Chapter 274: Volcano Land 20-40
Caelus and Sylvia quietly remained together for several more minutes before finally getting up from the bed. Caelus stretched his body.
"Feeling better?" she asked softly.
Caelus smiled warmly hearing her. "Yep"
He looked toward the Domain Interface floating in his vision.
"It’s about time," he said, "we still have unfinished business."
Sylvia tilted her head curiously.
"Mason?" she asked.
Caelus nodded.
"His talent," he explained, "I’ve wanted it ever since I saw that Gacha Wheel."
Sylvia immediately understood his intention.
"Let’s go steal another person’s future," she said with a completely innocent smile.
Caelus chuckled hearing her words.
"You’re making me sound like a villain," he replied while rolling his eyes. "We are just copying his talent."
Sylvia grinned mischievously.
"A cute villain," she added.
The two laughed before entering the Origin Ascension Domain together after a quick bath.
Their vision blurred momentarily. They arrived inside Genesis Town seconds later. NPCs immediately recognized Sylvia as the new Town Lord, several respectfully greeting her as she passed.
"Greetings, Town Lord,"
"Welcome back,"
Sylvia politely waved toward them. Caelus glanced around the bustling town square briefly.
"Let’s head to the market," he suggested.
They then walked toward the Town Portal together.
"Mason’s talent isn’t strong because of combat," he began, pausing briefly, "it’s strong because of economy, money, resources, long-term growth."
Sylvia nodded understanding completely.
"A talent like that becomes stronger the richer you become."
"Exactly," he agreed, "if I combine it with my Blacksmith profession..." He paused deliberately. "We’ll never lack resources again."
The portal activated with a flash of light. They arrived inside the Golden Chamber Market moments later. Players and Non-Players were still there as usual.
Shops overflowed with customers browsing wares. Equipment stalls displayed weapons and armor. merchants called out special prices.
Skill book traders negotiated deals loudly. Blacksmiths advertised their services enthusiastically. Auction houses remained packed with players bidding on rare items.
The atmosphere was significantly livelier than before.
Many new players had entered after the New York event brought attention to the Domain.
They soon reached the familiar gambling stall where Mason worked. Mason was already there managing customers. Several players surrounded the Gacha Wheel with hopeful expressions.
One player nervously spent his Origin Credits on a spin. The wheel rotated rapidly before slowing down gradually. It landed on nothing valuable after stopping completely.
The player lost again.
The player suddenly slammed his hands onto the table angrily.
"This thing is rigged!" he shouted.
"Give me my money back!"
Another player nearby added his complaint.
"Yeah!" he agreed loudly.
"Nobody wins here!"
Mason immediately became nervous facing their anger.
"Sir..." he stammered, "the result is random..."
The angry player grabbed Mason’s collar roughly.
"Random?" he demanded aggressively.
"You think I’m stupid?"
Before Mason could react, a hand landed firmly on the player’s shoulder. The player turned around, his expression instantly freezing when he saw who stood behind him.
"...Y..." he stuttered.
"...You’re..."
Caelus calmly looked at him without any visible emotion.
"Got a problem?" he asked simply.
The surrounding crowd immediately recognized him.
Whispers spread rapidly through the gathered players.
"That’s Caelus,"
"The one who defeated David Wilson,"
"Didn’t he also wipe out Red Cool Dragon?"
"Isn’t he the guy who conquered Genesis Town?"
The player immediately let go of Mason’s collar.
"S-Sorry," he apologized quickly, "I didn’t know he was with you."
He hurriedly ran away before anyone could respond.
Mason let out a sigh of relief seeing the troublemaker leave.
"Thank you, Sir Caelus," he said gratefully.
Caelus smiled reassuringly.
"Business seems good," he observed.
Mason scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"It is," he admitted, "players love gambling."
They both laughed at the simple truth.
Caelus then directly asked. "Can you fight?"
Mason nodded. "A little."
Caelus continued his questioning.
"How is your combat Score?" he asked.
"Forty," he replied.
Caelus raised an eyebrow in complete surprise.
"Forty?" he repeated, "that’s actually pretty impressive."
Mason laughed awkwardly at the compliment.
"I only stay here during the busiest hours." he explained, "the first hour and the last hour."
He paused. "The rest of the time... I’m usually hunting monsters in the Origin Expanse, otherwise I’d never level up."
Caelus nodded thoughtfully understanding his situation.
"Want to spar?" Caelus suggested casually.
Mason waved both hands defensively.
"N-No..." he protested, "I’ll lose."
Caelus smiled knowingly.
"That’s not the point, I just want to see your skills." he replied, pausing briefly, "I’ll keep it quick."
Mason hesitated visibly. Eventually he made his decision.
"...Alright," he agreed reluctantly.
Caelus initiated a Duel request.
The surrounding scenery transformed into the Arena instantly. Mason took a deep breath preparing himself mentally.
"Here I come!" he announced as the countdown ended.
Mason immediately threw a Fireball toward Caelus. Caelus casually punched through the flames without effort. The fire scattered harmlessly around him.
Lightning began dancing around Caelus’s body. Before Mason could react to the sudden display, Caelus appeared directly in front of him. One clean punch connected solidly.
Mason’s HP reached zero instantly. His body began dissolving into particles of light immediately afterward.
Before Mason completely disappeared from the arena, Caelus activated Extraction silently.
[Extraction Successful.]
[You’ve obtained the Lower A-Rank talent: Gacha Wheel]
[Gacha Wheel: Place one item inside the wheel. Once per day per user, randomly multiply rewards. Possible outcomes include ×5, ×10, ×100, or 100% rebate. Can also be activated by another person.]
Caelus quietly read the description carefully.
"Makes sense," he muttered to himself.
If there wasn’t a daily limit Mason would’ve become the richest player already.
Looks like luck hasn’t always been on his side.
"Still..." he smiled, "this is an incredible talent."
The duel ended automatically after the extraction.
They returned to the gambling stall moments later. Mason smiled cheerfully despite losing.
"That was fun," he said honestly.
Caelus shook his hand firmly.
"Thanks," he replied.
Sylvia immediately noticed Caelus smiling more than usual.
"You got it?" she asked knowingly via telepathy.
Caelus nodded.
Sylvia’s eyes brightened hearing this.
"That’s amazing!"
Caelus then turned toward back to Mason.
"We’ll be leaving," he announced.
Mason bowed politely.
"Safe travels," he said, "Come visit again."
Caelus nodded. He had plans for Mason, since he had helped him so much, he was going to help him back as well.
They soon returned to Genesis Town through the portal. They then passed through the Origin Expanse Portal.
The Misty Woods appeared first with its familiar fog. The Arkham River followed with its rushing waters. Finally Volcano Land came into view ahead of them.
The air became significantly hotter immediately upon entry.
Rivers of lava flowed slowly through the landscape creating dangerous pathways. Steam continuously rose from cracks in the earth everywhere they looked. Massive volcanic rocks surrounded the entire area creating natural barriers.
Sulfur filled the air making breathing slightly uncomfortable.
Every monster here possessed fire affinity based on their appearance.
The atmosphere immediately felt more dangerous than the previous regions they’d explored.
Before Caelus could finish observing the environment, a Level 25 Lava Beast that looked like a lizard lunged toward them aggressively.
It had a Combat Score of approximately 50 according to his quick assessment.
Caelus didn’t even move from his position.
He casually raised one hand toward the approaching creature. Telekinesis activated instantly without visible warning.
The monster was crushed in midair before exploding into particles.
"Poor thing," Sylvia commented playfully.
[You’ve eliminated an Uncommon Lava Lizard at level 25]
[+15 EXP]
[Current EXP: 1,468 / 4,000]
"Let’s keep going," Caelus suggested.
The two continued deeper into Volcano Land together.
After walking for several minutes through the harsh terrain, they noticed hundreds of players gathered ahead in one location.
A gigantic ancient stone door was embedded into the side of a massive volcano. Strange runes glowed across its surface with pulsing light. Everyone stared at it silently.
