TtOW! - Chapter 12: The Bear Necessities...for Termination!

The forest was dead silent, neither bird nor insect willing to sing their songs.  Even the trees seemed to sway and groan.

For the Ursanus Alpha was on patrol.

Its mighty paws struck the ground, as if to lay claim to the very land beneath it.  Its shell glistened in the sunlight, as hard and tough as any armor forged by men.  Its mana blared, a warning and a challenge to all that dared to brave its domain.  It let out a low, rumbling growl, a strange scent on the wind.

High above it, two red lights flickered through the canopy.

NSLICE-00P hovered over the trees.  Her head was covered by her combat-mode helmet, her human eye covered by the armored eye-piece such that both her eyes now glowed with red light.  She had been keeping track of the Ursanus ever since their encounter, so hunting it down once more had been a simple task.

“Target acquired.  Analyzing target mana and HP, rerunning combat simulation with observed variables.”

NSLICE-00P’s hands transformed into machine guns once more.

“Analysis complete.  Chance of mission success at acceptable levels.  Engaging termination protocols.”

With that, NSLICE-00P leaned forward, thrusters on her back and her feet blaring.  She shot through the trees, following a pre-determined flight path through the branches.  Within moments she had cleared the canopy and leaned back to right herself, floating in the air above the Ursanus.

A dozen magic circles filled the air around her as she took aim with her arms.

“Engaging target.”

Her machine guns lit up the area around her and the magic circles began to shine and flash.  Bullets and magic missiles filled the air, striking the Ursanus.

[The spell Dense Magic Missile is now level 18!]

The Ursanus paused as the projectiles struck its hide.  It glanced up and behind it, baring its fangs with a growl.  It then turned around to face NSLICE-00P and pulled back its head.

It let out a roar that shook the very air around it.

NSLICE-00P ignored it, her robotic eye flickering as she observed the bullets and magic missiles interact with the Ursanus’s HP.  The bullets and spells were dealing small amounts of damage to the HP barrier, barely noticeable but more than nothing.  The Ursanus then tucked in its legs and head into its shell.

Its body flashed with a subtle glow and then its HP barrier sunk into its skin and fused with it, focusing on repair instead of protection.  The projectiles began to strike the shell directly…

And bounced off without making an impact.

“Observation: No weakness to conventional weaponry or offensive spells identified.  Target has deployed defensive skill countermeasure. Updating scenario.”

NSLICE-00P dropped her barrage, her hands reforming once more.  Her core began to glow bright as she held out her hands towards the Ursanus.

“Deploying Equalizer.  Engaging ‘Anti-Mana Beam’ protocol.”

A bright, rainbow-colored beam fired from her hands, striking the Ursanus head on.

And this time, the Ursanus roared.

The beam tore at the Ursanus.  It stripped away the enhanced defense from the skill, causing HP to flow out once more.  It then ripped apart the HP, draining the barrier directly.

And this time, it was dealing damage faster than the HP could repair.

The Ursanus roared, sticking its legs and head out of its shell once more.  It took off running.  NSLICE-00P followed, keeping her Equalizer on target.  She had determined that she should assault the HP barrier directly, rather than trying to bypass it as she had before.  In this way, it didn’t matter if she kept the Equalizer focused on the same spot, as long as she was still hitting some part of the Ursanus’s body she could continue to damage the HP pool.

[The skill Anti-Mana Beam is now level 3!]

The Ursanus growled once again and suddenly pushed off the side.  It began to duck and weave around the trees, breaking NSLICE-00P’s line of sight.  She could no longer keep the beam continuously focused on target.

“Observation: Target is taking evasive measures.  Attempting containment.”

NSLICE-00P rushed ahead of the Ursanus, several magic circles forming ahead of her.

“Deploying Solid Earth Wall protocol.  Deploying Far Fire Blast protocol.”

The very ground itself began to rise, forming into a mighty wall in front of the Ursanus.  Then several long jets of fire shot from the remaining magic circles, covering the wall in roaring flames.

The Ursanus ignored the flames, and smashed straight through the wall.  NSLICE-00P flew towards the top of the wall to pursue…

Something like an arc of light shot over the wall.  NSLICE-00P detected the growing energy signature and barely stopped herself short, the arc passing over head and slicing the top off a tree behind her.

The Ursanus swung glowing claws, launching another arc of light straight towards the wall.  It sliced through the construct, forcing NSLICE-00P to move out of the way.  NSLICE-00P dropped the wall, allowing the flames to fade as well.

“Observation: Target containment failed, target possesses ranged attacks.  Target cannot be terminated at safe distance.  Adapting combat strategy.”

NSLICE-00P lowered herself to the ground.  The Ursanus roared and charged straight at her.

She quickly boosted out of the way.  Four more magic circles formed in the air in front of her.

“Deploying Poison Bolt protocol.”

Globs of purple liquid struck the Ursanus.  They barely made a dent on its HP at all, but NSLICE-00P kept up the attack.  Eventually, she logged some of the poison-attribute mana seeping into the Ursanus, sapping its HP bit by bit.

[The spell Poison Bolt is now level 6!]

[The skill Poison Magic is now level 3!]

[You have learned the spell Poison Blast!]

The Ursanus roared and chased after her.  Panels opened up all along the cyborg as her hands transformed.  She opened up with every conventional weapon she had.

And as she did, she split her mana, infusing every projectile she had.

[The spell Mana Infusion (minor) is now level 10!  Upgrade available!]

Bullets, missiles, and jets of flame filled the air, bombarding the Ursanus in lead, fire, and explosions.  The monster rushed forward regardless, charging at the cyborg once more.  Once again she leapt out of the way.

But this time, the Ursanus was ready.  Its claws were glowing as it swung its paw, sending an arc of light at the cyborg.

Already in motion and at this range, she would not be able to completely evade the strike.

But several magic circles had already formed around her.

She had predicted this situation when she logged the Ursanus concentrating mana into its claws, and so had a countermeasure prepared.  Several Earth Walls rose in front of her, just tall enough to intercept the incoming strike, as several Mana Barriers layered on top of one another.

The Earth Walls crumbled as the arc of light pierced right through them.

The Mana Barriers shattered on contact.

But they had done their job.

NSLICE-00P raised her arm to block.  The blow sent her flying, leaving a thick gash on her arm.  The strike was deep enough to damage one of her assault rifles, cutting into her barrage.

But her arm held, and her HP was not fully drained.  In fact, her HP was already at work, starting to repair the damage.  She fed some of her mana there, replicating the work of the HP to try and speed up the repair.

[You have accomplished the feat Healer!]

[Healer: Anyone can deal in death.  It takes an expert to deal in life.  Unlocked by using mana to heal a wound.  Grants +1 level in skill Recovery Magic.]

[You have learned the skill Recovery Magic!]

[You have learned the spell Heal (minor)!]

And even if her weapons were damaged, she had other avenues of attack.

The air lit up around her as she formed as many magic circles as she could.

Magic missiles, globs of poison, balls of fire, beams of light.  All manner of spell struck the Ursanus, chipping away at its HP.  Once again, the creature roared and launched itself at her…

And so NSLICE-00P and the Ursanus gave battle to one another.  The Ursanus was mighty, but NSLICE-00P was quick.  Even a single direct blow from the monster could end the battle…but it could not strike that blow.  NSLICE-00P’s repulsors and advanced sensors were enough to evade the majority of its attacks.  Her upgraded armor, defensive spells, and recovery methods meant she wouldn’t be defeated by the few glancing blows that did connect.

On the flip side, her attacks barely chipped away at the monster’s health.  The Ursanus might be a simple creature, but that was because it had poured most of its growth into raw strength and durability.  It was a force of nature, raw power incarnate.  NSLICE-00P could just barely deal enough damage to outpace its natural recovery.

This was a losing fight for any normal combatant.  NSLICE-00P had to expend practically all her mana just to keep the Ursanus’s HP from recovering.  There was no way a mage of her level could maintain that mana expenditure for any length of time.  And, again, a single good blow from the Ursanus would end her.  So she had to keep up perfect focus and perfect movement, as even a single mistake or miscalculation would spell defeat.  And she would have to keep up said perfect focus for a truly mind-numbing amount of time.

No person of her level could pull that off.  Even if they had the strength of will to carry on with perfect focus, they could not battle the fatigue that would inevitably result.

That was why the Ursanus stayed in the fight.  It was inevitable that it would crush this annoying creature long before she could deal any real harm back.

And that was why NSLICE-00P could win.

With full access to all the mana a dungeon core can pull, NSLICE-00P had a truly phenomenal mana recovery rate.  Her cybernetic-dungeon components could channel that mana endlessly without fatigue or strain.  And a dungeon’s mana naturally fills the dungeon master.  A dungeon master in their domain does not easily grow tired or hungry, the dungeon itself sustaining them.  Combine that with the cybernetic implants improving NSLICE-00P’s endurance and biological efficiency, and she could continue fighting without food or rest for a truly impressive amount of time.

And her cybernetic side was not subject to fatigue.  It acted as quickly and precisely at the end of the fight as it did in the beginning.  Perhaps if she had still been a normal cyborg they might eventually experience wear-and-tear, but now she had a dungeon’s mana flowing through those components, maintaining their state and repairing any damage in real time.  Her components were constantly refreshed to mint condition.

Her organic side might grow tired but it was her cybernetic side leading this fight.  The organic side was mostly focused on forming magic circles.  As such, any time her organic half was growing fatigued, the cyborg just shifted to rely on her conventional weapons instead.

In other words…

This battle had become a war of attrition.

And if there’s one rule when fighting dungeons…

It’s don’t fight a dungeon in a war of attrition.

NSLICE-00P would not slip up.  She would not run out of resources.  The Ursanus must overcome her in strategy and tactics or it would fall.

And a force of nature, a creature of raw power does not often resort to tactics.

Soon the Ursanus’s HP barrier had grown noticeably weaker.  The creature itself was breathing heavily, its mana drained.  It was moving more slowly now, and had not fire an arc of light in quite some time.

NSLICE-00P moved into the final stage.

She rose into the air, deploying the Equalizer once more.

The Ursanus roared.  It tried to escape but NSLICE-00P had not only been targeting the creature.  The collateral damage of their fight had knocked over many of the trees in the area, leaving the pair in the middle of a small clearing.  The Ursanus could not break line of sight any more.

The Ursanus tried to strike back, gathering mana to its claws.  But NSLICE-00P simply redirected the Anti-Mana beam to the monster’s paws.  When it swung at her, the arc of light barely made it a few inches before sputtering out.

And then the beam stopped.

The Ursanus’s HP had been almost completely drained.

Now NSLICE-00P simply had to do something about its stupidly tough body.

She activated her core to the max, flooding her energy channels with power.  Bright lines of light formed along her arms as she brought her hands together.

Then she grabbed all the mana she could hold, infusing her energy channels with as much mana as possible.  Her arms hummed and trembled as she twisted electricity and mana together.

With the remaining unspent mana, she formed magic circles for a fairly recent addition to her arsenal.  The Light Beam spell of the Light Magic school.  She formed these magic circles in a line in front of her outstretched palms.

And then…

She opened fire.

Mana and electricity twisted together, forming a massive beam of light.  This beam traveled through and activated each of the countless magic circles along its path, growing in size and intensity as it assimilated the Light Beam spells.

The air hissed and cracked.

Nearby leaves caught fire from the heat.

The Ursanus vanished under the beam that continued traveling into the ground.

And then…

[You have slain Ursanus Alpha (level 50)!]

[Gained 143 Personal XP, 114 Dungeon XP]

[Level up! Your Personal Level is now 10!]

[Level up! Your Personal Level is now 11!]

[Level up!  Your Dungeon Level is now 13!]

[The skill Mana Beam is now level 15!  Upgrade available!]

[The spell Light Beam is now level 12!  Upgrade available!]

[The skill Light Magic is now level 9!  Spell choice available!]

[You have accomplished the feat: Challenger!]

[Challenger: Levels and odds are just numbers.  Unlocked by defeating an opponent over twice your level alone.  Grants +3 perk points, grants the skill Challenger.]

[Powerful monster record obtained, monster lineage unlocked.  Ursine-type subordinates may now be summoned.]

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered as she looked down on the smoking hole in the ground surrounded by smoldering grass.

“Mission accomplished, target terminated.”

NSLICE-00P’S DUNGEON STATUS:

[Dungeon Management]

[Overview]

• [Name: The Human-Dungeon Hybrid]
• [Level: 13]
• [XP: 27/100]
• [Available Perk Points: 21]
• [Mana: 89/89 (110/110)]
• [Exterior: Human/Automata hybrid (LOCKED)]

[Affinities]

• [Cyborg: Primary]
• [Rodent: Minimum]
• [Earth: Minimum]
• [Arachnid: Minimum]
• [Slime: Minimum]
• [Light: Minimum]

[Implants]

• [Bionic Prosthetics +3: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Overwrites STR and SPD, Values: 130 STR, 65 SPD]
• [Armor Plating +2: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Overwrites DEF and RES, Values: 120 DEF, 60 RES]
• [Bonded AI: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables direct contact with the System.  Overwrites Dexterity stat, Value: 1000 DEX]
• [Techno-Organic Interface: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables conscious control over organic and emotional functions, resists mind-influencing effects.]
• [Advanced Sensors +2: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Vastly expands scope and effectiveness of senses.]
• [Internal Weapon Bays: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables use of dungeon traps as weapons]
• [Internal Capacitors: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Stores additional power to supercharge abilities and weapons]
• [Repulsors +1: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables flight and tactical boosts]
• [Energy Channels: (Mana Upkeep: 0) Enables user to channel internal energy into external attacks]
• [Dungeon Field Generator: (Mana Upkeep: 5) Surrounding area counts as dungeon territory.  Enables mana absorption within area of effect.]
• [Monster Hanger (small): (Mana Upkeep: 1) Provides living space for 5 small monsters.  Unlocks subordinate summoning.]

[Rooms (locked)]

[Inventory]

• [Total Items: 0/100]

[Item Creation]

[Subordinates]

• [Total Subordinates: 2/2]
  • [Name: Rattingtale Species: Monster Rat Level: 6 Upkeep: 1 (Check Status)]
  • [Name: Lilussees Species: Monster Spider Level: 8 Upkeep: 1 (Check Status)]

[Traps]

• [Assault Rifle +3 (Amount: 1/2): (Mana upkeep: 2) Rapid-fire projectile weapon with high penetration]
• [Autopistol (Amount: 2/2): (Mana upkeep: 2) Rapid-fire projectile weapon with medium penetration]
• [Anti-Armor Missile Launcher +2 (Amount: 1/2): (Mana upkeep: 2) Homing explosive designed to penetrate armor. Very high penetration.]
• [Anti-Personnel Missile Launcher +2 (Amount: 6/6): (Mana upkeep: 6) Homing explosive designed for area damage, medium penetration]
• [Stun Ray (Amount: 1/1): (Mana upkeep: 1) Rapid-fire projectile weapon with high penetration]
• [Wrist Blade +2 (Amount: 1/2): (Mana upkeep: 0) Wrist-mounted blades that can be deployed at high-speed]
• [Proximity Mine Layer (Amount 1/1): (Mana upkeep: 1) Distributes proximity mines]
• [Flamethrower (Amount: 1/2): (Mana upkeep: 2) Deals fire damage and applies burn status in a large cone]
• [The Equalizer +1 (Amount: 1/1): (Mana upkeep: 0) Huh?  What the heck is this?  Some kind of weird metal that doesn’t even exist here?  Um…well…best I can tell it’s some sort of anti-magic field generator?  Eh…well it’s yours, not mine, so you don’t need me to tell you right?  Like, you already upgraded this thing yourself, so you’re good, right?]

[Dungeon Skills]

• [Analyze: Check the status of a target. More detail for targets within the dungeon.]
• [Contract: Bind a consenting target to the dungeon, per terms agreed upon by both parties]
• [Transfer: Move yourself, a subordinate, or a consenting target within your dungeon]

[Perks]

• [Human-Dungeon Hybrid: Enables Implants Tab, Enables unique dungeon-combat skills. Enables direct manipulation of dungeon mana.  Grants +100 HP. Rooms tab locked. Exterior locked.]

[Feats]

• [Dungeon Victor: To the victor go the spoils.  Unlocked by destroying or subordinating another dungeon.  Unlocks Dungeon Warfare category perks, +1 perk point]
• [Dungeon Overlord: A master of masters.  Unlocked by subordinating another dungeon master.  Unlocks Subordinate Core category perks, +2 perk points]
• [Raid Boss: Fine, I’ll do it myself.  Unlocked by destroying or subordinating another dungeon with no assistance.  Unlocks Raid Boss category perks, grants +50 HP, grants +1 level in HP Regen skill, grants +1 level in MP Regen skill, +2 perk points]
• [System Upgrade: Unlocked by manually performing a system upgrade.  Which is not supposed to be possible.  Ugh, this is going to get complicated, isn’t it?  Um, I don’t know, just have +20 dungeon perk points or something?  Whatever, you’re figuring this out yourself anyways so close enough.]

[Dungeon Master Status (locked, use Personal Status instead)]

NSLICE-00P’S PERSONAL STATUS:

[Personal Status]

[General Information]

• [Name: NSLICE-00P]
• [Species: Human/Dungeon Core/Automata Hybrid]
• [Level: 11]
• [XP: 19/100]
• [Available Perk Points: 66]
• [HP: 190/190]
• [MP: 102/102]

[Physical Attributes]

• [STR: 130*]
• [DEX: 1000*]
• [SPD: 65*]
• [DEF: 120*]
• [RES: 60*]

* Overwritten by Implants

[Magical Attributes]

• [Mana Density: 102]
• [Mana Control: 130]

[Active Skills]

• [Mana Beam (Level 15) *Upgrade Available: Focus mana into a channeled energy attack]
• [Sneak (Level 1): Move quietly to avoid notice, makes it harder for others to notice the user.  Effectiveness highly dependent on environment.]
• [Multicasting (Level 5): Can cast several spells at once.  Number of simultaneous spells increases with level.]
• [Anti-Mana Beam (Level 3): My best guess is that this projects a kind of inverse-mana that reacts destructively with normal mana, including HP.  While it can fully deplete HP, it does not harm matter itself.  Requires The Equalizer.]

[Passive Skills]

• [Dungeon Combat (Level 1): Dungeon traps and skills count as personal weapons and skills]
• [HP Regen (Level 4): Automatically recover HP pool, increased regeneration speed for damaged body parts]
• [MP Regen (Level 3): Automatically recover MP pool]
• [Presence Detection (Level 2): Detect living entities around the user.  Range and scope of detection increases with level.]
• [Trap Detection (Level 2): Detect traps.  Range and scope of detection increases with level.]
• [Challenger: Damage dealt x1.5 against targets of higher level.  Damage received x0.75 against attacks from targets of higher level.]
• [Enchanting (Level 1): The art of infusing objects and beings with mana.]
• [Poison Resistance (Level 1): Resist and recovery from poison status, resist poison-attributed damage]
• [Schools of Magic]
  • [Arcane Magic (Level 9): The school of magic governing the manipulation of unattributed mana.  A solid foundation for students of the mystic arts, though somewhat less mana-efficient than the more specialized schools.]
  • [Earth Magic (Level 3): The school of magic governing the manipulation of Earth-attribute mana.  One of the basic elemental magics, strong at defensive spells and spells that deal physical damage]
  • [Fire Magic (Level 4): The school of magic governing the manipulation of Fire-attribute mana.  One of the basic elemental magics, strong at offensive spells and spells that inflict the burn status]
  • [Light Magic (Level 9) *Spell Choice Available: The school of magic governing the manipulation of Light-attribute mana.  One of the basic elemental magics, quick and precise spells that are excellent against dark-aligned foes.]
  • [Poison Magic (Level 3): The school of magic governing magical poisons.  Excels at spreading poison status and dealing damage over time.]
  • [Recovery Magic (Level 1): The school of magic governing healing through magic]

[Spells]

• [Arcane Magic]
  • [Dense Magic Missile (Level 18): Form and launch mana into a small projectile.  One of the most basic offensive applications of magic.]
  • [Mana Barrier (minor) (Level 3): Form mana into a barrier to block attacks.  One of the most basic defensive applications of magic.]
  • [Mana Blast (minor) (Level 1): A cone shaped blast of mana.  Deals damage and knockback to the area.]
  • [Mana Infusion (minor) (Level 10) *Upgrade Available: Infuse mana into a target.  The most basic enchantment.]
  • 
    
• [Earth Magic]
  • [Rock Throw (Level 6): Use mana to form and then launch a small rock.  Mana cost increases dramatically if cast without a nearby source of Earth.  Deals physical damage.  One of the most basic offensive applications of Earth magic.]
  • [Earth Wall (Level 1): Use mana to temporarily form a wall of Earth.  Mana cost increases dramatically if cast without a nearby source of Earth.  One of the most basic defensive applications of Earth magic.]
• [Fire Magic]
  • [Fire Bolt (Level 1): Use mana to form and then launch a small bolt of fire.  Mana cost decreases dramatically if cast with a nearby source of Fire.  May inflict burn status.  One of the most basic offensive applications of Fire magic.]
  • [Fire Blast (Level 4): A cone shaped blast of fire mana.  Deals damage and inflicts burn to the area.  Mana cost decreases dramatically if cast with a nearby source of Fire.  May be continuously channeled.]
• [Light Magic]
  • [Light Bolt (Level 1): Use mana to form and then launch a small bolt of light.  Mana cost increases dramatically if cast without a nearby source of Light.  One of the most basic offensive applications of Light magic.]
  • [Light Beam (Level 12) *Upgrade Available: Form mana into a beam of light to attack.  May pierce through its target.  May be continuously channeled.]
• [Poison Magic]
  • [Poison Bolt (Level 6): Use mana to form and then launch a small bolt of poison.  Mana cost decreases dramatically if cast with a nearby source of Poison.  May inflict poison status.  One of the most basic offensive applications of Poison magic.]
  • [Poison Blast (Level 1): A cone shaped blast of poison mana.  Deals damage and inflicts poison to the area.  Mana cost decreases dramatically if cast with a nearby source of Poison.  May be continuously channeled.]
• [Recovery Magic]
  • Heal (Level 1): Use mana to heal minor wounds and damage.  Effect increases with user’s knowledge of the body.]

[Feats]

• [Against the Odds: Unlocked by winning a fight when outnumbered by equal or higher levels opponents.  Grants +1 perk points]
• [Solo Conquest! Unlocked by conquering a dungeon alone.  Grants +1 level in HP Regen skill, grants +1 level in MP Regen skill, grants +1 level in Presence Detection skill, grants +1 level in Trap Detection skill]
• [Arcane Prodigy: Unlocked by learning a high-tier magic skill under level 20 without spending perk points.  Unlocks more advanced magic perks.  Grants +3 perk points.]
• [Enchanter: The first step on the path of the magic craftsman.  Unlocked by manually accomplishing a mana infusion.  Grants +1 level in the Enchanting Skill.]
• [Skill Creator: Unlocked by creating a brand new skill.  To be honest, this normally happens when you're a MUCH higher level so I’m a bit worried about passing you this much this early, but, um, ok, +20 personal perk points.]
• [Healer: Anyone can deal in death.  It takes an expert to deal in life.  Unlocked by using mana to heal a wound.  Grants grants +1 level in skill Recovery Magic.]
• [Challenger: Levels and odds are just numbers.  Unlocked by defeating an opponent over twice your level alone.  Grants +3 perk points, grants the skill Challenger.]
• [Dungeon Conqueror]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Rat Cave): Unlocked by conquering the Rat Cave Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in the Sneak skill]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Earth Tunnels): Unlocked by Conquering the Earth Tunnels Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in the Earth Magic skill]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Spider Tree): Unlocked by conquering the Spider Tree Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk points, grants +1 level in the Poison Resistance skill]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Slimy Pit): Unlocked by conquering the Slimy Pit Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in Poison Bolt spell]
  • [Dungeon Conqueror (Glimmering Grove): Unlocked by conquering the Glimmering Grove Dungeon.  Grants +1 perk point, grants +1 level in Light Magic skill]

Author’s Note:

Evil bear who hurt NSLICE-00P: terminated!  NSLICE-00P independent upgrade program: successful!  Great-High King of all the land’s plan for world domination: …still in progress!  Lilussees comfy-safe home renovation: significantly more progress than Great-High King of all the land’s plan!

You know what else was terminated?  The author’s brain when realizing he threw out a bunch of level ups and skill increases without tracking them cause he was lazy earlier and so had to hunt down every last status notification to update the status correctly along with accounting for some off-screen increases.

…I definitely should have created this status progress tracking sheet before this, shouldn’t I have?

And so the introduction arc comes to a close.  NSLICE-00P is now engaging with the system and has become reasonably overpowered.

Which means…it is time to unleash her upon the wider world!

Next up: oh look, there’s people in this world too!

Anyways!

What will NSLICE-00P do next now that she has conquered the Ursanus?  Can the Great-High King of all the land plan to regain his throne?  Will Lilussees…oh she went to sleep again.  Are there other people in this world too?  Will the author learn that it’ll ultimately be a lot less work if he just keeps track of all these dang numbers?  Tune in next time, to find out!