Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

The crowd’s roar took some time to abate. The announcement was just too stunning. Overlord-level cores were never, ever available. There couldn’t have been more than a few hundred of them across the entire history of the Space Monster World, not to mention that cores were consumables.

If someone got their hands on that core, they could use it as infinite currency, but nobody would be that stupid. The greatest currency was one’s own strength. They’d just absorb it and grow massively more powerful.

“No wonder the Overlord factions sent Elders here,” Jack said.

“They’re buying the core for their big bros,” Brock replied. “Big bros, big money.”

“Yeah. Would be sweet if we had that much.”

“You don’t need Archon cores,” Starhair said. “You’re a B-Grade. Even A-Grade cores would be great.”

“Not if I have a duel with a late A-Grade in thirty years.”

Starhair thought about it. “Yeah. Not in that case.”

The mouth had finished its announcement, but the crowd remained. Many discussed what had happened with those around them. Some space monsters, however, were looking at the sky. As if waiting for something.

A large form took to the air. It looked like Elder Crownbeast, except much smaller. Basically a mini godzilla. It must have been standing behind the Elder before, which was why Jack hadn’t seen it.

As soon as this new monster reached a high point in the sky, it stopped and laughed out loud. “I’ve heard so much about the Empty Star faction, but this is even grander than I anticipated!” it shouted. Peak B-Grade undulations followed its rough voice. And, though its words were pleasant, its tone was not. “My name is Crownbeast Saturnstar. Chief disciple of Elder Crownbeast. I am not considered too strong in the Field King faction, but I sure love a good battle! Since I’ve come all the way here, it would be a shame not to experience the young talents of Empty Star. Who dares to spar with me?”

This monster had wasted no time in provoking everyone. The crowd below chilled—Jack saw even Elder Puerto narrow her eyes at him Meanwhile, Elder Crownbeast remained perfectly calm, as if completely unrelated to the matter.

Jack had seen his fair share of rivalries, so it wasn’t hard for him to understand what was happening. The Great Silver and Fiend King factions weren’t at war, but as the only two overlord factions of the Space Monster World, they were constantly competing with each other. Each looked for an opportunity to one-up the other.

In this case, it was clear that Elder Crownbeast had brought his disciple here to humiliate the Empty Star faction. All that talk about not being too strong was bullshit. Jack could feel the monster’s towering aura, standing at the very top of the peak B-Grade. Even if this wasn’t the chief disciple of the Fiend King faction, he remained a spectacular talent.

Nobody responded to the beast’s provocation for a while. Who would? A-Grades couldn’t lower themselves to face him, and all the B-Grades present couldn’t defeat him.

The silence emboldened Crownbeast Saturnstar. “I have long heard that the Great Silver monsters are not too strong, but they are brave. Was I mistaken? How come nobody dares to face me?”

Jack could feel the crowd’s shimmering anger. This guy had just come into their territory and insulted them all. How could they take this lying down?

Finally, one space monster couldn’t take it anymore. “I will face you!” it roared, shooting into the sky. This was a flying red fish with golden hair. Jack found it almost comical. It didn’t even have limbs!

Behind the fish trailed a cloak displaying a sun’s periphery with its insides undrawn. The insignia of Empty Star.

“Fishborn Averel, second disciple of the Empty Star faction!” the fish declared. It spoke normally, through its mouth, though bubbles appeared with every word.

The godzilla guy laughed again. “Please give me your guidance.”

He then shot forth. Even in the Space Monster World’s dense Dao, the sky shattered below him. Every step was cataclysm. The monster took three of them, crossing half the sky and arriving before the fish, pouncing out to bite it.

The fish monster was the size of a car. It looked comically small before the godzilla cosplayer, but what it lacked in stature it made up for with unlimited power. Energy erupted from its body. The sky around it was painted a deeper blue, an ocean blinking into existence over the entire Empty Star City. There were fish inside it, of many species Jack had never encountered before. There were reefs, rocks, and strange materials. His eyesight couldn’t penetrate too deep into the blue waters, but his Dao perception could, and he spotted a seabed running across the top of this ocean.

The fish had summoned it upside-down, probably to let the audience watch the battle.

The godzilla monster suddenly found himself surrounded by water. Rocks fell towards him from all directions. Somehow, he had become the center of gravity in this ocean. The water pressure he endured must have been immense. At the same time, swordfish flew at him, each crossing the ocean far faster than any fish had the right to.

Crownbeast Saturnstar was unconcerned. Facing this new ocean around him, he only resumed his previous movement, trying to trade hit for hit. The swordfish pierced into his body, penetrating it with their entire noses and stopping there. Thanks to the monster’s size, it wasn’t a debilitating injury. As for the water pressure, while it had certainly slowed down the monster, that was the most it could achieve.

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Seeing the godzilla’s jaws still approaching, the fish monster narrowed its eyes.

An entire reef dislodged from the seabed above. It crossed the water so fast it resembled teleportation, instantly reaching the godzilla and slamming hard into him. Tons of rock flying at extreme speed contained terrifying momentum. The shockwave crossed the ocean and reached the surface below, where it spurt an entire lake’s worth of water into the sky. As soon as this water left the ocean, it was freed from whatever gravity magic held it in place and rained towards the square.

However, even the entire reef hadn’t been enough to stop the godzilla monster. An aura of savagery surrounded him, manifesting as angry red light. He endured the hit through sheer anger. The damage was done, but his jaw attack continued. The fish monster no longer had time to defend. It found itself between the jaws of the godzilla, and as they clasped down, the fish released a terrifying shriek which pierced the ocean to echo in everyone’s ears. It was the most grating sound Jack had ever heard. Many D-Grade monsters fell unconscious.

The two monsters held still for a moment. Finally, the ocean disappeared like it was never there, revealing the two locked in place. The godzilla’s jaws had closed around the fish, penetrating it with sharp teeth. Blue blood flew everywhere. If he just slammed his mouth shut right now, he could probably rip his opponent in two.

But he didn’t. This battle was over, and high-level space monsters, no matter how wild, wouldn’t kill each other for no reason. Otherwise, their entire civilization would have collapsed.

“I admit defeat,” the fish muttered. The godzilla opened his mouth slowly, and the fish pierced through space to teleport away, too humiliated to stay. Its injuries were also heavy. Maybe they required immediate treatment.

The godzilla monster was slightly injured, but nothing serious. Even the swordfish holes in its body were slowly regenerating. The power difference between them hadn’t been small.

“Hahaha!” Saturnstar shouted. “A nice appetizer! Now, come on. Bring me a real fighter. You can’t tell me that’s the best you got!”

The crowd seethed with anger and humiliation. That fish fighter, indeed, was the best they had. It was just that the godzilla guy was too freakishly strong. Even if the Empty Star faction’s chief disciple was present, nobody knew whether she could defeat Saturnstar or not.

Silence reigned for a moment. Finally, it was Elder Crownbeast, the larger version of his disciple, who spoke up. “Come down, Saturnstar,” it said. “There is clearly no one here who can face you. No need to humiliate these good people further.”

The Elder’s words were also scathing. The representative of the other overlord faction, Elder Puerto, seemed ready to explore in anger, but there was nothing she could say. Her disciples either weren’t here or they couldn’t match up to Saturnstar. If she opened her mouth, she would only invite more humiliation upon herself. At least, in this case, it wasn’t the Great Silver faction which had been humiliated, but only Empty Star City.

As the godzilla beast slowly floated down, however, lazily passing its gloating gaze over the crowd, a new voice rose to the sky. It was laughter, raucous and unprompted. Everyone looked for the source and found it as a Double Devil mounted on a hellhorse.

“What a joker!” this Double Devil shouted. “When you said you were the chief disciple of an Elder, I almost believed you for a second. Too bad your talent is mediocre. In my village, someone like you could only work as a potato-chopper at the local tavern, let alone becoming the disciple of a powerful Autarch!”

The square fell silent again, all eyes trained on this raucous individual. They began to hope. As they looked him over, however, their hope turned into confusion. This was only a middle B-Grade space monster. What exactly was it trying to do?

Elder Puerto looked at him and shook her head, while Elder Crownbeast only grinned.

Crownbeast Saturnstar stopped his descent and glared at Jack. “I do believe that you come from a small village,” he said dismissively. “Only a country bumpkin would come up with such a stupid scheme. You know you don’t possess the strength to be challenged by me, so you hope to retrieve some of your lost honor by mocking me. That’s ridiculous. I’m not even angry at you. Everyone understands you’re nothing but a dancing clown. Fuck off back to your village before I destroy you, trash.”

The Double Devil—who was obviously Jack—grinned at these words.

“Who said I only intend to mock you?” he asked back. “In my eyes, you’re nothing but a barking dog, and thus you should be put down. Even the trash collectors of this city don’t want to dirty their hands on you, so I will reluctantly lend them a hand.”

Saturnstar narrowed his eyes at Jack. “Are you trying to challenge me?” he asked.

“Oh wow. I knew you were weak, but are you deaf as well? Yes, my slow friend. I am challenging you to a duel.”

The crowd laughed. They didn’t understand what exactly was going on, or why Jack was apparently trying to suicide, but his verbal prowess at least was nothing to scoff at. Saturnstar grunted. He originally hadn’t placed Jack in his eyes, but he did not enjoy losing a verbal exchange like this before the entire city.

“Are you really insane?” he asked. “Does the Empty Star City hire rabid dogs to speak for them? Your words are nothing but noise in my ears. If you want to kill yourself regardless, I’ll be glad to help you.”

“The only noise in my ears was your mother last night,” Jack replied. “And I got to say, it was a little bit annoying. Can you tell her to shout less next time?”

The crowd froze. So what if it was immature? Laughter erupted everywhere, and Saturnstar’s gray scales turned red around his face—from both anger and humiliation. He’d always held confidence in his verbal abilities, but only now did he realize that engaging Jack was a mistake.

And, of course it was. Saturnstar couldn’t have known, but Jack had humiliated numerous powerful people in his lifetime, many mocked to the point of dishonor. His victims included E-Grade Lords, various deacons and Elders of the Animal Kingdom, envoys of the Hand of God, and even Elder Ocean of that same faction, who’d flown into a rage and almost assaulted Jack after being verbally humiliated.

Jack’s talent was legendary in the outside universe, but so were his boldness and sharp tongue. Compared to all his previous opponents, Saturnstar was laughable.

The godzilla-like monster grew red with anger. Even Elder Crownbeast was animated.

“Fine,” Saturnstar spat out. “If you wish to die so much, then come up here. Don’t make me come down to get you!”

The crowd around Jack instantly and urgently ran away. The only ones left were Brock and Starhair, as well as the two hellhorses, who hadn’t experienced Jack’s true strength and so believed their master was suiciding.

“I WILL DIE WITH YOU, MASTER,” Dolly said. “YOU ARE DUMB BUT I LIKE IT. ASSHOLES SHOULD BE PUT IN THEIR PLACE.”

The fact that her normal voice was shouting didn’t help Saturnstar’s mood. He made to fly down, but Jack raised a hand to indicate there was no need.

“Keep your regal ass in the sky, godzilla,” he said. “I’m coming over to kick it. Or, better yet…” Purple light gathered in his hand, forming the shape of a flip-flop. Jack grinned manically. “I’m gonna spank it.”