Path to Transcendence

There weren't any bright lights or flashes of mana. When he selected it, one moment he had empty hands and the next he was holding a small item the size of a coin in the palm of his right hand.

It was a plain token with only a weird-looking sigil on one side and another similar-looking sigil on the other side. He had zero idea what this sigil meant but was quite curious.

While he was turning the token over in his hands, he could feel that he was able to use the token whenever he wanted to. All it would take would be a simple thought and he would be able to use it.

However, he wanted to wait until he was out of the Rift to use it, if that was possible. He didn't want to use such an item in the middle of the Rift. He thought it would be best to use it when he had Richard overseeing him at the very least.

The main issue though, was how was he supposed to leave now? He was stuck in a closed-off room with nothing that stood out as a way out.

After he got his reward, he had half expected the Rift to just boot him out like a house guest who overstayed their welcome.

Funnily enough, the second he thought about leaving, he felt the Rift wrap him up in the familiar sensation of mana. Then he felt himself getting pressed together and he was gone from the room in a burst of mana.

The first thing he saw was the bright white portal that entered through. However, when he released a pulse with [Spatial Perception] he was able to sense the room around him.

There were people around him. Some he immediately recognized with a quick glance. There weren't as many people as there were when he first entered but he was glad to see that Richard and Rebecca both were waiting for him.

There were a small number of other servants, but he didn't really pay any heed to them. They were just hustling around, looking like they were cleaning up something.

It would also seem that Reinera had already exited the Rift before he did and was standing right beside them, waiting for him with a really big grin on her face.

She must have gotten something good, he thought to himself with a nod.

"When did you get out?" He asked her as he walked over to her.

"Not too long ago, only a few minutes," she replied, still wearing that big grin of her face.

"So how long did we take to finish the Challenge Rift?" He asked.

"Rebecca said we only took around an hour. But it felt like much longer for me," she said, the grin on her face finally sliding off her face and turning into one of confusion.

He knew exactly what she was feeling confused about. If her experience was anything like his, the rift must have felt like it was much longer than a mere hour. From his perspective, it was like a whole day had passed.

He couldn't help but wonder if there was some sort of time effect going on.

"It felt much longer for me as well. I suspect it was some sort of time dilation thing," he shared his thoughts with her.

Before she could respond, Rebecca interrupted. "What do you know about time dilation?" She asked him, sounding perplexed as to why he would know about it.

"Umm… I don't know. I must have heard it somewhere," he told her, completely forgetting that he had only heard of that because of novels from his old world. He couldn't exactly explain something like that to her very easily without sounding like a nutjob.

"I'm surprised too. Time dilation is not something most people know or even take the time to care about. It is something that only really advanced time mages can do," Richard commented.

"But is he correct?" Reinera thankfully intervened and asked them.

Richard turned to her with a nod. "We don't know for sure, but we suspect that it has something to do with manipulation of time. It is the only thing that really makes sense."

"What's the other theory?" Julius asked curiously, trying to keep their attention on this subject and not the fact that he knew what time dilation was because of fiction books from another world.

"The other theory is that the Challenge Rift doesn't actually take you anywhere. That the Challenge happens in one's own subconscious. Most people don't believe in that though."

Julius nodded. He could see why that was the case. It was hard to believe that all of the things that happened inside the rift were just figments of his imagination. Because that would lead to many questions about how people died when they failed. Did they simply not return through the white rift because the rift just killed them when they failed? It was an odd question.

One thing he was really curious about was if he could talk about the rift now that he had finished it. It was possible that since he had now completed it and the others had completed it as well, he would be able to share some of the details of his Challenge. As well as get some answers to some questions he had.

However, the moment he thought about sharing his details, he felt himself unable to even speak a single word. He wasn't able to let out a whisper to his surprise.

Okay, so still no sharing. That's annoying, he thought to himself frustratedly. He wanted to ask about Reinera's own experiences and what her Challenge had been like.

The only thing that he didn't feel a clenching feeling around his throat was when he thought about discussing his reward. It would seem that sharing what he was rewarded with, was not against the rules.

It would seem that he was only unable to share what had happened inside of the rift.

That was a silver lining at least.

He turned back to Reinera with a grin of his own. "I'm guessing that smile I saw when I exited was because of the reward you got?"

Her confusion and thoughtful look were quickly replaced with an excited grin. "Yep, I got something very nice as my reward. What about you?"

He shook his head at her with a rueful grin. "I asked you first."

She gave him an exasperated look but didn't look that upset.

Matter of fact, she looked like she had been hoping he would insist on something like that. Because she didn't even try to argue and with a dramatic flourish of her hand she pointed toward him.

"Behold! A weapon of divine power," she with a much too big smile.

Rebecca and Richard who were watching her were barely able to contain their laughter. Julius wasn't as composed and outright laughed at her performance which made her give him a disappointed look.

But she quickly reined that look in and gave him one last bright smile before she summoned an elegant and beautiful metal staff in one arm. The metal glinted in the light, like an iridescent pearl. It was an impressive piece of art.

"You chose a staff?" He asked, slightly surprised at her decision, but also not really. She kind of needed something to help her defend herself. She also wasn't in need of getting any new skills other than the one teleportation skill that she and Rebecca were attempting to get for her.

"Yeah. It was probably the best option I got. I wished I got something a little more special, but it will be an item I will keep for the rest of my life."

"A growth type?" he asked, already knowing the answer to his question.

"Of course," she said with an offended expression as if she couldn't believe he would think she would choose anything else.

He put his hands up and smiled. "Just checking."

She huffed at him. "Well, don't ask silly questions like that. I would never choose an item if it wasn't a growth type over my other options."

"What else did you get offered?" He asked.

"No no. I already told you what I got. Now it's your turn to tell me what kind of reward you got," she said demandingly.

"What if I didn't get anything that good?"

She gave him a deadpanned stare. "You got something good," she said with complete confidence.

Which kind of warmed his heart that she was so certain of his outcome.

But it seemed that she wasn't the only person who thought he would get something good because Richard walked up to him with an excited look on his face.

"What did you get?" He asked, practically jumping up and down in anticipation.

Julius could only shake his head in disbelief at the man's behavior. "I got something we discussed would be a good option."

"Oh! You got a skill combination token?" The older man asked while shaking his wife by the shoulder.

The other woman just stood there getting rocked by her husband with an expressionless look on her face. It was as if she was very used to his behavior.

"Calm down, Richard," she tried to calm down the man.

"But it's so exciting," Richard said eagerly.

Rebecca gave a long sigh and looked over to Julius. "You made sure it was a good quality token right?" Enjoy new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

Julius nodded at her but she must have noticed the weird look he had on his face.

"What is it?" She asked carefully.

"I got something called pinnacle grade," he admitted to her.

"Pinnacle grade?!" Richard yelled out.

Rebecca for the first time actually reacted more violently and whacked her husband across the head. "Don't yell! I have my domain up protecting us from any prying eyes, but it doesn't really work if you yell at the top of your lungs."

Richard, looking properly ashamed, apologized to her. "Sorry, Darling."

Then he turned to Julius. "Sorry about that. I guess I got too excited," he said before bowing his head toward him.

Julius waved his arm at him, letting him know it was fine. All of the servants had left the area, according to his [Spatial Pecerption] so he didn't think it was an issue. "It's okay. But is pinnacle grade that much of a big deal?"

"Big deal? Do you have any idea how rare it is to be offered a token that is graded as pinnacle?"

Julius could only shrug his shoulders in ignorance.

Richard muttered something under his breath and gave Julius an envious look. "Even I have only gotten an exceptional grade token before and that was something that was really valuable at the time."

"So I should use it?"

Richard gave him a blank stare. "If you don't use it, I will shove it down your throat until it activates on its own. You are going to use the token if it's the last thing I do."

Julius could only chuckle as he saw a rare display of seriousness from the man and it happened because it was for his benefit.

"Should I save it for later or should I use it immediately?" He asked.

Rebecca was the first to answer. "I don't see why you wouldn't use it right away. The token was made considering all of your skills and potential combinations at the current moment. If you wait, you risk the possibility of it not being as optimal later on."

"I agree, the sooner would probably be the better," Richard added.

He looked at Reinera with a questioning look.

She shook her head. "Don't ask me. I would trust their opinions."

He agreed with her. The two of them hadn't steered them wrong yet so he would listen to their advice.

He took the token in his hands and fingered it for a moment before closing his eyes and activating it.