---James---
Zone 1 clear!
Clear description:
You killed a fletching fox bare handed – you hunted firestalkers bare handed. You ate of monsters – you even ate a monster that had been eating of you at the time. Above all, you were the first to survive a night in the badlands and one of only an incredible few who managed this feat. Your final day was spent walking – you travelled a massive distance spending a large portion of it blinded. You even walked 10km carrying a heavy rock for training.
Your foundation has truly been established – the only way forward as clear as a midsummer eve.
Clear stats:
Clear time 5 days. 8 hours. 0 minutes. 47 seconds.
Dungeons Cleared: 0
Nests Cleared: 0
Monsters killed: 310
2 Revivals.
Highest stat, Running Speed.
Second highest stat, Left Arm Power.
Achievements earned in zone: 27.
Total stats 320
Clear state. Rank 2
Next Tier: 30 stats to go.
Clear Rewards:
Cleared without breaking skill.
+3 free stat points.
Unique titles x8
+40 free stat point.
Rare titles x7
+21 stat points.
Uncommon titles x6
+6 stat point.
James jumped on those free stats. Despite just heading into things he had amassed an amazing 70 free stat points to do with as he wished.
His first order of business was to smooth over some things. Because he had been one handed he had gained 'left arm' stats – his 'left side' was now stronger than his right. James was right handed and even if he understood the benefit of specializing, he didn't want to become lopsided in this specific case. His grip strength was also somewhat uneven – a slight increase in his hands and strangely a few of his fingers and while he had seen the use of this ...he just didn't like the difference between his two sides.
Carefully sculpting the flow of 'power' stats throughout his hands, he came to a point that looked good and even. How many stats had he used so far? Thirty or so? Alright.
One thing James knew was he wasn't using defense stats if he could help it – defense stats were gained when he failed. They were loser stats that didn't even help that much. As far as James was concerned, this world operated on dark souls rules. Dodge roll for the win – if you don't want to get hurt you just had to avoid getting hit in the first place.
The exceptions had been blood defense to prevent himself from bleeding out, stomach defense to help him eat monster meat better and defense specifically set up to better help him attack with.
Carefully portioning out 10 'defence', he split it around his hands – strengthening the skin and into bits of the joints without stats, then sunk tendrils into bones in a lattice of lines instead of a solid pour. James very very carefully tried to gain the most effect from the stats with the least amount of resources distributed.
...this should let him punch things better. Technically it was full of holes if what he cared about was preventing weaknesses but for punching it looked great.
Next James aspected the last bunch of stats into speed. He wanted better reflexes so he dumped a massive amount into his nervous system – bumping up the invisible connections all across his body. Reaction speed sunk slightly into his brain but didn't seem to affect his mental stats for some reason – at least the way James was using it right now. He was increasing his ability to instinctually react to stimuli not his ability to think about what he should do – should be better for fighting which is all he cared about in this new life.
Then moving back to running speed James pulled an amount that felt good out and infused the whole area. 'Running speed' as a stat was 90% his leg muscles but a tiny bit seemed to pull around up through his waist and around his hips – those sections despite being included were very roughly locked in. James carefully directed the stats throughout into something that seemed to be more 'optimal'.
Balance 0.
+15 Right arm power.
+10 Right hand power.
+4 Left hand power.
+10 Hand defense (bone/skin/tendon).
+19 Nervous System Speed (reflexes).
+12 Running speed.
...that summary seemed much too simplified. It didn't nearly the effort James had just gone through.
Moving on.
Nurture your foundation!
----------------------------------------
Your decisions and lack thereof have affected your choices.
Due to not breaking a skill in the intended timeline, your choices are not bound to a $;_+299&;
You may choose from either an aether growth or mana growth – please note the nutrient method will be atrophied until you break a skill, and only function at 11% efficiency in all aspects until then.
Monster eater (Mana option):
You may have found monsters meat a suitable way to gain short term buffs or boons.
By nature, your body rejects said foreign energy and purges it upon use. No matter what you may do, it remains a consumable.
Gain the ability to permanently – and somewhat randomly – gain stats from monsters with more stats than you currently possess. Quantity and quality of stats linked to how much of a difference between you and said meat there is.
Chance of collecting traits from specific monsters and combining them with your own body.
Kiln of combat (Aether Option):
Body stat growth may be unlocked through pushing yourself outside of the system. Physical exertion may increase speed and power stats – and every time a wound is naturally healed defense stats are guaranteed.
Chance of mutating a body part upon being hit by an affinity or attack. Each random mutation may be accepted and claimed or purged before it sets.
Custom:
Request a different fertilizer, removing bonuses due to actions.
Requested foundation growth will have variable effectiveness based on desire and difficulty of request.
Heavy recommendation to tie both past choices and foundation to request.
Warning: Challenge given will have a variable amount of increased difficulty.
James stared at the panel in slight shock.
Despite his plans, he was forced to 'choose' anyways.
"There's…no option for both. No option for neither?"
James looked at the options. They sounded good – he was leaning towards monster meat – but more importantly it ruined his plans. It wanted him to ‘choose’ a side after he purposefully put that choice off.
There was only really one option wasn’t there?
'Custom'?
An empty panel appeared in front of him next.
State your desires:
“I…I don’t want to be forced to choose a side. I want to pick both. Both aether and mana. I don’t really care about this ability so long as it's good and doesn’t lock me out of the other side.” James stumbled through his request – why was he so awkward? He was just asking the system wasn't he?
The system recorded each word he mentioned – text appearing in the pane as he spoke. It seemed to pause and then suddenly the panel buckled. It morphed – a hand shooting out of it like someone was standing on the other side and pushing through a rubbery barrier.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The blue box shifted and tinted green. It bulged and reshaped itself into a little green man – naked but without genitalia and wearing a long red hat. He was…a gnome? A tiny goblin? Something fantasy-themed and full of sparks. Literally full of sparks – it looked like a thousand sparkles were held beneath its green skin.
Giggling wildly the little man skipped about “Hello, Hello, Hello! My client in care. My stubborn man. I hear you don’t like the offerings given? You want –“ the gnome’s eyes flickered blue for the barest of a second then returned to normal.
“You want to remain outside of the little game. You want to have your cake and eat it too. I see. I see. I see," the gnome's voice was somewhat lyrical. His tone and speech didn't quite rhyme – but they sounded like they should.
Spinning wildly the final blue box – 'R’s Information’ – drifted over and was shattered into motes of dust.
Jumping up into the air and sitting on an invisible stool, the green man looked across at James – now at eye level.
“Hello, Hello, Hello, once again. My name is…for now you can call me ‘R’. I'm the one making your boons – the system is too rigid to handle this sort of thing so I'm here in 'person'." R began to giggle and whisper to himself "In person, In person, In person."
Jumping up he looked at James and smiled his voice getting less flighty. "Ignore that old message, I’ll give you bonus information in person as it fits my fancy.” R's form twisted and spun as he danced around James his actions somewhat reducing the business tone he was conveying them in.
“Magic – or mana and all that it can do.” R began with a pirouette – he reached out into the darkness and picked up a small blue magnet.
“Science – specifically aether studies and effects…they interfere with one another.” He continued, picking a red magnet then pushing it towards his first one showing the resisting force.
“I see in the logs you got a system quest for this…so I want to give you a bit of a hint of what you are actually asking.” Forcing the magnets together R laughed out loud as they suddenly exploded into a maelstrom of lights and sounds. The end result was a lumpy-looking blob dozens of times larger than its previous form.
“You would and could and should consider these two forces the same – they are in a way especially if you just look at results,” R spoke.
Breaking apart the two magnets R pushed them towards two steel balls which rolled across the air and off into the distance.
“But they are not the same. The stronger you focus on one, the more that becomes clear –” He continued.
The effects swirling around James grew more real – on one side someone flew about shooting Lazers out of his eyes – cape flapping in the wind – and on the other, a man turned himself into a wolf and pattered away.
“To become better at one thing is to forgo another. When you open one door another closes. It's always a choice, always a decision but that decision can't be free. These two systems are tied together tightly and though that tie and the relationship they have they grow stronger.”
Pausing the gnome twisted the shapes until he had two identical rainbow balls.
“These two example systems can do the exact same thing – now with some changes.”
…grabbing a bit of blue from one side and a bit of orange from the other he swapped them. Pausing and then rapidly shuffling bits and pieces R seemed utterly fascinated by his display.
Slowly the creature's attention was lost while he manipulated his illusion – R completely ignored James for nearly a minute. The creature swapped colours until one side was mostly primary colours and the other side mostly secondary. Satisfied and giving the results a little nod, R turned and continued.
“There’s a cost to everything. An equivalent exchange of sorts…you can see the total size of both of these systems is the same? That means they both have an equal potential... but because those colours have swapped, one now has more red and the other more purple…to give face to those colours and untangle my description of differences. One major trade off is that aether is better at fine 'creation and control', while mana is better at large 'creation and control'…a creation mage can create a ball of iron a kilometer in diameter but not easily create the specific compound for sucrose. The amount of energy that ball of stone would require is infeasibly large using aether…but in exchange, a materialization Esper can create compounds dozens of times more complicated than simple sugar.” The examples the gnome gave were displayed around them – a massive ball and the molecular formula C12H22O11.
“What you are asking is for both. You want the power to create a mountain of sugar. You are asking to be exponentially stronger than your peers – your wish is for infinite power and potential.” Pushing the two balls together once more created a shape dozens of times larger than before.
James felt slightly awkward. I mean obviously he wanted to be stronger? However…The main reason he had wanted both was because he didn’t want to be tied down to a faction. He didn’t want to be locked into some sort of group.
He didn’t like the idea at becoming worse at something he had no control over.
“So it's not possible?”
“Everything is possible – for a cost. The cost of your true wish would be something like you beating a true dragon as you are – and based on how raw your soul still looks, you probably know how likely that is.” James felt the burn. The raw searing pain from the dragons’ flames ached like an old wound.
He wanted to shout out that quest was impossible – but he had done it to himself. The quest had warned it was.
“It looks like you already have an option, however. You just have to beat that quest – that result won’t be exactly what you are hoping you know?" R tilted his head while answering.
Grabbing the two balls once more – R seemed to really like that analogy and illusion – the gnome pushed them together.
This time the two seemed to slide around and through each other creating a dense knot without mixing the same size as both individually but...denser. Different.
The ball seemed to flicker between sides – the knot appearing to jump and twist, one section one 'side' and then suddenly the other.
“Just to clarify, this would mean you have the advantages of both – as well as the weaknesses of both… but not necessarily at the same time or in the same way. You wouldn't be removing one side's weakness with its counterpart – you would be claiming everything. It's more effort than it might warrant and means you’ll need to work twice as hard – but you will be freer. Is that fine? Is it still what you want to work towards?” Turning to him curiously R stared deep into James’s eyes.
James was suddenly aware of how strange the creature looked. The being's eyes were holes into the sack of flesh holding nothing but sparkles. The way he spoke was familiar…but James couldn’t place where or when he had ever talked to him. His rhyming continence had changed – as if that personality was nothing more than a mask. Now R reminded James of someone else. Someone he had met?
Yeah. This was fine. James wasn’t a stranger to working harder – it would even be worth it if his result was better because of that extra work.
“Alright then, the contract is sealed – I’ll even show up to give you the push it needs at the end just because I’ve enjoyed watching you so far.” the thing spoke.
All illusions disappeared and faded.
“Let’s see. Yes this can work. This growth mixed with this…” R muttered.
In front of James, a new pane appeared.
Monster Kiln of Combat Eater. (Mana/Aether):
Eat that which attacks you. Cook and consume foreign energies and objects to permanently increase stats and/or gain their effects. Effects may be gained through exposure at a lower rate than consumption. for full results effects from either food or exposure must be understood from both sides of the 'coin'.
Warning: without gaining both Mana and Aether, this growth will remain unstable and potentially dangerous. Gaining one and not the other will keep it atrophied and may result in permanent negative effects if used.
Warning: harder than usual trial due to additional wishes being integrated.
James looked at the pane. It seemed to have retained most of both boons? That’s what he was talking about! He could just pick both.
Nice.
Accepting the boon James saw a flicker as the world changed – R looking on with a fascinated face.
…
Trial: Eat your own hand.
Description: Autocanabalize your own flesh, and absorb the remnant energies contained within.
James stood in a small apartment. Most of the room was taken up by a kitchen – the other quarter or so a small living+dining room beside a massive window.
Stepping carefully over to the window James looked out at an alien cityscape.
It wasn’t too fantastical – surprisingly so. There wasn’t flying cars or anything…that James would expect…but the shape of the buildings was wrong. The architecture used 'different'. The vehicles and distant figures strange. Pushing on the window slightly James felt how solid it was.
Turning back to the room he looked around. There were no doors into this apartment. No way out – he was trapped.
Eat your own hand.
…that’s kind of fucked up. What is R forcing me to do?
Walking over to the kitchen James looked down at his arm and the knives about.
I just need to cut it off? Is power worth it?
Suddenly James saw something near the center of the room. Walking over he found a bloody lump.
It was his arm – the arm the troll had ripped off.
So, he didn’t have to cut off his own arm – just eat the one here?
Reaching out James shoved it watching the hand flip around and flop slightly.
He felt sick.
Not at the gore.
No.
Just at the idea of eating this. The instinctual human revulsion towards cannibalism.
It couldn’t be good for him.
Looking around James found several tools. The kitchen was stocked full of knives, and blenders, and frying pans, and pots, and strange machines or devices he didn’t know the use of.
How do I make this edible?
James couldn’t believe he was actually considering this. Walking around the kitchen he found a spice rack – 90% of the spices being unknown. Tasting some, he found salt and an overpowering flavor that was slightly like MSG mixed with garlic powder.
Walking back he found a sharp looking knife and smashed it into the lump of flesh cutting out bones.
“Do I have to eat everything? Nails and skin and bones and stuff?” James asked the room – but no one responded. R was watching, wasn’t he?
Just say no. Ignore this. Find an easier trial.
James pulled the arm over to a sink and began washing it – the lump looking somehow worse now that the blood and dirt was gone.
Moving it back over to the cutting board James butchered the arm trying not to pay too much attention.
He was a bit surprised at his own strength as well as how tough the arm was. They cancelled out somewhat but the tip of his knife dug into the wooden board hinting something was off.
Remnants of stats still remained in the arm. Defensive stats in skin and bones.
That’s why he had to do this. Regaining those stats was how he got the new power. That’s why this was happening to him.
…he probably had to eat everything didn’t he?
Removing most of the ‘gross bits’ – who was he kidding? The entire package was a ‘gross’ bit.
James found a blender and began pulsing.
Arm smoothie?
James felt like vomiting.
It's fine. This isn’t my arm… it's steak. It's monster meat – I ate grosser shit in the past few days.
Finding a frying pan and thick oily fat, James began frying the chunks of meat heavily seasoning everything.
Pouring the blended ‘gross’ into the pan and tossing in some flour, he fried a patty of sorts – there were still chunks of bone. That wasn’t a patty… what was he thinking?
James opened his mouth and choked down an incredibly small chunk of meat.
All he could taste was spice – underneath the spice, if he had to pick a taste, he’d say it was just like bacon.
He took another chunk and swallowed it.
The worst part was definitely the mental aspect. It tasted perfectly fine, but he still felt like vomiting. Bile rose in his mouth every time he thought of it.
Bacon. It's just bacon. James lied to himself. He wasn't very convincing.
Most of the meat gone James moved to the patty. He took a bite – No. the worst part wasn’t the mental aspect, it was definitely this. The texture. The blender hadn’t done a good enough job and it tasted like vomit despite the seasoning. It definitely wasn't cooked as well as the meat was.
Choking down the patty he moved back to meat – drowning out the worst taste with a better one.
Finally, the task was done.
James’s stomach churned – he looked up at the ceiling. “That should be enough, shouldn’t it?”
The room disappeared.
Task complete: Monster Kiln of Combat Eater gained.
Instantly the churning in James’s stomach lessened. Energy rushed through his body, faint ideas moved through his mind – combining with his monster meat knowledge.
R sat in the air looking at him with a strange curious expression.
“What the hell was that” James shouted at the monster in front of him.
“You did it. I’m kind of surprised – you know you only needed to eat the meat in the hand…not the whole arm and rest of the bits?”
…what?
“You mean I didn’t have to go through all that?” James started growing angry.
“Trials are always at least slightly variable – you going above and beyond will have increased the rewards results – I’m just surprised that’s all. Looks like you do have what it takes to walk both sides – I’ll see you when you have the rest of your quest complete...sit in on a few classes in the next zone, I nudged things to make those easy to access. Then figure your way over to the other side and get the knowledge there and badda bing badda boom it should be done.” R finished his sentence, then spun in place and was gone.
A moment later the ending message appeared.
James looked it over – one thing popping out to him.
The systems rewards could never be taken away from him without consent.
The system itself could be taken away. R’s whims the only thing allowing him to continue growing – at least until he finished breaking his skill and got the ability to grow with monster meat.
...
...badda bing badda boom. Was R's real name Ralph?