Chương 152: Preparations

"Corel!" Joe called. It only took a moment for her head to pop out from around the corner.

"I'm cooking. What do you want?"

"You're cooking?" Joe's eyebrows shot up.

"Anything nice?"

"It's a surprise. Now what do you want?" Joe grinned like a little kid.

"I was just wondering, did you level up right after breaking through the bottleneck?"

"I did. Twice." She smiled, clearly pleased with herself.

"Was that it? You could have just pulsed the question, instead of distracting me." With that, she vanished back into the kitchen. Joe shook his head. Corel cooking was an unexpected thing. Almost as strange as Rose's reaction to the kiss. He couldn't help wondering what the two of them had talked about while he'd been off meeting that prophetic spider. Probably nothing good. Shaking the thought loose, Joe stepped out of his room like a man on a mission.

He pulled out his personal pillar and brought up the competition listings. There it was, the final Star Shard competition. Three months away, assuming he made it through the lottery. He signed up. When he lowered the pillar, three figures stood waiting for him.

"Farmer," Esha said with a grin, "we need your luck once more." Joe chuckled and held out his hand. Naturally, Esha ignored it and leapt straight onto his shoulder.

"Hey! No jumping ahead!" Tevenny laughed as she hopped up after her.

"What's one more?" Alice added, completing the precarious stack of bodies balanced on Joe. Once they'd all signed up, they started to dismount, but Joe wrapped his arms around flailing legs and held them in place.

"Not so fast, ladies, I actually wanted to talk to you all before you disappear," he said, turning toward the kitchen.

"Ooooo," Alice teased, twisting to look him in the eye.

"About what?"

"Maybe he's finally going to confess his sins?" Esha added, wriggling uselessly.

"What sins?" Joe scoffed.

"I have never sinned in my life." Joe finally released his captives when he entered the kitchen, where he found Corel and Meris hunched over a large pot that could only generously be described as food-adjacent. Whatever it was, it bubbled with ominous enthusiasm.

"What are you making?" he asked cautiously, stepping closer. It didn't smell terrible, which somehow made the sight of it even more concerning. He leaned over the rim, peered inside, and recoiled.

"Okay, what the hell is that? Do either of you know how to cook?" He gave Corel and Meris a scathing side-eye. What the hell were they making in his kitchen?

"It's a common Volduran dish," Corel said, though her voice lacked the confidence she'd had earlier. She frowned into the pot.

"But I think we missed a step. Meris… It's not supposed to look like that." Meris took control of the massive wooden spoon and stirred with renewed determination.

"It just needs more mixing. And more herbs. And…" She paused.

"Did we forget the meat?" Even Esha eyed the bubbling contents warily.

"I don't think I'm hungry," she mumbled.

"Me either," Tevenny added, her yellow skin paling as she took a step back. Corel slumped forward, shoulders sagging.

"I wanted to surprise you." Joe softened and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"And I appreciate the gesture. It's the thought that counts."

"Not if it kills you," Esha said a little too loudly.

"Uggghh," Corel groaned, dropping her spoon onto the counter in surrender. Joe chuckled.

"How about a change of venue. I know an excellent cake shop in Heliopolis. It will also give us a chance to discuss my plan."

"Plan? What are you planning?" Tevenny asked as she foolishly dipped a finger into the pot and tasted it. She regretted the decision instantly, gagging as her complexion shifted another alarming shade.

"Oh, system, why did I do that?"

"My plan," Joe said as they began to file out.

"Since this is the last Star Shard competition, I was thinking… Maybe we don't do it solo this time. I tried that already. Didn't exactly end well. Bigger group, better odds, right?" Silence followed. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Esha gasped dramatically.

"The farmer asking for our help?" All eyes turned to Joe, wide and incredulous, as if he'd just announced he planned to grow wings.

"What?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Is it that surprising?" They continued to stare.

"Okay, now you're just being mean." Corel smiled sweetly and reached up to pat his head. Once. Then again.

"Dammit," Joe muttered as they made their way toward Heliopolis, enduring a chorus of affectionate head pats the entire walk.

"So what do you think?" Joe asked around a mouthful of chocolate cake he'd completely failed to resist. His eyebrows danced as the rich flavour melted on his tongue, and he let out a satisfied hum.

"That…" Esha began.

"Might be…" Gao cut in, tilting her head.

"The dumbest plan I have ever heard," Alice finished without mercy. Joe's grin only widened.

"Ever heard… yet!" He turned toward Corel.

"I think it might work," Corel said, barely holding in her laughter.

"Okay. Someone grab Corel," Esha announced gravely.

"She's been spending too much time around the idiot. It's clearly contagious."

"Hey!" Joe protested.

"It's a good idea. Just sleep on it, okay?" The collective eye roll that followed was so synchronized it was almost impressive. It took Joe a solid hour of arguing, bribing, rephrasing, and enthusiastic gesturing to wear them down, but eventually, against all odds, they agreed. If they made it through the lottery, they would help him chase down the final Star Shard his way.

"So," Esha said, tapping a fork against her plate, "one of us gets to keep the Star Shard itself? You only want the array?" Joe nodded.

"That's right."

"And one hundred thousand credits?" she added casually, having already doubled her original demand. Joe chuckled.

"Yes. One hundred thousand credits. Each."

"Deal!" Esha said, extending her hand. Joe shook it, still smiling. With that, the plan was set. All that remained was the lottery and luck, deciding whether fate would even let them try. They still had a few weeks before the draw, so the competition was set aside for the night in favour of more cake, more tea, and significantly louder conversation. All in all, Joe counted it as a good day. He felt lighter than he had in a long time, even excited about what lay ahead.

Whatever happened next would shape the future of their world, and, somehow, that no longer felt like a burden he had to carry alone. Still, Joe had never been foolish enough to rely on a single path. So he quietly formed a plan B. If the lottery failed, he would enter every competition he could between now and then, grind relentlessly, and somehow amass the ten billion credits needed to buy an array outright. Just in case. Not that he planned to fail. But just in case.

And so began Joe's three months of hard work and nonstop grinding for credits. He joined race competitions and beast hunts. Animal finding. And even multiple battle royales. He won practically every competition he signed up for, mainly because it was so close to the end of the integration now. With only six worlds remaining, the top competitors no longer risked their lives for minor rewards. Everyone left was guaranteed a place in the Multiverse.

The only reasons to compete now were wealth, personal glory, or simple bloodlust. Joe fought many bounty hunters during this time, but now that he was past the bottleneck, he discovered something surprising. Fewer than one per cent of competitors had also broken through. As a result, he faced almost no real opposition. For the first time, he was regularly competing against beings lower level than himself. He also cleared numerous gates.

He even spent a full week harrying the undead armies still marching across his world. But despite all that, he never encountered the Horsemen again, nor the mysterious Apocalypse. The day of the lottery soon arrived. Everyone gathered in Joe's house and watched as the list of participants began to populate. Esha's name appeared first, followed by Corel, then Alice, and then Tevenny in quick succession. Joe started to get nervous as 1, 500 names rolled past and his own had yet to appear.

"Why didn't I get an automatic entry?" Joe complained for the fifth time.

"Was it like this for everyone else last time?" he asked, glancing around the room.

"I'm going to punch him," Esha announced. She stood up and punched Joe on the arm.

"Hey!" The lottery count climbed past 1, 900. Even Meris and Locke had gained entry. Sill no Gao. Still no Joe. The names continued to tick by as Joe started chewing on his nails. Ninety. Ninety-one. Ninety-two. Then finally, it appeared. Feormere. Entry number one thousand nine hundred and ninety-three. Joe let out a massive breath and slumped back in relief.

"Phew! Well, who wants a drink?" Joe pulled out ten bottles of wine and decided to drink his stress away. That night, Joe's bed shook as three unexpected visitors joined him and Corel. Two months later, Joe sat at the foot of Yggdrasil, a flower resting in one hand as he gently stroked the wooden statue of Veda.

"Well, old friend. This might be the last time we get to have a moment before things go completely haywire. I hope you're up there somewhere watching. Soon it will all be over, and this whole thing will be put to rest." He raised the flower toward the sky, then carefully laid it at the base of the statue.

"To old friends," he intoned, falling into a brief, respectful silence. When he finally turned to leave, Corel stood waiting for him. He smiled at the sight of her.

"To new friends and old, together," Joe whispered as they made their way back home. The day of the Star Shard competition arrived too quickly for some, and not quickly enough for others. Joe gave the list of entrants one final glance. A few names stood out. Travesty. Gale. Ark. Gaston. But no Kilch and none of the other top ten. As far as Joe was concerned, only two names mattered. Ark and Gaston. He had a score to settle with them, and they were about to learn just how much he had changed since their last meeting.

He was now level 190 in both classes and level 188 in his profession. So close to the peak that he could practically feel it. He had wanted to reach level 199 before the competition began, but even with nonstop battles and relentless grinding, the impossible remained impossible. Still, nine levels short was close enough. His stats were monstrous, and he had commissioned and purchased a slew of items to ensure his plan succeeded. This time, he would not be found wanting. Joe turned to the group gathered around him.

"Esha. Tevenny. Alice. Corel. Are you ladies ready?" They all nodded, confidence rolling off them in waves. They were ready. Joe smiled.

"To a smooth and triumphant return! Ooorah!"

"Ooorah!!" They echoed. The five of them vanished, and the final Star Shard competition began.