*Day 087, the next day*
After they’d all returned home, Joram had spent a couple of hours going through various exercises to get used to his new physical stats. He was amazed at just how much of a difference getting to the “SSS” rank in physical attributes was.
He’d known for a long time that there was a bottleneck at each threshold, but hadn’t really thought of what that really meant until just then. He hadn’t really gone around arm wrestling anyone who looked strong, so he hadn’t truly gotten an idea of just how much of a difference his increased Strength Attribute had after passing a threshold. In this case, he’d gone from S Rank to SSS Rank, which was two thresholds. Which made a massive difference.
He now understood why that [Cryolisk Patriarch] had seemed so much stronger than him. Sure, it had been the size of a house, but still. He’d been reasonably confident in his Strength before the moment he’d been batted into a wall like a cat swatting a mouse across the room. And yes, physics certainly played a major role, especially when one’s mass was so low. And given that he was roughly 115kg, or just under 255lbs, he was basically that proverbial mouse to that [Cryolisk Patriarch].
Which got him wondering if there was a way to increase his mass without causing other issues. Like, increasing one’s density might wind up just shrinking him down like Antman. Increasing his density might wind up outright killing him as his body failed to keep up with the strain it put on his system.
Though, Powers like [Iron Body] certainly increased his mass and density, at the expense of literally turning him into iron for the duration of the Power. Which, really, wasn’t as awesome as it sounded.
Which then got him wondering if he should change his Path when he reached the level limit of [World Architect]. He’d foregone taking a physical Path in favour of being able to do all the cool things he’d ever wanted to do growing up. But now that he could do all of those things, and more, he was thinking about balancing out his build with a physical Path….
‘That’s not a bad idea,’ Avi sent, startling him out of his thoughts.
Joram stopped going through his latest series of stretches and laid back until he was laying supine on the floor.
‘Got any ideas?’ he asked, more for the sake of conversation than really hoping for unique insights.
‘Well, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed anything… unusual, lately?’ she asked, sidestepping the question with one of her own.
‘In what way?’ he asked, genuinely confused about what she was talking about.
There was a brief pause, one that caught his attention and sent his imagination into overdrive. But before he could get too far off track with things like conspiracies or more System weirdness, Avi continued.
‘So, here’s the thing,’ she started, then paused again, but only for a second this time.
‘You know how you wrote about the various Altaeas eventually starting to share memories with each other when they became powerful enough?’ she asked, sounding remarkably… hesitant?
‘Yeah…?’ he sent back, preferring to prompt her into sharing more in lieu of letting his imagination run wild again.
‘Well, that’s started happening with me…’ she sent, still sounding hesitant, almost… guilty?
‘That’s…’ he sent, trailing off at the end because he really couldn’t think of a way to express just how monumentally world-shaking that news was. What its implications were, and what that meant for him, personally.
‘Huge, yeah,’ she sent, now sounding more rueful than guilty. ‘From what I’ve gotten so far, and from what Altaea initially told you, there’s at least one other “you” out there, and thus another “me”.
‘Since you haven’t noticed any… connection with your “Prime Self”, I’m starting to think that that particular connection that you wrote about Altaea was unique to her… and thus me, being a part of Her,’ she finished, effectively dropping a bombshell on him.
Not because of a link that he wasn’t entirely surprised to find out about, especially since Avi was a creation of Altaea. No, because, even though he’d thought he’d finally become like Altaea, he still hadn’t. He was missing something, something that could connect himself with any other version of himself across the multiverse.
Which was likely Divinity. Or the weirdness that occurred when Asmodeus had first imprisoned then banished Altaea way back… however long ago that was. Or both, really. Or any number of other variables that he could imagine, and many more that he wasn’t even aware of, honestly.
‘So, is your “Prime” connected to my “Prime” like we’re connected?’ he asked, specifically thinking of how his Avi knew everything he knew, reading his thoughts due to their minds being connected.
‘Yes,’ she replied, obviously knowing where he was going with that question. ‘At any rate, our Prime Selves are in a universe that uses similar principles to the popular cultivation stories you enjoyed reading before coming here,’ she sent, then paused to let his mind take that in, then explode with possibilities.
‘So,’ he started, then paused to suppress his surging hopes. ‘So, do you think that there’s a body refining/cultivation technique that could work here…?’ he asked, hoping that perhaps he could continue with his Gestalt Path while working on his body on the side, as it were.
‘Maybe,’ she sent, sounding pensive. ‘The body refining technique that Joram Prime uses was made in that universe, but it was made by Altaea herself. It relies on your ability to assimilate items or substances. But the substance that she used as a base for the technique is a magical metal found in that universe….’
Avi paused again to allow him to think about that a bit more. Sure, magic existed here too, but did it behave the same way? Were the underlying mechanics the same, like how gravity worked? Or were their universes “too far apart”, as it were?
And by that he meant: given the infinite nature of the multiverse, were some universes so far apart in their similarities that- what he considered fundamental constants- those constants acted along a completely different set of rules?
‘All good thoughts,’ Avi sent, interrupting said thoughts. ‘But given that your ability to assimilate, and take on, the attributes of various substances and items, it’s not too much of a stretch to think that it might work here, too.
‘That said, my Prime Self also made some interesting headway in various areas of research,’ she sent, then proceeded to blow his mind.
That both their Prime Selves had not only cultivated that Adamantium Body Technique, but had also assimilated freaking Saiyan DNA…. He was at a loss for words. Mostly to describe just how awesome that was, but to also express just how overpowered that was.
Then he got to wondering how assimilating Saiyan DNA would affect his personality. Weren’t they well-known for being battle junkies? Then there was the racial aggression, with Goku and his family being the outliers in that-
‘Don’t worry about that,’ Avi sent, once more interrupting him before he could spiral. ‘With your [Clear Mind] Skill, I’m sure that any extra aggression will be easily negated. That said, once you’ve finally started accessing your alternate forms, I’m sure that you could just spend all of your time as your regular, High Elan, self,’ she finished with a mental shrug to emphasize just how minimal the risks were.
Which, really, was a very good point. Especially since he wouldn’t constantly need to be in that form; only when he got into a fight, really. And with the number of clones he had going at any given time with [Fission], his “main” self wouldn’t have to worry about losing his cool, as it were.
‘So, let’s talk…’ he sent, then got down to the finer details with Avi.
* * *
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Ella Stonewell, [Brewmaster] extraordinaire, took a sip of her latest experiment and couldn’t suppress a pleased smile from appearing on her face.
Joram had shared some of the… unusual things that people from his homeland had experimented with when it came to beers, lagers, and ales. The “raspberry” that he’d introduced to her was probably her new favourite berry. Or even fruit. It was just that amazing!
And adding it to those brews had had varying success. Well, to her, anyway. Everyone had their own tastes, after all. Still, that had only been one of the ingredients she’d experimented with! Making liqueurs from the various fruits Joram had introduced to them had also been educational and incredibly rewarding!
Not just because she’d made something amazing, but also because she’d been gaining levels hand over fist!!
Hence the [Brewmaster] Class, an upgrade to her initial [Apprentice Brewmaster] Class! That she’d gained so many levels in just a few months’ time was astounding to her. It normally took decades for an [Apprentice Brewmaster] to upgrade to a [Brewmaster] back in Granite, her hometown.
Was that due to her people just being so much longer-lived than humans, thus taking their time in doing things? Or was it that they, her people, didn’t really experiment with their time-honoured brews? “Why mess with perfection?” and “Why reinvent the hammer?”, as the sayings went, were the popular retorts to anyone who even mentioned trying something slightly different.
Well, she now knew what experimenting could do for an [Apprentice Brewmaster].
Even her “customers” were over the moons with her products! That Erys was a frequent, and long-time customer had certainly influenced how many people stopped by her little establishment. Well, not quite a little as it used to be. Joram had stopped by one day to have a talk with her, and the next day she’d found that he’d significantly expanded things for her.
It had been more than a little disorienting going in and seeing the building larger on the inside! Not only that, but Joram had even added subterranean storage levels for her growing stocks and experiments. That she was now in charge of a brewery/distillery/winery that would put any dwarven equivalent to shame was amazing! And she’d even recruited helpers!
Back to Erys, it seemed as though the dragonkin and the “demons” were incredibly influenced by the Elder Dragon. So much so that they’d not only been frequenting her establishment, but she’d actually recruited from that same pool of people. Even if she suspected that they’d agreed to work for her just to get more chances to curry favour with Erys….
But still! That she’d already reached S-Rank as a [Brewmaster] was beyond fantastic! If she’d been back in Granite, it would have easily taken her a hundred years to reach her current level! And to celebrate, she was going to start working on the “champaigne” that Joram had told her about. She’d certainly surprise him with how amazing it would be!
Now even more fired-up than before, Ella got back to work.
* * *
“So, how long do you figure it’ll be before assassins are sent after the young master?” Arise asked, sounding more bored than anything else.
“Well, given Muryn sent that spy a while back, let alone the others we’ve been keeping an eye on, I’m sure that at least a few organizations are wondering what the young master’s plans are,” Fyrellia replied, though more absently than Qyress thought was appropriate when discussing their young master’s safety.
“Mmnmm,” Arise mumbled as she cleaned her daggers after their latest Dungeon delve.
Qyress couldn’t quite understand why they were so nonchalant about the issue. With how much, and how far, word seemed to have spread about the young master and what he was doing here, she certainly considered the issue more important that weapon maintenance.
“Why’re you so worried?” Fyrellia suddenly asked her, making her blink.
“[Assassin]s, as we all know,” she started, giving Arise a look, “are incredibly dangerous. People who’ve thought that they were safe, or protected enough, have died before knowing what was happening,” she explained, hoping that they’d understand just how precarious the young master’s situation actually was.
“And?” Arise asked, not looking at all concerned.
“And?! What happens if one slips past us? Do you think that this community will survive? I’m certain that the slavers will descend in waves to pick up anyone they can get their hands on after the young master is out of the picture!” she said, getting angrier than she had in a very long time.
“Qyress?” Fyrellia spoke, getting her attention off Arise and onto her raised finger. “For one, there are more S-Ranked people here than in most armies. Give it another month or two, and there will be more S-Ranks here than any two armies.
“Two. We’re here. And given just how fast we’ve been levelling, we’ll soon break through into SS-Rank. There aren’t more than one hundred SS-Ranked people on the entire continent, and we both know that each and every power out there keeps them close to prevent other powers from taking advantage of an opening like that.
“Three. I’m absolutely certain that the young master’s use of his weird [Clone]s will easily keep him alive, if his description of that Skill, or ‘Power’ as he calls it, is correct,” Fyrellia finished with a third upright finger.
Qyress really couldn’t argue any of those points, but she knew that they knew that [Assassin]s had Skills to make sure that a target died, even if they attacked a [Clone]. [Burn the Roots] was a classic example of that. It worked by riding through the magical connections that a person had to their [Clone]s. It was insidious, and she also knew that Arise had that very Skill. So, why wasn’t she more concerned about the possibility of someone using such a Skill against the young master?
“Because it won’t work on him, that’s why,” Arise said, astonishing her with how clearly the woman had read her. “I also have a Skill to assess a target,” she said, then paused as Qyress gasped.
Not because of the Skill, but because she was sure that Arise had used it on the young master.
“Anyways, I know for a fact that I can’t kill the young master with any of my Skills. So, it’s very likely that any [Assassin] targeting the young master will fail quite spectacularly,” she finished, though not without a hint of professional dissatisfaction at the admission.
“Are you sure? By his own admission, he’s just a ‘[Crafter]’,” Qyress asked, still not quite convinced. “And a Skill-based [Crafter], at that. He uses magic to do everything, after all. Which means that he’d not focussed on his physical side.”
Arise gave her a flat look, obviously annoyed by something.
“Have you already forgotten how the young master ‘subdued’ Erys?” Arise asked dryly.
Qyress blushed, having indeed forgotten just how the young master had dealt with Erys.
“So, given just how ridiculous even his physical stats are, do you really think that he needs to worry about an attack?”
“Well, maybe…” Qyress hedged, not quite willing to concede the point yet. “What if the [Assassin] brings someone like a [Sword Saint] or a [Mage Slayer] with them?”
Fyrellia sighed as she placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I know that you’re worried about the young master, but you should really trust that he’s not so easily disposed of,” Fyrellia said with a reassuring smile. “Even with how comparatively weak each of his [Clone]s are when compared to his full strength, he’s still ridiculous.”
“You can’t even imagine just how ridiculous he is,” Asami Miki said with a snort as she passed by their table in the mess hall.
They all looked at her in surprise as she continued on her way, then Qyress exchanged looks with her two friends for a moment before they all let out a long breath.
“We probably shouldn’t talk about stuff like this in the mess hall,” Fyrellia said with a rueful smile and a shake of her head, sending her dark red ponytail swaying.
“Too right,” Arise said, her accent briefly sliding to that of her hometown, then corrected it. “Anyways, we’ll continue keeping an eye on the spies that keep on showing up. Can’t be too careful, after all.”
They nodded to that. Given just how much the young master was changing things, even in just a small part of the world, they were sure that word would spread. And with word spreading, so too did ideas. Dangerous ideas for those in power. Ideas of equality, ideas of abolishing slavery. Ideas that a person could build something for themselves without having to rely on those in power to get things done.
Then there were the “simple” things that would destabilize economies. Like how they grew food, the interesting “greenhouses”. The “electricity” that could power non-magical devices that could do what more expensive magic items currently did. She still wasn’t sure how he managed to make such things, nor how one would even start to make such things, but still. Things would change, and old powers didn’t like it when things changed too much. Especially when the changes weren’t something they’d initiated themselves.
Now more determined than ever to keep the young master safe, Qyress vowed to get to SS-Rank in within the month.
* * *
Asami shook her head at the “trio”, as Joram sometimes called them when he wasn’t calling them “the three gals”.
SS-Rank wasn’t something remotely easy to get to, Joram notwithstanding. Well, he wasn’t actually Level 46 yet, but she was sure that it was only a matter of time. But did that really matter when his Attributes were all at least in that realm already?
She shook her head again, remembering his current attributes. SS-Rank usually came with one or two Attributes that had passed that threshold, not all of them!!
If she was forced to classify his strength, she’d say that he was easily at the peak of SSS-Rank, almost into the realm of Transcendence. The same realm that most Elder Dragons were in. There was a good reason why the Elder Dragons were the arbiters of the world, let alone the [Dimensional Guardian]s tasked with keeping Iria in one piece.
Even beating a youngling like Erys was still impressive by any standard or metric. Especially for someone who’d only been there for half a year or so.
That said, Asami was very much looking forward to what changes Joram would bring to their world. And with how fast Joram was accumulating power in the form of followers who were working their hardest to get an amazing Path and Class, not to mention levelling as fast as they could, he would certainly be a world power before the winter solstice.
Grinning, Asami couldn’t help but be pleased with her own progress. She was already near the peak of S-Rank herself, only a few levels away from SS-Rank. She was sure that she would soon be able to cleanse an even greater number of wandering spirits with her new Class, [Shinigami].
Though, she was still amused with how some of the [Hero]s had reacted when they’d seen her new Class one day. She still remembered how they’d asked if she had a cool “zanpakuto”, whatever that was supposed to be. Even with [Spirit Communication], she’d still been at a loss trying to figure out the mess of information that had come from them when they’d asked.
Even then, she considered [Flames of Purification] to be far superior to some random swords, no matter how magical they were.
And if Kyouji knew just what Asami was thinking then, he would have probably had an aneurism. Even Joram might have coughed out a mouthful of blood.