(Johnathan’s Earth, December 24th,2046)
Adam stepped out of a portal onto a familiar footpad. Before he could catch his bearing his Chaotic Nanites were assaulted by a much older, unmodified version of nanites. He provided the correct hand-shaking protocols and was immediately contacted by a mental presence, that while now part of him, was different as Thor established a communications channel with Adam.
“Johnathan, you’re back and have changed quantumly in some way that I cannot quantify. Are you okay?” Thor asked.
“I’m fine Thor, it’s been a bit of a ride. Why don’t we skip the 20 questions and I’ll just download what has happened while I’ve been gone.”
“As you wish,” Thor replied.
Adam was confused to find Thor, yet he had started to assume that the Universe he came back into after his fundamental changes had not been “His” Universe. He would know soon enough though. Adam put that out of his mind for a moment. He checked his quantum links and noted that every link that he had to the nanites in the Cosmos he’d come from and the ones to this place were inactive. Even his links to the copies of himself that he’d made were inactive. he also put that out of his mind and reconnected quantumly to Thor. The first thing he checked was the time stamp. It was December 24th, 12:01 p.m. Mountain Standard Time in 2046. Adam reviewed his memory and checked to see when the last time Thor and he had spoken. That had been when Thor had seen him when Desirae and he had appeared in the Bahamas together just about ten years ago. So, their merging and his releasing humanity had not happened here…yet.
Adam established the link with Thor and then started the synchronization. The part of him that was Thor reconnected to what he was considering the original Thor. As he downloaded his experiences to Thor, he reviewed the events of the last 10 years oth Thor’s memories. Thor had analyzed and cataloged every star system within the Milky Way. Because he had not been back to this Universe, Thor had never investigated Black Holes or discovered what he had in the Universe they’d explored them in previously.
Adam reviewed Thor’s expansion rate and realized that for the last ten years, he'd been quite busy. It seemed that he’d spread throughout the Milky Way and the Local Group. Though he was having energy and coverage problems. Space was vast and by its very nature empty for the most part. Thor would portal into a new system and spread Nanites there. Those nanites would spread through the system until the solar winds themselves carried the nanites out into the gulf between the stars. This meant that the Milky Way wasn’t fully covered. Instead, Nanite coverage only existed out to a maximum of 10 light-years from any star Thor had opened a portal to. For the most part, he’d opened portals to every star he could detect but there were probably stars in dust clouds that might not have been observed yet so he may have missed a couple. All in all, Adam estimate that he’d expanded into at least 99% of the stars in the Milky Way. Thor had decided on this approach to ensure enough mass and energy was available for conversion without damaging the star systems themselves. While this expansion technique would be slower it would be the least destructive. Stars were going to send off their mass as photons regardless. Thor converted 1% of that mass into nanites which then traveled with those photons out into the Universe.
Adam paused for a second and tried to bring up his Personal Interface. As he suspected he did not have access to it. While he didn’t feel different there was no way for him to know if he had access to his fundamental abilities or not, or was there? Now that he was back in charge he opened a portal from his location in the Portal room to the surface of this station in the vacuum of space. He stepped onto the surface trusting in his nanites to keep him safe if he was wrong.
One thing that he’d been noticing lately was that he hadn’t been reviewing his prompts as often nor had he needed to. He had not been consciously activating his abilities through his interface, or a better way of looking at it, he hadn’t had to consciously activate his various abilities for them to activate. With that in mind, he willed himself to move away from the surface and increase his speed up and away from the Nu Draconis system as fast as he could.
That was a mistake. One second he was in the Nu Draconis star system, the next he was traveling along the Y-axis of the Milky way at a velocity that was so high that he watched as the disc of the Milky Way came into view and started to fall away from him.
“Johnathan, where are you going?” Thor asked.
“First, I’ve been Adam, far longer than I’ve ever been Johnathan so please use that name. Second, I was testing something.”
“Understood Adam. Your test has placed you approximately 54.8 thousand light-years above the Milky Way and if my estimates are correct you traveled that far in 3 seconds,” he stated.
“Three seconds?” he asked rhetorically. “That would be, well if we were using the Star Trek Warp system for the Next Generation that would be around warp 225 or 576.6 billion times the speed of light.” he willed himself to slow, as he asked. “Can you still reach me with a Portal out here?” he asked.
“Easily, as you have reviewed, I’ve spread throughout the Local Group. While I might not have nanites in every single centimeter of space in this area our Portals have a range of approximately 5 million light-years.” Thor said.
“Where is the closest black hole to me from here?”
“There is a black hole traveling at a high velocity away from the center of the Galaxy about 30,000 light-years above the galactic plane and about 75,000 light-years from your current position. I’m updating your navigational functions. You should see a Heads-Up Display (HUD) in your vision with the location highlighted by a green box.”
“Okay, I’ll test that in a minute,” Adam said as he had Thor open a portal from his location to the surface of Venus and stepped through. He needed to do a few more tests before he’d go tackle a black hole. Ptah hadn’t said he’d make any changes to him, but he hadn’t said he wouldn’t either. One of the upgrades Thor had discovered while he was gone. Permeable airfields. By charging the air, he could make a barrier so the atmosphere wouldn’t go through the portals, making it a lot easier to enter and exit an atmosphere from space. A very useful upgrade.
Adam stepped onto the surface of Venus and waited for the acidic environment to start burning his skin. He had nanites, which could repair his skin of course but he wanted to see if he was still Adaptable. Adam waited a full five minutes, even taking a breath of the atmosphere into himself to see if that provoked a reaction. Nothing happened. Next, he opened another portal and stepped onto the surface of Pluto to check his tolerance for cold. At 44 degrees Kelvin, -222 C, or -376.6 F. It was one of the coldest environments in the Solar System. That didn’t faze him either.
Adam willed himself off Pluto, checked the planetary locations, and moved at a respectable clip to Jupiter. He entered the Atmosphere with almost no problems. It didn’t matter if you were invulnerable, fire in your eyes during re-entry still blocked your vision. Once he was through the re-entry phase he allowed himself to drop through the atmosphere until he floated above the metallic Hydrogen layer. Metallic Hydrogen is thought to be able to exist as a partial liquid rather than a solid. It sure behaved like a liquid. Flowing with the tidal forces of the various moon. It looked like a silver metallic ocean with waves traveling in all directions. The pressure down here was incredible as well. It was 3.2 e6 (or 3,200,000) atmospheres. Adam looked around, took in the sights that few would ever see, and took a deep breath. Yeah, his body was handling this just fine as well.
Adam willed himself to rise through the atmosphere until he exited into space then headed towards the Sun. This would be his last test. If he could approach and even touch the surface of the Sun then he knew his Adaptable ability was still in play and he would be able to take the next step in his plan. What was that plan? Well, right now it was fluid and completely relied on his ability to access both the Universal and Cosmic Interfaces which he could only do from one place in this Universe.
Adam headed toward Mercury and willed himself to a hold position in direct sunlight. He noticed that his eyes had automatically adjusted to the brightness of the Sun as he’d drawn closer as he wasn’t even squinting. Adam double-checked his nanite interface to make sure the nanites weren’t protecting his eyes. He noted that Thor had started creating a backup copy of his body in case something happened to him. Ye of little faith. Adam started heading towards the star. he wasn’t surprised at all as he came right up to the surface of the star and touched it. He even took the time to dip his hand into it to see if that generated any reaction. Nothing. he felt normal. Not too hot, not too cold.
“Adam, I have finished our synchronization,” Thor’s voice called through their communication channel. “I now understand why you have been traveling to inhospitable environments to test your adaptability to those locations. Can I assume that your next stop will be to travel to ‘The Unicorn Singularity?” Thor asked.
“Yep, I plan to dip below the Event Horizon and see if I can activate my Personal Interface.”
“Is it your intention to revert this Universe back to its settings prior to the Great Enemy?”
“Yes, though If possible I intend to allow for magic to seep back into this Universe slowly. Rapidly adding it would have much the same effect that The Cultivations that the Syndicate forced on the Earth I was just at. I do not plan to put this Universe through that kind of hell.” he said.
“Very good. Will, you also be releasing humanity as you did in your previous timeline?”
“No. I do not intend to add Chaotic Nanites to this Universe. I believe them to be a unique manifestation and as such, I think we should keep it that way. In the Previous Universe, they were necessary. I don’t think they will be necessary here. The other reason I won’t be doing so is that eventually, the ambient magic level will rise so much that technological nanites will no longer function here. When that happens humanity should have all the tools they need. Also, they’ll need to adapt to, and overcome, the introduction of monsters, Dungeons, and even The Labyrinth.”
“How will that be possible? If my review of the information you provided me is correct, you plan to move on when your work here is done?”
“That is a thought I’d had. I have reason to believe there is something beyond this existence. I can’t say why I feel that way, I just do.” he answered.
“Understood. I have uploaded ‘The Unicorn’s’ location into your HUD.”
“Thank you, Thor. Just so we’re clear, I do not plan to do anything hasty. I’d like to see how things work out here as well as make sure everyone here has the tools they need to succeed going forward. I do not want to leave this Universe to become a casualty of time travelers, like the one I just came from.”
Thor remained silent as Adam willed himself away from the Sun and headed out of the solar system towards ‘The Unicorn.’ At the speed he was traveling at, it didn’t take long. As before he entered the stellar coordinates of the black hole and made his way to the edge of the black hole’s event horizon. Adam didn’t feel the pull of gravity on him. In fact, until he looked around and analyzed his surroundings he hadn’t even noticed that he was being peppered by micrometeorites and not-so-micro rocks traveling at a significant velocity that were just bouncing off of him. Anything that came at the event horizon from directly behind him, slammed into him, came to a stop, and then the gravity of the black hole drew them into its grip again. His clothes were being destroyed and repaired by his nanites but his body wasn’t even affected. Adam had a very strong feeling that nothing had changed for him since being sent here.
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Through his quantum link to Thor he sent,
Adam: Thor, I’m going in.
Thor: Acknowledged.
Adam willed himself across the event horizon. As before he came into a region where everything was falling towards a pinpoint. Now that he knew what to look for though he could discern that everything wasn’t falling towards a point and stopping. It was falling into a hole through space-time to elsewhere. Unlike the hole he’d found in the Labyrinth, he wasn’t going to fit through this one unless he allowed himself to be spaghettified. Yeah, that didn’t sound fun at all. He did allow some of his nanites to detach from him and enter the microscopic vortex. Unlike before he lost contact with the nanites as soon as they passed through the vortex. The link wasn’t cut off. After he reviewed the incoming data from his quantum link with the nanites he understood that something had destroyed them.
That wasn’t why he was here anyway. Adam willed his Personal Interface to open and was not surprised to find the messages that awaited him.
WARNING! You have moved into a Cosmos that does not have the leveling system of your previous Cosmos.
WARNING! Your experience exceeds the amount required to attain the maximum Character Level of 100,000
WARNING! Fundamental Ability Adaptable noted. Character Level Limit has been removed.
WARNING! Your Character Level far exceeds any Character Level of any creature or Divine in this Cosmos.
ERROR, no Divine’s Detected.
ERROR, no Higher or Lower Planes Detected.
ERROR, No Alternate Universes Detected within this Cosmos.
As the highest level Fundamental Being in this Singular Cosmos, you may claim this Cosmos as your own. NOTE: A Singular Cosmos is a Cosmos that contains only one Universe where all entities with Souls that perish only have one path of progression. Through ‘The Eye”.
NOTE: To Conserve Energy, the buffer function of Chaos has been removed from this Cosmos.
NOTE: Magic is only usable in designated gravimetric locations. Only creatures that have the ability to withstand severe gravimetric stress can access magic here. Access the Cosmic Interface to make adjustments to these settings.
Well, those warnings and notes were quite helpful. Adam scrolled back up to the question of claiming this Cosmos and chose “Yes”
You have claimed Cosmos SP-JB-001-IHABIWAB. As the only Fundamental Being in this Cosmos, you may adjust and set settings as you see fit. NOTE: Temporal Changes have been locked out by an Avatar of Time. See the Magic Tab, Subcategory “Time” to review changes and lockouts.
The limitations on Time tampering were expected. How could his history not be tampered with if someone could come here and change things? As he had believed, there was another level beyond the Cosmos and he wanted to see what it was. For now, though he paced himself and pulled up his personal Interface to check what another Conversion had done to him. Adam pulled up his information:
Name: Adamantadine
Identity: Adam
Age: 35
Weight: 170
Birthday, July 16th, 2001
Fundamental Abilities (Note Fundamental Abilities are Always Active and stay with you through any temporal shifts, changes, or paradoxes that occur.)
“Perfect Memory” - Like Photographic Memory except for all five senses with an automatic recall of desired information.
“That Was Easy” - Your Ability Guided Understanding, Jack of all trades, and Orb of Knowledge have combined into the Unique ability “That was Easy.” You may use any skill as if you had skill level 100 in it. Even if you have never seen the skill used before your skill level is 100.
“I have Always Been, I will Always Be” - Your existence is now sacrosanct. You are no longer subject to a Grand Father Paradox and you gain a 100% resistance to harmful Time Magic.
“Creature of Raw Chaos” - Your body has been inundated with Chaos. During this process, your will was strong enough to hold your core identity together and permanent changes were made to your body. You may now enter and exit Chaos 100% resistant to any further changes.
“Adaptable” - Chaos has modified your body so that you may adapt to any environment. From Absolute Zero to the Gravity well of a Singularity your body can and will adapt to all environmental conditions. This includes the ability to survive in those environments. Example: the ability to breathe underwater if necessary.
“Willed-Movement” - As a being of Chaos, constantly connected to it so long as you are not in a region of ERROR, you have the ability to move through that Chaos as you desire at any rate you desire. As Chaos is present in all aspects of reality your will allows you to move as you desire. This is a sub-ability of the Fundamental Ability “Adaptable.”
“Undying” - You will reform at the nearest place of power containing Life Magic if killed. While you are not truly immortal, the powers that granted this ability have decreed that you will be resurrected and reformed a number of times equal to the souls you’ve spared from utter annihilation, this includes all souls across all Universes that were saved. What did you like to say? “A number of times best phrased as a Scientific Number.”
“Resistant” - You are 50% resistant to all Primal Magic and natural manifestations of those magics. Additionally, you are 100% resistant to all magic from the following spheres of power; "Chaos, Time, Space, and Gravity, and 50% resistant to Holy and Demonic Magic
“Godless” - The changes to your body have severed any clerical link to the divine you had. As you share a host of traits similar to the Divine you may not become the servant of any Divine again.
“Confluence” - Your Place of Power has merged with you. While you cannot access a Place of Power any longer Chaos seeps into from beyond the barrier of the Universe you’re in and converts it to primal magic of all spheres. You do not have control of this process. In any Multiverse, you have access to and can utilize any magical energy normally. Additionally, your Mana Regeneration is increased by Willpower + Endurance per minute. Finally, the process of converting raw Chaos into magic garners 1 XP per second.
“Spellweaver” - You neither memorize nor permanently add spells using spell slots. Instead, you may weave magic into any form of your desire so long as you have the skill and mana to do so.
“Personal Storage” - You now have the equivalent of 1,000' cubic feet of dimensional storage that reduces weight by 100%. It can be accessed at will. Items placed into or taken out of the space appear or disappear to the hand touching them. This space can be represented by slots if you prefer.
“Infinite Wealth” - Your Belt of Infinite Wealth has been transformed into a Fundamental Ability. You may pull forth any type of currency and have the ability to produce any amount of wealth you might need. As per the initial conditions of this item’s acquisition, any cost incurred for any wealth withdrawn is paid for by the Divine Detrik. Even through “The Change” this cost was maintained.
Character Level 104,879,885 Ascendant Human
Attributes
Strength 57,207,210
Agility 57,207,210
Dexterity 57,207,210
Endurance 57,207,210
Constitution 57,207,210
Intelligence 57,207,210
Wisdom 57,207,210
Willpower 57,207,210
Perception 57,207,210
Charisma 57,207,210
Luck 57,207,210
Primary Stats
Carrying Capacity 48,626,128,500 lbs.
Hit Points: 337,522,539
Base Health Regeneration
3,218,120,465 HP per second
Stamina 572,072,100
Base Stamina Regeneration
962,990 Stamina per second
Mana: 572,072,100
Base Mana Regeneration
3,851,955 MP per second
Movement
Normal Running Speed: 52.8 E12 mph, 77.5 E9 fps
Standing high Jump: 8,398,018 Feet.
Note. Falling Damage is not mitigated by maximum jumping Distance.
Base Attack
Unarmed Attack: 1,112,108,162
Critical Damage Maximum Damage x7
Skills: See Fundamental Ability “That Was Easy” above
Adam choked. He was floating inside the Event Horizon of a Black Hole, and he choked and then he started coughing as he tried to clear his throat, which was impossible as he was in a vacuum but his body decided to try anyway. As he coughed his level and attributes played through his mind again. Character Level 104,879,885 Ascendant Human? What in the actual fuck?