Chương 361: One To Seven

"You know… I feel like things are starting to get awkward""Why do you say that?"

"I mean… Didn't we sort of hand her an invitation, and we haven't heard from her since? Like, what if she just ignored us entirely and isn't planning on showing up at all? We've been waiting like she was going to appear any moment since then, but it has been… What, three months?"

"Do not be so pessimistic. All logic points to the fact that she will eventually come–Many might believe that we are nothing but irrational lunatics, but she definitely knows better than to refuse our allyship. She will come. I'm sure she will…"

"You don't sound so certain yourself, now""Listen, if one of the higher-ups hears us being such damn killjoys, we'll get the back of our head slapped, and we'll have to eat those god-awful brocollis–Seriously, where do they grow those things? When my mom made some, they just kind of had no particular taste, but here? I swear they are grown using faeces" Both of the conversing men shivered in fear.

They were both geared in full-plate armour that appeared much lighter than the regular kind–The metal their armour and arms had been forged from was white like bone, giving them looks more reminiscent of paladins than knights. The only identifying symbol on their entire attire was a single silvery symbol right on the front of their chestplate. The symbol took as much space as it possibly could, representing a three-dimensional impression of a pyramid lined with eyes.

The symbol was rarely worn outside of the place they called home, but it was fairly well-known nonetheless…

"But theoretically speaking… What if she doesn't come, like ever? What will we do? Getting a mole to arrive into one of her final nightmarish trials was quite complicated and way more costly than anyone could have imagined. It isn't even guaranteed that we could replicate our previous success now, so what are we supposed to do if she just ignores us?"

"Heh, I would assume that the higher-ups have a plan in place in case that happens–I mean, there are only two outcomes to the invitation we sent her. There is no way they would forget to think about the alternative route this could take, right?"

"That's true… I guess I worry too much. I'm just a Door Guardian. I should concern myself with Door Guardian stuff… Speaking of which, how's the class progress going?"

"Heheh, my Door Guardian class is nearing an evolution! Instead of the 'Junior' prefix, I'll have the 'Senior' prefix!"

"Nice. I still have a little way to go before ranking up. I just get a bit bummed out when I realise that there are so many levels to a class, and no one has ever gone higher than 'Master', you know?"

"You talk as if the 'Master' rank isn't incredible! And besides, while no one has seen a higher prefix, plenty of people have had their class transform after reaching the famed bottleneck, so it counts for something, right?"

"Class evolution and class transformation are completely different things, though. The latter are typically caused by outside stimuli rather than raw experience acquisition and system mastery""Sure, but it has to count for something. Transformed classes are always stronger, not quite as powerful as merged classes, but having one of those is already difficult enough.

Average Joes like us can't hope to get a second class""I mean, we could get lucky and just get one handed to us for free""Sure, you're more likely to have Lady Third reciprocate your feelings than that happening""... Go fuck yourself. I… I have my chances, alright?"

"Sure thing, buddy. Sure thing" The two Door Guardians went back and forth until someone else actually appeared in the distance of the hallway leading to the door they were assigned to… Door Guardians like themselves were fairly unimportant amidst the guards of the Temple of System Fundamentalism. They merely watched over semi-important doorways within the temple itself. They were not to be confused with the much more important Gate Guardians.

Unfortunately for them, once one was assigned a purpose, it was very difficult to get out of. All worked according to the system here, and as such, the purpose of members was decided by the 'class' they could awaken, or alternatively by the 'job' they showed the most promise in. The Temple of System Fundamentalism was akin to a city-state in how it functioned. People lived with their families here, and once one was a part of the temple, leaving wasn't really an option.

One needed to dedicate their lives to the Universal System, and one needed to make sure their children would do the same. One needed to follow the rules which were set by taking inspiration and using the Universal System as a basis.

Unlike anywhere else, where the Universal System was unfathomable and largely unknown to people due to the vast majority of the population being unable to manifest any form of system panel, here, there were artefacts that could allow one to see a detailed panel and special techniques that could increase one's 'affinity' with the system. Which is how classes and jobs became so important.

They were probably one of the more useful functions of the system, but since interacting with them required some form of access and understanding, the general population couldn't care less about them. Here, however, they determined one's future. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Nearly all Door Guardians had at one point attempted to become Gate Guardians, but things weren't as easy as being determined…

One of the first things children were taught here was that jobs and classes were pretty much the same thing, simply on different levels. The 'Job' area of the system was often quite populated, as acquiring a new job was quite easy. Most people could get hundreds of them throughout their lifetime without really trying. Jobs could be switched at basically any time, with the cooldown between two changes being different between individuals.

Some could switch constantly without problem, and some would have to wait a full day, if not longer, before switching again. Jobs were just small passive boosts, and while there was a lot of overlap with classes, with basically all jobs having a class of the same name, the difference was staggering. Not only could most only hope to naturally gain a single class throughout their lifespan, but once they got it, they were also basically stuck with it, special circumstances ignored.

As such, since the requirements between being a Door Guardian and Gate Guardian were basically identical, it came down to potential, strength, and sheer luck. Now, there were many different aspects to the various parts of the Universal System, which made it nigh impossible to fully comprehend and categorise, but the System Fundamentalists were nonetheless trying their best to understand it.

Hence, whenever they caught wind of someone being born with a special system, who possessed a system skill, or anything even remotely similar, they would set out to recruit that person in the briefest of delays, being very much willing to use force if necessary, just like how they had attempted with the three otherworlders. They held a strong interest in Mara Nebulo, but she wasn't someone they could forcefully bring over, and who they couldn't even strongarm at all.

So they could only send an invitation and hope that she would be willing to pay a visit of her own volition. The higher-ups were confident that she would come eventually, though. They were well aware of the rising tensions and the special position she held. As such, making allies was in her best interest… Both of the chatting Door Guardians saluted the approaching individual, speaking in unison:"Greetings, Sir Second!"

"Greetings to you too" The man was nothing but a flowing mass of white robes. His limbs couldn't even be made out at all, and his face was covered by a large hood and mask. The only hints of colours behind the same symbols as the guardians, etched on his back, and the number '2' etched in black on his mask. Without that, it would be impossible to know who he was without hearing him speak.

"You two ought to speak more quietly. Especially you. Lady Third does not like indecisiveness" Sir Second tapped the shoulder of the lovestruck guard, and then passed through the door they were guarding. The masked man made his way through severely more guarded doors before passing by Gate Guardians, who opened the door for him to step into a surprisingly small meeting hall where six other people were already waiting.

"Second, you are always late""I was busy mediating and trying to peer into the essence of the Universal System""He's lying. He's just hitting on the single beastfolk women so much that he loses track of time" Sir Second threw his hands up in the air.

"What, can a man not have a hobby? Besides, my 'Beastfolk Seduction' skill is nearing the sixth rank. It is honest work""If you say so, Second–You are late nonetheless, but anyway… We are here for our weekly meeting. Does anyone have anything to report?" The members numbered one through four shook their heads. They had nothing of interest to say.

"Do you all remember that dashing young swordsman I mentioned a few months ago? His general swordsmanship skill has already broken through to the third rank. That speed is indicative of a deep affinity with the sword. I think we should allocate more resources to him" The voice that came from beyond the mask was a guttural, frightening one, but the tone couldn't be more friendly and gentle.

"Third rank already? That's faster than any genius I ever found. I don't think anyone will have any objections toward nurturing such a talent further, Lady Fifth" No one had any objections to the words of Sir First, and thus, the member bearing the number six spoke up.

"It isn't much, but I've noticed signs of deterioration in the southern wing. Walls are cracked quite deeply. I've found out that some freaky-looking mole monster I've never seen before had been causing silent, hard-to-detect vibrations, causing people to feel sick, to struggle sleeping, and also damaging structures…

I've killed it, but I would appreciate it if we could reinforce patrols for a while and check the other wings for similar oddities" Lady Sixth then went silent as everyone nodded in approval of the idea. Sir Seventh then stood up and looked at everyone seated around the table.

"It is no mystery that this strange mole creature is one of those anomalous entities that have been spawning all over the place, and thus, it brings us to our main issue: Mara Nebulo. I know that everyone here is confident that she'll show up eventually, but I am beginning to find that things are stretching on for too long""What do you want us to do, Seventh?

Communicating with her through a nightmare is too costly and unreliable, and we don't know for certain where she is hiding, so we can't contact her in person either""Third is right. We can only wait" Seventh chuckled in a way that made everyone else sigh loudly behind their masks.

"You've found a way, and you wanted to brag about it, didn't you?"

"You've seen right through me, Fourth. Indeed, my connections run deeper than yours, so it is only natural that only I was able to find a way to contact Miss Nebulo in a more direct manner–It did cost me a pretty artefact from my collection, but it was worth it""Alright, who is it that you paid for this?"

"An old friend of mine""Old friend? Old? I suppose that he is dead, then?"

"Of course, none of my long-time friends are still alive. He'll take care of delivering a message and will vouch for me to her, so we can expect a visit in the coming week or two" Sir Seventh sat down, tapping his gloved fingers against one another.

"Fifth, do speak of that swordsman some more. The third rank in only a few months is genuinely incredible""Seventh, you are not allowed to fill his head with your nonsense""When have I ever done that?"

"Weren't you executed because of this exact thing?"

"That's circumstantial evidence at best…"