Hell Difficulty Tutorial Chapter 681: The Open Path

POV Nathaniel

You have been invited to et with your master for 10 minutes. Will you accept?

Yes/No

It’s been a week since I returned from my Beyond quest, aning I still have at least 2 weeks left on my stay token, maybe longer, since it’s being boosted by the Primordial Knights.

During that ti, I’ve been getting bullied by Weslin. Sothing tells he didn’t like having to wait for . But it’s all good, since we still get so work done advancing the progression of my quest, along with so side stuff he claims he needs to take care of in order “to make a living.”

“Hey, I need ten minutes,” I tell him.

He looks around to check for danger, then sits down on the ground in the next mont. “Go on.”

As a man of developed taste, I create a manabloc chair and sink into it before confirming.

Just like when I et with my minion, I find myself in a never-ending white void. Everything’s just… white. There are no walls, floor, or ceiling I can see, but when I walk, I feel the ground beneath my feet. With a few steps, I reach a figure standing ahead of .

Lissandra has looked better. She’s missing her right arm, and her clothes are in poor condition, though soone has done their best to make them look neat. Her left eye stays closed, and her silver hair has been burned short, leaving it weaving and twisting at the edges.

“Rough day?” I ask.

Even in her state, she smiles with absolute confidence. “It reminds of the good old days, before I even took on the rank of Champion.”

“So, it could’ve been better, I guess?”

“Likely, but I had a promise to keep. Little pup, I didn’t think I would see you for a while, not until you ca to Eladore.”

“That is what I thought too. Did you get fucked over?”

“It was a result I had expected, and nothing I can’t handle.”

“I see, even without a heart?”

“How very perceptive. Little kitten has been sharing her mana with , so it’ll be enough for now.”

“Just for now?”

“Yes, for now. Little pup, I might have changed my mind. I will stay here a bit longer, dig deeper, and see what this is all about.”

“At least until they kick you out?”

“They’ll need a strong majority for that. It’s not impossible, but it’ll be difficult. Even if they did manage it, things would still work in my favor, since it ans I would be sent out of the First Dungeon, along with our little kitten. After that, I would return. But enough chatter. Do you know what I want from you?”

“My black mana?”

“Exactly.”

“Will it even work? I an, where the hell are you?”

“We are on the twelfth floor of Beyond. It’s been spatially sealed, though the seal is, honestly, rather pathetic. Unfortunately, without my heart, there’s not much I can do, but a few days ago, they loosened it enough that I could connect to you.”

“What even is the First Dungeon?”

“I do not know.” She smiles, and this ti it’s a big, excited smile. Damn, she really seems to be enjoying herself.

I try to see if I can channel and compress my mana. At first, it moves strangely, having grown sluggish in this place, but the mont I compress it enough to turn black, it flows more easily. As if this space can’t really affect it as much.

“Can you even take it? We’re not eting in person, after all,” I say as I shape it into a dagger, almost the sa as the first one I created.

“Thanks to its inherent properties, it should be possible.”

“They won’t try to stop it?”

“It’s not breaking any rules, so they can’t interfere. Little pup, will you not ask for the na of your… black mana?”

“Nah, I'm done with that shit. I ask. You’ll just tell you’ll reveal it next ti, or feed so other bullshit. The number of tis it’s happened now would probably surprise you. So, now I’ve reached the point where if soone cos to tell what it is called, I an to tell them to fuck off, then simply force everyone else to call it black mana as well.”

She blinks her single open eye a few tis and reaches her hand forward, "For so reason, that makes kind of curious about how many tis it must have happened."

“It would surprise you. What do I get for the dagger?” I ask, still holding the dagger close to my body.

"Information. A small hint from , left for you to think about on your own."

"Aren’t you getting a bit too cheap since you took the greed subclass?"

"How very amusing, little pup," she says as she moves, and I allow her to take the black dagger from my hand.

She imdiately starts working on it. Unlike the replica of the last elf, who only managed to pull away a few scraps of the mana I fed into the black halo, Lissandra goes further. She uses the sa thod as before, strengthening and shaping it so it becos solid enough to be used as a proper bridge between herself and the outer world. That way, she can let the dagger absorb mana, which she will later draw out as needed.

Without lifting her eyes from the dagger, she says, "There is sothing you should know about Absolutes and pairings. An Absolute is at their strongest on their own planet, which is why they almost never leave. But when one does, the system reacts in a very particular way, little pup. The mont an Absolute steps onto another world, that world’s Absolute is alerted. They are told another Absolute is present, and the system forces them to choose between two options."

When she finishes whatever she was doing, she glances at . After I give a nod, she stabs just the tip of the black dagger into my arm. I make no effort to fight against the pull on my mana.

As she looks at the drop of blood flowing from the wound, she continues, "The first option is simple: nothing happens. The second is far more interesting. You can treat the presence of another Absolute on your planet as a challenge, and if you choose that path, you may proceed to begin a Pairing."

When it is all done, she pulls the dagger out and slips it behind her belt.

The last few seconds of her visit begin to run out.

"Take care of Myrra, okay?" I say.

"How foolish you are, little pup. I gave you my word, and I will keep it, even if it costs my life. You may not see it that way, but I would never break a promise to one of my disciples."

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With a final smile, the space around us breaks, and I find myself back next to Weslin.

Dozens of thoughts swirl in my mind until suddenly the need for my ESM strikes.

"Ten more minutes," I tell Weslin as I use my minion communication token.

Thankfully, my minion is online. Before Weslin can even react, I’m already appearing in that endless white space once again.

"Master! You haven’t forgotten !" My minion greets with her mischievous smile, just like always. Her brown hair is longer now, her horns are sharper, even though they remain short. I just hope the other demons don’t bully her for it.

"Who are you?" I ask, tilting my head and feigning confusion.

She does not even slow down, only giggles louder. I think she might leap into my arms, but instead, she suddenly cos to a stop in front of . She lifts her arms up, asking to pick her up.

I do it right away. She quickly nestles her head against my chest, shifting until she can listen to both of my hearts. As always, her pointy horns poke against the underside of my chin.

"Are you eating well?" I ask.

"Yes! I even got my first minion, and now she cooks for ! She’s a half demon, too, and she swore to serve in return for saving her life."

"Your what?"

"She also has a cute talking dagger! I’m glad I didn’t throw it into the volcano when we fought in that Demon Lord’s castle."

"You were where?"

"A big fancy castle, master! It even had a lake full of man-eating fish. You need to get a castle like that! I went there because I was poisoned. And there was a healer there who could help , so I joined a small group of thieves to get inside, but they betrayed . I had to kill most of them."

"The hell?"

"I t the leader of these thieves in jail, where those silly villagers had locked us up so they could feed us to the monster they called their god! I almost died, but I killed it instead. Then I burned the whole village down! But don’t worry, I stole anything of value first."

Her face beams with excitent while she rushes through the story of her adventures. Since we only have ten minutes, she pushes herself to share as much as possible. She doesn’t even let get a word in, but I don’t mind it at all. With a smile spreading across my face, I listen to her, praising her whenever I can while reminding her to be careful.

I only wish she would not always answer, "I’m as careful as master is!"

When we’re finally getting down to the last few seconds, I finally stop her. She realizes how little I spoke and starts apologizing.

I wave it off and describe in a few sentences what I have been doing. My smile seems to calm her down.

"What will you do now, master?" she asks.

I think about it. My smile stretches further. "The only thing I can do, minion. My best. And if that’s not enough, then I will make it enough."

POV Rafael Vaughn - Channeler

I’m alone in the room now. It feels strange, rembering how cramped things were scant a few months ago, if only because this one is so much larger and far more luxurious. The wide windows stretch almost from wall to wall, opening onto a breathtaking view of cliffs and the restless sea in the distance. From here, I can see two helicopters lifting off the helipad beside the house, carrying the Easy Difficulty attendees. Out on the water, a smaller ship waits to take them the rest of the way.

I look away from it, and for a while, I just stare at the phone in my hand. Then I dial the number I received only hours ago.

"How did you get this number? Who are you?" a female voice asks after just a few rings.

"Jessica, it’s , Rafael."

"Channeler? How the hell did you get this number? I just got it today."

I lean back on the couch while clicking through photos on my laptop. "I’m in the good graces of the US Army. They give things if I ask for them."

"They caught you? Do you need help?"

"It’s not like that. We’re cooperating with them. You already know who I work for."

"Gwyn."

"Yes, the mana mania… oh right, Gwyn."

"I guess that makes them think twice before ssing with you. So why are you calling?"

"First, congratulations on finishing your tutorial. I think you’re one of the first from normal difficulty."

"That’s right!" she says, her voice rising with excitent. "I thought it would be a total ss here, but it’s actually okay. Sure, a few monsters are appearing every now and then, like weird animals, but the Hard Difficulty guys will take care of them as soon as they get out. And it’s only been one week since I arrived, but I’ve already made more money than I have in my entire life."

"If I rember correctly, you used to be a surgeon?"

"A Cardiologist. I made half a mil a year. But now? People just keep throwing money at . I’m sure I can make billions. Oh, wait, is this call secure?"

"I’m not dumb, Jessica," I say. Then I wait, letting her talk, because I know she likes to show off in front of people she believes to be high up in the hierarchy. And now, thanks to my connections, I count as one of them.

"I guess you’re not dumb. You never were." She laughs. "Anyway, in a few weeks, I might even manage to cure baldness. You can’t imagine how much money there is in that shit. I can use my healing skills to create a temporary solution and sell it. Not a one-ti cure, but sothing like a subscription. People will be paying forever. I’ll be drowning in money."

She looks pleased with herself, waiting for to say sothing. I take a mont, then finally speak. "Jessica, I have an offer for you."

"I was wondering why you called. What is it?"

"I want you to be a personal healer for around two years."

On the other side, there is silence until she finally replies with caution, "Go on."

"It’s for a cat. It’s old, sick, and close to dying. I already tried throwing millions at it, but no vet or doctor could do anything."

"So you thought a healer from Normal Difficulty would do the trick?"

"The ones from Easy Difficulty aren’t enough."

"Rafael… really? A cat?"

"It belongs to Grumpy."

I expect a long pause, but it lasts barely three seconds. "Tell where you are. I’ll be there tomorrow."

POV Warden of the Parallax Eyes, Kyralon

Kyralon rises from the low table. A layered field surrounding him, strengthening the reach of his trait. His expression is unreadable as his gaze fixes on a single point in space. Looking over the shelf, he selects an oval mana stone, which unfolds into the form of a transparent blue book.

From his pouch, he draws a wooden pen. With it, he writes the date in the private system only he uses, then begins recording.

16:00 -The Ruler of Pride has entered Beyond. All active Rulers were notified, and those available shifted their focus accordingly.

16:01 - The Ruler of Pride descended directly to the Twelfth Floor. A brief exchange occurred between him and the imitation of Absolute Lissandra Hawthorne. Without confrontation, he turned and departed, moving toward the center of the Twelfth Floor.

16:11 -The Ruler of Pride cleared the Twelfth Floor and entered the Thirteenth.

18:12 -The Ruler of Pride cleared the Thirteenth Floor and stepped onto the Fourteenth.

18:22 -The Ruler of Pride has departed Beyond. A ssage has been sent through the system itself, a reminder that his seclusion has ended, and his strength remains unmatched.

Kyralon pauses, his grip tightening around the pen. His eyes lift to the starlit sky, following paths invisible to others. When he writes again, his hand trembles slightly, though his lines remain precise.

For the first ti in thousands of years, the path to the Thirteenth Floor stands open. Not through the effort of many, but through the power of a single being. The First Dungeon remains a mystery, its aning and purpose still hidden. Perhaps it holds knowledge of the system itself, knowledge Pride seems to grasp more clearly than anyone else.

But the question remains: who among the Rulers will dare to follow?

After all, on the Twelfth Floor, a wounded Ancient Monster now awaits. Placed there by the Rulers to die, she remains, licking her wounds as she waits for those who cast her down.