It took another five minutes of deciphering her speech, but finally, Alan was able to fully understand the Naga.
Su'ong looked to Alan ponderously while gesturing at his Statistics. Once he understood that she was pointing to the (G) next to his race, he could relate with her perplexity. He quickly explained what little he knew of the situation surrounding the inordinately pathetic Evolutionary Stage of Humans on Terra-764 upon the Systems initialization.
"Well as the story I grew up hearing goes," Alan began, "the Humans of my Planet we're so obscenely weak that the System had to classify us as the nearly unheard-of Stage below (F). Not to mention that apparently Humanity in general sucks so much unwashed ass that the System itself tried to annihilate us. A ten year System ban was issued to all of the Humans on the planet. And everything quickly went to shit."
By the time he finished the explanation, Alan was staring at the floor in embarrassment.
"This is...actually very..news." Su'ong replied firmly. Though her tone left no room for questions, Alan of course, had many.
Remarkable! Your Skill(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] has grown to Level 9!
Remarkable! Your Skill(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] has grown to Level 10! +1 Free Status Point!
Caution! Your Skill (C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] is prepared for Skill Evolution!
Proceed with Skill Evolution? Yes/No
Silently, Alan mentally selected No as he listened on with rapt attention. Though Skill Evolution sounded nice, for now at least, he was satisfied with just being able to understand the Naga.
"You should be able to Evolve whenever you want, yes? But this is an almost unheard of opportunity!" With an eagerness bordering on madness shining in her eyes, Su'ong continued.
"At lower Evolutionary Stages, sentient beings are much more malleable." She explained, "Exposed as you currently are to such rampant levels of ambient Mana, and unrefined Ether, as well as the experience you are gaining through battle, your entire body and soul are being remade and empowered at the cellular, and the sub-cellular level."
With a stunned look, Alan slowly raised his hand. His newfound companion's detailed explanation had left him with more questions than answers. In response, she held a single finger to her robust, pouty lips while scrunching up her face. As if to tell him to 'Shut up'.
After waiting for Alan to lower his raised hand, she took a deep breath and returned to speaking.
"Yes, I meant what I said. You are being changed at a level that is more fundamental than the cellular level. Cells themselves are MADE of the Ether. All you need to understand for now is that EVERYTHING is born Of the Ether. And upon death, and for the truly unlucky, sometimes even before that, we will ALL return to the Ether."
With at least 20 questions about that statement alone, Alan raised his hand again. Unfortunately the look on her face suddenly got so serious that he dropped his arm, averting his eyes from her irate glare.
"Alan, question time is over." She calmly stated, as if having found herself dealing with an unruly child.
"Where was I? Right now, you are like a caterpillar, eating everything in sight in preparation for entering your cocoon. For normal races, that cocoon-like stage is birth, as we are born already at least at the (F-Stage). So while on paper it might seem like an advantage to be born already Evolved and ready to receive a Class, for rare outliers such as yourself, it could actually be seen as a detriment."
"At this very moment, you already have higher Base Stats than any member of my race is born with." She raised her eyebrows in emphasis
"If you continue on your current path, you could potentially increase your base Stats beyond what is thought possible for the (F-Stage) while you're still ranked as a (G-Stage) entity. And it gets even BETTER! With each beast you've defeated, you have actually been receiving more experience than someone of a higher evolutionary Stage. Your body requires far less energy to Level, AND," She paused, seemingly collecting her thoughts.
"You should receive more Experience per kill. How much Experience do you receive from defeating a Level 7 Flan?“ She questioned. Alan pulled up his Kill Log and searched out the info she requested.
“Umm it looks like I received 512 Experience for each one,” Alan replied, curious as to where this line of questioning was leading.
“And how about the level 8 Flans?“ She asked.
The way she looked at Alan made him uncomfortable. As if he were nothing more to her than a science experiment. Which he had to seriously consider might be the truth of the matter. “1024.“ He blurted out.
“Ok, so just as an example,” Su'ong continued her lecture, “ I receive 51 and 102 Experience respectively. So, at the (F-Stage) I am receiving 10 percent of the experience that you do while still ranked (G-Stage). For killing the EXACT SAME beasts.“ She glanced warily around the room, as if worried someone was listening in. Seemingly satisfied, she spoke up once again.
“So,” she said, “you are receiving more Free Status Points with each level, right? Alan nodded, now fully tuned in to her words.
“You see, as you gain experience points, which of course could also be considered as a beings life-force, or their Essence, your body absorbs that energy, storing it in your cells. Upon reaching a certain threshold, you gain a Level. Each Level increases the amount of energy your cells can hold. For beings like myself with a Class, there's a limit to how much energy our cells are able to absorb because Classes also require experience energy to Level. Are you following me so far? She asked with a look that dared Alan to say no.
He nodded quickly, and after a careful study of his features, she continued.
“Because you don't have a class greedily absorbing half of the experience you gain, your body is able to consume 100% of the energy. So, with each additional Level, your body can absorb more energy. And WHEN you level, that stored energy in your cells is converted into Unallocated Status Points. Each Level allows you to store more energy, so it goes without saying that each Level provides you with more Unallocated Status Points than the previous level.“ She paused to gather up her thoughts.
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“Now, Each Evolutionary Stage has a Stat and Level Cap that limits the amount of raw Stats you can have in that Stage. Because too much power could potentially destroy an under-evolved body. This Cap is different for each individual, but is generally thought to be similar between members of the same Race. This Cap is usually determined by the amount of base Stats an individual is born with."
Alan stepped back a few paces, fearing he might be accidentally struck across the head by the snake-woman as she animatedly swung her arms around. Caught up in her lecture, Su'ong started gesturing wildly, as the flow of information pouring freely from her mouth only seemed to get faster and more intricate.
He struggled to keep up with all the knowledge flooding into his already overwhelmed brain. Every time Alan paused to contemplate the particulars of a juicy kernel of data, Su'ong had already rattled-off five more increasingly important facts.
Hoping to absorb as much of her wisdom as possible, Alan tried his best to quiet his mind and concentrate on her hastily delivered lesson.
"The higher the base stats at birth, the higher the Stat cap." She said with a serious look. "We are Born with these limitations already ingrained deeply within us you understand? It's thought to be determined by a mixture of parental genetics with a dash of genetic lottery thrown in for good measure, and while I am unsure of the exact details, what I do know for sure is this."
Su'ong casually tossed her long ponytail over her shoulder and gave Alan a pointed stare to ensure he was paying attention. Alan nodded his head, anxious to hear more. Not one to disappoint a captive audience, she continued giving her passionate speech.
"Evolutionarily speaking, right now you are technically an embryo, still developing within the womb. You have not yet received a Stat Cap, though because your body is still below the baseline threshold, your Stats won't be able to take their full effect while you remain in the (G-Stage). The potential for your growth is possibly limitless. The amount you raise your Stats while still in the (G-Stage) will Directly affect your Stat Cap in EVERY SINGLE Evolutionary Stage that follows.You could theoretically raise your Cap so high that you would never even be able to reach it in your wildest dreams. And thus would never be limited in your growth while attempting to Evolve." Another pause for breath.
"Sometimes a single Evolution can take decades, or even centuries of preparation. Now imagine you are right at the cusp of Evolution. All that you need is one final little push to get you across the finish line. However, that little push is going to take twenty-five years and you are already at your Stat Limit. This ultimately would mean that for the next Twenty-five years, EVERY SINGLE Level you gain, Title you Aquire, or Treasure you consume will provide NO BENEFITS to your Stats. They are gone, lost, wasted. Think closely on my words young Alan Robbins of Terra, I feel that in the future, should you survive, you would thank me greatly for the vast increase to the stability of your foundation."
Remarkable! Your Skill(C)[Multiversal language comprehension] has grown to Level 11! +1 Free Status Point!
CAUTION! Your Skill (C)[Multiversal language comprehension] is still prepared for Skill Evolution!
Proceed with Skill Evolution? Yes/No
Another Free Status Point huh? Maybe holding off on Skill Evolution isn't such a bad idea...
Alan hurriedly chose No. Frankly, he couldn't spare the attention. He was still busy absorbing the vast amount of information Su'ong had just freely provided him. Alan soon came to the conclusion that he should probably offer her something in return, although he was completely unsure what to give her.
What do girls even like?! Alan wondered.
Clueless, Alan stammered out a quick "Thank you" as he mentally rummaged through his Inventory tab in a desperate search for a fitting gift. Aside from ruined old armor and random odds and ends, Alan looked to his recently acquired System rewards, hopeful that something would stand out.
Come on man, there's gotta be SOMETHING in here! I'll definitely give her my extra canteen, but there's got to be something better...
As he neared the end of his inventory list, Alan located his newest loot. Five (E-Stage) Mana Crystals.
He noted that each of the crystals had a different attunement. In all he now owned a Fire, Earth, Ice, Nature, and Lightning attuned Mana Crystal. He called the Earth attuned crystal from inventory and peered at it. To his eyes, it looked like a fist-sized clump of shiny mud compressed into the shape of an egg. Unimpressed to say the least, Alan activated [Mana Perception].
Remarkable! Your Skill (C)[Mana Perception] has grown to Level 6!
The sheer density of Mana contained within the stone was nearly blinding. It almost felt like his mind was being hit with a constant physical blow laced with the scent of freshly churned soil. Alan immediately cut off his [Mana Perception] and instead activated [Examine].
Remarkable! Your Skill (B)[Examine] has grown to Level 7!
...
Remarkable! Your Skill (B)[Examine] has grown to Level 8!
(E-Stage) Mana Crystal (Earth)- Pure Earth Mana condensed over countless millennia into a physical stone. Used in the crafting of magic weapons and armor, has many uses to practitioners of Mana Cultivation and Alchemy, as well as a highly prized catalyst in Skill, Spell and Technique Evolution. Can be sold at a premium.
What was that all about?! Alan thought, the unexpected two Level increase leaving him confused. Is it because its a higher Tier item? Well, whatever it was, at least it finally improved the quality of the description...
When he had briefly glossed over Su'ong's Statistics, Alan happened to notice that her Beast core was Earth and Water attuned. But for some unknown reason, her Water attunement was sealed by something called the Dungeon Master. In hopes that she would find it useful, and not at all due to his cluelessness as to the real-world applications of these crystals in general, Alan decided to gift his new companion with his extra Self-refilling water canteen and the Earth attuned Mana Crystal.
" I have So many questions." Alan pondered aloud. Although put on the spot, for the life of him he couldn't think of a single one of his many unanswered questions. But he did have one pressing concern currently poking his brain with a stick.
"Umm...what exactly is the Dungeon Master?" Alan asked, his concerns outweighing the annoyance he briefly saw flash across Suong's face.
"I will be more than happy to answer any and all of your questions, except for that one. It is ALWAYS watching." The moment the words left her lips, she winced as if in sudden pain. "But...first, help me get out of this dungeon. I've been trapped in this abhorrent place for years."
"YEARS!?!" Alan recognized he'd begun yelling and clamped his hand over his mouth. Su'ong rolled her eyes in response, and asked if Alan had any water. He handed over his spare canteen and was left amazed when the seemingly insatiable Naga drank for several minutes without stopping for a single breath.
"Shall we proceed?" Su'ong asked as she slithered across the room, stopping in front of the creepy obsidian door. "I can't open this door Alan, as the current Dungeon Quest holder, it has to be you." She attempted to hand Alan his canteen, but he only shook his head before holding out the Mana Crystal in his hand.
"I'm still new to the whole 'System' thing, so I'm basically clueless. I really appreciate the information, and any help you're willing to offer. In return, I promise to do my best to get us out of here. And I'd like you to keep that canteen, as well as this crystal thing. Although I'd be lying if I said I knew what to do with it anyways." As he finished his promise, Alan felt a strange tightening in his chest as something within him seemed to lock into place.
Suddenly reminded of his stupid (System Oath-Quest), Alan tried to grip his chest in confusion, but ended up cracking himself in the sternum with the fist-sized brown Crystal that was still clasped tightly within his grasp. The random outburst prompted a sad smile to cross Su'ong's lips. She closed her eyes and with a slight shake of her head she started offering an explanation for his current discomfort.
"The feeling in your chest is your Oath being bound into place by the System. If it were a mutual agreement, the pressure would be shared between both parties, alleviating some of the discomfort. But as you so flippantly gave your word freely, the entire burden must be borne by you alone. The System takes freely given promises VERY seriously. Sometimes, depending on the situation, they may even come with mandatory Oath-Quests. So I would advise against making any promises you don't intend to keep.. Or any further promises in general."
"While I have never heard of anyone not being rewarded for keeping their word, it is no secret that the System punishes oath-breakers with a severity equal to the oath that was broken. You are now Oath-bound to help me...so I hope you weren't. With a sharp intake of air, Su'ong suddenly fell silent. Her eyes flicked from Alan's face to his outstretched hand and back again.
As her gaze finally settled on the stone in Alan's hand, Su'ong once again inhaled sharply as if in pain and hesitantly reached towards the offered Mana Crystal.
"You truly have no idea what you are so casually holding on to do you? Although wondrous, I really can't accept this gift Alan, it is far, far too valuable."
Her extended hand paused midway on it's way to the Mana Crystal, trembling violently as if the restraint required to keep from snatching the valuable item was almost more than she was able to bear.
With a mental command, Alan withdrew the other four Mana Crystals from his Storage Ring and allowed them, along with the shard already within his hand to tumble to the hard, stone floor.
"These things mean nothing to me Su'ong." He said, "I don't even rightly know what in any of the Nine Hells they're used for. Think of it as your part of the System Reward. You did destroy the final Golem after all." Alan stated confidently, although he winced internally at the high-pitched clinks emitted as the Crystals hit the floor and bounced off.
"Are you going to make me stomp on them?" Alan demanded as he lifted his leg up menacingly to hover above his vulnerable treasures lying on the floor. "Or will you play nice and just accept my gift? Oof..."
Quick as the wind, Su'ong lashed her tail out, striking him roughly in the midsection, knocking him back several steps.