Path to Transcendence

Julius was very glad when Lily showed up again, and Alice was still accompanying her. However, before he could have a chance to talk with her, they had to eat dinner.

Lily's father had rented out one of the exclusive rooms at the Golden Wheel for them. Even Aubrey's mother showed up a little later to join them. It was too bad that Edgar's family wasn't able to join them. Julius believed they would have loved it.

Dinner was fabulous as it always was at the Golden Wheel. Afterward, they headed back to one of House Violet's properties. The same one that Marcus, Lily, and he had used to try out the rewards he got from House Easten.

It was where her parents would be staying for the next day or so before heading back home. They celebrated and hung out throughout the night, enjoying each other's company. It was nice. Nobody cared about status or power.

There were Tier 3s and there were even two Tier 6s, yet, nobody seemed to care about this. Everyone was comfortable with each other and it was a day of celebration.

It wasn't until the night was nearing its end that he pulled Alice to the side.

"Hey, can I ask you for some advice?" he said to her once they were alone.

Alice was slightly tipsy at this point. Which, honestly, was more impressive than anything else. Being Tier 6 meant your body was pretty resistant to most poisons, and that included alcohol, which meant that whatever she had been drinking must have been quite the potent brew if it could make her drunk.

However, when she heard his more serious tone, she must have activated some skill or used something to sober up.

"What did you do this time?" She asked, her eyes narrowing at him.

"Why do you make it sound like I always do something bad?" He asked offendedly.

She shrugged. "Because you often do."

"Well, not this time," he muttered.

She laughed, clearly amused by his answer. "Okay, so what is it?"

He shook his head exasperatedly but told her what he had done, detailing how he managed to get a Space Concept and his subsequent upgrades for [Spatial Perception] and [Flash Step]. He also asked her what she believed he should choose regarding all of his options.

When he finally finished explaining to her, he saw an expressionless look on her face. He was worried about the look. Did he mess up? Was [Void Step] not a good choice? Maybe [Instantaneous Step] was the best choice after all.

She remained silent for a long while, long enough to make him feel uncomfortable. "What is it?" He eventually asked, unable to deal with her stoic expression since he wasn't able to get a single reading from her aura.

She finally spoke to him, but it wasn't the response he was expecting from her. "How did you gain your Concept?" She asked.

He frowned but went on to explain how he was able to tear a hole into space using [Spatial Crack] and how he managed to connect different distortions together. Which resulted in him teleporting successfully for the first time and eventually led to him acquiring the Space Concept.

He didn't even get to finish his last sentence before the woman moved with lightning speed, appearing inches away from him and grabbing his face with both of her hands. She manhandled him and turned him around, like she was inspecting him for damage. It was only when she didn't find anything that she let go.

"What was that for?" He asked, while grabbing his neck, which was sore from her rough treatment.

"You stupid, stupid boy," she aggressively rebuked him.

"What? What did I do?" He asked, confused by her extreme reaction. She would sometimes scold him, but she would never actually be mad. However, right now, she was truly furious.

"What you did was completely moronic even for you," she kept on berating him.

He flung his arms up. "I don't know what you mean. Can you tell me what I did wrong?"

She stared at him like he had grown a second head. "You didn't just teleport. You somehow were able to rip a hole into the fabric of space and create a distortion that led into the chaotic void," she said slowly, as one might do to a dumb child. To her credit, he had a feeling that this was exactly what she thought he was at the moment.

He was still confused, though. How was that any different from what she did or what other people who teleported did?

He said as much to her, but frowned when she shook her head firmly.

"It's not the same. When I use space magic, I don't tap into chaotic space. I use a much more stabilized version, one that almost every space mage uses. There isn't as much volatility, and it is much more structured," she explained.

"What do you mean by different versions?" He asked even more confused. He thought there was just one kind of space.

She pinched her nose. "Okay, there are many layers of space. Each one is different, but they can be separated into two distinct types. The first is the structured and safe kind, and then there is the chaotic and bad kind."

"Bad kind?"

She sighed. "Imagine a parent teaching their child to learn how to swim. Normally, they would take them to a shallow pool, which is specially created to be a safe environment. That is structured space. It is safe to learn in and nothing tries to kill you in there while you swim from one end to another. Are you following me?" She asked him.

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When she saw him nod along, she continued. "Now, imagine taking your kid out into the deep reaches of the ocean where there are Tier 6 monsters lurking just beneath the over ten thousand feet of water and can swallow you in one bite before you know what happened. Now, that is chaotic space. Definitely not somewhere you want to go when you are learning how to swim, and not even when you learn how to later on. It is ridiculously dangerous. The fact that you did and are still alive is a testament to your luck and your stupidity."

"So basically, I took a dip into shark-infested waters?" He asked with wide eyes.

"No, that would be much safer than what you actually did."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh," she said mockinginly.

"So why didn't you tell me beforehand? You knew I was going to experiment," he said to her.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I expected you to actually be able to rip a hole into the void without a proper skill or training. When you use spatial skills, they almost always use stable space as a medium, not the chaotic void. I expected that if you managed to do something, it would be with the usual stable space, which would be fine."

"Why is it different for me?" He asked.

"I have no idea. For all we know, it is because you managed to get [Spatial Perception] so early, and that the skill has some kind of connection to the void. Or it could be something totally different. How did you manage to get a skill you used to create the distortion in the first place?"

Julius didn't hide anything and told Alice how he used his aura skill to rip a hole open with his will. Then he explained how he was offered [Spatial Tear], but since he didn't have an advanced enough Concept or a general Space Concept, he was offered [Spatial Crack].

"Hmm. That may be the reason," she mused.

"You think it is because I originally used my aura skill or because my Concept wasn't advanced enough?" He wanted her opinion.

"It might be a bit of both. Though I assume it has to do more with you using your aura skill to do it. Although it is rare, I have heard people get a downgraded skill if they don't have a compatible Concept."

"So is it a good thing?"

She looked at him funny, as if she couldn't decide whether to smack him or not.

He ignored her stare and asked another question. "So do you think I was offered [Void Step] because of what I did in the chaotic space?"

She sighed. "Yes, when I heard the name, I was almost certain that was the case. Most of the time, void-named skills are offensive in nature. Remember what I said, most spatial skills are almost always connected with stable space?"

He nodded.

"Well, there are times when someone is offered a void skill. These skills tap into the chaotic void and power their attacks. This doesn't mean they can travel through it, mind you," she said with a scolding look at him. "But, it is related."

"So what? [Void Punch] is much different than [Void Step]?"

"Unless the punch is traveling through the void, then yes. What you were offered is a much more dangerous skill because it means you are actually traveling through the void and not just regular space," Alice explained.

"Does that mean I shouldn't choose [Void Step]?" He asked with a frown.

He saw Alice grimace and look away from him, avoiding eye contact.

"What?"

She still wouldn't meet his eyes. Which was weird, it almost seemed like she was pouting.

Well, two could play that game. So he sat there silently, but staring expectantly at the back of her head.

It was only after several minutes of this standoff that he came up with an idea. He knew what could make her talk. "I guess I have to choose [Instantaneous Step] if [Void Step] is so terrible," he said sadly.

"Wait," she said immediately, making him smile. He knew that no matter how frustrated she might be with him, she wouldn't let him choose a bad skill because of it.

"What? Should I choose something else?" He pretended to be ignorant.

He saw her scrunch her nose like she smelled something foul, but she responded to him. "Get the damn skill," she muttered quickly.

"What? I thought you said traveling through chaotic space was a bad thing?" He said, partly teasing her while the rest of him truly wanted to know why she thought he should. From what she said, it was dangerous.

"If you are being offered a skill that deals with the void, then that means you won't be in as much danger as you put yourself in when you were testing it without a dedicated skill. Consider it a reward of some sort from the Words of the World," she said exasperatedly.

"As much danger?" He probed.

"Well, you might still maim yourself, but your healing skill will help deal with those injuries, which is how I assume you even survived the void in the first place," she said with a knowing look.

"Oh, so it's a good skill?" He asked curiously.

She scoffed. "Yeah, while dangerous, traveling through the chaotic space means you won't find yourself as easily impeded by other people's skills. Even someone with a powerful disruption skill or space skill won't find it easy to stop you from teleporting around."

"Is it because they are used to relying on structured space?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes, they won't even be able to find the thread or link you used to teleport because of that."

"Would you still be able to?"

She looked at him like he was spouting nonsense. "Of course."

He pouted. He was really hoping that he would also be able to escape someone far stronger with his skill. That would be nice.

"But I also wouldn't go to that length if I wanted to kill you. I have so many easier ways to do so. It would just be a waste of time and energy since I can kill you before you even activate it," she said in a kind of scary, matter-of-fact manner.

"You don't have to go that far," he muttered.

"Go ahead, choose it. I will be right here to make sure nothing goes wrong," she said to him with a tired sigh.

He smiled gratefully at her and did exactly that. He pulled up his notification.

[Flash Step] has advanced to level 20. Would you like to evolve the skill?

Appraising requirements…

Congratulations. Skills requirement met.

Congratulations. Concept requirement met.

Congratulations. Soul requirement met.

Skill [Flash Step] is evolving… possible advancements: [Instantaneous Step], [Flame Blitz], [Stride of Unyielding Force], [Devastating Burst], [Close Range Teleport], [Spatial Shift], and [Void Step]

He chose the final option without any more hesitation now that he had Alice's blessing.

Congratulations, skill [Void Step] (Epic+) acquired.

He grinned at Alice proudly and even the woman couldn't help but smile right alongside him. She knew full well how long he had been trying to get spatial skills and knew that it was a big deal for him.

The only thing left on his list of things to do was deciding whether or not he was going to the Endless Forest with the others. But he had to admit, the idea of testing this new skill out in such a chaotic environment sounded like a dream come true. Which meant he already knew what he was likely going to choose.