Path to Transcendence

Chapter 395: A Normal Grape

When the dust cleared, he was somewhat disappointed but not surprised that Doren was completely unharmed. Even his clothes, which had no sign of protection, were unruffled. The only sign that Julius had hit him with an attack was the slight reddish tinge in the middle of his forehead.

Doren rubbed his forehead. “That was more powerful than expected,” he said with an impressed look.

Julius could only shake his head. It didn’t matter that he had thrown everything he had into that attack, it was futile in the end. There was just that big of a difference in tiers. He didn’t let that discourage him though, he used this experience as an example of what he should be aiming for.

He did review the notifications he received, though.

[Armaments of the Arcane lvl 17 -> 18]

[Sage of Savagery lvl 18 -> lvl 19]

[Inexorable Aura of Ruin lvl 14 -> lvl 15]

Julius almost laughed out loud. Despite that he had thrown that attack at a completely undefended person, he had earned more from that single strike than he would have clearing an entire Tier 3 rift.

It likely had something to do with the man being so strong, but honestly, it was still shocking to see. Three skills all leveling up wasn’t something he saw all that often.

“Well, that went better than expected,” he muttered.

“You got some levels?” Doren asked knowingly.

He nodded. “Yeah, did you know that would happen?”

“I thought the chances were highly likely that you would get at least one level if you pushed yourself,” Doren admitted.

Julius acknowledged the reasoning in that statement with a chuckle. “Anyway, so what was that about you selling me to this Cain person?”

Doren sighed. “I’m not selling you. I don’t run a human trafficking ring.”

Julius made a shooing gesture with his hand. “Sure, sure. But can you explain more of it to me? I’m not saying I am going to agree, but I want to know what I am getting myself into.”

If Doren was offended by Julius’s attitude, then the man didn’t show it. Instead, he went on to explain more things about this Cain person and what it would mean if Julius accepted the offer.

***

After Doren explained more about the situation to Julius, he told him that they would have to continue this conversation outside the rift. Apparently, Doren’s presence put pressure on the rift and risked destabilizing it the longer he stayed.

“Wait, so why does the guild think the rift will disappear if someone clears the final floor?” Julius asked.

Doren shrugged. “No idea. I think they were just using the rift as an opportunity to observe some of their own talent. But who knows, there might be another reason.”

“So what? Do we just leave now?” Julius asked.

“Yeah, whenever you wish,” Doren replied.

Julius nodded, but he paused as he realized something. “Wait, isn’t there some kind of reward for this rift? Don’t I get something nice for being the first person to complete all the floors?” He asked excitedly.

Doren nodded. “Yes, there is.”

“What is it? Is it something that could evolve my soul for the second time?” He asked with a grin.

“You already got it,” Doren said with a shake of his head.

Julius stared blankly, confused by what Doren had just said. “Huh?”

“You already received the reward,” Doren repeated.

“What do you mean?” Julius asked, feeling more confused than ever. Unless he had amnesia, he hadn’t received any shiny rewards as of yet.

“Your reward was to meet me and for me to introduce you to someone who might help you develop your abilities,” Doren said as if that was expected, and was confused that Julius was asking for more.

“I have been scammed,” Julius grumbled.

“Oi!” Doren said, offendedly.

“So what does someone get if they only complete nine floors?” Julius asked with a disappointed glare at Doren.

Doren shrugged. “Depends. It is adjusted based on their performance in the rift. For example, if someone had a hard time dealing with the staircase floor, the rift might have given them a physical growth treasure. Something that would bring their physical abilities closer to their other abilities.”

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“Why can’t I get something like that?” Julius asked with an expectant look at Doren.

“Why are you so concerned about a reward?” Doren questioned him.

Julius scoffed. “I like rewards,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Even if the rewards the rift would have offered you would barely make an impact on your strength?” Doren pointed out.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that the physical growth treasure would barely work on you with your already powerful Tier 3 body. Most of the treasures and rewards offered to you would barely have an effect on your abilities.”

“Not even a soul enhancement treasure?”

Doren shook his head. “It would be wasted.”

“What? Why?” Julius asked, his confusion increasing.

“You are already so close to your second soul evolution that using such a precious treasure would be a waste. Furthermore, it would also be a weaker evolution than a naturally acquired one. I doubt you want that,” the man explained.

Julius pouted. “So what? I can’t get any rewards at Tier 3 that would be worth it anymore?”

“Honestly? You are pretty much at the peak of what is considered Tier 3. Only Tier 4 treasures would have any effect, but your body also wouldn’t be able to handle the stress of these treasures. Not even your healing skill would allow you to consume them efficiently. It would just be a waste.”

“This sucks,” Julius said firmly.

“I mean if you want something, I have a treasure that improves your Emblem progression,” Doren said with a teasing grin.

“Really?” Julius asked, just happy that there might be something he could get.

“Yeah, I wasn’t lying when I said most rewards wouldn’t help you. But I lied when I said the only rewards were meeting me and introducing you to Cain. I noticed that you might find it hard to cultivate your Emblem to advance to Tier 4 and thought this might be a good reward for you,” Doren said with a laugh.

Julius stared daggers at Doren. “That’s not very nice.”

“Sorry,” Doren said, not sounding the least bit sorry.

Julius indeed has been having trouble cultivating his Emblem, and only the fights against other Tier 4s have done much for his Emblem. So if Doren was telling the truth, then it would be very welcome. He sighed and extended his arm. “Can I see it then?”

Doren laughed once more at Julius’s attitude and handed over a simple wooden box. “Just so you know, this is a very valuable treasure. While you won’t experience massive growth in your Emblem right away, it will slowly build up over time, more than other treasures would be able to.”

Julius nodded, trying to hide his excitement, and without waiting a moment longer, he opened the box. However, when he opened the box, he stared at it blankly.

Was this another joke from Doren? He thought this because a tiny green grape was placed in the box. There wasn’t even the slightest bit of mana or energy coming from this grape either. From what he could tell, it was just a normal green grape.

He looked up at Doren. “Are you teasing me again?”

Doren smiled and chuckled. “Nope, just eat it. Don’t worry, you won’t feel anything for some time.”

Julius didn’t really trust Doren anymore, but he did as he requested and picked up the grape with his two fingers. He turned it around in his palm, trying to see if there was anything he was missing, but no matter how much he analysed it, he wasn’t able to detect anything. So, without much expectation, he threw the grape into his mouth.

Right away, he noticed how juicy and delicious the grape was. It was the perfect mix of both sweet and tart. It was the best grape he had ever eaten. His disappointment was gone and even if the grape did nothing, he was glad that he got to eat it.

“Do you have any more?” He asked Doren with a greedy grin and a lick of his lips.

“Yeah, but giving you a second one would be a waste. The effects won’t work a second time.”

Julius pouted. “I still don’t believe you. It’s probably just a normal delicious grape.”

”Do you even know how much that single grape would cost you?” Doren asked.

”A little more than a normal grape?”

“Just wait and see,” Doren said with an exasperated shake of his head.

Julius side-eyed Doren, not hiding his doubt from the man.

“Okay, ready to leave?” Doren asked him.

He shrugged. “Sure, what is going to happen when I leave? Are people going to know I finished all of the floors?”

“No, the other people should exit at around the same time as you. They also shouldn’t know that someone had cleared all of the floors since there won’t be a notification, and the rift will remain until it naturally collapses. The only way they will know is if you tell them yourself.”

“Perfect,” Julius said with relief.

“I would be careful when you leave, though. I sense that there are other parties waiting outside the rift in the surrounding area. I don’t know what for, but they seem to be targeting one of the other participants,” Doren said with way too much casualness for what he had just said.

“Pardon?” Julius said, completely caught off guard.

***

Gunther POV

Gunther and his team of mercenaries had suddenly gotten some intel about a new target. Getting a contract to take out a person wasn’t an unusual thing. They were some of the most lucrative contracts that Gunther and his team had done in their time.

This one was a bit odd, though. Most of the time, they only attacked when their target was isolated from others. However, this time around, the client specifically stated they would create a diversion that would distract the group of adventurers around their target.

He wasn’t the only person on his team who thought this was odd. The more people who were around, the more variables there were to analyze. It was only because the client hired another Tier 5 who would take care of the more powerful members of the Adventurer’s Guild that Gunther decided to take the job.

They also somehow could take control over a large number of monsters they planned to use to distract them. He did not know of many tamers or summoners capable of commanding that many monsters at once. There had to be some kind of trick, but if there was, Gunther didn’t have the slightest clue what it could be.

He assumed that their client wanted maximum chaos to hide their true intentions. For what reason, that was still unclear.

Of course, the payment they were getting more than justified the risk they were taking. Gunther and his entire team would be able to retire and possibly reach Tier 5 with the amount they were receiving. Even after that, they would have enough to raise their children all the way up to Tier 4 without much issue.

While he was curious about who could be orchestrating such a thing, he didn’t really care at the end of the day. He didn’t bother himself with the intricacies of noble politics. He only cared how much he got paid.

And this payday was more than enough to keep his tongue silent.