It wasn't all bad news. While Dante might have been 'tricked' into registering for the Eternal Universe battlefield as one of its combatants, it also granted him access to the vast resources and benefits that came with this area.
However, that was one thing. Another was the fact that the Eternal Universe might think they had outsmarted Dante, but if Dante had already known all this, he would still have chosen to register with the Eternal Universe.
What a joke. His home universe was currently his backyard that he was steadily conquering to expand his power. They were fortunate enough to be considered a 'baby universe', thus exempt from participating in the Universe Battlefield.
His quantum clone had even entered the real Zero Gate in the home universe with no issue and had begun harvesting the fruits there as quickly as possible. This was only feasible because the rules did not allow the home universe to enter the First Gate yet, or the clone would have been transported to the home universe's first gate zone.
Speaking of zones, Dante now understood the layout of this realm and where he was. Every universe had a safe zone, where spawning was secure, allowing members to regroup and establish a base.
Then, similar to an RTS game, they could expand and capture zones through various methods, which Dante would contemplate later. What mattered was that due to his 'high' power for his first entry, he had somehow been catapulted into the worst zone in the entire First Gate, The Wastelands.
This area was akin to the death zone of this 'map', where the toughest foes existed, and it was generally seen as taboo to enter.
No wonder that Vulture-creature had stared at Dante strangely before it attacked. In its eyes, how could someone as weak as Dante be qualified to step into this area?
As for why it had come here itself, Dante obviously could not know that unless he captured and interrogated it.
Dante continued to digest and parse the information until his expression changed. His strained and furious expression switched to joy and shock, as if he had discovered that he had somehow won the lottery after being downtrodden.
Dante finally understood why his superpower insisted that he stay, even with the threat of death, and emphasized that he could benefit from staying here. In fact, it had even been understated because what Dante saw was truly incredible!
There was a familiar 'exchange list' and 'point system' with these spires placed in the center of each zone. All base zones belonging to each universe had their own spire, so they didn't have to worry about obtaining this information. However, Dante only had access to this contested zone's spire, so he could not monopolize it.
As he had surmised, there were many ways to acquire these points, called 'Spire Points'. One way was to claim a zone, and depending on the zone quality, the reward could be between 50 to 100 points per person from that universe.
Another was to eliminate an enemy combatant, which rewarded a flat single point regardless of their strength. One could also 'sell' things to the spire and have them appraised in exchange for Spire Points.
At the top of the list were the Fruits of Condensation from any Zero Gate realm, valued at 100 points each!
No wonder! No wonder!
No wonder the upper echelon were so obsessed with the fruits that they would even enslave students using contracts. No wonder many were alarmed when they thought Dante would take all ten and devised this shameless plot.
If Dante took all ten fruits for the next 5 years in their realm, that would amount to 5000 Spire Points, and that could buy a LOT of things.
If the reception list of the Black Spire – in terms of what it was willing to buy – was long, then the purchase list – in terms of what users could spend their points on – was incredibly extensive and included almost anything one could think of.
And at the top of the list were three options that made Dante understand the value and craze of the First Gate.
1. Specific Superpower - 10,000 Spire Points (Up to 10 times per being)
2. Random Superpower - 1,000 Spire Points (Unlimited)
3. Raise Superpower Rank - 500 Spire Points (Up to the EX rank)
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Dante cursed.
Damn Lara, so that was how she ascended to the S Rank in her superpowers! In fact, this might even be how she gained more than one superpower – she might have bought them from this list!
Damn, no wonder she was the headmistress! She directly controlled the Zero Gate and who entered, much to the reluctance of other factions, so she could definitely claim a few fruits for herself and then exchange them for points!
No wonder she had the entire universe in a chokehold!
However, that did not matter much to Dante. He communicated with his superpower to check something first and was thrilled when he received one reply, but the second left him amused as well as disappointed.
Dante then hesitated and opened his quantum space before retrieving a quantum fruit from his delves within the school worlds. He then presented the fruit to the spire and waited with bated breath.
Eventually, he received a response.
[Spire Appraisal Result
Item: Quantum Fruit of Condensation
Origin: Eternal Universe
Grade: A+
Power: Absolute Silence (Potency: F, Talent: S) (Author's Note: Potency = Current Rank of superpower. Talent = Quality of Superpower itself.)
Appraisal:
This Quantum Fruit of Condensation originates from the Eternal Universe, presenting good quality classified as A+.
Upon thorough analysis, the power stored within this fruit has been identified as the Absolute Silence superpower. The superpower's rank is S, which is a rare talent.
Unfortunately, as it is a pure quantum product, there is quantum poisoning within that would affect its usage, reducing its value by 30%.
Additionally, as it conflicts with the rules of the multiverse and lacks a stable source point, its value is reduced by another 30%.
Final Buying Price: 40 Spire Points.]
Dante trembled once he saw this. Oh my god, his superpower was right – the spire was actually willing to accept quantum-produced products!
Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD!!!
Immediately, Dante's greed skyrocketed, and he was filled with endless regret. He wished he had chosen the Quantum World sub-ability back then, which would have allowed him to create a quantum world with its own rules.
He could have copied the school's Zero Gate realm onto it and produced an endless amount of fruits for himself!
Dante took a deep breath and knew what he had to do next. When he was done with this First Gate and back, he would target the school and the Etraverse Corporation for the technology behind the creation of special quantum worlds like the Apocalypse World, the Zero Gate virtual worlds, among others.
As for any deaths, violence, or losses incurred, it was only part of the debt that the Eternal Universe owed him for this trickery!
Dante wore a wicked smile as his eyes became bloodshot. However, he then focused on the next crucial thing, which was to test if his quantum replicated items – with their special quantum compatibility abilities – would count.
[Spire Appraisal Result
Item: Cloned Fruit of Condensation
Origin: Eternal Universe/Centralis Universe
Grade: SSS
Power: Absolute Silence (Potency: F, Talent: S)
Appraisal:
This Cloned Fruit of Condensation originates from the Eternal Universe as well as the Centrals Universe, presenting a perfect quality classified as SSS.
Upon thorough analysis, the power stored within this fruit has been identified as the Absolute Silence superpower. The superpower's rank is S, which is a rare talent.
It was formerly a quantum product, but the quantum poisoning has been cleansed through special means, making it consumable for all beings.
It was also without possession of a stable source point previously, but it has been granted one through special means, making it official.
Final Buying Price: 100 Spire Points.]
The full price!
My god, Dante could get the full price from exchanging quantum-replicated fruits!
The young man felt faint and had to fan himself thoroughly to regain energy to continue. This revelation was crazy, akin to a counterfeit money printer being told that his fake dollars would be accepted by the Bank of America.
Dante sucked in a deep breath and shook his head, clearing his mind of all unnecessary thoughts. He first exchanged the quantum-replicated fruit in his hand but was stunned when asked whether to submit it using the Eternal Universe's source or the home universe – called Centralis, it seems – source.
This made Dante ponder and understand that his replication was not as foolproof as he thought. This spire only accepted each fruit once, depending on the source, unless it was a quantum item.
In other words, per quantum fruit, he could only get 200 Spire Points after replication, one for the Centralia and one for the Eternal. Anymore would be useless, which was just like what his superpower had been telling him all this time.
It seemed that it was thinking with the First Gate in mind even back then. What Dante had to do was two things if he wanted to keep up this valuable exchange.
One was to increase the number of universes he could enter with Quantum Entanglement. Once he did, he would acquire that universe's 'serial number' and could attach it to replicated fruits, meaning that he could now sell more.
The other was to obtain a stable supply of quantum fruits. They could be exchanged infinitely because they did not have a 'serial code', which was also why its price was reduced. However, with enough quantity, this would obviously not be an issue.
Unfortunately, no, Dante could not 'switch' the ability to grant quantum replicated item source codes, which was part of quantum compatibility. That was not possible at this stage.
Dante had 23 fruits on hand, and the ones he gave his parents did not count nor did they matter for this particular endeavor. As such, Dante immediately gained 4,600 Spire Points, enough to get 4 random superpowers and raise his superpower once.
However, this had to do with the second thing his superpower told him, which left him amused and disappointed.
The Black Spire could not raise his Quantum Entanglement!
According to the Cosmic Tree, it was too low-level to even slightly affect it, which left Dante speechless and overwhelmed. This tree was obviously more than just a higher-dimensional being because this surpassed what he could understand.
At least the good news was that any superpowers he got from fruits or from this spire could be upgraded in exchange for points, so that would save Dante precious time he could use to focus on the obviously overpowered and special Quantum Entanglement.
Dante thought and checked his reception list of the Black Spire once more. Well, most of the items it requested were things he had never heard of, involving universe-level resources or special resources found precisely in this realm.
Naturally, Dante did not have access to any of these things, and he wasn't willing to risk getting a random superpower, not yet. He had a thought and took out a quantum Mutation Core from the Apocalypse World.
[Spire Appraisal Result
Item: Quantum Superpower Upgrade Item (Specific name to be decided)
Origin: Eternal Universe
Grade: F-
Appraisal:
This Quantum Superpower Upgrade Item originates from the Eternal Universe, presenting an average quality classified as F-.
Upon thorough analysis, this product has the ability to raise the superpower of a person by one grade forcibly when three or more are used.
Unfortunately, as it is a pure quantum product, there is quantum poisoning within that would affect its usage, reducing its value by 30%.
On top of that, it requires more than one of its kind for the true effect to be achieved, reducing its value by 10%.
Alongside that, it can only increase a single rank depending on the rank of the item itself. The current one has been appraised to be of the F rank, which means ten of such F rank items must be gathered to raise a superpower to the E rank.
Final Buying Price: 0.1 Spire Points.]
Actually, Dante was not unhappy with this. Not only was this item a quantum product, but it had issues, as seen by Aisha's illness after Dante let her use it to upgrade her former superpower.
However, it was surprising to think that even the F Rank one could get a whole 0.1 Spire Points. After all, Dante could farm millions of them in the Apocalypse World and bring them out, not even considering his ability to endlessly replicate them.
This time, he was calm and not really excited. He felt that if even fruits had limitations, there was no way this spire would foolishly allow him to exploit it like this, so there would be some kind of limitation.
As such, he presented a quantum replicated Mutation Core of the F Rank to the spire, one that had quantum compatibility and all. When the results came back, the final valuation was 1 full Spire Point for each, which made Dante smile.
He then checked for the quantum versions and replicated versions of all his cores up to the S rank. The listing was as follows:
Quantum F Rank = 0.1 Spire Points.
Replicated F Rank = 1 Spire Point.
Quantum E Rank = 0.2 Spire Points.
Replicated E Rank = 2 Spire Points.
Quantum D Rank = 0.3 Spire Points.
Replicated D Rank = 3 Spire Points.
Quantum C Rank = 0.4 Spire Points.
Replicated C Rank = 4 Spire Points.
Quantum B Rank = 0.5 Spire Points.
Replicated B Rank = 5 Spire Points.
Quantum A Rank = 1 Spire Point.
Replicated A Rank = 10 Spire Points.
Quantum S Rank = 10 Spire Points.
Replicated S Rank = 50 Spire Points.
Dante began by selling replicated S Rank Mutation Cores to the spire and smiled when he was informed that he could only sell fifty of them for now. It seemed the spire wanted to study this special product or attempt to replicate it.
The same held true for quantum S-rank cores and all the items below, down to the F rank. Having understood the limitations with mutation cores, Dante was no longer bothered as he sold them without hesitation.
This endeavor netted him an additional 4325 Spire Points, which when added to his original amount of 4600, meant he now possessed a total of 8925 Spire Points. He was just a thousand points away from acquiring a specific superpower, leaving him feeling desperate and eager.
He briefly considered using his quantum fruits but knew that doing so would be short-sighted.
After rummaging around in his quantum space, he glanced at all those Quantum Aetherium Conduits, Quantum Vitality Serums, and Enhanced Energy Elixirs.
He then tried to sell them to the Black Spire but it simply disdained even giving an appraisal result, making Dante speechless and aware that these kinds of items would not fly in this kind of scenario.
Dante rubbed his head and decided to retrieve the last valuable item he knew of from his quantum space, something he hesitated to reveal, even assuming this spire was an honest entity without greed or higher allegiances.
It was a small vial containing a bright scarlet flame shaped like a small bird. The small bird flapped its wings majestically within the vial and seemed to disdain its confinement.
Yes, it was a replicated version of the Nirvana Fire of a Phoenix!
Before using the only vial he had on Portia, Dante ensured he replicated it a few times to guarantee he would never lack such a precious resource.
After all, this was not something he could easily acquire and even Master Volud had goottne it due to very special circumstances.
Gingerly, Dante submitted it and awaited the result.
[Spire Appraisal Result
Item: Nirvana Fire of the Phoenix
Origin: Eternal Universe
Grade: EX+
Appraisal:
The Nirvana Fire of the Phoenix is a vial containing a unique and potent substance extracted from the mythical Phoenix. Once ignited, this fire emits a radiant, ethereal glow and possesses immense purifying properties.
It has the remarkable ability to heal wounds, cure ailments, restore vitality, and exhibits traits of absolute rejuvenation. It can even resurrect the dead, providing a multiplier of their current power from a minimum of two times up to nine times.
Final Buying Price: 10,000 Spire Points
Message from the spire: You can exchange greater quantities, as well as unlimited quantities of this item, as it cannot be replicated using any known means. The price remains the same for each sale!]
Instead of excitement, Dante felt endless regret. He shouldn't have removed this item, no matter how desperate he was. He could have traded away his quantum fruits, specifically the quantum versions of them.
Yet, he refrained because if he accessed new universes in the future, he could replicate those fruits again and sell them to the Black Spire under a new serial number. It would be akin to a blacksmith making money from forging and selling his hammer and anvil.
Observing how the spire even broke its silence to send him a message asking for more, Dante could tell that an item like this was too precious. For now, it was willing to trade with him, but who knew if it would change its mind, or if the entity behind it would?
Dante sighed and traded away one vial but did not dare to add another. Instead, he hurriedly proceeded with his intended purpose, selecting the first purchase option, which was to obtain a specific superpower.
With a current total of 18,925 Spire Points, he easily made this purchase and planned to upgrade the superpower later if desired. However, he already had a specific plan in mind and quickly instructed the Black Spire to grant him the superpower he had desired since his arrival in the Eternal Universe!
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