When Alex opened his eyes, all he saw was stars. An endless expanse, in all directions. Large and small, some brighter than others. Colors varied star to star. None were close; he couldn’t make out any details.

  He was floating in space.

  Initially, he panicked, thinking he would suffocate, but he soon realized he didn’t need to breathe.

  “Where am I?” he said aloud, even without air.

  “Did… I die? This doesn’t look like any afterlife I’ve heard of before. Maybe this is a dream, actually? Would make sense since I don’t need air.”

  Time passed.

  He didn’t know how long he floated there, minutes, hours, days, years, but he knew it felt like a long time had gone by. During this time, after he got past the initial panic and accepted whatever this was, Alex occupied himself mostly by trying to use his racial abilities.

  He used his sight to watch the mana, near and far, and used his control to try to manipulate it. The colors of the mana looked familiar. He saw silvers, golds, blacks. It reminded him of the colors he had seen on the Progenitor gem, the book, and in his shadow.

  But the mana wouldn’t allow him to. He knew it was possible; he could feel it, but the mana was gently rejecting him like a parent would a child. It felt like it was whispering that he wasn’t ready.

  Yet.

  This mana, he couldn’t tell what it was, or what kind, but it was the most comfortable mana he had ever felt. It felt like it was him, and he was it. They were the same. He wanted to be forever embraced by the mana, lost in its comfort.

  Stars glittered and shone brightly in all directions. He enjoyed this view more than he could put into words. It was something he never wanted to forget, whether he was truly dead or alive, or even if this was a dream.

  It was beautiful.

  As Alex studied the mana, he heard something new. Something new and very far but powerful. It grew louder as he tried to concentrate on it.

  “You need to wake up, young Progenitor, your time here has come to an end. We’ll speak again soon. Good luck on your Path.”

  The voice was from something distant and beyond reason. The might he felt from that voice was something he couldn't comprehend or imagine possible. Waves of power rolled out in the space around him.

  Before he was able to reply or even think about what he had heard, he felt something tug at him. It tried to pull him away, far, far away.

  “What the hell’s that?” he said in confusion, right before it suddenly ripped him away, almost giving him whiplash.

  Everything went dark.

  When Alex awoke, he wasn’t surrounded by stars anymore or floating in that comfortable place. He was in a cage. A dirty cage made of stone, which was too small for him to move much.

  It took him a few moments to come back to his senses. His mind needed time to catch up to what had happened and the time he had been away.

  Was it all a dream? He reasoned, trying to understand it all.

  It was so real. I remember the feeling of the mana that surrounded me, the stars in the distance, and the comfort I had there.

  It was like home.

  And most of all, I remember that voice. That voice is something I can never forget. The sheer power it held.

  Alex was in awe of it; he wanted to have that kind of power.

  I will have it. Nothing will stop me.

  His thoughts surprised him again. Why do I want power so much now? I never wanted it before. I really don’t understand what the hell is happening to me. This has been the strangest day ever.

  I went into a cave, which isn’t normal for me. I was betrayed and potentially murdered by a fellow human when he let me fall into a hole on purpose. I visited space, kinda. Got magical powers. Then got stabbed multiple times. Oh, and now I’m locked in a cage.

  I don’t think any of that was on my bingo card for “interesting things to do in life”. Mine would have been more like… buy a second dog. Or get a new car. Or get married? You know… standard stuff.

  Weird fucking day.

  Alex’s new apartment, a stone cage, let him see his surroundings clearly. He could tell that he was still inside a cavern. It was much larger than the others he had seen too, but smaller than the central one. The ceiling was really high, the walls mostly flat, as if a mining pick had worked them. Around the cavern, he saw several fires. Large ones. The kind you would see at a bonfire event, not a campfire. They were all unattended.

  Only one other thing was in the room with him.

  He didn’t need the fires to see who was there with him. The kobold he was looking at was much larger than the others he had seen or killed. This one looked twice as large, probably almost Alex’s height. It wore a robe and had a large staff. Its scales were dark, nearly black.

  So it's a mage or support. He reasoned.

  If it's a support, it won't have much firepower to fight me with, but if it's a mage…. that’ll be rough.

  The thing that really concerned Alex wasn’t its weapon or robe, or even the fact that he had confirmed it was a mage; it was the name and information he saw.

  Zhiva the Earth Shaper (Level 7)

  Kobolds are a race of lizard-like monsters that prefer to live underground. They're aggressive and devious, known for traps and ambushing unsuspecting adventurers who stumble into their territory. This Kobold variant is a unique named monster. Named monsters are rare and more powerful than their regular counterparts.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Well, that thing isn’t terrifying at all. Alex thought, admiring the kobold mage sitting on what looked to be a throne made of stone.

  I doubt I could beat a regular level 7 mage boss, let alone a powered-up version with a name. This isn’t looking good… but on the bright side of things, I’m glad they decided to imprison me instead of outright murdering me when they found me unconscious.

  Small victories.

  While the kobold didn’t seem to be paying attention to Alex, he focused on the cage around him. He could feel the earth mana infused into it, but he also felt the power of the mage who cast it. What he sensed was much stronger than the previous mage he fought; this one was in a league of its own.

  Alex didn’t want the mage to know he could use earth magic, too, so he chose not to try to break out yet. He wanted to wait for the perfect opportunity. This cage was stronger than he expected, though, and he knew it would take more time to escape.

  An hour passed as Alex sat there. In that time, he studied the cage that trapped him, slowly, ensuring he could escape when he was ready.

  I need more time. I don’t feel comfortable enough yet to try it, and even if I did… that boss would be an issue. Another hour passed, and then another. He waited in that cage for hours.

  Damnit... I need to pee.

  Zhiva turned and looked at him as he stood up to relieve himself. “Yousss awakesss now.”

  He sighed. Figures it wasn’t going to let me pee.

  Alex heard a voice that sent a chill up his spine. The voice was feminine, yet it came out in a hissing whisper. It's exactly how he would imagine a snake talking.

  “You can talk?!” Alex replied in shock, clearly not expecting it to speak to him. The Kobold boss rose and walked towards him.

  “Yesssss, I wasss blessssed by the Great Ssserpent.” it hissed out.

  “Great Serpent?” escaped from his lips before he could think.

  “Theee Great Ssserpent commandsss allll. Givvving usss itsss wordsss and knowledge. Giftsss usss with power.”

  Is it talking about the Universal System? It would make sense for these creatures to worship it. He thought before he replied.

  “Why am I in this cage?”

  “Byy the Great Ssserpentsss will,” it hissed. “It tolddd mee a challllengerr would comeee. Tommorrrrow we will fightttt.”

  “It told you I was coming? And that we have to fight; why?” Alex asked curiously.

  It slammed the butt of its staff into the ground. “I ddo not quesssstion the Grrreat Ssserpentt. It sssays we mussst fighttt, ssso we ssshall,” Zhiva replied angrily.

  “But wh–” The mage interrupted him when they channeled earth mana into the cage. It caused a piece to splinter and break off, hovering before Alex's throat.

  “Ssssilenccee,” It commanded. “Youu will sittt andd beee quieettt until wee mussst fighttt.” The kobold turned and walked away, sitting back onto its throne. When it sat down, the splinter of earth hovering in front of Alex dissipated.

  “Well, that was rude,” Alex grumbled, sitting down with a smile on his face.

  When the boss channeled its mana, using it in such proximity, Alex felt it and was able to get a better understanding of it. Whether it helped him escape this cage or in the fight tomorrow, he knew it would be beneficial.

  Shit, I didn’t get to pee. He remembered, then sighed. I'd better wait a bit; the grumpy lizard might get mad if I stand back up.

  Alex tried to think of what to do. If he broke out of the cage now, he would just have to fight the boss, and if he waited until tomorrow, he would also have to fight the boss.

  I don’t see any other option that doesn’t require me to fight. And honestly, the best way to get out of this dungeon is to beat the boss. Plus… maybe I’ll get loot!

  I’m really not sure if I can win though… the boss looks strong. Much much stronger than anyone else in the dungeon.

  But like everything else so far in this tutorial. Do I have a choice?

  It’s fight or die.

  Convinced to fight in exchange for shiny loot, he came up with a game plan.

  The boss is a mage, and the best way for me to win is to do the same thing I did to the last mage— Take control of the mana with my Celestial Control ability. And if I fail at that… I’ll use it to create an opening where I can shove my sword somewhere it won’t like. If it had my sword, anyways... which I don't.. they took it I guess before throwing me in here...maybe I can make a stone one?

  He sighed. I’m literally just winging this shit, like everything else today. It’s getting ridiculous.

  Since Alex had already slept for a few hours when he fell unconscious, he didn’t feel tired yet. He used this time to practice his [Celestial Control] ability while studying mana through his [Eyes of the Cosmos]. He knew these abilities would be key to defeating Zhiva. He turned away from the Kobold, his back towards it, and practiced in secret.

  At first, he started with his own earth magic. Studying it and trying to shape it. He used earth magic to conjure a small ball of earth, about the size of a golf ball. Keeping an eye on his mana levels, he began to manipulate the ball, forcing it to change into any shape he could think of.

  His first attempts were tragically poor. Starting with the small ball, he shifted it into an earth spike, a square, and back to a ball. The process was slow and arduous. It took a lot of concentration and mana to hold its form as it shifted into new shapes. Earth mana wasn’t fluid. It was rigid, wanting to stay in its form, not change into something new. The shapes fought him every step of the way.

  But eventually it became easier.

  The longer he practiced, the more difficult he made the training. At first, he was only turning it into basic shapes, and now he was attempting more intricate designs. Numbers, a house, anything he could think of.

  Alex even tried to make action figures of his favorite video game characters, just to practice and entertain himself.

  The basic character shapes were becoming easier, but he couldn’t get the finer details, like faces, fingers, or even clothing. The figures ended up looking roughly humanoid, but that was it.

  He knew with enough practice, though, he could do it, but he also knew he didn’t have enough time to do it in a few hours.

  Instead of focusing on small designs, he tried to draw more power and control from it. He created another golf ball of stone. Once created, he channeled more mana into it and forced his willpower down on it, compressing the ball. He pushed and pushed, condensing the stone as much as he could.

  The goal was to make something harder and stronger than just a ball of stone.

  I’m not the smartest kid around, but I’m pretty sure compressing stone like this wouldn’t be possible without magic, at least not in a short time. My [Earth Magic] skill changes things. It’s giving me control of the stone in a way that just wasn’t possible before the integration. I can force it to pack itself tighter, without the stone cracking or breaking.

  Magic is awesome.

  WAIT! He thought with a moment of shock and pure stupidity. I never checked my notifications after waking up… I’ve been sitting here for hours and never even went through them or paid attention to the icon waiting in the corner of my eye. I got so sidetracked with seeing the boss and practicing.

  Damn, I’m a moron.