it also be a disadvantage to not have access to tutorial floors? They all gave so much information and prizes. Some of Nat's most important advancements come from the tutorial floors, for example: his second heart with thermal powers, his knowledge of traits from the university floor, some knowledge on the rulers, Lissandra herself...
seth dauer
I'm still betting on it being himself. The body failing could easily be a reference to coping with his constructs. Answering questions with half truths and non answers.
Blooper
About him showing the text, I interpreted that as: usually he has a way to conceal his system-information from others, and for a second he released some of the concealment just to show his level to Nat. So the way I see it, it wasn't "system powers" or anything like that.
nkt.zakharov@gmail.com
Great chapter, great movie
Lizy Flore
Why must Chris be anything else that he says he is ? Sure Nat recognises something in him, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a simple old man from earth. I rather like this, tbh. Just like every other hell attendees before the tutorial, he was a relatively normal person living a normal life. It just so happens his potential was too great for hell, so he was put in beyond.
J W
So here is my extremely hot take. Nat doesn't recognize Chris from earth. I want to put it out there now that Chris is a last elf clone and why the world is being paired so early.
Afrisan
Is the title a reference to the movie about an immortal who’s lived for 14000 years that lived in the mountains? @cerim my guess is Nat saw that he moved like the last elf, who somehow made it to earth a long time ago and stayed low key
Dandaveeto
If Nathaniel recognizes him as the first beyonder what realization did he make himself forget?
Justus Halbach
Thanks for the chapter!
XPDev
TFTC
Gwiddion
to me this reads like a story made up of bits an pieces earth people would know something about. Super old dude was isolated the last years. Easy to cover for a lot of lack of information about current that happened before the start of the tutorial.
Kroppertites
He reminds me of the beekeeper of McElvoy canyon.
Krazo
That's a cool theory!
venkata siddhardha yarlagadda
Yep, that's correct and nat could have definitely become level 400 too if it wasn't that he needs to prepare for the body upgrade because of his constructs
KDR
TFTC, will be cool seeing Nathaniel figure out how Christoph is doing the things he is with his mana. I expect he’ll figure out how to replicate it. Can’t let someone be better than him at mana stuff haha
Val the mysterious Jedi
Tinfoil hat time again, I'm going with him bring a member of nats moms family. No way this dude isn't related to them.
Watson Craft
And another stepping stone for Nat has entered the chat 🥱
frankie doerr
Kim and nah he has grey eyes same as one of nats
frankie doerr
Thanks for the chapter
frankie doerr
What level is nat again isn’t it 347 and you get the body upgrade at 350 3rd trait at 400
Adrian Rake
Yep, he is the first Beyonder. And he is much stronger and life experienced than Nat. He has to be patient and maybe he will awaken a new sort of power:- Pride in patiance 😉
Thedevilsdemon
Nathaniel's grandfather ??????
Augustus
A certain Corgi got hungry, for some mysterious reason, during this chapter.
Twotons
What does tftc mean?
Charles Simon
Great chapter. Speculation time - last chapter Nat recognised Christoph as being similar to someone he’s already met and now we know he’s old enough to be a parent or grandparent of any other attendee. So assuming that is the case who do we think it is? I would say the candidates are (1) Savant, (2) Gravity Envy member of Gr4 (3) someone else? Only other theory I had is that he could have recognised diligence’s techniques in Christoph as he could be a ruler of diligence candidate…
Bladehawk256
I have a feeling him and cockroach will get together in like 750 chapters 😂
zoarian
That man is so reasonable it comes all the way around to being suspicious lol I do wonder what role he will serve in the narrative. Is he a short-term antagonist; someone that Nat will clash against within the tutorial? Or more of a long-term role? I could see it going both ways. Given he's mana focused, I do think Nat would have a good match up against him. Liss mentioned he could go against weaker mana based Absolutes as a Champ, so I think the First Beyonder should be within reach? I'm super curious about his starting skills. The thing he does with Mana doesn't look like Control or Manipulation... more like Mana Taming? Lots to learn from.
Ansordia
Christoph is fucking amazing... Kinda sad that not MC will be humanities saviour but this way he doesn't need to become to strong to FAST... Also it seems he is truly a nobody... But he is old so that is why he was nostalgic so atleast that is answeared... I wonder how "pure" he is... Like will our heroes have to fight him because he wants to dominate the world? Also weird how he can make a text appear above his head... Wasn't that something the almighty sytem was able to do? Or are everyone able to do this if they are skilled enough? So we will have a true indetify after the tutorial? THANK YOU for not leaving us in to much suspence Cerim! Also I was wrong about time dilation but not really considering he just started younger.
Nerø
Holyyy... Level 403. That means he got his 3rd trait already. This guy has the highest chance to become a champion before the tutorial ends. And wow, so that means he got a permanent beyond token or something? He has been there since the start of the tutorial? That's one hell of an advantage...
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Borbino the great
Doesn’t matter if he’s a mana enjoyer if he’s got the patience subclass he’s a loser
Reps A
I am both glad and disappointed lol all my theories went down the drain, but I like this outcome too, for the first Beyonder :D
GreedyFool
Same.
Fdrugc
Tftc
I Is Patron
Sniff Sniff... you guys smell all that crap Cristoph is talking? I don't believe a single word he says.
Alex O'Connor
Thanks for the chapter!
eroth
The title of the chapter and the way Christoph acts makes me think he's a freak immortal, like the movie with the same name. Or he's their grandpa. Or both. Or he's just some random old guy.
V
TFTC, sounds like Chris is a mana enjoyer. Looking forward to how this plays out.
Dr.Awkward
Tftc! I think that description of the gentle big dog really drives how scary Christoph is... Now I'm really wondering who he really is......
Nerø
TFTC!!
Claro reyes
Tftc
vEnviouz
TFTC!!!
