Jake Story (Apocalypse Cultivation) 2, ch 4

Jake crossed his arms in complete darkness and grimly pondered his options.  He had a total of 3 points left to use in the Eternal Struggle Reward System.  That was his only real option to survive his current situation.  He was in a predicament.

His storage ring was full of earth weapons that wouldn’t do jack and shit to the feisty tiger that wanted to eat him.  And he believed there were probably more powerful demon beasts in the mountains his master had lived in.  He knew for sure there had to at least be other creatures on the same level, because the tiger had been attacked.

The murim world was huge--Jake knew that much.  And he’d felt the aura from the tiger.  If he were to try fighting that thing, he would likely barely scratch it.  Even if he did manage to bring it down, the fight would attract other creatures and he’d be toast.  So he needed to get stronger, but he needed to get away from these mountains first.

He reflected on his deal with the Morrigan for a few minutes.  This was the first time he’d really had time to think about everything without interruptions since he’d come to the Murim world.  The way his safety in the murim world had been temporary was annoying, but not technically the Morrigan’s fault.  And he had gotten a good lead on where to go from his master.

Jake knew what he was likely signing on to before he’d accepted Morrigan’s offer.  Throwing their champions directly into the storm was likely the way of the gods, or at least war gods like The Morrigan.

His original plan when he had been trapped by the tiger had been to escape underground, maybe find an extensive cave system and make his way out of dangerous territory.  But he had scrapped it pretty fast after getting some more time to think.

The reality was there was no way to know there was even a cave system, that it was running the right direction, or even if it would be safe.  There might be even more dangerous creatures underground.

And there was no telling how far this dangerous area spread. Maybe the entire mountain range.  Jake knew he was too weak for this area, but not exactly how much so.  More powerful creatures might be a mile away.

Knowing so little was frustrating. Luckily he was not totally helpless and still had some options.  He mulled over how to spend his Eternal Struggle resources.

There were about a million things Jake could probably come up with to roll for through his reward interface, but what he needed most was either a way to hide or travel unseen...so stealth, or fast travel.

Ultimately he decided that a means of transportation was probably his best way to survive for now.

He only had three points left and he decided to use all of them.  Two points went into the item itself, and he invested the last point into his reward roll before even getting the results. So if he understood the system right, he should get 4 choices, not 3, and he had a better chance for better rewards.

Here goes nothing, he thought.  When the roll was complete he thought the keywords, "ki transportation, flying, long distances."  His teacher had spent hours ranting about how terrible Earth transportation was, how flying swords were better than anything Jake had ever seen.

The resulting choices were:

(2nd tier) Eternal Kite -- A ki-injection flying tool.  Faster than average. Indestructible and if separated will find its owner as long as they live.

(3rd tier) Living Clay Bat -- Flying tool with limited will and power.  Slower than average, but offers high defenses.  Extremely high agility and adaptability.  Once every ten years it can be commanded to teleport a long distance somewhat randomly--a general direction can be given.

(2rd tier) Millenium Harvest Sword --  The weapon of a forgotten god.  Faster than average when used as a flying sword and has the ability to grow large enough to carry any number of passengers without added strain to the owner.

(4th tier) Array Platform of Water Dao Insight -- A flying platform that is just a flagstone for immortals on any path other than a water-based Dao.  For the correct owner it will fly far faster than average, can increase cultivation speed, aid with insights into the dao, grow or shrink in size, and offer protection up to the Soul Hardening stage.  Offers its own storage, pill oven, and quarters.  Has stealth abilities up to the Meridian Refinement level.

This was Jake’s first time seeing a 4th tier item and he blinked in astonishment.  The Array Platform of Water Dao Insight was one of the most powerful tools he’d ever heard of, like the vehicle of a god.  Wow.

Unfortunately, it would be worthless for him.  He didn’t know exactly what his Dao path was, but it sure as hell wasn’t water-based.

He did some thinking, taking his time.  The Eternal Kite was a solid choice.  If he chose Millennium Harvest Sword it would be amazing if he had his own private army to go with him...and if he was powerful enough to actually make such a thing fly fast.  So its effectiveness would be limited now.

Ultimately, he chose the Living Clay Bat.  When he received the tool, it appearedf in his storage ring along with an instruction manual.  He absorbed the array instruction manual--a far more efficient process than needing to read something.  Luckily, operating the Clay Bat wouldn’t be too difficult for him at his current cultivation level.  Maybe that was one reason it was a tier three reward.  Usually cultivation tools required more energy the better they were, but high quality artifacts were more efficient.

Jake sat in the dark.  He was wondering if he should linger and hide in this space for longer when he suddenly felt a rough, jagged sensation pass over his senses.  A moment later, a spike of danger shot through his mind so powerfully that he immediately phased and flash stepped back to the surface.

Behind him, likely above where he’d just been hiding, a crater was smoking.  Standing over it was a truly enormous monster.  The demon beast giant tiger and what looked like a huge armadillo were both half-eaten behind it on the ground.

Jake couldn’t move for a moment.  The pressure this new demon beast was exuding made it hard to think.  It had shaggy fur, but also an insect-like head, almost like a praying mantis.  Its claws were huge, and even though it stood on two legs, almost like a t-rex, it still had such a long tail it looked almost like a snake attached to the back end.  The creature’s claws hung to the ground and it rested on his knuckles like an ape.

If he moved, he’d die.  Jake knew this for a certainty.  He’d known better than to waste energy delivering a Demonic Contradiction Wave.  Against whatever this thing was, it’d be like throwing a handful of salt at a charging bull.

This mountain range was death.  Even if Jake somehow survived his staring contest with the demon beast in front of him, there would likely be other such predators.  And his odds of getting away weren’t great.  He wasn’t sure how the monster had just bored into his hiding spot, but he had a feeling that avoiding it when it could even actually see him would be...grim.

A sudden shriek in the distance had enough power to make the leaves rustle.  The mantis-headed monster turned to look in that direction.  Jake knew this was the only chance he’d likely get to escape.

He pulled the new clay bat from his storage ring and jumped on, not even getting time to admire his new ride.  The moment he was in place, he used the directions in his mind, cycled his cultivation base before injecting his ki into the bat, and desperately ordered, “Teleport that direction!”  He pointed away from the dangerous mountains.

The chimera-like demon beast made a gurgling hiss as it pounced forward.  One massive clawed hand descended impossibly quickly, but the air shimmered around Jake and the attack didn’t connect.  “Fuck off!” crowed Jake.  He flipped off the demon beast, and chuckled as his nerves and pent up stress unwound.

He didn’t know where he was going, but anywhere was better than here.

The view of the mountains faded.  Jake hoped he hadn’t used up all of his luck on the Eternal Struggle Reward System.  If he landed in danger this time, the bat wasn’t going to be any help for another 10 years.