Chapter 334
BEACON
There was a variety of deadline creatures ranging from low novice to high novice, with at least over thirty of them in total slowly growing closer.
It was actually quite fortunate—if you could call it that—that they weren't facing any peak novice deadline creatures like the one Henry had to face.
There was a difference between low, mid, high, and peak in each level, but the biggest gap existed between high and peak.
As a reminder:
Low tier:0% to 25% progress in their path.
Mid tier:26% to 50% progress in their path.
High tier: 51% to 98% progress in their path.
Peak tier:99%—that fragile edge where your core threatened to burst and everything hung in the balance.
This meant that to qualify as a high tier for any level, you would need at the very least 51% progress in your path. And to be considered peak tier, you would need 99%.
The difference between the two was a whopping 48%.
Just that alone was enough to show the massive gap between them, as almost half of the total progress one made from low to high tier was needed just to reach peak.
Of course, the closest one could get while still being considered high tier would be 98%. At such a point, one might assume that with just a single percentage separating the two, the difference would be minimal.
But they would be wrong.
99% represented the moment just before bursting into the next level. It was the stage where an ascender was packed with so much understanding and power that they had already begun to grasp faint wisps of the next level as they prepared to break through.
However, it was well documented that this final percent was infinitely harder and more arduous than all the progress that came before it.
If your concept was not unique enough, or if you simply lacked the talent, reaching that last step could feel like redoing the entire journey again. For many average ascenders, pushing from 99% to breakthrough was akin to repeating the same amount of understanding required to go from low tier to peak all over again.
The difference could be seen clearly in battle as well.
A peak novice was far easier to overcome compared to a peak experienced. At that stage, not only had control over mana, core, Avien, and path methods grown immensely stronger, but there was also another kind of change that occurred—something deeper that would be explored later.
And because of that, many—perhaps even most—ascenders found themselves forever stuck at peak experienced.
That single percent stood like an invisible wall before them.
The progress of deadline creatures was slightly different. As long as they consumed stronger beings—whether ascenders or other creatures—they could continue progressing, provided their abilities were unique enough to support that growth.
To make it easier to understand, let's draw on two creatures we have already met.
The first one is the deadline creature that Henry encountered, a peak spawnling. It had already been condemned that the very peak it could ever reach was peak devilborn. Its abilities included protean tentacles emerging from its mouth and the ability to move its upper body in a spinning motion at high speeds. Essentially, it was like a blender.
Now we have the devil that IAM had encountered. Even though it was of a higher level, it can still be used for this example. Its ability was very simple: it formed or shot out a black, slimy, sticky liquid that attached itself to a target's head, allowing it to control them like a deadline puppet.
For reference, the term deadline puppet is given to any human who has been put under the control of a deadline creature and has lost the ability to think, function, or act of their own volition.
Now take a second to ponder between the two creatures' abilities while ignoring their levels. Which one could be considered more unique?
After thinking about it, one would realise that the devil's ability is ultimately far more unique.
Some people would probably say, "Dude… the other one literally turns into a blender. That's pretty fucking unique if you ask me!!" And yes, that is true. But let's put an example in front of you.
Let's elevate the blender creature up to the same level as the devil. Now it stands at exactly the same level as the other devil. Then imagine a master being given the choice to face either one of these two creatures.
One creature could shoot out tentacles with incredible speed while also having the ability to turn into what was essentially a blender, combined with the usual enhanced speed and strength.
The other could produce as much of that black liquid as it could manage and take control of ascenders and other creatures ranging from novice all the way to master. It could quite literally gather an army of puppets to do its bidding!
Now compare that to a blender...
The choice becomes obvious for any sane master. While the blender might still be dangerous, it is infinitely better than potentially fighting multiple beings at the same level as yourself at the same time.
And if the two creatures were to face each other directly, the result would likely be simple. The black liquid devil would only need to land its liquid a few times before the other creature fell under its control.
From this alone, one could see why the blender creature would never be able to grow beyond peak experienced. Yes, its abilities were interesting enough, but compared to other abilities they were ultimately lacking. They simply were not unique enough to allow it to keep progressing further.
Now let's focus back on the difference between peak and high.
As explained before, breaking through requires a great deal of understanding. One must constantly ponder, refine their path, and attempt to bring more uniqueness into their concept in order to elevate their level. This is what truly separates that single percent between the two.
A peak tier ascender at their level might only be one percentage ahead of a high tier ascender of the same level, but the depth of understanding behind that final step is vastly greater. The accumulation of insight, the constant refinement, and the attempts to evolve one's concept place them far beyond someone who is still sitting at ninety-eight percent.
Because of this, it is extremely difficult for a high novice—or anyone at any level—to face the peak of their level. This is especially true if that peak-tier individual has been stuck there for a long time, steadily building upon their understanding and strengthening their abilities.
So do not look down on Henry for struggling against one while Natsuki and IAM managed to take down six high-tier spawnlings. There was a significant difference between those two situations, and they had also discovered and exploited the glaring weakness of those creatures.
Neither achievement was any less impressive than the other.
But life seemed to think they had things too easy, because now they were about to be besieged by numerous creatures.
IAM's mind moved quickly as the purpose of the flags seemed to reveal itself. They were not merely markers or trophies.
They were beacons.
Beacons meant to attract deadline creatures.
But why would someone want such a thing?
The answer soon became clear. If the goal of the trial was for the participants to work together and eliminate all the deadline creatures within the forest, then they would first need to find them. And within a forest this massive, locating every creature by normal means would be incredibly difficult. Some creatures were naturally evasive, hiding themselves deep within the environment.
Just take the six spawnlings they had faced earlier as an example. Those creatures had been hiding inside a tree. If IAM had not taken the flag, it would have been nearly impossible to discover them. They had not even reacted when Natsuki's sword pierced through a tree. It was only after he took the flag that their presence had been revealed.
This meant the flag was designed to draw creatures out.
It would attract the deadline creatures within the surrounding area, forcing them to converge on whoever was holding it.
The proof of this was already in front of them. In the mere few seconds that Natsuki had activated the flag, more than thirty creatures had appeared!!
That observation only strengthened IAM's theory. In fact, the effect seemed almost exaggerated. It would be impossible for a single person to activate the flag and fight off thirty creatures at their current level.
Then a terrible thought suddenly crossed IAM's mind.
What if someone gathered all five flags together…
…and activated them at the same time?
The thought alone was terrifying.
After all, the devilborns—and the so-called surprise of the trial—had yet to reveal themselves.