Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

On the first floor of the Hall of Trials, the watching monsters were still debating what Eternal could mean. Most participants had already finished and been spat out by the stele, with only Strawpin, Fiend Prince, and Starhair remaining. The presence of more monsters only intensified the debate.

“Look, they’re done with the second test!” someone cried out. Everyone turned to look at the stele—two names dominated the very top of the second column, both burning with golden letters. Both had achieved an Eternal classification, but one was clearly placed above the other. After all, the stele ranked all test participants, even if they had achieved the same overall classification.

The second name spelled Jack Rust. And the first, the one at the very top, was Brock!

Of course, this didn’t necessarily mean Brock’s willpower was sturdier than Jack’s. The trial had exploited Jack’s greatest mental scars—his family and son. Brock possessed fewer such weaknesses, so it was hard to tell who would prevail in a different kind of test, especially since Brock hadn’t been through as much suffering as his bro.

But those didn’t matter. Both had classified as Eternal talents in willpower—and, in this test, Brock had emerged superior, solidifying his place as a true and worthy bro.

Intense conversation erupted as soon as the monsters spotted the names. “I knew big bro could do it!” a monster cried out. “Who do you think is going to do better in the combat test? Jack or Brock?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Brock only defeated us disciples, while Jack Monstrous, or Rust, or whatever he’s called, killed two middle Autarch Elders!”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Big bro Brock clearly wasn’t going all-out.”

“But neither was Jack!”

“Me too.”

“I bet it on Brock!”

Sometime during the conversation, Strawpin had been spat out of the trial, ignored by everyone. Her eyes searched the stele. Shock ran through her core. Having great insights into the Dao was one thing, but in the willpower trial, she’d barely achieved the Genius level. No matter how high Eternal was, whether it was one or multiple levels above her… How could anyone reach it? How could they not go insane? The agony she’d experienced was way more than she ever thought possible.

Jack Monstrous… Brock… she thought, her eyes quivering. What the hell are you!?

***

A shadow materialized in the middle of Jack’s hall. It resembled the one he’d fought during the first test but was clearly different. The darkness hiding it was thinner, and it held a sword—most importantly, its aura was only around the early B-Grade, though the way it held itself told Jack it was decently talented.

He didn’t care. He flashed over and smashed a fist into it, obliterating the shadow in a single strike.

Another formed almost immediately. This one was at the middle B-Grade, and it suffered the exact same fate as its predecessor. So did the two next shadows, sitting at the late and peak B-Grade each.

Four shadows had already passed, four parts of the test, but Jack hadn’t even started venting.

A fifth shadow materialized. This one was a cut above the rest—an early A-Grade, power emanating from it in ripples, painting the air around it gray. Suddenly, the hundred-foot cube seemed too small for an A-Grade fight. It was a distance Jack could cross in instants.

He did not wait for the shadow to attack. As soon as it formed, he charged, smashing his knuckles into its face. For the first time, he didn’t win on the spot. The shadow raised an arm to defend, getting blown backward but remaining whole. Jack pursued. An almost animalistic rage consumed him. He did not activate the Life Drop, instead opting to pummel the shadow to death. Meteor Punches rained. The floor and walls were cratered, the shadow desperately defending until it no longer could. Jack’s fist broke through its arms, burying itself in the shadow’s chest, then exploded. Fragments of darkness rained.

He panted, more from rage than exhaustion. “Again!” he shouted.

The sixth shadow was at the middle A-Grade. This was the first real challenge—the difference in their cultivations was similar to when Jack fought Elder Crownbeast, though his relative power had increased since then. Absorbing the Overlord core had brought many more benefits than simply increasing his cultivation.

He was confident he could beat this shadow, no matter what Dao it used. It would just take a while.

Before he could attack, however, the room shook. The shadow flickered, then dissipated, its face betraying unwillingness. A new shape formed in its place. A bald young man, dark-skinned like the night, donned in white ceremonial robes. He held no weapon. His eyes betrayed hunger—and, unlike all previous opponents, there was nothing shadow-like about him.

Jack paused. “Who are you?” he asked. Something about this youth’s gaze differentiated him from the lifeless shadows before. This was a person, not a construct. And, though his aura was only at the peak B-Grade, Jack could sense its tremendous depths. He was suddenly on guard—whoever this entity was, it was unmistakably the greatest genius Jack had ever fought.

“I thought I’d accelerate things,” the other man said. His youthful voice held a hint of amusement—or was it mockery? As if he knew the world’s greatest joke but wouldn’t reveal it.

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“Accelerate?”

“You would defeat the Prime Genius shadow, but it would take some effort. I want to fight you at your best. After all, you’re the first challenger to stand a chance against me. I yearn for a good fight.”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t answer my question. Who are you?”

The figure chuckled. “Defeat me, and I’ll tell you.”

“Cool.”

Jack could sense the extreme power radiating from his opponent. Though only at the peak B-Grade, he was vastly superior to the middle A-Grade shadow from before. An almost Jack-level talent.

This made Jack not completely confident in victory, but then again, he didn’t need to be. He only needed to fight. The Life Drop transformation was already complete.

A punch shot out, trailing purple stars. The dark man raised a palm, catching Jack’s fist. The shockwave shook the hall. Dao met extreme Dao, two fundamental forces of the universe clashing against each other.

Jack’s punch carried tremendous power. Though it was only a Meteor Punch, it had previously sent an early A-Grade shadow flying. This man, whoever he was, had stopped it with little effort.

Jack narrowed his eyes and jumped back. When they clashed just now, he’d clearly experienced the other’s Dao—his punch’s momentum had been wasted, exhausted until it became nothing. It was a great deteriorating force reminding Jack of death, yet not quite. This was something greater. A wider concept.

His rage began to abate, replaced by intrigue. He was, at the depths of his heart, a cultivator. Such a Dao, such an opponent, couldn’t help but interest him.

The other man caught Jack’s eye and grinned. “Let me tell you a secret, Jack,” he said, spreading his arms to the side. Black spheres appeared in each—not black holes, but carrying similar finality. One was purely physical, the other mental. As for the man’s aura, it carried the essence of a soul—a great Dao stretching over all three fields.

The man continued. “I didn’t accelerate our fight just to keep you rested. My siblings and I take turns fighting the challengers of the Eternal floor. The next challenger would have been mine. However, I didn’t want to risk your brorilla friend reaching this stage first. I wanted to fight you—our Daos match well. Even if you fail to defeat me, just facing me will have been a great boon to your future strength.”

Jack snorted. “Should I be honored?”

“You should be angry. I am the strongest of my siblings. Facing me means your chances of victory are low, and the Eternal floor is not like the rest. To reach it, you require an Eternal classification in all three tests instead of just two. By appearing before you, I placed a great obstacle in your way, one you may have otherwise dodged.”

Jack smiled toothily. “You talk a lot,” he said. “Just fight me. I don’t care who you are—I’ll beat you all the same.”

The other man laughed. “Give it a shot! Just, one moment. This arena is a bit small.” He snapped his fingers. The hall around them disassembled, revealing patches of colorful void. More walls materialized, forming a new hall with walls a mile wide each. “There we go,” the man said, cracking his shoulders. He seemed really eager. “Are you ready? I know I am.”

“Come at me, bitch.”

The two charged at each other. They clashed in the center, Jack’s fists sailing to meet his opponent’s open palms. The dark spheres from before had manifested as darkness, which covered the mysterious man head-to-toe like some sort of malicious aura, forming a stark contrast against his white robes. To Jack, he looked like an ancient beast.

Fist met palm. Dark and purple lightning shot out, impacting against the walls, shattering and destroying. They fought inside a large box in a different dimension—as cagey as could be. Only one of the two would walk out alive. Jack was pumped up, his previous anger vented and forgotten.

“Come!” he shouted. Lightning arced over his body, further enhancing his already ridiculous physicality. This was the Thunderbody technique he’d taken from the Animal Kingdom’s Emberheart family—a very useful enhancement. He hadn’t been able to use it against Crownbeast, as the concentration required would mess with his then-amateur use of Black Hole. Now that he’d practiced it more, however, he could go completely all-out.

The dark man’s eyes shone. “Good technique!” he said. “Hit me!”

Jack dove in. He became a streak of purple and green lightning flickering across the room like an angry dragon. Space bent in his wake, even its million-fold density unable to support his power. He shot a hundred punches in an instant. The dark man was beset in all directions.

With a shout, darkness erupted from his body. It spread outward, not fast but unavoidable. Every punch that fell into it disappeared, its momentum sapped completely, its energies deteriorating as if by the passage of a million years. This was entropy at work—everything that could end, ended.

Jack grinned at the challenge. He already suspected whom he was facing, but he didn’t say the name—no need to honor his opponent before defeating him. Instead, he charged.

And instantly retreated.

A dark palm had appeared before Jack, almost grabbing his face. The other man had slipped his hand through space and clad it in foreboding darkness. Jack knew that, if that hand touched him, he’d age rapidly. Perhaps even reach the end of his life.

“I thought this was only a test,” he said, licking his lips.

“A test with stakes,” the other man replied. “Beat me, and you earn the world. Lose, and you pay the price. Why do you think my previous challenger adopted the title Eternal Radiance? You can always forfeit now if you want.”

Jack didn’t reply. His eyes scanned the opponent, looking for an opening. There is no way his defense is omnipotent, he thought. If all attacks deteriorate before reaching him, there is hardly a point in fighting. There has to be a way out. But what?

This wasn’t an opponent who could be defeated by mere strength. The Daos he utilized stood at the peak. Without similar mastery, Jack knew he’d never be able to touch him.

This pleased Jack. He sank into his laws, letting them circulate his body, letting them fill his heart. Everything else disappeared to leave only the battle—heart of fire, mind of ice.

Jack shot out again. He sealed space in a radius around him, so the other man couldn’t sneak in any attacks, and imbued his fists with the essence of Time. He reached his opponent and punched out—not with a powerful fist, but one designed to last through endless time, to shoot through the universe unendingly until it hit a target. For the first time, Jack utilized the concept of Infinity, an abstract part of the Daos of Time and Space.

The opponent smiled. “Finally, we’re getting somewhere!” Darkness spun around his palm in a spiral as he reached out and caught Jack’s fist. The two concepts warred. Infinity stretched on, while Entropy tested its limits. The punch’s momentum began to wane—nothing was truly infinite, only converging to it. Entropy held a definitive advantage.

Black ribbons shot at Jack. He flew back, desperately trying to avoid them, then had to teleport to save himself. In a place with such dense Dao, piercing space was a tall task—Jack could do it, but it took a lot out of him.

He panted, staring down his opponent.

“You’re good, Jack Rust,” the other man said slowly. His smile remained. “The strongest mortal I’ve ever seen. However, are you good enough? My Entropy isn’t something you can punch out of the way. Without deep enough Daos, you’re doomed to lose!”

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