While he waited for The Lord Protector to return, Adam absorbed his Light, Air, Life, Fire, and Infernal Quintessence which all unlocked the patterns for those quintessence for him. Next, he absorbed one of his 30 Dark and 30 Death Quintessence to unlock both of them as well. Adam had no idea how many different quintessence’s there were, but this had to be a good start.
Now to try something different. He pulled out one of his many Earth Quintessence and absorbed it. Adam then brought his mental focus within himself and viewed the single mote of light that was now orbiting his core. Adam was sure that he could integrate the mote and that he’d get a choice of what type of ability he’d like to get. Though He seemed to have some control over the process which is what gave him the idea to try this.
Adam focused his intent and wished for his core to convert the mote of Earth Quintessence into a mote of Chaos Quintessence. He watched as tendrils of the milky fluid that made up his core reached out and surrounded the mote. There was a brief pulse and then the tendrils withdrew leaving a mote of Chaos Quintessence orbiting his core. One thing that was unexpected about the process, he received no message for the conversion to Chaos Quintessence. A loophole or exploit perhaps? If so, that would make this next part incredibly easy. Adam decided to start with the element that was missing from his base eight; Light, Dark, Life, Death, Earth, Air, Fire, and finally Water. He focused on the mote being absorbed as a Water Quintessence Pattern as the Prompt appeared.
“Would you like to Integrate one Chaos Quintessence, Yes or No?
Adam chose “Yes” and a new prompt appeared as the mote of Chaos Quintessence was swallowed by his core.
Water Quintessence Pattern Integrated and Stored. You may now convert any quintessence to Water Quintessence for Integration at a 1-for-1 ratio.
Hot damn, that had worked! Adam quickly repeated the process adding every type of magic that he’d learned about previously as well as trying to create a few new ones. He added Celestial, Divine, Soul, Spirit, Mental, Putrescent, Anti, Proper, Absolute, Space, Time, Gravity, Order, and finally Chaos Quintessence Patterns to his core. It looked like the types of magic that existed in the “real” world mirrored what he’d been taught.
Figuring out how to convert quintessence to Chaos and then into a Quintessence he didn’t have would make his ability to reset his abilities…Damn, he didn’t have the ability Quintessence Chameleon anymore that had mutated. The ability that had replaced it, Variable Quintessence, said nothing about being able to reset his core. If he could still do it, it was probably a hidden racial ability or something. So, he’d have to treat this like these were the only choices he was going to get. Just in case he could reset his core in the future he’d need to make sure to have enough Quintessence on hand.
The next step was to use the rest of his quintessence to give him abilities that would make him almost unstoppable. He’d used 24 of his 115 to give him the abilities he had and unlock the patterns to the magical spheres he knew about. He only had 91 Quintessence left. To create 16 more Legendary abilities he’d need 112 Quintessence. Wait. Every time he’d increased a cultivation rank he’d opened up another two slots, which meant that if there were three more cultivation ranks he would gain 6 more Quintessence Ability slots. That meant he needed 154 total Quintessence. He was 63 Quintessence short. He could ask The Lord Protector but he was pretty sure whatever Quintessence he hadn’t asked for before he took his month-long nap was long gone.
Adam really wished there was someone he could talk to that could provide answers to how things worked out here in the real universe, then he had an idea. Order was anathema to disorder. If any Quintessence could create an ability that was basically Encyclopedia Britannica for the Multiverse it would have to be Order. Adam now knew what he needed to do next.
Adam pulled out seven Quintessence. Since the type of Quintessence didn’t matter to him wasn’t going to worry about it, he knew he had 84 Quintessence left. Adam absorbed the first Quintessence, converted it to a mote of Order, and integrated it while focusing on a power that would allow him to look up information about the multiverse, including its structure, both physical and magical.
Congratulations you have activated the ability “Hal” This ability has a Low mana cost. While in your Mindscape you may summon Hal. Hal is a semi-sentient energy spark of Order that contains all information currently known when utilized. NOTE: Information can change between uses. At Low Rank, you will be able to ask Hal for information concerning basic objects or activities within the Multiverse. At Legendary Rank, you will receive a more detailed explanation which may include political information.
Hell Yeah! That was exactly the type of ability he wanted. Hal? If the magic was a manifestation of something from his soul there couldn’t be a better computer-like encyclopedia than Hal from 2001 a Space Odyssey, unless you counted Thor, but Thor was in another Universe right now. Adam quickly converted the other six quintessence into six Order Quintessence and increased the level of his “Hal” Ability to Legendary.
“Hey there Adam, I’m back,” The Lord Protector said as two plates of vegetables were put down in front of us while he took his seat. After he’d settled himself, he asked, “You looked like you were concentrating…Wait! Class-S Cultivator between the time I left and the returned, How is that possible?”
Adam looked at the surprise on the Lord Protectors’ face then asked, “Could you tell me how long it normally takes to increase a Cultivation Rank?”
“That’s easy, years, if not decades,” the Lord Protector said.
“Why is that?” Adam asked.
“Each ability is a manifestation of the individual’s soul in some way. That link must grow stronger through use to further attune the ability and allow for progression. Progressing from Low to High rank usually occurs rapidly if the ability is utilized continuously. After that progress slows down dramatically,” the Lord Protector said.
Adam thought about it. That kind of made sense to him. The core of his being was chaotic, which could take on any form. That allowed him to absorb the quintessence easily and also increase the rank of each of those abilities by absorbing Quintessence. Adam looked at his Personal Information to double-check what the Lord Protector had just said and saw something new next to his attributes. Beside each attribute was “Legendary, Step 2.” When he had a moment, Hal and he were going to sit down and go over this abstract system and figure out exactly what that meant.
“Is everything okay?”, The Lord Protector asked.
“I was just checking my Personal Information and noticed my attributes increased to ‘Step 2’ whatever that means,” Adam said.
A look of alarm crossed The Lord Protectors’ face as he asked, “Step 2 you say, what rank of Step 2?”
“Legendary.”
“Legendary, Step 2,” The Lord Protector asked shocked. “Do you truly not know what that means?”
“It probably means my attributes are astronom…forget that word. It means my attributes are really really high and you’re wondering how I could have attributes that high?” Adam said sardonically.
“Let me put it this way, The Lord Protector said. “As far as I know there are two steps for attributes. Each step consists of the same ranks, Low through Legendary. Except that if you compared a Low Step 2 attribute to a Low Step 1 attribute it’s effective 80 times higher. Since you claimed to have started with Legendary attributes which I assume were Step 1, Low, Step 2 attributes would be about 12 times stronger than you when you arrived in this Universe,” The Lord Protector explained.
“That’s a little bit of a difference,” Adam said.
“I have met Class-S Cultivator with a few Low, Step 2 attributes before. When we talked he informed me that there were steps above the second step, though I have never met a Class-U cultivator so found that hard to believe. That’s the other thing. Attribute steps are locked by Cultivator Class. Classes M through A are all locked to Step 1 attributes, or what would be considered normal attributes. Step 2 attributes are unlocked as Class-S cultivators, Step 3 at Class-U Cultivator, and so on…”
How do Class-A Cultivators increase their Cultivation Rank to Class-S? It seems that XP should be in play but that would seem to take too long or require way more monster killing than can be supported on a single planet?” Adam asked.
“That’s a very good question. Again it falls to Quintessence abilities and their ranks. As soon as a Cultivator increases at least three abilities to Mythic their Core upgrades automatically and their Cultivation Rank increases.” The Lord Protector said. “Those increases allow for attribute increases which can lead to attribute increases. Supposedly class level plays a factor as well, though the levels required to get above Step 1, I’ve never met anyone with such high levels before.”
“I have another question, do your people quantify skill, rank, and quintessence ability by experience points earned, or do you not even know what I am talking about?” Adam asked.
“I know of what you are speaking of, but in general, no. A certain number of successful uses of a skill, or ability, will allow it to progress. It takes more and more use to continue to increase a skill or abilities rank. This requirement can be circumvented for quintessence abilities by absorbing the same type of quintessence as the ability you’re trying to progress and directing that energy toward it. XP as you call it can assist in this but the normal way for cultivators to increase in ability rank is to absorb quintessence energy through rituals they create to do so, if they do not have abilities that let them absorb the energy directly,” The Lord Protector said.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Adam had to admit it was an elegant, if complicated, system. He wouldn’t have had to worry about tracking XP if he started in this Universe, though he had a hunch his high levels and XP were doing something here. The more he thought about it the more he realized that it sounded like the level his attributes would be within a given Step would be determined by the strength of his Soul. If he was understanding The Lord Protector correctly, as soon as he created two more abilities to at least Mythic level he’d rise to Cultivator Rank X and increase his attributes to Step 4. His math skills were pretty incredible. If he was right a Legendary step 4 attribute was going to be about 4,000 times stronger than a Step 1 Legendary attribute. Adam focused and then asked, “Are there any Cultivation Ranks above Class-X
“There are rumors, but I have never met a Class-U Cultivator.”
“Hold that thought,” Adam said as he pulled out seven more Earth Quintessence.
The Lord Protector looked on in wonder as Adam absorbed seven Earth Quintessence without a ritual and a minute later Adam’s Cultivation Rank increased to Class-U. He didn’t know whether to be scared out of his mind or thankful as he asked, “Congratulations, What ability did you unlock and upgrade?”
Adam looked over his Personal Information to see if he’d been able to guide chance yet again and get the ability he’d wanted. He’d decided that he wanted a time-based ability and wanted to see if he could force it into something like a Time Stop spell. He’d converted 7 Quintessence into 7 Time Quintessence. He’d absorbed all seven to make sure he had enough before he integrated the first one. It had gone off without incident.
Adam checked the first integration message.
Congratulations you have incorporated Time Quintessence “Stutter Step.” This ability creates a bubble temporal zone around you with a diameter of 10 feet. If you grow to a size that cannot fit within this bubble, this ability will be lost.
The temporal bubble is not static and moves with you
Anything inside the bubble is sped up by one multiple per rank of the ability; at Low, one time. Inside the bubble, time passes normally. For every combat round outside of the bubble, the individual inside the bubble gets one additional combat ability per ability rank.
Mana Cost is chosen by you. Mana cost is equal to the rank the ability is used at. If used at Low Rank, low mana cost. If used at Legendary Rank, Legendary Mana cost. Mana cost is paid per real-world combat round, not per combat round for the individual inside the Temporal bubble.
Note: None Biological and inanimate objects may cross the barrier of the bubble with no ill effect. Biological creatures receive damage from temporal tissue disruption in three categories. At Ranks Low, Medium and High biological entities take low damage. At ranks, Elite, Epic, and Mythic biological entities take Medium damage. At Legendary biological entities take High damage. This damage is taken each round a biological creature remains partly inside and outside the temporal field. If they are able to make it completely inside the radius of the effect they take no damage. Energy and Elemental-based life forms do not temporal tissue damage. Note there are biological entities and creatures that will be immune to this effect as well.
Adam grinned at the Lord Protector. It wasn’t exactly what he’d wanted so he did not have complete control over what abilities integration produced but this ability would definitely do. He quickly fed the ability the other 6 Time Quintessence and then checked his Cultivation rank and attributes. Class-U Cultivator Attributes Legendary Step 3. That was interesting but not unexpected. Adam looked up as The Lord Protector asked him what ability he’d unlocked.
“I unlocked an ability called Stutter Step. It’s time-based,” Adam said.
“Time-based”, but you absorbed Earth Quintessence?”
“That I did. Let’s just say it’s one of my unique racial abilities and move one,” Adam said with a smile.
“Okay, so what does the ability do?” The Lord Protector asked.
“It basically increases the number of attacks I can make or the distance I can travel within any given moment,” Adam said.
“By how much?” The Lord Protector said. “I’ve seen an ability called Haste in action. It allows the Cultivator to move twice as fast. As the ability ranks up it lasts longer.”
“Can he utilize other abilities while his Haste ability is active?” Adam asked.
“No, Why do you ask?” The Lord Protector asked.
Stutter-Step creates a bubble around me. I’m pretty sure I could use items or other abilities while it’s active and target those outside the bubble,” Adam said.
“Is it just two attacks, like haste?” The Lord Protector asked.
“No, it’s variable, though as I increase the time dilation inside the bubble with me the Mana cost goes up.
“So with your Legendary Step 2 attributes, you’ll be able to utilize this ability at its Legendary rank about 20 times before you’d have to rest?” The Lord Protector said. “There are seven attribute levels. At Legendary rank with that ability, you’ll be able to make 7 attacks against anyone outside of your bubble for 20 seconds straight before you need to rest.”
Adam looked sheepish as he said, “More probably, my attributes all increased to Legendary Step 3 as soon as I reached Cultivator Rank U.”
The Lord Protector was speechless for a moment while Adam could see him thinking furiously. “That is amazing,” he said.
“It is,” Adam agreed.
“So what are you going to do now?” The Lord Protector asked.
“I’m going to probably finish this lunch then utilized the rest of the quintessence I have to gain abilities, level them, and then head out to the Human city you said wasn’t too far away,” Adam said.
“A word of warning, the amount of power you’ve developed in such a short time will draw the attention of those that are envious. You will need to be careful, “ The Lord Protector said seriously.
“Not to worry on that front, I will be careful,” Adam said before he asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask you. One of the abilities I have allows me to store items in an extradimensional space. Could I get some extra robes to place in it? Waking up naked twice in so many days has sucked.”
The Lord Protector laughed. “That would absolutely suck. Of course, we can Adam, that is the very least we can do. I will have 10 robes dropped off in a room I’ve had prepared for you at an establishment our visiting elders use. I think you’ll find it accommodating. If you need anything else just let me know. It was very nice meeting you Adam. I think I’m going to be getting back to my duties. Why? Because I do not want to know how fast you can absorb quintessence and rise in Cultivator Classes and Attribute ranks but also because I can’t answer questions for others that I don’t know the answers to.”
“Fair enough, Thank you for everything you’ve done for me thus far,” Adam said standing and shaking The Lord Protectors’ hand as he stood, shook his Adam’s hand, and left.
Adam sat back down and nibbled at his salad as he thought about Stutter Step. He’d seen that name before in a game developed by White Wolf Publishing, though it had been referred to as a discipline and worded a little differently. This ability seemed to act a little more like the spell Tempus Fugit spell in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. Of course, the company had nerfed the hell out of it by reducing the number of rounds from 6 to 4. It had originally been an illusionist spell designed to allow a party to rest for 6 hours while only 1 hour passed on the outside. Of course, players soon figured out that they could sit in the bubble and shoot things outside of it. When the boss of a dungeon suddenly gets 6 fireballs, 12 arrows, and any other ranged attacks the party can throw at the monster in a single round the dungeon masters, or the company making the game, were going to nerf it. That made Adam wonder why such a powerful ability was available because he absolutely knew exactly how to abuse this ability. It wasn’t time travel but it was more than a welcome ability to his repertoire.
Adam finished eating and pulled out 7 more Quintessence. Next, he wanted better regeneration. His regeneration right now was nothing like it had been before. He absorbed and converted each of the Earth Quintessence to Life Quintessence and then Integrated the first Life Quintessence as he thought about a regeneration-based ability.
Congratulations you have incorporated Life Quintessence “Regeneration.” This ability increases your natural healing by one rank. There is no Mana cost. Each Rank in this ability increase this regeneration rate by one rank. If the Rank is increased above Legendary The ability is increased to Low Rank of the next step.
Adam quickly leveled the ability up to Legendary which increased him to a Class X Cultivator. He checked his attributes and found that they had all increased to Legendary Step 4. That was interesting. So four Legendary abilities increased his Cultivator Rank to X and his attribute Stat maximum to Step 4. What was determining where his attributes fell between Low in Legendary in any given step? Then he noticed it. His level was no longer listed as Legendary. His experience level was listed at 279,201,354. It had gone up by one level since the last time he saw his character level as a number. Maybe there was more to this abstract system than he thought.
There was one way to test if his assumptions were correct. He pulled out 25 more Quintessence and absorbed them. Focusing on his core and the quintessence orbiting it, he made sure he had 12 Dark Quintessence, converted 7 to Looting Specific (1 was used up gaining the pattern for that Quintessence as it was the only Focused Quintessence he’d found so far), and converted the last 6 to Death. With everything ready, he increased the abilities Treasure Renderer, True Sight, Shadow Vault, and No Escape to Legendary rank.
Once done he checked his Personal Information. He now had 8 of 27 Quintessence abilities, all at Legendary Rank. He’d received those two extra quintessence ability slots like he thought. His Cultivation Rank was Class=X and his Attributes were still listed as Legendary Step 4 which he still had no idea what that meant other than Legendary was high, and each step in attribute rank was more than a logarithmical increase. How did that work? Of course, he could figure that all out couldn’t he? Adam finished eating and then went and looked for the lodging the Lord Protector had described while he thought about how the attribute system worked. Lost in thought he wasn’t paying attention to his surrounding as he walked into the temporary logging facility for visiting elders. As he stepped inside a young female elf came up to him.
“This way Sir, The Lord Protector has already made sure that our best room was reserved for you and had his assistant leave the items you requested”, she said as she escorted Adam up a set of winding stairs that filled the inside of the giant tree that had been transformed into a skyscraper of sorts. All the rooms opened onto a spiral staircase that wound around the inside of the tree.
Adam was still lost in thought, running through multiple variations but none of them seemed to work, maybe it was based on averages? Maybe. Still lost in his thoughts he wasn’t really paying attention as he climbed the stairs until suddenly he noticed that his guide stopped at a door.
“This is your room sir, you are on the 10th floor. Meals are to order. Please utilize the crystal beside the bed to reach the front counter to make your order. Have a pleasant stay,” she said as she opened the door for him.
Adam realized he had no money to tip with.
“Sir, The Lord Protector has already tipped the staff and also left a note and a pouch for you by the robes on the table there”, she said pointing to a table against a wall.
“Thank you,” Adam said as he stepped into the room which had a simple washroom with working plumbing, a bed, and a desk that had a folded piece of paper under a pouch sitting next to 10 robes.
Adam put the pouch in his Shadow Vault and read the letter;
Adam,
Again, thank you for all that you have done. The pouch contains 10 silver and 20 copper to help you on your travels. I have no doubt you could find any treasure you might need but I thought that this small gesture would help you on your way. As you are new to this world I do not think you fully grasp what your gift of Quintessence was worth to my people.
Also, there are 10 robes as you requested.
The Room is taken care of for a week. If you need to stay longer please let the attendant know and they will get it sorted with me. Enjoy your stay and may luck be with you as you make your way from here.
The Lord Protector
Very simple and to the point. Adam put the note and the robes in his vault then went over to the bed and sat down. Now that he was alone it was time to ask Hal some questions.