Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

A man rested on a lush hill, arms crossed behind his head. He enjoyed the wind, the sun, the grass blades caressing his back. His eyes were closed in happiness—or, more probably, he was asleep.

“Hey Dad,” a woman said, manifesting beside him. She seemed in her late twenties, but that was definitely not the case.

The man cracked open an eye and smiled. “Ebele,” he said.

“Mom says dinner is ready,” the woman said, “but you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

Jack laughed. “It’s not often that my adventuring daughter comes to visit,” he said. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Shall we?”

“Not yet. Lie down, Ebele. It’s important to appreciate the little joys of life every once in a while.”

Ebele hesitated, but finally joined Jack in lounging on the grass. He sensed her fidgeting but let the minutes pass in silence.

“It’s nice,” she finally said when she’d adjusted. She took a deep breath. “I should do this more often.”

Jack smiled. He looked up at the sun. The real sun. He’d long moved Earth back to its original place in the solar system, no longer wary of hidden enemies. His mind ran back to the end of the Crusade fifty years ago, when he earned true freedom for himself and the universe.

The cultivators of the Immortal army surrendered after news of his victory spread. Even their five remaining Archons did so. Of those, a couple later chose to escape in distant parts of the universe, but Jack put them out of his mind. They’d never dare to return.

All the surrendered cultivators were imprisoned and their backgrounds looked into. They were fairly judged. Those who committed atrocities under the Immortals were executed, but their families were spared—that was the term of their surrender. As for the innocent ones, they were simply let go. No need to foster more hatred.

This incited a shift in cultivator culture across the universe. With many bad apples gone and good ones remaining, the world became a better place, at least temporarily. Corruption had a way of sneaking into every house, but Jack wasn’t going to chase it endlessly. Some things were meant to happen.

The war had also created a vast power vacuum, as many high-level cultivators had perished, including the majority of Archons in the universe. The new generation had risen to the task. They hadn’t reached the level of their predecessors yet, but following Jack’s instructions, they’d soon usher the cultivation world into an unprecedented era of prosperity. A handful of people had already achieved a fusion of their cultivation similar to Jack’s Universe of the Body. They were Brock, Heavenly Spoon, and, surprisingly, Fiend Prince. Jack’s teachings had made a difference.

All of them had the potential to reach the S-Grade in the future, but, of course, that breakthrough would be no easy task.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

As for Jack, after cultivating for fifty years, he’d reached the late A-Grade and become the undeniable strongest person in the universe. That gave him the power to enact several changes.

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He’d restructured the Bare Fist Brotherhood with the purpose of enforcing justice around the universe, making it as corruption-proof as possible. Thanks to his presence, it had attracted many young talents, becoming the foremost faction of the cultivation world.

Besides that, Jack had reconstituted the System, which had collapsed along with the Heaven Immortal, into a form similar to its previous one but no longer rewarding the killing of others or monsters. That slowed down progression, but it was a price he was more than willing to pay.

He’d also visited the Space Monster World, releasing the clones of Axelor and the Space and Time Gods from the Hall of Trials. They were devastated at the destruction of their main bodies, but eventually adjusted. They stayed in the monster world and dedicated themselves to training up the young generations. Jack still visited Axelor’s clone from time to time—he was a decent guy.

His comrades in the final war had spread to all corners of the universe, living their own adventures. After dealing with all other issues, the main bodies of Jack and Brock flew deep into the uncharted universe, pioneering new galaxies for the cultivation world and heralding its expansion. Their entire world was still in its infancy, after all—occupying less than a hundred galaxies out of billions, the future was vast.

Jack also wanted to explore the dimensional sea and uncover its secrets, but that could wait until he and Brock formally stepped into the S-Grade. Until then, pioneering and helping the world prosper was the best he could do. He’d also crafted a few more clones which took over teaching the new generations of cultivators. People everywhere venerated him as an all-knowing sage, though he knew he wasn’t perfect.

His clone on Earth was the happiest one. He spent most of his time with Vivi, enjoying their long lives. Ebele visited occasionally, in breaks between her various adventures, and they also had many friends on Earth to keep them company.

He often relaxed by himself and mused about everything he’d been through. His entire cultivation journey up to defeating Enas had lasted only thirty years, but it felt like several lifetimes compressed into one. The Integration, the tournament, Trial Planet, his guerilla warfare on Hell, the Cathedral, the Green Dragon Realm, losing his son and finding himself, the war against the Animal Kingdom, the Space Monster World, the Second Crusade… His life still felt like a dream.

I should write a book, he mused sometimes. An autobiography. He wasn’t in a hurry, however. His life was far from over.

Of all the people who were part of his adventures, from beginning to end, he remembered them all. Maybe they would no longer walk together, but they would forever be part of each other. He’d never forget them, and he hoped they wouldn’t either.

“Thank you for everything…” he whispered in the air occasionally, even when no one could hear him.

The professor had passed away ten years after the final war—while Jack had the power to reverse death, to a degree, he viewed it as deeply disrespectful to a life well lived. He let his mother rest, visiting her grave regularly.

“We die to live,” he’d say when people asked him about that, refusing to elaborate.

He still looked at the sky sometimes, pondering the true secrets of the universe. Were there more universes out there, scattered in the dimensional sea? S-Grade existences roaming the true berth of the cosmos? Were there realms beyond the S-Grade?

He did not know the answers, nor did the God clones in the Space Monster World, but he knew he’d find out. When the time came, his main body would break into the S-Grade and leave this universe behind. As for what would happen afterward… Jack really looked forward to finding out. Worst case, if there weren’t any more universes, he’d make them.

But not in haste. Jack had been through a lot, and in the end, he emerged victorious. He’d earned his rest. He would enjoy it.

And the future would always come.

THE END