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Infinite Metropolis
Chapter 2 - Archaic Contact

Chapter 2 - Archaic Contact

Pardon, a what entered my domain?

Having never heard or encountered the word ‘Enfield’, Green was baffled by the message. He swiftly scanned the treeline, as the creature had just entered and should therefore still be in that general vicinity.

His mental eye almost immediately focused on a slow moving entity, traversing the thick underbrush of the woods. Red, pointy ears betrayed its position in the high grass, as it carefully made its way towards the dried lake. Then, a sharp claw pushed the lush greenery aside, revealing a vicious snout with razor-sharp teeth. Its whiskers vibrated, as narrowed eyes stared at the crater. From its forelegs, brown feathers diverged into streamlined wings, which were larger versions of the hind legs’.

‘No idea what to do with this creature.’ Green realised, as he stared at the beast. Would it attempt to eat the monstrosity at the bottom of the lake? Speaking of which, wouldn’t the carcass start to rot if he left it there? It might work in his favour if the bea-

...

The corpse is gone.

How did the massive carcass suddenly disappear in a matter of seconds?

Whilst being so preoccupied by the mysterious vanishing, he almost missed the flashing screen.

Storage

Corpse of Ennea of the Okt (Mythical)

Useful component for Distillation or Evolution.

‘I see, automatic storage. Rather useful function, if I do say so myself.’ he appraised the system his reality was currently based on.

‘I guess there’s no point in seeing the Enfield as anything other than a neutral entity for the moment. I doubt it can or will hurt me. Naturally, me being a benevolent being, would never hurt such a helpless animals.’

You have chose to see the Enfield as a Neutral entity.

The Enfield had been wandering along the edges his domain for some time now, and Green was becoming quite unsatisfied with its behaviour. Where was the interesting interaction he had been hoping for? Just looking at the primitive animal decreased his good mood. What point was there in such an animal being in his domain if he couldn’t do anything with it?

You have expressed your wish to Dominate the Enfield.

‘What? No. Why would one such as I have a need to force my rule on others? I shall have none of this silly business. I will rule and nothing else, foolish system.’ Green exclaimed in a proud manner, completely justified in his reasoning.

Error.

You have expressed your wish to Rul591D10A#12 the Enfie4d.

Error.

28$sjaX8A1{52B

Error.

‘Oh dear, did I break it?’ he thought, mildy shocked. Not taking his only link to the physical world might be on the line, he merely observed the numerous pop-ups. Then, as if a limit had been reached, the messages stopped.

You have chosen to Rule the Enfield.

Due to the unique circumstances of this choice, this will henceforth be standard procedure.

...

That’s no reason to worry. No reason whatsoever. I’m sure this won’t lead to any nasty surprises in the future.

‘Now, where’s my sla-’

....

‘Now, where’s my beloved minion?’

Intently examining the general area where he’d last seen the Enfield, he felt his imaginary eye narrowing at the sight before him. The Enfield, previously energetic in its movement, had lain down and its red fur emanated a rhythmic pulse.

In this moment of astonished confusion, Green paid no attention to anything but the Enfield. The pulse, combined with the visually pleasing glow, left him in a hypnotized state, having never seen such events before. This process seemed to continue on for hours, as the Enfield’s fur turned more lush and vibrant with every pulse.  

Accomplishment!

You have gained your first minion!

You will now be able to exchange Dungeon Points for physical and metaphysical improvements for this race. You will also be able to create more Enfield for the low price of 120 Dungeon Points.

‘That’s blatant robbery!’ Green immediately concluded, as he read the last sentence. Being able to create one Enfield would take him 120 days of waiting, such absurd pricing.

‘There’s no way I’ll wait that long for a single creature. I must find a loophole in this rip-off system.’ The thought bounced through his mind, as he watched his Enfield slowly rise. Her fur and feathers were much more colourful than before the transformation, but nothing else had really changed. Scratch that, her eyes might have turned purple, but it’s not like he had paid any attention to those before, so he couldn’t be sure.

When the beast had risen, it turned towards his little island, staring into the distance. A foreign thought entered Green’s mind, as he pondered on what to do with the creature.

‘Command?’

His mind flew in turmoil, as this new experience changed his vision on the current situation.

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‘She can converse with me! This is amazing, now I can actually get stuff done. Well, not me, but I can delegate.’ The realisation excited him tremendously, as this option held the promise of the absence of boredom in the near future.

‘Now, what to have her do.’ he pondered, as the Enfield seemed to wait patiently. He’d need information, first of all. However, the Enfield currently would be incapable of sharing or finding his desired information. Therefore, he’d need a more intelligent creature at his command, or increase this one’s intelligence.

‘I wonder if there’s anything in the menu that can give me an idea on how to proceed from here on.’ he thought, as the options menu popped up. He needed information himself, so it made sense to access Self-Actualization.

Physical Improvements

Costs increase exponentially Immaterial Improvements

Costs increase exponentially

Physcial Protection 0/10 [Required: 100 Dungeon Points]

Magical Protection 0/10 [Required: 150 Dungeon Points]

Mental Protection 10/10 [Absolute Ruler’s Mind unlocked]

Metaphysical Protection 0/10 [Required: 250 Dungeon Points]

Standard Body Creation [Required: 2000 Dungeon Points]

Advanced Body Creation [Required: 5000 Dungeon Points]

Complete Body Creation [Required: 20000 Dungeon Points]

Knowledge (General) 0/5 [5 Dungeon Points]

Knowledge (Dungeon) 0/8 [15 Dungeon Points]

Knowledge (Magic) 0/10 [20 Dungeon Points]

Knowledge (Metaphysica) 0/10 [80 Dungeon Points]

Knowledge (Miscellaneous) 0/4 [50 Dungeon Points]

Knowledge (Forgotten) 0/9 [1500 Dungeon Points]

Acquire Magic Affinity (Basic) 0/6 [100 Dungeon Points]

So. Many. Options. And most are laughably expensive. I currently have 40 DP, and I generate 1 per day. Why do all costs increase exponentially, obstructing my path to glory?

Lost in his outraged muttering, Green took an indefenite timespan before he reiterated his rationale for accessing the menu in the first place.

Do you wish to acquire Knowledge (General) for 5 Dungeon Points?

The next rank will cost you 10 Dungeon Points.

Yes/No

‘Obviously, why would I take all this effort if I didn’t want to acquire the knowledge. Stupid system.’ he cursed, still possessing some leftover anger from his monetary-related rant.

Generic information on his current situation entered his mind, as he gasped in surprise from the sudden influx of words.

A language he somehow immediately knew, as if had always been there. The knowledge on how biological interaction in his immediate vicinity. A brilliant idea that definitely was his own, and not from the system. It was way too ingenious for it to not be his.

‘I’ll just get the Enfield to bring me more creatures for me to Rule, that way I won’t have to waste precious points and I get more points in return!’ he exclaimed in a proud manner.

‘Affirmative’

Startled, he recalled the Enfield who had been waiting there all this time. She turned around promptly and ran off into the woods.

‘She’ll be fine. Totally.’ A smirk adorned his words, as he refocused his mind. There were other matters to attend to. Like, for example, creating a more liveable habitat for the numerous minions he’d be getting. There’d be no point in creating said location inside the crater, as the creatures would have a hard time entering and leaving. He would, therefore, have to create it on the mainland.

...

His domain barely reached there and there were almost no points left.

‘I guess I can spend my last points, since my minion will bring back others anyway.’ Green thought, still reminiscing his successful Ruling. Having decided, he wasted no time by looking at those way-too-interesting menu options, and simply accessed Physical Creation. The first, and most basic, option grabbed his attention in a manner of seconds.

Dig

Remove solid matter and exchange it for Dungeon Points, if it’s not of Abundant quality.

‘This just looks like a worse version of Recycle.’ He thought, before understanding reached his mind. This tool would allow him to manually remove things, whereas Reycling would remove everything at once. Below this crude tool, a more interesting option could be seen.

Plan & Create

Plan your creations before actually building anything, giving you the option to evaluate the price.

Now, that is really useful. I can just think of what I want to do, and it tells me how much it would cost? That’s insanely practical!

He went over countless creations, spanning from a tower that reached the heavens to an  underground complex of tunnels and wonders. Sadly, he had 40 Dungeon Points and could therefore barely afford the awful caves he thought of.

‘I shall not create such garbage. I will not stand for this!’ he proclaimed, whilst thinking extensively over his best option. If he had to create a living space for his minions, he’d want it to be a good investment and not some shitty hollowed out rock.

You have expressed your wish to find a suitable living habitat for your minion.

Do you wish to expand to the nearest natural cave system?

This will cost you 30 Dungeon Points.

Yes/No

‘This is perfect!’ The thought came to mind, as he accepted. This system was so convenient!

...

‘Where is the message stating my domain has increased? Shouldn’t it be here?’ he thought, in a state of confusion. Glancing around in wonder, he noticed the added part of his domain. About 5 meters underground on the mainland, almost touching the edge of the crater, a square room of about 25 cubic meters had appeared.

‘That’s odd, I didn’t actually build anything. Has that always been there?’ Green pondered, curious about the origin of the unfamiliar structure. He accessed the Dig tool and created a diagonal path to the top of the cube.

As the earth and rocks slid down the edges of the path, a stone slab appeared from the rubble. Not a single uneven part could be seen, leading Green to believe the whole room was made out of a single rock. Glancing at the opening, he noticed concluded that the entire room had been filled with rubble and dust. He spared not a second removing it all. What was left, was a smooth stone cube, with two openings. One on top and one on the west side, which lead further into the ground, outside of his reach.

What was this structure, and how did it come to be?

Accomplishment!

You have found remains of the Archaics, the lost civilization.

Through this unique and incredible feat, you have unlocked

Knowledge (Archaic) 0/10 [Required: 10.000 Dungeon Points]

Create Structure (Archaic) [Required: >1500 Dungeon Points]

Create Technology (Archaic) [Required 100.000 Dungeon Points]

You have earned 1000 points for this action.

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