Cultivating effectively in the prison was proving to be far more difficult than Ronan had expected. The cells seemed to remain permanently open to the main area of the prison all the time, and every now and then another inmate would walk past his cell, forcing him to cut his cultivation short and conceal the gladiator shard.

Ronan was confident that if it came down to a fight he would be able to take on almost all of the aliens here, but he had no clue how strong the inmates from the upper floors were and he didn't want to draw the guards' attention, either. Not to mention that his goal this time wasn't to be an agent of chaotic violence, but to figure out how to escape the prison and actually complete the second step of the Path of the Gladiator.

About a week later—telling the passing of time was hard without a day-night cycle—Ronan had finally managed to make some progress in his cultivation. He had found a sheet of sorts, and used it to cover up the entrance to his cell. It wasn't perfect and he was sure that a sufficiently powerful being could sense what he was doing, but none of the other inmates had come to bother him after he'd set up the makeshift door.

Congratulations! Your hard work and effort have allowed you to reach the fourteenth realm of Tempered Body Cultivation!

Tempered Body Cultivation has advanced from [Iron ★★] to [Iron ★★★]!

Greatly reduces chance of tendon, joint, and muscle damage during movement and combat. Efficiency of bodily functions is greatly increased. Durability, muscle memory, and bodily independence are moderately increased.

Physical damage reduction +180%

Efficacy of vitality, strength, agility, and resistance +190%

Potency of vitality, strength, agility, and resistance +55%

Congratulations! Your hard work and effort have allowed you to reach the fourteenth realm of Mystic Energy Cultivation!

Mystic Energy Cultivation has advanced from [Vibrating ★★] to [Vibrating ★★★]!

All forms of energy regenerate 250% faster

Energy costs are reduced by 105%

Efficacy of endurance and regeneration +190%

Potency of endurance and regeneration +55%

There is a 1% chance to regain 50% of the expended energy when using a skill, spell, or other applicable process that costs energy to activate. Only works on one-time costs and not channeled or long-term energy expenditures.

Focusing on the two paths which were the furthest behind—coincidentally also the paths he had the weakest cultivation arts for—Ronan had managed to push all four paths to at least the fourteenth realm. That meant he should have earned enough chronos merits to purchase his second sub-class when this iteration ended.

While the thought of doing so made him eager to return to his clan's ancestral grounds, he knew it would be foolish to rush into it. He suspected, or at least hoped, that he might be able to figure out how to escape the prison during this iteration, if not fully escape it and complete the second step.

He had a strong suspicion that those who completed the nightmare difficulty tutorial would also become a part of the Path of the Gladiator. Whether it would be in the same capacity as those from the harder difficulty tutorial or some advanced version remained to be seen.

In any case, now that he had accomplished the minimum expectations for his cultivation, Ronan was ready to begin gathering information about the general population area of the prison and begin figuring out his escape.

He pulled the sheet open and stepped outside the cell, stretching slightly and taking in his surroundings. There were a few other inmates lounging around, staring at the strange fleshy thing that had holed itself up since arriving a week ago and killing a few challengers.

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Ronan knew that in this place, weakness meant death. It was a far cry from the world he was used to. I guess home isn't so different from this place anymore. The system changed everything…

For him, it had changed even more than for the rest of humanity. Ronan didn't even experience time in the same way as he once had. His life—or lives, he supposed—were an endless cycle through the same events. He grew stronger each time, and eventually he would figure out how to break the cycle or dismantle the system that forced this cruel reality onto the vast multiverse.

He looked around for the same alien who'd given him the information about the prison before. The stronger inmates lived up above, and received privileged treatment from the guards, due to their wealth and influence. With his credits, he wondered if he might be able to get a similar treatment. He might need to knock a few more heads together first.

After searching for a while he couldn't locate the alien who had helped him before. Ronan also wasn't sure how the other inmates would react to him attempting to start a conversation.

He knew there were four factions in here, and while he hadn't joined one, he knew that talking or being friendly with those from one particular faction might cause problems with the others. I guess some things don't change no matter where in the multiverse you are, eh? Chuckling at his own joke, he realised he might have to spill some more blood to get what he wanted.

Walking towards the centre of the open area, earning himself more than one strange look from the nearby aliens, Ronan stopped and stood still, raising his gaze to the upper floors of the prison. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for what was to come.

"All of you listen up! I want a comfy cell on the upper floors. I heard the guards like credits, and I have plenty. Anyone who helps me get what I want can leech off me, provided they can continue to be useful." Ronan's shout echoed off the metallic walls of the round room. It was all that could be heard, as a deathly silence fell over the place.

All conversations that had been going on ceased. Every inmate stopped what they had been doing to turn and stare at the mad human. Ronan wondered if he'd made a mistake, but he wasn't smart enough to figure out a better plan when the aliens weren't friendly enough to talk with him.

Whispering broke out among the smaller groups of aliens and he noticed that they had started to shift positions. Clear distinctions appeared and four rough groups formed. Over the sound of hushed whispering, he heard a booming laugh from above. "It seems the guards have stopped warning the new inmates about how things work here."

He saw more aliens appearing against the railings of the second floor, but none of them made a move to approach. They just stared at him, muttering amongst themselves. The voice had sounded as though it came from further up. The third, or maybe fourth floor of the prison.

Suddenly a green flash cut across the roof and then fell like a meteor towards the ground. Something crashed into the metallic floor, making it tremble.

Ronan watched as a strange creature unfurled itself, eventually standing at eleven feet tall. It had four limbs—two arms like his, and two that seemed more like tentacles but made from a green rubbery substance. The head of the alien was shaped like a thumb, and it had four pitch black eyes positioned at ninety-degree angles from one another going around the head, with a fifth on the top.

It took five steps towards him until it was just two metres away. It leaned over, bending down and tilting its head so that three of its pitch-black eyes could observe him. Ronan didn't falter under its gaze.

"A rich little piggy announces itself for the slaughter. What a rare occasion. As none of the others have chosen to take this prize, I shall claim it. Die regretting your decision to open your foolish mouth." As the creature spoke, Ronan read the tag floating above its head.

[Avanalax - Chastoxian Master Transfigurator Lv.198]

If it had been over level 200, Ronan might have regretted his decision. Even now he wasn't sure that he could win this fight without revealing most of his cards. However, the rewards for winning would be well worth the cost.

Before he could reply or figure out his next move, he felt the ground tremble twice more in quick succession. Avanalax stiffened and straightened up, twisting its head to face the two new arrivals from above.

Ronan used the opportunity to observe them as well. Despite missing their jump from above, he suspected they were residents of the same floor that Avanalax was from, given the similarity in their levels.

[Hak Hak - Wattak Pulveriser Lv.197]

[Feldramei - Estolaran Songweaver Lv.198]

Hak Hak was a strange creature, short and stubby. It almost looked like a bowling ball with six stumpy legs. It had leathery red skin and when it exhaled, puffs of reddish smoke were released from holes at the top of its rounded body.

As for the third alien, Feldramei, it was a strange creature. The best approximation Ronan could come up with in his mind was a mix between a lizard and a fairy, with white scaly skin and two sets of wings that seemed to be woven from silk.

He stared at the three inmates from a higher floor as they faced one another down, wondering what was about to happen. More than that, he was wondering how he could use it to his advantage.

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