NOVEL NEXT SSD 4.67 - A Time to Remember
"Yamash is the most mysterious of all the gods. He created the system and then left it to his two children. There is a temple to the System in every city, and indirectly to Yamash. Perhaps it is fitting, that the God of Balance fades into the background, even though his face looks down upon us every night. Balance needs no acclaim or honors; it simply is."
-Sermon Excerpt
==Caden==
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Congratulations, you have unlocked multiple accomplishments!
Seen the Infinite Web In perceiving your own soul, you came to sufficient understanding to pull away the veil and see the touch of the system itself.
Clash with the System You overrode natural functions of the System sufficiently to get its attention and enter into conflict.
Deep Dive Traveled deep within your own soul, even entering into a metaphorically navigable landscape.
Seen the Inviolable Core Few have managed to ever see the core of their own soul, the vault that contains all that they are, have ever been, and will record all that they become.
Accessed the Core You are the fifth sapient being in the history of the System to access the interior of their core.
True Conversion You have unlocked not only inherent skills, but directly converted a skill managed by the System into one, while the System tried to stop you.
Due to happening as part of the same event sequence, Accomplishments Merged!
Error, reward likely to exceed standard parameter . . . Cannot separate due to PRIMARY SYSTEM OVERRIDE
Calculating additional factors…
-Extended time in soul initially due to outside factors +Time in soul willingly extended to achieve goals +Discovered System influence, and implemented method to counteract said influence within same soul dive +Won contest with System on first attempt +Relative to accomplishments, the total number of soul dives is extremely low -Granted titles helped gain initial access to soul +Maintained willpower and functionality over the course of extended conflict +True nature of soul, ascertained +Gained access to primary System entity for negotiations +Negotiated with System successfully, from position of strength
Rewards: Impossible… Upgraded to Breaker
Error… rewards beyond system limits Seeking resolution. . . . Attempting to separate rewards . . . Error . , , PRIMARY SYSTEM OVERRIDE REWARDS MAY NOT BE SPLIT DUE TO NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT DIRECT ATTENTION FLAGGED . . . Message Received, Displaying:
Caden, Limitations of my nature determine how much assistance or direct attention I can offer. Existing strictures prevent changes in capacity, and previous rewards have followed the dictates of my core objectives. However, a cumulative reward that would violate what can normally be awarded allowed for my direct attention and interaction. However, I am also not permitted to give a reward that is less than mandated. Normally that would mean a series of smaller rewards to equal the loss of a larger one. Due to our negotiations, however, I am not able to lower or break the reward without input. I am not permitted to tell you what to ask, but have a number of options prepared should you accept a reward that is broken into pieces. When this message ends, ask directly for what you want as a reward. Due to my nature, future direct contact is unlikely, unless you come to me.
Ask wisely, The System
Message Complete, Awaiting Input: |
It was waiting for me, but I simply sat for a moment.
Not like I didn't know something was going on.
The message from the System was unexpected, to say the least. And yet, GAIA had said the system was struggling against itself. That conflicting directives limited what it was capable of doing.
The message seemed innocuous enough, on the surface, but there were hints of more.
The initial cumulative reward was the result of an override. Initially the rewards would likely have been broken apart for each accomplishment. It wanted the cumulative award to show up.
That could have been just so it could talk with me, but it had specifically referenced our negotiation in its message.
It was all suspicious. It stank of the system deliberately trying to skirt around its own boundaries.
The normal, and presumably automated system messages, had talked about breaking up the reward in very neutral language, like "split," "separate," etc…
The direct message had used words that were factually the same, but gave a different impression. The reward being "broken," was mentioned twice, and it specifically called not receiving the larger reward a "loss."
It had also not mentioned the larger reward, or being prepared to give it, only that it had prepared rewards that were broken up.
I suspected that the System was supposed to encourage the acceptance of a lesser reward. And, I had no doubt that the half dozen or so rewards that the system could give me would be amazing.
In fact, they would probably be substantially more powerful in the short term than whatever it offered me.
That was the thing, though. I was fairly certain the System was trying to give me something specific.
That last bit, about needing to talk to the System in person. I suspected that that was key.
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It wanted me to come help, and it needed to give me something so that would be possible.
So what to ask?
Well, I had to trust it.
The prompt was there, waiting for me.
Best to use the system's own language.
"Give me the full cumulative reward, without breaking it in any fashion."
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Entry Accepted, Querying PRIMARY SYSTEM . . . Reward Package from PRIMARY SYSTEM sent: Reward Name: TRUE COMPLETE REWARD . . . Override Parameters Accepted |
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Congratulations, you have been given: Rewards: Impossible, Upgraded to Breaker
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Created just for you, and you alone, the system has awarded a unique title:
Master of the Void (Unique) Once, you walked under the sun, then you became a dungeon, and the sun, the stars, the infinite void, together they became anathema to your nature. Now, your two natures have found harmony, and you can do more than either could on their own. +10000 AP +You can extend your aura, and dungeon, (490) feet into the void without it degrading. +You generate a protective field with your aura, which will protect you, and everything within you, from exposure to dangerous wavelengths of light. +You can choose to use the senses available to your core, or soul manifestation, at any point in your aura as though they were actually present. |
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You have gained a new skill:
Spatial Elasticity II (Space) Manipulate space on a grand scale, allowing for both contraction and expansion. |
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Your title: One Small Step for a Man II has become:
One Small Step for a Man IV You are the first of your species to gain multiple particular skills and or titles. In addition, you have received a completely unique title. Use your unique knowledge and gifts to further become what you desire; you are already on the way. +12000 (8000 + 4000, excluding existing 3000(2000 + 1000)) Ability Points +8% Additive bonus to all other learning bonuses from titles and skills |
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Your title: Dimensional Specialization I (Space, Dimension) has become:
Dimensional Specialization II (Space, Dimension) Space and dimensional magic are rare, but you have enough skills to be more than a mere beginner. Their power is vast but often specialized, unstable, or both. Choose where you want to go, and the odds are good they can get you there. +500 (750 – Existing 250 ) Ability Points +10% Faster learning for abilities focused on space or dimension +10% Discount on purchasing space or dimension skills +Attempts to bypass the paths of the dungeon via dimension or space skills are more difficult +Resisting your dimension and space skills is more difficult |
I laughed as more patterns, once again, piled into the queue.
It just gave me radiation shielding.
I had thought I could simply layer enough stone to deal with it, but apparently that wasn't the case.
Maybe dungeons are particularly susceptible?
Well, it said that the void was anathema to dungeons. No doubt I would learn more about why the different aspects were necessary.
Another thought popped up, about where I was, and the black hole in the sky.
Or maybe there is just too damn much of it here, so close. Guessing the magnetic field of the planet is either insanely strong, or The System is just cheating again.
Admittedly, the last part of the title just seemed like it was tacked on. It fit the theme of unifying my old body with my new reality, though.
As for the spatial ability, that would require some experimentation. I wasn't actually sure what it would do yet.
Experimentation, unfortunately, that I would need to deal with later. The notification was still pushing at me, not willing to simply let me sit and think, and definitely not providing enough time to do some real experiments.
Probably that inherent skill mentioned in the achievements.
No point putting it off.
So I pulled open the next.
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You have earned new titles:
Mercy Without Restraint Error… Engaging automatic protocol
Against Capital Punishment (First) Without even knowing the crime, and for no personal gain, you pardoned a man condemned to die. Wise or foolish, who can say? To save an innocent man is laudable, but sometimes, to save a guilty one condemns many more victims. +100 AP +5% Discount to purchasing and learning life and/or death aspected skills +(First) Better understanding of how to heal otherwise fatal wounds
Luck Favors the Fool VII (Max) A series of circumstances entirely out of your control have conspired to save you from grave peril. The soul core isn't supposed to be open, you know? For it to open for you, well that is just luck. Managing to stave off soul and body collapse as part of the process, borders into the absurd. Being able to negotiate with the system when a massive reward was about to happen, to make it defy its own limits, you are just impossible. And now luck will go your way much more often. Still, remember that any given event is usually made of countless smaller ones. Even if luck goes your way for most of them, it only takes a few not going right to screw you over. For example, being saved by the core of your soul is so unlikely that it still wouldn't happen again, let alone the rest. +31,750 Ability Points (250+500+1000+2000+4000+8000+16,000) +Random events will go in your favor a substantial amount of the time +Chaos magic and skills are significantly easier to learn or buy (70% Discount) +(Max) Once per century, the System will step in directly to save you should an external source be about to kill you, rewriting reality to remove you from harm. Only you will remember the change.
Hoarder Extraordinaire You have more than 10,000 times your level in Ability Points. What exactly have you been doing? I'd ask what's in the water there, but you don't really even drink it. Save some points for other people, once in a while. Or, at least, spend a few. +Unlock new purchase options |
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Not what I was expecting.
I mean… they all made sense, though I was surprised to receive the fool title. I figured the accomplishment would have covered that.
My eyes narrowed for a moment.
Why didn't I get the fool title before?
I thought back, remembering all the things I had done to escape.
Wait…
There had been that strange sensation.
A sensation that I actually knew now.
Shit.
GAIA had already said it. The System had been acting on my behalf, bound by some rule to try and keep me alive. Something about me being a unique sapient, if I recalled correctly.
The System was rewriting time to keep me from dying.
Ugh… and I had introduced some level of resistance in my soul now.
Fuck.
I wasn't supposed to succeed in my escape. I would have died when I messed with the emblem, or when I cut my own aura, or in the sewers as I pushed too far.
I didn't get the title, because there was nothing lucky about my survival. I had pushed against my limits, and the only reason I was alive was because the System had to keep me alive.
Obviously, it's still trying to help.
All the anxiety and worry, all the thoughts about dealing with humanity, all the work to make my dungeon secure… And I had still almost killed myself again, plunging with reckless abandon into my soul.
I needed to be more cautious.
I sat in the chair, my thoughts droning and listless, until the pressure made me open the next notifications.
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You have unlocked: Inherent Skills
Inherent Skills function differently than all others. As skills that spring from the direct control of the soul, they are not moderated or enhanced by the system. As a consequence, all titles, bonuses, etc… do not affect or alter inherent skills.
They are also recorded differently, measuring capability using sub-skills with values from 1-100
Your skill Soul Mana II has become Soul Engine
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Well, I guess that is that.
I didn't know what everything meant, but I would learn.
All the notifications were finally dealt with. Now, it was just time to deal with everything else.