RE: Reality Smuggler (R-18)

Next day in the morning...

I opened my eyes and saw an unfamiliar roof over my head.

Well... I call it a roof, but it was a dome made from trees and vines.

On my back were soft banana-like leaves and grass I used as a mattress as my ancient ancestors did.

It wasn't the best bed out there, but it got a simple and wild charm.

I didn't get up yet, as I lay there, now clear-headed, wondering about the correctness of my actions yesterday.

"I was venting my frustrations and anger on a beat-up, half-suicidal man who just gotten abandoned in a dramatic theatrical play."

"Even if he deserved it, that wasn't mature. Heck, it was needlessly mean and detrimental to business. I should have taken a calmer approach, as my actions were not any different from a childish tantrum."

"Then again, I am a 22yo newbie without training, not some veteran businessman that can keep his cool in every situation. Besides, it was hard not to be angry after the shit he pulled me through."

I then lightly sighed, getting a bit bored.

"I expected him to have a bargaining chip when he bravely came over, not fearing death. That is why I allowed them to meet me. But I realize I expected too much. The man has no bargaining chip, only dead weight, bereaved dogs looking for a new owner. The man himself was also not the brave man I expected, but a broken mess looking for death. The only card he had to play was the sympathy card."

"If I had unlimited energy and had absolute confidence in my safety, I would not have a problem converting him and his men. The problem is that I don't have that."

"Taking him and his men in would peacefully earn me his base... which I can conquer. But it would also place possibly dangerous men at my side. Men that can potentially backstab me for whatever reason. Possibly revenge. And, from the looks of it, there are only men in the bunker, which is a hazard that can cause discontent and other possible issues down the line."

"On the other hand, killing him and his men can earn me over a hundred corpses, translating into military power through Kin evolution. Doing that, however, might damage his base, possibly ending up in some cliche self-destruction mechanism that could also damage my forces and evaporate the corpses. I can't know about this since it is perhaps a hidden hole card. And I might need to share my loot by the end of the day."

"As for creating Ascended, the price for making a hundred Ascended from either Minions or Humans is about the same, assuming I make them into children. The Minions would default to standardized Ascended, having no additional memories other than their inherited ones. However, their genders will be equal, preventing gender imbalance."

"Meanwhile, converting these men can result in two ways. Either I let them be like me, retaining their memories while putting aside their Ascended memories. Or I can let the Ascended memories take over while putting their initial memories aside. To be on the safe side, I can lie about it and only tell about the second option, avoiding getting backstabbed via vendetta, as those memories are more abstract from their Ascended memories and obtain valuable info. Or I can even delete those memories. But in any case, I will have over a hundred males and no females."

"In terms of emotions, I would probably not feel good about killing them. Since I stopped viewing them as enemies, it would be unpleasant. On the other hand, saving them might make me feel good about myself but make me worry about being backstabbed if I don't factory reset them into Ascended."

"And, of course, I can ignore them, but that is also dangerous. That would be the same as cornering them. It would also give me a sense of unease long-term... And a possible cliche revenge arc by somehow getting every other force into attacking me like madmen in nonsensical fashion."

So, in summary:

Converting them(Good Path):

• Pros: Get the whole base, peace of mind, solving a threat(Peacefully), information(potentially useless)
• Cons: Gender imbalance, possible backstab(avoidable through factory reset), forces me to fork the resources to convert them(I approximate 4,000 Evolution points and 40,000 Basic Energy points.)

Killing them(Evil Path):

• Pros: Corpses for military power(Might get vaporized in a blast), the base(Possibly damaged or destroyed), eliminating a threat(Violently), info(Potentially useless or destroyed)
• Cons: Losing forces(Mostly Minions and regular evolved Kin sent as cannon fodder), sharing possible profit, feeling like an evil piece of shit(Maybe? Kinda feeling sociopathic lately)

Ignore them(Neutral Path):

• Pros: Not having to do anything
• Cons: Possible future threat(Cliche much?)

 

And so, I have these three obvious options, each having pros and cons. There is also the option of turning them into man-servants, earning their reward through hard work... but that is even more dangerous, as that would put them in a position they can backstab me even harder, so I ignored that.

The most solid path is surprisingly, or not surprisingly, the "Good Path.". Well, I say good, but I would brain-wipe most or all of them. However, I would need to fork the resources and also solve the gender imbalance down the line. It could also net me valuable info, and I would have relative peace of mind in that choice(For what it's worth).

The sketchier path is the "Evil Path.". On this path, I kill them all and take their corpses and base for myself while risking them being damaged or destroyed. And my forces would also suffer some losses. I would also need to share the loot(varies)... And I might feel like a total piece of shit.

And, finally, taking the "Neutral Path.". By ignoring them, I avoid the hassle of dealing with them for now, but they could pose a future threat.

The worst part is that I am forced to choose one of them, enjoying the pros and suffering the consequences.

It was like a multiple-choice question with no right or wrong answers.

"I fucking hate multiple-choice questions..." - I muttered and got up.

My movements were seemingly too loud, as the other leaf mattress I prepared stirred as a child woke up.

"Yawn* Guten Morgen, mein Herr..." - Primrose yawned cutely while rubbing her eyes.¹She sleep-talked in German, lol.

At that scene, I couldn't help but smirk.

"Good morning, Primrose. You can sleep more if you want." - I said.

"Mm... Ja... Guten Nacht..." - She said and fell asleep.

"Hmhmhm..." - I chuckled and exited the dome...

Only to enter a massive dome.

Primrose and I slept in the left mini-dome.

The back mini-dome was purposed as a treasury, while the right mini-dome contained mutated lizard meat to be used as a luxury food for Lord Arnerd and the Leaders, along with leather and parts.

As for the left mini-dome, it was prepared for honored guests. Specifically, Ascended shapeshifters.

Yeah, the Ascended are not entirely shut inside the primary field.

I learned this when I lied about traveling to the primary field to Lord Arnerd, who readily agreed. Ascended Shapeshifters started traveling around the world some time ago, looking for other Kin Fields and infiltrating survivor bases. There were even some that came from other states for in-person diplomatic talks.

With them being shapeshifting talented agents comparable to a Kin Leader in strength, it is little wonder why they have such confidence.

After exiting the Mini-dome, I looked around and found the throne missing. Well, it wasn't exactly missing, but just underground, evolving.

Yeah, while I was sleeping, it started evolving and dug underground. Judging from the slowed-down energy consumption, I estimate it will finish developing in several days. Luckily, it didn't hamper its ability to produce protective spores and didn't cause any big waves.

Oh, and its grade increased. It went from grade 4 to grade 5, and the effects from the last time doubled. It now passively increased mental regeneration by 16%, meaning a 116% regeneration rate. And, in several hours, it will double again.

And what happened to Lord Arnerd?

I can see him inside the right mini-dome, eating mutated lizard meat in wild abandon.

In the time I slept, the energy inside him dropped from 150,000 to 144,000, which shows how much he ate. Yet, even then, it would take him days to reach peak-body condition.

"Good morning, Lord Arnerd." - I walked over and said.

Hearing my words, Lord Arnerd turned his head to me, meat dangling from his fly-trap-like mouth.

"Gulp* Good morning, Sir Iver. Have you slept well?" - He gulped down his food and said.

Yesterday, I got him to start calling me Iver since getting called Ascended One ticked me off. I also wanted to call him Arnerd, but he refused, stating that he took pride in being a Lord.

By the way, Lord Arnerd wasn't wearing armor now, his over-muscular body exposed. His blood-smeared mug was, as expected, not much different from the Soldier variants. Aside from the crystal on his forehead having a golden tinge, he was like a larger version of a Kin Leader.

"Yes, I slept well, thank you. I will wash up, eat something, and then set off." - I said.

"Sure. Be careful out there." - Lord Arnerd nodded and continued eating.

Nodding, I went outside, passing by the guards, to catch some of the clear morning sunlight.

Unlike at night, the Kin Field at day had a different vibe.

While the golden spores floated in the air, lightly sparkling under the sunlight, the somewhat familiar yet alien trees and plants gave off an ambient feeling. That, coupled with being barechested and barefooted, and exposed to the fresh air and spores, was pretty addicting.

If other Ascended feel like this, I wouldn't be surprised if some go commando.

After a minute of absorbing the morning sun and wind, I walked around 200m away, where a particular tree was in place.

This tree had a weird shape, and something that looked like a water tap was in place. No, it wasn't like the metal piece you stick into maple trees, but a bonafide water tap. However, it didn't have a valve or handle. Instead, there was a button looking like a yellow wart.

Walking up to the tree, I pressed the wart, and clean water flowed down the tap. Cupping the water with my hand, I splashed some on my face and then drank a few gulps.

The water I am drinking now is mineral-enriched water from the so-called water tree, a plant designed for the singular purpose of being a water dispenser. It has a hollowed-out truck that connects its roots to an artificial underground reservoir. That water inside gets collected from the air or, in this case, a lake. Then, the water goes through some filtration processes and enrichment, converting it into high-quality drinking water. At least, that is what the guards explained to me.

It was mighty convenient, but the only downside was that it only dispensed cool underground water and no lukewarm or hot water. But, it being an organic water dispenser, it was understandable. In any case, they also have a plant for hot water and shower.

After I finished with the water tree, I walked 50m away to a seat-shaped plant with a hole inside, gathered some leaves, and did what nature called.

Yes, they even have this. It is a toilet-shaped waste-gathering plant, dubbed the toilet plant. It is a hole filled with deodorizing moss that uses creep to decompose and recycle the base materials and disperses them for further use.

These plants didn't come about naturally but through commands to the Spore Spreader. Yeah, the Spore Spreader can build many things on order. However, fine-tuning needed to be done by human hands. Or rather, Ascended hands.

After finishing my business, I went to a tree and picked a branch from it. And then, I started chewing on the tip. A mint-flavored taste entered my mouth as I chewed for a minute. Taking it out of my mouth, I inspected it, chewed it a bit more, and then used it as a toothbrush.

Yes, they have stick toothbrushes. As it already contains everything you need, it doesn't need toothpaste, and you can use it immediately.

And when I was done brushing my teeth, I casually threw away the stick(It would get absorbed by the creep) and went and picked a ripe fruit to snack on.

While eating, I walked back to the dome when I saw something in the corner of my eye.

A bunch of evolved Kin killed Minions, extracted their crystal, and threw them into the lake. After the water stirred, I saw giant smooth-skinned colorful salamanders bite into the carcasses, dragging them down into the water.

Yes, not crocodiles, but salamanders. Go figure.

However, what happened next was shocking.

After throwing twenty carcasses into the water, a salamander exited, laid flat on the ground, and rolled over. One of the Kin Soldiers walked to it and used its spear, piercing its exposed throat. The salamander twitched but didn't struggle, letting the Kin Soldier finish it.

Yes, the scene I saw was a mutual exchange. The Kin transacted Minions for Salamanders, and the Salamanders were smart enough to understand this principle, perhaps as a form of population control.

And this transaction has not yet concluded, as more and more lives and carcasses were exchanged.

Of course, the biggest earner is me, as I am connected to the Kin. It was like gaining some points for free.

Not staying to watch the show, I walked back to the mini-dome.

At this time, Primrose finally woke up.

"Good morning, Iver." - She said.

"Good morning, Primrose. I am about to set out now. I came to say goodbye." - I said.

"Aw... Ok..." - Primrose sighed, already prepared.

"I also left you some spare clothes and sundries you might need. Just take care and do whatever you want." - I said, pointing at a pile of clothes at the back of the mini-dome.

I already picked up the clothes and shoes I dumped as a shield... two-thirds of them since a third got damaged. I also got to take all the laser rifles and grenades for free, snuggly tucked in my Storage...

"Mm... Please be back soon." - She muttered.

"I will, no worries." - I said and left.

After walking for around 45 minutes, I reached the northwest edge of the Kin field... and stripped.

Yeah, down to my birthday suit. And then I changed my appearance into a Stalker. It was to avoid prying eyes.

And then, I started running for about 15 minutes until the Kin field was roughly out of sight.

After finding a stone crevice to hide inside, I changed into my human form, hiding my Ascended features, and put on my pants.

Just in case.

And finally, the moment that I have been waiting for.

"Trod, send me home."

{Yes.}

With a silent plum of black fire, I vanished from this reality.

...

 

I found myself again with my senses shut, floating in complete darkness.

And, after 15 seconds...

 

 

Without a sound, I reappeared in my apartment's living room.

Looking left and then right, I confirmed nothing changed.

Only then I relaxed.

"Home sweet home..." - I muttered, taking a deep breath.

But then I frowned.

"Did my apartment smell so stuffy before?" - I asked myself.

However, I quickly realized what was going on.

"I got used to vintage air, so now the city air feels like shit." - I muttered bitterly.

The air in the Kin Field was rich in oxygen and Kin-friendly spores, which was like natural heaven.

Compared to that, my clean apartment felt stuffy.

I will likely get used to it in an hour, but it was uncomfortable.

Shaking my head, I took Arly out of the Storage.

"Arly!" - I said.

[Exiting sleep mode.]

[Hey, Iver. What took you so long? I got bored~] - She said resentfully.

"Eh... it's better not to talk about it. Anyways, I'll go ahead and charge you up." - I dodged the long explanation and took out a charger.

[Oh, nice! I miss having a full battery. When you feel like it, let's start the money-earning plan.] - She said happily.

"Heh, your more eager than I am." - I said.

[No, you look like you lost your enthusiasm. Finally decided that playing economy is nothing and want to conquer the world?] - Arly said jokingly.

"Nah... Just that money feels a bit devalued to me now." - I replied.

After destroying an army, getting massive points, and the Spore Spreader as my Dark Idol, my goal of becoming rich seems a bit low now. My enthusiasm was directly cut by 3/4.

Still, money is money.

[Wa... Iver is growing up so fast... Sniffle*] - Arly faked crying.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get you charged up first." - I said, taking the blabbering machine to my room.

True to her words, the power outlet fitted perfectly, so charging her wasn't a problem.

Returning to the living room, I opened my phone and checked my mail and messages.

It was as empty as my soul.

Nobody seemed to have cared about my 2-day disappearance.

"I don't know if I should feel happy or sad about it."

Shaking my head, my thoughts drifted to my recently accumulated points.

"With the number of points I have, I can go to another world, right? Should I?" - I asked myself.

The moment I did, Trod sent a message.

{You should first eat the food on your table before looking at another. At the very least, become as strong as you can to ensure your safety.}

"Eh... Yeah, I guess your right. Maybe after becoming the Ascended equivalent of a Ruler." - I agreed.

I then went ahead and checked my points.

 

 

Basic Energy: 9,925 -> 12,761

Evolution Energy A: 2,518

Enhancement Energy A: 250,305

 

 

Yeah, I earned 2,836 points overnight from sleeping. And I didn't take an iota from the dark idol. It made me a bit emotional.

"At first, I risked my neck and worked tirelessly to earn a quarter of that in a day, but now, I make it by sleeping. This is so... satisfying."

I felt like a risk taker witnessing his investment succeeding.

And I still have 160,000 enhancement points to spend. Just a bit ago, I had a hard time choosing between enhancements. But now? It felt like a joke.

"Hey, Trod? Do you think this is a lot? Or little?" - I couldn't help but ask.

{Relative to the low-tier reality spectrum you are on, and considering your current strength, it is impressive on the planetary scale.}

"Eh... reality spectrum? What does that mean?" - I caught on to a term.

{This has a lot to do with String Theory, and I would need a bit of your time to explain it. Are you interested?}

"Hm... Sure, go ahead. Can burn a bit of time."

I shrugged and started listening.