186. The Second Concept (I)

Zane had a handful of days before the Superdungeon. In that time he and his friends settled into a training camp.

Reina started working on that Regeneration buff Skill—' Evergrow.'

Avery munched essence-dense foods until she passed out from a food coma. Evan was bouncing off the walls, trying as hard as he could to get faster.

They sectioned off their own little training grounds, which Reina had built just for the occasion. Avery got VIP access to her own Rogue Dojo, which was basically a fancy obstacle course. Reina got a Priest Dojo that looked like a medieval stone temple. Evan got a little custom Dojo right next to Zane's.

The common wisdom was the S-rank dungeon would blow any day now. The European Team couldn't hold off much longer on clearing it. And after that no one knew when the Superdungeon would open.

He had to take advantage of all the time he had.

***

Reina and Zane took advantage of the night to do some power Leveling. It was one of their most intense sessions yet. Reina hung on for as long as she could. By the end she was pretty out of it—and sure enough she passed out seconds later. But it was enough for a Level.

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟠𝟠 -> 𝟙𝟠𝟡

𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝕄𝕖𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠'𝕤 ℙ𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕥𝕣𝕒 [𝕄𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕔+] 𝕀𝕍 -> 𝕍

***

The first order of business the next day was drinking from that World-Tree Sap Vial. Zane had it delivered to his Dojo. Three Warrior workers wheeled it in in a heavy-duty Spirit Steel cart. They wore suits of armor and gloves and everything, like they were carting around a bomb.

Zane got first drink. He opened the lid, felt the aura erupting. He quickly pressed his mouth to the opening.

Raw sweet essence rushed down his throat. He choked on it at first. It felt kind of like drinking fizzy soda but a lot more intense. He could hear the popping going down his throat, hundreds of little firecrackers, feel it bursting on his tongue, reacting to the air—reacting to this realm. He could feel it spasming, struggling to hold its form here. It only simmered down when it made its way down to his belly.

Zane frowned. He used Emperor's Soul, held it down with his mind. The fizzing quieted a lot. He kept drinking.

At first a good chunk of that essence fizzled to nowhere, steaming out, lost. But when he sat on it with his soul, he could make sure every last bit of it went through him. It made it easier to absorb, too.

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟠𝟡 -> 𝟙𝟡𝟘

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟡𝟘 -> 𝟙𝟡𝟙

Even suppressed, it felt like little bombs of essence were going off inside him. There was a thickness to this essence. A density, a refined quality. It felt like drinking raw honey. Every drop of it was so compact that when his body teased it apart, took it in, it blew out, multiplied inside him. That was what made the explosions.

It was like no Vial of Essence he'd ever felt.

A few hours passed like this...

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟡𝟙 -> 𝟙𝟡𝟚

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟡𝟚 -> 𝟙𝟡𝟛

***

By the time he surfaced, went up to the penthouse floor to eat, he found the sun was setting. It was mid-afternoon. He also found his meal waiting for him. Raw bloody drake meat stuffed full of essence, a side of drink—an S-Rank Steel treasure melted down for him, all made by a private chef, plated prettily on white tablecloth.

Reina would be busy all the way until late at night these next few weeks. She had to lock in and train, but she also had to catch up with all the Faction's goings-ons. So he'd take his meals alone most of training camp. He'd gotten used to her being there going on about all the interesting smart things in her head, him listening quietly, just enjoying it. It felt kind of odd sitting here in silence.

He sat and ate anyway. On one side lay a full wall of glass, showcasing the sun setting over all that Luminous Faction land—over the lesser skyscrapers below glimmering with warm yellow lantern lights. Each of those lights a person, maybe a family, making their lives in his domain.

His view stretched over bustling colorful market squares, and stone temples, and bridges, all in that cozy stone-and-greenery, all neat and comfy, like something out of a Lord of the Rings story.

Zane watched it for a bit as he ate.

Then he turned to the other side, a flat wall mounted with a projector.

It flickered to life. A scene began to play—a silver-haired old man in spiffy black robes, riding a wyvern. He was talking quite seriously into the screen. He had to shout a little to be heard over the blistering winds. It was sunny out. The wintry snowscape and ice-capped peaks threw off blinding shafts of light.

The mountains here were as big as he remembered. They had to be twice the size they used to be on Earth.

"—On the scene with the European A-Team, about to embark on their S-Ranked Expedition!" he said.

Zane saw a mountain dominating the distance, striking up far past the clouds—it had to be the Everest dungeon. Heaven's Peak. Clouds cloaked it today all the way up, so you couldn't see far past the base. It kept the true peak from view as though saving it for a surprise.

And below, some miles away, marching toward it—a handful of colorful dots. The camera zoomed in on one of them.

A tall lanky man in clothes so dark he seemed wreathed in the shadows themselves. He wore a pitch-black mask and a cowl. His only visible features were his flinty narrowed eyes. A belt of throwing-knives hung around his waist.

"It's Alessandro Romano, the Assassin-King of Italy! World Rank #14, and Level 171 to boot—one of the strongest Rogues in the world!" called the reporter.

The scene shifted slightly to focus on the auburn man next to him. Also wearing a cloak, but looser, the green of the deep forest, fluttering free. He wielded a wooden staff gnarled at the ends. His features were so sharp you could cut a hand if you ran it across his face.

"Then there's Liam O'Connor, the Druid of the Emerald Circle! A fearsome Mage in his own right, well versed in healing and summoning Skills."

Then there was a bald man whose whole body was scribed with thick rune circles. Carving deep pulsing magics into his skin. There wasn't an ounce of hair on him—almost no clothes either other than a loincloth.

"Klaus Muller, the Sacred Flame Warpriest! He'll be a huge boon against these Ice types…"

In front of him, standing second in the party, was a man who dressed like a vampire and looked like one too. Very tall, very thin, with deep dark circles under his eyes—like he was chronically sleep-deprived. "World Rank #8, the Necromancer from France, Ruler of the Parisian Catacombs… Matthieu Lagrande—who can summon the equivalent of an army of World Rankers at a command! And finally…"

The scene shifted to focus on the woman striding at the front. She was tall, stately, beautiful in the way a sculpture was beautiful. She reminded Zane strikingly of a certain Ice Princess.

"It's World Rank #1, Irina Volkova—The Ice Queen, now at Level 199! Some say she's just one Fusion Law from being the first to break through to Core. She's consensus one of the strongest fighters in the world—some would say the strongest if it weren't for the Savage Sage! One of the true powerhouses of this planet, to be mentioned in the same breath as Emeka Eze or Jason Walker!"

All of them seemed to be in the 170s-190s range by Level. And there were five of them, a solid team—stronger than Zane's on average. Each held themselves with a top World Ranker's pride. Each one of them probably thought they were the strongest there.

Zane thought they should probably clear it without too many problems. He was ballparking their strengths to someone comparable, like Eze. It seemed doable.

Irina held up a fist, and they all stopped short.

A thin blue wall held in front of them. Stretching into the sky. A few dozen miles from the foot of that super-massive mountain. The dungeon boundary. It spasmed and flickered, like it might go down any moment.

The scene zoomed out to show a little retinue following along. Family members and servants and the like, it seemed, come to see them off. They said their last few words to them. Zane saw Irina bidding her daughter goodbye—Vanessa Volkova's lips were trembling; she was blinking fast. But she was trying to keep her face schooled and hard like her mother's.

Irina said something curt, nodded, turned away. Nodded to the rest of the team.

And off they went, forging into S-Rank territory.

"There they go. Off to tackle quite possibly the strongest dungeon there is," said the reporter gravely. "It will be a long journey to the top, spanning many a grueling day. Let us all wish these fearless men and women the best of luck. All of Earth is rooting for them."

***

Zane gained one more Level that afternoon from chugging Vials of Essence. He was getting so close to the Core boundary he could taste it—it was just a lack of Levels stopping him now.

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟡𝟛 -> 𝟙𝟡𝟜

His stats now looked like this.

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕝𝕜𝕖𝕣

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟡𝟜

𝕊𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖: 𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕘𝕖

𝕂𝕖𝕪 𝕃𝕒𝕨𝕤:

𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖 (𝕋𝕚𝕖𝕣 𝕀𝕍)

𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕤:

𝕍𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝟚𝟝𝟛.𝟞

ℝ𝕖𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝟙𝟛𝟛.𝟡

𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙: 𝟚𝟜𝟛.𝟜

𝔻𝕖𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪: 𝟙𝟛𝟞.𝟡

𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕕: 𝟙𝟜𝟛.𝟠

𝕂𝕖𝕪 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕤:

𝔼𝕞𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕣'𝕤 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝 [ℝ𝕒𝕣𝕖 (𝔼)] 𝕀𝕀

𝔹𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕙 𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕤 [𝕌𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟 (𝔼)] 𝕀𝕀𝕀

𝕀𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕕𝕖 [𝕌𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟 (𝔼)] 𝕍𝕀𝕀

𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖 𝕊𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕙 [𝕌𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕠𝕟 (𝔼)] 𝕀𝕀𝕀

It took three S-Rank Vials of Essence to make a dent in his Leveling now. These things quickly lost effectiveness. He needed so much more to progress after a certain point—he had to move up in rarity grade to get the same boost. He felt himself running up against that boundary for S-Rank soon. But he'd have enough to power him over the top.

That evening he started looking at what to focus on these next few days.

Progressing his Titan Rhino stuff was easy. Keep eating metal. He was somewhat bottlenecked by his Bloodline. There were more layers past Muscle—tendons and organs and such—but it'd take a while to get there. For now tempering and refining would add strength and durability nicely.

Essence Leveling was also easy. Eating treasures, working with Reina. Other than that one Sap treasure, which was quite unusual, he found he could probably gain a Level once every one and a half to two days on this routine. It was enough to hit Core in a little over a week.

The thing that really needed concentrated work was Stormfire. And that Soul Pagoda. He was finally recovered enough to try more comprehension.

He decided to focus Stormfire first. A second Concept would give him a bigger offensive boost—hopefully something like the power boost the Titan Rhino's second layer granted him. It would pair well with his new physical strength too. Power and destruction went hand in hand.

So he sat down. Pulled out the Tome of True Stormfire.

Sat down in his Law comprehension chamber, let those soul mists seep through him. Chugged some Law treasures to prime his soul. Closed his eyes. And sank into it.

The scene faded...

When he opened the eyes of his mind, he saw Patriarch Azure Flame again. The same tall gaunt old man with the flowing bone-white beard.

He really liked giving his lectures in desolate wastelands. This time he stood in the middle of what could've been a circle of Hell. Thick black clouds blotted out the sky, flashing arcs of fat crimson lightning that danced between molten streams of lava. Lava bubbling out of the ground, leaking out of the lips of volcanoes, stretching to the horizon.

And at the center of it all—towering over the rest, reaching deep into the clouds—was the biggest volcano of them all. Zane saw it erupt through the ash clouds. A fat splotch of brilliant red-yellow fighting through a film of murky black.

The Patriarch watched it too. He was silent for a while.

"This is where I first glimpsed Stormfire," said the Patriarch. He didn't sound bombastic like he'd been in the first vision. A little wistful, like any old man reminiscing. "Where the Azure Flame Faction truly began… the Supervolcano of Planet Vulcan. It is storm season here. For the next two hundred years there will be no glimpse of sunlight…"

He paused.

"I have endured centuries of it. Sitting there in silence. Devoting my blood, my soul, my years—my children grew old without me. And their grandchildren too, whose names I never knew. I was here. Staring at a mountain's peak until my very eyes bled, seeking the truth of the Universe…But then. I would not have been satisfied any other way."

He went quiet. It was impossible to make out how he felt about it. When he spoke again, he sounded like Patriarch Azure Flame.

"The Second Concept of Stormfire resides there."

He pointed at the explosion shaking the clouds.