Andar was becoming excited, but the words from the other head quieted his enthusiasm, “Note little apprentice, each Engraving Slot for the Endless Vault is harder than those of the Revolving Core, for every single Engraving Slot you unlock is as difficult as unlocking ten Engraving Slots for the Revolving Core Art, and for everyone who had ever practiced this Meditation Art, the highest never went beyond the 92nd Engraving Slot.”
“This level is very important, because a Meditation Art would only give you a Divine Ability when you unlock its 100th Engraving Slot, so any Meditation Art that has less than a hundred Engraving Slots would never have any chance of having a Divine Ability.” 𝐞𝐨𝘃𝐞𝐥.
“Does it mean that no one else knows of the Divine Ability of the Endless Vault?” Andar asked.
“Who knows.” The Steward responded, “Even if no one has reached that level, it would be incorrect to assume that greater powers may not have deduced the power of the Endless Vault.”
Andar nodded, there were many ancient powers in the Magus World, and their knowledge and capabilities could not be easily understood. For the Magus Supreme World to exist outside the universe, its foundations must be beyond what is shown on the surface.
“The Tower Master fought for this treasure for you, but it is not yours, not unless you go beyond the highest recorded holder and reach at least 120 Engraving Slots. If you can do that, then the Endless Vault would be yours, because you would have mastered its first Divine Ability.”
Andar bowed, “I will not fail the Tower Master’s expectation.”
“Good,” The steward said, and he stood up, Andar followed as it would be incredibly rude and stupid to be sitting when a powerful Archmage was standing,
“you shall remain in this place for a week before you leave, this should go a long way to settle the Chaos inside your Spirit Matrix. When you make your first Engraving, you shall become an Acolyte of the Endless Vault. A Chaos Door will be always available in your room to lead you to this place when you need to meditate and unlock the remaining Engraving Slots. There are many classes for you to take, and I advise you to focus on Inscription. Okay, that would be all, do you have a question, I will only entertain one.”
Andar thought for a while, and he did not have the right questions to ask to avoid suspicion, and then he remembered the curious teleporting door the Steward just called a Chaos Door, “I am curious about this door that is used for Teleportation, this is the second time I am seeing it, and its powers still amazes me.”
The second head of the Steward snorted, “Of course, you would ask that question, you have a good eye. This is beyond your knowledge but whatever, that door is an entity that moves through Universes and accepts contracts from powerful individuals and organizations.”
“You may one day reach a stage where you can see creatures like that one day. That would be all I can tell you for now. Pacify your mind and Ascend to an Acolyte, and your failing body will be healed to an extent depending on your talent. Inside here, you will not need food or drink, when I see you again, you should be an Acolyte.”
The Steward vanished with no indication, and Andar found himself falling to the floor, his limbs were like noodles and his chest was heaving.
The presence of a powerful Archmage plus his weak body pushed to the edge by his activation of Grey Will had pushed him to the edge.
When he barely recovered it still felt like he was sick, he could barely see, and his throat was inflamed making breathing painful for him, his lungs felt as if they were filled with liquid, and his body was feverishly hot.
He was slowly dying, but he did not care. While Rowan would have been focused on solving the problems stopping him from reaching his goals, Andar was indifferent. Without the invisible presence of Rowan bearing down on him, he only wanted to excavate the potential of his mind and Spirit Matrix.
He did not need food and drink and he sank into his consciousness and delved into his Spirit Matrix, the fact that he had awakened it amazed him, and he watched the chaos ravaging inside it for hours
Even with the sound of crashing thunder and loud winds, to Andar it sounded like music, and he forgot time as he focused on the chaos, his lips held a smile.
Andar was happy.
He knew that the Endless Vault would be a powerful Meditation Art, but at the start, it may be weak because while others unlocked hundreds of Engraving Slots at the beginning, he would only be unlocking one.
It was apparent to him that his starting journey may be a bit rough, but only he understood that he had the ability to go far.
He opened his eyes hours later, and his eyesight was a bit better, focusing on the Script on the spine of the book, he began to memorize every single line, repeating them inside his head until he could see all the thousands of intersecting portions.
When he was done with that exercise, he began once more. Like a machine, Andar practiced for days, making sure he had mastered every single part of it.
On the fourth day, his eyes flew open, and a small portion of his Spirit Matrix was now free of the chaotic storm, he struggled to sit up, and used his arms to fold his legs into a cross-legged position.
Using his consciousness as a brush, Andar began engraving.
On the fifth day, a formless pressure quietly oozed from his body and his eyes opened, they were a bit clearer than before and his skin had recovered a bit.
Without any fanfare, Andar had become an Acolyte. He did not stop to celebrate, instead, he climbed to the next floor, and as his hands attempted to touch the books, a blue shield lit up and Andar’s eyes were filled with wonder.
He remained inside the Endless Vault for three months before his mental state could no longer take it, and when he emerged he was already a Rank 3 Acolyte with 99 Engraving Slots unlocked.
