With their training at an end, the figure spoke to the sky again, asking to leave, before bidding farewell to the group. One last time, the fog rolled in and they all moved again. This time, they each appeared exactly where they had been before they had met this stranger, before they had gained this new power, and this new purpose.
* * *
“Whew…” I let out a sigh as I returned to the admin room, returning to a human body and collapsing on the bed. “One race down… too many to go.”
I had chosen to start with the centaurs first, because they were the ones that would require the most care in their handling. There was always the chance that there would be a rebellion, and that the unicorn centaurs would be hunted. As such, it was important to get their foundations set early, to prevent the group from going extinct before they even really got started.
“Doing good so far, Dale.” Terra said as she walked into the room and sat down beside me. “But, I don’t really think that’s enough to prepare them, do you?” She asked curiously, looking down and watching me.
“I know…” I shook my head, reaching out and gently grabbing her hand. “I’m just waiting… After I teach the basics to all of the races, I’ll fast forward a little bit and go back down. By then, they should be ready to learn the rest.”
Terra nodded with a smile when she heard that, though she had a knowing look, as if she had suspected something like that all along. “That’ll probably be for the best. Just think, Dale, you’re actually planning something for the long term.” She said with a mischievous grin.
I bitterly chuckled, thinking back. “I’ve planned things before… There just always seems to be something that makes the plans fail. Guess I just need more practice, huh?”
“That’s right. But you’ll get the hang of it. Now, you go ahead and rest for a bit, you’ve got a big day ahead of you tomorrow.” She reached over, patting my chest before getting up and walking out of the room.
Taking her advice, I decided to sleep for a little while, before repeating my previous actions at another race. Maybe the beastmen this time . I thought back to the lessons I had given, and the rewards that came with them. Three levels of Leader, two Spirit Tamer, and an achievement for founding a secret society. More importantly, there was something special about this achievement.
Congratulations! You have earned a personal achievement!
For establishing a secret society within your world, you have earned the Secretive achievement. +20 points, Hidden Aura Talent acquired.
I’d have to ask Terra to confirm later, but that should at least somewhat counter my Godking aura, right? Right?!
* * *
In the coming days, every race was set upon by the strange fog that secreted away twenty people. Never more, never less, and these twenty were always chosen from those with low personal power, but had the desire to protect others. These twenty people would all disappear for between one and two days, before returning in the same manner as they left before.
However, those who knew them began to notice certain changes in the people that the fog had chosen. They seemed… happier, as if they had found their reason for living. Those who had no interest in the art of fighting suddenly sought out instruction, quickly improving their skills.
In secret, they continued training their spirits, refining the energy from the beasts they killed in their hunts. Over time, they steadily grew more and more powerful in their usage of these spirits. However, the skills they showed on the surface remained those that anyone could learn.
It was a full fifty years later when the fog once again made its path through the world. This time, it chose every single member of this new Wraith Enforcer group, including those that had joined in the last half century. Once again, the original members saw the youthful face of the man who had trained them. Unlike themselves, he seemed to have not aged a single day.
Once again, they were subjected to his training. One civilization at a time, they grew to understand the more advanced aspects of their powers. Specifically, they learned how to manifest their equipment in a more physical manner, and how to use the power of magical beasts to copy their effects.
When he left this time, he told them that this would be the last time any of them saw him during their lifetimes. It was at this time that he had confirmed what they all suspected, that he had been sent by the gods above to teach them. The threat he was preparing them for was very real. To demonstrate, he took each group to a particular forest. In this forest, it looked as if all life had been sucked dry. The towering trees had collapsed under their own weight, their wood rotting away. The plants had shriveled up and wilted, and there was barely a sound from nearby animals.
He spoke of how this was a place that had been attacked by one of the powerful spirits that they were being prepared for. This forest was still recovering from the aftermath, and would one day be restored to its former glory. Until then, however, it was a scar upon the world that clearly illustrated the threat these spirits posed.
Chapter 50
To say that I was exhausted after the training was an understatement. It wasn’t even because of how long I spent training the different races, or how difficult it was. It was the sheer repetition that wore me out. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do anything for the afterlife portion of the world, or else I might have lost it.
On the bright side, I managed to learn what the Hidden Aura thing is… But unfortunately, it was not what I expected. Rather than allowing me to hide my own aura, it instead points out when someone around me is hiding theirs’. Couldn’t they at least name it in a way that would imply a detection power?
Anyways, after I took a couple days to rest and receive spiritual healing by playing with Aurivy, I finally went to the computer to check all the notifications that had been piling up while I was busy. I hadn’t checked it at all in-between trips, for fear of getting distracted if something shiny popped up. And, as I did, I saw a flood of notifications which almost caused me to jump back in fright.
Out of them, most were sales notifications. For the new Inventory system, I had actually made five hundred and seventeen points. A rather odd number, for sure, but I wasn’t complaining about such an influx of wealth! I made another sixty three points from the quest system, and eighteen points from other options. In total… that brought my point balance just under nine hundred.
You have earned an achievement!
For creating a popular system with various options, you have earned the Modular Creationist achievement. +25 points
Correction, make that just over nine hundred.
Your civilizations have advanced naturally, and discovered new technologies!
Smithing 1 - 15 points
Language 1 - 15 points *4
Language 2 - 15 points
Pottery - 15 points *5
Agriculture 1 - 15 points *4
Trade 1 - 15 points *2
Navigation 1 - 15 points
Culture 1 - 15 points*5
Art 1 - 15 points*2
Domestication 1 - 15 points*3
Your civilizations have advanced naturally, and discovered new magic techniques!
Inscribing - 15 points*3
Spell Theory 1 - 15 points*2
Spell Theory 2 - 15 points
Enchanting 1 - 15 points
It was at that moment that I gave up trying to calculate the points myself, and just looked at the total balance. 1437?! I could make this Earth twice over with that amount of points! Wait, Dale… calm down. Remember, you have people to take care of this now.
I sent a message to Ryone, asking her to meet me as soon as was convenient. I wasn’t sure what she had been up to while I was busy, but I decided I’d ask if she made any progress in researching new spells after she got here. To my surprise, she actually arrived only a couple minutes after I sent the message, so I couldn’t imagine that she had been too busy.
“Hey, Dale.” She greeted me with a smile, crossing her hands behind her back. “What
can I help you with?”
“Well… we’ve made a few points, so I wanted to see first if you had any recommendations for purchases.”
“Hmm… We should really save some, you know? It wouldn’t be good to spend it all at once every time we get the points.” She furrowed her brow, shaking her head. “How much do we have saved up?”
I showed her the number on the screen, and her narrow eyes widened to the point that I started to fear they would fall out of her head. “W-wow… Okay, bit more than I was expecting. Well, there have been a few interesting things put on the market while you were playing around on the surface. Let me pull some up.”
I wanted to retort that I wasn’t playing around, but that would just be falling into more teasing. Instead, I silently sat, waiting for the list to appear. A few moments later, a hazy panel appeared in front of Ryone. It was distinctly different from what the system created, so I assumed that it was something she was making to show me the options that she had selected.
Fluffy Animal Package
Built for use with the Spellweaving magic system, these animals and monsters all have excessive, soft fur.
80 points
Stellar Magic
This magic system allows inhabitants to wield the power of the stars. Celestial bodies are randomly generated and granted properties, which determine the possible magic effects.
300 points
Kingdom System
This system allows the management of a Kingdom to be performed on a large scale. Orders may be issued, which are sent to relevant parties. Territories may be divided and given to others to act as local fiefdoms.
120 points
Game System required
Inventory Interference System
This countermeasure is specifically designed to prevent any method of storing items through the Game System. However, the Game System itself is not required to activate it. The price for this system varies by the size of the affected area, and may be purchased repeatedly for multiple areas.
??? points
I looked over the five options that Ryone pulled up, going through the details of each one. “Huh… people are already making countermeasures for the inventory system?” I asked in a surprised tone. I had expected that it would happen eventually, but I figured that the system would have to become more popular before people took note of it as a big enough threat to create specific countermeasures.
As for the other options, I wasn’t too interested in the magic systems, except for the fact that new magic systems were being created. That just left two things. “So… tell me about the fluffy package, and the kingdom system. Why did you choose those two?”
I could understand the allure of the kingdom system, as it could be a good idea to implement into the world. However, the fluffy animal one… “I thought Aurivy would appreciate the fluffy animals, is all.” Ryone dismissed my question with a casual shrug. “There are other options springing up every day. Some look like they are just restructured versions of previous systems, and others are created to either support a new system or to create an entirely new one.”
I nodded my head lightly at that. “And the kingdom system?”
Ryone smiled slightly when I asked, glancing at the computer screen. “Given the current level of Earth, I figured that it was not too late to add a system like this in. It would be easy for us to play it off by telling people that their kingdoms are just now qualifying for this system, rather than perpetuate the ‘Godking’ legend by having another announcement. Now, from what Terra has explained to me about how these worlds advance, if we were to wait a few hundred or a thousand years, the kingdom system might do more harm than good.”
“It’s best to set a foundation for it early. I’d also suggest buying the Guild System as well at a later date, once organizations start becoming more stable.” Ryone finished her explanation, looking to me for a response.
“I see… It makes sense. By the way, what have you been up to while I was ‘playing around’?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ryone simply grinned, bring her arms out from behind her back. “It’d be easier to show you, I think.” She held a hand out, which I grabbed and used to pull myself up. “Terra’s been showing me how to play with the Admin Room.”
As she spoke, our surroundings distorted into a myriad of colors warping around us. A moment later, they all snapped into place, and we were standing in the basement where I would often come to practice. However, the walls had been stretched farther than I had ever felt the need to.
Along the floor, every few feet was a spell diagram with seemingly random shapes mixed in. Ryone walked up to the nearest one, waving her hand towards it to make sure I noticed them. “The spells unlocked on the planet right now are just too few, so there were only so many ways I could think to mix the aspects together. Instead, I went with a different approach. At last count, I have… six thousand, seven hundred, and twenty three circles spread out in this room.”
As I took a small gasp at the amount listed, she continued. “Each one is slightly different, or incorporates a new random shape. My goal is to try to stumble upon a new aspect that I can use for spells, while waiting for the spellbook to be updated if the inhabitants discover anything.”
I had to admit, she was giving this some serious work. “Have you had any successes so far?”
She gave a mild shrug. “So-so, I guess? I found a few spell circles that activated when I put mana into them. But, most of those caused effects I couldn’t perceive, or didn’t have a proper target. I could feel the magic activating, but couldn’t tell what it did. I did manage to discover what seems to be the gravity element for spells, as well as water.”
“Well.. that is definitely impressive how much you are committing to this.” I had honestly expected her to spend most of the time I was gone playing with Terra, but it seemed that she took her work seriously. “By the way, you said that you were going to interfere with your people before. What did you do?”
I hadn’t had the chance to properly review any changes made to the races yet, so I couldn’t be sure what she had done. Her brow scrunched up in annoyance, and she crossed her arms in front of her. “Well… I had been wanting to teach them how to do enchanting. But, Terra told me how us teaching them things won’t award points, and they have to discover it themselves.”
“Instead, I sent a few random dreams to mages in the elves to give vague hints, trying to make sure that they still had to figure it out themselves. Can you believe it actually took twenty years of that before they managed to figure out how to do the basic enchanting?”
Ahh, so it was the elves that were the reason I got those points. “Well, it is something new. I probably would have taken a little while to understand it myself. Anyways, is there anything else to report, before we move on to the next order of business?”
“Hmm…” She lowered her head in thought for a few moments. “Well, I placed my dungeon down in the world. It started growing recently. From the looks of things, the more creatures are trapped in the dungeon, the faster it expands. Mine was near the surface on a large island, so there were a lot of smaller monsters that wandered into its territory.”
I nodded slightly at that. “I see, I’ll compare its growth to the other dungeon later. Anyways, could you go let the others know that I’ll be ‘waking up’ the next god now?”
“The dwarf guy, right?” Ryone asked curiously, and I nodded again. The dwarves were the only civilization left without an awakened god. Once I got him, I could start waking up the other beastmen goddesses. “Alright, I’ll go let them know.”
With that, Ryone turned around, and her body distorted into a mass of spiraling colors. When the colors faded into nothing, I was left alone in the basement. Show off… I thought to myself, before willing my surroundings to change into the living room. Call me picky, but I didn’t particularly feel like inviting the male dwarf into my bedroom. I hadn’t really thought about it with Tryval, or else I might have done th
e same thing when I gave him his personality.
Chapter 51
With a thought, the furniture of the living room was cleared away, and the stocky male dwarf from the ‘storage room’. He was clearly muscular, arms bulging as if he was ready to strike a forge at any time. His brown beard fell halfway down his rounded chest, his mustache flowing with it and at some point merging seamlessly into it. His hair likewise fell down his back in a tangled mess, likely to need some grooming after he had a personality of his own.
Courtesy of what I could only assume was Terra, he was wearing a thick furred vest over a white cotton shirt. His lower body was covered by black furred leggings, and on his back was a steel hammer, easily as big as his entire body. The head of the hammer was a foot wide and tall, and perfectly flat on its surface. Likely, Terra intended for that to be his forging hammer, but did she have to make it so big? It seemed more suited for battle than forging.
World Keeper: Birth of a World Page 38
