One Root At A Time

Year 166

The war in the north is in full swing, as the [Demon King Durthal] descended. The real war had just begun in the frozen north, and Kei was worried. 

“Tell me they’re alright.” She would say. 

I would often respond. “They don’t deserve your concern.”

“They’re assholes and they left me to die instead of coming immediately as they should.” Kei said. “But they are still my asshole friends. Don’t you have friends like that? Shit ass, good-for-nothing friends?”

“I’m quite surprised by this change of behavior compared to your earlier days.”

Kei frowned. “Alright, I’m still not very happy with them and I’m still not on good terms. I mean, I didn’t even tell them I’m still alive. But I don’t wish them ill. I don’t really want them to die either.”

“Relationships are confusing.” I sighed.

“It is. I suppose a tree won’t get that.” That hurt a lot more than it should. 

“So... how are they?” Kei repeated. 

“They are doing alright.” 

“Details. Come on.” Kei insisted. “I want to know whether they’re fucked or not.”

“I’ll have one of the advisors meet you. Seriously why are you invested? Are you going to help them?” 

“Me? With my level 70 form? I’m just trash before that demon king.” Kei frowned. “No... I guess I just want to feel I’m part of the conflict.”

Ah. Things people do to feel like they are still part of something, the same way a football fan speaks of their favourite team like ‘us’ and ‘we’. Like they are a part of something bigger. “But I thought... you know.. You think this whole conflict is a trap?”

She sighed. “It’s hard to explain, you know, I want to step away from this game, the only way to win is not to play, but my friends are caught. They are still [heroes], and the [hero] class is cursed. The demons will chase them, hunt them, and they will be compelled to fight them. Do I choose to do nothing? In fact, that’s exactly what I’ve done. Nothing. So, I feel like shit, kinda. I’m trying to help Astia, maybe her Void Mana is one way out of this whole circus, but at the same time, I’m not sure whether my friends should learn of Astia’s existence. What would they do if they found out there’s someone who has void mana and could possibly open a portal to the other side? Would the god’s meddling force them to murder Astia?”

Oh.

“So yes, I want to know so that I can play cheerleader and deceive myself. If I could, I’d like to help you defeat the next demon king too. Wait. Dammit. Not defeat. We need to find a way to put a pause on this entire thing. One where the system doesn’t automatically push another demon king through the rift after a set timer.”

Did I tell her? I think I didn’t. 

Kei stood there for quite a while, she is after all a golem, so she can stand for long periods with little issue. “I know that was an unnecessary ramble, but I think I’d have to get at least level 150, right? At least, that’s what i heard Edna was saying that Level 150 is when the mortal ascends a step to the divine.”

“...yes.”

“Alright. Let’s get more of those monsters.” I’m not sure I should trust her with the full plan. But I suppose a little more couldn’t hurt.

As of now, she’s just about level 70ish and she spent her time challenging the level 80-90 dungeons. That level 120 dungeon underground remained a secret known only to a select few. 

Even Lausanne doesn’t know about it, well, because she decided not to move past where she is now, because of some fear of the unknown. 

-

Arlisa finally stopped her stint in the Freshland Treetiary College, and not-unlike her mother, she joined a group of adventurers, visiting dungeons throughout the Continent. 

I suppose I’m like one of her uncles, watching her bungle her way through life despite all of her privileges, and now extremely relieved that she decided to do something useful and productive for herself. Also, the whole adventurer thing allowed her to get away from her mom, since they have a rather tense relationship. Lausanne seemed to try to push her to do more, and well, take advantage of her gifts, but Arlisa was just rather content taking things at her own pace. 

It was just regular tension within the family, but it eventually worsened when Lausanne started talking about the other Valthorns she coached. These other Valthorns were younger and more hungry, and the comparisons, even if Lausanne didn’t meant it, really irked Arlisa.

So, she kinda decided to just finish the whole FTC thing and joined some adventurers, taking on lower level dungeons, at first the level 20-30 dungeons. 

“Yes?” My response was slow, as with all busy uncles, but she’s used to it. 

“Oh. Hi Aeon.” She responded and found a quiet place to sit down. I suppose having a mental or psychic conversation required a set of norms not unlike cell phone calls. “I... wanted to ask for a favor.” She was far outside of Freshka then, away from the range of Patreeck’s mind reading. 

“A favor?”

“I know I’m not a member of the Valthorns... but could I get access to some of the restricted dungeon slots?”

I thought for a moment. “Sorry Arlisa, but the answer is no. The rules are set, and they are not to be twisted so easily.” I felt kind of disappointed at that moment, that she resorted to using her privilege in this manner. I would also step on the authority which I delegated to the Council. If I delegated the powers, they should be followed by all. I hated the nobility back then, and I have a dislike for them now. 

It just kinda sucks that Lausanne’s daughter is the one that chose to do it. 

-

Lausanne’s other child was a young little boy named Lauda. Just like Arlisa, he too, had the inherited blessings, the exact same one. He developed well, but I wondered whether I should dote on him or not. 

Simply because of Arlisa. Arlisa still struggled with privilege, and effort. She’s gifted, and yet chose not to make the most of it. How much of that was because of me? Was I the source of her ‘stress’? I wasn’t sure. 

Even though I could read minds, that didn’t mean I knew what caused their personalities to develop in a certain way, and whether that development, how much was due to my presence. How a personality is formed and shaped over the decades is still a mystery, even if one can have many good educated guesses. It is not like personalities are ‘skill blocks’ that I can create by repeating certain actions. People respond to stimuli differently, and so the best I can do is just keep trying.

-

The war escalates with Demon King Durthal, and the wedge between those who believe we should provide assistance, and those who believe those other continents deserved it grows. It’s a relatively small minority, of course, but they are loud. The discussions turned somewhat... chaotic. 

“There are people there we should save. Talented people we can rescue.” One of the many lords suggested. “I’ve attempted to bribe them to come over, but I believe our ability to ensure their physical safety will win them over.

“Are you trying to insinuate a kidnapping?” 

“Well yes, but they’ll come willingly when their towns are getting flattened by demons.”

It’s a huge mess, the representatives and the bureaucrats wanted to plan how to take advantage of the chaos in the North. Already some Lords sent their own people, not Valthorns, their own militia to ‘assist’ in the war effort. In their case, it’s really a luxury of security, that they can afford to meddle in other nations’ affairs. We watched them attempt to ‘assist’ the other nations, and then the demons killed their agents. 

The heroes put up a hell of a resistance. But, they could not be everywhere at the same time, and so, cities after cities fell. The unpredictable rifts also had a tendency of popping up everywhere, so its hard to really protect the ‘front-line’ when there isn’t one. They didn’t have that many high level individuals they could deploy, nor did they have the benefit of my almost continent-wide demonic suppression aura. 

The rifts also spread throughout the world, and so... we had a rift open on our continent. Rift appearances are targeted, but occasionally they spawn in other places too. 

But a single one opened on our shores. Just a single one. But I’ve been waiting for a long time for it to happen, and  deployed my beetles to flood the area. The rift opened in the northernmost point of the Central Continent, close to a port city. 

My forces quickly defeated the first wave of worms, the beetles’ sharp horns, tusks and similarly heavy and spiky carapaces made them natural counters to the spiky flesh worms. My trees sprung out of the earth around the rifts, and quickly, my vines attempted to make contact with the rift. 

This will not be the time for the [Forest Rod]. Not yet. I only have one shot, one opportunity, to make a stand in the other world, in one moment. But not yet. I’ll let this one slip. 

What I wanted to test out were my bombs, and my new generation of beetles, coated with a layer of mana-crystals. Essentially, a rift-jumpsuit for beetles, because I wanted to test out whether I could modulate the mana in these crystals, to allow my beetles to cross the rift. Eventually, I’d like to scale it up to a Titan, especially a Titan that can generate a microclimate, and an ‘aura’ titan to bring my anti-demon aura to their world. 

It worked, partially. The body part that had crystals managed to go through, but the rest of it didn’t. The beetle splattered as the two parts got torn apart by the rift. Ooof. Sorry beetle, that’s a horrible, horrible way to die. It’s kinda like being stuck in a moving lift door. 

Sample one didn’t work. Then, I got another beetle, this time the crystals were a lot more fine, and spread throughout its entire body. It.... worked!

Oh my, it worked. I felt the beetle get crushed by something on the other side, and the rift quickly closed on us. 

... Fuck.

But hey, now I just need tiny-crystals in every part of the body! At least one tiny problem solved. The bigger problem remains. 

“If we can’t keep the portal open, we can’t hold any realistic position on the other side.” My minds were, of course, quick to remind me of the obstacles. I’ll have to wait when Stella dies, then I can steal her [void mage]. Most other mages were not keen on learning void

-

I also attempted to learn void magic for myself. If I could gain some star mana by the way of leaves, surely, there is a way for me to gain void mana too. It was a strange sensation, as I tried to repeat the steps Stella took to gain her [void mage] class. 

I tried it repeatedly for months, and all I got was silly notification.

[Skill obtained : Void tolerance]

But still no void mana. I suppose I have to work through a few prerequisite skills before I get the void mana? Or perhaps I’ll have it as an option at level 200? 

-

After that first Level 120 dungeon, I attempted to create an even stronger, more powerful dungeon, with all that I know so far. Of course, doing so meant some of the smaller ley lines had to be ‘channeled’ away, guided by little carvings and weird signatures. 

It worked, because after I gathered and focused the energies of like 30 ley lines, I managed to create a Level 130 dungeon. I even got a skill out of it.

[Skill obtained : Ley Line Guidance]

The high leveled Valthorns that were busy attempting the Level 120 dungeon then moved on to new dungeons and Edna fought the dungeons repeatedly with a group of unlocked Valthorns. I had given about 3-4 ginsengs, and given that these damned ginseng takes at least 5 years to reach their suitable state, in the current mana rich conditions, that’s still a bit of a drawback. It felt like I was burning through more high ginseng than I expected.

The Level 120 and Level 130 dungeons quickly proved their brutality, when one of the high leveled Valthorns was killed, pretty much mangled by dungeons, despite their best preparations. If it gets out of hand I would need to move them down to the Level 90-100 range dungeons before they come back. 

But Edna did well, this was her level, and together with Lumoof, Edna could take on wave after wave of the dungeon monsters, her stamina seemed to grow exponentially with each level closer to Level 150.

Then, it happened.

Level 150.

I felt it very clearly, the distortion in the air, subtle, but present. My link to her, via the Court of the Deitree flooded with a new kind of energy I have never sensed before. Something unique to her. 

“I’ve done it, Aeon. Level 150. All my classes have merged, and I have a choice.”

“A choice?”

“Yes. Domain of [Shield] or Domain of [Knight].” Huh. That’s a strangely generic name for a domain. The air seemed to rattle around her, quite like when the heroes activated their star mana forms. 

I paused. “I leave the choice to you.” If I am right, my ability to control them will diminish once they achieve domain powers, just as the god’s ability to meddle with me diminished when I obtained my own domain. 

Edna paused, and chose [Knight]. The energy around her was pretty hero-ish, and it felt at that very moment, her combat ability pretty much increased a few fold. She attempted to take on the level 130 dungeon again, and found the monsters suddenly easier to destroy. A breakthrough, the Level 150 was a force multiplier.

“Aeon, you had this power for some time?”

“Yes, but mine is that of another concept or form. Knowledge of the domains are extremely scarce, and even I cannot guide you much from here.”

Edna nodded. “It makes sense if it is so. I suddenly understand and appreciate the gap between myself and the heroes now.”

“I believe you are still a distance away from them, though. Is there a skill for you at Level 150?” 

“Yes. Two. [Duty Beyond Life and Death] and [Knights of Light].”

“...what is that?”

“I can’t die for a day and my body can’t be severed or cut, usable five times a year. First ‘death-hit’ also fully restores my health and status to original state. Subsequent near death I’m only weakened until I am healed. It’s pretty much functional combat immortality. The other skill is that the knights around me get some super buffs.” 

“That would make you immune to the explosions.” I mean, if she can’t die for a day, that meant she could tank the demon king’s deathbomb. Was this an ability out of a MOBA? 

“That meant I could dive into the deepest dungeons without fear.”

“But you could get trapped for more than a day, and then you will die.”

Edna thought for a moment. “That is true. I can still lose my limbs and be disabled in other ways, it is just that for a day, any heal spell can restore me to my original state. It’s a great skill, but not foolproof.” I mean, I could just bury her underground for more than a day and she’s still dead. But with her current strength she could punch and kick her way out of any dirt. Or I could teleport her out via the Court’s powers.

Lumoof smiled, “It seemed you have reached a level that even I feel a need to bow.” 

Edna paused as she considered the question. “What happens when a priest reaches level 150?”

“...I don’t know.” That’s a good question. Does a priest, whose power is to channel their patron god’s energy, become a god in his own right? Or does he still extend and rely on his patron god?

Lumoof had a very santa-like laugh, “Ho ho, I believe we will know when we get there.” Well, for Lumoof, that’s another 10+ levels away. Not that far now that there’s a Level 130 dungeon to grind. 

“The next trigger will be at Level 160, right?”

“Yes, you will have a new domain ability at every 10 level.”

“I see.” Edna paused. This was probably a lot to take in, even though I did share the details. 

-

< One of yours reached the level of the domains? > Lilies was particularly sensitive to the domain’s presence. I wonder how did Lilies feel it? Is it like a notification, or just an itch? 

> Yes, one of my knights. At this point, not one of mine anymore. < Truly, when one reaches the domain, few can control them. Domain is a lesser deity, and in Edna’s case, she is free to go anywhere she wants. 

< It seems you have faith. > 

> If I don’t, what’s the point? < 

-

“At this point, it’s worth asking again, are you still on board with my plans?” I spoke to Edna a few weeks after she got used to her powers. 

Edna nodded, her words were firm. “Yes. I’ve seen the hell the demons bring, and more importantly, I’ve seen that we can make a difference. Now that I have this power, I believe I have a duty to live up to it. I believe in this cause, Aeon.”

Internally I felt a sense of relief. Edna could easily set up her own kingdom and rule over her own land, at this point she is a one-woman army. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

I told Lumoof of the plans too. Now that he was close to that level, it was time he knew what my true plans were. He beamed, “Truly a plot befitting a god. Only a god can dream of ending this cog that has plagued our world for ages.”

No. Actually, I should ask them once they hit Level 100, whether they want to still go on with the plan. Many of them would brave hell and high water, and I’d like to think that if they got this far, they certainly would follow through. 

“Whatever it is, as a priest, my duty is to serve our god, we are the hands of our god’s will, and I will see through it.” Lumoof explained, and I wonder whether it’s just typical ‘priest speak’. Yet my gut feel somehow thinks he was genuine. 

I checked on the other Valthorns, those above Level 100. Perhaps, perhaps I should open up this matter a lot earlier. 

No. I should have spoken of my plans before I even offered them the soul strengthening seed. But does that make it seem like I am making it a condition? I decided, perhaps it is fair to have a little bit of trust, for those who have served for so long. 

I would grant the seed, even for those who would not walk with me against the demon king, so long as they served faithfully up to this point. 

Most of the Valthorns were shocked, and yet, almost all of them were accepting. There was a sense that they knew something larger was at play, and now finally they got the answer. Perhaps Patreeck and the minds’ constant, meticulous screening contributed to this. But all of them got here, and earned the [Aeonic-variant] classes by some degree of loyalty to me. 

For the Valthorns, the constant push for even higher levels now suddenly made sense. Why even though they were already so high leveled, I still insisted to push them further. In most nations, the King tries to keep a gap to prevent a rebellion, and yet I still pushed them higher. Some of them thought it insane, that eventually some of them would turn against me. 

It would happen. But so be it. The march against the gods and demons cannot happen with me alone.