1.4 I wonder how long I can make this infodump joke before people find it annoying.

Selection Confirmed.

Adding Races [Nature Elemental Spirits] [ Dark-Vine Lure Flower] to Catalogue

Adding Abilities [Racial Boon] [Contracts] to Status Screen

Area Scan (Weakened) Activating now.

As Menu said that, all the previous tabs disappeared.

Do you want audio or menu notifications?

“Menu notifications,” Verd replied, given that they were in a jungle, there was bound to be a huge diversity of species. He didn’t want the voice to be ringing in his ears all day.

Understood.

Initializing sequence.

Beginning Scan.

As the Menu said that, a veil of greenish energy seemed to have been lifted off the core, almost like a thin forcefield around the orb. That film of energy hovered a few centimetres off of the core.

Curious, Verd tried to poke the green energy, finding that it reacted to his touch, forming a small depression where he was poking it. Surprised, he poked it a few more times, finding that it was springy, like a sponge.

“Why would this react to my-” He started, before the green bubble suddenly popped.

The force pushed his mana created body unto the ground, interrupting him.

From his position on the ground, he watched the green bubble expand rapidly, until it eventually became larger than the entire room, and disappeared from his view.

The moment it left his room, a new tab opened, and lines of text began to rapidly flash by.

Obtained Dirt Material Imprint

Obtained Stone Material Imprint

Obtained Granite Material Imprint

Obtained Common Earth-Worm Creature Imprint

Obtained Common Cockroach Creature Imprint

Obtained Sand Material Imprint

Obtained Clay Material Imprint

Obtained Bedrock Material Imprint

Obtained…

...

“What just happened?” Verd asked as he propped himself back up, glancing behind him at the wall where the green energy disappeared.

The scan uses mana since your body is also made of mana, you are naturally affected by it.

“Did you know that was going to happen?”

Yes.

“Dammit…” Verd said, rubbing his forehead, “Would anything else sense that?”

Most likely.

“Would that be a problem?”

Only if something smart enough to want to eat highly enriched mana cores senses it.

“And that list includes how many things exactly?” Verd asked, his voice raising in worry.

Basically, everything that has mana.

“And you didn’t tell me this why?”

I am not meant to interfere with the selection process.

“Bullshit, you asked me why I was going with the vines and spirit combo didn’t you?”

…

The Menu was silent for a moment, before continuing.

I believe it would’ve been worth the risk.

“Really?”

Yes.

“How are you so sure? There’s something you’re not telling me aren’t you?”

That… Yes and no. I am supposed to assist you, but in a way that will eventually allow you to act independently.

I have a general idea of the races, environment and potential intelligent species around you.

And none of them…

0-0-0-0-0

There was a child.

Born to a human mother, the first thing he ever saw, was the wrinkled, wart-filled face of the goblin who took care of him.

Like most goblins, he grew quickly, and in a few days, he was almost fully grown.

He led a short peaceful life, living in the torch lit caves his first tribe made home.

Until the humans came.

They swiftly swept through the caves. The weak goblins could not resist, lacking the equipment or skill to deal with battle-hardened adventurers.

When his brethren fought, he ran.

When his brothers' screams echoed through the caves, he hid.

When the adventurers rescued the kidnapped women, he listened.

“Think that's all of them, Nick?”

“Probably, let’s get these women back first, we’re not paid enough to deal with some shitty goblins.”

Nick. The name of the adventurer who slaughtered my tribe.

One goblin survived.

He wandered, moving from tribe to tribe before he started his own. Gathering dozens of different goblin tribes, he lead attacks on secluded human settlements, growing bolder as time passed and fading into the forest before the humans sent their soldiers.

Until…

“Nick was it?” The goblin asked, staring at the face of the cursed human who ended his tribe all those years ago.

There was surprise in the human’s face, quickly replaced by hatred.

“What a nice name.” He smiled, unfazed by the hate in the man’s eyes.

“I think I’ll keep it,” He finished, his sword coming down and into the man’s chest.

He stood back up, pulling out the bloodied blade. He stood in the middle of human town, surrounded by goblins from his tribe.

He had destroyed the human’s home, he had done to them, what they did to him.

He had succeeded. He was to humans, what humans had been to monsters.

The goblin awoke. The memory of the day fading, as fleeting as that victory had been.

Instead of the luxurious cave surrounded by his guards, he awoke in a poorly constructed wooden hovel.

Instead of the meat from dangerous wild beasts, he only had an overripe fruit to feast on.

Instead of a polished steel sword, he grabbed a wooden stick. His skin now as gnarled and wrinkled as the wood itself.

Pushing himself up with the stick, he stood up. Leaning on his stick, he began to walk, his left foot dangling useless and crippled.

He no longer commanded any tribe, he ran after that day. When he thought he had won everything by destroying a single human town.

But more came, more humans and ones even stronger than he believed possible.

He survived, but he lost his leg and his tribe of several hundred goblins.

He drifted until he ended up in a new tribe, one that consisted of only fifty or so goblins. This one believed in strength and his crippled self could not find a place here.

He had lost everything. But he smiled. He had sensed it, a surge of mana, the purest he has seen.

A dungeon.

The other goblins might take a while to figure it out. But they will eventually figure it out and when they do, he shall goad the chief into attacking the source. As mere brutes, they will fail or suffer heavy losses. When that happens, he can claim the tribe, and claim the dungeon with his experience.

With the dungeon, he can rebuild his tribe.

With his tribe, he can have his revenge.

The child was long gone, only the monster remained.

0-0-0-0-0

… should be dangerous enough to be a real threat to you, so provoking them shouldn’t be an issue.

“Are you sure?”

Yes.

“Are you absolutely sure?”

Yes.

“Are you absolutely, positively sure?”

Yes, very sure.

“Fine then.” Verd gave in.

Even if this did end up coming back to haunt him, he didn’t have the power to do anything about it. The act was already done, he could not reverse time. There was no point in trying to push some of the blame onto someone else, it was only a waste of energy.

Turning his attention back to the tabs, he watched the rate of appearing sentences slow. Until all that was left was a single very long list.

A new tab appeared, this time with everything put in a convenient list.

You have scanned approximately 8 thousand individual instances of Plantae.

You have obtained 80 species of plants.

You have scanned approximately 2 thousand individual instances of fungi.

You have obtained 26 species of fungus.

You have scanned approximately 32 million individual instances of arthropods.

You have obtained 132 species of arthropod.

You have scanned 376 individual instances of avian.

You have obtained 13 species of bird.

You have scanned 138 individual instances of mammalian.

You have obtained 17 species of mammals.

You have scanned 187 individual instances of reptilian.

You have obtained 9 species of reptile.

Note: Due to this being a bonus ability, only creatures below level 10 or a certain strength rank were scanned and added to the Catalogue.

You have obtained 36 different types of material.

You have obtained 26 different types of tools.

You have obtained 7 different types of architecture.

Even if he was somewhat expecting it, the sheer amount of it still shocked him. Leaving him to gape at the sheer number of creatures scanned.

I told you it was worth it.

“Yes... Yes, you did.” He replied, a smile breaking on his face.