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Chapter 529 - Beyond Quest
🕑 Added 2025-01-01 09:24:09 +0000 UTCPOV Nathaniel
There are no more stairs. Through the hallway, lit by a gentle orange glow, I pass multiple doors until I reach the one that stands open. The room beyond is shaped like a half circle, and within the wall opposite the outer curve, another door stands open, leading to a vast loggia. From there, I can see into the darkness, filled with shards of the broken moon and countless stars. There is a strange sensation in the air—so tangible it almost seems to slow me down. It’s fascinating.
The room itself is tidy, yet it’s nearly crowded with tables, crystal pillars, statues, boxes of materials, vitrines holding various items, and glass containers filled with odd liquids, along with much more.
Every wall is lined with shelves made of black wood, covering the entire surface of the wall except for the loggia’s opening. Thousands upon thousands of brilliant, pale-blue mana stones rest on these shelves, each about the size of a grape but more oval.
Near one of these shelves, I see a velnar man—the same race as the assistant called Hed. Like Hed, he is many heads taller than I am, though he appears slimmer and older than the other velnar I met. Gray hair covers his head, and a matching beard extends down to his collarbone. He is wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and similarly colored pants. The only adornments are simple silver ornaments around his collar and sleeve ends.
Sensing my presence, he turns fully to face me, and at last, I see his eyes. Parallax eyes, whatever it signifies.
They are deep black, like a night sky without a horizon, scattered with tiny, shifting lights that glimmer softly—as if the stars themselves are watching.
“I recognized that technique the moment you arrived,” he tells me in a voice that is deep, calm, and soothing.
There is a hint of curiosity within it—the sort of nearly childlike curiosity that I know all too well. He seems to possess it even at such an advanced age.
“I have mana stones with information that would greatly improve it,” he offers. “Information that will help remove the defects. It would make that technique incredibly more powerful.”
“No. Thank you.” I shake my head.
He smiles. Looking at me with those remarkable eyes, he gives a slight nod. “You seem to have understood that person’s teachings very well.”
Kyralon then gestures for me to come closer. I oblige, my gaze darting across the room at all there is to see. There’s just so much.
“I would like to ask you a question,” I say.
“Please. There is no need to be overly polite. Your…handler,” he adds, smiling with faint amusement at that word, “must have told you about my preferences.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to end up thrown out of the tower for asking too many questions.”
“That is not impossible; there has been someone like that before. While I value curiosity, I also value peace from needless irritation. So, let us strike a balance: for every one hundred questions I pose to you, you may ask me a single question in return.”
“I think that’s a good deal for me, so I’ll take it,” I answer promptly.
“In that case, I want to restate my rules. I’m sure your handler told you, but I prefer to repeat them so there is absolutely no misunderstanding.”
He leads me out to the balcony, where two chairs sit on either side of a small table. The tabletop is circular and made of that same black wood. A dense web of inscriptions is etched into it, with what looks like silver metal wire filling the grooves. There are also literally a myriad of the tiniest mana stones I have ever seen—each no larger than a few grains of sand, but scattered across the table in a careful pattern.
“I’m listening,” I confirm.
When Kyralon gestures again, I sit in the smaller chair while he settles into his own. His large frame looms over both me and the table, which is already quite big for me but fits his proportions well.
“There is no reward for this quest,” he begins.
“Yes.”
“If you touch anything I have not allowed you to, you will die.”
“Yes.”
“If you try to identify anything I have not allowed you to, you will die.”
“Yes.”
“This next rule is new, but I think we’ve already reached an understanding: if you ask too many questions, I’ll throw you out of the tower.” He smiles.
“That would be understandable,” I confirm.
“Then there are the obvious rules—no stealing, no attacking me, and so on. The punishment is likely death, but that could vary.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Now that we’ve clarified the more severe rules, let’s continue with my request.” He straightens his clothing and looks at me. “You will keep me company for the next five days. You will answer any question I ask without lying. You can refuse to answer, but we will discuss your reluctance if it arises.”
“Yes.”
“You will also help me with certain tasks if I request it, but in exchange, I won’t make you do something that would kill you.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
“For all of that, I swear upon my life and upon my title as the Warden of Parallax Eyes to uphold an unbreakable vow of confidentiality regarding anything you share with me about yourself, your life, or your circumstances. I will not divulge it to anyone else, under any circumstances—even if my own life is threatened or the consequences of my silence are dire. That extends to direct communication, indirect suggestion, or even coded references of any kind."
"Huh, okay?" I say surprised by the change of speech, but he seems to be taking it seriously so I listen as he continues.
“I further promise that I will not use the information you provide to harm you, your family, your friends, your associates, your community, your organization, your planet—any aspect of your life, physically, emotionally, socially, or otherwise. I will not let that happen through my words, my actions, or my inaction."
He looks at me and I nod.
“No record will be made of what you share—no written documentation, no mana stones, no memory crystals, no proxies, no constructs of any kind. The information will reside solely within my personal memory, inaccessible to others. I will never repeat or transmit it by any means, magical, technological, or otherwise, and I will employ every measure to protect it from intrusion or extraction, regardless of how skilled or powerful those seeking it might be."
I nod again.
“No one else will be present, listening, or observing as I receive this information—not through surveillance, skills, mind links, or any other methods. I will not consent to any force, influence, or entity, even those I would normally trust or control, having access to this knowledge. Even if I die or am rendered incapacitated, I will not pass on this information by inheritance, legacy, or any posthumous mechanism. Should my ability to honor this vow come under threat—by external forces, incapacitation, or the unforeseen—I will sever the knowledge from my memory before I allow it to be compromised or weaponized. This is my vow, binding and absolute."
The honesty of that long declaration is confirmed to me through the system, as well as my title as a Champion candidate. It appears to be a variation of declaration—or perhaps a challenge. And I believe it.
He has taken the system itself as his witness, effectively inviting it to kill him if he breaks this oath.
Kyralon continues, “I’m not entirely shameless, so your reward will be one answered question in exchange for every hundred questions I ask you, as well as anything else you might learn or gain here.”
“I agree to all of that.”
“Perfect.” Kyralon claps his hands together with a gentle smile. His gaze does not leave me as he asks his first question: “Please, tell me the name of your planet.”
“We call it Earth. I’m not sure if it’ll get a fancy new name after joining the system, or if it’ll stay as it is.”
“Interesting. What is your planet’s population?”
“About eight billion humans, give or take.”
“How did you learn that information about the population number?”
“I heard it on TV.”
“What is TV?”
“Um, just so you know, don’t expect detailed scientific explanations from me, but I’ll try,” I give him a small warning. “TV can be of various sizes. It’s mostly a thick sheath of plastic, glass, and electronics. It changes what it displays by lighting up internal components. Speakers—stereos—vibrate to create sound, recorded or broadcast live. TV is connected to a planetary network that allows people to share information.”
“Very interesting. Who manufactures it? What are electronics? What do you mean by lighting up lights? Who makes these recordings? And what is that network? Also, how do most people live—cities, villages, or settlements? How large are they? Why do you share information?”
He punctuates each question with genuine enthusiasm, his immense frame leaning in while those Parallax eyes remain fixed on me.
I can feel my energy drain at such a barrage of questions, but I press on. The reward is simply too intriguing. I recall that he will answer my single question after one hundred of his, and the information he might reveal will likely not be censored by the system. And, after all, he’s an Absolute—someone even my handler said is among the oldest.
“Usually, companies make it. Honestly, it’s some kind of molten rock, I think, and they run electricity through it to create certain effects. Look, like I said, I didn’t pay too much attention in school, and it’s not really my strong point. By ‘lighting up lights,’ I’m guessing there are LEDs or pixels—maybe something more advanced nowadays. I know that in the past, TV used to rely on red, blue, and green lights, and by adjusting how they lit up, different colors could be displayed. As for who records the content, mostly companies again, but sometimes it’s done live, too—it’s complicated. We have massive cities with millions of people, and I think the biggest city has around forty million. But we also have small villages of only a few dozen. We share that information because people are willing to pay for it.”
I let out a short breath, unsatisfied by my explanation, but it doesn’t deter the curious Absolute before me.
“Such a civilization is not uncommon in the system,” he notes seriously. “Tell me more about these companies. Tell me what you think of this ‘electricity.’ Tell me more about the schools you spoke of. How do you know they used red, green, and blue diodes—did you learn that in school, or elsewhere? Who gathers such information, and how is it stored? You sound less than fond of these ‘companies.’ Why is that? What is the currency of your planet? How is your world governed, and what system do you use?”
So, I begin answering again, carefully keeping track of the number of questions.
I do my best to be thorough—partly because I want him to answer me in kind, and partly because, strangely, I find this entertaining. He’s asking questions about things I’ve known for years but never really thought about deeply.
At last, when I finish answering the one-hundredth question, I look him in the eye. “That was one hundred.”
Kyralon nods. “Indeed. Please, go ahead and ask yours.”
“You said you recognized the technique I’m using. Tell me about the person who created it.”
He smiles and nods approvingly, as though verifying something about me. Then he reaches for a small pouch on his belt—just large enough for him to slip two fingers inside.
The pouch is simple, crafted from a white leather I don’t recognize, worn with age, and fastened by a red cord woven from several threads of the same color. There is a single pattern upon the leather: a faint black silhouette of an open hand.
Kyralon withdraws two glasses from the pouch—one that is huge by my standards and another smaller, meant for me—followed by a bottle of pale-blue liquid that seems to sparkle. The bottle alone is far too large to fit into that pouch under normal logic.
He notices my eyes lingering on the pouch and asks teasingly, “Have you already settled on your next question for another set of one hundred answers?”
I nod, earning an amused look. After pouring drinks for us both, he takes a long sip before speaking.
“Lissandra Hawthorne, the first and only Absolute of Eladore. She lived so long ago that only a handful of the fourteen Rulers remember her personally, with just a few more Absolutes and other beings. She left her planet after it fell to internal strife, along with the lone survivor—her disciple, Absolute Candidate Ruby, whose surname is unknown, likely due to her upbringing as an orphan. Those who still remember Lissandra Hawthorne call her by various names: Eladore’s Shadow, The Absolute, but most often, The Ancient Monster. She and her disciple are remembered for going on a rampage and killing the Ruler of Greed, the Ruler of Humility, and the Ruler of Wrath before Lissandra Hawthorne finally perished during her challenge of the Ruler of Pride.”
He finishes that statement and looks at me as if gauging whether I consider my question answered.
Though I want to learn more—much more—I hold back my curiosity. Given how generous he’s been in his responses, I interpret it as a sign of goodwill on his part.
After all, we have plenty of time left. There will be more opportunities to ask.
***
Comments
Val the mysterious Jedi
More like roachsandra is Yoda to nats obiwan
Belmont Igneul
Oh my questions are finally being answered 200 years later, I’m thriving
xerebz
No, that was referring to the 5th floor absolute, Tassian. Chapter 324, “Our previous Absolute gave up his title and passed it to Tassian without even trying to defend it. That's how powerful Tassian was even as a Champion.”
Yair Ron
So. The one who finally managed to kill Lyssandra is the Ruler of Pride. Nat wants to transcend Lyssandra. Nat is Pride. hmmm
mistermerf
That guarantee! Great stuff. I also notice that Kyralon's summary differs from Lissandra's. "First and only Absolute" versus, as I recall, an Absolute that she said stepped down for her. Perhaps I misremember.
Pletter
Most likely known information to Nat since the community should have spoken about it already. You are allowed to say what floor you are on.
Zaim İpek
Give Nat a few thousand years. He'll get there. His personality and approach to life is almost identical to Lissandra, he just isn't as smart and naturally talented as her. . . . basically the same situation with his sister Victoria. But even if it takes Nat longer to get there because he isn't as naturally smart and talented, he will inevitably get there by effort and determination. Lissandra serves a narrative purpose in giving the reader something to look forward to and anticipate for what Nat can become one day. It makes the more boring parts of his development interesting because we can see where the road leads and how much he is progressing on the path. If we didn't have a clear vision of his development, some parts might feel aimless or pointless. So Lissandra needs to be as awesome and badass as possible so that we can expect and anticipate the same for Nat even in moments when he is getting his ass handed to him by characters like Sarabeth (I think that was her name) because we know that he is learning from Lissandra and will be like her one day. Maybe he will be the second person to completely escape the system and become independent from it, and that's finally when Lissandra call him an Absolute just for fun, because the title no longer means anything when one is beyond the system. And then they fight, (obviously) and even if he wins or loses, it won't matter at that point for either of them, because they will be truly free and beyond all limitations. That's my own personal vision for the grand finalé of this story.
Jughead
I love pride slander
Kirin
Thank you for the chappie! Wow… we’re actually getting more than a breadth information? We’re so spoiled. :3
Lonnie
I finally figured out why I like Liss so much! She reminds me of Eithan/Ozriel from Cradle. Supremely OP but takes disciples/proteges due to boredom and to see how far they can raise them. I swear if Cerim sneaks in a comment from Liss that Nats hair lack volume and definition, I will absolutely lose my shit! Especially if it's while Nat's going through a portal. On a side note, dimensional storage!! Yayyyy! That sets up the sack full of arms. Perfect!
Zaim İpek
All this talk about rulers and absolutes. . . and the current ruler of gluttony doesn't even realize their replacement is coming sooner than they think. I think once Biscuit takes the gluttony throne, he will be the last Ruler of Gluttony because nobody will be able to dethrone him. He'll just eat them.
Zaim İpek
Pride just had some plastic surgery, and doesn't want anyone to know how ugly they used to be.
Zaim İpek
I think that's literally what is happening now with Myrra. The only real options are Ant, Myrra, and healer dude. My money is on Myrra After super Ant took over the tree and used it to destroy the Lynthari capital along with Eris, Myrra goes on a journey of grief, mourning, depression, and self discovery as she travels around the planet on her own somewhat hoping something kills her along the way and also just taking out her emotions on anything that crosses her path. Eventually she grows strong enough that just like Simba returning to the pride lands to take the throne from Scar and enact vengeance for his father's murder, she returns to take vengeance for her grandmother. That's my head-canon.
Sean
It feels like Lissandra is the main character sometimes just because she's such a cool character. It's like she overshadows Nat by just being a complete bad ass. I really like that though. Nathaniel's cool, but Lissandra is like the epitome of a power fantasy protagonist and I love those when they're done well.
Sir Supports Alot
I suspect some people aren't realizing what's going on, Lissandra was not a first generation, she didn't have the ability to design her class as she saw fit, and still killed multiple rulers, using the knowledge she has now before even getting her primary class. Who knows how much stronger this copy will be compared to the original
Rocotrap
I actually think she was depressed bc she was suspecting something was up with her world but couldn't put her finger on it
Gio
Ruby/Greed is the one that came up with the idea that every floor had to be a formative moment of a ruler's past. But that might all have been an ulterior motive to resurrect Lissandra. And I think Pride is the one that does not have a floor. Probably because such a thing would harm his pride in some way.
RingoSeto
best second wife to the soon to be ruler of wrath lily
RingoSeto
i knew she had to have died
James Cutter
Happy New Years! I NEED MORE!!!! This is genuinely an amazing story tysm.
Krzychu0304
It's been said that Liss was so powerful that when she went into a rage and began a crusade against the rulers, she killed 3 of them before eventually succumbing to Pride. With the unspecified involvement of the other rulers. It's also been said that this is such an ancient story that few remember it, including most of the current rulers. Which leads to the rather obvious conclusion that Envy remembers the original Lissandra, perhaps fought her alone and lost but somehow survived, or aided the other rulers in a more indirect way. And Envy, being, well, envy, envied Liss's power, so he went after her clone like a dog on a piece of meat the first chance he got. PS what's wrong with my conspiracy theories?
Jughead
I wonder if Liss going through the floors and picking up or killing off future rulers before they can be. That would such a petty F U. “I picked up a younger, weaker version of you trained them to be better than you could ever be”
Rylee Richter
Gotta be the women talking to his disciple right
TBONEMAN
She probably modified her body because Nat made fun of her
Ananiash
You're not very smart, she is a Gilf, your statement does not even make sense
Ananiash
That's obvious... she is now young... do you have gold fish brain or smth?
Death56
They never said ruby died only lissandra so I guess ruby Is the ruler of that floor and the ruler taking a interest in nat may be ruby
Ananiash
Bad theories and there is nothing about envy in this chap
Krzychu0304
And some suspect Pride, since that most closely fits the archetype of this ruler.
Krzychu0304
Maybe one of my conspiracy theories has been debunked (that Lissandra is the ruler of the pride)... But I have plenty of conspiracy theories, for example: Since we already have confirmation that Liss's first student became the ruler, I conclude that the other two have enough potential to become the ruler + the ruler of the pride was marked with the nat's goal. I also conclude that since Myrra's clone has the potential to become the ruler, the original most likely became the ruler from the 4th floor and I guess it's about Kindness. PS it's really cool that the relationship between Liss and Envy was explained.
Zaim İpek
That's even more badass than I thought. Killing three rulers is crazy. I assumed she just challenged the Ruler of Pride and failed. I didn't expect that she killed three rulers before that. I think there will be some interesting people waiting on Earth for the moment Lissandra escapes to ambush her before she can get any stronger. There are probably some who recognize they have a target on their back unless they kill her first.
Max
Tftc!! Teasing Nat with some spacepouch/ Fake inventory bag which He wants
Max
In another chapter we already got told that there are only 13 floors because one ruler didnt Like himself on a floor
Kevin McGuire
Nice catch I forgot about that. Did we find out what ruler refused?
Arme nd
Iirc the tutorial has 13 floors since one ruler refused to participate in the tutorial system
Kevin McGuire
Welp Nat just heard how he could one up his teacher. Who wants to bet he challenges Pride just to prove he's better than she is/was. Oh and let's not forget we found out the Tutorial has 14 floors since each floor has a Ruler's origin on it.
CptJimmy42
What a way to start the new year, with new information and a damned cliff hanger coming up tomorrow! Love your Cerim!
Moonfrost
this whole week is progressively worse cliffs, all to help us adapt and mentally prepare for the masterpiece of a cliff on Thursday that cerim has spent the last few months cooking
Michel Kommers
Love it.
Andrew
Thank you!
Funny guy
Holy fuck, tomorrow's gonna have a disgusting cliff. Shit.
Funny guy
Danks fur da chappie!
TBONEMAN
We need answers to the most important question. Was Lissandra hot?
Sailesh Kumar Kumar
TFTC
3legia
Yes, I'm dumb haha
David McCreight
Isn’t it one more day? He does Sunday-Thursday.
ZaA
Notice he called them diodes. His name might simply mean that his eyes are strange and far apart enough to see in parallax but it could also be that he wants to SEE the different angles of things. How other people interpret common information, how they see things compared to tens or hundreds or more other people and beings. Knowing the commonalities between vastly differing people as well as the biggest differences can lead to a massive amount of insight into both culture and about how things can affect efficiency among other things. Guy might just want to learn everything he can in order to try to understand existence. Hell, humans aren't even capable of understanding what existed before existence as we know it. What existed before the big bang? How can there be nothing? How can something come from nothing? Etc. there are theories but even in those theories we have no clue how to even begin to actually understand them. Could be the same for most or all sentient species
Ford Engstrom
Oh man, it sucked running out of chapter this time. It had me focused up pretty hard. Can't tell if I recognize this guy's name or what's up with parallax eyes. Mostly I wonder about the why, is it new planets undergoing integration generally or is it Earth specifically that he's got an interest in. He'll probably switch up the questions bc the plot must flow but I could have read another chapter's worth of that dialogue. Trying to get a read on the guy/questions and waiting for Nat's first q really sucked me in, looking forward to the next chapter.
Moonfrost
Greed is often described with red hair and a trait giving her yellow eye patterns, which matches up to Ruby on Floor 2. Lissandra has also referred to Ruby as "my greedy disciple" at one point.
Snowdwb
How is it implied that Ruby is greed? I missed that as well. Thanks!
jax rammus
Ruby 100% became greed
RJ
Damn Liss is a menace!
3legia
Happy new year for those who celebrate! Two more days of this before the weekly break? Nice
Tsorov
Kyralon literally said that "civilizations like that are not uncommon in the system". I don't think earth humans are the best sapients ever. Even if humans had some advantage, Earth isn't the only planet with humans. Lissandra is literally a human!
Tsorov
Probably because everybody on her planet was kinda idiotic, untalented or at least didn't strive to improve themselve. She became the strongest on the planet, probably for the challenge of it, and then everybody was like: let's just stop trying.
Gosia & Peter Stawiarski
My Milf fetish is triggered by Lissgilla's past. Can't wait for her Age of Abolutysm...
Asekhan
Remember the question she asked little kitten? I think she want to take the system down.
Asekhan
It's coming for sure, confidentiality and inaction clause makes it safe. And I'm sure he'll be curious how he met her
Dual.
Tftc
Dual.
Oh she 100 percent is, to give herself user status
Ronnel
So satisfying yet it's never enough at the same time! I also have questions!!
Rubeno
I feel like Warden takes as much pleasure from having his questions answered as from what kind of questions MC asks as it tells a lot about Nat.
Amelgar
oh... I missed that :facepalm:
Sergei Hartwig
Damn so good! Happy new Year 🎆
Jeo2134
Ruby is implied as being Greed
ShockedCorgi
It's true that in both Nat's world and our own we tend to rely upon technology. However, I feel like in Nat's world the fact that Earth's human's managed to advance and thrive so much without such a fundamental force as Mana, shows that the human's of Earth are cut from a different cloth than other sapients.
Amelgar
Hmmm... So does that make Ruby one of the Rulers?
Thunderhoof
Bruh, another cliff!
Rubeno
I feel like Earth is considered here quite mundane. Also having advanced technology before initation is not necessary a good thing. All places in tutorial Mc visits seem to be from ancient times and the more new worlds the more they seem to overly rely on what's considered by Liss "tricks" like inscriptions, tatoos etc. rather than on true mastery. Isn't it basically sign of societies used to rely on technology?
Johnny
Damnit man. Should’ve waited to read now I got no chapter when I wake up…but anyway, finally some answers! Good lookin out on all the Holiday chapters Cerim
Rubeno
I feel like she's using Hadwin's status just as a mask.
Rubeno
He can ask questions about black mana Lissandra who can go much more into the details without being limited by one question. Aside obvious questions about space ring (I love those are supremely rare. I hate how such godlike items [I mean seriously, pocket dimension that every person and their grandma seem to have in fantasy?!] are so widespread) there's few others. Frankly much better question would be regarding the Warden's specialization, how to develop mana eyes, and maybe others better. Another good question considering MC relative inexperience and assuming the Warden's goodwill would be: "Could you describe in detail what would you recommend for my development?".
Rubeno
If Lisanna is so awesome I wonder why was she so depressed first time we have seen her. Cosmos was quite literally open for her considering her strengh. Also I feel like she will be future obstacle for MC to overcome as fellow Pride just as MC seems to become one for Jean.
Nerø
Imagine how flabbergasted would Kyralon be if Nat casually mentions that Liss is now currently running around killing Champions in the tutorial
Borbino the great
I think her pride demanded her be the strongest and so she wanted to stomp those who where considered that I think she just did it for the love of the game
Seijax
Those that remember her, all old monsters themselves, call her "The Absolute" with capital T. Chills. Happy new year
zoarian
Holy shit, Liss actually killed three Rulers! I don't think the rampage was caused by the destruction of her planet, it was probably something else. Unless Rulers were involved in the destruction of the real Eladore. Maybe as a proxy war? I hope Nat asks about black mana, it's been teased for so long!
Thomas Dey
So it seems Lissandra’s subclass is Pride. Or, rather, the original’s was. I wonder if she has Hadwin’s subclass now.
ShockedCorgi
I love the Nat POV, I always appreciate it when Earth is considered 'different' because of our technology.
Borbino the great
Happy new years!
