True to expectations, they’d completed their journey before breakfast. Which was great because Marshall was starving. Tank’s crew pushed on ahead toward the settlement they saw in the distance. Calvin had decided with things winding down, establishing contact with nearby populations would be a wise move. Tank’s crew could handle themselves if they got into trouble and could pop a portal grenade if things got truly out of hand.

With their part of the mission complete, they had some items to take care of. First order of business was upgrading Olympus with the token. Calvin had sat with Andy and many influential people from the town to discuss their city planning. In just a few minutes, their town would become larger. They also had a tier upgrade waiting for them when the tutorial ended, and it would likely become larger yet again. Having to redesign the town each time they expanded, was not ideal. So, with that in mind, they put Andy to work as base administrator. They would design the town to support expansion and centrally locate things that were important.

Calvin wanted to ensure that housing was fair and desirable. He detested the thought of housing blocks all crammed together and wanted the citizens to have parks and recreational areas as well as space outside to call their own. It took a few hours, but Calvin felt they’d had a solid plan going forward. One that gave them flexibility as they grew and left plenty of space for everyone. So, he began the upgrade.

BASE RUNE UPGRADE TOKEN ACKNOWLEDGED. DO YOU WISH TO UPGRADE OLYMPUS FROM TOWN TO CITY? UPGRADE INCLUDES:

Max Population Support: 50,000

New Construction Options Available

Calvin was a little disappointed that the list wasn’t quite as long as the previous upgrade. He knew the reason though; they’d mostly exhausted the capabilities of the base functions within the tutorial. They had a slew of other upgrades waiting as soon as it ended. He accepted the upgrade prompt and watched the rune grow… and grow… and grow.

This was nothing like the previous upgrade. The rune continued to stretch out, clear across the lake to the other shoreline and beyond. He’d been worried about divvying up waterfront housing fairly. That was not at all a concern any longer. The founders of Olympus, which included all of the citizens there now, would have choice pick of property.

The expansion continued for a few minutes. Calvin could no longer see the border of the rune as it was deep in the jungle or far across the lake now. He estimated the city was multiple miles across now. That was good, one aspect of their planning session had covered agriculture and other cultivation methods for materials and resources.

Next order of business were their two new buildings. Seth was taking care of the Drone Assembly and Calvin already knew where they would place the library. A few moments later a brand spanking new Library of Eons appeared in town. The construction of this building wasn’t bound by the need for nanites to convert resources and construct it from the ground up. It was essentially teleported into position by the system.

The Library hummed with an intoxicating blend of old and new. Its towering, obsidian facade, etched with archaic glyphs, resembled an ancient temple from Earth, yet pulsated with a soft, ethereal glow, reminiscent of an advanced technological society.

Citizens gathered around the new structure in anticipation. They were all excited to see what awaited them within. Calvin and crew were the first to enter.

First, it was much bigger on the inside than the outside. Upon walking through the doorway, Calvin could feel space shift subtly. The scale was breathtaking. Multiple levels spiraled upwards, each ringed by ornate balconies crafted from polished black stone. Yet, sleek metallic rails snaked along these balconies, guiding hovering platforms that would carry patrons between floors.

Sunlight, filtered through stained glass windows depicting celestial constellations, illuminated the vast central hall. Ancient tomes, bound in leather aged to the color of mahogany, lined towering shelves stretching to the vaulted ceiling. The air hummed with a faint scent of parchment and forgotten lore. But nestled amongst these relics were holographic displays projecting interactive data streams, casting shifting, ethereal patterns on the floor.

At the heart of the hall, a colossal sphere of shimmering energy pulsed gently. This was the Library’s central repository, containing the collective knowledge of the Aetherian Collective.

Andy led them on a tour of the library. There were numerous areas to sit and research. Sunlit alcoves were nestled into the walls between towering shelves. Plush armchairs upholstered in deep emerald velvet were situated around large wooden tables.

All throughout the library, there were small natural oases. These were meditation gardens lined will all manner of colorful flora. Small formations with miniature waterfalls trickled over moss-covered rocks. The soft babbling was a calming counterpoint to the distant hum of the structure. Fragrant orchids and bonsai trees dotted the paths that wove themselves through these small natural retreats.

Calvin and Amy quietly walked alongside Andy down one of these paths. In the center of the garden, the path approached a circular stone platform sitting beneath a flowering cherry tree. The delicate blossoms rained down like snowflakes on the platform and vanished. They briefly stopped to sit at one of the bamboo benches that seamlessly integrated into the surroundings.

“This place is incredible. It feels so peaceful.” Calvin said.

“This area is specifically enhanced to cultivate calmness and peace.” Andy said.

Calvin thought about it for a moment. It didn’t kill the magic knowing that there was system work at play here.

“How many spaces like this are there?” he asked.

“14. There are two on each level.”

“Can you give us a quick rundown on what all we can find in here?”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Certainly. The main level focuses on general knowledge about the various civilizations recorded here. Their culture, their anatomy, their political structures. This information gives background and insight to the remainder of the contents of the library. As you move up in levels you’ll find information on agriculture, and herbalism. Then medicine, both natural and synthetic. Next comes metallurgy, then engineering. There is an entire floor dedicate to all manner of crafting. The remainder of the information present is geared toward classes and paths. The sphere you saw upon entering is the directory and of course I am always available to help select materials.”

They meandered through the library a bit longer. Every now and then Calvin would stop to pick up a tome or manuscript and flip through the contents. He could read everything in here and suspected that universal translation was one of the many perks of the system.

“I’m going to go check on Seth and see how he’s coming along.” Calvin said.

Amy looked around at the vast library for a moment. “I think I’m going to stay in here for a bit. Have fun!”

As Calvin left the library, he could see many citizens of Olympus poking through tomes, sitting in chairs, and exploring the gardens. This reward went far beyond the knowledge it contained. It was a place of peace, and relaxation away from the stressors that plagued them every single moment outside.

His next stop was going to be Seth’s workshop, but he decided to poke his head into Ambrosia real fast.

“Stan! What’s cookin’?”

“Sir, nice to see you back. You guys got a big fancy building going up?”

“It’s all ready to go. You should go check it out. It’s a massive library. I’m sure you’ll find recipes until your eyes bleed in there. I wanted to check up on the brewery situation. How’s it going?”

“I thought you might ask.” Stan reached below the counter and pulled out two jugs. “Here’s the hard stuff, and here’s the light stuff. It’s a gift.

“Much appreciated! So, it’s going well I see. If you go check out the library, I want to hear about any new recipes you come up with.”

“You’ll be the first.”

“Looking forward to it. Alright, I gotta go check on Seth. Catch you around!” Calvin swiped the jugs from the counter and gave Stan a bottle salute on the way out the door.

Now, Calvin hadn’t seen the new Drone Assembly building outside of the construction windows. He knew it would be huge, be as he rounded the corner, his mind almost collapsed in on itself. It was easily larger than a football field. While Earth had structures that large, this was a first for Olympus. The structure gleamed under the afternoon sun. Unlike the obsidian structure of the library, this was a facade of chrome and glass reflecting the azure sky above.

He knew Seth was happier than a clam inside there and Calvin couldn’t wait to get in and see it. He approached the large doors which stood closed to his passage. A drone zipped out from an alcove above the door and scanned him with a blue beam.

Access Granted. Welcome Calvin.

Calvin stared at the odd little robot and stepped inside.

“Security’s a little tight around here Seth.”

Seth stood near a large holographic display. Massive conveyor belts whizzed around the entire facility. Towering manipulators, gleaming with silver and equipped with nimble robotic hands moved with surgical precision, seamlessly welding, assembling and calibrating complex parts. Seth was manipulating a diagram on the screen and looked up at Calvin.

“Can’t just be letting any old random person in here. This place is sweet by the way.”

All around them, drones zipped back and forth, carrying materials and parts to where they need to go.

“I see you’re already hard at work. What are you making?”

“Here, come check it out. Just a prototype. I picked the first thing that looked cool.”

Calvin saw the blueprint on the screen and was filled with awe just before a slight bit of fear. It was a large four-legged spiderbot of sorts. It looked to be larger than the Armored beetles that had assaulted their walls and had a single-barreled gun mounted along a ridge on its back. It was awe inspiring indeed. But Calvin had to wonder, if the system gave them the means to make something like this in the tutorial, what fresh hell would be waiting for them back on Earth?

“Damn Seth. And you can just pump those out?”

“Not really, there’s a limit to how many drones the city can support. Different types have different limits. This here is an Assault class drone, and we can have 50 of them based on the current tier of Olympus. We can have thousands of utility drones like scouts. Also, I picked up a new skill, check it out.”

Plasma Core Engineer: The Artificer is an adept energy architect. As such their path has taken them deep into the understanding of the physics of plasma generation. A plasma core engineer can utilize the knowledge gained from this skill in many different areas including weapons manufacturing, energy generation and transportation.

“And I got my first order! Reaper and Tank want me to look into making them new guns. I tried my hand at one, but I flubbed it hard. The Aetherforge isn’t as easy to use as it sounded.”

“Like you don’t have enough going on. Anyway, I’m going to make the rounds. Stop by tonight, Stan got us a little gift.” Calvin said as he waved the bottles.

“Oh, I’ll be there. I have a gift for Amy too. I upgraded the concept for those grenades. Now they should survive more destructive energies, like her toxins.”

“Ha, have you not seen that woman on the battlefield? More killing power is just overkill. She’ll love it.”

With that, Calvin left the workshop and headed back to the cabins. Freya sauntered up to him looking happy as could be. Judging by the sauce all over her snout, he knew just where the little mischief maker had been. Stan was always sneaking her treats.

Calvin had a seat by the fire and summoned Andy to ask a few things.

“Andy, what can you tell me about going back to Earth. Are you able to share what we might expect?”

“I have no information about the status of Earth at this time. I do have information about previous reintegrations. They’re all different. There’s a common theme however. One thing to keep at the forefront of your mind. You’ve been here, in your tutorial. You’ve been growing and defeating monsters in a system sanctioned environment. Back on your planet, beasts have been going through their own tutorial of sorts, without safety restrictions. They have been killing and consuming for a very long time. This is a time dilated environment. Two months in here is nearly one of your years back on Earth.”

“A whole year?!” Calvin exclaimed.

“Yes. That entire time the creatures of your planet have been growing, consuming sources of power and evolving. Besides that, the reshaping of reality has likely spawned entirely new creatures and entities such as elementals born from evolution of wild energies. When you go back to Earth, you will likely again be at the bottom of a power ladder, and you’re going to have to climb your way up.”

Some of the others were filtering in as Andy gave his explanation and they listened in.

“Can you tell us what life in system integrated space is like?”

“I can share a bit. It’s a lot like it is here. Just much bigger. There are trillions of sentient and technological species within the multiverse. Many of which you will likely encounter someday. There are system challenges like dungeons and quests, all designed to keep pushing you forward on the path of power. There are wars, there are alliances, there are many wondrous things. There are also paths to adventure. So much of the multiverse remains undiscovered. Treasures formed by the system lay hidden, waiting to be discovered. It’s a vast world out there.”

“Honestly, I’m kind of excite—“

Calvin was interrupted by a rather sizeable earthquake. The lake heaved and swelled as waves crashed on the shoreline. Rocks slid down the mountain on the other side.

The group was on their feet, weapons at the ready.

A MINOR BEHEMOTH HAS SPAWNED. DEFEAT THE MINOR BEHEMOTH BEFORE THE TUTORIAL ENDS. 7 DAYS, 14 HOURS REMAIN.