Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-five. Useful Tool.

Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-five. Useful Tool.

"Who's the most handsome kitty in the whole world?" Bob asked as he rubbed Monroe behind the ears.

There were times when Monroe wanted to cuddle up on his lap and be the snugglebum he'd been before tiering up had rendered that situation physically impossible. In those instances, Bob would free-cast the spell to reduce the super-sized floofer down to a more lap-appropriate size.

"Just the best kitty ever," Bob murmured, switching to rubbing under the chin, which clearly met with his feline overlord's approval, as the purr motor revved up.

They were sitting in Bob's inventory, taking advantage of the newly renovated space. He hadn't been sold on paneling for the walls, but Jessica had been adamant that the blue-black walls comprised of his magic weren't conducive to a healthy living space. Looking around, he had to admit that it was vastly improved even to his relatively uninterested eyes. Wood paneling lined the bottom of half the walls, with a sort of bump protruding at the midpoint, at which point the light wood gave way to a blue so pale it had taken him a moment to realize that it wasn't white, and only that because the ceiling was white. The floors were hardwood and slightly darker than the paneling on the walls, although it was often covered by woolen rugs.

The furniture was all wood as well, the same color as the wall panels, and while it was a little oversized, it would be a perfect fit after he'd tiered up.

He felt comfortable here in a way he'd never really felt anywhere else, and the upgrades had just made it better. All that was left was to tier up.

Which was why he was taking a little time with his buddy.

"We're going to get bigger again," Bob told Monroe with a sigh. "Not a lot, at least not for me. I'm not sure about you, being the apex predator that you are."

Monroe responded by kneading Bob's leg, his claws retracted.

"Are you making the biscuits, buddy?" Bob asked, freeing a hand that had been trapped beneath the economy-sized kitty and summoning a slicker brush before applying it to Monroe's long, luxurious coat. Not that he really needed it.

Savior.

Upon discovering that billions of potentially efficient circulators of energy would be rendered inert, you aided your favorite servant in leading them to shelter within the System. You were present at every point of the developing operation to rescue these valuable resources, and your presence influenced other users to aid you. You have indirectly saved the lives of eight billion sapient beings. These actions have increased the value of this Achievement.

Reward: Your coat will never tangle again.

Reward: Your coat will resist any substance that attempts to adhere to it.

Reward: Your teeth and claws are perfect. Inceases damage dealt by them by your tier in percent.

His Savior Achievement ensured that his coat was always pristine, but Monroe still enjoyed a good grooming.

It was tempting to put off tiering up. There had been several papers published outlining the benefits that achievements had on path advancement, and there were people who were holding off on taking their first path, trying to pile up any achievements they could find, all in hopes of a better path.

The truth was that he had more than enough achievements to go on with, and it was unlikely that he'd be able to pull any more and still be the first person to evolve his new species.

While he rather liked Queen Elizabeth, he had a vision for what humanity could become. He planned to focus on reducing, if not removing altogether, the inherent superiority that people felt toward lower tiers. He'd felt that, and it had disgusted and terrified him in equal measure. That feeling of knowing that he was better than the people around him because he was a higher tier and thus more powerful. He didn't like it.

His decision might also have a knock-on effect of reducing animal cruelty, which was a huge bonus. Bob had never considered himself a violent man, but people who abused animals, especially pets, who had learned to trust and rely on their humans, made his blood boil.

"Can't trust people who are mean to kitties," Bob muttered as he continued his ministrations.

Monroe purred his agreement and wiggled a bit, turning over to give access to this other side.

You have chosen to evolve.

As the progenitor of your species, you have continued to forge their path according to your ideals.

Please identify the traits you would like to have the Wayfarers embody.

Bob took a deep breath.

He didn't object to the skill itself - being directed to where the System was going to issue a quest seemed like a perfect recipe for finding habitable worlds, although it seemed likely that they'd already have occupants, but still, quest rewards were awesome.

Picking up a resource reduction to his Portal was great, and the bonus to free-casting was also an awesome addition.

What was more interesting was the evolutions to his Summoner's Switch and Summoner's Redoubt skills.

The first was fairly simple but definitely useful. Being able to call a summoned object or creature to his position could be invaluable, especially if it applied to ritually summoned objects, which, as written, it should.

The second was rather more complicated. It required seven hundred and twenty-nine mana to cast the spell, which he didn't have, even with his awesome spell casting focus staff. He had seven hundred and six. Of course, if his bonuses that reduced the cost of his Summoning spells applied, he'd be alright, and he suspected they would. The System wouldn't have given him a skill he couldn't use. Beyond being very expensive to summon and to keep going, it sounded amazing.

Bob did not miss the description regarding the environment, more specifically, the bit where it was environmentally sealed and controlled.

He'd spent far too much time in space to not wonder if he couldn't use the skill to create a miniature space station.

'Quite a nice upgrade,' Trebor said.

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing," Bob agreed. "The rest of the path just keeps doing what it did before, which was exactly what I needed. The 'Useful Tool' thing is interesting."

'As soon as your path upgraded, I was made aware of the fact that the System has flagged you as a user of interest due to your having effectively saved not one but two planets' worth of users while providing them with the guidance necessary to become more efficient,' Trebor replied. 'The access I was given suggests that the System will take advantage of your willingness to aid others by directing you to where you could do the most good.'

"I guess I should be grateful that it's giving me the option," Bob shook his head. "It could have just redirected my portals and I've been none the wiser."

'As I've said, the System is not your enemy,' Trebor said. 'Yes, it can be cold and calculating, indifferent even, but it doesn't actively act against its users, as that would be against its best interests.'

Bob grunted as he stood up, moving carefully as he took in the changes to his body.

He stepped on the scale, equipped with a measuring rod, that he'd set up before beginning the process of tiering up, taking note of the changes. He'd picked up another fourteen inches in height, which was in line with what he'd expected. The big jumps came when you upgraded or evolved to a new species, while the paragon and pinnacle options were smaller.

Summoning a set of clothing, he grimaced. He'd become used to mountain mist wool, and he wasn't able to replicate it. He'd warned Larry that he'd be looking for some new clothing so he wouldn't be suffering for long.

"So, he's tiering up?" Amanda asked.

"Yep, we sorted out his inventory space. I'm not sure how he knows exactly how big he'll be after the tier up, but he was confident enough to spend a pile of crystals on furniture, so I reckon he's likely right," Jessica replied.

"Oh, you've been in then? We're dying to see what you did with the place," Amanda grinned. "It certainly needed a woman's touch."

"Too right," Jessica shook her head. "Luckily, he's a smartie and knows what he doesn't know, so he let me take the lead on everything. You'll love it," she promised.

"I have mixed feelings about tiering up," Dave interjected. "On the one hand, it's the eternal life and vast magical power train, and you don't want to miss it, but on the other, we're quickly reaching the point where we won't be able to have kids."

Amanda reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "I think when we cap tier nine, we need to take a break. I know Bob needs to hit tier ten, but peak tier nine and base tier ten are right next to each other. We've talked about it a lot, and that's a good point to stop grinding and start a family."

"Yeah," Jessica sighed. "It's definitely something to consider. You'll have time, that's for sure. Over four thousand years, if my math is right, and I double-checked it."

"Figure four and a half," Dave agreed. "Taking a couple decades to raise a family doesn't even come out to one percent."

"It's a bit much, knowing how much time we have," Amanda smiled.

"Forever wouldn't be enough to be with you," Dave murmured as he leaned over and nuzzled her neck.

"Oh," Jessica fanned herself. "That was a good one, yeah?"

"Yes, it was," Amanda nodded happily.