Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 335: Ceaseless Murder Globe

After Don Cranxiao left, Jack remained silent for a moment. Then, he squatted next to Dorman. Are you alright?

Yeah, Dorman coughed out in response. If anything, he looked more sad than hurt. Sorry. This is my fault.

You did nothing wrong, Jack placed a hand on the young mans shoulder. If anything, you stood up for me. I will remember that. I also want to apologizebefore, I thought youd stolen that treasure because of greed. I didnt understand what youve been going through.

Its okay. Im used to it.

Dormans words werent offensive, just plain true. He was just a teenager when Earth got Integrated, a teenager with an incomplete understanding of the world. He strove forward and reached great strength, ending in the top four of the Integration Tournament. Even after he joined Sage and the Black Hole Church, he remained alone in his mind.

So now, when he repeatedly failed and was beaten down, he suffered alone as well.

Jack gave a sad smile. Can you walk?

In a few moments. My regeneration will kick in soon.

Good. When youre ready, Ill walk you to your cabin.

Dorman chuckled darkly. I have no cabin.

No?

I am only a guest of the Church. If I want to stay somewhere, I have to pay for it. Ive been living in the fields for the last few months.

Jacks heart clenched. To a cultivator, staying in a cabin or outside made little difference. However, the mental consolation of four walls and a roof was priceless. It represented safety and privacy.

Dorman really had it rough.

Youll be staying with me and Brock from now on, Jack said.

What? I

It wasnt a question. Youre staying with us. I know a cabin may be crowded for three people, but having at least some privacy is infinitely better than none at all.

But its your cabin! I havent earned it. I cant accept it.

You dont need to. As I said, it wasnt a question. Jack smiled brightly. Now, up you go.

He supported Dorman by the shoulders and pushed him up. Eventually, after a lot of heaving and panting, the now-fat man managed to stand. Thanks, he said. Life is difficult when youre wide.

Tell me about it, Jack replied, wiping his forehead. Raising a mountain of fat in thousandfold gravity was not for the faint of heart. He struggled to imagine how Dorman could even walk.

His mind cut directly to the scene of Don Cranxiao easily holding up Dorman with one hand. His gaze darkened.

Can you walk? Jack asked again. This time, Dorman nodded, and the two of them got started on the way back.

Throughout all of this, the buff-old-lady Envoy remained completely unmoved thirty feet to the side. She hadnt raised a finger.

Do you have confidence? Dorman asked after theyd left. Against Cranxiao, I mean. I know you arent stupid. Since you offered a duel, you probably have a plan.

Jack nodded. The Sage promised to help me break through in six months. If I can convince him to move it up to three, then Im confident.

You know, Cranxiao is a genius, too. Everyone here is. Hes only an early C-Grade, but he can fight almost like a late one.

I can fight like an early C-Grade right now. If I break through, I got him.

Dormans eyes widened. For real?

For real.

The rest of the walk was in silence. Both remained in their own thoughts, considering the various problems plaguing them. Eventually, they entered the village, and Jacks cabin quickly became visible. He pushed the door open and ushered Dorman inside.

Hey Brock, he said, finding that the brorilla hadnt moved at all since they left. You remember Dorman, right? He has no house so hell be staying with usif you dont mind.

Brock opened his eyes. He took in Dormans beat-up look which hadnt fully healed, along with the awkwardness of his posture. He noticed the hidden worries clouding Jacks face.

Finally, Brock nodded. Hey bro, he told Dorman, standing up to clasp his hand. Welcome home.

Dorman tightened his lips.

Thank you again, both of you, he said. This means a lot to me. I I promise I will pay you back.

Focus on taking care of yourself for now, Jack replied. Youre safe here. When Cranxiao shows up in a month, I wont let him touch you.

Dorman opened and closed his mouth. Finally, he said, What are you going to do?

I dont know yet. But Ill find a way.

He did have a few ideas. For starters, breaking through within a month was impossible, and so was increasing his strength without breaking through. The best he could achieve was a skill upgrade, but that was far from enough to bridge the enormous gap between himself and Don Cranxiao.

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Therefore, his only way to protect Dorman was to make connections. As for how he would that, he had to either impress people with his strength, befriend them by being awesome, or make them owe him a favor.

And the best way to earn favors was to help them them when they needed it.

Jacks heart was set on the way of the Fist. His main goal would always be to punch people, which was why he originally hesitated at the idea of becoming a healer. However, when cultivation was of little benefit, studying could be a good use of his time.

On one hand, he might be able to earn a few Dao stones. The Cathedral lacked healers, so even if he wasnt good, there had to be something he could offer. After that, he could even use his healing powers to augment his own regeneration, making him even more immortal in battle.

On the other hand, healing would involve his Life Drop. Becoming more familiar with it was a priority for Jack; the Life Drop remained a huge gift that only kept on giving. It could grant him vast amounts of Life Dao. The four-armed battle form was only one of its applications. Now that he could reveal the Life Drop and openly study it, he had a feeling that there were many more benefits to reap.

Plus, there was the mysterious world inside his Dao Tree, where that tremendous turtle had annihilated Jack with a single snort. He hadnt managed to enter that world again after the first time, but it had to be hiding some secrets. And, as everyone knows, secrets equal to power.

Therefore, Jack decided to study at least the basics of healing with the end goal of using it to amplify his punching power.

Before that, however, there was another thing he wanted to do. Ever since hed arrived at the Cathedral, hed been hearing that everyone here was talented. But how much? How did he compare to them? His battle against Ley Vice was hardly satisfactory; he wanted a real battle to get his blood flowing.

Ill be back soon, Jack said, leaving the cabin.

Have fun bro.

He walked alone through the village and quickly exited it, heading for a massive structure in the distance. It wasnt the ranking obelisk, but a thousand-foot-tall stone dome with no visible windows. Its only entrance was a human-sized door near its base.

As he approached, he noticed a small group of people gathered outside the entrance, discussing spiritedly.

Hey, Jack said, heading for the group. He put on a smile. Im Jack. Nice to meet you.

The other three people stopped talking to look at him. One was human, another was a mosquito-like humanoid, and the third was, surprisingly, a female djinna small blue person. All three of them had cultivations at the early C-Grade.

Hey, the djinn replied. Are you a new disciple?

Yeah. Just arrived today.

Mhm. And you came to challenge the Ceaseless Murder Globe?

Who wouldnt?

That was the domes name. It was the Ceaseless Murder Globe, the magic formation used to rank the Churchs outer disciples. Jack didnt how it worked, but if its name was anything to go by, you had to go in and murder stuff.

That was right up his alley.

The djinn looked at him with pity. Entering at only the peak D-Grade is pointless, she advised. Youll just get injured and have to recuperate.

She didnt seem particularly warm to Jackafter all, she hadnt given him her namebut she at least offered him an honest warning. Jack inwardly sighed in relief. After meeting Ley Vice, Marcus William, and Don Cranxiao in quick succession, hed begun suspecting that everyone here was an asshole. It was great to know that was not the case.

Every faction had good and bad apples, especially one as competitive as the Black Hole Church.

Thank you for the warning, he replied. My self-healing is pretty good, so it shouldnt be a problem. I just want to see where I stand.

The three cultivators exchanged glances. In their eyes, Jack was just an upstart who was used to being a genius in his home faction. Many people were arrogant when they arrived at the Cathedral, but with the exception of some truly monstrous talents, all of them were quickly humbled.

Suit yourself, the mosquitoid said. Its voice was buzzing. Just be careful. You cant die in the globe, but you can be severely injured. If you cant take it anymore, just yell that you give up.

I will. Thank you very much, Jack said, nodding at the three cultivators before heading for the globe.

Ah, wait a moment! the djinn shouted behind him. Our friend is inside. You have to wait your turn.

Oh, okay.

Jack stopped and waited. The three cultivators didnt seem very willing to include him in their conversation, so he just awkwardly stood by the side. Well, to each their own, he thought and sat down cross-legged to meditate. While he couldnt increase his power any more before breaking through, he could ponder on the Dao of the Fist.

Three minutes later, the globe rumbled. Its door slid upward, revealing a dark opening from which a human walked out. Though he was handsome, his hair was disheveled, his pink robes were torn in places, and he was panting.

Youre out! the djinn woman exclaimed, rushing to greet him. How did it go!?

The man smiled. Wait and see.

All four of them turned towards the obelisk. Jack, following their gazes, looked over as well.

In that moment, the obelisk gave a low rumble. The names on its lower half turned fuzzy, some magic moving them. Before Jacks shocked eyes, one name rose by around forty places, eventually stopping at the number 793. The name was Osmu Sosmu.

You did it! the djinn woman exclaimed. Top eight hundred! This is amazing, Osmu! You can leave now!

The handsome man revealed a bright smile. In truth, since hed just broken into the middle C-Grade, reaching 793 was not particularly impressive. It was even towards the lower end.

However, that mattered little because he was finally in the top eight hundred. He could use the teleporters to return to his home galaxy and see his family!

The four cultivators celebrated, not paying much attention to Jack. He wasnt too bothered, either. The one whod just exited the globe was the strongest of the four, but he was only ranked 793th. Cranxiao was 811th. Even if Jack befriended these people, they would never help him stop Cranxiao from bullying Dorman, as their relative strengths were too close. He needed to find someone ranked far higher than Cranxiao.

Still, Jack was a cordial man.

Congratulations, he said, standing slowly. I only just arrived, but I suspect that is an excellent result!

Jack didnt know what the rankings signified yet. He had mistaken the other cultivators excitement and assumed that the handsome man had done great, when he actually hadnt. As a result, the man only gave him an odd glance before replying, Thanks.

Jack didnt bother anymore. He approached the entrance of the globe, where the managing Envoy told him the rules. Basically, the formation would stop either when he was about to die or when he yelled that he gave up. Until then, he had to kill as many opponents as he could.

Can my ranking drop? Jack asked. After all, he was currently ranked 950th, but reaching that level through the globe sounded difficult.

That cannot happen, the Envoy replied, giving him an odd look. The only way for your ranking to drop is for others to surpass you.

I see. Thank you.

Jack nodded and stepped inside the open door, which closed behind him.

As for the other four cultivators, after exchanging glances with each other, they didnt leave yet. They wanted to see how Jack would do. Mostly, however, they wanted to see his reaction when he exited, and possibly comfort him a bit to ensure he wasnt traumatized by this failure.

After all, unless it was someone ridiculously gifted, a peak D-Grade couldnt defeat even the first opponent inside the globe.