CHAPTER I: IF YOU’RE NOT CHEATING YOU’RE NOT TRYING
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{06:16 LOCAL TIME 1TH JULY 1ME}
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LONG BEACH
CLYDE & SPACE WRATH
“...you see Breakings forces the magic out to everyone at the same time. When the gods came back they always played games with each other. They give out quests to expand their lands in every direction in the Sky and Heavenly realms and they use their Clergy as their fighting force since they technically can’t do direct harm to players in the Mortal realm, once you ascend that changes however.” He shook his head at the Legacy as he stood frozen by the word of power looking back at the Space cultivator.
“Needless to say they have conquered more land than any other group, when you have the power of the gods supporting you, you can move with impunity. The next group is Nobles which most don’t know that Nobles all know about magic since most of their bloodlines are from former powerful players of failed magic iterations or Eras. They have quite a few bonuses because of that. They are the only ones that can create and grow new Strongholds with very few exceptions. Plus they can also give out Jobs, Professions, and Events for their local area of control, all of which people will swear to them to get more powerful. For every player under their banner, the more they gain certain benefits. Enough people and they can become as powerful as gods themselves in time. As a matter of fact, most gods were once very powerful nobles, controlling millions with force, or the illusion of giving them power can have a profound effect on a Player’s growth.”
[Gods and their games, that’s why I was never very religious. It was the story of Job for me. If God was all-knowing, and the devil knew he was all-knowing. Why would he let Job go through all that shit just to prove a point to the devil? It was just so... petty, and everything about God felt way too human in that story. He damned all of us because Adam and Eve ate a fruit he knew they were going to eat the second he made the tree, probably before he made the tree. Come on man, get your stories right. That’s like me putting a bag of candy in the middle of a fruit basket and telling my daughters not to eat any of them, knowing damn well they ain’t going to listen for very long, then punishing them by kicking them out of my house FOREVER. Yeah, I’ll pass on that. The story of Job taught me that even god would betray you to prove a point to his ‘rival’ completely out of character for an all-knowing God.]
“No one is perfect Colonel, not even the gods, especially the gods. Don’t ever forget that. Besides, the stories in holy books are more parables than straight facts. But we are getting a little off-topic. The Breaking did something that all the Legacies couldn’t do combined before this. It made magic permanent. There is no going back now, we grow and Live Well or we don’t and Die free. And I mean everyone. Most magic ages only last about seven hundred years or so. That was because in seven hundred years if legendary Dungeons aren’t cleared they release the mother of all Monster horde. Legendary monsters and Beast are at least heavenly realm cultivators, whole pantheons of gods are needed to fight these walking calamities and their minions within their Domains. Even the LAWs must get involved sometimes if they fail, and they often do when there are not enough powerful players to help. The gods always believe they don’t need the other players’ help until it’s too late.” The LAW sighed.
“Being the first Cultivator of this iteration gives you a chance to set the standard because when the Legendary monster horde comes the LAWs will not step in anymore. The planet will belong to the monsters if they win. And humans will be the hunted instead of the other way around. So I offer you a quest as the first cultivator. So I’ll need you to get the gods to work together for the betterment of humanity, and if you can’t, kill them before they can hinder humanity’s growth through their selfish actions.”
[Bro for real, I’m level 9]
“The old soldier was still coming to terms with the fact this game was more than likely real and that meant levels were still levels, and now this guy was talking about killing actual gods, an order of magnitude higher than levels. They had Tiers on the legacy. The LAW had even mentioned realms, as in cultivator realms, since Colonel had a big fat N/A next to his Cultivator tab on his Character Sheet he doubted he had the power to convince anyone of dick, let alone kill them. But he did have to admit getting that kind of power made him very, very excited, not the gamer part of him, that part was a little excited, but it was the older side of him, the reason why he was a great soldier, he was a Patton, an Alexander, he was a Shaka, he was a Genghis, he was the embodiment of war, he was Conquest.” The Narrator fired him up.
The LAW laughed hard missing the change in the legacy soul in front of him. “True indeed, and you still have the minimum requirements of a level thirty, stat-wise at least, so I wouldn’t worry too much, you are very much ahead. Most people have to start with one element and gain more over time. It took me seven hundred years to become a Space Cultivator. And you can do it in less than seven months, which for you was only one really long night.” He smirked his eyes unfocused. “Hmm you are so lucky, technically it’s the first day still since you started your game in the Dungeon, Breakings really does mess with the rules.
[How many types of cultivators are there?]
“Countless, a player can cultivate anything really, some are much stronger than others, and most are useless in direct combat crafters can become cultivators as well. For instance, I have met a cultivator of love once. She was...powerful in her element and in the bed,” He sighed, “but there wasn’t a ton of love on the battlefield. Cultivators of ideals are hard to quantify, but they serve a purpose. I don’t recommend taking any of those. Not many of them make it to the heavenly realm, and you need to be in that realm to take on the gods. More so if you take longer.”
[What’s the most powerful element?]
“That’s easy, Time, but only Celestials and Leaders of the Elder races can cultivate it, however. But on the flip side of time is...”
[Space.]
“Got it in one again. Space is the pinnacle of all cultivation practices, while not as great at direct damage as light, fire, and blade, you can use all their techniques and arts because you have all the prerequisites for them. But when it comes to defense and countering, nothing comes close. You can’t hit what you can’t touch. You can’t capture what can go anywhere they desire. There is a reason why I came to you, the other LAWs can’t even enter Dungeons without permission. And no rogue god will ever let a LAW into their safe place.” He smiled cockily.
[Well, you had me at best defense. How do we do this?]
“Accept the quest.”
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< YOU HAVE BEEN OFFERED A QUEST >
{Quest Name: Cultivation I
Quest Type: Sponsored
Quest Tier: Diamond
Description: Cultivators are creatures on the path to immortality. They use Essence to slowly remove their bodies from the mortal coil. Master your body and Element.
All objectives completed.
Choose your type cultivation.(Take Trial)
Time limit: None
Rewards: Variable.}
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[So I don’t have to choose now?]
“No, you don’t, but until you choose I can’t offer you the first cultivator quest because you may not be the first cultivator anymore. If you leave the Dungeon you will lose access to the first Cultivator quest.”
[Okay, I accept.] The quest prompt disappeared and a new window replaced it.
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< CULTIVATOR SCREEN >
{Choose Element or Concept:
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Base Elements available:
Minimum Magic stat 4
Fire: requirement of 250 in STR + 50 in the other stats. 3 Platinum and above Titles
Air: requirement of 250 in DEX + 50 in the other stats. 3 Platinum and above Titles
Earth: requirement of 250 in CON + 50 in the other stats. 3 Platinum and above Titles
Dark: requirement of 250 in INT + 50 in the other stats. 3 Platinum and above Titles
Light: requirement of 250 in CHA + 50 in the other stats. 3 Platinum and above Titles
Water: requirement of 250 in LUCK + 50 in the other stats. 3 Platinum and above Titles
Combinations available:
Minimum Magic stat 5
Lava: Requirement of 500 in STR & CON + 100 in the other stats. 4 Platinum and above Titles
Frost: Requirement of 500 in DEX & LUCK + 100 in the other stats. 4 Platinum and above Titles...
Blade Requirement of 500 in DEX, LUCK & any Order + 150 in the other stats 4 Platinum and above Titles
Force Requirement of 500 in DEX & LUCK & any Chaos + 175 in the other stats. 4 Platinum and above Titles...
Life Requirement of 750 in CHA, CON & LUCK + 190 in the other stats 4 Diamond and above Titles
Death Requirement of 750 in INT, CON & LUCK + 190 in the other stats. 4 Diamond and above Titles...}
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The list went on and on and on, Clyde was a little overwhelmed. He scrolled to the bottom past concepts so of which he had never even heard of, and more. He was surprised by the sheer amount of options that were available to him. He continued to scroll. The Darkness of the Dungeon around him forgotten.
The LAW stood still waiting, A few seconds wasn’t a big deal for him his naps were centuries-long if not millennia. He was a little shocked that the man in front of him not only had access to all the options but how he was going over all of the options in front of him. The LAW could see the flow of Fate around the Legacy and smiled internally. ‘The fates are guiding you young legacy.’
Clyde was not aware of the LAW’s musings, he was too busy internally grinning. He had used his Tool Tip on the Elements after skimming over the list and was very surprised by what he read. ‘Cultivators are badass.’
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< CULTIVATOR SCREEN >
{The Fire Element is the element of Chaos and the concept of destruction. While all elements have healing Techniques, fire healing Techniques are the weakest and most painful. They make up for that negative with pure destructive power. Fire Cultivators can use any fire-based Technique Arts and any fire-based CORE Technique level faster based on many factors. Fire practitioners can also use Air and Light Techniques Arts with a moderate penalty, They are unable to use Earth and Dark Techniques, and Water Techniques do double damage to Fire Cultivators.}
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The colonel was pretty sure he was picking up what the prompt was putting down. He smiled and looked at the word Technique. They were game-changing.
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< TOOL TIP >
{Techniques: Techniques are Essence-based skills of Cultivators. Techniques can be any type of power based on any element or concept. Techniques are powers that can be cast as long as a Cultivator has Essence. (Mana or any Tier 5 energy source can work until the Sky Realm). Techniques once learned grow linearly. Cultivators can use any learned or purchased Techniques they are compatible with. Each rank has a limit on how many a player can have depending on the Element chosen, but that limit increases as you ascend through the Ranks and Realms of the Cultivator. While the Cultivator grows the techniques will get stronger because the cultivator is stronger, but the Technique Arts grow with use. CORE Techniques grow with use, Essence, and Rank quest.
Technique Arts: Arts are skills that all cultivators must convert their skills to in order to use them as Cultivators can’t use their Spells and Trades when they become Sky Realm Cultivators. Arts level up and give Technique points (that can be used for myriad cultivator actions) per level at 100, 250, 500, and 1000 there are quests to move one.
CORE Techniques: CORE Techniques are skills placed into CORE skill slots. Each Cultivator has a max of 13 Core slots per Rank, only seven slots are required to be filled to advance to the next Rank. Each Core Technique requires a minimum amount of slots. CORE techniques are unique because the player must take them from one of the other categories of skills in order to make one, (Spells/Trades/ Skills/Techniques Arts.)
Leveling CORE Techniques levels up the Cultivator.
CORE Techs can have its own leveling system.
CORE Techs can be taught by high Sky Realm Cultivators, but only to other compatible cultivators, and only when they have gotten the technique to the Silver rank.}
< NOTE >
{Techniques can also be purchased in the skill stores once Element is chosen. The cultivator can also learn techniques by trial and error.}
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Clyde internally smiled. He could stack attack CORE Techniques and learn more Technique Arts without a hard cap like his General Skills well he guessed his Rank was the cap.
Until the last battle in the Dungeon, Colonel was short on combat skills. Becoming a cultivator could give him access to a plethora of new attack and defensive Techniques.
His curiosity sated, he scanned to the bottom of the cultivation screen and found the prompt for the Space Cultivator, it was way different than the base fire practitioner.
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< CULTIVATOR SCREEN >
{The Space Element is the element of Order and its own concept. Space the element and Space the concept differ greatly, Space the element is Order it is everything, it is everywhere. Space the concept is the vast void between everything. Space Cultivators can use any technique Art and any Order based CORE Technique levels faster based on many factors. Space practitioners can also level up Techniques Arts Slightly faster than other Cultivators, Space Cultivators have no weakness to any element or concept.}
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Colonel paused as he reread the prompt three times. He was confused he said as much.
[If Space Cultivators are so powerful how come everyone doesn’t choose this element?] The legacy asked the LAW.
The LAW nodded in understanding. “Well, the answer is twofold. One, most don’t know the prerequisites until they have either reached it or offered the quest to become a cultivator, ninety nine percent of players take the first Quest offered to them. Secondly, the Space LAWs are the only beings that can sponsor a Space Ascension Quest. That usually means twenty-one Players at a time. The time varies with the growth of the Cultivator. Once a player has made it to Grand Master or Saint Rank then the sponsoring LAW can sponsor another, that could take a millennium though. But with the Space Divine missing there are only twenty LAWs to give out the Space Ascension Quest. The Space Element is the smallest of all the Elements by far, there are often only twenty-one made every iteration. And they are often hunted and killed if they don’t grow fast enough.”
[How come only LAWs can raise Space cultivators, I thought any Cultivator could raise another.] Clyde asked still confused.
The Space Wrath thought for a second. “We need a new Adept Tier Space Cultivator so that I can be promoted to Divine. The Divine sets the rules of the LAWs and prior to her death, the former Space Divine set the rule that LAWs were the only ones allowed to raise Space Cultivators. We lost a ton of our potential practitioners after that. No one was willing to wait the hundreds if not thousands of years it takes to move through the realms, not even for the power of the Elemental Concept of Space. Plus have you seen the requirements for one?”
With a thought, the Legacy brought up the requirement and blanched.
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{Space Element Requirement: 1,000 in all stats but Magic by the end of the trial or lose 250 in all stats but Magic, 1 or more Expert Tier Skill, 3 or more EPIC or above Titles, Magic stat of 5 or above, must be under age 250 and under Tier 6 in Classer or Profession Path. The player has to be tier 2 or above in Class and Profession.}
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[Oh, I see how that may be difficult to reach, the stats alone would be hard without Titles giving you a ton of them, coupled with all of the other requirements, and I don’t think you get many players who are eligible.] Clyde stated.
“You would be wrong the GREAT GAME is dangerous, and the more danger you endure the more power you gain from it. This is doubly so in a Breaking. We always have more options than slots. But you were the first to qualify.”
[Wait, wait, wait. You said I was going to be the first Cultivator how can that be true a Fighter in six months would have been able to get the stats needed to ascend if they had a few Titles, how come I am the first? Also, I don’t meet most of the damn requirements brother.]
The LAW gave the biggest smile yet. “That is why we are called sponsors, we can give up some of our power temporarily to raise any one requirement permanently, I will be giving up centuries of progression on my Skill to get yours to Expert, but as you rise through the ranks I will slowly get it back and if you manage to get the Skill to Grand Master I get back all my progression and more.” He ate a pink and yellow banana. “Want some? It is a spirit fruit, no?” The LAW looked at the frozen legacy.
[So wait only Legacies and Commoners can become Space practitioners.] The legacy added remembering the limitations of certain Caste.
“Another limitation we have been trying to fix for millions of years.” He said sadly “There used to be workarounds for Merchants and Nobles, but the Divine closed that path as well. I intend to reopen them once I ascend to Divine.”
[And how do I fit into that plan? I’m still lost on how I am the first Cultivator. I am pretty sure Soto could become a Cultivator now as well.]
“Again you are right, or you would be right if you hadn’t left the Dungeon.” He smiled his evil smile again. The fact that you are in Rouge Dungeon, and the time loop that was formed by you and then the Vampire lord that left. The time inside here is still January 1st. The first day of the Breaking.” He winked.
[But my timestamp shows...]
“The local time, not Dungeon time.” He shook his head at the craziness of the situation, it was like the Alpha Phoenix herself was pushing fate. “Your luck is out of this world when I think about it. The fact that your bonus took you to Nightingale, and I was drawn there with you was crazy enough for me to get a title upgrade, which meant I owed a balance to you on my karma.”
[Yeah, but that was an accident.] Clyde hedged.
“Whether you meant to or not is irrelevant, your power is you, and your power drew me in.” He said happily. “Because of that Karmic debt, I had to look for an opportunity to repay or risk crippling myself at my rank or worst demotion.”
[That can happen?]
“Yes and no, you can burn your cultivation in times of great need, but other than that you cannot fall out of your realm. If, however, you are challenged by a lower member of your rank and lose you can no longer be a LAW. But that is way, way, way, above your pay grade, so let us finish up before your Trial begins.”
[Trial?]
“Look we are not going to get through any of this with you asking questions every new word you hear, I am not your tooltip, wait, and the answer will be revealed.” The LAW’s voice grew serious, but not louder.
The point was clear to Clyde. No more free knowledge, also it seemed they were on an invisible clock.
“Anyway,” He continued a smile back on his face. “So I was looking for ways to help you so I can clear my debt, and I got a ping from the past. While that wasn’t unusual, it was unexpected what the ping was for. You see we LAWs stay in our sub-dimensions so we can observe the world all at once, time can be manipulated at will while in these dimensions. Looking back in time is one thing, but actually traveling back in time is an order of magnitude higher. Only the Divines have that power. But Space LAWs are a bit of a cheat. If we have been somewhere or are anchored to someone, we have a bond too, we can go directly to them no matter the time, once. So that is how I ended up here on the first day of the Breaking even though the outside world is starting the seventh month.” He nodded to Colonel.
[My sergeant major would call y’all big cheaters, but I am not going to complain.] The legacy chuckled.
The Space Wrath smiled wickedly “Always remember Legacy, This is a game, and if you’re not cheating you’re not trying.”