Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Jack finished eating, then took a well-deserved 36-hour nap. Finally, he awoke, still in the cave and rearing to go.

For the first time in three and a half years, he opened his status screen.

Name: Jack Rust

Species: Human, Earth-387

Faction: Bare Fist Brotherhood (B)

Grade: B

Class: Paragon of Cultivation (Legendary)

Level: 503

Strength: 10,380 (+)

Constitution: 10,380 (+)

Mental: 1500 (+)

Will: 1500 (+)

Free points: 2650

Free sub-points: 1

Dao Skills: Meteor Punch IV, Space Mastery IV, Death Mastery IV, Neutron Star Body IV, Iron Fist Style III, Brutalizing Aura III, Supernova III, Fist of Mortality III, Titan Taunt III, Black Hole III, Immortal Commune I

Inner World size: 16,000 miles

Matter Condensation: 6%

Titles: Planetary Frontrunner (10), Planetary Torchbearer (1), Ninth Ring Conqueror, Planetary Leader (1), Grade Defier, Planet Destroyer, Challenger

Absorbing the overlord core had been hell, but the benefits it brought him were appropriately immense. He’d jumped straight into the late B-Grade and even progressed a little into it. His inner world had grown from 12,600 to 16,000 thousand miles—over doubling his overall energy capacity—and its density had increased as well. That brought an increase in gravity, which made many of the floating earth chunks stick together. They looked more and more like planets.

Jack was still far away, but he was slowly approaching the A-Grade.

However, his cultivation increase was far from the only benefit. The repeated destruction and regeneration of his body had inadvertently strengthened it. The overlord’s energy wisps had sought out every weakness in Jack’s body to exploit it, pointing them out for his regeneration.

Throughout his life, Jack had fought many battles and received many injuries. Some left hidden marks behind, which slightly lowered his combat efficiency. Now, after his body had been destroyed and remade thousands of times, all those hidden injuries had disappeared. His Dao cycled unobstructed, in perfect harmony with every inch of his body. He was in his best state ever—and his overall body tempering had advanced by miles, too, even if it wasn’t reflected in his Physical stats, which hadn’t budged.

Something else had.

Neutron Star Body IV: Your body has reached a frightening density. You can manipulate it at will, alternating between the weight of a feather and a mountain. Though inferior to a real neutron star, you’re well on your way…

The skill upgrade brought with it a terrifying increase in Jack’s battle power. His defense, offense, and speed all shot up. His regeneration would be much more energy-costly, but it was a cheap price to pay, especially since he had the Life Drop.

If he fought Crownstar again now, he could easily destroy him without using the four-armed battle form. In fact, Jack suspected his current level of durability rivaled the dead Elder’s.

Thanks to all of his level-ups, he also had a large number of stat points to distribute. The highest ever.

Strength: 10,380 (+)

Dexterity: 10,380 (+)

Constitution: 10,380 (+)

Mental: 1500 (+)

Will: 1500 (+)

Free points: 2650

Free sub-points: 1

How do I go about this? he considered. The 8-1-1 distribution he’d stuck with throughout the years had yet to fail him, so he decided to believe in it. At the same time, he enjoyed round numbers.

Jack split a thousand points equally between Mental and Will, raising them both to two thousand. He then poured the rest into Physical. That one sub-stat point remained, but it was too little to be worth ruining the symmetry of his Physical substats.

When he was done, Jack gazed proudly at the fruits of his labor.

Strength: 12,030 (+)

Dexterity: 12,030 (+)

Constitution: 12,030 (+)

Mental: 2000

Will: 2000

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Free sub-points: 1

Wow, he thought to himself. I once had five points.

He was four hundred times smarter—to generalize the term—than a pre-System human, and over a thousand times stronger. Those numbers did not account for his many hidden stat increases—like the recent purifying he received from the overlord core—his skills, the synergy between his different stats, or his Dao.

Right now, Jack was confident in fighting a middle A-Grade. If faced with a late A-Grade, maybe he couldn’t win, but he could probably run away. A peak A-Grade would ruin him.

And he was still far from an Archon.

“Hey,” Brock said, stepping into the main cavern. “You ready, bro?”

“Always.” Jack rose to his feet, cracking his knuckles. The ocean of power in his body hid deep. He smiled. “Let’s go. We missed the three-year deadline with Elder Puerto, but if we hurry, we can still catch them before they begin the Canal Delve. Maybe we can join.”

“What if the overlord is there too, and he sees through your disguise?”

“A risk we have to take. I must visit the Dark Canal, and going with an experienced faction is the best scenario. Besides, even if the overlord is there, my disguise can hold up to even close scrutiny. He’ll only see through me if he suspects I’m really a human, which he has no reason to.”

Brock nodded. “Alright. Hair bro! You coming?”

“Coming!” a third voice rose to meet them as Starhair rushed into the cave. “I’m fed up of this place. Please tell me we’re leaving.”

Jack laughed. “We’re going to somewhere you’ll hate even more.”

The three of them flew through the earth, emerging in the red wasteland they’d last seen. This was their first time leaving the underground in almost four years. Jack couldn’t help the joy in his heart.

“The Dark Canal is that way,” Brock said, pointing to their left.

“How do you know?”

“The bros in Empty Star City taught me to navigate.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

The three turned into rays of light, and then they were gone. Next stop… The Dark Canal!

***

Elder Divine of the Black Hole Church was one of the strongest forces in the current war. His cross-legged form emanated divine light for thousands of miles. Everywhere that light reached, the void became hospitable, while flowers bloomed and wilted. His power was legendary.

However, even legends can fall.

Elder Divine had been tasked with destroying the System Cannons. These were the newest weapons of the Immortals—machines capable of shooting bubbles of System space into the vast cosmos. It was how they’d managed to ambush the Church army a few years ago, the event which led to the Immortal Summit of Spiral Stair.

Thanks to the temporary ceasefire, the Church Elders had figured out a way to protect themselves from total destruction. The cannons were large, so easy to locate, and could be destroyed. Unfortunately, the Church was overall weaker than the Hand of God, so every such assault usually required the Church agents to sacrifice themselves and blow up their inner worlds. It was a constant price in blood they’d been forced to pay.

The Arch Priestess had decided to see if she could avoid that by throwing overwhelming power at the cannons. On Elder Divine’s insistence, he’d been chosen to lead a top-level elite force, and he’d successfully destroyed one. They thought they’d escaped.

Space rippled ahead of Elder Divine. Two forms appeared—a man and a woman, each holding one half of a blade. The man was dressed in black and the woman in white—both were ethereal in aura.

“Yin Yang…” Elder Divine whispered. He was a bald, bearded old man dressed in simple clothes. His skin was wrinkled and full of dark spots, yet bright blue light emanated all over his body. As he opened his eyes, that blue light intensified and focused on the new arrivals.

“Elder Divine,” the man replied respectfully. “I have long admired you. It is my honor to face you in combat.”

“Hmm…”

Divine did not reply. He was a peak A-Grade, and a powerful one, too. More than most. However, the people before him were also peak A-Grades, and they were experts at combining their powers. Even with the assistance of his team, this was not a battle he could win.

He looked behind him. Three cultivators waited. Elder Malefic, middle A-Grade. Elder Godspeed, middle A-Grade. And, finally…

“We can take them,” Elder Heavenly Spoon said, always with that aloof smile. He was the Church’s youngest Elder, who only recently reached the A-Grade. A bright talent. He could fight one small realm above himself.

Elders Yin and Yang of the Hand of God flew close to each other, then rotated their two half blades in a common swing. The floodgates of the universe opened behind them—a yin yang diagram overlapped with their bodies, holding infinite truths.

Elder Divine looked at his team and smiled. “Godspeed,” he commanded. “Take the others and run away. I will handle this.”

“Elder!” Godspeed exclaimed. He was a slim, young-looking man whose features were currently clouded by despair.

“We can fight them!” Heavenly Spoon insisted. His aloof facade cracked. “We’re strong, Elder. So are you. There is no guarantee we’ll lose!”

Elder Malefic didn’t speak, but she bit her lips until they bled.

“Their reinforcements will arrive before ours,” Elder Divine explained calmly. “We could fight, but our chances of survival would be slim. If I hold them back, you three can escape. You have Godspeed. He’ll lead you to safety.”

“No, Elder! We cannot let you do this!” Heavenly Spoon insisted. He took out his silver teaspoon, manifesting a green phantom behind him. His face darkened and glowed at the same time. “I am not afraid of death, only starvation,” he said. “And abandoning you would starve my soul, Elder.”

“Yeah!” Godspeed agreed. “It won’t be too late to escape afterwards. Let’s show them the power of cornered cultivators!”

Elder Malefic also prepared herself. A pink aura surrounded her, stinking sweetly of silent death.

As the three were preparing to fight, Elder Divine struck without warning. His palm gathered the world’s power and shot it out. It seemed slow, yet was impossibly fast. The two enemies attacked at the same time. However, Divine had not been aiming at them.

Before Godspeed, Heavenly Spoon, and Malefic knew it, they’d been struck backward, flying with a momentum they could not contain. Space parted and they crossed light years in an instant. A terrifying black and white sword landed on Elder Divine’s back at the same time, breaking his blue aura and making him spit blood.

“Elder Divine!” Godspeed screamed, still flying away.

“Do not deny the elderly their honor,” a faint voice reached all of their ears. It was calm—there was no fear in that voice, only kindness. “This world does not belong to us, but to you. Only you can save it. The three of you, Jack Rust… You are all magnificent talents. All of you can reach the Archon realm. I will not let you die on my watch. Leave… Grow stronger… And let this old man complete his final duty. Let me light my dying embers one more time, and lay down my life to protect the next generation.”

As tears welled up in their eyes, the three thought they saw Elder Divine’s smile—old, toothless, yet bright like the sun.

“Make me proud. I entrust everything to you,” he said. “Create a sunny world for my descendants.”

Then, they were too far away to hear. Flashes of light erupted in the distant void. A blue sun was born, shaped as a massive, hundred-armed old man, struggling against a black and white sword which slowly tore him to shreds.

Only now did the three Elders manage to stop themselves. “We have to go back!” Heavenly Spoon shouted. “There is still time!”

“Spoon,” Godspeed placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, and as Spoon turned around, he saw the tears glinting in the other Elder’s eyes. “It’s too late. Don’t waste his sacrifice. Let’s go.”

Heavenly Spoon’s aloof facade shattered completely. “Damn it!” he roared to the heavens, shaking the universe. Godspeed formed a white bubble, encapsulating all three of them and retreating at terrifying speed. They were gone in the blink of an eye.

Elder Divine fought with everything he had, unleashing his full powers for the first time in several hundred thousand years. This was the first peak A-Grade casualty of the war. He died a hero.