The Final Desperation

*Snap crackle crack pop*

Genji rose from his bed and stretched his body, loosening all his joints. It had been a day since their return, and all he'd done was sleep. The final battle had taken a toll on him, and he needed to recover.

After a quick shower, Genji descended the stairs, ready to start his day. Upon entering the living room, Cake waved to him and stood up from her seat.

"You're back," she greeted.

Genji hummed in response and prepared a light snack for himself.

"By the way, you got a lot of deliveries this month. I moved them into your lab because they seemed important. Something about you buying them from people returning from a certain world?" Cake continued.

It took a moment for Genji to understand what she was talking about, but he eventually connected it to the bounty he placed on the Parasite's Origin world. He had submitted the world's coordinates to EverRealm and added a note indicating he would purchase any specimens the explorers collected. That must be what the deliveries were about.

"Oh yeah, thanks. I'll take a look later."

Cake nodded and returned to her normal activities while Genji finished his food and headed for the strengthening hall. Once there, Genji sat down and distributed his points. Everything was normal until he added another point to Special, bringing it to 50.

[Detected that you have reached the threshold for promotion. Spatial Battlefield entries meet the minimal requirement. Undergo promotion trial?]

[Note: This Promotion trial is for your talent, not rank. You can postpone this, but it will cost you 5 privilege tokens to initiate it later.]

[Due to your high status in EverRealm, two hints will be provided to help you decide.]

[Hint: It is recommended that you complete this as soon as possible. If you keep your stats at 50, the promotion trial will take place in a world transitioning from the 2nd to the 3rd step. If you go over, the trial will occur in a 3rd step world.]

[Hint 2: It is easier to achieve a good rating in a transitioning world than in one in the 3rd step.]

It was pretty obvious what choice EverRealm wanted him to make, and Genji wasn't going to argue. The previous world was also in the transitioning phase, so he knew what to expect. With this experience, it should be simple to get a high rating.

After all, opponents of the Overlord level weren't that common. At best, there might be a High Lord to fight, which should be simple given his recent upgrades.

[You have chosen to undergo your promotion trial in your next world. More details will be revealed as you approach that time.]

With that choice made, Genji allocated his remaining points, bringing everything to their allowed limits.

[Enigma]

Health: 29,240/29,240 (Con x 250 x 1.2 (Shoulder pad bonus) + 14,240 from outside bonuses. Increase of 21,480 from last settlement.)

Energy: 3,480/3,480 (Int x 50 + 980 from cloak. Increase of 1,640 from the last settlement)

Con: 46 -> 50

Str: 46 -> 50

Dex: 47 -> 50

Int: 49 -> 50

Spc: 49 -> 50

Remaining stat points: 15

- Dodging (Grandmaster - 97.82%, +10.82%)

- Stealth (Grandmaster - 42%, +4%)

- Firearms (Grandmaster - 23%, +4%)

- Total Weapon Mastery (Grandmaster - 16%, +3%)

- Hand-to-hand Combat (Grandmaster - 29%, +4%)

- Dagger Mastery (Supreme - 29%, +8%)

 

His stats experienced a massive increase due to crossing the threshold, granting him a higher multiplier per stat, but it was his dodging proficiency that saw the greatest change. Due to his forceful dodge at the end, his mastery was quickly approaching the Supreme level.

This breakthrough was similar to how his dagger mastery advanced, forced by a precarious situation and manifested by his willpower. Only this time, he didn't have the proper accumulations to directly advance mid-battle.

However, this was something Genji could easily solve with some training. After all, he had already touched on the essence of Supreme level dodging. He just needed to adjust himself and make that feeling permanent.

"A second supreme, huh? Really goes to show what kind of crap I deal with," Genji chuckled to himself and checked Astros's stats.

 

[Astros]

Health: 9,700/9,700 (Con x 100 + 7,000, increase of 2,050)

Ethereal Mana: 1,200/1,200 (Int x 20 x 2 (racial bonus), increase of 860)

Con: 13 -> 27

Str: 12 -> 28

Dex: 26 -> 38

Int: 17 -> 30

Spc: 31 -> 41

New skills:

- Free Flow (Active): Cost 80 Ethereal mana to activate. While active, consume 5 Ethereal mana/minute to boost your speed by 30%.

- Happy Go Lucky (Passive): The happier you are, the luckier. +1 luck if you're in a good mood, +2 if your mood is really good, and +3 if you're celebrating.

- Cheerful Disposition (Passive): The people around you will subconsciously feel happier.

It was an increase of 65 whopping stat points, which really showed how nutritious the mushrooms provided by the beast kings were. That was expected since they are a whole step above Astros. It's not every day that Astros gets to eat such luxurious ingredients.

Aside from that, Astros obtained his first active skill to finally put his massive energy pool to use, as well as another aura skill. This brings the total to 2 auras and 2 luck skills—quite the combination, to say the least, for someone in the second step.

[You have reached the threshold for the next step. Equipment obsoletion will now take effect.]

Legendary+4 -> High Legendary:

• Lethal Opportunity
• Shroud of Terror

Legendary -> Legendary (Degraded once):

• Kraken's Grasp
• Tyrant Shoulder Guard
• Quantum Pulse Pendant

Legendary (Degraded once) -> Epic:

• Saber of Infection, Jaguar (Quasi-legendary)
• Curse Bearer
• Eye of Horus
• Stalker’s Compass

Epic -> Rare:

• Hands of Ambush
• Spring Bound Boots

Unchanged:

• Sheath of Original Blood

 

There were several changes after this obsoletion. First, the stat bonuses from [Spring Bound Boots] and [Kraken's Grasp] were cut in half, not that it mattered much since his stats are currently capped at 50.

The Berserk effect from the Tyrant Shoulder Guards also decreased, now providing +4 to strength and constitution—a relatively small change considering how significant the differences between the stat points were becoming.

The main reason for maintaining these bonuses was Genji's strong body, capable of fully utilizing this ability. If it were anyone else, they might only gain +3 or +2, depending on their total stats.

The bonuses won’t go any lower since that’s the minimum conversion ratio for stats. Essentially, every stat point after the 50-point benchmark provides 2.5 times more power than the stats before it.

Another minor change was that Quantum Barrier lost its priority effect. This wasn’t a significant issue since low priority hardly mattered against the opponents Genji had been facing. Most of the time, he used it to create a brief window of opportunity for an attack.

Out of all the priority levels, low priority is most effective against opponents of similar strength, medium-level priority allows one to fight beyond their stats by a decent range, and high priority can bridge a substantial power gap, enabling one to fight opponents half a step stronger. If Genji’s barrier had high priority, it could have endured a few of the abomination's strikes before shattering. That highlights the significant differences between priority levels.

The most significant changes were in [Jaguar] and [Curse Bearer], two of his earliest legendaries. Since he obtained them in the first step, this marked their second obsolescence, reducing them to epic rank.

Genji wasn't too concerned about [Jaguar] since he could easily upgrade it again, especially after obtaining a slew of new ingredients from the parasite world. It was [Curse Bearer] that worried him since [Kraken's Grasp] now outranks it. If he’s not careful, he might have to deal with its assassinations once more.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there. For now, training time," Genji thought, shifting his focus.

As he approached the facilities, his realm card heated up again, similar to the last time he upgraded his permissions.

[Significant trials detected-]

"Upgrade," Genji said, already anticipating the question. His realm card underwent another transformation, with new lines augmenting the previous pattern. A few minutes later, the heat dissipated, and he was presented with a glossy black card.

[16 trials have been dedicated to this permission. You have unlocked the Advanced Training Room.]

Genji walked through the hallways and entered the new room. The increase was similar to last time, bringing the total multiplication factor to 81 times. Progress was swift, but it was equally draining on his stamina. Fortunately, Genji had upgraded his constitution beforehand, providing him with ample stamina to sustain this effort.

In this manner, Genji practiced his dodging skills, eventually breaking through by the end of his second day.

[Dodging]

Level: Supreme (0.2%)

Supreme level bonus: Your body will now instinctively avoid danger, even those that you don’t sense. If an attack is faster than you can dodge, you can perform a short burst to abruptly shift your position.

Note: This is an extremely taxing ability. It’s recommended that you use this sparingly, as each trigger signifies a death you have avoided. Just because you can dodge better doesn’t mean you should dive into danger over and over again.

Description: The best way to dodge is to avoid being attacked in the first place. But if you have no choice, you can at least preserve your life. All it takes is squeezing out more potential than you have and forcing your body to move beyond its limits.

Note 2: Psst. Young man, stop abusing your willpower to overdraw your body. No matter how miraculous it is, it can’t be healthy.

 

Genji ignored the remark and finished his remaining reps before returning to his room. It was time to sort through his earnings. Skipping over the other item drops, Genji focused on the scarlet cards and privilege tokens.

First, there was the ghost cloth from before the world, netting him 3 tokens. Including the 6 enforcer kills, their scarlet cards, and Holster, Genji obtained 22 more tokens. Adding all of these together and deducting the 2 tokens from signing the contract, Genji now had 107 tokens.

Genji spent 30 of these tokens to increase his storage capacity to 100 cubic meters, the maximum allowed through tokens. If he wanted to expand further, he would need to do so through other means, like authority items, special rewards, or spatial equipment. However, none of these were available to Genji right now, making this his storage limit for the foreseeable future.

This was hardly a problem since 100 cubic meters is a considerable amount of space. For comparison, this was about the size of three standard bedrooms, a decent-sized swimming pool, or 20 hot tubs. It was more than enough for his everyday use. After all, he wasn't filling this space with junk or other large items, but supplies and other compact tools.

'I don't think EverRealm expected me to max out my storage this early,' Genji commented. 'This is 150 tokens we're talking about. Even if someone hyper-focused on this, it would still take a while to accumulate that much. Guess I'm just the odd one.'

 

---

 

Genji was working in his lab, experimenting with the new ingredients, when Zepher entered for his usual purchase of potions.

"Darn, what bad luck. I can't believe I got stuck with an archaeology mission. What kind of assignment is that? How am I supposed to find anything about that world?" Zepher fumbled loudly to himself, venting his frustrations as if he were complaining to a close friend.

"Sounds depressing. Do you want to talk about it?" Genji made a small remark, acknowledging Zepher's presence.

"No," Zepher bluntly rejected. "I didn't come here for that. But I did find something that might interest you. Take a look. If you ask politely, I might sell you some."

Zepher's tone grew boastful, as if he were showcasing a prized collection. Genji looked over and saw a familiar red stone, one filled with vitality and energy from a certain world. Genji held his stare but said nothing.

"What's wrong? Are you so shocked that you can't speak?" Zepher's chest puffed up a few degrees, and he posed arrogantly before Genji. This lasted a few more seconds before Zepher realized the mood was different from what he expected.

At that moment, Genji revealed a similar piece and asked, "So, care to explain why you were absent during the treasure hunt?"

"Dang, you too?!?" Zepher inadvertently exclaimed, followed by, "Wait, what treasure hunt? Weren't we supposed to verify the existence of some mythical treasure?"

Genji simply shook his head and tossed him the pair of [Magnificent Tusks]. "Pay up," he said, also placing a crate of potions on the counter.

"Hold on. Explain what I missed."

Genji ignored him and pointed at the door, indicating the end of their conversation.

'No wonder I couldn't find anyone else from EverRealm. It's because EverRealm only sent two champions. Too bad the other one was missing in action the whole time. Probably in the middle of nowhere as well.'

 

---

 

As the month approached its end, the explorers of the realm gradually returned. Many of them had enjoyed bountiful harvests and anticipated a significant surge in strength. Yet, there were even more who saw only despair in their futures. They had failed their missions and were on the brink of falling into a vicious cycle.

Aimless Sloth was one such person, having struggled immensely with a vast oceanic terrain. While he didn't exactly fail his mission, the tumultuous waters had drastically reduced his earnings. This setback was especially significant given his newcomer status in EverRealm. If he didn't resolve this issue soon, he would eventually fall into mediocrity and succumb to the ever-increasing challenges.

Fortunately, he had one crutch to fall back on that others didn't.

'I hope I can get a good price for this. The note said the Brewer's Alliance would buy these items,' Sloth thought to himself.

In his final days, Sloth had focused on gathering specimens for a specific bounty mentioned in the mission notes, hoping this would help him through his current crisis. However, there was an element of uncertainty to this approach, as the notes hadn’t specified an exact value. If the compensation was less than he anticipated, he would be in for a tough time.

After asking around, Sloth was directed to an official store for the Brewer's Alliance. He stated his purpose, and the person evaluated his items. After checking everything and comparing it with a price table, the person said, "I can give you 189,720 coins for everything. Would you like that in coins or consumables?"

It was a medium-range payout, but Sloth was happy to have anything at this point. "I'll take some potions," he replied.

"Take a look around," the person said. "I'll check you out once you're done."

Sloth thanked the man and made his selections. Then, he brought his next world's worth of consumables to the counter and received his payment. While packing everything up, he noticed an extra bottle among his products. Sloth considered staying silent but decided to speak up since there was no benefit to gain from offending one of the largest potion distributors in the realm.

"You gave me an extra one."

The man looked over and nonchalantly said, "That's a bonus. The higher-ups said to give those out to anyone who exchanges more than 100,000."

"Oh, thank you then." Sloth picked up the bottle, not thinking much of it.

[Modified Potion of Vitality]

Rating: Uncommon

Effect: Recover 20 HP/sec for 20 seconds if injured. Otherwise, gain 10 max HP. Effective only for HP less than 1,000.

Note: This potion is effective up to 5 times.

Description: A potion made by following the principles of a secret formula. Many of the ingredients are substitutions, and the production method has changed completely, but it does perform as expected. However, its creator considered it a failure and tossed it aside.

 

'No wonder they're giving it away for free,' Sloth thought. 'But it is unique. I didn't know such potions existed.'

However, his opinion quickly changed when someone offered to buy it right after he stepped out. "I saw that you got a potion of vitality," a random stranger said, startling him. "I'll give you 10,000 coins for it."

Although it sounded like a bargain, Sloth subconsciously felt something was wrong. If this was the potion's true worth, then it didn't warrant someone camping right outside the store for it. Something must be off about the situation.

"Thanks for the offer, but I have to politely reject it."

"15,000," the person insisted. "I'll do 15,000."

Now Sloth was certain about his deductions. Otherwise, the person wouldn't be so quick to raise the price. "No thanks," he said, walking away.

"20,000," the person yelled. "That's the highest I'm willing to offer!"

Sloth ignored him and returned to his room. No matter how high the price was, he wasn't going to accept it.

After doing some research, Sloth realized how wise his decision was. After all, the same potions were selling for upwards of 40,000 in the auction house.

'This might be a bigger deal than I gave credit for,' he thought, considering whether it was better to use it or sell it.

 

---

 

"So let me get this straight. You want me to get you some of those vitality potions circulating in the market?" Genji asked Celine, 7156's prophet friend and a regular client of Genji.

"Well, more specifically, the finished versions when they become available. The potions sold by the Brewer's Alliance are very similar to yours, so I thought you might have some connections you could call upon," she replied.

"I get that, but why so much?" Genji looked over the list again, puzzled.

"Some of my squad friends wanted to secure a supply. They reached out to me, and I turned to you," she explained.

"Fine, what's the price?" Genji's nonchalant tone surprised Celine since she didn't expect him to agree so easily. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Nothing. I just thought you would want something in return. This is a pretty big favor I'm asking."

"Like what? What can you do for me that I can't already do?"

"I can predict what dangers you might face next world," she confidently answered.

"Honestly, I doubt it. Not to belittle you or anything, but I don't think it'll be that helpful."

Challenged by this, Celine puffed up her chest and said, "Watch me!" But after a few minutes, she had beads of sweat sliding down her face. "What the frick, man. Why do you have such an oppressive fate strand? Did you get a powerful item recently or what?"

"I might have," Genji admitted, reflecting on the black mask beneath his cloak.

Celine wiped her face and admitted defeat. "As much as it annoys me to say, but you're correct. Your strength is too high for me to see anything. Do you have any other request I can help with? An easier one?"

Genji thought about the question and said, "Since you're insisting, help me check the lottery numbers in my world." This caused Celine to stare blankly at him, unable to wrap her head around the sudden jump in logic. "What is it this time?" Genji asked.

"I'm just trying to understand you. Out of all the things you could have asked for, you pick that? Why?" Her tone was very confused, as she couldn't understand why Genji would care so much for an irreverent currency. With their strength, it should be simple to get by in their original worlds.

"Why not?" Genji asked back "I'm running a little low right now and I could use some easy replenishment. So, are you doing this?"

"..."

A few days later, Genji could be seen walking into a building, holding a flashy, yellow cardstock.