Chapter 430: The Exiled Tower, Yet Another One
Leon took the time to gaze at many of the items displayed around him, scanning the various wares.
[Crescentwood Robe], [Staff of Enlightenment], [Graverock Necklace] and many many more items, each one that could be used by either Leon or his companions to boost their combat effectiveness.
’I need more money,’ he thought as he looked at the prices, his mind calculating, ’I need enough to be able to gear up everybody with the best loot available, and then upgrade all those items to max level too.’
The [Market] had thousands upon thousands of items, and he saw many that could fit their needs perfectly, but they were very expensive and would drain his reserves quickly.
He even saw a sword that cost 50,000,000 Eternal Coins, a fifth of Leon’s balance, which was huge and made him reconsider his spending priorities.
Meaning that to complete that, Leon would need more [Eternal Coins], but also [Enhancement Stones] for the items to bring them to their full potential.
"Oh well," he sighed.
Now that he had bought the [Stronghold Crystal] he needed, all Leon needed to do was wait the 24 hours for [Domain Travel] to reset before he could return to his companions.
And in the meantime, he had a full day to explore and gather resources.
Fwoosh!
Leon opened his [World Map] and teleported into the [Exiled Lands], appearing in the desolate wasteland that stretched out before him.
"I have 24 hours where I can do whatever I want here," he mumbled as he gazed forward, his eyes scanning the horizon, "Alright."
Fwoosh!
Leon dashed forward, killing [Exiled Sentinels] and other monsters he found, his blade cutting through them with ease, though as expected, none of them gave him [Skill Stones], which was disappointing.
[Exiled Sentinel Essence: Consuming will increase Strength by 75 and reduce Spirit by 10.]
"Meh," Leon muttered, unimpressed by the meager gains.
The sentinels were only level 85 so it made sense that they gave nothing good, being too weak to drop valuable resources.
Leon kept moving forward though, his pace relentless, eventually reaching the mountains with the secret realm where the [Magicless Guardian] had been lurking.
But he didn’t even bother exploring them, as the monsters there were also only level 90, not worth his time.
Instead, Leon kept moving further and further into the exiled lands, pushing past the familiar territories, until eventually, the monsters growing stronger, going from level 90, to 95 and eventually, after several hours of travel and countless kills... he encountered his first level 100 monster in this desolate place.
Fwoosh!
---
[Exiled Stalker]
[Level: 100]
[Talent: None.]
[Combat Power: 4,800,000]
[Details: A creature that roams the exiled lands in search for something to consume, its presence barely noticeable until it strikes.]
---
That thing was extremely weak, so much so even a single scratch from Leon’s sword killed it instantly, its body crumbling to dust.
And of course, it didn’t drop a [Skill Stone], much to his growing frustration.
"Useless," he groaned, "Though I guess the essence is decent enough."
[Exiled Stalker Essence: Consuming will increase Strength by 180, Agility by 70, and reduce Spirit by 50.]
Afterward, Leon kept going through the [Exiled Lands], pushing deeper into the unknown territories that he had never explored in his past life.
The monsters he encountered became more and more powerful, reaching 6 million combat power, then 7, then 8, then 9, and as he reached the very limit of the space, even 10 million combat power monsters appeared, their forms more menacing and their attacks more dangerous.
Of course though, Leon killed all of them without a hint of hesitation: a single spell or sword attack was enough to dispatch them, his power far surpassing theirs.
Nom! Nom!
He did keep consuming the essences though, growing stronger and stronger with each one, the attribute gains adding up over time.
But eventually, as the hours passed, and only a few remained before his teleportation cooldown would reset, he reached the very edge of the domain.
Ding!
[You have reached the limit of the Exiled Lands, and thus of Higher Domain #3.]
Before Leon stood a giant tower that went far into the sky, its surface dark and foreboding, and behind it seemed to be nothing but a dark void, impossible to pass or traverse.
This tower was the deepest location in the entirety of [Higher Domain #3], a structure that seemed to pulse with an ominous energy.
Leon took a step forward, his curiosity piqued, but right as he was about to see what this mysterious place was, a notification appeared.
Beep!
[The Awakener Lord advises you to not enter this place.]
"Wow, so he’s watching me right now?" Leon’s eyebrows were raised, surprised by the message, "I guess he knew I was here but didn’t say anything until now."
[For the sake of the "Awakener Kingdom" and the entirety of this domain, do not open this tower, it is NOT a structure.]
"...?" Leon tilted his head, confused by the cryptic warning.
Yet another mystery was added to the growing list that Leon was to take care of, and he simply looked at the [Exiled Tower] with a neutral expression, trying to understand its nature.
As he approached its gates though, he noticed that there was a slot in the form of an orb, clearly designed to hold something.
Ding!
["Magicless Orb" has been detected, please place on gate to uncover incredible rewards!]
"Hm..." Leon hummed thoughtfully.
This was the most obvious trap he had ever seen, and though he didn’t trust the [Awakener Lord] much, he believed he was saying the truth about the danger.
Beep!
[That thing is not a tower, human, do not be tricked.]
"Yeah, yeah," Leon sighed as he turned around, "I get it, I’m not going to do anything stupid."
Leon was extremely curious as to what would happen if he placed one of his two [Magicless Orbs] in the center of this thing, but he resisted the urge.
For some strange reason, Leon had actually a horrible feeling about it, a primal instinct screaming at him to stay away.
An entity powerful enough to overpower an entire higher domain was extremely rare, and yet, here it was, sealed away in this mysterious structure.
’No... that thing is not a tower, its not a structure,’ he mumbled what the awakener lord just said, ’So does that mean that...’
Leon looked up, and he immediately understood the true nature of what stood before him.
"I see," he said, realization dawning.
The [Exiled Tower] itself was the monster, a living entity trapped in this form.
Ding!
[Do not leave, player, I can spare you and even grant you countless rewards!]
The fact this thing could even talk to Leon, and even bargain with him, was already scary enough and showed its intelligence.
[I have been locked here for a long time, my powers sealed, but if you release me, I will be able to destroy all of your enemies!]
Leon’s expression remained completely neutral, and he simply shook his head as he ask a single question.
"I really like the gods, what god are you aligned with?"
[The God of Magic, I can grant you powerful magic if you wish—]
Cataclysmic Fireball!
Leon summoned the fireball at the end of his staff and launched it toward the giant tower, the flames roaring through the air.
BOOM!
It exploded against the walls, but nothing happened, the structure completely unharmed.
[You cannot hurt me in this form, human.]
"Good," Leon grinned, "Just means that you can’t move from here until I come back, so you’re not a threat right now."
[You do not understand the sheer scale of what you are facing, it seems.]
...
A/N
I feel like the list of servants of the gods only grows larger each time, but trust me, its still extremely small compred to the full number.
After all, there are 100 Higher Domains, each one having their own servants.