Chapter 221: The Learning Process (1/2)
Around me, a room the size of a parking lot expanded outwards, all the walls white and blank. Glowing lines generated up and down the walls, creating squares of glowing light in the three-dimensional space. In front of me, an ethereal being floated with energy rippling across its shapeless form. Even if unseen, the entire expanse saturated with primordial mana and pulsed as if alive.
The sheer volume was stunning, but it was docile kind of magic. Something filtered it, reducing its volatility from staggering to unnoticeable. Listening close, a gentle hum rang in my ears, the kind let out by a cooling system of sorts. It trickled in from beyond the walls like the echoes of a far off stream.
As I placed my hand on the white panels beneath me, the floor was unbreakable. Compared to walking on the ground, it was actually pleasant. Dirt might as well be a thin soup at this point, and having something firm to stand on was lovely. The floor's refusal to give even a micrometer gave me a few ideas as to where I was.
As I stood up, I finished scoping out the room. A message appeared in front of me.
Transient AI-2035 finished generating. Further explanations will be handled by the personalized AI.
I stepped up to the wispy being and waved a hand,
”Uh, hello.”
It shivered before answering in a monotone and robotic voice,
”I am Transient AI-2035. I am your tutor for your stay here within the temporal dilation chamber 2035. I will assist you in learning the mythical skill Metamorphosis along with suggestions for further growth in other areas. This is to utilize the data scans during the mythical compendium's scanning.”
I cupped my chin, ”You mentioned a temporal dilation chamber?”
That would explain all the primordial mana. Schema was slowing time in a massive area here.
”Yes, this is a time chamber. Your consciousness was jettisoned into a small cube. This cube is placed with thousands of other cubes within a chamber that slows your perception of time, elongating the effects of the mythical compendium.”
Some of the squares around me shined bright, grassland appearing after they dimmed down. Transient continued,
”This allows for the virtual creation of many habitats and scenarios as well, creating an optimal learning environment. Here you will be instructed for sixteen hours daily while allowing for eight hours of rest or relaxation per rest cycle. This is to prevent mental burnout.”
Something in my head throbbed a bit, though it required my enhanced senses to even feel. As I rubbed my temple, Transient continued,
”This area places tremendous strain onto individuals minds. This often determines the amount of time that can be allowed here. Average time limit is equivalent to three days over three hours. Assessing ability to tolerate time dilation...”
My headache spawned from the effects of the temporal dilation. Alright, that made sense to me. A satisfying bing sounded out.
”Estimated time before departure will be three weeks due to above average durability. Adjusting the curriculum around excess time limits.”
I raised my eyebrows, ”That sounds good.”
”It can be considered a good thing. Usability assessments added. Integration suggestions expanded. Real-time practice added. Enhanced rights applied. Are you prepared for the curriculum's beginning?”
A messaged popped up.
Y/N
I raised a hand before answering, ”Wait a minute. I have a few questions.”
”Ask away.”
”I was wondering what you meant by enhanced rights? I've heard about different kinds of rights since getting into Schema's system, but I still don't know what they do.”
”Rights are a generalized term for the systematic application of various privileges and responsibilities to different parties based upon the merit and success of their individual efforts. In Schema's tutorial, the generalized term is defined through several key quotes. One such quote is as follows-”
The AI's voice changed to a smooth recording of Schema's British Morgan Freeman voice,
”A discussion of a sentient being's rights cannot be had without an equal discussion about responsibility. This is due to the nature of rights. Their existence guarantees responsibility. This duality is evidenced by a series of simple examples.”
Two generic, blank humanoids appeared out of one of the glowing squares. One of the humanoids held a knife before stabbing the other one in the neck. The living humanoid puffed out its chest before another humanoid appeared behind it. It too stabbed the killer in the neck, and so the cycle of death continued.
Schema's voice reverberated,
”If a society grants its citizens the right to not be murdered, then it is each citizen's responsibility to not murder as well. If you are given the right to pursue happiness, then it is your responsibility to not interfere with another's right to pursue their happiness. Rights within my system are given with this general assumption in mind.”
An emoji of a Sentinel appeared as the voice continued,
”This is a Sentinel, and it has been given enhanced rights. This comes with the responsibility to use these rights for the good of others. If the Sentinel misuses these rights-”
The armor fell off the white, humanoid blob.
”Then, these rights will be taken. The greater the rights given, the greater the fail safes employed to prevent the misuse of these rights.”
I frowned, ”If that's the case, why not call it a job instead of rights?”
The AI's robotic voice returned, ”Schema ran tests of the reactions of persons to various wordings, and rights were received in the best manner. This also teaches a key philosophical point of Schema - status, power, and influence are earned, not given.”
I glanced at a few of my quests, finding one that mentioned gaining the 'rights' of a Sentinel. It was basically an invitation to become one. That was far less tempting then what the quests implied by their wording, which was a bit of a disappointment.
I pointed around me, ”Alright, I have a few more questions. If Schema can just pull your consciousness out of your body like this, then why not do it to criminals and the like in Schema's system? You'd turn them into vegetables in an instant.”
”The amount of mana required for such an undertaking is excessive. This requires the scanning, physical manifestation of compendiums, and it would rapidly fill up the time dilation chambers at Schema's disposal. This would also strip any knowledge and experience gained from the parties responsible for killing said criminals.”
I raised my eyebrows, ”Huh, so the logistics don't work out.”
”If there are no further questions involved, then instruction may begin. As a reminder, remember that your time here is limited.”
I shrugged while selecting the Y button in my status. Around us, the environment changed to that of an unmoving, shallow ocean with an island of warm sand under my feet. The crisp, cold wind smothered out the heat from a blinding sun overhead. A few birds cooed in the distance or dove into the ocean to pick up fish from the sea. I glanced around, kind of confused.
”Why are we here?”
”This is to teach the baseline skill Serenity. This will be the cornerstone in the creation of origin mana, which is the polar opposite of your ascendant mana type.”
I cupped my chin, ”Man, it has been a while since I've thought about mana types. Can you give me a refresher?”
The hovering energy ball rose up to my left shoulder as a graph appeared in front of me,
”There are three primary mana types. Origin, the mana of creation, augmentation, the mana of inner control, and dominion, the mana of outer control. These mana types can be fused into three more types of mana, each carrying stronger qualities than the mana types used to create them. They are referred to as higher manas.”
In front of me, a ball of light blue, orange, and black mana appeared. Above the bright blue was the word origin, augmentation was above the orange ball, and dominion above the black. I pointed at them,
”Yeah, I remember now. My ascendant style of mana is dominion plus augmentation.”
”That is correct. It is the mana of control in its entirety. Using ascendant mana creates favorable conditions for its wielder. It relishes on control and dominance, such as draining enemies of their mental strength and enhancing your own.”
The orange and black balls of mana on the screen fused into a ball of bloody mana. It was my mana. The spheres of energy split back apart before the light blue and black manas merged together. The deep blue mana looked like the depths of an ocean,
”This is primordial mana. It is the mana of animation. Origin mana requires the release of control, while dominion demands the opposite. This allows for the generation of fully autonomous beings such as golems or conjured beings. It can also be used to create areas with conditions that enhance you as well. Note, negative consequences will result in negative consequences for the wielder as well.”
I frowned, ”How is that different from Torix's summoning, and why does it make him an unknown?”
”Torix Worm utilizes a soul grafting to control eldritch. Primordial mana generates utterly subservient beings created from nothing but energy. This means they lack the volatility of eldritch.”
Torix dug his own grave in that regard. It did give him summoning abilities without having to learn this mana type, though. Gaining primordial mana would expand his capabilities quite a bit. I took note of that before letting the AI continue.
”Chrona uses this style of mana for her time expansion and hastening effects. While admirable, this isn't the most efficient process for you for several reasons.”
I raised my palm, erupting a plume of red mana from it, ”Is my mana type why?”
”This is one of several reasons why. Your limitations stem from the nature of your existence. As a dimension, you will struggle to influence the spatial laws around you. In many of your conflicts, others have tried manipulating the space around you to negatively impact you in some way. Your complete autonomy is why you've come out unscathed.”
I clamped my hand shut, letting my hand fall to my side, ”Like Ajax's dimension slicing or Chrona's time manipulation...Huh, so why do physical attacks still affect me then?”
The graph showing manas shifted, showing images of Chrona and my fights.
”You are still physically here. The dimensional attacks warp the space around you instead of you directly. They aim to create an effect on the space, which will then incur the same effect on you. You stand on another plane, however.”
”That's been pretty useful then.”
”Given the right circumstances, it is. During your attempts to learn Chrona's magic, it acted as a roadblock, however. You attempted manipulating the dimensional space around you. Even if you succeeded, you would never have hastened yourself.”
I pursed my lips, ”That means I can't have the same 'slowing' affect that Chrona has, doesn't it?”
”Yes and no. You could, in theory, perform the same enchantment she is. It would be the same as drowning an ocean with a bucket of water. Conceptually, it simply isn't practical. Hastening, on the other hand, will be even more powerful with you than her. This will be the primary reason for teaching you quintessence mana.”
I pointed my thumb to my chest, ”Ah, I'll just make my dimension's time move faster.”
”This is correct. Without quintessence mana, this would be impossible. With it, you will be able to change the parameters of your existence. This is critical for your ongoing progress.”
I nodded, ”So the quintessence mana is the last 'higher' mana type then?”
”This is correct. This is why we will be instructing you to learn the Serenity skill. Review completed. Sit down in a comfortable position to begin learning Serenity.”
I did so, the warm sand being pushed away by my heft. The cool sand beneath me contrasted the warm sun above. In a cross-legged position, Transient swirled to the front of me,
”You must clear your mind of all thoughts and feelings. This includes ambition or impatience. Focus on being at peace with the state of the world. Let go.”
I scoffed, ”That explains why I never learned this skill at least. Gotta stay moving to stay alive sometimes.”
Transient quivered for a moment before stabilizing, ”You must balance your approach, or you will fail to realize your potential.”
I went ahead and gave it a shot. Turns out, not thinking was actually pretty hard. Considering I hadn't slept in years, I fell out of practice with the whole slowing down my thoughts thing. By now, doing so was like using an atrophied limb. It would take time to build up my tolerance to the new activity.
Several hours passed with a bit of progress. Turns out, my willpower actually hurt my growth. If I tried too hard, Transient would announce, ”Levels of relaxation compromised. Reset composure.” I heard that phrase dozens of times, and it grated a bit on my nerves after a while. It helped to have someone creating clear boundaries for me even if they annoyed me.
The second thing I learned was that this island and its surroundings were perfect for clearing my mind. There was just enough going on that it wasn't unsettling to just sit still. There wasn't too much going on to distract me either, keeping the experience in a state of balance. It made the whole meditating thing much more comfortable.
The third thing I learned was that Originator, the tree that sped up my skill creation, would save me a lot of time here.
Skill gained! Serenity(lvl 10) - While many attempt to crash through boulders with force, you remain formless like water. +10% to tranquility.
Disappointed by the skill but not showing it, I patted my hands on my knees,
”So what's next?”
Transient let out a small spark, ”Five hours passed.” The monotonous voice changed to an overly happy one, ”This is excellent progress!”
I shook my head before gasping, ”Wait...five hours? What the fuck.”
”This is Serenity. It allows you to be at peace despite what goes on around you. This is essential for you to learn origin mana. To begin, channel your mana into augmentation and dominion manas.”
I raised my palms and did as the AI said. It wasn't tough to create augmentation or dominion now. With the black and orange energy spheres floating over my palms, I said,
”What comes next?”
Transient bobbled in the air, ”After developing control of an upper tier mana type, many lose their refined control of the sub mana types used in its creation. You haven't. This speeds the process along.”
Transient floated backward, ”Now grasp onto the feeling of producing your armor or regenerating. Do so while activating the skill Serenity.”
It was a surprisingly simple request. I did as the little ball asked, taking a few minutes before calming myself down. After a while, I raised my hand and attempted molding my armor. It did so, but the innate vigor of the material disrupted my peaceful state of mind. It was like meditating with a hungry wolf howling at my door.
It snapped me out of Serenity like a whip across my back. Transient murmured,
”Try again.”