~~~
Jin stepped out of the silver door and immediately raised his hand to point at Rudy.
At the same moment, Rudy emerged from the crimson portal and did the same thing.
"Dude!" they said in unison, their voices echoing in the now-spacious chamber.
Jin blinked, staring at his best friend. Rudy had grown taller—definitely taller—and his shoulders were broader, like someone had taken his already athletic build and refined it into something more imposing. His purple eyes seemed brighter against his dark hair, and there was something in his posture that screamed confidence.
Holy shit.
Jin's chest tightened with a mix of awe and concern. The Asura path really did a number on him.
"Bro, your eyes!" Rudy was gaping at him, pointing like Jin had sprouted a second head. "They're like... blue? But with red and purple mixed in? Like they changed before, but now they are even more glowing! That's not normal, right?"
Jin looked down at his hands, then caught his reflection in the silver door's surface. His reflection stared back with eyes that definitely hadn't been there before—piercing blue with flecks of red and purple that seemed to shift like living galaxies. He looked taller too, leaner, like someone had taken all the unnecessary parts and streamlined them away.
I feel different. Not just physically, but like... like my thoughts are clearer. More organized.
He flexed his fingers experimentally.
I can feel concepts floating around me like I could reach out and grab them.
Must be my path and Harvest synergizing.
"Yeah, not normal at all," Jin said, his voice carrying a new resonance that surprised him. "You look like you could bench-press a truck now, by the way."
"I probably could," Rudy said with a grin that hadn't changed at all, and flames danced between his fingers as he spoke. The fire cast dancing shadows across his face, but his expression remained cheerful. "Check this out—doesn't hurt at all. Feels kinda nice, actually."
"Show-off. You already had Earth and now fire too…" But Jin was smiling, relief flooding through him. At least he's still Rudy. Whatever the trials did to us, we're still us.
Let's see if I…
Jin's transformed eyes shone as they focused on Rudy. Reader's Dominion activated alongside his Astral Sight, information flooding his consciousness.
o__________________________________________o
RUDEUS WHITEHART - MANTLE OF THE COLOSSUS
ORDER 0 ENTITY
STATS »» UNAVAILABLE ««
...
EFFECT ON ORIGINAL TIMELINE: NONE
CURRENT TIMELINE: FATE VARIANT II
...
[CURRENT STATE: HEALTHY]
[EMOTIONAL STATE: JOY]
…
[Size…
…
…
o__________________________________________o
Jin mentally willed Reader's Dominion to filter out the excess information and show him Rudy's actual status.
o__________________________________________o
NAME: Rudy Whitehart
AGE: 16
❂ [ORDER 0] ENTITY
THE MANTLE OF THE COLOSSUS
❂ BOON
"What stands unmoved shall not fall; what rises unbroken shall not yield. The bearer's body is the fortress, the bearer's will the blade."
❂ CULTIVATION PATH
Scripture of the Nine Hells Asura.
"The path of the Asura is paved in blood and sharpened by slaughter. To temper the Nine Hells Physique is to embrace torment, to burn away weakness in furnaces deeper than the abyss."
First Realm: Flesh Forging—baptism by pain, rebirth through agony."
❂ AFFINITY
»»»» [EARTH], [PYRO (Asura Hell Flames)]
❂ MARKED SKILLS [1/5]
»»»» [Novice] WILL OF COLOSSUS «RARE» (42)
❂ ARMAMENT SKILLS
»»»» Warrior's Call
❂ ACQUIRED SKILLS
»»»» [Adept] Sword Mastery (64)
»»»» [Adept] Unarmed Combat Mastery (52)
»»»» [Adept] Physical Conditioning (61)
»»»» [Adept] Physical fitness (52)
»»»» [Novice] Combat Mastery (47)
»»»» [Novice] Madra Manipulation «cultivation path» (27)
»»»» [Novice] Weapon Aura «cultivation path» (13)
»»»» [Novice] Asura hell flames (03)
»»»» [Novice] Pain mitigation (13)
»»»» [Novice] Pain Resistance (43)
»»»» [Novice] Pain Resistance (43)
»»»» [Novice] Tactics and strategy (07)
»»»» [Novice] Brawling (37)
»»»» [Novice] Shield Mastery (35)
»»»» [Novice] Reading (13)
»»»» [Novice] Learning and remembering (11)
»»»» [Novice] Cleaning (13)
o__________________________________________o
Damn.
Jin whistled softly. Rudy got some crazy upgrades.
Dual affinities, his path granted him way more immediate power than mine. I guess I still have to complete my first star formation.
Before Jin could dive deeper into his thoughts, the presence manifested around them.
Ah, both of our protégés have emerged successfully. Most gratifying.
"So," Jin spoke coldly, "this was another trial, wasn't it? The whole thing—the boss fight, the path manuals, the initiation chambers. It was all one big test."
Sharp as always, young Harvest. Yes, the entire floor was designed to evaluate not just your combat capabilities, but your character, your willingness to grow, and most importantly, your ability to remain yourselves under pressure.
"I knew it." Jin ran a hand through his hair, the strands feeling different somehow. "The path manuals were too perfectly suited to our natures. And you were way too helpful for a normal dungeon entity."
Jin's eyes sharpened as his gaze fixed on empty air where he could sense the presence. His enhanced perception picked up subtle inconsistencies—energy patterns that didn't match what he knew about conquest dungeons. The nagging suspicion he'd carried since the Stone Warden fight crystallized into certainty.
I was sort of lying when I said I wasn't aware of conquest-type dungeons. Each of those was created by peak archmages and entities as a way to pass on their inheritance. And though those could do a lot of what this presence did... it couldn't do things to this degree.
Jin's had a nagging suspicion since the fight against the Stone Warden. He'd felt eyes on him—ancient, evaluating eyes. Even more when they faced the treant, and especially when he force-evolved his Mantle. That cosmic awareness is watching his every move.
"You're not a dungeon presence, are you?" Jin's voice carried a new edge, the weight of certainty. "What are you… a spirit?, a myth? a god?"
The dungeon presence laughed, a sound like wind chimes made of crystal.
That young Harvest is indeed very sharp and unique to figure out.
Before you ask—we swear we mean no harm to you. We were merely curious how two mortals destined to die alongside the city not only survived their destined time of death but also became fate variants.
The admission hit Jin like cold water. His perception picked up the truth resonating in those words, but also something deeper. Something that made his newly formed star pulse with unease.
"We can't be the only ones who satisfied your curiosity," Rudy interjected, crossing his arms. The flames around his fingers flickered with his emotional state.
In the past thousand years? Fewer than a dozen.
"That's..." Jin's throat felt dry. "That's a very long time to be watching and waiting."
We simply hijacked the dungeon and modified it... a little.
A little.
"What are you?" The question came out sharper than Jin intended. "And don't give me another evasion. I can see through most deceptions now, and whatever you are, you're powerful enough to rewrite reality on a whim."
The presence paused. Jin could feel its attention shifting, focusing on him with intensity that made his consciousness prickle.
Clever. Very clever. Your new sight sees truly.
"Answer the question."
We are... observers. We have watched the streams of fate for eons, and occasionally, we find mortals who break the patterns. Those who refuse to follow the script written for them.
Jin's hands clenched at his sides. "Why us? Why now?"
Because your deaths were supposed to anchor a cascade. Your survival has already changed the probability matrices of seventeen major events. We wanted to see... what you would become… and if we added a little push.
Seventeen major events?… which and when? Haa, this is frustrating.
And if we'd failed your tests?"
The presence's silence was answer enough.
"So what happens now?" Rudy asked. "Do we get a prize? A certificate? Bragging rights?"
Now, you finish what you started. The final floor awaits—and with it, the potential to convince us that you can indeed change the fate.
"Will you finally tell us who you really are?" Jin's voice carried steel now.
Complete the dungeon, young ones. Prove that our investment in your potential was worthwhile. Then... then we will have our proper introduction.
The words carried the weight of a binding oath. Jin's new perception of the realities caught the essence resonance underlying them—this entity, whatever it was, had just sworn by its very existence to give them answers.
Fine. His shoulders relaxed slightly. If it wants to play games until the end, I can work with that.
Good, now, you rest. Your bodies have undergone fundamental changes that require time to integrate. Your essence channels need to settle into their new configurations.
As the presence spoke, the chamber around them began to shift. The walls dissolved into steam and mist, reforming into what looked like a traditional Japanese onsen. Two separate bathing areas, each with its own private changing room and hot spring.
"An onsen?" Jin blinked in surprise, his enhanced perception picking up the magical formations woven into the very structure. "Seriously?"
Your bodies require recovery. Hot springs infused with healing essence are optimal for post-transformation integration.
"I'm not gonna lie," Rudy said, already heading toward one of the changing areas, his movements more fluid than before, "after getting set on fire by trial spirits, a hot bath sounds amazing."
Jin shook his head, amused despite everything. Of course, the ancient cultivation trial ends with a spa treatment. Because why not?
"This whole day has been completely insane," he muttered, following Rudy toward the changing rooms. "Magic academy, golem boss fights, cultivation manuals, path initiation trials, and now hot springs. What's next, a formal dinner party?"
"Don't tempt fate, man," Rudy called from his changing room, his voice echoing off the walls. "At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if we had to fight a dragon over dessert."
Jin snorted with laughter. Same old Rudy. At least some things never change.
The hot water was exactly what his body needed. Jin sank into it with a groan of relief, feeling tension he didn't know he'd been carrying start to melt away. Steam rose around him, and the healing essence in the water made his skin tingle pleasantly.
"This is nice," Rudy's voice carried over the partition between their pools, contentment evident in his tone. "Really nice. It feels like we have spent months, no years…"
"Yeah, Same," Jin replied, letting his head fall back against the smooth stone edge. "Ever since the whole 'knowledge of impending doom' thing started, I don't think I've had a single moment where I wasn't worried about something."
"Yeah? Well, you hide it pretty well. I mean, you always seem like you have everything figured out."
Jin leaned deeper into the hot water, steam rising around him like incense.
If only he knew how much I'm making up as I go along.
"Trust me, I'm winging it just as much as you are. I just have more context for what we're dealing with."
"Speaking of context," Rudy's voice turned curious, "you wanna teach me some of those incantations and magic?"
Jin sighed, "It's complicated, especially with your current status."
"Huh?"
"Your essence is no longer the basic essence but madra now." Jin's eyes could actually see the energy patterns flowing through Rudy, even through the partition. "How it reacts and responds to sorceries... I honestly don't know."
"Oh." Rudy was quiet for a moment. "So I can't learn magic anymore?"
The disappointment in his friend's voice made Jin's chest tighten. "Not traditional sorceries, probably. But Rudy..." Jin paused, choosing his words carefully. "But maybe we can try some… though no promises."
"Yes!"
Jin laughed despite himself. "Even if we fail, Rudy, you literally have hell flames dancing around your fingers. I'm pretty sure that's cooler than anything I can do with a sorcery."
"I guess," Rudy said, but Jin could hear the smile in his voice. "
There was a splash as Rudy shifted in his pool. "So we're both going to be experimenting with our new powers?"
"Looks like it."
"Hey Jin?" Rudy's voice had taken on a more serious tone.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for everything. For not giving up on me, for bringing me along, for..." Rudy paused. "For still being my friend even when I know you could probably handle all this stuff on your own."
Jin's throat tightened unexpectedly. "Rudy, you idiot. Of course, I'd bring you along. You're my best friend. And honestly?" Jin's voice grew quieter. "I don't think I could handle this alone. Having you here, knowing you've got my back... it makes all the difference."
"Even if I'm not as smart as you?"
"Especially because you're not like me," Jin said firmly. "You keep me grounded. You remind me that there are people worth protecting. And frankly, with your new cultivation path, you're probably going to be the one protecting me."
Rudy was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was warm with emotion. "We make a good team, don't we?"
"The best," Jin agreed, then grinned. "Plus, now we're both ridiculously overpowered for our age group. That's gotta count for something."
"True. Though I still can't get over your eyes. They're actually kind of intimidating now."
"Intimidating?" Jin touched his face reflexively.
"Yeah, like... they see too much, you know? Like you're looking right through people."
That's probably because I can now. Jin's new sight could perceive layers of reality that had been invisible before. "I'll work on that. Don't want to creep people out."
"Nah, keep it. It'll be useful for intimidating enemies."
They lapsed into comfortable silence, both processing the magnitude of what had happened to them. Steam rose from their respective pools, and Jin could hear the gentle lapping of water against stone.
"So," Rudy said eventually, "what's our next move? We can't stay in here forever, as nice as this is."
"I think our host is about to show us." He could feel the presence stirring, preparing to manifest again. "But rest for now, Rudy. We should clear this dungeon first, get our answers, and ascend to ORDER I."
"We have no idea what's actually happening in Vienna out there…"
I hope the situation is not too unfavorable.
~~~