Chương 71: Experiments

— Notification The Universal Training Guide has detected that you already have four Discipline-related skills. As per Mandate X1-324-501-889, the Universal Training Guide is required to subsidize all mana requirements for developing mages. However, per Amendment Z4-13, the Universal Training Guide is permitted to limit the number of supported Discipline-related Skills prior to the mage achieving Tier 3 and assuming full responsibility for the mana requirements of managing Skill adaptations.

Riftcraft (Level 1) has not been added to your Status. If you require Riftcraft (Level 1) to be added to your Status, please select an existing Discipline to be removed along with any active adaptations. — Notification Incoming connection from the Universal Training Guide Library…

'Report.' Compiling report… …

'Release standard mana subsidization protocols.' Instructions received. Authority Insufficient.

'Release of Standard Mana Subsidization Protocols' requires at minimum Tier 7 authorization and may incur civil penalties for breaching SOL PROTECTION TREATY signed with SOL REGISTERED OWNER [REDACTED as per Common Privacy Laws], hereinafter ' LICH-04'. … Authorization received. ARCHON-02-T7-LIBRARY-GA.

'Release of Standard Mana Subsidization Protocols' will affect all mage entities in SOL. Projections indicate mana demands for SOL-3 will increase by 13%. Confirm? Proposal will be delivered to LICH-04.

'Confirmed.' Connection request sent to LICH-04. … Connected. … LICH-04 has rejected your proposal.

'Override. Galactic Security Imperative.' Galactic Security Imperative requires a seconding authority. Requesting Seconder… … Seconder accepted. Authorization requested. Authorization received. DRAGON-14-T7-DEFENSE-GA. Proposal confirmed. Negotiating Civil Penalties with affected party, LICH-04. … Conditions received.' You will owe me a favor at a time of my choosing, Calista.'

'I accept.'

'And do not think that I have failed to see you ran this communication through a human's Interface. That will cost you extra. Guide, erase this interaction upon conclusion, prior to delivery.' Negative. SOL-3 has surpassed the Level 1 Magic Civilization threshold. Interference with local sapients' Universal Training Guide Interfaces constitutes a criminal act under galactic law.

'Damn you, Calista.'

'It's your own fault. You should pay more attention to your experiments, [LICH-04].'

'Well played. But be very, very careful, Librarian. Not even your status as an Archon will protect you if you cross me again. Guide, release Standard Mana Subsidization Protocols for SOL under authority [LICH-04].' Standard Mana Subsidization Protocols for SOL released.

'Good luck, human. Despite how this conversation may appear to you, I hope for your planet's success.' LICH-04 has left the chat. …

'You are doing well, Magus Locke. But do not let the lull lure you into complacency. Your civilization is dying, and your enemies continue to grow stronger, amassing in the dark. Do not allow the propaganda to fool you: the Eaters are far more dangerous than they first appear.' Prohibited communication detected. Analyzing… Seventeen additional prior prohibited communications detected across SOL-3. Reporting to local galactic authorities.

'Shit. Fuck.' CALISTA RY'VITAL has left the chat. — Riftcraft (Level 1) Learned — Enzo stood there in silence while the others continued discussing whether to explore and gather mana crystals or test if the rift would change when they exited and reentered. He reread the notification that appeared to be some sort of chat log. It was way too much to take in all at once. A quick glance at his status confirmed that the new skill had been added, but that was a little confusing even by itself.

The implication was that Riftcraft was a magical skill that had some component to it that didn't require direct application of mana. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! Just like Beastbonding. He'd given it considerable thought since gaining the skill, and he had two theories. The first idea was that Murph had caused the skill interaction herself somehow. His issue with that as a basis was that he'd been the one to learn the skill.

It didn't make sense for him to gain a level in something if Murph had done it alone. That left the second idea. Subconscious mana interactions based on desires. Mana carried intent. It was what gave spells and techniques their coherent functions once cast. It wasn't a big leap to assume that wanting to understand and communicate with Murph had somehow influenced mana to create a connection between them. Maybe it even required a reciprocal desire from Murph herself.

And prior to entering the rift, he'd already convinced himself its interior would take on a form drawn from his deepest fears. It was an irrational one. He knew that. But getting caught in a cave-in or a rockslide and becoming trapped underground was something he genuinely feared. Enzo glanced around the cavern again. Even knowing it was the result of his senses translating magical phenomena, it looked every bit like something taken from one of his very rare nightmares.

The ones where he spent days searching identical, featureless tunnels that always led to dead ends, before he eventually succumbed to starvation or dehydration. Rationally, logically, it wasn't real. Emotionally, chemically, it felt like a threat. But maybe rifts could be consciously shaped, and the only reason it had taken on the form he'd most feared was because he believed it so. Riftcraft had to be useful for more than just interior decorating.

It would obviously be very bad if they'd entered the rift only to find they were all underwater and probably drowning, which was Kenzo's personal demon, but that could be avoided easily enough if this rift was anything to go by. Because as it was, the only value he could see in the rifts was farming mana crystals and maybe draining mana from people. Possibly also combat practice against the mana-constructed monsters.

"Earth to Enzo," Val said, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"You're doing that thing again." Enzo dismissed the notifications and looked around. Everyone was staring at him.

"You okay, bro?" Kenzo asked. Enzo ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, sorry. I was distracted with a notification. I gained the Riftcraft skill somehow. I was thinking that maybe it happened because I accidentally shaped what the rift looked like." Kenzo's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. The big man had always been able to pick out when he wasn't being entirely truthful. But he wasn't ready to explain the other notification. He wasn't even sure he understood it or the implications yet. And it would distract from their purpose.

"That's an interesting idea," Sumi said.

"It's plausible. The rift is basically just a mass of mana that's somehow given physical shape, right? So are the things inside them, unless they entered like we did." Val shrugged.

"I didn't bother with the entry. It was too long." Sumi frowned at her.

"You need to read everything, Val. Understanding is what will keep us alive." Her voice rose as she continued.

"It's not a game. These things are very dangerous, especially if you don't know what's inside them. And even then, we can't afford to grow complacent just because we think we know or because you believe we can handle whatever we might encounter—" Val took her hands.

"You're right. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." Sumi blinked hard, again and again. She looked down at where Val was holding her hands.

"No. I'm sorry. I don't know what just came over me. I didn't mean—" Kenzo crossed over to Sumi and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't do anything wrong. We should be careful, just like you said." He glanced at Val.

"Val knows that, too. She was probably just trusting that we would tell her about anything important. Right, Val?" Val nodded.

"Of course."

"I know. I'm sorry." Sumi took a deep breath.

"Maybe I wasn't as ready for this as I thought I was?"

"Actually, I need you to go back outside anyway," Enzo said. Sumi looked up.

"What?"

"The mana drain. We need to know the rate it's draining from people, and your spell is the only way we can be sure. Plus, we need to record any changes in how they feel and keep an eye on them in case anything goes wrong." Sumi's expression shifted as the implications caught up.

"Right. Because we experience fatigue as we spend mana from our reserves, it's possible they'll show symptoms as the rift drains them."

"Exactly." Enzo glanced at Val. She shot him a grateful look.

"But more importantly, if my not-so-crazy-now idea works, we can start bringing people we suspect of being gene carriers to the cellar for regular exposure. Like our own parents. And that should make it easier for you to figure out a way to identify people with the gene." Sumi was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded.

"You're right. The data is more important than anything I'd contribute here."

"That's not what I said."

"I know." She gave him a small smile.

"But it's true." They all watched Sumi step back through the opening. The distortion swallowed her, and a moment later she appeared back on the other side. Enzo looked at the remaining group. Kenzo. Val. Robert. Frank. And the Watch member.

"Alright," he said.

"We're going to split into two groups and locate the core. If you come across any splits in the path, mark the one you take. Harvest any crystals along the way, but nobody touches or approaches the core. Understood?" Frank glanced around the cavern.

"You want us to split up?" Enzo nodded.

"The tunnels look too small for six people. But be warned there are threats. I saw one materialize shortly after I entered. They're not real, but they're still dangerous. It looked like…" He hesitated.

"An ape with a lion's head and claws that belong to a dinosaur or something." The others looked at him. Then at each other. He pointed at one of the upper tunnels.

"It went down that tunnel, and I think it's planning to ambush us." Pointed at two other tunnels.

"Also, there were noises coming from these directions. I'm guessing spider monsters, given how the rift changed at the same time."

"Then why don't we just leave?" Val asked.

"The rift isn't hurting anyone."

"Mana crystals," Kenzo answered.

"Mana crystals," Enzo echoed, nodding slowly. Val glanced between them, looking defeated.

"How you want to split the groups?" Robert asked. That was a good question. With him being the only spell-caster, one of the teams would have two cultivators and potentially not enough room in the small tunnels for both to fight at the same time.

"You and Frank go with Kenzo. I'll take Val and…" Enzo paused and turned to the Watch member.

"I don't know your name." Val sighed.

"That's Sam. And why did you say it like you're picking me last for the team?" Enzo ignored her.

"Sam. You're with me and Val." Sam nodded.

"Any questions?" Enzo asked.

"How do we know which crystal is the core?" Enzo pointed at the crystal jutting from the cavern wall nearby.

"If they look like that, it's probably fine to harvest. If you find any that are bigger, or a cluster of them, remember where they are but leave them for now." Frank nodded.

"Got it." Enzo made eye contact, checking if there were any other questions. There weren't.

"Alright. Let's regroup back here in about ten minutes, even if you haven't finished exploring your tunnel." Kenzo clapped him on the shoulder as he passed. His other hand emitted small, flickering flames.

"Be safe, bro." Enzo turned to Val and gestured at the tunnels.

"You've got point." Val groaned, but picked a tunnel and started walking. Sam followed. Enzo brought up the rear, his orb casting light ahead of them, thoughts still on the unusual notification. The idea that their planet belonged to some alien had been delivered through bureaucratic boilerplate the day the rain began. It was the same notification that had introduced the Guide to everyone who'd survived. And though people rarely spoke about it, the Guide was available to everyone.

Its features were very limited for normal people, though. Without access to mana, they didn't have skills or a status screen, but they could still unlock information. Plenty of the survivors had the entry about Eaters. But the aliens who were deciding the fate of Earth had just used it like a chat room, and on top of that they were apparently tracking the progress of mages across the planet. Archon. Dragon. Lich. Were they titles? Or was it literal? Was Earth owned by an immortal, undead necromancer?

Enzo shook his head. As much as he loved magic, even despite the horror it had brought down on their world, some of the things he'd learned since the blood rain were best left shoved into a corner of his mind and ignored for his own sanity. Especially because there was no way to answer the questions the knowledge brought. Besides, there was a far more important question now. Could they use the Guide as a chat system themselves? That required some experimentation of his own.