Mathew took a deep breath as he sat on a bench waiting. Due to the ever increasing number of people, he had to wait to use facilities and areas within Gaia’s Domain. Today he was going to an area labeled ‘Monolith of Time’.

According to its description, it is perfect for Mathew’s Axiom of Resistance. Possibly his Bolster Axiom as well. In Gaia’s Domain there are five places that Mathew could visit. Two of them had nothing he wanted to gain from them. Being related to nature, growth, life, cycles, and other aspects. Two more were related to Earth. One being the Monolith and the other was the pillar he heard about on his first day.

The fifth location was another place Mathew planned to visit soon. It was the odd ball out, and the place he was going to next. Gaia was the God of Earthly Bonds. So she had a place dedicated to the second word of her title. ‘Bridge between The Heavens and The Earth’ was a wordy title. One that Mathew hoped meant good things.

It was the one that was suggested to him initially, which meant even Gaia believed it would help him gain inspiration for an Axiom, or perhaps something more. Either way, that wasn’t for a couple more days.

Cherry had warned him about gaining inspiration for Axioms too close together. He would need to rest for a few days at a minimum. If he was to focus on different Axioms he could get away with that. If it was the same one multiple times, he would need to wait much longer. Weeks at the minimum.

Mathew had spent his time acquiring information crystals. Learning the basics that everyone was supposed to know. Di was limited by The System rules in each phase. Here, he had more freedom to learn.

Information about the powerful factions and clans across the cosmos. Prevalent races and cultures. An entire encyliapedia of knowledge on all the Gods and their respective domains was another one he acquired.

He didn’t use every crystal, planning on bringing cheaper ones back to Blue Oaks to hand out as rewards or for Mr. Melton to acquire and spared. This included what Mathew was internally going over now with how inspirations worked for Axiom’s.

Mathew couldn't gain inspiration for the same Axiom back to back because he needed to internalize the newest upgrade. How he wanted to apply it. Where it applied. Rushing things would be bad. Almost as bad as his wide array of Axiom’s.

Already he had decided on the two he would pair. Enforce and Pattern were very alike. One boosted the power of an item's physical capabilities. The other boosted an item's magical properties. Together, he could use it and apply it to practically anything. The goal was to create something that was about empowerment.

As for the other three, he was stuck. On one hand, He could combine all three, but he had no idea what the effects would end up being. Endurance and Bolster alone sounded amazing. However, so did Bolster and Piercing.

The two together could combine that enhanced his spears and [Mana Bolts] to be nearly indestructible. The idea of gaining a sixth Axiom tickled his mind. He could do it, but what would he want to get? What would he pair it with?

Three Shard Axioms sounded like a good balance. Once the idea popped into his head, he couldn’t get it out. If he was going to cultivate all three of his cores, why not have three Axioms?

Mathew knew people have done weirder things, and it didn’t sound that weird to him in the first place. It was better than six, and it would allow him to better focus where his Axioms would grow into.

As much annoyance he has had with Gods in the past. He was starting to like Gaia. Not enough to become a follower, not even close. But an appreciation for her methods. She was building a personal army on Earth. Able to shape its development through quests, guidance, and gentle nudges in the form of rewards.

What better way to convince someone to build a shrine in your honor than to promise them a reward? Now you have a direct link to the planet. Another God, Clan, or other organization that is getting too powerful? Give out a mass quest to kick their asses.

Nobody would dare turn down such a request. After all, their shining leader had helped them for less. Which means the rewards will be greater.

Which is where Mathew was. He was more a hired aid for Gaia due to his unique relationship with Doozkora. He is marked to become part of her. Another soul to her collection so she can grow stronger.

Mathew knew he was being manipulated. Which is why, he needed to grow stronger and prepare the best he could for the trap Doozkora was laying for him.

Berry appeared in front of Mathew by walking through a wall. “Your turn is up next. Do you think you are ready?”

Mathew nodded and patted a small chest that was in his lap. “Ready as I can be. I don’t have time to play around. These are the two most expensive things I can purchase while still able to do everything else I wanted. Wary said so herself.”

With a thumbs up, Berry watched Mathew walk through the rest of the tunnel. “Go get something good.”

The tunnel was miles long. Mathew could only go down halfway before he was forced to wait his turn. He hadn’t seen anyone come toward him, which meant the other person must have been taken elsewhere.

A smothered emotion of worry found its way back to Mathew’s mind. With his shattered soul, he couldn’t cultivate. Which meant excess energy gained from what was in the box would go to waste. Mathew Ignored the worrisome thought. He knew what he was doing. He wasn’t here to cultivate.

Mathew walked out to the edge of a giant canyon. At the edge lay a small prayer mat. Mathew sat down and kept his focus downward toward the ground. If he were to look up, he would instantly be taken into a trance. There was one more thing left to do before he did so.

Opening the chest revealed a pale green root. One of the items one could purchase was a type of root that opened the mind to new ideas. It was for people gaining new or improving their Axioms. He could have had it processed and made it more potent, but it would take at least a month to properly distill the energies.

Eating it raw was the next best thing, and he shoved the entire thing into his mouth. It was like eating a raw carrot. Instantly after two bites, warm energy flowed through his body and Mathew took a deep breath.

He looked up to see a magnificent sight. The canyon wasn’t the right word, it was a colossal crater. Larger than anything Mathew had seen before on Earth. Standing in the middle was a pillar of rock that looked beaten and weathered.

Surrounding the pillar was a storm. Rain, sleet, cutting winds, debris and other environmental hazards surrounded the pillar. Chunks of stone seemed to have been eroded away by the weather. Mathew had no clue how such a moment could exist on Earth before The System and magic arrived.

Mathew’s mind was captivated by the sight. Dozens of ideas of how to internalize what he saw came at him from different sections of his mind. In preparation, Mathew had internalized a few simple ideas beforehand. This way his mind could focus on his desired path.

The Axiom of Resistance was his first Axiom. He acquired it by winning a battle of willpower. Ever since then, his mental fortitude was strong. He has shrugged off magical charms, refused to be manipulated by others, and never lost his mind. Even though Doozkora tormented him within his own mind, he never lost his true self.

He had always used it defensively. From withstanding heavy physical blows and multiple weaker ones. Twice he used it to improve the defensibility of [Mana Shield]. In all sense of the word, it was to resist outside influence. This Monolith was perfect for what he had in mind for the Axiom.

The Monolith stood against the test of time. Nothing would wear it down. A pillar of defiance against all odds. Strong, sturdy, unyielding.

Mathew wasn’t offensively strong. He would never be able to swing a heavy weapon like Zack could. Nor with the precision that Henderson could either. Yet, he would withstand their attacks–Physical, Mental, even Spiritual. Even when he was supposed to die, Mathew didn’t. He refused.

Just because he wasn’t naturally strong, didn’t mean he couldn’t become stronger. The Axiom of Bolster in his mind rang within him as well. He smiled as he remembered the vision of the two powerful warriors. The General and the Mountain of a Man. He pushed through, carved a path of destruction.

Mathew wasn’t destruction. The call for strength, the call for power still reached him though. For some reason the vision of the planet being pierced came back to him. It didn’t stop for anything. It continued forward. There was a power behind that movement. Bolstering himself to push forward like that was exactly what he needed. His understanding of this Axiom didn’t grow horizontally, but it grew in depth.

The two Axiom’s seemed to compliment one another more than Mathew had originally thought. However, he had always looked at Resistance as a conncetion for all three of his cores, while Bolster was only for his Body.

Yet there was something more. An image began to grow in his mind, but mental clouds started to cover it. His mind grew foggier the more he tried to reach for that image. To remember it. Mathew started to grow angry with himself. That anger forced his eyes opened. He was no longer at the edge of the crater.

He was back in his room. Confusion mixed with the anger and he relized what happened. “I ran out of time.”

Mathew huffed as he laid down on his bed. He closed his eyes again, but it was hard to form any thoughts.

“I suggest not thinking too much right now.” Cherries sweet voice said. “The side effect of using that root or similar items causes you to become less mentally focused for the next day.” She had a platter of food. Most of it was fruit.

“Eat. Relax. You need to rest, because tomorrow you do it all over again.”

Mathew nodded, “Thanks. I just feel mad at myself. I was close to something. More than an Axiom, more than anything I’ve felt or seen with myself. I was right there.”

Cherry put a hand on his shoulder. “It was probably for the best. You don’t want to rush these things. If it makes you feel any better, you did great. Nothing went wrong. Berry said your soul was barely involved. It’s safe for you to learn the new ASpell and to visit the other locations.”

Mathew picked a grape from the platter, “I suppose.” It was obvious he was pushing himself more and more.

Mathew popped the grape into his mouth as Cherry rolled her eyes, “If you keep pushing yourself, you are just going to die. You think that solves anything?”

“If I’m dead, there are no more problems for me. I don’t have to give a single fuck anymore after that. But I won’t die. Not until I want to.” Mathew went to grab another grape but Cherry slapped his hand.

“If you die, then you leave everyone else behind. What about your people of Blue Oak? What about your family? What about Agnox? Dying affects more than just yourself. Either take it easy, or I’ll have Mom take care of you for me.”

Mathew looked Cherry in her eyes, “I told you, I won’t die until I want to.” He then smiled playfully, “Also, you called Gaia your mother again by the way. Out of you four, you are the only one to keep making that mistake.”

Cherry’s eyes went wide and her pink wooden face turned more red out of embaressment. “No! Uhhh. You didn’t hear me say that.” She put the fruit platter down and left the room. Mathew picked up the whole bowl of grapes and started to devour them. He was famished.

Mathew walked to the middle of an arena. Several stone statues dotted the area.

“Okay, give your new spell a test.” Chuck called out. “Just aim it at any stone statue. Try not to aim it at the walls. Not saying it’s dangerous, but repairing it is expensive for you.”

With a nod, Mathew summoned [Doozkora’s Rod] to his hand. He took a deep breath as he focused on the new spell he just acquired. It was a powerful spell, made to give him an opening to an enemy behind armor, or a finisher. The spell [Fracture] was to destroy armor. It worked flawlessly on hard materials such as metal or stone. Less so on flesh.

Power followed through Mathew’s mana channels. The amount of energy for this spell was the largest used for Mathew to this day, unless he did a full powered [Mana Bolt], which was pointles for him to ever do now.

A silvery ball of energy flew from Mathew’s rod and bashed into the stone statue. Rocks and debris exploded outward carried by a thundering *BOOM*. Mathew instinctually put up a [Mana Shield] as rocks flew toward him.

Mathew blinked. “What quality of stone did you say that was?” He asked Chuck.

“Beginner. That was some serious damage. Did you use an Axiom on it?”

“No. Just the basic spell. I didn’t even overcharge it. I do know this rod is higher quality as well.” Mathew held out the rod for him to look at.

“Hmm, that must be it then. The spell works perfectly against stone. If you tried to use it on a fleshy or fluid target, I doubt you would even harm it”

Mathew walked over to the rubble and kicked one of the rocks. “How well do you think it would work on solidified blood that is used as armor?”