Have you ever had a moment when your brain seemed to slow to a halt? Or what about that time I copied the cliff notes into my essay because I procrastinated too long? That didn’t end well. I feel like my brain is more fogged than usual. I understand cognitively, but I can’t get past the haze.
Jordan’s Journal Entry after a week of taking the new medication and battling its side effects.
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As Ian and I worked our way back to the Temporal Gate entrance point, I split my focus and decided to check out the notifications my AI, Skit, was tempting me to read.
Please show me the most critical notifications in an easy-to-read summary.
Core Formation Complete
Core - Source-Body Core Formed
Core - Physical-Body Core Formed
Core Synergy Fusion Complete - Physical and Source Core Fusion
Core Aspecting Complete
Please give me more details on the Core and Aspecting.
Here is a summary of multiple notifications in a more digestible form.
Composed Hunger Core Background, Detail, and Conversions:
Core Origin and Focus:
Hunger rages with great power through your core. You desire, crave, and consume, yet that power is held in check by your opposing powerful desire for control, balance, and strength-which will not be ruled.
Your tempered balance grants more significant control over the forces at your disposal; with time, you will find synergies between them.
Advance your cultivation to increase synergy and the amplification of powers.
“There is no need for control in the absence of desire, but immense cravings are mastered with a composed temper,” Quote - Sage of the Peaceful Devourer.
Explanation of Abilities:
New Skill: Hunger Conversion.
-You now harness the power of Hunger Conversion.
-You now can gather directly from the Hunger Origin of the Bonds level of Source.
- Additionally, you can now convert all forms of Arc and Zan gathered from the Bonds level to create or construct.
The conversion rate is 0.001 Bonds level (6th level based on conversion tiers) unit of Arc or Zan to 1,000 Physical units (or 1 Bonds to 1,000,000 Physical units).
Wait! This is a lot. What are the levels of Source again, and what is this about the conversions? I mentally yelled for Skit to show me more detail.
Background Conversion Chart:
Base - 1st Level of Source (1 base unit to 10 Physical units)
Land - 2nd Level of Source Broken into three subcategories
A. Field (1 Field unit to 100 Physical units) B. Kingdom (1 Kingdom to 1,000 Physical units)
C. Affinity (1 Affinity to 10,000 Physical units)
Empires - 3 Major level of Source (1 Empire unit to 100,000 Physical units) Bonds - 4th Major Level of Source (1 Bonds unit to 1,000,000 Physical units)
Current Core Pool of Source:
50,000 Physical Units or 0.05 Bonds Units
Skit’s Commentary:
For reference, your first sword took roughly 500 Base units to create. Your core increased your capacity by about 100 times, and your connection to the Hunger in Bonds level adds much more purified and condensed Source building blocks for you to work with.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Core gathering rate and capacity will increase with increases in cultivation.
The following recommended step is to develop nodes and connect them with your core through meridians.
Now, when cultivating and gathering, you fill your core exclusively with Bonds level Arc or Zan.
Your core is System recognized as having the aspect - Composed Hunger.
The known benefits to your core aspect are improvements when forming external Source Constructs like your original sword.
Any future constructs will have increased density, durability, and longevity.
We will need to uncover other benefits that are not listed in your notifications. I can speculate, but it will be necessary to experiment.
In summary, you have a powerful new Core with a direct feed of better Source material.
It would help if you learned to construct with your new source material, increase your core capacity, form nodes, and then meridians.
You have a lot to do, and that’s just considering your cultivation. We haven’t even begun to mention your class or how your Zancara abilities will interact with everything you’ve already experienced. Your Source projections you shot out from your weapons will also be more powerful.
It’s pretty exciting.
I received the information from Skit, which was more akin to a massive download on a computer, but my conscience took more time to consider the data dump. I may have only taken a few steps, but I nearly tripped while thinking about everything I had just learned. Learning massive amounts of data is not the same as grasping it immediately. The notifications were technical and confusing, but I got the general idea. Despite getting all of the info nearly instantly, I realized my face was one of bewilderment.
At that moment, Ian looked back, sensing my distraction and a change in my cadence.
“You alright?” He inquired. “We should be there soon.”
“Yeah, I’m still processing what happened. What did you think of my first delve with you? And what are you going to tell the Instructor?” I asked, keeping my notification details to myself.
“Well, you kept things interesting. I will need to tell Instructor Gamble everything. I can’t leave out anything from my observations. Is there something else I should know? Or something you want to be added to that report?” Ian spoke over his shoulder, not slowing down or looking where he was going.
“No, you saw what I did,” I responded, trying to keep my secrets for now.
Ian nodded and grunted his understanding, and we returned to our silent run.
We returned to the portal and found many classmates loitering and quietly conversing. Instructor Gamble was seated in a relaxed pose, appearing to be in meditation, probably the reason behind the crowd’s reserved mood. Whether from respect or intimidation, I couldn’t tell, but the Instructor was giving off some strong Source vibes—like an aura of “don’t talk to me or risk getting smacked.”
As we approached and slowed down, I saw the Instructor hop to his feet, eyes locked on me.
“Now that we are all back let’s return through the portal,” our instructor ordered, not taking his eyes off me. He turned his head, and reluctantly, his eyes left me and took in everyone else.
“Class, you have 15 minutes to get cleaned up and out of the locker rooms. Understood?” He directed without yelling but in a way that left no room for discussion. Everyone, including me, began to move quickly to leave.
“Except for you two,” he spoke in a quieter tone, but there was a hint of warning as he pointed to Ian and me. The entire class turned to see the objects of the instructor’s scrutiny. But they didn’t pause when exiting the TG in a single file.
After 30 seconds, we were the only three left on this side of the TG portal.
“Why is it that my assistant and his charge are the last to return?”
“Permission to provide a full report,” Ian snapped to attention as he spoke. “Also, to do so privately.”
I mirrored Ian’s attention stance but broke the imitation to look over at Ian. Why is he excluding me from hearing his report? I couldn’t help but wonder what he might say. I barely understood half of what happened in our delve. There was a lot I could gain from a debrief.
“Jordan, exit and wait on the other side of the portal. I’ll be there shortly,” Gamble more calmly directed.
I jogged over and left through the portal. I found the room empty, and I considered meditating for a moment to look over my core and plan out what node I could form first. But before I could take five steps or think where to sit to meditate, my delve partner and instructor Gamble both exited behind me.
Oh yeah, the time dilation! I had forgotten we’d spent a long time inside, nearly a day, but only an hour or so passed in real-world time—something I will need to get used to.
Ian walked past me and offered a silent smile. Gamble came to stand before me but waited for Ian to leave.
“Your Instructor’s Assistant, Ian, filled me in on the delve. You had quite the first class. Essential items of note: You went to a temple, used an Arc sword projection while fighting, fought some enemies supposedly beyond your level, including a temple guardian, touched an altar, formed a core, and then had an uneventful return to the exit.“
“Anything else you want to add to that summation?” He kept a passive expression till the end when he raised his eyebrows as his invitation to respond.
“No, sir. That is an accurate description,” I maintained my posture and kept my answers short.
Gamble stood there silently, expecting, but I didn’t add to his summary. He finally broke his intimidating stare.
“Fine, keep your secrets. It’s clear your core formation was not normal, and I want to know what happened from your viewpoint, but I won’t demand you reveal something I don’t have the right to force out of you.”
“That being said,” he continued, “You now have additional homework. Between now and the next class, I want you to focus on integrating your physical combat and sword fighting with your new ability to project Source strikes. Don’t use any of those strikes to spar with others until I direct otherwise. Additionally, you should talk to Eld about cultivation and the known progression. Do you understand?”
I nodded once sharply in agreement.
“Summarize,” he directed.
“Integrate the Source strikes with my fighting and sword fighting, talk to Eld about cultivation progression, and don’t use the Source strikes in sparring.” I summarized rapidly. Honestly, I’m a little surprised at my summary. My mental capacity and processing were no longer the stuff of a teenager’s brain. I had literal nanotech and system shenanigans, which made me more intelligent and cognitively capable. They were still my thoughts, but they felt sharper.
“That is all, get to your next class. You’ll be late, but I’ll communicate so they know to expect you soon. So don’t take too long cleaning up.” I thanked him and walked toward my locker.
I’ve got some communications coming in for you.
That’s fine, but what’s my next class? I questioned Skit. While I opened my locker, looking for a towel so I could shower, I thought through everything from my delve, noticing the dirt and grime on the top of my arm and hands.
The rest of your day’s class schedule has been canceled. You have 15 minutes to present yourself at the main Administration building, about a 14-minute jog from here. And yes, they were alerted you received this alert, and no, they won’t allow you time to get cleaned up.
How did they know I got the message? Do they have read receipts on their communications?
No, I block read receipts, I figured you hated that sort of thing. But I sent a request back for additional time to get cleaned up. That request got an almost immediate denial.
So I can’t shower, change, or clean up at all? What happens if I ignore their urgency?
There are many possibilities, but based on this message being copied to Eld, I’m guessing it’s important and that you should already be headed out the door and turning left. I’ll give you the AR overlay showing where to go.
I grumbled but complied. I had been ready to start peeling off the battle-tested, dirt and grit-covered gear but instead turned and jogged out the way I’d entered. The locker room and gym were empty and silent save for my boots striking as I increased my pace to my next appointment.
There are massive benefits to having an intelligent, friendly, and helpful A.I. in my brain. Still, I find myself wanting to wrestle with my thoughts and not always have a conversation about them, so I mentally thanked Skit for the updates, help, and directions to the meeting and asked for some silence before this next meeting.