Frostbound

"The system is a great many things but it is always practical. It has requirements that must be met to keep its assistance. Like with leveling, it will end its help in that regard if certain requirements aren't met."

"The system is there to help, but it does not do it for free. Everything has a cost associated with it that must be paid. It isn't always about power either, sometimes luck is all that is required."

"Scholars and Researchers come up with different names for the reason but it is known to most as 'Proving your Worth'. You must prove you are worthy of the help the system applies to you."

The recording kept going on about what certain civilizations called it but I tuned that part out. I didn't care what other people called it, proving worth was simple enough to understand.

After the wave, and after healing from the acid burns covering my body, people spent their points on information about what was going to happen when we got back to Earth. Why the recording started like that, I didn't know.

"And that brings us to the point at hand. Integrated planets must also prove they are worthy of the system's assistance. After the Failed Integration, the system prevents any outside force from interfering with new planets. It doesn't allow anything to affect new planets until the system removes its protection. Not even the most powerful of gods can interfere."

"After you are returned to your planet, there will be tests to see if the system should keep its protection over your planet or if it should release you into the multiverse and to the whims of fate. Every rank has an average time that it is completed in and the system's tests will stick to that schedule."

"The tests can be anything and some aren't as obvious as others. Sometimes just having a person at a certain rank is enough to pass, others, a foe must be defeated or challenge overcome."

"The length of protection changes depending on what the citizens of the planet achieve. If a planet has no one that strives for more and everyone is content to just survive, the protection barely lasts a decade. If the planet has powerhouses that climb the ranks swiftly, the protection could last centuries. It all depends on the circumstances."

The recording went on about different things that didn't matter to me, but one of the things it said stuck out.

"Please note, there are no tests for E-Rank, simply surviving the planet is enough to pass."

It didn't go into much detail after that but it gave enough information to go off of. After the recording ended everyone speculated on what that meant. The planet was going through large changes and surviving was going to be difficult.