Chapter 534 - The last question

Not that much later after getting all his answers, Kyralon stops me, “This will be your last question and after that, I won’t ask more of you.”

“That's out of nowhere.”

“Yes. I have changed my mind, and I would appreciate if you do not ask why. I won’t ask anything of you either and you can spend the rest of your Beyond Quest here in the tower or on the spot you like or on the stairs outside of the tower. Nowhere else.”

There are plenty of questions I want to ask, especially why—what made him change his mind. I replay my past answers and behavior, and I don’t think I have done anything to offend him. But it’s not like I can force an Absolute to do what I want, no matter how disappointed I feel.

Sure, I have decided not to ask him anything about my training because I want to grow in my own way, and the cockroach will help me more than he can. But there is only so much information I can gather by myself.

Pairing, Earth’s awakening, the system, coalitions, black mana, questions about some of my other skills, fragments of eternal fire, wind, and more. Questions about certain races and where they came from, as I know the vyssari are rumored to be created by one of the Rulers. Then there’s the Last Elf he mentioned, the Magi he mentioned. Where to get a Spatial Cache of my own, subclasses, and the influence they have. What causes pairing, the world-devouring wolf Biscuit’s disciple mentioned, how to become a Champion or an Absolute, and more. Many more.

There is no way he doesn’t know that, and only a bit over one day has passed out of my five-day stay.

Surprisingly, there is a part of me that is annoyed at myself for being disappointed at not having these questions answered on a silver platter. But there is a strong impulse I feel—my frustration wanting to show through.

He knows I’m annoyed, but I’m not some toy he can just do whatever he wants to.

Fuck this guy.

“Thank you. I have no more questions for you.”

Just these few words make him freeze for a moment, his eyes widening the tiniest bit in surprise before he takes control of that minuscule, barely noticeable expression.

“I understand. You still have some time remaining, so you can ask if…”

“There is no need to.”

“Are you su… I understand. I will be here then.”

“Got it.”

After a moment of hesitation, he stands up and leaves.

***

Day after day, I remain in my mind space, sitting on the stairs within that suppressing field. I also often watch the night sky and the fragments of the moon from the loggia. I follow the rules, never leaving this room and avoiding prolonged looks at the items around me—knowing they would only fuel my curiosity, with no way to ask questions or inspect them.

Within my mind, I build my array and dedicate parts of my mind to keep them active while also working as much as possible to keep Fracture from just breaking out.

There are no questions asked, no answers delivered. And when the day comes to leave, Kyralon, for the last time, opens his mouth to say something before he shakes his head and smiles at me, changing his mind.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Nathaniel. Thank you for answering my questions.”

There is that tiny hint at my remaining question.

But I do not ask.

“I understand. Thank you for answering mine. We might see each other after I leave the tutorial. One day.”

“That… that would be an interesting meeting.” He smiles and reaches his huge hand toward me. He grabs mine while shaking it. “That’s how you greet on Earth.”

“Yes, but don’t squeeze my hand that hard; you broke something.”

“I apologize.”

“It’s fine. It will heal slowly. See you then.”

“Farewell.”

Turning around, I open the door that appeared there a minute ago, and as before, I pass through, appearing back at the place where my handler is.

As always, she is sitting behind her desk and asks right away, “Satisfied?”

“It could be better.”

“Absolute Kyralon tends to be like that,” she smiles, “Since my allowance of information is nonexistent now, there is no need to hold you here any longer. Don’t die on me, attendee Nathaniel.”

I just give her a nod and keep looking at her, even as I feel the pull toward the 7th floor. She watches me in return, amusement flickering across her face.

Then there is the cold, chilling wind and snow again.

***

POV Warden of the Parallax Eyes, Kyralon

Kyralon spends a moment staring at the spot where the young attendee stood before letting out a long, frustrated sigh. It had been a long time since someone so much weaker than him had treated him that way—carefully skirting the line that would warrant punishment.

He waits for a minute before heading toward the loggia where, on a chair, a young woman already sits—long red hair, yellow eyes with patterns on them.

“Lady Greed,” Kyralon greets her carefully.

“Please sit,” she gestures at him like it’s she who is at home here and not the velnar Absolute.

The mood carries a slight tension as Kyralon pulls two glasses from his pouch, along with a transparent bottle filled with a golden liquid that swirls like a living whirlpool. He pours it into both glasses, where the same motion takes shape, and for a while, they drink in silence.

In the end, it’s Kyralon who breaks the silence first, “He left without asking the question he had the right to ask. It’s for the first time. Rather than getting an answer to one of the many questions he had, he decided to annoy me.”

The red-haired woman laughs shortly and sips, “The great all-knowing Kyralon, treated like an annoying grandpa. I’m glad to live to experience it.”

“That human—he is petty beyond belief. Just for that silly reason, he decided to waste a question. From me, of all people—the Warden of the Parallax Eyes, the last of my bloodline and one of the oldest Absolutes within the system! Who does that?!” His voice ramps up as he complains, showing his unwillingness to believe what just happened.

“What have you done to annoy him that much?”

“I decided to end our game of answering questions prematurely.”

“Why would you do such a thing, dear Kyralon?”

The huge Velnar settles into his chair and takes a long sip, watching the golden liquid swirl in his glass. “I didn’t want to stain him—to feed him all the answers, even if they would help him, make him stronger, or keep him from making mistakes.”

Taking the bottle herself and pouring more of the drink, the red-haired woman sits again, “And what do you think? Would he be able to become the weapon we need?”

“How can a human like him succeed where Master Lissandra has failed? That one who started in the Beyond would be a better choice, Lady Greed. Lyraen and Nyssa also show promise. Any of the three would make a better weapon if you insist on looking within that particular tutorial. And that’s not even considering the many others already in the system or within different tutorials. But the chances are slim to nonexistent for all of them—that man is just too monstrous.”

“No mention of a certain Absolute going rogue?”

“No matter what Master’s shadow does, she won’t make it out of the tutorial. There were versions of her that made it further, that were more similar to the original and bore more of her incredible power. Yet all of them failed.”

“I see, you are still the same, letting your incredible sight blind you.” The red-haired woman nods in agreement, but there is a slight smile on her lips.

Right after, she stands up, “Thank you for our short talk, dear Kyralon. We will see each other soon.”

She leaves as if she had never been there, and in the same way as before with that man, Kyralon watches the place she disappeared from.

***

POV Nathaniel

There are four “levels” of mimics on the 7th floor. The weakest are Lesser Mimics, then Mimic Spawns, Greater Mimics, and above that, a Champion-grade Elder Mimic. Of course, there is one more level—the Absolute-grade Mimic, also called the Progenitor Mimic.

Lesser Mimics and Mimic Spawns are no problem at all. I could keep killing these guys for weeks. A Greater Mimic could cause a problem, especially the ones over level 350. In certain situations, or if more of them group up, things could become… interesting. Especially if they have a host that makes them stronger and more intelligent.

Well, it’s not like I have to worry about it now. The place where I appeared is incredibly filled with mana radiation and none seem to be around. There are enormous holes in the ground, already filled by the never-ending falling snow. The floors or mountains that used to be around are gone—kaput, evaporated.

On purpose, I delve into the area with the high mana radiation and rely on [Eclipse] and [Mana Domain] to keep me safe from it. The experience from the 5th floor helps a bit as well.

While doing so, I quickly exchange messages with Group 4, who don’t seem to be in that good a state after five days of running away from the 2nd front and the Champion fight that apparently happened here.

The Exoria Deployment Outpost is gone, destroyed—along with most of the lumorans who stayed until the bitter end. Their Champion appeared only at the last moment and, according to Tess and utterly crushed two Mimic Champions, both with hosts.

Group 4, Hed’s group, and a few more are currently hiding—God knows where—after a lot of near-death situations and with some members poisoned by something not as serious as what killed the Ardenyx pilot but not dissimilar either. Among the poisoned are also Dennis and Maya. Sophie has already been unconscious for a few days after controlling Ardenyx for one hour when the attack started, to allow them all to escape.

I know these guys are scary in their own way, so I’m not that worried about them. Group 4 has survived worse dangers. What takes my interest now is just a whisper of mana wavelength I recognize. My Mana Wavelength Iris spots it even within all that mana radiation surrounding me and all the messed-up effects of war.

It’s the signature of level 7 technician Leth.

I head in that direction, avoiding areas that seem too dangerous. There is an area where the snow just doesn’t enter. That zone is as big as a small city, and the snow swirls around it. Inside, patches of twisted, charred trees stand eerily still, and from them hang corpses of lumorans and even a few Mimics.

Another area is a massive crater that melts any snow that reaches it, a pool of glowing lava at the bottom. On top, around its edges, lie more corpses, items, pieces of tents. I even recognize parts of war armor, though I can’t tell which ones.

Through my eyes, these places look about as inviting as giving a presentation in a class full of extroverts.

Well, maybe these places are a bit more inviting because they are interesting, and I feel a strong tinge of curiosity, but I refuse to let it blind me to the danger. Just the way mana moves and twists around them is enough to tell me to avoid them.

Gradually, I am forced to use more and more mana to fight against the radiation in the area, but my body mana is full, and my crown is as well. Even the damage caused by Fracture, which messed up my mana pathways, and Fracture’s own rebellion pose no threat to my mind, supported by my mid-arcane passive.

Soon, I catch up and see Leth. He is wearing metal armor that covers the entirety of his body, likely to fight mana radiation that I doubt he could endure otherwise. He pushes against the wind, crawling through it sometimes, each of his steps slow and tired.

Very slowly, he reaches a pile of snow and starts digging. I extend one of my [Ley Lines] and tie it to him. It’s more difficult than usual because of the area, but with more focus, I’m able to do it.

Leth uncovers a white part of a tent and enters, after which the snow he removed falls back, covering the entrance again making it entirely hidden from all my senses. It's to the point that I'm sure I’d never be able to locate it any other way than by stepping on it.

I teleport through the [Ley Line] and appear inside the near-fallen tent. The noises outside immediately grow quiet, but it’s very cold in here. It’s the remains of one of the bigger tents, with a few parts of the workshop still there, and war armor pieces I don’t recognize are scattered all around. They have a black surface, and scars on them reveal silver metal underneath. A bit farther away lies the damaged war armor on its back, its cockpit open.

Right away, I identify it as Exoria. Unlike Ardenyx, it’s ugly—it looks near primitive. But the edges of my vision blur when I try to focus on it too closely with my Mana Wavelength Iris.

Leth finally notices me, and still wearing that armor, he turns around, pulling a dagger from his waist that immediately becomes covered in pale blue mana. His hand is shaking, and I can see how weak he is.

Yet still he steps to the left, standing between me and the unconscious body behind him.

The body of the lumoran Champion Feroy.

***

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