Upon hearing the news that the city would soon be under attack, the patriarch's expression darkened. Yet, he stood silently and unmoving for a moment.
"All beasts in the region are heading toward our city," he finally said, his voice heavy. "This isn't just bad luck. It's deliberate."The patriarch wasn't naive enough to believe that the beasts acted independently.
'Did we somehow attract the wrath of someone we shouldn't have provoked? Or is there something that attracts beast toward us?' the patriarch thought.
He had a lot of experience dealing with beasts and deep down, he knew that no matter the reason, this might be the end of their clan. The mountains around them were filled with dangerous beasts, and if they all attacked at once as they were now, only death would be awaited.
He was honestly a bit scared but he couldn't show it. He was the clan patriarch and couldn't afford to show weakness no matter what.
The city might have seemed like the area's ruler, but that wasn't the case. Each type of beast in the surrounding mountains had its territory, and the town had survived until now only because these beasts kept each other in check. It wasn't entirely human strength that kept the city safe but the balance among the beasts.
It wouldn't be false to say that beasts governed the region. It wasn't because they were strong but because they had an overwhelming advantage in numbers.
While a cultivator of the same rank as a beast could typically handle a single opponent, the real problem was the sheer volume of beasts.
To create a decent cultivator, the clan would need plenty of resources and time to nurture them. But beasts? They are naturally strong and would even be gifted with manifestations at birth.
Even the merchants who traveled through the mountains to trade with other cities knew this. They understood that beasts controlled the land, not humans. Thus, they would only dare to pass through the territories of those they could manage to deal with.
It wasn't rare for cultivators to die if they dared venture too deep into the mountains. Even for high-ranked cultivators like the patriarch, facing them head-on was impossible.
He turned to the servants and asked them to leave quickly and inform the elders to gather as soon as possible. After they left, he turned his attention to Zhelowen and stared at him for a moment. The patriarch's heart tightened at the thought of what he had to do next, but he had made his decision.
"Zhelowen, you need to listen to me. Whatever is causing this—whatever or whoever is behind these beasts—is far beyond us. Don't seek revenge. You wouldn't stand a chance. Your only goal is to survive."
"Wh-What do you mean, father?" Zhelowen asked, his face pale.
The patriarch sighed, his expression pained. "You have to escape this place."
.
.
.
.
A few hours later, the White Smoke Clan was in turmoil. The smell of burning wood and sweat hung heavy in the air as people rushed through the streets, grabbing whatever supplies and weapons they could find. The noise of clanging metal, frantic shouts, and distant cries filled the night thick with fear.
Elias moved calmly through the chaos, his face set in a grim expression. The cool evening breeze carried the scent of smoke and panic, brushing past him as he followed his mother through the crowded streets.
"They'll protect you in the clan's hall. It's the safest place in the city," his mother said, her voice shaky as she held his hand tightly.
Elias didn't respond. His mind was elsewhere, focused on the glowing symbols of his rune, barely noticing the noise and confusion around him.
-------------------------------------
[Rank: 2]
- [Lifespan: 10 years, 7 months, 21 days]
-------------------------------------
[MANIFESTATIONS]
- [Rank 1 Manifestation slot]: [Free]
- [Additional rank 1 Manifestation slot price: 50 years]
- [Rank 2 Manifestation slot]: [Free]
- [Additional rank 2 Manifestation slot price: 200 years]
-------------------------------------
- [Rank up cost: LOCKED (21 hours)]
-------------------------------------
- [CURRENTLY UNDER DISASTER]
- [Negative karma debt: 982]
-------------------------------------
A bit earlier, he had decided to "RANK UP" but never expected things to have turned sour this fast.
Elias frowned as he checked his current karma. 'Nearly 1,000 negative karma... I've been trying to keep this as low as possible but it is still insanely high...' he thought grimly. Despite his efforts, the number had climbed to a level usually seen in a rank 3 ascension during normal gameplay.
Karma was one of the most critical factors in the game. Unlike typical cultivators, players who ascended using the rune would face a "disaster" as part of the process. This disaster was directly tied to their karma. The higher the karma, the more severe and unforgiving the catastrophe would be.
Karma, often referred to as "Death Points" by players, measured how much a person abused the Rune of the End. The more benefits the player receives from the rune, the higher their negative karma will rise.
There were a lot of factors that would increase negative karma. But the main ones are very clear.
First, karma was directly linked to the player's remaining lifespan at ascension. Ascending with a large reserve of lifespan was risky, as it would only strengthen the severity of the disaster.
This means that players couldn't simply accumulate endless lifespans to become invincible; doing so would only increase the potency of their disaster upon ascension. On the other hand, they still needed enough lifespan to fuel their manifestations for protection. The player had to find a balance between lifespan and karma.
Second, the more manifestation a player had, the more severe their disasters would be. Even if the rune allowed the player to have virtually unlimited manifestation, it wasn't wise to abuse this ability.
It was also the main reason why Elias did not merge with a single manifestation. Doing so would increase his negative karma. It was very easy for players to be soft-blocked if they had too many manifestations and couldn't ascend further due to the extreme difficulty of the catastrophe.
"There are other important factors once I reach rank 6, but those aren't relevant right now. My negative karma is probably high because of my aperture," Elias thought with a grim face.
"My aperture gives me a passive lifespan, which is likely being counted as a great benefit offered by my rune. That is probably why my karma has risen so much. This is truly bad. A little clan like this one won't be able to bear a disaster of this scale."
Elias had planned to use this clan as a shield for his ascension. Despite knowing that people would die, he truly couldn't care less.
Distracted by his thoughts, Elias accidentally bumped into someone hurrying by. The impact sent the person stumbling backward, nearly crashing into a nearby stall. Elias barely noticed, his mind too preoccupied with the rune.
People around them seemed to have noticed this strange phenomenon. Is an adult being knocked back by a child with just a simple bump? It seemed almost impossible. However, they were too busy to dwell on it too much.
Elias did not even bother looking at the man. Since ascending, he has had some trouble controlling his strength. Although it wasn't to the point where it would genuinely disturb him, it was still something he had to be careful of.
The man who had been pushed back quickly regained his footing, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Elias, who was already walking away. He wanted to say something, but seeing the white robe and the emblem on Elias's chest, his expression changed instantly.
"I-I apologize, young master," the man stammered, bowing slightly before running away.
Yui seemed to have noticed that something was wrong and looked at Elias with a worried expression. However, she didn't say anything and only held his hand tighter. "Let's hurry up."