14k words long.
The Arc finally ended and we're back on track!
Thank you for waiting and peace!
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—
/Several days later…/
/Shaa…/
/Chattering…/
Philip stepped through a blanket of white light… Beyond it, he saw thousands of people on a massive platform under the bright stars.
They were all occupied looking at massive screens floating in the air while discussing what was going through it. Many, however, weren't interested in that and instead their gazes fell on their own status screens and training.
Others enjoyed the many tables with food, the comfortable seats, or even the faint music echoing from nowhere…
"… This must be the waiting room." Philip said with some hesitation as he looked around
'I can't believe it… It's finally over. Five grueling stages. It doesn't look like much, but those darned Gods forced me to go through their personal challenges in the end… Tche!'
Philip almost spat on the ground in anger, but it would've been rude to do it here.
After Philip finished the third stage, his performance was so great the Gods themselves got together to interfere in his trials… 'They first reduced the number of stages to only five. But rather than compressing them like during each stage, they instead forced me to go through over fifty fucking challenges after the fifth stage!'
'It took me over a week to get those done with!'
Philip was indeed on the verge of having a psychotic attack…
'It just took me a little over five days to finish the trials. That was pretty standard. Fight, win, then process the spoils and move on… but those challenges almost drove me insane.'
'Forcing me to go through their crafted scenarios as if I was some sort of pet or actor rehearsing their plays… Putting me in questionably moral decisions just to see if my actions would align with whatever twisted moral compass they have…'
'And if you don't please all hundred fucking deities, they'll just make things harder for you later on!… Shit, I almost failed because of their actions… but at least I got my fair share from that.'
'Still, I'd rather have gone through ten stages or more instead. They just wanted to see if I was qualified to be their apostle and get me to like them… some almost did… but I'm not a religious person. I won't be staying around long.'
'Even if some of those deities were quite interesting, it is not my place to get involved… I already have my plate full… and I'm annoyed. I want to lie down for a whole month and do nothing but eat sweets and play games.'
'Some of the challenges were a little interesting though… But I can't say I enjoyed doing over four dozens of them.'
He looked around some more, seeing the strange symbols above each participant's head.
The waiting room is where the Challengers remained after they had completed their respective trials. Whether or not successful, it doesn't matter. All will end up here, eventually.
There is no point in rushing through the trials exactly for this reason… if you fail or complete it in a hurry, you'll only be compelled to wait as the others perform their own. Only when all finish will they be allowed to leave together and take their positions in the rankings for the world to see.
Philip looked at the ground and saw the reflection of the symbol floating above his head. He couldn't help frowning as he did so…
'So much for being low-profile…' He complained as he saw the spinning and shining crown above his head
Most had distinctive symbols with floating balls of energy akin to stars circling them.
Each symbol represented a difficulty, and the stars represented the levels they achieved. The symbol equated the Challenger's Grade, but what mattered was how bright and complete the symbol was. If it was perfect, then it meant one finished the trials with that difficulty; otherwise, one only needed to look at the symbol's center to see the Challenger's true accomplishments.
In Philip's case, he had a crown with ten arches, each with a gem inscribed on it representing the ten stars of Joruney's end. In other words, it showed to all that he completed the trials by reaching Journey's End Full-Star in all but one trial… of course, few could figure that out.
How many people even reached Journey's End? How many even unlocked Full-Star?… Maybe there wasn't anyone alive in this era who had undergone such a hurdle.
Philip took note of the ratios of accomplishments, 'Most here are Civilian-Grade, two to three stars… they probably didn't manage to finish their trials. A shame I can't tell what type of trial they went through… unless everyone here participated in the same one as me.'
'The second majority reached Soldier, the same as before for the stars… Things take a sharp turn down from there…' He squinted his eyes, 'Perhaps only a few dozen Champions? Most are only one star… From the looks of it, most failed before completing their trials.'
'I thought completing the Trials was common, but it seems most people chose to fail at a higher Grade than advance as a lower one… Was it pride or overconfidence? Well, I can certainly tell why though… the rewards of a higher grade are incomparable, winning even once in a higher grade is more worthwhile than finishing the trials at a lower one.'
'I can't see that many Heroic around either… and I can count the rest on one hand. I see only one person with the Extreme symbol, and from the looks of it they only finished one stage with it before going down and doing the Heroic one… smart.'
'It seems I underestimated how rare going that far is… even if just once… It doesn't seem like that many people managed to reach Extreme and advance past their stage afterward.'
"Seems like only a few are worth looking at."
'Anyone without Heroic Abilities isn't even worth measuring. Even that may be too low, but that is the Elite level of this world. Those that reach Legendary are few and far between.'
"Just how many Challengers were there in this tower alone? A few thousand? Tens?… and to what?… Five or so incomplete Legendary Grade Challengers?"
'But if we take there are thousands of Trial Spires around the world, then maybe amidst the tens of thousands Legendary Challengers, there might be one or two that can go beyond it.'
/Tremble…/
[The final Challenger has been confirmed]
[Congratulations to all who braved the trials. May your future be bountiful and plentiful]
[Never lose sight of yourself. Your tale has only just begun…]
With those notifications, a slight commotion spread around the people as everyone began looking around, although quite some attention had already befallen him.
It wasn't hard to say why. By looking at the large screens, Philip could see that most of them were replays of other Challengers in their respective trials. But out of every two screens up above, one of them was showing him.
While the video wasn't up to date on his achievements, only up to the third stage, it was still quite a breach of privacy to show that much…
'At least they blurred my damn face and voice… My thoughts too… but those are some good shots. Who is the cameraman here?… Can I hire him?' He wondered as he reached for his chin
/Light…/
Before he could be swarmed by curious gazes, the world around them was buried in white light… By the time he regained consciousness, Philip was back where it all began.
At the foot of the Trial Spire!
/Chatter…/
"Time to go…"
'If I'm not mistaken, there is a special event where the tower displays everyone's ranking to the world in a grand display akin to the Olimpics on Earth… yeah… that's not for me.'
He touched the sides of his head, pensive, '… Hum… wait a moment… the law states I need to clarify my Challenger Rank, my items, and uh… whatever... nah… I'm sure it'll just be a pain.'
'Right now, I need to lie down and rest. I was given some time between the stages to rest, but those fifty trials took their toll on me.'
He looked around, and before the others awakened and government workers circled the area, he ran away… He had some things to do… and problems to solve. Even if he grew powerful, his monetary situation remained the same…
Darius was drowning in debt, and he had nowhere else to turn to. He knew that'd be an issue, but he had some ideas…
Anyway, without getting his identity renewed, not only would there be future issues, he wouldn't be able to use his ID and other systems anymore… so why not do it? Simple… He didn't want to get bombarded with whatever was going to happen. It was obvious.
He wasn't just a Heroic Challenger… not even Extreme… He was someone who went beyond it. How could others not be curious? No matter how illegal his actions were, he didn't plan on having to wait long.
Whatever issues may arise from these actions would be far less troublesome than dealing with the government right off the bat… and what would they do? Send someone to put him in jail? Good luck with that…
As soon as he was able, he pawned off a few selected items he got from the trials exactly to prepare for this moment and ran off to some far-off hotel to find a place to sit down and rest.
/THUD!/
Finally… a few hours after he left the Trial Spire, he could rest and focus on himself. He found a good hotel far away from the Spire and settled down with a proper bath before going to bed.
After many days together, Philip took on Falpurgiana's offer to stay a little longer, and while he had no intention of pursuing the continuation of his heroic journey, he would take this time to settle his chaotic thoughts so he'd return to Eden in full condition.
How did a Challenger continue their journey? There were many ways… the Complex now opened many paths previously sealed to him. But all of those were none of his business.
Maybe one day he would return to continue where he left off… Maybe he could convince others to come with him. After all, if the goal of their journey was to grow stronger, why not introduce this variable to the mix and see what would happen?
Though all of that was for the far future…
/Beep!/
He put the air conditioning on max before he took a quick bath, burying himself inside the cold blankets, 'I have around a month and a half to train. I'll prepare as much as I can before returning.'
'This adventure has been by far the most taxing mentally for me, and I feel like I aged a few decades just from this… not that it changes much really.'
"I need some time to decompress and settle my mind… Otherwise…"
/Knock knock knock!/
"Huh?… I didn't ask for room service…"
"Is Mister Darius Narfa here? We're from the N'CRO."
"… N'CRO?"
'Erm… wasn't that… what was the name again? The National Challenger Regulation Office?… Ohh… Who called the damn feds on me?! It hasn't even been half a day for damn sake!'
Unfortunately for him, while his plans were simple and harmless, problems soon went after him…
…
"Haaaa… I can't believe they got to me so quickly…" He muttered to himself as he got out of bed
'I should put on some clothes…'
/Knock knock knock!/
"Is someone there?"
"…"
'They aren't going to leave me be either, right?… They probably already know I'm here even…'
Scratching the back of his head, he opened the door after he put on some clothes.
/Inhale…/
"… Hello?"
On the other side, Philip saw three individuals in black suits. They didn't seem like agents but more like police officers. Two men and a woman.
Now that he looked at them closely, they looked like some of the workers around the entrance of the Trial Spire… albeit far more imposing.
'Hum… They're composed. Firm posture and their bodies are built for combat… All three of them are glaring at me quite intently… They're expecting me to do something.'
The world slowed down as he looked at them. Philip studied everything about them, from their faces to their boots, his eyes darting around so fast it didn't even seem they were moving to begin with.
'They're tense… It's almost as if they fear me… maybe they should, but I'm not trying to be scary or anything. It could be because I'm in a bad mood though… I'd rather be sleeping and meditating right now.'
'There doesn't seem to be others around. I expected more.'
While he could tell he was superior to them, they were far better than most graduated challengers. At least on a superficial level… Outside the Trial Spire there was no more handholding. To level up and evolve their Abilities, people needed to study and figure things out themselves. That's why getting the most out of the trials was so important.
It could be the different between going out with basic-level knowledge… and the mastery of a professional that worked in the field for decades. That's why Philip was so confident in himself, because he knew he was superior to 90% of warriors out there despite just having graduated.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Mister Darius Narfa?"
"My younger brother?" Philip asked as he raised an eyebrow
The girl looked around in surprise but quickly accepted his words, "Oh! We apologize. We need to speak with him… We didn't expect others to be around."
"… Sigh, I'm just playing with you. I am Darius… However hard that may be to believe."
Compared to how he was when he first entered the Trial Spire, Darius' body was unrecognizable.
Because of the effects of his Abilities, not only had Darius' height increased by several inches, his hair and eyes had changed colors… His hair alone had grown considerably, and his skin had become considerably paler as well.
His teeth were now perfectly straight and white, almost too sharp… His muscles were now defined and pronounced, his face was cleaned of all the neglect, and overall, his body had been cleansed of the years of abuse it went through under Darius' hand.
Saying he was Darius' older brother was quite easy to accept… If not for his face, he could've even proclaimed himself as his father.
"You're quite the jokester, Mister Darius! Well, it's quite simple, you see… We noticed that you left the Trial Spite without doing your Identification renewal, so we're here to set things straight."
The agent spoke in a soft and almost childish tone. She seemed energetic and eager to be here, but Philip could tell how she truly felt underneath her acting… Brutality upon awakening was quite common as people can grow mentally unstable upon exiting the trials… Some never recover.
That was why the agents circled them so quickly. They were there to prevent trouble. If not for his powers, Philip wouldn't have escaped them.
He put his hand on his head, doing a little acting, "… Sigh… I apologize for that. The trials were quite stressful for me, and the last thing I wanted was to stand in a line and answer a dozen questions. So I left to meditate and continue my training instead."
"We understand that! It happens quite frequently after all!"
"…"
'I know that, but a hundred out of ninety-nine times you arrest them or worse… Why are you guys so polite? Hah…'
"Look, I'll do the renewal; can we just leave it for later? I don't want to deal with all that right now… I'm not in the right shape to do so."
"That can't do, sir. But your worries are unfounded; we're here to solve that problem exactly!… If you don't mind, can we speak inside?"
Defeated, he gave in, "… Fine."
…
Once they all got inside, Philip sat down on the only table in the hotel room and crossed his arms. The lady sat before him while the two guards remained at the door on standby.
"What do I need to do? Do you need my previous papers? I have them all here."
"It's rather simple, sir. We'll confirm only a few things and be done with them. But first, I'll introduce myself. I'm Laita Samemberg from N'CRO, pleasure to make you acquainted."
"Darius Narfa. A pleasure."
She went to shake his hand, but Philip had other ideas. He wasn't going to let others touch him, much less someone with a position like hers.
She didn't seem to take offense at that. Instead, she took out a tablet from her suit and held it before her as she held a pen with her left hand.
"Okay, I'll ask you a few questions. Try to answer them sincerely, okay? Inconsistencies in your portfolio can lead to issues regarding permissions once you become a Raider."
"Uhum…"
"Okay, let's start with something simple… Did you take the Trial of Combat?"
"Yes, all of my trials were like that."
"Great!… What was the highest difficulty grade you reached?"
"Journey's End."
""…""
"Is something wrong?"
"N-Not at all… ahem. Thank you for the sincerity… This is optional, so you can keep the answer if you want… How many stages did you go through?"
"Five. It was meant to be more, but my stages were compressed by the interference of the higher beings."
"I see… Would you be inclined to share some of their names?"
"How is this relevant?"
"We like to know which deities interact with the challenger to get an idea of their abilities since asking directly is a breach of conduct and protocol. I hope you're not offended by it."
"I'm not… But if you want to know the truth of it all, I have not received Divine Abilities from any of them."
"Oh?… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to probe this far…"
"It's fine. I take no insult."
"…"
It was clear she wanted to ask why, but she moved on.
"Have you brought any items with you? It's necessary to have them documented. At least the ones you plan to use in public often. We won't ask for the details, but if you're interested, there are considerable bounties for the descriptions of certain items so their history may be preserved."
"Their exact effects aren't required to be shared."
"That is a thing?… Well… I do have some items…"
'Looks like I won't be having monetary issues anymore… the cash I had was plentiful, but it probably wouldn't last a month of me splurging through it.'
'That said, I don't have that many items… Aside from Edge of Frostbite and Zulgarcon, I only bought one extra item to keep up with the intensity of the trials… and one set of equipment since my second one was pretty beaten up by the time I finished the third trial.'
'Everything else are items I'm intending to bring back with me to Eden…'
With that in mind, Philip raised his right hand and tugged at the air, pulling a sword from within.
Challengers received a small pocket space where the items they gained during the trials were stored. This pocket space only lasted a few days at most, and after that, they were required to find their own ways of storing things. That was the case even for a Challenger like him.
In his case, his storage only lasted a little longer since some of his items were quite dangerous. Just taking Zulgarcon without containing its power would immediately set this entire room on blazing fire.
There were simply too many frail things around for him to risk such a thing… still, Philip could take his items out if he contained their energy.
One by one, he revealed his items to the lady, explaining their history and how he had received it. Ending with his latest choice, a rather bland longsword.
[Royal Edict Full-Star
-Mythic Artifact-
…
]
'Technically speaking, this is just Excalibur… Of course, not that sword, but it's close enough. I just asked the Complex for a sword based on a few descriptions, but because Zulgarcon was too bulky and Edge of Frostbite had a unique shape, I asked the Complex for something more standard… at least from my perspective it is.'
'Amidst the dozens of options I was given, I stuck with this one since it was decent enough for me. It has the closest shape that conforms to my techniques, being just slightly shorter than the Blacklight sword's untransformed shape.'
'It's just the standard longsword, albeit heavier and thicker.'
Philip shared the blade's story with the lady before taking his newest set of armor and doing the same thing.
[Old King's Mantle Full-Star
-Mythic Artifact-
…
]
The armor he took out was a full grayish-platinum heavy armor that tilted to the medium side. It was just thick enough to be considered heavy, leaving several spots open where true heavy armor wouldn't.
Given his combat style, this armor stood in his way, but there was a reason the Complex chose it for him. Where one might consider whether such armor was truly needed, it played a crucial role in his victory at the last stage. So despite the points he spent, Philip did not consider it a waste at all.
"… That's about it. Is there anything else?"
"Y-Yes… If you don't mind, Raiders usually need to have their approximated qualities registered together with at least one Ability so we can measure and issue you a Raider Identification… would it be too troublesome to share those details with us?"
"… No."
[Identity: Darius Narfa 18M
-Trial Graduate-
-Mythic Challenger-
*Awaiting Registration at the Fable Monolith*
| Reliquary Progress |
…
| Attuned Essences |
…
| Extended Tale |
…
| Approximated Qualities |
Physical Body: Limit S (Limit SS-)
Spiritual Body: Limit S (5 SS)
Astral Body: Limit S (5 SS)
…
]
As he inspected his Status, his mind went into overdrive as the world slowed around him once more…
'These stats are the highest I could get in the trials. Only through Abilities can I go any further. And if I'm not remembering wrong since my memories are all jumbled up. I think SST is the highest rating one can get beyond SS.'
'After that one essentially surpasses the limits of humanity and the Stats change into something else… With this rating, I'm pretty certain I'm physically superior to my original body… But how strong am I compared to the rest of Eden?… I have no idea.'
'I don't have much knowledge about it all to begin with, and while Fabrin helped me a lot, it still left me in a rather confused state… I'd say I'm as physically fit as a Blue Knight of the Palace? Maybe closer to a Purple Knight…'
'But to those people, what matters isn't just physical might but technical ability. So it's hard to say I'm equal to them right now… Maybe I can beat them if I try though, if my body is equal and my understanding of swordsmanship is also equal, there's nothing holding me back anymore… Aside from this darned headache!'
'If I'm given half a year to train with this body, I'd say with confidence I can win… assuming solely my overall knowledge of the world, since I never saw the Knights in serious action. I'm just basing things on what I know from documents and descriptions.'
He closed his eyes, dispersing his thoughts and recollecting himself into what really mattered.
'Quite a lot changed after I underwent "graduation"… Most of these new options are how Challengers… or rather Raiders grow post their initiation.'
'The Goddess said there would be further unlocks as I continued my journey, but that's not gonna happen. My head is on the verge of splitting open… I can't risk anything like the Trials happening again.'
'If I didn't have a time limit or if I were here with my original body… then sure, I would've stayed longer and seen how far I can go, or at least until my curiosity was sated… but I have to draw the line somewhere, right? Otherwise, if I just keep going and going… at what point to I call it quits? At a certain point, I might as well just have a child and stay here then.'
'There is definitely more out there, maybe the chance to get those Mythic Abilities once and for all… but for what is worth, my time is better used mediating than going out there adventuring.'
'The other extreme would be to challenge as much as I can and fill my head with information to sort once I'm back… This option has the most potential… But is it the right one? Is it the most suitable one?… Or is it just greed?'
Philip frowned for a moment before revealing his identity page to the lady. Since it had nothing important in it he hadn't already said, the rest was utterly blank, and it was common knowledge to the outside world.
"Do you need anything else?"
"There are extra questions to be filled, but those can wait until Mister Narfa is ready… I just need one Ability for us to finish your identification… W-We don't need its details, just a name and its grade is enough!"
"…"
'A name and a grade…'
"!"
Philip looked at his Abilities and laughed… He raised his right hand, causing several objects in the room to defy gravity and float.
"Mental Elevation. Legendary Grade."
'This is the Ability I took to enhance my mind and help me cope with the pressure of all these memories… It also contains Telekinesis since I fused both together… hum… a better explanation would be that this Ability is the fusion of a mental skill I bought with the evolved version of Telekinesis.'
'The only reason it isn't Mythic is because I focused my efforts on my other skills instead. I have little need for mental powers given Castle Town, and I don't think it would be a good idea to get a bunch of mental skills just for the prospect of fusing them onto it when I return to my original body.'
'It's too risky… Maybe some Abilities would be fine, but how do I define that?… I can't trust the Complex to give me a perfect answer for that… not with my worries.'
'I'd rather achieve everything myself… despite everything still… Not that there'd be much of a difference.'
"So?… Is this enough for you, Miss Samemberg?"
'She's very tense… I know Darius is ugly, but I won't attack you…'
"It's enough!… Thank you for your cooperation. Your identification will be ready tomorrow at the latest, and it'll be delivered directly to your home!"
"You mean my old address?… Forget it; just send it here. I'm not going back to that shithole."
"Okay! Just remember that when you move, please update your address so there aren't any issues with communication in the future… as for the rest…"
"Let's leave the details of the identification for another time. I'm not exactly in the mood for that."
"No problem! Then… we're done here! Thank you for your cooperation, Mister Narfa!"
"The pleasure is mine. You made this process somewhat enjoyable."
The agents bowed and left without another word, leaving behind a translucent card with him.
The card was essentially a tablet able to access the private government network. Through which he could make use of all kinds of systems and services the nation had to offer. He could also use it as a smartphone, but he didn't need to.
Philip threw it aside without paying it much heed before checking his cellphone. As expected, his bank account was now loaded with money.
"Finally, some peace… they're quick too… Okay, first, pay all the loans… now I can live half-decently for a while."
'Now… To go back to bed so I can sleep longer…'
/Knock knock knock!/
"For fuck's sake…"
/Clack!/
"Who is it?"
A tall woman in a red suit stood before him. Like the previous one, she too was above-average looking, but her pretty face was ravaged by a long scar that went through her nose and left eye.
The moment his eyes fell on her, he partially understood what this was about.
"I'm Cardinal Galupen of the World Titans."
"… Are you a recruiter?"
"… Yes?"
"Then please leave. I've just left the trials, and my head hurts."
/CLACK!/
/Knock knock!/
"Give me just a minute, Challenger!"
Philip didn't look back, "Urg… alright, this isn't going to work. Did my information leak? Did they tail the agents?… Sigh."
'I'm not here to play with factions or form a team and whatnot. I just want to sleep and rest for once…'
Philip went to the other side of his apartment and opened the windows, jumping through them! But rather than falling, he stuck to the wall, walking to the ceiling.
He reached the top of the hotel and crossed his arms, looking at the distance.
'Now then… what is the furthest place from here and my old apartment? If this doesn't work, then I'll have to make myself clear another way.'
Philip went through his cellphone and checked every single hotel in the city. Finally, he found a good enough place near the city center that would welcome him now.
'I hope this card is enough to prove my identity… I don't want to, but if necessary, I'll just mind control someone and be done with it.'
/FWOOSH!/
Philip kicked the concrete ceiling, shattering it as he flew into the distance like a bullet.
The world would keep moving as the news of his achievements spread through the public. With the grand event exposing his conquest, the people, the nation, and beyond all wanted to know the same thing…
Who was this mysterious Challenger?
Amidst the many other talents, few had reached his level in this round. But Philip did not embrace the popularity, staying at his secretive home where none would bother him.
This way, he enjoyed his peace with little interference. And aside from the government finding him again, no one went to bother him.
Like this… time passed.
…
/One and a half months later…/
"… Is it finally time?" Philip asked as she stopped his meditation
/Gleam…/
Like when he first arrived, a speck of brilliant light formed before him. It unraveled like a scroll made of water. Its elegant form pleasing to the eye.
[Are you ready?]
He smilled as he got up from the ground, "What do you think?"
[Then reach out to me]
"Phew…"
'It was a bit tiring, but I had some fun… Maybe in the far future if I can, returning here wouldn't be too bad. Maybe if I do it with my main body, I can even go through the trials again… just thinking about give me chills.'
Philip got on his knees and clasped his hands together.
'This is my first time using this skill…'
[Descent of the War God <||>
…
]
'The evolution of Heavenly Battlefield's Incarnation… evolution of the evolution… The Ability Falpurgiana wanted me to get… It's essentially a skill centered on receiving the power of a deity and letting it flow through you.'
'At first, I wondered why she never changed her pick even as I raised my strength throughout the trials, but I figured it out soon after I got it… This skill belongs to her!'
'She essentially had me buy the highest level skill her followers could have. Indirectly turning me into her Apostle! Well… this body… but the problem is the sermons inside my head. They're so… egocentric…'
'It evolved into Mythic after I linked it with The Guiding Hand. At the last Trial, I had the chance to improve a single skill regardless of conditions, and the choice was obvious. I picked the Guiding Hand. This caused all of my Abilities to evolve as well… some several time due to the difference between them, which is why I needed some rest so damn much!'
'Since that was my last chance at picking skills and with the ten slot limit, I ended up using one slot to improve it… a little bit of a waste, but it doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things.'
'Of course, little did I know then that I would be forced to go through fifty more trials at the hands of those accursed beings.'
/Shine…/
"I offer my body to the Lady of the Sickle… ??"
When Philip opened his eyes, he was back in the world of pure white. He looked around; it was the same glossy white ground that stretched for eternity. But this time, the world was contained within a gorgeous white cathedral.
"Looks like you did some refurbishing ever since I was last here…"
'More like a cathedral, this looks like… a room? There's a large bed at the end of the hall above an altar… This scene is quite familiar to me…'
'Painted glass with scenes I can slightly recognize thanks to the memories within her sermons… even that broken statue is here. Albeit complete.'
'Shelves full of books I can't read… paintings… artifacts…'
"Who decorates their own room with a statue of themselves? Do you have no shame?"
"HUMPH! I was going to congratulate you, but now I'm thinking if I should smite you instead!" Falpurgiana said as she approached him from behind
She was clad in full metal armor, holding her halberd beside her. Compared to when they first met, she did indeed seem far livelier, and her presence was warm and gentle… when he first met her, he felt a sense of aversion and decadence… but that could be the skill talking over him.
Her armor was also different from before, being far more feminine and decorated… What Darius said when they first met was likely true. Falpurgiana's fragment within Eden probably took another appearance to better connect with him… although why she took the appearance of a neutral-gendered knight was something he'd never bring forth.
She took off her helmet, letting her smooth orange her flow down her armor.
"Am I wrong though?"
"You talk as if you don't have pictures of yourself in your room!"
"But those were pictures of me when I was young and other memorable moments of my life…"
"Oh yeah? These statues and glass panels are the same to me! See the one near the altar? That's from when I killed the daring fool who stood in my way before using his flesh to open a passage to another world!"
She pointed behind her, "And that one over there is from when I first ascended thousands of years ago! Compared to you, that would be the same as when I was a child!"
Philip nodded, enlightened… "Ohhhh… Where are the panels about your two thousand year struggle of continuous bad financial decisions?"
/Clench…/
"… I was going to use that space over there to make a panel about you, but now I think I know what I'm putting there…" She said as her grasp over her halberd tightened
"I'm going to drive this through your a…"
"My apologies. Isn't the day quite charming? I shall carve the hardest bolder in your image!"
"… Aren't you forgetting something?"
"… My… My Goddess…" Philip added as he grit his teeth
"Humph!"
/SPLURGE!/
But that was when things changed.
"?!?! W-What are you doing?!" Philip exclaimed as Falpurgiana drove her halberd through his chest
"Can you be quiet? I'm working here." She said as she pulled her halberd back…
/SLAM!/
She slammed the back portion of the halberd against his head, knocking him out… or not?
/GASP!/
He immediately opened his eyes on the ground, looking at her with confusion… but the moment he did so, he noticed something else beside him.
It was a man…
"Separation completed… and without any noticeable damage! I'm so good at my job~"
"What?… Did you just…"
"Separate your soul from your body? Yes. If I can put it inside, then I should be able to take it out too... I was a little concerned given the complexity of the Mythic Abilities and their connection to your Soul, but severing that was easier than I thought."
She whistled as she moved her Halberd with elegance, waiting for him to get up from the ground.
Philip pushed himself off the ground, taping his chest and the side of his skull, "Did you need to do it like this though? My head's still ringing and my eyes can't focus…"
She chuckled, "I certainly did not! But would I have done it any other way? Certainly not!" She added with a smug smile as she put her hands on her waist
Beside her, the halberd floated up and down in agreement as it vibrated… did it have an ego of its own?
"…"
"Now then, it's time to send you back to Eden…"
"Aren't you forgetting something? I'm here to get…"
She dismissively waved her hand in the air, "Yes, I already know you want the Echoing Tides Codex… I made a promise, remember? One I intend to go through. A few things first…"
"?"
'Codex?'
"… Right now, given the circumstances, I'm unable to directly transfer all the Abilities you cultivated to your original body, but I will transfer them to you over time. That is a definite fact."
"Not that you can't just attain them through hard work again. Once you cross over, there'll likely be a 'synchronization'… even if there isn't any, we can force one to occur in due time after I get some things finished."
"Either way, you won't need such an event to occur to regain all of your strength back, will you? So give it some time and we'll get it all in order."
"Very well… since I'm returning. What happens to… well… you?" Philip asked after he took a deep breath
He looked at his ethereal body and he world around him. It seemed a little… solitary.
"Hm?… Awwn… are you worried about me?"
"Yes! I mean… you're a nameless goddess in the Eden. You have no followers. All of their descendants are likely dead or assimilated into a dozen different races and religions…"
"…"
"… Ruins dedicated to you are all lost who knows where. The few relics that tie back to you are now sold for the cost of pebbles in comparison… I am worried you'll just vanish without me."
"…"
Each of his statements were like arrows piercing her body. It took great restraint not to enact her divine authority on such a disrespectful mortal.
But she reigned in… or rather, she had grown numb to his way of speech, "Don't you worry about me, dear… Thanks to you, I'll be fine for a long time… and I also have this gift of yours." She said as she pointed at Darius' body
"Besides… I have no intention of remaining here any longer… With your arrival, you reminded me of something I had long forgotten. It is time for me to return."
"Wait… you're going back? But how? Didn't it take you the equivalent of a God's entire being to carve a path here?"
"It did… and it'll take another to do the same. But worry not, dear, I have a solution."
She took a step forward, walking past him.
"Now then, we should wrap things up. We have much to do back home."
"Yeah… Thank you."
"Hm? That's unlike you. To thank me all of a sudden."
"I know when to show gratitude and respect… You deserve both."
"So serious… You should've been like that from the start." She said with a faint smile as she put her right hand before her chin
Philip shrugged, "What's the point of being so serious around your close ones?"
"…" She smiled, "I'll take back my previous statement. You're not so bad."
"What?"
/Pull!/
She held onto his chin and pulled him down violently, almost snapping his back!
"Look into my eyes and… wake up!"
As her eyes flashed with light, Philip's whole soul jolted, and he immediately opened his eyes to a half-familiar sight.
"Huh… w-where?… this place is…?!?!?!"
Just as he opened his eyes in his bedroom, Philip felt his head split open as everything he experienced in the other world, from the moment he became Darius to now, flashed before him.
His mental energy flared at the sudden intrusion, an intense clash had begun!
[Castle Town ***** has been breached by a foreign force!]
[Castle Town ***** is trying to protect your mind from outside forces]
[Your mind is being corrupted!]
[Your mental world is shaking!]
"AAARG!!"
[Trait, Castle Town ***** settles the chaos within your mind]
[The Mental Knight awakens]
[The Mental Knight strengthens your shaking mind and redirects the influx of memories!]
[The Phantom Library sorts the chaotic information…]
"Shit! My head is about to fucking burst!"
[An emergency situation has been detected]
"What?… N-no! Abort!… Arrrg!!… Huff… G-give me a moment to process it all…"
[Castle Town ***** soothes your mind]
[Castle Town ***** stops you from falling unconscious]
[Castle town ***** impedes your mind from collapsing]
[Your Unyielding spirit refuses to give up]
[You maintained your composure…]
"F-Fuck… It's all ringing…"
'It's all because of those darned memories! I thought something like this would happen but… aaaaarg!'
The feeling was akin to the worst headache imaginable. One so strong he felt as if his veins were bursting.
It wasn't like he had never felt something similar. He felt similar pain whenever he returned from another world. But those were usually quickly integrated into his body without much resistance… compared to those, if they were akin to sliding on cold ice, this was akin to pulling oneself through the highest grit of sandpaper… with bare skin.
The difference in size was too much to even compare, and there was also the issue of Gamerverse itself… He had noticed how it assisted him in smoothly integrating his abilities into his Main Status over time, and so did Eden's System. Both together helped him tolerate such extreme experiences, acting like buffers for the process.
But now, he was taking it all raw.
[Castle Town *****…]
"F-Fucking notifications!""
…
[Your Incorruptible mind retains its shape]
[Castle Town ***** protects your mind, you have retained your sanity]
"Huff…"
'I… I need to get out of here… put my head inside some cold water.'
'At this rate I'll…'
/Knock knock…/
"Who…? Ah…"
'This is it…'
"Come inside, quickly!"
…
/Back to the present…/
"…"
Philip opened his eyes as he stopped thinking about the past. With his trembling hand, he reached for the shower valve and turned it on, uncaring whether it was the hot or cold one.
/Shaaa…/
[Castle Town ***** has detected an irregularity within your mind]
[Your mind has been forcibly returned to its normal state]
"Urg… Huff… I think the worst part is over now…"
'In the first place, these memories had already been implanted in my deepest consciousness. The issue was when Soul returned to my body and those synchronized… Normally, nothing would happen, but the brunt of the memories was actually bigger than everything I had before… It was almost akin to having another consciousness forced onto the one contained within this body.'
'I read a novel that had a similar situation to this one back on Earth… a novel about a main character who could regress constantly to the same moment in time. He spent so many decades training throughout multiple lives that eventually his consciousness grew so large it almost killed him when he regressed. Had he failed in securing his mind, he would've lost himself to an eternal cycle of death and regression.'
'I'm not as cursed as him in that regard, but my situation can be likened to his.'
"Now… it's finally a little silent."
'I'm not surprised there were no notifications. Even when I transferred my third Class skills to my main one, nothing happened until I began training them. It's probably the same now.'
'The System is either waiting for me to perform them and catalog them as it always does, or it's processing the information… I can only imagine what would happen if the System and the Complex were to be pushed into one another…'
'It makes me wonder which is the better one? It's hard to say… The System helps me a lot, but it loses a little compared to the Complex when it comes to holding my hand, at least during the Trials… after that the Complex abandons you completely.'
'Meanwhile, the System is straightforward in how it does things. And since I'm a Hero, its requirements are even a little lower… but that could be my perspective since I never experienced how it feels to be an ordinary person in this world.'
'My best examples are Viera and Ivia. They train and study quite a lot but their progress is incomparable to even some of the least talented Heroes at the Palace… of course, their levels can't exactly be compared since the Heroes were newbies at the time while they had spent years studying, so their progress was bound to slow down.'
'Still…'
"… I actually think Gamerverse is closer to the Complex than the System itself…"
'Now that I think about it. Could Gamerverse be some sort of system? There were a few Mythic Abilities that carried such a description within them. Perhaps Gamerverse is complex enough to be classified as such.'
'Simulation Room can be seen as a system-type ability. Albeit it's far more passive. It studies and replicates everything I experience… It doesn't reward me for my achievements, but it gives me another level of freedom based around them.'
'On that note, it's quite interesting what Gamerverse can do. It can create these skills on a whim. And I think Simulation Room would qualify as a Mythic Ability to some degree… at least Legendary.'
/Splash!/
With his head clearing and his body regaining strength, Philip took off his wet underwear and relaxed in the bathtub, "Sigh… This is rough."
"What is?"
"All of this… wait a minute!"
Philip opened his eyes in a hurry, only to be startled.
Above him, floating in the air, was Falpurgiana! Her inquisitive eyes darting around his body.
"Not bad. You had a reason to be prideful. You have golden proportions. The so-called… Golden Body, correct?"
"… Didn't you already know that?" Philip asked as he felt another massive headache coming
"I saw much of your memories, but I didn't pry at them all… even if I did, there are some things I'd rather hear from you… or see them for myself." She said as her eyes fell on his legs
"Where do you think you're looking at? I know I have nice feet, but please refrain from looking too intently."
"I wasn't looking… Tche."
Philip smiled slightly, but only for a moment before his head started aching again.
He let his head fall slightly into the water. He was far too tired to joke and bicker around with her. So he just asked what was on his mind, "What are you doing here?… Scratch that… are you even real?"
/Splash!/
She said with determination, "I told you before, didn't I? I had a plan." before rolling her eyes, "Does this look real to you?" She asked as she kicked the water from the tub onto his face
"…" Philip pushed the water from his face with his hand, in silence before asking, "Does this plan of yours explain how you're defying the laws of nature right now? How is a deity in the mortal world?"
"Don't you know? I gave you my Codex! Don't tell me you're planning on throwing me aside after everything I did for you?"
"What?…"
She stopped playing around, finding him quite pitiful, "You truly are ignorant… well… while the Echoing Tides Codex isn't that important, I just compressed my power within it. And since you have it now, we are now linked and considered one!"
"… huh?"
"Still don't get it? Well… I don't blame you. It's a bit too early, and I'm not good at explaining things. Words… have never been my strong part."
She clenched her right fist and showed it to him, "I'm better at talking with this. You know how it is, right?"
"…"
'You don't need to shove it in my face…'
"I'll put this in a simple way you'll understand… Like you said, I have nothing in this world… so I stuck with what I had. You."
"As long as I'm with you, I'll be fine. Why have a million supporters when I can have one that rules over that million? Don't worry too much about the details; others won't be able to see or interact with me anyway."
"So what you're saying is… after everything I did to help you recover your power… you still somehow ended up gambling it away?"
"I'm not gambling!"
"What do you call this then? It certainly isn't a charity. What happens to you if I die or worse?"
"Of course it isn't, I'm not giving you my divinity… I'm just making use of what I have. Besides… it isn't gambling if I win."
Philip frowned, "What do you mean, "what you have"? What part of this is yours exactly?"
She smiled, putting her index finger on her lips, "Guess."
"… for fuck's sake…"
'How did a simple trip after an ancient relic end up with me being linked to an ancient Dwarven deity?'
"They say the strangest tales start at the simplest of places. Many heroic tales began in ordinary villages after all… You're not there yet, but I'll make a hero out of you yet."
"I don't want to be a Hero…" Philip looked at the ceiling amidst the freezing water, "… all that aside… What about those things?"
"I have them here with me still. In fact, I can transfer some of them right now, just not everything… If I push myself too hard, there will be consequences… there is a limit to how much I can bend the rules without being reminded of them."
"You're best to consider me not as a Goddess but your faithful fairy to guide you throughout your journey~" She said with a smile as she floated around the bathroom
"More like a ghost haunting me. It was already difficult acting normal with my head having whole discussions inside my skull, but now I have an entity only I can see around me. I'm afraid I'm past the qualifying point for being schizophrenic."
Her forehead tensed, "#!! I can do far more than just wetting your face."
Philip laughed drily. Despite the emotional suppression of his Trait, he couldn't help it… "Woah there… At least take me for dinner first…"
/SPLASH!/
She kicked the water with so much force Philip was sent flying around the bathroom… Throughout the whole ordeal, he was smiling in satisfaction.
From this moment on, Philip had an extra companion to assist (annoy) him through his journey.
…
/Splish splash…/
After a few minutes of soaking himself in the bathtub, Philip's headache had finally settled down as his memories found their respective spots inside his mind.
Within a few days or likely weeks, this headache would go away. But he could tolerate it and act normally.
"… Say… since you're here. How about you tell me a bit more about your… condition?"
Falpurgiana played with her hair as she looked at her reflection, "Didn't I say it before, though?"
"You barely scratched the surface… What exactly are you now? An illusion? A mental construct? How exactly are you breaking the rules with this… "Codex" of yours?"
"I'm as real as I can be, but your question is valid… I'm currently in a state of transition… neither one thing nor the other… I didn't do this merely out of interest. There were better ways to remain around you… I did it out of necessity."
"To preserve as much of my power as possible throughout the journey back, I had to do this. I sealed most of my power within the only place the "System" as you call it cannot reach and the "rules" would not enforce themselves on me… your Soul."
"I'm manifesting this power through your Spirit. Thus, my previous wording wasn't incorrect… I'm essentially a spiritual being connected solely to you at the deepest level. A fairy is an appropriate description."
"… Wouldn't this cause issues? How can my Soul even contain your entire existence?"
"I have my ways." She said with a prideful smirk as she lay in the air beside the bathtub, "Though this won't last long… in a few decades even your Soul won't be able to contain me and it'll burst out. In the ancient past, long before I was even born, some deities would imprint themselves onto mortals and reincarnate in the mortal world like that."
"Even some mortals found ways of doing the same thing… I wonder who did it first though?"
"So you're saying I'm going to die?"
She shrugged, "Just as much as time itself will eventually take you with it. I doubt we'll even need a year to figure out a solution. And if in that time you're able to inherit all of your Abilities from before, then that timer would be stretched into near infinity… since it would go beyond your natural lifespan."
"I could remain inside your soul for several lifetimes and nothing would happen."
"Very well… but what is your intention aside from self-preservation? What do you want from me in the long run?"
She stepped closer to his bending over the bathtub, "Aren't you so overly distrustful and rude! Can't I just be around you without you feeling like that?"
"I imagine most mortals wouldn't feel any other way with a Goddess linked directly to their very core…"
"Humph… you're such a bore, doesn't even realize the sacrifices I made for you… I'll say it plainly then. It's dangerous and extremely boring outside. There was a reason I left this place, and even though the status quo is about to change, it only means things are getting more hectic."
"Binding myself to you is the safer bet. Not only can I see things directly through you, I can also calmly assess the situation and prepare. I also have to fulfill my promises to you, so I would've stuck around even if I didn't want to."
"It's just a sequence of conveniences that align with my interest…" She rested her elbows on the edge of the bathtub, flicking his chin up with a grin, "For you see, pitiful mortal. I feel your destiny is one of great strife and chaos… one I'm very keen to experience for myself."
"And as a being that thrives in such scenarios, how could I not see it all for myself? Do you see now why I bound myself to you?"
"… So you're now my pocket deity? Can you bless me on a whim now?"
Her smile twisted faintly, "Such a deplorable analogy… Yes… Yes, I can bless your sorry ass! So start praying, or else I'm not listening!"
"Maybe later… You said something about a Codex? Also, I know there are some "circumstances" around deities and the like, but I don't know the exact details. Can you tell me about that?"
"Not in the way you are right now, I'm afraid… Better yet, I'd prefer if we avoided the topic altogether… It can tolerate my actions to a certain degree, but I'd rather not throw salt on the wound."
"…"
'This is the second time someone has told me it's better to avoid talking about a subject like that.'
"… The Codex is… a possible way of furthering your progress. It's too early for you either way. You'll understand in due time."
"Time… fine! My head's too bloated for more revelations."
Philip submerged himself in the water, 'I can figure things out over time… Now my priority should be to get my abilities in line as I pursue my next goal. If I can complete it ahead of time, then I'll have multiple months to train and seek other opportunities… although I hope those don't end as convoluted as the last one.'
He opened his eyes, seeing Falpurgiana's face beyond the water's surface.
"…"
She stuck her tongue out and flew away…
'… At least I'm not stuck with an old dude…'
/Splash…/
/Snap!/
While soaking in the water, Philip raised his right hand and said as he snapped his fingers.
"Let's get this over with first… Activate Skill, Simulation Room."
…
Philip immediately appeared in the endless room, "… urg my head… I felt a slight tug all of a sudden..."
'Seems like it worked. My memories have now integrated into the Skill, so my clones will now possess the knowledge of my progress. I'll have to check later if new options appeared in the control panel.'
'I'm curious to see what kind of interactions they'll have with those two… Viera as well.'
Philip pulled the floating panel before him, quickly interacting with it as he often stood there in confusion… "It's been a little while since I last interacted with it so I'm a little lost…"
'First, I need to alter the Admin rules and censor part of my memories so the created clones can't share what I recently experienced… they probably wouldn't if the clones were perfect copies, but if one of those girls created an imperfect one, then I can't say for certain.'
'This is for their safety as well. In a world where people can read your mind without your consent, just knowing certain things can be dangerous… That's basically what I tried doing to them, so I guess it's just fair…'
'I'm still hoping Larin uses Simulation Room to drag her knight into it so I can scan him as well… but I doubt she'll do that after learning what the Skill does. Same thing for Ivia and her father.'
'They'll probably focus on keeping the power a secret before anything though…'
/Tap tap tap…/
While Philip's fingers danced on the control panel… "So this is Simulation Room? The power that simulations creation?"
"You could put it that way… huh? What are you doing here?" He asked as he stopped typing to look at Falpurgiana
"What do you mean? Weren't you the one to drag me here?… And I thought you were being mindful of me…"
"This… I was going to show this to you eventually, but this… How did you get here if I didn't call for you?"
"Well… I was there beside you then something began tugging at me… I just accepted it since I knew it came from you."
"…"
'Is it because she's technically part of me?… Wait a minute, doesn't this mean…'
"I'll cut you right there. No." She proclaimed as she crossed her arms, "Don't you know how to value a lady's privacy?"
"You're one to talk! You read half of my life in the few minutes we stood together."
"I already told you that wasn't intentional! That mental world just caused your memories to flow into mine!… Look… what happened, happened, alright?"
"Sigh… what do you mean by "no"?"
"I'm blocking your power, of course. Can't let it do… whatever it was going to do to me. I've never seen anything like this before, and experiencing it firsthand sure is a strange thing."
"You can do that?"
"Of course I can. And in fact, you should be thankful I did it!"
"…"
"You have no idea what secrets I keep safe and what would happen if you were to set sight upon them. It doesn't matter if you could resist them or not; certain things are there for your protection, and if the "process" was disrupted, the least you could expect was some backlash."
"So be happy I protected you from your own ignorance. You may thank me now."
"… Thank you, oh mighty one…"
"Accepted."
"… But say… at least a little bit of it? Can't you contribute to Simulation Room's archives?" Philip asked gently as he looked at her with a smile
"Hummmm… I'm feeling a little generous today, so why not? How about some scenery from ancient times?" She said as she took the control panel from Philip's hand
"Wait! At least let me finish what I was doing first!"
He took it back from her while she scoffed with her neck turned… after he was done, he gave it back to her so she could play with it a bit.
/Shoum…/
The room changed, and as it settled down, Philip saw himself inside a small room with a statue he recognized behind him.
Falpurgiana looked around with a faint smile, full of emotion. Now that he was back in his original body, and maybe because the connection between them had strengthened, he could now faintly feel her emotions.
"This place is?… Why is there a window on the ground?"
"That's a door!"
"A door? It's at the height of my chest…"
"It's a dwarven door!"
"Ohh…"
/Grab!/
She grabbed his hand, pulling him outside, "Follow me!"
/BAM!/
"ARG!… Don't pull me all of a sudden like that! My forehead… urg…"
"Oops!"
"You did it on purpose… damn twat…"
"What did you say?!"
"Erm… Where are we?"
"Behold! The Capital City of Mul-Attor! My city!"
Philip flinched, raising his hands to shield his eyes as a searing brilliance washed over him. The darkness of the temple had been absolute, so the sudden flood of light was almost painful.
Slowly, shapes emerged from the white haze, first outlines, then colors, then details too intricate for his mind to grasp all at once.
/Ka-tching… Ka-tching…/
The sound reverberated like a heartbeat through the cavern, each metallic strike ringing against stone and echoing in his chest. A damp, mineral tang hung thick in the air, clinging to his throat, threaded with the bitter smoke of oil and the acrid bite of heated molten metal.
When his vision cleared, he gasped. The city was not on the ground at all, it clung like a colossal spider's nest to the vaulted ceiling of a cavern so vast the bottom was swallowed in blackness. Pillars of stone and steel jutted upward and sideways, stabbing into ceiling and wall alike, each one riddled with gears, chains, and pistons. They reminded Philip of rose-thorns, cruel yet essential, anchoring the city against the pull of the abyss.
/Ka-tching… Ka-tching…/
Houses rose like titans, enormous cylinders stacked upon one another, joined by tubes of hammered metal and brown copper pipes glowing with a red fluid that pulsed as if alive. They crisscrossed in every direction, overhead, underfoot, spiraling away into darkness, until the whole skyline resembled a vast, tangled web.
The pipes hissed faintly, exhaling bursts of steam, so that the city itself seemed to breathe.
They stood at the threshold of a monumental temple, a megalith of black stone veined with organized copper. Its walls were etched with symbols that writhed in the glow of mechanical lanterns, while its buttresses reached downward, vanishing into the cavern's endless depths as though they sought to anchor the temple in the abyss itself.
Half the cavern brimmed with machinery and habitation. The other half was claimed entirely by this temple, a cathedral-fortress so immense he could not decide whether it had been built for worship, for war, or both.
At the heart of Mul-Attor hung a leviathan machine: a lift so vast it resembled a palace unto itself, suspended from the ceiling by enormous steel arms curved like the talons of a hawk. Their grip looked unshakable, yet the abyss yawned beneath, waiting.
Four colossal spires flanked the lift, rising like boundary markers into the infinite dark, their summits lost to distance, but glowing faintly with faint runic light.
And this was only the beginning. Philip's eyes darted to movement along the walls, rail-cars, like iron serpents, rattling along tracks before vanishing into gaping holes cut into the rock. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of tunnels branched outward, each promising more secrets, more machines, more wonders he could scarcely imagine.
This was the legendary pathways of the Dwarves. For as many roads there were on the surface, ten more existed underneath their feet. Connecting all ten corners of Dwarven civilization, from mega cities like this one to settlements at the far reaches of their world.
"It's incredible."
"… Yeah… Let's leave."
"…"
Philip didn't need to read her thoughts to understand what was going through her mind right now…
/Shoum…/
They returned to the ordinary blandness of the central room, and not long after, Philip returned to the real world as he recalled his skill.
/Splash…/
Immediately after, he pushed himself off the bathtub and took a deep breath…
"Phew… It's good to be back." He said as he looked at himself in the mirror
'I was starting to forget how I looked like.'
"Had enough self-loving already? Weren't you busy and some more?" Falpurgiana asked as she stepped behind him, looking at his eyes through the mirror
"… Can you like… take a few steps back and give me some space?"
"What's the deal, anyway? Not like it'll make a difference. Also, for someone who didn't mind at all before, you seem a little too self-conscious all of a sudden." She said with a shrug as she shook her head
"It's a matter of decency then anything… besides, on that same argument, why bother putting on any clothes since only I can see you?"
She smiled, "I make the rules here."
"Say that a few more times and I'll begin to preach that you're the Ancient Goddess of Perversion…"
/SLAP!/
"#!! You dammed!"
[Castle Town ***** soothes your emotions]
She slammed his ass and flew away, phasing through the walls.
"Hahahaha!…"
"Huff… My headache's flaring again…"
'Now that she's with me, I guess there's no point in her acting dignified anymore, does it?… Humph…'
After drying himself and putting on some clothes, Philip left the bathroom with a clear goal.
To clear things up with his protegee.
…
/Fwoosh…/
"… I know you're here." Philip said out loud as he stepped into his bedroom
/Rise…/
From the shadows near the bed, tendrils of something slowly rose into the air, taking the shape of something… terrific. But before it could fully form, the creature dashed in his direction, enveloping his arm and taking the shape of a pocket watch on his palm.
"Quite the performance."
Laplabe moved the pointers of the watch to describe his emotions, "I just had to check… to see if you were the same person."
"Anyhow, I could say the same to you. Who were you talking to?"
"It's… a long story… in short, my plans changed slightly, but I still got what I wanted… at least I think I do."
"What happened after I lost consciousness?"
"The lass dragged you around the city, of course. She used magic to control your body… making you appear drunk to others… then she found a driver, and the rest is self-explanatory."
"She was worried. I recommend you talk to her soon. I feel like she's on edge."
"I don't doubt it… too much happened far too quickly."
'Viera is an ordinary girl before all of her prowess. Too much is happening too fast for her to wrap her head around. If she knew about the exact situation in the Academy and what I did, she might've collapsed by now.'
'She needs to grow up, one step at a time.'
"I'll talk to her and explain things; it isn't that complicated."
'I'll eventually share what happened at the Academy and beyond. Aside from a few other things, I've already explained most to her anyway… the issue is that we've only just arrived.'
'How much happened in one day anyway?'
"Well… I'm glad you are okay. Seeing you collapse after that little display was intense, to say the least."
"Thanks. Speaking of that, the statue?"
'I might need it to pacify that chaotic goddess…'
"We took it back. It should be inside the storage item. We didn't know if it would be useful, but since your blood was on it. We couldn't just leave it behind."
"That's good. One less thing to worry about… Time to get to work then. Let's go to Viera and…"
[DING]
[… Gamerverse awaits confirmation…]
"Hm?… ?!?!"
Philip's face paled.
[Time limit exceeded, performing forceful activation]
"Oh, no!!"
"What happened?!"
"Y-You wouldn't understand…"
'I completely forgot about this! Not now… shit! A-At least another hour!'
[Activating skill Gamerverse in 5:00…]
"Five minutes?… Okay, I can work with that."
"What is going to happen in five minutes?" Laplabe asked as he heard the urgency in Philip's tone
"I'm going to be dragged away somewhere again… I… Look, I need you to remind me to go speak with her after this. Alright?"
"Sure?"
"Great!"
Philip put Laplabe on a table and reached his right hand into the air… "I know you're here too. I need you now."
"Say the thing."
Falpurgiana's voice echoed inside his mind…
"…"
'I call upon…'
"Say it out loud; don't try to be cheeky."
"… I call upon the Lady of the Sickle."
"Say it again, but with more emotion."
"#!! If you don't appear now, I'm not saying this again anytime soon."
Falpurgiana approached from the ceiling, yawning faintly.
"Your castle is underwhelming. The servants are passable, though. Two out of ten."
"… I need the items."
"Which ones?" She asked as she landed before him
"The Datachip and the Tech-Orb."
"Those are easy enough to provide… but you need to fulfill a condition first."
"Sigh… Very well. What must I do?"
"Nothing much really. We're just enforcing an update… and a cleansing." She said with a smirk as she stepped closer to him
She put her hands on her waist, waiting for him to move, "Can you bend a little? Don't make a lady wait."
"Cleansing?… Are you going to blind me again?"
"… I'm starting to reconsider doing it like this." She said with some annoyance as she rolled her eyes, "I need to keep it together… I went this far after all, I should do things properly…" She said out loud as she ignored Philip
"I'm cleaning up the mark that other bitch left in your body!"
"??"
Falpurgiana pulled him closer and kissed him before he could react, much to his surprise.
[DING!]
[New Parameters are being added… Calculating…]
[Falpurgiana Mulplex, Goddess of Dwarves, Battlefield, Strife, Combat, Ambition, Mortal Emotion and Conflict, bestows her blessings onto you]
[Falpurgiana Mulplex has named you her fated chosen, granting you the highest authority her name carries]
[You have been blessed by an ascended entity from a fractured Pantheon]
[Your Title, Blessed, has been strengthened]
[You have received the Title, Falpurgiana Mulplex' Apostle]
[Falpurgiana Mulplex' Apostle
Description: You have been blessed by a higher being of immense prestige.
A portion of her divinity was used to make this blessing possible. You should be grateful.
Effects: A direct connection with the deity's dominion. Permitting a portion of its influence to wash over you.
Bodily condition is reset per achieved condition.
*Determined by yours truly*
Statistical growth is possible when defined conditions are accomplished.
*The same as above 🠝*
Your affinity for combat has significantly increased.
Your body releases a faint divine aura, instilling fear in all that stand against you.
*Let that bitch know who you belong to!*
Your senses are strengthened through continuous warring. The longer, the more, and the greater foes you slay, the greater the effect.
Further options may be added depending on the patron's desire.
*So you better work hard*
Dwarves will be compelled to hold you in higher regard and be friendlier in general.
The Church of Falpurgiana Mulplex will hold your words as law.
Other entities will have a strong first impression of you. This effect may be positive or negative.
Nature-Born may find you horrifying.
*Falpurgiana's divine attention ⚔*
(...)
*♡*
]
"This is…"
[Your Title, Falpurgiana Mulplex' Apostle, has been modified]
[…
(...)
*…*
]
"What?… What did you just…"
"Forget about that! Here's what you asked for! Just don't ask for much else anytime soon otherwise I'll enter hibernation…" She said as she threw the two items onto his arms
"Woah! Be careful. If these are damaged or the orb activates… Hm?… Where did you go?"
But she did not reply. She was gone.
"… Sigh…"
"… Would you mind if I asked where these two came from?"
"They're part of my adventure… In short, I spent two months in another world doing tasks for a long-forgotten deity. These are some spoils I got back with me." Philip replied as he ran to MT
"… Pardon? Can you repeat what you just said again?"
"I don't have time to explain… Only a minute left…"
"A minute left for what?"
"MT. Are you listening?"
[Loud and clear]
"Excellent. Expose the central port."
[Understood]
/Shaaa…/
MT's body opened like the maw of a beast, with millions of filaments moving undependable from each other like ants moving over one another, exposing its inner circuits and machinery to the world.
"What sort of abomination is this?" Laplabe asked as he turned into a whirling mass of shadows, wrapping itself around Philip's left arm
Like a refrigerator with two doors, MT opened itself before Philip, exposing much of its inner systems.
Philip wasted no time; he took a rectangular-shaped metal drive. It was strange-looking, with hundreds of tiny glowing pathways on its surface. It was longer than this hand and quite thick. Like a long metal bar ready to hit the forge.
"Get ready. This Datachip contains a lot of information. It'll also cause you to undergo a system-update. There is a step-by-step guide on what to do with its contents once it integrates with your body."
[Understood. Administrator authority has been recognized]
"Good." He said as he inserted the chip in the slot, installing the item onto MT's system
[Booting successful]
"… Good luck, pal."
'MT is more than just a machine… I hope its personality drive isn't overwritten by these changes.'
[Restarting…]
/BEEP!/
"It's done… now we wait."
"What have you done? What even was… all of that?"
"It's complicated…"
'That chip was a special item I requested out of the Complex. Since I could ask for anything and I had a lot of currency to expend, why not buy something to improve what I already had?'
'Since I can't get a Mythic Ability, then I'll make something akin to one!'
'That shard contained a lot of data pertinent to MT's frame. I'm talking about thousands of formulas and other better programming that is bound to enhance its functions and by a lot. I don't know where the Complex got those from, but with its capabilities, I wouldn't be surprised if it calculated them on the spot.'
'The shard will also improve MT hardware on a whole as the shard is in itself a complex machine. Once the data is transferred, it'll disassemble and fuse with MT's mainframe, upgrading its structure.'
'Even so, that wasn't enough, so I asked the Complex for another thing. I asked it to compile a series of formulas and other information that are relevant to MT's current goals. I don't know what it contains, but that shard was considered a Mythic Grade item.'
'The second item in my hand is similar, but it has a singular focus. To evolve MT after it undergoes a transformation. This orb is just a fragment of a Mythic Ability. A single use of a power that can destroy a world.'
'This single-use item is part of a series of powers centered on enhancing, evolving, or just upgrading items. It is like The Guiding Hand but instantaneous. Once I use it on MT, its technological level will probably skyrocket.'
'I'm uncertain of the effect of the combination of the two items. But if I go with my predictions, then MT's will go from being a supercomputer from the year 2014 to probably something around the year 2200. It may not look much, but we're talking about Metal Gear, the world that had giant robots all the way back in the 1980s.'
'Even then, my goal is… something else. This is just preparation for that possibility. A shame I won't be able to use my other items, but it shouldn't make a difference.'
'Doing too much might be dangerous. I'm not ready to mess around with my abilities yet.'
'I'll probably wake up in a few minutes to a few hours… My only regret is not clearing things up with Viera.'
"… Now we…"
[Activating Skill Gamerverse]
"It's time."
/Sha!/
Extreme darkness enveloped his body, casting him into the same world he feared.
As his mind and body's link was severed, his consciousness was brought into the void beyond. Alone in the world without form, he soon began settling his thoughts.
'I really can't have a break in this place.'
/Silence…/
'It's quiet… more so than usual.'
/Silence…/
'So… time to go for another adventure… I pray it's not too much to bear this time around.'
[Gamerverse has activated]
[Skill time overreach has occurred… A penalty is being enforced]
'What?… What does that mean?'
Philip didn't feel good about that…
[The Skill Gamerverse is looking for a world]
/Swoosh!/
One by one, small sparks of light lit up in the endless cosmos…
'... Oh yeah, I remember now…'
/FLASH!!!/
'FUUUUU…!'
From a few to millions, the burst of light was so intense Philip could feel his very Soul burning.
[Gamerverse is narrowing down the choices]
Like all the times before, the many worlds slowly narrowed down until a single one remained. A bright universe appeared before him, but this universe was a little strange… it was almost as if there were two occupying the same place.
A chaotic vortex connected both reflections, creating a bizarre, near-indescribable scene of mangled stars and infinite galaxies.
[Gamerverse has made a choice]
[The penalty is being enforced. The scenario is being altered. Class selection has been halted]
'What?! Come on, man, you know what happened! I didn't do it on purpose…'
[Beginning transferring process…]
[Injecting memories…]
…
/GASP!!/
"… HAAAA!… HAAAA!… Huff… H-huh?… Huff…"
'Where am I?'
"My head!!! ARG!!… Huff… I feel like I've been shot in the damn head!!"
/BANG BANG BANG!/
/BOOOOM!/
/BOOOOOM!/
/TREMORS!/
In the distance, Philip could hear the heavy echoes of gunfire, metal clashing, fire crackling, bombs igniting, and a bunch of other noises too mumbled up for him to describe.
The world around him shook from time to time, as if hinting at its impending doom.
"Urg… m-my head…"
Amidst all that was the extremely intense pain in his head. Warm liquid flowed through his right eye and chin; that alone was enough for him to recognize he wasn't in good condition.
He looked around as his vision wobbled. He looked around… a sea of utter blood and mangled body parts.
"What a… huff… lovely place."
'It looks like I'm the one left alive… or rather… brought back from the damn dead. Way to go Gamerverse…'
He seemed to be in some sort of military outpost, but it was hard to say anything. There were blinking lights all around, the ground and walls were pure metal with strange symbols here and there. One of them being what seemed to be a double-headed eagle that had been scratched by something extremely sharp.
Metal tubes everywhere. It was clear that whoever built this place had no qualms about aesthetics.
"This place… huff… looks like a military base…"
'My body's weak, I can barely move it… No… I'm dying.'
[The penalty has been enforced]
[A mission has been issued]
[Survive for 24 hours]
[23:59:59…]
"Huff… what?… Was that even a thing?… Arg!… How am I supposed to survive that long… when I don't even know if I can last an hour?"
[Gamerverse has selected a universe]
[Warhammer 40K Univervse]
"…"
'It's over.'
Philip looked down as faint light shone down on his body from above. At that angle, he could see from the reflection on the blood pooling beneath him…
That part of his skull was missing.
…
.
.
.
Notes
That's it then! I've decided to add a new form of Gamerverse activation! From now on, scenarios like this will be more common and I plan to add other unique occurences as well.
This way we can experience many more words in smaller, maybe single-chapter events.
I'm still planning things.
Thank you for reading and goodbye! I shall now depart to university and I'll be seeing you guys in a few hours!
And tomorrow... well... POE 2 The Third Edict is dropping so uh... Do not expect further updates. I'm sorry.
Just kidding. Thank you for reading!
If you have read this far and haven't yet joined, here:
https://discord.gg/zpAgtPBAMK
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