A Plant’s Life - Chapter 30 Heartwarming conversation with the system

[Name: Kala

Titles: The Bloodthirsty

Race: Hybrid goblin

Class: Not specified

Level: 3

HP (Health Point): 170 (+ 16) / 170 (+ 16) (CON*8 + 10)

MP (Mana Point): 78 / 78 (INT*12+6)

SP (Stamina Point): 210.5 + (21.5) / 210.5 (+ 21.5) (CON*10 + DEX/2)

Attributes:

Strength – 15 (+ 2)

Dexterity – 21 (+ 3)

Constitution – 20 (+ 2)

Intelligence – 6

Wisdom – 6

Charisma – 6

Luck – 5

Spirit – 1 (Broken soul, cannot be improved anymore)

Skills:

Lead (Intermediate): 20% chance of success in rallying troops, tied to spirit attributes, cannot influence targets with higher spirit points, the limit is 5 members

Good shot (Basic): 6% chance of success in shooting a target, tied to luck

Intimidation (Basic): charm+1 when in war, passive ability, tied to a title

Condition: Healthy, stable, broken soul, maximum body potential reached

Mana imprint: 40% (+ 4%) connection to the soul

Authority: 0.0012% clearance in the system, unlocking more information and transformation options

XP (Experience Point): MAX]

After checking his stats John had a more clear idea on the method to apprehend the current crisis. He had to transform into a lifeform outside of the jurisdiction of dungeon core. Doing so would give much needed future references, easing the analysis process leading to a higher chance of advancement. DNA was truly a sensitive and tricky matter, one had to be completely proficient before acting upon any plans. Within Jonathan’s past life, there were many examples of failure in test subjects. Yet the stakes were much higher now since the case in study happened to be the vessel for John. Many complications could occur such as death, being discovered by the core, undesirable side-effects, igniting the soul, etc. For this reason, extra precaution was implemented, minimizing the effect of variables. He had pondered potential races, but the most important feature of them was independence from the dungeon. He was not hoping to leave this hell, rather the purpose was increasing his chances for conquering these grounds, the system sounded awfully…tasty! His main goal had been to consume the core, gaining access to a more pure variant of mana. Burning all that stood on his way sounded like an unnecessary hassle.

Improving one subject to maximum, paving the path one step at the time, struggling to strive, learning the importance of teamwork and finding friendship in this hell was only meant for fictitious stories. The world was ruthless, dark and evil; everyone had their own agenda, working towards it. If one found a party without any goal, besides helping others, it meant they were either lying or worst, have not found their price yet making them unpredictable, one would not know when the inevitable betrayal will happen. John’s plan was to move with the current, not fighting the flow, yet slyly take advantage of time and resources until all was ready. Once that day arrived, like a game of dominos, all the obstacles would fall, no matter the size. For this purpose, he had to gain as much information as possible. Following such logic, he relayed some queries to the system.

John asked: “Hey system, how can I improve more?”

[Checking authority level …]

[Authority confirmed for your current status; level 1 clearance unlocked, improvement methods:

1. Killing monsters as a hunter, obtaining class and titles

2. Developing a tribe becoming a ruler, obtaining class and titles, gaining more authority from the mainframe

3. Diversifying to mage occupation, developing skills

Since the host has maximized the potential of the body, no more evolution is possible, yet class change, titles, and skills can improve strength] system replied.

“What is the goal of this tribe? What are we protecting?” John curiously questioned.

System: [Checking authority level …]

[Authority confirmed for your current status; level 1 clearance, protection clause. In return for safety and shelter:

• All monsters of this dungeon are to listen to the master’s commands without hesitation

• All monsters of this dungeon are to improve themselves, securing a strong standing as a community

• All monsters of this dungeon are to attack any outsiders on sight]

“Who are outsiders? How would we know of them?” John asked again.

System: [Checking authority level …]

[Authority confirmed for your current status; level 1 clearance, protection clause.

Outsiders are any and all life forms that do not belong to this place, mainly the human race. Any foreign entity will be marked down by the mainframe, they will be noticeable with assistance from mana imprint. Killing intruders will result in many rewards, depending on their overall powers]

One might say all was needed was some spiritual connection as well as clearance to access good information. However, John was able to perceive much more from this conversation, mainly greed and malicious intent of the mastermind.

John reflected: “The system never seizes to disappoint, faulty and incomplete information, leading to many traps can be seen in the entire process. First its insights internal struggle then forces all to form communities. This will form a permanent state of chaos and war between the formed villages, training stronger cannon fodders, it also prevents any unity and uprising. Titles and occupation change to mage also increases reliance on mana imprint, they would have to voluntarily forgo most of their independence becoming lackeys for this structure. The commands in exchange for shelter? It does not sound noble for even a second; most of these monsters were born here, they really never had any choice, not that it actually matters to me. Even though with my current access level, many of materials are kept away, the last part about killing foreigners was rather sufficient My hypothesis is that these magical fields have come upon the surface of this planet without the consent of surface dwellers. Thus, a fight broke out, noticing the gains in dungeons, the greedy humans must have been sending small groups inside, subjugating one monster at the time. Fooling the masses to boost such an agenda was truly easy, rulers exploit their subjects, no matter the circumstances. Since magic exists within this dungeon, it will not be out of bound to assume such force exists outside these walls. Knowing mankind, they must have focused on developing this force rather than technological advancement. As it gives a sharp edge, the elites of their society should have prevented any widespread of strong spells, teaching it to a handful. They would have also killed any mix of technology with magic, any ruler would be able to see the advantage of keeping general masses weak. People are lambs, a shepherd is needed to control their livelihood, protecting them from themselves and outside dangers. Only a foolish king will care for the people, and history has proven their rule to be a short blaze of glory. The data given on intruders was truly short and insincere, basically asking one to hunt any marked target. The reward is also sketchy if I did not have my energy manipulation, I am afraid most of the gains would be absorbed by the system, leaving me a small portion. Which is to be handed in at a later date for a chance of incomplete transformation. Added to that, the target may not be of the outside world, but this scar will isolate them from their communities, cutting the source of power they were encouraged to build in the first place! From there, picking off an individual is rather easy, and the master of this place will not have to resort to killing an entire association when they have committed no offense. Developing these groups consumes time and resources, keeping them from harm’s way is a wise choice. This structure is very smooth, it works akin to a complex well-oiled machine. This is truly fantastic news for me since such a structure will fall apart by a grain of sand. What will occur in case of a handful? I calculate the odds of success to be around 89%, the remaining 11% should also be taken care of by backup strategies”