> Zeldritzon [Cycle 10] - Afternoon
> Current Location:
> [Crystal Shelter; Glades of the UvoSath Forest of the UvoSath Realm]
### Zeldritzon's System Penalties
Particle Acquisition from Defeated Zeozons:
Once a Zeozon exceeds 100 Units in power, the following penalties apply:
1. Depreciation for Defeated Zeozons with 1/2 Power:
* When a Zeozon defeats another with less than twice its power, it acquires 1/2 particles from the defeated Zeozon's accumulated particles.
* Example: A 100 Unit Zeozon defeating a 10 Unit Zeozon gains 1 Unit and then becomes 0.5 Units from Depreaciorl's Penalties, but due to the Rounds Rule, it still gains 1 APUnit.
* Example: A 100 Unit Zeozon defeating a 20 Unit Zeozon gains 2 Units, but due to Depreaciorl's Penalties, the victorious 100 Unit Zeozon only gains 1 APUnit.
* Example: A 100 Unit Zeozon defeating a 25 Unit Zeozon gains 2.5 Units, but due to Depreaciorl's Penalties and the Rounds Rule, the victorious 100 Unit Zeozon gains 3 APUnits.
2. Depreciation for Defeated Zeozons with 1/4 Power:
* When a Zeozon defeats and acquires particles from a Zeozon with 1/4 its power, it suffers a depreciation of 1/4 of the defeated creature's AP Units (accumulated particles units).
* Example: A 100 Unit Zeozon defeating a 15 Unit Zeozon gains 1.5 Units, but due to Depreaciorl's Penalties, the victorious 100 Unit Zeozon only gains .375 APUnits before being rounded up to 1 APUnit due to Rounds Rule.
3. Conquest Limits:
* A Zeozon can only conquer (siphon) a maximum of ten Zeozons per day (cycle) per Zeozon's evolution to prevent excessive power accumulation and encourage strategic planning, discouraging the monopolization of resources and excessive eradication. There are exceptions to this rule.
* Example: If a 100 APU Zeozon defeats ten opponents in a day, it must wait until the next day to conquer additional Zeozons. The Zeozons defeated thereafter will yield zero APUnits.
૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა
KiAera flipped to a page within GamaGen and continued reading. She was seated in front of the book, which lay flat on her lap.
| 'That's a basic rundown of the mechanics once more. Miss KiAera, what do you think?' | GamaGen asked.
KiAera replied, "Hmm... It sounds like a very balanced system." She glimpsed a page again. "By the way, who exactly is Depreaciorl? If it is indeed an entity."
| 'Ah, you've finally asked,' | replied the book. | 'Depreaciorl... you might consider this entity a former colleague or friend of mine. An adversary, perhaps. However, 'adversary' would be the most appropriate designation of Depreaciorl.' |
GamaGen's statement perked KiAera's intrigue. "What exactly happened between the two of you?"
| 'It's a rather long tale, so I'll just give you the summary. In short, the two of us had been friends for a long time. However, as time passed, we began to develop different philosophies on the nature of existence. I believed that all entities should be able to exist harmoniously, whereas Depreaciorl believed that only the strong should survive and the weak should perish.' |
KiAera furrowed her brows. "I see..."
| 'As a result, we had a falling out and began to argue over this matter. Unfortunately, we were too evenly matched, so we decided to call off our conflict for the time being. We agreed to continue our discussion when we had more information to bring to the table. As a sign of our ceasefire, I granted Depreaciorl a special power that allowed him to influence the laws governing creatures. In turn, Depreaciorl granted me a special power that allowed me to affect the laws of reality.' |
"What powers did you both receive?" KiAera asked in disbelief.
| 'For me, Depreaciorl gave me the power to alter the rules that govern the natural world, and he received the power to influence the balance of power between all entities. Since then, we have remained in a stalemate, and I haven't heard from him since,' | explained GamaGen.
KiAera paused, thinking about the book's words.
"I see," she said after a moment. "I'm glad you told me about this. It sounds like it could have been quite a nasty conflict."
She paused, continuing with a smile. "I'm surprised you didn't take advantage of that," KiAera said, "since you're so smart and all."
GamaGen let out a deep chuckle.
| 'The thought had indeed crossed my mind,' | it replied, its tone amused. | 'However, I quickly realized that I did not wish for our friendship to end in such a manner. Besides, I respect Depreaciorl.' |
KiAera smiled at GamaGen. "I'm glad you made the right choice, GamaGen. It's better to avoid unnecessary conflict."
KiAera's mind turned to thoughts of the past, recalling the conflicts that had occurred on Earth before the machines attack on humankind.
She shook her head, pushing away those memories. "Anyway, I think I've grasped the basics now. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything to me, GamaGen. It's greatly appreciated."
| 'No problem, Miss KiAera. I'm happy to help,' | said the book.
KiAera continued reading the pages, which were filled with information about Zeldritzon's rules and mechanics. She was determined to learn as much as possible about her new world.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა
[Zeozon Language Proficiency] - TIER: Basic (50%) -> Basic (65%)
૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა
As she read, she noticed that there were several blank pages at the end of the book.
"GamaGen, why are these pages blank?" she asked, pointing to them.
| 'Ah, those pages are reserved for me to write down any additional information or rules that I deem necessary,' | explained GamaGen. | 'That would have been the case if I wasn't sealed within this book,' | the tome lamented.
"Well, it's not like you have anything else to do right now," said KiAera jokingly. "You can use those pages to write whatever you want. Maybe even some recipes."
| 'I'm sure I'll find plenty of ways to fill those pages, Miss KiAera,' | said GamaGen, sounding amused.
KiAera became curious as she grasped a quill, poised to write on one of the blank pages. Why was she so drawn to do so…
GamaGen twitched, perturbed, and immediately sealing himself shut before KiAera could jot anything.
| 'Miss KiAera, I feel it is my duty to warn you against that course of action. If you attempt to write on those pages, I'm afraid it will result in your demise.' |
"Demise, GamaGen?" she asked, confused. 'Why would writing on the pages result in my death?'
| 'Because the very nature of this world will not allow you to survive it. The process of creating a new law or rule would rip your very existence from existence entirely.' |
KiAera sat back in her seat, absorbing the book's words. "So, if I write a new law or rule, I'll cease to exist?" she asked incredulously.
| 'That's right. You would cease to exist,' | the book repeated, its voice solemn.
KiAera contemplated GamaGen's words, unsure what to make of them. On one hand, she knew that she could not create new rules or laws in this world; on the other hand, she never heard of such a ridiculous thing before.
"Got it..." she said after a moment, her voice thoughtful. "Thank you for telling me this, GamaGen. I appreciate your honesty."
She looked at the quill in her hand, then placed it down on the desk.
"I won't write anything on those pages anytime soon," she said with a smile.
| 'Allow me to be candid: Those blank pages are reserved for me to write down any additional information or rules that I deem necessary. I will have the liberty of adding and/or modifying any rules or laws you find within my pages. That is all,' | GamaGen said before the book promptly shut himself and floated away.
KiAera felt a tinge of embarrassment. "Sorry about that, GamaGen," she said with a small smile. "I guess I should've asked you before trying to write anything on those pages."
She stood up, stretching her arms above her head, before heading towards the Crystal Shelter's exit.
| 'You are not strong enough, Miss KiAera. You'll need to be much stronger before you can begin thinking about writing on these pages,' | said GamaGen in a chastising tone.
KiAera paused. "Not strong enough? How much more power do I need to obtain before I can write on those pages?" she asked.
| 'Billions of times your current power,' | the book replied.
KiAera's eyes widened in disbelief. "Billions of times? I don't think I'll ever have that much power," she said with a sigh. "But I guess I can always try to get there."
| 'Indeed, you can always try,' | said the book, its tone encouraging. | 'You have the potential to become incredibly powerful, Miss KiAera. You just need to work hard and persevere.' |
KiAera nodded resolutely. "I will do my best, GamaGen," she said. "I'm not going to give up."
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Seeking to gain some fresh air, KiAera opened the Crystal Shelter's door and stepped outside, the sun's radiance warming her furry, silver body. She gazed up at the blue sky, taking a deep breath of fresh air.
With a mental note, she thought about her companion's whereabouts: Amber remained in the Crystal Shelter, watching over the Liorex egg with GamaGen.
For the others, she recalled sending Saptal and Sapshorla out on crystal forage duties along with Big Osseod's team.
The two Sapkins were adamant about being helpful to KiAera—they also said something about the Crystal Shelter being too cramped and needing to stretch their roots, branches, and trunks. Last she saw them, they loomed taller than the Crystal Shelter itself after retaking their original forms.
That was to say, Saptal and Sapshorla were very fond of KiAera, and she had grown quite attached to them as well. She knew they would be safe with the Osseods; she trusted the monsters to look after one another while she remained stationed at the headquarters.
Similarly, the Plelepun begrudgingly went alone on its crystal forage after KiAera insisted that it go explore.
Kyrawl the Skyrawsoar had taken off to who knows where.
"Now, where should I go next?" KiAera wondered. She acknowledged she was one of the few who could explore into territories inhabited by Emergent class monsters. There was this one route that led to an area outside of the UvoSath.
She mused, 'I should go check on them and see how they're doing.'
'Let's check on the Sapkins and Osseods first—' Her [Insight] activated upon looking ahead.
໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა૮꒰⸝⸝★ ̫ <⸝⸝꒱ა
★ Zeozon Detected!
Creature: Dimetfern
Species: Dimetfern
★ Sobriquet: "Fern Flipper"
★ Descriptor: "Fern Sail Synapsid"
★ Evolution Stage: [Fledgling] (F)
★ Variant Grade: [Common]
★ Attribute Influence: [Plant] [Wind] [Relic]
★ Destruction Scale: [Localized]
★ Alignment: [Neutral] [Predator]
Accumulated Particles (APeX): [2501 Units]
໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა૮꒰⸝⸝★ ̫ <⸝⸝꒱ა
KiAera flinched when she saw a four-legged reptile emerge from the dense foliage.
It was a Dimetfern. It was larger than her, approximately two meters from nose to tail tip. Its body was covered in patterned, dark green scales—resembling a python's. Its back was adorned with a large, fern-like sail that resembled that of a Dimetrodon's.
The creature's head had a long, roundish snout, filled with sharp, tear-dropped teeth. Its eyes were black and beady, its gaze piercing.
KiAera felt a tinge of fear as the creature approached her. It let out a low hiss, its tail whipping through the air.
KiAera fell on her paws, taking upon a combat stance.
She was determined to defend herself against the Dimetfern.
The Dimetfern lunged at her with an open maw, its sharp teeth bared. KiAera barely managed to dodge the attack, her ears barely brushing past the creature's jaws.
She retaliated by launching her ears, both punching through the air like projectiles towards the Dimetfern, but it easily dodged them, its body moving like liquid.
Faster than it appeared, the Dimetfern pounced before incredulously performing a somersault, landing behind KiAera, then lunging forward again, its tail whipping around to knock her off her feet.
'I cannot afford to let my guard down against this one,' she thought, her rabbit-like legs propelling her above the Dimetfern. With the advantage of height, she aimed her ears downward, slashing at its head with her [Ear Slash].
The Dimetfern's scales were tough, however, and her ears only left shallow cuts on its head.
KiAera landed on the ground, her tail flame flaring. She launched another ear attack, her ear's edges sharpening as it spun towards the Dimetfern.
The creature, hissing in pain, blocked her attack with its sail, though it was slightly cut. Undeterred, the Dimetfern darted forward, leaping and spinning to unleash several razor-sharp discs made of air.
The discs flew towards KiAera, cutting through the air like blades. KiAera quickly moved to dodge them, but one managed to graze her cheek, causing her to wince in pain.
Accordingly, her ears ignited, ablaze with blue and black flames. She poised herself to strike the Dimetfern with her ear-like fists.
★ [Ignite] - Fire - TECH: 3 > TECH: 4
★ [Spectral Flame] - Phantom - TECH: 14 > TECH: 15
The Dimetfern suddenly became still, its reptilian gaze piercing KiAera. It then spoke, its voice deep and raspy.
"Merecritt," it said. "Dimetfern yield."
KiAera paused, her ears ceasing their flames. "You yield?" she asked, surprised.
The Dimetfern nodded. "Yes, I yield," it replied. "Dimetfern surrender. Merecritt superior. Dimetfern yield."
KiAera breathed a sigh of relief, her ears becoming droopy. "I'm glad we can come to an understanding," she said, smiling slightly. "I didn't want to hurt you."
She gestured her paw out. "Want to join my crew?"