Level 30 cultivators. Fuck!

Eric could think of only one reason why level 30 anyone would be entering this realm, especially if they were knowledgeable enough to have clearly found a backdoor way around the level 10 Class limit for any adventurer.

They were here for the same prizes that Eric was.

And somehow Eric was as certain as the twisting feeling in his gut that these assholes were here for none other than the highest tier spirit fruit Eric had hoped to one day claim for himself. Fruit he had only intended claiming after many weeks of training and practice to evolve to the point of actually being able to face the boss tier Spirit Boar and claim for himself.

Eric couldn’t help but flash a bitter smile, his most cynical self somehow not at all surprised to find what could only be members of a powerful cultivation sect, not at all hindered by the strictures no doubt put in place to keep the natives from daring to rise too high, spiking the deck to assure that all the best prizes would fall in the hands of their chosen ‘young master.’

And if he had had any doubts… the words he overheard burned all his uncertainties away.

“The beasts shouldn’t be this strong. They have clearly started to evolve,” said the one who had struck the killing blow.

The farthest dark elf snorted. “You think some surviving remnant of the Sun Sect actually survived our clan’s purge, and seek to reforge themselves along a Path of Peril?” His sneer turned to a thoughtful nod. “You could be right. Any native Terran that dared to enter this realm as a pathetic System Classer would have been so weak and vulnerable that any Spirit Boar would have made short work of them within minutes of their entering. So perhaps… perhaps survivors of that foolish sect do seek to rise from the ashes of their sect’s grave.” The cultivator gave a cold chuckle. “And what a delight it would be, to put fresh slave collars on the necks of any that survived.”

The first dark elf who had spoken flashed a vicious smile. “What a shame it would be, then, if we had lost slave collars. Then we would have no choice but to kill them on sight. Would you not agree?”

The obvious leader chuckled. “By all means. The elders will be most pleased if we manage to purge anyone that survived our clan’s masterful execution! Save for the women, of course. Those, we will save.”

The ugly laughter this inspired among most of the quartet echoed through Eric’s soul. Only one glared angrily as the mockery turned dark and vindictive, and even he was careful to look away so his fellows wouldn’t see his disgust. Yet still… he stood by their side.

Eric clenched his jaw. Their mocking laughter served as a dark, bitter counterpoint to the remembered screams of a once peaceful sect fallen to treachery and fire in far too many of his dreams since he had gotten here.

Eric was no fool. Of course he knew that the universe was a harsh and bitter place.

But to see before him those who, if not directly involved, at least clearly reveled in the tragedy and death that had brought absolute ruin to the sect that had once called this peach grove their home… delighting in the thought of bringing fresh pain and despair to any survivors even now… filled Eric with a white hot killing fury. His fragile bubble of peace was instantly shattered, suddenly recalling all too clearly the twisted smirks of treacherous goblins, conniving mayors, and coldblooded adventurers in a world now filled with elven clans bent on world conquest, and savage orcs who thought nothing of cooking entire families alive.

Yet even as his hard-fought serenity howled under the onslaught of bitter memories and darkest fury channeling through his soul, he was already moving, having effortlessly scooped up a stunned Sam before sprinting back for the cavern for all he was worth, pausing only to claim a rich prize when he sensed what a perfect boon it would be for his friend. A friend who wisely had the sense to keep utterly silent under Eric’s cautionary glare.

Because Eric had absolutely no idea how good or bad his opponent’s Perception might be, and for all that he had an edge in raw stats, he had no doubt their Spiritual Reserves were pumped past 50 for a reason, and that something besides steel had completely torn open that spirit boar.

Only when they were safely back in their little sanctuary did Sam see fit to glare and shake his head, and even then, he was prudent enough to keep his voice down, filled with the same sense of tension that Eric was. “I can’t believe you just carried me back here like a sack of rice. Control freak much?”

Eric didn’t bother answering, leaving their sanctuary with out a word… and sealing the entrance behind him with a massive plug of infused bone, flesh, and toughened beast hide.”

“Eric! What the hell are you doing?”

Eric flashed an apologetic smile as he bent down to peer through the one half-foot wide opening he had left in the bottom. “Sorry, Sam. It’s for your own good.”

“At least explain what the fuck is going on!”

“What’s going on is that those aren’t four struggling level 10’ers, Sam.” He held his friend’s gaze for long moments. “They’re level thirty Cultivators, foot soldiers to a powerful clan that, unlike us, no doubt has access to all the cultivation resources and heritage libraries anyone could want. And those bastards know just how to game the System, which is why they are here, now, eager to pluck the choicest fruit in the whole damned forest.”

Sam gazed at Eric for long moments through the hole Eric had left, eyes widening when a smiling Eric passed him the pre-charged fire wand that Sam had been practicing with when not trying to cultivate, it’s fire affinity making its meridian plaque potential extremely close to minimal in this fire-attuned realm, and hopefully opening all sorts of additional class evolutions to his young friend.

“Eric, this thing is priceless!” Sam’s face fell. “Shit, you don’t actually think they’ll come for us, do you? I mean hell, let them have some fruit. There’s a whole fucking forest!”

Eric sighed. “There are multiple tiers of fruit, Sam. Fruit that won’t just help clear your meridians in record time as these will,” Eric said, for the first time revealing prizes that had come effortlessly to his hands with a single leap to what were definitely the choicest of the low-hanging fruit they had passed during their desperate race back to their little sanctuary. Eric had even gone so far as to put his friend down momentarily for a single powerful leap, ignoring the brilliant message dinging across his interface as he claimed his prize.

Because sure as hell, he wasn’t letting those assholes get any Titles or boons for being the first ones to claim any fruit. And he hadn’t even thought to fear if his meridians had some residual plaque or damage he had missed. Yet he had felt nothing but a pristine sense of refreshment when he plucked several beauties free.

Beauties he now rolled to Sam, gifts freely given, the boy’s awe-filled smile saying all that needed to be said.

“Take one and cycle it like hell. The ghost of the elder who had lost his sect to those assholes, or assholes just like them, explained how it all worked to me as best as he safely could. And I’m not giving you a ‘least’ fruit. That’s Tier 2, according to my Interface. It’s the most potent that anyone with an unorthodox Meridian Configuration like yours should dare, if they’re not crazy enough to risk meridian rupture. But don’t worry. It’s still going to put you head and shoulders above most would-be cultivators. It’s also more than enough to clear your meridians, or at least get you up another rank or two. But for fuck’s sake, don’t you dare take another until your foundation is 100% clean! Once you’ve achieved that, you should take one and only one Spirit Fruit every 3 or 4 weeks. But only if your six gates are absolutely and utterly clean. Each fruit will then implant itself in a gate, and give you spiritual energy and stat boosts like you wouldn’t believe.”

Eric’s intent expression turned thoughtful. “Or at least, that’s what I think will happen.”

His friend looked at him for long moments. “Eric, you’re proposing I stay here for months!”

Eric nodded from the other side of the barrier. “Don’t worry. The pouch of holding I left has, literally, months worth of water and food. And if those assholes manage to kill me and they approach, you could do a lot worse than fire wand blasts at their vulnerable looking silk-booted feet. It’s the perfect angle to snipe them, then finish them off with shots to their faces when they stumble to the ground, screaming with holes in their legs.”

Sam gazed at a crouched Eric from the other end of the meat tunnel for long seconds before flashing an anxious smile. “Because there’s no way they can snipe a shot through a door at their feet. And all the time they take crouching down is time I’m lined up to beam a hole through their brain.”

Eric laughed. “And you have your crossbow. Sweet death with the weapons you trained in.”

Sam’s gaze turned anxious. “Eric… I know you’re pretty badass, but you said they’re level thirty? Shit. Let them take the best fruit! I mean, I assume you grabbed some for yourself? Why not just sit in here and cultivate with me? Plant those fruit in your meridians over, what, a year? Shit. Anyway, the stat boosts would make you wicked deadly when we both pop out of secluded cultivation and take the adventuring world by storm! Whoever rules Earth by that point, I’ll bet life will be the same for hardworking dungeon runners.”

Eric flashed his friend a sad smile. “Sadly, I don’t think it’s that easy, Sam. For one thing, I grabbed the fruit for you. I wasn’t even thinking of myself. But more to the point… I’m a Contender.”

Sam stared at him for long moments. “Shit.”

Eric laughed. “Exactly. So no matter what proper etiquette is, I’m betting that powerful assholes connected with the true galactic elites will definitely be doing all they can to tie up loose ends, once they decide via some shadow committee who Earth’s new owners will be.” Eric flashed a hard smile. “If things go as I hope they will, I’ll be so fucking strong by that time that any group of powered-up psychos who think they can take me out like yesterday’s garbage are going to get a very rude awakening.”

Sam chuckled softly. “Knowing how far you’ve already come… you might be one of the very few who can say that without sounding like a sad idiot.”

Eric smiled. “And another thing, Sam. These assholes aren’t here to grab a quick handful of fruit then leave. They sense that the spirit beasts have been evolving. Getting faster. Stronger.”

Sam’s eyes widened with fierce vindication. “I knew it. I knew it, Eric! How fast you two were moving. How fucking mean and massive it looked. Nothing like the tuskers the captain said were level twenty and still tore our crew apart!”

Eric nodded. “I should have put it together myself, the way they continued being a challenge, even when my stats continued to ascend. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is, those guys figured out that this place is now occupied. And if not already, then they certainly did when I picked the first fruit five minutes ago and grabbed a title.”

Eric winked his friend. “And if you wanted to do me a solid and hold off on eating anything for a day or two… since you want to be 100% alert and have your crossbow and wand at the ready in case they come a-knockin’ anyway, I’d appreciate it.”

Sam gazed at Eric for long moments. “Because you want to grab that title too.”

Eric’s grin was all teeth. “Damn right I do.”

Sam laughed. “Fuck, Eric. After all you’ve done for me? Saving my life, helping me learn to fight, use a wand, and cultivate? Passing me almost a dozen Spirit fruit, any one of which is probably worth millions of credits on the open market if I actually manage to get out of here alive? Go grab that title with my blessing! Because why shouldn’t I be best friends with the strongest asshole on the whole fucking planet!?”

Eric laughed at that. “If only.” His gaze hardened. “But seriously. If anyone who’s not me and doesn’t have a message from me tries to come in? Shoot to kill. Because the first thing they did after taking down that spirit boar with some kind of Qi attack that extended feet past their blade was brag and laugh about how they’d purge this place of any survivors, once they claimed their prizes.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Please be careful, okay buddy? My life sort of depends on you.”

Eric smiled. “Look behind you, buddy.”

Sam did just that, eyes widening with awe. “Fuck!”

“Yup, five of my largest spirit boar, perfectly preserved and toughened, as all corpses seem to automatically do, once I dabble even a tiny bit in our craft. Thank god everything else including the water stays pure in my inventory. Anyway, point is, you have the largest five fuckers I could find and you’re filled with spiritual energy. If you want to take the necromancer path and give yourself some extra guardians… I’ll let you judge how that fits with your cultivation, but at least now you have that option.”

Sam gazed at Eric for long moments. “Thanks, Eric. I think maybe you just saved my life again.”

Eric laughed. “Or I’ll be coming back here in a couple weeks, so juiced up you’re eyes will pop out of your head!”

Sam laughed at that. “You’re going to pick the largest fruit in the whole damned forest, aren’t you? One for each of your dozen royal meridians, I bet. Too bad it will take you a year to digest it all safely. Ha! I’ll finally get a chance to catch up.”

Eric left with a final smile. Because if his understanding was right, and he didn’t mind risking absolutely everything, he just might be able to bypass that requirement. Assuming he was willing to bet his life on mad hunches and too lucid dreams.

But first… he had to make sure.

Before he even thought of taking the lives of four souls who had forged themselves through who knew how many trials to achieve level 30 cultivation, with all the breakthroughs and insights such implied,he had to make sure that these cultivators weren’t effectively talking bull just for the sake of courage or their commander. Because he couldn’t deny that the disciplined hard work needed to achieve level 30 in anything pointed to worthy souls who had every right to strive for their dreams. For all he knew, the men he would face were devoted husbands and fathers, and were making the best of a difficult situation with hostile spirit beasts all around.

In order to live up to his own ideals, in order to not become the nightmare monster orphaned children would rail against in their nightmares, he owed it to himself to see if an understanding could be reached. A compromise that just might see them all walking away peacefully, without him having to cut down four gifted men in their prime. Or getting killed himself.

The first thing he needed to do was to gauge their abilities as best they could, just in case they really were as savage as he feared. But if they weren’t, if boss-impressing bluster hid the hearts of hardworking men just doing their job… he refused to kill them in cold blood. Refused to kill them just to claim the top prize that, for all Eric knew, held no more extra boons than a standard Title, of which he had earned several since he had gotten here, a fresh one just minutes ago.

Congratulations! For being the first mortal to pluck free Fruit of Vitality (Fire Aligned) within this pocket realm, you have been awarded the lesser title: Nature’s Boon.

The fire’s of nature’s bounty has infused your Meridian Channels with enhanced resilience! You now enjoy +3 Spiritual Energy! You benefit from a permanent +2 Vitality and have unlocked a heretofore hidden affinity for all of nature’s cultivation boons!

You enjoy +5% potency to all Spirit Fruit eaten and beast cores consumed!

Eric blinked with dismay at the final message, unable to believe what a fool he had been.

Had he somehow missed out on collecting upwards of two hundred beast cores? An easy fortune in power or cultivation potential, simply because he had no idea what to look for, with no mentor save ancient records and visions from his dreams? He shook his head in furious denial. No. He refused to believe that. After all, he had claimed admittedly small beast cores from at least several lizards back in the underrealm of Gilton city, as well as a glittering prize from the former scaly guardian in the nearby lake who had thought him easy prey.

He forced himself to take deep breaths as he paused underneath the largest peach tree he had seen close to his cave and well out of site of the cultivators, looking for an explanation that actually made sense and didn’t paint him as a fool. Perhaps his hybrid status as a cultivating adventurer meant that the cores were automatically absorbed as potency or experience further saturating the uppermost Dantian that the System made use of, as opposed to his lowermost Dantian, the focus of a cultivator’s efforts. Yet even this train of thought caused him to flash a bitter smile, because he could only hope that his understanding of System Cores, Dantians, and cultivation was correct, or his own future ascension was screwed before it had even truly started.

And truly, that was the least of his worries. Because he was still making his way toward what well could be his death, four level thirty cultivators, and at least one of them was able to channel their Qi into wind blades that could tear through even a spirit boar’s tough hide. Perhaps other powers as well.

Did he really have any hope of besting any of them?

With such thoughts plaguing him, he nonetheless continued to claim his harvest, a final step he needed to take before racing through the woods to face down cultivators capable of cutting him in half, flashing a tight little smile as his interface alit with another message.

Because Sam was right. With the grandest prizes of this forest now in contention, he’d be a fool not to gather the choicest fruit that he safely could. Fruit that might not be ripening on the branches of the one tree protected by a guardian that had given Eric nightmares just thinking about trying to face down, not that long ago… but fruit that were nonetheless top tier and beyond compare to anything save for the divine bounty hanging from the branches of a singular tree.

Just in case he and Sam really did end up spending the next years desperately hiding and cultivating from their enemies, depending on how badly the odds were stacked against them.

Breakthrough achieved! You have successfully climbed the highest Mystic Peach Tree within Local Grove!

You have successfully stayed out of the line-of-sight of cultivators sworn to kill the remnants of those who have come before!

You have successfully claimed a full two dozen Tier 3 Spirit Fruit!

You have now eliminated the final hidden vestiges of plaque only a master could have detected! All impurities have now been utterly seared away from your essence infused Meridian Channels! A feat that takes even the most diligent of cultivators years to achieve, you have performed without rupturing your cultivation base, thanks to your affinity with Pristine Flame!

For being the first cultivator to achieve a Pristine Cultivation base within this realm, you have earned the title: True Disciple! Your transcendent breakthrough allows you to sense the spiritual energy around you like never before! +10% Cultivation efficiency! +10 to Spiritual Energy!