Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse
Chapter 185: Lord Longsword

Jack opened his eyes, glancing at the dancing bonfire before him.

He was still inside the labyrinth, of course. It was just ridiculous what kind of resources people like Lord Longsword got. He had his own bonfire, fuel-free and foldable enough to fit in his pocket.

Despite the homely light, there were still dark brown walls around them. Stone under their feet. Monsters lurking just around the corner.

Jack scowled and stood, eager to stretch his feet. By the side, Bocor was lying on his back, sleeping like a log, while Longsword meditated cross-legged. On the slightest hint of Jack’s aggression, he would stand and draw his sword in the blink of an eye.

Though Jack was technically their ally, they didn’t trust him to keep watch alone.

He paced back and forth, keeping his footsteps light on the stone. The flames illuminated his bare chest and toned muscles, his dark hair, his deep eyes. The deadly fists he carried.

The torches on the wall were extinguished. Longsword insisted that his bonfire was more atmospheric and brought better results when meditating. It was true—though the bonfire’s calming effects were induced through the specially crafted incense stick in its center, not the brightness of its flames.

Jack sighed.

What am I even doing… Is this what they call sleeping with the enemy?

It was already their second day together. After Jack agreed to join Longsword and Bocor for this ring, they had traveled in light silence. Jack was tense. So was Bocor. Longsword, on the other hand, was cheerful. Despite his rugged exterior and tattered mantle that might indicate a silent person, Longsword was always quick with small talk. He was witty and had his way with words, as well as a smile always tucked away, ready to be released at the first opportunity.

Lord Longsword wasn’t just a strong swordsman. He was a charismatic man; a calculating, approachable genius. Despite his doubts, Jack found himself enjoying his talks with Longsword. The Lord always knew the right thing to say, making awkward silences seem like a distant memory. He had interesting and well-thought opinions on everything under the sun, and his sharp comments, humorously phrased, often provoked Jack into deep thought.

Of course, Jack wasn’t an idiot. Throughout their many talks—not like they had much else to do—he kept his cards close, not revealing anything that Longsword could use against him. The Lord, on the other hand, seemed like an open book. He freely shared information about his sect and techniques, and even offered to give Jack battle training, though Jack refused that.

He still wasn’t convinced. As pleasant as Longsword was, he was clad in a clear veneer of arrogance. Bocor was ignored. When Longsword addressed him, it was mostly to avoid seeming too distant. Obviously, this grated on the minotaur, who acted calm but boiled inside. Jack could see it clearly. So could Longsword, but he didn’t care.

Jack kept his guard up.

What I wouldn’t give for Brock, Nauja, or Salin…

He sighed again.

“What’s the matter?” A cheery voice came from behind him. “Fruitless meditation? Or, perhaps, something more private?”

Jack turned to find Longsword still in a meditative position, but with his eyes open and a cocky grin on his lips.

“Something like that,” he replied.

“Me too. Becoming an immortal is so difficult. Who would have thought?”

“Everyone?”

Longsword laughed. “I guess. But perspective changes when you’re high up. For most people, becoming an immortal is a pipe dream. For me, it’s the bare minimum.”

“Are all Lords so arrogant?”

“We are all so skilled.”

Jack sat down, placing his back against the cold stone wall. “Doesn’t it ever irk you?” he asked, letting his head fall back. “That you are so above the world. Most people—billions of them—work their whole lives to achieve what you were born with, and still fail. They will never reach your level, no matter how hard they try. Doesn’t that seem…unfair?”

“What is fair, then?” Longsword replied. “Would it be fair for everyone to have the same things? Would it be fair for everyone’s efforts to be equally rewarded? Or should they be judged based on their results?”

“It’s just an uneven fight. You were born with everything. Some people don’t even have food, let alone high-end cultivation resources.”

Longsword thought for a moment, then shrugged. “There isn’t much I can do about that. I could disperse my faction’s resources to the world to give everyone equal fighting chances, but what’s the point? The people with talent and hard work would rise. I cannot distribute my talent to the people, nor my devotion to cultivation, and certainly not the mental fortitude it takes to rise above the masses.”

“But doesn't that irk you?” Jack insisted. “Exactly that. Rising above the masses. Doesn’t that make you feel… I don’t know, like you’re making some sort of mistake? Like you’re putting them down by daring to be above them? Doesn’t it make you feel bad?”

“Not at all.” His eyes twinkled, but the hard line of his jaw made it clear that the next words would be spoken seriously. “I was not raised with such considerations. Perhaps you were, given your grassroot origins at an un-Integrated planet, but these are merely feelings left over from when you were weak. As the person below, it is natural to view the ones above you with scorn and identify yourself as “against them.” It’s a coping mechanism.”

Jack narrowed his eyes in thought.

“But again, those are left-over emotions,” Longsword finished, leaning back against the wall with a straight back. “You are at the top now. In time, you will realize that being better than others is no sin—that you should not be ashamed of having power. Instead, it is something to take pride in, and use it to better place yourself in the world.” He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. He then added, “After all, you are the living proof that anyone can rise if the proper conditions are met.”

“Not necessarily. I was lucky, too. A person can have all the talent in the world, but if they aren’t born in the right circumstances, there is nothing they can do.”

“I guess. But children are a continuation of their parents’ lives. It is fair for the children of successful people to start high, as is the opposite. If you do well in life, you help your children start at a better place than you did—and don’t forget that talent is often hereditary. If you’re born at the bottom but with great talent, maybe you won’t reach the top, but you will certainly give your children a much better starting point.”

“Shit, man. You aren’t holding back at all, are you?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Maybe. If I’m being honest, that’s a pretty brutal way to look at the world, not to mention unfair. How about you chill and think about it some more?”

In the face of Jack’s cutting words, Longsword simply laughed. He was not the least bit bothered. “That’s what I like about you, Jack: your directness. Yes, it is a brutal way to see things, but it’s how I’ve been raised. The world is brutal. And whoever sees that goes farther than the people who don’t.”

“I don’t necessarily disagree with you…but goddamn is that a way to put it,” Jack replied. He did not particularly like the way Longsword saw things. It was too…cold. Too uncaring.

Longsword shrugged and smiled. “There is nothing wrong with disagreeing, my friend. We are different people; naturally, we have different opinions. But let’s stop here for now. Going too far out of our comfort zone can be counterproductive. Change happens one step at a time, be it yours or mine.”

“Right,” Jack replied. “Just so you know, you have some messed-up opinions.”

“It’s how you know they’re true!” Longsword laughed rowdily—so rowdily he might have awoken Bocor. “I want a break from meditation. Failing consecutively can be…disheartening. How about you join me in bonfire-gazing?”

“Fine by me,” Jack replied. He didn’t feel like speaking with Longsword more, but he, too, wanted to take a break. That’s why he had been stretching his legs before. And he couldn’t just sit by Longsword and ignore him. “What are you meditating on? Trying to break through?” he asked. “You’re already at the absolute peak of the E-Grade, right?”

“Absolute peak is a bit of a stretch, but yes, I am.” Longsword settled down near the bonfire, making himself comfortable. His cloak covered the floor behind him, amassing dirt, and his legs were crossed near the edge of the fire. His nine-foot-long sword rested on his knees, ready to be drawn at any moment. “I have already fused all my Dao Roots,” he explained, “but there is still a gap between maturing your Dao Seed and sprouting it as a Dao Tree. A mental leap, if you will, that combines all of your understandings into a singular entity. Obviously, the more Dao Roots you have fused into your Seed, the more difficult this final step becomes.”

“And you have fused many?” Jack asked, fishing for information.

“A good few. It’s the eternal dilemma. The more power you reach for, the more difficult it is to claim. It’s why many star disciples get stuck at the peak of the E-Grade for decades, or even forever. In fact, there is already a person from my generation in the Wide Swirls that has become an immortal. She only had one Dao Root, of course, but that was a good thing. She knew her limits. Right now, funnily enough, she is stronger than me.”

He chuckled.

“So you are trying to…further fuse all your insights into one?” Jack asked, frowning.

Longsword threw him a glance. Through narrowed eyes, he undoubtedly spotted Jack’s complete lack of information, and chose to assist. “Not an insight. A system of thought. A philosophy, if you will. A way of life and thought that perfectly combines all your understandings, defining your own, personal path through the Dao. It defines your life henceforth. Forming and cementing a path like this is the path to immortality, but it is also damn difficult.”

He sighed in frustration, lost in his thoughts. “That is what we Lords use Trial Planet for. The Garden Ring contains all sorts of wondrous treasures. The best ones can help us form our Dao Tree…and it is those treasures we kill each other for.” He then snapped out of it. “Of course, that doesn’t concern you. You are far from the peak of the E-Grade, where those treasures would be used, and you are also far from the power you need to contest for them. Don’t worry, though. There are many precious treasures in Garden Ring. With my assistance, you could lay claim to some of the best.”

“Only if we are still allied in the next ring.”

“True.” He smirked. “But I don’t see why not. It’s not like I’m asking for much, and we’re getting along just fine, aren’t we?”

Jack chose to simply shrug in response. The more he observed Longsword, the more conflicted he became. This was clearly a great cultivator and a superficially pleasant companion. But, under all his gifts, was he actually a decent person?

Jack was not sure. “You keep mentioning Garden Ring,” he said, “but that’s only the eighth ring, right? What about the ninth?”

“The Final Ring?” Longsword laughed. “I know what you’re thinking, Jack, but get it out of your mind. Conquering that ring is completely impossible—even for Lords. The Garden Ring is the best we can get.”

“So even you, an ambitious Lord, aren’t even considering it?”

“I told you, it’s impossible.”

“Why?”

“Oh, you’ll see. In fact, it’s so impossible that many believe it’s only meant to beat us down—a final exercise in humility, if you will. A lesson that no one is infallible.”

Jack scowled. “That’s so disappointing…” But I will still take a look, he added mentally.

“I know,” Longsword replied, smiling sadly. Jack didn’t say anything more, and Longsword’s mood must have soured, because he returned to meditation a few moments later. So did Jack.

Not that he was actually meditating. He was just diving into his soul world and fighting Copy Jack, increasing his battle ability and sharpening his Dao usage at the same time. With all that practice, Meteor Punch already felt on the cusp of evolving again, and Jack had great plans for it.

Right now, he had fused two of his three Dao Roots—though one wasn’t really a Dao Root, and it had fused itself. That was enough to get a grasp of how the progress worked. Fusing a Dao Root meant integrating its Dao with his Dao Seed’s. Essentially, it meant the complete fusion of the Dao Root into one of his Dao Skills—or, at least, that’s how it had gone the previous two times.

So far, both of his fused Dao Roots had gone to enhancing Indomitable Body. That wasn’t bad. The combination yielded an incredible skill. His body’s regeneration was off the charts, and its durability was also impressive.

However, Jack thought that was enough for defense. His remaining Dao Root was that of Power, and he knew just the skill to fuse it into.

Good old Meteor Punch.