The system teleports me back to the same spot I left down to the millimeter as far as I can tell. The spot of my goodbye party. I take a deep breath inhaling everything in the village, the food, the steel, the wood, the pottery and so much more.
I may be ravenous, but the mixture of smells tells me I’m back where I belong, and each and every single component is an integral part of the whole.
Looking downward, I half expect to see my translucent bone thin skin but like after my last trial, I’m back to ‘normal’.
Instinctively, I reach out to Aspen and we become one. Aether links our minds and hearts as I had long grown used to doing with Pando, but as not only my Qi but Life and Vigor come into play, they all act to strengthen this link, from a service road to a highway.
At this pace, I will have trouble telling my body apart from Aspen even when I’m with him on the edge of perception.
I took another step with my own resources and I finally can do without the system’s sublayer that mana and other resources have. A lot more can happen without that aspect of the system’s interference.
The ‘worst’ of all, the system doesn't know when to stop helping. It gives with one hand and takes with the other.
With nary a will of effort, I’m a miles away even while my physical body is still in the village.
Aspen reaches for the roots in my body and I let our connection fade to the background. I head to take care of something else as my stomach growls, but I stop myself from simply rushing over and do one last thing. Something I had been preparing for the last few months to do.
I look at my memories.
I’m missing…. nothing, absolutely nothing.
I walk the memory palace back and forth and compare it to the small hidden clues I left throughout my body, but the longer I stare at it, the stranger it seems. I didn’t just head for a new trial and I actually managed to complete the second one, so the system isn’t messing with my memories too much.
The Freudian slip lights a giant warning sign and I reexamine everything with a hand lupe, examining it down to the thread and scratches it has. The longer I compare what is in my memory palace to the notes I made, the more clear the picture becomes. Much of the alterations have to do with making me forget that the second layer makes me unnaturally tired. I have no idea why the system would care, why it seems so intent on making me forget it and even a minute later I’m still stumped, so I put it all in a box and leave it for careful analysis and consideration later.
First things first, I move to the nearest restaurant at about 26 meters from my spot. Even before I have a chance to sit at one of the tables arrayed outside, the waiter says:
“Nash, you are back!”
Everyone around turns and I hear a few cheers, but I don’t let anything distract me.
“Food.”
My caveman mentality is still in the vein if the system returned my body to its normal weight. Even if I have meat on my bones again, I hesitate to trust any gift from the system to be what I want. What are the hidden costs of relying on it to mess with my biochemistry, my carefully and meticulously balanced self? If I had any choice, I would rather do it myself.
Next time, I will prepare a lot more and try not to come back needing so much ‘help’… just in case. The fact I have a hidden space bag is already a tremendous help and that doesn't even take into account that I need a lot fewer calories to get around the place if I can fly and my Mana regen and Mana pool are only growing.
As soup gets to my table, I finally open the long-anticipated stat screen and skip the stat sheet for now. With so many changes most of the information will be entirely useless by the end.
Class trial – One with the world (2nd trial)
Time: ~~~~75d 12h 16m 18s (2d 0h 58 m 49 s instance time)
Passing scores (2nd trial.):
2 Puzzles unlocked: Class loses one rarity ranking.
5 Puzzles unlocked: Class maintains rarity ranking.
12 Puzzles unlocked: Class increases one rarity ranking.
Note: Failure to discover an aspect of the trial resulting in the [Class] specification being demoted to [Subclass]
I read this first screen before the class screen even shows up properly.
That is… strange. What does it mean: downgrade to a subclass… does that mean I can slowly upgrade them as well, all of them? If that is the case, even with a 50 percent penalty to their bonuses, subclasses are just as important as the main class.
I open their list to explore a bit and a see a message right at the top that fades just after I read it:
Warning, you can only upgrade your lowest rarity class.
Choose:
Pando’s Carrier - Uncommon (50% Effectiveness)
+1,5% All Stats +0.05 All Stats/Lv.
+2,5% Connection to Pando
Creator – Uncommon (50% Effectiveness)
+1.5% to All stats +0.05 All Stats/Lv.
+2.5% Connection to your creations (Bonus can apply to other people’s creations - variable)
I look at both of them for a good minute before going for Pando’s carrier. It is unlikely the bonus special will increase and they are equal in the amount and type of stats they will provide, so it is not even a hard choice.
Pando’s Carrier - Scarce (50% Effectiveness)
+2,25% All Stats +0.075 All Stats/Lv.
+2,5% Connection to Pando
A small but not insignificant bonus that will slowly add up.
I look to the side and see Alex approaching.
“Ohh shit. I forgot the people inside the inner world.”
I instantly open a doorway sized portal near the middle of the inner world and flash a couple of lights to call everyone’s attention to it. After warning we are back in the instance, I go back to my stat screen. Though as I see Alex sitting in front of me, I raise a root shroud around us and write it outside:
Come back in 15 minutes.
He just smiles and says knowingly:
“You want to finish seeing your stat screen right?” At a simple nod, he continues. “Good to have you back, don’t mind me, I’ll wait for the others.”
Glad that he is not trying to take me from what I wanted to be doing right this second, I dive in again looking for what I can wring out of the system. I don’t like relying on it, but it is an immensely useful tool. If I had to extract each and every single one of these stat points out of my body myself, I would do it, but it would take forever.
Even as the butterflies and giddiness try to make me forget what I’m acquiring, I mark that I cannot count this as my own power. It is simply something borrowed from the system, and everything it gave, it could take away.
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So was it really ever a gift if there were strings attached or simply a way to control us?
Knowledge, real skill and growth are so much more enduring. I should never just blindly follow the numbers and ignore more fundamental aspects of my own agency. My desire, will and power to act.
I move to close the prompt but halt myself.
Damn, I almost forgot. How could I leave something so important to the wayside?
My third subclass… if there is such a thing.
I already had 2 amazing subclasses and barely enough time to really concentrate on developing their skill sets, limited as they had been until now with only a single skill each. But that doesn’t change that I need to choose something now, even if just for the stat bonuses.
I tap at the bottom at subclass selection and behold the options delighted at the fact I even had any options this soon after getting to level 100. None one else even got more than a single shitty subclass. Even Greg's last update was still holding out for a better one before picking the class he wanted.
Manasmith (Rare)
Bookworm (Scarce)
Aviator (Scarce)
Internal Mage (Rare)
Spatial Architect (Epic)
A single glance is all that it takes me to hone in on the last option. Finally, some luck. No hard choices, just the most badass class with the highest possible rarity. Though I do my due diligence and go over the description of every single one just to see if there isn’t something hidden. I search for any connection to their descriptions, but they all seem fairly straightforward.
All are decent choices that I might have taken under other circumstances, even the runt of the group, Aviator has its charms, but in the end, Spatial Architect is just plain all around better. It would also go a long way in helping me shore up my stats. The improvement in rarity of my main class and the fruits of all my labor in the trials together will bring a transformation even beyond that I already had achieved.
Maybe, if I was lucky I could even become physically and mentally fast enough to contend directly with the HLZ beasts.
I likely wouldn’t be soloing them any time soon, but just being able to dance around them instead of having to hide behind a mana shield would be a large step up and finally give me enough of an edge that I likely could improve my fighting skills with them. Tussling with the wolf and the fighters back in the village had their place and was fun, but I needed danger to push myself to the next level if I wanted to come close to some of those people.
With a grin plastered on, I give one last glance at the option I choose before confirming.
Spatial Architect: Epic Rarity (33% effectiveness)
You have developed a nearly instinctual and aesthetic sense of space. Where most mages rely on the cold and unfeeling math, you mold space into beautiful shapes though never forgetting to keep the more structural aspects in place.
+3% to All Stats +0.1/Lv. to All Stats
+1.7% Connection to the fabric of space
Reading the prompt again, the choice of words just seems… apt. I never imagined that I would be an architect, generally thinking of myself as more of an engineer, but I don’t have the math and cold facts when working with space, so I go with my gut while sculpting it and the system took notice.
Calculating the stats I gain from it, I notice the reduction in ‘effectiveness’ compared to the level 10 and 50 subclasses. So… not quite ‘perfect’.
In turn, I’m also not limited to the Unusual rarity subclasses as I had thought.
I forgo the option to select the subclasses skills, wanting first to finish the main thing. I want to see what my level 100 Main class upgrade changed.
One with the world – Epic – Main class LV. 100 ( 1.2x multiplier)
+5% to Perception +0.25 to Perception /Lv.
+6% to All stats +0.2 to All Stats/Lv.
+5% Better perception of the world
Finally, I got the level 50 unlock multiplier from a class.
I just stand there in my chair staring at it before coming back to my stat screen:
Name: Nash
Level:100
Titles:3
Class: One with the World
100 M+/0 EXP
Strength
139
Soul
50
Constitution
138
Agility
139
Dexterity
152
Endurance
170
Perception
264
Intelligence
177
Willpower
197
Health
2234/2234
1517
/day
Mana
2760/2760
242.13
/hour
Stamina
1384/1384
20.47
/min
That is a profound change. I nearly doubled my stats compared to just a month ago. Even ignoring the stats I got by training, I’m close to an 80% increase across the board. Even Soul which only increased once in the last month before the trial went up by a whole six points during it.
If I want to fly without any equipment, considering the slightly higher efficiency of using mana while outside the trial. That will effectively double my pool effective regen rate. Adding the larger pool and regen increase I will more than double my range. If I manage to meditate while moving, I may already be capable of flying indefinitely without any equipment, just my body. With a few improvements, meditating inside the trial may be enough to never need to put my foot down, though with the number of twists and turns my meditation would be frequently interrupted.
I’m a lot closer to most level 100 mages focused on intelligence or wisdom, though I won’t let that get to my head. If the levels of the strongest beings were in the 1000+ range as I guessed, their strategy of focusing on single attributes, and using subclasses to shore up the supporting stats would pick up steam. Soon enough the mathematics of the situation determined they will far surpass me. Even if I pushed hard, a level 1000 mage would have at least an order of magnitude more intelligence and mana than me. As their ‘engine’ scales, I will be outpaced, even if I surpass them up in levels and class/subclass rarity and my slow grind for stat pints outside the system.
But my path is another and I will make the most of it, it is not about seeking raw attributes, it is about utility and having a large toolset.
There are plenty of small details I could analyze in this single sheet, like my soul stat, my new skills and so much more, but that is all for later. Opening my eyes, I say to Alex.
“I’m done.”
I look back, though my perception field already tells me all I need to know. Small groups dribble out of the inner world after organizing their stuff. Many however are still deeply entrenched in the inner world, having spent months and only getting a warning about the end of their time some fifteen minutes ago. If the average person moving houses, or even just leaving the hotel room at the end of a vacation is any indication, a few will need hours to get ready.
Behind them, however, comes a strange group. Merlin walks up to meet Burgeswaiting just a few meters off, followed by another inhabitant of the inner world, the Wolf.
He was a majestic creature even with his disfigured skin, but he has started to heal.
A thick coat of grey fur completely covering the imposing figure shocks a few of the closest people that are not familiar with him. A creature that is becoming rabid only in name.
Atop him, in sharp contrast to his ferocious demeanor, sits a trio of white furry things.
Aster and two other colony heads watch the village as the wolf sniffs around before finding an open spot nearby and sitting.
Most of the spectators uneasily stare at it, though they tentatively trust that it won’t simply start attacking at random. However, a pair turns a corner and grips their weapons tightly, ready to act. As they take a step forward I call out:
“Wield your hand against him at your peril. Even if he couldn’t defend himself, he is under my protection.”
Already jumpy, they spring back and turn around. Instinctively one of them starts:
“But….”
“I never asked you to pet him or even to get close. I’m also not just gonna stand still if he starts attacking people without provocation, but he spent a good long while in the inner world and beings I trust more than you and they vouch for him, so that is where I put my trust unless he proves undeserving of it.”
“He is alright.” Says the lead translator stepping out of the inner world portal. “Even the bunnies in his inner world are like this. Just take a look.”
He points to the back of the wolf.
Having noticed, the confrontation but treating the threat lightly, the wolf has his head turned to more interesting views. I know better. The perception field is trained in the whole area, and he is ready to spring into action. I can feel it in his very bones and the way his arteries expanded to help the blood to pump.
I call out aloud.
“Aster, if you please, peek your head out.”
It takes a moment, but she does even without knowing English. The duo finally sees a winy white head behind the neck of the humongous wolf. They say nothing, simply retreating deeper into the village. Moments later, they turn around and move out of the village through another path.
Well, that is done with.
I look at the pair of mages heading all the magical research in the village. Burges is a lot more ragged, as he likely had to cover some of Merlin’s duties after he snuck out with me, but he is just happy we are back.
“Let’s go, I want to see what you learned, except this time I want to know everything,” I say anxious to get to it.
“Well, you always called me a meta mage, that is exactly what I’m, officially.”
“Class?” I ask, to which he simply nods.
I look to the other side at Alex and speak:
“Let’s get your stuff out of the way first, you are probably not very interested in our discussions about magic and its finer points,” I say.
“Ohh, no, I am also very interested. I took the time to learn the intricacies of wielding my mana this last couple of weeks and it has slowly come to fruition this last couple of days.”
“Interesting choice of words.”
“What can I say… I’m a Wielder.”