Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse C.454: The Scared Cats Gather

Two feshkurs discussed in Pearl Bay. They didn’t bother keeping their voices down—their gossip was already the talk of the town.

“Did you hear? Hell was attacked!”

“No way, dude. It has to be fake.”

“It’s true! My friend has a cousin there, he told me all about it. There were explosions deep in the sky, the entire planet was shaking, shockwaves came down like rain. And, before that, the entire Prison was obliterated! Someone arrived and destroyed it instantly!”

“Psh. You idiot. Can’t you tell that’s fake?” The other feshkur snorted. “Just who could destroy a city instantly? Are you saying it was a B-Grade?”

The first feshkur gave a wry grin, leaning closer to whisper. “I’m saying it was Jack Rust.”

“What!?”

“It’s true! Only he could have the strength and reason to do that. He killed a B-Grade recently, and he’s at war with the Kingdom. Who else could it be? My friend’s cousin said he was probably intercepted by an Ancestor on the way out, hence the cataclysmic battle.”

“No way!” The other feshkur was skeptic at the start, but that was long gone now. The name of Jack Rust had an energizing effect on people, it awakened their primal excitement. They’d already learned that, where that man was involved, anything was possible!

Incidentally, one of these two feshkurs had met the early E-Grade Jack in Pearl Bay eight years ago, he just hadn’t gotten his name. If he knew, he’d be shocked.

It wasn’t just these two. The entire Pearl Bay was abuzz with rumors of what happened in Hell, and so was the entire constellation, even the galaxy. It was too grand of an event to hide. And, since neither the Hand of God nor the Animal Kingdom came forth to dissolve the rumors, the people could only assume that, whatever had happened, they’d been defeated. The mysterious assailant had fled successfully.

This was tremendous news! Hell was nothing like Earthen Gemini or that Hand of God outpost. It was the second most important planet of the Animal Kingdom, a symbol of their power. Just in the annihilation of the prison city, they must have lost hundreds or thousands of D-Grades—that was a significant part of their war power!

If even Hell could be assaulted, what couldn’t? The Animal Kingdom might just be destroyed tomorrow. They were dead meat!

The already wounded prestige of the Kingdom took another steep plunge. Eight years ago, they had been the undisputable overlords of the constellation, rulers of incalculable power. Now, that power had been laid bare, and it was insufficient. They’d gone from gods to clowns.

As for the Kingdom itself, they couldn’t be bothered with these rumors. They had much larger problems. An emergency Elder Council had been convened, and it wasn’t just them. The two remaining Ancestors were also present—one from each leonine family—alongside the Supreme Ancestor of the Emberheart family. From the Hand of God, the ones participating were Artus Emberheart, Eva Solvig, and another late B-Grade one who’d been called here by Eva.

Five B-Grades in total, with three at the late B-Grade. This was close to the peak of power in the Milky Way.

In such a gathering, the Elders of the Animal Kingdom could only sit silently on the sidelines. Even the Grand Elder was only in charge of officiating. Yet, all those exceptional personages wore grim expressions, arranged around a table displaying the image of a single man. He was young and vigorous, his eyes and fists shining purple. It was Jack Rust.

“Travelus was slain,” Eva Solvig narrated grimly. “That proves Jack Rust has the power to contend with late B-Grades. Moreover, after that battle, he’s probably achieved another breakthrough. The only thing saving us is numbers.”

“I can’t believe a C-Grade pup can reach this level,” the Emberheart Supreme Ancestor said. He was similar to Travelus Lonihor in the sense that he seemed half-dead, as if he’d long surpassed the limits of his natural age. His skin was wrinkled and gnarled, while his eyes were so white he seemed blind. Unlike Travelus, however, he did not possess an elegant air, but rather one of brutality.

“He isn’t just a C-Grade,” Eva replied. “He’s a disciple of the Black Hole Church. He’s enjoyed resources that aren’t found in this galaxy.”

“So have you,” the Supreme Ancestor said, “but I don’t see you getting anywhere.”

Eva frowned. The Elders tensed up, and the other late B-Grade—a scholarly-looking man with a flowing white mantle—stepped in to mediate. “Let’s relax, everyone. We’re on the same team.”

“Jack Rust is not just a Church disciple,” Eva said calmly. “Even calling him a prime genius is an understatement. He’s one of the greatest talents the universe has ever seen, with the potential to easily reach the A-Grade. Being weaker than such a person is no shame for me. Everyone is.”

The Supreme Ancestor gave a bitter smile but did not reply.

“Let’s focus on present matters,” the scholarly man said. “Jack Rust is growing far too rapidly. He does not possess the power to assault us yet, not when we’re all together. We should huddle up in Animal Planet and wait for reinforcements.”

“You want me to hide from a C-Grade human?” the Supreme Ancestor asked. “Do I look like a turtle to you? Is this why you woke me up?”

“Do you have another suggestion?” the man shot back. The Supreme Ancestor fell silent. “In that case,” the scholarly man continued, taking charge of the situation, “we’re waiting.”

“You mentioned reinforcements,” the Supreme Ancestor said.

“Right. The Hand couldn’t justify taking an Elder away from the front lines to deal with a C-Grade, but I managed to get them to send a peak B-Grade Envoy. A powerful one, too.”

“How long until they arrive? And, say we wait here until then. What if Jack Rust simply hides away? You can’t expect me to believe that a peak B-Grade Envoy will just wait here and waste their time.”

“They are skilled in divination and spacetime,” the scholarly man calmly replied. “Once they arrive, catching up to Jack Rust will be a matter of time.”

The Supreme Ancestor nodded. All the Elders present felt better as well—the heavy aura of doom slipped away, replaced by hope. Not all was lost. In times like this, the Animal Kingdom was glad it had completely devoted itself to the Hand so long ago.

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“Then, I believe we are all in agreement,” Eva Solvig said. “Every C-Grade and above is forbidden from leaving Animal Planet. We wait here, and there is nothing Jack Rust can do; he cannot assault us yet, nor can he level up with no one to kill. We win.”

Just as everyone was about to agree, someone chuckled darkly from the side. It was Artus Emberheart. Despite his low strength, he’d been given a seat at the main table due to his relation to the matter.

Eva raised a brow. “Is something the matter, Artus?”

“Not at all, Commander,” he replied. “It’s just that, every time we think we have him cornered, that man always finds a way to escape. He’s a cockroach.”

She stared him down. “And your point is?”

He smiled. “Let’s make sure we don’t underestimate him. When that powerful Envoy arrives, they should try their absolute best to annihilate him without giving him a single opportunity to escape.”

Eva frowned slightly. “The meeting is dismissed,” she said. Everyone stood up and walked away, with the exception of Artus, who remained deep in thought.

Nobody was as afraid of Jack Rust as he was. He’d witnessed that man’s rise to fame—been on the receiving end of it multiple times. Because of Jack Rust, he’d lost everything. A heart demon had formed inside him by now, a persistent belief that Jack would somehow always triumph.

But Artus was more than just afraid. He didn’t care about dying—he had nothing left to lose. All he wanted was to ensure Jack died with him. That he suffered.

Jack Rust and Artus Emberheart were two men who followed completely different paths in life. One had lost his son, the other his home and pride. The grudges between them were irreconcilable.

They were like two meteors about to crash head-on.

***

Jack was sprawled on a lounge chair, breathing heavily. He was resting—the battle with Travelus Lonihor had left him completely spent, and he needed some time to recover.

“Well fought, bro,” Brock said from beside him. “You beat a late B-Grade.”

“Barely,” Jack responded. “It was a coin flip.”

“But you won, and that’s the important thing.” A steady hand fell on Jack’s shoulder. “You got levels. Next time, it won’t be a coin flip.”

Jack forced himself to smile. Despite his exhaustion, he could feel the tremendous power gathered inside him, the energy flooding his limbs. He had gotten much stronger, and he was ready to develop his eighth fruit.

It had been a hard battle, but the price was worth it. Jack opened his status screen, observing the stat points he’d already allocated.

Name: Jack Rust

Species: Human, Earth-387

Faction: Bare Fist Brotherhood (C)

Grade: C

Class: Gladiator Titan (King)

Level: 360

Strength: 7180 (+)

Dexterity: 7180 (+)

Constitution: 7180 (+)

Mental: 1000

Will: 1000

Free sub-points: 1

Dao Skills: Meteor Punch IV, Iron Fist Style III, Brutalizing Aura III, Neutron Star Body III, Supernova III, Space Mastery III, Fist of Mortality III, Death Mastery III, Titan Taunt III

Dao Roots: Indomitable Will, Life, Power, Weakness

Dao Fruits: Fist, Space, Life, Death, Battle, Revenge, Brotherhood

Titles: Planetary Frontrunner (10), Planetary Torchbearer (1), Ninth Ring Conqueror, Planetary Leader (1), Grade Defier, Planet Destroyer

He’d reached Level 360. There were also more levels, which the System was withholding until he developed his next Dao Fruit. His Physical substats had finally surpassed seven thousand—adding on his titles’ efficacy increase, he had an effective Physical close to fifteen thousand. Most cultivators at his level had around five.

He was a beast.

Moreover, that battle had finally pushed Titan Taunt into the third tier. He was finally getting used to it. He opened the description, finding an extra paragraph compared to the previous one:

Titan Taunt III: A titan’s existence is so dominant it constitutes a challenge. Your extreme physicality and domineering stance not only intimidate enemies, but also provoke them. They will either fight you or cower away, losing in both cases.

Your challenge manifests as a bloody colosseum walled by spatial barriers. While inside the arena, the most dominant gladiators enjoy the favor of the audience and a small increase to their power.

This was nonsensical. Ever since the Integration, this was the first skill whose System description was completely off.

At first, it had been something silly and even underwhelming—trash talking, basically. It had changed completely from the first to the second tier, as if it had become a new skill, and now the third tier’s description contained an entire paragraph about things that had already been present since the second tier.

Is my System broken? Jack couldn’t help wondering. Or am I exiting its scope?

He leaned towards the second explanation. The more he cultivated, the harder it became for the System to perfectly classify his Dao and skills. Inaccuracies and malfunctions were expected. Strictly speaking, all the System did for him anymore was help him level up and detail his rate of advancement.

Which he liked, actually. There was something addictive about watching his Physical substats shoot through every ceiling in existence. Not to mention the levels ups, without which his rate of advancement would be much slower. It was the same problem Brock suffered from.

Jack released a long sigh. The rush of battle hadn’t completely left him yet, but he was already feeling the urge to become stronger. “I will develop my eighth fruit,” he said. “There is no time to waste.”

“Sure.” Brock nodded. He’d been next to Jack all along. “So will I.”

“Excuse me?”

“I am ready to grow a new fruit.”

“Oh. That’s awesome! Good luck, Brock. Make it good.”

“You too.”

Jack stood with a smile and paced to his room. He’d already greeted Salin and the rest—they had left him to rest and were on the bridge playing Crazy Guy Goes to Town. He passed in front of the door, not disturbing them, just listening to their banter. His steps brought him closer to his room, and he was just about to open the door when a voice entered his ears.

“Jack. Hi. This is Sovereign Heavenly Spoon. We’re coming to pick you up and bring you to the Church forces. We’ll arrive in approximately one week. Keep this absolutely secret and use the time to take care of any unfinished business in your galaxy. We won’t be able to wait after we arrive—and you may not be able to return for a long time.”

Jack paused. He instinctively tried to reply but found that his thoughts echoed only inside his own head.

“You can’t reply, obviously,” the sovereign continued, “unless you can perform long-range targeted telepathy. Which you can’t. So, take care. Don’t die before we’re there!”

We? Jack thought. He recognized the sovereign’s voice, but he had so many questions. Why was someone that important coming all the way here to pick him up? Could it be on the orders of Elder Boatman?

That made sense. Since he’d left the Black Hole World, Elder Boatman should be able to sense the death cube again. He’d want Jack escorted over as soon as possible.

But who else was coming with the sovereign? And, most importantly, he only had one week… According to the sovereign, they couldn’t wait. He had to destroy the Animal Kingdom, find a way to return to Earth, and reunite with his family within a week. Unless he disobeyed commands—but, if the Church was sending their Head Envoy to pick him up on the orders of an Elder, disobeying would be difficult. They might even drag him along.

Jack wanted to join the war against the Hand of God. That was his true stage, where he could grow and develop to his full potential. However, he didn’t expect the time to go would come so soon…

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Some things were not negotiable. Destroying the Kingdom and reuniting with his family were necessary, as well as spending some time with them. If he only had one week before he was pressured to leave, he had to make it count.

Animal Planet shouldn’t have more than two or three late B-Grades, Jack thought. I will develop my eighth fruit and go there. It’s gonna be tight, but I can take them. I have to.

It’s time to end this.