Apocrypha: The User's Manual

(Somewhere in a Parallel Universe, where Leo thought to actually search for the User's Manual)

[System Query Detected: User desires operational information.]

[Display System Information? Y/N]

My jaw nearly dropped. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I whispered aloud to the empty room, the sound startlingly loud in the silence. "A help menu? Now you offer me a help menu? Of course, “yes!” Display it!"

The air before me shimmered, and a larger, more complex screen materialized, looking for all the world like an incredibly advanced holographic 'About' page from some futuristic software company. It was structured with headings and sub-points, the silvery text clear and impossibly sharp. At the very bottom, in tiny, almost unreadable script, was a single paragraph:

[© Celestial God-King Kairos Unlimited, Ltd. All Rights Reserved Across All Known Realities. Unauthorized Duplication or Reverse-Engineering is Punishable By Bad Karma, Spontaneous Tribulations, And/Or Existential Erasure. User Discretion Is Advised.]

I blinked. A “Celestial God-King's” limited company?

A copyright notice?

The sheer, deadpan absurdity of it almost made me laugh, a hysterical bark that caught in the back of my throat. This System, whatever its origin, clearly had a sense of humor. Or maybe “existential erasure” is just a standard corporate penalty in the higher realms?

Shaking my head, I focused on the actual information, which was, thankfully, far more pertinent to my immediate survival.

[Borrowed Face System - Core Mechanics v.1.0.3.1A (Kairos Edition)]

[A. Belief Quality Threshold (BQT) & Metaphysical Weight:

• Anything and everything, tangible or intangible, can theoretically be manifested with sufficient Qualified Belief.

• However, not all belief is created equal. Specific BQT values are typically influenced by an individual's karma, willpower, conviction, specialized knowledge relevant to the manifestation, and social/hierarchical standing within powerful organizations (e.g., a Patriarch for a powerful family will produce a much higher BQT value than a Peasant, all other things being equal).

• The "Metaphysical Weight" (a measure of complexity, power, rarity, and deviation from established reality) of the desired manifestation must be at or below the corresponding BQT of the believing individual(s).

• Attempting to manifest an item or ability with a Metaphysical Weight exceeding the BQT of the primary believer(s) will result in manifestation failure or, in rare cases, an unstable, incomplete, or partial manifestation (see section E below).]

So, there are tiers. Limits. That makes... unfortunate sense.

[B. BQT Scale (Approximate Correlations With Locally-Accepted Tiers; Inter-Reality Variations May Apply):

• BQT 1: Mortals (Untrained, no significant Spirit or Xue Qi).

• BQT 2: Trained Martial Artists; Cultivators (Early Qi Gathering).

• BQT 3-4: Cultivators (Mid-Late Qi Gathering); “Martial Grandmasters.”

• BQT 5-8: Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators (Early, Mid, Late, Peak). Etc.

• Note: Higher cultivation realms will provide correspondingly higher BQT.]

[C. BQT Tiering Rules:

• Complete manifestations requiring a specific Belief Quality Threshold can be achieved using the belief of an individual at or above – but never below – that requirement. Jumping BQT tiers upwards for complete, stable manifestations is generally not allowed. (E.g., A single BQT 3 Cultivator’s belief can manifest any number of mundane mortal items. However, the combined belief of a million BQT 1 Mortals will not be able to manifest even a single low-grade spirit stone. The Metaphysical Weight of the desired result is too disparate).

• User is advised to experiment to discover specific item/effect BQT requirements and potential exceptions.]

So, no giant army of unwashed, under-privileged peasants believing I'm a god will ever make me one. Damn! There goes that plan. That means I need to seek out powerful believers to get powerful effects. Although… I wonder if something like “silver” or “gold” counts as being “mundane” by the system? I’ll have to find out soon.

[D. Reputation & Manifestation Thresholds:

• User's established Reputation within a given social sphere directly impacts manifestation requirements for abilities or items logically consistent with that Reputation.

• A negative or contradictory Reputation (e.g., "Abysmal," "Known Weakling") significantly increases the Belief Quality Threshold (BQT) and/or raw Belief Point costs for manifestations that contradict said Reputation (e.g., manifesting ‘Immense Physical Strength’ or 'Peerless Sword Intent').

• A positive and compatible Reputation, on the other hand (e.g., "Renowned Alchemist," "Wealthy Scion") significantly decreases the BQT and/or Belief Point cost required for manifestations aligned with that Reputation (e.g., manifesting rare alchemical elixirs or wealth).]

Hmmm… my current reputation is “Abysmal”... I need to change how people see me, fast!

[E. Partial Manifestations & Attribute Development:

• Although complete, stable manifestations of higher-tier items/abilities are generally not possible with lower-tier belief, it is sometimes possible – though often difficult and unpredictable – to achieve partial or latent manifestations.

• This is particularly relevant for inherent attributes (e.g., Special Constitutions, Innate Talents) or complex artifacts with multiple layered properties. Lower BQT belief may contribute to a percentage of the final manifestation or unlock basic functions, with further belief from higher BQT sources being able to potentially provide further upgrades.

• DEV. NOTE: This function is currently in Beta Testing. Unstable partial manifestations may result in temporary, flawed, or even dangerous outcomes. Experimentation is certainly encouraged, but undertaken at User's own risk.]

My eyes widened.

My 8%... 'Special Constitution' must be exactly that! A ‘partial’ manifestation! I was damn lucky my initial gamble with Chen even worked at all, that the System even allowed for these ‘partial manifestations’ to happen! If the rules were more rigid, I might be dead from poison right now.

[F. Belief Meter & Stored Belief:

• The Belief Meter quantifies accumulated, unspent Qualified Belief from various sources.

• Stored Belief can be consciously spent by the User against the costs of a current manifestation attempt.]

Huh. So, the Belief Meter is like… a battery, then? Interesting!

My mind immediately leaped to an audacious thought.

Then, what’s stopping me from laying low and just farming the Belief Meter for a few years? With enough stored belief, after I build up a truly massive amount... couldn’t I just stand before a crowd of mortals, declare that I'm secretly stronger than the Dragon Emperor himself, and then just spend the points to make it so?

As if the System interpreted my errant thought as a direct query, new text flashed, sharp and almost admonishing:

[Evaluating Premise: User Manifests Cultivation Surpassing Reigning Emperor Long Ao of the Celestial Dragon Empire.]

[Warning: Current Stored Belief Insufficient]

[Estimated Minimum Requirement: BQT 20+]

[Belief Point Cost: Approx. 9.7 x 10^18 points.]

I blinked.

That was... a lot of zeroes.

"So, it's exponential, then, huh? Figures," I muttered to myself, a wry smile touching my lips. Becoming God-Emperor via a populist movement wasn't going to be a viable shortcut to absolute cosmic power, apparently.

Shame.

The holographic interface shimmered again, then condensed into a single line:

[Display Persona Management Details? Y/N]

I hesitated. There was so much more to learn, clearly. “Persona management details” seemed like a complex and interesting subject to look into.

…But my head was already swimming with the implications of these core mechanics. I needed to process this first. To plan. And, before I got deeper into the weeds of the System's complexities, I needed to deal with the immediate, tangible reality of my situation.

"No," I said aloud, dismissing the prompt. The silvery text vanished.