Kana: “I did a bit of scouting and planning last night after you went to sleep. I have an idea of what I want. I liked the idea you had for a paladin David. Being a tough self-healing badass appeals to me.

I’m not sure how all these energies work though. Weave based spells seem powerful but locked into spell slots like mass produced spells and faith or mana based spells are its opposite, you get a basic starter and need to figure the rest out yourself.”

Kovit: “First thing you should know is, it’s best not to get multiple energies or races together. It can be done but 90% of the time it goes bad. Sticking to one race and energy is the safest and cheapest way.

There are exceptions, but you won’t know until after you roll the dice and there are no take backs. The Obelisk can set you back to a blank slate like when you first arrived, but it won’t remove or fix individual enhancements that go wrong. Different energies can clash and blow you up while opposing genetics will fight or worst warp you into something terrifying.

For energies, there are four main types and their hybrids. Life and mana are generally universally useable by everyone. Life includes cultivation energies like chi and chakra or genetic superpower based energies nen and aura. Mana is generally for spellcraft and energy manipulation like wielding elements.

The other two; will and mental, require the person to either have a natural ability in that area or boost the associated stats to meet the requirements.

Will relates to energies like haki and faith, while mental would be like Psy force. David’s ability to use Psy force shows he has an aptitude for using mental energies, if you want to use faith energies like a paladin you will need a strong will or belief in something.

If you can buy the energy, then you have the aptitude otherwise The Obelisk will tell you what stats you need to raise and by how much to make the cut.”

Kana: “You said that you shouldn’t get more than one energy but the race I was interested in comes with two will that be a problem?”

Nephalem

Rating 70

Born of angel and demon they can gain powers from both. Gain access to Holy and Unholy energy but has not attuned to one or the other. +20 all stats. Requires D rank reward and 500 points.

Kovit: “As they are innate to the race it won’t harm you, they may not like each other but they should cause anything too bad.”

Kana: “Excellent then my plans are for getting these enhancements, spells and equipment to go with my choice of race.”

Sacred Gear

Rating 80

Also known as God's Artifacts, are items with powerful abilities bestowed upon humans by the original God from the Bible. A random sacred gear is selected and granted to the user. These can have many varied abilities and grow with the possessor’s desires and soul. Requires DD rank reward 1200 points and will based energy.

Lay on Hands Initiate

Rating 65

The beginner level of the Lay on Hands ability that paladins are famous for. With a touch the initiate and channel faith based energies to heal minor wounds and cure normal poisons and disease. Requires D rank reward 700 points and will based energy.

Blessed Armour

Rating 60

Casting this spell imbues the targets body and clothes with holy energy providing basic protection from harm for an hour. Requires D rank reward and 500 points

Sinful whispers

Rating 50

The target of this spell will be enticed subconsciously to act upon their base and sinful desires. Easily cast of by strong and goodly people. Requires D rank reward and 400 points

AEV9 Armoured enviro-suit and helmet

Rating 30

A basic full body suit designed to protect the user from physical harm and inhospitable environments. Provides air filtration, internal temperature control and communications in the helmet. Requires -500 points

Silenced USP45 (Unlimited Ammo) -100 points

K-bar knife and holster -2 points

David: “That looks awesome, you can be a paladin and a dark knight with that race. I also found out that unlimited ammo can be added to already owned weapons for 9 times its store price. Makes sense since buying them outright seems to be 10 times the base cost. Why don’t you just upgrade the 10mm and assault rifle I brought back form Deus Ex?”

Kana: “That’s not a bad idea but how about you keep the 10mm for yourself and I’ll get the USP and upgrade the rifle.”

David: “Alright sounds good, I won’t even mention the extra D rank reward you are using.”

Kana: “Yay, and I won’t guilt you over the Upgrades Certificate you get to hog.”

David: “Well then you won’t mind that I found something else to use them on.”

Blacklight Virus (DX-1118 C)

Rating 73

The virus activates the 'junk' DNA in host resulting in several biological changes that create (and recreate) sentience within the infected creature's cellular makeup causing superhuman genetic prowess that greatly increase their natural abilities to levels far exceeding human capability. The host will not be infectious, but cells will be able to recode new biomass introduced to the system. +100 Cellular Vitality, +20 immunisation strength, greatly increases regeneration, gain consume biomass and shapeshifting skills. Body evolves to overcome harm and environmental stress, has chance of evolving traits from live biomass absorbed. Requires C Rank 2000 points. No further upgrades possible.

David: “I’m kinda sick of bleeding out all the time and I figured this will help. Added bonus, I won’t need that enviro suit you are getting. Alright you big black rock you got the list of exchanges we want?”

Nanotech Infolink -500 points

Dungeon Core - Psionic (Unawakened) Free

Dungeon Core - Psionic (Awakened) -C rank reward

Psyche Force Scan – Upgrade Certificate 1/3

Blacklight Virus - Upgrade Certificate 2/3

10 mm Pistol DX Unlimited Ammo upgrade -90 points

7.62mm assault rifle Unlimited Ammo upgrade -450 points

Nephalem -D 500p

Sacred Gear -DD rank reward 1200 points

Lay on hands Initiate -D rank reward and 700 points

Blessed Armour -D rank reward and 500 points

Sinful whispers -D rank reward and 400 points

Silenced USP45 (Unlimited Ammo) -100 points

7.62mm assault rifle Unlimited Ammo upgrade -450 points

K-bar knife and holster -2 points

AEV9 Armoured enviro-suit and helmet -500 points

Total: -B 5392 points and Upgrade Certification 2/3

Remaining: D 2506 points and Upgrade Certification 1/3

David: “Excellent, make it so.”

HA, last word. The shocked look on Kana and Kovit’s faces are funny too. Can’t wait to see what these enhancements can do.

Two beams shot off to my room as the light wrapped around Kana and me, lifting us from the ground. It takes about 5 minutes for Kana’s light to fade but mine lasts around 20.

As the light puts me down my whole body feels tingly and my mind clearer. I look over at Kana and she starts laughing, Kovit joins her.

David: “What’s so funny, something on my face?”

Kana: “Nope. Nothing on your face or head or anywhere else I imagine.”

That earns her a raised eyebrow. I turn to look for something to see my reflection in and The Obelisk provides by mirroring a surface. All my hair is gone, eye brows and facile hair too. I raise a hand to touch my face and see my finger nails gone too.

David: “What the hell, why’s my hair and nails gone?”

Blacklight virus recouped non-living resources during infection.

Come on, the Prototype guy had hair, I’ve got to be able to fix this. Right, the virus can shapeshift, I focus on what I know about the virus, seems like the enhancement gives me the basic knowledge too.

Focus on the form I want and tell my body to move, it’s a bit like using a third arm you didn’t know you had and can’t see. After a few minutes and staring at my reflection and waiting for the chuckleheads to take a breath I feel something happen, the top of my hair turns black and flows out like a tar-ish water and then separates forming my old hair.

Kovit: “That was disgusting.”

David: “Thanks sunshine. That’s one enhancement working, time to test out the dungeon core.”

I close my eyes and focus on the core, I can feel the energy in it. That must be the psionics, it’s like a cool fire at the bottom of my sternum. I draw on the energy with my mind and it flows up to my brain and is sucked in stunning me as I get a weird sense of the entire room and the two other minds in it. Whoops, accidentally triggered my psychic scan, that will take some getting use to.

This thing instead of draw from the core I push my mind towards it and feel a slight falling sensation and then darkness. This is weird, I keep trying things that don’t work and when I ask myself why I find the information already in my head. Going to take a bit of time to process all this. Looks like a dungeon can only see within its domain and I need to expand mine first before I can see anything.

I take my psionics and feed it into the domain, changing the energy and expanding it into a sphere around the core. At first, it grows quickly reaching 2m across but the longer I go the slower it expands, running low on energy I stop before I even make 3m. Looks like it takes a long time and lots of energy to grow your domain to full size.

Brushing over that I turn my mind outside to see what the core and see. It’s like seeing in some spectrum but also seeing information. It isn’t a world of light like seeing with your eyes but flowing colours that I can tell are different types of energy, but I have no idea which. The air and ground are worse, I don’t even see them per say, as I know some type of matter is there and a description of it. It’s like matter is all just millions and billions of bits of the periodic table around me.

Well shit … I can’t use this … I need a computer or something to parse this for me … or better yet and AI. Look like a have one more purchase to make. I release my mind from the core and open my eyes.

Kana: “So liking your upgrades? Mine are badass.”

David: “Hah, yeah … pretty badass.”

Kovit starts chuckling again which leads to Kana giving me stern face. I think I prefer her normal face.

Kana: “What’s wrong?”

David: “Nothing wrong, everything’s working great … it’s just that dungeon core senses are a bit more insanely inhuman and nonsensical than I thought they would be. Don’t worry I already know how to fix it, I just need to make a small exchange or two.”

Kana: sigh “OK what do you need to get?”

David: “I think an AI will do it. Just need something to sort the data and make it meaningful for me. Let’s see what the shop has for me.”

A quick look in the shop shows me that the low-end AIs are kinda weak and most require some sort of hardware to work so not helpful. One seems passable, the biochip that is like the MC in Warlock in a Magus World had. It would cost me my last upgrade cert though and if memory serves, while powerful and useful it didn’t have a mind of its own. I wonder if I can get it to act on its own or like I would … that gives me and idea and a quick chat with The Obelisk makes it viable. I use one of my other dungeon core abilities, split mind, and make a second mind with the core before telling The Obelisk to go for it.

AI Biochip

Rating 83

A biotech nanite AI assistant the joins with the user’s body and becomes a part of it. Used as a personal assistant and personal computer for the host as well and transferring information and interfacing with host directly. Requires C rank reward 2000 points

Mind digital transfiguration

Rating 30

Alters the challenger's mind to become digital allowing it to operate like an AI.

Requires 1000 points and compatible body structure

Chip: Booting up and scanning host. Scan complete, awaiting instructions.

Core: Call me core or C, I’ll take it from hear mate. If you need something give me a call, I keep you updated through the infolink.

I can’t help but laugh, I should have done this from the start even if I could understand the dungeon senses. MCs with AIs are always better off.

David: “OK all sorted. Now you said something about training Kana.”

10th day

David: “Thank god you let me have the last day to rest. Your training was murder.”

Kana: “Harden up, you’ll thank me when we kick ass on our next mission instead of being shot full of holes.”

David: “Too soon.”

10 minutes until the trial starts.

Take necessary equipment and personal and head to the main room.

Next trial is Dredd X