[NR] Two Words - Chapter 735

Bright and early next morning, Jason wakes up to a blue screen.

{

Your request has been elevated to the System.

}

Which is nice to know, but doesn’t really say anything. And also nonsense.

Not that he didn’t believe it, but rather the fact that nothing had happened yet. The System is a computer-like entity running an entire world. Having the request raised to it should result in it being answered. Jason’s guess was some sort of review board got shoehorned into the process back when the company had more control over the System.

Though instead of game admins sitting in on it, this would likely involve the divine. Probably only their servants, though an actual deity wasn’t out of question. And so it was going to take a while since those sorts aren’t the most worried about getting things done quickly.

Which left Jason, once again with nothing much to do. He stares at the ceiling and huffs, “This is becoming a pattern.”

Though thankfully for his sanity, the wait this time wasn’t long as the next morning he got the actual answer.

{

Talents unlocked

}

Out by the campfire, waiting for breakfast he can’t help but complain. “Seriously? Worry me that much, make me expect a long wait, and then the next day it drops a two-word answer? No flavor text or information. Just a note that, oh yeah, you can have it. Why not?”

Courtney, “The sparse message? To be expected. This isn’t part of the normal System stuff. There’s no help file or faq to read about it. The fact that you are told it was unlocked at all, is honestly more of a courtesy than anything else. However, yeah, that was quick. Estimates I saw online put it at around a week average.

“Either you got lucky and there was already a meeting planned or your connections actually meant something. After all, I assume a higher rank in whatever celestial bureaucracy keeps the backend running would allow someone to push it through. Since this was submitted under the auspice of that deity you know, their awareness would pick up on it.”

Rosha, “Yeah, deities get to know stuff if it directly relates to them. Leastwise, that’s how I understand it. Though of course, ‘knowing’ and being ‘aware of’ are different things.”

Jason laughs, “Oh, don’t worry. I have some idea of divine limitations. Though I guess having something raised to the attention of the System itself that is related to you, would ping a deity and grab their attention. Kind of hard not to.”

Courtney nods, “True. For someone with the kind of limited omniscience that deities seem to have in NeoRealm, having something come through someone under you that is raised directly to your boss? That would be hard to miss.

“Anyway, now you get to the FUN part. Gaining your first talent, Sustained Effort. Which requires exactly that, sustained effort. From sunup to sundown, you’re going to have to put yourself through an intense workout. All while maintaining your stamina and staying fully fed.”

Jason, “Put that way, it sounds a little too simple. Sure, balancing the workout to maintain a certain level of intensity without fully draining my stamina is going to take some fine tuning, but that and some snacks should do me.”

Courtney laughs, “Oh no, it won’t be that simple. Me and Rosha will have to stick around. I’ll provide healing to keep you moving, while Rosha will hunt down food like crazy to supplement the grains we’re going to buy from the settlement.

“The way monster breeders handle this is in shifts and using spells to force the monster to keep going. They will also have a number of healers with at least one channeling a minor heal spell into the monster at all times while someone makes sure there is always food right in front of the beast to eat.

“Of course, better than normal food is to use elvish waybread or manna. Though while they claim to provide a day’s worth of food, this kind of workout can sometimes require supplemental food. Primarily to replace elements that might be used up or lost beyond simple energy expenditures.”

Jason, “Wait, would the monster actually get hungry or did it just need something more to build their body with?”

Courtney, “The second one. They won’t be low on energy, but the workout will stop meaning anything. Which also blocks the talent as well.”

Jason sighs, “And given how things have been going as of late, there’s more waiting?”

Rosha laughs, “Only till tomorrow! We’re going to drag your cart to the settlement and load up on food. I don’t know how she calculated it, but Courtney wants three months of grains and a month of things like fruit.”

Courtney shrugs, “Well, that is less a calculation and more being prepared. After all, Rosha will also be out hunting for meat. I just figured even if we don’t end up needing all the grain and fruit leather, it will at least store well. Though this will cost a bit.”

Jason, “It is just ordinary food, right? Because that shouldn’t really cost all That much. Not like we’re buying waybread or pills of fasting to do this.”

Courtney nods, “True. Though I will note that the pills of fasting that you’re thinking of, would not work. I don’t know what the specific product name for it would be, but going by cultivation tropes, those aren’t meant for exercise like this. Rather, they handle someone who is sitting in a chamber, meditating. I’m sure they can cover some exercise, but not this much.”

Jason, “I can’t say you’re wrong. Though I wouldn’t try to guess what a higher-tier fasting pill would do.”

Rosha, “Would they even exist? A big thing in most cultivation stories is growing past the need for mortal food. In fact, many stories talk about regular food being full of impurities.”

Jason shrugs, “There has to be something to fill this niche, if only because there are people focused on training their bodies.”