"How many of those are you going to eat?" Eik growled. "Are you a bottomless pit or something? I'm going to have to start charging soon."

"Oh, can't you let an old man enjoy the last years of his life in peace? You're such a brute."

Already using aura to conceal the notifications from all but his eyes, Eik pulled his knees even further up to his chest to hide the script on his arm from the man.

Obviously, Chop could probably force him to show him any time he so desired, but the old man hadn't shown any particular interest in learning more about Eik's stats and skills. He seemed content to simply sit across from Eik at a table in the café and eat his twelfth slice of cake.

He had tried a few other varieties of cake but had eventually returned to the layered chocolate cake. Completely unable to get rid of the old geezer, Eik had eventually capitulated, returned to the café, and let him hang out while he finally did his levels. That was better than having the guy wander around Forest where he might accidentally sneeze and kill someone.

"As far as I've been told, you've been alive for a lot longer than you should have already. I doubt you're near the end, even if you do look like an old, dried up raisin."

Chop slapped his knee as he broke into laughter.

The café was completely deserted. Eik had already ordered the three warriors who had managed to stay conscious when he released his aura to stay silent about what had actually happened. They were paid handsomely for their silence, of course.

As for everybody else, those who had lost consciousness hadn't been able to recall the events leading up to it so they, along with all other citizens of Forest had been told a different and much less upsetting story.

Mission Central and the other people in the know, however, were still on high alert and scrambling to handle the situation of an X-ranker poking his head in for a little visit. Frankly, not even the personnel who had migrated to Forest from other Alliance territories had any experience with something like this, so although there was reasonable confidence that Chop wouldn't annihilate them all, it was still treated as an emergency situation.

"I'll tell you how long I've been alive if you tell me how you made this," he shot back, twirling the chromatic little pill between his fingers.

"I doubt even you know how long you've been alive."

"Too true," Chop giggled. "I thought I could get ya. But truly, young man, what you've achieved with this little thing is… it's a wonder of the world. If something like this had been available when I was younger, I would have forked over every coin in my possession just to consume a single one."

"You can still do that. I'm not going to stop you." If not cash, someone like Chop probably wiped his ass with invaluable treasures.

"Tempting. Alas, I doubt this thing would make a difference for me. No, I hit a wall a long time ago. I'm not sure I'll be able to feel the sensation of a skill achieving a new level again until the day of my death. But I've made my peace with that fact."

Eik looked up. "Have you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I haven't, you perceptive little shit!" Chop snapped and flicked a crumb of cake at Eik's face, striking him in the eye with frightening accuracy. "It's pissing me off more and more every damn day!"

"All right, whatever, man," Eik said with a sigh and returned to his levels.

[Acquired Movement Boost — Lv. 190]

[Acquired Movement Boost — Lv. 191]

[Acquired Movement Boost — Lv. 19…]

[Acquired Movement Boost — Lv. 197]

[Acquired Movement Boost — Lv. 198]

[Acquired Profound Toxin — Lv. 309]

[Acquired Profound Toxin — Lv. 310]

[Acquired Profound Toxin — Lv. 31…]

[Acquired Profound Toxin — Lv. 322]

[Acquired Profound Toxin — Lv. 323]

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

[Acquired Apocalypse Canvas — Lv. 155]

[Acquired Apocalypse Canvas — Lv. 156]

[Acquired Apocalypse Canvas — Lv. 15…]

[Acquired Apocalypse Canvas — Lv. 162]

[Acquired Apocalypse Canvas — Lv. 163]

It was a significant amount of new levels but now that he was an S-rank equivalent Awakened himself, fighting S-rankers didn't give the same insanely unbalanced number of new levels anymore. It was still by far the best way to get levels, since he was neither confident in winning against an X-ranked monster nor even locating one in the first place.

He read on.

[Acquired Living Manifestation — Lv. 206]

[Acquired Living Manifestation — Lv. 207]

[Acquired Living Manifestation — Lv. 20…]

[Acquired Living Manifestation — Lv. 217]

[Acquired Living Manifestation — Lv. 218]

[Acquired Monarch's Will — Lv. 266]

[Acquired Monarch's Will — Lv. 267]

[Acquired Monarch's Will — Lv. 26…]

[Acquired Monarch's Will — Lv. 281]

[Acquired Monarch's Will — Lv. 282]

Not bad. Although there were no trait evolutions this time around, this was decent progress and Monarch's Will would probably get something new and 300 and Movement Boost at 200. He was in the middle of folding his sleeve back down when a final message etched itself into the skin of his forearm.

[Reached Monarch of Toxin — II]

"Is S-rank the same as all the previous ranks? I had gotten the impression that it was… deeper, or something like that." Eik wasn't sure what he thought about Chop quite yet but if there was anybody to ask about this stuff, it would be him. And maybe it was a good idea to stop antagonizing the X-ranker in any case.

The old fart spoke through a mouthful of chocolate cake. He was eating so messily that it looked like he'd grown a thick, brown goatee. "No, you're right. It is deeper. Most S-rankers, not that there are terribly many of you in the first place, never make it to X-rank, no matter how they try."

"Why?"

"Because S-rank, as you say, is deep. There is no hard limit after grade four where you will evolve to the next rank like before. If you're not ready, you won't evolve. Ever. Simple as that."

"So you could theoretically advance through S-rank infinitely, reaching higher and higher S-rank grades but never making the cut for X-rank?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Chop said with a nod and forked another piece of cake. "And you would grow stronger and stronger as you did, make no mistake, but even someone very deep in S-rank will still never be remotely capable of squaring up against a genuine X-ranker. It's an incomparable leap in power level compared to any advances before. I can do things I never would have thought possible when I was S-rank."

Eik sat silently, staring at the message still burned into his skin. His jaw worked as he mulled it over. "So, since it's not direct progression along S-rank that determines the ability to reach X-rank, does that mean that I could technically rank up already at S-rank second grade?"

For a moment, Chop just blinked silently, taken aback by the question. Then he started cackling hysterically, slapping his knee. "You really do love getting ahead of yourself, don't ya, lad? You know, ambition like that is something that can get you killed."

"My family is here, so I have no intention of dying."

"No intention, eh? Most people would be satisfied at S-rank, don't you think? Why shouldn't you be? You can protect them with your current power."

Eik raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I could do nothing against you."

"I'm not exactly a common existence," the old fart smirked.

"But you are a real existence. I'm guessing there are other X-rankers out there who aren't quite as… peaceful as you. Not to mention the Lord of the Moon—a genuine, reawakened Worldbreaker."

"I suppose you can never be too careful."

"So?" Eik asked. "Is it possible?"

"Well, the short answer is that I don't have a clue. I certainly didn't evolve from the second grade of S-rank. I can't remember exactly what grade I was anymore, but I was well past the fourth grade by the time I made it. I don't know how quickly any of the other X-rankers did it."

"Right, yeah. That makes sense. Secrets and all that."

"All that, yep."

They sat in silence for a minute or two before Chop succumbed to his cravings and went to scoop the last piece of the cake onto his small dessert plate now thoroughly stained with chocolate and whipped cream.

When he came back, Eik was staring at him. "What?" the old man asked as he sat back down.

"You're… well, kind of normal, I suppose."

"Gee, stop it with the flattery," Chop deadpanned.

"No, I mean, if you're capable of sitting down like this and eating fourteen slices of cake in a row or however many you've had, then why did you approach me in the way you did? Although it's true that you didn't do anything overtly hostile or aggressive, you must realize what kind of impression it would leave when you flash power like that at me out of nowhere."

"Well, part of the truth is that I wanted to see what kind of man you are. I firmly believe that one of the best glimpses into a person's true nature is in a moment under pressure. So I created a moment like that."

Anger flush through Eik's face. "That's why you did that in front of my family? You couldn't think of a better way to handle that?"

Chop stuffed more cake into his damned pie hole, totally indifferent to Eik's reaction. "It is what it is. And it worked didn't it? You stood there, facing a man who you knew with absolute certainty could end your life any time he wished to, just so your family and people could escape."

Eik wasn't in a mood to be praised right now. "You said that was part of the truth. What's the other part?"

Chop spoke as he chewed and swallowed. "I haven't seen another person in years. Frankly, I'm bored."

It felt terrible to be back in the position of a powerless beetle facing a rhino. If only Eik had been strong enough to wring this stinking mutt's neck like a party popper… "How are you here anyway?" he asked instead.

"How?"

"Like, I thought Earth was supposed to be so fresh that it can only support S-rankers right now."

"Ah, yeah, it's true that your world can't quite handle my full power right now, but worlds tend to expand quicker the further along they get. That's why I had to limit my power when I got here."

Eik gaped at him. "That wasn't your full power?"

"Goodness, no," Chop chuckled.

"I'd like to see a demonstration of your full power," Eik said. "I'll give you another pill in exchange."

Chop slapped the table. "Deal! I'm always up for a bit of boasting."

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