System Scribe Academy Book 1 - Chapters 96,97,98,99,100

Chapter 96

Perseverance

A week hardly seemed like enough time to prepare for the semester’s final trial, but Ethan took solace in some facts that were shared during his meal with Luna, Finn, and Nyx. Things would start off slow, of course. The number of monsters that the people in charge would release would be minimal, and most efforts would be dedicated to evacuation. Every step of the trial had a purpose. Even the evacuation was a test for the people in administration and logistics. Preparing a town to be attacked was a matter of course for colony towns out in the wider universe.

So realistically, he had more than just the week to get ready. Ethan had his secret project that he worked on occasionally, his bracelet, which he sought to empower every single day, and his rings. He had been targeting his endurance ring for one very specific reason. There was an analogy to be made about his Affinity and Mind Rings when compared to Agility and Endurance. With his increased Agility, he could move a lot faster, but he didn’t have the physical stamina to keep it up for long. This caused him to focus all his efforts on his Endurance Ring.

Amelia’s sights were set on magical research. She had, on her own, figured out what was going to happen in the next part of the trial and had endeavored to prepare for it earnestly. She had spells targeted for research, along with monster behavior and a bit of dungeon engineering for good measure. Although her path wasn’t yet set in stone, it would no doubt take her down the road of academics and research.

After Tenalia had given Barry an undisclosed amount of investment money, Ethan watched as delivery crews brought cart after cart filled with equipment. The scribe was forced to expand to the size of the front door of the shack, covering the entire five-foot section to get some of the larger pieces through. Some were still too big, so they had to be disassembled and reassembled inside. But whatever the man was working on in the warehouse was a secret. He had discovered a way to bar the door from the inside and explicitly forbade anyone from entering without his consent.

It was Tuesday by the time Ethan finally saw his Endurance Ring roll over to the second rank. He had been practicing in a park with Tenalia while she did her sword work. He infused that ring with his potent energy. When it finally broke, he felt his heart seize in his chest, all the air driven from his lungs as his muscles drained of energy. This was only slightly more uncomfortable than his experience with the Mind Ring, but it ended as soon as it came.

Once the discomfort had faded, Ethan rubbed his hands together.

“You’ve got that look in your eye.” Tenalia stomped over, her armor making not a single sound as she crossed the lush park’s ground. “Like you’re scheming something.”

Up until this point, Ethan believed that he had been too reactive, and he wanted to become a more proactive person. Of his rings, his Endurance, Dexterity, and Strength were currently empty or filled with skills he didn’t need. Part of his secret plan was to go far and wide, picking up system sigils that he could cram into those rings and make them far more useful than they already were. There was a point when he had almost forgotten that he had a gravity-defying ability for his Agility Ring, and it was time to rectify that mistake.

The crowning achievement for this effort would be a spell for his Affinity Ring. But he was a long way off from that. Instead, he turned his attention to the database of spells the bracelet had accumulated. Not only had he pushed his Endurance Ring to gain a second rank, but the first ring also had another slot. It was time to get mixing.

“It will probably take me a while to get used to the way that my new Endurance works. But I want to cram some powerful abilities into the first ring. I’m taking all suggestions on potential combos.”

“Haste.” Tenalia said the word without a thought. “Pray for an increase to your stamina regeneration.”

“Haste and healing?” Ethan asked, not sure if his idea made any sense. “Perhaps we can relieve muscle fatigue?”

Tenalia nodded in agreement. “Oh, stack that with something to reduce overall fatigue. Not muscle fatigue, but mental fatigue.”

“Let’s see what we can come up with…”

Ethan took the problem one ring at a time, focusing on the perfect combo for the Rank 1 Endurance Ring. He wanted something that would energize his stamina, allowing him to run away for longer. There were a few interesting support spells mage spells that could help with that, and he eventually settled on two that created something useful.

Lesser Haste and Lesser Energize were two very useful spells. Haste was great because it made a person move and think faster, but Energize was awesome for parties that had to fight for extended periods. When Ethan smashed them together, the result was even better than he could’ve expected.

[System’s Perseverance]

Endurance Ring Synergy Ability

Generated By:

Lesser Haste, Lesser Energize

Description:

Using Celestial mana, the user may supplement their natural stamina regeneration. This only functions for a certain time, depending on the rank of this spell. Extended use of this ability without rest will cause diminishing returns. Baseline natural stamina regeneration is also increased greatly as well as a decrease in muscle fatigue from exertion.

Effect:
Supplement your natural stamina with Celestial mana.

Natural stamina regeneration increased significantly.

Muscle fatigue decreased significantly.

The ability to combine anything and put it in any attribute was overpowered. Extremely overpowered. Ethan could pick from whatever system he wanted, selecting the best spells, abilities, or skills, and cram them into his rings to get some seriously amazing effects. This ability would allow him to supplement his stamina with mana, meaning that when he got tired, he could simply inject his Endurance Ring with mana and stop feeling tired.

“That’s a good one.” Tenalia nodded with agreement. “Why don’t we test it out? Let’s run you rag it and then put mana into your ring. Make sure this thing works.”

It turned out that running Ethan ragged wasn’t such an easy task anymore. The duo set off through the city, taking a path along the coast this time until they ended up on the beach. They ran for miles, and the scribe felt almost nothing. It wasn’t until he pushed his agility ring to its limits, forcing him to go faster over the wet sand, that he finally started drawing more labored breaths. But the instant he felt his heart thundering in his chest as though he couldn’t keep running any longer, he allowed mana to flow into his ring. An instant later, his heart slowed, and his breathing evened out. It was as though he had just found a park bench and sat there for a good half hour.

Hooting with excitement, Ethan pushed himself even harder. He didn’t find the limit an hour later, and was forced to concede that System’s Perseverance was indeed one of the best things he’d created so far. But there was a kind of fatigue that had settled over him that went beyond just the muscle aches. It was a whole-being kind of thing that had soaked into his soul. He recognized this as the limit of his body as a whole, something that he and Tenalia had both anticipated. It wouldn’t go away until he rested properly. That might’ve been sleep, or something else.

Settling back onto the park bench after using System Leap to get back, Ethan got to work on picking his next ability.

The answer to this one was a bit of a chore, especially since people at the cultivation academy weren’t super happy about sharing their secrets. Even Luna had been kind of upset when Ethan had effortlessly emulated one of her abilities. Even though he told her that he was literally cheating, she was still sore about it for a while. That meant heading over to the Infinite Ocean Academy over the next few days was a harrowing affair. The reference to the technique he was searching for was sparse and only mentioned in passing in the books the bracelet had scanned.

People in that academy called their classes paths or dao. Ethan didn’t really know if there was a difference, but he found his way to one of the more open sects. So long as he bought some food from local vendors, doing his best to pretend to be a tourist, they didn’t care that he watched members of the Solid Earth Dao practicing in public.

They had a very specific technique that the scribe sought to emulate. It was an enduring technique, which went well with his Endurance Ring. On the second day of study, the person in charge had noticed the way the scribe was observing the class and, to his great surprise, invited him over to practice the technique. Ethan viewed this as a very good thing, as learning an ability from afar was nearly impossible. He regretted agreeing right away and was quick to learn how hard these folks had to work to learn anything for their system.

“The Solid Foundation technique is what we teach our children,” the elven instructor said with a laugh. “Does it bother you how amused I am with you? That you cannot even do what a child does?”

Ethan was covered in sweat. Despite his upgraded endurance ring, he could hardly keep up with the other young students. True to the old white-haired elves’ words, those students were somewhere between eight and fifteen. Each of them held the pose for hours on end, cycling mana through their entire body and putting it into the earth at their feet. The purpose of this was a grounding meditation technique, a way for them to establish a solid defense against everything. When they reached the heights of the path, they could produce the effect in seconds, but for now it was slow.

A system message removed some of the ire he felt at the stabby instructor.

[System Emulation]

Would you like to emulate the B-1 system at Rank 1, Stage 1, with the Solid Earth Path?

Y/N

“Not at all, master,” Ethan responded, using all the honorifics that were expected of him. “I think I’ve got it.”

A moment later, Ethan formed the ability in his chest. He had given it a System Sigil and exploited his endless hours of Array Foundations 1 homework to emulate the ability. The Solid Foundations technique flowed through his body, the mana cycling rapidly before it shot into the ground. Instantly, the scribe felt rooted, as though he were anchored to the entire planet.

The white-haired elven master’s brows rose. “How did you… Are you certain you’re a mage?”

Ethan just smiled, inspecting the dao’s secrets.

[Solid Foundations]

Emulated Rank 1 Ability (B-1)

Description:

Using a rapid cycling of mana, anchor yourself to the ground, creating a solid defense both mentally and physically.

Effect:

Maintain contact with the ground to greatly increase your defenses.

“This was a very valuable lesson, Master.” Ethan released the ability and bowed to match the traditional sign of respect the cultivator academy used. “Somehow I still feel like a child trying to learn the basics.”

“Come back for another lesson, if you like!” the old man called after Ethan departed. “You might be a genius cultivator and you don’t even know it!”

“Thanks! I’ll keep that in mind!” Ethan shot back.

He left the academy with a smile on his face. Perhaps these people weren’t as secretive as he had first thought. They had invited him in to practice and were super nice for the most part. The master giving him a hard time about the technique was just part of the culture. And the reward made the scribe smile the biggest, stupidest smile he’d produced in a long time.

Chapter 97

Structures

Ethan waited until he got back to the cottage to slot the new technique into his Rank 2 Endurance Ring slot. By the time he returned on Wednesday night, he was fairly tired. It had been constant practice and preparation, but he believed it was worth it. The moment he slotted the technique, a rush of uncomfortable energy flooded through his entire body. The unfamiliar power raced through him, seeming to scour away the energies that had dragged his soul down. What was left was a jittering electricity that made him want to go outside and do backflips for a couple of hours, like a kid who had just eaten their way through a chocolate factory.

He inspected the resulting ability.

[System’s Enduring Grounding]

Rank 2 Endurance Ring Ability

Generated By:

Solid Foundations (B-1, Solid Earth, Stage 1)

Description:

Greatly reduces full-body and soul fatigue. Making contact with the ground, any ground although bare earth and stone are more effective, increases this effect.

Effect:

Greatly reduces full-body and soul fatigue. Effect increases upon contact with earth or rock.

Ethan had trouble taking notes on this one. It felt like he had just slept for a week, woke up, and then had a breakfast of a 12-pack of Red Bull, washing it down with some Pixy Stix and ending with a pot of coffee. He was energetic to the point of being uncomfortable and had to enter the meditative trance Luna had taught him to calm himself down. Only then was he able to focus and realize the power of this ability. Upon self-reflection and inspection of his body, the scribe realized that slotting this ability into his newly upgraded ring was likely the reason it felt so uncomfortable. He still wasn't completely used to the way his endurance worked, so a sudden burst in energy on top of another burst of energy was to be expected.

"What are you doing?" Tenalia stood at a distance watching as Ethan did a bunch of backflips in his living room. The ceiling was tall enough that he could get pretty high, and he was generally having a good time.

“Doing flips,” Ethan said.

“Yes, I can see that. But why?”

“I dunno.” Ethan did a few more backflips, eventually falling on his face when he tried a front flip. “Strength, Dexterity, and Vigor. Dexterity is the next one, right? Gotta be more nimble of the hands—hey how much more nimble do you think I’d be—’cause I’m already really nimble of the feet and—but Dexterity? That means I can do faster pen stuff, y’know?”

Tenalia looked around, tapping her sword on her shoulder. When Ethan realized she was considering the best way to put him down, he took a calming breath and chilled out a bit.

“Sorry.”

"I wonder if your body will adapt to that much available energy. It seems as though you're having a difficult time managing it." Tenalia assessed him, walking around and shaking her head in disappointment. “Is this a situation where you only slot that ability when you need it?”

Ethan was a good judge of himself. “I can adapt to this. Just the rush of an upgraded ring… Also, then I’d have to remember to do it.”

“Yes, but you’re… unreasonably energetic.”

“This unit might have a suggestion,” the bracelet offered. “The creation of a module that could offload some more… energetic thoughts might be possible.”

“Oh?” Ethan asked, stopping himself from doing another flip.

"Would you like this unit to begin creation of such a thing? I have identified several situations where system-based elements may alter the way your brain thinks. The creation of this module would almost eliminate that, as long as you keep it updated."

“Uh, duh!” Ethan said, finding himself compulsively doing another flip. He could already tell he was being very annoying. Tenalia had her sword half-raised. “Put everything you have into it. I have a lot of energy to spare right now—well, not really mana but—”

Tenalia slapped Ethan on the ass with the flat of her sword. “Get out there and get your energy out! Go on! Git!”

***

Ethan was completely insufferable until Friday of that week. He would constantly babble to anybody who would listen and simply couldn't stop himself from running around. Thanks to meditative techniques and mental tempering, Luna was able to get him to stay still for quite a while. But the scribe's stubborn refusal to remove the ability from his ring meant that the bracelet was his only hope. He was certain that with time he could get a handle on the excess energy, but it would simply take too long, and the bracelet provided a simple way out. It was the afternoon by the time it had accumulated enough energy to finally create the block.

In an instant, Ethan went from thinking about the way butterflies flew, how trees grew, how high he could jump, and what clouds tasted like simultaneously to all the intrusive energy dissipating. In a blink, he went from extremely hyperactive to his old self. He found himself standing on the wall of some ruins. He couldn't even remember how he got there, but as he looked down from the dizzying heights, he blinked away his confusion.  

"What happened?" 

"This unit has finished construction on the Coprocessor Block. This unit took the liberty of infusing enough energy to ensure it was Rank 2 to contend with the amount of energy you have."

Ethan didn’t hesitate. He inspected his bracelet’s circuit.

Circuit:

Memory Block (25 Units).

4x Processing Block (Rank 1).

4x Processing Block (Rank 2).

Projector Block (Rank 1).

Coprocessor Block (Rank 2)

Learning…

The scribe breathed a sigh of relief. The last few days were a blur. He had done a lot of scattered research and a ton of work on his rings, but he couldn't really tell if anything productive had happened. Looking down at his wrist, he saw the bracelet and shook his head. Without it, he might have spiraled. Unequipping the ability would have been the easiest move, but he just couldn't have focused long enough to get it done without that bracelet. There was no way of telling what might have happened.

"I'm pretty sure you just saved my life. How does the coprocessor work exactly?" Ethan asked.  

"The coprocessor allows this unit to take the load off your mind. Most of the function is automatic, and the coprocessor detected a strange amount of activity in your brain. Now you should only experience the physical effects of the ability.”

"Do we know how rare stuff like that is? System-based things that affect a person's mind?”

"The information in this unit's database indicates that such system-based mind-altering features are mostly eliminated from most systems. But the one system it mentions that did not eliminate this is the B-1 system."

Ethan clicked his tongue. That was the cultivation system where he had drawn the Solid Foundations ability from. He should have figured it was too good to be true. But once again, he had to thank Skynet for being there to save him. Maybe it was a bad idea to keep thinking of it like that, but the bracelet was growing in power by the day.

“Thank God for you. Maybe we should give you a name…”

“This unit doesn’t have an opinion. It exists only to function as designed. During your disorientation, we designed several spells you claimed would be extremely useful. This unit expected a god to arrive to stop you, but you never completed the one spell.”

“Aaaah… the secret spell,” Ethan said with a nod. “Do you think it’ll work?”

“Yes. The combination of Creation magic and Earth Mage Construction magic should provide the perfect repair spell.”

In a rush, Ethan remembered the spell he had been imagining before he went on his bender. When he had gone to Erradon to work on the anomaly, he had made note of quite a lot of interesting energy. The Tablet Anomaly was creating something, as they had suspected. It was based on the concept of Creation magic. That was some extremely advanced magic designed to create things from mana, not just temporary mana constructs but permanent things. He had learned there were limits to the way that magic worked. It could never create ‌magic items, only mundane things.

Looking down at the ruins at his feet, Ethan shrugged. “Why don’t we test it here? Where are we, anyway? Where is Tenalia?”

“You are currently located about 500 miles northwest of Gale House City. You haven’t slept since you placed the ability in your Endurance Ring.”

“Oh. Do you see any negative effects?”

“Yes. You're reaching the end of an arc, meaning you will need to sleep soon. This unit predicts you can now go several days without sleep in a row, but recommends you sleep nightly. Even if only for a few hours.”

"Well, we might as well test the spell while we're here. I see I've already got the System Sigils required, so I guess I'll just plop them in my Rank 1 Affinity Ring."

Ethan slotted the two spells he needed. The first was only labeled Tablet Anomaly, and the second was an Earth Mage spell called Reconstitute Structure. The mage spell was limited to structures already created by the Earth Mage, and was very limited in function. His books claimed this was a decently useful spell for creating quick defenses, but nothing useful for permanent things.

When combining spells, Ethan relied on a few things. First, he expected the result to be a better version of both things. His goal was to have the Tablet Anomaly energy infuse the Earth Mage spell with creation magic. Second, he could always rely on the specific ring he picked to produce a targeted effect. His Affinity Ring would create a spell. His Mind Ring would create something related to his mana. And so on.

“Here goes nothing,” Ethan said, slotting the System Sigils. Nothing happened to him physically, but he opened the generated ability and read it.

[Lesser Repair Structure]

Affinity Ring Synergy Ability

Generated By:

Tablet Anomaly, Reconstitute Structure

Description:

Channel a vast amount of mana to repair any structure in a small area directed by your hand. The state of “repair” any structure is brought to is based on the ideal form of that structure, based on what the original builder had strived for.

Effect:

Channel vast amounts of mana in a small area before your palm to restore a structure to its ideal form.

There were some pretty big caveats with this one. First was the amount of mana required. Ethan had never seen a spell ask for a “vast” amount of mana. The next problem was that it only repaired a small area in front of his palm. But even if this was the case, this spell would be powerful. He could feel it. When Headmaster Vesper had described what some people would do during the coming trials, he had described repair crews. He imagined a lot of those people would be doing things mostly through a manual process, but the scribe wanted to push that further.

“What do you think about the spell?”

“It appears to function exactly as you had predicted. This unit has an interest in exploiting the Creation magic side of this anomaly magic for other applications.”

“First, we have to make sure it works.” Ethan exploited his decreased gravity to float down the 100-foot wall. He landed on soft ground, the wind whipping against his face telling him it was cold here. It was hard to tell with his new outfit. The stones that made up the wall were ruined, weathered from hundreds of years of exposure. “Ready to record some data?”

“This unit is always ready.”

Ethan took a deep breath, invoking the Lesser Repair Structure ability. A bright light shone from his palm, wrapping around the stones.

“Oh, that’s quite nice.”

Chapter 98

Bender

Ethan’s new spell was incredibly hungry. The amount of mana it drained from his soul was vast. It took his mana from full to nearly empty after only 30 seconds of channeling the spell. However, the effects were amazing. Bits of stone that had flaked off rose into the air, forming back where they had originally gone. Since the spell couldn’t use the original material, it pulled from nearby rocks, creating a two-foot by two-foot patch of the wall near the base that was in perfect condition. The hewn stones that remained were perfect, as though they had been chiseled yesterday. Even the mortar was restored to full life.

The spell’s biggest downfall was most certainly the cost. Ethan wasn’t sure if there was a fix to this other than exploiting the cultivator’s method to restore mana at the same time. He simply had to accept that. Bringing a building back to full life would be an arduous task. Slotting Mana Breathing into his Rank 2 Mind Ring helped a lot, but it still required a lot of mana and a lot of time.

“Better than nothing.” Ethan breathed out, flecks of mana hanging in the air. “Now… How to get back home?”

“You’re closest to Fangbrand House City, approximately 200 miles. This unit suggests you head there, then take the Gate back home.”

“Good call,” Ethan said, stretching out. “Time to put this new Endurance, and my newly fixed brain to the test.”

“Indeed. This unit will work on the support magic you’re interested in while you travel.”

Now that Ethan was in control of his own mind, he took the opportunity to see how far he could push himself. With a combination of System Leap, and Weightless Agility, he made insane time across the landscape, shooting like a bullet and sometimes spending a mile in the air only to be whipped by the wind. When the effects of the leap ability wore off at the top of his arc, he finally reached Fangbrand House City, and although he felt a little tired, it was nothing compared to what he experienced before upgrading his ring. He headed straight through the Gate, back to his cottage, and got to work on his support spells right away.

The only problem with his support spells was the fact that he could only cast them on a single target. The bracelet had attempted to come up with a solution by introducing a modifier, but there was something more fundamental about his affinity ring that wouldn’t allow him to buff hundreds of people at the same time. He would have to settle for single target spells, but even then, he suspected it would be quite helpful. There was also the fact that he could cast a barrier spell on somebody that would act reactively. It would spring up when they were attacked, and the duration was an hour.

His plan was to cast a suite of spells on fighters, starting with attribute-enhancement spells. These didn’t add a lot, but after testing the Enhance Agility spell on himself, Ethan found that the 10-20% increase was well worth it for a spell that lasted an hour. Next was good old Haste, which was a potent spell that also had an hour-long duration. Slotted into his Rank 2 Affinity Slot, the haste was even more powerful than before. There was also the Energize spell, which he had used to create the System’s Perseverance ability for his Endurance Ring. This was a spell he’d hold in reserve, saving it for when people got tired during long stretches of fighting.

All these spells were lovely, and Ethan was happy to add them to his regular rotation. But what he was really interested in was barriers. Since he had learned the System Barrier spell, he had been fascinated with the idea of tossing up a shield and hiding behind it. Slotting System Barrier in his Rank 2 Affinity Slot produced a mana-hungry barrier that seemed almost impossible to crack. It produced more hexagonal plates that he had far more control over, allowing him to move individual plates to create a unique defensive arrangement. Thanks to his new hyper-active mind, controlling them wasn’t even that hard. He just had to lean on his coprocessor a bit more.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Tenalia said, entering the cottage with a heavy bag that sounded suspiciously like coins. She tossed it to the ground before sagging against the wall. “Where did you go?”

“Far, apparently. But the bracelet fixed me. No need to worry about random backflips.”

The puppet shrugged. “It was entertaining. Tell me of your plans for the trials to come.”

At first, Ethan was surprised that the puppet was interested in what his plans were. Since it did involve tactics and strategy, of course she would be interested. He told her all about his support magic and the offensive spells he had on hand. His plan was not to participate in the frontline endeavors, and it was based on a very logical point. Something the scribe had noticed since he had arrived at the Academy was that there were quite a lot of mages in Gale House who selected a destructive path. Sure, there were quite a few who were interested in the support aspect of everything, but the number that wanted to blow stuff up with fireballs was significantly higher.

If the coming trials worked on a similar point system to the points they had been earning for the semester, and the reward for doing well was rare items and powerful stuff like that, it was best to pick a niche. Ethan had selected three niches to fill. The first was support magic. He would help people kill the monsters, and since there would be plenty of people to help, he could maximize the amount of points he got by buffing them. Next was repair. With his new spell, he could reverse the damage to fortifications with relative ease. Yes, the spell was difficult to cast, but the effects were a near-perfect restoration of a structure. The last was reconnaissance, information, and evacuation. He hadn’t figured that part out yet, but the pre-trial phase would include evacuations, which he was hoping they could get points for.

“Not a terrible plan, actually. I’m surprised to see that you’re smart enough to know that going for kills and dungeon runs is likely a bad idea.” Tenalia paced on the spot, nodding to herself as though in thought. “And I really don’t want to spoil the surprise for you, but I believe Barry and Amelia can help with your third strategy. Yes, I think this will work quite nicely for us.”

Tenalia stopped her pacing, her head cocking to the side as she looked up at the ceiling. Ethan found his gaze drawn the same way, and his mouth fell open, then immediately snapped shut at what he saw. A wooden door had appeared in the ceiling. It was hard not to laugh at what happened next. The door swung open, and a figure stepped through as though they were going to walk out on the floor. Instead, they walked out into open air and fell face first on the ground below. Trex, the strange demon-like being the scribe had dealt with before, groaned as she rose to her feet.

“Ugh. That was supposed to be a wall.”

Tanalia provided a tentative wave. “Hello, creator.”

“Yes, yes. Hi, puppet.” Trex dusted herself off, rising to her full seven-foot height and looking around. “This is a love spatial expansion. Did you do this yourself?”

“Yeah. Mostly.” Ethan shrugged, unsure if he should be proud to take credit of the Grand System’s work. “Could I ask what you’re doing here?”

Trex ignored him, mostly. She withdrew a few things from nowhere. A table, something that looked suspiciously like an oven, some knives, glass bottles, and something dripping through a sheet of parchment paper. Without explaining what the hell she was doing, she started cooking. Both Ethan and Tenalia stood, glued to the spot as the woman made dinner.

The smells that wafted through the cottage were positively mouth-watering. That was the thing that snapped Ethan out of his stupor. It was a mix of fatty oils, seared meat, and intense herbs that at some points stung his nose without explaining themselves at all. Trex arranged two plates on the table, placing cut medallions of meat down, covering them in a thick brown sauce, then arranging greens on either side to add to the presentation. She then produced chairs and invited the scribe to sit.

“Wyvern meat. Rank 2, perfect for a growing boy,” Trex announced. “Please, I won’t tell you what I want until you have a bite.”

Tentatively, Ethan sat down and did as he was told. He had learned long ago not to question the motives of powerful people. He cut himself a nice piece from the medallion, speared some greens with it, and took a bite. It was very good, reminding him of a nice seared steak from back on Earth. The herbs used were close enough to rosemary to create a contrast between the crust of salt on the surface of the meat and the sweetness of the butter and herbs. It was balanced, but more importantly it was potent. The energy rushed through his body, seeming to soak into every corner with a sensation that left him buzzing.

“I see you’re already used to eating monster meat.” Trex nodded with approval. “You’re friends with a cultivator, huh?”

Ethan laughed, finding it hard not to. “Yeah. Luna, she’s been amazing.”

“Good. Those people have a tough road, but they end up some of the most powerful people in the Grand System. I bet you know why.”

“Because they touch on the power of the Grand System from the start. They’re closer to the roots of the tree.”

“Oh. My. Gods. I like this guy.” Trex clapped dramatically, poking her fork at him. “How many people tried to poach you so far?”

“Uh… none?”

“Really? I wonder if that’s because…”

The room darkened. Ethan felt a familiar sensation and he whipped around to see the black-clad benefactor, Silvain, standing with both hands wrapped around the grip of a massive, black steel sword.

“Yup. You’re under someone’s protection.” Trex pushed away from the table, holding her hands up. “Your honor, in my defense—”

“Silence.”

And it was so. Trex was still moving her mouth, but no sounds were coming out. The command had boomed out like a shockwave, rattling Ethan’s bones. But he took solace. Silvain wasn’t mad at him. None of that power was directed his way. Everything had been focused on the strange demon woman. Eventually, the benefactor let out a labored sigh.

“Appologies.” Crossing the room, Silvain’s sword vanished. “The planet’s system demands that I mediate this conversation, if that’s agreeable.”

“Mediate away,” Ethan said, gesturing to the table. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, I’m fine.” Silvain produced a chair from nowhere, sighing into it. “The coming trial takes a lot out of me. I’m afraid something like her will slip away. Just know this, devil: I’ll cast you out of the world if you try anything.”

Trex shrugged.

“Fine. You may Speak.”

“Gods, you know I hate that. I’m not even here to abduct him or anything! I promise!” Trex was clearly trying to bait Silvain into some kind of argument, but he wasn’t having it. She eventually just sighed before continuing. “Anyway, you’re making some waves, kid. From what I understand, you made a permanent patch to the anomalies, right?”

“Been spying much?”

“I’ve been spying a lot. Like… constantly.” Trex laughed.

Silvain cast her a dangerous look. “Cut the act. Speak to him plainly or I’ll find an excuse.”

Trex leaned in over the table. “He means ‘an excuse to cut your head off, young lady!’ Which is kinda rude. Fine. I came for two reasons. The first is to do quick maintenance on your puppet, which is a free gift. No strings attached—although that pun might cost you extra. The second is for an open invitation to become my apprentice.”

Silvain barked a laugh. “What makes you think anyone would take an interest in Voidspace?”

“Fast travel, baby.” Trex gave twin thumbs-up. Silvain shot her another look. “Oh, right. Serious mode. Like the mortal worlds, this sector’s Voicespace has some issues. I can stomp those issues down, but they’ll always return. I’ve scoured some nearby sectors, and I haven’t found anyone with the system patching ability like you have. So, I invite you to come learn how to traverse Voidspace with me. In exchange, I’d like some minor problems fixed.”

“See? Was that so hard?” Silvain asked with a groan. “If you went through the proper channels, I’d have been more than happy to set this meeting up. The Voidspace problems affect us all.”

“Yeah, but… I’ve got a ceiling door,” Trex said, pointing toward the door on the ceiling.

As with all things, Ethan thought about it before he responded. The first time he had entered void space into the mansion, he had been interested in the subject. The place between places was interesting because it was connected with dimensional spaces, which was a topic he was still learning about. If he was able to learn under her, then it was possible he could expand his knowledge even more, potentially creating real dimensional storage items. Of course, he had a lot more planned than that, but this could be an excellent first step.

But she had to give up something for him.

“How are you with dimensional magic?” Ethan cocked his head to one side, trying not to let the smile play on his face.  

“I’m quite adept. It’s a difficult type of magic to learn, let alone master, but that’s the technique I use to traverse the Voidspace.”

“I want you to teach a class at Gale House.” Ethan leaned back in his chair. He had a little weight right now, and needed to throw it around.

Silvain’s brows peaked.

Chapter 99

Hydra Group

Ethan’s pronouncement had been answered in two separate ways. Silvain seemed amused by the idea, as though bringing the strange demon woman down a peg pleased him greatly. Trex was straight-up confused. She spotted a few times, looking around the room as though being in a place that wasn’t void space was offensive to her.

“I’m a student. I know people have big plans for me, and they think my class will someday grow into something they can use to fix the universe. But right now, I’m a student. I’m not leaving the academy, and I’m definitely not going to skip a semester to live in Voidspace with you.”

“You have mastery over a few Grand System schools, don’t you?” Silvain asked. “From my understanding, Ethan plans to take esoteric classes. Fringe Foundations classes that’ll help him do his job.”

“Yeah, but I can’t live here. I can’t live in this smelly, dirty, ugly, mortal place.”

“You wouldn’t need to live here. Gale House hosts classes once a week. You would only need to come here then to teach the class. The only thing I would ask is that you open the class up to others and that you have an actual practical application for this. Perhaps we could post it as a dungeon-adjacent class, since dungeons are connected directly to Voidspace.” The more Silvain talked about it, the more excited he got. “We have a serious gap in fringe magical theory. An all-ranked class of the best and brightest would be amazing.”

Trex sputtered, gesturing to nothing in particular. Eventually, she deflated. “I could’ve had him if you weren’t here.”

“I doubt it.” Silvain chuckled. “Ethan is many things, but gullible he is not. He had a taste of divinity already, and doesn’t seem to care for it. If they couldn’t tempt him, how could you?”

“Fine. I’ll teach a class next semester.”

“Might I suggest personal lessons, as well?” Silvain asked. “You’re multi-system, aren’t you?”

“Duh. At least ten of them last I counted.”

“Ethan is most familiar with X-13 and B-1. Well, perhaps he could teach you a few things. You’ve never seen the Primary system up close, have you?” Silvain asked.

“No, but I’m excited. Anyway, let me fix my puppet up. We can talk about the details later.”

Ethan watched as the woman performed her maintenance on the puppet. Apparently, the form she had created for Tenalia was extremely adaptive. It didn’t actually need the interaction of the creator to keep functioning. What she did was release some control restrictions on the doll’s body, allowing her to regenerate better if the wooden frame was damaged. It would also allow her to rank up without the interference of Trex. Silvain remained the entire time, acting as a mediator. That seemed to be a theme in this world, and likely meant that Trex wasn’t permitted to be here for some reason.

“Quick question before you go.” Ethan got the woman’s attention just as she was wrapping up some administrative speak with Silvain.

“Uh-huh?”

“Bracelet, could you bring up the array for the decomposed undeath system sigil?”

“Certainly.”

The bracelet projected a complex array into the air. When Ethan was working on Zeal and Solace’s systems, he had found this sigil buried under their old, destroyed system. The bracelet had taken that sigil and decomposed it, breaking it out into a unique array that represented some unknown system. While the scribe hadn’t documented it by giving it a name, or discovering whatever name the Grand System had given it, his bracelet had started picking it apart.

“That’s a system, isn’t it?” Trex walked through the room, looking at the impossibly deep array and poking at symbols here and there. “I recognize some of this as the Grand System’s language, but is this what you see when you’re doing your work?”

“That’s right. This is, from what I understand, a novel system. That’s just a hunch, by the way, and I’m not certain. It could be a variant of another type, but I believe it to be a system describing an undead path, something specific to people afflicted with undeath.” The image turned, showing the most important parts of the array. “This is the section that allows the system to manifest, but I’m running into a blocker. I need to decode this section, and allow it to grow. That’s what I need help with.”

Trex withdrew a notebook. Her pen was scribbling across the pages in an instant, recording everything she saw. “I’ve done something like this before. When I did my first system jump. Damn, you’ve got undead here, Silvain?”

“More than a few. The condition isn’t dangerous.”

“If you say so. Welp, I can get working on this for you, little scribe.”

“I’d appreciate that a lot. If you bring notes on the anomalies you’re trying to solve in Voidspace, I could give you some pointers.” Ethan felt weird saying it like that, but there it was. He had his first foot in the door to being a Voidspace delver, and he wasn’t sure if he should’ve been afraid or content.

“Cool!” Trex withdrew a ladder from nowhere, propping it against the ceiling at an awkward angle. “I’m gonna get to work. Nice to work out a deal with you, Ethan. I look forward to our partnership.”

Ethan and Silvain watched as the woman vanished through the door. Only when she was gone did he feel comfortable speaking.

“Tell me the truth. Can I trust her?”

Silvain chuckled. “Yes. She single-handedly converted the local void into Voidspace. The difference might be subtle, but without a stable Voidspace, we’d have all kinds of eldritch horrors pouring out into the sector. That’s a history lesson for another time, though. Just know this: before you strike any deals with her, ensure I’m there to mediate. Otherwise, you can trust her with your life.”

“Wow. Okay, that’s good to know. Didn’t think she was one of the good guys.”

“Both her and her brother are ardent defenders of the local sectors.” Silvain sighed, looking toward the ceiling. “So, are you ready for the trials?”

“I think so. I have a few more things to do, but yeah. I’m focusing on support roles.”

“A wise choice. Now, I must be off. Things to attend to, you know.”

And then, Silvain was gone. Ethan was left in an awkward silence, standing there and looking down at Tenalia. Trex had removed all her armor, so the scribe helped her put it on once again. The puppet really didn’t like being outside of it as it revealed more of her wooden body. Underneath the armor, she felt more like herself, like she was some great elven tactician who could turn the tide of war. If she needed a mask to feel better about herself, he wouldn’t blame her.

“My creator had embedded some restrictions upon me, but now my body can regenerate itself, and I can advance in the ranks. Unfortunately, my advancement is tied to you. And let me tell you, she wasn’t too happy that I chose you as my master.”

“Why? I’m a nice guy, right?”

“She wanted me to be independent. But I’m afraid she doesn’t understand what a Primal Spirit like me wants.”

Ethan was fairly certain that nobody knew what a primal spirit wanted. That was the point. They were entities that followed the concept of something. In her case, it was the warlike elves. He threw that out of his mind, but it was difficult to get back on track for the day. He finished the meal the strange demon woman had left behind and did a little more work on his spells before deciding he had everything he needed. According to Tenalia, Barry and Amelia had something that would help them with the evacuation, but he didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

For now, he would focus on improving himself. He had a feeling Monday would come faster than anyone could anticipate.

***

The weekend flew by in a flurry of preparation, anticipation, and nervousness. Ethan focused on improving his bracelet and his rings but didn’t make progress with any of the others. He went and solved a few anomalies, which weren’t altogether too interesting. He realized he had been focusing too much on the font-based anomalies and, like he had done with Tenalia, set off to find various objects many people thought were cursed. The first was an effigy of a duck that spoke to anybody who passed by it. The scribe was certain that one was a spirit at the start, but it turned out to be just a strangely complex series of arrays embedded within the stone. Next was a sword that only ever missed. That one wasn’t an anomaly, but it was hilarious to watch the owner demonstrate the weird quirk.

“That’s by design of the Grand System, unfortunately,” Ethan had said. The sword whizzed by him a hundred times, but never hit. The owner of the sword seemed very dejected.

There were also quite a few class fixes that were fairly easy. There were a couple that weren’t actual errors with the system, so Ethan was able to cross those off his big list. The tablet he had been gifted by Headmaster Vesper was truly a powerful thing, reducing the time he spent running around and collecting information significantly. That allowed him to cover quite a few more anomalies than he’d be able to do normally.

Best of all, Ethan’s mental and physical stamina was unrelenting. He spent the entire weekend not sleeping, instead studying in the library or hunting down anomalies. Only on Sunday night did he bother sleeping. Even when he did, it was only for a few hours. It appeared sitting still and mostly meditating was enough to stave off any exhaustion of the body or soul. It was a new state of being that was difficult to quantify. Now when the sun set, he saw it only as an opportunity to stroll around the streets. He didn’t dedicate all of his waking hours to work. Now that he had more hours in the day, he could appreciate the ocean at night or investigate parts of the city he hadn’t bothered to see before.

When Monday finally came, it did so with a summons from Professor Eggs. Gale House was split into groups. Ethan’s group belonged to Professor Eggs and was called to assemble in a square far from the coast, somewhere in the eastern part of the inner sanctuary of Gale House City. Naturally, the scribe joined with Barry, Amelia, and Tenalia as they approached the square. The group was already thick by the time they got there, and the murmur of confusion that spread through them was deafening.

Some students had discovered the secrets of what was to come, but others were completely in the dark. Those who had learned of the trials seemed reluctant to share, not from some selfish need to keep the information to themselves, but through some honor-bound thought of keeping the spirit of the trial in their hearts. Discovering the existence of the trials was a test‌.

Eventually, the murmur reached an uncomfortable level, and a glowing, floating Chihuahua made its way over the crowd. Professor Eggs chose a spot above a fountain to float, rotating and magically projecting her voice for everyone to hear. 

“I hope everyone has had a pleasant semester so far. Some of you are in my classes, and some of you aren’t, but it doesn’t matter. Now you are under my care for the next part of the semester. For the next six months, you will take part in trials that will test everything that you have learned.” Professor Eggs rotated in the air, ensuring she had the attention of all those gathered. “You’ll find your badges automatically updating now. Welcome to the Hydra Group.”

Chapter 100

Extreme Evacuations

Ethan looked down at his badge and saw that indeed a new mark had appeared. Along with the information describing which class he was in and how he was part of the anomalous materials group, the image of a hydra and the words “Hydra Group” appeared near the bottom. The many-headed creature looked menacing. All three heads were roaring at something not visible in the depicted image. All members of the student body gathered and looked down at their badges to see something similar printed there.

But Professor Egg had quite a bit more information to impart to them. Ethan was eager to see what the specific rules of this trial would be.

“Some of you have already figured out what’s going on. By my estimation, that number is about 20% of Hydra Group. For the others who haven’t discovered our little secret, don’t worry. Part of this trial is about adaptability.” Eggs allowed the information to settle in over the crowd. The talking started again, but it didn’t really matter with the way her voice boomed. No one could talk over the floating Chihuahua. “Over the next six months, you will participate in many simulated scenarios, from rescue missions to delving dungeons to city defense. The academy and the entire planet are organizing monster waves. Now, I can already see the concern on some of your faces, so I’ll start this speech by allaying your fears.”

Indeed, the crowd, or more specifically the 80% of the crowd that hadn’t learned about the trials prior to today, seemed absolutely dumbstruck. A lot of them were academics, and others were simply people who hadn’t gotten their feet under them yet. The scrim just waited patiently for the Chihuahua to explain everything.

“I’ll give you an example and then explain how this works. If you, an academic with absolutely no combat experience, were to wade into a group of attacking monsters, being torn limb from limb to suffer a horrific death, you wouldn’t die.” Professor Eggs let that settle into the crowd, a strangely toothy smile playing across her canine face. “You would lose many points, perhaps to the point where you would be expelled from the Academy, but the important part is you wouldn’t die. Powerful forces are coming to our world. High-ranking heroes from nearby sectors, deities narrowing their gaze to ensure your safety, and other organizations that specialize in keeping people alive. The Earthen Dragonflight, the Crystal Dragonflight, the Four Throneholders, the entirety of the Elemental Plane, the Watchers, Lord Death, Lady Light, the Peerless One, and so on. These entities will ensure your safety no matter what happens.”

Ethan recognized a few of the organizations and people mentioned there but wouldn’t look too far into it. Professor Eggs was simply trying to brag about how many powerful people were there to ensure they wouldn’t die. So, instead of death, they’d lose a lot of points. That was fine. He had no plans to put himself or other people in danger, preferring to stay behind the walls when he could.

“Starting today, you can come to me or any of the moderators who have so generously dedicated their time to this trial. You can select missions and then take on those missions to earn points. These points will be accumulated at the end of the trial, where you will be able to exchange them for prizes. This is also when your personal trials, the trial to gain the seal of approval for your classes will happen.” Eggs turned, narrowing her eyes at one person with their hand up. “Yes?”

“What kind of missions can we take?” Barry shouted, standing on his tippy toes to ensure he was heard.

“The missions you can embark on are as varied as you can imagine. For those of you who are on the academic track, information gathering, deciphering information, and research are all available to you. If you’re more combat-focused, there are strike missions and dungeon runs. If you’re more defensive, there are support actions. If you find yourself on the logistics side of things, there are supply runs and evacuation. If you can imagine it, we are offering it. If we aren’t offering it, you can suggest it. I’m happy to make it a mission. This is a simulation of what happens in the real world, and as such, we’re using real monsters.” Eggs gave the crowd some time to calm down before she continued. “Once again, we have only the best working on this. All dungeons will be monitored by hero-rank Dungeon Engineers. Areas will be marked by the local system, so you can check the danger level. You have absolutely nothing to fear.”

There were quite a few more questions, but it was nothing even now. Mainly, Professor Eggs spent her time trying to alleviate the fears of the students. Only after she had given at least 10 examples of how somebody could come out with some extremely useful items without even fighting once did the students start getting excited. Of course, Barry and Amelia were already whispering a secret plan. When the information portion was finally done, Barry dragged Ethan away from the crowd so that they could actually talk and hear each other.

“Okay, I’ve got a plan, but it might seem kind of wacky.” Barry seemed oddly fidgety for once, but Amelia had a broad smile on her face that bordered on devious.

“Did you make a giant Magitech laser?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah, but… How did you know?” Barry shook his head. “That’s not important. I made an armored transport rig.”

“Oh.” Ethan straightened up. “That’s actually pretty sensible. Can it go fast?”

Barry snorted a laugh. “Can it go fast, he asks. This thing is an all-terrain war machine, my guy. I’m gonna be zipping across the countryside like a madman. Amelia, go sign us up for the evac squad. Please and thank you.”

Amelia nodded, rushing off to talk with one of the moderators.

“We’ve just got one problem. Amelia’s been doing the research on adjacent towns and cities, and she’s plotted the best course for us to rescue as many people as possible. The issue is that my transport rig can only hold about four people, not including the crew. So I was wondering if you could work your magic and make the space bigger.”

Ethan frowned at that. There was one fundamental law he had learned from his Spatial Expansion sigil, and that was that it was impossible to make a space bigger if that space was moving.

“I’m sorry to say, but if the rune moves, then it will stop working.”

“Actually…”

“Hold on,” Ethan said, holding his hand up to stop the look of disappointment spreading across Barry’s face. “Bracelet has some info.”

“This unit has done expensive research and simulations of the spatial expansion rune. While there is a sub-rune that determines the position, stationary or otherwise, it isn’t defined as the sigil itself moving. Instead, it determines if a space it is being bound to is a suitable host for a room-like space. If it is moved from the mounting point of that room-like space, it will cease to function.”

“Which means what, exactly? Would a passenger area on a vehicle count as a room-like space?”

“Indeed. So long as the space is defined by four walls, containing doors or otherwise, a ceiling, and a floor, the space can typically move. Digging deeper into the defining array, the system seems to understand if the space is a box you’re moving by hand, or a vehicle driven by other means. Although this unit is unaware of the limits, such as a box with wheels bolted on that you carry around, it is certain Barry’s Magitech vehicle will count… With a few modifications.”

Barry looked confused. He was only getting part of the conversation, so Ethan just smiled. “We’re good to go. I need a Mana Crystal, though.”

“At least two of them. Actually, make it three.”

“Tenalia,” Ethan said, turning to the puppet. “Can you run and—”

“I heard her,” Tenalia said, waving him away. “Off I go!”

Ethan watched as the puppet went, narrowing his eyes at her. “Since when can she hear the bracelet…”

“Cool! So, we’re good, right?” Barry asked.

“Yeah, but we need to get working now,” Ethan said. “Let’s take a look at your new rig. Your secret rig.”

Barry and Ethan rushed back to the cottage. The scribe stood by the door, hesitating for a moment before tossing the new, larger door open. Of course, the workshop was filled with crap. But the giant 12-wheeled APC was hard to miss. That’s the only way Ethan could think of it. Massive with six wheels on both side and heavy armor plates all around. It had a traditional driver and passenger seat up front, and a square box on the back that must’ve been the place where the passengers rode.

“This is a bit much.” Ethan could barely muster those words. Especially when he caught sight of the thing that looked like a giant metal spider in the corner. “Is that…”

“Don’t bother with the spider tank. Spider tank didn’t work.” Barry shrugged, seeming to have nothing else to add to the thought. “There are a lot of concepts that are too complex for me to understand at my low rank. But this Transport Rig was perfect. I wasn’t sure what use it would be, other than going far out into the wilderness to gather materials, but the trials inspired me to convert it.”

Ethan and Barry jogged over to the machine, and the scribe appreciated the workmanship that went into it. The suspension was really nice, bending slightly as he stood on the back gate. Opening the doors, he saw a modest 5x3 space inside with benches up against either side. It could seat 4 to 6 people, depending on the shape of those people. Although that wasn’t impressive, a dimensionally expanded space could hold an entire town, if they needed.

“This might be bigger than you realize.” Ethan inspected everything, including the alien controls up front. There wasn’t a steering wheel, gas and break, or anything familiar from Earth. There were only two control panels and a seat. Actually, there was a parking break, which was a bit too odd for the scribe to deal with for now. “Teleportation is rare. The Gates are extremely expensive.”

“Yeah. I have a limited Gate pass, but you have the full thing. Most people don’t leave Gale House City unless they’re heading off to a nearby town. Something like this, maybe even in the form of a train, would be big.”

“No kidding,” Ethan breathed.

The door swung open, and Amelia jogged over. She was out of breath by the time she reached them, but she gave the thumbs-up. “All… good! We’re… registered.”

Barry clapped with excitement. “Okay! Get to work!”

Ethan looked around awkwardly for a few moments. The bracelet brought him out of his confused state. “This unit has finished with the modifications to the Spatial Expansion rune.”

“Thank God. Project it onto that wall for me, and we can get working.”

It wasn’t hard drawing out the runes. Ethan had enough experience with it so he could get the job done even without the bracelet helping him. The changes were so minimal that he added them with ease. Tenalia returned about a half-hour later, when the scribe was almost done with the job. He placed both Mana Crystals she had fetched into the brackets, making sure they were secure, before stepping back.

“Well?” Barry asked.

“My bracelet is analyzing it. You never know if something is gonna go wrong, so she runs simulations.” Ethan scratched at the back of his neck.

“Ethan? Did you need to talk about what happened the other day?” Amelia asked, looking shyer than normal.

“About what?”

“See? He doesn’t remember,” Barry said. “You were doing flips and claiming to be the world’s most ‘rad dude.’ We thought you might’ve hit your head, but when we tried to get you to a healer, you flew away.”

“Oh. That’s a long story, actually…”

“Operation completed. This unit gives your runework a 90% chance of success, but the space you can expand into will be limited compared to stationary rooms.”

“Better than nothing.” Ethan rubbed his hands together. “You guys ready to do some extreme evacuations?”

“Hells yeah!” Tenalia shouted, stabbing her sword skyward.