System Change-Chapter 524: Jack-in-the-Box

“Well… what are they?” Derek finally asked after seeing Dave sit across from him with a smile on his face for longer than he was expecting.

“Both are quite similar,” Dave finally replied. “As you know, one of them is reaching an affinity that is beyond your current system—with some exceptions. As for the other… it is also given for reaching something that is beyond your current system.”

“Which is?” Derek asked. “I thought that it may have been stats, but I have all of my stats over 1,500 points already, so I know that it’s not that.”

“You are correct,” Dave said. “At least in your case. The requirements for each system can vary somewhat. The same is true for the Origin System. In fact, in another system—a higher tier system—your stats may very well allow you to advance to the Origin System. It may not even require you to have as high of an affinity—at least, relative to said system. But, for this jump to the Origin System, first, you must have the affinity to evolve. Second…” Dave paused for a moment and waited for Derek.

“Well?” Derek asked. “Second?”

Dave slightly chuckled. “You must use that evolution to surpass the maximum level of your current system. It is a feat so simple in nature, yet nearly impossible to accomplish since you cannot obtain it without first obtaining the other.”

“I have to pass the maximum level?” Derek asked. “I have to break level 250?”

“Precisely so,” Dave said. “It is a reason why I waited for you to reach our ‘max’ level before contacting you again.”

“How do I do it?” Derek asked.

“How?” Dave repeated. “Derek, allow me to ask you a couple of slightly invasive questions.”

“Okay?”

“So, you have reached level 250, yes?” Dave asked.

“Of course,” Derek said. “You wouldn’t have brought me here if I hadn’t, right?”

“I just needed to double check,” Dave said. “I am not privy to all of your stats anymore. Not since the Origin System took a liking to you—as we have previously discussed.”

“Oh…” Derek said. “Yes… I am level 250.”

“How much experience does it say that you need to get to the next level?” Dave asked.

“It doesn’t,” Derek replied. “It’s just a bunch of question marks.”

“Exactly!” Dave said. “And how much experience do you have currently? Going towards those question marks?”

Derek frowned, but found no reason to hold anything back. “Around a trillion and a half…”

Dave’s smile grew even larger. “Well… there you have it.”

“There I have what?” Derek asked. How was he supposed to figure out what Dave was saying when he wasn’t being specific?

“Well,” Dave said. “You see, when someone of this system reaches level 250, the essence they receive towards their level is halted as their body can no longer handle any more. It is also a reason that skills begin to level slower—as their body absorption of essence is no longer able to assist the skill’s essence absorption. So, that, along with beasts no longer having a higher amount of essence than the user, tend to make skill leveling at that point… how would you put it… a grind.”

“I see…” Derek said. “But I…”

“Yes,” Dave replied. “You do not have that problem. Yes, your skill leveling will become slow due to the nature of level differences, but you will not have the handicap of not having your body’s help in absorption. So, while it may be slow, it will not be as slow as others.”

“And my level…” Derek mouthed.

“Will continue to grow as it always has,” Dave replied. “Though I am not sure what your current requirement for essence is to reach level 251.”

“So, that’s it?” Derek asked. “I just have to… keep killing?”

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“That’s it,” Dave said with a smile. “Something simple, yet so impossible that only someone such as yourself would ever be able to pull it off.”

“That… that’s easy!” For the first time in a while, a wave of relief washed over Derek’s face, and he smiled.

“More dungeons!” Silvi chimed up from the side.

“Yes,” Dave said. “You may run more dungeons and obtain your level. That would most certainly be the quickest way.”

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Derek leaned back in his chair and sighed. “That is a load off my shoulders,” he said.

“However,” Dave said, causing Derek to set back up in preparation to receive bad news. “Once you gain your next level, you will have out-leveled any dungeon in this system and will no longer be able to enter them.”

“Eh… that’s fine,” Derek said. “I won’t need to enter anymore, anyway.”

“No more dungeon ingredients…” Silvi didn’t take the news quite as well as Derek, but she bounced back pretty quickly. “Until advance! Then… many more dungeon ingredients!”

“That is one way to look at it,” Dave said with a laugh. “Derek, your companion has a very interesting outlook on life.”

“That, she does,” Derek replied.

“That, I do!” Silvi chimed in again. And both Dave and Derek chuckled.

After that, Derek asked, “What if Silvi and I use Void Travel to break into one of the dungeons around here? I don’t feel like it would be able to stop us if we had a target.”

“To be perfectly honest, I have never heard of something like that happening,” Dave replied. “Though the safeguards are there for a reason. The most likely scenario is that you would cause the dungeon to overflow, as it would not be able to handle you, and it may release monsters. Another scenario is that the dungeon could explode or… wink out of existence. I would prefer you not experiment with that.”

“But… what if we level up while inside the dungeon?” Derek asked.

“The Origin System will be there,” Dave said with a shrug. “It won’t allow anything to go wrong. The most likely scenario in that case is that it will restrain your level until you leave the dungeon, and you won’t even know you made it until you leave to the overworld. But I am certain that you, and the dungeon, will be perfectly safe with the Origin System watching.”

“I see…” Derek said. That explanation came with another sense of relief. Finding a good dungeon and running it would definitely be the fastest way to gain his next, unknown, level. It would be a shame if he had to go through worrying that he was getting close when he, in fact, had no clue how much experience he actually needed to level.

Hell, Derek thought. For all I know, this next level may need ten or even one hundred times more experience points… or essence… than the last one. It could even need more. How much experience will the Origin System need me to get to satisfy it? Is it even up to the Origin System?

“Is the amount of… essence… I need for the next level decided by the Origin System?” Derek asked.

“Maybe…” Dave shrugged. “I do not have full records on this scenario. Only base information on the recorded times it has happened in the past. The amount of essence is never discussed, as it is not something that is usually shared with anyone outside of the Origin System—which you cannot hide it from.”

“Oh,” Derek replied. It’s going to be like a Jack-in-the-Box, Derek thought with some amusement. Pop goes the level. He couldn’t help but chuckle at his childish thoughts.

“What is it?” Dave asked.

“Just something stupid that I compared it to. An old children’s toy that I used to have,” Derek explained. “Not knowing when something is going to happen until it does.”

“Oh,” Dave replied, but didn’t say anything else about it. “Our time grows limited. Are there any other questions you would like to ask?”

“The time is limited?” Derek asked. “Who decides that? We are only able to speak for a set time?”

“Well… no,” Dave said with a smile. “But I am a busy man. As much as I would like to sit and chat with you for an entire day, I… unfortunately, have other obligations I must fulfill. But I may answer some of your questions if you have any, depending on the question, that is. Remember, certain answers are better for you to find out on your own.”

“Gotcha,” Derek said. He was definitely sure that Dave could answer most all of his questions, but chose not to on occasion for one reason or another. He wouldn’t hold it against the mysterious elf if he chose to not answer any at all. The man was already doing him a big enough favor by answering what he had.

Derek had no clue how long it would have taken him to get to level 251 without knowing that it was something he needed to aim for. Would he have continued running dungeons, or would he have gone back to his shop and sulked—not knowing how to advance?

“So… questions?” Dave asked, breaking Derek out of his thoughts.

“Oh,” Derek replied. Then he asked one of the questions he had. “Are there more than two requirements? Like, does it only take two to advance, but there are more you can obtain—for like… an award or something from the Origin System?”

“That… is a good question,” Dave said. “I have never heard of such a thing, so I would lean towards two. However, just because I have not heard of it, doesn’t mean that it is true. Most people who complete the requirements ascend well before they are forced to—the thought of being able to grow even stronger too much to hold off on. The Origin System may change things on a whim, too. So, it is not something that I can answer with accuracy. Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Who knows? Maybe if you work on your skills or stat points, you may gain something. It isn’t something that I would fret over, but if you are able to do it with no real cost, why not try?”

“Huh,” Derek muttered. He hadn’t expected an answer like that, but it all made sense. He did like the fact that Dave wasn’t too prideful to admit when he didn’t know something. At least, that was how the man had come off so far.

Derek thought about his list of skills, which was his next stop if leveling didn’t work. Maybe he’d still give them a ‘look’ once things were settled.

“Well,” Dave said. “Do you have any more questions?”

“Do I?” Derek asked rhetorically. “I have a ton. Like… seven or eight more that I can think of off the top of my head.”

“How about three?” Dave said. “And if I cannot provide you with a good answer, maybe an extra.”

“Deal,” Derek said. Three questions were definitely better than none, so he wanted to make them count. He went through the questions in his head that he’d been thinking about since his last meeting with Dave and tried to prioritize them. He wanted to ask about the favor, but he was sure that was something that Dave would get to on his own. What to ask first… he thought for a bit longer, then asked, “What about my lifespan? Will I grow old like Edward still, or did my evolution really change that?”

“Little Sparky… old, nice man… give ingredients…” Silvi muttered from the side while munching on something new that Dave had given her during their conversation.

“Old age is something that you will not have to worry about for a very long time,” Dave explained. “Not even the oldest elf in this system could compare to the age you may reach—and that is if you do not continue to grow. If you do… who knows?”

“Okay…” Derek mumbled. He was sort of expecting that answer because of his evolution, but hearing it for a fact definitely brought new emotions to him. What about everyone he cares about? Well, if he could evolve and increase his lifespan, surely, he could help them do the same, right? And those thoughts led him to his next question, one that had been weighing on him heavily for some time. “Once I complete my requirements to advance, will I be able to bring my friends with me?”