A system message materialized:
The last participant stands on the brink of victory. Would you like to enter the tournament and challenge him?
Lorcan nearly chuckled. His Baron ranked as a peak D-grade Hegemon. Even in his current state, he could dispatch Lorcan effortlessly. However, upon closer inspection of his master, Lorcan's demeanor shifted. Dozens of darts protruded from his body, rendering him reminiscent of an Arcoran Steel Hedgehog. His wounds oozed a vile mixture of black ichor, blood, and pus. Veins visible outside his armor had darkened to an ominous black. Searching his Cosmic Sack, Lorcan found no remaining antidotes or healing treasures. Even the most trivial had been depleted weeks prior.
He selected a response to the message and confirmed it.
His Baron jolted upright, eyes widening as he absorbed a system message. Swiveling around, he discovered the lone survivor beside him, shielded from Braagh’s ultimate assault by his own body. "You dare challenge me? And who might you be?"
"I am Lorcan Skyre, one of your loyal array operators."
"Not so loyal, it appears."
"To claim the trial's spoils, survival is imperative. According to the strategic briefing, your odds of survival when hit with at most five darts were low. You now bear dozens of dart wounds. Can you heal? If you possess another cosmic bag or a ring with healing treasures, I will fetch it and then withdraw from the trial by using a cowards escape pill."
His Baron scrutinized him. One eye lost its color and closed, the other remained vigilant. "You'd truly do that, wouldn't you? You hail from Amatharr, correct?"
"Yes, my Baron. Your most steadfast planet."
"I see. But why challenge me? Were you aiming to awaken my resolve?"
"No. I believed, and still do, that you will perish. No aid remains. The system will not intervene until your survival is assured, as it is one of the trial's victory conditions. By participating, I will claim the spoils and return them to your kin."
"There is no one left. A year ago, a message arrived from our clan. The participation war escalated. My family is gone. All of them. Returning at C-grade, perhaps after a century of training, would have offered my sole chance for retribution."
Lorcan's shock was palpable. "What befell Amatharr? Did the war reach there? What became of my kin?"
"We traded Amatharr to the Undead Empire to fund the core leeching shield array. Amatharr became a death world months ago."
"You villain!" Lorcan hurled his knife, easily deflected by his weakened Baron. The Hegemon then reclined, breathing heavily. "I risked too much for this trial. Far too much. I breached every boundary, every limit. I merit death. Take the spoils with my blessing..."
Still consumed by rage at his master's betrayal, Lorcan stomped toward Skorr's abandoned spear. Crafted from a rare black metal, its double-bladed point equaled the length of his upper arm. Gripping it firmly, he aimed the tip at the man's chest, where the armor was split by multiple dart hits. But then he halted, wavering with indecision and doubt.
His Baron coughed blood, rolling his remaining eye. "No wonder you never rose beyond an array operator. It's fortunate I sold your planet; its inhabitants will fare better as undead spawn."
Lorcan unleashed a cry of pure fury, planting one foot on Skorr's chest before thrusting the spear into his heart. The D-grade weapon punctured the already weakened flesh, prompting the Hegemon's final shudder.
As Skorr expired, Lorcan felt the warm cosmic energy of his kill surge through him, though significantly less than expected. His master had expended nearly everything, including much of his life-force, in his final battle. There was little left.
Higher-level enemy eliminated. Title conferred: Slayer of Leviathans - Solo kill an enemy 50 levels or more above you. All stats +11, all stats +10%.
Sonkharan Ascension Tournament (Unique) [COMPLETE]: You are the last participant to survive the tournament. Reward: Spoils of war. Perfection of cultivator core. Ascension to C-rank.
[Error! Winner not qualified for standard reward… Arbitration necessary].
Lorcan settled into the battlefield's mire, surveying the desolation. No living soul remained. Poison clouds had withered plants; area attacks had incinerated animals. Warriors' corpses littered the terrain, forming macabre hillocks in places.
Moments passed before a floating eye with six wings materialized without warning. "Well, that was a rather unpleasant transportation. Seems there's an urgent decision to be made." It regarded Lorcan with a telepathic equivalent of a friendly wave. "Don't fret; I merely need to acquaint myself with the situation. Please, wait a moment."
The eye pulsated and vibrated, presumably digesting system information at an astonishing rate. Finally, it halted. "I better not disclose my name, to avoid being associated with this mess. How could an F-grade human secure guaranteed ascension to C-rank? You'd combust if the system attempted it. And believe me, it has attempted to forcibly elevate promising candidates numerous times."
A weighty sensation gripped Lorcan's mind. "Consider that information strictly confidential, and promptly forget it," the eye cautioned.
Lorcan nodded, sensing the oppressive weight dissipate.
"Now, onto our predicament. Firstly, there's no direct pathway to C-rank for you. Secondly, we face the quandary of excessive loot."
Lorcan glanced around, realizing he hadn't contemplated the immense wealth strewn across the planetary battlefield. Most treasures had been expended, yet hundreds of thousands of weapons, arrays, and armors remained. Additionally, there were vast quantities of Nexus Crystals, alongside the personal Cosmic Sacks of innumerable fallen warriors.
"How can there be too much?" Lorcan queried.
"Try pocketing a hundred thousand D-grade Nexus Coins and see how far it gets you," the eye retorted. "You lack the power or connections to safeguard such wealth, and word will inevitably spread. Many skills detect riches. Then there's the issue of power storage. A planetary alignment occurs every ten millennia to generate the requisite Cosmic Energy for ascension. It's here now and cannot wait until you're prepared. The system will need to allocate most of it elsewhere."
Lorcan sank into the mire, contemplating his deceased Baron with the spear still embedded in his chest. "So, I don't ascend, and I don't get to claim the loot. What do I receive?"
"Ah, now we must get creative. Initially, I'll request the system collect all treasures, equipment, Nexus Crystals, and Nexus Coins on this planet, depositing them into a trust fund overseen by the system. I'll designate a minor merchant house leader as your access point. They'll be bound by a confidentiality contract, enforced by the system. You'll only get to access funds sufficient to sustain a wealthy lifestyle commensurate with your current status and grade. No cosmic-pleasure vessel for fishies. Additionally, you'll receive... no, that's a dreadful idea." The eye fell silent, communing with the system. Resuming motion, it sighed audibly. "Well... you'll embark on a training regimen quest line. Typically reserved for Defiers and Progenitors at risk of losing momentum, it offers guidance with a perilous edge and strict time limits. Failure to meet any quest deadline terminates system support, though you'll receive a monetary reward based on your grade and success rate."
"I'm unsure about this," Lorcan admitted.
" You don’t get to choose. The system wants to get you to C-grade or die trying. That’s you dying, not the system, just to be clear. Now, let's devise a plan to mold you into a Heaven's Chosen."
"I've never excelled at anything..."
"None of that defeatism," the eye admonished. "Don't tempt the system to dispose of you and be done with it. Let's begin by examining your class...”
[Class: Array Warrior, Grade-F, Uncommon]
Intelligence +5, +5%.
Level: +2 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom, +1 Dexterity, +1 free point per level.
Lorcan retrieved his stat screen, sharing it with the eye. His breath caught as he beheld his enhanced stats, courtesy of his new title’s bonuses.
Strength: 25 (including +10% increase)
Dexterity: 69 (including +10% increase)
Endurance: 31 (including +10% increase)
Vitality: 30 (including +10% increase)
Intelligence: 115 (including +15% increase)
Wisdom: 62 (including +10% increase)
Luck: 19 (including +10% increase)
"Now let’s see how your connection to the Dao is. Your affinities are… oh my."
Lorcan bowed his head. Military instructors had scrutinized him multiple times with intricate arrays throughout his life. He anticipated the findings of the arbitrator.
"Low affinity to time-based Daos, low affinity to space-based Daos. Almost no affinity for other Daos, except for a very low affinity for the Dao of Life. That is… not optimal." He projected part of Lorcans status into the air. Something Lorcan would’ve thought impossible without his active participation. But then, he could actually be considered a disciple of the system itself, so his master could openly access his status. And since he was working with the system itself, there probably where no secrets he could keep.
Dao: Seed of Marga Bodha (Early). The seed of Pathfinding Insight. Intelligence +10, Wisdom +5
Lorcan shrugged. "Tell me about it. Space and Time hold value only at the highest tiers. No one would invest the necessary resources and training in someone without at least a high affinity. My Dao seed was somewhat useful to intuit the correct placement of array flags and to get the timing right when working together with a crew. I got it after a Dao vision when receiving my class."
The arbitrator blinked, somehow conveying thoughtfulness: "Training a space and time Dao combination would be even more challenging and time-consuming. Humans with above-average affinity in one of those Daos are exceedingly rare, and there isn't much demand either."
Lorcan nodded, recalling the time and Nexus Coins he'd expended on information missives regarding this subject. "I've heard even the mightiest empires have rarely achieved significant returns on such an investment. The Dao of Space is necessary for controlling and constructing cosmic vessels, while the Dao of Time can be utilized for stasis fields, food preservation, and time dilation rooms. That's about it."
"Well, that's essentially accurate. But we're not here to mold you into an ordinary cultivator. The objective is to shape you into a Heaven's Chosen, capable of reaching C-grade through your own merit. Let's begin with this!"
A golden glowing bundle of endless tubes materialized before Lorcan, hovering at chest height. The tubes undulated around his hand, weaving in and out of themselves. "This is a natural Dao treasure cultivated on an ancient tree orbiting a black hole on an asteroid. Only the supremacy, who has declared himself its protector and gardener, knows how to reach it without succumbing to gravity and being pulled into the event horizon. And even this supremacy takes centuries to reach the asteroid due to extreme time dilation. I'm truly relieved we don't have to disclose the exact figures of your budget. This acquisition put a significant dent in it. But it will be worth it. Consume it."
Lorcan hesitated for a moment, then ingested it. It felt akin to slurping cold spaghetti made of soft glass with a hint of citrus and electricity.
Before he finished, another fruit appeared, surprising the arbitrator's eye, which flickered as it read a system message: "Seems like this is one of the very rare cases where you should consume two natural treasures together, instead of waiting for each one to take effect individually. This one is from a rose bush of the original imperial palace of Emperor Limitless, preserved by the system for all this time. You won't be charged for it, as there's no price on it. It's virtually priceless, but even the system couldn't find any use for it until now."
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
The rose flower, formed of stained glass in all colors of the rainbow, continuously folded in on itself, creating a mesmerizing display. Lorcan felt still felt spatial turbulences from the other treasure mixing within him as he devoured it, the sensation akin to crunching fine plates of sugar.
He almost lost consciousness from the battling sensations within his body. He barely saw the giant fractal ring taking form around him on the hardening floor.
"Now, don't you dare fall unconscious! Even the system can't just grant you understanding of the Dao. You have to grasp the visions yourself. Here, take these pills. One grants more stamina than a soldier pill, the other enhances your concentration on the Dao by increasing your mental energy."
Lorcan sensed a prayer mat materialize beneath him, its high quality evident in the spiritual aura it emitted. Unseen arrays lifted him out of the mud, cleansing him while he assumed a lotus position, ready to absorb the Dao visions provided by the natural treasures. Glowing motes surrounded him as shielding arrays materializing to protect him. An unknown to him energy suffused his surroundings. His mind started to wander.
Days turned into weeks as he delved into the depths of the Dao, the arbitrator occasionally administering pills, elixirs, or treasures to aid his journey. Universes were born, folded, and vanished before his eyes. Several times he witnessed a giant fractal, spanning the width of a solar system. The visual representation of the Dao itself. Each time he saw tiny parts of it lighting up, showing him where the seeds of knowledge he envisioned where located in correspondence with the whole.
Meanwhile, the arbitrator communed with the system, acquiring various natural treasures while the wealth of five grand armies and the remnants of the planet paid for rare and exotic goods. He ate Dao fruits and other delicious natural and artificial treasures without tasting anything. After an eternity the vision faded.
Upon awakening, Lorcan felt rejuvenated and empowered. The arbitrator conducted readings using the array around him. "Very good. Your affinities to both space and time have increased tremendously, as expected. The system flooded your surroundings with Origin Dao while you were pondering the Dao for six weeks. You won't believe what some people would do to obtain even a minuscule amount of that. I suspect there are truly few people in the whole multiverse, that managed to maintain a Dao vision as long. Now, take a long breath, drink some wake up elixir and look at your status screen to check what Dao seeds you got. I suspect even your old one got either upgraded or changed.
Lorcan grasped the cup of steaming black liquid that materialized beside him and took a sip. The medicinal brew swiftly dispelled the lingering traces of his visions. As for its taste, it eluded description, an enigmatic blend of darkness and alertness. Once fully restored, he drew a deep breath and turned his attention to his status, where information about his Dao awaited. His mind momentarily paused in disbelief. He had hoped for more than one Dao seed given the plethora of Dao treasures he had consumed, but three new seeds exceeded his expectations. Moreover, his connection to the Dao had noticeably strengthened. Sensing the solidity of space and the flow of time around him, he recalled strategic discussions from the tournament's outset, where constraints on time and space were forewarned due to the solar system's colossal natural formation. What had once been theoretical knowledge now manifested palpably. Furthermore, he noticed an elaboration in the description of his previous seed. Vaguely, he recalled reading that a higher affinity sometimes prompted the system to disclose more information. As he had obtained his first seed while meditating with warrior monks between two campaigns, his foundations and status had been influenced by the tenets of Buddhist principles.
Dao seed of Marga Bodha (Early) Intelligence +10, Wisdom +5The seed of Pathfinding Insight. Marga Bodha focuses on gaining insights into optimal paths within space, enabling efficient navigation and strategic movement.
Dao seed of Akasa Sparsha (Early) Dexterity +10, Intelligence +5The seed of Spatial Sensation. Focused on the sensory perception of space, Akasa Sparsha involves the ability to feel and intuitively understand the spatial dimensions surrounding oneself.
Dao seed of Akasa Sparsha (Early) Vitality +10, Dexterity +5The seed of Temporal Awareness. Foundational to the Dao of Time, Kala Jnana involves developing a fundamental awareness of the flow and nature of time. Practitioners learn to perceive time as a dynamic force, understanding its passage and rhythms.
Dao seed of Samaya Yojana (Early) Intelligence +10, Wisdom +5The seed of Chrono-Synchronization. This concept focuses on aligning one's personal rhythms with the temporal flow. Practitioners learn to attune yourselves to the natural ebb and flow of time, gaining a sense of harmony and balance.
After he finished reading, the arbitrator lectured him again: “Gaining three Dao seeds is significant, but I don’t have to tell you that. In addition to the bonus from Dao, your attributes have grown by about 15 points each by the various natural treasures. More would be possible, but the system prefers to bestow titles rather than attribute points. And no, you won't receive any luck fruits. Too much luck tends to lead to improbable situations constantly. But even with the considerable resources invested, it's not enough. You need an edge to rise above the masses and contend for Hegemony, let alone Monarchy. But I've found just the thing! Now, I rarely have the opportunity to peruse the system's vaults for rare and exotic treasures with near-unlimited funds, so this was quite enjoyable." He held up a pear-like object, sensing Lorcan's yearning for it. "This is one of the rare and sought-after Fruits of Ascension. It aids in racial evolution and will even assist you in accessing a better class upon reaching E-grade. Since you already possess an uncommon class, you'll certainly obtain one of rare grade. Together with this custom-made medicinal bath, its effects will be amplified. It will evolve your race!"
The arbitrator gestured, conjuring a bathtub next to Lorcan. Fashioned from night black metal and inscribed with dense star-silver runes, it brimmed with a medicinal substance emitting a soft blue glow.
Lorcan eyed the bathwater, taking a deep breath. Instantly refreshed, he felt like meditating atop a high mountain during sunset. Then he shook his head. "That won't work. I've spent most of my money on medicinal baths and elixirs. I've already evolved to E-grade."
"Yes, I know. This will elevate your race to D-grade."
Lorcan gaped. "To what now? Is that some exotic bloodline?"
"The system cannot grant or alter bloodlines. No, you'll remain a vanilla, basic, human. Just enhanced. You'll have increased longevity, higher capacity to store Cosmic Energy, and better pathways to distribute this energy. You'll activate skills faster and more powerfully, providing the extra edge you'll need. It also raises your attribute cap, though there's no danger of reaching it at the moment. Additionally, you'll gain resistance to the impurities of pills, allowing you to use more before developing an immunity."
After exploring alternatives, Lorcan acknowledged the absence of better options. He entered the bathtub and ingested a pill provided by the arbitrator.
Upon awakening, the bathtub had vanished, leaving Lorcan on a mattress. Arrays had purged the remnants of the medicinal substances and dried him.
"You're awake. Excellent. Accomplishing your race evolution wasn't complex, given your lack of an exotic bloodline or constitution. I had to maintain you in an artificial coma for six months, but you're not in a hurry to go anywhere, are you?"
Lorcan's anger ebbed, replaced by resignation. He had no home to return to. All his friends remained fallen... He surveyed his surroundings, noting the glass-walled building that had sprung up around him. Outside, barren earth stretched where the trial's victims had fallen.
"Did the system clean up while I was out?"
"Indeed. The corpses have been removed, and all their belongings added to your trust fund."
Lorcan donned a waiting training robe before checking his status screen:
Name: Lorcan Skyre
Level: 50
Class: [F-Uncommon] Array Warrior
Race: [D] Human
Alignment: none
Titles:
Adventurer: Reach level 10. Rewards: Strength +1, Endurance +1, Intelligence +1
Full of Class: Reach level 25 and attain a Class. All stats +1
Slayer of Leviathans: Solo kill enemy 50 levels or more above you. All stats +10, all stats +10%
Sonkaran Ascencion Tournament winner: Training regimen (variable)
Dao:
Seed of Timing (Early): Intelligence +10, Wisdom +5
Seed of Haste (Early): Dexterity +10, Intelligence +5
Seed of Dimensions (Early): Vitality +10, Dexterity +5
Seed of Spatial Perception (Early): Intelligence +10, Wisdom +5
Strength: 42 (including increase of +10%)
Dexterity: 102 (including increase of +10%)
Endurance: 47 (including increase of +10%)
Vitality: 57 (including increase of +10%)
Intelligence: 155 (including increase of +15%)
Wisdom: 84 (including increase of +10%)
Luck: 19 (including increase of +10%)
Free Points: 0
Nexus Coins: Contact your trust fund manager.
"Congratulations. You are now one of the rare D-grade humans. While that is exceptional, it won't let you stand out too much. It will explain your anonymous master giving you some extra treatment."
"Not stand out? My affinities and stats have exploded!"
"You're still below first or even second seed status in most factions. A noteworthy talent, but no more. Some rare humans on higher grade worlds are born at D-grade naturally. You could also claim to be the result of an experiment, using cheaper medicinal baths. You will stand out slightly, but a higher-grade race can't be stolen, and it's not rare enough to kidnap you for experimentation. Your biggest advantage is your maxed out affinity to two high-tier Daos, and that's not easy to detect. Together with everything else the system has given you; we have reached the peak of what is possible under the law of balance. From now on, you'll have to do it the hard way. Search for opportunities and seize them. Your only advantage will be that you'll never want for monetary aid. But that will only give you the support any of the rich scions also have. And many of those fail at the bottlenecks of cultivation. You'll need to give your all."
Lorcan nodded. He turned around and opened his robe to look for anomalies on his body. It seemed normal, except for something on his chest. A silvery fractal in the middle of his chest, a high contrast against his naturally tanned skin. He turned to the sun to let the light shine upon it. It was the size of his open hand and formed vaguely like an hourglass. When he turned in the light, the fractal tattoo seemed to be three dimensional. He liked it.
The arbitrator followed his gaze: “That seems to be a side effect of the two peak Dao Treasures you ate. Since similar tattoos are quite common throughout the multiverse, it should not be a problem.”
Lorcan closed his robe and asked, "What should I do now?"
"That's your decision. What do you want to do?"
Lorcan stood still while looking out to the devastated wasteland. "Is there a way to save my family from being turned into undead?"
"They were already turned before you ever set foot on this planet. I had the system check. They have become intelligent undead and are adapting reasonably well, since the transformation has wiped their memory clean. As intelligent undead, they’ll not be used in war in the near future. And as undead they’re immortal. Having all of your family become intelligent, instead of ordinary zombies is quite a coincidence. I’d wager, your planet or its inhabitants have some uncommon traits that increase the probability of becoming intelligent in the transformation process. Probably why the Undead Empire purchased your planet in the first place."
"Can I pay for them to be returned to life?"
"That can't be done by the system. It's against the rules it works under. Assuming you reach C-grade, you could become powerful enough to trade for them with the Undead Empire. But you'd need to be powerful enough or have powerful enough connections to protect them. And it won't be easy to find someone with the right abilities to heal them. Also remember, the Undead Empire frowns upon any technique for reversing undeath. While there are organizations who can do it, they don't advertise openly."
"If I can't help my family right now, I should concentrate on getting stronger."
The arbitrator sent a telepathic nod. "Exactly! Follow the edict of the system. Get stronger. Fight for supremacy! Where do you want to start?"
Lorcan looked at his meager repertoire of skills:
[Doublestep] (Class) – Proficiency: Peak
[Array Operation Mastery] (Class) – Proficiency: Middle
[Unarmed Combat Mastery] (Class) – Proficiency: Middle
[Eye of Discernment] (Class) - Proficiency: Early
He shared his status screen with the arbitrator, who winced. "Ouch. Didn't check that. Your master was quite stingy with skills. Those are all class skills. You did manage to already unlock all of them at least."
"If we needed more, we were expected to pay for them ourselves. I spent most of my Nexus Coins on medicinal baths to upgrade my race."
"Which was a sensible decision. It would have taken years to upgrade you by two grades. Now let's see what we can do about skills. To be more than a mere grunt in some backwater army, you'll need a complete set of useful skills. Let me see… [Doublestep] is a basic movement skill. It uses the Dao of time to let you walk faster, correct?"
"I knew people with [Windwalker], which is much faster and even makes you harder to hit. Even [Loamwalker] or [Flashsteps] would be better. I'm at Middle proficiency and it hardly lets me run with three times normal speed."
"Now that you have the seed of dimensions, you can use skills based on the Dao of Space. The fractal for [Doublestep] is located on your left leg. There is room for another skill on your right leg." He held out a hand, and a skill crystal appeared. "This is [Evasive Spatial Shift], a high-grade evasion skill." He gave it to Lorcan, who absorbed the skill. Two more skill crystals appeared.
"Those two will help you start your journey through the universe. [Primal Polyglot] will let you read and understand any language and even get basic information from fractals, arrays, and pathways. Since you're already quite familiar with inscription and array theory, that will be very useful. The other is an upgrade to [Eye of Discernment]. I would recommend you get another upgrade to [Cosmic Gaze] as soon as you reach E-grade, since that is the first version that is passive and doesn't alert your target to being scanned. Until then, remember it's considered rude in most of the multiverse to use intrusive skills on other people."
Lorcan took them, infused Cosmic Energy, and absorbed the first skill crystal.
[Primal Polyglot] – Proficiency: NA. To comprehend the Language of the Dao is to comprehend the universe.
The system started to delete the fractals of the outdated [Eye of Discernment], but Lorcan stopped it. "Wait! I'd like to do this manually, if I may. I worked with arrays and inscriptions most of my life. I would normally never dare to do this by hand, but with direct system assistance, so I couldn't accidentally blow up my pathways…"
The arbitrator nodded. "The Guiding Heavens accept your proposal. If you mess up too much, the system will intervene. But you do risk a suboptimal integration into your pathways, which can cause multiple problems in the long run."
"I'm aware of the risks and accept them."
An array took form around him. He recognized it. It was the assistance arrays his commander had used to upgrade one of his attack skills a few years ago. He had helped set it up and could remember some of the repaired parts. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his pathways. Using his increased intelligence and wisdom, he had no problem memorizing the new skill fractal. He started by removing his old skill fractal. It hurt less than he'd expected. The array helped shield him from the pain, but his high wisdom did most of the work to shield his mind. Hours passed, and he'd flawlessly removed the old fractal. Instead of immediately starting to write the new fractal, he first analyzed the surrounding pathways. The fit of the new fractal was good, but not perfect. Arrays had to be adjusted to the environment. He'd done that for most of his life. He used the same techniques to redesign the skill fractal. It was hard. Any change, even the slightest, had repercussions on the fractal, spiraling to infinity. He had to balance the energy, keep all connections on the right pathways, and still fit the fractal into its slot behind his eyes. He paused. While that was the standard placement, he wanted to have room for upgrades and a better, more direct connection. Seeing Cosmic Energy was immensely useful for array placement. And his old skill had many flaws, making it difficult to see more subtle distortions and energy streams. The seed of dimensions theoretically gave him the ability to increase or decrease the range of skills. So, he wanted a direct connection to his Dao. He chose a slot on the middle of his forehead, the legendary place of the third eye.
Hours passed. The arbitrator acquired some Mind Crystals and inserted them into the array. These rare attuned crystals were highly expensive. Even top factions would rarely consider investing some of those at a mere F-grade human.
Lorcan smiled. His mind hurt from exhaustion; every pathway burned from the hours of activity. But it was a glorious moment. He'd never even heard of some common warrior attempting to insert a skill fractal manually. Skill crystals were expensive, and system assistance guaranteed a good fit. Why risk some mishap? But the fit was never perfect. And you couldn't connect your Dao without the instinctual understanding you only got from very high affinity. It also took too long. You'd need very high wisdom and better some external source for Mental Energy. He opened his eyes for a moment and found the Crystals glowing in their mounts. Just as he'd expected. It felt good to be treated like a first seed scion of a major faction. Even if he completely ruined his project, the system would wipe his paths clean and insert the skill normally. That would make it fit worse than usual, but he was willing to risk that.
His headache got much worse. The fractal lines were fading, now only barely visible to his mind's eye. He held firm and continued. The last lines took form and… he was finished. He relaxed his mind and almost fainted. He went into a calming meditation technique he had been taught early in his career. Finally stable enough, he looked at his new skill.
[Inquisitive Spatial Perception Eye] - Proficiency: Middle. Use the Dao of Spatial Perception to see through their secrets. Upgradeable.
The arbitrator's eye looked at him and blinked. "Interesting. You didn't manage to increase the quality of the skill, but it's firmly placed and directly linked to your Dao seed. I don't really see the point at the moment, but if you manage to evolve the skill in E-grade, you could potentially get something really powerful. Or blow it up completely and permanently close two skill slots." He pondered the next step, then continued: "Now I'd recommend some armed weapon mastery skill. Unarmed Combat will only take you so far."
Lorcan looked at the spear still sticking in the ground where he had killed his former baron. He took it, but it immediately disappeared into his Cosmos Sack. Confused, he sent his mind into his Cosmos Sack. The spear was surrounded by golden fractals.
The floating eye vibrated in silent laughter. "That's a D-grade weapon. You're not supposed to use something like that. It's therefore sealed by the system until you're at least E-grade. Its active functions need too much energy anyway. You'd be sucked dry when using it at F-grade. So, spear mastery?"
Lorcan nodded and got another skill crystal. "That will be all we can do for now. We wouldn't want to overtax your pathways. Now, where do you want to start your cultivation journey?"
"Where is the best academy to study the Dao of space?"
"That would be Ukanjanwalt shipyard academy. It's inside the Million Gates territory. Their planet has Wormholes, artificial and natural gates, broken space, everything."
"Wait… I think I heard of the shipyard academy. Don't they also train a famous sect of warrior monks, that use the Dao of space to evade attacks?"
"Sure, that's what they do with their failed students and rejects. You don't seriously consider…"
"I'll want to start there. More combat training will help me survive my cultivation journey."
The arbitrator started to say something, then stopped and read an unseen system message. It sighed. "Alright. The system loves your idea. Anyone that prefers combat to silent meditation and study will get on its good side. So, let's not lose momentum. Here is a card with contact information for the Mammonath merchant house. Your fund manager, and the one to therefore contact if you need any material goods or resources, will be the regional manager, Torran Tuskan."