Chương 106: Chapter E. An [E]pilogue of sorts.

2022/12/23 (After system) at 12: 02m central time. A massive change ripped through the world. The system which had remained static for over a millennium received an update. Global announcement: Journaling update. Patch notes: For any and every species and situation, a new form of passive experience is now available.

'Journaling' is a passive method of experience generation. To 'journal' simply write down your 'experiences' to turn them into class or racial experience. Amount gained is dependent upon various factors, with adventuring and describing your day being the most profitable An overhaul of certain text-based Interfaces has been complete – to link a physical notebook with a system shell, simply devote yourself to the god of adventure or seek out one of his priests.

For the humans – new classes have become available and certain procedural classes have been 'fixed' – don't let anyone tell you [reporter] is a non-viable choice. For the gnomes and gremlins – the god of adventurer calls to you! The trickster god is not the only divinity with ties to your species – the newest member of the pantheon also shows favor towards you. All gnomes and gremlins receive knowledge of a life lengthening enchantment upon reaching your first rank threshold.

"May you grow as old as the other species and grasp opportunities your mayfly like existence has stolen from you." For adventurers of any species – a new god has been born. One who understands you and favors your life choices. He is not a jealous god – nor a demanding one. Should you seek to join his clergy no responsibilities will fall onto your head – he simply wishes to fuel a profession that has been declining in recent years.

Finally, some old god related functionality has been restored – the chance of your prayers being heard has increased and the chance of a response has been improved. All across the world, people read the update in confusion, excitement and panic. For some, the system was an unchanging stone – a fundamental part of reality. A change to it – however small – was world shaking. For some, the idea of gods had begun to be disputed in recent years.

The existence of higher beings was a theoretical – no proof of their existence convincing. They saw this update in a belief-shattering way – indisputable proof the gods were real after all. For others, the update was met with skepticism. ManaCorps had been rolling out their own system – perhaps they finally figured out how to hack into the grand system somehow? How easy was a blue box to fake? Perhaps someone was playing a practical joke on them?

For some, this was the push they needed to become an adventurer – several low-level humans went through a class change quest and some retired delvers decided to visit a dungeon for old time's sake. For a few individuals this wasn't very big news – they knew the dungeons had done it due to being near the ascension site or were a dungeon involved. And finally for one, this update was met with pure shock. In the middle of a windowless room partly outside of reality – one foot in the void so to speak.

A single user received a second blue box. Hey big bro. Guess who the god of adventure is. Guess. Guess! I'll give you a hint. For your 500 th birthday I blew up one of your disgusting mana corpse factories and just a few years ago I blocked you from taking hold of the cross-continental portals in those crossroad dungeons.

"Tom!" The gremlin angrily shouted – his voice echoing in the bubble of reality. Just popping in to say I win. I became a god first – remember that bet we made back in 1222AS? You owe me something…I forgot what it was but you owe me it. The owner of ManaCorps shook slightly and then slowly but surely calmed himself.

"You talking to me like this, ruins a lot of the illusion of power your fellow ascended have cultivated. Massive amounts of power and you use it for a petty rivalry. Aren't you above that now? Shouldn't you leave us 'mortals' to cultivate in peace?" Of course I'm above you – both physically and metaphorically.

By the way I just released some of your trashy company's secrets – leaked the evidence some companies needed to pin you for some unethical experiments, brought some investigators to some factories that were leaking mana pollutants into the surroundings, told a few kings you were planning on usurping their thrones, etc, etc. Call it a late birthday gift for this year from your favorite brother. The owner noticeably twitched.

After breathing out deeply the gremlin walked towards a desk and poured himself a mug of spark ale. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"I see my business can now claim to have a god as a rival. I'll drink to that." The owner smiled taking a long sip of the burning beverage – small flashes of light popping about his mouth as he did so. Think whatever you like big bro, I've only got a small bit of time and have some more people I need to talk to so see you around. The owner sat in his building in silence for over an hour drinking his ale. Sighing a bit at the end he muttered low in the darkness "see you around"....

Elsewhere, In a private group chat that went by the name of "Ascending a delver by delving an ascender". Catacombs Of Woe: Did anyone hear about the new god? Apparently a dungeon helped him ascend. Dung30n: Wait what? Godmaker: No! NONONONONONO! I've been working on this project for over three centuries I'm so close! Catacombs Of Woe: Three centuries? Pah, I've been working on it for a millennia youngster. My floors bring all the adventurers to the: We did it crew!

Catacombs Of Woe: Want to know what the worst part is? Apparently the dungeon who did it is a rank 4 welp less than a century old. Lightlord: Is there a point in continuing this goal? Is there a point in anything anymore? Godmaker: I'm going to continue. I bet I can ascend a better god. Dung30n: Okay, did my own research its not 'a dungeon' – there was a group that did it.

They managed to share floors and collaborated to reach their goal – someone by the name of 'Abe' is currently explaining their exploits to anyone who will listen. Godmaker: See, now that makes sense. COW I told you should help me with my reflection trial – if we just worked together we totally could have beat them. Lightlord: I think… I think I'm going to try and find a new purpose. I'm leaving this group everyone, its been fun. Catacombs Of Woe: I'm taking a few years off. I'll start trying again after my break.

Dung30n: In other news does anyone know about circuits? Godmaker: That broken system? Dung30n: Yeah, someones released information on a whole secret language built into it. My floors bring all the adventurers to the: New circuits dropped? Link me. Dung30n: I just closed it – search for a site with S-Circuits, seems pretty well developed. Godmaker: Its by one of the cores who ascended the god – someone called 'Innearth'. Godmaker: see I bet that's how they did it.

If I lucked into finding the secret S-Circuits first, I totally would have ascended someone first as well. He's just lucky. Dung30n: Don't be jealous of someone making a free guide – you'd have just kept it to yourself wouldn't you have? Godmaker: Slander! Of course I would have told you guys. Similar conversations were mirrored in other groups – some congratulatory, some jealous.

Others were finding out about the secret project older dungeons were working on for the first time and reacting to it with confusion – or like they were being left out of some grand secret.... Deep in a metaphysical representation of the edge of the universe, a group of gods relaxed.

"See I told you the system would work. After the newbie mirrored his cultivation technique into the master node, the chance of a second ascension has increased." Trix spoke – a spark of light shifting and becoming a pile of coins as she spoke.

"And also! Every ascension after that should exponentially increase the problem space. We created a miracle, we need more partying! 50 millennia to make 12 gods and only 2 to make a 13 th! That's at least double the efficiency!" As if to illustrate the increase of ascensions, the coins grew and spilled across the table. Coins tumbled away through the lounge and rolled across the floor that was also a tense battlefield and also nothing but empty space folded a quintillion times.

"Earth gods will outnumber the rest of us in a few dozen millennia." A shift of thought sighed and unfurled into an anthropoid – but not one that any on earth would have recognized.

"__. _.. A" A cloud added to the conversation helpfully.

"Heard they got some cross planet portals set up – what's the chance someone will figure out cross universe portals?" the concept of colours spoke from its spot on Trix's body.

"Without our interference? …probably never. If I get some free time I might be able to help open up some new worlds…but is that even wise? The Earth's unstable enough as it is – the only thing preventing them from blowing themselves up sometimes is the systems we set in place. I can't imagine how some of them would react." The god of dwarves spoke.

"Oh I think we all know why that is" Mortimer laughed – "I blame the hypocrite over there" he suddenly disappeared – his section of space curling around itself cloth grasping and strangling his after image. Like nothing had happened he popped back in a moment later just to start walking away.

"See, she's crazy. Needs to learn to chill – I'm calling first trip back home. Hold the fort down while I go do some god stuff".

"He cannot be allowed to go alone unchecked." The holy mother cursed – "Minor mantles don't do much. Sasha dear, make sure he doesn't break anything". Out of the surroundings, one of her minor gods curled into being and saluted. As one of the mantles left its post, the whole of the realm lost something. All of them took up their positions once more – the line of demons were harder to push away. They returned to the struggling stalemate they were in once again. Their break over. But that was fine.

There would be plenty of breaks in the future.... Ripples of change were rolling through the dungeon core community. Conspiracy sites were popping up left and right. A small percentage of cores disappeared – their purpose gone, all that was keeping them together broken. A percentage was shifting their goals or coming up with new ones. A majority were continuing on business as usual. That's really what the majority of people did at the end of the day.

Cores, humans, elves and dwarves – the vast majority of people continued on. Everything had changed but simultaneously nothing noteworthy was different for the average person. That was life after all. You just had to take it one day at a time. From now until forever.