The fall took several minutes, and I only bounced off the walls a few times, so it was a rather successful jaunt, if I do say so myself. Slamming into the bottom of the shaft at terminal velocity barely affected me, except for the minor destabilization of my Mana, as well as the complete shattering of my legs. But after a few minutes, I got up with no permanent damage to my Core, which is the only thing I really cared about. I took some time to repair the holes in my clothes and patted myself down before taking time to look around.
At the bottom of the shaft, it seemed to open into a room with a single door, which ended up being unlocked. That fact was slightly suspicious until I examined the other side. Directly above the door was a sign labelled ‘Emergency Exit’ in English, which explained why it was unlocked. I had to wonder why the sign was in English as well, because this zone didn’t feel like it was pre-made for me. Instead, it felt like some kind of event had happened here before the zone was pulled into Eternia. The sign being in English did mean it was more likely that any information I found would be in English as well, though, which was nice.The air had a bit of a musty smell to it, like dust had built up over a long time, except all the surfaces were spotless. At least it doesn’t feel like I’m moving through sap anymore. A faint hum echoed through the hall, always just on the edge of my hearing, but it seemed to disappear the moment I tried to focus on it. Definitely not creepy at all.
Heading down the tunnel, a four-way crossroad soon greeted me. I went left. Whatever the case, I would eventually explore the whole facility, so I might as well make my way along the left wall and clear everything out like I’m trying to solve a labyrinth. Hopefully, there aren’t any traps. But then again, who would put traps up in what I’m guessing is a research facility?
These weren’t some ancient ruins filled to the brim with treasure; they were clearly designed for some kind of purpose. The uniform metal walls occasionally interrupted with glowing channels of Mana that acted as a kind of lighting didn’t feel very ‘crypt designed to prevent intruders from plundering its sacred artifacts’ like at all. After all, who would add lights to their tomb that shall remain forever sealed? The only traps here would be if I failed a verification check and this was some kind of military installation.
I was interrupted from my musings when I noticed a door alongside the hallway up ahead—or at least what looked like a door. However, it did not have a handle or anything that an actual door would have. Instead, it was a completely flat surface with a little glowing light in the centre.Pushing the door did nothing, and I couldn’t get enough traction to try to lift the barrier. Not that I was really trying too hard, as there was obviously a way to open it without resorting to physical force. Poking the light and trying to connect to it as if it were an artifact, I saw that there was indeed a way to open it. The light seemed to connect to a circuit designed to read a signal being sent into it. Which meant they used some kind of keycard system here. When I realized that, I couldn’t wipe a grin off my face. This was going to be fun. I haven’t cracked into somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be in ages.
Sending a trickle of Raw Mana into the circuit, I was suddenly presented with a cascading sequence of intricate circuits, each one flickering rapidly into view as the next emerged in turn. The light on the door flashed red and made a loud buzzing noise. Looking around, nothing seemed to have changed in my environment; no murderbots were released, no laser wires closed in on me. I sighed and began decoding the massive amount of data I had just been presented with. Luckily, I had [Mana Simulations] to work through them with, and I could test every possible combination and brute force the circuits. Perfect memory of circuits was a godsend to me here, I have no idea if repeatedly failing the test on the door would lock it permanently and no interest in trying.
Initial testing revealed I was supposed to send correct quantities of Mana into the correct circuits while ignoring others. Triggering one of the wrong circuits or sending the incorrect amount of Mana into the right ones seemed to do something extra as well, but I hadn’t been able to figure out whatever it did; that part of the circuit was temporarily cold-gapped. There was also the annoying fact that sending a signal into earlier circuits would cause slight changes to later ones in the series. Which meant I couldn’t find just one combination that hit all the correct circuits. I had to ensure I was also activating some of the incorrect circuits to activate the correct ones and reverse the failure.An hour of combinations later, I was pretty sure I had the correct order, as a third function was activated specifically for that order. Thirty extra tests confirmed that fact. So, I built into my hand a circuit that could deliver the code at the correct pace, placed the palm of my hand on the door, and began the signal.Halfway through the series of tests, a circuit that was slightly different from what I had recalled appeared. Which happened to flip the signal I needed to send into it. Fuck me, perfect recall doesn’t help if I don’t read it correctly the first time!I had already activated [Mana Simulations] using thirty percent of my Nature Mana per second as I desperately fixed the design. Keeping a watch on both the circuits showing up for any other mistakes and redesigning my hand on the fly. It was weird following two sets of perceptions, one moving at one-hundredth of real-time. However, I can see this being incredibly useful if I just need time to think. The Mana drain to get it to this speed is nuts, though. If the circuit hadn’t taken less than a second to complete, I would have drained myself dry. Two more errors appeared, which I took into account, but it was already too late. The second circuit for mistakes was activating, and something was spinning up.As soon as the failure registered, I had already completed shifting the design in my arm to accommodate and began re-inputting the code the moment the light flashed red. A grinding noise came from behind me, and glancing backwards, I saw a panel opening on the side of the wall, revealing something I didn’t have time to actually register the appearance of, as the correct code was input, this time. The door slid open from the bottom. It opened way too slowly for my comfort, so I balled as much Ashenflare stem around my Core as possible while pulling it down into my leg, and kicked it into the room, off to the side so it wasn’t directly in front of the door.The moment the Core left my body, I felt all the plant material that used to be my body vaporize as some kind of intensely energetic Mana pierced my skin and expanded outwards rapidly. Something—what I assumed was the air pressure caused by my previous shell exploding violently—sent my Core crashing into the wall. I let out a sigh of relief internally as I began rebuilding myself. That would’ve hurt like hell if I hadn’t covered myself in the nearly indestructible Ashenflare material. Actually, I guess I shouldn’t call it indestructible after what just happened, because holy shit, I almost died from a stupid mistake.
Several minutes later, I was regrown, taking heavy breaths on the floor. Breathing helped me calm down despite the lack of inherent need. I took a moment to build those water circuits in my eyes and let the manifested water just flow for a bit. I was never really one to cry, but it helped just to let my vision get all misty for some reason. Looking over by the door, which had already closed, were scorch marks—the only proof of my previous shell ever existing.I gave myself another moment before getting up, wiping my face off, and examining the room itself. Right by the door were several corpses of a species I didn’t recognize that were basically mummified, which was rather odd. Shouldn’t they have rotted away? Checking their bodies, I found an actual keycard, which was more like a solid plate of metal, that would make any future access a lot easier. They didn’t have much else on them, though, besides their clothes, which were made of some kind of synthetic material. The species itself was a tiny creature, barely taller than me right now, with blue-tinted skin and almost fin-like ears.The rest of the room was set up like a mix between an office space and a laboratory. At the far end of the room was one of those pods you see in science fiction movies that would normally be filled with a body and a bunch of fluid to keep it alive. The pod was, of course, smashed open, and whatever was inside was likely the cause of the corpses by the door. Where the thing is now, I have no idea. Unless it’s invisible, it isn’t in this room, and I couldn’t see any weird Mana fluctuations. Speaking of which, the entire room seemed to have a thin misting of Raw Mana, which felt like a breath of fresh air. The corridors outside were completely devoid of Mana, just like the surface. I had to assume that the fact that this room was sealed prevented any Mana leakage. How does that affect ventilation? Is there even any?The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.Shaking my head, I cleared my mind of unimportant distractions like breathing and continued around the room. Several other pods were sitting on a desk that seemed to be filled with extracted organs of some kind. My Mana sight couldn’t pierce the glass casing, or at least I assumed it was glass. Beside those pods was a glass panel attached to a stand. Tapping the panel caused it to light up, showing a series of images representing the things in the pods.Most of them were boring, like the eye of a Truthbound Owl, said to grant its host the ability to detect lies. Unfortunately, I lacked traditional eyes, so it wouldn’t even work for me. Then, there was the tongue of a Dragonnewt, which promised the power to craft remarkable concoctions with ease. But I had no intention of becoming an alchemist, nor any clue where even to begin learning. I had no secret cave created by a divine being to show me the path to becoming a renowned alchemist. A slightly creepy object was a Phase Reaver’s claw, which could phase through solid matter. Glancing at the broken pod, I had a bad feeling about that one. Where was the creature that was in that pod, after all, if not in this room? After going over half a dozen different objects that held very little relevance to me, I landed on one that caused me to leap into the air and shout in joy.The one I landed on is a Wondersprout, which is a plant that carries an inherent Authority within itself. The sprout, when tended to properly, would also release a surplus of Nature Mana into the environment. I was practically vibrating with excitement as I bashed the pod containing the sprout against the table to try and break the thing open. Unfortunately, my meagre strength was able to do nothing against the sheer durability of whatever the fuck it was made out of. A couple of moments of examination showed there was a spot on the side where I could tap a keycard—keyplate? I’m not sure what to call it, but the one I found on the corpse worked fine, and the tube slipped open.
The Nature Mana inside the plant was incredibly dense, and I could barely resist shoving it in my mouth immediately. Something about the plant was calling to me. A hum in the air and a gentle pressure on my skin felt incredibly relaxing, like I was nestled in a blanket. Instead, I did the sensible thing and stuck it in my Inventory so I could scan it first before shoving it in my mouth. I wasn’t going to waste the chance to try the sprout by having my Inventory eat it for me. After all, [Adaptive Growth] only specified that I had to consume it, not how I had to.[Wondersprout]A rare and majestic plant capable of radiating an innate aura of Authority derived from Nature Mana within. When carefully nurtured, it releases an abundance of growth-aligned Nature Mana into its surroundings, fostering vitality and balance within its environment. When tended to poorly, it soaks in Nature Mana like a sponge, leaving barren landscapes around a single sprout.
Well, that extra tidbit of information is useful, though I’m growing it out of myself, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
I then took it out of my Inventory and shoved it in my mouth, which had somehow started watering for the first time since I had arrived in this world. It’s like the plant was bypassing whatever natural laws the world held to inform my body that I needed to eat it. That didn’t seem like a great survival strategy for the sprout to take for me, but then, I wasn’t really a plant, so who was I to say? The sprout itself had a sweet taste to it, which was rather unfortunate as I wasn’t much of a sweet tooth. I still powered through, enjoying the first thing I had eaten in days. Washing it down with a spray of manifested water, I felt the plant being broken down inside me. The information on how to create it was slowly being added to my mind. It was a weird plant, unlike anything I’d consumed before. The bonds within it weren’t shaped in any way that would allow Mana to be channelled properly. It was more like they would pull Mana into a core, which would then begin rotating the Mana while doing… Something. Whatever it was doing was on a level so small I couldn’t even see it happening. I just knew how to recreate it, kind of.
As soon as the last of the plant was broken down, a pop-up appeared in front of me. A burst of energy flowed over my body, slightly changing my Nature Mana attunement, which felt kind of weird. I could tell I could still overwrite it with corruptive intent easily, or I could mix the intents. It was an odd feeling, but overall, not a bad one.[Title Acquired]Name: [Wondersprout Enhanced Physique]Tier: [Wrought]
Description: [Consuming the Wondersprout has infused you with the plant’s growth-aligned nature, enhancing both your physical and spiritual strength. This is only possible due to your attunement to Nature Mana itself, as an incompatible or neutral attunement would only lead to rejection from the sprout.]Effect: [+15 Might, +15 Spirit, Increased effectiveness of Nature Mana when used to promote growth]
Of course, the lower-ranked titles would grant me more base stats than higher-ranked titles. I don’t care that higher-ranked titles' percentage bonuses will likely be better later on. I need stats now!As I built a recreation on my hand, I noticed the sprout grew almost twice as fast as I would have expected before. Halting the growth, I created a small ball of plant fibres in my other hand and noted that it was also growing twice as fast. I dropped it on the floor, and as soon as I confirmed the fact, I went back to finishing the sprout.It was a very complicated little plant. The bundles of bonds were so tightly packed in the Core of the structure that I had to take my time in order to not fuck up. Double and triple checking the design with my knowledge of the plant, I found tiny errors in the structure even after finishing it. When I finally locked the final bond in place, the plant began drinking Nature Mana from my skin like it was water. I thought I did well enough to get it to act as a generator for Nature Mana! What went wrong?
After reviewing it, I saw nothing inherently wrong with the structure. The plant itself should be perfectly healthy… Oh, wait. No, it shouldn’t be healthy at all.My lack of Vital Energy meant the plant wasn’t technically even alive right now. Did the sprout normally use its own Vital Energy to generate a kind of Mana? I had no idea how it could do that, and I had no idea if I could supplement that process. I had no way of even seeing Vital Energy, so this was just something I couldn’t help it with unless I unlocked some kind of perfect Skill that would ease the process along.
Instead of fruitlessly worrying about things I couldn’t change, I switched my focus to the Authority generated by the Nature Mana being pulled directly from my circuits. A smile spread across my face as I could finally feel the Authority itself as if it were my own. Instead of being something inside me that was reaching out like Hazel described, it was sort of like I had an extra limb I could flex.It felt strange, like I could shift my form into whatever shape I wanted, but I couldn’t quite control the release of Authority perfectly yet. I seemed to have either two default states at the moment, either entirely on or entirely off. It felt easier to allow it to remain on, though. As long as Mana flowed into the plant, the off-state was like flexing a muscle. I could do it, but it was slightly straining.
Instead of doing anything like finely tuning my control over Authority, I decided it would be much easier just to build something to control it for me. I noticed a feature of the plant, from my observations, it seems Authority was only released straight from where Mana was input. With this in mind, I crushed the sprout into a perfect sphere, checked that it still worked, and then brought it into my body just above my Core in my lower abdomen. I then coated it in my standard non-conductive stem material to prevent random Nature Mana absorption, and absolutely coated it in wired gates.Opening one of the gates would allow me to direct personal Authority in a straight line from where it was being aimed. The amount of Authority seemed to be directly proportional to the amount of Mana I spent. I wouldn’t be contesting anyone else’s will yet, but this did mean I could start testing long-range casting.I recreated a manipulation circuit with a targeting device similar to that in the long-range casting puzzle, except with Nature Mana instead. Targeting the small ball of plant fibre I had left on the ground, I spread Authority in that direction and activated the circuit. Instead of lifting the ball like the circuit was supposed to, the plant fibres began growing rapidly as a lumpy tendril.
I was finally making progress!