PftA Book 5 - Chapter 42 - Return to Reality

When the timer approached zero, a portal appeared in front of me. The NPCs nearby gave no indication they could see anything, which was no real surprise.

I smiled sadly as I handed Coco to one of the neighbors I’d been chatting with as I waited for my time within the virtual world to end.

“Please take good care of her,” I said, completely ignoring the fact that the simulation would likely end as soon as I stepped through the portal.

I knew, logically, that none of it was real. But after spending fifty years immersed in the virtual world, I couldn’t help myself.

Not giving myself time to hesitate, I stepped through the portal. There was a small lurch, and I soon found myself standing outside the portal leading to the tenth floor’s trial.

I looked down at my body – my real body.

I was once again clad in the black robes I’d started wearing after being trapped inside the Assassin’s Challenge Rift, which felt like several lifetimes earlier.

The rest of my artifacts and talismans were also present, as was a small addition I almost overlooked. I assumed it was the suppression artifact that Corrogo mentioned, and decided to examine it more closely after I got settled.

Turning my attention to my body itself, I realized that it felt just as natural as my Dian body had within the simulation. It made sense, I supposed.

It was my body, after all.

“Since you’ve reappeared outside of the trial, I can only assume the dungeon blocked me somehow,” Lisa said from within my mind. “How was it?”

I was startled by Lisa’s voice after spending so long without it, but the feeling was quickly replaced with joy at being reunited with my oldest companion.

“It was a lot more difficult than I expected,” I responded silently, projecting as much warmth as I could.

Lisa’s presence also served to remind me of something else I’d been missing for fifty years.

With a burst of eagerness, I entered my demesne. A wave of nostalgia rolled over me as I realized that nothing had changed in my subjective absence. Everything looked exactly how I remembered it.

I knew that my actual time in the simulation had been negligible, but it still felt like a lot of time had passed, so returning to a home unchanged pulled at my emotions in a way that was difficult to describe.

Lisa’s avatar materialized beside me. “How so?”

I answered as I reacquainted myself with the space, describing the challenges I’d faced without the system’s assistance during the trial. I hadn’t thought about the specifics in a while, so it took a bit to get my thoughts in order.

When I was finished, Lisa asked, “And are you satisfied with the reward?”

“I am,” I answered immediately. “I learned a lot. I definitely feel better prepared for ascending than I was before.”

I didn’t mention that the experience had somewhat shifted my perspective to the point that I was actually looking forward to ascending now instead of merely preparing for it.

Though I’d mostly come to terms with the fact that Lisa wasn’t as alive and sapient as I wanted her to be, it still didn’t feel right to say something that might make her feel like I didn’t value her presence.

“After the trial, I had a conversation with the dungeon,” I said, shifting the topic slightly. “Its name – or I guess his name, since he presented as a male elf – is Corrogo. He mentioned that part of what he needs me to do to repay the favor is to set up a second Realm Dungeon.

“He also mentioned that he used to be the Interface Assistant for the one who originally established this dungeon and told me I’d get the option of designating you as the new Dungeon Master.”

I watched Lisa’s avatar carefully for a reaction. When she didn’t show much of a reaction, I asked, “Is that something you would be interested in?”

“I am certainly not opposed to the idea,” Lisa responded amicably. “It would prevent you from spending additional time trying to craft a core capable of permanently housing me. Not to mention the problems that would inevitably arise from attempting to separate my kernel from your interface prior to ascension.”

Nodding, Lisa continued, “Yes, this seems like an excellent alternative. Becoming a Dungeon Master would also provide me with something to occupy my time once you ascend. Without some kind of directive, I’m not sure what I would be able to do, even if you were to succeed.”

“You could do whatever you wanted,” I pointed out.

Lisa gave me a patient smile but said nothing. Ultimately, I was fine with giving the reins of the new dungeon to Lisa as long as she wasn’t opposed to it.

Having interacted with Corrogo, I was almost certain that he was truly sapient, and I hoped that whatever changed him would also influence Lisa. I might not be around to witness it, but knowing there was a chance that she could truly develop into something that was considered ‘living’ instead of just simulated made it a chance worth taking.

= = =

Having covered my alternate level early in Tier Ten, I was able to focus solely on leveling once I reacquainted myself with mana-based magic. The shift took a bit of getting used to, but my centuries of experience weren’t easily overwritten by a mere fifty years.

“Are you not going to collect any of the loot?” Lisa silently asked after I teleported from the site of my most recent display of manatech dominance to the next group of mobs.

“I don’t really see the point anymore,” I said before unleashing a particularly devastating series of spell effects. “It’s just slowing me down, and it’s not like I need any more material to work with.”

I was no longer holding back, nor did I feel any desire to train my spells or skills. A part of me wished I’d waited to challenge the trial until I was closer to the pinnacle instead of pushing forward with it so early.

At least then I wouldn’t have to bother with readjusting just to do it again as soon as I ascend.

I still didn’t plan to ascend right away. As long as the realm let me, I planned to spend at least a few years with my family before moving on to the dungeon’s task.

Strangely, the time I’d spent in the simulation had only rekindled my feelings of affection toward my family. I’d never really lost them, but the separation had started to affect me more than I realized.

It wasn’t until I spent fifty subjective years without any contact with anyone ‘real’ that I was reminded how much I appreciated even the occasional message from a loved one.

When I received several messages just a day after returning, I was reminded just how important those small connections to the outside world really were.

I was a little surprised at the number of messages I received since I usually only got one or two every month. This time, I’d received nearly a dozen, one from almost every person I kept in contact with.

That included Anya.

I was less surprised to learn that Anya and her husband had ascended at roughly the same time that Kai had ascended. I’d suspected she had a reason for pushing him to ascend, and based on her message, I was right.

She vaguely apologized for manipulating the situation but claimed that even without her intervention, she didn’t see me and Kai ascending at the same time. This way, she claimed, at least she’d be able to connect with him in the upper realm so he wouldn’t be alone.

Enough time had (subjectively) passed that I was no longer upset about it. I already knew that it was unlikely we would have been able to ascend together, especially with the favor I owed the dungeon.

There was still a chance I’d be able to catch up to him in the next realm. And if time really was so inconsistent that reconnecting wasn’t possible, then I was sure I’d manage on my own.

Most of the other messages had mentioned Anya’s ascension as well, which somewhat explained why I’d gotten so many of them. It seemed the well-known Oracle’s very public ascension ceremony had prompted several of my friends and family members to reach out. And after so long without communication, I welcomed the sentiment.

“You’re going to need to replenish your stock soon if you maintain this pace,” Lisa warned, dragging my thoughts back to the present.

“I’ve got plenty of material in storage,” I replied as I tossed out a handful of explosive beads, letting Telekinesis carry them to their targets. “I’ve been hoarding it the whole time I’ve been on the floor. I doubt I’d be able to work my way through all of it before I ascend, even if I wanted to.”

“Don’t you want to leave some of it for your family?”

When the smoke and floating debris cleared, I mechanically took out the stragglers with one of my casting scepters, not bothering to get close.

“They can keep whatever is left,” I replied with a shrug. “I’m not going to stay in the dungeon any longer than necessary just to collect more wealth for my family to use after I’m gone. Honestly, I’m probably leaving them too much as it is.”

I worried about that sometimes. Though I’d set up a trust to ensure things were properly distributed, too much wealth had a way of making even the best of people behave in shameful ways.

“You’re probably right,” Lisa conceded. “Looking through historical data, I can see several examples that would support such a perspective.”

Though I said I wasn’t going to bother collecting any loot, I did pick up a few of the rarer materials that I encountered as I made my way through the fifth zone.

Though restrictive, I really only needed Teleportation for movement and Telekinesis for weapon dispersal. Since I was mostly relying on pre-crafted manatech for offense, defense, and support, I didn’t really need access to the rest of my spells. This allowed me to earn experience faster than I would have in one of the other zones.

If my estimates were accurate, I might even manage to reach the pinnacle in just a few months. I just needed to maintain the pace I was setting until I got there.

I toyed with the idea of testing myself against a few of the zone bosses to see if the experience gains were worth the added time it took to defeat them. Given how quickly I could slaughter nests of beasts, I wasn’t sure the payout would be worth it, but I figured it was worth checking.

As I worked my way through the largest clusters of mobs in the zone, my mind drifted back to my time in the simulation.

In many ways, I looked forward to closing this chapter of my life. The simulation had given me a taste of what to expect after I ascended, and I’d found that the more casual approach to progression I’d taken appealed much more than the rushed slaughter I was currently engaged in.

It was also more appealing than the focused approach I’d taken before the trial. I wanted more out of life than simply grinding skills and kills in a never-ending attempt to gain power and strength.

I didn’t even have a real reason for pushing so hard, aside from a promise made when I was little more than a child in the ways that mattered.

I chuckled to myself as I realized that I was basically doing the same thing in my attempt to catch up to Kai.

I guess I haven’t grown quite as much as I thought.

Hopefully, the realm would be gracious and allow me to spend a few years or maybe a decade with my family before forcing me to ascend. I doubted it, though.

Corrogo had mentioned that the realm wouldn’t pressure me as long as I was working toward its interest. I had no idea how patient such an entity might be.

Or, I suppose, how patient the god in control of the realm might be.

I hoped that Neohim would be understanding and allow me to have some time with my family before I was pushed to set up the second Realm Dungeon, but I wasn’t going to plan on getting much.

Still, any time with my family would be worth the delay. And if it ended up being the difference between catching up to Kai and not… well, I’d deal with those consequences as they arrived.