Genetic Ascension

Chapter 493: Curved Blood Blade

[Quicktime Event Cleared]

[Future of Orciulius City - Completed]

[Contribution Leaderboard]

[Sylas Grimblade - 47,472,723 Hero Points]

[Lv30 Access Ticket Received]

ʼOh?ʼ

Sylas was surprised. He had been expecting the same screen he received the last time he cleared a Quicktime Event, but this one was clearly different.

Before he got a whole list of things like...

[Bronze Contribution Reward Received] [Top Contributor Reward Received] [Perfect Clearance Reward Received] [Against All Odds Reward Received] [Merit Reward Received]

But now there was just one row. An ʼAccess Ticket!” He wasnʼt quite sure what it was, but it sounded similar to a Nexus.

After a question to the Madness Key, he confirmed that this was true. It seemed to be a very special system store separate from the Nexus and only accessible through means like this. But it was also capped by Level and usually also by the world it was received in.

The main difference between the Access Store and a Nexus was that the Nexus was the trade hub of a single world. Those with the appropriate Professions or Templates could put things up for sale in a Nexus, and it was shared by the world.

Of course, much of what was in the Nexus was provided initially by the system, but this was only based on things that would and could spawn on Earth itself.

By comparison, the Access Store was universal. Technically speaking, there was nothing that couldnʼt be bought from it. Of course, within the limits of its Level Access.

However, this also made Sylas frown.

If he entered this Access Store, he would once again be subject to Earthʼs time lock situation.

By now, he was fairly sure that about a day or so was the equivalent of three months. He had spent a day and a bit in the Sylph Dungeon, so it had ended up being around four months.

Even if he was fast and only used up an hour, that would still be almost four days. The biggest issue was that the Access Store would make the size of the Nexus seem like a complete and utter joke.

Back when Sylas got a Bronze Nexus Ticket, the time limit had almost cost him, and that was despite knowing pretty much exactly what he wanted.

If he entered this Access Store, he would be like a headless chicken. He would be overwhelmed by sensory information from all sorts of worlds, and without enough time to analyze it all, he would end up wasting this award completely.

The currency of the Access Store was based on the Event or Quest that allowed you to enter. He wasnʼt sure if 47 million was a lot or a little in this context, but it felt like a lot. If he wanted to spend it all properly and make the right decisions, he had to give himself at least several hours, even if he came in with a plan of action.

Sylasʼ frown deepened. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he couldnʼt actually use his reward. It was frustrating.

I have to find a moment where I can afford to vanish for at least a week or two before I can use it...! He shook his head, feeling disappointed. In this time, he would see if he could squeeze out more answers from the Madness Key about what he could expect on the other side. At this point, every second would matter.

The more efficient he could be, the better.

ʼNow letʼs check and see this... Maybe it can make up for my losses this time...ʼ

Sylas brought out Grinʼs blade.

Was he 100% sure that Grin was dead? No, he actually wasnʼt. However, what he did know was that even if Grin had somehow managed to find a way to slip from him, he would no longer be a threat. And that was because this dagger was too much of a core part of his being.

[Curved Blood Blade (Legacy Treasure)]

There was no Grade at all. However...

[Unusable]

That was the only description as well.

No Grade, and a description that told him he was out of luck. But when Sylas first saw this, he had a feeling that a certain something would likely have something to say about it.

And as expected, the Madness Key flared up when the Curved Blood Blade appeared.

[Would you like to steal the Curved Blood Blade Destiny?]

Seeing the question, Sylas shook his head. Why did the Madness Key ask for his input sometimes, and at others, do whatever the hell it wanted?

He was especially curious about what this thing was, and he was feeling a bit disappointed that he could accept his Access Ticket reward immediately, so he was already leaning toward saying yes. But his impulsiveness from earlier had shaken him awake. He had to do things the right way. So, he

chose to ask the Madness Key about the blade to see if it might know anything about it

However, to Sylasʼ astonishment...

רים

ʼA Taboo?ʼ

His gaze flashed as he looked at the blade hovering before him again.

Sylas stared at the blade for a good, long while. A Legacy Treasure, a Treasure type he had never even run into before as far as he was aware... and a Taboo...

ʼAbsorb it.

In the end, Sylas chose to take the risk. He knew that he was going to have to take a lot of these. If he wasnʼt willing to put his life on the line every day, he would never get to where he needed to go.

The Madness Key obliged, but the reaction was much more fierce than he thought it would be. The runes of the Madness Key began to glow with a fiendish sort of crimson as though it was trying to suppress something.

The blinding flashes forced Sylas to squint, but even with his eyelids basically all the way closed, there was still a piercing pain in his retinas.

At that moment, even with his eyes closed, he saw the vision of a crimson pupil splitting the skies.