Fear coursed through me completely, freezing me to the very depths of my consciousness.With a trembling voice, I asked how I could protect myself.
The gem responded that it possessed an immense amount of information, and that all of this knowledge would be crucial for my survival. It explained that there were countless civilizations throughout the multiverse, and that many of them cultivated different types of energy to elevate their level of existence. These energies were produced by planetary cores, which were classified as follows:
Planets without a grade: Planets without energy. Their inhabitants are mortal.
Planets of grades one through nine: Planets capable of producing energy. The higher a planet's grade, the more energy it generates and the more powerful its inhabitants.
The types of energy that could be cultivated included mana, soul energy, aura, sacred power, and many others.
Mortals could cultivate these energies and strengthen themselves, raising their existence up to a maximum of nine levels, the limit imposed by this universe. Each level was divided into four sublevels: initial, middle, high, and peak.In general, those who reached these states were known as Ascendants, from level one to level nine.
The more information I received, the deeper my concern grew.
If I had been a human fused with the gem, I could have strengthened myself quickly and learned techniques for attack and defense. But as a planet, the situation was entirely different.
Planets cannot attack. The rules that govern them do not allow it. Their function is to generate energy and empower their inhabitants; it is these inhabitants who, in return, protect the planet. I could not act against this principle.
At best, I could reinforce the barrier protecting my core, as other planets do. But that would not be enough against someone truly determined to destroy me.
The only advantage I had was that I was an anomaly.
Never before had a planet existed with a soul.
Because of this, I could make certain modifications to my core. However, these changes could not be extreme.
In the end, the truth was clear:my survival depended on my inhabitants.
According to the gem, planetary cores could only produce a single type of energy, and their inhabitants could only cultivate that specific energy. This planet was currently on the verge of ascending to a grade-one planet. While I had been dormant, my core had been constantly drawing energy from the surrounding space, and the gem had been amplifying that process. Under normal circumstances, I should have already ascended to grade one, but now the decision rested with me.
And that choice would be irreversible.
After long reflection, I made a risky decision.
Instead of choosing a single type of energy, I would try to create a new one, fusing several through the power of the gem. By doing so, I would bind my inhabitants to me: if I ceased to exist, they would no longer be able to continue strengthening themselves.
Moreover, the resulting energy would be more complete and powerful than any other.
This would give rise to extraordinary warriors, beings who, out of sheer self-interest, would never allow me to be destroyed.
I could have summoned external races to defend me, but I preferred to create my own. Beings that depended on me to exist and grow. External races could always leave for another planet; mine would have no such option.
However, this decision was not without risks.
Even with the gem's help, this was something that had never existed. During the process, there was a chance that my core could collapse…
And if that happened, I would die.