Chapter 201

  Over the Summit (VII)

  Alright, Jake, enough weeping.

  There isn't much left, and I'm actually kind of excited about this next tidbit. Overall, monthly quests have been a sour disappointment, to be honest. It was sort of like discovering a new system in a game you're enjoying, using it once, but then realizing it was kind of shit and never using it again. Unless the game forces you to, in which case you do it while bitching and moaning about it.

  So, whatever's in store has to be better than what I've got now.

  Hopefully.

  Oh, dear system, be kind for just a bit more, pretty please...

  [Monthly Quests System has been restructured]

  [...]

  [Every month, a pool of Monthly Quests will be randomly generated. You may use Creation Points to purchase any one you want, up to 3]

  [Higher-tier quests will cost more Creation Points but also yield greater rewards]

  [Quests that remain incomplete by the month's end will be marked as Failed]

  [Quests will be geared toward the Host's current circumstances where applicable]

  [A small chance to trigger a multi-tiered quest where applicable]

  [...]

  [Rewards from the Monthly Quest have been restructured]

  [Every Quest, upon completion, will at the very least yield as many Creation Points as it cost to purchase it. Additional rewards will be based on how quickly and effectively it was completed]

  [Every 50 completed quests will trigger a special, additional reward]

  [...]

  [Congratulations, Host, and good luck!]

  Phew.

  Finally done.

  That took ages, to be honest. But now that it's over... yeah, I kind of want it to have lasted a bit longer. I mean, of course I did; who wouldn't want rewards to just keep on coming?

  Alas, all things must come to an end.

  It's a huge shuffle, admittedly. Probably the biggest one I've experienced since starting my life in this world. And it's entirely reflected in the way I feel.

  It's sort of like a dozen things coming together to form that uniquely singular sensation--like that moment when you can finally breathe through both your nostrils after they've been clogged for days, and that feeling when you wake up thinking you're late for work only to realize it's Sunday so you can just crash back onto bed and go comatose for 6 more hours, and that time when you summon up every ounce of courage to ask a girl out and the flood of relief that hits you when you hear 'Yes', and a myriad of other tiny moments all coming together.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The world is clearer in ways I couldn't have even imagined, like I've been looking at it through a thick fog before. It's a bit overwhelming, but in a good way.

  I stood up and left, stepping out into the cool of the night--finally, I didn't have to use a special art just to keep myself warm against the harsh weather. Coating myself in a thin layer of Qi turned the razor-sharp wind into a pleasant breeze.

  With a single step, I crossed over thirty yards of distance, stirring the small mound of snow beneath my boots. There really is nothing quite like this--I can kind of understand why people die in the numbers that they do. I feel... invincible. And that's not a good feeling to have--because I decidedly am not anywhere near invincible.

  I'm still a sheet of paper, only now I've been laminated. Sure, I can endure a few extra things, but a single stab wound is still enough to kill me.

  At the same time, I'm also in the fourth decade of my life--with about seventy-something years of combined memory--in addition to coming from a completely different world.

  What if someone felt this way when they were seventeen?

  Of course they'll go out and do something stupid. I was the same way back on Earth, thinking that I could do anything I wanted to, and I didn't have any superpowers.

  Taking in a deep breath, I looked down and extended my arm; a pulse of Qi stirred from the depths of the Core residing 'somewhere' inside of me, and a small sprite blurred through the meridians until it emerged at the tip of my fingers, coalescing into a ball of fire, and then into a spray of water, and then into a bolt of electricity, and then into the shard of earth...

  I couldn't actually do it on a scale larger than this, but it was still... breathtaking. In a small way, I've taken command of nature's forces--a very small, insignificant way, yes, but still... it felt like the might of the cosmos was at my fingertips.

  Aaaand we're back to this.

  Chuckling, I spun back and retreated, going home.

  It was almost dawn by all estimates, though it was difficult to tell as the fog had descended upon the entire mountain. Regardless of the hour, though, I knew it wouldn't be quiet.

  They waited for me at the front, all bundled up together, rushing over as soon as they saw me.

  "Congratulations, Master!!"

  "We knew you'd break through smoothly!"

  "Stupid Master, Dai Xiu is lying! She spent the entire time walking around and worrying that something happened!"

  "Light!! How could you?! Now Master will think I doubt him!!"

  "You two, please calm down," poor Xi Zhao started running after them to separate them as Wan Lan and I laughed at the sight.

  "... congratulations, Master," she said.

  "Thank you. Were you worried, too?"

  "Madame used to say that those blessed by the heavens would always have a smooth journey," Aww. "So, of course I was."

  "..." Though I wanted to put on my stern face, I couldn't help but smile. "A good one."

  "Thank you."

  "Is Senior Brother teaching you?"

  "Just a little bit," she cracked a smile as well. "He did mention that it's harder to offend you than scale the heavens."

  "Yes, but hurting my feelings? Very easy."

  "Is that so? I'll have to remember that, too."

  "Ha ha."

  "What are you two laughing about, Master?" Dai Xiu, Xi Zhao, and Light came back. The latter was riding Xi Zhao's shoulders while the poor kid seemed tired and exhausted in ways that aged him a couple of dozen years.

  "Just sharing how adorable we think our little Dai Xiu is," I said.

  "Humph! Liars!" Her cheeks flushed red immediately as she crossed her arms.

  "Let's eat, now that we are already up," I said. "I hope you're all ready, as we'll be leaving today."

  "We're finally crossing the mountain?"

  "Were you looking forward to it that much?"

  "I've never crossed a mountain before," Dai Xiu said as we went inside, where Long Tao was already meditating in a corner. "I mean, I climbed it up and down many times back in the Sect, but I never crossed over the summit and walked to the other side. What kind of place do you think is over there, Master?"

  "Hmm. I don't know. We'll see together, won't we?"

  "He he, experiencing new things with Master! It's the best!"

  "Ho ho. Of course, but, for me, it's the best seeing little Dai Xiu's adorable reactions to new things."

  "Master!! Stop teasing me!"

  "Ho ho ho." … what the hell am I becoming?