I had to cut this chapter in half because I reached the word count limit of 20K midway through me editing, so it may feel incomplete.
It's now 15K words...
I'll try to release the second part back to back, so it may feel a little small, so understand that it was once part of this chapter. But it may take a few hours, so go do something else in the meantime.
If I don't, I'll notify through Discord as I usually do... Maybe I'll just leave it to the next chapter altogether.
Enjoy.
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—
And after going through an extensive selection of items… he made his choice. Like he had been told, he envisioned what he wanted and soon enough, the display changed to match what he desired.
It opened before him, the Complex responding to his intent:
[Stat Increase: Physical Body]
[To be determined]
[Stat Increase: Spiritual Body]
[To be determined]
[Stat Increase: Astral Body]
[To be determined]
"Hum..."
Falpurgiana approached him with curiosity, but as her eyes fell on the options, she frowned as she shook her head in disapproval.
With the palm of her hand supporting her chin and the other on her waist, she straightened her back and said what was on her mind, "I can see what you're trying to accomplish. But there are better ways to do it. Taking shortcuts like this isn't worth it. This is a waste of your hard-earned shards."
"You're better off finding fitting Abilities. Not only would they solve your issue, they can also grow throughout a trial and increase your strength even further. I see no point in a directionless increase in body quality. It's utterly flavorless."
"I could even say useless."
"And I agree. But I'm someone who prefers simplicity. With my abilities, I'm better off with a small selection of critical abilities than multiple ones." Philip responded as he turned to face her
"If I can have the option of not carrying a skill with me. I won't."
"That can be easily solved with more shards though. Just acquire a really powerful all-round Ability that meets your qualifications and that'll solve the issue. I have several I could recommend."
"You're likely right… but it won't be too late to get something like that when the time comes, right? I'll go with something simple this time."
She shrugged, "… You're stubborn, but it's that mentality that took you this far… do as you will. You've earned every single one of those points and are more than able to proceed as you desire."
"Just don't forget what I said before. If you want to get some really interesting abilities, you'll have to be a little more… efficient."
Philip bickered, looked at the side, "… Sometimes you can't be efficient…"
She narrowed her eyes as she circled him, trying to look him in the eye, "Are you trying to rile me up? Keep at it, and I'll show you how I used to discipline those that wronged me back in the day."
"…"
Philip ignored her as he interacted with the Complex… Once he did, further options asking for the specifics appeared.
'Hum... So it wants me to determine just how much of an increase in power I want?… Well, that's simple.'
'The very maximum I can afford.'
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Stat Increase: Physical Body -> 0 B]
[200000 Shards]
[Stat Increase: Spiritual Body -> 0 B]
[300000 Shards]
[Stat Increase: Astral Body -> 0 B]
[500000 Shards]
"Quite expensive."
'Raising all my Stats to B should solve my issues… Although it probably isn't enough to use Armament… Self Avatar to its utmost power... especially if I combine it with other things.'
'This must be the limit of either the first or the second stage… Her words are correct here, it would be better to seek out some power that modifies my body in a direction that lessens the load of my abilities...'
"You could literally get an Ability that does the same thing for half the price…"
"Yeah... Isn't that right?… If only there was another way…" He joked as he dramatically waved his hands in the air
"…"
Falpurgiana's forehead tensed, but she remained calm and composed…
"So? Do you need a push down the slide or are you going to get things done?"
/Press!/
Philip went ahead with his purchase, and immediately after, he felt his body turn light... "Something's wrong…?" He muttered as his skin bulged
He looked at Falpurgiana, but she smiled faintly as she pressed on his forehead, sending him falling back like a log onto the ground.
/THUD!/
"…"
While he felt no pain, Philip couldn't move his body. He was paralyzed, even his breathing had stopped… and upon a closer look, his heartbeat too.
'What's going on? My body is unresponsive, but I don't feel bad at all… I don't even have the urge to breathe at all.'
'This is akin to when Gamerverse activates and I'm sent into that strange place…'
/Sizzle/
Immediately after, his body sizzled as steam formed on his pores. It rose into the air above him, causing Falpurgiana to wave her hand around in annoyance.
"That's why I didn't want things to be done this way… This process is too foul… And those clothes were brand new…"
She rolled her eyes and went somewhere beyond the edge of his vision, "Take a shower and clean the clothes once you're done. I'll be waiting for you in the gardens. Don't take too long."
"…?"
/Shaa!/
The steaming process intensified, and Philip felt as if he were being boiled alive! 'This is getting a little out of hand… Someone take these clothes off me… This makes me remember when I had a fever when I was young and my mother forgot to take the blanket off me...'
/Shaa!/
But no matter how much he complained, the goddess did not turn back for even a moment.
The minutes passed as Philip underwent the agonizing transformation. Heat, cold, and other strange feelings traversed his body as his proportions slowly changed.
His muscles grew, his posture changed. Years of training suddenly shoved inside his body together with strange powers and feelings he had never felt before.
Keeping up with the changes was tiring, especially under those peculiar, diverging sensations. It wasn't pain, but it was a distinct form of torture.
After what felt like a whole century under that sensation, or thirty mortal minutes to be precise, Philip regained control of his body, and he almost couldn't believe the changes.
"Oh?... Ohoho... I don't feel anorexic for once! For the first time, I can stand without a muscle in my body aching or crackling."
/Sniff…/
"But… I smell awful… Just what is all of this? Toxins? Dead cell matter that was flushed out?... Yuck."
'Darius body was unhealthy. I suppose this is a new step in its journey, now finally cleaned of everything shoved inside it...'
He felt his stick body unpleasant to move in. And amidst his urges to undress and clean himself, he had one thing he needed to do first.
[Identity: Darius Narfa 18M
-Trial Candidate-
Stage of Completion: 1st Stage Completion
Approximated Qualities:
Physical Body: 0 B (Limit B+)
Spiritual Body: 0 B (Limit B)
Astral Body: 0 B (Limit B)
]
"Hum… My Status has changed quite a little."
He looked at the glove in his right hand and pondered, 'It seems the effects of the glove won't be needed soon enough.'
'These stats are likely the very limit of what someone in my position should've had, but I've found a way to get them beyond those limitations quite easily… Maybe I'm being stiff, of course it was easy.'
'The Complex wants individuals to develop abilities and grow. Using this method to attain strength is likely one of the least effective methods out there, and with reason.'
'I don't regret my actions though... I still have a million and a half shards to use… I still can't believe a Legendary Artifact like these clothes is barely worth a tenth of the value of all these stats combined… Tche!'
"… I'll go take a shower and join Falpurgiana before she snaps… I didn't think I'd be needing another this quickly."
/Shaaa…/
Philip rushed to the bathroom and turned on the hot shower. And as the warm water fell on his shoulders, he decided to check something he'd been postponing for quite a while now.
He checked himself in the mirror and wondered about the changes. For once, it was starting to look like his real body... Albeit he was still ugly and lacking in many areas...
'I wonder if these changes are adapting to my preferences or if this is how Darius' body was supposed to look like?... He has decent genes but his face... I feel like I'm looking at cardboard from how plain it is.'
'He's like an NPC, and I feel like that's a compliment... Looking like this, what would his name be?... Warrior Number 07?'
'I can't wait to go back... It's time to check how these Abilities of mine evolved.'
[Registered Abilities:
Nurture Limit
Self-Avatar 2
Limitless Limit
Flesh of the Elder Bisclavret 3
]
[…
Innate - Greenhouse 1
]
"It's still such a shame Greenhouse hasn't leveled up… Would the Complex allow me to buy experience for it if I tried?"
'I'll test that later… Let's begin.'
[Nurture Limit
In the oldest annals, the practice is likened to a garden kept beneath the shimmering moonlight. Where others instruct with commands and spectacle, the nurturer bends attention into a steady hand… The patient eye that discerns fault lines of habit, an unseen pressure that rearranges motions into its predestined or often uncertain future.
Nurturing is a craft of continuous accumulation. Its touch does not bestow genius nor splice new blood into bones; it compresses days into hours, polishes practice so that wasted motion falls away and the pattern beneath effort becomes visible.
It does not teach new secrets or rewrite talent. Instead, it converts time and effort into usable skill faster and with fewer wasted cycles. It aligns focus, highlights patterns and reduces friction in practice so that training and use of an ability are more efficient and more quickly internalized.
The bearer becomes a quiet multiplier, a receptacle that converts raw effort into usable skill strong enough to breach that which talent cannot… The invisible guidance that spurs one forward when another would collapse before the intangible wall.
… Yet heed the old warning… attention is a finite thing. To give too much is to dull one's own edge. The nurturer's gift often asks for a proportional sacrifice… and when the hand withdraws, the growth it hastened remains, but it is the harvest of borrowed time that strikes back at the greedy.
…
When applied to a fitting target, you create a small, directed field of attention that speeds up the growth, adaptability, and learning efficiency of anything that can be measured from the user's perspective.
Abilities under Nurture's influence can exhibit potential beyond their current confines.
Consumed Slots 3/10
…
]
[Limitless Limit
A man once learned that the reason closely entailed a closed door… He sought something within himself, but he only found his limitations... a cage to be shattered.
The man who sought the reason was no saint. Walking between worlds that did not welcome him, he stole and reshaped everything he was given like a ceaseless tumor, and the result of his efforts was not welcomed by its body and ruler.
The mind governs the body. It understood that for a system to work cohesively, all parts needed to work within limitations so that one could achieve balance and cohesiveness... But the man did not. He had only one desire, and he would achieve it regardless of what it said back to him.
Faced with a greater force unwilling to tackle reality in any way it did not favor itself... in fear of falling into eternal sleep by the actions of its slaver… the ruler of the body was forced to adapt…
And he stepped forward into an unblinking world…
In the instant where only absolute clarity remains… Muscles forget their tenderness, reflexes flatten into one bright line of intent, and pain becomes an encumbrance. Memories cast aside so only the desire may remain.
Time narrows onto a thin line, threatening to snap and entrap the one who dared cross the threshold into eternity… but this was the answer he was looking for.
At the line between… his body… did not collapse.
It too found an answer.
…
On activation, the user forcibly removes the body's self-limiters: strength, speed, reflexes, …, and pain tolerance surge to superhuman levels and mental focus collapses into single-minded, obsessive efficiency.
In this state, the body's ability to adapt to foreign forces is brought to its perceivable edge, and exposure to foreign forces quick-starts growth.
…
Limitless can be constantly reactivated within itself.
…
]
[Greenhouse 1
The innermost chamber that houses the most precious treasures…
…
Grants accelerated development and efficiency to whatever is enclosed, and isolates it from external influence.
Consumed Slots 0/???
…
]
"Those three are what matter most in terms of their description. Self-Avatar and Flesh of the Elder Bisclavret are basically just techniques, so everything I need to know about them has already been shoved inside my head."
'Although the latter is less of a technique and more of a physical trait… It doesn't matter since its evolution tree hints at that being its final form.'
'Can't say there's anything surprising here. The descriptions don't say anything new that I didn't already know. If anything, it's misleading… I already know that Greenhouse can do far more than whatever that lackluster description tells. Going by them won't help me much in the grand scheme of things.'
"Due to Nurture's effects, I should try to keep my Abilities within its slot range. So something around ten to twenty skills should be more than enough for me."
'... That's about the same number I have back in my main body. I should try to get meaningful ones and keep the rest at bay.'
He raised his hand to manifest the store again, scrolling through its options.
"I have a few ideas of what I want… I don't need to focus just on useful powers, just getting skills for their experience could be worthwhile too."
'If I could buy years or decades of experience from another person and inject those into my mind, wouldn't that be worth it?… Though there's a balance to maintain...'
'There were several reasons why I didn't remain in Simulation Room and my 3rd Class' world longer... One of them being exactly because I didn't want to twist my mind too much with overexposure to such.'
'I've already been harassed by these memories enough… In one day, just how months to years of memories were shoved inside my head? They're all devoid of excessive emotions and private experiences, but that doesn't mean I feel any better… I feel as if I've lived through those moments, and even though I know just a few hours have passed, it feel somewhat the same way I do whenever I leave a world and return to Eden.'
'What is the difference between an old man and a young one?... Aside from the fact one needs help to get it up? Wouldn't that be wisdom? If I get several lifetimes worth of memories inside my mind, then what would even be the point?'
'Right now… I might as well have reached my 30s… Fuck… If not, I'm really close.'
"At the end of these damn trials, I'll be in my damn 50s… the misery… I'll have to look for Elves in the 100s to properly connect with a partner again..."
'Some may say that's where things start to get fun...'
/Scrub.../
Philip went through the shop as he slapped some soap around his skin, trying to get the heavy smell off his body. He slowly marked a few possible skills, selecting them as possible candidates for his future endeavors.
"… There really are a near-infinite number of Abilities and services for me to skim through… Although some of my personal ideas are too expensive... I think I can even call a hooker if I want... this really is exceptional service."
'Now, aside from those curiosities of mine, I also tried seeing if this System had anything similar to my fundamental skills back in Eden… or even my Traits.'
'What if I could fuse Simulation Room to an equivalent version of it from this world? What if I could do the same to some of my Traits? While Skill Fusion isn't that strong yet, I will reach that level eventually… be it one or two evolutions ahead.'
'Preparing a little for the future doesn't cost much, not when this is all being given to me for essentially nothing… aside from my mental exhaustion…'
"Heck... what if I could just fuse my skills with this world's interpretation of them?..."
He closed the shower register and stepped outside.
[Meditation]
[Swordsmanship]
[Close Quarters Combat]
[Amplification]
[Endurance]
[Regeneration]
[…]
"Hum… These are all quite basic…" He muttered out loud as he dried himself with a towel
'There's nothing wrong with the basics, but such broad terms won't do me much… at least not in this form.'
'Rather than just Swordsmanship, I could get an Ability that reinforces my affinity for it… or some combat style that complements my current set of skills.'
He pondered for a few minutes as he finished drying himself. Now cleaned of most of the smell, he moved to another side of the bathroom where he took the wet clothes out of the washing machine before throwing them inside a dryer.
As he waited for them to get ready, he rested his back on the cool machine…
"Hum… this might work... Complex! Display me a list of Swordsmanship Abilities that complement my current fighting style reliant on Self-Avatar!" He said out loud as he struck a pose
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Moon-Demon's Ascending Transcript - Legendary]
[500 Trial Crystals]
[The Blade of Revolution - Heroic]
[60000 Trial Shards]
[Mantis Critical Pressure-Point - Heroic]
[125000 Trial Shards]
[Broken Body Absolute Art - Legendary]
[750 Trial Crystals]
[…]
Over two dozen skills appeared before him. All of them either Heroic or Legendary with varying prices, from twenty-five thousand Trial Shards to a few thousand Trial Crystals. Some more expensive than he could even afford.
He noted them all as his clothes dried, finding each of them particularly interesting in its own way and useful to him to some degree. He could see their usefulness and applications just from reading their extensive descriptions, and with his vast understanding of his own abilities, he could tell why they were recommended… some more than others.
He also noticed how the way the Complex displayed them had changed slightly. It was now a little more intuitive. Maybe because it had adapted to his preferences on the fly? Whatever the answer was, it seemed more reactive and interactable than Eden's system.
"If I could… I would get them all, but that's unrealistic… Probably not even worth it either."
'This is only based on my directed inputs. If I go a little broader, wouldn't things change? Besides, is the System considering my future potential or just my present one? Do I need to make that clear when making requests from it?'
'Then again, I wouldn't have the time to train them all… Also, some of these seem to use particularly distinctive energy forms and methods. I might even need to peruse the store for complementary teaching materials to aid in my comprehension of these arts.'
'Some are pure martial arts, others are techniques derived from supernatural-like powers, others seem to come from standard forms of energy such as aura and mana… but none of them are like mine.'
'I'm already struggling to make ends meet with my techniques and just recently fused Armament into existence. Yet even that isn't enough to cover it all.'
'If I keep adding more strange techniques into the mix, won't I just shoot myself in the foot?'
But then he smiled, his creativity bursting out of his skull… "If only I could find a way to fuse my skills together… oh yeah, I can."
He smiled deeply, his lips twisting as he got a rather devilish idea…
"If the goddess' words are correct, then this world's System has already gotten ahold of my memories… doesn't that mean Eden's power structure has been carried over here as well?"
'The Goddess' powers should be here as well although far too high or maybe unobtainable for a mere Challenger like me. It's the reason why these clothes even exist… they come from her memories, her story so to say… so there should be the same for mine as well, no?'
"It's scary to even think about it. Everything I did copied and taken from me without my consent and displayed to those it deemed worthy… It's kind of like Simulation Room but far more extreme."
"It makes me not want to try it… but that hasn't worked in my favor so far."
'I've only succeed because I've been arrogantly denying these feelings… Well… at least the scary monsters in the dark haven't been able to stop me. So why should I fear them?'
He took a deep breath...
/Inhale... Exhale.../
"Alright. Complex… I'm looking for a particular set of Abilities. Their names are…" He smiled evilly as he licked his lips, "Lady Maria Combat Technique, Gehrman's Footwork, Ludwig's Combat Technique, Draly-Apyer Secret Sword Arts, Seven-Colored Wooden Boat, Falling Fist of the Beast…"
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Lady Maria Combat Technique - Champion]
[25000 Trial Shards]
[Gehrman's Footwork - Champion]
[20000 Trial Shards]
[Ludwig's Combat Technique - Champion]
[30000 Trial Shards]
[Draly-Apyer Secret Sword Arts - Heroic]
[120000 Trial Shards]
[Seven-Colored Wooden Boat - Heroic]
[20000 Trial Shards]
[Falling Fist of the Beast - Heroic]
[85000 Trial Shards]
[…]
A dozen extra skills all listed by Philip appeared in quick succession, and at the sight of it, Philip licked his lips in delight.
"It works… She was right, this store doesn't sell power… it sells time… But it makes me feel like shit! Isn't this too cheap? Are you saying it costs more to get the imperial swordsmanship of a thousand-year-old empire than it takes to strengthen my body a little?"
"Come on..."
"If it were in Eden, the System would've praised me and given me rewards for 'creating' these while this System just takes it all and shoves it down its own throat… it then has the gal to go and just ask you to pay it back for its use!"
"Like, fuck! It doesn't take much for me to perform those techniques again, why be so stingy and not just reward them to me, anyway…?"
'Anyhow… I don't really need my Hunter techniques again since their essence is contained within Armament… and whatever Self-Avatar is trying to be… But I won't deny it, I'm curious to see how this world would interpret their evolutions…'
'Not for the sake of power… just personal glorification… I should be entitled to a little of my curiosity every once in a while, shouldn't I?'
"If one can master the swordsmanship techniques of the Empires of mankind and elvenkind, wouldn't that alone turn me into one of the Continent's prominent powers?"
'I've only recently started to understand and manifest Aura. But where that is the dream of some, that is the start of others… However, that is the concern of interpretation. Just how much of the experiences I'd receive conform to the natural growth knights practicing these would experience?'
'It's not like I need to experience their path either since I'm following my own way of doing things as a Hero, but yeah...'
"I'm likely overthinking it a little, like always… Mastering techniques is often a matter of understanding their essence and molding them to fit what you desire most, pioneering them in one direction most suitable to oneself."
'There isn't anything wrong with following the written teachings of another faithfully, as even that can fit one of the most, but for me, based on what I've experienced so far, the best way to proceed is not to be delimitated by the norms but to understand and respect them… to take things on your path.'
'If there is one thing I dislike about this, it would be my pride. Is it really all right to just keep receiving things like this? What about my personal efforts and aspirations? I'm no child in need of being fed by hand… It makes me feel as if I'm diminishing not only myself but all who put their faith and time into me by just opening my mouth and eating things like this.'
'However… I have to accept it also… my powers are rooted in this very fact. I am a traveler being sent around to collect things and make them all work together somehow. I've been given far more than what I've made, and to that… is there anything wrong with it?'
"… at least so far… no."
'But I would like to believe that the future me would not rely as heavily on such external influence to achieve the growth he desires. It is my aspiration to be free, at least partially, from the System's influence one day after all.'
'I already recognized my inability to do so with my current power, so maybe I shouldn't be as taxing on myself now of all times… but I fear giving away like this so easily will only compromise my conviction moving forward.'
"Hum…"
/Cling!/
The drying machine beeped loudly, shattering his stream of thoughts as it came to a sudden halt. It vibrated a few times, sending ripples across his skin...
Amidst a small cloud of steam, Philip opened the lid to the warm and fuzzy smell of dry, clean clothing…
"Look at you, all clean now… I might as well just throw myself inside one of these then to waste an entire bar of soap on myself…"
'The technology of this world reminds me Earth but now that I think about it... it's like beyond it. Darius was just too poor to experience any of it.'
With a satisfied smile, he put his clothes on and marched outside. He reached the living room and looked outside through the window and found Falpurgiana sitting on a chair under a sunshade in the wide gardens below.
"Just how large is this place? She told me that the higher your grade, the better your accommodations are… What do people in the civilian grade get? A one-room downtown apartment in a low-income neighborhood?…"
Shaking his head, Philip opened the window and jumped through it to the garden…
/THUD!/
"ARRG! W-What?! Why is there an invisible barrier in the fucking window?!"
/Tap tap.../
He tapped the air but his hand passed right through. It was only when he tried to pass through it with his body that an invisible force pushed him back.
"Urg, my head…"
"Pffft…"
It was distant, but he could hear Falpurgiana laughing in the distance. And upon seeing this, his expression darkened as he grimaced.
'Dammit… I lost all my presence with that one.'
Massaging his head in frustration, he looked for the way out himself. Frowning throughout the whole process.
…
"… Hey big guy. Took you long enough. Did you get stuck in the door frame too? Haha..."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh dear, did bashing your head against the window turn your brain to mush?" She asked with a smirk as she took a sip from her cool drink
"… Can we move on?"
"Sure thing. Come sit beside me; the day is quite good."
Philip took a seat next her around a marble table. And once he noticed the empty food plates and drinks on the table, he looked at her and asked, "Where did you get all of this from?"
"The fridge? Where else?... I'm getting worried now…"
"Stop changing the subject. I would've noticed it if someone had gone there."
She smiled, "Would you?"
Suddenly, a new bag of chips appeared on the table, and she opened it with a smug gaze right on his face, taunting him with her eyebrows.
"See, child? You didn't even see me move, and you think you'd hear me? Maybe in another three hundred years of solitary training you'd get to an acceptable level, but for us to interact like this, it's like I'm talking to a child."
"… I understand, Your Highness. Do not lower yourself to my level and speak freely." Philip responded as he bowed deeply
"Now, now. Should I do that?… Well, if you insist…"
She picked a rather sharp and long chip from inside the bag and in the blink of an eye put it beneath his chin, using it to lift it up so his eyes would fall on hers.
"Now then, how about you tell me about that little secret of yours?"
"… Which one? Alright, I admit... I never had a girlfriend..."
Her lips trembled momentarily before she regained her calmness, "I already know that!... Humph, you're far smarter than that not to piece it all together. Must I get it out of you? I don't need force to make a man talk~…"
He raised an eyebrow "Woah there…" before he looked around and approached her, "Care to elaborate?"
She chuckled as she took the chip back and ate it.
"Maybe when you grow up a little… and change bodies. I'd rather see you in your original one than in this one… It brings back bad memories."
"I see… I knew it. My body's so hot even a goddess can't resist."
"Pfft! Dream on, child… a body is just a vessel. The only interesting thing about you is your Soul. If you want to talk about attraction, we should start there."
"My Soul? That's new… what's so special about it?"
"Now, now… Don't make a lady say it~"
"…"
"... #!!... If you even so dare to speak whatever you're thinking right now out loud, don't expect me to hold back anymore." She said with a threatening glare as she crushed another chip between her teeth
"Let's get back to topic… Speak." She said dismissively as she waved her dusty fingers before him
"… I suppose it doesn't matter anymore… but don't you already know?"
"There is some degree of interference. Even with our connection, I can't hear your thoughts very well at certain intervals, so it got me curious... and even if I knew, I'd rather hear it from you first."
"Oh?"
'So Greenhouse's cloaking effect clouds even the eyes of a Goddess linked to me?'
"Like now… I heard nothing of what you just thought… What a strange thing... I hope you haven't been thinking anything inappropriate behind my back, child." She added as she crushed another chip
"… Could I keep quiet, or is that against the rules?..."
"Will that do you any good? It's not like I won't figure it out once your work here is done, anyway… and it'll piss me off quite a bit…" She pointed another chip in his direction like a knife, "Do pay attention dear, my annoyance meter is rising."
"Fine, it's nothing spectacular… It's Darius unique power. You know, just like Help was."
"A unique power?… You mean to say he had an Innate Ability?"
"So you know what it is?"
"Of course I do. Individuals can awaken Abilities when they go through the blessing of the trials depending on how they lived their lives and their unique physiology, but some people are also born with extra talents."
"When something is considered distinctive enough, the Complex will award it its own denomination. It's rare to see varied definitions until someone reaches higher stages, but the Complex will eventually make such for the sake of understanding."
"I see… well… listen up then..."
Philip explained the underlying power of Greenhouse, causing Falpurgiana to go into deep thought as her expression grew melancholic.
He mentioned Darius' soul fragment as well, not deeming it important to keep hidden. It made him wonder what happened to him after he passed. Even though he's gone, shouldn't his soul have gone to her given he was a believer?
Even though she has no believers in Eden anymore, this shouldn't entirely be the case here... at least until a few weeks ago...
"… To think such a thing was within him all this time… maybe that explains why he was so passive and frail."
"His very existence is that of a delicate flower, one that never outgrew its greenhouse… Or maybe he was cursed by it, his Soul trapped within a cage of its own making. Unwilling to leave, it could only accumulate resentment, and with its very nature, the greenhouse did what it was meant to do, nurturing not a strong mind but those heavy emotions instead…"
"No matter how much I tried to help it, the greenhouse kept us apart, and eventually, the flower wilted, unable to bear the pressure of its circumstances."
"That does not decrease my share of responsibility… I'm still at fault for what happened to him. I just wish I had known about it earlier… maybe I would've been able to save him."
"Thank you for sharing. I'll keep it in mind moving forward."
"... Any ideas now on how I should proceed?" He asked as he took a sip of a drink on the table
She smirked, "Haven't you reached a conclusion already? You were almost singing in the shower with how much you talked to yourself…"
"Well, excuse me! I like to voice my thoughts out loud and think about things clearly when I'm contemplating!"
'That's mostly a habit due to Mind Castle Town. My mental power is so great I often talk with myself… I feel as if my brain is purposely dividing my head to withstand its very existence.'
'There's also the Mental Knight. It often sits inside my head, but it can communicate with me if necessary, so I often just talk with it… even if it can't say anything from what I already know... Which is no different from just talking to myself. And I know that since I can feel it.'
'At this point I'm just borderline schizophrenic…'
"Right… to each their own… But if you want advice, then I have some for you. Get something like this and add it to your arsenal." She said as she threw a System window in his direction
[Channeling - Champion]
[12000 Trial Shards]
"This is?…"
"It's a type of Ability that permits a link to be formed. Now that you've explained it all to me, I slightly understand your past frustrations, so this is meant to solve them."
"If you create a strong enough link between two Abilities, then even your Innate Ability shouldn't be able to sever it. Or even if it does, the link should still perform within the rules as it possesses a rather straightforward purpose."
"This Ability's goal is to transfer power between sources. So if you use it to supplement the link between Nurture and other Abilities, then even if they are stored within Greenhouse, the rewards from the trials should be transferred if the conditions are right."
"... Although I'm uncertain how the Complex will react to this behaviour."
"For your information. I have never seen such an Innate Ability. This is truly the first of its kind… not to say it's anything special. I've seen powers able to cloud the view of Gods and the Complex alike before, but in other shapes… but it's still extremely valuable."
"The issue comes from the fact the Complex seems unusually hellbent on enforcing the Ability's features even at the cost of its own functionality… It doesn't seem unable to work with it from what you described, so I don't understand its fixation with it… Maybe its just trying to maintain its original goals? Odd regardless."
"You talk as if there were occasions where the Complex failed to work with an Ability it provided another."
She put the now empty bag of chips aside, cleaning her fingers with a towel, "Maybe there is a mild misunderstanding here. Child, the Complex grants and administers much of what you've seen, but that's not all it does. More than that, the Complex displays reality. Your Innate Ability was something born within the body, otherwise it wouldn't have classified it as such."
"Mutant and abnormal powers pop up every once in a while. And with the explosive growth in the population in the last two hundred years or so, 95% of all such cases have happened within that timeframe before all of recorded history… though you could raise the argument that people weren't so kind or able to record such facts in the past… but there are many who kept silent like Darius did, so I suppose the percentage between both is what matters."
"As for your question, yes, there were cases in the past where the Complex broke down. It's not a perfect system, but it was fixed and improved over the two thousand years since its inception, like any program… although that doesn't seem to diminish the number of cases where defects arise."
"Sigh… Humans and their excellent breeding power. Can you imagine that around 15% of all humans who have ever lived are alive today? I think it was several dozen billion now... And this number is only expected to rise over time… Maybe in another thousand years it'll be as high as 50%…"
Philip frowned but then smiled, "Thanks? My ancestors worked very hard to make me. I thank them all every once in a while."
"That wasn't praise! Can't your kind just cool it down?"
Philip nodded with interest, saying in a somewhat wise tone, "That's what they all say… Did you know that the percentage of slaves owned by other species in Eden is predominantly Human? I wonder why… they all complain until they have a taste of mankind…"
"…"
"Looks like you never had a taste of it either. Such a shame… very well, I shall help you understand…" He said with 'the look' as he reached for his shirt
She burst out with a single chuckle, "Hah! Don't overestimate yourself, child. You're still a thousand years too young and unblessed to receive such privileges. Know that few before you ever had the privilege of even seeing my bare feet, much less my body."
"That I can tell."
"…"
"…"
/Silence…/
/CRACK!/
"Did you say something just now, mortal?" She asked as her right index finger punctured through the marble table between them
"I said I was going to buy the Ability. My ever-so lovely and stunning goddess. May I have your permission to proceed?"
"I see. For a moment there, I misheard you say something rather unpleasant and was about to lose it. Thankfully, it was a misunderstanding." She said with a warm smile as she grasped the bag of chips, crushing it, "If that happens again, there will be no more kindness."
"Understood."
'Looks like I'll have to work on those affection points… Gamerverse, if only you had sent me to a dating sim instead of those cursed places…'
"Weren't you going to buy the Ability? Or do you need another push against the window?"
"I… was just considering my options. You mentioned this as a possibility, but isn't there something with more long-lasting uses than it just being a power cord?"
'Can I just shield my thoughts with Greenhouse? This might be dangerous at this rate… "Greenhouse"…'
"Humph… Well… Give me a minute to think."
The Goddess' eyes changed as she locked onto the System window. Immediately after, a flurry of text flew by her, so fast it turned into a dark wall before her.
Philip tried to discern the letters but couldn't, it was far too fast for him to even notice a slight alteration in her movements… He knew she was powerful, that was why he played along with her, but being reminded of it like this was something else entirely.
She was faster than a computer going through its archives, maybe dozens to hundreds of times even... Or rather, was there even a point in attaching conventional means of measurement to her? Wasn't that what being a God was all about?
"Okay, I found some decent options. All of them are centered on the original idea but have decent applications and routes of development."
"Wait, you said routes? Can Abilities develop in unexpected ways?"
"Yes? You didn't know that?… I apologize; it's such basic knowledge I did not consider it worthy of sharing. But yes, Abilities will develop based on the user's preconditioned view, understanding, antics, and experiences. The Complex just goes with the flow. That's why an Ability in someone's hands will stay stuck while someone else will take it to new, uncharted heights."
"Even if two people have similar abilities and develop them differently, they may reach utterly incomparable paths… That's the essence of Hero before others. They push things beyond the comfort of others, reaching places they are unable to envision."
"Hum… Maybe that was why Armament evolved in such a strange manner then."
'Darius did not have such memories… or if he had, they weren't transferred to me or I blocked them out. At least now I understand things a bit better. Some patterns are now visible…'
'Maybe even if I take my abilities and transfer them here, their path may end up being congruent with how it would've been if I were to train in them myself... I can't prove it until I go back though.'
"So, what are the options?"
"Take a look."
[Soul Link - Heroic]
[144000 Trial Shards]
[Mahenta's Formula of Energy Fluidity - Legendary]
[137 Trial Crystals]
[Forced Ability Simbiosys - Legendary]
[8888 Trial Crystals]
"There are a few other options, but they're not as good as those three in my opinion… This considering everything you'll be doing from here on out."
"What do they do? Their descriptions are quite strange…"
'And long too... I'm starting to grow tired of them. They say so much, but it's all so empty...'
"The first one is the most direct of them all. It connects things together with the strongest link of them all… the one that binds your Soul to your body... Though some may say there are stronger links... and I agree."
"No matter. It isn't ripping your body apart... It is merely creating similar connections between items and yourself through a similar method. Although to power it, your soul will be used, which isn't as bad as you think."
"As you grow stronger, so will the connection. And it has quite some potential outside of that alone and enough future to be enhanced as well… It's quite the common power, often reappearing in different forms throughout time and other cultures."
"Humans can be quite creative in viewing the world. Reaching wildly different answers for the same problems over and over again."
"Then there's the Formula of Energy Fluidity… You may find it quite useful just by itself, but it's quite complex for a mortal's standards. It's been lost for quite some time, so you'd be the first one to rediscover it after graduating from the trials."
"Its uses are numerous, but through it you can easily guide the blessings of the Complex into their respective destinations. You won't be able to manipulate it, so don't get greedy."
"I consider it the most in-depth study of its subject ever achieved by mortals. Although some others reached far greater and grander levels of understanding and manipulation over energy… a shame none ever sat down and put their findings on paper in a somewhat scientifically manner like Mahenta."
"Why was it lost if it was so incredible?"
"Mahenta's tower was raided in the ancient past before the creation of the Trials. Some of the tower's creations, theories, and philosophies often pop up every once in a while. Even so, only a few aspects of it all were passed down to modern times and broken down and applied in modern studies."
"The same goes for everything, even history… That's the state of such a turbulent world. That's why I quite like the modern times. Most of everything made in this era is preserved and passed down. No more ancient ruins left to be discovered or ancient vaults left behind by long-lost kingdoms…"
"Of course, there are some like that out there, but there aren't any more being made if you understood my meaning."
She put her hand on her chin, going into deep thoughts as her eyes darted to the skies, "There are few abandoned research institutes scattered around with some interesting things left to be rediscovered… So I can't say everything's perfect." Her gaze grew sharp and dangerous, "It never will be… it is fated to be…"
"That said, the current state of things does not please all… Some will for the return of the ancient times… otherwise the trials wouldn't be a thing… I don't blame them, I often enjoyed the conflicts during the early stages of the trials… But we can't have them all."
"Humankind is interesting because they're so chaotic and fickle..."
"Not because of…"
She suddenly looked at Philip as his expression cringed. Her eyes sharpened, but she looked away soon after.
"... Just when things look like they're calming down... "bang!"... your kind finds a way to make a tiny thing explode... And when one does, then another makes the same tiny thing explode even better. The cycle repeats until one side destroys the other or someone makes another tiny thing explode even better."
"A process that has repeated far too many times... and now that so many people can share their ideas without being put to the block. You now have thousands of people with such ideas everywhere."
"... Then there's Forced Ability Simbiosys. As its name implies, it's about forcing two Abilities to fuse into a new form that depends on both to exist. It is a temporary state and often extremely unstable and dangerous, but it can be put to work if used wisely."
"It also has a somewhat similar downside to the first Ability. While Soul Link is dependent on your soul to maintain itself, Forced Ability Simbiosys can usually only be activated once between a set number of Abilities, and for you who's trying to raise multiple skills like flowers in a garden, it can be too strong and limited of a connection to be considered worth it."
"The resulting combination would also likely be unsatisfying… So this Ability should be seen not for its value in transferring energy through Greenhouse's barrier but for the future potential it can display."
"Anyhow… It's also the fundamental skill of a valiant warrior from long-lost times, so it has that historical factor going on for it… I've said about everything there is to share."
"Have any of the three caught your eye?"
Philip smacked his lips as he thought deeply, "Hm... I kind of like all three. The simplicity of the first one speaks to me quite a bit, and I can already see some potential outside of that… I can't say I see the same thing in the second option, but its use carries more weight for me."
"Lastly, the Forced Ability Simbiosys looks like something I'd use. I can't seem to overlook it despite its downsides… But it doesn't sound utterly appealing either… It's also expensive. I'll be left with almost no Trial Crystals after this."
"You said it yourself that it didn't matter since you'd succeed in the next trial regardless." She said as she took a bite of the cake on the table
"Yes, but I'd rather not waste the opportunity from the System. I'd like to move with a few worthwhile skills rather than none."
'Also, where did that cake come from?… Greenhouse…'
"It's up to you. I have a feeling you have other plans in mind and isn't going to follow my advice… so I'll enjoy the food while you think."
"Hum… Before I make such decisions, let's get a few other things checked up. First, I'd like to know what a ticket?"
She took a bite of her cake and cleaned her lips, "It's kind of an opportunity. You take them here after you've gathered enough tickets and use them."
"They aren't that useful given your circumstances, but that may change if you get a particularly high-quality one."
"Tickets are usually how deities and mortals meet for the first time. They become more common at higher stages, but since you went quite far and unlocked more of the Complex early, they appeared ahead of time for you."
"I don't have much to offer through a special trial that I can't already offer you directly… unless you want to have some tea in my domain... So why bother?"
"But if you get a good enough ticket, the Complex itself may be willing to offer you an extra trial… and the rewards will usually be beyond the worth of the ticket, they may just not be as flexible as the options you're given throughout the trials."
"You should ignore anything below a Golden Ticket. If the reward does not directly specify it as such, forget it. Gambling with the Complex often leads to disappointment."
"But if you see something like a 'Titled' or a Gemstone ticket being offered with certainty, then I'd recommend you get it. Those can lead to some interesting ventures… although that'd mean you'd spent some extra time in the trials."
"I see. I was wondering what those could be… On that note, will there be extra rewards coming my way?"
"Yes, multiple even… But until they come, you're better off ignoring them. They won't be worth it, just like how the first rewards of Tickets weren't anything impressive even at the highest grades of difficulty."
"Fine… Another question. What do I use a Trial Gem for?"
"Gems are the highest denominator for most things in the Trials. It's usually worth the trouble going after something if the reward has that attached to it... mind Abilities and Items since names are arbitrary… and anything along those lines. Don't let yourself be fooled."
"Trials Gems are thus the highest currency of the trials used to gain the highest quality items and Abilities of them all. It's also how you buy Mythical items."
"Mythical? I thought Legendary was the highest."
"There is a denomination beyond that, but it exists outside the curriculum of the trials. You cannot reach it on your own. For that, you need a sponsor to pave the way for you."
"Why?"
"To make sure the world doesn't end."
"What?"
"Mythical Abilities are comparable to the powers of the deities. Legendary Abilities can already be likened to us, so what about Mythical ones? Most surpass us. They're the abilities of the most exceptional mortals ever to walk this world and all dimensions linked to it and beyond. Those mortals went down in time as beings that shook the very core of their worlds and to this day have been immortalized in the highest halls of the Complex, their powers so well-kept none can tap into it, not even the Complex' administrators."
"There are even tales that the original beings that conceptualized the Complex were such entities... although I can't say much on that."
"If mortals could as much as easily achieve those stages of being, the causality of this world would go down the drain… That is why most deities often just go with bestowing their closest and chosen followers with Divine Abilities which mirror those Mythical powers to some degree."
"This allows them to have their power partially descend on the mortal world and influence it directly. It's rather common."
"You can't find a use for the gem because there isn't anything in the Achievement Stall you can use it on… Unless you seek a particularly powerful Legendary Artifact or Ability, you won't even find a mention of such currency. And that's deliberate."
"… So you're saying it's useless in its current form?"
"Pretty much. We can seek out something worth its price… what are you doing?!"
"I have an idea." Philip said with a smile as he cleared his throat
"Calm down. Even a single Trial Gem can be worth tens of thousands of crystals, if not more. Use it wisely…" She said as she saw him open the Complex
"Don't worry, I have the perfect idea… Complex! Inform me of the cost to elevate Self-Avatar to Limit!"
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Self-Avatar 2 -> Limit]
[200 Trial Crystals]
"That's a pretty good price."
"… You're not doing this correctly. You should ask for a set amount of levels instead and let your abilities enhance it instead. The Complex won't count with those even if you ask it to."
"Oh, don't worry, that was just for reference. I have another idea."
"Complex! Inform me of the cost to elevate Nurture to the next stage!"
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Nurture Limit -> Foster Growth 0]
[25 Trial Crystals]
"Interesting… Then how much would it take to raise Foster Growth to Limit?"
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Not enough to process request]
"Hm?"
"It's because you don't have that Ability yet. The Complex can't process it yet."
"Hum… Very well…"
"Raise Nurture to Foster Growth."
[Nurture Limit -> Foster Growth 0]
Immediately after, he felt his head jerk backward as he momentarily lost consciousness.
It took him a moment, but he recovered from the wave of memories. Lifting and shaking his head amidst a surge of neck pain.
"Phew… Now tell me how much it would take to raise Foster Growth to Limit?"
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Foster Growth 0 -> Foster Growth Limit]
[150 Trial Crystals]
"Not bad. Do it without delay."
[Foster Growth 0 -> Foster Growth Limit]
"?!"
Once again, he lost control of his head, almost having it hit the marble table. But at that moment, Falpurgiana held his head in place with her left pinky, flicking it back in place as she drank a red smoothie.
As his head jolted back, Philip's eyes refocused on reality as his muscles stiffened.
"Huff… Urg… What an unpleasant feeling…"
"There's always a cost for power… decent power... You should be happy with the quality of this system, getting decades of training in mere moments is something many would die or sacrifice others for."
"Yeah, I know… Doesn't change how unpleasant it feels."
"Now then… Complex! Inform me of the cost to elevate Foster Growth to the next stage!"
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Provided Ability -Foster Growth- cannot undergo metamorphosis with the current Grade of the Challenger's Imprint]
"What does this mean?"
"It means you're trying to get an Ability that goes beyond the acceptable range of your grade, what else? This is as much the Complex will raise your ability unless you somehow get the chance to reach the Mythical realm or develop them naturally."
"Quite the issue… Tell me, if I were to aim for that in the next stage…"
She pondered for a moment, visibly upset, "… I can't say for certain. It has been centuries if not longer since I last saw or heard of anyone attempt it, much less succeed… But I'm behind the times somewhat. I've spent much of the last few centuries in hibernation to preserve power as I searched for qualified individuals."
"But I won't deny it; your ability far surpasses what the second stage holds. Maybe it isn't beyond your ability… Just a word of advice, since that is not a defined stage, whenever you start the next one, you'll have to reach it again if you want to maintain the Achievement Stall fully unlocked."
"Noted… Then it's time to aim for the other side… I'll buy Forced Ability Simbiosys. If I can I will get the others. But that for the future me to worry about."
'And future me is reaching an even higher stage!'
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[...]
"?!"
Once again, Philip's mind was assaulted as foreign knowledge collapsed into the four corners of his mind, shaking his consciousness to its very core!
It took several minutes of grueling pain for him to finally settle down. The pain of acquiring a new power… was quite severe.
"Huff… Huff… I finally understand how to do it… What an insane perspective."
"I can imagine it is. You likely also received the proper tutelage to understand the basic principles that govern it, correct?" She asked as she took a bite of a muffin
"Yes, to some degree… It wouldn't have taken so long otherwise… how long did I stay like that again?"
"A few minutes."
"Yeah, that's quite bad..."
[Registered Abilities:
Foster Growth Limit
Self-Avatar 2
Limitless Limit
Flesh of the Elder Bisclavret 3
Forced Ability Simbiosys 0
]
[…
Innate - Greenhouse 1
]
"Time to see if my idea isn't devoid of reason…"
He focused inward as he had done before, searching for the source of his powers. Following the memories he received, he condensed and channeled this foreign energy, feeling for the tendrils within him, and moved them to the edge of his body.
/Crunch…/
His right hand's skin transformed as small fleshy tendrils rose from deep within his body. It was a gruesome sight, but it invoked nothing in both him… and his goddess.
"… I finally figured out what you want to do… I'm curious as well; let's see together what will happen." She said with a nod of approval as opened a can of soda and tasted it, spitting it out soon after
Philip smiled. With this power active, he reached for his heart where Greenhouse's source was located... not within his flesh but deep inside…
With his hand almost fusing with his chest, he slowly wormed his way onto the core of his being, his soul, where all of his Abilities were located... including this one.
It was a strange sensation, to interact with them all so directly. It seemed to be a property of this world... but he didn't stay long, not wanting to risk damage or anything like it.
He reached out for one source of energy… Foster Growth… and then Greenhouse.
"That's it… I'll fuse both together!"
Under the authority of the strange power, both sources of energy combined. Being enveloped by an invisible force binding both together like marbles in a sac of vines.
/SHINE!/
Bright light flash-banged both of them, causing them to flinch as they covered their faces from the light.
[Due to extraordinary conditions, the provided Abilities -Foster Growth- and -Greenhouse- will undergo combination]
"It's happening."
"Don't lose focus; this process is determined by your Ability and it can fail at any moment."
"Of course."
[Foster Growth Limit / Greenhouse 1 -> Blessing of Sustained Growth 1]
The energy settled inside his body rather easily. The fusion had been completed, and it was stable!
"Huff… That took quite a mental toll on me."
She clapped her hands a few times before putting them on her tights, "Congratulations on your success. I'll be honest, I didn't believe you'd succeed this time. But you proved me wrong, and that's worth quite a bit."
"Thank you. I hope to continue surprising you. I'm a man of many talents you see."
She rolled her eyes as she took a bagel from her plate, taking a bite out of it.
"…"
'Just how much will you eat? Also, aren't most of these foods from Earth? Did they have such things here in this world, or is she asking for things based on my memories?'
Philip focused, that didn't matter at all. Instead, he read the description of his newest Ability...
"Let's see… It seems that both aspects of the skills perfectly fused. I now don't need to worry about raising them independently since they work in perfect unison."
'The number of slots remains at ten, and all the effects from both Abilities are now contained within one albeit slightly modified. This means that I can just leave everything contained within it and the experience will flow inside without issue.'
'Since the effects of both Abilities are here, I can prevent others from peeking inside the barrier while making sure what I want passes through… The only way to bypass it would be to make use of the Complex, but it doesn't matter even if someone did it.'
'I don't know if it'll be able to perfectly isolate others from interacting with it... But I don't Falpurgiana would let others invade this space once the trials start given what she wants from me… But I'll have to settle this with her before starting.'
"Just remember a factor. Your Abilities haven't truly fused yet. They're merely overlapping under your Ability's pressure. They're now dependent on one another to exist but aren't one and the same."
"You'll likely cannot develop it anymore than this, but its level should still reflect on the Abilities it is composed of. So maybe when the time comes, you can separate them again and evolve their components individually."
"At the same time, once Forced Ability Simbiosys reaches a certain threshold, perfect fusion should be possible. But until then…"
"Right. Until then, it's only useful to keep these two together, but that's enough for me. Because now I can start putting some effort into things."
"Complex! Inform me of the cost to elevate Limitless to the next stage!"
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Limitless Limit -> Ascension 0]
[300 Trial Crystals]
"Quite expensive… Well then, if you'll excuse me…"
"Feel free to hit your head on the table." She added as she ate a small pudding with a silver spoon
"…"
[Limitless Limit -> Ascension 0]
/THUD!/
…
"… huff… now… To raise Ascension to Limit…"
"I don't understand. Why are you investing so many points into all of this?"
"Well, because I want to…"
"No, not that. I already know what you're planning. I'm just asking you why you're doing something so inefficient? Wasn't everything I told you before enough?"
"It's not about efficiency. The reason I asked for shards as my last rewards was exactly to do something like this… So I think it's fine. And in any case, I only wanted to ask so I could understand its value…"
[Registered Abilities:
Self-Avatar 2
Ascension 0
Flesh of the Elder Bisclavret 3
Forced Ability Simbiosys 0
]
[…
Innate - Blessing of Sustained Growth 1
]
"Everything's almost there… Now I only need to fill the slots of my innate and move on with my plan… What do you think?" He asked as he saw her finish her putting in one bite
"..."
"Hm?… Are you asking me about your idea of using your Innate's properties to level up all of your abilities at once for free?"
"... Yes."
"It's a decent plan. I don't find much fault with it… but I suppose you need some help?"
"Any recommendations?"
"…"
/BURP!/
The goddess patted her stomach and burped faintly as she pulled the system's window without much care. And like before, the window turned black as she went through it all with such speed it left him faint from just seeing it.
After a few extra minutes of discussion, they settled down on a new status based on everything he had looked after so far:
[Registered Abilities:
Self-Avatar 2
Ascension 0
Flesh of the Elder Bisclavret 3
Forced Ability Simbiosys 0
Mantis Critical Pressure-Point 0
Draly-Apyer Secret Sword Arts 0
Seven-Colored Wooden Boat 0
Falling Fist of the Beast 0
Senses of the Cleaver Beast 0
Masteries of the Undefeated 0
Dreams of the Great Tree 0
]
[…
Innate - Blessing of Sustained Growth 1
]
"... We're ready now… And I already have a headache."
"How many points to have now?" She asked as she licked a popsicle
"… Not many, I'm afraid. I used pretty much everything I had… I think I have around thirty-seven thousand shards left? That was about the value I thought I'd have after spending it all."
'Just getting some of my original techniques into this body together with the Mantis technique and everything I got so far cost me around 1.4 million shards. And the rest covered it all.'
'I don't really need my original techniques, but I can't leave this world without at least trying them out once… If it works, then it'll do wonders once I get back home. This might even be worth extra Titles… speaking of that…'
'I should try it with my magic as well. It'll save a lot of time and fix some of this weakness of mine. Even if only a single circle of understanding would mean the world and make me one step closer to reaching the Title requirements…'
'In any case, I tried to go with my original idea of covering some gaps before moving on, those being swordsmanship so I can learn things better and maybe pull some ideas from this world back into mine and close quarters combat for the same reason as before, since it wouldn't cost much to have a dedicated combat ability of this world to assist me getting used to things faster.'
'Those would respectively be, Senses of the Cleaver Beast, an ancient monster that ravaged a continent, and Masteries of the Undefeated, a warrior of the ancient times who was known for never losing all of his ten thousand duels.'
'Interestingly enough, both stories are connected and have some affinity for each other, which was the reason the goddess recommended them to me…'
'... I tried to make my own choices here, but after spending almost half an hour looking through the catalogue and not even moving the sidebar, I gave up.'
Philip could, of course, just ask the Complex for ideas. But even when he did so as he searched for other skills in unrelated departments, the Goddess would often just recommend him one option… So he just began asking her directly for ideas to get a little closer to her.
In the end, this body wasn't even his. What was the point of trying to keep secrets from her? If he had one concern, it'd be if she would honor their deal once her power grew substantially... She made an oath to him, and that should be enough as words carry power, but still...
[Senses of the Cleaver Beast - Heroic]
[190000]
[Masteries of the Undefeated - Heroic]
[210000]
'I wanted something that could amplify my abilities, but I scrapped that idea after talking with the goddess.'
'My body won't be able to sustain it all, and at best, due to how incompatible most of my abilities are with this world's forms, it might not even work properly. It may be worth bringing some sort of amplification art back with me though. Leave it all to Eden's System to figure things out.'
'As for sustainability, since I can't have my body break on me over time or for me to go out of gas in the middle of the trials, I thought about filling in with some regenerative and endurance-oriented ability… but I didn't do it.'
'Flesh of the Elder Bisclavret, according to her, will eventually grant me significant regenerative powers, so I shoudn't need to pursue anything to grant my body that factor or even stamina.'
'The only reason she isn't revolted by this power is because it isn't originally part of the Lord of the Glacial Mountains' authority but was incorporated into it over time as the original technique that made such a body was lost to the history of the Bisclavrets.'
'So I kept it around me, I'm interested to see what its next and consequential forms will be.'
'To complement that fact, I choose a meditation technique so I can recover faster between some trials. Meditation also helps me sort my head and think better in the absence of my beloved Mind Castle Town. It's definitely still around but not nearly as potent as before. This is a weakness I'll have to figure out how to solve, eventually.'
'Until then, the last technique will have to do. Dreams of the great tree is another technique that came from inhuman origin… I hope this doesn't affect me negatively over time.'
[Dreams of the Great Tree - Heroic]
[150000]
"Should we begin the next phase?"
She put her popsicle, now just the wooden handle, aside, "Sigh… You're unbelievably stubborn sometimes."
"If I weren't like that, I wouldn't be here!"
He licked his lips.
"Let's move on. I still have… 1177 Trial Crystals. This should be enough."
Philip cracked his neck and got himself ready.
"First… I'd like to pray to God I live another day…"
But Falpurgiana didn't even react.
"… Can't you say some encouraging words, at least?"
With an eyebrow raised, she lifted her spoon and shoved it in his mouth, "Here, have some vanilla ice-cream. Happy?"
"… A little… yeah."
'This type of Goddess isn't so bad…'
She smirked as she lay on her chair.
"Complex! Inform me of the cost to elevate Blessing of Sustained Growth to Limit!"
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Blessing of Sustained Growth -> Limit]
[1200 Trial Crystals]
"… Oh shit. I don't have enough."
"It's not much though… I need 23 Trial Crystals… Hey..."
"… Don't look at me like that. Your puppy eyes won't change a thing."
"Please?"
"Do you even know the value of even one Trial Crystal? It's about as much as a hundred thousand Trial Shards and you spent them all like candy."
"Is it not possible?"
"… There's no point in arguing since you'll do well anyway… but it'll cost you. That's not up to me to decide."
She raised her hand and pointed at him, raising his number of Trial Crystals to exactly 1200.
"In the next stage I'll take back what I gave you, and the Complex will take its cut too."
"Fair to me… See you around after I wake up…"
"... Nice dreams. Stubborn human." She said with a small smile as she waited for him to confirm his choice
[Blessing of Sustained Growth -> Limit]
As the strange powers entered his body, a cascade of events soon followed… He felt an intricate power worm its way inside him and from a single point, it spread throughout his whole being...
[Self-Avatar 2 -> Limit]
[Provided Ability -Self-Avatar- cannot undergo metamorphosis with the current Grade of the Challenger's Imprint]
[Ascension 0 -> Limit]
[Provided Ability -Ascension- cannot undergo metamorphosis with the current Grade of the Challenger's Imprint]
[Flesh of the Elder Bisclavret 3 -> Limit]
[Flesh of the Elder Bisclavret Limit -> Flesh of the Heroic Spirit 0]
[Flesh of the Heroic Spirit 0 -> 1]
[Forced Ability Simbiosys 0 -> Limit]
[Provided Ability -Forced Ability Simbiosys- cannot undergo metamorphosis with the current Grade of the Challenger's Imprint]
[Mantis Critical Pressure-Point 0 -> Limit]
[Mantis Critical Pressure-Point Limit -> Mantis Annihilation Point 0]
[Mantis Annihilation Point 0 -> 2]
[Draly-Apyer Secret Sword Arts 0 -> Limit]
[Draly-Apyer Secret Sword Arts Limit -> Draly-Apyer Royal Charge 0]
[Draly-Apyer Royal Charge 0 -> 6]
[Seven-Colored Wooden Boat 0 -> Limit]
[Seven-Colored Wooden Boat Limit -> Nine Shapes of the Eternal Kingdom 0]
[Nine Shapes of the Eternal Kingdom 0 -> 2]
[Falling Fist of the Beast 0 -> Limit]
[Falling Fist of the Beast Limit -> Rising Fist of the Beast Lord 0]
[Rising Fist of the Beast Lord 0 -> 4]
[Senses of the Cleaver Beast 0 -> Limit]
[Senses of the Cleaver Beast Limit -> Insight of the Awakened One 0]
[Insight of the Awakened One 0 -> 2]
[Masteries of the Undefeated 0 -> Limit]
[Masteries of the Undefeated Limit -> Enlightenment of the Victorius 0]
[Enlightenment of the Victorius 0 -> 1]
"… Do you think this will kill me?" He asked as a bead of sweat fell from his forehead
"No… but it'll hurt a lot." She said as she took another bite of her ice cream
"Heh... right..." Philip smiled faintly, closing his eyes before they turned white and his body began convulsing
Falpurgiana moved from her seat, gently holding onto him before moving him inside the manor...
From here on out, it was a battle of resilience.
…
/Swoosh!/
"Huff… Huff… Hm?"
In an open-air training pavilion, a hundred children swung their blades up and down under the strict gaze of their master.
He walked around the place giving advice to each child, helping them fix and adjust their posture as he kept repeating rules and passages from a manuscript he felt far too familiar with.
Philip, like many children around him, held a blade in his hand. But contrary to the others, he wasn't moving.
'I… What was I doing again?… I was... I was... sweet?'
"You! Why did you stop?"
"Wha…"
Still confused, Philip turned his head to face the trainee, but he couldn't quite make his face. No matter how much he looked, he couldn't remember his facial details at all.
"Your arms look fine, so it can't be that, but your eyes are a little off. Weird…"
The instructor looked at him with an inquisitive gaze, trying to figure out if there was some physical reason behind his actions, but there was none.
He pushed against his shoulders, pinched his arms, opened his eyelids... But he stopped with a frown, his arms crossed.
"If you're not hurt, then continue! If you want some rest, then finish your repetitions! MOVE!"
/Swoosh!/
Philip swung his blade again, his confused thoughts settling down.
…
A lifetime of memories coursed through his eyes. From childhood to adulthood, he trained and trained until he fell in a war. A story far too common and would be repeated time and time again.
He trained until his muscles ached, and his skin blistered. And his final reward was an icy death on the unforgiving battlefield. With nothing to his name, no inheritance to be passed down, only the unwillingness to accept his fate…
What was his greatest achievement? A title none would remember?... Recognition by those he called noble?... One of the thousands that died for their prestige.
So much for a lifetime of servitude...
Then he woke up again, but this time, he found himself at the highest point of a tree, gazing upward towards an unbearably large tree that covered the skies above.
In his childlike wonder, he was pulled down from above by his long ears and forced onto the ground to resume his training, which he did like before, finding it all too strangely familiar…
In the end, he lived another quiet and unsurprising life, reaching a place just slightly above those around him. A knight revered, but one whose name none would remember generations prior.
What purpose was there in such a life?... Was he being too harsh on himself? Was it not enough to live true to oneself, even if at the cost of what others would call mediocrity?
These lives would repeat multiple times simultaneously, coalescing at once before a critical point… His awakening.
"!"
/Gasp!/
Philip opened his eyes amidst trepidation. His body unresponsive, but his mind in disarray.
As his rapid gasps soothed and his brain processed what was occurring, he found himself in momentary peace as he felt a foreign warmth spread from his chest.
When he looked at the side, still in a daze and not even remembering his own name. Images of lives he may have lived passing through his vision, morphing into his visible reality, he saw a girl he did not recognize holding onto him.
When she saw his face and open eyes, she smiled, but as she did so, she reached out to him and closed his eyes, sending him into unconscious sleep as his body coped with the changes.
Only much later would he awaken alone in bed, not remembering or understanding much of what had recently transpired. With wary eyes, he crawled out of the mattress and collapsed on the ground, sweating profusely.
"Huff… Huff…"
At least one thing was certain. He was alive… then he collapsed again. Not long after, a voice echoed from above the mattress:
"Sigh… Can't you just stay put?… This is the third time I've had to drag you back to bed… You're stubborn even in this state..."
…
/Later…/
"… Urg… Seven… Eight… Nine… urg… T-Ten… huff… I can finally count cohesively."
'How long have I been in bed? Never in my life have I been so delirious… I felt like I was transitioning between different people every minute just moments before.'
'These memories… are overwhelming.'
"It's hard to say how well things have become… I need to sit down and breathe a little."
Philip looked around the room, trying to remember how he got here.
'I don't even remember when I lost consciousness, much less how I got here… did that girl put me here? I'll have to thank her later.'
He looked around some more and closed his eyes, resting for a few extra minutes before opening his status page:
[Registered Abilities:
Self-Avatar Limit
Ascension Limit
Flesh of the Heroic Spirit 1
Forced Ability Simbiosys Limit
Mantis Annihilation Point 2
Draly-Apyer Royal Charge 6
Nine Shapes of the Eternal Kingdom 2
Rising Fist of the Beast Lord 4
Insight of the Awakened One 2
Enlightenment of the Victorius 1
Dreams of the Great Tree 0
]
[…
Innate - Blessing of Sustained Growth Limit
]
"Would this be enough for me to reach the end of the trials?… I'd rather not go through that again…"
'My head is still shaking and ringing… It'll probably take hours if not longer for me to get all of this processed… Maybe I should've invested some points in enhancing my brainpower, even if just a little.'
"Hum… what do I do now?…"
"I recommend you try to hold on to your thoughts and sort them while you still have the time."
"Hum? How long have you been there?" He asked as he turned to the side
"From the very beginning, you were just too focused on yourself to notice me." Falpurgiana said as she rested her head on her hands
She had been beside him in bed all this time.
"My head hurts…"
"I told you this was going to happen."
"It still hurts."
"And what do you want me to do? Give you a kiss on the forehead and tell you everything will be okay? Do you need a band-aid too?"
"… That would be quite nice, actually."
"Ha... Maybe if you become my apostle I might consider it… Here, have this cup of water. Better than not doing anything." She said as she took a cup of water from a small counter on the side
"Thank you…" He said before he drank the whole cup's contents, "Phew… how long have I been out?"
"About twenty hours. Maybe a bit more?"
"That's… how much time do we have?"
"Over two hours."
"Sigh… Can I buy more time?"
"Not with what you have. You already spent it all."
"This is so... urg... unfair…! Hupp!"
Philip pushed himself out of bed, using the walls to walk outside. Falpurgiana went after him, looking at him with some curiosity as she traced his steps. Her arms behind her back.
"What's the plan?"
Taking some time to catch his breath as he rested on the way, Philip replied, "I'll try to sort as much of my thoughts as I can before the next trial starts. Otherwise, they'll only get in the way."
As he he said that, he was momentarily startled as he saw his appearance in a hung mirror. His eyes had turned ember akin to those of a wolf, while his hair was beginning to turn white.
"Oh no... I'm too old for this phase again!"
"That's because of that ability of yours, it's modifying your body slightly."
"But does it have to be like this? I'm not thirteen anymore... I don't find this cool anymore..."
'How do kids say it?... This isn't tuff!... or something...'
Falpurgiana rolled her eyes, "Hum… I can give you some assistance…"
"Thank you…"
"For a price."
"…"
"That glove of yours… Sell it."
"What?… ?!"
Philip was momentarily startled, and he lost his footing, rolling down the stairs until he hit his head on the ground on the first floor.
"Urg… ouch?"
"You okay?" Falpurgiana asked as she bent her back to look at him from above
"Wha…? I can't hear you…"
"Hm? Don't tell me hitting your head a few times after everything you went through is doing any damage. It's not like the chairs are any harder than you are…"
She approached him and crouched before him, but when she did so, he smiled. Only then did everything click for her.
"You…"
Philip laughed, "Haha… Philip 1 - Goddess 0…?!?!"
He suddenly felt an invisible force tug at him with such strength the whole world turned into a series of lines. When things slowed down, he saw himself flying across the gardens like a thrown frisbee, spinning with his arms and legs jolted.
"Okay… I kind of deserved that…" He said as he flew into the distance
Meanwhile, on the ground, Falpurgiana watched him disappear into the distance and scoffed, "You're lucky I'm a kind patron. Others would've cursed your whole bloodline for doing such a depraved thing… trying to look underneath my skirt... I can't believe I fell for it."
'I hate this contractor. Two thousand years of prayer and he is the one who somehow found me… and for some reason he is unusually competent. Why can't he just act like a noble knight for once? It's almost like he's not doing it out of spite.'
She went to sit under the sun umbrella in the garden, eating snacks while Philip meditated in the forest.
In this world where the sun never went down, Philip sat before a gorgeous and serene lake in a clearing of the forest, trying to calm his thoughts under the smooth echoes of nearby waterfalls…
Like this, time passed.
…
/Two hours later…/
/Shaa…/
"… Here I was worrying about you… and you're eating grilled fish?"
"Huh? Erm, uh... Do you want some?" Philip asked as he waved his fish around
"Sigh… I'm full."
"Your loss. It's pretty tasty." He said as he put some salt onto his fish
"Wait… where did you get all of these… things?" She asked as she raised her right eyebrow
Falpurgiana looked at Philip, who was currently naked on the lake with a floating raft with a bonfire before him.
He had all sorts of utensils and seasonings. Falpurgiana also quickly noticed that most of the fish on his plate couldn't even be found lying around!
"Did you… spend your shards on that?"
"I only had a little left, come on. Let me have some fun… Speaking of that…"
He turned to the side, putting a small object on the ground. He turned it on and waited for it to boot...
/~Music~/
[… It's close to midnight. Something evil's lurking in the dark…]
"Oh yeah, that's a classic." He said with a smile as he opened a can of cold beer
"You know, I was never a fan of beer, but after I popped one open with this food and music, suddenly all my chaotic thoughts just flushed aside and I felt much better." Philip said as he took a sip of his drink
If one looked closely, they'd notice at least three other cans waiting for him on the side…
"My father liked this one quite a bit. It's not bad but nothing special either… hey, do you know anything about that? Do you have a beer you like the most?"
"…"
Falpurgiana only looked at him from the edge of the lake with her arms crossed.
"Oh, yeah… ahem... Cause this is thriller!~"
/Chuckle…/
"Alright, I've had enough of this." She said with a mild smile, holding a laugh as she grabbed a rock and threw it at the center of the lake with such force it created waves that sent Philip and everything around him flying
/SPLASH!/
Looking at him as he once again vanished amidst the treetops, she reached out for one of the beer cans and took a sip of it, "… Mediocre…" as she threw the beer aside
"… I have an idea!" Philip suddenly exclaimed from atop the waterfall
"…"
'Give me a rest…'
Falpurgiana went to the side, stepping onto the mountain's wall before walking on it while ignoring gravity. She went after him with a frown on her face, the surrounding water diverting to the sides as if purposely avoiding her...
…
"… No."
"Why not? I think it's a good idea."
"It doesn't matter if it's a good idea or not, you want to waste your Trial Gems on something so trivial?"
"It's not trivial if it is what I want…"
"But you can still get it easily once you complete the next set of trials. Why rush things when you're already struggling as it?"
"You… have a point… I just feel like it, I guess."
"… Just do whatever you want. It's not the first time this has happened anyway." She said as she turned around and left, "And put some damn clothes! I don't want to talk to you while looking at that little thing dangling in the wind!"
"Wait! Come on, not like this… Sigh… And look, this isn't my little thing, anyway! Mine is over twice bigger!" He exclaimed back at her as he raised his fist
But she only raised her right hand, giving him the middle finger.
"Tche… Bratty Goddess…"
Philip sat down and opened the Complex interface.
[Fuse -Self-Avatar- and -Ascension-?]
[1 Trial Gem]
"Ohoo… This might indeed be a mistake…"
'Well, even if the result isn't to standard, I can always just buy the Abilities and try again in the next round.'
'If it weren't for the limitations on my fusion skill, I would've tried it first, but in its current form, the only thing it can do is maintain the fusion and improve it slightly… aside from its other properties.'
"In the end, it's just one more risk for me to take… Even if I lose Armament, I can still perform the same with my other abilities. Reaching Extreme again isn't outside the realm of possibility."
"Now… fuse!"
[Self-Avatar Limit / Ascension Limit -> Mortal Incarnation 0]
Memories slapped into his head, almost causing him to fall into the waterfall, "Urg!… It worked… I did it!" He exclaimed as he regained his footing
His voice echoed in the forest, but no one listened to it…
"I still have some time… Let's see… how about another weapon? The ice blade is good, but it's not synergistic…"
"Complex! Provide me with a list of weapons, mainly swords, that complement my current Abilities! They must all be within the price-range of one Trial Gem!"
[Inputs have been verified. Information is being updated]
[Bahur's First Fang - Legendary]
[1 Trial Gem]
[Trizolith - Legendary]
[1 Trial Gem]
[Zulgarcon - Legendary]
[1 Trial Gem]
[Gazon El-Tur - Legendary]
[1 Trial Gem]
[…]
Dozens of swords appeared before him. Their descriptions were vast and detailed, and their images were also displayed for him to see.
After checking its shape and abilities, with his time dwindling, he finally grasped the one he felt he needed most.
/Shaa…/
Once the blade materialized before him, the ground beneath him turned red as water sizzled. Even for him, holding onto the blade was no painless endeavor.
His skin smoked at the point of contact, and it took him focus to maintain his powers so his body wouldn't be directly exposed to the blade's innate power. It was almost like the ice blade, but while the blade's power was contained and smooth, this sword energies were untammed, bursting from its core like magma in a volcano eruption.
[Zulgarcon 9.5-Star
-Legendary Artifact-
The shard from the innermost depths of Peak Sa-armal, the greatest volcano of the far lands of Orum-ss.
Long ago, the King of Eronoth…
]
"Bla bla bla! I don't need lore that I'll never use. I'll be out of this place and never return, anyway. The only thing that matters is that this blade won't break or melt under my powers."
The blade was like a standard European longsword, aside from being slightly longer and wider with a flat tip and no hand-guard.
The blade itself seemed to be like a long piece of shattered rock, like obsidian riddled with golden-red carvings throughout its body.
The hilt and blade seemed to be one in the same
'There is only one thing left to be done.'
He opened the Complex and found all of his bound items. With a simple recall, all of his clothes and equipment appeared around him.
"Oh? I thought they'd be wet… did she protect them for me? How kind."
'She's one of those girls that act tough and do kind things in the background… How cute... I hope she didn't hear that... Now that I think about it, how is the censuring effect working now?'
He quickly put his clothes on aside from his glove. Holding it with a complex expression.
"You helped me quite a bit, but that's where we part ways… My current mistress is quite demanding. There is no room for anyone else in this me aside from her."
'Is this how it feels to have a demanding girlfriend?...'
"I'll put it up for sale, and with my remaining shards… I'll buy this Ability." He said with a faint smile as memories poured inside his head
[Telekinesis - Champion]
"Hehe…"
Once his clothes were on, Philip let go of his sword, controlling it with telekinesis before doing the same with his other blade. Each of them floating beside one of his arms.
He crossed his arms and looked at the sun in the distance, waiting for the timer to roll. His clothes swaying in the wind…
"... What are you doing?"
"…"
"Why aren't you saying anything?" She asked as she approached him from behind
She looked at him and tried to see if he was looking at something, but as she noticed he wasn't particularly looking at anything, she exhaled faintly.
[00:25…]
"Ah, I get it now. Is this what they call… "Aura Farming"? I got it from your memories."
"…"
'Just how many of my memories did she read in that brief span of time? Is there no privacy in this world anymore?'
"I don't get it. I can understand pressure and the like, but why bother?… That said, you don't look so bad."
If he looked at her, he'd see she was smiling faintly.
[00:09…]
"Now… I can't let things end like this."
"??"
/Kick!/
"!!"
Falpurgiana kicked him down the waterfall, "Do your best. I'll be watching!"
"Can't you just leave me be for once?!"
"Heh…"
Unfortunately, before she could finish her words, a translucent door opened up beneath him, and Philip was sent hurling across spacetime once more.
…
.
.
.
Notes
I cut about 5K words from this chapter. A shame... In the end, I didn't finish this small arc with this chapter, but no matter.
I'll definitely do so in the next one, and it's good I did things this way since it paints the picture of what Philip would be experiencing at every stage.
I hope you liked the arc so far. I'll try to add a few more battles and finish the Trial Spire and move on so we can return to the real world.
Philip has long since reached what he was meant to accomplish in this world, so him staying here is only delaying the story. If you have anything to say regarding that, please share it so I can consider it as I finish writing the next chapters.
I take your opinions very seriously, thank you for them all!
PS: Some of the Abilities and items shown here are actually ideas taken from my short stories I write every once in a while to relieve my boredom. I wanted to make references to them since I think it's an interesting way to connect things.
Although some of them are only ideas I never wrote, so it's interesting to see them being mentioned here without me even having developed them haha...
Anyhow, that was all from me. Peace