Defiance of the Fall

Zac crashed through the Merit Exchange's doors with such momentum the guards believed they were under attack. They exhaled in relief upon seeing it was just Zac rushing toward the side room holding the Faction Exchange. On his way over, Zac had already confirmed his merit had taken a great leap.

[Flamebearer of Zecia (Campaign, Inheritance (2/?)): Accumulate 500,000 Merit through Fated Flamebearer Campaign Missions within your faction. Conquer one Middle D-grade end node. Reward: Lesser Enlightenment. (1,513,389/500,000)(1/1)]

In less than 40 minutes, the quest had jumped by another 750,000 Merit, almost doubling his total progress. The only possibility was that he'd been awarded contribution when the [Centurion Spear] hit the Worldfort. But why so much? He'd already confirmed the maximum reward in early D-grade was double that of peak E-grade, meaning 250,000 contribution per instance.

Then what counted as a separate instance? Warlin mentioned the spear had taken out a whole armada and multiple installations along with the Worldfort. Not to mention all the Kan'Tanu hiding inside. If they counted as separate instances, shouldn't the merit have been much higher? Had the tower taken out two more major Kan'Tanu strongholds before running out of steam?

Was it still going?

The door of the Faction Merit room closed behind Zac, who lunged for the floating crystal like a starving beast. Ilvere wouldn't have said 'millions' if the Atwood Empire had only earned the same amount as he. Zac's heart hammered with anticipation as the blue screen popped up. However, even with his hopes high, Zac couldn't possibly have anticipated the number waiting for him.

[Faction Merit: 62,505,179/62,632,517]

A buzz filled Zac's ears, and he felt faint as he read the line over and over to confirm he wasn't dreaming. He'd expected the mission to count toward Faction Merit since capturing the fortress was part of a collective mission for the frontlines. But what was this number? Around Six million would have made sense if the System awarded Emily, Bubbur, and Galau as much merit as him and counted all that toward the Atwood Empire. This was ten times that already optimistic number.Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt

Wasn't Faction Merit capped like individual merit?

Zac's mouth opened and closed a few times before a deep clap echoed through the room. He'd slapped his cheeks before he spiraled out of control. He'd already planned on passing the exchange on his way back to the Calamity Company to turn in his quest and get the follow-up. The shocking number had thrown that matter to the back of his mind, and the good news just kept coming.

The sixty-two million Faction Merit wasn't the only surprise. Every item in the exchange had seen a significant price reduction after a new feature was added: a faction ladder. The windfall had unsurprisingly catapulted the Atwood Empire to the peak of all Early D-grade factions.

Before, the Atwood Empire probably wasn't even in the top ten thousand. If you counted Faction Merit per citizen or Battlefront, the Atwood Empire would already have been competing for the top position. However, they were ultimately a small faction, even among Early D-grade forces.

There was no lack of organizations that had spent eons growing horizontally after failing to nurture Middle Hegemons. There were also declining factions who'd been pushed down from Middle D-grade yet still had the raw numbers of a higher-grade force. Some had hundreds of billions of members across multiple planets. Even performing at 1% compared to the Atwood Empire would let them accrue Faction Merit faster.

True to form, the System cared for high performers like a loving mother while the ordinary were left to fend for themselves. Their ranking came with a flat markdown of 30% in the Faction Exchange. The second-place holder got 20%, the third 15%, and the rest of the top ten enjoyed 10%. Everyone else had to pay full price. Unfortunately, Zac didn't see the same phenomenon in his individual exchange, even if his gain should have catapulted him to the first position.

Zac had to sit down and calm his racing heart. It wasn't easy. He'd told Ilvere not to worry about the merit before hanging up, but Zac felt feverish as he began analyzing his options from every angle. Like Karz once said, they were limitless.

He'd already calculated his expenses. His breakthrough into Middle Hegemony would cost around 200,000 Merit if he purchased everything he lacked through the Limited Exchange. He could cut that number down even further by getting some of the required materials from the Alliance Treasury.

That left him with around 1,400,000 merit, enough to purchase almost any listing on the Limited Exchange. Sure, it was far from enough for the [Celestial Aperture Constellation], which cost 12,500,000, but that treasure was useless to Zac anyway.

However, 1,500,000 merit was enough to afford three of the top ten treasures. All of them were extraordinary items, with only one in stock, representing an earth-shattering opportunity. Zac doubted even the ancient treasures brought from the fortress could compare.

Zac hadn't even dared think about those items until now. Just scrounging up enough merit for his Middle D-grade breakthrough before he reached level 175 would have been a daunting task. Now, he suddenly had the capital to either get one of these items or get something similar from the Middle D-grade exchange after breaking through.

The situation with the Faction Merit was even more absurd. Upgrading a planet's energy was, by far, the most expensive item in the exchange. Even then, upgrading his two worlds would only cost around eight million after the leaderboard discount. He could even upgrade Earth to Late D-grade with almost half their merit to spare.

Seizing and relocating Peak E-grade planets from the Kan'Tanu's sector could be considered a rounding error. He could even snatch Early D-grade worlds wholesale. By the time the assimilation came around, the Atwood Empire could already have hundreds of worlds under its banner.

You only needed one Late D-grade planet and a handful of middle D-grade planets to create a proper hierarchy. Any talents discovered on the lower-grade worlds would be funneled to academies and cultivation grounds on the upper worlds, while Earth would become the Atwood Empire's holy land.

And if the rewards were this generous for activating the [Centurion Spear], what if he managed to activate the Centurion Beacon and summon the Foreign Gods? It wasn't unthinkable to turn Earth into a C-grade continent if he could have them wreak havoc on the Zurbor sector.

Zac's breath grew ragged as he envisioned a glorious future, but he quickly reined himself in. While they had the money, expanding too quickly would only bring about their own destruction. Neither he nor his subordinates were strong enough to protect such a large domain.

That wasn't just true after Earth's 100-year grace period ended. The more planets he added to his faction, the more battlefronts he'd have to defend. And if he upgraded Earth, the System would regrade it and send stronger enemies their way. His faction wasn't ready. They'd have to draw up a roadmap of sustainable growth, balancing consolidation and expansion.

Still, upgrading Earth was a priority. Middle D-grade planets didn't just come with more energy. Its spirituality would grow stronger, making it easier to communicate with the Dao. More cultivators would be born, and bottlenecks would be crossed with greater ease. It might be the difference between having 50 and 500 new Hegemons by the time he left for Ultom.

However, Zac needed to pass one checkpoint before pulling the trigger; finishing his shipyard quest. That, in turn, required him to become a Middle Hegemon. It was the last checkbox for the Atwood Empire to cross before being considered a Middle D-grade faction. At that point, he could upgrade his shipyard and planets together. With top-quality Middle D-grade Cosmic Vessels defending his Battlefront Arrays, he almost dared the Kan'Tanu to invade his empire.

There would be a hump before the first ships rolled off the production line, but that could be tided over by purchasing battlements inside the Faction Exchange. Even if the items were limited in quantity and of middling quality, they were Middle D-grade War Machines.

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Zac gradually calmed down as he drew up the outlines of a path forward. There were a lot of details and moving parts that needed to be fine-tuned, but he had capable subordinates for that. His time was better spent on cultivation.

Fate had already put him in the crosshairs of one Flamebearer, and there was no telling when the next one would crop up. At that point, Zac wouldn't have a collapsing tower, bloodline breakthroughs, or mysterious Technocrats to save him. He needed to reach a level where he didn't need to rely on gimmicks to survive encounters at that level.

The [Flamebearer of Zecia] quest was the first step in that direction, so Zac spent the next ten minutes observing blueprints for skills and his Cosmic Core. The reward for his Flamebearer quest was "Lesser Enlightenment," though there was no explanation of what lesser meant. It might be nothing, but the System could consider the partial seal impartments lesser enlightenment for all he knew.

Zac really hoped that were the case. He still had trouble pulling the gun on his finishers and pathbound skills, feeling there was room for improvement. He couldn't hold off any longer. His opponents were Middle Hegemons or greater, and E-grade skills simply didn't cut it. Zac had been aware of the problem for a while, but his fight with Yselio was the nail in the coffin. They had barely been enough to create a distraction, let alone pose an actual threat.

Originally, Zac planned to use the quest reward for at least one finisher in each class. If there were any inspiration left over, he'd try to set the foundation for transforming [Thousand Lights Chapter] into [Thousand Axes Chapter]. His experience in the Tribulation Throne had thrown a wrench in those plans. Ensuring he had a working Middle D-grade Core Blueprint took precedence.

Soon, everything was in place, and Zac infused his will into the crystal to turn in the quest. Streaks of light emerged from within and time ground to a halt. Zac found his soul inundated with the utmost clarity of Ultom. It couldn't be described in the same breath as the tainted enlightenment of the Lost Plane's lake water, reaching halfway to the illumination of a true seal.

Thousands of ideas and avenues sprouted like a field of blooming flowers, each emitting an enticing fragrance one could get lost in. With Zac's comprehensive cultivation system, issues and roadblocks were always accumulating in the back of his head, waiting for an epiphany to break the stalemate.

Zac dispersed all distracting thoughts as he focused on his Cosmic Core. It only took a glance for the secrets of the inexplicable alterations to be laid bare before him. Compared to the old pathways, it was like looking at two routes to a destination. Both would take him where he needed to go, but his old pathing now felt like a circuitous route taking rural roads. The changes hadn't turned his core into an expressway, but their road was mostly straight.

Mapping out the necessary alterations for his Middle D-grade blueprint came so easily and effortlessly Zac was almost dragged out of the epiphany. It didn't take the enlightenment of an Eternal Heritage to figure out why—the Tribulation Throne's realignment and the light in his Soul Aperture shared a common origin.

He should have realized that Ultom's light was related to the Four Laws and the One Destiny. They were pinnacle truths despite lacking even a shred of Dao. Most likely, the laws were static, remaining the same across the Eras, which explained why the insights of such an ancient heritage worked without issue in the present.

More than two-thirds of the light remained in Zac's Soul Aperture by the time he'd memorized his new blueprint. Zac kept going, moving to the next item on the docket. His internal gaze moved toward [Arcadia's Judgment], but it suddenly stopped at a skill that had fallen long since into disuse—[Conformation of Supremacy].

There was nothing wrong with the skill. It was among the best skills he'd gotten from outside sources. It was also very flexible, providing different benefits depending on what avatar Zac picked. The skill's issue lay in the simple fact that it filled the same role as [Evolutionary Edge], and he couldn't use both simultaneously.

After he formalized his path and combat style inside the Orom World, it simply didn't make much sense to use [Conformation of Supremacy]. The other harmonized with his technique and Daos far better. But what if he didn't need to choose between one or the other?

What type of ability did his Draugr side have that Evolutionary Precursor lacked? A skill like [Arbiter of the Abyss]. What if instead of transforming his attacks with aspects of supremacy, he instead transforms himself? Like his Evolutionary Stance, he would become everchanging and unpredictable as he evolved during a battle.

A new road opened up before Zac's eyes, and he eagerly followed it to the end. Everything superfluous was shed while the essence was expanded and aligned with his path. A beautiful web of possibility quickly took form, and Zac had to resist an almost unstoppable desire to immediately turn theory into reality. Instead, he memorized the reborn Skill Fractal before moving on to the original target.

[Arcadia's Judgment] packed quite a punch, but Zac felt it too unwieldy and telegraphed for battles at the D-grade. A skilled enemy would have time to figure out a counter-attack unless he used Void Energy to trigger it. The skill's second stage was also useless when fighting in the air. The upgrade needed to be faster, more ruthless and unpredictable. Like a predator going in for the kill the moment the prey's throat was exposed.

A million ideas were born and discarded as Zac closed in on the solutions he sought, and the last motes of light dissipated just as a third skill fractal was completed. Zac opened his eyes, and a wide smile spread across his face. He would have considered the epiphany a success so long as he fixed his Cosmic Core blueprint. Anything beyond that was a welcome bonus.

The revelation of Ultom's true nature was a godsend. It had essentially confirmed there wasn't anything wrong with his alignment. As far as Ultom was concerned, the changes were pure improvements. His Cosmic Core had moved closer to a state of harmony with the Cosmos, like the difference between a man-made array and a natural formation. The Limitless Emperor could still have his reasons for lending a helping hand, but this step, at least, wouldn't cause problems for his cultivation.

Returning to the Four Laws' embrace through Ultom also answered a question Zac didn't know he had. Walking the path of the Void did not clash with aligning with the Four Laws. While the Void wasn't under the purview of the Heavens, it still followed the fundamental laws of the universe. A Minor Epiphany was insufficient to grasp anything more tangible, but that was enough.

Zac had come away like a bandit, figuring out upgrades for the strongest attacks of his two classes, [Arcadia's Judgment] and [Desperation's End]. Both fractals had seen enough change to warrant a new name, but it was nothing compared to [Conformation of Supremacy]'s transformation.

While not planned, it was long overdue Zac added some skills to his Human class to fill its gaps. The skillset of Inexorable Apostle had already been expanded with [Abyssal Drive] and [Fatehew], two amazing skills that had been formed with the help of Supremacies. Meanwhile, his Human side only had [Primal Edict], which was still stuck in E-grade.

Unless Zac had been deluding himself during his elevated state, [Conformation of Supremacy] had turned into something that could boost his whole class, depending on which avatar he chose. The exact details would remain unclear until he performed the upgrade.

Unfortunately, now was not the time. Zac could feel a low vibration rising through the floor on the ancient warship, and a gentle chime echoed through the Cultivation Chamber. It was a wake-up call designed to drag all passengers from meditation because the ship was about to jump. Cultivating while crossing dimensions was normally fine, but it was another matter when subspace was crammed full of chaotic energy left from the [Centurion Spear].

Back in the Merit Exchange, Zac took out pieces of wood and carved replicas of the four new designs. It was a way to confirm his idea and better understand the theories behind the pathing. After finishing, he got to his feet and touched the crystal, prompting the next step of his quest to appear.

[The Flame of Hope (Campaign, Inheritance): Find the breach inside the Eternal Storm. Light the Centurion Beacon. Reward: Seal of the Left Imperial Palace. (0/2)]

Zac looked at the quest with mixed emotions. He'd been hesitant whether he should actually try to awaken the slumbering guardians left by the Limitless Empire, even if the potential gains were insane. They could be the key to saving Zecia, but the road to hell was paved with good intentions. There was a chance he'd be inviting a far greater threat than the Kan'Tanu by messing with that ancient piece of history.

Now, it looked like he didn't have much choice but to activate the beacon. But how was he supposed to find a breach to the Lost Plane inside the Eternal Storm? It seemed orders of magnitude more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, there was still time, and the answers could be waiting inside the [Foreign Gods] tome he looted. He'd only go when he was good and ready and after the Yphelion had been upgraded to late D-grade.

A sudden great heave inside the ancient warship almost threw Zac into the ceiling. The Dravorak Dynasty had set out, meaning they were about to reach the fortress base. Zac's Draugr half returned to his Cultivation Cave to upgrade his skill after making a single purchase in the Faction Exchange.

It was an added module for 50,000, allowing rankers on the local ladder to hide their exact merit like on the sector-wide one. Zac had always wanted that feature to hide his progress from all the spies, but he couldn't motivate such a high expenditure with their limited resources. Now, it was definitely worth it.

Meanwhile, his human half got to his feet and stepped out from the cultivation chamber. He was worried, unsure what scene would greet them after passing through. The [Centurion Spear] had blown up a Worldfort and kept going, proving just how dangerous the energies he unleashed were.

Would there be anything but scorched rubble waiting for them?