Loopshard

Adam left the well and its secret chamber feeling somewhat disappointed. The tenth stage was likely to be the biggest hurdle in every loop going forward, given how its design took a lot of agency out of his hands.

From what Emelia had said, it was a series of connected towers, each belonging to a separate player. Every floor was a challenge and choice, which would affect whichever tower it was linked to, meaning another player could sabotage Adam’s climb if they so wanted, and he could do the same to someone else. There was no way to speed through it, fly around it, or otherwise cheat its design, and the Tome Keeper had confirmed as much.

That obviously doesn’t mean such a thing doesn’t exist, but only that he does not know of any.

After every floor, which concluded simultaneously for everyone, there were three stairs to pick between, with each going up one more floor than the last, raising the challenge of the subsequent floor as a result.

What the Absolute had shared was less like a solution to this design and more like a series of warnings, such as not going up three floors at a time, since that had a high chance of manifesting an encounter with a Voidspawn. Even if such a challenge was overcome, it would result in all future Voidspawn encounters becoming much harder.

Adam sighed. Still, he actually taught me demonic. I wasn’t sure that would even be possible.

I want to try out the alterations to the Covetous Vessel ritual, but I’ll wait until I’m done with everything else.

He left his player house still wearing the raiment from earlier, pausing to look at the glass sapling that would finish growing after the Forlorn Kingdom. Its melody was getting stronger, though outwardly it looked no different than it had after the previous stages.

I really hope there’s some unique thing involving this and the rotmaker idol. It would be silly if there wasn’t something at the end of all this waiting.