Tower of Heaven

He sat down, his long cape becoming a blanket behind him.

"Instead of blaming you, it is my duty to take over Drya\'s role for now and thank you for everything you did. That is why I came here."

Atlas shook his head.

"We are already cooperating. There is no need to thank me for acting like anyone would."

"No."

Klaus immediately disagreed. Both he and Atlas knew that those words were false.

"Anyone else would run. You had every opportunity to abandon us here and escape the trial alone, but you chose to stay and help."

"For that reason, I cannot ignore these things when I see them."

Klaus reached into his cloak and grabbed an item. The air was suddenly polluted by a foul and toxic stench, but it was not an unwelcomed one.

"Those are…"

"Right," Klaus confirmed.

In his hand were two of the very same Devil Fruits that attracted Atlas to this trial.

"Directly under the moon, we found these two waiting. Due to the change in the trial, the Devil Fruit is no longer the main reward and the amount has been limited as well, likely because they are provided in every corridor."

Looking at him, Klaus heaved a sigh.

"I will be honest. We are in dire need of Devil Fruits specifically at this moment, so I cannot bear to part with these. However, you have done more than enough to earn your share. If you want one, I will give it to you, but I also wish to propose a deal."

Atlas nodded, as he had been expecting this for a bit.

"Please allow us to keep the Devil Fruits. In return, we will give you our utmost support in attaining the final reward and monopolizing it."

"You will not fight for it?" Atlas said in surprise.

"No. We will fight for your sake this time. Regardless of what the final reward is, this will remain true."

It was quite an insane thing to say to someone he barely knew, but Klaus was no longer speaking for himself. He took up Drya\'s role, which meant that his thoughts were the thoughts of their entire group.

\'Nevertheless, he is asking me to gamble.\'

They didn\'t know what the reward would be, nor did they know if they had the skills to take it. If Atlas took this deal, there was a chance that he ended up with nothing.

\'Without the Devil Fruit…\'

His mind went to work. The Formation Spark rattled in his soul as information was fed into his memories. All of the possible pills he could make as an Earth-Grade Alchemist that would heal his meridians…

\'None of them have easy ingredients to get. I cannot reasonably agree until I have seen what the final reward is.\'

Still, Klaus looked desperate.

"I will take your deal," Atlas said after some time.

"But with additional terms. If we cannot take the final reward for ourselves, then I will still take a Devil Fruit. Just like you, I am quite desperate."

It was a safe option, one that had the potential to ruin the friendship between Atlas and the group, but that was how it was.

If it came down to it, he still needed that fruit despite knowing of their circumstances.

Klaus sighed.

"I expected it to come to this."

If anything, such conditions would only make them work harder so they could keep the treasures in their possession. It could be called a beneficial thing.

"I will accept the conditions. In return, please try your hardest to reach the end," Klaus said with a smile, standing up.

"I should say the same to you," Atlas responded.

Klaus had many things to attend to. He gave a short goodbye and returned to where the rest of the group was.

Atlas stayed in place and meditated. He circulated qi through his channels and warmed his meridians from the inside. It wasn\'t enough to heal them, but it was more than enough to make them forget their trauma.

\'It will hurt more next time.\'

But that was something he had to deal with. Atlas submerged himself in this process, accumulating qi in his dantian and thickening the mist within. He replenished himself, numbed his pain, and even took some time to cultivate freely.

The moon in the night sky never moved, making it impossible to tell the time. Everything moved around Atlas until he was finally woken up by a loud noise.

"Are you here?"

Klaus had come again. This time, however, he was in a hurry.

"We are moving immediately. The leader has awoken, and more importantly, we have found a clue."

Atlas stopped circulating qi and followed Klaus into the main camp.

"A clue, you said?"

"Yes. As you rested, Sera and Derius continued their investigation into the realm. The tunnel in the east did indeed lead to the mechanism that the leader suspected, but it was different from the first time."

As they arrived in a clearing, Atlas saw Drya standing up, bandaged but full of spirit.

"We were given two options. The first was to interfere with other groups as we did the last time…"

"...and the second was to learn the names of those who attacked us."

The point was already clear. Drya was ready to move and so were the rest of them. They knew who to get vengeance on, and they had to move to the third trial space as soon as possible anyway.

Everything lined up. If they didn\'t take this opportunity, they would be the final losers.

\'That woman…\'

The woman with the Dao of Wood. Her healing abilities had to be noted if Drya was confident in entering combat again.

Atlas was a little doubtful, but it wasn\'t his place to say anything. In this atmosphere, Drya also couldn\'t take a moment to thank him.

But that didn\'t mean she didn\'t want to. No, she did more than just acknowledge that she wouldn\'t be alive if it weren\'t for him.

Perhaps cultivators were a greedy people. Despite their differences, they all shared this trait.

But there was also a doctrine followed by every just cultivator.

To repay any grudges and favors a thousand times over, whether it be in blood or fortune.

Drya was an Ascender who followed this doctrine, and though she knew that her people agreed to help Atlas take the final prize for himself, it wasn\'t enough for her.

The life she held in her hands was more valuable than anything else.

So, when she returned the favor to him, she had to give him something equivalent.

Each and every person in the group had their own thoughts. The majority of them were still mourning the loss of their dear comrade.

However, loss was loss. Loss was a concept a cultivator was forced to become familiar with, as it would follow them anywhere they went.

The only way to cope with that growing emptiness was to keep moving forward.

And, eventually, after months or years or decades, that wound in their heart would begin to close.

Only by moving forward could they ever hope to move on. Your journey continues at mvl