Chapter 2: Scholar
Golden Wizard Tower Dungeon, Demon Continent, Not Earth Y5803
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| +1 Authority |
Yosef grit his imaginary teeth in frustration. Over the last three days, there has not been a single pleasant thought that passed through his mind. Especially at the start of each day, Yosef would become particularly aggravated. While he had no one to blame for wasting more than a year's accumulation of authority in a single day, he felt that the daily notification was making a mockery of him.
'Status!'
| Status |
| Dungeon Core, Yosef | | Level: 1 |
| Title: Scholar (Activation Pending) |
| Achievement Rating: 4 |
| Authority: 3/1000 | | +1 Authority / Day |
However, Yosef had not completely wasted the past three days in idle boredom. He used the time to organize his thoughts and become familiar with his new circumstances. The more he investigated, the more convoluted he felt his existence had become.
First and most significant of all, he was no longer a human. He had become acutely aware of how this had affected his psyche in recent days. It was as if someone had removed invisible shackles on his mind. He no longer felt any compulsion to sympathize with the human plight, as strange as that sounds, and all types of sexual desires he had hidden deep within his heart no longer tied him down. The disappearance of his sex drive had greatly surprised Yosef, as he hadn't even laid eyes on the opposite sex for a few centuries. It remains a confusing subject that he had become scared to address even within the confines of his mind.
Second, Yosef found that he had more control over his domain than he initally thought. The simple three-part tower composed of a bedroom and accompanying washroom on the ground floor, a spiral staircase, and a laboratory that doubled as a kitchen on the top floor had undergone a few changes. The ground floor became an empty reception hall twenty meters in diameter. The staircase now wrapped tightly around the walls, and the main room where his phylactery lay was now devoid of all his old belongings that used to gather dust. Only ten tiny purple slimes clung to the walls like molasses. As long as Yosef could focus hard enough on what he wanted to move or remove, he could slowly succeed. He just couldn't create anything new.
Thirdly, Yosef determined that as a dungeon core, he still had lots of room to grow and improve. The most telling sign of this was the glaring 'level 1' in his status. By rereading the notifications he had received, it was easy to determine the course of his action he had to take if he wanted to continue advancing.
| Dungeon Core |
| Level 1 Administrative Race |
| Responsible for accelerating the growth of Good Factions |
| Dungeon Cores should focus on accumulating Achievement Rating using Creation |
These two notifications, in particular, were the most telling in where Yosef had to focus. Presumably, if he can accelerate the growth of good factions, he can level up. This seemed rather self-explanatory. Also, achievement rating can be gained using his creation skill. Of course, Yosef was only hypothesizing. While he still doesn't understand the use of achievement ratings, Yosef was prepared to hoard every single point until the end of time. The trauma of wasting more than a year of authority left him extremely wary of losing his even more valuable achievement rating.
The third and final conclusion Yosef arrived at in his contemplation concerned his title, scholar. The point is that the title is an amazing boon. Or it was going to be.
'Activate scholar title!'
| Scholar Title Activated |
| -3 Achievement Rating |
'Ack!'
Not even an hour after he swore never to spend his achievement ratings, the system snatched three from right under his nose.
'MOTHERF-'
| CERN Library Received |
| The European Laboratory for Particle Physics is a research organization that conquered the planet Earth using its superior scientific knowledge |
| Scholars sacrifice everything to pursue enlightenment in all fields of study! As a scholar, how can you only know magic and not science? |
| Transfer of CERN's public records complete |
. . .
The passage of time is relentless. When Yosef anchored his soul to a rock, he had vastly underestimated how long he would spend locked up in his tower, blind to the outside world. Of course, he also thought that he would be able to solve this issue with magic. Yosef reasoned that the meeting between such a vast collection of alien records and his own boring existence must have been the machinations of fate.
When the library first appeared in his wizard tower, Yosef had been doubtful at whether a had really gained a library or not. Surrounding his phylactery appeared twenty-two prismatic marbles that all could have been comfortably held in the palm of a hand. But when Yosef's consciousness probed into a marble, he was akin to Alice falling through the rabbit hole. A hundred-million records were at the cusp of his mind, an amount of information that made his soul feel like an insect beneath a dragon. Everything had been written in a language that he had never seen before, and in fields of study he didn't know existed.
There was a vast sea of knowledge before him, but he couldn't figure out how to open a single book. It took half a year before Yosef could open the first record correctly, just to discover an incomprehensible alien language. Three years after that, he could claim to have gained a general command over the language. His first attempts to decipher the thirty-six alphanumeric characters and endless punctuation had left him flustered, but diligence pays dividends. It took five years before Yosef had a rough idea of how the records were organized between the twenty-two marbles, and another ten years to grasp onto the fundamental theories presented within.
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In those ten years of study, the first year was toughest. The dogma that had been engrained in his soul since his childhood acted as an inhibitor to his expanding worldview, and it wasn't until he had personally tested out some of the experiments that he believed them true. Regardless of math, natural science, physics, or philosophy, the more Yosef read, the more enraptured he became.
Possessing the soul of an archmage and the raw processing power of a dungeon core, it is no surprise that Yosef could read an entire textbook on any given subject in a day. Yosef read through anywhere between one to three records each day, every day, for an entire decade. While a mere six thousand records might seem like just a drop in the bucket compared to the 2.2 billion records in his possession, it is still far more knowledge than could ever be utilized in a normal person's short lifespan. It wouldn't be wrong to call his learning speed monstrous.
| +1 Authority |
'Oh, it's full again. Status.' Yosef paused in thought for a moment before confirming with his status.
| Status |
| Dungeon Core, Yosef | | Level: 1 |
| Title: Scholar |
| Achievement Rating: 1 |
| Authority: 1000/1000 | | +1 Authority / Day |
Yosef couldn't help but admonish his past self for getting all worked up at the loss of a few points. His creation ability wasn't as appealing as it had been when he first got it. Creating life was about the same as asking for a miracle, and it isn't worth wasting points attempting to. Now, he just spends the full amount all at once to experiment with. This was the most efficient way as the ability wouldn't get cut off after a mere fifteen seconds. As it takes about three years to accumulate a thousand authority, Yosef has been planning how he would use these points for a long time.
Six years ago, he used his points to expand his tower upward and outward. He left the outside simple in shape but added five floors between his chamber and the ground. Black tile was seamlessly set in, and the yellow limestone used previously had all been replaced with a dark gold alloy known for its durability. A single red silk banner with his old sigil fluttered from the arched window on the top floor. The lack of an entrance only added to the tower's mystique.
After that, three years ago, Yosef created a few dozen experiments to prove the theories provided in the records. In particular, he had a fully functioning fusion reactor churning out terrifying amounts of electricity on the sixth floor that he was very proud of. Who else can boast that they created a fusion reactor in under a minute? Granted, he was provided multiple with blueprints and had spent three months learning the science behind how it functioned, but nonetheless! Sustainable electricity!
The only depressing part of the last decade was his lack of a clear goal. Just what exactly was he supposed to be working towards? For now, Yosef would only focus on becoming a dungeon. He is a dungeon core, for fuck's sake! And he will not settle for just being any regular dungeon either! He wanted to level up, and the only clue provided to him in this effect is to 'advance good factions.'
In short...
Step 1: Create the necessary tools that will be used to produce heroes.
Step 2: Lure an unsuspecting mercenary into the tower.
Step 3: Transform them into an unrivaled hero, thus advancing their race.
Step 3: Level up!
After meditating for two hours to calm his mind, Yosef shouted out with no hesitation, 'Using all my authority! Creation!'
| Creation Request Granted |
| 150 Seconds Remaining |
| -1000 Authority |
Huuuuummmm!!
Powerful vibrations resonated through the walls indicating that Yosef had immediately got working. Intricate machinery popped up out of nowhere and weaved together in unimaginably complex sequences.
'Mega Hadron Collider!'
'Quantum Compensator!'
'Dimensional Stabilizer!'
'Hidden Trebuchet!'
'Psychic Transmitter!'
'Subatomic Cooling System!'
| Creation Limit Reached |
'It is a success! Ha ha ha! I even had time for the trebuchet!'
Yosef couldn't help but sigh emotionally at the whirlwind of activity on the fifth floor. This was the technology that allowed CERN to take over that distant planet Earth. The Time Leap Machine!
[A/N: Yeah, I stole it from steins;gate. Whatcha gonna do about it? For those curious, the 'theory' is that a Large Hadron Collider creates a Kerr black hole. Using the Kerr black hole, you compress someone's memories into a few bytes of information. You can then send those bytes to the past where that person will recover their memories of what happens in the future. Hence, your mind 'leaps' back in time.]
How was Yosef planning on producing heroes? With an advanced training regime and futuristic body modifications? Gundams? Fuck no! He was going let them experience years of actual combat against impossibly strong foes while only a day passes for everyone else! It really is the perfect strategy!
Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! Beep! Beep! Beep!
'Hmph, not bad! The fusion generator is now directly powering the time leap machine. Everything is working exactly as described in the records! Of course, there is no need to test such a strange device on this handsome Daddy. Nope. Immortals live forever, so there's no point in playing with the past.' Yosef would never admit that he was rather apprehensive about using the technology on himself. It is safe! For others!
'I don't even have a brain in the first place! How is it possible for it to read my thoughts? Tsk.'
'Alright, there is no time like the present! On to phase two of the plan! Luring a hero into my tower... This should be very easy, no?'
'...'
It wasn't long before Yosef remembered that he was in the middle of the Demon Continent. Hidden deep in a valley and surrounded by mountains on all sides... And the only people who knew where he lived were archmages... Who were in the middle of fighting a war... And even if they weren't fighting a war, Yosef could only see what goes on within his domain... So even if a Human King built a city on top of his tower, he would be none the wiser.
'Didn't the last Demon War last a hundred years?'
'What the fuck! Who made me such a shitty plan! These steps are too fucking vague!'
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Xxam City of Demons, Demon Continent, Not Earth Y5822
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"City Lord, the scouts have returned!"
"Hm?" Xxam was startled awake from his nap. "Scouts? Oh! Quick, send them in! Send them in!"
Xxam eagerly wiped the sleep from his eyes as he anticipated the good news. His office was made using slabs of crimson colored marble, which positively radiated a Demon King vibe. Of course, he was still a long ways from becoming a Demon King, but as the saying goes, you got to fake it 'till you make it! And Xxam liked to think of himself as a very optimistic person. He practically oozed positivity. And his underlings loved him for it! When the management is in a good mood, the labor will be in a good mood! If the labor is in a good mood, productivity will increase! When productivity increases, management will be even happier!
It's a perfect upward spiral of positivity and productivity!
"Compared to the other City Lords beneath the King, I am definitely the most productive!" Disdain flashed across Xxam's face as he thought of how muscle headed the other City Lords were. "So what if I'm not the strongest? What do you expect from a Lesser Owl Demon? Let the King handle all the fighting!"
The disdain in his eyes quickly turned to admiration as he thought of how powerful and smart the Demon King was. "How did a Lesser Goat Demon get so powerful?" Xxam couldn't help but get emotional as thoughts of his King surfaced.
Knock! Knock!
"Come in!" Xxam quickly cleared his mind of idle musings and focused on the ragged people who stumbled into his office. The excitement on their faces was very easy to see.
""Greetings, City Lord!"" The three scouts bowed their heads together.
"Rise, rise! No need to bow without an audience. Quick, tell me what you found!"
The three exchanged a surprised glance at one another due to the leniency of this Boss, but their faces quickly reddened in agitation and pride. Who else has such an easy going and relatable Demon Lord as their boss?
The leader of the three took a half step forward and gave a second polite bow. "City Lord, it is exactly as the divinations describe! The entire valley is almost drowning in magical power! Just walking to the center of the fluctuations allowed me to achieve three breakthroughs in my cultivation! It is comparable to cultivating on the bottommost layer of an ancient dungeon!"
Xxam nearly shouted out in joy! "Did you discover the source of this power?"
"Hmm, yes, we indeed found the source. But it is very bizzare!" The scout leader shivered involuntarily before he continued his tale.
"There is a large wizard tower built right in the center! Piss yellow in color!"
Bam!
Xxam smacked the table in anger. "Humans have taken the valley?"
"No-o-o, No. There is definitely nobody living in the tower. The piss yellow tower is actually made out of a very rare magical ore and has a single window, but no entrances! It is forty meters tall and beneath its arched window waves a single banner with the sun and a skull side by side. I have never heard of a nation that uses such a domineering sigil."
"Hm? That is indeed strange. I have never heard of such a sigil either!" Xxam paced the room in agitation as he organized his thoughts.
"Ah! An ancient sigil!" Xxam's eyes brightened in excitement once more. "Only the ancient civilizations could have made a tower with such a weird marking! Yes, that must be the truth! Most importantly, that means that the tower is ownerless!"
Xxam's eyes turned red as his thoughts raced to form a plan. A million stray thoughts quickly merged and he began to grin wildly.
"You three! You have done a very meritorious deed! Go clean up and get some food, promotions are in order!"
""Many thanks, my Lord!""
'I must pay the builder's guild leader a visit! Imagine the looks on the other City Lords' faces when they find out that I built a city from scratch in such an amazing spot! The Demon King will be so impressed!'
'One City Lord, Two Cities! Only I can come up with such terrifying ideas!'
The earlier drowsiness completely disappeared as Xxam earnestly restarted his efforts at filing away a mountain of administrative paperwork.