Chapter 22: The System

"Welcome, Chen Lai. Welcome to the Somatic Department."

The cool, mature voice of Qing Bingke drifted from the screen. She was sitting in her office, looking bored as she spun a fountain pen, her tone infused with a hint of lethargy.

"Wait, doesn't Deep Sea University have four departments? How are you so sure I belong to the Somatic Department?" Chen Lai felt a bit awkward being flanked by two massive, muscular men.

"Didn't you choose Heavenly Restriction when you entered the instance? How could Talent Inheritance give you anything else?"

"Since it's Heavenly Restriction, it must be the Somatic Department. Don't overthink it, little junior brother; just rest easy and start your enrollment."

Qing Bingke stretched, her graceful curves impossible to hide even on the other side of the screen.

Chen Lai fell silent. Did the others only inherit the combat gear they purchased before entering the instances, unlike him, who had inherited multiple talents?

"Don't worry about it, brother. Once you're in the Somatic Department, you've made the right choice. I've seen that Heavenly Restriction—it’s valued at 150,000. While it’s not particularly outstanding among the high-energy big shots, it’s quite decent if you cultivate it to its limit!"

"Indeed, a 150,000-point B-grade Somatic combat gear. Once you reach the limit, becoming a provincial-level Protector is no problem at all," Yovari said, patting Chen Lai on the shoulder.

Chen Lai remained silent for a moment before turning to the two muscular hulks. "Senior brothers, what talents did you inherit when you cleared your instances?"

This question seemed to flip a switch. Jashiu swung his right arm in a full circle and grabbed his own right wrist with his left hand, while Yovari turned his back to Chen Lai, flexing his back muscles.

"I inherited the Ancient Blood of Pickle. That’s worth 500,000 in [Baki]!" Jashiu said with immense pride.

"I inherited the Ogre Blood of Hanma Baki. That’s worth 800,000 in [Baki]!" Yovari looked equally proud; the 'demon back' on his physique stared at Chen Lai like a human face.

"That expensive? That’s several times the cost of the combat prep I bought when I first entered an instance." Chen Lai was stunned, yet curious. "In that case, Senior Brother Yovari, you must be stronger than Senior Brother Jashiu, right?"

"I knew you’d think that! That’s a newbie for you, hahahaha!"

Perhaps the muscles had affected his brain, or perhaps the Ancient Blood had influenced his temperament, but Jashiu’s emotions were always intense.

"In reality, Yovari is no match for me at all right now, because his degree of Somatic development is far too low!"

"Or rather, his purity is not high enough!"

As he spoke, Jashiu poked a finger into Yovari’s demon back. With just that single poke, Yovari’s pose collapsed; the demon back trembled and dissipated, and he slumped to the floor.

Jashiu clapped his hands, his muscles rippling like ocean waves before settling into calm.

"See that? My Ancient Blood development is far higher than his. As long as I continue to absorb [Somatic Uniques] from other instances, my ceiling will always be higher than his!"

"[Somatic Uniques]?" Chen Lai felt like he was starting to understand. The [Prison Realm] he had seen earlier had been labeled as [Unique].

"Oh~ it seems our seal-guider hasn't given you a complete introduction to our power system. That is truly a dereliction of duty, darling."

Jashiu cycled through several bodybuilding poses before quickly pulling up a chart marking the admission standards and improvement guidelines for the four major departments.

[Fantasy Department: Any ability not manifested through the body, originating from some magical power, is classified under the Fantasy Department. Typical examples: Quake-Quake Fruit, Egg of the King.]

[Ocular Department: Any mutation of the eyes possessing special ocular techniques is classified under the Ocular Department. Typical examples: Sharingan, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.]

[Somatic Department: Any bodily mutation possessing unique physical enhancements is classified under the Somatic Department. Typical examples: Ancient Blood, Martial Blood, Ogre Blood.]

[Buff Department: Any ability relying on external objects, whether pets or weapons, is classified under the Buff Department. Typical examples: Teigu, Zanpakuto, Pokémon.]

[To improve abilities, one must ingest builds that do not conflict with innate talents to specialize the ability. For example, fusing the Sharingan with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, using the Mystic Eyes as the primary ability and the Sharingan as a supplement, achieves evolution in the Ocular Department.]

...

Successful build after successful build appeared before Chen Lai, making him feel increasingly strange. It seemed all players inherited only a single ability from their instances, and it was always the talent they had purchased upon entry... there was no such thing as his situation, where he had brought a living person out of an instance and ended up with two conflicting talents.

Chen Lai was not one to be pretentious, nor was he willing to hide his ignorance when he didn't understand something. If he didn't know, he would ask.

"Senior brothers, is it possible for one person to possess two abilities simultaneously? What happens if the two abilities conflict?"

"Also, what is the actual point of inheriting these talents? Do we have additional combat prep when we enter an instance?"

Chen Lai’s questions made Jashiu smile slightly. He ruffled Chen Lai’s hair with his large hand, and his thunderous laughter rang out again.

"You’re much better than those kids who hide everything! Inheriting multiple talents is certainly possible, but for a Deep Sea player with limited energy, the best choice is to strengthen only one!"

"Especially if your two abilities conflict, it is best to make a choice."

"I believe you’ve discovered that after bringing back items labeled [Unique] from an instance, we gain the ability to retain talents. The retained talent will reshape our bodies, making us 'converge' with our selves in the instance!"

"However, this convergence is extremely slow and must obey the reality of our world. The omnipotent power you have in the game might only be enough to tip over a glass of water or scare away a cat in reality... Only by constantly absorbing Uniques of the same type can this ability gradually strengthen until it overlaps with your self in the Deep Sea!"

As Jashiu spoke, he displayed his [Deep Sea Journey]. Chen Lai watched and discovered that this senior brother had joined Deep Sea University five years ago, at which point he had just seized the [Tenkaichi Budokai Trophy] from the [Baki] instance.

Since then, he had continuously participated in various instances containing [Somatic Uniques], taken part in major events, and seized Uniques three times to achieve his current physical strength.

"No wonder... no wonder everyone is so crazy about snatching the [Prison Realm]... By the way, senior brother, there is one question you haven't answered: since we are transcendent in reality, do we have any special treatment in the game?"

Chen Lai asked curiously, only to see a pair of large hands cross in front of him. Jashiu’s expression turned serious.

"No, the Deep Sea game is fair to everyone. Reality-based power only gives you greater responsibility. In the game, all players must buy the same combat prep, use the same weapons, and participate in major events under the same rules!"

"As for us, the transcendent beings in reality, we possess power, but we also have corresponding missions—"

As he spoke, Jashiu raised his hands above his head, his fingers pointing toward the colliding earths.