Chapter 101: The Pillar Of Reality, Fourth Wave’s Rewards!

He looked at the chat, but none of them saw it, instead they were talking about how Players weren’t very good streamers yet and how it would take a while before they learnt to interact with and hold the attention of an audience.

His dad was also typing something, but Faust dismissed the interface and just stared at the distortion. It was whispering something to him. He drew closer and closer, trying to hear the words.

Where... bloom... point... death.

His mind quickly became immersed in trying to piece together a coherent sentence. He didn’t even notice he had lost control of his body.

Not until he felt his finger tickled by the edge of the waxy space. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

His eyes snapped open and he realised he was touching it and recoiled. But his fingers didn’t budge an inch.

A powerful suction pulled him towards the rupture. Faust fought with all his strength, cracking the floorboards as he tried bracing himself. But he was still pulled in.

It was like entering a Narrow Path.

But instead of space narrowing or expanding, it spun in a violent vortex. And instead of light fleeing into the horizon and leaving him in endless darkness, it spun with the vortex and congregated at its center.

Blinding. The light concentrated in that one point burned his eyes. The way space contorted in the vortex twisted his mind.

"DAMMMMIIT!"

Then he all came to a stop.

The spiral shattered and space fractured like stained glass. The light at its center grew dull and distant.

"What is this?" Faust groaned.

The End/Beginning.

Faust shuddered as the voice echoed all around him. He spun around searching for something, but every direction was one direction.

"Who are you?"

Nothing/Something. I speak to you before I was nothing. I don’t/do know exactly who/how you are. But I am your first investor/supporter/fan.

Faust didn’t remember at first, but it was like the entity’s words took his mind back to when he had first gotten his Schema.

Space shifted and reconcrusted the system interface he had seen almost twenty four hours ago. When all this started.

[Requirements met! Investments have been made! You have awakened a Schema and System!]

"You. It was you. You’re a Sponsor?"

No/Yes. Similar. Not False True god like them. I am Pillar.

The word ’Pillar’ made reality tremble. Faust turned back and felt cold, like something had just tried to look at him.

Don’t/Do worry. System/Child/Usurper cannot(doesn’t want to) see here.

Talking to this thing was hurting Faust’s brain. It could pass multiple different sentiments with a single word, and his mind was forced to understand every single one of them.

"Okay, okay. Can we make this fast? I really don’t like this."

System wants/has to kill/pressure/use you. Its Sponsors/FalseTruegods do not know of you, but it feels your imbalance. It will give you a Role/Predestined/Cursed and orchestrate your death/ascendence/remolding.

He got the gist of what this thing was saying. His Schema was too powerful. Negan had told him something similar. It seemed like a constant thing with the system..

Should he be scared?

Faust wasn’t sure. He was kind of excited to be honest. What could a near all powerful entity cook up to end his life? And how could I fight back?

"I’m guessing you want to offer me a chance?"

Yes. I have four items that can distort the fate being crafted by System/Usurper.

"What do you want in return?"

Nothing/You have nothing to offer. I am dead/repurposed/memory. You have nothing to offer me/You can only save yourself.

That was a lie. Faust didn’t care about this clash between two ancient things. All he cared about was the fun he could get out of it. If the system killed him then it was his loss. But till then he would fight.

"Give me the items."

◇◇◇

For the second time in an hour Faust returned to the real world. The reception had fully regenerated. The wooden beams high in the roof and the smooth were like the ribs of a great beast. The mahogany walls glistened under the faint light of the moon from floor to roof windows.

Faust stepped out of the building and checked his stream. They were asking where he had gone and why the stream glitched out.

So no one else saw that.

He had been dragged into something much bigger than he thought, but excitement coursed through his veins. He could die being stepped on by giants. Or consume them both.

In the end it didn’t matter.. He was a shark; to breathe he had to keep moving forward.

The night’s winds began to howl and beat at the walls of buildings. The moon’s light flickered beneath dark clouds.

Is it going to rain?

That would be a terrible way to end the fifth wave. For the defenders at least. For viewers it would be cinematic.

He returned to the alleyway in the corner of the town square, nodding at Spider. He found Thalia awake from her memory. The dark-skinned girl stared into the distance, not really acknowledging him.

She needed some space it seemed.

He returned to Nirvana, who seemed to have calmed down, but was still pale and cold. Maybe he shouldn’t have given her the Memory. He should have faced them by himself. After all, he didn’t mind breaking a little.

There wasn’t much time left.

The fifth wave would start in an hour and they still had interviews to get too.

While he waited Faust decided to check his rewards for the fourth wave.

[You have been rewarded 800 experience points]

[Origin Coins: 1000]

[5x Goblin Essence: Consuming will increase Agility by 2.]

[5x Goblin Mage Essence: Consuming will increase Spirit by 2.]

[5x Troll Essence: Consuming will increase Strength by 3.]

[10x Puppet Knight Essence: Consuming will increase Constitution by 2.]

[5x Skill Stones: can be used to upgrade skills.]

[5x Enhancement Stones: can be used to upgrade equipment.]

[3x Health Potion: Greatly recovers Health in seconds.]

[3x Stamina Potion: Greatly recovers Health in seconds.]

[3x Mana Potion: Greatly recovers Health in seconds.]

[3x Antidote: Cures basic poisons.]

[All-Attibutes Potion(Iron): Increases all attributes by 10.]