Defiance of the Fall

The huge tree had probably absorbed the strand while still a sapling , which allowed it to grow to its current overbearing size . Now , it would become the final ingredient for the Omnitool . Zac wasted no time taking out the little hammer and placing it against the strand . You’d have to be blind to miss this big guy toppling over , and it was just a matter of time before hunger drove one of the local tyrants into investigating .

The exposed strand of hair emitted an immense aura , but it was nothing in front of the First People’s methods . A powerful force dismantled the thread and sucked it into the Omnitool , and the tree beneath Zac’s feet shriveled the moment it lost the source of its power . Zac observed with rapt attention as the final rune came alive , when a sense of foreboding made him look up .

Just in time to see the golden suns obscured by a rapidly expanding cloud .

A clap of furious thunder shook the jungle , and a familiar pressure pushed down on Zac . Yet he could tell he wasn’t the target of Heaven’s wrath . That was reserved for the Omnitool . Zac had heard of Treasure Tribulations before but didn’t expect to see one right now . For one , the hammer had been crafted an eternity ago , while tribulations were supposed to appear right when the treasure was born .

Secondly , Zac didn’t feel the Omnitool was an unorthodox item or something solidly on the Boundless Path . It incorporated all Daos , so it should be considered a mixed-meaning treasure within the System’s purview . Of course , it was hard to argue with the crackling lightning above .

The lightning gathered , and Zac had no option but to throw the Omnitool far into the sky . Intervening with a tribulation would only make things worse for himself and the Omnitool . Ultimately , he had faith in Dasorm , the First People craftsman . Even if he lived in a time before the Dao , he would surely have crafted something that could withstand a bit of lightning .

The world turned white , then purple , as the first bolt crashed into the hammer . The Omnitool vibrated as seventeen runes lit up around it . Then , Zac saw something that shocked him to his core . The Omnitool didn’t just withstand the lightning , it used the still-lingering bolt to extract tremendous amounts of energy from the clouds above .

It even prevented the bolt from dissipating , and the crackling clouds shrank at a visible speed . The Heavens roared with fury , and a second bolt fell to mete judgement . It didn’t help . The Omnitool greedily accepted the punishment and used it to form a second connection to the sky .

A third bolt never descended . The Omnitool had stolen the essence of the Heavens before it got the chance to accumulate one . Zac looked on with awe as the Omnitool floated into his hand , only a bit warm from the tribulation .

I can’t believe you’re so overbearing , - Zac muttered with a smile . - I have a thing or two to learn from you . -

The hammer’s appearance hadn’t changed since the tribulation , but it felt far more tangible in his hands . It also emitted a vast aura , like it contained a replica of the Heavens themselves . All Dao was represented inside , and Zac couldn’t wait to use it to add some Cosmic Cycles .

A powerful roar in the distance shut down that idea before it could form . One of the rulers of the jungle had been awoken by the commotion , and a vast Late D-grade aura spread through the area . Zac had already activated Void Zone] to hide his presence , and he made a beeline toward the exit .

Zac appeared in his mansion a few days later and descended to his workshop at the base . Having stabilized the hammer was a big weight off his shoulders . He no longer needed to visit unfamiliar and confusing Red Zones . He’d be able to save weeks every month and put the saved time into furthering his studies into Cosmic Forge] .

Eight months passed where Zac spent more than three-quarters of his time inside his mansion . He never left for more than ten days , only heading into a Red Zone based on Life , Death , or Conflict to make some quick Mana , accruing more than when he toiled for a month in zones based on foreign peaks .

If exploring the Red Zones based on the other Dao Peaks was like swimming against the current , then visiting battlefields and worlds of Life or Death was like taking a stroll in his backyard . Very few missions managed to stump him , and some resulted in shocking payouts .

Catheya was also quite happy to have him around more , and he was making great progress on his projects . The pile of discarded practice axes gradually turned into a small hill as his limits kept being pushed . Finally , he reached the point he’d been waiting for . The current axe had withstood thirty-three enhancements .