cerim
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Chapter 549 - What do you want?
🕑 Added 2025-01-29 09:39:27 +0000 UTCMy good mood from enduring it all with just these hundred or so healing marks quickly fades once Lily starts healing me. She points out the damage I still have and the damage that continues to worsen even now.
I think it’s been a long time since I’ve seen her this worried. With a focused expression, she keeps healing me, even damaging some parts of my body to restore them properly where marks failed.
“It’s okay,” I tell her.
“You always say that! How is it okay to damage your own body so much?”
“Lily.”
“What!”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not…”
“It is. I can handle it.” I reach out and ruffle her hair. “I’m not used to people worrying about me, so tone it down. I feel awkward.”
“I… I wish I could help you more. You and everyone else.”
“Humans are greedy creatures, aren’t they? What you’re doing right now is enough, and you’ll be able to do more in the future, so don’t worry about it.”
After a long while, I feel she deserves it, so I pinch her nose and use it to shake her head.
Just in case, I rely on her healing and don’t check the state of my body again, only focusing on keeping my new heart from burning me and doing some further adjusting. For now, I also separate half of my mind to keep dealing with it.
And damn, that’s with all the restrictions I placed on it.
“Yo, do a check on me,” I turn to Sophie. Unlike Lily, she just shrugs and does exactly that.
As with everything, it also takes a while, and then we do something similar with the twins.
The now-evaporated lake starts slowly filling out, so we move away.
***
I use one of my Beyond-stay tokens to head there and return to the fishing village, ignoring monsters as much as possible.
There, I collect shards Duncan left with one of the city leaders, all from selling fish and my split of it.
A full two hundred and five thousand shards. That gets me to 309,939 shards.
For now, I resist upgrading my healing passive—deciding to wait for the tournament and see if I can use these shards to make more shards instead.
Otherwise, my short Beyond visit is uneventful. I use the time until my Beyond token wears off to stabilize what I did further. I don’t meet anyone I recognize, and no one starts a fight with me.
Even as I’m leaving, my handler just greets me and wishes me luck for the tournament, saying that my performance there can allow me to get better Beyond quests or let me join bigger guilds in Beyond.
***
As the timer ticks down, we all gather in one of the gardens. A few bags sit nearby, packed in case the system allows us to bring them into the tournament. Lissandra and Myrra are there as well.
Everyone, other than Lissandra, is giddy and smiling, excited to meet people from other groups and even from other rounds.
All the training we went through here, all the effort we put in, is about to be tested against the rest of Earth’s first generation. The generation that has Earth’s future Absolute and Champions.
The most powerful people who, after the end of the tutorial, will change the rules of Earth. They might try to keep the current structure, they might try to make their own kingdoms, or they might try to leave the planet for adventure.
It’s an exciting thought.
Sophie is holding Izzy closely, and Noodle is coiled around her arm. The twins and Min-Jae are throwing insults at each other, saying how they’ll beat each other up.
Maya talks with Tess, who is surprisingly holding Biscuit. The now soon-to-be best doggo of the second tournament licks Tess, then looks at me, his expression almost like a gentle smile.
Lily patiently listens to Myrra, who is telling her some story about her childhood in Virelia.
Congratulations on your 2nd year in the tutorial!
The tournament preparations have been concluded.
During the duration of the tournament of Earth’s tutorial, all Floor Quests will be put on hold. The tournament will have a 14-day duration, and you can decide whether to participate or not.
More information will be given after entering the tournament floor.
Would you like to participate in the second tournament of Earth's tutorial?
Yes / No
Please decide within the next 30 seconds.
Everyone’s hand moves to press the button, and then I don’t even feel the effects of teleportation before finding myself in a different place.
The bright sun makes me squint. Around me, I hear small birds singing. The sky is beautifully blue, and a gentle breeze moves through the leaves of the trees all around. The air smells like summer.
This time, we’re not separated, and everyone is looking around, curious.
Only then do I hear that single sentence from Maya.
“Where is Tess?”
A brief wave of panic washes over me as I expand my senses and scan my surroundings.
Tess isn’t here, and neither is Biscuit, even though I saw her pressing the button on the holographic system window that was visible to her alone.
“Tess!” Lily calls, even though our senses have already scanned the area thoroughly.
The Community is also disabled here, so no one is able to send any message.
"You, what's happening?" Maya steps forward and stops in front of Lissandra. "I talked to her. I saw her press the button. I know you're all smart or something. You must know something!"
For a moment, I think she might grab Lissandra and start shaking her, but thankfully she doesn’t.
“Isn’t that obvious?” Lissandra tilts her head. “The system wouldn’t allow someone with a mimic inside them into the tournament.”
In the silence that follows, Lissandra smiles. It’s the kind of smile you might make when explaining something to a child.
***
POV Earth
“General, I’ve got the breakdown on the power levels the returnees have reported, and we’ve decided to change our system from grades to categories and make further edits. So far, the highest levels are still hypothetical and based on what they’ve told us about their experiences on the tournament floors and encounters with Normal, Hard, and Hell participants. Then there are those who’ve been to what they call ‘Beyond.’ The categories are split into ten levels. These people we talked with are also from the Easiest difficulty, so we increased the scales slightly, as we don’t consider them the most knowledgeable.”
“Understood. Start with the weakest.”
“Category One, sir. These are the baseline enhanced: faster, stronger, but not by much. Think elite athletes or special forces soldiers. Dangerous to civilians but no real threat to us. They might show some weak supernatural abilities like creating fire with their minds only.”
“Manageable. What about Category Two?”
“Augmented tier. They’re capable of being dangerous under the right conditions, and their physical strength is enough to punch through reinforced doors or flip cars. Still manageable with current equipment, but they’ll take out regular squads if we’re not careful.”
“Noted. Category Three?”
“This is where things get serious. We expect them to be able to rip through walls, tank small-arms fire, and engage entire squads without much effort. Still within reason for us to handle, but it’s a stretch.”
“Category Four?”
“Superhuman. Leaping buildings, tearing through vehicles, and taking heavy ordnance like it’s nothing. If one goes rogue, even sending in heavy units might not be enough.”
“We haven’t seen such a returnee as of now, correct?”
“Yes, sir. Everything is based on the returnees’ accounts and our observations. We expect Category Four to start appearing with Normal difficulty or with Hard. We expect Easy difficulty to place around category one to category three at the highest with barely any capable of reaching that status. After that, the categories escalate fast.”
“Then let’s hear it. What’s Category Five?”
“City-level threats. These individuals could heavily damage a small to mid size city—flattening blocks, destroying infrastructure. We expect Hard difficulty returnees to be about that level.”
“Category Six?”
“Regional-level devastation. Entire areas are at risk, with massive destruction spreading for miles. This matches the upper tier of Hell Difficulty elites. We are also thinking of having three subcategories within each category, inspired by the system. For example, low Category Six, mid Category Six, and upper Category Six.”
“And Seven?”
“Nation-level threats, General. These are the strongest Hell and Beyond elites who can topple entire nations. Their abilities and strategies are far beyond anything we’ve encountered so far. We estimate only a few people will reach that category, if any.”
“That’s... concerning. Category Eight?”
“This one is purely theoretical. From what we heard from Easy difficulty returnees, we don’t expect anyone to reach that rank. It would be continental destruction, sir. At this level, they would be operating on a scale that makes our military capability seem irrelevant.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask about Nine.”
“Capable of planetary devastation. Wiping out all life on Earth.”
“Should have known. And Category Ten?”
“Planet-destroying. Not just the life on it—destroying the planet itself. There were legends our sources have heard about such beings, but we don’t consider it reliable information.”
“Understood. So Earth’s still in the lower tiers, but the infection is spreading and It’s only a matter of time before we see what’s next.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Continue collecting the information. Now tell me about Project Moon Spider.”
“Yes! If you look at the document on your table, our army, in cooperation with NASA, has prepared the module, and in a few weeks we should be able to send it to the Moon.”
***
POV Earth
“I’m Colonel Jonathan Kane, and it’s my pleasure to meet you, miss. First, I’d like to ask you to state your full name for the record before we start our conversation.”
“You already know my name. Do you need it again because of the recorder you put on the table?”
“Yes. This is a very important matter, and we’re creating a system to address it. Recording these conversations will allow us to examine them accurately, provide feedback, and adjust our approach.”
“Very well, my name is Thalia Gwyn.”
“Thank you for your understanding. Are you the biological mother of Victoria Gwyn and Nathaniel Gwyn?”
“Yes.”
“Ever since their disappearance two years ago, you haven’t received any information about their whereabouts?”
“None at all. It’s the same thing I told the sergeant you sent before. So I wonder—isn’t colonel one of the highest ranks in our army? Why would someone like you come to talk to me?”
“I’m afraid it’s something I currently cannot disclose. I can only say that we’ve come into contact with someone who met your daughter Victoria around one year ago, and we have strong reason to believe your son, Nathaniel is at the same place she is.”
“I… I thank you for this information.”
“I’m glad I could help at least that much, Mrs. Gwyn. I also have two daughters, and even though I do not fully understand what you’re feeling, I can empathize with you.”
“Yes. So, what do you want from me?”
“We have strong reason to believe your daughter will be a very… important person in the future. Please don’t take it as guaranteed, as even we aren’t sure if she’ll be able to stay alive, but it’s possible she will return in three years at the latest. Once again, I’d love to say everything will be fine, but it’s also possible she won’t—”
“I understand. This is better than nothing.”
“You are surprisingly calm about it.”
“Trust me, over the two years I went through a lot. And you could say I’ve taken after my kids in some ways.”
“I do not understand.”
“That’s fine. So again, what do you want?”
“There are multiple things, but firstly, we’d be thankful for any information you could give us about your daughter and your son: their personalities, how they react to certain situations, their relationships with people, what they like and dislike. We’re building up their psychological profile and—”
“I see. If that’s what you want, you can fuck off right away.”
“I apologize if I’ve offended you, but—”
“Yes, I know you didn’t mean it as an insult. The answer is the same. If you, our country, or our army want to use me against my kids, you. Can. Fuck. Off.”
“That confuses me, Miss Gwyn. From what we’ve gathered, you do not have a good relationship with your children. Your daughter was serving a ten-year sentence for the second-degree murder of your husband, Robert, her father—something she did as a nineteen-year-old. Your then-sixteen-year-old son was also suspected of helping with the murder, but the charges were dropped because of your daughter’s statement. After that, you haven’t visited your daughter even once, and your son moved away.”
“I am well aware. And?”
“Maybe we started on the wrong foot. Let me emphasize, creating psychological profiles of important people is common. I’m sure my higher-ups have one on me that likely includes my entire life. This is a sensitive matter, so we wanted one on your daughter and son as well. But I understand your dislike of that, and we can drop it for now. Instead, I’m authorized to offer you Diplomatic Compensation in the amount of one million dollars.”
“Colonel, I don’t know if you think I’m stupid, but you should stop.”
“Allow me to explain, Miss Gwyn. We’re well aware of your current employment history and the fact that you were forced to move into a smaller apartment just a few weeks ago. The ‘Diplomatic Compensation’ is, plainly said, a bribe. There are no services we expect from you in exchange. It’s all done in the hope that your children will look more favorably upon us once they’re back.”
“You said there’s a chance they won’t come back.”
“Yes. If you’re thinking in that case the money we gave you would be a waste on our part, we’re willing to take that loss.”
“I see. Ten million then.”
“I… what?”
“Look, Mister Colonel Jonas Kane, with your rank, you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t very important, right? Ten million, or you can leave.”
“It’s Colonel Jonathan Kane, Miss Gwyn. You just confirmed you don’t have a good relationship with your children.”
“That’s true. I guess you can just take the risk and leave. However, I might mention it to them. But our relationship isn't that good so it surely won't come to bite you in the ass.”
“Are you blackmailing me, Miss Gwyn?”
“Yes.”
“That is a first for me. An interesting experience. Understood. I can increase it to ten million. If you’re willing, we can even relocate you to a safer location, as we have reason to suspect it might become slightly more dangerous around here. Of course, you’d be able to come and go as you please.”
“I’ll think about the relocation part. When you send the money, make sure it’s all ten million and not half of it disappearing because of taxes or some ‘processing fee.’”
“I… I understand. We will make sure nothing like that happens.”
“Thank you, Colonel Jonathan Dane. I’ll make sure to remember your name and mention you positively.”
“It’s Colonel Jonathan Kane, Miss Gwyn.”
“Sure.”
***
POV Earth
“The cat-sized ants in Africa ate an entire village. Did you see it?” the friend asks another boy next to him.
“Yes! There are even some leaked videos, but someone keeps taking them down. I also heard about huge wolves, a massive white bear, and sharks as big as ships! Do you think it’s some new species?”
“Probably. Maybe a tunnel to the center of the earth opened, and that’s where all these weird animals are coming from,” he laughs.
“Heh, so Luna is from there as well?”
“Luna?”
“The fucking spider on the moon.”
“Oh, it’s Luna nowadays? Didn’t they call her The Moonster?”
“What the fuck, haha, I hadn’t heard that one.”
***
POV Earth
“Boss, we broke another diamond-coated drill on that damned rock,” the worker with the yellow helmet says as he exits the tunnel.
He and his boss stand near the entrance where the giant machine is digging.
“These things are fucking expensive. Fuck. Did you at least get the results of the tests on the pieces of rock that broke the drill heads?”
“They’ll come in today, but the lab guy told me he’s never seen rock like this in his life,” he whispers. “Don’t tell anyone, but he also said their lab is getting a lot of samples like that—new metals, new rocks, plants, and such. Or old ones that are suddenly more durable. It’s insane.”
The boss takes his helmet off and wipes the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. “I’d give a good amount of money to know what the fuck is happening.”
***
POV Earth
Standing at attention, the soldier in uniform continues giving his report to his leader. Both men are Asian, and the room they are in is small and dark. There are no electronic devices present to make sure nothing is leaked.
“The Americans also got at least one group of Easy Difficulty returnees two months ago. In that time, we’ve found no signs that any other country received additional returnees. According to the returnees we cooperate with, it’s possibly because of the second tournament. After that, we should expect more groups.”
“Do we have any information on higher-tier returnees?”
“So far, only Easy difficulty, but we still expect the earliest Normal difficulty to start appearing in around six months to a year.”
“Good. How about that group of Easy difficulty that tried to take over Cyprus?”
“All eight of them were assassinated. Five of them by poisoning, and the remaining three by anti-materiel sniper rifles. We’ve collected some information, and it seems like all the shots went through the eye—likely worried the skull might deflect the bullet.”
“That poison must have been quite something.” The leader continues to tap on the table with his finger. “Do we know who did it?”
“We suspect China. All the bodies also went missing, and we only have photo documentation. But we think there was a submarine nearby to support the operation.”
“Understood. You can leave.”
“Yes, sir!”
***
POV Nathaniel
“So you knew and didn’t say anything?” Maya continues to shout at Lissandra. After what Lissandra said, I’m sure Maya would charge her if Lily and Sophie weren’t holding her back. Even they seem angry.
While Myrra stands by her side, Lissandra answers, “It would be weird if I didn’t notice it.”
That gets her another round of curses, but she seems to understand the reason and doesn’t retaliate. Instead, she catches my eyes, as if telling me to say something.
I know her well enough to sense there's more to this, but I am in [Focus] now, trying to steady my emotions. Even so, my hand clenches. As insults and questions continue to be hurled at Lissandra, I take a step forward.
“What do you want?” I ask.
All the words cut off, and most of the group four jumps in between me and her.
Lissandra just looks at me, still smiling. “I can help that girl. I’ve been observing her. The mimic hasn’t taken over; it hasn’t even started. There’s a reason for that. As for your bond, I don’t know why he decided to stay with her, but he doesn’t have a mimic.”
“Good. So again. WHAT do you want?”
"It is simple, truly, little pup. If she survives these two weeks on the seventh floor before we return, I will remove that mimic. If necessary, I will even force the Progenitor Mimic to assist me—that much I can promise. I can also promise that if you fail to fulfill what I ask of you, I will let her die. Do not expect otherwise, not even for a moment."
Lissandra steps forward with purpose, her smile giving way to an unshakable calm, "I want you to win every event in this tournament, little pup. No, not just win, but obliterate everyone in your way. Do that, and I will save your friend."
There is only one answer I can give from deep within [Focus].
“Consider it done.”
***
***
Author Note:
And with this chapter, Book 6 comes to an end! As I threatened, I will be taking a week-long break. Yay. Imagine being an Amazon reader and waiting three months for Book 7 after this cliffhanger. You guys have it slightly better.
As always, thank you so much for your support, it means a lot! If the timing of my break screwed you up, feel free to send me a message, and I can refund you.
Otherwise, see you in a week!
Comments
Chun
Aww man, if biscuit isn’t attending, I guess we won’t be seeing an interaction between him and Luna
Val the mysterious Jedi
Anyone else reading old chapters while waiting for the new ones
Ádám Balogh
I knew Bisciut would be fine and not infected, I bet they tried and he just ate them when they entered like a self serving buffet(literally :))
William Clark
I keep forgetting about that Damn Moon spider! I hate it so much. Just sitting there on the damn moon. Waiting.
Michael Deleon
I just caught and fuck this guy. He is my number 2 author. Love you cerim
Memelord Steambath
I...I don't think I can hold any longer >.<
Memelord Steambath
That was an amazing finish, I can't wait to see our MC demolish everyone
3legia
Really?! Yeah that’d have been a lot
KipBR
We are close.
Xaver Klein
evil would have been leaving that last part for the beginning of book 7
Xaver Klein
the elydor fight was my favorite so far.
Xaver Klein
now imagine the chapter without the last part. it was considered but strongly advised against.
Xaver Klein
hey, this cliff at least builds anticipation. image this chapter without the last part. cerim did consider leaving that one out. it can always be worse, and this is about as good of a cliff as is possible.
Xaver Klein
there was an alternate version without the last nathaniel part. be glad we betas strongly advised cerim to leave it in. this makes it a cliff building anticipation instead of dread.
Zaim İpek
That doesn't really say much. From what we saw at the end of the 2nd floor, they should have been able to survive. . . unless Liss got too frustrated with the stupidity of others and killed them. Too much information is missing. The mana radiation would have made the planet mostly uninhabitable, but there would still have been opportunity for Tristan and Kyron to portal out to another planet. Unless Tristan died in his confrontation with the mind blender king, and the big Dawn explosion was done in his last moment of defiance as a kamikaze attack. But Kyron really should have been able to survive. I don't understand how he would have died.
PendejoDeMexico
You just give reason after reason why Biscuit is best doggo, to stay behind to watch over Tess.
PendejoDeMexico
It was said before that Lissandra took “the only survivor” (I’m bad with remembering names tbh) her disciple with her before the planet was destroyed. Everyone on that planet is dead and the only survivor is the Ruler of Greed after lissandra died IRL.
Reps A
Cerim please bless these dry bones with water :o
Reps A
Me too the thirst is F***ING REAL!!
Hardworking Guy
Just 4 more days, be strong guys, I'm sure the suspense will be worth it.
AzorAhai
True, but Jean wasn’t even level 300, meaning he didn’t get his class upgrade and you saw how much strength Nat received from it, if it wasn’t for the empyrean lance he got from it I don’t think he would’ve won against Jean especially since his build is anti mana and every attack Nat threw at him barely scratched him except the empyrean lance.
Zaim İpek
I have a sudden thought. What happened to the Champions of Eladore? I'm guessing Tristan survived because it was his own skill. Kyron almost certainly also survived because he managed to decentralized his body and has a bunch of them scattered around the world. He seems to have transformed himself into some kind of cybernetic consciousness from the brief explanation we got. Mind blender king almost certainly died from the big blast, and I don't think there was a fourth Champion. So what happened to Tristan and Kyron? Did one of them ascend to the position of Absolute after Lissandra left? Did they both also leave the planet in the aftermath?
Zaim İpek
You could go and do some actual crack cocaine. That's an option.
Zaim İpek
Actually, Nat might get lucky and never need to fight her. In both battle royal and the individual matches, there is a chance she could be eliminated before fighting him. . . . It's possible. But the question is what kind of author is Cerim. Is there potential that he might actually have Nat fail this challenge? Is Cerim willing to have Tess die? Or maybe there is a twist where Nat fails the challenge, but they find out Biscuit has solved the mimic problem somehow. Does Cerim want to force the siblings into a fight, or will Victoria simply forfeit once Nat explains the situation? There are very many ways this tournament could go. . . and I wonder what kind of author Cerim will choose to be for this segment of the story.
anonymous patreon
the next chapter will be posted as usually - Thursday, February 6th, around 10:30 - CEST time zone. That will make it 1 week long break exactly and we will return to previous schedule of 5ch/week
anonymous patreon
we will restart and continue with previous schedule. Chapter 550 will be posted on the day it would be usually posted on. Then there is "weekend" - 2 days pause and then it continues with 5 chapters in row
Superd
What date will you be back to posting chapters?
erick burleson
Broooooo, give Mas por favor! It's been so many days
Sir Supports Alot
Been rereading so many chapters may cerim forgive our sinful souls
Robert Reilly
I waited a full two months to stack up chapters and now I catch up to this cliffhanger?! My god I’m going insane lmao I NEED MORE
11335577
Gravity boy ist wanted to build a flying island/city. But im not sure he survives the tutorial. Its about 50/50 i guess.
HaroldFromSpace
Predicting mimic was in the box, Liss threatened Tess and infected her, Nat has to kill Victoria at least once, and biscuit has known who was a mimic the entire time but they give him food 🤣
Poutine Au Syrop d'érable
Also, We stopped on a Wednesday. A week break. Will we restart this sunday, so only really 1 day break longer, in which case cerim you are an insane madlad, ill take it but take care of yourself. Or sunday next week, for like a 10 day break? Or wednsday this week, for a 7 day break? If so, 2 chapters, 2 day break, or continuous till the week after it... Which is madlad take a break case again.
Zaim İpek
Not really, it's a bit more specific than that. It's a pause in the middle of a climactic moment before a resolution is revealed. This is not that. Also, this doesn't even meet your definition. There is no suspense here. Nothing is happening. They are just standing around waiting for tournament events to start. They are worried about their friend, Tess, but nothing suspenseful is going on.
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
@Zaim Ipek I think even if it turned out that Tess was dead dead, and there was no saving her, only Myrra, Liss, or Nat could acc bring themselves to end her. Myrra cos she isn't that close to her. Liss cos she only cares about her disciples ( I define care very loosely here). And Nat cos he's able to turn off his emotions and do what needs to be done. I don't think Biscuit, though powerful can be that ruthless, at least at this point. He seems a bit young, and innocent to be able to make these kinds of decisions, but hey I could be wrong.
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Fair
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
@Krish Gupta. The anti mana ability part of black mana is just a feature, I think its main function is to amplify skills. His skills are just more powerful when powered by black mana, remember? Imagine a black mana powered "empyrean lance"...
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
well nat will have to be stronger than her or as strong as her. His pride demands that he be able to do whatever he wants and not be forced into making choices he doesn't want to have to make, and he can only do so if he is strong enough to not be messed with.
Rocotrap
I feel the headaches... the withdrawal... ugh I need my fix
RingoSeto
ok it's official.... we love you cerim
blimko
Day 2 of the long break. It has been many moons since I last read a new chapter... I've had to reread old chapters like some kind of starving animal... it is not enough...
C Smith
Dude it going to be the angry kittens flying volcanic Mt range. With biscuits face carved into it, duh. Come on
C Smith
God dam crack dealer. What am I going to do for a week.
J W
Interesting thought. I could actually see tess agreeing to this if liss gave her something worthwhile. Mainly, because she knows the group holds nat back too often.
Val the mysterious Jedi
You miss the point of her character, she is the Pinnacle of strength, she earned the title that old monster, if ever nat surpasses her than he would have lost a lot of people, lassandra literally lost everyone she knew but ruby
Blooper
I can totally see Liss participating and actively trying to make it harder for Nat. She is not stupid to think he can steamroll her of course, but she sure can make him sweat blood and tears trying his best.
Chopper
I would like to point out that the eye socket is called such because it is a socket of thick bone with only a tiny hole in it for the optic nerve to pass through.
Cnote
Wish I could pin this 📌
Octaeon
Oh, I hate Lissandra so much. These kinds of people are the fvcking worst. I will enjoy the day when Nathaniel is stronger than her, if only to see her worldview shattered.
Jason Brodman
Fucking phenomenal. Thank you!
Val the mysterious Jedi
Take everything not bolted down 😁
Midy
I love Mama Gwyn ! Go empty Colonel Jake Lane's pockets !
Superd
Best news I have heard all year long
Reps A
This might be one of the few times I call you a troll Cerim for that cliffhanger and I want MOAR! T-T
Jughead
The end of a book in a serialized story, where the fate of a key character is uncertain and mostly unexpected, causing tension, isn’t a cliffhanger?
Dual.
tftc! I wish I could time skip a week forward, the cliff is a tragedy, at least we got a heads up
Val the mysterious Jedi
Cliffhanger means to leave an audience in suspense, that is literally how the book ends, we want more
J W
What's the over/under on the beyonder coming to the tournament?
PoeticSaint
My thoughts exactly! Like here, take my money!
PoeticSaint
HOLY!!!! "Obliterate your enemies." Was already epic, but the fact that King Pride just states: "Consider it done." I never knew getting chills could be this orgasmic!!! Tftc! Now come the shakes as I wait.....
CJ Tamberella
Tftc! Cant wait to see how our mc rolls this tournament. Lol.
Zaim İpek
This is not a cliffhanger. Please stop misusing the term.
Zaim İpek
This is not a cliffhanger. Please stop misusing the phrase.
Zaim İpek
@Meowgrr I actually think you might be right. It's possible Biscuit could learn to use his ability delicately and precisely enough to eat the mimic from inside her body without harming Tess too seriously. Biscuit has always had a talent for very fine control of his abilities, so I think it's possible.
Zaim İpek
. . . She would already be dead. Did you not read the previous chapters? The mimic kills the host when it takes over.
Zaim İpek
Mimics are just that good, especially the high rank mimics.
Zaim İpek
This is not a cliffhanger. The chapter had a solid conclusion. Please stop the trend of misusing this term.
Max
Tftc!! Ending with this big chapter and then the Tournament Cliffhanger... Everything about to happen soon
Joshua McKinley
I'm worried about Tess, but that is a long term problem. I NEED to meet Victoria ASAP.
Moon Winchester
Who fucking called me? I fucking called the mimic situation. I didn’t think test because I can tell cerim is now attached a group for and doesn’t really want many of them to die. And my original theory was one of them dying because of a full mimic takeover, but I would understand if it being impossible because of system restrictions.
Johnny
Holy shit dude
Claro reyes
This is the worst cliffhanger ever. Is there another tier I can subscribe that takes me to the end of the tournament? Lol
Claro reyes
They'll probably make an island in the middle of the ocean and call it Angry kitten kingdom or something.
anonymous patreon
yup, the story will continue even after the tutorial. under the same name, under the same series
Joel
I am always excited to think about what will happen once the tutorial ends and the gang is back on earth
Jonathan Nading
MVP-grade work.
Alan Robinson
I can't wait for our MC to style upon some people.
Mr.Sir
Ty ^_^
Vladimir Khorikov
He mentioned some years ago that he will continue the story
Mr.Sir
Wait cerim I’m sure you wont see this but after the “tutorial” part of this story ends will you continue it or will you stop production? And if you do continue it will it stay under the name of “hell difficulty tutorial” or will it be a separate series under a different name?
Kirin
Thank you for the chappie! Have an honestly FANTASTIC and relaxing break!
Krish Gupta
Black mana wouldn't be particularly effective against Jean since it's primarily an anti mana ability. At best Nat would get the accelerated perception, and that's not worth the cost of using black mana.
Meowgrr
As the most powerful of the Absolutes, he shouldn't have to kill her to handle it!
Meowgrr
Biscuit needs to take Lissandra down a notch, establish the true puppy order here.
Meowgrr
The hardest thing to understand is how it could be Tess, arguably the person with the best perception in Group 4.
Student of Asacoco University
But of an asshole that reveal was. Welp at least we’ll see Nathaniel forced into socializing
Borbino the great
I mean I think everyone in beyond has a pretty big ego you kinda have to to think you have a chance of living through it
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Ohh. Purity meaning she can’t be infected. That’s Defo a possibility
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Is that the author of “Absolute Choice”? Ha
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
I don’t think Biscuit would ever kill Tess, mimic or no
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Was anyone thinking that? Lol. Maybe that other tournament winner in beyond (not Jean)
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Did you say “barely”? Dude obliterated Jean without black mana…
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Hahaha. Thanks for this. Imma screenshot this
Sam Denny
Thanks for the chapter and take your well deserved break and recharge as much as you need. Love your story
Poutine Au Syrop d'érable
Maybe Liss just called him that, but it might actually be true! Maybe that's what Biscuit put on Nat.
Orion
Peak i will be patiently tweaking for more
Brendin Olsen
For the quality here, a week is nothing, also who else had a jump in heart rate after the first mimic announcement
Stephen E Wilson Jr.
It could be a trick. Tess just got threatened or gifted a boon by Liss.
J W
Right you are
J W
GRRM vibes
Sloth
They’re worrying for nothing. Why would she need Liss’ help when she already has the greatest absolute in the universe to help her?
anonymous patreon
the story will continue even after the tutorial! with the same name and under the same series
Sloth
Liss probably hid it?
Sloth
Didn’t it say earlier in the series that you wouldn’t be able to skip the 2nd tournament? I thought it was meant to force the beyond guy into going. Either way, this chapter was awesome
Woojoe
Oh and thanks for the GREAT story!
Woojoe
Was curious what Nat’s skills were at the start of the tournament, so I attempted to compile them. Let me know if I’ve made a mistake: Focus - 62 (Ch. 548) Perception - 58 (Ch. 540) Redistribution- 59 (Ch. 548) Mana Domain (Pride) - 59 (Ch. 540) Mana Crown - 52 (Ch. 525) Mana Manipulation - 63 (Ch. 540) Ley Line - 48 (Ch. 548) Knitting - 29 (Ch. 548) Eclipse - 23 (Ch. 548) Empyrean Lance - 14 (Ch. 537) Total Skill Levels - 467 Level 305 (Ch. 537)
Jonathan Nading
Pletter, which book was this in again? 3?
Jonathan Nading
Bro, one author I know of took 15 years lol we can eat a week
Bob
A break of just a week? With the quality chapters you are producing you could take more! But with such cliffhanger not a day more !
Edmund Dillon
This is an incredible ending, I can't wait for next week, thanks again for the chapter! Reading these always brightens my mornings🖤
Flippu
HOW? The whole group stayed in that cube to get vetted, how did Tess pick up a mimic after that? During the short time window between release and travel to the valley? Feels fishy
Ansordia
Fuck me... Now I have to reread everything since the escape and realize where this was even hinted at... Probably when only Tess and Sophie were awake Sophie probably was a weakling and microslept then Tess was infected... I wonder what is stoping the mimic... 🤔 Maybe lissandra made a trap inside Tess but wouldn't that be cruel... Also if Nat needs to dominate the events I think Lissandra can't participate... Because that wouldn't be fair xD I hope we get a Tess POV in the next chappy or atleast sometime BEFORE they return to her.
Achis74
Take care corgi man
Sail
Take care of yourself man, I can barely contain my excitement for book 7.
AzorAhai
great great great ending. this is exactly what I was waiting for, Ik Nat has been working hard but I still think he can do more, especially considering that beyond guy if he wants by any chance to compete with him, he needs to change his ways especially since he can barely beat those top contenders of the other rounds. but I hope the author doesn't nerf the other contenders just so Nat could obliterate them, I wanna see his progress when he's pushed this far in skill levels especially.
TBONEMAN
I bet biscuit is going to eat the mimic before they return
jax rammus
SO FUCKING GOOOOOOOD
Aoth the Arcane
Brutal good ending
Andrew
Thank you!
Wulvenclave
You’re thinking of blackie, who’s Sophie’s bond not Tess’
Borbino the great
Yeah rip to the rest of the tournament I can’t wait to see how he just beats the hell out of people who thought they where at his level just a short while ago
3legia
Don’t worry, I was kidding! Thanks though
mitchell kaiser
It’s a week sorry friend
Josh
'Consider it done' goes INSANELY FUCKING HARD
Cody Suttles
You are evil for that ending and I love it!
JTP
And that's how the 2nd tournament burned down. 🔥🔥🔥.
TK Jack
A week is a lifetime away
Budgie
The Danger reports, after this tourney, on earth are gonna be a joy to read :)
CptJimmy42
What a cliff hanger before your vacation!!! Gah!!! I wish you a good time off while agonizing about waiting for your return!
Zaim İpek
We were tricked! Intentionally made to think it was Aaron, when it was Tess all along. And Biscuit obviously stayed with Tess intentionally just in case. If the mimic takes over, he wanted to be the one to kill her without anyone watching. Also, emotional support. Tess might be very distressed realizing she has a mimic. And being alone would make it worse.
J W
She already thinks he owes tess for using her as his alibi before so she might be all for the plan.
J W
Nope. She said all events. That means he has to destroy all the crafting events too.
J W
Cerim! I thought when you mentioned a break we all voted to instead imprison you in a room and have you keep writing...
J W
Maybe she came to the floor with the mimic. I've always found her "bond" to be a bit sus. The champion was sure it would take her over when he taunted nat. If it isn't a mimic then it is the worst bond if it let another being infiltrate it's host.
Tsorov
Probably not black mana, or Izzy and Sophie wouldn't be able to have bonds. Probably something our animal overlords did.
J W
I doubt she will compete. I think she only went along to prod poor nat. She let him lounge around while he played with the heart, which was way outta character for her, now she is gonna make up for that by making him destroy all the competition. Thus, making him the guy everyone hates when they return to earth. Maybe being an absolute is just the being everyone absolutely hates or fears...
Lonnie
Enjoy your week off! Not to play devils advocate, but you can take longer. One author I follow took a month after finishing their latest book. Don't burn out! I really like this story
Val the mysterious Jedi
FUCK!!! I love your writing, I almost rage quit after tess reveal but nats mom part had me smiling, still fuck, tess is one of my favorite heroine.
Jughead
The sting of this cliffhanger isn’t as bad knowing future book readers will suffer more. Have a good break!
blaw
Always was. Although Nat would peobably say that he is the future animal overlord of Earths super pet instead of the other way around.
Niclas Elmers
Well the last two chapters count as 4 I would say so it isn’t that long till the next Chapter
Zard
LissLiss wants him to be the absolute of earth np. Also what the heck, biscuit is Nat’s bond??? Such a cliff hanger lol
Sergei Hartwig
Happy Holidays! You deserved them. Kepp up that great work. Love youre books!
Profane Prince
Cerim, this is a master piece. enjoy your break. You deserve it😣
Thunderhoof
I just subbed and got caught in a break damn.
Asekhan
Oh shit, you're right! it's been a while since we've seen him that pissed, maybe he won't have time to "make shard with his shard"
RingoSeto
didn't anyone notice her calling biscuit... the future animal overlord of earth.... Nathaniels bond... like Sophie has the former champions bond well a tiny piece .... so overlord is now Nats super pet??
Arnon Parenti
There were mimics in the camp, 2 we know of in control of high tier techs and at least one champion candidate. They were also on a 3 weeks trek in the frozen wonderland. She had plenty of opportunities to get a mimic
Arnon Parenti
Poor tournament, it never saw Doomthaniel coming for it.
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
How the hell did the mimic even get to Tess? I thought they were in a protected zone? Has she been sneaking out?
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
I think time pauses for the natives because they technically are not real if there is no attendee present in the world? But since the doggo and Tess (kinda) are still there….
blaw
She might even be happy to have proof of him being strong enough so that she np longer carries the burdens that protecting him brings. Like having ro kill her father, because Nat was too normal / weak minded to finish him.
Pletter
She reminds ne of Nath when he waited for the betrayal when he was trapped by the tree. She became aggressive as soon as her children were threatened.
Ansordia
Right? So true... I fucking hate and love it at the same time that I find these stories before they are ended but also love the fact that I can still "somewhat" influence where the story is going.
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Also, this is probably the first time since with Liss training arc, that Nat is using focus on his emotions.
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Yea. I’m sure Nat can come to an understanding with his sister. Shouldn’t be that hard if there are that close. Girl literally went to jail for him lol. I’m more worried about the guy from beyond? Or even Lissandra? Like what the fuck is she even doing there?
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Declaration is such a vague skill lol. I still don’t really know what it does. But I guess, those vague skills allow for some insane stuff huh
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
Hmmm, I caught that too. That might be why he understands biscuit? I wonder if black mana is related to that, the dog’s primordial whatnot (this might be a reach) but Izzy do be sharing powers with the snake
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
She’ll understand, I’m sure
Funny guy
Danks fur da chappie! Holy shit that was fucking evil. My heart literally dropped when I read that Tess had a fucking mimic. Crazy shit man, crazy shit. And reading the Earth povs is so fun :D It would be so funny to see the world react to Roachsandra lol That said, the wait for the next chappie is gonna be excruciating >.< Have a fun break mate! You deserve it!
Sailesh Kumar Kumar
Wow I think this is going to awesome!n!!! TFTC
David McCreight
Wait does time pass on the floor during the tournament? I thought things paused, otherwise they could come back to Armageddon on certain floors. Will time pass for Tess?
Madje Tobi Marc'Avent Tchona
You are absolutely insane for this Cerim…. Oh my god, this is crazy!
Midy
Participants of the tournament can't die, and she probably has [Focus] and can't feel pain
mitchell kaiser
Cerim, for the record this was such a great chapter I’ll have to reread later. Enjoy your break. Also I hope we meet Nats sister! That’ll make everything worth it. P.s. fuck you ❤️
Twotons
Mrs gwyn is badass
CherMi
There's his sister though...
Seydi Fistikci
In my opinion, this work is, to put it bluntly, a masterpiece. I have been reading books by authors on Royal road and other sites for over 5 years now and hardly anyone has managed to keep me so enthralled for almost 2 years. I wouldn't have thought before that I would spend extra money just to be able to read several more chapters, but here I am. I definitely wouldn't have expected the surprising twist with the mimic. Really great work from the author!!! I hope he continues Hell Difficulty Tutorial for many years to come and doesn't end the book with the end of the tutorial, but continues it. Maybe after the end of the tutorial the author could cover the events on Earth and the exploration of the multiverse or the galaxy
XPDev
tftc, massive chapter, love Earth POVs, can't wait to see Nat do what Lissandra told him to
MO
Fuckkkkkkk! I just resubbed this chapter 😭
mathulu
Ahhh this was so awesome. WELL DONE 👏 I'd be literally crying if I finished this book and had to wait. Have a great holiday Cerim, thanks for the hard work!
907KIWI Icarus
First time commenting just to say I fucking hate you for creating this wonderful cliff. What an incredible story. ❤️ Enjoy your break
Michael McMahon
First of all The Moonster is hilarious. Second of all, I knew a break was coming up but it doesnt make it any easier. Stupid cliffhangers. Enjoy the break
Krzychu0304
R.I.P. mimic absolute Or rather; What mimic? *prey devoured by the true absolute of the earth, are devoured in its entirety, including the memory of them
Shawn Treants
Ugh. Damn. Just damn. Great chapter and poor Tess. Have a good break!!
anonymous patreon
Fuck you too <3
Venno
That is 100% something she’d do. Also… she called biscuit his bond………. 🤔
Tsorov
Yeah, he's just gonna eat the damn thing. And Liss said "I don't know what he is up to". I call bullshit. She just uses Tess to motivate Nat, while secretly laughting at him because she doesn't need to do jackshit.
Gwalmeich
Good thing Biscuit is safe because Cerim would not have found his vacation very safe otherwise.
Death56
Oh I can't wait
Gwalmeich
I think Tess might be able to upgrade her chastity sub-class if she survives the mimic.
Youkai-sama
Translation: You need to start ACTING like an Absolute. Make dees mu'uhfuckas "Bow down fo'e a True Pimp"!
Blooper
You know, the reason this feels like such a massive and frustrating cliff is because the story is so damn good. If we didn't enjoy it, we wouldn't care. That said, enjoy your break, cerim. And respectfully, "fuck you"!
Cam
Jeans just gonna get 1 hit by a lance on rematch😂
David McCreight
Enjoy the break Cerim! Just curious, what is your process prepping chapters for book release? Do you ever go back and change things slightly to smooth the plot?
Gio
During the previous tournament he said that he would never harm his sister
Anton
Have a good break!! :)
Subliminary
For more than half the chapter I thought we lost Tess AND Biscuit. That’s just evil man. Evil evil evil
Subliminary
He likely will anyway. Given their relationship they’d both go all out regardless I would assume
zoarian
Damn, what an ultimatum. What a quintessentially Liss move. You either shape up or your friend will die. I like that she went from poking his pride to now using his friendship as a leaver. Nat will fuck up everyone who stands in his way. I'm looking forward to him fighting to destroy his enemies vs his usual experimental and feel-good style.
James Cutter
Omg it’s so good
Dr.Awkward
Tftc! Daaaaaaamnbyou Cerim!!!! How are you going to drop such a cliffhanger!!!!!! Aaaaaaargh...... Well, I'm back to reading book 1on kindle.
im Panda
I know it was too good to be true.. To easy, tess being taken over by a mimic huh? Sounds about right, it's been too happy go lucky lately
frankie doerr
Sending all the hate from the bottom of the massive cliff you just dropped us off at enjoy your break I definitely won’t.
Daniel Playford
Thank you for the chapter, the book, and the story. Enjoy your well deserved break!
im Panda
AAAAAAHHHHH
Venno
Biscuit will get rid of the mimic before they get back anyway
3legia
Thank you for the chapter, but leaving like this is cold :( Have fun in your day off
3legia
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Catalina
*on edge of seat, rocking forwards and back in excitement*
jj
Nooooo!! Teeessssss!!! Not our dear, fearless leader!! Aaron, why didn't you sacrifice yourself for Tess, huh? Though Tess can always use Declaration and prevent the mimic from taking over. This was brutal, Cerim. 😢
Gio
1. What if Nat faces his sister? 2. Only reasob Lissandra let the mimics live so long is because she can farm more xp/levels when she eventually kills them.
RadiantSpren
Well, shit.
Belmont Igneul
Oh fuck
James Cutter
lol
Arcanised
Thanks for asking! I want chapter 550! See you after your break!
