Infinite Potential System

William cursed. He was cautious in identifying the fragment, but the fake was almost a perfect copy. If his reflexes weren't good, the explosion might have torn off an arm or two. Or worse yet, it could have blown up his Space Ring!

The moment William took the fragment, the Cultivators switched to battle mode. William's speed suggested he was anything but weak. They lined up, launching a series of spells that made the hallway tremble.

William dodged a few fireballs, allowing them to harmlessly strike the stairwell behind him, while also slicing apart a group of Earth Spikes that had risen from the ground in front of him. He used the brief moment of respite as an opportunity to launch a few Wind Blades at the group.

The Wind Blades ripped through each Cultivator's lower half, separating their legs from their body to restrict their movements. They screamed in pain as their torso began to bleed, but William quickly stabilized their body with the Life Element.

I'm both a reaper and a savior. William gave a mental laugh. The Cultivators caught him by surprise, but they were still much weaker than him. Now that he was being cautious, he would not allow them to get the upper hand before he could acquire the fragment.

He launched a few more spells, quickly gaining control over the rest of the group.

"Where is the real fragment?" He asked the old man, whom the Array Wheel was reacting to the strongest.

"I have it." the old man said with a sigh.

William nodded. "I know you do, now bring it out."

The old man did as instructed, pulling a fragment from his Space Ring to give to William. The Cultivators weren't confident in the value of the fragment, but William's expression said it was incredibly valuable. The old man felt some regret, but it couldn't be helped considering how quickly William took down the entire group.

-Acquired Array Wheel Fragment: +50 PP

William didn't miss the part where the fragment was no longer labeled "Unknown Disc Fragment". He stored the fragment in a Space Ring that was separate from the others, then looked at the group.

He smiled mischieviously. "Hand over your Space Rings too."

Their eyes widened as they realized what William's words meant. This one on elevent fight had become a robbery, in which the solo person was the aggressor!

Some of the Cultivators didn't protest, but the girl that tossed William the fake fragment from earlier was anything but calm. "You can get my Space Rings over my dead body!" she yelled as a white light enveloped her body.

William jumped back expecting it to be another explosive, but the girl suddenly disappeared, Space Ring and all. It seemed the girl used a special treasure to leave the trial area.

William couldn't do anything about that, so collected fourteen Space Rings from the other ten Cultivators and released them to enjoy their next adventure. Once again, the Humanity point System prevented William from wanting to kill any innocents that didn't first show an intent to murder him. Amputation was the closest he could get before receiving a penalty.

He left the Trial area, leaving the group of Cultivators tied up. If they didn't manage to break free sooner, William's restrictions would only last a few more minutes. This was more than enough time for him to escape the group's pursuit and re-enter the desert.

William headed back through the Labyrinth the way he came, making use of his Navigation Talent to find the way out, and his Mind Talent to recall the previous paths he took. He ran through the maze at breakneck speed, passing by a few Cultivators who only saw a blur and felt a gust of wind as he passed by.

Within 6 hours, William had returned to the desert. He didn't know where the event would start, so he stood on the inside edge and waited in silence. He set up a few Arrays and cooked Atticus some food. His Iron Stomach Pill was still in effect, so William wouldn't need to eat for a few more days yet, but the snake was craving the omelettes it hadn't had in a while.

***

The Desert Trial will be opening in ten minutes. Enter the desert if you wish to participate for one of my ultimate treasures! The voice suddenly resounded throughout the Gravitas Ruins, jolting William awake from his nap.

He was already inside the desert, so there was no need to do anything further. He waited out the ten minutes, until a countdown began in his head.

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

Begin! Survive until you are in the top 100!

The desert rumbled, a massive crystal appearing in the center that held a beast over a hundred meters tall. Large cracks formed on the crystal, shattering as a mummy wielding a greatsword with one hand and a staff in the other roared into the sky.

Its voice echoed throughout the Gravitas Ruins, carrying enough energy to travel across the entire desert and more. William created Perfect Barrier Arrays to defend against any accidents, then used his vision to scan the Magical Beast more closely for any signs of weakness.

[Bestiary] Ancient Gravitas Mummy: +1 PP

Shit, that's a Nascent Soul Beast! William started to panic a little bit, but then realized he had upgraded many of his talents. He should be able to fight with this now, right?

The trial's creator obviously didn't expect anyone to kill this thing, meaning William could just actively defend and easily enter the top one hundred survivors. He hoped that the trial was all bark and no bite, willing to reward anyone that survived.

He added more Perfect Arrays, then scanned the area nearby. A few Cultivators had appeared in the desert in the last few minutes, whom William could make out using his Life Sense and Navigation Talent.

Some of these Cultivators performed just like William, raising Arrays or forming defensive buildings using their respective Element. It seemed that no one planned to target the Magical Beast head-on and were also willing to ride out the storm.

He smirked at their efforts. Some of the Cultivators used only a few hundred Intermediate Arrays, expecting that to defend against a Nascent Soul Beast. Clearly they hadn't fought Golden Core Realm enemies before, who could easily break the defenses they had just put up.

He kept an eye on the movements of the Ancient Gravitas Mummy as it attacked the Cultivators that attracted its attention first, arriving at their positions in a blink of an eye and destroying all of their defenses in one swing of its greatsword.

The Cultivators wore panicked expressions as the Ancient Gravitas Mummy touched their heads with its staff. William could only see the Cultivators' bodies drop lifelessly to the floor, but he didn't know what the mummy had done.

He had the assistance of Atticus' Illusion Magic, so William opted to get closer to the Mummy.

He maintained his speed until he had stepped within two thousand meters of the Ancient Gravitas Mummy, finally within range to see it in action. William watched in horror as Mana flowed out of the Cultivators' bodies, causing the staff in the Mummy's right hand to emit a dim light.

It's charging the staff! What happens when it is fully charged?? William didn't want to know the answer to his question. No matter what it was, it would clearly be bad for him!

He didn't what to do. Killing the Cultivators himself would prevent the Mummy from absorbing their Mana, but he would lose Humanity points and probably become a target by the other Cultivators, while fighting the Mummy would draw too much attention and pose the risk that someone would try to sabotage him at a critical moment.

His new Talent upgrades didn't give William a cocky attitude. He knew that it only took one mistake to lose his life forever, which could easily be avoided by just surviving to the next day. There was no need to risk his life on dangerous tasks when he had the System to help him every step of the way.

If he couldn't beat the beast now, he would just grind more Potential Points until he could!

———

System Quest: The Host has been challenged by a powerful Cultivator to survive in a trial, but the Magical Beast is quickly gaining strength and will eventually slaughter every participant at its current rate. Kill the Ancient Gravitas Mummy before it can regain its strength to protect the Host and a rival's future potential.

Difficulty: Hard

Rewards: 1000 Potential Points, Savior Title upgraded to Legendary Rank

———

God damn it System, why are you always trying to put me in harm's way?!? William cursed in his mind as he read the details of the newly issued System Quest. These Quests were always so contradictory to the System's suggestion to maintain a low-profile.

How is he going to complete this Quest without attracting the attention of every Cultivator in the trial grounds?!?