Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 227: New Constellation, New Me

A starship flew through space. Stars flickered restlessly on all sides, but the silence was deafening and the wind non-existent, giving the impression that the ship was standing still. In reality, it was moving at multiple miles per second.

A green planet was slowly growing in the distance.

Thats the way, Brock, Jack said, reclining on his seat. His dark hair tumbled over his shoulders, contrasting the perfectly white chair, while his eyes seemed to contain a universe of their own. If a pre-System person looked into them right now, they would probably shit their pants and bow in worship. Keep her steady. Were in perfect trajectory forwhat was the planets name again?

Brock shrugged. No idea.

Noidea it is. Great name.

The first time theyd flown a starship, it had taken the both of them to be even barely functional. However, that time had been under pressure, and with race mode accidentally activated.

The starship they were currently flying was much more convenient. It had four roomsa cabin, a bathroom, a helm room, and an exit roomas well as controls that didnt jitter like a ticklish baby. It was certainly an upgrade.

As a result, both Jack and Brock could drive it easily. They took turns.

They had also named the starship, Bromobile.

Were almost there! Jack shouted excitedly, watching the planet grow so large it dominated their view. He could clearly make out the continents and seas, as well as a large mountain ridge, and the sight was nostalgic enough to almost bring tears to his eyes. It reminded him of Earth. Of home. It had only been three months since he left, but with everything that happened, it left like an eternity.

He had grown so much since then. In three short months, he had risen through the entire E-Grade and broken through to become an immortal. He had also inherited the Life Dropa drop of blood from Enas, the Old God of Life who was trapped in a black holeand achieved a King Class called Cosmic Fistwhich he looked forward to exploring.

Name: Jack Rust

Species: Human, Earth-387

Faction: Bare Fist Brotherhood (D)

Grade: D

Class: Cosmic Fist (King)

Level: 131

Strength: 695

Dexterity: 645

Constitution: 665

Mental: 120

Will: 190

Dao Skills: Meteor Punch III, Iron Fist Style II, Neutron Star Body II, Brutalizing Aura II, Space Walk I

Daos: Dao Tree of the Fist, Dao Root of Indomitable Will (fused), Dao Root of Life (fused), Dao Root of Power (fused), Dao Root of Weakness (fused)

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

Jack still struggled to comprehend how strong he had become. He was an immortal now. He possessed the power to level mountains and a lifespan of a thousand years. And he was, what, twenty-eight?

Time was weird like that. The four months since the Integration had felt like a century. For some reason, even the two hours it had been since he teleported out of Trial Planet, killed the three Hounds, and declared war on the Animal Kingdomthough they didnt know yetfelt like months.

Unfortunately, even though those Hounds were fifty levels above him, they had only given him enough experience to level up six times, reaching Level 131. Leveling would become harder from now on.

I really should complete my PhD at some point, he realized, absent-mindedly watching the planet approach through the starships windshield.

Bromobile down, said Brock. He pulled on a lever to reduce their speed, then tilted the steering wheel upward to make them glide in parallel with the planets surface instead of hurtling straight at it. They descended through the atmosphere smoothly, unfettered by gravity. Clouds filled their vision. When they cleared, an entire world stretched beneath their feet, with valleys and mountains and forests.

Wait, Jack said. This place isnt empty, is it? After all, they needed to find a teleporter and head towards the Exploding Sun.

Fortunately, it only took him a moment to discover the large dirt road wrapping around a mountain in the distance. Since they were still in the Animal Kingdom constellation, which was part of the System-integrated space, civilization meant cultivatorsand, most importantly, teleporters.

Brock brought the starship to a halt and approached the windshield. A moment later, he pointed down. Jack followed with his gaze and quickly noticed a man riding a horse through a field below.

Lets go ask him, he said.

Brock grabbed the controls again. They descended like a comet next to the horse-rider, who froze in terror and went pale as a sheet. He was a thin man with a long black mustache, whose hard face looked out of place when terrified like that. He was also surprisingly youngmaybe twenty years of age?

Angh, he tried to say.

Hello. Do you not speak our language? Jack asked, using Space Walk to teleport outside the starship.

Human (Galipede), Level 32 (F-Grade)

Faction: -

The man jumped back in fright. His horse frothed at the mouth and started running away, causing its rider to fall.

Jack was having none of that. He flew after the horse, grabbed it from the back, and lifted it over his head so that its legs kicked harmlessly at the air. He then deposited the horse gently before its rider, leaving both shell-shocked. If they could, they would have probably hugged each other.

Sorry, Jack said. We didnt mean to scare you. Were just looking for directions.

The man managed to utter a few words. Directions to what?

The nearest teleporter that can take us off-planet.

I, uh Its that way, venerable immortal, the man said, pointing towards the far-off mountain. He had regained his composure somewhat. A city in the middle of a lake. Its called Califrede. You cant miss it.

I see. Thank you. Is there any way I can repay the favor?

The mans eyes went wide. Once again, he mustered his courage to say, I, uh, I was heading in the same direction, venerable immortal. I need medicine for my daughter. If you could carry me along, even in the trash compartment of your starship, I would be beyond grateful. Extremely grateful.

No problem. Can you open the door, Brock?

A door at the side of the starship slid open. There was no ramp, but Jack simply carried both horse and man inside, fitting them in the helm roomwhich was suddenly a bit cramped.

Needless to say, the man was simultaneously scared, relieved, and unable to believe his good luck. The horse was frozen in fear.

Brock, Jack suggested, can you inform this horse that good bros dont defecate in each others starships? It looks scared, so you never know.

Brock nodded and mimed the instruction. To everyones surpriseincluding itselfthe horse nodded.

No need to be scared, man, Jack said, smiling at the pale horse-rider. I may be an immortal, but Im a pretty friendly guy. I wont harm you. Whats your name?

Lionel, venerable immortal.

Well, Lionel, enjoy your flight. Can you point us in the direction of this lake city you mentioned?

The horse riderLionellooked outside and numbly pointed in a direction. Brock grabbed the helm and smoothly led the starship over a mountain and a grassland. With their speed, it only took them ten minutes to reach the citybut a horse-rider could have easily taken half a week.

Looks like you hit the jackpot, Lionel, Jack said. Completely pun intended.

Lionel nodded numbly. You have my eternal gratitude, venerable immortal. I can never repay the help you have given me.

Its no big deal. No need to get all formal.

Thanks to you, my daughter may survive, Lionel continued, tears glistening in his eyes. I was going to ride day and night to arrive in time. Thank you. Thank you!

Oh Well, glad we could help.

This lake city was, indeed, a city built on a lake. Jack couldnt tell if there was an island under it or not, but he could see random spots of water everywhere, so he suspected not.

It was an architectural wonder. Floating platforms and small boats made up most of the city, which was inhabited by human and amphibian-looking humanoids alike. They seemed to be getting along just fine.

It also smelled a bit, but Jack had been through worse. When undergraduates fucked up in his laboratory, the stench was often putrid enough to burn his nose.

Do you have enough money to buy that medicine, Lionel? Jack asked.

I do, venerable immortal. You have already provided me with enough fortune to last me ten lifetimes!

This Lionel fellow had a particular way with words, but he seemed like a good man overalleven likable. Jack and Brock deposited him at a pharmacyor apothecary shop, as the sign indicatedand Jack joined along to buy some stuff of his own. They then insisted on giving Lionel a lift back home as well, so he could treat his ailing daughter. They could spare a half-hour round trip to save this guy days of ceaseless horse-riding.

Lionel accepted with superfluous words of gratitude. His horse wasnt equally relieved, mostly due to not understanding, but it should have been, because Lionels plan of ceaseless riding included the horse dying of exhaustion mid-way.

To punish him for that, they dropped him off a few minutes away from his village. It was more of a prank, actually. Unless the horse learned how to speak, nobody would ever believe him.

Thank you for choosing the Jack and Brock Airline, Jack said as they dropped Lionel off. Enjoy your stay!

After once again accepting Lionels superfluous and oddly-worded gratitude, they flew back to the lake city and landed near the furnace-shaped building that served as the teleporter. Jack willed the starship to shrink to the size of a needlea very handy functionthen stored it in his pocket.

Once on the ground, he took another look at the surrounding people. They were dressed in thigh-long, airy robes, kept their hair long, and walked around on wooden shoes. The amphibian humanoids didnt have hair, but fins that stuck out from the top of their head, as well as gills on both sides of their throat and webbings between their fingers. Besides those, they resembled humans.

Huh, Jack said, scanning a random amphibian person, would you look at that.

Fishfolk (Galipede), Level 14 (F-Grade)

Faction: -

His biologist instinct insisted he stay here for a while and study them. Unfortunately, he had a job to doand little time to admire the galaxys wonders. The Exploding Sun awaited.

There was a long line before the teleporter. Just as Jack braced himself for a wait, someone scanned him and exclaimed. The surprise spread like a wave, with everyone moving aside and bowing. Murmurs of venerable immortal spread through the crowd, making Jack feel slightly awkward.

Its all right, he said, lifting his hands. At ease.

They were not at ease. Apparently, the immortals of this planet enjoyed extremely high status. Jack thought back to the stories of Vlossana, the passenger of the Trampling Ramher continent only had a single D-Grade cultivator. If this planet was any similar, it was no wonder people reacted like that.

He felt like a celebrity.

Therefore, Jack and Brock skipped the line and arrived before the door of the teleporter building. They opened it, escaped the outside noise, and found themselves in front of a peak E-Grade guard who was too busy scribbling something down on a piece of paper.

Wait outside the door, the guard barked, not raising her gaze from the paper.

Are you sure? Jack replied.

The guard looked up. A moment later, her face went pale. Venerable immortal! she cried out. My deepest apologies! If I knew who you were, I would never

Yeah, yeah, Jack cut her off. Apology accepted. Can you help me teleport to the Exploding Sun constellation?

I Certainly, venerable immortal, the guard replied, straightening her back in a military salute. Do you have a specific destination in mind?

I am headed to the Exploding Sun headquarters, so the closer to it, the better.

Of course, sir. May I recommend Earth-309?

Sure.

Also, pardon me for daring to ask, but could I have your name and affiliation, please? It is for record-keeping.

You cannot.

The guard froze. I cannot?

You cannot.

After all, Jack was currently wanted by the Animal Kingdom. When news of him escaping Trial Planet reached the Hand of God, they would probably join, too. He had to travel incognito as much as possible.

The Bare Fist Brotherhood was usually visible when people scanned him, giving away his identity, but Jack had thought ahead. When they stopped by the apothecary shop earlier, he had bought a Disguise Potionthe same kind hed used at the start of the Integration Tournament. When he drank it on the starship, it changed his facial structure and hid his faction from System scans. As for titles, hed already removed them all from showing. Only his Level remained unchanged, but that didnt matter much.

Jack currently looked like a chubby, middle-aged man with a short but fluffy mustache.

Now, only two hints gave away his identity. One was Brock, but nothing he could about that. He could only hope there were more brorillas in the galaxy. As for his species, which was registered as Human (Earth-387)... Well, nothing he could do about that, either.

The guard remained troubled. Venerable immortal, thats

I understand this is a problem for you, Jack said, but if you keep insisting, youll have a bigger one. Just let me teleport.

The guard hesitated for a moment. Jack considered using his Dao Domain to intimidate her, but that might give away his Dao, so he stared into her eyes instead. A moment later, she relented.

Please step onto the teleporter, she said weakly. I wish you safe travels.

Jack smiled brightly. Thank you. Have a great rest of your day.

Being extremely powerful sure was nice.

Jack and Brock stepped onto the teleporter. A blue screen with several destinations appeared before their eyes. Jack quickly chose Earth-309, as the guard had suggested, and felt a burst of speed as the space around him was drawn backward.

The Exploding Sun was still far awaybut they had left the Animal Kingdom constellation! And, this time, they were traveling completely on their own power!

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