NOVEL SIMPLE 165 – Settlement: Spatial Battlefield 2
Settlement: Spatial Battlefield
Achievements:
- Wiped out a Zerg swarm (2)
- Lightly injured a Beast King (2)
- Participated in many battles in the Central Battlefield (12)
- Fought and negotiated with Lion King, Lanak (4)
- Slain the General of Assimilation, Diafthora (4)
- Eliminated many Zerg queens (8)
- Slain the General of Decay, Aposynthesi (5)
- Slain the King of Parasites, Epivlalis (6)
- Destroyed the Parasite Faction (5)
- Survived fatal wounds inflicted by Epivlalis (2)
- Successfully repelled the Celestials without causing extensive damage (2)
- Repelled the Beast Tide (3)
- Cooperated with Sentinels (2)
- Repelled the sea of Zergs (4)
- Survived and fought off 2 reapers (8)
- Lasted 5 minutes against Balancer Julian (4)
- Won the duel against Julian (3, Completed the Trial of Power)
- Massively cleaned up the Zerg population (4)
- Eliminated Mayfly(substitute) (2)
- Slain Silver Empress, the strongest empress (6)
- Massively influenced the battlefield in EverRealm's favor (9)
Total Achievements: 97 (Total achievements don't affect rewards for this world, but they will affect legacy upgrades)
Total world time: 40 days
Rating: Nightmare
Note: You have massively cleaned up the battlefield and significantly disrupted the established order.
Total contribution points: 14,568,296
"Do a full-body rebirth," Genji requested as he appeared in the void.
After deducting 20 tokens from his total, a searing pain coursed through his veins. Although this was the second time experiencing this pain, Genji still reacted violently. He clenched his chest and curled inward, quietly enduring the barrage. 30 minutes later, he regained his human appearance, drenched in sweat.
"Still as painful as I remember, but that's expected," Genji chuckled and wiped his face before wringing the moisture from his hair. "I better get used to this if I keep getting into these situations."
Then Genji called out to EverRealm, asking it to summon the [Void Egg] from his room. Seconds later, the obsidian black egg manifested before his chest, hovering there without gravity's interference.
[Detected the possession of Void Egg and 10,000,000 contribution points. Hatch?]
"Yes," Genji agreed immediately, intrigued by what distinguished this unresponsive egg.
The egg rose into the void, and the empty background lit up with motes of light, as if replicating the starry skies of the universe. These glimmers of starlight illuminated the space and cast a soft sheen on Genji's skin. A cool sensation comforted his previously tense body and soothed his mind. It was a relaxing experience, but it was not meant for him.
Flecks of starlight peeled off from the void and converged on the egg, infusing into its dense surface. With each infusion, a twinkle of light would fill the void before permanently fading, leaving a spot of darkness in its previous position.
As the last remnants of light vanished and the void reverted to its initial emptiness, a dark glow enveloped the egg's silhouette. This glow shrank inward, leaving a glossy luster on the traversed areas.
When the glow reached the center and diminished into a tiny dot, it vanished, casting a pitch-black shroud over the void. It was as if all light had disappeared, leaving the surroundings darker than when they started.
This state lasted a few seconds before the darkness suddenly exploded, basking the area in a cross-shaped light. At the center of this spectacle was the previously obsidian egg, now radiating a subtle warmth and displaying an intricate wave pattern.
Moments later, the light faded, and the egg flew down to his arms. Upon contact, a gentle force pricked his finger and extracted a drop of blood, which fused into the egg. Then his mind went blank, unable to register the following moments until EverRealm prompted him.
[Binding has been completed. Hatching will now begin.]
Subsequently, a light crack came from the egg as a small, triangular fragment broke off. The fracture slowly expanded across the surface, forming interconnected patterns that resembled a geometric art piece. Once the lines spread across the whole surface, a jolt came from inside, loosening the tiles and weakening the shell.
Then a snout poked through the membrane and nibbled away at the softened material, widening the gap. Eventually, this gap became large enough to fit the creature's head, which it promptly popped out.
"Yaahhh," a light chirp greeted Genji as the creature took in its first breath of air. Then it redirected its attention to its shell and munched away with a content expression.
After some effort, the creature freed itself from its encasement and flopped on its back, letting out a satisfied burp. It could be seen that it had enjoyed its first meal, albeit a little strange.
The creature had a slender physique, featuring an angular snout, and a long, fluffy tail. Except for its face, which had patches of white, its entire body was enveloped in a soft, velvety grey fur that was comfortable to the touch. Overall, the creature resembled a ferret, but with a fox's tail.
At this moment, the creature met Genji's gaze, and let out an intimate greeting. Since Genji was the first person it saw, the creature instinctively regarded him as a parent figure of sorts. As such, it did not guard against him and even rubbed its snout on his arm.
"Hey, little guy. Any idea what I should name you?"
Hearing his question, the creature cocked its head and looked past him at the space that was previously filled with starlight. Then it let out another happy yip before snuggling against him.
"I guess that's my answer. Since you were born among the stars of the void, let's call you Astros."
When Genji finished those words, EverRealm presented him with Astros's status page.
[Astros]
Race: Void Beast of Eternity
Status: Newborn
Health: 7,650/7,650
Ethereal Mana: 340/340
Con: 13
Str: 12
Dex: 26
Int: 17
Spc: 31
Skills:
- Voidborn (Passive): +5,000 hp, access to Ethereal Mana, +100% Ethereal Mana,
- Spatial Constitution (Passive): +2,000 hp, can survive in extreme environments and conditions
- Friendly Disposition (Passive): All creatures will instinctively have a positive impression of you. Unless there's a deep grudge, they will not initiate the first attack.
- Blessed by Fate (Passive): +7 luck
- Contract Inheritance (Passive): Bond with a partner and inherit some of their traits. Only one bond can exist at a time. This bonding is permanent and will last until the partner's death. Current bond: Enigma of EverRealm. Inherited traits: Stealth and Speed.
- Stealth (Master): You instinctively know how to hide from danger. Stealth has inherited low priority.
- Speed (Passive): You have inherited some of Enigma's speed. Dexterity has been increased.
- Mutual Assistance (Passive): Your partner will also gain some of your stats. Shared stats: +2,000 health and +2 luck.
- Strong Stomach (Passive): Can consume unconventional materials as food. Digestion rate is increased.
- Accelerated Growth (Passive): Convert excess energy from foods to speed up your growth. The more energy, the faster the growth.
Description: A tiny son of fate in your very hands. Raise him well and he will provide unbelievable assistance in the future.
EverRealm explained the situation perfectly. Although Astros couldn't provide any combat support, the boost in luck more than justified the price tag. After all, luck was an intangible concept and couldn't be easily upgraded.
Most of the time, people are born with a fixed amount, which would remain unchanged throughout their lives. From this perspective, it could be said that Genji made a huge gain with this decision.
"The only catch is that I don't think many can afford that price. Not only did I need to snatch the egg from Silver Empress, but I also needed to commit multiple genocides to reach this point. That's a whole faction and a half right there. Oh well, all the more for me, I guess."
Genji brought 20 stat points with his remaining contributions before dumping the rest into knowledge books. This came out to about 21 million coins worth of books, or around 1.5 grandmaster-level subjects. With this amount, Genji was confident in fully developing his poison-brewing skills.
After resolving that matter, Genji entered another legacy upgrade session. This time, however, things took an unexpected turn as golden beams of light soon enveloped the two pieces. Generally, the upgrade light was blue, so this change was very striking.
Astros watched this with a curious gaze, admiring it like a fireworks display while Genji said nothing, trusting that EverRealm wouldn't do anything detrimental to him.
This session was also longer than usual, having lasted 30 minutes with no signs of finishing. Nonetheless, Genji patiently waited, knowing it was pointless to rush the process. This continued for another half an hour before the glow finally faded, and the items floated down to him.
[Your legacy spirits have reached full maturity. Two new skills have been customized according to your circumstances.]
[Lethal Opportunity]
Rating: High Legendary+
Damage: 40 (+2)
Durability: 450/450 (+25)
Effects:
- Growth (passive): After every world, this set will grow with you
- Effortless Dicing (passive): +50 sharpness (+5)
- Nigh Unbreakable (passive): +210 durability (+15)
- Spiritual Attunement (active/passive): You can transform these daggers into a phantom form and store them inside your mind space.
Legacy Liberation: Deadly Severance
- +25 Sharpness for 60 seconds. Wounds inflicted during this duration can't be healed for 20 seconds. Cooldown of 1 month. (+15 seconds to duration, +5 seconds in healing lockout)
Description: Having reached full maturity, these daggers will now never leave your side.
Intrigued by the skill description, Genji decided to test its effects. With a single thought, his daggers became transparent and sank into his body, becoming imperceptible to the outside eye. Despite this, Genji could still sense their existence in the corner of his mind, waiting to be called out.
With another thought, they rematerialized back in his grasp, prompting Astros to rub his eyes in disbelief, questioning if the previous scene had been a mere illusion.
Feeling this smooth operation, Genji instantly became attached to this skill. Not only was it faster than drawing them manually, but it also gave his attacks a strong element of surprise. If used properly, it could cause some devastating injuries and turn the tides of battle instantly.
However, what truly excited Genji wasn't just these features, but rather its overall intangibility. That's because this trait resembled [Curse Bearer's] specialty, which lets it bypass world restrictions! Essentially, Genji would now always have his main weapon with him, unlike the awkward situation in the Futuristic World.
'What a nice surprise,' he thought before redirecting his gaze to his cloak.
[Shroud of Terror]
Rating: High Legendary+
Defense: 42 (no change)
Durability: 290/290 (+30)
Effects:
- Growth (Passive): After every world, this equipment will grow with you.
- Undetectable (Passive): Your stealth has medium priority. (Upgrade in priority level)
- Untraceable Movement (Active): Multiplies speed by 3x for 45 seconds. Cooldown of 30 seconds. This effect has medium priority. (Duration: +5)
- Like a Feather (Active): Reduce the effects of gravity by 90% for 1 minute. Cooldown of 10 minutes. (Cooldown: -2)
- Essence of Terror (Passive): Gain maximum energy stats from kills.
- Terror Reinforced (Passive): Recover a small amount of shadow energy from kills. Limited to 3 meters and targets you killed.
Legacy Liberation: Terror Unleashed
- +65% energy intensity for 4 minutes. Cooldown of 1 month. (Energy Intensity: +5, Duration: +1)
Description: A cloak that has become a true terror to all.
Terror Reinforced was another convenient skill because it allowed him to regenerate his energy during combat. Although it wasn't that impactful against strong opponents, it was a godsend against weak swarms. With this boost, Genji could use his energy more liberally and diminish his reliance on cutting intent, preserving more stamina.
And if the situation ever arose, Genji could always dive into a crowd to recover his energy before returning to fight a powerful foe. Although Genji couldn't imagine such a scenario, there was no doubt his ability to fight protracted battles had improved.
After Genji finished examining his legacies, EverRealm teleported him back to his room. At this moment, Astros let out a panicked yelp, unable to comprehend why the environment suddenly changed.
"Don't worry. This is normal," Genji explained, settling Astros.
"Yiiii?"
"You'll have plenty of time to get used to it. For now, let me introduce you to another friend." Genji patted his sheath, and Bruce manifested by his side.
Startled by this change, Astros jumped back and crouched down, ready to pounce at the slightest signs of danger. However, Genji's calm expression dissuaded him from taking any action.
"You saw everything, right? Can I ask you to show him around? I'm sure you know the recreational facilities better than me," Genji said, handing over a spending card.
Bruce cheerfully accepted the request and patted his chest before stepping towards Astros. But before Bruce could take another step, Astros issued a hostile growl, warning Bruce from coming any closer. To the newborn, Bruce's bloody presence was extremely uncomfortable and even gave off a dangerous feeling.
Astros tensed up, and all of his hair stood up like needles. However, this only made Astros all the more adorable to Bruce since Astros was too small to appear threatening. Nonetheless, Bruce halted his steps, unwilling to trigger Astros over such a tiny matter. Instead, he shot Genji a helpless look, hoping Genji would do something to change Astros's mind.
"Okay, okay. No need to be afraid. Bruce is a friend. We'll be together from now on, so you should get to know him," Genji comforted Astros as he picked up the furball. "See? He's not going to hurt you."
Then Genji plopped Astros on Bruce's back, gently comforting him as Bruce weaved a basket around him. Once Astros was secured, Bruce waved at Genji and stepped forward, thinking, 'Don't worry, little guy. Big brother will make sure you have a feast. Let me show you the best food around.'
Despite Bruce's friendly intentions, Astros felt completely different about the situation. As they walked out, Astros looked back at Genji with aggravated eyes, as if asking why Genji would abandon him like this.
Genji pretended not to see this and waved with crescent eyes, wishing them a fun time. It was only after the door closed that he stopped and collapsed on his bed, finally giving in to his fatigue. No matter what, a full-body rebirth is never easy on the body or mind.
'That was much harder than I expected. For a newborn, he sure is aware,' he thought before drifting to sleep.
When Genji awoke again, a whole day had passed. After a light stretch, he took out his earnings from the previous world and considered how to process them.
There was the occasional scattered equipment, but most of them were subpar since item drops were greatly nerfed on the battlefield. Otherwise, there would be a huge influx of powerful equipment for the upper 2nd step, which would ruin the economy and greatly decrease the value of epic-ranked equipment.
Putting these items and the scarlet cards aside, Genji turned his attention to the loot from annihilating the Parasites. The two inheritances were nonnegotiable, so he also set those aside. That left him with [Origin World - Parasites,] the world ticket/coordinates of Proelefsi, and how he should use it.
After some thinking, Genji decided to forgo the adventure and handed it over to EverRealm. He had already experienced entering a lower-step world and saw no reason to repeat it. Not only did it restrict his training, but it also wouldn't provide much loot.
A normal enforcer or champion might get a decent harvest from entering a lower world, but Genji didn't need it. His stats would soon approach the upper 2nd step, so he was guaranteed a big harvest next world. Why would he give up that opportunity for the same result in a lower world?
Plus, it wasn't a complete loss since he would receive 100 privilege tokens from it. Considering his current trend, it was unknown how often he'd need a full-body rebirth, so it was best to save some funds. Tokens were hard to obtain outside the battlefield, so he might not have enough unless he could kill another champion.
But before he submitted the item, he wanted to test one more idea.
"Hey, EverRealm. How much to relay a message to everyone entering this world?"
[After some consideration, you can add a note to all missions for 20 tokens. This note will last 3 months and can't exceed 50 words.]
The cost was high, but Genji was more surprised that EverRealm would agree to such a request.
"Okay, I'll submit the coordinates and add a note. Please deduct the cost from my total."
A few seconds later, the orb in his hands disappeared, and a message board appeared in his view.
[Please write the message to include.]
After some thought, Genji opened the keyboard and typed, 'If you obtain any live specimens, the Brewer's Alliance is willing to purchase them at a satisfactory price.'
The Brewer's Alliance is the collective name for Genji's "pyramid scheme" and all its participants. Ivan, the person Genji recruited to oversee the operation, believed that having a unified name would be more advantageous than letting everyone be independent.
That way, they could cooperate to maximize profits instead of needlessly competing for customers. It was a fitting name since the member count had reached a staggering number.
Due to the lax conditions and recipes provided by the contract, they had rapidly expanded over the past few months, with everyone who joined seeing an increase in earnings. It was fair to say Genji had formed a massive phantom organization in record time.
Although Genji's equities were minor, amounting to merely 1.6 million, it had given him widespread influence that couldn't be easily achieved. With this, he could now influence the market and obtain lots of manpower when needed.
All he had to do was put up the request and give corresponding rewards, and everyone would flock to his command.
After finishing this setup, Genji sent Ivan a message to inform him of these changes and pass on another formula.
Enigma: I don't need this anymore. Use it to reward those who do well.
Ivan: An epic formula? You might be the only one who dares to give them out like this.
Enigma: Does it matter? It's all protected by the contract anyway.
Ivan: Be honest with me, how many more do you plan on sharing? Give me an estimate so I can prepare for it.
Enigma: Who knows? I plan on eventually dumping all my useless formulas, however much that is.
Ivan: ...
It was at this moment that Ivan decided to incorporate a contribution system for the alliance, knowing it would only bring benefits.