The Systemic Lands

Chapter 510: Day 4,801 – Level 6

Chapter 510: Day 4,801 – Level 6

Looking to my right, I could barely make out the massive tower in the distance. The distance blurring effect was so great it might have been my imagination. The towers in level 5 zones, were about 70 floors tall and had a much bigger footprint. Almost four times the length and width of the tower from a level 3 zone.

There was a good chance there was a level 8 monster at the top of the tower, and it had level 7 floor bosses the whole way up. There were construct type shape monsters at the bottom. Various silver golems, like the other towers. They had a consistent theme across them.

But Doctor Katz was right. Going up a tower as a team had been a massive headache. Testing the doors with prisoners showed that once you were trapped outside and they closed, you were screwed. The towers weren’t built with the idea of teamwork in mind. People would need to move togeather through a tower.

The descent procedures began as we closed in on the South edge of the level 5 zone and the shatteredlands below us. The Screeching Glass monsters were dealt with by the Infinite Block and beam attacks from myself. The soldiers used their beam skills as well instead of the cannons to clear the surrounding area.

Since there was a tower in the level 5 zone, there was no boss monster to worry about. My main focus was the exploding superheated rock of the moltenlands further South. Joyo and Michelle cleared the area under and above the airship.

With level 6 monsters are her command, it was easy enough for Michelle to handle most of the monsters facing us. It had been good foresight on my part to grab her up right away during the first monster arena tournament.

Once the monsters were cleared my team and I gathered on the top deck of the airship to discuss our plan. There was silence from all of us, since we all knew it would be a hard fight to come. “So, moltenlands to our South with the Giant Centipedes, but the other terrain are the lavalands with the Hell Lords,” I finally said to start the conversation.

“We don’t know which monster type has the boss monster. Our best bet is to head directly South towards the center of the zone. Use the Infinite Block as a floating base and support fire,” Michelle said.

“I am guessing you want me to come along as well?” Captain Francis asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “Your decay and sensory type skills will be useful against a level 7. Michelle, how well can you handle the level 6 monsters?” I asked her.

“I will need Doctor Katz to support, and Joyo to block anything close range. You want to engage the level 7 monster yourself at first? The testing strategy?” she asked and I nodded.

“Yes. That should give you time to analyze. You will be using ants?” I asked.

“And spiders for disposable skill summons. But I plan to prep some additional level 4 monsters for emergency crystal-based summons,” Michelle explained. “The issue becomes our engagement height, combined with the heat and damage from the terrain itself. I am thinking about this height.”

I looked off the airship and the fire and brimstone of the moltenlands. Great chunks of rock and fire was burst up. Similar to the sandstorm level 5 zone compared to the desert and lavalands. The lavalands were hotter, less explosive, and had fewer solid surfaces to stand on.

“This height for a floating platform works. How many beam attacks can the Infinite Block do if you have a platform?” I asked.

“Eight, possibly twelve if I push things, but I will have less leeway for the platform. The Eclipsing Moon will provide enough cover in case of a massive attack. The Book Of Curses will be useful as a supporting role if the level 7 monster gets too close.”

“We have emergency supplies all ready to go,” Doctor Katz said.

“The airship will be topped off and we have crates of crystals at the ready. If we are forced to retreat the Crystal Vortex will be ready to act,” Captain Francis added.

“I will be going with a null enchanted beat stick, with a force and a null enchanted ones,” Joyo said. It appeared we were all set. I looked out in the distance at the exploding molten rock. I just felt hot looking at the terrain.

“Alright. I will be going all out. Right from the start. Doctor Katz and Captain Francis, please keep an eye out for any esoteric effects,” I asked them, and they both gave me an affirmative. We were all looking South at the level 6 zone. I was the first to head down from the third deck of the airship.

I would let my team talk to each other and resolve their nerves. I made my way to my room. I took off my armor, took a shower, and then laid down on my bed. My nerves were on edge for the upcoming battle. It would not be simple or easy and the sheer investment that was going into it was mind boggling.

The total cost of points was immense. Even with all our preparations the risk was immense to face a level 7 monster in a level 6 zone. But it was the only way to push forward with skills. If we could kill the boss monsters of level 7 zones, then skills could be upgraded another level.

That was why a lot of my team had been holding off on getting silent and gestureless for their skills. It would be a pain to get the points to upgrade them again. Also keeping the cost low was important. If we did manage to kill a level 7 boss, I wasn’t sure who would get the skill point. It was a complicated question, but probably Michelle. Increasing the level of her summons was critical.

It meant she would require more time for prep work and to summon monsters. But she was incredibly dedicated and very good at managing her time and schedule. She took her position as a Monster Master or summoner very seriously.

The other issue that I would have to check the map to be sure, but we had seen 20 or so level 6 zones. The low numbers were highly concerning. The limitation had switched over from too many people wanting the skill points, to too few zones to get skill points from. That meant any skill that was picked to be upgraded had to be chosen very carefully and that skill would be out of commission for a while skill points had to be collected all over again for level 7 skills.

The issue of the silent and gestureless upgrades reducing the complexity of each aspect of a skill to its base value regardless of the complexity that had been imposed from upgrading a skill was an immense headache. One couldn’t go back and had to commit to the level they were aiming for.

It was an ongoing headache, that ate up time as we traveled all over the place. Doing it all over again for level 7 skills would be a massive headache. But I had a suspicion based purely on my instincts. Killing a level 8 boss in a level 7 zone should yield something unique.

Skill choice went from two options to one options when going from a level 3 to a level 4 zone. While the boss monsters were level 4 and 5 respectively, the monsters had a skip in ability from level 3 to level 4. If there was a skip in a level 7 monster, which I suspected would be the case, then it stood to reason there would be a skip in the skills as well.

If there wasn’t a paradigm change, then making progress would be measured in centuries. A decade of doing this was almost a fourth of my life. My memories of Earth were hazy. My family…I had let them go in my heart. There were procedures in place to look for high ranking individuals’ family members. But I had no hope and almost felt relieved none of them had shown up in the Systemic Lands.

If there was a skip in level 6 to level 7 monsters, that also made the crystal progression much darker. There would be a skip from a level 9 to level 10 most likely. Monsters that had patience and cunning, the biggest danger.

Well maybe not the biggest danger. The biggest danger were those glowing white shards to the Northwest of Purgatory. I had checked on them again with an airship. The energy was getting thicker I thought.

I never forgot it was one of the only two times I had seen the Almighty System directly intervene. I had made up a list of questions I would ask the controlling intelligence, but thew it out years ago. I wanted to get to the end of this place. To learn the truth. There had to be something out there.

The Avatar had refused to say. Even though her mind was completely broken, and she was a drooling wreck, she still couldn’t go against the will of the Almighty System as she mindlessly did paperwork. Just thinking about her miserable state made me shudder. Turning a person into a piece of furniture would be kinder than the hell I had condemned her too.

I didn’t fall asleep, since I wasn’t tired, but lay there in the dark of my room centering my mind. Focusing on my own energy and confirming my energy was exactly the way it should be. That there was no lingering or malignant curse damage. It was a comforting procedure and allowed me to think about my plans and reflect on my life. Introspection, was difficult. But with how energy could directly impact my thoughts, it is very important that I spend time meditating.

It was a requirement for anyone grinding level 4 zones as part of their anti-curse training as well as mental health counseling. Having a powerful person go crazy was something Clarissa had taken steps to prevent. So far, the number of incidents with level 4 combat level individuals had remained zero.

There had been several level 3 people and more at the lower levels that had mentally snapped. They were quickly killed by people more powerful than them. It was kind of a joke in my Empire, that the only health care we provided was mental health counseling. But the mental health of super powered people was very important to have a stable society.

Also, my existence was a threat and a reminder to people not to cause issues as well. While the Prison might be a building from the store, we didn’t have prisoners in my Empire. There was either fines, death, or human experimentation. The only true prisoner was the Avatar, and her fate was worth than any of the above.

That punishment was called death by a thousand cuts and had taken a semi-mythic status. Since she was publicly chained up, she had become sort of a tourist attraction in the Capital. There were tour groups that entered the inner city to see the various statues, buildings, and the chained Avatar. No other prisoners were allowed. Governors were strongly discouraged from employing prisons for anything but a short-term use.

Soon we would be in the fight for our life. I focused on my breathing to steady myself for the fight to come. I survived quite a bit, I could survive a level 7 monster.