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Tanya von DegurechaffThea MarshallZac

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Crossovers & Fandom FusionsStrong Female CharactersPost-ApocalypseLitRPG

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English

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Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-08Words:229,398Chapters:49/?Comments:440Kudos:443Bookmarks:87Hits:17,439

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 28

Chapter Text

Special thanks to @Massgamer for proofreading!

Chapter 28

The first level's Quest was pretty reasonable; I had to negotiate a resolution between two sects regarding an area of unnaturally high Cosmic Energy density that they both wanted. One tried to threaten me while the other tried to bribe me, but when I instead acted fairly the two sect Elders accepted the compromise. I walked away from the interaction with a twenty million Nexus Coin Quest reward.

Which… was a fantastic amount of money, had I not made the bet I had now won and would earn upon my exit.

It is strange how before entering the Tower this would have been an insane windfall that would have had me grinning ear to ear. Now though, I'm just annoyed I didn't get an Attribute Fruit, Information Crystals, or something to help heal up my Soul.

Taking less than a day to complete it was really useful, at least. I continued on my climb and the next Quest wanted me to hunt down five different materials for a Blacksmith to create a weapon to slay a beast that was terrifying the area. This one seemed like it would take way too much time to do, so I worked under the assumption the level guardian was likely the beast in question so I just headed over to kill it.

Within an hour I found the roaring dinosaur-looking creature. It looked a bit like a stegosaurus. but with a larger mouth with razor-sharp teeth. This seemed like the best time to try my new Skill. With the potency of it, I had some high hopes that I could slow the beast down or hopefully even stun it so [Crimson Siphon] could strike it while it was helpless.

The [Mind Splinter] fractal on my forehead activated and it took a moment to charge up. I used that time to back away from the rampaging beast as fast as I could, while still staying within range. The Skill reached fruition and like the strings of a puppet being cut, the dinosaur-like beast collapsed and began twitching on the ground, dead. I was shocked by the effectiveness of the attack.

Maybe the creature had lopsided attributes? Wisdom seems to help with mental attacks and mental defenses, and that is my primary attribute.

The Cosmic Energy I earned was fantastic, at least, and I was tempted to try to hunt other similar low Wisdom beasts in this area. But, the clock was ticking and greed for an upgraded Title or another approach-changing reward like [Mind Splinter] pushed me to take the platform up to the next level immediately. Well, not immediately. I let [Crimson Siphon] feast on the beast while I harvested some of its spiky bone bits. Only then did I advance to the next level.

***

I had made it with a little less than a day to spare. To say my body wasn't in the best shape was an understatement, but I still had [Nimble Time] and I didn't know if I would have to traverse a great distance to find the Floor Boss. Topping off the last of my wounds with [Minor Healing] and my last healing pill, I ascended.

[Mind Splinter] has done a crazy amount of work for me so far. Having a Skill that worked off the prime attribute of my Class was so absurdly beneficial. Just like my fortune at taking part in the Ogre / Demon war and finding those E-grade talismans had allowed me to climb further, the new Skill had propelled me to a height that would have been impossible without the rewards from the ascent itself. Even if it didn't cause an outright kill, it always had an impact in battle. The only drawback was the large Cosmic Energy expenditure and mental fatigue. As I rode the platform to the apex of this Floor, I readied myself for an immediate fight.

Instead, I found myself in a serene setting. Cherry blossoms were everywhere and the path of perfectly smooth earth led its way to an open structure. A man in robes came hurrying towards me.

"Young Mistress, the Master is waiting! You cannot be late. This is a great honor. He has descended from the Peak to engage the greatest seedlings of the era. Come, come. Hurry!"

Quest: Test of Soul. Only the Dao is your weapon.

Something was off. The Floor Bosses were normally always a hostile opponent I had to defeat physically. I was wary, especially since the presence I felt up ahead put those E-grade Demons and Ogres to shame. It was not a violent aura like Super Brother Man had unleashed, in fact, it was the opposite. It was utterly serene and tranquil, just vast and unquantifiable.

I entered the structure. My opponent looked mostly like an elderly Human with a long milk-colored beard. He knelt above an Array that held a board not unlike a chess set. I say looked mostly like a Human, because his eyes were black with motes of prismatic light dancing within them.

"Be welcome, young one. The Dao Discourse will begin soon. It is not like the old days, so use this Information Crystal to understand how the Dao Discourse Array functions."

I knelt, same posture as his, and touched the offered Information Crystal. It was a battle of Daos, but in this case the stakes were my Soul. We would take turns attacking our spiritual avatars with our Dao through the Array. Attack and defense would be key to winning. It rewarded imagination, tactics, and insight into the Dao. The Dao were the tools to attack and defend while our Soul was our 'HP'. Only after I finished with the information absorption did I notice the rule of this 6th Floor challenge. This was no approximation done through a complex Array, any damage done to the Soul truly damaged it.

"I see you understand. I do not waste time on young brats who are too incompetent to put up a good fight, but I did promise your Master that I would restrain myself. You can win, as my Dao is restricted and I will withdraw if my Soul has suffers the inconsequential damage that would lead to someone like you going mad or dying."

"How generous," I drawled.

He made a noise in his throat. "Such disrespect. Now you give me no incentive to show leniency. Let us begin."

I activated the Array and prepared my defense. He went first and used the Dao of the Trees, which was more powerful than even my Late-grade Seed. As an ephemeral branch struck at my avatar, I responded with my Dao of Volition and ducked under the deadly strike. With the momentum on my side, I sought to burn his Dao and make it unusable by setting fire to the hazy Tree still over the board.

What the hell is this old geezer talking about?

He responded with a new Dao, one of Light itself. There was nowhere for me to run with Volition, so I put up Sanctuary to protect myself. It worked… a little bit. His Dao was too strong for me, and while my avatar and my Soul didn't take the full brunt of it, I still felt it as my Soul got cracked by the blow. A wave of dizziness hit me.

"Hmm, what's this? You should not have withstood that as a mere apprentice. Your Master plays a dangerous game. He will be thrice-cursed for this badly thought of jest when I get my hands on him."

The momentum was against me and I was getting angry. The Seed of Fury felt right and my avatar lunged forward, striking at his. The Dao of Trees blocked the path and I was stymied.

He cackled and the Dao of Earth came forth to envelop my avatar. I wracked my brain for a counter; the Dao of Volition didn't allow my avatar to fly. I hid with the Dao of Structure, and my avatar was hemmed in, but unscathed.

What can I do?

A sudden idea came to mind. I didn't have to just attack, right? Instead of attacking the old Dao Master or his Dao, I used the Seed of Delegation.

"Hmm, what's this?"

"What's what?" I asked with a smile.

He scowled. "No matter, die!"

His Dao of Trees slammed down on the Structure I had built, but as the Earth made way for the strike, Volition kicked in.

"It's not your turn! How?"

I had used Delegation to move my avatar after his strike appeared. I remained silent and focused my energy to do what I had seen the E-grades do in a fight. I summoned Fire and Fury at the same time, stitching the two Dao together like a zipper aimed at his avatar. I had a suspicion that the more you used one Dao, the more lethargic it would be. Since he had just used Trees, I hoped that it might not be able to come to his defense in time.

I was right, but not fully. He did use the Dao of Trees to partially block, but his Soul was seared.

"Those are too advanced for an apprentice. What is your game, brat?"

"To win."

He harumphed, and brought forth Light again. I weaved Sanctuary and Structure together, taking an even less powerful blow. The old man was studying me even as I re-used Delegation.

"Your tricks grow repetitive. I will not fall for your wiles a second time."

This time he used the Dao of Trees not to directly attack my avatar, but to plant a set of trees around mine. I studied the strategy and saw how he was taking control of the board with his Dao. I didn't like the look of it, but wasn't sure my Dao Seed of Fire could counteract it.

It was my turn to defend and then attack, so I chose to use Fury on the defense to chop down the trees. Since my opponent's Dao was far stronger than my own, I was only able to take down one tree. I used my offensive phase to plant a Structure near his avatar, just a small one.

He muttered to himself, not understanding at all what it was for. He demolished it with Earth and then sprang forth four more trees around me. I replied with Fire and Volition, the living flame. The flames roared toward his avatar and he used Earth to defend, only the wall he summoned did not impact the flame. Instead, it surged around it and scorched the Master's Soul.

"What Dao is this? Is this unorthodoxy? Ah, that must be it. How many others have you sacrificed to strengthen yourself? That is why your Soul pulses so before me."

With a scowl, he used the Dao of Light to strike at me again. I stitched Sanctuary and Structure together and took another minor hit. I worriedly examined my Soul structure as I felt a pulse of dread. The cracks were widening.

I used Delegation, and again he paused. More Trees, my Avatar was fully ringed. He used Earth to try to bury me, but Delegation triggered my Volition, and then I triggered it again, just barely managing to force my avatar through the branches. He had just used Earth and Trees so I wielded Fire and Fury. His Dao attempted to shield him, but his Soul sagged.

"Vile trickster! You have beaten me, but only through Fell Karma. Begone, for when I return in the flesh, you will rue this day."

I had no idea what he was babbling about, but I felt a surge of triumph as I walked past him as the platform appeared.

I have cleared the 6th Floor!

***

Cherry blossoms were everywhere and the path of perfectly smooth earth led its way to an open structure. A man in robes came hurrying toward me. I blinked. Where was the void? Where was my prize for clearing the 6th Floor?

"Young Mistress, the Master is waiting! You cannot be late. This is a great honor. He has descended from the Peak to engage the greatest seedlings of the era. Come, come. Hurry!"

"Uh… didn't I just face him?"

The servant looked at me oddly. "No, Mistress, and please, you must hurry."

I entered the structure again, just like before. My opponent was the same elderly Human with a white beard and odd eyes. He knelt above the Dao Discourse Array.

"Be welcome, young one. The Dao Discourse will begin soon. It is not like the old days, so use this Information Crystal to understand how the Dao Discourse Array functions."

I paused, not sure what was going on. Was this some sort of Temporal Cheat he was using? But then why was I the only one who remembered what happened? I looked inward at my Soul and saw the damage from our past battle was there.

"Hmm, what is this? In my era youngsters were polite to their Elders. Well, are you going to greet me?"

I bowed my head. "Forgive me, it is just that I am unused to being in the presence of someone of your esteem. Your aura… it is difficult to bear."

"Then you are certainly not talented enough to be an apprentice of my descendent. But come, review the information. I do not waste time on young brats who are too incompetent to put up a good fight. But I did promise your Master that I would restrain myself. You can win, as my Dao is restricted and I will withdraw if my Soul has suffers the inconsequential damage that would lead to someone like you going mad or dying."

"Thank you for your generosity, great one."

"Hah, you think flattering me will make me go easy on you? Fah, let us begin."

He started the same way with the Dao of Trees. I used Volition to dodge the great strike. I weaved Structure and Sanctuary and willed it into place.

He laughed while stroking his beard. "They said you had potential, but what is this? Only Seeds? What a waste of my time. Is this a joke? Some new cultural shift where you play your Elders for fools? Shameful. And why are you trying so desperately to defend yourself? Have you no propriety at all? How do you expect to win if you do not strike?"

When I didn't respond he shrugged and summoned Trees around my avatar. He then struck with Earth, but my defenses were already in place. My avatar was hemmed in, but my Soul was unharmed. On my actual defensive turn, I used Fire and Fury to deal a heavy blow. He gasped.

"This is out of order. I attacked, you defended, and then you attacked. You used your attack not on my Dao or my avatar, but to do this disgusting trick. I will see your sect destroyed before allowing such dishonor!"

I shrugged and let him rant. He had me hemmed in and trapped, so he launched Trees. This time I used Delegation and let the blow crack my Structure/Sanctuary in order to set up my victory condition. The blow sent more spider cracks across my Soul and I sagged.

"Hmm… that should have finished you. You should not have withstood that as a mere apprentice. Your Master plays a dangerous game. He will be thrice-cursed for this badly thought of jest when I get my hands on him."

Volition and Fury saw me skip into his avatar and deal a combination of blows that sent his Soul reeling in defeat. He gaped at me.

"I… I will see your planet buried. When I return from seclusion, I will remove this stain from the Multiverse!"

The platform arrived. The old man ranted, but did not use his considerable power to smite me. I ascended… and found myself back in the same cherry blossom filled area.

What is this?

Time had passed for me. My Soul was still being damaged. The same words were exchanged, unless I said something new. As I peered at the board, I figured there must be a clue here.

Perhaps winning wasn't enough? Perhaps I needed to not only win, but win decisively where I didn't take a single hit? That was a difficult ask, but I knew how he played now. I knew what he would do given a certain set up and so…

The round repeated, only this time I prepared Delegation, baited out his Light by sending my avatar behind his own Dao of the Trees and countered every single move he made, while still chipping away at his Soul. I won. The old man appeared too stunned to even rant this time.

As I walked past him he held out his arm and grabbed mine in an inexorable grip.

"This has never happened before. You are no longer the student, but the teacher."

I nodded. I felt something change within me. It was probably a Title that gave me stats, but the effect was big. I'd look at once I selected my 6th Floor reward. Up the platform and into the System waiting room.

ANOMALY ANOMALY. STAND BY.

What now?

At least I was in the darkness. A second passed by and I became blinded by sheets of azure lightning as I felt the 'waiting room' shake as if it somehow had gained physical properties.

Indecipherable Error. Tower of Eternity cannot rectify. Choose.

END TOWER OF ETERNITY CLIMB, ACCEPT ALL REWARDS OF FLOOR 6 – OR – CONTINUE TOWER OF ETERNITY CLIMB, CHOOSE NORMAL AWARD.

Along with that came a timer – five seconds. I hated being pushed into a hasty decision, but with only one day left of my climb anyway, I'd be a fool not to accept triple rewards. I also selected to end my Tower of Eternity climb. The void stopped shaking.

[Sixth Floor Complete. Upgrading Title.]

[Reward Selected: Compatible Soul Strengthening Manual, Compatible Body Tempering Manual, Beast Mastery Manual.]

I felt myself being teleported to the plaza within the Base Town. The apparition for clearing the 6th Floor descended and lightning swept around me. The winds howled. The Tower itself rumbled. This was not like the other ones. Was it because I had reached such a high Floor?

Blue and gold light ran the length of the Tower and through the apparition my climb had summoned. I was relieved that while it looked like lightning, I never heard the sound of thunder. The flashes only painted the clouds and sides of the Tower. Each pulse threw the apparition back across the sky, afterimages stacking over the original, the same shape arriving a half-beat later.

The Dao twisted. Epiphanies crashed into my mind one after another. For a brief moment I understood the true nature of the Tower of Eternity, then that understanding was drained out of me, leaving me with questions, but still with an understanding of the construct. The Dao Seed of Structure felt complete.

I felt a bit dazed as more and more people were staring up at it and gawking. I desperately wanted to take a look at my Status screen to see what had changed, what the specific rewards were, and more, but I didn't want to stand around like some rube.

And what treasures I was allowed to keep... ugh, if I only had more time to Disenchant all the things I wanted. What I wouldn't give for another opportunity at this.

I had things I needed to take care of and my reputation now mattered in terms of how many teleportation tokens I might be able to acquire as a last resort for the Salamander Group and I if Earth couldn't defeat the Incursions.

Many in the crowd were still staring up in awe as the apparition slowly faded, but several hurriedly moved out of the way as two women approached the platform I was on. The first was a short woman with purple hair who was armored in engraved leather. The aura emanating from it could put [Crimson Siphon] to shame, such was its ferocious and bloody nature. A pair of claws were tied to her waist and a sheathed sword was on the other side. She was stunningly beautiful in a way that seemed transcendent.

The woman next to her was taller and was wearing a dress. It had a low-cut, and I had to focus not to stare at the amount of cleavage she was showing. The same otherworldly perfection of her features mirrored those of her companion and I felt my mouth go dry the way it had when Sofia gave me a massage. I wasn't sure which was more difficult to deal with. Sofia's hands were magical, but I at least was looking away. Here there was no touch-factor, but I had to keep my features composed.

Important people… time to network.

***

Pretty Peak knew she wouldn't have to wait much longer. They could keep track of Tanya's progress on the Tower Ladder and had seen that she had already won the bet. Leyara was miffed about owing her a favor, but Peak could tell that her friend was secretly pleased that something interesting had happened.

Will she clear the 6th Floor? There is only a little time left. It would be a shame if she died and was unable to collect her winnings.

"Are you planning on giving her one of your personal tokens? Rumor has it she was looking for teleportation tokens."

Pretty shrugged. "Father only gave me so many. She doesn't have time to even get to the 7th Floor Boss, and while the 6th Floor is an astonishing achievement for a progenitor, especially one not even at the Peak of F-grade, I don't plan to. But I will give her one from one of our Middle D-grade worlds. A crafter who made it this high in the Tower of Eternity would be useful for the Allbright Empire."

Leyara sighed wistfully. "It really is such a sad and ironic twist. I would love to give out teleport tokens and keep in touch with some of the boys I've met here. Meanwhile you get a variety of teleportation tokens, but then guard them zealously. The Heavens… or at least our Elders, have a twisted sense of humor."

Pretty ignored that comment and checked the Ladder.

"She's done it!"

A crack resounded, emanating from the Tower of Eternity itself. An apparition was gathering. Emerging after conquering the 6th Floor would produce a powerful one, but Pretty was sadly not near enough to a Dao breakthrough to benefit from it. Still, the potential insight could shave a year or more off. Combine that with the insight she'd get when Prince Reoluv Dravorak attempted his run in the coming months, and she might even upgrade her Fragment before entering the Tower.

"What is happening…" Leyara said, voice suddenly somber.

Instead of just the normal apparition that appeared, this one was streaked with lightning and a weight that seemed to bear down on her.

Is that… Tribulation Lightning? How? You cannot breakthrough to E-grade while in this dimension. What is going on?

She had seen more than one warrior ascend from F-grade to E-grade to know that the System presented one final test to determine worthiness. For a mad moment she thought it had been Tribulation Lightning, but it was clear that this was somehow part of the apparition itself. Her Dao surged magnificently, so whatever was happening had to be greater than what normally occurred when someone exited and completing that Floor. None of her family or esteemed members of the Empire had described this before. Their records went back for hundreds of thousands of years, and no apparition had ever appeared with Tribulation Lightning imagery.

Shouts of joy and happiness erupted around the plaza as people latched onto the insights of the Dao that revealed themselves. The light of the azure and golden lightning seemed to reflect the apparition, creating a more full-body aspect to it.

"The Heavens…" Leyara said in awe. "Pretty, I don't think this has ever happened before. At least not in the Zecia Star Sector."

"What do you mean? An altered apparition?"

"No, I felt space compress, the Endless Heavens themselves descended for a moment."

The young woman emerged. Pretty could instantly tell she was wounded, perhaps not directly in body, but in spirit. She was now far more powerful than she had been in the Recording Crystal of her antics in the brew hall, but there was a weakness now upon her that wasn't there before.

A lingering poison? Damaged Soul? Something at least.

She stepped closer and the crowd backed away. Pretty was the most powerful climber in Base Town at the moment, and no one wanted to get on the bad side of the Allbright Empire. Not that her family would avenge her if she died from being a fool, but others didn't know that.

"Congratulations," Pretty said, "you just won me a bet."

An exaggerated sigh came from Leyara, who no longer sounded awed and instead had adopted her socialite mannerisms.

"I am Leyara Lioress of the Void Monastery, and my smug friend over here is Pretty Peak of the Allbright Empire. And we have so many questions for you, especially about what just happened!"

The weakness she had perceived seemed to fade as the young progenitor shifted her expression.

"I've learned that in the Multiverse knowledge, is a currency of its own. I have much to do, including picking up my winnings. I've heard of both of your factions and wish to stay on good terms, but my time here is limited. If you could–"

"Limited?" Leyara interrupted. "I thought you only just arrived in Base Town."

Tanya nodded. "Yes, but I have obligations back home. My world is facing Incursions and I have a duel with an Incursion Leader scheduled. I will not miss it."

A crafter, dueling? How intriguing.

"Then our time together is fated to be short," Pretty said, "no matter what you will, Leyara."

Her friend pouted. "Very well, but you must come to my gathering tomorrow night."

"Must I? I believe you wished for information, and I wish for the same, as well as any potential aid for my world. So what is it worth to you to know what I suspect happened within the Tower of Eternity?"

Leyara was not used to not getting her away. Pretty enjoyed seeing her flustered, but if Tanya had limited time, she saw no need to elongate their negotiations.

"You were wounded. Soul or some sort of crippling poison. Which is it? Either way, I am sure I have something that can provide some assistance in exchange for the knowledge."

Tanya's eyes widened for a barest fraction of a second before answering.

"Soul, and how did you know?"

Pretty just smiled. "Is it still fracturing, or is it stable?"

The girl paused, though still continued to walk toward the auction hall to collect her winnings as they talked.

"Stable, but I can tell my pathways are sluggish."

"Good," she said as she withdrew Peak Quality [Soul Nurturing Pills]. "As long as you are sure your Soul is not currently still being degraded by its wounds, this will ensure you are whole within a matter of weeks. You tell us what happened and what caused your apparition to be different, and you can have them."

"Deal, so long as you do not share the information with anyone else here in Base Town."

Leyara looked confused, but Pretty just smiled and patted her friend on the shoulder. "She's going to sell the same information to other people."

Leyara laughed, "Shameless!"

Tanya took the pills. Peak could sense a tendril of Cosmic Energy come from the girl's pathways and interact with the pills. She downed one immediately and put the rest in a Cosmos Sack.

What was that?

"As to what happened? I can't be sure, but I think it has to do with me being an Enchanter Class instead of a combat oriented one. I received a unique Title that allows me to be treated as a combat class, but I think the System or the Heavens is… well, I don't know, but it seems to be designed as an entity that is not fully aware of all of its component parts. In the vast Multiverse that it has spread to, trying to operate any sort of machinery, or even a mind, would cause information overload. Instead, I suspect it parcels out miniature or lesser versions of itself. One governs the Tower of Eternity, and when the Tower of Eternity called me an Anomaly I saw blue and gold lightning shatter the darkness of the System waiting room when I was picking my rewards."

Pretty listened with rapt attention. This was fascinating and possibly brand new information for the Empire. She was no scholar, so perhaps this had happened before, but she doubted it.

"So, I think at a certain point, maybe the energy level of the Floor? Or perhaps the nature of the Dao Master I faced? Regardless of the reason, it bribed me to leave."

"What?" Leyara said in surprise.

"It said I could accept every reward for clearing the 6th Floor and exit immediately, or I could accept one and continue my climb. But since I had so little time left, I decided to just take the extra prizes."

Pretty did not sense deceit, but… that seemed far-fetched.

"And what are those prizes? Show them."

Tanya's eyebrow quirked. "Very well."

Sure enough, she had a Soul Strengthening Manual called [Split Infinity: Strings of Mastery], a Body Tempering Manual called [Quick as Thought], and [Feline Mastery], a Beast Manual. While it was possible that she already had some of those beforehand, the odds that a progenitor would have such potent manuals seemed remote. Given that something had happened, she was willing to take what was said at face value.

"I am convinced," Pretty said. "Now, let's discuss what you want to agree not to share that information with anyone else. Ever."

"Ever?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm already annoyed that Leyara knows, but we would make it a System Contract and I'll be calling in my favor from Leyara so she will have to agree not to share it either."

"Pretty…"

Tanya looked confused. "Why?"

"Why? Because that information is valuable. Crafting Classes entering the Tower of Eternity causing the Heavens themselves to offer extra rewards? An entirely new cultivation scheme can arise from this. Forces might try to deliberately pick a crafting Class so that they can then try to trigger the same events and then see what happens on a climb. They probably wouldn't risk their scions, but those they have identified as high-potential Dao Guards for their favored children? It may even be something my family could sell to neighboring sectors, perhaps an Autarch who has made their Dao path the study of the Heavens. You never know, and all this guesswork, but I sense this is valuable."

"Then why tell me it is valuable? You could have tried to buy me on the cheap."

Pretty shrugged. "I've no wish to incur a Karmic Debt by tricking you."

"That…" the blond paused, then sighed. "As I've explained since I arrived in Base Town, I am from a newly integrated world. Concepts like Karma are still dubious to me. If I can kill another F-grade cultivator, how is that not far worse than someone entering a voluntary exchange?"

"The Heavens have no quarrel with people killing each other. But if I have gained greatly at the expense of someone else without the struggle for supremacy in battle, then Karma may malign my fate."

The girl looked very dubious. "Is not tricking people part of conflict as well?"

Leyara sighed. "Don't let Pretty fool you, she's certain she'd have a debt of Karma, but that's because she's certain."

Pretty listened to her friend explain. She disagreed, but it was the conventional wisdom. Karma naturally existed, but if someone believed they had Karmic Debt, they had one even if the Heavens, the Dao, the very universe itself said otherwise. She could tell, even with the reserved way Tanya carried herself, she was highly uncertain about the explanation the disciple of the Void Priestess gave.

"Well, whatever the reason," Tanya said, "I thank you for your honest business dealings. As to what I want. Ideally, as much information as you can give me about the weaknesses of the Undead Empire, Information Crystals about the Enchanter Class and likely E-grade upgrade options, a wide range of cultivation manuals for my people back home, Spirit Tools, E-grade defensive treasures, material to upgrade my Spirit Tool…"

Pretty laughed. "Don't get too greedy."

Now that's a proper warrior's smile.

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Tanya von DegurechaffThea MarshallZac

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Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-08Words:229,398Chapters:49/?Comments:440Kudos:444Bookmarks:87Hits:17,455

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 29

Chapter Text

Big thank you to @Massgamer for their help with the Chapter!

Chapter 29

I was quite pleased with how things had turned out. The idea of selling exclusivity to what happened in the Tower might be a long-term bad deal, but as I had explained to Ogras when I sat down and talked with him, the potential future benefit a hundred years from now was a stupid thing to gamble my life and the lives of my soldiers on.

It was a bit humbling realizing that clearing the 6th Floor was not being treated with greater esteem by everyone. Only… I got that part wrong once Pretty and Leyara left after I promised to attend their shindig tomorrow.

After they did, the floodgates opened.

Hundreds of people started to crowd me. Some asked for information. Some wanted to hire me to do some Enchanting. Some practically thrust teleportation tokens in front of me, urging me to join their faction.

Huh, I guess an Allbright Empire scion and a disciple of the Void Priestess are pretty big deals in our sector. No one even dared try to interrupt as we talked.

"I would like to speak with many of you, but first I must rest after my ordeal," I smiled. "And pick up my winnings. Please, come speak with me at the event tomorrow."

More than a few people looked dejected… oops, I guess it was rather exclusive.

As I made my way to and was about to enter the auction house to get my Nexus Coins, a Human man stepped into my path as I reached the door.

"A thousand pardons, but I'm not invited to such a selective event. But I would ask you what is preferable? To be great on a small stage, or to be mediocre on a grand stage?"

"Ouch, implying that I won't be great anywhere I go?" I said with a smile. I appreciated the man's approach, because it exhibited some more forethought than just shouting at me about what he wanted or for just a moment of my time.

He mirrored my smile. "Of course not, but the question remains. Among the likes of the Peak Family, you will have to fight for every scrap of attention. But should you agree to work for my family, on a Low D-grade world, you will be at the pinnacle of our society. You would not want for anything; servants, cultivation locations, marriage matches to royalty, your demands would be almost limitless."

"A tempting offer, but I have family and friends I will not abandon. How many teleportation tokens do you have for your world?"

He wilted. "Merely three… and I can only give you one unless you agree to a System Contract for employment."

I shrugged. "That will not be possible until I speak with my family, which is impossible here. I will take the one and give your offer due consideration."

He hesitated; I think he could tell that it was unlikely I would use it, but then he sighed. "I only have a few weeks left until my ascent, so very well. If you use it, show your Title, say Javier Sah gave it to you, and they will roll out the red carpet."

Well, that's three now. We would be split up, but at least now we have worlds that we could flee to if Earth becomes beyond saving.

Collecting my winnings was simple enough, and then I rented one of the more expensive rooms in an inn for the next three days. It was time to see everything that happened in terms of Titles, Dao Seeds, and what treasures from the Tower I was able to keep.

Level: 67

Class: [F-Rare] Enchanter

Race: [E] Human

Alignment [Earth] Human

Titles: Defier of Gods, Indecipherable Anomaly, The Eleventh Goddess, Devil of the Rhine, Chosen of the Skies, Flame Savior, Leader of Men, Adventurer, Giantsbane, Full of Class, Rarified Being, Genesis Crafter, Quest Breaker, Ogre Slayer, Invasion Breaker, Unmaker, Disciple of David, Overpowered, Proven in Blood, One Against Many, Scion of the Dao, Butcher, Early Bird, Maker, Dao Teacher, Tower of Eternity - 6th Floor, Achievement Hunter

Strength: 78 [Increase 15%. Efficiency: 116%]

Dexterity: 192 [Increase 20%. Efficiency: 116%]

Endurance: 232 [Increase 15%. Efficiency: 116%]

Vitality: 94 [Increase 15%. Efficiency: 116%]

Intelligence: 166 [Increase 15%. Efficiency: 116%]

Wisdom: 380 [Increase 35%. Efficiency: 116%]

Luck: 69 [Increase 15%. Efficiency: 116%]

[Dao Seed of Volition – Late. Dexterity +40, Wisdom +10, Intelligence +5, Vitality +5]

[Dao Seed of Delegation – Middle. Wisdom +25, Intelligence +5]

[Dao Seed of Fire – Middle. Intelligence + 25, Dexterity + 5]

[Dao Seed of Fury – Early. Vitality +10, Strength +5]

[Dao Seed of Sanctuary – Early. Wisdom +10, Endurance +5]

[Dao Seed of Structure – Peak. Endurance +90, Wisdom +25, Intelligence +5]

Wow, I went up three ranks in the Dao Seed of Structure? That's fantastic!

What was bizarre was that Endurance was now my second highest attribute. I recalled my original stats from right before I began my climb of the Tower. The System didn't neatly parse out their effectiveness in numerical fashion, so I just did the math myself and compared my original attributes, with the 1.05 multiplier, to my current attributes, with the 1.15 multiplier, to see just how much I had improved.

Strength: 59.85 ➔ 90.48

Dexterity: 148.05 ➔ 222.72

Endurance: 92.4 ➔ 269.12

Vitality: 74.55 ➔ 109.04

Intelligence: 134.4 ➔ 192.56

Wisdom: 207.9 ➔ 440.8

Luck: 53.55 ➔ 80.04

My Wisdom had more than doubled, a nice portion being due to [Crafter's Wisdom] percentage increase. Despite my Soul still healing, I felt like I could conquer the world right now. Not only was I far more powerful through raw attributes, I also had significantly better gear. My armor was upgraded, something that I'd want to enhance even further if I still had the items I wanted. My Spirit Tool was significantly stronger and had a special attack, which I supposed I should probably name at some point. I had my [Boots of Flight], and my defensive treasure was now a triple-layered barrier, with each layer being stronger than the strongest one I could have Enchanted prior to coming to the Tower.

I also had gained the Skills of [Blink] and [Mind Splinter], both of which were fantastic. [Mind Splinter] in particular seemed absurdly powerful. That it scaled off Wisdom instead of Intelligence made it my go-to for single-target kills.

I then took a look at the new Titles I had received.

[Tower of Eternity – 6th Floor: Reach the 46th level of the Tower of Eternity. Reward: All Attributes +10, All Attributes +10%.]

[Achievement Hunter: Gain 25 Titles while in F-grade. Reward: Effect of Attributes +5%.]

[Dao Teacher: Play a Perfect Dao Discourse against a Dao Master. Reward: Marked for further training.]

No wonder I felt a rush of something. Huh, these are interesting. I wonder if this means Super Brother Man doesn't have 25 Titles yet. Hmm, that is an interesting tidbit of information. Not progressing to E-grade before gaining 25 Titles might be incredibly important long-term, but we need people to gain power as fast as possible. I was intending to share all my information, but it might be best to hide this piece for myself.

The real oddity in the stack was Dao Teacher. I checked my Quests.

[Select Students (Training 1/9): Select three Dao pupils. Reward: Reward based on performance at the end of training regimen. (0/1) NOTE: Must be completed before forming a Cosmic Core.]

I sighed. It had given me a Quest, and then only gave me the first step of it. Without knowing what the other eight steps were, how exactly was I supposed to prepare for this? If I selected a student and they ended up dying, would I lose the reward? Were my students gaining something valuable from this? What even was the reward so I knew if I should even make this a priority?

Stupid fucking System. I wish the person who designed you was still alive so I could kill them.

It was time to check what I had left. I had really hoped that the core of the giant rock titan Floor Boss thing would still be present, but I was not so fortunate. I would have likely been able to create something truly great with it. Still, there was no use crying over spilt milk, so I looked through the rest of the treasures. [Nimble Time] was also lost to me, though interestingly enough all the cultivation manuals I had picked up were still there. [Sword from Stone] was still around, and I had enough high-level beast parts, treasures, and materials to forge two pieces of E-grade armor and another E-grade weapon. It was less than 10% of the material I had gathered, but it would allow me to enhance some of the Salamander Group significantly.

No Spatial Ring either.

Of troublesome note, when I examined things with [Crafter's Wisdom] I found that my failure rate was as high as 15% for Low E-grade quality, and 50% for Middle E-grade. I could use [Careful Path], but that took forever. Not literally, but spending a week crafting something did not seem like a good use of my time just to guarantee it worked. I really missed the certainty of crafting things in the F-grade tier.

I looked at the Beast, Body, and Soul manuals and found that two of them had seals. The primer I could read, but the actual process itself to use the contents required me to mingle myself with the manual. The Body Tempering Manual, [Quick as Thought], could be used by anyone. Or, more precisely, anyone could theatrically learn the steps.

Body Tempering was a painful process that helped mold your body to better fit your path. This one was supposed to be very compatible for me, but it would not improve Wisdom. I wondered if maybe there were any manuals that boosted Wisdom? It did boost the other two attributes that I found very helpful, Intelligence and Dexterity. The writings spoke of not just improving these stats, but their effectiveness as well. Not only that, the author had written that it could improve the speed of Skill activation, which was a huge draw for me.

The downside of using this process was that you couldn't use a different method of Body Tempering. Basically, you could only mold your body in one way, not in all ways. The second issue, and for me probably the worst issue, time. Time and materials. The circulation of energy and the process itself took about seven hours for a single session. And the first gains from such sessions wouldn't be noticeable for months.

This… ugh, maybe once the Incursions are dealt with. Right now, if I have spare time, I need to be Enchanting.

The Beast Manual was more of the same. The primer portion explained how with the manual I would be able to bond to almost any cat species. However, it took time to establish said bond. It also required investing resources in strengthening the bond and your animal partner. Unlike a true Beast Tamer Class that had specific Skills to enhance tamed beasts and the ability to form bonds with multiple ones, this had significant limitations. Obtaining the Skills of a Beast Tamer Class was difficult, either requiring a Beast Tamer to literally rip the fractals off and donate a Skill, potentially weakening it, or the extremely rare event of a Beast Tamer dying and leaving an Inheritance Crystal, which was a once in a million event.

It also just didn't mesh well with the way I liked to fight, so while I liked the idea of having an extra meat shield, I figured this might be something someone else could use in the Salamander Group.

The final manual was [Split Infinity: Strings of Mastery]. This one talked a great deal about puppets and clones. Puppets had a few uses, but they involved slipping a part of your awareness into one and then moving it about. Your perception could either be within your body, or the puppet's. Puppets, by their nature, tended not to have the ability to be useful at much of anything combat oriented, at least before higher grades, in order to not conflict with the ability to have someone inhabit it. They still had a variety of uses. You could teleport a puppet to a location and see if it was safe to come over yourself. You could set up a puppet at a vantage point and see through its eyes briefly. You could even use it to briefly double check on things from a great distance. It was, however, very limited.

Clones were something else, but they were a very advanced Skill that ultimately truly required a Cosmic Core to make full use of. The Cosmic Core, or Cultivator's Core, was what made D-grade Hegemons so dangerous. The power within their cores was what allowed them to dominate so effortlessly. They could use Skills that took a hundred times the power of an E-grade Skill and use treasures that were impossible for even a Peak E-grades to use due to the activation cost. Powerful beings like that could use clones, but regular F-grade folk could not.

The Soul Strengthening Manual also improves the Soul's ability to multitask. To retain awareness in multiple places at the same time. My heart began to race as I considered what might be possible. The method was slow, painfully slow, but a cultivator who mastered and strengthened their Soul with [Split Infinity: Strings of Mastery] could have their body do one task while their puppet did another. This was something crafters enjoyed doing because they could have their puppet manipulate Cosmic Energy while their original body cultivated. You could cultivate and craft at the same time!

This seemed to be the reason why I was given this reward by the Tower of Eternity as a crafter, but I also realized something else. This would mesh perfectly with [Quick as Thought] once I mastered the ability. I could craft with a puppet while I went through the Body Tempering exercise in my own body.

So… not all bad, but from what I've learned, Soul Tempering is a very slow process, so this doesn't help me right now. But I do see a very promising path forward.

The last thing I checked was the World Ladder. I was number one the Level Ladder now, even if Super Brother Man was less than ten levels behind me. It would be interesting to see if he started rushing forward now that he had competition. I was pretty sure there was probably a Title for becoming the first Peak F-grade or maybe getting the first E-grade Class. I was, surprisingly, still second in the Wealth and Dao Ladders despite my massive winnings. And it really baffled me that Abbot Everlasting Peace was still ranked number one on the Dao Ladder, despite the fact I had just gained a Peak Dao Seed.

Regardless, it was now time to go shopping. I wanted all the information I could get about the Enchanter Class, E-grade Classes, the specific Classes my Salamander Group had, purchase Leveling Pills for my people, other useful supplies, and hopefully win some Spirit Tools at an auction on my last day here. I also wanted to get more teleportation tokens at Pretty and Leyara's get-together. It would be a different kind of busy next three days, and then I would return home to duel an Incursion Leader.

***

The chance to grow more powerful during the Eastern Trigram Hunt had been the reason he and the other NWG cultivators had joined it. There were dangers, yes, but the rewards had been very high. The treasure and resources were grand, but seeing the Ladder made one thing absolutely clear to Thomas.

I need to return home.

The other NWG operatives would remain and hopefully try to place, but he needed to manage Tanya Degurechaff and the first NWG-led Incursion closing. He crushed his token and, after a few minutes, General Wyland approached.

"You are back early, sir. Run into any trouble?"

"No, Hank, but I saw the recent Ladder update. Any trouble here?"

He shook his head. "Some, a few of those lizard freaks turned out to be stronger than we expected. A few even managed to escape."

Thomas sighed. He knew Hank was upset that he didn't have higher Level support with him, since they had gone with him instead, helping in gathering treasure to try to place on the Trigram Hunt Ladder. Their hunt tokens had been used on the highest leveled members of the NWG.

"Get me a report on it, ASAP. It is time to move on the Outpost that Edwin Degurechaff's slice of Chicago was in. Find me the cultivators responsible for overthrowing the local authority when they returned from the Tutorial. I don't mind deaths, but make sure we have a few live ones."

"But they agreed to join the NWG… I know their past actions were monstrous," Hank said bitterly, "but it was the apocalypse. The cabinet agreed that we would paper over crimes done during the Fall, that's how we managed to get so many communities to join us."

"And we'll stand by that. Unfortunately, the infiltrators were really concentrated in that area."

They locked eyes for a moment. Hank looked away. "Fine. You'll have your prisoners in two days. Will that be enough to get Tanya Degurechaff to join us?"

"Absolutely not, and that isn't the point of this exercise. It is, however, a gesture. And from my read of things, she will repay a favor for a favor. We have two choices before us. We can scurry around and make deals with these alien SOBs and hope they keep their word and don't kill us later, or we can roll the dice and bet on humanity. We have a new number one ranker, a woman whom we can work with. If I had no hope, I'd grovel before those bugs I had to if it meant humanity wouldn't be slaughtered, but now that I see the possibility of daylight… we stand on our own two feet. Like Americans."

The acting commander of the NWG armed forces gave a firm nod. "Better than the alternative. But you know, not everyone in high command is going to agree. Are we going to get rid of them too?"

Thomas smiled. "Eventually, but for now we'll keep them in the dark. And if we need to set up a trap for the Zhix, it would be useful to send over people who truly believe we have sided with the Dominators. Who knows what sort of mind-reading powers E-grade cultivators might have? The best way to ensure the likes of Void's Disciple believe we are still nothing but his pawns is if the people he interacts with genuinely believe it. Afterwards? Well, dead traitors tell no tales."

They talked a bit more about moving things in position to deal with the Ez'Mahal Confederation. The manpower and munitions should be in place so that as soon as Degurechaff was ready to go, the NWG would be able to join her instantly. They had to prove at least somewhat useful in the engagement.

Which means I'll need to attend to the fighting personally.

He was just shy of the top 10 on the Ladder, even with massive support of the NWG. Whole teams hunted and herded beasts of the appropriate Level that fit the sweet spot of ease of killing and Cosmic Energy gain. And even with all of that, it had been a long slog just to get close to being in the top 10. The Eastern Trigram Hunt had helped. Thomas wasn't keen on fighting personally against the Ez'Mahal Confederation, especially since he didn't know their strengths, but Degurechaff would respect it.

All in means all in.

***

Spending over a billion Nexus Coins just on information felt painful, but I felt it was highly necessary. I learned a few more things about my own Class, my dad's Class, and most of the Classes of the Salamander Group.

Moving from F-grade to E-grade had some rules, apparently. I already knew the basic ones, the need to be Level 75, access to a Nexus Node, at least one Dao Seed, System-judged achievements, and your Race had to be E-grade. But in order to unlock particular tiers of Classes, that required a certain mastery of the Dao itself.

In order to qualify for an Epic E-grade Class, you had to have at least one Dao Fragment. Dao Fragments were the combination of two Dao Seeds. According to the Information Crystal I had absorbed, it implied there was another way to get a Dao Fragment, but it didn't give details. In order to qualify for an even higher tier Class, the 'Arcane' level, you had to have advanced one Dao Fragment to the Middle-stage.

Well… shit.

I was eight levels away from Level 75. I felt like I probably could do the Dao Fragment before hitting the cap, but upgrading a Dao Fragment was said to be much more difficult than upgrading a Dao Seed. That left me with an uncomfortable situation where I potentially wouldn't be able to get access to the sort of Class options I desired.

Fortunately, some of the Classes in the Epic range were known and I did feel like I probably qualified for them. The 'High Enchanter' was basically just a more advanced version of the Enchanter, and I felt like it would be a safe pick. The Class I really found intriguing was the Arcane Arsenal. That one was an intriguing hybrid Class that still allowed for crafting Cosmic Energy gains. I had, unfortunately, resigned myself to the reality that battle was always going to be the fastest way to advance ahead.

The real problem for me was that I hated the idea of losing out on long-term opportunities because I felt rushed into advancing to E-grade, but with the Dominators already having three of their number at E-grade, and judging by their Ladder, Mid E-grade, I didn't think I had much of a choice.

I did learn more about the option I didn't select at Level 50. The [Path of Augmentation] was a Class Skill that limited the damage to your pathways when Enchanting an organ and caused your organs to 'remember' the Enchantment in the event of damage and healing. If I were to use [Enchantment] on my organs and then they were damaged, unlike a fractal, it would not simply regrow. Which was a nice benefit, but the real winner was the more limited damage to your pathways. No matter how good the Enchanter, the likelihood of some of your pathways being impacted was almost certain.

That didn't mean enchanting organs was necessarily a bad tradeoff, but it made it a dubious component for people to ask for their organs to be enchanted. Damage to pathways, plus the possibility of high-octane combat requiring you to redo the time-consuming and expensive process? For the most part people didn't bother.

However, as the Enchanter myself, I had learned a few interesting things. [Lasting Breath] was a Skill, but I could use [Enchantment] on my lungs to mimic it and potentially not even have to worry about using it. I could then one day maybe upgrade the Skill from a support function to some sort of combat or other utility.

There were basic options which did little harm, but not a lot of good. Making my stomach a bit hardier so weapons couldn't pierce it was somewhat useful, but if my muscle and skin are getting pierced I'm in for a bad time anyway. The better options were things like making my liver process toxins better or enchanting the heart to improve the effectiveness of Vitality. I wasn't in a hurry to try any of these, as I had so many other things I needed to tackle, but it would be on the list of things I'd want to try.

The good news is that while the enchantment was up and damaging my pathways, it wasn't necessarily permanent. I could always [Disenchant] them and then allow my pathways to heal over time. For now, I would set it aside as I wanted to put an offer out there for those at Level 75 to provide a support [Enchantment] in exchange for using one of my Cosmic Energy-Leeching weapons. While in the Tower I had received tiny bits of Cosmic Energy from Earth, but naturally it was spread out due to the time dilation meaning I was getting one day's worth of Cosmic Energy spread out over 99 days.

Ideally, if everything worked the same way, a Tower Climber who used one of my weapons could bundle up 99 days of Cosmic Energy kills and I would get all of that in a single day. The difficulty was that my F-grade weaponry with Cosmic Leeching was not really up to snuff for most of the elite. Not everyone had Spirit Tools or E-grade weaponry, but the people who would most likely make it up far and get the most Cosmic Energy absolutely had one or the other.

My thought was to provide a niche [Enchantment] that might help them with a unique Quest or two, in exchange for them agreeing to use the Cosmic Energy-leeching weapon on unimportant battles on their climb. Alternatively, if I could provide a useful [Enchantment] or two and they didn't want to mess with my weapon, I'd gladly trade the service I could offer for Dao Treasures or Attribute Fruits. Either way, I would do my best to maximize the time I had left in Base Town.

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Archive Warning:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Fandoms:

Characters:

Tanya von DegurechaffThea MarshallZac

Additional Tags:

Crossovers & Fandom FusionsStrong Female CharactersPost-ApocalypseLitRPG

Language:

English

Stats:

Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-08Words:229,398Chapters:49/?Comments:440Kudos:444Bookmarks:87Hits:17,455

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 30

Chapter Text

Big thanks to Massgamer for their proofreading help!

Chapter 30

The gathering was prestigious. I knew that because only a hundred people were present, and yet almost every single one had at least one item that radiated the kind of spark [Crimson Siphon] did.

They all had Spirit Tools, and quite powerful ones at that.

Leyara greeted me warmly and said she had a few people who wished to speak with me.

"Quite shameless of you to shove people off by telling them you were coming here. All my contacts came to me to beg for introductions. Fortunately, they also paid for the privilege, so I'm not too annoyed."

Her laughter when she said that made her extremely low-cut, pale dress almost create a wardrobe accident. Though given the clear magical nature of the gown, that was probably impossible.

"Ah, well, that was not my intent, but I am interested in meeting new people. Especially with those who might help with my situation. Who is first?"

Leyara introduced me to a member of the Zethaya Clan. Theirs was a clan who was extraordinarily wealthy and one of the Peak factions of the Zecia Sector. They also focused specifically on Alchemy.The man was a Human of average height, but his skin had an almost granite-like texture to it.

"Tanya Degurechaff, our family has been without an Enchanter for a few millennia, and while there are workarounds for producing the highest quality of ingredients, an Enchanter's unique ability to enhance ingredients with specific elements is greatly desired. I am prepared to offer you this teleportation token along with an employment contract that is quite generous."

I absorbed the offered Information Crystal containing the contract and blinked a few times. If I was flying solo and didn't have a family or other connections on Earth, it would be incredibly attractive. Still, there were a few sections that would give me heartburn.

Essentially, the employment condition was that after my time in Base Town was done, I was to immediately activate the teleportation token. I would then be responsible for about 20 hours a week of purely Enchanting ingredients. I would be required to remain employed with them for 200 years before attempting to enter D-grade, but they would assist me with accomplishing that task. The reason for the delay is that even cultivators with phenomenal resources, foundations, and Dao could still face catastrophic failure and death when trying to form their Cosmic Core.

They wanted to get their full money's worth first.

The pay, resources, cultivation areas, Dao Treasures, and even Low D-grade Hegemon Dao Guards to ensure my safety was embarrassingly generous. However, the stipulations cut to the bone.

"I'm afraid I will not abandon my planet, nor can I allow myself to be separated from my family. After Earth's integration is done, perhaps…"

The man frowned. "The majority of worlds fail to resist Incursions. That would be an unacceptable risk for such a valued resource. I cannot offer you a teleportation token without an employment agreement."

I nodded. "Thank you for the offer, but I will have to pass."

His eyes widened, but before he could retort, Leyara sashayed over and gave him a little bump with her body.

"You heard the lady, move on, or do you have something else to offer?"

The man hesitated, then shook his head and walked off.

"You are dead set on fighting for your world, yes? That's respectable, and someone who has completed the 6th Floor has a real shot of becoming the Planetary Lord of a newly integrated world."

"Planetary Lord?" I asked, feeling a bit of disquiet.

"Yes, the Heavens will be giving out Lordship Quests that eventually lead to a Planetary Lord Quest that will determine who rules your entire world."

"And that's the only available form of government?" I asked, feeling my temper at the System reach new heights.

Leyara looked confused. "Yes? What else would there be?"

"And what can this 'Lord' do?"

"Oh, all sorts of things; control teleportation, who comes in and out, the taxes…"

"Taxes?" I hissed.

"Yes, for anything involving a Nexus Node and System Shop. Though, keep in mind, a Lord's Authority doesn't make them invincible. If someone else finishes that Quest-line before you do, you can just kill them."

What a madhouse.

I thought for a long moment.

"They can't compel people though, right? They can only use the taxation and teleportation privileges?"

"Well, no, but most Planetary Ruler Quests also grant them defensive arrays or golems, powerful structures and baubles upon their completion."

I dismissed that with a wave of my hand. "Good to know, but what I'm asking is, is there nothing that stops powerful individuals from threatening the ruler to prevent abuse of those privileges?"

She gave an artful shrug. "No, not really. But why go about it that way? Just take over."

Just 'take over'? Just kill whenever you want power? The Multiverse had a veneer of civilization, but it was just a variation of 'might makes right.' There was no legalism at all, there was no form of government that had any sorts of checks and balances, except for what other factions and forces might impose. Even with the likes of Leyara, who seemed charming and kind on the surface, one only had to dip one's toe a little into conversation for her to advocate direct murder for power. I put away my seething frustration behind a smile and set the anger aside.

"Thank you, who else did you want me to see?"

"I'll introduce you to Yara Brightness next. She is of the Blue Family, the third most powerful family in the Empire of Light."

"So, not the Brightness Family?"

Leyara laughed. "Don't be silly."

But… agh, she's already introducing me.

"A 6th Floor clear, congratulations. And such a wondrous apparition. I was able to forge my first Fragment thanks to you. A pity I hadn't waited to do my Tower Climb later, but I was impatient. I might have defeated the 5th Floor if I had. Nonetheless, Tanya, I am honored to meet you."

"Likewise, Yara, assuming that is the appropriate way to address you."

It was interesting how many Humans there were here, but also how there were still subtle variations. Yara for example had no nails on her fingers, and it didn't look like they had been removed. Her teeth also seemed the wrong shape from what I was used to, with each tooth being a bit wider than normal. She was still fetching, just like every person here, but there was a slight uncanny valley effect for me.

"We are not at court and I would very much like us to be friends. You are a progenitor with a clear fate. I would be honored if you were to join my family. I have a number of cousins and even a younger brother, though you'll have to wait some time to marry him if that is who you pick, but we could use your talents."

Sorry, I don't think I swing that way.

"That's kind of you and generous of you, but as I told the representative of the Zethaya Clan, I am not alone. I have a family back on my home planet that I will protect, and said planet that I wish to remain independent from war mongering Incursions. I am most interested in collecting teleportation tokens if I fail in my efforts to free my people, but I will still make the attempt."

Yara smiled. "I see, well, I cannot give out more than one token, but if your family or Clan should fall or you have no other hope, please use this." She pressed the token into my hand. "You would be quite valuable. My family is full of Array Masters, so you would fit right in. We are always looking for more talent in holding back the Undead Empire."

I nodded and made a note of this being one of the more favored tokens I would use if I had to book it off of Earth. The Empire of Light setting itself against the Undead Empire was also a good thing. Who knew, maybe the Salamander Group might one day seek mercenary work out among the stars. The future was quite hazy for me because of the immediate threats, but if we managed to close all the Incursions we still had a countdown for the next one hundred years of the System shroud. After that, Earth could pop up anywhere in the Zecia Sector, including right next door to the Kavriel Province and face almost immediate invasion from a force that had C-grade Monarchs.

We parted ways with Yara and then I met with a Tal'Eladar from the Tir'Lamarel Family. I was a little cold at first, since Earth had an active Incursion from the Tal'Eladar, but I realized that I was being a bit silly. It wasn't as if every Tal'Eladar was responsible for what every other member of their species did. Regardless, this wasn't an offer to join them, but a commission request to modify a Spirit Tool he had inherited.

"It is powerful, but hesitant, and its Dao is more of a cunning hunter as opposed to a ferocious one that I require for my Path of Savagery. Are you able to make the alteration?"

I looked at the Spirit Tool, used [Crafter's Wisdom], and realized such a small modification was somewhat feasible. I couldn't completely alter a Spirit Tool's nature, but I could nudge it in a certain direction and reform its shape. Since the inherent nature of the Spirit Tool was still that of a predator, just of a different variety, I knew I could do it.

"I'll need a similar weapon to re-home the essence into. I will be pushing it very close to the time I must leave, so I will have to charge you more than I would normally…"

He laughed. "Such is the way of things. Two billion Nexus Coins is what I can give you."

Fuck! I really want to stay in Base Town for a year.

I agreed and then Leyara introduced me to another dozen people. I picked up a few more teleportation tokens, but it seemed almost no one was prepared to give out multiple ones. This was really annoying since, if I had to flee, I would prefer to be able to bring along my dad, and, hopefully, Julia. I also got the impression that they wanted me, and that sending over someone else in my place might be bad news. Granted, I would be off Earth as well and have the possibility of reuniting with them one day, so I doubted anyone would just kill them out of hand, but it was still less than ideal.

Now that I had gone through all the people Leyara had screened and had me chat with, the interactions were now more freeform. I listened as the elite scions of the Zecia Sector spoke. Rumors that I had no context whirled about, including those of Tal'Eladar and the Azh'Kir'Khat Horde beating themselves bloody against each other again.

Pretty approached me after breaking away from another small group.

"Tomorrow is your last day here and you are going to an auction. Looking for something better to replace your Spirit Tool?"

What's wrong with my Spirit Tool?

"Well, I am looking for Spirit Tools for my Salamander Group, but why do you ask about [Crimson Siphon]?

Pretty bit her lip for a second. "Sorry, that's probably the best your planet currently has, so that was rude of me. Your Spirit Tool isn't defective; it just doesn't have a long future. I can tell that it might be able to pass into E-grade, but will be stuck on the lower end no matter what you feed to it."

Leyara shook her head. "Now, now, that's not strictly true."

Pretty rolled her eyes. "It isn't worth feeding a Supreme E-grade treasure to a Spirit Tool like this. You might as well purchase a Spirit Tool that has the capability to make it to D-grade at half the cost."

I've started to like using it, but perhaps I should see if I can get anything better. It is odd that I feel a sense of kinship to the bloody weapon. Its personality is so different from my own, after all. Hmm, well maybe it is like the idea that opposites attract, and [Crimson Siphon]'s bloodthirstiness makes up for my own more measured approach to conflict.

Leyara looked curious. "Salamander Group?"

"My mercenary outfit. We sell our services to communities to help them finish their Quests and deal with Incursions."

Pretty perked up some. "Oh, is that what you want to do once your world's Integration is over? There are plenty of opportunities in the Million Gates Territory. You could join an existing group like the Blue Moon Mercenaries, and that will provide some protection. Successfully completing missions will earn you Contribution Points for their stores."

I blinked. "Wait… you mean Contribution Ladders and stores aren't just System-generated?"

Leyara laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry Tanya, it's so good of you that you don't take offense easily, but I must apologize that I keep forgetting you just learned about the Multiverse. Almost every force has its own variation. Nexus Coins are a medium of exchange across factions, but internally the best things can only be purchased through credit the force provide. That way they ensure the greatest treasures don't go to a rival faction in the future. Granted, mercenaries operate a bit differently… but the principle is the same."

"Interesting, well, I don't know what the future has in store. I suspect that if I close the Incursions I will try to gain strength and see where my world is in a hundred years. If it borders a place of friendly neighbors, I will probably focus on crafting instead of mercenary work. However, if we have the ill fortune to be located near the Undead Empire…"

Leyara and Pretty exchanged glances that I wasn't able to decipher.

"But primarily I'll be looking to pick up Spirit Tools, any Attribute Fruits, and Dao Treasures. Thanks to our deal, I'm well-stocked on other things, so that will be what I need to help push my soldiers forward."

Leyara smiled broadly. "You must be going for a hybrid class once you break into E-grade then. There's no way a blood-soaked leader of blades for sale is going to be content just sitting around crafting."

I shrugged. "I do not enjoy conflict. I am a woman of peace. I would like nothing else than to cultivate through crafting and never have to use violence again. But, my enemies will not allow that now, but one day I hope to retire from the battlefield completely."

Pretty stared at me in disbelief for a moment and shook her head. "Every cultivator's journey is different, even if we walk along the paths our ancestors have made."

These people were really strange, but I sensed no hostility from Leyara and Pretty. They were comfortable seniors who seemed to enjoy sharing their wisdom with a junior. I was eager to learn everything I could, so did not mind the mild condescension. I left the gathering early to get started on the crafting commission. In less than two days I'd see Dad and the rest of the Salamanders again.

***

Will rolled over, fully spent. Sofia's beautiful figure lay beside him, her dark curls spread around her as she smiled at him with a pleased expression.

"Worth the Nexus Crystals?" she said grinning.

"Yes, and I'm thankful you'll still… uh, indulge, even though you have other ways to grant your bonuses."

Sofia stretched. "It's an enjoyable act. Truthfully, I do think the Class I picked has some influence on it. It is enjoyable, even more so than before the Fall."

Will wasn't sure about that. The reality was that everyone looked so much hotter these days. The natural Vitality and slow improvement of their Race via medicinal baths was making everyone look like a model. It honestly was rather distracting at times!

It's like I turned 13 all over again!

"Well, I'm just grateful. I'm sure I could find someone in town. There are always women who see someone who is in proper gear and think that's their ticket, but… I don't know. Plus, I think Tanya is going to have us move around a lot and…"

"Shh," she said, putting a finger on his lips. "You don't have to defend wanting to sleep with me. I like being wanted. And if you find someone and they prefer you don't see me again, I'll miss our evenings, but there won't be any hard feelings. It's just sex."

For Will, he had some hope it could have been more, but Sofia was pretty clear on her intentions. She still had sex with Zhou, and anything remotely close to him sharing more than lust and comradeship with her was artfully shut down. Sofia really did have an elegance to how she shot him down that gave the hint that maybe she actually didn't know what he meant. He knew better, though, and honestly appreciated how quick she caught wind of his desires and nipped it in the bud.

"I know, I'm just saying. Tanya is going to be back soon. Are you coming to watch the duel?"

Sofia nodded. "I can't help if things get out of hand, but Zhou will protect me."

"Are you worried about how she'll do?" Will asked.

"No. The Ladder update makes it clear that she is the strongest Human alive. If she can't beat the Incursion Leader, then we're all fucked anyway. Slow or fast, we are dead. And this isn't even close to the strongest threat humanity is facing. If a Level 67 the likes of Tanya can't win, well, I guess I'd rather know now."

"Dark," he muttered.

But probably true.

"Not really, because she's not going to lose. She's the reason the Ratkin and the Ogres are gone from this world. I'm not even on the frontlines fighting and I know how dangerous she is. You need to relax more, be less heavy about things."

"Haha, it doesn't work like that."

Sofia was of course teasing him about his Dao Seed.

"I wouldn't know about that, but I hope to one day. Now, I believe you will be doing one last round of beast hunting before Tanya returns, so you should get some rest."

Will clothed himself and left her abode. He'd see her again in a few days. The Cosmic Energy improvement would be helpful tomorrow. Will had hopes of one day being a ranker. He wasn't too far off of the 100th spot in terms of Levels. The fact that he had two Dao Seeds made him stand out, and he found he liked that.

He did feel bad about Jared. His friend was really trying, but as a mortal he had been screwed from the start. They had taken solace in the fact that Edwin and Zoey had both picked up a Dao Seed and they were mortal, but there was nothing for Jared yet.

You'll get there buddy. We all will.

***

Some items came and went that seemed interesting, but I wanted to preserve my capital. I debated about what I should truly focus my wealth on, and it just wasn't justifiable in my opinion to spend nearly five billion on a single Spirit Tool. In the end I purchased two F-grade ones that had a limited shot at passing into E-grade at best. I also purchased a Dao Treasure that would likely resonate with Zhou's Seed of Sharpness.

I was a bit worn down from modifying the Spirit Tool for the Tal'Eladar, as it had required me to work straight through the night until an hour before going out to shop. I didn't need much sleep, but I would still need some when I got back before the duel. At least my customer was happy with the result.

I was still in a state of shock at some of the prices.

"Ten thousand E-grade coins, going once… going twice…"

"Eleven thousand!"

"Twelve!"

An E-grade coin was one million F-grade Nexus Coins. A thousand E-grade coins was one billion. The scale still left me more than a bit numb. The item, a potent E-grade movement treasure, ended up going for 25,000 E-grade Coins.

My pool of cash was further reduced by me bidding on an Alchemist's Cauldron for Shella. I was no longer even among the top five of the Wealth Ladder, and I'd fall completely off it when I returned the money I borrowed to the Marshall Clan, Billy, and the NWG. I still had some high hopes at some point that someone from the Salamander Group, or perhaps among the Marshalls, would get a token for the Tower of Eternity. I could then send them here with a lot of my better goodies. I knew my triple barrier defensive treasures would be at least valued a billion. Layered defenses were among the most sought after.

Well, this is it. Time to say farewell to Base Town.

It was without fanfare that I left and returned to the Town that was located near the Yrd Stonemen, Everwood Refuge. Dad and the rest were there to greet me. I was quickly hugged and, despite the unprofessionalism of the moment, I didn't mind. I hadn't seen him in over a hundred days after all, at least by my reckoning.

The rest also gathered around and congratulated me, some hugging and some clapping me on the back. It felt… nice. But I only let it go on for a couple of minutes before I restored a proper semblance of order.

"All right, enough of that. I told you I'd be back. I also brought gifts…"

The group cheered as I handed out said gifts. I pulled free the Alchemist's Cauldron, spiritual seeds, herbs, and other ingredients for Shella. I provided similar items for Dorel, along with [Innate Patterns]. They were both ecstatic and very grateful.

I handed out leveling pills to everyone. I told them they should take one now to gain a level and then wait at least a week before taking the next batch. It wasn't a great idea to rely on those things, and pill toxicity was an issue, but it would be helpful. I also gave Zoey [Sword of Storms].

"I have another E-grade weapon and [Crimson Siphon], plus this fits with your Dao Seed nicely."

Zoey was grinning ear to ear. She knew how big of a bump in killing power this represented. I had to use my newly found enhanced Strength and Dexterity to pry her off me.

I handed out a few other things and then said I wanted to talk with my dad for a bit before sleeping for the next eight hours. The rest gave us our space and my smiling parent beamed at me.

"I'm proud of you, Tanya."

"Thank you. I… I'd like to get your perspective."

I showed him the Dao Teacher Title, as well as the Quest.

"I'm thinking that the Dao Teacher Title launched this 'training' Quest and provided a limit until D-grade. Which seems to mean that it won't actually be done anytime soon, and I worry that if I pick someone who ends up dying… well, I'll fail the Quest. It also seems I'll probably be relaying insights of the type of Dao that I've picked up, which can be problematic if it runs counter to someone else's path. I need to pick three people, and other than you, I'm not quite sure who to pick."

He blinked and looked at me surprised. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You'll be the one wearing the best defensive treasures I can craft, so you'll be one of the people most likely to survive. The others… well, there's where I wasn't so sure. I could give it to Dorel and Shella as our crafters, but I'm uncertain. Dorel has the Dao of Runes, so maybe that could pair well with Structure. But the Dao of Timing? I'm not sure what fits, or what would even be proper for Alchemist. Meanwhile, if I gave it to someone like Zhou, it might improve his combat ability."

My dad thought for a few moments before answering. "I'd suggest Jared and Sofia. They don't have Dao Seeds yet."

This is so like him.

"Both of them are mortals, who will have difficulty cultivating…"

"Like me."

"That's different," I said bluntly.

"That's nepotism," he replied.

"Yes."

He chuckled. "Well, you seem set on making me one of your apprentices, as odd as that might end up being, but for the other two you just need to figure out what criteria do you value more. Making sure no one is left behind in the Salamander Group? Picking individuals who are not on the frontlines to maximize your chance of completing your Quest? Or will it be improving the combat prowess of the Salamander Group? I think the right thing to do is help Jared and Sofia, but this is your Quest. And you are the leader of this group. My advice? Sleep on it, get your bearings again, and then decide."

Sound advice, like always. I didn't always agree with him, but he derived almost every belief he had from first principles and logical application.

"Thanks, Dad." I yawned. "Now, I do need to get some rest."

"Before you do that," Zhou said as he approached, "I have some good news."

He told me about his Tower of Eternity token and I was deliriously happy. Sweet, sweet Nexus Coins and resources were up for grabs! I wasn't planning to have him do what I did. It wouldn't be wise for him to get to Level 50 and go immediately, but when he finally did go… he'd be dragging along whole Cosmos Sacks of my Enchanted goods to sell!

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Chapter 1616 - 28