Civilization

Shattering in Devel's hands, the skull that Andud was using to speak to us fades into dust. At the same time, Devel reverts to his previous appearance, with the lightning bolt on his back disappearing and his hair becoming black once more. Collapsing to one knee, Devel starts to cough aggressively as blood spills out of his mouth.

"DEVEL! QUICK TAKE A POTION!" - Rebecca

Rushing to his side, I take a potion out of the pouch on my waist, handing it to him in a hurry. Desperately grabbing it, Devel gulps down the whole thing, wiping away a small amount of the liquid on his lips.

"Thanks… I only had about 10 HP left. The Death's Embrace would have killed me if I didn't drink a potion." - Devel

"It's fine. I'm glad you are alright, after all that fighting. Sorry, neither David nor I were of any help. We are just dragging you down." - Rebecca

Waving his hand to the side, Devel shakes his head in response.

"Don't say that. You aren't dragging me down, it is just the situation was more dangerous than either of us anticipated, and it is not like the danger has gone away. Andud is still out there, and who knows how many more dangerous beings are in this place. We need to be careful when we start moving out of this room and be careful when entering new rooms. If what Andud said was true then, we need to complete a certain task each time we enter a room. Truth be told, I hope we don't need to enter any more rooms." - Devel

"Who knows… We don't even know what is beyond the door of this room." - Rebecca

"Do you need some time to rest, Devel? There isn't any rush to leave this place now that Andud has left first." - David

"I think we can leave at any time, I don't need to rest or anything. How are you feeling David? And what about you, Rebecca? Do either of you need to rest?" - Devel

"I'm fine. I didn't do much anyway, so there really isn't any point in me staying here. David and you did more work in the battles, so if you need to rest than by all means." - Rebecca

"Don't worry about me! I am alright. I can keep going for a lot longer before I need to rest up." - David

"Well, on that note, we can leave this room right now then." - Devel

Glancing to the side, Devel grabs onto his sword, propping himself against it to stand up. The weapon had already returned to its sealed state after Devel also reverted. Covered in stone, the sword hums slightly as Devel lets out a small sigh the moment he gets to his feet. David walks ahead of us slowly, looking side to side as curiosity, guides him. All of us can see the door on the far side of the room, but none of us knew what was coming.

"Devel, what was that skill you used at the end? It looked similar to Sylvia's and Nina's skills but also different. I know people don't usually reveal details about it, but I am curious. Is there anything you can tell me?" - Rebecca

"Ah, you are talking about Transcendence. Hmm… Normally, you are right. I wouldn't say anything but Sylvia and Nina, both being apostles will eventually achieve this skill anyway, so I don't mind saying it now. Transcendence is the next skill in the skill chain after Awakening. I have seen them both use Awakening, and it is only a matter of time before they are able to achieve Transcendence.

Transcendence is a state where they gain more power from whatever god they are an apostle to. The god bestows them with greater power for a shorter period of time, and however they use that power, will determine the consequences. I used it to accelerate my speed, reaching an Agility that I shouldn't be able to reach, and in turn, I hurt my heart and lungs, which led me to take so much damage after the skill ended.

I have only used the skill once prior to this and the last time I did it, I used it to block a dragon's breath, with the Lightning Bolt plus Transcendence. The consequence there was the inability to move my limbs for a while. Both my arms and legs felt like lead after the skill and I couldn't move a muscle. I had my team carry me to safety, and luckily the dragon left after using the one attack, otherwise, we would have all died.

Understanding the pros and cons of the skill, I knew I could only use it in extreme circumstances, where none of my other skills worked. While fighting Andud, I started to realize the difference in skill level between him and us, and I thought if the guy ever used a big skill, I need to counter with my strongest. There was no other method I could think of where we defeat Andud, after all, both David, and you aren't the strongest either." - Devel

"I see… I did feel like we were doomed until you activated that skill. However, it isn't just Sylvia and Nina who are apostles of the gods or goddesses. I'm an apostle of the Goddess of Luck, Fortuna, and I don't have an Awakening skill or a Transcendence skill. I thought it was weird at first since I didn't have the skill, but then I didn't see you use Awakening either so, I thought maybe it is exclusive to their god. However, you just have a more advanced version of the skill." - Rebecca

"Ah… I don't have an answer to that, unfortunately. The first time I met another apostle, they didn't showcase all their skills either, so I don't know how it works. Perhaps you will acquire the skill after some time. Or maybe, the skill isn't part of what your goddess gives to you since the skills we gain are all parts of the god or goddess's skills. The system is still a mystery for every player, and even with our extensive research team, we haven't understood even a fraction of it." - Devel

"Hmm, I see. I guess I will just have to wait and see." - Rebecca

We made our way to the door slowly, talking to each other about the recent event. Dangerous as it was, with Devel on our side, I did feel very safe. Not as safe as having Ian nearby, but still safe. Plus, I was starting to understand why Devel was able to become the type of person he was, through this interaction. Being at the top of Bones, there was a certain amount of responsibility Devel had to carry. While I initially thought he was just a battle addict from what Kingston told me, I'm starting to realize he isn't only a battle addict.

Devel has been thinking of plans since the moment he joined up with Nina and the others, and with it, there were many discussions between the two. Even if I couldn't keep up with it, I knew that Devel and Nina were able to discuss future scenarios at a high level. Maybe I should start talking to Nina more about these things…

"Do I open the door?" - David

Snapping me out of my thoughts, David places his hand on my shoulder, looking at me with a worried expression. Giving him my best smile, I nod my head, glancing over at Devel who also nods his head.

In front of us, a wine-red door with a copper knob standing in our way. An unknown environment waits for us behind the door. Grasping the knob carefully, David slowly turns it clockwise pushing the door forward gently. Waiting with bated breath, Devel grasps his sword tightly in case something rushes through the door, while I stand off to the side. Quickly pushing the door open at the last second, David readies his hand as well.

Seconds pass and nothing happens. Lowering their guard, David and Devel relax their tense muscles as we peer outside. Observing the surroundings, we see numerous platforms of different shapes and sizes, each angled differently as well as stairs connecting in various ways. Swallowing the saliva that was collecting in my mouth, I pull Devel's arm, pointing to all the different doors that were pressed against the walls.

"I see it… Each and every room there is some sort of challenge behind it. Everyone that was teleported from outside will have to face these challenges but, unlike us, they might be by themselves. I'm sure some of SanShiGo's people will inevitably die, as they are stronger as a group than individually. What about everyone else from RavenStar?" - Devel

"They are strong by themselves, each with their own perks. However, if they are all separated, and they have to fight someone on the same degree as Andud, I have no idea if they will come out okay. I still believe in them though!" - Rebecca

"Frank might have some difficulty if he does fight against one strong enemy. Talking to him while we were back at home, he told me he feels more comfortable fighting in larger groups. Hopefully, he will be okay…" - David

"I'm sure he will be fine, David. Frank is a strong person as well, he grew at the same time as you, so you should know him best!" - Rebecca

"I know! He will be fine!" - David

"What should we do?" - Devel

"Ahh… Well, it looks like monsters patrol these platforms, I can see a few in the edges of those floating flames. I'm sure there are more above us too. Hmm… The problem with this is we don't have any direction. I don't know where we are meant to go. If going down is the right path or going up. In fact, what is down and what is up? The platforms look like there is a type of gravity of their own so who is to say the doors aren't the same too?" - Rebecca

"No, wait, look up. It is a little hard to see, but I see a door that looks different from these. The light isn't near it anymore, so we can't see it but, I suggest we head upwards. Worse case scenario, we just jump down to the lower levels." - Devel

"Alright, let's follow your suggestion." - Rebecca