The Achievement [system].

---James---

James found himself sleeping in the belly of a beast.

Its consciousness was utterly alien, less a creature and more a force of nature this beast had no flesh of the standard sort.

Its limbs were temporary and borrowed – any creature that stepped into its bounds was a limb of sorts and it fed on both the potential and strength of all who fought that truth.

As long as their limbs did not leave, they even had a degree of freedom.

It took James a good while to even realize he was trapped. He had awoken to one of the creature's limbs – a large six legged praying mantis – trying to attack him but a few good hits had broken that threat and having beaten the obvious physical threat his danger sense had dimmed slightly. He could still feel a faint premonition of something…but it wasn't immediate and that made sense to him. Monsters could spawn anywhere. Best to be vigilant!

This beast on the other hand…this mental creature was insidious with its trap. It left the vast vast majority of James alone. His memories were safe. His personality was unaltered. His emotions were nearly completely intact.

All the creature did was…block any of James's thoughts about leaving from finishing. It highjacked something deep within James making him feel like it was his own decision to stay on the ground by a section of snake flesh and pool of void water. The trap was complete when the creature dimmed his sense of suspicion, preventing what should have been an obvious change from the outside from being apparent.

This was his spot. Why would he leave? He had everything he needed right here! He just had to 3D prin-

He just had to eat some of the snake flesh and hope it gave him stats even if it was a day old.

How should he cook it? A massive frying pan would be great – ideally he would find some metal with his new explorer class, then skip blacksmithing with his cheat. What was the chance there would be easily found metal somewhere in this cavern? Better not to leave when the chance was so low…

Wait no. James knew how it actually worked. The explorer class should secretly make the metal even if it doesn't exist. It might take a while and throw some obstacles in his way, but the treasure should still exist at the end of the adventure!

If he was going to be sitting around here he might as well explore his new capabilities, right? That was something he could do without moving.

James focused on his new class feeling out the differences.

Obviously there was a difference in functionality. The 'base' skill offered for Founder was creating a space. The base for Explorer was finding a secret. They were the easiest spells to start with. The ones simplified to a point where someone could use it as soon as they got the class but also the most complex. The most different options to start. The most ways to build it upwards and outwards.

For the explorer class the base skill was [Discover]. The easiest spell to use in its roughest form. The one with the most options and most room for growth. Unlike the side spells for the founder class, James was equally excited by all the side skills for an explorer. [Create water] – James was incredibly thirsty after fighting for so long. [Bond item] – James was tired of dealing with a backpack and something about the way this spell was described made him feel like saving a weapon might not be too bad.

It was strange beta testing the class system because James could see Maddy's touch everywhere. She had 'donated' a huge chunk of her utility spells and now…well if James turned a stone into a light he'd think of her.

The background described why the base of the explorer class felt flimsy and its utility was so widespread. That base skill [Discover] had a vague option to change it into [Track] or [Search]…but Maddy hadn't actually had a tracking skill. There was no magic for actually searching for specific items placed into this class. The base skill could be seen as [Random search] and every bit of 'narrowing in the type of object being found' was simply a 'restriction' on the type of random that was allowed.

The final main difference between the two classes was in the default.

The default 'language' for the founder class was a fixed reference centered on a space. Draw lines in the space a city would be built. Move around as needed looking at the problem from different angles. Physically move to where you wanted a house to be built and draw a outline of the house with class mana. Draw a miniature diorama of a city in the center of your space, then use voodoo magic to affect the outer city with your mini representation.

The default for an explorer was fixed to the owner. Draw lines around you – lines that followed you as you moved.

The first thing James did was get some water. It was a much harder starting point than [Discover] but he had already practiced a bit with the founder class and he was oh so thirsty.

All the utility spells started the same way. James drew what looked like a key. Circle. Square spoked pattern after that point.

This was the 'explorer base'. A key to unlock secrets but also a key to download store and activate the explorer 'library' of functions and shortcuts.

The next thing he had to do was collect the material components. A nice stone to convert to water and a glass. For the glass he could go 3D Prin-

He didn't have a glass. That was fine. There was an even more complicated bit of spellwork James could do to make a temporary one. First he had to very carefully draw this jagged pattern that encoded the geometry and then draw this pattern that solidified that shape.

James failed quite a few times, so when he finally built his lumpy spherical glass the thrill made him audibly cheer! He was getting really thirsty but all this work would make the results all the sweeter.

Four smaller monsters had appeared in the last little bit each charging and attacking him while he worked. He would have made the cup properly 2 attempts ago if he hadn't been distracted with a bear-swan.

Anyways. Stone and container.

Draw this distinct shape using the helpful highlighting of his class eye.

Watch as the cup turned black the entire vessel a black container. James could feel a dim vibration in his domain as stone was atomized and transmuted at a radioactive level the black shell protecting his surroundings. He hadn't drawn the shape perfectly so there was quite a bit of waste and radiation in this attempt. The spell accounted for all of that but after the fact scrubbing and settling everything when he was done.

Popping at the very end the black shell vanished and James was left looking at a clear substance.

Water!

Pulling it up towards his lips without fear, James took a deep draught.

It…wasn't very good. Like incredibly stale distilled water. Slightly warm from the process. A faint gritty taste where some untransmuted sand from the bottom fell into his lips.

Still it was water and James had made it himself. He loved this class.

Now that that was done he could search for metal.

James draw the class key shaping it slightly differently before directing it forwards and spinning it as if the glowing construct of class mana was opening a door in space.

A single line cut down his view. Where the founder class was a circle the base of the explorer class was a line. Mostly straight but curving towards the direction a secret could be found fading bit by bit as it did.

Following the line James stopped. It led away from his base. That was annoying.

Maybe he should do this later? He had plenty of time after all.

James turned and then suddenly boosted himself towards the goal.

He had felt scared – afraid of moving in this direction and James would rather face his fears head on.

The further he went the less his fear made sense and the more he felt the touch of the beast.

James kicked up into the air jumping across the cavern and landing on the other side.

He felt violated. The sanctity of his mind had been broken.

James watched a +9 mental defense achievement appear and disappear before moving on. The reward blunted the sting a bit but he still felt off.

The systems block on mental mana had never felt more justified in that moment. James had been expecting a head on battle over his mind. Not a slip past non existent defenses as he slept. An alteration without him even recognizing it.

He vomited suddenly the weight of the world hitting him all at once.

James was covered in bruises and blisters. He hadn't been focusing on adapting and this dimension was breaking the atoms in his body at a fundamental level.

Bit by bit he returned to himself, still shaken and yet less frightened. This was a chance, a known threat he could try to push through. James didn't want to be blocked from going anywhere in this realm just because he was afraid of something.

First things first. He should set up a reminder on his AI that poked him repeatedly whenever he got caught in that trap.

A good kick to his consciousness should let him escape.

James went to make the change and froze.

His AI…was fuzzy. It was also failing slightly, Some of the components were breaking down in the new space and glitches were happening continuously. His AI was handling it – errors would fire and then get suppressed broken hardware isolated and tested in a sandbox…but this was still a problem. Something he would probably have to actively work towards.

The only reason his AI was even functioning in this damaged space was the constant aether connection and few stats that were bound into it.

James needed metal for a frying pan and maybe a weapon. He needed to help his AI repair or transform itself. He needed to eat some high energy food to help his body.

It was good having goals.

…

Hours passed in a blur. James cast [Discover] again and again using a few different variations for more specific goals and then finally shifted to an 'always on' version that continuously consumed his class mana for unknown 'beneficial' treasure. This version was 'allowed' to work over days so the constant small treasures James was finding stopped appearing. In exchange it could theoretically lead him to much more powerful treasure. Also James didn't have to keep casting the key spell as useful as the practice was.

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Before this point James had found a small cave that lead deep into the ground a natural vein of some purple gravity reactive ore. Guarded by a tunneling maw of lamprey teeth of course. The ore itself was interesting and not quite optimal for making a frying pan but hey! Free stuff.

He had also found a gold ring that warped the air by it and a rusted blade covered in strange markings. He had even found remnants of his backpack and some decaying salt and spicy-sharp spices that were still intact.

…Maybe that last discovery hadn't been due to the spell? It was hard to tell.

A gram or so of each metal he found had gone into his AI, helped along with a 3D print into a new shape and a generous dose of healing void liquid to help integrate it.

James's AI was bound tightly into his body after all and while standard healing shouldn't work on it…magic was funky and the void liquid had adaptive concepts swirling about it.

He made an incredibly large frying pan with a chunk of the remainder then started a fire and cooked slices of snake meat a few times seasoned with spicy-sharp and salt. Spicy-Bludgeoning would be better. James loved the way that spice made the texture of food feel more real. The way it almost massaged his throat as he ate it. His defensive stats made food safe but insubstantial feeling. The spices were a way to feel something again when you ate.

Spicy sharp still reminded him a bit of eating glass but the experience had grown on him. He would have to figure out how to make some of these spices James refused to go back to eating food raw.

Other than direct gains, James had found his path being lead through the mind trap a few times. Each time the experience took less and less time to break out of.

His AI helped whenever it managed to get itself into a good enough position but James was also getting better at fighting it off himself. It was more than the threat being recognizable it was his domain adapting to the experience.

As far as he was concerned this was external thoughts being 'moved' towards him. If something manipulated his mind It was either somehow fucking with the bits of his mind stored in his soul – which should be impossible – or it was manipulating aether signals in his physical brain. James was in control of movement in his body not some freaky space or mind worm that fed on memories.

James kept to that truth he knew. All growth with magic was like working out. Skills were like muscles and stats were like gains. You had to break the old down then let your body rest and repair something back stronger than before.

A balanced diet helped, and brain worms paired nicely with petrified basilisk. James softened the stone with void water and let every bit of consumed flesh bond to his circuit teasing its secret's out and turning it into his strength.

The mental magic he was attacked by slowly became something like mental defense in his body. A shield that worked best when he already had his domain active – active stats instead of passive ones.

James's magic could have gone down any number of paths. He could have manipulated any type of mana he absorbed – throw fireballs with fire mana and heal with stored life mana. Maybe he could have stored a chunk of the snakes petrification and used it to petrify some creature in the future…

…but he had never liked that idea. It was like consumables in games. You horded those and never used them. As easy as it would have been to crystalize a domain that let him use any type of magic James hadn't gone down that route.

What if he really liked a borrowed power? He used it and then what…could never use it again?

No James had focused on his foundation pushing external influence into permanent changes. A path that turned a huge amount of instant power into a tiny drop of permanence. It was a slow path. One without any big obvious changes but one he liked all the same.

The more mental mana he was hit bit by – the more his channels refined and condensed the experience the more his body adapted to it. Soon he was immune to everything thrown at him. Maybe not immune to anything possible anywhere but enough that he was less nervous about exploring places with this danger in it.

66% took quite a bit longer to adapt to than 33% had. He spent nearly two days at the threshold before the space lurched forwards once again.

After a while James directed how he wanted monsters to appear once again – once again requesting something that could get past his defenses.

Might as well deal with it here than somewhere out there after all.

The monster that appeared was none other than R.

A caricature of him, a twisted mockery more stationary melted candle and warped hands than shapeshifting deity but still recognizably him.

The creature had slowly appeared to wake up as James watched, warping and twisting itself into something with a face.

"This is annoying" the creature's first words had been turning to James with a quiet intensity.

"I'll play the game for but a moment but after I want you to kill me. I cannot see a path back to my self and refuse to become a threat to the real me."

"Watch carefully my champion," R had spoken then twisted and unfurled his hands.

James felt the stats settle in him in surprise, his mouth opening in question and then suddenly froze.

He couldn't move. His entire body strained to move his eyes tracking the creature that stood across from him.

The monster.

Not R.

The creature pulled out of infinity by essence's warped magic.

Not someone who had his best interest at heart.

"Curious? A parting lesson then. This is a gift from me to you. Not something from the system. Not something you've earned. Permanent strength is a great boon. I've given you an incredibly powerful gift… and that means you owe me. It gives me a hook. A way to sink my fingers past your powerful but not all-encompassing defenses. Your movement for a time is a small price to pay for permanent strength is it not? What cost can a temporary restriction have in the face of permanent benefit?"

James struggled to say something. Tried to rouse his mana, tried to direct his aether. Nothing let him shift anything other than his eyes.

He felt helpless. Less in control than even the mental threat.

"How long will it last you ask? Not long, this is a gap after all but not one as great as it could be. You didn't ask for this after all. If you agreed to the trade its power would have been much greater. Consent is important despite how lacking it may seem in the moment. Don't worry, I won't move from this place not even to defend myself when you escape." R settled down and seemed content to just watch James rolling his eyes in panic.

After a while R spoke once again, seeming to hate the silence.

"I wonder how many stats you just got? I Gave you all of mine freely after all, but unearned transfers decay that potential in ways that are frightfully hard to measure. I hope it's over 33. I think we could both be happy with a few hundred but that seems unlikely."

James felt the teeniest crack of something break inside of him. He felt a tiny bit of the hold loosen. Not enough to suddenly shift his body. Not even with pure kinetic manipulation.

Enough…he could direct his magic ever so slightly. Less a active movement and more the ability to influence his mana slightly.

His concepts were accessible and with them the patterns in his body could activate even if at a low setting.

Flickering through them James tried to find a tool to escape on his own. None of them outright said anything but the magic that felt the closest was that of restriction.

His movement was restricted.

If he were willing to break his restriction magic…he could probably shift the concept into something about breaking restrictions.

…but no. He liked that capability. Why should he have to break something permanent?

James tried to find a different solution then found himself drawn back towards restriction once again.

Maybe if he restricted…the gift somehow?

James focused on restricting all of his speed stats – it was hard to focus on just the gift so he ended up restricting all of it. His mind suddenly felt sluggish. His limbs felt like lead.

And yet he had movement.

His freedom returned to him in a wave of cracks and James stumbled forward.

"So soon?" R spoke seeming surprised for a single moment. "Ah well, make it quick."

James flexed slightly then stared over at the waxy sculpture.

Just like that?

James felt ever so slightly conflicted. He had a pretty positive view of the creature despite what he had just done to him.

"How can I prevent something like this from happening?" James asked after a moment.

"Don't accept gifts from fae. I'd say don't accept gifts from fae you don't trust but...if you really don't want this to happen don't accept them at all. Either that or grow strong enough this level of gift doesn't mean as much. Tick tock now, time to end me if you would." R responded.

James stared at him. He was...grateful. He really was. That gratitude almost extended to wanting to spare the creature... But then again he had literally asked James to kill him so…that positive energy could be directed into a respectful action anyways? In a twisted way not killing him would be the least grateful thing James could do?

James walked over picked up a large rock. Charging kinetic energy he walked over to the motionless sculpture then jumped up in the air aiming towards the far end of the chamber.

Turning James tried to pinpoint his target then jumped once again rocking across the short distance before finally throwing the stone as hard as he could downwards.

James paused in air, all of his momentum directed towards the shot and burned the image of R being squished deep into his mind.

Bits of ground and waxy flesh exploded upwards bouncing off James's barrier and off into the distance.

And then, very quickly the waxy flesh began to fade as if nothing more than an illusion.

Quickly grabbing a snack James took a bite of a chunk it fading to nothing as it fell down his throat and disappeared.

And then it was done.

...

The grind continued.

…

James spent the rest of his time in the in between relatively happily testing himself and preparing. He actively grew the capacity of his channels, found a fruit that let him shift his flesh and used it to rearange some organs. James learned how to force massive amounts of kinetic mana into an area then process that into homemade spicy-bludgeoning powder. He learned to better take breaks.

James 3D printed a bed and bath, filled one with blankets the other with water.

He killed a hundred monsters and began recoding some of them as a proper [explorer] would before he killed them.

James actually stopped at 99% for quite a while able to leave at any moment but refusing to.

One of the final bits of magic James did was one of the spells the explorer class gave him.

It was something Maddy had laid the groundwork for but something James fully committed to doing perfectly. He learned as much about what the spell actually was and how the shape could be altered to get different results before he used it properly.

James first learned how to draw the spellwork perfectly then went beyond making small alterations and attempting the process on dummy before he committed. 3D printed his tools from dozens of materials and picked the three he needed most.

And then he started.

The spell was simple but full of costs. First you picked a part of your body. An organ, a limb. Something relatively large and relatively unimportant.

James picked his liver for his first real attempt.

Then you picked your item. James's choice was a frying pan.

In his defense it was a pretty good frying pan. A marvel of metal able to fit enough food for a small family all at once. Perfectly even conductivity. Durable. Non stick. Had some bumps on one side that condensed heat so he could pretend it was a grill and get some char.

Next you took both your item and sacrificed body part and began weakening them with void magic James recognized from every time Maddy consumed something to fuel the creation of another.

You both metaphorically and literally melted both bits into a container. Then you mixed the two together tying them into a single goop. Finally you allowed the body part to return to the position it was in before.

The final result…at least for James's first attempt weakened his organ to near uselessness. He felt slightly heavier and the part of his stomach he knew his liver was by was noticeably tougher.

It took a bit to heal but when that was done you had an easily summonable item.

One stored in your body – squished down and stuffed into the organ somehow – and available with a simple gesture you had to train.

The next item James stored was a massive javelin. A spear for throwing – similar in shape and function to the one he had used on the snake but designed to last.

This one James did a riskier maneuver for. Instead of a out of the way organ, James picked his right hand. The final sacrifice ended up costing the majority of his arm to complete but it was worth it.

Instead of mixing and stuffing the item into his arm, James mixed the two melted bits of matter together more tightly. He mixed his arm into the javelin even as he mixed the javelin into his arm. He pushed his desire into it – this was his limb. An extension of his power. A way to reach further than before... Finally after nearly an hour of mixing and preventing either from fading away James was done.

His main goal was the ability to heal his summoned weapon – why go to all this work only to make an item that could shatter uselessly? His second goal was a link strong enough James could retrieve his limb from afar. He never wanted to lose this weapon. He never wanted it stolen or broken or used against him.

The result was exactly as he hoped. James could fly up into the air, transform his arm into a 15-foot rod of death and pin most creatures down with kinetic boosted blast.

Considering the weapon shared stats with his physical arm it was even stronger than it should be, despite its relatively haphazard creation with dozens of random materials shoved into place.

If James physically retrieved his weapon, he could return it to his hand right away but if he was forced to resummon it from afar the arm return damaged. Same for if the weapon was bent or snapped in half. Bits of that damage filtered back to his arm and James had to heal either naturally or with the use of void water before he got it back.

Of course the arm itself was slightly worse than before – stiffer, less fleshy…but James got more used to the feeling and even liked how it looked.

The very final goal James managed was upgrading his class in the direction he wanted. All the skills he used, whenever he discovered something and wrote a description for it. Every bit of progress he had made was turned into points and once they reached a baseline he was able to evolve to a rank 2 variant.

Considering those variants weren't made yet James had to put in a bit more effort…but by sacrificing his monster meat knowledge and a single stat point James got his wish and gained his foodie explorer variant. All the old explorer abilities were still there and the new class didn't come with much already done…but that was fine. He could fill it out himself if need be.

James accepted that he was ready to move on and took a step out into the world once again.

Where should he go first?