Chapter 6 – Getting Ready
Two days have passed since he reached the shores of the magma river. Romy restored some of her data on Earth’s history and technology up to the late medieval period since it was the easiest to repair and could have helpful survival tips. Earth’s history was primitive and not very long, so it only took a day to fix, unlike the other data on the Universal Almanac in her database, which contained Solarai knowledge of the explored universe and all they obtained. It was a massive data storage system that contained the knowledge of the Solarai people and the thousands of worlds and their inhabitants that they found. From culture and history to their anatomy and technology, everything was studied and recorded by the Solarai people.
Earth history was by far the most accessible and familiar to Nolen, hence the priority in restoration. With the restoration of that knowledge, they could get the different primitive processing methods and survival tactics from Earth that could be applied here.
With that knowledge, they could process the Magma shark body and other things around them into valuable objects for Nolen.
With the help of some makeshift tools, they were able to get the most out of the magma shark’s body. They created full leather clothes, primitive shoes, protective gloves, and enough materials for improvised leather backpacks.
He was even able to create a Leiomano-like sword and axe out of the teeth of the magma shark. Nolen got inspiration from the Polynesians from Earth, who made weapons from the teeth of sharks that they hunted.
Nolen created the Leiomano weapons by carving black wood and attaching teeth using leather and molten magma, resulting in a simple yet deadly weapon.
Nolen was finally ready to go and explore further and leave his area.
As he began to move and walk around, Romy said in a direct mind link communication.
“I made a few changes to the nanites. Now, they can work together better to repair your body and assist you in healing since the other functions are temporarily unusable. I also adapted them to our new environment,” Romy mentioned.
“Thank you. I do feel better and cooler. Never thought I would be feeling hot all of a sudden.”
Nolen’s body seemed to have healed as well. Though he still felt the slight aches from the injuries from the summoning. The nanites had been working overtime repairing his body.
With his new equipment, he was able to cover more ground. The magma shark armor was very sturdy and resistant to molten magma, which was very useful.
Nolen could now walk closer to the magma river and withstand the intense heat without worrying that his clothes would burn. He dreaded the idea of being naked once again.
“Let’s start gathering more resources and food while we move around. You need some meat in your system; you still don’t look too good.” Romy said teasingly.
“I feel worse than I look, and Also, I’m starting to miss the food from back home.”
“It’s a new place or world; we will survive and return home. First, we need to find civilization or even someone to ask.”
“Yes, yes, I get it. It’s easy for you to say since you are just riding inside my body, Romy. Being an AI and being carried around must be nice,” Nolen said sarcastically.
“You funny, you know that. You know very well that I can’t get out yet since I haven’t restored my ability to create crystal bodies outside you. Sorry for prioritizing our survival, sir.”
Romy responded sarcastically as well.
***
After a few more hours, Nolen decided to rest on a small ledge to the right of the magma river. The magma was calm, and the sound of flowing lava made for a relaxing atmosphere. We were far enough to hear it but not too close to feel the heat. As the gurgling churns of the river sounded, he rested his head on his backpack. He had been exploring the area and gathering materials and food. His legs were sore, and his back felt stiff.
“So, this is how NightOwl felt. Being a normal human and keeping up with other superheroes was an incredible feat. Even with her mystic armor and stuff, she was just a human under all that, after all. The armor didn’t augment her strength or speed but gave her abilities, making everything she did even more admirable. I also haven’t had this type of pain since I was a cadet training in Solarai for my mission to protect Earth. I have recovered a bit, and the nanites are helping a bit. This weird world is more brutal and unforgiving than Earth.” he uttered.
Speaking to himself, Nolen remembered a neat little trick he got when he was summoned here. The title he got from the summoning Artisan was a production-based job ability title. Nolen could quickly gain knowledge and skills to produce different items using his hands. He can replicate artisan-based skills if he sees or reads about them.
He discovered this yesterday when they were processing the magma shark’s body. He gained skills while reading and watching the survival videos in the archives; his proficiency increased as he was carving up the shark creature. He could feel it in the action of his hands. The same thing happened when he was collecting materials; his gathering proficiency went up as he did as well. It was the same thing when he created armor and weapons. His crafting felt more refined as time went by.
Romy noticed this and started collecting data on the phenomenon. She concluded that gaining level, experience, and knowledge in this world is similar to playing games on Earth. At that time, stone tablets were used to interpret data for the inhabitants of this world.
This world gives you titles, stats, and skills like games back on Earth, a unique attribute to this world that couldn’t be found anywhere else outside of games. Even with Romy’s damaged data core and the Universal Almanac mostly down, she is still an advanced techno-organic AI. The culmination of Solarai Knowledge had no idea how this was possible. There was a possibility that this was a game world, but it was unlikely under her current observation and limited yet still advanced processing power.
They set aside the possibilities, faced their current reality, and started to explore Nolen’s newfound skills. Throughout the day, they tested this. Nolen found that he could understand and observe objects more, like what they could be and how they worked, if he concentrated enough on them, like a scanning ability in games. This new skill, coupled with Romy’s processing power and Earth database, enabled him to decipher what plants and animals can be used and how to use them. This also goes for some minerals.
New knowledge that pooped into Nolen’s head due to the skills made more efficient by Romy. Making the process easier and quicker for Nolen.
“Yeah, this world is kind of convenient now.” Nolen was having fun despite his situation.
“Now I want to see what else I can do. I have been gaining levels in my skills, and it feels like I can improve them in time.” He continued.
“There are different forms of energy here which we can explore. It is still early to start learning about them, but you should prepare your body before we explore the place more.” Romy suggested.
“I agree. We covered a lot of ground and can cover a lot more ground if we learn more. I can feel my strength returning bit by bit, so we should rest for now.”
