The Avatar finally stopped seizing. The fact she had such a reaction was a very bad sign. “What did you do?” Doctor Katz asked me.

“I pushed energy around her head. Whatever is spreading, could it be everywhere in minute quantities?” I turned to look at Jacob.

“Yes. Detection is incredibly difficult. Give me a moment to think,” he began to pace. I let go of the Avatar’s head and sat down. Doctor Katz had her moved to the side of the room and began checking her over.

“If we consider the ambient levels, no, that doesn’t make sense. But the initial spread rate indicates, no. Think. Think.” He then stopped pacing. “Yes. This is an active intelligence. Contamination, and then control. Like a virus,” he said.

“A System virus?” I asked.

“Something like that. Whatever is doing this, has multiple phases. The first phase is meant to avoid detection. To propagate outwards. There have been small minute shifts upwards in energy zone readings. Small enough that I had considered them calibration and measurement errors,” Jacob explained.

“We are talking about over the course of years. At most two and a half percent. Not enough to be concerning. There were dips as well. But what if it wasn’t just ambient energy fluctuations, but non-System energy spreading out. Everywhere. The Almighty System monitors everything, by being everywhere at once,” which was why it was called Almighty.

“But suppose, you wanted to counter that control. Not through power but stealth, then you would spread out your own energy. Compromising everything, including the Avatar. Then you switch over, and pump out as much as you can,” Jacob said.

“Something at the level of the Almighty System?” I asked.

“Probably weaker in direct combat. If an opponent only has massive tanks, you don’t try to build tanks to counter them. You have anti-tank mines. Like a virus. A human is smarter, more powerful, and all around better than a virus. But despite how weak it is, it still can bring a person down,” Jacob said.

“This just makes the situation much worse. We can’t fight something at that level of power,” I replied.

“Perhaps, but it also implies the System can take action if it notices something. But the stores are working…that makes no sense. Unless they are automated. Everything is automated. Everything but meta-points,” he said.

“Those don’t grow on trees. Getting one to ask for help any time soon, is just counting on random chance. And if the Almighty System is blocked, then it couldn’t even hand one out,” I replied. “Does that mean we are being observed even now?” I asked. There was silence at this question.

“Would a bomb do more than an annihilation attack?” I asked after the silence kept stretching out.

“If we had enough crafting crystals. But we would need a lot,” Jacob said. I looked over at Clarissa.

“It is up to you. I will be managing the long-term evacuation. Our next stop will be New Kochi, and then out West after that. Attempting to maintain the government for as long as is possible. But things will only get worse the longer this goes on,” she explained.

“One more thing. Airships are too risky. Whatever is spreading will destabilize the engines at a certain strength. That means going in on foot,” Jacob said. Of course, I would lose my primary method of getting around.

“Anything else?” I asked and he shook his head.

“Michelle, can you work to get crafting crystals?” I asked her.

“From level 6 monsters, yes. Level 7 monsters, no chance. I don’t have the summon strength to hold them in place. You would be the only one,” she told me. I looked at Jacob.

“Ideally, we would want something even stronger. If you got base level 8 crafting crystals and we combine them up to level 9, a much more powerful explosion. It is about energy density at a certain point,” Jacob explained.

“You will need to buy some property before you go,” Clarissa told me. I nodded slowly at that. She wanted to know if I died.

“What about summons?” Michelle asked.

“Once the energy ratios flip to non-System energy, then the tethers will be under attack,” Jacob said. It made sense since they were based on System monsters and energy.

“Is there anything else I need to know? Like will I still be regenerating energy?” I asked.

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“Good question. The short answer don’t. Long answer, the more energy you use it is a greater risk. Think of System energy like water. You pour the water out, and water pours back in. But with the non-System energy, it is like pouring the water out and pouring acid in. Eventually the acid will grow strong enough,” Jacob explained.

“But people leak energy, don’t they?” I asked.

“Energy is first in, last out. There is no circulatory system in a person’s body. You are like a balloon or glass, with one opening and exit. Energy regeneration pauses while using a skill. That is why there are no passive skills, at least I think so. It is complicated and part of ongoing research. Regardless, short answer, the more energy you use, the higher the risk you are at for soul damage. Don’t use more than half at most.” That wouldn’t work.

“The shards are over a void. How will I get there without skills or fight?” I asked.

“I am just giving warnings based on my observations, and there isn’t a lot of data. I have been rushing back and forth, setting up experiments. Even having this much is a miracle,” Jacob said.

“I understand. Thank you for your hard work,” I said. The man did look exhausted.

I considered the entire situation and what the best response would be. It was tempting to rush off and deal with things. But also, a large risk regardless. Like a nuclear meltdown, there might be a way to turn some valves and hit some buttons to stop a disaster, but I had no clue what those might be. Or there might not be anything.

That was no magic win button for this kind of situation. Anything that could counter the Almighty System clearly had a tremendous amount of power and ability. When describing the energy being output, this was the kind of thing that used power notation, designating a number times a power of ten. It was just that insanely large.

My energy reserve of 60,000 was looking incredibly insufficient for any kind of expedition, when I could only use half at most or risk a soul injury. I could wait for a large mega-bomb as well, which would present an alternative means of attacking. Astrologer, why did you have to be such a horrible person. This was the kind of thing I needed an esoteric energy trick to solve.

“What about the battery project?” Doctor Katz asked.

“It takes time to cultivate grown flesh. And risks a resonance based attack, which Emperor Michael didn’t want to take. I can completely understand that, but it isn’t something that can be set up quickly,” Jacob explained.

“Yes, why not a resonance based attack?” I asked.

“What we are seeing isn’t the creature doing this, but the result of a skill. If you had a piece of the shards and brought a piece to me, then there is the possibility of using a resonance based attack to impact them all at once. If you can’t kill it and can manage that then maybe. I have a single high end container,” Jacob said and had one of his assistants fetch a small gray box.

“No hinges. It slides like a puzzle box. Only much stronger materials. Once closed you need a special tool to open it back up,” he explained as I was handed a box that could fit my fist, with walls about as thick as my thumb. The lid clearly slid on.

“Null enchantments?” I asked.

“Yes. Powerful ones. Each side enchanted separately. Once the lid slides into place, tiny pins will drop and lock it all togeather. Hinges are a weak point. Having more surface contact with the lid sliding into place will make a much better seal,” Jacob explained.

“Kill whatever is doing this, or get a sample,” I thought over the situation.

“The Infinite Block, you should take it. To get across the Void. It should survive as a level 6?” Michelle asked Jacob. He waved his hand in the air.

“Maybe. I wouldn’t expand it too much. But hard to say. There is no good way to measure energy at the various scales. Comparative level analysis is the best option so far, and even that struggles with something outside the System that is changing. I can’t say how think the energy will be near the source right now,” Jacob said.

“Anyone else have ideas?” I asked. There was silence.

“Michael, the Avatar said this before passing out completely. She was lucid for a split second,” Doctor Katz came over and handed me a small slip of paper.

“Must stop. Risk everyone. Thousand thousand,” I read the slip of paper and it wasn’t helpful in the slightest. How was this supposed to be stopped? What were the weaknesses? Safety measures I could take? I hated the Avatar more than ever.

I looked at the box on the table before me as well. I could tell everyone wanted me to rush off and solve this crisis, but it was worth the time in my mind to think it through and any possible alternatives. I could attempt to clear the towers to get enough votes, which might do something. I could also rush into the dark abyss doorway from clearing a level 7 zone.

There were a lot of options that presented alternatives to rushing straight into danger. I might only get one shot at this if damage was cumulative. “I need to think on this for a bit. Keep collecting data,” I said and got up. I left the room and made my way out to the roof of the building.

This was the palace of the Divine Empress, just converted into the main government building. I took a seat on the roof top and considered other crazy situations in the past, especially the one on this very roof. Throwing the Avatar away had been a major decision at the time.

Now I was confronted with another choice. One that would shape my future and the future of countless others. Almighty System, why have you forsaken us now? Get your act togeather. That more than anything was concerning. If something that powerful couldn’t do anything, then my chances were limited.

If I was a high level 7, then the Almighty System was level 100 in my mind. The gap between us was immense. While it would be nice to think that whatever doing this was weak in some ways, its base stats would just be too high if it could fight at that level. Unless it was some kind of super specialized system thing, which was an unknown.

Anything that we could have done to get the System’s attention, like killing the Avatar, or wrecking the store pillars risked bringing an anti-point. The risk was just too high. Clarissa was also right, that the longer this crisis lasted the greater chance of the entire government collapsing.

She hadn’t said it in so many words, but I could read between the lines. There would be mass panic and chaos. People weren’t going to just stand around waiting for their deaths. While the news hadn’t spread yet, it was only a matter of time. People would begin fleeing West. Eventually there would be riots and mass panic.

I needed to decide what to do.