The worst of the bunch was the Chrono Well , where he’d lost over a month’s worth of entrance fees without finishing the quest or finding an item for his Omnitool . He’d lost almost 5 , 000 Mana that month alone , and it wasn’t the only month where he’d tallied a loss .
Furthermore , the Mana fee was starting to get noticeable now that he’d entered the fourth echelon . It currently cost him 400 Mana a month just to retain his Mana domain . It was no wonder so few managed to go beyond 100 , 000 Mana . You had to push yourself quite hard to just break even , especially considering it got harder to earn Mana from duels at the higher echelons . One mistake that left you bedridden could cost you half an echelon’s worth of Mana .
Still , the fourth echelon in just over two years was well ahead of schedule . Catheya and Ogras were only on the second , even if they’d worked hard on both missions and bounties . They were still making improvements thanks to the various opportunities in the Perennial Vastness , and they were getting better at using Perennial Transformations] by the day .
Zac spent the next hour climbing back to the peak of Mount Illumination , inwardly grumbling at Null’s refusal to let him set up teleportation arrays at the foot or on the other mountains .
You have a message from Kruta the Second , - Null said just as Zac reached the crest .
Really? - Zac said with surprise .
Zac had kept in contact with the barbarian after they met in the Quarry . Kruta had come for a duel and to gawk when the rumors of his ability to swap between two races started to spread . Zac’s plan to pull in another round of Mana could only be considered half a success . His blueprint was just too eye-catching , so the guests realized what was going on after just a couple of duels when he visited Vastness City in his human form . The only reason he even earned 2 , 500 Mana from the scheme was that many , like Kruta , were curious about his situation and wanted to test the novel ability through duels .
Kruta had also joined him for two outings into Orange Zone battlefields Zac visited to recoup some of his Mana losses . The barbarian almost exclusively stayed in those regions because of his path , and it turned out he had a very useful ability . He was a Faith cultivator calling upon the spirits of his tribe’s ancestors . A soul whisp of some old warlord lived in his body , resulting in him being adopted by a warchief from the main tribe .
It was an interesting cultivation path , but that wasn’t why Kruta was such an asset on the ancient battlefields . The barbarian could actually commune with the lingering wills to some degree . Occasionally , the fallen soldiers took a liking to him and shared some secrets . Their two missions hadn’t resulted in any Supreme treasure , but both had walked away with massive rewards from the quest .
Had Kruta found a new opportunity? Was this why he’d been so unsettled over the past days?
Buddy , I have big news , - the message began . - Something is happening in the Stand of Saeward . The spirits are stirring like they’re about to rise from the grave , and weird tremors are releasing scary energies . I think something big is about to happen within a week at most . I don’t dare go alone , but maybe if I had a helping hand . . . You up for an adventure? -
Zac thoughtfully looked at the Communication Crystal for a few minutes . This seemed like a perfect opportunity , but his danger sense was tingling . He could almost feel fate gathering in the Stand of Saeward even if he’d never been to the restricted battlefield . Danger and opportunity appearing hand in hand . He’d never had this feeling when visiting the other Red Zones , even if a few of them had almost cost him his life .
There was something special about this one . Zac hesitated for over twenty minutes before finally recording a response . Conflict was the final key of the puzzle to forming his Cosmic Core , and items that could match the Calamity Core] and the Void Engine] didn’t appear every day . Not a single item he’d fed his Omnitool over the past two years was a match to those two treasures . He couldn’t back down now that an opportunity had presented itself .
Thankfully , he had a week . He’d trust his guts . This excursion would be exceedingly dangerous for whatever reason , so Zac needed to ensure he was prepared . His gaze slowly turned toward the empty patch of land on the opposite side of the peak . A great treasure right within reach .
It was time .
44
TRANSIENCE
Zac’s first entry into the hostile Red Zones was the Imperial Spire . The incredibly high mountain had seemed like a perfect place to start his collection of items . Even then , he had found himself at an impasse after pushing himself close to the peak . The final 2 , 500 meters were impossible to climb , at least for Zac , who lacked a Dao of Gravity .
So he started looking for a treasure at the maximum altitude he could stomach . But even after sixteen days , he had come up empty-handed except for a few more orbs . That was when he’d been given a poignant reminder of the importance of Luck .
He’d just changed form and applied a new set of talcum on his hands as day turned to night . The dust from the chalk had made him sneeze , prompting him to turn to the side . At that exact moment , he’d seen an odd flicker in the mountain wall a few hundred meters down . It looked like a shadow appearing out of nowhere . But the shadow was gone a second later , and the spot looked the same as the rest of the mountain .
Zac trusted his eyes and his gut and spent the next six hours reaching the spot , but he couldn’t find anything . Then , a few hours later , night turned to day , and Zac was surprised to see the wall suddenly disappear . The shift between night and day had deactivated a natural formation that exposed a hidden alcove . Inside , a small flower swayed . A flower even heavier than the Revolution Orbs that became the first fodder for the Omnitool .
Accruing Low to High-quality material was just a matter of having land , time , and resources . Peak materials were mostly things you had to take some risks to farm . However , materials considered beyond the - peak - could only be found by chance . And chance was governed by Luck and Providence .
Until that point , Zac hadn’t felt the need to rush himself when it came to Mount Illumination . Breaking into the ghost temple seemed incredibly dangerous , and he already had a lot on his plate . He’d pick up the Dharmic Treasure before leaving . But things changed after inheriting Cosmic Forge] . Zac suddenly needed to brave at least seventeen dangerous Red Zones , each with environments he’d normally have avoided in favor of realms better suited to his path .
The difference between being lucky and unlucky in a Red Zone wasn’t just a matter of thousands of Mana and finding valuable treasures or not . It could be the difference between life and death . Zac obviously wouldn’t trust his life to something as flakey as Luck , but it was better to have it than not . He definitely could have used some extra Luck inside the mind-bending maze of the Chrono Well .
Since then , Zac had started to prepare an assault on the hidden temple . He’d researched Mount Illumination and Heart Cultivation to understand the threat better . He’d climbed dozens of neighboring mountains to temper himself against different expressions of the Dharma . He’d been further tempered by near-death experiences , solidifying and improving his stability beyond what he gained from the Void Varja breakthrough .
Even his long crafting sessions seemed to have helped solidify his heart . Maintaining a Void State helped him control the Void Energy more fluently , and it removed any errant thoughts . The whole universe was pushed away except for the self and the materials . There wasn’t much point in waiting to gather more Mana , either . The protective environment of his manor didn’t stretch beyond the outer gates , and the trial itself seemed designed to circumvent the Mana domain’s protection .