Chapter 100: The Key For Ascension Is Revealed?

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Label slowly walked closer to the glowing core, her steps careful and deliberate. She reached out and touched its surface, feeling its dense essence pulse against her fingertips like a living heart.

"T-This is the highest... the highest quality material I’ve ever witnessed... a world... The fragment of a world’s core..." she whispered, her voice trembling with both awe and disbelief.

"Indeed," Riven nodded quietly. "What keeps this gate going."

Label could feel something similar to what Riven experienced whenever she touched rare materials. It was part of her newly awakened abilities. She could now see the "history" of certain substances. As her fingers remained pressed against the core, fragmented visions flooded her mind. She saw the core’s long history, the world it originally came from, and everything that had led to its current form. The images left her both deeply sad and profoundly shocked.

"Riven... I... cannot really do much with it right now. I need to grow much stronger first," she sighed, pulling her hand back with visible regret. "But there’s a greater purpose to gates... these cores..."

"Wait, really?" Riven was clearly shocked by her words. "A greater purpose...?"

Gates weren’t just places where monsters and rare materials became widely available?

They had... something else? Another hidden purpose?

"I believe... there might be something we can do with this... and many others similar to them..." she continued, her voice growing steadier. "Combining them... through synthesis. A grand spell like no other... the Ultimate Alchemy...!"

"?!"

Suddenly Riven felt as if Label herself had changed. Her aura surged outward in a powerful wave of green, gold, and purple light that mixed together in the air around her. For a brief moment he saw the outline of a tall adult woman standing in her place. The figure possessed blazing hair made of pure alchemical flames and glowing green eyes that stared directly at him with ancient knowledge.

It was almost as if the dormant goddess within Label had fully awakened for a short time and was now speaking through her.

"The Philosopher’s Stone."

"!!!"

Riven felt an intense surge of power rush through his body the moment he heard that name. It was a forbidden relic of the distant past, born from the combination of thousands of souls...

And world fragments, the very cores of dungeons, were exactly that. They were the crystallization of destroyed worlds and of their lingering essence.

But what exactly were they?

In that moment Riven finally learned the truth.

"World Essence" was born from the countless souls lost in every pruned world.

These souls were what fueled the constant spawning of monsters and sustained their very existences!

And this Philosopher’s Stone...

"Answer me, Goddess of Alchemy," he spoke formally, addressing the being that now looked out through Label’s eyes. The presence stared back at him with cold, calculative eyes that seemed to weigh his worth. "What can we do with this item?"

"...Ascension."

Riven’s eyes widened as a sudden surge of knowledge forced its way into his mind. A sharp pain struck his head while visions of possibility unfolded before him. He saw that the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone could perhaps become the key to finally escaping the endless cycle of pruning.

However... just how many materials would such a creation require? A single Dungeon Core would never be enough.

"How many... cores do we need?" he asked quickly, sensing that the goddess’s aura was already beginning to fade.

"...Only through the sacrifice of one hundred worlds can the Philosopher’s Stone be born," the voice answered with calm certainty. "The Ultimate Alchemy... capable of giving you the power of becoming a God, and to Ascend... this entire Domain... if you wish for... Lord."

"?!"

Just as he was about to ask more questions, Label suddenly fell to her knees with a soft cry. "Ugh... my head... what happened?" she wondered aloud, clearly confused and disoriented.

"Ah..." Riven quickly ran to her side and knelt down. "Nothing serious. It’s fine... here, drink a potion."

"Thanks..." Label smiled weakly as she accepted the bottle and drank its contents. Color slowly returned to her face. "Phew... I felt really weird just now. Was I talking strangely?"

"We can talk about that once we get out of here," Riven said, his expression turning serious as he glanced toward the door. "Looks like company has arrived."

"Company?" she asked, still rubbing her temples.

"Now that you’re stronger, would you like to avenge your father yourself, Label?" Riven asked quietly.

"M-Me?" Label wondered, stepping back toward her small studio. Outside the house she could clearly hear someone screaming in frustration and pain.

"What is this damn mutt— Aaaggh!"

"Kill it!"

"It won’t die!"

"It’s made of shadows?!"

"You damn useless fucks, aren’t you two D Rank Hunters?! What am I even paying you for?! I’ll handle it— AAAACK!"

"Graarrr! Woof! Woof!"

Outside they could hear three men fighting desperately against Noir. The little cosmic wolf was clearly going easy on them, playing around while biting their limbs and binding them tightly in living shadows.

They claimed to be D Rank Hunters, yet they did not feel strong at all.

"What’s going on outside?!" Label asked, her earlier confusion replaced by growing tension.

"My dog is taking care of some thugs," Riven answered calmly. "Let’s go outside."

Riven opened the door and the two of them walked out of the house together. They found three members of the American Yakuza Gang being thoroughly bullied by Noir. Thick shadows constantly bound the men in place while the pup’s sharp fangs bit their legs and backsides, leaving them with multiple fractures. Yet the wolf never went for a killing blow.

Noir was clearly waiting for his master.

"Good boy," Riven said with quiet approval. Noir barked happily and quickly appeared at his side, tail wagging.

Label stepped forward, looking extremely out of place next to the expensive gear the Yakuza members wore. Her expression was complicated.

"L-Label?!"

"What are you...! Bitch, who is this guy?!"

"What have you done...! The boss will kill you if he learns about this!!!"

"U-Um..." Label sighed deeply and shook her head. "I’m sorry... I... I cannot really... I can’t keep working with you anymore. I’m so sorry!" She bowed apologetically toward the three injured men, leaving them completely shocked on the ground.

"..."

"..."

"..."

They clearly had not expected her to apologize so sincerely, or to quit her position with them right then and there.

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