bayedsolid Chapter 188: I Didn’t Just Level Up To Get Nerfed
Chapter 188: I Didn’t Just Level Up To Get Nerfed
The golden light of the interface reflected in the dilated pupils of Lancet’s eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
"What do you mean, multiplied by three?" Lancet hissed, his voice echoing off the training room’s walls. "Are you out of your mind?!"
He stared at the flashing red-tinted warning subtext beneath the notification.
[ Notice: Fairplay Policy Restructuring ]
[ Due to your accelerated growth and the accumulation of high-tier Summons within a condensed timeframe, the system’s local reality matrix has experienced a significant compensatory shift ]
[ Current Roster Evaluation ]
[ Astensia Valengard (Platinum) - Vanguard Summon ]
[ Thor Stormchild (Platinum) - Striker Summon ]
[ Spectra Hexerra (Platinum) - Ranger Summon ]
[ Espel Fyrebloom (Platinum) - Support Summon ]
[ All your Summons are Platinum ! ]
[ To prevent a systemic collapse of the regional narrative difficulty arc and to ensure your personal level alignment maintains structural integrity with the world’s natural laws, Creativity Point (CP) costs for all future Heroine creations have been adjusted to equilibrium standards ]
[ Multiplier Applied: X3 ]
[ New Creation Cost: ]
* ⸢ Silver Rank Heroine: 1500 - 2400 CP ⸥
* ⸢ Gold Rank Heroine: 3,000 - 4,500 CP ⸥
* ⸢ Platinum Rank Heroine: 6,000+ CP ⸥
Lancet ran a hand through his hair, his fingers tugging at the strands. "Equilibrium standards? You’re punishing me for playing the game right!"
He looked at his current currency display:
[ CP: 20998 ]
Just moments ago, that felt like an absolute war chest. He was ready to spend it freely without the Lore Attunement pressing down on him. The system must have noticed that when he created Espel and maybe it was punishing him for it.
It wanted Lancet to wrack his brain with every creation. If he wanted a powerful Summon, give her a thrilling backstory. Impress the system.
"Unbelievable," he muttered, crossing his arms and glaring at the text until it slowly dissolved into the standard golden particle stream. "The classic developer move. The player gets too efficient, so you patch out the fun. Fine. But this just can’t be it, right? I didn’t just level up to get nerfed."
As if responding to his sour mood, the interface flashed again.
Ding!
[ You have ranked up! ]
[ 1★ → 2★ ]
[ You are now a 2★ Gold Awakener. Eight stars away from advancing to Platinum ]
Lancet felt a wave of power flow through his entire body.
[ Your stats have increased! ]
Lancet shrugged. ’I guess that’s good enou—’
Ding!
The system appeared again, rolling out a massive, cascading window that pushed the profile screen to the periphery.
[ You’ve unlocked a new Skill! ]
[ Skills: ]
> Heroine Creation
>> Heroine Customization (NEW)!
Lancet’s eyes widened.
The text expanded, unlocking a deep sub-directory within his primary Creation module that had previously been completely hidden from view.
[ Heroine Customization Module ]
[ You are no longer restricted to the static, baseline archetypes generated during the initial creation phase. Your overall Character Exploration rating (C) has unlocked you a new Skill, the power to modify created Heroines. ⸥
"Holy shit," Lancet read with excitement.
[ Equipment Creation : Design and forge bespoke weapons, armor, and specialized relics tailored specifically to a Heroine’s unique thematic essence. Change their gear, upgrade their weapons and tune up their style! ]
[ Territory Creation : Design and build where they live. Kingdoms, towns, mansions, castles or treacherous forests. ]
[ Personality Calibration: Fine-tune or gradually shift specific behavioral matrices, emotional thresholds, and psychological traits of active Heroines. ⸥
[ Currency: CP ]
Lancet’s irritation had completely vanished by now, replaced by the astonishment of a writer who had just discovered a new flashy set of editing tools. "Character Customization. All of this. So I can make weapons from scratch? I can create basically anything now as long as it’s for a Heroine?"
The system went on to explain.
[ Lore Attunement Protocol ]
[ Heroine Customization still follows the same rules as Heroine Creation. To create a weapon, a castle or to change the personality of a Heroine, you must author a compelling historical backdrop, or "Lore," that seamlessly integrates the item into the existing world mythos. ]
[ Narrative Coupon is applicable ]
"Ah, I expected that," Lancet murmured, his lips curving into a small, dry smile. "If it follows the same as Heroine Creation then I guess I also can’t create replicas of weapons already existing in this world."
Nevertheless, this was a massive game-changer. It meant he could bypass the costs of buying pre-made mythic relics from the Equipment Stores by simply sitting down and writing the history of the blade himself.
Lancet could tailor a weapon specifically to cover Astensia’s blind spots or enhance Espel’s boundary magic, ensuring their combat efficiency multiplied without needing to summon an entirely new entity.
Heh. And if he wanted a weapon for himself, he could just create one for one of his Heroines and ask them to let him borrow it.
"This was awesome."
Then his eyes drifted down to the third feature: Personality Calibration.
"Personality changes..." Lancet glanced up to the central dais.
Espel was still sitting perfectly still, legs crossed, surrounded by the slow, rhythmic dance of her pink Bloomwings and dark Gravewings. Her face was serene and neutral as always.
He thought about the personality he had given her, wondering if it was fair for her to live this way. Espel was completely secluded from the concepts of human joy, anger, or grief, and saw the world purely through the lens of functional transitions between life and death.
"Can I actually give her a normal emotional range with this?" Lancet thought, his mind racing through the implications.
He decided not to think about it now and dismissed the customization interface. His profile appeared after.
[ Profile: Lancet Leogardt ]
[ Class: Architect (Brilliant) ]
[ Rank: 2★ Gold ]
[ Level: 25/50 ]
[ Grace: 2250/2250 ]
[ Weapon: Radiant Guillotine ]
[ Power: Omnipotent Character Manipulation ]
[ Skills: Heroine Creation | Heroine Customization ]
[ Currencies ]
[ CP (Creativity Points): 20998 ]
[ AP (Archetype Keys): 2 (Platinum | Gold) ]
[ Rosters ]
[ Created Heroines: 3 ]
[ Archived Heroines: 0 ]
[ Modules : Creation | Summons | Stats | Relics | Archive | World Weave | Quest Log ]
Lancet looked down at the Modules, noticing that he hadn’t explored many of them. He selected [ Quest Log ]
Ding!
[ You have not unlocked Quests! ]
Lancet narrowed his eyes. ’That’s weird. I thought I’d have lots of quests by now. ]
He selected [ World Weave ] next, another Module he was yet to explore.
Since day one, it had been completely locked, and it had a darker golden color to it like it was telling Lancet that it was the ultimate end-game mechanic of his unique Architect class.
Now though, a small sliver of its interface was visible, but only enough to give Lancet an idea.
[ World Weave — Current Sync: 0.02% ]
[ Status: Restricted (Requires Rank 5★ Gold to initiate active deployment) ]
[ World Weave governs event shaping, plot-line integration, and world-state modification ]
[ This module permits the creator to introduce future events, alter branching outcomes, and influence character trajectories within story parameters ]
[ At higher levels, World Weave may allow direct intervention into unfolding narrative structures ]
[ At full control, the creator’s authority may approach that of an author over the living world ]
Lancet went still, feeling a chill run down his spine.
"An author..." he whispered, his eyes wide. "I can take over the author’s power and reshape this world how I see fit."
He couldn’t believe it.
Right now, he was a mouse navigating a maze he had technically designed, but the walls were solid steel. He had to be careful not to break the canon too roughly, or the world would push back with things like the "Fairplay policy."
He was bound by the laws of the universe he was trapped in.
But the [ World Weave ]promised an escape from those rules entirely. At 100% control, he wouldn’t need to secretly manipulate characters, worry about more powerful Awakeners, or fear the machinations of secret organizations.
If he wanted a faction gone, he wouldn’t need to fight them—he could simply delete their entry from the world’s ledger. He could turn a desert into an ocean, or transform a mortal into a god with nothing more than a whim.
"So that’s the ultimate goal of the Architect class," Lancet thought, a sense of pragmatic realism settling over his initial awe. "But at 0.02%, I am lightyears away from that kind of power. And the system won’t even let me touch the active script tools until I hit Rank 5★ Gold. It’s an end-game weapon. A terrifyingly powerful one."
He closed the [World Weave] module, the golden screen folding back into his soul core with a soft, residual flash of light. The sheer scope of what his system was turning into was staggering, but he couldn’t let himself get distracted by distant godhood.
He had an immediate reality to deal with: a competitive academy, a group of legendary Heroines waiting in his Summon Space, and a very specific, eccentric Healer Mage waiting for him.
The humming of the triangular ceiling panels slowly began to decrease in frequency. One by one, the pink Bloomwings and dark Gravewings dissolved into light particles, returning to the depths of Espel’s aura.
Her eyelids fluttered open, her piercing cyan eyes locking onto Lancet without a single moment of disorientation. She sat perfectly still for a second, checking her internal reserves, before smoothly uncoiling her legs and standing up from the dais.
Her white tunic settled perfectly around her frame as she walked down, her steps completely silent.
"My reserves are fully replenished," Espel announced matter-of-factly. "The structural integrity of your Grace Channels is stable. We have utilized the training hall efficiently."
She paused exactly two paces away from him, her gaze unwavering.
"Now, we can return to the room and have sex again."
Lancet looked at her, his mind briefly flashing back to the newly unlocked customization grids, and theWorld Weave power awaiting him. He really wanted to start exploring his abilities.
But looking at the intense expression on Espel’s face, he couldn’t help but be turned on.
"Right," Lancet said, rubbing the back of his neck with a wry smile. "Let’s get out of here then. Lead the way."