Read The Path of Ascension Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning Matt got up and reviewed the cultivation guide he read last night. There wasnt anything complicated at Tier 1, and he just had to relax and focus on his essence.

As excited as Matt was, he couldnt relax enough to reach the required state to cultivate. He tried sitting legs crossed, tried sitting in a chair, even tried slow movements. None of the top-recommended positions worked for him. Eventually, he flopped on his bed and was slowly able to get a good grip on his essence.

The essence he had accumulated delving was sitting in his spirit, concentrated in the center but also present dispersed through the rest of the sphere.

Once Matt had a good mental grasp on the essence, he could feel two paths. One led to his body, and that path was open and seemingly thirsty for essence. The other led to what he knew was his mana but felt completely sealed off. No matter how he tried, the essence couldnt go down that side.

Matt hadnt actually believed it would work, but it had been worth an attempt. Giving up, Matt sent the essence to the physical side.

That was all Matt had to do; there was no real effort to cultivation, just concentration and time. He had to constantly coax the essence along, or it would try and settle stagnant in his spirit.

He found it incredibly boring.

What felt like minutes later, Matt was finished, his spirit empty of essence. He looked at his pad and saw it was almost 3:00 pm. He had started at just after 7:00 am. Where had eight hours gone?

Matt felt robbed. And hungry. Sighing, he got changed into sparring clothes and quickly ate a light lunch.

He went to the training room and did what Melindas group suggested last night. For one thousand credits, he could purchase a simulation of the final room of the Tier 1 rift. It even came with the variations.

Matt made the purchase and wandered looking for an open training room but didnt find one until the fourth floor. Linking his pad and simulation to the room, Matt activated [Cracked Phantom Armor].

Six training aids came out, and Matt began.

After his training, Matt went and had dinner with Melinda and company, but they had a tactics training class after dinner, so they didnt linger long.

Matt went back to his room and browsed the available classes, everything seemed useful, but he had to prioritize at least a little. It was only recommended to take one or two classes at a time, and with them meeting once every three days, they were built around the three-day delve schedule.

First, Matt looked up the finances class Dena had recommended. Most classes lasted two months, and he was in the middle of a cycle, so hed be waiting no matter which classes he chose. The other one he decided on was Manners and Etiquette, a recommendation passed on by Melindas groups sponsor.

Then he looked up the personal trainers.

***

Matt stood in front of the rift again. It shimmered with colors he couldnt put names to. With a bracing breath, he stepped through.

The beginning of the rift was the same as it had been three days ago. The entire rift was a repeat of the last delve. That was until the final room, where he only saw four goblins in the scale armor. To the side, he found the fifth.

It was an archer. Matt didnt have anything to fear from this goblin, it was only mid-Tier 1 in strength, and its bow wasnt particularly powerful.

Still, Matt went over the scenarios that had worked for this combination yesterday.

Stepping through, Matt ran at the four charging goblins veering off to the right-most goblin and stabbing his longsword through the small monster while charging at the goblin with the bow.

Using its comrade as a meat shield, Matt closed the distance before the others could rescue the goblin who stood shooting arrows into the corpse on Matts blade for a breath too long.

That mistake let Matt add one more to his goblin shish kebab. Turning while using his foot to push the goblins off his blade Matt lashed out at the hobgoblin, who had nearly reached his back as it was closer to the rear when Matt ran past the group of them.

Matts attack caused the hobgoblin to step back, aborting its swing. That change in location caused the goblin charging past to catch the axe in the side.

The final two goblins flanked Matt to either side, trying to box him in and restrict his movement. He stepped to the right, blocking the goblins swing before stepping on its feet and hip-checking the smaller creature.

The force sent the goblin falling back, but Matt standing on his feet caused his weak ankle bones to snap.

Matt stomped down to finish it off while keeping an eye on the hob and remaining goblin.

The goblin stuck to the left of the hob and refused to move. It was probably the best move the weak creature could make at this point by covering the hobgoblins weak side.

Matt tried baiting out the goblin, but it refused to wet his blade-like its brothers did. And with its assistance, Matt was forced to retreat from the heavy blows of the axe.

Biding his time, Matt waited for his opportunity, and when the hobgoblin struck out, Matt didnt dodge or deflect the strike but blocked the haft of the weapon with the flat of his longsword.

Matt took advantage of the stalled axe and ran his blade down the haft to catch the hobgoblins unprotected fingers.

Flesh met steel and lost.

Screeching in pain, the hob retreated, unable to hold his weapon. Matt finished the goblin next to the hob off with a clean cut.

Seeing the hob was just clutching its mangled hand, Matt thrust through the unprotected arm opening in the plate, bisecting the last remaining monster.

Looking around, Matt felt like this could have been done cleaner. He might not have been hit, but that didnt feel like a particularly high bar to set with opponents this weak.

There is a reason this rift was kept when they made the PlayPen.

Sighing, he collected the bloody armor and weapons before moving to the reward distortion.

Sweeping it with his spiritual sense, he felt this time it was an orange color. But not quite. It had a multicolored thread weaving through the field.

Matt wasnt sure if it meant anything but waited until the thread was at its most visible pulse before dispelling the field.

There were two bars of metal. He thought they were steel but wasnt sure. He wasnt a smith, after all.

Something to look into, a class on blacksmithing would be useful. At least then, he would be able to identify better and worse weapons.

The more Matt thought about it, the more he liked the idea. If he was going to be a mostly melee fighter, it would do him well to understand his weapons of choice better.

Matt exited the rift and sold the steel bars to the receptionist for 500 credits apiece.

Overall he felt it was a successful delve.

***

The next month and a half were some of the best in Matts life. He delved, he cultivated and advanced, he learned.

All while becoming closer to Melindas group. Most days off were spent with them. After delve days, they all relaxed together, movies, games, drinking, or just exploring the island.

They became true friends, and Matt was grateful. He hadnt let anyone get close at the orphanage or Bennys. Matt didnt think he had kept people away, just that he hadnt met people he wanted close. Most of the people at Bennys were older and jaded from life, content to eke out enough to live but little more.

Matt wanted greatness. Melindas group wanted the same. They pushed themselves and refused to languish at the lower Tiers.

The classes were interesting. The financing class was an eye-opener. Matt didnt realize that he had misunderstood Denas letter. When she had said 20k, he had assumed she meant credits and based his purchases around that misconception.

He had been given a credit limit of twenty thousand Tier 1 Mana stones, not twenty thousand credits. Matt couldnt even imagine that amount of money. It was an ungodly number of credits. That extra cash let Matt hire a Tier 7 melee trainer to give him lessons.

It was subsidized by the Empire, but Matt still had to pay fifty thousand credits. Matt had been hesitant to go into that much debt, but after the first lesson, Matt had no regrets.

Dominic was a 64 monster who mainly used a sword and shield but was competent in most weapons. After seeing Matts skill, Dominic had Matt rotating weapons, with a focus on a shield and one-handed weapons. His reasoning was if Matt ever joined a team, a shield was usually better for the group than a single longsword user.

It was challenging. Matt thought he was good with the longsword, and Dominic even confirmed that he was, but when using a shield and sword, he felt clumsy and had a hard time getting into a groove that felt natural.

After Dominic felt he was ready, he had Matt tackle the Tier 1 rift with the sword and shield. It was a different experience from his runs with a longsword. With a longsword in hand, he barely took half an hour to clear out the rift. With the shield and sword, it took almost two hours. There was an incremental improvement in each run, but not something Matt was satisfied with.

Dominic had even started Matt with spear training, with and without a shield. So Matt was sure that would be his next weapon to take into the rift.

During his delves, Matt hadnt had exceptional luck, either good or bad, with the prizes. Mostly around the average of seven mana stone value.

Matts cultivation was almost a quarter of the way through Tier 1. It was only that fast because he didnt have to split the essence but was warned by everyone that the Tier 2 rift was a large step up in difficulty.

Once Matt broke through to Tier 2, he would see a larger improvement. While cultivating and distributing essence, a cultivator only got half the results and got the other half when he broke through the Tier barrier. It was the reason a new Tier 2 was so much stronger than a peak Tier 1.

Even so, Matt was seeing improvements in his strength, speed, and endurance. The changes werent massive, but after every delve, Matt could fight a little longer, strike a little harder, and move just a bit faster.

Matt was cultivating after a delve when his pad chirped. He ignored it until the pad vibrated. He had it set to do not disturb, and only an emergency contact would override that setting.

Matt sat up and looked at the message.

Melinda: Have you seen the news? Come to our suite. Quick.

A worried Matt hurried to their collection of rooms and found them in the common area watching the tv.

An official-looking man was speaking to the screen. Behind him was an expensive-looking manor with people crawling over it like ants.

..rise. The Empire expects its nobility to guide and protect the common people. After a thorough investigation, the Empire has found the Juniper family negligent to the extreme. With this verdict, the Empire will be sending relief efforts to repair all cities that have been affected by rift breaks.

Matt gasped. Thats what this was about? Negligence from the nobility letting cities get shredded because they hadnt wanted to take measures to prevent it?

Holy s... Matt was hushed by everyone.

He squeezed in between Vinnie and Sam on the couch as the broadcast continued.

Because of the devastation, there will be compensation to all affected parties. Please be patient. Millions have lost loved ones and family members, the Emperor, can not bring them back. But reparations will be given to those remaining and punishment to those responsible.

A crowd behind the camera started cheering at that. The official held up and hand, and it was instantly quiet. By the Emperors will, all will be made as whole as possible. Healers, both mundane and magical, will be arriving on Lily in the next few months. This includes psychiatrists. Their services will be on a need basis. All will get their time and help. Please be patient.

He looked down at his pad for a moment, then back at the crowd and camera. Standby for a Royal Decree from his Majesty Emperor Emmanuel the Third, hear and obey.

With a flick of his fingers from his pad to the camera, a new image replaced the official and manor.

The man on the throne was tall and in seemingly simple clothes, but Matt was sure they probably cost more than twenty planets would generate in a decade.

The Emperor was dark-haired with gold eyes that gave off a golden light. The odd part was it didnt interrupt the view of the mans eyes. Matt wasnt sure if it was how the Emperor looked in person or if it was a camera trick.

His voice was deep. Even through the recording, Matt felt the pressure on his chest. It has come to our attention of the neglect of the Barony of Juniper of planet Lilly. We, after reviewing the events, have decided that an outsider will care for the planet no more than any other noble family raised to the position.

Our solution to this predicament is as follows. The Path of Ascension is meant to raise the strong, and from The Path, your next noble will be chosen.

The first person or group to reach Tier 15 will be given the opportunity to take the noble title. It is our hope that someone who has experienced the tragedy of rift breaks will not take the lives of their subjects as lightly as the Junipers did. Any who have been affected and are on The Path are eligible. Strength through perseverance.

With that, the image returned to the official. The Emperor has spoken. The planet will be placed under an advisory council until one of your own ascends to the position. More information will be passed in the coming days.

The man stepped away, and a reporter stepped in and started chattering.

Matt and the rest looked at each other in shock.

Holy shit, Tara said. That broke the shocked silence, and everyone clamored to talk. Eventually, it settled, but the excitement was still palpable.

Mat, who had a now weeping Melinda in his arms, said, I saw it myself, but I cant believe it. I thought it would take an official challenge to the noble family and killing them at Tier 15 to get revenge. Shit, I don...

Melinda slapped his chest. Its a good thing, dummy. Now we dont have to risk ourselves, and people are getting the support they deserve, not... she hiccupped, interrupting herself, not just revenge, but actual help.

Vinnie voiced Matts growing fear. Is this concern or something else? The Emperor himself heard of this incident on a Tier 4 planet? There are how many thousands of planets below Tier 5 in the Empire. Why does he care? It seems too good to be true. And how did he even hear of this? To ascend, the Emperor must break the Tier 50 barrier. He could break this planet in half. It doesnt sit right with me.

Sam chimed in. I cant say how or why he stepped in, but he pissed a lot of people off with his decree, thats for sure. Normally new baronies are given to the second and third children of higher nobles. Only the first child of a noble to hit the Tier for their rank can take the title. Everyone else gets nothing.

In my In-depth Nobility class, they talked about it. New lower Tier planets are always being added to the Empire, and doing this sets a precedent that probably pissed a lot of higher nobles off. What plot can there be in that?

The seven of them talked around the topic until dinner. They couldnt believe that there was a chance that any one of them could be the next baron of this planet. Even if there were stronger people who had suffered the attacks and were on The Path, it was still The Path of Ascension, and anyone could fall off at any time.

After they finished eating, Melinda dropped even more shocking news. Are you all ready to go to see our Tier 3 Talents? Matt was shocked, they had said they were at peak Tier 2, but this was a huge step and the last Talent they would have unless they got to Tier 25 then Tier 50.

Wait, you guys broke through? What are we waiting for? Lets go. This is huge. Matt was excited. This was their first step into the larger Empire. After reaching Tier 3, people could only spend six months at the PlayPen before they had to make their own way on The Path of Ascension.

They all looked at him with expressions he couldnt place. It wasnt the happiness he expected. The looks put his hackles up.

Matt we talked about it over the last few days and well. Here, its easier to see. Please dont share this with anyone, obviously, but we trust you, and this will let you know we are ok when we leave.

Matt felt his pad ping and pulled it out to see

The party Unbroken has sent an alliance offer.

Details: full view of the individual profile.

Matt was stunned. This was massive. It would let him see their skills and Talents. It was more than most friends shared and a tremendous show of trust.

With only a moments thought, Matt accepted and gave the same permissions. He could trust them. Even if this bit him in the ass in the future, Matt was willing to risk it. They were friends.

Matt saw the group check their pads with relieved smiles until Mat saw Matts Tier 1 Talent and gasped, What is this bullshit?

The other had incredulous looks as well as they saw his Talent. Sam was the first to react to his skill. What is this skill? Its broken. What are these resistance numbers? This is absurd.

Matt sheepishly said, Just two useless things that synergize really well.

Really well is an understatement, Matt. I wish our Mat had tank skill that good. Mat, who was next to Melinda, looked at her as she said that and gave an exaggerated shocked look.

Matt took the time to look at their information.

Mat:

Talent Tier 1: Everyone in the party has lowered threat generation. Threat generation is redirected to an individual of choice.