I had just finished another 100 day grind session. Hendricks and Young Michael were worn out from the intense and brutal pace I set. While there were two of them, they didn't split up the tasks, both pushing themselves. I guess neither of them wanted me to complain about them not earning the massive number of points I had paid them.

300,000 (+0); Mind-165,000 (+22,000x3); Spirit-300,000 (+0); Perception-60,000 (+0); Aura-60,000 (0); Regeneration-60,000 (+0); Endurance-60,000 (+0); Absorption-60,000 (+0); Sense-60,000 (+0); Channel-60,000 (+0) for a total of 392,000 total stat upgrades, or 1,185,000 after my meta-point.

My Mind stat was fully caught up with half my Body stat, which would give me more than enough time to think, but I still planned to keep increasing it to 300,000 just like the rest of my stats before I focused on a specific one again.

That would mean getting a lot more points of course, but that was what I was grinding for. My combat ability far surpassed any other human at this point. If there was some sort of hidden master, they would have revealed themselves by now after everything had happened.

I was afraid of another person like the Astrologer hiding in the background, waiting to suddenly show up after having a portable store and grinding in a high level zone for decades. If I wanted to avoid people and just focus on getting stronger that was what I would do.

A shame a portable store cost a trillion points from a regular store. I earned a lot of points, but not enough to make such a purchase. I had more than enough in my health insurance, and I wasn't saving up points. As long as I had at least a billion points in reserve at all times, then it would be fine. Some might call that excessive, but I considered it a prudent investment into my future health. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it as I had found out in the past.

I vibrated my hand slightly and everything slowed down. Looking about the plaza of New Kochi I counted out the actual seconds to what I was experiencing. Around 10 seconds per regular second if I had to guess. High stats truly were overpowering in so many ways.

A second meta-point boosting my stats would make me untouchable, no matter if the multiplicative factor would total six or nine. Either way, it would just make my lead over everyone else even more insurmountable. I would never be in a position of weakness ever again if I could help it. Another 100-day grinding session down, about another 51 to go to get all my stats up to 300,000. At least I hoped so if my math was right. There were a lot of zeroes in the math and it gave me a headache having to make sure I didn't screw up at the high values.

I was also too embarrassed to ask for anyone to double check. But after reviewing my own work several times, I believe I had nailed down the higher numbers in order to properly extrapolate how much grinding I would need to do.

Once I got all my stats to 300,000 that would mean I had a million stat points before my meta-point. After that I would probably being doing a final clear of the Systemic Lands for zones, towers, and getting all the possible upgrades to my skills.

There had to be at least one really interesting skill I could pick up from a level 6 zone. While it might be insanely expensive, I wanted something that had a lot of utility. Or I might just leave it open. While very unlikely, there might come a time when I might get a meta-point and need an emergency skill of some kind. Very unlikely, with how focused I was on stat points at the moment.

After that it would just be more stats and training my energy manipulation. I would probably go with more Spirit over Body. The bigger the gas tank the longer I would be able to go in a fight. Also the linear upgrade of the Spirit stat was preferable to the declining returns of the other stats. My hope was that once it got to a million stat points, either before or after my meta-point I would unlock something interesting. I might also find out that the stat was maxed out.

I had never considered it before, but it was a distinct possibility in my mind that it might happen. That would greatly decrease the value of my meta-point if that occurred. If there was an actual cap, then I might need a meta-point to raise that cap.

"Excuse me, Emperor Michael. A message for you," I checked the man who had approached me. Combat level 4, so probably one of Clarissa's people. There was no danger from the letter that I could tell. I opened it up to see what Clarissa wanted now.

Michael,

I know you don't care about going after the sphere. Unfortunately, things have reached a critical level. I have continued the research and it doesn't look good. I know you won't take anyone I send seriously and I know you know, how much I never planned on meeting with you again.

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I will be in New Kochi to speak with you by day 5,779. I would ask that you are present that day as well so I can speak directly with you. If somehow this letter gets to you before my arrival then I have been delayed or killed.

Clarissa

That was it. "You work for Clarissa?" I asked the messenger.

"Yes," the man replied. After a moment of hesitation, he continued. "I was sent directly here by Clarissa to make sure to wait. While there is a local office, she wanted to be sure you got the letter and spoke with her when she arrived."

"Did she say when she would arrive?" I asked.

"Only that it would be in the letter," he said and I handed it to him.

"Oh, that is…not good."

"So where is Clarrisa?" I asked. That was my concern at the moment. She said she would be here days ago, but she wasn't here. While we didn't part on the best of terms, she was not incompetent by any means or planned to kill me. I knew she didn't like the position of weakness I put her in, which was why, saying she would meet me directly had caught my attention. She would only do that if there was no other choice.

"There were experiments being conducted. While not directly in the main base, they were done in an adjacent zone. If there was an accident, she might have been killed or delayed," the messenger said and then let out a sigh of relief. "Or arriving just now. She could be waiting elsewhere in the city. I didn't know, my apologies Michael." I waved the messenger off as the other airship came into land.

I saw Clarissa on board. I walked over as she got off. The soldiers from the Leader's Domain were looking in our direction but didn't get close or interfere. "Playing games?" I asked her.

"Safety precautions. This is technically a foreign nation," she replied.

"High combat level 5, or low 6, impressive for your personal guards," I replied.

"Not good enough, which is why I am here Michael." I nodded for her to continue. "Three expeditions, I sent. Two of them vanished, but the third managed to return with three out of ten people sent. The sphere has taken over a large swath of the rainbow dimension."

"So, you want me to go?" I asked.

"That is your choice. But if it emerges again, you are the only one able to fight it. Do you think you can win?" she asked me.

"If it didn't learn new tricks, then yes, with the stats I have now. It didn't seem very intelligent the previous times I met it, but it is an alien intelligence. It might be some kind of combat savant for all we know," I answered.

"It has learned a new trick. The ambient energy has been decreasing all across the Systemic Lands. Higher level monsters and zones are becoming more sluggish. There have been two reports of zones not spawning in the correct number of monsters during the night. Level 3 zones in remote areas, so not some random person passing through. If I managed to pick up on two, there are probably more."

"I have noticed the monsters weakening. So I believe you, no need to worry about that." She shook her head.

"It isn't going to come to us again. As much as I considered your religion a joke, the truth is we need monsters to give us points and the System. If it disappears, then we are screwed. Strength won't matter if we are stuck."

"Enchanting, no monsters, no enchantments," I replied, and she nodded.

"Exactly. We need to mount an expedition immediately. I am willing to go with you," she replied and I looked at her in surprise. "I know you wouldn't trust me to arrange a passage back, but we don't have time for trust issues Michael." She really was serious. Coming out here, and agreeing to go with me.

"A team up once more. You find Michelle and Doctor Katz?" I asked her.

"No. Both of them have gone into hiding. I have people looking, but if they don't want to be found, it won't be easy. And if they take offense, they are some of the few people who could create trouble. So, I haven't been looking that hard when I could reach you."

"Me, you, your guards, and who else?" I asked.

"Two of my personal guards and that is it. The equipment has been created and tested. The portal site has been prepared. But we need to depart immediately. You can bring your people as well. If we succeed the base will be abandoned completely. If we fail, well everyone will probably die," she said directly. I nodded at this. She clearly was in a hurry.

I took a moment to consider the situation. "Air, movement, and return?" I asked.

"Mask. Movement can occur through thought, is something we have worked out. Returning is more complicated. The location isn't fixed, each time we make the portal. So the plan is we go in, get a day to destroy the sphere, and then five portals will each open up five times over the next five days."

"That can't be cheap," I replied.

"Losing here isn't an option, Michael. If I didn't have to speak to you again, then I wouldn't. But we need to deal with this," Clarissa said, and I could hear the desperation in her voice.

Even with all her pleading I didn't like it. The System had a chance of self-correcting, but it didn't before. I let out a sigh as I rubbed my face with both my hands. My mother was still off with Michelle. But I couldn't let that weight into my calculations.

"Why did your team lose members?" I asked.

"Golems, with beam attacks. It is going to be a battle. And it confirms that the sphere is out there. We make a portal until we get close, go in, defeat it, and hopefully get an escape route out."

"Bombs?" I asked.

"I will bringing lots of them. As I like to call city crackers."

"We can't get an airship in?" I asked.

"A portal that size is impossible. We had to stay small scale. But no gravity. So, my guards can bring in oversized shields and super bombs easily enough."

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