P-System Log

Maybe we aren't actually that fucked. It's been the better part of a day now, and we haven't run into any R Beasts or apocalyptic beings yet. I'm not sure what exactly happened the the Dungeon Core, but I've been analyzing the mana residue it left behind. And yeah, it left a residue. That in itself is pretty damn interesting. It's really odd, too. It's like, half mana that I can kinda recognize and half mana that I can tell is intrinsically wrong?

My best guess from the contents of the broken System message is that the [Corruption] was trying to connect with something else. That weird [H?? WA???F?? ?Y?] skill, if I had to chance a prediction. It looks like some innate defense stopped it from fully connecting. I don't know what connecting entails, and I'm not sure if my guess is even right.

Damn, not knowing anything is the only real consistent part of my life these days, isn't it?

Whatever. When a problem comes, I'll deal with it. I've already been learning how to act upon situations creatively. That quick-cast that potentially saved Aster's life back before the dungeon was me, and I'm sure I can figure out more as time goes along. If an attacker comes for us, I'll come right back at them.

In the meantime, though, it looks like we're not going to be running into any issues. Jerome had Aster teach him how to meditate earlier, and while it wasn't perfect, there does appear to be some manner in which Integrated like them can regenerate their mana quickly. He was able to do it when walking, so I think he's back up to full now. Nothing on the health front, though. We haven't stopped for long enough for me to detect any change in that.

Well, I mean, it could technically still be on me to do the whole health-regen thing. [W%M;G,P] hasn't done anything about it, but that doesn't mean I'm not supposed to be 100% handling it.

Ugh. It's getting increasingly irritating to deal with this.

Maybe I should just tell Jerome about the whole W Inertia situation. Maybe Aster, too. Aster is smart and Jerome is my Integrated, and good communication is--

A̵͔͈͊ć̵̻̄ṭ̶̛̭̔uà̶͐͜l̵͉̜̄ly̸̱̞̅̆, I think I w̶̗̒o̸̙͑ṋ̵̾'̵̰̚t̶̟͛.

Party Chat

[Jerome Smith]: It's been a pretty boring day, hasn't it?

[Aster K'lon]: This corner of the world is generally uneventful. The presence of the R Beasts was a significant anomaly.

[Jerome Smith]: If this place is uneventful, then how are you level 26? That looks really damn high.

[Aster K'lon]: I do a lot of dungeons. Furthermore, I have been maintaining a [Rare] class over my years. If I wished to, I could have evolved to an [Epic] class years ago. However, I wished to train further to increase my potential.

[Jerome Smith]: That's a thing you can do?

[Aster K'lon]: At a sufficiently high level--it varies between classes--and with a number of prerequisites, including a number of titles, it is possible to evolve the rarity of a class.

[Jerome Smith]: So I could become something greater than [Legendary]?

[Aster K'lon]: Possible, though unlikely. Classes of your rarity rarely evolve.

[Jerome Smith]: Aw, man.

[Aster K'lon]: Onwards, then. The sun is beginning to set. There should be another safe clearing in another mile or so.

P-System Log Hey, there was really important information there! Shit that Jerome just missed! Party Chat [Jerome Smith]: Wait, you mentioned titles? P-System Log

Holy fuck, can he hear me? It's like he has and has somehow become... less of an idiot.

I mean, I'm pretty sure he can't hear me, but still. I was pretty sure he was 100% an idiot, and it looks like that number might have fallen all the way down to 99%.

At least he asked about titles. I might need to manage that, too.

Party Chat

[Aster K'lon]: Titles are gained for fulfilling certain sets of conditions. For instance, you have the title [Reincarnator] because, well, you reincarnated. It is not a very rare title due to the fact that every reincarnator receives it. I have a number of titles, but I have refused to gain some that I qualify for, as I did not yet want to evolve into an [Rare]-rarity class that did not fit my goals.

[Jerome Smith]: Goals?

[Aster K'lon]: I seek the class of [Archmage]. It requires many titles, but it also requires a certain [Rare] class that I did not have the titles for. I did not want to evolve into another [Rare] class that had no path to [Archmage].

[Jerome Smith]: Ah, I see. Like hitting B a lot so that Shroomish could learn Spore before it evolves into Breloom.

[Aster K'lon]: I will pretend I understand what that means.

P-System Log

Hey! I actually appreciate that reference! Piece of shit got me so mad the first time I realized it didn't learn Spore as Breloom...

But also, I'm not sure if it's 100% correct as an analogy. Whatever. I get the point, and if an incorrect analogy helps Jerome get it, I'll take it.

We're fully out of the woods now, so the landscape of the trail has changed. It's more meadowy hills now, dotted with animals both magical and mundane here and there. Well, I say that, but I'm pretty sure all of them have Systems. That's just how the Continent works, apparently.

Jerome hasn't bothered to go out of his way to kill any of them, and I guess they do seem pretty peaceful for the most part. Since they don't seem like things that Jerome actually has any will at all to kill, I haven't bothered using an [Objective] to motivate him.

Still, it annoys me. That's potential W Inertia that I'm missing out on! I thought Jerome was of the murderhobo brand! Maybe he's of the "kill everything in my way" camp instead of the "kill everything" one. Respectable, I guess.

I haven't sensed any new dungeons while we've been traveling, which is weird. Aster hasn't said anything about them either. I guess they're rare than I thought?

Party Chat

[Aster K'lon]: Monsters ahead. I can sense it.

[Jerome Smith]: R Beasts?

[Aster K'lon]: No. The skill that was activated earlier is still watching us, but these are definitely from our System.

[Jerome Smith]: Hostiles?

[Aster K'lon]: Yes. Just over the next hill.

P-System Log

Oh, yep, they're entering my perception dome now. Those are... not humans, that's for sure. Not any humanoid race, not by far.

...ew, what the fuck are they? I can perceive, like, a mouth. A circular mouth with way too many teeth and way too much depth and way too many legs. It feels fuzzy when I try to perceive inside the creature, the same way it feels when I try to peek into a Dungeon Core, which I think implies either a hiding skill or extradimensional storage. I'm thinking it might be the latter, because they're literally just mouth and tentacle-like legs. The mouth reminds me of that one Greek myth. Uhhhh... Charybdis! That was the name. All teeth, all s u c c (I regret thinking that immediately). I wonder if their abilities are anything similar.

Welp. They're rounding the hill now. Jerome and Aster should make contact with them soon.

Party Chat

[Jerome Smith]: What the FUCK?

[Aster K'lon]: Oh, those. Lesser Devourers, eh? Some of the dungeons south of Maplecrest have them too. Dangerous enemies if you get too close to them or let them take you unawares, but they are weak to ranged attack. For them to be out and about, outside a dungeon... there must have been a break.

[Jerome Smith]: They look fucking horrifying.

[Aster K'lon]: Mm. Reincarnators. You'll get used to it in time.

[Jerome Smith]: I'm gonna kill all of them. Holy shit.

P-System Log I can get with this. [Mass Assess] activating! Integrated identified: Lesser Devourer [Predator lv. 5] C1 Integrated identified: Lesser Devourer [Predator lv. 5] D4 Integrated identified: Lesser Devourer [Predator lv. 5] H2 Integrated identified: Lesser Devourer [Predator lv. 5] H7 P-System Log

These ones have names (of a sort, at least), even though they're not humanoid, not apparently sentient, and just nothing approaching regular intelligent life. That's... interesting. Were they assigned those names? I certainly don't think any being would choose a name like those. There's implications there, ones that I don't want to think too hard on right now.

And apparently Jerome didn't even bother to glance a second time. He's already building mana.

[Blazing Spear] activating! [Blazing Spear] dealt 15 damage! [Blazing Spear] dealt 17 damage! [Blazing Spear] dealt 12 damage! [Blazing Spear] dealt 11 damage! Hero's Personal Log 066 Resistant to magic? Or fire, maybe. I'll test that. Party Chat

[Jerome Smith]: I'm taking this. 15, 17, 12, 11.

[Aster K'lon]: They do have resistances.

[Jerome Smith]: I can see that.

[Misty Strike] activating! [Misty Strike] dealt 77 damage! Enemy defeated! Experience rewarded! Title gained: [Killer I] You have slain a significant number of other beings. Increases killing instinct.