Zac , who had somehow starting to get acclimatized to talking to this odd being , sighed and briefly explained his experience starting when the world turned dark . The eyeball seemed harmless enough and appeared to be on his side . Furthermore , he really needed someone to talk to , both to unload and to make sense of the situation .
Oh wow , I got assigned to a Defier . I guess I have some good karma after all! No returning in defeat for Abby! - The Stargazer suddenly seemed quite a bit more amiable , virtually shaking with excitement . It almost felt like the monster would start rubbing itself on him if it wasn’t that he was still generally caked in grime .
What’s a Defier? It doesn’t sound great . And wait , Abby? Wasn’t your name Veth-something? - Zac questioned , seeming to get more and more confused the more the Stargazer spoke .
Now now , don’t be so formal . Just call me Abby . - Abby answered . Gone was the slightly haughty tone , replaced with the mild pleasant tone from the beginning . - And I guess some explanations are in order . As you have figured out some people of your world have been moved to tutorial towns after your world was integrated into the multi-verse . However , some people have some sort of deficiency where they can’t naturally absorb cosmic energy and the system deem them worthless . It doesn’t bother with these people and leave them where they are . These people mostly die sooner or later as they are essentially defenseless at the beginning as the system generally vastly increase the danger of the surroundings . -
And these are the Defiers? - Zac interrupted a bit anxious - Is it genetic? Do you think my family is stuck somewhere as well? -
It’s not genetic as far as I know , and no they aren’t the Defiers . These people are generally called mortals . Please let me finish , we have limited time . As far as research shows , it is random who can take in cosmic energy and who can’t . However , in worlds with lower class energy mortals are more common . The higher the energy , the more common it is to be able to absorb the energy . On B rank planets and above almost everyone can absorb cosmic energy naturally . -
When I was in that black space the system said Earth had class F energy , and after the merge class D . - Zac chimed in hoping for some additional information .
Well , class F is the lowest of the low . I doubt there were people who could fly or use magic before the merge , right? - Zac nodded affirmatively . Abby shook her eye and continued - From what I’ve heard only 5-10% of the population turn out to be cultivators in an F-energy world . And most of those people are younger , as their minds haven’t turned too rigid yet . Of course , this is for you humans . The Multi-verse consists of myriad races and civilizations and many races have natural advantages compared to you humans , who are notoriously average . -
Cultivators are what they call those who can naturally draw the cosmic energies into themselves by the way . Cultivators can be divided further into many types depending on class and skills , but that’s for later . D-class energy is pretty good for a new world , most are E classed . So to recap , the world is populated by mortals and cultivators . This might mean your family is safe for now . -
Lucky how? It sounds pretty bad to me that my family are probably stranded somewhere with monsters spawning just like me , but without the Titles . - Zac questioned testily .
Well , if they all are mortals they haven’t been split up . They are probably together in the city you lived in . Also , even if they are mortals there is strength in numbers . Even if the monsters are normally impossible to kill one on one , they should be able to kill the easier monsters using teamwork . And while they can’t just get continuously stronger through cultivating , they still get stronger from killing monsters and leveling up like you did . - Abby explained patiently . While not completely comforting , what she said did make some sense to Zac . He could only hope his family was being careful and safe right now .
Anyway , that brings us to Defiers like you . In extremely rare cases a mortal gains power far above what’s expected , either through luck , talent or hard work . There is no strict definition of them , rather a - You know it when you see it’-attitude . The name comes from the fact that the System essentially has deemed you trash but you defy the system and fate and become strong . Your situation is extreme even for Defiers , I mean a Herald spawning on top of you and you survive? Stealing a bunch of exclusive titles? Crazy . I think it has only happened a few thousand times in the multi-verse . - Abby seemed to get excited just thinking about it , happily bouncing up and down in the air .
So it’s not that rare? There might be even more on earth? - Zac interjected .
Abby rolled her eye in response . - I think you misunderstand Zac . A few thousand times in the multi-verse . Oh right , you missed the tutorial . Suffice to say the multi-verse is almost infinite , with endless worlds with life on them , most far larger and more populated than your earth . It has existed for at least hundreds of millions of years . And during all that time it has only happened a few thousand times . Which makes you an aberrant even among Defiers . You , and by extension me , have truly hit the jackpot . -
So how does it help me? - Zac asked . - I understand that I have a leg up on others with all these strong titles , but I still can’t absorb that cosmic energy you mentioned . What is that , anyway? -
Cosmic energy is the building block of the multi-verse . It is energy , it is magic , and it is life . It is everything . You couldn’t really see the effects of it earlier as your world had so little of it , but you will soon see the effects of it on everything around you . - Abby said , almost having a reverent tone mentioning it .
See how? -
Some things in nature will be unable to take in the stronger energy and die out . But many things will be like the cultivators , naturally absorbing the energy . Essentially , things will grow big . Both the beasts and nature itself . Many things will also change in unpredictable ways . A tree might gain the properties of metal and be almost unbreakable , a mouse might grow wings and fly , or suddenly be able to spit thunder . It’s quite spectacular . - She explained .
Not being able to cultivate will impede you somewhat , but not as much as you think . You have a massive advantage in the form of titles , strength and your newly created outpost . In any case , there are so many things to go over , but unfortunately , we are running out of time . - Abby realized she had gone off on somewhat of a tangent , seeming a bit embarrassed .
I will be summoned back in 10 minutes . -
Chapter 9 - Forced to Fight
Zac was gobsmacked .
You’re not here to help out permanently? - He inquired hesitantly . While it took some time getting used to talking to an eyeball , he was pretty unwilling to be stranded alone in the forest again . Besides , there were so many things he still didn’t understand about what was happening .
Unfortunately , no . The system only summons an administrator such as myself for a short while when creating an outpost . Also , we only get summoned the first year after initiation . Something like an add-on Tutorial . But we got a bit side-tracked here , and need to hurry up with your outpost . - Abby explained , seeming a bit embarrassed she got sidetracked from her duty .
Outposts will evolve into full-fledged towns if you complete certain missions . The difference between a system-sanctioned town and a normal mortal town is that the city leader of a system-sanctioned town can use the system to summon buildings , tax the population and connect to other city leaders for example . The difference between an outpost and a town is that an outpost is temporary . Either you manage to turn it into a town by completing your quest , or the incursion over there will stabilize and turn to a town owned by the invading general . By then A LOT more demons will spawn , and unless you’re already dead you will likely die then , titles or not . -