Chapter 4 – Indomitable Soul
What is your name?
Aenon heard the System’s voice again, a bit more feminine this time, as he found himself back in his soul space. It looked the same as earlier except for the shard. It was smoother now and shaped like an elongated hexagon. It looked like a gem with splashes of red and blue scattered within it. The voice had come from the shard.
“Are you talking to me?” he asked.
Who else would I be talking to? There is no one else here. Before you answer my question, could you please do something about your avatar? It bothers me that it has no clothes on. I have been looking elsewhere this whole time, but there is not much to see around here. Just imagine it having some clothes.
“Oh sure. Sorry about that. I am Aenon by the way. What about you?” he said while covering his body in a generic pant and shirt with just a thought.
It’s good to meet you Aenon. My memories are a bit fuzzy, but I do not think I have a name. Or maybe I do? I don’t know. I am getting conflicting feelings.
“Well, what are you? And what do you want?” Aenon asked cautiously. From what he had gathered so far, this shard was the reason for that horrible pain he was going through. But the blue color represented whatever had protected him.
The red parts must have been a part of that corrupt node the System talked about. If this was going to be inside him, he had to be careful. If it was dangerous, he had to find a way to remove it ASAP.
I am not sure to be honest. I feel like I am missing something from within. Like I should be…
Anomaly detected. Foreign objects within soul space. Attempting purge.
The pain from earlier was back. But before it could get any worse, it felt muted as the shard circled his soul rapidly.
Are you ok?
A worried voice came from the shard. It was somehow shielding him from the pain yet again. His surroundings felt distorted. Only the space around his soul and body was stable.
Foreign objects cannot be purged without damage to soul. Requesting assistance from Overseer for analysis.
He felt a sudden tug as he was yanked out of his soul space and into what looked like an 18th century English office in some grand castle. The wall to his right had a bookshelf going all the way to the 40-foot-high ceiling while the one on the left had a fireplace with a pair of recliners next to it. The wall right across from him had a huge desk in front of a large window with a spectacular view of the cosmos. All he could see from the window were distant stars and nothing else.
A man with pointed ears, wearing flowing robes, was sitting behind the desk. His age was difficult to determine since he was wearing a featureless white mask with only two holes for eyes. However, based on the hair color and the pristine 3 feet long white beard, Aenon determined him to be old. With a nod the figure directed Aenon to have a seat across the desk. Feeling no threat, Aenon walked over and sat down. The seat felt beyond comfortable as he sunk in.
“I know you have many questions. Some I can answer, some I cannot. And then there are some things which you are not authorized to know yet. So, in the interest of time, I suggest waiting till the end of my explanation,” the man said with a robotic voice which Aenon was getting used to by now.
“Sure. Please go on,” he responded respectfully with a bow.
“I am a System Overseer for your sector of the galaxy, Sector 5Z-4856. My name hasn’t been used in a long time so you can just call me Overseer, as most people do. By some stroke of fate, a piece of a System seeding node has gotten embedded into your soul space. What it will do to you is unknown, but in my opinion, it will not harm you. A seeding node is generally given out by the system for great meritorious deeds. It is essentially a part of the System with its core functionalities, which are to sustain and develop lifeforms. With me so far?”
“I think so,” Aenon responded.
“Good. Now, that is all the pertinent information you need to know at this time, but if something were to change in the future, we can revisit this conversation. You should be able to contact me using the shard if such a need arises. With that out of the way, you may ask your questions.”
“Will this have any benefits for me? I mean what can I even use this shard for?” he asked curiously.
“Perhaps. The System is essentially an entity that no one can comprehend. And what you have in your soul space is a piece created by it to support life. For now, I think the greatest assistance it can provide would be information. What further things it can accomplish is anyone’s guess.”
“Are there any restrictions on how I can interact with it? I don’t want to accidentally cause any damage to the System.”
The Overseer stared blankly for a bit before bursting out, in what Aenon assumed was laughter. “Ah, the innocence of youth. Haven’t heard something like that in centuries. Trust me child, you do not have to fear damaging the System. Any other questions?”
“Is it supposed to have a personality?” he asked.
“Personality?” the Overseer asked with a puzzled tone.
“Well, the System and the node from earlier had this robotic and highly formal way of talking. But the shard sounds different. I could almost feel the worry in its voice when the System attempted to purge it.”
“The System as it currently exists does not have or show any emotion, so no, it is not supposed to have a personality,” the Overseer replied. “However, this situation is unique. So, who is to say what the norm is. Maybe it picked up something while integrating into your soul space?”
Aenon recalled the blue smoke but decided not to mention it. He always liked keeping his cards close to his chest and not depend on others for his problems. The less he had to reveal to the Overseer, the better.
“What exactly does it mean to integrate in my soul space? Is it a part of me? What happens if either of us dies? Also, can we be separated if there are problems?”
The Overseer made the bottom half of his mask disappear, letting him see a warm smile before replying. “Those are a lot of questions. And to be honest I am not sure anyone can answer them with surety. The soul space is an inviolable place. Usually when the barrier to the inner soul space is breached, the soul dissipates. The very fact that you are somehow here is a miracle. If I was to make an educated guess, most probably you both are one entity now. Neither can survive without the other. The personality you mentioned earlier might be something it picked up from your memories and experiences perhaps. Again, this is but a guess.”
“Wait, what do you mean inner soul space?”
“Ah, I guess even a being as old as me can slip up sometimes,” the Overseer chuckled. “Nothing to concern yourself with right now.”
“Okay then. What happens now?’ he asked.
“Now you embark on your adventure young one. I will place a temporary shield on your soul space since you are leaking mana from it. The shield will also hide the shard’s presence from everyone else. I suggest not revealing this information to any person, lest you fall prey to mortal greed,” the Overseer smiled while pointing a finger at him.
He felt a subtle vibration for a moment before it disappeared. “I will also be sending someone to place a patch on the breach in your soul space. Although it will heal with time, it can cause problems till then. They’ll need to be in direct contact with your body, and as you are now, your body will not survive being in my presence. Right now, you only have an echo of your soul before me.”
“Wait, what about…,” before he could say another word he was dumped back into his soul space. “I hate being zapped around without warning or choice. He did not even let me ask much,” he grumbled as he turned around to face the shard.
Now that he knew what it was, he was more curious than ever. But he did not know how to find out more about it. The one who could have answered had unceremoniously kicked him out.
Oh, you are back! I was worried when you suddenly disappeared after that attack.
The shard exclaimed happily before flying around his soul in circles, as if to verify that he was okay. He decided to shelf this topic for now and open his interface or whatever that elf had mentioned. With a thought a window opened in his vision with a bunch of numbers.
Name: Aenon Fenrast
Age: 13 years
Race: Human
Level: 0
Class: None
Level: NA
Subclass: None
Level: NA
Stats
Strength: 4
Constitution: 3
Dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 12
Willpower: 20
Perception: 10
A long column of text appeared in a green box in his vision. If he mentally hovered over a stat, it gave him more information.
Strength: Increases physical power and health pool (x10 Str).
Constitution: Increases resistance to damage and health regen (x2 Con).
Dexterity: Increases flexibility.
Intelligence: Increases memory and mana pool (x10 Int).
Willpower: Increases mental resistance and mana regen (x2 Will).
Perception: Increases reflexes, awareness and improves the six senses.
His mental stats were much higher than his physical, especially his WIL. Which made sense since he was still a kid by human standards. An adult human could probably finish him with a casual punch, but he had far better memory and reflexes than average. And his stubbornness and refusal to give in was phenomenal.
The window had more tabs with additional data such as his health regen, mana regen, and something called Titles. It was very unwieldy and difficult to digest but could be modified. As he was playing around with the interface, the shard flew next to his shoulder and commented.
I can arrange that for you if you want.
“You can? That would be great! Please do,” he said as realized how much easier it would be to delegate the process. It would be like his very own personal AI assistant. Within seconds the stats were neatly arranged in a tabular format.
Name
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Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race
Human
Level
0
Class
None
Level
NA
Subclass
None
Level
NA
HP
40
MP
120
HP/10 min
6
MP/10 min
40
Stats
Strength
4
Intelligence
12
Constitution
3
Willpower
20
Dexterity
8
Perception
10
Titles
!
This was so much better than the cluttered list. He smiled and turned towards the bobbing shard. A name was the least that he could give to the energetic creature. A name came to mind unbidden, but he was a bit reluctant to use that. It had a significant place in his heart, and he didn’t want to give it to the crystal before him. But something just felt right about it.
“Thanks for your help! Is there a name that you prefer? You kind of look like a Harlequin opal,” he asked cautiously.
I like that name! Harlequin!
“Very well then. You shall be called Harlequin. Can I call you Harl or Harley for short?” Aenon asked. He was relieved that the shard liked it, so decided to just go with it.
Yes please!
The behavior and reaction to the name threw Aenon off, making some old memories resurface. But he squashed them down, deciding it must be a coincidence.
The little gem danced around excitedly. Having completed his first task, he turned to his screen with confusion, “Why is there an exclamation mark in my Titles box?”
It’s a notification that you need to acknowledge before it is applied to your status screen. I have just established connection with the System entity and am currently updating the gaps in my knowledge.
“Ah that makes sense. That weird exclamation mark in my vision must have been due to this,” he replied as he mentally selected it.
Title achieved: Indomitable Soul
Title upgraded: Indomitable Soul (2)
Title upgraded: Indomitable Soul (3)
Title achieved: Planetary Forerunner
Title achieved: Overseer’s Favor
Title achieved: System’s Chosen (Hidden)
Title achieved: Nomenclaturist
Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (2)
Title achieved: Prodigy
“Huh? Why do I have all these titles?” he thought out aloud with confusion. The explanations for each title popped up.
Indomitable Soul 1/2/3: Survive a soul attack from a being 10/50/100 levels above you.
+5/+10/+20 all stats.
Overseer’s Favor: Achieve a favorable view from one of the System’s overseers. This Title cannot be seen by anyone except other Overseers.
+5 all stats.
System’s Chosen (Hidden): Achieve a favorable view from the System. Cannot be seen by anyone except the System.
Allows the ability to hide one or all titles from others, including Overseers.
Nomenclaturist: Name an undiscovered unique lifeform.
+5 all stats.
Planetary Forerunner 1/2:
Be the first to attain a Title from your home planet.
Be the first to attain 5 Titles from your home planet.
+5 all stats.
+10 all stats
Prodigy: Be the first to gain 5 Titles from the System.
+20% to gains from Titles
The moment he finished reading the text, he felt a rush of energy coursing through his soul space. The feeling was like a cool breeze on a hot and humid day. His body looked the same by the end of it, but something about it felt different. He just looked a bit healthier.
The stat gains were ridiculous and made him realize how important Titles were. He decided to hide all his Titles not to attract unwanted attention. He was not sure who could view them, but from the elf’s explanation, revealing them meant being addressed as such. And he did not want to be called Prodigy Aenon.
Name
Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race
Human
Level
0
Class
None
Level
NA
Subclass
None
Level
NA
HP
520
MP
600
HP/10 min
102
MP/10 min
136
Stats
Strength
52 (4+48)
Intelligence
60 (12+48)
Constitution
51 (3+48)
Willpower
68 (20+48)
Dexterity
56 (8 +48)
Perception
58 (10 +48)
Titles
Indomitable Soul (3)
+20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner (2)
+10 all stats
Overseers Favor
+5 all stats
System's Chosen
Nomenclaturist
+5 all stats
Prodigy
+20% stat gained from Titles
“Umm, Harl. Why do I look the same even though I have had this massive boost to my stats?” he asked his resident AI.
That’s because Titles with all stat boosts do not affect the overall ratio of your physical stats. So, you will look the same. Also, stats do not replace the effect of age. Take the elf girl you saw earlier as an example. She is obviously far stronger in terms of stats, but she looks young, doesn’t she? Try arm-wrestling her though and you’ll see how she wipes the floor with you.
Aenon nodded in understanding. He analyzed his resource pools next. At his regen rates, it would take him a little less than an hour to regain his entire health and mana pools. He was not sure how injuries worked in this new reality of his, but this looked like any typical game mechanic. Speaking of which, he had a question for his new companion.
“Hey Harley, why does this new world have such game like mechanics from my planet?”
Oh, it’s not that the multiverse works like your games. It’s that your world developed games based on multiverse principles. The seeding process affects the inhabitants in more ways than you think. Subconsciously, every seeded world feels the need to operate like the multiverse. Failing which the inhabitants start incorporating these into their fantasies or games. Even the idea of fantastical races, like elves and dwarves, is nothing but the seeding node inspiring those thought processes.
“Hmmm, that makes sense, I guess. I didn’t really play a lot of games the last two years, but I did play an MMORPG back when…,” he suddenly stopped talking. The memories he had buried deep within were on the verge of getting out. He could not risk it. The wounds still felt fresh as the day he first got them. Changing topics, he quickly added, “Anyway, I think it’s about time we got out. If this is like a typical RPG, we should be beginning in a starting village, right?”
That is correct. It should have all typical game-like mechanics, except one. There is no respawn. Death is permanent unless someone uses the resurrection spell within 60 minutes of your health reaching zero, or you have a resurrection token. Additionally, if my estimates are accurate, you should be sent to a planet that is at least 3 times bigger than your previous one. That would mean it will have a surface area that is more than 9 times that of Earth. That should have enough room for your people to thrive.
“I see. Well, we can talk more about this later. For now, just tell me the most pertinent information that I need to focus on,” Aenon said. Looking at his stat sheet, he was already ahead of the curve right now, but he wanted to maintain his lead.
By my recommendation, these should be your priorities going forward:
· Learn Skills and increase proficiency.
· Gain a class and subclass.
· Optional: Acquire a class and subclass of sufficient rarity and get those to level 100 for your racial evolution.
· Optional: Acquire more Titles for a better stat multiplier at time of evolution.
“The first two points make sense to some extent. But what’s up with the last two?” he asked with some confusion. Although he wanted to ask about skills and classes, he was more curious about the optional objectives. “Also, is your update done?”
The update is ongoing and is a two-way connection. I also have access to all the information from your world’s internet right before the integration. But more importantly, I have been asked to reassure you that I will not be harmful to your soul. Quite the opposite. The damage done to my core directives is being fixed as we speak, and I have been given a new purpose of guiding you. Isn’t it exciting? I am the reward being given to you for surviving my old form.
“That is one way to look at it. If you play nice, you are welcome to hang out. Just don’t break anything. House guest rules,” Aenon said. This new development was unexpected, and he wished the Overseer had said something about it. But if it didn’t cause problems, he was cool with it.
Awesome! Now to answer your other question. Racial evolution is a critical function of leveling up. Your Racial level is the average level of your two classes. At multiples of 100, you undergo an evolution, with 700 being the max. Also, at multiples of 5, you get 5 free stat points to assign as you wish.
But not all evolutions are equal. They are graded from F to A, and finally S. To get an F grade evolution, you must have 500 overall stat gains purely from Titles. If you fail to get even that much, you get an ungraded evolution. Each consecutive grade needs an additional 500. So, for an S-grade evolution you would need 3500 stats from Titles.
“But what is the point of having a better grade for your evolution?”
Each evolution grade comes with a stat multiplier. F is 2, E is 4, and so on till S, which has a multiplier of 128. Two things happen when you evolve. First, all Title stat gains till that point will be consolidated into a new Title.
Secondly, your stats get multiplied based on your evolution grade. Hence it is not recommended taking on an enemy who has evolved even if your Racial levels may seem close. They will always have an advantage due to the multiplier. You may manage if their evolution grade is low and your classes have better rarity, but if it is high, then there is no way you can match the stats. Unless of course, they have an ungraded evolution, which means they have no multiplier.
“Wow, so there are seven evolutions with each granting a stat multiplier. And someone with 7 S-grade evolutions, will have a multiplier of 128 each time? I can’t even comprehend that number.”
Yes, there are a total of seven evolutions. However, to date no one has achieved 7 S-grade evolutions. The most someone has reached is four S-grade evolutions. The individuals who have consistently gotten at least grade-A for all seven evolutions have been granted the Title of Overseer.
“So, I currently have 288 stats from Titles. That is more than halfway to qualify for a grade F evolution. It doesn’t look that hard to get a higher-grade evolution.”
Well, that’s because this is just the beginning, and you had a false start. As people begin collecting more world first Titles, there will be fewer to go around. And those are the most coveted since they give all stat gains.
Most Titles only give stats in one or two categories. You can upgrade these to gain all stat bonuses but that is difficult to attain. For instance, you may get a Title for hunting X number of hard to kill mobs. This would give you a +5 bonus to your DEX or STR. But if you manage to kill 100 times that number, you may get +5 to all stats.
“That sounds more balanced. Could you please add a row for my net stats from Titles? I’d like to keep track of it. Anyway, the stat gains are based on difficulty of the Title?”
Done. And you are right. For example, may I point out that surviving a soul attack from a creature one evolution grade above you is damn hard. Hence the +20 all stat bonus. Not to mention the Prodigy title.
You are either very lucky to have gained 5 titles before others even began, or very unlucky since now you will attract a lot of unwanted attention. You can hide the Titles, but not the effects. Just don’t punch anyone at your level. You’ll probably kill them.
“Will INT make me smarter the same way STR makes me stronger?” Aenon asked while trying to digest the overload of information being dumped on him. “Also, how many stats do you gain from classes anyway?”
The INT stat won’t make you smarter, but it will improve your memory. Your racial level improves your lifespan. So, imagine trying to remember stuff when you live for millennia.
As for the stat gains from Classes, you get stat points per level based on its rarity. Some of those points may be freely allotted, while the rest may be reserved depending on the Class. The stat gain from classes is very limited compared to Titles and is mainly a way to specialize.
· Common – 6
· Uncommon – 8
· Rare – 10
· Epic – 12
· Ancient – 14
· Legendary – 16
· Mythic – 18
“So, if I have two mythic classes and raise them to level 100, I will have 3600 stat points. And if I gain 3500 from Titles, I have 7100 stats that get multiplied with 128, since it would be an S grade evolution?” he queried.
Well, would you look at that. Your math is pretty good. I don’t think you need to get smarter.
Harley had a mischievous tone to her last comment. But that was all he could absorb for now. So, he decided to move on, after one last question. “And what grade evolutions are you expecting from me?” he asked.
Well, I would say at least four S-grade and remaining all A-grade. That should take you to the peak.
The shard’s glow blinked once. Aenon assumed it was the equivalent of a human wink based on the tone used. The gauntlet was thrown. But was he up for the challenge? Hell yeah! Even if he was to die trying, it would be worth it. He hadn’t felt so alive in such a long time. He had lived in a harsh environment before, but this would make that experience look like a vacation. And he was all for it. With one modification, he was going to aim higher than the supposed peak.
“Challenge accepted,” he said with a wide grin, and he could have sworn the shard glowed a tad bit brighter at his declaration.
With that he directed his focus towards his aesthetic modifications. If he was to move on in life, he wanted no connections from his past identifying him. Earlier he believed it didn’t matter, but looking at the scale of things, he decided to start with a blank slate. Within 10 minutes, he modified every aspect of his face. No one from his past life would be able to identify him, but he did leave the scars. He needed the reminder to never forget where he came from.
The only thing he could not add was facial hair for some reason. And when he asked why he could not, the shard simply laughed and said to give it time. And with that he was prepared. And for the first time, when the timer ended, he was prepared to leave his soul space.