Chapter 1174 (2/2)

If Randidly narrowed his eyes, it was possible to see up even farther North and catch a fleeting glimpse of the sinkhole he had created in the challenge against Donnyton. His Grim Intuition flooded out of the open portal and slowly settled down across all of Donnyton. Even on a rainy day, it was filled with business flowing in every direction. A mild drizzle couldn’t slow this place down.

It was the original fort of Donnyton on the hill that drew Randidly’s eye next, the seat of the Village Spirit and the place where they had resisted the hordes of monsters from that first week after the Village was founded. It was somewhat nostalgic to see that they had left the original wooden palisade that he and Sam had worked on together. It was a reminder of much simpler times.

Times where Randidly had been positively naive. Times when the System and the Creature were enemies that he thought he understood.

“Been almost six years now for me…” Randidly shook his head. Then he refocused on the real point of interest: the worn golden key that was hanging in the air, turned 90 degrees counterclockwise.

Chewing on his lip, Randidly looked back up to the portal. Having the capability to create this was certainly a boon, but he was unsure whether it would be wise to use it in the short term. After all, Randidly wasn’t sure what sort of method that the Nexus would use to make sure he served out his sentence on the frontlines. Would it just be eventually be reported when he disappeared or was there a more direct observation on all of the soldiers present…?

Obviously, going into his Soulskill was fine; he left his body in the real world while he went within himself. But if he went to Earth, his body would be physically absent from the frontlines. Was that something that they would notice…?

Shaking his head, Randidly decided not to risk it. Besides, he had things to do quite soon here on the frontlines. He checked Absolute Timing and was shocked to discover that there were only seventeen minutes until he was scheduled to meet at the Headquarters.

“Least I made it in time,” Randidly grinned at the air, then looked down at the key. That caused his smile to fade somewhat. In terms of usefulness, the key was definitely powerful. As he continued to hold it, Randidly could sense that it was possible to lock, unlock, or create a portal with it. He wasn’t exactly sure of the functions of the first two, but the power to make the portal hinted that these abilities couldn’t be simple.

Still, it was a slightly… convoluted Fate. And one that meant he had to gather several more pieces of it to unlock its full power…?

“Also, how am I supposed to find pieces of my Fate from individuals that are dead…?” Randidly scratched his chin and sighed. His hand tightened on the key and forced it to turn back to an upward position, closing the portal to Earth.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 38!

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 39!

“But if all I need to do is reach Level 100, it looks like it won’t be long until I get to the next piece of my Fate,” Randidly carefully brought his Philosopher’s Key to his waist, as though to hang it from his Sun’s Teardrop Belt, but his movements slowed as a thought occurred to him.

With flashing eyes, Randidly raised the key once more and thrust it forward into the air. Threads of karma thrummed lightly as he moved it steadily forward, but Randidly ignored them. Calmly breathing, Randidly went through the doors he could open one by one, looking for the place he wanted. It was only after Randidly had gone through dozens of threads of karma that he found it. The key hummed to life and Randidly created a portal.

Or tried to. His breath hissed through his teeth as Randidly gripped the small golden loop and did his best to force the key to slowly turn, opening a portal to Tellus.

Congratulations! The Level of your Fate the Philosopher's Key has grown to Level 40!

Yet after a small wiggle, Randidly could push it no further. He began to sweat as both arms strained against the resistance to bridging the gap. His hands flexed and trembled. Shaking his head, Randidly released his grip on the key and simply held a finger against the end of the key; this was never about brute strength, the problem here was image.

Now that Randidly focused on it, he could feel how this key could act as a powerful catalyst to lend power to his image. Ignition Essence and Yggdrasil became a heavy presence at his back as he activated his Willpower. The key trembled again. Yet it could only tick a few more degrees forward, unable to completely bridge the distance.

There was too much standing in the way between Randidly and Tellus.

Before he tired himself out, Randidly removed the key from the threads of karma and hung it carefully from his belt. It seemed like it wasn’t an omnipotent tool, as Randidly could clear feel some sort of veil acting as a resistance to bridging the gap in this case. Knowing that Tellus had made a special deal to skip the Third Calamity, Randidly felt anxious for what was occurring there. However, whether it was the Calamity or the fact that a deal was made, Randidly couldn’t currently create a portal to check.

But perhaps someday, as I grow stronger…. Randidly looked down at the key. Even only hanging from his waist, it was incredibly heavy. Yet as Randidly grew used to it, it became apparent that this wasn’t a physical weight, but a mental one. It weighed on anyone who looked at it. The image contained within was dense and complex.

“But anyway, I don’t want to be late,” Randidly cracked his neck and carefully crawled out of the small alcove in the orange stone ground. While he hurried toward headquarters, his mind rapidly sifted through what he had learned from condensing his own Fate.

And he began making plans to help Lady Iellaya remake her own.