Sweet, sweet EXP.
After upgrading the system to the Peak Champion level, Daneel had been disregarding EXP for the most part, both because he was able to make do without spending them for the available tools, and because he had thought that he wouldn"t need to upgrade it any time soon again.
However, being a witness to that fight had changed his opinion.
The sooner he was able to upgrade the system, the better it would be, but he honestly didn"t want to find out the upgrade cost right now.
If he did, he might keep stressing about it, so he decided to acc.u.mulate EXP for now and ask the system later, when he felt that he would be able to take the blow.
After going through the description of the "Mad" Champion Path in his head, he was tempted to ask more, but Daneel decided to first get out of here.
Taking care to record each and every backup the Mad Doctor had, including the ones of the medical techniques of the Sect which were practically priceless, Daneel left, leaving everything as it had been.
This had truly been a bountiful harvest, he thought, as he lugged the bag of Ker Gems and walked to his dormitory.
Thankfully, Drakos had given him a Hero level spell that made it so that he wouldn"t be paid much attention by anyone who laid eyes on him.
This enabled him to make a clean escape without drawing attention, and as he reached his dormitory, Daneel felt like jumping up in joy.
Jackpot, jackpot, jackpot!
Many said that there was a certain "kick" that was felt by every schemer and thief when they succeeded in looting something very valuable, and Daneel was feeling that now.
Euphoria washed through him as he sat down on his bed and looked at the enormous bag of Ker Gems.
It would have been impossible to lug it here without Drakos"s help, so he thanked the Ancient Dragon, who strangely stayed silent.
Shrugging, Daneel began to count, and with each second, his joy grew by leaps and bounds.
He could have asked the system to give him the number, but he hadn"t done so as he wanted to have the satisfaction of finding it out himself.
After a few minutes, the final number shocked him so much that he could only stare into s.p.a.ce in a daze for a few seconds.
168,516.
WOW!
Remembering that moment when he had been loath to use just one Ker Gem because they were so rare, Daneel realized that he had really come a long, long way.
Besides, he had seen the size of the Mad Doctor"s vault. There used to be so many more Ker Gems, but Daneel could guess that he must have used them for the solutions in which those sect members had been training.
Of course, the true prize was still the Ker Root, which was in the form of a hand-sized knotted twig-like object which seemed to be made of the same material like the Ker Gems, but was much darker.
Opposed to what he had seen in the corporeal body of the Black Raven Empire Spirit, this one looked undernourished and decrepit, but he knew that its value was so many times higher than even this huge pile of Ker Gems.
Grinning so wide that his cheeks hurt, Daneel immediately took a Ker Gem and was about to train for a bit, but he stopped when he remembered that he was at the Peak Warrior level, both as a Fighter and a Mage.
Training now would only be throwing the Ker Gem into a bottomless well with no benefit being derived from the act.
Putting the gem back on the tall mountain of Ker Gems that he had fas.h.i.+oned from all of them, Daneel sighed and shook his head, lamenting at his fate.
When he had needed Ker Gems to train and buy that key to enter the Central Tower, he had had to undergo so many risks and hards.h.i.+ps.
However, now that he had more than he would be able to use in the short term, he practically had no use for them.
Still, it felt so good to look at, and Daneel started dreaming about what he could do for the Kingdom of Lanthanor with so much money.
After all, one of the primary aims after getting out of the Sect would be increasing the satisfaction level even further, so that he could earn exponentially more EXP from the system.
While his thoughts drifted, he suddenly heard Drakos speaking, but something seemed different.
"So using underhanded and cunning means can bring this much profit? Why even be righteous then? Why didn"t the Empe-ROOOAAARRRR!"
Drakos"s voice had always given Daneel the feeling of honor and righteousness, but this time, it was almost like he was a different person.
Even before he could react and do anything in response, Drakos"s sentence got cut off, and was replaced by a savage and guttural roar that Daneel would remember forever.
It was the roar of a Dragon that was ready to kill, and its will was something that no one could stop.
Immediately, Daneel felt himself pulled into a vision like the one that he had been shown by Drakos before.
What the h.e.l.l was going on?
Looking around, he realized that he was in that same circular spire again, and that that large and regal man was still standing in one corner, looking out over the impressive expanse of his Empire.
Was the vision replaying?
Puzzled as to why such a thing would occur, Daneel was about to ask the system his query when he received the scare of his life.
"Young man, I believe that you have exposed my closest va.s.sal to corruption and deceit?"
Turning around, that regal man whose grandeur once again made Daneel feel like kneeling said these words, with his eyes fixed squarely on him.
What the…f*ck?!
How was the dead emperor talking to him?!
As Daneel"s heart started to beat faster, the Emperor"s serious face continued looking at him for a few seconds more, before finally breaking out into a chuckle.
"Relax. This is just a pre-recorded message that I stored in Drakos"s mind without his knowledge. It was set to play when drastic changes appeared in his consciousness, and it will also revert those changes, which will certainly end up saving your life."
Still unable to believe it, Daneel moved from side-to-side before finally confirming that it was a message.
The man"s eyes hadn"t moved.
So the Emperor had a sense of humor?
With his heart finally calming down, Daneel looked again at the Emperor, who seemed to have entered into a river of his memories.
His eyes were glazed as if he were reliving some moment, and a wistful smile was upon his face.
Still, Daneel couldn"t help but realize something.
Even in the last vision, Daneel had been able to see this, but it was even more visible now that he had more time to think and a.n.a.lyze.
Above all, one emotion seemed to dominate the Emperor, and it was as if it was the undercurrent of his mind which affected everything he did.
That emotion was…sadness.
An extreme, unfathomable and mystifying sadness.
"He was just the size of a palm when I first came upon him. Dragons were vicious and selfish creatures, which were blessed with terrifying power that defied the Heavens themselves. Although their numbers were few, their wishes were endless. So much so that they set out to destroy all other races or subjugate them, in order to let their own species reign supreme. I killed so many of those majestic creatures with these hands, but when I saw this little one, I just…couldn"t. He had just been born, and he looked at me with such adorable eyes that had nary a hint of the evil that I saw in his parents. I took him in, and raised him in a sheltered atmosphere. I was told by a Seer that prolonged exposure to the types of wishes his species had might lead him to awakening the legacy of his forefathers, giving him unparalleled power. But that would also turn him into someone to be targeted and killed. Why not be weak, if you can at least be alive?"
As the Emperor spoke while looking at his hands, Daneel could almost imagine it.
A small, palm-sized creature that looked a little like a scaled bird, but its unique eyes and innocent face must have been so enchanting.
Taking a deep breath, the Emperor continued.
"When the time came to call for those who would take up the duty of serving this continent even after this Empire"s demise, he turned out to be the one whom I placed my hopes most on. His innocence would allow him to hold on to sanity much, much longer than all the others. Thus, I gave him the most valuable of techniques and secrets for safeguarding. If someone earns his approval, then I know that they must be worthy.
"But I also know that one being worthy does not mean that they are completely righteous. As humans, our advantage is that we are capable of being many things, unlike the Divine Beasts which mostly have a single-track mind. Young man, my main message is this: Please do not expose Drakos to direct acts that might corrupt him. Him knowing about them, or hearing about them is fine, as that"s taken care of. But I cannot do anything if he witnesses them himself. If my seal on his power breaks…I dare not imagine the consequences. Of course, I have placed a lot of countermeasures, but it is best to be safe. Just follow this simple rule, and everything will be all right. Oh, and, congratulations. The reason for me congratulating you will be revealed when it is the right time. For now, fare thee well."