Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion (Book 6) - Chapter 60 - Creator

You have gained the spell: Untethered

Xavier sighed in relief. When the pattern of runes he’d drawn with Celestial Energy had solidified within his mind, he’d been confident things had worked exactly as planned.

But he hadn’t been sure. Not until he read that notification.

It was like a weight lifted from him. He suddenly felt ten times lighter than he had a moment ago, which he supposed was only fair, given he’d gained a gravity spell. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

Xavier was in good spirits. Very good spirits.

He’d honestly thought it would take him a lot longer to learn how to permanently gain spells with Recursive Analysis, especially since Rowalla, Adranial’s mother, had told him he would need to wait until he was C Grade to do it.

But like with many things, he’d found another way.

You did it, didn’t you? the Lost Bone of a Dead God asked within his mind. Xavier should really get around to giving the soul bound weapon a proper name. None of the ones that had come to him had felt right, but it was always a mouthful using the weapon’s full title.

Then the right name slipped into his mind, and he grinned. The name was a bit silly—a little inspired by a character from Star Trek—but after he’d walked through the rooms that contained his memories, he was feeling more nostalgic than usual.

You have renamed the soul bound weapon The Lost Bone of a Dead God to Bones.

Bones? You finally got around to giving me a name, and that’s the one you come up with?

It seemed appropriate.

Xavier heard a large sigh in his mind, one from the soul bound weapon. I did tell you that you could choose.

You did. Xavier was still grinning. And yes, I did do it. I have now learnt the spell Untethered.

There was a pause before Bones responded.

Do you understand what you have done?

Xavier couldn’t help but hear the awe laced in the voice. He tilted his head to the side. I think I do.

He knew the were more implications to what he’d just accomplished than simply learning new spells, though that would be the first—and main—thing he would do with this new ability. Being able to etch runes straight into one’s mind…

The potential was staggering. Runes, the language that governed and controlled the universe, seemed to be capable of just about anything.

In theory, he could create custom spells. Like a programming language, he could use the runes to come up with things he needed when he needed them. If he were stuck in a room, with the walls impenetrable, and his Portal spell inactive for some reason, he could simply draw a pattern in his mind that would give him the ability to walk through the wall. And, like he’d done with the Untethered pattern, he could test it out in the real world first.

Simply… he thought to himself. It wouldn’t be simple.

He still didn’t actually understand any of the patterns he’d examined. He didn’t even understand the Untethered pattern, despite knowing that one better than any of the others. It contained thousands of runes, the majority of which he couldn’t put a name to. The ones he could didn’t make much sense being there at all.

But one day, that might change. One day, Xavier might be able to make whatever he needed…

He brought himself out of his reverie. There was still one more notification remaining.

It took him by surprise.

Title Unlocked!

Creator: You are the first Denizen from your universe to etch a spell into their own mind.

There are no rewards for this title. The reward is in the learning of the ability itself. Use it with care.

Xavier had wondered if he would gain a title for what he’d done. Hell, he’d been fully expecting it to happen. But this wasn’t the title he’d thought he’d receive…

I’m the first person from my universe to do this…

Perhaps he should have been surprised, but he wasn’t. This wasn’t the only time he’d gained a title like this. He was proud—he couldn’t help himself. But he wasn’t surprised. There were definitely people out there who understood the importance of runes. That Universe Hopper who’d created the Hell Moons, for instance. But that Denizen…

She wasn’t even from this universe.

He wondered if that woman had done what he’d done.

Xavier looked at the last part of the title. He felt more than a little disappointed that the title didn’t give him anything. Never before had he gained a title that didn’t offer him something. Even the smallest titles gave a token attribute or two.

Yet this title, for being the first in his entire universe, gave him nothing?

He had to admit, he might be feeling a little greedy, considering what he’d just discovered he could do. Learning new spells like this was far more valuable than gaining something from a title. The reward is in the learning of the ability itself. He supposed the description had a point.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little cheated.

He glanced up at the sky, as though looking at the System, and gave it a small frown.

The other words, too, were unique. Like some notifications he’d received from the System before, it almost felt as though it was talking directly to him.

Use it with care.

A warning. One he wasn’t sure how to take. Even so, he filed it away in his mind. There could certainly be dangers when it came to doing something like this.

After all he’d just done, there had only been these notifications. The ranks in reserve for when he advanced to C Grade. The gaining of the Untethered spell itself. And the Creator title.

Though the title disappointed him, at least it told him something important. He knew for sure what he’d done was unique—at least in this universe.

That added something more to his arsenal.

That will add a lot to my arsenal, especially since my Wayfarer of the Infinite Path class allowed me to learn any spell or skill.

He remembered the Spell Credit he’d received after he’d chosen that Mythic class. He hadn’t received another of them since. He’d actually used the Otherworldly Communion spell to ask spirits how he might gain them, but none of the information was specific—even to spirits he’d encountered who’d once had the class. They told him they’d achieved Spell Credits from completing System quests.

Xavier had never received such a quest, and he had no idea how to gain one. He’d put that at the back of his mind, rarely ever thinking about it. The System didn’t give him quests anymore. It hadn’t for a long time. He gained Spell Quests and Skill Quests, but nothing like what he’d gotten when he first returned to Earth.

Releasing a long breath, Xavier brought up the description of the spell he’d learnt.

Untethered – Rank 127

Untethered is a gravity spell that allows the user to untether an object, being, or general area from the influence of gravity around them. As this spell becomes more powerful, it can also prevent an enemy from being able to manoeuvre through that gravity of their own will.

Untethered can also give the user the ability to control what gravity affects an enemy—it can have gravitational forces pull from different sides, causing an enemy to drop away in any direction.

The more powerful the spell rank and Intelligence of the user, the more control over gravitational forces one can bring to bear.

Rank 127?

The spell wasn’t Rank 1, like he’d assumed. It was Rank 127!

Never before had Xavier gained a spell higher than Rank 1. He’d been able to rank spells up incredibly fast, but he’d never been able to start with them higher initially.

Another smile split his lips. This was even better than he’d first thought.

Xavier released a sigh, looking up from the description at the world around him. He’d been on the two-hundred-and-twenty-first floor for far too long, though he knew much of that time had been spent in the time dilation field, so not too much would have passed in real time.

Still, he grew tired of the dwarves and the Phoexians. They all remained frozen around him. When he’d decided not to choose a faction to fight for on his fifteenth time on this floor, he hadn’t realised it would be a decision he couldn’t take back. He also hadn’t realised both the Bright City of Aethisa and the Phoenix Empire would band together to try to kill him rather than broker some sort of peace.

Stubborn idiots.

He’d threatened them all with their deaths, and still they hadn’t complied.

The System had changed the parameters of the floor. He couldn’t restart it. Couldn’t choose a side. He only had two options: Somehow force peace or kill every single Denizen here.

Xavier stood. His focus shifted to the leader of the dwarves, then onto the leader of the Phoexians. He took a breath. Now he’d learnt how to do what he wished—permanently gain the Untethered spell—he wanted to get off this floor and keep moving forward.

He still had no idea when the tower would give him another break, allowing him to return to continue clearing that second Hell Moon.

Xavier knew he could gain more spells from the people on this floor. He’d enjoyed learning a lot of the spells the dwarves possessed, and Fire Stream—the Phoexian spell—had displayed awesome power in his hands.

But Xavier didn’t want to collect any and all spells into his arsenal. At least, not at this stage. There were other things he wished to focus on.

Tapping his boot on the stones, there was a part of him—a frighteningly strong part—that wanted to kill everyone here. Wipe them out. With a wave of my hand… That would be the swiftest way to be done with the floor. He’d offered these people peace, and they’d outright refused him.

That kind of insolence shouldn’t be rewarded.

Xavier creased his brow and dipped his chin forward.

Insolence? Since when did I think like some B movie villain? Destroy them all because they refused me? The leaders deserve to die, that much is clear, but all their people? Do they even have a choice? Every single one of those soldiers could be contract-bound.

He shut his eyes as a line from one of his favourite movies growing up came to him. He almost laughed as the words played in his mind. The words were written in a different time, before the System had come. And they were for a god damned fictional superhero.

Even so, they felt like they applied.

With great power comes great responsibility.

“Thanks, Uncle Ben,” Xavier muttered.

With a flap of his wings he launched upward, soaring through the air, his time dilation field still wrapped around him. He flew away from the battlements until he reached the Phoexian leader. He grabbed the flaming bird-creature by the arm, grip tighter than any iron, and carried the now screaming Denizen along with him.

The Phoexian leader had cast Fire Stream on Xavier when he’d been frozen in time. The flames were still streaming from him. The Phoexian adjusted the angle, and the flames slammed into Xavier.

Xavier had Body Cultivation active, enhancing his physical defences. Even so, he doubted the spell would have done much of anything to him. Certainly nothing he need worry about. He ignored it.

Returning to the battlements, Xavier tossed the Phoexian to the ground and expanded the time dilation field until it encompassed the full-plate armoured dwarven leader.

The Phoexian gained his feet and launched at him in a fury of teeth and claws. The dwarf blinked, but when she realised what was happening, she hefted her massive warhammer over her shoulder. It glowed brightly as she sprinted forward.

“No,” Xavier said.

He didn’t cast Untethered. Not this time. Bones shifted from a stylus into a scythe-staff as he cast Willpower Infusion. Purple energy streamed from the scythe and swept toward the two leaders. It seeped into their mouths, noses, ears, eyes.

Fear radiated off the two Denizens in a massive wave. The Phoexian’s face looked stricken and oddly mottled—perhaps his race’s way of showing true fright. The usual stoic dwarf’s façade cracked and broke as she paled, terror-wide eyes staring at the mist.

Their mental blocks were easy to overwhelm.

In a moment, their expressions became blank. They ceased rushing toward Xavier and simply stood a few feet from him.

Xavier hadn’t heavily focused on his Willpower Infusion spell of late. The spell was an incredibly important part of his spellset. He wouldn’t still be alive without it. Though he had managed to get it to Rank 120 while clearing the depths of Thazamar, he’d found many of the more powerful demons he faced had strong mental defences, or spells that protected them from mental influence.

The two Denizens in front of him possessed no such defences or protections, and Xavier relished the feeling of control. It was complete. He could make them do anything he wanted.

With great power…

Forcing peace was a strange thing to do. It wouldn’t be genuine. It wouldn’t ring true. But Xavier still thought of the children in the depths of the subterranean levels. Those who’d not received the System yet. And he thought of the prisoners. The Phoexians in those cages who’d been used as nothing more than power sources.

Everyone here didn’t deserve to be saved, but some did. And right now, he was in a position to do that without altering his own plans.

Xavier had forced contracts before, though it was something he wished to move away from. But he’d never made someone sign a contract while he was mentally controlling them with Willpower Infusion. Honestly, it seemed like a rather terrible thing to do.

But it wasn’t worse than killing everyone here.

Xavier could have done this all mentally, but he wanted the inhabitants of these bodies to hear him. “Look around you.” Xavier made their focus shift, turned their heads, their eyes. “Your armies are frozen. You are both under my power. When I said I could kill you all with a wave of my hand, I was telling you the truth.” He raised his chin. “You will create a contract, detailing the terms of your peace.” He looked at the dwarf. “You will release the Phoexian prisoners.” He looked at the Phoexian. “You will call off your flights and assist with the repair of the damage to this city you inflicted.”

He felt their minds writhe and roil at his words. He didn’t care.

“Then, you will each abdicate your leadership—and I’ll have you sign a death-contract to that effect. You chose to risk the lives of both your people just because you were too stubborn to play nice. If I were in a different mood, that would have been mutually assured destruction.”

 Xavier felt that they each had protests. That they wanted to plead their case. Thoughts seeped from them both. The more powerful his Willpower Infusion spell had become—especially when he used it on those significantly weaker than himself—the more of the hosts’ emotions and thoughts he could feel. It was something that had been happening gradually.

He could probe their minds too if he wished, but he didn’t.

Instead, he could simply feel their thoughts bleeding into his mind. Fortunately, they were easy to block.

“I’m sure you have your reasons to fight one another. I’m sure this conflict is deeply rooted in your planet’s rich history. Frankly, I don’t give a damn.”

It didn’t take long for the contracts to be signed. Signing the contracts alone wasn’t enough for the System to consider the floor cleared, however, so he slowed the speed within the time dilation field down, dialling it up outside, and waited for the orders to be given.

As he watched the dwarves and the Phoexians cease their attacks, baffled looks sprouting on their faces, Bones spoke within his mind.

You have a very strange moral code, Xavier. Did you know that?

Xavier laughed. I’m not sure I have much of a moral code at all, Bones. I just make it up as I go along, doing whatever feels right at the time.

Well, no wonder your choices look so chaotic. Perhaps, as you may very well become the most powerful Denizen to have ever existed, you should sit down and think about how you wish to handle moral quandaries ahead of time. Unless you like a bit of chaos, of course.

Xavier’s face scrunched up. The soul bound weapon had a point, but Xavier was no moral philosopher. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

That much is clear.

A few more moments passed before Xavier was free of the hundred-and-twenty-first floor, completing it in a way no one else ever had before.