~~~
Jin staggered forward, his chest heaving like a broken bellows. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, and his essence reserves felt like they'd been wrung dry. Beside him, Rudy leaned against a cracked pillar, wiping blood from his split lip with the back of his hand.
Both boys looked like they'd been dragged through the gates of hell backward.
But rest could come later. They wanted their loot.
"Very well," the presence spoke, and the chamber changed.
The grinding rumble of stone-on-stone shifted to something else entirely—a sonorous tone that rippled through the air, vibrating through their bones like the world itself was singing an ancient hymn.
Symbols of light spiraled above where the golem had fallen, weaving into patterns that made Jin's eyes water when he looked directly at them.
Three pedestals of obsidian rose from the floor with sounds like thunder made solid.
And on each pedestal sat a single tome.
Huh? Books?
Jin blinked, confusion flickering across his face.
Skills are in the form of cores, so then... No way!
His jaw dropped. His heart nearly stopped.
"...no way," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Hmm? What was that, Jin?"
Then louder, with a laugh that was half-sanity, half-madness:
"NO FUCKING WAY!"
"Yo, Jin?" Rudy was squinting at the pedestals. "What's with the freaky books? And why do you look like someone just told you Santa's real?"
"Those, Rudy..." Jin was already pacing like a lunatic, fingers twitching, eyes wide as though he'd been handed the keys to the universe. "Those are Path Manuals! Do you understand what this means?"
Rudy blinked, confusion clear on his battered face. "...Books?"
"Books?!" Jin nearly throttled him. "These aren't just books, Rudy! These are the goddamn blueprints of cultivation! The sacred texts! The—the—"
He started pacing, his hands gesturing wildly.
"Those are Path Manuals. Cultivation techniques. The real deal, not some knockoff bullshit."
Rudy raised an eyebrow. "You're doing that thing again."
"What thing?"
"That thing where you know way more than you should and get all weird about it."
Jin paused mid-gesture. "I don't get weird."
"Bro, you get super weird. But whatever, tell me about the scary books."
Right… I don't get weird, he is definitely making that up. Focus. Explain without sounding like I've read the script to reality.
Jin took a breath and forced himself to calm down and faced Rudy with sudden seriousness, his excited energy condensing into focused intensity.
"Rudy, need your full attention here."
Jin held up his hand, his fingers ticking off a list as he spoke, "Skill mastery, experience, accumulated latent aura—you need all of that to stand out, to progress in Orders. But to become unparalleled? To walk the road to the peak? You need a path. A cultivation path."
I remember reading just how much effort a common person needs to put in to be granted a path manual. The easiest one is the one they give in the military, but those bastards bind you to servitude for almost your entire life.
"Rudy, listen, you know about the noble houses, right?"
Seeing Rudy nod, Jin continued, his voice growing more urgent. "Well, to become one, you need to be at least an ORDER V entity with merits, fame, and most importantly—an inheritance."
He pointed dramatically at the tomes on the pedestals. "Those are the inheritances, Rudy."
"These manuals are paths to temper you, shape you, rewrite your flesh, your soul, your very mind into something that can match the heavens themselves! Well... that's what most of them claim anyway."
"Okay..." Rudy said slowly, still processing. "I'm still not sure I get it. Then how come I've never heard about them, Jin?"
Jin laughed, a genuine smile breaking through his exhaustion. "Because, Rudy, this is one secret just a level below the details and truth about Quests."
"Wait..." Rudy's eyes widened. "You mean we'd get killed for having these?"
"Yup, most likely." Jin shrugged with dark amusement. "Just one more thing to add to our growing list of reasons people want us dead, no?"
Rudy stared at him, then burst out laughing despite everything. "You're completely insane, you know that?"
"And Rudy," Jin continued, his grin widening, "we just... got three of them. Complete ones. Not pieces, not fragments—complete, perfect cultivation manuals."
The presence's voice interrupted their conversation, carrying the weight of eons. "He is correct, young ones. Though it is most curious how you are aware of so much of the world, yet so little at the same time."
Jin felt a chill run down his spine at those words. Too observant. I need to be more careful.
"Regardless," the presence continued, "that is your path to walk. But beware of the fate, readers, young Harvest. They see further than most, and some truths are best kept hidden until you have the strength to protect them."
Fate readers? Ugh… I know sooner or later they will come knocking on my door.
After all, if we… no, when we change Vienna's fate and save it I'm sure everyone in the world with even one level in the skill would see the ripples we caused.
Haa… worry for later.
"Thank you for your wise words."
"Fret not, we are merely curious."
The tomes glowed brighter, each radiating an aura that pulled at their senses like gravity.
Jin's [Reader's Dominion] activated automatically, translating the whispered intent that leaked from each manual's pages.
« THE READER'S DOMINION TRIGGERED. TARGET: DUNGEON REWARDS. ANALYZING & APPRAISING »
« COMPLETE PATH MANUALS DETECTED »
o_____________o
» Path of the Silent Stalker
» Scripture of the Nine Hells Asura.
» Path of Eternal Sovereign.
o_____________o
"Damn," Jin said, looking between the three tomes. "They all sound terrifying in their own way."
"Young inheritors," the presence spoke again, its voice carrying the wisdom of ages, "you have shown remarkable growth in such a short time. If you don't mind us asking, we would like to know what you know about the cultivation path?"
Jin exchanged a glance with Rudy before answering.
"From what I understand, it's about more than just getting stronger. It's about transforming your fundamental nature, right? Becoming something beyond normal human limitations."
"Good"
"A cultivator without a path is like a river without banks—powerful, perhaps, but directionless and prone to stagnation. The path provides structure, purpose, and most importantly, a method to transcend the boundaries of mortal existence."
Rudy scratched his head. "So it's like... choosing your character class in a game?"
The presence paused, and Jin could swear he heard amusement in its tone. "An... interesting analogy. In a sense, yes. But unlike a game, this choice will fundamentally alter who you become. Your thoughts, your instincts, even your dreams will be shaped by the path you choose."
That's both exciting and terrifying. The path shapes you as much as you shape it.
"But why are you giving us this choice?" Jin asked. "Most people would kill for just a glimpse of one of these manuals."
"Because, young Harvest, we have watched you. We have seen how you think, how you adapt, how you grow. You possess something rare in this age—the wisdom to use power responsibly and the strength to bear its burden."
The presence's light pulsed gently. "Besides, these particular manuals have been waiting in our vaults for over three centuries. They require... specific individuals to unlock their potential. Individuals like yourselves."
"Three centuries?" Rudy whistled. "How long have you been around?"
"We are merely a presence now. We've lived long enough to see empires rise and fall, young Colossus. Long enough to understand that true strength comes not from power alone, but from the wisdom to use it well."
Jin felt a question burning in his chest. "You keep calling us by our Mantles. How do you know so much about us?"
"We are a dungeon, child. We see what others cannot. Your Mantle of Harvest is...after what you just did against the golem was quite unique."
"As is your companion's explosive growth in understanding of his Mantle of the Colossus."
"Alright," Jin said, his mind working through the implications. "So we choose one each, and then what? These can't be simply 'read and learn' type manuals."
"Astute. You would have to understand the path much like what you did your mantle. These are called path manuals for a reason."
"These are guidance to help you set on a path, attempting to cultivate these paths without proper preparation would result in... unpleasant consequences."
"How unpleasant?" Rudy asked warily.
"Death would be a mercy compared to what happens to those who attempt forced cultivation with any understanding," the presence replied matter-of-factly.
Well, that's not ominous at all.
Jin looked at the three tomes again, his enhanced perception picking up subtle details. The Stalker manual seemed to whisper of hidden techniques and forbidden knowledge. The Asura scripture radiated heat and the promise of incredible pain. The Sovereign tome pulsed with intellectual weight that made his mind feel small in comparison.
"Choose one path," the presence said, its voice carrying the finality of destiny. "Choose well, young inheritors. For this decision will echo through eternity."
Jin met Rudy's eyes, seeing his own mixture of excitement and terror reflected there.
~~~