Chapter 46: Time Limit
Author:( sorry for the cunfusion,in gonnna write the levels as, dust planet has 10 lvs,so does primitive,but primitive level 1 means overall level 11,so since alicia is primitive lv5,she is lv15)
The plains stayed quiet.
Quieter than before.
After the injury, the human groups moved differently—shorter trips, tighter formations, longer pauses.
They didn't go near the forest edge anymore.
Not unless they had to.
Alicia watched one group circle a Vital Grass patch twice before settling.
"…You remember."
No system prompt needed.
The change was obvious.
She shifted her attention across the planet.
Forest—active, contested
Plains—stable, cautious
Highlands—steady, slow
The gap hadn't closed.
If anything, it was clearer now.
Alicia checked her reserves again.
Not enough.
Still far from the number she needed.
"…This is too slow."
She didn't force anything.
Not yet.
Then something surfaced.
Not from the land.
From memory.
Fragments from the earlier information—disconnected pieces aligning on their own.
Void.
Consumption.
And—
a cycle.
Alicia went still.
"…The ceremony."
She didn't need a reminder screen.
She remembered enough.
A selection.
Not random.
Not immediate.
But inevitable.
"…Under level twenty…"
The number settled in her thoughts.
She didn't know how strict it was.
Or how it was enforced.
But the direction was clear.
Alicia looked at herself.
Primitive Level 5.
Too low.
Far too low.
She didn't react outwardly.
Just calculated.
Time.
She didn't measure it in days.
Or seasons.
But she knew—
she wasn't close to safety.
"… I can't just grow slowly."
That changed the pace.
Not reckless.
But no longer passive.
She looked back at the plains.
Humans were stabilizing.
Recovering.
Adapting.
Slowly.
Then the forest.
Beasts growing faster.
Controlling resources.
Pressuring outward.
"…If this keeps going…"
She let the thought finish itself.
Humans fall behind.
Balance breaks.
Alicia made a decision.
Not direct interference.
Not control.
Just adjustment.
She redirected a portion of Life Energy flow again.
This time more precisely.
Toward the plains.
Toward stable zones.
Toward areas where humans stayed longer.
The response came gradually.
Grass thickened.
Vital zones spread slightly wider.
Energy held a little longer in the soil.
Alicia observed.
"…Better."
Not dramatic.
But noticeable.
She didn't touch the forest.
It didn't need help.
Then she focused on one human group.
The same one from before.
The injured one had recovered enough to walk.
Slower than the rest.
But moving.
They stayed within the improved zone.
Longer than before.
Resting more.
Gathering more.
Alicia watched carefully.
"…You adapt faster in stable areas."
That mattered.
She looked at the bigger picture again.
Her world wasn't lacking growth.
It was lacking balance.
And she needed both.
Growth—to reach higher levels
Balance—to keep the system stable
Alicia turned her attention inward again.
The number still stood between her and the next step.
10,000 Life Energy.
She had 7000 life energy currently.
She didn't hesitate this time.
"…I'll reach it."
Deep beneath the forest—
the hidden pulse shifted again.
Closer.
More defined.
Alicia locked onto it.
"…And you're still moving."
She didn't act.
But she didn't ignore it either.
For now—
she had something more immediate.
Time.