Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse
Chapter 236: The Exploding Sun Faction

Jack looked out of the window. A planet dominated his view, covered in stripes of green and blue, while purple-orange gasses hung in the background, shimmering with a thousand newborn stars.

“This place is amazing,” he said.

“Of course it is,” Master Shol replied proudly. “It’s my faction!”

The man was reclining on a sleek, white chair that did not at all match his monk-like attire. A yellow cape was draped over his shoulders, simple leather shoes covered his feet, and the smile still refused to leave his face. His entire body, however, was covered in dense muscles that no clothes could ever hide.

Brock, meanwhile, was snoring on another chair. He couldn’t sleep well on Derion, so he made up for it now.

“I have to admit, master,” Jack said, “you look much more intimidating when you are not a ghost.”

“Who wouldn’t? And I told you to stop calling me that. Master this and master that. Bah. We’re of the same Grade now—just call me big brother.”

Jack couldn’t keep the wry smile off his lips. He had never felt more accomplished. “Alright, brother Shol.”

“Big brother.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Hmm… I guess you did.”

Both laughed. Jack inspected mas— Shol again, unable to believe he’d finally caught up. It was this sort of thing that put all his adventures into context.

Human (Earth–44), Level 249

Faction: Exploding Sun (B-Grade)

Title: Fifth Ring Conqueror

Well, “caught up” was a bit of an exaggeration. Shol remained over a hundred levels ahead and a great deal stronger, but at least they were of the same Grade!

“It’s incredible,” Shol said. “The kid I mentored three months ago became an immortal already… If someone told me that before I saw it, I would have beaten them up for mocking me. And yet… Somehow, you did it.” He shook his head, strong eyes glued on Jack. “Well done, kid. Well done.”

“Please. You don’t need to call me kid anymore—just Jack will suffice.”

Shol kept his smile down, but how could he hide it from Jack? “I suppose so,” he replied. “I look forward to hearing about your adventures, Jack, but let’s wait until we meet my master. No sense in having you repeat everything.”

“Can you tell me about this place in the meantime?” Jack asked, turning back to the window. “It’s unreal.”

Shol laughed. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything. How does the Exploding Sun work? Why are you here? Why do you have three planets?”

“Let me give you a basic rundown of our faction.” Shol stood from his chair, walking to the window beside Jack. He pointed to the nearest planet. “Field Nebula is the capital of the Exploding Sun constellation and faction. It is made up of three planets. The one we’re heading towards is the inner planet; it’s where the elders, enforcers, deacons, and inner faction disciples reside.”

“Inner disciples?”

“Right.” Seeing the confusion on Jack’s face, Shol explained further. “Most factions divide their disciples in inner and outer ones, with the inner disciples being superior in status. In the Exploding Sun, like all B-Grade factions, outer disciples are those who are in either the F- or E-Grade. D-Grade cultivators are inner disciples. Technically, I am one too, though I also possess the title of deacon, which holds higher seniority.”

“So this planet is inhabited exclusively by immortals?”

“Pretty much.”

Jack gazed back at the window, at the entire planet they were heading towards. Even from this distance, he could make out towns and structures.

“Just how many immortals do you have!?” he couldn’t help but wonder. All around the galaxy, D-Grades were considered apex existences. Every one of them Jack had met so far was revered and respected. Only one out of every hundred thousand cultivators became an immortal. In the fringe planets of the constellation, they could command an entire continent, even an entire planet.

Here, they were just disciples. Even the attendant who’d welcomed them before was a D-Grade.

Shol laughed—a deep, pleasant, honest sound. “I see your surprise,” he said. “But you must understand that the B-Grade factions are completely different existences than the outside world. D-Grade immortals are nothing here—the inner planet alone holds twenty thousand of them, with even more spread around the constellation.”

“Twenty thousand immortals!?”

“Well, roughly. Could be nineteen.”

Jack struggled to wrap his head around this. It felt like he’d just surfaced into a much vaster world than the one he knew.

It had to be said that, by pre-System Earth standards, even the weakest immortal could be called a God. And this inner planet had twenty thousand of them…

“Cheer up, Jack,” Shol clapped his shoulder, laughing. “You’re one of us now. Having more immortals is a good thing! It means you have plenty of competition to help you grow.”

“But… Twenty thousand immortals!?”

“We have hundreds of C-Grades, as well.”

“Hundreds of—” Jack stammered, feeling the need to sit down. His entire planet was hounded by a single C-Grade, who towered over him like an impossible mountain. Everything Jack did was to have even the slimmest hope against her.

But the Exploding Sun had hundreds of C-Grades. Tens of thousands of D-Grades. And at least a few B-Grades, who were in an entirely different realm…

“Brother Shol,” he said, “I think I’m slightly out of my depth here.”

It wasn’t a statement Jack would make lightly, but when faced with armies of gods, there was a limit to the grandeur one man could withstand.

“Oh, don’t be a wuss. You’ll get used to it,” Shol chided him, laughing. “If all goes well, you will soon become an inner disciple here, too. You’ll get the chance to meet and practice against the most capable cultivators this constellation has to offer—and, most importantly, you’ll get one of these nice yellow capes.”

Jack scowled. “It is a nice cape. But you have hundreds of C-Grades, and you were so stingy that you couldn’t help me beat one of them to save Earth?”

“The Animal Kingdom is similarly powerful to us, if significantly uglier. It’s not about one C-Grade—it’s about the relationship between two colossal factions.”

“Yes, of course, I understand…” Jack replied weakly, taking a seat on Shol’s chair. “So. Infinite immortals. Got it. What else?”

Shol gestured towards the window. “As I was saying, that’s the inner planet. It holds our inner disciples, the deacons, and the elders, as well as all the C-Grades who are not elders, whom we call enforcers.”

“Right.”

“Now, if you look at the right-hand window”—he gestured to the right, where another window showcased a planet that was basically one large landmass and one large ocean—“you can see the outer planet, where the outer disciples reside. Obviously, we can only accept a limited number of outer disciples, so the mortals there are the most talented and promising recruits of our constellation. Each of them is approximately as talented as the weaker Integration Tournament finalists of your planet.”

Jack nodded numbly. The scale no longer shocked him. Maybe he would never again be surprised in his life.

“Finally,” Shol’s expression turned reverent as he pointed at the final planet, the one covered in gray clouds, “we have the core planet. Only three people live there—the faction leader and the two ancestors. Our three B-Grades.”

At this, Jack couldn’t help but raise a brow. Giving an entire planet to just three people sounded excessive.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Shol said, “but I assure you, our B-Grades are more than worth it. Each of them is an indispensable pillar of our faction. Without them, the nebula would collapse around us, and we would be conquered within a year.”

“Conquered within a year? What about all those C-Grades?”

“If you think a C-Grade can hold a candle to a B-Grade, you are sorely mistaken,” Shol said, smiling sadly. “Let alone us weaklings at the D-Grade. Now, that’s enough chatting. We have arrived.”

They had been continuously approaching the inner planet. By now, it was so large that it completely filled the window, and Jack could easily make out the mountain ridges and lakes on its surface.

The starship descended through the sky, unbothered by the friction and heat of the air, to approach a tall mountain that stood alone in the middle of a valley. A sprawling estate covered its peak. Hanging gardens, tall buildings, snaking corridors, and all sorts of people running around.

Most importantly, people were flying, as were animals. Magic was everywhere, and the Dao was so thick here that Jack could almost smell it.

“Wow,” he said. “Is this where the inner disciples live?”

“Of course not!” Shol laughed. “This is just my master’s house.”

“This entire thing?”

“That’s right.”

Jack did a double-take. No matter how he looked at it, this was a town on top of a mountain. Maybe not a big town, but definitely not one person’s house, either.

“Everyone you see is either a servant, a disciple, or someone else’s family,” Shol explained. “This entire estate belongs to my master.”

Jack struggled to believe this. “Your faction is a bit extravagant.”

“We only have twenty-one elders,” Shol replied proudly. “They get the best we can offer. One mountaintop is nothing—amongst elders, my master is considered quite modest.”

“...If this is all one massive joke, I will not laugh.”

“You would. But is not a joke. This is the real world, Jack; your world. You’re a big boy now.” Shol smiled. “And you’ll get used to it.”

Jack shook his head. When faced with such grandeur and extravagance, what could he even say? That his legs were jelly? That his entire worldview was challenged?

The starship landed gently on a plaza designed expressly for this purpose, and a score of servants quickly ran over to welcome them. Jack expected them to be overly subservient, and himself to tell them to take it easy.

Shol threw the door open. “Hello, my friends!” he shouted, laughing. “I’m back! Haha!”

“Welcome, deacon!” the servants replied, bowing lightly. Despite being servants, they didn’t seem mistreated as Jack had feared—if anything, they were smiling at Shol like he was their friend.

Jack nodded with approval.

“This is Jack,” Shol said, grabbing Jack by the shoulder and pulling him closer. “My brilliant disciple, who managed to become an immortal at only four months since being Integrated! He will be your big brother from now on, so treat him with respect.”

“Uh… Hello, everyone,” Jack greeted them. Brock poked his head out of the starship, inspected everyone, then smiled warmly.

“I am Brock,” he said. “Brock big bro, too.”

The servants looked at Jack like they’d seen a ghost—for any of multiple reasons. Hurriedly, a few of them nodded. “Welcome, brother Jack,” they said, and Jack returned their greetings.

Leaving the starship to the servants, the three of them took off, following a stone-paved path to the manor at the very top of the mountain.

“So, what exactly is the deal with servants?” Jack asked carefully when they were alone. “It sounds a bit…”

Shol stopped to give him a good look. “That is a bit of a touchy subject. Servants are workers—they get paid a salary, given resources to cultivate, and are generally well taken care of. In return, they help keep the estate running and in good condition. However, not everyone treats them as nicely—even in our faction.” His face darkened for a second there. “In any case, I expect you to treat everyone in this estate with kindness, no matter their status. That is how my master behaves, that is how I behave, and that is how you will behave as well.”

Jack raised his palms. “Of course. That is how I would act, even if you didn’t tell me.”

“I know you would. I just had to make sure.” Shol’s face brightened again. He was about to say something, but his eyes were suddenly lost in the void. A moment later, he glowed. “Really? Of course, master! We’ll be on our way!” He then turned to Jack. “Great news! An appointment was canceled, so my master has some free time right now. I will take you to meet her immediately.”

“Weren’t we already going to do that?”

Shol scowled. “Of course not. What do you think, that a kid like you can see an elder whenever you want? I was going to situate you in a room, where you would wait until she could spare a few minutes. It could have been days.”

“Oh,” Jack said weakly. “Then yeah, that is great news.”

Shol smiled. “Prepare yourself, Jack! You are about to meet one of the greatest people in the entire galaxy!”

Jack nodded somberly. Brock raised his hands and said, “Yay!”