[Castle Bonus—Big thanks to Readable and RolaySalt!! (1/10)]
Sylas put the Crystal, the three potions he had gathered, and a few pieces of beast meat within. He didn’t want to waste so much space on Big Madness, so he didn’t even try to take it in.
‘How am I supposed to dissect corpses now that I can’t equip weapons?’ Sylas shook his head, looking at the Scorned Wraps.
An idea came to his mind.
‘No, it said I can’t use them in my hands, but it didn’t say anything about my Charisma…’
He threw that idea to the back of his mind. Even if he had this thought, he had lost anything he could call a “weapon” in this dungeon.
Sylas thought about leaving now, but then he shook his head.
This dungeon never seemed to rush him. It hadn’t hurried him forward through the Floors and he could always decide when it was that he wanted to move on.
In that case, this might be the safest area he would have for a while. He should at least try to get a baseline understanding of how the Madness Key worked.
—-
[Name: Sylas Grimblade]
[Species: Human (F)]
[Affiliation: Grimblade Lineage]
[Level: 0]
[Titles: A Flexible Will; Madness Conqueror; Skill Savant; A Patient Stalker]
—-
[Physical: 42]
>[Strength: 50]
>[Constitution: 49]
>[Dexterity: 19]
>[Speed: 50]
[Mental: 47]
>[Intelligence: 10]
>[Wisdom: 10]
>[Charisma: 122]
[Will: 94]
[Luck: 1]
—-
[Skills: Maddened Meditation (F); Madness Control (F)]
[Comprehensions: Madness (F)]
—-
[Gene State: Soft]
[Fragmented Genes: Grimblade Lineage (F); (8) Dexterity (F); (4) Constitution (F); (9) Strength (F)]
[Common Genes: (3) Speed (F); (2) Strength (F); (2) Constitution (F)]
—-
[Gene Talents: Blade Aura (Mutated – Weakened)(-); Sudden Burst (Dormant)(F)]
—-
Looking at his stat screen, Sylas decided that the best Gene to use would probably be Strength. He had a buffer of four Fragmented Strength Genes that were lying dormant right now due to having reached his Genetic Limit.
He wanted to test the waters, but he also didn’t want to waste his Genes either.
A dungeon was ultimately a controlled environment. There was no telling how much harder it would be to gather these Genes on the outside, so he had to be frugal.
‘Let’s pick a question that’s been bugging me. It should be difficult enough, not too broad, but not too narrow either. Let’s see… how does this work?’
Sylas touched the key, and once again used his intention. He focused on his Fragmented Strength Gene before he asked his question. As for the Common Gene that he needed to give up every day to keep it happy, the treasure hadn’t said anything about it, so he assumed he had a buffer period.
“Why does the system feel incomplete?”
Sylas was quite used to using search engines, as he had spent most of his life in academia. This question was, objectively, a horrible one to type in.
His word choice wasn’t too specific, and it was mostly driven by his intention. In addition, the word “feel” was too broad as well. However, when given the context of this world, it should be something that an intelligent listener should be able to grasp.
He felt a pulse from the Madness Key and a flickering image appeared before his eyes.
—-
[Why does the system feel incomplete?]
[The system is an intelligence forged by the universe, an evolutionary convergence to aid Ascending worlds. However, the information the universe can decipher, versus what lesser creatures can decipher, is separated by a vast chasm. Most Summoned worlds receive a rudimentary version of the system, stripped down of its complexities, simplified in its numbers, and made easily digestible for the masses]
—-
Sylas finally felt a hint of relief. He wasn’t crazy after all.
When he thought about it, what kind of system would the dinosaurs have been given? Would they even be able to understand one as complicated as what Sylas was using? Maybe theirs was dumbed down even further into a series of images or emotions or instinctual understandings.
The answer of the Madness Key also seemed to imply that there was a better version of the system, or maybe even several forms of upgrades, but he restrained himself from asking about it.
This satisfied one need, but he had other, more pressing needs. It was unlikely that he would be able to upgrade the system anytime soon, anyway.
Turning his attention toward the Common Gene Crystal, he asked a question that was far more important to his immediate success.
—-
[How do you use the Common Gene Crystal?]
[Common Gene Crystals are Gene fusion devices capable of inputting Common Physical and Mental Genes, and outputting a Unique Gene. Depending on the Capacity, one can make more or less complex Unique Genes, with the weakest outcome being a Unique Fragmented Gene, and the strongest being a Unique Bronze Gene.
[In order to begin, one needs to start with a foundation. This can be a Skill, a Comprehension, a Title, a Treasure, or a freshly slain beast. With this foundation, the Gene Crystal will enter a state of dormancy. Upon awaking, it will provide an Evolution Tree and Gene requirements to meet the target goal depending on the path taken. These Gene requirements will list the number and combination of Genes necessary to successfully fuse the Unique Gene.
[A Gene Crystal can be used more than once, but its durability is variable. The closer to its Gene Capacity you go, the more durability it will lose per use.
[Chance of succeeding in absorbing a Gene Crystal-created Unique Gene is also variable. Gene Crystal can be sacrificed for an improved success rate dependent on capacity. At 10 capacity, there will be a 50% chance of success. At 50 capacity, there will be a 90% chance]
—-
Sylas’ eyes lit up. After two questions, he was starting to get a bit of a better understanding.
It seemed that his question didn’t need to be too specific to get him a wide range of information. But what would happen if he purposely made it too broad?
—-
[How do I complete the Summoned Ascension?]
[Become strong]
