Sylas woke up from his stupor, having cleared the ninth door in just a few seconds. The final three doors had been far too easy, but they had also taken the most time to complete. He spent more time on the seventh door than he had the previous six, and that pattern only continued. However, it was still invaluable for refining his memory and sharpening his Rune deployment.
'I'll have to find a chance to use a Nexus again so that I can trade for the next—'
[You have pleased the system, System Breaker]
[The system is watching you]
[System Reward Received]
Sylas' eyes became sharp. The last time he had read a similar message was when he awakened System Breaker, his Title. Back then, he had also gotten a System Reward, and that should be part of the reason why he was able to have three Legendary Paths instead of just one like most people for his Profession.
Now, he had received another System Reward, but to what end? He wasn't awakening anything any time soon, as far as he knew. And, even when he tried to click on the reward, nothing came up. It was like it was completely dormant.
However, when Sylas looked at his Slot Machine, his eyes couldn't help but narrow.
He wasn't sure if he should be happy or disappointed by that.
On the one hand, he hadn't even done much yet, but he had already gained so many tickets. But on the other, it felt like an acknowledgment of the system should probably be worth
'Regardless, the System Reward is still there. So, I've benefited twice over. That said... there's something fishy about this. Why did the system suddenly reward me for doing something that I would have done anyway?'
Sylas could only speculate, but if he had to guess...
His mind flashed to the images of Earth's broken Runes.
The system had its own rules, but those rules were certainly capable of being broken. The Slithering Madness Dungeon had certainly broken one or several of those rules. Then there was the event of the Basilisk King that was another such event. Then there was Azrael's existence, and even the weird Archibald.
There was a lot of rule-breaking going on everywhere... so the question was: what was the system's opinion about all of this?
It was hard to say. But, on the one hand, Sylas was rewarded for breaking the rules with his System Breaker Title. But on the other, the Madness Key was a reminder that the system wasn't willing to allow just anything to slide.
Then there was Azrael who was clearly suppressed in every way, even to the point where Sylas couldn't even benefit from his Genes. There was definitely something odd about that as well.
The system was hard to read. But it was clear that it wasn't entirely happy with everything going on under its nose, and sometimes it would take action. Whether that action was to reward or punish, it was hard to say.
But right now, the system seemed to be rewarding Sylas for studying Runes, and if Sylas was correct, that might very well be related to the current state of Earth's laws.
If the system was like an unbiased arbitrator, it would want new worlds to have the time to grow into their own instead of being messed with by their "big brothers," so to speak. It might very well want to help give Sylas the tools to fight back against this.
Sylas cleared his mind and began to focus on the world around him. The Dire Wolf was currently sprinting adjacent to a long highway, diving through thick trees.
Sylas was familiar enough with the roads here to follow them to his destination, but not enough that he could find a path without them. So following them was the next best option although it was risky.
These were the exact sort of paths that the government and Legacy would be paying close attention to. But he had mitigated that risk to some extent by taking a longer, meandering route.
If the City Lord who claimed an island of York City was, indeed, Cassarae, then it would certainly be quite difficult to get to her. Setting aside the fact the waters around it had become turbulent due to the appearance of yet another Portal on the ocean's floor, the island in question would definitely be easily monitored. And unless Sylas followed the river he had just left behind all the way up and through the raging waters, there was no way to cut around all the inevitable security.
Of course, Sylas would be willing to do this. But not without first confirming that it was actually Cassarae. As for the underwater Portal, he already had a method of dealing with it. It was just a matter of actually laying eyes on it, which would certainly be easier said than done.
Sylas put the Basilisk King away and urged the Dire Wolf forward. For this final stretch, he needed to be on top of his game.
His senses focused on every little detail within a 30-meter range. He found that with his Wisdom being higher, it was much easier to do this, though it was still quite a strain on the mind.
By this point, they had already left a dead zone of Aether and the concentration was picking up again, letting him know that they were rapidly approaching York City.
Soon, Sylas began to see familiar roads and he was sure that the first barricade was up ahead. He slowed the Dire Wolf down to about half its top speed. But even that was over 100. When he was just about 300 meters away, Sylas came to a full stop and put the Dire Wolf away. 'I'll have to capture someone high enough up on the chain of command that they'll have the information I need.'
Having thought of this, Sylas patiently sat and watched.
He couldn't help but recall the very first Title he had awakened, Patient Stalker. He had certainly come a long way since then...