Utopian System

Chapter 463 System's 25th trial

"Every time we've helped humans too directly in the past, the system stopped us. It's a fundamental rule, gods can't interfere beyond certain limits. But now? I've removed my chains, given you divine corruption, practically handed you the tools to break the game... and nothing."

"Maybe the system's broken?" Elio suggested, but Dionz shook his head.

"No, it's more like... like it's allowing this." He studied the cube again. "My note warns about memories, insists on waiting for maximum level. But why? What happens then that's so important?"

"What if it's not just allowing it? What if this was always the plan?"

Dionz froze mid-gesture, another half-formed hologram dissipating. "What do you mean?"

♢♢♢♢

'It changes everything! You've spent all this time judging humanity, testing us, deciding if we deserve to exist, when the real reason you've been so harsh is because you couldn't handle your own feelings!

Face it, you're terrified of humanity because we represent everything you try to pretend you're above off. Emotions, connections, the messiness of actually living instead of just existing.'

"Those moments were... aberrations," Nala tried.

'Those moments were real,' Zara countered. 'More real than the millions of years you've spent pretending to be above it all. And you know what's really interesting? How much harder it is for you to maintain that divine distance now that you're in this body again.'

That struck a nerve. Nala had been noticing how different everything felt in this form, how much harder it was to maintain her usual detachment.

'It's like the body remembers,' Zara pressed her advantage. 'Like it knows what you made yourself forget. Maybe that's why you can't hurt Elio, not because I'm stopping you, but because you're stopping yourself.'

"That's not... I wouldn't..."

'Wouldn't what? Care? Feel? Love? Because evidence suggests you already did, and trying to forget didn't actually solve anything. It just made you spend millions of years running from yourself.'

Elio studied the holographic crab with renewed interest. "And their capabilities?"

"Ah, now that's the interesting part!" Dionz's enthusiasm returned full force. "In nature, these creatures use calcium to build and rebuild their protective shells. In the challenge, this translates to near-instant armor regeneration. You'll need to completely overwhelm before they can reconstruct their defenses."

He created another hologram showing the creatures in action. "They work together too, forming living walls of shells, using their regenerative abilities in coordination. One million of them working in sync can create fortress-like formations."

"Fortress?" Elio focused on the word.

"Well, yes. Their shells are incredibly durable, but..." Dionz grinned, "they're still subject to the laws of chemistry. If you understand how calcium interacts with other elements..."

Elio nodded slowly, already formulating strategies. His enhanced control over multiple elements could be the key to breaking through their defenses.

"There's more," Dionz added, his tone becoming more serious. "The calcium essence also affects your own regenerative capabilities. Master it properly, and you'll heal faster, recover more efficiently. Combined with your current abilities..."

"It could help handle the corruption," Elio finished the thought.

"Exactly. Though with the numbers you'll be facing..." Dionz glanced at his calculations again. "Even with your current power level, one million opponents is..."

"A test of endurance," Elio said, already opening the book.

Emberg's flames flickered with anticipation while Poison Stinger clicked its pincers thoughtfully.

The calcium mountain loomed before them.

As they began their ascent, Elio couldn't help but appreciate the irony. Here he was, learning about creatures that had never existed in his world, mastering elements he'd never known about, all to save a city that itself defied normal natural laws.

The first barrier appeared, a latticework of pure calcium that seemed to repair itself even as they approached. Elio reached out with his elemental control, feeling the structure's composition, understanding its properties in a way that went beyond mere physical interaction.

"Interesting," he murmured, watching how the calcium responded to his presence. "It's not just about breaking through... it's about disrupting the regeneration process itself."