< < Player Leaderboard > >

< Adam (MVP) — 14950 Points >

< Gladwyn — 13500 Points >

< James Kvarnström — 12000 Points >

< Maggie Brown Adams — Deceased >

< Seung-Hwan Hahn — Deceased >

< Marcus Ferguson — Deceased >

Adam looked at the way their names and Point totals were listed. He could understand why Emelia had said it led to Players changing their ways after Stage Six, since having your inadequacies rubbed in your face was sure to make people jealous and bitter. Right about now, Gladwyn and James must've been feeling some conflicted emotions about Adam scoring so much higher than them.

Still, makes it fairly easy to settle who is the winner of our ongoing bet at least, Adam thought to himself, trying to find an upside to this.

Gladwyn and I are both listed with our nicknames, which is interesting. Those in Emelia's group are sure to get a laugh out of hers when they see the leaderboard.

The melody of a sombre violin floated through the air and Adam looked around at his surroundings. The buildings hadn't changed much since before, but they had changed slightly, meaning enough people had died for it to be noticeable. And every death now was a person who had survived the first five Stages, meaning they were each survivors who had overcome much, only to fall short now.

"How many people survived Stage Six?" Adam asked his cube.

[22 million Players completed Alepheria's Crooked Tower.]

Wasn't sure asking that question outside of the Tavern would actually work.

Still, that's 7 million people dead. Just like that.

Adam sighed.

Strangely, he didn't feel tired after the many hours spent in Stage Six, as though returning to the island had rejuvenated him.

Then he suddenly noticed that the light on Interim Island was different, but it took him a moment to realise why.

"Did I arrive at morning time?" he asked the cube.

[Due to the duration of the previous Stage, you are given extra time on Interim Island before the start of Stage Seven.]

Interesting.

Normally he always arrived around noon, but now it was just after the sun had risen, and the shadows stretched far across the ground.

Next to the Altar in the middle of the island was a treasure chest made of black wood with gold embellishments.

"Is that the MVP Upgrade Chest?"

[Correct. This is part of your reward for achieving the most Points out of anyone in your team. This Upgrade Chest has four potential upgrades and their rarities are increased by one tier, but you cannot use Reroll Dice on it.]

A rarity increase? Awesome!

Adam went over and lifted the lid, making sure his spell-tome was his active weapon.

Four upgrade holograms appeared, two for his weapon and two general ones. Unfortunately, none of them were Legendary rarity.

< < Upgrades Available > >

< Barrier Durability (Epic) — Increases barrier health by 50% >

< Manipulation Range (Epic) — Increases manipulation range by 50% >

< Health (Epic) — Increases health by 10 >

< Stamina (Epic) — Increases stamina by 10 >

Hmm, none of these make me immediately go "I need it!", but Health is a pretty good option, since that'd put me at 80 total. My current range with the barriers is 12 metres, but with another 50% boost that should raise it to 17. Barrier durability is a bit hard to track, but I feel like it hasn't really been a problem since I got Alepheria's Mandate.

Adam looked at his obsidian hand with the sharp white nails.

I'll just pick the safe choice, can't really go wrong with more Health since my overall damage is really good.

< < Upgrade Selected > >

< Health (Epic) >

After picking the upgrade, the chest vanished in a puff of golden smoke.

Once it gets out that MVPs also get special upgrade rewards, then people will really get jealous I think.

He looked at the Altar in front of him.

I suppose I should get this over with sooner rather than later. Even though 1000 Points is tempting, I feel like I might be better off getting the Relic, whatever it is.

Adam reached down into the Spidersilk Sack and pulled out Alepheria's notes on chimaera. He still had the Chimaera Stone in his bag, along with the other Relics they'd all agreed to share.

I hope they're not mad at me.

But it was kind of their fault.

Yeah… I probably shouldn't tell them that.

Better if I just play innocent.

Actually, maybe there's a way to make it right?

"Can I give Relics to the members of my team? We didn't get to split them before the Stage ended."

[No. Trade between Players is prohibited on Interim Island.]

Well, I tried.

Adam stepped up to the Altar.

Wonder how I turn in the Quest Object…

He touched the white-glowing orb atop the plinth.

Then a tome dropped out of the air next to him, landing on the cobblestones and flipping open.

"What the—?"

A big muscular arm reached out from between its pages, grabbing Adam by the leg before pulling him in.

< < Now Entering > >

< The Fleshcrafter's Abode >

Adam landed on his feet within an arboretum, the same one he'd travelled through on his last visit to the Tome Keeper's home. Thousands of trees grew from the ground around him, and above was a ceiling of glass that showed the cosmos beyond. The tree nearest to him had a warped coiling trunk from which sprouted wing-like branches covered in golden leaves. Its bark was crimson and it bled black sap from a few taps hammered into it. Tending to the tree and collecting the dark sap was the Tome Keeper himself. This time he did not wear a hooded robe of skin like his manservant, showing his strange liquid porcelain body in full.

The tall brute, Heskel, stood between Adam and the Absolute.

"Good work finding Alepheria's notes," the Tome Keeper said, already holding the pages in his right hand, while his other worked independently to collect the black sap into a glass jar.

His body seemed to have grown taller since their last meeting, and Adam got the sense that it was made from a shapeshifting material that allowed him to change his form to undertake any task imaginable. Still, it was odd that a God such as him, who commanded an army of constructs and servants, would want to do the manual labour himself. The strange stilt-legged creatures made of silver wandered about the arboretum around them, but gave the Absolute plenty of space, clearly not wanting to disturb his work.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Why did you bring me here?" Adam asked.

The masked brute grunted, the noise sounding like a warning.

"No, no, Heskel, it is a good question," the Tome Keeper said. "I brought you here, Adam, because you possess new knowledge that I would like to trade you for. And it is also more expedient if you select your reward from me at the same time, would you not say so?"

"Can I pick the reward first?" Adam asked.

"That would be most efficient, would it not?" the Absolute agreed, before continuing, "Alepheria was quite fascinated with my history, going so far as to imitate the hand I once possessed. The same hand that you now wield."

Adam looked at the black obsidian hand that had replaced his own.

"This used to be yours?"

"Mine was more powerful, though it was never meant to affect summoning magic. While I have always excelled at craftsmanship, Alepheria was more a student of summoning and mana manipulation. Most of those creatures in her tower were made by the servants I gifted her," the Tome Keeper replied.

"Are you talking about the Flesh Smiths?" Adam asked.

"Indeed. Now, I can tell that you would prefer a Relic instead of mere Points. Given that you cannot control what the hand shows you, I have conjured up this for you."

An arm emerged from the Tome Keeper's back, holding a simple black band in its palm.

Adam reached out and grabbed it. It immediately wrapped itself around his right wrist, just below his obsidian hand.

< < Unique Relic Obtained > >

< Sigil of the Open Ear (Common) — Attuned to Alepheria's Mandate, organising the transference of knowledge it imbues its wearer with >

He wondered how exactly it would work but was too terrified by what he'd learn if he touched anything in the Tome Keeper's abode, so experimentation would have to wait.

Still, it seems kind of underwhelming.

"Knowledge is more important than you realise," the Tome Keeper said, his tone almost scolding. The third arm retreated back into his body, getting reabsorbed.

He can read my thoughts!?

"I perceive all that transpires within my domain."

"Then what is the point of trading information with me?" Adam asked. "Can you not just peer into my thoughts and take them without giving me anything in return?"

"Is that an invitation?" the Tome Keeper asked.

Heskel took a step towards Adam and he backed away, putting his hand on his spell-tome.

"Your weapons will not work here," the Absolute told him.

Then he rose to his full height, pulling the jar of black sap away from the tap in the tree. A tail emerged from his back and snaked around to grab the jar, freeing up his left hand to hold the pages Adam had brought.

"Now that you have received my reward, let us talk about the knowledge I wish to barter for," the Tome Keeper said.

Adam followed after him as he walked through the arboretum to a chamber full of alchemical reagents and tools. Heskel walked behind them, always seeming just a moment from grabbing Adam if so commanded.

"What is the knowledge you're seeking?" Adam asked. "I can think of two separate things that you may not know about."

"Let us hear the first," the Absolute replied, stopping by a workstation and gesturing for Adam to take a chair next to him.

A humanoid barn owl made of bone wreathed in shadow alighted next to them, accepting the Chimaeral Transmutation notes from its master and stuffing them inside its shadowy clothes. Then it retrieved a pen and a book, fixating its human eyes on Adam.

"I found something at the top of Alepheria's Tower that was similar to the dimensional fragment in my chest," he started.

"The Dimensional Splinter," the Tome Keeper said. "Yes, I know of it."

The owl scribe tore the page it had just written on from its book and stuffed it inside its beak, swallowing it. It looked irritated that Adam had made it waste a page on something its master already knew.

"What is it for?" Adam asked.

The Absolute looked like he weighed the merit of telling him or not, before saying, "Dimensionality is a tricky thing. I do not possess the power to control it. Not even the Watcher of Worlds possesses this gift."

"It is a borrowed power, isn't it?" Adam replied, remembering the System's explanation of the dimensional fragment within his heart.

"Indeed. The Realm Traveller is easy enough to barter with for his power, if you can endure his challenging company and oftentimes absurd requests."

Heskel grunted. "Brings much trouble."

"That would certainly be an understatement," the Absolute replied.

Realm Traveller? That must be one of the missing Absolutes in the Altar. I wonder how you'd unlock someone like that for worship?

"Only a fool would seek him out," the Absolute cautioned. "And they would be lucky to even survive the encounter."

That almost sounds like a clue.

The owl scribe adjusted its pen and placed it against a fresh page in its book.

Adam took it as a sign to get on with it and he explained how he believed Alepheria was still alive, since he had fought her avatar and seen the painting that she might've vanished into. As Adam talked, the Tome Keeper started mixing the black tree sap into separate vials, adding different solvents and ingredients to the mixtures.

"The avatar was my idea," the Absolute replied. "Such a creation requires a fragment of one's soul and Alepheria tied her jealousy and longing to it. The painting I was not aware of, however, and it seems to me that she must have gone behind my back to create it. I can only guess at which entity she borrowed power from to produce it."

"I'm going inside the painting in the next Stage," Adam explained.

"Then your task is clear."

< The Tome Keeper >

< Search the painted world for signs of Alepheria. >

< Reward: 1500 Points or Relic >

"What should I do if I find her?" he asked.

"Kill her and bring her brain and heart to me."

Adam tensed. "What will you do with them?"

"I will resurrect Alepheria and remind her of all that she owes me. I can forgive a mortal for dying, since that is their way, but for her to cheat me of what I am due… Such a thing must be punished lest others follow her example."

"There was something else I wanted to ask you about," Adam said, pulling out the Shard of Blood he'd looted from Maggie's corpse.

Heskel immediately grabbed it from Adam's hand, lifting it up to his eyes to stare at it.

"What a foul thing," the Tome Keeper commented.

"A mark of the Flayed Lady," Heskel said.

"I found it on the corpse of another Player and it bears the name of someone she killed," Adam explained.

"The Flayed Lady tests her servants like this," Heskel said, becoming surprisingly verbose, which was unsettling in a way, since Adam had assumed he was just a dumb bodyguard.

"She and I have long been at war," the Tome Keeper said. "Often my adherents find themselves under siege by her fiends."

Adam swallowed. That didn't bode well for him.

An ape-like bone construct hopped onto the workbench, carrying a basket woven from human hair within which were several reagents that the Absolute started putting into his vials. One was a dried husk of some beetle, another was a spool of silver, there were also green clay pebbles, fragrant saw-toothed leaves, wriggling slugs, and other strange things. After inserting each new ingredient into a vial of sap, solvents, and other materials, the concoctions rapidly underwent transformation, leaving him with eight different liquids in his vials in the end.

No sooner had he finished than a flesh spider consisting of nothing but arms sprouting from a ball took the concoctions and headed somewhere else, perhaps to apply them in tests or something.

His work done, the Tome Keeper left the alchemical workstation and chamber, and Adam quickly followed after him.

"You have traded me new knowledge, so now it is my time to answer a question of yours," the Tome Keeper said.

Adam didn't need to think hard about what he'd ask. "How do I beat the Trials?"

They came into a new part of the Tome Keeper's abode that Adam had not seen before, and it was best described as an observatory, though it was also like a massive orrery at the same time. Enormous moving models of solar systems and galaxies, as well as celestial phenomena he could not fully comprehend, filled up the interior around a gigantic telescope.

"Is that truly the question you want to ask?" the Absolute replied. "Do you not have more pressing concerns?"

Adam shook his head. "I do not know how many chances I will get with this Erudition Barter, so it would be a waste to use them on simple questions."

"Sometimes the simplest questions have the most profound answers," the Absolute replied knowingly.

Adam paused, but then doubled down. "This is the question I want to ask."

"Very well. The answer is rather straight forward. To beat the Trials of Defiance, you must defy the Trials themselves. You have already defied the All-Seeing System, which is not a feat many can claim. But in order to defy the Trials, you have to subvert their design. Though the worlds you visit may seem like a game to you, they are as real as you and me, and the answer to your question lies in this fact. But it is impossible for you to do it now, since you are following the rules to the letter, even if your way of returning to the beginning is unorthodox. To find the way out, you may need a change of perspective. Fortunately, you have all the time in the world to find it. I envy you in that."

Adam didn't think the answer was straight forward in the slightest, but before he could ask for clarification, he blinked and found himself back on Interim Island, the Altar right in front of him.

While he was processing what he'd been told, silvery scales fluttered down around him. He looked up to see Luvicidix descending from the clouds. It was so strange to see her in the figure of a human since he was used to the giant moth version from before.

If I die, will she go back to looking like that? he wondered.

"Hello again, Adam," Luvicidix greeted after alighting on the ground in front of him.

"Thought maybe I wouldn't see you until after noon," he replied. "You didn't show up right away."

"I try not to upset any Absolutes and their Envoys by interrupting the tasks issued to their adherents," she explained.

That makes sense.

"I've got a lot of Points this time around," he said. "Thinking I'll buy at least one of your upgrades."

"Excellent, have a look. A new option has been added as well."

< < Meta Upgrades For Sale > >

< Damage — Increase All Damage by 25% — 2500 Points >

< Mana — Increase Mana by 10 — 1000 Points >

< Rewards — Increase Reward Options by 1 — 626/4000 Points >

< Vendors — Increase Vendor Options by 1 — 4000 Points >

< Rerolls — Start every loop with 1 Reroll Dice — 2500 Points >

< Relic Saving — Start every loop with 2 Saved Relic Slots — 5000 Points >

< Cheat Death — Start every loop with the Cheat Death Relic — 5000/10000 Points >

< Scale of Remembrance — 25000 Points >

A permanent Mana boost is nice, but I don't really need that right now.

"I'll buy out the last of Cheat Death," he decided.

"Good pick!" the moth girl remarked.

< < Meta Upgrade Unlocked > >

< Cheat Death — Start every loop with the Cheat Death Relic >

He looked around after nothing immediately happened. "Where is it?"

"You'll get it once we're done trading. Are you buying anything else?"

"Not right now," he replied after looking through the options again. He did want to get the Rewards upgrade and more Damage was also a good investment, but he wanted to hear what Emelia thought first.

"I will see you later then," Luvicidix said. "Make sure to visit my sister, she has a new upgrade as well."

He brought up his currencies as the white moth girl flew back into the sky, taking her scales with her.

< < Player Currencies > >

< Points — 10100 >

Oh right, I had 150 Points left over from before.

As time resumed, Adam got the new Relic he had bought. He felt it more than saw it as it was 'equipped'. It was like a brand applied with scalding heat to the skin on his chest.

< < Unique Relic Obtained > >

< Cheat Death Sigil (Legendary) — Survive death and recover Health back to 100% | Overrules all other death defying effects | Can only be used once in the Trials of Defiance >

Huh, it can only be used once? In the entirety of the Trials?

He guessed it was like a tattoo or something similar, and he wanted to check what exactly it looked like since it was now branded on him, but he first needed to find out how his friends had fared.

Hopefully Beck and Emelia didn't run into any problems.

Adam hopped onto his barrier and flew towards the Tavern.

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