Chapter 27: Lucky man

Eren considered himself a lucky man. When he ventured through the HVAC ducts and investigated the Awakeners in the hospital, he didn’t expect to find someone cultivating the [Berserker’s Dream].

He was simply gathering information to familiarize himself with the modern world.

Most topics were unremarkable, just mundane conversations regarding the daily toil and hardship of an Awakener. That was until a pattern emerged.

A disruptive patient. Awakeners lost sleep because of his nonsensical screams. Doctors and nurses worked overtime, stymied by his condition.

They checked the erratic patient’s brain. No abnormality. No reason for him to act so deranged, which became a long-running bet amongst them to see if the patient was just faking or not.

Eren, on the other hand, knew of one reason why this patient ’acted’ insane. And that was the [Berserker’s Dream].

Once he had that suspicion, he spent the majority of his nights verifying his theory. He talked to Nieve, subtly prodding her to rant about this supposed ’crazy’ patient.

The evidence did line up.

After that, he formed a plan in his mind. One that would kill two birds with one stone. It’d complete his Training Regimen, and obtain permission for his License Exam.

Preparation for this plan was easy. A simple wooden panel blocking the vent turned the temperature of the psychiatric patient’s room scorchingly hot, forcing the Awakener into becoming a ticking time-bomb.

Timing his arrival to the Psychiatric Ward at the moment of the Awakener’s outburst was a lot harder.

He could have been turned away at the elevator too soon, or he could have arrived too late.

The prerequisites for these optimal conditions relied mostly on luck and a little bit of speculation and skill.

Thankfully, his master taught him nothing if not those latter two.

If the conditions weren’t absolutely perfect, Eren would have chosen to do something else to finish his [Masochist’s Dream].

He had an entire plan B ready to execute.

He’d watch the morning news for any portal sightings in close proximity to the hospital. Then, he’d sneak out using the HVAC tunnels so that he could encounter a Phantom, thereby risking his life and fulfilling the conditions of the [Masochist’s Dream].

This plan would have been more complicated, as it would put him in the bad sides of the hospital and the United Governments. But it was always good to have an alternative, just in case.

Anyway, it all worked out in the end. Now, he was free to cultivate.

Eren stood at the base of the majestic spire, peering reverently at all the cultivation books of the Immortal Library of Ræzoň.

Today, he’ll choose his Ascension Art. His choice here would echo throughout his entire cultivation path in the future.

What was an Ascension Art, and what made it different from a Martial Manual?

A Martial Manual required physical labor. It was a set of instructions that, if followed correctly, would allow its user to gain a new skill that benefited their fighting prowess tremendously.

Martial Manuals could be as simple as a set of stances for a swordstyle, or a series of steps that allowed ’teleportation’ over short distances at a time.

But it could also be complex, like the [Masochist’s Dream]. It taught Eren the instinct for pain, while also rejuvenating his malnourished body for cultivation.

Martial Manuals did not force its user for exclusivity. A cultivator could learn as many Martial Manuals at one time as he pleased, so long as he had the capacity to cultivate them.

An Ascension Art, on the other hand, was a little more restrictive.

Only one Ascension Art at a time.

After all, Ascension Arts taught cultivators to fundamentally alter their inner body and soul.

Cultivators have a dantian, allowing them to store Ræzoň in their body. But it did not mean they could readily make use of it. At least, not without an Ascension Art.

They must first build a series of networks inside them that connect the dantian to the rest of the body, effectively creating a new set of veins that circulate Ræzoň instead of blood.

An Ascension Art taught its user how to build those ’highways’ in a cultivator’s body. The methods varied. Some required pure meditation, some required more invasive procedures, like surgery.

The criteria for choosing an Ascension Art depended on which way those networks of veins were built.

A swordsman required concentrated Ræzoň channels in their upper arms and feet. A pugilist, their fists. A necromancer, their heart. So on and so forth.

Cultivators must choose an Ascension Art that fits their preferred style the most.

Eren was unsure of his own style. He’d been trained as a scholar. Combat eluded him, both literally and figuratively.

His choice in Ascension Arts, therefore, became based on prudence. He wanted to play it safe and picked an Art that was versatile.

[Immortal Art of Heaven’s Will]

This was the pinnacle of Ascension Arts in Immoræ. In modern Earth’s terms, Eren had no doubt that this would be rated as a 10-star scroll.

It was beloved by all, desired by all, despised by few.

Fundamentally the strongest Art in all of cultivation, it had no weakness and excelled in every possible category one could think of. Offense, defense, movement. It was multi-faceted, allowing its user to become virtually invincible and undefeated.

The Righteous Realm stood at the pinnacle of all nine realms of Immoræ purely because of this Ascension Art. They ruled over all beings for thousands of years in their history.

It was far and beyond the supreme choice for Eren, who excelled in no combat prowess. If he wanted, he could pair it with a Martial Manual meant for swordsmanship, archery, or any other fighting style.

He weighed the tome in his hands. It was tremendously light, despite the pure gold panels skirting the edges. Its lettering was raised, made from some ethereal ink that made it glow pure, white neon light.

Cloudy mist swirled around his fingers as he opened the first page.

Runic symbols in complex, overlapping designs opened up to him. He stared at it, letting it burn into his vision.

Then, his mind glimmered like the first rays of the dawning sun. Warmth flashed through his thoughts, along with the entire contents of the Ascension Art.

As expected, it was marvelous.

Its only problem lay in its requirements. Advancing necessitated extremely rare materials and even harder execution.

For example, one must consume the broken Heart of the Olympian U’ruduru for one of the breakthroughs of its major stage . But thankfully, if the Frigid Arctic Rodent existed in this world, then there was a good chance that that beast existed here as well.

Anyway, that was a problem for the future.

Excited, Eren put the tome back in its place and prepared to exit his Mind Palace.

A glint in the corner of his eye made him stop dead in his tracks. He looked up.

At the very peak of the spire, at the very section of the bookcase towering above the skies itself, he saw something peculiar.

He willed himself up, his incorporeal body reaching the very apex of the spire within seconds.

Here, only a few texts remained. These were Ascension Arts meant only for pinnacle cultivators and could be counted on two hands.

He’d studied these for years, hoping, dreaming of one day cultivating it for himself. Every single book here had a space in his heart and for his ambitions.

Except for one: a single notebook he’d never seen before.