Zac had gained the biggest share simply because he’d been responsible for dealing with most of the mounds and withstanding a larger part of the surges . However , his share was only so much bigger than the others because Ogras and Catheya were needed to profit . Catheya had figured out the method of finding the mounds , and her Dao of Ice was integral to quickly dealing with them .
Meanwhile , Ogras had proven incredibly efficient at gathering Sinner Crystals , especially after successfully raising the first resentment wraiths . He used his shadows and the Shadewar Flag] to carefully extract crystals from the ground and various structures . His method didn’t release nearly as much resentment , which allowed them to avoid a few surges a day while collecting crystals to localize mounds .
Apart from the Mana , only Ogras managed to find some benefits . Sinner Crystals , shards of Sinner Cores , and incredibly foul plants that had taken root in the center of the zone all went to the demon for experimentation with his flag . Zac and Catheya couldn’t find anything useful , though they harvested some Lightning-attributed metals to trade or sell .
It was an important reminder that even Catheya was a newcomer in this place and didn’t have all the answers . The mission sounded suitable from the description , but it proved to be quite a chore with no benefits for their core formations . Sinner’s Lament was more suited for Hexers , Summoners , and Lightning cultivators than their trio .
Altogether , Zac felt the experience reminiscent of the higher levels in the Tower of Eternity . Completing the tasks required certain skills and understanding , and Zac , back then , had been forced to brute-force every level . Here , that method was impossible . Even if he had strength to spare , so what? It wouldn’t help destroy any more Sinner Mounds .
In fact , Zac wasn’t confident he’d have broken even on the mission if he went at it alone , relying on his Luck and Endurance to scour Sinner’s Lament in search of bounties . Even after weeks of digging through the ruins , Zac only managed to form a vague idea that the position of the cities and mounds wasn’t completely random . There was a pattern , though Zac was still far from extrapolating any useful information from his hunch .
Zac now better understood why so many top-tier characters in the Perennial Vastness chose to set up coalitions . One person couldn’t know everything , so joining up with people with complementary skillsets would increase their Mana gain even if they worked with weaker companions .
It was a shame that Ventus was about to leave . A numerologist was probably a huge asset in this place . At least they had the Perennial Transformations] , which was already in Catheya’s hands . Zac had been too busy dealing with the wave of wraiths while Catheya and Ogras recovered to bother with the book , but Catheya had spent the better part of the month reading .
She’d hoped to use the secrets within to improve their results for the quest , but the theories proved too complex to learn in a day or two . Judging by her engrossed face as she poured over the endless numbers and patterns on the pages , the book was the real deal .
Zac didn’t return to his storefront . Instead , he entered a rest area by the teleporter , where he borrowed an empty room . A full hour later , Zac emerged clean and mostly refreshed , and he went straight back toward the teleportation square .
Keys of Ascension , ’ Zac said in his mind as he touched a pillar , and a path opened straight away .
Zac passed through the gate , and a cloud of incredibly dense energy greeted him . It was completely different from the disgusting gunk he’d suffered in Sinner’s Lament . In fact , it was almost the opposite . His exhausted mind felt invigorated and clear . The small amounts of lingering resentment from Sinner’s Lament were soon stripped away .
The Keys of Ascension was a special Green Zone included in the free trials and one of the places Ogras visited before the mission . Zac found himself at a platform floating in a sea of clouds , with an ancient stone bridge ahead . Two people were crossing , but they ignored Zac as they stepped up to another teleportation pillar next to his .
A moment later , they were gone , leaving Zac alone to marvel at the impossibly large structure . Zac felt he was looking at an Escher painting come to life , stretching thousands of meters into the sky . He couldn’t even tell what shape it held . One moment it seemed like a cube , but it was a sphere after Zac blinked . It contained tens of thousands of rooms , buildings , statues , and all kinds of random features , each moving about in defiance of any logic based on three-dimensional thinking .
Zac wasn’t sure if the Perennial Vastness had built this thing or if it had picked it up like so many other of its opportunities . It didn’t matter to Zac as he started toward the construct . What mattered was that the Keys of Ascension had the best cultivation chambers in the whole Perennial Vastness .
Zac had been given twelve hours of free access . After that , it would cost a whopping 500 Mana an hour , proving just how valuable the zone was . It could be considered the most valuable of all the free trials , and guests generally thought it a small accommodation because almost everyone who arrived had the same idea as Zac and Ogras . People were hoarding breakthroughs . With the Keys of Ascension , people could get that part out of the way and instead focus on gathering Mana and improving their blueprints .
The enormous structure didn’t get any easier to understand even as Zac approached , but Ogras had already shared the experience of his visit . The moment Zac reached the edge of the bridge , he released his Branch of the Kalpataru while starting to recite his Void Sutras . Zac felt a pull , and he curiously followed the calling as he walked toward the keys .
Rooms kept appearing and disappearing , whole castles came and went in the blink of an eye . Then the confusing blur started to stabilize until Zac found a set of golden stairs waiting for him . He didn’t hesitate as he stepped onto it , and his surroundings shifted . The bridge leading to the teleporters was gone , and he found himself in the middle of the confusing mesh .
Statues , arches , towers , and all kinds of buildings danced around him , each holding incredibly pure and powerful truths . It all blended together in a tapestry akin to the Heavens themselves . Zac didn’t let himself be distracted . He never stopped channeling his Dao , and he kept most of his attention on the stairs . This place wasn’t dangerous , but it wouldn’t hold your hand .
If you stepped off the path or got confused by the powerful Daos , you might find yourself lost among the Keys of Ascension . Let alone wasting your twelve hours of subsidized experience , you might even end up deep in debt before you managed to find your way out .
His ears roared with foreign yet enticing Daos , yet Zac staunchly took the next step as it was created . Sometimes it felt like he was walking upside down . Other times he felt inverted . He ignored his senses and kept on until he reached a small golden pagoda . It was simple and unadorned , except for two statues depicting tranquil flames to the side of the entrance .
Zac breathed out in relief , and the chaos outside died down upon ascending its seven steps . The temple looked quite small on the outside , yet it was over one hundred meters across within . The floor was neither tiled nor made from wood . It was rather made up of a sea of gold nuggets ranging from the size of pebbles to fists .
Floating above were innumerable motes of golden Life . The scene almost made Zac feel like he was walking into a grill or a cauldron , and that feeling was only reinforced upon passing the gates . An incredible wave of heat hit him when he stepped inside , a heat far beyond most of the volcanoes he’d visited .