Chapter 1413 - An Odd Monk

The Sword Saint quickly flew towards his target in the distance, finding himself a little surprised that only three Administrators remained. Evidently, two had taken each other out, meaning the matchup here at the end would be a little awkward.

Would they take turns? No, that would effectively just hand the win to whoever would sit out the first duel, assuming they were all roughly equally matched. In the scenario where one party had a massive advantage, the Sword Saint was not beyond teaming up with someone else, and he had a good idea who his target would end up being.

According to the Sword Saint’s evaluation, he already assumed the two other Administrators to be Jake and the Eastbound Monk. It was possible that the two of them had already met, but Miyamoto doubted it.

Jake surviving was only to be expected, seeing as many rated him the top figure of this generation, and the Sword Saint knew just how hard he was to get rid of. He would definitely have a difficult time against some opponents, but in the end, Miyamoto could only imagine a world where the hunter came out on top.

As for the Eastbound Monk, the Sword Saint was even more sure about him. There was something odd about the monk, and despite how much Miyamoto tried to evaluate and read him, he didn’t find a single sign of weakness. The monk was full of openings and didn’t give off the aura of someone powerful, but that was only more eerie knowing what he’d accomplished.

Killing all the Prima Guardians in his galaxy was already an impressive feat, but not that impressive. The Sword Saint and Jake could both have done the same given enough time, and the monk did have a smaller galaxy than the Milky Way. No, what was more impressive was his Nevermore performance.

The Eastbound Monk had gone a bit under the radar there. His performance had been good, getting top seven, but compared to Aishalstromoz, the Demon Prince, Jake, Ell’Hakan, and Wintermaul, it wasn’t that impressive. Not on the surface, anyway, but the Sword Saint had learned something that had entirely changed his perception.

One question many had, the Sword Saint included, was: what party members did the Eastbound Monk have in Nevermore? However, no matter how much research was done, and how much the Court of Shadows looked into it, they couldn’t find out. All the other notable figures had ended up with Eron, the Chosen of the Heartsoul Daolord, or other rather influential figures of the Dao Sect.

It did make matters a bit more difficult that the Dao Sect didn’t have that big of a presence in Nevermore. Many of their top geniuses simply never went, but stayed in their sect. All the Court of Shadows could do was confirm that pretty much all the known figures of the Dao Sect one would expect to do well in Nevermore were accounted for, and none of them had been in a party with the Eastbound Monk.

This led to a conclusion that was rather absurd, but one the Sword Saint had started to believe was the truth. The reason no one could figure out who the Eastbound Monk’s party members were... was because he didn’t have any. Or if he did, they were nobodies.

In other words, he’d managed to reach his position alone. He’d defeated foes that a party with three of the eight Administrators who’d made it to this stage struggled with when working together. Assuming it was the truth, that is.

Many found this conclusion preposterous and refused to subscribe to it. Granted, it was also entirely possible the Dao Sect had some hidden talents that stepped up and helped him, but no one knew who they were. Either way, even if it couldn’t be confirmed whether he’d worked alone, the Sword Saint had chosen to believe he had after hearing from William how the monk had dominated his own antechamber, which had definitely been the hardest of them all. At least the Sword Saint would have had no confidence facing so many other top geniuses... not as his current self, anyway.

Soon, as the Sword Saint was rapidly approaching where he’d seen the flare marking the location of another Administrator, Miyamoto wondered whether he’d somehow missed this other person, or if he’d chosen to hide instead of fight. If he was hiding, chances were the Sword Saint had approached Jake, and he immediately sharpened his senses, not wanting to embarrass himself by instantly dying to an arrow shot from stealth.

However, his caution proved unnecessary, as soon after, he spotted something. Down below, in the middle of the grassy plains, stood a single figure the Sword Saint instantly recognized as the Eastbound Monk.

He was simply standing there, gazing out into the distance, as if admiring the rather hastily constructed world created by the Abundant Emperor. Even as the Sword Saint approached, the monk didn’t react but kept looking elsewhere with a gaze of admiration.

Landing on the ground, the Sword Saint slowly walked closer before eventually standing beside the monk, who finally spoke.

“In times like these, it’s difficult to remember it’s all merely a simulation,” he said in a calm voice. “However, the memory of its creation and the reshaping that happened just now makes it equally difficult to forget its false nature.”

“The line between the real and the virtual can truly be thin at times,” the Sword Saint agreed. “It’s a nearly perfect replica, but as you no doubt noticed, there are flaws, and the laws governing the multiverse’s existence are more malleable here. But I wouldn’t say seeing the world changed so easily qualifies as something that brings one out of the simulation.”

“Because the truly powerful, such as gods, can already do that in the true multiverse?” the Eastbound Monk asked, instantly understanding what Miyamoto was getting at. “You are right. Those two feats appear identical on the surface, but they are not. Here, the creation of the new is as real as everything else, while in the outside world, the created lacks substance.”

The Sword Saint threw the monk a look, asking for elaboration, making the other man continue.

“This entire world is lacking, as you said. But do you know what it lacks most?”

“If I had to answer, I would say history,” the Sword Saint responded. “Everything here is always new. As if created mere moments before.”

Nodding, the Eastbound Monk smiled and turned to Miyamoto. “History is an excellent answer. To me, it lacks spirit. Meaning. Everything in the multiverse has its purpose, its Path, but here, only we Administrators truly matter. As you said, there is no history either, but why would the world have history when it has no permanence either? Its only Path, if one can even call it that, is to cease to exist once someone decides it should.”

“Is anything truly permanent? As the Chosen of the Primordial of Time, I can tell you that none, not even my Patron, knows what the future brings. The multiverse could end tomorrow for all we know, but does that mean its existence wouldn’t have had any purpose?” the Sword Saint countered, knowing he was playing devil’s advocate a little.

“Perhaps not, but at least there, the system exists, and even if the multiverse ceases, the system shall remain. Here, in this world, the system had given authority away. Like a playpen where a child is allowed to dictate everything. It may still be within the parent’s house, but the child can end the game at any point.”

“Yet you are here,” the Sword Saint pointed out. “Why come to this world?”

“Now that is the best question,” the Eastbound Monk sighed. “I could tell you it’s because we Administrators still have a purpose in this world. That the competition has meaning. That I hope to achieve something of significance. Perhaps there’s even a little pride in there. These claims might all hold some kernel of authenticity, but in truth, I’m here because I was asked to be.”

“By your Patron?” the Sword Saint asked, joining the monk in staring into the landscape once more.

“By my teacher,” the Eastbound Monk answered.

“I would guess those two are one and the same,” Miyamoto chuckled.

“Not truly,” the monk sighed before taking a deep breath as he smiled. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

“What?” the Sword Saint asked, confused.

The monk turned his head and looked behind them. “The lingering sense of danger. The eyes of a hunter observing his prey. Perhaps observing the situation, wondering whether he should seek to strike one of us down or approach us.”

A bit shocked, the Sword Saint frowned. Not because he hadn’t sensed Jake’s arrival, but because the monk had. Jake’s stealth skills were pretty damn good, and few could see through them, especially not if their Paths didn’t focus on Perception. While the Sword Saint had no idea what stats were the monk’s highest, he seriously doubted it was Perception.

Seconds passed as the monk chuckled and shook his head. “I understand. It would be foolish for a predator to reveal itself to would-be prey.”

“I think referring to yourself as prey is pretty damn fallacious,” a third voice suddenly said as Jake actually appeared, seemingly fading into existence, floating a few dozen meters away, appearing even more confused than Miyamoto was about how he’d gotten detected.

--

Jake had arrived before the Sword Saint and had been watching as the monk just stood there. He’d only been observing for half a minute when the Sword Saint arrived, the old man landing as the two talked for a little while, Jake just eavesdropping on them like a totally not creepy stalker.

He found the attitude and words of the monk incredibly confusing, and even now, he didn’t feel a hint of hostility from him. Jake could feel that both the Monk and the Sword Saint weren’t in top form, though. While they were concealing it well, Jake could tell they had both gone through rather tough fights. Even now, a cold energy lingered on the Eastbound Monk, no doubt a present from Wintermaul, while the Sword Saint still had small scars left by a blade, making Jake guess he’d faced Warlord Davion.

Not that Jake was in peak condition either. Seeing that even the monk hadn’t had it too easy made him relax a little, though. Based on all the rumors, the Eastbound Monk had this air of invincibility around him, but evidently, even he would struggle against a peak genius of his generation.

Jake was rather ruthlessly thrown out of his thoughts when suddenly the monk turned and looked in the hunter’s general direction as he spoke. He spoke some rather mysterious words at first by asking the old man if he felt anything, but his next words confirmed that he knew Jake was there... which made no sense at all.

He couldn’t feel anyone observing him besides what he assumed to be the Abundant Emperor, so unless the godlike cyclops had decided to help the monk for some odd reason, Jake should still be hidden.

Yet the monk’s next words seemed to only further confirm he knew Jake was there, and at that point, between feeling a little taunted and just too damn curious how the hell the monk had seen through him, Jake deactivated his stealth still and spoke.

“I think referring to yourself as prey is pretty damn fallacious.”

While Jake would certainly be fine referring to the monk as such, there was no way someone like the Eastbound Monk actually thought of himself as anything even close to prey.

“In nature, predators are those who hunt and kill, while prey often refers to the herbivores that only ever fight and kill in defense or when they have no other choice,” the Eastbound Monk answered with a smile. “In that sense, I would refer to myself as prey.”

“It’s also common for herbivores to fight for mating rights, dominance over their kin, or simply for territory,” the Sword Saint pointed out.

“All of which I classify as having no other choice,” the Eastbound Monk said. “Not that those things are that true anymore. Now, I believe most refer to prey as those too weak to be predators, as it’s extraordinarily rare to find those with Paths that outright shy away from killing or avoid it whenever they can.”

Jake slowly nodded, only really knowing of Jasper, Sandy, and Jacob who had Paths where they either had to outright avoid fighting or killing, or where it just didn’t make much sense. Sandy and Jasper would rather just steal whatever they came for and then quickly leave while avoiding combat.

“Speaking of things that are extraordinarily rare,” Jake said, closely observing the monk. “How did you detect me?”

“Ah, that,” the Eastbound Monk said with a light smile. “I didn’t.”

Both the Sword Saint and Jake stared, confused, at the man who had just shrugged.

“We were roughly equally far apart after the Abundant Emperor brought us closer together, and your speed should surpass that of the swordsman. I even played it a little safe by waiting before gambling that you had arrived and were observing us from stealth,” the monk casually explained, nearly making Jake’s mouth gape open as the Sword Saint muttered.

“Not very monk-like to use deception like that.”

“What even is a monk?” the man chuckled before turning serious again while looking at Jake. “Though I should apologize, it was a little underhanded. However, I believe it was the only way to make you appear and give us all a chance to talk.”

Jake continued to stare at the monk before he had to stop himself from letting out a laugh. As much as it hurt to admit, yeah, the guy had really gotten Jake with that one. He’d totally believed that the Eastbound Monk had some mysterious technique to detect him, and he hadn’t even considered that the guy could be bluffing, because who the hell would think that a bald guy looking like the most stereotypical young monk ever would be that good at bullshitting others?

After calming down a little, Jake let out a sigh.

“Fine, what do you want to talk about?”

He was still curious about the monk, and this was a good opportunity to learn more about him. Even Caleb, with the Court of Shadows behind him, had little to no information on the guy, and he was sure that Miranda would appreciate any intelligence he could gather.

“What is to come,” the monk answered. “Not just in this event, but in the multiverse outside. There are few situations where one gets the opportunity to speak free from the gaze of the gods. This is one such moment, so I aim to take advantage.”

There was a shift in the atmosphere as Jake and the Sword Saint both felt the seriousness in the monk’s voice, neither of them interrupting.

“The multiverse is vast, and even after so many eras, the majority of it remains unexplored. There are things hidden in the dark, forces that have accumulated power for a long time, who are now rearing their heads with more boldness than ever,” the Eastbound Monk said before letting out a sigh. “Bold enough to dare ambush the Chosen of the Malefic Viper in the void.”