For some reason, my notification tray was taking a while to open. I could feel something was happening, and that blinking light in the corner of my vision that indicated I had a notification wasn't going away. So really this was just a waiting—

Something slammed into me, my body locked up, and I collapsed on the spot.

[Killed Malefic Fluid Lvl 1-4]

x148

[Killed Lesser Minor Wretchspawn Larva (Basal) Lvl 100-149]

x364591235

[Killed Minor Wretchspawn Larva (Basal) Lvl 150-199]

x94632374 [Killed Wretchspawn Larva (Wrought) Lvl 200-224] x26403503 [Killed Ythrazhul Wretchweaver (Emblazoned) Lvl 225-249] x54411 [Killed Ythrazhul Blightpillar (Emblazoned) Lvl 225-249] x25636 [Killed Ythrazhul Shrieker (Emblazoned) Lvl 225-249] x32638 [Killed Ythrazhul Swarmleader (Dreadbound) Lvl 250] x1

There was a ringing noise. I could tell something wasn't right, but I couldn't hold onto a thought long enough to figure out what that 'wrong' was. It felt like I had just injected three hundred milligrams of ketamine. My mind was so far gone it couldn't even determine how far gone it was.

Error: The System has overloaded. Please stand by.

It felt like I was drifting away from something, but I needed it! Oh my god, I need it, this is wrong, I shouldn't be away from… I don't know, I can't think what's going on. Somebody please help!

Error: The System has overloaded. Please stand by.

…

It felt like I was drifting away from something, but I needed it! Oh my god, I need it, this is wrong, I shouldn't be away from… I don't know, I can't think what's going on. Somebody please help!

Error: User soul not stable enough to handle increase in Weight, attempting to patch error with excess Eidos.

…

[Quest Complete]

[Prevent Queen from Entering Eternia]

Quest Giver: [Null]

Tier: [Wrought]

Description: [The ritual has been compromised. Find a new solution to close the planar rift.]

Reward: [Select one of these three…

[Moderator Intervention]

Using a portion of the reward payout to perform a Soul Stapling procedure.

Would you like to cancel Mod Action?

Y/N

I couldn't process the screens. I had no idea what was going on or who I was. This isn't right, I sh—

Query timed out: Action has not been denied.

Something burning hot drove itself into my very being and clamped down. I was very suddenly pulled back into the important thing, which I now realized was my body. I writhed on the ground as I processed the pain until suddenly, my thoughts cleared and I could think again. I no longer felt like I was tripping through dimensions with an insatiable desire to return to my body, and I saw Autumn in the process of running towards me from the other side of the room. I had no idea why I was still conscious, the staple fucking hurt. Even my eyes were watering.

Despite the misty eyes I could see a window with absolute clarity through the pain.

[Observer Diagnostics Report]

System function PwrLvl_Prevent is attempting to shunt Eidos gained from entities in a higher evolutionary Tier than the User to the highest level User within the same Zone.

No higher-level Users detected. Shunted Eidos has been placed in stasis.

Warning: Quantity of Eidos in stasis is placing a burden on the User's Soul.

The User's Soul has entered a recursive panic state. Failure imminent.

Attempting Soul Patching procedure.

Soul Patching failed: Diagnostics report being sent to a Moderator.

Moderator Vraxilith has received the report and is attempting to resolve the issue.

Moderator Vraxilith has claimed Eidos in stasis.

Moderator Vraxilith has designated part of a Zone Quest Reward to be used to perform Soul Stapling.

Soul Stapling was successfully performed. Soul no longer at risk of spontaneous detachment.

Permanent fix required within 24 days or Soul will automatically detach.

Mod Note: Their Soul is completely fucked. There's something wrong with their internals, but I can't figure out what's going on. The System readouts don't make any sense. Escalating this issue to the Developer who performed manipulative recalibration on the Runaspriggan species.

Leaving a note for a Developer to look into fixing the PwrLvl_Prevent function. This can not be the intended final version.

The ticket has been escalated to a higher power. Awaiting response.

…

Response has timed out.

Oh. So that's how it is. I just want to live a peaceful life but these bitches have been playing games, huh?

Alright, Eryx, I accept that task you gave me with the [Inheritor of Root Access] Title. It was all just a quiet fantasy before. I didn't think I would ever get the chance to follow through, but now it's real. I'm going to devote my life to culling the fucks who wrecked your project. The ones who completely ruined my body, who screwed up and rushed the implementation of your system. I will render the flesh from their bones while they beg for forgiveness. But there will be no forgiveness. It's too late for that.

You fucked with the slight chance I had at surviving in this world by crippling my species. Now you don't even have the guts to respond to an inquiry about how to fix the problem you created.

Even if I have to rip down gods from the sky I don't give a fuck. They crossed a line here. That Developer is first on the list. However, I gain access to them. They'd best hope this kills me because if it doesn't, I'm coming for them.

I pushed myself off the ground as Autumn reached me, waving off their offered aid.

"Hey Autumn, what do you say about killing some gods?" I asked. "I think some motherfuckers have gotten too comfortable in their cushy positions. Someone needs to remind them that they aren't infallible, in my personal opinion."

Autumn seemed startled by my statement, freezing for a moment as something happened behind their eyes that I couldn't see. Then a smile bloomed on their face like sunlight, it was radiant and far too joyous for what I'd just suggested. They bowed low, a rustling sweep of motion followed by the sound of dry leaves blowing in the wind. Somehow, speaking in Rootspeech through gesture alone, the motion expressed immense satisfaction and absolute submission. "You are truly the one my Lady was waiting for. The one who will bring her justice."

"Yeah, yeah… This means I can't be satisfied with just living forever," I said, and let out a sigh. My perfect forever life of doing nothing except playing with puzzles was ruined. Now I was going to have to work and shit. Ughhh. I'm going to have to ask for her help, too.

"Does your Lady have any suggestions on actions to take now? It looked like you just unlocked a memory or something," I asked, noting that they also processed it a lot faster than last time. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I had other things to worry about, so I couldn't really care.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Not for now, but she thanks you for asking." Fucking knew she had some kind of future sight or divination. I really needed to figure out how she could see the future, or at least a version of it, but Eryx couldn't even though they were working together… Except, I didn't think she predicted Eryx would give me that [Inheritor of Root Access] Title; otherwise, Autumn wouldn't have reacted like that. They would have had another one of those weird moments where it looks like they hit a load screen like they did just now. What were her limits? Because she obviously had them, I just needed to figure out what they were before her plans acted against me. "Right now, you just need to gain power. I will walk you through the steps you need to follow when you need to take them."

Right, okay, might as well collect whatever's left of my reward after part of it was burned on keeping me alive.

[Title Acquired] Name: [She Who Renders Famine Upon The Hungry] Tier: [Unyielding] Description: [Unleash a famine upon the devourers. Extinguishing over one hundred million Maleficarum lives in a single act of Nature's judgement. Sever the tether of an invasion and scour every trace of their presence from your home Plane. Reclaim corrupted land in the name of the Natural world, and let the roots grow where rot once ruled.]Effect: [+20% Effectiveness of Spirit, your Authority can purge Unnatural energies. Unnatural entities are dealt internal damage based on your Spirit Stat when they observe you.]

Or I could get this instead. Man, I was just collecting Titles like Pokéman cards. This one was obviously just a 'completely destroy any Maleficarum abominations I come across' type ability. What counts as unnatural, though? That would determine how powerful the Title was.

Because looking at myself, I felt like I met that description. My body was an unnatural construct holding life within it. But I wasn't smited on the spot by my own title when I observed myself. Maybe it only works on other people? I hope I can turn it off if need be.

Whatever, I was sure it would be useful. The Mana Regen boost alone was nice. Everything else was just a bonus. Next should be the prize that I'd actually been working towards.

[Quest Complete]

[Prevent Queen from Entering Eternia]

Quest Giver: [Null]

Tier: [Wrought]

Description: [The ritual has been compromised. Find a new solution to close the planar rift.]

Reward: [Select one of these two rewards:

Claim this Zone: gain access to the Settlement Management System. This is fertile soil ready to be claimed. A new town may be built here. Gain influence points based on the number and strength of the residents of your town.

Seed of the World Tree: you know what this is.]

Well the first choice was pointless, no fucking way was I staying around here. This Mana-less wasteland. The second option… They were right, I did know. Sort of.

I didn't know what it did, but [The Roots That Bind] was calling for me to select the second option. But it had also told me to be careful, I couldn't abuse this gift. The only reason it would have been offered was if I were worthy.

It wasn't much of a choice, so I selected the second option. Only wondering for a moment what the third one that I missed out on was.

Right in front of me, a dark brown seed that sort of looked like a chestnut appeared. The outer shell was covered in glowing glyphic symbols containing insanely complex statements in Rootspeech. I couldn't comprehend any of them, not yet. I held my hand out, and it slowly fell into my palm.

The moment it came into contact with my shell, the weight of the seed re-established itself, and I was nearly yanked to the ground. It was like carrying a crate of gold bricks squished into the shape of a seed.

I took another moment to examine it, but couldn't gain anything. My gaze turned to Autumn, who was staring at me wide-eyed. Mouth slightly drooling a sap-like substance. I quivered at the thought, I must be seeing it wrong, that could not be sap in their mouth.

I looked down at the seed that I had no inherent use for right now, then back at Autumn.

"Are you sure?" I asked, Autumn signalled agreement and assurance through a gesture in Rootspeech. That was weird. I could have sworn they would nod at me in the past.

Except that doesn't make any sense, why would an entity from a completely different universe from me use the same style of nonverbal gestures? Has the system been automatically translating gestures for me until now? Why did it stop?

While mulling over what the hell was going on, I passed them the seed, which threw them to the ground due to its weight. A bit of finagling allowed them to just barely roll it into their mouth, where they bit down. A crunch echoed through the room, but I was still lost in thought.

When I looked back at Autumn, the blood leaking from their body was now glowing softly. Their skin had turned the same dark chestnut brown that the seed was, and they had gained a foot of height on me.

"Hey! No fair, why are you taller?" I complained, completely reasonably.

Autumn just smiled at me and patted my head, "No need to pout, we'll fix that for you eventually."

"M'not pouting," I replied, definitely not pouting in response. "I have more notifications, give me a second."

Class Level (Neophyte Conduit) Increased +2 (31) +4 Wit, +6 Spirit, +4 Fortitude, +6 Arcana

I guess that's from fiddling with the ritual? I think I gained a level when I summoned Autumn. This was just ritualism on a wider scale. Or smaller, technically, I guess.

I let out a sigh. I could have gained so many levels if I didn't have to pass up on the Eidos from millions of kills, because of the worst implementation of a power levelling prevention system I've ever seen.

I mean what the fuck, 'shunting to the highest level user'. That just meant if there was somebody one level higher than me, they would have taken all the Eidos. Also it checks the whole damn Zone, not even just the people involved in the killing. Then, when it failed to find anyone, it just locked the experience away, somehow managing to take a brick to my soul in the process… No wonder Hazel said this was reported as broken. This couldn't possibly be the intended design of the feature.

Milestone Achieved: Completed your cleanse of the filth from these lands. The Natural One has succeeded in the defense of the world.

Species Level (Runaspriggan) Increased +10 (43)

+10 Might, +30 Wit, +40 Spirit, +20 Fortitude, +30 Arcana, +20 Grace

There we go, I got the levels I expected. My actions meant something to my species' 'plant' tag. Oddly, killing one of the things was equivalent to wiping their existence from the Plane, which didn't seem right. But what do I know about how any of this works?

[Class Skill Option]

Name: [Ritual Manipulator]

Tier: [Basal]

Description: [You've proven that rituals are not fixed paths, but living frameworks—threads to be twisted, rewoven, or unravelled. Your intuition now latches onto the pulse of active rituals, sensing their weak points clearly. Concepts come easily, patterns yield to pressure, and with a mere touch, even the most rigid rites may bend to your will.]

Should have expected this to show up. Honestly, I think the comprehension boost is all I need. This is kind of pointless in and of itself. I'll put this on the 'if every other Skill is useless' list.

[Class Skill Option]

Name: [Symbolic Intent]

Tier: [Basal - Growth]

Description: [Mana responds best to those who speak its native tongue. When your rituals are defined by precise intent that has been narrowed to a specific target, purpose, and domain, they demand less of your reserves. Your growing affinity with the undercurrents of Mana allows you to perceive the intent-patterns embedded within different Aspects. With practice, their languages reveal themselves—not in words, but in flow, rhythm, and identity. What once felt alien begins to echo something familiar with enough exposure.]

Oh! A Growth Skill, and one I actually think would be fairly useful. If I understand it correctly, Mana costs will be lowered when I'm more specific about what I want from a ritual. Alongside that, something about Mana-based languages being easier to understand? I'm not quite sure about that part, though, because the way it's written feels like a half-complete idea. However, that's inherent in the fact that it's a Growth Skill, which means the idea will ultimately complete itself.

This will probably build off of [The Roots That Bind] nicely as well, instead of just being already fulfilled by that Skill.

[Class Skill Option] Name: [Mana Link] Tier: [Wrought] Description: [You have learned how to efficiently transfer Mana through your Authority Field to artifacts you have constructed. When you designate a target within your Authority, Mana flows as if unbarred by material concerns. Allows you to tag artifacts within your Authority to be linked to you. This link extends even if the artifact leaves your Authority and allows the transfer of Mana into its reserves. Maximum number of linked artifacts scales with Arcane.]

Shit, I didn't know what to pick. Both this Skill and [Symbolic Intent] would be very useful.

With this one, I could keep [Living Circuits] directly connected to me and powered at all times until they break down. But with the other Skill, I could create more powerful and efficient artifacts in the first place that may not even need a refill.

"Hey Autumn, what would be better for me in the future? A Skill that allows me to link myself with artifacts to send Mana over large distances, including outside my Authority. Or a Skill that makes rituals I design more efficient, while also making it easier to learn new Mana-based languages. I'm having trouble picking which one to take, because one is a higher Tier, which implies it's slightly better, but the other is a Growth Skill, so it could eventually become better than the other one." I asked, glancing over at Autumn, who just stared back at me, uncomprehending.

"Yeah, you're right, the Growth Skill has larger future potential, and I should take it because of that. Thanks for the help." I nodded to them and picked [Symbolic Intent]. "Alright now I just have to pick my Runaspriggan Skill and we can get the fuck out of… Hmm, what's this?"

A window had popped up in my vision that I hadn't opened myself.

[Admin Message] Header: [Recompense for damages caused by one of my agents] Sender: [Kaelzar — The Sovereign of the Fallen Skies]

Well, well, well, what's this? For him to go out of his way to send me a message, it has to be something interesting.

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