The Apocalypse Grinder - Chapter 318

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The knowledge the Tellen had of their sector was overwhelming. Ronan now knew the live location of every single creature that Serenaeth 7 could sense with its roots and awareness, the composition of the soil and stone that made up the ground, the minerals it contained, the composition of the air, all of the people who had emerged from the tutorials and were living in the sector, whether they were humans, those weird elf-like creatures, the shapeshifters, or just mutated foxes and other animals. There was far more information, but he had begun to filter it out. Most of it wasn’t necessary for him to know, but he could call upon it with barely a thought thanks to his connection with the tree.

Woah, that’s a lot. Can we do this with any information, or is it only one way? Can you read my thoughts?

Not at all. Only whatever you wish me to know will pass across the link. There are other uses and benefits, but you will need to learn and practice them over time.

Well, as you know I have nothing but time. Tell me more. Ronan was curious and eager to know if there was anything that might help him in battle. Knowledge of the land was all well and good, but it wasn’t immediately useful.

We can share mana if we develop the link enough, and you will eventually be able to teleport to anywhere my roots touch no matter where you are in the multiverse. That does get seriously expensive as the distance increases, however, so you should be wary of doing so unless absolutely necessary. More than any new ‘abilities,’ what you gain from a guardian bond is the vast wealth of information we as a species possess. Collectively, the Tellen have existed for millions of lifetimes, hoarding an endless amount of knowledge on various subjects. I suspect you would be most interested in those pertaining to magic.

Ronan smiled. The tree knew him well. I would definitely be interested in learning anything you can teach me about magic. Specifically, sorcery, if you can, but anything helps.

Sorcery? You already know how to manipulate mana freely? That is promising. The Tellen have always been magically gifted even before the system took us under its wing with this integration. Magic is not meant to be bound in the way the system does, although I must admit it is an extremely useful way to allow non-magically-gifted beings to wield mana. Sorcery is, and will always remain, superior.

Ronan felt a strong feeling of pride and indignance across the link. He wasn’t sure he was as adamant on the topic as the tree seemed to be, but he definitely agreed that sorcery was, for the most part, better than relying on the system to use magic.

The tree went on to show him many ways to circulate and manipulate mana. It was enlightening. He had been doing so many things wrong. Unfortunately most of the circulation advice didn’t help him because the way a tree’s body worked was vastly different to his. However, the general magic advice allowed him to further refine all of his spells. Serenaeth heaped praise upon him, claiming that how far he had progressed purely on his own was admirable.

A single day spent learning from a tree had given him more direction and growth than a hundred lives spent working on his own. Then again, if he hadn’t made so much progress on his own he likely would not have benefited as much from the lesson from the tree.

He was really glad he had decided to meet the tree again. Not only had he learned more about his clan and the kind of person he could one day become, but he had also become better at magic. There was nothing better than that.

During the second day of training, both Ronan and Serenaeth received an identical notification. They paused to discuss what to do going forward. Ronan had little to add, because it was also his very first time seeing such a thing.

Attention all challengers on [Planet 2.48e11E], the final sector pillar has been claimed! Now that all sectors have been claimed, the barriers inside the regions will fall and the second phase of the integration will begin. Until all the regional pillars have been claimed, you will be locked into your local region.

Support your [Knight] or the leader of your faction in their bid to claim the regional pillar, make alliances, enemies, and experience all a new world has to offer!

Good luck, challengers!

To be honest Ronan was a little disappointed in the system. It seemed rather uncreative. Instead of a new challenge, it was just going to be a repeat of the old, except on a grander scale. It didn’t interest him much, but he knew that he would likely have to claim the regional pillar at least once, if only to see what he gained from doing so, and how it might enhance his faction.

After experiencing the first faction gate once, he was eager to see what more difficult gates would look like. They would be a great challenge for him and a way to push his level far beyond what his highest had been. If the final enemies were anything like the bosses the nightmare tutorial had thrown at him, it would be a great battle.

Ronan was interrupted from his musing by a thought sent over the link from Serenaeth 7. I have made contact with another Tellen. They have their guardian with them. I am not so fond of them, but in this new world we must stick together. I have learned a great deal about their sector. It was vastly different from this one, which interests me. I informed them of our meeting, and they suggested you meet with their guardian. It might be useful for you, but you may refuse if you wish.

Ronan considered that the tree had just freely shared information about him with another being without his permission. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it was also not that big a deal. If the Tellen as a species were already aware of his clan and had a favourable impression of them, he doubted it was bad that they knew they’d encountered a third member of the Chronos Clan.

Sure, I’ll meet them. I am curious to learn about the second phase of the integration, so exploring the rest of the region is high on my list of priorities. I want to try and claim the region pillar, but I am not sure I’ll be able to at the moment. I didn’t claim a sector pillar, after all.

But you possess a noble title nonetheless. A quirk of your heritage, no doubt. You should give it a go. The tree was insightful. Ronan was surprised to learn it could see his title, but then again that tracked. Some things like names and titles were usually always visible even against more powerful foes, whereas class and level were hidden unless you were an even match.

Oh.

It was just a single word, but the thoughts and feelings that accompanied it through the link made Ronan freeze. Regret, fear, anxiety, anger. The tree felt those the most. The next sentence made Ronan feel the same.

I fear that I have made an error. The system just sent me a notification. Aborag 8 received the same notification, but I feel strange about our connection. Something has happened to them. And… I am sorry. You should flee.

A notification appeared in Ronan’s vision. It was not his, but Serenaeth sharing what it had just received. He did not like it one bit.

An existential system threat has been detected! Judgment will commence immediately for all involved parties.

Ronan didn’t have to wait long to find out what judgment meant. The world around him froze, not because time had stopped flowing, but because nothing else could respond to the mind-boggling pressure that descended. The sky seemed to open up as reality split, and an utterly ordinary looking man stepped into existence. The fact that Ronan couldn’t move, breathe, or even think properly was an indicator that the man was anything but normal. He glanced at the tag above the man’s head, and knew he was fucked.

[???????]

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