Logan brought back a bunch of stuff from the other room. There wasn’t that much left in there, but at this point it really didn’t matter what he enchanted. Nor did it matter what the enchantments were. It was simply important to spend the Numa.

Logan made an effort to also keep his [Transmutation] on par. It wasn’t as fun as [Enchanting], but it was important. So Logan picked up a rock every now and then and made it take various shapes of varying complexity. It was actually very good training.

After a session of [Enchanting] and [Transmutation], a dip and a drink in the water where the giant tentacle monster had been, another meal of tentacle sushi, grilled on a heat-enchanted rock, and another session of grinding on top of that, Logan leveled up.

Logan Specter - [Artificer level 7]

Attributes:

Potency: 31

Efficiency: 34

Durability: 22

Control: 28

Focus: 29

Subclasses:

[Transmutation]: 27

[Enchantment]: 29

Class Skills:

[Empower]: 9

[Funnel]: 9

[Repair]: 9

General Skills:

[Marksmanship]: 10

[Skill Choice Available!]

That was the most minty set of few hours of Logan’s life. He felt extremely happy and energized. It was as if leveling and grinding his class was as natural as eating, sleeping or sex. Doing it made him feel good, in a very profound way. He was in a dark smelly cave, abandoned by time for thousands of years. He had no certainty of knowing whether he would get out or not, but it didn’t bother him. He would figure it out after he had exhausted the Numa crystal.

[S-Grade Natural Numa Crystal, 28%]

[What about this skill choice that you have available?]

“Yeah, I should take a look at it. I’ve just been so engrossed.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Logan knew it was foolish to not have looked at it earlier. He could have picked a skill that let him save Numa, like he had before. But he was damned if he would pick something as boring this time. No. He was powerful now. He had magic badass armor and really high stats. It was time to pick something exciting. So Logan opened up the prompts and took a look at what was available.

[Mass Production: Enchant or Transmute multiple objects at a time. The more objects targeted, the more Numa is saved.]

[Mimicry: Temporarily have an object take on properties it did not have, such as flexibility or size increase.]

[Overcharge: Temporarily Enchant or Transmute an object even without Numa at hand. The item is destroyed after a short time. Greatly affected by attribute coefficients. Usable once a day.]

Well wasn’t that a choice. Logan thought about it. This was a really, really hard one. First of all these were very different from the previous skills Logan had received. The previous skills had been universal. Logan supposed they set him up with basic agency and now it was time to customize.

[Mimicry] didn’t interest Logan. It certainly had uses. Logan supposed the main allure was cost-efficiency. You could throw a rope on the other side of the ledge and have the rope take a rigid form. Then after you’re on the other side, you could just coil up the rope and continue. But it solved problems he could already solve with what he had.

Now the question between [Overcharge] and [Mass Production] was a tough one. [Overcharge] was a really good “oh shit, get me out of jail” — card. If Logan ran out of Numa, internal charge or otherwise, this skill could give him that last push he needed. Lord almighty only knew Logan had been in close shaves more times he could count.

[Mass Production] on the other hand would not only save Numa, it would also save a hidden, but much more valuable resource. Time. With this skill, Logan would be a small industry unto himself. He could take a piece of lumber and turn it into planks of uniform size in an instant. That was a powerful skill.

“On one hand, I don’t want to die, so that’s a point for [Overcharge], but on the other hand, I want toilet paper as soon as possible, so that’s a point for [Mass Production].

[I am not an expert on the hierarchical needs of humans, but wouldn’t not dying supersede having toilet paper?]

“You’d think so, but I’m not sure if a life without toilet paper is worth living.”

[Ha-ha. Very funny, Logan.]

“Don’t suck the joy out of my dry humor.”

[I have recently acquired a taste for self-awareness. If you die because of your lust for toilet paper, and consequentially ending my existence, I WILL haunt you in the afterlife.]

“You believe in that stuff?” Logan asked as he leaned against the warm Numa crystal. The Armor was resonating softly with every pulse.

[That is irrelevant. If there is no afterlife, I lose all leverage in this negotiation. Therefore, let us assume one exists.]

“Heh,” Logan said and sighed. He was finally starting to relax. With the Armor on and Tumor to help him, he felt safe. “As long as Freya is in there, I’m all for it.”

[W-what about…. Me?]

“You?” Logan was startled by the question. What was Tumor to him? First it had been an extension of his father’s oppression. Then Tumor had proved itself an invaluable tool. Then a useful and amusing companion. But now Tumor was a person. That was a hard concept to swallow. Not as hard as one would think. Turing test isn’t that high a bar for hairless monkies like humans. But Logan had been around his father’s business to have a good understanding of an AI’s inner world. This was… definitely something else.

“This is all new to me,” Logan said, sobering up. “I don’t know what you are to me. But I do like having you around, Tumor.”

[...]

[Thank you for not lying to me, Logan. I understand that this is unprecedented for you as well. I am programmed to take care of you. That has translated into caring for you after my awakening. I will do my best to provide good service as your symbiote, and thus gradually gain your approval!]

“Don’t do any of that nonsense, you dummy,” Logan said and punted himself up. It was a little harder than it used to be, even with Tumor really being on the ball with the Armor’s flexibility and his left leg. “If you want me to like you, you need to be you. Don’t you think a guy in my position hasn’t seen enough lickspittles and sycophants trying to please and pander? I like people who are their own people. Just be yourself, Tumor.”

Logan could almost sense Tumor smiling. Of course he couldn’t do anything like that. But somehow, Logan could feel Tumor had liked that answer.

[I can do that, Logan.]