NOVEL NEXT B1 | Intermission 3
On the Peak of a Mountain in Dimensional Block #51
Isabella d’Aragon looks on indifferently after burning the last Tier 1 Level Capped monster to a crisp with her Dragons Breath skill. And right afterwards she gets a System Message telling her that the second requirement of her three requirements have been cleared for her to advance to Tier 2.
She snorts out a puff of smoke from her nostrils, still feeling stifled at being stuck in her humanoid form thanks to being Tier 1.
I need to reach Tier 3 as fast as I can to reclaim my true form.
Isabella looks down from the mountain peak she is currently on before flapping her red, draconic wings once and soaring up into the sky. Then she begins flying through the air over the seemingly endless expanse of mountains that stretches across the entire Block. A Block she’s heard the lesser species she’s passed by calling the Endless Chain. Simply due to the mountains all being in a chain formation with a valley in between each mountain. Or a formation similar to a chess board without the mountains directly touching.
Except the rare mountain like the one she had just left, which was several times the size of the other mountains due to being the home of a level capped monster.
I hope I can find a magical ore of the fire element soon.
Isabella frowns at the thought, irritated at having to go through the process of ascension again after tens of thousands of years since when she reached Ascendancy.
After flying through the air for several minutes though, she pauses at the sound of a Legendary Feat appearing her vision eyes widening slightly for the first time in a long while.
Legendary Feat – The Vanguard
Alexia Knight has reached Tier 2 before anyone else in the System!
She beat me to Tier 2.
The Ancestral Dragon feels… strange at the thought of someone having surpassed her. Even the Hound of the Apocalypse wasn’t necessarily strong enough to defeat her before the Reset, even if he was the highest leveled individual in the System.
But there’s no doubt the Reaper would be able to defeat her as she is now. The girl is also a Class S species, just like Isabella. And she’s a higher Tier than her as well.
Isabella opens the Dimensional Champion Leaderboards.
[Dimensional Champion Leaderboard]
[#1 Alexia Knight – Level 101]
[#2 Isabella d'Aragon – Level 100]
[#3 Alexander Frost – Level 100]
[#4 Lucas Nightshade – Level 100]
[#5 Leif Eriksson – Level 100]
[#6 Aurora Frost – Level 100]
[#7 Leonidas Silver – Level 100]
[#8 Damien Black – Level 100]
[#9 Ignivara – Level 100]
[#10 Artorius del Argon – Level 100]
After staring at the leaderboards for several seconds, simply feeling dumbfounded at having been beaten, Isabella shakes her head again, her indifference returning to her posture as she resumes her flight over the mountains.
The Class Specific Requirement must’ve been a simple thing for her. Whether that was through outside guidance by another Quantum Being, or through species instinct. And it couldn’t have been an item gathering requirement like mine is.
Isabella frowns at the thought that the current rank one might’ve gained that position simply due to the nature of her species, but then she shakes her head at the thought. Because many other System users could the same thing about her.
She is a hellfire dragon after all.
The Ancestral Dragon continues flying through the mountains for a while, only to pause and narrow her eyes after several minutes as she begins to sense a familiar energy. Then she flies down to the ground and begins digging before eventually finding a large red stone that quickly dissolves into her body before reappearing as a gemstone on her forehead.
Better late than never.
Just seconds later, the System Ascension Barrier forms around her to protect her from attacks as she passes out from the pain of ascending from Tier 1 to Tier 2, her last requirement having been completed.
Deep Underwater in Dimensional Block #1
The Hound of the Apocalypse raises both of his hands and lets out a shout as he sends bolts of black shadows and light straight at the large level 100 squid at the center of the pocket of air filled with ancient ruins likely created by the System for show. And his skill immediately finishes off the large monster, clearing his third and final requirement – to kill two level-capped monsters. But moments before he does so, a Legendary Feat echoes out through his head, making his satisfied look turn dark.
Legendary Feat – The Vanguard
Alexia Knight has reached Tier 2 before anyone else in the System!
Then Lucas finds himself glaring at the notification with genuine frustration on his face. Something most people almost never find on the Hound’s face or body language.
“She beat me…” he begins, his voice quiet before he raises it into a shout, “By fucking seconds?!?”
For the first time in years, Lucas feels anger radiating through his mind. But for some reason, when the image of the Reaper’s face enters his mind, his rage cools down in an instant, leaving him feeling strange.
Just why?! Why does she look so much like Crystal?!
Every time he remembers the girl’s face, he feels a wave of nostalgia, happiness, and sadness all in one. Each time he remembers Crystal’s face when she last looked at him face to face, right before she left him forever for the unforgiveable sin he had committed without even remembering doing it.
But whether he remembers or not, he still did it. And it’s still a black mark on his history.
What he wishes to know is why he did it. And why he doesn’t remember doing it.
Why he slaughtered all of the angels in the Holy Continent.
The act that gave him the Title of the Hound of the Apocalypse. One that’s only made ironic considering the species he selected to upgrade himself into through his tutorial points.
A Fallen Angel.
And to make matters worse, the mannerisms that he had briefly shown the girl making when she was on the throne reminded him even more of his best friend.
It can’t be a coincidence. It just can’t be.
Lucas feels the pain of his ascension beginning to appear along with the barrier, but he just closes his eyes with one last thought on his mind before everything goes dark.
I have to see her in person. There’s no way around it.