Somewhere in the intercontinental sea.
When I finally reappeared back on Narval.
I could feel blood pouring from my back—and every part of my body.
Quincy immediately panicked:
[MASTER… WHERE WERE YOU?! ☜ ( O 益 o )]
[WAIT… WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?! (Ó╭╮Ò)]
—Let's just say…
I had an involuntary monthly subscription to hell.
[WHAT?! (ಠಿ_ಠ)]
I didn't give a damn about any random penalty.
I activated the basic skill Absolute Resistance.
My wounds closed.
My vitality rose.
The fatigue vanished.
The random penalty I got?
Anything I put in my mouth would taste like shit for 8 hours.
I raised an eyebrow, offended.
This was too much.
Even for me… and I thought:
"It's officially confirmed… this system hates me."
I exhaled, resigned.
At least I wasn't in that hell anymore.
I noticed Narval had halted its course toward the Bepnis Strait.
And I assumed time herehad passed differently than in the subdimension.
Quincy confirmed my concern:
[Master was gone for 2 days… ( ㆆ ͟ʖ ㆆ )✌]
[GIDEON HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU LIKE CRAZY! \( ╥ ₒ ╥ )/]
—Artia… does she know I disappeared?
[Of course not, you idiot master… if that AI had found out, I'm not exaggerating when I say she would've turned the entire continent upside down… But, could you tell me where the hell you were? 👊 ( ⚈ ₒ ⚈ )]
I couldn't keep hiding the truth—not from my assistant,who's been with me from the start:
—Quincy, a higher system nerfed me… now I suffer ridiculous or extreme random penalties, and the system is against me.
[I'm not surprised… ¯\_( ◡ . ◡ )_/¯]
[Now then, you should devise a plan to prevent that information from leaking. ( ¬ . ¬ )]
—I already have a plan. Shut up.
[WHO DO YOU THINK I'M TALKING TO… YOU IDIOT MASTER?! (ಠ益ಠ)]
[IF THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS I EXIST—AND MY CREATOR—IS YOU! (┛◉Д◉)┛彡┻━┻]
Hearing Quincy made me feel… better.
Like the hell I had gone through had been nothing more than a bad dream.
After a while, once I got back and explained things—lying—Gideon brought me freshly prepared sashimi.
Finally, I was going to satisfy my hunger.
But the moment I brought it to my mouth—I vomited.
And I smiled, irony laced through my cursed tragedy.
I couldn't even get a small comfort for a long time.
It pissed me off.
I clenched my fists in frustration.
Melancholy struck my chest as I remembered—not just my previous life,but everything I had gone through recently.
But I couldn't afford to fall into depression—or let it stop me.
I had to channel my emotions into the present.
I remembered, back in that hellish place, I had come up with many ideas regarding mana…
Thanks to that damn cave.
Thanks to its rot… no predator approached all night.
It basically became my refuge.
Or rather—a safe zone in that hell.
And there, trapped in those jaws, trying to escape—injured, cold from the rain, vulnerable—
I remembered every work. I had read and translated as a hobby.
Now I realize… the fact that I recalled that, in such a limit-breaking situation, was probably to avoid abusing that heightened alert state.
Remaining in that state for too long…
Was dangerous—for both my emotional and rational stability.
Because if I had panickedin all the extreme situations I experienced after the cave, I have no doubt—I would've died.
I took a deep breath and exhaled.
Now I was in a safe environment.
And I could develop the idea further:
Even if the name changes depending on the author or origin—"Mana, Chakra, Qi, Chi, Yin, Yang, Cosmos, Prana, world energy, spiritual energy, etc."
They all have different names,depending on the culture—or what inspired the author.
But they all rely on the same principle:
"Energy."
An energy that surrounds us.
And sustains all things—through its existence.
I want to create something.
Using this principle as a foundation.
And for that, I need to apply every technique, skill, and conceptI've ever read and remember—from back when I used to translate all that.
"But the first thing I need to do is: break my mind's limiter."
Even though I have the trait «Player's Soul», it makes me hyper-efficient, analytical—an enhanced human machine.
The biggest problem is…
It makes me too vulnerable emotionally.
"I'll be honest… that place with mechanics—I don't know if I would've survived, or died faster."
If every 30 days.
I'll be sent to places where no system works…
I need multipleoptions.
From combat gear, perimeter security, aerial reconnaissance, weapons—and a lot… a lot of technology.
"Artia and Gideon are key in those scenarios."
But now—in this reality—I face other problems.
I can no longer freely use «Infinite Speed» Or any basic skill. without suffering random penalties for it.
The conclusion is obvious:
"My reaction time must be improved—no matter what."
Even though I've already noticed my perception is inhumanly fast—when I sparred with the Indominus using quantum processing—
I don't know how to use it.
Or train it.
Shit.
I don't even know how fast gods are.
If I face one in my current state—doesn't matter which—I'll die.
They'll tear me apart.
I tried to calm myself.
Not panic.
Shifted focus.
Tried to recover the thread of the idea.
According to studies. I read when I still practiced sports, every human has an average reaction time of 0.70 milliseconds.
Because nerve impulses travel at around 274 km/h.
That time—and that speed—cannot be improved.
No matter how much you train.
But…
What if I used the concept of Taoist cultivation. to enhance my spinal cord—and my entire central nervous system?
In theory… I could die.
But I'm already cornered—with few real options.
The hypothetical result?
Becoming extremely sensitive to mana—and any energy, really.
That would allow me: proper use of the insane amount of mana I possess.
It's a mad gamble.
Stupid.
Unnecessarily risky.
But if I'm right—the gains will be insane.
I positioned myself properly.
And began to concentrate more deeply—just like I had done hours earlier.
Once again, an image appeared like before.
But this time—it was different…
I could visualize…
All my nerves.
Neural connections.
Spinal cord.
Neuron interactions.
Nerve impulses in my brain.
It was like seeing countless branching roots—of a tree, in human form.
And the reason I knew it was my nervous systemwas because they lit up with every external stimulus.
They simply illuminated—when I felt even a slight cold breeze.
The experience of seeing it… was beautiful.
Immediately, I began introducing mana into my brain the same way as before.
But this time, instead of tiny particles, I decided to introduce drops—to speed up the process.
Even though. I did it with extreme care, I managed to control it.
It was painful… Extremely painful.
I felt like my mind would explode if I continued.
So I stopped.
And postponed the cerebral restructuring.
I left the meditative state, and asked Gideon if we had already arrived. He replied:
[We arrived an hour ago, General. I chose not to notify you since you ordered not to be disturbed.]
—Wait… are you telling me I spent three hours meditating?
[That is correct, General. You appeared deeply immersed.]
—Damn… it felt like minutes.
[Time perception can be fast or slow within a mental space, ignorant master (—.—)]
—Quincy, are you still mad?
[NO… but I still think the master is an idiot (ಠ ͜ʖ ಠ)]
—Respect my authority as your creator, Quincy.
[The master has never respected the very idea of hierarchy, so don't be a hypocrite asking me for something that stupid. 乁(˘o˘)ㄏ]
—By that logic… maybe I should delete your services.
[The master is wise and noble ✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧]
—That's more like it. (Who's the hypocrite now, huh?)
I stepped out of Narval, which was stationed near the coast.
I finally breathed real air.
I looked at Artia's progress—watching the defensive walls of the city take shape.
And finally, I stepped onto sand.
I felt relieved—it wasn't mud, there was no blood.
And I thought:
"Nice… nothing's more comforting than nothing trying to kill me."
I never thought stepping on beach sandwould make me feel this safe.
I breathed.
And walked until I reached solid ground.
My clothes were still somewhat damp, so I contacted Artia:
—Artia, do you have any clothes? Mine are in poor condition.
[Marshal has finally returned!! Of course, I will prepare something suitable for you immediately.]
—Right… is everyone here already?
[Yes, Marshal. Miss Noelle and Miss Aphrodite have arrived with all the future citizens. I am currently developing their housing.]
—Good work. By the way… do you already have the optimal design for the defensive walls?
[Yes, Marshal. As you can see, I have made progress. I am only awaiting your order to accelerate full construction.]
—Go ahead. Proceed with construction—but do it rigorously… Ah, right.
Thanks to the intercom Artia had given me long ago, Gideon could now communicate with me.
I needed to use the basic skill «Systematic Transcendental Omniscience».
I really wanted those two working together on building my city.
But the risks…
Those damn random penalties.
If I did it—it had to be as fast as possible.
That's why I activated it:
[Basic skill «Systematic Transcendental Omniscience» activated]
As quickly as I could.
I connected Gideon with Quincy—just like I had done with Artia.
So that all the AIs could communicate together, help me organize, and report everything.
Once I finished the process, I decided to give it a codename:
—For this communication method between AIs… I'll call it «Consensus».
[System Message:You have used the basic skill«Systematic Transcendental Omniscience». It will enter a random cooldown state… receiving arandompenalty… Applying status penalty: Physical Weakness for 18 hours.]
I had braced for the worst.
But suddenly, a passive skill finally proved useful:
[Passive skill «Karmic Luck» directly affects the state of physical weakness. Changing it to "Intermittent Fatigue" for 10 hours.]