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Chapter 487 - In that guest’s favor
🕑 Added 2024-11-11 09:26:16 +0000 UTC(There are three bodyguards you should worry about. One of them isn’t here—the most powerful man in the city and someone Archon himself “caught” when that man was much younger. Archon really lucked out with that man. The remaining two will be at dinner tonight. One of them is the bodyguard of a man called Namior. He is not here yet and it's likely he won't come. His bodyguard is a vyssari woman. She possesses primordial thermal energy, but there’s a rumor she has one more. The second bodyguard to watch out for is the man next to our host.)
Sophie gestures towards the gazebo where people are standing in a small circle, drinking from glasses. Each of these people has a presence that makes them stand out from the other groups.
Mostly, the woman with pastel pink skin and pink hair. Her eyes are a mix of blue and pink colors, seemingly moving like waves slowly crashing onto each other. Her face and skin are adorned with blindingly white dots reminiscent of freckles. She is wearing a pale green dress with similar white dots adorning it. Surprisingly, it doesn’t look as strange as I would think. Her pink skin and hair are of a pleasant pastel color, which complements it well.
Other than all of that, there is one more noticeable thing on her: a ring on the pointer finger of her right hand. The ring seems to be made of white light, constantly shivering and slightly changing its shape.
[Waveshaper - lvl 265]
Behind her stands a man. He is tall and handsome, wearing gray and white suit-style clothes. He has brown hair and a short well-kept beard. His eyes never stop scanning his surroundings.
[Breaker Sentinel - lvl 251]
Over his head floats a crown. It’s bigger than mine, and the design is different as well. The crown is transparent, and some transparent energy seems to swirl inside.
Sophie’s voice takes on a different tone. (The man with the crown serves as mutually assured destruction. They say his crown is either [Impact Crown], [Shock Crown], or [Momentum Crown]. The energy stored in it is enough to blow up the entire city ten times over, and his life is connected to the woman he protects.)
(Another man Archon picked up and later gifted to his daughter?)
(Yes. People say that after storing energy in that crown for so long, the man is incapable of using it normally, which reduces his capabilities. But it doesn't matter, the moment he tries to use that crown he will die, and the crown will release all of the stored energy.)
(That’s quite disappointing. You would expect some skill from such a guy. His level is also somewhat lacking.)
(My guess is that he was always supposed to serve as a threat so the Archon didn't bother "raising him". But let’s greet one of the more powerful mind mages; I want to see her face. She is one of Beatrice’s puppets and really didn’t like it when I got invited to Framework maintenance.)
“Pyke, you can go for now. Greet people and collect as much information as you can. You are allowed to use my name a bit for reassurances,” Sophie says out loud.
The second assistant just bows and heads towards a similar group of people, and Sophie moves towards the smaller circle of well dressed people. All combinations of human, thylarin and vyssari. I follow behind her, observing how many people turn their eyes to my crown or if anyone notices the sword on my waist.
So far, most people check the crown, but barely anyone does so with the sword. Just a few are curious why I would carry such a “sealed” and weak-feeling weapon with me.
Especially that pink woman’s bodyguard, who seems to be more curious about it and observes it longer than anyone else.
Sophie joins the circle with a big fake smile and greets everyone, starting with Beatrice’s puppet, to whom she even bows gently.
“So, you did have some people outside of the city, Sophie, my dear,” the woman smiles as fakely as Sophie did before. As she does so I notice Beatrice glancing our way. The blue and pink colors swirling in her eyes. The white freckles on her skin and face seem even more interesting. Their shape is a bit spiky.
“You could say that, Lady Kehsi. Nathaniel is someone I have shared a path with for a long time.”
“He seems indeed useful, especially his defenses… impressive.”
“It’s an arcane passive,” I join the conversation, not minding the looks I get for that. “I have it for when some cunts try to mess with my mind.”
Silence fills the room, and several expressions seem to ask if they heard right.
Sophie doesn’t say anything to stop me, but I can almost feel her amusement through our link as she watches the expressions of this small circle.
After a brief shock, Kehsi smiles, that smile even more fake but with a hint of interest and danger. "How rare it is," she begins, her tone both amused and cutting, "to encounter someone with such audacious disregard for propriety. I can hardly recall the last time anyone displayed such... impertinent candor. Perhaps I’ve grown accustomed to the practiced reverence of those who know their place." Her eyes gleam with a flicker of something unreadable. "Tell me, is this insolence your nature, or merely a fleeting lapse in judgment?”
I shrug. “I don’t even know what half of these words mean. But I know that this man tried to get into my mind three times in a really nasty way. Then, when he failed, he tried to sneakily etch some orders into me.” I point at him. “I already remembered his mana signature and will find where he lives very soon. Then there’s that woman to your left who keeps trying to mess with my connection to my crown to make it explode when I fall asleep or something. Baldie in the corner tried to leave some tracking on Sophie, so I left my own mark on him.”
Kehsi raises an eyebrow, her smile widening, as though my words amuse her in some darkly satisfying way. "So, beneath that coarse exterior lies a vigilance I hadn’t anticipated," she replies. "You speak as though you understand the delicate intricacies of our world. And yet, here you are—bold, undeterred, and seemingly indifferent to the dangers such accusations carry."
Leaning in slightly, she lowers her voice, each word dripping with condescension yet laced with curiosity. "Tell me, do you truly grasp the consequences of such… insolence? Or are you merely testing the patience of those who could end such audacious endeavors with a mere whisper?"
I keep my tone flat. “I don’t care much for the ‘delicate intricacies’.”
Kehsi’s fake smile widens. “So, you mean to say you don’t understand—or simply don’t care about—the consequences of your actions here?” Her voice is almost mocking, like she’s daring me to slip up.
“Guess you’ll find out.”
For a moment, there’s silence. She tilts her head, almost intrigued, before finally speaking. “Bold words for someone standing alone,” she says, but her gaze shifts briefly to Sophie. “I’ll remember this… boldness. Let’s see if it lasts.”
Sophie just gives her a big smile and a short nod, after which the woman leaves, closely followed by her bodyguard.
The man I threatened to mark does the same and two more who tried the mess with us the most.
(These people would be amazing at playing villainous nobles in TV shows,) I note.
(Pff, more than you would think. Now watch how the others will react.)
I do as I am asked, and the rest of the circle, that had treated the departed duo so nicely before, now starts talking to Sophie. They praise her, they praise me, and they immediately trash-talk the ones who left.
Such shamelessness amazes me, but it becomes too much, so I let Sophie deal with it while I filter it out. My eyes move across the garden to some sort of mana-based fireworks that occasionally explode in the sky, creating beautiful shapes. Sometimes it’s a mystical animal, sometimes ornaments.
I think I should be capable of creating something similar, and the longer I watch it, the less difficult it seems.
Then my eyes slide to my right, meeting the gaze of the bodyguard with that transparent crown over his head.
His cold eyes meet mine, then he glances at my crown before looking away. After a while, he whispers something into Beatrice’s ear, and she nods in agreement. Both of them walk towards a different group of people.
(Not going to talk with that Beatrice woman?)
Sophie continues talking with these bootlickers but spares some of her attention and answers. (We mostly avoid each other, and until I’m sure we can deal with her bodyguard, I would prefer it to stay that way for now.)
(Sounds reasonable. Any idea what race she is? I haven’t seen anyone like her, even in Beyond so far.)
(She and her father are the only ones of that race I’ve met, and as you can imagine, they aren’t eager to share details.) She also looks towards Beatrice for a moment and sighs in my mind. (You would imagine her looking silly if someone told you there’s a person with pink hair and skin, but she is so beautiful.)
(Freckles like white dots do a lot of heavy lifting, along with those weird eyes. By the way, I think I should be able to take care of that bomb guy.)
(...Are you sure?)
(How can I be sure in this tutorial? In the worst case, I can teleport us all out.)
(That would destroy the Framework, so how about we leave it for later?)
(You keep mentioning the Framework, but isn’t it here for quite a long time without any success?)
(Yes, but I’m sure you’d also prefer if we do it on our "own" instead of freeing a being that could squish us like bugs.)
(If you put it that way… it makes me curious how the others will clear the floor.)
(As far as I know, no Hell group has cleared the 6th floor yet, so it seems to be one of the longest ones.)
(Theoretically, you could spend years on each floor. There might be people stuck on the 3rd, unable to finish off the saint, or who decided to spend the rest of the tutorial on the 4th. By the way, your shadow is creepy.)
(So you have noticed.)
(Right away.)
(I’ll tell you more later; I need to concentrate now and try to take over one of the mind mages.)
(Sure, good luck.)
With that, I disconnect from the conversation. While keeping an eye on Sophie, I continue to examine the bodyguards, leaving the mind mages to her.
The constant barrage of attempts at manipulation is extremely irritating, but I can control myself and hold it back, my eyes ticking between attendees I consider interesting.
Weird crown guy is the most interesting one. Low level and who knows how long he has been storing stuff in that crown. Then there’s some weird guy with two slim swords that seem to vibrate constantly at low frequency. A thylarin with a ring made of fire, a vyssari with a mantle made of ice.
Six months ago, I might have been cautious around them, but now they feel weak—far too weak. With all my training and breakthroughs, I could take them all on at once.
Even down in the mines, I didn’t get a chance to use my full strength because of the situation and that cursed weapon of mine. But I can be patient when I choose. I’m sure soon enough I’ll be able to go all out, to test myself against someone strong, and feel the satisfaction of seeing my own progress.
I cut my thoughts short, stepping back and glancing to my left, where a woman sits with a creature perched on her shoulder—a monster resembling a crow, its eyes an irisless blue.
[Phantom Beak - lvl 241]
Damned abomination.
Sophie and some other mind mages separate from their bodyguards, moving towards higher parts of the garden, leaving us behind.
The same as with their “owners,” the bodyguards also split into groups, and I use the opportunity to reach the comfy-looking bench I saw a few minutes ago. On my way there, I take a plate from one servant and a glass of rainbow-colored drink, then plop down.
Like that I get a few minutes of relative quiet.
While I keep an eye on Sophie in the distance, a woman comes closer and sits next to me. She is dressed like the other servants but seems very different in the way she holds herself and smiles.
She looks very ordinary—the kind of person you’d pass by without a second glance, neither beautiful nor plain, weak nor powerful. Just perfectly average. But the way she looks at me is anything but ordinary, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
Hello, Nathaniel,” she says, her smile carrying an unsettling warmth. “I hope you don’t mind me speaking to you like this.”
There’s a brief pause before blood begins to trickle from her nose. She dabs it away with the edge of her white sleeve, almost amused. “This body… it’s proving more fragile than I anticipated. I’m no expert at this sort of interference, so we’ve only got a few minutes before it wears out.”
“Okay?”
She raises an eyebrow, giving a faint, knowing smile. “So rude. I would’ve thought you’d remember me, but I suppose that’s too much to ask; the version you knew was very… unlike this.” Her expression softens, almost fond. "Simply put, I'm also one of those who helped make that challenge possible—and, indirectly, allowed that guest to settle in your mind."
“I still don’t get what you mean, but you’re giving me the same feeling I got from that Envy dickhead. Are you one of the Rulers?”
She is nodding in a way that feels strangely genuine. “Envy can be a bit much, can’t he? This time, he managed to pull a fast one on both me and Greed. Greed only wanted a light touch of interference, and Envy lent a hand. But in the end, the system twisted things just enough to work more in that guest’s favor.”
“Are you restricted in what you can say, or do you just like being mysterious?”
“Maybe a little of both? I have to admit, I’m glad I took an interest in this particular run of the tutorial. You’re all so unexpectedly delightful! Your sister especially—she’s got a rare spark. And that man in Beyond… he’s a treasure, so strange and fascinating. But I can see you’re eager for more. Greed likes a more hands-off approach, but I think it will be much more kind to give you at least some information.”
She leans in closer, gesturing for me to do the same as blood trails from her nose again. One of her eyes bulges, then bursts, spraying my face with blood. Her neck jerks, twisting unnaturally.
Yet she continues in a whisper, her voice now rough and rasping. “If you’re not careful, your guest might begin weaving his memories into yours, slowly replacing you. It’s possible he’s already started. That’s how the system decided to handle this little challenge, much to Envy’s satisfaction. Greed should have known the system wouldn’t take kindly to our interference—or maybe she did.”
She pauses, a strange look passing over her face. “It seems my time has run out. Until next time, Nathaniel...”
With that, her body contorts sharply, limbs twisting at unnatural angles as the sickening crack of snapping bones echoes through the air. Her face twists in a grotesque grimace, eyes wide but empty, as her frame collapses in on itself, her skin splitting under the strain. Her body crumples into a heap—a tangled, broken mess.
The servant’s remains lie there, twisted and lifeless, a bloody reminder of the cost of her presence, leaving an unsettling stillness in the air as if even the world itself recoiled from her departure.
Looking at it, I stand up, wipe the blood from my face, and move to a different bench to keep an eye on Sophie.
***
Comments
RingoSeto
lol snowflakes hate lots of words...
RingoSeto
could be the saint.. she set off that healing aura and went to sleep for ages.... wasn't dead sooooooo.... could be
RingoSeto
I think kindness is the saint but that would make too much sense
Funny guy
Danks fur da chappie!
Funny guy
She prolly made the npcs ignore her, plus made herself undetectable to the other player, i.e., sophie 乁( •_• )ㄏ
Ronnel
tftc!!
Krzychu0304
Saint, if I remember correctly, was brain dead, so she's one of the last people I would have suspected of becoming a ruler. Basically, I think Kindness is Myrra, because she comes across as an old friend who's disappointed that Nat didn't get to know her. And there are very few characters from the tutorial that Nat could have described as friends. And one of two that you could have suspected of having the potential to become a ruler.
Ananiash
Australia, GB, Irland and many people that use english as second language, otherwise it's snowflake behavior
Ananiash
is he tho?
Ananiash
I don't think Myrra fits kindness, maybe saintness come back to life?
Ananiash
''No Dude's obssessed with the running joke that Animal are Overlords'' they are the worst kind
Chopper
I think its odd nobody else reacted to a person turning inside out on a bench next to Nat.
Bryan Yeip
Greed and Kindness female. Diligence and Envy male. Wrath unknown?
13L00D13ANE
Kindness has been established cannonically as female. Ch 465
Zaim İpek
Not necessarily, just that he has the potential to be due to the meddling of one of the rulers. But Due to Whitey's personality and his specialty in Kinetic Energy, it's actually pretty unlikely. It doesn't really fit the story so far unless he has been acting the entire time.
Tee
I care. 😆 I Loved the fact that the first beyonder was just regular person. I detest any time manipulation of any kind. I also like the idea that people who are in different Difficulty have the option to change it. If you think you deserve or want more, then do more. No BS power. Thats one of the biggest reasons of why I like this novel very much.
Mark Bullock
Really? ...obvioualy not the rest of the world.. could u name the top 3?
Mark Bullock
I agree; i hope its apart of Cerins genious twisted imagination..!!!
Poutine Au Syrop d'érable
No Dudes obssessed with the running joke that Animal are Overlords.
Delenda23
Thx! I didn’t know that. I appreciate the knowledge 😊
Extra16
I get what your saying, but I wouldn’t be a fan of that narrative mainly cause we’ve gotten to know clone Cassandra and if the Original is alive and a ruler it feels like it really invalidates the clone and her journey to surpass the original where she might have failed which I think is a cool premise.
Jonah
you really wanted him to be a regressor or something?
Zaim İpek
This chapter is so disappointing. Turns out mystery beyonder is just a stupid regular human. Obviously not "regular", but not what I hoped. Just another talented human. Nobody cares. I hoped Biscuit was actually going to have some competition. Looks like Biscuit will be the first Absolute of Earth after all. It's nice to know the rulersare able to recognize Victoria's rare brilliance. I expect great things from her the next time she shows up in the story.
SqrlyGrly
@delanda depends on where you are. If in the US, agreed. But the rest of the world uses it like the word fuck and doesn't have the same connotation
Zaim İpek
@Daniel I guess maybe it would encourage Nathaniel to temporarily put aside other training to focus almost exclusively on Kinetic Energy so he can defeat Whitey as fast as possible. The only problem is Whitey is a really fun and interesting character, so it would make the story better to keep him around longer, preferably the entire tutorial. Getting rid of Whitey faster just means getting rid of a good story element. Hopefully it's more of a transfering him into an artificial body rather than just deleting him.
Daniel is ŁØNE
A timed trial to master KE and an epic battle to put it to the test as the final bang before whitey goes out would be a really cool and in character way to go out imo.
CptJimmy42
"Damned Rulers, I liked that bench." - Nat being forced to move seats.
Kaladorph
The bigger thing is the beyonder. Hinting how he's progressing better than nat, which won't play well when the tutorial is over. Can't see him bending a knee to anyone.
zoarian
Yeah, I agree. Nathaniel was exposed to a lot of mental manipulation techniques from Sophie, Lissandra and the broader tutorial. His Focus skill is directly related to the mind, same with the arcane passive. Like you, I struggle to imagine how a specialist like Whitey could ever beat him, even if Whitey has an advantage through being a mind construct or from the system. I'd be much cooler if Whitey was like "Fuck that mental shit, let's have another challenge. If you can beat me with kinetic energy in a year I'll disappear, and if not I'll take over". Seems more demon-like and Nat would 100% agree cause he's a pride boy. I'm still expecting Liss to resurrect him though.
TBONEMAN
Kindness is probably the guy that let people eat him.
Bryan Yeip
I was originally thinking the healer from floor 5... but seeing as Nathaniel always seems to have some kind of relationship with tension with powerful people, I'm thinking Niall from 5 is Kindness.
Dreyday
More like they’re still on the 6th floor and only had the chance to see 6 rulers so far.
Zaim İpek
😭 I don't want Whitey to be an enemy! I like Whitey! Also, what is the point if this narratively? Nat is already on a mission to defeat him as fast as possible. The only thing this changes is that Nathaniel may cheat and use his other abilities when fighting him in order to end the threat sooner. It would cost him in his kinetic skill, as he would no longer be able to learn from Whitey, but it would be worth it to preserve his mind. I hope Nat just things of it as mental training to detect and defend himself from Whitey's mental invasion. Double training for the price of one. And I don't expect Whitey to have any talent in this area, as he is a kinetic specialist.
Andrew
Thank you!
Gio
That was potentially caused by Whitey adding his memories
GeoffCel Christy
Same, I don't recall a guy giving him advice in mindscape. Unless referring to to WHITEY or the clone?
Sean
Mind stuff is always gross. Knowing that Whitey is like a Trojan horse taints all the cool shit they did.
Krzychu0304
I think the point is that we have confirmation that Nat met 3 of the 6 rulers depicted.
Krzychu0304
It has been said that the cockroach cannot imagine that its original could be offended by allowing someone to create its clone. That is why everyone assumes that the original Cassandra fell. But at the same time, this does not exclude the possibility that the cockroach belongs to a floor created by another ruler, e.g. Rubby. And the original Cassandra, offended by this fact, refused to participate in co-creating the tutorial. My conspiracy theories are mainly based on the fact that if Cerim placed Chekhov's gun somewhere, it was to use it later. And the fact that the cockroach is a copy of pride seems to me to be the best way to use the threat of the ruler, who did not participate in creating the tutorial.
RingoSeto
eat a bag of 'dicks'.... cunts is fine
Max
She raises an eyebrow, giving a faint, knowing smile. “So rude. I would’ve thought you’d remember me, but I suppose that’s too much to ask; the version you knew was very… unlike this.” So we Met kindess already, either myrra or someone from the 5 floor? Or a Monster from the First Floor which evolved ???(I would’ve thought you’d remember me, but I suppose that’s too much to ask; the version you knew was very… unlike this.)
max grok
3 out of 6? There are 14 Rulers total, no?
XPDev
oooh, well now it makes sense, doubt he'll be more of a problem than the others, Nat's too stubborn
zoarian
Nice, we've got confirmation Nat met Kindness before. Assuming he's also met Envy, that's 3 out of 6 rulers. Pretty good haul! We also have a confirmation that the System is autonomous and doesn't like interference. I think this makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, there could be a situation where each Ruler picks a candidate they want to promote and then trade support. However, the System would likely twist the rewards... It really does seem to care about fairness, in a sense that a reward must come with real risk and effort.
Krzychu0304
Probably not, Eris hit a development block, stuck at around level 280, with no potential to even become a champion.
Extra16
Yea, it wasn’t mentioned who didn’t add there floor, it being pride wouldn’t be to surprising considering there pride lol. either way I just realized two ruler copies on the same floor probably isn’t a thing since I think it was explicitly said a ruler per floor, which makes it even less likely Cassandra is pride since that was greeds floor.
Flippu
Unmentioned who fid not add
Tsorov
Didn't Pride not add a floor to the tower? Or was that someone different?
Extra16
Same, I think her initial talent evaluation was champion level, not that talent is absolute, mc being an example. But a rogue clone of an existing ruler surpassing them seems unlikely, so her being kindness seems unlikely since I don’t think author would do that since Cassandra’s goal is to surpass her failing original and Myrra seems to be doing that to.
SqrlyGrly
I know a lot of people think it's Myrra, but I'm pretty convinced it's the matriarch.
Extra16
Could it be the matriarch, Eris?
Delenda23
There are two words in the English language that white men should never, ever use. The first being ‘cunt’ and the second being so obvious it need not be spelled out.
Fovarce
Tftc
Delenda23
I’m assuming he used that word strategically?
Extra16
Right now it’s implied that Pride which I think you’re implying is cockroach never became a ruler and died or failed to become a ruler at least because if she was alive and a ruler, she would never let a copy of herself exist in the tower
Krzychu0304
My conspiracy theory is that Nat meets the future rulers, forming relationships with them, kind of like he collects Pokemon. To get more directly to your question, and to sow a little conspiracy in the process; I believe that kindness, along with pride, stayed on the 5th floor to collect the absolute's heart before the next tournament.
Krzychu0304
That feeling of satisfaction when your conspiracy theories find more evidence:) PS Hi Myrra
Michael Sramek
Whitey
Leyphelio
We just had a stag tortured into actual insanity due to centuries of agony. Death is kindness
M van Dongen
The guy giving him advice in his mindscape.
Alexikon
That is until Kindness says something along the line of "I am kind enough that you only get to experience death"
Chris Fox
What's the guest? Feel like I missed something unless this is the first it's come up.
Borbino the great
Love when Nat gets to this point on every floor where 99% of people he runs into he’s disappointed in
Dr.Awkward
Tftc, that's an unexpected twist right there...... One more layer added to the pile
Maedae
I know he hates mental manipulation but that "cunts" really came out of left field for me Also tftc
Max
Tftc !!
JTP
Well that's nicely horrifying.
Extra16
greed is Ruby right? Wonder who this ruler is?
DayWalker
Ofc, you should expect anything from the system Thanks for the chapter
Leyphelio
Kindness seems nice
Aoth the Arcane
Tftc
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