Nate took one last look over his Status before he stepped into the Dungeon. True to his word, he had restricted his use of Conceptual Material Shaping to the bones below his waist, just as he had done for Britt. Those changes were reflected in his Status as a single line.

  Britt had similar results. So far, he had only raised their bones to Rare-tier and only for the legs. He suspected as they covered the rest of the body the total bonus would increase to somewhere around six to eight percent. They should increase even further when raised to Epic. The exception was his femur, which was already Epic-tier, a requirement he had made for himself to connect his Runic Gallery to it. If he hadn’t had so much free time in the saddle, he wouldn’t have bothered improving his own bones. Enhanced physical Stats just didn’t benefit him the same way they would Britt and Kiri. But, there was no point leaving power on the table, especially when he couldn’t invest that time elsewhere. Besides, it did give him ideas for other improvements he could make.

  However, that was for later. Now was the time to find out if lower-tier Dungeons were still worth his time. Stepping through the spatial tunnel, he read over the notification.

  You have entered a Dungeon!

  The Assessment Period will begin now. You have five minutes to choose to leave the Dungeon before the entrance will be sealed.

  Dungeon Name: The Sylvan Forest

  Dungeon Tier: Common

  Dungeon Challenges: 3.

  Exit Conditions: Complete 1 Challenge.

  Walk your Path. Reach your Goal. Become One with Mana.

  Nate breathed in the fresh air of the Dungeon as he strolled forward through the alien forest. The mana density of the Dungeon was noticeably lower than what was contained within his Mana Reserve and he was forced to clamp down on his mana to prevent it from escaping his clutches. He had detected the spatial aperture that led to this Dungeon through his farsight sphere of awareness after a lunch spent in the saddle of the fourth day. The Dungeon itself was only of Common rarity. He had suspected as much as the spatial aperture had felt weaker, as though connected to a smaller space. For that reason, he had elected to handle it alone. The main reason for this decision was to see how doing the Dungeon solo would affect the rewards.

  When he had first soloed a Dungeon upon his arrival on Galle, the rewards had been inflated by being alone and also by his low level. However, he had hypothesised that if one exceeded the Dungeon’s difficulty by enough, it might reduce rewards. Now he was going to test that hypothesis.

  The Dungeon itself was small. Not surprising for a Common Dungeon, as he knew they increased in size with their rarity. He estimated the Dungeon was only four-hundred metres in width and length. Beyond that there was the buzz of warped space that he could keenly recognise, a barrier containing the Dungeon and preventing its collapse. The layout of this Dungeon was a forest at night, with trees that shone with silver bark and leaves of red that dripped water with a frequency that reminded Nate of a constant drizzle.

  All that dripping water had to go somewhere and while he was sure it was seeping into the ground, it also left puddles interspersed among the brown grass that blanketed the forest floor. The mirror surface of the water reflected the silver bark of the trees making the small pools look like liquid metal. Those reflections, while hauntingly beautiful, made it impossible for him to see what lay below the water's surface with his eyes. That difficulty, it seemed, was the Dungeon’s main gimmick.

  While his eyes might not be able to pierce the shimmering silver surfaces, his Farsight of the Runic Artist held no such limitations. Some puddles were just that. A pool of liquid only ankle deep and filled with nothing but the dripping water. Others, however, hid holes far deeper –deep enough to drown a man, with things waiting to make sure their prey did not escape. Most explorers would never know what ended their lives in those watery depths. For Nate, however, the snakes inhabiting the pools were as clear as day. His heightened perception could pick them out, even with their colours matching the trees, and Nate didn’t need his identification to know they were venomous.

  In other pools, there were plants resting at the bottom with swaying tentacles above them, likely meant to ensnare those who fell into their depths. Finally, small rat-like creatures seemed to live in the trees, coming down from above to nibble on small plants that grew around the pools of water. A simplistic ecosystem, but one that apparently worked, unless the Dungeon was supplementing the food sources for the snakes somehow.

  Given the snakes and traps, Nate suspected that anyone who was at the appropriate level for this Dungeon would likely die if they made the mistake of falling into one of the pools. As long as they avoided the puddles and focused on the few challenges in the forest, they would have been fine.

  But for Nate, the entire Dungeon didn’t even warrant his full attention.

  “Which ones do you want?” he asked casually.

  “Doesn’t matter, Boss. They’re all boring. I’m not even going to goblin-mode! This is like slapping toddlers,” complained Frick.

  Nate frowned at the comparison but he couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. It was too easy. But he had to know if the rewards would be penalised. If they were, he would just leave and inform Aisling. Maybe a Bronze Guild team would gain some benefits from this place.

  “The big snake then,” Nate confirmed.

  Staring off into the distance. he spun up his first rune. A simplistic rune combining the Sigils for Earth, Control and Shape. Unless the snake could fly he expected he could kill it in moments. Using his farsight sphere of awareness, he identified his target.

  Sylvan Forest Viper Guardian

  Venomous Slithering Striker (U) (13)

  The only surprise was that the serpent had an Uncommon-tier Primary Class. Watching through his sphere for a moment, he took a good long look at the monster. The viper was three metres in length, which made it four times the size of most of its smaller kin. The silver scales were streaked with red making the monster look like it was bleeding. Curled up in a large but shallow puddle, the snake appeared to be lazing about, uninterested in anything else within the forest.

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  Having satisfied his curiosity, Nate began his attack. From over two-hundred metres away, he controlled the ground near the snake to form into a spear and shot it at the head of the viper. The resting beast lacked the stats and the awareness to even consider a reaction before its head was pierced through and pinned to a tree behind it. As silver blood dripped down the tree, a notification appeared in the corner of his vision.

  You have completed a Dungeon challenge!

  Dungeon: The Sylvan Forest

  Challenge: Defeat the Viper Guardian.

  Challenge (Special): Defeat the Viper Guardian as a party of one.

  Challenge (Unsuitable): Defeat the Viper Guardian while exceeding its level by 20.

  Challenge (Unsuitable): Defeat the Viper Guardian while exceeding its level by 40.

  Results indicate no reward is appropriate for this Challenge.

  Nate nodded. Just as he had suspected, as there were bonuses for punching up, there were also negatives for punching down. Common Tier, raised by one tier and then reduced by two tiers took it back to whatever was below Common. The only thing he could think of was the materials he had brought from his own Dead Universe – materials that had never interacted with mana.

  “So, Common Dungeons are pointless for us now,” he said out loud.

  “Seems so, Boss. Gonna head back to the convoy?” asked Frick.

  “Yeah. Our time would be better spent preparing some new materials and finishing my healing device.”

  With a quick scan of the Guardian’s corpse, and finding no Orb, he exited the Dungeon, activating True Teleportation repeatedly in quick succession. The convoy had only managed to get a few kilometres further ahead and he caught up to them after his fifth teleport, appearing back in his saddle. A quick conversation with Aisling told his mentor where to find the Dungeon, its difficulty and the threats that anyone entering would face. Since the Dungeon was only Common, he was unlikely to get much of a reward from the Guild. Maybe a single Common Stat Orb. But still, it helped the Guild, and more importantly, it helped Aisling’s standing with the Guild, even if only marginally. Every bit counted though. You could build a mountain out of grains of sand, after all.

  The notification in the corner of his vision made him smile and he brought it up in front of his eyes, already knowing what it would be.

  True Teleportation 40 > 41

  True Teleportation (M) is ready to evolve.

  Evolutions Available! Please Select 1.

  Skill Evolution Options:

  Conceptual Spatial Manipulation (M)

  Your use of a Spatial Sigil to influence your control over space has grown to the point where you can create portals, spatially expand areas and even invoke a Construct of Space. Merged with your True Teleportation Skill, this Skill incorporates your growing capabilities into your Class Core. Carve a space among the stars for yourself. This Skill grants the user the ability to manipulate space. Teleportation distance increases with Skill Level. Teleportation Mana Cost decreases with Magic Power, Magic Control and distance travelled. Initial distance is ten metres. Skill Level increases distance by Skill Level * ten metres. Conceptual Spatial Manipulation allows the user to alter space covering up to five cubic metres. Skill Level increases cubic metres by Skill Level * 0.1 plus Magic Control / 50. Increases Magic Control by 18%.

  Extended True Teleportation (M)

  With your powerful spatial affinity, you have mastered the ability to teleport over short distances. This Skill extends that capability into the horizon, allowing the user to teleport massive distances in a single bound. Teleportations are also harder to suppress with Spatial Locks. Distance increases with Skill Level. Mana Cost decreases with Magic Power, Magic Control and distance travelled. Initial distance is one hundred metres. Skill Level increases distance by Skill Level * one hundred metres. Teleportations are Skill Level * Magic Control / 50 percent more powerful when contending with Spatial Locks. Increases Magic Control by 18%.

  While being able to teleport over four kilometres in a single go and resist spatial locks was tempting, it didn’t align with his path or his plans. It made the choice a simple one and he quickly selected Conceptual Spatial Manipulation.

  Conceptual Spatial Manipulation 41 > 41

  With that change alone, his maximum area for spatial manipulation had more than doubled. His Runic Gallery, which so far had been created using runes, only covered five cubic metres. With Conceptual Spatial Manipulation it should now be possible to cover eleven cubic metres with the same runes, by enhancing them through his Skill. There were other things he intended to test, and he would need to share his findings with Luc, of course, but finally his spatial abilities were starting to align with his plans for his Embodiment. Everything was coming together. With a satisfied nod, he settled in for a few more days of creating runecrafted items within his Runic Gallery. After that, they would finally link up with the Bright Army. Then, all bets were off.

  *************

  Kiri fidgeted, cracking her fingers over and over again. She hated not knowing what to do. Every time she was left without a path forward when dealing with a problem, it would plague her, like lightning under her skin – a constant itch that she just couldn’t scratch. The source of her problem was Coralie. Something was clearly bothering her girlfriend and had been ever since they left the Capital. It was evident in the small things. The way the beautiful Ice Mage would stare off into the distance as though lost. The quietness as they curled up together in their tent each night. All the little things added up to paint a clear picture of her girlfriend worrying over something. Yet every time Kiri had broached the topic, trying to comfort Coralie, or wheedle out of her what the issue was, she would clamp up.

  Sure, she gave assurances that it was nothing. That it would all be fine once they could return to the Capital. But Kiri wasn’t buying it. Not entirely, anyway. She believed Coralie. Believed that being forced to join the war effort by Prefect Allais, her bitch of a mother, was a major source of angst for Coralie. But, she had never refrained from talking about her issues with her mother before. She had never clamped up like this. And it was that silence, that hiding, that left Kiri concerned and fidgeting like an itch she couldn’t scratch.

  Kiri had hoped that Nate would have good news when he returned from the Dungeon. That they would still get rewards, despite their levels, just so Kiri had an excuse to vent her frustrations in violent fashion on deserving monsters. But, he was right. No rewards for them from Common Dungeons, which meant even if she went and vented frustrations, she would feel guilty about stealing that opportunity from some Bronze Guild members. It would be nothing to her. She doubted a Dungeon of that size would take her more than twenty minutes to annihilate. Less, if she didn’t bother with the weaker monsters and focused on the Challenges.

  The only solace she had was that Nate had found another way for them to progress – a way outside of their Class Cores. Physical Enhancement wasn’t completely unknown. She had heard of rare alchemical compounds that could have permanent impacts on a person’s performance. But they were far rarer than the alchemical creations that gave temporary enhancements. She had listened quietly to Nate explain his theory on why and how. In the past, she would have understood less than half of it and forgotten almost all of it. But her focus on Stat Orbs for Intellect had slowly been improving both her memory, and to a lesser extent, her understanding.

  With one hundred and eleven in her Intellect Stat, she was two-thirds of the way to being able to split her focus. Well, she already could, just not well. It left her head pounding and made her perform worse in both tasks. But she could kind-of do it, which gave her hope that she could do it flawlessly once she passed one hundred and fifty.

  While splitting her focus had been the goal, being able to understand how alchemical concoctions might be able to permanently impart weak Concepts physically to the body was interesting. She tried not to smile and failed completely. She was still annoyed about Coralie and wanted to be annoyed about it, but thinking about her brother always made her smile. He was so enamoured with his discoveries that it was impossible for her not to be drawn into his theories and ideas. He found it interesting and his passion made it interesting for her as well. And his latest theories opened up questions she had never considered. If advancement was possible without the Class Core, then what, in the end, was the purpose of The System? She didn’t know and didn’t think she had a way of finding out. But she intended to be there by her brother's side when he figured it all out. With a slight smile and feeling just a little less annoyed, she drifted back towards Coralie. Nate was busy crafting anyway and she didn’t want to interrupt him, even though she knew he wouldn’t have minded. They would have plenty of time tonight around the fire.

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