World Keeper: Birth of a World

by Justin Miller

  Terra perked up her ears at that, but kept her pouting expression, so I went ahead and asked. “The dwarves, they don’t seem to have as much problem growing as the other races. Do you know why?”

  Terra thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. “Yeah… but you have to promise. Aurivy gets a personality before the end of the day!” She again looked at me, holding Aurivy up a bit higher to make me look at her instead of Terra.

  Well… I planned to give her one anyways. Still, do you have to make it so obvious, Terra? I sighed, slowly nodding my head. “Fine, fine, I’ll give her one as soon as I’m done buying the important systems. Agreed?”

  Terra let out a bright smile, lowering the halfling goddess and pulling her back into a standing embrace. “It’s because of their layout. The rules you set for monster spawning requires the ‘first generation’ monsters to appear a set distance away from sapient beings. But, they are close enough together that the three inner tribes don’t see any monsters unless they slip past the four outer ones.”

  Ahh… so only four of the villages have to worry about monsters. Meaning the inner three villages are able to more easily reproduce, and their lack of training brings down the average level of the race. I nodded in understanding. I hadn’t expected a situation like that to occur, and would probably need to come up with a solution to it eventually.

  Anyways, on to the last goddess. This would be the goddess of the ursa, who emphasized strength. Immediately, I imagined a particular amazonian figure from popular Earth culture. Roughly six feet tall, with a slim, yet well toned build. Not bulging muscles, but enough to give off a feeling of subtle strength.

  Unlike the lycan goddess, this one had an ample chest, with flowing black hair that reached down the middle of her back. On top of her head were two furry, circular ears that stood out cutely, while at the base of her back was a very short black tail. For the name, I decided to go with Keliope, the Goddess of Strength.

  Again, a golden pillar of light appeared next to Accalia. Terra looked over with interest as the new goddess materialized. After which, she was adorned with similar leather armor to Accalia, although much more revealing. The style reminded me of the same character I pulled the inspiration for Keliope from, though it was uncolored.

  Nodding my head in satisfaction, I sent both of the new goddesses to the ‘storage room’. I really need to get them personalities eventually, so that they can have their own rooms… Now, on to the next purchase.

  This one is a system I’ve been wanting to get since I saw it listed. Opening up the market, I navigated through the various game system options, and purchased the achievement system. With this, the people’s strengths should be able to advance, even with the level limit in place.

  Speaking of which, I went ahead and increased the level limit from 30 to 50. At the same time, I bought the next tier of monsters for 50 points. This gave me creatures up to level one hundred, including the first few sea monsters. The strongest monster at this tier were listed as orcs, a race that had the potential to develop sapience over long periods of time.

  With this, I had spent a total of two hundred points today, leaving me with just 76. Before I could even ask myself if there was anything else I should get next, I noticed Terra standing beside me with a determined look on her face. She was again holding Aurivy in her outstretched arms, the loli goddess just a few inches from me.

  “Her turn!” She said, a smile slowly appearing on her face.

  Sighing, I nodded, opening up the interface again. I did promise that I would get her a personality, and if I bought anything else, I might not be able to afford to keep that promise. So, I guess it was her turn.

  Chapter 20

  Looking at the loli goddess that Terra was so eagerly presenting me, I furrowed my brows in thought about what kind of personality to give her. But, first of all, I wanted to make sure that everyone was present. “Is there any way to call Irena back? Want everyone to be here for the ‘birth’ of a new goddess.”

  Terra nodded her head quickly. “Just go to the Underworld map and send her a message like you would anyone else.”

  Well, that was easy enough. Doing as she said, I sent a message to Irena, asking her to come back. No sooner had I sent the message than a circular wooden doorway appeared in the room. Splitting at the center, it opened inwards, with the Daeva librarian goddess walking in. “You called for me, Dale?” She asked, adjusting her glasses to fit better.

  I nodded at that. “Yes, I wanted you to be here for this.” I inclined my head towards Aurivy, who Terra was still holding up. However, now she was holding her more protectively, as if to hide her from Irena.

  Irena simply nodded, not seeming to overly care about the matter. “Very well, you may begin, then.” Maybe I made her a bit too businesslike? Either way, it was time to get started on the personality.

  Given her appearance, I did not want her to really act like an adult. Lolis are fun to tease, but you can’t do anything to them. So, I wanted her to be a shy girl, seeing me as a big brother figure, and the other goddesses as big sisters. That way, they can spoil her and have fun together by playing with her.

  Naturally, I didn’t want her to be TOO immature. She was still a goddess of an entire race, after all. So, she still had some pretty heavy responsibilities. As such, I wanted to make her competent enough to handle her people and her domain. For the rest of it… I let the system decide it.

  A pink light fell from the ceiling, wrapping around Aurivy’s body. We could see as it seeped into her eyes and mouth, giving her a strange glow for a few moments before receding. When the light had faded away, Aurivy blinked her large eyes, looking around the room. Turning her head back, she saw Terra grinning broadly at her.

  Suddenly Aurivy began wiggling her body, trying to escape the large catgirl goddess. “Muu, lemme go!” She gave a distressed cry, flailing her arms helplessly. Terra laughed brightly, setting the girl down on the ground. “Big sis is a bully!” She puffed up her cheeks, turning around to scold Terra.

  “Ohh?” Terra asked, a predatory gleam in her eyes. “Does little Rivy not like being picked up?” She extended her hands threateningly to the halfling goddess, who yelped and ran to hide behind me. Terra giggled at that, while Irena just kept watching. Though, I swear that I saw a slight twitch in the businesslike goddess’s lips. The cute shall overpower all defenses!

  Aurivy kept her cheeks puffed out as she looked at Terra from behind me. “It’s Aurivy! Aur-iv-y!” She stubbornly said, which made me chuckle. Reaching back, I placed my hand on the crown of her head. Unexpectedly, her eyes seemed to half-close, and her entire body relaxed. Weak point, spotted?

  Terra grinned wider when she saw that, likely making a note for the future. However, a few moments later Aurivy jumped back, bringing both hands up to her head defensively to guard the same spot I had patted. “Big bro, no! You can’t touch me there! That’s bad, definitely bad!”

  I smiled as I saw that reaction. Really, just like I thought, lolis are too easy to tease. “That’s alright. Anyways, don’t you have some work to do?” I glanced towards the computer. “The halflings haven’t had anyone to guide them all this time, so you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

  When I said it like that, Aurivy’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s right! I need to take care of them!” She turned towards Terra and gave a small bow. “Sorry, big sis! We can play more later, okay?” She asked with a dazzling smile, and I swear that I saw Terra melt a little upon seeing it.

  “Okay!” She replied eagerly. “But don’t keep big sis waiting!”

  After nodding, Aurivy skipped out the door, humming something quietly. Irena, seeing that the excitement had ended, opened up another doorway to return to the afterlife. As for me, I turned back to the computer, getting ready to send a big message. I could spend a single point to send a single message throughout the entire world, or have each of the deities relay it for free. For this one, I decided to spend the point, since Aurivy had
just become busy.

  * * *

  All throughout the world, a major change was coming. Every race was born with the knowledge of their god’s name, but they knew little about them aside from that. The only exceptions to this were the beings of the underworld, and those who the Goddess of Fate directly spoke to. For others, they knew naught but a name. And now, a voice, belonging to a being they had never heard whisper of, spoke in their ear. For every race, it came to them in their own language, and every race knew on an instinctive level that this was not the deity they knew.

  Introducing the first major world update! With this update, two new systems have been introduced. The first system is the Achievements system, which allows people to gain power based on the great feats they display! The second, the Title system, allows people to show others their key achievements, and gain further effect from those achievements! Everyone is encouraged to do their best to obtain greater power, and contribute to the advance of their communities! At this time, the level limit has also been raised, to allow people to grow further.

  For five minutes, the entire world seemed frozen. Nobody knew how to respond to this sudden voice, and they could see it on the faces of anyone nearby that they had also heard it. To the people of Earth, a new legend was born that day, a legend of a nameless god that stood above all others. One who could change the very laws of the world on a whim.

  At the same time, another shocking event occurred. Though, this one was limited to only the halflings. No matter who, everyone among the halflings heard a playful voice wishing them well. Unlike the unknown voice that they had heard previously, this one seemed to carry with it a sense of familiarity. All among the halflings knew that this voice belonged to their goddess, their Aurivy.

  * * *

  With the message typed up and sent, I sat back in the chair and considered what else could be done. It was still far too early for playing Merlin, but maybe there were other things I could do? I mean, I hadn’t even left a single item of power in the world to be discovered. In the future, I wanted to place one item for every culture to discover as a symbol of power. But, in order to do that, I had to learn more about magic and crafting.

  Turning towards Terra, I saw her looking out the door with a happy smile. I knew I was going to regret asking this… “Terra, could you teach me some smithing techniques? You should know plenty with the archived knowledge.”

  Hearing my question, Terra looked back at me with an almost sinister smile. “Oh? You want more lessons, huh? Well, naturally I’d be happy to oblige~.” I felt a chill run down my spine, knowing I had just signed myself up for another few days, or maybe even weeks of hell training.

  * * *

  In the underworld, a change was slowly occurring. They too had heard the announcement that spread throughout Earth, but they were far more excited than their living counterparts. For the living, levels meant more power, but it was different for them. To the spirits, and the Daeva, levels were their life. If they could train and level up, their lifespan would increase.

  Currently, the oldest living being in the underworld aside from Irena herself was a Daeva. This Daeva, Belial, had lived for six hundred years, and was nearing the end of its lifespan. Belial could only helplessly watch as his Spirit Energy slowly ran out, day by day. But now, he had a chance.

  With this new announcement, he earnestly began training his abilities once more. Although he had reached a bottleneck in levels, his abilities had only improved. With twenty levels as a Reaper, and ten as a Spirit Hunter, he had long since learned to manifest his spirit as a method to attack. However, he had never had the reason to use it.

  The underworld had been so peaceful so far, with their duties few and far between. Long ago, Irena had asked them to train, for they would one day be the police force of both worlds. However, Belial himself had never seen the living world once, yet. Irena merely told them that the time had not yet come.

  But now, before him stood the goddess he served. Irena had called for the oldest and strongest of the Daeva. Once they were gathered, she spoke in a businesslike tone. “The time has come for the first wave of teams. I have called one hundred of you here today, and each of you will choose fifty people to join you. These members may be of the Daeva, or the spirits. However, without exception, everyone must find fifty members.”

  “Once your members are gathered, report to me again. You have twenty-four hours to gather your men.” After saying that, Irena’s body vanished into grey mist, seeping into the floor.

  The one hundred Daeva all looked at each other in excitement. Together they only made up one percent of their race’s population, but they were still the elite. And now, they were finally going to receive their first real mission.

  Belial immediately flew off, eager to find fifty people to join him. Although he had a few names in mind already, there were not enough to fill all the slots in his team. However, at the same time, he could not just gather fifty random beings, or else he would be betraying the trust his goddess had placed in him.

  Exactly twenty-four hours later, five thousand people were mobilized in front of Irena’s court. This was the only known residence of the god, and the place where she judged the spirits. This was also the exact center of the city she had personally established.

  As she looked out over the gathered troops, Irena nodded her head solemnly. “Good, it seems that everyone managed to find suitable people. Now, I shall assign everyone their missions.”

  Above Irena’s head, the grey mist formed together into a massive sphere, slowly rotating to give everyone a clear view. While the sphere was primarily blue, there were splashes of green and yellow, white and orange. “This is Earth. Those of you who once lived here might recognize some key areas, but for the most part this planet is unexplored.”

  The eight largest masses of green and yellow began glowing. “These are the continents, to which I will assign forty-three teams. The remaining seven teams will be in charge of the remainder of the planet. During the next two Earth days, you are to gather as many souls as you can. Consider this a test, to see if you are ready to truly perform your duty yet. At the same time, this is training. Each team will be placed in an uninhabited area, and some monster souls may become violent.”

  Irena’s cold glare sent chills throughout the crowd. “Only those that prove themselves by surviving these two days will be returning. I will not save you if you are in danger. But, do not forget your mission. The team with the highest amount of souls upon their return will be rewarded. Likewise, the individual that has the most souls out of all five thousand will get an additional reward.”

  The giant globe above Irena’s head began forming cracks along its surface, before it shattered in an explosion of mist. This mist converged into fifty streams, each one gathering in front of a team to form a circular portal. The teams could not see what lay beyond the portals, but they knew their missions. “Now, depart. I will call everyone back in two days.”

  Belial, eager to prove himself, stepped forth first, entering the misty portal. Among the residents of the underworld, he was the first to return to the land of the living. And with that achievement, a sense of power flowed up through him.

  Chapter 21

  Over the course of the last week, I had the basics for metalworking drilled into my head. With Terra’s assistance in the admin room, we had an unlimited supply of ores to work with, so it was just a matter of making sure I absorbed all of the information. Though, I did learn some interesting things during these lessons that are worthy of note.

  Materials made in the Admin Room cannot be taken down to the planet without paying a point cost. For a simple sword, Terra explained that it would only be one point per hundred swords. However, other powerful items would have larger costs. On the other hand, if the materials for the item are brought up from the planet, they can be forged in the Admin Room and sent back down.

  What this means, is that once I learn how to do enchanting, I could forge a sword made of mine
rals from Earth, and then enchant it in the Admin Room. The benefit of this is very simple. In the Admin Room, my magic power is unlimited, meaning that I could put an extremely powerful enchantment on an item to turn it into a strong artifact beyond the scope of what mortals could normally create. Of course, this all requires me to first learn how to enchant. And that is not something Terra can teach me, since it is not knowledge from my previous Earth.

  Next, Terra showed me a map detailing the mineral deposits on Earth. I had expected the same basic materials as my own world had, but there were a few changes. Maybe it was because of the size of the planet, or the presence of magic, but there were a few ores that she said would channel magic extremely well. More importantly, there was the presence of ‘mana stones’, rocks able to absorb and store mana.

  The generic version would only absorb raw mana, which could then be used to power a spell later. However, at certain locations, there existed elemental stones. These were in the more extreme environments, such as the mouth of a volcano or the bottom of the ocean. Anywhere that a particular element held absolute dominance, the stone for that element would emerge.