Torrent mountain range, local time [1793.10.21]
“Can we wait with my explanations until Aisha finishes? I would rather not repeat myself…” proposed Zeph. I would rather not be the lone witness in case of your breakdown, too, he added in his mind.
Makani looked at him with slightly crazed eyes for a moment longer, before deflating and turning back to the fire.
“I should have brought my own alcohol,” he lamented. “I am not sure if it’s possible to listen to you while sober.”
“Don’t be like that. I think you overlooked a few details, like the fact that we are of totally different races. I may be a Human, but my physiology is totally different, I already checked that,” Zeph consoled him.
“Grrrrau!” it mindfully added.
That seemed to placate him a little. Zeph could see some curiosity replacing the confusion in his eyes, so he decided to bother him some more.
“Can you answer a few questions of mine when we wait? I am quite clueless about the world… Also, can I increase my Flexibility up to 10, now that we aren’t on the move?” he asked.
Makani nodded. “Just wait a minute between each point, and don’t try to stretch or move too much until the auto-training finishes. Ask away, it could take some time for her to come back,” he agreed.
“So, where are we exactly?” he asked while placing the first point into Flexibility.
Makani’s face scrunched. “Right, we forgot the basics. This is the Torrent mountain range. It’s a neutral land, abandoned because the environment won’t allow anything to live here. Above the cloud line, Mana density is too unstable to support any fauna. Below, the parasitic mushrooms dominated the ecosystem. It’s a wasteland, basically. Probably an effect of some mass-scale experiment of one ancient civilization or the other, too, because the Mana currents in this place aren’t behaving normally at all. We are traveling west, to the Fuminao Legacy Kingdom, a very easygoing and tolerant place. By the way, today should be the 21st day of October, 1793,” he explained.
“Huh? It doesn’t really… Wait, how are counting days here?” Zeph said, realizing the Earth’s date system should be useless here.
“A week has 8 days. Four weeks make a month. Twelve months make a year. There are 384 days in the year, plus around 40 hours of festivities. The years are counted from the System Onji appearance,” he patiently elaborated.
That would explain the discrepancy with my calculations… But that would mean… “Is this a frontier world or something? The System doesn’t seem to be here for long.”
Makani shrugged. “How could I know? The whole Gate business is not accessible on lower altitudes.”
Low altitudes?... No, it’s not important right now. “So, I didn’t really understand what you said. In case of my Class downgrading, I would have wasted my time for a few PE points? How so? You have said yourself that such Classes give less PE?”
Makani sighed deeply. “Time for more complicated things, it seems,” he said, composing himself.
“The Starting Classes can give you access to Matrices of Tier 2 at best. Having Tier 1 Skills? It is considered a high-spec Class already. And any high-spec Class will require level resets…” he mulled some more on what to say. “Right, you probably don’t know what that entails either. Each reset will increase your… how to say it? The foundation of your Soul?” he half-asked, half-stated while looking at him.
Zeph just shrugged. “I already discovered that other organisms have seemingly ‘smaller’ Souls. I can also see what you are trying to explain. After Gru’s levels were reset,” he indicated his torso with a thumb, “he started to take in more Soul fragments, just to keep the same leveling speed as me. Probably. That should mean the reset increased the size of his Soulbase, it was just my theory, though,” he described using a Rui word.
“Yep, that exactly,” Makani confirmed, snapping his fingers. “The PE points from resets will stay with you, but unlocked Matrices and upgrades will change alongside the downgrade. You will have to construct them manually to unlock them again, which should be an impossible task on lower levels…” He paused here for a moment, but quickly recovered. “That’s what I meant by additional PE.”
Zeph casually nodded at that. He could construct his Spells, alright.
“The real problem for normal people is in the resets themselves, though,” he continued. “When your conglomerated Soul fragments add up to the same ‘size’ as your Soulbase, you advance to level 2. Triple the amount, and you’re level 3. It continues that way until level 100, linearly. However, it was proved impossible to unambiguously measure a ‘size’ of a Soul, you can only compare. Souls aren’t that easy to… enumerate.”
“So, level 100 is just me getting 99 times of my Soulbase in Soul fragments…” Zeph summarized, then just shrugged. Gru already solved his leveling speed problems.
“Yep,” he nodded solemnly. “As a result, each level that was reset will decrease your leveling speed by around 11%. In other words, the speed is halved after 9 resets. That’s one of the reasons people aren’t taking high-spec Classes normally. I didn’t either. On the plus side, the penalty won’t hit until you finish all of the required resets. Small mercy,” he said sadly. They sat there for a moment longer, relaxing and reflecting.
Zeph had a feeling they could talk about this for hours on end, if not for the fatigue both of them felt. Still, some questions had to be answered as fast as possible, so he decided to endure and plow forward.
“How many resets are we talking about and how far in you are?” Makani asked suddenly. “I want to know if there is still a chance to change anything.”
Zeph didn’t answer straight away, he wasn’t yet ready to explain his fast leveling speed. That knowledge included the Tabu and Interface Skills they both had. Makani didn’t ask for details yet, but it was just a matter of time.
On the other hand, if he didn’t ask now, the only option left for him would be to look for the information in a city while trying to stay anonymous. Which would be a hassle at best and a total giveaway at worst.
“I reset two times, and I am close to the final one,” he said finally, deciding to tell them everything after Aisha comes back. “Please don’t ask me how I managed that. A least for now. I am resetting from level 7.”
Makani whistled, somehow unperturbed. “That is definitely a highest-spec Class, then. Three times slower leveling? On top of an immobile Soul-bond? Sheesh. Good luck with that. But it would be VERY detrimental for you to change the Class at this stage,” he explained, pointedly avoiding any questions. “Let’s go back a little. I need to explain to you some common knowledge before you alert the wrong people,” Makani continued while Zeph was cursing at his past choices. “The Spell Matrices aren’t that easy to unlock, you know? There are only four known methods, excluding what your Class gave you at the beginning, to unlock Tier 1 and above. First, mastering a monoculi Spell, like any one of the Tier 0, to unlock a Skill tree up to one Tier above.”
Yea, did that already. A shame I couldn’t use most of the unlocked stuff, he bitterly thought while nodding.
“Second, choosing a Magicule Group specialization at level 33 when possessing an appropriate Class, to unlock a Skill tree up to two tiers above. It depends on your choice. You can choose to focus on a specific Spell and unlock two Tiers above, or generalize. But there are Soul contamination prerequisites to even have this option,” he said, filling his bowl with more soup. “It’s the first sub-specialization point.”
Oh! Interesting…
“You can reset after that to gain another Magiculi Group specialization on top of the previous one, in case someone wanted to wield multiple types. The reset will increase your Soulbase only by 1% for every level lost. There are legends of an Elementalist Class you can evolve into after enough resets,” he added.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Grrrrru!” Zeph’s chest vibrated greedily.
“Hush! It’s not even in your specialization!” Zeph answered immediately, impatient to receive more information.
From the side, Makani was looking at him like at a fusion of an alien and a madman. Which he actually was, but not because of the symptoms he just showed.
“Gre,” it negated, “gruu!” and explained.
“I am not going blindly into something just because it has a ‘legendary’ epithet. And he already said my chance for change is basically gone,” Zeph countered, gesturing for Makani to continue.
“Gruuuu…” it vibrated, defeated.
“R-right…” he said, stuttering, but composing himself back a moment later. “Well… We can discuss your Class later, but the major difference between an Elementalist and a Generalist would be that the first one shouldn’t depend on most Advanced Enhancements, like Implants. From what I know, it can only use Energy Enhancements. The Class should also be confined in its Magicule specializations, while the Generalist can use whatever at all times.”
Zeph nodded. It already looked like a bad deal.
“You can do very much the same thing, but much easier, after level 100, anyway,” he continued, “so the Elementalist Class is considered a lost Class. It means it’s useless and impossible to level up in any realistic timeframe, to the point of never showing up in our population. As for multiple Magicule Group specializations, before level 100 they occur only in nature, mostly because of the contamination requirements humans can’t or don’t want to fulfill. But, let’s get back on the topic,” he cut off suddenly.
Ah, right.
“Third method of unlocking higher-Tier Skills. Learning from a teacher and the books. You can construct a Spell as long as you know the shape, and it will unlock that one specific Matrix. Of course, this method lacks the Intuitive component. You can only observe what you do yourself… It’s not easy to construct a Spell without a context of pre-existing understanding and experience in a field. Yet, some people thrive using this method. It’s a shame they are mostly of the scholar Class type,” he sighed. “I can understand it; the limitations and talents are always balanced. It’s just that… If those people were battle-ready, we wouldn’t be suffering that much as a civilization…” he said, slowly degrading to mumbling. Again.
“You are quite shitty at teaching, you know? Jumping from topic to topic like that…” Zeph interrupted his musings.
He glared at him. “It’s my first-time teaching someone. Just be glad to have me!”
He demanded.
“I would rather listen to Aisha-sensei, thank you very much.”
And was immediately denied!
Makani deflated, hiding his face under the hood. But the distraction worked.
“You need to finish what you started, though,” Zeph encouraged him.
“Graaaa,” laughed the Garuan.
“I am not a loser, you parasite!” Makani screamed, suddenly straightening up and glaring at Zeph’s abdomen. “Huh… why can I underst—” a small rock hit him in the head, interrupting him.
“SHUT UP! I am trying to concentrate here!” Aisha roared from the back of the cave.
Both of them backed up to the other side of the fireplace, making placating gestures in her direction and apologizing. She only threatened them with a fist, which was a win in their minds.
After sitting down and allowing his heart to return to its natural rhythm, Zeph once again encouraged him to continue. Makani seemed just resigned at this point.
“Fourth, re-inventing the Spell by modifying known ones,” he said bitterly. “This should be the domain of at least a Magistrus, you know? I mean, we are supposed to modify one to advance in the hierarchy, but it’s not a way to learn new Spells… it’s just a test of our ability!” he hollered silently, keeping an eye on Aisha.
He deflated again.
“As for me,” he continued, “I didn’t have time to use the last two methods. Unlocking single Matrices is inefficient, and I have problems with modifying even the ones from my specialization. I have a few Tier 3 Atmospheric Group Spells because I doubled up by mastering the Tier 0 Spell and getting the Class sub-specialization later,” he explained, sounding proud and defeated at the same time. “But let’s keep it fair. I have some questions, too.”
“Ah, the exchange,” Zeph joked. “Sure, ask away.”
“Well…” he started. “How in chasem did you manage to learn the Spells quickly enough to modify a cursed Shaman’s Spell?!” he ‘delicately’ asked.
“… Gru?” Zeph asked.
“Gra,” it agreed.
“Haaaah…” he sighed deeply, ready to explain some facts. But then he remembered a certain flying stone and paused.
He looked in the direction of the cave’s back. “Umm, maybe we should wait with these explanations a little more. You know, it’s not just about repeating myself anymore…” he said, smiling nervously.
“YES!... Yes, sure,” Makani agreed immediately, looking at the grouchy Priestess. “That’s reasonable, we should discuss it together, as was intended… Umm, maybe you want to know more about Magicules? I am not sure how advanced the knowledge in your world was”—Zeph smirked— “but the reality is built from a finite number of miniature blocks…”
Zeph didn’t interrupt him. The knowledge about the way Corora’ians perceived reality was as important, as what Makani was trying to explain.
As expected, Magicules were created from Mana ‘particles’, similar to molecules formed from atoms. The major difference was, only one type of an ‘atom’ existed for Magicules. Mana was slightly different between worlds, but it stayed universally the same inside each one. The one basic building block.
Magicules were forming naturally in different environments. It was a somehow inverted process of molecule formation. Instead of feeding energy into the molecular/atomic mixture to create more complex structures, the energy-particles, known as Mana, needed physical constraints to conglomerate into bigger structures. That was the reason for so many ‘elemental’ types of Magicules. Or, rather, for so many ‘molecule’ types.
For example, in the water Mana was filling the energetical gaps between particles, strengthening adhesiveness and allowing the water molecules to chain-bond in less regular shapes. The Magicule ‘shape’ could take many different forms to do that, thus in reality it was a Group of Magicules stable in water, but unstable in any other environment. Take it out of the water, add a solvent, or change the temperature dramatically and the Magicules would disintegrate. But in the process, their energy would be spent to influence the molecules around.
In other words, Magicules were ‘trying’ to recreate the environment they were formed in. It could have explosive consequences if used on the wrong physical medium, but that’s also how you could make magma from the earth. It was an energy transfer of a specific type.
They were like an additional electron bond for molecules. Like a magneto-optical trap shaped into a molecule, keeping the atoms stable.
Furthermore, because most Skills weren’t breaking the connection between one’s Mana and Soul, Magicule manipulation was possible. Add to that the fact, that most of the Magicules increased the ‘adhesiveness’ between atoms, and suddenly a limited matter manipulation becomes a possibility.
Heating the air by releasing Magicules stable inside the heated air. Condensing steam by using Magicules stable in the water. Creating an air barrier by changing the properties of the air by manipulating your Air-Mana. It was, really, very easy to understand.
What he couldn’t understand, was how his Spells morphed Mana into those Magicules. Makani talked about ‘simulating the environment’, but Zeph had a feeling there was much more to uncover here.
All in all, Makani’s understanding was lacking. People here theorized about atoms, similar to how our scientists theorized about strings in the String Theory, but their true knowledge ended at the molecular level. Their methods of systematizing the types of molecules were similar to medieval biology or alchemy, but Makani explained that some higher-leveled people should know much more. The General Skills were here for all of them to learn, they just needed enough time to read them and test the theory to level the Skills further and further up.
These people, though, lived on higher altitudes, where Mana density was higher. Yes, Mana was slowly drifting upwards, which could have some interesting consequences, but Zeph wasn’t able to think deeper about the issue.
It was a cultural shock for him; people were naturally separated by their levels.
Stronger Energy Enhancements, and some other upgrades, worked only in higher Mana density. Even if powered by your own Mana, they had ‘pressure’ requirements. Not to mention the metabolic changes that had to be taken when advancing certain Classes.
“At some point, it becomes impossible to live in a lower Mana density,” Makani explained. “The best that normal people can do, is having all of their high-level Advanced Enhancements disabled when in the lower regions. There are some specialized messengers that are investing only in PE to not be bothered by the Mana density decrease, but they are orders of magnitude weaker than a person on the same level but with proper Enhancements. It’s a was—”
“This is not true, and you know that,” Aisha said, coming from the back of the cave. They were talking for almost two hours, enough for her to finish her business. She plopped down near them, rubbing her temple with one hand. “This cursed bureaucracy will be the end of me…”
Zeph handed her a newly filled bowl of soup. She seemed to be totally spent. She took it gratefully and drank greedily. After exhaling with pleasure, she started to open her mouth to say something, but stopped halfway. Instead, she took out a bota bag and drank deeply from it.
The stench reminded Zeph of the ‘Spirytus’ from East Europe. They once tried to drink it.
It was basically a pure ethanol.
“Umm, please don’t exhale near the fire…” Zeph warned her.
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Interface:
[https://i.imgur.com/JaI38Gn.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/UaeMLFH.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/IiDzf2B.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/LzEQ0CL.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/jbXA2gC.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/m2iNfwO.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/BIYZxrp.jpg]
[https://i.imgur.com/8P2vYtl.jpg]