Year 52, Month 12, Day 1
A name? I suppose it would be good to have something to call it by. Trouble is, I’m not very good with names.
The golem looks up and seems to tilt its head to the side. I’m not sure how I know but I’m sure it’s a disapproving look. Can you understand my thoughts? It subtly nods as if obviously it could hear me. I felt as if it was trying to say |I want a name, master|
Ok ok, I’ll give it some thought. I suppose I could riff off some names from my previous life. Something like Goyo Satoru or Ryuma Sukuna maybe? Or is that too pretentious? Its template was a trilobite and it has wyvern and arachnid influences so maybe a combination of the three words? Trilowy? Tryvid? Aryvite? Wychnite?
No visible response. Just the steady look of I assume to be impatient frustration.
Alright I get it, not a fan. Let’s just go with something simple and easy to remember. How about Trent?
Immediate response from the spore covered golem. It seems to be wagging its tail? Body? It’s hard to tell what exactly that movement is but if my limited experience with dogs is any indicator, I think it means he’s happy. Trent it is.
|Thank you master. It is a good name.|
I didn’t hear the thought but it was clearly distinct in my own mind. I could speak with someone now. That thought alone seemed to lift a weight off my soul that I didn’t even realize was there. I was lonely and the isolation had started to get to me but now I’m not alone. I wish I could smile.
Alright let’s get down to brass tacks. Trent, I need some help creating tunnels in the soil here so we can try and find a way out of this realm. Are you able to help dig?
|Of course master. I can create tunnels for you. Which direction shall we begin moving to?|
I’m not sure yet. Am I able to see your stats? I want to get an idea of how you can be best utilized.
[Golem: Trent
Form: Primordial Desert Arachnobite LVL 1
Size: 1 m
Passive Skills
Domain Affinity. Passive. Grants the golem natural resistances to Domain effects and allows its physical attacks to be imbued with the ambient mana suffusing the domain.
Primordial Being. Passive. The golem absorbs ambient mana to power itself when possible, allowing the golem to function when at long distances from the summoner. If the golem is destroyed, over time ambient mana will amass to recreate the golem.
Desert Adapted. Passive. Grants a 25% boost to all effects and stats while in a desert environment.
Stone Body. Passive. Grants a 25% boost to physical defense.
Piercing Bite. Passive. Grants a 25% boost to physical attacks.
Active Skills
Burrowing. Active. Creates a 1 meter radius tunnel through soil, stone, or sand.]
Nice, it seems you really are perfect for this situation.
…
Don’t ask me how I know but I am pretty sure Trent was blushing for a moment there. Sensitive to praise it seems. Definitely not just a mindless golem. Good to know.
Alright buddy let’s get started digging here. Do you think you can start by digging up to the surface so we have a place to move all this soil to?
|Of course, master.|
Afterwards, let's work on making several tunnels going in each direction. I need to try and see if I can find a spot where the realm’s powers are weaker so I can use all of my skills.
|Fear not, I shall dig with extreme prejudice.|
How does he even know to say something like that? I wonder if his mind was created mimicking mine. Strange. It’s like an incomplete copy or an AI trying to make sense of natural language.
While Trent is working, I want to try and tinker with the Timekeeper’s Hourglass. This would be a good chance with small risk to see how it affects me and the world around me.
Taking the intricate glass hourglass from my void storage, I start to charge it with mana. I don’t have much at the moment, but it should suffice for a test. The mana pours into the top and I notice that Trent begins to move much slower for just a moment before my mana runs out. Wow. A mana glutton for sure.
I’m a bit confused though, I thought the description I got before said it could slow down or speed up time, but when I was channeling my mana I only felt one pathway through the top there. I’ll have to wait for my mana to recharge before I can test again. Luckily it seems my ambient mana regeneration is pretty quick here. Much faster than in the vault. So it should only be about an hour or so.
Trent, did you notice any changes just barely?
|Changes? Not to my awareness.|
Interesting. No sudden slow down of time or increased thought process time?
|For a brief moment, perhaps? It is hard to be certain. Would you like for me to allocate some of my mental processes to watching for such events?|
Not now, thank you for the offer. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to try again. Keep working in the meantime.
|Certainly.|
Chipper fellow. Honestly I’m just glad for another voice in my head that I can talk with. Though it seems he only responds to certain thoughts and not others. I wonder if there’s some kind of rule about that made by the system, I’ll have to ask Trent about it later.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Time passed fairly quickly and in the ninety minutes it took for my mana to recharge, Trent had already made significant progress. We now had a Trent sized tunnel directly up to the surface and four two meter wide tunnels heading in what I assume is each cardinal direction. Trent chose the locations without any of my input and honestly I have no sense of direction to check.
Alright, Trent. Keep digging out that tunnel but pay attention to look for changes. I’m going to try using this thing again.
|Understood, master.|
Once again the same as before I start to channel mana into the hourglass. This time the seconds stretched into minutes and it lasted for about a minute before my mana ran out.
Did you notice anything Trent?
|Yes master. Your thoughts seemed to come in rapid succession at a much faster rate for about 4 seconds before returning to normal.|
Hmm okay so I slowed down time for myself but not Trent and it was on a scale of 1:15. Good to know. Actually wait, Trent, do you have access to all of my thoughts?
|Most, but some are shielded.|
While waiting for my mana to refill, I grilled Trent as he worked. Turns out he can access any thought I have unless I specifically isolate it or if I think about Trent indirectly. So any thought about Trent but not directed at him was kept secret. Interesting, I wonder if that’s in place so any sentient golem like Trent doesn’t become too self aware or try to disobey their master as soon as they realize their master is going to destroy them or something. That’s my speculation anyways.
Ok let’s try this again. I want to figure out how to slow time down, not just speed it up. Turning the hourglass on its side I try to channel the tiniest mana tendril looking for any sign of a different mana pathway. Strange, I can’t even find the one from before now.
Turning it back upright, sure enough the mana pathway returns. Ohh, I bet there is a function based on which way the hourglass is facing. That might have been obvious in hindsight, but I don’t have real eyes so give me a break, it looks the exact same on both sides to me.
Sure enough, turning the hourglass upside down revealed a second pathway. Found it. Channeling my mana I found that it once again lasted for about a minute.
I could see Trent zooming through the passageways, depositing dirt and digging at an outrageous pace but the effect began to wear off and the flow of time returned to normal.
|Your thoughts seemed extremely slow that time master. Did the device work as expected?|
Yeah, it worked great. How much time passed like that?
|Fifteen minutes.|
Thanks, pal. Keep up the good work.
So the speeding up also has a ratio of 15:1. That’s actually really helpful to know.
By this point, the four tunnels were each about 10 meters deep but there weren’t any real changes. I tried traveling down each but unsurprisingly there weren’t any changes to the restricted skills.
It took about 3 days of continual digging, adding more vertical dump tunnels, and constant work on Trent’s part before we made any discoveries. During that time, I did my best to help break up hard stones, practice with the hourglass, and chat with Trent. Almost every ninety minutes on the dot, my mana was full again. I promptly would spend every drop of my mana, speeding time up. I even got a bit better at using it so my mana lasted longer. The time ratio remained the same but you can’t get everything.
Late into the 4th day of the month, I got a message from Trent.
|Master, I found a strange cavern. What should I do?|
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Reincarnator: J̶̵̷̶̷̫̍a̶ʍҽʂ Ha̶ʅv̷̗̊ҽʀʂǭ̷ɳ
Form: Stone of Adaptation LVL 8
Size: 2.9 m
Next Level: 3 m
Passive Skills
Reincarnator's Blessing II. Passive. Increase size gain by 10%. Increase luck by 2. Improve relevance of skills upon leveling up.
Advanced Assimilation II. Passive. Upon direct contact with objects of similar or lesser size, the material or biological organism will be assimilated into the main body. Assimilating a material gains its properties or one skill for up to 45 minutes. Can store up to 3 different properties or skills at once.
Roll II. Passive. Movement by rolling at a speed of 1/4th size per second.
Written in Stone II. Passive. Store up to 20 memories in the core that are available for access by Reincarnator at any time.
Regenerative Structure II. Passive. Forms a barrier around the core preventing undesired particles from being assimilated. Blocked particles will slowly regenerate 1.5% of damage every 8 minutes. Bone particles are twice as effective.
Mana Sight II. Passive. Clearly see mana and mana sources within 3 meters.
Mithril Shell III. Passive. Gain a hardened exterior similar to mithril, increasing physical defense by 110%, boosting physical attack power by 55%, and the effectiveness of mana-based abilities, spells, and mana control by 25%. When stationary, stealth is increased by 55%.
Echo Mimicry II. Passive. Reproduce sounds or vibrations that have been recorded within 1.5 meters of the Reincarnator. Sound reproductions are centered on the Reincarnator.
Void Storage II. Passive. Store up to 1.5 cubic meters of materials or objects in a small, personal extradimensional space.
Dungeon Native. Passive. While in a dungeon environment, mana capacity is increased by 20%, mana regeneration rate is increased by 10%, the effectiveness and speed of Advanced Assimilation is increased by 15%, and Death Field provides more detailed information about affected environments, including hidden threats, resources, and material information.
Basic Appraisal. Passive. Gain access to basic information from the Database about any item in direct contact with the Reincarnator.
Heat Resistance. Passive. Reduces fire damage and heat effects by 10%.
Basic Telepathy. Passive. Creates a mental link between unshielded creatures within 5 meters allowing telepathic communication.
Active Skills
Gravitational Control. Active. Exert a force on and control particles smaller than 0.5 m to form barriers, simple constructs, or directed attacks. Enables the ability to levitate objects and control the effects of gravity on the Reincarnator. Damage, durability, and duration are dependent on materials used.
Death Field II. Active. Release a cloud of necrotic spores that can settle on surfaces within 2.5 meters and grow, creating a network of mold. The spores increase vision of physical objects, detect movement, and accelerate decay. Creatures in direct contact with these spores are slowed by 35%, natural healing is reduced by 11%, and all living creature’s stats are reduced by 1.5%.
Dungeon Mastery. Active. Assimilating the core of a dungeon allows for the option of replacing the Dungeon Core, rather than gaining skills and size. While in a controlled dungeon, the Reincarnator can create and manipulate structures such as walls, barriers, and simple traps within 10 meters. The complexity, durability, and types of structures available depends on the Reincarnator’s size and available materials.
Summon Golem. Active. Creates a golem from nearby materials that will fight or perform specific actions until it is destroyed or the Reincarnator’s mana reserves are depleted. Currently one out of one summon slots are being used.