As Round 2 concluded, everyone returned to their designated Rest Houses for the six-hour break.
Jay, however, found himself troubled by the role of a leader—a position he never felt entirely suited for. Yet, he understood that if he didn't step up, someone else would, and that could lead to complications he'd rather avoid.
Uniting the entire Trial World under a single banner wasn't just a matter of ambition; it was a necessity. Faction wars and the ensuing chaos were a recurring theme in previous Trial Programs, and Jay had no intention of letting history repeat itself.
If the task of unifying the Trial World had been beyond his capabilities, Jay wouldn't have wasted time forming a faction.
But with MJ shouldering the bulk of the responsibility, Jay had the breathing room to focus on his own path. Besides, his current strength was sufficient to handle whatever the Trial World threw his way.
Establishing peace and order wasn't just a short-term goal; it was the foundation for a future where this planet, destined to become a hub or even a capital for the entire Milky Way galaxy, would flourish.
While power and control held little appeal to him personally, Jay saw the practical value in leading the faction. It would eliminate unnecessary conflicts, grant him precious time to train and grow stronger, and ensure that the Trial World remained stable for those who would join later.
Upon arriving at Earth's Rest House, Jay was immediately approached by several of his team members with requests.
Jay could understand that coming from Andrea, Min-soo, and Gabriel, as they were among the weaker ones and strived to become stronger.
Brandon had seen the improvement Sergei had shown ever since he became a Sigil Holder. Someone who was once supposed to be his rival had overtaken him and was now out of reach.
Even Kasim, who was weaker than him, had now become as strong, if not stronger, than him. At that rate, it was only a matter of time before many would grow stronger, especially with Jay's intention to mass recruit for his faction.
If Brandon delayed any further, it wouldn't be beneficial to him or the Guardian Guild he was put in charge of. Since Jay allowed the formation of sub-factions within the Orion Vanguard, he didn't have to worry about disbanding the Guardian Guild upon joining Jay's faction.
Moreover, with the scale Jay had planned for, there were bound to be several sub-factions emerging and some kind of power struggle among them. He might as well be at the forefront of that competition and gain the upper hand.
With the tough requirements to join each higher circle, it would be even easier for Brandon to come across outstanding Alpha Chosen who joins Orion Vanguard and recruit them to the Guardian Guild.
Of course, the prerequisite was that he first had to be a Sigil Holder in order to become a Core Circle member.
Jay read through his thoughts, but he didn't disapprove of Brandon's plan to run the Guardian Guild and allow others joining his faction to become a part of it.
He believed it would, in a way, be beneficial to have more sub-factions to fulfill the roles of a massive faction, as he envisioned the Orion Vanguard to grow with millions of Trial participants joining later on.
With more such sub-factions competing with one another, healthy competition would arise and keep them in check.
As long as they didn't exceed their boundaries or attempt to take over his faction, they wouldn't face any problems. And with the dominance Jay had already established, he doubted anyone would dare even think of making such a move.
But Jay didn't forget that everything relied on his strength, and if he were to show any weakness, there would always be those ready to usurp him. On this point, Jay could only agree with Urzo's words during their last conversation. ꞦÄNÔᛒΕŞ
While Jay acknowledged that fear was a useful tool, he also knew that ruling solely through fear, like an unruly dictator, wouldn't sustain a faction in the long term.
Shaking off those thoughts, he reminded himself that there were still obstacles in his path to uniting the Trial World. He kept his focus grounded, avoiding overconfidence in his current strength, and proceeded with the next step of his recruitment plan.
Jay granted the remaining Earth's Alpha Chosen the Minor ORIGIN SIGILS, upgrading their Innate Talents to Grade-9 and officially making them Core Circle members.
Even the reclusive Kensei agreed to become a Sigil Holder, leaving Dante as the only one among the Earth team who had yet to receive one.
Jay didn't immediately synchronize with their masteries. Instead, he had MJ reach out to individuals across Tournament Island whom he had carefully selected to become Sigil Holders.
He ensured that their Innate Talents perfectly aligned with his requirements. As synergy between similar types of Innate Talents became ineffective when their number exceeded 10, he ensured to select them within this limit.
Those whom his subordinates contacted readily agreed and soon arrived at Earth's Rest House to meet Jay.
Over the next hour, Jay engraved Origin Sigils on approximately 300 Alpha Chosen. Most of them received Rudimentary ORIGIN SIGILS, while a select few exceptional individuals were granted Minor ORIGIN SIGILS.
With this, Jay now had access to all ten elemental Innate Talents and fifteen weapon-type Innate Talents, along with several Martial and Variant category talents.
Within the elemental category, except for Space and Time talents, Jay's Origin Sigils were now engraved on ten similar talents from each of the remaining eight elements.
This provided maximum possible synergy, raising the abilities of those with Rudimentary ORIGIN SIGILS to an equivalent grade of 8.9, while those with Minor ORIGIN SIGILS reached an equivalent grade of 9.9 for these eight elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Wood, Lightning, Light and Darkness).
Jay aspired to achieve similar peak synergy with Space and Time talents, as well as with the weapon and martial categories. Not only would this enhance the abilities of the Sigil Holders, but it would also accelerate their comprehension speed, which, in turn, would bolster his own strength.
Once he completed the entire process, Jay returned to his room and began synchronizing with their masteries, starting with the║Probability Mastery║.
The individual possessing this talent was a Variant talent user whom Urzo had previously exploited to increase the probability of triggering enlightenment using Enlightenment Incense.
Urzo had used this method to rapidly advance his own mastery to Stage 5 within a short period.
If the improved probability of Enlightenment Incense could help Jay achieve higher mastery over his Origin Energy, it would grant him a significant advantage.
Not wanting to overlook this potential, Jay promptly purchased several Enlightenment Incense sticks from the Achievement Store. Then, using the upgraded║PROBABILITY ENGINE║talent, he increased the probability of triggering enlightenment from a mere 0.01% to an impressive 10.01%.
At first glance, it seemed as though the probability had improved by 1,000 times. However, in reality, the║PROBABILITY ENGINE║talent worked by increasing the probability of effects from skills and items by 10%.
Previously, this talent provided a 5% boost, but after Jay engraved a Minor ORIGIN SIGIL onto it, upgrading it to a Grade-9 talent, the probability rate doubled to 10%.
After enhancing the probability of the Enlightenment Incense's effects, Jay lit one and placed it nearby before continuing to synchronize with the other masteries of those who had recently become Sigil Holders.
The synchronization process continued for two more hours before Jay finally completed it.
Just as he was about to return to cultivating his Origin Physique, a series of ten notifications appeared in quick succession, announcing the conquest of another ten Obelisks.
With that, 90 Obelisks were now under his Authority, leaving just ten more to be conquered before all 100 would be under his control.
Once all the Obelisks were conquered, the next stage of the Trial Program would commence, and Jay eagerly anticipated it.
He knew it would take a few more hours for that to happen, so he set those thoughts aside, closed his eyes, and focused on cultivating his Origin Physique.
The revamped version of Volume 1 is now live on Kindle. You can find it on Amazon by simply searching the book title. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new edition!
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