I had done it. I had battled countless impossible foes, climbed the towers, and was unchallenged across the Systemic Lands. After all of this, I had found the Almighty System and returned to Earth at the moment I had left.
It had been centuries since my departure. Only one could win and return with the power and the knowledge. No one had really died. They had just lost and been put in time out. The Almighty System was nice like that.
Channeling a skill, I smiled as I floated off m...
2023-04-01 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
“The Avatar can have her three cities. We will leave her alone for the most part. Just one embassy in her capital, with the people rotated out regularly to make sure they aren’t mind controlled,” I said.
“Is that a concern?” Clarissa asked.
“I am not sure, but have whatever ambassador is there switched out every 100 days at a minimum. As for the Protector. Make him a governor and give him the tax rates and our laws. No special privileges as a governor. He wanted to pro...
2023-03-31 23:02:42 +0000 UTC
View Post
Clarissa nodded at me slightly. “Thank you, Michael,” she said. I let out a sigh.
“I think it is a mistake to have taxes so slow,” I muttered petulantly.
“We are going to be hard pressed as it is to manage all the various territories we are taking over. Which brings up the next issue.” I nodded and waved my hand indicating she should get on with it. Better to resolve all these issues now before they built up and caused problems.
“I would like to rearrange how t...
2023-03-31 23:00:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
One thing I knew was that a higher Spirit stat allowed a person to more easily control and choose what they wanted from the store. I focused on just my limbs with none of the Astrologer nonsense included. I wasn’t sure if it would help, but if it did have an effect, I couldn’t ignore it.
With how long the Divine Empress had been holed up dealing with what the Astrologer did to her, I had no doubt, I would be holed up for just as long trying to get rid of his super cancer. It was an ...
2023-03-30 23:30:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
It took a while to make my way back to Clarissa. I sat across from her in her underground bunker. I explained everything that had happened, since I had run off from the good doctor. She had been informed by Doctor Katz and other people how I had been chased and guessed that I had run to the tower.
“So, she is dead, you are sure?” Clarissa asked me once I was done with my story. I rubbed my gut through my shirt slightly. I had been getting a lot of restorations recently and seeing ho...
2023-03-30 23:16:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
“I understand. At least the Divine Empress is dead. We can both celebrate on that.” I nodded at this. The Divine Empress was horrible and relentless. That was something I was willing to celebrate with the Avatar about regardless of the aggravation and manipulations she had done.
“What of her son?” I asked. That was another headache. Since she was dead, he had no more value. Killing him would probably be for the best, but I was curious to see what the Avatar would say.
2023-03-29 23:01:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
“It is day 863 by your calendar.”That meant I had been in the tower for just over a month. That was good to know and a little bit surprising that the Avatar had answered. The air rushed past us as the airship sailed forward across the Systemic Lands to Heaven.
“I am curious, why don’t you fix yourself?” I asked and gestured with my right hand at the Avatar. I got dirty looks from her people listening in but I didn’t care.
“Even if someone loses a leg, or...
2023-03-29 23:00:21 +0000 UTC
View Post
I chose to remain seated against the golden pillar. If the Avatar acted against me, then I needed to conserve my energy and I was hoping they would not target the pillar with long range attacks. The airship matched the descent of the tower and hover in front of me.
Well it was more of an air boat with its small size and I counted six people on the deck and the Avatar, upright on a metal table of some kind, where she was strapped down on, so she didn’t have to remain seated.
Why ...
2023-03-28 23:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
I couldn’t lay here forever. At least I had rested up a lot already. A small win in my mind, but hopefully my legs would crust over before I had to sleep. The blood was oozing out less, but it was still concerning. I didn’t dare remove the energy I had placed over my leg stubs, bleeding out would be a horrible way to go.
Bringing up my right hand, I leveraged myself up and then forward. I slowly crawled across the top of the tower towards the center. What would have been an easy wal...
2023-03-28 23:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
My son struck out and hit the Astrologer in the groin. He stumbled back and ran forward. I didn’t hesitate as I dashed forward and focused, barriers leaping up between my son and the Astrologer. That was when my child collapsed screaming, blood pouring out of him.
No! This was not going to happen. “Undo what you have done to him. Or else!” I looked at the Astrologer.
“It hurts!” my son said, and my heart broke for him. I couldn’t let him die. No matter what happened. I...
2023-03-27 23:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Hah!” The child that looked like the Divine Empress’ brat Qi Ji Long but was really the Astrologer, struck out and hit the Astral Projection of the adult Astrologer in the groin with his hand. The child trashed around a bit and broke free.
That was an impressive bit of acting by one person. The Astrologer was clever and whatever he was doing with his Astral Projection was working to fool even her. It was honestly surprising that he was that good, but I could ima...
2023-03-27 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
I stayed seated on top of the small room. Waiting for over a month, slowly fixing my energy. I would occasionally eat, drink, and relieve myself. While I could draw in energy from the air to sustain myself, doing that for a long time caused damage to my body and would make it harder to mix the issues that Champion Michael had left on me.
Another month and I would be completely healed from the curse damage that had been driven into my flesh. It was tiring to fix every bit of energy in my...
2023-03-26 23:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
“You are probably asking yourself why?” The Astrologer was keeping his distance from me. I didn’t respond but glared at him while I thought how quickly I could kill him. “Imagine my surprise, when I got a visitor with a plan to kill the Divine Empress.”
“Aaavaaa,” I couldn’t say the full word as rage encompassed me.
“The Avatar or the High Priestess. What a remarkable lady. We had quite a productive conversation. Hmmm, Astral Projection. Astral Projection.
2023-03-26 23:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
I returned to the tower after going back to the city to get another restoration and patch myself up and get supplies for my wait. The doors at the base had opened again with the golems coming out. I was not going to pursue Michael up from the base.
What needed to occur was to climb the tower. I had noted a small discrepancy at the top. It wasn’t easy to spot, but there was a small structure that was poking out of the very top of the tower. That wasn’t on other towers. There was a wa...
2023-03-25 23:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
I was laying down, right next to the pillar slash stone statue of the Astrologer. “I am about to start, ready?”
Not really, but I needed this thing in my gut removed. “Ready,” I replied. The Astrologer and I had agreed to narrate what we were doing to each other. That way there was no confusion or panic.
“Disabling your spine.” I lost all feeling and couldn’t move from below my neck. “Good?”
“Yeeesss,” it was hard to ...
2023-03-25 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Hello!” I looked at Champion Michael standing inside the tower. Right at the point where he could trigger the door. It was a one-way trip once a person entered.
I was not going to get trapped inside of the tower. If I moved forward, he would attack while closing the doors. I would not be able to easily dodge. If I took the attack and entered, I would be heavily wounded and unable to heal myself. I would be forced to kill him.
If I didn’t enter, then he would escape me. No o...
2023-03-24 23:05:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
“So, I have a tumor, in me, which you want to extract, build a brain, and base structure for your body, and then transfer yourself over with my help,” I summed up the Astrologer’s request. It was annoying how he hadn’t said this right off, but I could kind of get that.
Talking about wanting to birth a baby out of me and then taking over said baby, would be incredibly creepy. It wasn’t a baby, the Astrologer had said a number of times, but it felt like it. It wasn’t a simple ...
2023-03-24 22:59:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
I frowned as I chased after Champion Michael. He was running into a level 4 zone. If he thought monsters would kill me before they killed him, he was mistaken. Right into the darklands at night. His Body stat was high, but I was constantly gaining on him, and he could not escape by Sense stat.
I would not allow him to escape, no matter what. He clearly valued his life and I was going to torture him for what he had done and to get answers about where my son was. He could try and run, but...
2023-03-23 23:05:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
“So, you want a story, then?” the Astrologer asked me.
“Yes. Well, maybe not a story, but a better understanding of the mechanics of what you are asking at the very least.” There was a stretch of silence after that. I could tell he was thinking, but I was in no rush at the moment. That last boss battle had been way too long and intense. I was more than happy to sit on the floor and to talk things out for a while.
I could survive a bit without food or water. It was...
2023-03-23 23:00:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
It had taken time and effort tracking down Champion Michael, but asking around had led me right to him. In the plaza of East Bastion, no less. I paused to watch what was occurring near the store pillars. I was not about to have them wrecked near me again.
I was checking for any traps. There were none as far as I could see. He was being cut open. Oh, how ironic. The Astrologer or his Homunculus had done something to him. I smiled slightly at that. Dogs will always bite each other.
...
2023-03-22 22:58:56 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Cautious, I can appreciate that, where to begin?” the Astrologer said.
“Well, how did this happen in the first place?” I asked. I noted the discarded packs and clothing in the elevator room. The Astrologer merged with the control pillar for the elevator was a gruesome picture, but he was more statue than flesh.
“I wanted to win. I guess that is a similarity we share. After seeing your condition coming in here. I wanted to defeat the Divine Empress once and ...
2023-03-22 22:58:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
It had taken a lot of time. I had gone East trying to find the Avatar, but she had stopped spying. Then I tracked the points down and their flow to this city of Neo Brasilia. It was built up, but it was easy enough to knock down again.
I destroyed structure after structure, but the worms hid and ran. They had been getting better recently at hiding. I had found several hiding spots with enchanted blankets to block my Sense stat. It was quite clever of them. Even worms know to crawl up fr...
2023-03-21 23:01:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
It was done. I lay there on the floor. Blood dripping out from the piercing wounds the Invisible Centipede Golem, aka the Donkey had left on my left arm. It was kind of clotting, but not really. My head was a mess. My body was a mess.
I looked up at the ceiling. The battle had stretched on for quite a bit there at the end, but I managed to win by sheer tenacity. Most of it was a blur. Just endless moving, fighting, hopping around. Then waiting to lure the last boss out.
Now it was...
2023-03-21 22:59:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
The last set of 7 floors for your reference!
2023-03-20 23:01:51 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Where is Champion Michael?” I asked the man in front of me. He was missing an arm, but the fight had left him like the worm he was.
“I don’t know! I swear.” I doubted that. While I couldn’t sense lies from people, I could tell he wasn’t being honest.
“Really now. What about Clarissa? Where is she hiding? How do you get your orders?” I asked. My left hand gripped him by the shoulder while my right hand moved towards his eye socket.
“I don’t know! I don...
2023-03-20 23:01:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
This was it, the final floor. After climbing and climbing for so long, I had finally done it. The one thing I hadn’t lost count of was the floor I was one going up this stupid square tower from hell. I looked at the stone benches around the edge of the extra large safe room on this floor.
It was tempting to stop and take a break, but first I wanted to take a look. “Astrologer? Anyone home?” I called out. There was no response. Hopefully the floor was already cleared or something a...
2023-03-20 22:57:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Where is she?” I asked the man.
“I don’t know-“ I twitched my hand and threw him away. His head and body separated from each other. Creating a gory display to add to the countless others while I looked for the Avatar. If she wasn’t going to show up herself, then I would kill every one of her people.
I paused as I felt a convergence of energy behind me. I turned around and saw a golden orb forming in the air. I focused on trying to back trace the skill the Avatar was u...
2023-03-19 23:01:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
I had to back track slightly to since the path had changed. The path to the North had been moved to the East by two units. It was annoying, but it was expected. Thankfully there were no more changes in the path. I reached the blade trap in front of the golden key rod and activated it, before moving forward to snatch my prize.
There was not enough space between me and the monsters to take the short shut I wanted, so I was going to take the less desirable one right here. The monsters clos...
2023-03-19 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
I kept moving around the center of the room looking for any opening while dodging the constant fireballs from the Super Cat and its four minions. At least there wasn’t a passage into the boss room for all the rest of the minions from this floor.
Perhaps that would have been too unfair? Still, it mattered not as I kept up the same movement pattern around the room, slowly altering it. I kind of knew how the level 5 Super Cat moved, but it had been quite a while since the fourth floor at...
2023-03-18 22:59:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
I woke up in pain and groggy. I got out a flask of water and drank some and rinsed out my mouth. With only so many more floors to go, hanging onto supplies was not a big a deal anymore. Better to use them up and have less weight to carry.
My left foot hurt, my left stub hurt, and my gut was killing me. All that combined to a headache that was throbbing. I could manage, before, but now it was literally hell. “I refuse to give up,” I muttered.
Getting my packs on and stretching ...
2023-03-17 23:00:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
