Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Thanks to being blown away like a rag doll, Ivan regained some clarity in his thoughts. He wondered why he didn't pull out his S-rank sword the instant his switchaxe failed to rebound. Not only had he regained clarity of mind, he also regained some confidence. He felt inspired to help his team evade the monsters' pursuit.

"Laughable" was the word to qualify Ivan's positive belief, given that the monsters could move at speeds that they, the adventurers, could not perceive.

Ivan's hand swiftly reached forward, grabbing onto something hidden in the void. With the same pace, he pulled forth Black Riot, his most valued possession.

Instantly, time around him froze. He gazed around, confused by the development. He worried if he was still alive.

"Ah, there you are. You took your time to arrive at this point," a familiar, magnetic, deep voice spoke to Ivan.

"It can't be. Merlin_13?" Ivan muttered as he turned around to face the person who spoke to him.

Behold, Merlin_13 sat next to a small, flickering fire, roasting a fish he held over the flames on a stick. He seemed engrossed in roasting his fish, but Ivan knew well that the blue-eyed man was acutely aware of his surroundings.

"Merlin_13?"

"Mmm-hmmn," the blue-eyed man answered. He was draped in a black shirt, brown trousers and a pair of brown sandals.

"What are you doing here? How are you here?"

"I'm here because this is one of my many preparations for the character who inherited Black Riot."

Merlin_13 lifted the fish away from the fire and inspected it. It had roasted perfectly to his tastes. The aroma of the roasted fish made Ivan doubt if he was still conscious. He knew the man before him was dead and merely a phantom, but the fish—how could a fake fish have a scent?

Merlin_13 bit into the fish and savoured the flavours that diffused from it.

Ivan expressed his impatience with grunts. He waited until Merlin_13 consumed the whole fish. Merlin_13 then faced Ivan with a warm smile.

"Young adventurer, you took your time to arrive at this point."

Ivan's expression became impassive. He was mildly exasperated that Merlin_13 had repeated a sentence he had spoken earlier.

"The sword you carry with you is not a common S-rank weapon. It is of legendary type. Merely wielding this sword can attract grave consequences to you, the environment around you, or the region you are in.

"To mitigate these consequences, you have to tread a path intended to control the enormous power packed within the weapon. If you are not aware, know now that Legendary-type weapons possess peculiar powers that can be devastating when unleashed.

"There are two pathways to control the enormous power in Black Riot. One pathway is for you to tread the Swordmaster pathway. This pathway is very suitable for you since you are a martial artist. The second option requires that you are a descendant of the League of Riot Knights. Unfortunately, you are not a descendant. You are a human being from Earth."

Ivan reflected on the words, trying to discern if there was a deeper layer beneath them. After quick deliberation, he correctly concluded that the words were plain and simple. He was about to declare that he was ready to tread the Swordmaster path as long as he could use it to save himself and his raid team from Salazar and his minions, but Merlin_13 spoke before he could.

"You can't tread the Swordmaster pathway because you and your colleagues need urgent rescuing. Walking the path of the swordmaster now will leave you with a sword that has attack prowess comparable to a common S-rank weapon."

Ivan's impatience almost surged into anger. Controlling his rage, he said calmly, "You said I'm not a descendant of the League of Riot Knights, hence I can't use the second option. Tell me, is there a third option, or perhaps a throng of other options that have tricky terms tied to them?"

"No, there aren't other options. The second option can't be ruled out in this case because within the sword lies the gene seed of Black Riot 79, the original Riot Knight whom you named yourself after. The sword has recognised you as its owner, and you further awakened it by wielding it openly in the gamers' realm.

"You have completed the prerequisite for qualifying to assimilate the gene seed of the Riot Knight bloodline. Agreeing to assimilate the gene seed into your genes will see that the sword grants access to a fraction of its power. It is only until you have fully assimilated the gene seed that you will be granted unlimited access to the power of the sword."

Ivan had an idea. He accessed his system panel. An info panel had popped up, and he was not aware. He read the information on the panel.

Turning point reached.

Info: After reaping the harvest of a fortuitous encounter, you adventured further, not wanting to sit back and savour the happiness of your harvest. A commendable character all round. Now your adventurous spirit has brought you to a significant turning point. You have been presented the opportunity to assimilate a Riot Knight's gene seed in order to significantly improve your prowess.

Description: Accept to assimilate gene seed, Accept or Decline?

'Accept.'

"Congratulations, Black Riot 79: Reborn. I hope you make the right decisions that will positively impact the future of humanity," Merlin_13 said with a smile as warm as could be.

Ivan's attire underwent an overhaul. He was now attired in a black, regal plate body armour. His helmet bore a single, golden, horizontal visor that was opaque to an observer. It also had a pair of backward-pointed ears. The black robe with ornate golden lines transformed into a flowing cap that hung over his shoulders. There were no soft spots on the armour; it seemed that every component was crafted from a single material that was flexible yet sturdy, designed to defend its wearer from damage.

An aura of death, terror, and sacredness hung over Black Riot 79. Time resumed its normal flow. Merlin_13 and the small fire vanished.

Explosions upon explosions reverberated as Ivan decimated Salazar's minions one by one. His colleagues were dumbfounded by the surging aura of power that emanated from Ivan. It felt suffocating.

Ivan's appearance unsettled Salazar, and the lead monster trudged forward. Ivan sensed Salazar approaching him. He made sure to decimate the monsters surrounding his colleagues before he turned to approach the final boss.

The other adventurers gathered and marvelled at Ivan as he trudged towards Salazar. All doubts about the team's survival had been cleared from their thoughts. All they wanted to see was how Salazar was defeated.

Am_I_Me caught sight of a pool of Exp stones around a crater. Suddenly, the effect of the Seed of Sin surged within her, and greed overwhelmed her. She broke away from the team, racing to the pool of loot drops. She cackled like an excited little girl as she ran, attracting the attention of her colleagues.

"She is at it again. After we just survived a near-death experience, she still has the guts to shamelessly show her greed. A greedy coward," Onelight remarked, spiteful of Am_I_Me.

The other colleagues were disappointed but weren't as spiteful of Am_I_Me as Onelight. Alita_72 felt that something was off about Am_I_Me. Along the journey to Level 10, the archer had the opportunity to converse with Am_I_Me. From their conversation, she discovered that Am_I_Me was a simple person who just wanted the world to be a better place. She was daring to do something to help this cause, but she was frightened and fled cowardly when faced with tough situations.

Alita_72 understood Am_I_Me more than her colleagues. She found it discomforting to hear Onelight openly spewing spiteful words about her. She controlled herself from beefing with the healer because what Am_I_Me was doing at the moment was irredeemable.

"Hey, Onelight, you once asked if Am_I_Me was the devil collaborator. Why did you ask that question?" Alita_72 approached Onelight with a question presented in a casual tone.

"Back at the grand dining hall, she deceived Shecyclones and snatched her turkey. The brief moment when Shecyclones was under Deceit's stun effect, a weak wave of dark energy washed over Shecyclones from an unknown source. It seemed plausible that Am_I_Me was the source of the dark energy." Onelight spoke audibly, and adventurers around her heard her.

With a tone of uncertainty, Shecyclones said, "Not long after I recovered from the deceit, we were abducted to Lhilac's abyss."

Troy_to_me said, "In my opinion, it is a coincidence. If Onelight didn't detect dark energy from Am_I_Me then she is fine. She is not the devil collaborator." She said to Alita_72, "Alita, I know you don't feel happy seeing your friend being a piece of shit, but honestly, that's just the way the world is. People we like can turn out to be a piece of shit. Stop trying to find an excuse to justify your friend's shitty attitude."

Alita_72 shook her head in disappointment, looking at the floor dejected. She raised her gaze in time to see a monster rise from beneath the rubbles and loot drops.

"Monster!"