Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Brainboss entered his bedroom, locking the door securely behind him. The glass floor-to-ceiling window was currently in a black shade, a smart feature that could be toggled to a transparent setting. However, the glass's opaque black shade did not prevent whoever was in the bedroom from viewing what lay outside. Brainboss stood close to the window, gazing down at the natural lake on his expansive property.

Standing near the window to gaze at the lake was how his mind could focus and truly think. He was yet to assimilate the Infernal Shadow skill from the skill card. A few lingering thoughts had been restricting him from assimilating the formidable skill in the past days.

He wondered if Cleverly's involvement in the recent deal was a one-time occurrence. He sincerely hoped that the mafia boss would not approach him with another demanding request. It was already a precarious situation that he, as a resident of Section 2, traded special items. And it wasn't just that he traded special items with anyone, but he had dealt directly with a prominent member of the Tohzzembe mafia. He could easily be implicated in the crime of aiding a criminal agency.

He was, however, quite sure that the higher echelons of the Liberation Force were aware of his dealings, but they had chosen to turn a blind eye.

The Infernal Shadow card materialised in his left hand. He gazed intently at the card, observing its intricate details. A faceless humanoid shadow entity, a central mass veiled or made of pure darkness, was depicted on the card's opposite faces against a plain red background. There were tiny texts inscribed in a block on the right side of the card.

The inscriptions detailed the skill's formidable attributes.

Item name: Infernal Shadow.

Abilities (1): Shadows Summon — Summon a multitude/legion of shadows of any kind. Any shadow can be summoned, and shadows of the user's desire can be formed from nothing. The legion are the user's loyal minions.

Abilities (2): Inferno Shadows — Summon unique shadows of any grade from the infernal realm to do your bidding. Infernal shadows are a special breed of shadows that can't be summoned with the Shadows Summon. The user can imbue themself with the unique powers of an infernal shadow.

Abilities (3): Wraith Shadow — The user can use this ability to give summoned shadows the abilities of a wraith. This ability has a wide array of uses. CONS: This ability is heavily dependent on the user's intelligence and mental fortitude. There is a tendency to be corrupted and to become a wandering, mindless shadow.

Grade: B-rank Grade 5.

Note: Duration and potency of this skill depend heavily on the physical capabilities of the user.

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'An overpowered skill. Only the universe knows how Alcaraz got his hands on this skill card,' Brainboss mused, a flicker of awe in his thoughts.

He finally resolved to assimilate the skill. He closed his eyes, allowing the immense power from the card to flow through his entire being. The skill card gradually broke down into fine dust, which was then blown away by an imperceptible wind. Still with his eyes closed, he wondered when he would finally ascend into the next power rank. Although he felt incredibly powerful now, he believed that his current strength wasn't quite enough.

He pondered various possible future events. What if one of the Pillar of Calamity special characters lost control, and there was no one equally as powerful to stop them? Would he and his fellow Transcendent-ranked individuals, and possibly lower-ranked individuals, be able to contain such a threat? Power simply had to be continuously accumulated.

For the rest of the day in Section 2.5, the entire region continued with daily activities as they once again tried to readjust their lives after the cataclysmic event that had transpired yesterday.

For Ivan, he meticulously continued his established routine. He would arrive at the gym around 5:30 a.m. and exercise diligently until 11:45 a.m. Then he would go home, eat, and rest sufficiently before heading to Greg's Martial Art Centre around 12:30 p.m. He would spend a few minutes more than two hours at the centre, striving to perfect his martial arts and sword-handling skills. He would return home after that, eat, and rest enough. Later, he would head out and hustle for a living for the remainder of the day.

Ivan followed this rigorous routine for the rest of the weekdays, with no plans to alter it for the weekend.

At 9 p.m. on Saturday night, Roger was attending his religious mass online. Saturday night was the designated holy time of every week when followers of the Goddess of Serenity would attend church mass.

However, this week's holy mass was not held in the various church branches scattered across the Torn Indigo. It was held solely in the grand Church of Serenity in Section 1, presided over by His Grace Pope Afram Sarr. Over twenty-five million people 'worldwide' were in virtual attendance, following the mass. The cathedral itself experienced an unprecedented overflow, as it welcomed over two thousand supplicants, a number far higher than its usual capacity.

The virtual crowd was displayed on large screens mounted around the walls of the cathedral with supporting loudspeakers to carry over the vocal expressions.

A special body rig had been delivered to Roger just before the mass started. The Pope had personally selected him to be the individual to read the passage of the day from the holy scriptures of the Goddess. It would not be the altar servants reading the passage this time.

Following the precise instructions given to him by the delivery team, Roger mounted himself on the rig while garbed in the rig's visored helmet and body sensors. The moment the mass began, Roger found himself standing at the altar in the Church of Serenity. It was a truly surreal experience. He was met with a loud cheer and a heavy round of applause after the Pope introduced him in his crisply visible ethereal form to the assembled crowd.

Dressed in a pristine white alb, much like the altar servants, Roger's ethereal form sat on one of two opposite rows of seats behind the altar. He diligently followed the mass, adhering to the sacred procedures of seating, kneeling, and standing up when called for.

He was soon called upon to approach the altar and read out the passage of the day. He read the passage with fervent conviction, preaching hope and contentment. Then he concluded his reading with:

"May the blessings of the Goddess abide with us."

The physical and virtual crowd responded with a mood-lifted, thunderous praise for the Goddess. Pope Afram smiled, visibly satisfied with the overwhelming reaction from the crowd. He was now certain that the congregation would be utterly blown away by the momentous announcement he was about to make.

His Papal Eminence appeared at the altar. Draped in a majestic black cassock that bore a bold, intricate crest — a striking combination of skeletal and astral bodies — below the neckline, his commanding presence instantly brought a profound silence to fall upon the entire crowd.

"Children, starlights of the serene night, I'm glad that you could make it to this mass. I'm also glad that we could get the devout Pillar of Faith, Clinton Roger, to attend this mass. Praise be to Serenity."

The crowd quietly roared a praise to the goddess in unison.

"Next week, on Tuesday, we are going to kick off a region-wide crusade in Section 1. The clergymen and I would go from area to area in Section 1 for as long as it will take to hold the crusade. Be prepared to receive the abundant blessings flowing from the benevolent love of the great goddess.

"For this crusade, we will invite Pillar of Faith, Roger, to accompany us on this crusade."

A thunderous cheer broke out among the crowd. The anticipation for the crusade grew rapidly among the congregation. Roger was stunned and immensely joyful for the incredible opportunity to follow the Pope on the crusade. This was one of his deepest dreams: to be recognised and appreciated by his religious faith. He beamed with a wide smile throughout the remainder of the mass.