Pandora Unchained - a Cultivation Progression Fantasy

Even by Olympia's standards, the Sear and Spit was a pricy restaurant. Despite the high prices, the atmosphere was unpretentious, simple, and rustic. This was because of how the restaurant's menu operated: the clients brought the meat, and the restaurant prepared everything else accordingly.

"What can I help you with, esteemed guests?" said a waiter as he brought them to a larger round table. "Ah, I didn't realize it was you, Young Master York. What fresh kill have you brought to us today?"

"I'm not the York Clan's young master yet," said Stephan, handing a bag of holding over to the waiter. Such items were rare even for Flesh-Sanctification cultivators. "As for the kill, I took down a thousand-horn alligator in the infinite dungeon a while back. Please see what the chef can make of it."

A waitress came by a minute later and laid down drinks on the table. The kitchen decided everything and customized it according to the meal. As they enjoyed their first few sips, Sorin observed Stephan and Daphne. Neither of them was like this back in Delphi. Did something happen? He inspected both their bodies but found no anomalies.

"You both seem to be doing well for yourselves," said Gareth as they waited for their dishes. "I saw some posters advertising an upcoming arena match, and you're the big-ticket item. As for you, Daphne, I can't pass a bookstore without hearing your name. You must have trouble keeping track of it all."

"Not really," said Daphne with a shrug. "I get my agent to handle the tedious stuff and pass on the funds to another staff member to reinvest in worthwhile ventures. I'd say the most tedious part is controlling my small group and making sure they're not acting on incorrect information."

"So it's not just Stephan that's gotten competitive, but you as well," said Sorin. "I thought neither of you had any interest in climbing up the ranks."

"Do we have a choice in the matter?" asked Stephan. "This is Olympia, not Delphi. Competition is the name of the game here, and once you start losing, you get pushed to the bottom quite quickly.

"Let me give you an example. I had a rival in my family who wanted to use me as a stepping stone and show off his superior fighting skills. He grossly underestimated the might of an Aspect Transformation empowered by a heroic ability and the effects my foundation might have on my strength. I crushed him, even though he was forty percent sanctified.

"I used my winnings from the fight—every fight has a wager—to get stronger and sanctify my body to twenty percent. Many were reluctant to challenge me because of the surprise I gave them, giving me a chance to fully absorb the divine crystal I obtained.

"As for the other guy, my clan members smelled blood in the water. The rule in our clan is that one challenge must be accepted per week. If a challenge isn't accepted, either a fight is forced, or the challenger must pay for protection. He still hasn't recovered from our battle and has since dropped thirty ranks in the York Clan's internal ranking. When the annual resource distribution is recalculated, he won't be ranked high enough to attain divine crystals."

"Not all families compete like the York Clan does," Daphne cut in. "Brutish clans that raise gladiators and adventures are rare. My White Tower Group is more practical and prefers to raise businesspeople. Only descendants with the highest earnings are given the privilege of purchasing divine crystals, which is how I've been able to sanctify thirty percent of my flesh."

"Every group has their own version of this," agreed Stephan. "Some clans evaluate people according to relative strength. Others rank their members according to their skills in a profession. There are many ways to go about it, but the superior way is obviously to have people fight each other."

Come to think of it, the Kepler Clan has as similar system. Treating patients, crafting poisons, and discovering new ideas. Everything has contribution points that can be exchanged for resources.

"What about the Nighthawks?" asked Sorin.

"It's all about bounties," said Gareth. You can earn money for successfully rooting out and exterminating corrupted targets. When you bag tougher targets, you can earn credits that can be exchanged for limited rewards. A-Tier credits at the three-star level can be exchanged for divine crystals."

"In the Order of Phantasia, we reward people for obtaining new knowledge," said Astley. "A demigod artifact assesses the value of said knowledge and awards contribution points. I can't share much, but I will say that our expedition in Delphi was considered a large contribution. Unfortunately, they only give out divine crystals in Olympia, so I've had to wait until arriving here to obtain them."

"This sucks," said Lawrence, crossing his arms. "You guys all have easy ways to get stuff. I've heard about divine crystals. I've heard the only place to get them is Olympia. But how am I supposed to get any without all these connections?"

"There's only one way to get them without connections," said Stephan. "It's the same way all the major powers get them in the first place."

"Adventuring, in case that wasn't clear," said Daphne. "Divine crystals are only found in one place on Pandora: the Infinite Dungeon."

Sorin was also able to obtain divine crystals through his clan. Unfortunately, he was in the same boat as everyone else and had been unable to obtain any while in Delphi. "Do either of you have a divine crystal I can take a look at? I would have liked to study one, but even Elder Adrian wasn't able to obtain one through all his channels."

Sorin caught a tiny glittering object that Stephan tossed over and held it in the palm of his hand. It was a tiny golden crystal that contained an immense amount of divinity. Even a small piece like this one could probably sanctify one percent of an early Flesh-Sanctification cultivator's flesh.

"How interesting," said Sorin as he inspected the crystal with his spiritual senses, Hand of the Twisted Physician, and Grove Manipulator's Touch. "This crystal. It's poison."

"Impossible," said Stephan. "I harvested this crystal myself and brought it to the Temple of Hope for purification. There should be nothing wrong with it."

Sorin nodded. "I'll be honest with you; I can't figure out exactly what's wrong with it. The divinity within this crystal is intense and doesn't appear to be harmful. Even so, I have a sixth sense for this type of thing. This crystal is most definitely poison." He tossed the crystal back to Stephan. "I'll trade in some merit points for one once I arrive at Viper Manor. Maybe it's just this one crystal, and others are fine. I'd hold back from using it for the time being."

"If I don't use it, I'll stagnate," said Stephan. "Those who stagnate can no longer frighten those above them and tend to get beaten down."

"It's your call," said Sorin. Nothing seems to be wrong with your body either, so I might be overthinking things. It could be like mana crystals—they're technically poisonous if consumed improperly."

You know that's not the case here. Is there a benefit in misleading your ally? Unless you don't consider him an ally, of course. Perhaps you now consider him a competitor.

"In addition to finding these crystals in the wild, there's another way to obtain divine crystals," said Stephan as he pocketed the tiny divine crystal. You can complete important missions issued by the Hero Association. They're always difficult and impossible to complete for normal adventures, and only two-star heroes may accept them.

"The best way, though, is to accept group missions that take us into unexplored areas in the Infinite Dungeon. That way, we can double dip with the mission and discover unpilfered troves of divine crystals."

Daphne giggled. "Now you're just teasing him. You and I both know that the major powers basically own unexplored areas."

Stephan raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's a good thing we have representatives of three major powers here, plus a Nighthawk to boot. Ah, it looks like the chef is a bit faster today. The first course is out." A dozen succulent dishes rolled out, each prepared from a different part of the thousand-horn alligator. That included a dish made with roast underbelly skin strips, a paste created using ground-down horns, and teeth cooked in such a way that the bone matter was converted to crunchy jelly.

"You'll have to tell me where you hunted this alligator, " said Lawrence. It's delicious!"

Stephan raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but I literally can't tell you. At least not yet. Specific information about the Infinite Dungeon can only be divulged to people with access to said dungeon."

"It's a curious rule," added Daphne. "One easily circumvented by obtaining a pass, taking one step into the dungeon, and then taking one step out. I honestly don't know why they bother."

"I'm sure we'll find time to discuss the infinite dungeon soon enough," said Sorin. "Assuming Team We Don't Need a Life Mage is still a thing."

Stephan shrugged. "I don't see why not. We make a great team, and our factions are allied. Daphne's is neutral, so she can justify it in a variety of ways."

"What he means is that he really needs the group to get back together," said Daphne. "Otherwise, he'll need to group up with his clan members and empower his competitors. Isn't that right, Stephan?"

"There's no need to be so blunt," said Stephan. "Besides, aren't you in the same boat?"

"Not at all," said Daphne. I honestly don't need to explore the Infinite Dungeon to get what I want. That said, certain ingredients can only be obtained there and are very difficult to buy with money, though I suppose gambling at the Temple of Hope is also an option."

"I have a feeling I'll have nothing but time on my hands," said Gareth. "Lawrence as well."

"Hey, I'm my own person!" said Lawrence. "But yes, he's right. You're cool with the both of us staying with you, aren't you, Sorin?"

"As long as you don't needlessly antagonize members of the Kepler Clan and their allies, I don't have a problem with it," said Sorin. Since we've decided to bring the team back together, I think it's high time we sort out a few important things. You've both been here for a while now and probably have a good idea of the do's and don'ts in Olympia. Please share what you know."