Unchosen Champion-Chapter 344: Back from the Depths

Coop continued to admire the newly claimed treasure at the bottom of the Coral Forest while his health and mana passively recovered. He was fully engrossed in the rough, unpolished jewel, musing to himself with his fists on his hips, as if he was appreciating an unparalleled work of art. The patterns that flowed through the large gemstone were endlessly fascinating. It was like the depth of an entire galaxy was hidden inside, perpetually swirling in colors that had spread throughout the mana well. While the mana was pure, the stone itself had clearly been touched by the abyss on its way down.

Echoes of the power held within reverberated through its surroundings, carving a physical aperture in the world. The air warped in its presence and the bedrock literally crumbled, falling apart like a neglected castle of sand, as if thousands of years of erosion were occurring every second. The pure mana that it emitted was immediately influenced by its surroundings, shifting in hue as it transitioned, giving the Coral Forest the distinctly abyssal feel that the residents had come to know while it rose into the air.

The way the mana seed consistently made progress, expanding the domain little by little, felt symbolic of Ghost Reef. Coop, in spite of his inclination to hoard such a resource, felt it was wrong to remove the relic from its place in the ground. Derailing its slow but steady march would be an interference that shot his own settlement in the foot.

Coop knew he wasn’t much of a sophisticated person, but even he could recognize the origins of a natural wonder. To him, that’s what the mana seed appeared to be. Despite being categorically alien, it was like the spring that became the source of a waterfall or the core of a mountain that had taken millenia to form.

He wasn’t really sure if he actually could take it, but he decided that even if he could, he would leave the seed alone. The mana well was valuable as it was and he’d rather not meddle with what had already been a beneficial resource, even before it was under their control.

The residents of Ghost Reef were continuing to progress, and more and more of them would end up relying on the Coral Forest to temporarily sidestep the diminishing returns that limited the experience they gained from regular variants around the islands and elsewhere on the surface. The longer they could maintain such a resource, the better.

More importantly, if the mana well supplied pure mana directly to the settlement itself, it would insulate them from one of the most worrisome negative impacts of being disconnected from the system during the Eradication Protocol. The Coral Forest might be a lifeline for the actual mana-powered services that they expected to be cut off when mana turned on them. He wouldn’t bank on such a thing working, but it was certainly better than hoping the current passive regeneration to continue.

“Hmm…” Coop hummed as an idea came to him.

Rather than influence this mana well, could they artificially create more? It seemed like it would be possible, but they would have to establish a source of pure mana, then let it naturally develop over time. The Spectral Relic was as close to such a treasure as they had produced, but it appeared to be more of a conduit than an actual source, and it obviously wasn’t pure, though maybe that was all they needed.

Despite all the different designations throughout the assimilation, he had a sneaking suspicion that literally every development was more or less the same. Infestations, Hives, settlement territory, and mana wells all seemed to operate under similar fundamental rules. Even the personal domains created by individual skills like Fog of War were surprisingly comparable. They all had a source of active mana at the center that was able to become the dominant influence on a portion of territory defined within the atmosphere of mana. The main differences were in scale and what was at the center. He thought it was kind of incredible how simple everything seemed to be once exposed to a broader picture.

Actually, now that he considered the idea, he realized they already had created what seemed to be the equivalent of a mana well, if inadvertently. The destruction of the Yucatan settlement’s civilization shard had established a dungeon-like domain that the Jaguar Sun had been contending with ever since.

The remnants of the Cult of Chakyum and the minions of the Lich had transformed into respawning undead creatures that claimed the ruins of the former mega-settlement as a sort of open air dungeon. It wasn’t too dissimilar to the Coral Forest. The Jaguar Sun had continued to level through their efforts to keep it under control, worried that it might spread across the entire Yucatan Peninsula.

Coop was wondering if that would actually be a problem. Maybe the Lich’s destroyed phylactery had provided the affinity and there were enough fragments of the shard to continue cycling the undead minions, but that would mean that it would remain in place. The further away from the core, the weaker the enemies would be.

“Coop!” A clearly alarmed voice urgently called out.

He turned, surprised that anyone had delved into the bottom of the coral abyss. Hai Yun was rushing forward, flanked by her entire entourage. They looked far more disheveled than at any other point while they introduced Coop to the various levels of the Coral Forest. The same ashen grime had stained not just the bodyguards’ armor and weapons, but also Hai Yun’s otherwise tidy appearance.

Coop’s armor had already been resummoned before he had even approached the mana seed, but his reliable ethereal spear solidified from the mists, and in an instant, he was ready to fight. Ignoring his resources, where his health was below half and his mana was closer to 10% than full, he was as dangerous as ever. That was the nature of the Revenant.

“What happened?” He responded, matching her urgency, worried that they needed his help, though as his aura spread, Presence of Mind failed to detect any dangers.

“Are you alright?” She asked, slightly out of breath. Her entourage had already taken defensive positions, all of them engaged at once, proving that they weren’t just a medium sized party that rotated through individuals. They were clearly more like a small army and the manifestations of power they called upon demonstrated the scalability of their tactics. They seemed more dangerous than ever.

“I’m fine.” Coop answered, still scanning the smoke clouds for enemies, just like the bodyguards. When he still didn’t see any rogue tentacles or hints of other creatures, he tilted his head toward the mana seed. “Just claimed the mana well. What about you?”

“Me?” Hai Yun wondered, then followed his gesture and seemed lost in thought for a moment. “I see. The fight is over.” Coop watched as her eyebrows furrowed and she caught herself up. “We rushed over as soon as we felt the ground shaking, but the atmosphere of this level is difficult. We thought you might need help.” She added, glancing at the dried blood stains all over his lower body. “I guess we were mistaken?”

Coop shrugged. “Sorry. Last boss was a big one, but I got it.”

“You defeated the owner of the mana well? By yourself?” She clarified. “In such a short time?” She glanced at him a little closer. “And without any crippling injuries?”

Coop nodded affirmatively as he took another look at the bodyguards, detecting the weariness that had been building up, and decided it was time to leave the core of the Coral Forest behind. “You wanna head back to the fifth layer together?”

“Please.” Hai Yun agreed, subtly nodding at one of her bodyguards to indicate that they were leaving. The formation shifted and they rearranged to go back the way they had come.

“You think we need to protect this thing?” Coop asked before they started moving.

“I don’t believe so.” She stated. “As I understand it, the Keepers determined that only assimilated beings would be able to transfer ownership. The creatures of the mana well cannot officially claim the domain. They will return, however.”

Coop glanced back at it one last time before deciding that he could always come back. He inspected Hai Yun’s aura out of curiosity as they moved forward as a group.

[Human (Level 306)]

[Eternal Empress (Intelligence)]

[Initiate of the Lighthouse]

[Chaos, Order (Celestial Duality)]

“Wow.” Coop muttered, causing her to glance at him in confusion as he stared a bit too hard.

Hai Yun had gained 50 levels in such a short time. Other than himself, he believed that she was progressing faster than just about anyone else. Platinum had gained roughly 60 levels, but Coop had been tracking her progress for almost 10 days longer than Hai Yun.

Hai Yun was pushing six levels a day, meaning that she was even gaining on all those who were fighting within the former Fallen Zone. Mana wells were seriously potent, especially to those that could consistently hunt in them.

“What is it?” She ventured.

“I’m just impressed by how many levels you have gained.” Coop revealed. “You’re amazing, aren’t you?” He added as he started checking the auras of a few of the bodyguards as well. While they were continuing to lag behind their leader, the gap hadn’t increased as much as Coop anticipated. He supposed she was experiencing more diminishing returns, holding her back while the rest continued with the full gains for a while longer. The roles were slowly reversing, where they had boosted her, soon she would be boosting them until they were back to even.

“I have a lot of catching up to do.” She stated modestly, though Coop was pretty sure that though she wasn’t in the top 1000 already, she was only a few levels outside of it.

“Well, you don’t have to do it all.” Coop promised. “And you gotta give these guys some breaks.” He added jokingly, waving toward a few of the bodyguards who shook their heads at his attention, denying his concern.

Hai Yun noded sympathetically, apparently already on board with taking a break. “What about you?” Hai Yun replied. “I get the feeling you have no intention of relaxing.”

“I think I’ll visit each of the layers one more time and see where that gets me.” Coop decided. “The next phase of my plan will pretty much be a traveling vacation anyway.”

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“I see.” Hai Yun stated. “We will be heading directly to the surface. I believe such extended defensive efforts will not be necessary in the future. Compared to the other mana wells we experienced, this Coral Forest is by far the most under control thanks to the actions of the Adventurer Guild.”

Coop nodded along and they continued to chitchat until they reached the sandy ridge. None of the Faders, if there were any, made any moves against their caravan. Whether that was because the entourage gave the hydrothermal vents such a wide berth or because the creatures recognized the danger that the large group represented, Coop wasn’t sure. The end result was that they took a relatively pleasant stroll through a bizarre alien environment together.

Coop joined them all the way back to the entrance of the giant sea sponge. There, a handful of adventurers had also appeared. The runners were seeking answers regarding the disturbance that Coop had caused while the others were prepared to either help or start their own hunts.

Hai Yun promised to clear things up for him while he returned to his grind. Meanwhile, Coop and the two parties looking to level up divided the Glider leveling zone. The adventurers claimed Hai Yun’s pillar, and Coop was left with whatever he wanted in the rest of the region, from horizon to horizon. That suited him just fine.

Rather than passively regenerate the rest of his health and mana, he actively hunted for it. The Gliders refilled his health in no time at all, barely demanding any expense on their own. Coop’s trident tore through the hanging seaweeds, sending the willowy stems drifting in the breeze while the giant mutated creatures fell one after the other. Coop held his breath for shorter durations, trying to balance the regeneration of his mana with the compensation for a lack of air.

By the time he was done with the fifth swarm, his health and mana were both fully recovered. He couldn’t help but take a moment to admire the stubborn persistence that his build allowed. He was an experience gathering machine.

Coop covered miles, defeating thousands of enemies, giving each and every target the personalized attention necessary for a swift death. Diminishing returns may have reduced the amount of experience gained on each individual kill, but there was something to be said about the improvements made through repetition. If Coop only gained 80% experience, he moved at 125% efficiency.

However, it wasn’t long until it slowed down further. After barely five more levels it already felt like he was dragging a second anchor through the wet sand. The fights became easier, but it only grew more difficult to see the same progress. If he had to guess, he was gaining closer to 60% of the experience he should have, and as his level drew further away, it also demanded more to reach the next threshold. Even he couldn’t force his way into making up for the loss.

He moved on, shifting to the giant sea sponges that represented the fourth layer of the mana well. Coop mistjumped through the darkness, transforming himself from a mobile surface to air missile platform into an erratic speed demon. The vast majority of the Chompers had an extra several days to develop compared to the Gliders.

The adventurers that transitioned to and from the main entrance watched as Coop explored the smaller sponges that had embedded themselves along the perimeter of the Coral Forest, leaving a portion of the primary domain to them. He sought creatures that had been granted extra time to level even compared to his previous routes. Though they were away from the most efficient mana baths, the fact that they existed for an extra week granted them enough levels for Coop to stave off a portion of the diminishing returns for just a little bit longer.

Eventually, he broke away from the frenetic grind in the twisting tunnels and darkness, blasting himself through the barrier to the third layer. The Gulpers that were far beyond the adventurer’s pathway had been untouched since Coop had moved deeper, and he specifically sought them out.

Coop spent a full day doing massive concentric rings across the algae bog, maintaining his momentum for slightly longer by curving with the domain and putting additional pressure on his legs to direct energy through the zone. Instead of straight lines that had to be stopped and restarted whenever he reached an obstacle, he was able to move significantly greater distances while sustaining an equal number of kills.

The diminishing returns never went away after he finished with the Chompers, but the Gulpers were still relieved when the fatigue in his legs grew to be too much. He lasted more than twice as long through a combination of knowing what he needed to do and therefore being better able to pace himself and through the alterations to his tactics. It was easier to slowly turn than it was to completely restart, keeping the physical exertion steady.

For a little break, he hunted on the second level, mistjumping through the vast gulfs of vaporous clouds, causing a burst of violence on each individual coral stage. The Ones That Wait were like a lottery, with many of them successfully avoiding any adventurer attention by simple luck. It was a whole ordeal for most people to even reach some of their stages if they lacked direct pathways, but Coop was undeterred.

The density of the crab-like mutants was the lowest of any of the various layers, even worse than the Faders, but that helped Coop give his legs a break. He took his time, still gaining enough experience to get results, but accepting that he was nearing the end of the second phase of his plan.

It took a while, but when he felt his stamina was sufficiently recovered, he moved back down, skipping the Gulpers to return to the Chompers, then the Gliders, and even spent a few hours defeating Faders. Then he went back up, hunting the Gulpers a second time before he was ready to move on.

The last bit of grind in the mana well was provided by the Ones That Hunt of the coral colony. Coop entered from a lower depth, equal to the algae mats, and marched up the spiraling platforms, accompanied by dozens of phantasms, for the last few days of his grind. When he finally emerged from the top layer of the colony, after almost another two weeks after defeating the Enigma, and with the Last Chance Saloon in sight, he finally called it. He checked his status to confirm the results.

[Status]

HP - 51680/51680

MP - 198720/198720

Class - Revenant (Level 396)

Profession - Scavenging (Level 424)

Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal

Race - Human (Icon)

Faction - The Lighthouse

Strength - 200 (+9936)

Agility - 200 (+4968)

Body - 200 (+4968)

Mind - 7360 (+2576)

Intelligence - 200 (+9936)

Acumen - 200 (+4968)

Unallocated - 0

Titles - Champion V, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Defiant, Stalwart, Reckless, Stacked, Valor XXIV, Siegebreaker, Underking, Mindbender, Insane

Skills (Active) - Mistwalking

Skills (Passive) - Depths of Madness

Quests - Fortune Seeker (27/50), Upgrade Metropolis to Global Capital

Basic Credits - 244,480,339

He had eventually transformed the entire vast underground domain into one massive grindzone, but it had barely been enough to stave off the diminished experience gains. He couldn’t complain about the results, especially because he knew it would happen, but compared to the first days of grinding after his reset, his slow down was undeniable.

Day 214

Coop (Level 396) Charlie Seraphin (Level 365) Camila Alvarez (Level 365) Platinum (Level 360) Imara (Level 359) Sila Tupua (Level 357) Alex Nova (Level 351) Tzultacaj (Level 350) Neon (Level 348) Gibson (Level 348) Coop had only gained five levels a day across what he considered the second half of his foray into the Coral Forest, but that had been more than enough to reclaim his spot on the leaderboard. Only five levels was still ridiculous, honestly.

It seemed like the groups in the Fallen Zone were either finishing up with the challenges or had greatly exceeded the levels necessary to continue progressing within the fading domain. The steady progress of Ghost Reef’s residents had enabled his friends to catch back up, or in Charlie and Camila’s case, they had barely hung on to their places at the top.

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When Coop approached the underground bar, still covered in almost a month’s worth of grime and muck, he could hear Derek giving his spiel about the different creatures within the mana well. Coop chuckled to himself, imagining the bard gloating about how he was the reason for Coop’s success to a bunch of adventurers and phantoms that already knew better.

But when Coop turned the corner, to his surprise, Derek was actually giving a presentation to a large group of non-local people. In fact, there were so many, they overflowed across the entire coral platform. There were easily hundreds of people paying attention, like they were attending a festival and the first act was just warming up.

Staying out of the way was a familiar face: Alex Nova, the Champion of the Heartland settlement. He was listening to Derek, off to the side, right where Coop had rounded the building, causing Coop to pause in confusion.

“Huh?” Coop mumbled, as his presence was noted by others.

“Hey Coop!” Camila greeted cheerily, skipping over to him while simultaneously dragging Charlie, with a big smile on her face, though they both stopped before touching him, politely avoiding the grime and muck.

“Ah, there’s the man himself!” Derek paused his presentation as he noticed Coop causing the commotion.

Coop looked around and realized that all the people listening to Derek were from outside of Ghost Reef. In fact, if he wasn’t mistaken, it was more or less the same group of people that had been preparing to subjugate the Fallen Zone the last time he saw them.

“What’s going on?” He wondered. If he wasn’t so tired, he might have assumed something was wrong, but as it stood, he was just a bit confused by the strange faces.

“We have visitors.” Camila answered. “The Tempest Fleet brought ‘em.”

“I was just giving our guests an outline of the Coral Forest. They’re all from out of town.” Derek helpfully explained.

“I can see that.” Coop muttered.

“Don’t worry, in order to come down, they had to join the Lighthouse first.” Derek added, as if that was the issue. Actually, Coop supposed it was certainly something to be aware of, so he was glad other people were thinking of these things. He couldn’t have outsiders stealing opportunities from his own allies.

“The Fallen Zone has been calmed. The monsters are all back to normal variants of unimpressive level.” Neon, Champion of Neon Park, spoke up, recognizing how to better resolve Coop’s confusion. “The kiddos wanted to see what you were up to. Maybe explore the amenities of Ghost Reef a bit.” He pointed his thumb toward Platinum who was sneaking glances at Coop with a combination of admiration and defeat.

“I see…” Coop responded, unsure of what to do. “Welcome, I guess?”

“Don’t worry.” Sila Tupua, the Champion of Aotearoa New Zealand added. “We have no intention of interfering with your progress, but we thought we’d explore opportunities for ourselves.”

Coop just bobbed his head. “Alright, just be careful. There’s some pretty nasty critters down there.”

“Thank you, Champion.” Sila responded with a respectful nod.

“I’m just gonna…” Coop pointed vaguely toward the exit of the mana well. “...head out.”

“See ya later, Coop.” Camila helpfully concluded what he worried was an awkward encounter, gently patting him on the shoulder to give a little push without getting her hand too dirty. He smiled at her gratefully as he drifted away and Derek picked up where he had left off in his presentation.