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Chapter 27: A Quick Trip

  "Cringe." Jerald whispered into my mind for the fifteenth time.

  "I'm not going to give you a reaction. That's how you deal with bullies." I responded while I walked through a level 700 Dungeon.

  Jerald was teasing the shit out of me for my corny and terrible speech. That only the 3 of us heard, and only 2 of us really understood. 'I really am cringe.'

  "Cringy fool." Jerald repeated for the 16th time.

  "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I finally snapped at him and he just laughed at me.

  I huffed, feeling the teeny slightest bit embarrassed about the things I had said. It's not like I could unsay it, it had become an oath of sorts.

  "What happens if I break my oath?" I ask after a few minutes of walking.

  "You die." Jerald replied.

  "I really am a dumbass." I muttered.

  "Yep." Jerald had heard me.

  I sighed, paralyzing another monster as I passed it's hiding place. This Dungeon was filled with creatures that hid. It was one of the rare forest Dungeons, made from dense trees rather than the smooth bricks or rough stone caves. I hadn't actually seen any of the monsters yet, but judging by the size and shape that I can sense with my Telekinesis I think they are something like a raptor mixed with some species of large cat. It was like trying to identify a 3D shadow.

  I got another message from Jimmy.

  "I know buddy." I pat my shoulder, my hand petting some random part of Jimmy.

  While I was looking for the Dungeon, I had gotten a feel for how Jimmy works. I was worried that he would need to eat a lot, since it hadn't been that long since he had eaten my level 820 amulet. Turns out that when I used the Plasma Charge Skill, it was not just my Energy being consumed but something in Jimmy too. Thankfully I can just put Energy into Jimmy directly.

  The problem with that? Jimmy was a much higher level than me, and also had more Energy reserves than me. I suppose it tracks with him being a living metal born on a planet saturated in Mana. At least Jimmy doesn't seem to mind my Energy over the Mana. So I pump some into him every now and then to keep him satisfied until we get another high level item to keep him fed.

  "Jimmy, how much energy do you get from monsters?" I ask, an idea forming in my mind.

  "Hmmm, is it sometimes more if they're alive?" Jimmy wasn't all that smart. He hadn't been 'alive' for all that long after all.

  I got an odd feeling over the bond rather than a direct message. I took it as... a question. He didn't know. So as an experiment I dragged out the next monster from it's hiding place, leaving it unharmed in the process.

  It tried to flail wildly, and I was right about it's form. A feathered raptor mixed with something like a grey panther.

  "Eat thi-" I wasn't able to finish my words as Jimmy did the gross silvery liquid metal tentacle thing and wrapped around the monster.

  I looked down at my body. The parts of my suit that extend into liquid metal seem to be completely random, and able to shift along its surface with no issue. It was super weird to see my suit turn into something like a metal slime, then turn back into a suit just as easily. Looking back up at the writhing mass of metal floating in front of me, I saw that the ball had grown smaller. My Telekinetic control over the monster failed at some point, and I wasn't holding onto anything anymore.

  Then Jimmy was done, and nothing was left. The metal tendrils shifted back into my suit and disappeared. I felt Jimmy through the bond and he seemed satisfied enough, but still hungry. Like the creature was just a snack or appetizer.

  I started walking again. Letting my legs carry me through the Dungeon. Thankfully, I didn't get any XP for the monster Jimmy ate.

  A few minutes later, and we found the Boss door. I didn't bother reading the text on it and entered it. Popping out in the typical Boss arena, I looked around. It wasn't anything special. Just a giant circle of trees for the walls, and more trees spread out in the middle. Likely to serve as cover for the boss.

  The boss itself was of course hidden. Though I could sense it, so I knew exactly where it was. The massive raptor panther was making its way to me in the tree tops. It was impressive how the leaves didn't move at all as it passed them. My eyes also couldn't see it despite them tracking where it was. It seemed to sense this, and decided to just attack me. Leaping down from the trees to pounce onto me.

  I caught it with my Telekinesis and I winced as a slight headache came on.

  "Fat." I chastised the monster, and it's colors shifted.

  It was like a chameleon, blending into the background and becoming invisible. Or visible now since it wasn't working. It snarled as I held it there.

  "Eat." I said the one word and it's all Jimmy needed.

  The boss was hopeless as it was consumed by a living metal, and 30 seconds later it was gone.

  As Jimmy finished up, the Treasure room door slid open in open space. I made our way over there and walked through.

  Same deal as last time. An insane amount of money and one single item. I collected all of the money and brought the item down from it's pedestal to be eaten by Jimmy. Which he happily did so.

  I watched on as the mystery item was consumed, and I had another curious thought. 'What would happen if I fed the magic bag to Jimmy?'

  I really wanted to test it. If Jimmy could work as a living multitool, then he should be able to use the same properties of the magic bag. I took my awesome pillow out and compared it to the one the magic dagger had sat on in this one.

  They were roughly the same, but the first one is a little better. I'd still be taking the pillow though. Of course I was.

  "Jimmy, eat this bag." I ordered, surprised he didn't do it immediately.

  Jimmy ate the bag and I figured it had to do with him being satiated. Once he finished his latest meal, which only took a few seconds, I gave him a new order.

  "Store these." I held out the pillows, and Jimmy didn't do anything.

  I could feel that he was thinking, so he probably didn't fully understand the magic bag properties. I was worried he wouldn't get it, but a few seconds later a few metal tendrils made the pillows disappear. I could tell Jimmy wanted me to know where they went, and I could feel exactly where they went.

  The bag worked by folding matter into a designated space, like the inside of a bag. Jimmy had turned all of my pockets into such a dedicated space. Sticking my fingers into one of my chest pockets, I pulled out one of the pillows. I nodded and put it back.

  "Good boy!" I praised Jimmy, petting some random part of my suit.

  The part I pet wiggled slightly. I wandered to the exit door and we left the Dungeon. I stood outside for a bit. Just looking at all the trees and the sky.

  I was experiencing something akin to how a gamer would feel about completing a side quest. I was a little lost, but quickly regained my bearings. I had main Quests to do, and even some ideas for other side quests. Before I did that though, I needed to check what that dagger did.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  'What an original name.'

  I chuckled at the uninspired name, but then focused on the Skill.

  It wasn't useless per say, just not something I saw myself using. It didn't suck it was just... bland.

  Boring.

  It reminded me of those stealth archer builds most Skyrim players fall into. It made the game easy, so everyone ended up doing it. Though, I was a walking cheat character who actively broke the game way more than a stealth archer ever could. Like the busted alchemy glitch level of broken.

  I shrugged and checked my Quests.

  I rubbed my chin in thought.

  'How can I raise the Guild rank? It should happen over time as I turn this planet into something habitable right?'

  It made sense. Doing the Planet Recovery Quest should raise the Guild ranking as well if I contribute it to the Guild and not just me. 'So the question becomes, how do I recover a planet?'

  I suppose I could copy what I saw way back on Gahlora. Make a town with a tall wall, with some adjustments. I doubt I could make the wall tall enough to block the monsters on this planet, so I would probably need to build a dome. Or figure out some kind of barrier magic. This planet is technically off the registry, so there shouldn't be any limits on the technology I can bring to it. Since the only sapient species on it is me.

  I could probably ask Christinia about where to get the tools needed for reclamation. So I made a quick visit.

  Teleporting to the entrance of the HQ, I started walking around and looking for Christinia.

  "Oh? Az? What's up?" Xyke just happened to run into me while I looked around.

  "I'm looking for Christinia. I need to know where I can get tools and gadgets for reclaiming the planet." My words stunned Xyke as he just stared at me.

  "What?" Xyke flatly asked after a few seconds.

  "Yeah I got a Quest for reclaiming the planet. Going to build a town or city, whatever I can to technically 'reclaim' the planet." I nodded and he shook his head.

  "I heard you, but that sounds ridiculous. Do you really want to do that?" Xyke seemed stressed just thinking about the massive problem I'm trying to solve.

  "Indeed. If I can fix that hell hole, it should increase the Guild rank and I'll complete 2 Quests at once!" I smirked at my obviously flawless plan.

  "Why not just go back to the station you already know?" Xyke seemed confused.

  "Ah ah ah~! I'm the only species on the planet at the moment, so there's no limit on the technology levels. You know, since it's not reclaimed yet?" As I spoke, Xyke seemed to realize what I was doing.

  "Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how much money that's going to cost? Oh, wait, you have basically an infinite amount don't you." Xyke sighed as he rubbed his massive forehead.

  "You can actually do this, can't you?" Xyke seemed exasperated.

  "Not like anything could stop me." I nodded and Xyke chuckled.

  "Alright, but I want in." Xyke was surprisingly chatty with me despite seeing my powers.

  "You're not scared? I mean I don't care if you help and I'd actually really like it, but everyone else seems unsettled by me." I thought of how Fraya had gone from like an aunt to a near stranger.

  "No? Oh you're worried about Fraya right? Well she'll get over the oddities eventually. I don't care all that much since Christinia knows for a fact you won't attack the Guild unless we attack you." Xyke hinted at something that caught my interest.

  "How can she tell?" I asked and Xyke just smiled.

  "She can see different timelines and predictions. With limits." He added that last bit, like he could sense my questions.

  "Well damn. That's convenient. So you know of a place where I can get some super advanced tech?" I asked, letting go of the fact that our leader can see the future. Even with limits it's crazy OP.

  "No." Xyke said with confidence.

  "Okay, well where can I find Christinia then?" I asked but Xyke shook his head.

  "She left for some business since you gave her a bunch of money." Xyke dashed my hopes of getting this project started today.

  "But she did leave a folder on Fraya's desk in case you showed up though." Xyke said ponderously.

  "Do you think she foresaw this?" I asked, my hopes rising.

  "Maybe? Let's go find out." Xyke said and we started making our way to Fraya.

  "So what do you want for helping me? A percentage of the resources extracted?" I aske and Xyke seemed caught off guard as we walked.

  "What? No? We have that mountain to deal with already." Xyke was frowning a bit.

  "Yeah, but we're trying to reclaim a whole planet? A very big one covered in rare minerals?" I probed and Xyke's eyes bulged rather grossly out of his head.

  "We can't mass export that stuff! We'd crash the market!" He half yelled.

  "Well then do you want money or something?" I asked, running out of things to offer.

  "Can't I just help for free?" Xyke asked but I shook my head.

  "No. I don't feel comfortable with that. Choose." I spoke with finality.

  "Uh, give me a bit to think it over." He rubbed the back of his massive grey head and we walked the rest of the way in silence.

  After about a minute of walking we reached Fraya's desk. I probably shouldn't have skipped it when I teleported in.

  "Hey Fraya, Az is here." Xyke offered as we walked in.

  "He is? Az! Did you skip my desk?" Fraya seemed... fine? I expected her to still be uncomfortable, but she appeared to be at least slightly over it.

  "Sorry." I offered and she sighed.

  "You better be mister. I have this folder for if you showed up." She said and I was no longer sorry. Fraya was treating me like a kid again.

  "Let's see here... Seems like some information about a Star Station several hundred light years away, and a couple of pictures?" Fraya ended it with a question and I nodded.

  "That's what I needed. I'm going to reclaim the planet and make it habitable. Build a town or something." I said and took the offered folder and looked through it.

  The pictures were a few from the inside, and it was a massive megastructure. Like planetary scale. Checking the last photo, I saw that it wasn't a planetary scale, but a Dyson Sphere! Well, not a full sphere but lots of large stations surrounding a star on the smaller side. So probably more like Dyson Swarm.

  "Isn't there a System law about limiting technology for planets?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Not for this one. Since Az is the only sapient being on it, and it's not on the registry with sapient life, there's no limit on technology or magic for the planet." Xyke answered for me.

  "And since I have a practically infinite amount of money, I can buy the best tools aviable for town or city building in harsh environments." I finished and Fraya seemed excited by the project.

  "I hadn't expected full planet recovery! I thought we were just going for resources!" She clapped her hands and beamed down at me like she was soooo proud of me. Great.

  "So, how are we getting there?" Fraya asked, and I suppose she was coming too.

  "I should be able to open a Gate there and back. So instantly." I said and Fraya was surprised.

  "Right! I keep forgetting that you said your skill is technically infinite." Fraya nodded to herself.

  "What do you want in exchange for helping me? You can't say no by the way, Xyke already tried that." Fraya frowned as I told her to choose.

  "I don't know? I'll have to think about it." She crossed her arms as she thought about it.

  "Why can't I just help? We're Guild members." Fraya asked and I shook my head.

  "So? If I have all this money and resources, I should help spread them. Also, this planet is not fully mine anyway. It's the Guilds." I said and Fraya grinned.

  "That means you don't have to pay us~." She offered but I scoffed in response.

  "What it means is that I can't just hoard all of the resources." I shot back and we sort of just stared at each other.

  "Fine. I'll think of something." She huffed and I nodded at my victory.

  "Good. Go ahead and get ready. We'll be leaving in a few minutes. I'll be right back, gotta do something before we go." I offered and teleported back to my ship cargo bay.

  I looked outside for a bit, checking on my Drone pals and they were still working. The factory/refinery was done and it was a hub of activity.

  Inside the cargo bay itself was a large pallet of Adamantium Ingots. Seems like the drones copied the Ingots I made a while ago as a template. There was a few other pallets of various metals. Iron, Gold, some Silver. A few cases were on some shelves, and checking the inside I saw some gems. Shiny stones cut to perfection. At least I thought so, but I wasn't a rock expert.

  I ignored them and made my way to something I felt bad for leaving alone for so long. My nano machine goo.

  It hadn't been that long, but everyone else was awake and operating and she was still sleeping. I was going to wake Anny up. Anny the nano swarm.

  I collected the 5 gallons of the goop and headed to the mountain next to the ship. The drones were barely even into the side closest to the ship, so I went to the other side. Several miles away. I hadn't realized how big this mountain was fully. It looked smaller when I picked it up.

  I tore the dirt and rock away, exposing another vein of Adamantium. I popped the caps on all 5 of the tubes, and collected the goopy swarm into one ball. Connecting them to my HUD, I activated the swarm and they all synced up automatically. Becoming a hivemind.

  "I will name you, Anny. Anny the nano swarm. You're current mission is to replicate yourself using Adamantium. Good luck, Anny." I spoke like I was some regal emperor and deposited the goop onto the metal.

  I didn't see any change as the goo just stuck to the vein, and I likely wouldn't for a long, long time. I gave Anny a wave and then teleported back to HQ.

  Fraya and Xyke were ready to go, wearing something that made me feel like they were dressed for a vacation. Like tourists.

  "You guys sure you're ready?" I asked and they nodded.

  "You're going to make a Gate connected straight to the inside right? We're not going to need our suits in that case." Fraya explained and it made enough sense.

  "Alright then. I guess let's go on a trip." I smiled and shrugged.

  Looking over the pictures again, I picked one that looked nice enough and likely wouldn't have anyone in the way. Though people were likely to give a wide berth to a white hole suddenly forming anyway. I let Fraya and Xyke go through the Gate first, then I followed.

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