“Denizens of Destia, I apologize for the interruption.” Razznik’s voice once again boomed into every soul’s ears. The Chaos God evidently treated the adjudicators’ elimination like a minor inconvenience as he continued, “Now, where was I? Yes, you all have completed the first half of your tutorial. Now, I will explain what I meant by that.”
‘Tutorial.’ Even though this was Razznik’s second time saying this, everyone around Destia still reacted with the same level of shock. How could everything they had suffered so far be considered a tutorial? Thousands had died from all the wars that ravaged the land. What kind of tutorial had such massive fatalities?
Despite sensing the unease, Razznik continued unfazed, “Destia, as is, exists only on borrowed time. In a few years – no, perhaps in just over a year, this world shall cease to exist.” Razznik took a moment to allow the bombshell to sink in.
As expected pandemonium broke out all around Destia. The world was about to end!? They would have laughed if anyone else said this, but Razznik was not the joking type. If he said the world would end, then it surely would! What to do!?
“Do not despair just yet. There is yet hope for you all.” Razznik’s voice temporarily chilled the panic, but everyone now waited on tenterhooks for his next words. “Before I continue, I must first explain the source of your disaster.” Razznik took a moment and his gaze seemed to pierce into the heart of every citizen of Destia as he gravely announced, “The Circle’s collapse is imminent. And with it, the end of this world.”
This time, Razznik did not wait for the world’s reaction. His time was limited, so he needed to quickly disseminate the information. “Most of you know the Circle, the metaphysical ring that surrounds this planet. Every soul that perishes returns to the circle until its eventual reincarnation. That is the cliff notes version.
“In broader terms, the Circle is but a physical representation of this world’s cycle of reincarnation. Every soul is afforded nine lives. At the end of each life, each soul is judged on their actions during that cycle and given a karmic score. This karmic score influences its next reincarnation. A higher karmic score will generally mean a luckier birth, either as a scion of a rich family, or blessed with greater talents. It is not always exact, but it rarely strays from this rule. At the end of the soul’s ninth cycle, its total karmic score determines which deity realm it will spend the rest of eternity.”
Many scholars around Destia scribbled notes with rapt attention as Razznik pulled back the veil on some of the greatest ancient secrets.
“You might thus be wondering where the problem lies?” Razznik raised his hand and a projection of Destia’s continent appeared, floating on his palm. “The Circle is a delicate process that requires on-hand supervision at all times. Alure, the goddess of Death, and Aethir, the goddess of Life are both critical components of the Circle. When a being perishes, Alure facilitates the transportation of their soul to the Circle. She judges their current lives and assigns their karmic scores.
“Aethir, on the other hand, takes the judged souls and chooses which lives to grant them. She is responsible for implanting these souls in fetuses. Unborn children not assigned a soul will generate a brand new soul. In moderation, the latter is alright, even encouraged. But, each world has a maximum soul threshold. If the number of souls exceeds the world’s capacity, it will result in what we call a Spiritual Collapse.
“When the souls exceed the threshold, the excess will implode, leading to a chain reaction that will wipe out at least ninety-nine percent of all souls, living and dead in that world. This Spiritual Collapse is a natural reaction from the world in an attempt to protect itself from complete obliteration.”
Razznik paused. He listened to the murmurs rumbling across Destia. The people were not so much scared as they were confused. Some of the smarter ones had begun to piece together the clues, but the information was too vast in scale for many to grasp in the short term.
Unfortunately, Razznik did not have time to carry the whole class along. The scribes jotting down his every word would carry out that task after he had gone.
Having ensured the majority of the scribes had caught up, Razznik turned his attention to the projection of Destia and continued his explanation. “As you know, the gods have been trapped for several centuries. Without Alure, the souls of the dead could not return to the Circle. They remained trapped on the earth, their growing presences contaminating and destabilizing life itself. Destia would have long been destroyed by the souls had someone not created a venus trap in the land you call Serisis. Situated at the center of Destia, that person turned Serisis into a soul pit that sucked in, and then trapped sixty percent of all dead souls on Destia.
“This action saved Destia, but punished Serisis in return. You have seen the results for yourselves. The accumulation of so many souls pushed the mana density in that region beyond sustainable levels. Very few crops can grow in that land, and the monsters have mutated into truly monstrous creatures. Unfortunately, Serisis paid the price to save the continent.”
Within Rosendun’s royal palace, King Chu Tianjo clenched his fists as tears rimmed at his proud gaze. Yes! At least there was a reason for our suffering. This simple statement had all but assured the Serians would henceforth gain the rest of Destia’s respect. No one would see them as crude beastkin, but rather, brave men and women who had sacrificed all for the continent.
Both the dwarven king, and King Parissiuss smiled warmly at the Serian king. As rulers themselves, they understood the king’s joy better than most.
Back atop Oni Hill, Razznik’s speech continued, “Unfortunately, the Serian sacrifice could only hold the inevitable at bay. Each child born birthed a brand new soul. Without Alure to begin the reincarnation process, more souls began to flood Destia. Souls stranded on earth often corrupt over time, turning into various forms of evil spirits and entities. Their powerful corrupting abilities are so dangerous precisely because they cannot be traced by the ignorant. Many wars fought in Destia over the past centuries were directly instigated by the negative Chaotic energy bred by these trapped souls”
Razznik paused, a wry smile tugging at the edge of his lips as he gazed beyond the clouds at Queen Alia. “Ironically, the Chaos Order’s research into utilizing the chaotic energy of souls helped mitigate this disaster. Unfortunately, the act of permanently destroying a soul incurs seismic karma. Only Alure knows if this will be counted in your favor or not.”
Alia’s brows imperceptibly trembled, but she firmed her resolve not a moment sooner. Reincarnation be Damned. She would worry about her next life when she died. Right now, she would focus only on what she needed to do.
Hints of approval flashed in Razznik’s eyes. ‘Mm. We’ll need that kind of resolve to face what’s coming.’ “But that is neither here nor there.” He pulled the topic back on track. “Fortunately, someone freed Alure. She promptly pulled at least ninety-eight percent of the souls to the Circle with her arrival, greatly alleviating the pressure on the earth. However, this only traded one problem for another. The Circle is meant to act as a transit vehicle. Like a caravan, it is only meant to hold passengers for a while before spitting them out at a destination, or in this case, their next life. Like a caravan, the Circle is reliant on the flow of incoming and outgoing passengers. If passengers keep getting onto a caravan without ever getting off, what would happen? Yes, just like the caravan, the Circle has already exceeded capacity. It can barely hold the souls it has. As more join, it will soon implode, inducing a Spiritual Collapse.”
Razznik squeezed his fist, crushing the projection of Destia. He let the direness of the situation sink in, before adding with a devilish grin. “As I previously said, do not despair. There is a solution yet. And, it is even quite achievable.”
Predictably, every warrior, king and servant perked up, ears strained for Razznik’s proposal.
“You only have to do two things. Revive Yggdrasil, and in turn, rescue Aethir from my deity realm.”
Both Summoned and Residents cursed the Chaos God in their hearts. Just those two? Why stop there. Why not ask them to pull the sun down from the sky, or make the world spin in the opposite direction. Those were just as feasible, okay!?
Razznik ignored the enraged groans echoing around Destia. “I would not suggest this if it were not feasible. Yggdrasil is not dead. It requires only a transplant from a fully formed Yggdrasil tree to revive.” The Chaos God mercilessly pointed at a stunned Kashi. “That draconian houses a partially completed Yggdrasil in his inner world. If you kill him, it will automatically transfer to you. Furthermore, upon acquiring Yggdrasil, you will naturally learn the locations of the remaining artifacts required to complete Yggdrasil’s birth.”
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If looks could kill, Kashi’s heated gaze would have reduced Razznik to ash. The draconian was completely blindsided by the Chaos God’s ambush. To make matters worse, the broadcast instantly focused on Kashi, displaying his body in so many angles at sixteen times the detail. Even runway models could not have boasted the coverage!
The Chaos God’s eyes betrayed the mirth he felt at ruining Kashi’s day. “After acquiring Yggdrasil, you must unite Destia’s lands under one flag. Only then will I open my realm to Yggdrasil’s branches. I have one hundred clones guarding Aethir’s Crypt. They will do everything in their power to prevent you from freeing her.” Razznik’s gaze turned heavy and grave. “Do not be deceived by my display here. On that day, they will fight to kill. Most of those who choose to fight that day will perish. I look forward to your performance.”
Razznik glanced at his hand which had begun to shimmer in and out of existence. “It would seem that my time is up. Before I leave, I will introduce you to the Prime Adjudicator. He will inform you of the changes brought about by your tutorial’s completion.”
Once Razznik finished speaking, a light pillar appeared next to him. A handsome, dark-skinned man in his late twenties, wearing square-rimmed glasses stepped out of the pillar and stood next to the Chaos God. The man’s unruly dreadlocks gave him a slightly tardy, sleepy atmosphere, but his gaze was sharp and piercing, indicating his immense intelligence.
“Ah, wrong form.” The being, seemingly realizing his mistake, wiped his face. An explosion of light very briefly covered his body, before transforming into a handsome, green-haired middle-aged man with a scholarly appearance.
No one noticed, but Suzuki’s gaze momentarily darkened just before the being switched forms. ‘What the hell are those two playing at!?’
Razznik gestured at the newcomer. “Everyone, this is Genesis. With the Adjudicators’ unfortunate demise, he will henceforth take over their duties. You may call him the Prime Adjudicator, or Genesis as you wish.”
“Thank you for the introduction.” Genesis humbly bowed to Razznik before looking out towards all Destians. “Citizens of Destia, Summoned and Residents alike; First, I must congratulate you all on completing this lengthy tutorial period. The tutorial was created to acclimatize you all with this world’s rules, in relation to mana, gods, and so much more. We have given you all an environment to grow and foster your personal forces whilst holding back the universe’s true threats. That will cease to be the case from this moment onward. The terrors you shall face from this moment shall be unlike any you have seen since. If you are faint of heart, or weak of strength, I fear you shall not survive.” Genesis smiled, his eyes exuding a charm that settled the chaos in the onlookers’ hearts. “But do not fret. If you trust in each other and pool your strength, there is nothing you cannot overcome.”
“Well said,” Razznik sarcastically praised. “I wonder how many will survive though.” With those words, he tore open a dark portal and then waved his hand. “It’s time. Juno, we must leave. There will be time to speak to your sons when they come for Aethir.”
Realm Goddess Juno shimmered into existence next to the Chaos God. She glanced through the clouds at her sons, before firming her heart to walk through the portal.
“I await you at the end of the world.” It was unknown who Razznik intended that for as he walked into the portal, which promptly closed behind him.
Huuu~
All of Destia released a sigh of relief at the Chaos God’s departure. His presence had been so overwhelming that even miners underground could not breathe freely under the pressure.
“Thankfully, the big bad wolf is gone.” Genesis cheerfully quipped with a light chuckle. Like Razznik, the Prime Adjudicator’s voice effortlessly reached every soul. However, where Razznik’s presence was like toxic, heavy gravity, Genesis’ voice was akin to a gentle spring breeze: cool and inviting.
“I will try to keep this announcement short,” Genesis generously offered. “There are seven major changes that I wish to cover. Please pay rapt attention, as these changes will affect every being, dead or living.”
Genesis took a breath to steady himself, and then started, “The first, and most drastic change concerns the Summoners’ Menu System. During the tutorial, several Residents familiarized themselves with this strange system that gave Summoned immense advantages such as detailed information on their stats as well as keeping track of their friends. I am glad to announce that henceforth, all Residents will gain their personal Menu System. For ease of remembrance, you may call it an Oracle. Residents will gain access to every function that Summoned currently possess, from monitoring your status and skills to keeping track of those you consider friends.”
The clamor and uproar that exploded around Destia were predictable. Thousands of intelligent Summoned and Residents suddenly felt the balance of power shifting. Until this moment, Summoned, while smaller in number, always held a superior position due to their greater coordination wrought by their oracles. However, if everyone had an Oracle, the Residents could considerably close that gap.
Many Summoned shivered in their boots. Was this what Razznik meant by end of tutorial? Was the difficulty suddenly ramping up?
Unfortunately, Genesis had just started!
“Residents, do not rejoice just yet. I imagine many merchants among you are picturing the goods you can transport with the Oracle’s inventory system.” Genesis’ gaze held a teasing light as he shook his finger. “Sorry to disappoint you, but the inventory system will be scrapped. It is an inherent cheat that breaks the balance of the world. To replace it, every Summoned and Resident will be issued a bound spatial bag. The bag will have a twenty-five cubic meter volume, enough to store quite a lot. However, this bag will not shoulder the weight of items. Meaning, that you can only carry as much as your strength allows. Careful, if you overburden yourself, you might end up dying to a nimbler opponent.”
Genesis’ gleeful gaze contrasted heavily against many Summoned’s ugly expressions. This arrangement greatly disfavored them! Who would want to trade in an unhackable inventory for a spatial bag that could be stolen!
As if sensing their discomfort, Genesis allayed some fears. “As the spatial bags are bound, they will always return to their owners after twenty minutes. So, do not fear. If you misplace your bag, it will find its way to you.”
The sharper ones picked up on what Genesis did not say. During those twenty minutes, what stopped someone else from stealing items from the spatial bag? It seemed they would have to look into methods of safeguarding their important items. If people could steal from spatial bags, walking around with their most valuable items was no longer an option.
On the ground, Kashi’s brows twitched as he ignored incessant ringing from his rink and guild chat. Only one money-grubbing merchant had seen the potential profit opportunities. Miote was determined on jumping upon this goldmine before anyone else.
Above, Genesis once again smiled as he said, “I have covered the Oracle and Storage Systems. Next, we have made changes to the way corpses operate. During the tutorial, for easy acquisition, we made it so that most corpses disintegrate upon death. From now on, that will no longer be the case. All corpses will remain after death. If you wish to acquire a specific body part, you will need to carve it out yourself. Please be aware that you can damage these internal organs as a result of your battle or poor dismemberment skills.” Genesis softly grinned. “I am certain this will create a host of new jobs for the less battle-inclined. Oh, yes. Monsters will no longer drop Syros upon death. However, you can still find gold and other precious minerals in treasure chests and such.”
The Loot System was also overhauled. Kashi began to see a pattern.
It appeared Genesis was leveling the playing field for Summoned and Residents. The Prime Adjudicator was also putting restraints in place to manage the economy as they moved into the next phase. Just as Kashi guessed, Genesis’ next topic covered exactly that.
“Next, I am pleased to announce that the Banks will officially begin other-world Currency Exchange . Residents, this part does not have much to do with you, but I still suggest you pay attention. Summoned, with the Currency Exchange open, you can now exchange other-world currency for Syros, and vice-versa. Keep in mind, however, that all Syros used in exchanges can only be generated by Summoned or Residents in-world. That is to say, Genaco will not create a single Syros for your transactions. Rather, each transaction will have a five percent processing fee split between Genaco, the in-world Bank, and the bank’s current ruling body.”
Just as Kashi thought, this was Genaco’s way of ensuring the economy did not spiral out of control. If the company pumped newly created Syros into the world every time someone wanted an exchange, the massive influx of Syros would destroy the monetary system. It had to be understood that this was not like regular video games. Merchants and such did not magically regain their Syros wallets after twenty-four-hour cycles. The merchants in-game were just as beholden to real-world economy structures as the Summoned were.
“Keep in mind that the hold on other-world corporations and massive organizations will also come to an end. They will exchange large amounts of funds to purchase Syros, so I suggest you gather your Syros and rush to the nearest bank.”
Genesis appreciated the Summoned’s greedy murmurs. “So, we have covered the Oracle, Storage, Loot, and Bank overhauls. These are important, but quite frankly pale in comparison to the final three systems that will experience a massive overhaul. These are the Stats and Skills Allocation Systems, and the Bloodline System.”
The Prime Adjudicators’ gaze grew heavy. “You must listen close, as this pertains to your very futures.”