The erosion cuts opened onto broken ground just as the system interface recorded the next increment.
[Internal progression toward second Gathering threshold: 70%]
The previous owner's residual awareness registered the number with the same detached precision it had applied to every previous threshold. Midpoint of the final approach. The scar's self-sustaining momentum is now the primary driver. External investment is no longer required. The next self-generated spike will open the claim wide enough for the residual wills to push the remaining distance in a single sequence if they choose.
