With a disintegrating space, affected by the system differently from its usual modus operandi, I push for that connection to deepen across the space I wasn’t supposed to not even know existed let alone interact with.

My other other half fully connects the tree to learn all that he can.

I however seek to enact my will upon the world in a minor way. The tiniest action so I can stay true to my tenants and just as important without further attracting the ire of the system.

I connect to the nature. To millions of different cell clumps and I gift a hint of Pando’s DNA. Not in any physical sense, all my experimentation told me that even that small imposition would be opposed by the system. Instead, I ask them gently to alter in that particular direction. Each one starts to copy sections of the original and when they are done they will gather it all.

If I had to do it from memory, I would simply fail. But with a reference at hand, all I need is to become the conduit for that knowledge and let nature take care of the rest. Seeing them replicating it from ‘memory’ amazes me. For a human, the task would be impossibly complex to do on the fly, but they understand exactly what I ask of them and execute it flawlessly.

Then the system comes down in earnest. It cuts the connection with such prejudice that I feel the crushing defeat of a broken will. But a simple grim graces my face, knowing without a shadow o a doubt that I suceded.

That knowledge, the hint of distributed copy is spreading like wildfire, because the system may wrap my hands with bubble wrap and dump me in a soup of non newtonian fluid, trying to reduce my impact on the world, but it can’t do anything about the natural perception field.

Dozens, hundreds, then thousands of trees diligently recreate pieces of blueprint like I asked the first tree. It will take time and there are probably mistakes. I even left limits in place, just in case this Faux pando tried to take over the world.

But I made the impossible, possible.

If I ever came back here to this planet, I will know.

As a shadow covers my face, I look up to see the intrepid Albatross looking down on me.

“Come over here,” I say both while trying to convey my meaning in a more fundamental sense.

The tone of my voice tries to reach the underlayer of reality to make my meaning clear.

The language of the heart. A concept that I carried even before the system came and that my newest sub class touched upon. Still, I’m nowhere near close to it. To speak such that everyone will understand my words and have meaning seared into their brain no matter the language each of us knows.

Still, even if I fail, I sense a hint of understanding from the Albatross down, even if this creature that isn’t fully intelligent.

Like so many that I have seen, it was growing smarter and stronger.

It couldn’t really fight one on one against the mob showing up at the end, but most other predators that were supposed to give me trouble constantly couldn’t catch it unless the Albatross got sloppy.

As the last seconds of the hour tick down, I tap his head to his dismay.

“This is goodbye. One of the first, in what seems like it will be an infinite amount of toiling under the system. Make good use of the Aether I gifted to you. It's precious.”

Scratching its head, the system grips me and I head in inside my soul for protection. The 1 hour countdown is over and given I haven’t discovered the weak spot from the Living Vines this part is over. Taken away back to Earth the system screen pops in front of my face. Peeking out of my soul I don’t understand why the system chose to not alter my memories just yet, but I would be able to go back in, and my second half hides in there.

Class trial – One with the world (4th trial)

Time: 7d 2h 23m 14s

Congratulations, you have passed your class trial. Base reward:

Extra score:

4 Puzzles unlocked: Class loses one rarity ranking.

10 Puzzles unlocked: Class maintains rarity ranking.

36 Puzzles unlocked: Class increases one rarity ranking.

Hidden Easter Egg (7/7)

Second tier of the Fourth Trial:

1st Mob: Penalty: 2 Upgrade Tokens

2nd Mob: Penalty: 1 Upgrade Token

3rd Mob: No change

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

4th Mob: Reward: 1 Upgrade Token

5th Mob: Reward: 2 Upgrade Tokens

6th Mob: Reward: 3 Upgrade Tokens

7th Mob: Failed

I look at it in wonderment. I gained 5 total upgrade tokens. The 2 normal ones plus 3 for the second layer of the trial, but it's still not near enough. Right now I already have almost as many tokens as I would have after another 2 trials.

And finally, the system update its screen to clearly show my actual reward instead of telling me that bullshit about upgrading class, when the cost had increased to multiple tokens across the screen.

A second layer to the second tier trial shows up and I tap the option.

Second tier completion percentage

100/100

100/100

99/100

100/100

99/100

92/100

3/100

I look at it, still not sure what this completion percentage actually mean and no further information shows up. So perhaps just a way for me to learn how close I was in each case. I don’t even need the feedback for any but the last one. In every other fight, I knew exactly what the weak spot was almost right away. The limitation for me is much more about actually exploiting their weakness, rather than finding it. The last mob was the exception. I needed to put myself in a decent amount of danger just to get a glimpse at its weak point.

And most incredible, the penalty for failure is quite severe. I need to actually find the weak point and actually exploit it to a sufficient degree to the third mob. With a couple of exceptions, no one else on the planet could do the same at level 150.

So the system’s question of whether someone wants to enter the trial is actually important.

Still, as long as I maintain a comfortable ‘lead’ in power, I could probably milk this for all that it’s worth. A couple of extra points every trial would skyrocket my progression. If I can even find the magic words or the proper entrance to this. I still have absolutely no idea the criterion the system uses to determine when I can take this second tier of trial.

As I move to close the prompt, something comes over me. Knowledge of the system’s actions or at least its intentions. The anticipation just as soon as I finish my current ‘task’.

I send a few words to my other half:

“I’m sorry but you are going to have to take the blow for both of us.”

It takes him another moment to understand it, while I feel him digging through our memories. Acquiescence pops in and somehow I know that this balance of the system will be broken if I try to contact anyone beyond. Entering my sou’s island of peace is just the first step. The preparation of my other half deepening its connection to Pando is enough for the system to end its grace period with our memories still intact.

Hiding inside my island of peace and protection. Something that I somehow know I couldn’t have constructed if I had a billion years to learn all the secrets of the universe. Something that even the system is powerless against.

A shard of the legacy left for me, for yet unknown reasons.

Even in here, I can feel the scars being carved in our brain and I know that when I leave, even I will have trouble remembering. My other half fights valiantly while alone, and the system’s actions are only insular at first. But this is not something the system will give up on and as the minutes pass thoroughly erasing everything we knew about it in the physical realm and even in the metaphysical for my other half.

I feel the gaze of the system as it enters my soul, but even as its will brushes the outer layers of the island of protection with all the extraneous things I added like the Aether constructs and small experiments I was trying to run, it recognizes me in a different light.

A hint of hatred emanates from its usually impassive machine like actions. Nowhere near what I had felt when its living aspect stirred, just the remnants of its instincts that anyone stubborn enough saw on occasion.

One of those tendrils, lengthens and surrounds the sphere before it contracts, trying to squeeze it out of existence. But the system is like a child trying to break a wreaking ball with a hug.

In side my own soul, I can feel the effects of the system. Its will manifests in this place. Its growing power, in both quantity and quality gathers. The pressure around the bubble grows to such levels that if it implodes, I would simply cease to exist before. I won’t even be mashed potato that I could heal with plenty of life, but my soul avatar and very being would become like a plasma, where not a single one of the particles that constitute myself is attached to another.

Then all that immense power recognizes it’s facing something superior.

And it chooses to wait.

“Ahh shit.”

I draw in a little more of my Aether inside it and to my surprise the system doesn’t try to interfere with the tentril of my own will that I send out. Though it carries no memories.

It probably knows that anything I try will be futile. I will have to eventually leave, and when I do it will goble up what is ‘owed to it’.

But that is where my last remaining plans will come into effect.

I take the Aether and start to carve words. Not runes, mystical symbols, nor a code message. But simple words written in plain language. I don’t even need to fully form them as I would to make ‘functional’ Aether constructs. I only have to give a mild impression of holding their shape to the Aether and it obeys. It won’t be useful anywhere else, but protected in here it is very useful. The minute amount of Aether they take and how easy is for it all to remain stable makes this the perfect technique to record stuff for safekeeping.

Only minutes later a complete and thorough record of everything that I passed is done with no sign of the system already to leave.

Now to the next step. My only real shot of retaining my memories without making an inordinate effort.

I take inspiration from my dual mind skill but this time I don’t try to make another copy that could work simultaneously. No, I pull on my knowledge and memories, splitting them apart. A tear reaches deep within me, though I’m still mostly intact. I leave behind only a small section that contains what I learned and hypothesized over the last couple months in the trial.

Then I take a step out of my protection, wondering at how smoothly the process went and I feel the pain I would have expected from the self surgery.

I try to hold together as the system looks within me reading my memory and trying to erase anything that I learned inside the trial.

But it finds nothing.

I have trouble holding on to this state and all my hopes to at least achieve a precarious balance are dashed. There is no way I could keep juggling forever and the only other option is to remain trapped inside it forever.

Part of my gambit succeeds. As the system doesn’t try to enter the island again for the remaining memories. The system may be able to read my mind, but It can’t really get to specifics. It only searches what I learned inside and the conclusion I arrived.

Too bad this seems to be knowledge even more well protected than whatever Ajax learned on the pyramid. That level I could fight off almost indefinitely. And if I did the system would be forced to give up.

I guess I will have to content myself with the written record.

Though even if I could now properly prepare and train my skills to prepare for the trial, why did it try to stop me from doing it was still a mystery. I don’t know much that is useful.

All that fades however as I face my judgment and get ready to spend those upgrade tokens.