Chapter 416: Transcendent

“The number of individuals who have been reported to have reached CLR three hundred is surprisingly low. The surprise is not because the feat is easily accomplished; in fact, the number of experience points necessary to reach levels past sixty in any one class are tremendous. That number grows to even more incredible heights past level eighty. Still, considering the number of species that are capable of gaining levels and simultaneously do not age or have extremely long lifespans, as well as the addition of advanced healing and lifesaving spells, one would think that there would be more cases of CLR three hundred reported over the long history of the empire as well as other civilizations, both current and ancient.

“One answer as to why so few exist or have existed in the past is that to reach such incredibly high levels, one must engage in ever-increasingly novel feats in order to gain experience points. Tests in the past have shown that repeating the same action, even if it is integral to the purpose of your class, has diminishing returns over time when it comes to experience gain. At a certain point, the time spent and the experience given is so inefficient that the gain is negligible, effectively becoming a zero-point increase. This is why armies cannot simply have their soldiers perform weapons drills over and over again until the soldiers reach a high level. Actual combat and new experiences are necessary, otherwise growth stagnates at a low level. Of course, the demonic invasions provide an alternate source of bonus experience points that anyone can partake in, which does not seem to correspond with effort given by the individuals outside of direct participation or proximity. In either case, one will gain experience at a stronger rate that normally possible by standard means.

“Even with Demons providing a source of bonus experience points regularly over the course of centuries, there are still few who have reached CLR three hundred. The exact causes are further theorized to be related to the extreme level of experience points needed as well as the inherent dangers of gaining experience points via combat with Demons. Even an elite combatant can be overwhelmed by a large force of inferior CLR individuals. Whatever the cause, we have few examples of those who have reached a combined level rating of three hundred. I attribute this lack of examples as to why so few people today know what happens when a person reaches the level maximum.”

Jadis felt that there was something inherently surreal about having a stone sheep talk to her at length about rather weighty subjects like some kind of science professor. Or, when she thought about it, Una was sort of like an AI program that she had plugged a question into and had done all the research for her and was reiterating a condensed explanation for her. The weird part wasn’t the lecture, but that the speaker for the AI device was a marble statue of a lamb.

“Question,” Jay asked, raising her hand because she felt like she should under the circumstances, despite there only being four people in the room. “Wasn’t there a really famous person who reached CLR three hundred?”

“Sigsteinn the Golden,” Aila answered before Una could respond. “He was a Hero from over three thousand years ago, so yes, I would say he would stand as an incredibly well-known example. He was largely responsible for the birth of the empire.”

“Yeah, that guy,” Syd motioned at Aila while keeping her attention on Una. “Shouldn’t everyone know about what happened to him at max level?”

“In a way, they do,” Una said as she continued her explanation. “Sigsteinn the Golden was an elf who became the Hero during the Demonic invasion three thousand two hundred and fifty-nine years ago. He was lowborn, the son of a carpenter, but was chosen to be Valtar’s Hero when he unlocked his primary class. The invasion of that time was a particularly harsh one and many of the ancient nations that had existed at that time were overrun and no longer exist today due to being wiped out by the Demons. In those days, Alfhilderunn itself was only a vassal kingdom to a larger kingdom, Himinioðurr. Sigsteinn drove back the invasion and defeated the Demon Lord while reaching CLR three hundred in the process. Afterwards, he married the princess of Alfhilderunn and led the nation into a series of wars of conquest while also engaging in several politically advantageous treaties and state marriages. His actions directly resulted in transforming our nation from a vassal kingdom into the largest empire in the world.”

“So, with a guy that important, we should know all about his level progression, right?” Jay asked, though even as the words left her lips, she realized what Una was going to say next.

“For the safety and security of his burgeoning empire, Sigsteinn the Golden locked away all knowledge of what his leveling process was as well as any mention of what happened to him once he reached maximum level. If other nations were to learn the methods and results of his achievements, it had the potential to spell disaster for his people. Perhaps not immediately, but hundreds of years in the future. It is common for the shorter-lived races to only think in terms of months or years. For those who have extended lifespans, we must necessarily think in terms of decades and centuries. We will live with whatever decision we make for far longer.”

“In other words, we don’t know anything about CLR three hundred because Sigsteinn hid the information from everyone?” Dys frowned at the idea.

Jadis wasn’t surprised that a powerful person would limit information to further his own cause, but she had hoped for better from someone who had been the Hero. She supposed they were only human, though, after all. Or… only elven. Whatever.

“It is rumored that the imperial family has records that date back to that time, written by Emperor Sigsteinn himself. However, if such records exist, they are locked away in secret imperial archives. No one that I have ever questioned has admitted to their existence.”

Considering the Golem worked directly for First Prince Hraustrekr, Jadis imagined Una had had plenty of opportunities to ask the royal family over the years.

“Fortunately, Emperor Sigsteinn is not the only person we have on record having achieved CLR three hundred.”

“Who else?” Aila asked, having leaned forward with intense interest. “Other Heroes? Or perhaps the companions of Heroes past?”

“One on record, Nyla of the Wretched Barrens, was a companion of the Hero of the demonic invasion from twelve sixty of the Imperial Calendar. She and her Hero were from the western continent so our information is limited, but we have some details. We have more information regarding Hywel the Heartless, who was not a Hero nor a companion to one. He hailed from the northern continent. There are other, less reliable sources, however, most of our information comes from Simos, the Hexagon.”

“The Hexagon?” Bridget spoke up after having been silent for a long while. Most of what had been said looked like it was overwhelming her, but she also looked like she was doing her best to keep up. “Why was he called that?”

“Because he was a Hexagon,” Una replied simply. When Bridget continued to look unenlightened, Una expanded further. “Simos was a Golem and he was shaped in the form of a hexagonal prism. For the sake of brevity, most referred to him as the Hexagon.”

“Oh.”

“The data Simos was able to provide us is not commonly distributed among most scholars. His research methods were unethical at best, so when the Hero and his party of the next demonic invasion reached a sufficient level, they destroyed Simos along with much of his work.”

“Then how do you know about him and his research?”

Jay nodded along to Aila’s question, though she had ideas of her own as to why any important research might have remained after the death of the unethical Golem. She knew from her previous world’s history that even people who had good intentions would often take information that benefited them, even if that information was gained through horrifying means by a cruel and inhuman enemy.

“Because Simos was my father.”

That was not the answer Jadis had expected.

“Have no fear,” Una directed her attention towards Bridget who was looking at the Golem with eyes the size of saucers. “While Simos was my creator, I am my own Golem. I have never participated in any of his research methods, nor do I have any intention of doing so in the future. He did not instill the same disregard for the life of those made of flesh as he possessed into me.”

“Good to hear,” Syd nodded while curling her lip. “So, putting aside family ties… What exactly was the end result of reaching maximum level?”

Una’s attention redirected towards Jay, who sat in the center of Jadis’ three selves. Her expression was as still as stone, yet Jadis could sense that many thoughts were moving at lightspeed inside of the Golem’s mind. Perhaps she was considering exactly how much information she should give away. She’d already given quite a lot, though Jadis’ ultimate question still lingered unanswered. Maybe the Golem was hesitant to reveal so much to someone she barely knew. Perhaps there were political motivations as well; after all, Una was Hraustrekr’s servant, which implied she had some loyalty to the elf and his cause.

Una came to a decision a moment later, her pause so brief that Jadis doubted Aila and Bridget had even noticed since they didn’t have the extreme level of Agility and thus processing speed that Jadis had. Whatever her decision, it was impossible to tell how much was being held back, if anything at all, just based on the Golems unchanging voice. Jadis hoped, however, that her own candidness had some influence on what Una decided to reveal.

“Upon reaching CLR three hundred, Simos unlocked a fourth class categorized as the Transcendent Class. The entirety of every skill that he had obtained via his Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary classes were combined together into a single, all encompassing keystone skill of his new Transcendent class.”

“Holy shit,” Jadis murmured in tripled unison.

“That—that’s insane,” Aila burst to her feet. “A fourth class? One that starts with a skill that encompasses three hundred levels worth of skills?”

“All Attribute gains were maintained as well,” Una pressed on despite the interruptions. “His previous classes were wiped from his status sheet and only his new Transcendent class remained, The Amoral Scion of Inquiry and Investigation. While he only reached level four in his Scion class before his death, I will tell you that the skill he unlocked at level three was beyond all expectations.”

Aila fell back heavily onto her chair, all the fire having drained out of her pale and freckled face. She looked stunned, confused, and like her brain was trying to go a hundred miles an hour while the engine kept stalling out.

Bridget’s face was blank. The orc had folded her arms across her chest, leaning back in her chair as she stared with eyes unfocused. Jadis could see that the woman had retreated into herself, processing the information that Una had provided them and would likely not be in a speaking mood for a long time.

Jadis, for her part, had one question.

“Why does all that mean that I shouldn’t choose the Progenitor class?”

The whole reason for Una’s lecture on CLR had been, ostensibly, because she was cautioning Jadis against taking the Progenitor of the Succubi class. Her reasoning being that she would become a “Demi-God” which she had framed as heresy. Jadis appreciated all the information the Golem was giving her on levels, she had no doubt that the info was a precious commodity that was only shared sparingly, but ultimately, Jadis still needed more in order to make a truly educated decision on her class selection.

“I mean, thank you,” Jay continued with a calmer tone. “I really do appreciate the info you’re giving me. But you kind of laid out a heavy statement there, talking about me becoming a Demi-God and all that. I’d like to know more about that.”

“It’s kind of hard to focus on anything else when I’ve got that dangling over me,” Syd reasoned with a one-sided shrug.

“You may potentially become a Demi-God,” Una corrected. “I have no concrete evidence to support my theory. Everything I know is circumstantial or knowledge gained from parties who did not witness events directly.”

“Then tell me what you do know,” Dys pressed as she ran a hand through her white hair. “It’s got to be compelling if you’re giving me so much caution.”

“Are you familiar with the Lost Children of Tamar?”

“Tamar is the goddess of the ocean and storms and stuff, right?” Jay replied slowly. “I remember being told her avatars were killed off. Do you mean them?”

“Just so. The Merrow are extinct and have been since around the time of Sigsteinn the Golden. We have no exact date as their dwindling numbers were not well documented at the time. Considering the revelation of your existence, I now call into question the assumption that they are fully gone.”

Jadis didn’t touch that statement. She had told Una a lot, but she wasn’t about to reveal her reincarnated status. Besides, for all she knew, Una was right to suspect the Merrow being alive and kicking. They could still have hidden colonies out there somewhere.

“As you have so directly discovered, it is possible for the different avatar races to comingle and breed new species of life. Over the millennia, most combinations have been explored and have either found a niche in whatever culture they are a part of or have quietly died out. Sometimes a race that has died out has come back, simply through the chance of two avatars coming together as others of their kind did in the past.”

“Hah, coming.”

Syd quickly smoothed out her grin and forced her expression into a more serious one. Sitting next to her, Bridget gave her a dead-eyed look before soundly thumping Syd on her side.

“Thank you, Bridget,” Aila said dryly.

“One such race that was born is called the Naga. They are the result of Merrow and Nephilim breeding.”

“Are they still around?”

“They are,” Una nodded at Jay’s question. “Though you will only find them in one region of the world. They exclusively occupy a relatively small island off the coast of the Rubaline Dominion in the Siren Sea. While there are many fascinating topics to discuss when it comes to their unique and highly xenophobic culture, the one that is pertinent to our conversation is this: The Naga do not worship any of the nine gods, nor do they worship Samleos. The Naga worship a Demi-God named Nagaji.

“While I have no direct evidence to support my theory, there is enough information to suggest that Nagaji was once a Merrow named Niamh who reached CLR three hundred and was offered a Transcendent class that transformed her into a Demi-God.”

“How—how do you know this?” Jay struggled for a way to put to words exactly how she was feeling about Una’s revelation. “What information suggests that?”

Instead of Una answering, it was Bridget who spoke up first.

“She’s the mother of the Naga, isn’t she?”

When everyone turned to look at her, Bridget shrugged with her arms still crossed over her chest.

“I’ve never been, but a lot of my family are mercenaries who have travelled the world. My uncle was in the Rubaline Dominion for years on a tour of duty. He brought back all kinds of stories, including ones about Naga. He never saw one, but they’re kind of a fun campfire topic for mercenaries.”

“You are correct,” Lady Una nodded at the orc woman. “Nagaji is the mother of all Naga and is worshipped by them exclusively. The worship of all other gods is banned on their island of Hinansho.”

“So, because this Nagaji is a Demi-God and is worshipped as the origin of Naga, you think that means she is a Merrow who reached max level?”

“That is correct, yes.”

“That… doesn’t seem like the firmest of theories,” Dys frowned as she mulled the idea over. “Not a lot to go off of. Do you have any other evidence?”

“From the research that Simos conducted as well as my own research into other Demi-Gods and those who have reached CLR three hundred, the chance of my theory being correct is greater than sixty percent. No other verifiable theories as to the origin of Demi-Gods have been proven or even hold significant weight upon scrutiny. The two of the three other living Demi-Gods that I have discovered in my research are also directly linked to half-breed avatar races. The one who is not may simply have no offspring left and no other avatars to make more with based off of the suspicion that he may be or have once been a Dvergr.

“From my father’s research, and I have to reinforce that he was quite possibly the most educated individual in existence when it came to Transcendent classes, it appears that becoming a Demi-God is a possible outcome for a CLR three hundred reward. I strongly suspect that accomplishing the feat of becoming the progenitor of a new species is one of the requirements of gaining a Demi-God class. Accepting a class option that confirms this feat would likely reinforce the likelihood that should you ever attain CLR three hundred, you will be offered a Demi-God class.”

Jadis wasn’t sure what to think about the Golem’s assertions. What she was suggesting was that becoming a Demi-God was essentially the equivalent of getting an extremely rare class. She wasn’t sure that divinity should work that way, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. A Demi-God wasn’t a real god. They were some form of lesser divinity. Of course, Jadis didn’t know diddly about Demi-Gods beyond her memory of mythology and the various games and fictions she enjoyed back on Earth, but if a Demi-God was basically a semi-immortal, super strong being, then yeah. A person with a sufficiently high enough level would probably qualify as a Demi-God.

“I have another question,” Jay said after a moment, her gaze distant as she reviewed everything Una had said and that she knew about the gods, levels, and the system. “If Demi-God is a class, that means that it is offered by the system. If that’s the case, and the gods are the ones who made the system, that means that they must have been on board with the Demi-God line of classes existing. Why would being a Demi-God, or worshipping one, be considered heresy?”

“I will answer your question with one of my own,” Una stated. “Why would the gods agree to allow Demons to possess such powerful classes?”

That… was a fair point. None of the gods wanted Demons to be powerful except for Samleos, and yet they all had access to the Greater Demon line of classes, which were incredibly powerful. Surely the other nine gods would have objected to Demons getting that kind of treatment. Wouldn’t they?

“I believe the reason why Demi-Gods exist as a class,” the Golem continued after a short pause, “is because they are likely a ploy by Samleos to cause dissent among the people and avatars of The Nine. The Naga are one such example. An entire species that is dedicated to the worship of their Demi-God. They never leave their island. They never help others in the defense of Oros against Demonic invasion. They are apathetic towards other races at best, hostile and xenophobic at their worst. Compared to other examples, they are relatively harmless since they mostly keep to themselves, but they have waged wars against nearby nations in the past, completely ignoring any truce or treaty that might have existed from the common cause of joint worship of The Nine. Historically, they are even known to purposefully undermine the sea-faring capabilities of any nation that is adjacent to the Siren Sea.”

“Then you theorize that Samleos put the possibility of Demi-Gods into the system specifically so that they could, what, cause discord among the rest of the population of Oros?” Aila frowned deeply as she voiced her analysis. “Granting an extremely powerful class to individuals that you are trying to wipe out doesn’t seem like the smartest move.”

“To divide and conquer is one of the most basic strategies in warfare,” Una countered. “Demi-Gods represent a division, a separation from The Nine. To worship them is to put your faith in one other than the true Gods of Oros. If the many are each walking their own path, lacking unity and cooperation, then the many are weakened. That is one reason why Demons are so successful in their invasions. They possess unity of purpose. They do not bicker over who is in charge, nor about whose plan is better. They act as one.”

Taking a moment to back away from where Jadis and her two lovers sat, Una settled next to her reading lectern, folding her four legs under her body.

“That is why the temples consider Demi-Gods to be heresy. They cause those who would otherwise be faithful to stray from the path of the gods.”

Everyone was silent for a long moment as they digested Una’s words. It was even more to take in than Jadis had thought there would be. She felt like she had dozens more questions, hundreds maybe. At the same time, she didn’t have a clue what to ask first.

“One point about what you just said,” Aila spoke up, breaking the contemplative silence. “If your theory is true, nothing about what you said indicates that Demons couldn’t also gain a Demi-God class.”

“That is true,” Una easily agreed. “There has never been a confirmed Demi-God that would fit the description of a Demon leveled to that point, so far as I am aware, as one would most certainly be hostile towards the people of Oros and would join the demonic invasions.”

“But if they were a Demi-God, would they?” Aila pressed. “Would they necessarily join the Demon Horde?”

“Yeah,” Dys nodded along, coming to the same conclusion as Aila. “If Demi-Gods cause division, wouldn’t a Demon-Born Demi-God be a division, a distraction for the rest of the Demons?”

“Possibly,” Una said after a moment of thought.

“And if they aren’t a distraction, that means that Demon Demi-Gods are perfectly capable of working in tandem with Demons and Samleos,” Aila resumed where Dys had left off. “And if Demons can do that, why wouldn’t other avatar-based Demi-Gods be able to do the same? Why couldn’t a person be a Demi-God and also worship one of The Nine like Valtar or Lyssandria?”

“That is an excellent point,” Una acknowledged without resentment. “There are two issues with your argument, however. The first is that I do not believe that Samleos would have ever intended for any Demons to become Demi-Gods. If one of the prerequisites is spawning a new species, it seems highly improbably that a Demon would ever accomplish such a feat considering their tendency to destroy all other life.”

That was a strong, even devastating counterargument to Aila’s idea, Jadis had to admit.

“The other issue is more theoretical, but I ascribe to the theory. Since Demi-Gods are at a minimum at least partially divine in nature, and others can gain classes based on their worship of the Demi-God, then it stands to reason that as part of their class progression, Demi-Gods gain experience points from the worship of their followers. There is even precedent for the theory. Those who possess leadership classes such as Generals or Royalty gain experience not just by conducting the normal day-to-day business of their positions, but by having others follow their commands. After all, a successful leader is one who has a loyal following. If no one obeys their orders, then such a person can hardly say that they have accomplished anything of note and therefore gain little to no experience.

“Keeping that in mind, it makes a great deal of sense why Nagaji would ban the worship of all other gods besides herself. If she wishes to gain experience, her people must worship her. No one else. At a minimum, the worship of other gods would likely lessen the experience gained. For one such as her, that seems to be an unacceptable circumstance.”

Jadis nodded along to Una’s words. In essence, she was saying that the reason why a Demi-God wouldn’t want to worship one of the other gods or have their followers due to would be because it would limit or even invalidate their experience growth. It was selfish reasoning, but also logical. She could only imagine how much experience was necessary for a level at that high of a CLR.

“That—ah, you’ve given me a lot to think about,” Jadis said, all three of her selves speaking in unison. “Thank you. I… I’m really going to have to think hard about all of this.”

“As you should,” Lady Una agreed. “Remember. Those who live long lives should take their time before making choices. What you decide can alter not only your own fate, but the fate of many others.”

The Golem stood, several of her disembodied hands floating up from the lectern to open the door while also moving the chairs Jadis and her companions had been moving out of the way.

“I will give you as much time as you need. Should you have more questions, please seek me out. I am happy to discuss your class and potential future with you. I would also like to reiterate that much of what I have spoken to you about today is theory. I have no guarantee that what I believe is the truth of the matter. I may be wrong on some parts, or all parts. Whatever the case, I hope my knowledge has been of some value to you.”

“I’d say it has been,” Jay assured Una as her other selves exited the room. “I have just one last question before I go.”

“Please ask.”

“Have you ever had the opportunity to ask an Oracle about any of your theories?”

“Once,” Una admitted. “I asked the Oracle of the last invasion to ask Valtar if Demi-Gods are a class.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me that Valtar would not answer my question one way or the other,” The Golem replied, her voice once more showing a small amount of emotion. “He said, ‘Valtar wishes for you to learn and grow on your own. Do not cheat yourself out of the journey.’ I am not always sanguine about that answer.”

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