“I hope everybody slept well,” Beauty said from the head of the breakfast table, the rest of the small mess-hall empty of mistship crew. From the look on his face, he knew none of them had actually slept. “We have several hours until we arrive at Ironsalt, and I wanted to take a moment to go over what will be expected of you over the course of the next week.

  “And, most importantly, why it will be dangerous.”

  “How can it be dangerous?” Weiss asked. “Aren’t we going to the same dungeon Det cleared by himself? And, you’ll be right there with us.”

  “Excellent points, all three of them,” Beauty said. “And the main things I wished to discuss, so let’s tackle them in order, shall we?”

  Everybody around the table nodded at that, mainly because their mouths were currently full with their breakfasts. They weren’t Zedic’s sandwiches by any means, but they were close. French toast with some kind of ham and jam inside? Then drizzled with a spicey sauce of some kind? Hell yeah. The side of fruit was just an added bonus.

  “First,” Beauty continued. “It is dangerous because it can kill you.”

  “… that’s it?” Weiss said.

  “It is a good reason,” Beauty countered.

  “… it is,” Weiss agreed, conceding the point.

  “Second, this will not be the same dungeon Det cleared,” Beauty moved on when it was obvious there would be no more arguing the first point. Death was pretty dangerous, after all. “When Det was previously on Ironsalt, this dungeon was only in its infancy. It has been almost two weeks since that time. What it means for you all, is that the ‘dungeon’ Det completed was not this dungeon. It was the barest beginnings of it.

  “From the debrief I read of Det’s experience, it was little more than a hallway with some ants in it.”

  “And a mulcher at the end,” Det added between bites. “With bigger, angrier ants.”

  “Pleasant,” Tena said. “And you said the ants were feeding people to the mulcher?”

  “Yes,” Det said. “Or, they had been. It was mostly over by the time I got there. Just three people left.”

  “At least you got to them,” Weiss said.

  Det shrugged, then looked back at Beauty. “How’s it going to be different?”

  “I don’t know,” Beauty said.

  The whole room paused at the answer.

  “But,” Beauty continued after the appropriate dramatic pause. “I know it will be different. Given that we’re dealing with ants in this dungeon, we can guess the setting will be something underground. Tunnels, and the like.”

  “Isn’t that what I already dealt with?” Det pointed out.

  “A different kind of tunnels, in a different kind of underground,” Beauty said. “The dungeons are much like our channels. They both exist—and don’t—in real, physical space. There are interspatial components that expand the actual amount of area they occupy, as well as the environment you need to deal with.”

  “Like the dungeon I was in before,” Sage said. “It was like I was on the surface. But I was underground. Beauty is saying it will probably be something like being in an anthill. Those kinds of tunnels.”

  “Sounds like fun,” Tena said.

  “The dungeon will be mostly unexplored at this point, as well,” Beauty said. “We haven’t had any groups go in to clear it out, because the Boss hasn’t respawned yet. With Det clearing it in its infancy, it slowed down the finalization of the dungeon, while also temporarily sealing it off. Our experts say the signs point to the Boss being back in play as early as tonight.

  “Just in time for you to enter it tomorrow.”

  “So, not the same dungeon,” Weiss said. “What about my final point? You’ll be there, watching out for us, won’t you?”

  “No,” Beauty said. “For two reasons. The first is that you’re already a full group of six. The second is that I am B-Rank.”

  “So?’ Calisco spoke up. “Gen-gen and Captain Curly went into the dungeon with me. Aren’t they, like, way stronger?”

  Impressively, Beauty didn’t even react to Calisco’s backhanded challenge to his strength.

  “General Vans and Captain Simmons are indeed much stronger than me,” the instructor said, nonplussed. “But there is an important feature of dungeons you may not be aware of. They don’t just rise to the challenge, they look to exceed it.”

  “What does that mean?” Det said.

  “If more than six people enter a dungeon, the dungeon production ramps up significantly. Overwhelmingly. For example, instead of dealing with, say, a pack of six ants, you would instead find sixty. The same thing applies if somebody with a level of strength significantly above the Rank of the dungeon enters.

  “If I were to enter with you, a dungeon burst would occur almost immediately.”

  “Then how did General Vans and Captain Simmons deal with it?” Weiss asked.

  “Simple,” Beauty said. “The headmaster even gave you the answer during your first days. Overwhelming power. For them, even with the increased opposition of the dungeon, the threat wasn’t enough to slow them down, other than having to protect Calisco.”

  “There were a lot of ants…” Calisco said, thinking back on her dungeon experience. “A lot, a lot of ants.”

  “I imagine so,” Beauty said. “It was only because The Wall and Bladestorm were so powerful, they were able to cut their way through the swarm to reach—and destroy—the Boss. While the ramped up production is very dangerous, as long as it’s somebody with significant power entering, they can still prevent the burst by killing the Boss. That is how they succeeded.”

  “Does that mean…” Tena started, then bit her lip before her own question could come out of her mouth.

  “That I am not strong enough to clear an E-Rank dungeon by myself?” Beauty guessed her question.

  Tena had the grace to look a little ashamed of the question, but she still nodded he’d figured it out.

  “Going in by myself, I am confident I could clear the dungeon,” Beauty said. “As the Mistguard has few E-Rank groups—outside of first-year cadets—it’s how the two, now three, E-Rank dungeons are managed. However, were I to go in with you, I am less confident in being able to protect you all while clearing the dungeon. I do not possess the powerful barriers the general does.”

  “Meaning, we’re on our own?” Sage said.

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  “Good,” Tena said. “We need the challenge to push us.”

  “Going into a dungeon—by ourselves—for the first time sounds riskier than it needs to be,” Weiss said. “Should we consider…?”

  “No,” Tena cut him off. “We shouldn’t.”

  “Now, now,” Sage said, patting the air between them. “It’s fair to ask the question,” he said to Tena, then looked at Weiss. “Though I agree with Tena on this. We aren’t being thrown in the deep end, or anything here, and I doubt the expectation is that we clear the dungeon on our first go?”

  “Not at all,” Beauty said. “In fact, your first day, you will be expected to stay close to the entrance of the dungeon, giving Cadets SJ and Eriba the opportunity to practice with their magic as the rest of you did yesterday. In fact, the main purpose of this field trip is to give them the same opportunity to work out their magic the same way the rest of you can.”

  “Why do we need to go to a dungeon to do that?” Calisco said.

  “Dungeons provide their own energy to the Wordless within,” Beauty explained. “Without that energy source, your teammates cannot properly utilize their own magic for the time being.”

  “Won’t this be a weakness if they have to fight Cored or Uncored, outside a dungeon?” Tena said.

  “Most definitely,” Beauty said. “Assuming they are lazy and don’t work on improving their Ranks. Historically, the few ReSouled we’ve had with powers similar to theirs—power over Wordless, directly—were able to advance their magic enough to power the Wordless themselves. I suspect it will be the same for them. We just need to give them the chance to expand their energy reserves, and this is how we will do that.”

  “What about the rest of us?” Det said.

  “Tomorrow, the rest of you will have two responsibilities,” Beauty explained. “The first will be to clear the entrance area of Wordless, securing a location for SJ and Eriba to safely experiment with their magic. Second, while dealing with any wandering patrols that stumble upon you, you’re to also continue working on direct infusions. I expect to see success from all of you on this topic by the end of the week.”

  “So, what…?” Tena said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “We’re just going to sit around at the entrance of the dungeon the whole time?”

  “It’s better than in the classroom,” Calisco said.

  “It’s worse,” Tena said, then looked at Beauty. “Respectfully, sir, if you didn’t want us to fight, you should’ve just left us back at the academy.”

  “He just explained the first day,” Det said. Tena’s habit of not listening and just running with whatever was in her head hadn’t gotten any better. “Let him tell us what we’re doing the rest of the week?”

  “That will depend entirely on how you perform each day,” Beauty said. “If you fail to make any progress with the direct infusion process, you will remain at the entrance to work on that. Should you all succeed on that earlier, you may be given permission to delve deeper into the dungeon.”

  “Are you sure we’re up to that?” Weiss asked. “We have two people who’ve never used their magic, and the rest of us have limited fighting experience. We don’t even have weapons.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Tena said. “I’ve been fighting my whole life. Both of them.”

  “And I am the weapon,” Calisco said.

  “That still leaves…”

  “I can take care of myself, too,” Det said. “Captain Simmons lent me the same sword I used last time I was on Ironsalt. It’s back in my room.”

  “And Eriba and I won’t be dead weight once we get a feel for our magic,” Sage added, with Eriba giving a strong nod of her head in agreement.

  “I never said you would be dead weight,” Weiss said. “Just that we shouldn’t rush into this before we’re ready.”

  “Calisco and I weren’t ready last time we came to Ironsalt,” Det said. “We muddled through somehow. We’ll figure this out, too.”

  “… I guess,” Weiss said, though he still didn’t look sold on the whole idea.

  “Good,” Beauty said. “Then, with that settled, I believe there are two main courses of action before you, until we arrive. It is my understanding that Det has offered to coach you all on the kernelization process. Is that correct?”

  “It is,” Det confirmed. “I don’t know how much help I can be, but I’m willing to try.”

  “This is a unique opportunity for the rest of you,” Beauty said. “Kernelization is often a second-year topic. Those who achieve it in first year tend to carefully guard their success, as it is leads to options and advantages. Most aren’t willing to give up their competitive advantage.”

  “Why couldn’t the instructors just show us how to do it?” Calisco said.

  “We do,” Beauty answered. “In second year. Before that, why would you be worth the extra time?”

  Calisco didn’t have a response to the blunt question, so Beauty continued.

  “I shall give you two hours to discuss kernelization, and get started on practicing it,” Beauty said. “After that, you will all report to the deck, for basic combat training. We don’t have more than a few hours, and your increased endurance, along with the defensive properties of your armor, will protect you from many of the ants’ attacks. I shall, however, give you some instruction on how to hit back with something other than your magic.”

  “If anybody uses a sword,” Det added. “I can probably help with that. I coached fencing and kendo back on Earth, and did a lot of LARPing and reenactments with swords. Probably some pointers I can give.”

  “Is there anything you can’t do?” Sage joked.

  “Cook,” Det said, pointing at his now-cleared plate. “I burn water and commit food-related war-crimes whenever I’m allowed in the kitchen.”

  “I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Eriba said.

  “I once made a hotdog explode so violently, it put out my apartment’s kitchen window, tore the light off the ceiling, and scared my dog so badly, it never entered the room again.”

  “You’re exaggerating,” Sage said.

  “I wish,” Det said, shaking his head at the memory of the look Yumi gave him when she saw the devastation.

  I’m lucky she didn’t leave me on the spot. How old were we then? It was a few years before Nat was born… maybe thirty? Twenty-nine?

  “Kitchen escapades aside,” Beauty said, getting everybody back on track. “Det, I shall take you up on your offer to assist with sword-related training. Captain Simmons mentioned you were passable with the weapon.”

  “Passable is enough to train the rest of us?” Weiss said.

  “From Captain Simmons, passable is glowing praise many would strive for, but never achieve,” Beauty said. “I, myself, am only ‘miserable’, according to Captain Simmons.”

  Weiss made an ‘O’ shape with his mouth, but didn’t say anything else.

  “Now,” Beauty said with a clap of his hand. “I shall leave you to discuss kernelization with Det. In two hours, I expect you all out on the deck. Do note, however, that while training with any weapons you would like, you will also be expected to continue practicing either the kernelization or direct infusion techniques.”

  That statement got several winces from the group, but nobody complained. It would be tough, sure, but not impossible. Det was actually looking forward to it. Before that, though, he had a question for the instructor as Beauty stood up.

  “Sir,” Det said, and the other man nodded for him to continue.

  “You mentioned before that ReSouled can absorb energy from the environment, right?” Det said.

  “That is correct,” Beauty said. “It’s something we’ll learn to do more actively near the end of the first year.”

  “Okay, then, can one ReSouled directly inject energy into another ReSouled?”

  At the question, Beauty’s head quirked to the side, and the ghost of the smile appeared around his lips, like he was wondering if Det had figured something out. “Why would you ask that, cadet?”

  “Because kernelization became a lot easier for me after I felt what a kernel was supposed to be like,” Det said. “So, I was thinking, if I could pass the others one my kernels—inject it into them—it might help them move along the process faster.”

  “Whoa now,” Calisco said, while Tena raised an eyebrow, and Eriba blushed right up to her ears. “Just what kind of injection are we talking about here. We’re not even friends.”

  “The kind where I put just the tip of…”

  “Consider your next words very carefully,” Tena threatened.

  “… my finger against the palm of your hand,” Det said flatly. “I’ll put the kernel directly into your node there. If it would work?” The question was directed back at Beauty.

  Beauty’s ghost of the smile rose from the dead back into a full smile.

  “It will work,” Beauty said. “But,” he quickly continued. “Only for a very short period of time. Foreign energy is broken down and rejected very quickly from our bodies. A kernel—at E-Rank—would last a few minutes at most in another ReSouled. More likely, less than a minute. And, it will be uncomfortable, as their bodies actively try to reject what they see as invasive forces.”

  “Do you think it will help them?” Det said.

  “It definitely will,” Beauty said. “You are not the first to consider the technique, and it is one way we often use in the second year for those who struggle with the process.”

  “So, it will work then,” Det said, nodding to himself.

  “It may help,” Beauty corrected. “There is no guarantee. That is the reason we don’t forcefully do this to all cadets in their first year. At the first sign of a reversal—a very common event with what you’re suggesting—stop. Consider it like an allergic reaction. Anaphylactic shock of the channels. If that happens, hard work is the only way to achieve kernelization.”

  “Better than nothing,” Det said. “And, I’ll be careful. Small kernels.”

  “Much better than nothing,” Beauty agreed. “Now, then, I shall let you get to that. Remember, two hours.”

  “Uh, sir,” Weiss said, causing the instructor to turn around again. “You said his kernel-sharing thing would cause some discomfort. Even if it’s not a reversal. How much are we talking about?”

  Beauty’s predatory grin returned in full force. “Nothing you can’t handle, I’m sure.”

  With the cryptic—and somewhat terrifying—statement, Beauty exited the mess hall, leaving Det and the other five sitting around the table. With the rest of them staring at him.

  “I guess I’m glad I’m the one doing the sharing…” Det said with a shrug, then ducked under the grape somebody threw at him.