~~~
"I guess no point in waiting," Jin said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Damn, it's hot here… missing the room and AC"
"Rudy, should we go over our rewards and take a brief break?"
"Yeah," Rudy replied. "Sounds like a plan."
Okay! Focus now, Jin.
Jin squinted hard, focusing on the three tomes with the intensity of someone trying to solve a puzzle.
Let's see if The Reader's Dominion can get me more information on these paths. After all, we can only follow one. Wouldn't want to lock myself into a bad one.
After a few seconds of concentrating until his eyes watered, the skill responded with a familiar chime.
« THE READER'S DOMINION ACTIVATED »
o_____________o
Path of the Silent Stalker
"Walk unseen, strike unheard, kill unremembered," Jin read aloud, his voice taking on an otherworldly cadence as the skill fed him information. "The Silence path tempers the cultivator into a living blade of shadow. Muscles coil like serpents, senses sharpen to pierce the dark, and the soul itself slips beyond mortal perception.
First Realm: Shadow Binding—merge flesh with darkness itself."
$@#@%%... (BINDING WITH MANUAL REQUIRED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)
o_____________o
Okay... silence, huh?
Jin read the description aloud, his voice taking on an otherworldly cadence as the skill fed him information directly.
Yeah, no. It's an assassination path.
Even looking at it made Jin instinctively check over his shoulder. The air around the manual felt cold, suffocating, like being watched by predators from every shadow.
"Dude," Rudy groaned, leaning heavily on his greatsword. "I think I pulled something. Like everything. I pulled everything... and I really don't like that look in your eyes when you stare at these things."
"Tell me about it," Jin muttered, pressing his palm against his ribs where the golem's beam had nearly cooked him alive. "Not my fault, okay? The goodies are too good to think about anything else."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Anyway, this one's called Path of the Silent Stalker," Jin told Rudy. "Basically turns you into a living shadow. Super assassin vibes."
Just looking at it made the hair on Rudy's arms stand up. "Yeah, that's a hard pass from me. I like being visible, thanks."
"Hey Jin…" Rudy paused, then frowned. "Do you think it's weird?"
"Weird? Give me more context, man." Jin raised his eyebrows as he turned to face his friend properly.
"Sorry... What I meant was that black book, the middle one with the flames—it feels like it's calling out to me. Like it's been waiting my whole life for me to show up."
"Oh, the Asura one?" Jin's gaze narrowed on the second manual.
The second pedestal bore something completely different—a massive tome bound in cracked black leather that looked like it had been forged in the heart of a volcano. Its cover was scorched with infernal runes that glowed like embers in ash. War drums and distant screams seemed to leak from the pages themselves. The pedestal beneath it steamed as if resting on burning coals.
Let's see what's in this path.
o_____________o
Scripture of the Nine Hells Asura.
"The path of the Asura is paved in blood and sharpened by slaughter," Jin continued, his Reader's Dominion translating the violent intent that radiated from the tome. "To temper the Nine Hells Physique is to embrace torment, to burn away weakness in furnaces deeper than the abyss. Each realm reforges flesh into unyielding iron, blood into molten fire, and bone marrow into indestructible pillars.
First Realm: Flesh Forging—baptism by pain, rebirth through agony."
$@#@%%… (need binding with this manual to get more info)
o_____________o
This should be good for Rudy…
The air around it reeked of iron and battle. As Jin turned to face his friend, he found Rudy standing transfixed, purple eyes reflecting the flames dancing around the tome.
"Okay, Rudy, listen." Jin continued, "This one is called Scripture of the Nine Hells Asura. It's all about tempering your body through pain until you're basically indestructible. Very 'no pain, no gain' but taken to psychotic extremes."
"Yeah, this is it," Rudy breathed. "I already feel it calling out to me."
"Uh-huh, that means it's a match, Rudy," Jin said, understanding flickering in his eyes. "Close your eyes and let your mind touch the book. You'll know for sure then."
"But how much pain are we talking about? Because that sounds dangerous as hell."
"It's not dangerous. Probably."
"Probably?"
"Look, it would give you an absolutely insane physique. Think about it—your Mantle is already the Colossus. Add Asura body tempering on top of that? You'd be unstoppable."
"Okay, I'll try."
Rudy closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses toward the flaming tome.
"Well, I'll leave you to figure that out." Jin's attention shifted to the third tome. "That leaves you, buddy."
This one was different entirely—bound in ethereal silver that seemed to shift like liquid mercury under starlight. The cover bore intricate engravings of eyes opening within endless spirals. When Jin looked at it, he felt gently observed in return.
o_____________o
Path of Eternal Sovereign.
"The mind is the final frontier, the soul the ultimate weapon," Jin whispered, his eyes reflecting the tome's silver radiance. "While flesh may wither and bones may crumble, consciousness transcends all mortal limitations. Through the Sovereign Mind path, reality bends not to strength, but to absolute will.
First Realm: Foundation of Will—establish dominion over your own consciousness."
$@#@%%… (need binding with this manual to get more info)
o_____________o
"Path of Eternal Sovereign… hmm"
This one's mine. Has to be. I'm a reader, someone who lives in his head, who thinks too much, who sees patterns others miss. A cultivation path based on mental dominance? It's perfect.
Too perfect. Almost like it was waiting for me specifically.
"The silver one's for me," Jin said, unable to look away from the manual. "It knows me."
"Okay, that's not creepy at all," Rudy muttered, but he was still staring at his own tome with fascination.
"So we're really doing this?" Jin asked. "You sure about the Asura path? That thing looks like it wants to burn you alive just for existing."
Rudy nodded slowly, his expression growing more determined with each second.
"Dude, I can literally feel it resonating with my Mantle. Besides," Rudy grinned, "when have we ever taken the easy path?"
"Fair point."
Without hesitation, Jin stepped forward and placed his hand on the silver manual. The metal was warm, pulsing with a heartbeat that matched his own.
The moment his skin made contact, knowledge exploded into his consciousness like a dam bursting.
o_____________o
The First Realm: Foundation of Will. Establish dominion over your own mind. Separate consciousness from flesh. Requirements: Seven days of meditation in absolute silence, essence circulation patterns that reshape neural pathways, consumption of three Mind-Opening Elixirs...
o_____________o
Information flooded him in torrents. Cultivation techniques that would rewire his brain. Breathing patterns that would expand his consciousness. Mental exercises that would literally reshape his perception of reality.
Holy shit, what's with these requirements for initiation! How in hell am I supposed to find this stuff? I don't even recognize half these materials.
Beside him, Rudy grabbed his tome with both hands. His body immediately convulsed as similar knowledge burned through him like molten metal.
"Fuck," Rudy gasped. "That's... that's a lot of information."
Both books crumbled to dust once their knowledge transferred, leaving only glowing motes that settled into their souls.
"Magnificent," the dungeon presence said, its voice filled with something like pride. "You have chosen well."
"But to begin cultivation of these paths requires resources, environments, and conditions that would take decades to assemble under normal circumstances."
Jin looked up, still reeling from having an entire cultivation manual downloaded into his brain.
"I suppose having the path is more than good enough," Rudy said thoughtfully. "But knowing you, we'll probably figure out how to get the materials eventually, right?"
"Eventually being the keyword," Jin muttered, thinking of all the impossible-sounding ingredients. "Some of this stuff might not even exist anymore."
Mind-Opening Elixirs. Silence Chambers. Neural Restructuring Arrays. Half of this stuff doesn't even appear in the novels until the later volumes. And there are some I don't even know!
"Indeed," the presence agreed. "However, this dungeon was created to birth legends. And it would be our misfortune if we didn't offer you the Initiation."
Rudy perked up. "Wait, you're actually gonna help us with this?"
Two doors materialized in the chamber walls, appearing as if they had always been there and Jin had simply failed to notice them before.
One was pure silver, bending light around its edges. Symbols of eyes and spirals covered its surface, each one seeming to blink when Jin looked directly at it. Just staring at it made his mind feel... bigger.
The other was black iron wrapped in crimson flames that promised pain beyond description. The metal looked like it had been quenched in blood.
Jin looked at Rudy, seeing his own mixture of excitement and terror reflected in his friend's purple eyes.
"Well," Jin said, trying to keep his voice light, "it would be incredibly rude of us if we didn't take advantage of the opportunity, right?"
"Yeah," Rudy grinned, though Jin could see the nervous tension in his friend's stance. "Incredibly rude."
They walked toward their respective doors, each step feeling like it carried the weight of destiny.
Jin's hand hovered over the silver portal. Through the metal, he could sense vast emptiness, perfect silence, and unlimited potential for reshaping the very foundations of consciousness.
What if I lose myself in there? What if I come out as someone else entirely?
No. I won't let that happen. I'm Jin Winters, and I choose who I become.
"See you on the other side," Jin said, his voice steady despite everything.
"Try not to go insane in there," Rudy replied with a grin that didn't quite hide his own concerns.
"Try not to die in there," Jin shot back.
They opened their doors simultaneously.
Silver light and crimson flame spilled out, each carrying the promise of transformation beyond anything they could imagine.
And stepped through.
The doors closed behind them with a sound like the sealing of fate itself.
In the chamber, the presence watched the empty space where two boys had stood, and for the first time in millennia, something that might have been hope stirred in its ancient consciousness.
Perhaps, it thought, these two might actually succeed where so many others have failed.
Perhaps they might actually be worthy of what lies at this dungeon's heart.
~~~