Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse
Chapter 217: The Final Challenge

Jack walked out of Trial Garden one step at a time. It wasn’t easy—he was dehydrated and completely exhausted.

The mist parted before his feet. Slowly, he made it to the animal tile formation, which now felt like it was so long ago. He stepped on the right animal tiles, still not knowing how they were deduced.

From there, it was a straight line. Step after step, the mist thinned, and the towering garden gate appeared before Jack. Only now did he realize that it was over. That he had escaped. It was hard to contain his emotions.

Many questions he’d ignored suddenly returned to his mind. Where were the others? What had Brock, Salin, and Nauja done while he was trapped? Did they know? Had the Lords sought revenge and killed them? Had the Sage kept his promise to protect them?

All those thoughts whirled around inside Jack’s mind, faster than he could process. If needed, he could use his Dao of Indomitable Will to suppress them, but he didn’t. He had already done that in the cave—now, it was time to let them be. Let his heart experience the uncertainty of life, which gave everything meaning.

Before he knew it, he was anxious. The darkest possibilities went through his mind. His heart climbed to his throat. If something had happened to Brock…

The mist cleared. Finally, Jack could see outside Trial Garden. An expansive grassland filled his gaze, curving out of sight in the distance. The sky was covered in bright sun mushrooms, and a colossal fence rose to the far left—it was the Tools Garden, one of the other gardens of Garden Ring. The air smelled of grass.

A single brorilla stood before the entrance of Trial Garden. He was busy doing push-ups with a large boulder on his back, sweat dripping all over his toned body. He was so focused on the exercise that it took him a moment to detect Jack.

Jack’s heart swelled with relief. “Brock…” he muttered as loudly as his parched throat could manage. Only then did the brorilla realize someone was there. He turned his head, and spotting Jack, his eyes widened, and he froze so abruptly that his arms buckled. The next moment, he jumped up, tossing the boulder away, and rushed towards Jack.

“Broooo!” he shouted.

Jack realized he was swimming in his own filth. It had been several weeks since he last took a shower. “Wait, Brock,” he said, “don’t—”

Brock didn’t care. He fell on Jack and wrapped him in a tight hug, then took a step back, inspected him with care, and stretched out a hand. “Bro!” he repeated, smiling so widely that Jack thought his jaw would unhinge.

He smiled back, shaking Brock’s hand. “It’s good to see you, bro. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

***

“A beast army!?” Jack exclaimed between biting a banana and chewing on a potato. After discovering Brock, he had quickly bathed in a lake near the ring entrance, then rushed to where their food pile was—the beasts of Beast Garden had been very accommodating.

“You should have seen Longsword’s face,” Gan Salin replied, laughing. “He was so fed up.”

“It wasn’t just the army!” Nauja chimed in, poking Salin’s side. “Tell him about my arrow.”

“And Nauja shot an incredible Sun Piercing Arrow!” Salin complied. “She hit Bocor right in the ribs from… How far away was that, again?”

“Two miles,” she added proudly.

“From two miles away! You should have seen it, Jack. That arrow was stealing the world’s energy as it traveled, like a… a… a sticky arrow! But it was growing faster and stronger, too. A large lance of power had formed around it.”

“It’s called the Sun Piercing Arrow,” Nauja explained proudly—though it wasn’t the first time she told Jack about this skill. “At its strongest, it can even fly to the sun and pierce it! Of course, my arrows can’t even go ten miles before breaking, but uh, it’s something.”

“For sure it is,” Jack agreed, nodding. “That’s a very impressive skill. I’m sure all the dinosaurs in the jungle will be terrified.”

“Right,” she replied, losing a bit of her enthusiasm.

“Have you guys considered what you’re going to do after here?” Jack asked, turning to both Nauja and Gan Salin.

The canine spoke first. “I think I will return to my faction. They won’t attack me anymore, given my achievements in Trial Planet, and they can help me push my strength to a new level. Now that I have the Seventh Ring Conqueror title, I’ll be in favor.”

Jack nodded. “I hope it works out for you, Salin. And, if we clash on Earth, I will try to show mercy.”

“Hah. That’s only if you get the chance! I won’t always be weaker than you, you know.”

“I look forward to seeing that.”

Nauja was next to reply. “I have thought a lot about it,” she said in a heavy voice. Everyone lost their joking mood and focused on her words. Jack even put down his banana and potato. “If I leave Trial Planet, I will never be able to return…but, if I stay, what am I to do? Return to my tribe, get married, and spend the rest of my days tending to triceratopses or hunting in the jungle? Never to experience the real world again? I don’t want that. I… I want to adventure. To explore. To see the world, and fill my eyes with its sights. To find out what a sun looks like, or space, or the myriad planets, with their plants and animals and people. To feel the wonder of the universe. To find out what happened to my ancestors—the Ancients. To pierce the sun.”

She raised her eyes, and they were filled with warm pain. Tears sparkled at the edges, but she hadn’t noticed. “I don’t want to leave my tribe behind,” she continued, “but this is not how I’m meant to live. The Barbarian Ring will kill me slowly, day after day. I have decided to follow my heart and be happy. And, if that means abandoning everyone I know…” She set her jaw. “They can handle it. So can I. We are barbarians—we are strong. If I threw away my happiness just to be with them…they wouldn’t want it. Father wouldn’t want it.”

Jack smiled warmly. “I admire your resolve, Nauja. I think you are doing the right thing. And you can always find someone on the outside to pass a message to your father, let him know you’re alive and well. Maybe you can even exchange letters through the delvers.”

She laughed. “Maybe we could. I hadn’t considered that.”

“Plus, you won’t be alone out there!” Salin said. “I will be your friend. Jack and Brock, too, and who knows who else. You can come with me to the Animal Kingdom, or back to Earth-387, or wherever you want. The world will be an oyster, and you will be its pearl.”

“I suppose so.” She sniffed, wiping at her eyes with a smile. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, I truly, really thank you. If I hadn’t joined you in this journey…I fear I would forever remain trapped.”

“Having you along was an honor,” Jack said, smiling. “You were great help.”

“Of course I was.” She raised her head. “I’m a barbarian!”

“What about you, Jack?” Salin asked. “What are you going to do?”

He leaned back on the grass, thinking about it. “Hmm. I still need to save Earth. I think I will visit the Exploding Sun first, see what they have to say, and if they can help. Pay my respects to Master Shol, as well. Then… I don’t know. Wage war against the Animal Kingdom? Sounds like a great way to level up.”

Salin laughed. “That’s the most laidback declaration of war I’ve ever heard.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Oh, I absolutely do. If you became an immortal, even the Animal Kingdom would have to take you a bit seriously…” He grinned. “I just look forward to it. One man against a multi-planet empire with several B-Grades holding the fort. And yet, why do I feel that you can make it?”

“Because you’re crazy.” Jack laughed.

“Oh, yes. I forgot about that for a second.”

They also had to find a way to escape the Hand of God deep scanning, or at least hope that his Life Drop didn’t trigger it. Jack didn’t mention anything yet. They would have time to consider this issue later.

“Before doing all those, however,” Jack said, his eyes suddenly turning serious, “there is one last thing I want to do here.”

“Do you mean…”

“Yes.” He turned his gaze to the side. In the distance, a lone wooden door stood alone on the grassland, seemingly leading nowhere. But Jack knew that wasn’t true. Behind that door lay the final and hardest challenge of Trial Planet: the Final Guardian. An immortal. The ninth ring, which no one had conquered before.

When Jack first arrived here, the Final Guardian was an unsurpassable existence. However, he had grown a lot since then. He now had four Dao Roots, the Eighth Ring Conqueror title, and the Life Drop. He was confident that, amongst all the mortals of the universe, he was ranked at or near the very top. If someone stood a chance against the Final Guardian, it was him.

But could even the strongest mortal beat an immortal?

“You are welcome to watch,” he said, eyeing the final door with a heated, battle-ready gaze. After all, he had been through thick and thin with these people. They had waited for him for almost a month. He trusted them—even the insane Gan Salin. Showing him the Life Drop was a risk he was willing to take. “I will finish eating and rest for a few hours to recover to my peak strength, as well as practice a bit with my new Dao Root. When the sun mushrooms brighten again…I will challenge the Final Guardian of Trial Planet.”

Salin laughed, biting into a turkey leg. “Of course we’ll watch. I can hardly wait. Though, I have to say, I have never heard of a mortal beating an immortal before. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“If anyone can do it, I believe it’s Jack,” Nauja retorted. “I wouldn’t miss that fight for the world.”

“Bro,” said Brock. He gave Jack a thumbs-up and a bright, confident smile. “Good luck.”

“You’ve learned a lot of words recently, haven’t you?” Jack asked.

Nauja laughed. “He’s at the E-Grade now. It’s only natural that his mind is more advanced. Wait until he reaches the D-Grade—he might be able to speak as well as the rest of us.”

Jack nodded. In fact, Brock’s progress was astounding. Even though Jack himself was growing stronger at breakneck speed, Brock wasn’t falling behind. If anything, he was slowly but surely closing the gap.

Will there be a day when we fight side by side? he wondered, pride surging in his chest. You are an excellent bro, Brock.

Brock winked as if sensing Jack’s thoughts.

The rest of the meal went on with pleasant conversation and exchanging stories. Jack’s heart filled as fast as his stomach. The darkness of the cave was now a distant memory.

As soon as the sun mushrooms dimmed, the group lay on the soft grass under the star-lit dome that served as this ring’s sky. They kept chatting for a while until falling asleep. Jack couldn’t remember the last time he was so relaxed. Maybe back in the Integration Tournament? Or even further in the past?

When he woke up, the mushrooms were still dark—the day and night cycle in Trial Planet was longer than on Earth. Jack spent the next few hours meditating, sharpening his edge against Copy Jack. He practiced with the upgraded version of Brutalizing Aura, finding that its effects were no longer constrained on only weaker opponents. Stronger ones were less affected, of course, but it was a very useful change.

When Jack opened his eyes, the sun mushrooms had just brightened. He was at the peak of his power, bursting at the seams with so much energy that the Dao curved around him like a tight sheet would curve around a heavy ball. His friends were awake, too, giving him looks of encouragement.

“It is time,” he said, standing up. “Let’s go.”

They bade goodbye to the animals of Beast Garden. They walked to the final door, standing alone on the grassland. Jack placed both palms on its surface. It was wooden and rough, like an ancient tree turned to door. He took a deep breath, solidified his resolve, and pushed.

The doors swung open, revealing a bright hall and a knight on a throne. An immortal.

Jack stepped in.