[1% LIFESTEAL] Chapter 76 - A Seal That Shouldn't Be Removed

The gorel realm was a hub for three other passages. Among these, one was at an intermediate difficulty, and two were reserved for elites. And within the realm of intermediate difficulty, there was another passage that took to perhaps the most interesting of the realms that could be accessed through this hub. 

It was an anomalous realm, more accurately, it was a dungeon. Such realms were inredibly rare and immensely valuable. The Tomb of Harrkanna was no exception. 

Jacob stood beside his party, located right in the middle of the tomb. It was a peculiar realm. The time within reset every 28 hours and 16 minutes, but if someone was inside the realm at the time when it should be reset, it would be postponed until those people left. 

Anomalous realms such as this one were strange in many ways, the most notable of which was what happened when an object from within was taken out. For the Tomb of Harrkanna, anything taken from within—barring prime vestiges, given that they generated—would immediately turn into ephemeral sand and evaporate into thin air. 

But there was one exception—the crown of Harrkanna, an item that resided on the head of the monster that waited as the final confrontation at the end of the dungeon. Well, the crown itself, which was made from pure gold, did vanish into thin air. But one of the jewels embedded into it didn’t. A tiny little fragment of crystalline, shimmering material—a shard of tzenekite, one of the most valuable materials known to humanity.

There were many reasons why tzenekite was valued so highly, but the biggest one was that it was the main ingredient to a special type of scroll. Stars weren’t the only ways that essence could be stored within the soul. With tzenekite, there was a way to articficially create a secondary, minor core that acted as extra storage—a satellite.

The lowest grade of satellite provided only 1% additional capacity, and the highest ever made contained 5%. To many, this seemed like quite a disappointing increase, but satellites were exceptional in one regard—they could regenerate their total capacity in a single second. 

Even the lowest-grade satellite could generate enough essence to offset the cost of a minor physical boost or cheaper ability requiring continuous casting. 

But, as was the case for anything in life, the greater the power, the greater the cost. Even ignoring the absurd price that started in tens of millions and ended in hundreds of billions of dollars, the overuse of a satellite could seriously injure an archhuman or even kill them in extreme cases. Many thought it clever to endlessly temper themselves with the near-infinite reserves a satellite could provide. Many died doing so.

Just because the satellite could provide the essence, that didn’t mean that an archhuman’s body could handle the output. 

Jacob paid close attention to his recently upgraded two-star satellite. A small but bright dot illuminated the inside of his ethercosm with the luminance of a distant supernova. The increase in his power was already quite noticeable. He had kept Ignite Muscle active throughout every fight during their delve and only relied on his physical abilities. Thus, he hadn’t spent even a single percent of the 179% essence capacity. 

His dad had bitched quite a bit about the $67,000,000 price tag, but in his opinion, it had been worth every penny. 

Besides, his old man was exaggerating. Most of the material came from the dungeon they owned. Not selling something wasn’t the same thing as buying something.

He shook his head and brought himself back to the present. 

The small sandstone chamber they found themselves within had disgusting liquid splattered over every wall. The minor enemies within the cave were undead mummies. He would appreciate it quite a bit if they were dry and skeletal, but unfortunately, every single one of them was as if they had been dipped into black sewage. It was slimy and gross. But at least the enemies weren’t particularly dangerous.

Phillip used a small cloth to wipe the excess sludge off his vest before it could dry and damage it, and the new girl—Karen—wiped the blade of her saber with a rag. Much of it had gotten onto her white clothes, and some had even stained her curly hair, but she paid no heed to either. The material her robes were made of wouldn’t be damaged by something so minor.

His eyes flicked to his girlfriend, Rachel. She was screaming at Theodore because he interrupted her talent with Scattered Starlight. Theodore was doing his best to pacify her, but he knew better than to think the man would succeed. Once Rachel got going, nobody could stop her. 

Slowly, his gaze traveled back to the new girl. Her tan skin was quite smooth, and her body was lithe. She was a bit more muscular than Rachel, and the contours of her robe revealed a rather well-toned body. He licked his lips, mentally comparing her to his girlfriend. 

“Jacob,” Phillip called. “Let’s get going.”

Jacob licked the nape of his mouth as he made clicking sounds with his lips. “We go when I say we go.”

Phillip sigh-growled like an angsty teenage girl and shook his head. “Whatever.” 

What a fucking loser. 

Another fifteen minutes passed. He wasn’t waiting for no reason. While his new satellite could handle the burden of Ignite Muscle, his body couldn’t. He closed his eyes and relied on his second affinity to cast Rejuvenating Water Body. 

It provided some relief, and his satellite covered the full cost of using it. But even this couldn’t last forever. The essence from using a tempering technique wasn’t dispelled immediately. A part of it kept accumulating within an archhuman’s body, and if too much of it gathered, it could cause rampant backlash. Still, with such a gentle technique, Jacob could go for almost ten minutes straight, which was quite incredible. 

By the end, he felt like a new man. 

“All right,” he said as he got up. “It’s time to keep going.” 

The others got up and followed him. 

One of the best parts of dungeon realms was that they were almost wholly predictable. The only part of them that was random was which enemies would become deviants. But, as long as it wasn’t the boss itself, that was no issue. 

In the last few corridors they had to go through, there were several traps. All of them were entirely circumvented. They simply waited for the rolling boulder to pass by, threw weighted bags onto the pressure plates, and in the last room, the one just before the fight against the boss, they had to pass over a large pool of sand. The sand was cursed and would drag anyone who stepped on the wrong spot into it.

Theodore merely raised his hand and cast Illumination in the pattern he had memorized. A shimmering path of light glowed through the sand, highlighting the exact route they needed to take to make it to the other side.

It looped and coiled considerably, so they made shortcuts by jumping over the gaps. 

Finally, they stepped before the massive slab door. It slowly sank into the ground as it revealed the image of Harrkanna, the eight-handed mummy. The monster stood frozen right in the middle of the room, standing around fifteen meters tall, holding eight weapons in each hand. 

The arms, from left to right and up to down, held a platinum whip, a golden axe, a silver saber, a steel longsword, a bronze executioner’s sword, a wrought iron mace, a wooden staff, and a sandstone club. And, of course, the golden crown on its head.

Jacob looked over at Karen. “Are you ready?” he asked her. This was the woman’s first time participating in delving into this dungeon. They had prepared her to the best of their ability, but words were hardly enough to properly elaborate on how the boss works.

Yet, she nodded. “I am confident,” she said softly, coldly. 

“Good. Get into position,” he told the others. Once they stepped into the room, the boss would start moving. 

Phillip stood at the forefront. Karen stood behind him, both feet on a patch of shadow. 

Theodore closed his eyes and focused on conjuring Illuminate, and Karen stood just behind Phillip. 

Jacob stood to Theodore’s right, waiting for the man to finish his spell. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and threw a ball of white light. It flew with unerring accuracy at the boss and splashed across its body, distributing itself into tiny clusters of stars. Those stars revealed the exact weak points Theodore had seen with his talent.

The boss twitched, and the whip in its upper left arm moved, swinging a bit.

Phillip lunged forward. The boss opened its empty eye sockets and screeched as it swung the platinum whip at the man. The tanker readied his shield and, with a seemingly effortless flick, redirected the force behind the immense blow into the soil, creating a massive crater upon impact.

Rachel sank into the shadow she had been standing on and appeared behind the boss. Her dagger was coated in her Red Venom as she attached a Black Whip to the boss’s neck and pulled herself up, swinging her blade and leaving a long, sizzling gash down the length of its back.

The mummy screeched in rage as it twisted four arms behind itself and assaulted Rachel, but the woman was gone as soon as she stepped into a shadow.

It was finally Karen’s turn. The woman opened her brown eyes and ran forward at dazzling speed, flowing through the air as if it was dragging her forward rather than resisting her passing. Within a moment, she made it to the mummy’s feet, and with a single swing and the sound of air collapsing before the swing of her blade, she cut one of the boss’s legs off.

Jacob grinned. Theodore’s prediction was correct. Passing that woman had been the right choice.

The brunette man placed a hand on Jacob’s back and cast a Holy Blessing. A small but significant burst of power echoed through Jacob’s body as he activated Hydraulic Flex and dashed forward, his body enveloped in faint mist as his Ignite Muscle blazed within. 

With a single, powerful leap, he entered the boss room and jumped on top of Phillip, who used his shield to activate his talent—Redirect Force—to push Jacob straight toward the heart of the collapsing giant—right at a small cluster of bright stars.

Jacob’s grin widened. The rush of power, the exhilaration of a perfectly executed plan coursed through his blood as he prepared a Titanic Strike. His fist landed with truly titanic force as deep cracks spread throughout the mummy’s body. 

With his talent—Shatterstrike—anything he struck acted the same as glass. And just like a large statue of glass, the boss’s torso shattered into large pieces. 

Ending the fight almost instantly.

***

As Jacob and his party left the sandy desert through the passage leading into the realm, the golden crown in his hands evaporated, and a single crystal remained on his palm. Prized at nearly $300,000, it was quite the reward for three hours of work. 

He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Before adding Karen to their team, the boss fight was a lot more challenging. As long as the mummy was still standing, it could fend off and attempt to end the fight early, requiring quite a bit more effort on the team’s part to take it down. 

Not only did this frequently result in injuries, but it resulted in much damage to their equipment and excessive fatigue. The dungeon became nearly effortless with their new member, meaning they could easily spend the rest of their day hunting in a different realm.

He had to admit, he was getting quite excited. With access to a stable source of tzenekite, he could easily get every team member a one-star satellite. Well, everyone except Phillip, that bastard. 

As they made their way out of the dungeon, they immediately stepped into a lobby. There were very few employees here, and it wasn’t nearly as large as the one at the main entrance to the gorel realm. Well, it was to be expected. This lobby had been constructed underground in a passage realm of intermediate difficulty. 

Its entire purpose was to create a safe room for those leaving the dungeon after a delve and to ensure there was no trouble. 

Their team slowly removed heavier pieces of armor and got comfortable as they prepared for a break. Anyone with access to a recovery technique used it, and Theodore made rounds with Recovery spells. The holy affinity was quite something.

Eventually, the team was done with their after-battle recovery. They would rest for the next hour or so and then continue hunting inside the intermediate realm. They were qualified for one of the more difficult ones, but after a dungeon run like this, it was best they took it easy.

Jacob talked to Rachel for a while, but eventually, she excused herself and went to the toilet. 

Before long, Theodore sat down beside him. “So…” the man started. “What do you think of the new girl?”

“I think she’s hot.” 

Theodore snorted. “That’s not what I meant.”

Jacob took a moment to think about it. “Frankly, she’s too much. Her talents, both prime and natural, are top-notch, and her mentality is excellent. She might even get the lightning affinity at the third star, and if she does, none of us will be able to keep up with her. Maybe you can, but I can’t,” he surrendered. “Not unless I get a big opportunity. Either way, we’re just resume padding for her. I’m sure she’ll leave in a year or two.”

“Damn,” Theodore said, snickering a bit. “Surprised to see you so pessimistic about your abilities.”

“I’m just being real,” he said, shrugging. “I had postponed my ascension for years, hoping that my talent would become usable with weapons. If the situation remains the same at my third star, I’m going to be shit out of luck with my options,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, my talent is great. But it’s not enough to keep up with geniuses like her.”

“And you think I can?” Theodore asked. 

Jacob snickered. “You rat bastard. With your affinities and talent, you’d be useful even if you were missing both legs.”

Theodore laughed, shaking his head. 

Both men watched as Phillip slowly approached Karen, who was sitting alone. The man sat down next to her, and Jacob sneered. “The nerd’s got his game on. Let’s watch.”

The brunette scout chortled but then raised an eyebrow. “Why are you so mean to Phillip? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t give a shit, and I don’t plan to defend him, but I am curious.”

“I never wanted that stupid kid in my party,” Jacob said. “He was shoved in by my dad. I mean, come the fuck on, look at him!” He pointed at Phillip. “Just look at his body language. He’s trying to hit on that girl, right? But read his lips.” Then, he repeated mockingly. “‘I am quite impressed by your style, Young Mistress. It greatly showcases both the history of your clan and your personal experience—Ptoo!” he spat to the side. “Disgusting virgin. I prefer people like you and your wife’s boyfriend.”

Theodore choked upon hearing that. 

Jacob grinned at him widely. “I actually talked to him the other day.”

“Dude… can we please not talk about this?” Theodore requested nicely, but—

“He was quite the asshole, honestly,” he continued despite the man’s pleas. “Dude is so self-centered it’s incredible. And he’s shameless to the bone. He’s a lot like you, you know. Maybe that’s why your wife—”

“My ex-wife!” the man corrected. “Anyway, I don’t give a shit what that whore does and with who. Me and her are history.”

“So you’re saying you’d be cool with it if I invited Liam to our party?”

Theodore froze. “Why would you do that?” he asked. “We’re already full, and you don’t even know what the man’s capable of.”

“Just answer the question,” Jacob said teasingly. 

Theodore stood there in silence for a few seconds. 

Jacob, meanwhile, was trying his best not to burst out laughing. “I mean, the dude didn’t even wait 24 hours—ow!” he yelped jokingly as Theodore punched him in the shoulder. It didn’t really hurt, but he didn’t want to bruise the man’s ego too much. Jacob laughed, and Theodore shook his head, preparing to get up.

“Young Master!” someone called from the door. 

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?” he asked. 

The person standing at the entrance explained what was happening at the passage to the gorel realm. 

Jacob’s blood ran cold.

“A terrorist attack?” Theodore mused. “That’s something, alright. What are we gonna—” As he turned to face Jacob, the man froze. “Whoa, are you okay?”

He wasn’t okay. He didn’t know what was happening or who was responsible, but he feared the worst. With a barrier like that, the only motivation that came to mind was that somebody was trying to artificially cause a passage break. 

Ignoring the entrance, the gorel realm had seven passages. Three were actively delved into, but the other four were sealed. 

And among those four passages, there was one that should absolutely never be opened.

***

Just a bit outside the entrance to the gorel hub, a man wearing full armor sat on a boulder. He rested casually, observing the crowds of confused delvers as they gathered at the blocked entrance. “You poor children,” he said, shaking his head sadly. “I really am sorry for doing this,” he uttered with pain in his voice. 

Then, he returned his consciousness to his main body, which was deep underground. 

He was sitting crosslegged on top of a massive runic formation. The runes shimmered with ethereal light, reinforcing a seal on a passage. 

His body appeared youthful, but he had an aged air around him. His golden eyes were slitted sharply, and his large forehead was topped by a hairline, forming an M-pattern in his black hair. 

His body was skinny, and his left arm was missing.

“I can not provide you with salvation,” he said, sighing deeply. “But I can show the world just how little your masters care about you.”