Brock was pretty proud of himself. He had saved his little crab bros.
Dying to bone monsters all the ti just wasnt good. Therefore, Brock had gathered them up and taught them how to defend themselves.
First ca training. He taught the crabs how to raise their pincers, not to snip pebbles off the walls, but to defend themselves against predators. After all, even though they were far weaker than the bone monsters, they had much room to grow! Since Brock had taken over as their big bro, he couldnt just let them waste their potential.
Then ca grouping up. By themselves, the crabs were too weak. No amount of training would let them defend against the bone monstersat least, not in any reasonable ti fra. However, they were also far more than their predators. Just touring the corridors alone was stupid.
Starting from the first crabthe one he wrestled into little brohoodBrock ventured into the corridors to find more of them. He was followed by an ever rising number of obedient crabs. Every ti they t a new one, his little bros would quickly convince the new crab that Brock was their big bro. Brocks little squad grew until it was nowhere near a squad anymore, and was instead hundreds of crabs rushing over each other in their haste to receive the teachings of their big bro.
Brock held lectures and work-out sessions. He had the crabs lift and spar against each other. He had them run up and down the corridors and walls. He taught them how to fight as a group, separating into smaller squads to surround their predator, burying it under sheer numbers. Even how to send out one crab as bait to lure the bone monsters into ambushes. Finally, he also taught them how to scout for approaching bone monsters.
They werent bad bros. In fact, they were excellent. Obedient, smart, and thirsty for knowledge. They made him so proud.
The crab training took one day. When Brock was done with them, the crabs had evolved from harmless crustaceans to hardened veterans. They had scouts, hit squads, and battle formations. They could hatch proper plans, protect their own, recruit and train new crabs, and gradually expand throughout the stone corridors.
They were set to conquer the labyrinth, forever banishing the bone monsters. Brock had started a war.
But it was war against oppression, so it was fine.
After the bro bootcamp was over, the crabs accompanied Brock to the guardians gate. They knew where it was, obviously, and took him there by the fastest route.
En route, they also defeated two bone monsters! Brock was so proud.
And then, completely accidentally, they ran into girl bro and dog bro! Brock had so much to show them. He had gotten much stronger. He had trained all these little bros.
They seed surprised, which was odd, but Brock didnt give it much thought. He also noticed they seed scared when he first found them. They must have been having a terrible ti in the crab bro labyrinth. Thankfully, Brock was here now. As their big brohe was Big Bros first little bro, so he had seniorityhe would protect them.
After girl bro and dog bro joined his group, Brock led everyone to the Guardian. Nothing much happened in the anti. Any bone monsters were quickly assaulted and overrun by crabs, with their bones taken along as war trophies.
Soon, the walls were pitch black, and the sound of faraway voices began to reach their ears. Brock raised a hand. Stop, he commanded, and all the crabs ca to a halt.
Big Bro had taught him to think before acting. Now, as much as he wanted to introduce these little bros to their Big Big Bro, he knew it would be a bad idea. There were more people up ahead. Strong people. If anything went wrong, his little bros would be in trouble, and he would have dragged his big bro into it as well.
That shouldnt happen.
Brock waved goodbye to his little bros. Manly tears sparkled in his eyes. They had grown so muchthey didnt even need him anymore.
He shook the pincers of each and every one of them, then wrapped them into a group hug. Finally, he waved as the crabs disappeared around the corner, off to conquer their little corner of the world and manifest their full potential.
They grew up so fast
Nauja, Dog Bro said, I think we just witnessed a fate-turning event for Labyrinth Ring
I dont even know what to say anymore Girl Bro shook her head. Brock knew why Girl Bro was lost for words. She did not understand the concept of bro yet. Neither did Dog Bro. But, as their big bro, Brock would make sure they understood. It was his duty.
After all, if he could handle a hundred crab bros, why not Dog Bro and Girl Bro?
***
When Jack entered the chamber, it felt like surfacing out of water. He hadnt even realized how confined he felt inside the labyrinths tight corridors.
The guardians gates were a set of giant bronze doors. Each rose a hundred feet, all the way to the ceiling of this stone chamber, taking up the entire far wall. Torches dotted the other walls in regular intervals, forming a grid that stretched over the entire chamber.
The chamber itself was round in shapesave for the straight far wall. Twelve exits led back into the labyrinth, leaving a hundred-foot-radius empty circle in the midst, where cultivators gathered in anticipation of the battle.
There were around a dozen people present in the chamberthough none of the other lords. Jack quickly scanned them all. Most were at or near the peak of the E-Grade. They wore mainly armor or flowing robes that didnt obstruct movent, and they belonged to all sorts of species and factions.
One of them was the ice witch that belonged to Longswords team. She was speaking to soone else, but quickly broke off when Longsword appeared and ca to greet him. Besides her, Jack saw a genderless stone golem, a snakeman, a humanoid woman with draconic features, as well as a man with gills and fins. The rest were all humans.
Of factions, he finally learned so more B-Grade ones. The stone golem belonged to Titan Mountain. The draconic woman, to Dragon Valley. The rfolk, to Deep Sea Shrine.
With the Animal Kingdom, Wide Swirls, and Exploding Sun, he now knew six of them. Three to go.
The mont Jack, Lord Longsword, and Bocor entered the chamber, all conversation hushed, and all eyes turned to them.
Lord Longsword, a few people said, approaching and nodding deeply.
My friends, Longsword greeted everyone, laughing and shaking their hands. Im glad to see you made it. Did you have any luck?
A few people had smiles on their faces. Others, presumably the ones who hadnt found a trial, looked disappointed. It seed that the labyrinth wasnt too generous.
Suddenly, however, he felt out of his depth. The cultivators who made it here were the galaxys cream of the crop. These were talented scions of B-Grade factions, disciples of high-level cultivators, or otherwise privileged prodigies.
Jack, in comparison, was justJack.
Alone as he was, without Brock, Gan Salin, Nauja, or anyone else, he suddenly felt vulnerable. Like he didnt fit.
These cultivators all had carefully-crafted upbringing. They socialized like nobles. Longsword quickly joined their dance, laughing and chatting in groups, moving along like a social butterfly. These were all powerful people, and their interactions were an intense, jovial procedure that Jack had trouble following.
Even Bocor joined them, not forgetting to throw Jack a final glare. Longsword, on the other hand, just ignored him. He had realized by now that Jack was never going to beco an ally.
Jack was left alone for a mont. Though he had arrived with Longsword, the others saw how the Lord paid him no attention, so they followed suit.
Hello. A woman approached him, in direct spite of his previous thoughts. Her smile was bright. My na is Leafborn.
Human (Earth-74), Level 119
Faction: Wide Swirls (B-Grade)
Title: Sixth Ring Conqueror
She was from the sa faction as Longsword, but speaking to Jack ant that she and the Lord were on bad terms. Everyone else took note of that.
Im Jack Rust. Nice to et you, Jack replied politely.
Funnily enough, Jack had been in such settings before. Back when he was a PhD student, he often saw professors interacting with each other, and he engaged in these social settings himself every ti he attended a conference. Those tis were very similar to what he now sawexcept these people had their PhDs in fighting, not science.
Though, wizards may qualify for science, too.
In any case, Jack did not enjoy this very much. There was joy to be found in these social dances, which is why they occurred, but he now followed the path of the fist. Convoluted matters didnt fit him.
Therefore, he simply remained polite and tried to make friends.
Leafborn, the human woman whod first approached him, introduced him to the stone golem and the snakemanwho seed like a nice person, in spite of all fantasy stereotypes against his species.
Jack made polite conversation, keeping so distance. He wanted to make friends, but he didnt want to get swept up in anyones political gas. The conversation still taught him a lot of things about the universe and its peculiaritiesalong with how unusual it was for soone so recently Integrated to get this far.
Thankfully, he didnt stay there for long. Soon after Jacks group, another group arrived at the chamber: the Exploding Sun Ladys.
Again, everyone paused. So people went over to greet her, while others returned to their conversations. Jack approached her, too, as did Lord Longsword.
Priya, Longsword said with a beaming smile. You are fast.
Not as fast as you, she replied. Getting in early has its benefits. She was a woman in her twenties, with tanned skin and white strips wrapped around her wrists, like those a fighter would wear. She wore a red flowing robe that left her fit arms exposed, and her eyes were sharp as she took in Longsword.
Beside her was a fat man with a large smile, who instantly created a friendly impression in Jacks mind. There was also a captivating woman with long silver hair, whose eyes pierced Jack like a moon beam. All three were humans of the Exploding Sun faction.
This is Jack Rust, Longsword introduced Jack, ntioning him directly for the first ti since arriving. We t in the labyrinth, and we helped each other make it through.
Jack Rust? Priyas eyes focused on him. Why is your na familiar?
During my Integration, a mber of your faction beca my master. Master Shol. I believe he was a deacon?
Her eyes lit up. Ah, of course! Brother Shol has spoken about you. Its impressive that you made it here, Jack, but dont worry; I will protect you from here on out.
Thank you, but I believe I can protect myself, he replied. Her kind eyes turned intrigued, and her smile didnt falter, but grew.
So be it, then. I look forward to fighting by your side.
Inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief. On the outside, he smiled confidently. Likewise.
And, lets have a chat later, okay? There will be plenty of ti.
His smile widened. Sure. He looked forward to hearing about the Exploding Sunand his master. With any luck, they might even help him save Earth.
Raucous laughter ca from the side as the fat man approached. What a brave brother! he shouted, stretching out a hand. Lets get along, brother Jack. The nas ChotuChotu Malhotra. And the beauty here is Kareena. He motioned at the long-haired woman, who raised a brow at him.
I can introduce myself, Chotu.
Bla for wanting to help.
In any case, Im Kareena. She turned to Jack. Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
The pleasure is all mine, he replied.
Have you heard anything about Minerva? Longsword asked Priya. Minerva was the Hand of God Lady. If youre here, I assu
She should be arriving soon, Priya responded. We ran into her in the labyrinth, actually. It should be any mont now.
On cue, three more forms appeared from the side corridor. All three wore black, and all were peak E-Grades from the Hand of God, but they belonged to different species.
At the front walked a tall, slender woman with pale skin, thin features, and dark hair that reached below her shoulders. Her black gown reached her ankles, and there was a certain gravitas to her steps, like she commanded the very earth she walked on, along with everyones attention.
Longsword and Priya approached her at once to exchange greetings.
Following Lady Minerva were two people; one was a tall, slim man with light green skin, who had the ears of a deer. He wore a long, brown robe, while his eyes were slightly farther apart than a humans.
Dryad, Level 124
Faction: Hand of God (B-Grade)
Title: Sixth Ring Conqueror
Jack was intrigued, but his attention was instantly stolen by the second follower of Lady Minerva.
This was a pale-skinned man with black eyes, clad in a formal black suit that seed completely out of place in Trial Planet. To Jacks surprise, he knew this man, all the way from Earth.
He was Vocrich, the Hand of God representative on Earth, the one who hosted the Integration Auction and later turned a blind eye to the Animal Kingdoms excessive bullying.
Shit, Jack said.
After the initial surprise, he realized that Vocrich being here made sense. He was at the peak E-Grade, had never revealed a Ring Conqueror title, and had good standing with his faction, since he was sent to oversee Earths Integration. He had probably secured a good reward after selling out Jack, too.
Co to think of it, Nauja had also ntioned the Hand of God having soone with darkness powers in Space Ring.
The two of them imdiately locked eyes. If anything, Vocrich seed more surprised than Jack himself, and walked over to et him.
Jack Rust, he said, looking him up and down. Seeing you here was the last thing I expected.
Yeah. Im not dead yet. Surprise.
It is. Vocrich smirked. And I have to admit, your progress is superb. If we didnt have a rule against accepting wanted criminals of any B-Grade faction, I might have invited you into Hand of God.
I would refuse, Jack replied with a smile of his own. You left to die at the end of the Tournant. I thought you were supposed to observe the rules.
Vocrich frowned. That was business. What fool expects the rules to actually be followed?
Yeah, I know now. Doesnt an its right. Just to be clear, I dont hold too much of a grudge, but Well, a little bit. I believe an apology would go a long way.
Vocrich laughed. You know, you are actually the reason Im here in the first place. The business deal I made with the Animal Kingdom gave the capital to join Lady Minervas teamand, if not for so unforeseen circumstances, we would have a lot more Hand of God mbers here.
Jack looked around. Besides the three of them, he actually couldn't see anyone from the Hand of God.
He also had a sneaking suspicion that the unforeseen circumstances were him enteringand revealingthe Ancient ruins. Gan Salin had ntioned that the Hand of God mbers in Trial Planet started asking strange questions right about then. Given the gravity of the Systems announcent, it wouldnt surprise Jack if the Hand of God had pulled most of their people from the Garden Assault to focus on finding the ruins.
Im glad my near-death helped you, Vocrich, he said.
too, my friend. Lets stay out of each others way, okay?
Well see.
With a final smile, Vocrich walked away. He actually seed to be in a good moodthe polar opposite of Jacks.
Guess Im enemies with two Lords already. Nice. At least the Exploding Sun people seem nice.
Your attention, everyone, Lady Minerva spoke up, finally done with greetings. Her voice was light, intense, and faintly bored, as if addressing these cultivators was a chore. Since all Lords are present and we have enough people, we will move to fight the Guardian imdiately. It will take so days for a new Guardian to be created, so anyone who arrives here later will have the opportunity to enter Garden Ring as well.
Everyone murmured in agreent. Jack, however, had a thought.
Excuse , he asked, raising his hand, this might be a given for everyone else, but I suppose we will all fight the Guardian together to get the Seventh Ring Conqueror title, right? In that case, will the people who arrive later get it as well?
Lady Minerva stared at him for a mont before responding. Everyone present will assist in taking down the Guardian. Even we Lords cannot handle it ourselvesthough we will weaken it for you. As for anyone who arrives later, no, they will not get the title. Entering Garden Ring is more than enough for them.
Jack hesitated. That ant his friends, who werent here yet, would miss out. However, he couldnt exactly ask everyone to wait, could he? Especially since the majority of this group were either neutral towards him or enemies.
At that mont, however, one more group entered the chamber from behind Lady Minerva. It was Gan Salin, Nauja, andbless the gods and all that was holyBrock.
Jack felt such relief at seeing his brorilla safe and sound. Brock gave him a thumbs-up while Gan Salin waved intently.
Jack turned back to the Lady. Nevermind, he said. All good. Lets fight.
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