Flattened mountains [an unknown location in the new world], local time [1793.10.25 1793.10.19]
“Wassup?” Aisha asked, waking him up from his shock.
He looked in her direction. Both paused the preparation and looked at him with mild worry.
“Ah, n-no, nothing. Just… I have leveled up too much…” He decided to be truthful, as much as he could, at least. They already knew too much about him and were here to help. But he wasn’t trusting enough to just give away all of his secrets at once.
The two exchanged glances for a moment, before turning in silence to continue their work.
He thanked them in his mind for not pressing the matter and concentrated on the report again.
Congratulations! Your [Class] [Force Generalist] [First] reset was successful!
Congratulations! Your [Class] [Force Generalist] [Second] reset was successful!
[Force Generalist] is now level 5!
[Profession] [Shaman] is now level 24!
Reset [Reimbursement] applied! You have earned 4716 [UP]!
[Soul contamination] [Will, type: H1] increased to 6,35%! (+0,2%)
You have 68 unallocated points.
Congratulations! Two [Passive Enhancement] milestones achieved!
You gained one [Energy Enhancement] from [Memory] milestone!
You can choose one of three [Energy Enhancements] from [Greater Willpower] milestone!
Yes, definitely something happened while I was asleep. I wasn’t checking the Interface that much after meeting the Myconids, but I was only nearing the first reset, he thought, trying to remember the details.
From what he could piece together, he suddenly got at least 9 levels, possibly 10. It didn’t match his previous calculations on leveling speed at all.
Another thing to ask about… A shame Gru is hiding right now, he continued his musings, while looking at his silent abdomen. He could now understand what he was hiding from; Aisha had some sort of advanced Soul perception. Gru decided to hide to keep an eye on them. At least my Will contamination increased from all that extreme exercise. But first things first.
He looked at the three Energy enhancements from his Greater Willpower.
‘Enhanced fortitude’ seems like a standard one. ‘[Experimental] Enhanced Mana manipulation’ is probably the result of me using Will-powered skills all the time. It has the potential to directly strengthen my manipulation when using Willpower, mixing in some Will directly, but I don’t like the ‘Experimental’ part. I wasn’t the first to create the Will-powered techniques, seven more people from Earth woke up years before me… Well, at least two that I know of. If they were using Greater Willpower for years, why is it still in the experimental stage? Or is it that nobody took the Enhancement?
He thought about it for a moment, but the Interface didn’t want to give him any statistics. He eyed the last option. After reading the description, he stopped worrying.
Oh! Don’t need to think anymore, this is just the thing I was looking for! ‘Will shielding’ it is! Let’s see how it looks, he thought, opening the category in the Interface.
[https://i.imgur.com/1VIMsra.jpg]
OOOH! Past-life memory, there you are! I didn’t have much hope for you, Memory milestone, but you have outdone yourself! I need to check it as soon as we are in a safe place. Oh, and maybe ask some questions. Ok, back to the main page.
He looked again at his unspent points, unable to decide on the way ahead.
[https://i.imgur.com/xYMYDJP.jpg]
He had enough to increase one of his physical PE to 50 and get another Energy Enhancement. But such an increase would be quite drastic. Instead of deliberating on the problem, he decided some help would be a better solution.
“Hey,” he called to the two. “I have some points to spend, can I invest them safely before going? I would like to increase my Power and Regeneration,” he explained.
Aisha stopped for a moment, while Makani started answering right away, not even looking at him.
“Eh, that small of a difference shouldn’t ma—” a smack to his shoulder shut him up. Aisha was now looking seriously at Zeph, her searching eyes made him uneasy a little.
“Can you tell me how much we are talking about?”
“Umm, more than 10…” he said, downgrading the issue to not clue at the Gru’s Soul gathering method. “After I met the Myconids, I didn’t have much time to rest and didn’t want to risk unbalancing myself. I have never spent the points from leveling up, and now, suddenly, I am yet a few levels ahead,” he explained further.
“Do you have those two above the milestone?” she continued. He could tell she was trying to not scare him by not asking for details.
“Power is above 10, Regeneration close to it.”
Aisha smiled. “Congratulations are in order, then. You not only managed to survive with a broken arm, but being much weaker than I have thought,” she said.
Ye, my gun is what we should be thanking. The ammo is almost depleted, though… Wait, what does she mean ‘weaker’? Is she able to… no, better to just ask.
“Are you able to see my level of something?” he said bluntly.
“Meh, not really,” She said, waving her hand. “I can tell you have around 8 Standard levels of Soul fragments on you. But as you probably know, this doesn’t mean much,” she smirked, crossing her arms.
This gave him a pause, but he gestured for her to continue, either way. He could ask about it later.
“We killed the Myconid hive’s center yesterday. Only after that, you can gain the full extent of Soul fragments from your kills. That’s the reason for the sudden levels. As for the points, you should rise them all to 10 as soon as possible, but don’t use more than 2 at once before the milestone, and more than 15 after it. Besides that, we will explain them in more detail when the time comes, you don’t have to spend them all right now” she explained. “Or do you think us unreliable?” she asked with a crooked smile.
“For sure not,” he said, shaking his head while remembering their fight. “I will do just that.”
She nodded and started to pack things again.
He increased his Flexibility by 2, Regeneration by 3, ignoring the new Perk notification, and Power by 13. The feeling this time was slightly different from the vertigo he got from increasing Power, but he still had to wait for a minute to acclimate.
My capacity is finally coming along! he thought, looking at the changes.
[https://i.imgur.com/PAyNgx1.jpg]
Then, he asked for a report on his Skills. They leveled up a lot, mostly because he had to innovate on the fly. After seeing it, he frowned and asked for another one, without the ‘Congratulations!’ part.
[Interface] is now [T1][L37]! (+34)
[Tabu] is now [T1][L52]! (+32)
[Universal Cir language] is now [T1][L90]! (+1)
[Survival] is now [T1][L51]! (+17)
[Spear (style: E2)] is now [T1][L92]! (+2)
[Will] is now [T2][L56]! (+4)
[Will manipulation] is now [T2][L57]! (+2)
[W.P. Mana manipulation] is now [T2][L51]! (+2)
[W.P. Soul perception] is now [T2][L49]! (+3)
[Ambient Mana] is now [T1][L67]! (+14)
[A. Mana channeling] is now [T1][L97]! (+9)
[Mana perception] is now [T1][L78]! (+17)
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
[Mana rapture] is now [T1][L16]! (+8)
NEW! [Mana masking] is now [T2][L3]!
Conditions NOT met! [Will-powered Mana manipulation] is unable to unlock any [Advanced properties] by itself!
Ugh, I hoped for something good and instead, I got bullshit, he thought, looking at the last line. I also paid dearly for Gru’s reading my memories directly. Tabu is too high for my liking, he thought, looking at the Interface.
[https://i.imgur.com/3YBpLS0.jpg]
Finished with checking major changes, he stood up, secured his overcoat, and helped the two in their task. He lamented at the loss of his spear during Myconids’ pursuit, but it served him proudly to the end. He would remember it.
They finished five minutes later, and Aisha called them together to give instructions.
“All right, my fellas. No speaking when in the caves. We have a sound barrier here, but Makani will need all the mental strength he has later, so there is no need to abuse him without reason. We have already met a few young Axotilian today. Adults shouldn’t be far behind. Let’s not advertise our position,” she started.
“You just killed hundreds of Myconids, and now you are scared of a few lonely hunters?” asked Zeph in confusion.
“We are uniquely compatible with Myconids, especially Makani, that’s why I took him with me,” she said, indicating the guy.
“Yes, they use spores to fill animal lungs with toxin-producing parasitic mushrooms. It’s easy to counter with any Air Spell, and you can even use it against them,” he pointed at Aisha, “by setting the spores on fire in an air-controlled environment. Dust explosions don’t play nice with the shrooms. But getting to the point. Actually, you were poisoned. Thankfully, the symptoms subsided quite quickly,” he explained.
“What?!” he exclaimed. I mean… Gru increases my toxin resistance and no parasite can even start to compete with him, but is it to the point that I can’t even notice the foreign body? He had more luck than he had thought. He wasn’t able to read much on Myconids from his General Skill, it was high-level knowledge. Maybe my enhanced immunity system helped too? But something doesn’t seem right here… he stopped his contemplation and looked back at the two. They were waiting for him to elaborate.
“I didn’t notice at all. Shouldn’t I be able to Soul-detect something like a parasite entering my body,” he definitely could feel Gru inside, “and why wasn’t I coughing at all?”
“Eh, the air in your lungs is not a part of your body, same with the contents of your intestines,” Aisha shrugged. “And you didn’t inhale that much—”
Huh, was ‘Mana masking’ shielding me to some extent?
“—we didn’t have to apply the medicine. Anyway, Axotilians are very hard to detect. Moreover, they are stalkers. They would wait until we are in a brawl with something else and strike at the worst moment, or create a hunting group to take us out.”
“Indeed, I can only detect them after analyzing air movements. It takes a lot of time for my Spells to do that,” Makani added. “It’s good you managed to bypass that part of the mountain, but you wouldn’t be an attractive prey for them, anyway.”
What? “Um, I am not sure what you are talking about. I killed at least 30 in two days. They were cautious, but always followed… Also, I have two Spells that can easily show their positions…” he said, getting quieter with each word as he looked at their shocked expressions. The big eyes of theirs were wide, making them look almost comically.
After a moment, Aisha grinned and Makani started to massage his temples.
“Ha! Marvelous! You did splendidly,” she said in a laughing voice and slammed him in the back. “You need to tell us everything! As soon as we are outside!” she started laughing harder and harder.
Meanwhile, Makani was mumbling to himself like a person on the verge of his sanity. But after catching Zeph’s worried expression, he straightened and coughed.
“Yes, sorry… But Zeph, this doesn’t make any sense… They are cloaking themselves in Ambient Magicules. Even at tier 3, there is no Spell allowing to detect that remotely. Not to mention you don’t seem strong enough to fight them, be it in melee or with Matrices… But the only reason…” he started mumbling again.
“Well, I used Mana Highlight…” he said, surprised by their reactions. Thankfully, Aisha’s laughter started to putter out.
“What?! You are a Shaman? Shouldn’t that Spell charge for minutes?” he asked, clearly worked up.
Well, it seems like that ship sailed already… “N-no, it’s my Profession. I managed to decrease the time to around 40 seconds. I can also manually construct a second one when the Matrix one is charg—”
“You can construct it?!” he exclaimed, grabbing his head with both hands. Aisha’s laughter was back in full strength.
“Ummm…” Zeph decided to change the topic a little. “Well, anyway… The light Spell that I made from it works much faster, but it’s rang—”
“You modified it!” he screamed, going down on his knees and looking upwards. Aisha was howling, holding her belly, and almost falling to the ground.
“Okay, guys! What’s all this about?!” he shouted in a gruff voice, irritated. This was getting ridiculous.
He had to wait for them to get themselves together, though.
Makani just sat there, holding his legs close to his chest and looking as gloomy as the environment; his empty eyes gazing into infinity. Aisha was trying to stand up from the floor, still giggling. She managed to keep herself upwards only by leaning on her weapon.
“Haaaa,” she took a deep breath, “haha… Well, Zeph,” she started, wiping a stray tear from her eye, “you are here… how long? Five months?” she giggled again. “Poor Makani had to spend five years learning how to construct his first tier 1 spell. Successfully modifying one would mean he advanced from Practitioner to Specialist. Also, because you were attacked so vigorously,” she smirked at that, “means that you have at least 10% of Soul contamination of a meaningful Group,” her grin extended even more. “It took me 30 years of hard work to get my 10% and kept it up until I had enough Universal Points to modify my body for the first time, and finally be able to level up again.”
Shit, he summarized.
“Ok, ye, I will tell you more after you explain to me this ‘Contracted’ business, so keep your horses. But how can the animals tell I have Soul contamination if even we can’t check from a distance what is the Elemental… No, the Magicule composition of Mana around? And how the fuck,” he cursed in English, “was I supposed to descend that fucking mountain anyway? Makani sounded like I should have taken another route?”
“Instead of ‘Enhanced empathy’ at the Intuition’s second milestone, animals are given ‘Primitive targeting instinct’. It allows them to assess the Soul of prey in the range. Nothing concrete, but enough to see that much of a contamination. It helps with their development, you see. A ‘Soul Specialist’ can probably do that much better at level 1, but that specialization has its own cons,” she explained, poking at Makani with the shaft of her weapon. “We were expecting you to use the stairs to get near the clouds, and bypass them by going into the caves. The Talpa shouldn’t be overly aggressive towards you, similar to other beasts. They are wary of new adversaries; you can understand why, I believe. They only attack unknown species when there is a clear gain to be had,” she finished, managing to knock Makani’s husk over and smirking at that.
Zeph was massaging his temples now. This fucking… Couldn’t I get this information BEFORE finishing preparations in the mental space?! The System is fucking with me!
That also reminded him of an important fact. “And what happened to the Information Protection Policy? Stupid System. Contracted or not, how do they know so much, including on which mountain they can find me? Am I the only one you're abusing for points?” He complained quietly between clenched teeth.
You were not a part of the System at the time.
And no, interested Gods paid an appropriate price for this information.
He jumped at the sudden notification.
“What are YOU doing here?! Wait, don’t tell me you were observing me the whole time!” he said in indignation, remembering the Well-informed Trait was there all this time.
Like we have resources to waste on watching your boring life. We can just read [Interface] reports of your progress.
Dear customer, we are here to make sure the [Contract] was fulfilled appropriately.
“Wow,” exclaimed Aisha. “If I didn’t see this happening, I wouldn’t believe it,” she said, looking at nothing, probably reading the message. “Hello, System Onji,” she said, waving her hand. “How is your Godhood doing in these tiring times?” she finished with a smile.
Makani was frozen on the floor, looking straight ahead in silence.
Aisha Zora Toritalo Leilucia, mission leader. What is the meaning of this small unit? You were to make sure he will live until the closest city, yet you don’t possess the means to even ascend the mountain.
She rolled her eyes. “Why all managers are that harsh for the low-level personnel?” she complained, crossing her arms.
Then, she just shrugged, looking at the notification again.
“Why are you asking me? I have spent most of my savings on this mission, you know? Ask Leilucia, she sent me here, ignoring the rest of her church altogether. I heard nothing about scaling the mountain. Besides, why are you even dissatisfied? He is alive and zestful,” she continued, pointing at him with a hand. “That surely fulfills the Contract,” she finished, unconcerned.
…
“Oi,” Zeph finally cut in. Both Aisha and… the notification looked in his direction. “System! Would it hurt you to explain to me how to get to the civilization safely?! You didn’t give me any information about my surroundings! How did you expect me to survive?!” he grumbled, working himself up until he finished with a shout.
We didn’t expect you to survive the travel yourself. That’s why we [Contracted] a third side. Similar to what we did for the rest of your people.
Zeph’s anger started to evaporate at that. “Shouldn’t you send your believers or something? Or, at least, oversee the proceedings?”
We have a hard neutrality policy. Also, your life is not worth that many resources. But we did what we could. For free. You.Are.Welcome!
Zeph fell silent after that, resigned. He abandoned any thoughts of complaining further to this moneygrubber, cursing it in his thoughts.
Compliment accepted.
Now, Miss Zora. After analyzing the situation, we have found an optimal solution. You should issue an official complaint alongside ours. The intended purpose of the [Contract] was not fulfilled. We will make sure you receive an appropriate recompensation.
“Ugh, can we talk about this bureaucratic nonsense after we leave the caves, your Grayness?” she complained.
During their conversation, Zeph received a second notification. Unlike the previous message, this one was evidently directed only to him.
We strongly recommend you share the details of your Interface and circumstances with the [Contracted] individuals. Any action that would cause harm to you bear a heavy penalty. They are the safest option for you to interact with, as was intended.
Sure, sure. “Like I can believe that, or you for that matter,” he silently answered.
Don’t be so headstrong. We included [Insurance program] to make sure their stray actions won’t escalate in any meaningful way. They are at the risk of having their Souls fragmented.
We didn’t even manage to leave the caverns and there already are decisions to make… haaaaa, he sighed mentally. What a mess.
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Interface is back!!!
[https://i.imgur.com/pWBMD8I.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/XsOB6Vf.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/ruwCsn2.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/x5IHvg1.jpg]I didn't set it on blue, because EVERYTHING changed:
[https://i.imgur.com/47cQU2n.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/2Z8OyQB.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/969rqqt.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/9WdgqJM.jpg]