[I wouldn’t say I’ve met them. I’ve seen them. They moved into the Dungeon and started killing everything not long after I was born. I fled and wound up finding my colony in the Forest Expanse.]
[You’ve not fought them then?]
Her thoughts are vibrating with intensity as she asks that question.
[Hell no,] I reply. [Strictly running from them. I’m not that stupid.]
Morrelia visibly relaxes.
[That is wise of you. They are strong.]
Just you wait, lady. Pretty soon the most powerful and awesome ant colony in the history of any world is going to be born.
[I don’t trust you, monster. But I’m willing to let you live. Perhaps after a period of observation I’ll be able to determine your true colours. I will stay here with my allies and assist the refugees for now. They are what is left of my homeland after all.]
She can’t help but sound depressed as she utters that final sentence. It’s true, her home is gone, destroyed by monsters from the Dungeon such as myself. A slight twinge of guilt hits me. I didn’t have to dig quite so many tunnels underneath the castle. I ended up playing a small part in the destruction of the city and the loss of so many lives.
The innocent lives anyway. The human queen got what she deserved.
[Stick around, feel free. As long as you don’t kill any of my siblings or mess with the colony, I have no beef with you.]
Morrelia nods and breaks off the mind bridge, turning to her companions as they press in to hear the results of the conversation.
FINALLY.
No longer forced to be diplomatic, I can now turn to the task at hand. Extracting information from this priest.
I turn to him, only to find he is still on his knees, giving praise and extolling whatever virtues have taken him at this moment in a sonorous voice.
This guy…
Reluctantly, I get to work forming the mind bridge, and before long I reach out and complete the connection.
[Hello, Priest.]
[O GREAT ONE! IT IS BEYOND JOY TO FINALLY RECEIVE YOUR HALLOWED WORDS. LET ME SAY THAT—]
[Loud! Too damn loud!]
The priest’s face, which had been rapturous as the link was established, is instantly chastened. He tries again.
[It is a blessing to finally be able to bask in your wisdom. I am honoured…]
[Too soft! Just speak normally, man!]
Now the priest is looking properly distressed. Being told off twice by his religious idol has demoralised him so visibly, the people around him reach out and place their hands on his person to give comfort to the poor guy.
I try to settle him down.
[Just relax. I have a few questions you can help me with. Please don’t shout at me, it hurts my head.]
The priest takes a few deep breaths. With his one shaking hand, he reaches up to touch the hands placed upon him, as if to draw strength from them.
Then he faces me calmly.
[I am ready.]
Okay then.
[Right, so I had a few questions about the system. I hear you’re pretty knowledgeable about that?]
[THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAISE, GREAT ONE! I AM HUMBLED—]
[Shaddup!]
It takes a while for me to get him settled, but eventually we reach a point where he is able to converse somewhat normally. By the time we get there, I’m mentally exhausted.
[You want to learn about skills? Particularly magic skills?]
[That’s right. I need some advice about how to proceed getting stronger.]
[Very well, O Great One. I would be delighted to help you to the extent of my knowledge.]
[First off, talk to me about magic affinities. How important are they? How do they progress?]
A frown creases the priest’s youthful brow as he ponders.
[Let me assume that your skills have progressed to the point where you are able to manipulate and shape internal Mana in order to cast spells. When learning the basic skills of Mana Manipulation and Mana Shaping, you’ll gain knowledge of the basic spell forms, such as barrier magic, simple bolt spells and so on. You’ve learned these?]
[Yes. So, you’re suggesting there are other spells to work with?]
[Correct, Great One, how infinite your wisdom. Once you have reached the level of Mana Transformation, you will learn how to transform Mana into various attributes. Once you have succeeded at transforming your Mana into any other kind, you will unlock the rudimentary affinities. These are the elements Earth, Fire, Water, Wind.]
[Yes, I’ve gotten that far.]
[Then you have taken the first steps on your path to being a mage! Possibly the first monster of your strata in history to have ever done so!]
[Settle down, buddy,] I warn him as the look in his eye becomes increasingly wild.
He bows to me slightly.
[I am in control of myself, Great One,]
[Good. I’ve learned Water Mana Affinity and Levelled it to Advanced Water Mana Affinity, which gave access to ice magic. What’s next to make myself stronger? My magic doesn’t feel powerful enough for me. Should I focus on boosting my stats? Do I need to Level my skills?]
[Ah, yes. The first teaching of the Path is on this matter. It is known as the First Question. The very first thing the civilised races of the surface sought to answer after the System revealed itself to us.]
[So… what’s the answer?]
[As the saying goes, knowledge is power, and skills are knowledge. Having great physical strength or mental prowess is next to worthless if you can’t apply it appropriately.]
I was worried about that.
Sigh.
[What do I need to learn?]
127. Learnings and Worship
We stand now on the brink of the final ascension. There is tremendous fear amongst the people, but also great anticipation. Such a momentous moment in history, the ambition of it still takes my breath away.
Who else but we would ever dream of something like this? None of the other peoples would have the mettle, the commitment, to see such a project through to the end. In my eyes, it is yet another example of our superiority. The others don’t see it as I do. They are filled with remorse. I care nothing of the fates of those beneath us or for myself. Only the completion of our work can move me.
She is sleeping now. Deep, restful slumber, I hope. It is my fervent wish that she does not wake until we are done. To see the look in her eyes would break me. It would break us all.
But we wouldn’t stop.
[The way the System works for humans and monsters has quite significant differences, huh?]
[From what you’ve told me, and the limited information the Church of the Path has collected over the centuries, there are similarities but also differences, most of them due to unlock requirements.]
[I still can’t believe there are no prompts for unlocking skills.]
Beyn chuckles ruefully.
[I’ve read copies of the journals the early researchers of the church have kept. The frustration they experienced trying to track down the exact requirements to unlock advancements nearly drove them mad. Some of them are quite exacting, I assure you.]
[Give me an example.]
[Very well, Great One, may your carapace be ever shiny. As we discussed, the surface races do not evolve and gain strength, but instead have classes. Gaining Levels in a class provides stat growth and every class gives different stats at different rates.]
[That still seems unfair to me. Why do most classes have such low growth?]