The Achievement [system].

---James---

As James dreamed his mind seemed to drift more than usual.

He started off with regular nonsense dreams. Flashes of snakes and stone and pizza that were forgotten the moment they were experienced. Very quickly however he sank into a more realistic one.

James was a sapling.

Lingering remnants of something he was pretty sure was life mana filled the air around him. The ground below was filled with nutrients and a warm glow from somewhere above nourished his small leaves.

This was him. His memory of everything else was weak and faded but James knew who he was and what he had just become.

Time passed with James patiently pushing upwards bit by bit. He could feel nutrients and water slowly pulling up his body and by focusing on his kinetic affinity he was able to speed them up quite a bit.

He didn't have mana. Not really. His concepts were still there, his domain crystalized with the truth that movement within his body was under his control…but the resource he could easily use to fuel that truth was gone.

That didn't seem to matter. Power was power, energy was energy and everything moved all the same. James could feel himself push goals towards his growth. Could feel the way his new channels thickened and began to shift toward ideals.

Nutrients. Water. Carbon dioxide. Life mana. Life force. Everything blended together in the end. The inside of his channels tithed everything that passed through – refining it then letting the result settle along the pathways like sediment in a river.

It was slow but it was still movement and still under his control. As long as he was in control he didn't care how long it took.

The sapling dream faded and strengthened in cycles. It blended into memories – recent and old. Then returned in full force as a relaxing sort of meditation. James remembered earth a lifetime ago. He remembered his journey up to this point…and more recently he remembered the choosing event.

That event had started off rough. They had flown to the moon base initiating the event from a position of power however limited it might have been. That let them choose a rough layout for the event – system "teleportation" to an unknown "Protected" "Location" – and let them place their goal at position #1.

It helped that so many humans were struggling with the sped up timeline. Thousands of votes had been cast in favour of "sending the high level bosses and people somewhere else". A majority even if it hadn't been an overwhelming one. There had been three main dissenting factions at the start along with a fourth group of "others".

The first was a group that agreed with the idea but not the execution and wanted the system to "provide other better options".

Considering James's group was the one doing all the work setting the option up, the system wasn't able to provide these theoretical better options…and the options it did provide had all sorts of costs associated. After considering some of those alternatives, the group of skeptics seemed to be convinced their idea was the least worse of the options – but some of them seemed even more suspicious about being forced into this option. "There has to be a reason this one looks better. What's the catch!"

There was a group that seemed to like the idea itself but seemed to want to be the ones to have come up with it. They kept trying to "take credit" for the "system's idea"…and besides the politics of it they were the most annoying. The wouldn't vote against it but refused to vote long enough they were holding the whole process back.

Finally there was a mostly silent dissenting group. They were mostly some of the highest "leveled" humans – along with those who seemed to have aspirations of becoming high leveled. None of them articulated the exact reasons they disliked the idea well…and most could tell their excuses were lies.

They were the dark part of the process. Humans with a desire for more classic godhood who refused to give up the idea of directly ruling everyone weaker.

The last group of "others" each had single objections or concerns. Technically you could have split them into a dozen lesser requirements or sorted them into the three larger groups…but no one in this group pushed hard enough to stand out. One of the biggest objection brought up was from those who had chosen city anchors. They were building a city – building a home – and binding themselves and their magic into it. What happened when they reached rank 4? Would they be able to continue growing? Would they be able to bring their city with them when they ascended? Would they be forced to abandon it? If they brought it with them what would happen to all their citizens?

It was hard to ignore this last group considering how reasonable a lot of their concerns were but the vote still went though to implement the higher realm. There had been a small squirmish – a show of strength with a mock war between those who refused to accept the vote and those who cared enough about it to fight but the result was one sided and quick.

The second part of the vote had been on implementation. The default james's group had made as a foundation was the cheapest option and most changes people offered came with large costs.

The main part of this second set of votes was a way of addressing most of the concerns. People with city anchors had the most sway at this stage and were finally addressed with a vast set of options. They could remain at the cap without being forced upwards. They could ascend with their city pillar abandoning the infrastructure but keeping the anchor so they could recreate a high realm version…or finally they could ascend with a link to the city. One of the only cracks in the initial rules about ascension being one way this link would leave them as a sort of patreon deity of a city. They could continue to influence it despite being a realm away – project a weakened avatar down at great cost and potentially create a second linked city with unknown resonante effects like allowing communication between realms or even temporary protected travel back and forth.

…There was a high chance that stated goal would only be possible with a high level founder class but none of James's group had spoiled that at the time.

This first major decision for the planet had taken an entire day to decide but considering it addressed some of the major problems humans were facing with the environment, decisions after that point were faster.

The second decision was on mantles and the rights afforded to those who gained them.

They had to do something – but full godhood had become limited after the higher realm decisions.

The final vote and effect humanity had reached was a compromise of sorts. There were two main groups of absolutes. Those who gained a mantle for themselves and those who gained them for an environment. Those who wanted to achieve a goal and those who wanted to be the one to achieve a goal.

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Someone like Jess with her goal for child protection was selfless with her mantle. She didn't care about being the one who would protect children. She just wanted them protected.

Someone like Thor – that man had to have renamed himself – wanted to be the one in charge of all storms. He wanted to rule the weather without competitors.

The final decision humanity had landed on related very tightly to ascensions. In the "lower realm" Absolute mantles would function in a limited way as they currently did. They allowed an effect to happen then boost it way beyond the bounds that an individual would normally achieve. Absolute control over storms would make Thor the unquestionably strongest weather manipulator…but not give infinite weather powers past that point.

Then, when ascending anyone with a mantle was given a choice – this was most ascenders considering how the system seemed more and more likely to give one the closer to rank 4 you reached.

The choice was simple. They could keep their mantle as an individual boost while loosing access to the realm below and limiting their range from "everywhere" to "a massive area". It would remain a powerful tool potentially giving additional effects in the higher realm…Thor for example would no longer control the weather of their planet but would retain planet sized weather control.

Or they could give the mantle up. Jess could "donate" her mantle when she ascended, locking in its effect to the lower realm and heavily influencing part of the higher realm with the same choice. This would transform the mantles effect into a law for the realm below and a default for the realm above. She could permanently lock in the protection as a sort of absolute rule for the lower realm and use it to make child protection magic in the realm above stronger.

Not perfect. A decision that made a lot of people angry on all sides but a compromise the system was more than willing to enforce.

There was a chance of abuse…but the chance of anyone ascending with a particularly nasty mantle and desire to negatively effect the lower realm just for spite seemed low. Anyone with a theoretical negative mantle would more likely want to keep the power for themselves than selflessly donate it just to lock in a negative law they couldn't control anymore?

It was less likely. Not impossible but socially engineered against to the best of their abilities.

As choices progressed past that point they became less and less impactful in scope. The 5th decision for example was one of souls and death. Several individuals had wanted to become the 'god of death' for their world, each hoping to create an afterlife to collect the dead. Some had dreams of collecting their followers into a specialized "heaven" while others wanted to create an entire realm that all who died would reach.

Godhood being limited through the ascension barrier had stifled a lot of those dreams. A group of monks had wanted to "preserve the cycle of samsara" ensuring "proper resurrection" continued "as normal" while still others wanted to ensure that death was the end and after souls evaporated or "went on to wherever they went" that nothing could bring them back.

That had been one of the most contentious choices an entire war breaking out with thousands on each side. James had sat that one out not particularly caring as much.

The reincarnation faction won in the end, but with such a slim margin the final decision left a lot of room for change in the future.

The unstated agreement was that people who ascended with mantles would definitely shift this 'default' about quite a bit in the coming years.

The 9th decision on the other hand, was especially impactful because it came from Troy. He had a secret goal of sorts, even if it was clear it wasn't for him. As far as James was concerned Troy's 'goal' was a gift for Maddy. He wanted to change the default rules for monster spawning. Maddy had stated she disliked how darkness was tied to monsters. That 'black' being bad was racist. That nighttime was comforting and currently corrupted with the concept of monsters appearing. Troy had presented it as his own idea with his dislike stemming from his own darkness affinity…but James knew it was for Maddy. Troy had never seemed to have this goal before.

Troy's proposed solution? Tie monsters to waste and decay with a bias towards older waste. Tie monsters to the concept of garbage. Of abandoned items and areas.

On the backend that meant the system would pipe essence towards garbage and waste, 'recycling' that matter into monsters as essence multiplied complexity into organic matter. It would summon ghosts in abandoned buildings. Would spawn slimes in sewers and abominations in toxic waste. It was very much an easy change too, considering essence was already an 'unwanted byproduct' of mana generation.

On the front end that meant the world would be given a reprieve of sorts. It would take time for the higher strength monsters to return once again considering how 'new' the world was and how long a place would need to be abandoned for to 'summon' the highest rank of monsters. A second chance of sorts.

That was one of Troy's most persuasive arguments with many latching onto the salvation that this decision would provide. That and dumping calamity class monsters into a higher realm of course. If people just had some time, they were certain they could build defenses to thrive or grow strong enough to deal with the environment.

Most humans didn't know of essence and didn't know the way this plan would theoretically recycle abandoned matter into useful magical materials. Those who did appreciated the plan for that deeper benefit.

Of course like every single decision it hadn't been unanimous.

One very specific human who went by the name Sil was incredibly vocal with his objections and willing to fight for them. Sil claimed Troy was attempting to undermine his power in particular – the man 'summoned' monsters from a well of darkness with his dark and creation affinity and unlinking the innate affinity monsters had with nighttime would 'ruin' him.

Despite how generally positive the majority of humans were about this decision, many didn't care and many who agreed with it wouldn't fight over the decision or wouldn't agree to a fight with death on the table. In the end the system and crowd had agreed to a duel between Troy and Sil the victor determining the result.

Sil summoned nearly a hundred monsters from his shadows, swapping places with them and shooting tiny balls of destruction or stabbing with a void knife for support. Troy had jumped between shadows, shooting contrast arrows that seemed to rip space itself as they flew. As an observer it had been one of the most entertaining of the fights, especially as both had the same affinities and a similar level but wildly different brands of magic.

Troy had eventually killed the challenger after he refused to forfeit even once only loosing a leg and an eye in the process.

James's memory became weaker as his dreams progressed through periods he cared less about. It jumped from the 9th decision to the 12th and then to the 30th. After a certain point humans could return back to their planet, the exact decisions no longer having direct impact on them. One change was in how talents and specializations would appear. Limited foundation decisions would appear in a blue box for those who reached each rank. More customized decisions could be achieved by beating dungeons at the minimum level for each change and entering reward rooms with specialized trials.

Some names were solidified by those who hated the dull numbers. Rank 5 as an impossibility in the lower realm was solidified as the 'Transcendent Rank'. Rank 4 was named 'Ascending Rank' Individuals called 'Ascendant's or similar. This was because it was both the max for the lower realm and the point it became hard to stay. Rank 3 became 'Refined' or 'Aspirant' to show the finalization of a foundation and minimum requirement to look towards ascension. Rank 2 'Enlightened' was James's least favorite of the names…but then again it wasn't as if he had something better or cared about names all that much. Rank 1, 'Awakened' seemed fitting. Rank 0 'Unawakened' matched the theme rank 1 started, but James personally felt it became less accurate when someone gained their first achievement…

There was enough contention over tier names they stayed unsolidified, but many confirmed they would be using their preferred naming scheme in all cases. "Low, Mid, High" seemed the most popular despite how vocal some other schemes were.

Of course James cared less and less about the minor decisions and his memory grew steadily hazier as he relived the past day. Or however long it had been at least. Had it really been this long since James had slept?

James's dreams continued on up to a point where he was suddenly hit with a sharp pang of panic.

His precognition blared its warning of danger and the remnants of an old skill for waking up early seemed to struggle to drag him back to consciousness.

Soon James was flaring his metaphorical barrier blocking all attacks and struggling to breathe as he realized what state his body was in.

Over a day had passed and the world sat at 66%.

Back to the grind he went.