Chapter 179: Tier 2 Awakened
"I lack imagina—" Zephyr bit his lip to hold himself back. "Okaayy... So there are spells that can move that fast. Noted..."
Just for clarity, I don’t think you would experience such spells yet, host.
By the time you will, I reckon your range would have gotten wider, giving your ALU more time to react...
"Well you’re the one with imagination..." Zephyr muttered with an exaggerated eye roll. "In fact, why don’t you handle the next spell, huh?"
Gladly, host! Aegis replied gleefully, jumping straight into analysis.
Your defense spell is actually good. The logic behind it is sound, grounded in scientific principles. In fact there’s nothing much to change on that end...
"Then what were you giving me flak for, huh?!"
I was simply helping you stay grounded, host. You need someone to help you understand that you’re still a frog in a well when it comes to the vast possibilities of what you can do with your magic.
"...Yeah, well I can’t be dependent on you all the time, Aegis."
Hmm... the classic purist’s argument...
"What does that mean?"
You still consider me as something separate from yourself, host.
Zephyr frowned. "Because you are. You’re in my head, but you’re not me."
No. That’s where you’re wrong, host. Think about it. You don’t consider your liver a separate entity, do you? You don’t think of your eyes as a separate ’tool’ just because they feed you information.
"That’s different—"
Is it though? Without your brain, your heart, your nerves, you wouldn’t even exist. I am simply another part of that system now. Despite how you may think of me. From the moment you were rebuilt, from the moment of your babo-symbiosis, you and I already became one.
You are not like all others anymore. They are human, elf, demon... variants of whatever equivalent their superior race is.
You... are more. Hybrid. Unique.
Pretending you’re still like them only limits you.
"Wha—? How did making a spell on my own devolve to having this conversation?!" Zephyr began to feel stifled. "I’m not pretending to be what I’m not! I know exactly what I am, Aegis!"
"And also, what would you call what we’ve been doing so far, huh? In my books, we already have a very good relationship. I’m using you to the fullest I can already!"
"...Or do you expect that I leave all the thinking to you?"
You still do not get me, host. I never asked you to give up control...
All I’m saying is maximize.
Use me the same way you use your hands. Or your memory. Stop pushing the idea that you and I are different. Stop seeing me as a separate tool. I am already a part of you down to your very nervous system.
Zephyr sucked in a slow breath. He understood what Aegis was trying to paint more clearly now, and some part of him didn’t really like the idea.
If he accepted it, a part of him would feel... truly alien. Just like Aegis was to him.
Until you accept that fact, you will always use me like a tool... instead of a part of your own self.
Zephyr kept silent, digesting Aegis’ words, when all of a sudden, he felt something thrum and settle in his mana core.
His eyes widened in surprise. "My mana node..."
Immediately, he delved into his mana core space and saw his second node floating there, fully formed and corporeal, bare and untouched, a fresh, clean slate waiting to be designed on.
Zephyr had evolved.
He was now a Tier 2 awakened.
His evolution, coupled with Aegis’ words made the experience even more significant than it should have.
It felt like a turning point for him.
A new beginning.
One where he approached things differently... unbound by conventional standards.
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Somewhere in the desert sector...
Alyra Ryvelin suddenly opened her eyes. For a brief moment, she had felt an intense bout of killing intent surge from somewhere deep within her.
She frowned.
It was too sudden, disappearing just as quickly as it had come. But without a doubt, she was sure of what she had felt. The intensity of the killing intent was so raw and thick that she had no second thoughts that it had been real.
"Something just happened..." she deduced immediately.
And it wasn’t only her.
All Exalted in every sector felt the same thing vividly, pausing whatever it was they were previously doing and frowning into the distance.
Florian, Arcadius, Yennefer, Jet, Kathelyn...
Everyone who could cast magic the same way Zephyr did — through mana nodes — felt it...
But Zephyr, who seemed to be the cause, was totally oblivious, checking out his new mana node instead.
’I need to get a lot of monster kills in as soon as possible...’ Zephyr concluded. He needed to get started on building transistors for his new mana node as quickly as possible.
His consciousness returned to his body on the outside, and he stared straight at the dungeon gate.
’How is your analysis going, Aegis? Confirmed anything yet?’ Zephyr asked, putting Aegis’ previous words aside for the moment.
Yes, host. The gate’s portal has increased in intensity by a few levels since you first arrived.
It correlates with my presumption as to how it works. This truly is a dungeon.
"Okay...?"
Which means you shouldn’t be fearful of an outbreak anytime soon. Based on the low energy levels coming from the gate, I estimate at least a month before it reaches a terrifying level that could potentially cause an outbreak...
Do note that this is only an estimate. I have no exact indicator for what level of energy is required to reach a breaking point.
"A month...? Are you saying I can’t enter this dungeon for a whole month? That would leave only that monster settlement as my grinding source," Zephyr frowned.
Well, not exactly...
To my knowledge, in most instances of a dungeon this would be prime time to delve... The energy levels are weak and the monsters within should still be mostly dormant.
But the rules might be different here and you might very well end up triggering an outbreak instead...
"Tsk" Zephyr hissed. "We’ll put it on hold then... I still have to see what that monster settlement is all about."
Shall we continue with creating the constantly running concealment spell you wanted, host? It would be very necessary if you want to sneak into their settlement...
"Let’s do it." Zephyr nodded. "Oh, and by the way, Aegis. We’re still gonna get back to what you said earlier... about maximizing. I’d like to know how I can maximize you better... like an extension of myself."
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A/N: This Chapter’s special thanks goes to John_Smith24666 and DestroyerMagus for the Golden Tickets! 👏👏