A Small Fortune and a Small Misfortune
As the Slaughter Tribulation ocean gained another layer, expanding the foundation of the tower at the center of the fourth sea now required a full five levels.
Still, Elder Togo had said the tower was essentially the foundation of the laws themselves, and that a sturdy tower would help when advancing to the Nascent Soul realm — so I didn't mind spending the levels.
Especially now that it sat at the heart of the Slaughter Tribulation ocean, the tower's role had grown beyond simply being the hub of my transformation skill and the generator of laws. It now also had to anchor the center of the fourth Slaughter Tribulation ocean, divided into four directional sectors — so it had become even more important.
"Hup!"
I stepped out of the training grounds and took a light look around the base.
Out in the outer field, the decorations and San Gi-yeon had somehow managed to hold off a raid boss and were all raising their arms in a battered, triumphant cheer, while Elder Togo watched the scene with a smile.
Cheon Nan-cho had gone out on a prisoner expedition, right.
This time for real, I needed to find some gear to give her.
Believing that cranking up the event probability would make something drop, yet still feeling vaguely anxious, I casually region-transferred not to a same-level map but to a low-level one, then carefully raised the event probability all the way to 500%.
If I could, I'd love nothing more than to dump every single difficulty-lowering mod available — like a coward's shelter — even if it meant stripping the entire Slaughter Tribulation bare to use them all!
If this were just some trash game I knew, I could do it — but thanks to the parentless developer who slapped on a xianxia mode, fuck.
No, seriously, how do you set a class with no level cap as the default value for basic NPCs? How much playtime are you trying to pad?
How the hell can a person even make a xianxia mode? Oh, wait — Chinese people aren't human, they're non-humans, is that it?
And by that logic, the original body that grudgingly accepted and applied it isn't human either, right?
"I really hate this."
I don't even know how it manages to pick apart every single thought I have inside my head.
Well, of course — she and the original body think pretty much the same things.
It's just that she's been eroded by the skill; originally, those would be thoughts the original body should be having too.
Even if I say this directly, the original body won't understand a word of it!
All skill levels permanently increase by 1.
"Oh, nice."
Master skills didn't go up, but every other skill level rose by one.
Considering my penalty that skill levels only go up through training, not combat exp — that's a bigger gain than it looks!
Lucky right from the first event!
All stats permanently decrease by 1.
I pushed through the events that kept popping up one after another.
From events where a neutral NPC jumps out of a broken travel dharma treasure and you randomly try to rob them or help them, to events where praying at a grave object either spawns a monster or gives you a random weapon matching your level.
There were various other events too, but most of them either raised stats or slapped on debuffs.
For reference, the first one was a simple event — rob them and you get a bit of notoriety and food; help them and you get a rare consumable that restores item durability — so I just helped and grabbed the consumable.
And for the later event, seeing it in reality instead of on a screen from my memories felt weird at first, but the Humanities told me it was a grave event, so I finally remembered, prayed, and a monster jumped out for a full-on fight.
Still, I killed the elite monster from the grave and got a legendary-grade weapon, so I got lucky.
Would've been even better if armor or accessories had dropped, though!
"What were the conditions for the really good events again..."
If I could, I'd want to grind the two events for Permanent HP Increase and Permanent Accuracy Up.
The problem is the first one only triggers in mountains, and the second only in forests. Hmm.
"Since I need to find a gift for Cheon Nan-cho this time too, the forest might be better."
If I go back to base empty-handed again, Cheon Nan-cho's going to start getting genuinely pissed.
I mean, I basically stole the materials she was holding onto for her own training and burned them all to expand my spiritual power.
Region transferring...
This is an area with a regional penalty!
Regional Penalty: Getting Lost (Lost Path)
Area Identification value changes randomly at set intervals.
📍 Area Identification: 17.5%
A notorious forest where even cultivators lose their way and cannot escape. Bound by a restriction formation, none but powerful cultivators can fly above the forest — and it is said that if one takes flight by any other means, the forest itself rises up to devour them.
"Oh, there's a field boss."
Checking the map info, it looked like simply flying up would automatically spawn the field boss.
In that case, I can just farm events, and when I leave the map I can either kill the field boss on the way out or just return to base!
After cheerfully wandering around and getting hit with five unlucky events in a row, Yu Hee started spewing killing intent and Slaughter Tribulation energy in pure irritation — and the Humanities, unable to say a word, could only watch while frantically swinging their consciences in the inner world.
"GYAAAAAH! These fucking events!"
"Why the hell is the Reality Denial skill leveling up?!"
"Ack! Aagh! Erosion! We're being eroded!"
"Rotate! Rotate and hold on! I-seong's tanking most of it!"
"Even spiritual power can't resist this! For real!"
The Humanities were locked in combat against Reality Denial in the inner world, wielding their consciences. More precisely, they were fighting the Reality Denial that completely blocked all conversation with the original body.
"Got one!"
"Chop it down, quick!"
Two Humanities pressed a tentacle-like appendage of Reality Denial into a corner with their shields, and a Humanities with an axe brought it down like splitting firewood, severing the tentacle.
The severed tentacle vanished, and before the Humanities could even catch their breath, a newly appeared tentacle grabbed one of them.
"Ack! Aagh! E-erosion! I'm turning into the original body!"
The sharp dagger-shaped conscience in the captured Humanities' hand went soft and squishy, transforming into something like a toddler's magical girl wand — and Yu I-seong, who had been leading the charge against Reality Denial, let out a battle cry.
"Hup!"
From the tip of her swung spear, golden spiritual power became a streak of aurora and shot out like a laser, slicing through both the tentacle and the Humanities caught in it. The other Humanities quickly grabbed the still-dazed one and dragged her back.
"Why aren't you using your ultimate, Yu I-seong?!"
"If you turn on Aurora, that's a one-shot!"
"The original body gets one-shot too, that's why!"
"Ah!"
The round, blank-eyed squid-like Reality Denial went uoooong and swung multiple tentacles, but standing in its way was Yu I-seong — a Mortal who had achieved Transcendence with her spear.
Unlike the other Humanities, her golden spear was not merely conscience but her very heart itself. So no matter how much Reality Denial forced one to deny reality, it could not make her deny her own heart — which was not a mere thought.
But Yu I-seong wasn't in proper condition either.
Having transformed into the Heavenly Ghoul race, she alone among the Humanities was suffering under the influence of the Slaughter Tribulation even while inside the inner world.
In truth, Yu Hee was the strange one for carrying a Tribulation of pure death filled with malice toward all living things and being fine — and the other Humanities, who shared the same soul yet as Mortals remained unaffected, were the strange ones. Yu I-seong's reaction was what should have been normal.
"Kyuuuu...."
Anyway, through Yu I-seong's desperate struggle and by rotating through the erosion, the Humanities managed to thrash Reality Denial with their consciences hard enough to barely drive it out of the inner world. Then, barely holding their trembling legs steady, they started eyeing each other.
"Whew... so, should I say it? Did we get it?"
A brief silence fell, and despite the traditional and most famous resurrection flag, there was no response from within the inner world. Confirming this, the Humanities all collapsed where they stood or flopped onto their backs.
"As long as the Reality Denial level doesn't go up again for a while, we shouldn't have to fight, right?"
"Hey! Don't set a flag!"
"GYAAAH my conscience..."
"Still can't talk to the original body? What a thoroughly stubborn squid bastard!"
"Let's rest for now, rest a bit and then... GYAAAAAH! EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!"
One Humanities shot up as if having a seizure and shouted, and all the Humanities turned their heads as one. What they saw beyond the inner world — that is, the original body, Yu Hee — was her grabbing a neutral NPC and deliberating whether or not to eat it.
"The original body is trying to eat a neutral NPC, not even a monster!"
"This one's erosion is severe! Why the hell does the original body want to eat that?!"
"It's a neutral NPC, but maybe she's wondering if she can eat the fruit hanging from its head?"
"If it's the original body, she's definitely thinking about grinding the whole thing up in a millstone! No doubt!"
"And it looks like a good-natured neutral NPC at first glance!"
But most of their consciences had been eroded into soft, squishy toys from the fight with Reality Denial just now, so the Humanities had no way to stop the original body or get a message through.
All they could do was watch the scene with their hearts in their throats.