Reborn: Apocalypse (Volume 3): (A LitRPG/Wuxia Story)

by L. M. Kerr

  “We’re almost there, Panho! Come on!” The nameless teenager needlessly reminded Micheal of what he already knew as he raced up a couple more sets of stairs, just barely leaving Micheal’s sight. No matter how fast Micheal ran, he had been completely unable to pass by the teenager.

  Several stern-looking Toren guards glanced at Micheal, standing watch on the top of the stairs as he emerged. They were dressed in relaxed leather armor and wielded large spears or blades in their hands rather casually.

  Behind them, a set of grand courtyards and large buildings spread out, built into the rocky face of the mountain. Micheal’s eyes flicked up to them, and then back behind him for a split moment as he realized something.

  The groups of Torens moving up and down the stairs below looked more like NPCs in a video game than anything else, moving rather aimlessly, as if they had just been placed there to fill the space.

  ‘They probably had, actually.’ Micheal thought, nodding slightly. This entire dreamworld vision was, after all, fabricated with some strange type of magic. Perhaps those groups had been intended to add a feeling of pressure.

  He didn’t hesitate as he followed right after the nameless teenager, headed towards the biggest courtyard in sight. As he followed, he mentally began to prepare himself.

  For what came next, he needed to do everything exactly how he had planned it out in his head. A single mistake could cost him dearly.

  For, Yvvtal’s Inheritance had a singular purpose.

  And it was that singular purpose that Micheal was going to take advantage of and use to absolutely rob the Fallen Deity blind.

  Yvvtal wished to find a new vessel in which to reincarnate his Spirit Body.

  In simpler terms:

  He wanted to come back to life by taking over someone else’s body.

  The fact that he created an entire Inheritance Ground, stocked full of ‘Challenges’ and valuable rewards, built up over decades of effort, might seem excessive at first. And, indeed it was.

  However, in the time that Yvvtal and the Deities lived on this world, things like Inheritance sites held certain expectations. They were designated areas to train one’s descendants and to pass on one’s teachings, while rewarding those that were talented.

  Yvvtal created this Inheritance site as a backup should he ever perish. It was his last resort, should he ever need to use it.

  With that in mind, he needed to make it extremely convincing. Deities, in his era, were extremely perceptive beings. If his Inheritance site didn’t look and function like a proper Inheritance site, it would get ignored or worse, destroyed.

  Yvvtal could create a convincing Inheritance Grounds while also, at the same time, use that to filter out beings that he couldn’t fully reincarnate into. His standards for a body were both extremely high and unique, meaning not just anyone would do.

  And with that in mind, a glint of determination flashed in Micheal’s eyes as he readied himself.

  He needed to do what even Baron Fortuna and the Nirvana Saint had failed to accomplish.

  Not only did he need to complete the King’s Challenge…

  He needed to complete it perfectly, earning himself several great, and very specific, rewards.

  And then, after all of that effort, he would achieve the final reward for perfect completion of the King’s Challenge.

  Involuntary bodily possession by Yvvtal the Destroyer.

  “Perfect.”

  .

  Chapter 13

  .

  ‘Status.’

  .

  — - Status — -

  Name: Micheal Care

  Points: 200

  Race: Human

  Age: 18

  Physique: 1 Star

  Soul Quality: 3 Star

  Strength - 80

  Endurance - 56

  Recovery - 55

  Soul - 36

  Abilities - (5/7)

  Life Orb Master

  Ki Cultivator (Earth Tier - Early)

  Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)

  Impact Release

  Ceaseless Mind

  .

  Micheal checked his status out of habit as he walked into the grand courtyard, noting that all of his stats and Abilities remained identical and that he could still access the Shop. Even his Points total was the same.

  Despite that, he was very aware that this was not the real world.

  As Micheal emerged into the open courtyard, he spotted groups of Torens milling about near the center. They were a mix of ages, some that looked roughly 15 to 16 years old while others that could be in their mid-30s.

  Four older Torens could be seen on the far end of the courtyard talking to each other. These warriors were dressed in long white robes, unlike the leather-garbed guards. In fact, these robes looked very similar to a type of robe Micheal recognized from Earth’s past, a Greek chiton.

  This was the ‘formal’ wear of the Torens, as Micheal had come to learn. It was the garb of choice when participating in a type of formal state meeting, a formal ceremony, anything of that nature.

  The moment Micheal entered the courtyard, it was as if a switch had been flipped. The four Instructors at the end of the courtyard finished talking among each other and turned their focus over to the milling Torens.

  “Alright, you mongrels!” One of the instructors, a heftier Toren with hair that was cut short, yelled out loud, his voice booming. The words he spoke gave off a physical feeling of pressure, even to Micheal who was on the opposite end of the courtyard.

  “Group up by age! Child, Half-Grown, Full-Grown!” As he named each age group, he pointed to one of the three other instructors. He gave off a sense that he brooked zero argument and would obliterate anyone who went against him.

  Quickly, the milling Torens began to split up into the different lines. Micheal’s eyes flicked from side to side as he walked towards the group of ‘Half-Grown’ Torens.

  He recognized these age groups, thankfully, one of the stray facts his perfect memory could recall with ease. The ‘Child’ group was for those aged 0 to 14, ‘Half-Grown’ was for those aged 15 to 25, and ‘Full-Grown’ was for anyone older than 25.

  Torens grew slightly slower than humans, physically maturing at around 25 years old. Like humans, their minds kept developing for a few more years beyond that, a fact that was typically ignored.

  In short order, Micheal found himself waiting in the correct line. Every Toren in the group was quiet and tense, facing forward silently as the Instructors watched. Before, there had been a bit of a relaxed feel as everyone waited. Now, however, Micheal could only sense a foreboding nervousness.

  ‘Probably another purposeful addition.’ Yvvtal’s requirements for his Inheritor really were quite high.

  Time passed by quickly as Micheal’s line moved forward. Despite his powerful body and keen senses, he couldn’t hear any of what each candidate said to the Instructor at the front of the line.

  This was because of the powerful Aura each Instructor was releasing. A physical manifestation of energy that could affect reality itself, Auras came about through either high concentrations of Ki used in a specific way or through unique Physiques.

  As Micheal waited patiently in line, ignoring the pressure and nerve-wracking atmosphere, he mentally reflected on what he knew about the Torens.

  Among the Tribes of Deities, there were some that were born at high levels of Ki Cultivation, given an inherent advantage from the very start. The Toren Tribe, however, never saw such an occurrence take place.

  No matter how prestigious one’s parents, every Toren came into existence starting with no Ki Cultivation at all, unlike humans who could pass on some degree of their Ki Cultivation and powers to their offspring. It was only through constant practice and dedication that they could reach high levels of Ki Cultivation and grow their power significantly.

  Compared to humans, Torens had both an easier and a harder time in their Ki Cultivation. The concept may seem contradictory, and it
was at first glance. However, if one dived deeper, everything made sense.

  Most Torens were born with the ‘Heavenly Gold Physique.’ This gifted them inborn strength and defensive prowess that vastly outstripped normal humans. It also enhanced the gains they made in their ‘Ki Cultivation’ and allowed them to grow in strength at a rapid speed.

  However, it wasn’t all sunshine and daisies for Torens. They did have a notable disadvantage.

  And that had to do with their ‘comprehension’ ability.

  The more powerful a being grew, the more important it was for them to be able to grasp certain concepts in order to keep growing. Sword Mastery was a clear example of this.

  It took Micheal constant years of focus to reach where he was, carried forward by his indomitable will to grow stronger and earned talent for Sword Mastery. While Sword Mastery, as a concept, was relatively easy to grasp at lower levels, the higher up you went, the more and more difficult it was to progress.

  It was magical, in its own way. The fact that you just needed to ‘understand’ something with your mind and Soul in order to use it was a rather miraculous thing. As long as your Soul was able to sense and control the concept, the energy inherent within it, you could use it, to varying degrees of success.

  Torens might be physically powerful monsters, but in terms of comprehension, their Physiques put them at a natural disadvantage.

  If comprehending the Basic Tier of Sword Mastery for a human took 1 point of effort, it might take a Toren 10 points of effort to grasp the same thing. It could be more or less, but it was a certain fact that a Toren’s comprehensive capabilities were rather low.

  They weren’t dumb. Merely, their capacity to sense mystical concepts like ‘Sword Energy’ was rather low.

  This meant that most Torens relied on physical attacks and Martial Arts to defend themselves, creating vast schools of warriors all competing with different techniques.

  In fact, the entire society here on the Second Layer was built on what the Torens left behind. Their martial legacies, any and all remnants that they abandoned when they left this world thousands and thousands of years ago.

  The Byrens had been one of the original, intelligent species of the Ancient World. The Torens invaded this planet long ago and took it for themselves, enslaving the Byrium Race. After some years, the Toren race as a whole moved on, seeking out different planets and realms of existence.

  Micheal didn’t know exactly how the Torens left. But it was a fact that many of the Tribes of Deities had the power to ‘hop’ between worlds, a power that was thankfully greatly hampered in the 7 Layers.

  Still, with their unique Heavenly Gold Physique, even the weakest normal Toren had at least a 5 Star Physique rating, letting them maximize and increase the potential of their body, their natural talent.

  Actually reaching one’s maximum potential became significantly harder as one progressed. While a powerful Physique made it easier to progress in general, what was most sought after were the new limits you could reach.

  Finally, Micheal reached the second spot in line, just one person behind the current testee. From here, he got a decent view of what was happening before him.

  One of the four Instructors, a Toren with curly white hair and a stern expression on his face, was glancing over a much younger Toren, one that appeared to be around Micheal’s age. In the Instructor’s right hand was a large, glowing blue rock. The Instructor was currently waving this rock over the younger Toren’s head.

  He then spoke a few words and waved for the Toren to step a few meters behind him. All of the Torens that had been tested had moved on to these groups and were currently waiting patiently, at the back of the courtyard.

  ‘It’s still the same.’ Micheal mentally sighed in relief as he saw this.

  This was the first ‘Test’ Yvvtal had set for those trying to inherit his powers, as well as to weed out his full Inheritor that he would use to reincarnate.

  It was a test that had two parts. One that was obvious, and one that was hidden.

  The obvious part was rather apparent.

  The rock the Instructor was holding was called a ‘Physique Gauging Stone.’ It would give the Instructor a basic understanding of a being’s Physique through a collection of feelings. Over time, the Torens had streamlined these Gauging Stones to narrow down what each sensation meant.

  It could distinguish between a normal, for a Toren, 5 Star Physique, a weaker 4 Star Physique, or an abnormally powerful 6 Star Physique with ease, helping find any hidden talents among the Toren race.

  The only time it wouldn’t work was if it faced something completely out of the ordinary.

  For example: Micheal’s comparatively much, much weaker Physique.

  Micheal was aware of all of this. He knew that, compared to a Toren, his body held nowhere near as much potential. Some things couldn’t be accounted for simply with normal training. He did know of a way to raise his Physique to 2 Star here on the Second, but he obviously couldn’t do that right now, nor would that make a significant difference.

  “Alright, alright! Next! You there, with the weird hair!” The Instructor waved at him, the man’s voice sounding off in Micheal’s ears out of nowhere. Micheal immediately took several steps forward, his eyes gleaming faintly with energy.

  At the end of the day, he wasn’t a Toren.

  However… There was no rule that said Yvvtal wouldn’t be interested in reincarnating into a human.

  After all, in Micheal’s original timeline, Yvvtal eventually reincarnated into a Byren, causing no end of trouble for humanity during the Great Disaster before he found a new host and left the Second Layer. While this particular Byren never recounted how he was chosen, some interested researchers had managed to scry this Byren’s memories after he was abandoned and perished.

  And it was from here that Micheal had based his entire plan, and why he had come here in the first place.

  Yvvtal didn’t care how powerful his host’s body was.

  After all, in the past, the powerful warrior had lived for years and years focused on nothing except growing stronger. Eventually, however, he hit a wall in power that he could not break past. As a result of this, he went on to experiment on thousands and gained his notorious name, killing reprehensible numbers of innocents as he tried to figure out ways to surpass his limits.

  He didn’t desire a physically powerful Physique.

  What he desired was a strong-willed host with a Physique that boosted their comprehensive capabilities.

  It didn’t matter if they were a Toren, a Farian, or even a human.

  All that mattered was that they met Yvvtal’s expectations.

  “Alright, first of all, how old are you?” The Instructor looked at Micheal with a slightly bored expression. Despite that, the pressure the Toren gave off was immense, enough to nearly send Micheal to his knees. A sheen of sweat formed on Micheal’s forehead as he resisted it.

  “I am 18 years old.” The Torens used a calendar that was close enough in length to humanity’s to mean he was the same age. They only had 4 ‘months’ but each one was very long.

  He answered honestly for a reason.

  Yvvtal could tell if he was lying.

  This entire test was mired in undercurrents designed to let Yvvtal filter out any unwanted elements. Any time someone lied during one of his tests, Yvvtal would automatically know what they lied about.

  Micheal was well aware of this and plotted his answers out carefully as a result.

  “I see, I see.” The Instructor raised the Gauging Stone up above Micheal’s head. The stone slowly began to glow, blue light shimmering off it in waves.

  After a few seconds, the Instructor frowned.

  “Do you have anything unique about your Physique or body type?” Like clockwork, the Toren asked exactly the question Micheal had been waiting for.

  When it came to his body, there were still things Micheal wasn’t sure about.

  Micheal still wasn’t entirely ce
rtain what all his Soul Quality stat meant. He had a general understanding that it boosted the power of his Abilities and allowed him to enhance his comprehension of them.

  However, his Soul right now was far too weak to handle comprehending Grandmaster Tier Sword Mastery, nor were his other Abilities ones that required any comprehension. He had yet to truly experience the full effects of a 3 Star Soul Quality stat.

  His physical stats were nothing special compared to a Toren, leaving him with a potentially mildly interesting Physique at most. The best he could hope for, given what he had right now, was to be ignored by Yvvtal completely.

  So if his body wasn’t powerful enough and there wasn’t anything he was certain would draw Yvvtal’s attention, then that meant there was only one thing left to do…

  And it was what Micheal did best...

  "Yes, there is something unique about my body."

  ...Shamelessly cheat.

  “It has inherited the memories and powers of a man who has killed a Dragon.”

  .

  Chapter 14

  There were many dangerous creatures that could be found throughout the 7 Layers. Mythical Phoenixes that burned with overwhelming fire, gargantuan World Apes that ravaged anything in their paths, blinding White Lions that had manes formed from pure light.

  However, among all the beasts in all of the 7 Layers, there was one breed that reigned supreme. The legends among the legends, the absolute powers that were hailed as the most powerful non-Humanoids to exist.

  Dragons.

  There were many different breeds of Dragons, from the Colored Species representing various elements, to the Transcendent Dragons that embodied certain concepts, to the extremely rare Colossal variants. One and all, however, were extremely powerful.

  Even the 12 Tribes of Deities trod carefully around Dragons of all kinds, knowing that they were among the fiercest of enemies to make.