Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse
Chapter 394: Consuming the Fruits

Min Ling shot out of the lava and into a cave. Fluorescent moss covered the walls, illuminating it in an almost magical glow, while the lava lake in the middle added a sense of danger to the otherwise empty cave.

Min barely registered those. She emerged from the lava like a comet and almost crashed into the ceiling before catching herself. She then moved to the stone ground and gently deposited both Jack and Brock.

Brock remained unconscious. The fur on his back had been singed, offering him light burns, but he was okay. It was the greatest protection Min could have given him—though she had hugged him tightly to reduce their combined surface area, her own back had been burned as well.

As for Jack, he had been forced to endure the lava with his body for around ten seconds. It was unimaginable how he was still alive. Min could clearly make out his skeleton covered in black, molten flesh which constantly squirmed, regrew, and reknit itself.

It was a miracle. Such regeneration, such survivability… It really tested her understanding of the world. Moreover, to survive in that state meant that his mind hadn’t given in. Even enduring the continuous immolation of his body, a part of him had persisted, refusing to lose consciousness—if he had, no amount of regeneration would have saved him. It was only after they escaped the lava that he fainted.

Min Ling was silent. Her gaze was deep. The current Jack made for a very gruesome sight, but she could handle it. She had seen worse. Cultivators could awe the world with their powers, but the price was that their lives were filled with pain and loneliness. It was not a path meant for everyone.

In all that pain, most cultivators lost themselves, devolving to their base instincts to remain alive. But this man…

He had risked his life to cut off an enemy’s retreat, killing Baron Longform even when he didn’t need to. Min didn’t mind that; her own relation with the Baron had been very strained, and between the two, Jack was far more valuable to the Church. If anything, his decisiveness was admirable. Most people would have let Baron escape and later lost their lives because of that.

After that, Jack didn’t hesitate to dive deeper into the lava cavern. He suppressed his despair and accurately judged the only path to survival. When he was running out of power and Min Ling could only protect one person, Jack had instantly chosen Brock. He had sacrificed himself for his spiritual companion…

Unconsciously, Min Ling shook her head. She was not in the habit of saving strangers, but this man—both of them—had earned her respect.

She had no idea where she was. It could be dangerous. But, even if they all perished here, dying alongside these two was not too bad.

***

Jack’s eyes flickered open. His mind was filled with scorching red pain—magma trying to drill into his eyes and throat, to suffocate him even as it burned him alive. He screamed and jumped upright, only then realizing he was no longer dying.

How!? he asked himself, still in shock.

“You are safe,” came a woman’s voice. Jack swiveled to see Min Ling resting on a nearby rock, her dark hair swiping its surface as her legs and spear were both relaxedly outstretched.

“What happened?” Jack asked.

“We made it through the lava. You were burned for a few seconds but somehow managed to survive…” She gave him a deep glance.

“I survived…” His eyes widened. “Brock!”

“He’s right there. Look down.”

Jack glanced at his feet, finding Brock sleeping soundly. He was even snoring. “Oh, thank God…” he said, his voice almost breaking.

Brock’s body sported a few burnt hairs, but he was safe. Jack knew that was thanks to Min Ling. “Thank you,” he said, turning towards her. “We were strangers, but you risked your life to save us. I will never forget that favor.”

“It wasn’t much,” she replied calmly. “My life was never in danger.”

“It doesn’t matter. You saved my little brother. If you ever need any help, let me know, and I will rush to your aid.”

Facing such seriousness, her lips curved. “That’s grand talk for someone who’s only a three-fruit C-Grade.”

“For now. In my defense, they’re pretty good fruits.”

“I’m sure they are.” She jumped off her stone. “Mind waking up your…little brother? We have things to discuss.”

Jack nudged Brock. He then nudged harder. Brock finally awoke, shooting to his feet and shouting, “Big Bro!” as he pulled Jack into a large hug. Some time later, he let go and turned to Min Ling.

“Thank you, big sis,” he said seriously. “You saved my big bro. I will remember this forever.”

“You guys will make me puke…” she replied, shaking her head. “Whatever. You’re welcome. Take a look around.”

Jack complied. He saw a cave covered in green fluorescent moss and with a lava lake in the middle—that must be where they emerged from. The cave itself wasn’t too large, while a passage on the other side led elsewhere.

The most striking thing, however, was in the air. In the Dao. Every stone of this place exuded an aura of endless years, as if this cave had existed since time immemorial. The air was heavy, almost sacred, and the Dao of Life that had been prevalent in the hidden realm was even more dominant here, nearly tinging the air green.

Jack felt like he’d intruded into a sacred ancient temple. It was a similar feeling to when he’d entered the Ancient ruins in Trial Planet.

“Where are we?” he asked, looking around in wonder. His perception was suppressed by the dense Dao. It could barely travel a hundred feet into the exit tunnel, finding nothing but stone.

“I have a suspicion,” Min Ling replied. “When we entered the volcano, we could see a massive temple in the distance. That was the hidden realm’s core area. I suspect that the temple’s creator drew lava from the underground repository we found, for some reason, and the long tunnel we followed led us directly inside the temple.”

Jack took a moment to process this. His eyes widened. “We’re in the core area?”

“It is possible… You may not remember it, but I broke through an energy barrier shortly before reaching this cave. That barrier held great Daos but was extremely weak. My guess is that it covered the entire temple, and it was only weak because the B-Grades had recently broken through it. If not for them, we would have been unable to cross, and you would have both died in the lava.”

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Jack maintained a solemn silence. This time, they had come far too close to death… Perhaps trying to grab the treasure under everyone’s nose had been too greedy.

Or, perhaps, it wasn’t the intention that was wrong, but the execution. Jack’s hadn’t paid enough attention to Baron Longform. After that, everything spiraled out of control.

I cannot let my guard down…

His hands swiped over his space ring, retrieving a spherical object. It was composed of a green core of crystallized life energy, surrounded by pure Dao so dense it had gathered into a thick mass—like a normal fruit’s edible, fleshy interior.

As soon as this item emerged from the space ring, waves of life spread out, covering the entire cave. Everyone felt their heartbeats quicken.

“What’s that?” Min Ling asked.

“It is the treasure under the volcano,” Jack explained, still observing the item. “The fruit of a crystal tree that thrived in lava. Have you ever heard of it?”

“Never,” she replied. “I sense both life and Dao energy. No wonder the dragons grew so strong; the life energy enhanced their bodies, and the Dao energy enhanced their abilities.”

Jack nodded. “I have six of these fruits. Since all three of us contributed, I say we divide them equally.”

Min Ling had been part of the plan from the start. Her task had been to delay the battle outside and defend them verbally if need be. Of course, that task was less important than Jack and Brock’s, but she had saved them afterward. In Jack’s opinion, the six fruits should be split equally.

Hopefully, Min Ling wouldn’t use her strength to take everything.

“That’s fine,” she replied.

Jack nodded. He passed two fruits to her and two to Brock. “If your assumptions are correct, we are at the core area of the hidden realm,” he said. “This is not a place we should be able to survive in. Every threat here could instantly kill us. Therefore, I think we should absorb these fruits and increase our strength as much as possible before venturing outside the cave.”

“Big bro wise,” said Brock.

Min Ling thought about it. “I agree,” she said, “but we shouldn’t delay too long. My strength is not too far away from the B-Grade—since I’m already here, I want to explore this place and see if I can find any lucky chances. Will you join me?”

“Of course,” Jack replied. “That’s fine. Let’s absorb the fruits first, and then we can get going.”

The cave wasn’t large, but it was spacious enough. Each of the three retreated to a corner and focused on their two fruits, slowly working out how to absorb them.

Jack held a fruit and gazed at it. Its flesh was full of ambient, purified Dao—like a Dao stone, but far richer. Absorbing it would greatly enhance his cultivation. As for the seed of the fruit, its life core, that wouldn’t be as effective. It was milder than the Life Drop’s energy, so he could absorb it faster and more efficiently, but his body had already reached a high degree of tempering. Any benefits in that regard would be minor.

Thinking to that point, Jack stood up again. “Hey, Min Ling,” he said, walking over. “I have low cultivation and a strong body, while you have high cultivation and a—” she raised a brow, making him reconsider “—very decent physique. Wanna exchange? I get all the Dao flesh, you get all the life cores. I think that would increase our power the most in the short run.”

She smirked, then thought for a moment. “Sure. But I’m close to a breakthrough, so I want to keep half a fruit’s flesh.”

“Then I’ll keep half a core.”

“That’s fine.”

They both peeled their fruits, exchanged, and Jack returned to his corner. He started by absorbing the half life core; the energy flowed into his body, similar to the Life Drop’s but milder. Its effect was also slightly different; it enhanced his body and even increased its saturation limit a little.

Apparently, this life energy was highly nourishing, but Jack didn’t regret exchanging the rest of it. The Dao flesh was just too energy-rich. It was perfect for the current him.

Done with the life core, he proceeded to the main course. The Dao flesh hung between his arms like the most exquisite silk. His perception unraveled it slowly, forming incorporeal strands of pure Dao power that he pulled inside his body. They entered the roots of his Dao Tree, washing over the trunk and sinking into his third fruit, which was rapidly approaching maturity.

Meditating in this underground cave, Jack lost track of time. Hours flowed like water. Shortly after he finished one piece of fruit flesh, his third Dao Fruit finally reached maturity. It was a healthy green, shaped as a fist and radiating life.

As soon as it fully matured, Jack took a deep breath. He then dove directly into forming his fourth fruit.

In the C-Grade, every Dao Fruit was a manifestation of the cultivator’s Dao into the world. It was an aspect of the universe viewed through the lens of their individual Dao. For Jack, his three fruits so far were the Fist, Space, and Life.

Choosing which aspect to grow into a fruit was an important decision. To Jack, however, this fourth fruit was a no-brainer. He steadily dove into his soul, then exhaled deeply as if it was his final breath. The air that left his mouth was dark—and, as it landed on the leaves, it slowly formed the outline of a pitch-black fruit.

It was Death.

After receiving the teachings of Elder Boatman and the death cube, Jack urgently needed a Dao Fruit of Death to complement his power in that direction.

The fruit of death was fist-shaped, as were all of them, but it radiated a dark aura that twisted the nearby leaves into dry, dead things. It seemed like a very dangerous thing to have inside one’s soul, but Jack knew the truth. Life and Death were part of the same cycle. Death wasn’t evil; it was just a natural state.

Under his firm grasp, it was harmless. If anything, it formed a clear contrast against his third fruit, the Life one, creating an interesting area on his Dao Tree where the leaves were constantly dying and growing anew.

There was wisdom in those leaves, but it was not wisdom Jack could currently grasp.

After developing his fourth fruit, he spent the remaining fruit flesh to push it as far along as possible. By the time he was done, the Death fruit was around forty percent mature.

Jack’s eyes snapped open. In a short few hours—or was it days?—his power had grown significantly. He had risen by a tier. If he fought Baron Longform again, he was confident in winning even without using Supernova.

Oh. I forgot to check that out, he realized. System, do your thing, please.

Name: Jack Rust

Species: Human, Earth-387 sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴøᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Faction: Bare Fist Brotherhood (C)

Grade: C

Class: Gladiator Titan (King)

Level: 288

Strength: 4400 (+)

Dexterity: 4400 (+)

Constitution: 4400 (+)

Mental: 949

Will: 949

Free sub-points: 1

Dao Skills: Meteor Punch IV, Iron Fist Style III, Brutalizing Aura III, Neutron Star Body III, Supernova III, Space Mastery II, Titan Taunt I, Fist of Mortality I

Dao Roots: Indomitable Will, Life, Power, Weakness

Dao Fruits: Fist, Space, Life, Death

Titles: Planetary Frontrunner (10), Planetary Torchbearer (1), Ninth Ring Conqueror, Planetary Leader (1), Grade Defier

Supernova III: Some stars die in a massive explosion. You have mastered that process, imitating it with your fist. By drawing in an enormous amount of energy, compressing it to the maximum, then releasing it at once, you can erupt with a punch that resembles one of the most violent events in the universe.

Supernova actually started from the third tier. That was odd.

Every other skill that started above the first had been an evolution of a previous skill. Moreover, these tiers represented proficiency with the skill, and Jack felt he had barely grasped the concept of Supernova.

The most likely explanation was that the threshold to acquiring this skill was too high, so the System had set it to the third tier for fairness sake.

Jack took that as an achievement.

His other stats were also coming along nicely. The life seed of the crystal fruit had pushed his Physical substats to a nice round 4400, while he had invested all the level-up points into Mental and Will. That would need to change soon—eliminating his weaknesses was nice, but maybe he was just overdoing it at this point.

In the C-Grade, the first three fruits accounted for ten levels each, and the next six for twenty each. By reaching forty percent maturity in the fourth fruit, Jack had smoothly sailed to Level 288, a difference of thirteen levels and two hundred and sixty stat points since he entered the hidden realm.

Just three and a half pieces of fruit flesh had benefited him so much. If he had been able to acquire all eleven on that tree, would he have reached the fifth or even the sixth fruit?

High-level resources were maddening.

Of course, the difficulty of reaching maturity increased with every fruit. A treasure that could give him a whole fruit now would only give him a fraction by the time he reached the eighth or ninth. By then, he would need to find even more of these treasures…but that was fine. It was part of the charm.

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