Alistair stored King before he took out some hauler automata from his storage to help collect the many bodies. Especially once King started to snack on some of them. Alistair then let his armor integrate the pendant, the valmus gem appearing embedded in his armor just above his sternum. He proceeded to explain what he knew about symbiotes as the knowledge saved within the Akashic Link continued to slowly enter his mind.
"There are many different symbiotes, some more useful than others," Alistair began.
"They all grow with the user and eventually learn to communicate with the host. Some are more cooperative than others, and a few can even try to possess their host." Seeing Simon's worried expression, Alistair quickly added, "According to the book in my records, the Medea is considered one of the most agreeable and friendly ones. It won't try to possess you."
Simon scratched his chin, his obsidian eyes searching the room before he continued to pick up bodies. "What benefits do I even get from having a symbiote in my body?"
"A symbiote's usefulness varies since it evolves alongside the user. A Medea initially provides improved regeneration, allowing you to regrow limbs by yourself even without healing magic or reaching Grade 5,"
Alistair continued to explain that there were many different types of Symbiotes. It was always in the best interest of the symbiote to keep the host alive, so they usually adapted based on the user's needs. Some could be used as weapons, almost like biological guns or melee weapons. Others could be used to scout areas; some more slime-like variants could even be used as armor. Others could be used almost like a summon. But most commonly, they provided self-healing and stat-boosting benefits. They marginally reduced the number of records received as they counted as an individual providing support to the host. However, the losses were marginal and were almost always worth the payoff.
Simon's face scrunched up. "Will that interfere with me getting titles that require me to defeat opponents by myself?"
"No, they are exempt by the system, similar to a summon," Alistair explained.
"But they don't mesh well with most body modifications, especially cybernetics. As a body cultivator, I would need to adjust my body and create an organ to increase compatibility with a symbiote just to be able to host one. So you would be somewhat restricted in that regard." Alistair added.
They continued to collect bodies in silence, both holding their breath so as not to breathe in the stench permeating the room. Simon's face showed that he was contemplating some things. At the same time, Alistair continued to peruse the knowledge entering his mind for relevant details.
"Are there any other benefits the Medae specifically provides other than regenerating my limbs? Simon inquired.
Alistair paused as he finished digesting the information. "The Medae are among the smartest and more magically inclined symbiotes. According to the information available, you can expect it to assist you with spells and buffs and some stat-boosting benefits besides the regeneration." Alistair concluded.
"So I got a small spellcaster in my head talking to me if I choose to bond with it?" Simon asked, taking out the small vial.
"Pretty much, but I would wait before bonding. Dexter should be able to communicate with it. You might want to check if you even get along with the Medea," Alistair suggested.
"Nessyra's cute little dog-penguin pet?" Simon asked, with some confusion.
"Oh, right. Yeah, Dexter can talk telepathically. Nessyra asked me to keep it down low, but I feel this is more important." Alistair explained.
Nessyra had taught Dexter some aura control, making it difficult to gauge the Yagan's actual power besides its Grade since that was hard to mask. Coupled with his pet-like behavior, most had not caught on that Dexter was actually more than just a pet, which the bugger abused a lot.
Simon stared at him blankly. "That little shit." He quietly said with some disbelief.
Alistair chuckled as he stored the haulers and the last pile of bodies they had created within his storage. He then looked at the other entrance from where the incredibly dense atmospheric mana seemed to originate.
"Let's check what's in that other chamber and get out of here. I need a shower," Alistair said.
Simon let out a grunt in agreement. He wordlessly joined him as they headed for the chamber, eager to leave the caves behind as soon as possible. After some walking, they entered a dazzling crystalline chamber, where thick beams of mana crystals supported an enormous, horse-sized crystal at its center. This immense gem pulsed intense mana, enriching the environment while casting shimmering reflections across the room's faceted walls. Alistair used his Identify to appraise the gem in the center, and it returned as Heart of Mana, a rare, coveted treasure with many uses. It was most commonly used to provide power or enrich a planet's mana density over generations. There were lots of other uses listed, but Alistair ignored them for now as he considered how to retrieve the treasure.
Simon let out an appreciative whistle. "That's gotta be worth a lot. But it's not what we came here for."
"True, but with the Wendigo infestation taken care of, we should be able to explore the caves undisturbed," Alistair replied.
"Why are most treasures some kind of heart?" Simon asked after a short pause.
"Because besides the brain and eyes, it's the most common organ across all species and holds deep meaning in most cultures," Alistair explained. "Plus, they're often the most valuable parts you can harvest from a beast. There are plenty of eye-related treasures, too."
Simon tilted his head before nodding. "Makes sense. Let me help stabilize that heart while you cut it out," he said, raising additional stone pillars to fix the heart in place.
Alistair summoned his razor blasts and infused them with as much power as possible before cutting into the mana crystals holding the treasure, meeting surprisingly little resistance. Once it was free, Alistair used his telekinesis to lift the heart and store it in his storage.
"At least this damn cave finally paid off," Simon grumbled.
"Maybe the system was trying to teach us delayed gratification?" Alistair suggested with a chuckle.
"By putting us through a nightmare scenario?" Simon replied skeptically.
"It would be in character," Alistair responded with a laugh.
They planned to return later to recover the mana crystals because the mining automata were designed to recover veins of ores and potential adamantine roots, not crystals. They would have to visit the workshop and have Oconoe retrofit or design some new ones. Either way, both wanted a shower and to get out of the dark caves. Alistair's suspicion turned out to be correct. With the Wendigos gone, they could investigate the caves undisturbed and even use drones. Before, the Wendigos viciously attacked any drones, preventing their use. In the following months, they found massive mithril, adamantine veins, and even a small orichalcum seam, among other treasures. They doubted they could extract it all before the end of the trial, but it solved their material shortage. Alistair and Riseth were both approaching Grade 8 and had scouted some suitable Grade 8 monsters within the slayer world for their probable Body Cultivation advancement requirements and Big Game Hunter titles. For Alistair, it was a house-sized armadillo-like monster with a spiked club tail that spun like a goddamn Beyblade on its back. Alistair had been a miserable matchup for the monster, and he dispatched it with little effort. Riseth had just as easy a time with a camel-like monster that shook the earth with its stomps and attacked with concentrated beams of water, cutting through the environment. Its cumbersome body made it impossible to defeat the nimble Riseth, who could become ethereal. As expected, they both upgraded their Big Game Hunter title from junior to novice, And Alistair's stat per level grew from 35 to 40, which had been a bigger jump than he expected, and he lamented that he had not tried to obtain the title sooner.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Titles: Tier: Name Effect: Origin: [Unique] Novice Big Game Hunter Small increase in stats obtained per level
A growing title given to everyone for slaying a higher-grade beast by themselves.
As more and more people and beasts reached Grade 8, they quickly learned that despite every beast gaining access to polymorph, it did not mean they were intelligent or willing enough to make use of the ability. Most beasts choose to remain beasts, not seeing the appeal in a weak humanoid body. Nessyra was the first in the clan to advance to Grade 8, and Dexter, benefitting from her records, followed suit shortly after but refused to make use of polymorph, preferring to stay a beast.
An uproar ensued when the trial reached its final 50 days as announcements echoed through every trial world, including Dungeons and Subspaces.
The Ascendant's Tournament
Type: [Tournament] [Arena] [1v1 Duel] [Life Guarded]
All levels and Grades
The System poses its final challenge for its Trial to determine the strongest of the Initiates. There will be no separation in Grades or levels. The Galaxy ladder will be split based on the size of the Galaxy and the number of enlightened civilizations within it. The top 10 on each of the Galaxy ladders will move to the Universe ladder to determine the true Ascendants.
Warning:
Participation is mandatory for all Initiates.
The Winners from the Rookie to Elite Arena Dungeon Tournaments will receive special placements within the tournament brackets and are excluded from the preliminary rounds. All battles will be 1v1, not counting Summons, Symbiotes, and similar beings.
Duration to complete:
[50] Days.
Victory Condition:
Win the Galaxy ladder.
Win the Universe ladder.
Rating:
Ratings are assigned based on final placement on the Ascendant's Tournament ladder. The higher the placement, the better the rewards, titles, and records received. Special rewards are given to those who reach the top 10 of their respective Galaxy and Universe ladder.
Alistair was for once truly glad that he and Riseth were not from the same Galaxy, as it meant they would not run the risk of having to fight each other until they already made it into the Universe ladder. He wasn't sure if they could actually make it as he had no idea what other races and cultures could be found within the Milky Way, but he hoped to, at the very least, reach the top 10. Riseth was a bit more confident and expected both of them to at least advance into the Universe ladder.
They quickly learned that, since most of the clan's fighters had won up to the expert or elite tournaments, that they were placed directly into the final brackets of the Galaxy ladder. This meant they would only face opponents who had remained undefeated, much to Nessyra's annoyance, as she had only won up to the Veteran level. All regular tournaments had ceased, and the first matches of the Ascendant's Tournament were already underway and available for public viewing. Unlike previous tournaments, there were no brackets based on levels or Grades, resulting in uneven matchups. For instance, a Grade 10 crafter could be pitted against a Grade 8 from the same galaxy if neither had participated in previous tournaments. This led to some one-sided fights initially, but the weaker contestants were quickly weeded out within the first few weeks. The system still seemed to give somewhat fair match-ups most of the time, though it did not seem to care for people still in Grade 10 as they all faced higher-grade opponents.
Alistair paused most of his cultivation, with the exception of molding his body and ribcage to at least temporarily store more than just kinetic energy. Beyond that, Alistair decided he would have more than enough time to cultivate during their travels in space. Another reason was that his plans to imitate a dragon's heart had turned out to be incredibly difficult without having ever seen the pathways and arcane structure of an actual dragon's heart. Alistair instead focused on leveling up and also made a point to spend a good chunk of his stat points into his mind stat as he did not wish to fail the tournament due to facing a mind attack specialist.
Alistair, Riseth, Simon, and Desily were on the cusp of reaching Grade 8 as they continued to rush to get as many levels under their belt before it was their time in the tournament when Alistair received an unexpected summons from Mitania, which he had not seen in what felt like ages. Alistair was curious about what she wished to talk about, and both he and Riseth made their way to her desk within the Study Dungeon.