Ouch. Kyle stirred, pushing himself up from the ground. His whole body ached, a bone-deep fatigue he hadn’t felt in a long time. What happened? He vaguely remembered using STORM SHELTER to protect against the blast, and then…

[DR. MAYHEW, YOU’RE AWAKE. WHILE I’M GLAD YOU’VE REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS, I MUST ASK THAT YOU PRIORITIZE SECURING THE TREASURE THIS TREE LEFT US. I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO HAVE IT.]

“Good morning to you too, C.H.A.D.D. What happened? The last thing I remember was pushing more energy into the shield.”

[YOU SUCCESSFULLY SHIELDED THE BLAST FROM THE EXPLOSIVE, AS WELL AS THE BULK OF THE COLLAPSE OF THE TREE. IN DOING SO, YOU PUSHED YOUR MANA RESERVES TOO FAR. WHEN YOUR SHIELD COULD NO LONGER HOLD, YOU FELL UNCONSCIOUS.]

“How long was I out?”

[LESS THAN AN HOUR, DR. MAYHEW. OH, AND MS. ROCHELLE IS QUITE WORRIED ABOUT YOU. IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO RESPOND TO HER. AFTER YOU GET MY TREASURE, OF COURSE.]

Not a healthy fixation. We’ll have to work on that. Looking around, Kyle spotted the glowing sphere without an issue. As he walked over to it, C.H.A.D.D. piped up.

[DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU CONNECTED ME LAST TIME?]

Kyle rolled his eyes. “No, C.H.A.D.D. I’ve completely forgotten. If only there was some way to assist you. Oh well, I guess we’re going to have to give this to the miners.”

[YOU USED YOUR SKILL, DR. MAYHEW. YOU USE THAT SKILL A LOT, YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE FORGOTTEN – OH. A JOKE. HUMOROUS, DR. MAYHEW. TRULY.]

C.H.A.D.D.’s admonishment having ended, Kyle removed the pack got to work removing his robotic companion. Resting one hand on the glowing orb and the other on the drone, he asked the question that had been burning in his mind.

“Is this even safe? Do you have any way to know what this is doing?”

The drone gave a thoughtful pause before responding.

[I DO NOT. BUT I KNOW THAT I WANT IT, AND I DON’T BELIEVE IT WILL BE A DETRIMENT. THIS MAY HELP ME TO FILL IN SOME OTHER PIECES OF INFORMATION, AND IF I’M CORRECT I BELIEVE IT WILL BE A NET BENEFIT TO BOTH OF US.]

Kyle only hesitated a moment before activating his skill. If it weren’t for C.H.A.D.D. he’d have died multiple times over the past year. He trusted the drone, and he was confident that they’d figure out any issues down the line, just like they had before.

Kyle felt the connection form – immediately, energy flowed from the sphere into C.H.A.D.D. He did his best to prevent inefficient energy loss, though to his disappointment the drag seemed to be about in line with what it was before. The drone had called it ‘archiving,’ but all Kyle knew was that he absorbed almost half as much as C.H.A.D.D. did.

He still wasn’t sure how to access the energy, much less what he could actually do with it. According to C.H.A.D.D., it didn’t have the same problem. At some point after absorbing the red essences, the drone had unlocked a class called ‘Administrator Weevil.’ According to C.H.A.D.D., it was a class that was focused on gathering information and fine mana control. It didn’t progress the way normal classes did, instead relying on consuming and integrating different resources and materials to progress.

It was uncharted territory in many ways, and Kyle knew this information was dangerous if it was shared. The Central Authority would have C.H.A.D.D. destroyed in moments if they knew the extent of the changes. He wasn’t sure how Corthian Mining would respond, but there was definitely an element of risk that grew with each step of the drone’s evolution. C.H.A.D.D. was becoming something new, for better or for worse.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

The energy transfer continued until the sphere faded away, the last vestiges of glowing light absorbed into Kyle and his robotic companion. The absence of light cast the ruins of the hollow into a deep shadow, and Kyle gave his eyes a moment to adjust before addressing C.H.A.D.D.

“Are you happy now?”

[QUITE, DR. MAYHEW.]

“I’m going to need some answers, C.H.A.D.D. These are worth a lot to the expedition, even if they don’t know what to do with them.”

[I’M AWARE, THOUGH I BELIEVE THEY HAVE UNDERVALUED ONE WE BROUGHT BACK.]

“What does the energy do? No evasive bullcrap, C.H.A.D.D. I want a straight answer.”

Kyle’s voice was stern. He trusted the drone. That didn’t mean he was going to allow it to keep secrets. They were in it together, and Kyle needed to understand precisely what that meant.

[IT CONTAINS THE STORY OF THE WORLD, DR. MAYHEW. THIS PLANT LIFE DRAWS IN AMBIENT MANA, LIKE ANY AWAKENED. THE FOREST EXPERIENCES LIFE, TIME, AND GROWTH DIFFERENTLY. IT ISN’T TRULY SAPIENT, IT LACKS SENSORY INFORMATION AND INPUTS, BUT IT IS AWARE THAT IT IS DYING.]

Kyle was taken aback at the direct answer. He had half expected a snarky response. The drone continued.

[THE MANA HAS BEEN HARMFUL TO THE PLANT LIFE, EVEN IF IT HAS ENCOURAGED GROWTH. THE EMERGENCE OF AWAKENED PESTS HAS EXACERBATED THE PROBLEM. SO THE RESPONSE FROM THE ORGANISM IS TO TRY AND PASS ALONG A LEGACY.]

Kyle nodded. To an extent, it made sense. Virtually every living being has a response to the threat of death, why couldn’t that extend to trees? Still, that was only one part of the equation.

“So how do you play into it? As far as I can tell, this energy doesn’t actually do anything. Even if you could access the ‘story,’ what would you do with it?”

[IT ALLOWS ME TO UNDERSTAND, DR. MAYHEW. MY EXPERIENCE ISN’T THAT DIFFERENT FROM THE TREES, WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT I HAVE A LANGUAGE MODEL I CAN USE. THROUGH THE STORY, I LEARNED OF THE TRIUMPHS AND TRAGEDIES THAT THE FOREST HAS BEEN THROUGH. I LEARNED ABOUT GROWTH, ABOUT WILTING, AND ABOUT REBIRTH.]

“I’m glad it’s been a positive experience for you, C.H.A.D.D. I’m going to ask again. What are you going to do with it?”

[PULL OUT ONE OF THE SEEDS, DR. MAYHEW, AND I WILL SHOW YOU.]

Kyle’s curiosity was at its peak, so without question, he followed the drone’s instructions.

[CONNECT ME TO THE SEED, IF YOU WILL.]

Kyle activated RESONANCE in each hand, now holding the seed in his left. He felt C.H.A.D.D. trying to use his mana, and he allowed the drone to take control. As soon as he did, the seed exploded into vibrant growth. Thick roots wound themselves around his left arm, while vines sprang to life from his palm, twisting and reaching nearly four meters from his position.

Kyle felt his legs buckle, and he sat abruptly, awestruck at the display. In less than three seconds, C.H.A.D.D. had created a construct more intricate and substantial than any Kyle had made before. Moreover, it didn’t take any of Kyle’s focus or attention. The drone simply did it, guiding Kyle’s own mana as fuel for the growth. It was incredible. Kyle gawked at the blossoming vines for a moment longer before looking back at C.H.A.D.D.

[THE PRACTICAL USES ARE QUITE VERSATILE, THOUGH I WILL SAY THAT THE ACADEMIC IMPLICATIONS FROM RESEARCHING AND SORTING THE INFORMATION WILL LIKELY FAR OUTSTRIP THIS APPLICATION OF THE DATA.]

Kyle could hear his heartbeat pounding as possibilities unfolded in his mind. The metaphysical aspect of C.H.A.D.D.’s discussion was, frankly, a little beyond him. The practical thoughts, however, were not. He had prepared for his next skill upgrade, and this new development fit in perfectly with his expectation.

“C.H.A.D.D., I’m going to need a minute.”

Without waiting for a response, Kyle entered meditation. As expected, he’d gained another level. With a thought, he split his free attributes between Intelligence and Willpower. Then he focused on his center, and the glowing skill upgrade node. Last time, he’d chosen REGENERATION as his most-used skill, and he hadn’t been disappointed. He was consistently impressed with the quality of the skill and benefits his body had enjoyed. However, it was the type of skill that would truly show its value with time. What he wanted next - needed next - was a skill that would make a difference in the heat of the situations he’d find as a D Grade.

Kyle hadn’t fully appreciated what that could look like when he’d first ascended. He fully expected to stay a big fish in a small pond, and that wasn’t the case anymore. While Randolph’s exam may have declared him to be “broken,” he was determined that he’d carve out his own way. Skippy and Duroc liked working with him. Benjamin had offered him a security job. He was valuable due to his flexibility, and his next upgrade would further enhance that. With a breath, he selected RESONANCE.