Once I was safely back in my room, the first thing I did was look over my attributes. I officially had the last fifteen I could gain until I got my core. Alongside them ca another quest completion for having cleared the dungeon Basents of Shadow. It wasn’t the best na, but I wasn’t in any place to argue with the System and how to na things. I avoided clicking on the quest itself, not wanting to risk losing the experience if I wasn’t allowed to go above the cap yet. It could wait until I had my core.
As for my remaining attribute points, I didn’t know if it was the best idea or not, but I’d decided on generalized proprioception as the place to throw them. I had enough to get it up to twenty-four ranks. My reasoning was a hope that it might let better understand my body’s relation to the artificial sockets I had been plotting since I resigned myself to this goal.
The good news about my goal was that I was fairly confident I understood part of what caused such a cataclysmic level of failure for Karlinovo. I understood that sounded incredibly egotistical given that I was a newcor to all of this, but he was essentially trying to invent sothing very close to the field I am incredibly well-versed in. Looking at his design as a rudintary circuit system, he failed to control the energy flow at all. From the mont the system ca online, all the energy entered the system, moved in all directions, and ultimately collided back uncontrollably into the subject’s core. It would be like building a modern house without any sort of fuse or breaker to safely interrupt the electricity as it overloaded.
The second problem I saw with his design was a lack of logic controls. It was entirely possible, at so point, that my core and mana channels would be able to handle the energy output from multiple mana orbs at once, but I didn’t think it was possible in a brand-new core. From what I read, even just a single mana orb could blow out mana channels if the user tried to force too much energy across them. Part of learning to properly use your core was understanding how much energy could safely be moved around your body. So this ant I needed to lay out a system of gates that I could open or close, thus deciding the direction of the mana flow.
In theory, this would let choose between combining various mana orb powers or just using a single one. In practice, I had no idea how ti-consuming it would be to flip the right switches ntally whenever I wanted to use an orb. I figured, worst-case scenario, I was stuck with only one orb easily usable, but all the while, all six were growing from my core energy, and I could at least change the one I wanted to use ahead of ti, just possibly not in active battle or benefit from any real combination effects. If this actually worked, it might even be possible to scale more sockets in the future.
Now, the problems. The mana circuity itself turned out not to be the issue I was initially worried about. The System had been apparently expecting and preparing for this problem and that was why the refined mana plates had been a reward. Based on so quick sketches, I had just a little over enough to make all six sockets and the wiring between them. I had also figured out how to make so basic switches for the gates. Using secondary lines that were attached to a different spot within my core, I could control when and how they were toggled. The only real problems I had left were the amount of energy it would take to create this, where I could safely do it without destroying everything around , and how I could ask my only friends to risk their lives to help .
There was just no way I could figure out how to control the energy flow into the system to pri it while also aligning and placing the artificial sockets with the wiring. I was going to have to ask the brothers, Elody and possibly even l, for help. That ant revealing the quest the System had on, and I had no idea how well that would go over either. The brothers mostly knew what was going on, and I suspected Elody had so idea, but l likely had no idea. Resigning myself to that fate, I decided to approach Elody first. I knew the brothers would agree no matter the danger, so I needed soone else to really assess my work, ideas, and threat to life before this went any further.
After sleeping on it and still finding no alternative, I made my way to see Elody first thing after breakfast. She was at her usual spot, chipper as always, overseeing the archive from her librarian desk. “Hey Elody, there’s sothing I was hoping to talk to you about, probably in private. Any chance you have a break coming up?” I asked her, hoping I didn’t sound like an awkward teenager about to confess so crush.
“No problem, I can take one right now. Follow ,” she answered. I followed her to the sa room where we had shared lunch once before. “So I assu its core forming ti, and that quest is still there worrying you?” she asked the mont I had taken my seat.
“Good guess, but I know a lot more about it than last ti we talked. It wants to make an esoteric core,” I answered, watching her face for any reaction. There wasn’t one that I could catch.
“Yes, I was worried it was sothing like that. With all the interest in Karlinovo, it was obvious where the System was pushing you. As far as I know, there have been a few attempts to replicate his work, and none have managed to go as far as he did. Are you sure this is sothing you want to attempt?” she asked with a concerned smile.
“No, I’m not, but I also think it’s sothing I have to attempt. I’m going to need a lot of power if I want to save my ho. I had already decided on which mana orb I would have to focus on if I wanted my body to stand any chance at the fights, but this gives a real chance at being able to do sothing,” I explained, almost pleadingly so. I needed her to understand what was at stake.
“I understand, and I’m not implying that I’ll stop you. New knowledge is often dangerous to acquire. What can I do to help?” she asked, seemingly understanding how desperately I needed this.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to for the genuine story.
“I’m going to need help with the experint itself. For now, I was just hoping we could have a eting sowhere private once I ask l and the brothers as well,” I said. While I knew the details of how I wanted to lay out my circuit, where everyone would be best placed wasn’t sothing I knew just yet, and there was still the matter of the energy, but these were best discussed once I had everyone together.
“Okay, just let know once you’ve figured that out, and I’ll make the ti to attend. It's so rare to get anyone like you, or even the brothers for that matter, through the library doors these days. You haven’t been beaten down in the Arena yet. You aren’t using the archives to find a better way to kill soone or advance your ranking there. I hope you never lo–” Whatever she was going to say was cut off by a yell from the other room.
“Elody, I need you out here!” A voice I recognized as belonging to the other librarian called.
“Coming!” she yelled back, leaping from her chair to the front of the door in a single motion. I blinked several tis just to confirm my eyes were working correctly, and that I had, in fact, watched her leap twenty feet from a sitting position. As she was still there, now passing through the opened door I assud they had to be. Would I be capable of such things as I continued to level up?
“Ah, there you are. You are the master librarian, Elody adows, correct?” The question had co from a tiny figure, maybe two feet tall and shaped like a cardboard tube. Two much larger beings flanked the speaker; both looked like soone had carved a wrestler out of stone and given them the job of bodyguard.
“I am, and you are?” she asked, annoyance obvious in her voice. I didn’t like the look of the newcors either. They looked ready for a fight.
“I am a representative of the collective courts, and I have an injunction for this archive to be shut down until a proper audit has been perford. We have learned of the dungeon that ford under your watch, and that is not sothing that can be allowed,” they said rather smugly, pulling out several pieces of paper and placing them on the countertop.
“I see such a little man for such a big task. If you could give a mont to read your docuntation, I’ll consider your claim,” Elody responded, grabbing the docunts from where they had been set. The cardboard tube man’s face went from smug to angry, but he said nothing as Elody quickly scanned the papers before setting them back down.
“I trust you see that everything is in order,” the representative said through a sneer. I wanted to hit him. Elody had done everything she could about the dungeon, and as far as we knew, no one besides the man who had attacked had even been hurt by it, but this was Elody’s fight, and she could handle it far better than I had a chance to.
“They are. I resign. Quarilyn is now the master librarian. That resolves your audit as written. Thank you for your ti, gentlen. If you have any other matters here, I’m sure that Quarilyn will be able to help you,” Elody said, giving them a small nod.
“What? That isn’t how this works!” the small figure said, his rage boiling over. I tried not to laugh. I had no idea if Elody was correct or not in how she read the docunts, but the idea of a cardboard tube being red in the face was too comical for my brain at the mont.
“The clause specifically says to audit the master librarian Elody adows, and once her removal has been done, and a new master librarian appointed, then the archive may reopen. I understand that may not have been the goal of whoever snuck that book into our sub-basents, but that is the ruling that was given to you. Now, if you will excuse , my friend and I have so people to see,” Elody signaled for to follow her as she walked past the representative and his guards into the elevator, and I quickly followed.
“What just happened?” I asked the mont the doors closed.
“Another attack in a long series of people trying to stop the free flow of knowledge. There are those who prefer to keep knowledge away from the masses, hoarding it for their own personal libraries to better control those who get access. I regret not catching the dungeon plot earlier as I did enjoy my job, but this change in circumstances does free up to assist you fully in your core creation,” her answer pushed back to the mory of the dwarf-like figures who had earlier demanded their audits. I was sure they were tied together, but if Elody couldn’t do anything else at the mont, neither could I.
“I appreciate the help; next stop, l,” I said, deciding to change the topic as best I could for now. The doors opened, revealing the well-stocked site of the Adventure Hall.
“Well, that’s an interesting pair. Shouldn’t you still be manning the front desk, Elody?” l said, his cloud form turning towards us.
“Yes, there’s been a change in position there. The Triox made their move, and managed to outmaneuver for the mont, but all they managed to do was cost my position, no real damage to the archives,” Elody explained. Her usual bubbly smile had disappeared, replaced by an annoyed scowl.
“I don’t know if I’d count that as no real damage, but I see yer point. What can I do to help?” l asked.
“? Nothing, I’m here for Dave. Any chance you could put in a call to his buddies and find a private room where we can all talk?” Elody said, turning her scowl into a determined grin. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign for my future or not.
“I can, yes, but just what are you two playing at? I can tell he still ain’t got a core,” l said. His eyes focused strongly on for a second. I assud he was once again scanning my person.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Elody hushed . “Private room first. Please, l,” she said.
“Fine, have it your way. Follow .” As l floated out from behind the counter, a smaller part of him broke free of the rest of the green cloud. I turned my head, watching as it flew into the elevator. Was that how he was sending a ssage? I realized Elody had already left my side, following l as I looked back to his main form and quickly moved to catch up to them.
I followed them both through a door into a smaller room with several chairs and an oddly shaped table in the center. As we sat waiting for the brothers, several questions ran through my head. Why had Elody decided to rush this eting? Was I in danger from the Triox people? Or was she in danger?
This world I’ve found myself in is beyond belief. I do not understand how or why I’ve co to this place, but in the off-chance that so future person should find themselves in my sa fate, I find myself drawn to the idea of chronicling what has happened to to give them possible aid in their understandable confusion. How a fish in a bed could ever lead to a land of giants I do not know, and even stranger I have learned that this world is only one of many connected to sothing called the Spiral.
Ronald Tamn’s Personal Diary
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