Far above the tallest trees and where the highest clouds gave way to the edge of space, something hovered over the planet known as Vervina-C. For the world with no moon, it would have been the only notable satellite around. However, if anyone on the planet had looked up at the sky and even closely observed the exact spot where this object remained locked in place, they would have seen nothing.
Off in the distance of space, Vervina-A and Vervina-B could also just barely be seen as points slightly larger than the stars even further beyond. All three were part of the event of multiversal interest known as the 42nd Merging. Though each planet was separated, with each one having its own individual set of leaderboards and such for its respective Quests.
But in the station overlooking Vervina-C in particular, a gathering of some of the multiverse’s most well-known figures was being held. When each of their respective Guilds had been given the chance to send one representative in A Grade to observe the ongoing Merging, these individuals were the ones chosen. And what did they do with such an awesome responsibility that only came once in the timespan of billions of years, where practically none of them would live long enough to see the next Merging?
They partied, of course.
The inside station was practically the most exclusive of VIP lounges. With plenty of space to stand or sit around the luxurious furniture provided by the System itself. On the side facing the planet, a wall of glass panels allowed any standing next to it to look down and watch the planet as it slowly rotated. Food and drink were provided, though many also brought their own. In one corner, a small crowd was smoking a substance so potent that a single dropped would have sterilized all life in Earth’s oceans.
But more than just a party for pleasure, it was a chance to form connections. Within that area, the System itself enforced a policy that simply made fighting impossible. So in addition to being sent to observe the Merging, those present were almost all given the task to act as diplomats.
In past Mergings, it was stations like this one where alliances lasting millions of years were formed, or wars that had been ongoing for the same amount of time were finally put to an end. That was the kind of authority that these A Grades had been carefully given by their respective Guilds.
And to focus on such things only made sense. After all, the 42nd Merging had only been going on for a very, very short amount of time as of yet. To the vast majority of those present, there simply was nothing currently happening that could have possibly been worth getting too invested in.
Especially not until the first year passed. It was only then that the System would allow them to no longer be restricted to act as simply observers, but allowed some amount of interference.
Even the Kingdoms being formed by the first High Lords weren’t quite worth getting attached to. As it went for every Merging, most of them would be gone before the first year that marked the completion of the Quest series the System almost always started with.
So it would be after this point that the diplomacy between themselves would be mostly done anyway, and the ongoing events of the Merging could receive their first attention. However, this was only the general opinion of the majority, of which there were always still at least a few exceptions.
Two of which were currently sitting side by side in front of the glass wall. Half of their attention was on closely observing the planet in front of them, while the other half was focused on the various screens whose numbers and figures were almost constantly in flux. Although, it was only really one of the two that tried to split their attention in such a way. Since the other tried to repeatedly sabotage it by also adding idle conversation to the mix as well.
“I still can’t believe that Humans drew the short end of the stick, this time around. Is this the first Merging where they’ve had such an awful compatibility and have to suffer being stuck with… you know…” A female vampire said as she nudged her head to the pair’s left. A fair distance away from another seat, one of the few also already paying close attention to the Merging was a Species that many in the multiverse knew, hated, and feared. A Crab.
The vampiress looked back at her companion. Her deep red eyes were only a shade darker than her scarlet skin. Something which was only further contrasted by her long, white hair. For her particular variety of Vampire, her air should have also been just another type of red, yet this difference had always made her something of an outlier in her homeland.
Reflected in those red eyes was the image of the man beside her. Or at least one who was once just a regular Human male, but had been a different Species for many years now. A being of pure technology whose very soul had been removed from the weakness of flesh and replaced by the reliability of metal. Where a normal man’s face had once been, was now a digital screen of pure black.
Though it was only dark when he either was idle or intentionally obscuring his emotions, as under normal circumstances, it would light up with various colors to show his current intent and mood. Better for communication than inferring from regular facial language, at least what he frequently claimed.
“Another instance of this did occur, Nishandra, back in the 8th Merging. The Humans of the time were also paired with a race of Crabs while suffering from an even lower survivalable compatibility. Their compatibility at the time was only 8.7%, compared to the current rate of 14.5%. The Crabs of the time also had a higher rate than the ones of this Merging. If based on that metric alone, the Humans of this Merging stand a considerably higher chance of surviving the first year,” Kirus explained with a clearly digitized voice.
“Still, I can’t help but feel bad for them, you know? I’ve heard all sorts of stories of how Humans from a new universe always struggle, even after their Merging has settled. Like the last Merging, where the poor things only barely scraped by, only to be wiped out when their world was opened up for the multiverse to freely visit. It’s just a pity,” Nishandra sighed with genuine sadness.
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As a natural-born Vampire, she viewed the struggling Humans in the same way that they would view an abandoned puppy. Just something to be looked down on with compassion from any who considered themselves to be magnanimous. Her companion, despite having been born Human himself, chose not to comment on that specific point.
After all, it was just a fact that amongst all the A Grades present on the station, there wasn’t even a single Human. There were only those born to another Species entirely or had long since moved away from their humble origins, like Kirus. Despite being the second most populous of every sapient Species in the multiverse, to be born Human was to be born with an inherent handicap when compared to the many advantages of the other races.
“In any case, I do not fear that the one close by will overhear us. Just from your prior statement of Humans dealing with Crabs being implied as a bad thing, he would have already taken that as an insult. It would seem that something, or perhaps rather someone, in that world has fully taken all of his attention. Perhaps it is the one currently at the top of every leaderboard, who is also a Crab. Although, I have yet to personally take a closer look at this individual myself,” Kirus suggested.
Nishandra nodded after taking a sip from a drink whose color can only be described as glowing a radioactive green. “I haven’t been that much attention to the top of the leaderboards either, to be honest. They change way too often within this first year to really mean anything until after then. Ah! But I did find what appears to be a small number of Vampires from the 42nd universe. As long as they survive, I’m sure the clan will be thrilled to induct them as a new lineage.
“But now that you mention it, maybe we should also take a little peek at the leaderboards’ current leader? Mostly because if you’re right, I can only wonder what kind of being has caught that old Crab’s attention. I heard the superiority complex is strong with that one, like did you know that he often uses the shells of his own Species as furniture? It’s quite barbaric, so I hear.”
While Kirus was sure that claim was likely just a rumor, as his companion was a lover of all things related to gossip, it did still have a nugget of truth to act as the basis.
Crabs were a notoriously prideful Species who believed themselves to be the apex of all life. This mentality naturally meant that they became even highly judgemental of themselves as to who was the most superior. Any and every feature could be subject to scrutiny, to the color of their shell, the shape of their eyes, the size of their claws, and more.
In any given Kingdom of Crabs, there was not a Lord and subjects, but simply a temporary leader with so-called followers who all believed themselves to be more worthy of the crown, and simply waited for the right time to claim it. This was actually considered a good thing for the multiverse as a whole. Since it meant that Kingdoms and Guilds of Crabs actually spent quite a lot of time fighting each other, while everyone else gave them a wide berth.
Which made it all the more curious to the Vampire and Android. Because there was exactly no reasonable world where a prideful A Grade Crab gave any sort of care toward a single E Grade. Hoping that the Crabs as a whole proved their superiority by claiming victory in the Merging? Sure, that made perfect sense as just a matter of honor. But even just one who had claimed an early lead in the leaderboards wouldn’t have stirred so much focus, that they could talk behind his back without drawing the Crab’s ire.
At almost the same time, both of willed for a new screen to appear in front of them. One that acted as a live video feed to directly observe a chosen individual from any angle and distance. As observers in this System-created space, it was just one of the temporary powers given to everyone present.
The vampiress’s eyes widened. “Kirus, that’s-”
“Don’t say it aloud,” the Android interrupted. “That is the one phrase that may grab the attention of the Crab alongside everyone else here. But to think that such a thing would come from one born before their universe’s Merging? I thought it impossible, and yet, the evidence before us now remains the same.”
Nodding, Nishandra swiftly regained her composure. Though she still glanced back at all the others still enjoying this event as a social party. All it would take was for one person to spread the word about what they had just seen, and all that would immediately come to an end. If anything could get them all to care about even these early days of the Merging, it would be an instance of what she agreed should have just been outright impossible.
When it came to the 42nd Merging, not even the pinnacle beings above the highest of Grades known as Gods were able to interfere. So, without the interference of Gods, the Merging so far should have been free of any divine presence. At least until the System opened the door to allow them to add their own influence to the chaos. Yet the thing inside this mere E Grade was undeniable in its identity.
A Divine Spark.
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When Jordan awoke in the morning, he felt surprisingly rested when considering the previous day’s events. The lack of dreaming was something to perhaps be thankful for, to make that happen. However, he could already feel the results of sleeping on hard concrete in his back. Even though a small pile of clothing had been added for a bit of padding to sleep on, it only helped so much.
As Jordan slowly opened his eyes, he noted that the connection to all but two drones had been cut off. The only ones left were the land drone he’d ridden back on, and a new air drone to join it in an overnight patrol around his Kingdom. He could only hope that before the portal must have closed to no longer let them count as within range, they managed to-
“Holy… that’s, that can’t be right? Hah, I can’t believe it!” Jordan exclaimed as his eyes quickly landed on the screen before him.
Level Up!
Level 5 to Level 6
Or rather, screens, plural. Because directly underneath it was something he truly hadn’t expected to gain at Level 6 of all Levels. But at his point, he certainly wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Skill advancement earned!
Please select one of the following:
Gain new Skill.
Or
Evolve current Skill.
Note!
If Advancement Crystals have been used for either of the selected methods, then this Level-based increment will not count toward the stacking essence required for either option.
Finally, at the corner of his vision was the thing that caused this to happen. The condensed stack of minimized EXP pop-ups had grown rather thick. Which meant that in just the one night that they were on the other side of the gateway, his drones had been amazingly successful in their murder spree.
Sitting up, Jordan was already grinning at what looked to be a very promising start to this new day.