Infinite Potential System

The System's tone seemed melancholy, reminding William that this wasn't the only time it had suffered. Being with anyone for a long period of time would create an attachment, though not all of them were positive.

The Eighth Host, Efretta, was an example of a positive attachment, though her near-death most likely caused the System some trauma. On the other end, there was the Ninth Host, Ninover, whom the System had no choice but to contract with to save Efretta's life.

William didn't know the specifics of the second example, but Ninover definitely didn't treat the System well considering his status as an enemy.

You couldn't have killed her and left? You could've found a new Host. William asked.

-First off, I cannot actively try to kill my Host. Secondly, why would I actively weaken myself? No existence is invincible, not even Gods. I lived for Eons alongside Xonya, and I will say that there were no boring moments.

William didn't fully understand, but he nodded anyway. You said she died though. How did that happen if she disabled all means to cross the Planes?

-Eventually, powerful Cultivators from other Planes managed to break in and engaged in a series of long battles with Xonya, but her Innate Talent grew with her strength and became the lifeline that kept her alive even in the face of overwhelming numbers of enemies.

-Her Cultivation took a massive hit at that point, since there was no time to sit down and absorb Qi. Xonya continued to evade her enemies, but it was only a matter of time before someone cracked her Innate Talent.

-Cultivators turned to the Nisse, capturing the lower Cultivation individuals one by one and performing their own experiments until they had a good idea of Xonya's. They never completely cracked the Innate Talent, but their increased knowledge led them to catch up to her at the first mistake.

-And the mistake was made. An ambush forced Xonya to waste her Innate Talent and escape, only for a second group of Cultivators to be waiting at the exit point of her escape Technique. No forbidden Technique could prevent what happened next, and before I knew it, I was on the search for the Sixth Host.

William was surprised at the resourcefulness of both sides. Xonya actively experimented with her own body to improve her Innate Talents and other abilities, while her opponents used those experiments against her to counter those Talents one by one.

Even with the help of the System, Xonya wasn't able to escape. That spoke volumes of how dangerous Cultivators at the peak were. They weren't the expected two-dimensional enemies that would underestimate their targets time and again. Discover more content at empire

They learned and grew, and worst of all they used numbers to their advantage in the most effective way.

With all of his questions answered and the last Free Ask expended, William returned his attention to the 15th floor and the treasure chest. He stored the tablet and even the treasure chest inside a Space Ring and checked the time.

Damn, I have to be in class in less than 12 hours. William complained as he scanned the next floors with the Navigation Radar.

On the 20th floor was an Earth Elemental treasure that would certainly benefit him greatly. Not only this, but he needed to earn nine more Ascended Points and spend all fourteen on upgrading Talents.

There was still a tracking system in place by the Heavens that the System could only deal with once it reached S-Rank. He was 14 AP away from having enough to upgrade it, but there was only a day over three weeks left to complete the System Quest.

After that point, he would be seen by the Heavens and there would be no escape.

I'm not going to earn any Points at school. Should I skip for a day or two? William pondered.

-Didn't you want to attend the Competition? Are you sure the Academy will let you participate if you don't show up to classes?

Hmm... Damnit! I'll have to come back immediately after classes. William was frustrated, but the System had a point. He couldn't risk one thing and lose access to another.

Besides, the System Quest was labeled as medium, which meant he could easily beat the Quest if he put in a little bit of effort now and then. If he didn't have time after classes to go through the Dungeon, William could always go out hunting in the wild for Violent Sound Mice or the like.

-You're actually going to listen to me for once? What a surprise!

The System's tone sounded too happy for William, making his lips curl downward. The hidden insult made him wonder what he had done to receive such treatment.

-If you want to know so badly, it's because you exist. If you didn't exist, then I might even compliment you.

William sighed and took one last look to the stairwell before turning around and opening a portal to the 14th floor. He repeated this process floor by floor until he had reached the area where he had parted with Jeron and the others.

To no surprise, they were gone. If William remembered correctly, they wanted to be out of the Dungeon by the day before. He teleported further down until he had reached the main entrance of the Dungeon, then passed through the gate.

Ahh! It smells so much better out here! William took a moment to breathe in the fresh air before checking the sun's position. Briefly, William had forgotten that the Slightveil Plane was in eternal evening, meaning the sun would never move.

-That Mind Talent sure is helping you out a lot. I wonder how long it would've taken the old you to notice.

The same amount of time. William didn't hesitate to respond while he walked over to one of the market stalls. He had earned a total of 4362 Quake Dungeon Gems, which he traded for 43 Spirit Jades with an extra 62 to keep for later.

There were other items to purchase with Quake Dungeon Gems, but none of them interested William as much as the Antitoxin Stone or otherwise that could be bought with Spirit Jades. He pocketed the Spirit Jades in the same Space Ring as his Gold and Mana Stones, then looked at an interesting series of new System Messages.

-Earned your first Spirit Jade: +1 AP

-Earned a lifetime total of ten Spirit Jades: +3 AP

William was pleasantly surprised to see that he had earned an additional four Ascended Points just for gaining money. He now only needed five more Ascended Points to reach his goal, which took a bit of pressure off his back.

I haven't seen a message like that in a while. Is this like the Moneybags Title? William asked the System. His eyes sparkled with the unnatural shape of dollar signs as he realized he could earn money for earning money. What was better than that?

-Yes, and there will be additional rewards for greater milestones. I would say don't go crazy, but the more Points you earn the better your chances of surviving. So... I'm going to regret this... but go crazy.