Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 355: Visiting Home

Jack! Vivi was a blur as she rushed into Jacks arms, embracing him tightly. He laughed, easily enduring her tackle. I missed you she muttered.

I missed you too, he replied. Im glad I came back.

And youre so strong, too! Did you reach the C-Grade?

He nodded. Not just that. I discovered another way to use the Life Dropbut Ill tell you everything later.

The professor, who was also present and had already greeted Jack, was lost in thought. Reaching the C-Grade is tremendous, she muttered. Our member cap has been increased by ten times, and so many new functions were unlocked I will need to review everything again!

Though she said that, her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. She looked forward to it.

And how have you guys been doing? Jack asked, gently placing his hands on top of the babies heads. They were six months old by now and had grown a bit since he last saw them. They had even started crawling!

Ebele, the girl of the twins, wore a pink cap and stared at him with wide, intelligent eyes. Eric wore a blue cap and was chewing on his foot, only remembering Jack when his hand touched the babys head.

He laughed and picked them both up, admiring the life he had created. Contrasted against the dark, lonely days of cultivation on the Cathedral, his family was a breath of fresh air, a reminder that there was more to this world than cultivation. However, this didnt affect his resolve in the slightestit got even stronger. If he wasnt powerful, these babies wouldnt exist.

Of course, Jack had fully restrained his aura, resembling a common mortal. That didnt mean his perception was any less. Stretching it out, he could easily sense the entire Forest of the Strong and the area around it, even crossing several mountain peaks and reaching the nearby town. If he wanted to, he could read the license plate of every car in Valville.

At the same time, now that hed left the Cathedrals thousandfold gravity and suppression of energy, he felt like a god. That was no exaggeration. The space here was so fragile he could break it with a flick, the ground was soft, and the gravity was so weak he was a thousand times stronger than on the Cathedral. All the Dao within his range of perception was his to wield. He could annihilate Valville with a thought. His every casual punch would carry the power of a high-magnitude nuclear bomb.

A long time ago, Nauja had told him that C-Grades had the power to crush continents. It had seemed exaggerated then, but he fully accepted it now. With his late C-Grade power, demolishing the entire American continent would take less than an hour. He could destroy every continent on the planet in the time that corresponded to a normal persons workday.

Of course, that was only razing the surface of these continents. If he wanted to really destroy them, it would take much longer. As for cracking open the planet itself, that was simply impossible.

Though, maybe, in a few Dao Fruits

His thoughts snapped back from his near-omnipotence to gently cradling the babies in his arms. He smiled brightly at them, watching their little mouths hang. Come on! he said. Lets play with daddy!

***

A few hours later, Jack had taken his family and friends on a stroll through space. They were orbiting the Earth, watching its majesty from above and observing the wholly new astral field around them.

Astronomers have gone crazy, the professor said, her eyes wide in wonder. Theyre mapping out the terrain around us, but they still havent figured out just where we are. Not a single star is recognizable. Your religious friends must have taken us half-way across the galaxy.

Jack laughed. I dont know if I would call the Black Hole Church religious. When you know that your God exists, doesnt religion lose its point?

No. Its the exact opposite.

He considered it. In any case, he said, they have certainly transported us far away from System space. It only occupied one tenth of the galaxy to begin with; if I had to guess, it would take at least tens of thousands of years to reach us. By then, Earth will have grown enough to defend itselfand I will have the power to single-handedly rule the galaxy.

Will you really? the professor asked.

I can already match the strongest C-Grades. As soon as I reach the B-Grade, I am confident that very few people in this galaxy will be my matchand B-Grades can live for a hundred thousand years, so Ill be around for Eric, my boy, close your mouth. Youre dripping.

He reached into his embrace and gently closed the mouth of Eric, who was completely lost in watching Earth spin below him. Of course, that wasnt a sign of low intelligenceit was perfectly normal behavior for a baby. On the other hand, Ebele was scanning the planet with wide eyes as if trying to see through its secrets.

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Jack suspected that his girl had a bright future ahead of her. His chest swelled with pride.

Of course, he was the one protecting everyone here from the void of space. With his powers, maintaining a bubble of air and pleasant temperature was childs play. He felt even more wizard-y than Edgar, who was also present, his eyes shut. The moment hed seen Earth from above, his Dao of Magic had resonated with the majesty of this sight, and hed instantly gone into meditation. Harambe and Aya, Brocks parents, were also here and equally breathtaken.

Vivi sat by the side, enjoying the view. The only one not lost in wonder was Jacks mother, the professor.

By the way, Jack told her, his voice turning slightly serious, I have something for you.

Oh? What is it?

Letting the babies float in mid-air, Jack reached into his robes and removed a small sack. He passed it over. These are ten life stones and fifteen Dao stones, he said. The life stones are healing mechanisms. Anyone can use them; as long as they are under the D-Grade, any injuries on their body will be immediately and completely healed. Even immortals will enjoy great benefits. As for the Dao stones, they can be used for cultivation, breakthroughs, or operating high-level magic formations. Their effect is equally exaggerated. I leave these in your careI dont know how long it will be before I return, so distribute them as you see fit.

He had already given three Dao stones and three life stones to Vivione of each for her and the babies.

The professors eyes widened. These are too precious! she said. I cant possibly accept them.

I will not miss them, Jack replied. I have more at the Cathedral, and I suspect that my rate of acquiring them will only speed up in the future.

Still, the combined value of all these cannot be nothing! Why give it to us? We dont need such high-level resources. You can find much better uses for them.

Their effect on my cultivation would be small. I want Earth to have them. Not only because youre close to me, but because I took control of the planet and moved it all the way out here. If I dont help Earth a little now, I wont be too good a ruler, will I? He smiled. I plan to raise Earth alongside me. I would like to see the Bare Fist Brotherhood teeming with D-Grades, rising to the level of a proper C-Grade faction in the future, or even higher. These Dao stones are just the beginningas I grow stronger, I will bring more and better resources. Earth is my homeI want to watch it grow.

The professors eyes moistened. Her son was saying such grand words, and they were absolutely true.

Thank you, Jack, she replied, putting away the stones and hugging him. I will handle them well, I promise.

Jack nodded.

Neither of them spoke out the obvious. Jacks life was exceedingly dangerous right now; if anything happened to him, Earth would be left defenseless and stranded in space. That was part of the reason why he gave out these stones now.

***

The days passed one at a time. Jack didnt plan to stay here for a month, but it wouldnt be a week, either. Cultivation was a long road. Just his latest breakthrough had taken two months, and his meditation sessions were getting longer and longer. It wasnt strange for a C-Grade to meditate for months at a time. Therefore, he couldnt pop in constantly, as that would hinder his cultivation.

In other words, times like this were rare.

Jack enjoyed his days, accompanying Vivi and the babies. They toured the Earth together, seeing all sorts of landscapes and wonders. Under Jacks protection, even dangerous areas were accessible. They visited the inside of an active volcano, where Ebele and Eric got a lava lamp made from actual lavavery carefully made by Jack. It wouldnt break for a hundred years.

They also visited the dark ocean depths. Jack created a wide radius of light, and Eric swam alongside a giant squid while Ebele studied an anglerfish. They even entered the D-Grade dungeon at the depths of the Marianna Trench and met its boss, the kraken. Brock had visited the place in the past and almost cleaned it out, with only the kraken escapingfighting at this depth wasnt easy.

All the while, Jack was filled with familial love. He never knew his heart could be so tenderthe hands which recklessly killed his enemies were now gentle and soft. Vivi was always at his side, her lips rising as she saw her man playing with their children, and the budding love between the two grew even brighter.

After traveling for a week, they returned to their home and spent another week there, accompanied by family and friends. Dordok visited them often, as did Edgar and Sparmanthough Gan Salin and Nauja had left the planet to explore the galaxy. As for Vlossana, the Saphira girl that had fought Edgar in the final war, she remained unwilling to meet Jack.

Like this, two weeks had passed since Jack arrived at Earth. His accumulated pain had been washed away by lovehe felt ready to chase the peak of cultivation again, though he didnt want to leave.

But he knew he had to. Strength was the only way to protect his familyhe refused to leave things to chance.

I will miss you, Vivi said, hugging him tightly.

So will I he whispered back. Take care of the kids, okay?

He then reached down to hug both of his children. Their little hands tried to grasp himthey didnt realize he was leaving, but they sensed his sadness and wanted to comfort him.

Ill be back as soon as possible, he promised, patting their heads again. I love you all.

Ebele opened her mouth. For a moment, Jack thought she would respond, but only baby noises came out.

His heart felt heavy. He wouldnt be present for his childrens first wordsbut that was the price of cultivation. His love was present through the safety they enjoyed.

Grow well, he said, hugging all three of them again. He then stepped towards the large teleporterhed already said his goodbyes to everyone else.

Vivi waved at him, holding back her tears. He waved back. Then, the teleporter flashed to life, and Jack tore through space at a billion times the speed of light. His organs shook like they wanted to jump out of his body, but he could easily handle this pressure.

He stared at the little blue dot that quickly disappeared. Then, he turned his gaze forward, into the darkness. His heart hardened again. This was his life, his battle. Piercing through the empty void. Becoming strong.

His chin was raised as he cruised through the cosmos, heading back to the cradle of strength that was called the Cathedral.