Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 316: Achieving Brohood

Vivi reached out inside the professors mind. What is going on? she asked. Why is Brock meditating? He couldnt be

I think he is, the professor replied, her own disbelief evident. Both of them. Theyre breaking through to the D-Grade.

What monsters

For the disciples of B-Grade factions, breaking through to the D-Grade took decades, if not centuries. If someone could do it within just a few years, they were considered geniuses of the highest caliber. And sure, the recently Integrated environment of Earth provided all kinds of opportunities, but becoming an immortal in just one year was a stellar feat.

Alexander Petrovic may have been overshadowed by Jack and his own capitulation to the Animal Kingdom, but he remained an outstanding cultivator completely obsessed with his Dao. He was also a prodigy.

Unfortunately for Alexanderso was Brock.

***

What is a bro? Brock wondered as he floated inside his soul space, eyes open and thoughts churning. The walls of his soul were carved with wise inscriptionsthe legendary Bro Codewhile the space within thrummed with his four Big Thoughts.

Muscles and working out. Constantly striving to make yourself a better person in any way you could, even if that way was just to lift stones all day.

Density. Controlling oneself and ones power to perfectly adapt to any given situation.

The Staff. Brocks weapon and how to use it, what it signified. The staff was more than just a weaponit symbolized the intent to reach outside yourself and affect the world, an extension of Brocks body. A strong, hard, straight-forward concept.

Never Stopping. Never giving up. Never surrendering or putting comfort before advancement. Being unstoppable.

These were the four Big Thoughts that Brock had attained. They framed his Very Big Thought of Brohood. However, these four concepts didnt directly relate to brohood. He had tried to break through before and consequently realized it would be difficult; he had to connect all of his Thoughts together.

But hard didnt mean impossible. Right now, he needed to break through, so he would succeed because he had to.

Brock dove into thinking with resolve.

What is brohood? he asked himself.

It was to have brothers and stand alongside them. To laugh, cry, and fight on their side. To have their backs and know that they had yours. The bros were a team, and the entire world was below that. They would never betray each other.

At the same time, being the big bro was both an honor and a responsibility. It meant being first among equals. A big bro demanded respect and obedience without losing friendship. At the same time, he needed to protect his little bros and help them become better version of themselves. It was a very tender, very delicate relationship, either end of which could fail given even the slightest immaturity.

Brock believed he had things straight.

At the same time, brohood was not confined strictly to ones bros. A person could be a bro even by himself. It was a mindset, a way of life built around respect, camaraderie, and power.

It was this brohood that would make a man step around a line of ants or help a stranger. It was brotherhood that let a man join a group of strangers and quickly laugh alongside them. Real knew real. Bro knew bro. When spread and perpetuated, brohood was the one thing keeping the world together, the one thing able to rid people of their hatred and usher them into an era of prosperity and true happiness.

This was Brocks Dao, and he wholeheartedly believed in it.

At the same time, there were instances where a bro went to war. This was one such instance. The ice man had tortured and humiliated Brocks father. He had killed his brorilla bros. He had betrayed his own planet bros and caused many problems for everyone. That was a man as far removed from brohood as possible, and Brock, being a big bro, carried the duty of ending him.

This was strictly personal. Brock would either kill Alexander or die trying.

And, to achieve that, he had to break through.

The first step was fusing his four Big Thoughts into his Very Big Thought. He had to decipher how they all fit together like pieces of a puzzlediscover the one perfect combination.

It wouldnt be too difficult. Brocks understanding of his Dao was crystal clear. He seldom felt even the slightest confusion. Against such a determined, clear mind, how could the perfect combination not present itself?

Muscles and working out were the first Big Thought. They tied into brohood easily. Muscles represented power and effort, both of which were vital parts of brohood. A bro had to understand and navigate hierarchies of power, both physical and mental. At the same time, a bro had to always pour effort in himself, as that was the gateway to commanding the respect of others.

In being a bro, musclesand all they signifiedwere the foundation.

A shape dominated Brocks soul. It was a muscular brorilla arm flexing its bicep, sticking out from the soul walls. Actually, the Big Thought of Muscles had already been fused with the Big Thought of Brohood when he reached the E-Grade, but rehashing his understanding couldnt hurt.

Then came Density. The second Big Thought that Brock had comprehended, and one that tied directly to Muscles. Physically, density was about hardness and compression. The real nature of density, however, was tension.

After all, density was nothing but the perpetual tension of something that wanted to explode but couldnt.

In the physical realm, density came from compressing and decompressing. Brock could increase the density of his body to achieve greater strength, or reduce it to achieve flight. It was an adaptive power that could be used in many circumstances.

In the mental realm, however, the realm closest to brohood, density represented the tension present in everything. When two bros interacted with each other, there was always a level of tension in the air, which they both had to control well or it would explode. It was precisely this mutual control of tension that let one bro instantly recognize another. It also played into the respect and navigation of power hierarchies, as did muscles.

If Muscles were the foundation of a bro, properly controlled tension was the tether tying bros together.

The brown walls of Brocks soul were already lined with muscles. Those muscles, however, were irregularly placed. Some spots had more, while others had less. It created an imbalance in his soul that wasnt easily visible but caused a variety of tiny yet compounding problems.

Now, tiny pink tethers phased into existence. They connected the places of higher and lower muscle density, restoring balance in what would otherwise be chaos. Each tether could easily be broken by either side, but all remained steady.

Then came the third Big Thoughtthe Staff. A Big Thought that Brock had comprehended as he fought ogres on Outer Planet, one that let him utilize his weapon at its maximum efficiency. He visualized a staffa plain, long, hard rod.

It was so much more than a weapon. A staff was a symbol. There was a reason why the monkey kingthe legendary Monkingused a staff as well. A staff was rigid. It represented battle. When a bro went to war, they had to be decisive, resolute, and hard. Like a staff would never bend, a bros mind should never waver during battle, nor should their soul be prone to unnecessary mercy. Inside every bro should hide a fierce warrior.

Musclespower and effortwere a bros foundation. Densitytension and respectwas the connection between bros. These were both peaceful aspects. When the time came to fight, howeverit was time for the staff. Without the readiness to go into battle, no man could be a true bro.

The muscled arm sticking out of Brocks soul walls was just sitting there. It possessed power but not a means to act. Now, things changed. An unadorned red staff appeared, and the arms hand clenched around it. Suddenly, its entire aura changed. The arm was more than a collection of muscles; it was a weapon, ready to be unleashed. It would not go into battle easilybut, if it did, may God show mercy on its opponent.

Finally came Never Stoppingor, as someone with a richer vocabulary would call it, Momentum. When Brock swung his staff, it was unstoppable. You could dodge it, but you could not block. When a bro went to war, his trajectory was set. The time of mercy was past, and the time of dominance was nigh.

At the same time, Never Stopping applied to more than battle. When a bro set a goal, he would try hard to achieve it. As much as failure was a necessary part of a bros life, it was also anathema. Such was the duality of a bros efforts: he pursued success and advancement with passion, avoiding failure with everything he had, while accepting that it would eventually comeand multiple times, too.

To succeed, one had to lose first. If you wanted to become the strongest, you had to fight and get beaten up a lot. Every good bro had failed countless times in his life, and he even chased after those failures while simultaneously trying his hardest to succeed.

If someone had never lost, it didnt make them strong, only a coward.

It was precisely these losses that taught the greatest lessons. At the same time, failure could be disheartening. That was why every good bro practiced Never Stoppingthe ability to throw himself down the pit of despair and grow stronger while climbing back up, then do the same until there was no more pit to jump into.

This also tied into the effort of Muscles. A bro could exhibit perfect behavior and understanding, he could be a great bro at heart, but if he ever stopped progressing, he would never again command the full respect of others. He would go down a step from what hed previously achieved and stay there forever.

The muscles lining Brocks soul suddenly jumped into action. They pumped and flexed. Each worked tirelessly to improve themselves, growing only by tiny amounts but never stopping. They had no reason to work so hard, but they did, for life was meaningless without effort.

Brock looked around himself. His soul world was a brightly lit space surrounded by brown walls, on which was inscribed the legendary Bro Codethe answer to how to be a bro in every possible instance. At the same time, muscles lined those walls, ever pumping, flexing, and working out, putting this soul world in a constant state of motion. An arm stretched out of one wall, skinless to better display its perfect musculature, and in its grip it held the red staff of war.

Muscles; Density; the Staff; Never Stopping.

Power and effort; tension and respect; war; momentum and perseverance.

The cornerstones of brohood were set. The Very Big Thought responded radiantly, every letter on the walls emitting golden color. Brock was more ready than hed ever been. He took a deep breath to admire this sight, the complete understanding he would devote his entire life towards. It filled him more than anything else. It couldnt be more real or suited to him.

Then, Brock stuck out his chest and started beating on it, roaring out at his soul world. The letters on the walls shone brighter. They jumped out and started dancing, moving to the tune of the pumping muscles. They were strong yet respectful, powerful and ready to go to war. Not a single letter would let itself be insulted, and yet, fueled by their common cause, all letters came together in perfect harmony. They swirled around Brock faster and faster, tighter and tighter, until he knew that one wrong step would doom him.

He kept roaring and beating his chest, leading the letters as a big bro should.

Gradually, they came together before him. The letters all converged. A vortex appeared that sucked them all in, then shone a blinding golden color. Brock kept his eyes on it, uncaring about the pain. The light receded; and, when it was gone, all that remained in its place was a book. It was the size of Brocks chest, made of the finest paper in existenceand, on its cover, the words, Bro Code were written in bold, clear font.

Brock was touched. He shook his head in wonder. He grabbed the book with shaky hands and flipped through its pages, finding inside them the same truths hed realized. But that was only the first half. The second half was empty, waiting to be filled with more discoveries, more truths about brohood. It symbolized that his understanding, though great, remained incomplete.

Brock smiled. He was a bro; he would always progress. If the book ran out of pages, he would make new onesand, if it became too long, he would compress its truth and keep going, always hunting the unattainable perfection.

This was his Great Thought. Finallyhe was an immortal.

***

In the real world, Brocks body shone with a radiant golden light. Many people on the battlefield below turned to look, as did the millions watching the battles live broadcast. Slowly, he stood, emitting such power and wisdom that everyone felt magnetized, captivated, falling towards him like he possessed his own gravity.

Brock, however, only had eyes for the sphere of ice before him. His calm gaze took everything in. Then, he said, I know you done. Come out.

A crack appeared on the ice sphere. Then another. They spider-webbed its surface, then shattered it completely. Alexander Petrovic was revealed in all his glory, clad in a suit of pure white ice armor and radiating coldness. His eyes held no emotion. Twin swords were held in his hands, each freezing the air around them, while four ice wings spread from his back.

He resembled not a man, but a force of nature that would destroy everything without hesitation. The sheer terror he emitted made the surrounding battle pause for a second, but Brocks aura shone brighter, emboldening them and dispersing the illusion.

It is over, Alexander said flatly. I am a God. You cannot fathom my power.

I dont care if you god, Brock replied calmly. One of his hands held the Staff of Stonethe other, a golden book. As he spoke, his voice echoed with unbroken finality. You no bro. You broke the code. And now, you die.

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