Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

“Let’s talk business,” the Arch Priestess said. At a wave of her hand, roots grew out of the dirt floor, forming into chairs before Jack and Brock. She sat back down, and then they did.

“Your breakthroughs were sensational,” she said, her voice taking on a more hands-on quality. “Especially Jack’s. It came at the perfect time. The war situation is unfortunate right now, and our army was in dire need of good news. We spread the word, giving our cultivators something to believe in, and morale temporarily recovered. Unfortunately, it will not last forever. Sooner or later, new things will happen, and your breakthroughs will become old news. We must ensure there is more to come.”

“What exactly does that mean, Arch Priestess?” Jack asked.

“It means that I intend to make you one of the faces of our army. It’s a gamble, of course, but one I am willing to believe in. For that to work, however, we need to keep your progress rolling.” She looked deep into his eyes. “If you agree to shoulder our army’s morale, I can give you access to a vast amount of resources you otherwise wouldn’t be able to touch.”

Jack considered it. This sounded too good to be true. “Is it that simple?” he asked. “I just cultivate, and you use my progress to maintain army morale?”

“Sort of,” she replied. “We have morale experts. They will curate your exploits and publicize them at regular intervals, making you into a celebrity. There is no downside to you besides the fame, which you may or may not welcome, and the fact that being in the spotlight makes it easy to create enemies.”

He just stared for a moment. “You want to turn us into influencers? Seriously?”

“If by that you mean influential people, then yes. It’s a proven technique. But you won’t need to do anything; just focus on your cultivation, and we will handle the rest.”

Jack didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. What the hell. In the end, he chose to laugh. “Whatever. Fame is fine, and I like having enemies. However, I have to ask… Is that all? As arrogant as this sounds, I thought our breakthroughs and potentials were enough for the Church to invest resources into us. I didn’t think we’d need to make a show out of it.”

“You are not entirely wrong,” she admitted. “Your potential is outstanding, a hope to be cultivated. If you enjoyed your privacy so much that you attempted to refuse my request, we would still invest in you, just not as heavily. There is an entire war happening. Our resources are distributed to thousands of Envoys and dozens of Elders. Meanwhile, you are just an early B-Grade. No matter how talented, your ascent is a very uncertain thing. You are a high-risk, high-return gamble.”

Jack considered it. “I understand,” he said. “So, if I agree to become a public figure, that coupled with my potential will be enough for you to invest a disproportional amount of resources into me. That will, in turn, create enemies in the people who will lack those resources.”

She smiled. “Correct. Just to be clear, this offer is extended to both of you. Brock’s breakthrough wasn’t as breathtaking as yours, but it remains extraordinary. Plus, I can sense he has some sort of magnetizing aura, and we can use that.”

Jack and Brock gazed at each other. There wasn’t much to think about. “We accept,” Jack said.

They were already used to being public figures and having a plethora of enemies. As for enjoying an almost unfair amount of resources, well… They’d earned it. If someone wanted more resources than they were given, they could only blame themselves for being weak.

“Excellent,” the Arch Priestess said, clapping her hands.

“Can we get an overview of these resources you mentioned?” Jack asked.

“The most important ones are space monster cores. They will allow you to increase your cultivation much faster than normal. I cannot give you unlimited access to our vault, but I will make sure you’re allocated a very generous amount.”

Jack nodded. Increasing his cultivation was his main problem right now. If the Arch Priestess could help, that would be great.

“Besides that,” she continued, “I can provide you with treasures tailored to your Dao. Is there anything in particular you would like?”

Brock shrugged. “I’m fine,” he said, while Jack replied, “I would like a treasure with a lot of life energy.” He needed it to both temper his body and partially refill the Life Drop. The turtle had made it clear there were uses he hadn’t discovered yet, but they needed life energy to activate.

The Arch Priestess nodded. “It is done.”

“Good. Can I also request something related to Death?”

She hesitated. “There is a treasure that would suit you well, but it is borrowed by another cultivator right now. I won’t have it back for thirty days. I can give it to you then if you’d like.”

“Sounds good. Also, I have a question. Has Master Boatman informed you of my new Class?”

She gave another smile. “He has.”

“Good. It offers me Dao Visions, but Master Boatman said I need to be in System space to receive them. He said you may be able to help.”

“That’s easy,” she replied. “We’ll just make you a clone.”

“A clone? Like the one Elder Boatman sent to accompany us here?”

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“Better. That’s just a temporary energy clone. Real clones are difficult to manufacture, but thankfully, you’re still only at the B-Grade. We can handle it.”

Jack was intrigued. If he understood this correctly, then maybe, just maybe… He didn’t dare to hope just yet.

“I suppose we’ll shoot this clone into System space and have it communicate the Dao Visions?” he asked.

“Correct, though there will be no need for communication. You and your clone will share one soul. You will be one person in two bodies.”

Jack’s heart was pumping. “Does my clone have to stay in System space?”

“Of course not. Ideally, we want it somewhere outside System space where it cannot be located by our enemies. You will only pop into System space to receive Dao Visions or carry out other tasks.”

“Then, can my clone reside…on Earth?”

His breath caught on his throat. Being away from home had plagued him for so long. When hope suddenly appeared, he didn’t dare to believe.

The Arch Priestess read his emotions. She smiled. “Sure.”

Jack felt a weight he didn’t know he carried be lifted. Two bodies. One would stay here, cultivate, and fight, while the other would be on Earth, accompanying his family. It was a dream come true. His life had just become ten times better.

“Thank you. I will remember this favor,” he said, unable to keep the emotion out of his voice.

“Don’t worry,” the Arch Priestess replied. “It’s not a favor. Your clone will need to be near System space anyway. If you want to conveniently place it on your home planet, that really doesn’t change much.”

“Wait,” Jack said, suddenly worried. “That won’t place my planet in danger, will it?”

“Not if you’re careful. Locating a single planet in a mostly un-Integrated galaxy is too difficult, even for the Immortals. You being there doesn’t change anything. The only way to locate it would be if you were detected in System space and then followed outside, but even then, you can just take a detour and wait on another planet for a few hours. Even if they catch you, you will only lose a clone; they won’t find your Earth.”

“Perfect. I… Thank you, Arch Priestess. My family will be overjoyed.”

“I’m sure they will,” she replied. She laughed. “Since you’re so excited about it, we can make creating your clone our first order of business. I won’t oversee this personally, but I’ll send you an expert.”

“Alright!”

“Thank you,” Brock said as well. “You help my bro, you help me. You good person, Beautiful Bro. I owe you one.”

“My pleasure,” she replied. “It was interesting meeting you, Jack and Brock. You may go now. I have already assigned you a helper and instructed them on what to do. If I find the time, I will drop by your residence and personally guide you through the Dao.”

“We look forward to that. See you, Beautiful Bro,” Brock said, then rose to leave. Jack followed him outside, also bidding his goodbyes. He had more things to discuss with her, like the Black Hole World, or the fact that he housed one of the Church’s founding members in his inner world. However, he was too shaken right now. Too happy. These things could wait until next time.

They left the room and closed the door. Only then did Jack turn to Brock.

“Do you really have a crush on her?” he whispered.

“I didn’t mean it like that. Her soul is beautiful. Her aura. She knows.”

“Okay,” Jack replied with a small smile. He’d suspected as much, but he couldn’t help hoping. How funny would it be if Brock got the Arch Priestess, of all people? “By the way,” he said, “you could have asked for a clone as well.”

“It’s fine,” Brock said. “They sound expensive. I don’t need one. I’ve left the pack; they live without me.”

Jack nodded.

They climbed down the spiral stairs, traveling all the way back to ground floor. On the way, Jack realized they had no idea where they were supposed to go now. He hoped there would be someone waiting for them downstairs.

And there was. He just didn’t expect who it would be.

Starhair stood at the entrance of the temple, looking terrible. His face was scrunched up. His arms were crossed. His star-like hair was stuck to his scalp, occasionally spasming in rage. Everyone gave him a wide berth.

“Sup, Ass-Kisser Bro,” Brock said. He made to clasp the other man’s hand. Starhair, very reluctantly, returned the motion.

“What are you doing here?” Jack asked.

“I was ordered to be your helper,” Starhair replied through gritted teeth. His expression was so sour he could have eaten a dozen lemons while waiting.

“Wait. You’re our helper?”

Starhair was not amused. “I’m as surprised as you are,” he said. “That’s not why I came to the New Cathedral. I was supposed to train. I will follow my orders, but I still despise you.”

Jack looked at Brock, then shrugged. “Fair enough,” he said. “Lead us to our residence, helper.”

Starhair gave him a glare so scalding that Jack thought his eyebrows would implode. Still, the man turned and walked away. Jack and Brock followed him through the city.

On the way here, Boatman had employed some magic to hide them from the crowd. That was no longer active. People pointed at them as they walked. A few cultivators—all below the B-Grade—walked up for a greeting. Jack could tell he and Brock were somehow already celebrities. The only question was, how did everyone know their faces?

“There was a city-wide projection,” Starhair explained when asked. He was even more annoyed—if possible—because everyone ignored him to greet Jack and Brock. “They played scenes of your duel in Hell, your battle over the skies of Earth, and your recent extermination of those leonines. They also showed your breakthrough and tribulation—it wasn’t broadcasted live, but someone recorded it and brought it over.”

“Oh,” Jack replied. That projection had happened before they arrived. The Arch Priestess must have been pretty certain they would accept to be the face of their forces… Then again, maybe they never had a choice. She was only asking nicely the first time. If they protested, she could just order them to do it.

After all the grand visuals and space-rupturing battles Jack had experienced lately, this simple town was an almost relaxing sight. The fact that it was mostly inhabited by D-Grades was a different story.

Eventually, they made their way out. Starhair led them to a mansion in the suburbs, complete with its own walls and garden. It had three floors, each covering almost a thousand square feet.

“That’s a big-ass house,” said the Stone.

Jack, being more polite, simply said, “Woah. It this all for us?”

“Mostly,” Starhair replied in ultra-salty territory. “There is also some room for me. But don’t worry, it’s not like I enjoyed living in my own mansion, which I possessed until a few moments ago. I much prefer being the servant of you two idiots.”

“That’s not right,” Brock said. “You’re Ass-Kisser Bro. You should flatter us. Then, maybe, you’ll get a tip.”

He waltzed forth into the house, followed by Jack. Starhair remained outside for a moment, steaming from the ears. Jack thought he would explode.

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