Mornn
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Chapters 680 - Sayve my piece
🕑 Added 2025-05-21 16:00:20 +0000 UTCA box wrapped in pink paper and a white ribbon appeared in front of Sofia.
“Is leg?!” Pestle asked, surprised at the appearance of the box.
“Maybe, actually, let me open that,” Sofia answered her, as Pareth and Bookie also walked up to the box. She pulled on the ribbon and the sides of the box fell out, revealing the contents. As the messages had announced, the largest part was a white cake topped with red fruits on a golden platter, looking a lot like the one from zangdar’s previous owner which was still in her storage ring. Aside from that, there was a small box likely containing the cutlery set, and a literal paper ticket with golden print saying ‘Human Racial Skill Awakening ticket, tear to use.’
“Hmm… Pestle earned the cake, it’s hers,” Sofia decided, a quick identify revealing that the cake was indeed just that, a cake.
“Cake!” Pestle rejoiced, throwing her hands up.
“Can’t we have a small taste too?” Bookie asked Sofia.
Sofia shrugged, “Ask Pestle.”
Pestle nodded happily, “Everyone cake!”
“Someone is feeling generous? Alright give me a second I’ll make a proper table and chairs for everyone, you can open the cutlery set in the meantime if you want.”
Pestle opened the box with the cutlery as Sofia was setting up the bone table, and Sofia threw some quick identifies to the items.
[Golden spoon of meals past]: Retains the aroma of the last dish eaten.
[Golden fork of meals present]: Enhances the flavour of the dish you are eating.
[Golden knife of meals future]: Enhances the cutting of the dish you will be eating.
[Timely golden cutlery - Full set bonus]: Everything you eat with the cutlery set is more filling and delicious!
Some items these are.
“Pestle,” Sofia called out, “Do you want them? I can’t use the knife myself.”
“Very want! Pesle use human weapon now!” she said, grabbing the knife and fork and swinging them around.
Sofia chuckled, it was true that in Pestle’s hands, they looked more like a big machete and a trident. “Glad you like them, you’re the one who got the book after all. Do you want to cut the cake yourself or should I do it?”
“I cut!” Pestle answered, rising her knife.
“Sure, be gentle alright? Don’t cut the table,” Sofia told her while she grabbed and ripped the skill ticket.
“Pesle very be gentle.”
‘You have used - Human Racial Skill Ticket (Defunct) *1’
[Your blueprint will be permanently altered as you prematurely awaken one of the three human racial skills that are normally only attained upon ascension]
[You may only pick one at this time]
[Tabula rasa: Allows you to freely and easily delete any of your skills with minimal to no scarring.]
[Natural inspiration: Greatly facilitates skill alteration when copying attributes of a skill you understand but do not possess.]
[Convergent evolution: Allows you to freely and easily fuse your skills together.]
Oh! I expected nothing but these are actually great! If I understand what this says correctly, any human who reaches level 500 gets all three?! That’s pretty incredible. By then most people’s skillset must be pretty locked in place, but this would allow a human ascended to keep modifying and improving their skills forever with little drawback.
Which one do I take is the question?
[Tabula rasa] is infinite skill ablation tickets, potentially even more efficient. It’s not bad but I don’t think I want that. I would probably take this if I had more time to learn new things, but I really don’t.
So it’s either [Natural inspiration] or [Convergent evolution].
One is infinite skill fusion tickets and the other is like an advanced [Mana manipulation] I guess? The fusion is definitely the better for a fast power upgrade, I could clean up my classless skills by fusing everything and that would leave me with plenty of skill slots. It’s definitely tempting, especially with the earring potentially eating two of my skill slots in the future.
There’s a limit to what fusion can do though, I’ll run out of blueprint space no matter what at some point. And the other argument against [Covnergent evolution] is just that the system itself provides skill fusion tickets, even if they are few and far between.
[Natural inspiration] on the other hand… It’s unclear how good it is. What counts as understanding a skill? How much does it help?
Either way if I pick it, it will take a long time to produce good results.
Admittedly I’ll have plenty of that after this trial while I repay my specialization debt…
Sofia was about to ask Mr.Scribe for his opinion on the matter, while Pestle was finally decided on how she wanted to cut the cake, when another person appeared in the white void as the knife touched the cake.
“Stop!” the man in a black suit cried out, freezing Pestle in place.
Sofia looked at the intruder completely stunned, as Pareth teleported in between them.
“Ah…” The man said, visibly embarrassed.
“Now you show yourself?! To steal Pestle’s cake?!” Sofia asked, incredulous.
The man sighed and unfroze Pestle, a terrible mistake on his part, as it took very little time for the knife and fork to end up lodged inside of both his eyeballs instead of the cake.
“My leg, you klepra!” the furious fairy accused, as she considered whether Sofia would be annoyed at her for killing the man.
Said man sighed again, grabbing Pestle with one hand and removing the cutlery from his face with the other. He turned to Sofia as the struggling fairy bit his hand, “This is not how I expected our first meeting to go either,” he explained, “But I am here to steal the cake, yes. Part of it, at least. Anna would kill me if she discovered there was a cake and I didn’t make sure there’s a part left for her.”
“Pestle, you can stop struggling,” Sofia said, “You can move too Pareth, we both know nothing can save me if this guy wanted to kill me now. But it’s not an enemy. Probably not.”
“Probably not?” the man repeated.
“Well, assuming you really are who you look like you are, which seems likely considering this is still inside of a trial, after all, you are still one of the least trustworthy individuals around, in my opinion,” Sofia told the man who looked exactly like the one in the picture she had found in the admins’ house on Cerberus beta.
“I am?! You would consider the worst war criminal in known history and the lords your close family but I am where you draw the line?!” Nex asked back, finally letting go of Pestle, who still deemed necessary to leave a claw mark across the man’s face before flying to stand in between him and the cake.
“Even putting aside the dubious first impression you are making today, who is the admin who abandoned the system to go mess with the deep for unknown reasons? Who left their companions behind on the warped moon? Who told Remia they would save her only to let her rot in a fake world for three thousand more years? Who designed a system with trials that will actually kill some of the participants? Who could not even send the slightest acknowledgement or thank you notification for being brought back almost entirely thanks to me? Who had a hand in creating the weird fucked up saint system? Do you need me to continue?!”
“Enough, I get it,” Nex stopped her, “I understand your frustration,” he said calmly, “I have barely had time to look through your records but I do get it, truly. I got echoes from Erredis already, trust me. Everything I have done, however, misguided or not, was in service of the greater good, whether you understand it or not.”
“Explain yourself, then. You can alter the scale of time in the trial. Then stay here and explain. I think I am involved enough in everything by now that I deserve at least that.”
“So be it. Your view of me is… earned, I suppose, if incomplete. You might not have the best impression of me but I assure you there is a reason for everything. Ask and you will get answers,” Nex offered, summoning a new bone chair for himself.
“Is anyone else watching us now?” Sofia asked first.
“The high scribes only,” Nex answered.
“Good. Then, first question, explain what you were doing in the Deep.”
“The book in your hand is quite relevant…” Nex answered, “I was looking for a way to turn back time.”
“Why?”
“To bring someone back.”
“Jin?” Sofia asked.
“You certainly know a lot…”
“Of course I do, my name isn’t just for show. Is there no way to bring him back other than turning back time?”
“If there was, he would have returned by himself long ago,” Nex explained, “He played around with magic that should not be used, and disappeared. Anna became mentally unstable with his disappearance, and it seems that you more or less understand where that all led us.”
“And how is Anna right now?”
Nex’s expression turned dark.
Comments
Silver Dawn
Infinite Fusion Ticket is the option to go with. She needs power now far more than she needs a slight improvement in the future with the easier modification.
A.V. Anderson
The cake is not a lie!! my electrician just reminded me that this is a thing... Portal, by Valve Games in Bellevue Washington, featured cake and kept saying the cake was a lie. But, the cake was not a lie! On the ground floor of the Valve Games office building was a bakery they passed everyday on their way to work displaying a large chocolate black forest cake with strawberrys around it. This became known as the portal cake. For more information see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_cake_is_a_lie#:~:text=It%20is%20in%20reference%20to,the%20message%20as%20a%20warning.
Amythyst
We did not, other than that it was a piece of paper she couldn't read while stuck in the white void when the instanced crashed.
Lazy Monster
Did we ever get what Jin’s note from the god killing challenge was? I feel like it would be relevant here.
Emily Gurnavage
From what we have learned, honestly, I think that Nex, Anna, and Jin would have slowly fixed all of that as they realized those problems even existed. It sounds like none of the 3 started off as Gods and, despite having God-like power (or more) at their heights, that none of them had the age, experience, or wisdom one would expect from a God or ancient dragon. Sounded like Nex was young for a dragon when he hung with Jin and Anna. So they didn't foresee all the issues. We have evidence that the system was a work in progress, had to be rushed for apocalyptic reasons, and that it was still receiving updates and changes until both Nex and Jin were out of the picture. So I think they would have worked to solve those problems, cracks, and abuses if they had stuck around. The real thing to dislike Nex for is for setting up such a system and then being selfish enough to risk his life without designating (and teaching) an heir to his admin position to carry on his work. Double dumb to do with Jin already gone.
Inv7ctus
I mean. I'm super biased towards skill fusions, but Inspiration might really open opportunities she wouldn't otherwise have to get new effects. So the question becomes whether or not she can earn enough fusion tickets without this ability, and what specifically infinite fusions can accomplish that a limited number couldn't and of that benefit outweighs the new opportunities. I think if she also had free ablation, and could easily regain old skills, its worth it because that allows free experimentation to truly optimize her mana circuits. But she doesn't have that, and lots of her skills are complex and or unique and would be difficult to reobtain. So, as much as it pains me, I think the learning opportunity of Inspiration is better.
No Name
Of all the things Sofia could have pointed out about the system, she decided to not mention how the later system trials are set up to practically only allow the hyperfocused individualist combatants to excel and advance? Thereby effectively guaranteeing that the dedicated synergists, healers, supporters and other individuals with more cooperative and empathic natures get booted, while the egocentric advance? If the ascended weren't mostly unstable nutcases before, the ones emerging from the system certainly will be; the whole thing is a nutcase farm...
Libery
Tomorrow: as only the High scribes did watch, time-skip and see how Sof is doing after exiting the trial.
Libery
Very leg. Very FRESH leg
Josh Smith
Enhances the cutting of the dish you will be eating. Waaaaait a minute. How does this apply to people you are trying to kill and then eat?
Tom Asciola
Actually, this would be a super interesting point for Orator to finally weigh in. Maybe let Nex know his quest was doomed from the start, just because he can.
Mornn
(っ´ω`c)♡
Draxas
Man the suspense is making this awesome you are an awesome writer and thank you for this awesome story
Cyclone001
Not how I expected that meeting. Glad to see some answers coming even if it does push back the test results further. It makes me wonder though if we didn't misinterpret Orator's poem. We always assumed the thief was nex and the hopeless quest was Jin. Sound like it could be the other way around? Not sure how Nex requiring being unAphenorethed works into the picture.
Matt Grayson
Ooooh! Interesting idea. I want to praise it before it gets shot down. (If it is, in fact, wrong.) The voice *is* a God's, after all.
ArtTheGreat
I really hope Sophia doesn’t forget to laugh at Nex as requested by the Human Admin.
Matt Grayson
Thank god the knife love triangle was resolved without violence (except to Nex's eyes).
Mornn
I mean I like strawberries but it's pretty much just random
Matt Grayson
She can rip up and eat orichalcum flooring.
forwad Nothing
Is Anna part of the group trying to destroy the system?
Dan N
Just like a dragon to show up uninvited and demand cake he didn't earn. Although I can see why he'd think Anna would be tempted out of her torpor for a piece, it sounds tasty. Hey Mornn, I mentioned the strawberry cream cake from Zangdar last chapter, is the flavor a coincidence or is it your own preference?
Wensber
Thanks for the chapter!
Kennyevilmonkey
Protect the cake! Tonight, an admin dies!!!
Ceasar Salas
Thanks for the chapter! I wonder how Nex will respond if he finds out that there isn’t just one, but 2 cakes. Albeit probably not to same quality. Also… Who’s that Pokémon? … It’s Sofia, with Bookie and The Best Skeleton Pareth!
Amythyst
If he was playing around with time/space magic, he might have ended up super far from the Crossroads system given how fast everything moves in space.
Matt Grayson
Woah! Yep, not the expected direction, but a welcome clarity. TYVM.
Amythyst
Thanks for the chapter! Wonder if that paper message from the abyssal god event will come up in this conversation. If it's like the message she got with the crown, it probably pokes fun at Nex too. Also curious how the cutlery set will work with Pestle's unusual diet. Can she use it to cut oricalcum? Interesting how the Book of Skeletons apparently can function as an item storage as well, given Bookie's gloves and now the cutlery belong to skeletons summoned from within it.
OmniGlitcher
You know, I was wondering if humans got any racial skills. I guess that explains things. My vote is [Natural inspiration]. Oh boy, first meeting with Nex. Yeah getting stabbed in the eye is about what I expected for taking Pesle's leg. Certainly not how I was expecting the first meeting, but given the hints of how much he cares for his fellow admins, it does make sense. So did Jin actively go seeking the corpse of Time? Or did he just go into the Deep in a last ditch attempt? From the poem, I'm assuming the former. Jin playing around with forbidden magic is certainly not the impression I got from the poem though. Unless it was like a wild teleport?
Mornn
How'd you even get to that conclusion? x.X
Lazy Monster
TFTC. I’m surprised she didn’t mention the seed of the ebb coming from the moon and destroying Solvun in her listing of dubious things that could possibly be pinned on Nex. Also, here comes the lore dump.
phantom
Someone is worrying way too much over her having mana pearl one skill. And she has only a single locked skill she cares about removing and a ticket to try removing it.
Tom Asciola
Yay! Exposition! Very leg!
Clara
Wonder if Tabula Rasa would let you remove locked skills
phantom
Spencer
We're finally getting to get answers? Nice.
Clara
Grandma war crimes...
Quentin Cozzi
Thanks for the chapter!
phantom
Hello. thanks for chapter or whatever kids say.
