System Change

For the time being, it didn’t look like Dave was going to show his face, so Derek just shrugged and went to take a seat in the chair provided. It was like sitting on a cloud. I wonder what it would take to get Dave to let me take this with me. Or how hard it would be for Geoffrey to make something even close to as comfortable. Derek let out a sigh of comfort and continued to examine the dark room.

Silvi had already hopped onto a small cushion—just perfect for her tiny body—and was relaxing on the table. She, too, was looking around, though, Derek could only imagine what was going through her mind. If he had to bet, he would place his money on her, being more worried about what kind of food may appear than whether or not Dave was going to come.

“Excuse me for a moment,” the echoing voice said. “I am… preoccupied, but I will be with you shortly.”

“Fine by me…” Derek said to no one, and shrugged. He didn’t mind waiting—especially if he was going to get some answers. It also didn’t hurt that he was extremely comfortable at the moment. So… Derek waited. It felt like forever before Dave’s body materialized at the end of the room and the robed elf stepped forward.

“I am sorry about the wait,” Dave said as he came to the area where Derek and Silvi were sitting. The man looked down and Silvi and chuckled, then waved his hand. A pastry the size of Silvi appeared before her, and her eyes widened in delight. “I suppose you would like some coffee?” Dave asked Derek.

“Unless you have some iced tea,” Derek said with a smile, not expecting the man to have any. Coffee was amazing, but it had been a very long time since he had some old-fashioned sweat tea.

“Hmm… from your planet? Yes?” Dave asked.

“Well… yeah…” Derek muttered.

“One moment…” Dave said, then stared off into space for a moment. Finally, he sighed. “I’m afraid that is something I cannot provide at the moment. However, should we meet again, I will be sure to have some on hand.”

“Oh…” Derek said. “Coffee is fine, then.” Dave nodded, then a mug appeared in front of Derek. “Thanks.” Derek took the mug and took a sip. The Crown Restaurant had gotten their coffee to taste quite good over the months since it was introduced, but nothing—not on Earth, nor Cydaria—had come even close to the sip he’d just took. It was indescribably delicious.“It is the least I can do for the wait,” Dave said. “I had a… subordinate throwing a tantrum.” The man clicked his tongue. “Anyway, that is neither here nor there. We have much to discuss.”

Derek took a deep breath in and let it out. His anxiety spiked again and his body tensed. Here we go… he thought.

“Where’s mine?” Silvi said from the side, completely ignorant of Derek’s internal struggle. “Need beverage. Wash down cake. Delicious… cake.”

“Ah. It seems that slipped my mind again,” Dave said with a chuckle, then a perfectly sized bowl of the liquid appeared on the table that Silvi was on. “Please excuse my poor manners, Ms. Silvi.”

“Mhm…” Silvi’s voice chimed. “You’re excused.”

Dave smiled what seemed to be a genuine smile at Silvi, then turned back to Derek. “You have a very interesting companion.”

“I do.” Derek nodded in agreement. “Now… about that discussion?”

“Oh, yes…” Dave said. “Let’s see… where do I begin?”

“How about that favor?” Derek asked.

“Ah… we will get to that, but first, I believe you may have a question for me?” Dave said.

“Fine…” Derek said. “What do I need to do to advance?”

“What do you think you need to do?” Dave asked back.

This guy… Derek thought, but decided to humor him. “I thought I would need to work on my skills. To grow my Affinity. But I did, and it didn’t seem to do anything other than have the obvious benefits. So, I thought that maybe I just needed to reach the max level. But I did that, too, and nothing. Do I need to level all my void related skills to max? Is that it?”

“Oh, how interesting,” Dave said. “You… wanted to increase your affinity? Here?”

“Yeah?” Derek frowned.

“Mr. Hunt…” Dave said with an entertained smile. “That… is impossible.” Dave then quieted and rubbed his chin. “No… that may yet still be possible for one such as yourself,” he muttered.

“What?” Derek asked. “I can’t increase my affinity here?”

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“Mr. Hunt…”

“Call me Derek,” Derek said. “No more of this Mr. Hunt.”

“Very well,” Dave said. “Derek, do you know what the two requirements for advancement are for my… Davenr… uhem… Great System?” he asked.

Derek’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t miss the weird slip of the tongue by the elf, but he didn’t say anything. “A certain amount of skill points and closeness, or affinity, to one’s skills?” As far as he knew, those were what Alanah had used to advance.

“Mhm…” Dave said as a cup appeared in his hand, and he took a sip. “You must have four of your six main stats at the cap of 1500, and your affinity with your chosen aspect, whether that is an element, weapon, or…” he looked over at Silvi. “Or even craft… has reached the proper system affinity.”

“I see…” Derek said. That was basically what he thought.

“No… I don’t think you do,” Dave said. “At least… not completely.”

“How so?”

“Hmm… how to explain?” Dave touched his chin again in thought. Finally, he shrugged. “So, first of all, no two systems are the same… other than the Universal Systems—that is something you must know. Even systems have their… preferred affinities.”

“What?” Derek asked. “Systems have affinities?”

“To a certain extent, yes,” Dave said. “My… uh… that is to say, your current system, believe it or not, actually has a high affinity with void due to certain circumstances.”

“So that’s why my void affinity is so high?”

“No,” Dave said. “Not at all. In fact, that just happened to be a coincidence. Derek… I do not believe your affinity has grown since you arrived here. In fact, if the Origin System had found you earlier, I believe you would have completed its first requirement for advancement as soon as it had. Still, you would have ended up in much of the same situation as you are now, except with the damned… the Origin System ‘hanging’ around earlier.”

“Okay?” Derek was confused, so he decided to just listen until the end, then ask questions.

“So, your affinity grew to an unknown level while trapped inside the void—that is, at least, my theory,” Dave explained. “Do you know what the requirements are to receive a Mythical class?”

“Not really?” Derek said. “I assume it is having a high enough affinity.”

“Yes,” Dave said. “You must be at your level 200 class upgrade or higher, and have the required amount of affinity. That is to say, an affinity of 50% or higher for your current system.”

Derek thought back to his evolution in the raid dungeon, then said, “But the Origin System basically said that the Great System’s ability to support my affinity was only at 45%.”

“Exactly,” Dave said. “Hence, the assistance.”

“But you said that the Great System has a high void affinity,” Derek said.

“And it does, as far as this tier is concerned,” Dave said. “Void is a very rare affinity, and hard to come by. 45% allows the Great System to support up to Legendary classes, and for a user to be able to grow a small amount more.” The elf looked intently at Derek. “But it cannot support a Mythical Class that needs 50% affinity to unlock.”

“Oh…” Derek was beginning to understand.

“Which brings us back to the requirements to advance in your current… well, your half-current system,” Dave said. “A 50% or higher affinity in your aspect. If one is able to reach that before level 200, then a Mythical class awaits them. This is true for all systems that have a level cap of 250. At 40%, you are able to obtain a Legendary class as low as level 50, but that is incredibly rare. Even the most talented prodigies in the Origin System usually do not obtain their Legendary class until level 100.”

That gave Derek a thought. “If that’s true, then Brandi…”

“Ah, yes… the young crafter?” Dave said. “She is quite talented. Perhaps even at the level of a prodigy. Such high affinity with crafting in general at such a young age. It is a pity. Had the girl begun with more opportunities, or even limited her focus early on, she may have become Legendary at level 50. I believe that she just barely missed it. Though, her affinity is clearly rising quickly now that she has a dedicated workplace. I suspect that those 50 levels in between will not slow her down one bit.”

“That’s good,” Derek said with a sigh. He was happy that Brandi was doing so well, even in the eyes of the mysterious elf. “And Thomas?” he had to ask.

“The young Soul Spear?” Dave rubbed his chin. “The boy is quite good. There is a chance that in the Origin System, he could become an elite. Perhaps not a prodigy, but your influence on the boy has certainly given him a bright future. He could be compared to the young lightning prince friend of yours if he continues to grow in the same fashion as he has been. It is a shame about the young lightning user, though. He could have been ever so slightly stronger had he not taken the easy way for levels.”

Derek knew that Thomas was behind Brandi by a bit in just about everything, but it was still good. Being compared to Edgar was not a bad thing. Though he did feel for Edgar. The man complained a lot about having to power level in the dungeon under the palace, and Dave had just confirmed that Edgar was right to be angry about it.

“Though I suspect he will continue to grow just fine,” Dave finished.

“That’s good, too,” Derek said. He wanted to ask about everyone else he knew. Dave was a fountain of information that he hadn’t even thought he wanted to know. However, he didn’t know how much time Dave would have for him, or if the elf would even indulge him. So, he moved on to a question that Dave’s explanations had caused him to think of. “So, some people who end up with a rare affinity that isn’t supported by the system are just… stuck?”

“Yes and no,” Dave said. “That is where the ability to request assistance comes in if we so choose to do so.”

“I see…” Derek said. “And how often do you choose to do so?”

“Rarely,” Dave said. “But that is mostly because those aspects are rare, and it is even more rare for someone who is drawn to one of them to reach an affinity high enough to need assistance.”

“So… Alanah, and her… vibration affinity? Reached 50% and completed the requirement?” Derek asked. He wasn’t entirely sure what her affinity was exactly, but vibration had to be close.

“Ah, the siren,” Dave said. “Hers is one of the rare aspects, too. However, she was lucky that the system was able to support it.”

“I’m starting to see a pattern with the Great System and rare elements and things…” Derek said.

“Are you now?” Dave smiled widely. “As I said in our last discussion. It is a quality system.”

“So… the Universal System?” Derek asked.

“At its tier… Legendary,” Dave answered the question Derek hadn’t asked yet. “All aspects in the Universal System are able to reach an affinity to allow Legendary classes. To increase your affinity more than that requires outside interference, assistance, or incredible luck…” Dave looked pointedly at Derek. “Such as getting trapped in the void for a century or two… or ten…” he shrugged. “Who knows?”

“Yeah… luck,” Derek snorted, thinking about the torture he’d gone through in the void.

“Anyway,” Dave said. “We have veered a bit off course. Those are the requirements for the Great System. But you, you are more concerned about the ones for the Origin System.”