《Primer for the Apocalypse》


 Prologue (Revised)

    I examined the dirty cell around me. It was the second time in a row that I¡¯d woken from a forced drug-induced slumber to find myself somewhere new. Seeing in the dim lighting was difficult, but there was just enough illumination for my advanced senses to make out my immediate surroundings.


    The dirt along the cell¡¯s back wall had started forming clumps of mud where small cracks had developed over time, allowing moisture to seep through. The area around the hole in the floor that served as a toilet was probably the cleanest portion of the cell, likely due to the efforts of my predecessors.


    I shivered at the thought of using such a thing. Thankfully, blocks of wood covered the holes in each cell, sparing everyone the associated smells.


    I had no idea how long I¡¯d been unconscious, but I doubted my captors would leave me alone for long. I wracked my mind for a solution to my predicament.


    My party and I had been captured, my wards and alarms somehow failing as we slept for a few scant hours. Someone had been on watch, but they¡¯d also been neutralized¡­somehow. There were too many unknowns.


    At least I knew who our captors were. Harbinger cultists. They were the worst of the worst, according to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. While it was easy to recognize the markings on their robes, knowing who had captured my party wouldn¡¯t help us escape.


    A quick glance around the prison showed lightly glowing runes related to communication and Space spread throughout the area. While I didn¡¯t recognize all of them, I understood the gist of what the enchantments were likely meant to do ¨C block communication, teleportation, and other avenues of potential escape.


    Undeterred by the markings, since even a failed attempt would provide valuable information, I tried to Teleport anyway, not bothering with the spellform but going straight to Direct Casting, using my affinity to guide me like I¡¯d learned to do the only other time I¡¯d ever been imprisoned. Before the effect could manifest, my focus was broken by a searing pain in my neck. I reached up, feeling the cold metal collar around my neck.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± I exclaimed quietly. Active mana suppression collars were a much bigger issue than some old enchantments. Shifting into a lotus position, I pulled my consciousness within and attempted to gauge how much the collar impacted my mana. It was¡­not good.


    I could still access my secret storage space ¨C the one I¡¯d anchored to a small piece of purified bone I¡¯d implanted several years earlier after having all my equipment stolen by people who should have been allies. Though it appeared my captors had stripped me of everything valuable, taking everything but the thin underarmor I¡¯d worn to sleep in, they¡¯d missed the largest cache I owned.


    At least there was some good news.


    Though I couldn¡¯t cast spells, it seemed I could still activate enchantments ¨C something I had loads of hidden away in my personal storage. Unfortunately, nothing jumped out as immediately helpful. I could probably fight with the manatech devices I had hidden away once they removed me from the cell, but it still wouldn¡¯t get the collar off my neck.


    ¡°Think, Emie,¡± I whispered to myself.


    ¡°You can¡¯t escape,¡± a dull, feminine voice said from the cell across from me. The sudden noise caused me to jump slightly, but I kept from crying out. I could see movement in the shadows of the cell. Looking closer, I noticed small signs of life within several of the darkened cells.


    I ignored the voice and continued to mentally catalog my belongings, hoping something would trigger an idea.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless,¡± the voice whispered hopelessly. ¡°They¡¯ll never let us go. We¡¯re going to die here.¡±


    Hoping my continued silence would deter further comments, I turned away, angling my back toward the speaker. She sounded young, but I¡¯d quickly learned that appearances were highly deceptive when magic was involved.


    One of my long-term projects caught my eye, and my breath quickened. Finishing the formation wouldn¡¯t immediately help the rest of my party, but I''d have time to figure something out as long as it didn¡¯t kill me. Given my collar and the spatial wards in place, I wasn¡¯t even sure the formation would work. However, it relied more heavily on Time than Space, so I hoped it would be okay. If it failed, I could always try again, assuming the intricate enchantment I¡¯d spent so much time and effort on wasn¡¯t destroyed in the attempt.


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    On principle, I avoided using the cleaner area around the toilet for anything but its designated purpose. Instead, I brushed as much dirt off the floor as possible on the opposite side of the cell before spreading out the valuable beast skin I¡¯d removed from my hidden storage.


    Given the darkness, I couldn¡¯t see as well as I wanted to, but Enhanced Mana Sense allowed me to perceive enough to complete my task. Thank goodness the collar didn¡¯t wholly block mana usage.


    I¡¯d been dragging my feet on completing the formation for weeks already, telling myself I needed better, stronger reagents for the final segment instead of just using what I¡¯d collected. Maybe the situation in which I found myself was the motivation I needed to overcome whatever psychological block had been keeping me from finishing it.


    Magic that affected time as a whole ¨C not just individual items or people ¨C was usually limited to a short window where the current timeline hadn¡¯t solidified. The farther one traveled back, the more ripples would be created. All Time Mages understood there was a line that, if crossed, would cause a new timeline to branch away from the first.


    Aside from whatever backlash the caster faced, creating branches in the timeline wasn¡¯t supposed to affect the current timeline. Time Mages capable of casting such spells instinctively understood when their magic would cross this metaphysical line. They also understood that creating time branches might have personal repercussions ¨C like soul damage or death within one or both timelines involved.


    As a Time Mage, I understood this. I did not need to research to find the information; it was instinctive. However, I had still sought data sources regarding time travel outside the system¡¯s framework, only to come out empty-handed.


    It was almost like information on Time magic had been intentionally suppressed or withheld.


    Given some of the nobility¡¯s stance on power, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me. However, it was just as likely that there simply weren¡¯t enough Time Mages willing to share their knowledge. Regardless, now that I¡¯d decided on a path forward, I needed to do everything perfectly. I likely wouldn¡¯t get a second chance, at least not anytime soon.


    If the formation worked and I didn¡¯t die from casting such an unorthodox piece of Time magic, the part of me that stayed behind would still have to figure out some way to escape and rescue the rest of my party ¨C if they were even still alive. Harbinger cultists weren¡¯t known for keeping male captives for very long.


    From what we¡¯d been told at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild upon arriving on Olym, Harbinger cultists were big into sacrifices and summoning demons to fight. Apparently, it provided more experience¡­or something. Given that they¡¯d all be labeled as offenders of the Accords within the system, the whole cult thing didn¡¯t make that much sense.


    Hopefully, Ros and the others were still alive.


    Regardless, I would ensure they were protected in the new timeline and complete the handful of requests my party members had. Requests like keeping Ros¡¯s best friend from dying in the Arcane mana well where Ros somehow awakened his affinity years after accessing the system.


    Edgar, Jorenda, and Marcus had made similar, if perhaps not as dramatic, requests for if my creation worked. With as much support as they¡¯d given me since joining them, doing a few side quests was hardly fair recompense.


    I carefully inscribed the final runes with reagents for Time and Space that I¡¯d mixed with a drop of my blood, infusing the requisite mana through blood as the runes took shape and solidified.


    There was no reason to review the formation again now that it was complete. It would either work¡­ or not. I wiped my bare feet (because, of course, they took my shoes!) and carefully stepped onto the blank space I¡¯d left for that purpose. I withdrew the only Time core I¡¯d acquired during my travels, coincidentally from the same beast as the skin on which I¡¯d inscribed the formation.


    After activating the barrier to keep the mana from escaping, I took a deep breath. I pushed as much Time mana as possible into the area around me while shattering the core in my hands. Because I wasn¡¯t trying to guide my mana, the collar hadn¡¯t inhibited its release. It was a significant oversight I¡¯d have to remember.


    The foreign mana was stubborn, but it eventually mixed sufficiently with the mana I¡¯d released to allow me to gain control. I quickly directed the mixed energy into the runes powering the formation. My mind strained as I focused on pushing every speck of mana I could control into the runes while triggering the formation to activate.


    Pressure built from all directions, and it felt like something was squeezing my soul into a smaller shell. There was a sharp pain that went beyond the physical body. It was deep, almost spiritual, as was the sensation of tearing that soon followed.


    It felt like my soul was being shredded.


    Had I messed up, or was this part of forcefully creating a new timeline?


    I started to panic. The formation was supposed to send my consciousness (maybe a part of my soul?) back to the beginning ¨C when I experienced the first surge of mana during the start of the reintegration. I didn¡¯t think it would be this painful.


    Then again, I hadn¡¯t factored in the stupid collar, either.


    A crushing wave of disappointment hit me. I should have waited. I should have used an alternative method of escaping and saved the formation until I removed the stupid collar.


    The pain at the center of my being made it hard to think. It became everything¡­ before everything started to get fuzzy, then numb.


    Not only had I failed, but I¡¯d also probably killed or crippled myself in the process. Feelings of overwhelming regret and loss competed with the spiritual pain that writhed and shifted as my consciousness waned.


    I had failed.

 Chapter 1 (Revised) - The Return

    The pervasive numbness of my body only did so much to mitigate the spiritual pain. Even with my consciousness flickering, I was aware of the deep ache where my soul had been injured.


    My hazy existence lasted a long time ¨C something I instinctively knew without genuinely comprehending the passage of time. While in the semi-fugue state, the spiritual pain eventually faded, becoming a dull ache in the back of my consciousness. I¡¯d barely regained the ability to consider my predicament when everything shifted. Once again, I felt an increase in pressure. This time, it was uncomfortable rather than painful, and there was a distinct sense of twisting¡ª


    ¡°Welcome to your Virtual Personal Space!¡± a perky female voice said from all around me. My vision suddenly cleared, revealing an entirely new set of surroundings. I was pretty sure I¡¯d died since I could see nothing but white.


    Was heaven still a thing now that I knew about Ascension? Was I being reincarnated?


    I discarded the errant thoughts and examined my surroundings, seeing no real variation between the white of the walls, floor, or ceiling. It was like I was trapped in a white cube ¨C or maybe a non-padded room for crazy people. Except there were no doors visible.


    Before I started panicking, a strange niggling instinct told me that my surroundings were familiar. I¡¯d seen something like this before, but before I could figure it out, the cheerful voice continued its monologue, catching me off-guard.


    I¡¯d somehow overlooked the voice that had greeted me. The anime-looking character appearing on the screen in front of me was harder to overlook. Dressed in all white, with hair to match, the young woman moved energetically as she monologued.


    ¡°This is your space, your V-P-S,¡± the woman giggled lightly. ¡°It¡¯s where your avatar can rest when you need to log off. You can also decorate and use it for your own purposes. Nobody else can access your VPS unless expressly invited by you. Invitations are one-time use, and subsequent visits will require additional invitations to maintain the sanctity of your space. You can also modify the time settings to allow for up to 4x time dilation ¨C the current setting ¨C while within your personal space.¡±


    A paper-sized crystal tablet appeared mounted to the display wall, causing me to startle. The tablet¡¯s near translucence made seeing it against the solid background difficult.


    ¡°This is a kiosk. You can use it to order items just like within the worlds of Atlas Online. You can also use it to interact with your VPS and customize it to suit your tastes. Unfortunately, the kiosk uses experience points as currency, something you do not have yet,¡± she said with a sad frown.


    The adjacent wall flickered, suddenly displaying a familiar scene I hadn¡¯t seen in 15 years.


    Excitement surged as the heavy fog over my mind lightened and I realized where I was. My surroundings suddenly made sense. It had worked. The formation had worked! The timing wasn¡¯t what I expected, but maybe it was better this way.


    I¡¯d thought the first surge of mana I¡¯d felt had been when everyone¡¯s neural interfaces had activated, giving us access to the system that governed progression in our new reality. Considering my current surroundings, it was obvious that I¡¯d been wrong!


    It was the first time I¡¯d logged onto the game Atlas Online!


    I knew the game used mana. Of course, I did! Everyone knew about that after the interfaces came online and Alliance representatives started releasing statements about what was happening to the public. Somehow, I¡¯d completely overlooked the possibility that the amount of mana the suit provided would have been enough to change my formation¡¯s target.


    ¡°Mana is the building block of life. What happens when it is removed from an entire planet?¡± a new, deeper voice asked as the scenes shifted on the wall.


    I¡¯d seen the introduction for Atlas Online before. However, I hadn¡¯t given it much thought aside from being the backstory of the ¡®game.¡¯ I focused my attention on the screen, this time looking for anything I may have missed before.


    ¡°It is this question that led to the colonization of Earth several thousand years ago. Hundreds of humans from across the Alliance volunteered for the study, agreeing to inhabit a world where mana was actively siphoned, gradually reducing the ambient mana levels until they were virtually undetectable. As the mana levels dropped, so did direct contact with the colonists, as their modified neural interfaces ceased propagation due to energy deficits. That does not mean they were forgotten or ignored!¡±


    The image on the wall changed to display members of several races observing the lives of colonists through what appeared to be satellite imagery. There were teams of elven researchers manipulating screens, groups of smaller gnomes and variants of fae documenting observations, as well as mixed groups containing humans alongside their fantasy counterparts.


    Several spaceships were visible in the distance, showing the researchers were not confined to a single group. It was still nothing new for me since the fact that Alliance researchers ¨C typically under gray camouflage ¨C occasionally popped in for a visit was well-known after the reintegration.


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    ¡°While the technological boom of the past couple of centuries was remarkable, especially given its mundane nature, it became apparent during the last decades that the balance of Earth had been disrupted. When the imbalance only accelerated, the Council, in their infinite wisdom, ended the study and restored Earth to homeostasis by gradually removing the mana siphons.


    ¡°Members of the Atlantis Alliance contacted your world¡¯s various leaders to prepare the population for reintegration into our society, and happily, the stabilization of Earth was a resounding success!¡± The screen shifted to show images of humans of varying ethnicities smiling and cheering as they cast magic spells. It was undoubtedly an optimistic view ¨C just not an accurate one.


    ¡°As new members of the Alliance, you have been granted access to teleportation portals leading to multiple allied worlds. Unfortunately, due to the low personal level of Earth¡¯s population, only two planets are available at this time,¡± the deep voice said apologetically.


    There had been more than that available when I left Earth. All were Tier Four or below, though. I¡¯d focused on Pylos since that was what I was familiar with from the game. I¡¯d never bothered to explore Osana. However, it would have made more sense for the mermaid quest my friend Jenny and I were after, being a predominantly oceanic world.


    Wait.


    My mind blanked for a few moments as the realization struck.


    What was I doing? Why was I still messing with the game? It was meant to help us train and prepare for the upcoming changes ¨C which I planned to take advantage of ¨C but I hadn¡¯t seen my parents in over a decade!


    Why was I still logged on? It was late, right? If I remembered correctly, the game went live at midnight, at least it had in Missouri, where I lived at the time. When I was just shy of seventeen¡­ My parents were definitely still alive!


    There was a good chance they were still awake, even! They both tended to be night owls. I needed to¡ª


    ¡°Log out,¡± I commanded.


    Being in my VPS, there was no delay, and my surroundings promptly faded, replaced by shadows. It took a few seconds of fumbling around to get the Deep Immersion Virtual Environment (DIVE) headgear off. However, I didn¡¯t bother trying to sit up since my body felt heavy and weak. I was also pretty sure I might get sick if I moved too quickly.


    To distract myself from the physical discomfort, I examined the headgear. It looked like a pair of wrap-around glasses, except with an adjustable band that encircled the base of my skull instead of arms. I glanced down, noting I was also wearing the haptic suit that came as an optional (but highly recommended) addition. It covered my entire body from the neck down in a thin layer of sturdy material that could expand for removal.


    Before, I thought it was just a neat piece of clothing infused with technology to allow it to shift to fit anyone. Now, I knew better. I suspected it was enchanted, probably with embedded mana crystals that could be refilled using the ¡®charging station.¡¯ With as much energy as the simulation took, it was amazing they managed to get cores to last as long as they did.


    That was what the game was ¨C a skill training simulation. Well, that and an introduction to the way of the universe with mana. The people of the Alliance had something similar available to train their skills, though most used it for education and entertainment instead, especially after Tier One.


    With a press of my will, I attempted to shift my view in a way that was nearly second nature. Instead of seeing the faint colors representing the various types of mana, I felt a clear block keeping Mana Sight from activating and a sense of profound weakness. It wasn¡¯t a physical weakness ¨C though I could feel that too ¨C it was something less tangible.


    Maybe there wasn¡¯t enough mana built up yet? Or perhaps I needed the system to be activated to use magic?


    Surely not.


    Then again, my senses felt muted, almost enclosed. It was like there was a wall around my perception. My Spatial Sense was completely silent. It was a passive skill but one directly connected to my affinity. If part of my soul had traveled back in time, wouldn¡¯t some of those connections come along?


    Slipping into a meditative mindset, I attempted to push away the light haze surrounding my thoughts. When the feeling didn¡¯t abate, I tried pulling my consciousness into my body to see what was happening. It was usually a way to bypass (or learn) Mana Sight, but the skill also failed to activate. That was a little stranger since the ability to view mana while meditating was not a mana-based skill.


    I had so many questions, but they would have to wait.


    Returning from my brief meditation, I looked down at my younger body and decided to grab a robe before leaving the room. The thin material was supposed to be worn directly against the skin, so it left very little to the imagination. Though I¡¯d grown comfortable with my body over time, I suddenly felt awkward and uncomfortable at the thought of leaving my room without something else covering me.


    Was I like this before? Ugh, teenage hormones probably played a part in it. Looking back, so many things about my behavior as a teenager embarrassed me now. Hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t impact my thinking as much as they had the first time.


    After stumbling around like a newborn deer ¨C and miraculously not getting sick ¨C I finally found and donned a robe before creeping up the stairs as quietly as I could manage. Since we lived in a split-level home, my room was downstairs while my parents¡¯ room and the common areas were upstairs. I didn¡¯t mind the setup since it gave me a lot of privacy.


    I was surprised to find the television off and the living room empty. Looking farther past the end of the stairs, I saw that the door to my parents¡¯ room was closed. Given that they likely expected to be alone for the rest of the night, I decided not to bother them.


    As much as I wanted to see them after so long apart, I was not willing to give myself the mental scars I suspected I would gain by opening their door. Nope. I¡¯d just see them in the morning. Maybe I could make them breakfast in bed or something.


    Feeling a rush of nostalgia at being home again, I silently walked through the rest of the house, touching various items that invoked powerful memories as I got reaccustomed to my body sans mana. The photos on the wall, in particular, took me several minutes to get through.


    It was exactly how I remembered it, aside from the last time I¡¯d been there¡­ But there was no reason to think about that right now. I wanted to enjoy knowing everything was back to the way it was before, if only for a few moments.

 Chapter 2 (Revised) - Not a Game

    A few minutes later, I was back in my room. I glanced around until my eyes landed on my old phone ¨C something that had once felt was the height of technology now looked so outdated. With a surge of nostalgia, I lifted it from the charging pad and looked into the optical sensor.


    Thank goodness I didn¡¯t have to remember the password. That would have been a problem.


    The phone unlocked and prominently displayed a text message I had apparently missed before logging into the game for the first time.


    Jenny: Don¡¯t forget - Pylos and Velantraeth!


    Ugh, that¡¯s right¡ªthe mermaid quest.


    I swiped to check the date. It was nearly thirty minutes after midnight, Saturday, June 15, 2030. The four-times time dilation in the VPS, where character creation took place, meant the others were probably a lot farther along than me by now. They might even be waiting for me in Pylos already.


    My first impulse was to ignore my previous path and go somewhere completely different. Not only would I be able to train the way I wanted to, but I also wouldn¡¯t have to worry about people who knew me noticing a difference in my personality.


    After everything I¡¯d gone through, there was no way I could act the same way I had as a carefree teenager. The gap between the person I once was and the one I¡¯d become was huge. It would be hard enough to stay under the radar with my family.


    Yet, these people had been my friends at one point. Ghosting them would be a crappy thing to do. Besides, shouldn¡¯t I at least try to help them out, too?


    Since I planned to do more training than gaming, it would be easy enough to compromise and stay in contact with my childhood friends without joining their group. I¡¯d go to our meeting location and make up an excuse to pull away and do my own thing. It would probably help to text Jenny first and let her know. She almost certainly had her phone linked to her user account already.


    Me: Sorry, some family stuff came up. I¡¯m running late. Probably not going to be able to play Atlas as much as I thought. Go ahead and start without me. I¡¯ll meet you at the tower.


    I sent the message before quickly grabbing my headset and lying on the bed. I didn¡¯t bother disrobing. It wasn¡¯t like it would interfere with anything.


    It didn¡¯t take long to log back into my VPS. The introduction ¡®video¡¯ continued playing from where it left off as I considered my situation. Now that I¡¯d texted Jenny, there was no reason to rush through this process. I had plenty of time.


    It was too bad I didn¡¯t have a notebook and pen in my VPS. Writing down my thoughts really helped with brainstorming.


    I looked around the space.


    A chair or recliner would also be nice, even if I felt no fatigue from standing.


    There were just under four years until the reintegration ¨C what the Alliance dubbed the date that neural interfaces came online, and life changed on Earth forever. Everyone native to Earth remembered the date during my first timeline.


    April 3, 2034.


    4/3/34, or 3/4/34 for those from other parts of the world. So much had changed that day.


    But that was what I needed to plan for. I knew what was coming, so I should be ahead of the power curve already. I just needed to iron out my goals.


    First and foremost, I needed to keep my family alive. My parents had been murdered less than a week after the interfaces were activated last time. I needed to ensure that didn¡¯t happen again.


    Similarly, I needed to keep my brother and niece from disappearing again. Aside from ensuring I was with them when the interfaces activated, I wasn¡¯t sure what else I could do. They¡¯d literally disappeared without a trace while at the beach. It probably happened at the same time that the interfaces activated, but since I wasn¡¯t there, I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    The best thing would be to have all of us together when it happened. That shouldn¡¯t be too hard to manage.


    Those two things were my primary goals. Everything else was secondary. Stopping the apocalypse would be worse than letting it happen if the Alliance was to be believed. From what I knew, they were likely telling the truth, so interfering was not an option.


    I needed to focus on reaching my primary goals as effectively as possible. While I could easily manipulate the situation to ensure we were all together when the interfaces activated, that wouldn¡¯t help me keep my family safe during the transition. For that, I needed power.


    I needed to get physically stronger and train like I had when I joined Ros¡¯s party. No, I needed to train a lot more than that. Even after joining the more skilled adventurers, I hadn¡¯t put my all into training like I could have. I¡¯d still held on to the perception that a Mage didn¡¯t need to know how to fight. They¡¯d insisted otherwise, but at best, I¡¯d given it a half-hearted effort.


    Between my spells and the enchantments I¡¯d created, I hadn¡¯t seen the need to learn how to fight. The others had always been there for that. Even in the lone instance where I had to rely on myself, I had magic to keep me safe.


    But I couldn¡¯t count on that always being the case, especially not in a newly awakening world.


    This time, I¡¯d take their advice to heart and focus on becoming a better-rounded adventurer. I wouldn¡¯t ignore my magical advantages ¨C that would be crazy, given how strong my spells were. Still, I had four years to train before the apocalypse. I couldn¡¯t improve my magic without access to mana, so focusing on what I could improve seemed like a logical alternative.


    It would have been nice to dedicate four years to improving my ability to use mana without spellforms or system-provided spells, but that was impossible without access to the resource. I¡¯d only spent a couple of years training Direct Casting and Mana Manipulation, but that would still place me leagues above almost anyone else on Earth.


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    I didn¡¯t need to worry about spell-casting over much.


    Rifts started appearing within days of the interfaces activating, so it wouldn¡¯t be hard to acquire mana-infused materials and create low-tier manatech weapons. That would provide a huge amount of flexibility for me and my family.


    Guns wouldn¡¯t work for long without being modified with runes or using alchemical bullets. I doubted I¡¯d have the materials needed for either option right away. I¡¯d likely be better off relying on the manatech I could create instead of bothering with mundane firearms and hoping to adapt them.


    Bows and crossbows would work, as would melee weapons. However, I was an absolute crap shot with a bow.


    I¡¯d tried.


    I sucked.


    I was a lot better with a crossbow, but using one would be slow, especially while my attributes were still within the realm of normal. Once I reached superhuman levels ¨C or maybe beyond mundane would be more accurate ¨C using a crossbow would be much faster. It was a viable option after reaching Tier Two, so it may be worth training.


    As an adventurer, I¡¯d leaned heavily on manatech tools, so I didn¡¯t have as much experience fighting with regular weapons as I¡¯d like. My best weapon skill was Quarterstaffs by a large margin. However, I¡¯d also taken a few spear lessons with Edgar after adding a blade enchantment to my staff. Though I had little need of a melee weapon with a strong party supporting me, I¡¯d trained enough to become proficient with the staff, even when one end was pointed and covered with metal.


    I didn¡¯t really consider my staff a melee weapon since it had been enchanted to allow me to cast several different spells. Still, the others had insisted I learn how to use it as such. Staves were considered the best weapons for a mage for a reason.


    My attention was drawn as the introduction shifted to a tutorial of sorts, and the narrator began discussing mana affinities and how they impacted what spells an individual player could cast. Though I already knew most of the information, I still paid attention just in case there was something I missed before.


    ¡°¡­Since most of you will have missed the opportunity to uncover your affinity while still on Earth, you should report to the Training Tower nearest your destination to discover your affinity. You will also be granted free training at the tower during your initial processing. This training is critical to your future success, so please ensure you make the most of it.¡±


    That was mostly a game mechanic. In real life, you couldn¡¯t go through a portal without doing affinity testing to ensure everyone got the chance. Training was critical, that was true, but there would be no training towers on Earth. At least, not for a while. However, they had set up training facilities near the portals, so there was at least that.


    The screen showed pictures of various training facilities available within different towers. None of them looked like the one I remembered, nor were they anything like the training facility I¡¯d seen on Earth before leaving. Still, the gist was the same.


    ¡°Available training includes a variety of popular skills that will help you earn funds and improve your ability to progress. While spellcasting is a common offensive option, it is difficult to train without specialized conditions. ¨C¡± (aka, not in the game) ¡°¡ª Further, all spells must be purchased through the system, obtained through spell crystals, or learned via private tutors. Unlike skill training, tower personnel are not required to assist travelers in manually learning new spells. It is recommended that all system purchases are completed as early as possible since costs increase proportionally to one¡¯s level.¡±


    That was critical information. Twenty-five percent of the next level in experience per spell or ability was dirt cheap when the cost for the next level was just a few hundred. When it was 50,000? Not so much. And, of course, there was no hoarding experience to avoid leveling. You could only hold up to the following level¡¯s worth of experience in reserve, essentially allowing someone to level twice if they wanted, but no more than that.


    But those were the little details the game was supposed to teach us through experience without ruining our ability to grow. Why didn¡¯t they mention the five-spell per-tier limit for purchases? I didn¡¯t remember that being a thing at all within the game. It would have been helpful to know about the limit before buying spells initially.


    Then again, it wasn¡¯t like you could figure out spells or intuitively cast in the game. Both were entirely possible with a bit of effort in real life. It usually required some kind of traumatic experience or duress to learn. At least, it had for me. The Mage I trained with claimed it had been the same for her, but she also hadn¡¯t attended a Mage¡¯s Academy.


    They likely had ways to learn Direct Casting without being in danger.


    ¡°While conflict builds character and spurs growth, there is a limit to what is considered appropriate. Fighting and potentially killing others within the same tier is an understandable method of promoting progression. However, attacking those in lower tiers directly violates the Accords outside of sanctioned quests, self-defense, or declared states of war. The system will mark those violating the Accords, and offenders will find their freedom of movement significantly impaired. In the Atlas Online universe, Themis is the deity responsible for adjudicating all incidents involving offender labeling.¡±


    That was absolutely applicable outside of the game. Maybe not the bit about Themis, but the system labeling part was accurate. A lot of people thought it was just a game mechanic when the interfaces first activated, only to find out that it very much was NOT as soon as they reached Tier Two.


    The system marked offenders so that anyone with a basic identification spell would know they had committed an act of murder or depraved violence against someone of a lower tier. Then, those offenders became fair game for anyone to target, regardless of their tier. It was a big deal when bounty hunters started appearing.


    The rule had almost certainly saved my life when I arrived on Pylos. I had been young and na?ve, flashing my enchantments around without any strength to protect myself. I also made the mistake of joining an unknown party after being rejected from an Enchanter¡¯s Academy without verifying they were trustworthy. Instead of killing me outright, they just robbed me blind in a rift and locked me behind a stone wall.


    Even now, several years after the fact, it was still a bit of a sore spot for me.


    With the tutorial briefing finally over, character creation started with the warning that all travelers from Earth would begin the game as humans, though our race could be changed through quests by those dedicated enough to seek them out.


    I¡­wasn¡¯t really sure if that applied in reality or not. I¡¯d never heard of changing races outside of the game, so it might have been just a game mechanic.


    A mirror appeared on the wall previously used as a view screen and my attention was drawn to my avatar. Since it started out as a near-perfect scan of my body ¨C minus the hair since the headgear kinda sucked at capturing it properly ¨C I only had to make a few modifications to get my avatar the way I wanted it.


    I made myself look a little older since I was mentally older than I looked, and I didn¡¯t want people to treat me like a teenager. Though I was nearly seventeen, people often asked if I was younger. I also shifted my hair to light brown with ombre purple tips ¨C squashing any trace of brass. While I love the reddish color on other people, it didn¡¯t suit me well.


    I would have gone with pink for the tips since it was more in line with my preferences at seventeen, but after having a Space affinity for more than a decade, I¡¯d become partial to purple.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I could ombre shimmer, which was the ¡®color¡¯ that represented Time. It would be a pretty neat effect, though.


    Finalizing my avatar, a prompt appeared in bold lettering on my HUD.


    [By what name would you like to be known?]


    After so many years, I couldn¡¯t remember what my username had been when I played before. Even if I could have, I wouldn¡¯t use it this time. I wanted a name that reflected who I now was, especially if I was going to live by that name for a long while. Since time passed twice as fast in the game, I would essentially be going by whatever I chose for the next eight years.


    While I was no longer the girl I was the first time around, I had also left behind the woman I¡¯d become when I used the formation. I remembered everything, but my past failures and weaknesses didn¡¯t necessarily apply anymore.


    I was free to become someone new, no longer burdened by things that hadn¡¯t come to pass. Both old and new¡ªa Duality.


    With a smile, I entered the username and grinned wider when the system accepted it.

 Summary of Book One

    The apocalypse happened, and it closely resembled the deep-immersion games created by a company called Atlas Inc.


    While it wasn''t nearly as devastating as most stories made the apocalypse out to be, Emie''s brother and niece disappeared as the system interfaces appeared, and her parents were murdered before the power even failed.


    More than a decade later, Emie created and used a complex formation to return her consciousness to the past. Instead of arriving at the start of the reintegration as she''d expected, Emie returned more than four years before the reintegration even began. But she didn¡¯t just bring back her memories. She returned with heightened affinities for both Time and Space.


    Knowing the game was meant to be a primer for the upcoming apocalypse, Emie threw herself into training, hoping to be much more prepared this time. Stopping the apocalypse was never an option since it would lead to planet-wide death and destruction. Her only choice was to adapt and prepare.


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    Unintentional butterfly effects manifested from small changes, resulting in Emie getting hired as a beta tester for the company she knew was a shell for the aliens ¡®behind¡¯ the apocalypse. Her new position granted her access to resources and training she wouldn''t have otherwise received, giving her more of an advantage than she anticipated.


    Likely due to the addition of a bit of her soul from the other timeline, Emie ''awakens'' years early - gaining access to the system and magic well before the most generous estimates suggested it was possible. This drew more attention than she wanted, but there was little she could do now that she had gained access to the system.


    Emie attempted to continue progressing without drawing further attention, with only moderate success. She was given several advantages (like access to a rift with a dedicated protector) due to her status as the first naturally awakened native - advantages she had little issue leveraging in hopes it would keep her family safe this time around.

 Book 2 - Prologue

    The brunette stood separate from those she would have preferred to share the event with. Instead of being part of the crowd, Rhona was forced to stand next to several of her fellow Alliance members who¡¯d played a role in the day¡¯s events. They were not teachers or school administrators like those arrayed on the other side of the stage. Instead, they were the forces that generally stayed behind the scenes.


    Forces not dissimilar to the woman now standing at the podium giving a speech now that each of the inaugural class members had already walked across the stage.


    Rhona watched as Leslie Buirch, the Sound Mage who served as the face of Atlas Inc, gave the convocation speech for the recent graduates. While the tall blonde woman likely wouldn¡¯t bother with such trivialities in the future, the inaugural class of Junction High warranted extra attention from the Atlantis Alliance¡¯s most senior human assigned to the mundane planet¡¯s reintegration.


    Unlike other so-called virtual schools, Junction High was the first truly virtual school rather than an online academy. While some may argue the difference was a matter of semantics, they couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. She would know.


    Rhona clapped politely with the rest of the attendees as the woman finished speaking and stepped away from the podium before signaling for the next speaker to approach. While she knew, or at least had met, around a quarter of the graduates since they¡¯d been recruited from her area of responsibility, she was only really familiar with a few of the more exceptional ones.


    Ones she regularly monitored and occasionally met with within the game.


    The woman scanned the large group of robed graduates, quickly homing in on her targets. Sumi Amari was the first she noticed in the sea of tan robes. They¡¯d worn their standard uniform for the ceremony since it looked much nicer than most of the graduation robes and gowns used in the varying cultures of Earth.


    The contrast between the primarily tan robes with black trim and the solid black caps with tan tassels also looked nice¡­ At least, as nice as having a fake tablet attached to one¡¯s head could look. But the flat board hat was a tradition in several locations worldwide, making it hard to argue against.


    Not that she¡¯d been asked. The woman had entirely too much to balance without having to worry about minor decisions such as what the children should wear to their graduation ceremony.


    But Sumi¡­ she was something special, even for Alliance members. The girl was one of the few tri-affinitied people to exist throughout the known universe. As far as she knew, Sumi was the only tri-affinitied person on Earth. However, given the higher-than-average number of people on Earth with two affinities, it was entirely possible that another tri-affinity mage would appear. If another did appear, Rhona hoped they used the DIVE gear to discover their affinities; that way, she¡¯d have a method of finding them.


    Rhona¡¯s eyes slid over several people until landing on another interesting talent. Emie Mercer, sister to one of the military members attached to her organization as a beta tester. While her impressive Space and Time affinities were noteworthy, the more interesting factor was that she was the first ¨C and so far, only ¨C naturally awakened Earthborn.


    Others had been forcibly awakened ¨C mostly world leaders and those influential enough to warrant their involvement in the transition process ¨C but they didn¡¯t count. The fact that this girl had awoken after such a short exposure to mana was also remarkable. It was part of the reason she¡¯d intentionally withheld information about the girl from the old elf.


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    While the human Alliance representative felt confident the ancient elf wouldn¡¯t have done anything to violate the Accords, she knew he only cared about growing his own knowledge. Everything else was peripheral. Sir Eri¡¯Non cared nothing about the consequences of his actions so long as they didn¡¯t contaminate his study. Rhona had already learned that the old elf believed the best way to avoid contamination was to remove the target from the study after he obtained whatever data he was after.


    He wouldn¡¯t kill them since that would directly violate the Accords. But what he did was not much better.


    Not only did Rhona like the girl, she knew that allowing her to disappear would have a direct, negative impact on the girl¡¯s brother and niece. Really, Amie probably wouldn¡¯t even realize her aunt Emie was gone, given her young age. Still, given that the toddler had already effectively lost her mother, intentionally allowing another close family member to disappear was not something Rhona felt comfortable doing.


    Besides, given Emie¡¯s talent for Enchanting, Rhona felt it had been an excellent decision to keep her existence from the elf. Hopefully, the recent graduate would be amenable to transitioning from a beta tester to becoming Vasilla Maker¡¯s permanent assistant full-time. Besides, she had more than enough beta testers anyway, especially since the new graduates had all signed contracts as part of the virtual school testing program.


    After reviewing the girl¡¯s time spent within the greater simulation, it was apparent Emie preferred crafting over exploration and testing. However, she had already delved enough to nearly complete the interface upgrade if the woman¡¯s calculations were correct. How the Earthborn had found that feature buried in the interface was beyond Rhona, but there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it.


    While the manager couldn¡¯t see the girl¡¯s actual status through the simulation, the guard she¡¯d assigned to delve with the native had kept her up to date on the girl¡¯s progress. Based on the reports from the Nature Mage, Emie may also have some talent with magic since she was reportedly able to modify one of her spells after only using it a few times. Even with the girl¡¯s lessons at the virtual Mages¡¯ Academy, that was beyond what the Administrator expected.


    The last of the exceptional students Rhona had been involved with recruiting was a young Fate Mage. Fate was an extremely rare affinity, only slightly less common than Arcane ¨C an affinity that was practically legendary in its rarity. While Fate Mages were almost useless from an offensive magic standpoint, anyone with insight would see the value of having someone on hand who could interact with Fate.


    Though the strength of Joseph Washington¡¯s affinity for the element was unknown, any connection to the elusive affinity was valuable. More so, ensuring the young man was under a proper system-enforced contract was critical. Given his affinity, Rhona expected he would be among the first to awaken naturally.


    After Emie, that was. Perhaps her affinity for Time had something to do with her early awakening. Given the strength of the girl¡¯s affinity, it wouldn¡¯t surprise her.


    Rhona looked back at the podium, relieved to see the Principal speaking again. That meant the long ceremony was finally coming to an end.


    Thank the Ascenders.


    While a lot of the Atlas manager¡¯s work could be done within the simulation, she had a lot of responsibilities in the physical world as well. With the construction of nearby housing units for the various Junction-based university students nearing completion, Rhona was being called upon more often to deal with the issues that cropped up.


    Mundane construction was the worst.


    If not for the abysmal mana regeneration caused by this mana-starved planet, she¡¯d have set up wards to block curious eyes and had her mages do everything the right way ¨C with magic. Unfortunately, that was all but impossible, even with the higher mana levels immediately surrounding her headquarters building due to the mana-gathering enchantments and the Tier Two rift she¡¯d had her people establish in the basement.


    Living on this planet was difficult, even with all the mana cores and manatech they¡¯d brought to mitigate the effects of the mana-starved environment. Quite frankly, Rhona was surprised that the Council had decided to draw out the reintegration instead of just turning off all the siphons.


    Then again, the ones making the decisions hadn¡¯t been the ones forced to exist in such horrible conditions. Combining that with the fact that they could use the acclimation and training period to monitor the population and identify standout talents for potential recruitment¡­ the choice was not wholly without merit.


    That didn¡¯t mean she liked it.

 Book 2 - Chapter 1 - Moving On

    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve had time to get used to it, are you still happy with your new assignment?¡± Robert asked as I used Gravity Bomb to decimate the weak bat creatures that swarmed us in the first section of the Space-dominant rift. As often as we delved this rift, the mobs were no longer much of a challenge, even if everything had gotten a bit stronger with the shift from low-Tier One to mid-Tier One a couple of months before.


    The increase in experience gained from the stronger mobs was nice.


    I stabbed the half-dozen creatures still moving with the spear Robert had given me months earlier. I didn¡¯t bother activating any enchantments I¡¯d added since it wouldn¡¯t take much to defeat the weak creatures.


    That, and I was trying to complete the rift without using enchantments at all.


    ¡°I am. I still have access to the upcoming expansions if I feel like exploring on my off time, but I¡¯ve enjoyed pushing my Enchanting skill, even with the limited skill growth. I can feel the improvement, even if my status isn¡¯t showing it,¡± I said as I checked the bodies for any more survivors. ¡°I¡¯m also doing something much more important than most beta testers'' busy work. I¡¯m not even sure what the point of ¡®beta testing¡¯ these new expansions is. I mean, I got it with World Junction since there were a lot of things that could be incorporated to make it better, but it isn¡¯t like we can change how existing worlds work for these new expansions.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t really noticed it before in the other timeline since I¡¯d been a lot more focused on healing during the first year or so after the neural interfaces activated, but there was only so much I could push my skills using the simulation as training. Though my skills would gain levels in the game, the growth did not transfer to my real-world status once I reached the Intermediate stage in a skill.


    Unfortunately, that meant my actual skills were significantly higher than my status displayed. But that was already the case, I supposed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. It¡¯s not really my role in the whole process,¡± the Nature Mage said as he watched me wipe off the spearhead.


    I looked at my guardian. While he appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties, I¡¯d learned in the months we¡¯d been delving together that he was closer to thirty in Earth years. He''d recently shaved the sides of his head, leaving just the top long enough to gather into a ponytail or man-bun. His dark hair would probably fall just below his shoulders if he left it unbound.


    The look suited him.


    ¡°What is your role? You¡¯ve never really said¡­¡± I trailed off as I began collecting the remains of the low-level mobs. Delving the Space-dominant rift gave me plenty of material to make Space-related enchantments, including a functioning storage ring with [Stasis]. However, the low tier of the materials meant my creations were inherently limited in the amount of space I could incorporate.


    A burst of vines swallowed the remaining bodies, transferring them directly to Robert¡¯s storage ring. Though I hadn¡¯t created his ring, he had allowed me to modify it to add [Stasis] after I proved I was capable. I didn¡¯t blame him for being leery when I initially offered. Storage devices were expensive.


    ¡°For now, I¡¯m just working as a mundane shop clerk in the local Atlas retail store when I¡¯m not delving with you. As the reintegration gets closer, I¡¯ll be doing a lot more as a Nature Mage to ensure the population doesn¡¯t starve during the transition period.¡±


    It was about what I expected.


    ¡°Is it a good position for a Mage Academy graduate?¡± I asked, unsure.


    Robert barked out a laugh. ¡°Working for the Alliance Council? Yeah. It¡¯s pretty much the best kind of job someone could hope for. Even members of the nobility compete for postings like this, even if it seems like something they¡¯d ordinarily see as beneath them. Doing jobs like this earns a lot of contribution points in the Alliance.¡±


    That was something I hadn¡¯t heard of before. At least, not in this context.


    ¡°Contribution points?¡± I asked as we walked through the tunnel leading out of the caves. Robert looked surprised at my lack of knowledge.


    ¡°Yeah, you can earn points for doing things on behalf of the Alliance. The points can be traded for currency or benefits and items. It¡¯s a lot like how sects do things. You do know about sects, right?¡±


    I rubbed my neck uncomfortably. I¡¯d read cultivation novels that mentioned sects before the reintegration in the first timeline, but that was a long time ago. Since cultivation wasn¡¯t really a thing, I wasn¡¯t sure the novels would apply. I had heard of sects after leaving Earth, but the information I gathered was always vague and unclear.


    Probably because I hadn¡¯t really cared enough to ask for clarification.


    I¡¯d seen signs for sects in the newest expansion scheduled to release over the winter. However, I hadn¡¯t bothered attempting to ¡®test¡¯ that aspect of the game since I¡¯d only just gotten access to the Andolia/Atlantis expansion.


    Not to mention that I didn¡¯t want to spend the little time I had in-game playing the poor protagonist of some wuxia novel.


    ¡°They¡¯re like specialized schools, right? Don¡¯t you have to win tournaments to even get in?¡± I asked, thinking back to the novels I¡¯d read and the recruitment tournaments I¡¯d seen advertised when I¡¯d checked out Atlantis a few days earlier.


    ¡°What? No! Why would you think that?¡± he asked, aghast. In his surprise, he¡¯d stopped moving forward, pausing just a few meters before the exit.


    I didn¡¯t have a good answer to his question.


    When I only shrugged, he sighed. ¡°Sects are like schools in many ways, but they focus more on martial training and only allow people with specific affinities to join. They are unlike schools in that you don¡¯t just attend and graduate. If you join a sect, you are a member for life unless you somehow get exiled or ascend. I¡¯ve heard some sects exist in the higher realms, too, though. I¡¯m not sure how that works since it¡¯s so rare for someone to ascend and even rarer for them to contact someone in our realm after they leave.¡±


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    ¡°Is it really?¡± I asked, fascinated. Though few people claimed to personally know someone who had ascended, every adventurer I¡¯d talked to in the previous timeline seemed to think it was something they could do, given enough time. Ros and the rest of my former party had held the same belief, so I¡¯d never really questioned it.


    ¡°Well, yeah. If it was easy, everyone would do it.¡± He stepped through the exit and into the overgrown forest. Following him, I immediately felt like Alice again as I examined the closest oversized flora.


    ¡°The only reason it¡¯s even possible is because we have a Tier Ten planet in the Alliance,¡± Robert continued, drawing my attention away from the huge flower that nearly reached my hip. ¡°Otherwise, the slow grind to gain enough experience would take so long that only elves and other long-lived species would even have a chance.¡±


    The conversation dropped as the sound of buzzing caught our attention. Seeing the flying purple hornet-like creatures approaching in a loose formation, I readied my batons. This time, I wasn¡¯t going to use my cheat spell to pull all the flying mobs into a clump. Instead, I cast Barrier and decided to directly engage the bladed astervespid swarm.


    ¡°Want me to immobilize them?¡± Robert offered.


    ¡°Nah,¡± I said as I tapped my batons together. ¡°I need to work on my aim.¡±


    Had I not improved the spell¡¯s efficiency through regular practice, my Barrier likely would not have held up to the assault. Though they were only mid-Tier One creatures, a swarm of even weak mobs would eventually wear down most barriers within the same tier.


    It was a good thing I didn¡¯t give them long enough to do so.


    When the last creature fell, I cast Cleanse on my weapons to remove the attached bits of blood and viscera before connecting the two pieces to create a staff. By the time I finished my task, the bodies had already disappeared into Robert¡¯s larger storage space.


    I¡¯d wavered on getting the spell, but the ability to quickly and easily clean up after myself won me over. With Transmute and Alchemical Flame, I¡¯d purchased all five of the spells I got at Tier One. I wasn¡¯t worried, though. As soon as I got Lisa back, I expected I¡¯d be able to learn most of the general spells below the Expert difficulty.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said gratefully.


    We continued, ducking under the oversized branches and leaves and quickly dispatching the lone wandering mobs that approached. None were stronger than those in the earlier assault, so there was little risk as long as we weren¡¯t caught off guard.


    We pushed through, defeating the astervespid guards at the stairwell before descending to the tree canopy. Space-magic shenanigans were still weird.


    I was pleased to see both Time and Void variants of our next set of opponents, even though it required me to activate Restore twice to heal from injuries. The Void variants tended to have some mana-neutralizing abilities, which would have been particularly annoying had I not trained in melee combat.


    Handling the level-five creatures alone wasn''t too difficult since they attacked in pairs or the occasional group of three. Still, it was comforting to know that Robert was watching the engagement closely, ready to step in if it seemed like I was getting overwhelmed.


    When we reached the final section of the rift, I didn¡¯t bother trying something new with the vine creature that served as the rift boss ¨C aside from limiting myself to actual spells instead of using manatech. While my spells were more expensive than enchantments, and my mana pool was not huge by any means, I¡¯d kept enough mana in reserve to comfortably defeat the boss with my favorite combo of Gravity Bomb and Bolt.


    It helped that my offensive spells were a little bit overpowered.


    ¡°Congratulations. You finished the whole rift without using a single enchantment,¡± my protector said with a grin. ¡°I almost called you out when you started using the spear and then the batons, but since you didn¡¯t actually trigger any of the enchantments¡­¡±


    ¡°All of my equipment is enchanted. I wouldn¡¯t have anything to fight with if I only used non-enchanted items,¡± I replied deadpan.


    ¡°How tragic,¡± Robert said sarcastically. ¡°I would comment about it being a high-tier-world problem, but that isn¡¯t exactly accurate in this case.¡±


    I grinned as I pulled a steel dagger from the chest that had appeared by the exit. It wasn¡¯t enchanted, but it was made of Tier One materials. It would make a good base.


    ¡°Want me to enchant this for you?¡± I asked, holding out the short, bladed weapon.


    ¡°Nah, keep your loot. I was just kidding,¡± he said with a friendly smirk. Having delved together for just shy of a year, Robert and I had had plenty of time to chat and get to know each other. While he¡¯d opened up and was generally pretty quick to joke around, he still managed to maintain a professional enough presence that I doubted anyone would be able to find fault.


    He certainly wasn¡¯t like the flirty guys I often interacted with.


    Which reminded me¡­


    ¡°Hey, Robert?¡± I said, drawing his attention before we exited the rift. ¡°You know how I invited you to grab dinner before we head out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°What, you have a secret boyfriend you want to go out with one last time instead?¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that my parents will be meeting us, and they¡­kinda think I have a secret boyfriend that I¡¯ve been traveling to St. Louis to see¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s too funny!¡± he laughed before suddenly growing serious as he realized the implication. ¡°Oh, they think I¡¯m your boyfriend?¡±


    I was so completely mortified.


    I really thought I¡¯d moved beyond this already, but it seemed my teenage body was interfering with my brain more than a little. I didn¡¯t even like Robert like that. He was handsome and nice¡­and a Mage who protected me and kept me safe while I did potentially dangerous things¡­but it wasn¡¯t the same. I knew enough to recognize that, at least.


    Surprisingly, he grinned.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re asking me on a date? I thought that was culturally the male¡¯s role.¡±


    I gasped in fake outrage while internally sighing in relief that he hadn¡¯t made the situation more awkward.


    ¡°Women¡¯s rights¡­and equality¡­and stuff!¡± I said in mock indignation as I stuck my nose up before chuckling. ¡°But seriously, I can¡¯t explain who you are except to tell them that we¡¯re friends, which is what I¡¯ve been claiming, by the way ¨C that I¡¯m hanging out with a friend who works at the Atlas store. They obviously don¡¯t believe me.¡± I groaned and lowered my head. ¡°It probably doesn¡¯t help that I told them we were taking a road trip on the way to Florida.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± he said, still chuckling. ¡°I¡¯m just a friend riding along with you, so you aren¡¯t making a multi-state trip alone. Definitely, no reason to bring up the rifts we are stopping by on the way there.¡±


    That was the real reason Robert was riding along. Since a slightly circuitous route would put at least two higher-leveled rifts directly in our path, it made sense to bring my delving guardian along so I could gain some extra experience and materials along the way.


    I was actually quite lucky that Rhona treated me so well. I doubted I would have gotten such preferential treatment had I not been the first native to awaken. Then again, nobody else had naturally awakened yet, so I didn¡¯t know what kind of treatment others would get.


    We quickly dismantled the mobs and harvested the valuable parts, dumping the excess offal into the composing box for me to use Transmute on when we were finished. The bits of discarded materials were usually transported to specialized containers to manipulate the material into something that could be more useful, but since I had a spell that could do it for me¡­


    ¡°Clay?¡± I asked. I hadn¡¯t reacquired the Ceramics skill yet, but it wouldn¡¯t take much for me to get it since I already knew how to shape and mold clay, as well as a few different methods of curing it. Clay talismans were also really handy, though they tended to break if I didn¡¯t infuse them enough.


    When he nodded his assent, I cast the spell and focused on turning the Space-attuned offal into Space-attuned clay. When that was finished, I repeated the process for each mana type represented, leaving myself with several clumps of elemental clay.


    ¡°So¡­I¡¯m going to head over to the baths and clean up. I¡¯ll meet you outside in about an hour?¡±


    ¡°Sure. That¡¯ll give me plenty of time to change and finish packing,¡± my friend and guardian said before departing with a wave. I watched him go with mixed feelings. It was too bad he worked in Missouri and not Florida.

 Book 2 - Chapter 2 - A Bittersweet Goodbye

    When my parents arrived at the restaurant, Robert and I were already seated at a table. There was a nearly palpable sense of bittersweetness when my parents finally sat down after hugging me and awkwardly shaking Robert¡¯s hand.


    This would be our last dinner together before I moved out on my own. Not only that, neither of my parents particularly agreed with the life choices I was making ¨C particularly not my decision to go to a newly opened, unaccredited university that was really only recognized by Atlas Inc, the company behind the school.


    Thankfully, they seemed to have given up on convincing me to attend a traditional school where I could get the full college experience.


    ¡°So, you go by Robert? Not Bobby or Bob or Rob?¡± my dad asked after we ordered drinks.


    ¡°Or Bert?¡± Mom chimed in.


    I rolled my eyes as Robert answered the question seriously, informing them that he did, indeed, go by Robert and not any of the variant nicknames. My parents asked that he call them James and Avery, forgoing the typical forced formality my dad sometimes pulled with boys who picked me up for dates.


    Based on their smirks, it was obvious neither of them believed my denials about our non-existent relationship. I could only shake my head.


    It would be nice to tell them everything, it really would. But at this point¡­I literally couldn¡¯t. Now that I had real magic and could prove what I was saying was true, the system-enforced NDA ensured I didn¡¯t share anything about the upcoming reintegration. I liked to think I was an honest person, so being forced to essentially lie made it difficult for me to spend as much time with my parents as I would like.


    ¡°So, how did you two meet?¡± Dad asked, focusing his question on Robert, likely to see if he gave a different answer than the one I provided when I first mentioned spending time with a ¡®friend¡¯ in St. Louis.


    I bit back a groan. Hopefully, my dad wasn¡¯t going to go all out investigator on my alien friend. At least he only suspected the guy of secretly dating his daughter¡­


    ¡°At work. I work for Atlas Inc, and Emie comes by monthly as part of her beta testing stuff.¡±


    It was close enough.


    ¡°Hey, Dad, let¡¯s not interrogate my friend before dinner is even on the table, please?¡± I pleaded. I knew it was hard for my dad not to dig when he found something interesting, but I was hoping he¡¯d curb the impulse given the circumstances.


    With an exaggerated sigh, he agreed, though I could tell he fully intended to continue asking questions.


    The conversation shifted to general topics, mostly centering on our planned road trip to Florida and that Robert planned to fly back to Missouri as soon as we arrived. My parents found the plan odd ¨C which I could understand given their lack of information. His decision to ride along would have likely made more sense if they knew we would be delving on the way there.


    ¡°You know I would have gone with you if you hadn¡¯t already made plans,¡± Mom said with a slight pout. ¡°I don¡¯t want your friend to think I was going to make you drive all the way there by yourself.¡±


    I looked at Robert. ¡°She would have gone with me, except I told her we were doing a road trip, and it would have been weird for her to ride along,¡± I said deadpan.


    ¡°I believe you,¡± he said solemnly as my parents made noises of protest.


    I appreciated his effort, but I knew he could feel the sad tension building as dinner came closer to an end. When the plates had been cleared and the check paid, I stood and hugged my parents once again, holding them for a few seconds longer than usual.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. You taught me well. I¡¯ve already got a good job, so that¡¯s better than many graduates, right?¡± I said with a forced smile. ¡°Besides, Justin will be just a few minutes away, and I¡¯ll see you guys in the Junction every weekend. We¡¯ll probably see more of each other now that I¡¯m moving out.¡±


    We knew I was lying, at least about the last part. But it was a nice lie, so nobody called me out. They walked me to my Aegis ¨C the small, primarily electric hybrid car they¡¯d given me on my sixteenth birthday. The self-driving function was the best feature, aside from the nearly non-existent need for fuel. As long as the sun was shining, I had no need for gas.


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    I looked at the sky, noting there was likely an hour or so of daylight left. Although the car had an additional battery to store excess solar energy, I¡¯d probably still have to stop and charge at some point on the way to Nashville ¨C our destination for the evening. Thankfully, the car¡¯s AI would automatically find a charging station if needed.


    After another round of hugs and a few tears, Robert and I climbed into the small car and I set the destination for the Atlas office in Nashville.


    <hr>


    ¡°Your parents seem really nice. It¡¯s obvious they love you,¡± Robert said a few minutes after we pulled away from the restaurant.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re great. I just wish I could explain my choices better. Not being honest makes it hard¡­I hate lying, even by omission,¡± I said while I stared at the rapidly moving landscape around us.


    We settled into silence as the miles passed, occasionally breaking into short conversations about topics of interest. I showed my alien friend some of the enchantments I¡¯d made, as well as some of the jewelry pieces and other enchantment bases I¡¯d imbued but hadn¡¯t added runes to.


    Aside from the quick bathroom break I needed to take a half hour after leaving St. Louis, we only had to stop once during the trip. Though the batteries were rated as ¡®quick charging,¡¯ it still took fifteen minutes for them to fill enough for us to make it the rest of the way there.


    After we pulled into the enclosed parking lot, Robert did something on the access tablet to unlock the building for us, and we made our way up the stairs and into what he called the ¡®Delver¡¯s Bunkroom.¡¯ Though he¡¯d explained the setup on the way there, I was still surprised at how open the space was. The term ¡®bunkroom¡¯ seemed misleading, given the lack of actual bunks. In fact, it reminded me of the sleeping rooms in the Korean bathhouses I¡¯d visited with my mom while living overseas.


    Minus the ugly outfits we had to wear.


    Too tired to give it much thought, I grabbed a sleeping mat and carried it to the wall farthest from the other people in the room. Only three people were present, though five mats were already laid out. Considering they had bedding over them, it was unlikely they were set out in advance for our arrival.


    After setting my sleeping bag and pillow on the mat, I crawled inside and settled in. Not bothering with my haptic suit, I donned my DIVE headgear and accessed my VPS before triggering the forced sleep function, welcoming the end to the emotional day.


    <hr>


    ¡°Who were those people in the bunkroom with us?¡± I asked as I followed Robert down a set of stairs a few hours later. Unlike me, he¡¯d opted to sleep without the aid of the DIVE headgear, though he likely didn¡¯t need nearly as much sleep as I did since he was already Tier Two. The others, I¡¯d noticed, had been wearing more advanced versions of the manatech, similar to what I¡¯d seen after leaving Earth.


    ¡°Adventurers, mostly. The Alliance hired several Tier Two teams to maintain Atlas¡¯ rifts on Earth. They mostly travel around and adjust the rifts that¡­need adjusting,¡± he added awkwardly. ¡°They don¡¯t have much to do right now, but as ambient mana levels increase, they¡¯ll get pretty busy. I expect most of them will be well into Tier Three by the time the portals open.¡±


    ¡°How can a few parties delve all the rifts enough to keep them from growing? I thought it took a lot¡­¡± I trailed off uncertainly.


    ¡°It does, especially at low tiers if the ambient mana is higher than the rift¡¯s tier, though that isn¡¯t the case here. The teams hired by the Alliance have mana stabilizers that can either drain enough mana to force a rift to lose strength ¨C or even tiers ¨C or infuse collected mana to bolster a rift. The teams will use the artifacts to manipulate the rifts they delve, depending on the needs,¡± he said.


    ¡°I hope they are increasing this one. It would be nice to gain a bit more mana per delve.¡±


    When we reached the door leading to the rift, Robert unlocked it with his mana, surprising the guard stationed within.


    ¡°You should have us on your list already,¡± Robert told the guard after providing our names. Though the higher-tiered guard was likely capable of identifying us, doing so ¨C at least openly ¨C was sometimes frowned upon within the Alliance. It had been explained to me after I left Earth in the other timeline, though the reason behind the social faux pas wasn¡¯t very clear.


    Once the unarmored guard verified our authorization through his tablet, he relaxed. It seemed not wearing armor was common for guards of these low-tier rifts, though it certainly wasn¡¯t the norm anywhere I¡¯d seen off-planet.


    ¡°Is the rift getting adjusted?¡± I asked since I¡¯d noticed the adventurers were gone when I woke earlier. Their mats had been cleaned and stacked by the door with the rest of the supply, and no hint of their former presence was noticeable.


    ¡°No, the delving parties are just assessing everything for now,¡± he replied. ¡°No changes are scheduled for another five months to a year.¡±


    I was tempted to ask whether that was Atlantis Standard Time or Earth Time, but I decided against it. Besides, given the man¡¯s background, it was almost certainly the former.


    Before entering, we verified our information about the rift ¨C an environment-based resource rift. More specifically, it was a mountainous environment that provided some alchemical plants and ore in addition to the mana cores and meat that could be harvested. There were a few dangerous mobs, mostly creatures like foxes and bobcats, though they were called something else. The boss was something I¡¯d never heard of before, though the guard insisted a mundane version of the creature was present on Earth.


    I¡¯d have to check after the delve since the description he gave us didn¡¯t sound familiar.


    From what we understood, a decent variety of elements should be represented. However, Metal, Earth, and Air would likely be most prominent.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± my guardian asked as I finished equipping my armor.


    ¡°Absolutely. I¡¯m definitely ready for something new,¡± I replied with a grin before following the Nature Mage into the MT1 rift.

 Book 2 - Chapter 3 – Delving Nashville

    We stepped out of the rift portal and onto a narrow platform on the side of a cliff. Below was nothing but clouds, making me curious about what would happen if one fell. Would they die, or get ejected from the rift? I certainly was not going to test it to find out.


    The only route away from the arrival platform headed up the cliffside. The path was only a few feet wide, plenty large enough for a single person to walk comfortably. However, it would be a tight fit for some of the larger fighters I¡¯d seen, especially if they wore heavy armor.


    A few scraggly trees and hardy plants were growing just off the trail. I identified each plant as we approached, collecting anything that appeared to be valuable. I hadn¡¯t regained my Herbalism skill ¨C an oversight I was kicking myself for now. I¡¯d gotten complacent with the Space-dominant rift and its lack of valuable herbs, and completely overlooked the valuable skill.


    At least I¡¯d picked up Beast Lore.


    ¡°What kind of creatures did he say we¡¯d likely see first?¡± I asked quietly as I worked, just in case there were nearby predators.


    ¡°Foxes, but I¡¯ve heard there are variations in this rift, so we shouldn¡¯t assume that¡¯s what we¡¯ll see,¡± Robert reminded me. ¡°Actually, I¡¯d prefer if we approached this delve as a team instead of having me as your watcher.¡±


    I looked at him questioningly, and he explained, ¡°Since neither of us are personally familiar with the rift, there is a higher risk of injury. I¡¯d rather not chance it. We can always run it a second time before leaving if you want to challenge it yourself. You did schedule a full week of travel time, after all.¡±


    His explanation made sense, and after months of delving together, I¡¯d come to trust his opinion. While I was only about 1500 points away from buying the upgrade ¨C a bit less if I applied all my saved experience ¨C rushing wasn¡¯t worth potentially dying. While I could easily cast Restore and heal myself, I had to be conscious and aware to do so. There were plenty of injuries that could stop that from happening.


    Even with the other healing options I¡¯d prepared, there was no reason to establish bad habits or imagine myself invincible.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. The reset is twelve hours?¡± I asked.


    With the lack of ambient mana, rifts took a lot longer to reset. It was the largest limiter to progression I¡¯d come across since awakening. Being restricted to one delve per visit was annoying. However, my parents had swiftly rejected all requests to stay overnight or spend a full day in either of the larger cities. Their presumption that I had a secret boyfriend only strengthened that refusal.


    The Nature Mage shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s down to a bit less than eleven now. Most of the siphons have slowed to a trickle, so the reset has sped up with the increase in mana. At least, that¡¯s the case for the St. Louis rift. It might be different here,¡± he added. ¡°Gathering arrays are also being installed around rifts to help feed them and delay the expected effects of increased environmental mana, so that¡¯s probably helping to reduce reset times, too.¡±


    ¡°Is that why the mana density around Atlas offices is getting thicker?¡± I asked as I scanned the area around us with Mana Sight. ¡°I was wondering what caused it. I thought it had something to do with the rift producing mana or something.¡±


    Robert shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s part of it. Rifts produce mana, but they are more like filters than founts,¡± he said before stepping back onto the path and taking the lead. I quickly finished harvesting the Crawling Jasmine ¨C a common ingredient in both Health and Stamina potions ¨C and rejoined him on the path.


    When the first mob attacked, it was not a fox as reported. Instead, it was a goat with copper-colored horns and hooves displaying an unnatural balance paired with the ability to stand on the tiniest ledges. Otherwise, it looked like a normal, if slightly large, goat.


    [Copper Capri ¨C level 4]


    I wasn¡¯t surprised when the creature attacked. In rifts, even prey animals and those that were mostly herbivores tended to attack anything that got too close.


    Though we¡¯d agreed to work together, Robert still let me handle the fights that were obviously within my capabilities. I wasn¡¯t trying to limit the use of enchantments, so I quickly sent a cluster of Air and Space [Bolts] to take out the mob.


    I¡¯d designed a few new weapons in the months since I¡¯d started working with Artificer Maker part-time, but the cluster caster was one of my favorites. It looked similar to a normal enchanted rod or baton ¨C and was capable of slotting into one of my modular staves ¨C but instead of relying on a single elemental power source, I could activate multiple elements to send tightly clustered groups of spells to tear through any single elemental defense.


    I mostly paired other elements with Space since I had a lot of Space mana cores and could easily refill them with my personal mana. However, I could add any element I had a core for. It took a bit of testing to work out the right rune combination, but Artificer Maker had been sufficiently interested to provide a bit of guidance when asked.


    As we made our way down the path, we were largely unmolested. Anytime I left the path to collect an interesting plant or pick up something that stood out to Mana Sight, we were promptly attacked by increasingly large groups of angry goats with various metal alignments. Reaching the branch in the path marked a shift in the rift, as the goats disappeared and were replaced by Whisper Lynxes.


    They were basically dusky-looking bobcats with small Air magics. If I hadn¡¯t had Barrier active, I¡¯d likely have been killed by the first one that attacked. Even Robert had been surprised when it jumped over a large stone and pounced, nearly knocking me into the clouds below.


    Thankfully, a quick Teleport returned me to the path, albeit sprawled prone and covered in dirt. I looked over to the now-dead mob. There was an arrow sticking out of one of its eyes.


    I hadn¡¯t even realized Robert was an archer.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Robert asked, extending a hand. ¡°I barely missed you with the vine. Your training with Teleport really shows with how quickly you pulled that off. What¡¯s your range now?¡±


    ¡°Without an Anchor, I can go as far as I can see or sense through Spatial Sense ¨C which isn¡¯t actually very far, but it gets me around the line-of-sight limit. With an Anchor¡­I think I¡¯m ready to tackle a couple hundred miles.¡± I sighed and sagged my shoulders. ¡°The limit is completely mental. I¡¯m almost sure of it. My instinct says I should be able to go as far as I want, but my brain is having a hard time accepting it. My instructor at the Mages¡¯ Academy agrees. He says distance shouldn¡¯t matter at all for teleportation skills.¡±


    It was something I¡¯d only started touching on before my return. I¡¯d been more interested in increasing the number of people I could teleport with me instead of extending my range. As a member of a party, that had been more important.


    Using a Portal would have probably been more functional than trying to force it with Teleport, but I¡¯d never bothered learning the other spell since I had Teleport. In hindsight, it was pretty short-sighted. Portal would have been much better for non-emergency movement.


    I should probably figure out how to cast the spell sometime soon so I could practice with it before it was needed. Hopefully, my mental block about distance with Teleport wouldn¡¯t manifest for the other spell. They were inherently different, after all.


    It would certainly make traveling back to St. Louis easier if I could do it with one spell instead of requiring a bunch of hops to get where I wanted to go.


    ¡°Just keep working on it. As quickly as you¡¯ve picked up everything else, I have no doubt you¡¯ll figure it out and be teleporting all over the place soon enough,¡± Robert said with a smile. He turned back to the fork in the path and asked, ¡°Which way do you want to go?¡±


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    The path to the left angled down sharply before skirting around a large boulder and disappearing. The path to the right quickly faded into a rough game trail that inclined sharply and led toward a rockface off in the distance. This was supposed to be a resource rift, but we hadn''t seen much of note besides the mobs and a few herbs.


    ¡°Which direction do you think leads to more resources?¡±


    ¡°Probably the harder trail,¡± he said. ¡°I talked to one of the adventurers after you went to sleep, and he mentioned the mine was off the main path. This might be what he was talking about.¡± He pointed toward the rock wall in the distance. ¡°That could easily be a mine. Even if it isn¡¯t, we should probably check it out.¡±


    The rougher path led to a large stone wall decorated with ribbons of multi-colored ore. I scowled when Robert handed me a pickaxe.


    ¡°I think I liked you better before,¡± I said, mostly joking.


    Robert snickered and adjusted his position so he had a better view of the surroundings. ¡°My job is still to protect you. That means if you want to collect resources¡­¡± He nodded toward the pick in my hand.


    I looked from the pickaxe to the stone wall, mulling over my options. I had no desire to manually mine the ore that was clearly present, but I didn¡¯t want to leave resources (or money) behind. I¡¯d used my Bolt spell to break apart stone before, though I¡¯d been at a higher tier then. I now had a stronger Space affinity, even if only by a few points. It probably wouldn¡¯t be that hard to double-tap my affinity and cast Bolt while opening a little hole behind the ore.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try something,¡± I said before manifesting a Time Barrier between us and the wall. Not only was using the Time variant cheaper, but it was also stronger than the Space version.


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying what I think you are, we should probably back up more.¡±


    We moved into a nearby alcove set at an angle to the rock wall, and I adjusted the Barrier to compensate for the change. The largest ore vein was barely within range of my Spatial Sense, as I¡¯d only grown it to encompass about three hundred meters. The sixth, or perhaps seventh, sense made casting and directing spells much easier, negating the need to see my target.


    It also allowed me to directly target a nearly imperceivable gap between the ore and the stone encasing it.


    ¡°Here I go.¡±


    A small explosion sounded, and the ground rumbled slightly. I was momentarily concerned that the walls around us might collapse, but they were fine. When everything settled, Robert and I stepped out of the protective alcove and examined the results.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s one way to avoid Mining,¡± Robert mused as he took in the destruction. It wasn¡¯t as grand as I¡¯d hoped, but plenty of relatively large chunks of ore were strewn about the area, intermixed with smaller bits of dull, unprocessed metal.


    ¡°Do you want to dig out some more or move on?¡± my partner asked as we collected the chunks of stone and metal. I raised a brow and handed the pickax back to him.


    We spent the next half-hour destroying the wall and collecting materials while intermittently defending against the mobs drawn to the area by the noise. When we¡¯d collected the bulk of the ore, Robert and I backtracked to the original path.


    It was apparent that attempting to cut through the rocky terrain was pointless, so we didn¡¯t bother trying to avoid the additional hike.


    We reached the top of the rift¡¯s mountain a couple hours later. The exit portal was guarded by a familiar-looking creature that I was almost certain I¡¯d seen before.


    ¡°Oh!¡± I exclaimed, remembering where I¡¯d seen the creature. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize they were called Oryxes. I thought they had a different name for some reason.¡±


    I¡¯d seen pictures of the non-magical version of the boss before in some military magazines my parents had gotten. It had been a while, even for my eighteen-year-old self, so I wasn¡¯t sure if it was something from our time in El Paso or Colorado. Both had similar high-desert environments, though Colorado was more mountainous. Then again, there were mountain ranges around El Paso, so I couldn¡¯t discount the possibility the creature could be found there either.


    Regardless, the animal wasn¡¯t native to either location. That much, I was sure of.


    [Bladed Oryx ¨C Boss ¨C level 6]


    ¡°I¡¯m not getting anywhere close to that thing,¡± I said, eying the pair of long, bladed horns that jutted out of the top of the creature¡¯s head like twin sabers.


    Wanting to maintain our distance, I cast Pause, locking the boss into place. Robert followed up with Grasping Vines to ensure it was fully entangled, just in case my spell dropped for any reason. When he was confident it posed little threat, Robert sent me a nod.


    I used the opportunity to test a new cluster of spells, sending Space, Fire, and Ice [Lances] toward the trapped boss. I expected the combination attack to be effective, but seeing the level six boss effectively one-shotted was a surprise. While the enchantments I¡¯d made were strong, I didn¡¯t expect them to hit quite so hard. Given I¡¯d clustered a trinity of opposing elements with moderate-output spell effects, I probably should have.


    ¡°That was effective,¡± Robert commented, pulling the defeated boss into his storage ring.


    ¡°Thanks? Maybe I¡¯ll make you something like it once I get some Tier Two materials to work with,¡± I semi-offered. Given my mana limitations, it would take a while to enchant anything at Tier Two, but that wasn¡¯t insurmountable. I¡¯d had the same issue adding the [Stasis] effect to his ring.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no to having a backup like that. Most of the nobles I went to the Academy with carried manatech backup weapons. I¡¯ve just never been willing to pay the high price to get one when they only work well at the same tier.¡±


    It was a valid critique. Attempting to use a higher-tier weapon often caused backlash, and using a lower-tier one was nearly pointless.


    I held up the silver coins from the chest. ¡°Just two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about what I expected,¡± he commented. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing the boss¡¯s horns are worth more than that.¡±


    ¡°You are going to help me harvest that thing, right?¡± I asked before stepping through the portal.


    Robert chuckled and said, ¡°I think you¡¯re getting spoiled.¡±


    I grinned. He was probably right. Between his storage ring holding most of the loot and his helping process everything, I really was quite spoiled with him as a partner/protector.


    I didn¡¯t mind at all.


    ?    ?    ?


    Name: Emie Mercer


    Level: 0 (300/100)


    [Progress toward Upgrade: 8731/10000]


    Profession: N/A


    Affinities: Time, Space


    ?    ?    ?


    Health: 120 (2.4/min)


    Stamina: 210 (8.4/min)


    Mana: 122/150 (6.5/min)


    ?    ?    ?


    <u>Attributes</u>


    Strength ¨C 9


    Agility ¨C 12


    Vitality ¨C 12


    Intelligence ¨C 15


    Wisdom ¨C 13


    Perception ¨C 12


    Unallocated: 0


    ?    ?    ?


    <u>Spells</u>


    [General]


    Alchemical Flame


    Cleanse


    Deflect


    Detect Lie


    Enhance


    Flare


    Identify


    Illuminate


    Mana Bolt


    Silence


    Spark


    Target


    Transmute


    Universal Translation (passive)


    [Time]


    Barrier


    Cure


    Grow


    Haste


    Heal


    Pause


    Restore


    Slow


    Stasis


    [Space]


    Anchor


    Barrier


    Compressed Space Bolt


    Create Dimensional Space


    Crush


    Gravity Bomb


    Phase


    Recall Item


    Seal


    Telekinesis


    Teleport


    ?    ?    ?


    <u>Skills</u>


    [General]


    Academics


    Athletics


    Beast Lore


    Direct Casting


    Fauna Harvesting


    Imbuing


    Jewelry Making


    Mana Manipulation


    Mana Sight


    Material Processing


    Medical Knowledge


    Meditation


    Research


    Spatial Sense


    Spell Modification


    [Specialized]


    Alchemy (Novice)


    Artificing (Novice)


    Cooking (Novice)


    Enchanting (Novice)


    Tailoring (Novice)


    Woodworking (Novice)


    [Combat]


    Batons (Novice)


    Dual Wielding (Novice)


    Quarterstaff (Novice)


    Spears (Novice)


    Wands (Novice)


    ?    ?    ?

 Book 2 - Chapter 4 - The Return of a Friend

    While waiting for the rift to reset, Robert and I shared a meal and discussed my latest weapon idea. After describing the weapon I wanted to create, I watched as the small twig in Robert¡¯s hand grew and shifted into a meter-long scepter that almost perfectly mirrored my imagination.


    ¡°Like this?¡± he asked, holding up the finished product.


    ¡°Yes! Can you add a groove to slot something this size?¡± I held up one of the clay beads I¡¯d crafted. It took a few minutes for him to shape the opening the way I wanted. After testing the design and making a few changes to aid in accuracy, I got to work carving the intricate designs into the almost living wood.


    While a controlled application of Space magic would work better than doing everything by hand, it was very mana-intensive, especially when attempting to carve into something at a higher tier. Because Robert had used his magic to grow the scepter, it had naturally evolved to match his tier. Though Tier Two might not seem like a huge magical jump from Tier One, it was.


    I¡¯d turned the extra offal from our delve into elemental clay once again, keeping each type separate and uncontaminated so I¡¯d have good materials to work with once I started making the enchanted beads.


    It would be simple. Instead of creating an atlatl to get more distance with a lance, I¡¯d use the newly created scepter to launch enchanted clay beads. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to build a storage item into the weapon. If I did it right, I¡¯d only need to focus on the mana type and trigger the recall to slot the enchanted bead into place.


    It would definitely be a pain to become proficient with, but I could always include a [Target] enchantment into the weapon. I¡¯d probably add some extra ranged spell options since I didn¡¯t plan to use the weapon in melee.


    ¡°Okay. Glad I could help,¡± Robert said, standing up. ¡°Did you need help curing the hides before I settle in?¡±


    ¡°No. My spell should take care of everything. Thanks, though,¡± I replied. We normally sold the beast skins that I didn¡¯t want to keep without further processing, but since we had the time and I¡¯d been practicing with my Grandpa¡¯s old tools, I wanted to take care of it. Besides, cured leather was worth more than raw hides.


    Robert nodded and walked over to his bedroll. I doubted he would spend much time sleeping since he had his version of the Atlas DIVE headgear in his hand already. He probably had some way to link into his own World Junction using the manatech. I¡¯d been able to do the same when I rented the equipment in Pylos after having mine stolen.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how it knew my ¡®home¡¯ Junction was Earth, but I¡¯d been glad to have a way to contact the friends I¡¯d left behind.


    <hr>


    The second delve was much easier than the first since we knew what to expect. After completing the delve and selling our loot ¨C including the now-cured leather from the previous delve ¨C I set an Anchor on the small teleportation beacon, and we departed.


    There was no hard limit on the number of Anchors I could have, but I struggled to maintain more than three at a time. I¡¯d already left one at the St. Louis office, and Nashville made two. I¡¯d likely drop one at Birmingham since it was the biggest city with a rift between my destination and Nashville, but that would leave me short one.


    I could use Target, but I wasn¡¯t sure I could get the general spell to work that way. Every attempt I¡¯d made so far had failed. I¡¯d probably have to figure something out with enchantments to create the last link I¡¯d need to teleport-hop my way between Pensacola and St. Louis.


    It was something to figure out another time.


    I pulled out my DIVE headgear about a quarter of the way to Birmingham. ¡°I need to log into the Junction to attend classes.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you were doing before the delve earlier?¡± he asked.


    I nodded. ¡°Yes. Even with the week off work, I still have to attend Academy classes, or I¡¯ll get behind. I¡¯m just glad they made it where weekends were a different schedule. It was hard trying to balance the five-day week with time dilation.¡±


    ¡°You know the Alliance uses a five-day week, right? The simulation is just preparing you all for the change.¡±


    I did know that, but it hadn¡¯t come up in conversation before. Instead of directly answering his question, I said, ¡°That¡¯s going to make things confusing. Having time measured differently doesn¡¯t help either.¡±


    Robert nodded as he shifted to get comfortable in the seat. ¡°We had a class about how this planet¡¯s rotation got messed up a few centuries after it was settled. There was a big push to reset it to standard, but the lead researcher blocked any changes, saying it might contaminate the study. It was a big enough deal that it made it into the history books,¡± he said. ¡°It was a footnote, but still¡­¡±


    I gaped at the comment. How had that never come up in conversation with Ros and the others?


    Not having time to dwell on the question, I told Robert I¡¯d be done in a couple of hours before putting on the sunglass-style headgear and logging into the Junction. I¡¯d be a little late, but it was better than missing class.


    <hr>


    The Birmingham rift was fine, if a bit annoying. The mobs used Light mana to create illusions and make themselves invisible, which would have been difficult to counter had I not been a Space Mage with Spatial Sense. Really, Mana Sense would have probably been sufficient to overcome the challenge. I was pretty sure that was what Robert used during the delve.


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    Like our first delve in Nashville, we worked as a team instead of having Robert serve as my protector. After pushing all my experience toward the upgrade after the boss fell, I realized I was only a couple hundred points shy of my goal.


    Seeing how close I was, I was tempted to push directly to our next scheduled stop ¨C New Orleans. It was a bit of a detour from the most direct path, but that was the next closest rift within my tier. Now that I was so close to my goal, I was anxious to reach it. Lisa might not be sentient, but I still saw the Interface Assistant as a friend. It didn¡¯t feel right to delay our reunion.


    Robert reined me in by reminding me that rushing would likely only cut the time between delves by a couple of hours. Removing the small delay was hardly worth it compared to the functional loss of a delve slot.


    I forced myself to relax while I waited for the rift to reset. Seeing how difficult it was for me to sit still, Robert took me to a nearby spa and scheduled me for a massage. It was more thoughtful than I expected, and I appreciated the effort. By the time the hour-and-a-half massage ended, I felt much more centered and calm. I was still eager to complete the upgrade, but it was no longer causing me to fidget constantly.


    As he had in the last new rift, Robert stepped back during the second delve and allowed me to run it as a solo delver. He had to step in when I took a claw to my face, but I remained calm enough to cast Restore and reverse the damage. I could tell he was impressed after seeing me handle the injury without freaking out.


    While I¡¯d been seriously injured in the game a few times, most of the response came from years of training to cast Restore anytime I felt significant pain. It had become ingrained, making it more of a reflex than a conscious thought.


    Still, I appreciated him stepping in to keep the mobs off of me while I dealt with the injury. I¡¯d let my Barrier lapse, which was a failure on my part. I knew better.


    By the time we reached the boss, I¡¯d already earned enough experience to pay for the upgrade. Defeating the boss pushed me past the point I needed to reach level one on top of that. I was ecstatic.


    I didn¡¯t bother waiting to process the loot we¡¯d gathered. Instead, I hastily cast Cleanse and applied the experience toward both the upgrade and my first level. I assigned the three points I received to Intelligence and Wisdom since mana would be my biggest limiter in the foreseeable future. I would have considered buffing my Vitality had I not gained a point naturally a few months earlier.


    We took the next day off to celebrate the milestone, though Robert insisted we process the loot before leaving. I begrudgingly agreed, and we worked together to harvest the valuable materials we¡¯d collected during the two delves. Neither of the final rewards were notable ¨C just some silver coins and a few copper pieces. It hardly registered as I hurried through our task.


    When we finished, I spent much of the day answering questions about the upgrade now that it was active. I described the upgraded interface functions to Robert as I encountered them. He asked tons of questions, pushing me to reconsider some of my former ideas about what the upgrade could do.


    With a little testing, I learned that Lisa¡¯s help made learning and casting new spellforms almost trivial. At least, it was for any spell rated as Advanced or below. I suspected I¡¯d need to increase my mental stats to go any further. The strain from my limited mental acuity was pretty intense, even with her help.


    My spell list was getting so long that I had to minimize it to avoid cluttering everything. I did the same for my skills, leaving only the core of the status displayed unless I specifically sought out the information.


    ?    ?    ?


    Name: Emie Mercer


    Level: 1 (14/200)


    Profession: N/A


    Affinities: Time, Space


    ?    ?    ?


    Health: 120 (2.4/min)


    Stamina: 210 (8.4/min)


    Mana: 170/170 (7/min)*


    ?    ?    ?


    <u>Attributes</u>


    Strength ¨C 9


    Agility ¨C 12


    Vitality ¨C 12


    Intelligence ¨C 17


    Wisdom ¨C 14


    Perception ¨C 12


    Unallocated: 0


    ?    ?    ?


    <u>Spells*</u>


    <u>Skills*</u>


    ?    ?    ?


    I was still hoping that the rest of my attributes would grow more without investment, but I didn¡¯t think it was very likely. Rhona had hinted she might be able to help me on that front, but we hadn¡¯t discussed the topic further. It was probably what she wanted to talk to me about when I arrived in Pensacola.


    We still had a few days before we were expected to arrive, and Robert¡¯s flight back to St. Louis wasn¡¯t until Saturday morning. Since we still had one more stop planned on the trip, we took our time getting to New Orleans.


    The New Orleans rift was swampy, which I didn¡¯t care much for. Robert didn¡¯t seem to mind the environment, which I thought was a little weird. It probably had something to do with his Nature affinity. The rift did lean pretty heavily toward Nature and Water.


    After the first delve, which we tackled as partners, we took another day off to relax and explore the area. Instead of staying in the bunkroom at the local Atlas office like we¡¯d been doing, we opted to rent an Airbnb instead. The city was fun, and we both enjoyed exploring.


    The following day, we challenged the local rift again before embarking on the last leg of our trip. Or, my trip, as it were. Robert still needed to return to St. Louis the next day.


    We stopped to check in with Rhona when we arrived. I hoped she¡¯d let me move into my apartment a day early, but I knew I could easily crash with Justin if she said no.


    I was surprised to see the Atlas National Headquarters had a similar setup to the smaller offices, with spartan bunkrooms to accommodate traveling adventurers. The rift/adventurer area was separated from the rest of the building, even housing a separate entrance hidden in the enclosed parking lot.


    Without Robert, I¡¯d likely never have even noticed.


    ¡°Emie! You¡¯re earlier than I expected,¡± Rhona said as she entered the bunkroom almost directly behind us. I was surprised she knew I was there, though I probably shouldn¡¯t have been. Even mundane technology made it simple enough to track who entered a building.


    Turning her attention to my partner, she said, ¡°And you must be Robert. We haven¡¯t met in person before. We should have a little chat before you get settled.¡± She glanced back at me. ¡°Your brother should be finishing up soon. I¡¯ll come find you when I¡¯m done talking to your companion.¡±


    The dismissal was clear, and I didn¡¯t hesitate to retreat. I felt slightly bad for abandoning Robert after he¡¯d had my back for months, but the Mind Mage scared me. It had almost been enough to keep me from moving nearby. Only the assurances of my Mage Academy instructors that Mind Mages were limited to surface thoughts kept me from moving elsewhere.


    Besides, Rhona had mentioned multiple Mind Mages being present during the transition. It wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d be able to avoid all of them. Better the devil you know, and all that.

 Book 2 - Epilogue

    He¡¯d rushed¡­ just a little bit. It wasn¡¯t by much. Given his graciousness in extending additional time to his most awaited subject, he didn¡¯t feel the least bit guilty about retrieving her a few hours early.


    As was standard, the Epikairos disciple appeared already restrained on the designated bed. The devices he had primed instantly began scanning the human female. She looked aggrieved, but the elf couldn¡¯t be bothered by her discontent. She¡¯d gotten what she asked for and had no reason to complain.


    Seriously. He could have just brought her to the ship immediately and put her in [Stasis] until he finished with the rest of the subjects like he initially planned to do. But he¡¯d been swayed by the Time Mage, not seeing any disadvantages to allowing his last subject time to say goodbye to her family.


    It wasn¡¯t like she couldn¡¯t see them again. She just had to survive the dungeon. It wasn¡¯t even very difficult for most elites. At least, up until Tier Seven. That seemed to be a bit of a watershed, even for the elites.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get right to it, shall we?¡± Sir Eri¡¯Non asked as he used Analyze on the girl.


    [Name: Emie deEpikairos


    Level: 22 (39772/57700)


    Profession: Enchanter


    Affinities: Time, Space


    ---


    Health: 250 (5/min)


    Stamina: 450 (18/min)


    Mana: 450 (17.5/min)


    ---


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 20


    Agility ¨C 23


    Vitality ¨C 25


    Intelligence ¨C 45


    Wisdom ¨C 35


    Perception ¨C 30


    ---


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*]</u>


    ¡°Oh, what an interesting attribute distribution,¡± he commented. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I expected your stats to be skewed toward Intelligence.¡± He could tell his comment surprised the human girl, but he paid her little mind for the moment. He¡¯d get to questioning her soon enough.


    He focused on her spells and let out a surprised gasp. It seemed she wasn¡¯t the only one getting surprised by his discoveries.


    ¡°How did you learn this many spells?¡± he asked in wonder. Only spell scholars bothered learning so many general spells. It should have been impossible for the girl to do, given the limitations built into the system.


    He had to repeat his question for the girl to answer, and she appeared reluctant to do so, even with [Truth Compulsion] embedded into her restraints. With a grunt of annoyance, he reminded her that his findings would be kept secret in accordance with their agreement. Of course, unless she admitted her Master had helped her or it had something to do with Time magic, there was nothing stopping him from sharing what he learned.


    ¡°Master Kairos said you¡¯ll find out anyway, so I might as well tell you,¡± she grumbled before sharing a fanciful tale about living in another timeline and creating a formation that would return her consciousness to the past. He almost called her a liar several times since everyone knew time travel didn¡¯t work that way.


    She also essentially admitted she had no formal training in Enchanting during this ¡®alternate timeline.¡¯ But his sensors didn¡¯t pick up any indications of falsehood. It was clear she believed what she was saying. Whether or not it was actually true was another matter.


    ¡°We¡¯ll come back to your claim of traveling through time in a moment,¡± he said. ¡°How does that answer my question about your spell knowledge?¡±


    ¡°Easy. I learned about the interface upgrade in the other timeline from a former noble. He told me how nobles were trained from a young age to memorize spellforms, even learning simple ones before they gained access to the system,¡± the girl replied.


    ¡°When I came back,¡± she continued, ¡°I recorded every spellform I could find in the game and learned them after awakening. I focused on the easy ones first and moved on to the more complex ones once my upgrade was complete. It¡¯s simple to have the interface assistant create a template to follow. All you have to do is fill it with the right mana enough times for the system to award the spell. After that, the system does most of the work for you.¡±


    As he considered her simplified explanation, the Senior Researcher¡¯s primary Interface Assistant sent him an alert, drawing his attention to the first set of analyses that had just completed for the subject. It was obvious something significant had happened to the human¡¯s soul ¨C something that had a great deal to do with Time magic.


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    ¡°Explain the readings I¡¯m getting on your soul,¡± he said, not providing additional information in hopes the girl would provide more than she might otherwise.


    The girl frowned, but a slight increase in the amount of mana sent into the compulsion enchantment loosened her tongue. ¡°When my memories were sent back, they brought a portion of my soul. Maybe that¡¯s what you¡¯re seeing?¡± the girl said uncertainly. ¡°Master Kairos said it was more than I could survive without specialized healing ¨C which was impossible given my situation in the other timeline.¡±


    ¡°So, you killed yourself in that alternate timeline?¡± he asked curiously. The idea of intentionally murdering oneself was antithetical to someone like him, but he could easily see how a weaker-willed species might engage in such behavior.


    The girl huffed as if annoyed. Humans¡¯ reactions were extraordinarily odd sometimes.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional,¡± she grumbled.


    After a few moments of reflection, Sir Eri¡¯Non dismissively stated, ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t explain the readings I¡¯m getting.¡± He was lying. Adding a bit of extra soul perfectly explained the readings. However, he suspected the girl knew more. Since he could see the girl¡¯s mana use, he wasn¡¯t concerned she might recognize his falsehood. He knew she hadn¡¯t cast any spells since her arrival.


    ¡°My affinities increased. Maybe that¡¯s what you¡¯re seeing.¡±


    The elf quickly turned away to hide his expression. The only entities in the room were himself and two Mana Intelligence Assistants. His regular assistants would have normally been present, but given the agreement, he¡¯d sent them away upon finishing with the previous subject.


    It was a good thing. He doubted he¡¯d be able to keep something like that secret had anyone else heard it. The potential to increase one¡¯s natural affinities was part of his purpose in researching mana in the first place.


    ¡°How much did they improve?¡± he asked without inflection. He didn¡¯t want to give her the impression that the information was important, though the girl had to know it was, given who her mentor was. No wonder the pair had been so certain he¡¯d be interested in studying her, even after so much time had passed since her awakening.


    ¡°The first time I remember measuring them in the other timeline, my Space affinity was seventy-six, and my Time affinity was sixty-eight.¡±


    Sir Eri¡¯Non felt like screaming in excitement. The girl¡¯s awakening measurements had been vastly different. She¡¯d had a ninety-one in Time and eighty-four in Space. That was¡­huge! No wonder her Master believed the person left in the other timeline would have died. To have ripped that much of her soul away was inconceivable.


    But if he could harness something similar or learn to grow his soul directly¡­ He felt a flush of mana as his mind rapidly made connections. The theory had existed before but had never been believed possible. This girl was living proof that affinities were housed in one¡¯s soul, and the two were inextricably linked.


    They were not a metaphysical aspect of one¡¯s body, as many believed. Sure, there were indications that the body influenced one¡¯s affinities, but with this new information, it was clear the soul was vastly more important in determining one¡¯s affinities. How that worked with bloodline trends would likely be a topic of future research.


    He couldn¡¯t hardly suppress his excitement.


    ¡°Ummm, you¡¯re glowing? Is that normal?¡± the restrained girl asked, drawing his attention to a very pressing issue.


    He was ascending. Finally! He¡¯d finally done it!


    Realizing he was at risk of violating the agreement, Sir Eri¡¯Non immediately released the girl¡¯s restraints while simultaneously wiping the most recent data collected. As the information was destroyed, Sir Eri¡¯Non began stripping himself of his jewelry and accessories. He could take none of it with him, but his descendants would be able to make use of it.


    ¡°We¡¯re done,¡± he said excitedly as he nudged the confused human toward the inert portal. ¡°You¡¯ve fulfilled your end of the bargain, and I¡¯ve already deleted everything pertaining to you in my records.¡±


    The elf hurriedly triggered a series of preplanned instructions through his interface. ¡°Give this to the elf you meet on the other side.¡± He removed a storage cube from his pocket and handed it to her. In a moment of generosity, Sir Eri¡¯Non withdrew a vial containing an Advanced Inventory Potion and gave it to the wide-eyed girl. He had no need for such items, and she deserved a small reward for her minor part in his ascension.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± he exclaimed giddily. The portal glowed as it sprang to life. He pushed the confused girl through the swirling mana as soon as it stabilized before abruptly closing it behind her just before his favorite living assistant rushed into the room.


    ¡°Ancestor! You¡¯re ascending!¡± the much younger elf said, stating the obvious. Instead of scolding his subordinate, Sir Eri¡¯Non triggered the Researcher¡¯s elevation to Senior Researcher. It was only proper that his research would continue through his progeny.


    ¡°My affairs are in order. I¡¯m passing ownership of the ship to you. Instructions for my possessions have already been disseminated.¡± The elder elf motioned toward the pile of items nearby. He struggled to resist the pull of ascension. ¡°Continue my work. Do not disappoint me.¡±


    Before the newly raised Senior Researcher could respond, the elder elf ceased his resistance and abruptly disappeared, leaving his distant descendant standing alone in the empty laboratory.

 Book 3 - Chapter 1 - A Rough Arrival

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kick that elf¡¯s ass one day,¡± I grumbled as I picked myself off the floor of what appeared to be a posh receiving room.


    I didn¡¯t think the ancient Researcher meant to push me through the interplanetary portal so hard. But that didn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯d hit the ground hard enough to activate my [Barrier] talisman. Given how distracted he was, I was probably lucky it hadn¡¯t been worse.


    Tier Tens were scary strong.


    It was a good thing I¡¯d immediately placed the potion into my ring since I would have hated to drop it during my tumble. It probably wouldn¡¯t have broken, considering the source. But it wasn¡¯t something I would willingly test.


    After looking around the room and finding nothing of immediate interest ¨C aside from the obvious time-slowing effect on the room ¨C I sat in one of the richly upholstered chairs and took a moment to consider my new circumstances.


    I¡¯d left Earth, possibly for good, and was now sitting in a room on Sira, the lone Tier Ten planet controlled by the Alliance. I was about to enter the Realm Dungeon, a challenge dungeon that also served as a quasi-study for Sir Eri¡¯Non ¨C or rather, whoever had taken over for him now that he¡¯d ascended.


    I had no idea when I¡¯d see my family again. Thinking about them was hard, especially after everything I¡¯d gone through to ensure they had a chance to thrive in this timeline.


    None of them had during the previous one. It was why I¡¯d risked so much to go back, causing a new timeline branch in the process. I was almost certain the ¡®me¡¯ in the original timeline had died from the soul damage caused by the formation.


    It was a small price to pay to save my family. Taking my brother¡¯s place in the Realm Dungeon was similar.


    Master Kairos ¨C the Epikairos Sect Patriarch who¡¯d claimed me as his disciple upon learning about my Time affinity ¨C had been peeved when I maneuvered to take Justin¡¯s place instead of joining him. He¡¯d seen it as cheating Justin out of an opportunity. Knowing my brother, I suspected he would rather meet his unborn children and watch his four-year-old grow up instead of challenging a dungeon in another world.


    And since none of this had happened in the other timeline, I had no idea what to expect after I entered.


    The last time, I¡¯d stayed on a military base for a couple of years before venturing out into the greater Alliance. I wasn¡¯t anything special, and nobody paid much attention to me.


    Eventually, I¡¯d joined a group of adventurers led by a disowned former noble, and they¡¯d helped me gather materials for a crazy idea I had to travel back in time. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be possible, but they¡¯d supported me as a friend and party member nonetheless.


    I wondered if Edgar had already received the message I sent. With how quickly messages could be transmitted using portals as relays, he should have gotten it a few days earlier. It was marked with the Epikairos Sect¡¯s seal, which I hoped would add a bit of weight to the message.


    Jorenda wouldn¡¯t get her message until she arrived at the Mages¡¯ Academy a year from now, but Master Kairos assured me the message would be held and delivered since it bore the sect¡¯s seal. It wasn¡¯t the first time the Epikairos Sect had been involved in sending a message early. With Fate and Time Mages, it came up occasionally.


    The same would happen for Ros and Marcus. They wouldn¡¯t awaken for another couple of years, so I¡¯d sent messages to the Training Tower, where they met in the other timeline.


    I considered sending a message to Ros at the prep school he was attending, but I didn¡¯t want to diminish his current happiness. Ros often spoke fondly about his time at school. It was only when his family abruptly disowned him after the awakening ceremony that he struggled.


    But he hadn¡¯t asked me to change that. All he wanted was a warning so he could save his cousin/best friend. I hoped the message was enough. Given the circumstances, it was all I could do.


    I sighed and looked through my ring, conducting another quick inventory of my belongings. The first thing I noticed was the Advanced Inventory Potion that Sir Eri¡¯Non had handed me before shoving me through the portal.


    It was an unexpected boon, and I couldn¡¯t wait to examine it closer to see if I could pick out some of the methods used in its creation. Before leaving Earth, I¡¯d spent all the Contribution Points I¡¯d earned working with the Alliance to purchase an augment for Micro-Enchanting, as well as one to improve Lisa¡¯s ability to scan and extrapolate potential alchemical uses of unknown materials.


    With the two improvements, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to uncover how the potion was made.


    I ended up trading for and purchasing most of the materials I needed due to the time constraints. I was going to give what was left of my funds to my family, but Master Kairos had helpfully informed me that Alliance credits were still useful within the dungeon since many challengers had opted to stop climbing and settle in villages on the various floors.


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    It seemed elites made up only a small portion of the participants in the weird dungeon study. Most were apparently normal people from lower-tier planets who would have never been capable of accessing the resources needed to ascend otherwise.


    People like those taken from Earth, though Master Kairos assured me all the non-Earthborn participants had volunteered. It was seen as an honor to get an invitation to the dungeon in the cities he used as recruitment grounds.


    I¡¯d asked what would have happened to the people from Earth who had refused to participate. I was almost certain some would have refused, if for no other reason but to spite the person who¡¯d kidnapped them.


    Master Kairos hadn¡¯t had an answer for me, and I¡¯d never gotten a chance to ask the elf before being tossed into another world.


    Shaking off the thought, I finished assessing my supplies. My ring had [Stasis], so I¡¯d packed a lot of food, even though it wasn¡¯t strictly necessary. With my MealMaker, I could [Transmute] non-food materials into nourishing meals, but the mana cost increased significantly depending on the material being converted.


    Converting a raw piece of beef into a perfectly cooked steak was practically free compared to starting with a rock or stick. It was basically common sense.


    I¡¯d also obtained a variety of herbs and alchemical ingredients for some of the lower-tier recipes I¡¯d gotten. While it was technically possible to [Transmute] one ingredient into another, potions and enchantments using such items never quite turned out right. They¡¯d still be functional, but modified ingredients tended to be weaker, somehow.


    It was probably why merchants didn¡¯t just [Transmute] a ton of material and pass it off as genuine. Well, that and the fact that even a basic Identify would show a *modified* tag on anything that had been changed using transmutation.


    It was almost like the process left a mana signature of some sort.


    I wasn¡¯t able to finish crafting the upgraded housing/transportation before I left, so I¡¯d brought along one of the Tier Two versions to use until I could finish it. Master Kairos had mentioned villages ¨C which implied lodging ¨C but I didn¡¯t want to rely on unknowns.


    I could have focused on completing it instead of spending time with my family, but that didn¡¯t seem like a valuable exchange, given the circumstances. It would only take a few days of dedicated focus to finish it. With the wards and barriers I had on hand, I shouldn¡¯t have an issue staying safe until I finished the device.


    Because my Tier Three storage ring was significantly smaller than the one Master Kairos had given me, I had most of the items separated into spatial bags, organized by item type. Everything was still affected by [Stasis], though I was only able to directly remove and equip items outside of the bags.


    Managing the [Equip] enchantment at all had been a huge win, I felt.


    As I was beginning to grow bored, the Time effect stopped, and my Spatial Sense was able to extend beyond the room. The slowing field had almost completely hampered my ability to sense anything beyond the field¡¯s perimeter, so the sudden increase in my perception field would have alerted me to the change had my Time affinity not clued me in.


    I assumed the robed figure that entered was the Gatekeeper, though their hooded robe concealed their identity. It likely included some sort of obscuring effect, given how difficult it was to discern the individual¡¯s features. I couldn¡¯t even confidently guess whether they were male or female after they¡¯d spoken.


    ¡°Welcome to the Realm Dungeon, Elite. You arrived earlier than projected.¡±


    I stood from the chair I¡¯d been resting in and bowed politely. ¡°Thank you. Sir Eri¡¯Non obtained what he needed and sent me here.¡± Having grown curious in the time I spent waiting, I added, ¡°I¡¯m surprised the mana isn¡¯t denser, given our location.¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is a formation around this room to ensure the mana does not exceed safe levels for those entering the dungeon.¡± Stepping closer, the robed figure asked, ¡°Do you have something for me?¡±


    I handed them the cube. I¡¯d tried placing it inside my ring initially, but it hadn¡¯t worked. Consequently, it had gotten knocked around a bit when I dropped it during my arrival, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any damage.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± the Gatekeeper said. The wall next to us seemed to melt as the robed figure approached. They placed the cube in the small alcove that appeared, and it immediately disappeared. Within a second, the wall had reformed, returning the space to its original appearance.


    Turning back to me, the Gatekeeper paused. ¡°You should have already taken the Inventory potion. The dungeon will not allow you to bring it with you.¡±


    My pulse jumped at the individual¡¯s obvious ability to see within my spatial ring. Though I wanted to spend some time studying the potion before using it, it seemed I wouldn¡¯t get the chance to do more than a quick scan.


    I removed the vial from my ring and looked closely, activating every sensory skill and spell I had access to while instructing Lisa to capture all the data. I repeated the process after removing the cap but was careful not to take too long since the Gatekeeper was watching. While they seemed patient, it was hard to tell without more to go on than aura and posture. With little else to do, I swallowed the tasteless gelatinous mass.


    ¡°Please place the vial on the table. It exceeds your tier limit,¡± the Gatekeeper said, verifying my earlier suspicion about the quality of the glass.


    I followed the individual¡¯s instructions, eliciting a small nod from my robed overseer. The individual walked to the wall opposite the one with the alcove and opened a previously concealed door. The doorway immediately began swirling with white mana ¨C a color I¡¯d never seen before.


    ¡°Is that Tier Ten mana?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°It is. Please step through the portal, and good luck with your ascension,¡± they said, motioning me toward the portal. ¡°As a reminder, the dungeon is constantly monitored. Anything done outside an artificial structure may be observed by others outside the dungeon.¡±


    I paused. ¡°Sir Eri¡¯Non didn¡¯t mention we¡¯d be watched,¡± I said calmly, though I was significantly conflicted by the revelation.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the Gatekeeper said. ¡°But worry not. Recordings are forbidden, and the projections of events within the dungeon do not extend beyond the small city housing the dungeon. I only remind elites because some have found less than welcome receptions upon their exit due to their actions within the dungeon.¡±


    I could easily imagine how some so-called elites might act when they think nobody is watching. Ensuring they were informed probably saved a lot of trouble, both for the individuals involved and the people associated with them.


    I wasn¡¯t confident the prohibition on recordings was absolute, but it didn¡¯t matter. Knowing there was a possibility the events within the dungeon might be shown to people in the outside world should be enough to keep most of the Young Masters/Mistresses and noble elite from acting too horribly.


    Hopefully.

 Book 3 - Chapter 2 - Entering the Realm Dungeon

    I stepped through the portal and found myself in the center of a small Town Square. I only noticed a handful of people among the pristine buildings but assumed more must be hidden within. It was also entirely possible that the majority of the current floor¡¯s residents were outside the village.


    I suspected the buildings were dungeon creations, given their uniform construction and well-maintained appearance. I¡¯d need to keep that in mind, given the warning about privacy only being guaranteed within artificial constructions. If the buildings were dungeon-made, they might not count.


    A few people eyed me curiously from the other side of a semi-translucent barrier, and Lisa informed me of several uses of identification spells. I was no longer trying to hide my status, so the notifications were just for situational awareness. Considering I was on the third floor of the dungeon, falsifying my status wouldn¡¯t make much sense.


    Most of the people I could see seemed a bit ragged, and I guessed most, if not all, were from Earth. Figuring I was safe enough for the moment, I turned my attention to an oddly styled notification that had just appeared.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="623">


    Welcome to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor of the Realm Dungeon!


    The rules remain unchanged:


    Do not attack anyone within the village.


    Do not restrict another challenger¡¯s access to the kiosk.


    Upon reaching Tier Four, you have 100 hours to exit the floor.


    Reminder: the Accords still apply.


    Ascend swiftly, Challenger!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Master Kairos had warned me that I would start on the third floor since I was Tier Three. He¡¯d also mentioned there were a few restrictions in place, and violating the restrictions more than once would cause you to be ejected from the dungeon.


    Without a strong enough [Mana Barrier], that would be a death sentence for anyone without special resistances ¨C like those born on high-tier planets. Conversely, elites with such advantages could use the loophole to exit the dungeon whenever they wanted. Most probably had sycophants waiting for them in the town outside the dungeon.


    I wasn¡¯t sure where rule-breakers would be transported, only that it was outside the town. Master Kairos made it clear that the dungeon had its own system that was practically sapient, and the dungeon took offense to its rules being broken. Consequently, it was not inclined to make things easy for anyone who dared violate one of its few simple rules.


    I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have any issue complying with any of them, except maybe the last one. Depending on how the exits between floors worked, it might pose a problem. If we didn¡¯t have to sleep to apply levels and the exit was near one of the bosses, it would be simple. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t think that was the case.


    Sir Eri¡¯Non certainly hadn¡¯t needed to sleep to ascend, but that was probably different.


    ¡°Hey! Are you from Earth?¡± someone yelled from behind me.


    I turned and found a man with an uneven beard standing just outside the barrier. Curious, I used Assess.


    [Frank Lovett ¨C Level 26 ¨C Brewer/Harvester ¨C Ice]


    The upgrade to Identify not only gave me the name listed on the individual¡¯s status, but it also showed the person¡¯s profession(s). Both were welcome additions.


    Not seeing the point in hiding my origin, I said, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m from Earth.¡±


    ¡°Why are you dressed like that?¡±


    I glanced at my pristine white robes. They did draw quite a bit of attention. ¡°I joined a sect before getting sent here,¡± I answered. It was a little evasive but not untrue.


    ¡°Yeah? What date was it when you left? People have said time runs faster here,¡± Frank asked. A couple of people nearby moved closer, likely to hear my answer.


    ¡°It was the end of June 2034 when I left, and I just arrived,¡± I said, trying not to think about everyone I¡¯d left behind. I¡¯d wanted to say goodbye to everyone one last time, but maybe it was better this way. I¡¯d figure out how to send messages once I got settled in. Hopefully, nobody would be too upset about my abrupt departure.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± one of the new arrivals said. He was short and stocky and looked like he invested almost all his points into Strength. ¡°There¡¯s no way it¡¯s only been a year. And how are you Tier Three already?¡±


    ¡°I already said I joined a sect before I left. That comes with some benefits,¡± I said, not directly answering the question. ¡°And my Master¡ª¡± because it was pointless to call him anything else ¡°¡ªsaid time goes five times faster here than it does anywhere else.¡±


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    ¡°I told you we¡¯re on Sira,¡± the new arrival said to his companion as he shoved the other guy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°And I told you this isn¡¯t a game,¡± his companion grumbled, putting more space between the two of them. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of relationship the two had, but they didn¡¯t seem all that friendly with each other.


    Interjecting, I said, ¡°No, he¡¯s right. We¡¯re on Sira. Earth was reintegrated into the Alliance, just like the intro of Atlas Online described.¡± The massively popular Deep Immersion Virtual Reality game had been a primer meant to train the people of Earth for what was coming. Now that the reintegration was effectively complete, the equipment still provided skill training and entertainment.


    I¡¯d even brought my kit with me, just in case it worked within the dungeon. Given the added time dilation and the obvious spatial shenanigans I could sense, I somehow doubted it would work the way I¡¯d hoped.


    ¡°It figures the aliens would take over. It was only a matter of time,¡± someone grumbled, but I didn¡¯t see who it was.


    ¡°How¡¯d you get stuck here if you¡¯re part of a sect?¡± Frank asked conversationally. With the rules against attacking others within the village, I wasn¡¯t overly concerned for my safety, so I slowly made my way toward the edge of the slightly elevated platform.


    ¡°The elf took my brother. My Master made a deal with him to let me come instead,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± another man asked scornfully. ¡°You know we¡¯re all going to die here.¡±


    Glancing toward the angry man, I used Assess once again.


    [Landon Torres ¨C Level 23 ¨C Hunter ¨C Magma/Air]


    After verifying my [Barrier] talisman was still working ¨C just in case ¨C I stepped off the platform. ¡°It¡¯s a challenge dungeon. The point is to grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°The elf is probably watching us right now, laughing,¡± the man scoffed.


    I glanced at the village around me. All of the buildings were built using a similar style. It reminded me of some pictures I¡¯d seen of quaint medieval villages. Everything looked pretty cozy. It was hard to believe we were in a dungeon.


    ¡°He¡¯s not watching, but others are,¡± I said distractedly. I was tracking the people around me through Spatial Sense as I looked more closely at the surrounding buildings. One had the Alliance emblem for ¡®tavern,¡¯ and I headed that way. It had been a while since I ate, and seeing the sign made my stomach rumble in anticipation.


    I brought my MealMaker and a backup recipe crystal, but it didn¡¯t seem like a smart idea to expose my advantages, especially not among a group that seemed pretty solidly anti-alien. I didn¡¯t blame them, really. Had I been kidnapped and tossed into a dungeon after being tested on, I¡¯d have issues with the group responsible as well.


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± a new voice asked, drawing my attention to a middle-aged woman.


    [Susan Tomlin ¨C Level 27 ¨C Healer/Herbalist ¨C Water/Life]


    Good, they have a Healer, I thought before saying, ¡°Because Sir Eri¡¯Non ¨C that¡¯s the elf¡¯s name ¨C was in the process of ascending when I got sent here. Also, I was told the dungeon is not private. Anyone in the town outside could be watching.¡±


    ¡°Like one of those live-streamed dungeon crawl stories?¡± a younger voice asked. By this point, I¡¯d started to draw a bit of a crowd, and the number of eyes watching me was making me quite uncomfortable. It was like every human in the village had gathered to question me.


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s like that. It¡¯s not being broadcast to everyone. Only people in the dungeon town can watch us.¡±


    ¡°So, someone is probably watching me when I¡¯m taking a crap¡ª¡± the Strongman¡¯s companion said.


    ¡°Or jerking off,¡± the stocky guy joked, elbowing the taller man and nearly knocking him over.


    ¡°If you¡¯re doing it outside, then, yeah,¡± I said bluntly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about inside the buildings, though. The Gatekeeper said only artificial structures were protected, but these might be dungeon-made.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Who is the Gatekeeper?¡±


    I explained the individual I¡¯d met moments before ¨C someone none of the other challengers appeared to have interacted with. It made me wonder exactly how they¡¯d entered the dungeon if not through the Gatekeeper¡¯s portal.


    My curiosity about the Gatekeeper and how the others had arrived was sidelined when I entered the tavern and noticed a golem standing behind the counter.


    ¡°A new guest! Welcome to the Third Floor!¡± the humanoid golem said enthusiastically. ¡°The first drink is on the house, and rooms are available for rent if you¡¯d like to sleep within the safety of the town. I accept credits or trade in payment.


    ¡°Meals are available since your fellow challengers have been bringing me ingredients. I have stew and grilled rabbit. No, I do not provide special vegetarian or vegan options, even if you do provide the ingredients. If you have personal dietary restrictions, I advise you to obtain a culinary skill or two since your demands will not be catered to by dungeon staff.¡±


    The last part surprised me since most taverns I¡¯d been to were very accommodating to their patrons. Then again, they essentially had the market cornered, and it wasn¡¯t like there were any alternatives available for those unhappy with the services provided. Also, I was pretty sure any legitimate food allergies or sensitivities would have resolved by the time someone reached Tier Three.


    ¡°Has that been an issue?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    The golem twitched a few times. ¡°Not beyond the second floor, but you are new, so I wanted to ensure you were aware.¡±


    I was intrigued to learn the golems could communicate across floors, and I mentally noted the fact in case it became relevant later. Hopefully, none of the arrivals from Earth had caused too much of a problem for the golems. I wasn¡¯t sure if they could develop grudges or not.


    ¡°You¡¯re acting an awful lot like an alien lover,¡± Landon said, having followed me into the tavern.


    My eyes narrowed. ¡°You got the part about Earth being a colony planet, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Our ancestors came from Alliance planets.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like alien propaganda to me,¡± he said before spitting off to one side like a barbarian. Who did something like that inside? It was gross.


    Apparently, I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt that way.


    ¡°Challenger Landon, you have been warned several times,¡± the golem began. ¡°If you cannot keep your bodily fluids inside your body, you are no longer welcome in the Third Floor Tavern. Please exit the building, or I will be forced to remove you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try,¡± the man said as he spat again, this time toward the golem. ¡°Fucking aliens.¡±


    I could sense the movement of mana within the man and instantly cast a Time Barrier snuggly against my skin. While I trusted the talisman version well enough, the one I was wearing had already taken a hit, and there was no reason to risk getting a serious injury.


    Before the man¡¯s spell could fully manifest, Landon disappeared.


    ¡°Challenger Landon has violated the rules. He has been removed from the dungeon,¡± the golem said neutrally before its voice shifted to a friendlier tone. ¡°What would you like to drink? As I mentioned before, the first drink is on the house.¡±

 Book 3 - Epilogue

    ¡°It was nice spending a few years with you, old man,¡± Henlen said with a bittersweet smile as he watched his old friend¡¯s descendant disappear from the holofeed.


    He hated that the last three floors of the dungeon were hidden from outside observation, but it was probably better this way. While it would have been nice to see what was happening, most agreed that keeping the last few tiers-worth of growth private was in the challengers¡¯ best interests.


    Nobody wanted all of their secrets exposed, after all.


    Henlen glanced at his longtime friend and smiled. The dwarf was roughly the same age as Henlen, but nobody would guess that he was nearing the millennia mark just by looking at him.


    That applied to both of them.


    It was a mixture of advancing quickly through the lower tiers, which went a long way, and regular rejuvenation treatments.


    Henlen would probably give the dwarf another treatment or two before he ascended, but even without it, Heph was capable of easily living a few millennia longer. That would give the stubborn dwarf more than enough time to ascend and join him in the next realm.


    ¡°Who are you calling old, Time Mage?¡± Heph replied with a grin. ¡°You¡¯re older than I am!¡±


    ¡°Barely,¡± Henlen replied dismissively before standing up. ¡°I suppose I might as well head back to the sect and get things prepared. How long do you think we have before the girls leave the dungeon?¡±


    Heph scratched his thick beard as he contemplated the question. ¡°Based on the message I just received, probably not very long. Zavira had to force herself to reach the eighth floor. I¡¯m not sure how long Emie will manage to keep her there.¡±


    Henlen glanced at the now-darkened holoscreen. He¡¯d made note of the young Force Smith¡¯s struggle to progress alone on the seventh floor several times, so he couldn¡¯t say he was surprised by the news.


    ¡°I should probably hurry, then,¡± Henlen commented as he extended his hand forward. ¡°I¡¯m sure Zavira will welcome a break in the Hot Spring before leaving, so we probably have at least a few months, but that won¡¯t equate to much outside of Sira.¡±


    Emie had found the resource a year or so earlier, and he had no doubt she¡¯d ensure her friend got the opportunity to buff her regeneration before calling it quits.


    Heph grasped his long-time friend¡¯s wrist firmly. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here, just in case they decide to leave before word can be sent. I doubt it will happen, but you never know,¡± he added wisely.


    ¡°Contact me immediately if that occurs,¡± Henlen said. ¡°The tasks I need to accomplish shouldn¡¯t take very long, but they¡¯ll still take time.¡±


    After one last goodbye, the Time Mage departed, heading directly for the local portal. It would take a few connections to reach his first destination, but that was fine. He had plenty of things to occupy his minds.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­we will be leaving the dungeon next month. We¡¯re timing it to coincide with the message exchange because Master Kairos plans to meet us. I¡¯m not sure how long it will take for me to get to Hadier since Master Kairos said I need to stop by the sect headquarters first. I think I¡¯m officially going to be transitioning from a disciple into an Elder.


    It¡¯s a little weird, right? I don¡¯t really have any experience with the sect outside of interacting with Master Kairos and his assistants back on Earth. How am I supposed to suddenly become an Elder?


    Master Kairos promises it¡¯ll be fine. He said it¡¯s more of an honorary thing anyway, given my situation. I¡¯ll still be expected to teach some, but I won¡¯t have the same kinds of obligations that most Elders have.


    Do you think they¡¯ll resent me for that? I would probably resent me for basically jumping ranks if I were a normal sect member.


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    I think I¡¯m psyching myself out a little.


    Zavira said nobody would care. If anything, the fact that I¡¯m Tier Eight and have progressed in the Realm Dungeon will be a point of pride for most of them. I hope she¡¯s right.


    I made a few new trinkets for you guys. I know you said that what I¡¯ve saved is plenty, but I don¡¯t see it that way. I can¡¯t wait to sit down with Bell now that she¡¯s spent a few years getting officially trained as an Enchanter. She¡¯s always so weird about sharing what she¡¯s learned.


    Yes, I¡¯m calling you out, Miss Advanced Enchanter!


    I can¡¯t wait to meet the twins! I know I say that a lot, but that doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t true. I hate that I¡¯ve missed their whole lives!


    And, yes, I know! You¡¯ve said several times that I should just leave the dungeon as soon as I was eligible. Yes, it¡¯s my fault that I missed more of their lives than I had to. I have no excuses. Unless you were there with me, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to understand.


    And I¡¯m glad you weren¡¯t there. The seventh floor, in particular, was¡­ rough.


    Jeez, I¡¯m all over the place. Sorry about that. It¡¯s times like this that I regret making a promise not to edit my messages to you guys!


    Don¡¯t think I¡¯m too weird, okay? I know I¡¯ve changed a lot, but I¡¯m still me, and I still love you all. Expect a call when I leave the dungeon ¨C or maybe Sira. I¡¯m not sure how real-time communication works between Sira and other non-dilated worlds.


    Regardless, I¡¯ll talk to you soon.


    Love,


    Emie¡±


    ¡°She sounds more stressed than usual,¡± Bell commented as Justin sent the message to the printer. They had a week to reply, but they tried to do it the same day they received a message to avoid forgetting.


    While missing a week here or there might not seem like that big of a deal to them, they knew it was important to Emie. And the time dilation involved didn¡¯t help very much, either.


    They¡¯d forgotten a few times over the years, and though Emie never said anything, Justin and Bell suspected the oversight had hurt her feelings.


    It was just hard to remember, sometimes, especially when there were other things happening when the message came through. It was so easy to lose track of things between all the other little aspects of life.


    ¡°She does sound pretty stressed out,¡± Justin replied as he slid the printed sheets into the folder he used to hold all of their correspondence with Emie. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I blame her, though. It¡¯s only been eight years and change for us, but for her, it¡¯s been more than forty. Can you imagine being away from everyone for forty years and then returning? The subjective time difference doesn¡¯t help, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just waiting a year between visits is bad enough.¡±


    Justin nodded in agreement. ¡°And your family has come to visit us a couple of times, too. Mom and Dad moved here because they couldn¡¯t take the distance, and that was with the ability to call regularly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason,¡± Bell reminded him before asking, ¡°How different do you think she is? It¡¯s harder to tell in letters, but audio and video messages make the changes more obvious.¡±


    Neither had mentioned the distinct lack of such messages over the past few years. There had been a couple here and there, but the overwhelming majority were regular written messages.


    At first, they thought it was a financial issue, given the exorbitant costs associated with sending such messages while Emie was in the dungeon. However, once they realized the value of the materials that Emie was working with, they understood that cost was less of a factor than they thought.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Justin replied after releasing a deep breath. ¡°Like she said, she¡¯s still Emie. That obviously hasn¡¯t changed. But we both know that time has a way of changing people.¡±


    He looked through the open door leading to his home office. ¡°I often try to imagine what it would be like to be in her place. Not just because she saved me from that fate, but because I¡¯ve tried writing stories from a similar perspective. It¡¯s hard.¡±


    Bell slid her arms around Justin¡¯s waist and rested her head against his chest. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to be there for her. We owe her so much.¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Justin agreed. That fact had never been in dispute. Their lives would be unrecognizable without his little sister¡¯s intervention.


    ¡°So¡­ a week from now,¡± Bell said neutrally, still resting her head against her husband¡¯s chest. ¡°Should we plan some kind of welcome home party or something?¡±


    Justin huffed out a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m sure Mom has that handled. I can¡¯t imagine Emie didn¡¯t tell her she was leaving the dungeon soon.¡±


    Bell squeezed Justin¡¯s waist lightly before releasing him and stepping back. ¡°She mentioned having to go somewhere first. Should we reach out to the liaison for the sect to find out if that¡¯s something we need to get involved with? You¡¯d think becoming an Elder would be a big deal.¡±


    Justin shook his head. ¡°No, they¡¯ll contact us if they want us to go. I don¡¯t think that kind of ceremony is open to non-members anyway.¡±


    Bell frowned but didn¡¯t argue the point. Though they¡¯d lived on Hadier for eight years, they were still outsiders in many ways. There was a lot about the culture, especially related to sects, that they just didn¡¯t get.


    Maybe eventually, that would change. For now, they¡¯d prepare for a reunion that was a long time coming.

 Book 4 - Chapter 1 - Leaving the Dungeon

    The town outside the dungeon wasn¡¯t quite what I expected.


    Given its location on Sira, the sole Tier Ten world accessible by the Atlantis Alliance, I expected something more¡­ futuristic. Instead, I found myself in a quaint town that could have been located on any ¡®integrated¡¯ planet in the Alliance.


    The town had a relaxed, almost resort-like feel, which I found deeply incongruent with the fact that it housed a realm-spanning dungeon holding tens of thousands of people, most of whom were struggling to advance as quickly as possible.


    Okay. Maybe not most. There were a lot of people who just lived their lives in the dungeon and didn¡¯t really care all that much about progressing beyond a certain point.


    It was a lot like the outside in that way.


    But still, there were no overt signs drawing attention to the town¡¯s unique status. At least, there were none that I noticed right away when I appeared next to Zavira on the arrival platform. I had little time to examine my surroundings further when my attention was drawn to two individuals standing nearby.


    ¡°Little Z!¡± A burly dwarf with a thick beard reaching his stomach was grinning widely as he stared at me and my companion. His robes were mauve trimmed in red, and the Hephaistos Sect emblem was clearly visible down both of his sleeves.


    Seeing the dwarf who could only be her Sect Patriarch and however many-great grandfather, Zavira shifted her trajectory and sped up.


    I followed behind at a slower pace, though my eyes had already been drawn to a familiar man in pristine white robes standing nearby. His garments were far nicer than the ones I wore, though they bore an intentional resemblance.


    The man was significantly taller than the nearby dwarf and had long, platinum-blonde hair pulled back in a loose bun. His pale skin looked a little out of place on his muscular body. It was almost like his skin rejected the effects of the sun altogether.


    While my long-time friend and companion embraced her slightly shorter ancestor, I stopped at a respectful distance and placed my right fist against my left palm before bowing.


    ¡°Disciple greets Master.¡±


    I¡¯d only ever done the proper greeting a few times since it felt overly formal and awkward before. It had always felt cheesy, like I was acting and merely parroting words.


    But that had changed during my time in the dungeon.


    I could feel the shift in Master Kairos¡¯s demeanor at my formal greeting. Instead of waving me off, his posture grew rigid, and he returned the formality.


    Zavira and her ancestor had eschewed formality in favor of familiarity, but that was fine. They had that kind of relationship.


    Master Kairos and I did not.


    ¡°That was perfectly executed,¡± the older Time Mage said approvingly.


    I smiled tightly, uncertain about what level of familiarity would be appropriate. Master Kairos and I had grown much less formal in our regular communication, but that somehow felt different than standing in front of him.


    ¡°Thank you, Master Kairos. Lisa made me practice a lot,¡± I replied honestly. ¡°She insisted I was going to need all of the etiquette you included in my inheritance as soon as I left the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Your Interface Assistant was not wrong,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°The ceremony is going to be very formal. You are familiar with the process, correct?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I am.¡±


    I¡¯d spent what amounted to days, perhaps even weeks, learning about and practicing for almost any contingency I might face. Taking part in a ceremony to transition from a disciple into an Elder was included.


    After receiving several notifications that I¡¯d been the target of an identification spell, I looked around and saw multiple groups watching us from a distance. Nobody approached, which was nice, but feeling the stares of so many people made me feel uncomfortable.


    I almost wished I¡¯d worn some kind of [Disguise] amulet, preferably one that hid my status as a Tri-Affinity Mage.


    After being introduced to the nearby dwarf named Heph ¨C Zavira¡¯s ancestor, the Hephaistos Sect Patriarch, and Master Kairos¡¯s long-time friend, we made our way to the portals that led outside the town.


    The one we¡¯d arrived through was only connected to the dungeon.


    While a few people seemed to be following us from a respectful distance, nobody bothered us, so I tried to force myself to relax.


    I noticed that Master Kairos seemed oddly off-balance as we made our way to the transport hub. It wasn¡¯t in the traditional or literal sense, but more like he was just as uncertain about how to interact with me now that I was out of the dungeon as I was with him.


    I wondered if it had to do with my impending transition into an Elder.


    Or maybe my new status as a Tri-Affinity Mage?


    Or maybe, just maybe, I was just being overly sensitive and socially awkward. Too much time alone hadn¡¯t done me any favors in that way, and feeling the constant gaze of watchers wasn¡¯t helping.


    At least nobody was being overtly hostile.


    <hr>


    It only took a couple of hours to travel from the dungeon town on Sira to Garnet City, Aegeas ¨C the home of both Ep¨ªkairos and Hephaistos Sects.


    I only noticed one of the watchers following us from the dungeon town, and he disappeared as soon as we arrived in Garnet City. I could sense him heading away from us, which was comforting after being tailed for so long.


    I felt certain that the others were well aware of our stalker, but nobody seemed bothered by it. I was pretty sure I¡¯d even seen Master Kairos make eye contact with the man a couple of times.


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    ¡°What do you think?¡± Master Kairos asked as he motioned toward the sparkling city once we exited the enclosed portal hub.


    Finally, my hopes of seeing a real futuristic-looking city were fulfilled.


    While the portal hub was only a few stories tall ¨C the top two of which were filled with shops and restaurants, most of the surrounding buildings towered over us.


    More than half of the structures appeared to be made out of gemstones, with the majority being maroon, like garnets. I wasn¡¯t sure if the city was named after the building material or vice versa.


    I would have expected such a sight to create an ambiance of something other than comfort, but I was wrong. As soon as I stepped foot into the city, I felt warm and welcome.


    It almost had to be a magical effect.


    ¡°I like it,¡± I replied. Zavira and Heph were busily chatting about something sect-related, so I didn¡¯t see her reaction to the city.


    I couldn¡¯t recall discussing Garnet City before, so I wasn¡¯t sure if Zavira had been there before or not. I knew she¡¯d grown up on a different world, but that didn¡¯t mean much, given her family connections.


    Master Kairos seemed pleased by my response.


    I was just about to ask how we were planning to get to the sect when a pair of elegant carriages slowly dropped from the sky, coming to rest in front of us.


    I took a breath to ask about them, but was interrupted when Zavira rushed over and wrapped her arms around me. ¡°Thanks for waiting for me. I¡¯m glad we were able to leave together, even if we¡¯re separating already.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± I replied as I returned the hug. ¡°We¡¯re still doing a joint reception after the ceremonies, right?¡± That was what the itinerary I¡¯d received as soon as we exited the dungeon said, at least.


    ¡°Yes. Tomorrow,¡± Zavira answered. ¡°But call me tonight so we can talk. I¡¯ve got a lot of stuff to take care of before the ceremony, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re the same.¡± She glanced at Master Kairos before focusing back on me.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I agreed, though I wasn¡¯t sure what Master Kairos had planned for the rest of the day. The itinerary just said ¡®ceremony preparation,¡¯ and that could mean just about anything.


    I wanted to talk to my family, but a quick check with Lisa informed me that it was still a little early to call.


    Instead, I sent a low-priority message to everyone important letting them know I was available for contact when they had time to talk. By sending it as low-priority, I didn¡¯t have to worry about interrupting anyone¡¯s sleep.


    I climbed into the carriage, sitting on the seat opposite Master Kairos. The floating carriage was shaped like an oval, much like my pods, with storage space behind the comfortable-looking seats and beneath the hollow floor.


    Since storage devices had to be extremely common at this tier, I doubted the space got much use.


    The rest of the carriage was dedicated to passenger comfort, and it was obvious that Master Kairos had not opted for a cheap ride.


    The seats were made of enchanted beast leather softer than anything I¡¯d felt on Earth. When I leaned back in my seat, it felt like the whole thing shifted to perfectly fit my body.


    ¡°This is nice,¡± I commented as I rubbed a hand across the soft material appreciatively.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°We have a few stops to make before we go to the sect, so I hope you¡¯re not too tired.¡±


    Most of the stops we had to make revolved around my outfits for the following day. Aside from a set of ceremonial robes, I needed a couple of sets of Elder robes to hold me over until the two sets of growth robes Master Kairos had given me before entering the dungeon were altered to reflect my new position.


    The Tailor didn¡¯t react when Master Kairos mentioned my third affinity. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was just playing it cool or if he really didn¡¯t care about it. Either way, I appreciated his professionalism.


    Once we left the Tailor¡¯s shop, Master Kairos insisted that we stop by the local Enchanters¡¯ Guild so I could ¡®properly register¡¯ now that I was out of the dungeon.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to see the Vice-Guildleader,¡± Master Kairos told the clerk when we entered the opulent building. ¡°She¡¯s expecting us.¡±


    Unlike many of its neighbors, the Enchanters¡¯ Guild was not made out of garnet or anything that looked similar. Instead, it was crafted out of white jade, with intricate arrays layered artistically to maximize their effectiveness and their beauty.


    The basic runes were unobscured, allowing anyone to see the skill with which they were carved. The higher-level runes were mostly hidden, though I was able to peek at a few of them as we waited.


    It seemed the Vice-Guildleader really was expecting us because, after barely a handful of breaths, we were escorted down a nearby hallway and to a teleportation alcove.


    ¡°The Vice-Guildleader will meet you at your destination,¡± the clerk said politely before ushering us onto the carved platform.


    I¡¯d seen such items before, though they were not very common on low or mid-level planets due to their mana consumption. In fact, the last time I¡¯d seen such a platform had been in the Enchanters¡¯ Guild on Olym when I updated my registration a few months before the incident with the cultists that led to my painful return.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate to step on the platform and move far enough inside to make room for Master Kairos. I could tell he was watching my reactions closely, though I was uncertain what he hoped to glean.


    I raised a brow inquisitively but said nothing as Space mana surrounded us, and we were transported to a new location. It wasn¡¯t very far ¨C still inside the same building, even. I couldn¡¯t help but think the mana expenditure was wasteful.


    ¡°Patriarch Kairos!¡± a lovely female elf with dusky skin and dark purple hair said with a smile when we arrived. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this visit for ages! Is this the disciple you¡¯ve told me so much about? Emie, right?¡± she added, glancing my way with a radiant smile.


    I glanced at Master Kairos again, both brows raised this time. He smiled mischievously.


    ¡°She is,¡± the Time Mage agreed. ¡°Thank you for making an exception for such a special case.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem at all,¡± the elf said before motioning for us to take a seat in the comfortable-looking plush chairs. ¡°I¡¯ll admit I was wary when you initially asked for such a concession, but knowing the situation¡­ Well, intentionally stunting the growth of such a promising young Enchanter based on arbitrary rules isn¡¯t something I¡¯d ever agree to.¡±


    After a few exchanges and a quick introduction ¨C the Vice-Guildleader¡¯s name was Lady Rhania¡¯Aether ¨C I quickly realized that Master Kairos had made some agreement with the Vice-Guildleader to get permission to include advanced Enchanting training in my inheritance.


    He¡¯d had to do a bunch of paperwork and pay a lot of fees, but technically, I was already a guild member in good standing.


    I was surprised to learn he¡¯d taken care of everything before I¡¯d even entered the Realm Dungeon, especially with how limited communication between Earth and the rest of the Alliance was supposed to have been back then.


    That meant he¡¯d been paying my membership fees this whole time. Or, more likely, the fees had been paid out of the proceeds from my MealMaker. I hadn¡¯t checked the balance of the account yet, nor was I in much of a hurry to do so at the moment.


    Ultimately, the balance didn¡¯t matter all that much after my time in the dungeon. I had enough credits and loot saved that I doubted I¡¯d need any more during my ten-year break, especially since I planned to spend most of that time on a Tier Six world.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lady Rhania said after tapping on a fancy tablet a few times and handing it to me. ¡°Input your mana into this, and everything will be done.¡± The Vice-Guildleader grinned at Master Kairos once the tablet was in my hands. ¡°I think this is the longest registration period I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    After doing a cursory scan to make sure I wasn¡¯t signing something unexpected, I sent a pulse of mana into the tablet and handed it back.


    Lady Rhania smiled and glanced at the screen casually as she moved the set it down. Instead of releasing the device, her muscles seemed to lock up, and her posture shifted to something far more rigid.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that,¡± Master Kairos said with a grimace. ¡°Sorry. I should have told you before, but it¡¯s still a relatively new development.¡±


    ¡°When¡­How?¡± the Vice-Guildleader managed to squeeze out as her eyes shifted to me and a small notification in the corner of my interface display let me know that I¡¯d once again been the target of an identification spell.


    My shoulders dropped slightly, and I sighed. This kind of reaction was going to take some getting used to.

 Book 4 - Chapter 2 - An Oracles Influence

    ¡°It truly was merely an oversight,¡± Master Kairos assured me as we entered the floating vehicle waiting outside.


    I nodded, though I wasn¡¯t fully sold on his innocence. While he¡¯d seemed genuinely contrite at first, the Time Mage had grown increasingly amused as Lady Rhania reacted to the shock of learning about my new status as a Tri-Affinity Mage.


    The elf¡¯s breach of decorum hadn¡¯t lasted long, and she had quickly regained her original professionalism. Now that it was over, I supposed the stark difference in how the Vice-Guildleader had reacted to me after learning about my new status was somewhat amusing.


    As we headed toward the sect, I noted there were far fewer of the gemstone-looking buildings the farther we got from the city center. Within a few minutes, we left the larger city behind and flew over what looked like suburbs, though they were tightly packed and left little empty space.


    Mom and Dad would probably like living somewhere like this if the yards were larger.


    The thought made me wonder why I still hadn¡¯t heard from them. The only person who¡¯d responded to my earlier messages was Deni, and she¡¯d replied saying that she was about to enter a rift and couldn¡¯t talk but would see me in a few days.


    Aside from that one message, nobody had replied.


    To be fair, I¡¯d only messaged my parents, Justin, Bell, and Deni since they were the only ones I¡¯d consistently kept in contact with while I was in the dungeon.


    I¡¯d sent a few messages over the years to Robert, Natalie, and my cousin Gabby, but so much time had passed since the last time I communicated with one of them that it felt awkward reaching out now.


    Feeling the echoes of isolation, I sulked a little as I stared out the window. Master Kairos must have sensed my mood because he remained silent.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the vehicle to start its descent toward a walled compound. The inner-city skyline was still quite visible behind us, but it was far enough away to give the illusion of being a separate city.


    ¡°Is that the sect?¡± I asked, perking up slightly.


    The wall surrounding the area was far too short to be of any real use, and I suspected it served as the base for a [Barrier] formation of one sort or another as opposed to serving as a physical defense.


    In the distance, I could see a massive wall enclosing the city and everything around it ¨C including the sect. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how many people it would take to man such a huge structure.


    I doubted there was much of a risk of beast waves on such a high-tier world, though. With how long it took for an instance to cycle at higher tiers, I imagined the demand for slots far outstripped the supply, making it unlikely rifts would be neglected enough to potentially cause problems.


    Even if a new rift spawned and was somehow left undiscovered long enough to break, I doubted there was a shortage of capable adventurers willing to hunt the creatures that escaped.


    Regardless, I understood the importance of maintaining strong defenses, both for the city and for the sect.


    ¡°It is,¡± Master Kairos said proudly as the vehicle came to a stop near a gate covered in obscured runes. Even without seeing them clearly, I could sense the movement of the mana within the enchantments.


    The two disciples guarding the gate bowed toward the vehicle. ¡°Greetings, Patriarch and Patriarch¡¯s Disciple. Welcome home.¡±


    As the vehicle passed through the gate, I turned to my mentor. ¡°How did they verify our identities? What if you were an intruder wearing a [Disguise] amulet?¡±


    ¡°The [Barrier] can recognize our sect identification tokens. The guards only need to verify those without such tokens ¨C like visitors and sect hopefuls.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember getting a token,¡± I said with a frown before glancing over the items I had in storage.


    Master Kairos chuckled lightly. ¡°It isn¡¯t something physical. When you officially joined the sect, a digital token was transferred to your interface. They are impossible to copy or steal, making them perfect for identification purposes.¡±


    I could imagine how such a feature was possible, though I struggled to figure out how it could be made perfectly secure. If it was anything like pre-integration technology, there had to be ways to circumvent the built-in protections.


    With enough time and effort, I could probably make something that functioned similarly, though I doubted anything I crafted would be similarly secure without the system¡¯s active participation.


    On that note, I was curious how the designers got such an item to work with the interface in the first place. Maybe I¡¯d gain such knowledge once I reached Master or Grandmaster in Enchanting.


    The sect grounds looked like a much larger, nicer version of the collegesque campus I¡¯d explored virtually through Atlas Online back before I¡¯d officially become Master Kairos¡¯s disciple.


    Most of the buildings were made of stone that looked like granite, except its colors were primarily white and lavender with a sheen of shimmer mixed in. I wasn¡¯t sure if the material was some kind of unpolished gemstone or if it was something created specifically for the Ep¨ªkairos Sect.


    Without exception, the structures and landscaping looked pristine and well-kept. Though I was sure many of the buildings were hundreds of years old, everything looked brand new.


    It wasn¡¯t really surprising for a sect that specialized in Time magic.


    We flew over several buildings before the vehicle came to a stop in front of a massive mansion situated atop a hill overlooking the sect. Part of the view was blocked by trees and foliage, and I felt sure the landscaping was intentional.


    Master Kairos didn¡¯t strike me as the type of person who always wanted to be in the spotlight.


    ¡°Is this your home?¡± I asked with a touch of awe. It was hard not to be a little amazed by the beautiful estate.


    Unlike most of the buildings I¡¯d noticed within the compound, the stone used for the mansion¡¯s exterior had no hints of purple. Instead, they were a shimmering white. At certain angles, it almost looked like the stone was shifting into a rainbow of colors.


    ¡°It is. It¡¯s your home, too, while you¡¯re visiting. I¡¯ve already informed the servants, so you should have no issues.¡± Shifting his attention from the house to me, he added, ¡°If you were going to spend your break here instead of Hadier, you¡¯d be given a permanent residence. But since you only plan to visit¡­¡±


    Master Kairos shrugged. ¡°The visitor¡¯s quarters are also available if you¡¯d prefer something more private. I figured you¡¯d rather have a little more space, though, considering your guests.¡±


    I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°Guests?¡±


    My question was answered when the door opened and revealed three people waiting in the foyer.


    ¡°Emie!¡±


    Mom moved faster than a pre-integration human was capable of, but it was still slow compared to the speed at which I could move.


    Though she¡¯d gotten a head start, I met her just a couple of feet outside of the door in a firm embrace. I was careful not to squeeze too tightly, given her lower tier.


    ¡°Mom! You¡¯re here! Why didn¡¯t you reply to my message?¡± I asked before adding, ¡°How are you guys here? I thought the mana density was too high.¡±


    Though it was a Tier Nine world, I¡¯d noticed the mana density around Garnet City was only Tier Eight. Even so, that should have been far too much for someone at Tier Three to handle.


    Dad wrapped his arms around both of us, with Justin joining in the family hug a moment later.


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    ¡°Thank your mentor,¡± Dad said in response. ¡°He coordinated everything. He even had his people loan us [Mana Barriers] for the trip.¡±


    I twisted my head to look over Justin¡¯s shoulder. Master Kairos was still standing back, but he was close enough to make eye contact with.


    ¡°Thank you, Master Kairos,¡± I said emotionally.


    After feeling isolated for so long, being surrounded by my family and feeling their love was enough to bring tears to my eyes. Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t the only one crying.


    ¡°You might be more comfortable inside,¡± Master Kairos said after a few moments. Taking his advice, we entered the spacious residence.


    The inside was decorated much like his island residence had been on Earth. Most everything was done in neutral tones, though there were a few pops of color throughout the entryway and social areas.


    ¡°Did Bell and the kids not come?¡± I asked once we got settled in the sitting room. Master Kairos had disappeared once we entered, likely to give us a bit of privacy.


    ¡°They wanted to, but we decided not to impose too much on your mentor,¡± Justin said. ¡°Bell has a project due tomorrow anyway, so it would have been hard for her to come to the reception. It seemed like a better idea to have her watch all the kids, especially since we¡¯ll be having our own little welcome home dinner for you when we get back to Hadier.¡±


    It was weird thinking of Hadier as home. I¡¯d never even visited, much less lived there. But if home was wherever one¡¯s family was, then Hadier was the closest thing I had.


    With little prompting, my parents described their new home just outside of Aspirant City, the Ep¨ªkairos Sect¡¯s base on Hadier. They both looked so much younger than they had before I left.


    I had given both of them rejuvenation treatments before I entered the dungeon, but it was clear someone else had worked their magic on the pair as well.


    I¡¯d have to ask Master Kairos about it since I suspected he would have been the cause of such action.


    Instead of looking like a couple in their late fifties, Mom and Dad appeared to be in their mid-thirties. If they felt as good as they looked it was little wonder they¡¯d decided to have a couple more kids, especially with both me and Justin grown up.


    My younger siblings were still too young to attend school, meaning there was no chance I¡¯d be present for either of their awakenings. Even if I¡¯d waited another couple of years to leave the dungeon, the timing still wouldn¡¯t have worked out to make it to both Amie and Kaylee¡¯s awakening.


    If I had somehow managed it by delaying Amie¡¯s awakening by several months (which was not unheard of, though it risked spontaneous awakening), I still would have missed the youngest, Ashlynn¡¯s awakening ceremony.


    There really was no way to be there for all of them without a trip to Sira for a few years. I doubted that having me present for their awakening was worth disrupting their lives like that.


    <hr>


    Master Kairos joined us for dinner, and my family seemed to grow comfortable around the Tier Ten Time Mage rather quickly.


    He listened without comment as I described some of the differences between the seventh and eighth floors. Since the dungeon redacted everything of relevance about the dungeon, I hadn¡¯t been able to share very much about the topic with my family or my mentor.


    And since Master Kairos¡¯s holofeed hadn¡¯t included any floors beyond the seventh, this was the first time he heard my description of the eighth floor.


    ¡°It was basically a normal world ¨C or twin moons that worked like a world,¡± I corrected myself. ¡°The big challenge was the towns inhabited by more monstrous versions of demis that would actively hunt anyone in the area. I suspect the ninth or tenth floor will have monstrous humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes since the seventh floor was focused more on creatures like goblins and orcs. The progression makes sense.¡±


    ¡°You really think the dungeon will make monster versions of people?¡± Dad asked from his seat across the table. The dining room we were using wasn¡¯t overly formal, but it was still a lot nicer than what I was used to.


    ¡°They already have,¡± I replied as I took my time eating the delicious meal provided by Master Kairos¡¯s in-house chef. ¡°Demis are people, just like the rest of us,¡± I reminded him. I doubted my dad had interacted with many demi races, but it was also possible he was simply unfamiliar with the term.


    ¡°Oddly enough,¡± I continued, ¡°even without an actual ¡®safe zone¡¯ to rest in, I felt a lot more comfortable on the eighth floor than I did on the seventh. I¡¯m not sure if it was because all of the challengers I encountered were nicer or because I was just so glad not to be stuck in an instanced maze most of the time.¡±


    ¡°You mentioned people were nicer in your messages,¡± Mom said. ¡°You really think having a third affinity makes that much of a difference?¡±


    I glanced at Master Kairos and tried not to chuckle at the thought of how Lady Rhania had reacted to the news. Master Kairos suppressed a grin and raised a questioning brow.


    Focusing back on my mom, I said, ¡°Yeah, I really do. I don¡¯t think I appreciated exactly how big of a deal having three affinities is for people in the Alliance. I don¡¯t know if you remember Sumi. We went to high school together as beta testers, and she had three affinities. She was offered sponsorship by a royal family as soon as she awakened. They offered her basically anything she could want in exchange for genetic material.¡±


    Mom¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What does that mean, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Egg donation, at least,¡± I answered, leaving out the fact that Rhona¡¯s family had been the one to sponsor her. ¡°She got a bodyguard and funding for school through at least secondary academies for both her and her sister. I¡¯m pretty sure all of her living expenses were also covered. They¡¯ll probably offer to marry her into the family if she¡¯s agreeable to the idea.¡±


    ¡°Just because she has three affinities?¡±


    I nodded and glanced at Master Kairos for verification.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± he said. ¡°Tri-Affinity Mages are revered throughout the Alliance, though the reason for such veneration has been twisted over time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    Robert had explained the story about how a Tri-Affinity Mage had been the one to create the system just before he ascended in hopes that it would help others follow in his footsteps. This was the first time I heard mention that the story might not be true.


    ¡°Most legitimate historians agree that the system was not created by someone in this realm,¡± he replied. ¡°Even if there is some evidence that a Tri-Affinity Mage ascended around the same time that the system manifested, there are no records that support he was involved in the system¡¯s creation, even if it does make a nice story.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said thoughtfully as I considered his words. ¡°So the stories aren¡¯t true then?¡±


    ¡°Likely not,¡± Master Kairos said, shaking his head. ¡°But there is evidence to support the desirability of having multiple affinities. Several ancient documents reference some unknown advantage for ascenders with more than one affinity, though it is unclear where such knowledge was gained since none of the sources were Fate Mages. However, the fact that several strong Fate Mages have made similar assertions only serves to support the idea.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your sect also specialize in Fate magic?¡± Dad asked.


    ¡°It does.¡±


    ¡°So, one of your people has had visions of the next realm,¡± Dad said as if answering his own question. ¡°Is that how you know so much about it? Or is it because you are close to ascending yourself, and you¡¯ve dug a little deeper than most people would?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little bit of both,¡± Master Kairos answered with a surprising amount of openness. ¡°I¡¯ve known the system origin stories were inaccurate from a young age, but the details never mattered much until recently.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to ascend in less than a hundred years?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Is that what the time limit for Emie is all about?¡±


    Master Kairos looked a little uncomfortable, and I almost interrupted to change the topic. However, before I could speak, Master Kairos answered.


    ¡°I am, and it is,¡± he replied as he placed his silverware on his plate. ¡°I hope that Emie will ascend with me, though having a strong replacement for my role as Patriarch is also acceptable. Ultimately, Emie can do what she wants, even if that is to remain in this realm and pull away from the sect.¡±


    ¡°Why Emie?¡± Mom asked. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t think she¡¯s great,¡± she clarified with a quick smile in my direction. ¡°But, why her, in particular? There have to be others who are closer to ascending and willing to go with you. Or you could go alone. Most people ascend alone, right?¡±


    Everyone at the table had tensed at Mom¡¯s words, though I suspected it was for different reasons. I wanted to save my mentor from the discomfort of needing to answer such a direct question, but I found myself too curious about Master Kairos¡¯s answers to speak up.


    Master Kairos¡¯s eyes shifted to me for several long moments as he seemingly pondered what to say. He had to know that I wondered the same thing.


    ¡°As previously mentioned, the Ep¨ªkairos Sect is known for both Time and Fate magic. It is probably no surprise that we have some very strong Fate Mages among our numbers. One of those mages is known as the Oracle. She is an amazingly strong Fate Mage, though she is only Tier Eight.¡±


    Leaning back in his chair, Master Kairos continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t initially plan to take part in Earth¡¯s reintegration. I¡¯d planned to send an Elder instead. But the Oracle came to me just before the Elder was scheduled to leave and insisted that I should take the Elder¡¯s place. She convinced me to make a deal with the Council to leave within a century of Earth¡¯s reintegration in exchange for permission to take part in the excursion.


    ¡°The Oracle claimed that an opportunity would be lost if I left things in the Elder¡¯s hands. She also said that there was a chance that I would find what I was looking for on Earth.¡± Master Kairos¡¯s gaze shifted back to me, making me shiver. ¡°It is no secret that I¡¯ve been seeking a companion with which to ascend.¡±


    ¡°And you think that person is Emie?¡± Mom asked with a frown. ¡°She¡¯s a little young for you, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s face shifted through a variety of expressions, and a line formed between his brows. ¡°Companionship does not imply romantic involvement,¡± he countered before shaking his head. ¡°In any case, by the time Emie reaches Peak-Tier Ten and leaves the dungeon, she¡¯ll subjectively be more than three hundred years old. I believe she¡¯ll be fully capable of deciding such matters for herself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already over sixty,¡± I said without thinking. Once I realized the implication of my words, my eyes widened. ¡°Not that I¡¯m advocating for anything. I¡¯m just saying¡­ I¡¯m old enough to make my own decisions. Technically, I¡¯m older than everyone here except for Master Kairos,¡± I added pointedly.


    I completely and intentionally ignored the fact that Master Kairos hadn¡¯t outright rejected the idea of something developing between us in the far future. I¡­ really wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about such a prospect.


    I¡¯d gotten so used to the idea of not getting romantically involved with anyone that the concept felt foreign.


    Sure, it would be nice to have that kind of connection with someone again, but I¡¯d never really considered Master Kairos in that way. He was certainly an attractive man, but he was also my Master. It would be weird to think of him any other way.


    I was already going to have a hard enough time shifting from being his personal disciple to an Elder.


    In any case, I didn¡¯t want to discuss the matter further, and I was grateful when the servants brought out dessert, and the conversation shifted to something a little less serious.

 Book 4 - Chapter 3 - Names and Threats

    ¡°Are you still going with ¡®Momentia¡¯ as your chosen name?¡± Zavira asked through the interface later that night.


    After dinner, Mom, Dad, and Justin had set up a joint video call with Bell and the kids, and we¡¯d chatted for a couple of hours before my parents decided to call it a night.


    While the cost was more than it would have been if we were all on the same planet, the video call was still remarkably affordable, especially compared with the cost of contacting my family from the dungeon.


    At Tier Eight, I needed much less sleep than they did, so I doubted that I¡¯d sleep anytime soon. Luckily, I had someone to talk to while the others slept.


    ¡°I think so,¡± I replied before plopping onto the neatly made bed. ¡°I like the applicability of the name. It has strong ties to both Time and Space and could arguably also apply to Arcane. Moment, momentum, and momentous. The last one is probably a stretch,¡± I admitted, ¡°but since I use Arcane mana for enchantments and enhancements, it kinda applies.¡±


    ¡°I like it. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll even have to explain it after the ceremony,¡± Zavira said before adding, ¡°Not that anyone would be rude enough to ask right away. If you chose something arbitrary, you might have a few who were curious enough to ask about it, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have that issue.¡±


    I hummed lightly in response as I played with one of the new E3 talismans I¡¯d crafted while waiting for Zavira to reach the eighth floor.


    I¡¯d made a lot of upgrades to my standard kit after learning how to craft growth items. I¡¯d planned to give Mom, Dad, and Justin their own set of protective growth items right away, but in all the excitement, it had slipped my mind.


    I¡¯d correct that issue as soon as they woke up.


    The last thing I wanted was for something to happen to one of my family members.


    I had enough sets for Deni, Bell, my new siblings, and my niece and nephews as well. It had taken a lot of time to craft everything, but I hadn¡¯t minded. It was a labor of love.


    Zavira already had her new set of protection talismans. I¡¯d expected her to balk a little when I told her how they worked, but she¡¯d grown to trust me during our decades together, and she had barely batted an eye.


    ¡°Are you still going with ¡®Ferraria?¡¯¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I like it,¡± Zavira said after a pause. ¡°But it¡¯s really just a pretty word meaning Smith. My ancestor wrapped his identity in his profession, but I¡¯m not sure that I want to do the same thing. It¡¯s definitely important, but I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s what I want to orient my future identity around.¡±


    Chosen names, or mage names, depending on the situation, were a weird part of Alliance culture. They didn¡¯t have family names, per se. Instead, they had a given name, and once certain milestones were met, a chosen name was added.


    For example, Master Kairos¡¯s given name was Henlen, but his chosen name was Kairos. Kairos served as a surname, though a lot of people opted to use them as their primary name instead.


    ¡°Well, you can always change it once you ascend,¡± I reminded her cheekily.


    Her scoff was clear through the voice connection. ¡°You say that like it¡¯s nothing. Most people never ascend.¡±


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t reach Tier Eight,¡± I countered.


    She was right, though. I¡¯d somehow started to think of ascension as something that would happen eventually, and likely sooner rather than later.


    Was I really considering Master Kairos¡¯s offer to join him? I didn¡¯t think so. But even if I waited centuries to ascend, it was still a matter of when, not if.


    But when was the big question.


    Would I wait for the family I know and love now to die, or would I leave before then? Would I stick around and try to connect with their descendants? Would I start my own family?


    Just touching on that topic made my nerves flair, so I quickly dismissed the thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked for sweetberry pudding at the reception,¡± Zavira said, aiding me in my endeavor not to think about heavy topics. ¡°I want you to try it. Make sure to copy the recipe so you have it when you reenter the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably in the master crystal already,¡± I pointed out. I fully intended to copy the master crystal I¡¯d left behind to obtain access to all of the recipes collected by my devices.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t leave it to chance. It¡¯s really good.¡±


    We chatted for a little while about different foods Zavira was excited to have again, and I made a mental note to check my updated copy of the master crystal when I got the chance. I¡¯d need to upgrade the storage medium, but with a growth Crystal node, that wouldn¡¯t be difficult to manage.


    Considering the Enchanters working on the project were all far more capable than I was when I designed the device, my original crystal had probably already been replaced with a better one.


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    As we talked, I used the new tablet I¡¯d purchased during our shopping trip to scan the local network for items of interest. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as the internet of pre-integration Earth, but it was close.


    Eventually, Zavira disconnected the call to prepare for her ceremony. She had a whole process she had to go through, which took several hours.


    Nothing like that was on my schedule, so I opted to relax in the guest sauna for a while. Before the sun rose over the horizon, one of the servants summoned me for my final robe fitting.


    <hr>


    The ceremony itself passed in a blur.


    Master Kairos spoke for a while, describing my contributions to the sect, both past and planned. Most of it revolved around reputation, though I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that a lot of emphasis was being put on my new role as a teacher.


    Master Kairos had already discussed the expectations that I would face as a newly minted sect Elder taking a break from the dungeon.


    I¡¯d have a lot of free time, even with the lessons I had agreed to give to young disciples. Those wouldn¡¯t start for another year or two, which gave me plenty of time to have a real vacation after spending so long in the dungeon.


    After his speech, my ¡®disciple¡¯ outer robe was removed and replaced by a more ornate version. The under-armor didn¡¯t change, though my solid purple belt was replaced with one that reflected all three of my affinities, though black was only incorporated through embellishments.


    Once everything was in place, I was prompted to introduce myself. Feeling nervous and awkward, I stepped forward.


    ¡°I am Emie Momentia ¨C Time, Space, and Arcane Mage of the Ep¨ªkairos Sect. Thank you for coming to the ceremony.¡±


    I was supposed to say more. I had a whole speech planned where I talked about adhering to the sect oath and representing the sect honorably. But when I stood in front of the group, my eyes landed on a familiar face, and my brain stuttered.


    What was the stalker doing here?


    It was obvious that I¡¯d blanked, but the gathered sect members hardly seemed to notice. Some of them were probably glad that I hadn¡¯t made a speech since Master Kairos had already talked for a while.


    As soon as the ceremony was officially over, I rushed to his side and said, ¡°One of the stalkers from Sira is here.¡±


    Glancing behind me, Master Kairos smiled and said, ¡°He isn¡¯t a stalker. Elder Ammon and his wife were assigned by the sect to observe you while you were in the dungeon. His wife departed a few weeks before you exited, but he stayed and served as a quasi-guard until we reached Aegeas.¡±


    Following his gaze, I saw the Elder in question approaching alongside a female half-elf in lavender Ep¨ªkairos robes.


    ¡°Congratulations on your promotion,¡± the white-robed man said with a smile and a nod.


    He was handsome enough, though his nose was a bit on the large side for my taste. The woman next to him, however, was stunning. Her skin was so flawless that it looked almost airbrushed.


    ¡°Ahhh, thanks,¡± I said a little awkwardly. It was weird knowing the two had observed me for years while I was inside the dungeon.


    ¡°I was just telling Emie that you and Lizbet were her observers in the dungeon. She thought you were one of the people following us after we left the dungeon town since you weren¡¯t wearing your sect robes.¡±


    I flushed in embarrassment at being called out like that, but I didn¡¯t argue the point.


    ¡°Yes. I noticed them as well. There were also a few familiar individuals at the portal hub in Garnet City. We reported it already,¡± Elder Ammon stated. His voice and expression had turned dark.


    Patriarch Kairos nodded with an equally dark expression. ¡°I received the report. Thank you for being so observant,¡± he said.


    Elder Ammon shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice them. Lizbet did,¡± he said, motioning toward the half-elf beside him. ¡°She was waiting at the portal hub for my arrival and noticed some of the elves from the dungeon town loitering in the area. Since she was wearing dark martial training robes at the time, I doubt they noticed her.¡±


    Though I¡¯d only gotten white robes before entering the dungeon, I knew many disciples wore plain black versions when they were engaged in martial training. I fully intended to get a few sets eventually, even if they weren¡¯t really meant for normal wear.


    Martial robes were far more comfortable than I expected.


    Master Kairos¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°Well, either way, thank you both. We¡¯ll keep an eye on things.¡± Once the two Elders departed, Patriarch Kairos turned to me. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this more later. But for now, just know that we suspect members of the Sovereignty Sect are in the area. You should be safe enough in the sect, but it¡¯s something to be aware of, given the incident with their disciple.¡±


    ¡°Why is that still an issue? He challenged me,¡± I said in confusion. ¡°I understand that they hate human Time Mages in general, but they can¡¯t hold a grudge when he lost in a fair duel.¡±


    ¡°Right or wrong, they are still a threat. It probably doesn¡¯t help that the disciple you killed was related to one of their more influential Elders,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°Just stay on guard and make sure you¡¯re always protected.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I assured him.


    As long as nobody too powerful came after me, I should be fine. I hadn¡¯t had the elven elitists specifically in mind when I developed my protections, but my preparations should still be good enough.


    I¡¯d give the potential threat a bit more consideration, though.


    ¡°Well, go mingle a bit. It would be good to get to know some of the higher-tiered sect members, especially if you plan to remain in the realm for a substantial amount of time once you leave the dungeon next time.¡±


    I followed my mentor¡¯s advice and made my way around the room. Everyone was very polite and welcoming, which made things easier.


    Eventually, an announcement was made to move the celebration to a reception hall outside of the sect.


    Based on comments from nearby attendees, most sect promotion receptions were held within the sect. Having a joint reception with an allied sect was different, but not so distinctly that it caused any issues since most of the ceremony attendees didn¡¯t plan to go to the reception.


    They didn¡¯t really know me, after all.


    I was a little paranoid about leaving the sect now that I knew Sovereignty Sect members might be targeting me. I was more worried about them targeting one of my family members, even with the protection talismans they now wore.


    Hopefully, they¡¯d focus on me and not my loved ones. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what I¡¯d do if they tried going after my family.


    Dismissing the thought since there was little I could do about the potential risk at the moment, I brought up my truncated status. I was interested to see if my official name change was already recognized by the system.


    ***


    Name: Emie Momentia


    Level: 72 (1000681/3824100)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Merchant


    Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane


    ***


    Health: 350/350


    Stamina: 610/610


    Mana: 950/950


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 26


    Agility ¨C 34


    Vitality ¨C 35


    Intelligence ¨C 95


    Wisdom ¨C 71


    Perception ¨C 40


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***

 Book 4 - Chapter 4 - Plans and Offers

    ¡°They will have observed you and Zavira while you fought in the dungeon,¡± Master Kairos said from the other side of the manatech vehicle as we rode together to the reception. Nobody had joined us in our carriage, and it had been warded against eavesdropping so we could talk freely.


    ¡°How much of a threat do you think they pose?¡± I asked.


    I¡¯d given some thought to the matter as I robotically greeted the members of my sect who¡¯d stopped by to congratulate me. Most belonged to the Headquarters, though a few elders from other branches, along with their respective Branch Leaders, were also in attendance.


    ¡°Your new affinity will complicate things for the Sovereignty Sect ¨C or anyone else who might target you. But it likely won¡¯t be enough to stop them.¡± Master Kairos looked at me consideringly. ¡°In their place, how would you handle someone like yourself?¡±


    My eyes drifted to the window as my mind considered the question.


    ¡°Should I assume they have access to people with a wide variety of affinities?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You should.¡±


    I nodded to myself. ¡°Given that, and the assumption that they would have witnessed everything not hidden by the dungeon since I encountered their disciple, I¡¯d wait to act until I was reasonably certain that no Tier Ten Time Mage would swoop in and undo everything with Rewind,¡± I said, giving him a pointed look.


    ¡°If they were to act in your presence,¡± I continued, ¡°or even in close enough proximity for you to respond, their efforts would be wasted since you could revert most things. Now, if they have some kind of [Time Locking] formations or chambers, that might be a little different. Even so, I wouldn¡¯t act while you were around since it adds an unnecessary complication.¡±


    I mulled over the question a bit more. I definitely couldn¡¯t see a direct attack while a Tier Ten Time Mage was around unless they got desperate, but if they could isolate me, even just for a moment, that would be different.


    ¡°I would probably focus on neutralizing my target¡¯s ability to use mana. I would specifically target internal mana since basic mana suppression cuffs won¡¯t stop someone from triggering a talisman or using inventory-type storage. They have to know I use both, even if they aren¡¯t aware of the upgrades I¡¯ve made since reaching Tier Eight.¡±


    ¡°Poison would be a good option,¡± I continued. ¡°If my attackers could expose me to the right poisons, I¡¯d be virtually helpless against them. Without the ability to use mana, I wouldn¡¯t be able to Restore myself or Teleport away. If it was a very good poison, I wouldn¡¯t be able to defend myself physically, either.¡±


    My mentor nodded encouragingly. He¡¯d probably given the topic more consideration than I had, but that was to be expected. I¡¯d only just learned the elven elitists were still an issue.


    ¡°There are a few types of poisons that could do what you are describing,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°I could make you a few antidotes, but they¡¯ll be of little use to you if you are incapable of retrieving them from storage. You¡¯ll have to carry them on your person.¡±


    ¡°I keep forgetting you¡¯re an Alchemist,¡± I said. He¡¯d mentioned it a long time ago, but it wasn¡¯t something we¡¯d ever discussed in much depth since he was also a capable Enchanter, and we both knew my preference.


    Alchemy was something I could do, but it wasn¡¯t something I was very interested in. Even after decades, my Alchemy skill was barely Intermediate, and that was only because I¡¯d relied on the skill for making Enchanting reagents.


    Making antidotes for the types of poisons I was thinking of wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d be capable of doing, though I could make a talisman that would serve a similar purpose with enough effort.


    Master Kairos had included several Alchemy lessons in my inheritance, which I¡¯d studiously completed. But we both knew the field wasn¡¯t something I was passionate about ¨C unlike my mentor.


    ¡°I¡¯m a very good Alchemist,¡± Master Kairos said with a smirk. ¡°Perhaps we could develop something to combat such an attack together. You might not be able to get to an antidote in time, but if you incorporated something like what you did with your new E3 talismans¡­¡± He let the implication hang.


    ¡°I was just thinking something similar,¡± I replied with a grin. ¡°So that would handle poisons, at least in general. Somehow, I doubt that¡¯s the only method they¡¯d use. How likely is it that they¡¯d go after my family?¡±


    That was my real concern. I could defend myself well enough, but if someone targeted my family, they¡¯d be practically helpless.


    Thankfully, the shift in my mentor¡¯s demeanor made it clear that such a thing would not be an issue.


    ¡°If they, or anyone else, did such a thing,¡± he said with a dark expression, ¡°the Council would have them wiped out. Assassins of the same or lower tier might be dispatched to come after you, but nobody would go after your family in this type of situation unless your family acted against them. Should your parents, brother, or sister-in-law decide to get involved, even peripherally, they would no longer be protected. But as long as they remain firmly outside of the conflict, they should be safe enough.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I was relieved to hear that.


    ¡°Good. So, aside from poisons to keep me from using mana, there are a few other tactics I¡¯d probably use against someone with my abilities,¡± I said before sharing my thoughts with my mentor.


    <hr>


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to finally meet you, Zavira,¡± Mom said as she reached for my friend¡¯s hand. Shaking hands wasn¡¯t a particularly common practice in the Alliance, but it also wasn¡¯t so odd that people didn¡¯t know how to react when presented with the gesture.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, too, Avery Mercer of Earth,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°I hope your relocation to Hadier has gone well.¡±


    The whole ¡®of Earth¡¯ thing was new to my parents, but I¡¯d gotten used to the nuance a long time ago. Unless someone gave up their surname, the addition was included to make it clear that their surname name did not imply any skill or connection.


    Mentioning where someone was from or who their parents were was also a fairly common way of identification for those without surnames, as well.


    I¡¯d opted to eschew my last name in the first timeline to avoid confusion and distance myself from the bad reputation that Earthborn had developed, but it seemed the small changes had done a lot to mitigate such problems this time.


    I listened to the exchange of pleasantries distractedly.


    I¡¯d already informed Zavira about the threat, though I wasn¡¯t sure it applied to her anymore. The elves in the dungeon had taken offense to her heritage more than anything, and I doubted the Sovereignty Sect was inclined to continue that conflict now that we were outside.


    Especially with her backing.


    Even so, I didn¡¯t want her to be caught unaware ¨C not that I needed to worry about that since the information had been passed between our respective Patriarchs.


    ¡°She seems nice,¡± Mom said when Zavira excused herself to greet a few new arrivals moments later.


    ¡°She is. I¡¯m glad she was there with me.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Mom replied quietly. ¡°I worried about you a lot. Knowing you had someone watching your back helped.¡±


    I could tell there was more that she wanted to say, but the words remained unspoken.


    It didn¡¯t take long for one of the Branch Leaders to approach. A quick check with Lisa revealed he was the Branch Leader for the sect on Hadier, a Tier Seven Fate Mage named Julius Sors. We¡¯d met briefly after the promotion ceremony, but we didn¡¯t interact much beyond pleasantries.


    Even so, I couldn¡¯t say I was surprised when the dark-skinned man in lavender robes approached within seconds of Mom stepping away.


    His ears were slightly pointed, making me wonder if he had a bit of elven heritage. The almost perfect symmetry of his face gave credence to that theory, as elves tended to be far more balanced that way than most of the other races.


    ¡°Congratulations again, Elder Momentia,¡± the Branch Leader said politely as he stepped next to me.


    ¡°Thank you, Senior Sors. And thank you for ensuring the well-being of my family while I¡¯ve been away.¡±


    The Fate Mage smiled gently. The corners of his eyes creased in lines that proved the expression was common enough for him.


    ¡°It was no problem at all,¡± the Branch Leader assured me before addressing the reason he¡¯d approached. ¡°The Patriarch tells me that you¡¯ll be taking a short vacation before you begin teaching.¡± His comment was somewhere between a statement and a question.


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve been gone for a long time, if only subjectively. There are things I¡¯d like to see and do while I have the chance. I fear the opportunity will pass if I wait until the next time I leave the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Nobody will begrudge you a vacation,¡± Leader Sors replied. ¡°Do you plan to settle into your new apartment before leaving? We¡¯ve set aside one of the penthouses for your use at the branch on Hadier. We were going to have a standard Elder residence built for you, but the Patriarch assured me the penthouse would be acceptable.¡±


    He looked at me with a hint of nervousness. Having someone of a higher tier residing at his branch had to be uncomfortable, especially given the other factors involved.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be more than sufficient,¡± I said with sincerity. ¡°I don¡¯t require much.¡±


    Though there was no obvious change in the man¡¯s demeanor, I could sense his relief. We chatted for a few more minutes before the man excused himself, and I found myself momentarily alone once again.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the void to be filled.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing to think you were newly awakened just a decade ago,¡± Rhona said with a friendly smile.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± I said with a bow.


    While there was an undertone of cheekiness, I tried to hide it since Aegeas was Rhona¡¯s family¡¯s territory. Outside of the kingdom, I might get away with being less formal, but my etiquette lessons had made it clear that anything less than a formal greeting was not acceptable in such settings.


    Even with my new status, there were certain expectations I needed to uphold when interacting with royalty, even with those who held an honorary title based on their familial connections.


    Thankfully, Rhona didn¡¯t stand too much on ceremony.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you made it through the first part of the dungeon relatively unscathed,¡± she said after looking me over. ¡°Elder robes look good on you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I also heard that you managed to pick up a third affinity,¡± Rhona said with a gleam in her eyes.


    ¡°I did,¡± I replied. ¡°It was a close thing, and it really barely qualifies.¡±


    The attractive brunette waved a hand. ¡°An awakened affinity counts, regardless of its strength.¡± Tapping her chin, Rhona asked, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be interested in contracting with a royal family?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly,¡± I said with a strained laugh. ¡°I only have ten years before I have to reenter the dungeon. I¡¯d rather not add any more demands or responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, maybe once you finish your task,¡± she mused. ¡°It isn¡¯t completely unheard of for someone to leave a little bit of themselves behind before ascending. It may even be better that way.¡±


    I looked at the former Administrator in surprise. ¡°Who said I¡¯m ascending anytime soon?¡±


    Rhona raised a brow. ¡°Are you not?¡±


    I was a little surprised by the question. While the topic had come up recently, I really hadn¡¯t given it much thought. As far as I was concerned, ascension was still a very long way away.


    ¡°I¡­ probably not?¡± I replied after a moment. ¡°At least, not anytime soon. I¡¯m not in any rush to leave everyone that I know and love behind.¡±


    Rhona looked at me uncertainly. ¡°Well, whenever you do decide to ascend, the Quartz Kingdom would be happy to work out a deal if you¡¯re so inclined.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 5 - The Problem with Extended Periods of Solitude

    ¡°I expected to see the Oracle during my visit after you told me she basically sent you to find me,¡± I said to Master Kairos as we waited for our portal to the capital. For some unknown reason, he¡¯d decided to accompany me and my family to Aspirant City, the home of the Epikairos Sect¡¯s Hadier branch.


    ¡°Unfortunately, she had other obligations. However, she did want to express her sincere congratulations for your successes.¡± He held out a hand. On it was a thin silver band cradling a small amethyst. ¡°It¡¯s a [Fate Obscuration] ring that blocks all but her eyes. She felt it may benefit you as you travel.¡±


    He wore a similar ring on the pinkie of his left hand, though his was far thicker.


    I hesitantly slipped the ring onto my right ring finger and nodded in thanks.


    ¡°Is there an immediate threat?¡± I asked before glancing around. I didn¡¯t know what any of my potential watchers might look like, but I was already on alert for anyone paying too much attention to me.


    Unfortunately, my tri-colored belt drew more than a little unwanted interest. The small icon on the corner of my interface was almost constantly blinking now that I was in public. I¡¯d probably have to change the settings soon.


    ¡°Probably not, but it¡¯s better to be prepared,¡± my mentor replied. ¡°That¡¯s part of the reason I¡¯m accompanying you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°It is no great difficulty,¡± he said before tensing slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve cleared much of my schedule for the foreseeable future. I thought it might be beneficial to¡­ travel together¡­ for a while.¡±


    I blinked in surprise and turned to face my normally confident mentor. ¡°How long is a while?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll be very interested in most of my plans.¡±


    The blonde man raised his hands in a gesture similar to a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± he replied.


    He didn¡¯t mind, but did I? It probably wasn¡¯t a bad thing to have him around for a while, aside from the obvious awkwardness. But I wasn¡¯t quite sure why he wanted to follow along.


    Was the threat really that serious?


    ¡°Are you¡­ worried that something might happen?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly. I have faith you can handle anyone at your tier.¡±


    My brows furrowed. ¡°So¡­ you just¡­ want to hang out for a while?¡± I asked uncertainly.


    ¡°Essentially,¡± he answered with a nervous smile. ¡°I thought it would be beneficial for us to get to know each other as more than just Master-Disciple or Patriarch-Elder now that there¡¯s a possibility we¡¯ll be ascending together. I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, Emie. Our portal is coming up,¡± Justin said, interrupting us. He shot Master Kairos an odd look before glancing back at the display on the wall.


    Master Kairos and I shared a glance and stood up. I fully expected we¡¯d finish the conversation another time, though I wasn¡¯t sure when that might be.


    <hr>


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t follow us inside,¡± Dad grumbled under his breath as we entered Justin¡¯s modest residence, leaving Master Kairos to travel the rest of the way to the local sect alone.


    The neighborhood wasn¡¯t all that dissimilar to any neighborhood on Earth ¨C aside from some architectural differences and the lack of driveways or cars. Mostly self-driving vehicles came and went to drop off passengers, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same thing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t grumble,¡± Mom said playfully as she patted his arm. ¡°As Patriarch Kairos rightfully pointed out, Emie is an adult. She can make decisions for herself. If she wants to get involved with someone old enough to have lived during the Renaissance, that¡¯s her choice.¡±


    She looked over her shoulder and chuckled. I shook my head in response.


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t like that. I think he just wants to change the dynamic of our relationship now that I¡¯ve made it this far.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he does,¡± Dad muttered.


    ¡°Not like that,¡± I said, rolling my eyes as I closed the door behind me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s exactly like that,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Your dad is probably right, you know,¡± Mom agreed.


    I huffed in exasperation. ¡°Not everyone thinks like the two of you.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh,¡± Mom said, shifting her hand in a ¡®so-so¡¯ motion. ¡°Maybe if he was obviously not interested. But I didn¡¯t get that feeling from him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little creepy, given his age,¡± Dad said with an expression of distaste. ¡°It gives a whole new meaning to the concept of robbing the cradle.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I should find someone more my age?¡± I asked with a touch of mirth. ¡°Some sixty-something-year-old, perhaps? I don¡¯t suppose you have any young-looking friends around my age? Preferably someone who is at least Tier Seven, else I¡¯d have to worry about hurting them.¡±


    I could barely keep from snickering at the expressions on their faces. Justin had already ducked away from the conversation, not that I blamed him.


    ¡°Not funny, Emie,¡± Mom chided. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ll be heading back into the dungeon in ten years. I doubt you¡¯d want to leave someone else behind.¡±


    Her words were said jokingly, but the impact hit harder than I expected. She had to have seen it on my face because her eyes immediately widened.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. We understand why you¡¯re doing what you¡¯re doing. I didn¡¯t mean it to come out that way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t, really. But there was no reason to make a big deal about it. Mom was right, anyway.


    Thankfully, I was spared from the topic going any further by the sound of Bell¡¯s voice coming from the door behind me.


    ¡°Look who¡¯s here!¡± she exclaimed while holding an infant in one arm and the hand of a toddler in another as she stepped across the threshold. ¡°Mommy and Daddy are back!¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    My eyes widened as I took in my younger sisters for the first time. Kaylee, the toddler, immediately ran to Mom, launching herself into her arms with a squeal as Bell kicked off her shoes near the front door.


    With a small gasp, I reached toward Ashlynn, the six-month-old in Bell¡¯s arms. ¡°Can I hold you? Do you want to come to your big sister?¡±


    I worried that my youngest sister might be wary ¨C infants were like that sometimes. But thankfully, Ashlynn seemed devoid of any shyness or caution toward what amounted to a virtual stranger.


    Kaylee, the older of the two girls, did not share her younger sibling¡¯s instant acceptance and eyed me suspiciously from Mom¡¯s arms. I tried not to take it personally since she¡¯d probably only seen a few video messages from me, but it was hard not to feel a little hurt by the implied rejection.


    My twin nephews were much less nervous about interacting with me when they arrived from school a short while later.


    ¡°You¡¯re an Adventurer, right?¡± Lucas asked excitedly as he jumped onto the couch next to me.


    ¡°Dad says you make magic weapons that you use to kill monsters,¡± his twin, Daniel, chimed in with a look of excitement. ¡°Can you make me a wand so I can kill monsters, too?¡±


    ¡°Adventurers kill monsters. That¡¯s how they get stronger,¡± Lucas added with a nod. ¡°I want to be an Adventurer when I grow up.¡±


    I forced myself to smile as the boys chattered. They hardly bothered waiting for an answer before moving on to a new topic. Sometimes, they ignored my responses altogether in favor of launching into a new line of questioning or arguing between themselves.


    As much as I wanted to enjoy interacting with my young nephews, I found their exuberance a bit overwhelming, especially after being forced to socialize for an entire day.


    Had I not just spent an extended period in quasi-solitude, I probably wouldn¡¯t have had such a difficult time with their energy. I certainly couldn¡¯t remember ever being bothered by energetic children in the past.


    Though I felt guilty doing it, I found myself making an excuse to leave shortly after Amie got home from school. She remembered me, though our time apart had created a chasm. It seemed that even our mostly regular communication wasn¡¯t enough to maintain the relationship we¡¯d had before I left.


    I was almost relieved to escape to the privacy and solitude of my temporary penthouse apartment. I promised to return in time for dinner, but I needed a bit of time alone to reset after so much social interaction.


    Getting there was easy enough since one of the disciples guarding the gates was willing to escort me once the wards authenticated my identity.


    I knew that Master Kairos was staying in the building next to mine, and I could see into his living room from my modest patio. Both apartments were furnished in neutral colors, though there were several accent pieces in dark purple in my apartment that were not present in his.


    It was a nice touch of personalization, I thought.


    I was happy to find that the apartment included enough empty space for a workstation. There were also existing [Time Dilation] formations throughout the residence. It was an extravagance for a visitor¡¯s quarters, but one I appreciated since it saved me the effort of needing to set one up.


    The formation allowed me to expand my hour-long break to four hours, and I used that time to Meditate and recenter myself. By the time I returned to Justin¡¯s home, I felt much more ready to engage with the important people in my life.


    <hr>


    ¡°You¡¯re really back!¡± Deni said with a huge grin when I returned to Justin¡¯s house. His residence was larger than my parents¡¯, so it was the natural choice for such a gathering.


    ¡°I am,¡± I said with a grin before being wrapped in a hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re safe,¡± she said, still holding onto me. After another squeeze, she released me and stepped back. ¡°What are your plans now? Are you going to go back home to visit?¡±


    I bobbed my head. ¡°I planned on it. I want to see how much has changed since I left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty different,¡± Bell said as she entered the foyer. ¡°Hey, Deni. Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Hey yourself, Bell!¡± the tall, dark-haired woman said with a grin before enveloping the shorter woman in a hug. ¡°Ahhh, all the girls are back together.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, how are the boys?¡± I asked as I headed toward the living room, where the rest of my immediate family members were gathered. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about Ger or Kevin in a few years.¡±


    And I really didn¡¯t care all that much about Blaze.


    ¡°The last I heard, Ger was getting married to some girl who visited from one of the higher-tier Alliance worlds,¡± Deni replied, her expression shifting to something more complicated before returning to a smile. ¡°Kevin was still working at the hospital in Dallas when I visited Earth last time. He probably won¡¯t ever leave.¡±


    I¡¯d known that Deni and Ger had broken up. It had happened years ago. While unfortunate, it seemed to be for the best since they¡¯d both had different goals.


    ¡°Is your family still doing well?¡± I asked.


    Deni¡¯s family had decided to stay on Earth, much like my parents had initially. But unlike Mom and Dad, her parents and siblings had remained there.


    ¡°They¡¯re doing good,¡± Deni said. ¡°The apocalypse was hard on them, but things have mostly settled at this point. The area where my parents live is a lot safer now that a bunch of low-tier adventurers spent the last several years clearing out all the rift breaks, and the Bounty Hunters took care of all the trash.¡±


    I nodded and listened as Deni spent the next few minutes catching us up on her family¡¯s progress on Earth. Like my extended family, the majority of hers hadn¡¯t been very keen on delving and killing rift creatures. Consequently, most of them were still Tier One or Low-Tier Two.


    It wasn¡¯t unusual, all things considered.


    Dinner was Mom¡¯s spaghetti tacos ¨C something I¡¯d missed eating with family while I was away. They were never as good when eaten alone.


    Transmuted food was also never quite as good as the real thing. It was good, excellent, even. But there was something the enchantments couldn¡¯t quite replicate compared to a homecooked meal.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I never tried these,¡± Deni said as she layered her fifth taco with spaghetti, kimchi, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce.


    The kimchi was a new addition from the last time I¡¯d had them, but I certainly wasn¡¯t complaining about the added flavor. After one bite, I¡¯d scanned the new version into the MealMaker and happily continued crunching alongside Deni.


    ¡°I saw a show that had spaghetti tacos one time, but it was just spaghetti in a taco shell. This is so much better than that!¡± she exclaimed before practically inhaling number six.


    I grinned. A lot of people who tried the dish said the same thing when I was growing up.


    ¡°So, when are you heading to Earth?¡± Deni asked.


    I glanced around the table. The kids were eating at the kitchen island because the dining table wasn¡¯t large enough to fit everyone. Thankfully, Amie was old enough to keep them from getting too out of control.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably head that way in a couple of months,¡± I said. ¡°I want to spend some time hanging out here, then do some traveling within the Alliance first.¡±


    ¡°How long until you have to start teaching?¡± Justin asked between bites.


    I shrugged. ¡°There is no real deadline. Master Kairos made it sound like I can take as much time as I want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of him,¡± Mom said, causing a frown to appear on Dad¡¯s face.


    Ignoring the expression, I said, ¡°It is. I think he¡¯s just as interested in taking a vacation as I am.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s really going to follow you around?¡± Bell asked with wide eyes. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have important sect stuff to do?¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Deni said, holding out a hand. ¡°The Tier Ten Time Mage guy that made you his disciple is following you around?¡± She glanced around. ¡°Where is he now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at the local sect,¡± I replied, motioning in the vague direction of the sect. ¡°He¡¯s not¡­ I mean, I guess he is kinda following me around, but it isn¡¯t like that. He just wants us to get to know each other as people and not as whatever roles we have.¡±


    Knowing what kind of comments that was likely to cause, I added, ¡°Please don¡¯t make a big deal out of it.¡± I glanced pointedly at my Dad and Justin before focusing back on Deni. ¡°He¡¯s hoping I¡¯ll ascend with him in, like, ninety years. Even if I don¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get to know him on a personal level.¡±


    ¡°Ninety years¡­¡± Deni said, trailing off. ¡°It¡¯s pretty crazy to think we should all still be alive by then.¡± Her faraway look focused back on me. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll do it?¡±


    My gaze shifted between my assembled family members before drifting to the kitchen where the kids were gathered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not inclined to right now, but who knows how I¡¯ll feel after going back to the dungeon for what¡¯ll feel like a couple hundred years? It¡¯s not easy being away like that.¡±


    I was sure some part of them understood. Just moving to a new state often caused families and friends to drift apart. As much as I didn¡¯t want to grow more distant from my family, I had already felt it starting while I was in the dungeon.


    I had little doubt that I¡¯d get over it soon enough, at least with my immediate family. But what about the next time?


    This was only a taste of the distance that would likely develop during my final stint in the dungeon. If I was already feeling the effects of time and distance now, how bad would it be by the time I reached Peak Tier Ten?

 Book 4 - Chapter 6 - Hidden Threats

    ¡°So, all of the safe zone cities got regularly attacked by beast waves until the seventh floor?¡± Justin asked after reviewing the floor summary I¡¯d sent to him.


    ¡°Basically,¡± I agreed. ¡°I didn¡¯t personally witness anything on the first two floors, but from what I heard, it was the same.¡±


    My brother grunted lightly as he made an annotation on his tablet. He¡¯d asked for information about the dungeon for a book series he planned to write after he finished his current series. I looked forward to reading it eventually.


    Hopefully, he¡¯d finish it before I returned to the dungeon. There was always a chance the dungeon would redact anything related to it, even after I moved beyond the relevant floors.


    ¡°And they armed anyone under-tier with manatech weapons and had them help to level up?¡± he added, more to himself than to me. ¡°That is smart. It probably doesn¡¯t help make them competent, but at least they can gain levels.¡±


    I smiled lightly as I watched the twins playing on a huge playground. There were holographic displays available for parents and guardians to watch their associated children, so keeping track of their rapid movement through the maze-like play area was easy.


    ¡°I wish we had something like this when we were kids,¡± I said.


    My comment caused Justin to look up from his tablet. ¡°Yeah. It would have been pretty amazing,¡± he agreed. ¡°The different kid zones change every week. The variety helps keep the kids interested in playing here, which is good, considering how quickly kids tend to lose interest in things. We come here pretty often.¡±


    ¡°Amie, too?¡± I asked. She was nearly thirteen, so I would have thought she¡¯d have already outgrown such forms of entertainment.


    Then again, the older-kid playground a block over did look pretty amazing. From what I glimpsed on the holoscreen of one of the nearby parents, it looked like the playground for the older kids was more oriented toward virtual training simulations than actual playing.


    Justin nodded and swiped at the holoscreen in front of him, bringing up prior recordings.


    ¡°Amie loves the training yard. That¡¯s what they call the stage-three playground,¡± he explained before motioning for me to look. ¡°Check her out. Half of the facility is split into rooms that blend augmented reality and holograms. It¡¯s like the holodecks from Star Trek, instead of pure virtual reality like we used on Earth.¡±


    The screen showed my eldest niece blasting through a mock rift with two similar-aged girls. They used a variety of virtual weapons, and I was surprised at the skill they exhibited already.


    ¡°Wow. And you¡¯re okay with her training like this?¡±


    ¡°I kinda have to be,¡± Justin replied with a sigh. ¡°Holding her back isn¡¯t going to do her any favors. While I don¡¯t like the idea of Amie eventually entering a rift, that¡¯s the reality we live in now. I¡¯d rather she get training and thrive in such settings instead of struggling like so many of our fellow Earthborn.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± he continued, ¡°it isn¡¯t all that different from the video games we used to play. They¡¯re moving around more than we did, but the content isn¡¯t any worse. Maybe it¡¯s even better. At least they aren¡¯t training to kill other people.¡±


    I nodded in unconscious agreement as I watched the recording. We still had no idea what Amie¡¯s affinity was, but anyone could use manatech devices. It was what made them so popular.


    ¡°Dad! Aunt Emie!¡± Daniel yelled from the entrance of the stage-two playground. ¡°Are you watching? Did you see?¡±


    Justin flicked the holoscreen back to the twins, and we quickly reviewed the last several minutes.


    ¡°Yeah! You guys got the flag! Good job!¡± I said with an enthusiastic thumbs up.


    ¡°Excellent job, boys! What are you going to play next?¡± Justin asked a moment later.


    Daniel said something over his shoulder, presumably conferring with his twin. ¡°We¡¯re going to play Heroes and Bandits. The sim is resetting in two minutes.¡±


    Justin nodded. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll be watching!¡±


    I grinned and waved as my nephew ducked back into the playground. ¡°What was that you said about not training to kill people?¡± I asked with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m actually a little surprised they have simulators for such young kids.¡±


    ¡°Protecting people from ¡®bad guys¡¯ isn¡¯t the same as war games and battle royales,¡± Justin said with a huff. ¡°And the technology is supposed to be safe, so there¡¯s no reason not to allow the kids to use it.¡±


    I watched the holoscreen with interest as the boys and their friends rescued a group of simulated adventurers from simulated bandits. I could easily see the training value of such games.


    Most of my feelings of dissonance had evaporated after the first few days of spending time with my family. I¡¯d even grown used to the boys¡¯ exuberance and rambunctiousness¡­ in short doses.


    It really was amazing how quickly one could adapt to new settings.


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re heading out with the Patriarch tomorrow?¡± Justin asked casually. We¡¯d already discussed my plans, so I understood his question for what it was.


    ¡°I am,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before the kids¡¯ break. You still want to go with me to visit Earth, right?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Justin replied before hesitating. ¡°Are you sure what you¡¯re planning to do is safe? Didn¡¯t you say something about mana wells killing people?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not completely certain,¡± I admitted.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Though the mana well was on a Tier Four world, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t dangerous to someone at Tier Eight. It should mean that, but reality didn¡¯t always follow logic.


    ¡°That¡¯s part of the reason why I don¡¯t mind Master Kairos coming along,¡± I continued. ¡°If something does go wrong, he¡¯ll be able to help. But you really shouldn¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Justin narrowed his eyes at my statement. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right. It would be crazy for you to survive the dungeon and die on some barely mid-tier world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± I promised.


    <hr>


    ¡°Benefactor Kairos! It¡¯s so lovely to see you!¡± a woman in black robes said as she stood and quickly bowed in greeting. ¡°I¡¯ve let the Branch Leader know you¡¯re here already. She should arrive shortly.¡±


    Master Kairos had informed me years earlier that he¡¯d purchased the land containing the mana well and then leased it to an allied sect, so seeing the black-robed sect members wasn¡¯t much of a surprise.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why the mana well hadn¡¯t been developed or exploited in the other timeline, but it didn¡¯t really matter in this timeline. What mattered was that I could still gain access to the resource.


    I¡¯d also asked Master Kairos to ensure that Ros would be granted access after he awakened without an affinity. It was the least I could do for someone who¡¯d done so much for me.


    As far as I knew, he¡¯d visited shortly after awakening and had gained an affinity. Master Kairos hadn¡¯t said anything about him beyond informing me about his successful acquisition, but I knew he still kept track of my old friend¡¯s status.


    The fact that I hadn¡¯t asked about any of my former party members after being informed that the messages I¡¯d sent had been received made me feel like a bad person. But I planned to change that now that I was out of the dungeon.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± a very attractive dark-haired woman in embroidered robes said as she appeared out of nowhere. I got the sense that her movement was a form of teleportation, though one that functioned with Arcane instead of Space mana.


    ¡°Greetings, Branch Leader Unity,¡± Master Kairos said with a short bow. I copied him, going just a bit lower as etiquette dictated. ¡°Thank you for accommodating my former disciple.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s our pleasure,¡± the woman assured him before turning to me with a wide smile. ¡°It is wonderful to meet a rare Tri-Affinity Mage, especially one with an Arcane affinity! I¡¯d be happy to guide you to the VIP meditation chamber within the mana well if you¡¯re ready now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said with a smile. I turned to Master Kairos. ¡°I¡¯ll message you when I¡¯m done?¡±


    ¡°That sounds fine. I have some things to check on, anyway.¡±


    I nodded and turned back to the Branch Leader. ¡°I¡¯m ready, thank you.¡±


    The dark-haired Branch Leader took a sample of my mana to verify my affinity and add me as an authorized person for their wards. Once that was complete, she gracefully led me through the building and out a back door leading to the enclosed grove.


    The entire area was surrounded by the pentagon-shaped building we¡¯d just exited, preventing any unauthorized ground access to the mana well.


    It wouldn¡¯t stop someone who could teleport, though I imagined the ward she¡¯d mentioned would prevent such methods by those who were not approved.


    The edge of the grove was just like I remembered. The turquoise leaves and deep brown trunks of the surrounding trees were dappled with flecks of black as if someone had misted the area in a thin spray of black paint.


    A few dark flowers sprouted in clusters that thickened as we drew closer to the open meadow in the center ¨C one I¡¯d only heard of since Ros had insisted we keep our distance when we visited in the other timeline.


    Unlike the ragged hole Ros had described, the entrance to the mana well was cleanly cut and led to a set of carved stairs. The access point was covered by a small building, too small for anything beyond the hole leading into the ground.


    Around the tiny building, I noticed several gaps in the earth hidden within clusters of black flowers. It looked like someone had taken scoops out of the ground and replaced the dirt with crystalline bowls.


    Seeing my gaze, Branch Leader Unity said, ¡°Those serve as skylights, allowing the various rooms to have natural sunlight.¡±


    ¡°Are there a lot of rooms below?¡±


    ¡°Not a lot,¡± the Arcane Mage replied. ¡°There are only a few that have been stripped of any usable mana crystals. The harvesting process is very slow, but the empty space is excellent for those with an Arcane affinity.¡±


    ¡°Do you get a lot of visitors?¡± I asked.


    Leader Unity pursed her lips as she paused by the entrance to the mana well. ¡°Not normally. We¡¯ve had a couple of new visitors who are connected enough to be allowed access. But there should be no issues with crowding. You¡¯ll be granted exclusive access to the VIP Meditation room for as long as you need it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The woman nodded before asking, ¡°Do you have an estimate of how long you plan to stay?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± I replied honestly. ¡°It mostly depends on how effective Meditating in the well is.¡±


    I followed the Branch Leader down the carved staircase.


    A figure sat cross-legged opposite the base of the stairs, but he seemed to ignore our presence as we made our way into the darkened stone cavern. Light from the crystal above illuminated the modest space while reflecting off tiny slivers of mana crystal left behind during harvesting.


    A larger illuminated room was down a narrow hallway to the left, while two smaller rooms were off to the right. Through Spatial Sense, I noted a meditating figure in the closest cavern room on the right and two individuals harvesting mana crystals in the room a bit deeper.


    The Branch Leader motioned me toward the room to the left. I thanked my guide and quickly set up a protective formation around the perimeter of the room. While I didn¡¯t think there was any risk within the mana well, I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.


    At a minimum, the formation would alert me if someone tried to enter the space.


    Once the formation was active, I settled onto the cushion waiting in the middle of the room and closed my eyes.


    The Arcane mana was dense, far beyond what should be present on a Tier Four world.


    There was also another energy. It was vaguely familiar, but I couldn¡¯t quite place it.


    Was it essence?


    There were theories that the rare energy might be somehow involved in affinity growth, though it was almost impossible to prove since essence was not containable, or even really measurable.


    It was like dark energy for scientists on pre-integration Earth. They knew it existed, but had no real way of interacting with or sensing it beyond noticing how it impacted other types of energy.


    Unlike mana, essence would not solidify into crystals, nor could it be absorbed by other materials.


    It didn¡¯t help that essence was only rarely found on Sira or in the exceedingly rare variant of mana well. As far as anyone knew, both occurrences were temporary since both sources eventually ran dry.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if this mana well had essence, but since Ros had awoken his affinity here in both timelines, there seemed to be decent odds for it.


    I could feel the odd energy moving. Most of it was coming from behind me, and I wondered idly if there was a source in that direction.


    I could usually influence energy ¨C or rather, mana ¨C by focusing on it and willing it toward me. However, the new energy I sensed was stubborn.


    As I focused on the energy, the mass split. Half moved closer while the other half began trailing around the edge of the cavern room.


    Though I didn¡¯t sense anything beyond the energy via Spatial Sense, I still opened my eyes to see if I could catch a glimpse of the odd energy ¨C whether it be essence or something else.


    Even with Mana Sight, I saw nothing but a hazy blur.


    Like the energy itself, there was something familiar about the sight. Narrowing my eyes, I looked more closely at the odd energy that hovered just a few feet away.


    With a sudden jolt of recognition, I teleported out of the cavern and onto the surface.


    I knew exactly what kind of energy that was, and it sure as heck wasn¡¯t essence.


    With an angry frown, I targeted the entire mana well and cast Stasis.

 Book 4 - Chapter 7 - Whats in a Name?

    I released the Arcane mana I¡¯d been controlling as I Meditated with a sigh. I had no idea if my efforts were actually improving the strength of my affinity, but it seemed like my connection to the mana type had grown a little stronger.


    However, whether it was due to familiarity or an actual improvement in my affinity was still yet to be determined.


    I¡¯d check once I got out of the mana well.


    The [Time Dilation] field I was using to extend my time in my newly secured section of the mana well was a joint endeavor between me and Master Kairos. He¡¯d done the bulk of the Crafting and Enchanting since we were working with Tier Ten materials, but I¡¯d incorporated my Tier Eight Arcane mana into the formation as well.


    I might have gotten away with using a normal [Time Dilation] enchantment within the mana well, but we both felt it would be better to incorporate the primary environmental mana type into the formation, given the location in which it would be used.


    It helped that incorporating Arcane mana ¨C even at a lower tier ¨C would ultimately strengthen the effect and prevent the valuable energies from being lost. If anything, the effect only served to draw more mana into the small hollow I¡¯d spatially expanded.


    I¡¯d already spent several subjective weeks hidden away in the expanded cave several dozen meters below the portion of the mana well that had already been explored. The walls were lined with thick black crystals of solidified mana, much like I expected the upper mana well had been before it was mined.


    With the protections I had in place, not even Master Kairos could reach me here without doing some serious damage to the surroundings. I doubted a couple of would-be assassins would be able to find me, much less reach me here.


    The thought made me release an involuntary groan of frustration. I collapsed back against the soft round cushion I was using to make the sharp edges of the floor and walls somewhat comfortable.


    Space was limited unless I wanted to put more effort into expanding the small cavity, and it had already taken a lot of effort to get as far as I had with the mana well interfering.


    Thinking back on the incident, I knew that I¡¯d wasted time by Teleporting to the surface to get away from any potential attacks. I should have just cast Stasis right away instead of granting my would-be attackers the chance to escape.


    Even if it had only been a second or two.


    The fact that nobody was present in the room when Stasis activated had caused me to doubt myself at first. However, I knew what good [Stealth] talismans looked like when they were active. Once I connected the dots, the source of the odd mana I sensed was pretty obvious.


    I ultimately decided not to mention the incident to anyone other than Master Kairos, though I did take additional measures to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.


    As the former disciple of the person who ¡®owned¡¯ the mana well, I was granted unlimited access to the resource. My mana signature had already been added to the wards protecting the area, so I had no trouble returning in secret.


    The second time I visited the mana well, only Master Kairos knew that I was there. Just in case the information had leaked through the allied sect, we felt it was better to completely hide my presence.


    I¡¯d even added a few temporary inscriptions to prevent any sensory skills from detecting me.


    The inscriptions wouldn¡¯t last much longer, but they¡¯d been enough for my needs during the visit. It probably wouldn¡¯t take much effort to make something that would last longer, which I¡¯d probably do on my next visit.


    And it wasn¡¯t like the inscriptions were all that complex to make, given my skill with Enchanting and my understanding of and affinity for Space.


    A glance at my interface let me know that I wouldn¡¯t have enough time to make anymore real progress before I¡¯d need to leave. Since there was no reason to start anything new, I stood up and began slowly disassembling the [Time Dilation] formation.


    I didn¡¯t want to be late for the next leg of our trip, after all.


    <hr>


    ¡°You had no further troubles, I take it?¡± a disguised Master Kairos asked when I appeared next to him a short while later.


    I¡¯d given him ample warning about my impending arrival, so he knew to move away from the crowds. Since I¡¯d Marked him before we went our separate ways, it was easy enough to find him in the spatial weave.


    Given the effectiveness of his disguise, it was also the only real way I had of being sure who he was without identifying myself.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Instead of a young-looking platinum-blonde man with unnaturally pale skin, Master Kairos now had dark hair and sun-kissed skin. His athletic physique and height were the only things similar to his normal appearance. Otherwise, he looked like a completely different man.


    Though I didn¡¯t bother doing so, I knew that Assess would show him to be a Tier Ten Earth Mage. He had several manatech devices that would support such a persona, all of which were carefully disguised as mere foci.


    I wore a similar disguise, though mine showed me as a black-haired Space Mage with medium skin. We both kept our true tiers since misrepresenting someone¡¯s tier could cause unexpected problems.


    Some territories even had laws prohibiting such deceptions since it could lead to accidental Accords violations.


    ¡°None,¡± I replied as I smoothed my purple tunic. ¡°I doubt anyone even knew I was there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Master Kairos said with a nod. ¡°The formation worked well, I take it?¡±


    ¡°It did.¡±


    ¡°And was it worth the effort?¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother holding back a smile. ¡°Twenty,¡± I answered, referencing my new Arcane rating. It was still very weak, but a four-point increase was nothing to scoff at.


    ¡°That¡¯s excellent!¡± Master Kairos said with a matching smile. A moment later, he motioned for me to follow and started moving toward the portal hub.


    I kept pace with him as we made our way to the facility. It reminded me of a train station or airport, though there were notably fewer ¡®gates¡¯ than one would expect to see.


    ¡°Are you hungry? We can sit down for a meal while we wait for our portal reservation,¡± he offered. Like with airports and train stations, there was a variety of options available within the portal hub.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m always up for a good meal,¡± I said with a grin, not bothering to hide my gluttony.


    Once we settled on a restaurant and submitted our orders, Master Kairos said, ¡°You should call me ¡®Kai¡¯ while we¡¯re traveling in disguise.¡±


    The suggestion surprised me.


    ¡°You¡­ want me to call you Kai?¡± I asked awkwardly.


    The thought felt alien, like suddenly being told to call your teacher by their first name after calling them ¡®Mr. Jones¡¯ for years.


    Actually, it was stranger than that. It was probably closer to being told to call my mom ¡®Avery¡¯ instead of ¡®Mom¡¯ or being told to call one of my grandparents by their given name.


    It felt wrong.


    ¡°It would make things easier,¡± he replied casually. ¡°Calling me ¡®Master Kairos¡¯ is going to draw attention, especially when we¡¯re not dressed in normal sect attire.¡±


    His argument made sense, especially given our desire to remain incognito.


    Of course, we didn¡¯t have to travel this way. It was a choice we¡¯d made to prevent any potential mishaps along the way.


    That didn¡¯t mean we weren¡¯t going to confront the people intent on doing me harm. It just seemed smarter not to have to constantly look over our shoulders all the time.


    ¡°Is that why you decided on Kai instead of Henlen or some variant of your first name?¡±


    ¡°Partly,¡± Master Kairos admitted. ¡°But the bigger reason is because I like the name better. I plan to use it when I ¨C or perhaps, we ¨C ascend. Getting used to it now would be beneficial if you do accompany me since it would be as a companion, not a disciple or junior. Calling me ¡®Master Kairos¡¯ at that point would be¡­ inappropriate.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t being overly familiar with you now inappropriate?¡± I asked with a raised brow.


    ¡°Probably,¡± he conceded with a light shrug. ¡°But it isn¡¯t an issue as long as we are outside of the sect. I meant to discuss this with you earlier¡ª¡±


    His words were interrupted by the arrival of our meal. We¡¯d both ordered several items, all of which I quickly scanned into the MealMaker before taking the first bite.


    ¡°You were saying?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Master Kairos said after sampling the meals he purchased and storing all but one in his ring to keep them fresh. ¡°Since I¡¯ll be ascending in less than a century, most of which you¡¯ll spend in the dungeon, I feel there is little harm in developing a friendship instead of maintaining such a formal relationship.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already an Elder anyway,¡± he added, leaning back in his chair. ¡°By the time you leave the dungeon next, you¡¯ll be Peak-Tier Ten. Nobody is going to care if you call me ¡®Kai¡¯ instead of ¡®Master¡¯ or ¡®Patriarch¡¯ at that point.¡±


    He tapped his fingers together in an odd rhythm. ¡°It¡¯s a delicate balance ¨C remaining professional while also developing a friendship. Within the sect, strict formality is necessary. But when we¡¯re out like this?¡± Master Kairos motioned around us. ¡°It makes more sense to be casual. We¡¯ll never move beyond a Master-Disciple relationship if you cannot see me as anything other than your Master.¡±


    It was true. Even with our official relationship no longer being that of Master-Disciple, it was hard to see him as anything else.


    ¡°I understand when we¡¯re trying to remain inconspicuous¡­¡±


    I did, but it still felt wrong to call him ¡®Kai.¡¯


    ¡°Well, since we are currently in such a setting, perhaps you can start getting used to it?¡± my mentor said with a twinkle in his eyes. It was obvious he found something about our interaction humorous, though I wasn¡¯t quite sure what.


    ¡°Sure¡­ Kai.¡±


    The disguise helped a little. He didn¡¯t look like Master Kairos, so it was easier to call him something else. I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d manage the same when he wasn¡¯t wearing a disguise talisman, though.


    Shifting to a slightly more serious expression, Master Kairos ¨C Kai asked, ¡°Have you decided how you want to handle your old party?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I mostly just want to see them with my own eyes ¨C at least Ros and Jorenda. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll tell any of them who I am. There¡¯s no reason to invite more questions. I might not even make contact at all. I just want to observe them a little and see how they¡¯re doing.¡±


    Maybe it was weird. I didn¡¯t really care.


    Master Kairos had given me a file that summarized the major life events each of my former party members had experienced during my time in the dungeon, so I wasn¡¯t walking into the situation without any information.


    I¡¯d also done a little of my own research before leaving Hadier. While social media wasn¡¯t necessarily a thing within the Alliance, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild did allow its members to interact with each other through its internal network.


    Since I was not a member of the guild in this life, I¡¯d used Master Kairos¡¯s access to learn what I could before starting this leg of my journey. Most of the information I¡¯d found was the same as what Master Kairos had given me, making me suspect most of his intel had come from this very source.


    ¡°The ripple effects were pronounced with your friends,¡± Master Kairos said knowingly.


    He was right. A lot had changed just from my messages. Since that was kinda the point, it wasn¡¯t like I could get upset about it.

 Book 4 - Chapter 8 - World Hopping

    ¡°I expected the world to be far more subjugated by now,¡± I commented as Master Kairos ¨C Kai and I flew over the forest separating the closest city with a portal to the city in which Ros and his new team had last registered.


    The vibrant, warm colors below should have implied the current season was mid-fall. However, I¡¯d already been informed that was not the case.


    In fact, this world didn¡¯t have the normal four seasons that most planets shared. At best, it had three ¨C Spring, Summer, and Fall.


    Instead of the greens and occasional blues that many mana-infused planets produced, the flora on this particular planet had leaves and stalks of red, orange, yellow, and the occasional purple.


    It was beautiful.


    However, the colors also implied there was a different balance in the world¡¯s mana than I was used to. If I had to guess, I¡¯d hypothesize the world had far more volcanoes and lightning storms than the worlds I¡¯d visited.


    It probably also had a far lower percentage of water.


    ¡°The world was completely uninhabited when it was integrated,¡± Kai said as he looked out the window. He was controlling the flying vehicle we were using since it was his, but it didn¡¯t take much effort with the assistance of his Interface Assistant.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the rift beasts cull each other?¡±


    ¡°They do, to some degree,¡± Kai replied. ¡°But the rifts continue to overflow, so the problem continues. Now that the Alliance is actively subjugating the world, it¡¯ll probably only take another half-millennia or so to get Agirock roughly in line with the rest of the populated mid-tier worlds.¡±


    ¡°That long?¡±


    My mentor nodded. ¡°It isn¡¯t a quick process unless the Council opts to use higher-tier subjugation teams. Since that would cheat the Tier Four and Tier Five citizens out of a valuable opportunity for progression, they won¡¯t do it unless there is a really pressing need. And since there is no real risk of overpopulation at the moment, they¡¯d probably let the process drag out indefinitely.¡±


    I returned my focus to the landscape below. ¡°I never mentioned this, but we planned to come here after I collected the materials I needed for the formation on Olym,¡± I said after a moment.


    ¡°That would have been good for you,¡± Kai said. ¡°Planets like this provide a lot of opportunities. Your party leader was smart to realize that.¡±


    ¡°He is a smart guy,¡± I said with a grin.


    My disguised mentor turned to face me. ¡°He might be different,¡± he said solemnly. ¡°They all might. I hope you¡¯re prepared for that.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I said, my grin slipping. ¡°It¡¯s the butterfly effect. Small changes make big impacts that compound.¡±


    After staring at me for a moment, Kai nodded once. ¡°As long as you understand.¡±


    He focused his attention forward, leaving me to my thoughts.


    We arrived at a much smaller city a couple of hours later. It was probably closer to a town, really.


    The walls still towered over the structures within, protecting them and the resident adventurers from the untamed wilds outside.


    Instead of bothering to ask around, I extended my senses to locate my old friend¡¯s familiar energy signature. It had been¡­ a while, but I still hadn¡¯t forgotten it.


    After taking a moment to process the feedback, I tracked Ros to an area outside of the town near a well-deserved rift.


    Based on his trajectory, he was on his way back to the city with four other people.


    About a half-hour later, the familiar energy signature entered the town¡¯s gates. I watched as a ghost from my past walked down the street surrounded by unfamiliar faces.


    He looked healthy and in good spirits, though that wasn¡¯t unusual.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I watched with interest as a woman exited the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and wrapped her arms around the Arcane Mage before kissing him soundly on the lips. Ros had never gotten serious with anyone during the time that I knew him, so seeing such an affectionate display surprised me a little.


    There was a small pang of jealousy, but I ruthlessly crushed it as I monitored the group from a distance. Ros and I never had a relationship like that, mostly because Ros was adamantly against intimate relationships within a party.


    He said it caused too many problems, and I understood his perspective.


    I could easily see how even a healthy relationship could cause problems in a party where danger was a very real part of the equation. How could the people involved keep themselves from putting each other ahead of the rest of the party?


    Such emotions complicated party dynamics. It was much easier to avoid them altogether when other people were also involved.


    If it was just the couple adventuring together, that would be different. But on a five-person team? Relationships had too much potential to cause problems.


    ¡°He seems to be doing well,¡± my mentor commented with a barely suppressed grin.


    ¡°He does. I¡¯m glad,¡± I said as my eyes followed the couple into the largest building in the town.


    ¡°Do you feel the need to remain any longer?¡± Kai asked several minutes later.


    Ros and the others ¨C including the girlfriend ¨C had already done their business at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and left. They were now heading into one of the nearby residential buildings.


    ¡°No.¡± I turned to my mentor. ¡°I know it¡¯s silly to spend so much time and money to travel around checking on them, but I still feel guilty about not personally ensuring my promises were kept. I really do appreciate your help with that.¡±


    After agreeing to enter the dungeon, I¡¯d originally planned to just send detailed letters to each of my former party members. However, Master Kairos had reminded me that telling people about my trip through time was not a good idea, no matter how trustworthy they might have been in another life.


    Instead, asked me to hand-write a short warning to each of them, providing only the information they needed to know to avoid the events or situations that had caused them regret in the other timeline.


    Ros was actually one of the easier ones since Master Kairos had purchased the mana well and leased it to an allied sect. Since it was impossible for him and Jonas to accidentally stumble upon the resource, there was no risk of Jonas dying.


    Instead, I¡¯d simply extended an invitation for Ros to visit the site and potentially unlock an Arcane affinity. Because the invitation officially came from the Epikairos Sect, the message was automatically given legitimacy.


    ¡°It was easy enough,¡± the old Time Mage said. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure the Fate Mages tasked enjoyed the opportunity to earn a few contribution points.¡±


    The mental image of a robed Fate Mage waiting outside the Training Tower for Ros to show up made me smile. With their affinities, it wouldn¡¯t have been hard to narrow down his arrival time, so I doubt they waited very long.


    = = =


    After leaving the frontier world, Kai and I continued our journey, heading to the ocean world of Osana.


    The planet was mostly covered in water, with dry land only accounting for about a quarter of the world¡¯s exterior. Consequently, there were more aquatic races than those based solely on land.


    That didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t huge cities on what little land they could use.


    There were also numerous large underwater cities, though they were difficult to get to without the right manatech or the ability to breathe water.


    ¡°She¡¯s at the hospital,¡± I said after locating Jorenda, the party healer from my time with Ros. Aside from him, Jorenda was my closest friend in the other timeline.


    But unlike in the previous timeline, this Jorenda was not an Adventurer.


    She¡¯d always lamented not attending an academy due to finances. She hadn¡¯t wanted to become indebted to an academy for a decade or more just to learn healing spells she could potentially buy via the system.


    But between the difficulty of learning to heal without specific spellforms, the limits on system purchases, and the cost of spells, she realized that just attending for a year and copying everything she needed to know would have been a better option.


    Of course, commoners typically didn¡¯t know about the upgrade, and trying to manually learn healing spellforms was beyond what most could accomplish.


    When I told her my plans to travel back in time, she jokingly asked me to tell her to get the interface upgrade and attend an academy for a year to copy and learn everything she needed to be successful. She claimed that two or three years of service to the academy would be a small price to pay for such an advantage.


    It seemed she was right since Jorenda appeared to be doing very well for herself.


    I watched from [Stealth] as my former healer friend taught one of the newly awakened healers how to use his magic to heal a broken bone.


    She¡¯d always had a soft spot for kids.


    Jorenda had never really wanted to become an adventurer. She¡¯d only gone down that route because it was the only way she knew to make a real difference with the affinity she¡¯d been blessed with.


    While some hospitals and clinics might be willing to hire untrained healers (or at least apprentice them), most wouldn¡¯t bother without proof of their abilities. Knowing Jorenda, she¡¯d used her academy¡¯s service obligation to build a good reputation for herself.


    Coupled with a variety of effective healing spells, it really was little surprise that she¡¯d landed a position in a respectable facility.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see someone so obviously happy with their life,¡± Kai said as he watched from nearby. Because we were wearing linked [Stealth] talismans, we could see and hear each other without issue, though nobody else could sense us.


    ¡°It is,¡± I agreed. After watching my old friend for a short while longer, I sighed and turned to my former Master. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Where to next?¡±


    I stepped closer. ¡°Why don¡¯t we explore Osana for a bit before leaving? I¡¯ve never seen an underwater city in person before.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 9 - Setting the Bait

    While the experience was neat enough, exploring a real underwater city wasn¡¯t all that different from my memories of doing the same thing in the game.


    Sure, this time, I was wearing a rebreather and a scaled bodysuit instead of transforming into a mermaid, but that wasn¡¯t enough to make it feel like a new experience.


    Granted, my previous experiences were from decades earlier and a whole other timeline, but that didn¡¯t change anything.


    It was a lot like going to visit another country (or world) and realizing that cities were pretty similar no matter where you went. There might be minor differences in style or whatever, but the core of what makes a city a city wasn¡¯t any different.


    There were restaurants, stores, workshops, offices, mana exchanges, and all the other things one would expect to see in a normal city. Really, aside from the building materials used and the fact that the city was underwater and was illuminated by a massive glowing pillar, there wasn¡¯t much to write home about.


    I purchased both the rebreather and the bodysuit from a local retailer on the surface at a premium. But given the resources my mentor and I had access to, the cost was hardly worth mentioning.


    Tier Four items, no matter how extravagant, were not worth all that much to those who were at Tier Eight or above.


    I briefly considered crafting my own items for the short excursion, but the time and effort weren¡¯t worth it.


    However, I did take note of the design and enchantments used for the rebreather. Having a face mask that converted carbon dioxide into pure oxygen was far more convenient than bothering with tanks or [Water Breathing] enchantments.


    It was also far less awkward to use.


    After picking up several small gifts and sampling the local cuisine ¨C something we waited to enjoy until after leaving the water ¨C my still-disguised mentor and I left Osana.


    A quick trip to Ranbar showed that Edgar was also doing well enough. He was alive, in any case.


    Somehow, the fighter had found his way into an Alliance army instead of becoming an adventurer. Per his request, I¡¯d warned him about the conscription, but it seemed the warning hadn¡¯t had the effect that an older version of Edgar had expected.


    Instead of avoiding a local war, he¡¯d somehow landed himself in a bigger one. Or, at least, he was about to.


    The facility he was training in was used by those preparing to go to The Waste, the lowest tier of the war planets, where members of the Alliance and the Collective were locked into an endless war.


    However it had happened, Alliance forces were almost purely volunteer, so I didn¡¯t think that he was participating against his will.


    Marcus and his twin sister Marissa were still adventuring on Pylos. In the other timeline, I¡¯d actually replaced Marissa when she got married to a crafter and quit adventuring. It seemed that didn¡¯t happen in this timeline.


    Marcus hadn¡¯t wanted to change anything, specifically. Instead, he asked that I inform him about a few investment opportunities. It was one of those ¡®if I only knew that XYZ company would do so well¡­ I wish I¡¯d invested,¡¯ kind of things.


    While I couldn¡¯t be completely certain that the ripples caused by my actions wouldn¡¯t change things, I passed the information along. Based on the twins¡¯ equipment, I felt confident that at least one of those investments had paid off.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk to them either?¡± Kai asked as we watched the twins and their party pass by.


    We were sitting at a table outside a caf¨¦ next to the local Adventurers¡¯ Guild. It wasn¡¯t one that I was familiar with, but they all blurred together after a while.


    ¡°No,¡± I said before looking away from the retreating group. I took a sip of this world¡¯s version of a hot chocolate and sighed. ¡°I accomplished my goal for this part of the trip.¡±


    My disguised former Master tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table a few times. ¡°What are your plans now?¡±


    A mischievous grin spread slowly across my face. ¡°Well, since we made a full circle, we might as well head back to Aether Pass. We¡¯ve got some unfinished business looking for us there¡­¡±


    = = =


    Looking like himself again, Master Kairos smiled as I exited the pentagon-shaped building that housed the Arcane sect allied with Epikairos. Now that I was specifically looking for signs of people watching with [Stealth] enchantments or spells active, they weren¡¯t all that difficult to locate.


    ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t too bored while I was in there,¡± I commented, knowing our observers could hear me.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± he said with a smile before his eyes shifted to my hair. ¡°Is that a permanent change?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t checked my appearance after canceling the [Disguise], and the fact that the tendrils of hair around my face were still dark hadn¡¯t stood out since I had grown used to them. But now that he¡¯d pointed it out, I removed the tie from my hair and pulled it forward.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s expression looked like something between a wince and a grin. ¡°It looks fine. Sometimes affinities manifest in strange ways.¡±


    I frowned. I liked my lighter hair!


    ¡°There are spells and products that can change it back,¡± he offered.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just hair,¡± I grumbled as I quickly tied it back.


    Master Kairos cleared his throat and struggled to hide his amusement. ¡°Where to now?¡± he asked, returning us to our planned dialogue.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind just relaxing for a while. Meditation is great and all, but it¡¯s not particularly restful,¡± I said as if considering my options. ¡°I¡¯d rather not get stared at all the time because of my affinities. Is there a nice, private resort somewhere on this planet?¡±


    While it was possible the Sovereignty Sect people would attack while we were in public, we¡¯d decided it was far more likely they¡¯d wait until there was little to no chance for collateral damage.


    Though they might not care overmuch since the system normally didn¡¯t label people as offenders unless deaths were intentional or grossly negligent, I didn¡¯t want others to get caught up in our conflict.


    I was tempted to relocate to a Tier Eight world to minimize the risk, but I figured that would only encourage others to interfere.


    Ultimately, we decided to provide any would-be assassins with a good opportunity to attack while also allowing ourselves a bit of a home-court advantage.


    Preparation was important.


    ¡°I know just the place,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°Ascender¡¯s Reach is perfect since it has hot springs. I know you like those,¡± he added with a smirk.


    I grinned. I¡¯d spent a lot of my time in the dungeon soaking up the positive effects of the hot springs. I¡¯d even gotten Zavira to delay leaving the dungeon for a few extra months so she could squeeze in a bit of extra regeneration after she reached the eighth floor.


    ¡°Is there a teleportation beacon there?¡± I asked, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°Any worthwhile resort wouldn¡¯t skimp on something so basic. I¡¯ve already let them know to expect us.¡±


    A few moments later, we disappeared, leaving our watchers behind. I had little doubt they¡¯d catch up soon enough.


    = = =


    We got three days of relative peace before the first would-be assassin made their move.


    ¡°Hey! What¡ª¡± The man struggled against his bindings. ¡°What is this? How dare you attack an employee of Ascender¡¯s Reach!¡±


    I shook my head and activated a second formation. The first had worked perfectly to capture and neutralize the trespasser.


    ¡°You don¡¯t work here. If you did, you¡¯d know better than to enter my suite.¡±


    The apparent human sputtered. He wore a uniform marking him as an employee of the resort, but I didn¡¯t believe it, even with Assess claiming he was only a Tier Two Servant.


    I¡¯d made my instructions very clear ¨C nobody was to enter my suite.


    But just in case, I removed all of the talismans from the restrained and mana-locked faux-employee.


    What a surprise. I never would have expected a Tier Eight elf, I thought sarcastically as the disguise fell away.


    With a look of shock, the elf asked, ¡°How did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know,¡± I cut the elf off, not caring about his question. There was no reason to share secrets with dead people, after all.


    Repeating the approach I¡¯d used with the Springheart heir in the dungeon, I interrogated the elf multiple times, resetting the scenario once the interrogation reached a certain point in an attempt to squeeze out additional information.


    At first, the elf was like a rock, refusing to even acknowledge his association with the Sovereignty Sect. Threats of death did nothing, and real torture was one of those things the Accords protected against.


    It wasn¡¯t until I started talking about the deceased sect disciple that the elf finally reacted.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably just as pathetic as the foolish disciple that challenged me,¡± I sneered during the fourth reset, hoping to goad him into incriminating himself. ¡°You certainly were captured easily enough. He at least¡­ no, he really didn¡¯t do anything other than try to use Void and borrowed Time magic against me. The duel was over in a second. Literally a second. How pathetic is that?¡±


    I could see the elf¡¯s expression darken as I talked, so I knew I¡¯d finally found the right approach.


    ¡°What was his name? Jaden? Javin?¡± I gave an exaggerated shrug. ¡°Eh, it doesn¡¯t really matter. He died like a pathetic loser. It¡¯s not worth remembering his name.¡±


    ¡°How dare you?¡± the elf seethed, his eyes turning a bit wild. ¡°The Young Master¡¯s name was Javan¡¯deSovereignty! He was better than you¡¯ll ever be!¡±


    ¡°Obviously not,¡± I smirked. ¡°You know, since I killed him.¡±


    ¡°You! You, you¡­ human!¡± the elf half screamed, half spat. After a few moments of struggle, the elf regained a measure of control. ¡°Do what you¡¯re going to do, child.¡± He said it like a slur, making me chuckle. ¡°Your days are numbered! My fellow Elders will make sure of it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re an Elder?¡± I mused. ¡°That doesn¡¯t say much for your sect, you know. Maybe you guys should have sent your Patriarch. He¡¯s Tier Eight, too, right? Or has he finally crawled his way to Tier Nine?¡±


    It was a new piece of information that Master Kairos had given me while we were planning our little ambush.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty pathetic, now that I think about it,¡± I added. ¡°How are you all so full of yourselves when your Patriarch is so weak? Don¡¯t elves have a super long lifespan? Is that really the best you can do? When was the last time one of your sect members ascended?¡± I tsked and shook my head like the elf was a great disappointment.


    His face was so red that I worried it might explode. I¡¯d only seen something like that in cartoons, but that didn¡¯t mean much where mana was involved.


    Eventually, I granted the would-be assassin a quick death and stored the body in my ring, keeping the elf¡¯s storage ring separate to prevent any mishaps.


    While I was sorting through my newly acquired loot, a second elf covertly entered my room, falling victim to the same [Mana Locking] and [Restraining] formation. After having another friendly chat, I added an additional ring to my collection.


    The other sect members must have gotten the message because no more elves snuck into my suite that evening. I was a little disappointed that the trap didn¡¯t catch more would-be assassins, but I figured there was always the next time.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that nobody bothered you,¡± I commented the next day as I floated next to Master Kairos in a huge outdoor hot spring-fed pool. It was snowing lightly, making the experience a bit surreal.


    The pool was really more of an artificial lake. It reminded me a bit of pictures I¡¯d seen of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, though the water wasn¡¯t quite as blue. I¡¯d always wanted to go there, but it hadn¡¯t been on the itinerary during my pre-dungeon trip.


    I¡¯d have to go when I visited Earth next time. Hopefully, it still existed. It would be fun to compare the two.


    Master Kairos chuckled lightly as he brushed a loose strand of platinum blonde hair out of his face. The movement drew my attention to his defined upper body. I quickly looked away, opting to focus on the puffy snowflakes falling from the sky.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t risk it against someone at a higher tier. It¡¯s why I don¡¯t have to bother with assassination attempts by those racist jerks.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t they just hire someone?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± he asked with a raised brow. ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of Assassins who make it to Tier Ten, and those who do aren¡¯t inclined to take risks. Fighting a Time Mage is a huge risk for most people.¡±


    ¡°Surprise attacks will still take us out,¡± I pointed out quietly.


    Master Kairos¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Sure. That¡¯s a valid point.¡±


    Left unsaid was ¡®¡­ for anyone who doesn¡¯t have access to the right enchantments.¡¯ However, even automatic [Restore] enchantments and items like my E3 talisman had weaknesses. In fact, a properly layered Null Field and mana restriction was usually enough.


    ¡®Usually¡¯ being the operative word there.


    I¡¯d put a lot of time and thought into ways someone might circumvent my protections, and I¡¯d already started incorporating fixes for the most likely weaknesses.


    Of course, nothing was perfect. A strong enough attack could potentially kill me and destroy any lifesaving talismans before they could do anything. And just because the Accords restricted higher-tier people from killing those who were lower-tier, it didn¡¯t do anything to restrict people from using higher-tier weapons.


    If one of the elves attacked with the right Tier Ten item, I¡¯d be in trouble. Even if I acquired an equally strong defensive artifact, there was no guarantee I¡¯d survive such an attack.


    ¡°Master Kairos¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re alone,¡± he interjected. ¡°You can still call me Kai.¡±


    I shifted in the water so I could look at him directly. It was a lot easier calling him Kai when he was disguised. It felt wrong when he looked like himself. I doubted I¡¯d get used to it anytime soon.


    ¡°¡­Can you help me acquire a few Tier Ten materials?¡± I asked, opting to just avoid addressing my mentor altogether. ¡°I could also use your help crafting a few things.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 10 - Gifts and Insights

    ¡°Ah, that reminds me,¡± Master Kairos said as he shifted in the pool. A vial appeared in his hand. ¡°Here, I finished this earlier. It took longer than I would have liked, but that¡¯s how Alchemy works sometimes. It should mitigate at least one of the approaches the assassins might use.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as I examined the small vial.


    It was filled with sparkling black liquid that appeared thick, like syrup. Sparkling motes of something ¨C probably mana crystal dust, if I had to guess ¨C appeared suspended within the substance. Oddly, the motes appeared to be in constant motion, swirling in what looked like a pattern.


    It was almost mesmerizing.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little protection against those mana-blocking poisons you were concerned about,¡± he replied with fake casualness. ¡°It¡¯s a common enough recipe among Master Alchemists, given the number of nobles and such who worry about such things.¡±


    I used Assess, and my eyes widened in shock.


    [Mana Protection Potion ¨C Permanent ¨C Growth]


    ¡°It¡¯s a growth potion!¡± I exclaimed before quickly looking around to ensure we were alone. A visual scan didn¡¯t mean much, but between that and a quick focus on Spatial Sense, I felt pretty confident we weren¡¯t being closely observed.


    ¡°It is. You didn¡¯t think Enchanters had the market cornered there, did you?¡± he asked playfully as he reclined against the nearby wall. The falling snow barely had time to land before it melted, leaving small trails of water on his pale skin.


    ¡°Yeah, I kinda did,¡± I admitted sheepishly as I tried not to stare. ¡°How did you make it? There has to be a secret,¡± I said as I focused my attention back on the vial.


    ¡°Ghostvine petals,¡± Master Kairos whispered, though there was nobody around to overhear him. ¡°If you process them properly and add powdered Arcane crystals, the combination can turn several types of permanent-effect potions into growth potions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Ghostvine petals.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t well-known ¨C at least, by that name,¡± he added with a smirk. ¡°Only Master and Grandmaster Alchemists know how to process and use them properly. Everyone else thinks they are just useless weeds since they never rise above Tier One, even in mana-dense areas.¡±


    His expression was meaningful, as if he expected me to make the connection.


    ¡°Never rise above¡­ are you talking about Morning Daisies?¡± I asked in confusion.


    They were the only flora I knew of that perpetually remained Tier One, regardless of where they grew. Morning Daisies were a bit of a joke among Herbalists and related professions due to their odd inability to grow beyond Tier One.


    Master Kairos grinned widely. ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± His reaction made it obvious that my guess was correct.


    Looking from my mentor to the vial and back, I asked, ¡°Should I take it now, or¡­¡±


    Master Kairos inclined his head. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    I unstoppered the vial and gazed at the swirling potion one last time. Lifting the small bottle to my lips, I quickly downed the thick fluid.


    ¡°Tastes like mint.¡±


    Master Kairos chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s one of the ingredients.¡±


    I smacked my lips a few times as the flavor slowly faded. ¡°So, I should be safe against poisons that target internal mana now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though Null Fields will still impact you.¡±


    I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m not really worried about those. As long as I can cast Haste and access my [Inventory] or trigger my E3 talisman, I should be fine. I was going to ask you to help me make a manual E3 to bypass any limitations on internal mana use, but with the potion, I guess I won¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, while I¡¯m thinking of it¡­¡± Master Kairos straightened before handing me another item. ¡°Just in case those assassins don¡¯t fight fair, I wanted you to have a stronger [Barrier]. I usually carry a couple of extras. It¡¯s Tier Ten, so it should withstand anything they throw at you long enough for you to react.¡±


    I examined the small defensive talisman in my hand. It was a very different style than the one I normally used. In fact, it looked more like a decorative pendant than something meant for utility.


    Instead of being a solid base with runes carved into the surface (or embedded within), the pendant itself was shaped into the rune for [Protection]. I could sense a more intricate formation within the item, but the specific runes were obscured, making it impossible for me to look closer without spending a huge amount of time breaking through the obscurement ¨C if it was even possible.


    The way the obscuring effect was added also made it impossible to identify the item, making me doubt the item was something Master Kairos had crafted on his own.


    ¡°It¡¯s very pretty,¡± I commented hesitantly as I noted the small mana crystals layered evenly within the metal. It was an advanced technique I¡¯d only ever read about. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s just an extra? It doesn¡¯t look like something you¡¯d wear.¡±


    I raised a brow as I looked between the pendant and my mentor. He cleared his throat and looked away.


    ¡°Yeah. It was just an extra,¡± he said unconvincingly. ¡°I¡¯ve been carrying it around for a while. I should have probably given it to you as soon as you left the dungeon, but it slipped my mind.¡±


    I didn¡¯t point out that he wasn¡¯t wearing anything similar. For all I knew, his was implanted somewhere on his body. Still, I smiled and thanked him before replacing my Tier Eight [Barrier] talisman with one he¡¯d given me.


    I¡¯d have to swap them back before I reentered the dungeon, but that was still a long way away.


    <hr>


    ¡°Are you going to visit Earth soon?¡± Zavira asked via interface call later that night. We hadn¡¯t seen each other in person since our joint reception, but we still spoke most days.


    ¡°Yeah. The kids get out of school next week. It makes more sense to go together since I can just teleport us wherever we need to go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not worried about the assassins interfering while you¡¯re with them?¡±


    ¡°A little,¡± I admitted. ¡°Master Kairos said they definitely won¡¯t target my family, but I still worry.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s right about them not being actively targeted,¡± she replied. ¡°The problem is collateral damage. If they are with you and assassins attack, they might get caught in the crossfire. Most of the time, it isn¡¯t an issue because nobody wants to violate the Accords, but if they get desperate enough¡­¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°That disciple didn¡¯t strike me as the most reasonable person.¡±


    ¡°You think I should travel separately?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± Zavira replied uncertainly. ¡°Or maybe you should make targeting you more trouble than it is worth.¡±


    ¡°How would I do that?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve already taken out two of their assassins.¡±


    ¡°Not like that. I mean politically. Make the Sovereignty Sect and everyone associated with them into pariahs if they keep trying to kill you. You¡¯re a Tri-Affinity Mage,¡± she reminded me. ¡°Targeting you is practically a crime. At least, that¡¯s how most people would see it. If you publicized the situation, the Sovereignty Sect would lose public favor faster than you¡¯d believe. They¡¯d almost have to leave you alone at that point.¡±


    ¡°If it was that easy, I¡¯m sure Master Kairos would have recommended that approach.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like the Alliance didn¡¯t have news programs or forums. Social media wasn¡¯t really a thing, but most of the other advances in connectivity existed.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I could practically hear the shrug in her voice. ¡°You should talk to him about it since it would impact your sect. Regardless, it¡¯s something to consider, given the threat.¡±


    She was probably right, but the thought of drawing even more attention was¡­ daunting. It was already bad enough when random people identified me.


    I could handle it if I had to, but fame wasn¡¯t something I would intentionally seek.


    <hr>


    ¡°I considered it, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to deal with the fallout right after leaving the dungeon,¡± Master Kairos said the next day when I mentioned Zavira¡¯s recommendation over breakfast. ¡°The Council already knows of your status. They also know about the threat against your life.¡±


    ¡°You reported the assassination attempt?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Master Kairos said as he cut into a fruit-filled pastry baked in a bowl. It looked like a non-fluffy souffle topped with syrup. ¡°Just because they want me to ascend doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have allies on the Council.¡±


    ¡°You mentioned that before ¨C that you made a deal with the Council to ascend in exchange for being allowed to take part in Earth¡¯s reintegration,¡± I said. ¡°Why would they want you to leave?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if you realize this, but there¡¯s a shortage of high and peak-tier fighters willing to delve rifts. Because of that, every active Adventurers¡¯ Guild member over Tier Seven is required to challenge a certain number of rifts every decade.¡±


    ¡°I would think that would make the Council less likely to want people to ascend,¡± I commented as I brushed a dark strand of hair out of my face. I still wasn¡¯t used to seeing dark hair in the mirror.


    ¡°It usually does. But for the last few centuries, more Tier Tens have eschewed ascension in favor of remaining in this realm at the peak of power. The new trend has been to stay until the end of one¡¯s natural lifespan and then ascend. It¡¯s why I¡¯ve had such a hard time finding someone to ascend with. Nobody wants to start over at the bottom of the ladder.¡±


    ¡°So, there¡¯s an excess of Tier Tens?¡± I said, cutting to the heart of his statement.


    ¡°Exactly. But the Guild still mandates a certain number of delves per adventurer each decade, barring legitimate interference. The quota is a lot less at Tier Ten since we only have access to one Tier Ten planet, but reaching the pinnacle doesn¡¯t suddenly erase the requirement. It¡¯s a system-enforced contract, which means it applies to both parties. Few pinnacles are willing to give up the resources available in the rifts to free up slots for others.¡±


    ¡°So, what do they do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Usually, those in need of experience partner up or form parties with those at the pinnacle,¡± he replied. ¡°I have two junior Tier Tens who join me during my slots for the experience. I do less work and keep most of the rewards while they get the experience points they need to progress. It¡¯s a win-win.¡±


    ¡°So, the deal was the Council¡¯s way of motivating you to move on?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    It was weird, but a lot of things the Alliance did seemed odd to me.


    ¡°Do I need to register with the Adventurers¡¯ Guild?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, but Tier Eight is one of the areas where there is a real, legitimate shortage of delvers. Besides, you don¡¯t want to get out of practice.¡±


    ¡°Will there be issues when I return to the dungeon if I register?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ll let them know you¡¯ll be unavailable. That¡¯s an obvious example of the legitimate interference I mentioned earlier. In your case, we can limit your membership to the decade you¡¯re outside of the dungeon. That type of contract is less common, but it isn¡¯t unheard of for special cases.¡±


    The information was certainly new to me. I¡¯d never heard that the Adventurers¡¯ Guild compelled higher-tier adventurers to delve before. It must be an addition to the contract at some later point in the process.


    During my time as an adventurer, people were always struggling to get slots for low and mid-tier rifts. By Tier Four, it was a struggle to delve often enough to feel a real sense of progress, given how infrequently slots were available. We had to travel between multiple rifts just to manage a delve per week, and that was after we moved to Olym, an MT5 planet.


    A lot of people gave up on fighting to progress due to the long waits. And it wasn¡¯t like the people in charge could just make a bunch of extra mid-tier rifts to meet the demand.


    Doing something like that would cause all sorts of problems.


    ¡°Should we take care of that soon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We can handle it after your vacation,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°There¡¯s no rush right now.¡±


    ¡°So, there¡¯s no reason to publicize my existence or my affiliation with the sect right now since the Council already knows?¡± I asked, returning the conversation to the original topic. I knew it would happen eventually, but putting it off for later sounded like a great idea.


    ¡°We can if you want to, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before it gets out,¡± he replied, echoing my thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re wearing sect robes, and anyone who identifies you will see your status. Eventually, someone will reach out. Our media isn¡¯t so different from what you had on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Minus social media,¡± I chimed in before taking a bite of the flavorful porridge I¡¯d ordered.


    ¡°Yes. Aside from that. Forums and private networks are sufficient. The Council decided early on not to emulate every new idea from Earth.¡±


    I could understand their reasoning, especially when viewed from the outside. While there were a lot of great things about social media, there were an equal number of negatives. Since the flow of information and communication was not being stifled, I couldn¡¯t say I disagreed with the decision.


    However, I suspected it was only a matter of time before someone from Earth reintroduced the phenomenon. Heck, it was possible it already existed on Earth¡¯s local network.


    I ignored the blinking icon that informed me I¡¯d been identified again. It was the third time since I sat down for breakfast.


    ¡°What do you think the Council will do about the Sovereignty Sect sending assassins after me?¡±


    The Patriarch smiled widely. His grin looked far more predatory than it usually did. ¡°Based on the last time a sect intentionally went after a Tri-Affinity Mage without cause, it could cause a Sect War.¡±


    ¡°Like what happened in the dungeon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°There are actually a couple of worlds used for enmity wars. Most of the time, they¡¯re used when we fight the Collective. But occasionally, they can be used to settle inter-sect conflicts or territory disputes. It minimizes collateral damage.¡±


    ¡°Are those common?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± the blonde Time Mage said. ¡°The last one was a couple hundred years ago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised the sect hasn¡¯t already had one with Sovereignty, given the clearly opposing tenets,¡± I mused.


    ¡°It came close back when I was Tier Nine, but their sect leader had just reached Tier Eight and was too cowardly to accept after stirring up a bunch of trouble. Mercenaries are not allowed since they don¡¯t qualify as participants in a Sect War. Otherwise, he would have probably acted differently.¡±


    ¡°Can the Council force it?¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s smile grew darker. ¡°Yes. And that is a very real possibility, given their actions. If you only had two affinities, the Council wouldn¡¯t care, even if you managed to sway public opinion. As long as they stayed within the Accords, the sect and their representatives could do what they wanted. But knowingly attempting to assassinate a Tri-Affinity Mage without CAUSE crosses a line the Council can¡¯t afford to ignore.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing I acquired the third affinity, then,¡± I said before asking, ¡°What constitutes ¡®cause¡¯?¡±


    Master Kairos leaned back in his seat. ¡°Accords violations. That is the only justification for outright killing a Tri-Affinity Mage. And since you are not an Accords offender, they have no justification for sending assassins. An official duel they could get by with, but ambushes and assassination attempts, they cannot.¡±


    ¡°So, I should expect to get challenged a lot then?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± my mentor shook his head. ¡°They already did that and failed. They can¡¯t justify another duel based on losing the last one. Duels are meant as a last resort solution between two disagreeing parties. They can¡¯t use the same reason or the fact that they lost the last duel to justify a new one.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 11 - Reading, Writing, and Politics

    I¡¯d forgotten how much I enjoyed reading in the years since Atlas Online was first introduced. Before then, I¡¯d spent a lot of my free time reading stories ¨C mostly fantasy, though other genres could also be found in my virtual library.


    Since I was on vacation and there were several worlds¡¯ worth of new stories to discover, I¡¯d decided to return to my old love. Sure, I had to maintain awareness of my surroundings instead of really letting myself get caught up in the stories, but with my added mental stats, that wasn¡¯t a difficult feat.


    I was honestly a little surprised when no additional assassins bothered me after I took out the first two. I expected the Sovereignty Sect to be a bit more persistent.


    There was a slight sense of guilt at my lack of productivity while I spent my time reading, but relaxing was the whole point of taking a vacation. And since the entire next decade was technically supposed to be a vacation for me, I wasn¡¯t going to beat myself up about spending a measly week doing nothing of real value.


    Besides, breaks were important.


    Unfortunately, all good things eventually had to end.


    ¡°Did you enjoy yourself?¡± Master Kairos asked when I got settled in the fancy flying vehicle he¡¯d rented to take us to the portal hub. I could have just teleported us there, but neither of us was in a rush to get there since our scheduled portal wasn¡¯t for several hours.


    ¡°I did,¡± I replied warmly. ¡°Thank you for coordinating everything.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure. I can¡¯t remember the last time I did something like this.¡±


    ¡°Just sit around and do nothing?¡± I asked with a grin as the vehicle lifted off. Without my Space affinity, I probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed the movement with how smoothly the vehicle moved.


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± he agreed. ¡°I was tempted to knock out some of the never-ending paperwork involved with running a sect, but I decided to follow your lead and take a few days to just unwind once it became clear no more assassins were waiting in the wings.¡±


    ¡°I actually read one of your brother¡¯s series instead,¡± he said, surprising me a little. I hadn¡¯t taken the old Time Mage for one who enjoyed fantasy fiction. ¡°It was surprisingly good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Which one?¡± I asked, perking up in my seat. I¡¯d also read some of Justin¡¯s work during the break, and I¡¯d been surprisingly entertained by it.


    ¡°The one about the Mage who got transmigrated into an alternate reality where Earth wasn¡¯t reintegrated.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with that one, but I haven¡¯t read it yet,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll probably start on it next.¡±


    It was one of the more popular series according to the number of reviews the books had received.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t read any of your brother¡¯s work?¡± Master Kairos asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees like he¡¯d just heard a juicy piece of gossip. I still wasn¡¯t used to seeing him behaving so casually.


    Especially not when we were both garbed in our sect robes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± I replied. ¡°I started with the ¡®Earthborn¡¯ series instead. It¡¯s pretty good, though it wasn¡¯t rated as highly as the one you read.¡±


    It still amused me that my tech-focused brother had become a writer. I kinda expected him to lean more heavily into adventuring, especially through the low tiers where there was an abundance of rift slots.


    However, it was probably a lot more difficult to manage something like that with a family of his own. It was actually a bit of a surprise that he¡¯d managed to find a contract that allowed him to consistently delve every week.


    Given his lower tier, I would have expected it to be harder for him to manage such a feat on Hadier. He hadn¡¯t explained the details of the agreement, but I suspected it was something done through the sect.


    Master Kairos had assured me that my family would be well taken care of.


    ¡°Well, I hope you are well-rested now,¡± Master Kairos said leadingly when the vehicle¡¯s elevation started dropping. Within seconds, our rented vehicle had joined the short line to enter the portal hub.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s going to be stressful when we get to the sect,¡± he replied with a far more serious expression than the one he¡¯d just worn. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I wanted to stop by Aegeas before we rejoin your family.¡±


    His statement and shift in demeanor made me tense. I didn¡¯t like the implications.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°About what we expected, just a bit sooner than we hoped,¡± Master Kairos said with a sigh. He didn¡¯t make me wait before continuing, ¡°Word of your existence reached the media, and they are clamoring for an interview. The sect has received dozens of requests in the last few days.¡±


    He looked at me with an expression of resignation. ¡°You¡¯re about to be one of the most famous people in the Alliance. I hope you¡¯re ready.¡±


    <hr>


    Holy hell, I was not ready for something like this. Why did I ever think drawing attention to myself would be a good idea?


    The sect¡¯s public relations liaison had released a statement after discussing the way forward with me and Master Kairos. It basically provided a summary of my background and added a little blurb about my ongoing issues with the Sovereignty Sect, including their most recent assassination attempt.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    We discussed various approaches we could take now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag, and ultimately decided to go with a short press conference to allow interested parties a chance to use whatever identification spells they had to verify my status.


    After repeating the information contained in the press release, I prepared myself to answer a few questions. Thankfully, most were not difficult.


    ¡°¡­I love all kinds of food,¡± I answered an enthusiastic reporter who¡¯d asked about my inspiration for the MealMaker. ¡°It¡¯s one of my favorite things in life. I designed the MealMaker because I didn¡¯t want my world¡¯s cuisine to be lost during reintegration.¡±


    News that I was the same Enchanter who patented the newest food transmutation device nearly a decade prior only added to the fervor. The MealMaker was insanely popular, given the variety of recipes available and the generous storage capacity.


    The device that my creation had effectively replaced was much less user-friendly and only allowed a few recipes to be stored at a time. It also cost more and didn¡¯t allow users to create or record their own recipes.


    ¡°What was it like living on Earth? Was it like the stories describe?¡±


    I smiled at the question. I hadn¡¯t discussed publicizing Justin''s books with him, but I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d mind me mentioning our connection.


    ¡°The stories from pre-integration Earth were¡­ well, they¡¯re like any other stories. I probably haven¡¯t read the ones you¡¯re referencing, though I really should, considering my brother is an author in the genre. He¡¯s written a few popular series, ¡®Mundane Isekai¡¯ being one of those. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the type of story you¡¯re talking about, though.¡±


    I could see a few of the journalists¡¯ eyes light up. The original reporter nodded before tilting her head. ¡°Yes. You haven¡¯t read your brother¡¯s work?¡±


    I chuckled at the mild sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡°I started with the ¡®Earthborn¡¯ series. I plan to read ¡®Mundane Isekai¡¯ next. I¡¯ve been a little busy since leaving the dungeon.¡±


    I motioned toward another reporter.


    ¡°The information we received implied you¡¯ll be returning to the dungeon within the next ten years. How flexible are your plans?¡±


    ¡°Not very,¡± I replied. ¡°I made a system-enforced agreement with someone who has since ascended.¡± I didn¡¯t elaborate further since the implication would be enough. It was basically impossible to modify a contract without all participants¡¯ consent.


    ¡°Do you plan on rushing your ascension, or are you going to remain a Pinnacle once you fulfill your contract? Or was ascension part of the contract?¡±


    I hesitated and glanced toward Master Kairos. His expression remained neutral as he looked out at the crowd.


    ¡°Ascension was not part of the contract,¡± I answered. ¡°As far as my current plans go, I am still undecided.¡±


    My inclination was to remain in this realm for a while, especially since my family was still here. But I didn¡¯t want to go on the record making any such statements. I didn¡¯t want anyone to see my family as an avenue to control me.


    ¡°What would it take to convince you to stay?¡± someone called out.


    I forced myself to maintain a neutral expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. There are a lot of factors involved, including the effects of time. I have no idea how I¡¯ll feel in a couple hundred subjective years. I¡¯d rather wait to make such an important decision until the time draws closer.¡±


    Thankfully, the journalists present picked up on my discomfort and didn¡¯t start digging. If they had, I would have likely ended the conference.


    ¡°Are you seeing anyone?¡± the next journalist asked, causing a wave of chuckles among the crowd.


    I smiled and tried not to blush. ¡°No. I¡¯m also not interested in getting romantically involved with anyone during my short reprieve from the dungeon,¡± I said apologetically.


    ¡°Do you plan to have children before ascending?¡±


    Really, I had no idea why I thought subjecting myself to something like this was a good idea. Even polite, respectful journalists were still journalists. Why did I ever think they wouldn¡¯t ask uncomfortable questions?


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided on that, either,¡± I said awkwardly. ¡°I really don¡¯t have answers to questions like that. Even if I had a definite plan now, I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll feel the same way by the time I leave the dungeon again.¡±


    Sensing my decreasing inclination to answer such personal questions, the next journalist shifted the line of questioning. ¡°Were you a Tri-Affinity Mage when the Sovereignty Sect disciple challenged you to a duel?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No. I only had two affinities at the time. In fact, it was my Time affinity that the disciple took offense to.¡±


    The journalist nodded and asked a follow-up question. ¡°The details of the challenge were outlined in the release, but I was hoping to hear the story in your own words. Can you tell us what happened during the duel and why members of the deceased disciple¡¯s sect might still be targeting you?¡±


    I knew the question was meant to allow those with a Mind affinity or spells like Detect Lie the opportunity to assess the truthfulness of my claim. Since such abilities only worked in person, it was a legitimate request.


    ¡°My first interaction with the disciple was him demanding a duel. I¡¯d neither seen nor interacted with the disciple prior to that incident. When I asked what justification he had for such a demand, he told me that my sect, Epikairos, violated the tenets of his sect, presumably by supporting non-elven Time Mages. He then claimed that my very existence was an affront to every long-lived species.


    ¡°As soon as the duel started, he activated a Null Field and a [Haste] talisman. I found his hypocrisy particularly amusing,¡± I added with a smirk. ¡°Unfortunately for him, my Time affinity is beyond whatever meager effects he could call upon with enchanted items. The duel only lasted a breath from the moment he cast the Null Field until his death.¡±


    I didn¡¯t mention the subsequent bounty since the elves who¡¯d placed it were not directly associated with Sovereignty. There was no reason to muddy the waters further.


    ¡°Upon leaving the dungeon, I was surveilled. I was a Tri-Affinity Mage at that point, so I hoped the individuals watching me were doing it for non-malicious purposes. Regrettably, it seems that was not the case.¡±


    Straightening my back and looking at the faces arrayed in front of me, I tried to summarize the rest of the information as succinctly as possible.


    ¡°Since then, two assassins attempted to kill me while disguised as Tier Two civilians. Both were Tier Eight,¡± I paused, letting the implication hang. ¡°Upon capture, both admitted they were Elders of the Sovereignty Sect and implied their fellows would find a way to kill me. There have been no further attempts, but I am not confident the sect has given up.¡±


    I considered mentioning the incident in the mana well but ultimately decided not to bring it up. I had no evidence to support the allegation, and mentioning it might do more harm than good. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like the Sovereignty Sect was going to point out my omission.


    There was a little more back and forth before the press conference was finally called to an end, and I was able to escape to my borrowed room in Master Kairos¡¯s mansion.


    I had no idea how much the interaction would impact my future going forward, but at least I could disguise myself if it got too bad.


    There was a soft knock at the door, followed by a feminine voice. ¡°Elder Momentia?¡±


    I telekinetically opened the door. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The Patriarch would like to see you in his office.¡±


    That¡­ was probably not good. He¡¯d never summoned me like this before. In fact, I wasn¡¯t even sure where his office was located.


    After politely asking, the maid was happy to show me the way. I was almost immediately ushered inside.


    ¡°Master Kairos,¡± I greeted him with a small bow.


    The blonde Time Mage nodded and motioned for me to sit. After a moment, he said, ¡°It looks like our trip to Earth is going to be delayed by a few days.¡± With a look of apology, he added, ¡°We¡¯re being summoned by the Council.¡±

 Book 4 - Interlude 1 - Council Discussions

    The gathered Councilors showed a mix of expressions as they settled in place. The meeting was not a scheduled one, and several of the Pinnacles and near-Pinnacles were annoyed at having their plans disrupted over something many considered trivial.


    ¡°We only have a short time before they arrive,¡± Arbiter Eskin announced. As the nominal leader of the Council, it was his job to get the meeting started.


    ¡°And they can wait if we aren¡¯t ready for them,¡± Councilor Arona sneered, causing several of her fellows to frown with displeasure at her display.


    Her conduct certainly wasn¡¯t becoming of a Tier Ten member of the Atlantis Alliance¡¯s Council.


    The older elf¡¯s perfectly symmetric face twisted into an ugly countenance as she glared at the judgmental stares of her fellow council members.


    Most thought the old elven councilor should recuse herself from the discussion altogether, given her obvious bias pertaining to the topic at hand.


    After all, how could one claim impartiality when it came to their legacy?


    Thankfully, system-enforced oaths ensured that at least a degree of fairness was enforced with such positions, regardless of any conflicts of interest.


    Without such oaths, the Council would never get anything accomplished.


    Arbiter Eskin ignored the outburst and called the meeting to order.


    ¡°I will remind everyone here that you¡¯ve all taken oaths to act on behalf of the Alliance, not the territories, families, or organizations to which you used to belong. If you feel you are unable to fulfill your role due to conflicting oaths¡ª¡± he looked toward Councilor Arona, ¡°¡ªI ask that you submit a request for recusal and depart before the discussion begins.¡±


    He waited a moment, and when nobody moved, he sighed and continued. ¡°In that case, we are here to discuss the claim that Sovereignty Sect Elders have knowingly attempted to assassinate the Alliance¡¯s newest Tri-Affinity Mage. The claim has been validated by the system, so there is no question of guilt or misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Within the same tier, there is no issue,¡± Councilor Arona commented haughtily. ¡°The Accords are very clear about that.¡±


    Several councilors frowned at the claim. While it was technically true, at least as far as the system was concerned, Tri-Affinity Mages had always been afforded special consideration.


    ¡°There are laws against intentionally harming or attempting to kill Tri-Affinity Mages in every territory,¡± one of the other councilors countered.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s on those territories to uphold,¡± Councilor Arona said dismissively as she leaned back in her chair in a rare show of casual disregard. ¡°That isn¡¯t our role. We oversee the entire Alliance. We do not govern directly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because it¡¯s your old sect in the wrong,¡± a nearby councilor quipped.


    Councilor Arona¡¯s eyes narrowed at the claim, but she did not refute it. She couldn¡¯t, given the enchantments embedded in the meeting hall that would prevent anyone within the walls from intentionally lying.


    Such measures were almost a necessity when dealing with matters of such importance.


    ¡°Regardless, the facts have not changed. The Accords do not prohibit targeting Tri-Affinity Mages,¡± Councilor Arona said stubbornly.


    Unlike most of the territories that were run by subordinate kingdoms, Councilor Arona¡¯s former territory was one of the two that were controlled by sects.


    Her appointment to the Council had been hugely contentious, especially given her former sect¡¯s known stance of elven superiority. But she¡¯d won the tournament, and her detractors were forced to accept her inclusion and subsequent elevation in tier.


    Since her original territory capped at Tier Eight, she¡¯d had to spend a few subjective centuries on Sira being guided through rifts until she met the minimum requirement to officially join the Council.


    Since then, she¡¯d used her authority to grow to the absolute peak of power.


    She had no plans to ascend any time soon, preferring to relish life at the pinnacle instead of starting over somewhere else.


    Besides, rumor had it that the next realm was different. According to the Fate Mages ¨C none of whom she trusted in the least ¨C there was only one race in the next realm.


    The thought was absurd. But even so, Arona wasn¡¯t in any hurry to find out the truth for herself.


    ¡°While I dislike it, she¡¯s not wrong,¡± another councilor chimed in. ¡°We all know the system is sentient. If its creators thought that Tri-Affinity Mages were sacred, I¡¯m sure they would have included it in the Accords.¡±


    ¡°And what of public opinion?¡±


    Nobody got the chance to answer since their vision was covered in bright red lettering.


    [An update to the <u>Accords</u> has been made! Please review the <u>Accords</u> as soon as possible and ensure compliance.]


    The gathered powerhouses were struck speechless for several moments.


    ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t remember the last time something like that happened.¡±


    Focusing on the word ¡®Accords¡¯ brought up the familiar document, and every attendee quickly skimmed over the highlighted changes.


    Unrealized by the Council, they were not the only ones who received the notification. Every single person with access to the system received a similar notification, causing an immediate stir across the Alliance and beyond.


    ¡°Ha! What do you have to say about that?¡± Councilor Hethrew, one of the youngest and newest councilors, exclaimed. He¡¯d always disliked the air of inherent superiority exuded by Councilor Arona, and he was happy to see the system itself putting her in her place.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    At Tier Ten, none of the councilors were young, per se. Even so, there was a definite rigidity apparent in those who¡¯d been a member of the Council for more than a few centuries.


    ¡°Apparently, the system does value Tri-Affinity Mages more than everyone else,¡± Arbiter Eskin murmured thoughtfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s only to be expected if what we¡¯ve learned about the next realm is correct,¡± Councilor Lance added.


    A flurry of hushed conversations erupted between clustered councilors. Arbiter Eskin allowed it for several minutes as he mulled over the implications.


    It¡¯s a good thing Tri-Affinity Mages are already revered, he thought. Otherwise, I could see this new change causing problems. Nobody likes blatant favoritism.


    Examining the short document, the Arbiter noted that the change was only a minor addition to the section that covered Murder. Instead of only prohibiting the intentional killing of a lower-tier person, the Accords now also prohibited the intentional killing of anyone who had awoken at least three affinities.


    The exceptions still applied, which meant the girl could still be killed in wars, duels, or if someone was defending themselves from an attack that she initiated. There were a couple of other exceptions included, but they were so unlikely they might as well not exist.


    ¡°So,¡± Arbiter Eskin said slowly, turning toward Councilor Arona. ¡°How likely is it that your former sect will cease their hostilities toward the Tri-Affinity Mage?¡±


    The older elf fumed silently for several moments as she overtly ignored the Arbiter¡¯s question. Her eyes were focused on a screen that only she could see, making it clear that she had no intention of replying.


    After several long moments of rude silence, Arona suddenly gasped.


    ¡°What? No! I didn¡¯t¡ª¡± The female elf looked around erratically before leaping out of her chair as if being attacked. ¡°No, no, no! I worked too hard to lose it all now!¡±


    The other nine councilors watched the increasingly frantic elf with a variety of expressions ranging from cool detachment to glee. It was obvious the elven councilor had somehow violated one of her oaths, and now she was paying the price.


    To a few people¡¯s dismay, the now-former councilor suddenly started glowing. She immediately heaved a sigh of relief.


    Arona opened her mouth to say something, her expression haughty. To the good fortune of those gathered, her ascension didn¡¯t care to wait, and she disappeared before uttering a word.


    ¡°Did she really just ascend to get away with violating her oaths?¡± Councilor Lance asked with wide eyes as he stared at the elf¡¯s newly vacated chair.


    ¡°And it looks like she intentionally let all of her belongings get destroyed in the process. How spiteful!¡± someone added, noting the distinct lack of unclaimed storage devices in the vicinity.


    ¡°That sounds about right,¡± Councilor Hethrew said. ¡°She¡¯s always been a selfish old hag. I can¡¯t believe the system let her get away with breaking her oaths like that. She had to be sitting on a lot of excess experience to pull something like that off.¡±


    Arbiter Eskin pinched the bridge of his nose. It was an old habit he¡¯d never quite gotten rid of, even though the action did little to ease his mental strain.


    He was just glad they had public relations professionals to deal with the citizenry. On top of addressing the new change to the Accords, they¡¯d have to announce the new vacancy to the Council.


    And since the seat opening was from one of the sect territories, that meant a tournament followed by a few subjective centuries of helping the winner reach Tier Ten.


    And they hadn¡¯t even addressed the purpose of the meeting yet!


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s focus on our reason for being here,¡± Arbiter Eskin said, projecting his voice over the rumble of side conversations. ¡°Now that the system has taken a stance on the situation, it¡¯s clear that something will need to be done if the Sovereignty Sect refuses to cease hostilities toward the new Epikairos Elder.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be ascending with Kairos, right?¡± Councilor Farrah, the Arbiter¡¯s right hand, asked Councilor Lance. As the one who worked most closely with the Oracle, he was most likely the one to know the answer to that question.


    The Oracle wasn¡¯t part of the Council, but as the highest-tier Fate Mage in the Alliance, she was often brought in as an advisor.


    Contrary to the Patriarch¡¯s belief, it was actually the Oracle¡¯s membership in the Epikairos Sect and her personal relationship with the Patriarch that motivated most of the Council to seek his ascension.


    Most felt that without her half-brother around, the Oracle wouldn¡¯t feel as obligated to remain connected to the sect. And since she was married to Councilor Lance, it naturally made sense that she should dedicate more of her time to the Council instead.


    ¡°Anya foresaw several possibilities,¡± Councilor Lance began before hesitating. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how the new changes will influence things.¡±


    ¡°Can you contact her?¡±


    Councilor Lance nodded. ¡°She¡¯s already on site. She anticipated the necessity of her presence.¡±


    A few moments later, an attractive woman with snow-white hair and lavender eyes that matched her robes entered the room. Her skin was extraordinarily pale, similar to that of her half-brother.


    Unlike Henlen Kairos, Anya Oracle was only Tier Eight. She was also several hundred years younger than the Time Mage.


    ¡°Thank you for your timely arrival, Oracle,¡± the Arbiter said. Instead of asking about young Emie Momentia¡¯s ascension, he asked, ¡°Do you see the conflict between Epikairos and Sovereignty resolving without additional bloodshed?¡±


    He could have asked about the Tri-Affinity Mage, but knowing when the girl was likely to ascend should not be a factor in their deliberations. Right now, he needed to know how the change to the Accords might impact the conflict.


    Ideally, it would result in a cessation of hostilities between the two sects. However, if the Sovereignty Sect insisted on snuffing out the talented youth, the Council would be forced to intervene.


    The Fate Mage¡¯s eyes began glowing with mana, and her gaze grew distant.


    ¡°There is no future resolution between the two sects without bloodshed,¡± the Oracle decreed. ¡°Sovereignty cannot accept the possibility of Emie having children and potentially creating more powerful human Time Mages. Even with the assurance that she would ascend without having children, they would seek her death.¡±


    ¡°Is she going to ascend as soon as she¡¯s eligible?¡±


    The Oracle¡¯s eyes remained unfocused. ¡°The future is never set, though some possibilities are more likely than others,¡± she warned. ¡°Of those most likely, I see a future where she ascends at the deadline with the Patriarch. Slightly more likely is a future where she remains in this realm for millennia and watches her family grow. Interestingly, one of the most likely futures is one where she ascends alone shortly after reaching the Pinnacle.¡±


    The gathered Councilors murmured amongst themselves at that bit of news.


    After a short pause, the Oracle¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°With almost equal likelihood, I see a future where she is disposed of by a Tier Ten Assassin. In this future, there is a high chance that the timeline will fracture. The subsequent branches are muddled and constantly shifting, but the prevalence of unrest and death are clear enough.¡±


    The white-haired Fate Mage shook her head, and her eyes cleared. ¡°If you would forgive my presumptiveness, I strongly encourage the last path be avoided if at all possible.¡± Anya Oracle looked around the room at the assembled Pinnacles and near-Pinnacles.


    ¡°Thank you for your insight, Oracle,¡± the Arbiter said.


    Sensing her dismissal, the Fate Mage sent a soft look toward her beloved husband and departed, granting the councilors privacy.


    ¡°So, what options does that leave us?¡± Councilor Farrah asked as she glanced around the room before her gaze settled on the vacant seat of former Councilor Arona. Several others glanced at the empty seat as well while considering their options.


    ¡°Even knowing they will ignore it, an official notice should be given to warn members of the Sovereignty Sect against targeting Emie Momentia or any other Tri-Affinity Mage,¡± Councilor Lance suggested.


    ¡°And when they violate it?¡±


    Everyone looked at Arbiter Eskin. He looked far more tired than he had at the start of the meeting.


    ¡°We¡¯ll send in the Inquisitors,¡± he said reluctantly.


    ¡°No sect war?¡± Councilor Lance asked with a hint of hope. It was obvious why he didn¡¯t want such an option to be considered, seeing as his wife was a member of one of the sects involved.


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer not to make use of that option,¡± Arbiter Eskin replied. ¡°If Patriarch Kairos demands it¡­¡±


    Councilor Lance¡¯s expression darkened. He really hated how much power that man had over his wife. Even if they were family, he still didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope he doesn¡¯t insist on such a course of action,¡± Councilor Farrah commented, seeing her fellow councilor¡¯s expression.

 Book 4 - Chapter 12 - Escalating Threats

    The waiting room outside the Council chambers was nicer than what I expected. It almost looked like the sitting area of a fancy hotel lobby instead of a quasi-governmental space.


    A few minutes after we settled in, the door leading from the Council chambers opened and an attractive woman with noticeable physical similarities to Master Kairos entered the waiting room.


    She was pale, like my former Master. But instead of platinum blonde hair, hers was pure white and left loose instead of being pulled back. Her eyes were a vibrant lavender, made all the more noticeable by her matching robes.


    I immediately noticed the familiar emblem embroidered fancily on the outer garment, marking her as a special Elder of the Epikairos Sect. All of that, plus Master Kairos¡¯s reaction, quickly made the newcomer¡¯s identity clear.


    ¡°Anya!¡± Master Kairos exclaimed with a smile. ¡°Things must be pretty serious if they brought you in.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, the sudden change to the Accords rattled them, I think,¡± Anya replied distractedly before looking at me. Her lips curled as she stepped closer. ¡°I¡¯m Anya Oracle. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡±


    I stood and extended a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Emie M-Momentia,¡± I said, stumbling a bit over my new surname. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t make it to your promotion ceremony,¡± the Fate Mage apologized. ¡°The Council was in session and I tend to spend Council sessions here on Sira since I¡¯m married to one of the councilors and serve as a part-time Advisor due to my affinity.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked with wide eyes. ¡°I¡¯m surprised they allow something like that, given your membership in the sect.¡±


    Anya glanced at her brother and grinned before returning her focus to me. ¡°It¡¯s less of a problem than you¡¯d think, considering the oaths I had to make. Though, it¡¯s no secret that I¡¯ll likely shift my focus considerably after Henny ascends.¡±


    Master Kairos groaned at the nickname. ¡°Please, Anya! I told you not to call me that centuries ago! Why do you insist on embarrassing me? At least call me Kai like I asked.¡± He looked at her pleadingly.


    Even after spending some time with the man in an informal setting, it felt odd to see the interaction between the siblings. If he¡¯d still been wearing the disguise, it might have been easier to accept. But with him looking like a prim and proper Patriarch¡­ the dichotomy was a little jarring.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little joke, Kai,¡± the white-haired woman said glibly before growing more serious. ¡°Something has changed.¡± She paused. ¡°Or maybe it hasn¡¯t. I¡¯ve never focused on Emie before when looking forward.¡±


    Her lips pursed in thought for a moment before she shook her head. ¡°Regardless, there is a legitimate risk that a Tier Ten Assassin might target our newest sect Elder. I¡¯m not sure when it may come since the visions don¡¯t work that way, but I wanted to ensure you were aware of the threat. I got the sense that it would be while Emie is still Tier Eight, so before she reenters the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mark whoever tried as an Offender?¡± I asked.


    The way I read the change, targeting me would be like targeting someone at a lower tier. Even if someone failed, making a genuine attempt (or being directly involved with such) would cause someone to be labeled as an Offender.


    Against a Tier Ten Assassin, I wasn¡¯t wholly confident my protections would save me. My newly upgraded [Barrier] should at least work long enough for me to escape, but nothing was guaranteed.


    And if something overwhelmed my defenses and broke my life-saving devices before they could activate¡­ well, I¡¯d be screwed unless someone like Master Kairos stepped in and reversed Time.


    ¡°There are ways to avoid such labels,¡± Anya replied darkly. ¡°And for some, being labeled as an Offender would mean little anyway. They would be strong enough to fight almost anyone who tried to collect a bounty on them, and if things got too bad, they could just ascend. It¡¯s not a common tactic, but there have been plenty of examples throughout history of people waiting until just before they ascended to go on a revenge-fueled murder spree.¡±


    ¡°She exaggerates,¡± Master Kairos interjected. ¡°It¡¯s only happened a handful of times in the last few millennia.¡±


    ¡°Correction,¡± Anya said. ¡°It¡¯s only been documented and released to the public a handful of times.¡±


    Before the siblings could banter anymore, an aide informed us the Council was ready to see us.


    <hr>


    I exited the Council chamber after Master Kairos with a thoughtful expression. Anya had already left, but that was fine. I had more than enough to think about without trying to get to know someone new.


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    I wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of the meeting, but I wasn¡¯t unhappy with the outcome. I didn¡¯t like that a sect war was almost certainly in the future ¨C unless the sect was disbanded. However, I was mollified by the promise that if there was a sect war, only those who wanted to participate after being informed of the reasons behind the war would be involved.


    Those who disagreed with the war would be given the opportunity to avoid it by officially and permanently leaving their respective sect. It was a risk for both sides since members could use the opportunity to jump ship under the clause, though they would have to give a reason and submit to a geas or two.


    Depending on the Inquisitors¡¯ findings, everyone associated with the sect might be forced to submit to a geas, regardless of their participation in a potential war.


    If the sect¡¯s doctrine was found to be significantly changed from what the Council had on record, for example, the sect would be dissolved or declared rogue, and all members would be geased.


    Similarly, if the sect¡¯s teachings were found to be significantly different from their stated purpose, the Council, and thus, the system, would no longer recognize them as a legitimate sect.


    I had no idea how the Inquisitors would go about determining such a thing, but it probably involved stealth and/or Mind Mages. Investigations had never been something I was very good at. They involved far too much scheming for my tastes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so upset,¡± Master Kairos said when we climbed into the vehicle waiting for us outside the building. The inside had been spatially expanded, almost to the point of being excessive. ¡°I didn¡¯t push for a Sect War since I know you dislike being involved in such things.¡±


    ¡°We both know it¡¯s still likely to happen,¡± I replied with a sigh as I settled into the deep seat. ¡°The likelihood that they will comply with the mandates is almost non-existent. And as soon as the Inquisitors start digging¡­¡±


    I shook my head. I really didn¡¯t want to get involved with another war.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Master Kairos said as if I¡¯d made his point for him. ¡°It¡¯s far more likely they¡¯ll be labeled a rogue entity or forcibly disbanded. The only way a war will be fought is if the sect isn¡¯t indoctrinating their members to hate and hunt down non-elven Time Mages. Since we both know they almost certainly are, there is little risk of a war.¡±


    ¡°Then why were you so insistent on it?¡±


    ¡°Politics and payback,¡± he replied like it was obvious. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t want anyone to get the idea that the Epikairos Sect is a soft target.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re ascending?¡±


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°Yes. If you decide to stay, even if you don¡¯t officially take my place, you¡¯ll be a great deterrent for anyone seeking to harm the sect. But if you do join me, I don¡¯t want people to think we¡¯re leaving a weak sect behind.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there a few Tier Nine Elders?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but the gap between Tier Nine and Tier Ten is huge. And a sect backed by someone at Tier Ten will almost always have more clout than a sect whose strongest member is only Tier Nine. Part of that is because of the exceptions to the Accords. Nobody wants to risk a powerhouse forcing a sect war.¡±


    I looked at him strangely.


    Wasn¡¯t that exactly what he¡¯d been indirectly trying to do?


    Dismissing the thought, I smiled tightly and said, ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯d rather me remain in the realm when it¡¯s time for you to ascend. I thought your whole goal was to find an ascension companion.¡±


    We¡¯d talked about it several times, but this was the first time he¡¯d actually made more of a case for me to remain in this realm instead of joining him. It made me wonder if the short time we¡¯d spent together had somehow soured him to my presence.


    My time in the dungeon had certainly hurt my interpersonal skills, but I didn¡¯t think they were so bad that he¡¯d change his mind about wanting me to ascend with him.


    ¡°That¡¯s obviously still my preference since ascending alone sounds¡­ lonely. I¡¯d much prefer a companion to share the experience with,¡± Master Kairos replied with a friendly smile.


    ¡°But I already told you,¡± he continued, ¡°I¡¯m not going to force you. I won¡¯t even pressure you to ascend with me. If you decide to stay, that¡¯s fine. As I just pointed out, there¡¯s a benefit in that as well.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said before changing the subject. ¡°So, is this inquisition something we need to wait around for, or can we head to Earth? Or¡­ is that something we should delay due to the new threat?¡±


    ¡°The Assassin?¡±


    I nodded.


    Master Kairos¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°I¡¯ll need to craft a few things. I wasn¡¯t anticipating a Pinnacle threat. That changes things.¡± The blonde Time Mage looked out the window for several moments. ¡°We may need to remain in disguise for a while. But even then, people are going to be watching your family.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said they¡¯d be safe,¡± I said, trying not to sound accusatory as my heart rate increased noticeably.


    ¡°They should be,¡± he replied calmly. ¡°But if we¡¯re dealing with a Pinnacle Assassin who already doesn¡¯t care about violating the Accords¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a few more violations?¡± I said blankly as a sour taste filled my mouth. ¡°How relevant is this threat? Is it something we need to act on? Does my family need to go into some kind of protection program or something?¡± I asked rapidly.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± He stopped himself and huffed lightly. ¡°Let me talk to Anya before we get too caught up in possibilities. I¡¯ll see what I can find out. She¡¯s the one who identified the threat, so she¡¯s the one most likely to have more information. I¡¯ll reach out to her now.¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s eyes unfocused as he focused on his interface. We made it all the way to the portal hub before he finally spoke again.


    ¡°They should be safe. I asked her to check, and nothing indicated they would be targeted specifically. But that doesn¡¯t mean that they won¡¯t be watched or that the Assassin will care about collateral damage,¡± he added. ¡°It¡¯s obviously easier to target someone at a location they are known to frequent.¡±


    So, I needed to avoid going to their homes.


    But depending on what affinities the future Assassin had, would I be safe anywhere without a disguise? Even with a disguise, who¡¯s to say a Pinnacle mage wouldn¡¯t be capable of bypassing enchantments?


    I followed Master Kairos out of the vehicle and tried not to glance around nervously. I doubted there was already a threat, but I still found myself grateful for the new Tier Ten [Barrier] talisman that Master Kairos had recently gifted me.


    Now, I just needed to upgrade the rest of my defenses.

 Book 4 - Chapter 13 - Returning to Earth

    ¡°You should be able to drop the disguise now, right?¡± Dad asked me as we stepped away from the small teleportation room attached to the Knoxville portal hub.


    A glance at Master Kairos revealed he¡¯d already returned to his normal appearance, so I quickly followed suit.


    Neither of us wore our sect robes, though our civilian attire was enchanted with many of the same protections. In fact, my new clothing provided far superior protection against surprise attacks ¨C something that I considered a necessity, given the current threat.


    Master Kairos had acquired or crafted them; I wasn¡¯t sure which. It was probably the former since I didn¡¯t think he had more than a passing familiarity with Tailoring or any of the related professions.


    ¡°Do you know exactly where Grandma and Grandpa live now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do,¡± Dad replied as he shifted Kaylee from his side to his back. The toddler grinned at the change and clung to his neck like a baby monkey. ¡°We still have that flying contraption you made before you left. Do you want to ride together, or would you rather follow? I imagine you have your own form of transportation that doesn¡¯t involve teleportation.¡±


    ¡°We should all be able to fit,¡± Mom interjected leadingly, making her preference clear.


    I quickly counted the number of people in our group.


    ¡°Eleven is a lot to fit into the pod I made for you guys back when I was still Tier Three. Speaking of¡­¡± I removed a few of the models I¡¯d outgrown from my ring. ¡°Here, I don¡¯t need these anymore and they¡¯re a lot more versatile than the one you have.¡±


    My parents¡¯ eyes widened, and I could sense they were getting ready to refuse my offer.


    ¡°Really,¡± I insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t need them. I planned to give them to you guys anyway, even if you don¡¯t necessarily need them within most Alliance cities.¡±


    With an expression of gratitude, Dad accepted one of the credit card-sized slips of crystal. The new versions looked a lot more like the collapsed version of Ros¡¯s original chariot that I¡¯d shamelessly mimicked for my own personal use.


    ¡°Same controls?¡±


    I nodded before handing the others to Mom, Justin, and Bell.


    I suspected Bell could make something comparable already, but I didn¡¯t mind giving one to her anyway. If nothing else, it would save her from needing to craft one for Amie when the time came for her to leave home in a couple of years.


    Also, I fully understood that just because someone could craft something didn¡¯t necessarily mean they were inclined to take the time and effort to do so.


    ¡°Yep. The basics are the same and there¡¯s an interface link that¡¯ll guide you for anything you don¡¯t understand. That part¡¯s new,¡± I explained, ¡°though it¡¯s pretty intuitive.¡±


    The link wouldn¡¯t work without an upgraded interface, but that wasn¡¯t something that concerned anyone in my immediate family.


    After shaping his new vehicle into something that resembled a large caliber bullet (or a wingless airplane), Dad flew us to the town where most of my mom¡¯s side of the family had settled after the reintegration.


    Grandma Katherine and Grandpa Paul, my mom¡¯s parents, were waiting outside a relatively new housing complex when we arrived.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t look a day older than you did when you left!¡± Grandma exclaimed when she saw me.


    ¡°And you look even younger than before!¡± I countered with a grin.


    I¡¯d given all of my living grandparents and elderly family members rejuvenation treatments before I left, though the effects were nowhere near as remarkable as they would be when I repeated the treatment with my new strength before leaving.


    ¡°Thanks to you! I swear, I haven¡¯t felt this good since I was in my forties! Between your mom¡¯s healing and you literally turning back the clock¡­¡± Grandma shook her head as she found herself without the proper words to express herself.


    Understanding, I gave her another quick squeeze. ¡°Family takes care of each other,¡± I replied. ¡°I won¡¯t always be around, but while I am, I want to do what I can to help the people that are important to me.¡±


    And they were important to me, even if I was a little emotionally detached from the majority of my family members after so much time away.


    Several members of my extended family lived in the same housing complex as my grandparents. It was a standard Alliance housing unit that could be found on any low to mid-tier world. It wasn¡¯t one of the really nice ones, but Earth was still low-tier and quite new to the Alliance.


    ¡°Look who¡¯s back,¡± Gabby said when she let herself into my grandparents¡¯ home a little while later. Her burnt-orange/red hair had darkened into something closer to true red since I last saw her, though her eyes remained the same vibrant shade of green they were before.


    I grinned at my cousin. ¡°You¡¯re nearly at Tier Four!¡± I exclaimed after seeing her level.


    Gabby puffed up slightly. ¡°Yep. Another six months or so and I should have enough XP to get there,¡± she said proudly. ¡°Me and my team have been delving almost non-stop for the last few years. There ain¡¯t nearly enough people to keep the harder Tier Three rifts cleared, so those of us strong enough tend to stay busy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Just make sure you¡¯re safe,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Gabby said as she waved a hand before plopping into a nearby reclining chair. ¡°So, how was the dungeon? I have some friends who plan on trying their luck with it soon since they¡¯re outgrowing the rifts on Earth. I told them I¡¯d ask.¡±


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    I raised a brow at the comment. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. You probably don¡¯t know if you just got back,¡± she said before leaning forward. ¡°People started getting messages from folks who disappeared years ago, most of ¡®em before the apocalypse even happened. Then these two people show up, claiming to be kidnapped from Earth and forced into a dungeon on some other planet.


    ¡°People were rightly mad when they found out, and those new nobles made a big stink about it with the higher-ups. Some Alliance bigwigs came down and announced that anyone who wanted to challenge themselves in the dungeon could, so long as they were Tier Four or below. Some folks got mad about them trying to take more people, but since nobody¡¯s forcin¡¯ anybody¡­¡±


    The redhead popped a piece of gum in her mouth and started chewing. ¡°Volunteers don¡¯t get no special perks like the inventory you and the others got, but anyone born on Earth can enter the dungeon for the next fifteen years.¡± She paused. ¡°I guess it¡¯s closer to thirteen now.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, intrigued by the information. I was also a little curious about how many of my family members would feel compelled to follow in my footsteps. I wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that possibility. ¡°How do people volunteer?¡±


    ¡°They got a portal in Brazil. It opens once a month, but you gotta do the tower training before you can go through it,¡± she said before blowing a bright pink bubble.


    ¡°So, like going to any other off-planet location,¡± I said with a nod.


    Gabby popped the bubble loudly. ¡°I mean, I guess?¡± she said with a shrug. After a pause, she asked, ¡°So, you got any advice? Those two that came back talked about it some, but getting another side is always a good thing.¡±


    Not seeing any reason not to answer, I spent the next hour sharing my experiences in the Realm Dungeon with Gabby and answering the questions her friends had.


    At one point, she even called them and put them on speakerphone by linking her interface to her Atlas Glass phone. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see the device, considering they were considered basic manatech throughout the Alliance.


    Eventually, Kaylee provided me an excellent opportunity to extricate myself from the conversation, and I happily joined her outside.


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to discuss my time in the dungeon. I was just tired of only discussing my time in the dungeon.


    Or my affinities.


    It felt like those two topics took up almost ninety percent of the conversations I¡¯d had with anyone since leaving the dungeon, family or not.


    <hr>


    ¡°You seem awfully serious since you came back,¡± Grandma Katherine tutted when I entered the kitchen the next morning. She was cooking, which wasn¡¯t all that unusual, given her profession.


    Having been a professional chef before the reintegration, it was only natural that she would gain Cooking-related skills and select Chef as her profession once she reached level five. While some people resolutely refused to level at all, I¡¯d been able to persuade almost all of my family members to do at least the bare minimum to gain a profession.


    Now, more than eight years since the reintegration, Grandma Kathrine had reached Tier Two and was well on her way to reaching Tier Three. She¡¯d probably need a bit of assistance to get her alternate experience, but that was normal for non-fighters.


    Between the rejuvenation treatments and her increased tier, Grandma Katherine looked like a woman in her early fifties, though she undoubtedly felt even younger. It was a significant improvement over the elderly woman she¡¯d been before I entered the dungeon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be overly serious,¡± I apologized. ¡°I¡¯ve just got a lot on my mind.¡±


    ¡°I heard about that,¡± she replied. ¡°You might think we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with the rest of the Alliance, but them aliens have made sure we aren¡¯t completely uninformed. We¡¯ve even got beastmen running around now! I swear, I liked to have a heart attack the first time I saw one of them!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re certainly different,¡± I said with a soft chuckle. ¡°Most are pretty nice, though.¡±


    Grandma huffed as she rolled out a bit of pastry. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, myself. Anna talked to one at the market the other day, and she said he was real nice. But there¡¯s some on the TV causing problems, so they¡¯re probably just like any other group of people.¡±


    I shrugged. It was nice that she acknowledged demis as ¡®people¡¯ instead of using some derogatory term. I¡¯d seen a few examples of other races (Earthborn and otherwise) refusing to do even that because of their appearance.


    ¡°So, was there anywhere you wanted to visit while I¡¯m here?¡± I asked, changing the subject.


    Grandma Katherine stopped for a moment and looked at me. ¡°What do you mean? Like, traveling?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Yeah. I can Teleport. We can go pretty much anywhere on Earth as long as I know where it is.¡±


    We could probably go anywhere in the solar system¡­ maybe beyond.


    Being in the dungeon, I hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to really test my boundaries when it came to distance. Stella had mentioned problems going between two celestial objects ¨C planets, moons, or similar structures. But now that I¡¯d reached Tier Eight and gained Space Magic Mastery, I felt certain many of those limitations no longer applied.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing Hawaii,¡± she commented after a moment of thought. ¡°I always planned to visit but never got around to it.¡±


    ¡°We can go there if you want,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°In fact, you and I could take a quick trip after breakfast if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Grandma¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Really?¡± She seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°No. No, it wouldn¡¯t be right to go without the rest of the family,¡± she said before adding, ¡°So long as you don¡¯t mind cartin¡¯ all of us around, that is.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t mind,¡± I assured her. ¡°I can take quite a few people with me now that I¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really that strong, huh?¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe the strongest person on Earth besides that pretty boy Master that ran off after you got here?¡±


    I wanted to laugh at the comment, but I restrained myself.


    Master Kairos had left shortly after we arrived at my grandparents¡¯ home. He¡¯d claimed he wanted to explore a bit, but I was pretty sure he just felt out of place. It wasn¡¯t a huge deal since I¡¯d Marked him and could basically track him as long as he was on Earth.


    Maybe beyond.


    Like with teleportation, I hadn¡¯t really tested my limits since leaving the dungeon.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m the strongest, but I doubt many people would give me trouble,¡± I replied before eyeing her more closely. ¡°Why? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Not like you¡¯re probably thinking,¡± she said. ¡°You were doing work for the Alliance before you left, changing rifts and getting rid of the ones that cause trouble. Now that you¡¯re so much stronger, it¡¯d probably be easy for you to help make things safer for everybody.¡±


    She popped the neatly cut pastry dough into the oven before wiping her flour-dusted hands on the simple apron she wore over her clothes.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be long before they¡¯re done,¡± she said, nodding toward the oven. ¡°I¡¯ll start on the eggs if you want to go wake everyone up. I imagine the jetlag coming from another planet is a little rougher than just crossing a few time zones.¡±


    I nodded. The time difference was a bit pronounced. But luckily, I didn¡¯t need very much sleep at my tier.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to do about my grandmother¡¯s request. Or rather, her statement. She hadn¡¯t actually asked me to do anything.


    Even if she had, I wasn¡¯t sure what I¡¯d be allowed to do to help. There were rules in place to prevent higher-tier individuals from doing too much on lower-tier planets.


    There might be some exceptions for a native returning to a newly ¡®reintegrated¡¯ planet, but I¡¯d need to check with Master Kairos (and probably the local nobles) before I did anything.


    At the same time, I was not inclined to watch as lower-tier people died to rift beasts, and there were a LOT of those outside the town walls.


    Maybe a little intervention was called for.

 Book 4 - Chapter 14 - Family Dinners

    ¡®You are not allowed to arm locals with weapons and gear above the planet¡¯s threshold,¡¯ Lisa informed me as I sketched out a few simple enchantment designs after breakfast.


    I sat up straight and focused on my Interface Assistant. ¡®Why not?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s in the rules you received upon leaving the dungeon,¡¯ she replied. ¡®There was an additional supplement downloaded upon our arrival on Earth. The Alliance forbids such activities because they imbalance the world.¡¯


    Nothing like that was ever openly stated, but I supposed it made sense. Arming a bunch of low-tier people with mid or high-tier weapons created an obvious inequity, removing even the possibility of fairness between those at the same tier.


    Since such practices weren¡¯t specifically banned by the Accords, the restriction had to be an Alliance one as opposed to something enacted by the system itself.


    ¡®Is that a blanket prohibition, or are there exceptions?¡¯ I thought to my ever-present helper as I eyed the designs I¡¯d already drafted. I was pretty sure I already knew the answer, but I figured it was better to check.


    ¡®For all intents and purposes, consider it a blanket prohibition,¡¯ Lisa replied. ¡®Even your sister-in-law is forbidden from crafting anything beyond PT3 items. Had she not already crossed the threshold, she would have been allowed to craft LT4 items, provided she acquired the materials herself. But, since that is not the case¡­¡¯


    Unsurprisingly, Bell had reached Tier Four while I was away. Between the secondary Academy and the Enchanters¡¯ Academy, she¡¯d had ample opportunity to progress in a relatively safe environment.


    And it wasn¡¯t just through her professions, either.


    Both of her former schools had mandatory programs to assist students in gaining combat experience as well. Given her background, gaining a few extra levels from delving wasn¡¯t difficult to accomplish.


    ¡°Then what can I do to help?¡± I asked aloud. Nobody could hear me from outside the pod, so I wasn¡¯t worried about coming off as crazy.


    After a little bit of spatial manipulation, the spare room had been set up with four individual pods, one for each grouping of adults and a separate pod for Amie and the twins to share. The setup allowed us all to stay with the grandparents instead of needing to find separate accommodations while also keeping things from feeling overly crowded.


    ¡®Craft PT3 items and provide training?¡¯ Lisa suggested. ¡®Maybe do a little healing?¡¯


    I frowned. I didn¡¯t want to spend a long time on Earth training people, especially when, by all accounts, the problem shouldn¡¯t exist in the first place.


    Alliance teams had been assigned to Earth for the first five years to ensure the rifts beyond the local populous¡¯ ability to handle were cleared regularly enough not to break. So, for this many creatures to be in the area, something had to have gone wrong.


    Either the Alliance teams had failed or, more likely, whoever took over when they left had dropped the ball somehow.


    Gabby had mentioned there weren¡¯t enough PT3 groups to handle the local rifts, but I didn¡¯t get the sense that it was so dire that they were dealing with rift breaks.


    Yet the presence of multiple rift creatures in the local area implied otherwise.


    It was worth looking into since a failure on the Alliance¡¯s part meant they would be inclined to fix the problem. Further, if the issue was caused by the noble in charge of the territory, they could (and would) be replaced.


    A little danger was expected, given how rifts manifested initially. Some rift beasts were inevitably going to get away and breed. That was just a fact of life without someone much higher tier intervening.


    And since total safety bred complacency and often led to worse outcomes, I didn¡¯t see that happening. In fact, that was probably why the Alliance was so against higher-tier assistance in the first place.


    But just because I understood why things were left in the hands of the locals didn¡¯t mean I liked leaving my extended family in an unsafe situation. I¡¯d have to examine other locales and see if they had similar problems. If not, maybe it would be worth convincing my relatives to relocate.


    <hr>


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say no if you want to give me some fancy toys,¡± Gabby said at dinner later that night when I offered to upgrade her gear. She and a few other family members had joined us for dinner, though not everyone had been able to make it on such short notice. ¡°It probably won¡¯t help much, though.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked.


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    ¡°Cause the problem ain¡¯t a lack of weapons,¡± Lester, Gabby¡¯s little brother, chimed in. ¡°It ain¡¯t even a lack of adventurers. Since the old Mayor got booted last year, there¡¯ve been loads of people swarming the area, looking ta level up. It¡¯s already tons better than before. You shoulda seen it then! It was so bad, the adventurers could barely get to the rifts to clear ¡®em!¡±


    Lester was a lot younger than Gabby. Technically, he was only her half-brother, but since they¡¯d been raised in the same home, they didn¡¯t recognize the difference.


    He¡¯d been in elementary school when the reintegration happened. He was sixteen now and had awoken an Earth affinity the year before.


    ¡°How did it get so bad?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That old Mayor was a real piece of work,¡± Grandpa Paul said from the head of the table. ¡°He started charging a seventy-percent tax on anything coming out of the rifts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, nobody wanted to pay that much, so most of us left to find better rifts,¡± Gabby added. ¡°There were still enough desperate adventurers willing to pay that much, so things were okay for a while. But then the blizzard hit and nobody could get to the rifts for a few days. It normally wouldn¡¯t be a big deal since it takes a while for a rift to break, but because they were already being under-delved, they all broke practically at the same time.¡±


    I could see how something like that might happen, especially if the city and the surrounding area weren¡¯t being closely monitored by the nobles in charge.


    ¡°Me and my party came home when we heard. A lot of locals who¡¯d left did,¡± she continued. ¡°The new Mayor only charges twenty percent and does his best to make sure every rift slot is filled. He does good for all but the PT3 rifts. There ain¡¯t enough adventurers willing to challenge those yet, even after nearly ten years. Most who get that far leave Earth, which makes it hard for us to keep things in check.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say a lot of your friends were planning to leave soon, too?¡± I asked curiously.


    Gabby focused on her plate for a few moments as the attention shifted toward her. She looked at her parents before looking at me.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said slowly, as if not wanting to admit it. ¡°Once they reach Tier Four, there ain¡¯t much reason to stick around besides family.¡±


    ¡°Gabriella,¡± her mom exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯d better not be planning to run off to the dungeon! I heard you talking about it when you thought I wasn¡¯t listening.¡±


    Gabby winced. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on it, Ma! It was just something we were looking into.¡±


    I pressed my lips together to keep myself from commenting. The impression she¡¯d given me was that her friends planned to enter the dungeon, though she hadn¡¯t directly included herself in that plan.


    Maybe she was going to stay behind to watch over her family. She¡¯d been quick to go back to them when the reintegration kicked off, so it wasn¡¯t very hard to believe.


    But looking at her guilty expression, I somehow didn¡¯t believe that was the case.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not! It took Emie more than eight years to escape from that place, and that was with all the fancy gadgets and magic she got for joining that sect!¡±


    Interestingly, Gabby¡¯s mom didn¡¯t bother glancing in my direction as she talked about me. She was wholly focused on the young Fire Mage sitting next to me.


    I didn¡¯t bother correcting her misconceptions, either. I doubted it would do any good.


    ¡°Those friends of yours are going to get you killed if you ain¡¯t more careful! I mean, really!¡± My aunt huffed in exasperation. ¡°First you¡¯re going into those death traps and fighting monsters, then you started hunting the ones that escaped¡­ now you¡¯re talking about risking your life in a dungeon!¡±


    ¡°I said I wasn¡¯t planning on going, Ma!¡± Gabby exploded, drawing attention from nearby diners. ¡°And even if I did, ain¡¯t nothing nobody can do about it! Not you, not Pa! Nobody but maybe Emie could do a darn thing to stop me! And I don¡¯t think she¡¯d try. Heck, she might even think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Gabby looked at me with hope, as if she thought I¡¯d come to her rescue.


    ¡°This is not my argument,¡± I said with raised hands, neither confirming nor denying her claim. If it wasn¡¯t completely inappropriate, I would have teleported away instead of getting any more involved in the conversation than I already was.


    But regardless of my discomfort, the truth was, I¡¯d absolutely support Gabby if she wanted to enter the dungeon. I¡¯d even help her prepare ¨C to a point.


    Undeterred by my lack of overt support, Gabby returned her focus to her parents. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see y¡¯all stepping up to keep the rifts from breaking! How about y¡¯all stop judging me when I¡¯m one of the few people trying to keep everybody safe!¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t about keeping everyone else safe. It¡¯s about keeping you safe,¡± Aunt Mindy countered.


    I tried my best to ignore the conversation as I focused on my meal. Limited to low-tier materials, the food was acceptable, but not great. Even the most basic transmuted meals made out of higher-tier materials were superior.


    Despite my best attempts to avoid it, I was eventually coerced into sharing my opinion.


    ¡°If Gabby wants to challenge the dungeon, knowing full well that she can¡¯t leave until she reaches at least Tier Seven, then I¡¯m all for it. As long as she really understands what she¡¯s getting into, she should be able to make her own decisions.¡±


    I paused as several of the ¡®older¡¯ generations immediately objected to my statement. A few even criticized me for not wanting Justin to risk himself in the dungeon but saying it was okay for Gabby.


    Aunt Mindy seemed particularly incensed that I¡¯d support her daughter being put into danger after going so far to protect my brother.


    ¡°Look,¡± I held up my hand to stop the back and forth. ¡°This isn¡¯t the same thing as Justin. Gabby isn¡¯t being kidnapped and forced into something she doesn¡¯t want. She knows what to expect, even if things might have changed a little since I entered.


    ¡°And the more you tell her she can¡¯t do something, the more likely she¡¯s gonna try to prove you wrong. Gabby hasn¡¯t even said she wants to enter the dungeon with her friends, so I don¡¯t know what all of you guys are getting so worked up about.¡±


    The redhead gave me a look of appreciation tinged with a hint of vindication. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± I replied before standing up. I¡¯d already lost my appetite. ¡°It was nice to see you all again. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve been mostly isolated for a really long time and haven¡¯t gotten used to being around people all that much.¡±


    I looked at Gabby. ¡°That¡¯s something to consider if you do decide to enter the dungeon. The seventh floor is particularly hard for extroverts.¡±


    Looking back at the rest of the family, I added, ¡°I already paid, but I didn¡¯t leave a tip. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s still something people do now, so if it is, I¡¯m sure you guys can manage it. I¡¯ll probably be back by morning.¡±


    Without waiting for a response, I teleported away.

 Book 4 - Chapter 15 - Long-Distance Healing

    My body slowly relaxed as the milky, mana-infused water seeped into my skin. The addition of mana had turned the international attraction into one of the newest world wonders, and the obvious benefits of even a short soak made it a lucrative resource to control.


    I could have easily chosen to relax somewhere closer, but after reading about the magical healing effects of the Blue Lagoon on Earth¡¯s local network, I decided to check it out for myself.


    I¡¯d originally planned to bring the family along when I visited, but with my sudden desire for solitude, it made more sense to make the first trip alone.


    I didn¡¯t even invite Master Kairos.


    While he didn¡¯t enjoy soaking quite as much as I did, it was still something he appreciated. I¡¯d probably include him when I brought the family next time. The attraction was certainly worth more than a single trip.


    I wasn¡¯t worried about being recognized since I was using a [Disguise] that changed my appearance and personal information. I even had it reduce my apparent tier to just PT3.


    I¡¯d checked with Lisa to ensure I wouldn¡¯t be violating any local laws by doing so, but it seemed like matching the planet¡¯s maximum rating was generally an acceptable approach for high-tier visitors who wanted to fly under the radar.


    If I was attacked or challenged, I would have to reveal my true level, but since I didn¡¯t plan on getting involved with anything, I wasn¡¯t overly worried. And unlike the Assassins who¡¯d attacked me on Pylos, I wasn¡¯t trying to sneak attack someone by posing to be weaker than I really was.


    Though I felt fairly confident in my safety, I still extended Spatial Sense to the maximum and let the feedback filter through my subconscious as I relaxed.


    There weren¡¯t a lot of visitors since it was quite late ¨C or early, depending on one¡¯s perspective. Even so, there was a steady stream of visitors trickling in and out of the various pools that comprised the large, heated lake.


    There were smaller, seemingly disconnected pools as well, but those were reserved for guests of the connected resorts, and the few private residences I¡¯d noticed had been recently built.


    A short distance away, close to the main road but hidden from sight by the likely efforts of Earth Mages, I noticed the familiar swirl of dense mana that represented a rift.


    It was close enough to pose a threat if the rift broke, even with the steep rocky mounds forming a barrier around it. Given the newly constructed facilities just outside the narrow entrance, I assumed it was likely well-monitored and controlled.


    The lack of mana fluctuations also supported that supposition.


    I observed through Spatial Sense as a group of four headed through the gap in the wall and made their way to the rift. A short while later, another team exited, looking a bit battered but otherwise healthy.


    They immediately entered the building just outside the wall and talked to one of the clerks inside. I was a little curious about how the former country of Iceland handled rift taxes and such, but I didn¡¯t really care enough to look into the matter beyond mere observation.


    Instead, I focused more of my attention on the night sky.


    Hints of colorful lights danced in the sky. It wasn¡¯t the right time of year to get a good view of the Northern Lights, but my improvements in vision made it possible to see traces, even without activating Mana Sight.


    Activating Mana Sight, the sky was suddenly illuminated in a riot of colors. Such a sight was only visible near the planetary poles, which made me wonder how much of the Northern Lights were indirectly (or directly) influenced by mana, perhaps even before the siphons were turned off.


    Perhaps the poles themselves had been siphons, and the auroras a reflection of the mana being drained?


    Frantic movement from the portal drew my attention away from the breathtaking view of the sky, interrupting my musings.


    It seemed someone had gotten critically injured during their time inside the rift.


    Even at such a distance, I could easily assess the injured adventurer. It was clear that without immediate intervention, he wouldn¡¯t make it. In fact, I was surprised the bleeding man was still hanging on.


    Since I didn¡¯t see a healer close enough to make a difference, I mentally reached out and targeted the injured delver with Restore. I wasn¡¯t totally sure it would work since I¡¯d never tested combining my spatial perception skill with Time magic, but it felt like it should work.


    And with two mastery skills, I trusted my gut.


    Besides, I¡¯d been able to target people for teleportation through the weave since Tier Two. This didn¡¯t seem all that different, aside from using two different mana types at the same time.


    The adventurers carrying their formerly wounded party member almost stumbled when the damage to the man¡¯s body and gear rapidly began reverting.


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    I smiled as I sensed the group¡¯s shock and relief, though my eyes were still on the night sky. I was far enough away that nobody would suspect I was involved, even if I wasn¡¯t disguised as a PT3 Earth/Space Mage.


    Come to think of it, I¡¯d easily be capable of doing something similar for the adventurers battling rift beasts outside of Knoxville. I might not be able to directly help in the fight, but there were no restrictions on healing services.


    If Gabby and her counterparts were able to organize a big hunt, I should be able to monitor most of them to ensure nobody died. So, even if I couldn¡¯t provide overpowered weapons and gear, I¡¯d still be able to make a real contribution toward making my extended family¡¯s home safer.


    <hr>


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Mom asked when I returned to my grandparents¡¯ apartment the following morning with wet hair.


    She was sitting on the bed of the spare room where our pods were set up, presumably reading a book. It was almost like she¡¯d been waiting for me.


    ¡°Iceland,¡± I replied. ¡°There¡¯s a famous hot spring there.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of those by now?¡± she asked with a hint of exasperation.


    ¡°Uh, no?¡± I answered as I placed several containers of anti-aging cream on the nearby dresser.


    The people in control of the Blue Lagoon had managed to incorporate the spring¡¯s minor healing and rejuvenation properties into beauty products. Since they were cheaper than comparable true Alchemy products, I figured it was worth picking up a few containers as gifts.


    ¡°Hot springs are amazing, especially when they have special properties. The Blue Lagoon doesn¡¯t come close to the effects of the dungeon¡¯s hot springs, but the minor healing effect is still worth going for.¡± I motioned toward the containers. ¡°They even make magical face cream now.¡±


    Mom picked up one of the small containers. After reading the label, she unscrewed the top and sniffed the contents.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t use Life mana?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said uncertainly. ¡°At least, I didn¡¯t sense any Life mana in the water. Weird, right?¡±


    ¡°Not really. A little, maybe.¡± She dipped her finger in the white cream and looked at it more closely. ¡°Healing isn¡¯t just a Life or Nature thing. It¡¯s usually related to one of those two, but I¡¯ve seen specialty healers with other affinities, too. This probably incorporates Water mana to hydrate and flush toxins.¡±


    That made about as much sense as anything. However, since I wasn¡¯t that big into Alchemy, my interest in the topic was only superficial.


    I knew enough about the basics to get by if I needed to, but mixing potions and making pills wasn¡¯t really my thing.


    ¡°So, why did you take off like that at dinner?¡± she asked with a tone that demanded a response.


    ¡°Honestly?¡± I asked rhetorically. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to listen to the bickering. I could see Aunt Mindy getting riled up, and I really just didn¡¯t want to deal with it. She and Uncle Anthony still haven¡¯t totally accepted that Earth is never going back to what it was.


    ¡°I can tell they think things will eventually go back to what they were, but that¡¯s insane,¡± I said pointedly. ¡°Pandora¡¯s box has been opened. There is no going back.¡±


    ¡°They know that,¡± Mom said dismissively. ¡°But it¡¯s not unreasonable for them to want their children to be safe. If your dad and I had any say in the matter, you and your brother certainly wouldn¡¯t be fighting in rifts and dungeons. You¡¯d be focusing on your professions instead and getting carried through rifts for your alternate levels like most Enchanters and Authors.¡±


    I bit back the impulse to make a snide comment. Instead, I simply acknowledged her statement with a tilt of my head.


    I understood the desire to protect loved ones, but there was a point where sheltering others became detrimental. Without challenges, they would have no real opportunities for growth.


    But at the same time, I acknowledged that a life involving violence wasn¡¯t for everyone.


    ¡°Even so, Gabby is almost thirty years old. She¡¯s plenty old enough to make decisions for herself,¡± I replied at the same time that Dad exited their shared pod holding my two youngest siblings.


    ¡°Gah! You two are still talking about that?¡± Dad exclaimed as he handed off Kaylee to Mom. Turning to me, he added, ¡°And maybe next time, don¡¯t stir the pot before leaving the rest of us to deal with the mess.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologized sheepishly, knowing my parents likely had to deal with an earful after my escape.


    ¡°I get it. I do. But not everyone has taken to the changes very well. The danger outside the walls doesn¡¯t help. They¡¯re honestly lucky none of the rifts have flying mobs, else the city would be in real trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that,¡± I said after taking a few steps toward the door and making sure the others were following. ¡°Even though Bell and I can¡¯t really contribute much since we out-tier the world, we can help a little by crafting appropriate-level gear. I can also directly intervene to save lives, though it would be better if nobody knew it was me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mom asked.


    ¡°When I was in Iceland, or the former Iceland, I guess I should say,¡± I corrected myself, ¡°I had Spatial Sense extended pretty far and noticed someone coming out of a nearby rift severely injured. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d make it to a healer in time, so I Restored them from a distance.


    ¡°It was the first time I¡¯d really tried something like that since healing at a significant distance isn¡¯t really a factor in the dungeon. Healing a party member is easy enough because they¡¯re normally close by, but¡­ I¡¯ve never really needed to heal someone I couldn¡¯t see visually before. It worked fine, though, and nobody even realized I was involved.¡±


    Both of my parents looked surprised by my admission.


    ¡°What kind of range do you have?¡± Mom asked.


    I considered the limits of Spatial Sense. As long as I could clearly sense someone, I could target them with a spell. In fact, I could probably target the rift beasts and make them easier to defeat, but I didn¡¯t think the Alliance would accept that kind of intervention as easily.


    ¡°Maybe twenty miles?¡± I said, severely understating my range.


    Dad whistled lightly as Mom made a little gasping noise.


    ¡°So far?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s much farther than I expected. I can only sense life signs within a half-mile or so. Even that takes some effort.¡±


    ¡°It was about the same for me when I was Tier Three,¡± I replied. ¡°I might have been able to push mine a little farther, but I also have a really strong Space affinity. That matters.¡±


    Mom nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I noticed that when comparing my sensory skills for Life and Nature. I can sense fauna quite a bit farther than I can flora.¡±


    ¡°You want to coordinate for some kind of hunt while we¡¯re here so you can provide oversight?¡± Dad asked.


    ¡°Eh, not particularly,¡± I answered honestly. ¡°But we should. It¡¯ll make the locals a lot safer if they can cull some of the rift beasts before they breed more. There are already a few dens spread around the area. I should be able to get away with pointing them in the right direction.¡±


    ¡°I thought this was supposed to be a vacation,¡± Mom said with a frown.


    ¡°Who said we have to stay here the whole time?¡± I asked. ¡°I say we get the ball rolling and do our own thing until they¡¯re ready to go. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t come right back when the locals are ready to tackle the problem.


    ¡°And if they aren¡¯t ready by the time we need to head back to Hadier, well¡­ I guess they¡¯ll just have to deal with it on their own. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa can find somewhere that isn¡¯t overrun with rift beasts to settle down.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 16 - Overwatch

    From atop the modified pod I¡¯d set to float above the forest, I observed the various parties as they engaged their respective targets.


    Far more residents had heeded the call to arms than I expected. The sight of my fellow Earthborn actively working to protect their homes warmed my heart and made me glad to have contributed, if only in a supporting role.


    While maintaining general vigilance, I focused a little bit of extra attention on Gabby¡¯s party.


    My cousin was undoubtedly a Fire Mage through and through. She carried no melee backup weapons aside from the small knife tucked into a sheath on her hip. In fact, her entire fighting style revolved around Fire magic.


    If she couldn¡¯t kill it with Fire, well¡­ that¡¯s what the rest of her team was for.


    Lucky for her, her party had a decent spread of affinities and fighting styles.


    There was an Archer with an Air affinity, a frontline spear fighter with a Lightning affinity, a Nature Mage serving as Control and Healer (usually), and a fighter with an Earth affinity who used conjured stone weapons to fight both at range and up close.


    The Archer shot an enchanted arrow into the cave that was serving as one of the local wolf dens. The arrow was one of Bell¡¯s contributions to the fight and held the strongest blast she could manage while keeping the projectile under Tier Four.


    Such an attack might be seen as a little unsportsmanlike, but they were culling rift beasts who¡¯d like nothing more than to kill every person they could. A fair fight against beasts wasn¡¯t something most people were concerned with.


    I Restored an injured adventurer in another party as Gabby¡¯s group approached the smoking cave. The Earth Mage took the lead with a floating Stone Shield, ready to deflect any ranged attacks that came their way.


    To nobody¡¯s surprise, an angry, still-smoking wolf launched itself out of the shelter and toward the closest threat.


    It was met with a face full of sharpened stone, an obvious modification to the Shield spell that allowed for offensive effects.


    A Lightning Bolt hit the pair of wolves behind it, disabling them long enough for the Archer to put an arrow in their eyes. The coordination between the party members made their experience working together as a team apparent.


    Stepping around the fallen beasts, the group entered the cave. Most of the wolves had been severely injured by the slightly overpowered explosion, so they didn¡¯t pose much of a challenge to the adventurers.


    The only one that posed a real risk was the Alpha, and a combination of Wind-infused arrows, Lightning Bolts, and a Fire Lance weakened it enough for the melee fighters to finish it off.


    Watching Gabby and her team reminded me of my time adventuring with Ros and the others. Our dynamics were obviously different since our party composition wasn¡¯t the same, but the camaraderie was very similar.


    It made me miss my old friends. But having verified they were all doing well, the slight longing was easy enough to deal with. I¡¯d gotten the closure I needed to move on.


    Seeing how much Gabby enjoyed throwing around Fire magic and killing rift beasts, I honestly couldn¡¯t see her staying behind when the rest of her party left Earth.


    Her parents wouldn¡¯t like it, but as I¡¯d mentioned before, she was a grown woman. There wasn¡¯t anything they could really do to stop her if she wanted to leave. Whether into the dungeon or off to another planet, her options were wide open.


    After teleporting Gabby¡¯s group to the next location, I shifted my focus to Mom, Dad, and Justin¡¯s group.


    I¡¯d been surprised when the trio decided to join in on the event, but since they had loved ones at risk, too¡­ it made sense.


    Bell would have probably joined them if she could. But since she was now an official resident of another planet and out-tiered Earth, doing so would have gotten her in a lot of trouble.


    Mom was a little under-leveled for the event since she spent most of her time working in clinics and healing the same non-life-threatening injuries day in and day out. She¡¯d actually gained more levels when she lived on Earth because of the sheer need for Healers. Now that she was living on Hadier, her low-tier services weren¡¯t nearly as in-demand.


    Still, she¡¯d volunteered for the culling in a Control role, using her Nature affinity in much the same way as Gabby¡¯s party member. Mom restrained the beasts while Justin and Dad fought up close.


    An Ice Mage joined them as ranged support, though I wasn¡¯t sure who the individual was. They¡¯d met him earlier that morning when everyone had mustered to head out.


    The guy had joined on a whim when he heard about the event online, thinking it would be a good way of earning a bit of experience. I was keeping an extra eye on the guy, just in case, but he seemed to be pretty solid from what I¡¯d seen.


    Unlike Gabby, Justin didn¡¯t use his Fire affinity hardly at all since it was really weak. Instead, he relied mostly on manatech, with a spear serving as his go-to melee option.


    With a background in both military and law enforcement, Dad also preferred to fight with guns and gun-like weaponry. He¡¯d still trained with other types of weapons, but he preferred not to use them.


    Since me and Bell were both Enchanters, Justin and Dad had access to custom-made weaponry that most people simply didn¡¯t. Because of that, they¡¯d both largely ignored mental stats beyond Perception.


    Unsurprisingly, their stat distribution and fighting styles were pretty similar. Neither could cast more than a couple of spells, but since they relied mostly on manatech, more than that wasn¡¯t really needed.


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    At least, in their opinion.


    My stats were almost a mirror image of theirs, proportionately, which I found pretty interesting since I was far more inclined to get up close with a mob than either of my male family members.


    Regardless, their group¡¯s fighting style was a lot different from Gabby¡¯s.


    Where Gabby¡¯s group attacked from a distance before moving in close, Dad¡¯s group kept their distance almost the whole time. They relied far more heavily on Mom¡¯s control effects than Gabby¡¯s group did with their Nature Mage, but the end result was ultimately the same.


    If anything, Dad¡¯s group finished their fights faster and cleaner than Gabby¡¯s group, though the loss of mana cores to power the weapons of two manatech users likely ate far more into their prospective profits than they earned by killing faster.


    ¡°How is the hunt going?¡± Master Kairos asked as he settled next to me on top of the platform-shaped pod.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of flying item he had, nor did it really matter. It was possible he could fly under his own power ¨C there were general spells for such things, though they were prohibitively expensive since they used neutral mana.


    At least, they were at low tiers.


    Mana costs for general-purpose skills tended to drop dramatically as one progressed, given the added efficacy and power of higher-tier mana.


    ¡°Everything is going fine so far,¡± I answered while simultaneously Restoring and Teleporting out an entire party that had gotten overwhelmed.


    I returned them to the rally point where we¡¯d started. If they wanted to continue fighting, they knew where to go. Some parties called it quits after the first real brush with death. Most didn¡¯t, but some teams were less used to direct danger than others.


    Also, not everyone participating in the culling was PT3. In fact, there were quite a few who were on the upper end of Tier Two.


    I tried to place people in areas where they¡¯d be faced with similarly powered opponents, but the area around Knoxville was solidly in the Tier Three range. There weren¡¯t many dens with weaker beasts in the immediate area.


    ¡°How is your island?¡± I asked, knowing my mentor had spent most of the last week or so on the small island that he¡¯d somehow acquired just before the reintegration. He¡¯d kept ownership of the island and had installed a few stewards to maintain everything in his absence.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why he kept the estate since I didn¡¯t foresee the Tier Ten Time Mage wanting to spend much time on the low-tier world, but that was his business. The acquisition had obviously come in handy for him already.


    ¡°It¡¯s still lovely.¡± He hesitated for barely a second before asking, ¡°How is your island?¡±


    It took a moment for me to figure out what he was referencing since, technically, I didn¡¯t have an island. I could only assume he meant the small island where I¡¯d stashed the stupid people who attacked me early on.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t checked,¡± I said before adding, ¡°I probably should, just to see how things are. I¡¯d feel pretty guilty if there were kids stuck there.¡±


    And I would. Any kids born would be completely innocent of their parents¡¯ sins. It wouldn¡¯t be right to force them to live in rustic seclusion like that.


    Then again, unless a rift manifested or the seas overflowed, it was probably one of the safest places on Earth.


    Underwater and beach zones were pretty weird, though, since seas and large lakes were almost always rated at the planetary cap. I¡¯d never gotten a clear answer about why that was, it was simply accepted as the way things were.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to worry about that,¡± Master Kairos said confidently. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve already checked the island. There are no longer any people there. If you want to claim it officially, we can submit a request to the noble in charge of that territory. I doubt they¡¯ll care.¡±


    I frowned at the news that my earliest would-be assassins had escaped. I wasn¡¯t particularly upset that they¡¯d managed to get away, but it was annoying that I had another thing I¡¯d have to keep an eye out for.


    I really had been too kind-hearted back then.


    ¡°Well¡­ good for them, I guess,¡± I said after a moment, though I was sure my expression didn¡¯t match my comment.


    ¡°Ah, you misunderstood,¡± Master Kairos said with an amused smile. ¡°Semi-aquatic sea beasts have taken up residence on the island. I doubt your former prisoners escaped. It would be a small matter to deal with the infestation if you¡¯d like to claim the island, though. Restrictions on culling don¡¯t apply in such instances.¡±


    I pursed my lips. ¡°What if I wanted to claim the area outside of Knoxville?¡± I asked, though I already knew the answer.


    There was a huge difference between claiming and clearing a small, private island for personal use and claiming a stretch of wilds just outside an inhabited settlement.


    Master Kairos didn¡¯t even bother answering my query, opting to ignore the question outright.


    My attention was drawn to several places down below, and I quickly cast Restore four times in quick succession. All four of the previously injured individuals were in different parties, spread around the region.


    Based on the obviously avoidable nature of two of the injuries, it seemed that the fighters below were already getting bolder and putting themselves at greater risk. I hoped none of them were foolish enough to continue such behavior when I was no longer watching.


    It was a sure path to death or disfigurement.


    I¡¯d have to be sure to remind everyone that I was no longer going to be there to save them once the hunt was over.


    That fact should be obvious, but I¡¯d found people often overlooked such obvious facts.


    The habit wasn¡¯t limited to humanity, either.


    ¡°The Sovereignty Sect has officially come under inquiry.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± I asked, eyes wide. From what I understood, an inquiry was only supposed to happen if members of the sect attacked me again.


    Instead of directly answering, Master Kairos said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed the empty seat when we were summoned by the Council, but one of the former Councilors was the previous Matriarch of the Sovereignty Sect. Arona ¨C that was her name ¨C was raised to Tier Ten when she was selected for the Council centuries ago.¡±


    Master Kairos paused and gave a little smirk. ¡°Remember how Anya and I mentioned that some Tier Tens would break the Accords knowing they could just ascend and get away with it?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Well, the former Councilor did something similar, except she broke her oaths to the Council and quickly applied her saved experience to avoid the system¡¯s punishment.¡±


    My brows furrowed. ¡°How would something like that even work? Doesn¡¯t the system control ascension?¡±


    Master Kairos made a ¡®kinda¡¯ motion with his hands.


    ¡°Yes and no. The system makes advancing easier, but it doesn¡¯t directly control ascension.¡± He paused and shook his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not actually correct. The system does control ascension since it¡¯s basically impossible for us to gain experience without it. Apparently, there used to be a way to ascend without it several millennia ago, but the system¡¯s arrival changed everything.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± he continued, ¡°it¡¯s possible to ascend even when the system is actively against you. It has rules it has to follow, and that leaves room for abuse if one is determined enough.¡±


    Master Kairos leaned back in his chair. ¡°Arona broke her oaths, and the penalties would have been severe. But according to someone who witnessed it, she panicked and triggered her ascension when the system started punishing her.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why that would cause her former sect to fall under inquiry. Didn¡¯t that happen before they talked to us?¡±


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°It did. But knowing that Arona had done something to violate her oaths, something directly related to you,¡± he added pointedly, ¡°made the Council watch the sect far more closely than would otherwise be warranted. Once they started acting, it was enough to launch the inquiry.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ no sect war?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±


    I grinned at the news. I knew I¡¯d probably still have problems from members or former members of the sect, but not having a sect war looming in the future was a definite weight off my shoulders.


    ¡°Any word on the Assassin?¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s face shifted to an expression far darker.


    ¡°No, and it¡¯s impossible to know if Arona coordinated for an Assassin before she ascended. Heck, that might have been what triggered the oath violation.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 17 - Skirting the Rules

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good news!¡± Mom exclaimed when I told everyone the news about the inquiry at the end of the evening.


    As the one in charge of keeping hunters safe, I¡¯d called a halt to the official ¡®culling¡¯ when the sun set. I could have easily continued since I didn¡¯t need light to perform my role, but very few hunters were interested in going for three days straight.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Dad said. ¡°War is never a good choice when it can be avoided.¡±


    I nodded but said nothing as the conversation shifted to the hunt.


    My grandparents had passed on the opportunity to gain some experience killing rift beasts, as had Gabby¡¯s parents. Even knowing that increasing tiers might extend their lives wasn¡¯t enough to motivate them to join the hunt.


    Then again, they knew I was capable of providing rejuvenation treatments. Their opinions were likely colored by that fact, even if there was no guarantee I¡¯d perform the treatment for them again.


    I probably would, but I didn¡¯t want it to become something expected of me, especially when the people in question weren¡¯t doing what they could to progress and extend their own lives.


    ¡°I still think the rules should allow me to participate in the culling,¡± Bell pouted as she massaged Justin¡¯s shoulders.


    She hadn¡¯t been happy to learn that her tier and new residency status made her incapable of directly participating in the hunt.


    Since self-defense was a valid exception, Bell had tried to argue that she could tag along and only ¡®defend¡¯ herself. But given the circumstances, Master Kairos had strongly advised against it.


    ¡°You¡¯re just mad that I¡¯m going to finally catch up to you,¡± Justin said with a playful nudge.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m looking forward to you catching up,¡± Bell replied. ¡°Now that Amie is old enough to babysit, we can start delving together. You won¡¯t need to play guardian for young disciples anymore.¡±


    Justin looked like he had mixed feelings about the topic. ¡°I don¡¯t mind helping the sect out. They¡¯ve been really good to us.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe we can work as a team and play guardian together?¡±


    I smiled as the two of them discussed their options while Bell continued to rub Justin¡¯s shoulders.


    Justin¡¯s rate of progress had been pretty slow, but that was to be expected for someone who was primarily serving as a guardian. Unless he stepped in, he didn¡¯t get much experience.


    ¡°Were you still planning to travel once the culling is over?¡± Grandma Katherine asked.


    Space was at a bit of a premium since their apartment was too small for the number of people staying there. Even with the kids hanging out in one of the pods, it was still a bit cramped. Consequently, I was sitting on a hardened bit of Space mana above one of the end tables.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to,¡± I said as I extended a small bit of mana to make a backrest and leaned back. ¡°We can still go to Hawaii if that¡¯s something you¡¯re interested in.¡±


    The comment made Bell perk up. ¡°Hawaii? I love Hawaii!¡±


    ¡°I did a little research while you were busy and learned that a couple of the islands are now private property,¡± Grandma Katherine said. ¡°It¡¯s also technically merfolk territory, though humans and a couple of aliens still live on the islands. Tourism is an even bigger deal now, so it might be hard to find accommodations.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to what happened back on Earth during the first timeline, so learning the merfolk were in charge of Hawaii was a bit of a surprise.


    Then again, it made sense for the aquatic race to have a territory on land where they could trade with land-dwellers.


    ¡°Oh, I want to see mermaids!¡± Bell exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one in person!¡±


    ¡°Well, that sounds like something to do once this whole culling business is over,¡± Mom said before sighing heavily. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it got this bad.¡±


    ¡°Neither can we,¡± Grandpa Paul replied. ¡°The old Mayor really screwed us over. Selfish politicians with too much power¡­¡± he added with a grumble.


    ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s getting better now,¡± Grandma Katherine said as she patted her husband¡¯s arm.


    = = =


    The next two days of hunting went much like the first. Nobody died, and everyone who was injured was immediately healed.


    While a few scattered rift beasts remained, all of the actual dens had been wiped out. As far as I was concerned, the effort was a resounding success.


    Thankfully, the powers-that-be didn¡¯t bother me during the three-day culling. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before someone ¡®important¡¯ reached out, I convinced my family to head out as soon as the event was finished.


    I was tempted to leave Gabby¡¯s family behind, but I knew doing so would cause problems for the others. It wouldn¡¯t cause problems for me since I really didn¡¯t care about their opinions very much, but I was trying not to let my feelings of detachment impact my actions.


    ¡°Oh, wow!¡± Bell exclaimed at the same time that Justin and Dad let out twin whistles.


    ¡°Emie, are you sure about this?¡± Grandma Katherine asked nervously as she stared at the oversized beach-side villa I¡¯d rented for a week. ¡°This looks too expensive.¡±


    I shook my head and pushed through the gates. ¡°With this many of us, the villa was barely more than reserving several smaller places or individual rooms. Besides, the accommodations are a lot better here since it¡¯s part of the nearby resort.¡±


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The villa was quite large, but not quite as large as Master Kairos¡¯s mansion on Aegeas. Still, it was plenty large enough to suit our needs.


    The rental also included a family meal service and a local guide for days when we wanted to explore. While the meal service wasn¡¯t strictly necessary, part of what made a vacation worthwhile was the opportunity to try new foods.


    Nobody complained when I selected the largest master suite. I half-expected Aunt Mindy to say something about it since I wasn¡¯t deferring to my parents or grandparents, but she didn¡¯t.


    It probably helped that I¡¯d paid for everything. It took a special sense of entitlement for someone to insist they deserved something better than the person who was paying the bill.


    ¡°What are we doing first?¡± Amie asked excitedly once everyone got themselves situated. The twins had already started changing into swimsuits, barely getting their door closed before bare bottoms were exposed. ¡°Can we go to the beach? Oh! Or a luau! I¡¯ve always wanted to see belly dancers!¡±


    ¡°I think there are a few places we can go for something like that, but we should probably get reservations,¡± I answered. ¡°We can go to the beach anytime you want. I think the resort has surfing lessons, too, if anyone is interested.¡±


    Surfing was another thing I¡¯d always wanted to try but never got around to. Now that I was in my sixties (but still looking and feeling like I was in my twenties), I figured now was as good a time as any to mark that item off my bucket list.


    It was really odd to think of myself as being that old, and that didn¡¯t even include the time travel shenanigans or time dilation.


    After a bit of discussion, everyone agreed to spend the day at the beach. The rest of the group was fine heading to the tourist-laden beaches nearby, but I really didn¡¯t want to be around that many strangers.


    Additionally, I didn¡¯t feel comfortable with the attention that my undisguised self would inevitably bring.


    Eventually, I¡¯d get used to it. But I wasn¡¯t quite there yet.


    Sure, I could disguise myself, but doing so had its own set of problems when hanging out around extended family.


    Understanding my discomfort, Mom volunteered to accompany me to a deserted beach (that was not listed as being private property) on one of the smaller islands nearby. It was secluded, which allowed me to comfortably hang out without disguising myself.


    The turquoise water was amazingly clear and provided an amazing view of the corals below.


    At least, it did with my enhanced vision. I doubted Mom could see them well from where we stood.


    The water got really deep a good distance offshore, but I wasn¡¯t overly worried about that. However, I was a little curious about why there didn¡¯t seem to be any merfolk in the area.


    Once we set up our little area and settled down on some beach chairs I¡¯d brought along, I removed two large, slush-filled glasses from my storage ring and offered one to my mom.


    ¡°Margarita?¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t drink,¡± she said with a raised brow as she accepted the glass.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± I lifted my mocktail. Unlike the yellow-green of Mom¡¯s margarita, the semi-frozen beverage in my glass was red. ¡°It¡¯s basically a strawberry slush with flavored sugar around the rim.¡±


    ¡°Do you have one of those with alcohol?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I replied with a playful grin.


    Unlike me, Mom loved the taste of alcohol, especially when it was mixed into a fruity concoction. Knowing that most of my family was similar, I¡¯d brought a huge variety of options, all pre-made and ready to drink.


    It would have been far cheaper to learn how to mix drinks on my own, but since it wasn¡¯t something I particularly cared for, I didn¡¯t see it as worth the effort of learning.


    Mom and I spent a lazy hour lounging on the beach and absorbing the sun¡¯s now-harmless radiation before finally entering the water. Even with the heat of the sun radiating from our skin, the water still felt warm.


    ¡°Thanks for coming here with me,¡± I said once my shoulders were submerged. ¡°I know you¡¯d probably rather be with the others at the resort.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I like this just fine,¡± Mom replied. ¡°It¡¯s nice having the whole beach just to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to free dive and check out the reef?¡± I asked, motioning with my head toward the calcified ridge nearby.


    Mom¡¯s eyes brightened with excitement. Scuba diving was something she¡¯d enjoyed during my childhood, and it was obvious she hadn¡¯t lost the desire to experience the undersea world.


    Without bothering to voice her answer, Mom dove in the direction I¡¯d signaled. I quickly followed.


    While I had underwater breathing devices in my storage ring, I didn¡¯t think I needed one to enjoy the scenery. I was easily able to hold my breath for half an hour or more at this point. Mom might need one to help extend her dives, but I decided to wait to offer one until we surfaced.


    We swam slowly, taking our time as we observed the underwater ecosystem while not touching anything.


    With the addition of mana, I could tell many of the corals were far hardier than they had been before, but I still didn¡¯t want to risk accidentally damaging one of the amazing underwater creatures.


    From far in the distance, well beyond where the ocean floor dropped, I sensed a large mass heading in our direction.


    I quickly swam to Mom and tapped her arm before motioning for her to return to the surface.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s coming,¡± I replied before focusing more closely on the ocean around us.


    Whatever was swimming this way was coming fast. I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond.


    I knew that whatever it was likely posed no real threat to me. Even if it somehow reached Tier Four and I wasn¡¯t protected with several defensive items, the creature would be too weak to cause any real damage if it were to attack.


    Some might claim that was hubris, but I didn¡¯t think so. Even some kind of leviathan wouldn¡¯t pose much risk. The gap between tiers was simply too large.


    It was why I was so wary about the Tier Ten Assassin that might be coming my way.


    However, even if I was safe, that didn¡¯t mean my mom was.


    Should I take the opportunity to take out a major local predator in ¡®self-defense,¡¯ or should I retreat and leave the creature alone?


    Part of me wanted to fight and kill the creature. It had been too long since I had a real fight ¨C not that this would qualify. Even so, I felt the call of violence singing in my blood. It would be so easy to remove the threat, to destroy the creature that was rushing eagerly to its death.


    There was no hiding the fact that the dungeon had changed me. Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t deny such an obvious fact.


    Thankfully, the call to violence didn¡¯t extend to people. Even dealing with would-be assassins in the dungeon hadn¡¯t pushed me far enough to relish in the death of others. It was why I was so against another sect war.


    Killing people felt wrong.


    The same did not apply to beasts. However, I could easily imagine how a conversation about my actions might go should someone take offense.


    ¡°You killed the Tier Three/Four creature in self-defense?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It was attacking me.¡±


    ¡°Were you ever in any danger?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°So, how is that self-defense?¡±


    ¡°Well, my mom was in danger.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just teleport her to the beach?¡±


    ¡°Sure. But there¡¯s no rule that says I HAVE to run away, is there?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yeah. That was really my best argument. I could easily get away and protect my mom, but nothing was forcing me to. I didn¡¯t think the people in charge would appreciate such a flimsy excuse.


    Unless they would¡­


    Bah, it wasn¡¯t like it really mattered. I could easily just ask forgiveness if someone was bothered by my actions. I doubted anyone was going to give me a hard time about taking out a dangerous predator.


    I teleported Mom to the beach and waited for the creature to attack. There was always a chance the creature was intelligent and willing to communicate, though I wasn¡¯t going to bet on it. Creatures like that were far rarer than myths implied.


    When a dark, shadowy mouth full of sharp teeth attempted to snap around me, I didn¡¯t hesitate. A single Compressed Space Bolt down the creature¡¯s throat was all it took to end the threat.


    The exchange barely elevated my pulse.

 Book 4 - Chapter 18 - Respecting Your Elders

    ¡°What was that?¡± Mom exclaimed from the shore.


    I quickly stored the bulk of the carcass before answering, not bothering with the small pieces nearby.


    ¡°Some kind of shark or something,¡± I answered before cringing as I considered the now-bloody water I was treading. Realizing the effects of my spell might not have been fully contained, I groaned. ¡°Ugh, I should probably dive down and make sure none of the coral was damaged. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Before she could reply, I dove under the blood-tinged waves. Part of the bloody cloud had drifted from the demolished remnants of the sea creature to the now engorged corals below.


    There were a few signs of damage, but less than I expected. Then again, I was still thinking of corals as something so fragile that a mere bump might kill them.


    The mostly stationary creatures had become excited and had entered a feeding frenzy from the blood in the water. I hung back and observed the reaction for a few seconds before focusing on the damaged areas of the reef.


    There were only a few obvious signs of damage, but I figured it was better to target the entire area with an undirected Restore instead of potentially overlooking something. I¡¯d been tempted to use Heal instead, but ultimately felt that it was better to return things to how they were before instead of changing anything.


    I noticed a few streams of crimson liquid condensing and flowing toward one of the larger clusters of polyps, all of which had long feelers extended, reminding me of anemones. The grasping tentacles reached eagerly for the life-giving substance, though I was uncertain how they were going to absorb it.


    My attention shifted to a fight between an actual anemone and a small fish that strayed a little too close in its hunt for nourishment. It wasn¡¯t much of a fight since the fish seemed to have locked up once the tentacles made contact. Even so, it was interesting to watch.


    A few of the more aggressive corals made similar attacks on nearby fish, but only one other managed to catch their prey.


    While mana had not changed these particular underwater creatures as much as many of Earth¡¯s inhabitants, there was still a definite difference between the corals from before and the ones before me.


    A few moments later, I swam back to the surface and called out, ¡°It¡¯s safe if you want to see the corals feeding. They¡¯re really active right now.¡±


    Mom looked uncertain. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe? What if another shark attacks?¡±


    I tried not to smirk as I replied, ¡°I¡¯m Tier Eight. No natural creature of Earth is going to be able to hurt me. I¡¯ll keep you safe, just like I did last time. I can even give you a barrier if you want.¡±


    She frowned a little before nodding and hesitantly stepping forward. Not wanting the spectacle to end before she got a chance to see it, I teleported Mom next to me, causing her to yelp as she suddenly found herself surrounded by water.


    ¡°Emie! A little warning next time would be nice!¡± she admonished.


    I grinned and handed her a [Water Breathing] talisman, feeling a little bad that I hadn¡¯t gotten it to her earlier. ¡°Here. Now, you won¡¯t have to surface as often.¡±


    Once she put it on, I motioned for her to follow and dove underwater. Most of the blood had already dissipated, but the hungry corals were still actively trying to feed.


    We watched the increasingly colorful polyps and anemones stretch their tentacles in search of more food. Even the plant-looking corals had swollen and extended small strands in search of sustenance.


    Unfortunately, the excitement didn¡¯t last very long, and the tiny creatures slowly started shrinking back to their normal size.


    ¡°That was really neat,¡± Mom said when we returned to our chairs on the beach. ¡°But we should probably warn the others not to swim here unless you¡¯re with them.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I doubt it will be an issue since we¡¯re a couple of islands away.¡±


    ¡°Still, you should warn them, just in case,¡± she said before frowning and looking around. ¡°There really should be warning signs if sharks are in the water nearby.¡±


    ¡°There might be,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°I didn¡¯t really check. I just made sure the area wasn¡¯t listed as private property.¡±


    The admission resulted in a short lecture about safety. I nodded along and tried to look properly chastised, but I doubt she bought it.


    We eventually returned to the villa and found Dad, Aunt Mindy, and Uncle Anthony hanging out in the living room while Kaylee and Ashlynn napped in one of the small guest rooms. Given the time change, they¡¯d probably be asleep for a while.


    I felt a little bad for my parents, knowing they¡¯d likely wake up in the middle of the night. Maybe a little controlled Time magic would help everyone adjust.


    ¡°Where¡¯d y¡¯all end up going?¡± Aunt Mindy asked after she stopped cussing from the shock of our sudden reappearance.


    ¡°Emie found a deserted beach on one of the islands. Aside from the shark attack, it was nice,¡± Mom answered.


    ¡°Shark attack?¡± Dad asked, suddenly far more interested.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal. It didn¡¯t even get close,¡± I said with an exaggerated sigh. ¡°I teleported Mom to the beach and took care of it.¡±


    Dad frowned. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t supposed to get involved with killing things on Earth.¡±


    ¡°It was self-defense,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Even if it couldn¡¯t actually hurt me, it attacked. That should be more than enough for me to act. On top of that, the shark could have hurt Mom, so that¡¯s a factor, too.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just teleported away?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Sure. But I didn¡¯t.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°So, you only follow the rules when it suits you?¡± Aunt Mindy asked with a haughty tsk. ¡°Is that what that sect of yours taught you?¡±


    I looked at my aunt like she was stupid. ¡°Would you rather I let the shark attack others? Is that the stance you¡¯re taking on this?¡±


    Uncle Anthony sat silently beside his wife, seemingly uninterested in the conversation. He hadn¡¯t been one to talk much before the reintegration, and he¡¯d only grown quieter since.


    He¡¯d been a pastor before, and the revelations about Earth¡¯s true place in the wider universe had severely shaken him. He¡¯d stopped preaching and largely withdrawn after the system arrived. Now, he was merely a shell of the man he once was.


    In fact, I was a little surprised that Aunt Mindy got him to interact as much as she did.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said. Don¡¯t twist my words!¡± Aunt Mindy snapped. Her voice had shifted to something more grating than normal. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any respect for your elders? You think a little power makes you better than us?¡±


    ¡°You do know that I¡¯m older than you, right?¡± I said deadpan. ¡°I¡¯ve pointed it out at least once.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t count,¡± she said with a condescending expression.


    ¡°How does it not count?¡± I asked without changing my inflection. As if discussing the weather, I said, ¡°I¡¯ve experienced more years of life than you. Just because I look younger doesn¡¯t mean that I am. You should be careful about making assumptions.¡±


    Dad tried to say something, but Aunt Mindy raised her hand to cut him off.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re going to tell me what I should do?¡± she sneered as she rose to her feet and pointed at me. ¡°I changed your diaper when you were a baby.¡± She took a step forward. ¡°Who are you to tell me¡ª¡±


    I encased Aunt Mindy in a Barrier made of Space mana. I¡¯d specifically designed it to contain sound, and my disagreeable aunt¡¯s words were abruptly cut off.


    ¡°That was rude, Emie,¡± Mom admonished me.


    I shrugged. ¡°Sorry, but I find it hard to care at the moment. I¡¯m on vacation, and listening to Aunt Mindy complain about being called out isn¡¯t on my list of things to do.¡±


    Realizing we weren¡¯t listening to her, Aunt Mindy tried to take another step forward and bounced off the Barrier. Her eyes widened before narrowing. She immediately started yelling, but the noise was blessedly contained.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just¡ª¡± Dad made a motion toward his sister-in-law. ¡°You can¡¯t do stuff like this. You can¡¯t silence someone just because you don¡¯t like listening to what they have to say.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± I replied.


    Dad¡¯s eyes narrowed. A moment later, his expression shifted to one of resignation. ¡°You¡¯re only making it worse. You have to let her out eventually, and you know your aunt holds grudges.¡±


    My shoulders slumped as I looked from my dad to my aunt. Her face was getting redder as she yelled from within her soundproof containment.


    Looking back, I said, ¡°Dad¡­ It¡¯s hard enough being around people when they aren¡¯t trying to be annoying.¡±


    I cast Pause on my aunt, freezing her in time before canceling the Barrier.


    ¡°Honey, that¡¯s not any better,¡± he said as he covered his eyes with one hand. ¡°I know Mindy can be a bit much, but she¡¯s your aunt,¡± he added almost pleadingly.


    ¡°I know,¡± I said tiredly. I hesitated before sighing. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean as much as it used to. Like, I love you guys a lot, even with the distance. You, Dad, Bell, Justin, and the kids¡­ you all are important, even if I don¡¯t know the younger ones very well. But everybody else¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°What about your grandparents?¡± Mom asked quietly. ¡°What about Gabby?¡±


    ¡°Sure, they¡¯re important too, and I love them¡­ conceptually. But I¡¯ve been gone for a really long time, and I haven¡¯t interacted with them hardly at all during that time. Even before I left, it wasn¡¯t like I spent much time with any of them. I¡¯d see them maybe once a year?¡± I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s hardly enough for a real relationship.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re your family,¡± Mom insisted.


    ¡°I know,¡± I said. ¡°And I want to care more. They are important because they¡¯re my family. But they hardly know me. They¡¯re all practically strangers at this point.¡±


    I looked at my still-frozen aunt before shifting my attention back to my parents. ¡°Honestly, strangers would be more polite than some of our family members. It¡¯s like they simply cannot comprehend the gap between us.¡±


    ¡°Emie. You shouldn¡¯t think like that,¡± Dad said with a tone that oozed disappointment. ¡°You used to hate it when people thought they were better than others.¡±


    I let out a bark of mirthless laughter. ¡°There¡¯s a difference between thinking you¡¯re better than someone because you were born into a certain family and objectively being superior. Like it or not, people are not equal. Even at awakening, some people have better affinities and more attributes than others. Pretending that people are the same doesn¡¯t make it true.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± I continued, ¡°that¡¯s not even what I¡¯m talking about. I meant the obvious gap between someone who is barely Tier Two and someone who has reached Tier Eight. Like it or not, there is a very clear difference between the two.¡±


    ¡°You still shouldn¡¯t look down on others like that,¡± he insisted. Mom nodded in agreement beside him.


    I looked between the two of them. ¡°We¡¯re not going to agree on this,¡± I said. ¡°Maybe in the future, you¡¯ll understand what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    I could tell neither of my parents liked my response. But just because they were my parents, it didn¡¯t automatically make them right.


    Not wanting to be around when Aunt Mindy was released from the spell, I said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go see what Justin and the others are up to. I have a feeling a crowded beach will be more comfortable than being here soon.¡±


    <hr>


    Gabby fell into the sand as she laughed. It took several seconds for her to catch her breath enough to comment.


    ¡°You-you did not!¡± Gabby held her stomach as she wheezed out the words. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s never going to let that go! You know Mom holds grudges like nobody else!¡±


    ¡°Emie Lynn, why would you antagonize your aunt like that?¡± Grandma Katherine asked from nearby.


    Amie and the boys were still in the water, along with Bell and Justin. But my grandparents and Gabby had been taking a break from the water when I arrived.


    Knowing they¡¯d hear about my actions as soon as they made it back to the villa, I felt it better to tell them now instead of allowing Aunt Mindy to twist things.


    ¡°Grandma, she told me to respect my elders and criticized me for killing a shark that attacked me and Mom.¡± I threw up my hands in exasperation. ¡°Everyone knows how long I was in the dungeon. The elder card isn¡¯t going to fly with me.¡±


    Grandma and Grandpa exchanged a look of amusement.


    ¡°It¡¯s not, huh?¡± Grandpa asked with a grin.


    I rolled my eyes playfully. ¡°It¡¯s a little different with you guys and my parents. But even then,¡± I insisted, growing a touch more serious, ¡°relying solely on age in an argument isn¡¯t going to get you very far. Heck, Master Kairos is way older than all of us put together, and he never uses age as a justification for his opinions.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Grandpa Paul insisted, ¡°you should give your aunt a break. She¡¯s had a hard time of things.¡±


    I barely suppressed a scoff. ¡°I¡¯m sure she has. But she¡¯s had it a lot easier than people without an Enchanter or two in the family,¡± I reminded them. ¡°I know she got at least a few items before I left.¡±


    ¡°Items and things are not all there is to life,¡± Grandma Katherine chided me. ¡°Not everyone has adapted so easily to this new world of magic.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Speaking of magic!¡± Gabby interjected. ¡°There are mermaids in the cove over there,¡± she said as she pointed toward a clearly artificial cove near the edge of the public beach. ¡°You can pay to swim with them, and there¡¯s even a mermaid luau every Thirday!¡±


    My eyes immediately drifted to Amie as she played tag with her brothers in the water. A mermaid luau sounded like something she¡¯d love to see.


    Heck, it was something I¡¯d love to see.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost dinnertime,¡± Grandma said as she checked her phone. ¡°We should probably get the kids out of the water and get everyone dried off.


    Most of my extended family had passed on the upgraded interface, so they relied on manatech for things that Lisa was easily able to handle for me.


    Now that I was there with my family, I realized the crowded beach wasn¡¯t that bad. I wasn¡¯t sure if people were just avoiding identification spells, or if I¡¯d somehow been overlooked in the group.


    It was also entirely possible that the people around me hadn¡¯t advanced their identification spells sufficiently enough to get a read on my affinities. The most basic version of the spell didn¡¯t provide that information, after all, and I¡¯d adjusted my notifications to only show when my affinities were read to cut down on some of the extraneous notices.


    Either way, I was grateful for the relative anonymity, especially since I¡¯d forgotten to activate my [Disguise] talisman before leaving the villa.

 Book 4 - Chapter 19 - Dinner and a Stroll

    ¡°How is your vacation going so far?¡± Master Kairos asked with a knowing smile.


    Now that the culling was over, we had standing plans to meet nightly while my family was sleeping. Neither of us required much sleep to function, so it made sense to spend that time together instead of cutting into the time I had with my family.


    I¡¯d been tempted to leave early to get away from Aunt Mindy, but she basically ignored me after I got back. It was a small blessing.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I replied neutrally. ¡°My aunt is a bit much, but other than that¡­¡±


    ¡°Is she giving you a hard time?¡± he asked as the waiter began placing several dishes on the table between us. Master Kairos had picked the restaurant, and I was interested to see how good his selection was.


    ¡°She¡¯s trying to,¡± I said after a moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her get to you,¡± Master Kairos advised. ¡°There will always be detractors and those who seek to tear down others to make themselves feel better. I¡¯m not sure if she falls into one of those categories, but regardless, her opinion only holds as much weight as you allow.¡±


    He leaned forward and began selecting a few choice morsels from each plate, transferring them onto the plate in front of him. I sighed and followed his lead. There was a much larger variety of options than I expected, but since I¡¯d left ordering to my former Master, the volume of food delivered shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise.


    ¡°To be honest, I find myself struggling to care at all about her opinion,¡± I replied after trying a bite. It was very good, though the mana was a bit lighter than I was accustomed to. ¡°I feel like I should care more than I do, if that makes any sense.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all that unusual,¡± he said comfortingly. ¡°You¡¯ve been away for a long time, and I get the feeling that you weren¡¯t very close to her before.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± I agreed before shifting the topic slightly. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t even remember checking on my extended family the other time,¡± I said, trying to keep my comments somewhat vague.


    We ate in silence for a few minutes. It felt comfortable, not strained like I imagined such silences would be.


    I still wasn¡¯t all that comfortable in social settings with Master Kairos, especially when he wasn¡¯t wearing a disguise. I¡¯d eventually get there, I felt. It would just take a little while.


    Realizing that I knew remarkably little about my former Master, I asked, ¡°What is your family like?¡±


    Master Kairos seemed a little surprised by the question and took several bites of food as he considered his response.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve met Anya. She¡¯s my sister, though she¡¯s quite a bit younger than I am. She was actually born while I was in the dungeon, so we didn¡¯t really grow up together the same way that you and your brother did.¡±


    His eyes took on a faraway look. ¡°Our parents¡­ Anya takes after our dad. He was a Fate Mage, too. Mom had an Arcane affinity and worked as an Enchanter. It¡¯s how I got into the field even though my passion lies in Alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Was?¡± I asked, picking up on the tense he used for his parents.


    Master Kairos smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes. They ascended a couple hundred years ago.  From what Fate Mages have been able to discern, you lose your affinities when you ascend. I¡¯m not sure exactly how it works ¨C nobody really is. But by all accounts, it is a fundamental change. I believe we¡¯ve discussed this before?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°You mentioned having multiple affinities was a good thing, but I don¡¯t recall anything about losing affinities. I guess it makes sense that the magic system would be a little different if you went to a new realm.¡± I paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Are you hoping to meet up with your parents in the next realm?¡±


    Master Kairos shook his head. ¡°No. Time doesn¡¯t flow consistently between the realms. When they ascended, it was with the expectation that they¡¯d never see me or Anya again. That¡¯s part of the reason why I want a companion to join me when I ascend. It¡¯s the only way to be sure I¡¯ll know someone when I get there.¡±


    I could understand that perspective. It would be a lot easier to embark on a new journey if you had someone to rely on.


    ¡°Is it common for parents to ascend without their children?¡± I asked, finding that part of his history a bit harder to reconcile.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine having a child and leaving them behind, no matter how old they were. It was why I was not inclined to start a family until I was certain about my path forward.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Master Kairos said with an amused smile. ¡°If every parent waited on their children to ascend, hardly anyone would ever get there since subsequent generations would anchor the entire family to this realm.¡±


    From there, our conversation shifted to Master Kairos¡¯s experiences in the Realm Dungeon. From what he described, every floor had changed since his time, though the general layout seemed to be roughly the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised you didn¡¯t tell me more about what to expect before I left.¡±


    ¡°I considered it,¡± he admitted. ¡°Ultimately, I decided it was better to let you experience things for yourself since my knowledge was far too outdated to be reliable.¡±


    I tilted my head in acknowledgment. Bad information was often worse than no information.


    ¡°I was thinking about writing a new primer for the Earthborn entering the Realm Dungeon,¡± I said hesitantly. ¡°You know, basically providing an overview of the first eight floors. For those undecided, the knowledge may help them make a choice. And for those planning to enter, the information might help them prepare better.¡±


    I didn¡¯t ask his opinion outright, but the implication was there.


    I hadn¡¯t put a lot of thought into the primer, but it was something I¡¯d been toying with in the back of my mind ever since I learned that Earthborn basically had an open invitation to enter the dungeon.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°If it¡¯s anything like your last primer, I¡¯m sure it will be very helpful.¡±


    Eventually, the plates were cleared, and our meal was over.


    ¡°Where do you want to go next?¡± Master Kairos asked as we casually strolled down the sidewalk of the city he¡¯d guided me to. ¡°Have you checked out the moon or Mars colonies yet?¡±


    I glanced at the sky, though the moon was not visible since it was still daylight in the part of the world we were currently in.


    ¡°I heard about the colonies, but I haven¡¯t visited either of them. They¡¯re supposed to be terraforming projects, right?¡±


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°Yes. Mars is coming along quite nicely. Once the siphons were turned off, the atmosphere started regenerating on its own. In another decade or so, the real work will begin.¡±


    ¡°Why bother with siphons on Mars?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°It¡¯s uninhabitable.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t before.¡±


    My steps faltered. ¡°What do you mean? Did aliens really live on Mars?¡±


    Master Kairos chuckled. ¡°If by aliens you mean Alliance members, then yes. It was originally a mining outpost, but when Earth was selected as a location for the mana study, it was abandoned. Siphoning the entire solar system is standard for such an important study.¡±


    ¡°That seems a bit extreme,¡± I commented.


    Master Kairos shrugged but said nothing.


    ¡°So, Mars and the moon are open to visitors?¡± I asked after a bit.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they be?¡±


    Now, it was my turn to shrug. ¡°How would we get there?¡±


    ¡°You could teleport us,¡± he suggested. ¡°I¡¯m certain with your affinity and tier, you could manage it.¡±


    My eyes widened at the comment. Stella had mentioned teleporting to the moon before I entered the dungeon, but she made it sound like something I wouldn¡¯t be capable of for a long time.


    Then again, Tier Eight was a long way from where I was back then.


    I closed my eyes and metaphysically reached into the distance, focusing on the moon. After a moment of concentration, I Phased, extending my sensory range by a huge margin.


    Similar to how I¡¯d initially learned to teleport over long distances, I examined the teleportation beacons and rifts from within the weave.


    I don¡¯t know why I was surprised to find rifts on the moon, but I was.


    After verifying my reach extended to the moon, I reached farther. Since I was specifically looking for teleportation beacons and rifts, finding Mars was fairly simple.


    ¡°I can teleport us to both locations,¡± I said when I exited the weave. ¡°I can also sense a couple of ships and rifts on more distant planets. How does that work, anyway?¡±


    ¡°How does what work? The rifts?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°It works just like any other planet, I suppose,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve turned off all of the siphons, mana has returned to your solar system. Rifts are a natural byproduct of mana building up.¡±


    ¡°But none of those planets are inhabitable.¡±


    ¡°Not for humans,¡± Master Kairos agreed. ¡°The rifts will eventually be influenced by the environment, making it far more likely that rift beasts within will be capable of adapting. That doesn¡¯t mean every planet will be capable of sustaining life, but the range will be far wider than your current ¡®Goldilocks Zone.¡¯¡±


    My mind was a little blown by the news. It amazed me that there was still so much to learn about the wider universe, even after learning for several decades across two timelines.


    ¡°Did you want to visit one of the colonies now, or should we save the trip for another time?¡± I asked.


    I was more than a little curious about the possibility of visiting another planet within my native solar system. I¡¯d grown up learning about Mars and looking at pictures from the rover. Being able to personally walk on the red planet was a little surreal.


    ¡°How much time do you have before you need to return to your family?¡± Master Kairos asked.


    ¡°You are unlikely to be missed for another six hours,¡± Lisa replied. I repeated her answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough time to explore a little bit,¡± the Time Mage said with a playful smile. ¡°I forget how long low-tiers need to sleep sometimes. It¡¯s good for us, though. It¡¯ll be fun seeing you experience new things for the first time.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve had a lot of new experiences lately,¡± I said quietly, though I knew he could hear me. Raising my voice, I asked, ¡°To the moon or Mars?¡±


    ¡°Teleporter¡¯s choice,¡± he replied glibly. ¡°Do you need me to stand closer? I¡¯ve been told physical contact also helps for big jumps as well, especially when transporting someone at a higher tier.¡±


    Master Kairos held out a hand.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong, especially when it came to teleporting people stronger than me. I hadn¡¯t bothered when we were teleporting before since distance wasn¡¯t a big deal within a planetary barrier. But going between celestial objects¡­ it felt much safer to remove the additional burden.


    I tried not to think too much about it as I took his hand. His palm was warm and firm against mine, and I suppressed a flutter of nerves as our eyes met.


    ¡°Ready?¡± I hesitantly asked.


    ¡°Absolutely. I¡¯m ready whenever you are.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 20 - Exploration Vacation

    Mars.


    I¡¯m not sure what I expected to see upon our arrival since I knew that efforts to terraform the red planet were well underway, but a thick carpet of vibrant teal certainly wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°Is it some kind of moss?¡± I asked as I stared at the landscape from within the protective dome surrounding the small but well-constructed settlement about half a mile from the edge of a large crater.


    Hundreds of Alliance members were present. It was obvious at a glance that few of them were native to Earth. In fact, most were demis of one sort or another, making me wonder if certain races were better suited for the harshness of a semi-habitable planet.


    I supposed it made about as much sense as anything else.


    ¡°It is a particular type of Air-attuned moss that was bred specifically for terraforming projects such as this,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°It is one of the hardier strands that can handle inconsistent gravity and feeds off solar radiation. By the time the atmosphere is capable of accommodating mundane life, the moss will have gone dormant. The change in color will be an obvious sign to researchers that the next stage in the process is ready to begin.¡±


    ¡°How long will that take?¡±


    Master Kairos shrugged. ¡°Likely decades without high-tier intervention or an army of mages assisting with the endeavor.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m guessing that high-tiers don¡¯t want to step in because it takes away opportunities for those at lower tiers to develop and progress?¡±


    Master Kairos beamed at me. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡±


    I shook my head but continued to examine the world outside of the dome. Aside from the moss, I noticed a few scraggly plants dotting the landscape. They didn¡¯t look particularly healthy, but the fact that they were surviving at all was promising.


    ¡°Can we visit other areas of the planet?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°A minor Barrier modification should be all that is needed to leave the dome.¡±


    After giving me a moment to make the necessary adjustments, Master Kairos once again offered his hand. I only hesitated for a moment before taking it and teleporting us to the top of the nearest mountain.


    From a distance, the settlement looked like little more than a smokey dome surrounded by thick teal carpet. There was no liquid water visible, but Spatial Sense informed me there was a vast underground lake forming from a slowly melting chunk of ice.


    After spending a few minutes observing the scenery, I teleported us to another location. After a few more jumps, I realized that aside from the lighting, everything looked basically the same.


    There were a few frozen lakes that felt like they were made of something closer to dry ice than true ice, but other than that, the landscape was just the same teal moss-covered hills and valleys.


    My initial excitement quickly faded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little anti-climactic,¡± I said disappointedly.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said. ¡°I guess I just expected more, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Give it a few more years. Maybe we can visit again right before you return to the dungeon. They¡¯ll be farther along by then,¡± Master Kairos suggested. ¡°Or you could always wait until you leave the dungeon next time. I imagine this place will be completely different by then.¡±


    <hr>


    The moon was a lot like Mars, except that there was no moss covering the ground, the settlement wasn¡¯t quite as established, and a view of Earth decorated the sky.


    Master Kairos and I spent an hour or so exploring the surface and a few underground caverns before heading back. The lack of obvious terraforming made our short exploration a bit more interesting, but even the novelty of walking on the moon soon grew old when the scenery lacked variety.


    Like on Mars, we mostly avoided the colonists and kept to ourselves, even though I could tell that Master Kairos wanted to interact with some of the ¡®locals.¡¯


    I was pretty sure the older Time Mage wanted to call me out for my new anti-social tendencies, but he never did. I appreciated his restraint.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t aware of my increasing desire for limited solitude.


    I didn¡¯t mind spending time with him, Zavira, or my immediate family, but even my extended family was hard to handle in more than small doses. It was a stark difference from how I was before entering the dungeon.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    After dropping Master Kairos off at his island, I teleported to my room in the villa. The sun was already up, as were my grandparents and little sisters.


    ¡°Hey, Kaylee,¡± I said to the toddler when I exited my room and saw her at the kitchen table. I was happy that she was no longer leery of me. ¡°Guess where I went!¡± After waiting a beat, I said, ¡°I went to Mars and the moon!¡±


    Kaylee¡¯s eyes grew wide, and Grandma jerked slightly at my comment.


    ¡°You went where?¡± Grandma Katherine asked.


    ¡°I went to Mars first. It¡¯s not a red planet anymore. It¡¯s covered in teal moss now,¡± I explained. ¡°There wasn¡¯t really much to see aside from the settlement there. The one on the moon was pretty much the same.¡±


    Grandma looked out the window, eying the barely visible moon in the morning sky.


    ¡°The moon doesn¡¯t look teal to me.¡±


    ¡°The moss was on Mars, not the moon,¡± I clarified. ¡°The moon is still mostly gray dirt. The dome and the settlement are basically the same as the one on Mars. Did you know that the moon rotates now?¡±


    I grabbed a muffin out of the basket. There were several other baked goods available, courtesy of the villa¡¯s chef.


    ¡°I heard something about that,¡± Grandma said hesitantly. ¡°I haven¡¯t noticed any changes, though. Maybe the craters look a little different¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that tech guy took over the moon,¡± Grandpa Paul interjected from his seat at the table. ¡°They said he was trying to turn it into some kind of resort or something after the aliens made him a noble.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that,¡± I admitted, though I was certain it wouldn¡¯t take much effort to find the information. Sure enough, within minutes, Lisa had compiled a report on the topic.


    I skimmed over it, quickly learning about the businessman who¡¯d been granted a Barony and traded the territory he¡¯d been given for the moon. Of course, that was after attending a special academy on one of the more established Alliance planets.


    I could certainly see the appeal of turning the moon ¨C or at least part of it ¨C into a resort. The novelty alone would draw people in. Not everyone was bored as easily as me.


    I sat next to Kaylee and shared my muffin with her. Eventually, the rest of the family woke up and started separating into groups to explore the island.


    Aunt Mindy continued to stare daggers at me before heading out with my mom, but I ignored her. I certainly wouldn¡¯t be inviting her on any future vacations, that was for sure.


    ¡°So, I think I¡¯m gonna challenge the dungeon after I hit Tier Four,¡± Gabby said later in the day when she caught me alone.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked. ¡°What about your little brother?¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡± Gabby asked in confusion. ¡°He¡¯s already awakened, so he¡¯s basically an adult, right?¡±


    Her brother hadn¡¯t joined us on the trip to Hawaii since he had something planned with some of his friends. I felt a little bad about him missing out, but it was his decision to make.


    ¡°You¡¯re really okay with leaving him behind?¡±


    Gabby shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine. His affinity is decent, and he was talking about sneaking through one of the portals to attend an academy in a couple of months.¡± Gabby paused and glanced around quickly, ensuring we were not being overheard. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. Mom would find a way to guilt him out of it if she knew.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything,¡± I promised. ¡°If you think it¡¯ll help you guys, I¡¯ll try to get the dungeon primer finished before you leave.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re writing another one of those?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I figured it might help people prepare, even if some of the details change before they get there. The basics should still apply, even if the elements and creatures shift.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can see that,¡± Gabby replied. ¡°I got myself a copy of that game guide you shared before you left. It¡¯s been real helpful for me and my friends.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± I said before shifting the topic slightly. ¡°Make sure you tell your parents. Don¡¯t just run off and leave them without a word.¡±


    Gabby groaned. ¡°Emie, you see how my Ma is. All that¡¯ll do is cause another argument. And Pa is barely functioning as it is. I doubt he¡¯d notice if I left.¡±


    ¡°Still. I think you¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t at least say goodbye, ¡°I said with a sigh. ¡°Also, you might want to let them know that they¡¯ll have to connect to a kiosk to send and receive messages with you while you¡¯re gone since they don¡¯t have an upgraded interface.¡±


    ¡°You know she¡¯s gonna blame you no matter what,¡± Gabby said with a smirk, not acknowledging my comment.


    ¡°I know,¡± I replied, rolling my eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t really care all that much, to be honest.¡±


    <hr>


    The mermaid luau was an interesting event.


    We sat at tables on the beach while hula dancers performed on a floating stage. Behind the stage was an elevated tank that connected directly to the sea beneath.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was some kind of enchantment or if it was a matter of physics ¨C much like pet auto-waterers worked ¨C but the effect was pretty neat.


    After the first round of hula dancers and fire jugglers exited the stage, a group of mermaids swam up from the bottom of the tank and began their magic-infused performance.


    The difference between the two performances was stark, and it was obvious the mermaids were a crowd favorite.


    I almost felt bad for the regular hula dancers.


    We had a group surfing lesson the following day, followed by a hike up one of the dormant volcanoes a day later.


    Aunt Mindy and Uncle Anthony didn¡¯t join either outing.


    When the end of the week arrived and our stay at the villa was over, I returned my extended family to my grandparents¡¯ apartment and prepared to leave.


    ¡°Thanks for the vacation,¡± Grandma Katherine said as she gave me a warm hug. ¡°It was nice seeing you.¡±


    ¡°You, too,¡± I replied automatically.


    I was glad that Aunt Mindy and Uncle Anthony had left as soon as we returned. I really didn¡¯t want to go through the motions of saying goodbye to either of them.


    ¡°You make sure you come back and see us before you head back into that dungeon, you hear?¡± Grandpa Paul added as he patted my back several times.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I withdrew as the rest of my immediate family said their goodbyes. Gabby snuck up next to me and nudged my arm.


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably leave in about six months.¡± She said it quietly, hoping not to be overheard.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll run into each other on the eighth floor,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be there for a long time once I return, so don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Climbing with a group takes longer, but it¡¯s a lot safer.¡±


    Gabby nodded. ¡°We should hang out again before I go. Maybe we can get together with my party, and you can help us prepare? Anderson is decent with enchantments, but it¡¯d be good to have an expert give him some pointers.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t mind meeting up with you guys before you head out. Just message me and let me know.¡±

 Book 4 - Interlude 2 - The Specter

    Cin¡¯Specter was technically a Lord, just like every other Tier Ten in the Alliance, but he¡¯d never claimed the title. Doing so was likely to draw attention, and that was anathema for an Assassin.


    Regardless, it wasn¡¯t like many people knew his tier since he spent most of his time in disguise.


    Rules only applied to those who got caught, after all, and the Assassin known as ¡®the Specter¡¯ never got caught.


    Cin was also growing tired of idling away on the mid-tier world where his newest assignment had taken him.


    It wasn¡¯t a traditional assignment ¨C not that he really got those anymore at his level in the organization. This was more of a favor to repay a debt. He¡¯d honestly expected to ascend long before the favor was called due, but the Councilor he owed had surprised him.


    Councilor Arona had disappeared shortly after sending his instructions. If he didn¡¯t know better, he would have thought she¡¯d ascended.


    But people like Arona didn¡¯t ascend before they¡¯d exhausted every bit of time they were allotted in this realm, so he doubted that was it. She¡¯d probably just blocked communications and disappeared from the public for a while.


    He didn¡¯t blame her after seeing who his target was.


    Thankfully, the Assassins'' Guild had a way to fulfill these kinds of assignments without crossing the line and getting their people labeled as offenders.


    Now, he just needed to locate the damnable human so he could finish the assignment and get back to his fourth wife! Being forced to take an assignment during the middle of their annual retreat had caused a bit of conflict, but if he could return quickly enough, he could probably make it up to her.


    As if drawn by his annoyance, the target¡¯s family finally reappeared. Cin didn¡¯t have to see them to know they¡¯d returned. He had placed several small sound-transmitting devices within each of their residences.


    They were all so well concealed that even someone trained in finding such items would likely overlook them.


    After listening for several minutes, the target of his interest disappeared and reappeared in her own bugged residence. The Assassin allowed himself a self-satisfied smile as the target started moving within the fancy penthouse apartment.


    Sects often thought their wards were enough to keep people like him out, but there was little someone could do to thwart a truly dedicated Assassin. With his skill, all but the best wards were little more than a minor inconvenience.


    ¡°¡­No, I told my cousin I¡¯d get the dungeon primer done soon. Lisa finished compiling everything, but I need to do a manual review before I send it out. It shouldn¡¯t take very long with the dilation formations this place has.¡±


    Cin had noticed the [Time Dilation] enchantments built into the residence when he¡¯d planted the listening devices. He preferred enchantments that allowed visuals as well, but those were far more likely to be noticed than their simpler counterparts.


    If the young human activated the dilation enchantments, it would take him a few moments to regain access to the audio feed. For another Assassin, such an action would render surveillance efforts nearly impossible without expensive manatech.


    But for a Time Mage of his caliber, it was child¡¯s play to sync dilation rates.


    He doubted the young human realized that dilation enchantments could be used to thwart surveillance since she¡¯d spent most of her short life in the dungeon. However, even if she didn¡¯t realize the value, Cin knew the designers and planners behind the posh accommodations recognized their value.


    Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have included such an item in the penthouse suite.


    The ignorant human probably thought the feature had been added to save her the effort of casting the spell herself or something.


    ¡°¡­meet for lunch tomorrow? I was going to go by the Enchanters¡¯ Academy in Garnet City since that¡¯s where my contact is. They probably have more advanced runes and techniques available there than here on Hadier anyway.¡±


    The Assassin known as the Specter grinned at the information. Space Mages were notoriously difficult to tie down with how easy it was for them to escape. Even for someone as skilled as him, he needed to use a wide-area effect or make physical contact.


    He preferred physical contact since it kept his presence largely hidden and bypassed most defensive artifacts. Time magic often did that to some degree anyway, especially when it was deemed ¡®protective¡¯ in nature. But he¡¯d always found it better to over-plan than to fall short.


    ¡°Where?... Oslam¡¯s? I¡¯m not familiar with that restaurant. Can you send me the address?¡± the human asked her acquaintance.


    Cin had his Interface Assistance search for likely locations in Garnet City as he continued to listen in. He¡¯d already surmised that the human was likely talking to her companion from the dungeon ¨C the half-breed dwarf from Hephaistos Sect.


    That information made finding the location for their scheduled meeting easy enough. There was only one Oslam¡¯s restaurant on Aegeas.


    A quick check of the floorplan and a couple of simulations made him realize the restaurant might not be the best location to abduct the young Tri-Affinity Mage. He could pull it off, he was certain, but the Enchanters¡¯ Guild would suit his needs far better.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what level of techniques she was looking for, but unless she was trying to gain access to Master runes, he¡¯d have an easy enough time completing the first part of his assignment there.


    He¡¯d still go to Oslam¡¯s, just in case the perfect opportunity presented itself. He¡¯d captured more than one high-visibility target in unexpected locations, after all.


    When the conversation eventually ended, the target activated the embedded [Time Dilation] formation as expected. Also as expected, it took him less than two minutes to sync to the specific dilation being used.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The extra minute was only because the human wasn¡¯t making any particular noise. By all accounts, it seemed as if the target was truly using the [Time Dilation] enchantment like a normal household convenience.


    How odd.


    <hr>


    Cin¡¯Specter had never been fond of dwarven food. Naturally, elven palates were far more refined.


    He didn¡¯t buy into the whole ¡®elven supremacy¡¯ thing that the Councilor and her sect espoused, but there were some obvious, undisputable facts (like elves¡¯ vastly superior palate and longer base lifespan) that gave credence to such arguments.


    Knowing he wouldn¡¯t be able to fake the enthusiasm required to pose as a dwarf (and no elf would willingly eat at a dwarven alehouse when better options were available), Cin had decided to disguise himself as a human.


    He arrived early enough to get a good seat with a view of the entire restaurant ¨C a necessity in his line of work.


    He picked at his food and slowly nursed his drink while he waited. Eventually, the target and her friend arrived. Had it not been for the human¡¯s half-dwarven companion, Cin likely wouldn¡¯t have realized the target had even arrived.


    ¡®It seems I¡¯m not the only one wearing a disguise today,¡¯ Cin thought to himself. ¡®She even has a false identification displayed, though she didn¡¯t go so far as changing her displayed tier. Too bad it won¡¯t be enough. Maybe I should grab her before she leaves instead of waiting. Who¡¯s to say she won¡¯t change her appearance again?¡¯


    It was a good thing he was so thorough. If he¡¯d gone straight to the Enchanters¡¯ Guild, he may have overlooked the target altogether.


    Cin ordered another small dish of fried tubers when the waitress began giving him a look. He was too far away to hear what the target and her friend were saying, even with his enhanced perception, but it wasn¡¯t hard to anticipate the pair¡¯s departure.


    What was far more challenging was timing the abduction so that nobody would realize what had happened. The human had presented herself as a Space Mage, so making her suddenly disappear wouldn¡¯t draw any attention at all.


    The Assassin primed two spells as he headed toward the exit, one to cast externally and one internal.


    He waited for the pair to say goodbye and the friend to turn away before activating Haste at the highest possible rate. He was already close enough to reach out and touch the target, so that¡¯s exactly what he did.


    The moment his hand touched hers, he targeted her with Stasis. Such a spell would bypass almost every magical resistance known since it was universally a protective spell. For those few resistances or defensive artifacts that it didn¡¯t bypass¡­ Well, that¡¯s what the non-aggressive physical contact was for.


    At Tier Ten, a measly Tier Eight had no chance of resisting his spell.


    Moving quickly to prevent being noticed, Cin removed a spatial device specifically crafted to store living ¨C but time-locked ¨C entities, including humans. It was one of the best investments he¡¯d made during his time as an Assassin.


    Between freezing and storing the target, less than a quarter of a second had passed. It was straining his mana to keep this pace, but it was unavoidable if the Assassin wanted to prevent being noticed.


    After returning to his previous position, Cin canceled Haste and casually made his way out of the restaurant. He traveled several blocks before eventually calling for a private, self-driving taxi.


    Once inside, the Assassin triggered a special [Recall] talisman and teleported to a location on Sira that less than a dozen people in the realm knew how to find ¨C the Peak-Tier Nine Assassins¡¯ challenge rift.


    It was mostly used as a capstone exercise for those hoping to become Master Assassins. The quest was given separately by the Assassins¡¯ Guild, but the rift itself was the testing grounds.


    What was important in this case was that since the rift was only a single tier higher than his target, throwing her inside wouldn¡¯t count as murder, even if he stripped her of all her tools and resources beforehand.


    It didn¡¯t matter to the system that the human was only Low-Tier Eight, and the rift was Peak-Tier Nine. As far as the Accords went, the girl had enough of a chance of survival that it wasn¡¯t an automatic death sentence.


    Of course, reality had proven this rift to be more deadly than most, but that was mostly due to the fact that it was impossible to leave without completing the objectives. Once you entered, you finished the challenge, or you died.


    Cin checked the regulator beneath the swirling portal. Because the rift was used so infrequently, the Assassins¡¯ Guild had taken measures to constantly siphon some of the excess mana to keep the rift from breaking and exposing their secret.


    While challenge rifts and puzzle rifts that limited a delver¡¯s exit weren¡¯t prohibited, they were usually dispersed or reset due to their higher-than-average fatality rates. Those that weren¡¯t generally had well-documented maps and were directly monitored by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.


    And since the Assassins¡¯ Guild naturally wouldn¡¯t grant the Adventurers¡¯ Guild such oversight, keeping the capstone rift a secret was a given.


    After checking to ensure the rift was in good condition, Cin removed the storage item from his pocket and withdrew the time-locked human. He¡¯d hit her with the strongest Stasis he could manage, so she wouldn¡¯t even start the challenge for close to a thousand years.


    Of course, that equaled less than thirty Alliance Standard Years with the compounded time dilation effects (5 times for being on Sira and another 7.25 times for a PT9 rift), but that didn¡¯t really matter since she¡¯d never escape.


    He almost felt pity for the human Tri-Affinity Mage as he pulled out another artifact.


    Before he¡¯d acquired this item, he¡¯d had to remove items from his targets the hard way, often ruining any value they might have. But a not-so-simple [Item Phaser] had solved that problem readily enough.


    It even had a built-in enchantment neutralizer to keep any defensive enchantments from activating, not that the items should be registering as currently equipped since the human was completely inert. As far as her equipment was concerned, she might as well be a mannequin.


    The robes came off first ¨C not because he wanted to see the human naked, but because clothing often concealed other valuable items. He¡¯d never been all that attracted to humans anyway, even if they did look almost identical to elves.


    Simply knowing they were human was usually enough of a deterrent. There were a few times when he¡¯d indulged himself in spirits¡­ but Cin didn¡¯t talk about those.


    Ignoring the human¡¯s curves and pale skin, the elven Assassin removed each of her talismans and jewelry pieces. He dispassionately searched the girl¡¯s body to ensure nothing was hidden, though his efforts were limited to what was readily visible since Stasis prevented any manipulation of the target.


    After checking the items he¡¯d retrieved, Cin felt a moment of uncertainty. It was a small thing, but the unusually low number of weapons in the target¡¯s storage ring made him suspect she had another storage device hidden somewhere.


    The ring was large, far larger than most Tier Eight storage accessories he¡¯d seen, in fact. But it was mostly filled with raw materials and a few finished items, along with some clothing and personal items. It was a far cry from the contents of storage items he¡¯d acquired from others of comparable status.


    She almost had to have hidden another storage item somewhere on her body. Most Assassins had one or two implanted somewhere to prevent this kind of thing from happening to them.


    It would certainly explain the discrepancies.


    Cin shook his head. It didn¡¯t really matter.


    Even if she had a few weapons stored away, they wouldn¡¯t be of much use. Cin knew enough about how the Realm Dungeon worked to know the target wouldn¡¯t have had access to Tier Nine items there since she was only Low-Tier Eight.


    Additionally, everything she wore was Tier Eight, with the exception of a single protective amulet.


    While her Patriarch might have armed her with more powerful weapons, Cin didn¡¯t see it as very likely. Tier Ten weapons were prohibitively expensive, even for those at Tier Ten, simply because there weren¡¯t enough crafters capable of working with such high-tier materials.


    And if, by some miracle, the young human managed to survive the rift, it wouldn¡¯t matter to Cin anyway. Nothing connected him to the human except the Councilor, and she couldn¡¯t talk without incriminating herself.


    With a mirthless smile, the elven Assassin pushed Emie¡¯s time-locked body into the rift. With that action, his debt was cleared.


    After sparing one last glance around the hidden locale to ensure nothing was out of place, the Assassin known as the Specter disappeared.

 Book 4 - Interlude 3

    Anya Oracle¡¯s body shivered as hints of a dark premonition teased her senses. One of the [Obscuring] rings she¡¯d given out had been removed.


    Most Fate Mages would never dream of hampering their own abilities by sharing such items, but Anya was not a normal Fate Mage. Unlike most others, Anya could bypass the obscuring effect of items powered by her mana.


    Furthermore, Anya could tell when linked items were being used ¨C and when they weren¡¯t.


    The removal of one of her strongest rings normally wouldn¡¯t have been cause for concern, but coupled with the bone-deep feeling of foreboding, it was enough to make the Oracle stop what she was doing to seek out the affected individual.


    Anya¡¯s eyes glowed with lavender mana as her sight shifted. The target of her search was quickly identified, and Anya sucked in a sharp breath as she saw the girl¡¯s immediate future.


    It looked like the start of one of her worst-case scenarios.


    Unfortunately, her Foresight was abruptly cut when the young Earthborn was propelled into the swirling vortex of black mana that denoted a Tier Nine rift.


    If it had been weaker, the Tier Eight Fate Mage might have been able to catch a glimpse of what was inside. But unfortunately, stronger rifts were beyond her ability to See within. Even weaker rifts gave her trouble, but even glimpses often provided valuable insights.


    With an inarticulate grumble of frustration, Anya pulled back her focus, hoping to at least locate the Tri-Affinity Mage. Her earlier efforts at seeing the details of this particular future had never amounted to much, but she hoped that things would be different now that events were in motion.


    Frustratingly, powerful obscuring enchantments blocked her ability to locate the girl beyond narrowing down the planet. Such formations were exceedingly rare due to the cost associated with creating them and the mana required to resist spells like hers.


    However, the fact they existed in that location itself was somewhat telling. There really was only one place Emie could be ¨C Sira.


    Anya had no illusions about being able to rescue Emie, though they might be able to lessen the danger to the girl. Even if they managed it, the girl¡¯s survival would still be in her own hands. There was almost nothing they could do to really help her.


    But if she did manage to survive and escape¡­ Emie would be that much stronger for the experience.


    Anya shook her head as she located her brother. Things needed to be presented to him in just the right way to prevent some of the worst potential outcomes from becoming reality.


    <hr>


    ¡°Henny,¡± Anya called out, using the nickname she¡¯d given her much older brother when she was a younger. ¡°We need to talk. I need you to promise not to do anything until you hear me out.¡±


    He¡¯d been handing off his responsibilities as Patriarch since returning from Earth in preparation for his eventual ascension. He was little more than a figurehead and deterrent for potential troublemakers than anything at this point.


    Even so, being a figurehead required the occasional bit of paperwork, which she was sure he was reviewing instead of reading some mindless drivel on his tablet while he sat at his desk in his office on Aegeas.


    Henlen Kairos ¨C or Kai, as he now preferred to be called ¨C stiffened at his sister¡¯s comment and looked up from the device. After taking a deep breath, he said, ¡°Alright,¡± and motioned for her to continue.


    So far, so good, Anya told herself as she shut the door behind her and activated the privacy wards. Once they were active, the Fate Mage circled the desk and stood next to her brother.


    Kai raised a brow at her actions, but he remained silent.


    ¡°She¡¯s already in a rift, so short of killing yourself to create a new Time branch, there¡¯s nothing you can do to change that,¡± Anya said as she rested a hand on her brother¡¯s arm. Her eyes glowed with mana as she used her brother¡¯s connection to the girl to boost her Sight. ¡°Time magic holds her in Stasis for now. When its hold expires, she will either progress and escape or fail and die. You cannot directly assist her.¡±


    Her brother¡¯s body had stiffened with her first words and had only grown more tense as she spoke.


    ¡°What can we do?¡± he growled angrily, though he did not pull away from her touch.


    Anya blinked several times as her gaze shifted through visions only she could see. The Fate Mage released a huff of frustration as she shook her head slowly.


    ¡°Not much,¡± she admitted. ¡°There may be a chance to reduce the threat and improve her odds¡ª¡±


    ¡°We should do whatever it takes,¡± Kai interjected. ¡°I won¡¯t let those Sovereignty bastards kill her like this. How¡¯d they get a Time Mage to work with them anyway?¡±


    ¡°I believe this was former Councilor Arona¡¯s doing. She was forced to ascend during the Council meeting you were called to, and I suspect this is the reason why.¡±


    ¡°Of course she did,¡± Kai scoffed before balling his hands into tight fists. ¡°How many of her precious sect members were involved?¡±


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    ¡°The inquiry is still ongoing.¡± She said after dropping the spell. Seeing his dark expression, the Fate Mage said, ¡°Henny, I know you want to lash out, but this could end up being a positive thing for your disciple. As long as she doesn¡¯t delay long enough to violate the contract or die, she¡¯ll come out stronger for it in the end.¡±


    ¡°What can we do to improve her odds?¡±


    His focus was intense, but his sister expected it. She knew how much hope he¡¯d placed into the young Earthborn, even if he didn¡¯t admit it to himself.


    The white-haired Fate Mage stared at her brother for several seconds as she thought back to the visions she¡¯d had of potential futures. She wanted to warn him away from certain actions, but she knew better than to tempt Fate in that way.


    Instead, she settled on pointing him toward certain outcomes.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost certain she¡¯s somewhere on Sira. If we can find the rift she¡¯s in¡ª¡±


    ¡°We can weaken it or find a way to maybe break into her instance,¡± Kai said, taking over the thought. ¡°I know some people who specialize in rifts. I¡¯ll reach out and see what they can do. I imagine it¡¯s a challenge rift if it¡¯s used to assassinate people. That¡¯ll probably make things trickier.¡±


    Anya inclined her head thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe. Finding the rift will be important, regardless, if only to prevent hostile action being taken against her if she manages to escape.¡± The Fate Mage hesitated for a moment before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s going to take decades, Henny.¡±


    Her brother¡¯s expression hardened, though she could tell his aggressive sentiment wasn¡¯t directed toward her.


    ¡°You said she¡¯s in Stasis right now,¡± he said, causing Anya to nod in response. ¡°As long as the system doesn¡¯t count it against her, she¡¯ll probably be fine. Rifts on Sira have compound time dilation, so she¡¯ll have plenty to work with when the spell releases her.¡±


    ¡°You have your own contract to worry about,¡± Anya reminded him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that when the time comes,¡± Kai replied stubbornly before looking away. ¡°It was never guaranteed she¡¯d reach the Pinnacle in time.¡±


    ¡°And until then?¡±


    The Time Mage turned back to his sister, his expression stony. ¡°The Sovereignty Sect isn¡¯t the only one who can work around the Accords.¡±


    <hr>


    Anya wasn¡¯t looking forward to the next conversation. To be fair, she hadn¡¯t looked forward to the last one, either. However, knowing Emie¡¯s family would likely blame Kai for the current predicament, Anya had offered to break the news to the girl¡¯s parents.


    Anya knocked on the door of a modest home in one of the neighborhoods outside the sect¡¯s Hadier branch. The bodyguard she¡¯d been assigned by the Council stood a few feet away, monitoring their surroundings through his perception skills.


    The door opened, revealing an older woman.


    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Anya Oracle. Your daughter Emie might have mentioned me?¡±


    Clearly, she had since the woman¡¯s eyes lit up in recognition. ¡°Oh! What can I do for the Oracle?¡± Emie¡¯s mother asked before opening the door wider and hesitantly adding, ¡°Would you like to come inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Anya said with a smile. Her bodyguard followed her in but remained near the door. ¡°I¡¯ve come to talk to you about Emie. Let me start off by assuring you that Emie is perfectly safe at the moment, though her situation is¡­ precarious.¡±


    A man that Anya assumed was Emie¡¯s father had already been seated in the living room when they entered. He immediately stood and took a step forward.


    The bodyguard didn¡¯t react since the man was no threat to Anya. Even if he wanted to do her harm, he was too weak to do much.


    ¡°What do you mean by precarious?¡± the man asked. ¡°Where is our daughter?¡±


    ¡°Again, I just want to reiterate that your daughter is currently safe,¡± Anya said, emphasizing the last word. ¡°Unfortunately, she was abducted and forced into a Tier Nine rift.¡± Emie¡¯s mother gasped, but Anya continued, ¡°I cannot be certain without examining the rift, but I believe it is one that cannot be exited without completing the objective.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why does this keep happening to our family?¡± the woman asked as her eyes filled with tears. She reached for the man, grasping his hands. ¡°First with Justin and now with Emie¡­¡±


    ¡°You can see the future, right?¡± the man asked as he wrapped one arm protectively around his wife. ¡°That means you know whether or not she¡¯ll survive.¡±


    ¡°I can see some things, though nothing is ever certain. We are trying to push the odds in her favor, but there¡¯s still a chance she won¡¯t make it,¡± Anya replied gently. ¡°Fighting a full tier up is difficult, if not impossible, for most people. Normally, I would hesitate to encourage hope in such a scenario. However, I¡¯ve seen futures where she returns, so this isn¡¯t a hopeless situation. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t give you a more definite answer.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡± the mother asked. ¡°How long until we see her again?¡±


    ¡°Decades,¡± Anya replied. ¡°The earliest is a quarter century or so, but it could be much longer than that. My visions are imperfect that way. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five years!¡± the woman cried.


    ¡°And who exactly is responsible for this?¡± Emie¡¯s father asked with barely suppressed anger. ¡°Where is her so-called Master, anyway? Why isn¡¯t he here telling us about this instead of you?¡±


    Anya could understand the man¡¯s perspective, and she felt sympathy for his pain.


    ¡°The person ultimately responsible was forced to ascend when she broke a system-enforced oath. I am almost certain the abduction was carried out by a Tier Ten Assassin, but it¡¯s too early to verify that,¡± she said, answering the first part of the man¡¯s question.


    ¡°If it was an Assassin, why didn¡¯t they kill her?¡±


    ¡°Even Assassins prefer to avoid being labeled as Offenders,¡± Anya replied. ¡°The method used granted Emie just enough of a possibility for survival that their actions didn¡¯t count as murder. Had the Assassin not cared about such labels, I imagine we¡¯d be having a very different conversation right now.¡±


    She was trying to be gentle with the information, but it was a lot harder than she anticipated. Even watching the conversation play out via Foresight wasn¡¯t enough to prepare her for the emotional exchange.


    ¡°As far as the Patriarch goes¡­ He is currently organizing a search for your daughter. I suspect he¡¯ll be more actively expressing his displeasure at your daughter¡¯s treatment soon.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Emie¡¯s mother asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Sovereignty Sect is going to exist in any real form by the time Emie escapes from the rift,¡± Anya answered grimly.


    ¡°The Sovereignty Sect,¡± Emie¡¯s dad said slowly. ¡°They are the ones who¡¯ve been causing problems for her since the dungeon.¡±


    It was a statement, not a question, but Anya nodded anyway.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you let this happen if you can see the future. Why didn¡¯t you prevent Emie from being taken in the first place?¡± the woman asked with a hint of anger.


    Anya tried not to take the criticism as an attack. She¡¯d expected the question and the implied accusation, after all. But that didn¡¯t mean that she¡¯d come up with a good answer.


    ¡°I understand your sentiment,¡± the white-haired Fate Mage replied. ¡°I¡¯ve asked myself the same thing on several occasions. Unfortunately, that¡¯s not how things work. I try to guide events toward certain outcomes, but even I lack any real control over the future.


    ¡°Your daughter was warned, as was my brother and the Council. Efforts were in place to protect Emie, but even the best efforts can be thwarted with the right magics and enough effort.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the best answer, but it was the only one she had. Even with her ability to see potential futures, Anya was not in any way omniscient. Sometimes, Fate had its own plans.

 Book 4 - Chapter 21 - Truly Alone

    Lunch with Zavira released a tension that I hadn¡¯t realized I was holding. Out of everyone, she was the one who really knew me the best. Even the last few years on different floors of the dungeon hadn¡¯t changed that.


    I found myself almost melancholy when lunch was over and we headed toward the entrance. There were a few people gathered, likely waiting to be seated, though it was easy enough to find an open space to one side for one last goodbye before we headed our separate ways.


    I felt the urge to delay, if only to extend our time hanging out. Unfortunately, Zavira had other obligations after lunch.


    It was probably a good thing, really, since my original reason for coming to Aegeas was to dig through the Enchanters¡¯ Guild library and maybe finagle a few bits of guidance from the Vice-Guildleader.


    I still had quite a bit of time before I needed to do anything for the sect, and I wanted to get as much benefit out of that time as possible. Since I¡¯d passed on artificially raising my Enchanting skill, I needed to put in the work if I wanted to learn new techniques.


    My thoughts shifted to my next task as I watched Zavira turn toward the exit¡ª


    ¡ªbefore promptly finding myself face-down on a cold slab of stone.


    I could sense the barest hint of foreign Time mana, though I barely paid attention. I was too busy casting every defensive spell I had as I scrambled to my feet.


    Once both of my Barriers were in place, I pushed Spatial Sense to its limit. The limit was, surprisingly, the stone walls encasing the small room.


    Where are my talismans? I wondered, noting their absence. And even more importantly, where are my clothes?


    My almost instinctual attempt to [Equip] a new outfit from my ring drew an even more startling discovery ¨C my ring was gone. That should have been nearly impossible to remove, especially if I was impacted by a Time spell.


    But nearly isn¡¯t absolute.


    At least my embedded talismans and personal inventory weren¡¯t compromised. The small consolation kept me from completely freaking out as I manually examined my surroundings.


    The stone room was completely unadorned, with the only items of interest being an altar in the center and an open doorframe centered in the wall across from me.


    There were no decorations or furniture, nor were there windows. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all comprised of dark gray stone so uniform it almost looked artificial.


    A glance with Mana Sight verified my suspicion that wherever I was, the environment was on the upper end of Tier Nine, maybe even Peak-Tier Nine.


    That was bad.


    At level seventy-two, I was still considered Low-Tier Eight. Fighting up a tier was hard when you were at the peak of your current tier. This kind of gap¡­ it seemed almost impossible.


    It might not be a death sentence, but it felt damn close.


    I glanced at my status and winced at the tiny amount of experience I¡¯d gained since leaving the dungeon.


    ***


    Name: Emie Momentia


    Level: 72 (1009915/3824100)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Merchant


    Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane


    ***


    Health: 320/320


    Stamina: 550/550


    Mana: 960/960


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 23


    Agility ¨C 33


    Vitality ¨C 32


    Intelligence ¨C 96


    Wisdom ¨C 73


    Perception ¨C 38


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***


    ¡°Stay calm,¡± I told myself quietly. ¡°Freaking out accomplishes nothing. Assess the situation and figure out a plan. I can do this.¡±


    My attempt at self-motivation felt hollow, but the words still did their job.


    Withdrawing one of my new black sets of robes from my inventory, I got dressed as quickly as I could. It was a little more difficult than I remembered, but I also hadn¡¯t manually dressed myself in decades.


    I was immensely glad that I¡¯d stuck the items in my inventory instead of in my ring like I usually did with clothing. Clothes and my favorite weapons and accessories were the only major exception to my standard personal storage rules since I couldn¡¯t [Equip] from my inventory.


    Only the new black robes I hadn¡¯t gotten around to wearing yet and my ceremonial Elder robes were stored in my inventory.


    ¡°Thank goodness for [Self-Cleaning] enchantments,¡± I muttered just before a screen forced itself into view.


    [You have entered a Challenge Rift! Complete the Challenge to exit!


    Challenge Parameters:


    Defeat the <u>Five</u> bosses.


    Place the cores of the <u>Five</u> bosses on the altar.]


    I hated challenge rifts.


    They were always a pain to complete, and it was impossible to exit without finishing the requirements. Being severely under-leveled certainly wasn¡¯t helping matters, either.


    I walked over to the altar, dropping one of my barrier spells. In some ways, knowing that I was in a rift was comforting. At least I knew basically what to expect and didn¡¯t have to worry about other people trying to kill me here.


    No, I just needed to somehow kill five bosses at Peak-Tier Nine, I thought, feeling overwhelmed.


    Thank goodness rifts didn¡¯t work like the dungeon. It would have been flat-out impossible for me to fight two tiers up if the bosses were all Low-Tier Ten.


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    Silver linings, I supposed.


    The altar was little more than a raised stone dais with five shallow basins arrayed in a circle. I touched the altar and closed my eyes, connecting to the rift as I¡¯d been taught by Stella back on Earth. It didn¡¯t work as well from the inside, but without a portal to connect to, the altar was my best hope.


    I gasped at the limited information I was able to peruse.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, shaking my head in denial as I pulled my hand away like it had been bitten. ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡±


    The readings I¡¯d gotten from the rift showed my current instance had been active for just over 906 local years.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the rift¡¯s natural time dilation of 7.25,¡± Lisa said helpfully.


    ¡°That¡¯s still almost 125 years!¡± I hissed. ¡°It can¡¯t have been that long. My contract would have broken.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but also no. You are mixing the contract requirements with your agreement,¡± Lisa replied. ¡°The actual contract said nothing about reaching Tier Ten in a century. It only stipulated that you, and I quote, ¡®take a break of no more than ten Alliance Standard Years outside the dungeon after entry before reaching level 100.¡¯ The agreement to strive for the Pinnacle within a century was not part of the contract.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t the contract still have been violated?¡± I asked, feeling a little dizzy. It was completely psychosomatic since my body no longer got dizzy like a mundane human might. ¡°Even if we¡¯re on Sira, that¡¯s still twenty-five Alliance Standard Years that I¡¯ve been time-locked in this rift. How is that not a breach of contract?¡±


    ¡°The system probably doesn¡¯t recognize the time you spent in stasis,¡± Lisa replied. ¡°In fact, extrapolating based on the internal countdown I have been maintaining, which is linked to the contract, I can assure you that is exactly the case. With that, I have good news and bad news.


    ¡°The bad news is that the clock is now running again,¡± Lisa said. ¡°However, the good news is that based on how slowly the numbers are changing, I can confidently say that you are, indeed, on Sira. That means you have a lot of time to work with since you only spent a few months outside of the dungeon before this¡­ incident.¡±


    ¡°So, what?¡± I asked with a hint of hope. ¡°I have a few hundred years to find my way out of this rift and back into the dungeon before I technically violate the contract?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    It was still bad, but not as bad as I initially thought. Obviously, it would be next to impossible for me to ascend with Master Kairos now. I wondered how he would take it.


    Rather, I wondered how he¡¯d already taken it. He had to already know.


    My heart clenched as my mind made the obvious connection.


    My family would have been devastated, especially my parents. Even if I made it out of the rift alive, they¡¯d probably want to kill me¡­ metaphorically.


    Hopefully, I¡¯d find a way to complete the rift challenge and still have enough time to spend a little with them before I had to leave again.


    I immediately felt guilty for all the time I¡¯d wasted during my break so far. I¡¯d let my social discomfort cheat me out of time I could have spent with my family.


    Something occurred to me. ¡°Hey, Lisa? How is there extra time dilation now but there isn¡¯t in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Nobody knows for certain. Though you enter and exit through a portal, it is important to remember that the dungeon is not a rift. In fact, some believe it is not of this realm at all.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said thoughtfully, trying not to think about the piercing pain in my chest.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    I could easily imagine my mom¡¯s tearful expression when she learned I¡¯d disappeared. Dad would almost certainly blame Master Kairos, not that any of it was really his fault.


    Justin and Bell would be understandably upset as well, as would Deni and probably Gabby.


    I wonder if Gabby and her party have entered the dungeon already?


    Shaking off the errant thought, my mind shifted to Zavira. I¡¯d only just had lunch with her from my perspective, but it had been more than twenty-five years for her.


    I hoped she didn¡¯t feel bad about being the last person to see me before I disappeared. I could absolutely see her blaming herself for something crazy like that.


    ¡°Ahhh! Alright,¡± I said, physically shaking myself out of my depressed reflection.


    I needed to take stock of what I had. Most of my crafting materials were in my ring, but that didn¡¯t mean much, given where I was.


    It wasn¡¯t like any of it would have done much good, anyway, since it was mostly Tier Eight stuff I was saving for when I re-entered the dungeon. I doubted any of it would be very helpful now.


    Entry rooms were almost always safe zones of sorts, and given the complete lack of disturbance, I felt fairly confident it would make an acceptable place to shelter, though I knew better than to leave anything lying around.


    Rifts had a tendency to absorb things left unattended for too long. I¡¯d learned that the hard way when I¡¯d been abandoned in the rift back in the other timeline.


    I paused and let out a little gasp at the thought.


    This was the second time something like this had happened to me! It had happened once in the other timeline, too.


    Was there some kind of Fate at play here?


    It would almost be a good thing if there were. I¡¯d overcome the first challenge when, by all accounts, I should have died. Maybe I could manage to do the same thing again?


    Oddly comforted by the thought, I focused on my inventory.


    I¡¯d stupidly left my pod set up as a second workstation in my penthouse apartment, so I was now without that treasured asset. I could make another one since I always kept the Crystal Node stored in my inventory, but without the right additional materials, I¡¯d have to rely heavily on my personal mana to compensate for the lack of reagents.


    I silently cursed the Assassin or whoever had tossed me in here before I¡¯d managed to gain access to the Enchanters¡¯ Guild library. I¡¯d probably have to use a Trial reward to push myself to Master Enchanter.


    On that note, I needed to find a way to complete the rift challenge without tiering up unless I wanted to lose access to the eighth-floor Trial. I was almost certain that tiering up would force me to reenter the dungeon on the ninth floor, and I wasn¡¯t quite willing to lose out on such a valuable boon.


    If I had to¡­ well, I¡¯d do what needed to be done. But if it was at all possible to defeat the bosses without tiering up, I¡¯d take advantage of it.


    Realizing the direction that my thoughts had drifted, I chuckled mirthlessly.


    Here I was, thinking about gaming the system and finding a way to get extra advantages when I still wasn¡¯t confident that survival was possible. I had no idea what kinds of mobs I was up against, nor did I know if my magic and manatech would even be effective.


    I honestly should be, especially my magic, but I wouldn¡¯t know until I did a little scouting.


    Thankfully, food wasn¡¯t much of a concern since I always stored my MealMaker in my inventory. However, I would still need materials to [Transmute.] Worst case, I could always collect some dirt and debris and use that.


    It really was too bad that transmuted materials didn¡¯t work well with enchantments or Alchemy. It would have made things quite a bit easier.


    ¡°Alright, I still have some weapons, some of my pod furniture, bedding, some crafted items¡­¡± I said to myself as I mentally reviewed my inventory. ¡°Oh, I forgot that I stored those ores and gemstones in here. And the mana cores will be useful, even if they are a tier too weak,¡± I murmured.


    There were also several growth items carefully separated from the rest of the items. I¡¯d given a lot to the sect for future dungeon challengers, but I¡¯d also kept quite a few things for Amie and the younger generation of my immediate family.


    Seeing the items made me frown and drew attention to something I¡¯d intentionally been shying away from acknowledging.


    Amie had undoubtedly awakened by now, and I¡¯d missed it. The twins and my newest siblings, too. I¡¯d missed their whole lives. Kaylee and Ashlynn wouldn¡¯t know me at all.


    The thought hurt more than I expected.


    They were all grown up now, and I¡¯d missed everything. Would they even care when I came back, or would I just be another stranger with a familial connection?


    Struggling to hold back my emotions, I removed the only comfortable chair I¡¯d kept stored in my inventory and sat down. As much as I hated feeling the emotions, I needed to give myself a short period to grieve for the years that I¡¯d lost.


    Inside a rift, I could not communicate and had no way of letting people know I was okay. I couldn¡¯t even send a delayed message.


    Until I escaped, I was completely cut off from the rest of the universe. Even Time magic couldn¡¯t influence me¡­


    ¡­aside from branches in time. But those really didn¡¯t count since the me here now would still be stuck.


    For the first time since my return, I was well and truly alone.

 Book 4 - Chapter 22 - A Little Exploration

    I didn¡¯t rush the grieving process. Instead, I leaned into it, taking advantage of the first real sense of privacy I¡¯d felt in decades to work through all of my feelings.


    Eventually, I fell into an exhausted sleep.


    I didn¡¯t fully trust in the safety of the entry room, but between it and my hidden emergency talismans, it was enough to allow me to rest.


    Sleep, I¡¯d found, was an excellent way to reset one¡¯s mental state.


    After storing the few items I¡¯d removed from my inventory and casting Cleanse a few times, I focused on the first of my immediate needs.


    The stone room did not have a bathroom, or anything that would work as such. And since I didn¡¯t feel like defiling the room I¡¯d be using as a quasi-residence, I needed to find a solution to my needs.


    At Tier Eight, my body was remarkably efficient, but it still wasn¡¯t perfect.


    Donning one of the [Invisibility] talismans I¡¯d set aside to sell when I returned to the dungeon, I carefully made my way through the open doorway leading out of the entry room. I was not confident the item would hide me completely, but it was better than nothing.


    From inside, the doorway looked like a normal arch, though it was impossible to see or sense anything on the other side.


    As soon as I stepped through, I turned and looked behind me. The doorway remained; however, it appeared hazy, like a mirage. It was also somehow attached to the face of a sheer cliff, partially concealed by a deep shadow from a pair of nearby trees.


    Now that I was outside of the stone room, I extended Spatial Sense to get a better idea of my surroundings.


    Detecting nothing dangerous in the immediate area, I silently crept to the trees and dealt with my body¡¯s needs. After carefully covering any evidence of my presence and cleaning myself once again, I stealthily headed away from the hidden room.


    When I¡¯d connected to the rift the previous day, I¡¯d learned several things about the challenge, even if I hadn¡¯t consciously paid attention to any of it at the time.


    First, there were five bosses that I somehow needed to defeat. Each had their own territory, complete with subordinate mobs and resources. These five groups were basically five separate factions, each of which fought against the others in a never-ending war of dominance.


    The species making up these five factions were unclear since my connection to the rift had been tenuous, but I¡¯d gathered enough to know my opponents would be more than mere rift beasts.


    I was fairly certain they were all humanoids of one sort or another. Such mobs were far more common in higher-tier rifts, after all.


    The hardest part about fighting against humanoid mobs was that they tended to be far more clever than their beast counterparts.


    As an added complication, I found myself uncomfortable at the thought of harvesting and using the bodies of such creatures, given how similar they were to people ¨C at least on the surface.


    That wasn¡¯t to say I wouldn¡¯t make use of their bodies, but I would be far more circumspect about how I used them. They certainly wouldn¡¯t be going into my MealMaker, that was for sure.


    Thankfully, the unknown humanoids weren¡¯t the only creatures in the rift.


    In fact, I got the impression that several species of more traditional beasts were spread throughout the rift. Further, those beasts were on the lower end of Tier Nine, making them a much easier target for me.


    It still wasn¡¯t going to be easy, given my tier disadvantage. But at least I had a chance.


    In the distance, I sensed several beings engaged in a skirmish. Wanting to learn more about my opponents, I Phased and then Teleported close to the fight.


    I remained within the weave while I observed from atop a nearby tree. Remaining outside the physical world made observing the fight more difficult, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. And, short of encountering another Space magic user, it was also the safest place I could be.


    The entities in the first group appeared to be a mix of elves and monkeys. Their ears were large and pointed, and their facial features were sharp and angular. Thick fur erupted from the edges of their smooth leather armor, which looked far better crafted than I would have expected inside of a rift.


    The same applied to the bows and javelins I noticed being wielded by the furry warriors.


    Since this was my first time inside a high-tier rift, I couldn¡¯t confidently say that the appearance of quality armor and weaponry was odd, but it certainly caused me to raise a brow.


    ¡°It is not an unusual occurrence,¡± Lisa informed me. ¡°Rifts have long been a source of inspiration and innovation for crafters.¡±


    I shook my head silently, annoyed at my lack of education on such matters. I¡¯d probably need to attend an academy or two someday. That was especially applicable if I was going to remain in this realm for any amount of time.


    With Master Kairos likely to ascend without me because of my delay, the pressure I felt to rush my ascension had mostly been alleviated.


    I looked from the monkeyoids (my label since I couldn¡¯t use identification spells within the weave) to their opponents ¨C small, humanoid bird creatures that almost looked like short angels except they were covered in feathers, and their hands and feet were tipped with sharp-looking claws.


    On second thought, the creatures looked far more like feathered harpies than angels. As I watched the two sets of fighters attack each other, my opinion on the matter solidified further.


    They were definitely not angelic, though they did hold an obvious tactical advantage against their opponents. Unfortunately for them, the addition of ranged weapons and magic did a lot to even the fight.


    Even so, the monkeyoids eventually found themselves struggling to defeat the sheer volume of aerial opponents. After losing several fighters, the monkeyoids opted for a tactical retreat, fleeing deeper into the thick forest beyond the reach of the aggressive flying mobs.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The feathered harpies screeched in what I assumed was a victory cry before abandoning their dead and darting away. The moderate-sized flock headed straight for a floating island that I hadn¡¯t yet noticed in the distance.


    Still invisible, I exited the weave and carefully collected the fallen fighters and their weapons. I also collected several broken branches and nearby flora that pinged my Herbalism skill.


    I¡¯d moved a fair distance away from the site of the fight and was still collecting materials when a pair of beasts entered my sphere of perception.


    Knowing I could easily teleport to safety if necessary, I decided to see where I stood against some of the weaker creatures inside the rift.


    Unmoving, I watched as a pair of large wolverines emerged from between a pair of bushes. Both were nearly hip-high and radiated a sense of threat unlike any I¡¯d encountered to date.


    The two wolverines slowed down dramatically as they got closer, sniffing the air hungrily. I cringed when I realized that my talisman wasn¡¯t nearly good enough to hide my scent from the higher-tier creatures.


    Since there was little I could do about it in my current position, I activated Haste and moved. I would have preferred to test myself against a lone opponent, but two didn¡¯t seem like an impossible challenge.


    My weapons were only Tier Eight, but that didn¡¯t mean a whole lot at the speeds I was moving. And tier really wasn¡¯t everything. Simply being a higher tier certainly didn¡¯t make one invulnerable to lower-tier enemies, after all.


    The closest wolverine somehow sensed my attack and started to dodge as I swiped my mana-coated blade toward the creature¡¯s neck. The beast¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t enough to entirely avoid the blow, but it was sufficient to avoid a potentially fatal hit.


    Instead of cleanly decapitating the creature, my blade lodged into the wolverine¡¯s collarbone. When a sharp tug didn¡¯t immediately free the blade, I released it and teleported several meters away.


    It was a good decision since the second wolverine flew through the space I¡¯d just abandoned less than a half-second later.


    I pushed more mana into Haste and attacked again. This time, I used a pair of batons connected to form a quarterstaff. Though I¡¯d trained and grown accustomed to other types of weapons, I still deferred to staves and dual batons whenever a melee fight grew difficult.


    Being in the dungeon where almost every opponent was the same tier, it had been a long time since I¡¯d engaged in a truly difficult fight.


    Heart pounding, I darted forward, stabbing the newly-formed blade at the end of my quarterstaff into the already injured wolverine as its uninjured companion chased me.


    I was fast enough to kite the angry beast without getting hit ¨C a fact the beast realized far quicker than I expected.


    I was caught a little off guard when a blade of compressed Air impacted my Barrier and caused me to stumble slightly. It wouldn¡¯t have happened if I hadn¡¯t already been in motion, but the movement put me just within reach of the already injured wolverine, and it took the opportunity to lash out as I hastily stabbed it a second time.


    Already weakened, my Barrier shattered. The sneaky creature¡¯s razor-sharp claws cut into my leg faster than I could teleport away.


    I immediately cast Restore and took a couple of deep breaths as I watched the creatures from my perch a few dozen feet above.


    ¡®Better to fight at range anyway,¡¯ I told myself. It had been stupid to engage in close combat with creatures that much stronger than me.


    A good portion of my stored arsenal was comprised of ranged options, so I started cycling through my stock of wands, staves, and consumable talismans.


    I didn¡¯t normally use a lot of consumable talismans since they weren¡¯t usually worth the effort involved in making them, but they sold well enough in the dungeon that I had a small supply mixed in my inventory.


    The wolverines were not stupid, so they didn¡¯t stand there once they realized I was attacking them from a distance.


    The still uninjured wolverine immediately homed in on me and darted up the tree, surprising me with the speed with which it could climb.


    I teleported to another tree and continued my barrage against the injured wolverine on the ground. With a flash of inspiration, I used Recall to retrieve the sword still embedded in the wolverine¡¯s shoulder. The creature squealed in pain as thick blood began dripping from its oddly hydrophobic fur.


    The pain of its companion must have caused the uninjured wolverine to enter a frenzy because it immediately leaped at me, propelled by a blast of Air.


    Using one of my best foci, I sent a barrage of Space-based attacks toward the creature, knocking it off course. Completely undeterred, the wolverine circled around and headed back in my direction.


    ¡°When the hell did wolverines learn to fly?¡± I exclaimed as I grabbed a different wand. It was another focus, but this one enhanced Time magic.


    I added a little Arcane mana into my Stasis spell to give it a kick before channeling it through the wand. The wolverine dropped like a rock, landing several feet away from the injured wolverine on the ground.


    I sighed in relief, glad that my attempt had worked.


    With the pressure largely gone, I took a few moments to recover some mana as I eyed the pair of beasts below. One was time-locked, while the other stood next to it, growling impotently as blood seeped out of its shoulder.


    I couldn¡¯t tell for sure, but it seemed like it was already healing.


    I pursed my lips as I considered the angry creature. I wanted to test some more attacks against the thing, but it had already proven itself capable of shrugging off most of my attacks.


    There were a couple of Space-based attacks that I knew were effective when fighting up tiers, but they took more time and concentration than I¡¯d been able to dedicate to the task while actively fighting and avoiding attacks.


    Now that I wasn¡¯t actively being attacked, it would be easy enough to pop a Portal over the injured wolverine¡¯s head and snap it closed. Instant decapitation was generally effective, regardless of tier.


    But jumping right to a kill shot seemed wasteful without testing a few things first.


    Swapping back to the Space focus, I added a bit of Arcane mana to the Space Blade spellform and channeled it through the wand. The blade cut most of the way through the creature¡¯s leg but didn¡¯t sever it.


    I added a bit more Arcane mana and tried the spell again, this time focusing it on the cutting aspect of the blade. The mana blade cut through; however, I got the feeling it wouldn¡¯t work so well against the thicker parts of the creature¡¯s body.


    ¡°That sucks,¡± I grumbled.


    I knew it was silly to be disappointed that I didn¡¯t have my normal, cheat-like abilities. Rather, I did. They just weren¡¯t as cheaty as they normally were.


    At least enhanced Time magic was still enough to at least neutralize the creatures. It was a small blessing.


    After testing a few more attacks supplemented with Arcane mana, I decided to go ahead and verify my best Space-based assassination spell worked the way it should instead of simply assuming. With a thought, I cast a non-enhanced Portal directly over the injured wolverine¡¯s head.


    The wolverine jerked away, but my control over the Portal was good enough to slide the opening over the beast¡¯s head before snapping it shut. The body dropped as the head fell from the exit portal several feet away.


    I could almost feel the increase in experience from the kill.


    A quick glance at my status showed I¡¯d gained far more experience than I expected, even with the bonus from killing something at a higher tier.


    ¡°I wonder why it¡¯s so high,¡± I wondered when I saw the number.


    It wasn¡¯t a crazy amount by any means. In fact, I was pretty sure I could gain more during the same amount of time I¡¯d spent fighting the duo if I were back in the dungeon fighting creatures at my own tier. Even so, it wasn¡¯t a bad amount of progress.


    If I were able to make a few weapons with the materials I¡¯d already gathered, my offensive capability would skyrocket. I suspected the amount of experience I gained would drop because of the change in difficulty, but that didn¡¯t bother me.


    If I managed to kill creatures faster, I could more than make up the difference.


    It still might not be enough to take on the real challenges of the rift, but it would undoubtedly be an excellent addition to my arsenal.


    While I hoped to somehow manage to escape without tiering up, I wasn¡¯t going to plan on it. In fact, now that I¡¯d calmed down a little, I decided to plan on the opposite: I¡¯d work to advance as quickly as possible in hopes that I could tier-up and eventually get strong enough to defeat the bosses.


    I didn¡¯t want to be stuck in this rift any longer than necessary, and I certainly wasn¡¯t going to let it defeat me.

 Book 4 - Chapter 23 - Progress and Change

    After crafting a few items and enhancing what I could from my inventory, I spent the next couple of months carefully scouting the rift. I occasionally got lucky enough to scavenge from the fights between factions, but it wasn¡¯t nearly as often as I would have liked.


    Of the five groups, four seemed to fight against each other regularly enough. However, the fifth seemed more interested in fighting amongst themselves.


    It took me a while to find that last group, mostly because they were an aquatic race of mer-creatures called Lacusin, who lived within a large lake on the opposite side of the rift.


    Unlike true merfolk, Lacusin did not look like they shared any genetics with one of the sapient species. Though their upper bodies were roughly humanoid, with a torso, head, and two arms, that was where the similarities ended.


    Instead of the smooth, scaled skin of most merfolk, the creatures had thick, rubbery skin reminiscent of dolphins or whales. Their mouths were wide and filled with shark-like teeth, while their eyes were set far wider than a normal merfolk or humanoid.


    Additionally, the creatures had no noses or ears, nor were there any obvious openings to serve similar purposes.


    The creatures¡¯ hands were large, with webbing between each of their claw-tipped fingers, which they used to slice into each other as they fought for dominance like berserkers.


    The other target species were also violent, but they directed their aggression toward other groups instead of fighting amongst themselves.


    I was under no illusion that I could defeat any of the factions now, even with the weapons I¡¯d crafted using Tier Nine materials. While it was obvious none of the creatures were sapient, each group was clever in their own way.


    The monkeyoids (Simians) were able to use weapons, especially bows and javelins. I also noted quite a few mages among their numbers, assets that were often kept well-protected by the rest of their groups.


    The bird-harpies (Avemon) were more likely to use magic, though swarming and overwhelming their prey with sheer numbers seemed to be their preferred tactic when fighting other groups. When they did use magic, it was often Sound-based, though Air and Ice were also fairly common.


    Goboles were a subterranean race that looked like goblins with hardened carapaces. They preferred traps and poisons, though they seemed to have no hesitation about engaging in close-quarters combat. Their carapaces made them a difficult opponent for all but the susorcs, who were strong enough to easily dismember the goboles if they managed to get ahold of one.


    Susorcs looked like gray humanoid boars, and I suspected they were loosely related to actual orcs, just like goboles were similar to goblins. Both were races from the Collective, which I found interesting in an academic way.


    None of the target mobs were within my reach, though I¡¯d found some success against the beasts in the rift.


    Beasts like the diamond colossus I was currently stalking.


    The creature reminded me of a woolly mammoth, except its fur was hard like diamonds, and its tusks looked more like coal. I wanted both of those materials.


    Surprisingly, it was one of the lowest-leveled creatures I¡¯d encountered in the rift thus far.


    I already knew most of my magic was underpowered against the denizens of the rift, so I didn¡¯t try lobbing any spells or manatech attacks at the solitary creature. Instead, I cast Haste and channeled enough mana to slow the world around me to a near stop.


    I teleported forward and sliced with one of my newly crafted weapons, angling the strike so it slid under the heavy fur. Having functionally bypassed the creature¡¯s armor, its skin parted easily. I struck two more times before teleporting away and canceling Haste.


    The maneuver was a bit mana-intensive, but I still had plenty of mana left to attack again.


    As the diamond colossus reeled back in pain, I repeated the process. This time, instead of slicing, I injected several explosive talismans into the creature¡¯s neck before darting away.


    The talismans work as desired, but I found myself frowning at the remains.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a good approach. It takes too long to make the talismans and damages too much material,¡± I said to myself before cutting into the creature and beginning my harvest.


    The experience gains were good. It was one of the few silver linings about being stuck in the rift.


    I¡¯d done the math with Lisa and found that, given the crazy level of time dilation, I might actually come out ahead by the time I left the rift.


    By that, I meant that I¡¯d be farther along than I would have if I¡¯d spent all this time in the dungeon. It was just too bad I wouldn¡¯t get to spend any of that saved time with my family.


    Spatial Sense picked up several creatures moving in my direction, so I quickly Anchored a tight Time Domain and focused on harvesting everything I could as fast as possible. I certainly didn¡¯t want to be there when the creatures arrived.


    While I could take on one or two beasts in a controlled fight, a group was still far beyond my capabilities.


    I tightened my domain and increased my speed. It would be close.


    I¡¯d crafted a [Stasis Storage] ring out of Space and Time infused Crystal from the Crystal node I¡¯d gotten in the dungeon, but even with my affinities, I wasn¡¯t able to make a large enough space to contain the entire diamond colossus.


    I needed better, more appropriate materials to work with. Unfortunately, the rift seemed to be lacking in that area.


    ¡°I should probably make some storage bags and compartmentalize like I did when I entered the dungeon,¡± I mused as I stored a huge portion of the creature¡¯s liver. I stood and glanced over the remains. ¡°Damn, I hate leaving so much behind.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I didn¡¯t bother glancing over my shoulder before dropping my Time spell and teleporting back to my new home.


    I hated thinking of the safe room as home, but since it would serve that purpose for the foreseeable future, it seemed silly to resist. When it came down to it, I¡¯d probably spend more time living in the stone room than I had any other place in my life.


    Subjectively, I was going to be there for a long time.


    I pulled up just the experience portion of my status.


    ***


    Level: 72 (1054381/3824100)


    ***


    There was definitely progress, but it was slow. It was going to take years just to reach level seventy-three at this rate. I needed to find a way to grow faster.


    <hr>


    ¡°Three, two, one¡­¡±


    I covered my ears as the explosion shook the shelter I¡¯d created and reinforced just outside the target area.


    As soon as the shockwave passed, I teleported to the site of the formation. Taking in the damage, I cast Haste and quickly made my way around the kill zone, putting all the injured creatures out of their misery before collecting the carcasses.


    I¡¯d made several storage rings to ensure I could collect everything and run before stronger opponents arrived. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient approach, but I was working with limited materials.


    ¡°Incoming,¡± Lisa said, though her warning was unnecessary. I could easily sense the susorcs approaching at a loping run. Even so, I thanked Lisa for the warning before teleporting away.


    ¡°That was a good haul,¡± I said to my digital companion. A wave of my hand placed my furniture and belongings in their rightful places. A familiar face appeared on a Crystal screen mounted to the wall.


    The woman on the display appeared to be somewhere in her late twenties, with dark purple skin and almost white, shimmer-colored hair. Her features were just a bit sharper and more even than mine, and aside from the stark difference in coloration, we could have easily passed as siblings.


    Lisa looked exactly like the avatar she used during our virtual lessons.


    The display was something I¡¯d created during a particularly rough patch where I¡¯d struggled with feelings of isolation. Since I didn¡¯t want to spend all of my time in the limited virtual space my disconnected DIVE gear could manifest, crafting an alternative seemed like a good idea.


    ¡°It was an excellent haul,¡± Lisa said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve nearly reached level seventy-six!¡±


    I grinned at my friend. In the years I¡¯d been stuck in the rift, Lisa¡¯s personality had really bloomed. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was something she¡¯d done to keep me from going crazy or if it was a natural evolution for the Mana Intelligence.


    Either way, I was grateful for the companionship.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to train with the new Stealth spell the next time I go out,¡± I said as I plopped into the worn reclining chair in front of the display.


    Several months earlier, I went through a phase where I fixated on Spell Modification. I hadn¡¯t put a lot of time or effort into learning Arcane magic before that, thinking of it as more of an enhancer for enchantments and spells than a separate part of my magical arsenal.


    However, conversations with Lisa led me to test a few things, and one thing led to another, as they were prone to do.


    I wasn¡¯t totally fixated on the skill anymore, but I still messed around with modifying spellforms whenever I grew tired of enchanting items. I¡¯d even swapped my tertiary profession to Researcher to earn a bit of extra experience from my efforts, and I was happy to say it was an excellent choice.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I had anyone to sell my items to anymore.


    ***


    Name: Emie Momentia


    Level: 75 (3810962/3846300)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Researcher


    Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane


    ***


    Health: 320/320


    Stamina: 532/550


    Mana: 995/1050


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 23


    Agility ¨C 33


    Vitality ¨C 32


    Intelligence ¨C 105


    Wisdom ¨C 73


    Perception ¨C 38


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***


    I¡¯d dumped my last three levels'' worth of attribute points into Intelligence to gain a bit of extra mana since that was what I needed the most right now.


    Wisdom would probably help as well, but with the added regeneration from the dungeon hot springs, Wisdom wasn¡¯t quite as critical as it was before.


    I¡¯d probably invest a little more into Perception when I gained the next level. I really should have done it already, but I was a little hyper-focused on being able to kill the things I did perceive instead of expanding my senses.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Lisa said encouragingly. ¡°Based on the modified spellform, it should do a much better job at hiding you from the rift creatures than the talisman.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about the mana inefficiency,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°It¡¯s a concern, but not one I¡¯d worry too much about. You¡¯ve invested enough in Intelligence that you should have enough to compensate for a little inefficiency.¡±


    She was right, of course. Lisa usually was.


    ¡°You should probably go ahead and process your kills before you get too settled in.¡±


    I sighed at the admonition but didn¡¯t argue. I needed a little help to stay motivated. We both knew that.


    I forced myself out of the comfortable chair and moved to my old table. With an exaggerated sigh, I started unloading carcasses. None of the creatures caught in the blast were large enough to warrant setting up my processing area outside the safe room, and it was easy enough to clean up the mess once I was done.


    I also preferred to process my kills in the safety of my home. In all the years I¡¯d been stuck there, I¡¯d never once had a rift creature enter the dwelling. Even so, part of my regular setup included a formation around the doorway, ensuring nothing hostile entered the space.


    ¡°Ah! This one has a Space affinity!¡± I exclaimed when I saw the color of the mana core. ¡°I can finally make a better storage ring!¡± I added as I held the core up triumphantly.


    ¡°Congratulations!¡±


    I grinned and took extra care to harvest every scrap of material that I could from the dead creature. It was the first one that I¡¯d encountered in the rift with such an affinity, though I hoped it would not be the last.


    I¡¯d learned early on that the respawned creatures, both beast and otherwise, were never exactly the same as the ones they replaced. Even with the occasional variation, several affinities hadn¡¯t made an appearance within the rift.


    It was something I hoped would eventually change since I could really use a bit more variety in my materials.


    I hummed to myself as I harvested the rest of my kills, organizing the various bits into special containers I¡¯d made for just that purpose.


    As I placed one of the last few carcasses on the table, a soft vibration from behind drew my attention, and I paused. Turning, I noticed the altar pulsing with mana.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked Lisa, though I doubted she knew any more than I did.


    ¡°I have no idea. Perhaps you can connect to the altar like you did upon your arrival to see if any information is available.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea, though I didn¡¯t feel particularly comfortable connecting to the altar while it was doing¡­ whatever it was that it was doing.


    I cast Cleanse on my hands to remove the blood while I watched the altar grow slightly indistinct from the movement.


    I was in no hurry to approach.


    With Mana Sight active, I watched as the altar became a vortex and sucked in a massive amount of mana, pulling it through the open doorway like a vacuum.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be good,¡± I said warily, keeping my distance.


    ¡°Conversely, this may not be a bad thing,¡± Lisa commented. ¡°It appears as if the altar is absorbing ambient mana.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the rift is destabilizing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m uncertain, though I doubt it¡¯s a full destabilization. There are no records of such a thing occurring while a rift is occupied.¡±


    Before I could think of another hypothesis, the suction abruptly ended, and the altar once again became inert.


    More curious than worried, I stepped forward and placed my hand on the altar, connecting to the rift as I had several times since my arrival.

 Book 4 - Chapter 24 - Testing

    ¡°I¡¯m not seeing anything different from before,¡± I informed Lisa. Speaking aloud wasn¡¯t strictly necessary, but I¡¯d found it helped keep me sane after spending so long alone.


    Lisa¡¯s avatar nodded. ¡°That makes sense. It is exceedingly difficult to alter a rift with an active instance.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s what¡¯s happening?¡± I asked as I removed my hand from the altar and turned toward the screen. ¡°Someone is trying to alter the rift?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± my Interface Assistant replied. Her voice was coming from the mounted display where her avatar was currently displayed. ¡°It may also be routine maintenance to prevent the rift from tiering up or breaking. If the rift doesn¡¯t get a lot of traffic, it makes sense that whoever guards it would occasionally siphon the excess mana to prevent such occurrences.¡±


    I remembered doing something similar with the newly formed rifts on Earth right after the reintegration really kicked off. I¡¯d come across a few that were occupied at the time, and I found it far easier to simply wait for the delvers to leave than to try to do anything with them inside.


    It wasn¡¯t impossible to drain or add mana to an occupied rift, but it was difficult. There was also a definite limit to how much a rift could be artificially bolstered or weakened with someone inside. I¡¯d never had a reason to test the limits, but my training indicated it was only a stage or two within the same tier.


    If someone was trying to do something to this rift, my presence would certainly complicate things. They¡¯d also undoubtedly know someone was inside the rift, which meant whoever put me here probably knew that I was still alive.


    ¡°Well, at least they can¡¯t get to me in here,¡± I muttered to myself.


    Though my connection implied nothing had changed, I still felt the urge to explore the rift instead of finishing my original task of processing my kills. However, I ruthlessly squashed the impulse and forced myself to finish my work before indulging my curiosity.


    Discipline was important, especially now that I had a lot of material to craft with.


    My goal was to keep chipping away at the regular rift beasts until I reached High-Tier Eight. At that point, I¡¯d test my weapons against the weakest faction creatures.


    I hoped that the creatures weren¡¯t too resilient. If they were, it was going to take me a lot longer to escape from the rift.


    Though I was working with Tier Nine materials, the weapons and talismans I was crafting were not true Tier Nine items. Because I was personally only capable of infusing Tier Eight mana into my creations, the items I crafted would naturally be weaker than true Tier Nine creations.


    That meant that it was basically a toss-up on whether or not the items would be effective against the stronger mobs.


    If only they were weaker, I silently lamented.


    But that didn¡¯t really matter. It was what it was. I just needed to adapt and find a way to defeat the challenge.


    Once I finished processing the last of my kills, I Transmuted the offal into a clay-like substance and stored it in the ring I¡¯d dedicated to crafting materials.


    Transmuted materials never worked as well as those that were fully natural, but they worked well enough for consumable talismans, especially if the talismans could be overcharged.


    It was a matter of quantity over quality in this case.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m too curious to put it off any longer,¡± I said, glancing at the display still showing Lisa¡¯s avatar. She usually kept it there whenever I was in the safe room.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m a bit curious, myself,¡± Lisa replied with an eager look in her eyes.


    I waved my hand and stored the furniture and other items in their designated ring, leaving the room empty aside from the altar.


    I cast Stealth before exiting the safe room. The Arcane spell worked far better than the [Invisibility] talisman I¡¯d crafted in the dungeon. Given how under-leveled I was for the setting, I suspected it was the only reason I¡¯d been as successful as I was.


    I didn¡¯t notice any changes when I exited the room, aside from a barely perceivable reduction in ambient mana. It was a small thing, and I doubted it impacted anything in particular.


    Still, it was something.


    Confident in my spell¡¯s ability to hide me, I quickly made my way to the closest mob settlement, not bothering to teleport. It would have been a waste of mana.


    I¡¯d been surprised at how close the goboles were when I initially found them. The entrance to their underground village was only about half a mile away from the safe room, which wasn¡¯t far at all, given the size of the rift and how fast I could move.


    I had to be a little more careful when I entered the underground tunnels since they were littered with deadly traps. I also had to be cautious around the goboles since, even if the creatures couldn¡¯t see, hear, or smell me, being too close was often enough to alert them of my presence.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Carefully making my way through the tunnels, I noted that none of the traps had changed since my last visit. That wasn¡¯t too unusual, given that the instance never truly reset. I also tried to scout each faction at least every few days, so it hadn¡¯t been too long since my last visit.


    Inspect informed me that the goboles still ranged from level eighty-seven to eighty-nine, and still had a variety of affinities. As far as I could tell, nothing significant had changed.


    There did seem to be slightly fewer goboles loitering around outside the shanty village than normal, and those who were hanging out seemed a bit less energetic than usual. But since their numbers had never been really consistent, I wasn¡¯t confident the change had anything to do with the weird stream of mana.


    After returning to the surface, I headed to the susorc stronghold. The boar-looking humanoids didn¡¯t seem afflicted by any kind of lethargy, nor did I notice any real reduction in their numbers. In fact, the mobs were aggressively preparing for another raid as I watched from a safe distance.


    I checked the simians and avemons before finally calling it quits, not bothering with the underwater lacusins. Neither of the last two groups I checked showed any signs of influence or change, so I put the weird mana fluctuation out of my mind and headed home.


    I¡¯d already wasted enough time wandering around the rift, and I had crafting to do.


    <hr>


    Months passed, and then years.


    My weapons continued to get better as I learned to compensate for my shortcomings during the crafting process. Intent during imbuement was critical, but I¡¯d found a way to impart my intent into reagents themselves, so when ambient mana was changed and channeled into my creations, they worked as desired.


    Making a formation that would imbue the necessary mana into my crafted items over time was no easy task. I doubted many Enchanters had a need for such assistance since most tended to limit their crafting to their current tier.


    There was a reason for such a limitation ¨C manipulating higher-tier resources was hard, far harder than working with appropriately leveled materials. But I was pretty sure there was a saying about necessity being the mother of invention.


    I removed a tray of loose beads from the largest of my imbuing formations. Because each of the small clay beads was enchanted to do the same thing, I found that imbuing several at the same time worked much better than doing it one at a time.


    In fact, the new setup was more efficient and functional than trying to enchant each small bead by hand since I was able to automate most of the crafting process. Only embedding my intent into the reagents took actual effort, which made the process of creating a huge volume of explosive talismans far simpler than it was before.


    And it wasn¡¯t just explosive talismans. I had several other varieties as well. Each one took a separate set of formations to craft, but the effort there was fairly minimal, given how much of the process was already automated.


    I found it a little amusing that I¡¯d somehow come full circle in my fighting style.


    The bead-shooter I designed to launch the deadly talismans was crafted similarly, though I only automated the mana imbuement portion to ensure it was a true Tier Nine weapon. That was important since every piece of the weapon influenced how strong an attack would be.


    I¡¯d gained my entire alternate level from crafting since figuring out a way to craft at a higher tier was worth quite a bit of experience. I didn¡¯t even need Manatechnician or Researcher to reach my goal, though each still earned me a decent amount of experience as well.


    ¡°These should work nicely,¡± I said after examining the batch of bead-shaped talismans. ¡°Once the rest are finished baking, I¡¯ll test the lot against the goboles.¡±


    ¡°I have no doubt they¡¯ll work beautifully,¡± Lisa commented from the screen behind the workstation where I¡¯d sat the tray.


    I looked up at the avatar and smiled. ¡°I agree. They are true Tier Nine munitions. Given the enclosed space involved, they should be far more effective than what I was using before.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they¡¯ll even work against the boss?¡± Lisa asked with a playful smile.


    I crossed my fingers. ¡°Here¡¯s hoping. It would be great to get rid of one of the bosses this early.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been seventeen years. That¡¯s not really early.¡±


    I huffed out a mirthless chuckle. ¡°We both know it is. If I wasn¡¯t an Enchanter, it would have taken a century to get this far, even with my three affinities. Killing one or two of the weakest beasts at a time would have eventually gotten us here ¨C if I didn¡¯t die in the process ¨C but now that we can set up kill zones and have some real oomph¡­¡±


    ¡°It is far more effective,¡± Lisa conceded. ¡°However, I still maintain that seventeen years is far longer than most challengers would take. Then again, I assume most are not being forced into the rift at such a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± I agreed as I moved to the next formation. I removed the finished items and checked them over before storing them in my ring. ¡°Unless they are using the rift to assassinate more than just me. And considering who likely had access to this rift and how impossible it should be to survive with a full tier disadvantage, it was probably curated specifically to challenge Assassins.¡±


    Not addressing my theory, Lisa asked, ¡°Are you going to wait for the others to finish?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nah. These two sets should be enough to test things. Fire and Ice. The interaction should be effective enough for now. I¡¯ll test the others later.¡±


    ¡°I can practically feel your eagerness,¡± Lisa said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯d think after all this time, you¡¯d have developed a little more patience.¡±


    This time, my laugh was filled with amusement. ¡°Not even a little! I don¡¯t want to be stuck here any longer than I have to, and if this can help me defeat the bosses, then I want to know right away.¡± My smile faded as I released a heavy sigh. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being alone, Lisa,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to stay focused and keep myself busy¡­ and having you with me helps, but I need¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to say interaction with real people because that would imply that Lisa wasn¡¯t a person. And whether she was truly sapient or simply a very adaptable Mana Intelligence, she was a real person to me.


    But I still felt the need for something more.


    ¡°I understand,¡± my Interface Assistant said kindly. ¡°Humans are social creatures. You need contact with others like you, or at least those who are similar enough. I cannot fulfill that role.¡±


    ¡°I still appreciate you,¡± I said earnestly. I stepped closer to the display and focused on the avatar. ¡°I¡¯d probably be crazy right now without you.¡±


    ¡°I highly doubt that,¡± Lisa replied with a dismissive eye-roll. She was always very emotive in avatar form. ¡°You are far more resilient than you give yourself credit for. But enough of that. I¡¯m excited to see how effective these new talismans are. Maybe they¡¯ll be strong enough for you to complete the challenges without tiering up.¡±


    That was my hope. I really didn¡¯t want to miss out on the eighth-floor trial rewards. If I had to do it to survive and escape, I would. But if there was a way to complete the challenge while still at Tier Eight, I¡¯d do it.


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s about time we test these things out then,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be,¡± Lisa said with a nod.


    I returned the nod before waving my hand and collecting my belongings. It was something I did every time I left the safe room since I didn¡¯t trust the rift not to absorb my things if I wasn¡¯t around.


    Excited and hopeful, I cast Stealth and stepped through the open doorway.

 Book 4 - Chapter 25 - Boss Battles

    I looked down at the gobole¡¯s underground village from my perch halfway up the cavern wall. I¡¯d marked the spot a few months earlier in preparation for just such an assault, but this was my first time using it for more than surveillance.


    At a glance, the village looked like a functioning settlement, albeit a poorly kept and rundown one. However, after a bit of observation, its artificial nature became quite apparent.


    There were no children, for example, even if some of the goboles had a tendency to mate publicly¡­ among other things.


    Another obvious thing that stood out was the complete lack of crafters and other non-warriors in the village.


    That part made sense, given the location. Since mobs weren¡¯t supposed to be mistaken for sapient creatures, it was only natural the rift would simply create weapons for the mobs. For that matter, repairing or replacing weapons was probably done much like respawning creatures.


    Another oddity ¨C one more significant than the others, I felt, was that there seemed to be very few individuals hunting or gathering edible food for the rest of the group.


    What little I did see being dragged back to the village wasn¡¯t close to enough to support the number of creatures present, though there were no signs of malnutrition or even hunger.


    The creatures would happily eat anything they could get their hands on, be that beast, enemy, or their fallen brethren. But they didn¡¯t seem to ever need sustenance.


    I¡¯d noticed the same things with the other groups as well.


    Not that any of that mattered, really. At the end of the day, none of the rift creatures were real in the same way that beings on the outside were. They were just like the beasts in the dungeon.


    After watching the goboles for several minutes, I loaded the beads that I had enchanted with Ice-related attacks into my newest Tier Nine munitions launcher and readied myself. My new weapon was capable of shooting several beads at a time, which was important, given the amount of damage I needed to inflict to ensure the creatures died swiftly.


    I had a momentary flashback to my time on the seventh floor of the dungeon. I¡¯d attacked some of the underground goblin villages in a very similar manner. It was weirdly nostalgic.


    Carefully making note of my timing, I sent three quick volleys toward the village. With the first barrage hitting right about the time the last one was launched, I realized I¡¯d need to increase my speed, or perhaps manipulate Time a bit during the next set of attacks if I wanted the timing to work out right.


    The spray of beads was only sufficient to coat about a quarter of the village in ice, but I felt like it was a decent enough start.


    Because of how quickly I was able to shoot the beads, none of the goboles had any idea where the attack had originated. They still started bellowing and shrieking in alarm, as was expected.


    The first attack managed to kill a couple of creatures ¨C likely those who¡¯d been hit directly by one or more beads. I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell had it not been for the sudden influx of experience.


    It was less than I would have expected, given the level difference. But I supposed the higher-tier weapons probably had something to do with the reduced gains.


    It was still a lot more than I would get from killing a Tier Eight creature or even one of the weaker Tier Nines. But I somehow expected a bigger boost, given the creatures¡¯ strength and resilience.


    With a disappointed sigh, I swapped the munitions from Ice to Fire-based and began casting a bubble of Haste, expanding the area of effect into a tight circle so the launcher would be included in the effect.


    Had I not been in an enclosed space, I probably would have lingered to observe the effects of the second set of munitions. However, the risk of getting caught up in the blast seemed far too high, given the setting.


    I managed to shoot seven clusters of enchanted beads during the second volley before I needed to quickly teleport to relative safety on the surface.


    A dozen or so goboles died over the few minutes it took for the worst of the rumbles to end. By the time things finally settled, the ground was pocked with several sinkholes where some of the tunnels had collapsed.


    Eager to finish as many of the injured goboles as I could manage, I reinforced my Time Barrier and teleported as close to my former location as possible. The original ledge I¡¯d used for scouting had been mostly destroyed by the blast, but thankfully, a few new holes had been carved out, giving me a new location from which to observe.


    Most of the dilapidated village had collapsed in the blast, with only the largest of the buildings and a couple at the far edge surviving the attack.


    Many of the chitin-covered creatures lay injured among the rubble. Some were barely alive, while others were actively trying to dig themselves out to assist their fellows in finding and neutralizing the threat.


    In this case, me.


    Feeling confident that my secondary weapons would be sufficient to end the already injured goboles, I cast Haste and rushed toward the closest injured enemy. I didn¡¯t mind finishing them off up close since doing so ensured I wouldn¡¯t lose out on the tier disparity bonus as I¡¯d seemed to for the fight thus far.


    The creatures had a few obvious weak points, which I targeted as I rushed through the ruined village like a wraith. My mana-covered blades, backed by time dilation, cut through joints and stabbed into cracked carapaces.


    I would have decapitated all of the injured creatures if I could, but some were positioned in such a way that made such efforts far more difficult. Since I didn¡¯t want to slow down and make a target of myself, I settled with doing as much damage as possible without slowing.


    My goal was to kill as many as possible before the boss made an appearance.


    As I moved through the fallen mobs, I grabbed and stored several that had already expired. I planned to swing back through and pick up the remains of those still stubbornly holding on to life, but Spatial Sense warned me that my time for such things had run out.


    Pushing Haste a little harder, I turned and eyed the large gobole heading my way.


    The creature was larger than its weaker fellows by at least twenty-five percent, and I could only assume that its strength and toughness had a similar increase in difficulty.


    I felt a chill as the creature made and held eye contact with me. It was immediately obvious that my speed was not going to be enough to win a fight against the gobole boss.


    Very few entities, people or otherwise, had the kind of perception required to track me when I was using Haste, especially when I was pushing hard on it. For the gobole boss to do so with apparent ease, especially when goboles were not known for being particularly perceptive¡­


    That was an immediate nope.


    I needed far more preparation before I was willing to challenge something that negated my strongest personal offensive ability. I didn¡¯t even bother grabbing another body or attacking another gobole before teleporting back to the safe room.


    Some might consider that cowardly. I simply saw it as understanding my own shortcomings.


    Even with the less-than-stellar finish to my first real assault on one of the factions, I was happy with my progress. Not only did I gain a good amount of experience, but I also finally managed to observe one of the faction bosses.


    In all the years I¡¯d been living inside the rift and stealthily observing the different groups, this was my first time seeing one of the elusive leaders.


    I wasn¡¯t happy with the results.


    Hopefully, one of the other bosses would make a better target.


    <hr>


    I didn¡¯t rush right into the next conflict. Instead, I took a couple of weeks to make a few new weapons out of my fallen foes.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Many of the defeated goboles had Earth, Metal, and Shadow affinities, making the materials quite useful for several items and weapons.


    Further, I almost always needed more Earth and Metal cores, specifically, so I was mostly satisfied with the bounty I¡¯d collected. I would have been happier had I not left several bodies behind, but given the threat, I wasn¡¯t going to get too upset about it.


    After giving it some thought, I decided that my next target would be the avemon. In some ways, they were far more difficult than the goboles, even with their weaker bodies. However, that was only if the creatures were able to fight back.


    Unfortunately, the feathered harpy creatures were notoriously hard to sneak up on, even with my Arcane Stealth spell. They almost had to have a ridiculous amount of perception, which made surprise attacks a lot more difficult.


    Difficult, but not impossible.


    Large-scale Time magic was tough, as a general rule, though proper planning certainly helped. Having an exceptionally high affinity also helped, and I was pretty sure my affinity was creeping ever closer to perfect with each passing year.


    While a couple of points might not seem like much, they really were. It was why I spent so much time Meditating on Arcane magic. Every little bit helped, making it worth the effort even without the added essence to boost my affinity.


    Being a little less rash with this attack, I carefully crept along the edge of the largest floating island, installing small pieces of engraved Crystal at specific locations while keeping myself as hidden as possible.


    Twice, I had to teleport away to avoid being attacked. Neither of the avemon scouts had noticed the hidden pieces of Crystal, which was a relief. Though they weren¡¯t sapient, I couldn¡¯t be sure they wouldn¡¯t recognize the formation pieces as something to be wary of.


    Because of how careful I had to be, it took me three days to get the formation in place. I took a break the next day to rest and prepare and returned the following night ready to engage my next set of foes.


    Like most creatures, avemons were active during the day and typically slept at night. They kept a few roving patrols around the main island, but it was exceedingly rare for any of the others to be awake or away from their roost once darkness fell.


    I waited until the darkness had grown heavy and sounds of activity on the island disappeared before activating the formation. The patrolling avemons froze along with those who¡¯d already succumbed to slumber for the evening.


    I moved quickly, not wanting to place too much pressure on the formation I¡¯d powered with my own mana.


    It was weaker by a tier than the creatures, but I still felt confident it would be fine, even if some of the creatures were inherently resistant to Time magic. Because I¡¯d activated a [Stasis] effect for everything inside at the moment of activation (and smartly stayed outside the formation at the time), resistances didn¡¯t matter all that much.


    Stasis was a protective spell effect by nature. Thus, without knowingly and directly resisting the effect ¨C something basically impossible when one was caught unaware ¨C there was really nothing a target could do.


    I suspected that was how I¡¯d been taken, though I didn¡¯t put too much thought into the matter. There really wasn¡¯t anything I could do about it while trapped in the rift, and dwelling on my situation tended to leave me in a sour mood.


    I slid enchanted beads under the weak points in bodies and into mouths whenever possible. A surprising number of avemons slept open-mouthed, making the latter quite easy to accomplish.


    It took more than an hour to trap the time-locked, sleeping creatures, even with a weakly-powered Haste speeding my process along by a decent margin.


    As I traipsed through the island village, I never encountered an avemon that looked significantly different from the others, though I did encounter a few blank spots.


    Those weren¡¯t entirely unusual, though. There were several areas in the rift, most with some kind of Void plant or mineral, that showed up as gaps to my senses.


    I suspected the boss might have been hidden inside one of those areas, but since I needed to focus on trapping as many avemons as possible during the limited time the formation would remain active, I didn¡¯t bother digging too deeply.


    When the tedious part of my attack was complete, I teleported a moderate distance away and settled onto a platform of solidified Space mana. It was close enough to interact with the formation and the trapped munitions without being so close that I risked potential injury.


    Safety first, and all that.


    Though I was excited to test my newest attack method, I forced myself to wait a few moments to regain as much mana as possible while the last moments of the [Stasis] formation ran out. Once it failed, I immediately triggered the munitions.


    The reaction was spectacular, though I had little time to enjoy the show since the surge of experience nearly knocked me off my perch.


    An angry screech resounded from somewhere deep inside the island, echoed by several quieter calls. I couldn¡¯t see where they came from, but it was obvious that I¡¯d missed several creatures along the way.


    They¡¯d probably been hidden in the Void gaps. That meant it was likely they¡¯d have Void abilities, which was a hassle when I was relying on magic to keep myself aloft.


    I wouldn¡¯t die if I fell, but it wouldn¡¯t be a pleasant experience, either.


    Confident that I would be able to teleport away with my implanted E3 talisman, even inside a Null Field, I moved myself to one of the small mountains on the largest floating island.


    I was still somewhat hidden by my Arcane Stealth spell, but I wasn¡¯t going to rely on that to keep me hidden from the perceptive creatures.


    When the navy-plumed creature appeared above the center of the island, my suspicion that the boss was Void-attuned was confirmed.


    [Avemon Rift Boss ¨C Void ¨C Level 90 ¨C Various Alchemical uses/Edible with minor processing]


    I didn¡¯t want to run right away like I had with the gobole boss, not because the avemon boss was weaker or anything, but because I really wanted to test a few attacks against the creature first.


    I wasn¡¯t in a confined area, like with the gobole, so I figured it was worth a small risk to at least attempt to kill the creature. If it turned out the avemon had similar perception skills as the gobole (or some of its minions), then I could always run.


    Since the boss didn¡¯t appear to see me at the moment, I set the creature as my target and began lobbing as many enchanted beads as I could manage in the creature¡¯s direction.


    To my dismay, the clay beads bounced off the creature¡¯s feathers without detonating.


    I tried a direct attack, using one of my manatech wands loaded with a [Stone Spike] spell effect. The effect manifested and shot in the creature¡¯s direction, but it quickly lost speed and fell to the ground as if the magical propulsion had been canceled.


    That was likely exactly what happened since the [Stone Spike] technically wasn¡¯t a magical effect once the item manifested. Its movement, however, was still controlled by mana.


    Or, it had been.


    Before I could try another spell, this time coming from above, the boss and its minions rushed in my direction, somehow seeing through my Stealth¡­ probably because the spell effect had been compromised by the Void magic the boss and its surviving minions were releasing.


    Knowing that external spell effects were essentially useless, I activated Haste and dodged the strike I sensed coming from behind before jumping away from the diving avians.


    Since Null Fields didn¡¯t limit my access to my inventory, I equipped a bone spear I¡¯d crafted out of gobole bones and stabbed toward one of the smaller Void-affinitied avemons that was still in reach, cutting through one of its wings.


    It was obvious that the creature wasn¡¯t expecting a physical attack, especially not one coming at it that quickly. The sharpened blade of the spear dug deeply into the creature, bypassing its armored feathers with little difficulty and grounding it.


    I pressed the attack, focusing on the injured avemon as the others circled around. Haste allowed me to stay out of reach, and none seemed to be tracking me like the gobole boss had, though they could obviously still see me to some degree.


    However, not even the Void-affinitied boss was able to make and maintain eye contact. The small weakness was comforting, if a little strange. Given their obvious fortes, I would have expected the avemon to be better with matters of perception over goboles.


    I managed to kill the first Void avemon with little difficulty. I was actually a little surprised at how physically weak the creatures were, though I supposed it made sense, given how easily they were able to negate most magical attacks.


    With a growing sense of confidence, I kited the remaining mobs around the island, dodging their attacks and killing the weaker ones until only the boss was left.


    I kept Haste active the entire time, unwilling to risk my safety without the added advantage.


    Sure, my E3 talisman would probably save me, but I didn¡¯t want to use it unless there was no other choice.


    I could feel that my mana reserves were getting a little low, so I ducked under a sturdy tree to give myself time to down a [Mana Restoration] potion. I really wasn¡¯t great with Alchemy, but basic potions like that were easy enough.


    As soon as the potion was imbibed, I pivoted and rushed toward the avemon boss.


    It was stronger and tougher than its minions by a decent amount, and I quickly found myself increasing the amount of mana I was channeling into Haste to compensate.


    Though I was getting close to reaching Peak-Tier Eight, there was still an entire tier difference between me and the creature, making the fight difficult, even if I was moving too quickly for it to really track.


    I dodged a swipe of the creature¡¯s claws as the humanoid bird swooped down. Twisting, I stabbed forward with my bone spear, barely clipping the creature¡¯s side as it shifted at the last moment. It was fast, though I could tell it was struggling to keep up with my speed.


    Not giving it time to gain distance, I threw the bone spear like a javelin, hitting the boss in the back. The strike obviously damaged something critical, and the boss let out a pained caw as it struggled to avoid crashing.


    Abandoning the spear that was still embedded in the boss¡¯s back, I withdrew a new weapon from my inventory. This one was closer to a glaive, though it, too, was made solely of bone. The difference, however, was that the bone that made this weapon was Metal-aligned, and many of the attributes of Metal carried over to the bladed weapon.


    As the boss shifted and flailed in an attempt to dislodge the spear, I danced around the creature and used the new weapon to cut through its wings, grounding it permanently.


    The enchantments I¡¯d placed on the weapon weren¡¯t active, but they also weren¡¯t necessarily needed for this fight.


    It took far longer than I would have liked to slowly bleed the creature, and even with the [Mana Restoration] potion, I was running on fumes by the time the boss finally fell.


    Still, I¡¯d managed to take down one of the bosses ¨C at a full-tier disadvantage.


    It was an amazing accomplishment, and I felt almost giddy as I stumbled around the island, collecting what I could of my defeated foes.


    If I was right, avemons wouldn¡¯t respawn any longer. It shouldn¡¯t make any of the other creatures more aggressive, but I also couldn¡¯t be certain it wouldn¡¯t.


    This was supposed to be some great Assassin challenge, so it kinda made sense that each defeated boss would make the others a little tougher.


    I frowned at the thought.


    If that was really the case, I might need to find a way to defeat the gobole boss next instead of letting it get any stronger.


    Or maybe it would be better to wait until I tiered up. The fight would almost certainly be easier then. It was something I would need to really consider.

 Book 4 - Interlude 4 - News from the Rift

    Kai, the former Patriarch of the Epikairos Sect, exchanged a glance with Lian¡¯Aenigma, his Mind Mage companion, before focusing on the trio of elves sitting at the table next to them.


    His search had brought the two of them to one of the newer cities on Agirock, the same frontier world he¡¯d visited decades earlier with his former disciple.


    None who knew the Pinnacle Time Mage would recognize him at a glance.


    Gone were his silky platinum blonde hair and pale skin. Both had been replaced by far darker variants, giving him the coloration of one of the dark-skinned elves most often found on Gemine or Astra.


    His features had also been adjusted to aid in his disguise. Most significant were his ears, which had shifted from small, round protrusions into something far more eye-catching and pointed.


    To sell the illusion, his talisman further falsified his identity, overlaying his aura with counterfeit information for any who¡¯d attempt to identify him. Supported by the power of a Tier Ten, very few would be able to bypass such protections.


    The Mind Mage he¡¯d been working with for the past couple of decades was similarly disguised, though Lian had no need for illusions to make himself seem elven ¨C that being his natural race.


    Instead, he merely changed his features and altered his displayed affinity, as was expected for such work.


    ¡°Are you fellows here to delve the local rifts?¡± Kai asked casually when their neighbors fell into a companionable silence.


    Seeing them as fellow elves, the three adventurers appeared happy to engage them in conversation.


    ¡°We are!¡± the darkest of the trio replied with a friendly smile. ¡°Well met, cousins. My name is Bilano, and these two are Hoi and Jaris,¡± he said, motioning toward his companions.


    ¡°Well met,¡± the Mind Mage said, taking the lead on the conversation. ¡°You can call me Rin. My companion goes by Cern¡¯Stonespear.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a Mage Academy graduate?¡± Bilano asked with raised brows. ¡°Impressive.¡±


    Graduating from a Mage Academy wasn¡¯t the only way to obtain a surname, but it was by far the most common.


    Kai smiled as if proud and eager to brag a little. ¡°I am! I attended Hearthstone. It¡¯s an academy known for Earth magic, though others with related magics also attend.¡±


    The academy itself was real, as was its modest reputation. It was middling, at best, but that was exactly the type of education a random adventurer would be expected to have.


    Continuing, Kai leaned forward and said, ¡°I honestly planned to join a sect instead, but the sect I wanted to join was involved in a sect war when I awakened. Since jumping into a war sounded like a pretty bad idea at the time, I opted to go to the academy instead. I¡¯m glad I did since the sect ended up getting disbanded after most of the elders died.¡±


    Being so open was a bit of a risk, and it had drawn suspicion more than once. But of all the approaches they¡¯d tried, this one had consistently provided the best feedback.


    Further, though rare, sects being disbanded under such circumstances weren¡¯t unheard of. His story was close enough to hopefully resonate with the three elves without being too close to their own background to draw suspicion.


    As expected, the trio¡¯s faces darkened at the mention of a sect being disbanded. Jaris, the elf sitting farthest from his table, made a grumbling noise before speaking in a low, deep voice.


    ¡°We know all about sects being disbanded. We were in a sect until a couple of decades ago when the Council decided to yank our charter. The three of us were out on a mission when everything went down, but we¡¯ve talked with several of our buddies who were there, and they said it was some kind of political statement.¡±


    The other two elves nodded along with the first.


    ¡°We ended up sticking together since most of our brethren had already grouped up,¡± Bilano said, focusing on the two strangers. ¡°Did you know that when a sect is disbanded by the Council, the former members are forbidden from gathering in groups of five or more?¡±


    The Mind Mage next to Kai shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of something like that,¡± he lied. ¡°But I suppose it makes sense if misconduct was involved.¡±


    ¡°There was no misconduct,¡± the dark-skinned elf insisted. ¡°Like Jaris said, it was a political statement. The Council didn¡¯t like that we adhere to the old ways.¡±


    ¡°I grew up pretty progressive in that way,¡± Lian said almost apologetically. ¡°A lot of my childhood friends were human and demi.¡±


    Kai looked between his companion and the other group uncomfortably, as if he wasn¡¯t quite sure which side of the argument he agreed with.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have problems with non-elves,¡± Bilano assured them.


    ¡°Yeah. I know plenty of humans and stuff,¡± Hoi said, bobbing his head.


    ¡°We just don¡¯t feel like they¡¯re the same as elves,¡± Bilano added. ¡°It¡¯s hard to be equals when we live so much longer, you know.¡±


    ¡°I get that,¡± Lian said amicably. ¡°But there are plenty of Time Mages who live just as long, and being an elf doesn¡¯t guarantee a long life. I know far too many who¡¯ve died young.¡±


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    ¡°There are exceptions to everything, sure,¡± Bilano said dismissively. ¡°But as a general rule, elves live longer than the other races. We all know that shifts one¡¯s perspective.¡±


    Kai couldn¡¯t necessarily argue the point.


    The disguised Time Mage raised an inquisitive brow at the Mind Mage beside him. By this point, no words were necessary for the other man to understand his question.


    ¡°They are clear,¡± Lian relayed through their interface connection. ¡°They were all relatively new to the sect when it was disbanded, so they weren¡¯t fully indoctrinated. Or, if they were, they¡¯ve moved beyond it by this point.¡±


    ¡°Well, safe delving,¡± Kai said as he tapped the small Crystal tablet mounted to the corner of his table to pay for their drinks. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for me and Rin to head out. We¡¯ve got some people to meet later, and I don¡¯t want to be late.¡±


    With a friendly wave goodbye, the two disguised mages made their way out of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.


    ¡°Where to next, boss?¡± Lian asked.


    Kai was about to answer when his interface alerted him to a pending message. A slow smile spread across his face as he read over it.


    ¡°She killed the first boss,¡± Kai said with a grin as feelings of pride swelled in his chest.


    He¡¯d officially stepped down from his position as Patriarch after Emie was abducted, wanting to dedicate his remaining time in the realm to finding his wayward former disciple and punishing those responsible.


    He¡¯d managed the first ¨C finding her, at least. Unfortunately, he could do nothing to help his prot¨¦g¨¦e, given the situation. Really, aside from liberating the rift from the Assassins¡¯ Guild and monitoring it, all he could do on that front was ensure Emie would be safe when she eventually escaped.


    And Kai was confident she would eventually escape.


    Anya gave her even odds. In his mind, that was as good as a guarantee that, short of some kind of accident, she¡¯d make it.


    The punishment part was still ongoing. Though, if he was being honest, it hadn¡¯t truly started. But he was working toward that goal ¨C or an expanded version of it.


    Going after the Tier Ten Time Mage Assassin was pointless, really. He knew who the Assassin was. There was only one Tier Ten Time Mage Assassin, after all.


    But killing Cin wouldn¡¯t accomplish anything. The Specter had been nothing but a tool, and Kai had never been one to blame a sword for causing harm.


    No. Cin had essentially been manipulated into doing the job, and it was not one he would have ever accepted without the weight of honor forcing his hand.


    Kai had ensured that himself. It was how Lian had come into his service.


    As far as he was concerned, the Sovereignty Sect was responsible. But he did not believe in group punishment, so he¡¯d settled on punishing those who¡¯d acted against Time Mages, specifically.


    Kai didn¡¯t really care if they saw themselves as superior to others. What he did care about was whether or not they targeted his people.


    Truly, he should have acted long before now. It was only his desire not to cause problems for his sect that had stayed his hand.


    But now that he was no longer the Patriarch and only held the loosest of connections to the sect that carried his name¡­ The gloves were off.


    In fact, he and his team had already collected about half of the former Sovereignty Sect members, which was surprisingly fewer than he expected to have secured after investigating more than three-quarters of their number.


    His hand unconsciously drifted to the small metal cube tucked into the folds of his belt. Spatial storage devices, such as the one he was using to keep the guilty safely stored away, were better kept outside other such devices.


    Preparations were already being made to ensure those he¡¯d collected were afforded the same opportunity that Emie had been granted. In fact, all but one of the necessary challenge rifts had either been procured or curated specifically for that purpose.


    If the guilty survived the same kind of challenge they¡¯d orchestrated for Emie, he¡¯d let them be. If not¡­ well, they¡¯d already be dead.


    It was a fitting response, he thought.


    ¡°How long did it take her?¡±


    ¡°According to the minder, she¡¯s only been active for a bit over seventeen relative years.¡± Kai looked at his elven companion pointedly. ¡°That¡¯s calculated from the time since she killed the first creature, by the way.¡±


    The Mind Mage¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Seventeen years to progress through the eighth tier is certainly remarkable. What level do you think she¡¯s reached to be capable of defeating a boss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Knowing Emie, she might still be Tier Eight,¡± Kai said with a smirk. ¡°I told you she¡¯s an Expert Enchanter on top of having three affinities, two of which are very strong. She isn¡¯t one to be underestimated.¡±


    Lian blinked several times as he processed the statement. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a Peak-Tier Nine rift? It seems unrealistic to think she could fight up an entire tier. Surely, she¡¯s at least crossed the tier threshold.¡±


    Kai raised both hands and gestured in the Alliance¡¯s version of a shrug. With an amused smile, he said, ¡°With the right weapons, almost anything is possible.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°She killed one of the bosses?¡± Emie¡¯s mother, Avery, asked, barely believing her ears, as she stepped into the break room of the clinic where she worked.


    She¡¯d almost grown numb to the worry about her eldest daughter, though she couldn¡¯t deny a surge of happiness at the news. Not only was Emie still alive, but she was somehow succeeding against all odds.


    If only Justin had been so lucky, Avery thought with a hint of bitterness.


    Her son ¨C her only son ¨C had died less than a decade after Emie¡¯s abduction. It should have been impossible with the protective amulets he wore. Yet somehow, he¡¯d perished while delving an appropriately leveled rift with his team.


    Avery suspected that his party members were to blame, even though investigators had assured her they weren¡¯t.


    Incompetence or malice, the outcome was the same.


    Bell had been beside herself with grief. The only consolation was that Amie and the twins had already awakened and moved out by that point.


    Even after so many years, Avery still kept in touch with her daughter-in-law. It seemed like the younger woman had finally moved on. She¡¯d even been seeing one of the sect Elders. Avery didn¡¯t begrudge Bell¡¯s newfound happiness. She truly hoped her the best.


    Just like she did with James.


    ¡°She did,¡± her now ex-husband informed her. Avery could hear his new wife in the background, cooing to their youngest.


    That was another consequence of Justin¡¯s untimely demise.


    Avery wanted to blame James for leaving her, but she couldn¡¯t. Not really. She¡¯d been a mess after Emie¡¯s abduction, and Justin¡¯s death had simply been too much.


    To her eternal shame, she¡¯d neglected Kaylee and Ashlynn for the last part of their childhood, prompting both to move out as soon as they were eligible.


    Once they were gone, James left her, and it just made sense to go back home to Earth.


    It took a long time, but eventually, the sharp edges of grief started to fade. Healing others also helped more than she expected.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Avery said sincerely. ¡°Do they think she¡¯ll escape anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. The message didn¡¯t go into that much detail,¡± her ex-husband said with the slightest hint of annoyance.


    Avery could tell that James was eager to finish the conversation, so she didn¡¯t drag it out. Real-time interplanetary communication was too expensive to prolong unnecessarily.


    ¡°Thanks for letting me know,¡± she said quietly before saying goodbye.


    Feeling a little more optimistic, Avery put away her sleek, manatech phone and returned to the important task of healing others.

 Book 4 - Chapter 26 - Tiering Up

    ¡°Fu¡ª¡±


    My curse of surprise and pain caught in my throat as my body was swiftly restored, and I was teleported back to the safe room.


    I¡¯d linked my implanted E3 talisman to a newly crafted beacon shortly after my arrival, giving myself a safe place to escape in the event of a serious injury. However, I¡¯d never been pushed to use it.


    This was actually the first time the life-saving device had been triggered. Ever.


    That fact only reinforced how dangerous my situation really was.


    I absently rubbed my newly restored chest as I considered my last encounter.


    I hadn¡¯t been careless or arrogant during my attack. I hadn¡¯t even managed to draw out the susorc boss before being faced with a wickedly strong opponent ¨C one of the two guards that stood outside the boss¡¯s chambers.


    It was far stronger and faster than the other susorcs I¡¯d encountered, and the added speed had caught me off guard. That small surprise had allowed the creature to land a pretty significant hit across my torso after shattering my Tier Nine [Barrier] in a flurry of motion.


    Without Time magic, I might not have survived the blow at all. Even regular healing would have likely struggled to repair the damage, considering the creature had cleaved me nearly in half.


    It really was a wake-up call.


    I¡¯d already earned enough experience to reach Tier Nine but had been holding off on leveling up in hopes that I might somehow create an arsenal strong enough to bridge the gap between myself and the remaining rift bosses.


    In fact, I¡¯d accrued so much excess experience that I was close to hitting the limit. It was something I never expected to encounter again, and only sheer stubbornness had kept me from pulling the trigger and just tiering up.


    I¡¯d even toyed with the idea of spending a ton of points on a couple of new Arcane spells since my collection in that affinity was severely lacking. I¡¯d put some effort into adapting spellforms from other types of spells, but there were tons of options only available through the system that really were impossible to get without buying them or being some kind of spellform scholar.


    It was unfortunate that I hadn¡¯t acquired many Arcane spellforms back when I was researching such things for the primer I¡¯d written long ago.


    Ultimately, I decided not to waste the experience on such a purchase since I really could figure out most of what I wanted to do with enchantments.


    ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s no reason to delay any longer,¡± I sighed as I placed my furnishings in their normal spots.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re finally willing to see reason,¡± Lisa said smugly as I settled in my comfortable reclining chair. It was in need of a restoration soon, as there were several spots in the upholstery that had worn thin. But I¡¯d get to it eventually.


    Lisa¡¯s comment made me chuckle.


    I removed one of my newer manatech devices from my ring and sat it on the short table next to me.


    Having long grown tired of simply seeing my friend on a screen, I¡¯d crafted the holographic cube to grant my Interface Assistant a three-dimensional body. It made me feel a little less isolated, which was important, given how long I¡¯d been blocked from contact with the outside world.


    It hadn¡¯t even been all that hard to make.


    I sent a playful glare toward the newly manifested avatar. ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s easy to say when you don¡¯t have anything personal to lose.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already discussed this topic several times. My response has not changed,¡± Lisa said, her voice now coming from the purple-skinned holograph instead of my mind. ¡°Without you, I do not exist. If you die because you refuse to gain the requisite power to escape, I die along with you. I most certainly have something to lose in that case.¡±


    Once again, I wondered if Lisa¡¯s response was genuine or simply a byproduct of her programming. I¡¯d already decided the answer ultimately didn¡¯t matter, but the uncertainty still occasionally reared its head.


    And though Lisa could undoubtedly read my thoughts, she never, ever commented on my unspoken question. That action alone contributed more to my doubts than anything else.


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t want you to die, now, do we?¡± I said glibly, pushing my doubts away. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll really lose anything, anyway. Gaining a fourth affinity was a long shot, especially since I could only really afford to use one reward to try.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good way of looking at things. Besides, it¡¯s unknown whether a fourth affinity is even possible. There are no records of anyone accomplishing such a feat in the past.¡±


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    It was another thing we¡¯d discussed several times.


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± I said tiredly. The fatigue of fighting and almost truly dying seemed to hit me all at once. ¡°Well, might as well get to it, I guess. I¡¯m going to go ahead and apply both levels since there¡¯s no reason not to at this point.¡±


    I¡¯d been gathering experience and putting off my next level for several years already. In fact, it had been a little over a decade since I somehow managed to defeat the first boss. It was time.


    Not waiting for Lisa to reply, I manipulated my status to do just that.


    ***


    Name: Emie Momentia


    Level: 82* (7151352/7786900)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Researcher


    Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane


    ***


    Health: 340/340 *


    Stamina: 431/620*


    Mana: 685/1120*


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 28


    Agility ¨C 37*


    Vitality ¨C 34*


    Intelligence ¨C 112*


    Wisdom ¨C 74*


    Perception ¨C 40*


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***


    I almost had enough for the last level, but since I hadn¡¯t hit the experience cap, I wasn¡¯t quite there.


    I split my attribute points pretty evenly, with only Strength not getting anything from the double level-up. Given how often I was using Haste and entering melee, I¡¯d invested a few points into Strength and Agility over the last several levels, but I didn¡¯t think the former needed anything more at the moment.


    Really, the boost from increasing my Tier should make far more difference than a few points ever could. I was relying on that very advantage to shift this experience from something impossible into something inevitable.


    I hated missing out on a Trial reward, but at least I¡¯d spent a few months soaking in the regeneration-boosting Hot Spring on the eighth floor before leaving. Losing both boons would have really grated at me.


    I closed my screen.


    Since the changes wouldn¡¯t truly go into effect without sleep, I activated my strongest defensive formation and settled in for a much-needed rest.


    <hr>


    ¡°Oh wow,¡± I said as I took in the damage from my offensive Space magic tests. ¡°It¡¯s almost like being back in the dungeon!¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother suppressing the wide grin that stretched across my face as I realized the implications. Based on the damage that a few unenhanced spells had done to the ¡®regular mobs¡¯ nearby, I suspected I¡¯d be escaping the rift far sooner than I had feared just a short time earlier.


    ¡°As expected,¡± Lisa replied confidently in my mind. ¡°Your attacks are far stronger than they were before.¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s a bit beyond my expectations,¡± I admitted. ¡°For some reason, I thought I was still going to have to struggle after tiering up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too confident. You still haven¡¯t tested yourself against the remaining factions yet.¡±


    She was right, of course.


    ¡°I should do that now,¡± I said excitedly.


    Without waiting, I teleported to my normal spot just outside the susorc settlement. They were the best foe I could think of to test my newfound power against, given my recent failure.


    ¡°You should probably activate Stealth before alerting them to your presence. It would be helpful to check how effective the spell has become.¡±


    I nodded in agreement and silently cast the spell.


    Stealth had been good before tiering up, so I was very confident the newly strengthened spell would be even better now. Even so, I took my time and carefully entered the faux village.


    As expected, none of the large, humanoid boar creatures noticed my presence at all. In fact, I was easily able to make my way into the heart of the village without alerting either of the guards that were stationed outside the room.


    I¡¯d managed the same thing once before, but the boss had been roaming the village at the time.


    Unlike the avemon boss, the oversized boar creature was not hidden from my perception, allowing me to sneak up on the semi-isolated boss as it sat, or rather, slumped, snoring on a misshapen throne of hardened Magma.


    Seeing that, coupled with the tell-tale signs around the room indicative of Magma spells, the boss¡¯s affinity was apparent. Not that I hadn¡¯t already verified that fact. But still, seeing proof was comforting.


    Though I was at the low end of Tier Nine and the boss was at the absolute peak, I suddenly felt much more confident in my chances against the sleeping humanoid orc-boar. And even if it did manage to attack, I was sure I could survive long enough to escape.


    I probably wouldn¡¯t have felt as confident, even with the recent power-up and the boss¡¯s apparent lack of consciousness, had I not recharged and re-implanted my E3 talisman prior to leaving the safety of the stone room.


    I still should have been terrified, especially after one of the creature¡¯s guards so recently managed to nearly kill me. But somehow, I wasn¡¯t.


    If anything, I was excited.


    Assassinating the bosses had to be the goal, right? It was a rift designed to test Tier Nine Assassins, after all, and the boss was sitting there, unconscious¡­ all alone.


    It was practically an invitation, and I was only slightly annoyed that I hadn¡¯t stumbled upon this opportunity before tiering up.


    I crept behind and to the side of the slumbering boss before halting. I wasn¡¯t sure whether to attack directly or use Pause to ensure the creature didn¡¯t move at the last moment.


    Since the creature was clearly sleeping, it was unlikely it would be capable of resisting the Time spell. It should be easy to drop a small Portal over the thing¡¯s head and finish it that way.


    Such an approach felt a little cheaty, but I¡¯d long lost any concern for what others might consider ¡®fair.¡¯


    Happy enough with my plan, I cast Pause on the sleeping boss and immediately followed up with a carefully placed Portal.


    The rest of the susorcs didn¡¯t react to their leader¡¯s death, which honestly surprised me a little. I expected the rift to force a conflict after the boss died, but nothing of the sort happened.


    The entire thing was completely anti-climactic, just like a good assassination probably should be.


    I didn¡¯t bother skulking back through the faux village after collecting the boss¡¯s bulky remains. Instead, I grabbed a few items that I could sense were stored under the throne and teleported directly back to my safe room.


    That made two bosses down and three more to go.


    I had a feeling the rest of the rift was going to pass pretty quickly now that I was no longer at such a disadvantage.

 Book 4 - Chapter 27 - Three Down

    Considering the curated nature of the rift, I doubted I¡¯d get another opportunity to easily kill one of the bosses. Killing the avemon boss had been a fluke, or maybe just a really lucky matchup. Encountering the susorc boss while it was unconscious was definitely a lucky break.


    But I somehow doubted my future boss fights would be as easy. The rift was some kind of Assassin¡¯s challenge, after all.


    Given that, I decided to craft a new weapon before testing myself against my next potential target. I didn¡¯t think any of the weapons I¡¯d crafted thus far would be enough to one-shot the rift bosses, even if they were considered Tier Nine items.


    After testing my newly improved spells, I now suspected the Tier Nine items I¡¯d crafted using ambient mana were weaker than they could be. They might technically be Tier Nine weapons, but I felt strangely confident that I could produce vastly superior items now.


    ¡°What do you think? A set of bone batons that link to make a staff?¡±


    The combination was still one of my favorites, especially with the enchantments I incorporated. Having a single, highly versatile weapon made far more sense than making several separate weapons to cover the same spread of offensive capabilities.


    ¡°Why use the bones?¡± Lisa inquired. ¡°The wood from the forest is particularly strong and mana-conducive. It¡¯s also far easier to neutralize mana affinities in wood as opposed to bone.¡±


    I shrugged and removed one of the long bones from my storage ring. It wasn¡¯t perfectly straight since the large creature¡¯s muscles had naturally affected the shape of the bone, but it was close enough that I could make it work.


    Lisa was right about the mana, though. It would take a lot more effort to create a neutral enchantment base out of the bones than wood would. The other option would be to leave it attuned to Magma, which I was disinclined to do for a modular weapon since every piece would need to be similarly attuned.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I conceded. ¡°Wood would probably be better for a modular staff. I could probably make a stand-alone scepter out of one of these, though. Magma can be a very effective element.¡±


    ¡°I thought you decided to try your hand at assassinating the rest of the bosses,¡± Lisa said. ¡°That is the purpose of the rift challenge, right?¡±


    ¡°I mean, presumably. But how much control did the person who set up the rift really have?¡± I asked thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯ve made low-level rifts before, but never with such control that I could dictate something specific like that. And the requirement is only that I obtain the core for each boss and place them on the altar. It didn¡¯t say anything specific about assassinating the bosses.¡±


    ¡°True, but the implication is certainly there. You saw how much easier it was to defeat the last boss when you approached it as an Assassin might.¡±


    ¡°You make a good point,¡± I admitted with a sigh. ¡°I still want to make a new weapon and compare it to the ones I made before. If I¡¯m going to get up close and personal with something that can kill me, I want to be armed with the strongest weapons I can get.¡±


    ¡°Why not just use your personal magic again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably incorporate it as well, now that it¡¯s definitely strong enough to work against the bosses, but I don¡¯t want to use the same approach every time. If I¡¯m going to embrace the whole Assassin thing for this challenge, I might as well try a few different methods.¡±


    While part of me wanted to just rush ahead and defeat the bosses as quickly as possible, I really didn¡¯t feel like I¡¯d gain anything from the effort.


    With the crazy amount of time dilation being inside the rift provided, I had time to experiment with new things. After more than a quarter of a century in real-time, I doubted a couple of extra days were going to make any difference.


    <hr>


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty significant increase in power,¡± I said as I compared the aftermath of the two attacks. The two scepters I¡¯d used were identical in every way aside from the method I¡¯d used to empower the enchantments.


    The first was an existing weapon I¡¯d empowered using mana-gathering formations, with the intent for each enchantment imbued into the reagents directly instead of the mana.


    The second was made from the same materials but was enchanted the normal way, with my intent being infused directly into the mana ¨C my mana, primarily ¨C which then empowered and directed the enchantments.


    As suspected, the second weapon was significantly more powerful than the first. I needed no further tests to feel confident that any weapons I created now would far outshine those I¡¯d crafted using formations.


    I¡¯d still use formations for small munitions, but even then, I was pretty sure I could boost the effectiveness of those items with a bit of focused effort. It would save me from the tedious requirement of directly enchanting each individual bead, which was time better spent on other endeavors.


    I still had a plan for the munitions, though. It was the same one I¡¯d thought of originally.


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    Since I already planned to vary my approach with each boss, I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to reattempt my original plan with the goboles now that I could make more powerful weapons. Only this time, I¡¯d teleport back under stealth and kill the boss while it was dealing with the aftermath of the larger attack.


    Rough plan in place, at least for my next assault, I got to work.


    <hr>


    I toyed with the idea of stringing dozens of talisman beads along the top of the underground cavern and having them drop in two waves ¨C Ice-aligned attacks first, followed by Fire. After giving it a little more thought, I worried that such an overwhelming attack might actually kill the boss outright and potentially destroy the core that I needed to escape.


    Since I couldn¡¯t be sure the rift would spawn another boss for me to kill if one of the boss cores were to be destroyed, I didn¡¯t want to risk potentially trapping myself inside the rift indefinitely. I didn¡¯t think that could happen, but it wasn¡¯t a chance I was willing to take.


    Going back to my original plan of sending two volleys of attacks, I readied myself from my perch halfway up the cavern wall. The village and cavern had returned to their original states several weeks after my initial assault, which roughly corresponded to how long it took for regular goboles to respawn.


    So far, neither of the bosses had respawned, nor had any of their defeated minions. A few of the feathered harpies had been away from the floating islands during my assault against their settlement, but they mostly kept to themselves, not bothering to make war with any of the other factions.


    The susorcs, on the other hand, had reorganized under one of the former boss¡¯s guards and were continuing their normal war-like behavior. Interestingly, the new pseudo-boss was not labeled as a boss by the system, meaning I couldn¡¯t just farm the humanoid boars for the boss cores I needed to escape.


    Pity that.


    I eyed the goboles wandering through the faux village below and waited for the time to be right.


    While the creatures didn¡¯t have any set schedule for when they were active or sleeping, I¡¯d noticed they tended to congregate in the mid-afternoon each day. Though I hadn¡¯t done any reconnaissance on the goboles since my last attack, I doubted their schedule had changed.


    I grinned darkly as three squads of patrols loudly entered the village. Being dragged behind the loudest of the groups was the body of a dead susorc. The injuries made it obvious that the creature had fallen victim to one of the many traps lining the tunnels leading to the underground village.


    The other goboles let out a cheer and started swarming the returning squad. A few managed to claw a bit of bloody meat from the body and shuffle away before the boss let out a growling roar, claiming the kill for itself.


    I smirked as the gobole boss emerged from the largest building and made its way toward the now-frozen squad. None of the goboles moved as the boss approached, allowing it to push its way forward.


    I didn¡¯t wait to see how the drama would play out. Instead, I cast a bubble of Haste, ensuring my newly crafted launcher was within the bubble. Firing as quickly as possible, I unloaded ten rounds of Ice-enchanted munitions before swapping to a set that was Fire-attributed.


    It was a lot more than I¡¯d used the first time, but I wasn¡¯t overly concerned. I didn¡¯t think that amount of damage would be enough to defeat the armored boss, even if I had sent most of the munitions in its direction.


    As I¡¯d done the last time, I teleported to safety while the damage was wrought and waited for the rumbling to end. When I returned to the cavern housing the gobole village, I was a little surprised to see sunlight filtering through a huge hole in the ceiling.


    Such an attack somewhere like Earth would have been world-ending. But in a PT9 rift, the damage was barely capable of serving its purpose. Even so, the rift-made village was completely flattened, and dozens of goboles lay broken and bleeding on the cavern floor.


    The gobole boss was pinned beneath a large slab of stone that had fallen when part of the ceiling collapsed, and I smiled at my amazing string of luck.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time my luck turned around,¡± I said silently, not wanting to alert the goboles to my presence.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had extraordinary luck this entire time,¡± Lisa countered. ¡°If you did not, I doubt you would have survived.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and teleported close to the gobole boss. I¡¯d refreshed Stealth before returning to the cavern, so I was a little surprised when the boss immediately focused on me.


    [Gobole Rift Boss ¨C Mind ¨C Level 90 ¨C Various Alchemical uses/Edible with minor processing]


    That explained it, I supposed.


    I immediately teleported back to the edge of the cavern and reworked my Barrier spell to specifically block Mind mana. I hated dealing with Mind-affinitied creatures.


    Casting Haste first, I teleported to the boss¡¯s location and threw a Space Blade at the creature¡¯s neck. I could feel the Mind attack bouncing off my Barrier, but thankfully, it didn¡¯t break through.


    Unfortunately, the boss managed to somehow dodge my spell at the same time, though it was still pinned beneath the large stone.


    I glanced at my mana and noted it was already close to half-exhausted from the mana-intensive spells I¡¯d been using.


    Stealth was still active, even with the boss being able to see through it. From what I could tell, none of the other goboles were able to pierce the spell, so it was worth maintaining to prevent additional attackers from focusing on me.


    I swapped to my newly-crafted weapon and activated the blade enchantment on the far side, shifting it from a quarterstaff into a naginata.


    Before I could attack, several goboles threw themselves in my direction, attacking with wild abandon even though it was clear they could sense my presence. Seeing strands of mint-colored mana linking the attacking goboles to the boss, I had little doubt about what was happening.


    I was still moving far faster than the goboles, so it was easy enough to disable each one. It still took time ¨C time the boss used to somehow escape from the slab of stone that had been holding it in place.


    I channeled more Time mana into Haste and continued my attack, dodging the random attacks from mind-controlled goboles trying to protect their leader.


    It took nearly a minute of extended fighting to finally wear down the chitin-covered boss. Several of its minions lay dead from the conflict, though most were due to the initial attack instead of further conflict.


    Once the boss was defeated, the rest of the goboles seemed to lose all direction and slowly slumped to the ground.


    Watching the cannibalistic creatures carefully, I collected the remains of the boss and then moved to methodically kill every gobole I could find. Most didn¡¯t even put up a fight. They were either too injured to resist or had received some kind of brain damage from the gobole boss¡¯s attempts at mind control.


    I didn¡¯t feel sorry for the creatures. Something about their nature made such emotions impossible.


    When I finally returned to the stone room that served as my home, I released a deep sigh of contentment.


    ¡°That¡¯s three down. Only two more to go.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 28 - Just One More Step

    My target¡¯s steps faltered and its eyes unfocused as it fell forward.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly like cutting the strings on a marionette, but it was close enough. The fact that the mob had already been in motion probably had something to do with it, considering the signals had already been sent from the creature¡¯s now-missing brain to the rest of its body.


    The creature¡¯s brain was now safely stored within my storage ring. Its former shell would join it as soon as the system informed me that the creature was well and truly dead.


    Based on my experiments in the dungeon, that might take several seconds.


    While I knew that it was possible for some species to survive for a while without their brain, I hadn¡¯t encountered any such creatures before. I doubted the monkey-like simians were one of those rare species.


    As expected, the notification icon started blinking a few seconds later. I smiled and collected the dead creature¡¯s body before turning to the other four simians I had locked in stasis.


    Since my attempts at using the technique against the creatures of the rift while still at Tier Eight had not gone very well (they¡¯d only worked against the weakest beasts), a bit of testing seemed to be in order.


    With the first such test working perfectly, I decided to try the technique against multiple targets at the same time.


    Unfortunately, my own spell prevented me from using it while they were protected by Time magic.


    Since I was still hidden by my enhanced Arcane Stealth spell, I canceled Stasis and watched as the four creatures reacted to their companion seemingly disappearing.


    Their sudden alarm actually worked against me since it caused their natural resistance against mana intrusion to magnify, but it wasn¡¯t enough to keep my mana technique from seeping into their bodies.


    A moment later, four additional simian brains entered my ring. The simians remained standing for less than a second before collapsing.


    It was almost too easy.


    ¡°I should see if I can pull that off at a distance,¡± I mused, thinking back to my time visiting Earth.


    I¡¯d easily been able to heal at a distance, using my sensory field to target and control the spells. Using the ¡®brain snatcher¡¯ technique the same way shouldn¡¯t be all that different.


    ¡°You should be able to,¡± Lisa agreed silently. ¡°Now that the technique is strong enough to bypass their resistances, the method used for targeting shouldn¡¯t make a difference.¡±


    While I agreed, I still wanted to experiment a little bit.


    After collecting the creatures¡¯ remains, I continued through the forest, occasionally stopping to harvest valuable herbs and other flora I encountered.


    While not all of the items that I gathered were valuable in the traditional sense, they were all edible, which meant they could easily and cheaply be transmuted into tasty dishes.


    By this point, I technically didn¡¯t need much food or sleep to survive. I didn¡¯t even need to breathe very often. But I enjoyed the first two, so I made sure to incorporate them into my schedule regularly.


    Breathing, well, it was more of a habit at this point than anything.


    As I walked, I drifted away from the simian area of the forest and toward what remained of the susorc settlement.


    Though the boss had been defeated, I hadn¡¯t done much to cull the number of susorcs. I¡¯d killed a few patrols, none of which had respawned, but there were still a lot of the boar-like humanoids remaining in the rift.


    Sensing a group of six in the distance, I targeted them through Spatial Sense and quickly verified that my technique did, in fact, work as expected.


    Granted, it took a bit of time and a lot of mana, making it not really feasible in an active engagement. But when I could catch a small group unaware like this? It was perfect.


    After collecting the remains of the susorc group, I took a short break to eat and regenerate my mana.


    ¡°So that works. What else should I test?¡± I asked Lisa.


    After a moment, Lisa spoke within my mind. ¡°Perhaps you should try putting something into your target¡¯s body instead of removing an organ?¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Poison,¡± she replied. ¡°The simian boss has a Poison affinity. It might be worth incorporating that into your future attack against the lacusin boss if you still plan on defeating the simian boss first. I do not think any of the underwater creatures are resistant to such substances.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, though I¡¯ve never dedicated much effort toward poisons in Alchemy.¡±


    Left unsaid was the fact that my Alchemy skill was not the greatest. It was¡­ okay, but nothing worth being proud of. Still, with the right ingredients, I had enough skill to make a potent poison.


    The remains of a Poison-affinitied boss would certainly make for potent ingredients.


    ¡°So, you think I should make a poison and teleport it into their stomach?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Or heart. Either would work fine.¡±


    Well, I did say I wanted to use a different approach for each boss.


    ¡°Alright. I can try that,¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m going to practice the ¡®brain snatcher¡¯ technique for now and see if I can¡¯t make it a bit more mana efficient. I¡¯ll plan on targeting the simian boss in two weeks. That should give me plenty of time to tweak the technique if needed.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    <hr>


    Two weeks later, I sat hidden in a tree near the simian boss¡¯s treehouse. I¡¯d culled a huge number of foot soldiers since I started targeting the monkey-like creatures, leaving the boss with far fewer minions to call upon.


    Not that it was going to get such a chance.


    Hidden by Stealth, I targeted the boss through the narrow gaps in the treehouse walls.


    Unlike the other creatures I¡¯d targeted, the boss immediately recognized it was being attacked and bellowed a warning with the first brush of mana.


    I lost sight of the boss when several simians rushed into the treehouse, blocking my view. Thankfully, my attack had already breached the creature¡¯s defenses, and I was able to continue threading the tendril of mixed mana into its brain.


    Though the now frenzied residents of the simian village had no idea where I was, vines burst from the trees in and around the village. I could sense them reaching and grasping for anything that didn¡¯t belong, hoping to snare the offender who dared attack them.


    I carefully teleported near the center of the village, floating invisibly on a pane of Space mana beyond the reach of the aggressive vines while I maintained my focus on the technique.


    It wasn¡¯t truly a spell since I wasn¡¯t using any kind of spellform to shape the mana. Instead, I controlled it through will and intent, forcing the mana to follow my wishes.


    Direct Casting. It was such an amazing skill.


    A very human-sounding cacophony of screams followed the appearance of the boss¡¯s brain within my ring, and the chaos around me exploded.


    A sickly green cloud leaked out of the boss¡¯s abode, followed by what looked like a walking cadaver missing huge swaths of fur. The gaps oozed blood and pus from open sores, though the creature barely seemed to notice them.


    I almost felt sorry for the thing.


    It fell from the branch leading to the boss¡¯s treehouse and landed on a group of gathered warriors. The resulting screams made it clear that the grotesque creature¡¯s body carried whatever Poison the boss had inflicted.


    I watched in morbid curiosity as the village fell deeper into chaos.


    Eventually, my eyes returned to the boss¡¯s treehouse. There had been no movement from within since the sore-covered entity exited in a cloud of Poison.


    A cloud that had not yet dissipated.


    Not wanting to contaminate everything, I was hesitant to store the boss¡¯s body, or any other potentially Poison-coated items, within my ring.


    With a frown, I cast Create Dimensional Space and anchored the spell to one of the many enchantment bases I kept stored in my inventory. It wasn¡¯t the right base to use for such an item, so it wouldn¡¯t last nearly as long as a properly made dimensional storage would.


    But that was okay. It would work well enough for now. It would also keep the remains of the Poison boss separate from everything else.


    Keeping my distance, I used a variant of Recall to collect the defeated boss and stored it directly inside the temporary storage device.


    After glancing around the chaotic village and seeing nothing left of interest, I teleported back to the stone room that I¡¯d made my home.


    Four bosses down, and only one left to go.


    I was so close to completing this horrible challenge rift and escaping. It was almost enough to make me rush right into the lake and assassinate the lacusin boss without waiting.


    <hr>


    ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯m just going to yank out its brain and be done with it,¡± I said, feeling a little frustrated at how long it had taken me to create a poison I felt would be strong enough to kill a Peak-Tier Nine rift boss.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Lisa said as her avatar looked over my shoulder. ¡°However, you should at least test it against some of the weaker lacusins instead of going directly for the boss.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll probably kill several of them on my way in, just for the material. I haven¡¯t really paid much attention to them since they aren¡¯t much of a threat.¡±


    I¡¯d have to be sure to use non-poison methods for most of them if I wanted to use any of the materials later. The ones I poisoned would go into the ¡®contaminated¡¯ storage device I used to hold the remains of the simian boss.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget they prefer swarm tactics,¡± Lisa reminded me.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget. I remember what happened the last time we scouted the area.¡±


    It was before I¡¯d reached Tier Nine and the creatures had easily located me, even though I¡¯d been exceptionally careful with my approach.


    They¡¯d swarmed like piranhas being fed a chunk of raw meat as soon as the first one got a hint of my presence. I barely managed to teleport away before they got me.


    I didn¡¯t think it was a failure on the part of my Stealth spell so much as an environmental thing. Most lacusins had a Water affinity, and, being underwater, I imagined they were easily able to sense my presence, even with my precautions.


    After sealing the last container of poison made from the remnants of the simian boss (plus a few additional ingredients), I stored the entire collection and sighed.


    If everything worked out right, the next time I entered this room, I¡¯d be leaving the rift for good.


    ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ve all moved on,¡± I said quietly as my thoughts shifted to my family and friends. And Master Kairos. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not just sitting around waiting for me, but¡­ did Master Kairos ascend? How far have my family members progressed? I missed all the kids¡¯ awakenings. They¡¯re all practically strangers.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± Lisa said supportively. ¡°Finish this challenge and escape. You¡¯re ready.¡±


    I quickly made my way to the lake where the lacusin tribe made their home.


    After casting Stealth, I forced myself to stop breathing and stepped into the water. Unlike last time, there were no ripples on the surface to betray my presence.


    Knowing how sensitive the creatures were to changes in the lake, I decided to mitigate some of the problems I anticipated facing.


    Stretching my Time domain over the entire lake, I cast Pause on everything within the domain.


    Such a feat would have been impossible not that long ago, but now that I was the same tier as everything else in the rift? It was totally doable.


    Moving to the first pair of lacusins, I teleported two doses of poison directly into the creatures¡¯ stomachs. The action immediately broke the spell holding them in place, and the evil-looking mer-creatures let out a shrill scream upon seeing me.


    I worried that the reverberations from the scream might interfere with the spell holding the rest of the creatures in place, but my fear was unfounded.


    Not getting whatever response they expected, the two monstrous merfolk hesitated. That hesitation was enough for the poison to go into effect, causing the lacusins to curl up and wail in pain.


    I felt a little bad about their suffering, so I removed my newest weapon and shifted it into a spear. With very little effort, I had two lacusin bodies joining the remains of the poisonous simian boss.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I care for using poison,¡± I informed Lisa.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Deciding to forgo the substance I¡¯d spent weeks crafting, I continued forward.


    I passed several frozen lacusins along my journey to their stronghold. I killed each one with a different type of weapon, testing their effectiveness against the aquatic creatures.


    It was unfair, but I really didn¡¯t care. They weren¡¯t real like beings outside of the rift, and my sense of morality didn¡¯t apply to them beyond not causing undue suffering.


    By the time I reached the boss, my storage ring was well stocked.


    Seeing the creature as the key to my escape, I didn¡¯t hesitate to wrap it in the strongest restraints I could manage before sending a tendril of mixed mana into its body.


    My action broke the spell that was keeping the boss from noticing me, and it immediately started trilling, releasing a high-pitched warbling sound that I could only assume was a call to arms.


    Unfortunately for the boss, I¡¯d killed anything remotely close by that might respond. There were still a lot of lacusins in the lake, but none were close enough to intervene.


    I¡¯d made sure of that.


    Within half a minute, the limp body of the lacusin boss was safely stored within my ring. The weight of confinement had finally lifted. Had I not been underwater, I would have taken a deep breath of relief.


    I only had one more step to take, and I would finally be free.

 Book 4 - Chapter 29 - After 26 Years

    I¡¯d done the math several times.


    According to the rift¡¯s logs, by the time the spell holding me in stasis expired, I¡¯d already been in the rift for more than 906 years, which equated to right at twenty-five Alliance Standard Years. It took me seventeen years to kill the first boss, plus another eleven to tier up and kill the rest of them.


    Twenty-eight rift years was less than a single Alliance Standard Year.


    It felt like a really long time. But in reality, even subjectively, it was faster than I would have been able to progress on the eighth floor of the dungeon. It almost made me tempted to find a Tier Ten rift to challenge.


    Almost.


    If it wasn¡¯t for wanting to see my family, I might have given the idea some real thought. But fighting up a tier was ridiculously dangerous. Really, the only reason I survived was because I had advantages that few could match.


    I glanced at the five baseball-sized cores in my hands before shifting my gaze to the corresponding indentations in the altar. The bowl-like grooves were arrayed in a circle, or perhaps a pentagon, depending on how particular one was feeling.


    The rift was supposed to give me some kind of reward for completing it, but I hoped I got to keep the cores as well. They were probably more valuable as materials than anything the rift might give me.


    I was delaying. I couldn¡¯t help it.


    Forcing myself to put aside my worries, I stepped forward and placed each of the five cores into a separate basin. As the fifth slotted into place, the altar began to glow.


    Dark mana began gathering just behind the altar, forming a portal to the outside.


    The draw to step through the portal was so strong that I almost ignored the reward that had manifested in the center of the altar, surrounded by the still-present cores. Shaking off the temporary fixation, I focused on the multi-faceted crystal sparkling with power on the altar.


    [Soulbound Technique Crystal ¨C Time/Space/Arcane ¨C Pocket Dimension ¨C A fully customizable personal pocket dimension capable of supporting life. Size based on mana invested. ¨C Note: Absorbing this crystal will result in the loss of any dimensional spaces anchored to the user. All enhancements to and items stored within said dimensional spaces will be transferred to the newly-created Pocket Dimension.]


    ¡°What in the hell?¡± I was completely floored by the crystal¡¯s description. ¡°Lisa, do you have any records of something like this?¡±


    I¡¯d never heard of a technique crystal, much less one that made a true pocket dimension capable of supporting life.


    Did that mean I could potentially grow plants there? Could I store living creatures inside? Even more importantly, could I personally enter the space, or would that somehow destabilize everything?


    ¡°There are records of technique crystals. They are generally only labeled as such when the ability contained doesn¡¯t qualify as either a spell or a skill.¡±


    ¡°And the soulbound part?¡±


    ¡°Those are less rare and usually only appear when the reward is unique to the individual earning it.¡±


    That made sense. I doubted there were any other Time/Space/Arcane Tri-Affinity Mages running around out there. I probably was unique in that aspect.


    ¡°As far as a pocket dimension capable of supporting life?¡± Lisa continued. ¡°No. This is the first instance of such a technique. However, that fact is not a surprise, considering how unlikely it is that someone with your combination of affinities has completed a Peak-Tier challenge rift. Further, rifts that provide spell or skill crystals are exceedingly rare, and the rewards are always catered to the challengers.¡±


    Before getting started with the crystal, I swiped my hand over the altar and stored the boss cores. There was a small risk that the exit portal would disappear, but I was pretty sure it would remain stable for as long as I stayed within the rift.


    When the swirling black mana didn¡¯t so much as flicker, I took it as confirmation that my hypothesis was correct.


    I carefully picked up the baseball-sized crystal. ¡°I don¡¯t want to risk somehow losing this, so I¡¯m going to absorb it now before I leave,¡± I said before sitting cross-legged on the floor.


    I wasn¡¯t worried about Lisa sharing the information with anyone. I¡¯d adjusted the privacy settings on my upgraded interface a long time ago. Without me specifically stating otherwise, the Interface Assistant wouldn¡¯t be updating any databases with the newly discovered technique.


    I also wasn¡¯t worried about delaying my departure for a short time.


    Given how the rift was designed, there was almost no way that someone could access my instance, even with the exit portal active. Considering the room was still considered ¡®safe,¡¯ I felt confident I wouldn¡¯t be bothered while I absorbed the mammoth crystal.


    Using the same method I¡¯d used to absorb augments, I closed my eyes and focused on the technique crystal.


    <hr>


    The crystal disintegrated in my hands as the last wisp of mana was absorbed. The sudden disappearance was barely noticed since I was too busy trying to figure out the massive pocket dimension that was now suddenly attached to my very soul.


    My inventory was gone, as were the nanites that had anchored it to my body.


    In its place was a much larger space that was both familiar and so very different from the inventory I¡¯d become accustomed to.


    Like the inventory, I had a near omniscience when it came to what was inside. I say near because I didn¡¯t instantly understand every aspect of each item or material. But there was nothing inside that I didn¡¯t know about, and I could easily locate and retrieve anything within with little more than a thought.


    I also inherently understood how the space worked, which was where many of the differences came in.


    Unlike the inventory, which had a set environment that could not be changed, I could easily alter most of the basic conditions inside my new pocket dimension.


    Gravity, light, and temperature were easily adjusted, as were things like humidity and time. Further, I was not limited to a single environment and could easily compartmentalize the space for various functions.


    I could have one section that maintained things in stasis, while another might be set up for perfect growing conditions with added time dilation to allow for a quicker harvest. The sky was the limit!


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Another notable difference was that I could make some areas inhabitable by living creatures, just like the description said. Even more amazingly, I could personally enter the space whenever I wanted.


    That was a huge trump card that I definitely didn¡¯t want to share with anyone except maybe Master Kairos. My family didn¡¯t need to know, and telling them only increased the likelihood that someone might talk about it. Since Master Kairos already knew all of my secrets, it made sense to fill him in on the latest one if I was going to tell anyone.


    But I could decide all of that later.


    As amazing as my new pocket dimension was, it was time to leave the rift.


    <hr>


    Not wanting to get recaptured in the event that the Assassin or their people were lying in wait, I cast Stealth and prepared to teleport as soon as I exited the rift.


    As soon as Spatial Sense registered the presence of several people, I teleported into the sky, maintaining my elevation with a platform of Space mana.


    Before I got the chance to observe the individuals gathered below, my message icon started blinking rapidly. I was tempted to send out a few messages letting people know I was okay, but I decided to deal with the situation around me first.


    The area around the rift had obviously been cleared recently. It almost looked like someone had dug out part of a mountain and then reseeded the ground to make it look nicer.


    It certainly didn¡¯t look like a place Assassins would hide their cheaty method of bypassing the Accords. Maybe I was wrong about the purpose of the rift?


    A familiar platinum blonde exited the largest of the temporary structures that had been erected nearby. The man was not wearing the traditional white robes of the Epikairos Sect, but I recognized him immediately.


    ¡°Master Kairos!¡± The exclamation slipped out, but it didn¡¯t matter if the noise drew attention anyway since I¡¯d already teleported to the ground several feet in front of the man.


    I struggled with indecision as I stared at my mentor. I had no idea what to do. He was there, so obviously, he hadn¡¯t forgotten about me.


    Should I give him a hug? I really, really felt like I could use a hug¡­ but we¡¯d never had that kind of relationship, so I didn¡¯t know how he would react.


    Master Kairos¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at my sudden appearance, and he took the decision out of my hands.


    ¡°Emie!¡± he gasped as he rushed forward, enveloping me in his warm embrace. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you survived! I knew you would.¡±


    ¡°H-How did you f-find me?¡± I asked between sobs. I wasn¡¯t sure when I started crying, but it certainly made speaking a lot more difficult.


    My throat burned as if I¡¯d swallowed something abrasive, which made absolutely no sense given how resilient my body was. It almost had to be psychosomatic.


    Still holding me like he was afraid I might disappear, Master Kairos said, ¡°I had a team searching every Tier Nine rift on Sira. Anya glimpsed your involuntary entry into the rift after your [Fate Obscuration] ring was removed. She¡¯s linked to every ring like that that she¡¯s made, so removing it drew her attention.¡±


    ¡°But how did she know the rift was on Sira?¡±


    ¡°Who knows how Fate Mages know what they know? Even being the former Patriarch of a sect specializing in Fate magic, I still don¡¯t understand how they do what they do.¡±


    I wanted to ask more about Fate magic, but something he said caught my attention, and I took a step back. I wasn¡¯t used to so much physical contact, though a part of me craved it.


    ¡°Former Patriarch?¡± I asked, raising a brow questioningly.


    Master Kairos looked a little sheepish as he clasped his hands in front of him. ¡°Yes. I¡¯d already been working toward handing things over to my successor. From our conversations, I knew that you didn¡¯t feel right for the role, and waiting until just before I ascend to give up control seemed like a poor choice. If you really want the role¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I really don¡¯t,¡± I said, cutting him off. I could sense his relief.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you did. You¡¯ll still be allowed whatever role you want once you leave the dungeon, provided you don¡¯t join me.¡± His expression shifted to a smirk as my identification alert began blinking. ¡°Since you basically skipped right over the eighth floor, finishing within the agreed-upon time limit should certainly be possible.¡±


    I nodded. I¡¯d done the math already, so I knew there was plenty of time. Even if I took the remaining break allowed by our contract, I¡¯d still have plenty of time to reach the Pinnacle ¨C assuming I maintained the same rate of progression as before, that was.


    ¡°Hey, did you figure out who put me in there?¡± I asked, motioning toward the swirling rift portal.


    ¡°Yes. It was a Tier Ten Assassin, just like Anya warned us,¡± he replied. ¡°He¡¯s not worth bothering over since it appears he only agreed to the contract because he owed the former Sovereignty Sect Matriarch a favor and was honor-bound to fulfill her request. As far as he¡¯s concerned, his contract is finished. You don¡¯t have to worry about him anymore, I promise.¡±


    ¡°You spoke with him?¡± I asked, a bit surprised.


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°There aren¡¯t many Tier Ten Time Mages,¡± he said as if that explained everything. Before I could comment further, he continued, ¡°Interestingly, there are a lot more former Sovereignty Sect members who¡¯ve intentionally targeted Time Mages and wholly supported the attempted assassination.¡±


    That didn¡¯t surprise me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have a list of names, do you?¡± I asked with a bit of heat. I didn¡¯t necessarily like the idea of just giving the Assassin a pass, but if I could redirect my ire to where it really belonged, I was fine with that.


    Master Kairos¡¯s brows lifted at my question. ¡°I do, but it won¡¯t do you any good.¡± He paused, waiting for my reaction.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± I asked a bit testily. ¡°Have they already been punished by the Council or something?¡±


    ¡°Well, the sect was disbanded shortly after your abduction, but that isn¡¯t why the list won¡¯t help you,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°I assume you want to do something to prevent these individuals from targeting you or other Time Mages?¡±


    My eyes narrowed slightly as I got the sense that my former Master was playing with me. I¡¯d been gone for decades, both subjective and actual. Yet somehow, it suddenly felt like no time had passed at all.


    ¡°I would like to ensure that, yes,¡± I said resolutely.


    ¡°Well, since those people are already too set in their ways to change, returning them to samsara is the only real recourse you have. Are you not still opposed to such¡­ permanent solutions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve killed before,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Sure, in self-defense and with bandits. These individuals have neither directly attacked you nor are they bandits.¡±


    I made a face at the statement. ¡°Have they murdered others?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Every one of them has instigated the death of at least one person.¡±


    ¡°So, not self-defense.¡±


    Master Kairos shook his head.


    ¡°How do you know for sure?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I had a Mind Mage assist in the investigation,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°I focused mostly on offenses against Time Mages, but there are a few who are less discriminating in their targets and are happy to kill when they know they can get away with it.¡±


    I found myself feeling fine with the thought of disposing of such individuals. I had certainly changed a lot since leaving Earth for the second time.


    I tsked. ¡°It¡¯s too bad I¡¯m already Tier Nine. All of those guys are probably weaker than me.¡±


    A slow grin spread across Master Kairos¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s the beauty of a setup like this one,¡± he said, motioning toward the Tier Nine rift. ¡°The Assassins were crafty in finding a way to get around such restrictions. All we have to do is put them into challenge rifts that are a full tier higher and remove any storage devices. It¡¯s not enough to be a guaranteed death, but it¡¯s pretty close. You had nothing when you entered the rift, correct?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have, but I still had my inventory. That¡¯s how I still have these,¡± I said, grabbing the edge of my outer robe. ¡°I put them in my inventory instead of my ring.¡±


    Master Kairos chuckled. ¡°So maybe we won¡¯t put people into a tier and a half disadvantage, then.¡±


    ¡°Just a full tier?¡± I asked spitefully.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Feeling the embers of my anger being soothed by promises of retribution, I glanced around me.


    ¡°Does my family know I¡¯m alive?¡± I asked.


    Master Kairos¡¯s smile faltered as he nodded and motioned for me to follow him into the building nearby.


    ¡°They do, but there wasn¡¯t enough time to get them here,¡± he replied as he stepped through the automatic door. ¡°We¡¯ve been tracking your progress, and based on the time between the first boss and the second, we thought we¡¯d have more time to arrange things. Imagine our surprise when you ripped right through the rest of them in a couple of days!¡±


    The inside of the building was nicely furnished with several familiar pieces. It left no doubt about who was staying there.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We can just meet everyone on Hadier if it¡¯s easier,¡± I said, ignoring the sudden tension. ¡°Sira is probably a bit much for most of my family still, even with a [Mana Barrier.] That is unless they¡¯ve all been delving like crazy since I¡¯ve been gone?¡± I added jokingly.


    I was a little worried about the sudden decline in my former Master¡¯s mood, and I really hoped it was nothing more than a sense of guilt for not getting them here on time. Or maybe he felt bad about me getting abducted in the first place ¨C not that it was his fault or anything.


    ¡°We should probably talk about your family so you know what to expect before you see any of them. A lot has changed in the twenty-six years that you¡¯ve been gone¡­¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 30 - A Necessary Discussion

    My mind struggled to process everything Master Kairos had told me. Strangely, it was my parents¡¯ divorce that really stumped me.


    Though Justin¡¯s death was horrible and I certainly wanted to find a way to reverse it, death was something easy to grasp. It had happened before, so the thought of it happening again wasn¡¯t a shock so much as it was unwelcome news.


    The divorce, though¡­ I couldn¡¯t wrap my brain around how my parents ¨C my happily married parents ¨C could have split up. I knew they loved each other, so¡­ why?


    Was my abduction and Justin¡¯s death the reason? Was I to blame for their marriage failing?


    ¡°You might be tempted to turn back time again,¡± Master Kairos said gently, ¡°but I ask you to please reconsider. You¡¯ve already saved him once. Fate may have plans for him that we don¡¯t see. In all likelihood, your brother has already been reincarnated.¡±


    The reminder that reincarnation was a legitimate, verified occurrence jolted me out of my oddly spiraling mental state. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but frown as I questioned another aspect of his statement.


    ¡°What does that even mean: ¡®Fate may have plans for him?¡¯¡± I asked. ¡°Is that like how people used to say, ¡®God has a reason for everything?¡¯ Is it something said to comfort the grieving, or is there actually some kind of higher being controlling everything?¡±


    Religion was a super messy topic for Earthborn since the reintegration. Heck, it had been a messy topic before we knew the truth about the universe.


    Master Kairos shifted a little uncomfortably before saying, ¡°Well, obviously, god-like beings exist. To the people of pre-integration Earth, we would both be considered such beings. But when people reference Fate, it is usually the realm itself they are truly talking about.


    ¡°For all intents and purposes, the realm is considered by many to be an omniscient god. How it developed into such is a point of real contention amongst Scholars, but there are too many signs that point toward such a fact for the theory to be easily dismissed.¡±


    ¡°And part of that is forcing certain people to die?¡± I asked in stunned confusion.


    Master Kairos winced slightly. ¡°I may not have presented this properly, but in essence, yes,¡± he replied. ¡°Fate Mages have long learned that some visions cannot be avoided. To attempt to change things often brings about a harsher reality than the original vision. According to Anya, those types of visions come with a specific flavor, for lack of a better term.¡±


    ¡°So, she foresaw Justin¡¯s death?¡±


    The still-youthful-looking Time Mage nodded slowly. ¡°She did.¡±


    ¡°And her vision had the special flavor that told her that his death couldn¡¯t be avoided?¡±


    Again, he nodded.


    My eyes once again filled with tears, blurring my vision. I didn¡¯t resist the tears, but I did banish the physical discomfort that accompanied them.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of having such overpowered magic if I can¡¯t even save my family?¡± I asked. ¡°I-I want to be mad at her for not stopping it, but¡­¡±


    I was mad at her, I realized. But I also understood that Anya had a vastly different perspective about such things. Even so, I couldn¡¯t believe that she would simply accept her own brother¡¯s death, given the ability to stop it.


    ¡°Remember the part about interference causing a harsher outcome,¡± he reminded me.


    ¡°What? Like, more people would die, or his death would be more gruesome?¡±


    Master Kairos raised both hands. It was a motion that was half shrug, half surrender.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have all the answers, Emie. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°And I can¡¯t force a time branch because it would just result in something worse,¡± I said critically. I shook my head. ¡°I just¡­ I already changed things once and things were better. Justin had a wife and kids. The twins didn¡¯t exist in the other timeline. Kaylee and Ashlynn, too. They were never born in the other timeline.¡±


    ¡°Again, I don¡¯t have all the answers. I know that¡¯s not what you want to hear.¡± He sighed tiredly. ¡°Even as a Pinnacle in this realm, I can¡¯t fight Fate. If I hadn¡¯t already challenged it myself during my youth¡­¡±


    ¡°So, short of killing myself in this timeline, there¡¯s nothing I can do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± He looked at me sadly. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I truly am sorry for your loss. Would you like a few minutes alone?¡±


    I quickly shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to be alone again. ¡°No. Please stay. I¡¯ve had enough solitude.¡±


    We sat in silence for several minutes as I processed my emotions.


    I hated that my brother had died¡­ again. But knowing he¡¯d likely already been reborn was immensely comforting. I hoped his new life was filled with happiness and joy.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Maybe he¡¯d even get a decently strong affinity this time.


    I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how affinities worked, whether they were something controlled by the body, soul, or some combination of the two. But however it worked, I hoped his new affinity was stronger than his old one.


    As far as my parents went¡­


    Mom was living back on Earth? Dad had gotten remarried? I just¡­ I couldn¡¯t even process it.


    I was glad that Master Kairos had informed me of the change, though. It would have been horrible to have learned about it during our reunion.


    Would Dad bring his new wife?


    I shivered at the thought. I hated the thought of some other woman being with my dad. It felt indescribably wrong. He was supposed to be with Mom.


    I forced the thought away. As much as I wanted my parents together, I wanted them each to be happy even more. If Dad¡¯s new wife made him happy, then¡­ I¡¯d figure out how to deal with it.


    ¡°Okay. I think I¡¯ve got a handle on my emotions now. Thank you for being patient with me.¡±


    ¡°You can take as long as you want. There¡¯s no rush,¡± Master Kairos said.


    ¡°No, I want to see my family sooner rather than later, if possible. I¡¯ve been gone long enough,¡± I said, shaking my head in a mixture of denial and guilt. ¡°What else should I know?¡±


    ¡°The rest of your close family is doing quite well. Amie awakened dual Mind/Crystal affinities and your friend Ms. AldQuartz sponsored her for one of the better academies. She now works as Ms. AldQuartz¡¯s personal assistant, which comes with far more advantages than you probably expect.¡±


    My lips twitched into an involuntary smile at the news. Amie¡¯s affinities were basically the same as Rhona¡¯s, which probably explained the older princess¡¯s fixation with the girl.


    ¡°Her brothers¡­¡± Master Kairos¡¯s eyes briefly flickered. ¡°Lucas also awakened dual affinities. His were for Force and Space. He was recruited early into the Space Exploration Force, and it looks like he has a post-service contract in place with the Asper family as a retainer.¡±


    The Asper family was Stella¡¯s family ¨C Rhona¡¯s cousin. They were big into the SEF and Space magic in general. It was actually something of a family tradition for their members to serve in the SEF, even if they didn¡¯t have a Space affinity.


    Truly, few who worked for the SEF had a Space affinity, but it was one they constantly recruited for. In retrospect, I was a little surprised that I was never approached in the other timeline.


    ¡°Daniel had a middle-of-the-road Light affinity and followed in his mother¡¯s footsteps with Enchanting. Speaking of his mother, Bell now works as an Enchanter for the sect full-time. I¡¯m uncertain about her relationship status, but my last report has her listed as still single.¡±


    My heart went out to my friend and sister-in-law. For her to still be single after so long¡­


    ¡°Your younger sisters are both doing well,¡± Master Kairos continued. ¡°Kaylee has a decently strong Life affinity and has dedicated her life to becoming a specialized healer for animals and beasts. I believe your world called them veterinarians?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, well, she is living on Morkin, one of the demi home worlds.¡±


    I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°Why is she living there if she¡¯s a veterinarian?¡±


    ¡°Demis have far more beast companions than other races,¡± Master Kairos informed me. ¡°Her services are actually in heavy demand since knowledge impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of spells. Not a lot of healers bother learning animal or beast anatomy, after all.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense,¡± I conceded. ¡°And Ashlynn?¡±


    ¡°She was a real surprise. A dual Nature/Death, both strong affinities,¡± Master Kairos said with a hint of excitement. ¡°That girl is a prodigy, likely on par with you. Several sects and families began courting her as soon as the results of her awakening were made known, and, as a group with a vested interest in her success, Epikairos ensured she was not taken advantage of during the process.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that,¡± I said.


    ¡°You are welcome,¡± he replied with a nod of acknowledgment. ¡°The girl is still quite young, so she¡¯s still attending academies. I believe she¡¯s currently attending one of the more prestigious Alchemists¡¯ Academies. She has yet to sign a formal agreement with any of the groups, but has taken advantage of the leveling opportunities made available to her over the years.¡±


    His eyes glittered mischievously. ¡°You¡¯ll never guess what level your youngest sister has managed to reach already. Take into consideration that she has been attending academies almost full-time since shortly after her awakening.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Level twenty-five?¡± I guessed. Halfway through Tier Three sounded pretty impressive.


    Master Kairos shook his head smugly. ¡°My latest report has her at level forty-one.¡±


    My eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Forty-one! How in the world did she manage that? She¡¯s only twenty-six years old! And you said she¡¯s been attending school the whole time, too? That¡¯s just crazy.¡±


    ¡°I told you, she¡¯s being courted by some powerful families and sects. That comes with a lot of benefits,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°She¡¯s actually stronger than both your sister-in-law and your niece, and Amie has the support of the Quartz Princess.¡±


    I shook my head in amazement. That kind of advancement outside of the dungeon seemed impossible.


    ¡°That kind of advancement isn¡¯t sustainable, of course,¡± my mentor continued, echoing my thoughts. ¡°Nobles and certain organizations can get away with pushing through Tier Four, but the restrictions get much more stringent at Tier Five. Your young sister will likely stagnate there for quite a while as she completes her schooling.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± I said, impressed at Ashlynn¡¯s progress.


    Truth be told, I didn¡¯t know the girl at all. She¡¯d been a baby the last time I saw her. Even so, she was my sister, and that had to matter. When family stopped mattering, I had no reason to remain in this realm.


    And I absolutely wasn¡¯t ready to leave yet.


    ¡°What about Zavira? How is she doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Good!¡± Master Kairos said before his expression dropped slightly. ¡°She struggled deeply with your abduction. I think she blamed herself since she was the last one to see you before the Assassin captured you. Had the timing worked out better, she would have been here to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Where is she now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She entered her mandated rift delve two days ago,¡± the Time Mage said. ¡°It was right after you defeated the second boss. We expected a similar gap until the third, but you breezed right through the last three. I¡¯m sure she would have traded slots if she¡¯d known how quickly you¡¯d finish.¡±


    I released a little sigh of disappointment. While I¡¯d wanted my best friend to be here, I understood that it was hard to estimate such things. Then again¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Anya see my return?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, no,¡± Master Kairos said a bit apologetically. ¡°The Council is in session, so she¡¯s focused on Council issues. When I handed over leadership of the sect and took on an inactive ¡®Founder¡¯ status, Anya took the opportunity to shift her focus to the Council. It was a bit of a blow to the sect, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll recover.¡±


    ¡°Still, I would have thought the most powerful Fate Mage in the Alliance would have been able to know when I¡¯d escape.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well¡­¡± Master Kairos sighed heavily. ¡°As I said before, I don¡¯t presume to understand Fate or its Mages.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 31 - Bells Request

    Bell was the first one to arrive at the hotel suite that Master Kairos had rented for me.


    Though we¡¯d returned to Aspirant City, home of the Hadier Branch of the Epikairos Sect, I no longer had a place to call my own after being gone for so long.


    We could have easily obtained accommodations within the sect, even as inactive members. However, since I anticipated having several non-sect visitors, it made more sense to obtain lodging outside the confines of the sect.


    I considered staying with Bell, but after my long absence, it felt weird to impose on her like that. And since Mom had moved back to Earth and Dad had moved to another city on Hadier, it made more sense to stay at a hotel until longer-term accommodations could be made.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you made it back in one piece,¡± Bell said as she squeezed me tightly.


    I was careful not to use much strength when I hugged her back, given our tier difference. She was already Low-Tier Five, which was impressive, I thought.


    ¡°Me too,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Justin. I wish there was something I could do¡ª¡±


    Bell¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement at my comment.


    ¡°There is!¡± My sister-in-law glanced around as if checking to ensure we were alone. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on something ¨C something to change things. Justin mentioned a suspicion he had about you. It was something to do with your affinities and it got me to thinking about possibilities with Time magic.¡±


    My stomach dropped at her comment. I hoped she wasn¡¯t about to ask me to force a time branch to save Justin. I¡¯d only just come to terms with the fact that doing so wasn¡¯t likely to change anything.


    And if Anya was to be believed, it might even make things worse. I wasn¡¯t sure how, especially since I¡¯d managed to save him once, but I was willing to trust Master Kairos¡¯s opinion on the matter.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working with one of the sect Elders, exchanging custom-made enchantments for information about how Time magic works,¡± Bell continued. ¡°I know that Time Mages have a very limited amount of time they can reverse without causing soul damage, but what if they used a formation instead?¡±


    I barely suppressed a sigh as my brother¡¯s widow shifted excitedly on the couch next to me.


    ¡°It would still cause a time branch, I get that,¡± Bell said. ¡°But if the target for the formation wasn¡¯t the Time Mage, maybe it would be better? Maybe they¡¯d be able to go back and change things without dying in this timeline.¡±


    She looked at me eagerly. ¡°I¡¯ve already planned out the formation. I¡¯ve even collected all the materials I¡¯d need to make it. I¡¯ve just been waiting for you to come back so you can help me with it since¡­ you know¡­ you have experience. Right?¡±


    I had no idea what to do. Master Kairos had made me promise not to tell anyone else, but I knew Bell well enough to know she was going to go forward with her plan, with or without my assistance.


    After a moment, I held up a hand. ¡°Let me talk to Master Kairos first.¡± When I saw she was getting ready to argue, I quickly added, ¡°I¡¯m willing to help you, but I need to discuss a few things with him first. Maybe he can help.¡±


    Bell¡¯s eyes filled with tears as her face split into a brilliant smile.


    ¡°I knew you could help! I knew it! I never gave up, you know. Even when everyone said I should move on, I just couldn¡¯t.¡± She shook her head as if rejecting the thought. ¡°Your mom thinks I¡¯m seeing Elder Vicis, but I¡¯m not. He¡¯s been teaching me. I just¡­ If I can go back and save Justin, I have to. Even if it kills me here, if I can save him in another timeline, it¡¯ll be worth it.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± I said with a sad smile. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it will work, but I understand your determination. Just be aware that Justin may die anyway, even if you save him.¡±


    It pained me to tell her that, but it was important for her to understand.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Fate is a real thing,¡± I replied.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Just¡ª¡± I cut myself off before answering. Trying to explain further would reveal information that I wasn¡¯t sure I could share. I shook my head and said, ¡°Let me talk to Master Kairos, then I¡¯ll answer what I can.¡±


    ¡°You know he¡¯s not your Master anymore, right? He stepped down from his position as the Patriarch, too, so he doesn¡¯t really have any power over you anymore,¡± Bell said with a hint of frustration. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer to him if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with that,¡± I assured her. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll still help you. And even if Master Kairos isn¡¯t the Patriarch anymore, he is still my mentor.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Bell said, raising her hands in surrender. After a moment of awkward silence, Bell shifted and said, ¡°Here, look at this and let me know what you think.¡±


    Bell removed a large parchment from her storage ring and handed it to me.


    As I looked over the draft blueprint, I noticed it was a lot more eloquent than the one I¡¯d used. The runes were stronger and more advanced, for one. Really, the whole thing was a step above what I could have created before my trip through time.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°When are you targeting?¡± I asked, pointing at the rune she¡¯d used to represent a point in time. Since it wasn¡¯t empowered, I couldn¡¯t get a sense of what the goal was.


    Bell leaned forward. ¡°I struggled with that since Elder Vicis said it had to be something significant enough to make a ripple. I was thinking maybe the boys¡¯ birth? Or maybe our move to Hadier? Either event should be significant enough to target. I¡¯ll also be able to keep you from getting abducted if I go back that far.¡±


    I pursed my lips at the thought. Having Bell go that far back in time could provide a huge benefit, especially if she could warn me about a few pitfalls I¡¯d overlooked.


    Just telling me about the situation with the Sovereignty Sect disciple would be enough to prevent a lot of issues. At least, it would if I could avoid a big confrontation with the guy.


    If the me of now was able to do it all over again, I would have entered the floor in stealth and assassinated the arrogant elf without anyone being the wiser. That is, provided the dungeon didn¡¯t dime me out.


    I¡¯d have to ask Bell to fill me in on that situation if she managed to successfully travel back.


    ¡°I thought about going back to my awakening and stopping Justin from getting abducted in the first place. Then, you wouldn¡¯t have to enter the dungeon at all. Everything would be different.¡± She sighed and looked at me sadly. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that if I go that far back, the boys might never be born. Maybe I should shoot for the moment of their conception?¡±


    I winced when the mental image of my brother and Bell being intimate flashed through my mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you,¡± I said quickly, trying to cover my reaction. ¡°I won¡¯t know the difference either way unless you tell me.¡±


    I¡¯d have to tell her about my background if she really did go through with it, I decided. She needed to know not to tell anyone other than me once she returned, and the only way to explain that would be to tell her about my own experience with time travel.


    But before I could do that, I really needed to talk to Master Kairos.


    ¡°How about I review the formation in more detail after things settle down, and we can go over everything later? That¡¯ll give me time to discuss what I need to with Master Kairos, while also seeing if maybe there are some items I¡¯ve collected along the way that might be better suited for the formation than what you¡¯ve been able to acquire.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an empty promise since I had brought back quite a bit of material from the rift, and some of it would work quite well for a time travel formation.


    ¡°That sounds great,¡± Bell said with a smile before her expression shifted to something closer to concern. ¡°How was the rift, anyway? It had to have been hard to be isolated like that for so long. I know you struggled with limited contact in the dungeon. I can¡¯t imagine what full isolation might have been like.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It really was, but I wasn¡¯t totally alone.¡± Seeing her confused expression, I chuckled and removed the holographic cube from my new pocket dimension. ¡°Meet Lisa.¡±


    At that, Lisa¡¯s avatar materialized beside me, causing Bell¡¯s eyes to grow wide.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Lisa said with a playful smile.


    ¡°Oh! You gave your Interface Assistant a hologram?¡± Bell poked the avatar lightly before tilting her head when her finger met resistance. ¡°But it¡¯s more than just light and sound, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Lisa replied, surprising my long-time friend with her response.


    Bell looked from Lisa¡¯s avatar to me and raised a questioning brow. I shrugged in response.


    ¡°What can I say? I got really lonely.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ this is way more advanced than the AI-controlled constructs I¡¯ve seen before,¡± Bell said, barely resisting the urge to poke Lisa¡¯s avatar again.


    ¡°I¡­ honestly didn¡¯t even think of doing it like that. It does sound a lot easier than making a mana construct.¡±


    Bell blew out a breath and shook her head. ¡°What is your Enchanting at now, anyway? Did you ever break through to Master?¡±


    I barked out a laugh. ¡°No! I never made it to the Enchanters¡¯ Guild to learn any new techniques! The stupid Assassin grabbed me before I got there.¡± I sighed and shook my head at the reminder. ¡°I need to do that soon.¡±


    Our conversation meandered through several topics over the next few hours until Master Kairos knocked on the door. With a pointed reminder from Bell to discuss the time travel formation with my mentor, Bell excused herself and left for the evening.


    ¡°Do you know what she has planned?¡± I asked once we got settled. I didn¡¯t really feel like going out just yet.


    ¡°Not specifically, but I can guess,¡± Master Kairos replied before looking at me knowingly. ¡°Did she ask for your help to save Justin?¡±


    ¡°Basically,¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°Bell wants to do what I did before and create a formation to force a time branch so she can change things.¡± I hesitated for a moment. ¡°I know you said it¡¯s pointless, but since I know she won¡¯t give up on the idea, I think I¡¯m going to help her.¡±


    Master Kairos looked torn for a moment. ¡°It may be selfish of me to say this, but as long as you aren¡¯t the one shredding your soul, I don¡¯t mind if you get involved. You should warn her that it is likely her endeavor will be for naught.¡±


    ¡°I mentioned it, but I wasn¡¯t sure how much to share. If she¡¯s going to do it anyway, I¡¯d rather tell her about my experiences so she knows what to expect. It¡¯s probably a good idea to have her talk to me about it in the new timeline as well.¡±


    ¡°Provided it works,¡± he commented. ¡°I know I¡¯ve pointed this out before, but what you did should not have been successful like it was. From your description, the formation you used was nowhere close to being sufficient for its purpose.¡±


    ¡°Yet somehow it worked,¡± I said. ¡°Bell¡¯s formation is already far superior to the one I used. With a bit of tweaking, I really think it could work without killing her on this end, especially if we hire a Soul Healer to assist with the aftermath.¡±


    ¡°If it was anyone else, I¡¯d think they were being foolish. But given your experience, affinity, and tier, I think you might be right.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re okay with me telling Bell, then?¡±


    Master Kairos hesitated but inclined his head. ¡°Keeping it a secret was always meant to protect you. Even if you trust her, you should request an oath of secrecy, just in case.¡±


    At my look of confusion, Master Kairos explained, ¡°What will she do if, after all of her efforts, your brother still dies? Will she threaten to expose your secret to force you to try again? Will she say something in her grief that is better kept secret? Even if you think it unlikely, it is better to protect yourself, if possible.¡±


    Though I hadn¡¯t considered it before, I realized the older Time Mage had a point. Given how dedicated Bell obviously was to saving Justin, even after so many years, it made sense to protect myself from her likely disappointment.


    If Anya was right and Justin was fated to die sooner rather than later, it was inevitable that Bell would seek my assistance again. When that time came, the other me needed a way to protect against the potential weaponization of that secret.


    I hated to admit it, but in Bell¡¯s place, I could easily see myself forcing the subject if Justin died again. Hell, I was tempted to force the subject now, and he was just my brother, not the love of my life.


    ¡°Will such an oath transcend time?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for certain,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°But with a piece of her soul involved, it¡¯s possible to word the oath in a way that keeps it effective so long as a sliver of the soul is affected.¡±


    We discussed the details of such an oath over dinner, along with some of the specific phrases that should be incorporated to ensure the oath worked even after Bell traveled through time.

 Book 4 - Chapter 32 - Healing

    As if they coordinated it, both of my parents arrived within a few minutes of each other the following day. It almost had to have been planned since Mom was coming from Earth while Dad and his new family lived in a different city on Hadier.


    Things were less awkward than I expected, which was a welcome surprise. Mom seemed pretty familiar with Dad¡¯s new wife Caesi and their three very young children. Having Bell there as a bit of a buffer probably helped as well.


    Even knowing how mana had reduced the length of pregnancies to roughly half a year, it was still a surprise to see how close together the children had been born.


    ¡°They¡¯re all so close in age,¡± I commented as I lightly bounced my five-month-old baby brother. The toddlers playing in the manatech play yard were fifteen months and twenty-six months old, respectively.


    Dad chuckled lightly at my statement. ¡°Caesi wanted them to have playmates,¡± he said as if that explained everything.


    ¡°How does it feel to be a new dad in your eighties?¡± Mom asked curiously before adding, ¡°Not that any of us actually look our ages.¡±


    ¡°Eighty isn¡¯t very old,¡± Caesi interjected. ¡°It¡¯s actually pretty young to start a family for those who plan to progress beyond Tier Four.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if my new stepmother meant it as a jab toward my mom or not, but Mom¡¯s expression tightened. Since Bell was sitting on the small couch beside her, she put her hand on Mom¡¯s arm comfortingly.


    Mom had only reached Peak-Tier Three after all these years because she refused to risk entering a rift after Justin died. I was only aware of that fact because I¡¯d spent some time going through more of the accumulated messages I¡¯d received upon leaving the rift.


    Recognizing the expression on his ex-wife¡¯s face, Dad ignored the comment and answered the question. ¡°I don¡¯t feel that old, so it¡¯s pretty normal. Hitting Tier Four was almost like getting a rejuvenation treatment.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of tiering up, has Agirock been tamed yet?¡± I asked, suddenly getting an idea. I was not above using a little emotional manipulation if it would help my mom progress and live longer.


    ¡°No. Last I heard, it was still being subjugated. I think there are a couple of cities, but they haven¡¯t gotten all of the rift breaks handled yet, and the areas outside the city are supposed to still be pretty overrun with rift beasts.¡±


    It was as I expected. A mere quarter of a century wasn¡¯t nearly enough to clear a whole world without bringing in a lot of higher-tired people.


    ¡°I should be able to teleport directly there,¡± I said quietly, thinking aloud. ¡°Not that I need to save credits or anything, but it would be a pretty good way to test my limits.¡±


    ¡°Why would you want to go there?¡± Mom asked, hearing what I was muttering. ¡°I know the creatures there aren¡¯t really a threat to you, but you aren¡¯t allowed to just go in and kill them, right? What would be the point in going?¡±


    My eyes met hers, and I smiled. ¡°Well, you mentioned something about maybe fighting rift breaks again if I was on overwatch, didn¡¯t you?¡± I asked, referencing something she¡¯d said in one of the many, many messages she¡¯d sent during my time sequestered in the rift.


    Knowing they were planning to come to see me right away, I¡¯d used a bit of dilated time to review all the messages from Mom and Dad before they arrived.


    The color drained from Mom¡¯s face. ¡°I, uh, I think I¡¯m too old for that now,¡± she said quickly. ¡°It¡¯s been too long since I did anything like that. I¡¯m sure you have better things to do with your time. You just escaped from a rift. You should relax!¡±


    ¡°There is nothing better to do with my time than to help you overcome your fears and tier up. I want you to still be alive when I get out of the dungeon. Besides, helping you tier up would make me happy. Please? I promise it won¡¯t take long, and you¡¯ll be perfectly safe the whole time.¡±


    Mom¡¯s hands shook lightly, causing Bell to lean closer. I could only assume the two women had bonded over the shared trauma of losing Justin.


    ¡°I-I think I¡¯m fine. You really don¡¯t have to go out of your way. My life expectancy is already good enough to still be healthy when you get out. Besides, I can heal myself, even if it doesn¡¯t reverse aging. I have a [Rejuvenation] wand that Bell made for that.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Mom,¡± I said, channeling my inner child and pouting. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Daniel need to tier up, too? He¡¯s also Peak-Tier Three, right?¡±


    Of course, I already knew the answer. Master Kairos ¨C or Kai, as he once again insisted on being called ¨C had updated me on everyone in my immediate family. I considered my niece and nephews part of that.


    After awakening with a mid-strength Light affinity, Daniel had become an Enchanter, just like his mom. He wasn¡¯t much of a fighter, but nobody mentioned he actively avoided combat like Mom did. In fact, he probably already had his alternate level dealt with.


    Even so, I doubted he¡¯d mind a little help pushing past the threshold. Most people wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Daniel? What does he¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sure he¡¯d love that, Emie!¡± Bell interjected brightly. ¡°He hates that he¡¯s fallen behind his brother, even though we all knew it would happen when he took the professional path. I¡¯m honestly happier that he isn¡¯t putting himself in danger on a regular basis. Daniel has never been one for conflict¡­ unless it involves Lucas.¡±


    I grinned at the support. ¡°Can you reach out to him and ask if he can take a few days off? He can use the whole ¡®miraculous return of a long-lost aunt¡¯ excuse,¡± I said playfully.


    I kept an eye on Mom during the exchange so I could tell that she really wanted to decline the offer. It was a bit heavy-handed of me, I knew, but they really would be perfectly safe during the excursion.


    I planned to handle things much like the dungeon cities did with their under-tiered individuals. The only difference would be that we¡¯d be safely perched on a platform of Space mana instead of standing on a wall during a beast wave.


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    Since the rift beasts were outside of their domain, the system shouldn¡¯t even penalize them very much for using overpowered weapons.


    ¡°We should include his wife, Eve, too,¡± Bell said as she tapped her phone. ¡°She¡¯s Tier Three as well, though I think she¡¯s a couple of levels behind him.¡±


    By the time Bell coordinated with her son for a trip to Agirock, Mom had begrudgingly agreed to go. I hoped that by the end of the trip, Mom would feel better about hunting again.


    Dad and Caesi expressed an interest in doing a similar trip some other time, but didn¡¯t try to join the excursion we were planning. There would have been plenty of room, but it was probably better this way.


    <hr>


    The trip to the frontier world was scheduled for three days later. I spent most of those three days getting to know the new additions to the family and catching up with the old ones.


    A notable outlier was my visit from Rhona. She¡¯d taken on Amie as an assistant of some sort and had paid for her to attend one of the good Academies that specialized in Mind magic.


    From what I¡¯d been told, their affinities were almost mirrors. Rhona had a strong Crystal and a weak Mind affinity, while Amie was the opposite, with a stronger Mind affinity and a weak Crystal affinity. Technically, Amie¡¯s Mind affinity wasn¡¯t strong; it was just on the upper end of standard.


    Regardless, Rhona was the only non-family member who visited before I once again left Hadier. I didn¡¯t count Kai or Zavira since they were about as close to a family member as someone could be without actually being related.


    I still wasn¡¯t quite sure where I stood with my former Master, but I was grateful for his presence.


    Zavira was just¡­ Zavira. She was still the same stalwart companion she¡¯d always been.


    Aside from my mentor, she was the only one who consistently expressed confidence in my eventual return. There were no messages of uncertainty or worry. Every message I received in the twenty-six years I¡¯d been gone expressed absolute confidence that I would overcome the challenge and return stronger.


    Her faith was humbling.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to head out to power-level your mom and nephew tomorrow?¡± she asked, though it was less of a question and more of a segway into a new conversation.


    It had taken a couple of days for Zavira to finish her delve and learn of my return, but as soon as she heard the news, she dropped everything and portaled right over.


    I wasn¡¯t surprised to see how familiar my family had grown with my closest friend after catching up on most of my messages. Both of my parents often talked about Zavira¡¯s regular contact with them after I was abducted.


    If anything, Zavira probably knew my parents better than I did now.


    ¡°Yeah, and Daniel¡¯s wife,¡± I answered as we walked down a busy street. Everyone had already retired for the night except for us and my former Master.


    I¡¯d invited him to come along with us on our foodie walk, but he¡¯d declined, saying he thought it would be better for us to catch up without him hovering nearby.


    He wasn¡¯t worried about any future abductions, so I wasn¡¯t overly concerned either. Besides, I kept a modified barrier active the whole time. I felt confident it would repel even a Tier Ten¡¯s spell at least once, provided they didn¡¯t somehow have a stronger Time affinity and Time Magic Mastery.


    Even making contact wouldn¡¯t be enough since the spell was layered and anchored to my skin.


    ¡°So, are you going to use the rest of your allotted break or head right back into the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m taking my break,¡± I assured her. ¡°The advances I made should be plenty to compensate for the time I spent in the rift. If anything, it might have saved me a little time.¡±


    ¡°Fighting up a full tier is quite lucrative for those who can survive it,¡± she agreed before grinning mischievously. ¡°Maybe you can take me with you when you do your mandatory delve.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t my recent escapade count for that?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°I just got out.¡±


    Zavira shook her head. ¡°It counts from the time you enter, not when you clear it. I¡¯m not sure how the Adventurers¡¯ Guild will handle everything, given the circumstances, but you should plan on needing to clear at least one more rift before you reenter the dungeon.¡±


    I frowned at the news. Kai hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about needing to go back inside a rift.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too worked up about it,¡± Zavira continued. ¡°I doubt clearing a similarly-tiered rift will take you very long. I finished mine in a few days with a team. If we work together, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t take long. And you don¡¯t have to fully clear it to count. As long as you kill enough mobs to drain some mana, it¡¯s usually considered good enough.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you want to join me, I don¡¯t see why not,¡± I said. ¡°With the right weapons, it shouldn¡¯t be that hard. Honestly, once I tiered up, the challenge rift wasn¡¯t all that bad, and I was still technically under-leveled for it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, your affinities are a cheat.¡±


    I shrugged and playfully replied, ¡°Nobody said life was fair.¡±


    Though I hadn¡¯t changed my appearance, nobody recognized me as a Tri-Affinity Mage. It had been long enough that people didn¡¯t really remember my face, and I kept my affinities masked.


    The only one that showed up with an inspection spell was Arcane. I figured it was a good one to display since it could justify the use of basically any other affinity.


    I¡¯d also gotten used to wearing black, and I¡¯d held to my new preference even when purchasing casual clothing. When coupled with my hair, my displayed affinity was very believable.


    After we picked our next restaurant and got settled into a booth, Zavira sighed heavily. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re finally back.¡±


    ¡°You just like me for my ability to teleport,¡± I joked.


    ¡°I mean, yeah, that¡¯s pretty nice,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°It would take way too long to travel between cities and worlds to sample the best foods without you.¡±


    ¡°Access to good food is important,¡± I said seriously. After a moment, we both chuckled.


    ¡°I really missed you,¡± Zavira said. ¡°I never doubted you¡¯d come back, though.¡±


    I grinned. ¡°I know. You mentioned that a lot in your messages. Seeing those really lifted my spirits. I still haven¡¯t gotten through all of them. I think you¡¯re the only one who unfailingly sent a message every single month while I was gone. Even Master Kairos wasn¡¯t that consistent.¡±


    ¡°I promised you I would.¡±


    ¡°That was for when I returned to the dungeon.¡±


    Zavira shook her head. ¡°Nope. Every month. My Interface Assistant reminds me if I forget,¡± she replied before grinning slyly. ¡°Besides, I think your mentor was a little busy during most of that time.¡±


    ¡°Dealing with the former disciples, you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. I worried there at the beginning,¡± she admitted. ¡°I thought he might go too far and violate the Accords after you were taken.¡±


    Our conversation was interrupted by the waiter, but it didn¡¯t take long to place our order. A lot of restaurants had a sampling menu and we just ordered two of everything. One was packaged for takeout and the other we¡¯d enjoy in the restaurant.


    ¡°He just collected the worst of them,¡± I said after the waiter walked away. ¡°He said he was waiting for me to escape so I could be there when they were punished. We¡¯re going to do to them what they arranged to be done to me.¡±


    I normally wouldn¡¯t talk about such things in public spaces since, while not technically illegal in most territories, my mentor¡¯s actions would certainly be frowned upon. But since I had activated a low-key privacy ward before we sat down, I wasn¡¯t worried about being overheard.


    It was a subtle combination of Mind and Sound magic. The Sound magic muffled and distorted our conversation, while the Mind magic made anything that was heard seem boring and uninteresting.


    Completely blocking all sound often drew the attention of those who might otherwise overlook us, so subtly was key.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind coming along for that,¡± Zavira said with hardened eyes. ¡°I¡¯d like to see those arrogant elves get a taste of karma.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Master¡ªI mean, Kai, won¡¯t mind,¡± I said, catching myself.


    I was going to make a real effort to address him the way he¡¯d asked. It was hard because I¡¯d gone right back to calling him Master Kairos in my mind while stuck in the rift. It would take some time to get used to calling him something else.


    Maybe I¡¯d ask the Mind Healer I was going to go see once my little excursion to Agirock was finished to address that for me. It shouldn¡¯t be a hard thing to alter.


    The people who knew my plan were completely supportive of my decision to talk to someone. Kai had even found someone I could tell about the time travel thing. I found myself strangely looking forward to the visit.

 Book 3 - Chapter 37 - Surprise Trials

    ¡°Does it feel easier, somehow?¡± I asked after the giant venomous centipede collapsed. It was the third one we¡¯d encountered since we entered the mid-tier area of the Wonderland zone.


    Zavira winced slightly. ¡°It does.¡±


    ¡°Is it because we aren¡¯t allowing fights to enter melee unnecessarily?¡±


    Zavira approached the carcass and carefully stored it inside her ring. The amount of space Zavira had in her potion-granted inventory at Tier Five was not enough to hold such a creature, but the ring she¡¯d commissioned from me held plenty of room.


    It also was enchanted with [Stasis].


    ¡°That¡¯s my theory,¡± Zavira said a moment later. ¡°It¡¯s a hard balance, trying to advance quickly without damaging one¡¯s foundation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we aren¡¯t getting any experience fighting close-range,¡± I said, thinking back on one of our fights the day before.


    We¡¯d been fighting several large flying creatures that looked like a mix between wasps and mosquitos when a teleporting lynx surprised us. Spatial Sense hadn¡¯t picked it up at all, nor had Zavira¡¯s nascent Motion Sense.


    I suspected it had Teleported from outside our detection range somehow.


    I¡¯d been using the encounter to train myself by excluding Zavira from area-effect spells like Slow or Pause, so my mana was already significantly lower than it would have otherwise been.


    Such manipulations were mana-intensive and thus limited, especially when adding a teleporting lynx into the Time-slowed domain. Anything added to the domain after the spell was cast increased the mana cost associated with maintaining the effect.


    Because my spell was directly competing with the lynx¡¯s teleportation, those costs were exponentially increased.


    Ultimately, I¡¯d had to drop the spell to conserve what little mana I had remaining and shift to fighting the creature in melee.


    It was a challenge, especially with flying mobs still attacking. But we¡¯d managed fine.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Zavira said. I imagined she was recalling the same recent encounter. ¡°We should probably make an effort to ensure we get regular practice to maintain our skills.¡±


    ¡°Right. Just like I don¡¯t use Time magic to make everything easy for us,¡± I said with a grin.


    I used it occasionally since ignoring and not training with such a valuable advantage would be foolish. But it would be similarly foolish to become reliant on such spells, especially for Zavira, who didn¡¯t have access to such magic without formations.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°Shall we continue, or do you want to call it a day? We have a couple of commissions still pending, and I wanted to have my part complete before the end of the week.¡±


    Though Niall was no longer our party member, he still contributed to the occasional joint creation and facilitated their sale. Since he was basically our point of contact with the more active elites on the floor, it was an acceptable enough arrangement.


    That would likely change once we reached level fifty and unlocked our tertiary professions. I was considering taking Merchant so I could earn experience by selling directly through the kiosks, while Zavira was leaning toward Trader to handle in-person and material trades.


    There was a lot of overlap between the two professions, but there were also several subtle differences.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do a few more encounters. I wouldn¡¯t mind more materials to work with,¡± I said after a bit of thought.


    We really were ahead of schedule for the floor, so I didn¡¯t feel like we needed to rush. But I also loved seeing the numbers go up in my status. It gave me a sense of accomplishment that was hard to match elsewhere.


    We¡¯d finished the fourth floor faster than expected, and now that it was just Zavira and me, I felt like we¡¯d finish the fifth floor ahead of schedule as well.


    If we continued to progress at this new, increased pace, meeting Master Kairos¡¯s goal seemed quite possible. I might even manage it with some extra time left over.


    I doubted I¡¯d accompany him on his ascension, even though I knew he really wanted a companion for the journey. There was just too much I wanted to do in this realm to leave.


    I wanted to spend time with my family and watch my niece and nephew grow up. I wanted to maybe start my own family in this realm. I didn¡¯t want to wait until I moved on to do something like that. I wanted my kids to have cousins to play with and grandparents to spoil them.


    The alternative was taking his place in the sect. The idea of doing something like that felt so distant, so unrealistic. It was like imagining myself as royalty or something. I could imagine it, but only within the bounds of fantasy, not as something I actually felt was possible.


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    Regardless of all that, growing faster would let me see my family sooner. That was my real motivation.


    A whole decade outside the dungeon.


    It felt almost like a dream.


    I¡¯d already spent almost four years in the dungeon. It felt like such a long time, but I knew it was just a drop in the bucket compared to how much longer I needed to spend there.


    Not even a year had passed for the rest of my family. I sometimes wondered if they¡¯d recognize me when I saw them next. Would the me of before recognize the me I was becoming?


    The sudden silence pulled the half of my mind that was contemplating life and existence into the present.


    We¡¯d been walking the short distance to the next set of mobs on our shared mini-map just a second earlier, but now¡­ we were somewhere else.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± I asked quietly as my twin streams of thought categorized what my senses were telling them.


    We were no longer surrounded by massive plants and creatures. Instead, we stood atop a low hill. A pillar of crystal stood behind us, with a floating globe hovering above the pedestal.


    Beyond the hill, my senses were hampered by a thick fog of multi-colored mana. I couldn¡¯t see or sense anything inside the swirling motes. I wasn¡¯t sure anything existed there.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡ª¡±


    Zavira¡¯s words abruptly cut off when a notification appeared before my eyes.


    [Welcome, Challenger!


    Complete the Trial and be rewarded.


    You may practice this Trial <u>0</u> times.


    You may challenge this Trial <u>1</u> time.


    Would you like to:


    <u>Practice,</u> <u>Challenge,</u> or <u>Exit</u> the Trial?


    *NOTE: You may not reenter this trial*]


    ¡°I¡¯ve only read about one trial on the fifth floor. It¡¯s supposed to be a wave trial,¡± I said after reading the prompt. ¡°Nobody ever gets a second try if they exit¡­ so¡­ are we doing it?¡±


    I looked at my companion to gauge her reaction.


    She¡¯d just mentioned wanting to head back soon, but from what I understood, this trial could take a long time. It was a huge opportunity ¨C one we hadn¡¯t gotten on the previous floor.


    We¡¯d played around a bit in the sunken ship, but it wasn¡¯t a real trial with dungeon rewards based on performance. In our haste to progress and distraction with the war, we¡¯d somehow missed out on the fourth floor¡¯s trial.


    It was a bit of a shame. The crystal node I¡¯d received from the third floor was still useful, even two tiers later.


    ¡°We have to,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°Can we sleep before we start it, or is there a time limit?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know the answer to that question, but it seemed Zavira got one.


    ¡°Oh. The dungeon says we have ten minutes to decide. If we haven¡¯t selected an option by then, the trial will automatically start.¡±


    My thoughts spun with possibilities, but the first thing I needed to do was establish a Time domain and extend our grace period.


    Since my mana reserves were still low, I didn¡¯t have enough mana to cast the spell myself, so I started pulling out a pre-made formation. It was something I used when I was crafting or training to get the most benefit from the time I had without draining my resources in the process.


    ¡°I¡¯ll set up the dilation zone. You figure out how we¡¯re going to spend the hour that I can stretch that to.¡±


    Five-times time dilation on a formation wasn¡¯t bad. I was close to reaching six, but I needed more practice with the runes involved. I could cast at seven-times dilation for short stints, but that was only because Master Kairos had given me a ton of insight into how the spell worked.


    It wasn¡¯t a direct comparison.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you had that with you,¡± Zavira said. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s lucky Niall joined the other elites.¡±


    Though it sounded a bit strange, I understood what she meant.


    The formation I was setting up was the one I¡¯d loaned to Niall to help him extend his crafting and rest time while we were partying together. It wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d purchased or a gift, so when he left the party, he¡¯d returned it.


    Niall didn¡¯t really like using it anyway since the effects of quickened time still impacted his body as if they were natural. I¡¯d undone the minor aging he¡¯d experienced as a gift, which had the interesting side effect of me realizing just how young the Kastet really was.


    Though he was physically and mentally a fully mature adult, upon entering the dungeon, he¡¯d only been fifteen years old. I already knew that Kastets naturally awakened at ten years old since that was when they reached adulthood, but I¡¯d somehow never made the connections.


    To awaken at ten and reach tier four by fifteen? While attending an academy¡­ it was just mind-blowing. He had to have some kind of training rift setup like I¡¯d done for Sumi, Bell, and Natalie back home.


    Not that Niall¡¯s age mattered, but it did explain his perception that he was progressing too slowly.


    I finished setting up the formation and activated it. The effect only covered a small area since it was only designed to cover a workspace. I managed to expand it to encompass the size of a small bedroom, which should be more than enough room for both of us to Meditate and do a bit of crafting ¨C if necessary.


    ¡°What kind of creatures will we be fighting?¡± Zavira asked. ¡°Do you know?¡±


    ¡°The few accounts I read described waves that changed composition each time. One might be wolves, and the next snakes or bats or dinosaurs. Eventually, the dungeon will send more than one type of creature at the same time, but there wasn¡¯t much information available beyond that.¡±


    I thought for a second and realized that wasn¡¯t actually true.


    ¡°We are supposed to get a ten-minute break between waves, and we can opt to leave during the break as well. Once the wave starts, though, we¡¯re forced to finish it.¡±


    ¡°And loot?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Only at the end. The bodies disappear as soon as the wave ends, or maybe as soon as they die?¡± I raised my hands uncertainly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t very clear. One of the challengers just mentioned not being able to collect any materials and being upset by it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s disappointing. What about the rewards?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be good, but nobody shared what they got.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s telling,¡± Zavira said.


    I nodded. It was very telling.


    ¡°Okay, we should probably prepare several easy-to-eat meals and snacks, then. Hopefully, we can set up something like this between waves so we have more time to recover,¡± Zavira said, motioning toward the formation markers.


    ¡°If I had more mana, I¡¯d just cast the spell. It would¡¯ve saved some time,¡± I said with a frown.


    ¡°You should focus on meditating, then. I¡¯ll take care of the food,¡± Zavira offered as she removed her MealMaker from her ring.


    Seeing it made me smile, but I quickly settled down and focused on recovering as much mana as possible in the time we had remaining.

 Book 3 - Chapter 38 - So Many Choices

    The waves kept coming.


    Ten minutes between waves was hardly anything, especially with my ability to expand that time being effectively countered. The dungeon had negated my ability to dilate time by automatically starting waves after ten subjective minutes had passed for at least one participant.


    We learned that lesson the hard way when we tried to extend our break the first time. Thankfully, we¡¯d tried early enough that we didn¡¯t actually need a longer break. It just would have been nice.


    The challenge had started pretty easy, with only two level forty-one creatures. The next wave had four, and the next six, then eight, and so on until there were twenty creatures. At that point, the creatures changed, and their level increased to forty-two.


    The number of opponents also reset, dragging out the challenge. Without Refresh, we would have struggled to continue beyond the fiftieth wave. Even with the spell helping restore our stamina and reduce mental fatigue, the strain of near-constant fighting was starting to build.


    Not getting injured was also helpful, though that was largely accomplished through the judicial use of [Barriers] and Barriers.


    ¡°How many more waves do you want to push through?¡± Zavira asked as we caught our breath after the seventy-ninth wave.


    The dungeon had started mixing the mobs at wave fifty, making things more interesting and a bit more dangerous. The last set had been particularly difficult with the mix of quick-moving ground mobs and flyers.


    ¡°As many as we can,¡± I replied tiredly before casting Refresh on both of us.


    I was relying heavily on core-powered enchanted weapons to get through the larger waves, and mostly fighting in melee for the smaller ones. It was done in an attempt to preserve as much mana as possible since ten minutes was not nearly enough time to recover between waves.


    I couldn¡¯t rely too heavily on mana potions since my stock was lower than normal when we entered the Trial. I hadn¡¯t restocked after my last crafting session, which normally wouldn¡¯t have been a big deal had we not gotten pulled into the Trial.


    Non-Enchanters often didn¡¯t realize how mana-intensive creating intricate enchantments was. I imagined it was similar for some of the other professions as well.


    Alchemists certainly used a lot of mana when making potions and pills. Even making reagents and such took a fair amount of mana to create.


    While I technically could craft my own potions, it wasn¡¯t generally worth my time or the effort involved. I still made my own reagents, but mana potions and such were easier to simply buy from someone specializing in Alchemy.


    I drank one of my few remaining mana potions and sighed as I felt my regeneration kick into high speed. It had been several waves since I drank the last one.


    ¡°How are you on mana?¡± I asked Zavira.


    ¡°I¡¯m at toxicity,¡± she replied after putting away her own empty vial with a grimace. ¡°I can¡¯t drink anymore.¡±


    I looked a bit more closely at my friend. She looked fine, if a bit pale. That was probably Refresh in action, though. While it would help recover stamina and generally refresh someone, it did nothing to combat alchemical toxicity.


    ¡°Do you want me to use Restore?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    Zavira seemed to really consider the offer for a moment before shaking her head.


    ¡°No. There¡¯s no reason to waste the spell for a superficial effect. I still won¡¯t be able to use any more potions for the rest of the day.¡±


    I checked my status, wondering how close I was to the next level. After killing nearly 200 creatures, I felt like I should be getting close.


    ***


    Name: Emie deEp¨ªkairos


    Level: 42 (392842/394900)


    Profession: Enchanter/Manatechnician


    Affinities: Time, Space


    ***


    Health: 290


    Stamina: 460


    Mana: 352/640


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 17


    Agility ¨C 20


    Vitality ¨C 29


    Intelligence ¨C 64


    Wisdom ¨C 52


    Perception ¨C 29


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***


    I smiled at the number. I¡¯d only just reached level forty-two a couple of weeks earlier, and a decent chunk of the experience for that level had come from the previous floor since we¡¯d been short on alternate experience.


    ¡°Will you be alright for the next wave? It¡¯s the big one,¡± I said, referencing the twenty-mob wave that ended each set of waves.


    While I hoped to get at least one more wave in since the experience would go a long way toward filling the remaining gap, I didn¡¯t want my friend and companion to get injured from overextending.


    ¡°I should be fine for this one and maybe the first couple in the next series if the mobs don¡¯t counter me too hard.¡±


    I forced myself to my feet before offering Zavira my hand. ¡°It¡¯s really okay if you want to call it. You¡¯re already experiencing potion toxicity. Another day or so of grinding will be enough to get to the next level for me. Such a small delay isn¡¯t worth our safety.¡±


    My companion shook her head as she stumbled to her feet. ¡°No. Let¡¯s get through at least one more wave. The reward should be better if we finish the round.¡±


    Unwilling to challenge Zavira¡¯s assessment of her own capability, I said nothing.


    Instead, I handed her a scepter capable of toggling between two elements. It was the upgrade to my original cluster-caster design, which I realized wasted far too much mana to be viable.


    ¡°Ice and Earth,¡± I said, showing her how to switch between the two elements. I pointed at the runes. ¡°[Lance], [Shard], and [Spike]. The last one will manifest below the target, just like the other scepter you tried.¡±


    The Smith gave me a tired smile. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯d probably be fine without it, but this will make things easier. I really should commission a couple of variants from you for situations like this.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°You can keep that one if you make me a dozen¡ª¡±


    My offer was cut off by the arrival of the next wave. This time, it was a combination of wolf-like creatures and screaming eagles. Without our [Barriers], the Sonic Screams would have likely caused significant damage.


    As it was, the sound was still a bit disorienting.


    Zavira didn¡¯t bother trying to fight with her usual style. Instead, she peppered half of the wave with a non-stop barrage of spells from the scepter. I was a little worried that she might drain the mana cores before the wave was finished at the rate she was firing.


    The design allowed the spells to be cast without spending more than a pinch of mana, though doing so diminished the mana cores embedded in the weapon. The cores could be recharged with the proper manatech device so long as they weren¡¯t wholly depleted.


    Empty cores couldn¡¯t be recharged, but they were still valuable, especially for Alchemists and Smiths.


    Swapping empty or near-empty cores for new ones was also a valid option. It was also the option used by most of the people who favored such weapons.


    I focused more of my attention on my own fight after verifying my friend was doing alright. I¡¯d Slowed all of the mobs after they emerged from the fog, so the fight wasn¡¯t quite as dangerous as it might have otherwise been.


    Since it was clear Zavira was on her last leg, I wasn¡¯t as worried about saving mana. I still kept enough for an emergency Teleport or Restore, not that the former would do much inside a Trial.


    When the last of the creatures fell, I tried to store the body as I¡¯d done with each of the previous waves. I succeeded, bringing me to a total of eighteen bodies collected out of eighty waves.


    ¡°Do you have extra cores for this?¡± Zavira asked, holding out the scepter.


    ¡°A few,¡± I said before taking a bite of the skewer I¡¯d retrieved from my ring. It was one of the ones Zavira had made in preparation for the Trial.


    ¡°I can probably go a few more waves if I change the cores.¡±


    I handed her two pairs of Ice and Earth cores. It was more than she should need for a full round of waves, but I didn¡¯t see the point in being stingy. We could always pick up more the next time we went hunting.


    ¡°It still feels a bit like cheating,¡± Zavira said with a frown as she exchanged the depleted cores for fresh ones.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same as using a sword or a mace,¡± I said half-heartedly, echoing a previous discussion we¡¯d had.


    I¡¯d argued that using weapons enchanted with castable spells was the same thing as using any other enchanted weapon. Zavira didn¡¯t see using enchanted swords, knives, or other smithed weapons as cheating, so logically, the same should apply to casting implements.


    Zavira had argued that melee weapons still required skill to use, unlike the point-and-shoot capabilities of many manatech weapons. She wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong, but even point-and-shoot weapons still had a skill element involved.


    And also, sometimes, just pointing and shooting was preferable.


    <hr>


    We made it through eighty-seven waves, which I felt was a pretty decent showing. If we¡¯d been better prepared and fresh, we might have gone even further.


    When we touched the orb and expressed our intent to end the Trial, our surroundings melted away, leaving me surrounded by a sea of white.


    I could no longer see or hear Zavira, but I felt confident we were both safe.


    [Congratulations on your performance!]


    [You have earned a boon.]


    The words appeared floating in front of me, much like the other messages from the dungeon had. I found it a little odd that the dungeon had separated me and Zavira. It made me wonder if there was something more to the reward portion than disclosed.


    Actually, nothing had been disclosed about the rewards, now that I thought about it. Zavira and I had both thought that exclusion was noteworthy.


    [As a reward for completing 87 waves of the Fifth Floor Trial, you may select one of the following:


    <ul>


    <li style="text-align: center">Growth crafting material</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Growth weapon</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Growth armor</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Set of growth tools related to your primary profession</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Set of growth tools related to your secondary profession</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Intermediate Skill Crystal of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Advancement of one existing skill of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Intermediate Spell Crystal of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Advancement or evolution of one existing spell of choice]</li>


    </ul>


    That¡­ was a lot of choices. We must have performed better than I thought.


    I immediately understood why Zavira and I were separated, though I wished we were still together. It would have been nice to discuss the options with someone before making such a decision.


    I focused on the first option with the intention of learning more. The selection immediately expanded.


    [Growth crafting material: a node creating one replenishable resource. Materials created will be at the tier of the mana imbued. The Crystal Node you received for the Third Floor Trial is an example of a growth crafting material.]


    I was caught off-guard by the personalization involved in the explanation, but I tried not to let it bother me. It was obvious that the dungeon was at least semi-sapient.


    I went through the rest of the options. They were basically self-explanatory.


    Growth items increased in tier as the user did by siphoning a bit of mana to fuel whatever magical evolution the dungeon created. They would only ever grow with a single person since they would attune or bind to that person¡¯s mana.


    Anyone else who tried to use them would be limited to whatever tier the item was currently at since the growth aspect would only work for one person.


    The intermediate skill crystal would give me a brand-new skill at the intermediate level. Only specialized and combat skills had such designations, though I was almost sure general skills had similar, hidden metrics.


    The same applied to the spell crystal. It would give me a new spell, functional at whatever served as the ¡®intermediate¡¯ level. I had no idea how the system ¨C or the dungeon ¨C would make such a determination, but I didn¡¯t need to understand how something worked to take advantage of it.


    The two options that I was most interested in were the advancement of an existing skill or spell.


    The first would push one of my skills to the next level. Something like Enchanting, which had been stuck at the peak of Advanced since I entered the dungeon, could be pushed to Expert ¨C just one step below Master.


    It was a feat I didn¡¯t imagine accomplishing before leaving the dungeon, even with my inheritance. Master Kairos seemed to think otherwise, though. He¡¯d felt confident I¡¯d reach Expert in the skill before reaching the Eighth Floor.


    As far as pushing an existing spell to the next level¡­ I had no idea how that would even work. Would the dungeon provide me some kind of insight like I¡¯d experienced during the first timeline when I first connected to my affinities?


    I worried that using the boon that way might be wasted since I still had so much more of my inheritance to go.


    Then again, most of what was left related to Time. Stella made no secret of the fact that there were a lot of things she couldn¡¯t share about advanced Space-related topics. Using the boon to push one of my Space spells further might be a very good way of gaining valuable insight into the element.


    I wished I could use the reward to advance my understanding of Space magic in general. It was too bad that skills like Space Magic Mastery didn¡¯t exist. I would definitely want to push that skill to the next level if it did.


    [Would you like to use your boon to learn the skill: Space Magic Mastery, at the intermediate level?]


    My brain stuttered to a near halt as I stood, blinking at the prompt.


    ¡°That skill exists?¡± I asked once I found my voice.


    Unsaid, I wondered how I hadn¡¯t earned the skill after everything I¡¯d learned and accomplished. Was there a similar mastery skill for Time? If there was, why had it never been mentioned before?


    Mentally, I asked, ¡°Lisa, can you access the inheritance to see if there is anything about Space or Time Magic Mastery?¡±


    After a moment, Lisa replied, ¡°Time Magic Mastery is the subject of the first lesson at Tier Eight. I cannot provide any further information about the topic at this time.¡±


    I nodded to myself. It was good to know the skill would be covered at some point in the future, though I wondered why it would take so long to get there. If the dungeon was offering me the Space magic version of the skill now, that meant it shouldn¡¯t be beyond my ability to comprehend, right?


    I waited, hoping for some response from the dungeon or the system on the topic, but no answer came.


    ¡°Dungeon,¡± I said, looking up at nothing. ¡°Are there any skills or spells you recommend for me based on my aptitudes and affinities?¡±


    Again, there was no response. I sighed.


    ¡°Can I see a list of skills available for the intermediate selection?¡±


    Nothing appeared.


    It seemed I had to know what skill I wanted instead of choosing from a list of options. Space Magic Mastery really did seem like a good choice, and with Stella unable to contribute more to my inheritance, it made sense to choose it.


    Hoping I wasn¡¯t making a mistake, I made my selection.

 Book 3 - Chapter 39 - Motivation to Climb

    Gaining Space Magic Mastery was like incorporating a custom augment, except the epiphanies and connections to other concepts were more encompassing.


    The initial rush of understanding made casting even complex spatial magics nearly trivial. It was almost like I¡¯d spent the whole time with a hazy filter over my senses, and the skill had removed it, allowing me to finally see the patterns I needed to follow more clearly.


    Of course, that was a poor metaphor since my vision had very little to do with anything, but it was the best I could come up with to explain it to Zavira when she asked what the skill did.


    Upon learning that skills like Space Magic Mastery were available as rewards for the Trial, Zavira became very focused on getting to the next floor so she could find the next Trial and obtain Force Magic Mastery.


    I was surprised that she didn¡¯t know about such options, especially since disciples from her sect had been challenging the dungeon for hundreds of years. It was only after receiving a message from Master Kairos that I understood.


    The dungeon placed everyone under a geas not to share certain information about the dungeon with those who were unaware. The restriction also applied to the watchers in the small city just outside of the dungeon, which was how the dungeon kept the footage from being shared.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how the dungeon managed to place geasa on high-tier individuals outside the dungeon, but the fact that it could was certainly noteworthy.


    After the Trial, Zavira and I limited our hunts to the high and peak-tier portions of the floor. Neither of us felt like bothering with the weaker areas, even if they were nominally more appropriate for our advancement.


    Between our improvements and the protective enchantments we wore, the two of us felt confident in handling anything short of a boss. Even that we managed by the time we reached mid-tier.


    When we needed a break from fighting and crafting, we soaked in the pool I created out of an old pod. It was filled with stolen water from the springhead, siphoned using the small [Portal] enchantment I¡¯d installed the day Niall had left our party.


    The magic was just as effective in my artificial pool as it was at the springhead ¨C as long as the connection remained open. Closing the small [Portal] caused the effects to quickly disappear, which was fine when the pool was not in use.


    As we progressed through the fifth tier, Lisa monitored my alternate experience gains to ensure I didn¡¯t fall short like I had on the previous floor. Now that I was using manatech even more often than before, my secondary profession was really showing its worth. I soon realized I had little to worry about as far as alternate experience went.


    Zavira¡¯s growth was slower, but not markedly so.


    She decided to change her secondary profession to Trader shortly after we finished the Trial and had been handling most of our material sales since then. She got a reduced amount of experience selling through the kiosks, but every little bit helped.


    I picked up Merchant as my tertiary profession when I reached level fifty, but Zavira had already reached her alternate experience goal by then, and the loss for her was minimal.


    The fact that our actions created a small loss in experience gains for our former party member wasn¡¯t even a consideration in our decisions. We¡¯d only continued trading through him because it was convenient, not because of any sense of obligation.


    While I wished him well and held no ill will toward him, I wasn¡¯t going to hamstring myself or Zavira on his behalf. I was sure he¡¯d understand and agree with our decision. The young Kastet was nothing if not logical.


    Niall seemed melancholy when we met with him for the last time before leaving the floor a little over four years after Zavira and I completed the floor Trial. I could tell that he regretted choosing the other elites over our party, but he was proud enough not to make an issue out of it.


    ¡°It seems I have some catching up to do,¡± the Kastet said solemnly as I charged his [Restore] talisman.


    I¡¯d sent a message to those who¡¯d purchased the talismans over the years, just in case they needed a recharge before I tiered up and headed to the sixth floor. Most challengers seemed supportive of our progress, though there were a few who were obviously disgruntled by our quick ascension.


    Completing the fifth floor in only four and a half years was a remarkable feat, especially outside of an active war. It was about twice as fast as the quickest non-elite challengers generally managed. We¡¯d only succeeded because Zavira and I were able to jump from one fight to another without needing to take the time to find new opponents.


    ¡°I¡¯ll still honor our deal when you get to the next floor,¡± I assured our former party member. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it will take you very long,¡± I added.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    He was already at level forty-nine, so we weren¡¯t too far ahead of him.


    ¡°Have you obtained all of the benefits from the Hot Spring?¡± I asked as I handed him the recharged talisman.


    Niall nodded. ¡°I have. A few new elites are holding the site, but most of us have already moved on.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know of anyone who¡¯d be interested in buying access to their own private Hot Spring pool, do you?¡±


    Niall¡¯s white-whiskered brows raised as he looked at me. The contrast between his whiskers and his navy fur had always stood out to me. The whiskers above his lips twitched a few times.


    ¡°I wondered why the two of you never used the resource after I left the party,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°I thought perhaps you were avoiding me. I¡¯m glad you did not hamper your growth out of a sense of discomfort.¡±


    I smiled at the Void Mage.


    I considered myself socially awkward in many ways, especially when I interacted with people from the Alliance. But Niall was still on a whole other level when it came to interpersonal relationships. I¡¯d hoped he would grow more comfortable interacting with others over time, but it seemed my hopes had been in vain.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t avoiding you, Niall,¡± I assured him. ¡°Zavira and I understand why you made the decision you did. I just¡­ didn¡¯t want to take part in another war right away.¡±


    ¡°It seems that decision worked out well for the two of you,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized I was holding you back so much.¡±


    If I were to claim he was not holding us back when we¡¯d clearly advanced much quicker without him, it would have been seen as disingenuous, and I knew the Kastet would not welcome platitudes. Thankfully, Zavira saved me from having to figure out what to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so much a matter of holding us back,¡± Zavira interjected with a friendly smile. ¡°You know Emie and I both fight best at range.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Niall said stoically. ¡°Regardless, I wish you both well.¡± He gave us both a slight bow before turning to me. ¡°I will message you when I arrive on the Sixth Floor to exchange my mana for one of your E3 talismans, if the offer is still available?¡±


    I assured him it was, and the Void Mage nodded once again before walking away.


    He hadn¡¯t bothered to ask about the private Hot Spring pool, so I assumed it wasn¡¯t something he was interested in. With a shrug, I mentally moved it into the ¡®to sell¡¯ pile in my ring.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said my goodbyes and sold the rest of the Tier Five material. Are you ready to leave?¡± Zavira asked.


    I shook my head lightly. ¡°I need to put a few more things on the market.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long to list the regeneration-enhancing pod or the rest of the Tier Five weapons I¡¯d decided to offload through the kiosk. We¡¯d been farming the bosses in all of the zones except the dark one, and I¡¯d collected a fair amount of materials to work with.


    Most of those had been crafted into new weapons, though I still had a good variety of raw materials to work with in the future.


    Zavira and I had explored the dark zone a little bit, but I had been deeply unsettled by the inability to see, even with [Illumination] enchantments. There had also been areas where Spatial Sense didn¡¯t work, which I was fairly certain were Void pockets.


    I wouldn¡¯t have minded exploring such areas if I¡¯d been able to see. But blindness was one of those things that I feared. It wasn¡¯t totally rational, given my other sensory abilities.


    Since nothing was forcing us to challenge the zone, Zavira and I had opted not to.


    We were still able to fight plenty of creatures from the zone when they attacked the central city during beast waves, which happened twice during our time on the floor.


    Most people believed such attacks were correlated to the number of people living on the floor. With two cities worth of functional non-combatants¡­ there were a lot of people.


    ¡°Alright. Ready to tier up and move on?¡± I asked when I finished emptying my ring. It wasn¡¯t truly empty, but it was closer than it had been since we entered the floor.


    ¡°Absolutely. I¡¯ve been waiting for this for four years!¡± Zavira exclaimed.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there are a lot of people who¡¯ve been waiting to progress for a lot longer,¡± I commented as I exited the tavern housing the kiosk I¡¯d used to list my merchandise.


    ¡°Then they should try harder.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t argue with that.


    We headed around the portal platform and headed toward my apartment. Zavira had already emptied her residence and had decided to tier up in my apartment since it was within the protected central village.


    Her apartment would have been fine, I was sure, but mine was closer to the portal anyway. Unless she changed her mind at the last moment and wanted to challenge one last boss, we¡¯d be leaving from the central portal instead of heading out to one of the boss portals.


    As the door to my apartment slid open, Zavira said, ¡°Just thirty minutes, and then we¡¯ll go. You¡¯ve got the library and I¡¯ll handle the social information gathering.¡±


    Her words were unnecessary since we¡¯d already discussed our plans, but I knew it was just her way of expressing her nerves. She¡¯d been remarkably focused on progressing since learning about the skills available, and I couldn¡¯t say I blamed her.


    I was more focused on reaching the eighth floor, where I could leave and see my family. I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d do so right away, given how much time I¡¯d have remaining when I returned, but it was still my biggest goal.


    Zavira was less focused on reaching the exit point for the dungeon since she would probably remain outside for a long time. In fact, it was entirely possible she¡¯d never return to the dungeon after she left.


    Reaching the eighth floor only made it possible to return. It didn¡¯t mandate it.


    With a shared nod of understanding, I headed to my room for the last time while Zavira settled herself on the couch.


    I focused my attention on my status and willed my level to increase, applying my three free points with practiced ease. One point into a physical attribute, and two into mental attributes. With a feeling of satisfaction, I closed my eyes and let myself drift off.


    ***


    Name: Emie deEp¨ªkairos


    Level: 51* (6984/869300)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Merchant


    Affinities: Time, Space


    ***


    Health: 320


    Stamina: 520


    Mana: 750*


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 20


    Agility ¨C 23*


    Vitality ¨C 32


    Intelligence ¨C 75*


    Wisdom ¨C 57*


    Perception ¨C 31


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***

 Book 3 - Chapter 40 - Familiar Faces on an Unfamiliar Floor

    ¡°Where is the rest of the city?¡± Zavira asked once our feet were solidly connected to the arrival platform on the sixth floor.


    After dismissing the dungeon¡¯s sixth floor welcome notification, I glanced around, noting the familiar buildings of the central village surrounding the small village square. While the dungeon-made buildings were all in their normal positions, if a bit larger than before, the familiar towering cityscape was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Maybe we should ask one of the dungeon golems,¡± I suggested as I took a step toward the edge of the platform. ¡°The tavern keeper is usually friendly.¡±


    ¡°Or we could just ask another challenger,¡± Zavira said, nodding her head toward a familiar-looking group exiting the village¡¯s large residential building.


    Though I wasn¡¯t nearly as social as Zavira, I still recognized the trio of challengers heading in our general direction. In fact, the group was one of the few that I¡¯d introduced to Zavira instead of the other way around.


    ¡°Ava!¡± I called out, drawing the attention of the Earthborn Nature/Earth Mage.


    The dark-haired woman was dressed in an outfit that reminded me of Robin Hood, with its greens and browns. She even had a bow, completing the look.


    ¡°Emie!¡± Ava said with a surprised smile. ¡°You made it here already?¡±


    A check with Assess showed Ava and her two companions were only level fifty-two, meaning they¡¯d only gained a single level in the year and a half or so since they¡¯d reached the sixth floor.


    I¡¯d only met her Earthborn party members a couple of times on the previous floor, but both of the men seemed nice enough. All three were focused on returning to Earth as quickly as possible, which I understood. However, I worried about how they¡¯d handle the changes to Earth once they eventually arrived.


    ¡°I told you we were fast,¡± I said before motioning toward my companion. ¡°You remember Zavira?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± Ava said energetically as she focused on the half-dwarf. ¡°It¡¯s actually really nice to see you. The weapons here are so overpriced. Can we commission a few things from you once you get settled in?¡±


    Jacob, the party¡¯s front-line fighter, elbowed Ava. ¡°Jeez, Ava. Give them a chance to take a breath. They literally just stepped off the platform.¡±


    ¡°I said when they get settled in!¡± Ava pouted as she rubbed her side, exaggerating the pain.


    Jacob looked concerned that he might have actually hurt Ava. He whispered an apology as he wrapped an arm around the Archer, pulling her into his side gently.


    Zavira grinned at the interaction. I found myself copying the expression. It was nice to see their relationship was still going strong.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind crafting a few things for you. I¡¯ll give you a good price, especially if you acquire the materials you want incorporated,¡± the Smith replied. ¡°Obviously, we have no idea what resources the floor provides since we just arrived. I don¡¯t suppose you three would mind filling us in a bit?¡±


    ¡°We were about to head out¡ª¡± Riley, the group¡¯s dedicated Ice Mage, said before getting cut off.


    ¡°Not at all!¡± Ava said cheerily before shooting the Ice Mage a glare. Turning her attention back to me and Zavira, she said, ¡°A little delay is no problem if it helps friends. Besides, we¡¯re just grinding right now anyway.¡±


    ¡°I can treat you guys to some Earth snacks if you have somewhere we can go,¡± I offered.


    The trio already knew about my MealMaker since I¡¯d sold them one before they left the previous floor. Theirs only had a handful of recipes, though, and making blueprints out of blueprints never resulted in quite the same quality.


    The offer was enough to motivate the other party into action, and we were soon settled into the apartment shared by Ava and Jacob.


    ¡°So, where¡¯s the rest of the city?¡± I asked once everyone had a snack in hand.


    ¡°Cities, you mean,¡± Jacob said, answering since Ava¡¯s mouth was full of pudding. ¡°The dungeon¡¯s little village sits between two separate cities. Harbor is toward the Spring zone, and Hexaport is on the border with Fall. There are a couple of little settlements outside of the safe zone, but they¡¯re mostly for people getting close to leaving the floor since they are deep in the high-tier areas.¡±


    ¡°Do you know anything about the floor¡¯s Trial?¡± Zavira asked hopefully.


    Jacob nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s similar to the ones on the first three floors,¡± he told us. ¡°By that, I mean it doesn¡¯t move around or anything. It just stays in one spot.¡±


    Zavira¡¯s eyes were alight with excitement at the news.


    ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the Fall zone, in the village near the border between high and peak,¡± Ava said between bites while she did a little dance in her seat.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to get too excited about it,¡± Riley commented from his seat nearby, eyeing both Ava and Zavira, though I was sure it was for different reasons. ¡°You can¡¯t challenge the Trial until you reach level fifty-nine.¡±


    ¡°How sure are you of that?¡± Zavira asked, her expression dimming.


    Riley shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s what Ava found, and she¡¯s our Researcher. The first thing she always does is research the floor and everything about it.¡±


    I glanced at the woman in question, and she nodded distractedly while scraping the remnants of her snack from the cup. Seeing her response, Zavira¡¯s expression fell further.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°What about the Hot Spring?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh yeah, you can use that. It¡¯s right beside the Trial. They both shifted with the floor reset just after we got here.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s possible the Trial might have changed from what Ava found?¡± Zavira asked.


    Ava shook her head. ¡°No. I checked,¡± she said. ¡°It was one of the first things I looked into when we learned about the change. We received some excellent rewards from floor Trials, so we try to find them whenever possible.¡±


    My head bobbed unconsciously at the comment. ¡°That¡¯s smart. What kinds of rewards have you gotten?¡±


    I knew it was a little rude to ask, but she had brought the topic up. If they didn¡¯t seem opposed to sharing, I had no problems informing them about the magic mastery skills available.


    ¡°Mostly weapons and armor, though we were offered a new skill or spell on the last floor.¡± Her party members nodded in agreement. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I only managed to do two Trials. We missed the one on the fourth floor,¡± I said. ¡°We had the same offerings on the last one, though we also got the option to advance an existing skill or spell.¡±


    ¡°Blimey. How many waves did you get through for that?¡± Ava asked, reverting to English from Common. At Zavira¡¯s questioning look, she repeated herself in the shared language.


    ¡°Eighty-seven,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°I should have picked the new skill, but I went with something for my profession instead.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ava asked. ¡°Why would you ask for a new skill when you can just learn it on your own? There are plenty of people willing to teach skills in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Not every skill is easily taught,¡± I said.


    ¡°Did you take the skill?¡± Ava asked. ¡°I would have thought you would bump your Enchanting or one of your best spells.¡±


    ¡°I did. Space Magic Mastery.¡±


    The three teammates¡¯ eyes grew wide.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a real skill,¡± Riley said, pushing his light blonde hair out of his face. ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡±


    Looking a bit closer, I noticed there were hints of pale blue mixed in his hair as well. I wondered if it would stay that way or continue to spread until his entire head was covered in pale, icy blue strands.


    ¡°Why not? Weapons Mastery was a valid choice,¡± Jacob commented.


    Zavira barked out a laugh. ¡°No wonder you were so quick to look into the Trials! That is an excellent reward!¡±


    After hearing the comment, Jacob grinned smugly at Riley. The Ice Mage seemed to redden slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Ice Magic Mastery then! It¡¯s a better choice anyway,¡± Riley huffed.


    Not wanting to spend too long on the topic, I clarified, ¡°So, the Trial and the Hot Spring are in the settlement near the peak border in the Fall zone.¡±


    When the others responded in the affirmative, I asked about the different zones and quickly learned that this floor was organized differently from the preceding floors.


    Instead of zones with completely separate and varied environments, the sixth floor was separated by seasons. The landscape shifted by tier strength, with the low-tier portion of the floor being covered in water, the mid-tier being grasslands, high-tier was a forest, and the peak-tier was covered in mountains. Each season covered all four habitats, making the floor very different from the earlier floors.


    Also different was the fact that the so-called ¡®safe zone¡¯ was a large island at the center of a lake. It was at least several miles in diameter, which meant the overall size of the floor was significantly larger than the fifth floor.


    Spatial Sense was only able to provide me with a general feel of how large the floor was ¨C and it was massive.


    ¡°This floor¡¯s flora and fauna are definitely the most diverse so far,¡± Ava commented. ¡°There is little wonder why the population here is so much higher than on the other floors.¡±


    ¡°It causes a lot of beast waves, though,¡± Jacob warned. ¡°We¡¯ve had one every five months since we arrived. It¡¯s good because we¡¯re able to kill a lot of creatures. But there are way too many non-combatants in the cities.¡±


    ¡°And they all expect us to protect them,¡± Riley added with a touch of irritation.


    Jacob nodded in agreement. ¡°They do, but most of them are too weak to do anything besides die if the beasts get into the cities. Most of the population is below Tier Six, though there¡¯s a heavy population of peak-tier people just avoiding progress because the seventh floor is supposed to be a lot less pleasant.


    ¡°A lot of them are originally from the seventh floor and decided to settle here instead after doing their own mini-climb. They leave the seventh floor at Tier Two and stop once they reach the sixth floor. Most don¡¯t even want to leave the dungeon. It¡¯s home for them,¡± Jacob added.


    ¡°There were a lot of people entering the second floor from the seventh. I¡¯d guess the majority were, actually,¡± Ava mused. ¡°Once we reached the third floor, it was more likely for new arrivals to be from the fifth or sixth floor.¡±


    ¡°Not higher?¡± I asked curiously.


    Jacob scratched his head lightly. ¡°I met one guy who claimed he was from the ninth floor, but I¡¯m not sure he was telling the truth. None of his equipment was very good and I doubt the dungeon singled out that one guy to mess with his stuff when it just downgraded everyone else¡¯s stuff over a few months.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure about that, but I didn¡¯t voice my uncertainty. The amount of mana in a Tier Nine item was probably so vast that downgrading it to comply with dungeon rules would have either taken too long or been too energy-intensive to make things worthwhile.


    I could absolutely see the dungeon just replacing the guy¡¯s stuff with weaker versions, though it probably should have allowed him to purchase tier-appropriate items through the kiosk¡¯s marketplace.


    Maybe it did, and the guy declined?


    I thought back to the Merchant I¡¯d heard about on one of the lower floors. He was able to keep items at their original tier as long as they stayed in [Stasis], though they would quickly downgrade after being removed.


    The shift in tiers was much slower outside the dungeon, so I knew the swiftness with which items were downgraded was intentional on the part of the dungeon or whoever was running it. The same swiftness was not apparent when moving up a tier, interestingly enough.


    ¡°When was the last beast wave?¡± Zavira asked.


    ¡°A couple of months ago?¡± Jacob said uncertainly. ¡°Time seems to blur a lot more now that we¡¯re focusing so heavily on progressing. All we do is grind and craft.¡±


    ¡°But it will get us home that much faster,¡± Ava added resolutely.


    ¡°You¡¯re still planning to leave as soon as you reach Tier Seven?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hell yes,¡± Riley exclaimed. The other two Earthborns nodded beside him.


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably have people interested in recruiting you once you leave,¡± I warned them.


    ¡°They definitely will, especially if they are some of the first people from your planet to successfully leave the dungeon,¡± Zavira agreed.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of people from Earth ahead of us,¡± Riley said confidently. ¡°But I don¡¯t care about joining some alien faction.¡± He paused and looked at Zavira. ¡°No offense intended.¡±


    Zavira didn¡¯t seem bothered by his comment.


    We¡¯d discussed the reintegration of Earth in detail, along with what had been done to most of the Earthborn challengers in the dungeon. She knew they hadn¡¯t chosen to come here, that they¡¯d essentially been kidnapped without explanation or comprehension of their new reality.


    Zavira likely saw the group¡¯s unwillingness to join those associated with the end of everything familiar to them as quite reasonable.


    In many ways, I was the outlier among my fellow Earthborn.


    When his eyes shifted to me, I merely shrugged. I¡¯d joined a sect, and I didn¡¯t regret it. Doing so had practically assured the safety of my family, even with Mom and Dad staying on earth.


    I was fairly confident they would change their mind eventually. I doubted they would want to be separated from Justin and the kids by a whole planet ¨C not that the actual distance mattered much with portals involved.


    They were already talking about going to visit in a few months.


    Subjectively, I¡¯d been gone for eight years. To the rest of my family, it had been a little over a year and a half. By the time I reached the eighth floor, at least four or five more years would have passed for them.


    Given how long I estimated it would take to finish the last three floors of the dungeon, I¡¯d probably delay my departure by at least a few additional years. That might change when the option was actually available to me, though.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy with my decision,¡± I said. ¡°My family is being provided for. That¡¯s what is important to me.¡±

 Book 3 - Chapter 41 - Being a Supportive Friend

    ¡°Do you care if I go ahead and register for housing while we¡¯re here?¡± I asked carefully after we left Ava¡¯s apartment.


    Though she didn¡¯t appear as upset anymore, I knew Zavira well enough to recognize that her disappointment and frustration at the added delay had not abated ¨C it was simply hidden as a courtesy to me and the others.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Zavira said before adding, ¡°I might as well get a place, too.¡±


    My eyes widened in surprise, and my steps faltered.


    ¡°Here?¡± I asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to pick an apartment in one of the cities?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps later,¡± Zavira replied noncommittally. ¡°I don¡¯t want to deal with factions or any of that drama right now.¡±


    Ava had informed us that the only real differences between the floor¡¯s two ¡®safe-zone¡¯ cities were the factions in charge and the seasons they focused on.


    Harbor dealt mostly with materials from the Spring and Summer zones, while Hexaport traded in materials from Fall and Winter. The two cities used the materials to craft goods, which they then traded with each other and the outlying settlements.


    The central village was excluded from both cities because this floor didn¡¯t allow non-challengers to enter the small space. I was sure that wasn¡¯t the only reason, but it was the explanation Ava had found, and she¡¯d verified the restriction actually existed.


    ¡°I¡¯d still like to do a little research of my own,¡± I said as we walked down the stairs toward what served as a lobby. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust Ava¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I understand,¡± Zavira assured me. ¡°I also plan to do my own form of research. It will likely be much more lucrative to trade in the cities, so it would be good to have an idea of where to go before it¡¯s needed. We can focus on a single city for today and reassess afterward,¡± she suggested.


    We obtained apartments next to each other. I was surprised at the availability of accommodations, given the number of challengers visible in the village below.


    However, with two decent-sized cities nearby, it made sense that many would choose to go somewhere else. In fact, I was still surprised that Zavira had opted to stay in the small village, given her expressed preference for easy access to amenities and entertainment.


    But I wasn¡¯t going to question my dungeon partner on the topic. I was sure she had her reasons.


    Once our long-term accommodations were secured, Zavira and I headed toward Harbor. We¡¯d decided to start there since I¡¯d always preferred spring and summer over fall and winter.


    I was also a little curious about how we would be received, given the fact that the Springhearts had been a large part of the faction that ran Harbor prior to the war with the sect alliance. From what Ava told us, the Springhearts¡¯ status in the city basically ended as soon as the war was declared.


    But with how some of the residents had reacted on the fifth floor, I wanted to see things for myself.


    The walk was short, given that the city began only a few hundred meters from the southeastern edge of the village.


    It was just far enough that the cityscape wasn¡¯t obvious from the village square. But once we passed the village¡¯s structures, the city was apparent.


    Nobody stopped us when we entered the gate closest to the village. In fact, it looked like nobody was manning the gate at all.


    It was a little odd, but considering both of the cities and the village were surrounded by water, I guessed it made sense. If the only threat the leaders were really concerned with was beast waves, then not having a guard at the gate made sense.


    After asking a few locals, it didn¡¯t take long to find the city¡¯s library. Zavira opted to use her normal approach to intelligence-gathering and headed off toward what served as the city¡¯s entertainment district instead of relying on documents.


    My next several hours were occupied by research into the floor and the recent changes it had undergone. There was a surprising amount of information available regarding the changes, especially given how recent they were.


    Then again, I probably shouldn¡¯t be surprised, considering there were almost certainly Scribes and Historians on the floor. I was sure those with such scholarly professions would have been quick to use the opportunity to earn some easy experience by documenting the changes reported by those exploring the zones.


    As I was finishing up a report on the material properties of some of the beast parts from the newest iteration of summer dungeon creatures, I received a message from Zavira asking if I wanted to meet her for dinner.


    Seeing no reason to decline, especially since I was at a good stopping point, I quickly replied and made my way to the nearby restaurant Zavira had selected for the meal.


    She was already seated when I arrived, and her expression informed me that her mood had not improved significantly during our time apart. If anything, it had only darkened.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Hey! Learn anything interesting?¡± I asked casually as I took the seat across from her. I hoped that by acting relaxed and casual, my companion''s mood might lighten, but it didn¡¯t seem to have any effect on her.


    There was already a sampling platter on the table, so I helped myself to a few new flavors as a sort of consolation.


    ¡°Not particularly,¡± she said with a frown as she poked at the item on her plate with a three-pronged fork. ¡°Your friend¡¯s claims were confirmed. I am trying to adjust my perspective to see the delay as a positive, but I am finding it difficult.¡±


    Zavira¡¯s words were far more stilted and rigid than normal, emphasizing just how unhappy she was. The only time she really spoke like that was when she was interacting with unknown elites or was unusually upset or angry.


    ¡°The delay is certainly disappointing,¡± I agreed. ¡°I hoped to pick up Time Magic Mastery sooner rather than later.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to choose something else since the topic will be covered through your inheritance,¡± she said with a spark of interest.


    ¡°That was the plan,¡± I said. ¡°But Master Kairos advised me to take the skill if I got the option of getting it at the intermediate stage right away. Even with his lessons, it would likely take years, perhaps decades, to push beyond the lowest level of comprehension.¡±


    Zavira sat up a bit straighter. ¡°I thought the same, but I wasn¡¯t going to question your decision. You seemed so sure about it.¡±


    I looked at my friend curiously. She seemed so serious about not interfering that I was concerned there might have been some kind of miscommunication between the two of us.


    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m remarkably unsure about many things,¡± I said lightly. ¡°Feel free to question me if you think I¡¯m making a bad decision or going down the wrong path. There¡¯s still a lot that I don¡¯t know, and you may have insights that I don¡¯t. I promise that I won¡¯t get mad at you for pointing out my short-sightedness,¡± I assured her.


    ¡°I may not follow your recommendations,¡± I quickly added, ¡°but I won¡¯t be angry you made them.¡±


    At the phrase ¡®short-sighted,¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but think about Justin. In the grand scheme of things, my actions may have been deemed as such, but I still did not regret them.


    Justin was now living happily with his new family on Hadier. They were safe and had access to resources and advantages that the dungeon wouldn¡¯t have been able to provide.


    Most of all, they were together.


    According to the messages I¡¯d received, Bell, Justin, and the kids were all doing well.


    Bell was attending one of the better academies in the city. She¡¯d been sponsored to attend the local Enchanters¡¯ Academy, but the school suggested she attend a secondary academy first.


    It was probably like law schools wanting someone to have a regular four-year degree before attending, I supposed. I never got very far in my attempts to gain access to the Enchanters¡¯ Academy in the other timeline, so I couldn¡¯t know for sure.


    Though he got a late start, Justin had made quick strides toward advancing and catching up to his new wife, especially since he started his new job with the local Training Tower.


    It had only been a few months, but he¡¯d already paid off the upgrade and almost reached Tier Two. Most of his time was spent assisting youths in the wave rift who needed an additional party member, but he likely had other responsibilities as well.


    Once he reached Tier Two, he planned to shift to working part-time and join a resource acquisition team that delved the wave rift once per week. He wouldn¡¯t be allowed to keep anything he collected, but he¡¯d steadily gain experience, even if it was at a penalty.


    I was pretty sure that some under-the-table dealings had occurred between whoever ran the tower and my sect for my brother to get such a series of positions, but I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to care overmuch. As long as my family was benefiting from the arrangement, I had no complaints.


    That was probably a bad mentality to have, at least as far as fairness was concerned. But the universe wasn¡¯t fair, and it would be a little crazy not to make use of such an advantage when it was available.


    Amie seemed happy in her new school. As far as I could tell, she fit in just fine with the other Alliance youths.


    The twins were apparently growing like mana-fueled weeds. They spent most of their days at an education-based childcare center much like the one Amie had attended through Atlas.


    My parents were still slogging their way through the upgrade and Tier One, but they seemed content enough. I hoped they¡¯d change their minds about relocating, but I wasn¡¯t sure it would happen. Both had skills that were in demand on Earth ¨C Mom as a Healer and Dad as a Smith.


    ¡°What do you think about focusing on our alt level first instead of spreading it throughout the tier?¡± Zavira asked after an oddly long bout of silence.


    I¡¯d let my mind wander, but I doubted she noticed. She was very clearly distracted, but I wasn¡¯t quite sure how focusing on crafting instead of hunting dungeon beasts would solve anything.


    The experience needed to be gained either way, so I didn¡¯t really see a problem with a little change. My biggest concern was with how sudden her suggestion seemed. It almost seemed counterintuitive, given her professed goals of quickly challenging the Trial and obtaining a new skill.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be bad to get it out of the way,¡± I conceded after a moment. ¡°Maybe not the whole level, but I¡¯d be fine earning a good chunk of alternate experience up front,¡± I added before eyeing her closely. ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯d rather focus on crafting instead of spreading it out like we have for the past two tiers?¡±


    Zavira shifted a few times before sighing. ¡°I¡¯m so tired of hunting and killing and harvesting and processing. It feels like it¡¯s never-ending,¡± she said before pausing for a few breaths. ¡°I think we pushed a little too hard these past few years¡­ but I really wanted to get Force Magic Mastery. Now that I¡¯m not going to get that anytime soon¡­¡±


    I understood her perspective. I really did. Spending the last few years in a constant grind had been rough. We¡¯d barely taken any days off, and the stress had really built up.


    ¡°I want a break. I need a break,¡± Zavira said earnestly. ¡°Obviously, we¡¯ll need to hunt some to obtain cheap materials¡­ but since there¡¯s no chance we¡¯ll be able to challenge the Trial in the next half-decade, I¡¯d rather rest¡­ for a while.¡±


    She looked at me with worry, like she thought I might deny her a short respite. It wasn¡¯t like she wanted to take the time off; she just asked for a break from grinding.


    I could certainly support that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind focusing on crafting and maybe soaking in the Hot Spring for the next few months,¡± I said. ¡°We need to do both anyway, so why not now?¡±


    The relief on her face was obvious.


    I felt bad that she apparently didn¡¯t know me well enough to feel comfortable expressing such a need. I would have certainly felt comfortable telling her if I was getting burnt out.


    Still, it was an awfully quick shift from wanting to push as fast and as hard as possible to not wanting to hunt at all. I hoped that taking a few months off from hunting and killing mobs would be good for her.


    I didn¡¯t want to think about what I would do if Zavira burned out and left the dungeon before we reached the eighth floor. I could do it alone, and I¡¯d likely have to when I returned, but I wasn¡¯t ready for that.


    Master Kairos was right. I needed at least one friend.

 Book 3 - Chapter 42 - Tests and Plans

    I targeted the largest of the creatures from my hidden perch. My capabilities with Space magic had truly soared since obtaining Space Magic Mastery a few years earlier, and my understanding continued to grow the more I Meditated and practiced.


    The creature ¨C an Opisthonyx, according to Assess ¨C looked remarkably similar to a kangaroo, if said kangaroo was six feet tall, had knife-like claws, and the head of a boar.


    Applying my newest insights, I directed my magic toward the opisthonyx. The Space mana was wrapped in a thin coating of Time mana, which allowed it to bypass the creature¡¯s inherent resistance to outside mana and settle easily around the targeted organ.


    I could do the same thing with only Space mana and brute force ¨C I¡¯d done so hours earlier against another creature, so I knew it was possible. It just took too much mana to be a viable attack technique.


    But with Time mana added to the mix¡­


    The creature¡¯s brain appeared in the container I¡¯d prepared in advance. My research had shown that the organ was of particular value to many Alchemists, so I¡¯d ensured I pursued at least one of the creatures during my outing.


    The opisthonyx I¡¯d targeted fell a second or two after the brain was removed. It wasn¡¯t quite as immediate as I expected it to be, but the tiny delay was of no consequence.


    I was elated by my success. There¡¯d been hardly any resistance at all with Time magic smoothing the way.


    I¡¯d gotten the idea from my latest inheritance lesson, which targeted specific body parts or organs instead of an entire creature. Using Pause or Stasis on a creature¡¯s brain would instantly cause most of them to collapse, leaving them vulnerable to more permanent attacks.


    Even those whose muscles locked up would be unable to react to attacks¡­ what with their brain being disconnected from their body and all.


    Some creatures could easily recover ¨C even after a few hours ¨C once the connection to their brain was restored. Most creatures couldn¡¯t, though. At least, that¡¯s what the inheritance said.


    I continued watching as the creatures nearby regarded the newly fallen opisthonyx curiously. After a few careful sniffs, the grazing mobs turned their teeth toward their fallen brethren.


    I swiped the mana core and a few choice materials before the creatures could get to them.


    While my excursion was more of a testing and training exercise than a true hunt, there was no reason to give up valuable resources.


    The cost of living on the sixth floor was much higher than it had been on previous floors. The only exception was the central village, which was still a good bit more expensive than expected. It was nowhere near as exorbitant as the nearby cities, though.


    The relative reasonableness of the prices in the central village somewhat explained why so many challengers had decided to stay there. It also made sense why the dungeon would restrict the area to ¡®official challengers.¡¯


    I¡¯d found a few explanations about what qualified as such in the library, but I wasn¡¯t sure how accurate any of them were. Presumably, the dungeon would warn someone if they were at risk of losing their status as a challenger, anyway.


    Even if it didn¡¯t, I had no plans to delay inside the dungeon, so the potential loss of my status as a challenger wasn¡¯t something that I was worried about.


    After locating my next potential target, I Teleported toward the Summer Zone. My goal was to test the effectiveness of the technique against several different types of creatures.


    It was considered a technique instead of a spell since it was an effect purely created through Direct Casting. It required finesse instead of a semi-rigid set of magical instructions.


    As I experimented with the technique against several creatures, my confidence in its application grew.


    It was only after I¡¯d spent hours practicing that I realized I probably shouldn¡¯t have used such a skill so openly. Who knew how many watchers had observed my experiments?


    I glanced at the faux sky and frowned.


    I hoped showing such an ability wouldn¡¯t cause problems later on. Any strong Time Mage could completely incapacitate someone, and any strong Space Mage could potentially remove someone¡¯s brain. I just happened to be both.


    And it wasn¡¯t like I planned to use the ability against people. Not unless they forced me to.


    I shook my head. There was nothing I could do about it now.


    A glance at my interface showed I was only minutes away from needing to leave. I had an appointment with a martial trainer I¡¯d been working with during our extended break.


    Master Kairos had included several advanced fighting techniques in my inheritance, but they almost exclusively dealt with Time magic or fighting without using powers at all. The trainer I¡¯d hired during the break had a Space affinity and had trained in using spatial techniques offensively.


    Though I still preferred fighting at a distance, I wasn¡¯t willing to completely forgo melee training. It helped that the man was willing to exchange lessons for fairly basic enchantments.


    I¡¯d wanted to spend some time soaking in the regeneration-boosting waters of the floor¡¯s Hot Spring, too, but the cost of one of the packages was out of reach until we spent some time hunting.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if our finder¡¯s discount had been that significant on the fourth floor, or if the inflation that seemingly ran rampant on the sixth floor was reflected by the dungeon-controlled resource. Maybe it was a bit of both.


    Regardless, I¡¯d have to wait to enjoy the magical waters.


    <hr>


    ¡°I think we should pay to have our kills processed instead of doing it ourselves,¡± I recommended when I met Zavira for dinner later that evening.


    We ate dinner together most evenings since using the MealMakers allowed us to save a lot of money, which was important, given how expensive everything was on the sixth floor.


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    ¡°Won¡¯t that be really expensive?¡± Zavira asked, pointing out the obvious issue with my suggestion.


    ¡°Not if we¡¯re able to spend that time hunting more,¡± I replied. ¡°I don¡¯t mind killing beasts nearly as much as I dislike harvesting them. Since neither of us has a profession related to processing our kills, it makes sense to pay someone who does.¡±


    She seemed to consider my suggestion more deeply than she had before. It was not the first time we¡¯d had this conversation, after all.


    Ultimately, we¡¯d always agreed to handle everything ourselves since we could work under a Time Dilation Field. But now that it was expected to take almost a decade to get through this one tier, I felt like it was worth reassessing one of our major time-sinks.


    Killing creatures was always faster than harvesting them, even under time dilation. We might break even if we only gave it a half-hearted effort ¨C which we didn¡¯t. We almost always butchered and processed everything properly, and that took time.


    If we outsourced the task to someone who specialized in harvesting Tier Six beasts, we¡¯d have a lot more time to hunt, craft, or perform any number of other tasks instead of processing our kills. I might even be able to set up a [Time Dilation Field] enchantment for the person working with us to offset some of the costs.


    ¡°We can try it for a while,¡± she said after a few minutes. ¡°You know that I hate dealing with the blood and viscera, too, but I don¡¯t want my harvesting-related skills to atrophy. I¡¯ll never live down the shame if I return to my great-grandfather and struggle to properly process my kills.¡±


    It was the same argument she¡¯d given the last few times I¡¯d made the suggestion. At least this time she was willing to try my suggestion.


    ¡°So save a couple of kills every week and use them to maintain your familiarity,¡± I suggested. ¡°That¡¯s what I plan to do.¡±


    If I knew for certain that beast harvesting services would be available on every floor, I probably wouldn¡¯t bother with maintaining my proficiency in the skills. But since I had no idea what to expect on higher floors, it made sense to keep the relevant skills fresh.


    We ate some mutton curry I¡¯d made using actual mutton as the base ingredient. I found it a little odd that the dungeon had sheep on the sixth floor. They weren¡¯t mutated or changed, as far as I could tell ¨C aside from the handful that had metallic wool.


    Even those seemed like normal sheep as long as they didn¡¯t see you. Once they did, they became rabid, aggressive mobs, just like everything else in the dungeon.


    ¡°Are you ready to get back to the grind?¡± I asked a few minutes later.


    Zavira leaned back in her chair. ¡°I think so. The break was good, and I really appreciate the [Time Dilation] enchantment you added to my workspace. It helped.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already been hunting in the grasslands, right?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°A little. I¡¯ve mostly been testing out some new insights I gained from my inheritance,¡± I said, not mentioning the skill that started Zavira¡¯s near-frenzy. ¡°I¡¯ve been focusing a lot of my time on the inheritance training during our break. I even went back to the old lessons from Tiers Four and Five to do them again, now that I have a greater understanding of some of the topics.¡±


    ¡°I did something similar while I waited for my smithy to tier up,¡± Zavira said.


    Her mobile smithy was not a true growth item like I originally thought. It was actually a Tier Seven item that had been intentionally downgraded so it could enter the dungeon with Zavira.


    The method used allowed the item to grow back to its original tier much more quickly than a normal item would, though it would functionally cap at Tier Seven unless it was left in a higher-tier area for a very long time.


    Apparently, her sect had several similar items available for potential dungeon challengers. When she returned, her smithy would be forcibly downgraded again and given to the next person who needed it.


    ¡°How do you feel about the new techniques you learned?¡± I asked.


    She made a ¡®so-so¡¯ motion with her hands.


    ¡°The increase in difficulty was a bit of a surprise,¡± Zavira admitted. ¡°I still haven¡¯t grasped some of the concepts, but I¡¯m close.¡±


    ¡°The weapons you gave me looked well-made,¡± I said supportively.


    Zavira frowned. ¡°Then your understanding of Smithing is lacking,¡± she said bluntly. ¡°There were entirely too many errors. I almost scrapped the entire batch instead of just most of it. I¡¯m almost embarrassed to have produced such mediocre work.¡±


    I didn¡¯t argue with her since we both knew Smithing was one of my weakest crafting fields. Even if I was technically correct, trying to argue about Smithing with a Smith was a fool¡¯s endeavor.


    ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t add your maker¡¯s mark?¡± I asked.


    The half-dwarf nodded. ¡°I do not want to sully my sect¡¯s reputation by associating my practice pieces with Hephaistos. It is only because the beast wave is expected to start any day now that I allowed the items to enter circulation. Any tier-appropriate weapon is better than none.¡±


    As a fellow crafter, I understood her sentiment. I wouldn¡¯t want substandard items bearing my mark, either. But I felt like Zavira was being harder on herself than she would another crafter.


    Her items were well-made, regardless of what she said. I might not be a Smith, but I knew how to assess enchanting bases.


    We might have been judging things based on two different sets of criteria, but I felt it was more of a personal issue with the Hephaistos disciple. I certainly doubted any consumers would find her products lacking.


    ¡°Have you thought about which city you want to defend during the next wave?¡± I asked.


    Some challengers planned to stay in the central village during the beast wave, even though the structures themselves were basically indestructible, and most of the beasts would focus on the larger cities.


    Zavira and I had already agreed to protect one of the nearby cities instead of bothering with the stragglers that might attack the village. The only question was ¨C which one?


    ¡°I¡¯m partial to Harbor, obviously,¡± I said, referencing my obvious preference for spring and summer.


    ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t really care either way,¡± Zavira said, though I knew her preferences ran more toward cooler temperatures.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we protect Harbor during this wave and Hexaport during the next one?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me,¡± my companion replied. ¡°Most of the challengers I¡¯ve spoken with are planning to stay close to the safe zone until the next wave starts. It should happen within the next couple of weeks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I can Teleport. We won¡¯t have to bother sticking around until then.¡± I looked at Zavira¡¯s expression. ¡°Unless you¡¯d rather wait to restart our grind until after the beast wave? Since you¡¯ve agreed to outsource material processing, we should be able to progress a little faster than estimated, even after taking a break.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind waiting,¡± Zavira said. ¡°I had a few people requisition new weapons over the last couple of weeks that I haven¡¯t gotten around to making yet.¡±


    That was always happening. Even without actively marketing herself, Zavira always had people soliciting her for work. It was a side effect of being the disciple of such a prominent Smithing sect.


    ¡°I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to make some point-and-shoot wands for the newly awakened who might want to earn some experience during the wave,¡± I admitted.


    After the incident with the little Springheart heir, I hadn¡¯t bothered with crafting such items for beast waves. But now that some time had passed, I found myself more open to the idea.


    Given the relative weakness of those residents below Tier Six, point-and-shoot weapons were about the only option they had if they wanted to contribute. The lack of tier-appropriate resources and challenges was probably why so many natives opted to become challengers themselves after a few beast waves.


    If organized and handled properly, most newly awakened youths could jump all the way to Tier Two in a single beast wave. They even had sleep chambers along some of the walls to facilitate people leveling up.


    I¡¯d read all about them during one of the evenings I¡¯d spent in the library.


    I was sure some used the opportunity to upgrade their interfaces as well. It made sense, given the significant experience bonus they¡¯d receive by killing creatures so much stronger than them.


    I was sure the dungeon or the system or whatever controlled such things probably gave them some kind of penalty for using an overpowered weapon to kill creatures above their tier, but I was certain everything balanced in the youths¡¯ favor.


    There really wasn¡¯t much chance for young dungeoneers to progress otherwise.


    ¡°That reminds me,¡± Zavira said with a smirk. ¡°We should request to be stationed on a wall without newly awakened youths.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea,¡± I agreed before eyeing my companion curiously. ¡°I thought you planned to fight on the ground, though? Isn¡¯t range still an issue?¡±


    The half-dwarf grinned widely. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be as much of a problem this time.¡±

 Book 3 - Chapter 43 - Beast Waves

    Zavira¡¯s new ranged attack was actually a semi-flexible metal crossbow she¡¯d crafted out of a new alloy of Tier Six metal. She¡¯d always talked about enchanted projectile weapons with a hint of disdain, so I was a little surprised when she displayed it proudly at the start of the beast wave a week later.


    A few semi-aquatic creatures and flyers had already attacked the walls, but the beast wave wouldn¡¯t truly begin until the land bridges connecting the grasslands of each season to the safe zone finished manifesting.


    As soon as that happened, the dungeon beasts on the other side would rush across, and the beast wave would start in earnest.


    Getting a little bit of advanced notice was kinda nice, I thought.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t even possible to make such an alloy before Tier Six,¡± Zavira said proudly as she held up her new weapon. ¡°I was worried I¡¯d have to wait until I returned to the sect to gain access to the recipe, but Great-Grandfather included it in my inheritance!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± I replied enthusiastically. ¡°Are your bolts enchanted?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Zavira smirked. ¡°Copy Enchantment works perfectly for items like this. Nobody expects a bolt to be reusable anyway.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at the Smith. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there are a lot of Archers who would disagree with that.¡±


    Zavira shrugged. ¡°What do I care about their opinions?¡±


    ¡°You should care about our opinions,¡± Ava interjected playfully from nearby. ¡°Who¡¯s going to buy your stuff if you offend all your customers?¡±


    The Earthborn Archer and her group had joined us for the defense of Harbor instead of heading over to Hexaport for this wave. We¡¯d all gotten stationed relatively close together since we¡¯d effectively joined the effort as a single group.


    The only exception was Jacob, Ava¡¯s boyfriend. Since he was a frontline fighter only, he¡¯d been placed with the largest group of melee fighters near a choke point that had been set up to funnel a manageable number of beasts to them.


    Because most viewed the regular beast waves as a source of experience, nobody wanted the melee fighters to miss out. A few groups of fighters were held in reserve to handle any creatures that managed to get past the wall, but I was sure they would rotate occasionally to prevent anyone from missing out.


    As an Archer, Ava was one of the fighters tasked with countering the flying mobs. There were already dozens of flying creatures crossing the water to attack, so she was busy shooting at targets while most of the defenders waited for the main assault to begin.


    There were also hundreds of relatively weak, semi-aquatic creatures pulling themselves out of the water every few minutes, which allowed some of the youths armed with Tier Six ranged weaponry an opportunity to practice killing beasts before the actual beast wave hit.


    ¡°A real fighter should never value their feelings over quality. My work speaks for itself,¡± Zavira replied before shooting an exploding bolt toward a cluster of alligator-like creatures that were running toward the wall.


    There were no youths in our immediate vicinity, so many of the fighters were taking potshots at the attacking creatures as a way to warm up.


    ¡°Spoken like a true dwarf,¡± I murmured, causing my companion to beam.


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    Our position on the wall was close to the land bridge manifesting between the city and the Spring zone. Most of the under-tiered fighters had been placed near the zone borders, away from where the bulk of the beasts would be spilling into the safe zone.


    I had no plans to Teleport around the wall this time, nor had I gotten directly involved with selling my creations. Everything had been done through to kiosk to prevent drawing any unwanted attention, and it seemed my efforts had worked.


    ¡°The bridge is almost connected,¡± someone said just before a notification flashed across my interface.


    [Quest: Defend your chosen city from the beast wave!]


    It looked like those around me had just received similar notifications.


    ¡°Finally! Time to farm some XP!¡± said Riley, the Ice Mage in Ava¡¯s party.


    The beasts rushed over the thin bridge of manifested stone like a wave rushing toward the shore. Several creatures were trampled by larger dungeon beasts, but the assaulting mob barely seemed to notice.


    Simultaneously, shadows darkened the artificial sky as large, winged creatures approached from a distance. Though the walls had already been peppered by a few flying creatures in the early stages of the beast wave, it was clear that the bulk of the flying creatures had hung back and waited for the real attack to begin.


    ¡°Shit! The wyverns are attacking early!¡± Ava cursed as she reached for a quiver of enchanted arrows.


    Until now, she¡¯d been using normal arrows to shoot down the flying mobs. Her shots had all seemed to be effective at injuring the creatures she targeted, but it was obvious the new additions were beyond basic weaponry.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Since I¡¯d been given no orders regarding my targets, I decided to focus my attention on the wyverns as well. Of all the attacking creatures, they seemed to be the most dangerous. Because I knew to expect the wyverns from the records of the last beast wave, I¡¯d prepared a weapon specifically for them.


    It had been expensive to create, but I felt confident the combination of elements I used would work for most of the wyverns that might attack on this side of the floor.


    Focusing on the closest one, I triggered the spell effect.


    A brilliant, multicolored ball of glowing mana shot toward the creature. When it came within a few meters of the wyvern, the ball expanded into a large net and aggressively targeted the winged menace, interfering with its ability to fly.


    The creation combined Lightning, Ice, Metal, and Nature magics, making it one of the most intricate binding effects I¡¯d created to date.


    Bound by multiple strands of interlocking elements, the massive creature fell from the sky, landing just a few dozen meters from the wall. Its incapacitation clearly upset the other wyverns, and they let out a synchronized shriek of outrage before heading toward our section of the wall.


    ¡°Can you do that a few more times?¡± one of the defense captains tasked to observe the battle asked from behind me.


    I winced at my obvious failure to not draw attention.


    ¡°Yes. I should have another fifteen shots before I need to change the mana cores, and I have enough to change them twice,¡± I replied.


    ¡°What kind of cores do you need?¡± he asked. ¡°I can probably get you a few if they aren¡¯t anything too rare.¡±


    I answered, and he nodded resolutely.


    ¡°That should be no problem. Will you focus on restraining the wyverns and any other large threats so others can take them out? I¡¯ll ensure you are granted a fair portion of every beast you restrain.¡±


    I nodded. It seemed like a fair enough exchange. And if the city representatives did cheat me, I could always offer my assistance to Hexaport exclusively for the rest of our time on the floor.


    Not having time to discuss the matter further, I focused on the angry wyverns attacking. A few managed to avoid being wrapped up by the mana nets, but most of the ones I targeted were brought down with little effort.


    That didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t cause a ton of damage in the interim.


    Even those disabled by my nets still managed to cause a significant amount of damage if they fell close enough to the wall. One actually fell directly on top of the wall, crushing nearby defenders and damaging the structure.


    I almost Teleported to their location to heal the injured fighters who had not already succumbed to their injuries, but I saw a few Healers rushing toward the broken wall and decided to let them handle it.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the smart beasts to figure out exactly who was sending the immobilizing attacks, and I soon found myself the focus of a handful of angry wyverns of various elemental persuasions.


    Several nearby Mages shifted their attention to the approaching threat, making it unnecessary for me to entangle the majority of the attacking wyverns.


    A red wyvern slipped past my net and unleashed what would have been a devastating blast of Fire had one of the nearby Mages not thrown up a Stone Shield between me and the wyvern.


    I would have been fine, as would Zavira and anyone else who had one of my [Barrier] talismans or a Barrier of their own. Still, the effort was appreciated.


    Wanting to take advantage of the opportunity presented, I shot the creature again. This time, the net entangled one of the wyvern¡¯s wings and caused it to crash.


    Unfortunately, the beast¡¯s momentum caused it to land inside the walls. Several fighters were quick to attack the downed, angry, flame-breathing creature, but it still managed to cause a lot of damage before finally succumbing to its wounds.


    The rest of the beast wave continued in much the same way.


    With the help of those targeting the bound wyverns, I managed to thin their number by a significant amount. I still received a decent chunk of experience for each kill, which was nice. I doubted I would have earned as much overall if I had focused on a single creature until it died.


    But targeting the wyverns wasn¡¯t all I did during the fight.


    It took hardly any effort to toss a few talismans over the wall and into the densest clusters of attacking beasts, but the experience gains were significant.


    Eventually, the beast wave ended. We were on the wall for hours, but at Tier Six, that hardly felt like any time at all.


    When the last of the major threats was neutralized, I looked at my depleted scepters and sighed.


    The one designed to cast a multi-element net was on the verge of failing due to how heavily it had been used in a short amount of time. It was a design issue I¡¯d need to remedy when I made the next set.


    I could also just make multiple and swap out part of the way through the fight. Depending on how difficult it was to improve the enchantment design, it might be cheaper and easier to just make a few extras.


    ¡°Is it damaged?¡± Zavira asked.


    ¡°A little. I¡¯ll have to redo the enchantments before it can be used again. I¡¯ll probably need to make a backup one as well, just in case.¡±


    Zavira chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll probably be asked to make dozens of them after that showing.¡±


    I glanced behind me and noted the captain waiting to speak with me. Making a name for myself was probably a good thing. It was what Master Kairos wanted me to do, right?


    As long as I didn¡¯t flaunt the whole ¡®brain removal¡¯ thing, that was. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d want me to make a name for myself with something like that.


    ¡°Disciple Epikairos,¡± the defense captain said, addressing me. ¡°The city of Harbor would be interested in purchasing several of the devices you used to restrain the wyverns before the next beast wave. They are always a problem, and your weapon proved more effective than our best alternative.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think it would be very hard for their resident Enchanters to figure out how to copy the effects of the weapon. The design was actually pretty simple as long as the Enchanter could Enchant in three dimensions.


    I¡¯d learned the technique during the previous tier through Master Kairos¡¯s inheritance, and I¡¯d found it worked amazingly for using multiple mana types in a single enchantment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can work something out,¡± I told the man with a tired smile before having Lisa send him my interface contact information.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± the captain said before taking a step back. ¡°I will let you get some rest. Have a good evening.¡±


    We¡¯d already been briefed that the city¡¯s Harvesters would take care of processing the defeated beasts, and compensation would be available in no more than three days. Keeping track of each person¡¯s contribution was part of the reason several non-combatants had lined the top of the walls behind the fighters.


    Their purpose was to watch and document everything through their interfaces. Anyone who contested their compensation could submit their own recordings if they wanted, but I doubted anyone bothered.


    I honestly would have preferred if they would have let me just harvest a few of the wyverns instead of bothering with the rest of it. But I did need the funds, especially if I wanted to gain access to the Hot Spring before I reached peak-Tier Six.


    Besides, with my ability to Teleport, it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t sneak into the peak areas of the floor and take out a few of the creatures if I needed something specific.

 Book 3 - Chapter 44 - Icy Memories of Home

    ¡°Hey! Welcome back,¡± I said brightly when I saw Ava, Riley, and Jacob heading toward the processing stations on the backside of the Crafting Hall.


    I¡¯d just dropped off a few items at the kiosk in the Trading Post and picked up some materials I needed for my next planned project.


    There were some items and materials that could only be obtained by purchasing them through the dungeon golems. It was annoying, but I was glad the dungeon allowed some trade with the outside.


    Or maybe the materials came from other floors and the dungeon just handled modifying the tiers?


    I mentally shook my head. Ultimately, it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Ava said with a smile of her own. ¡°Are you not hunting today?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s Fifthday,¡± I said. ¡°Zavira and I decided to take every Fifthday off from hunting, so I¡¯m just catching up on a few projects that I wanted to work on now that the [Net] scepters are finished.¡±


    It had only taken me a couple of weeks to make the requested weapons for Harbor. But once Hexaport and Arinfort, the village housing the Hot Spring and Trial, found out about them, I had another two additional orders to fill.


    I was actually quite surprised at the size of the order the remote village made. It was more than both of the larger cities combined.


    ¡°We¡¯re taking the next couple of days off for the tournament. Are you going?¡± Ava asked.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t planned on it,¡± I said uncertainly.


    I¡¯d heard people talking about a tournament, but I hadn¡¯t paid any attention to what they were saying. Having tournaments in a dungeon seemed a little weird. Then again, there were a lot of native dungeoneers who saw it as home, so¡­ maybe it wasn¡¯t all that strange.


    ¡°Riley is competing in the Sculpting contest,¡± Ava said, nodding toward the pale-haired Ice Mage standing nearby. ¡°We¡¯re mostly going to support him, but the whole thing is supposed to be pretty entertaining.¡±


    I glanced at Riley. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Zavira and see if she wants to take a couple of days off to watch. I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t mind once she hears you¡¯re competing.¡±


    The Ice Mage smiled awkwardly and nodded. It was always hit or miss with Riley.


    Sometimes, he¡¯d be fine and interact like a normal person. But other times, he seemed socially awkward and withdrawn. It looked like today was one of the latter days.


    ¡°Great!¡± Ava said brightly. ¡°Let me know, and I¡¯ll save you seats.¡± She motioned toward the building. ¡°We¡¯re going to go finish off the messy bit.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered paying someone to do that for you?¡± I asked before they could leave. ¡°You spend almost a whole day processing your kills for each trip you make. You could use that time to hunt instead. The funds you¡¯d earn with an extra day of hunting should be enough to cover all of the processing costs for your trip.¡±


    The group paused.


    ¡°Is that how it¡¯s worked out for you?¡± Jacob asked.


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. We just started paying a Beast Processer after the wave, and it¡¯s worked out well so far. I got the name of a good one from the defense captain I sold the scepters to. He¡¯s expensive, but we make more than enough to cover his fees with the extra kills we get from hunting during the time we saved.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to join our group?¡± Ava asked semi-jokingly. ¡°Having a Space Mage would make progressing so much faster.¡±


    I smiled but shook my head. Being in a group of four (or five if Zavira joined them, too) would slow me down far too much.


    ¡°You can always hire someone to teleport you around. They don¡¯t even have to be Tier Six as long as you protect them. I can sell you an E3 talisman for whoever you hire, which should be more than enough to keep them safe.¡±


    They already knew about the talismans since I¡¯d sold them some on the previous floor. Those talismans still worked on the sixth floor, though with less efficacy.


    Eventually, the talismans would tier up, but I¡¯d probably need to recharge them when that happened.


    ¡°That might work, especially if we let them use one of the manatech weapons we bought from you. We might not even need to pay them if we¡¯re providing a relatively safe way of gaining experience,¡± Jacob added thoughtfully.


    ¡°Just make sure they can teleport all of you at one time. It¡¯s not a hard thing to learn with a little guidance.¡±


    On such a well-settled floor, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem finding someone to meet their needs.


    With a wave goodbye and a promise to let Ava know if I¡¯d be going to the tournament the following day, I headed to Zavira¡¯s apartment.


    The door opened for me automatically.


    Zavira¡¯s mobile smithy took up most of the living room, so I functionally entered her workspace upon entering the one-bedroom apartment. The [Time Dilation] effect I¡¯d added encompassed the whole apartment, and I could immediately tell it was active.


    Not wanting to interrupt the Smith¡¯s focus, I waited for her to finish what she was doing before speaking. Thankfully, she had a few chairs set up on the opposite side of the room from her forge, and the forge itself was enchanted to limit how much heat escaped.


    I watched as Zavira twisted and compressed the lightly glowing piece of metal with Telekinesis. She did this several times before finally shaping it into a long blade.


    I didn¡¯t often get to watch Zavira work, but when I did, I found it entrancing. While it was interesting to watch, it certainly wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d be interested in doing. However, I could see how a Space affinity could be used for such techniques.


    ¡°How long have you been sitting there?¡± Zavira asked once the piece was quenched and she noticed me waiting.


    ¡°Not very long,¡± I replied. ¡°I wanted to know if you were interested in going to the tournament that¡¯s going on right now. Riley is competing tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Is he?¡± Zavira asked rhetorically. ¡°What is he competing in?¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Sculpting.¡±


    ¡°I should have guessed, based on his profession,¡± Zavira said with a nod. ¡°I don¡¯t mind taking another day off since we¡¯ve been progressing so well.¡±


    ¡°Are you still doing okay?¡± I asked, referring to her recent near burnout.


    Zavira waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can keep our current pace for a nice, long while. Though, it might be good to take a week or so off with every beast wave, just as a preventative measure,¡± she added with a sly smile.


    ¡°You want to take a break before, or after?¡±


    ¡°After,¡± Zavira immediately replied. ¡°If we try to do it before, we¡¯ll just get hit with a ton of crafting requests. I¡¯ve already had to start rejecting commissions because I won¡¯t be able to finish them before the next beast wave starts.¡±


    I pressed my lips together in thought. Aside from the [Net] scepters, I hadn¡¯t gotten many commissions. My manatech devices and various talismans sold well through the kiosk, but I wasn¡¯t getting any specific requests.


    Not that I was complaining. I liked being able to make what I wanted. My items always sold, so it was all the same to me.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I said as I stood up. ¡°We can look into spending a day or two at the Hot Spring if you want. We should have enough to cover the cost for a few days already.¡±


    The inflation on the sixth floor really was horrible. I wasn¡¯t sure how the residents were managing it, especially those who couldn¡¯t hunt. I understood the whole concept of ¡®supply and demand,¡¯ but still.


    ¡°That sounds great,¡± Zavira said with a smile. ¡°Let me know when you want to go. I might head over early to watch some of the Smithing competitions, depending on when they¡¯re scheduled.¡±


    Teleporting wasn¡¯t the only option for reaching the remote settlement. Because of the resources available there, portals had been established to connect the two safe zone cities with the outpost.


    I¡¯d looked at the portals, and they followed the same principles as the interplanetary portals I¡¯d helped create back on Earth. The portals on the fifth floor had been the same.


    After checking the schedule, Zavira decided to travel with me and the others to Arinfort, where the tournament was being held.


    While I didn¡¯t want to play taxi, I didn¡¯t mind transporting others when we were all headed to the same place. It was a lot like being the only person in your friend group with a car. It wasn¡¯t a big deal to give someone a ride when I was already driving to the same location, or in the case of an emergency.


    But being expected to chauffer people around because I had a car and they didn¡¯t¡­ not so much.


    <hr>


    Since Riley had to be there early, I Teleported the rest of us just outside of Arinfort. The village and the newly-constructed arena had anti-teleportation wards to prevent Space-attuned beasts from teleporting inside without warning, which also impacted the local Space Mages.


    Arinfort was only about two years old, having been established when the Hot Spring and Trial appeared co-located in a small clearing. The surrounding forest was decorated with an array of fall colors, with a few evergreens mixed in for variety.


    The clearing had been extended to make room for the temporary arena just outside of the village gate. The arena would only be kept until the tournament was over. At that point, it would be removed, and the dungeon would reclaim the space.


    Building the tournament facilities were part of the tournament process and gave those with the requisite skills and professions an opportunity to gain experience, which was more valuable than having an unneeded structure outside the settlement¡¯s walls.


    ¡°I read that the settlement draws a lot of the beasts that might otherwise attack Hexaport,¡± Ava commented as we headed toward the arena. ¡°Almost all of the beasts that attack here are high or peak tier.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that apply to the other small settlements?¡±


    Ava shook her head. ¡°Maybe if people stayed there during the waves, but most of the residents return to the cities when a beast wave approaches. Arinfort is the exception because the Hot Spring and Trial will draw the attention of the dungeon mobs anyway. They obviously can¡¯t damage either structure, but they¡¯ll destroy the surrounding village if it¡¯s left unattended.¡±


    I clicked my tongue in annoyance. ¡°I didn¡¯t read anything about that.¡±


    The Researcher smiled widely. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have unless you dug pretty deep. I got into some of the really old archives to learn about it. I don¡¯t think the earlier floors had the same issue.¡±


    The entry fee into the tournament was higher than I expected, but that was basically par for the course as far as the sixth floor went.


    We navigated to the area where Riley would be competing and found seats quickly. The Sculpting competition wasn¡¯t one of the popular ones, so there were plenty of seats available.


    Eventually, Sculptors of various mediums and tiers entered the small section of the arena being used. Riley was about three-quarters of the way down the line, grouped with the rest of the Tier Six artists who used Ice.


    As creations began to take shape, I realized that the difference in ability between tiers was less obvious than I expected. But with art, I supposed raw talent was a pretty important factor.


    Some of the artists took a solid medium and carved their submissions, like a traditional sculptor might. Others used their magic to manipulate their chosen materials. The last group manifested their creations, only bothering with adding the fine details afterward.


    Riley was one of those in the last group, as were about half of the Tier Five and Tier Six artists.


    His submission was significantly different from the others, though.


    Where they made sculptures of people, animals, or even intricately crafted plants and landscapes, Riley¡¯s submission resembled a huge dollhouse. One side was left open to display the insides of a home that would have fit in any modern, well-off suburban neighborhood on Earth.


    Holographic screens allowed spectators to get a closer look, and I could see the attention to detail he¡¯d put into the creation. My heart broke a little, seeing a representation of what I was sure was Riley¡¯s family home.


    It was hard not to understand when Riley¡¯s likeness was captured so well on one of the miniatures.


    All four of the icy caricatures were seated around a table laden with food. Their expressions showed love and happiness. It posed a sharp contrast to the sadness I saw on the Ice Mage¡¯s face as he looked at his creation.


    I wondered if he¡¯d had any contact with his family since entering the dungeon. The last I¡¯d heard, the group had decided not to get the interface upgrade because the cost was too high. I thought maybe they¡¯d coordinated with another group to send and receive messages from home, but I hadn¡¯t thought to ask.


    I really should have.


    ¡°Have any of you guys managed to communicate with home, yet?¡± I asked Ava.


    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. We all got the upgrade before leaving the fifth floor. Two hundred and fifty thousand points sound like a whole lot until you need more than three times that to reach the next tier.¡± Ava shrugged. ¡°It made sense.¡±


    I was glad to hear they had a way of communicating with home. If they didn¡¯t, I would have offered to relay messages while we were on the same floor.


    ¡°Is he¡­ doing okay?¡± I asked uncertainly.


    ¡°Riley?¡± Ava asked with raised brows. At my nod, she said, ¡°I think so. He gets lonely sometimes, but that¡¯s normal, I think. It probably doesn¡¯t help that he sees me and Jacob together.¡±


    She glanced at me with a thoughtful expression. ¡°Maybe you should spend some time with him. I know you plan to stay in the dungeon for a long time, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t spend time together now. Even if you manage to reach Tier Seven in a decade, that¡¯s still a really long time.¡±


    I pressed my lips together. I wasn¡¯t opposed to spending time with Riley, but I really didn¡¯t want any complications. Our paths were heading in two different directions, and I worried that he might misunderstand.


    Hell, with enough time, I might misunderstand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind hanging out and being a friend, but I don¡¯t know about anything more than that. Emotions make things difficult, and,¡± I sighed heavily, ¡°you¡¯re right. Ten years is a really long time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I stick with short, meaningless flings,¡± Zavira chimed in from the side. ¡°Anything more than that is just a complication.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty cold outlook,¡± Ava commented with a frown.


    Zavira shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s reality. Emie and I don¡¯t have the luxury of meaningful, fulfilling romantic relationships at this stage in our lives. It¡¯s pretty much a fling or nothing. Marriage and love can come after reaching Tier Eight.¡± She paused. ¡°Or I guess in Emie¡¯s case, Tier Ten, or maybe the next realm.¡±


    ¡°Is that really okay with you?¡± Ava asked me with a look of uncertainty.


    Now it was my turn to shrug. ¡°I guess? I certainly don¡¯t want to start a family and then leave. And unless my potential partner was willing to go all the way to peak-Tier Ten with me¡­¡±


    Ava shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s crazy. But you do you, I guess.¡±


    After an awkward silence, Jacob said, ¡°They just announced the winners. Let¡¯s go congratulate Riley for placing second.¡±


    ¡°He should have won,¡± Ava said with a frown.


    I didn¡¯t disagree. Riley¡¯s submission was extraordinary, especially given the fact that he¡¯d created on the spot.


    Since he didn¡¯t seem upset about his placement, I didn¡¯t think it was necessary to be upset on his behalf. Instead, I congratulated the Ice Mage with a large smile and tried not to think about families and all of the things I was missing out on.

 Book 3 - Chapter 45 - Concerns and Progress

    The conversation with Ava had the opposite effect that I thought she was hoping for. Instead of potentially soothing the loneliness of two adrift Earthborns, her obvious attempts at matchmaking only served to push me further away from the idea.


    After everything I¡¯d experienced, I knew myself well enough to know that I would struggle to continue on my chosen path if I fell in love. Love had no business in my immediate future anyway, especially not with the promises I¡¯d made.


    System-enforced promises that I couldn¡¯t, and wouldn¡¯t, get out of.


    Just because Sir Eri¡¯Non had ascended didn¡¯t mean the contract I¡¯d made with him and Master Kairos was voided. If anything, it was the exact opposite since he wasn¡¯t present in the realm to agree to any modifications.


    Most Earthborn still likely had little concept of what system-enforced really meant. Thankfully, I knew enough not to put myself into a position where I might knowingly violate the terms of such an agreement.


    That included allowing myself to get involved in a potentially compromising relationship.


    As far as I was concerned, letting myself get romantically involved with Riley ¨C or anyone else, for that matter ¨C was just asking for future pain and suffering. The only exception would be if my chosen partner was willing to join me on my journey to Tier Ten, and that wasn¡¯t something you could ask of someone early in a relationship.


    Either way, I didn¡¯t see Riley fitting that criteria. I¡¯d still spend time with the trio, but they were all very firmly ¡®friend-zoned,¡¯ as far as I was concerned.


    Zavira was right. Until I reached Tier Ten, meaningless flings were about the best I could hope for.


    <hr>


    Zavira and I fought against several groups of creatures as we zigzagged our way across the mid and high-tier portions of the Winter zone a couple of days later.


    As we bounced from one fight to the next, I practiced some of the newer techniques I¡¯d learned since reaching Tier Six, prompting Zavira to jokingly call me a cheater.


    ¡°Just because my affinities are awesome doesn¡¯t make me a cheater,¡± I said with a grin after releasing the spell I¡¯d used to defeat the last set of mobs.


    ¡°No, but what you do with them does,¡± she replied as she eyed the bloody mess left behind. ¡°Really, having two affinities is unfair enough, but Time and Space?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Some people have all the luck.¡±


    ¡°You do remember I grew up on a mundane colony world, right?¡±


    Zavira scoffed, ¡°That obviously didn¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong ¨C in this timeline. But I was an anomaly in more ways than one.


    Before teleporting to the next set of mobs, I said, ¡°I want to show you a new technique I learned. I¡¯d like to get your feedback on it, if possible.¡±


    ¡°Another technique?¡± Zavira said with surprise. ¡°I thought the compressing prison sphere was the only new thing you¡¯d figured out with Space mana lately. Is it a Time-based technique?¡±


    Her comment referred to my last attack, which had surrounded the creatures with a Space Barrier that gradually shrank until the creatures inside were crushed. We were actively working together as a party, so even if she didn¡¯t really contribute to the fight, she still got some experience from it.


    ¡°Kinda,¡± I hedged. ¡°This one¡­ Have you ever heard of Space Mages being able to remove part of a creature¡¯s body while it was alive?¡±


    Zavira nodded. ¡°Sure. There are several Smiths in my sect with a Space affinity, so I¡¯m pretty familiar with what they can do at high tiers.¡±


    ¡°Do you know of any who can remove a creature¡¯s brain while they are still alive?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Sure, hypothetically,¡± she said. ¡°But it usually takes too much mana to do something like that. It would be like trying to freeze the creature¡¯s brain or set it on fire. It¡¯s possible, but the mana cost would be really high. If you¡¯re fighting a smart enough opponent, they can more actively resist, which would make it almost impossible unless you were a higher tier.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. Even trying to Teleport someone against their will could be very difficult if the person was actively resisting.


    ¡°So¡­ wrapping the Space mana in Time mana bypasses a lot of that since Time is generally perceived as non-threatening. At least, it is until you use it against someone offensively the first few times.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an awesome combined application of your magic!¡± Zavira said enthusiastically.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make you nervous?¡± I asked curiously, surprised by her response.


    ¡°No,¡± my companion said while giving me an odd look. ¡°Why would it?¡±


    ¡°I thought people might be nervous by the potential applications.¡±


    Zavira shrugged. ¡°Maybe some might, but if they are intentionally fighting you, they should already expect Space and Time magic to be used against them. It¡¯s just like any other internal attack. Mind, Life, and even Soul magic are just a few examples.¡±


    ¡°And like I said earlier,¡± Zavira continued, ¡°every affinity could be used that way with enough effort. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re naturally resistant to such attacks so it takes a lot more mana than you¡¯d normally expend in a single attack.¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about it that way,¡± I said thoughtfully before heading toward our next set of targets. The mobs were close enough that teleporting would be a waste of mana. Besides, a little walking was good for us anyway.


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    I was glad that my technique wouldn¡¯t cause any significant issues once I left the dungeon. It was something I¡¯d worried about since I realized any watchers would have seen the ability.


    ¡°Oh, before I forget again,¡± I said, pausing before we got too close to the small group of beasts. ¡°I meant to give this to you before we left.¡±


    I handed her the newly enchanted [Stasis Storage] ring I¡¯d tucked into the small pouch in my robes. She¡¯d crafted the ring itself, but I did all of the enchanting since Zavira could still do little more than copy or transfer existing enchantments.


    ¡°I was able to really empower the spatial aspect, so it¡¯s quite a bit larger than the last one,¡± I told her proudly.


    ¡°Awesome. Thanks,¡± Zavira said, slipping the ring onto her finger. ¡°I¡¯ll get the rest of the rings to you later. I made a few different styles.¡±


    After learning how much space the rings I crafted contained, Zavira had offered to make a few dozen plain rings in exchange for a single enhanced [Stasis Storage] ring. She had an inventory like the rest of the challengers, but those did not come with any kind of [Stasis] effects, meaning materials could easily rot while inside.


    I¡¯d given her one on a previous floor, but its capacity was laughable compared to the items I could make now.


    Though there were a few other crafters capable of making such items on the sixth floor, there was always a demand for more. With how large I was able to make the storage space inside my items, I knew they would be in even higher demand once I added them to the kiosk marketplace.


    I had no qualms about selling the items at a premium, especially since the cost of gaining access to the Hot Spring was so high. There was no way I was going to skip making use of the valuable resource, so finding a way to earn a lot of credits was a necessity.


    <hr>


    I wasn¡¯t wrong about the reception my [Stasis Storage] rings would have. I released them slowly, increasing the cost of each one until I felt the market wouldn¡¯t sustain another increase.


    Storage rings weren¡¯t the only products I sold since my primary profession practically mandated I continue making newer, better enchantments.


    Over the next several years, I flooded the floor with a variety of weapons, tools, and utility items of increasing complexity, earning alternate experience from my professions with each item.


    I sold travel pods that could be used for both transportation and as secure places to stay outside of a stronghold, devices that would allow someone to teleport directly to an anchored location, [Time Dilation] wards, [Cleanse] talismans, healing items, and a number of other useful but oddly absent enchantments.


    There were a few cleaning and healing items available, but they were of far lower quality than what I was producing. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because the knowledge had been lost, or if there was some other reason such items were not generally available.


    Since it worked out to my benefit, I didn¡¯t care all that much.


    I knew that was probably a poor mentality to have, but the progress of the dungeon city was not something I was overly concerned about. It was a temporary stopping point, not my destination.


    Maybe if I wasn¡¯t in a hurry and didn¡¯t have a time limit, I might have taken the time to pass on some of my knowledge. But since that wasn¡¯t an option, I didn¡¯t let myself dwell on it.


    Like relationships and romance, I pushed the thoughts aside and focused on my goals.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting pretty close to reaching level fifty-nine, right?¡± Zavira asked as we roused ourselves from our Hot Spring Meditation.


    I¡¯d decided to focus wholly on mana regeneration for the sixth floor since it was the area I consistently struggled with. While I had manatech weapons I could use, I still relied on my personal mana pool for a lot of things.


    Needing to wait for my mana to regenerate before I could go somewhere or do something was annoying.


    ¡°I reached it a couple of days ago,¡± I commented. ¡°How far away are you?¡±


    ¡°A few more weeks, at least,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°It must be all of those secret hunts you go on,¡± she added with a grin.


    ¡°I doubt that¡¯s it,¡± I said. ¡°That was just to make up for all the extra professional experience you get with all of your commissions.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± the Smith said with a wave. ¡°You already have your alternate level. I don¡¯t want to hear your lies.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind letting you do the bulk of the fighting,¡± I offered with a languid stretch. ¡°You said you were keeping that awesome glaive I enchanted for you recently. Why don¡¯t you test it out? I¡¯ll give you some [Pause] talismans and you can handle everything yourself.¡±


    If I didn¡¯t contribute beyond providing tools and transportation, she should get all of the experience. I doubted it would take very long for her to earn what she needed for the next level, especially if we focused our efforts on peak-tier creatures or the various bosses.


    ¡°I will absolutely take you up on that,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°I¡¯m surprised I managed to get any use out of this visit at all, honestly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re that eager?¡± I asked, though I already knew the answer.


    Zavira had been eager to challenge the next Trial since she learned what I received from the last one. I was a little amazed she¡¯d managed to stick to our original schedule for this long, especially with as close as we were to meeting the requirements for the Trial.


    ¡°Absolutely!¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting to gain access to the Trial for so long¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°Now that we¡¯re so close, it¡¯s practically all I can think about. Do you have any idea how many weapons I¡¯ve screwed up because my mind started wandering while I was crafting?¡±


    ¡°No? But I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s probably more than a couple if you¡¯re mentioning it.¡±


    Zavira chuckled darkly. ¡°More than a couple is right. I¡¯m glad my smithy is hidden from observation. I would have been embarrassed if the watchers saw how often I was messing things up because I¡¯m so distracted.¡±


    ¡°So, let¡¯s head out then,¡± I said, climbing out of our shared pool. Our time was up for the day anyway. ¡°Since I¡¯ve got my alternate level, and I¡¯m pretty sure you do too, why don¡¯t we focus on getting you to the next milestone? We can finish boosting our regeneration after we clear the Trial.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked as she followed me.


    ¡°As long as you aren¡¯t going to burn out from the effort, yes,¡± I replied. I didn¡¯t like bringing up Zavira¡¯s earlier struggle, but it was a very relevant concern. ¡°I¡¯d rather take a little extra time now than have to take a long break later or potentially have to go on alone.¡±


    I looked back at the pool. Ripples from our exit were still visible along the otherwise smooth surface.


    ¡°I know I¡¯ll have to progress alone eventually,¡± I continued, ¡°but I don¡¯t want to rush that eventuality. I¡¯ve liked having someone to rely on, and I¡¯m really not looking forward to the day I have to progress without you.¡±


    ¡°We still have decades before that¡¯s going to happen,¡± Zavira said lightly. ¡°I¡¯m nowhere close to burning out now. Don¡¯t worry about me. As far as later goes¡­¡± Zavira sighed and looked at her hands. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t lose yourself. One of the Hephaistos Core Disciples pushed to Tier Ten ¨C just low-Tier Ten, mind you ¨C before taking a break from the dungeon. When he returned, he was¡­ odd. Detached.¡±


    Zavira looked up and met my eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know him before, obviously, but everyone who did said he wasn¡¯t like that before he challenged the dungeon. The sect didn¡¯t matter to him all that much anymore. I¡¯m not sure anything really did.


    ¡°From what little I was told, he only came back to fulfill his obligations before he returned to the dungeon to ascend. As far as I know, he¡¯s still here. I doubt he¡¯ll still be around by the time you reach the tenth floor, but I suppose anything¡¯s possible.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t concerned about something similar happening to me. I¡¯d already noticed a feeling of disconnectedness between me and my family, and it hadn¡¯t even been a decade and a half, subjectively! Even the more gracious estimates I¡¯d done gave us another two decades before we reached the eighth floor.


    And after I returned from my break, I¡¯d have another twenty-five decades or more without Zavira before I even had a chance to reach peak-Tier Ten! Who knew if I¡¯d find someone trustworthy to challenge the dungeon with when I returned?


    If I was already feeling a sense of disconnectedness, even with regular communication, how much worse was it going to be when I returned alone?

 Book 3 - Chapter 46 - The Sixth Floor Trial

    Zavira and I stood in front of the entry to the Trial twelve days later. We¡¯d both prepared for the challenge with the understanding that the Trial could take weeks to complete, and our storage rings reflected that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll message you when I¡¯m done,¡± I said as I glanced at my companion.


    ¡°Same,¡± she replied with an excited smile. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°You, too.¡±


    With nothing left to say, we stepped forward together. Space twisted, and I could feel the currents of the dungeon pulling us to different locations.


    It was expected. We already knew the sixth floor¡¯s Trial was not something we could challenge together.


    I appeared in an empty room. There were no doors or windows, nor was there any light. I was only able to tell I was surrounded by four walls because of Spatial Sense.


    [Welcome, Challenger!


    Complete the Trial and be rewarded.


    You may practice this Trial <u>0</u> times.


    You may challenge this Trial <u>1</u> time.


    Would you like to:


    <u>Practice,</u> <u>Challenge,</u> or <u>Exit</u> the Trial?


    *NOTE: You may reenter if you exit without challenging the Trial*]


    It was basically the same generic notification I¡¯d gotten for the previous Trials. There was nothing that indicated the Trial only ended when the challenger failed ¨C and in this case, that meant death. That was something we¡¯d learned through research.


    Thankfully, death inside of Trials was not permanent.


    After selecting ¡®Challenge,¡¯ a new notification appeared.


    [Complete as many paths as possible.]


    Before I could consider the notification further, the room brightened, and two doors manifested in front of me.


    The first door was decorated with the runic symbol for ¡®Fire¡¯ and was surrounded by a faint red aura. The second was marked with the rune for ¡®Water¡¯ and was outlined in blue.


    Having expected such options, I equipped my [Fire Resistance] and [Temperature Control] talismans before choosing the door marked with ¡®Fire.¡¯


    Of the two, Fire seemed like the least annoying, though I knew there was a good chance I¡¯d find myself facing the Water door again eventually.


    Having indicated my decision, the door marked with the symbol for ¡®Water¡¯ disappeared, and I found myself standing at the end of a long, dimly lit hallway. The walls and ceiling of the space were covered in thick cracks separating the hallway from the dimly burning fires on the other side.


    The flickering light cast deep shadows in the hallway, making it difficult to see potential threats. I was not overly concerned with the lack of visibility since I still had access to Spatial Sense, though I imagined not having such a skill would make the challenge significantly more stressful.


    After taking a few steps into the hallway, I noticed a soot-covered lizard emerging from one of the cracks. It saw me immediately and let out a hiss before spitting a stream of flames in my direction.


    I dodged the attack and shot the fire-breathing lizard with an [Ice Spike], hoping the attack would be enough to defeat the creature. Though I expected some level of reduced effectiveness, I was surprised that my manatech weapon had almost no effect on the lizard, even with its counter affinity.


    None of the other Ice-based spells contained within the scepter seemed to affect the creature, either. I would have found the situation particularly strange had I not been forewarned that enchanted weapons didn¡¯t work properly in the Trial.


    But ¡®properly¡¯ implied the weapons would still work with some effectiveness, and that clearly wasn¡¯t the case.


    Further, the limitation was only supposed to apply to items not crafted by the trial-taker. Or, at least, that was the conclusion Zavira and I had come to since only those who hadn¡¯t crafted their weapons had complained of such a limitation.


    Clearly, we were wrong.


    To make sure, I tried a variety of other manatech weapons and noted the same lackluster performance. In fact, the only weapons that seemed to work properly were those that used my mana instead of the mana stored within a core or artificial battery.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what the purpose of such a limitation was, but it ultimately didn¡¯t matter. Whatever its purpose, the effect was the same.


    Most of the arsenal I¡¯d brought was now useless for the Trial challenge, and it looked like I¡¯d only be able to use Space and Time magic for the immediate future.


    Thankfully, the limitation didn¡¯t seem to apply to utility or defensive items. I would have been very upset if my MealMaker suddenly stopped working because it used mana cores to power the transmutation.


    Limited to only my affinities and the enchanted weapons I¡¯d crafted that did not rely on additional power sources ¨C of which there were remarkably few ¨C I slowly made my way through the Fire path.


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    The layout reminded me of a stereotypical dungeon floor from fantasy stories back on Earth. Aside from the occasional random attacks in the hallways from creatures hiding in the flickering shadows, most of the mobs I encountered were located within the challenge rooms spread intermittently throughout the path.


    The first room I entered had a handful of Combustion Slimes that left burning trails marking their paths before exploding on contact. The second held Flaming Rats that burst into flames randomly. The third room had more than a dozen Inferno Dogs, which looked a lot less like canines than some kind of weasel.


    All were level sixty.


    Being limited to my inherent magics meant I had little reason to vary my attacks.


    Instead of trying a variety of different weapons to see what worked the best, I simply Paused everything in the first room and dispatched each slime one at a time using a spear enchanted with basic [Durability], [Sharpness], and [Self-Repair] enchantments.


    In the next room, I used Slow against the Flaming Rats instead of Pause, but otherwise, the fight was basically the same.


    The third room I filled with a Spatial Distortion Field and watched as the aggressive weasel creatures tore themselves apart as they tried to attack.


    Though I kept a moderate pace to regenerate what mana I could in between fights, by the time I reached the boss room, I was a lot lower on mana than I hoped to be.


    I was glad to see there was only a single opponent in the final room since it took much less mana to Pause a single creature as opposed to multiple.


    However, I was less excited to see the creature was level sixty-one and, thus, a tier higher. Though it was only a single-level difference, the jump in tier meant the creature would be significantly tougher and require even more mana to impact with my spells.


    While I wasn¡¯t necessarily surprised to see the boss was Tier Seven, having been warned it was a possibility, the sight delayed me just enough that the boss managed to release a blast of super-heated flames in my direction before I could freeze it in place.


    The spell was enough to break through my [Barrier] talisman, but not enough to do significant damage aside from that.


    With the boss temporarily neutralized by my delayed spell, I took a moment to consider the best method of attack.


    Everything would take a lot more mana to accomplish, but if the reports of the Trial were accurate, there would be a short period of relative safety between paths. With my enhanced regeneration, I should be able to fully regenerate my mana during the break.


    Hopefully, I¡¯d be able to make use of the time to craft a bit as well.


    Though I didn¡¯t think it was likely, I hoped that weapons crafted within the Trial wouldn¡¯t be subject to the same limitations, especially if they were crafted using the materials collected in the Trial itself.


    After giving myself a few minutes to recover what mana I could, I focused on my brain-stealing technique. Since the creature was already being affected by my Time mana, using the technique was made a touch easier than it otherwise might have been.


    It still took a lot more mana than it would against something within or below my tier. Still, I was pleased to see the technique worked against a stronger opponent.


    [Congratulations on completing the first path!


    You have three hours to choose the next path or the selection will be made randomly.]


    I collected the fallen boss creature and walked toward the doors that had materialized in the back wall. I had no desire to jump right into the next path, but I still took a moment to examine the doors. This time, the doors were yellow and brown, representing Air and Earth, respectively.


    I sighed and set up a basic [Time Dilation Field] to extend my crafting time. Once that was complete, I pulled out a mobile workstation before directing Lisa to notify me ten minutes before the deadline.


    Now that I had a better idea of what to expect with regard to what weapons I¡¯d be able to use, I wanted to make the most of my available downtime. I also wasn¡¯t going to count on the [Time Dilation Field] working since it hadn¡¯t in the previous Trial.


    I started by modifying one of my existing weapons to incorporate manually added Space mana. I didn¡¯t think such an addition would circumvent the restriction, but I wouldn¡¯t know for sure without checking. It was only a small modification, anyway.


    Next, I extracted a bone from the recently defeated boss creature and used a variety of quick processing spells to prepare it as an enchantment base. Using a few other materials from the recently-defeated creature, I created a manatech wand powered by the core of the previous boss.


    My hope was that weapons crafted during the Trial from the remains of the creatures within wouldn¡¯t have the same restrictions as those prepared in advance.


    Even simplifying the design, I still barely managed to finish the weapon before Lisa notified me the deadline to choose my next path was approaching.


    Though I expected it, I was still a little disappointed that my Time dilation hack was nerfed once again.


    Because I didn¡¯t want to deal with flying creatures later in the Trial when things would presumably become more difficult, I chose Air as the next path.


    Just like before, the other option disappeared when I made my choice. As soon as I stepped through the doorway, my surroundings shifted, and I found myself standing on a swaying bridge that stretched between two massive trees.


    I was facing one of the ropes connecting the bridge to its anchors, and I had the option of going either left or right. There was nothing remarkable about either direction as far as I could tell, so I wasn¡¯t quite sure which direction to choose.


    Looking behind me, it was clear there was no going back to the previous room. Additionally, everything below the bridge was hidden by a thick fog that my senses could not penetrate.


    With nothing making either direction stand out, I turned to the left and headed toward the tree.


    I only managed to take two steps before the first flying creature attacked.


    This time, instead of using Time magic to get an advantage, I ensured my Barrier was active and my secondary [Barrier] was working before testing the baton I¡¯d modified.


    It was obvious that whatever restrictions the dungeon had put in place originally still applied to the enchantments on the weapon. While the additional Space mana was decently strong, the [Lightning Bolts] were still much weaker than they should have been.


    With a disgruntled grumble, I stored the weapon and retrieved the Fire wand.


    While I wasn¡¯t putting much hope into the weapon, I was pleasantly surprised to find the wand worked fine. In fact, it was quite effective against the peak-tier creatures I found myself facing.


    Taking my time and trying to save my limited charges, I crossed various bridges as I made my way through the maze-like path.


    It took quite a while before I realized the path was not merely ¡®maze-like,¡¯ but was actually a maze that needed to be figured out before I could find the end of the path.


    Once I realized that, it didn¡¯t take long to find the correct route to the boss.


    I didn¡¯t bother trying anything new when it came to defeating the bus-sized bird. With a few targeted (and mana-intensive) spells coupled with the Tier Seven power of the Fire wand, the boss fell, and the second path in the Trial was complete.

 Book 3 - Interlude 3 - A Discussion Between Old Friends

    Henlen Kairos sat next to his old friend Heph as they watched holographic screens depicting their respective disciples challenging the Sixth Floor Trial.


    Between them was a masterwork table, heavily laden with foods and drinks from across the Alliance. The plates were enchanted to maintain everything perfectly, ensuring each bite was just as excellent as the previous one.


    Both Patriarchs had taken the opportunity to reconnect and relax while their disciples fought and challenged themselves for what most would consider priceless rewards. Even the two old Mages had moments of jealousy when thinking about the potential rewards the youths would likely earn.


    ¡°To think, affinity mastery skills were available through the dungeon all this time,¡± Heph said with a sigh when his descendent defeated the Magma Bears she was fighting.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain their existence is not unknown to the other leading sects,¡± Henlen replied. ¡°You know as well as I that such skills are valuable enough to kill for. Being able to access the skill at the intermediate level without the pain of training for centuries?¡± The young-looking Patriarch chuckled mirthlessly.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Heph said, drawing out the word as he scratched his thick beard. ¡°I¡¯d wager not many would be willing to share such information.¡±


    Henlen glanced at the display showing his friend¡¯s progeny. The young half-dwarf was impressive, especially considering many of her early advantages were taken away when the challenges grew more difficult.


    The paths began with a single Tier Seven opponent serving as the boss, but by the fifth challenge, that changed. Tier Seven creatures began appearing randomly at dead ends, which wasn¡¯t much of an issue at first. By the tenth challenge, the higher-tiered creatures blocked the necessary pathways to reach the end of the ever-growing mazes.


    Heph¡¯s descendant was a couple of floors behind Emie, but that was only because she was progressing more cautiously. Such an approach made sense considering she didn¡¯t have the same flexibility with Enchanting.


    Henlen was actually quite surprised to see the girl was still using enchantment copy and transfer spells, though it did make it much faster for her to complete weapons between paths.


    The girl was amazing with Force already. He couldn¡¯t wait to see how much of a monster she became with it once she gained access to Force Magic Mastery at the intermediate level.


    ¡®What a cheat that was,¡¯ he grumbled silently.


    He was almost tempted to enter the dungeon himself just to challenge the Tenth Floor Trial. Maybe when Emie got there¡­


    ¡°Have you given any thought to reentering the dungeon and catching up to me?¡± the Time Mage asked his oldest friend jokingly, though there was a touch of genuineness in his inquiry.


    Neither had reentered the dungeon since they left, so they were both technically capable of returning.


    The old dwarf laughed heartily. ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m far too old for such things,¡± he said before grabbing a perfectly crafted morsel from the nearest plate. ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to the younger generation,¡± he added resolutely before popping the item in his mouth.


    Heph looked at Henlen knowingly as he chewed the small appetizer. ¡°I know your deadline¡¯s approaching, but you¡¯ll have to make the leap without me, I¡¯m afraid,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°I still have a couple of millennia before I have to worry about the reach of Time. More, if you fix me up before you go.¡±


    Henlen Kairos¡¯s eyes returned to the holographic display depicting his disciple without response. It was the same answer he¡¯d gotten every other time he¡¯d asked his friend something similar.


    The Time Mage imagined his disciple would feel similar when she exited the dungeon. However, there was always the chance that her time away from family would dull their importance or create a rift that felt irreconcilable.


    If either of those things happened, she¡¯d probably be eager to leave the lower realms to start anew.


    Being separated from loved ones for an extended period was hard, especially when you perceived a significantly longer time passing than they did.


    He would know.


    Overall, he felt that Emie was doing well in the dungeon. She was progressing swiftly ¨C more swiftly than he expected ¨C though it was obvious she¡¯d grown deeply reliant on manatech weapons.


    From the reports he¡¯d received, Henlen knew that Emie had continued her martial training within the dungeon, both virtually and via trainers in the various cities. However, she showed little of that training or prowess as she challenged the Trial.


    He¡¯d only arrived a week or so before she and Heph¡¯s great-great-granddaughter entered the Trial, so he couldn¡¯t say much about what her fighting style was like normally. It had been a while since he¡¯d come to Sira to observe, after all.


    While reports were helpful, there was only so much that could be communicated without witnessing things for oneself.


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    Aside from the difficulty involved with fighting up a tier, dealing with different affinities also posed its own sort of challenge.


    He¡¯d noticed her ongoing avoidance of a few different elements, and he understood her aversion. Some affinities were more difficult than others to guard against, especially when they often bypassed barriers and resistances.


    Unless she crafted her [Barriers] specifically to counter hostile uses of such mana types ¨C or modified her Barriers manually ¨C it was likely she¡¯d struggle against them.


    Henlen watched proudly as Emie defeated the final boss of the Poison path. She hadn¡¯t modified her talisman to exclude Poison, though in this case, it wasn¡¯t strictly necessary. Instead, Emie had manifested a modified Space Barrier designed specifically to block anything containing the hostile mana.


    It was a good use of Spell Modification, even if it did take quite a bit of mana to sustain.


    He watched as she eyed her next set of choices. Life or Sound. Either would pose the same problem, though with her obvious ability to control her Barrier spell manifestation, he doubted either would be much of an issue for her.


    Really, the same could be said for any challenger, regardless of their affinity.


    Even a Fire Mage could modify their Barrier to specifically exclude certain types of mana if they were trained properly. It was just that so few Core Four or uncommon elemental affinity Mages bothered learning such techniques.


    Any mana type could create a barrier against other mana types. It really wasn¡¯t that difficult of a concept to grasp.


    Of course, modifying a barrier to have such restrictions often weakened it against things like physical damage, but there were always going to be tradeoffs.


    ¡°Which do you think she¡¯ll choose this time?¡± Heph asked.


    The Time Mage considered the girl¡¯s choices for a moment. ¡°Life,¡± he guessed. ¡°She¡¯ll have more uses for the materials gained on that path than she would Sound.¡±


    The old Smith nodded thoughtfully. ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯ll not bet against you on this one,¡± he said with a hint of a smirk.


    They¡¯d been placing bets intermittently on which path each of the disciples would take, and so far, the Smith was ahead.


    Henlen wasn¡¯t concerned in the slightest about his losses. As far as he was concerned, it was simply the cost of entertainment. Besides, he¡¯d always been a firm believer that one should never bet something they were not prepared to lose.


    Time passed as the two Patriarchs continued to enjoy each other¡¯s company while they observed their disciples. Neither was concerned about the safety of their proteges since the Trial itself ensured their safety. The only way to finish the Trial was to effectively die, though automatic restoration talismans like the ones Emie liked to use wouldn¡¯t be taken into account.


    Zavira was the first one to be defeated, taken out by an ambush of hidden Shadow panthers that hid from her senses by remaining perfectly still as she passed.


    The Tier Seven creatures easily cut through her barriers when they pounced since the obstacles were much too weak to withstand a three-fold strike by higher-tiered opponents.


    A flash of Time mana from a manually triggered talisman attempted to provide recovery for the young Smith, but her opponents struck again before the Force Mage could strike back.


    She was quickly transported to a plain room with no defining features, causing both of her watchers to slightly deflate.


    ¡°Well, she¡¯ll be a might disappointed at that,¡± her ancestor commented. ¡°Hopefully, she¡¯s done enough to get her reward.¡±


    Henlen nodded. ¡°I agree. Your girl will be devastated if she has to wait another tier to try again.¡±


    They watched as the half-dwarf expressed her frustration at her defeat before her eyes shifted to something unseen by observers.


    She¡¯d completed fifteen paths, which was excellent by all but the strictest standards.


    ¡°The cats must have been shrouded. Otherwise, her senses should have picked up the minute movements of their bodies. A heartbeat has been enough to give up the presence of an opponent for you before,¡± Henlen commented.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking as well,¡± Heph said as he watched his disciple and descendent closely.


    They both let out a relieved sigh when the girl¡¯s face broke into a huge grin.


    ¡°Yes! Yes, yes, yes!¡± the young Smith said as she jumped back and forth excitedly on the display. ¡°Force Magic Mastery,¡± she whispered before watching reverently as a mauve colored crystal manifested in her hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± the Time Mage said as the girl stared wonderingly at the item.


    ¡°It is,¡± his friend agreed. ¡°She¡¯ll have many advantages thanks to the boon from this Trial.¡±


    ¡°She deserves it,¡± Henlen said, though his eyes had already returned to Emie.


    It took another two days for Emie to be defeated.


    In the end, she fell against a group of Death/Decay creatures that simply overwhelmed her barriers by mixing physical attacks with the equivalent of Death Bolts until her life-saving talismans and mana Barriers were exhausted.


    Henlen thought that five Tier Seven creatures against one Tier Six person was a bit unfair, but it was ultimately a good learning experience for Emie.


    ¡°Nineteen is good,¡± Heph said with an impressed nod.


    Henlen couldn¡¯t help but agree. It was very good, especially considering a significant portion of the girl¡¯s arsenal had been removed upon entering the Trial.


    ¡°So, are you going to try to take her with you when you go?¡± the Smith asked knowingly as he eyed the platinum-haired man.


    Henlen looked at his friend tiredly. ¡°I¡¯ll make the offer ¨C I¡¯ve technically already made the offer,¡± he corrected himself, ¡°but I won¡¯t force her to leave. She can always take my place at the sect instead.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d really give control to someone with almost no experience?¡± Heph asked with wide eyes.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t have experience when we started, either,¡± the Epikairos Patriarch reminded his friend.


    ¡°That was different,¡± Heph insisted. ¡°We were starting something new. You¡¯re talking about handing over centuries of work to a relative newcomer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll decide that when the time comes. If Emie is unsuited to the role, I¡¯ll just make her an Elder and let her craft instead,¡± Henlen said before adding, ¡°Or, she can go and do whatever she wants. The sect¡¯s cut of the sales from her MealMaker is already more than what has been invested into her. As far as I¡¯m concerned, she owes the sect nothing that she doesn¡¯t feel like contributing.¡±


    The Time Mage¡¯s eyes were glued to the display, showing his disciple as her face lit up in a smile. His expression unconsciously shifted to match it.


    He told himself there was plenty of time to make the big decisions. And if he stayed here on Sira, he¡¯d have even more time.


    It was something worth considering, he thought as he watched his disciple slowly absorb a shimmering crystal the size of a large jaba nut.


    Even if he didn¡¯t stay permanently, it would be good for him to observe his disciple¡¯s progress more directly for a while. Regardless of what the future held, he needed to have a firm understanding of her capabilities.

 Book 3 - Chapter 47 - Rewards and Plans

    ¡°¡­and then I was back in the starting room,¡± Zavira said as she picked up her drink telekinetically. ¡°My equipment was all torn up, but my body was fine.¡±


    The Force Smith had an amazing amount of fine control over her mana before obtaining Force Magic Mastery, especially when it came to Telekinesis, but it had still taken effort. Now¡­


    ¡°You make that look so easy,¡± I said as I watched her return the drink to the table before feeding herself a bite-sized tart.


    Zavira grinned and quickly swallowed her treat.


    ¡°It is! Force Magic Mastery makes little things like this simple! I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t feel the same way with how similar aspects of Space are.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Telekinesis is easier now, but it isn¡¯t effortless,¡± I replied. ¡°You make that seem like nothing.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s one of the few perks of having a more limited affinity,¡± Zavira shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t do as much with Force as you can with Space, but what I can do tends to be stronger at similar affinity ratings. At least, that¡¯s how it was explained to me.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, I guess,¡± I said.


    And it did, in a lot of ways. An affinity that focused solely on Force and kinetics was going to do that better than an affinity that included aspects of Force and kinetics, but had other things involved as well.


    To me, Space was more about distance and density than pressure and movement. I understood the latter¡¯s application to the affinity, but they were definitely more of a secondary set of concepts.


    ¡°So, how did you get taken out?¡± Zavira asked as she leaned back in her chair. ¡°You lasted a couple more days than I did, and you made it to the twentieth floor. That means you successfully completed nineteen paths. That¡¯s four more than I managed.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I got attacked by five Tier Seven necronychi. They cut right through my barriers, even with modifications to exclude Death mana. They were also able to track me whenever I teleported, which made it hard to avoid follow-on attacks.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use Time magic to freeze them?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I tried against a couple of lone necronychus I encountered earlier in the maze, and they just brushed my spells off like they were nothing. If they didn¡¯t out-tier me, that might have been different¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zavira said slowly. ¡°That was bound to happen once we started fighting creatures at high tiers. That¡¯s when natural resistances start appearing. It¡¯s going to make the next floor a lot harder for us.¡±


    I¡¯d already been warned about resistances to control effects by Lisa in her role as my inheritance tutor, so the concept wasn¡¯t new.


    Not every creature or person would develop the ability to resist some control spells and effects, but it would become more common, especially against lower-tier effects. Such spells were naturally going to be less effective against higher-tier individuals anyway.


    ¡°So, almost dying was certainly not a fun experience,¡± I added. ¡°Neither was having my barriers cut through like they didn¡¯t exist. Even my Tier Seven [Barrier] talismans broke after a single hit.¡±


    Zavira smiled sympathetically, and her eyes darkened minutely.


    ¡°That was a pretty horrible reminder of our mortality,¡± she said before her expression lightened. ¡°But at least it came with excellent rewards!¡±


    As unsettling as another near-death experience was, I was glad that Zavira had reached her goal. Had she somehow fallen short, she would have been insufferable until we made it to the next Trial.


    If the next floor had another restricted Trial, I wasn¡¯t sure how she would have taken it.


    Thankfully, that was no longer a concern.


    ¡°It did,¡± I agreed. ¡°Now we just have to figure out what reward to pick next time since neither of us have another affinity to obtain mastery in.¡±


    There had been a couple of new options on my list of potential rewards, neither of which appealed to me overmuch. One had been a growth accessory that I could probably have chosen the effect of, and the other was a set of tools for my tertiary profession.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of growth tools a Merchant might need, but it really didn¡¯t matter. I couldn¡¯t see either option being of much value to me, especially with the option of obtaining another growth crafting material still on the list.


    Unless I learned about an amazing new skill or spell that I just had to have, my current choice was between getting another growth crafting material or advancing my Enchanting skill.


    Between the augments I¡¯d gotten and the inheritance lessons, I was close to breaking into the Expert stage for the skill. If that happened, advancing it to Master and having the system essentially download everything I needed to know seemed like a smart choice.


    It would undoubtedly save decades of effort.


    My previous knowledge and experience had allowed me to rush through the Basic and Intermediate stages of the skill, but everything had basically ground to a halt once I reached the Advanced stage.


    That might have been because I¡¯d only just met the requirements for the stage increase when I sent my memories and a part of my soul back in time during the other timeline. Essentially, that meant that almost everything related to Advanced Enchanting had been new to me.


    Even so, I¡¯d been stuck at Advanced for more than a decade and a half, and that was a long time. Being able to skip the Expert stage altogether sounded like an amazing boon.


    It would certainly boost my professional experience gains.


    But before I could do something like that, I needed to break through my current limits and become an Expert Enchanter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably push myself to advance as much as possible with Smithing and take the skill upgrade,¡± Zavira said, her plans mirroring my thoughts.


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m considering the same thing with Enchanting if I can push it into Expert before we challenge the next Trial.¡±


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, the upgrade would almost certainly be worth it,¡± Zavira commented. ¡°Crafting skills are notoriously hard to advance beyond the Intermediate stage. That¡¯s why most people don¡¯t consider someone a true crafter until their main skill reaches Advanced.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I wasn¡¯t in the mood to defend my decision, so I made a noncommittal sound and let the conversation shift to other topics.


    Since Zavira had exited the Trial a couple of days before me, she¡¯d had more time to relax and practice her new skill. After a bit of discussion, we decided to take another week off before heading back out to grind the last two levels we needed to leave the floor.


    In truth, I only had a little more than a level left to earn since I¡¯d been ahead of Zavira in experience even before completing four additional paths.


    While the experience gains from defeating higher-tier creatures wasn¡¯t a huge windfall, it was significant enough to push me a little farther ahead of my companion.


    I didn¡¯t mind since it wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d be forced to tier up as soon as I earned enough experience to do so.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how that worked with ascending to a higher realm, given how Sir Eri¡¯Non had started glowing. Maybe crossing realms was different from increasing tiers within the same realm.


    I¡¯d find out eventually.


    <hr>


    Zavira and I crept silently through the mountain pass, shuffling from shadow to shadow to limit the drain on our [Stealth] talismans.


    I¡¯d designed them to allow us to see and hear each other, which was important for working with others but made the enchantment much more complicated to craft.


    The Sound-attuned materials I¡¯d gathered in the Trial had allowed me to improve my [Invisibility] talisman, and Zavira and I were testing the new design for the first time.


    I was saving most of the higher-tier materials for the next floor, but I¡¯d grabbed a few things from my stash to work with early. The items would likely downgrade before we managed to leave the floor, but they¡¯d regain their tier quickly enough once they were surrounded by the higher mana density.


    The weapons I¡¯d crafted for the Trial had already started to show signs of degrading when I removed them from [Stasis], so I was limiting how often I used them, even in the peak-tier areas of the floor.


    The difference between peak-Tier Six and low-Tier Seven wasn¡¯t just a quantitative thing. There was a qualitative difference in the ambient mana, which made a huge difference in how mana-infused materials performed.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I needed overpowered weapons against the peak-Tier Six creatures we were fighting. Even the low-Tier Seven bosses weren¡¯t much of a problem for the two of us after fighting so many higher-level creatures in the Trial alone.


    They weren¡¯t easy by any means, but they also weren¡¯t nearly as difficult as the bosses in the Trial had been.


    I messaged Zavira to warn her about the creatures up ahead. I was sure she had already noticed them through her perception skills, but it was better to make sure.


    She nodded and took the lead.


    Normally, I would have just Teleported us wherever we needed to go, but one of our goals for the day was testing the new talisman, which required sneaking up on unsuspecting creatures.


    Zavira and I walked right past a pair of dozing Ice creatures that looked similar to porcupines. Their spikes were interlaced almost cutely, and I had my interface capture the image.


    We didn¡¯t attack since that wasn¡¯t the purpose of the test.


    The two of us encountered similar scenes as we snuck across the peak-tier mountain, giving me several opportunities to capture images of uncommonly docile dungeon creatures. Years before, I¡¯d crafted a device that worked almost like a photo printer, and I was eager to manifest copies of the images and share them.


    I was sure Ava would appreciate a few cute animal pictures, even if none of them depicted adorable kittens.


    After testing the items against several peak-Tier Six creatures, I Teleported us just outside the closest boss lair.


    The boss of the Winter Zone was a yeti, which was basically a thickly furred white gorilla that lived in very cold climates, just like the ones from Himalayan folklore on Earth.


    We¡¯d challenged and killed the creature several times leading up to the Trial, but this would be the first time we encountered it since then.


    I didn¡¯t use Time magic against the creature, opting to let Zavira take the lead in locking down the boss¡¯s movements with her newly enhanced Force magic.


    Enhanced Mana Sight allowed me to watch as the mauve mana swirled around the boss, alerting it to our presence.


    Unfortunately for the boss, its body had already been locked in place.


    With enough effort, the creature might be able to break through the Force Restraints encircling the creature¡¯s body in thick bands, but we didn¡¯t plan on giving it that chance.


    Encapsulating it would block our attacks from getting through, so Zavira had created a prison of connected bands to lock the creature in place instead.


    The yeti roared in fury, though the restriction across its chest cut its cry short.


    I could tell the creature still had no idea where we were, which was a definite win as far as I was concerned.


    After signaling Zavira to let her know my testing was over ¨C for now ¨C we canceled the effects and attacked the creature in earnest.


    Though we passed the peak-Tier Six creatures without attacking, the boss was different. There was no reason not to earn a little extra experience and collect more valuable resources since we were there.


    Besides, Zavira still needed to test her new control over Force magic.


    The yeti¡¯s thick white fur was resilient, but even with the tier advantage, it couldn¡¯t stand against our concentrated effort. Space magic was particularly effective, especially if I used some of the nastier tricks Stella had taught me.


    For example, moving a Portal over a creature¡¯s head and then collapsing it was an excellent way to counter a tier-advantage. But spells like that took time and concentration to manifest. That was why they were best used on opponents that were restrained.


    But I didn¡¯t use that particular executioner skill this time since it took a lot of mana to move a manifested Portal and the goal really was to let Zavira test the changes in her magic against a higher-tier opponent.


    I still cycled through the Tier Six weapons I had on hand to see how effective each one was against a Tier Seven Ice boss while Zavira did her testing.


    We moved quickly since neither of us wanted to draw out the creature¡¯s suffering, even if it was just a dungeon-spawn. We also had to be mindful of Zavira¡¯s Force Restraints, which wouldn¡¯t last indefinitely against such a strong creature.


    Zavira smiled widely when the yeti fell.


    ¡°Did you figure your technique out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°It was a mix of compression and movement ¨C not quite vibration since that¡¯s more of Sound¡¯s domain, but also not dissimilar.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. There was a lot of overlap in ¡®elements,¡¯ or rather, affinities. Some people even called the Sound affinity Vibration since sound was just particles vibrating, though those people were a minority.


    I believed that calling the affinity Vibration was more accurate since creatures with a Sound affinity often had non-acoustic abilities. But that was ultimately a matter of semantics, even with a common shared language.


    ¡°Congratulations on figuring it out!¡± I said jovially. ¡°I¡¯m sure having such a powerful technique will be really helpful when we face stronger foes.¡±


    Zavira nodded happily. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m probably going to need it on the next floor.¡±


    My shoulders dropped slightly at the comment.


    We¡¯d both done what little research we could into the next floor, and Zavira had personally seen the layout before entering. While we couldn¡¯t be sure it was still the same after so many years, the seventh floor was supposed to be one of the harder floors to complete.


    Part of that was because the whole floor ¨C minus the ¡®safe zone¡¯ in the middle ¨C was a massive labyrinth that forced parties to split up when they entered. There were safe zones between zones, but you had to get through part of the labyrinth to get to them.


    I wondered if the design of the Sixth Floor Trial was meant as a warning or training ground for the people planning to ascend to the next floor. The fact that it was an individual challenge and each ¡®path¡¯ after the first was a maze seemed to imply as much.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to communicate, and there are supposed to be mini-safe zones spread throughout the floor.¡±


    ¡°If that information is still accurate,¡± Zavira added. ¡°We both know the floor has likely shifted since I entered the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°True, but that¡¯s not something we can control. I still think my idea of Marking you will let me bypass the dungeon¡¯s separation. As long as it doesn¡¯t have some kind of weird [Spatial Lock] in place, I should be able to reconnect to you pretty quickly.¡±


    ¡°We can hope,¡± Zavira said, though her expression indicated that she didn¡¯t have much faith in my plan.


    I understood her worry. If the dungeon really wanted parties to be separated, it probably had ways to limit my ability to get to Zavira without completely locking down the floor.


    It wasn¡¯t like I was the first Space Mage to challenge the dungeon, after all.


    Regardless, I looked forward to discovering what the seventh floor had in store. It might take a couple more years to get there, but that wasn¡¯t very long in the grand scheme of things.

 Book 3 - Chapter 48 - Shifts in Friendships

    ¡°Where are Riley and Marra?¡± I asked Ava when she and Jacob showed up for dinner without the other couple.


    Riley had started seeing the local dungeoneer a couple of years earlier, and Marra had occasionally joined their party on excursions, even though she had her own group.


    Riley had started relationships with a few people over the years, but Marra was the first one he¡¯d gotten serious with. He¡¯d even talked about taking her back to Earth with them when they finally reached Tier Seven.


    I was a little surprised that Marra entertained the idea of abandoning the dungeon to go to a low-tier world, especially since she wouldn¡¯t have any real opportunity for growth there. But ultimately, that was her decision to make.


    My question about the pair¡¯s absence caused Jacob and Ava¡¯s expressions to shift to something a little less friendly.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t with us anymore,¡± Ava huffed as she sat in one of the chairs and reached for the MealMaker.


    She didn¡¯t seem sad about it like I would expect if something had happened to the couple. Instead, she seemed angry with the pair, like they¡¯d personally offended her somehow.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked before quickly adding, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind sharing, that is. They¡¯re okay, right?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine. At least, they were the last time I saw them. Marra¡ª¡± Ava spat the name like a curse word ¡°¡ªsomehow convinced Riley not to go back to Earth when we reach Tier Seven. Instead, they¡¯re going to stay in the dungeon until they get to the eighth floor.¡±


    At that, her angry eyes flashed toward me. It was almost like she blamed me somewhat for her former party-member¡¯s decision.


    Ava removed the dish she¡¯d selected from the device and reloaded it with materials for Jacob.


    ¡°I can see doing that, especially with the potential benefits,¡± I replied with a casual shrug as I waited for Jacob to finish selecting his dinner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re looking at me like that, though,¡± I added pointedly. ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything about it to him or Marra. And it¡¯s not like Marra doesn¡¯t understand the value of retaining access to the dungeon. She is originally from the seventh floor.¡±


    Quite a few challengers came from the seventh floor, actually. From what I¡¯d gathered, most of them left as soon as they reached Tier Two because the seventh floor made it nearly impossible for under-tiered people to advance.


    According to what I¡¯d learned, the floor was split into four connected three-dimensional labyrinths that functioned much like the Sixth Floor Trial. Also like the Trial, the labyrinths separated parties upon entry.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if the zones were instanced or if there were some kind of spatial shenanigans involved, but I was sure I¡¯d find out soon enough.


    Since everyone who entered was still able to exit, I was inclined to think it was some kind of instancing. Regardless, being less than Tier Seven (or maybe Tier Six) and finding yourself alone in the maze was probably equivalent to a death sentence.


    In addition, the floor did not have beast waves, so the trick of safely leveling up youths with overpowered manatech wasn¡¯t possible on the floor.


    There really was little wonder why anyone born on the floor left as soon as they were reasonably able to. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some even left upon awakening.


    ¡°I know that,¡± Ava said with a frown. ¡°But she originally seemed okay with escaping the dungeon as soon as we reach the next floor. But now that we¡¯re actually getting close¡­¡±


    They were still a few years away from ascending to the next floor if their current pace was maintained. Without Riley, I wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d speed up or slow down, though.


    Zavira and I had passed their levels fairly early on, and the party had been slowly falling further and further behind as we continued to progress.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know how you managed to reach peak-Tier Six before us,¡± Ava continued after I put the MealMaker away and took a bite of my food. ¡°Not just the peak, but on the verge of Tier Seven! How are you and Zavira so much faster?¡± she added with a pout.


    We¡¯d had similar discussions before, and I repeated the same explanations I¡¯d already given as I slowly worked my way through the meal.


    Between my ability to teleport and our joint efforts at crafting, Zavira and I were able to fight a lot more creatures than a normal party would. We also didn¡¯t have to share the experience with anyone else, and that made a significant difference.


    There was nothing truly amazing about our progress.


    ¡°So, when are you two planning to challenge the Trial?¡± I asked, hoping to change the subject to something a little milder.


    They¡¯d both reached level fifty-nine recently, and I was honestly surprised they hadn¡¯t challenged it already.


    I¡¯d expected to receive a few requests for commissions to support their challenge, but so far, they hadn¡¯t asked for anything. With me and Zavira leaving the floor soon, they¡¯d need to make their requests sooner rather than later if they hoped to get any material assistance.


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    Since it didn¡¯t cost anything and held no threat of death, there really wasn¡¯t any reason not to challenge the Trial before leaving the floor.


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably do it in a few months, or maybe a year,¡± Jacob said after glancing at Ava. ¡°Neither of us are proficient at fighting alone, and it seems like a waste not to prepare more when we know what kind of challenge we are facing.¡±


    I nodded and pushed my plate away. It would be recycled later.


    ¡°Well, let me know if you want to commission anything before I go. Utility and defensive items didn¡¯t get nerfed by the dungeon, but offensive manatech did. As long as whatever you take inside isn¡¯t powered by a core, it should be fine,¡± I reminded them, though I¡¯d already explained as much to them before.


    I¡¯d made several items for the other Earthborn, but I always gave them a good deal. Most of the time, I barely charged them more than the value of the materials. It was a lot less than I charged others, but we were friends, and I didn¡¯t feel right charging them market value.


    ¡°Can we buy the items you used during your Trial?¡± Ava asked. ¡°That would probably be cheaper than having you make something new, right?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°A lot of the items I made inside the Trial use Tier Seven materials, which means they¡¯re actually worth a lot more. I also didn¡¯t plan on selling anything I could use on the next floor, though I don¡¯t mind parting with the Tier Six items I have for the value of the materials.¡±


    ¡°Even though they¡¯re used?¡± Jacob asked with a touch of surprise.


    I tilted my head slightly. ¡°Even used, they¡¯re worth far more than I¡¯d be selling them for. You already get my skills and efforts essentially for free,¡± I admonished him lightly.


    Ava quickly interjected, ¡°Cost of materials is fine if you think they¡¯ll be helpful in the Trial. We trust your opinion.¡± She sent a pointed look toward Jacob, causing him to nod in agreement.


    The rest of the meal was pretty casual. We talked about my plans once I got to the eighth floor and where I planned to go. We also talked about Ava and Jacob¡¯s plans and how they planned to handle being the highest-tiered natives once they returned.


    They were too high-tiered to be offered titles of nobility since the Alliance didn¡¯t want overpowered people becoming tyrants on lower-tiered planets. However, I doubted the Alliance would force them to leave if they remained set in their plans.


    As long as they didn¡¯t try to overthrow the new rulers, it would probably be fine.


    Quite frankly, I doubted they¡¯d be comfortable living on Earth if Rhona¡¯s apparent need to wear mana crystals was any indication. They might stick it out for a while, but they¡¯d probably eventually move to a more suitable planet.


    By then, they¡¯d most likely regret losing the option of re-entering the dungeon to progress. Rifts took a long time to reset at higher tiers ¨C a fact I¡¯d only just started to touch on in the previous timeline.


    However, even the average person knew that the demand for rifts always exceeded availability, and the deficit only grew as one progressed through the tiers.


    It was why the dungeon was prized so highly by elites hoping to progress rapidly.


    I reached out to Marra after Ava and Jacob left.


    While I wasn¡¯t as close to Marra and Riley as I was to Ava and Jacob, I still considered them friends. I hadn¡¯t contacted them with the invite for dinner since I usually coordinated such things through Ava. But now that the group had split, I¡¯d have to change that.


    It wouldn¡¯t matter for long since Zavira and I would likely be leaving the floor within the next month or so. As soon as Zavira earned enough experience to tier up, we¡¯d be leaving.


    Even so, I didn¡¯t want to just disappear without saying goodbye. That was doubly important if Riley and Marra were going to be joing us on the seventh floor eventually.


    The conversation was quick since Riley and Marra were out hunting with the rest of her party. Though it would probably cause all of them to progress slower, the rest of the group had incorporated Riley into their party without complaint.


    I was glad.


    We made plans to get together the following week, and I shifted my attention to the crafting I wanted to accomplish before leaving the floor.


    I¡¯d stopped accepting commissions a couple of weeks earlier ¨C minus a couple of anticipated exceptions ¨C but there were still plenty I¡¯d yet to complete. Seeing no better time than the present, I strode over to my workstation and got to work.


    <hr>


    ¡°Are you still okay with challenging the Spring boss for the last fight, or would you prefer a different one?¡± I asked when I met with Zavira outside of our newly emptied apartments several weeks later.


    We¡¯d both tiered up earlier that morning, so all that was left was to exit the floor. While we could have made use of the central portal, we both agreed to use one of the boss portals instead.


    There was no particular reason behind the decision; it just felt like the better choice.


    ¡°The Spring boss is fine,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°I could use a bit more Tier Seven wood anyway.¡±


    With a nod of agreement, I wrapped us in Space mana and Teleported just outside the Spring boss¡¯s lair.


    The boss for the zone was an Arborite, which was basically a mobile tree that grew by absorbing the blood and decomposing parts of dead creatures. It wasn¡¯t quite like an Ent from Earth fantasy, but it also wasn¡¯t dissimilar, either.


    We¡¯d fought and defeated the Spring zone¡¯s boss several times since the materials we could collect from it were so useful. Not only was the wood from the Arborite¡¯s body very easy to work with, but there were other Nature-attuned materials within the body of the tree-creature as well.


    Further, the Spring boss was the only one out of the four zone bosses that occasionally manifested weak Tier Seven minions. Unfortunately, it was alone this time.


    Though it would have been highly effective, we never used attacks involving Fire against the creature. Neither of us wanted to damage potential resources. Instead, Zavira motioned for me to take care of the creature with Space magic ¨C a task I was happy to perform.


    I couldn¡¯t directly remove the creature¡¯s core since the inherent protections for the creature wouldn¡¯t allow it. The same applied to other creatures as well. It was why I usually targeted the brain, heart, or other critical internal structures.


    Since the Arborite had none of those, I simply created a thin vertical line of Space mana within the boss¡¯s body and rapidly expanded it horizontally. The effect was similar to driving a wedge into a log, and the Arborite fell to the ground in two pieces, each leaking a viscous green sap.


    With plenty of space in my newly expanded [Stasis Storage] ring, I collected both pieces and headed toward the newly manifested chest.


    ¡°Do you want to check it?¡± I asked.


    If I was being honest with myself, the presence of the chests was more of a motivation for challenging the zone bosses than getting new Tier Seven materials at this point. There was something about collecting loot beyond mere materials that was deeply satisfying.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Zavira said. ¡°You did all the work.¡±


    I flipped the lid on the temporary construct and looked inside.


    ¡°Oh, this is nice,¡± I said as I held up a Nature green tunic enchanted with [Mana Regeneration]. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to sell this on the next floor.¡±


    ¡°Easily,¡± Zavira agreed. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡±


    I glanced at my companion before looking toward the swirling portal that would take us to the next floor. We only had one more floor to go before we could leave the dungeon for a ten-year break.


    Well, I¡¯d get a break. Zavira would just be done. I doubted she¡¯d come back for a very long time ¨C if ever.


    ¡°Absolutely. Let¡¯s see what makes so many dungeoneers stop here,¡± I said before stepping forward.

 Book 3 - Chapter 49 - Sect Rivals

    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="623">


    Welcome to the 7<sup>th</sup> Floor of the Realm Dungeon!


    There are changes to the rules on this floor:


    There is no longer a dungeon-supported central village. However, the restriction on violence still applies to the portal platform and within any dungeon structure under the control of a dungeon golem.


    Do not restrict another challenger¡¯s access to the kiosk.


    The zones on this floor are individual challenges. Parties entering a zone will be separated into unique instances.


    Safe zones without dungeon spawns are located between zone stages. As a reminder, safe zones are communal areas that do not restrict challenger violence.


    You may leave the dungeon at any time via the central portal.


    Upon reaching Tier Eight, you have 100 hours to exit the floor. Failure to comply will result in ejection from the dungeon without the benefits associated with reaching the Eighth Floor.


    Reminder: the Accords still apply.


    Ascend swiftly, Challenger!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The bold text kept me from dismissing the notification outright, but I still only skimmed the notification. With my processing speed and dual thought capabilities, that was more than enough to understand the changes.


    ¡°If the zones are instanced, you won¡¯t be able to join me,¡± Zavira pointed out as we stepped forward and got out of the way of any potential new arrivals.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I said disappointedly.


    I had hoped that Zavira and I could continue fighting together, but it seemed the dungeon was going to force us to work separately. At least we¡¯d be able to meet up in the city and in safe zones ¨C when we eventually reached them.


    Based on the feedback I was getting from Spatial Sense, my ability to teleport was going to be greatly hampered on this floor, which meant a lot of my advantages might be neutralized. From what I could sense, my ability to instantaneously move from one location to another was limited to the safe zone we were currently in.


    While I could perceive the spatial distortions that likely led to the other areas, I couldn¡¯t directly access them.


    At least, not yet.


    Maybe by the time we left the floor that would be different. It would certainly be an interesting challenge for my Space magic.


    Thinking about the limitations a bit more, I said, ¡°It also means my E3 talismans won¡¯t work properly. I¡¯ll have to figure out some kind of workaround, especially for the ¡®escape¡¯ portion.¡±


    Zavira¡¯s expression darkened slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out. In the meantime, the added risk will be good for both of our development,¡± she said before glancing around. ¡°Oh, some of the buildings are missing.¡±


    I¡¯d noticed the discrepancy when I evaluated our surroundings a few moments earlier, but I hadn¡¯t really given it much thought. Now that Zavira pointed it out, I looked around and consciously noted the changes.


    Of the four village buildings we¡¯d become accustomed to seeing, only the Challenger Apartments were present in a familiar form. The Crafting Hall and Tavern were completely missing, and the Trading Post had turned into something more like a covered market with no walls.


    The Trader dungeon golem was still present in one of the stalls, which was comforting. That meant that the small market should be one of the protected areas in the dungeon where challengers couldn¡¯t attack each other.


    There were a few people of varying species engaging in trades with each other or the golem, and nobody even bothered to glance in our direction as we stood on the platform.


    Even more strange than the missing buildings, I noted there was a second portal right next to the one we¡¯d arrived through.


    ¡°Is that the floor Trial?¡± Zavira asked with a raised brow when her eyes followed mine. ¡°Nobody mentioned it being beside the arrival portal, and I made sure to ask specifically about the Trial.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it relocated while they were gone?¡± I theorized with a shrug.


    Zavira frowned. ¡°Perhaps,¡± she said before stepping closer to the mass of swirling purple mana. She reached out to touch the portal and, after a moment, sighed heavily. ¡°It has a level requirement, just like the last one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different from what we were told,¡± I commented, though I couldn¡¯t say I was upset about the new restriction.


    Gaining access to the Trial would be a good source of motivation. And once it was complete, we would be close to reaching our target floor.


    My companion nodded. ¡°It seems like quite a bit of our information about the floor is outdated.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°That¡¯s to be expected. Let¡¯s look around and talk to some people,¡± I said before glancing at the Challenger Apartments behind us. ¡°We should probably get rooms first, just to get it out of the way.¡±


    Zavira didn¡¯t disagree, so we stepped off the platform and headed toward the moderately-sized apartment building.


    ¡°Nobody mentioned how small the city was,¡± Zavira commented during the short walk as her eyes took in our surroundings. ¡°I don¡¯t see any tall buildings at all.¡±


    ¡°It does look more like a town instead of a city,¡± I agreed. ¡°I expected it to be larger since there are no other cities on the floor. But I guess being able to leave the dungeon would offset some of the population buildup. I wonder why more of the locals don¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°They probably can¡¯t,¡± Zavira said as she stepped through the automatic door leading into the familiar building. ¡°Being born in a Tier Seven zone isn¡¯t the same as actually reaching Tier Seven as far as mana resistance goes. Anyone born on this floor would probably still die on Sira, and it would be really painful.¡±


    I hummed in thought for a moment and allowed one of my thought streams to focus on the possibility of creating [Mana Barriers] that would work for such people. With the right materials, I should be able to block enough ambient mana to allow anyone born on the floor to survive the Tier Ten environment outside of the dungeon.


    While those thoughts percolated, I dealt with the fairly easy chore of obtaining housing for the foreseeable future. The golem was familiar with us, so it took little to register for our new rooms.


    Thankfully, we¡¯d collected enough funds while on the last floor to cover the first year or so of rent. The cost was lower ¨C relatively ¨C than it had been on the previous floor, but that was not really a surprise, given the rampant inflation on the sixth floor.


    After reserving our rooms, Zavira and I headed to the market to see what we could learn about our new home.


    We talked to several people as we meandered from one side of the small market to the other. I quickly realized that our arrival hadn¡¯t gone as unnoticed as I thought, and several people were eager to talk to the ¡®new blood¡¯ on the floor.


    It didn¡¯t take long to discover that more than sixty percent of the people on the floor were active challengers. The other forty percent was comprised of children and the low-tier descendants of challengers who had no desire to become challengers themselves.


    Most of the non-challengers lived on the outskirts of town, and, from what I inferred, they primarily dealt with farming or working basic service jobs to support the challengers on the floor.


    Some were involved in crafting as well, but all of them tended to stick to themselves. In many ways, the sub-Tier Seven population was like a little community unto itself.


    I was honestly a little shocked at the demographics on the floor, especially after seeing how many regular civilian dungeoneers lived on the mid-tier floors. Aside from the lack of leveling opportunities, I didn¡¯t notice anything to really justify the floor having so few non-challenger residents.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe the only forms of entertainment the town has are a couple of bars and a brothel,¡± Zavira grumbled as we headed back toward the apartments. ¡°And there are only five restaurants to pick from! Five!¡± she emphasized. ¡°Thank the Ascenders that we have MealMakers! Being forced to eat the same things all the time would be torture.¡±


    I chuckled at Zavira¡¯s melodramatic outburst. ¡°You do realize we¡¯re in a dungeon, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course! But all the other floors have had better amenities,¡± she replied. ¡°Where are all of the crafters and other non-combat professionals seeking to ascend? Why aren¡¯t there more of them? I kind of understand with fighters who don¡¯t want to fight alone, but non-combatants should be flocking to the floor with how safe it is.¡±


    ¡°How would they get their alternate experience?¡± I asked as we veered around the open market.


    ¡°What does that matter?¡± Zavira replied as she shook her head. ¡°Either they stall at Tier Six and remain trapped in the dungeon, or they advance as far as they can in almost complete safety and then they can leave the dungeon and get help with their alternate level.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason,¡± I said before my attention was drawn by a shout coming from behind us.


    ¡°Disciple Epikairos! I challenge you to a duel!¡±


    I turned to see a robed elven disciple running in my direction with a look of accomplishment. He was being followed by two non-sect-affiliated elves wearing more common attire.


    I¡¯d never seen the individual before, but I was familiar with the colors and emblem he wore.


    ¡°On what grounds?¡± I asked the arrogant disciple.


    I¡¯d been given several lessons on sect etiquette, so I knew that, by tradition, the elf couldn¡¯t demand a duel for no reason. Since I¡¯d only just arrived on the floor, it was unlikely the disciple would have any real justification for his demand.


    The only grounds he might have required calling upon the long-standing enmity between our sects. I was curious if he would use such a justification since losing would be detrimental to his sect¡¯s image.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need grounds to deal with trash like you,¡± the elf sneered.


    ¡°You challenged me to a duel,¡± I reminded him. ¡°That requires justification. Surely, you haven¡¯t been stalled in the dungeon for so long that you¡¯ve forgotten?¡± I added sweetly.


    The elf reddened slightly, but he didn¡¯t attack. Attacking after challenging someone to a duel without following the proper protocol would be immensely embarrassing to his sect.


    Had we not been in a dungeon being observed by an unknown number of people, the elf may have discarded propriety and attacked anyway. But with outside observers, he wouldn¡¯t be able to risk the dishonor such an act would bring.


    ¡°Fine,¡± the elven disciple nearly spat. ¡°I challenge you on the grounds that your sect violates the most basic tenets of my sect, and that your very existence is an affront to every long-lived species in the universe.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± I breathed out in surprise. ¡°You guys really hate Time Mages that much, huh? I can¡¯t believe you all get so offended because a few non-elves might live for as long as you do,¡± I said.


    Not every elf felt that way, but members of the Sovereignty Sect were notorious Elf Supremacists who believed that their naturally long lifespans made them inherently superior to every other race.


    Only dragons naturally lived longer, but they were considered to be in their own category, and these guys reportedly hated them, too.


    ¡°I care not for your words,¡± the elf said haughtily. ¡°Accept my challenge and die with honor or decline like a coward and I¡¯ll kill you anyway. Either way, the universe will heal a little more today.¡±


    I didn¡¯t resist rolling my eyes at the arrogant elf. I¡¯d been warned about people like him. I wasn¡¯t sure how he found out about my arrival so quickly, but that didn¡¯t matter much at the moment.


    ¡°Shall we exit the town to prevent unnecessary damage?¡± I asked primly, carefully not accepting the challenge just yet since it would justify an immediate attack.


    I noticed that Zavira had discreetly stepped aside when the initial challenge was made. I wasn¡¯t upset by her action. It was the right move to make, given the circumstances.


    Interfering with a genuine challenge for a duel would have been grossly inappropriate, and I knew she¡¯d been taught better.


    Disciple Sovereignty¡¯s yelling had drawn enough attention that we had a small crowd follow us as we exited the small village and headed toward the zone barrier.


    I wasn¡¯t sure which zone was in the direction we were heading, but it didn¡¯t matter very much since I had no intention of going that far.


    As we walked, I equipped several items and infused mana into my robes to reinforce the enchantments. My robes had already made the shift to Tier Seven, which didn¡¯t surprise me. The robes were some of the most quickly growing items I owned, indicating they were likely originally crafted at a higher tier.


    ¡°This is far enough,¡± the disciple said, clearly becoming impatient now that his enemy seemed within his grasp.


    I¡¯d never understood that kind of zealous hatred. Maybe it wasn¡¯t hatred, so much as fanaticism.


    I stopped and turned around. I was as ready as I could be.

 Book 3 - Chapter 50 - The Duel

    Though I felt certain that I knew what the elf¡¯s answer would be, I still asked, ¡°What restrictions and win conditions do you propose? No kill shots? First blood?¡±


    The elf¡¯s disdain for me ¨C for Time Mages, really ¨C was so apparent that it was almost tangible. His hostility and contempt radiated in a way that I¡¯d never quite encountered before.


    I¡¯d interacted with people who disliked me for personal reasons or because I was Earthborn; I¡¯d even interacted with a few people who seemed to hold a grudge against Time Mages. But none gave me the same feeling that the Sovereignty Sect disciple did.


    It wasn¡¯t quite malice, but it was close.


    His navy sect robes fluttered lightly around him as he made a dismissive motion with his hand. The white embroidery contrasted sharply with the dark robes, and I couldn¡¯t help but think that the outfit would have suited Niall quite well.


    ¡°There are no restrictions. I¡¯m not afraid of your magic,¡± the elf sneered. ¡°I have defeated threats far greater than a mere human could pose. You will die today, Time Mage. No other outcome is acceptable.¡±


    I sighed at his words.


    I really didn¡¯t like killing other sapients.


    However, considering the warnings I¡¯d received from Master Kairos about sects such as Sovereignty, I would not go easy on the Young Master. Even without such warnings, I was experienced enough not to show mercy to someone who would happily kill me if given the opportunity.


    This would not be a fight to improve my capabilities. I was not training or testing myself.


    This was about survival, and I was not going to hold back.


    However, I didn¡¯t want anyone to claim that I acted out of turn, so I eyed the arrogant disciple warily and said, ¡°You can call the start.¡±


    Most would have probably considered my small concession foolish. But I¡¯d had a couple of years to train with Time Magic Mastery, and I felt like it would be safe enough to allow my opponent such a slight advantage, especially if it would prevent potential problems in the future.


    One of the biggest changes that I experienced as a result of gaining the Time Magic Mastery skill was in how I thought about and used Haste.


    Before obtaining the mastery skill, I¡¯d used the spell to occasionally move faster, but that was about it. To be fair, Haste was often limited by affinity and mana ¨C moreso than regular Time spells tended to be.


    Part of that was because the effect ¨C and the person it applied to ¨C was constantly being bombarded by the outside influences of Time. Oddly, the more one moved with Haste in effect, the more pronounced the resistance became, and the more mana it took to fuel the effect.


    Further, the cost of moving with the spell active increased almost exponentially based on how strong the effect was. If I were to remain still while using Haste, the mana expenditure would be negligible by comparison.


    The interaction basically turned what should have been a huge advantage into a minor one that could only be used occasionally. My previous limit was only equivalent to about two-times Time dilation, and the mana drain meant it couldn¡¯t be used consistently in combat.


    But gaining Time Magic Mastery had completely changed all of that. It was a fact that Master Kairos had been quick to point that out once I obtained the skill.


    Quite frankly, Time Magic Mastery was a cheat, just like Space Magic Mastery was for Space magic.


    Regardless, after two years of practicing and testing my limits, I felt very confident in my ability to fight with the spell in effect. Moreso, the internal effect wouldn¡¯t be impacted by any Null Fields or other Void effects the Sovereignty Sect disciple might attempt to use.


    The color of his robes had made his affinity obvious, even without using Assess. Even so, I¡¯d inspected the bloodthirsty disciple as soon as the challenge had been made.


    [Javan¡¯deSovereignty ¨C level 67 ¨C Scholar/Enchanter/Pathfinder ¨C Void]


    It really was a shame to be forced into a death match with a fellow Enchanter. I¡¯d much rather discuss theories associated with our shared profession, though I doubted he felt the same way.


    As my opponent called for the start of the duel, a Null Field manifested, and a trickle of Time mana began flowing from one of the rings the Void Mage was wearing.


    It seemed a bit hypocritical for him to use Time magic while simultaneously claiming all Time Mages should die. He probably thought it would give him an advantage, especially since it should have allowed him to roughly match any buff I was able to give myself with Time magic.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Unfortunately for him, I was not a normal Time Mage, and many of his assumptions didn¡¯t apply.


    The world slowed dramatically, evidenced by the Void Mage¡¯s sudden deceleration.


    Disciple Sovereignty had been rushing in my direction a moment earlier, confident that his superior melee skills could overpower whatever limited defenses I might have.


    I truly doubt he expected to encounter a Time Mage with an Exceptional affinity and Time Magic Mastery.


    I stepped forward almost casually as my opponent continued his attack in slow-motion. His expression showed no signs that he¡¯d registered my action.


    When I¡¯d tested the ability with Zavira, she¡¯d described my movement as being little more than a blur. With enough training, she was able to develop methods to somewhat counter the approach ¨C if I gave her enough time to respond and didn¡¯t immediately go on the offensive.


    I didn¡¯t plan on granting the Sovereignty disciple the same opportunity.


    Since the Null Field would still limit my attacks and I was almost sure the man would have some sort of barrier in effect, I removed one of the weapons I¡¯d crafted while challenging the Void path of the sixth floor¡¯s Trial.


    It was a Void blade I¡¯d imbued with enough Space mana to allow the two types of mana to be combined within. I¡¯d then created a mana-enchantment (without reagents) that combined both mana types and allowed the weapon to be used in areas limited by Null Fields.


    The temporary enchantment might have already given out if the weapon had been stored outside of [Stasis Storage], but since it had been perfectly preserved since I last used it, there was no degradation of the enchantment.


    Injecting mana into the weapon, I struck the disciple.


    My initial attack was rebuffed by the other challenger¡¯s defenses, but he¡¯d hardly registered the attack before I struck again.


    This time, I pushed more mana into the blade and it shattered the barrier protecting the Void Mage. He was just starting to react when my third strike cut through his neck cleanly.


    Since his head was still sitting atop his neck, I snatched the loose orb and quickly Crushed the gray matter inside, counting on the residual mana aura to counter the lingering Null Field.


    I wanted to ensure there was no chance the enemy sect elite could recover from the attack. To that end, I added the Haste effect to the object in my hand to synchronize it to my subjective speed. After a few seconds, I was easily able to place the severed head into my storage.


    I had no plans to keep it there, but I wanted to ensure no life-saving artifact was able to miraculously resurrect the guy.


    I canceled the spell before my former opponent¡¯s body hit the ground.


    The two elven sycophants that had followed the sect elite started to rush forward but hesitated when they saw my expression.


    ¡°The spoils are Disciple Ep¨ªkairos¡¯s by tradition and rights of victory,¡± Zavira commented as she stepped forward.


    A second later, a huge pile of goods was ejected from a small tear in Space attached to the fallen elite.


    There was a lot, though it was nothing compared to the volume my inventory could hold.


    While the onlookers watched with eyes full of wariness and greed, I swiftly collected everything into my ring. Since I¡¯d sold a ton of items before leaving the sixth floor, there was plenty of room for my new acquisitions.


    The two elves looked conflicted as they watched the items disappear, but they eventually nodded and backed away.


    The crowd broke into hushed whispers, and I noticed several sets of eyes regarding me with hostility.


    It was easy to tell that many of them coveted the riches they¡¯d seen. It was obvious that many of the items ejected from the elite¡¯s inventory had originated outside the dungeon. It certainly begged the question of how they¡¯d gotten inside.


    Perhaps they were like my robes or Zavira¡¯s mobile smithy, and they¡¯d been enchanted at a much higher tier before being forcibly tiered-down to facilitate their use within the dungeon?


    I was sure I¡¯d learn more once I examined everything.


    I shook my head and stored the elite¡¯s body, carefully Teleporting the [Storage] ring and [Storage] bag I¡¯d sensed into a pocket inside my robes to prevent any potential mishaps. I didn¡¯t feel like looting the body with a crowd of onlookers, but I also wasn¡¯t going to forgo any of my fairly-won rewards.


    Once I stripped it of everything of value, I would dump the body in the labyrinth for the dungeon to dispose of. Nobody buried the dead in the dungeon since they would just be absorbed by the dungeon, and I didn¡¯t respect the disciple enough to bother with burning it.


    Besides, such efforts seemed wasted when the energy and materials could be put to better use by the dungeon.


    [Zavira: Haste?]


    I nodded at my approaching friend after reading the message. She stopped next to me and looked at the small pool of blood thoughtfully.


    [Zavira: You seemed faster this time.]


    [Me: We haven¡¯t tested it since we reached Tier Seven.]


    Zavira blinked a few times and tilted her head.


    ¡°Good point,¡± she said quietly before looking at me with anticipation. ¡°Do you want to get settled in? I don¡¯t mind helping you sort through everything before we challenge the labyrinth.¡±


    Like me, Zavira loved going through loot. She was worse than some of the people I¡¯d played Atlas Online with.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said casually before heading back toward the town.


    Some of the onlookers had already started going in that direction, but a few lingered nearby, watching us closely.


    Watching me closely, I corrected myself.


    I observed them through Spatial Sense as we made our way back to the Challenger Apartments. Nobody approached during our trip, and we made it into my apartment without issue.


    When the door closed behind us, Zavira¡¯s expression shifted into a huge smile.


    ¡°That was amazing. I was worried for a minute about you fighting a Void Mage, especially with how proficient they tend to be in melee. But you¡¯re so much better with Haste than any other Time Mage I¡¯ve seen use it. There¡¯s no way he expected that.¡±


    I shook my head ruefully. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said with a tired smile. ¡°Are you ready to look through all of this?¡± I asked before removing the loot from my storage.


    Most of the living room floor was suddenly covered in a plethora of items ranging from materials to finished products. Everything was mixed haphazardly, and it looked like the small mountain might topple at any moment.


    I made a separate pile on the nearby table out of the items the elite had on his body. I removed the ring and bag from my pocket and placed them next to the much smaller pile.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of stuff.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°And there¡¯s more in the ring and bag, too,¡± I said, motioning toward the items. ¡°He was an Enchanter, so he was probably capable of making spatial items himself.¡±


    After probing both storage items a little more carefully, I let out a whistle of appreciation and added, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s going to take a while to go through all of this.¡±

 Book 3 - Chapter 51 - Not Exactly a Hoarder

    Zavira and I spent the next several hours inventorying and categorizing the loot collected from my fallen opponent.


    As I suspected, the elf had been wearing a variety of high-quality items, including talismans made with runes I¡¯d never encountered before.


    Remarkably, the enchantments were not obscured, which I interpreted as meaning they were the Sovereignty Sect¡¯s disciple¡¯s creations and meant for his own personal use.


    I knew enough about the glyphs and sigils that comprised runes to have a basic understanding of their general purpose without needing to activate anything, and I decided to store the items in a separate section of my ring for later study.


    There were several similarly crafted items in the storage ring that I¡¯d retrieved from my fallen opponent¡¯s finger, and I removed them along with the rest of the non-perishable finished items before handing the storage device to Zavira.


    I shifted most of it into my ring since there wasn¡¯t enough room in my apartment for everything. The elf wasn¡¯t quite a hoarder, but he¡¯d collected a ton of items.


    Or maybe he brought a lot of it?


    There was furniture, jewelry, books, bedding, paintings, manatech items¡­ It was a lot. There might have been enough to furnish and decorate a few apartments.


    ¡°Did this guy ever sell his loot?¡± Zavira asked when she peeked at the raw materials left inside.


    Like most high-end storage rings, the item was enchanted with [Stasis], allowing goods and materials to remain in the exact condition they were in when they entered. The elf must have leaned heavily on this feature, given the sheer volume of Tier Seven materials stored within.


    There was even material harvested from two types of Tier Eight creatures inside, which indicated the former elite had already started fighting zone bosses before our encounter.


    I found it interesting that the elf¡¯s Tier Seven storage ring¡¯s capacity was only slightly smaller than my expanded Tier Six ring. Considering how much effort I¡¯d put into increasing the storage capacity of my ring, I expected the difference to be greater ¨C in my favor ¨C even with the tier advantage.


    However, I was certain that once I enchanted a new Tier Seven ring, I¡¯d likely more than double my current capacity. Space Magic Mastery, coupled with a strong affinity, would provide a significant boost over what other Enchanters might be able to create, including those with a standard Space affinity.


    My internal inventory had already doubled in size with my increase in tier, so I had no reason to believe the same wouldn¡¯t happen for any external storage item I created and put effort into expanding.


    ¡°Do you want any of the materials to work with?¡± I asked. ¡°We were planning to take a short break to craft now that we¡¯re in a Tier Seven environment anyway, and I could use a few new items to enchant.¡±


    I knew that if I offered her the materials outright, she¡¯d refuse since she hadn¡¯t been involved in their acquisition. But if I offered her materials in exchange for crafting, Zavira would be much more likely to accept.


    ¡°I can do that,¡± my companion stated. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on accepting any commissions right away since we have enough to pay for lodging already.¡± Zavira glanced in my direction. ¡°What do you want me to make? More jewelry? A few replacement blades? Or, would you rather I start on your family¡¯s weapons?¡±


    ¡°Take whatever you think you can use and make whatever you want. I wouldn¡¯t mind a few new blades for my personal weapons before we head into the labyrinth,¡± I said before pausing. ¡°The weapons and items for my family can wait.¡± I glanced at the pile of weapons nearby and added, ¡°I might not need any for this tier, actually.¡±


    I¡¯d had Zavira craft items at each tier for my closest friends and family, and while I usually paid for everything outright, Zavira often accepted raw materials or enchanted items in trade.


    Aside from the items I was stockpiling for others, most of what we exchanged was done to support our two-person party. I had no issues crafting talismans or enchanting weapons for Zavira since doing so ultimately allowed us to progress faster and safely than we would have otherwise. As far as I knew, she felt the same way.


    Zavira glanced at the mixed pile of weapons and armor before shrugging. ¡°Just let me know.¡±


    I was about to go back to examining the items when I realized a potential issue we might have on the floor.


    ¡°Do you want me to make you a pod? I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be able to return to our apartments every night like usual.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, either,¡± Zavira said with a sigh. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll have to pick up another set of furniture, but that¡¯s a small cost in comparison.¡±


    I chuckled lightly. ¡°The elf had a ton of furniture in the ring. You can pick what you want from it later. I have no use for that much stuff.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Zavira asked with a raised brow. ¡°You know I didn¡¯t contribute to the fight at all.¡±


    ¡°Fighting is overrated,¡± I said jokingly. ¡°You¡¯re my friend and partner. We¡¯ve been sharing loot for years already. I don¡¯t see this as being all that different.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re sure. I don¡¯t want you to feel like you¡¯re being taken advantage of.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I replied.


    I was grateful for her concern, but Zavira had always been very fair when it came to loot. She was also very cognizant of unbalanced trades, likely due to her connection to such a famous Smithing sect.


    I turned my attention to the small pile of growth items.


    While having a few small apartments-worth of furniture and accessories was odd, it did not immediately scream, ¡®This guy has been killing and looting people!¡¯


    However, the former elite couldn''t have obtained that many growth items within the dungeon.


    Even if he was exceptionally well-supplied before entering the dungeon, that didn¡¯t explain why he had a pile of growth items stuck at lower tiers.


    More likely, he¡¯d been involved in killing and looting several people during his time as a challenger, and the growth items were part of the spoils of his efforts.


    Even taking part in a war hadn¡¯t garnered me a fraction of the number of growth items the elven disciple had stored in his inventory. Part of that was probably because the Trials on the fourth and fifth floors were elusive and difficult to find. Because of that, hardly any of the Springhearts or their allies had growth items.


    Then again, maybe they all chose special skills like Space Magic Mastery instead of physical items?


    Regardless, the growth items were of limited use right now, though Zavira claimed they could potentially be reset by draining the mana to their starting point. It wasn¡¯t anything I¡¯d ever encountered before, but I was sure Master Kairos would know what to do.


    I did plan to study each item to see if I could uncover any secrets involved in their creation. If I eventually managed to make my own growth items, I was almost guaranteed to reach the Expert stage of Enchanting.


    Even without the value I¡¯d get from personally studying the items, holding on to them for the sect to examine seemed like a smart thing to do. Surely, someone within the Ep¨ªkairos Sect would have the ability to peer through the obscuring effects.


    Now that I thought about it, maybe the now-deceased elven disciple had considered the same thing. It would certainly explain why he¡¯d collected so many growth items since entering the dungeon.


    Shaking my head, I stored the entire pile and moved on to the pile of mixed-tier weapons and armor that I¡¯d glanced at before. Everything looked well-made ¨C especially the Tier Four items.


    Most of the pile was lower tier, with only a few items reaching Tier Seven. I found the disparity particularly odd, given the circumstances.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why the sect elite would bother collecting such items unless they were trophies of some sort. Considering the elf¡¯s backing, I couldn¡¯t imagine he had any direct use for lower-tier weapons or armor.


    Then again, maybe I was reading too much into things. Maybe the disciple was originally from a lower-tier world and wanted to provide for the family he left behind?


    ¡°Do you want any of this?¡± I asked Zavira when she finished looking through the ring. ¡°Even if I save most of it for people back home, I can¡¯t see keeping everything.¡±


    After looking over the pile with a critical eye, Zavira said, ¡°I¡¯m sure I can make use of whatever you don¡¯t want.¡±


    I shifted my attention to the next pile, which included a lot of random, miscellaneous items.


    Within the pile was a decorative crate holding a dozen navy-colored sect robes embroidered with the Sovereignty Sect¡¯s emblem in white silk, along with the accompanying under-armor. There were a few more robes scattered haphazardly through the rest of the pile, and I suspected they had been damaged or soiled at some point.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I could do with such items aside from studying the enchantments contained within them. For now, I stored the robes and under-armor with the rest of the items I planned to hand over to Master Kairos.


    ¡°Oh, it looks like he had a growth chariot!¡± I said excitedly as the small card-shaped item was revealed from where it had been hidden beneath the crate of robes.


    I¡¯d learned a lot by studying Ros¡¯s modifiable conveyance in the other timeline ¨C it was the inspiration behind my pods, after all. I hadn¡¯t been able to learn much about the runes or enchantments themselves since most were obscured, but what I had ascertained had been instrumental in allowing me to create similar devices.


    Hopefully, my higher tier would allow me to uncover even more secrets hidden within the intricate piece of manatech.


    And it was a growth item to boot!


    I barely stopped myself from rubbing my hands together greedily before I picked up the thin piece of crystal.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zavira said from a few steps away. ¡°Now I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    I laughed gleefully as I hugged the item to my chest.


    ¡°Yep. This is mine. You can¡¯t have it,¡± I said with a wide grin. ¡°I¡¯m still going to make pods for both of us since I don¡¯t want to rely on something unknown. Who knows what kind of security features this thing has?¡±


    The look of jealousy lessened as Zavira considered my words. ¡°That¡¯s a good point. Maybe you¡¯ll be able to recreate it after you study it for a decade or two. If you do manage such a feat, I would be happy to buy one from you.¡±


    I nodded unconsciously. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a skill or spell that will allow someone to see through obscuring effects,¡± I mused.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain there are,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°Have you tried Find Hidden? It¡¯s a pretty common spell for finding traps and hidden rooms. Maybe that would work?¡±


    I remembered seeing the spell before, but I couldn¡¯t remember ever buying or learning it. I¡¯d considered the spell to be a more limited version of Spatial Sense, so it hadn¡¯t seemed worthwhile before.


    ¡®Hey, Lisa? Do we have that spellform recorded?¡¯ I asked my Interface Assistant.


    ¡®We do. Would you like to activate spell assistance?¡¯


    I sent a pulse of acknowledgment after motioning for Zavira to give me a moment. The outline of a complex spellform manifested, and I carefully traced the lines with neutral mana while focusing a thought stream on my intent to gain the ability to see obscured runes.


    The spellform pulsed once and fizzled out, dissipating the mana I¡¯d infused into it into our surroundings.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t that work?¡± I asked Lisa aloud.


    ¡°You tried to learn it just now?¡± Zavira asked.


    I nodded.


    ¡°That looked like a Master-level spellform. It¡¯s going to take more than one attempt to learn it, even with your current stats and the assistance of your interface. Spells at that level of complexity are notoriously difficult to learn manually.¡±


    She was right, of course. But I still thought it should be possible.


    ¡°You can always buy the spell or see if something more tailored to your goal is available,¡± my companion added. With a considering look, Zavira said, ¡°If you really want to figure it out on your own, you should consider the methods used to obscure enchantments. Meditating on that topic might bring you closer to figuring out how to bypass such effects.¡±


    I took a few moments to think about what she said.


    I didn¡¯t think I was going to miraculously create my own method of seeing through obscuring effects, but I did think that casting Find Hidden and potentially modifying it to better suit my needs was possible.


    The second part would certainly be difficult, but we expected to be on the seventh floor for close to two decades, subjectively ¨C maybe more than that with the added [Time Dilation] I could manifest.


    I felt confident that I¡¯d eventually manage it.

 Book 3 - Interlude 4 - Life on Hadier

    Justin smiled softly as he watched his twin toddlers playing in the enchanted park near their home. Amie was due to pass by on her way home from school any minute, and he was keeping an eye out for her.


    She usually checked the park as she passed since he often brought the twins there after their afternoon nap. More often than not, Amie would show up accompanied by a few friends. None of their parents seemed to mind the small delay on their walk home.


    As he often did, Justin found himself contemplating how much his life had changed since his awakening. To be fair, he supposed it was like that for most people, regardless of where they grew up.


    Those from Earth were particularly impacted by the changes that came with gaining access to the system, especially since the vast majority were completely unprepared. However, he was sure that many youths who¡¯d grown up within the Alliance often felt like their life completely changed once they awakened, too.


    At least, the ones he¡¯d spoken to had.


    Justin still felt guilty sometimes for functionally abandoning his world during such a tumultuous time, but it only took one glance at his children to smother such feelings.


    His family meant everything to him. If leaving Earth was what it took to keep his children safe, he wouldn¡¯t allow himself to feel bad about it.


    His mind shifted to his sister.


    Imagining himself in Emie¡¯s place always brought a deep sense of gratitude to the forefront of his mind. Without her sacrifice, his children would have grown up without a father.


    She¡¯d given up all of her plans for him ¨C for them. Not only that, she basically supported them, even now.


    He really had no way to repay her.


    Justin was many things, but delusional was not one of them.


    He might not have been killed outright if he¡¯d been sent to the dungeon, but he certainly wouldn¡¯t have progressed as swiftly as Emie had. He was genuinely amazed by the fact that she had already reached Tier Seven, especially after talking to people and learning how long it usually took Alliance members to reach that level.


    At least, he was fairly certain Emie had reached Tier Seven by now. If not, she was probably only hours away if he read her last message correctly.


    While it had only been a little less than three and a half years on the outside since Emie entered the dungeon, the time dilation meant that close to seventeen years had passed for his younger sister.


    Or was she his older sister now?


    Time dilation was such a strange thing to consider.


    Regardless of how old she might subjectively be, Emie would always be his little sister in his eyes.


    ¡°Hi, Daddy!¡± his eight-year-old daughter said with a brilliant smile as she entered the grassy area accompanied by two friends who lived nearby.


    The three girls looked happy in their matching uniforms. Anyone who didn¡¯t know better would never guess Amie was from Earth, which was a good thing as far as he was concerned.


    Justin wasn¡¯t ashamed of his background by any means, but it was always easier to fit in when you weren¡¯t considered an outsider by default.


    ¡°Hey, sweetheart. How was school?¡±


    ¡°It was fine,¡± Amie answered distractedly before using the [Equip] function on her necklace to swap from her school uniform into something more appropriate for playing.


    Justin sighed at the sight. He didn¡¯t like that Amie made it so obvious that she possessed such an item, but at least she wasn¡¯t the only one with such an artifact.


    The other two little girls had done the same thing and were now dressed in casual clothing suited for outdoor play. With an excited wave goodbye, Amie ran toward the enchanted playground with her friends, heading straight toward one of the rising platforms several of the older kids had already started jumping from.


    Justin shook his head at the kids¡¯ antics.


    As he watched all of his children play, his mind returned to his sister. She had changed so much after she started playing Atlas Online. To think that she¡¯d been the first one on Earth to naturally awaken¡­


    He¡¯d promised not to talk about his suspicions with anyone, but he couldn¡¯t help but think about them.


    She¡¯d changed before she awakened. Justin remembered how Emie had acted with Melony when they visited that last time. It was completely different from how she¡¯d interacted with his now-ex before that.


    Emie had gone from looking up to the older woman to practically loathing her. It had been strange at the time, but in hindsight¡­ maybe she knew?


    Justin shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind.


    Then again, Emie had also started the online game guide by that point. That was also before she reportedly awakened, which was after she started working as a beta tester.


    When he¡¯d mentioned it, Emie had asked him not to dig, but told him to think about her affinities ¨C Time and Space.


    Could she really have traveled through time?


    Justin silently laughed at the absurdity of the question. Everything he¡¯d been able to find on the topic assured him that such things were impossible. At least, they were beyond a few hours.


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    Regardless of how or why, Justin felt grateful for the opportunity that Emie gave him by taking his place in the dungeon. Had she not made a deal with the old elf, Justin would have been in the dungeon right now instead of watching his children play.


    Hadier really was like pre-apocalypse Earth in many ways.


    There were schools, shops, factories, and almost anything else you would have expected to find in populated places on Earth before the reintegration. The basics of life were basically identical, with only a few details being different.


    Instead of technology that ran on electricity, the rest of the universe had technology that ran on mana. Magic was real, which was the biggest difference aside from the inherent sociological implications that came with levels and tiers being a thing.


    The obvious biases that higher-tier people held for lower-tier people kinda sucked, especially when he fell into the latter category.


    Bell had it a little better since she was an Academy student, but she still saw a fair bit of discrimination as well since she was still Tier Three and they lived on a low-Tier Six planet. Still, the way people regarded her was nothing like the way they¡¯d reacted to him for the first year as a twenty-something who¡¯d barely earned a profession.


    Thankfully, he¡¯d earned enough for the interface upgrade and reached Tier Two shortly after that. Emie¡¯s sect had helped him continue leveling every Fifthday when Bell was free to watch the kids, which had helped him steadily progress, even if it was slower than he would have liked.


    There were always low-level sect hopefuls who wanted to grow stronger and were in need of an additional damage dealer. Most of the individuals referred to him by the sect had Fate or Time affinities, which made them less offensively capable as a general rule ¨C especially at low tiers.


    Having played Atlas Online, Justin knew very well how effective both affinities could become, but it took time and training to get there.


    It made him worry about Emie, especially in the beginning.


    ¡°Daddy! Look at me!¡± Lucas, the slightly larger of the dark-haired twins, called out from the top of one of the playground towers.


    If they¡¯d been on Earth, he would have been terrified at the possibility the preschooler might fall and hurt himself.


    But here?


    ¡°You¡¯re so high!¡± Justin said with a grin as he rose to his feet to get a better look. ¡°Are you going to jump this time?¡±


    The last time his sons had climbed the short tower, they¡¯d both refused to jump from the top. Instead, they¡¯d jumped from the platform Daniel was standing on.


    ¡°Yep!¡± the little boy said as he puffed out his chest. ¡°I¡¯m going first!¡± he added before glancing at his fraternal twin on the lower platform.


    Daniel stuck out his lower lip in an adorable pout.


    Before the other twin could comment, Lucas leapt into the air and began freefalling much slower than gravity would have normally allowed. The entire playground was enchanted to make gravity much weaker, allowing the children to play almost as if they were in a swimming pool.


    It wasn¡¯t quite the same since they couldn¡¯t easily gain or maintain elevation, but it was pretty close.


    As Lucas passed the platform his brother was perched on, Daniel launched himself into the air and roughly collided with his sibling. With a shout, the twins careened toward the outer border of the playground and last contact with each other as they bounced off the visible [Barrier] around the perimeter.


    Both boys were crying from the force of the initial impact when they landed several feet apart. Justin shook his head ruefully as he moved towards the closest twin.


    ¡°He hit me!¡± Lucas wailed through thick tears when he saw his dad approach.


    ¡°Here, let me fix it with some of Mommy¡¯s magic,¡± Justin said softly as he picked up Lucas before heading to his weeping sibling. With both children latched to his torso, Justin left the [Barrier] and headed toward the nearby bench.


    While it would have probably been fine to use the healing talisman he carried within the [Barrier], Justin didn¡¯t want to risk any potential interference with the playground¡¯s enchantments.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Amie asked as she ran over after noticing the ruckus the boys were making.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little bump,¡± Justin assured her before activating the talisman for Lucas first. He¡¯d been the victim of his brother¡¯s antics, so it was only fair that he got healed first.


    With an exasperated sigh far more dramatic than the situation called for, Amie eyed her younger brothers.


    ¡°You have to be more careful. Mom will get mad if you make your healing charms go off,¡± she chided them.


    Hearing Amie call Bell ¡®Mom¡¯ still warmed his heart.


    He had no idea what happened to Melony, and quite frankly, he didn¡¯t really care. Aside from the one birthday present she¡¯d sent to Amie directly from Amazon after their divorce, his ex-wife hadn¡¯t made the slightest attempt to maintain a relationship with her daughter.


    Even after everything that had happened, Melony hadn¡¯t reached out to him or his family to check on Amie. For all he knew, she was dead.


    He wasn¡¯t sure Amie even remembered her, so it wasn¡¯t much of a loss.


    Not that he was still bitter or anything.


    The kids returned to playing after the initial shock of the injury wore off. As Justin watched them play, he let his thoughts shift in a new direction and focused on planning the next arc of his most popular series.


    Most of his writing had main characters from Earth who suddenly found themselves being exposed to magic during the reintegration. It was what would have qualified as fantasy fiction on Earth before, but now it was just considered regular fiction.


    Readers seemed to like the new perspective, especially with Earthborn being a relatively hot topic (for good and ill) now that enough of them had traveled beyond the planet.


    A mundane world with only humans was about as close to fantasy as many of the citizens of the Atlantis Alliance could imagine.


    He¡¯d even written one story about a young Alliance member who found themselves portaled to an alternate Earth that hadn¡¯t been reintegrated yet.


    It was his most popular story so far.


    Aside from writing, which earned him a moderate amount of experience through his profession as a Scribe, Justin filled the role of homemaker during the day while also delving weekly to continue his slow progression.


    Bell was attending the local secondary academy that focused on Light (among other affinities), since it was the stronger of her two affinities. She was also able to gain some general training pertaining to her Force affinity there, but they didn¡¯t have any professors who specialized in the affinity.


    Bell had initially planned to skip the secondary academy altogether and go straight to the Enchanters¡¯ Academy, but Rhona had convinced her not to go that route before they¡¯d left Earth.


    While it was possible to go directly to a specialized academy, according to Rhona, those who did often performed poorly. It wasn¡¯t clear whether that was due to missing some critical aspect of their education or a consequence of discrimination or some other social process.


    Since they had the funds to afford the additional schooling, it made sense for her to do it ¡®the right way.¡¯


    Justin would have attended an academy as well, but his single weak affinity was more limiting than he initially realized.


    Further, he had to wait until he reached Tier Two before he was even eligible to apply to most academies. By the time Justin achieved that milestone, he had settled into a routine with the kids and writing, and he was disinclined to disrupt things.


    He knew that the sect would have approved the expenditure if he had submitted a request for it, but he didn¡¯t like taking money from what was essentially Emie¡¯s savings account held in trust by the sect. Accepting enough funds to cover his family¡¯s basic living expenses and Bell¡¯s education already made him feel like a freeloader.


    Eventually, they¡¯d earn enough credits that they wouldn¡¯t have to rely on the generosity of his little sister. Hopefully, he and Bell would reach that point before Emie left the dungeon for her decade-long break.


    It was unlikely, though, considering Bell would probably still be in school.


    Then again, he¡¯d have a lot more time to delve once the twins started school. It would probably be another four or five years before Emie was even capable of leaving the dungeon. By that point, maybe he¡¯d be earning enough money to cover their expenses on his own.

 Book 3 - Chapter 52 - Stone Tunnels and Goblins

    It took a little while to get through all of the loot I¡¯d obtained from the duel.


    While Spatial Sense was significantly hampered by the dungeon within the residential building, I was still able to sense what was happening outside as long as I left a window open. Consequently, I realized that a few individuals were casually loitering nearby, though none of the individuals seemed interested in interacting with one another.


    Uncertain of what their intentions were, Zavira and I decided to see how they would react to us leaving the protected structure. After organizing everything and making a few trades between ourselves, we left the apartment building and headed to the nearby Trading Post.


    While we both would have preferred to go to a restaurant instead, it seemed prudent to reassess the residents of the floor and their intentions now that we¡¯d potentially placed targets on our backs.


    It was less of a concern for Zavira, of course, but it was still better safe than sorry.


    ¡°Hey!¡± a friendly voice called out as we stepped away from the entrance of the building. ¡°You¡¯re new to the floor, right?¡±


    Zavira and I slowed and looked at the approaching challenger.


    [Stefen ¨C level 64 ¨C Crafter/Trader/Cartographer ¨C Fire]


    The man ¨C because he was human ¨C wore simple black clothing adorned with a bright red sash representing his affinity. His brown hair showed hints of bronze, and his eyes were bright amber.


    If it was before the arrival of the system and magic, I would have placed the man¡¯s age somewhere around thirty. But now, his appearance meant little as far as age was concerned.


    ¡°We are,¡± Zavira replied with a friendly smile. It was much easier to let my companion handle the social interactions. ¡°Based on your level, you¡¯ve probably been here for a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only been on this floor for fourteen years,¡± Stefen said humbly, though his chest swelled slightly in pride. ¡°But I¡¯d be happy to answer any questions you might have. The floor takes a bit of getting used to.¡±


    Turning to me, the man said, ¡°I just wanted you to know that the sect elite you defeated was not well-liked by anyone but his fellow elves. Supremacists like that tend not to make a lot of friends among those they deem ¡®lesser.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I can understand that,¡± I said as I continued walking. I still wasn¡¯t sure what the man¡¯s purpose in approaching us was, but after glancing at his professions, I had a suspicion.


    Stefen followed along, and when our destination became clear, the man said, ¡°By the way, I¡¯m a Trader by profession. I¡¯d be happy to help you get rid of some of your unwanted loot. I can even get you better rates than you¡¯d get selling through the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zavira asked.


    The man nodded casually, as if it hadn¡¯t been his entire purpose in waiting for us. ¡°Absolutely. I am especially interested in growth items, even if they¡¯re under-tier. I know they aren¡¯t worth much to someone like the two of you,¡± he said almost apologetically, ¡°so I¡¯m really glad I managed to talk to you before you got rid of everything.¡±


    ¡°I can give you a better price than he can,¡± another man interjected from the side. ¡°I happened to notice a few growth weapons in that pile of loot, and I¡¯d be happy to offer you a fair price if you¡¯d be willing to part with them.¡±


    Stefen looked affronted by the newcomer¡¯s offer and opened his mouth to argue when I held up a hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in selling any of the growth items,¡± I said politely. ¡°I appreciate the offer, though. If I change my mind, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    Both men put up a token resistance to my dismissal, but neither pushed very hard. They likely expected such a reaction.


    I sensed that a few watchers drifted away after my proclamation, but there were still a few watching us from a distance. I kept half of my focus on monitoring the noisy individuals as Zavira and I made our way through the market.


    Since I¡¯d traded most of what I didn¡¯t want to Zavira before we left the apartment, I was mostly there to watch the crowd while she offloaded what she didn¡¯t want to keep.


    It was a little cheaty of us, but the system rewarded such actions¡­ to a point.


    We made it back to my apartment without being approached again, though I noticed at least three watchers observing us the whole time. After sharing my observations with Zavira, we decided to focus on crafting for the next month since we had a lot to make before we risked entering the labyrinths.


    I almost looked forward to entering the labyrinths when we completed our preparations. At least there, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about stalkers watching me anytime I left my apartment.


    <hr>


    I observed a small goblin village located at the intersection of three tunnels from within my hidden pod several weeks later. I¡¯d already defeated all of the creatures once, so I was mostly watching to see how long it took for the mobs to respawn.


    I also wanted to see if the same creatures spawned and, if so, whether they remembered my previous assault.


    It had taken me longer to make Tier Seven versions of my pod and the E3 talismans than anticipated, so it was nearly a month and a half before we finally left the safety of the apartments and headed into one of the low-tier labyrinths.


    I¡¯d hoped that having a growth chariot to study would make modifying my pod design easier, but the device was practically useless without the ability to get through the obscuring effects.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I managed to learn Find Hidden during our crafting break, but the basic version didn¡¯t do much aside from highlighting that the effect was present. I was certain with a bit of Spell Modification, I¡¯d eventually figure it out.


    Lucky for me, it seemed I was going to have plenty of time to work on such projects since my ability to Teleport ¡®home¡¯ every evening had been removed.


    It was probably better that way since our apartment building was still being watched by at least two groups.


    According to Master Kairos, one of the groups reported to the deceased Sovereignty Sect disciple¡¯s cronies, though none of them had confronted us yet.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if they were just biding their time or preparing something specifically to counter my abilities. A surprise attack honestly seemed more likely than attempting a direct confrontation, especially if they didn¡¯t know about the life-saving artifacts I wore.


    Zavira suspected something similar, which was why she¡¯d remained holed up in her apartment for most of the crafting break. Given how social my companion tended to be, I worried that the floor would be particularly rough for her, especially if she lost most of her ability to socialize during our ¡®off-time.¡¯


    It had taken a while to get used to the thought that Master Kairos was actively watching me instead of just getting reports on my progress, but I¡¯d mostly gotten used to it by now.


    It certainly made communicating with him a lot smoother.


    I wouldn¡¯t have minded jumping right to the mid-tier stage of one of the labyrinths, but the portals were very particular about where a challenger was allowed to go.


    Since portals only took people somewhere they¡¯d already been, we would have to reach one of the mid-tier labyrinths before we¡¯d be able to take a portal directly there.


    It was an unfortunate limitation, but there was little that we could do about it. After discussing our options, Zavira and I decided to start with the Stone zone and branch out once we reached the first safe zone.


    I¡¯d expected to reach the end of the first maze in a week, but after two had passed, I decided to take a short break and learn a little more about how the first section of the Stone labyrinth worked.


    Observing the village through Spatial Sense was easy enough that I was able to multitask and attempt to modify the spellform for Find Hidden at the same time. Unfortunately, even after three days of effort, my modifications were still incapable of allowing me to see the enchantments used on the dead elf¡¯s chariot.


    I was actually glad for the break from messing with the spellform when the first goblin appeared in the recently repaired village.


    Like a [Self-Repair] enchantment, the damage to the shanty huts had slowly disappeared over a couple of days. By the start of the third day, the village had regained its former appearance, and new ¡®belongings¡¯ had spawned inside the structures to replace what had been damaged during the last skirmish.


    Shortly after the first goblin appeared in the village, a group of four goblins carrying various weapons rushed into the village from one of the connecting tunnels. I couldn¡¯t be sure they were one of the patrols that I¡¯d defeated before, but based on their actions, it seemed likely.


    Within a couple of hours, the village was filled with dozens of agitated goblins in shades of brown and gray, along with several spiky dog-like creatures that the system identified as cyonites.


    The four-legged cyonites paced restlessly through the village as the goblins snapped at one another and occasionally broke into a brawl.


    Most of the goblins were dressed in rough leather armor and held the same weak-looking weapons as the ones I¡¯d defeated before, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean they were the same creatures.


    I eyed the weapons held in the hands of the different types of goblins. As crappy as their weapons appeared, I¡¯d learned the hard way that the weapons were nowhere near as weak and frail as they looked.


    I¡¯d let one graze me by accident during the last encounter, and it had shattered my forearm, even with my added durability.


    I was almost certain the damage had less to do with the crappy Tier Seven weapon and more to do with the goblins¡¯ enhancement magic, but since I couldn¡¯t see internal mana use, I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    Lucky for me, Time magic was great at mending such injuries.


    This time, instead of picking off small groups and whittling down the number of goblins, I decided to use several of my more powerful offensive talismans to take out the majority of the creatures while they were still clumped together.


    I didn¡¯t worry that the tunnel might collapse. Not only was I going to be far enough away not to get caught in the blast, but I doubted the dungeon would allow structural damage like that.


    If I was wrong, that would be fine, too. My [Barriers] would protect me from the worst of it, and I didn¡¯t plan on staying close after I attacked.


    After taking a deep breath, I triggered the makeshift launcher and shot several enchanted beads toward the stone village. Each of the consumable talismans had been overcharged with mana, making them particularly potent.


    As the first explosion detonated, I Teleported to the edge of my limited range and waited for the rumbling to stop.


    The restrictions placed on teleportation by the dungeon were annoying, but given all the extra rules on portals and zone travel, it made sense that the dungeon wouldn¡¯t want people to just skip entire portions of the floor.


    The whole dungeon was some sort of study, after all.


    I still wasn¡¯t sure what data the people monitoring the dungeon were after, but that was okay. I didn¡¯t really need to know.


    The coughing bark of cyonites warned me that I was not alone in the little corner of the maze I¡¯d traveled to moments before the creatures appeared via Spatial Sense. They must have smelled me when the air pressure shifted due to the explosions. Or maybe they had some other way of sensing my presence.


    I really couldn¡¯t be sure since I¡¯d never encountered the creatures before entering the floor.


    Since there wasn¡¯t a library to speak of on the floor and few of the challengers I¡¯d interacted with seemed into sharing information, it wasn¡¯t like I was going to be able to research them any time soon, either.


    Only two of the unintelligent creatures rushed through the twisting passageways in my direction, though I had little doubt more were close by. Away from the goblins, I¡¯d noticed cyonites tended to travel in packs of five or more, so I kept an eye on my surroundings for more as I cut down the blindly aggressive creatures.


    After storing the bodies of my defeated foes, I returned to the village to see how much damage I¡¯d caused.


    Movement in the rubble informed me that several goblins had survived the attack, and I carefully picked them off as they fumbled around the damaged structures.


    Another group of cyonites was drawn to the area ¨C likely due to the noise and the smell of blood ¨C and they were easily dispatched from my slightly elevated perch as well.


    When the last creature was defeated, I reentered the village and picked through what remained.


    The first time I¡¯d attacked the village, a chest had appeared in the largest hut. I assumed that it belonged to the Chief, but it could have just as easily been a communal building since there was nothing that indicated the structure was actually inhabited.


    Unlike the other structures, the larger one held no bedding or furs, nor did it have the trinkets and possessions that the goblins seemed to favor.


    Like last time, I left all of those things behind since none of it was of value to me. However, unlike the last time that I defeated all of the goblins, my search for an additional reward proved fruitless.


    I sighed disappointedly and shifted my attention to the crack I sensed on the ceiling of the quasi-cavern. After examining it more closely, I quickly realized that the crack provided just enough room for Spatial Sense to slip through, which allowed me to both sense the tunnel on the other side and Teleport to the new location.


    Since I could already see signs of the dungeon repairing itself, I wasted no time and quickly Teleported to the new tunnel.


    Hopefully, there would be something new to see.

 Book 3 - Chapter 53 - Staking Out the Safe Zone

    I struggled to imagine how difficult making it through one of the labyrinths might have been without an updated interface.


    It wasn¡¯t because the creatures were all that difficult to defeat ¨C aside from the added intelligence and the sudden addition of traps. Both of those made the labyrinth harder, but it didn¡¯t necessarily make it difficult.


    No. The real difficulty was due to the intricate, three-dimensional maze that weaved in mind-bogglingly complex paths. Without the added assistance from Lisa, I doubt I would have been able to find my way out of the low stage of the zone within a few months.


    Zavira was experiencing a similar difficulty. Hers was perhaps even more pronounced since she didn¡¯t have a Space affinity to rely on.


    Even with the obvious nerfs to my ability to perceive my surroundings, the affinity had a huge impact on my ability to find my way through the multi-level labyrinth. Consequently, it only took me seven weeks to reach the exit portal.


    Sharing the map of my path with Zavira would do her no good since the labyrinth was different for each challenger. From what we¡¯d learned, the maze even changed if someone left and reentered the same section, making it nearly impossible to gain any true advantage.


    I would have worried about my progress slowing too much if not for the added experience earned from defeating the humanoid creatures. As a general rule, I¡¯d found that defeating more intelligent opponents typically yielded higher amounts of experience than their less evolved brethren.


    Overall, I found myself disliking this floor of the dungeon more than any other thus far.


    The fact that the designer of the dungeon placed this floor at the point where active challengers could leave had to be intentional. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how many challengers had given up and left because of the never-ending mazes and lack of contact with others.


    The appeal of reaching the next floor and gaining the ability to return later probably meant little for those so disenchanted with the dungeon that they had no desire to ever come back.


    Truly, speed in progression was not everything.


    My conversations with Zavira made it clear that it might be weeks longer before she reached the end of the first section of the zone. Since I was already ahead of my projections for alternate experience, I decided to head into the next section, shifting to the Crystal zone instead.


    The Stone Labyrinth hadn¡¯t been too bad, all things considered. But I was tired of fighting cyonites and goblins. The occasional burrowing mole wasn¡¯t enough variation to break up the monotony, either.


    I reached out to the swirling portal that denoted the end of the stage.


    I¡¯d already defeated the hobgoblin mini-boss serving as the Chief of the dilapidated-looking goblin village and collected the meager loot from the chest. There wasn¡¯t anything left for me in the lower stage.


    [Choose Destination:


    Central Village (Ano)


    Safe Zone 1


    Mid-Tier (Stone)


    Mid-Tier (Crystal)


    Low-Tier (Stone)


    Low-Tier (Crystal)


    Low-Tier (Ice)


    Low-Tier (Metal)]


    The options made sense. I could go to any of the starting points, but only the next stages I¡¯d ¡®earned¡¯ were available. Crystal was an option because the safe zone for this portion of the floor connected the low-Tier portions of Stone and Crystal to the next stage for both.


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure how that manifested, though.


    Finding myself curious, I decided to make a quick stop at the first safe zone to see for myself.


    Before selecting my destination, I decided to take a moment to prepare in order to prevent any potential mishaps. Since I didn¡¯t plan on staying, there was no reason to announce my presence in the first place.


    Using the new Tier Seven [Stealth] talisman I¡¯d designed and tested before coming to the floor, I functionally disappeared from all but the most advanced sensory skills.


    Even those with skills like Spatial Sense would have difficulty noticing me if my experiments with Zavira were anything to go by. While some might have more advanced senses, I found it unlikely, given my affinity and Space Magic Mastery.


    Acceptably hidden, I selected my destination and stepped forward.


    <hr>


    The portal rippled slightly behind me as I exited, drawing the attention of two sentinels sitting nearby.


    ¡°What was that?¡± the female naga asked.


    I hadn¡¯t seen many of her kind before since they tended to prefer warm, wet environments on mid-tier or greater worlds. I¡¯d seen one or two at a distance during my time on Olym, but I¡¯d never interacted with them.


    From what I remembered, most nagas avoided other races, finding the scent of them to be unappealing.


    It made the naga¡¯s choice of companions a bit odd since the elf sitting next to her was clearly not a naga.


    The elf stood and took a few steps toward the portal. After a moment of consideration, he returned to his seat.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Someone probably selected the safe zone and then changed their mind.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it was our target?¡± the naga asked, piquing my interest.


    The elf scoffed lightly. ¡°I doubt it. Time magic isn¡¯t going to help the human navigate the labyrinth. It¡¯s probably a waste to wait here so early, but nobody is quite sure when the human and her companion entered the labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°So, it might have been her,¡± the naga goaded the elf. ¡°If you don¡¯t know how long she¡¯s been in the maze, how can you be so confident she hasn¡¯t had enough time to traverse it?¡±


    The elf huffed angrily. ¡°Because the half-breed¡ª¡± he spat in disgust ¡°¡ªwas seen less than two months ago. I doubt the human would leave her companion behind, even if they did sneak into the labyrinth like cowards.¡±


    I found the elf¡¯s words a bit unfair, especially since neither Zavira nor I were cowards. Sure, we¡¯d Teleported to avoid interacting with the floor residents, but between the fake flattery and people like these two, who could blame us?


    ¡°I heard a rumor the target has a dual affinity,¡± the naga said casually.


    ¡°What does that matter?¡± the elf scoffed. ¡°Such short-lived species accomplish little in the grand scheme of things. Their lives barely amount to an elf¡¯s adolescence. No amount of magic is going to bridge the gap that experience and centuries of training provide.¡±


    ¡°Yet she defeated one of your warrior mages trained specifically to counter her type,¡± the naga reminded him with a cruel grin.


    I didn¡¯t get the feeling these two cared much for each other, which made their apparent partnership all the stranger.


    Further, the fervor with which I was being targeted made little sense.


    I¡¯d exchanged a couple of messages with Master Kairos about the topic, but he seemed to think the enmity shown was normal enough.


    Having interacted with elves before, I knew it wasn¡¯t a racial thing. At least, that wasn¡¯t the whole of it. Every race was naturally going to believe theirs to be superior to the others, but it felt like there was more to the hate than just that.


    And since the elf in front of me did not wear robes denoting him as a member of the Sovereignty Sect, I doubted blind indoctrination was to blame.


    Unless he came from one of the territories that were homogenous.


    I didn¡¯t want to get too close, just in case one of them somehow sensed me, but I could see well enough to be sure no identifying emblems were displayed on his clothing.


    It was odd, but ultimately, the elf¡¯s motivation meant little. He and the naga were actively targeting me. The naga had used that term specifically.


    It certainly didn¡¯t imply anything positive.


    ¡°It is obvious that dirty human cheated in some way,¡± the elf growled. ¡°And you should mind your words, naga.¡±


    The naga smirked but remained silent as they watched the swirling portal. I imagined their task was particularly tedious, but I didn¡¯t feel sorry for either of them. It was hard to feel bad for those who wished for your death.


    To be fair, neither of the watchers had specifically mentioned killing me, but it didn¡¯t take much to connect the dots.


    I sent Zavira a warning about the watchers and described the conversation I¡¯d overheard before heading deeper into the small safe zone to scout. I¡¯d already extended Spatial Sense, so I knew there were a few other challengers within the seemingly open space.


    None of the others seemed to care about the two individuals watching the portal, nor did they give any indication they sensed my presence.


    The safe zone looked like a small grassy clearing surrounded by ephemeral trees. I could tell that the trees weren¡¯t actually there, but the aesthetics were still nice.


    Two enchanted tents were erected on opposite sides of the field, with a small wooden structure that looked far too permanent for a transitory safe zone in the middle.


    Having completed a quick survey of the area, I decided to stay for a while and observe the portal watchers from a distance. I wasn¡¯t sure what I hoped to learn, but it seemed foolish to simply leave them there without gathering more information.


    Since I couldn¡¯t easily set up my pod and activate the [Stealth] wards I¡¯d incorporated without being seen, I decided to just rely on the talismans I¡¯d made. They¡¯d already proven they work against my current potential foes, so it made sense not to change things.


    I¡¯d eventually have to swap the one I was wearing for a new one, but it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to conceal myself for the moment it would take to swap them out.


    I¡¯d have to be careful using Time magic, just in case the use somehow drew their attention. But as long as I focused the effects on myself and not others, I didn¡¯t think anyone would notice.


    <hr>


    I was only a little surprised when two replacements entered the safe zone via the portal several hours after I arrived.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why I expected the naga and the elf to remain at their post, but both eagerly disappeared through the portal once their relief arrived.


    Their replacements were two male elves, one of whom was familiar to me. It was one of the sycophants who¡¯d been following the Sovereignty Sect disciple the first day.


    I¡¯d wondered when they¡¯d show back up.


    [Serin¡¯o Venenum ¨C level 65 ¨C Alchemist/Herbalist/Cartographer ¨C Poison]


    An Alchemist with a Poison affinity. I supposed it made as much sense as anything.


    After several long minutes of silence, the other elf sighed and said, ¡°Brother, what is the purpose of hunting this random human anyway? Wasn¡¯t Javan the one who challenged the human to a duel?¡±


    Serin glared at the other elf. ¡°You think a lowly human should be allowed to get away with killing their betters?¡±


    ¡°I knew Javan, just as you did. We both know he would have insisted the duel be to the death.¡±


    Serin flicked his fingers dismissively. ¡°It matters not. The human dared kill a scion from the Sovereignty Sect. The slight will not go unpunished.¡±


    The outspoken elf nodded with an air of indifference.


    ¡°As long as I am properly compensated, I suppose the reasons matter little. I don¡¯t plan to leave the dungeon until I reach the peak, so I¡¯m not worried about any potential fallout.¡±


    I¡¯d almost started to feel sympathetic toward the other elf, but his words made him little more than a bandit in my eyes.


    And I despised bandits.


    It was one thing to take the spoils of fairly fought battles. It was quite another to lay in wait and ambush an unsuspecting person just to steal their belongings.


    While not all bandits attacked from hiding, the stereotype existed for a reason.


    I was a little curious about how they knew which half of the dungeon we¡¯d entered. They might have been monitoring both safe zones, but that seemed like an awful waste of time and effort for something so petty, especially since I was the one who¡¯d been challenged.


    I hadn¡¯t sought out the conflict, nor had I insisted on the duel¡¯s parameters. Javan had been the instigator, so his sycophants were completely in the wrong by continuing the conflict.


    Since they wouldn¡¯t be able to justify a duel ¨C not a real one, anyway ¨C it made a sick sort of sense that the people involved would lie in wait in hopes of landing a surprise attack.


    Of course, a lot of that was presumption on my part, but I felt pretty confident in my assessment of the situation.


    It would be nice to talk to them and verify their intentions before acting, but I doubted that I¡¯d get the chance. Maybe with a bit of thought and effort, I¡¯d find a way to glean more information about their plans.


    With little better to do while I waited, I contemplated my options.

 Book 3 - Chapter 54 - Intel Gathering

    After watching the sentinels for another day, I realized that I did have a way to interact directly with the people watching the portal. There would only be a little bit of risk involved if everything worked out right, but a little risk was nothing new.


    However, before I could make the attempt, I needed to prepare a few things. Namely, a new [Disguise] amulet.


    I hadn¡¯t used one of those since the rest of Earth¡¯s inhabitants awakened, and I doubted the old design would work against high-tier individuals.


    But I had also grown immensely since then, both in tier and in skill level. With my increased Enchanting knowledge and experience, I had little doubt that I could design something to fool all but the strongest of inspection spells.


    That was where the risk really lay.


    There was no way to account for every elite¡¯s repertoire, and it was always possible that someone might have an advanced inspection spell that could bypass the effects of enchantments.


    Would those people be involved in attacking a sect elite to steal their belongings like a bandit? I wasn¡¯t sure.


    To be fair, after watching a couple more groups of watchers, I realized they were probably more like mercenaries or assassins than bandits. However, when I was the potential target, they might as well be the same thing.


    Once I had a rough plan in place, I waited for the next change in sentinels and followed the departing pair through the portal in hopes that their departure would hide the portal ripples of my own departure.


    I traveled to the Mid-Tier (Crystal) zone to ensure my privacy, and set up my pod in the closest small alcove near the entry portal.


    I didn¡¯t expand the pod very far ¨C just enough to gain access to my workstation and a bed. Once the wards to protect and hide the pod were activated, I settled inside the crystalline structure and got to work.


    <hr>


    It took a week to design and craft a device that I felt would work, but I couldn¡¯t know for sure without testing it.


    Because I wasn¡¯t willing to test the device against people who might attack if it failed, I was forced to wait for Zavira to reach the end of the first section of the maze so I could have her help me.


    With little point in returning to the safe zone while I waited, I used the time to craft a few new items using some of the material I¡¯d acquired during the first section of the labyrinth.


    Since every new creation was worth a little extra alternate experience, even if the items weren¡¯t directly useful, my time was not wasted.


    It took Zavira several more days to reach the end of her instance and defeat the mini-boss. By the time we reconnected outside of Ano (the town at the center of the floor), I had my physical disguise fully in place.


    Gone were the elegant sect robes marking me as a sect disciple. In their place was a set of sturdy leather armor enchanted with the same protections woven into my robes.


    My under-armor was deep purple, reflecting my Space affinity, which I¡¯d decided to use as part of my new persona. Like the last time I¡¯d used such items, I felt it better to stick as close to the truth as possible.


    I also changed my hair color to a deep purple since I figured the change was dramatic enough to aid in my disguise.


    Such superficial alterations were easy with a few targeted spell effects, and the best part was that the effects could be made permanent, especially if they correlated with the user¡¯s mana type.


    I did something similar to darken my skin tone by a few shades, but the change wasn¡¯t nearly as dramatic. Still, it would probably be enough to avoid heavy scrutiny if people were looking for a blonde-haired, fair-skinned woman.


    I could have simply relied on a more complex [Disguise] formation, but I worried that too much obvious mana use might be noticeable.


    The small changes to my features were easy enough to incorporate, though. A lot of people made use of such minor feature-enhancing enchantments, so I doubted anyone would even notice.


    However, big changes like hair and skin color would stand out, especially since those things were not all that difficult to manipulate with a bit of effort and a trip to a Life Mage (or the proper training and access to Life mana).


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t told me, I would never have recognized you,¡± Zavira said before canceling her [Stealth] enchantment.


    ¡°Try identifying me,¡± I said.


    A moment later, the icon on my interface meant to alert me of such spells flashed.


    ¡°Your name and professions changed. Also, it¡¯s only showing your Space affinity.¡± Zavira paused. ¡°You didn¡¯t level up already, did you?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No. I changed it to show level sixty-two to throw people off.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think you did a good job. Nobody is going to associate you with¡­ you.¡±


    ¡°Your identification spell is pretty advanced, right?¡± I asked.


    It wasn¡¯t the politest thing to ask, but since it was relevant, I didn¡¯t think Zavira would mind.


    ¡°Yeah. I was gifted Inspect by my parents after awakening,¡± Zavira said as she rubbed her neck uncomfortably. ¡°It¡¯s geared more toward materials and items, but still works for everything else.¡±


    ¡°Is that the evolution after Assess?¡±


    ¡°I think so? I never really needed to ask¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t get jealous of my friend¡¯s small advantage. Doing so would be pointless. Besides, the spell did what I wanted it to.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°So, nothing stood out or looked wrong?¡± I verified.


    Zavira shook her head. ¡°No, it looked perfectly normal. I think it''s good.¡± After a pause, she added, ¡°Do you think I should wear one too?¡±


    I was startled slightly at the question. I hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility that Zavira might need to hide her identity as well. The realization that I hadn¡¯t considered something so obvious made me feel ashamed.


    ¡°I can make you one,¡± I said quickly. ¡°Now that we know this design works against a Tier Seven Inspect, I can make another easily enough. Even if you don¡¯t need it now, it couldn¡¯t hurt to have such an item on hand, just in case.¡±


    Because we couldn¡¯t go back to our residences without alerting the people watching of our return, Zavira and I set up our pods outside of the central town, and I warded them to ensure our privacy.


    It only took a day for me to make a second [Disguise] formation, even with the three separate pieces the device required to work properly.


    It was not just a talisman since that implied a single enchanted item. Instead, the formation was spread over a set of items ¨C a necklace and two bracelets.


    I might have been able to get by with one very large pendant, but spreading the formation out seemed like a better option since it made expanding the ¡®false information bubble¡¯ much more mana-efficient.


    When we were ready, I Teleported us to the closest portal so we could head our separate ways.


    Once Zavira entered the labyrinth, she¡¯d swap her [Stealth] talisman for the [Disguise] formation and use the portal to ¡®arrive¡¯ at the central platform like a newly ascended challenger.


    While she engaged in whatever intelligence-gathering activities she had planned, I had my own sleuthing to do.


    <hr>


    Dressed in a set of enchanted leather armor and covered with a cloak enchanted to make the wearer less noticeable, I stepped through the portal and into the safe zone without any additional [Stealth] effects.


    The cloak was a last-minute addition that I¡¯d pulled from the elf¡¯s hoard. It was plain enough that I doubted anyone would recognize it. If they did, I could always claim to have purchased it through the kiosk.


    Putting on a tired visage, I casually walked over to the pair watching the portal from nearby.


    ¡°Hello. Are you one of the groups that buy loot?¡± I asked as I glanced around the small area.


    ¡°No,¡± the older-looking of the two elves sneered. ¡°Do we look like Merchants to you?¡±


    I¡¯d hoped that a non-elf would be present when I approached, but it seemed like I was out of luck there.


    The small icon showing I¡¯d just been identified lit up, and I tensed slightly. I knew the formation worked, but it was still a bit nerve-wracking to test it against a potential enemy.


    When neither of the elves jumped into action, I gradually relaxed.


    ¡°I guess not,¡± I said apologetically before shifting my demeanor to something a bit more upbeat. ¡°Is anything interesting happening on the floor? It feels like I¡¯ve been stuck in that maze forever, you know?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s the same boring floor with the same boring people,¡± the older elf said pointedly. The younger elf remained silent, though he eyed me with clear disdain. ¡°Go away. I don¡¯t know why the dungeon allows your kind here anyway.¡±


    ¡°My kind,¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°You don¡¯t like Space Mages? We make traveling so much easier!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be obtuse, human. Leave, before I make you regret your short life.¡±


    I scoffed and shook my head before departing.


    I knew that most elves did not act like these did. It was almost like having the Sovereignty Sect disciple among them had infected the rest of the elves on the floor.


    It probably wasn¡¯t all of them, though. At least, I hoped that it wasn¡¯t.


    Not bothering to go deeper into the safe zone, I headed back to the portal and used it to connect to the central portal.


    Two watchers on opposite sides of the platform perked up at my arrival before quickly slumping back down after a quick glance. Neither bothered to identify me, which I thought was a good sign.


    Oddly enough, one of the two watchers was a human. She was the first I¡¯d seen among the watchers, which made me wonder if a second group was looking for me.


    With the same casual confidence, I approached the woman sitting near the Trading Post.


    ¡°Hey. Anything new happening since I entered the maze? I feel like I¡¯ve been gone forever. Being alone like that doesn¡¯t do anyone any favors as far as mental health goes, yanno?¡±


    ¡°How long were you gone?¡±


    ¡°A couple of months, give or take. It all blurs together after the damn goblins respawn enough times,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you heard about the duel before you went in?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Something about an elf and a human fighting it out.¡±


    ¡°Well, everyone has been on the lookout for the human and her friend since then.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I asked, somewhat surprised by the woman¡¯s openness. She seemed almost eager to have someone to talk to, though I wasn¡¯t sure why, considering her location.


    The woman looked at me curiously. ¡°Nobody told you about the pile of loot she got from the elf?¡±


    I shook my head, and the woman scoffed.


    ¡°That figures,¡± she said with an eyeroll. ¡°Everyone thinks they¡¯ll be the one to collect the bounties. Nobody wants to risk losing out by sharing more details. Just reporting a sighting is enough for a reward, though a lot of people have it in their heads that they can take the targets out in secret and make off with a chariot full of growth items.¡±


    ¡°Growth items?¡± I asked with faux interest, though hearing that both me and Zavira were being targeted was of much greater interest.


    The woman scoffed again. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t have growth items at this point? We¡¯ve all gone into Trials. Anyone who has made it this far should have been able to perform well enough to earn their own.¡±


    ¡°So, people are just waiting for the girl and her friend to show up so they can sic the bounty hunters on them and claim a reward?¡± I asked. ¡°That seems a little¡­¡±


    I struggled to find the right words because I truly felt flabbergasted at the whole thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s an easy payday,¡± the woman said with a shrug. ¡°All I have to do is message my contact if someone in a white or mauve robe appears. That¡¯s it. Even if it isn¡¯t the right person, I still get a reward.¡±


    ¡°Honestly,¡± the woman continued, ¡°I¡¯m only sitting here because I¡¯m tired of the monotony of the labyrinth. I¡¯m a social person by nature, so every time I enter the labyrinth, it¡¯s like torture.¡±


    ¡°I totally understand that,¡± I said before adding, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel bad for the people being targeted?¡±


    ¡°Why feel bad?¡± the woman asked curiously. ¡°Those spoiled sect elites get everything handed to them their whole lives. Besides, all they have to do to avoid the bounty hunters is stay in the labyrinth. Nobody is making them enter the safe zones.¡±


    I found the dissonance between the woman¡¯s complaints about the difficulty of being alone for months and her callous claim that the elites could simply tough it out alone for decades to be quite striking. I doubted she even recognized the hypocrisy in her statement.


    I hummed noncommittally to avoid saying anything in response.


    After a few moments of silence, I asked, ¡°So, where do I find out about this bounty?¡±


    The woman¡¯s expression shifted to a knowing grin. ¡°You made it sound like you were so sympathetic,¡± she laughed. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re one of those kinds of people. I should have guessed by your cloak.¡±


    I glanced at the cloak and shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but you¡¯ve got to pick watch times when I¡¯m not here. Or,¡± she added, her eyes lighting up. ¡°You can promise to split whatever you get with me. If you¡¯re just going to observe and pass the information, that¡¯s fine as long as you aren¡¯t competing directly with me. But if you end up taking the girl or her friend out, I want some of the loot.¡±


    ¡°So people are definitely targeting the friend, too?¡± I asked. ¡°That seems a little odd.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she was the one selling off stuff to the dungeon. Since she¡¯s apparently a half-breed dwarf, the elves are pretty pissed she¡¯s benefiting from their friend¡¯s death.¡±


    My eyes widened. It was probably a good thing Zavira¡¯s disguise marked her as a regular human. She looked close enough that it wasn¡¯t unbelievable, especially with the small cosmetic changes I¡¯d included.


    I¡¯d need to make sure to warn Zavira, though I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she already knew that she was being targeted.


    ¡°So, the bounty?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You gonna remember your friends if you get lucky?¡±


    ¡°I always remember my friends,¡± I said resolutely.


    ¡°Well, since I¡¯m your new friend,¡± the woman smirked, ¡°you should go visit the Alchemy shop and check their notification board. The Alchemist who runs it was one of the dead elf¡¯s friends. I think he¡¯s the one in charge of the bounty. Tell him Ember sent you.¡±

 Book 3 - Chapter 55 - Unexpected Ripples

    Spatial Sense alerted me to the presence of three individuals in the back of the small Alchemist¡¯s shop when I arrived.


    A sign hanging from the door declared the Alchemist had entered the labyrinth, though I doubted that was truly the case unless he allowed others to use his shop.


    Regardless, the front door was closed and locked ¨C not that such things mattered much to me. Without an active ward, simple physical barriers posed no challenge.


    After teleporting past the door and activating my [Stealth] talisman, I headed past the small customer area and through the door leading to the workshop in the back.


    While I couldn¡¯t sense anyone else besides the three individuals present, their movements indicated the trio were actively fighting against something, making me very curious about what was going on.


    Since I¡¯d designed my [Stealth] talismans to work in conjunction with others from the same batch, the identity of the attacker was immediately made obvious when I looked into the room.


    The three struggling elves froze in place as I cast three simultaneous Stasis spells. Having been wholly focused on their invisible attacker and their obvious Force spells, the trio barely put up a resistance to the ¡®protective¡¯ spell.


    The attacker paused in confusion for a split second when her telekinetically-controlled blades bounced off the time-locked elves. She was already turning when I spoke.


    ¡°I thought you were just investigating,¡± I commented before canceling my [Stealth].


    The back of the shop had no windows, and while it was possible for people to see through such barriers, I wasn¡¯t overly worried.


    Zavira¡¯s [Stealth] similarly fell away, and I noted her face was red in anger, though I could tell that it was not directed at my interference.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already learned what we need to know,¡± she said tightly. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to let them continue threatening us.¡±


    I glanced at the three frozen elves. Zavira¡¯s Force Restraints had already dissipated, though bloody reminders of their presence remained.


    ¡°Did you sharpen the edges of the restraints?¡± I asked curiously, noting the deep gashes and thick trails of blood.


    Zavira¡¯s expression shifted to a light smirk.


    ¡°I did. It was very effective at limiting the amount of physical resistance the elves could use.¡± Pointing at the elf in the back of the room, she added, ¡°That one learned the hard way and lost a hand.¡±


    The elf she pointed at was surrounded by a bloody pool. His detached hand lay at his feet. Based on his time-locked expression, I felt certain the elf would have lost consciousness by now had I not intervened.


    ¡°So, what did you learn?¡± I asked curiously. Zavira wasn¡¯t one for displays of anger like this, so I figured there had to be a reason behind her sudden attack on the Alchemist and his associates.


    ¡°These¡­ pointy-eared racist assholes,¡± she pointed angrily, ¡°are the ones behind the whole bounty. This one,¡± Zavira motioned toward a familiar elf, ¡°is the mastermind. He is more offended that a half-breed was allowed to manage the sale of his former buddy¡¯s possessions than he is that you killed his friend.¡±


    ¡°Actually listening to him,¡± Zavira continued, ¡°I¡¯m not sure he even cares about the whole duel thing at all. Practically all I¡¯ve heard has been him talking crap about how his cousin¡¯s uncle¡¯s brother ¨C or whoever ¨C was rejected from the Hephaistos Sect when someone with a mixed race got in. It¡¯s like he can¡¯t even conceptualize a world where a half-breed would be favored over an elf.¡±


    To say I was surprised would be an understatement. With how everyone had focused on the loot, I¡¯d thought the whole problem centered on me killing the disciple and taking his stuff.


    Voicing my question, I asked, ¡°What about all the people trying to get the loot, then?¡±


    Zavira waved a hand in frustration. ¡°Sure, they want the loot too, but it isn¡¯t what¡¯s really motivating them. I get the feeling that these guys would have tried to cause issues for me, regardless.¡±


    I frowned at that. ¡°So, we eliminate them and that issue goes away, but it doesn¡¯t stop all the greedy bastards from harassing us.¡±


    ¡°Well, the bounty will be gone, so at least there¡¯s that,¡± she said with a weary sigh. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m halfway tempted to just walk around openly to see who attacks. Maybe we can shorten our time on the floor that way.¡±


    Zavira looked at me with a cold glint in her eyes. ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t we do that?¡± she asked. ¡°I can walk around the town while you shadow me in [Stealth], then when someone attacks, you can freeze them, and we can take them out. Eventually, people will stop attacking because they¡¯ve either gotten the message or anyone stupid enough to keep trying has been eliminated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an option,¡± I conceded hesitantly.


    And it was, it just wasn¡¯t one that I particularly liked. Then again, I didn¡¯t like the constant threat of attack either. The safe zones were supposed to be a place to relax from the constant stress of being on guard. They weren¡¯t supposed to be another battlefield.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    At least with the E3 talismans, we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about either of us getting killed or seriously injured by most attacks.


    ¡°You froze them individually, right?¡± Zavira asked, pointing at the time-locked elves in the room.


    I nodded. Maintaining Stasis was almost effortless as long as nothing interfered.


    ¡°Great,¡± she said. ¡°Can you unfreeze the one without a hand first? I¡¯ll take care of the easy one first.¡±


    Since Zavira wasn¡¯t normally a blood thirsty murderhobo, her sudden viciousness should have surprised me. But after spending weeks alone in the labyrinth and then dealing with a bunch of people hunting us, I couldn¡¯t really blame her for lashing out.


    Zavira quickly and easily defeated each of the three elves as I released them from Stasis one at a time. I could have contributed more by using Pause or attacking in some other way, but my assistance wasn¡¯t necessary, and I figured Zavira could use the extra experience anyway.


    She was still a bit behind, even with her extra weeks in the labyrinth.


    ¡°We should empty this place out,¡± Zavira said when the last one fell. ¡°Can you grab everything in the front of the store while I take care of everything back here?¡±


    Feeling a little unsettled by Zavira¡¯s actions, even if they made sense in the grand scheme of things, I silently reactivated my [Stealth] talisman and moved to the front of the shop. I didn¡¯t want anyone to see me moving around in the shop through the windows, after all.


    I quickly collected everything of value in the front of the store. I also removed the bounty, which I hoped would serve as a discouragement to anyone hoping to cash in.


    On second thought, I retrieved the bounty and marked ¡°RESCINDED¡± through it in dark red lettering, then attached it to the front window next to the sign marking the Alchemist as being in the labyrinth.


    Hopefully, that would make those unfamiliar with me and Zavira think that the bounty had been fulfilled by someone else. It probably wouldn¡¯t help if anyone saw us and thought we might still have valuable loot, but at this point, who didn¡¯t?


    Regardless, I really didn¡¯t want to spend the next couple of decades avoiding everyone except for Zavira whenever I didn¡¯t have a [Disguise] active, and I certainly didn¡¯t think she wanted that either.


    = = =


    I heard a few people mumbling complaints about ¡®missing out¡¯ over the next few days, but that was about it. We only delayed our re-entry into the labyrinth to assess the challengers¡¯ reactions to the news that the bounty had been canceled and the Alchemist had left the town.


    I heard more people complaining about the latter than the former, which I took as a good sign. It seemed the Alchemist had ¡®left¡¯ without filling several orders, and several of the challengers were unhappy about it.


    I found myself struggling to care.


    I¡¯d barely talked Zavira out of parading herself around the town as bait for greedy challengers. Only by agreeing to reconsider the option if the problem persisted did I manage to get her to let it go¡­ for now.


    ¡°Ice or Metal?¡± I asked Zavira. Neither of us wanted to linger on the floor at this point, and the only way forward was to grind out levels.


    I really didn¡¯t like the thought of having to spend decades navigating mazes and fighting humanoid creatures, but I supposed that was the point of making the floor so miserable. If it was like the other floors, more people would probably make the floor a long-term home instead of giving up and leaving the dungeon.


    It was quite devious of the original designer, in my opinion.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we already agree to Metal?¡± Zavira asked curiously. ¡°I mean, you can Teleport, so I guess it doesn¡¯t matter which one you enter, but I¡¯d like to challenge the Metal Labyrinth this time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I assured her. ¡°I just wanted to make sure you didn¡¯t change your mind since I¡¯m pretty sure Metal will be the more challenging of the two.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Zavira said, shaking her head. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s good to mix things up a little bit.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t disagree. The labyrinths were very repetitive, especially at the lowest stages.


    Using our disguises, Zavira and I had learned a little more about what to expect on the floor. At least this time, we weren¡¯t going into the new zone as unprepared.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said with a nod before stepping a bit closer.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to slow yourself down for me,¡± she added abruptly. ¡°You have a time limit, and I don¡¯t. Don¡¯t feel bad about pushing ahead if you can. I¡¯ll stick it out until I reach the eighth floor, regardless, so don¡¯t drag your feet for me.¡±


    Her sudden declaration made me pause and step back.


    ¡°Where is this coming from,¡± I asked.


    ¡°The Patriarch mentioned something in his last message,¡± Zavira admitted hesitantly. ¡°It made me realize that I might be inadvertently causing you to hold yourself back on my behalf.¡± She sighed and glanced out the nearby window. ¡°This floor setup makes it almost impossible to work together anyway, and we both know that you can progress much faster than I can.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say ¡®much faster,¡¯¡± I hedged. ¡°If anything, the increase would be minor, at best.¡±


    Zavira shook her head. ¡°There is no need to spare my feelings,¡± she replied. ¡°Just progress as swiftly as you can manage safely. Let this serve as practice for later floors when I¡¯m not here with you.¡±


    I frowned at the unexpected shift in my friend. I wasn¡¯t sure why she was suddenly pushing me to advance beyond her, but pushing the topic felt like it would be counter-productive.


    Even half-dwarves could get ridiculously stubborn sometimes. While a lot of stereotypes really weren¡¯t very accurate, especially those from old Earth fiction, that one was spot on.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what had been contained in the message from her Patriarch. Knowing that he and Master Kairos were observing our progression together¡­ it could have been any number of things.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± I agreed awkwardly before adding, ¡°Hopefully, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re going to avoid contacting me, though.¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Zavira said with wide eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could handle that much isolation! Besides, it¡¯s not like we won¡¯t stay in touch after we leave the dungeon, too.¡±


    I hoped she was right, but I knew all too well how easy it was to slowly grow distant from those you only had intermittent contact with. No matter how much you cared or how important someone once was, time and distance made relationships infinitely harder to maintain.


    While I still messaged my friends and family every month, I¡¯d already experienced several gaps and missed messages from everyone except my parents. Even contact with Justin and Bell was growing less frequent as they found themselves settling into life on Hadier.


    My parents likely would have gradually shifted to something similar if they hadn¡¯t recently decided to move to Hadier to live near Justin and the kids.


    Had they not found themselves suddenly expecting another child ¨C talk about the butterfly effect ¨C they probably would have stubbornly remained on Earth for years longer.


    Even so, most of our recent discussions had centered on their upcoming move and the surprise addition to the family.


    Knowing that I was going to miss the birth and the first years of my unborn sibling¡¯s life was another regret, but I tried not to focus on the things I missed. Instead, I thought about the new opportunities my family now had because of my choices.


    It was a small consolation, sometimes.

 Book 3 - Chapter 56 - Expert Advancements

    I watched impassively as the Compressed Space Bolt detonated from within the formerly time-paused challenger. I¡¯d modified the spell to be more volatile than normal, and the resultant explosion was a bit gorier than I expected.


    Still, aside from mild disgust and annoyance, I felt little for the recently deceased individual.


    ¡°That was a bit more dramatic than the last few,¡± Zavira said with a gleam in her eyes as she took in the red spray.


    While Zavira wasn¡¯t necessarily bloodthirsty, she was still quite set on striking back against those who would target us. I¡¯d convinced her to let things go for a while, but after more than two months in the labyrinth, nothing had really changed.


    If anything, things were worse now that people were willing to actively attack us.


    This was the fourth attempted ambush in as many days, and while our responses had gotten progressively more violent, it seemed our efforts were doing little to dissuade those intent on killing us.


    There were still a few who tried to ingratiate themselves with us for whatever small advantages our favor might provide, but most had realized that approach would be fruitless ¨C or potentially dangerous ¨C and moved on.


    The attackers, though¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who said we should make a statement,¡± I replied loudly, intentionally allowing my voice to carry. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being attacked by a bunch of people acting like bandits, and banditry is punishable by death.¡±


    ¡°How are you any different?¡± a burly man in thick leather armor asked after exiting a nearby building. ¡°You kill people and take their belongings. How is that any different from what they¡¯re trying to do?¡±


    I eyed the man with interest, knowing that he¡¯d watched as the last attacker had attempted to ambush us. I wasn¡¯t sure if the man was simply a bystander or something more. Ultimately, it didn¡¯t really matter as long as he didn¡¯t actively pose a threat.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t attack them. That¡¯s the difference,¡± Zavira pointed out angrily. ¡°We only acted in self-defense.¡±


    ¡°And why wouldn¡¯t we get the spoils of combat?¡± I added as I approached the place that I suspected the man¡¯s inventory would manifest. ¡°You think we should just give everything away after defending ourselves?¡±


    ¡°How can you call what you did self-defense?¡± the man retorted haughtily. ¡°Once you had that man locked in place, it wasn¡¯t like he was still a threat.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being attacked because people don¡¯t seem to get it. They knowingly attacked a Time Mage. What did they think was going to happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think most Time Mages have the same advantages you do,¡± Zavira said quietly, drawing my attention away from the interloper.


    ¡°Why should I waste mana for an illusion of fairness?¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m done playing nice. Weren¡¯t you the one who advocated for destroying everyone who attacked us?¡±


    Zavira nodded. ¡°I still do. I¡¯m just saying, most Time Mages can¡¯t do the things that you do. At least, they can¡¯t to the same degree.¡±


    I shrugged uncaringly and stared at the ground until a pile of goods materialized.


    ¡°Sucks for them,¡± I said as I stored everything in my ring, not giving any observers a chance to find any more motivations to attack.


    Zavira¡¯s brow furrowed worriedly.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± she asked as quietly as she could manage.


    Overtly ignoring the man who was still trying to shame us for defending ourselves, I turned to Zavira.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said tightly. ¡°I¡¯m mostly just disappointed and annoyed. I feel like the dungeon is changing me, and I worry that my family won¡¯t recognize me when I get back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you keep in touch with them?¡± she asked with a touch of confusion.


    ¡°I do,¡± I said. ¡°But it¡¯s not really the same. Most of our interactions are superficial since I don¡¯t want to worry them any more than they already are. Every message we exchange only makes me feel more separated from everyone and everything outside of the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, we are separated,¡± Zavira said lightly. ¡°But I know what you mean. I guess I¡¯m lucky that my family already has an idea of what the dungeon is like, so I don¡¯t feel the need to minimize my experiences here.¡±


    We walked toward the end of the town in silence, leaving the talkative observer behind. I was glad he didn¡¯t follow us.


    There was no real purpose in our daily walk aside from creating an opportunity for people to attack. Sometimes, we stopped by a restaurant or the market, but today wasn¡¯t one of those days.


    When we made it back to the apartments, Zavira said, ¡°We¡¯re still re-entering the labyrinth tomorrow, right?¡±


    I nodded slowly and stopped just outside of my door. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll probably try the Ice Zone this time.¡±


    While the Metal Labyrinth hadn¡¯t been bad, the almost modern feel of the area had been like a sore tooth that constantly ached. Instead of being comforting, the sleek metal hallways and practically futuristic details had created an almost depressive nostalgia for me.


    Being locked in such an environment for two months had only made my mood worse, and I¡¯d been tempted to backtrack and pick a different zone more than once.


    Had I not already felt down, the environment probably wouldn¡¯t have bothered me. But between the plots to kill us, learning that I had a new sibling on the way, and the increasing sense of detachment that I felt from my family¡­ my thoughts had kinda snowballed.


    It was hard to imagine that I still had almost twenty years remaining before I could get a break from the dungeon and visit the people I cared about.


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    If it was this bad already, I worried about how I would feel by the time I reached the next floor.


    The Metal golems and odd Metal-eating spiders with razor-like webs had provided a little bit of a distraction. But once I got a feel for the mobs, they were more annoying than anything.


    ¡°I¡¯ll challenge the Crystal Labyrinth, then. We can compare notes and share materials later,¡± Zavira decided before continuing down the hallway. ¡°See you in the morning!¡±


    <hr>


    Months passed, and then years.


    Zavira and I developed a bit of a reputation, but neither of us cared very much since it kept people from randomly attacking us.


    Occasionally, some overly brave (or stupid) soul would make an attempt, but we never went anywhere without our [Barrier] talismans fully charged and active.


    Progressing in the labyrinths was harder than on the other floors, though I imagined that was by design.


    We eventually found the Hot Spring, and making use of the magical waters did a lot to boost our morale.


    It was located in the safe zone connecting the Metal and Ice Labyrinths between the High and Peak-Tier stages of the floor. That safe zone was the only one that was built up in any appreciable way. Even then, the accommodations were light.


    At some point, one of the challengers had used Earth magic to build a tavern, which he ran as his primary focus. The entrepreneur was one of the few challengers at this level who focused more heavily on professional experience as opposed to fighting.


    There were a couple of others slowly progressing via their professions, but most with such focuses tended to leave shortly after arriving on the floor.


    They weren¡¯t the only ones.


    Zavira and I had watched as more than one new arrivals had read the notification upon arrival and promptly exited the dungeon.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if they were people like Ava who had always planned to escape the dungeon as soon as possible, or if they were simply that put off by the change in format and opted to leave without bothering to attempt the floor.


    I struggled to imagine the latter, but I didn¡¯t doubt it happened occasionally.


    A message from Zavira blinked in the periphery of my vision, and I paused to read it.


    [Zavira: Did you do it yet?]


    I chuckled lightly before responding.


    [Me: No. You¡¯re distracting me.]


    [Zavira: I¡¯ve been ready for ages. Hurry up already!]


    I shook my head at Zavira¡¯s eagerness.


    After eighteen years, Zavira had finally reached level sixty-nine ¨C Peak Tier Seven. While I¡¯d accomplished that milestone two years earlier, Zavira had only reached it a few days before.


    I wanted to wait to enter the Trial until I advanced Enchanting to Expert. I¡¯d hoped to accomplish that feat before Zavira became eligible to enter the Trial since it was one that we could do together. But now that she¡¯d finally reached Peak-Tier, we were being held back by my lack of skill progression.


    I¡¯d become fixated over the years on jumping past Expert and becoming a Master Enchanter using the Trial¡¯s reward. While I knew other good options were available, I was unwilling to compromise unless I had no other choice.


    I¡¯d been wholly focused on Enchanting for the last several months as Zavira drew ever nearer level sixty-nine, and was so close to breaking through the skill barrier. I just needed one good success to push me over the edge.


    Master Kairos¡¯s inheritance had proven immensely helpful in filling in some of my gaps in education, even if he had technically broken some rules.


    Having been a member of the Enchanters¡¯ Guild in the other timeline, I knew he wasn¡¯t supposed to share advanced information with me, even if I was his disciple. Since I wasn¡¯t a member of the guild in this timeline, the lessons shouldn¡¯t have been included.


    Even if I had joined, my membership would have been put on hold when I entered the dungeon, and I wouldn¡¯t have been eligible for advanced training.


    I was sure it would cause issues in the future, especially if my progress was made known to the people in the guild. But considering I¡¯d already be Tier Eight by then, I found it hard to worry too much.


    Besides, I had no plans to become a professional Enchanter selling their wares to the public. Anything I personally made would be given or sold to my family and members of the sect. I didn¡¯t need to be a member to design enchantments.


    Technically, I didn¡¯t need to be a member to make and sell enchantments, either. My items just wouldn¡¯t have the ¡®Enchanters¡¯ Guild stamp of approval¡¯ on them.


    I might have a different opinion once I left the dungeon for good. But at that point, I¡¯d be Peak-Tier Ten, and I doubted anyone was going to harass me over not joining their little monopoly.


    I shook the thoughts from my head and focused on my task. I couldn¡¯t let my focus waver for the next part.


    I¡¯d been recreating some of my better enchantments to push my skill experience gains forward, and I felt like I was only one or two complex creations away from crossing the threshold.


    While new, innovative designs were always worth more experience, a sufficiently complex enchantment was almost as good. Of course, the most valuable were new, complex creations, but those often took more time than they were contextually worth.


    It was why so few Enchanters were actual innovators.


    Even my current project wasn¡¯t actually an innovation since I was taking what I¡¯d learned from studying the growth items and applying them to my current design.


    After several years of effort, I¡¯d managed to modify Find Hidden into Reveal Enchantment. I still had the original spell as well, but the upgraded version had worked wonders for allowing me to study the enchantments on the growth items I¡¯d obtained from the defeated elf.


    My Space affinity made layering enchantments so much easier, as well. It was almost to the point that I wondered how any non-Space Mage could reach Expert Enchanter, given the necessity of such complex inscription methods.


    Then I remembered that most Enchanters weren¡¯t stuck in a dungeon without the advanced tools meant to make the process easier.


    Since I didn¡¯t need such devices, I carefully guided my mana into the thin sheet of Tier Seven Crystal. I¡¯d Enlarged the piece to make it easier to work with, though it also took much more mana to enchant this way.


    Consequently, the finished product would be much stronger and more effective than one crafted without taking such steps. It was just another example of why Space Mages were naturally better suited to Enchanting ¨C not that I was an affinitist or anything.


    I grabbed a few nearby mana cores and siphoned the attuned mana into their corresponding imbuing tools. The process of imbuing foreign mana into a design was slow, but thankfully, I¡¯d gotten familiar with working with other mana types over the years.


    Incorporating Arcane mana into the design was the hardest part since I rarely worked with it. If I¡¯d been limited to the materials I could personally gather in the dungeon, I would have had to wait until I left to try my hand at crafting a growth item.


    But since I could requisition specific materials through the Trading Post ¨C at a price ¨C it worked out well enough.


    I didn¡¯t sleep for almost a week as I finished crafting my masterpiece.


    Zavira messaged me a couple of times, but I wasn¡¯t able to respond since focused intent was paramount. I wouldn¡¯t risk messing up because I allowed myself to get distracted.


    When the final rune was inscribed and imbued, I used Shrink to slowly reduce the item to half of its original size. Going smaller was an additional risk, but I felt confident that doing so wouldn¡¯t add any additional problems.


    The enchantment was either going to work¡­ or not.


    It hadn¡¯t failed the previous times because I shrank it too much; the failures were due to fundamental flaws in some aspect of the enchantment.


    A missed connector here, a distraction while imbuing a rune there¡­ it really didn¡¯t take much to mess up the delicate balance of the enchantment.


    Sometimes, I wondered how growth items were developed in the first place.


    When the crystal tile was the size I wanted, I sent a tendril of mana into the activation rune and held my breath. I could feel the connections activate, and a sense of relief and elation washed over me.


    Intermixed with my emotions was a flush of mana and knowledge ¨C a sign that not only was the enchantment successful, but I¡¯d finally managed to cross the skill threshold for Enchanting.


    I whooped in excitement and immediately messaged Zavira to share the news.


    We¡¯d be challenging the Trial the next day.

 Book 3 - Chapter 57 - A Serendipitous Experience

    ¡°It¡¯s a little serendipitous that our first and last Trial together are wave trials,¡± I commented as we headed toward the Trial portal.


    ¡°It is,¡± Zavira agreed. ¡°I only wish we encountered a Trial on the fourth floor, too. It¡¯s disappointing to have missed out on an opportunity to gain a new skill or growth item.¡±


    ¡°Maybe this will make up for it.¡± I handed Zavira the growth talisman I¡¯d made with a grin.


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked, eyes wide. ¡°I would have thought you¡¯d keep your first growth item as a memento.¡±


    ¡°You can give it back after I make a new one for you. You know,¡± I grinned, ¡°once I become a Master Enchanter.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. You should at least let me pay you for it.¡±


    ¡°We can talk about that later,¡± I said dismissively. ¡°For now, you can test it out for me. I designed it to automatically recharge from the user¡¯s mana whenever it blocks an attack, so keep an eye on your mana if that happens. The drain shouldn¡¯t be excessive, but it¡¯ll probably exceed your mana regeneration.¡±


    Offering the item to Zavira wasn¡¯t completely altruistic on my part. I really did need the enchantment tested, and there was no better place to do that than in a Trial where death was not permanent.


    Further, a part of me felt guilty about progressing beyond Zavira, and gifting her a growth item that would keep her safe in perpetuity felt like a good compromise to make if I was going to leave her behind.


    Granted, it wasn¡¯t like we were able to help each other in the labyrinth now, but that was just another reason to ensure she had something to help her stay safe, both now and after she eventually left.


    After decades of progressing together, I considered Zavira one of my closest friends ¨C if not the closest.


    It sucked that Zavira had no plans to remain in the dungeon once she reached the eighth floor since it would have been nice to reconnect with her there.


    I didn¡¯t plan on leaving right away since I wanted to get a good feel for the floor first. While it would have been nice to have someone to share that with, I understood her desire to leave. The seventh floor had been particularly rough for the sociable half-dwarf.


    I didn¡¯t necessarily want to delay my departure either, but after doing the calculations for how long it would take to finish the rest of the dungeon¡­ Saying I felt a little daunted would be an understatement.


    Regardless, as long as I made it back in time for Amie¡¯s awakening, I¡¯d consider it a win.


    <hr>


    [Welcome, Challenger!


    Complete the Trial and be rewarded.


    You may practice this Trial <u>0</u> times.


    You may challenge this Trial <u>1</u> time.


    Would you like to:


    <u>Practice,</u> <u>Challenge,</u> or <u>Exit</u> the Trial?


    * NOTE: You may reenter if you exit without challenging the Trial *]


    ¡°This looks like a repeat of the fifth-floor Trial,¡± Zavira commented after she probed the dungeon for more information. ¡°We get ten minutes between waves and can quit anytime using the orb.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to quit, though,¡± I said confidently.


    Since the dungeon was supposed to prevent actual death in trials, it made sense to push ourselves as far as possible. Giving up early seemed like a horrible waste of opportunity.


    ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Zavira agreed before lamenting, ¡°I wish the other challengers had been more open about what to expect.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably be like the last one,¡± I hypothesized. ¡°If the Researchers want to compare our performance, we should be able to expect a slow and steady increase in difficulty, just like last time. We should be prepared for a quick jump with each wave, though, just in case.¡±


    After taking a moment to prepare ourselves for an attack, we entered the trial.


    ¡°This looks exactly like the last wave trial,¡± I said as I looked around.


    We stood atop a hill next to a pedestal holding a glowing orb. I could see farther than before, but otherwise, the barren landscape seemed identical to the one we fought from so many years before.


    It took less than a minute for the first pair of creatures to emerge from the dense, swirling fog surrounding the hill.


    [Pyroavis ¨C level 61 ¨C Fire ¨C Quick-flying avians with ranged fire attacks. High regeneration when enflamed.]


    I loved the additional information provided by Assess now that I¡¯d leveled the skill close to its next evolution.


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯re starting at the bottom of Tier Seven for opponents, just like last time,¡± I commented. I didn¡¯t bother calling out the mobs¡¯ information since I knew Zavira had already examined the creatures with her own version of the spell.


    Since mana had been the limiting factor the last time that we challenged a wave trial, Zavira and I had already equipped ourselves with manatech weapons that primarily drew from mana cores instead of our personal reserves.


    We¡¯d worked together to craft our arsenal, mostly because Zavira refused to put any real effort into learning how to enchant beyond copying and transferring existing enchantments, and I felt similar about Smithing.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The waves took the same format as before, except the numbers didn¡¯t slowly increase by two. Instead, they doubled until capping at thirty-two. That was a lot even against weaker mobs, but we managed with a few strategically placed wards and enchantment-built walls.


    Another change from the fifth floor¡¯s Trial was that the dungeon didn¡¯t wait until the fiftieth wave to start mixing attackers. Instead, those came once our opponents reached level sixty-four.


    ¡°I hate when we have to fight flyers and strong ground mobs,¡± Zavira complained when the last of the creatures fell.


    I didn¡¯t bother attempting to collect any of the downed creatures since they weren¡¯t worth the expended mana ¨C even with my new enchanted ring making things easier.


    That would change once we started fighting Tier Eight opponents. I wasn¡¯t using much mana against the weaker mobs, but it was still enough that I didn¡¯t want to expend any more.


    I chewed on a sandwich I¡¯d stored in my ring as I waited for the next wave to start. Even without spending much mana, the strain of fighting so many mobs was starting to wear on me. It was too bad the dungeon wouldn¡¯t let me take advantage of Time Dilation during the challenge.


    ¡°How are you doing?¡± I asked after a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Zavira replied grumpily. ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying enough attention and one of the bats took a few points off the [Barrier] with a Wind Blade. The talisman has already recharged, so it¡¯s fine now.¡±


    ¡°Just a few points?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°About a tenth of the charge, I guess.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t too bad, considering our opponents were roughly equivalent to our level. The real test would be when the mobs reached Tier Eight.


    Though we¡¯d never reached that point in the previous wave trial, I expected we¡¯d get the opportunity to challenge ourselves against higher-tier mobs soon enough.


    <hr>


    When we¡¯d whittled down the last wave of the set to only two opponents, I darted out of the makeshift shelter and ran to the largest pile of dead mobs. Injecting a steady stream of mana into my secondary ring, every dead creature within ten meters disappeared, making me smile in satisfaction.


    Not wanting to waste the mana necessary to Teleport, I retraced my steps and helped Zavira kill the last of the attacking Tier Eight mobs.


    ¡°How many?¡± Zavira asked with a hint of strain.


    ¡°Twelve,¡± I replied with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. We can do a lot with that.¡± She looked relieved.


    ¡°I hope the next wave doesn¡¯t have any humanoid creatures,¡± I commented with a sigh. ¡°Those are such a pain to defeat in groups, and it always feels weird harvesting them. It wouldn¡¯t be so bad if there wasn¡¯t always a couple of spellcasters mixed in.¡±


    ¡°Are they really any different from other creatures that can cast spells?¡± Zavira asked.


    ¡°Not really,¡± I admitted. ¡°It¡¯s probably psychological. The orcs and grenolians in the high-tier zones are such a pain to fight, and nobody would ever even consider using their meat as food.¡±


    ¡°We use it in the MealMaker,¡± Zavira reminded me.


    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because they look too much like us,¡± my companion said knowingly.


    I nodded. No matter how edible such dungeon-made creatures may be, actually cooking and eating them was incredibly unappealing. Transmuting them was infinitely better since it changed the actual composition of the ingredients into something else ¨C something not humanoid.


    ¡°The perceived increase in difficulty has little to do with their actual offensive capabilities and more to do with their methods,¡± Zavira surmised. ¡°I¡¯m just glad they don¡¯t speak Common.¡±


    I agreed. It was bad enough that the dungeon-creations were smart enough to scheme. It would be a lot worse if they were capable of communicating with us.


    I knew that orcs, hobgoblins, and grenolians were sapient outside of the dungeon, as were several other monstrous races. I wasn¡¯t sure why the dungeon ¨C or whoever controlled it ¨C had decided to incorporate such beings as mobs, but I supposed it was better than adding monstrous versions of Alliance races.


    There were natural rifts that did such things, but those were normally destroyed whenever they were found. Nobody wanted monstrous humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, or demis breaking out of rifts and spreading.


    That had actually been an issue for demis when they were first discovered by the Alliance since people just assumed they were monsters like their rift counterparts.


    The next wave started a few moments later, but with only two mobs this time, it didn¡¯t take us long to defeat them. We didn¡¯t even bother standing since it was just as easy to spam spell effects while seated as it was to do it while standing.


    I was glad that each wave was comprised of different creatures since the variety of materials was helpful.


    ¡°How far do you think we can go this time?¡± I asked Zavira as I pulled out a small snack.


    We¡¯d shifted from eating the basic food to items we bought or transmuted to those we¡¯d purchased on the previous floor with imbued effects. While they were all a tier weaker, the effects were still worthwhile.


    The mana rejuvenation was particularly helpful as we progressed through the trial. Though the manatech we¡¯d crafted didn¡¯t take much mana to use, it still wasn¡¯t free. I also needed to cast the occasional Pause or Slow to keep us from getting overwhelmed, especially now that we were fighting stronger mobs.


    While the trial hadn¡¯t limited our arsenal like the previous one, there were only so many types of items one could craft from the same four bosses. We¡¯d held those weapons in reserve so far, knowing I wouldn¡¯t have time to craft once we started the trial.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°We should probably start using the Tier Eight weapons soon. The higher-tier mobs are taking a lot more attacks to defeat using Tier Seven weapons. We¡¯re going to drain the rest of our mana core supplies at this rate.¡±


    With a sigh, I said, ¡°Okay. I really wish the dungeon would give us a chance to craft between waves.¡±


    While we could probably get away with having only one person deal with the first two or three waves of a set, thirty minutes wasn¡¯t nearly enough to harvest and process the materials, much less craft a viable weapon.


    ¡°As do I,¡± Zavira replied.


    Using the higher-tiered weapons, the next several waves were easier. I collected as many carcasses as possible during waves with sixteen or thirty-two opponents, but even with the added mana cores, we weren¡¯t able to extend the use of our arsenal by much.


    Even so, I estimated the small addition allowed us to extend our fight by a full five-wave set.


    I was careful not to fully expend any of the weapons, which slightly shortened the amount of time I could use them. However, doing so ensured the expended mana cores could be refilled once I reached the next floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can make it much farther,¡± I said when I slotted my last Ice core into the weapon I was using. Zavira had already switched to fighting with her telekinetically-controlled enchanted blades.


    ¡°I agree. I¡¯ll try to grab as many bodies as possible before I go down.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± I said with a resolute nod. ¡°But we can probably make it through another wave or two.¡±


    I felt confident that even without the manatech weapons, I¡¯d be able to hold out for a while.


    ¡°My [Barrier] is gone,¡± Zavira said while shaking her head. ¡°I already swapped it out with the old one since I can¡¯t afford the mana it takes to keep it going. I don¡¯t think the one I have now will last more than a hit or two.¡±


    I winced slightly. ¡°I was torn on whether to have it automatically recharge or not, but figured it was better to block damage than take a fatal hit,¡± I said apologetically.


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely a valid point. It wasn¡¯t a bad decision,¡± she said supportively.


    The fog darkened slightly, a sign that the next set of mobs was being generated. I stood and slowly stretched as I watched the swirling fog in the distance.


    With a deep sigh, I said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

 Book 3 - Chapter 58 - An Unexpected Option

    Had our opponents not been so numerous, I felt confident that Zavira and I could have lasted a lot longer. As it was, we managed to make it to the sixty-ninth wave.


    Or rather, I did.


    Zavira fell during the sixty-eighth wave when the flying mobs broke through her barriers and slipped past her defenses. She fought well. But after more than a day of almost non-stop fighting, mistakes were almost expected.


    I managed to finish that wave and start the next one, but I was so tired by that point, I didn¡¯t last very long. I did manage to snag a few of the bodies before I ¡®died,¡¯ though.


    While that might have sounded like a worse performance than our previous wave trial, it really wasn¡¯t, considering the strength of our opponents had reached level seventy-four by the end.


    The amount of experience gained during the Trial was also quite good. Nearly two-hundred thousand experience points was an excellent start to getting through the capstone level.


    The last levels in a tier were always the worst, more than doubling the previous amount needed to increase a level.


    As I waited for the dungeon to determine my reward options, I pulled up my status for the first time in what felt like years to see how far I¡¯d come.


    ***


    Name: Emie deEp¨ªkairos


    Level: 70 (267009/3809800)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Merchant


    Affinities: Time, Space


    ***


    Health: 350/350


    Stamina: 84/610


    Mana: 108/920


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 26


    Agility ¨C 33


    Vitality ¨C 35


    Intelligence ¨C 92


    Wisdom ¨C 71


    Perception ¨C 38


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***


    Though I was fully healed, the dungeon¡¯s magic did not restore my stamina or mana. It wasn¡¯t a huge problem since the arrival platform was one of those places people weren¡¯t allowed to attack each other in the dungeon.


    Still, I¡¯d be sure to cast Barrier before exiting, now that I¡¯d recovered a bit of mana.


    I¡¯d stopped investing in Vitality a while back since getting hurt wasn¡¯t much of an issue, given the number of protective talismans I carried. Even if I did get injured, healing spells would fix the problem. I was pretty confident my E3 talisman would even revert instant-death injuries, though I wasn¡¯t willing to test it.


    I could always use one of the dungeon creatures as a test subject¡­


    I shook the errant thought away.


    [Congratulations on your performance!]


    [You have earned a boon.]


    I almost rubbed my hands together in excitement for my reward. I barely needed to look at the options since I already knew what I¡¯d choose. Just in case there was something new there, I made myself review everything.


    [As a reward for completing 68 waves of the Seventh Floor Trial, you may select one of the following:


    <ul>


    <li style="text-align: center">Growth crafting material of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Growth item of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Set of professional growth tools of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Intermediate Skill Crystal of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Advancement of one existing skill of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Intermediate Spell Crystal of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Advancement or evolution of one existing spell of choice</li>


    <li style="text-align: center">Minor Affinity Boost]</li>


    </ul>


    I almost overlooked the last entry. Even after seeing it, I still almost ignored it in my eagerness to boost my Enchanting skill. That one improvement would save me decades, perhaps a century (or more) of time and effort.


    But depending on how the affinity boost worked¡­ it might be worth it.


    If it just boosted an existing affinity, the boon wouldn¡¯t be as appealing since both of my affinities were quite high. Also, I already had a good idea on how to naturally boost an affinity, and I could probably get a lot farther with that in a century than I could Enchanting.


    But if it could raise an existing affinity that was too low to count¡­ that was something wholly different. Becoming a tri-affinity mage was such a big deal that it might be worth the delay, depending on which affinity I might unlock.


    If there was even one that might qualify.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how much a ¡®minor boost¡¯ would improve a non-affinity or if it would even be enough to awaken one. It didn¡¯t help that I had no idea what my non-affinity ratings were.


    Would the dungeon tell me?


    It should, since I assumed the dungeon knew what they were. The challenger apartments used a mana-testing crystal to obtain our mana signature on each floor, and I doubted a dungeon created for research purposes would give up such an easy data source.


    But first, I needed to see if Minor Affinity Boost even worked with affinities below the threshold or if they only applied to awakened affinities.


    I probed the selection for more information.


    [Minor Affinity Boost: Increase your affinity to a specific mana type by a small amount.]


    I huffed at the lack of elaboration and asked, ¡°What are my current affinities?¡± I crossed my fingers in hopes that the dungeon would feel like sharing.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    [Time: 95


    Space: 87


    Arcane: 14


    Soul: 12


    Void: 11


    Force: 10


    Shadow: 9


    Nature: 9


    Air: 9


    Life: 9


    Mind: 8


    Fire: 7


    Earth: 6


    Sound: 5


    Crystal: 5


    Fate: 5


    Water: 4


    Ice: 4


    Lightning: 3


    Metal: 3


    Light: 3


    Magma: 2


    Poison: 2


    Acid: 2


    Death: 2]


    I gaped at the increase in my affinities.


    Sure, they¡¯d both increased over time in the other timeline, but I didn¡¯t expect that trend to continue with the boost they¡¯d received upon my return. I suspected the added improvement was due to a mix of training and the mastery skills I¡¯d gotten after the last two Trials.


    Knowing that my Space affinity was just a few points shy of reaching ¡®Exceptional¡¯ made me tempted to select it right away. The improvement I noticed between timelines could not be understated, and Master Kairos had mentioned the value of having an exceptional affinity rating more than once.


    Space was already such a strong affinity. How much better would it be if it crossed the next threshold?


    And then there was Arcane. It was only two points from qualifying as a weak affinity.


    I¡¯d always felt a connection to the ¡®element,¡¯ though that may have been wishful thinking on my part after learning how flexible it was. But to see how close¡­ I really could become a tri-affinity mage!


    I hesitated only because I knew it was possible to do it without a dungeon reward. I even knew where an Arcane mana well was.


    Then again, people without an Arcane affinity risked dying if they got too close. Would I be able to awaken the affinity without killing myself in the process?


    And I couldn¡¯t just ignore my original goal of becoming a Master Enchanter.


    I really wanted to improve the skill to the Master level. To give it up now after working for so long to reach the next stage¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure that I could.


    But it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t earn it on my own.


    Sure, picking it now would save a ton of time, but it was something I could manage myself, eventually. And so was improving my existing affinities, for that matter.


    The only one that wasn¡¯t assured with time and effort was gaining a third affinity.


    While others had done it, their methods weren¡¯t usually shared.


    Had they achieved that feat through the dungeon?


    I assumed it was possible to gain a few points with a mana well because Ros had done it, but his situation was far different from mine. It was entirely possible that getting too close to the mana well would kill me, even if Arcane was only a couple of points away from awakening.


    But if I used the boon to awaken it now, I might be able to use the mana well to increase it later.


    I wanted to pull my hair out at the options. I had everything planned, and this one addition had completely thrown everything into disarray!


    Not only that, but I also needed to consider how gaining a third affinity might impact my future.


    People had practically fallen over Sumi for having three affinities, and I was pretty sure they were all pretty weak. Would choosing this path be more of a headache than it was worth?


    I really wished I could discuss my options with Master Kairos. He¡¯d never mentioned something like this might be an option, and we¡¯d discussed Trial rewards numerous times over the years.


    Then again, he hadn¡¯t known the mastery skills were an option, either.


    Still, this was different. The option was listed instead of being hidden behind a seemingly lackluster selection.


    Was it something new? Did the option only become available because of Sir Eri¡¯Non¡¯s experiments? Or was it a performance thing?


    I had so many questions!


    But those didn¡¯t matter right now. I needed to make a decision.


    If I chose to boost my unawakened Arcane affinity, there was a possibility that it still wouldn¡¯t awaken. If it only went up by one point, it wouldn¡¯t cross the threshold, and my reward would be effectively wasted.


    The thought made me shiver.


    If it did awaken, I¡¯d be a tri-affinity mage with Time, Space, and Arcane. That was¡­ crazy.


    Unless I always wore a [Disguise] amulet, I¡¯d probably get harassed constantly. I might even need to worry about being kidnapped or having my eggs forcibly removed if Rhona¡¯s deal with Sumi was any indication.


    They¡¯d literally promised her a cushy life for little more than a few eggs. It was crazy.


    Then again, her tri-affinity status was natural. That made a difference.


    The thought soothed my worries a bit.


    Gaining Arcane as a third affinity would make crafting easier ¨C so much easier. It would almost certainly speed up my skill progression.


    And it wasn¡¯t like I needed to reach Master Enchanter before leaving the dungeon. I didn¡¯t even need to reach it this century! It was just a goal I¡¯d always dreamt of reaching.


    Now I was a single choice away from reaching it. I could leave the Trial a Master Enchanter and¡­ what? Enchant a little easier? Gain a few new Enchanting techniques and insights?


    Was that worth giving up a potential third affinity?


    What if the option was never offered again?


    Improving a skill had been a consistent Trial reward, so there was a good chance I¡¯d be able to get it on the next floor anyway.


    Framing it that way, the choice seemed kinda obvious.


    Though there was some risk involved, I decided to take it. The potential benefits were simply too great to ignore.


    = = =


    I felt Time and Soul mana surrounding me, coupled with a sense of discomfort.


    Something had happened, but I wasn¡¯t quite sure what.


    ¡°There you are!¡± Zavira said excitedly. ¡°Let¡¯s go to your apartment and discuss our rewards. I can¡¯t wait to hear what you thought about the addition!¡±


    There were only a couple of people nearby, but both seemed to perk up at her comment.


    Still feeling a bit dazed, I cast Barrier before stepping off the platform. I¡¯d somehow forgotten to cast it before selecting my reward.


    Zavira was practically vibrating by the time we reached my door. We usually spent time in my apartment since I¡¯d spatially expanded it far more than I¡¯d done in hers. It was also closer to the entrance.


    When I tried to enter the apartment, the door didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Huh. It isn¡¯t opening,¡± I said blankly.


    Lisa alerted me that I¡¯d been targeted by an inspection spell. I glanced around and didn¡¯t see anyone other than Zavira. Spatial Sense agreed with my vision and assured me that we were alone, so I returned the gesture.


    [Zavira de Hephastios ¨C level 69 ¨C Smith/Trader/Cartographer ¨C Force/Metal]


    ¡°You got a second affinity!¡± I exclaimed.


    We had discussed our reward plans several times over the years, and Zavira had recently decided to obtain Metal Magic Mastery in hopes that the insights involved would be enough to awaken the affinity.


    She¡¯d known her non-affinity ratings before entering the dungeon, and having Metal rated at fifteen ¨C a single point below the threshold ¨C had always been a bit of a sore point for the half-dwarf since having the second affinity would have made her Smithing that much easier.


    Seeing her tertiary profession wasn¡¯t a surprise since she¡¯d swapped it out as soon as we arrived on the floor. I¡¯d considered doing the same, but ultimately felt like Merchant would earn more experience than charting the ever-changing labyrinth.


    ¡°You got a third!¡± she replied, almost affronted. ¡°Seriously, how is that fair?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon gave me all my ratings. I had no idea I was so close with Arcane. I thought maybe Void or Force, or maybe one of the affinities my parents have. But¡­ yeah.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon gave you all your ratings? Even an update on Time and Space?¡± Zavira asked curiously.


    I nodded. ¡°They both increased.¡±


    ¡°Of course they did.¡±


    I tried to suppress my grin. I really didn¡¯t want to rub it in, but I was really excited about the improvements and my new affinity.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t tell me what my new Arcane affinity is, though,¡± I added thoughtfully.


    ¡°We should go check that! I didn¡¯t even ask what mine were!¡± Zavira replied. ¡°And with a new affinity, your mana signature probably changed. Maybe that¡¯s why your door isn¡¯t opening. Mine probably won¡¯t work either.¡±


    Zavira was correct in her assumption, and a quick visit to the dungeon golem in the lobby sorted the issue.


    It also allowed us to check our updated affinities.


    I¡¯d hoped for more, but considering the circumstances, having an Arcane affinity score of sixteen wasn¡¯t bad. It was barely enough to qualify as an affinity ¨C or awaken one, depending on one¡¯s perception ¨C but that was all I needed for now.


    Zavira¡¯s new Metal affinity was rated at eighteen, which had pleased the Smith immensely.


    ¡°It¡¯s low, but that¡¯s fine. With as much as I¡¯ll use it, I feel confident it will rise in time,¡± she said once we made it inside my apartment. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to craft with it! What do you want me to make? You need more rings, right?¡±


    I smiled at Zavira¡¯s renewed enthusiasm. It was nice to see her happy and excited again. The dungeon had felt like a slog for far too long.

 Book 3 - Chapter 59 - Dinner Conversations

    My mana was draining far faster than I was used to as I layered the enchantments on the thin blade. Working with a weak affinity was completely different from using one at the other end of the spectrum.


    Even so, gaining access to my own personal reserve of Arcane mana was worth the small inconvenience of needing to take breaks while crafting growth items.


    It still amazed me that I was capable of crafting such items. I¡¯d been crafting like a mad-woman since returning from the Trial, though I¡¯d likely have done that anyway had I chosen the skill upgrade.


    Most of the items I¡¯d crafted would serve as gifts for friends and family once I left the dungeon ¨C a benchmark that I was growing ever closer to reaching.


    I was still a little bummed that I wasn¡¯t already a Master Enchanter, but I told myself that I could always boost the skill during the next Trial. It was true, after all.


    Maybe I¡¯d get lucky and the dungeon wouldn¡¯t have additional restrictions on the next one. It would be great if I could accomplish such an important feat before taking my decade-long break from the dungeon.


    As the enchantment fully manifested and anchored to the weapon, I breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ¡®Zavira is already at the restaurant,¡¯ Lisa informed me, saving me the trouble of needing to read the last couple of messages that had been blinking incessantly for the last few minutes.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said aloud.


    I stored my newest creation and took a moment to clean myself up before teleporting just outside of the restaurant Zavira had selected for dinner.


    I was only a little surprised that neither of us had been attacked since the Trial, though we¡¯d provided ample opportunities for greedy challengers to make a move.


    Between the natural deterrence that came from killing everyone who tried and our continued progression, it was only a matter of time before the stubbornly greedy were taken care of.


    Adding my new status as a tri-affinity mage into the mix¡­ I doubted anyone would bother us further.


    Even native dungeoneers appeared to have a weird sort of reverence for tri-affinity mages. It seemed that reverence even extended to someone they knew hadn¡¯t awoken as such.


    ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Zavira chided as I sat down. Her mauve sect robes had been augmented with a thin belt of dark silver cloth that she must have obtained through the kiosk. ¡°I already ordered a couple of appetizers. They should be out any minute.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said sincerely before reaching for the glass of water in front of me. ¡°Sorry about the delay. I still haven¡¯t gotten used to using my own Arcane mana instead of a core. It takes so much more mana to do anything. I have no idea how people with weak affinities get anything accomplished.¡±


    ¡°They usually don¡¯t become crafters,¡± Zavira said with an amused grin. ¡°If they do, they use mana cores almost exclusively. As you know, the results are never quite as good, so not a lot of people go that route.¡±


    I inclined my head toward my friend. Her comments made sense from a certain perspective. I had no doubt some low-tier crafters could be quite successful using nothing but mana cores, but it wouldn¡¯t be sustainable beyond a certain level.


    ¡°How is your new Metal affinity working out for you?¡± I asked, shifting the focus of the conversation to my companion.


    Zavira and I had both decided to spend a few months focused on training with our new affinities before re-entering the labyrinth ¨C not that either of us necessarily needed to wait on the other. However, we both felt the desire to test our new affinities, not just via crafting, but also with a bit of spell casting.


    Years ago, I¡¯d given Zavira a copy of the booklet that I¡¯d made out of the game guide I¡¯d created for Earthborn to help with the transition, so she already had access to a decent number of basic Metal spellforms without needing to purchase them through the system.


    I used the same resource to learn several Arcane spells ¨C with Lisa¡¯s help, of course. I also did a fair bit of Spell Modification to adapt some of the other elemental spellforms into something that worked with Arcane mana.


    They took more mana to use, but that was a fair exchange for the massive increase in flexibility.


    Further, I found that adding a bit of Arcane mana to my regular spells made them significantly more effective. It was a similar principle to mixing Time and Space mana to get greater effects, except that when adding Arcane mana, the original spell effects were multiplied instead of merely enhanced with a second element.


    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Zavira said. ¡°I¡¯ve spent a lot of time Meditating on the element, and I feel like that has improved my connection quite a bit. It never made much of a difference when I did so before, but now that I have the affinity¡­¡± Zavira trailed off as a low-tier waiter brought out the appetizers and took our meal orders.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    As he walked away, I wondered if conveniences like restaurants with people working in service-type jobs would exist on higher floors. Aside from a single challenger claiming to have been born on the ninth floor ¨C a claim I¡¯d only heard secondhand ¨C I hadn¡¯t heard of anyone growing up on a higher floor.


    Dungeon challengers almost never worked regular jobs or performed roles that didn¡¯t contribute to their progression, so unless there was a community of non-challengers, I couldn¡¯t see such amenities being available.


    There might be people with crafting skills or lifestyle professions, but without support personnel, their efforts wouldn¡¯t become available to others.


    Unless everything was handled through the kiosk. I wasn¡¯t sure how that would work for something like Cooking, though.


    It would certainly make obtaining certain types of alternate experience more difficult.


    ¡°I should probably do the same thing,¡± I commented after quickly scanning both dishes with my MealMaker. Because we hadn¡¯t taken advantage of the limited restaurants on the floor like we had on previous floors, there were still several dishes I hadn¡¯t obtained the blueprint for.


    Reading into my comment, Zavira asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t Mediated on your new affinity yet?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± I replied. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t the same as connecting to Time or Space for the first time.¡±


    I remembered the experience distinctly, even though it had been a lifetime ago. The first time I¡¯d Meditated after the system had activated ¨C back in the first timeline ¨C I¡¯d gained a whole new understanding of my affinities by tapping into the ethereal streams that represented the two mana types.


    At the time, only Space and Time were accessible, with faint sparks of colors in the background being all that represented my non-affinities.


    Now, in addition to the shimmering Time stream and the deep purple Space stream that I¡¯d grown accustomed to, there was a dark black strand of mana that seemed to almost absorb hints of every other mana type.


    The strand was so faint that I had difficulty connecting to it, which made insights into the new magic type nearly impossible. I hoped that, with time, that would change.


    ¡°I understand that,¡± Zavira said between bites of the small appetizers. ¡°My Force affinity is so much more robust than Metal, but I¡¯ve still made progress with it. It probably helps that I¡¯ve been working with Metal practically my whole life.¡±


    The meal was delivered a few minutes later, and we continued to chat about our experiences with our new affinities as the food slowly disappeared.


    Neither of us worried about being overheard by nearby diners. By this point, almost everyone knew about our gains from the Trial, so there was little reason not to discuss the topic.


    ¡°Oh, I meant to tell you,¡± Zavira said before we left the restaurant. ¡°I ran into Niall earlier today. I think he¡¯s hoping to reconnect with you on the next floor. I told him you were close to moving on, but you¡¯d be taking a break. He mentioned catching up and perhaps working together. I reminded him that I likely wouldn¡¯t return for the foreseeable future, but I don¡¯t think he cared. He seemed more interested in accompanying you, anyway.¡±


    I¡¯d maintained a friendly relationship with the Kastet in the years since he¡¯d left our party, and we still honored our original agreement about exchanging Void mana for an updated E3 talisman, but I really hadn¡¯t gotten the impression that he was interested in rejoining us.


    Part of that might have been circumstantial, but with my expected break, it was entirely possible that he would not only catch up, but bypass us.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I said neutrally. ¡°He was a very reliable teammate while we were together.¡±


    ¡°His fighting style isn¡¯t really compatible with the ¡®blast everything¡¯ method you¡¯ve shifted to,¡± Zavira said jokingly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t always fight that way,¡± I rebutted. ¡°I¡¯ve had to get used to fighting more conservatively in the labyrinths. I can do more than just throw manatech spell effects or freeze opponents!¡±


    Zavira chuckled. ¡°I know. But you have to admit, anytime you¡¯re faced with more than a few opponents, you tend to lean toward high-impact ranged attacks or putting everyone in time-out. For all your training, melee fighting still isn¡¯t your strong suit.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong ¨C not that she was much better. With our joint efforts in crafting, we¡¯d both gotten spoiled as far as manatech weaponry went.


    ¡°I¡¯m probably going to make a push for the eighth floor soon,¡± I said a few minutes later. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t take too long, I¡¯ll wait for you before leaving the dungeon. Hell, I might end up staying a little after that, depending on the timing.¡±


    Zavira¡¯s expression slipped. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long I want to stay once I reach the next floor,¡± she replied with a frown. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind doing another Trial and getting Metal Magic Mastery, but if it isn¡¯t something available right away, I probably won¡¯t stay very long. This floor has been¡­ rough. If it wasn¡¯t for the potential benefits of reaching the next floor, I would probably leave now.¡±


    I understood her perspective. The isolation involved with being forced to go solo in the labyrinth was no joke. For someone as social as Zavira, it had to be torture.


    Adding that to the strain of being constantly on guard around the other challengers¡­ I could see why she¡¯d be eager to leave the dungeon.


    In fact, I figured there was a good chance she¡¯d never come back once she left, even if she did make it to the eighth floor.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I assured her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to stay with me. If you don¡¯t think you¡¯ll come back, you shouldn¡¯t force yourself to stay for my sake. I¡¯m trying to time things where I meet up with my family on Hadier just before Amie¡¯s fifteenth birthday. Since they normally do awakening ceremonies during the fifteenth year, I don¡¯t want to risk missing it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, not having you on the same floor is going to make it so much worse,¡± Zavira said with a sad smile, ¡°I¡¯ll try to see it as motivation to progress faster instead of letting myself give up. I¡¯ve never been a quitter.¡±


    Communicating between floors was a lot like communicating with people outside of the dungeon ¨C message exchanges only occurred once a month, and everything was censored. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to losing my sole conversation partner.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s still a couple of years away, even with my new power-up,¡± I said soothingly. ¡°With my ability to teleport being nerfed, it¡¯ll still take time to make my way through the labyrinth.¡±


    That was only partially true since I could still teleport within range of Spatial Sense. While the dungeon heavily restricted both abilities, it didn¡¯t completely negate them.


    Seeing through my falsehood, Zavira scoffed lightly and straightened her back. ¡°Right. Well, I¡¯ll be sure to make it to the next floor before you leave. I can¡¯t have you showing me up too much. I¡¯d never hear the end of it.¡±


    The last part was said with a smile, but having discussed our respective Patriarch¡¯s friendship before, I didn¡¯t doubt there was a kernel of truth to the comment.

 Book 3 - Chapter 60 - The Eighth Floor

    It did not take a couple of years for me to acquire the requisite experience that I needed to advance to Tier Eight. It really should have, but once I decided to make a push for advancement, I found myself progressing quite swiftly.


    It was partly because I stopped caring about using the fights as training sessions. Instead, I focused on maximizing my lethality.


    I¡¯d previously largely ignored my most effective spells and techniques in an attempt to remain well-rounded. Shifting away from that approach, I started fighting like a true Time Mage and stopped worrying so much about being a generalist.


    I was only able to fight this way because I could recover between fights ¨C something I hadn¡¯t been able to do during the Trial.


    Some creatures ¨C especially the humanoid ones ¨C were able to resist my offensive Time spells to some degree. That meant nothing when I targeted myself with an overpowered Haste spell, but I still made a point of neutralizing those individuals first whenever I encountered them.


    An exceptional Time affinity and training on how to use it really was an unfair advantage, especially when I was able to enhance such spells with a sliver of Arcane mana. I could understand why some people might develop an inferiority complex when comparing themselves to Time Mages.


    Still, I had no plans to completely give up the other methods of fighting that I¡¯d been using for the last few decades. There was a time and place for everything. It was hardly my fault that Time magic had a place in most fights.


    With a sigh, I considered the time I¡¯d spent in the dungeon. I¡¯d been climbing for roughly thirty-seven years by this point. That equated to just under seven and a half years on the outside.


    Amie had only just turned twelve years old, which meant I had about three more years before I needed to be on Hadier. Given the variation in time dilation between the two worlds, I¡¯d need to leave within fourteen local years to ensure I wouldn¡¯t miss her awakening ceremony.


    I didn¡¯t see Zavira taking another decade to get through the last two levels of the tier, so I wasn¡¯t really worried about promising to wait for her.


    If anything, we might take a few years so Zavira could get a feel for the floor before we departed.


    In all honesty, I doubted Zavira would ever return to the dungeon after she left. Even so, the knowledge of what to expect on the eighth floor would be valuable. Further, it would allow me to shave a few more years off the backside of my climb.


    While a part of me was anxious to return to my family, another part was anxious about returning to my family.


    I¡¯d been gone for so long¡­ even if it didn¡¯t feel quite so long to them. I felt like I¡¯d changed in so many small ways. The seventh floor alone had brought a huge shift in my perception, given how isolated I¡¯d been and how often I¡¯d needed to kill other challengers.


    Would my family and friends recognize me once the barrier between us was removed?


    Would they understand if I described my experiences, or would they consider me a murderer and want nothing to do with me?


    That uncertainty was why I¡¯d always downplayed the negative aspects of the dungeon, and I never mentioned needing to kill other challengers.


    I shook my head and finalized my apartment clearance with the dungeon golem. It wasn¡¯t strictly necessary, considering the dungeon¡¯s near omniscience within its domain, but I figured the courtesy didn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually said I wasn¡¯t holding you back,¡± Zavira pouted from beside me. ¡°It¡¯s going to take me four or five years to get through the last level, and you did it in less than two!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the addition of Arcane,¡± I insisted with a grin. ¡°Seriously, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill that quickly before.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t even lying. Even if I¡¯d used the same approach, the results wouldn¡¯t have been as effective without the addition of Arcane mana.


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Zavira said sarcastically. Her eyes didn¡¯t match the tone of her voice. They looked far sadder than I expected.


    I patted Zavira¡¯s shoulder lightly.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve already exchanged gifts,¡± I said as I stepped through the automatic doors leading outside. ¡°I¡¯ll message you often ¨C probably more than once a month. Don¡¯t be surprised if you get, like, twenty-five messages when the next exchange happens.¡±


    The Smith¡¯s lips curled slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll probably do the same,¡± she admitted. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be different, knowing you¡¯re still in the dungeon. Writing people back home always feels a little forced since they don¡¯t really get it.¡±


    I nodded in understanding before pausing at the base of the arrival platform. I could have headed back into the labyrinth and challenged another boss, but that seemed risky, given the time limit.


    After exchanging a hug, I stepped onto the platform and walked to the portal. With one last wave goodbye, I reached for the swirling mass of visible mana and selected my next destination: the Eighth Floor.


    = = =


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="623">


    Welcome to the 8<sup>th</sup> Floor of the Realm Dungeon!


    There are changes to the rules on this floor:


    There are no longer safe zones. However, the restriction on violence still applies to the portal platform and within any dungeon structure under the control of a dungeon golem.


    You may NOT shelter or loiter within dungeon structures. Violations will result in punitive action.


    Do not restrict another challenger¡¯s access to the kiosk.


    You may leave the dungeon at any time using one of the portals.


    You may re-enter the dungeon one time. This authorization does not expire and cannot be transferred.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.*Note: Items brought back into the dungeon cannot exceed your tier*


    You have been temporarily rendered infertile. Children are not allowed in the dungeon beyond the seventh floor.


    Upon reaching Tier Nine, you have 100 hours to exit the floor. Failure to comply will result in ejection from the dungeon.


    Ascend swiftly, Challenger!


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I wondered what the dungeon would do if someone tried to enter the eighth floor with a juvenile. It was supposed to be possible if the kid wasn¡¯t awakened. There had to be a warning message if someone tried.


    What kind of problems would something like that cause for someone who¡¯d already tiered up and suddenly couldn¡¯t take their child along with them? Granted, it probably wasn¡¯t much of a problem at this level, but still!


    It was certainly a notable change.


    Another noteworthy change was the sudden (temporary) sterilization of challengers.


    That seemed to come totally out of the blue¡­ but looking around, I got an inkling why such a control might have been implemented.


    The notification had mentioned there were no more safe zones, and that fact was made readily apparent by the trio of lupine creatures prowling around the platform.


    They didn¡¯t try climbing the slightly elevated area, but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t.


    Wary, I followed the raised walkway connecting the arrival platform and the familiar covered market housing the dungeon¡¯s Trading Post.


    It was small, perhaps about a quarter of the size of the last floor¡¯s covered market. Only the dungeon golem¡¯s stand was present. There weren¡¯t even any challengers present.


    ¡°Greetings, new arrival! I see you¡¯ve recently made your way through the dungeon,¡± the golem said jovially. It was always a little weird to interact with the very sapient-seeming constructs. ¡°I have several items that might benefit you should you decide to remain on the floor. In case you haven¡¯t already noticed, this floor is quite a bit different than those preceding it.¡±


    ¡°I see that,¡± I replied before glancing at the growing number of wolf-like creatures pacing just outside the threshold. ¡°What do you recommend?¡±


    The golem seemed to inflate at the question. I doubted many challengers bothered asking for advice.


    ¡°Well, it seems you are an Enchanter of some repute within the dungeon, so most of my normal recommendations probably don¡¯t apply. For example, I assume you¡¯ve already crafted several weapons.¡±


    I tilted my head in agreement.


    ¡°And, you¡¯ll certainly need reliable shelter, but given the challenges on the seventh floor, I imagine you¡¯ve already got that handled,¡± the golem said knowingly.


    I nodded again and retrieved my latest pod from my ring. ¡°I¡¯ll probably make a new one now that I¡¯m Tier Eight, but this is what I used on the previous floor.¡±


    The golem examined the item with an interested look. ¡°This will probably suffice as long as you remain on the lower moon. The wards should be sufficient for now. However, I would not explore the upper moon until you upgrade.¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°Moons?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± the golem said with a grin. ¡°This floor is comprised of two moons. The lower moon has creatures ranging from low to high-Tier Eight, while the upper moon houses those at peak tier and the floor bosses. The bridge connecting the two moons can be found at the northernmost peak of the lower moon. For reference, we are currently at the southernmost tip of the lower moon.¡±


    I inhaled deeply. It looked like I might get to test teleporting or creating portals between two celestial bodies soon.


    ¡°Are there portals between zones?¡±


    ¡°No. Not the way you¡¯re imagining,¡± the golem said solemnly. ¡°There are several Trading Posts scattered throughout the sister moons, each of which leads to the same place. By that,¡± it clarified, ¡°I mean if you enter another Trading Post, you will always be here. When you exit, you will return to the area from which you entered.¡±


    ¡°So, no quick methods of transportation?¡±


    ¡°That should hardly matter to a Space Mage, I would think,¡± the golem replied.


    ¡°And the portal is connected to each Trading Post?¡± I asked, glancing toward the glowing portal nearby.


    ¡°The portal is connected to this Trading Post. The others are mere illusions that lead here. If you enter one on the upper moon, you will arrive here the same as someone who enters one of the Trading Posts on the lower moon. This facility connects to the portal, so if you decide to leave, you need only find a Trading Post.¡±


    I nodded thoughtfully. I was pretty sure I understood, though I¡¯d have to visit a couple of other facilities to be sure.


    ¡°Is there a Hot Spring on this floor?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There is, but you¡¯ll have to discover it,¡± the golem said, not giving anything away.


    ¡°What about a Trial?¡±


    ¡°Again, you¡¯ll need to discover it for yourself,¡± the golem said with amusement before its countenance shifted. ¡°Would you like to buy or sell anything today? I¡¯m afraid we are reaching the limit of your time within the Trading Post without a transaction.¡±


    I quickly considered my inventory, both internal and within the rings I carried. I couldn¡¯t think of anything in particular that I might need right away aside from information.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m good for now,¡± I said hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯ll come back once I have a better idea of what I need.¡±


    I could feel the golem¡¯s artificial eyes watching as I exited the covered pavilion. I didn¡¯t bother to hold back and immediately cast Haste and rushed the nearby creatures. Removing the pair of batons I¡¯d used most frequently over the last couple of years, it didn¡¯t take long for the last of the defenseless creatures to fall.


    Not seeing any noticeable differences between the four cardinal directions, I put my back toward the Trading Post and started walking.


    I wanted to get as much exploration done as possible before Zavira joined me in a few years.


    = = =


    ¡°You need to start heading south soon,¡± Lisa warned me as I cast Cleanse to remove the blood and grime from my spear.


    Shaking my head at how fast time had passed ¨C a huge change from my perception on previous floors ¨C I collected my kills and oriented myself.


    Teleporting across two moons wasn¡¯t something that I could do in a single jump, even with a beacon at my target location. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was dungeon interference or an aspect of interplanetary teleportation, but something about crossing the space between the moons made my skill fail every time.


    I was inclined to think it was a matter of dungeon fuckery, but until I could test it outside the dungeon, I couldn¡¯t know for sure.


    Of course, I could have just built a physical portal since I¡¯d been trained in such enchantments, but it wasn¡¯t worth the time and materials for something that I could manage with a couple of chained teleports.


    I appeared near the mid-point between the two moons, standing atop the lightly glowing bridge that connected the two moons. The bridge was not without dangers ¨C likely by design ¨C but those were easily avoided as long as I moved quickly.


    I normally would have taken the time to kill everything nearby since the materials from the bridge-dwelling creatures were quite valuable, but I didn¡¯t want to be late.


    After taking a few steps forward ¨C just enough to cross the invisible midpoint on the bridge ¨C I teleported again. This time, I appeared just outside the arrival platform.


    Zavira had let me know she was getting close to tiering up in her last message, and since she already knew about the monthly challenger market ¨C something I¡¯d only learned about after a couple of months on the floor ¨C she¡¯d coordinated her arrival for the next one.


    Conveniently, it coincided with the monthly message exchange, making it easy to keep up with.


    After glancing at the empty arrival platform, I stepped into the Trading Post. Several challengers were already present, a few of whom I¡¯d traded with on more than one occasion.


    The monthly market was the only day of the month that the dungeon¡¯s loitering rules were relaxed, allowing challengers to trade and socialize for a few short hours every month.


    Somehow, those hours did more to satisfy my minor need for social interaction than weeks spent in town on the seventh floor had. Maybe it had to do with how nice everyone was on the eighth floor? Nobody had even tried attacking me yet!


    I suspected their friendliness had more to do with my status as a tri-affinity mage than anything, though I didn¡¯t let myself dwell on the theory. Regardless of why, the other challengers were still nice, and positive interactions went a long way.


    The portal rippled, drawing my attention just before Zavira stepped through.


    ¡°Oh! A newbie!¡± someone exclaimed. ¡°She sure has good timing!¡±


    Only paying half a mind to the comments behind me, I headed toward the portal with an eager smile.


    Four years was both a long time and hardly any time at all. Either way, I was looking forward to spending some time with my closest friend before we left the dungeon.

 Book 3 - Epilogue

    ¡°It was nice spending a few years with you, old man,¡± Henlen said with a bittersweet smile as he watched his old friend¡¯s descendant disappear from the holofeed.


    He hated that the last three floors of the dungeon were hidden from outside observation, but it was probably better this way. While it would have been nice to see what was happening, most agreed that keeping the last few tiers-worth of growth private was in the challengers¡¯ best interests.


    Nobody wanted all of their secrets exposed, after all.


    Henlen glanced at his longtime friend and smiled. The dwarf was roughly the same age as Henlen, but nobody would guess that he was nearing the millennia mark just by looking at him.


    That applied to both of them.


    It was a mixture of advancing quickly through the lower tiers, which went a long way, and regular rejuvenation treatments.


    Henlen would probably give the dwarf another treatment or two before he ascended, but even without it, Heph was capable of easily living a few millennia longer. That would give the stubborn dwarf more than enough time to ascend and join him in the next realm.


    ¡°Who are you calling old, Time Mage?¡± Heph replied with a grin. ¡°You¡¯re older than I am!¡±


    ¡°Barely,¡± Henlen replied dismissively before standing up. ¡°I suppose I might as well head back to the sect and get things prepared. How long do you think we have before the girls leave the dungeon?¡±


    Heph scratched his thick beard as he contemplated the question. ¡°Based on the message I just received, probably not very long. Zavira had to force herself to reach the eighth floor. I¡¯m not sure how long Emie will manage to keep her there.¡±


    Henlen glanced at the now-darkened holoscreen. He¡¯d made note of the young Force Smith¡¯s struggle to progress alone on the seventh floor several times, so he couldn¡¯t say he was surprised by the news.


    ¡°I should probably hurry, then,¡± Henlen commented as he extended his hand forward. ¡°I¡¯m sure Zavira will welcome a break in the Hot Spring before leaving, so we probably have at least a few months, but that won¡¯t equate to much outside of Sira.¡±


    Emie had found the resource a year or so earlier, and he had no doubt she¡¯d ensure her friend got the opportunity to buff her regeneration before calling it quits.


    Heph grasped his long-time friend¡¯s wrist firmly. ¡°I¡¯ll wait here, just in case they decide to leave before word can be sent. I doubt it will happen, but you never know,¡± he added wisely.


    ¡°Contact me immediately if that occurs,¡± Henlen said. ¡°The tasks I need to accomplish shouldn¡¯t take very long, but they¡¯ll still take time.¡±


    After one last goodbye, the Time Mage departed, heading directly for the local portal. It would take a few connections to reach his first destination, but that was fine. He had plenty of things to occupy his minds.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­we will be leaving the dungeon next month. We¡¯re timing it to coincide with the message exchange because Master Kairos plans to meet us. I¡¯m not sure how long it will take for me to get to Hadier since Master Kairos said I need to stop by the sect headquarters first. I think I¡¯m officially going to be transitioning from a disciple into an Elder.


    It¡¯s a little weird, right? I don¡¯t really have any experience with the sect outside of interacting with Master Kairos and his assistants back on Earth. How am I supposed to suddenly become an Elder?


    Master Kairos promises it¡¯ll be fine. He said it¡¯s more of an honorary thing anyway, given my situation. I¡¯ll still be expected to teach some, but I won¡¯t have the same kinds of obligations that most Elders have.


    Do you think they¡¯ll resent me for that? I would probably resent me for basically jumping ranks if I were a normal sect member.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I think I¡¯m psyching myself out a little.


    Zavira said nobody would care. If anything, the fact that I¡¯m Tier Eight and have progressed in the Realm Dungeon will be a point of pride for most of them. I hope she¡¯s right.


    I made a few new trinkets for you guys. I know you said that what I¡¯ve saved is plenty, but I don¡¯t see it that way. I can¡¯t wait to sit down with Bell now that she¡¯s spent a few years getting officially trained as an Enchanter. She¡¯s always so weird about sharing what she¡¯s learned.


    Yes, I¡¯m calling you out, Miss Advanced Enchanter!


    I can¡¯t wait to meet the twins! I know I say that a lot, but that doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t true. I hate that I¡¯ve missed their whole lives!


    And, yes, I know! You¡¯ve said several times that I should just leave the dungeon as soon as I was eligible. Yes, it¡¯s my fault that I missed more of their lives than I had to. I have no excuses. Unless you were there with me, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to understand.


    And I¡¯m glad you weren¡¯t there. The seventh floor, in particular, was¡­ rough.


    Jeez, I¡¯m all over the place. Sorry about that. It¡¯s times like this that I regret making a promise not to edit my messages to you guys!


    Don¡¯t think I¡¯m too weird, okay? I know I¡¯ve changed a lot, but I¡¯m still me, and I still love you all. Expect a call when I leave the dungeon ¨C or maybe Sira. I¡¯m not sure how real-time communication works between Sira and other non-dilated worlds.


    Regardless, I¡¯ll talk to you soon.


    Love,


    Emie¡±


    ¡°She sounds more stressed than usual,¡± Bell commented as Justin sent the message to the printer. They had a week to reply, but they tried to do it the same day they received a message to avoid forgetting.


    While missing a week here or there might not seem like that big of a deal to them, they knew it was important to Emie. And the time dilation involved didn¡¯t help very much, either.


    They¡¯d forgotten a few times over the years, and though Emie never said anything, Justin and Bell suspected the oversight had hurt her feelings.


    It was just hard to remember, sometimes, especially when there were other things happening when the message came through. It was so easy to lose track of things between all the other little aspects of life.


    ¡°She does sound pretty stressed out,¡± Justin replied as he slid the printed sheets into the folder he used to hold all of their correspondence with Emie. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I blame her, though. It¡¯s only been eight years and change for us, but for her, it¡¯s been more than forty. Can you imagine being away from everyone for forty years and then returning? The subjective time difference doesn¡¯t help, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just waiting a year between visits is bad enough.¡±


    Justin nodded in agreement. ¡°And your family has come to visit us a couple of times, too. Mom and Dad moved here because they couldn¡¯t take the distance, and that was with the ability to call regularly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason,¡± Bell reminded him before asking, ¡°How different do you think she is? It¡¯s harder to tell in letters, but audio and video messages make the changes more obvious.¡±


    Neither had mentioned the distinct lack of such messages over the past few years. There had been a couple here and there, but the overwhelming majority were regular written messages.


    At first, they thought it was a financial issue, given the exorbitant costs associated with sending such messages while Emie was in the dungeon. However, once they realized the value of the materials that Emie was working with, they understood that cost was less of a factor than they thought.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Justin replied after releasing a deep breath. ¡°Like she said, she¡¯s still Emie. That obviously hasn¡¯t changed. But we both know that time has a way of changing people.¡±


    He looked through the open door leading to his home office. ¡°I often try to imagine what it would be like to be in her place. Not just because she saved me from that fate, but because I¡¯ve tried writing stories from a similar perspective. It¡¯s hard.¡±


    Bell slid her arms around Justin¡¯s waist and rested her head against his chest. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to be there for her. We owe her so much.¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Justin agreed. That fact had never been in dispute. Their lives would be unrecognizable without his little sister¡¯s intervention.


    ¡°So¡­ a week from now,¡± Bell said neutrally, still resting her head against her husband¡¯s chest. ¡°Should we plan some kind of welcome home party or something?¡±


    Justin huffed out a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m sure Mom has that handled. I can¡¯t imagine Emie didn¡¯t tell her she was leaving the dungeon soon.¡±


    Bell squeezed Justin¡¯s waist lightly before releasing him and stepping back. ¡°She mentioned having to go somewhere first. Should we reach out to the liaison for the sect to find out if that¡¯s something we need to get involved with? You¡¯d think becoming an Elder would be a big deal.¡±


    Justin shook his head. ¡°No, they¡¯ll contact us if they want us to go. I don¡¯t think that kind of ceremony is open to non-members anyway.¡±


    Bell frowned but didn¡¯t argue the point. Though they¡¯d lived on Hadier for eight years, they were still outsiders in many ways. There was a lot about the culture, especially related to sects, that they just didn¡¯t get.


    Maybe eventually, that would change. For now, they¡¯d prepare for a reunion that was a long time coming.

 Book 4 - Chapter 1 - Leaving the Dungeon

    The town outside the dungeon wasn¡¯t quite what I expected.


    Given its location on Sira, the sole Tier Ten world accessible by the Atlantis Alliance, I expected something more¡­ futuristic. Instead, I found myself in a quaint town that could have been located on any ¡®integrated¡¯ planet in the Alliance.


    The town had a relaxed, almost resort-like feel, which I found deeply incongruent with the fact that it housed a realm-spanning dungeon holding tens of thousands of people, most of whom were struggling to advance as quickly as possible.


    Okay. Maybe not most. There were a lot of people who just lived their lives in the dungeon and didn¡¯t really care all that much about progressing beyond a certain point.


    It was a lot like the outside in that way.


    But still, there were no overt signs drawing attention to the town¡¯s unique status. At least, there were none that I noticed right away when I appeared next to Zavira on the arrival platform. I had little time to examine my surroundings further when my attention was drawn to two individuals standing nearby.


    ¡°Little Z!¡± A burly dwarf with a thick beard reaching his stomach was grinning widely as he stared at me and my companion. His robes were mauve trimmed in red, and the Hephaistos Sect emblem was clearly visible down both of his sleeves.


    Seeing the dwarf who could only be her Sect Patriarch and however many-great grandfather, Zavira shifted her trajectory and sped up.


    I followed behind at a slower pace, though my eyes had already been drawn to a familiar man in pristine white robes standing nearby. His garments were far nicer than the ones I wore, though they bore an intentional resemblance.


    The man was significantly taller than the nearby dwarf and had long, platinum-blonde hair pulled back in a loose bun. His pale skin looked a little out of place on his muscular body. It was almost like his skin rejected the effects of the sun altogether.


    While my long-time friend and companion embraced her slightly shorter ancestor, I stopped at a respectful distance and placed my right fist against my left palm before bowing.


    ¡°Disciple greets Master.¡±


    I¡¯d only ever done the proper greeting a few times since it felt overly formal and awkward before. It had always felt cheesy, like I was acting and merely parroting words.


    But that had changed during my time in the dungeon.


    I could feel the shift in Master Kairos¡¯s demeanor at my formal greeting. Instead of waving me off, his posture grew rigid, and he returned the formality.


    Zavira and her ancestor had eschewed formality in favor of familiarity, but that was fine. They had that kind of relationship.


    Master Kairos and I did not.


    ¡°That was perfectly executed,¡± the older Time Mage said approvingly.


    I smiled tightly, uncertain about what level of familiarity would be appropriate. Master Kairos and I had grown much less formal in our regular communication, but that somehow felt different than standing in front of him.


    ¡°Thank you, Master Kairos. Lisa made me practice a lot,¡± I replied honestly. ¡°She insisted I was going to need all of the etiquette you included in my inheritance as soon as I left the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Your Interface Assistant was not wrong,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°The ceremony is going to be very formal. You are familiar with the process, correct?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I am.¡±


    I¡¯d spent what amounted to days, perhaps even weeks, learning about and practicing for almost any contingency I might face. Taking part in a ceremony to transition from a disciple into an Elder was included.


    After receiving several notifications that I¡¯d been the target of an identification spell, I looked around and saw multiple groups watching us from a distance. Nobody approached, which was nice, but feeling the stares of so many people made me feel uncomfortable.


    I almost wished I¡¯d worn some kind of [Disguise] amulet, preferably one that hid my status as a Tri-Affinity Mage.


    After being introduced to the nearby dwarf named Heph ¨C Zavira¡¯s ancestor, the Hephaistos Sect Patriarch, and Master Kairos¡¯s long-time friend, we made our way to the portals that led outside the town.


    The one we¡¯d arrived through was only connected to the dungeon.


    While a few people seemed to be following us from a respectful distance, nobody bothered us, so I tried to force myself to relax.


    I noticed that Master Kairos seemed oddly off-balance as we made our way to the transport hub. It wasn¡¯t in the traditional or literal sense, but more like he was just as uncertain about how to interact with me now that I was out of the dungeon as I was with him.


    I wondered if it had to do with my impending transition into an Elder.


    Or maybe my new status as a Tri-Affinity Mage?


    Or maybe, just maybe, I was just being overly sensitive and socially awkward. Too much time alone hadn¡¯t done me any favors in that way, and feeling the constant gaze of watchers wasn¡¯t helping.


    At least nobody was being overtly hostile.


    <hr>


    It only took a couple of hours to travel from the dungeon town on Sira to Garnet City, Aegeas ¨C the home of both Ep¨ªkairos and Hephaistos Sects.


    I only noticed one of the watchers following us from the dungeon town, and he disappeared as soon as we arrived in Garnet City. I could sense him heading away from us, which was comforting after being tailed for so long.


    I felt certain that the others were well aware of our stalker, but nobody seemed bothered by it. I was pretty sure I¡¯d even seen Master Kairos make eye contact with the man a couple of times.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Master Kairos asked as he motioned toward the sparkling city once we exited the enclosed portal hub.


    Finally, my hopes of seeing a real futuristic-looking city were fulfilled.


    While the portal hub was only a few stories tall ¨C the top two of which were filled with shops and restaurants, most of the surrounding buildings towered over us.


    More than half of the structures appeared to be made out of gemstones, with the majority being maroon, like garnets. I wasn¡¯t sure if the city was named after the building material or vice versa.


    I would have expected such a sight to create an ambiance of something other than comfort, but I was wrong. As soon as I stepped foot into the city, I felt warm and welcome.


    It almost had to be a magical effect.


    ¡°I like it,¡± I replied. Zavira and Heph were busily chatting about something sect-related, so I didn¡¯t see her reaction to the city.


    I couldn¡¯t recall discussing Garnet City before, so I wasn¡¯t sure if Zavira had been there before or not. I knew she¡¯d grown up on a different world, but that didn¡¯t mean much, given her family connections.


    Master Kairos seemed pleased by my response.


    I was just about to ask how we were planning to get to the sect when a pair of elegant carriages slowly dropped from the sky, coming to rest in front of us.


    I took a breath to ask about them, but was interrupted when Zavira rushed over and wrapped her arms around me. ¡°Thanks for waiting for me. I¡¯m glad we were able to leave together, even if we¡¯re separating already.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± I replied as I returned the hug. ¡°We¡¯re still doing a joint reception after the ceremonies, right?¡± That was what the itinerary I¡¯d received as soon as we exited the dungeon said, at least.


    ¡°Yes. Tomorrow,¡± Zavira answered. ¡°But call me tonight so we can talk. I¡¯ve got a lot of stuff to take care of before the ceremony, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re the same.¡± She glanced at Master Kairos before focusing back on me.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I agreed, though I wasn¡¯t sure what Master Kairos had planned for the rest of the day. The itinerary just said ¡®ceremony preparation,¡¯ and that could mean just about anything.


    I wanted to talk to my family, but a quick check with Lisa informed me that it was still a little early to call.


    Instead, I sent a low-priority message to everyone important letting them know I was available for contact when they had time to talk. By sending it as low-priority, I didn¡¯t have to worry about interrupting anyone¡¯s sleep.


    I climbed into the carriage, sitting on the seat opposite Master Kairos. The floating carriage was shaped like an oval, much like my pods, with storage space behind the comfortable-looking seats and beneath the hollow floor.


    Since storage devices had to be extremely common at this tier, I doubted the space got much use.


    The rest of the carriage was dedicated to passenger comfort, and it was obvious that Master Kairos had not opted for a cheap ride.


    The seats were made of enchanted beast leather softer than anything I¡¯d felt on Earth. When I leaned back in my seat, it felt like the whole thing shifted to perfectly fit my body.


    ¡°This is nice,¡± I commented as I rubbed a hand across the soft material appreciatively.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°We have a few stops to make before we go to the sect, so I hope you¡¯re not too tired.¡±


    Most of the stops we had to make revolved around my outfits for the following day. Aside from a set of ceremonial robes, I needed a couple of sets of Elder robes to hold me over until the two sets of growth robes Master Kairos had given me before entering the dungeon were altered to reflect my new position.


    The Tailor didn¡¯t react when Master Kairos mentioned my third affinity. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was just playing it cool or if he really didn¡¯t care about it. Either way, I appreciated his professionalism.


    Once we left the Tailor¡¯s shop, Master Kairos insisted that we stop by the local Enchanters¡¯ Guild so I could ¡®properly register¡¯ now that I was out of the dungeon.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to see the Vice-Guildleader,¡± Master Kairos told the clerk when we entered the opulent building. ¡°She¡¯s expecting us.¡±


    Unlike many of its neighbors, the Enchanters¡¯ Guild was not made out of garnet or anything that looked similar. Instead, it was crafted out of white jade, with intricate arrays layered artistically to maximize their effectiveness and their beauty.


    The basic runes were unobscured, allowing anyone to see the skill with which they were carved. The higher-level runes were mostly hidden, though I was able to peek at a few of them as we waited.


    It seemed the Vice-Guildleader really was expecting us because, after barely a handful of breaths, we were escorted down a nearby hallway and to a teleportation alcove.


    ¡°The Vice-Guildleader will meet you at your destination,¡± the clerk said politely before ushering us onto the carved platform.


    I¡¯d seen such items before, though they were not very common on low or mid-level planets due to their mana consumption. In fact, the last time I¡¯d seen such a platform had been in the Enchanters¡¯ Guild on Olym when I updated my registration a few months before the incident with the cultists that led to my painful return.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate to step on the platform and move far enough inside to make room for Master Kairos. I could tell he was watching my reactions closely, though I was uncertain what he hoped to glean.


    I raised a brow inquisitively but said nothing as Space mana surrounded us, and we were transported to a new location. It wasn¡¯t very far ¨C still inside the same building, even. I couldn¡¯t help but think the mana expenditure was wasteful.


    ¡°Patriarch Kairos!¡± a lovely female elf with dusky skin and dark purple hair said with a smile when we arrived. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this visit for ages! Is this the disciple you¡¯ve told me so much about? Emie, right?¡± she added, glancing my way with a radiant smile.


    I glanced at Master Kairos again, both brows raised this time. He smiled mischievously.


    ¡°She is,¡± the Time Mage agreed. ¡°Thank you for making an exception for such a special case.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem at all,¡± the elf said before motioning for us to take a seat in the comfortable-looking plush chairs. ¡°I¡¯ll admit I was wary when you initially asked for such a concession, but knowing the situation¡­ Well, intentionally stunting the growth of such a promising young Enchanter based on arbitrary rules isn¡¯t something I¡¯d ever agree to.¡±


    After a few exchanges and a quick introduction ¨C the Vice-Guildleader¡¯s name was Lady Rhania¡¯Aether ¨C I quickly realized that Master Kairos had made some agreement with the Vice-Guildleader to get permission to include advanced Enchanting training in my inheritance.


    He¡¯d had to do a bunch of paperwork and pay a lot of fees, but technically, I was already a guild member in good standing.


    I was surprised to learn he¡¯d taken care of everything before I¡¯d even entered the Realm Dungeon, especially with how limited communication between Earth and the rest of the Alliance was supposed to have been back then.


    That meant he¡¯d been paying my membership fees this whole time. Or, more likely, the fees had been paid out of the proceeds from my MealMaker. I hadn¡¯t checked the balance of the account yet, nor was I in much of a hurry to do so at the moment.


    Ultimately, the balance didn¡¯t matter all that much after my time in the dungeon. I had enough credits and loot saved that I doubted I¡¯d need any more during my ten-year break, especially since I planned to spend most of that time on a Tier Six world.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lady Rhania said after tapping on a fancy tablet a few times and handing it to me. ¡°Input your mana into this, and everything will be done.¡± The Vice-Guildleader grinned at Master Kairos once the tablet was in my hands. ¡°I think this is the longest registration period I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    After doing a cursory scan to make sure I wasn¡¯t signing something unexpected, I sent a pulse of mana into the tablet and handed it back.


    Lady Rhania smiled and glanced at the screen casually as she moved the set it down. Instead of releasing the device, her muscles seemed to lock up, and her posture shifted to something far more rigid.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that,¡± Master Kairos said with a grimace. ¡°Sorry. I should have told you before, but it¡¯s still a relatively new development.¡±


    ¡°When¡­How?¡± the Vice-Guildleader managed to squeeze out as her eyes shifted to me and a small notification in the corner of my interface display let me know that I¡¯d once again been the target of an identification spell.


    My shoulders dropped slightly, and I sighed. This kind of reaction was going to take some getting used to.

 Book 4 - Chapter 2 - An Oracles Influence

    ¡°It truly was merely an oversight,¡± Master Kairos assured me as we entered the floating vehicle waiting outside.


    I nodded, though I wasn¡¯t fully sold on his innocence. While he¡¯d seemed genuinely contrite at first, the Time Mage had grown increasingly amused as Lady Rhania reacted to the shock of learning about my new status as a Tri-Affinity Mage.


    The elf¡¯s breach of decorum hadn¡¯t lasted long, and she had quickly regained her original professionalism. Now that it was over, I supposed the stark difference in how the Vice-Guildleader had reacted to me after learning about my new status was somewhat amusing.


    As we headed toward the sect, I noted there were far fewer of the gemstone-looking buildings the farther we got from the city center. Within a few minutes, we left the larger city behind and flew over what looked like suburbs, though they were tightly packed and left little empty space.


    Mom and Dad would probably like living somewhere like this if the yards were larger.


    The thought made me wonder why I still hadn¡¯t heard from them. The only person who¡¯d responded to my earlier messages was Deni, and she¡¯d replied saying that she was about to enter a rift and couldn¡¯t talk but would see me in a few days.


    Aside from that one message, nobody had replied.


    To be fair, I¡¯d only messaged my parents, Justin, Bell, and Deni since they were the only ones I¡¯d consistently kept in contact with while I was in the dungeon.


    I¡¯d sent a few messages over the years to Robert, Natalie, and my cousin Gabby, but so much time had passed since the last time I communicated with one of them that it felt awkward reaching out now.


    Feeling the echoes of isolation, I sulked a little as I stared out the window. Master Kairos must have sensed my mood because he remained silent.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the vehicle to start its descent toward a walled compound. The inner-city skyline was still quite visible behind us, but it was far enough away to give the illusion of being a separate city.


    ¡°Is that the sect?¡± I asked, perking up slightly.


    The wall surrounding the area was far too short to be of any real use, and I suspected it served as the base for a [Barrier] formation of one sort or another as opposed to serving as a physical defense.


    In the distance, I could see a massive wall enclosing the city and everything around it ¨C including the sect. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how many people it would take to man such a huge structure.


    I doubted there was much of a risk of beast waves on such a high-tier world, though. With how long it took for an instance to cycle at higher tiers, I imagined the demand for slots far outstripped the supply, making it unlikely rifts would be neglected enough to potentially cause problems.


    Even if a new rift spawned and was somehow left undiscovered long enough to break, I doubted there was a shortage of capable adventurers willing to hunt the creatures that escaped.


    Regardless, I understood the importance of maintaining strong defenses, both for the city and for the sect.


    ¡°It is,¡± Master Kairos said proudly as the vehicle came to a stop near a gate covered in obscured runes. Even without seeing them clearly, I could sense the movement of the mana within the enchantments.


    The two disciples guarding the gate bowed toward the vehicle. ¡°Greetings, Patriarch and Patriarch¡¯s Disciple. Welcome home.¡±


    As the vehicle passed through the gate, I turned to my mentor. ¡°How did they verify our identities? What if you were an intruder wearing a [Disguise] amulet?¡±


    ¡°The [Barrier] can recognize our sect identification tokens. The guards only need to verify those without such tokens ¨C like visitors and sect hopefuls.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember getting a token,¡± I said with a frown before glancing over the items I had in storage.


    Master Kairos chuckled lightly. ¡°It isn¡¯t something physical. When you officially joined the sect, a digital token was transferred to your interface. They are impossible to copy or steal, making them perfect for identification purposes.¡±


    I could imagine how such a feature was possible, though I struggled to figure out how it could be made perfectly secure. If it was anything like pre-integration technology, there had to be ways to circumvent the built-in protections.


    With enough time and effort, I could probably make something that functioned similarly, though I doubted anything I crafted would be similarly secure without the system¡¯s active participation.


    On that note, I was curious how the designers got such an item to work with the interface in the first place. Maybe I¡¯d gain such knowledge once I reached Master or Grandmaster in Enchanting.


    The sect grounds looked like a much larger, nicer version of the collegesque campus I¡¯d explored virtually through Atlas Online back before I¡¯d officially become Master Kairos¡¯s disciple.


    Most of the buildings were made of stone that looked like granite, except its colors were primarily white and lavender with a sheen of shimmer mixed in. I wasn¡¯t sure if the material was some kind of unpolished gemstone or if it was something created specifically for the Ep¨ªkairos Sect.


    Without exception, the structures and landscaping looked pristine and well-kept. Though I was sure many of the buildings were hundreds of years old, everything looked brand new.


    It wasn¡¯t really surprising for a sect that specialized in Time magic.


    We flew over several buildings before the vehicle came to a stop in front of a massive mansion situated atop a hill overlooking the sect. Part of the view was blocked by trees and foliage, and I felt sure the landscaping was intentional.


    Master Kairos didn¡¯t strike me as the type of person who always wanted to be in the spotlight.


    ¡°Is this your home?¡± I asked with a touch of awe. It was hard not to be a little amazed by the beautiful estate.


    Unlike most of the buildings I¡¯d noticed within the compound, the stone used for the mansion¡¯s exterior had no hints of purple. Instead, they were a shimmering white. At certain angles, it almost looked like the stone was shifting into a rainbow of colors.


    ¡°It is. It¡¯s your home, too, while you¡¯re visiting. I¡¯ve already informed the servants, so you should have no issues.¡± Shifting his attention from the house to me, he added, ¡°If you were going to spend your break here instead of Hadier, you¡¯d be given a permanent residence. But since you only plan to visit¡­¡±


    Master Kairos shrugged. ¡°The visitor¡¯s quarters are also available if you¡¯d prefer something more private. I figured you¡¯d rather have a little more space, though, considering your guests.¡±


    I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°Guests?¡±


    My question was answered when the door opened and revealed three people waiting in the foyer.


    ¡°Emie!¡±


    Mom moved faster than a pre-integration human was capable of, but it was still slow compared to the speed at which I could move.


    Though she¡¯d gotten a head start, I met her just a couple of feet outside of the door in a firm embrace. I was careful not to squeeze too tightly, given her lower tier.


    ¡°Mom! You¡¯re here! Why didn¡¯t you reply to my message?¡± I asked before adding, ¡°How are you guys here? I thought the mana density was too high.¡±


    Though it was a Tier Nine world, I¡¯d noticed the mana density around Garnet City was only Tier Eight. Even so, that should have been far too much for someone at Tier Three to handle.


    Dad wrapped his arms around both of us, with Justin joining in the family hug a moment later.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Thank your mentor,¡± Dad said in response. ¡°He coordinated everything. He even had his people loan us [Mana Barriers] for the trip.¡±


    I twisted my head to look over Justin¡¯s shoulder. Master Kairos was still standing back, but he was close enough to make eye contact with.


    ¡°Thank you, Master Kairos,¡± I said emotionally.


    After feeling isolated for so long, being surrounded by my family and feeling their love was enough to bring tears to my eyes. Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t the only one crying.


    ¡°You might be more comfortable inside,¡± Master Kairos said after a few moments. Taking his advice, we entered the spacious residence.


    The inside was decorated much like his island residence had been on Earth. Most everything was done in neutral tones, though there were a few pops of color throughout the entryway and social areas.


    ¡°Did Bell and the kids not come?¡± I asked once we got settled in the sitting room. Master Kairos had disappeared once we entered, likely to give us a bit of privacy.


    ¡°They wanted to, but we decided not to impose too much on your mentor,¡± Justin said. ¡°Bell has a project due tomorrow anyway, so it would have been hard for her to come to the reception. It seemed like a better idea to have her watch all the kids, especially since we¡¯ll be having our own little welcome home dinner for you when we get back to Hadier.¡±


    It was weird thinking of Hadier as home. I¡¯d never even visited, much less lived there. But if home was wherever one¡¯s family was, then Hadier was the closest thing I had.


    With little prompting, my parents described their new home just outside of Aspirant City, the Ep¨ªkairos Sect¡¯s base on Hadier. They both looked so much younger than they had before I left.


    I had given both of them rejuvenation treatments before I entered the dungeon, but it was clear someone else had worked their magic on the pair as well.


    I¡¯d have to ask Master Kairos about it since I suspected he would have been the cause of such action.


    Instead of looking like a couple in their late fifties, Mom and Dad appeared to be in their mid-thirties. If they felt as good as they looked it was little wonder they¡¯d decided to have a couple more kids, especially with both me and Justin grown up.


    My younger siblings were still too young to attend school, meaning there was no chance I¡¯d be present for either of their awakenings. Even if I¡¯d waited another couple of years to leave the dungeon, the timing still wouldn¡¯t have worked out to make it to both Amie and Kaylee¡¯s awakening.


    If I had somehow managed it by delaying Amie¡¯s awakening by several months (which was not unheard of, though it risked spontaneous awakening), I still would have missed the youngest, Ashlynn¡¯s awakening ceremony.


    There really was no way to be there for all of them without a trip to Sira for a few years. I doubted that having me present for their awakening was worth disrupting their lives like that.


    <hr>


    Master Kairos joined us for dinner, and my family seemed to grow comfortable around the Tier Ten Time Mage rather quickly.


    He listened without comment as I described some of the differences between the seventh and eighth floors. Since the dungeon redacted everything of relevance about the dungeon, I hadn¡¯t been able to share very much about the topic with my family or my mentor.


    And since Master Kairos¡¯s holofeed hadn¡¯t included any floors beyond the seventh, this was the first time he heard my description of the eighth floor.


    ¡°It was basically a normal world ¨C or twin moons that worked like a world,¡± I corrected myself. ¡°The big challenge was the towns inhabited by more monstrous versions of demis that would actively hunt anyone in the area. I suspect the ninth or tenth floor will have monstrous humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes since the seventh floor was focused more on creatures like goblins and orcs. The progression makes sense.¡±


    ¡°You really think the dungeon will make monster versions of people?¡± Dad asked from his seat across the table. The dining room we were using wasn¡¯t overly formal, but it was still a lot nicer than what I was used to.


    ¡°They already have,¡± I replied as I took my time eating the delicious meal provided by Master Kairos¡¯s in-house chef. ¡°Demis are people, just like the rest of us,¡± I reminded him. I doubted my dad had interacted with many demi races, but it was also possible he was simply unfamiliar with the term.


    ¡°Oddly enough,¡± I continued, ¡°even without an actual ¡®safe zone¡¯ to rest in, I felt a lot more comfortable on the eighth floor than I did on the seventh. I¡¯m not sure if it was because all of the challengers I encountered were nicer or because I was just so glad not to be stuck in an instanced maze most of the time.¡±


    ¡°You mentioned people were nicer in your messages,¡± Mom said. ¡°You really think having a third affinity makes that much of a difference?¡±


    I glanced at Master Kairos and tried not to chuckle at the thought of how Lady Rhania had reacted to the news. Master Kairos suppressed a grin and raised a questioning brow.


    Focusing back on my mom, I said, ¡°Yeah, I really do. I don¡¯t think I appreciated exactly how big of a deal having three affinities is for people in the Alliance. I don¡¯t know if you remember Sumi. We went to high school together as beta testers, and she had three affinities. She was offered sponsorship by a royal family as soon as she awakened. They offered her basically anything she could want in exchange for genetic material.¡±


    Mom¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What does that mean, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Egg donation, at least,¡± I answered, leaving out the fact that Rhona¡¯s family had been the one to sponsor her. ¡°She got a bodyguard and funding for school through at least secondary academies for both her and her sister. I¡¯m pretty sure all of her living expenses were also covered. They¡¯ll probably offer to marry her into the family if she¡¯s agreeable to the idea.¡±


    ¡°Just because she has three affinities?¡±


    I nodded and glanced at Master Kairos for verification.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± he said. ¡°Tri-Affinity Mages are revered throughout the Alliance, though the reason for such veneration has been twisted over time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    Robert had explained the story about how a Tri-Affinity Mage had been the one to create the system just before he ascended in hopes that it would help others follow in his footsteps. This was the first time I heard mention that the story might not be true.


    ¡°Most legitimate historians agree that the system was not created by someone in this realm,¡± he replied. ¡°Even if there is some evidence that a Tri-Affinity Mage ascended around the same time that the system manifested, there are no records that support he was involved in the system¡¯s creation, even if it does make a nice story.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said thoughtfully as I considered his words. ¡°So the stories aren¡¯t true then?¡±


    ¡°Likely not,¡± Master Kairos said, shaking his head. ¡°But there is evidence to support the desirability of having multiple affinities. Several ancient documents reference some unknown advantage for ascenders with more than one affinity, though it is unclear where such knowledge was gained since none of the sources were Fate Mages. However, the fact that several strong Fate Mages have made similar assertions only serves to support the idea.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your sect also specialize in Fate magic?¡± Dad asked.


    ¡°It does.¡±


    ¡°So, one of your people has had visions of the next realm,¡± Dad said as if answering his own question. ¡°Is that how you know so much about it? Or is it because you are close to ascending yourself, and you¡¯ve dug a little deeper than most people would?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little bit of both,¡± Master Kairos answered with a surprising amount of openness. ¡°I¡¯ve known the system origin stories were inaccurate from a young age, but the details never mattered much until recently.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to ascend in less than a hundred years?¡± Justin asked. ¡°Is that what the time limit for Emie is all about?¡±


    Master Kairos looked a little uncomfortable, and I almost interrupted to change the topic. However, before I could speak, Master Kairos answered.


    ¡°I am, and it is,¡± he replied as he placed his silverware on his plate. ¡°I hope that Emie will ascend with me, though having a strong replacement for my role as Patriarch is also acceptable. Ultimately, Emie can do what she wants, even if that is to remain in this realm and pull away from the sect.¡±


    ¡°Why Emie?¡± Mom asked. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t think she¡¯s great,¡± she clarified with a quick smile in my direction. ¡°But, why her, in particular? There have to be others who are closer to ascending and willing to go with you. Or you could go alone. Most people ascend alone, right?¡±


    Everyone at the table had tensed at Mom¡¯s words, though I suspected it was for different reasons. I wanted to save my mentor from the discomfort of needing to answer such a direct question, but I found myself too curious about Master Kairos¡¯s answers to speak up.


    Master Kairos¡¯s eyes shifted to me for several long moments as he seemingly pondered what to say. He had to know that I wondered the same thing.


    ¡°As previously mentioned, the Ep¨ªkairos Sect is known for both Time and Fate magic. It is probably no surprise that we have some very strong Fate Mages among our numbers. One of those mages is known as the Oracle. She is an amazingly strong Fate Mage, though she is only Tier Eight.¡±


    Leaning back in his chair, Master Kairos continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t initially plan to take part in Earth¡¯s reintegration. I¡¯d planned to send an Elder instead. But the Oracle came to me just before the Elder was scheduled to leave and insisted that I should take the Elder¡¯s place. She convinced me to make a deal with the Council to leave within a century of Earth¡¯s reintegration in exchange for permission to take part in the excursion.


    ¡°The Oracle claimed that an opportunity would be lost if I left things in the Elder¡¯s hands. She also said that there was a chance that I would find what I was looking for on Earth.¡± Master Kairos¡¯s gaze shifted back to me, making me shiver. ¡°It is no secret that I¡¯ve been seeking a companion with which to ascend.¡±


    ¡°And you think that person is Emie?¡± Mom asked with a frown. ¡°She¡¯s a little young for you, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s face shifted through a variety of expressions, and a line formed between his brows. ¡°Companionship does not imply romantic involvement,¡± he countered before shaking his head. ¡°In any case, by the time Emie reaches Peak-Tier Ten and leaves the dungeon, she¡¯ll subjectively be more than three hundred years old. I believe she¡¯ll be fully capable of deciding such matters for herself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already over sixty,¡± I said without thinking. Once I realized the implication of my words, my eyes widened. ¡°Not that I¡¯m advocating for anything. I¡¯m just saying¡­ I¡¯m old enough to make my own decisions. Technically, I¡¯m older than everyone here except for Master Kairos,¡± I added pointedly.


    I completely and intentionally ignored the fact that Master Kairos hadn¡¯t outright rejected the idea of something developing between us in the far future. I¡­ really wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about such a prospect.


    I¡¯d gotten so used to the idea of not getting romantically involved with anyone that the concept felt foreign.


    Sure, it would be nice to have that kind of connection with someone again, but I¡¯d never really considered Master Kairos in that way. He was certainly an attractive man, but he was also my Master. It would be weird to think of him any other way.


    I was already going to have a hard enough time shifting from being his personal disciple to an Elder.


    In any case, I didn¡¯t want to discuss the matter further, and I was grateful when the servants brought out dessert, and the conversation shifted to something a little less serious.

 Book 4 - Chapter 3 - Names and Threats

    ¡°Are you still going with ¡®Momentia¡¯ as your chosen name?¡± Zavira asked through the interface later that night.


    After dinner, Mom, Dad, and Justin had set up a joint video call with Bell and the kids, and we¡¯d chatted for a couple of hours before my parents decided to call it a night.


    While the cost was more than it would have been if we were all on the same planet, the video call was still remarkably affordable, especially compared with the cost of contacting my family from the dungeon.


    At Tier Eight, I needed much less sleep than they did, so I doubted that I¡¯d sleep anytime soon. Luckily, I had someone to talk to while the others slept.


    ¡°I think so,¡± I replied before plopping onto the neatly made bed. ¡°I like the applicability of the name. It has strong ties to both Time and Space and could arguably also apply to Arcane. Moment, momentum, and momentous. The last one is probably a stretch,¡± I admitted, ¡°but since I use Arcane mana for enchantments and enhancements, it kinda applies.¡±


    ¡°I like it. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll even have to explain it after the ceremony,¡± Zavira said before adding, ¡°Not that anyone would be rude enough to ask right away. If you chose something arbitrary, you might have a few who were curious enough to ask about it, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have that issue.¡±


    I hummed lightly in response as I played with one of the new E3 talismans I¡¯d crafted while waiting for Zavira to reach the eighth floor.


    I¡¯d made a lot of upgrades to my standard kit after learning how to craft growth items. I¡¯d planned to give Mom, Dad, and Justin their own set of protective growth items right away, but in all the excitement, it had slipped my mind.


    I¡¯d correct that issue as soon as they woke up.


    The last thing I wanted was for something to happen to one of my family members.


    I had enough sets for Deni, Bell, my new siblings, and my niece and nephews as well. It had taken a lot of time to craft everything, but I hadn¡¯t minded. It was a labor of love.


    Zavira already had her new set of protection talismans. I¡¯d expected her to balk a little when I told her how they worked, but she¡¯d grown to trust me during our decades together, and she had barely batted an eye.


    ¡°Are you still going with ¡®Ferraria?¡¯¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I like it,¡± Zavira said after a pause. ¡°But it¡¯s really just a pretty word meaning Smith. My ancestor wrapped his identity in his profession, but I¡¯m not sure that I want to do the same thing. It¡¯s definitely important, but I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s what I want to orient my future identity around.¡±


    Chosen names, or mage names, depending on the situation, were a weird part of Alliance culture. They didn¡¯t have family names, per se. Instead, they had a given name, and once certain milestones were met, a chosen name was added.


    For example, Master Kairos¡¯s given name was Henlen, but his chosen name was Kairos. Kairos served as a surname, though a lot of people opted to use them as their primary name instead.


    ¡°Well, you can always change it once you ascend,¡± I reminded her cheekily.


    Her scoff was clear through the voice connection. ¡°You say that like it¡¯s nothing. Most people never ascend.¡±


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t reach Tier Eight,¡± I countered.


    She was right, though. I¡¯d somehow started to think of ascension as something that would happen eventually, and likely sooner rather than later.


    Was I really considering Master Kairos¡¯s offer to join him? I didn¡¯t think so. But even if I waited centuries to ascend, it was still a matter of when, not if.


    But when was the big question.


    Would I wait for the family I know and love now to die, or would I leave before then? Would I stick around and try to connect with their descendants? Would I start my own family?


    Just touching on that topic made my nerves flair, so I quickly dismissed the thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked for sweetberry pudding at the reception,¡± Zavira said, aiding me in my endeavor not to think about heavy topics. ¡°I want you to try it. Make sure to copy the recipe so you have it when you reenter the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably in the master crystal already,¡± I pointed out. I fully intended to copy the master crystal I¡¯d left behind to obtain access to all of the recipes collected by my devices.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t leave it to chance. It¡¯s really good.¡±


    We chatted for a little while about different foods Zavira was excited to have again, and I made a mental note to check my updated copy of the master crystal when I got the chance. I¡¯d need to upgrade the storage medium, but with a growth Crystal node, that wouldn¡¯t be difficult to manage.


    Considering the Enchanters working on the project were all far more capable than I was when I designed the device, my original crystal had probably already been replaced with a better one.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    As we talked, I used the new tablet I¡¯d purchased during our shopping trip to scan the local network for items of interest. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as the internet of pre-integration Earth, but it was close.


    Eventually, Zavira disconnected the call to prepare for her ceremony. She had a whole process she had to go through, which took several hours.


    Nothing like that was on my schedule, so I opted to relax in the guest sauna for a while. Before the sun rose over the horizon, one of the servants summoned me for my final robe fitting.


    <hr>


    The ceremony itself passed in a blur.


    Master Kairos spoke for a while, describing my contributions to the sect, both past and planned. Most of it revolved around reputation, though I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that a lot of emphasis was being put on my new role as a teacher.


    Master Kairos had already discussed the expectations that I would face as a newly minted sect Elder taking a break from the dungeon.


    I¡¯d have a lot of free time, even with the lessons I had agreed to give to young disciples. Those wouldn¡¯t start for another year or two, which gave me plenty of time to have a real vacation after spending so long in the dungeon.


    After his speech, my ¡®disciple¡¯ outer robe was removed and replaced by a more ornate version. The under-armor didn¡¯t change, though my solid purple belt was replaced with one that reflected all three of my affinities, though black was only incorporated through embellishments.


    Once everything was in place, I was prompted to introduce myself. Feeling nervous and awkward, I stepped forward.


    ¡°I am Emie Momentia ¨C Time, Space, and Arcane Mage of the Ep¨ªkairos Sect. Thank you for coming to the ceremony.¡±


    I was supposed to say more. I had a whole speech planned where I talked about adhering to the sect oath and representing the sect honorably. But when I stood in front of the group, my eyes landed on a familiar face, and my brain stuttered.


    What was the stalker doing here?


    It was obvious that I¡¯d blanked, but the gathered sect members hardly seemed to notice. Some of them were probably glad that I hadn¡¯t made a speech since Master Kairos had already talked for a while.


    As soon as the ceremony was officially over, I rushed to his side and said, ¡°One of the stalkers from Sira is here.¡±


    Glancing behind me, Master Kairos smiled and said, ¡°He isn¡¯t a stalker. Elder Ammon and his wife were assigned by the sect to observe you while you were in the dungeon. His wife departed a few weeks before you exited, but he stayed and served as a quasi-guard until we reached Aegeas.¡±


    Following his gaze, I saw the Elder in question approaching alongside a female half-elf in lavender Ep¨ªkairos robes.


    ¡°Congratulations on your promotion,¡± the white-robed man said with a smile and a nod.


    He was handsome enough, though his nose was a bit on the large side for my taste. The woman next to him, however, was stunning. Her skin was so flawless that it looked almost airbrushed.


    ¡°Ahhh, thanks,¡± I said a little awkwardly. It was weird knowing the two had observed me for years while I was inside the dungeon.


    ¡°I was just telling Emie that you and Lizbet were her observers in the dungeon. She thought you were one of the people following us after we left the dungeon town since you weren¡¯t wearing your sect robes.¡±


    I flushed in embarrassment at being called out like that, but I didn¡¯t argue the point.


    ¡°Yes. I noticed them as well. There were also a few familiar individuals at the portal hub in Garnet City. We reported it already,¡± Elder Ammon stated. His voice and expression had turned dark.


    Patriarch Kairos nodded with an equally dark expression. ¡°I received the report. Thank you for being so observant,¡± he said.


    Elder Ammon shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice them. Lizbet did,¡± he said, motioning toward the half-elf beside him. ¡°She was waiting at the portal hub for my arrival and noticed some of the elves from the dungeon town loitering in the area. Since she was wearing dark martial training robes at the time, I doubt they noticed her.¡±


    Though I¡¯d only gotten white robes before entering the dungeon, I knew many disciples wore plain black versions when they were engaged in martial training. I fully intended to get a few sets eventually, even if they weren¡¯t really meant for normal wear.


    Martial robes were far more comfortable than I expected.


    Master Kairos¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°Well, either way, thank you both. We¡¯ll keep an eye on things.¡± Once the two Elders departed, Patriarch Kairos turned to me. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this more later. But for now, just know that we suspect members of the Sovereignty Sect are in the area. You should be safe enough in the sect, but it¡¯s something to be aware of, given the incident with their disciple.¡±


    ¡°Why is that still an issue? He challenged me,¡± I said in confusion. ¡°I understand that they hate human Time Mages in general, but they can¡¯t hold a grudge when he lost in a fair duel.¡±


    ¡°Right or wrong, they are still a threat. It probably doesn¡¯t help that the disciple you killed was related to one of their more influential Elders,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°Just stay on guard and make sure you¡¯re always protected.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I assured him.


    As long as nobody too powerful came after me, I should be fine. I hadn¡¯t had the elven elitists specifically in mind when I developed my protections, but my preparations should still be good enough.


    I¡¯d give the potential threat a bit more consideration, though.


    ¡°Well, go mingle a bit. It would be good to get to know some of the higher-tiered sect members, especially if you plan to remain in the realm for a substantial amount of time once you leave the dungeon next time.¡±


    I followed my mentor¡¯s advice and made my way around the room. Everyone was very polite and welcoming, which made things easier.


    Eventually, an announcement was made to move the celebration to a reception hall outside of the sect.


    Based on comments from nearby attendees, most sect promotion receptions were held within the sect. Having a joint reception with an allied sect was different, but not so distinctly that it caused any issues since most of the ceremony attendees didn¡¯t plan to go to the reception.


    They didn¡¯t really know me, after all.


    I was a little paranoid about leaving the sect now that I knew Sovereignty Sect members might be targeting me. I was more worried about them targeting one of my family members, even with the protection talismans they now wore.


    Hopefully, they¡¯d focus on me and not my loved ones. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what I¡¯d do if they tried going after my family.


    Dismissing the thought since there was little I could do about the potential risk at the moment, I brought up my truncated status. I was interested to see if my official name change was already recognized by the system.


    ***


    Name: Emie Momentia


    Level: 72 (1000681/3824100)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Merchant


    Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane


    ***


    Health: 350/350


    Stamina: 610/610


    Mana: 950/950


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 26


    Agility ¨C 34


    Vitality ¨C 35


    Intelligence ¨C 95


    Wisdom ¨C 71


    Perception ¨C 40


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***

 Book 4 - Chapter 4 - Plans and Offers

    ¡°They will have observed you and Zavira while you fought in the dungeon,¡± Master Kairos said from the other side of the manatech vehicle as we rode together to the reception. Nobody had joined us in our carriage, and it had been warded against eavesdropping so we could talk freely.


    ¡°How much of a threat do you think they pose?¡± I asked.


    I¡¯d given some thought to the matter as I robotically greeted the members of my sect who¡¯d stopped by to congratulate me. Most belonged to the Headquarters, though a few elders from other branches, along with their respective Branch Leaders, were also in attendance.


    ¡°Your new affinity will complicate things for the Sovereignty Sect ¨C or anyone else who might target you. But it likely won¡¯t be enough to stop them.¡± Master Kairos looked at me consideringly. ¡°In their place, how would you handle someone like yourself?¡±


    My eyes drifted to the window as my mind considered the question.


    ¡°Should I assume they have access to people with a wide variety of affinities?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You should.¡±


    I nodded to myself. ¡°Given that, and the assumption that they would have witnessed everything not hidden by the dungeon since I encountered their disciple, I¡¯d wait to act until I was reasonably certain that no Tier Ten Time Mage would swoop in and undo everything with Rewind,¡± I said, giving him a pointed look.


    ¡°If they were to act in your presence,¡± I continued, ¡°or even in close enough proximity for you to respond, their efforts would be wasted since you could revert most things. Now, if they have some kind of [Time Locking] formations or chambers, that might be a little different. Even so, I wouldn¡¯t act while you were around since it adds an unnecessary complication.¡±


    I mulled over the question a bit more. I definitely couldn¡¯t see a direct attack while a Tier Ten Time Mage was around unless they got desperate, but if they could isolate me, even just for a moment, that would be different.


    ¡°I would probably focus on neutralizing my target¡¯s ability to use mana. I would specifically target internal mana since basic mana suppression cuffs won¡¯t stop someone from triggering a talisman or using inventory-type storage. They have to know I use both, even if they aren¡¯t aware of the upgrades I¡¯ve made since reaching Tier Eight.¡±


    ¡°Poison would be a good option,¡± I continued. ¡°If my attackers could expose me to the right poisons, I¡¯d be virtually helpless against them. Without the ability to use mana, I wouldn¡¯t be able to Restore myself or Teleport away. If it was a very good poison, I wouldn¡¯t be able to defend myself physically, either.¡±


    My mentor nodded encouragingly. He¡¯d probably given the topic more consideration than I had, but that was to be expected. I¡¯d only just learned the elven elitists were still an issue.


    ¡°There are a few types of poisons that could do what you are describing,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°I could make you a few antidotes, but they¡¯ll be of little use to you if you are incapable of retrieving them from storage. You¡¯ll have to carry them on your person.¡±


    ¡°I keep forgetting you¡¯re an Alchemist,¡± I said. He¡¯d mentioned it a long time ago, but it wasn¡¯t something we¡¯d ever discussed in much depth since he was also a capable Enchanter, and we both knew my preference.


    Alchemy was something I could do, but it wasn¡¯t something I was very interested in. Even after decades, my Alchemy skill was barely Intermediate, and that was only because I¡¯d relied on the skill for making Enchanting reagents.


    Making antidotes for the types of poisons I was thinking of wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d be capable of doing, though I could make a talisman that would serve a similar purpose with enough effort.


    Master Kairos had included several Alchemy lessons in my inheritance, which I¡¯d studiously completed. But we both knew the field wasn¡¯t something I was passionate about ¨C unlike my mentor.


    ¡°I¡¯m a very good Alchemist,¡± Master Kairos said with a smirk. ¡°Perhaps we could develop something to combat such an attack together. You might not be able to get to an antidote in time, but if you incorporated something like what you did with your new E3 talismans¡­¡± He let the implication hang.


    ¡°I was just thinking something similar,¡± I replied with a grin. ¡°So that would handle poisons, at least in general. Somehow, I doubt that¡¯s the only method they¡¯d use. How likely is it that they¡¯d go after my family?¡±


    That was my real concern. I could defend myself well enough, but if someone targeted my family, they¡¯d be practically helpless.


    Thankfully, the shift in my mentor¡¯s demeanor made it clear that such a thing would not be an issue.


    ¡°If they, or anyone else, did such a thing,¡± he said with a dark expression, ¡°the Council would have them wiped out. Assassins of the same or lower tier might be dispatched to come after you, but nobody would go after your family in this type of situation unless your family acted against them. Should your parents, brother, or sister-in-law decide to get involved, even peripherally, they would no longer be protected. But as long as they remain firmly outside of the conflict, they should be safe enough.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I was relieved to hear that.


    ¡°Good. So, aside from poisons to keep me from using mana, there are a few other tactics I¡¯d probably use against someone with my abilities,¡± I said before sharing my thoughts with my mentor.


    <hr>


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to finally meet you, Zavira,¡± Mom said as she reached for my friend¡¯s hand. Shaking hands wasn¡¯t a particularly common practice in the Alliance, but it also wasn¡¯t so odd that people didn¡¯t know how to react when presented with the gesture.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, too, Avery Mercer of Earth,¡± Zavira replied. ¡°I hope your relocation to Hadier has gone well.¡±


    The whole ¡®of Earth¡¯ thing was new to my parents, but I¡¯d gotten used to the nuance a long time ago. Unless someone gave up their surname, the addition was included to make it clear that their surname name did not imply any skill or connection.


    Mentioning where someone was from or who their parents were was also a fairly common way of identification for those without surnames, as well.


    I¡¯d opted to eschew my last name in the first timeline to avoid confusion and distance myself from the bad reputation that Earthborn had developed, but it seemed the small changes had done a lot to mitigate such problems this time.


    I listened to the exchange of pleasantries distractedly.


    I¡¯d already informed Zavira about the threat, though I wasn¡¯t sure it applied to her anymore. The elves in the dungeon had taken offense to her heritage more than anything, and I doubted the Sovereignty Sect was inclined to continue that conflict now that we were outside.


    Especially with her backing.


    Even so, I didn¡¯t want her to be caught unaware ¨C not that I needed to worry about that since the information had been passed between our respective Patriarchs.


    ¡°She seems nice,¡± Mom said when Zavira excused herself to greet a few new arrivals moments later.


    ¡°She is. I¡¯m glad she was there with me.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Mom replied quietly. ¡°I worried about you a lot. Knowing you had someone watching your back helped.¡±


    I could tell there was more that she wanted to say, but the words remained unspoken.


    It didn¡¯t take long for one of the Branch Leaders to approach. A quick check with Lisa revealed he was the Branch Leader for the sect on Hadier, a Tier Seven Fate Mage named Julius Sors. We¡¯d met briefly after the promotion ceremony, but we didn¡¯t interact much beyond pleasantries.


    Even so, I couldn¡¯t say I was surprised when the dark-skinned man in lavender robes approached within seconds of Mom stepping away.


    His ears were slightly pointed, making me wonder if he had a bit of elven heritage. The almost perfect symmetry of his face gave credence to that theory, as elves tended to be far more balanced that way than most of the other races.


    ¡°Congratulations again, Elder Momentia,¡± the Branch Leader said politely as he stepped next to me.


    ¡°Thank you, Senior Sors. And thank you for ensuring the well-being of my family while I¡¯ve been away.¡±


    The Fate Mage smiled gently. The corners of his eyes creased in lines that proved the expression was common enough for him.


    ¡°It was no problem at all,¡± the Branch Leader assured me before addressing the reason he¡¯d approached. ¡°The Patriarch tells me that you¡¯ll be taking a short vacation before you begin teaching.¡± His comment was somewhere between a statement and a question.


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve been gone for a long time, if only subjectively. There are things I¡¯d like to see and do while I have the chance. I fear the opportunity will pass if I wait until the next time I leave the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Nobody will begrudge you a vacation,¡± Leader Sors replied. ¡°Do you plan to settle into your new apartment before leaving? We¡¯ve set aside one of the penthouses for your use at the branch on Hadier. We were going to have a standard Elder residence built for you, but the Patriarch assured me the penthouse would be acceptable.¡±


    He looked at me with a hint of nervousness. Having someone of a higher tier residing at his branch had to be uncomfortable, especially given the other factors involved.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be more than sufficient,¡± I said with sincerity. ¡°I don¡¯t require much.¡±


    Though there was no obvious change in the man¡¯s demeanor, I could sense his relief. We chatted for a few more minutes before the man excused himself, and I found myself momentarily alone once again.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the void to be filled.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing to think you were newly awakened just a decade ago,¡± Rhona said with a friendly smile.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± I said with a bow.


    While there was an undertone of cheekiness, I tried to hide it since Aegeas was Rhona¡¯s family¡¯s territory. Outside of the kingdom, I might get away with being less formal, but my etiquette lessons had made it clear that anything less than a formal greeting was not acceptable in such settings.


    Even with my new status, there were certain expectations I needed to uphold when interacting with royalty, even with those who held an honorary title based on their familial connections.


    Thankfully, Rhona didn¡¯t stand too much on ceremony.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you made it through the first part of the dungeon relatively unscathed,¡± she said after looking me over. ¡°Elder robes look good on you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I also heard that you managed to pick up a third affinity,¡± Rhona said with a gleam in her eyes.


    ¡°I did,¡± I replied. ¡°It was a close thing, and it really barely qualifies.¡±


    The attractive brunette waved a hand. ¡°An awakened affinity counts, regardless of its strength.¡± Tapping her chin, Rhona asked, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be interested in contracting with a royal family?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly,¡± I said with a strained laugh. ¡°I only have ten years before I have to reenter the dungeon. I¡¯d rather not add any more demands or responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, maybe once you finish your task,¡± she mused. ¡°It isn¡¯t completely unheard of for someone to leave a little bit of themselves behind before ascending. It may even be better that way.¡±


    I looked at the former Administrator in surprise. ¡°Who said I¡¯m ascending anytime soon?¡±


    Rhona raised a brow. ¡°Are you not?¡±


    I was a little surprised by the question. While the topic had come up recently, I really hadn¡¯t given it much thought. As far as I was concerned, ascension was still a very long way away.


    ¡°I¡­ probably not?¡± I replied after a moment. ¡°At least, not anytime soon. I¡¯m not in any rush to leave everyone that I know and love behind.¡±


    Rhona looked at me uncertainly. ¡°Well, whenever you do decide to ascend, the Quartz Kingdom would be happy to work out a deal if you¡¯re so inclined.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 5 - The Problem with Extended Periods of Solitude

    ¡°I expected to see the Oracle during my visit after you told me she basically sent you to find me,¡± I said to Master Kairos as we waited for our portal to the capital. For some unknown reason, he¡¯d decided to accompany me and my family to Aspirant City, the home of the Epikairos Sect¡¯s Hadier branch.


    ¡°Unfortunately, she had other obligations. However, she did want to express her sincere congratulations for your successes.¡± He held out a hand. On it was a thin silver band cradling a small amethyst. ¡°It¡¯s a [Fate Obscuration] ring that blocks all but her eyes. She felt it may benefit you as you travel.¡±


    He wore a similar ring on the pinkie of his left hand, though his was far thicker.


    I hesitantly slipped the ring onto my right ring finger and nodded in thanks.


    ¡°Is there an immediate threat?¡± I asked before glancing around. I didn¡¯t know what any of my potential watchers might look like, but I was already on alert for anyone paying too much attention to me.


    Unfortunately, my tri-colored belt drew more than a little unwanted interest. The small icon on the corner of my interface was almost constantly blinking now that I was in public. I¡¯d probably have to change the settings soon.


    ¡°Probably not, but it¡¯s better to be prepared,¡± my mentor replied. ¡°That¡¯s part of the reason I¡¯m accompanying you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°It is no great difficulty,¡± he said before tensing slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve cleared much of my schedule for the foreseeable future. I thought it might be beneficial to¡­ travel together¡­ for a while.¡±


    I blinked in surprise and turned to face my normally confident mentor. ¡°How long is a while?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll be very interested in most of my plans.¡±


    The blonde man raised his hands in a gesture similar to a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± he replied.


    He didn¡¯t mind, but did I? It probably wasn¡¯t a bad thing to have him around for a while, aside from the obvious awkwardness. But I wasn¡¯t quite sure why he wanted to follow along.


    Was the threat really that serious?


    ¡°Are you¡­ worried that something might happen?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly. I have faith you can handle anyone at your tier.¡±


    My brows furrowed. ¡°So¡­ you just¡­ want to hang out for a while?¡± I asked uncertainly.


    ¡°Essentially,¡± he answered with a nervous smile. ¡°I thought it would be beneficial for us to get to know each other as more than just Master-Disciple or Patriarch-Elder now that there¡¯s a possibility we¡¯ll be ascending together. I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, Emie. Our portal is coming up,¡± Justin said, interrupting us. He shot Master Kairos an odd look before glancing back at the display on the wall.


    Master Kairos and I shared a glance and stood up. I fully expected we¡¯d finish the conversation another time, though I wasn¡¯t sure when that might be.


    <hr>


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t follow us inside,¡± Dad grumbled under his breath as we entered Justin¡¯s modest residence, leaving Master Kairos to travel the rest of the way to the local sect alone.


    The neighborhood wasn¡¯t all that dissimilar to any neighborhood on Earth ¨C aside from some architectural differences and the lack of driveways or cars. Mostly self-driving vehicles came and went to drop off passengers, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same thing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t grumble,¡± Mom said playfully as she patted his arm. ¡°As Patriarch Kairos rightfully pointed out, Emie is an adult. She can make decisions for herself. If she wants to get involved with someone old enough to have lived during the Renaissance, that¡¯s her choice.¡±


    She looked over her shoulder and chuckled. I shook my head in response.


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t like that. I think he just wants to change the dynamic of our relationship now that I¡¯ve made it this far.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he does,¡± Dad muttered.


    ¡°Not like that,¡± I said, rolling my eyes as I closed the door behind me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s exactly like that,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Your dad is probably right, you know,¡± Mom agreed.


    I huffed in exasperation. ¡°Not everyone thinks like the two of you.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh,¡± Mom said, shifting her hand in a ¡®so-so¡¯ motion. ¡°Maybe if he was obviously not interested. But I didn¡¯t get that feeling from him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little creepy, given his age,¡± Dad said with an expression of distaste. ¡°It gives a whole new meaning to the concept of robbing the cradle.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I should find someone more my age?¡± I asked with a touch of mirth. ¡°Some sixty-something-year-old, perhaps? I don¡¯t suppose you have any young-looking friends around my age? Preferably someone who is at least Tier Seven, else I¡¯d have to worry about hurting them.¡±


    I could barely keep from snickering at the expressions on their faces. Justin had already ducked away from the conversation, not that I blamed him.


    ¡°Not funny, Emie,¡± Mom chided. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ll be heading back into the dungeon in ten years. I doubt you¡¯d want to leave someone else behind.¡±


    Her words were said jokingly, but the impact hit harder than I expected. She had to have seen it on my face because her eyes immediately widened.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. We understand why you¡¯re doing what you¡¯re doing. I didn¡¯t mean it to come out that way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t, really. But there was no reason to make a big deal about it. Mom was right, anyway.


    Thankfully, I was spared from the topic going any further by the sound of Bell¡¯s voice coming from the door behind me.


    ¡°Look who¡¯s here!¡± she exclaimed while holding an infant in one arm and the hand of a toddler in another as she stepped across the threshold. ¡°Mommy and Daddy are back!¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    My eyes widened as I took in my younger sisters for the first time. Kaylee, the toddler, immediately ran to Mom, launching herself into her arms with a squeal as Bell kicked off her shoes near the front door.


    With a small gasp, I reached toward Ashlynn, the six-month-old in Bell¡¯s arms. ¡°Can I hold you? Do you want to come to your big sister?¡±


    I worried that my youngest sister might be wary ¨C infants were like that sometimes. But thankfully, Ashlynn seemed devoid of any shyness or caution toward what amounted to a virtual stranger.


    Kaylee, the older of the two girls, did not share her younger sibling¡¯s instant acceptance and eyed me suspiciously from Mom¡¯s arms. I tried not to take it personally since she¡¯d probably only seen a few video messages from me, but it was hard not to feel a little hurt by the implied rejection.


    My twin nephews were much less nervous about interacting with me when they arrived from school a short while later.


    ¡°You¡¯re an Adventurer, right?¡± Lucas asked excitedly as he jumped onto the couch next to me.


    ¡°Dad says you make magic weapons that you use to kill monsters,¡± his twin, Daniel, chimed in with a look of excitement. ¡°Can you make me a wand so I can kill monsters, too?¡±


    ¡°Adventurers kill monsters. That¡¯s how they get stronger,¡± Lucas added with a nod. ¡°I want to be an Adventurer when I grow up.¡±


    I forced myself to smile as the boys chattered. They hardly bothered waiting for an answer before moving on to a new topic. Sometimes, they ignored my responses altogether in favor of launching into a new line of questioning or arguing between themselves.


    As much as I wanted to enjoy interacting with my young nephews, I found their exuberance a bit overwhelming, especially after being forced to socialize for an entire day.


    Had I not just spent an extended period in quasi-solitude, I probably wouldn¡¯t have had such a difficult time with their energy. I certainly couldn¡¯t remember ever being bothered by energetic children in the past.


    Though I felt guilty doing it, I found myself making an excuse to leave shortly after Amie got home from school. She remembered me, though our time apart had created a chasm. It seemed that even our mostly regular communication wasn¡¯t enough to maintain the relationship we¡¯d had before I left.


    I was almost relieved to escape to the privacy and solitude of my temporary penthouse apartment. I promised to return in time for dinner, but I needed a bit of time alone to reset after so much social interaction.


    Getting there was easy enough since one of the disciples guarding the gates was willing to escort me once the wards authenticated my identity.


    I knew that Master Kairos was staying in the building next to mine, and I could see into his living room from my modest patio. Both apartments were furnished in neutral colors, though there were several accent pieces in dark purple in my apartment that were not present in his.


    It was a nice touch of personalization, I thought.


    I was happy to find that the apartment included enough empty space for a workstation. There were also existing [Time Dilation] formations throughout the residence. It was an extravagance for a visitor¡¯s quarters, but one I appreciated since it saved me the effort of needing to set one up.


    The formation allowed me to expand my hour-long break to four hours, and I used that time to Meditate and recenter myself. By the time I returned to Justin¡¯s home, I felt much more ready to engage with the important people in my life.


    <hr>


    ¡°You¡¯re really back!¡± Deni said with a huge grin when I returned to Justin¡¯s house. His residence was larger than my parents¡¯, so it was the natural choice for such a gathering.


    ¡°I am,¡± I said with a grin before being wrapped in a hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re safe,¡± she said, still holding onto me. After another squeeze, she released me and stepped back. ¡°What are your plans now? Are you going to go back home to visit?¡±


    I bobbed my head. ¡°I planned on it. I want to see how much has changed since I left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty different,¡± Bell said as she entered the foyer. ¡°Hey, Deni. Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Hey yourself, Bell!¡± the tall, dark-haired woman said with a grin before enveloping the shorter woman in a hug. ¡°Ahhh, all the girls are back together.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, how are the boys?¡± I asked as I headed toward the living room, where the rest of my immediate family members were gathered. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about Ger or Kevin in a few years.¡±


    And I really didn¡¯t care all that much about Blaze.


    ¡°The last I heard, Ger was getting married to some girl who visited from one of the higher-tier Alliance worlds,¡± Deni replied, her expression shifting to something more complicated before returning to a smile. ¡°Kevin was still working at the hospital in Dallas when I visited Earth last time. He probably won¡¯t ever leave.¡±


    I¡¯d known that Deni and Ger had broken up. It had happened years ago. While unfortunate, it seemed to be for the best since they¡¯d both had different goals.


    ¡°Is your family still doing well?¡± I asked.


    Deni¡¯s family had decided to stay on Earth, much like my parents had initially. But unlike Mom and Dad, her parents and siblings had remained there.


    ¡°They¡¯re doing good,¡± Deni said. ¡°The apocalypse was hard on them, but things have mostly settled at this point. The area where my parents live is a lot safer now that a bunch of low-tier adventurers spent the last several years clearing out all the rift breaks, and the Bounty Hunters took care of all the trash.¡±


    I nodded and listened as Deni spent the next few minutes catching us up on her family¡¯s progress on Earth. Like my extended family, the majority of hers hadn¡¯t been very keen on delving and killing rift creatures. Consequently, most of them were still Tier One or Low-Tier Two.


    It wasn¡¯t unusual, all things considered.


    Dinner was Mom¡¯s spaghetti tacos ¨C something I¡¯d missed eating with family while I was away. They were never as good when eaten alone.


    Transmuted food was also never quite as good as the real thing. It was good, excellent, even. But there was something the enchantments couldn¡¯t quite replicate compared to a homecooked meal.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I never tried these,¡± Deni said as she layered her fifth taco with spaghetti, kimchi, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce.


    The kimchi was a new addition from the last time I¡¯d had them, but I certainly wasn¡¯t complaining about the added flavor. After one bite, I¡¯d scanned the new version into the MealMaker and happily continued crunching alongside Deni.


    ¡°I saw a show that had spaghetti tacos one time, but it was just spaghetti in a taco shell. This is so much better than that!¡± she exclaimed before practically inhaling number six.


    I grinned. A lot of people who tried the dish said the same thing when I was growing up.


    ¡°So, when are you heading to Earth?¡± Deni asked.


    I glanced around the table. The kids were eating at the kitchen island because the dining table wasn¡¯t large enough to fit everyone. Thankfully, Amie was old enough to keep them from getting too out of control.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably head that way in a couple of months,¡± I said. ¡°I want to spend some time hanging out here, then do some traveling within the Alliance first.¡±


    ¡°How long until you have to start teaching?¡± Justin asked between bites.


    I shrugged. ¡°There is no real deadline. Master Kairos made it sound like I can take as much time as I want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of him,¡± Mom said, causing a frown to appear on Dad¡¯s face.


    Ignoring the expression, I said, ¡°It is. I think he¡¯s just as interested in taking a vacation as I am.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s really going to follow you around?¡± Bell asked with wide eyes. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have important sect stuff to do?¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Deni said, holding out a hand. ¡°The Tier Ten Time Mage guy that made you his disciple is following you around?¡± She glanced around. ¡°Where is he now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at the local sect,¡± I replied, motioning in the vague direction of the sect. ¡°He¡¯s not¡­ I mean, I guess he is kinda following me around, but it isn¡¯t like that. He just wants us to get to know each other as people and not as whatever roles we have.¡±


    Knowing what kind of comments that was likely to cause, I added, ¡°Please don¡¯t make a big deal out of it.¡± I glanced pointedly at my Dad and Justin before focusing back on Deni. ¡°He¡¯s hoping I¡¯ll ascend with him in, like, ninety years. Even if I don¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get to know him on a personal level.¡±


    ¡°Ninety years¡­¡± Deni said, trailing off. ¡°It¡¯s pretty crazy to think we should all still be alive by then.¡± Her faraway look focused back on me. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll do it?¡±


    My gaze shifted between my assembled family members before drifting to the kitchen where the kids were gathered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not inclined to right now, but who knows how I¡¯ll feel after going back to the dungeon for what¡¯ll feel like a couple hundred years? It¡¯s not easy being away like that.¡±


    I was sure some part of them understood. Just moving to a new state often caused families and friends to drift apart. As much as I didn¡¯t want to grow more distant from my family, I had already felt it starting while I was in the dungeon.


    I had little doubt that I¡¯d get over it soon enough, at least with my immediate family. But what about the next time?


    This was only a taste of the distance that would likely develop during my final stint in the dungeon. If I was already feeling the effects of time and distance now, how bad would it be by the time I reached Peak Tier Ten?

 Book 4 - Chapter 6 - Hidden Threats

    ¡°So, all of the safe zone cities got regularly attacked by beast waves until the seventh floor?¡± Justin asked after reviewing the floor summary I¡¯d sent to him.


    ¡°Basically,¡± I agreed. ¡°I didn¡¯t personally witness anything on the first two floors, but from what I heard, it was the same.¡±


    My brother grunted lightly as he made an annotation on his tablet. He¡¯d asked for information about the dungeon for a book series he planned to write after he finished his current series. I looked forward to reading it eventually.


    Hopefully, he¡¯d finish it before I returned to the dungeon. There was always a chance the dungeon would redact anything related to it, even after I moved beyond the relevant floors.


    ¡°And they armed anyone under-tier with manatech weapons and had them help to level up?¡± he added, more to himself than to me. ¡°That is smart. It probably doesn¡¯t help make them competent, but at least they can gain levels.¡±


    I smiled lightly as I watched the twins playing on a huge playground. There were holographic displays available for parents and guardians to watch their associated children, so keeping track of their rapid movement through the maze-like play area was easy.


    ¡°I wish we had something like this when we were kids,¡± I said.


    My comment caused Justin to look up from his tablet. ¡°Yeah. It would have been pretty amazing,¡± he agreed. ¡°The different kid zones change every week. The variety helps keep the kids interested in playing here, which is good, considering how quickly kids tend to lose interest in things. We come here pretty often.¡±


    ¡°Amie, too?¡± I asked. She was nearly thirteen, so I would have thought she¡¯d have already outgrown such forms of entertainment.


    Then again, the older-kid playground a block over did look pretty amazing. From what I glimpsed on the holoscreen of one of the nearby parents, it looked like the playground for the older kids was more oriented toward virtual training simulations than actual playing.


    Justin nodded and swiped at the holoscreen in front of him, bringing up prior recordings.


    ¡°Amie loves the training yard. That¡¯s what they call the stage-three playground,¡± he explained before motioning for me to look. ¡°Check her out. Half of the facility is split into rooms that blend augmented reality and holograms. It¡¯s like the holodecks from Star Trek, instead of pure virtual reality like we used on Earth.¡±


    The screen showed my eldest niece blasting through a mock rift with two similar-aged girls. They used a variety of virtual weapons, and I was surprised at the skill they exhibited already.


    ¡°Wow. And you¡¯re okay with her training like this?¡±


    ¡°I kinda have to be,¡± Justin replied with a sigh. ¡°Holding her back isn¡¯t going to do her any favors. While I don¡¯t like the idea of Amie eventually entering a rift, that¡¯s the reality we live in now. I¡¯d rather she get training and thrive in such settings instead of struggling like so many of our fellow Earthborn.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± he continued, ¡°it isn¡¯t all that different from the video games we used to play. They¡¯re moving around more than we did, but the content isn¡¯t any worse. Maybe it¡¯s even better. At least they aren¡¯t training to kill other people.¡±


    I nodded in unconscious agreement as I watched the recording. We still had no idea what Amie¡¯s affinity was, but anyone could use manatech devices. It was what made them so popular.


    ¡°Dad! Aunt Emie!¡± Daniel yelled from the entrance of the stage-two playground. ¡°Are you watching? Did you see?¡±


    Justin flicked the holoscreen back to the twins, and we quickly reviewed the last several minutes.


    ¡°Yeah! You guys got the flag! Good job!¡± I said with an enthusiastic thumbs up.


    ¡°Excellent job, boys! What are you going to play next?¡± Justin asked a moment later.


    Daniel said something over his shoulder, presumably conferring with his twin. ¡°We¡¯re going to play Heroes and Bandits. The sim is resetting in two minutes.¡±


    Justin nodded. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll be watching!¡±


    I grinned and waved as my nephew ducked back into the playground. ¡°What was that you said about not training to kill people?¡± I asked with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m actually a little surprised they have simulators for such young kids.¡±


    ¡°Protecting people from ¡®bad guys¡¯ isn¡¯t the same as war games and battle royales,¡± Justin said with a huff. ¡°And the technology is supposed to be safe, so there¡¯s no reason not to allow the kids to use it.¡±


    I watched the holoscreen with interest as the boys and their friends rescued a group of simulated adventurers from simulated bandits. I could easily see the training value of such games.


    Most of my feelings of dissonance had evaporated after the first few days of spending time with my family. I¡¯d even grown used to the boys¡¯ exuberance and rambunctiousness¡­ in short doses.


    It really was amazing how quickly one could adapt to new settings.


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re heading out with the Patriarch tomorrow?¡± Justin asked casually. We¡¯d already discussed my plans, so I understood his question for what it was.


    ¡°I am,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before the kids¡¯ break. You still want to go with me to visit Earth, right?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Justin replied before hesitating. ¡°Are you sure what you¡¯re planning to do is safe? Didn¡¯t you say something about mana wells killing people?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not completely certain,¡± I admitted.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Though the mana well was on a Tier Four world, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t dangerous to someone at Tier Eight. It should mean that, but reality didn¡¯t always follow logic.


    ¡°That¡¯s part of the reason why I don¡¯t mind Master Kairos coming along,¡± I continued. ¡°If something does go wrong, he¡¯ll be able to help. But you really shouldn¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Justin narrowed his eyes at my statement. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right. It would be crazy for you to survive the dungeon and die on some barely mid-tier world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± I promised.


    <hr>


    ¡°Benefactor Kairos! It¡¯s so lovely to see you!¡± a woman in black robes said as she stood and quickly bowed in greeting. ¡°I¡¯ve let the Branch Leader know you¡¯re here already. She should arrive shortly.¡±


    Master Kairos had informed me years earlier that he¡¯d purchased the land containing the mana well and then leased it to an allied sect, so seeing the black-robed sect members wasn¡¯t much of a surprise.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why the mana well hadn¡¯t been developed or exploited in the other timeline, but it didn¡¯t really matter in this timeline. What mattered was that I could still gain access to the resource.


    I¡¯d also asked Master Kairos to ensure that Ros would be granted access after he awakened without an affinity. It was the least I could do for someone who¡¯d done so much for me.


    As far as I knew, he¡¯d visited shortly after awakening and had gained an affinity. Master Kairos hadn¡¯t said anything about him beyond informing me about his successful acquisition, but I knew he still kept track of my old friend¡¯s status.


    The fact that I hadn¡¯t asked about any of my former party members after being informed that the messages I¡¯d sent had been received made me feel like a bad person. But I planned to change that now that I was out of the dungeon.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± a very attractive dark-haired woman in embroidered robes said as she appeared out of nowhere. I got the sense that her movement was a form of teleportation, though one that functioned with Arcane instead of Space mana.


    ¡°Greetings, Branch Leader Unity,¡± Master Kairos said with a short bow. I copied him, going just a bit lower as etiquette dictated. ¡°Thank you for accommodating my former disciple.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s our pleasure,¡± the woman assured him before turning to me with a wide smile. ¡°It is wonderful to meet a rare Tri-Affinity Mage, especially one with an Arcane affinity! I¡¯d be happy to guide you to the VIP meditation chamber within the mana well if you¡¯re ready now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said with a smile. I turned to Master Kairos. ¡°I¡¯ll message you when I¡¯m done?¡±


    ¡°That sounds fine. I have some things to check on, anyway.¡±


    I nodded and turned back to the Branch Leader. ¡°I¡¯m ready, thank you.¡±


    The dark-haired Branch Leader took a sample of my mana to verify my affinity and add me as an authorized person for their wards. Once that was complete, she gracefully led me through the building and out a back door leading to the enclosed grove.


    The entire area was surrounded by the pentagon-shaped building we¡¯d just exited, preventing any unauthorized ground access to the mana well.


    It wouldn¡¯t stop someone who could teleport, though I imagined the ward she¡¯d mentioned would prevent such methods by those who were not approved.


    The edge of the grove was just like I remembered. The turquoise leaves and deep brown trunks of the surrounding trees were dappled with flecks of black as if someone had misted the area in a thin spray of black paint.


    A few dark flowers sprouted in clusters that thickened as we drew closer to the open meadow in the center ¨C one I¡¯d only heard of since Ros had insisted we keep our distance when we visited in the other timeline.


    Unlike the ragged hole Ros had described, the entrance to the mana well was cleanly cut and led to a set of carved stairs. The access point was covered by a small building, too small for anything beyond the hole leading into the ground.


    Around the tiny building, I noticed several gaps in the earth hidden within clusters of black flowers. It looked like someone had taken scoops out of the ground and replaced the dirt with crystalline bowls.


    Seeing my gaze, Branch Leader Unity said, ¡°Those serve as skylights, allowing the various rooms to have natural sunlight.¡±


    ¡°Are there a lot of rooms below?¡±


    ¡°Not a lot,¡± the Arcane Mage replied. ¡°There are only a few that have been stripped of any usable mana crystals. The harvesting process is very slow, but the empty space is excellent for those with an Arcane affinity.¡±


    ¡°Do you get a lot of visitors?¡± I asked.


    Leader Unity pursed her lips as she paused by the entrance to the mana well. ¡°Not normally. We¡¯ve had a couple of new visitors who are connected enough to be allowed access. But there should be no issues with crowding. You¡¯ll be granted exclusive access to the VIP Meditation room for as long as you need it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The woman nodded before asking, ¡°Do you have an estimate of how long you plan to stay?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± I replied honestly. ¡°It mostly depends on how effective Meditating in the well is.¡±


    I followed the Branch Leader down the carved staircase.


    A figure sat cross-legged opposite the base of the stairs, but he seemed to ignore our presence as we made our way into the darkened stone cavern. Light from the crystal above illuminated the modest space while reflecting off tiny slivers of mana crystal left behind during harvesting.


    A larger illuminated room was down a narrow hallway to the left, while two smaller rooms were off to the right. Through Spatial Sense, I noted a meditating figure in the closest cavern room on the right and two individuals harvesting mana crystals in the room a bit deeper.


    The Branch Leader motioned me toward the room to the left. I thanked my guide and quickly set up a protective formation around the perimeter of the room. While I didn¡¯t think there was any risk within the mana well, I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.


    At a minimum, the formation would alert me if someone tried to enter the space.


    Once the formation was active, I settled onto the cushion waiting in the middle of the room and closed my eyes.


    The Arcane mana was dense, far beyond what should be present on a Tier Four world.


    There was also another energy. It was vaguely familiar, but I couldn¡¯t quite place it.


    Was it essence?


    There were theories that the rare energy might be somehow involved in affinity growth, though it was almost impossible to prove since essence was not containable, or even really measurable.


    It was like dark energy for scientists on pre-integration Earth. They knew it existed, but had no real way of interacting with or sensing it beyond noticing how it impacted other types of energy.


    Unlike mana, essence would not solidify into crystals, nor could it be absorbed by other materials.


    It didn¡¯t help that essence was only rarely found on Sira or in the exceedingly rare variant of mana well. As far as anyone knew, both occurrences were temporary since both sources eventually ran dry.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if this mana well had essence, but since Ros had awoken his affinity here in both timelines, there seemed to be decent odds for it.


    I could feel the odd energy moving. Most of it was coming from behind me, and I wondered idly if there was a source in that direction.


    I could usually influence energy ¨C or rather, mana ¨C by focusing on it and willing it toward me. However, the new energy I sensed was stubborn.


    As I focused on the energy, the mass split. Half moved closer while the other half began trailing around the edge of the cavern room.


    Though I didn¡¯t sense anything beyond the energy via Spatial Sense, I still opened my eyes to see if I could catch a glimpse of the odd energy ¨C whether it be essence or something else.


    Even with Mana Sight, I saw nothing but a hazy blur.


    Like the energy itself, there was something familiar about the sight. Narrowing my eyes, I looked more closely at the odd energy that hovered just a few feet away.


    With a sudden jolt of recognition, I teleported out of the cavern and onto the surface.


    I knew exactly what kind of energy that was, and it sure as heck wasn¡¯t essence.


    With an angry frown, I targeted the entire mana well and cast Stasis.

 Book 4 - Chapter 7 - Whats in a Name?

    I released the Arcane mana I¡¯d been controlling as I Meditated with a sigh. I had no idea if my efforts were actually improving the strength of my affinity, but it seemed like my connection to the mana type had grown a little stronger.


    However, whether it was due to familiarity or an actual improvement in my affinity was still yet to be determined.


    I¡¯d check once I got out of the mana well.


    The [Time Dilation] field I was using to extend my time in my newly secured section of the mana well was a joint endeavor between me and Master Kairos. He¡¯d done the bulk of the Crafting and Enchanting since we were working with Tier Ten materials, but I¡¯d incorporated my Tier Eight Arcane mana into the formation as well.


    I might have gotten away with using a normal [Time Dilation] enchantment within the mana well, but we both felt it would be better to incorporate the primary environmental mana type into the formation, given the location in which it would be used.


    It helped that incorporating Arcane mana ¨C even at a lower tier ¨C would ultimately strengthen the effect and prevent the valuable energies from being lost. If anything, the effect only served to draw more mana into the small hollow I¡¯d spatially expanded.


    I¡¯d already spent several subjective weeks hidden away in the expanded cave several dozen meters below the portion of the mana well that had already been explored. The walls were lined with thick black crystals of solidified mana, much like I expected the upper mana well had been before it was mined.


    With the protections I had in place, not even Master Kairos could reach me here without doing some serious damage to the surroundings. I doubted a couple of would-be assassins would be able to find me, much less reach me here.


    The thought made me release an involuntary groan of frustration. I collapsed back against the soft round cushion I was using to make the sharp edges of the floor and walls somewhat comfortable.


    Space was limited unless I wanted to put more effort into expanding the small cavity, and it had already taken a lot of effort to get as far as I had with the mana well interfering.


    Thinking back on the incident, I knew that I¡¯d wasted time by Teleporting to the surface to get away from any potential attacks. I should have just cast Stasis right away instead of granting my would-be attackers the chance to escape.


    Even if it had only been a second or two.


    The fact that nobody was present in the room when Stasis activated had caused me to doubt myself at first. However, I knew what good [Stealth] talismans looked like when they were active. Once I connected the dots, the source of the odd mana I sensed was pretty obvious.


    I ultimately decided not to mention the incident to anyone other than Master Kairos, though I did take additional measures to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.


    As the former disciple of the person who ¡®owned¡¯ the mana well, I was granted unlimited access to the resource. My mana signature had already been added to the wards protecting the area, so I had no trouble returning in secret.


    The second time I visited the mana well, only Master Kairos knew that I was there. Just in case the information had leaked through the allied sect, we felt it was better to completely hide my presence.


    I¡¯d even added a few temporary inscriptions to prevent any sensory skills from detecting me.


    The inscriptions wouldn¡¯t last much longer, but they¡¯d been enough for my needs during the visit. It probably wouldn¡¯t take much effort to make something that would last longer, which I¡¯d probably do on my next visit.


    And it wasn¡¯t like the inscriptions were all that complex to make, given my skill with Enchanting and my understanding of and affinity for Space.


    A glance at my interface let me know that I wouldn¡¯t have enough time to make anymore real progress before I¡¯d need to leave. Since there was no reason to start anything new, I stood up and began slowly disassembling the [Time Dilation] formation.


    I didn¡¯t want to be late for the next leg of our trip, after all.


    <hr>


    ¡°You had no further troubles, I take it?¡± a disguised Master Kairos asked when I appeared next to him a short while later.


    I¡¯d given him ample warning about my impending arrival, so he knew to move away from the crowds. Since I¡¯d Marked him before we went our separate ways, it was easy enough to find him in the spatial weave.


    Given the effectiveness of his disguise, it was also the only real way I had of being sure who he was without identifying myself.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Instead of a young-looking platinum-blonde man with unnaturally pale skin, Master Kairos now had dark hair and sun-kissed skin. His athletic physique and height were the only things similar to his normal appearance. Otherwise, he looked like a completely different man.


    Though I didn¡¯t bother doing so, I knew that Assess would show him to be a Tier Ten Earth Mage. He had several manatech devices that would support such a persona, all of which were carefully disguised as mere foci.


    I wore a similar disguise, though mine showed me as a black-haired Space Mage with medium skin. We both kept our true tiers since misrepresenting someone¡¯s tier could cause unexpected problems.


    Some territories even had laws prohibiting such deceptions since it could lead to accidental Accords violations.


    ¡°None,¡± I replied as I smoothed my purple tunic. ¡°I doubt anyone even knew I was there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Master Kairos said with a nod. ¡°The formation worked well, I take it?¡±


    ¡°It did.¡±


    ¡°And was it worth the effort?¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother holding back a smile. ¡°Twenty,¡± I answered, referencing my new Arcane rating. It was still very weak, but a four-point increase was nothing to scoff at.


    ¡°That¡¯s excellent!¡± Master Kairos said with a matching smile. A moment later, he motioned for me to follow and started moving toward the portal hub.


    I kept pace with him as we made our way to the facility. It reminded me of a train station or airport, though there were notably fewer ¡®gates¡¯ than one would expect to see.


    ¡°Are you hungry? We can sit down for a meal while we wait for our portal reservation,¡± he offered. Like with airports and train stations, there was a variety of options available within the portal hub.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m always up for a good meal,¡± I said with a grin, not bothering to hide my gluttony.


    Once we settled on a restaurant and submitted our orders, Master Kairos said, ¡°You should call me ¡®Kai¡¯ while we¡¯re traveling in disguise.¡±


    The suggestion surprised me.


    ¡°You¡­ want me to call you Kai?¡± I asked awkwardly.


    The thought felt alien, like suddenly being told to call your teacher by their first name after calling them ¡®Mr. Jones¡¯ for years.


    Actually, it was stranger than that. It was probably closer to being told to call my mom ¡®Avery¡¯ instead of ¡®Mom¡¯ or being told to call one of my grandparents by their given name.


    It felt wrong.


    ¡°It would make things easier,¡± he replied casually. ¡°Calling me ¡®Master Kairos¡¯ is going to draw attention, especially when we¡¯re not dressed in normal sect attire.¡±


    His argument made sense, especially given our desire to remain incognito.


    Of course, we didn¡¯t have to travel this way. It was a choice we¡¯d made to prevent any potential mishaps along the way.


    That didn¡¯t mean we weren¡¯t going to confront the people intent on doing me harm. It just seemed smarter not to have to constantly look over our shoulders all the time.


    ¡°Is that why you decided on Kai instead of Henlen or some variant of your first name?¡±


    ¡°Partly,¡± Master Kairos admitted. ¡°But the bigger reason is because I like the name better. I plan to use it when I ¨C or perhaps, we ¨C ascend. Getting used to it now would be beneficial if you do accompany me since it would be as a companion, not a disciple or junior. Calling me ¡®Master Kairos¡¯ at that point would be¡­ inappropriate.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t being overly familiar with you now inappropriate?¡± I asked with a raised brow.


    ¡°Probably,¡± he conceded with a light shrug. ¡°But it isn¡¯t an issue as long as we are outside of the sect. I meant to discuss this with you earlier¡ª¡±


    His words were interrupted by the arrival of our meal. We¡¯d both ordered several items, all of which I quickly scanned into the MealMaker before taking the first bite.


    ¡°You were saying?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Master Kairos said after sampling the meals he purchased and storing all but one in his ring to keep them fresh. ¡°Since I¡¯ll be ascending in less than a century, most of which you¡¯ll spend in the dungeon, I feel there is little harm in developing a friendship instead of maintaining such a formal relationship.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already an Elder anyway,¡± he added, leaning back in his chair. ¡°By the time you leave the dungeon next, you¡¯ll be Peak-Tier Ten. Nobody is going to care if you call me ¡®Kai¡¯ instead of ¡®Master¡¯ or ¡®Patriarch¡¯ at that point.¡±


    He tapped his fingers together in an odd rhythm. ¡°It¡¯s a delicate balance ¨C remaining professional while also developing a friendship. Within the sect, strict formality is necessary. But when we¡¯re out like this?¡± Master Kairos motioned around us. ¡°It makes more sense to be casual. We¡¯ll never move beyond a Master-Disciple relationship if you cannot see me as anything other than your Master.¡±


    It was true. Even with our official relationship no longer being that of Master-Disciple, it was hard to see him as anything else.


    ¡°I understand when we¡¯re trying to remain inconspicuous¡­¡±


    I did, but it still felt wrong to call him ¡®Kai.¡¯


    ¡°Well, since we are currently in such a setting, perhaps you can start getting used to it?¡± my mentor said with a twinkle in his eyes. It was obvious he found something about our interaction humorous, though I wasn¡¯t quite sure what.


    ¡°Sure¡­ Kai.¡±


    The disguise helped a little. He didn¡¯t look like Master Kairos, so it was easier to call him something else. I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d manage the same when he wasn¡¯t wearing a disguise talisman, though.


    Shifting to a slightly more serious expression, Master Kairos ¨C Kai asked, ¡°Have you decided how you want to handle your old party?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I mostly just want to see them with my own eyes ¨C at least Ros and Jorenda. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll tell any of them who I am. There¡¯s no reason to invite more questions. I might not even make contact at all. I just want to observe them a little and see how they¡¯re doing.¡±


    Maybe it was weird. I didn¡¯t really care.


    Master Kairos had given me a file that summarized the major life events each of my former party members had experienced during my time in the dungeon, so I wasn¡¯t walking into the situation without any information.


    I¡¯d also done a little of my own research before leaving Hadier. While social media wasn¡¯t necessarily a thing within the Alliance, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild did allow its members to interact with each other through its internal network.


    Since I was not a member of the guild in this life, I¡¯d used Master Kairos¡¯s access to learn what I could before starting this leg of my journey. Most of the information I¡¯d found was the same as what Master Kairos had given me, making me suspect most of his intel had come from this very source.


    ¡°The ripple effects were pronounced with your friends,¡± Master Kairos said knowingly.


    He was right. A lot had changed just from my messages. Since that was kinda the point, it wasn¡¯t like I could get upset about it.

 Book 4 - Chapter 8 - World Hopping

    ¡°I expected the world to be far more subjugated by now,¡± I commented as Master Kairos ¨C Kai and I flew over the forest separating the closest city with a portal to the city in which Ros and his new team had last registered.


    The vibrant, warm colors below should have implied the current season was mid-fall. However, I¡¯d already been informed that was not the case.


    In fact, this world didn¡¯t have the normal four seasons that most planets shared. At best, it had three ¨C Spring, Summer, and Fall.


    Instead of the greens and occasional blues that many mana-infused planets produced, the flora on this particular planet had leaves and stalks of red, orange, yellow, and the occasional purple.


    It was beautiful.


    However, the colors also implied there was a different balance in the world¡¯s mana than I was used to. If I had to guess, I¡¯d hypothesize the world had far more volcanoes and lightning storms than the worlds I¡¯d visited.


    It probably also had a far lower percentage of water.


    ¡°The world was completely uninhabited when it was integrated,¡± Kai said as he looked out the window. He was controlling the flying vehicle we were using since it was his, but it didn¡¯t take much effort with the assistance of his Interface Assistant.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the rift beasts cull each other?¡±


    ¡°They do, to some degree,¡± Kai replied. ¡°But the rifts continue to overflow, so the problem continues. Now that the Alliance is actively subjugating the world, it¡¯ll probably only take another half-millennia or so to get Agirock roughly in line with the rest of the populated mid-tier worlds.¡±


    ¡°That long?¡±


    My mentor nodded. ¡°It isn¡¯t a quick process unless the Council opts to use higher-tier subjugation teams. Since that would cheat the Tier Four and Tier Five citizens out of a valuable opportunity for progression, they won¡¯t do it unless there is a really pressing need. And since there is no real risk of overpopulation at the moment, they¡¯d probably let the process drag out indefinitely.¡±


    I returned my focus to the landscape below. ¡°I never mentioned this, but we planned to come here after I collected the materials I needed for the formation on Olym,¡± I said after a moment.


    ¡°That would have been good for you,¡± Kai said. ¡°Planets like this provide a lot of opportunities. Your party leader was smart to realize that.¡±


    ¡°He is a smart guy,¡± I said with a grin.


    My disguised mentor turned to face me. ¡°He might be different,¡± he said solemnly. ¡°They all might. I hope you¡¯re prepared for that.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I said, my grin slipping. ¡°It¡¯s the butterfly effect. Small changes make big impacts that compound.¡±


    After staring at me for a moment, Kai nodded once. ¡°As long as you understand.¡±


    He focused his attention forward, leaving me to my thoughts.


    We arrived at a much smaller city a couple of hours later. It was probably closer to a town, really.


    The walls still towered over the structures within, protecting them and the resident adventurers from the untamed wilds outside.


    Instead of bothering to ask around, I extended my senses to locate my old friend¡¯s familiar energy signature. It had been¡­ a while, but I still hadn¡¯t forgotten it.


    After taking a moment to process the feedback, I tracked Ros to an area outside of the town near a well-deserved rift.


    Based on his trajectory, he was on his way back to the city with four other people.


    About a half-hour later, the familiar energy signature entered the town¡¯s gates. I watched as a ghost from my past walked down the street surrounded by unfamiliar faces.


    He looked healthy and in good spirits, though that wasn¡¯t unusual.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    I watched with interest as a woman exited the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and wrapped her arms around the Arcane Mage before kissing him soundly on the lips. Ros had never gotten serious with anyone during the time that I knew him, so seeing such an affectionate display surprised me a little.


    There was a small pang of jealousy, but I ruthlessly crushed it as I monitored the group from a distance. Ros and I never had a relationship like that, mostly because Ros was adamantly against intimate relationships within a party.


    He said it caused too many problems, and I understood his perspective.


    I could easily see how even a healthy relationship could cause problems in a party where danger was a very real part of the equation. How could the people involved keep themselves from putting each other ahead of the rest of the party?


    Such emotions complicated party dynamics. It was much easier to avoid them altogether when other people were also involved.


    If it was just the couple adventuring together, that would be different. But on a five-person team? Relationships had too much potential to cause problems.


    ¡°He seems to be doing well,¡± my mentor commented with a barely suppressed grin.


    ¡°He does. I¡¯m glad,¡± I said as my eyes followed the couple into the largest building in the town.


    ¡°Do you feel the need to remain any longer?¡± Kai asked several minutes later.


    Ros and the others ¨C including the girlfriend ¨C had already done their business at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and left. They were now heading into one of the nearby residential buildings.


    ¡°No.¡± I turned to my mentor. ¡°I know it¡¯s silly to spend so much time and money to travel around checking on them, but I still feel guilty about not personally ensuring my promises were kept. I really do appreciate your help with that.¡±


    After agreeing to enter the dungeon, I¡¯d originally planned to just send detailed letters to each of my former party members. However, Master Kairos had reminded me that telling people about my trip through time was not a good idea, no matter how trustworthy they might have been in another life.


    Instead, asked me to hand-write a short warning to each of them, providing only the information they needed to know to avoid the events or situations that had caused them regret in the other timeline.


    Ros was actually one of the easier ones since Master Kairos had purchased the mana well and leased it to an allied sect. Since it was impossible for him and Jonas to accidentally stumble upon the resource, there was no risk of Jonas dying.


    Instead, I¡¯d simply extended an invitation for Ros to visit the site and potentially unlock an Arcane affinity. Because the invitation officially came from the Epikairos Sect, the message was automatically given legitimacy.


    ¡°It was easy enough,¡± the old Time Mage said. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure the Fate Mages tasked enjoyed the opportunity to earn a few contribution points.¡±


    The mental image of a robed Fate Mage waiting outside the Training Tower for Ros to show up made me smile. With their affinities, it wouldn¡¯t have been hard to narrow down his arrival time, so I doubt they waited very long.


    = = =


    After leaving the frontier world, Kai and I continued our journey, heading to the ocean world of Osana.


    The planet was mostly covered in water, with dry land only accounting for about a quarter of the world¡¯s exterior. Consequently, there were more aquatic races than those based solely on land.


    That didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t huge cities on what little land they could use.


    There were also numerous large underwater cities, though they were difficult to get to without the right manatech or the ability to breathe water.


    ¡°She¡¯s at the hospital,¡± I said after locating Jorenda, the party healer from my time with Ros. Aside from him, Jorenda was my closest friend in the other timeline.


    But unlike in the previous timeline, this Jorenda was not an Adventurer.


    She¡¯d always lamented not attending an academy due to finances. She hadn¡¯t wanted to become indebted to an academy for a decade or more just to learn healing spells she could potentially buy via the system.


    But between the difficulty of learning to heal without specific spellforms, the limits on system purchases, and the cost of spells, she realized that just attending for a year and copying everything she needed to know would have been a better option.


    Of course, commoners typically didn¡¯t know about the upgrade, and trying to manually learn healing spellforms was beyond what most could accomplish.


    When I told her my plans to travel back in time, she jokingly asked me to tell her to get the interface upgrade and attend an academy for a year to copy and learn everything she needed to be successful. She claimed that two or three years of service to the academy would be a small price to pay for such an advantage.


    It seemed she was right since Jorenda appeared to be doing very well for herself.


    I watched from [Stealth] as my former healer friend taught one of the newly awakened healers how to use his magic to heal a broken bone.


    She¡¯d always had a soft spot for kids.


    Jorenda had never really wanted to become an adventurer. She¡¯d only gone down that route because it was the only way she knew to make a real difference with the affinity she¡¯d been blessed with.


    While some hospitals and clinics might be willing to hire untrained healers (or at least apprentice them), most wouldn¡¯t bother without proof of their abilities. Knowing Jorenda, she¡¯d used her academy¡¯s service obligation to build a good reputation for herself.


    Coupled with a variety of effective healing spells, it really was little surprise that she¡¯d landed a position in a respectable facility.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see someone so obviously happy with their life,¡± Kai said as he watched from nearby. Because we were wearing linked [Stealth] talismans, we could see and hear each other without issue, though nobody else could sense us.


    ¡°It is,¡± I agreed. After watching my old friend for a short while longer, I sighed and turned to my former Master. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Where to next?¡±


    I stepped closer. ¡°Why don¡¯t we explore Osana for a bit before leaving? I¡¯ve never seen an underwater city in person before.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 9 - Setting the Bait

    While the experience was neat enough, exploring a real underwater city wasn¡¯t all that different from my memories of doing the same thing in the game.


    Sure, this time, I was wearing a rebreather and a scaled bodysuit instead of transforming into a mermaid, but that wasn¡¯t enough to make it feel like a new experience.


    Granted, my previous experiences were from decades earlier and a whole other timeline, but that didn¡¯t change anything.


    It was a lot like going to visit another country (or world) and realizing that cities were pretty similar no matter where you went. There might be minor differences in style or whatever, but the core of what makes a city a city wasn¡¯t any different.


    There were restaurants, stores, workshops, offices, mana exchanges, and all the other things one would expect to see in a normal city. Really, aside from the building materials used and the fact that the city was underwater and was illuminated by a massive glowing pillar, there wasn¡¯t much to write home about.


    I purchased both the rebreather and the bodysuit from a local retailer on the surface at a premium. But given the resources my mentor and I had access to, the cost was hardly worth mentioning.


    Tier Four items, no matter how extravagant, were not worth all that much to those who were at Tier Eight or above.


    I briefly considered crafting my own items for the short excursion, but the time and effort weren¡¯t worth it.


    However, I did take note of the design and enchantments used for the rebreather. Having a face mask that converted carbon dioxide into pure oxygen was far more convenient than bothering with tanks or [Water Breathing] enchantments.


    It was also far less awkward to use.


    After picking up several small gifts and sampling the local cuisine ¨C something we waited to enjoy until after leaving the water ¨C my still-disguised mentor and I left Osana.


    A quick trip to Ranbar showed that Edgar was also doing well enough. He was alive, in any case.


    Somehow, the fighter had found his way into an Alliance army instead of becoming an adventurer. Per his request, I¡¯d warned him about the conscription, but it seemed the warning hadn¡¯t had the effect that an older version of Edgar had expected.


    Instead of avoiding a local war, he¡¯d somehow landed himself in a bigger one. Or, at least, he was about to.


    The facility he was training in was used by those preparing to go to The Waste, the lowest tier of the war planets, where members of the Alliance and the Collective were locked into an endless war.


    However it had happened, Alliance forces were almost purely volunteer, so I didn¡¯t think that he was participating against his will.


    Marcus and his twin sister Marissa were still adventuring on Pylos. In the other timeline, I¡¯d actually replaced Marissa when she got married to a crafter and quit adventuring. It seemed that didn¡¯t happen in this timeline.


    Marcus hadn¡¯t wanted to change anything, specifically. Instead, he asked that I inform him about a few investment opportunities. It was one of those ¡®if I only knew that XYZ company would do so well¡­ I wish I¡¯d invested,¡¯ kind of things.


    While I couldn¡¯t be completely certain that the ripples caused by my actions wouldn¡¯t change things, I passed the information along. Based on the twins¡¯ equipment, I felt confident that at least one of those investments had paid off.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk to them either?¡± Kai asked as we watched the twins and their party pass by.


    We were sitting at a table outside a caf¨¦ next to the local Adventurers¡¯ Guild. It wasn¡¯t one that I was familiar with, but they all blurred together after a while.


    ¡°No,¡± I said before looking away from the retreating group. I took a sip of this world¡¯s version of a hot chocolate and sighed. ¡°I accomplished my goal for this part of the trip.¡±


    My disguised former Master tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table a few times. ¡°What are your plans now?¡±


    A mischievous grin spread slowly across my face. ¡°Well, since we made a full circle, we might as well head back to Aether Pass. We¡¯ve got some unfinished business looking for us there¡­¡±


    = = =


    Looking like himself again, Master Kairos smiled as I exited the pentagon-shaped building that housed the Arcane sect allied with Epikairos. Now that I was specifically looking for signs of people watching with [Stealth] enchantments or spells active, they weren¡¯t all that difficult to locate.


    ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t too bored while I was in there,¡± I commented, knowing our observers could hear me.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± he said with a smile before his eyes shifted to my hair. ¡°Is that a permanent change?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t checked my appearance after canceling the [Disguise], and the fact that the tendrils of hair around my face were still dark hadn¡¯t stood out since I had grown used to them. But now that he¡¯d pointed it out, I removed the tie from my hair and pulled it forward.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s expression looked like something between a wince and a grin. ¡°It looks fine. Sometimes affinities manifest in strange ways.¡±


    I frowned. I liked my lighter hair!


    ¡°There are spells and products that can change it back,¡± he offered.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just hair,¡± I grumbled as I quickly tied it back.


    Master Kairos cleared his throat and struggled to hide his amusement. ¡°Where to now?¡± he asked, returning us to our planned dialogue.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind just relaxing for a while. Meditation is great and all, but it¡¯s not particularly restful,¡± I said as if considering my options. ¡°I¡¯d rather not get stared at all the time because of my affinities. Is there a nice, private resort somewhere on this planet?¡±


    While it was possible the Sovereignty Sect people would attack while we were in public, we¡¯d decided it was far more likely they¡¯d wait until there was little to no chance for collateral damage.


    Though they might not care overmuch since the system normally didn¡¯t label people as offenders unless deaths were intentional or grossly negligent, I didn¡¯t want others to get caught up in our conflict.


    I was tempted to relocate to a Tier Eight world to minimize the risk, but I figured that would only encourage others to interfere.


    Ultimately, we decided to provide any would-be assassins with a good opportunity to attack while also allowing ourselves a bit of a home-court advantage.


    Preparation was important.


    ¡°I know just the place,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°Ascender¡¯s Reach is perfect since it has hot springs. I know you like those,¡± he added with a smirk.


    I grinned. I¡¯d spent a lot of my time in the dungeon soaking up the positive effects of the hot springs. I¡¯d even gotten Zavira to delay leaving the dungeon for a few extra months so she could squeeze in a bit of extra regeneration after she reached the eighth floor.


    ¡°Is there a teleportation beacon there?¡± I asked, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°Any worthwhile resort wouldn¡¯t skimp on something so basic. I¡¯ve already let them know to expect us.¡±


    A few moments later, we disappeared, leaving our watchers behind. I had little doubt they¡¯d catch up soon enough.


    = = =


    We got three days of relative peace before the first would-be assassin made their move.


    ¡°Hey! What¡ª¡± The man struggled against his bindings. ¡°What is this? How dare you attack an employee of Ascender¡¯s Reach!¡±


    I shook my head and activated a second formation. The first had worked perfectly to capture and neutralize the trespasser.


    ¡°You don¡¯t work here. If you did, you¡¯d know better than to enter my suite.¡±


    The apparent human sputtered. He wore a uniform marking him as an employee of the resort, but I didn¡¯t believe it, even with Assess claiming he was only a Tier Two Servant.


    I¡¯d made my instructions very clear ¨C nobody was to enter my suite.


    But just in case, I removed all of the talismans from the restrained and mana-locked faux-employee.


    What a surprise. I never would have expected a Tier Eight elf, I thought sarcastically as the disguise fell away.


    With a look of shock, the elf asked, ¡°How did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know,¡± I cut the elf off, not caring about his question. There was no reason to share secrets with dead people, after all.


    Repeating the approach I¡¯d used with the Springheart heir in the dungeon, I interrogated the elf multiple times, resetting the scenario once the interrogation reached a certain point in an attempt to squeeze out additional information.


    At first, the elf was like a rock, refusing to even acknowledge his association with the Sovereignty Sect. Threats of death did nothing, and real torture was one of those things the Accords protected against.


    It wasn¡¯t until I started talking about the deceased sect disciple that the elf finally reacted.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably just as pathetic as the foolish disciple that challenged me,¡± I sneered during the fourth reset, hoping to goad him into incriminating himself. ¡°You certainly were captured easily enough. He at least¡­ no, he really didn¡¯t do anything other than try to use Void and borrowed Time magic against me. The duel was over in a second. Literally a second. How pathetic is that?¡±


    I could see the elf¡¯s expression darken as I talked, so I knew I¡¯d finally found the right approach.


    ¡°What was his name? Jaden? Javin?¡± I gave an exaggerated shrug. ¡°Eh, it doesn¡¯t really matter. He died like a pathetic loser. It¡¯s not worth remembering his name.¡±


    ¡°How dare you?¡± the elf seethed, his eyes turning a bit wild. ¡°The Young Master¡¯s name was Javan¡¯deSovereignty! He was better than you¡¯ll ever be!¡±


    ¡°Obviously not,¡± I smirked. ¡°You know, since I killed him.¡±


    ¡°You! You, you¡­ human!¡± the elf half screamed, half spat. After a few moments of struggle, the elf regained a measure of control. ¡°Do what you¡¯re going to do, child.¡± He said it like a slur, making me chuckle. ¡°Your days are numbered! My fellow Elders will make sure of it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re an Elder?¡± I mused. ¡°That doesn¡¯t say much for your sect, you know. Maybe you guys should have sent your Patriarch. He¡¯s Tier Eight, too, right? Or has he finally crawled his way to Tier Nine?¡±


    It was a new piece of information that Master Kairos had given me while we were planning our little ambush.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty pathetic, now that I think about it,¡± I added. ¡°How are you all so full of yourselves when your Patriarch is so weak? Don¡¯t elves have a super long lifespan? Is that really the best you can do? When was the last time one of your sect members ascended?¡± I tsked and shook my head like the elf was a great disappointment.


    His face was so red that I worried it might explode. I¡¯d only seen something like that in cartoons, but that didn¡¯t mean much where mana was involved.


    Eventually, I granted the would-be assassin a quick death and stored the body in my ring, keeping the elf¡¯s storage ring separate to prevent any mishaps.


    While I was sorting through my newly acquired loot, a second elf covertly entered my room, falling victim to the same [Mana Locking] and [Restraining] formation. After having another friendly chat, I added an additional ring to my collection.


    The other sect members must have gotten the message because no more elves snuck into my suite that evening. I was a little disappointed that the trap didn¡¯t catch more would-be assassins, but I figured there was always the next time.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that nobody bothered you,¡± I commented the next day as I floated next to Master Kairos in a huge outdoor hot spring-fed pool. It was snowing lightly, making the experience a bit surreal.


    The pool was really more of an artificial lake. It reminded me a bit of pictures I¡¯d seen of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, though the water wasn¡¯t quite as blue. I¡¯d always wanted to go there, but it hadn¡¯t been on the itinerary during my pre-dungeon trip.


    I¡¯d have to go when I visited Earth next time. Hopefully, it still existed. It would be fun to compare the two.


    Master Kairos chuckled lightly as he brushed a loose strand of platinum blonde hair out of his face. The movement drew my attention to his defined upper body. I quickly looked away, opting to focus on the puffy snowflakes falling from the sky.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t risk it against someone at a higher tier. It¡¯s why I don¡¯t have to bother with assassination attempts by those racist jerks.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t they just hire someone?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± he asked with a raised brow. ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of Assassins who make it to Tier Ten, and those who do aren¡¯t inclined to take risks. Fighting a Time Mage is a huge risk for most people.¡±


    ¡°Surprise attacks will still take us out,¡± I pointed out quietly.


    Master Kairos¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Sure. That¡¯s a valid point.¡±


    Left unsaid was ¡®¡­ for anyone who doesn¡¯t have access to the right enchantments.¡¯ However, even automatic [Restore] enchantments and items like my E3 talisman had weaknesses. In fact, a properly layered Null Field and mana restriction was usually enough.


    ¡®Usually¡¯ being the operative word there.


    I¡¯d put a lot of time and thought into ways someone might circumvent my protections, and I¡¯d already started incorporating fixes for the most likely weaknesses.


    Of course, nothing was perfect. A strong enough attack could potentially kill me and destroy any lifesaving talismans before they could do anything. And just because the Accords restricted higher-tier people from killing those who were lower-tier, it didn¡¯t do anything to restrict people from using higher-tier weapons.


    If one of the elves attacked with the right Tier Ten item, I¡¯d be in trouble. Even if I acquired an equally strong defensive artifact, there was no guarantee I¡¯d survive such an attack.


    ¡°Master Kairos¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re alone,¡± he interjected. ¡°You can still call me Kai.¡±


    I shifted in the water so I could look at him directly. It was a lot easier calling him Kai when he was disguised. It felt wrong when he looked like himself. I doubted I¡¯d get used to it anytime soon.


    ¡°¡­Can you help me acquire a few Tier Ten materials?¡± I asked, opting to just avoid addressing my mentor altogether. ¡°I could also use your help crafting a few things.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 10 - Gifts and Insights

    ¡°Ah, that reminds me,¡± Master Kairos said as he shifted in the pool. A vial appeared in his hand. ¡°Here, I finished this earlier. It took longer than I would have liked, but that¡¯s how Alchemy works sometimes. It should mitigate at least one of the approaches the assassins might use.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as I examined the small vial.


    It was filled with sparkling black liquid that appeared thick, like syrup. Sparkling motes of something ¨C probably mana crystal dust, if I had to guess ¨C appeared suspended within the substance. Oddly, the motes appeared to be in constant motion, swirling in what looked like a pattern.


    It was almost mesmerizing.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little protection against those mana-blocking poisons you were concerned about,¡± he replied with fake casualness. ¡°It¡¯s a common enough recipe among Master Alchemists, given the number of nobles and such who worry about such things.¡±


    I used Assess, and my eyes widened in shock.


    [Mana Protection Potion ¨C Permanent ¨C Growth]


    ¡°It¡¯s a growth potion!¡± I exclaimed before quickly looking around to ensure we were alone. A visual scan didn¡¯t mean much, but between that and a quick focus on Spatial Sense, I felt pretty confident we weren¡¯t being closely observed.


    ¡°It is. You didn¡¯t think Enchanters had the market cornered there, did you?¡± he asked playfully as he reclined against the nearby wall. The falling snow barely had time to land before it melted, leaving small trails of water on his pale skin.


    ¡°Yeah, I kinda did,¡± I admitted sheepishly as I tried not to stare. ¡°How did you make it? There has to be a secret,¡± I said as I focused my attention back on the vial.


    ¡°Ghostvine petals,¡± Master Kairos whispered, though there was nobody around to overhear him. ¡°If you process them properly and add powdered Arcane crystals, the combination can turn several types of permanent-effect potions into growth potions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Ghostvine petals.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t well-known ¨C at least, by that name,¡± he added with a smirk. ¡°Only Master and Grandmaster Alchemists know how to process and use them properly. Everyone else thinks they are just useless weeds since they never rise above Tier One, even in mana-dense areas.¡±


    His expression was meaningful, as if he expected me to make the connection.


    ¡°Never rise above¡­ are you talking about Morning Daisies?¡± I asked in confusion.


    They were the only flora I knew of that perpetually remained Tier One, regardless of where they grew. Morning Daisies were a bit of a joke among Herbalists and related professions due to their odd inability to grow beyond Tier One.


    Master Kairos grinned widely. ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± His reaction made it obvious that my guess was correct.


    Looking from my mentor to the vial and back, I asked, ¡°Should I take it now, or¡­¡±


    Master Kairos inclined his head. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    I unstoppered the vial and gazed at the swirling potion one last time. Lifting the small bottle to my lips, I quickly downed the thick fluid.


    ¡°Tastes like mint.¡±


    Master Kairos chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s one of the ingredients.¡±


    I smacked my lips a few times as the flavor slowly faded. ¡°So, I should be safe against poisons that target internal mana now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though Null Fields will still impact you.¡±


    I waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m not really worried about those. As long as I can cast Haste and access my [Inventory] or trigger my E3 talisman, I should be fine. I was going to ask you to help me make a manual E3 to bypass any limitations on internal mana use, but with the potion, I guess I won¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, while I¡¯m thinking of it¡­¡± Master Kairos straightened before handing me another item. ¡°Just in case those assassins don¡¯t fight fair, I wanted you to have a stronger [Barrier]. I usually carry a couple of extras. It¡¯s Tier Ten, so it should withstand anything they throw at you long enough for you to react.¡±


    I examined the small defensive talisman in my hand. It was a very different style than the one I normally used. In fact, it looked more like a decorative pendant than something meant for utility.


    Instead of being a solid base with runes carved into the surface (or embedded within), the pendant itself was shaped into the rune for [Protection]. I could sense a more intricate formation within the item, but the specific runes were obscured, making it impossible for me to look closer without spending a huge amount of time breaking through the obscurement ¨C if it was even possible.


    The way the obscuring effect was added also made it impossible to identify the item, making me doubt the item was something Master Kairos had crafted on his own.


    ¡°It¡¯s very pretty,¡± I commented hesitantly as I noted the small mana crystals layered evenly within the metal. It was an advanced technique I¡¯d only ever read about. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s just an extra? It doesn¡¯t look like something you¡¯d wear.¡±


    I raised a brow as I looked between the pendant and my mentor. He cleared his throat and looked away.


    ¡°Yeah. It was just an extra,¡± he said unconvincingly. ¡°I¡¯ve been carrying it around for a while. I should have probably given it to you as soon as you left the dungeon, but it slipped my mind.¡±


    I didn¡¯t point out that he wasn¡¯t wearing anything similar. For all I knew, his was implanted somewhere on his body. Still, I smiled and thanked him before replacing my Tier Eight [Barrier] talisman with one he¡¯d given me.


    I¡¯d have to swap them back before I reentered the dungeon, but that was still a long way away.


    <hr>


    ¡°Are you going to visit Earth soon?¡± Zavira asked via interface call later that night. We hadn¡¯t seen each other in person since our joint reception, but we still spoke most days.


    ¡°Yeah. The kids get out of school next week. It makes more sense to go together since I can just teleport us wherever we need to go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not worried about the assassins interfering while you¡¯re with them?¡±


    ¡°A little,¡± I admitted. ¡°Master Kairos said they definitely won¡¯t target my family, but I still worry.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s right about them not being actively targeted,¡± she replied. ¡°The problem is collateral damage. If they are with you and assassins attack, they might get caught in the crossfire. Most of the time, it isn¡¯t an issue because nobody wants to violate the Accords, but if they get desperate enough¡­¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°That disciple didn¡¯t strike me as the most reasonable person.¡±


    ¡°You think I should travel separately?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± Zavira replied uncertainly. ¡°Or maybe you should make targeting you more trouble than it is worth.¡±


    ¡°How would I do that?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve already taken out two of their assassins.¡±


    ¡°Not like that. I mean politically. Make the Sovereignty Sect and everyone associated with them into pariahs if they keep trying to kill you. You¡¯re a Tri-Affinity Mage,¡± she reminded me. ¡°Targeting you is practically a crime. At least, that¡¯s how most people would see it. If you publicized the situation, the Sovereignty Sect would lose public favor faster than you¡¯d believe. They¡¯d almost have to leave you alone at that point.¡±


    ¡°If it was that easy, I¡¯m sure Master Kairos would have recommended that approach.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like the Alliance didn¡¯t have news programs or forums. Social media wasn¡¯t really a thing, but most of the other advances in connectivity existed.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I could practically hear the shrug in her voice. ¡°You should talk to him about it since it would impact your sect. Regardless, it¡¯s something to consider, given the threat.¡±


    She was probably right, but the thought of drawing even more attention was¡­ daunting. It was already bad enough when random people identified me.


    I could handle it if I had to, but fame wasn¡¯t something I would intentionally seek.


    <hr>


    ¡°I considered it, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to deal with the fallout right after leaving the dungeon,¡± Master Kairos said the next day when I mentioned Zavira¡¯s recommendation over breakfast. ¡°The Council already knows of your status. They also know about the threat against your life.¡±


    ¡°You reported the assassination attempt?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Master Kairos said as he cut into a fruit-filled pastry baked in a bowl. It looked like a non-fluffy souffle topped with syrup. ¡°Just because they want me to ascend doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have allies on the Council.¡±


    ¡°You mentioned that before ¨C that you made a deal with the Council to ascend in exchange for being allowed to take part in Earth¡¯s reintegration,¡± I said. ¡°Why would they want you to leave?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if you realize this, but there¡¯s a shortage of high and peak-tier fighters willing to delve rifts. Because of that, every active Adventurers¡¯ Guild member over Tier Seven is required to challenge a certain number of rifts every decade.¡±


    ¡°I would think that would make the Council less likely to want people to ascend,¡± I commented as I brushed a dark strand of hair out of my face. I still wasn¡¯t used to seeing dark hair in the mirror.


    ¡°It usually does. But for the last few centuries, more Tier Tens have eschewed ascension in favor of remaining in this realm at the peak of power. The new trend has been to stay until the end of one¡¯s natural lifespan and then ascend. It¡¯s why I¡¯ve had such a hard time finding someone to ascend with. Nobody wants to start over at the bottom of the ladder.¡±


    ¡°So, there¡¯s an excess of Tier Tens?¡± I said, cutting to the heart of his statement.


    ¡°Exactly. But the Guild still mandates a certain number of delves per adventurer each decade, barring legitimate interference. The quota is a lot less at Tier Ten since we only have access to one Tier Ten planet, but reaching the pinnacle doesn¡¯t suddenly erase the requirement. It¡¯s a system-enforced contract, which means it applies to both parties. Few pinnacles are willing to give up the resources available in the rifts to free up slots for others.¡±


    ¡°So, what do they do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Usually, those in need of experience partner up or form parties with those at the pinnacle,¡± he replied. ¡°I have two junior Tier Tens who join me during my slots for the experience. I do less work and keep most of the rewards while they get the experience points they need to progress. It¡¯s a win-win.¡±


    ¡°So, the deal was the Council¡¯s way of motivating you to move on?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    It was weird, but a lot of things the Alliance did seemed odd to me.


    ¡°Do I need to register with the Adventurers¡¯ Guild?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, but Tier Eight is one of the areas where there is a real, legitimate shortage of delvers. Besides, you don¡¯t want to get out of practice.¡±


    ¡°Will there be issues when I return to the dungeon if I register?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ll let them know you¡¯ll be unavailable. That¡¯s an obvious example of the legitimate interference I mentioned earlier. In your case, we can limit your membership to the decade you¡¯re outside of the dungeon. That type of contract is less common, but it isn¡¯t unheard of for special cases.¡±


    The information was certainly new to me. I¡¯d never heard that the Adventurers¡¯ Guild compelled higher-tier adventurers to delve before. It must be an addition to the contract at some later point in the process.


    During my time as an adventurer, people were always struggling to get slots for low and mid-tier rifts. By Tier Four, it was a struggle to delve often enough to feel a real sense of progress, given how infrequently slots were available. We had to travel between multiple rifts just to manage a delve per week, and that was after we moved to Olym, an MT5 planet.


    A lot of people gave up on fighting to progress due to the long waits. And it wasn¡¯t like the people in charge could just make a bunch of extra mid-tier rifts to meet the demand.


    Doing something like that would cause all sorts of problems.


    ¡°Should we take care of that soon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We can handle it after your vacation,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°There¡¯s no rush right now.¡±


    ¡°So, there¡¯s no reason to publicize my existence or my affiliation with the sect right now since the Council already knows?¡± I asked, returning the conversation to the original topic. I knew it would happen eventually, but putting it off for later sounded like a great idea.


    ¡°We can if you want to, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before it gets out,¡± he replied, echoing my thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re wearing sect robes, and anyone who identifies you will see your status. Eventually, someone will reach out. Our media isn¡¯t so different from what you had on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Minus social media,¡± I chimed in before taking a bite of the flavorful porridge I¡¯d ordered.


    ¡°Yes. Aside from that. Forums and private networks are sufficient. The Council decided early on not to emulate every new idea from Earth.¡±


    I could understand their reasoning, especially when viewed from the outside. While there were a lot of great things about social media, there were an equal number of negatives. Since the flow of information and communication was not being stifled, I couldn¡¯t say I disagreed with the decision.


    However, I suspected it was only a matter of time before someone from Earth reintroduced the phenomenon. Heck, it was possible it already existed on Earth¡¯s local network.


    I ignored the blinking icon that informed me I¡¯d been identified again. It was the third time since I sat down for breakfast.


    ¡°What do you think the Council will do about the Sovereignty Sect sending assassins after me?¡±


    The Patriarch smiled widely. His grin looked far more predatory than it usually did. ¡°Based on the last time a sect intentionally went after a Tri-Affinity Mage without cause, it could cause a Sect War.¡±


    ¡°Like what happened in the dungeon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°There are actually a couple of worlds used for enmity wars. Most of the time, they¡¯re used when we fight the Collective. But occasionally, they can be used to settle inter-sect conflicts or territory disputes. It minimizes collateral damage.¡±


    ¡°Are those common?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± the blonde Time Mage said. ¡°The last one was a couple hundred years ago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised the sect hasn¡¯t already had one with Sovereignty, given the clearly opposing tenets,¡± I mused.


    ¡°It came close back when I was Tier Nine, but their sect leader had just reached Tier Eight and was too cowardly to accept after stirring up a bunch of trouble. Mercenaries are not allowed since they don¡¯t qualify as participants in a Sect War. Otherwise, he would have probably acted differently.¡±


    ¡°Can the Council force it?¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s smile grew darker. ¡°Yes. And that is a very real possibility, given their actions. If you only had two affinities, the Council wouldn¡¯t care, even if you managed to sway public opinion. As long as they stayed within the Accords, the sect and their representatives could do what they wanted. But knowingly attempting to assassinate a Tri-Affinity Mage without CAUSE crosses a line the Council can¡¯t afford to ignore.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing I acquired the third affinity, then,¡± I said before asking, ¡°What constitutes ¡®cause¡¯?¡±


    Master Kairos leaned back in his seat. ¡°Accords violations. That is the only justification for outright killing a Tri-Affinity Mage. And since you are not an Accords offender, they have no justification for sending assassins. An official duel they could get by with, but ambushes and assassination attempts, they cannot.¡±


    ¡°So, I should expect to get challenged a lot then?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± my mentor shook his head. ¡°They already did that and failed. They can¡¯t justify another duel based on losing the last one. Duels are meant as a last resort solution between two disagreeing parties. They can¡¯t use the same reason or the fact that they lost the last duel to justify a new one.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 11 - Reading, Writing, and Politics

    I¡¯d forgotten how much I enjoyed reading in the years since Atlas Online was first introduced. Before then, I¡¯d spent a lot of my free time reading stories ¨C mostly fantasy, though other genres could also be found in my virtual library.


    Since I was on vacation and there were several worlds¡¯ worth of new stories to discover, I¡¯d decided to return to my old love. Sure, I had to maintain awareness of my surroundings instead of really letting myself get caught up in the stories, but with my added mental stats, that wasn¡¯t a difficult feat.


    I was honestly a little surprised when no additional assassins bothered me after I took out the first two. I expected the Sovereignty Sect to be a bit more persistent.


    There was a slight sense of guilt at my lack of productivity while I spent my time reading, but relaxing was the whole point of taking a vacation. And since the entire next decade was technically supposed to be a vacation for me, I wasn¡¯t going to beat myself up about spending a measly week doing nothing of real value.


    Besides, breaks were important.


    Unfortunately, all good things eventually had to end.


    ¡°Did you enjoy yourself?¡± Master Kairos asked when I got settled in the fancy flying vehicle he¡¯d rented to take us to the portal hub. I could have just teleported us there, but neither of us was in a rush to get there since our scheduled portal wasn¡¯t for several hours.


    ¡°I did,¡± I replied warmly. ¡°Thank you for coordinating everything.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure. I can¡¯t remember the last time I did something like this.¡±


    ¡°Just sit around and do nothing?¡± I asked with a grin as the vehicle lifted off. Without my Space affinity, I probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed the movement with how smoothly the vehicle moved.


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± he agreed. ¡°I was tempted to knock out some of the never-ending paperwork involved with running a sect, but I decided to follow your lead and take a few days to just unwind once it became clear no more assassins were waiting in the wings.¡±


    ¡°I actually read one of your brother¡¯s series instead,¡± he said, surprising me a little. I hadn¡¯t taken the old Time Mage for one who enjoyed fantasy fiction. ¡°It was surprisingly good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Which one?¡± I asked, perking up in my seat. I¡¯d also read some of Justin¡¯s work during the break, and I¡¯d been surprisingly entertained by it.


    ¡°The one about the Mage who got transmigrated into an alternate reality where Earth wasn¡¯t reintegrated.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with that one, but I haven¡¯t read it yet,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll probably start on it next.¡±


    It was one of the more popular series according to the number of reviews the books had received.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t read any of your brother¡¯s work?¡± Master Kairos asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees like he¡¯d just heard a juicy piece of gossip. I still wasn¡¯t used to seeing him behaving so casually.


    Especially not when we were both garbed in our sect robes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± I replied. ¡°I started with the ¡®Earthborn¡¯ series instead. It¡¯s pretty good, though it wasn¡¯t rated as highly as the one you read.¡±


    It still amused me that my tech-focused brother had become a writer. I kinda expected him to lean more heavily into adventuring, especially through the low tiers where there was an abundance of rift slots.


    However, it was probably a lot more difficult to manage something like that with a family of his own. It was actually a bit of a surprise that he¡¯d managed to find a contract that allowed him to consistently delve every week.


    Given his lower tier, I would have expected it to be harder for him to manage such a feat on Hadier. He hadn¡¯t explained the details of the agreement, but I suspected it was something done through the sect.


    Master Kairos had assured me that my family would be well taken care of.


    ¡°Well, I hope you are well-rested now,¡± Master Kairos said leadingly when the vehicle¡¯s elevation started dropping. Within seconds, our rented vehicle had joined the short line to enter the portal hub.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s going to be stressful when we get to the sect,¡± he replied with a far more serious expression than the one he¡¯d just worn. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I wanted to stop by Aegeas before we rejoin your family.¡±


    His statement and shift in demeanor made me tense. I didn¡¯t like the implications.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°About what we expected, just a bit sooner than we hoped,¡± Master Kairos said with a sigh. He didn¡¯t make me wait before continuing, ¡°Word of your existence reached the media, and they are clamoring for an interview. The sect has received dozens of requests in the last few days.¡±


    He looked at me with an expression of resignation. ¡°You¡¯re about to be one of the most famous people in the Alliance. I hope you¡¯re ready.¡±


    <hr>


    Holy hell, I was not ready for something like this. Why did I ever think drawing attention to myself would be a good idea?


    The sect¡¯s public relations liaison had released a statement after discussing the way forward with me and Master Kairos. It basically provided a summary of my background and added a little blurb about my ongoing issues with the Sovereignty Sect, including their most recent assassination attempt.Stolen story; please report.


    We discussed various approaches we could take now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag, and ultimately decided to go with a short press conference to allow interested parties a chance to use whatever identification spells they had to verify my status.


    After repeating the information contained in the press release, I prepared myself to answer a few questions. Thankfully, most were not difficult.


    ¡°¡­I love all kinds of food,¡± I answered an enthusiastic reporter who¡¯d asked about my inspiration for the MealMaker. ¡°It¡¯s one of my favorite things in life. I designed the MealMaker because I didn¡¯t want my world¡¯s cuisine to be lost during reintegration.¡±


    News that I was the same Enchanter who patented the newest food transmutation device nearly a decade prior only added to the fervor. The MealMaker was insanely popular, given the variety of recipes available and the generous storage capacity.


    The device that my creation had effectively replaced was much less user-friendly and only allowed a few recipes to be stored at a time. It also cost more and didn¡¯t allow users to create or record their own recipes.


    ¡°What was it like living on Earth? Was it like the stories describe?¡±


    I smiled at the question. I hadn¡¯t discussed publicizing Justin''s books with him, but I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d mind me mentioning our connection.


    ¡°The stories from pre-integration Earth were¡­ well, they¡¯re like any other stories. I probably haven¡¯t read the ones you¡¯re referencing, though I really should, considering my brother is an author in the genre. He¡¯s written a few popular series, ¡®Mundane Isekai¡¯ being one of those. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the type of story you¡¯re talking about, though.¡±


    I could see a few of the journalists¡¯ eyes light up. The original reporter nodded before tilting her head. ¡°Yes. You haven¡¯t read your brother¡¯s work?¡±


    I chuckled at the mild sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡°I started with the ¡®Earthborn¡¯ series. I plan to read ¡®Mundane Isekai¡¯ next. I¡¯ve been a little busy since leaving the dungeon.¡±


    I motioned toward another reporter.


    ¡°The information we received implied you¡¯ll be returning to the dungeon within the next ten years. How flexible are your plans?¡±


    ¡°Not very,¡± I replied. ¡°I made a system-enforced agreement with someone who has since ascended.¡± I didn¡¯t elaborate further since the implication would be enough. It was basically impossible to modify a contract without all participants¡¯ consent.


    ¡°Do you plan on rushing your ascension, or are you going to remain a Pinnacle once you fulfill your contract? Or was ascension part of the contract?¡±


    I hesitated and glanced toward Master Kairos. His expression remained neutral as he looked out at the crowd.


    ¡°Ascension was not part of the contract,¡± I answered. ¡°As far as my current plans go, I am still undecided.¡±


    My inclination was to remain in this realm for a while, especially since my family was still here. But I didn¡¯t want to go on the record making any such statements. I didn¡¯t want anyone to see my family as an avenue to control me.


    ¡°What would it take to convince you to stay?¡± someone called out.


    I forced myself to maintain a neutral expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. There are a lot of factors involved, including the effects of time. I have no idea how I¡¯ll feel in a couple hundred subjective years. I¡¯d rather wait to make such an important decision until the time draws closer.¡±


    Thankfully, the journalists present picked up on my discomfort and didn¡¯t start digging. If they had, I would have likely ended the conference.


    ¡°Are you seeing anyone?¡± the next journalist asked, causing a wave of chuckles among the crowd.


    I smiled and tried not to blush. ¡°No. I¡¯m also not interested in getting romantically involved with anyone during my short reprieve from the dungeon,¡± I said apologetically.


    ¡°Do you plan to have children before ascending?¡±


    Really, I had no idea why I thought subjecting myself to something like this was a good idea. Even polite, respectful journalists were still journalists. Why did I ever think they wouldn¡¯t ask uncomfortable questions?


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided on that, either,¡± I said awkwardly. ¡°I really don¡¯t have answers to questions like that. Even if I had a definite plan now, I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll feel the same way by the time I leave the dungeon again.¡±


    Sensing my decreasing inclination to answer such personal questions, the next journalist shifted the line of questioning. ¡°Were you a Tri-Affinity Mage when the Sovereignty Sect disciple challenged you to a duel?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No. I only had two affinities at the time. In fact, it was my Time affinity that the disciple took offense to.¡±


    The journalist nodded and asked a follow-up question. ¡°The details of the challenge were outlined in the release, but I was hoping to hear the story in your own words. Can you tell us what happened during the duel and why members of the deceased disciple¡¯s sect might still be targeting you?¡±


    I knew the question was meant to allow those with a Mind affinity or spells like Detect Lie the opportunity to assess the truthfulness of my claim. Since such abilities only worked in person, it was a legitimate request.


    ¡°My first interaction with the disciple was him demanding a duel. I¡¯d neither seen nor interacted with the disciple prior to that incident. When I asked what justification he had for such a demand, he told me that my sect, Epikairos, violated the tenets of his sect, presumably by supporting non-elven Time Mages. He then claimed that my very existence was an affront to every long-lived species.


    ¡°As soon as the duel started, he activated a Null Field and a [Haste] talisman. I found his hypocrisy particularly amusing,¡± I added with a smirk. ¡°Unfortunately for him, my Time affinity is beyond whatever meager effects he could call upon with enchanted items. The duel only lasted a breath from the moment he cast the Null Field until his death.¡±


    I didn¡¯t mention the subsequent bounty since the elves who¡¯d placed it were not directly associated with Sovereignty. There was no reason to muddy the waters further.


    ¡°Upon leaving the dungeon, I was surveilled. I was a Tri-Affinity Mage at that point, so I hoped the individuals watching me were doing it for non-malicious purposes. Regrettably, it seems that was not the case.¡±


    Straightening my back and looking at the faces arrayed in front of me, I tried to summarize the rest of the information as succinctly as possible.


    ¡°Since then, two assassins attempted to kill me while disguised as Tier Two civilians. Both were Tier Eight,¡± I paused, letting the implication hang. ¡°Upon capture, both admitted they were Elders of the Sovereignty Sect and implied their fellows would find a way to kill me. There have been no further attempts, but I am not confident the sect has given up.¡±


    I considered mentioning the incident in the mana well but ultimately decided not to bring it up. I had no evidence to support the allegation, and mentioning it might do more harm than good. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like the Sovereignty Sect was going to point out my omission.


    There was a little more back and forth before the press conference was finally called to an end, and I was able to escape to my borrowed room in Master Kairos¡¯s mansion.


    I had no idea how much the interaction would impact my future going forward, but at least I could disguise myself if it got too bad.


    There was a soft knock at the door, followed by a feminine voice. ¡°Elder Momentia?¡±


    I telekinetically opened the door. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The Patriarch would like to see you in his office.¡±


    That¡­ was probably not good. He¡¯d never summoned me like this before. In fact, I wasn¡¯t even sure where his office was located.


    After politely asking, the maid was happy to show me the way. I was almost immediately ushered inside.


    ¡°Master Kairos,¡± I greeted him with a small bow.


    The blonde Time Mage nodded and motioned for me to sit. After a moment, he said, ¡°It looks like our trip to Earth is going to be delayed by a few days.¡± With a look of apology, he added, ¡°We¡¯re being summoned by the Council.¡±

 Book 4 - Interlude 1 - Council Discussions

    The gathered Councilors showed a mix of expressions as they settled in place. The meeting was not a scheduled one, and several of the Pinnacles and near-Pinnacles were annoyed at having their plans disrupted over something many considered trivial.


    ¡°We only have a short time before they arrive,¡± Arbiter Eskin announced. As the nominal leader of the Council, it was his job to get the meeting started.


    ¡°And they can wait if we aren¡¯t ready for them,¡± Councilor Arona sneered, causing several of her fellows to frown with displeasure at her display.


    Her conduct certainly wasn¡¯t becoming of a Tier Ten member of the Atlantis Alliance¡¯s Council.


    The older elf¡¯s perfectly symmetric face twisted into an ugly countenance as she glared at the judgmental stares of her fellow council members.


    Most thought the old elven councilor should recuse herself from the discussion altogether, given her obvious bias pertaining to the topic at hand.


    After all, how could one claim impartiality when it came to their legacy?


    Thankfully, system-enforced oaths ensured that at least a degree of fairness was enforced with such positions, regardless of any conflicts of interest.


    Without such oaths, the Council would never get anything accomplished.


    Arbiter Eskin ignored the outburst and called the meeting to order.


    ¡°I will remind everyone here that you¡¯ve all taken oaths to act on behalf of the Alliance, not the territories, families, or organizations to which you used to belong. If you feel you are unable to fulfill your role due to conflicting oaths¡ª¡± he looked toward Councilor Arona, ¡°¡ªI ask that you submit a request for recusal and depart before the discussion begins.¡±


    He waited a moment, and when nobody moved, he sighed and continued. ¡°In that case, we are here to discuss the claim that Sovereignty Sect Elders have knowingly attempted to assassinate the Alliance¡¯s newest Tri-Affinity Mage. The claim has been validated by the system, so there is no question of guilt or misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Within the same tier, there is no issue,¡± Councilor Arona commented haughtily. ¡°The Accords are very clear about that.¡±


    Several councilors frowned at the claim. While it was technically true, at least as far as the system was concerned, Tri-Affinity Mages had always been afforded special consideration.


    ¡°There are laws against intentionally harming or attempting to kill Tri-Affinity Mages in every territory,¡± one of the other councilors countered.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s on those territories to uphold,¡± Councilor Arona said dismissively as she leaned back in her chair in a rare show of casual disregard. ¡°That isn¡¯t our role. We oversee the entire Alliance. We do not govern directly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because it¡¯s your old sect in the wrong,¡± a nearby councilor quipped.


    Councilor Arona¡¯s eyes narrowed at the claim, but she did not refute it. She couldn¡¯t, given the enchantments embedded in the meeting hall that would prevent anyone within the walls from intentionally lying.


    Such measures were almost a necessity when dealing with matters of such importance.


    ¡°Regardless, the facts have not changed. The Accords do not prohibit targeting Tri-Affinity Mages,¡± Councilor Arona said stubbornly.


    Unlike most of the territories that were run by subordinate kingdoms, Councilor Arona¡¯s former territory was one of the two that were controlled by sects.


    Her appointment to the Council had been hugely contentious, especially given her former sect¡¯s known stance of elven superiority. But she¡¯d won the tournament, and her detractors were forced to accept her inclusion and subsequent elevation in tier.


    Since her original territory capped at Tier Eight, she¡¯d had to spend a few subjective centuries on Sira being guided through rifts until she met the minimum requirement to officially join the Council.


    Since then, she¡¯d used her authority to grow to the absolute peak of power.


    She had no plans to ascend any time soon, preferring to relish life at the pinnacle instead of starting over somewhere else.


    Besides, rumor had it that the next realm was different. According to the Fate Mages ¨C none of whom she trusted in the least ¨C there was only one race in the next realm.


    The thought was absurd. But even so, Arona wasn¡¯t in any hurry to find out the truth for herself.


    ¡°While I dislike it, she¡¯s not wrong,¡± another councilor chimed in. ¡°We all know the system is sentient. If its creators thought that Tri-Affinity Mages were sacred, I¡¯m sure they would have included it in the Accords.¡±


    ¡°And what of public opinion?¡±


    Nobody got the chance to answer since their vision was covered in bright red lettering.


    [An update to the <u>Accords</u> has been made! Please review the <u>Accords</u> as soon as possible and ensure compliance.]


    The gathered powerhouses were struck speechless for several moments.


    ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t remember the last time something like that happened.¡±


    Focusing on the word ¡®Accords¡¯ brought up the familiar document, and every attendee quickly skimmed over the highlighted changes.


    Unrealized by the Council, they were not the only ones who received the notification. Every single person with access to the system received a similar notification, causing an immediate stir across the Alliance and beyond.


    ¡°Ha! What do you have to say about that?¡± Councilor Hethrew, one of the youngest and newest councilors, exclaimed. He¡¯d always disliked the air of inherent superiority exuded by Councilor Arona, and he was happy to see the system itself putting her in her place.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    At Tier Ten, none of the councilors were young, per se. Even so, there was a definite rigidity apparent in those who¡¯d been a member of the Council for more than a few centuries.


    ¡°Apparently, the system does value Tri-Affinity Mages more than everyone else,¡± Arbiter Eskin murmured thoughtfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s only to be expected if what we¡¯ve learned about the next realm is correct,¡± Councilor Lance added.


    A flurry of hushed conversations erupted between clustered councilors. Arbiter Eskin allowed it for several minutes as he mulled over the implications.


    It¡¯s a good thing Tri-Affinity Mages are already revered, he thought. Otherwise, I could see this new change causing problems. Nobody likes blatant favoritism.


    Examining the short document, the Arbiter noted that the change was only a minor addition to the section that covered Murder. Instead of only prohibiting the intentional killing of a lower-tier person, the Accords now also prohibited the intentional killing of anyone who had awoken at least three affinities.


    The exceptions still applied, which meant the girl could still be killed in wars, duels, or if someone was defending themselves from an attack that she initiated. There were a couple of other exceptions included, but they were so unlikely they might as well not exist.


    ¡°So,¡± Arbiter Eskin said slowly, turning toward Councilor Arona. ¡°How likely is it that your former sect will cease their hostilities toward the Tri-Affinity Mage?¡±


    The older elf fumed silently for several moments as she overtly ignored the Arbiter¡¯s question. Her eyes were focused on a screen that only she could see, making it clear that she had no intention of replying.


    After several long moments of rude silence, Arona suddenly gasped.


    ¡°What? No! I didn¡¯t¡ª¡± The female elf looked around erratically before leaping out of her chair as if being attacked. ¡°No, no, no! I worked too hard to lose it all now!¡±


    The other nine councilors watched the increasingly frantic elf with a variety of expressions ranging from cool detachment to glee. It was obvious the elven councilor had somehow violated one of her oaths, and now she was paying the price.


    To a few people¡¯s dismay, the now-former councilor suddenly started glowing. She immediately heaved a sigh of relief.


    Arona opened her mouth to say something, her expression haughty. To the good fortune of those gathered, her ascension didn¡¯t care to wait, and she disappeared before uttering a word.


    ¡°Did she really just ascend to get away with violating her oaths?¡± Councilor Lance asked with wide eyes as he stared at the elf¡¯s newly vacated chair.


    ¡°And it looks like she intentionally let all of her belongings get destroyed in the process. How spiteful!¡± someone added, noting the distinct lack of unclaimed storage devices in the vicinity.


    ¡°That sounds about right,¡± Councilor Hethrew said. ¡°She¡¯s always been a selfish old hag. I can¡¯t believe the system let her get away with breaking her oaths like that. She had to be sitting on a lot of excess experience to pull something like that off.¡±


    Arbiter Eskin pinched the bridge of his nose. It was an old habit he¡¯d never quite gotten rid of, even though the action did little to ease his mental strain.


    He was just glad they had public relations professionals to deal with the citizenry. On top of addressing the new change to the Accords, they¡¯d have to announce the new vacancy to the Council.


    And since the seat opening was from one of the sect territories, that meant a tournament followed by a few subjective centuries of helping the winner reach Tier Ten.


    And they hadn¡¯t even addressed the purpose of the meeting yet!


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s focus on our reason for being here,¡± Arbiter Eskin said, projecting his voice over the rumble of side conversations. ¡°Now that the system has taken a stance on the situation, it¡¯s clear that something will need to be done if the Sovereignty Sect refuses to cease hostilities toward the new Epikairos Elder.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be ascending with Kairos, right?¡± Councilor Farrah, the Arbiter¡¯s right hand, asked Councilor Lance. As the one who worked most closely with the Oracle, he was most likely the one to know the answer to that question.


    The Oracle wasn¡¯t part of the Council, but as the highest-tier Fate Mage in the Alliance, she was often brought in as an advisor.


    Contrary to the Patriarch¡¯s belief, it was actually the Oracle¡¯s membership in the Epikairos Sect and her personal relationship with the Patriarch that motivated most of the Council to seek his ascension.


    Most felt that without her half-brother around, the Oracle wouldn¡¯t feel as obligated to remain connected to the sect. And since she was married to Councilor Lance, it naturally made sense that she should dedicate more of her time to the Council instead.


    ¡°Anya foresaw several possibilities,¡± Councilor Lance began before hesitating. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how the new changes will influence things.¡±


    ¡°Can you contact her?¡±


    Councilor Lance nodded. ¡°She¡¯s already on site. She anticipated the necessity of her presence.¡±


    A few moments later, an attractive woman with snow-white hair and lavender eyes that matched her robes entered the room. Her skin was extraordinarily pale, similar to that of her half-brother.


    Unlike Henlen Kairos, Anya Oracle was only Tier Eight. She was also several hundred years younger than the Time Mage.


    ¡°Thank you for your timely arrival, Oracle,¡± the Arbiter said. Instead of asking about young Emie Momentia¡¯s ascension, he asked, ¡°Do you see the conflict between Epikairos and Sovereignty resolving without additional bloodshed?¡±


    He could have asked about the Tri-Affinity Mage, but knowing when the girl was likely to ascend should not be a factor in their deliberations. Right now, he needed to know how the change to the Accords might impact the conflict.


    Ideally, it would result in a cessation of hostilities between the two sects. However, if the Sovereignty Sect insisted on snuffing out the talented youth, the Council would be forced to intervene.


    The Fate Mage¡¯s eyes began glowing with mana, and her gaze grew distant.


    ¡°There is no future resolution between the two sects without bloodshed,¡± the Oracle decreed. ¡°Sovereignty cannot accept the possibility of Emie having children and potentially creating more powerful human Time Mages. Even with the assurance that she would ascend without having children, they would seek her death.¡±


    ¡°Is she going to ascend as soon as she¡¯s eligible?¡±


    The Oracle¡¯s eyes remained unfocused. ¡°The future is never set, though some possibilities are more likely than others,¡± she warned. ¡°Of those most likely, I see a future where she ascends at the deadline with the Patriarch. Slightly more likely is a future where she remains in this realm for millennia and watches her family grow. Interestingly, one of the most likely futures is one where she ascends alone shortly after reaching the Pinnacle.¡±


    The gathered Councilors murmured amongst themselves at that bit of news.


    After a short pause, the Oracle¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°With almost equal likelihood, I see a future where she is disposed of by a Tier Ten Assassin. In this future, there is a high chance that the timeline will fracture. The subsequent branches are muddled and constantly shifting, but the prevalence of unrest and death are clear enough.¡±


    The white-haired Fate Mage shook her head, and her eyes cleared. ¡°If you would forgive my presumptiveness, I strongly encourage the last path be avoided if at all possible.¡± Anya Oracle looked around the room at the assembled Pinnacles and near-Pinnacles.


    ¡°Thank you for your insight, Oracle,¡± the Arbiter said.


    Sensing her dismissal, the Fate Mage sent a soft look toward her beloved husband and departed, granting the councilors privacy.


    ¡°So, what options does that leave us?¡± Councilor Farrah asked as she glanced around the room before her gaze settled on the vacant seat of former Councilor Arona. Several others glanced at the empty seat as well while considering their options.


    ¡°Even knowing they will ignore it, an official notice should be given to warn members of the Sovereignty Sect against targeting Emie Momentia or any other Tri-Affinity Mage,¡± Councilor Lance suggested.


    ¡°And when they violate it?¡±


    Everyone looked at Arbiter Eskin. He looked far more tired than he had at the start of the meeting.


    ¡°We¡¯ll send in the Inquisitors,¡± he said reluctantly.


    ¡°No sect war?¡± Councilor Lance asked with a hint of hope. It was obvious why he didn¡¯t want such an option to be considered, seeing as his wife was a member of one of the sects involved.


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer not to make use of that option,¡± Arbiter Eskin replied. ¡°If Patriarch Kairos demands it¡­¡±


    Councilor Lance¡¯s expression darkened. He really hated how much power that man had over his wife. Even if they were family, he still didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope he doesn¡¯t insist on such a course of action,¡± Councilor Farrah commented, seeing her fellow councilor¡¯s expression.

 Book 4 - Chapter 12 - Escalating Threats

    The waiting room outside the Council chambers was nicer than what I expected. It almost looked like the sitting area of a fancy hotel lobby instead of a quasi-governmental space.


    A few minutes after we settled in, the door leading from the Council chambers opened and an attractive woman with noticeable physical similarities to Master Kairos entered the waiting room.


    She was pale, like my former Master. But instead of platinum blonde hair, hers was pure white and left loose instead of being pulled back. Her eyes were a vibrant lavender, made all the more noticeable by her matching robes.


    I immediately noticed the familiar emblem embroidered fancily on the outer garment, marking her as a special Elder of the Epikairos Sect. All of that, plus Master Kairos¡¯s reaction, quickly made the newcomer¡¯s identity clear.


    ¡°Anya!¡± Master Kairos exclaimed with a smile. ¡°Things must be pretty serious if they brought you in.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, the sudden change to the Accords rattled them, I think,¡± Anya replied distractedly before looking at me. Her lips curled as she stepped closer. ¡°I¡¯m Anya Oracle. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡±


    I stood and extended a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Emie M-Momentia,¡± I said, stumbling a bit over my new surname. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t make it to your promotion ceremony,¡± the Fate Mage apologized. ¡°The Council was in session and I tend to spend Council sessions here on Sira since I¡¯m married to one of the councilors and serve as a part-time Advisor due to my affinity.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked with wide eyes. ¡°I¡¯m surprised they allow something like that, given your membership in the sect.¡±


    Anya glanced at her brother and grinned before returning her focus to me. ¡°It¡¯s less of a problem than you¡¯d think, considering the oaths I had to make. Though, it¡¯s no secret that I¡¯ll likely shift my focus considerably after Henny ascends.¡±


    Master Kairos groaned at the nickname. ¡°Please, Anya! I told you not to call me that centuries ago! Why do you insist on embarrassing me? At least call me Kai like I asked.¡± He looked at her pleadingly.


    Even after spending some time with the man in an informal setting, it felt odd to see the interaction between the siblings. If he¡¯d still been wearing the disguise, it might have been easier to accept. But with him looking like a prim and proper Patriarch¡­ the dichotomy was a little jarring.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little joke, Kai,¡± the white-haired woman said glibly before growing more serious. ¡°Something has changed.¡± She paused. ¡°Or maybe it hasn¡¯t. I¡¯ve never focused on Emie before when looking forward.¡±


    Her lips pursed in thought for a moment before she shook her head. ¡°Regardless, there is a legitimate risk that a Tier Ten Assassin might target our newest sect Elder. I¡¯m not sure when it may come since the visions don¡¯t work that way, but I wanted to ensure you were aware of the threat. I got the sense that it would be while Emie is still Tier Eight, so before she reenters the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mark whoever tried as an Offender?¡± I asked.


    The way I read the change, targeting me would be like targeting someone at a lower tier. Even if someone failed, making a genuine attempt (or being directly involved with such) would cause someone to be labeled as an Offender.


    Against a Tier Ten Assassin, I wasn¡¯t wholly confident my protections would save me. My newly upgraded [Barrier] should at least work long enough for me to escape, but nothing was guaranteed.


    And if something overwhelmed my defenses and broke my life-saving devices before they could activate¡­ well, I¡¯d be screwed unless someone like Master Kairos stepped in and reversed Time.


    ¡°There are ways to avoid such labels,¡± Anya replied darkly. ¡°And for some, being labeled as an Offender would mean little anyway. They would be strong enough to fight almost anyone who tried to collect a bounty on them, and if things got too bad, they could just ascend. It¡¯s not a common tactic, but there have been plenty of examples throughout history of people waiting until just before they ascended to go on a revenge-fueled murder spree.¡±


    ¡°She exaggerates,¡± Master Kairos interjected. ¡°It¡¯s only happened a handful of times in the last few millennia.¡±


    ¡°Correction,¡± Anya said. ¡°It¡¯s only been documented and released to the public a handful of times.¡±


    Before the siblings could banter anymore, an aide informed us the Council was ready to see us.


    <hr>


    I exited the Council chamber after Master Kairos with a thoughtful expression. Anya had already left, but that was fine. I had more than enough to think about without trying to get to know someone new.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of the meeting, but I wasn¡¯t unhappy with the outcome. I didn¡¯t like that a sect war was almost certainly in the future ¨C unless the sect was disbanded. However, I was mollified by the promise that if there was a sect war, only those who wanted to participate after being informed of the reasons behind the war would be involved.


    Those who disagreed with the war would be given the opportunity to avoid it by officially and permanently leaving their respective sect. It was a risk for both sides since members could use the opportunity to jump ship under the clause, though they would have to give a reason and submit to a geas or two.


    Depending on the Inquisitors¡¯ findings, everyone associated with the sect might be forced to submit to a geas, regardless of their participation in a potential war.


    If the sect¡¯s doctrine was found to be significantly changed from what the Council had on record, for example, the sect would be dissolved or declared rogue, and all members would be geased.


    Similarly, if the sect¡¯s teachings were found to be significantly different from their stated purpose, the Council, and thus, the system, would no longer recognize them as a legitimate sect.


    I had no idea how the Inquisitors would go about determining such a thing, but it probably involved stealth and/or Mind Mages. Investigations had never been something I was very good at. They involved far too much scheming for my tastes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so upset,¡± Master Kairos said when we climbed into the vehicle waiting for us outside the building. The inside had been spatially expanded, almost to the point of being excessive. ¡°I didn¡¯t push for a Sect War since I know you dislike being involved in such things.¡±


    ¡°We both know it¡¯s still likely to happen,¡± I replied with a sigh as I settled into the deep seat. ¡°The likelihood that they will comply with the mandates is almost non-existent. And as soon as the Inquisitors start digging¡­¡±


    I shook my head. I really didn¡¯t want to get involved with another war.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Master Kairos said as if I¡¯d made his point for him. ¡°It¡¯s far more likely they¡¯ll be labeled a rogue entity or forcibly disbanded. The only way a war will be fought is if the sect isn¡¯t indoctrinating their members to hate and hunt down non-elven Time Mages. Since we both know they almost certainly are, there is little risk of a war.¡±


    ¡°Then why were you so insistent on it?¡±


    ¡°Politics and payback,¡± he replied like it was obvious. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t want anyone to get the idea that the Epikairos Sect is a soft target.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re ascending?¡±


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°Yes. If you decide to stay, even if you don¡¯t officially take my place, you¡¯ll be a great deterrent for anyone seeking to harm the sect. But if you do join me, I don¡¯t want people to think we¡¯re leaving a weak sect behind.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there a few Tier Nine Elders?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but the gap between Tier Nine and Tier Ten is huge. And a sect backed by someone at Tier Ten will almost always have more clout than a sect whose strongest member is only Tier Nine. Part of that is because of the exceptions to the Accords. Nobody wants to risk a powerhouse forcing a sect war.¡±


    I looked at him strangely.


    Wasn¡¯t that exactly what he¡¯d been indirectly trying to do?


    Dismissing the thought, I smiled tightly and said, ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯d rather me remain in the realm when it¡¯s time for you to ascend. I thought your whole goal was to find an ascension companion.¡±


    We¡¯d talked about it several times, but this was the first time he¡¯d actually made more of a case for me to remain in this realm instead of joining him. It made me wonder if the short time we¡¯d spent together had somehow soured him to my presence.


    My time in the dungeon had certainly hurt my interpersonal skills, but I didn¡¯t think they were so bad that he¡¯d change his mind about wanting me to ascend with him.


    ¡°That¡¯s obviously still my preference since ascending alone sounds¡­ lonely. I¡¯d much prefer a companion to share the experience with,¡± Master Kairos replied with a friendly smile.


    ¡°But I already told you,¡± he continued, ¡°I¡¯m not going to force you. I won¡¯t even pressure you to ascend with me. If you decide to stay, that¡¯s fine. As I just pointed out, there¡¯s a benefit in that as well.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said before changing the subject. ¡°So, is this inquisition something we need to wait around for, or can we head to Earth? Or¡­ is that something we should delay due to the new threat?¡±


    ¡°The Assassin?¡±


    I nodded.


    Master Kairos¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°I¡¯ll need to craft a few things. I wasn¡¯t anticipating a Pinnacle threat. That changes things.¡± The blonde Time Mage looked out the window for several moments. ¡°We may need to remain in disguise for a while. But even then, people are going to be watching your family.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said they¡¯d be safe,¡± I said, trying not to sound accusatory as my heart rate increased noticeably.


    ¡°They should be,¡± he replied calmly. ¡°But if we¡¯re dealing with a Pinnacle Assassin who already doesn¡¯t care about violating the Accords¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a few more violations?¡± I said blankly as a sour taste filled my mouth. ¡°How relevant is this threat? Is it something we need to act on? Does my family need to go into some kind of protection program or something?¡± I asked rapidly.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± He stopped himself and huffed lightly. ¡°Let me talk to Anya before we get too caught up in possibilities. I¡¯ll see what I can find out. She¡¯s the one who identified the threat, so she¡¯s the one most likely to have more information. I¡¯ll reach out to her now.¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s eyes unfocused as he focused on his interface. We made it all the way to the portal hub before he finally spoke again.


    ¡°They should be safe. I asked her to check, and nothing indicated they would be targeted specifically. But that doesn¡¯t mean that they won¡¯t be watched or that the Assassin will care about collateral damage,¡± he added. ¡°It¡¯s obviously easier to target someone at a location they are known to frequent.¡±


    So, I needed to avoid going to their homes.


    But depending on what affinities the future Assassin had, would I be safe anywhere without a disguise? Even with a disguise, who¡¯s to say a Pinnacle mage wouldn¡¯t be capable of bypassing enchantments?


    I followed Master Kairos out of the vehicle and tried not to glance around nervously. I doubted there was already a threat, but I still found myself grateful for the new Tier Ten [Barrier] talisman that Master Kairos had recently gifted me.


    Now, I just needed to upgrade the rest of my defenses.

 Book 4 - Chapter 13 - Returning to Earth

    ¡°You should be able to drop the disguise now, right?¡± Dad asked me as we stepped away from the small teleportation room attached to the Knoxville portal hub.


    A glance at Master Kairos revealed he¡¯d already returned to his normal appearance, so I quickly followed suit.


    Neither of us wore our sect robes, though our civilian attire was enchanted with many of the same protections. In fact, my new clothing provided far superior protection against surprise attacks ¨C something that I considered a necessity, given the current threat.


    Master Kairos had acquired or crafted them; I wasn¡¯t sure which. It was probably the former since I didn¡¯t think he had more than a passing familiarity with Tailoring or any of the related professions.


    ¡°Do you know exactly where Grandma and Grandpa live now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do,¡± Dad replied as he shifted Kaylee from his side to his back. The toddler grinned at the change and clung to his neck like a baby monkey. ¡°We still have that flying contraption you made before you left. Do you want to ride together, or would you rather follow? I imagine you have your own form of transportation that doesn¡¯t involve teleportation.¡±


    ¡°We should all be able to fit,¡± Mom interjected leadingly, making her preference clear.


    I quickly counted the number of people in our group.


    ¡°Eleven is a lot to fit into the pod I made for you guys back when I was still Tier Three. Speaking of¡­¡± I removed a few of the models I¡¯d outgrown from my ring. ¡°Here, I don¡¯t need these anymore and they¡¯re a lot more versatile than the one you have.¡±


    My parents¡¯ eyes widened, and I could sense they were getting ready to refuse my offer.


    ¡°Really,¡± I insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t need them. I planned to give them to you guys anyway, even if you don¡¯t necessarily need them within most Alliance cities.¡±


    With an expression of gratitude, Dad accepted one of the credit card-sized slips of crystal. The new versions looked a lot more like the collapsed version of Ros¡¯s original chariot that I¡¯d shamelessly mimicked for my own personal use.


    ¡°Same controls?¡±


    I nodded before handing the others to Mom, Justin, and Bell.


    I suspected Bell could make something comparable already, but I didn¡¯t mind giving one to her anyway. If nothing else, it would save her from needing to craft one for Amie when the time came for her to leave home in a couple of years.


    Also, I fully understood that just because someone could craft something didn¡¯t necessarily mean they were inclined to take the time and effort to do so.


    ¡°Yep. The basics are the same and there¡¯s an interface link that¡¯ll guide you for anything you don¡¯t understand. That part¡¯s new,¡± I explained, ¡°though it¡¯s pretty intuitive.¡±


    The link wouldn¡¯t work without an upgraded interface, but that wasn¡¯t something that concerned anyone in my immediate family.


    After shaping his new vehicle into something that resembled a large caliber bullet (or a wingless airplane), Dad flew us to the town where most of my mom¡¯s side of the family had settled after the reintegration.


    Grandma Katherine and Grandpa Paul, my mom¡¯s parents, were waiting outside a relatively new housing complex when we arrived.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t look a day older than you did when you left!¡± Grandma exclaimed when she saw me.


    ¡°And you look even younger than before!¡± I countered with a grin.


    I¡¯d given all of my living grandparents and elderly family members rejuvenation treatments before I left, though the effects were nowhere near as remarkable as they would be when I repeated the treatment with my new strength before leaving.


    ¡°Thanks to you! I swear, I haven¡¯t felt this good since I was in my forties! Between your mom¡¯s healing and you literally turning back the clock¡­¡± Grandma shook her head as she found herself without the proper words to express herself.


    Understanding, I gave her another quick squeeze. ¡°Family takes care of each other,¡± I replied. ¡°I won¡¯t always be around, but while I am, I want to do what I can to help the people that are important to me.¡±


    And they were important to me, even if I was a little emotionally detached from the majority of my family members after so much time away.


    Several members of my extended family lived in the same housing complex as my grandparents. It was a standard Alliance housing unit that could be found on any low to mid-tier world. It wasn¡¯t one of the really nice ones, but Earth was still low-tier and quite new to the Alliance.


    ¡°Look who¡¯s back,¡± Gabby said when she let herself into my grandparents¡¯ home a little while later. Her burnt-orange/red hair had darkened into something closer to true red since I last saw her, though her eyes remained the same vibrant shade of green they were before.


    I grinned at my cousin. ¡°You¡¯re nearly at Tier Four!¡± I exclaimed after seeing her level.


    Gabby puffed up slightly. ¡°Yep. Another six months or so and I should have enough XP to get there,¡± she said proudly. ¡°Me and my team have been delving almost non-stop for the last few years. There ain¡¯t nearly enough people to keep the harder Tier Three rifts cleared, so those of us strong enough tend to stay busy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Just make sure you¡¯re safe,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Gabby said as she waved a hand before plopping into a nearby reclining chair. ¡°So, how was the dungeon? I have some friends who plan on trying their luck with it soon since they¡¯re outgrowing the rifts on Earth. I told them I¡¯d ask.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I raised a brow at the comment. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. You probably don¡¯t know if you just got back,¡± she said before leaning forward. ¡°People started getting messages from folks who disappeared years ago, most of ¡®em before the apocalypse even happened. Then these two people show up, claiming to be kidnapped from Earth and forced into a dungeon on some other planet.


    ¡°People were rightly mad when they found out, and those new nobles made a big stink about it with the higher-ups. Some Alliance bigwigs came down and announced that anyone who wanted to challenge themselves in the dungeon could, so long as they were Tier Four or below. Some folks got mad about them trying to take more people, but since nobody¡¯s forcin¡¯ anybody¡­¡±


    The redhead popped a piece of gum in her mouth and started chewing. ¡°Volunteers don¡¯t get no special perks like the inventory you and the others got, but anyone born on Earth can enter the dungeon for the next fifteen years.¡± She paused. ¡°I guess it¡¯s closer to thirteen now.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, intrigued by the information. I was also a little curious about how many of my family members would feel compelled to follow in my footsteps. I wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that possibility. ¡°How do people volunteer?¡±


    ¡°They got a portal in Brazil. It opens once a month, but you gotta do the tower training before you can go through it,¡± she said before blowing a bright pink bubble.


    ¡°So, like going to any other off-planet location,¡± I said with a nod.


    Gabby popped the bubble loudly. ¡°I mean, I guess?¡± she said with a shrug. After a pause, she asked, ¡°So, you got any advice? Those two that came back talked about it some, but getting another side is always a good thing.¡±


    Not seeing any reason not to answer, I spent the next hour sharing my experiences in the Realm Dungeon with Gabby and answering the questions her friends had.


    At one point, she even called them and put them on speakerphone by linking her interface to her Atlas Glass phone. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see the device, considering they were considered basic manatech throughout the Alliance.


    Eventually, Kaylee provided me an excellent opportunity to extricate myself from the conversation, and I happily joined her outside.


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to discuss my time in the dungeon. I was just tired of only discussing my time in the dungeon.


    Or my affinities.


    It felt like those two topics took up almost ninety percent of the conversations I¡¯d had with anyone since leaving the dungeon, family or not.


    <hr>


    ¡°You seem awfully serious since you came back,¡± Grandma Katherine tutted when I entered the kitchen the next morning. She was cooking, which wasn¡¯t all that unusual, given her profession.


    Having been a professional chef before the reintegration, it was only natural that she would gain Cooking-related skills and select Chef as her profession once she reached level five. While some people resolutely refused to level at all, I¡¯d been able to persuade almost all of my family members to do at least the bare minimum to gain a profession.


    Now, more than eight years since the reintegration, Grandma Kathrine had reached Tier Two and was well on her way to reaching Tier Three. She¡¯d probably need a bit of assistance to get her alternate experience, but that was normal for non-fighters.


    Between the rejuvenation treatments and her increased tier, Grandma Katherine looked like a woman in her early fifties, though she undoubtedly felt even younger. It was a significant improvement over the elderly woman she¡¯d been before I entered the dungeon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be overly serious,¡± I apologized. ¡°I¡¯ve just got a lot on my mind.¡±


    ¡°I heard about that,¡± she replied. ¡°You might think we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with the rest of the Alliance, but them aliens have made sure we aren¡¯t completely uninformed. We¡¯ve even got beastmen running around now! I swear, I liked to have a heart attack the first time I saw one of them!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re certainly different,¡± I said with a soft chuckle. ¡°Most are pretty nice, though.¡±


    Grandma huffed as she rolled out a bit of pastry. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, myself. Anna talked to one at the market the other day, and she said he was real nice. But there¡¯s some on the TV causing problems, so they¡¯re probably just like any other group of people.¡±


    I shrugged. It was nice that she acknowledged demis as ¡®people¡¯ instead of using some derogatory term. I¡¯d seen a few examples of other races (Earthborn and otherwise) refusing to do even that because of their appearance.


    ¡°So, was there anywhere you wanted to visit while I¡¯m here?¡± I asked, changing the subject.


    Grandma Katherine stopped for a moment and looked at me. ¡°What do you mean? Like, traveling?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Yeah. I can Teleport. We can go pretty much anywhere on Earth as long as I know where it is.¡±


    We could probably go anywhere in the solar system¡­ maybe beyond.


    Being in the dungeon, I hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to really test my boundaries when it came to distance. Stella had mentioned problems going between two celestial objects ¨C planets, moons, or similar structures. But now that I¡¯d reached Tier Eight and gained Space Magic Mastery, I felt certain many of those limitations no longer applied.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing Hawaii,¡± she commented after a moment of thought. ¡°I always planned to visit but never got around to it.¡±


    ¡°We can go there if you want,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°In fact, you and I could take a quick trip after breakfast if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Grandma¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Really?¡± She seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°No. No, it wouldn¡¯t be right to go without the rest of the family,¡± she said before adding, ¡°So long as you don¡¯t mind cartin¡¯ all of us around, that is.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t mind,¡± I assured her. ¡°I can take quite a few people with me now that I¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really that strong, huh?¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe the strongest person on Earth besides that pretty boy Master that ran off after you got here?¡±


    I wanted to laugh at the comment, but I restrained myself.


    Master Kairos had left shortly after we arrived at my grandparents¡¯ home. He¡¯d claimed he wanted to explore a bit, but I was pretty sure he just felt out of place. It wasn¡¯t a huge deal since I¡¯d Marked him and could basically track him as long as he was on Earth.


    Maybe beyond.


    Like with teleportation, I hadn¡¯t really tested my limits since leaving the dungeon.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m the strongest, but I doubt many people would give me trouble,¡± I replied before eyeing her more closely. ¡°Why? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Not like you¡¯re probably thinking,¡± she said. ¡°You were doing work for the Alliance before you left, changing rifts and getting rid of the ones that cause trouble. Now that you¡¯re so much stronger, it¡¯d probably be easy for you to help make things safer for everybody.¡±


    She popped the neatly cut pastry dough into the oven before wiping her flour-dusted hands on the simple apron she wore over her clothes.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be long before they¡¯re done,¡± she said, nodding toward the oven. ¡°I¡¯ll start on the eggs if you want to go wake everyone up. I imagine the jetlag coming from another planet is a little rougher than just crossing a few time zones.¡±


    I nodded. The time difference was a bit pronounced. But luckily, I didn¡¯t need very much sleep at my tier.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to do about my grandmother¡¯s request. Or rather, her statement. She hadn¡¯t actually asked me to do anything.


    Even if she had, I wasn¡¯t sure what I¡¯d be allowed to do to help. There were rules in place to prevent higher-tier individuals from doing too much on lower-tier planets.


    There might be some exceptions for a native returning to a newly ¡®reintegrated¡¯ planet, but I¡¯d need to check with Master Kairos (and probably the local nobles) before I did anything.


    At the same time, I was not inclined to watch as lower-tier people died to rift beasts, and there were a LOT of those outside the town walls.


    Maybe a little intervention was called for.

 Book 4 - Chapter 14 - Family Dinners

    ¡®You are not allowed to arm locals with weapons and gear above the planet¡¯s threshold,¡¯ Lisa informed me as I sketched out a few simple enchantment designs after breakfast.


    I sat up straight and focused on my Interface Assistant. ¡®Why not?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s in the rules you received upon leaving the dungeon,¡¯ she replied. ¡®There was an additional supplement downloaded upon our arrival on Earth. The Alliance forbids such activities because they imbalance the world.¡¯


    Nothing like that was ever openly stated, but I supposed it made sense. Arming a bunch of low-tier people with mid or high-tier weapons created an obvious inequity, removing even the possibility of fairness between those at the same tier.


    Since such practices weren¡¯t specifically banned by the Accords, the restriction had to be an Alliance one as opposed to something enacted by the system itself.


    ¡®Is that a blanket prohibition, or are there exceptions?¡¯ I thought to my ever-present helper as I eyed the designs I¡¯d already drafted. I was pretty sure I already knew the answer, but I figured it was better to check.


    ¡®For all intents and purposes, consider it a blanket prohibition,¡¯ Lisa replied. ¡®Even your sister-in-law is forbidden from crafting anything beyond PT3 items. Had she not already crossed the threshold, she would have been allowed to craft LT4 items, provided she acquired the materials herself. But, since that is not the case¡­¡¯


    Unsurprisingly, Bell had reached Tier Four while I was away. Between the secondary Academy and the Enchanters¡¯ Academy, she¡¯d had ample opportunity to progress in a relatively safe environment.


    And it wasn¡¯t just through her professions, either.


    Both of her former schools had mandatory programs to assist students in gaining combat experience as well. Given her background, gaining a few extra levels from delving wasn¡¯t difficult to accomplish.


    ¡°Then what can I do to help?¡± I asked aloud. Nobody could hear me from outside the pod, so I wasn¡¯t worried about coming off as crazy.


    After a little bit of spatial manipulation, the spare room had been set up with four individual pods, one for each grouping of adults and a separate pod for Amie and the twins to share. The setup allowed us all to stay with the grandparents instead of needing to find separate accommodations while also keeping things from feeling overly crowded.


    ¡®Craft PT3 items and provide training?¡¯ Lisa suggested. ¡®Maybe do a little healing?¡¯


    I frowned. I didn¡¯t want to spend a long time on Earth training people, especially when, by all accounts, the problem shouldn¡¯t exist in the first place.


    Alliance teams had been assigned to Earth for the first five years to ensure the rifts beyond the local populous¡¯ ability to handle were cleared regularly enough not to break. So, for this many creatures to be in the area, something had to have gone wrong.


    Either the Alliance teams had failed or, more likely, whoever took over when they left had dropped the ball somehow.


    Gabby had mentioned there weren¡¯t enough PT3 groups to handle the local rifts, but I didn¡¯t get the sense that it was so dire that they were dealing with rift breaks.


    Yet the presence of multiple rift creatures in the local area implied otherwise.


    It was worth looking into since a failure on the Alliance¡¯s part meant they would be inclined to fix the problem. Further, if the issue was caused by the noble in charge of the territory, they could (and would) be replaced.


    A little danger was expected, given how rifts manifested initially. Some rift beasts were inevitably going to get away and breed. That was just a fact of life without someone much higher tier intervening.


    And since total safety bred complacency and often led to worse outcomes, I didn¡¯t see that happening. In fact, that was probably why the Alliance was so against higher-tier assistance in the first place.


    But just because I understood why things were left in the hands of the locals didn¡¯t mean I liked leaving my extended family in an unsafe situation. I¡¯d have to examine other locales and see if they had similar problems. If not, maybe it would be worth convincing my relatives to relocate.


    <hr>


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say no if you want to give me some fancy toys,¡± Gabby said at dinner later that night when I offered to upgrade her gear. She and a few other family members had joined us for dinner, though not everyone had been able to make it on such short notice. ¡°It probably won¡¯t help much, though.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Cause the problem ain¡¯t a lack of weapons,¡± Lester, Gabby¡¯s little brother, chimed in. ¡°It ain¡¯t even a lack of adventurers. Since the old Mayor got booted last year, there¡¯ve been loads of people swarming the area, looking ta level up. It¡¯s already tons better than before. You shoulda seen it then! It was so bad, the adventurers could barely get to the rifts to clear ¡®em!¡±


    Lester was a lot younger than Gabby. Technically, he was only her half-brother, but since they¡¯d been raised in the same home, they didn¡¯t recognize the difference.


    He¡¯d been in elementary school when the reintegration happened. He was sixteen now and had awoken an Earth affinity the year before.


    ¡°How did it get so bad?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That old Mayor was a real piece of work,¡± Grandpa Paul said from the head of the table. ¡°He started charging a seventy-percent tax on anything coming out of the rifts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, nobody wanted to pay that much, so most of us left to find better rifts,¡± Gabby added. ¡°There were still enough desperate adventurers willing to pay that much, so things were okay for a while. But then the blizzard hit and nobody could get to the rifts for a few days. It normally wouldn¡¯t be a big deal since it takes a while for a rift to break, but because they were already being under-delved, they all broke practically at the same time.¡±


    I could see how something like that might happen, especially if the city and the surrounding area weren¡¯t being closely monitored by the nobles in charge.


    ¡°Me and my party came home when we heard. A lot of locals who¡¯d left did,¡± she continued. ¡°The new Mayor only charges twenty percent and does his best to make sure every rift slot is filled. He does good for all but the PT3 rifts. There ain¡¯t enough adventurers willing to challenge those yet, even after nearly ten years. Most who get that far leave Earth, which makes it hard for us to keep things in check.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say a lot of your friends were planning to leave soon, too?¡± I asked curiously.


    Gabby focused on her plate for a few moments as the attention shifted toward her. She looked at her parents before looking at me.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said slowly, as if not wanting to admit it. ¡°Once they reach Tier Four, there ain¡¯t much reason to stick around besides family.¡±


    ¡°Gabriella,¡± her mom exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯d better not be planning to run off to the dungeon! I heard you talking about it when you thought I wasn¡¯t listening.¡±


    Gabby winced. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on it, Ma! It was just something we were looking into.¡±


    I pressed my lips together to keep myself from commenting. The impression she¡¯d given me was that her friends planned to enter the dungeon, though she hadn¡¯t directly included herself in that plan.


    Maybe she was going to stay behind to watch over her family. She¡¯d been quick to go back to them when the reintegration kicked off, so it wasn¡¯t very hard to believe.


    But looking at her guilty expression, I somehow didn¡¯t believe that was the case.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not! It took Emie more than eight years to escape from that place, and that was with all the fancy gadgets and magic she got for joining that sect!¡±


    Interestingly, Gabby¡¯s mom didn¡¯t bother glancing in my direction as she talked about me. She was wholly focused on the young Fire Mage sitting next to me.


    I didn¡¯t bother correcting her misconceptions, either. I doubted it would do any good.


    ¡°Those friends of yours are going to get you killed if you ain¡¯t more careful! I mean, really!¡± My aunt huffed in exasperation. ¡°First you¡¯re going into those death traps and fighting monsters, then you started hunting the ones that escaped¡­ now you¡¯re talking about risking your life in a dungeon!¡±


    ¡°I said I wasn¡¯t planning on going, Ma!¡± Gabby exploded, drawing attention from nearby diners. ¡°And even if I did, ain¡¯t nothing nobody can do about it! Not you, not Pa! Nobody but maybe Emie could do a darn thing to stop me! And I don¡¯t think she¡¯d try. Heck, she might even think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Gabby looked at me with hope, as if she thought I¡¯d come to her rescue.


    ¡°This is not my argument,¡± I said with raised hands, neither confirming nor denying her claim. If it wasn¡¯t completely inappropriate, I would have teleported away instead of getting any more involved in the conversation than I already was.


    But regardless of my discomfort, the truth was, I¡¯d absolutely support Gabby if she wanted to enter the dungeon. I¡¯d even help her prepare ¨C to a point.


    Undeterred by my lack of overt support, Gabby returned her focus to her parents. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see y¡¯all stepping up to keep the rifts from breaking! How about y¡¯all stop judging me when I¡¯m one of the few people trying to keep everybody safe!¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t about keeping everyone else safe. It¡¯s about keeping you safe,¡± Aunt Mindy countered.


    I tried my best to ignore the conversation as I focused on my meal. Limited to low-tier materials, the food was acceptable, but not great. Even the most basic transmuted meals made out of higher-tier materials were superior.


    Despite my best attempts to avoid it, I was eventually coerced into sharing my opinion.


    ¡°If Gabby wants to challenge the dungeon, knowing full well that she can¡¯t leave until she reaches at least Tier Seven, then I¡¯m all for it. As long as she really understands what she¡¯s getting into, she should be able to make her own decisions.¡±


    I paused as several of the ¡®older¡¯ generations immediately objected to my statement. A few even criticized me for not wanting Justin to risk himself in the dungeon but saying it was okay for Gabby.


    Aunt Mindy seemed particularly incensed that I¡¯d support her daughter being put into danger after going so far to protect my brother.


    ¡°Look,¡± I held up my hand to stop the back and forth. ¡°This isn¡¯t the same thing as Justin. Gabby isn¡¯t being kidnapped and forced into something she doesn¡¯t want. She knows what to expect, even if things might have changed a little since I entered.


    ¡°And the more you tell her she can¡¯t do something, the more likely she¡¯s gonna try to prove you wrong. Gabby hasn¡¯t even said she wants to enter the dungeon with her friends, so I don¡¯t know what all of you guys are getting so worked up about.¡±


    The redhead gave me a look of appreciation tinged with a hint of vindication. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± I replied before standing up. I¡¯d already lost my appetite. ¡°It was nice to see you all again. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve been mostly isolated for a really long time and haven¡¯t gotten used to being around people all that much.¡±


    I looked at Gabby. ¡°That¡¯s something to consider if you do decide to enter the dungeon. The seventh floor is particularly hard for extroverts.¡±


    Looking back at the rest of the family, I added, ¡°I already paid, but I didn¡¯t leave a tip. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s still something people do now, so if it is, I¡¯m sure you guys can manage it. I¡¯ll probably be back by morning.¡±


    Without waiting for a response, I teleported away.

 Book 4 - Chapter 15 - Long-Distance Healing

    My body slowly relaxed as the milky, mana-infused water seeped into my skin. The addition of mana had turned the international attraction into one of the newest world wonders, and the obvious benefits of even a short soak made it a lucrative resource to control.


    I could have easily chosen to relax somewhere closer, but after reading about the magical healing effects of the Blue Lagoon on Earth¡¯s local network, I decided to check it out for myself.


    I¡¯d originally planned to bring the family along when I visited, but with my sudden desire for solitude, it made more sense to make the first trip alone.


    I didn¡¯t even invite Master Kairos.


    While he didn¡¯t enjoy soaking quite as much as I did, it was still something he appreciated. I¡¯d probably include him when I brought the family next time. The attraction was certainly worth more than a single trip.


    I wasn¡¯t worried about being recognized since I was using a [Disguise] that changed my appearance and personal information. I even had it reduce my apparent tier to just PT3.


    I¡¯d checked with Lisa to ensure I wouldn¡¯t be violating any local laws by doing so, but it seemed like matching the planet¡¯s maximum rating was generally an acceptable approach for high-tier visitors who wanted to fly under the radar.


    If I was attacked or challenged, I would have to reveal my true level, but since I didn¡¯t plan on getting involved with anything, I wasn¡¯t overly worried. And unlike the Assassins who¡¯d attacked me on Pylos, I wasn¡¯t trying to sneak attack someone by posing to be weaker than I really was.


    Though I felt fairly confident in my safety, I still extended Spatial Sense to the maximum and let the feedback filter through my subconscious as I relaxed.


    There weren¡¯t a lot of visitors since it was quite late ¨C or early, depending on one¡¯s perspective. Even so, there was a steady stream of visitors trickling in and out of the various pools that comprised the large, heated lake.


    There were smaller, seemingly disconnected pools as well, but those were reserved for guests of the connected resorts, and the few private residences I¡¯d noticed had been recently built.


    A short distance away, close to the main road but hidden from sight by the likely efforts of Earth Mages, I noticed the familiar swirl of dense mana that represented a rift.


    It was close enough to pose a threat if the rift broke, even with the steep rocky mounds forming a barrier around it. Given the newly constructed facilities just outside the narrow entrance, I assumed it was likely well-monitored and controlled.


    The lack of mana fluctuations also supported that supposition.


    I observed through Spatial Sense as a group of four headed through the gap in the wall and made their way to the rift. A short while later, another team exited, looking a bit battered but otherwise healthy.


    They immediately entered the building just outside the wall and talked to one of the clerks inside. I was a little curious about how the former country of Iceland handled rift taxes and such, but I didn¡¯t really care enough to look into the matter beyond mere observation.


    Instead, I focused more of my attention on the night sky.


    Hints of colorful lights danced in the sky. It wasn¡¯t the right time of year to get a good view of the Northern Lights, but my improvements in vision made it possible to see traces, even without activating Mana Sight.


    Activating Mana Sight, the sky was suddenly illuminated in a riot of colors. Such a sight was only visible near the planetary poles, which made me wonder how much of the Northern Lights were indirectly (or directly) influenced by mana, perhaps even before the siphons were turned off.


    Perhaps the poles themselves had been siphons, and the auroras a reflection of the mana being drained?


    Frantic movement from the portal drew my attention away from the breathtaking view of the sky, interrupting my musings.


    It seemed someone had gotten critically injured during their time inside the rift.


    Even at such a distance, I could easily assess the injured adventurer. It was clear that without immediate intervention, he wouldn¡¯t make it. In fact, I was surprised the bleeding man was still hanging on.


    Since I didn¡¯t see a healer close enough to make a difference, I mentally reached out and targeted the injured delver with Restore. I wasn¡¯t totally sure it would work since I¡¯d never tested combining my spatial perception skill with Time magic, but it felt like it should work.


    And with two mastery skills, I trusted my gut.


    Besides, I¡¯d been able to target people for teleportation through the weave since Tier Two. This didn¡¯t seem all that different, aside from using two different mana types at the same time.


    The adventurers carrying their formerly wounded party member almost stumbled when the damage to the man¡¯s body and gear rapidly began reverting.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    I smiled as I sensed the group¡¯s shock and relief, though my eyes were still on the night sky. I was far enough away that nobody would suspect I was involved, even if I wasn¡¯t disguised as a PT3 Earth/Space Mage.


    Come to think of it, I¡¯d easily be capable of doing something similar for the adventurers battling rift beasts outside of Knoxville. I might not be able to directly help in the fight, but there were no restrictions on healing services.


    If Gabby and her counterparts were able to organize a big hunt, I should be able to monitor most of them to ensure nobody died. So, even if I couldn¡¯t provide overpowered weapons and gear, I¡¯d still be able to make a real contribution toward making my extended family¡¯s home safer.


    <hr>


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Mom asked when I returned to my grandparents¡¯ apartment the following morning with wet hair.


    She was sitting on the bed of the spare room where our pods were set up, presumably reading a book. It was almost like she¡¯d been waiting for me.


    ¡°Iceland,¡± I replied. ¡°There¡¯s a famous hot spring there.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of those by now?¡± she asked with a hint of exasperation.


    ¡°Uh, no?¡± I answered as I placed several containers of anti-aging cream on the nearby dresser.


    The people in control of the Blue Lagoon had managed to incorporate the spring¡¯s minor healing and rejuvenation properties into beauty products. Since they were cheaper than comparable true Alchemy products, I figured it was worth picking up a few containers as gifts.


    ¡°Hot springs are amazing, especially when they have special properties. The Blue Lagoon doesn¡¯t come close to the effects of the dungeon¡¯s hot springs, but the minor healing effect is still worth going for.¡± I motioned toward the containers. ¡°They even make magical face cream now.¡±


    Mom picked up one of the small containers. After reading the label, she unscrewed the top and sniffed the contents.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t use Life mana?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said uncertainly. ¡°At least, I didn¡¯t sense any Life mana in the water. Weird, right?¡±


    ¡°Not really. A little, maybe.¡± She dipped her finger in the white cream and looked at it more closely. ¡°Healing isn¡¯t just a Life or Nature thing. It¡¯s usually related to one of those two, but I¡¯ve seen specialty healers with other affinities, too. This probably incorporates Water mana to hydrate and flush toxins.¡±


    That made about as much sense as anything. However, since I wasn¡¯t that big into Alchemy, my interest in the topic was only superficial.


    I knew enough about the basics to get by if I needed to, but mixing potions and making pills wasn¡¯t really my thing.


    ¡°So, why did you take off like that at dinner?¡± she asked with a tone that demanded a response.


    ¡°Honestly?¡± I asked rhetorically. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to listen to the bickering. I could see Aunt Mindy getting riled up, and I really just didn¡¯t want to deal with it. She and Uncle Anthony still haven¡¯t totally accepted that Earth is never going back to what it was.


    ¡°I can tell they think things will eventually go back to what they were, but that¡¯s insane,¡± I said pointedly. ¡°Pandora¡¯s box has been opened. There is no going back.¡±


    ¡°They know that,¡± Mom said dismissively. ¡°But it¡¯s not unreasonable for them to want their children to be safe. If your dad and I had any say in the matter, you and your brother certainly wouldn¡¯t be fighting in rifts and dungeons. You¡¯d be focusing on your professions instead and getting carried through rifts for your alternate levels like most Enchanters and Authors.¡±


    I bit back the impulse to make a snide comment. Instead, I simply acknowledged her statement with a tilt of my head.


    I understood the desire to protect loved ones, but there was a point where sheltering others became detrimental. Without challenges, they would have no real opportunities for growth.


    But at the same time, I acknowledged that a life involving violence wasn¡¯t for everyone.


    ¡°Even so, Gabby is almost thirty years old. She¡¯s plenty old enough to make decisions for herself,¡± I replied at the same time that Dad exited their shared pod holding my two youngest siblings.


    ¡°Gah! You two are still talking about that?¡± Dad exclaimed as he handed off Kaylee to Mom. Turning to me, he added, ¡°And maybe next time, don¡¯t stir the pot before leaving the rest of us to deal with the mess.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologized sheepishly, knowing my parents likely had to deal with an earful after my escape.


    ¡°I get it. I do. But not everyone has taken to the changes very well. The danger outside the walls doesn¡¯t help. They¡¯re honestly lucky none of the rifts have flying mobs, else the city would be in real trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that,¡± I said after taking a few steps toward the door and making sure the others were following. ¡°Even though Bell and I can¡¯t really contribute much since we out-tier the world, we can help a little by crafting appropriate-level gear. I can also directly intervene to save lives, though it would be better if nobody knew it was me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mom asked.


    ¡°When I was in Iceland, or the former Iceland, I guess I should say,¡± I corrected myself, ¡°I had Spatial Sense extended pretty far and noticed someone coming out of a nearby rift severely injured. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d make it to a healer in time, so I Restored them from a distance.


    ¡°It was the first time I¡¯d really tried something like that since healing at a significant distance isn¡¯t really a factor in the dungeon. Healing a party member is easy enough because they¡¯re normally close by, but¡­ I¡¯ve never really needed to heal someone I couldn¡¯t see visually before. It worked fine, though, and nobody even realized I was involved.¡±


    Both of my parents looked surprised by my admission.


    ¡°What kind of range do you have?¡± Mom asked.


    I considered the limits of Spatial Sense. As long as I could clearly sense someone, I could target them with a spell. In fact, I could probably target the rift beasts and make them easier to defeat, but I didn¡¯t think the Alliance would accept that kind of intervention as easily.


    ¡°Maybe twenty miles?¡± I said, severely understating my range.


    Dad whistled lightly as Mom made a little gasping noise.


    ¡°So far?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s much farther than I expected. I can only sense life signs within a half-mile or so. Even that takes some effort.¡±


    ¡°It was about the same for me when I was Tier Three,¡± I replied. ¡°I might have been able to push mine a little farther, but I also have a really strong Space affinity. That matters.¡±


    Mom nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I noticed that when comparing my sensory skills for Life and Nature. I can sense fauna quite a bit farther than I can flora.¡±


    ¡°You want to coordinate for some kind of hunt while we¡¯re here so you can provide oversight?¡± Dad asked.


    ¡°Eh, not particularly,¡± I answered honestly. ¡°But we should. It¡¯ll make the locals a lot safer if they can cull some of the rift beasts before they breed more. There are already a few dens spread around the area. I should be able to get away with pointing them in the right direction.¡±


    ¡°I thought this was supposed to be a vacation,¡± Mom said with a frown.


    ¡°Who said we have to stay here the whole time?¡± I asked. ¡°I say we get the ball rolling and do our own thing until they¡¯re ready to go. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t come right back when the locals are ready to tackle the problem.


    ¡°And if they aren¡¯t ready by the time we need to head back to Hadier, well¡­ I guess they¡¯ll just have to deal with it on their own. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa can find somewhere that isn¡¯t overrun with rift beasts to settle down.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 16 - Overwatch

    From atop the modified pod I¡¯d set to float above the forest, I observed the various parties as they engaged their respective targets.


    Far more residents had heeded the call to arms than I expected. The sight of my fellow Earthborn actively working to protect their homes warmed my heart and made me glad to have contributed, if only in a supporting role.


    While maintaining general vigilance, I focused a little bit of extra attention on Gabby¡¯s party.


    My cousin was undoubtedly a Fire Mage through and through. She carried no melee backup weapons aside from the small knife tucked into a sheath on her hip. In fact, her entire fighting style revolved around Fire magic.


    If she couldn¡¯t kill it with Fire, well¡­ that¡¯s what the rest of her team was for.


    Lucky for her, her party had a decent spread of affinities and fighting styles.


    There was an Archer with an Air affinity, a frontline spear fighter with a Lightning affinity, a Nature Mage serving as Control and Healer (usually), and a fighter with an Earth affinity who used conjured stone weapons to fight both at range and up close.


    The Archer shot an enchanted arrow into the cave that was serving as one of the local wolf dens. The arrow was one of Bell¡¯s contributions to the fight and held the strongest blast she could manage while keeping the projectile under Tier Four.


    Such an attack might be seen as a little unsportsmanlike, but they were culling rift beasts who¡¯d like nothing more than to kill every person they could. A fair fight against beasts wasn¡¯t something most people were concerned with.


    I Restored an injured adventurer in another party as Gabby¡¯s group approached the smoking cave. The Earth Mage took the lead with a floating Stone Shield, ready to deflect any ranged attacks that came their way.


    To nobody¡¯s surprise, an angry, still-smoking wolf launched itself out of the shelter and toward the closest threat.


    It was met with a face full of sharpened stone, an obvious modification to the Shield spell that allowed for offensive effects.


    A Lightning Bolt hit the pair of wolves behind it, disabling them long enough for the Archer to put an arrow in their eyes. The coordination between the party members made their experience working together as a team apparent.


    Stepping around the fallen beasts, the group entered the cave. Most of the wolves had been severely injured by the slightly overpowered explosion, so they didn¡¯t pose much of a challenge to the adventurers.


    The only one that posed a real risk was the Alpha, and a combination of Wind-infused arrows, Lightning Bolts, and a Fire Lance weakened it enough for the melee fighters to finish it off.


    Watching Gabby and her team reminded me of my time adventuring with Ros and the others. Our dynamics were obviously different since our party composition wasn¡¯t the same, but the camaraderie was very similar.


    It made me miss my old friends. But having verified they were all doing well, the slight longing was easy enough to deal with. I¡¯d gotten the closure I needed to move on.


    Seeing how much Gabby enjoyed throwing around Fire magic and killing rift beasts, I honestly couldn¡¯t see her staying behind when the rest of her party left Earth.


    Her parents wouldn¡¯t like it, but as I¡¯d mentioned before, she was a grown woman. There wasn¡¯t anything they could really do to stop her if she wanted to leave. Whether into the dungeon or off to another planet, her options were wide open.


    After teleporting Gabby¡¯s group to the next location, I shifted my focus to Mom, Dad, and Justin¡¯s group.


    I¡¯d been surprised when the trio decided to join in on the event, but since they had loved ones at risk, too¡­ it made sense.


    Bell would have probably joined them if she could. But since she was now an official resident of another planet and out-tiered Earth, doing so would have gotten her in a lot of trouble.


    Mom was a little under-leveled for the event since she spent most of her time working in clinics and healing the same non-life-threatening injuries day in and day out. She¡¯d actually gained more levels when she lived on Earth because of the sheer need for Healers. Now that she was living on Hadier, her low-tier services weren¡¯t nearly as in-demand.


    Still, she¡¯d volunteered for the culling in a Control role, using her Nature affinity in much the same way as Gabby¡¯s party member. Mom restrained the beasts while Justin and Dad fought up close.


    An Ice Mage joined them as ranged support, though I wasn¡¯t sure who the individual was. They¡¯d met him earlier that morning when everyone had mustered to head out.


    The guy had joined on a whim when he heard about the event online, thinking it would be a good way of earning a bit of experience. I was keeping an extra eye on the guy, just in case, but he seemed to be pretty solid from what I¡¯d seen.


    Unlike Gabby, Justin didn¡¯t use his Fire affinity hardly at all since it was really weak. Instead, he relied mostly on manatech, with a spear serving as his go-to melee option.


    With a background in both military and law enforcement, Dad also preferred to fight with guns and gun-like weaponry. He¡¯d still trained with other types of weapons, but he preferred not to use them.


    Since me and Bell were both Enchanters, Justin and Dad had access to custom-made weaponry that most people simply didn¡¯t. Because of that, they¡¯d both largely ignored mental stats beyond Perception.


    Unsurprisingly, their stat distribution and fighting styles were pretty similar. Neither could cast more than a couple of spells, but since they relied mostly on manatech, more than that wasn¡¯t really needed.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    At least, in their opinion.


    My stats were almost a mirror image of theirs, proportionately, which I found pretty interesting since I was far more inclined to get up close with a mob than either of my male family members.


    Regardless, their group¡¯s fighting style was a lot different from Gabby¡¯s.


    Where Gabby¡¯s group attacked from a distance before moving in close, Dad¡¯s group kept their distance almost the whole time. They relied far more heavily on Mom¡¯s control effects than Gabby¡¯s group did with their Nature Mage, but the end result was ultimately the same.


    If anything, Dad¡¯s group finished their fights faster and cleaner than Gabby¡¯s group, though the loss of mana cores to power the weapons of two manatech users likely ate far more into their prospective profits than they earned by killing faster.


    ¡°How is the hunt going?¡± Master Kairos asked as he settled next to me on top of the platform-shaped pod.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of flying item he had, nor did it really matter. It was possible he could fly under his own power ¨C there were general spells for such things, though they were prohibitively expensive since they used neutral mana.


    At least, they were at low tiers.


    Mana costs for general-purpose skills tended to drop dramatically as one progressed, given the added efficacy and power of higher-tier mana.


    ¡°Everything is going fine so far,¡± I answered while simultaneously Restoring and Teleporting out an entire party that had gotten overwhelmed.


    I returned them to the rally point where we¡¯d started. If they wanted to continue fighting, they knew where to go. Some parties called it quits after the first real brush with death. Most didn¡¯t, but some teams were less used to direct danger than others.


    Also, not everyone participating in the culling was PT3. In fact, there were quite a few who were on the upper end of Tier Two.


    I tried to place people in areas where they¡¯d be faced with similarly powered opponents, but the area around Knoxville was solidly in the Tier Three range. There weren¡¯t many dens with weaker beasts in the immediate area.


    ¡°How is your island?¡± I asked, knowing my mentor had spent most of the last week or so on the small island that he¡¯d somehow acquired just before the reintegration. He¡¯d kept ownership of the island and had installed a few stewards to maintain everything in his absence.


    I wasn¡¯t sure why he kept the estate since I didn¡¯t foresee the Tier Ten Time Mage wanting to spend much time on the low-tier world, but that was his business. The acquisition had obviously come in handy for him already.


    ¡°It¡¯s still lovely.¡± He hesitated for barely a second before asking, ¡°How is your island?¡±


    It took a moment for me to figure out what he was referencing since, technically, I didn¡¯t have an island. I could only assume he meant the small island where I¡¯d stashed the stupid people who attacked me early on.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t checked,¡± I said before adding, ¡°I probably should, just to see how things are. I¡¯d feel pretty guilty if there were kids stuck there.¡±


    And I would. Any kids born would be completely innocent of their parents¡¯ sins. It wouldn¡¯t be right to force them to live in rustic seclusion like that.


    Then again, unless a rift manifested or the seas overflowed, it was probably one of the safest places on Earth.


    Underwater and beach zones were pretty weird, though, since seas and large lakes were almost always rated at the planetary cap. I¡¯d never gotten a clear answer about why that was, it was simply accepted as the way things were.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to worry about that,¡± Master Kairos said confidently. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve already checked the island. There are no longer any people there. If you want to claim it officially, we can submit a request to the noble in charge of that territory. I doubt they¡¯ll care.¡±


    I frowned at the news that my earliest would-be assassins had escaped. I wasn¡¯t particularly upset that they¡¯d managed to get away, but it was annoying that I had another thing I¡¯d have to keep an eye out for.


    I really had been too kind-hearted back then.


    ¡°Well¡­ good for them, I guess,¡± I said after a moment, though I was sure my expression didn¡¯t match my comment.


    ¡°Ah, you misunderstood,¡± Master Kairos said with an amused smile. ¡°Semi-aquatic sea beasts have taken up residence on the island. I doubt your former prisoners escaped. It would be a small matter to deal with the infestation if you¡¯d like to claim the island, though. Restrictions on culling don¡¯t apply in such instances.¡±


    I pursed my lips. ¡°What if I wanted to claim the area outside of Knoxville?¡± I asked, though I already knew the answer.


    There was a huge difference between claiming and clearing a small, private island for personal use and claiming a stretch of wilds just outside an inhabited settlement.


    Master Kairos didn¡¯t even bother answering my query, opting to ignore the question outright.


    My attention was drawn to several places down below, and I quickly cast Restore four times in quick succession. All four of the previously injured individuals were in different parties, spread around the region.


    Based on the obviously avoidable nature of two of the injuries, it seemed that the fighters below were already getting bolder and putting themselves at greater risk. I hoped none of them were foolish enough to continue such behavior when I was no longer watching.


    It was a sure path to death or disfigurement.


    I¡¯d have to be sure to remind everyone that I was no longer going to be there to save them once the hunt was over.


    That fact should be obvious, but I¡¯d found people often overlooked such obvious facts.


    The habit wasn¡¯t limited to humanity, either.


    ¡°The Sovereignty Sect has officially come under inquiry.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± I asked, eyes wide. From what I understood, an inquiry was only supposed to happen if members of the sect attacked me again.


    Instead of directly answering, Master Kairos said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed the empty seat when we were summoned by the Council, but one of the former Councilors was the previous Matriarch of the Sovereignty Sect. Arona ¨C that was her name ¨C was raised to Tier Ten when she was selected for the Council centuries ago.¡±


    Master Kairos paused and gave a little smirk. ¡°Remember how Anya and I mentioned that some Tier Tens would break the Accords knowing they could just ascend and get away with it?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Well, the former Councilor did something similar, except she broke her oaths to the Council and quickly applied her saved experience to avoid the system¡¯s punishment.¡±


    My brows furrowed. ¡°How would something like that even work? Doesn¡¯t the system control ascension?¡±


    Master Kairos made a ¡®kinda¡¯ motion with his hands.


    ¡°Yes and no. The system makes advancing easier, but it doesn¡¯t directly control ascension.¡± He paused and shook his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not actually correct. The system does control ascension since it¡¯s basically impossible for us to gain experience without it. Apparently, there used to be a way to ascend without it several millennia ago, but the system¡¯s arrival changed everything.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± he continued, ¡°it¡¯s possible to ascend even when the system is actively against you. It has rules it has to follow, and that leaves room for abuse if one is determined enough.¡±


    Master Kairos leaned back in his chair. ¡°Arona broke her oaths, and the penalties would have been severe. But according to someone who witnessed it, she panicked and triggered her ascension when the system started punishing her.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why that would cause her former sect to fall under inquiry. Didn¡¯t that happen before they talked to us?¡±


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°It did. But knowing that Arona had done something to violate her oaths, something directly related to you,¡± he added pointedly, ¡°made the Council watch the sect far more closely than would otherwise be warranted. Once they started acting, it was enough to launch the inquiry.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ no sect war?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±


    I grinned at the news. I knew I¡¯d probably still have problems from members or former members of the sect, but not having a sect war looming in the future was a definite weight off my shoulders.


    ¡°Any word on the Assassin?¡±


    Master Kairos¡¯s face shifted to an expression far darker.


    ¡°No, and it¡¯s impossible to know if Arona coordinated for an Assassin before she ascended. Heck, that might have been what triggered the oath violation.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 17 - Skirting the Rules

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good news!¡± Mom exclaimed when I told everyone the news about the inquiry at the end of the evening.


    As the one in charge of keeping hunters safe, I¡¯d called a halt to the official ¡®culling¡¯ when the sun set. I could have easily continued since I didn¡¯t need light to perform my role, but very few hunters were interested in going for three days straight.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Dad said. ¡°War is never a good choice when it can be avoided.¡±


    I nodded but said nothing as the conversation shifted to the hunt.


    My grandparents had passed on the opportunity to gain some experience killing rift beasts, as had Gabby¡¯s parents. Even knowing that increasing tiers might extend their lives wasn¡¯t enough to motivate them to join the hunt.


    Then again, they knew I was capable of providing rejuvenation treatments. Their opinions were likely colored by that fact, even if there was no guarantee I¡¯d perform the treatment for them again.


    I probably would, but I didn¡¯t want it to become something expected of me, especially when the people in question weren¡¯t doing what they could to progress and extend their own lives.


    ¡°I still think the rules should allow me to participate in the culling,¡± Bell pouted as she massaged Justin¡¯s shoulders.


    She hadn¡¯t been happy to learn that her tier and new residency status made her incapable of directly participating in the hunt.


    Since self-defense was a valid exception, Bell had tried to argue that she could tag along and only ¡®defend¡¯ herself. But given the circumstances, Master Kairos had strongly advised against it.


    ¡°You¡¯re just mad that I¡¯m going to finally catch up to you,¡± Justin said with a playful nudge.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m looking forward to you catching up,¡± Bell replied. ¡°Now that Amie is old enough to babysit, we can start delving together. You won¡¯t need to play guardian for young disciples anymore.¡±


    Justin looked like he had mixed feelings about the topic. ¡°I don¡¯t mind helping the sect out. They¡¯ve been really good to us.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe we can work as a team and play guardian together?¡±


    I smiled as the two of them discussed their options while Bell continued to rub Justin¡¯s shoulders.


    Justin¡¯s rate of progress had been pretty slow, but that was to be expected for someone who was primarily serving as a guardian. Unless he stepped in, he didn¡¯t get much experience.


    ¡°Were you still planning to travel once the culling is over?¡± Grandma Katherine asked.


    Space was at a bit of a premium since their apartment was too small for the number of people staying there. Even with the kids hanging out in one of the pods, it was still a bit cramped. Consequently, I was sitting on a hardened bit of Space mana above one of the end tables.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to,¡± I said as I extended a small bit of mana to make a backrest and leaned back. ¡°We can still go to Hawaii if that¡¯s something you¡¯re interested in.¡±


    The comment made Bell perk up. ¡°Hawaii? I love Hawaii!¡±


    ¡°I did a little research while you were busy and learned that a couple of the islands are now private property,¡± Grandma Katherine said. ¡°It¡¯s also technically merfolk territory, though humans and a couple of aliens still live on the islands. Tourism is an even bigger deal now, so it might be hard to find accommodations.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to what happened back on Earth during the first timeline, so learning the merfolk were in charge of Hawaii was a bit of a surprise.


    Then again, it made sense for the aquatic race to have a territory on land where they could trade with land-dwellers.


    ¡°Oh, I want to see mermaids!¡± Bell exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one in person!¡±


    ¡°Well, that sounds like something to do once this whole culling business is over,¡± Mom said before sighing heavily. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it got this bad.¡±


    ¡°Neither can we,¡± Grandpa Paul replied. ¡°The old Mayor really screwed us over. Selfish politicians with too much power¡­¡± he added with a grumble.


    ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s getting better now,¡± Grandma Katherine said as she patted her husband¡¯s arm.


    = = =


    The next two days of hunting went much like the first. Nobody died, and everyone who was injured was immediately healed.


    While a few scattered rift beasts remained, all of the actual dens had been wiped out. As far as I was concerned, the effort was a resounding success.


    Thankfully, the powers-that-be didn¡¯t bother me during the three-day culling. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before someone ¡®important¡¯ reached out, I convinced my family to head out as soon as the event was finished.


    I was tempted to leave Gabby¡¯s family behind, but I knew doing so would cause problems for the others. It wouldn¡¯t cause problems for me since I really didn¡¯t care about their opinions very much, but I was trying not to let my feelings of detachment impact my actions.


    ¡°Oh, wow!¡± Bell exclaimed at the same time that Justin and Dad let out twin whistles.


    ¡°Emie, are you sure about this?¡± Grandma Katherine asked nervously as she stared at the oversized beach-side villa I¡¯d rented for a week. ¡°This looks too expensive.¡±


    I shook my head and pushed through the gates. ¡°With this many of us, the villa was barely more than reserving several smaller places or individual rooms. Besides, the accommodations are a lot better here since it¡¯s part of the nearby resort.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The villa was quite large, but not quite as large as Master Kairos¡¯s mansion on Aegeas. Still, it was plenty large enough to suit our needs.


    The rental also included a family meal service and a local guide for days when we wanted to explore. While the meal service wasn¡¯t strictly necessary, part of what made a vacation worthwhile was the opportunity to try new foods.


    Nobody complained when I selected the largest master suite. I half-expected Aunt Mindy to say something about it since I wasn¡¯t deferring to my parents or grandparents, but she didn¡¯t.


    It probably helped that I¡¯d paid for everything. It took a special sense of entitlement for someone to insist they deserved something better than the person who was paying the bill.


    ¡°What are we doing first?¡± Amie asked excitedly once everyone got themselves situated. The twins had already started changing into swimsuits, barely getting their door closed before bare bottoms were exposed. ¡°Can we go to the beach? Oh! Or a luau! I¡¯ve always wanted to see belly dancers!¡±


    ¡°I think there are a few places we can go for something like that, but we should probably get reservations,¡± I answered. ¡°We can go to the beach anytime you want. I think the resort has surfing lessons, too, if anyone is interested.¡±


    Surfing was another thing I¡¯d always wanted to try but never got around to. Now that I was in my sixties (but still looking and feeling like I was in my twenties), I figured now was as good a time as any to mark that item off my bucket list.


    It was really odd to think of myself as being that old, and that didn¡¯t even include the time travel shenanigans or time dilation.


    After a bit of discussion, everyone agreed to spend the day at the beach. The rest of the group was fine heading to the tourist-laden beaches nearby, but I really didn¡¯t want to be around that many strangers.


    Additionally, I didn¡¯t feel comfortable with the attention that my undisguised self would inevitably bring.


    Eventually, I¡¯d get used to it. But I wasn¡¯t quite there yet.


    Sure, I could disguise myself, but doing so had its own set of problems when hanging out around extended family.


    Understanding my discomfort, Mom volunteered to accompany me to a deserted beach (that was not listed as being private property) on one of the smaller islands nearby. It was secluded, which allowed me to comfortably hang out without disguising myself.


    The turquoise water was amazingly clear and provided an amazing view of the corals below.


    At least, it did with my enhanced vision. I doubted Mom could see them well from where we stood.


    The water got really deep a good distance offshore, but I wasn¡¯t overly worried about that. However, I was a little curious about why there didn¡¯t seem to be any merfolk in the area.


    Once we set up our little area and settled down on some beach chairs I¡¯d brought along, I removed two large, slush-filled glasses from my storage ring and offered one to my mom.


    ¡°Margarita?¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t drink,¡± she said with a raised brow as she accepted the glass.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± I lifted my mocktail. Unlike the yellow-green of Mom¡¯s margarita, the semi-frozen beverage in my glass was red. ¡°It¡¯s basically a strawberry slush with flavored sugar around the rim.¡±


    ¡°Do you have one of those with alcohol?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I replied with a playful grin.


    Unlike me, Mom loved the taste of alcohol, especially when it was mixed into a fruity concoction. Knowing that most of my family was similar, I¡¯d brought a huge variety of options, all pre-made and ready to drink.


    It would have been far cheaper to learn how to mix drinks on my own, but since it wasn¡¯t something I particularly cared for, I didn¡¯t see it as worth the effort of learning.


    Mom and I spent a lazy hour lounging on the beach and absorbing the sun¡¯s now-harmless radiation before finally entering the water. Even with the heat of the sun radiating from our skin, the water still felt warm.


    ¡°Thanks for coming here with me,¡± I said once my shoulders were submerged. ¡°I know you¡¯d probably rather be with the others at the resort.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I like this just fine,¡± Mom replied. ¡°It¡¯s nice having the whole beach just to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to free dive and check out the reef?¡± I asked, motioning with my head toward the calcified ridge nearby.


    Mom¡¯s eyes brightened with excitement. Scuba diving was something she¡¯d enjoyed during my childhood, and it was obvious she hadn¡¯t lost the desire to experience the undersea world.


    Without bothering to voice her answer, Mom dove in the direction I¡¯d signaled. I quickly followed.


    While I had underwater breathing devices in my storage ring, I didn¡¯t think I needed one to enjoy the scenery. I was easily able to hold my breath for half an hour or more at this point. Mom might need one to help extend her dives, but I decided to wait to offer one until we surfaced.


    We swam slowly, taking our time as we observed the underwater ecosystem while not touching anything.


    With the addition of mana, I could tell many of the corals were far hardier than they had been before, but I still didn¡¯t want to risk accidentally damaging one of the amazing underwater creatures.


    From far in the distance, well beyond where the ocean floor dropped, I sensed a large mass heading in our direction.


    I quickly swam to Mom and tapped her arm before motioning for her to return to the surface.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s coming,¡± I replied before focusing more closely on the ocean around us.


    Whatever was swimming this way was coming fast. I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond.


    I knew that whatever it was likely posed no real threat to me. Even if it somehow reached Tier Four and I wasn¡¯t protected with several defensive items, the creature would be too weak to cause any real damage if it were to attack.


    Some might claim that was hubris, but I didn¡¯t think so. Even some kind of leviathan wouldn¡¯t pose much risk. The gap between tiers was simply too large.


    It was why I was so wary about the Tier Ten Assassin that might be coming my way.


    However, even if I was safe, that didn¡¯t mean my mom was.


    Should I take the opportunity to take out a major local predator in ¡®self-defense,¡¯ or should I retreat and leave the creature alone?


    Part of me wanted to fight and kill the creature. It had been too long since I had a real fight ¨C not that this would qualify. Even so, I felt the call of violence singing in my blood. It would be so easy to remove the threat, to destroy the creature that was rushing eagerly to its death.


    There was no hiding the fact that the dungeon had changed me. Even if I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t deny such an obvious fact.


    Thankfully, the call to violence didn¡¯t extend to people. Even dealing with would-be assassins in the dungeon hadn¡¯t pushed me far enough to relish in the death of others. It was why I was so against another sect war.


    Killing people felt wrong.


    The same did not apply to beasts. However, I could easily imagine how a conversation about my actions might go should someone take offense.


    ¡°You killed the Tier Three/Four creature in self-defense?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It was attacking me.¡±


    ¡°Were you ever in any danger?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°So, how is that self-defense?¡±


    ¡°Well, my mom was in danger.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just teleport her to the beach?¡±


    ¡°Sure. But there¡¯s no rule that says I HAVE to run away, is there?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yeah. That was really my best argument. I could easily get away and protect my mom, but nothing was forcing me to. I didn¡¯t think the people in charge would appreciate such a flimsy excuse.


    Unless they would¡­


    Bah, it wasn¡¯t like it really mattered. I could easily just ask forgiveness if someone was bothered by my actions. I doubted anyone was going to give me a hard time about taking out a dangerous predator.


    I teleported Mom to the beach and waited for the creature to attack. There was always a chance the creature was intelligent and willing to communicate, though I wasn¡¯t going to bet on it. Creatures like that were far rarer than myths implied.


    When a dark, shadowy mouth full of sharp teeth attempted to snap around me, I didn¡¯t hesitate. A single Compressed Space Bolt down the creature¡¯s throat was all it took to end the threat.


    The exchange barely elevated my pulse.

 Book 4 - Chapter 18 - Respecting Your Elders

    ¡°What was that?¡± Mom exclaimed from the shore.


    I quickly stored the bulk of the carcass before answering, not bothering with the small pieces nearby.


    ¡°Some kind of shark or something,¡± I answered before cringing as I considered the now-bloody water I was treading. Realizing the effects of my spell might not have been fully contained, I groaned. ¡°Ugh, I should probably dive down and make sure none of the coral was damaged. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Before she could reply, I dove under the blood-tinged waves. Part of the bloody cloud had drifted from the demolished remnants of the sea creature to the now engorged corals below.


    There were a few signs of damage, but less than I expected. Then again, I was still thinking of corals as something so fragile that a mere bump might kill them.


    The mostly stationary creatures had become excited and had entered a feeding frenzy from the blood in the water. I hung back and observed the reaction for a few seconds before focusing on the damaged areas of the reef.


    There were only a few obvious signs of damage, but I figured it was better to target the entire area with an undirected Restore instead of potentially overlooking something. I¡¯d been tempted to use Heal instead, but ultimately felt that it was better to return things to how they were before instead of changing anything.


    I noticed a few streams of crimson liquid condensing and flowing toward one of the larger clusters of polyps, all of which had long feelers extended, reminding me of anemones. The grasping tentacles reached eagerly for the life-giving substance, though I was uncertain how they were going to absorb it.


    My attention shifted to a fight between an actual anemone and a small fish that strayed a little too close in its hunt for nourishment. It wasn¡¯t much of a fight since the fish seemed to have locked up once the tentacles made contact. Even so, it was interesting to watch.


    A few of the more aggressive corals made similar attacks on nearby fish, but only one other managed to catch their prey.


    While mana had not changed these particular underwater creatures as much as many of Earth¡¯s inhabitants, there was still a definite difference between the corals from before and the ones before me.


    A few moments later, I swam back to the surface and called out, ¡°It¡¯s safe if you want to see the corals feeding. They¡¯re really active right now.¡±


    Mom looked uncertain. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe? What if another shark attacks?¡±


    I tried not to smirk as I replied, ¡°I¡¯m Tier Eight. No natural creature of Earth is going to be able to hurt me. I¡¯ll keep you safe, just like I did last time. I can even give you a barrier if you want.¡±


    She frowned a little before nodding and hesitantly stepping forward. Not wanting the spectacle to end before she got a chance to see it, I teleported Mom next to me, causing her to yelp as she suddenly found herself surrounded by water.


    ¡°Emie! A little warning next time would be nice!¡± she admonished.


    I grinned and handed her a [Water Breathing] talisman, feeling a little bad that I hadn¡¯t gotten it to her earlier. ¡°Here. Now, you won¡¯t have to surface as often.¡±


    Once she put it on, I motioned for her to follow and dove underwater. Most of the blood had already dissipated, but the hungry corals were still actively trying to feed.


    We watched the increasingly colorful polyps and anemones stretch their tentacles in search of more food. Even the plant-looking corals had swollen and extended small strands in search of sustenance.


    Unfortunately, the excitement didn¡¯t last very long, and the tiny creatures slowly started shrinking back to their normal size.


    ¡°That was really neat,¡± Mom said when we returned to our chairs on the beach. ¡°But we should probably warn the others not to swim here unless you¡¯re with them.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I doubt it will be an issue since we¡¯re a couple of islands away.¡±


    ¡°Still, you should warn them, just in case,¡± she said before frowning and looking around. ¡°There really should be warning signs if sharks are in the water nearby.¡±


    ¡°There might be,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°I didn¡¯t really check. I just made sure the area wasn¡¯t listed as private property.¡±


    The admission resulted in a short lecture about safety. I nodded along and tried to look properly chastised, but I doubt she bought it.


    We eventually returned to the villa and found Dad, Aunt Mindy, and Uncle Anthony hanging out in the living room while Kaylee and Ashlynn napped in one of the small guest rooms. Given the time change, they¡¯d probably be asleep for a while.


    I felt a little bad for my parents, knowing they¡¯d likely wake up in the middle of the night. Maybe a little controlled Time magic would help everyone adjust.


    ¡°Where¡¯d y¡¯all end up going?¡± Aunt Mindy asked after she stopped cussing from the shock of our sudden reappearance.


    ¡°Emie found a deserted beach on one of the islands. Aside from the shark attack, it was nice,¡± Mom answered.


    ¡°Shark attack?¡± Dad asked, suddenly far more interested.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal. It didn¡¯t even get close,¡± I said with an exaggerated sigh. ¡°I teleported Mom to the beach and took care of it.¡±


    Dad frowned. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t supposed to get involved with killing things on Earth.¡±


    ¡°It was self-defense,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Even if it couldn¡¯t actually hurt me, it attacked. That should be more than enough for me to act. On top of that, the shark could have hurt Mom, so that¡¯s a factor, too.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just teleported away?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Sure. But I didn¡¯t.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°So, you only follow the rules when it suits you?¡± Aunt Mindy asked with a haughty tsk. ¡°Is that what that sect of yours taught you?¡±


    I looked at my aunt like she was stupid. ¡°Would you rather I let the shark attack others? Is that the stance you¡¯re taking on this?¡±


    Uncle Anthony sat silently beside his wife, seemingly uninterested in the conversation. He hadn¡¯t been one to talk much before the reintegration, and he¡¯d only grown quieter since.


    He¡¯d been a pastor before, and the revelations about Earth¡¯s true place in the wider universe had severely shaken him. He¡¯d stopped preaching and largely withdrawn after the system arrived. Now, he was merely a shell of the man he once was.


    In fact, I was a little surprised that Aunt Mindy got him to interact as much as she did.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said. Don¡¯t twist my words!¡± Aunt Mindy snapped. Her voice had shifted to something more grating than normal. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any respect for your elders? You think a little power makes you better than us?¡±


    ¡°You do know that I¡¯m older than you, right?¡± I said deadpan. ¡°I¡¯ve pointed it out at least once.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t count,¡± she said with a condescending expression.


    ¡°How does it not count?¡± I asked without changing my inflection. As if discussing the weather, I said, ¡°I¡¯ve experienced more years of life than you. Just because I look younger doesn¡¯t mean that I am. You should be careful about making assumptions.¡±


    Dad tried to say something, but Aunt Mindy raised her hand to cut him off.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re going to tell me what I should do?¡± she sneered as she rose to her feet and pointed at me. ¡°I changed your diaper when you were a baby.¡± She took a step forward. ¡°Who are you to tell me¡ª¡±


    I encased Aunt Mindy in a Barrier made of Space mana. I¡¯d specifically designed it to contain sound, and my disagreeable aunt¡¯s words were abruptly cut off.


    ¡°That was rude, Emie,¡± Mom admonished me.


    I shrugged. ¡°Sorry, but I find it hard to care at the moment. I¡¯m on vacation, and listening to Aunt Mindy complain about being called out isn¡¯t on my list of things to do.¡±


    Realizing we weren¡¯t listening to her, Aunt Mindy tried to take another step forward and bounced off the Barrier. Her eyes widened before narrowing. She immediately started yelling, but the noise was blessedly contained.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just¡ª¡± Dad made a motion toward his sister-in-law. ¡°You can¡¯t do stuff like this. You can¡¯t silence someone just because you don¡¯t like listening to what they have to say.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± I replied.


    Dad¡¯s eyes narrowed. A moment later, his expression shifted to one of resignation. ¡°You¡¯re only making it worse. You have to let her out eventually, and you know your aunt holds grudges.¡±


    My shoulders slumped as I looked from my dad to my aunt. Her face was getting redder as she yelled from within her soundproof containment.


    Looking back, I said, ¡°Dad¡­ It¡¯s hard enough being around people when they aren¡¯t trying to be annoying.¡±


    I cast Pause on my aunt, freezing her in time before canceling the Barrier.


    ¡°Honey, that¡¯s not any better,¡± he said as he covered his eyes with one hand. ¡°I know Mindy can be a bit much, but she¡¯s your aunt,¡± he added almost pleadingly.


    ¡°I know,¡± I said tiredly. I hesitated before sighing. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean as much as it used to. Like, I love you guys a lot, even with the distance. You, Dad, Bell, Justin, and the kids¡­ you all are important, even if I don¡¯t know the younger ones very well. But everybody else¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°What about your grandparents?¡± Mom asked quietly. ¡°What about Gabby?¡±


    ¡°Sure, they¡¯re important too, and I love them¡­ conceptually. But I¡¯ve been gone for a really long time, and I haven¡¯t interacted with them hardly at all during that time. Even before I left, it wasn¡¯t like I spent much time with any of them. I¡¯d see them maybe once a year?¡± I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s hardly enough for a real relationship.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re your family,¡± Mom insisted.


    ¡°I know,¡± I said. ¡°And I want to care more. They are important because they¡¯re my family. But they hardly know me. They¡¯re all practically strangers at this point.¡±


    I looked at my still-frozen aunt before shifting my attention back to my parents. ¡°Honestly, strangers would be more polite than some of our family members. It¡¯s like they simply cannot comprehend the gap between us.¡±


    ¡°Emie. You shouldn¡¯t think like that,¡± Dad said with a tone that oozed disappointment. ¡°You used to hate it when people thought they were better than others.¡±


    I let out a bark of mirthless laughter. ¡°There¡¯s a difference between thinking you¡¯re better than someone because you were born into a certain family and objectively being superior. Like it or not, people are not equal. Even at awakening, some people have better affinities and more attributes than others. Pretending that people are the same doesn¡¯t make it true.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± I continued, ¡°that¡¯s not even what I¡¯m talking about. I meant the obvious gap between someone who is barely Tier Two and someone who has reached Tier Eight. Like it or not, there is a very clear difference between the two.¡±


    ¡°You still shouldn¡¯t look down on others like that,¡± he insisted. Mom nodded in agreement beside him.


    I looked between the two of them. ¡°We¡¯re not going to agree on this,¡± I said. ¡°Maybe in the future, you¡¯ll understand what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    I could tell neither of my parents liked my response. But just because they were my parents, it didn¡¯t automatically make them right.


    Not wanting to be around when Aunt Mindy was released from the spell, I said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go see what Justin and the others are up to. I have a feeling a crowded beach will be more comfortable than being here soon.¡±


    <hr>


    Gabby fell into the sand as she laughed. It took several seconds for her to catch her breath enough to comment.


    ¡°You-you did not!¡± Gabby held her stomach as she wheezed out the words. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s never going to let that go! You know Mom holds grudges like nobody else!¡±


    ¡°Emie Lynn, why would you antagonize your aunt like that?¡± Grandma Katherine asked from nearby.


    Amie and the boys were still in the water, along with Bell and Justin. But my grandparents and Gabby had been taking a break from the water when I arrived.


    Knowing they¡¯d hear about my actions as soon as they made it back to the villa, I felt it better to tell them now instead of allowing Aunt Mindy to twist things.


    ¡°Grandma, she told me to respect my elders and criticized me for killing a shark that attacked me and Mom.¡± I threw up my hands in exasperation. ¡°Everyone knows how long I was in the dungeon. The elder card isn¡¯t going to fly with me.¡±


    Grandma and Grandpa exchanged a look of amusement.


    ¡°It¡¯s not, huh?¡± Grandpa asked with a grin.


    I rolled my eyes playfully. ¡°It¡¯s a little different with you guys and my parents. But even then,¡± I insisted, growing a touch more serious, ¡°relying solely on age in an argument isn¡¯t going to get you very far. Heck, Master Kairos is way older than all of us put together, and he never uses age as a justification for his opinions.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Grandpa Paul insisted, ¡°you should give your aunt a break. She¡¯s had a hard time of things.¡±


    I barely suppressed a scoff. ¡°I¡¯m sure she has. But she¡¯s had it a lot easier than people without an Enchanter or two in the family,¡± I reminded them. ¡°I know she got at least a few items before I left.¡±


    ¡°Items and things are not all there is to life,¡± Grandma Katherine chided me. ¡°Not everyone has adapted so easily to this new world of magic.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Speaking of magic!¡± Gabby interjected. ¡°There are mermaids in the cove over there,¡± she said as she pointed toward a clearly artificial cove near the edge of the public beach. ¡°You can pay to swim with them, and there¡¯s even a mermaid luau every Thirday!¡±


    My eyes immediately drifted to Amie as she played tag with her brothers in the water. A mermaid luau sounded like something she¡¯d love to see.


    Heck, it was something I¡¯d love to see.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost dinnertime,¡± Grandma said as she checked her phone. ¡°We should probably get the kids out of the water and get everyone dried off.


    Most of my extended family had passed on the upgraded interface, so they relied on manatech for things that Lisa was easily able to handle for me.


    Now that I was there with my family, I realized the crowded beach wasn¡¯t that bad. I wasn¡¯t sure if people were just avoiding identification spells, or if I¡¯d somehow been overlooked in the group.


    It was also entirely possible that the people around me hadn¡¯t advanced their identification spells sufficiently enough to get a read on my affinities. The most basic version of the spell didn¡¯t provide that information, after all, and I¡¯d adjusted my notifications to only show when my affinities were read to cut down on some of the extraneous notices.


    Either way, I was grateful for the relative anonymity, especially since I¡¯d forgotten to activate my [Disguise] talisman before leaving the villa.

 Book 4 - Chapter 19 - Dinner and a Stroll

    ¡°How is your vacation going so far?¡± Master Kairos asked with a knowing smile.


    Now that the culling was over, we had standing plans to meet nightly while my family was sleeping. Neither of us required much sleep to function, so it made sense to spend that time together instead of cutting into the time I had with my family.


    I¡¯d been tempted to leave early to get away from Aunt Mindy, but she basically ignored me after I got back. It was a small blessing.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I replied neutrally. ¡°My aunt is a bit much, but other than that¡­¡±


    ¡°Is she giving you a hard time?¡± he asked as the waiter began placing several dishes on the table between us. Master Kairos had picked the restaurant, and I was interested to see how good his selection was.


    ¡°She¡¯s trying to,¡± I said after a moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her get to you,¡± Master Kairos advised. ¡°There will always be detractors and those who seek to tear down others to make themselves feel better. I¡¯m not sure if she falls into one of those categories, but regardless, her opinion only holds as much weight as you allow.¡±


    He leaned forward and began selecting a few choice morsels from each plate, transferring them onto the plate in front of him. I sighed and followed his lead. There was a much larger variety of options than I expected, but since I¡¯d left ordering to my former Master, the volume of food delivered shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise.


    ¡°To be honest, I find myself struggling to care at all about her opinion,¡± I replied after trying a bite. It was very good, though the mana was a bit lighter than I was accustomed to. ¡°I feel like I should care more than I do, if that makes any sense.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all that unusual,¡± he said comfortingly. ¡°You¡¯ve been away for a long time, and I get the feeling that you weren¡¯t very close to her before.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± I agreed before shifting the topic slightly. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t even remember checking on my extended family the other time,¡± I said, trying to keep my comments somewhat vague.


    We ate in silence for a few minutes. It felt comfortable, not strained like I imagined such silences would be.


    I still wasn¡¯t all that comfortable in social settings with Master Kairos, especially when he wasn¡¯t wearing a disguise. I¡¯d eventually get there, I felt. It would just take a little while.


    Realizing that I knew remarkably little about my former Master, I asked, ¡°What is your family like?¡±


    Master Kairos seemed a little surprised by the question and took several bites of food as he considered his response.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve met Anya. She¡¯s my sister, though she¡¯s quite a bit younger than I am. She was actually born while I was in the dungeon, so we didn¡¯t really grow up together the same way that you and your brother did.¡±


    His eyes took on a faraway look. ¡°Our parents¡­ Anya takes after our dad. He was a Fate Mage, too. Mom had an Arcane affinity and worked as an Enchanter. It¡¯s how I got into the field even though my passion lies in Alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Was?¡± I asked, picking up on the tense he used for his parents.


    Master Kairos smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes. They ascended a couple hundred years ago.  From what Fate Mages have been able to discern, you lose your affinities when you ascend. I¡¯m not sure exactly how it works ¨C nobody really is. But by all accounts, it is a fundamental change. I believe we¡¯ve discussed this before?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°You mentioned having multiple affinities was a good thing, but I don¡¯t recall anything about losing affinities. I guess it makes sense that the magic system would be a little different if you went to a new realm.¡± I paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Are you hoping to meet up with your parents in the next realm?¡±


    Master Kairos shook his head. ¡°No. Time doesn¡¯t flow consistently between the realms. When they ascended, it was with the expectation that they¡¯d never see me or Anya again. That¡¯s part of the reason why I want a companion to join me when I ascend. It¡¯s the only way to be sure I¡¯ll know someone when I get there.¡±


    I could understand that perspective. It would be a lot easier to embark on a new journey if you had someone to rely on.


    ¡°Is it common for parents to ascend without their children?¡± I asked, finding that part of his history a bit harder to reconcile.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine having a child and leaving them behind, no matter how old they were. It was why I was not inclined to start a family until I was certain about my path forward.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Master Kairos said with an amused smile. ¡°If every parent waited on their children to ascend, hardly anyone would ever get there since subsequent generations would anchor the entire family to this realm.¡±


    From there, our conversation shifted to Master Kairos¡¯s experiences in the Realm Dungeon. From what he described, every floor had changed since his time, though the general layout seemed to be roughly the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised you didn¡¯t tell me more about what to expect before I left.¡±


    ¡°I considered it,¡± he admitted. ¡°Ultimately, I decided it was better to let you experience things for yourself since my knowledge was far too outdated to be reliable.¡±


    I tilted my head in acknowledgment. Bad information was often worse than no information.


    ¡°I was thinking about writing a new primer for the Earthborn entering the Realm Dungeon,¡± I said hesitantly. ¡°You know, basically providing an overview of the first eight floors. For those undecided, the knowledge may help them make a choice. And for those planning to enter, the information might help them prepare better.¡±


    I didn¡¯t ask his opinion outright, but the implication was there.


    I hadn¡¯t put a lot of thought into the primer, but it was something I¡¯d been toying with in the back of my mind ever since I learned that Earthborn basically had an open invitation to enter the dungeon.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°If it¡¯s anything like your last primer, I¡¯m sure it will be very helpful.¡±


    Eventually, the plates were cleared, and our meal was over.


    ¡°Where do you want to go next?¡± Master Kairos asked as we casually strolled down the sidewalk of the city he¡¯d guided me to. ¡°Have you checked out the moon or Mars colonies yet?¡±


    I glanced at the sky, though the moon was not visible since it was still daylight in the part of the world we were currently in.


    ¡°I heard about the colonies, but I haven¡¯t visited either of them. They¡¯re supposed to be terraforming projects, right?¡±


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°Yes. Mars is coming along quite nicely. Once the siphons were turned off, the atmosphere started regenerating on its own. In another decade or so, the real work will begin.¡±


    ¡°Why bother with siphons on Mars?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°It¡¯s uninhabitable.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t before.¡±


    My steps faltered. ¡°What do you mean? Did aliens really live on Mars?¡±


    Master Kairos chuckled. ¡°If by aliens you mean Alliance members, then yes. It was originally a mining outpost, but when Earth was selected as a location for the mana study, it was abandoned. Siphoning the entire solar system is standard for such an important study.¡±


    ¡°That seems a bit extreme,¡± I commented.


    Master Kairos shrugged but said nothing.


    ¡°So, Mars and the moon are open to visitors?¡± I asked after a bit.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Master Kairos said. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they be?¡±


    Now, it was my turn to shrug. ¡°How would we get there?¡±


    ¡°You could teleport us,¡± he suggested. ¡°I¡¯m certain with your affinity and tier, you could manage it.¡±


    My eyes widened at the comment. Stella had mentioned teleporting to the moon before I entered the dungeon, but she made it sound like something I wouldn¡¯t be capable of for a long time.


    Then again, Tier Eight was a long way from where I was back then.


    I closed my eyes and metaphysically reached into the distance, focusing on the moon. After a moment of concentration, I Phased, extending my sensory range by a huge margin.


    Similar to how I¡¯d initially learned to teleport over long distances, I examined the teleportation beacons and rifts from within the weave.


    I don¡¯t know why I was surprised to find rifts on the moon, but I was.


    After verifying my reach extended to the moon, I reached farther. Since I was specifically looking for teleportation beacons and rifts, finding Mars was fairly simple.


    ¡°I can teleport us to both locations,¡± I said when I exited the weave. ¡°I can also sense a couple of ships and rifts on more distant planets. How does that work, anyway?¡±


    ¡°How does what work? The rifts?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°It works just like any other planet, I suppose,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve turned off all of the siphons, mana has returned to your solar system. Rifts are a natural byproduct of mana building up.¡±


    ¡°But none of those planets are inhabitable.¡±


    ¡°Not for humans,¡± Master Kairos agreed. ¡°The rifts will eventually be influenced by the environment, making it far more likely that rift beasts within will be capable of adapting. That doesn¡¯t mean every planet will be capable of sustaining life, but the range will be far wider than your current ¡®Goldilocks Zone.¡¯¡±


    My mind was a little blown by the news. It amazed me that there was still so much to learn about the wider universe, even after learning for several decades across two timelines.


    ¡°Did you want to visit one of the colonies now, or should we save the trip for another time?¡± I asked.


    I was more than a little curious about the possibility of visiting another planet within my native solar system. I¡¯d grown up learning about Mars and looking at pictures from the rover. Being able to personally walk on the red planet was a little surreal.


    ¡°How much time do you have before you need to return to your family?¡± Master Kairos asked.


    ¡°You are unlikely to be missed for another six hours,¡± Lisa replied. I repeated her answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough time to explore a little bit,¡± the Time Mage said with a playful smile. ¡°I forget how long low-tiers need to sleep sometimes. It¡¯s good for us, though. It¡¯ll be fun seeing you experience new things for the first time.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve had a lot of new experiences lately,¡± I said quietly, though I knew he could hear me. Raising my voice, I asked, ¡°To the moon or Mars?¡±


    ¡°Teleporter¡¯s choice,¡± he replied glibly. ¡°Do you need me to stand closer? I¡¯ve been told physical contact also helps for big jumps as well, especially when transporting someone at a higher tier.¡±


    Master Kairos held out a hand.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong, especially when it came to teleporting people stronger than me. I hadn¡¯t bothered when we were teleporting before since distance wasn¡¯t a big deal within a planetary barrier. But going between celestial objects¡­ it felt much safer to remove the additional burden.


    I tried not to think too much about it as I took his hand. His palm was warm and firm against mine, and I suppressed a flutter of nerves as our eyes met.


    ¡°Ready?¡± I hesitantly asked.


    ¡°Absolutely. I¡¯m ready whenever you are.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 20 - Exploration Vacation

    Mars.


    I¡¯m not sure what I expected to see upon our arrival since I knew that efforts to terraform the red planet were well underway, but a thick carpet of vibrant teal certainly wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°Is it some kind of moss?¡± I asked as I stared at the landscape from within the protective dome surrounding the small but well-constructed settlement about half a mile from the edge of a large crater.


    Hundreds of Alliance members were present. It was obvious at a glance that few of them were native to Earth. In fact, most were demis of one sort or another, making me wonder if certain races were better suited for the harshness of a semi-habitable planet.


    I supposed it made about as much sense as anything else.


    ¡°It is a particular type of Air-attuned moss that was bred specifically for terraforming projects such as this,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°It is one of the hardier strands that can handle inconsistent gravity and feeds off solar radiation. By the time the atmosphere is capable of accommodating mundane life, the moss will have gone dormant. The change in color will be an obvious sign to researchers that the next stage in the process is ready to begin.¡±


    ¡°How long will that take?¡±


    Master Kairos shrugged. ¡°Likely decades without high-tier intervention or an army of mages assisting with the endeavor.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m guessing that high-tiers don¡¯t want to step in because it takes away opportunities for those at lower tiers to develop and progress?¡±


    Master Kairos beamed at me. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡±


    I shook my head but continued to examine the world outside of the dome. Aside from the moss, I noticed a few scraggly plants dotting the landscape. They didn¡¯t look particularly healthy, but the fact that they were surviving at all was promising.


    ¡°Can we visit other areas of the planet?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°A minor Barrier modification should be all that is needed to leave the dome.¡±


    After giving me a moment to make the necessary adjustments, Master Kairos once again offered his hand. I only hesitated for a moment before taking it and teleporting us to the top of the nearest mountain.


    From a distance, the settlement looked like little more than a smokey dome surrounded by thick teal carpet. There was no liquid water visible, but Spatial Sense informed me there was a vast underground lake forming from a slowly melting chunk of ice.


    After spending a few minutes observing the scenery, I teleported us to another location. After a few more jumps, I realized that aside from the lighting, everything looked basically the same.


    There were a few frozen lakes that felt like they were made of something closer to dry ice than true ice, but other than that, the landscape was just the same teal moss-covered hills and valleys.


    My initial excitement quickly faded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little anti-climactic,¡± I said disappointedly.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said. ¡°I guess I just expected more, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Give it a few more years. Maybe we can visit again right before you return to the dungeon. They¡¯ll be farther along by then,¡± Master Kairos suggested. ¡°Or you could always wait until you leave the dungeon next time. I imagine this place will be completely different by then.¡±


    <hr>


    The moon was a lot like Mars, except that there was no moss covering the ground, the settlement wasn¡¯t quite as established, and a view of Earth decorated the sky.


    Master Kairos and I spent an hour or so exploring the surface and a few underground caverns before heading back. The lack of obvious terraforming made our short exploration a bit more interesting, but even the novelty of walking on the moon soon grew old when the scenery lacked variety.


    Like on Mars, we mostly avoided the colonists and kept to ourselves, even though I could tell that Master Kairos wanted to interact with some of the ¡®locals.¡¯


    I was pretty sure the older Time Mage wanted to call me out for my new anti-social tendencies, but he never did. I appreciated his restraint.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t aware of my increasing desire for limited solitude.


    I didn¡¯t mind spending time with him, Zavira, or my immediate family, but even my extended family was hard to handle in more than small doses. It was a stark difference from how I was before entering the dungeon.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    After dropping Master Kairos off at his island, I teleported to my room in the villa. The sun was already up, as were my grandparents and little sisters.


    ¡°Hey, Kaylee,¡± I said to the toddler when I exited my room and saw her at the kitchen table. I was happy that she was no longer leery of me. ¡°Guess where I went!¡± After waiting a beat, I said, ¡°I went to Mars and the moon!¡±


    Kaylee¡¯s eyes grew wide, and Grandma jerked slightly at my comment.


    ¡°You went where?¡± Grandma Katherine asked.


    ¡°I went to Mars first. It¡¯s not a red planet anymore. It¡¯s covered in teal moss now,¡± I explained. ¡°There wasn¡¯t really much to see aside from the settlement there. The one on the moon was pretty much the same.¡±


    Grandma looked out the window, eying the barely visible moon in the morning sky.


    ¡°The moon doesn¡¯t look teal to me.¡±


    ¡°The moss was on Mars, not the moon,¡± I clarified. ¡°The moon is still mostly gray dirt. The dome and the settlement are basically the same as the one on Mars. Did you know that the moon rotates now?¡±


    I grabbed a muffin out of the basket. There were several other baked goods available, courtesy of the villa¡¯s chef.


    ¡°I heard something about that,¡± Grandma said hesitantly. ¡°I haven¡¯t noticed any changes, though. Maybe the craters look a little different¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that tech guy took over the moon,¡± Grandpa Paul interjected from his seat at the table. ¡°They said he was trying to turn it into some kind of resort or something after the aliens made him a noble.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that,¡± I admitted, though I was certain it wouldn¡¯t take much effort to find the information. Sure enough, within minutes, Lisa had compiled a report on the topic.


    I skimmed over it, quickly learning about the businessman who¡¯d been granted a Barony and traded the territory he¡¯d been given for the moon. Of course, that was after attending a special academy on one of the more established Alliance planets.


    I could certainly see the appeal of turning the moon ¨C or at least part of it ¨C into a resort. The novelty alone would draw people in. Not everyone was bored as easily as me.


    I sat next to Kaylee and shared my muffin with her. Eventually, the rest of the family woke up and started separating into groups to explore the island.


    Aunt Mindy continued to stare daggers at me before heading out with my mom, but I ignored her. I certainly wouldn¡¯t be inviting her on any future vacations, that was for sure.


    ¡°So, I think I¡¯m gonna challenge the dungeon after I hit Tier Four,¡± Gabby said later in the day when she caught me alone.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked. ¡°What about your little brother?¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡± Gabby asked in confusion. ¡°He¡¯s already awakened, so he¡¯s basically an adult, right?¡±


    Her brother hadn¡¯t joined us on the trip to Hawaii since he had something planned with some of his friends. I felt a little bad about him missing out, but it was his decision to make.


    ¡°You¡¯re really okay with leaving him behind?¡±


    Gabby shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine. His affinity is decent, and he was talking about sneaking through one of the portals to attend an academy in a couple of months.¡± Gabby paused and glanced around quickly, ensuring we were not being overheard. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. Mom would find a way to guilt him out of it if she knew.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything,¡± I promised. ¡°If you think it¡¯ll help you guys, I¡¯ll try to get the dungeon primer finished before you leave.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re writing another one of those?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I figured it might help people prepare, even if some of the details change before they get there. The basics should still apply, even if the elements and creatures shift.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can see that,¡± Gabby replied. ¡°I got myself a copy of that game guide you shared before you left. It¡¯s been real helpful for me and my friends.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± I said before shifting the topic slightly. ¡°Make sure you tell your parents. Don¡¯t just run off and leave them without a word.¡±


    Gabby groaned. ¡°Emie, you see how my Ma is. All that¡¯ll do is cause another argument. And Pa is barely functioning as it is. I doubt he¡¯d notice if I left.¡±


    ¡°Still. I think you¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t at least say goodbye, ¡°I said with a sigh. ¡°Also, you might want to let them know that they¡¯ll have to connect to a kiosk to send and receive messages with you while you¡¯re gone since they don¡¯t have an upgraded interface.¡±


    ¡°You know she¡¯s gonna blame you no matter what,¡± Gabby said with a smirk, not acknowledging my comment.


    ¡°I know,¡± I replied, rolling my eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t really care all that much, to be honest.¡±


    <hr>


    The mermaid luau was an interesting event.


    We sat at tables on the beach while hula dancers performed on a floating stage. Behind the stage was an elevated tank that connected directly to the sea beneath.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was some kind of enchantment or if it was a matter of physics ¨C much like pet auto-waterers worked ¨C but the effect was pretty neat.


    After the first round of hula dancers and fire jugglers exited the stage, a group of mermaids swam up from the bottom of the tank and began their magic-infused performance.


    The difference between the two performances was stark, and it was obvious the mermaids were a crowd favorite.


    I almost felt bad for the regular hula dancers.


    We had a group surfing lesson the following day, followed by a hike up one of the dormant volcanoes a day later.


    Aunt Mindy and Uncle Anthony didn¡¯t join either outing.


    When the end of the week arrived and our stay at the villa was over, I returned my extended family to my grandparents¡¯ apartment and prepared to leave.


    ¡°Thanks for the vacation,¡± Grandma Katherine said as she gave me a warm hug. ¡°It was nice seeing you.¡±


    ¡°You, too,¡± I replied automatically.


    I was glad that Aunt Mindy and Uncle Anthony had left as soon as we returned. I really didn¡¯t want to go through the motions of saying goodbye to either of them.


    ¡°You make sure you come back and see us before you head back into that dungeon, you hear?¡± Grandpa Paul added as he patted my back several times.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I withdrew as the rest of my immediate family said their goodbyes. Gabby snuck up next to me and nudged my arm.


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably leave in about six months.¡± She said it quietly, hoping not to be overheard.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll run into each other on the eighth floor,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be there for a long time once I return, so don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Climbing with a group takes longer, but it¡¯s a lot safer.¡±


    Gabby nodded. ¡°We should hang out again before I go. Maybe we can get together with my party, and you can help us prepare? Anderson is decent with enchantments, but it¡¯d be good to have an expert give him some pointers.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t mind meeting up with you guys before you head out. Just message me and let me know.¡±

 Book 4 - Interlude 2 - The Specter

    Cin¡¯Specter was technically a Lord, just like every other Tier Ten in the Alliance, but he¡¯d never claimed the title. Doing so was likely to draw attention, and that was anathema for an Assassin.


    Regardless, it wasn¡¯t like many people knew his tier since he spent most of his time in disguise.


    Rules only applied to those who got caught, after all, and the Assassin known as ¡®the Specter¡¯ never got caught.


    Cin was also growing tired of idling away on the mid-tier world where his newest assignment had taken him.


    It wasn¡¯t a traditional assignment ¨C not that he really got those anymore at his level in the organization. This was more of a favor to repay a debt. He¡¯d honestly expected to ascend long before the favor was called due, but the Councilor he owed had surprised him.


    Councilor Arona had disappeared shortly after sending his instructions. If he didn¡¯t know better, he would have thought she¡¯d ascended.


    But people like Arona didn¡¯t ascend before they¡¯d exhausted every bit of time they were allotted in this realm, so he doubted that was it. She¡¯d probably just blocked communications and disappeared from the public for a while.


    He didn¡¯t blame her after seeing who his target was.


    Thankfully, the Assassins'' Guild had a way to fulfill these kinds of assignments without crossing the line and getting their people labeled as offenders.


    Now, he just needed to locate the damnable human so he could finish the assignment and get back to his fourth wife! Being forced to take an assignment during the middle of their annual retreat had caused a bit of conflict, but if he could return quickly enough, he could probably make it up to her.


    As if drawn by his annoyance, the target¡¯s family finally reappeared. Cin didn¡¯t have to see them to know they¡¯d returned. He had placed several small sound-transmitting devices within each of their residences.


    They were all so well concealed that even someone trained in finding such items would likely overlook them.


    After listening for several minutes, the target of his interest disappeared and reappeared in her own bugged residence. The Assassin allowed himself a self-satisfied smile as the target started moving within the fancy penthouse apartment.


    Sects often thought their wards were enough to keep people like him out, but there was little someone could do to thwart a truly dedicated Assassin. With his skill, all but the best wards were little more than a minor inconvenience.


    ¡°¡­No, I told my cousin I¡¯d get the dungeon primer done soon. Lisa finished compiling everything, but I need to do a manual review before I send it out. It shouldn¡¯t take very long with the dilation formations this place has.¡±


    Cin had noticed the [Time Dilation] enchantments built into the residence when he¡¯d planted the listening devices. He preferred enchantments that allowed visuals as well, but those were far more likely to be noticed than their simpler counterparts.


    If the young human activated the dilation enchantments, it would take him a few moments to regain access to the audio feed. For another Assassin, such an action would render surveillance efforts nearly impossible without expensive manatech.


    But for a Time Mage of his caliber, it was child¡¯s play to sync dilation rates.


    He doubted the young human realized that dilation enchantments could be used to thwart surveillance since she¡¯d spent most of her short life in the dungeon. However, even if she didn¡¯t realize the value, Cin knew the designers and planners behind the posh accommodations recognized their value.


    Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have included such an item in the penthouse suite.


    The ignorant human probably thought the feature had been added to save her the effort of casting the spell herself or something.


    ¡°¡­meet for lunch tomorrow? I was going to go by the Enchanters¡¯ Academy in Garnet City since that¡¯s where my contact is. They probably have more advanced runes and techniques available there than here on Hadier anyway.¡±


    The Assassin known as the Specter grinned at the information. Space Mages were notoriously difficult to tie down with how easy it was for them to escape. Even for someone as skilled as him, he needed to use a wide-area effect or make physical contact.


    He preferred physical contact since it kept his presence largely hidden and bypassed most defensive artifacts. Time magic often did that to some degree anyway, especially when it was deemed ¡®protective¡¯ in nature. But he¡¯d always found it better to over-plan than to fall short.


    ¡°Where?... Oslam¡¯s? I¡¯m not familiar with that restaurant. Can you send me the address?¡± the human asked her acquaintance.


    Cin had his Interface Assistance search for likely locations in Garnet City as he continued to listen in. He¡¯d already surmised that the human was likely talking to her companion from the dungeon ¨C the half-breed dwarf from Hephaistos Sect.


    That information made finding the location for their scheduled meeting easy enough. There was only one Oslam¡¯s restaurant on Aegeas.


    A quick check of the floorplan and a couple of simulations made him realize the restaurant might not be the best location to abduct the young Tri-Affinity Mage. He could pull it off, he was certain, but the Enchanters¡¯ Guild would suit his needs far better.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what level of techniques she was looking for, but unless she was trying to gain access to Master runes, he¡¯d have an easy enough time completing the first part of his assignment there.


    He¡¯d still go to Oslam¡¯s, just in case the perfect opportunity presented itself. He¡¯d captured more than one high-visibility target in unexpected locations, after all.


    When the conversation eventually ended, the target activated the embedded [Time Dilation] formation as expected. Also as expected, it took him less than two minutes to sync to the specific dilation being used.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The extra minute was only because the human wasn¡¯t making any particular noise. By all accounts, it seemed as if the target was truly using the [Time Dilation] enchantment like a normal household convenience.


    How odd.


    <hr>


    Cin¡¯Specter had never been fond of dwarven food. Naturally, elven palates were far more refined.


    He didn¡¯t buy into the whole ¡®elven supremacy¡¯ thing that the Councilor and her sect espoused, but there were some obvious, undisputable facts (like elves¡¯ vastly superior palate and longer base lifespan) that gave credence to such arguments.


    Knowing he wouldn¡¯t be able to fake the enthusiasm required to pose as a dwarf (and no elf would willingly eat at a dwarven alehouse when better options were available), Cin had decided to disguise himself as a human.


    He arrived early enough to get a good seat with a view of the entire restaurant ¨C a necessity in his line of work.


    He picked at his food and slowly nursed his drink while he waited. Eventually, the target and her friend arrived. Had it not been for the human¡¯s half-dwarven companion, Cin likely wouldn¡¯t have realized the target had even arrived.


    ¡®It seems I¡¯m not the only one wearing a disguise today,¡¯ Cin thought to himself. ¡®She even has a false identification displayed, though she didn¡¯t go so far as changing her displayed tier. Too bad it won¡¯t be enough. Maybe I should grab her before she leaves instead of waiting. Who¡¯s to say she won¡¯t change her appearance again?¡¯


    It was a good thing he was so thorough. If he¡¯d gone straight to the Enchanters¡¯ Guild, he may have overlooked the target altogether.


    Cin ordered another small dish of fried tubers when the waitress began giving him a look. He was too far away to hear what the target and her friend were saying, even with his enhanced perception, but it wasn¡¯t hard to anticipate the pair¡¯s departure.


    What was far more challenging was timing the abduction so that nobody would realize what had happened. The human had presented herself as a Space Mage, so making her suddenly disappear wouldn¡¯t draw any attention at all.


    The Assassin primed two spells as he headed toward the exit, one to cast externally and one internal.


    He waited for the pair to say goodbye and the friend to turn away before activating Haste at the highest possible rate. He was already close enough to reach out and touch the target, so that¡¯s exactly what he did.


    The moment his hand touched hers, he targeted her with Stasis. Such a spell would bypass almost every magical resistance known since it was universally a protective spell. For those few resistances or defensive artifacts that it didn¡¯t bypass¡­ Well, that¡¯s what the non-aggressive physical contact was for.


    At Tier Ten, a measly Tier Eight had no chance of resisting his spell.


    Moving quickly to prevent being noticed, Cin removed a spatial device specifically crafted to store living ¨C but time-locked ¨C entities, including humans. It was one of the best investments he¡¯d made during his time as an Assassin.


    Between freezing and storing the target, less than a quarter of a second had passed. It was straining his mana to keep this pace, but it was unavoidable if the Assassin wanted to prevent being noticed.


    After returning to his previous position, Cin canceled Haste and casually made his way out of the restaurant. He traveled several blocks before eventually calling for a private, self-driving taxi.


    Once inside, the Assassin triggered a special [Recall] talisman and teleported to a location on Sira that less than a dozen people in the realm knew how to find ¨C the Peak-Tier Nine Assassins¡¯ challenge rift.


    It was mostly used as a capstone exercise for those hoping to become Master Assassins. The quest was given separately by the Assassins¡¯ Guild, but the rift itself was the testing grounds.


    What was important in this case was that since the rift was only a single tier higher than his target, throwing her inside wouldn¡¯t count as murder, even if he stripped her of all her tools and resources beforehand.


    It didn¡¯t matter to the system that the human was only Low-Tier Eight, and the rift was Peak-Tier Nine. As far as the Accords went, the girl had enough of a chance of survival that it wasn¡¯t an automatic death sentence.


    Of course, reality had proven this rift to be more deadly than most, but that was mostly due to the fact that it was impossible to leave without completing the objectives. Once you entered, you finished the challenge, or you died.


    Cin checked the regulator beneath the swirling portal. Because the rift was used so infrequently, the Assassins¡¯ Guild had taken measures to constantly siphon some of the excess mana to keep the rift from breaking and exposing their secret.


    While challenge rifts and puzzle rifts that limited a delver¡¯s exit weren¡¯t prohibited, they were usually dispersed or reset due to their higher-than-average fatality rates. Those that weren¡¯t generally had well-documented maps and were directly monitored by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.


    And since the Assassins¡¯ Guild naturally wouldn¡¯t grant the Adventurers¡¯ Guild such oversight, keeping the capstone rift a secret was a given.


    After checking to ensure the rift was in good condition, Cin removed the storage item from his pocket and withdrew the time-locked human. He¡¯d hit her with the strongest Stasis he could manage, so she wouldn¡¯t even start the challenge for close to a thousand years.


    Of course, that equaled less than thirty Alliance Standard Years with the compounded time dilation effects (5 times for being on Sira and another 7.25 times for a PT9 rift), but that didn¡¯t really matter since she¡¯d never escape.


    He almost felt pity for the human Tri-Affinity Mage as he pulled out another artifact.


    Before he¡¯d acquired this item, he¡¯d had to remove items from his targets the hard way, often ruining any value they might have. But a not-so-simple [Item Phaser] had solved that problem readily enough.


    It even had a built-in enchantment neutralizer to keep any defensive enchantments from activating, not that the items should be registering as currently equipped since the human was completely inert. As far as her equipment was concerned, she might as well be a mannequin.


    The robes came off first ¨C not because he wanted to see the human naked, but because clothing often concealed other valuable items. He¡¯d never been all that attracted to humans anyway, even if they did look almost identical to elves.


    Simply knowing they were human was usually enough of a deterrent. There were a few times when he¡¯d indulged himself in spirits¡­ but Cin didn¡¯t talk about those.


    Ignoring the human¡¯s curves and pale skin, the elven Assassin removed each of her talismans and jewelry pieces. He dispassionately searched the girl¡¯s body to ensure nothing was hidden, though his efforts were limited to what was readily visible since Stasis prevented any manipulation of the target.


    After checking the items he¡¯d retrieved, Cin felt a moment of uncertainty. It was a small thing, but the unusually low number of weapons in the target¡¯s storage ring made him suspect she had another storage device hidden somewhere.


    The ring was large, far larger than most Tier Eight storage accessories he¡¯d seen, in fact. But it was mostly filled with raw materials and a few finished items, along with some clothing and personal items. It was a far cry from the contents of storage items he¡¯d acquired from others of comparable status.


    She almost had to have hidden another storage item somewhere on her body. Most Assassins had one or two implanted somewhere to prevent this kind of thing from happening to them.


    It would certainly explain the discrepancies.


    Cin shook his head. It didn¡¯t really matter.


    Even if she had a few weapons stored away, they wouldn¡¯t be of much use. Cin knew enough about how the Realm Dungeon worked to know the target wouldn¡¯t have had access to Tier Nine items there since she was only Low-Tier Eight.


    Additionally, everything she wore was Tier Eight, with the exception of a single protective amulet.


    While her Patriarch might have armed her with more powerful weapons, Cin didn¡¯t see it as very likely. Tier Ten weapons were prohibitively expensive, even for those at Tier Ten, simply because there weren¡¯t enough crafters capable of working with such high-tier materials.


    And if, by some miracle, the young human managed to survive the rift, it wouldn¡¯t matter to Cin anyway. Nothing connected him to the human except the Councilor, and she couldn¡¯t talk without incriminating herself.


    With a mirthless smile, the elven Assassin pushed Emie¡¯s time-locked body into the rift. With that action, his debt was cleared.


    After sparing one last glance around the hidden locale to ensure nothing was out of place, the Assassin known as the Specter disappeared.

 Book 4 - Interlude 3

    Anya Oracle¡¯s body shivered as hints of a dark premonition teased her senses. One of the [Obscuring] rings she¡¯d given out had been removed.


    Most Fate Mages would never dream of hampering their own abilities by sharing such items, but Anya was not a normal Fate Mage. Unlike most others, Anya could bypass the obscuring effect of items powered by her mana.


    Furthermore, Anya could tell when linked items were being used ¨C and when they weren¡¯t.


    The removal of one of her strongest rings normally wouldn¡¯t have been cause for concern, but coupled with the bone-deep feeling of foreboding, it was enough to make the Oracle stop what she was doing to seek out the affected individual.


    Anya¡¯s eyes glowed with lavender mana as her sight shifted. The target of her search was quickly identified, and Anya sucked in a sharp breath as she saw the girl¡¯s immediate future.


    It looked like the start of one of her worst-case scenarios.


    Unfortunately, her Foresight was abruptly cut when the young Earthborn was propelled into the swirling vortex of black mana that denoted a Tier Nine rift.


    If it had been weaker, the Tier Eight Fate Mage might have been able to catch a glimpse of what was inside. But unfortunately, stronger rifts were beyond her ability to See within. Even weaker rifts gave her trouble, but even glimpses often provided valuable insights.


    With an inarticulate grumble of frustration, Anya pulled back her focus, hoping to at least locate the Tri-Affinity Mage. Her earlier efforts at seeing the details of this particular future had never amounted to much, but she hoped that things would be different now that events were in motion.


    Frustratingly, powerful obscuring enchantments blocked her ability to locate the girl beyond narrowing down the planet. Such formations were exceedingly rare due to the cost associated with creating them and the mana required to resist spells like hers.


    However, the fact they existed in that location itself was somewhat telling. There really was only one place Emie could be ¨C Sira.


    Anya had no illusions about being able to rescue Emie, though they might be able to lessen the danger to the girl. Even if they managed it, the girl¡¯s survival would still be in her own hands. There was almost nothing they could do to really help her.


    But if she did manage to survive and escape¡­ Emie would be that much stronger for the experience.


    Anya shook her head as she located her brother. Things needed to be presented to him in just the right way to prevent some of the worst potential outcomes from becoming reality.


    <hr>


    ¡°Henny,¡± Anya called out, using the nickname she¡¯d given her much older brother when she was a younger. ¡°We need to talk. I need you to promise not to do anything until you hear me out.¡±


    He¡¯d been handing off his responsibilities as Patriarch since returning from Earth in preparation for his eventual ascension. He was little more than a figurehead and deterrent for potential troublemakers than anything at this point.


    Even so, being a figurehead required the occasional bit of paperwork, which she was sure he was reviewing instead of reading some mindless drivel on his tablet while he sat at his desk in his office on Aegeas.


    Henlen Kairos ¨C or Kai, as he now preferred to be called ¨C stiffened at his sister¡¯s comment and looked up from the device. After taking a deep breath, he said, ¡°Alright,¡± and motioned for her to continue.


    So far, so good, Anya told herself as she shut the door behind her and activated the privacy wards. Once they were active, the Fate Mage circled the desk and stood next to her brother.


    Kai raised a brow at her actions, but he remained silent.


    ¡°She¡¯s already in a rift, so short of killing yourself to create a new Time branch, there¡¯s nothing you can do to change that,¡± Anya said as she rested a hand on her brother¡¯s arm. Her eyes glowed with mana as she used her brother¡¯s connection to the girl to boost her Sight. ¡°Time magic holds her in Stasis for now. When its hold expires, she will either progress and escape or fail and die. You cannot directly assist her.¡±


    Her brother¡¯s body had stiffened with her first words and had only grown more tense as she spoke.


    ¡°What can we do?¡± he growled angrily, though he did not pull away from her touch.


    Anya blinked several times as her gaze shifted through visions only she could see. The Fate Mage released a huff of frustration as she shook her head slowly.


    ¡°Not much,¡± she admitted. ¡°There may be a chance to reduce the threat and improve her odds¡ª¡±


    ¡°We should do whatever it takes,¡± Kai interjected. ¡°I won¡¯t let those Sovereignty bastards kill her like this. How¡¯d they get a Time Mage to work with them anyway?¡±


    ¡°I believe this was former Councilor Arona¡¯s doing. She was forced to ascend during the Council meeting you were called to, and I suspect this is the reason why.¡±


    ¡°Of course she did,¡± Kai scoffed before balling his hands into tight fists. ¡°How many of her precious sect members were involved?¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°The inquiry is still ongoing.¡± She said after dropping the spell. Seeing his dark expression, the Fate Mage said, ¡°Henny, I know you want to lash out, but this could end up being a positive thing for your disciple. As long as she doesn¡¯t delay long enough to violate the contract or die, she¡¯ll come out stronger for it in the end.¡±


    ¡°What can we do to improve her odds?¡±


    His focus was intense, but his sister expected it. She knew how much hope he¡¯d placed into the young Earthborn, even if he didn¡¯t admit it to himself.


    The white-haired Fate Mage stared at her brother for several seconds as she thought back to the visions she¡¯d had of potential futures. She wanted to warn him away from certain actions, but she knew better than to tempt Fate in that way.


    Instead, she settled on pointing him toward certain outcomes.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost certain she¡¯s somewhere on Sira. If we can find the rift she¡¯s in¡ª¡±


    ¡°We can weaken it or find a way to maybe break into her instance,¡± Kai said, taking over the thought. ¡°I know some people who specialize in rifts. I¡¯ll reach out and see what they can do. I imagine it¡¯s a challenge rift if it¡¯s used to assassinate people. That¡¯ll probably make things trickier.¡±


    Anya inclined her head thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe. Finding the rift will be important, regardless, if only to prevent hostile action being taken against her if she manages to escape.¡± The Fate Mage hesitated for a moment before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s going to take decades, Henny.¡±


    Her brother¡¯s expression hardened, though she could tell his aggressive sentiment wasn¡¯t directed toward her.


    ¡°You said she¡¯s in Stasis right now,¡± he said, causing Anya to nod in response. ¡°As long as the system doesn¡¯t count it against her, she¡¯ll probably be fine. Rifts on Sira have compound time dilation, so she¡¯ll have plenty to work with when the spell releases her.¡±


    ¡°You have your own contract to worry about,¡± Anya reminded him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that when the time comes,¡± Kai replied stubbornly before looking away. ¡°It was never guaranteed she¡¯d reach the Pinnacle in time.¡±


    ¡°And until then?¡±


    The Time Mage turned back to his sister, his expression stony. ¡°The Sovereignty Sect isn¡¯t the only one who can work around the Accords.¡±


    <hr>


    Anya wasn¡¯t looking forward to the next conversation. To be fair, she hadn¡¯t looked forward to the last one, either. However, knowing Emie¡¯s family would likely blame Kai for the current predicament, Anya had offered to break the news to the girl¡¯s parents.


    Anya knocked on the door of a modest home in one of the neighborhoods outside the sect¡¯s Hadier branch. The bodyguard she¡¯d been assigned by the Council stood a few feet away, monitoring their surroundings through his perception skills.


    The door opened, revealing an older woman.


    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Anya Oracle. Your daughter Emie might have mentioned me?¡±


    Clearly, she had since the woman¡¯s eyes lit up in recognition. ¡°Oh! What can I do for the Oracle?¡± Emie¡¯s mother asked before opening the door wider and hesitantly adding, ¡°Would you like to come inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Anya said with a smile. Her bodyguard followed her in but remained near the door. ¡°I¡¯ve come to talk to you about Emie. Let me start off by assuring you that Emie is perfectly safe at the moment, though her situation is¡­ precarious.¡±


    A man that Anya assumed was Emie¡¯s father had already been seated in the living room when they entered. He immediately stood and took a step forward.


    The bodyguard didn¡¯t react since the man was no threat to Anya. Even if he wanted to do her harm, he was too weak to do much.


    ¡°What do you mean by precarious?¡± the man asked. ¡°Where is our daughter?¡±


    ¡°Again, I just want to reiterate that your daughter is currently safe,¡± Anya said, emphasizing the last word. ¡°Unfortunately, she was abducted and forced into a Tier Nine rift.¡± Emie¡¯s mother gasped, but Anya continued, ¡°I cannot be certain without examining the rift, but I believe it is one that cannot be exited without completing the objective.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why does this keep happening to our family?¡± the woman asked as her eyes filled with tears. She reached for the man, grasping his hands. ¡°First with Justin and now with Emie¡­¡±


    ¡°You can see the future, right?¡± the man asked as he wrapped one arm protectively around his wife. ¡°That means you know whether or not she¡¯ll survive.¡±


    ¡°I can see some things, though nothing is ever certain. We are trying to push the odds in her favor, but there¡¯s still a chance she won¡¯t make it,¡± Anya replied gently. ¡°Fighting a full tier up is difficult, if not impossible, for most people. Normally, I would hesitate to encourage hope in such a scenario. However, I¡¯ve seen futures where she returns, so this isn¡¯t a hopeless situation. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t give you a more definite answer.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡± the mother asked. ¡°How long until we see her again?¡±


    ¡°Decades,¡± Anya replied. ¡°The earliest is a quarter century or so, but it could be much longer than that. My visions are imperfect that way. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five years!¡± the woman cried.


    ¡°And who exactly is responsible for this?¡± Emie¡¯s father asked with barely suppressed anger. ¡°Where is her so-called Master, anyway? Why isn¡¯t he here telling us about this instead of you?¡±


    Anya could understand the man¡¯s perspective, and she felt sympathy for his pain.


    ¡°The person ultimately responsible was forced to ascend when she broke a system-enforced oath. I am almost certain the abduction was carried out by a Tier Ten Assassin, but it¡¯s too early to verify that,¡± she said, answering the first part of the man¡¯s question.


    ¡°If it was an Assassin, why didn¡¯t they kill her?¡±


    ¡°Even Assassins prefer to avoid being labeled as Offenders,¡± Anya replied. ¡°The method used granted Emie just enough of a possibility for survival that their actions didn¡¯t count as murder. Had the Assassin not cared about such labels, I imagine we¡¯d be having a very different conversation right now.¡±


    She was trying to be gentle with the information, but it was a lot harder than she anticipated. Even watching the conversation play out via Foresight wasn¡¯t enough to prepare her for the emotional exchange.


    ¡°As far as the Patriarch goes¡­ He is currently organizing a search for your daughter. I suspect he¡¯ll be more actively expressing his displeasure at your daughter¡¯s treatment soon.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Emie¡¯s mother asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Sovereignty Sect is going to exist in any real form by the time Emie escapes from the rift,¡± Anya answered grimly.


    ¡°The Sovereignty Sect,¡± Emie¡¯s dad said slowly. ¡°They are the ones who¡¯ve been causing problems for her since the dungeon.¡±


    It was a statement, not a question, but Anya nodded anyway.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you let this happen if you can see the future. Why didn¡¯t you prevent Emie from being taken in the first place?¡± the woman asked with a hint of anger.


    Anya tried not to take the criticism as an attack. She¡¯d expected the question and the implied accusation, after all. But that didn¡¯t mean that she¡¯d come up with a good answer.


    ¡°I understand your sentiment,¡± the white-haired Fate Mage replied. ¡°I¡¯ve asked myself the same thing on several occasions. Unfortunately, that¡¯s not how things work. I try to guide events toward certain outcomes, but even I lack any real control over the future.


    ¡°Your daughter was warned, as was my brother and the Council. Efforts were in place to protect Emie, but even the best efforts can be thwarted with the right magics and enough effort.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the best answer, but it was the only one she had. Even with her ability to see potential futures, Anya was not in any way omniscient. Sometimes, Fate had its own plans.

 Book 4 - Chapter 21 - Truly Alone

    Lunch with Zavira released a tension that I hadn¡¯t realized I was holding. Out of everyone, she was the one who really knew me the best. Even the last few years on different floors of the dungeon hadn¡¯t changed that.


    I found myself almost melancholy when lunch was over and we headed toward the entrance. There were a few people gathered, likely waiting to be seated, though it was easy enough to find an open space to one side for one last goodbye before we headed our separate ways.


    I felt the urge to delay, if only to extend our time hanging out. Unfortunately, Zavira had other obligations after lunch.


    It was probably a good thing, really, since my original reason for coming to Aegeas was to dig through the Enchanters¡¯ Guild library and maybe finagle a few bits of guidance from the Vice-Guildleader.


    I still had quite a bit of time before I needed to do anything for the sect, and I wanted to get as much benefit out of that time as possible. Since I¡¯d passed on artificially raising my Enchanting skill, I needed to put in the work if I wanted to learn new techniques.


    My thoughts shifted to my next task as I watched Zavira turn toward the exit¡ª


    ¡ªbefore promptly finding myself face-down on a cold slab of stone.


    I could sense the barest hint of foreign Time mana, though I barely paid attention. I was too busy casting every defensive spell I had as I scrambled to my feet.


    Once both of my Barriers were in place, I pushed Spatial Sense to its limit. The limit was, surprisingly, the stone walls encasing the small room.


    Where are my talismans? I wondered, noting their absence. And even more importantly, where are my clothes?


    My almost instinctual attempt to [Equip] a new outfit from my ring drew an even more startling discovery ¨C my ring was gone. That should have been nearly impossible to remove, especially if I was impacted by a Time spell.


    But nearly isn¡¯t absolute.


    At least my embedded talismans and personal inventory weren¡¯t compromised. The small consolation kept me from completely freaking out as I manually examined my surroundings.


    The stone room was completely unadorned, with the only items of interest being an altar in the center and an open doorframe centered in the wall across from me.


    There were no decorations or furniture, nor were there windows. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all comprised of dark gray stone so uniform it almost looked artificial.


    A glance with Mana Sight verified my suspicion that wherever I was, the environment was on the upper end of Tier Nine, maybe even Peak-Tier Nine.


    That was bad.


    At level seventy-two, I was still considered Low-Tier Eight. Fighting up a tier was hard when you were at the peak of your current tier. This kind of gap¡­ it seemed almost impossible.


    It might not be a death sentence, but it felt damn close.


    I glanced at my status and winced at the tiny amount of experience I¡¯d gained since leaving the dungeon.


    ***


    Name: Emie Momentia


    Level: 72 (1009915/3824100)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Merchant


    Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane


    ***


    Health: 320/320


    Stamina: 550/550


    Mana: 960/960


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 23


    Agility ¨C 33


    Vitality ¨C 32


    Intelligence ¨C 96


    Wisdom ¨C 73


    Perception ¨C 38


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***


    ¡°Stay calm,¡± I told myself quietly. ¡°Freaking out accomplishes nothing. Assess the situation and figure out a plan. I can do this.¡±


    My attempt at self-motivation felt hollow, but the words still did their job.


    Withdrawing one of my new black sets of robes from my inventory, I got dressed as quickly as I could. It was a little more difficult than I remembered, but I also hadn¡¯t manually dressed myself in decades.


    I was immensely glad that I¡¯d stuck the items in my inventory instead of in my ring like I usually did with clothing. Clothes and my favorite weapons and accessories were the only major exception to my standard personal storage rules since I couldn¡¯t [Equip] from my inventory.


    Only the new black robes I hadn¡¯t gotten around to wearing yet and my ceremonial Elder robes were stored in my inventory.


    ¡°Thank goodness for [Self-Cleaning] enchantments,¡± I muttered just before a screen forced itself into view.


    [You have entered a Challenge Rift! Complete the Challenge to exit!


    Challenge Parameters:


    Defeat the <u>Five</u> bosses.


    Place the cores of the <u>Five</u> bosses on the altar.]


    I hated challenge rifts.


    They were always a pain to complete, and it was impossible to exit without finishing the requirements. Being severely under-leveled certainly wasn¡¯t helping matters, either.


    I walked over to the altar, dropping one of my barrier spells. In some ways, knowing that I was in a rift was comforting. At least I knew basically what to expect and didn¡¯t have to worry about other people trying to kill me here.


    No, I just needed to somehow kill five bosses at Peak-Tier Nine, I thought, feeling overwhelmed.


    Thank goodness rifts didn¡¯t work like the dungeon. It would have been flat-out impossible for me to fight two tiers up if the bosses were all Low-Tier Ten.


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    Silver linings, I supposed.


    The altar was little more than a raised stone dais with five shallow basins arrayed in a circle. I touched the altar and closed my eyes, connecting to the rift as I¡¯d been taught by Stella back on Earth. It didn¡¯t work as well from the inside, but without a portal to connect to, the altar was my best hope.


    I gasped at the limited information I was able to peruse.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, shaking my head in denial as I pulled my hand away like it had been bitten. ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡±


    The readings I¡¯d gotten from the rift showed my current instance had been active for just over 906 local years.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the rift¡¯s natural time dilation of 7.25,¡± Lisa said helpfully.


    ¡°That¡¯s still almost 125 years!¡± I hissed. ¡°It can¡¯t have been that long. My contract would have broken.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but also no. You are mixing the contract requirements with your agreement,¡± Lisa replied. ¡°The actual contract said nothing about reaching Tier Ten in a century. It only stipulated that you, and I quote, ¡®take a break of no more than ten Alliance Standard Years outside the dungeon after entry before reaching level 100.¡¯ The agreement to strive for the Pinnacle within a century was not part of the contract.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t the contract still have been violated?¡± I asked, feeling a little dizzy. It was completely psychosomatic since my body no longer got dizzy like a mundane human might. ¡°Even if we¡¯re on Sira, that¡¯s still twenty-five Alliance Standard Years that I¡¯ve been time-locked in this rift. How is that not a breach of contract?¡±


    ¡°The system probably doesn¡¯t recognize the time you spent in stasis,¡± Lisa replied. ¡°In fact, extrapolating based on the internal countdown I have been maintaining, which is linked to the contract, I can assure you that is exactly the case. With that, I have good news and bad news.


    ¡°The bad news is that the clock is now running again,¡± Lisa said. ¡°However, the good news is that based on how slowly the numbers are changing, I can confidently say that you are, indeed, on Sira. That means you have a lot of time to work with since you only spent a few months outside of the dungeon before this¡­ incident.¡±


    ¡°So, what?¡± I asked with a hint of hope. ¡°I have a few hundred years to find my way out of this rift and back into the dungeon before I technically violate the contract?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    It was still bad, but not as bad as I initially thought. Obviously, it would be next to impossible for me to ascend with Master Kairos now. I wondered how he would take it.


    Rather, I wondered how he¡¯d already taken it. He had to already know.


    My heart clenched as my mind made the obvious connection.


    My family would have been devastated, especially my parents. Even if I made it out of the rift alive, they¡¯d probably want to kill me¡­ metaphorically.


    Hopefully, I¡¯d find a way to complete the rift challenge and still have enough time to spend a little with them before I had to leave again.


    I immediately felt guilty for all the time I¡¯d wasted during my break so far. I¡¯d let my social discomfort cheat me out of time I could have spent with my family.


    Something occurred to me. ¡°Hey, Lisa? How is there extra time dilation now but there isn¡¯t in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Nobody knows for certain. Though you enter and exit through a portal, it is important to remember that the dungeon is not a rift. In fact, some believe it is not of this realm at all.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said thoughtfully, trying not to think about the piercing pain in my chest.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    I could easily imagine my mom¡¯s tearful expression when she learned I¡¯d disappeared. Dad would almost certainly blame Master Kairos, not that any of it was really his fault.


    Justin and Bell would be understandably upset as well, as would Deni and probably Gabby.


    I wonder if Gabby and her party have entered the dungeon already?


    Shaking off the errant thought, my mind shifted to Zavira. I¡¯d only just had lunch with her from my perspective, but it had been more than twenty-five years for her.


    I hoped she didn¡¯t feel bad about being the last person to see me before I disappeared. I could absolutely see her blaming herself for something crazy like that.


    ¡°Ahhh! Alright,¡± I said, physically shaking myself out of my depressed reflection.


    I needed to take stock of what I had. Most of my crafting materials were in my ring, but that didn¡¯t mean much, given where I was.


    It wasn¡¯t like any of it would have done much good, anyway, since it was mostly Tier Eight stuff I was saving for when I re-entered the dungeon. I doubted any of it would be very helpful now.


    Entry rooms were almost always safe zones of sorts, and given the complete lack of disturbance, I felt fairly confident it would make an acceptable place to shelter, though I knew better than to leave anything lying around.


    Rifts had a tendency to absorb things left unattended for too long. I¡¯d learned that the hard way when I¡¯d been abandoned in the rift back in the other timeline.


    I paused and let out a little gasp at the thought.


    This was the second time something like this had happened to me! It had happened once in the other timeline, too.


    Was there some kind of Fate at play here?


    It would almost be a good thing if there were. I¡¯d overcome the first challenge when, by all accounts, I should have died. Maybe I could manage to do the same thing again?


    Oddly comforted by the thought, I focused on my inventory.


    I¡¯d stupidly left my pod set up as a second workstation in my penthouse apartment, so I was now without that treasured asset. I could make another one since I always kept the Crystal Node stored in my inventory, but without the right additional materials, I¡¯d have to rely heavily on my personal mana to compensate for the lack of reagents.


    I silently cursed the Assassin or whoever had tossed me in here before I¡¯d managed to gain access to the Enchanters¡¯ Guild library. I¡¯d probably have to use a Trial reward to push myself to Master Enchanter.


    On that note, I needed to find a way to complete the rift challenge without tiering up unless I wanted to lose access to the eighth-floor Trial. I was almost certain that tiering up would force me to reenter the dungeon on the ninth floor, and I wasn¡¯t quite willing to lose out on such a valuable boon.


    If I had to¡­ well, I¡¯d do what needed to be done. But if it was at all possible to defeat the bosses without tiering up, I¡¯d take advantage of it.


    Realizing the direction that my thoughts had drifted, I chuckled mirthlessly.


    Here I was, thinking about gaming the system and finding a way to get extra advantages when I still wasn¡¯t confident that survival was possible. I had no idea what kinds of mobs I was up against, nor did I know if my magic and manatech would even be effective.


    I honestly should be, especially my magic, but I wouldn¡¯t know until I did a little scouting.


    Thankfully, food wasn¡¯t much of a concern since I always stored my MealMaker in my inventory. However, I would still need materials to [Transmute.] Worst case, I could always collect some dirt and debris and use that.


    It really was too bad that transmuted materials didn¡¯t work well with enchantments or Alchemy. It would have made things quite a bit easier.


    ¡°Alright, I still have some weapons, some of my pod furniture, bedding, some crafted items¡­¡± I said to myself as I mentally reviewed my inventory. ¡°Oh, I forgot that I stored those ores and gemstones in here. And the mana cores will be useful, even if they are a tier too weak,¡± I murmured.


    There were also several growth items carefully separated from the rest of the items. I¡¯d given a lot to the sect for future dungeon challengers, but I¡¯d also kept quite a few things for Amie and the younger generation of my immediate family.


    Seeing the items made me frown and drew attention to something I¡¯d intentionally been shying away from acknowledging.


    Amie had undoubtedly awakened by now, and I¡¯d missed it. The twins and my newest siblings, too. I¡¯d missed their whole lives. Kaylee and Ashlynn wouldn¡¯t know me at all.


    The thought hurt more than I expected.


    They were all grown up now, and I¡¯d missed everything. Would they even care when I came back, or would I just be another stranger with a familial connection?


    Struggling to hold back my emotions, I removed the only comfortable chair I¡¯d kept stored in my inventory and sat down. As much as I hated feeling the emotions, I needed to give myself a short period to grieve for the years that I¡¯d lost.


    Inside a rift, I could not communicate and had no way of letting people know I was okay. I couldn¡¯t even send a delayed message.


    Until I escaped, I was completely cut off from the rest of the universe. Even Time magic couldn¡¯t influence me¡­


    ¡­aside from branches in time. But those really didn¡¯t count since the me here now would still be stuck.


    For the first time since my return, I was well and truly alone.

 Book 4 - Chapter 22 - A Little Exploration

    I didn¡¯t rush the grieving process. Instead, I leaned into it, taking advantage of the first real sense of privacy I¡¯d felt in decades to work through all of my feelings.


    Eventually, I fell into an exhausted sleep.


    I didn¡¯t fully trust in the safety of the entry room, but between it and my hidden emergency talismans, it was enough to allow me to rest.


    Sleep, I¡¯d found, was an excellent way to reset one¡¯s mental state.


    After storing the few items I¡¯d removed from my inventory and casting Cleanse a few times, I focused on the first of my immediate needs.


    The stone room did not have a bathroom, or anything that would work as such. And since I didn¡¯t feel like defiling the room I¡¯d be using as a quasi-residence, I needed to find a solution to my needs.


    At Tier Eight, my body was remarkably efficient, but it still wasn¡¯t perfect.


    Donning one of the [Invisibility] talismans I¡¯d set aside to sell when I returned to the dungeon, I carefully made my way through the open doorway leading out of the entry room. I was not confident the item would hide me completely, but it was better than nothing.


    From inside, the doorway looked like a normal arch, though it was impossible to see or sense anything on the other side.


    As soon as I stepped through, I turned and looked behind me. The doorway remained; however, it appeared hazy, like a mirage. It was also somehow attached to the face of a sheer cliff, partially concealed by a deep shadow from a pair of nearby trees.


    Now that I was outside of the stone room, I extended Spatial Sense to get a better idea of my surroundings.


    Detecting nothing dangerous in the immediate area, I silently crept to the trees and dealt with my body¡¯s needs. After carefully covering any evidence of my presence and cleaning myself once again, I stealthily headed away from the hidden room.


    When I¡¯d connected to the rift the previous day, I¡¯d learned several things about the challenge, even if I hadn¡¯t consciously paid attention to any of it at the time.


    First, there were five bosses that I somehow needed to defeat. Each had their own territory, complete with subordinate mobs and resources. These five groups were basically five separate factions, each of which fought against the others in a never-ending war of dominance.


    The species making up these five factions were unclear since my connection to the rift had been tenuous, but I¡¯d gathered enough to know my opponents would be more than mere rift beasts.


    I was fairly certain they were all humanoids of one sort or another. Such mobs were far more common in higher-tier rifts, after all.


    The hardest part about fighting against humanoid mobs was that they tended to be far more clever than their beast counterparts.


    As an added complication, I found myself uncomfortable at the thought of harvesting and using the bodies of such creatures, given how similar they were to people ¨C at least on the surface.


    That wasn¡¯t to say I wouldn¡¯t make use of their bodies, but I would be far more circumspect about how I used them. They certainly wouldn¡¯t be going into my MealMaker, that was for sure.


    Thankfully, the unknown humanoids weren¡¯t the only creatures in the rift.


    In fact, I got the impression that several species of more traditional beasts were spread throughout the rift. Further, those beasts were on the lower end of Tier Nine, making them a much easier target for me.


    It still wasn¡¯t going to be easy, given my tier disadvantage. But at least I had a chance.


    In the distance, I sensed several beings engaged in a skirmish. Wanting to learn more about my opponents, I Phased and then Teleported close to the fight.


    I remained within the weave while I observed from atop a nearby tree. Remaining outside the physical world made observing the fight more difficult, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. And, short of encountering another Space magic user, it was also the safest place I could be.


    The entities in the first group appeared to be a mix of elves and monkeys. Their ears were large and pointed, and their facial features were sharp and angular. Thick fur erupted from the edges of their smooth leather armor, which looked far better crafted than I would have expected inside of a rift.


    The same applied to the bows and javelins I noticed being wielded by the furry warriors.


    Since this was my first time inside a high-tier rift, I couldn¡¯t confidently say that the appearance of quality armor and weaponry was odd, but it certainly caused me to raise a brow.


    ¡°It is not an unusual occurrence,¡± Lisa informed me. ¡°Rifts have long been a source of inspiration and innovation for crafters.¡±


    I shook my head silently, annoyed at my lack of education on such matters. I¡¯d probably need to attend an academy or two someday. That was especially applicable if I was going to remain in this realm for any amount of time.


    With Master Kairos likely to ascend without me because of my delay, the pressure I felt to rush my ascension had mostly been alleviated.


    I looked from the monkeyoids (my label since I couldn¡¯t use identification spells within the weave) to their opponents ¨C small, humanoid bird creatures that almost looked like short angels except they were covered in feathers, and their hands and feet were tipped with sharp-looking claws.


    On second thought, the creatures looked far more like feathered harpies than angels. As I watched the two sets of fighters attack each other, my opinion on the matter solidified further.


    They were definitely not angelic, though they did hold an obvious tactical advantage against their opponents. Unfortunately for them, the addition of ranged weapons and magic did a lot to even the fight.


    Even so, the monkeyoids eventually found themselves struggling to defeat the sheer volume of aerial opponents. After losing several fighters, the monkeyoids opted for a tactical retreat, fleeing deeper into the thick forest beyond the reach of the aggressive flying mobs.


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    The feathered harpies screeched in what I assumed was a victory cry before abandoning their dead and darting away. The moderate-sized flock headed straight for a floating island that I hadn¡¯t yet noticed in the distance.


    Still invisible, I exited the weave and carefully collected the fallen fighters and their weapons. I also collected several broken branches and nearby flora that pinged my Herbalism skill.


    I¡¯d moved a fair distance away from the site of the fight and was still collecting materials when a pair of beasts entered my sphere of perception.


    Knowing I could easily teleport to safety if necessary, I decided to see where I stood against some of the weaker creatures inside the rift.


    Unmoving, I watched as a pair of large wolverines emerged from between a pair of bushes. Both were nearly hip-high and radiated a sense of threat unlike any I¡¯d encountered to date.


    The two wolverines slowed down dramatically as they got closer, sniffing the air hungrily. I cringed when I realized that my talisman wasn¡¯t nearly good enough to hide my scent from the higher-tier creatures.


    Since there was little I could do about it in my current position, I activated Haste and moved. I would have preferred to test myself against a lone opponent, but two didn¡¯t seem like an impossible challenge.


    My weapons were only Tier Eight, but that didn¡¯t mean a whole lot at the speeds I was moving. And tier really wasn¡¯t everything. Simply being a higher tier certainly didn¡¯t make one invulnerable to lower-tier enemies, after all.


    The closest wolverine somehow sensed my attack and started to dodge as I swiped my mana-coated blade toward the creature¡¯s neck. The beast¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t enough to entirely avoid the blow, but it was sufficient to avoid a potentially fatal hit.


    Instead of cleanly decapitating the creature, my blade lodged into the wolverine¡¯s collarbone. When a sharp tug didn¡¯t immediately free the blade, I released it and teleported several meters away.


    It was a good decision since the second wolverine flew through the space I¡¯d just abandoned less than a half-second later.


    I pushed more mana into Haste and attacked again. This time, I used a pair of batons connected to form a quarterstaff. Though I¡¯d trained and grown accustomed to other types of weapons, I still deferred to staves and dual batons whenever a melee fight grew difficult.


    Being in the dungeon where almost every opponent was the same tier, it had been a long time since I¡¯d engaged in a truly difficult fight.


    Heart pounding, I darted forward, stabbing the newly-formed blade at the end of my quarterstaff into the already injured wolverine as its uninjured companion chased me.


    I was fast enough to kite the angry beast without getting hit ¨C a fact the beast realized far quicker than I expected.


    I was caught a little off guard when a blade of compressed Air impacted my Barrier and caused me to stumble slightly. It wouldn¡¯t have happened if I hadn¡¯t already been in motion, but the movement put me just within reach of the already injured wolverine, and it took the opportunity to lash out as I hastily stabbed it a second time.


    Already weakened, my Barrier shattered. The sneaky creature¡¯s razor-sharp claws cut into my leg faster than I could teleport away.


    I immediately cast Restore and took a couple of deep breaths as I watched the creatures from my perch a few dozen feet above.


    ¡®Better to fight at range anyway,¡¯ I told myself. It had been stupid to engage in close combat with creatures that much stronger than me.


    A good portion of my stored arsenal was comprised of ranged options, so I started cycling through my stock of wands, staves, and consumable talismans.


    I didn¡¯t normally use a lot of consumable talismans since they weren¡¯t usually worth the effort involved in making them, but they sold well enough in the dungeon that I had a small supply mixed in my inventory.


    The wolverines were not stupid, so they didn¡¯t stand there once they realized I was attacking them from a distance.


    The still uninjured wolverine immediately homed in on me and darted up the tree, surprising me with the speed with which it could climb.


    I teleported to another tree and continued my barrage against the injured wolverine on the ground. With a flash of inspiration, I used Recall to retrieve the sword still embedded in the wolverine¡¯s shoulder. The creature squealed in pain as thick blood began dripping from its oddly hydrophobic fur.


    The pain of its companion must have caused the uninjured wolverine to enter a frenzy because it immediately leaped at me, propelled by a blast of Air.


    Using one of my best foci, I sent a barrage of Space-based attacks toward the creature, knocking it off course. Completely undeterred, the wolverine circled around and headed back in my direction.


    ¡°When the hell did wolverines learn to fly?¡± I exclaimed as I grabbed a different wand. It was another focus, but this one enhanced Time magic.


    I added a little Arcane mana into my Stasis spell to give it a kick before channeling it through the wand. The wolverine dropped like a rock, landing several feet away from the injured wolverine on the ground.


    I sighed in relief, glad that my attempt had worked.


    With the pressure largely gone, I took a few moments to recover some mana as I eyed the pair of beasts below. One was time-locked, while the other stood next to it, growling impotently as blood seeped out of its shoulder.


    I couldn¡¯t tell for sure, but it seemed like it was already healing.


    I pursed my lips as I considered the angry creature. I wanted to test some more attacks against the thing, but it had already proven itself capable of shrugging off most of my attacks.


    There were a couple of Space-based attacks that I knew were effective when fighting up tiers, but they took more time and concentration than I¡¯d been able to dedicate to the task while actively fighting and avoiding attacks.


    Now that I wasn¡¯t actively being attacked, it would be easy enough to pop a Portal over the injured wolverine¡¯s head and snap it closed. Instant decapitation was generally effective, regardless of tier.


    But jumping right to a kill shot seemed wasteful without testing a few things first.


    Swapping back to the Space focus, I added a bit of Arcane mana to the Space Blade spellform and channeled it through the wand. The blade cut most of the way through the creature¡¯s leg but didn¡¯t sever it.


    I added a bit more Arcane mana and tried the spell again, this time focusing it on the cutting aspect of the blade. The mana blade cut through; however, I got the feeling it wouldn¡¯t work so well against the thicker parts of the creature¡¯s body.


    ¡°That sucks,¡± I grumbled.


    I knew it was silly to be disappointed that I didn¡¯t have my normal, cheat-like abilities. Rather, I did. They just weren¡¯t as cheaty as they normally were.


    At least enhanced Time magic was still enough to at least neutralize the creatures. It was a small blessing.


    After testing a few more attacks supplemented with Arcane mana, I decided to go ahead and verify my best Space-based assassination spell worked the way it should instead of simply assuming. With a thought, I cast a non-enhanced Portal directly over the injured wolverine¡¯s head.


    The wolverine jerked away, but my control over the Portal was good enough to slide the opening over the beast¡¯s head before snapping it shut. The body dropped as the head fell from the exit portal several feet away.


    I could almost feel the increase in experience from the kill.


    A quick glance at my status showed I¡¯d gained far more experience than I expected, even with the bonus from killing something at a higher tier.


    ¡°I wonder why it¡¯s so high,¡± I wondered when I saw the number.


    It wasn¡¯t a crazy amount by any means. In fact, I was pretty sure I could gain more during the same amount of time I¡¯d spent fighting the duo if I were back in the dungeon fighting creatures at my own tier. Even so, it wasn¡¯t a bad amount of progress.


    If I were able to make a few weapons with the materials I¡¯d already gathered, my offensive capability would skyrocket. I suspected the amount of experience I gained would drop because of the change in difficulty, but that didn¡¯t bother me.


    If I managed to kill creatures faster, I could more than make up the difference.


    It still might not be enough to take on the real challenges of the rift, but it would undoubtedly be an excellent addition to my arsenal.


    While I hoped to somehow manage to escape without tiering up, I wasn¡¯t going to plan on it. In fact, now that I¡¯d calmed down a little, I decided to plan on the opposite: I¡¯d work to advance as quickly as possible in hopes that I could tier-up and eventually get strong enough to defeat the bosses.


    I didn¡¯t want to be stuck in this rift any longer than necessary, and I certainly wasn¡¯t going to let it defeat me.

 Book 4 - Chapter 23 - Progress and Change

    After crafting a few items and enhancing what I could from my inventory, I spent the next couple of months carefully scouting the rift. I occasionally got lucky enough to scavenge from the fights between factions, but it wasn¡¯t nearly as often as I would have liked.


    Of the five groups, four seemed to fight against each other regularly enough. However, the fifth seemed more interested in fighting amongst themselves.


    It took me a while to find that last group, mostly because they were an aquatic race of mer-creatures called Lacusin, who lived within a large lake on the opposite side of the rift.


    Unlike true merfolk, Lacusin did not look like they shared any genetics with one of the sapient species. Though their upper bodies were roughly humanoid, with a torso, head, and two arms, that was where the similarities ended.


    Instead of the smooth, scaled skin of most merfolk, the creatures had thick, rubbery skin reminiscent of dolphins or whales. Their mouths were wide and filled with shark-like teeth, while their eyes were set far wider than a normal merfolk or humanoid.


    Additionally, the creatures had no noses or ears, nor were there any obvious openings to serve similar purposes.


    The creatures¡¯ hands were large, with webbing between each of their claw-tipped fingers, which they used to slice into each other as they fought for dominance like berserkers.


    The other target species were also violent, but they directed their aggression toward other groups instead of fighting amongst themselves.


    I was under no illusion that I could defeat any of the factions now, even with the weapons I¡¯d crafted using Tier Nine materials. While it was obvious none of the creatures were sapient, each group was clever in their own way.


    The monkeyoids (Simians) were able to use weapons, especially bows and javelins. I also noted quite a few mages among their numbers, assets that were often kept well-protected by the rest of their groups.


    The bird-harpies (Avemon) were more likely to use magic, though swarming and overwhelming their prey with sheer numbers seemed to be their preferred tactic when fighting other groups. When they did use magic, it was often Sound-based, though Air and Ice were also fairly common.


    Goboles were a subterranean race that looked like goblins with hardened carapaces. They preferred traps and poisons, though they seemed to have no hesitation about engaging in close-quarters combat. Their carapaces made them a difficult opponent for all but the susorcs, who were strong enough to easily dismember the goboles if they managed to get ahold of one.


    Susorcs looked like gray humanoid boars, and I suspected they were loosely related to actual orcs, just like goboles were similar to goblins. Both were races from the Collective, which I found interesting in an academic way.


    None of the target mobs were within my reach, though I¡¯d found some success against the beasts in the rift.


    Beasts like the diamond colossus I was currently stalking.


    The creature reminded me of a woolly mammoth, except its fur was hard like diamonds, and its tusks looked more like coal. I wanted both of those materials.


    Surprisingly, it was one of the lowest-leveled creatures I¡¯d encountered in the rift thus far.


    I already knew most of my magic was underpowered against the denizens of the rift, so I didn¡¯t try lobbing any spells or manatech attacks at the solitary creature. Instead, I cast Haste and channeled enough mana to slow the world around me to a near stop.


    I teleported forward and sliced with one of my newly crafted weapons, angling the strike so it slid under the heavy fur. Having functionally bypassed the creature¡¯s armor, its skin parted easily. I struck two more times before teleporting away and canceling Haste.


    The maneuver was a bit mana-intensive, but I still had plenty of mana left to attack again.


    As the diamond colossus reeled back in pain, I repeated the process. This time, instead of slicing, I injected several explosive talismans into the creature¡¯s neck before darting away.


    The talismans work as desired, but I found myself frowning at the remains.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a good approach. It takes too long to make the talismans and damages too much material,¡± I said to myself before cutting into the creature and beginning my harvest.


    The experience gains were good. It was one of the few silver linings about being stuck in the rift.


    I¡¯d done the math with Lisa and found that, given the crazy level of time dilation, I might actually come out ahead by the time I left the rift.


    By that, I meant that I¡¯d be farther along than I would have if I¡¯d spent all this time in the dungeon. It was just too bad I wouldn¡¯t get to spend any of that saved time with my family.


    Spatial Sense picked up several creatures moving in my direction, so I quickly Anchored a tight Time Domain and focused on harvesting everything I could as fast as possible. I certainly didn¡¯t want to be there when the creatures arrived.


    While I could take on one or two beasts in a controlled fight, a group was still far beyond my capabilities.


    I tightened my domain and increased my speed. It would be close.


    I¡¯d crafted a [Stasis Storage] ring out of Space and Time infused Crystal from the Crystal node I¡¯d gotten in the dungeon, but even with my affinities, I wasn¡¯t able to make a large enough space to contain the entire diamond colossus.


    I needed better, more appropriate materials to work with. Unfortunately, the rift seemed to be lacking in that area.


    ¡°I should probably make some storage bags and compartmentalize like I did when I entered the dungeon,¡± I mused as I stored a huge portion of the creature¡¯s liver. I stood and glanced over the remains. ¡°Damn, I hate leaving so much behind.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I didn¡¯t bother glancing over my shoulder before dropping my Time spell and teleporting back to my new home.


    I hated thinking of the safe room as home, but since it would serve that purpose for the foreseeable future, it seemed silly to resist. When it came down to it, I¡¯d probably spend more time living in the stone room than I had any other place in my life.


    Subjectively, I was going to be there for a long time.


    I pulled up just the experience portion of my status.


    ***


    Level: 72 (1054381/3824100)


    ***


    There was definitely progress, but it was slow. It was going to take years just to reach level seventy-three at this rate. I needed to find a way to grow faster.


    <hr>


    ¡°Three, two, one¡­¡±


    I covered my ears as the explosion shook the shelter I¡¯d created and reinforced just outside the target area.


    As soon as the shockwave passed, I teleported to the site of the formation. Taking in the damage, I cast Haste and quickly made my way around the kill zone, putting all the injured creatures out of their misery before collecting the carcasses.


    I¡¯d made several storage rings to ensure I could collect everything and run before stronger opponents arrived. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient approach, but I was working with limited materials.


    ¡°Incoming,¡± Lisa said, though her warning was unnecessary. I could easily sense the susorcs approaching at a loping run. Even so, I thanked Lisa for the warning before teleporting away.


    ¡°That was a good haul,¡± I said to my digital companion. A wave of my hand placed my furniture and belongings in their rightful places. A familiar face appeared on a Crystal screen mounted to the wall.


    The woman on the display appeared to be somewhere in her late twenties, with dark purple skin and almost white, shimmer-colored hair. Her features were just a bit sharper and more even than mine, and aside from the stark difference in coloration, we could have easily passed as siblings.


    Lisa looked exactly like the avatar she used during our virtual lessons.


    The display was something I¡¯d created during a particularly rough patch where I¡¯d struggled with feelings of isolation. Since I didn¡¯t want to spend all of my time in the limited virtual space my disconnected DIVE gear could manifest, crafting an alternative seemed like a good idea.


    ¡°It was an excellent haul,¡± Lisa said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve nearly reached level seventy-six!¡±


    I grinned at my friend. In the years I¡¯d been stuck in the rift, Lisa¡¯s personality had really bloomed. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was something she¡¯d done to keep me from going crazy or if it was a natural evolution for the Mana Intelligence.


    Either way, I was grateful for the companionship.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to train with the new Stealth spell the next time I go out,¡± I said as I plopped into the worn reclining chair in front of the display.


    Several months earlier, I went through a phase where I fixated on Spell Modification. I hadn¡¯t put a lot of time or effort into learning Arcane magic before that, thinking of it as more of an enhancer for enchantments and spells than a separate part of my magical arsenal.


    However, conversations with Lisa led me to test a few things, and one thing led to another, as they were prone to do.


    I wasn¡¯t totally fixated on the skill anymore, but I still messed around with modifying spellforms whenever I grew tired of enchanting items. I¡¯d even swapped my tertiary profession to Researcher to earn a bit of extra experience from my efforts, and I was happy to say it was an excellent choice.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t like I had anyone to sell my items to anymore.


    ***


    Name: Emie Momentia


    Level: 75 (3810962/3846300)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Researcher


    Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane


    ***


    Health: 320/320


    Stamina: 532/550


    Mana: 995/1050


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 23


    Agility ¨C 33


    Vitality ¨C 32


    Intelligence ¨C 105


    Wisdom ¨C 73


    Perception ¨C 38


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***


    I¡¯d dumped my last three levels'' worth of attribute points into Intelligence to gain a bit of extra mana since that was what I needed the most right now.


    Wisdom would probably help as well, but with the added regeneration from the dungeon hot springs, Wisdom wasn¡¯t quite as critical as it was before.


    I¡¯d probably invest a little more into Perception when I gained the next level. I really should have done it already, but I was a little hyper-focused on being able to kill the things I did perceive instead of expanding my senses.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Lisa said encouragingly. ¡°Based on the modified spellform, it should do a much better job at hiding you from the rift creatures than the talisman.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about the mana inefficiency,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°It¡¯s a concern, but not one I¡¯d worry too much about. You¡¯ve invested enough in Intelligence that you should have enough to compensate for a little inefficiency.¡±


    She was right, of course. Lisa usually was.


    ¡°You should probably go ahead and process your kills before you get too settled in.¡±


    I sighed at the admonition but didn¡¯t argue. I needed a little help to stay motivated. We both knew that.


    I forced myself out of the comfortable chair and moved to my old table. With an exaggerated sigh, I started unloading carcasses. None of the creatures caught in the blast were large enough to warrant setting up my processing area outside the safe room, and it was easy enough to clean up the mess once I was done.


    I also preferred to process my kills in the safety of my home. In all the years I¡¯d been stuck there, I¡¯d never once had a rift creature enter the dwelling. Even so, part of my regular setup included a formation around the doorway, ensuring nothing hostile entered the space.


    ¡°Ah! This one has a Space affinity!¡± I exclaimed when I saw the color of the mana core. ¡°I can finally make a better storage ring!¡± I added as I held the core up triumphantly.


    ¡°Congratulations!¡±


    I grinned and took extra care to harvest every scrap of material that I could from the dead creature. It was the first one that I¡¯d encountered in the rift with such an affinity, though I hoped it would not be the last.


    I¡¯d learned early on that the respawned creatures, both beast and otherwise, were never exactly the same as the ones they replaced. Even with the occasional variation, several affinities hadn¡¯t made an appearance within the rift.


    It was something I hoped would eventually change since I could really use a bit more variety in my materials.


    I hummed to myself as I harvested the rest of my kills, organizing the various bits into special containers I¡¯d made for just that purpose.


    As I placed one of the last few carcasses on the table, a soft vibration from behind drew my attention, and I paused. Turning, I noticed the altar pulsing with mana.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked Lisa, though I doubted she knew any more than I did.


    ¡°I have no idea. Perhaps you can connect to the altar like you did upon your arrival to see if any information is available.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea, though I didn¡¯t feel particularly comfortable connecting to the altar while it was doing¡­ whatever it was that it was doing.


    I cast Cleanse on my hands to remove the blood while I watched the altar grow slightly indistinct from the movement.


    I was in no hurry to approach.


    With Mana Sight active, I watched as the altar became a vortex and sucked in a massive amount of mana, pulling it through the open doorway like a vacuum.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be good,¡± I said warily, keeping my distance.


    ¡°Conversely, this may not be a bad thing,¡± Lisa commented. ¡°It appears as if the altar is absorbing ambient mana.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the rift is destabilizing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m uncertain, though I doubt it¡¯s a full destabilization. There are no records of such a thing occurring while a rift is occupied.¡±


    Before I could think of another hypothesis, the suction abruptly ended, and the altar once again became inert.


    More curious than worried, I stepped forward and placed my hand on the altar, connecting to the rift as I had several times since my arrival.

 Book 4 - Chapter 24 - Testing

    ¡°I¡¯m not seeing anything different from before,¡± I informed Lisa. Speaking aloud wasn¡¯t strictly necessary, but I¡¯d found it helped keep me sane after spending so long alone.


    Lisa¡¯s avatar nodded. ¡°That makes sense. It is exceedingly difficult to alter a rift with an active instance.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s what¡¯s happening?¡± I asked as I removed my hand from the altar and turned toward the screen. ¡°Someone is trying to alter the rift?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± my Interface Assistant replied. Her voice was coming from the mounted display where her avatar was currently displayed. ¡°It may also be routine maintenance to prevent the rift from tiering up or breaking. If the rift doesn¡¯t get a lot of traffic, it makes sense that whoever guards it would occasionally siphon the excess mana to prevent such occurrences.¡±


    I remembered doing something similar with the newly formed rifts on Earth right after the reintegration really kicked off. I¡¯d come across a few that were occupied at the time, and I found it far easier to simply wait for the delvers to leave than to try to do anything with them inside.


    It wasn¡¯t impossible to drain or add mana to an occupied rift, but it was difficult. There was also a definite limit to how much a rift could be artificially bolstered or weakened with someone inside. I¡¯d never had a reason to test the limits, but my training indicated it was only a stage or two within the same tier.


    If someone was trying to do something to this rift, my presence would certainly complicate things. They¡¯d also undoubtedly know someone was inside the rift, which meant whoever put me here probably knew that I was still alive.


    ¡°Well, at least they can¡¯t get to me in here,¡± I muttered to myself.


    Though my connection implied nothing had changed, I still felt the urge to explore the rift instead of finishing my original task of processing my kills. However, I ruthlessly squashed the impulse and forced myself to finish my work before indulging my curiosity.


    Discipline was important, especially now that I had a lot of material to craft with.


    My goal was to keep chipping away at the regular rift beasts until I reached High-Tier Eight. At that point, I¡¯d test my weapons against the weakest faction creatures.


    I hoped that the creatures weren¡¯t too resilient. If they were, it was going to take me a lot longer to escape from the rift.


    Though I was working with Tier Nine materials, the weapons and talismans I was crafting were not true Tier Nine items. Because I was personally only capable of infusing Tier Eight mana into my creations, the items I crafted would naturally be weaker than true Tier Nine creations.


    That meant that it was basically a toss-up on whether or not the items would be effective against the stronger mobs.


    If only they were weaker, I silently lamented.


    But that didn¡¯t really matter. It was what it was. I just needed to adapt and find a way to defeat the challenge.


    Once I finished processing the last of my kills, I Transmuted the offal into a clay-like substance and stored it in the ring I¡¯d dedicated to crafting materials.


    Transmuted materials never worked as well as those that were fully natural, but they worked well enough for consumable talismans, especially if the talismans could be overcharged.


    It was a matter of quantity over quality in this case.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m too curious to put it off any longer,¡± I said, glancing at the display still showing Lisa¡¯s avatar. She usually kept it there whenever I was in the safe room.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m a bit curious, myself,¡± Lisa replied with an eager look in her eyes.


    I waved my hand and stored the furniture and other items in their designated ring, leaving the room empty aside from the altar.


    I cast Stealth before exiting the safe room. The Arcane spell worked far better than the [Invisibility] talisman I¡¯d crafted in the dungeon. Given how under-leveled I was for the setting, I suspected it was the only reason I¡¯d been as successful as I was.


    I didn¡¯t notice any changes when I exited the room, aside from a barely perceivable reduction in ambient mana. It was a small thing, and I doubted it impacted anything in particular.


    Still, it was something.


    Confident in my spell¡¯s ability to hide me, I quickly made my way to the closest mob settlement, not bothering to teleport. It would have been a waste of mana.


    I¡¯d been surprised at how close the goboles were when I initially found them. The entrance to their underground village was only about half a mile away from the safe room, which wasn¡¯t far at all, given the size of the rift and how fast I could move.


    I had to be a little more careful when I entered the underground tunnels since they were littered with deadly traps. I also had to be cautious around the goboles since, even if the creatures couldn¡¯t see, hear, or smell me, being too close was often enough to alert them of my presence.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Carefully making my way through the tunnels, I noted that none of the traps had changed since my last visit. That wasn¡¯t too unusual, given that the instance never truly reset. I also tried to scout each faction at least every few days, so it hadn¡¯t been too long since my last visit.


    Inspect informed me that the goboles still ranged from level eighty-seven to eighty-nine, and still had a variety of affinities. As far as I could tell, nothing significant had changed.


    There did seem to be slightly fewer goboles loitering around outside the shanty village than normal, and those who were hanging out seemed a bit less energetic than usual. But since their numbers had never been really consistent, I wasn¡¯t confident the change had anything to do with the weird stream of mana.


    After returning to the surface, I headed to the susorc stronghold. The boar-looking humanoids didn¡¯t seem afflicted by any kind of lethargy, nor did I notice any real reduction in their numbers. In fact, the mobs were aggressively preparing for another raid as I watched from a safe distance.


    I checked the simians and avemons before finally calling it quits, not bothering with the underwater lacusins. Neither of the last two groups I checked showed any signs of influence or change, so I put the weird mana fluctuation out of my mind and headed home.


    I¡¯d already wasted enough time wandering around the rift, and I had crafting to do.


    <hr>


    Months passed, and then years.


    My weapons continued to get better as I learned to compensate for my shortcomings during the crafting process. Intent during imbuement was critical, but I¡¯d found a way to impart my intent into reagents themselves, so when ambient mana was changed and channeled into my creations, they worked as desired.


    Making a formation that would imbue the necessary mana into my crafted items over time was no easy task. I doubted many Enchanters had a need for such assistance since most tended to limit their crafting to their current tier.


    There was a reason for such a limitation ¨C manipulating higher-tier resources was hard, far harder than working with appropriately leveled materials. But I was pretty sure there was a saying about necessity being the mother of invention.


    I removed a tray of loose beads from the largest of my imbuing formations. Because each of the small clay beads was enchanted to do the same thing, I found that imbuing several at the same time worked much better than doing it one at a time.


    In fact, the new setup was more efficient and functional than trying to enchant each small bead by hand since I was able to automate most of the crafting process. Only embedding my intent into the reagents took actual effort, which made the process of creating a huge volume of explosive talismans far simpler than it was before.


    And it wasn¡¯t just explosive talismans. I had several other varieties as well. Each one took a separate set of formations to craft, but the effort there was fairly minimal, given how much of the process was already automated.


    I found it a little amusing that I¡¯d somehow come full circle in my fighting style.


    The bead-shooter I designed to launch the deadly talismans was crafted similarly, though I only automated the mana imbuement portion to ensure it was a true Tier Nine weapon. That was important since every piece of the weapon influenced how strong an attack would be.


    I¡¯d gained my entire alternate level from crafting since figuring out a way to craft at a higher tier was worth quite a bit of experience. I didn¡¯t even need Manatechnician or Researcher to reach my goal, though each still earned me a decent amount of experience as well.


    ¡°These should work nicely,¡± I said after examining the batch of bead-shaped talismans. ¡°Once the rest are finished baking, I¡¯ll test the lot against the goboles.¡±


    ¡°I have no doubt they¡¯ll work beautifully,¡± Lisa commented from the screen behind the workstation where I¡¯d sat the tray.


    I looked up at the avatar and smiled. ¡°I agree. They are true Tier Nine munitions. Given the enclosed space involved, they should be far more effective than what I was using before.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they¡¯ll even work against the boss?¡± Lisa asked with a playful smile.


    I crossed my fingers. ¡°Here¡¯s hoping. It would be great to get rid of one of the bosses this early.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been seventeen years. That¡¯s not really early.¡±


    I huffed out a mirthless chuckle. ¡°We both know it is. If I wasn¡¯t an Enchanter, it would have taken a century to get this far, even with my three affinities. Killing one or two of the weakest beasts at a time would have eventually gotten us here ¨C if I didn¡¯t die in the process ¨C but now that we can set up kill zones and have some real oomph¡­¡±


    ¡°It is far more effective,¡± Lisa conceded. ¡°However, I still maintain that seventeen years is far longer than most challengers would take. Then again, I assume most are not being forced into the rift at such a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± I agreed as I moved to the next formation. I removed the finished items and checked them over before storing them in my ring. ¡°Unless they are using the rift to assassinate more than just me. And considering who likely had access to this rift and how impossible it should be to survive with a full tier disadvantage, it was probably curated specifically to challenge Assassins.¡±


    Not addressing my theory, Lisa asked, ¡°Are you going to wait for the others to finish?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nah. These two sets should be enough to test things. Fire and Ice. The interaction should be effective enough for now. I¡¯ll test the others later.¡±


    ¡°I can practically feel your eagerness,¡± Lisa said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯d think after all this time, you¡¯d have developed a little more patience.¡±


    This time, my laugh was filled with amusement. ¡°Not even a little! I don¡¯t want to be stuck here any longer than I have to, and if this can help me defeat the bosses, then I want to know right away.¡± My smile faded as I released a heavy sigh. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being alone, Lisa,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to stay focused and keep myself busy¡­ and having you with me helps, but I need¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to say interaction with real people because that would imply that Lisa wasn¡¯t a person. And whether she was truly sapient or simply a very adaptable Mana Intelligence, she was a real person to me.


    But I still felt the need for something more.


    ¡°I understand,¡± my Interface Assistant said kindly. ¡°Humans are social creatures. You need contact with others like you, or at least those who are similar enough. I cannot fulfill that role.¡±


    ¡°I still appreciate you,¡± I said earnestly. I stepped closer to the display and focused on the avatar. ¡°I¡¯d probably be crazy right now without you.¡±


    ¡°I highly doubt that,¡± Lisa replied with a dismissive eye-roll. She was always very emotive in avatar form. ¡°You are far more resilient than you give yourself credit for. But enough of that. I¡¯m excited to see how effective these new talismans are. Maybe they¡¯ll be strong enough for you to complete the challenges without tiering up.¡±


    That was my hope. I really didn¡¯t want to miss out on the eighth-floor trial rewards. If I had to do it to survive and escape, I would. But if there was a way to complete the challenge while still at Tier Eight, I¡¯d do it.


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s about time we test these things out then,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be,¡± Lisa said with a nod.


    I returned the nod before waving my hand and collecting my belongings. It was something I did every time I left the safe room since I didn¡¯t trust the rift not to absorb my things if I wasn¡¯t around.


    Excited and hopeful, I cast Stealth and stepped through the open doorway.

 Book 4 - Chapter 25 - Boss Battles

    I looked down at the gobole¡¯s underground village from my perch halfway up the cavern wall. I¡¯d marked the spot a few months earlier in preparation for just such an assault, but this was my first time using it for more than surveillance.


    At a glance, the village looked like a functioning settlement, albeit a poorly kept and rundown one. However, after a bit of observation, its artificial nature became quite apparent.


    There were no children, for example, even if some of the goboles had a tendency to mate publicly¡­ among other things.


    Another obvious thing that stood out was the complete lack of crafters and other non-warriors in the village.


    That part made sense, given the location. Since mobs weren¡¯t supposed to be mistaken for sapient creatures, it was only natural the rift would simply create weapons for the mobs. For that matter, repairing or replacing weapons was probably done much like respawning creatures.


    Another oddity ¨C one more significant than the others, I felt, was that there seemed to be very few individuals hunting or gathering edible food for the rest of the group.


    What little I did see being dragged back to the village wasn¡¯t close to enough to support the number of creatures present, though there were no signs of malnutrition or even hunger.


    The creatures would happily eat anything they could get their hands on, be that beast, enemy, or their fallen brethren. But they didn¡¯t seem to ever need sustenance.


    I¡¯d noticed the same things with the other groups as well.


    Not that any of that mattered, really. At the end of the day, none of the rift creatures were real in the same way that beings on the outside were. They were just like the beasts in the dungeon.


    After watching the goboles for several minutes, I loaded the beads that I had enchanted with Ice-related attacks into my newest Tier Nine munitions launcher and readied myself. My new weapon was capable of shooting several beads at a time, which was important, given the amount of damage I needed to inflict to ensure the creatures died swiftly.


    I had a momentary flashback to my time on the seventh floor of the dungeon. I¡¯d attacked some of the underground goblin villages in a very similar manner. It was weirdly nostalgic.


    Carefully making note of my timing, I sent three quick volleys toward the village. With the first barrage hitting right about the time the last one was launched, I realized I¡¯d need to increase my speed, or perhaps manipulate Time a bit during the next set of attacks if I wanted the timing to work out right.


    The spray of beads was only sufficient to coat about a quarter of the village in ice, but I felt like it was a decent enough start.


    Because of how quickly I was able to shoot the beads, none of the goboles had any idea where the attack had originated. They still started bellowing and shrieking in alarm, as was expected.


    The first attack managed to kill a couple of creatures ¨C likely those who¡¯d been hit directly by one or more beads. I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell had it not been for the sudden influx of experience.


    It was less than I would have expected, given the level difference. But I supposed the higher-tier weapons probably had something to do with the reduced gains.


    It was still a lot more than I would get from killing a Tier Eight creature or even one of the weaker Tier Nines. But I somehow expected a bigger boost, given the creatures¡¯ strength and resilience.


    With a disappointed sigh, I swapped the munitions from Ice to Fire-based and began casting a bubble of Haste, expanding the area of effect into a tight circle so the launcher would be included in the effect.


    Had I not been in an enclosed space, I probably would have lingered to observe the effects of the second set of munitions. However, the risk of getting caught up in the blast seemed far too high, given the setting.


    I managed to shoot seven clusters of enchanted beads during the second volley before I needed to quickly teleport to relative safety on the surface.


    A dozen or so goboles died over the few minutes it took for the worst of the rumbles to end. By the time things finally settled, the ground was pocked with several sinkholes where some of the tunnels had collapsed.


    Eager to finish as many of the injured goboles as I could manage, I reinforced my Time Barrier and teleported as close to my former location as possible. The original ledge I¡¯d used for scouting had been mostly destroyed by the blast, but thankfully, a few new holes had been carved out, giving me a new location from which to observe.


    Most of the dilapidated village had collapsed in the blast, with only the largest of the buildings and a couple at the far edge surviving the attack.


    Many of the chitin-covered creatures lay injured among the rubble. Some were barely alive, while others were actively trying to dig themselves out to assist their fellows in finding and neutralizing the threat.


    In this case, me.


    Feeling confident that my secondary weapons would be sufficient to end the already injured goboles, I cast Haste and rushed toward the closest injured enemy. I didn¡¯t mind finishing them off up close since doing so ensured I wouldn¡¯t lose out on the tier disparity bonus as I¡¯d seemed to for the fight thus far.


    The creatures had a few obvious weak points, which I targeted as I rushed through the ruined village like a wraith. My mana-covered blades, backed by time dilation, cut through joints and stabbed into cracked carapaces.


    I would have decapitated all of the injured creatures if I could, but some were positioned in such a way that made such efforts far more difficult. Since I didn¡¯t want to slow down and make a target of myself, I settled with doing as much damage as possible without slowing.


    My goal was to kill as many as possible before the boss made an appearance.


    As I moved through the fallen mobs, I grabbed and stored several that had already expired. I planned to swing back through and pick up the remains of those still stubbornly holding on to life, but Spatial Sense warned me that my time for such things had run out.


    Pushing Haste a little harder, I turned and eyed the large gobole heading my way.


    The creature was larger than its weaker fellows by at least twenty-five percent, and I could only assume that its strength and toughness had a similar increase in difficulty.


    I felt a chill as the creature made and held eye contact with me. It was immediately obvious that my speed was not going to be enough to win a fight against the gobole boss.


    Very few entities, people or otherwise, had the kind of perception required to track me when I was using Haste, especially when I was pushing hard on it. For the gobole boss to do so with apparent ease, especially when goboles were not known for being particularly perceptive¡­


    That was an immediate nope.


    I needed far more preparation before I was willing to challenge something that negated my strongest personal offensive ability. I didn¡¯t even bother grabbing another body or attacking another gobole before teleporting back to the safe room.


    Some might consider that cowardly. I simply saw it as understanding my own shortcomings.


    Even with the less-than-stellar finish to my first real assault on one of the factions, I was happy with my progress. Not only did I gain a good amount of experience, but I also finally managed to observe one of the faction bosses.


    In all the years I¡¯d been living inside the rift and stealthily observing the different groups, this was my first time seeing one of the elusive leaders.


    I wasn¡¯t happy with the results.


    Hopefully, one of the other bosses would make a better target.


    <hr>


    I didn¡¯t rush right into the next conflict. Instead, I took a couple of weeks to make a few new weapons out of my fallen foes.


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    Many of the defeated goboles had Earth, Metal, and Shadow affinities, making the materials quite useful for several items and weapons.


    Further, I almost always needed more Earth and Metal cores, specifically, so I was mostly satisfied with the bounty I¡¯d collected. I would have been happier had I not left several bodies behind, but given the threat, I wasn¡¯t going to get too upset about it.


    After giving it some thought, I decided that my next target would be the avemon. In some ways, they were far more difficult than the goboles, even with their weaker bodies. However, that was only if the creatures were able to fight back.


    Unfortunately, the feathered harpy creatures were notoriously hard to sneak up on, even with my Arcane Stealth spell. They almost had to have a ridiculous amount of perception, which made surprise attacks a lot more difficult.


    Difficult, but not impossible.


    Large-scale Time magic was tough, as a general rule, though proper planning certainly helped. Having an exceptionally high affinity also helped, and I was pretty sure my affinity was creeping ever closer to perfect with each passing year.


    While a couple of points might not seem like much, they really were. It was why I spent so much time Meditating on Arcane magic. Every little bit helped, making it worth the effort even without the added essence to boost my affinity.


    Being a little less rash with this attack, I carefully crept along the edge of the largest floating island, installing small pieces of engraved Crystal at specific locations while keeping myself as hidden as possible.


    Twice, I had to teleport away to avoid being attacked. Neither of the avemon scouts had noticed the hidden pieces of Crystal, which was a relief. Though they weren¡¯t sapient, I couldn¡¯t be sure they wouldn¡¯t recognize the formation pieces as something to be wary of.


    Because of how careful I had to be, it took me three days to get the formation in place. I took a break the next day to rest and prepare and returned the following night ready to engage my next set of foes.


    Like most creatures, avemons were active during the day and typically slept at night. They kept a few roving patrols around the main island, but it was exceedingly rare for any of the others to be awake or away from their roost once darkness fell.


    I waited until the darkness had grown heavy and sounds of activity on the island disappeared before activating the formation. The patrolling avemons froze along with those who¡¯d already succumbed to slumber for the evening.


    I moved quickly, not wanting to place too much pressure on the formation I¡¯d powered with my own mana.


    It was weaker by a tier than the creatures, but I still felt confident it would be fine, even if some of the creatures were inherently resistant to Time magic. Because I¡¯d activated a [Stasis] effect for everything inside at the moment of activation (and smartly stayed outside the formation at the time), resistances didn¡¯t matter all that much.


    Stasis was a protective spell effect by nature. Thus, without knowingly and directly resisting the effect ¨C something basically impossible when one was caught unaware ¨C there was really nothing a target could do.


    I suspected that was how I¡¯d been taken, though I didn¡¯t put too much thought into the matter. There really wasn¡¯t anything I could do about it while trapped in the rift, and dwelling on my situation tended to leave me in a sour mood.


    I slid enchanted beads under the weak points in bodies and into mouths whenever possible. A surprising number of avemons slept open-mouthed, making the latter quite easy to accomplish.


    It took more than an hour to trap the time-locked, sleeping creatures, even with a weakly-powered Haste speeding my process along by a decent margin.


    As I traipsed through the island village, I never encountered an avemon that looked significantly different from the others, though I did encounter a few blank spots.


    Those weren¡¯t entirely unusual, though. There were several areas in the rift, most with some kind of Void plant or mineral, that showed up as gaps to my senses.


    I suspected the boss might have been hidden inside one of those areas, but since I needed to focus on trapping as many avemons as possible during the limited time the formation would remain active, I didn¡¯t bother digging too deeply.


    When the tedious part of my attack was complete, I teleported a moderate distance away and settled onto a platform of solidified Space mana. It was close enough to interact with the formation and the trapped munitions without being so close that I risked potential injury.


    Safety first, and all that.


    Though I was excited to test my newest attack method, I forced myself to wait a few moments to regain as much mana as possible while the last moments of the [Stasis] formation ran out. Once it failed, I immediately triggered the munitions.


    The reaction was spectacular, though I had little time to enjoy the show since the surge of experience nearly knocked me off my perch.


    An angry screech resounded from somewhere deep inside the island, echoed by several quieter calls. I couldn¡¯t see where they came from, but it was obvious that I¡¯d missed several creatures along the way.


    They¡¯d probably been hidden in the Void gaps. That meant it was likely they¡¯d have Void abilities, which was a hassle when I was relying on magic to keep myself aloft.


    I wouldn¡¯t die if I fell, but it wouldn¡¯t be a pleasant experience, either.


    Confident that I would be able to teleport away with my implanted E3 talisman, even inside a Null Field, I moved myself to one of the small mountains on the largest floating island.


    I was still somewhat hidden by my Arcane Stealth spell, but I wasn¡¯t going to rely on that to keep me hidden from the perceptive creatures.


    When the navy-plumed creature appeared above the center of the island, my suspicion that the boss was Void-attuned was confirmed.


    [Avemon Rift Boss ¨C Void ¨C Level 90 ¨C Various Alchemical uses/Edible with minor processing]


    I didn¡¯t want to run right away like I had with the gobole boss, not because the avemon boss was weaker or anything, but because I really wanted to test a few attacks against the creature first.


    I wasn¡¯t in a confined area, like with the gobole, so I figured it was worth a small risk to at least attempt to kill the creature. If it turned out the avemon had similar perception skills as the gobole (or some of its minions), then I could always run.


    Since the boss didn¡¯t appear to see me at the moment, I set the creature as my target and began lobbing as many enchanted beads as I could manage in the creature¡¯s direction.


    To my dismay, the clay beads bounced off the creature¡¯s feathers without detonating.


    I tried a direct attack, using one of my manatech wands loaded with a [Stone Spike] spell effect. The effect manifested and shot in the creature¡¯s direction, but it quickly lost speed and fell to the ground as if the magical propulsion had been canceled.


    That was likely exactly what happened since the [Stone Spike] technically wasn¡¯t a magical effect once the item manifested. Its movement, however, was still controlled by mana.


    Or, it had been.


    Before I could try another spell, this time coming from above, the boss and its minions rushed in my direction, somehow seeing through my Stealth¡­ probably because the spell effect had been compromised by the Void magic the boss and its surviving minions were releasing.


    Knowing that external spell effects were essentially useless, I activated Haste and dodged the strike I sensed coming from behind before jumping away from the diving avians.


    Since Null Fields didn¡¯t limit my access to my inventory, I equipped a bone spear I¡¯d crafted out of gobole bones and stabbed toward one of the smaller Void-affinitied avemons that was still in reach, cutting through one of its wings.


    It was obvious that the creature wasn¡¯t expecting a physical attack, especially not one coming at it that quickly. The sharpened blade of the spear dug deeply into the creature, bypassing its armored feathers with little difficulty and grounding it.


    I pressed the attack, focusing on the injured avemon as the others circled around. Haste allowed me to stay out of reach, and none seemed to be tracking me like the gobole boss had, though they could obviously still see me to some degree.


    However, not even the Void-affinitied boss was able to make and maintain eye contact. The small weakness was comforting, if a little strange. Given their obvious fortes, I would have expected the avemon to be better with matters of perception over goboles.


    I managed to kill the first Void avemon with little difficulty. I was actually a little surprised at how physically weak the creatures were, though I supposed it made sense, given how easily they were able to negate most magical attacks.


    With a growing sense of confidence, I kited the remaining mobs around the island, dodging their attacks and killing the weaker ones until only the boss was left.


    I kept Haste active the entire time, unwilling to risk my safety without the added advantage.


    Sure, my E3 talisman would probably save me, but I didn¡¯t want to use it unless there was no other choice.


    I could feel that my mana reserves were getting a little low, so I ducked under a sturdy tree to give myself time to down a [Mana Restoration] potion. I really wasn¡¯t great with Alchemy, but basic potions like that were easy enough.


    As soon as the potion was imbibed, I pivoted and rushed toward the avemon boss.


    It was stronger and tougher than its minions by a decent amount, and I quickly found myself increasing the amount of mana I was channeling into Haste to compensate.


    Though I was getting close to reaching Peak-Tier Eight, there was still an entire tier difference between me and the creature, making the fight difficult, even if I was moving too quickly for it to really track.


    I dodged a swipe of the creature¡¯s claws as the humanoid bird swooped down. Twisting, I stabbed forward with my bone spear, barely clipping the creature¡¯s side as it shifted at the last moment. It was fast, though I could tell it was struggling to keep up with my speed.


    Not giving it time to gain distance, I threw the bone spear like a javelin, hitting the boss in the back. The strike obviously damaged something critical, and the boss let out a pained caw as it struggled to avoid crashing.


    Abandoning the spear that was still embedded in the boss¡¯s back, I withdrew a new weapon from my inventory. This one was closer to a glaive, though it, too, was made solely of bone. The difference, however, was that the bone that made this weapon was Metal-aligned, and many of the attributes of Metal carried over to the bladed weapon.


    As the boss shifted and flailed in an attempt to dislodge the spear, I danced around the creature and used the new weapon to cut through its wings, grounding it permanently.


    The enchantments I¡¯d placed on the weapon weren¡¯t active, but they also weren¡¯t necessarily needed for this fight.


    It took far longer than I would have liked to slowly bleed the creature, and even with the [Mana Restoration] potion, I was running on fumes by the time the boss finally fell.


    Still, I¡¯d managed to take down one of the bosses ¨C at a full-tier disadvantage.


    It was an amazing accomplishment, and I felt almost giddy as I stumbled around the island, collecting what I could of my defeated foes.


    If I was right, avemons wouldn¡¯t respawn any longer. It shouldn¡¯t make any of the other creatures more aggressive, but I also couldn¡¯t be certain it wouldn¡¯t.


    This was supposed to be some great Assassin challenge, so it kinda made sense that each defeated boss would make the others a little tougher.


    I frowned at the thought.


    If that was really the case, I might need to find a way to defeat the gobole boss next instead of letting it get any stronger.


    Or maybe it would be better to wait until I tiered up. The fight would almost certainly be easier then. It was something I would need to really consider.

 Book 4 - Interlude 4 - News from the Rift

    Kai, the former Patriarch of the Epikairos Sect, exchanged a glance with Lian¡¯Aenigma, his Mind Mage companion, before focusing on the trio of elves sitting at the table next to them.


    His search had brought the two of them to one of the newer cities on Agirock, the same frontier world he¡¯d visited decades earlier with his former disciple.


    None who knew the Pinnacle Time Mage would recognize him at a glance.


    Gone were his silky platinum blonde hair and pale skin. Both had been replaced by far darker variants, giving him the coloration of one of the dark-skinned elves most often found on Gemine or Astra.


    His features had also been adjusted to aid in his disguise. Most significant were his ears, which had shifted from small, round protrusions into something far more eye-catching and pointed.


    To sell the illusion, his talisman further falsified his identity, overlaying his aura with counterfeit information for any who¡¯d attempt to identify him. Supported by the power of a Tier Ten, very few would be able to bypass such protections.


    The Mind Mage he¡¯d been working with for the past couple of decades was similarly disguised, though Lian had no need for illusions to make himself seem elven ¨C that being his natural race.


    Instead, he merely changed his features and altered his displayed affinity, as was expected for such work.


    ¡°Are you fellows here to delve the local rifts?¡± Kai asked casually when their neighbors fell into a companionable silence.


    Seeing them as fellow elves, the three adventurers appeared happy to engage them in conversation.


    ¡°We are!¡± the darkest of the trio replied with a friendly smile. ¡°Well met, cousins. My name is Bilano, and these two are Hoi and Jaris,¡± he said, motioning toward his companions.


    ¡°Well met,¡± the Mind Mage said, taking the lead on the conversation. ¡°You can call me Rin. My companion goes by Cern¡¯Stonespear.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a Mage Academy graduate?¡± Bilano asked with raised brows. ¡°Impressive.¡±


    Graduating from a Mage Academy wasn¡¯t the only way to obtain a surname, but it was by far the most common.


    Kai smiled as if proud and eager to brag a little. ¡°I am! I attended Hearthstone. It¡¯s an academy known for Earth magic, though others with related magics also attend.¡±


    The academy itself was real, as was its modest reputation. It was middling, at best, but that was exactly the type of education a random adventurer would be expected to have.


    Continuing, Kai leaned forward and said, ¡°I honestly planned to join a sect instead, but the sect I wanted to join was involved in a sect war when I awakened. Since jumping into a war sounded like a pretty bad idea at the time, I opted to go to the academy instead. I¡¯m glad I did since the sect ended up getting disbanded after most of the elders died.¡±


    Being so open was a bit of a risk, and it had drawn suspicion more than once. But of all the approaches they¡¯d tried, this one had consistently provided the best feedback.


    Further, though rare, sects being disbanded under such circumstances weren¡¯t unheard of. His story was close enough to hopefully resonate with the three elves without being too close to their own background to draw suspicion.


    As expected, the trio¡¯s faces darkened at the mention of a sect being disbanded. Jaris, the elf sitting farthest from his table, made a grumbling noise before speaking in a low, deep voice.


    ¡°We know all about sects being disbanded. We were in a sect until a couple of decades ago when the Council decided to yank our charter. The three of us were out on a mission when everything went down, but we¡¯ve talked with several of our buddies who were there, and they said it was some kind of political statement.¡±


    The other two elves nodded along with the first.


    ¡°We ended up sticking together since most of our brethren had already grouped up,¡± Bilano said, focusing on the two strangers. ¡°Did you know that when a sect is disbanded by the Council, the former members are forbidden from gathering in groups of five or more?¡±


    The Mind Mage next to Kai shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of something like that,¡± he lied. ¡°But I suppose it makes sense if misconduct was involved.¡±


    ¡°There was no misconduct,¡± the dark-skinned elf insisted. ¡°Like Jaris said, it was a political statement. The Council didn¡¯t like that we adhere to the old ways.¡±


    ¡°I grew up pretty progressive in that way,¡± Lian said almost apologetically. ¡°A lot of my childhood friends were human and demi.¡±


    Kai looked between his companion and the other group uncomfortably, as if he wasn¡¯t quite sure which side of the argument he agreed with.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have problems with non-elves,¡± Bilano assured them.


    ¡°Yeah. I know plenty of humans and stuff,¡± Hoi said, bobbing his head.


    ¡°We just don¡¯t feel like they¡¯re the same as elves,¡± Bilano added. ¡°It¡¯s hard to be equals when we live so much longer, you know.¡±


    ¡°I get that,¡± Lian said amicably. ¡°But there are plenty of Time Mages who live just as long, and being an elf doesn¡¯t guarantee a long life. I know far too many who¡¯ve died young.¡±


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    ¡°There are exceptions to everything, sure,¡± Bilano said dismissively. ¡°But as a general rule, elves live longer than the other races. We all know that shifts one¡¯s perspective.¡±


    Kai couldn¡¯t necessarily argue the point.


    The disguised Time Mage raised an inquisitive brow at the Mind Mage beside him. By this point, no words were necessary for the other man to understand his question.


    ¡°They are clear,¡± Lian relayed through their interface connection. ¡°They were all relatively new to the sect when it was disbanded, so they weren¡¯t fully indoctrinated. Or, if they were, they¡¯ve moved beyond it by this point.¡±


    ¡°Well, safe delving,¡± Kai said as he tapped the small Crystal tablet mounted to the corner of his table to pay for their drinks. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for me and Rin to head out. We¡¯ve got some people to meet later, and I don¡¯t want to be late.¡±


    With a friendly wave goodbye, the two disguised mages made their way out of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.


    ¡°Where to next, boss?¡± Lian asked.


    Kai was about to answer when his interface alerted him to a pending message. A slow smile spread across his face as he read over it.


    ¡°She killed the first boss,¡± Kai said with a grin as feelings of pride swelled in his chest.


    He¡¯d officially stepped down from his position as Patriarch after Emie was abducted, wanting to dedicate his remaining time in the realm to finding his wayward former disciple and punishing those responsible.


    He¡¯d managed the first ¨C finding her, at least. Unfortunately, he could do nothing to help his prot¨¦g¨¦e, given the situation. Really, aside from liberating the rift from the Assassins¡¯ Guild and monitoring it, all he could do on that front was ensure Emie would be safe when she eventually escaped.


    And Kai was confident she would eventually escape.


    Anya gave her even odds. In his mind, that was as good as a guarantee that, short of some kind of accident, she¡¯d make it.


    The punishment part was still ongoing. Though, if he was being honest, it hadn¡¯t truly started. But he was working toward that goal ¨C or an expanded version of it.


    Going after the Tier Ten Time Mage Assassin was pointless, really. He knew who the Assassin was. There was only one Tier Ten Time Mage Assassin, after all.


    But killing Cin wouldn¡¯t accomplish anything. The Specter had been nothing but a tool, and Kai had never been one to blame a sword for causing harm.


    No. Cin had essentially been manipulated into doing the job, and it was not one he would have ever accepted without the weight of honor forcing his hand.


    Kai had ensured that himself. It was how Lian had come into his service.


    As far as he was concerned, the Sovereignty Sect was responsible. But he did not believe in group punishment, so he¡¯d settled on punishing those who¡¯d acted against Time Mages, specifically.


    Kai didn¡¯t really care if they saw themselves as superior to others. What he did care about was whether or not they targeted his people.


    Truly, he should have acted long before now. It was only his desire not to cause problems for his sect that had stayed his hand.


    But now that he was no longer the Patriarch and only held the loosest of connections to the sect that carried his name¡­ The gloves were off.


    In fact, he and his team had already collected about half of the former Sovereignty Sect members, which was surprisingly fewer than he expected to have secured after investigating more than three-quarters of their number.


    His hand unconsciously drifted to the small metal cube tucked into the folds of his belt. Spatial storage devices, such as the one he was using to keep the guilty safely stored away, were better kept outside other such devices.


    Preparations were already being made to ensure those he¡¯d collected were afforded the same opportunity that Emie had been granted. In fact, all but one of the necessary challenge rifts had either been procured or curated specifically for that purpose.


    If the guilty survived the same kind of challenge they¡¯d orchestrated for Emie, he¡¯d let them be. If not¡­ well, they¡¯d already be dead.


    It was a fitting response, he thought.


    ¡°How long did it take her?¡±


    ¡°According to the minder, she¡¯s only been active for a bit over seventeen relative years.¡± Kai looked at his elven companion pointedly. ¡°That¡¯s calculated from the time since she killed the first creature, by the way.¡±


    The Mind Mage¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Seventeen years to progress through the eighth tier is certainly remarkable. What level do you think she¡¯s reached to be capable of defeating a boss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Knowing Emie, she might still be Tier Eight,¡± Kai said with a smirk. ¡°I told you she¡¯s an Expert Enchanter on top of having three affinities, two of which are very strong. She isn¡¯t one to be underestimated.¡±


    Lian blinked several times as he processed the statement. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a Peak-Tier Nine rift? It seems unrealistic to think she could fight up an entire tier. Surely, she¡¯s at least crossed the tier threshold.¡±


    Kai raised both hands and gestured in the Alliance¡¯s version of a shrug. With an amused smile, he said, ¡°With the right weapons, almost anything is possible.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°She killed one of the bosses?¡± Emie¡¯s mother, Avery, asked, barely believing her ears, as she stepped into the break room of the clinic where she worked.


    She¡¯d almost grown numb to the worry about her eldest daughter, though she couldn¡¯t deny a surge of happiness at the news. Not only was Emie still alive, but she was somehow succeeding against all odds.


    If only Justin had been so lucky, Avery thought with a hint of bitterness.


    Her son ¨C her only son ¨C had died less than a decade after Emie¡¯s abduction. It should have been impossible with the protective amulets he wore. Yet somehow, he¡¯d perished while delving an appropriately leveled rift with his team.


    Avery suspected that his party members were to blame, even though investigators had assured her they weren¡¯t.


    Incompetence or malice, the outcome was the same.


    Bell had been beside herself with grief. The only consolation was that Amie and the twins had already awakened and moved out by that point.


    Even after so many years, Avery still kept in touch with her daughter-in-law. It seemed like the younger woman had finally moved on. She¡¯d even been seeing one of the sect Elders. Avery didn¡¯t begrudge Bell¡¯s newfound happiness. She truly hoped her the best.


    Just like she did with James.


    ¡°She did,¡± her now ex-husband informed her. Avery could hear his new wife in the background, cooing to their youngest.


    That was another consequence of Justin¡¯s untimely demise.


    Avery wanted to blame James for leaving her, but she couldn¡¯t. Not really. She¡¯d been a mess after Emie¡¯s abduction, and Justin¡¯s death had simply been too much.


    To her eternal shame, she¡¯d neglected Kaylee and Ashlynn for the last part of their childhood, prompting both to move out as soon as they were eligible.


    Once they were gone, James left her, and it just made sense to go back home to Earth.


    It took a long time, but eventually, the sharp edges of grief started to fade. Healing others also helped more than she expected.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Avery said sincerely. ¡°Do they think she¡¯ll escape anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. The message didn¡¯t go into that much detail,¡± her ex-husband said with the slightest hint of annoyance.


    Avery could tell that James was eager to finish the conversation, so she didn¡¯t drag it out. Real-time interplanetary communication was too expensive to prolong unnecessarily.


    ¡°Thanks for letting me know,¡± she said quietly before saying goodbye.


    Feeling a little more optimistic, Avery put away her sleek, manatech phone and returned to the important task of healing others.

 Book 4 - Chapter 26 - Tiering Up

    ¡°Fu¡ª¡±


    My curse of surprise and pain caught in my throat as my body was swiftly restored, and I was teleported back to the safe room.


    I¡¯d linked my implanted E3 talisman to a newly crafted beacon shortly after my arrival, giving myself a safe place to escape in the event of a serious injury. However, I¡¯d never been pushed to use it.


    This was actually the first time the life-saving device had been triggered. Ever.


    That fact only reinforced how dangerous my situation really was.


    I absently rubbed my newly restored chest as I considered my last encounter.


    I hadn¡¯t been careless or arrogant during my attack. I hadn¡¯t even managed to draw out the susorc boss before being faced with a wickedly strong opponent ¨C one of the two guards that stood outside the boss¡¯s chambers.


    It was far stronger and faster than the other susorcs I¡¯d encountered, and the added speed had caught me off guard. That small surprise had allowed the creature to land a pretty significant hit across my torso after shattering my Tier Nine [Barrier] in a flurry of motion.


    Without Time magic, I might not have survived the blow at all. Even regular healing would have likely struggled to repair the damage, considering the creature had cleaved me nearly in half.


    It really was a wake-up call.


    I¡¯d already earned enough experience to reach Tier Nine but had been holding off on leveling up in hopes that I might somehow create an arsenal strong enough to bridge the gap between myself and the remaining rift bosses.


    In fact, I¡¯d accrued so much excess experience that I was close to hitting the limit. It was something I never expected to encounter again, and only sheer stubbornness had kept me from pulling the trigger and just tiering up.


    I¡¯d even toyed with the idea of spending a ton of points on a couple of new Arcane spells since my collection in that affinity was severely lacking. I¡¯d put some effort into adapting spellforms from other types of spells, but there were tons of options only available through the system that really were impossible to get without buying them or being some kind of spellform scholar.


    It was unfortunate that I hadn¡¯t acquired many Arcane spellforms back when I was researching such things for the primer I¡¯d written long ago.


    Ultimately, I decided not to waste the experience on such a purchase since I really could figure out most of what I wanted to do with enchantments.


    ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s no reason to delay any longer,¡± I sighed as I placed my furnishings in their normal spots.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re finally willing to see reason,¡± Lisa said smugly as I settled in my comfortable reclining chair. It was in need of a restoration soon, as there were several spots in the upholstery that had worn thin. But I¡¯d get to it eventually.


    Lisa¡¯s comment made me chuckle.


    I removed one of my newer manatech devices from my ring and sat it on the short table next to me.


    Having long grown tired of simply seeing my friend on a screen, I¡¯d crafted the holographic cube to grant my Interface Assistant a three-dimensional body. It made me feel a little less isolated, which was important, given how long I¡¯d been blocked from contact with the outside world.


    It hadn¡¯t even been all that hard to make.


    I sent a playful glare toward the newly manifested avatar. ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s easy to say when you don¡¯t have anything personal to lose.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already discussed this topic several times. My response has not changed,¡± Lisa said, her voice now coming from the purple-skinned holograph instead of my mind. ¡°Without you, I do not exist. If you die because you refuse to gain the requisite power to escape, I die along with you. I most certainly have something to lose in that case.¡±


    Once again, I wondered if Lisa¡¯s response was genuine or simply a byproduct of her programming. I¡¯d already decided the answer ultimately didn¡¯t matter, but the uncertainty still occasionally reared its head.


    And though Lisa could undoubtedly read my thoughts, she never, ever commented on my unspoken question. That action alone contributed more to my doubts than anything else.


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t want you to die, now, do we?¡± I said glibly, pushing my doubts away. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll really lose anything, anyway. Gaining a fourth affinity was a long shot, especially since I could only really afford to use one reward to try.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good way of looking at things. Besides, it¡¯s unknown whether a fourth affinity is even possible. There are no records of anyone accomplishing such a feat in the past.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    It was another thing we¡¯d discussed several times.


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± I said tiredly. The fatigue of fighting and almost truly dying seemed to hit me all at once. ¡°Well, might as well get to it, I guess. I¡¯m going to go ahead and apply both levels since there¡¯s no reason not to at this point.¡±


    I¡¯d been gathering experience and putting off my next level for several years already. In fact, it had been a little over a decade since I somehow managed to defeat the first boss. It was time.


    Not waiting for Lisa to reply, I manipulated my status to do just that.


    ***


    Name: Emie Momentia


    Level: 82* (7151352/7786900)


    Profession: (P) Enchanter


    (S) Manatechnician


    (T) Researcher


    Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane


    ***


    Health: 340/340 *


    Stamina: 431/620*


    Mana: 685/1120*


    ***


    <u>Attributes


    </u>Strength ¨C 28


    Agility ¨C 37*


    Vitality ¨C 34*


    Intelligence ¨C 112*


    Wisdom ¨C 74*


    Perception ¨C 40*


    ***


    <u>Spells*


    Skills*</u>


    ***


    I almost had enough for the last level, but since I hadn¡¯t hit the experience cap, I wasn¡¯t quite there.


    I split my attribute points pretty evenly, with only Strength not getting anything from the double level-up. Given how often I was using Haste and entering melee, I¡¯d invested a few points into Strength and Agility over the last several levels, but I didn¡¯t think the former needed anything more at the moment.


    Really, the boost from increasing my Tier should make far more difference than a few points ever could. I was relying on that very advantage to shift this experience from something impossible into something inevitable.


    I hated missing out on a Trial reward, but at least I¡¯d spent a few months soaking in the regeneration-boosting Hot Spring on the eighth floor before leaving. Losing both boons would have really grated at me.


    I closed my screen.


    Since the changes wouldn¡¯t truly go into effect without sleep, I activated my strongest defensive formation and settled in for a much-needed rest.


    <hr>


    ¡°Oh wow,¡± I said as I took in the damage from my offensive Space magic tests. ¡°It¡¯s almost like being back in the dungeon!¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother suppressing the wide grin that stretched across my face as I realized the implications. Based on the damage that a few unenhanced spells had done to the ¡®regular mobs¡¯ nearby, I suspected I¡¯d be escaping the rift far sooner than I had feared just a short time earlier.


    ¡°As expected,¡± Lisa replied confidently in my mind. ¡°Your attacks are far stronger than they were before.¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s a bit beyond my expectations,¡± I admitted. ¡°For some reason, I thought I was still going to have to struggle after tiering up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too confident. You still haven¡¯t tested yourself against the remaining factions yet.¡±


    She was right, of course.


    ¡°I should do that now,¡± I said excitedly.


    Without waiting, I teleported to my normal spot just outside the susorc settlement. They were the best foe I could think of to test my newfound power against, given my recent failure.


    ¡°You should probably activate Stealth before alerting them to your presence. It would be helpful to check how effective the spell has become.¡±


    I nodded in agreement and silently cast the spell.


    Stealth had been good before tiering up, so I was very confident the newly strengthened spell would be even better now. Even so, I took my time and carefully entered the faux village.


    As expected, none of the large, humanoid boar creatures noticed my presence at all. In fact, I was easily able to make my way into the heart of the village without alerting either of the guards that were stationed outside the room.


    I¡¯d managed the same thing once before, but the boss had been roaming the village at the time.


    Unlike the avemon boss, the oversized boar creature was not hidden from my perception, allowing me to sneak up on the semi-isolated boss as it sat, or rather, slumped, snoring on a misshapen throne of hardened Magma.


    Seeing that, coupled with the tell-tale signs around the room indicative of Magma spells, the boss¡¯s affinity was apparent. Not that I hadn¡¯t already verified that fact. But still, seeing proof was comforting.


    Though I was at the low end of Tier Nine and the boss was at the absolute peak, I suddenly felt much more confident in my chances against the sleeping humanoid orc-boar. And even if it did manage to attack, I was sure I could survive long enough to escape.


    I probably wouldn¡¯t have felt as confident, even with the recent power-up and the boss¡¯s apparent lack of consciousness, had I not recharged and re-implanted my E3 talisman prior to leaving the safety of the stone room.


    I still should have been terrified, especially after one of the creature¡¯s guards so recently managed to nearly kill me. But somehow, I wasn¡¯t.


    If anything, I was excited.


    Assassinating the bosses had to be the goal, right? It was a rift designed to test Tier Nine Assassins, after all, and the boss was sitting there, unconscious¡­ all alone.


    It was practically an invitation, and I was only slightly annoyed that I hadn¡¯t stumbled upon this opportunity before tiering up.


    I crept behind and to the side of the slumbering boss before halting. I wasn¡¯t sure whether to attack directly or use Pause to ensure the creature didn¡¯t move at the last moment.


    Since the creature was clearly sleeping, it was unlikely it would be capable of resisting the Time spell. It should be easy to drop a small Portal over the thing¡¯s head and finish it that way.


    Such an approach felt a little cheaty, but I¡¯d long lost any concern for what others might consider ¡®fair.¡¯


    Happy enough with my plan, I cast Pause on the sleeping boss and immediately followed up with a carefully placed Portal.


    The rest of the susorcs didn¡¯t react to their leader¡¯s death, which honestly surprised me a little. I expected the rift to force a conflict after the boss died, but nothing of the sort happened.


    The entire thing was completely anti-climactic, just like a good assassination probably should be.


    I didn¡¯t bother skulking back through the faux village after collecting the boss¡¯s bulky remains. Instead, I grabbed a few items that I could sense were stored under the throne and teleported directly back to my safe room.


    That made two bosses down and three more to go.


    I had a feeling the rest of the rift was going to pass pretty quickly now that I was no longer at such a disadvantage.

 Book 4 - Chapter 27 - Three Down

    Considering the curated nature of the rift, I doubted I¡¯d get another opportunity to easily kill one of the bosses. Killing the avemon boss had been a fluke, or maybe just a really lucky matchup. Encountering the susorc boss while it was unconscious was definitely a lucky break.


    But I somehow doubted my future boss fights would be as easy. The rift was some kind of Assassin¡¯s challenge, after all.


    Given that, I decided to craft a new weapon before testing myself against my next potential target. I didn¡¯t think any of the weapons I¡¯d crafted thus far would be enough to one-shot the rift bosses, even if they were considered Tier Nine items.


    After testing my newly improved spells, I now suspected the Tier Nine items I¡¯d crafted using ambient mana were weaker than they could be. They might technically be Tier Nine weapons, but I felt strangely confident that I could produce vastly superior items now.


    ¡°What do you think? A set of bone batons that link to make a staff?¡±


    The combination was still one of my favorites, especially with the enchantments I incorporated. Having a single, highly versatile weapon made far more sense than making several separate weapons to cover the same spread of offensive capabilities.


    ¡°Why use the bones?¡± Lisa inquired. ¡°The wood from the forest is particularly strong and mana-conducive. It¡¯s also far easier to neutralize mana affinities in wood as opposed to bone.¡±


    I shrugged and removed one of the long bones from my storage ring. It wasn¡¯t perfectly straight since the large creature¡¯s muscles had naturally affected the shape of the bone, but it was close enough that I could make it work.


    Lisa was right about the mana, though. It would take a lot more effort to create a neutral enchantment base out of the bones than wood would. The other option would be to leave it attuned to Magma, which I was disinclined to do for a modular weapon since every piece would need to be similarly attuned.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I conceded. ¡°Wood would probably be better for a modular staff. I could probably make a stand-alone scepter out of one of these, though. Magma can be a very effective element.¡±


    ¡°I thought you decided to try your hand at assassinating the rest of the bosses,¡± Lisa said. ¡°That is the purpose of the rift challenge, right?¡±


    ¡°I mean, presumably. But how much control did the person who set up the rift really have?¡± I asked thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯ve made low-level rifts before, but never with such control that I could dictate something specific like that. And the requirement is only that I obtain the core for each boss and place them on the altar. It didn¡¯t say anything specific about assassinating the bosses.¡±


    ¡°True, but the implication is certainly there. You saw how much easier it was to defeat the last boss when you approached it as an Assassin might.¡±


    ¡°You make a good point,¡± I admitted with a sigh. ¡°I still want to make a new weapon and compare it to the ones I made before. If I¡¯m going to get up close and personal with something that can kill me, I want to be armed with the strongest weapons I can get.¡±


    ¡°Why not just use your personal magic again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably incorporate it as well, now that it¡¯s definitely strong enough to work against the bosses, but I don¡¯t want to use the same approach every time. If I¡¯m going to embrace the whole Assassin thing for this challenge, I might as well try a few different methods.¡±


    While part of me wanted to just rush ahead and defeat the bosses as quickly as possible, I really didn¡¯t feel like I¡¯d gain anything from the effort.


    With the crazy amount of time dilation being inside the rift provided, I had time to experiment with new things. After more than a quarter of a century in real-time, I doubted a couple of extra days were going to make any difference.


    <hr>


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty significant increase in power,¡± I said as I compared the aftermath of the two attacks. The two scepters I¡¯d used were identical in every way aside from the method I¡¯d used to empower the enchantments.


    The first was an existing weapon I¡¯d empowered using mana-gathering formations, with the intent for each enchantment imbued into the reagents directly instead of the mana.


    The second was made from the same materials but was enchanted the normal way, with my intent being infused directly into the mana ¨C my mana, primarily ¨C which then empowered and directed the enchantments.


    As suspected, the second weapon was significantly more powerful than the first. I needed no further tests to feel confident that any weapons I created now would far outshine those I¡¯d crafted using formations.


    I¡¯d still use formations for small munitions, but even then, I was pretty sure I could boost the effectiveness of those items with a bit of focused effort. It would save me from the tedious requirement of directly enchanting each individual bead, which was time better spent on other endeavors.


    I still had a plan for the munitions, though. It was the same one I¡¯d thought of originally.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Since I already planned to vary my approach with each boss, I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to reattempt my original plan with the goboles now that I could make more powerful weapons. Only this time, I¡¯d teleport back under stealth and kill the boss while it was dealing with the aftermath of the larger attack.


    Rough plan in place, at least for my next assault, I got to work.


    <hr>


    I toyed with the idea of stringing dozens of talisman beads along the top of the underground cavern and having them drop in two waves ¨C Ice-aligned attacks first, followed by Fire. After giving it a little more thought, I worried that such an overwhelming attack might actually kill the boss outright and potentially destroy the core that I needed to escape.


    Since I couldn¡¯t be sure the rift would spawn another boss for me to kill if one of the boss cores were to be destroyed, I didn¡¯t want to risk potentially trapping myself inside the rift indefinitely. I didn¡¯t think that could happen, but it wasn¡¯t a chance I was willing to take.


    Going back to my original plan of sending two volleys of attacks, I readied myself from my perch halfway up the cavern wall. The village and cavern had returned to their original states several weeks after my initial assault, which roughly corresponded to how long it took for regular goboles to respawn.


    So far, neither of the bosses had respawned, nor had any of their defeated minions. A few of the feathered harpies had been away from the floating islands during my assault against their settlement, but they mostly kept to themselves, not bothering to make war with any of the other factions.


    The susorcs, on the other hand, had reorganized under one of the former boss¡¯s guards and were continuing their normal war-like behavior. Interestingly, the new pseudo-boss was not labeled as a boss by the system, meaning I couldn¡¯t just farm the humanoid boars for the boss cores I needed to escape.


    Pity that.


    I eyed the goboles wandering through the faux village below and waited for the time to be right.


    While the creatures didn¡¯t have any set schedule for when they were active or sleeping, I¡¯d noticed they tended to congregate in the mid-afternoon each day. Though I hadn¡¯t done any reconnaissance on the goboles since my last attack, I doubted their schedule had changed.


    I grinned darkly as three squads of patrols loudly entered the village. Being dragged behind the loudest of the groups was the body of a dead susorc. The injuries made it obvious that the creature had fallen victim to one of the many traps lining the tunnels leading to the underground village.


    The other goboles let out a cheer and started swarming the returning squad. A few managed to claw a bit of bloody meat from the body and shuffle away before the boss let out a growling roar, claiming the kill for itself.


    I smirked as the gobole boss emerged from the largest building and made its way toward the now-frozen squad. None of the goboles moved as the boss approached, allowing it to push its way forward.


    I didn¡¯t wait to see how the drama would play out. Instead, I cast a bubble of Haste, ensuring my newly crafted launcher was within the bubble. Firing as quickly as possible, I unloaded ten rounds of Ice-enchanted munitions before swapping to a set that was Fire-attributed.


    It was a lot more than I¡¯d used the first time, but I wasn¡¯t overly concerned. I didn¡¯t think that amount of damage would be enough to defeat the armored boss, even if I had sent most of the munitions in its direction.


    As I¡¯d done the last time, I teleported to safety while the damage was wrought and waited for the rumbling to end. When I returned to the cavern housing the gobole village, I was a little surprised to see sunlight filtering through a huge hole in the ceiling.


    Such an attack somewhere like Earth would have been world-ending. But in a PT9 rift, the damage was barely capable of serving its purpose. Even so, the rift-made village was completely flattened, and dozens of goboles lay broken and bleeding on the cavern floor.


    The gobole boss was pinned beneath a large slab of stone that had fallen when part of the ceiling collapsed, and I smiled at my amazing string of luck.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time my luck turned around,¡± I said silently, not wanting to alert the goboles to my presence.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had extraordinary luck this entire time,¡± Lisa countered. ¡°If you did not, I doubt you would have survived.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and teleported close to the gobole boss. I¡¯d refreshed Stealth before returning to the cavern, so I was a little surprised when the boss immediately focused on me.


    [Gobole Rift Boss ¨C Mind ¨C Level 90 ¨C Various Alchemical uses/Edible with minor processing]


    That explained it, I supposed.


    I immediately teleported back to the edge of the cavern and reworked my Barrier spell to specifically block Mind mana. I hated dealing with Mind-affinitied creatures.


    Casting Haste first, I teleported to the boss¡¯s location and threw a Space Blade at the creature¡¯s neck. I could feel the Mind attack bouncing off my Barrier, but thankfully, it didn¡¯t break through.


    Unfortunately, the boss managed to somehow dodge my spell at the same time, though it was still pinned beneath the large stone.


    I glanced at my mana and noted it was already close to half-exhausted from the mana-intensive spells I¡¯d been using.


    Stealth was still active, even with the boss being able to see through it. From what I could tell, none of the other goboles were able to pierce the spell, so it was worth maintaining to prevent additional attackers from focusing on me.


    I swapped to my newly-crafted weapon and activated the blade enchantment on the far side, shifting it from a quarterstaff into a naginata.


    Before I could attack, several goboles threw themselves in my direction, attacking with wild abandon even though it was clear they could sense my presence. Seeing strands of mint-colored mana linking the attacking goboles to the boss, I had little doubt about what was happening.


    I was still moving far faster than the goboles, so it was easy enough to disable each one. It still took time ¨C time the boss used to somehow escape from the slab of stone that had been holding it in place.


    I channeled more Time mana into Haste and continued my attack, dodging the random attacks from mind-controlled goboles trying to protect their leader.


    It took nearly a minute of extended fighting to finally wear down the chitin-covered boss. Several of its minions lay dead from the conflict, though most were due to the initial attack instead of further conflict.


    Once the boss was defeated, the rest of the goboles seemed to lose all direction and slowly slumped to the ground.


    Watching the cannibalistic creatures carefully, I collected the remains of the boss and then moved to methodically kill every gobole I could find. Most didn¡¯t even put up a fight. They were either too injured to resist or had received some kind of brain damage from the gobole boss¡¯s attempts at mind control.


    I didn¡¯t feel sorry for the creatures. Something about their nature made such emotions impossible.


    When I finally returned to the stone room that served as my home, I released a deep sigh of contentment.


    ¡°That¡¯s three down. Only two more to go.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 28 - Just One More Step

    My target¡¯s steps faltered and its eyes unfocused as it fell forward.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly like cutting the strings on a marionette, but it was close enough. The fact that the mob had already been in motion probably had something to do with it, considering the signals had already been sent from the creature¡¯s now-missing brain to the rest of its body.


    The creature¡¯s brain was now safely stored within my storage ring. Its former shell would join it as soon as the system informed me that the creature was well and truly dead.


    Based on my experiments in the dungeon, that might take several seconds.


    While I knew that it was possible for some species to survive for a while without their brain, I hadn¡¯t encountered any such creatures before. I doubted the monkey-like simians were one of those rare species.


    As expected, the notification icon started blinking a few seconds later. I smiled and collected the dead creature¡¯s body before turning to the other four simians I had locked in stasis.


    Since my attempts at using the technique against the creatures of the rift while still at Tier Eight had not gone very well (they¡¯d only worked against the weakest beasts), a bit of testing seemed to be in order.


    With the first such test working perfectly, I decided to try the technique against multiple targets at the same time.


    Unfortunately, my own spell prevented me from using it while they were protected by Time magic.


    Since I was still hidden by my enhanced Arcane Stealth spell, I canceled Stasis and watched as the four creatures reacted to their companion seemingly disappearing.


    Their sudden alarm actually worked against me since it caused their natural resistance against mana intrusion to magnify, but it wasn¡¯t enough to keep my mana technique from seeping into their bodies.


    A moment later, four additional simian brains entered my ring. The simians remained standing for less than a second before collapsing.


    It was almost too easy.


    ¡°I should see if I can pull that off at a distance,¡± I mused, thinking back to my time visiting Earth.


    I¡¯d easily been able to heal at a distance, using my sensory field to target and control the spells. Using the ¡®brain snatcher¡¯ technique the same way shouldn¡¯t be all that different.


    ¡°You should be able to,¡± Lisa agreed silently. ¡°Now that the technique is strong enough to bypass their resistances, the method used for targeting shouldn¡¯t make a difference.¡±


    While I agreed, I still wanted to experiment a little bit.


    After collecting the creatures¡¯ remains, I continued through the forest, occasionally stopping to harvest valuable herbs and other flora I encountered.


    While not all of the items that I gathered were valuable in the traditional sense, they were all edible, which meant they could easily and cheaply be transmuted into tasty dishes.


    By this point, I technically didn¡¯t need much food or sleep to survive. I didn¡¯t even need to breathe very often. But I enjoyed the first two, so I made sure to incorporate them into my schedule regularly.


    Breathing, well, it was more of a habit at this point than anything.


    As I walked, I drifted away from the simian area of the forest and toward what remained of the susorc settlement.


    Though the boss had been defeated, I hadn¡¯t done much to cull the number of susorcs. I¡¯d killed a few patrols, none of which had respawned, but there were still a lot of the boar-like humanoids remaining in the rift.


    Sensing a group of six in the distance, I targeted them through Spatial Sense and quickly verified that my technique did, in fact, work as expected.


    Granted, it took a bit of time and a lot of mana, making it not really feasible in an active engagement. But when I could catch a small group unaware like this? It was perfect.


    After collecting the remains of the susorc group, I took a short break to eat and regenerate my mana.


    ¡°So that works. What else should I test?¡± I asked Lisa.


    After a moment, Lisa spoke within my mind. ¡°Perhaps you should try putting something into your target¡¯s body instead of removing an organ?¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Poison,¡± she replied. ¡°The simian boss has a Poison affinity. It might be worth incorporating that into your future attack against the lacusin boss if you still plan on defeating the simian boss first. I do not think any of the underwater creatures are resistant to such substances.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, though I¡¯ve never dedicated much effort toward poisons in Alchemy.¡±


    Left unsaid was the fact that my Alchemy skill was not the greatest. It was¡­ okay, but nothing worth being proud of. Still, with the right ingredients, I had enough skill to make a potent poison.


    The remains of a Poison-affinitied boss would certainly make for potent ingredients.


    ¡°So, you think I should make a poison and teleport it into their stomach?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Or heart. Either would work fine.¡±


    Well, I did say I wanted to use a different approach for each boss.


    ¡°Alright. I can try that,¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m going to practice the ¡®brain snatcher¡¯ technique for now and see if I can¡¯t make it a bit more mana efficient. I¡¯ll plan on targeting the simian boss in two weeks. That should give me plenty of time to tweak the technique if needed.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    <hr>


    Two weeks later, I sat hidden in a tree near the simian boss¡¯s treehouse. I¡¯d culled a huge number of foot soldiers since I started targeting the monkey-like creatures, leaving the boss with far fewer minions to call upon.


    Not that it was going to get such a chance.


    Hidden by Stealth, I targeted the boss through the narrow gaps in the treehouse walls.


    Unlike the other creatures I¡¯d targeted, the boss immediately recognized it was being attacked and bellowed a warning with the first brush of mana.


    I lost sight of the boss when several simians rushed into the treehouse, blocking my view. Thankfully, my attack had already breached the creature¡¯s defenses, and I was able to continue threading the tendril of mixed mana into its brain.


    Though the now frenzied residents of the simian village had no idea where I was, vines burst from the trees in and around the village. I could sense them reaching and grasping for anything that didn¡¯t belong, hoping to snare the offender who dared attack them.


    I carefully teleported near the center of the village, floating invisibly on a pane of Space mana beyond the reach of the aggressive vines while I maintained my focus on the technique.


    It wasn¡¯t truly a spell since I wasn¡¯t using any kind of spellform to shape the mana. Instead, I controlled it through will and intent, forcing the mana to follow my wishes.


    Direct Casting. It was such an amazing skill.


    A very human-sounding cacophony of screams followed the appearance of the boss¡¯s brain within my ring, and the chaos around me exploded.


    A sickly green cloud leaked out of the boss¡¯s abode, followed by what looked like a walking cadaver missing huge swaths of fur. The gaps oozed blood and pus from open sores, though the creature barely seemed to notice them.


    I almost felt sorry for the thing.


    It fell from the branch leading to the boss¡¯s treehouse and landed on a group of gathered warriors. The resulting screams made it clear that the grotesque creature¡¯s body carried whatever Poison the boss had inflicted.


    I watched in morbid curiosity as the village fell deeper into chaos.


    Eventually, my eyes returned to the boss¡¯s treehouse. There had been no movement from within since the sore-covered entity exited in a cloud of Poison.


    A cloud that had not yet dissipated.


    Not wanting to contaminate everything, I was hesitant to store the boss¡¯s body, or any other potentially Poison-coated items, within my ring.


    With a frown, I cast Create Dimensional Space and anchored the spell to one of the many enchantment bases I kept stored in my inventory. It wasn¡¯t the right base to use for such an item, so it wouldn¡¯t last nearly as long as a properly made dimensional storage would.


    But that was okay. It would work well enough for now. It would also keep the remains of the Poison boss separate from everything else.


    Keeping my distance, I used a variant of Recall to collect the defeated boss and stored it directly inside the temporary storage device.


    After glancing around the chaotic village and seeing nothing left of interest, I teleported back to the stone room that I¡¯d made my home.


    Four bosses down, and only one left to go.


    I was so close to completing this horrible challenge rift and escaping. It was almost enough to make me rush right into the lake and assassinate the lacusin boss without waiting.


    <hr>


    ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯m just going to yank out its brain and be done with it,¡± I said, feeling a little frustrated at how long it had taken me to create a poison I felt would be strong enough to kill a Peak-Tier Nine rift boss.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Lisa said as her avatar looked over my shoulder. ¡°However, you should at least test it against some of the weaker lacusins instead of going directly for the boss.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll probably kill several of them on my way in, just for the material. I haven¡¯t really paid much attention to them since they aren¡¯t much of a threat.¡±


    I¡¯d have to be sure to use non-poison methods for most of them if I wanted to use any of the materials later. The ones I poisoned would go into the ¡®contaminated¡¯ storage device I used to hold the remains of the simian boss.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget they prefer swarm tactics,¡± Lisa reminded me.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget. I remember what happened the last time we scouted the area.¡±


    It was before I¡¯d reached Tire Nine and the creatures had easily located me, even though I¡¯d been exceptionally careful with my approach.


    They¡¯d swarmed like piranhas being fed a chunk of raw meat as soon as the first one got a hint of my presence. I barely managed to teleport away before they got me.


    I didn¡¯t think it was a failure on the part of my Stealth spell so much as an environmental thing. Most lacusins had a Water affinity, and, being underwater, I imagined they were easily able to sense my presence, even with my precautions.


    After sealing the last container of poison made from the remnants of the simian boss (plus a few additional ingredients), I stored the entire collection and sighed.


    If everything worked out right, the next time I entered this room, I¡¯d be leaving the rift for good.


    ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ve all moved on,¡± I said quietly as my thoughts shifted to my family and friends. And Master Kairos. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not just sitting around waiting for me, but¡­ did Master Kairos ascend? How far have my family members progressed? I missed all the kids¡¯ awakenings. They¡¯re all practically strangers.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± Lisa said supportively. ¡°Finish this challenge and escape. You¡¯re ready.¡±


    I quickly made my way to the lake where the lacusin tribe made their home.


    After casting Stealth, I forced myself to stop breathing and stepped into the water. Unlike last time, there were no ripples on the surface to betray my presence.


    Knowing how sensitive the creatures were to changes in the lake, I decided to mitigate some of the problems I anticipated facing.


    Stretching my Time domain over the entire lake, I cast Pause on everything within the domain.


    Such a feat would have been impossible not that long ago, but now that I was the same tier as everything else in the rift? It was totally doable.


    Moving to the first pair of lacusins, I teleported two doses of poison directly into the creatures¡¯ stomachs. The action immediately broke the spell holding them in place, and the evil-looking mer-creatures let out a shrill scream upon seeing me.


    I worried that the reverberations from the scream might interfere with the spell holding the rest of the creatures in place, but my fear with unfounded.


    Not getting whatever response they expected, the two monstrous merfolk hesitated. That hesitation was enough for the poison to go into effect, causing the lacusins to curl up and wail in pain.


    I felt a little bad about their suffering, so I removed my newest weapon and shifted it into a spear. With very little effort, I had two lacusin bodies joining the remains of the poisonous simian boss.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I care for using poison,¡± I informed Lisa.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Deciding to forgo the substance I¡¯d spent weeks crafting, I continued forward.


    I passed several frozen lacusins along my journey to their stronghold. I killed each one with a different type of weapon, testing their effectiveness against the aquatic creatures.


    It was unfair, but I really didn¡¯t care. They weren¡¯t real like beings outside of the rift, and my sense of morality didn¡¯t apply to them beyond not causing undue suffering.


    By the time I reached the boss, my storage ring was well stocked.


    Seeing the creature as the key to my escape, I didn¡¯t hesitate to wrap it in the strongest restraints I could manage before sending a tendril of mixed mana into its body.


    My action broke the spell that was keeping the boss from noticing me, and it immediately started trilling, releasing a high-pitched warbling sound that I could only assume was a call to arms.


    Unfortunately for the boss, I¡¯d killed anything remotely close by that might respond. There were still a lot of lacusins in the lake, but none were close enough to intervene.


    I¡¯d made sure of that.


    Within half a minute, the limp body of the lacusin boss was safely stored within my ring. The weight of confinement had finally lifted. Had I not been underwater, I would have taken a deep breath of relief.


    I only had one more step to take, and I would finally be free.

 Book 4 - Chapter 29 - After 26 Years

    I¡¯d done the math several times.


    According to the rift¡¯s logs, by the time the spell holding me in stasis expired, I¡¯d already been in the rift for more than 906 years, which equated to right at twenty-five Alliance Standard Years. It took me seventeen years to kill the first boss, plus another eleven to tier up and kill the rest of them.


    Twenty-eight rift years was less than a single Alliance Standard Year.


    It felt like a really long time. But in reality, even subjectively, it was faster than I would have been able to progress on the eighth floor of the dungeon. It almost made me tempted to find a Tier Ten rift to challenge.


    Almost.


    If it wasn¡¯t for wanting to see my family, I might have given the idea some real thought. But fighting up a tier was ridiculously dangerous. Really, the only reason I survived was because I had advantages that few could match.


    I glanced at the five baseball-sized cores in my hands before shifting my gaze to the corresponding indentations in the altar. The bowl-like grooves were arrayed in a circle, or perhaps a pentagon, depending on how particular one was feeling.


    The rift was supposed to give me some kind of reward for completing it, but I hoped I got to keep the cores as well. They were probably more valuable as materials than anything the rift might give me.


    I was delaying. I couldn¡¯t help it.


    Forcing myself to put aside my worries, I stepped forward and placed each of the five cores into a separate basin. As the fifth slotted into place, the altar began to glow.


    Dark mana began gathering just behind the altar, forming a portal to the outside.


    The draw to step through the portal was so strong that I almost ignored the reward that had manifested in the center of the altar, surrounded by the still-present cores. Shaking off the temporary fixation, I focused on the multi-faceted crystal sparkling with power on the altar.


    [Soulbound Technique Crystal ¨C Time/Space/Arcane ¨C Pocket Dimension ¨C A fully customizable personal pocket dimension capable of supporting life. Size based on mana invested. ¨C Note: Absorbing this crystal will result in the loss of any dimensional spaces anchored to the user. All enhancements to and items stored within said dimensional spaces will be transferred to the newly-created Pocket Dimension.]


    ¡°What in the hell?¡± I was completely floored by the crystal¡¯s description. ¡°Lisa, do you have any records of something like this?¡±


    I¡¯d never heard of a technique crystal, much less one that made a true pocket dimension capable of supporting life.


    Did that mean I could potentially grow plants there? Could I store living creatures inside? Even more importantly, could I personally enter the space, or would that somehow destabilize everything?


    ¡°There are records of technique crystals. They are generally only labeled as such when the ability contained doesn¡¯t qualify as either a spell or a skill.¡±


    ¡°And the soulbound part?¡±


    ¡°Those are less rare and usually only appear when the reward is unique to the individual earning it.¡±


    That made sense. I doubted there were any other Time/Space/Arcane Tri-Affinity Mages running around out there. I probably was unique in that aspect.


    ¡°As far as a pocket dimension capable of supporting life?¡± Lisa continued. ¡°No. This is the first instance of such a technique. However, that fact is not a surprise, considering how unlikely it is that someone with your combination of affinities has completed a Peak-Tier challenge rift. Further, rifts that provide spell or skill crystals are exceedingly rare, and the rewards are always catered to the challengers.¡±


    Before getting started with the crystal, I swiped my hand over the altar and stored the boss cores. There was a small risk that the exit portal would disappear, but I was pretty sure it would remain stable for as long as I stayed within the rift.


    When the swirling black mana didn¡¯t so much as flicker, I took it as confirmation that my hypothesis was correct.


    I carefully picked up the baseball-sized crystal. ¡°I don¡¯t want to risk somehow losing this, so I¡¯m going to absorb it now before I leave,¡± I said before sitting cross-legged on the floor.


    I wasn¡¯t worried about Lisa sharing the information with anyone. I¡¯d adjusted the privacy settings on my upgraded interface a long time ago. Without me specifically stating otherwise, the Interface Assistant wouldn¡¯t be updating any databases with the newly discovered technique.


    I also wasn¡¯t worried about delaying my departure for a short time.


    Given how the rift was designed, there was almost no way that someone could access my instance, even with the exit portal active. Considering the room was still considered ¡®safe,¡¯ I felt confident I wouldn¡¯t be bothered while I absorbed the mammoth crystal.


    Using the same method I¡¯d used to absorb augments, I closed my eyes and focused on the technique crystal.


    <hr>


    The crystal disintegrated in my hands as the last wisp of mana was absorbed. The sudden disappearance was barely noticed since I was too busy trying to figure out the massive pocket dimension that was now suddenly attached to my very soul.


    My inventory was gone, as were the nanites that had anchored it to my body.


    In its place was a much larger space that was both familiar and so very different from the inventory I¡¯d become accustomed to.


    Like the inventory, I had a near omniscience when it came to what was inside. I say near because I didn¡¯t instantly understand every aspect of each item or material. But there was nothing inside that I didn¡¯t know about, and I could easily locate and retrieve anything within with little more than a thought.


    I also inherently understood how the space worked, which was where many of the differences came in.


    Unlike the inventory, which had a set environment that could not be changed, I could easily alter most of the basic conditions inside my new pocket dimension.


    Gravity, light, and temperature were easily adjusted, as were things like humidity and time. Further, I was not limited to a single environment and could easily compartmentalize the space for various functions.


    I could have one section that maintained things in stasis, while another might be set up for perfect growing conditions with added time dilation to allow for a quicker harvest. The sky was the limit!


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Another notable difference was that I could make some areas inhabitable by living creatures, just like the description said. Even more amazingly, I could personally enter the space whenever I wanted.


    That was a huge trump card that I definitely didn¡¯t want to share with anyone except maybe Master Kairos. My family didn¡¯t need to know, and telling them only increased the likelihood that someone might talk about it. Since Master Kairos already knew all of my secrets, it made sense to fill him in on the latest one if I was going to tell anyone.


    But I could decide all of that later.


    As amazing as my new pocket dimension was, it was time to leave the rift.


    <hr>


    Not wanting to get recaptured in the event that the Assassin or their people were lying in wait, I cast Stealth and prepared to teleport as soon as I exited the rift.


    As soon as Spatial Sense registered the presence of several people, I teleported into the sky, maintaining my elevation with a platform of Space mana.


    Before I got the chance to observe the individuals gathered below, my message icon started blinking rapidly. I was tempted to send out a few messages letting people know I was okay, but I decided to deal with the situation around me first.


    The area around the rift had obviously been cleared recently. It almost looked like someone had dug out part of a mountain and then reseeded the ground to make it look nicer.


    It certainly didn¡¯t look like a place Assassins would hide their cheaty method of bypassing the Accords. Maybe I was wrong about the purpose of the rift?


    A familiar platinum blonde exited the largest of the temporary structures that had been erected nearby. The man was not wearing the traditional white robes of the Epikairos Sect, but I recognized him immediately.


    ¡°Master Kairos!¡± The exclamation slipped out, but it didn¡¯t matter if the noise drew attention anyway since I¡¯d already teleported to the ground several feet in front of the man.


    I struggled with indecision as I stared at my mentor. I had no idea what to do. He was there, so obviously, he hadn¡¯t forgotten about me.


    Should I give him a hug? I really, really felt like I could use a hug¡­ but we¡¯d never had that kind of relationship, so I didn¡¯t know how he would react.


    Master Kairos¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at my sudden appearance, and he took the decision out of my hands.


    ¡°Emie!¡± he gasped as he rushed forward, enveloping me in his warm embrace. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you survived! I knew you would.¡±


    ¡°H-How did you f-find me?¡± I asked between sobs. I wasn¡¯t sure when I started crying, but it certainly made speaking a lot more difficult.


    My throat burned as if I¡¯d swallowed something abrasive, which made absolutely no sense given how resilient my body was. It almost had to be psychosomatic.


    Still holding me like he was afraid I might disappear, Master Kairos said, ¡°I had a team searching every Tier Nine rift on Sira. Anya glimpsed your involuntary entry into the rift after your [Fate Obscuration] ring was removed. She¡¯s linked to every ring like that that she¡¯s made, so removing it drew her attention.¡±


    ¡°But how did she know the rift was on Sira?¡±


    ¡°Who knows how Fate Mages know what they know? Even being the former Patriarch of a sect specializing in Fate magic, I still don¡¯t understand how they do what they do.¡±


    I wanted to ask more about Fate magic, but something he said caught my attention, and I took a step back. I wasn¡¯t used to so much physical contact, though a part of me craved it.


    ¡°Former Patriarch?¡± I asked, raising a brow questioningly.


    Master Kairos looked a little sheepish as he clasped his hands in front of him. ¡°Yes. I¡¯d already been working toward handing things over to my successor. From our conversations, I knew that you didn¡¯t feel right for the role, and waiting until just before I ascend to give up control seemed like a poor choice. If you really want the role¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I really don¡¯t,¡± I said, cutting him off. I could sense his relief.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you did. You¡¯ll still be allowed whatever role you want once you leave the dungeon, provided you don¡¯t join me.¡± His expression shifted to a smirk as my identification alert began blinking. ¡°Since you basically skipped right over the eighth floor, finishing within the agreed-upon time limit should certainly be possible.¡±


    I nodded. I¡¯d done the math already, so I knew there was plenty of time. Even if I took the remaining break allowed by our contract, I¡¯d still have plenty of time to reach the Pinnacle ¨C assuming I maintained the same rate of progression as before, that was.


    ¡°Hey, did you figure out who put me in there?¡± I asked, motioning toward the swirling rift portal.


    ¡°Yes. It was a Tier Ten Assassin, just like Anya warned us,¡± he replied. ¡°He¡¯s not worth bothering over since it appears he only agreed to the contract because he owed the former Sovereignty Sect Matriarch a favor and was honor-bound to fulfill her request. As far as he¡¯s concerned, his contract is finished. You don¡¯t have to worry about him anymore, I promise.¡±


    ¡°You spoke with him?¡± I asked, a bit surprised.


    Master Kairos nodded. ¡°There aren¡¯t many Tier Ten Time Mages,¡± he said as if that explained everything. Before I could comment further, he continued, ¡°Interestingly, there are a lot more former Sovereignty Sect members who¡¯ve intentionally targeted Time Mages and wholly supported the attempted assassination.¡±


    That didn¡¯t surprise me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have a list of names, do you?¡± I asked with a bit of heat. I didn¡¯t necessarily like the idea of just giving the Assassin a pass, but if I could redirect my ire to where it really belonged, I was fine with that.


    Master Kairos¡¯s brows lifted at my question. ¡°I do, but it won¡¯t do you any good.¡± He paused, waiting for my reaction.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± I asked a bit testily. ¡°Have they already been punished by the Council or something?¡±


    ¡°Well, the sect was disbanded shortly after your abduction, but that isn¡¯t why the list won¡¯t help you,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°I assume you want to do something to prevent these individuals from targeting you or other Time Mages?¡±


    My eyes narrowed slightly as I got the sense that my former Master was playing with me. I¡¯d been gone for decades, both subjective and actual. Yet somehow, it suddenly felt like no time had passed at all.


    ¡°I would like to ensure that, yes,¡± I said resolutely.


    ¡°Well, since those people are already too set in their ways to change, returning them to samsara is the only real recourse you have. Are you not still opposed to such¡­ permanent solutions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve killed before,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Sure, in self-defense and with bandits. These individuals have neither directly attacked you nor are they bandits.¡±


    I made a face at the statement. ¡°Have they murdered others?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Every one of them has instigated the death of at least one person.¡±


    ¡°So, not self-defense.¡±


    Master Kairos shook his head.


    ¡°How do you know for sure?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I had a Mind Mage assist in the investigation,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°I focused mostly on offenses against Time Mages, but there are a few who are less discriminating in their targets and are happy to kill when they know they can get away with it.¡±


    I found myself feeling fine with the thought of disposing of such individuals. I had certainly changed a lot since leaving Earth for the second time.


    I tsked. ¡°It¡¯s too bad I¡¯m already Tier Nine. All of those guys are probably weaker than me.¡±


    A slow grin spread across Master Kairos¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s the beauty of a setup like this one,¡± he said, motioning toward the Tier Nine rift. ¡°The Assassins were crafty in finding a way to get around such restrictions. All we have to do is put them into challenge rifts that are a full tier higher and remove any storage devices. It¡¯s not enough to be a guaranteed death, but it¡¯s pretty close. You had nothing when you entered the rift, correct?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have, but I still had my inventory. That¡¯s how I still have these,¡± I said, grabbing the edge of my outer robe. ¡°I put them in my inventory instead of my ring.¡±


    Master Kairos chuckled. ¡°So maybe we won¡¯t put people into a tier and a half disadvantage, then.¡±


    ¡°Just a full tier?¡± I asked spitefully.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Feeling the embers of my anger being soothed by promises of retribution, I glanced around me.


    ¡°Does my family know I¡¯m alive?¡± I asked.


    Master Kairos¡¯s smile faltered as he nodded and motioned for me to follow him into the building nearby.


    ¡°They do, but there wasn¡¯t enough time to get them here,¡± he replied as he stepped through the automatic door. ¡°We¡¯ve been tracking your progress, and based on the time between the first boss and the second, we thought we¡¯d have more time to arrange things. Imagine our surprise when you ripped right through the rest of them in a couple of days!¡±


    The inside of the building was nicely furnished with several familiar pieces. It left no doubt about who was staying there.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We can just meet everyone on Hadier if it¡¯s easier,¡± I said, ignoring the sudden tension. ¡°Sira is probably a bit much for most of my family still, even with a [Mana Barrier.] That is unless they¡¯ve all been delving like crazy since I¡¯ve been gone?¡± I added jokingly.


    I was a little worried about the sudden decline in my former Master¡¯s mood, and I really hoped it was nothing more than a sense of guilt for not getting them here on time. Or maybe he felt bad about me getting abducted in the first place ¨C not that it was his fault or anything.


    ¡°We should probably talk about your family so you know what to expect before you see any of them. A lot has changed in the twenty-six years that you¡¯ve been gone¡­¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 30 - A Necessary Discussion

    My mind struggled to process everything Master Kairos had told me. Strangely, it was my parents¡¯ divorce that really stumped me.


    Though Justin¡¯s death was horrible and I certainly wanted to find a way to reverse it, death was something easy to grasp. It had happened before, so the thought of it happening again wasn¡¯t a shock so much as it was unwelcome news.


    The divorce, though¡­ I couldn¡¯t wrap my brain around how my parents ¨C my happily married parents ¨C could have split up. I knew they loved each other, so¡­ why?


    Was my abduction and Justin¡¯s death the reason? Was I to blame for their marriage failing?


    ¡°You might be tempted to turn back time again,¡± Master Kairos said gently, ¡°but I ask you to please reconsider. You¡¯ve already saved him once. Fate may have plans for him that we don¡¯t see. In all likelihood, your brother has already been reincarnated.¡±


    The reminder that reincarnation was a legitimate, verified occurrence jolted me out of my oddly spiraling mental state. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but frown as I questioned another aspect of his statement.


    ¡°What does that even mean: ¡®Fate may have plans for him?¡¯¡± I asked. ¡°Is that like how people used to say, ¡®God has a reason for everything?¡¯ Is it something said to comfort the grieving, or is there actually some kind of higher being controlling everything?¡±


    Religion was a super messy topic for Earthborn since the reintegration. Heck, it had been a messy topic before we knew the truth about the universe.


    Master Kairos shifted a little uncomfortably before saying, ¡°Well, obviously, god-like beings exist. To the people of pre-integration Earth, we would both be considered such beings. But when people reference Fate, it is usually the realm itself they are truly talking about.


    ¡°For all intents and purposes, the realm is considered by many to be an omniscient god. How it developed into such is a point of real contention amongst Scholars, but there are too many signs that point toward such a fact for the theory to be easily dismissed.¡±


    ¡°And part of that is forcing certain people to die?¡± I asked in stunned confusion.


    Master Kairos winced slightly. ¡°I may not have presented this properly, but in essence, yes,¡± he replied. ¡°Fate Mages have long learned that some visions cannot be avoided. To attempt to change things often brings about a harsher reality than the original vision. According to Anya, those types of visions come with a specific flavor, for lack of a better term.¡±


    ¡°So, she foresaw Justin¡¯s death?¡±


    The still-youthful-looking Time Mage nodded slowly. ¡°She did.¡±


    ¡°And her vision had the special flavor that told her that his death couldn¡¯t be avoided?¡±


    Again, he nodded.


    My eyes once again filled with tears, blurring my vision. I didn¡¯t resist the tears, but I did banish the physical discomfort that accompanied them.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of having such overpowered magic if I can¡¯t even save my family?¡± I asked. ¡°I-I want to be mad at her for not stopping it, but¡­¡±


    I was mad at her, I realized. But I also understood that Anya had a vastly different perspective about such things. Even so, I couldn¡¯t believe that she would simply accept her own brother¡¯s death, given the ability to stop it.


    ¡°Remember the part about interference causing a harsher outcome,¡± he reminded me.


    ¡°What? Like, more people would die, or his death would be more gruesome?¡±


    Master Kairos raised both hands. It was a motion that was half shrug, half surrender.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have all the answers, Emie. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°And I can¡¯t force a time branch because it would just result in something worse,¡± I said critically. I shook my head. ¡°I just¡­ I already changed things once and things were better. Justin had a wife and kids. The twins didn¡¯t exist in the other timeline. Kaylee and Ashlynn, too. They were never born in the other timeline.¡±


    ¡°Again, I don¡¯t have all the answers. I know that¡¯s not what you want to hear.¡± He sighed tiredly. ¡°Even as a Pinnacle in this realm, I can¡¯t fight Fate. If I hadn¡¯t already challenged it myself during my youth¡­¡±


    ¡°So, short of killing myself in this timeline, there¡¯s nothing I can do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± He looked at me sadly. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I truly am sorry for your loss. Would you like a few minutes alone?¡±


    I quickly shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to be alone again. ¡°No. Please stay. I¡¯ve had enough solitude.¡±


    We sat in silence for several minutes as I processed my emotions.


    I hated that my brother had died¡­ again. But knowing he¡¯d likely already been reborn was immensely comforting. I hoped his new life was filled with happiness and joy.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Maybe he¡¯d even get a decently strong affinity this time.


    I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how affinities worked, whether they were something controlled by the body, soul, or some combination of the two. But however it worked, I hoped his new affinity was stronger than his old one.


    As far as my parents went¡­


    Mom was living back on Earth? Dad had gotten remarried? I just¡­ I couldn¡¯t even process it.


    I was glad that Master Kairos had informed me of the change, though. It would have been horrible to have learned about it during our reunion.


    Would Dad bring his new wife?


    I shivered at the thought. I hated the thought of some other woman being with my dad. It felt indescribably wrong. He was supposed to be with Mom.


    I forced the thought away. As much as I wanted my parents together, I wanted them each to be happy even more. If Dad¡¯s new wife made him happy, then¡­ I¡¯d figure out how to deal with it.


    ¡°Okay. I think I¡¯ve got a handle on my emotions now. Thank you for being patient with me.¡±


    ¡°You can take as long as you want. There¡¯s no rush,¡± Master Kairos said.


    ¡°No, I want to see my family sooner rather than later, if possible. I¡¯ve been gone long enough,¡± I said, shaking my head in a mixture of denial and guilt. ¡°What else should I know?¡±


    ¡°The rest of your close family is doing quite well. Amie awakened dual Mind/Crystal affinities and your friend Ms. AldQuartz sponsored her for one of the better academies. She now works as Ms. AldQuartz¡¯s personal assistant, which comes with far more advantages than you probably expect.¡±


    My lips twitched into an involuntary smile at the news. Amie¡¯s affinities were basically the same as Rhona¡¯s, which probably explained the older princess¡¯s fixation with the girl.


    ¡°Her brothers¡­¡± Master Kairos¡¯s eyes briefly flickered. ¡°Lucas also awakened dual affinities. His were for Force and Space. He was recruited early into the Space Exploration Force, and it looks like he has a post-service contract in place with the Asper family as a retainer.¡±


    The Asper family was Stella¡¯s family ¨C Rhona¡¯s cousin. They were big into the SEF and Space magic in general. It was actually something of a family tradition for their members to serve in the SEF, even if they didn¡¯t have a Space affinity.


    Truly, few who worked for the SEF had a Space affinity, but it was one they constantly recruited for. In retrospect, I was a little surprised that I was never approached in the other timeline.


    ¡°Daniel had a middle-of-the-road Light affinity and followed in his mother¡¯s footsteps with Enchanting. Speaking of his mother, Bell now works as an Enchanter for the sect full-time. I¡¯m uncertain about her relationship status, but my last report has her listed as still single.¡±


    My heart went out to my friend and sister-in-law. For her to still be single after so long¡­


    ¡°Your younger sisters are both doing well,¡± Master Kairos continued. ¡°Kaylee has a decently strong Life affinity and has dedicated her life to becoming a specialized healer for animals and beasts. I believe your world called them veterinarians?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, well, she is living on Morkin, one of the demi home worlds.¡±


    I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°Why is she living there if she¡¯s a veterinarian?¡±


    ¡°Demis have far more beast companions than other races,¡± Master Kairos informed me. ¡°Her services are actually in heavy demand since knowledge impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of spells. Not a lot of healers bother learning animal or beast anatomy, after all.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense,¡± I conceded. ¡°And Ashlynn?¡±


    ¡°She was a real surprise. A dual Nature/Death, both strong affinities,¡± Master Kairos said with a hint of excitement. ¡°That girl is a prodigy, likely on par with you. Several sects and families began courting her as soon as the results of her awakening were made known, and, as a group with a vested interest in her success, Epikairos ensured she was not taken advantage of during the process.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that,¡± I said.


    ¡°You are welcome,¡± he replied with a nod of acknowledgment. ¡°The girl is still quite young, so she¡¯s still attending academies. I believe she¡¯s currently attending one of the more prestigious Alchemists¡¯ Academies. She has yet to sign a formal agreement with any of the groups, but has taken advantage of the leveling opportunities made available to her over the years.¡±


    His eyes glittered mischievously. ¡°You¡¯ll never guess what level your youngest sister has managed to reach already. Take into consideration that she has been attending academies almost full-time since shortly after her awakening.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Level twenty-five?¡± I guessed. Halfway through Tier Three sounded pretty impressive.


    Master Kairos shook his head smugly. ¡°My latest report has her at level forty-one.¡±


    My eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Forty-one! How in the world did she manage that? She¡¯s only twenty-six years old! And you said she¡¯s been attending school the whole time, too? That¡¯s just crazy.¡±


    ¡°I told you, she¡¯s being courted by some powerful families and sects. That comes with a lot of benefits,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°She¡¯s actually stronger than both your sister-in-law and your niece, and Amie has the support of the Quartz Princess.¡±


    I shook my head in amazement. That kind of advancement outside of the dungeon seemed impossible.


    ¡°That kind of advancement isn¡¯t sustainable, of course,¡± my mentor continued, echoing my thoughts. ¡°Nobles and certain organizations can get away with pushing through Tier Four, but the restrictions get much more stringent at Tier Five. Your young sister will likely stagnate there for quite a while as she completes her schooling.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± I said, impressed at Ashlynn¡¯s progress.


    Truth be told, I didn¡¯t know the girl at all. She¡¯d been a baby the last time I saw her. Even so, she was my sister, and that had to matter. When family stopped mattering, I had no reason to remain in this realm.


    And I absolutely wasn¡¯t ready to leave yet.


    ¡°What about Zavira? How is she doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Good!¡± Master Kairos said before his expression dropped slightly. ¡°She struggled deeply with your abduction. I think she blamed herself since she was the last one to see you before the Assassin captured you. Had the timing worked out better, she would have been here to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Where is she now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She entered her mandated rift delve two days ago,¡± the Time Mage said. ¡°It was right after you defeated the second boss. We expected a similar gap until the third, but you breezed right through the last three. I¡¯m sure she would have traded slots if she¡¯d known how quickly you¡¯d finish.¡±


    I released a little sigh of disappointment. While I¡¯d wanted my best friend to be here, I understood that it was hard to estimate such things. Then again¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Anya see my return?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, no,¡± Master Kairos said a bit apologetically. ¡°The Council is in session, so she¡¯s focused on Council issues. When I handed over leadership of the sect and took on an inactive ¡®Founder¡¯ status, Anya took the opportunity to shift her focus to the Council. It was a bit of a blow to the sect, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll recover.¡±


    ¡°Still, I would have thought the most powerful Fate Mage in the Alliance would have been able to know when I¡¯d escape.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well¡­¡± Master Kairos sighed heavily. ¡°As I said before, I don¡¯t presume to understand Fate or its Mages.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 31 - Bells Request

    Bell was the first one to arrive at the hotel suite that Master Kairos had rented for me.


    Though we¡¯d returned to Aspirant City, home of the Hadier Branch of the Epikairos Sect, I no longer had a place to call my own after being gone for so long.


    We could have easily obtained accommodations within the sect, even as inactive members. However, since I anticipated having several non-sect visitors, it made more sense to obtain lodging outside the confines of the sect.


    I considered staying with Bell, but after my long absence, it felt weird to impose on her like that. And since Mom had moved back to Earth and Dad had moved to another city on Hadier, it made more sense to stay at a hotel until longer-term accommodations could be made.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you made it back in one piece,¡± Bell said as she squeezed me tightly.


    I was careful not to use much strength when I hugged her back, given our tier difference. She was already Low-Tier Five, which was impressive, I thought.


    ¡°Me too,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Justin. I wish there was something I could do¡ª¡±


    Bell¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement at my comment.


    ¡°There is!¡± My sister-in-law glanced around as if checking to ensure we were alone. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on something ¨C something to change things. Justin mentioned a suspicion he had about you. It was something to do with your affinities and it got me to thinking about possibilities with Time magic.¡±


    My stomach dropped at her comment. I hoped she wasn¡¯t about to ask me to force a time branch to save Justin. I¡¯d only just come to terms with the fact that doing so wasn¡¯t likely to change anything.


    And if Anya was to be believed, it might even make things worse. I wasn¡¯t sure how, especially since I¡¯d managed to save him once, but I was willing to trust Master Kairos¡¯s opinion on the matter.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working with one of the sect Elders, exchanging custom-made enchantments for information about how Time magic works,¡± Bell continued. ¡°I know that Time Mages have a very limited amount of time they can reverse without causing soul damage, but what if they used a formation instead?¡±


    I barely suppressed a sigh as my brother¡¯s widow shifted excitedly on the couch next to me.


    ¡°It would still cause a time branch, I get that,¡± Bell said. ¡°But if the target for the formation wasn¡¯t the Time Mage, maybe it would be better? Maybe they¡¯d be able to go back and change things without dying in this timeline.¡±


    She looked at me eagerly. ¡°I¡¯ve already planned out the formation. I¡¯ve even collected all the materials I¡¯d need to make it. I¡¯ve just been waiting for you to come back so you can help me with it since¡­ you know¡­ you have experience. Right?¡±


    I had no idea what to do. Master Kairos had made me promise not to tell anyone else, but I knew Bell well enough to know she was going to go forward with her plan, with or without my assistance.


    After a moment, I held up a hand. ¡°Let me talk to Master Kairos first.¡± When I saw she was getting ready to argue, I quickly added, ¡°I¡¯m willing to help you, but I need to discuss a few things with him first. Maybe he can help.¡±


    Bell¡¯s eyes filled with tears as her face split into a brilliant smile.


    ¡°I knew you could help! I knew it! I never gave up, you know. Even when everyone said I should move on, I just couldn¡¯t.¡± She shook her head as if rejecting the thought. ¡°Your mom thinks I¡¯m seeing Elder Vicis, but I¡¯m not. He¡¯s been teaching me. I just¡­ If I can go back and save Justin, I have to. Even if it kills me here, if I can save him in another timeline, it¡¯ll be worth it.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± I said with a sad smile. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it will work, but I understand your determination. Just be aware that Justin may die anyway, even if you save him.¡±


    It pained me to tell her that, but it was important for her to understand.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Fate is a real thing,¡± I replied.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Just¡ª¡± I cut myself off before answering. Trying to explain further would reveal information that I wasn¡¯t sure I could share. I shook my head and said, ¡°Let me talk to Master Kairos, then I¡¯ll answer what I can.¡±


    ¡°You know he¡¯s not your Master anymore, right? He stepped down from his position as the Patriarch, too, so he doesn¡¯t really have any power over you anymore,¡± Bell said with a hint of frustration. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer to him if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with that,¡± I assured her. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll still help you. And even if Master Kairos isn¡¯t the Patriarch anymore, he is still my mentor.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Bell said, raising her hands in surrender. After a moment of awkward silence, Bell shifted and said, ¡°Here, look at this and let me know what you think.¡±


    Bell removed a large parchment from her storage ring and handed it to me.


    As I looked over the draft blueprint, I noticed it was a lot more eloquent than the one I¡¯d used. The runes were stronger and more advanced, for one. Really, the whole thing was a step above what I could have created before my trip through time.


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    ¡°When are you targeting?¡± I asked, pointing at the rune she¡¯d used to represent a point in time. Since it wasn¡¯t empowered, I couldn¡¯t get a sense of what the goal was.


    Bell leaned forward. ¡°I struggled with that since Elder Vicis said it had to be something significant enough to make a ripple. I was thinking maybe the boys¡¯ birth? Or maybe our move to Hadier? Either event should be significant enough to target. I¡¯ll also be able to keep you from getting abducted if I go back that far.¡±


    I pursed my lips at the thought. Having Bell go that far back in time could provide a huge benefit, especially if she could warn me about a few pitfalls I¡¯d overlooked.


    Just telling me about the situation with the Sovereignty Sect disciple would be enough to prevent a lot of issues. At least, it would if I could avoid a big confrontation with the guy.


    If the me of now was able to do it all over again, I would have entered the floor in stealth and assassinated the arrogant elf without anyone being the wiser. That is, provided the dungeon didn¡¯t dime me out.


    I¡¯d have to ask Bell to fill me in on that situation if she managed to successfully travel back.


    ¡°I thought about going back to my awakening and stopping Justin from getting abducted in the first place. Then, you wouldn¡¯t have to enter the dungeon at all. Everything would be different.¡± She sighed and looked at me sadly. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that if I go that far back, the boys might never be born. Maybe I should shoot for the moment of their conception?¡±


    I winced when the mental image of my brother and Bell being intimate flashed through my mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you,¡± I said quickly, trying to cover my reaction. ¡°I won¡¯t know the difference either way unless you tell me.¡±


    I¡¯d have to tell her about my background if she really did go through with it, I decided. She needed to know not to tell anyone other than me once she returned, and the only way to explain that would be to tell her about my own experience with time travel.


    But before I could do that, I really needed to talk to Master Kairos.


    ¡°How about I review the formation in more detail after things settle down, and we can go over everything later? That¡¯ll give me time to discuss what I need to with Master Kairos, while also seeing if maybe there are some items I¡¯ve collected along the way that might be better suited for the formation than what you¡¯ve been able to acquire.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t an empty promise since I had brought back quite a bit of material from the rift, and some of it would work quite well for a time travel formation.


    ¡°That sounds great,¡± Bell said with a smile before her expression shifted to something closer to concern. ¡°How was the rift, anyway? It had to have been hard to be isolated like that for so long. I know you struggled with limited contact in the dungeon. I can¡¯t imagine what full isolation might have been like.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It really was, but I wasn¡¯t totally alone.¡± Seeing her confused expression, I chuckled and removed the holographic cube from my new pocket dimension. ¡°Meet Lisa.¡±


    At that, Lisa¡¯s avatar materialized beside me, causing Bell¡¯s eyes to grow wide.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Lisa said with a playful smile.


    ¡°Oh! You gave your Interface Assistant a hologram?¡± Bell poked the avatar lightly before tilting her head when her finger met resistance. ¡°But it¡¯s more than just light and sound, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Lisa replied, surprising my long-time friend with her response.


    Bell looked from Lisa¡¯s avatar to me and raised a questioning brow. I shrugged in response.


    ¡°What can I say? I got really lonely.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ this is way more advanced than the AI-controlled constructs I¡¯ve seen before,¡± Bell said, barely resisting the urge to poke Lisa¡¯s avatar again.


    ¡°I¡­ honestly didn¡¯t even think of doing it like that. It does sound a lot easier than making a mana construct.¡±


    Bell blew out a breath and shook her head. ¡°What is your Enchanting at now, anyway? Did you ever break through to Master?¡±


    I barked out a laugh. ¡°No! I never made it to the Enchanters¡¯ Guild to learn any new techniques! The stupid Assassin grabbed me before I got there.¡± I sighed and shook my head at the reminder. ¡°I need to do that soon.¡±


    Our conversation meandered through several topics over the next few hours until Master Kairos knocked on the door. With a pointed reminder from Bell to discuss the time travel formation with my mentor, Bell excused herself and left for the evening.


    ¡°Do you know what she has planned?¡± I asked once we got settled. I didn¡¯t really feel like going out just yet.


    ¡°Not specifically, but I can guess,¡± Master Kairos replied before looking at me knowingly. ¡°Did she ask for your help to save Justin?¡±


    ¡°Basically,¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°Bell wants to do what I did before and create a formation to force a time branch so she can change things.¡± I hesitated for a moment. ¡°I know you said it¡¯s pointless, but since I know she won¡¯t give up on the idea, I think I¡¯m going to help her.¡±


    Master Kairos looked torn for a moment. ¡°It may be selfish of me to say this, but as long as you aren¡¯t the one shredding your soul, I don¡¯t mind if you get involved. You should warn her that it is likely her endeavor will be for naught.¡±


    ¡°I mentioned it, but I wasn¡¯t sure how much to share. If she¡¯s going to do it anyway, I¡¯d rather tell her about my experiences so she knows what to expect. It¡¯s probably a good idea to have her talk to me about it in the new timeline as well.¡±


    ¡°Provided it works,¡± he commented. ¡°I know I¡¯ve pointed this out before, but what you did should not have been successful like it was. From your description, the formation you used was nowhere close to being sufficient for its purpose.¡±


    ¡°Yet somehow it worked,¡± I said. ¡°Bell¡¯s formation is already far superior to the one I used. With a bit of tweaking, I really think it could work without killing her on this end, especially if we hire a Soul Healer to assist with the aftermath.¡±


    ¡°If it was anyone else, I¡¯d think they were being foolish. But given your experience, affinity, and tier, I think you might be right.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re okay with me telling Bell, then?¡±


    Master Kairos hesitated but inclined his head. ¡°Keeping it a secret was always meant to protect you. Even if you trust her, you should request an oath of secrecy, just in case.¡±


    At my look of confusion, Master Kairos explained, ¡°What will she do if, after all of her efforts, your brother still dies? Will she threaten to expose your secret to force you to try again? Will she say something in her grief that is better kept secret? Even if you think it unlikely, it is better to protect yourself, if possible.¡±


    Though I hadn¡¯t considered it before, I realized the older Time Mage had a point. Given how dedicated Bell obviously was to saving Justin, even after so many years, it made sense to protect myself from her likely disappointment.


    If Anya was right and Justin was fated to die sooner rather than later, it was inevitable that Bell would seek my assistance again. When that time came, the other me needed a way to protect against the potential weaponization of that secret.


    I hated to admit it, but in Bell¡¯s place, I could easily see myself forcing the subject if Justin died again. Hell, I was tempted to force the subject now, and he was just my brother, not the love of my life.


    ¡°Will such an oath transcend time?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for certain,¡± Master Kairos replied. ¡°But with a piece of her soul involved, it¡¯s possible to word the oath in a way that keeps it effective so long as a sliver of the soul is affected.¡±


    We discussed the details of such an oath over dinner, along with some of the specific phrases that should be incorporated to ensure the oath worked even after Bell traveled through time.

 Book 4 - Chapter 33 - The Pocket Dimension

    ¡°If you¡¯re still not ready to be alone yet, you can hang out with me until it¡¯s time to meet your family,¡± Zavira offered when we arrived a short distance away from the main gate to her sect compound.


    We¡¯d been teleporting all over the Alliance, so it made more sense to take her home than to force her to deal with portaling back.


    I smiled at the offer but shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I promised. ¡°I could use a little time by myself, and it¡¯s only a handful of hours, anyway. I have some stuff I wanted to do that I haven¡¯t gotten around to yet, so now is a good time to take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? What kind of things?¡± my friend asked curiously. She didn¡¯t seem to be in much of a hurry to get back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh, but I need to reorganize my storage,¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± Zavira said with an exaggerated eye-roll. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m serious. My reward for completing the rift was an expansion of my inventory. I haven¡¯t had a chance to reorganize everything yet.¡±


    I¡¯d decided not to completely hide my reward since it was only a matter of time before people started asking about it. Rather than lie about what I got, I decided to just downplay it. That way, I was being honest without saying anything that might draw more unwanted attention.


    ¡°An inventory expansion?¡± Zavira¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a proportionate reward for beating a challenge rift when you entered it at such a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the amount of time I spent in stasis counted against me?¡± I suggested. It was as good an explanation as any and really might have factored into the reward.


    Zavira paused for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Maybe. Who knows how rift rewards are determined?¡± She opened her arms and stepped forward. I met her embrace. ¡°I really am glad that you¡¯re back. Keep in touch this time.¡±


    After a few assurances that I wouldn¡¯t just disappear again ¨C hopefully ¨C I watched as my closest friend disappeared through the ornate enchanted gates that protected her sect from outsiders.


    Once she was out of sight, I teleported back to my hotel suite. My former mentor would be meeting me before the rest of the family arrived for our trip, but that wouldn¡¯t happen for another five and a half hours.


    The suite felt oddly still when I returned, making me immediately shiver. It really was the first time I¡¯d been totally alone since I escaped from the rift, and I wasn¡¯t quite sure how to handle it.


    After a moment of indecision, I shook my head. ¡°No. I¡¯m an adult. I don¡¯t need someone with me every minute of the day. I need to get over this,¡± I admonished myself.


    I didn¡¯t bother sitting down since I planned to use the time to do some long overdue testing on my new pocket dimension.


    Casting my consciousness into the space, I assessed its current state. For now, the entire pocket was in stasis. I got the feeling that if I were to enter the space now, that effect wouldn¡¯t apply to me, but I didn¡¯t necessarily want to risk testing it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s adjust things a little bit,¡± I murmured before flexing my will to alter the space to better suit my needs.


    What started as a perfect circle slowly shifted to something closer to a ¡®Y,¡¯ with the bottom branch being reserved for items that would remain in stasis and the top two branches being set aside for personal use.


    I quickly decided that the leftmost branch would be used as a garden, with heavy time dilation to allow for quick growth. The rightmost branch would house my personal workshop and a suite where I could relax. I¡¯d set the latter up like a home, so it probably wouldn¡¯t need as much space as the garden or regular storage.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dark,¡± I muttered a second before the entire space was illuminated by a soft white light. I couldn¡¯t discern the source of the light, but I knew I could control it, just like every other aspect of the space.


    I shifted everything stored in the pocket dimension into the branch dedicated to stasis storage. The items naturally organized themselves to my preference, slotting into the places I had subconsciously allotted for them.


    Looking back at the other two branches, I realized that I would need a lot of resources to make the space functional. The left branch would need soil and plants, as well as some programmed changes to the environment to ensure things roughly matched their origin and allowed for growth.


    The right branch would probably need some kind of flooring and walls, even if they were purely superficial. While I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d mind gardening in an illuminated bubble surrounded by the void, the same could not be said for working or relaxing in such. But as long as I covered the space, it probably wouldn¡¯t bother me.


    For now, I¡¯d make the temperature comfortable and add airflow so I¡¯d be able to breathe once I physically entered the space.


    I could probably get away with just setting up a pod or two instead of decorating everything manually. I had crafted a new Tier Nine variant with all the upgrades I could think of shortly after tiering up, after all. It would probably work well enough for the space.


    If it didn¡¯t, I could always try something else.


    Nodding to myself, I pulled the Tier Nine pod from the storage branch and moved it to the workshop/ residential branch. I was a little surprised to find I could interact with the pod while it was in the pocket dimension as if I were holding it in my hand.


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    Selecting a series of options that would expand the pod to its maximum, I watched as the back section of the branch was slowly filled by the expanding travel home.


    When the pod stopped growing, I adjusted the dimensional space to wrap around the device, reclaiming the wasted space around the pod for another use.


    Manipulating the shape and size of the pocket dimension was almost like telekinetically molding clay. Everything shifted so easily, as if the space itself was eager to accommodate me.


    After checking the time and verifying I still had plenty to work with, I took an excited breath and willed myself into the pod within my new pocket dimension.


    I could feel the shift between realms. It was a lot like entering a rift.


    The air inside was crisp and fresh, while still being warm and welcoming. It was almost like the pocket dimension had manifested it to perfectly suit my subconscious desires.


    I took a deep breath and looked around.


    Having no real reason to do so, I hadn¡¯t expanded a travel pod to its maximum in ages. The last time was probably back on the third floor of the Realm Dungeon when I was using a pair of pods as a combined residence and workshop.


    There was a surprising amount of room inside. It was probably close to a large warehouse in size. It even looked a bit like a warehouse since I hadn¡¯t directed the item to manifest any room or floor dividers.


    I quickly changed that, splitting the space into two floors. I created a large, open workshop on the bottom floor and a modern-looking living space on the top floor. Moving myself into the center of the upper floor, I roughly copied the layout and style of the penthouse suite I¡¯d temporarily lived in on Hadier.


    The d¨¦cor was made up of mostly semi-tangible holograms, much like Lisa¡¯s avatar. There were no furnishings just yet, though that was an easy enough fix.


    With a flex of will, the limited furnishings I had stored in the stasis section of my new pocket dimension transferred to the rough apartment. I didn¡¯t have a lot, and most of what I did have was pretty old, even if I had kept it all in pristine condition through the use of Time magic.


    I¡¯d need to go shopping soon, but I¡¯d have to do that later. I only had a limited amount of time to dedicate to sorting my new space before family members started showing up for our excursion to Agirock.


    I teleported to the bottom floor and started bringing in the various workstations I¡¯d acquired over the years. Thankfully, I¡¯d always kept my workstations stored in my inventory, so I hadn¡¯t lost any when the Assassin took my ring.


    I didn¡¯t bother moving any of the material storage containers since I could retrieve items from stasis just as easily without having them take up the space. That might change if I eventually invited other crafters to use the hidden space, but for now, I¡¯d keep everything separated.


    Though I had a lot of tables and tools, once everything was in place, the large, open room still felt quite empty. It was a far cry from the cramped conditions I¡¯d gotten used to working in. The stone room I¡¯d called home for the past couple of decades had been quite small, after all.


    Once everything was acceptably situated, I exited the expanded pod and looked out at the pocket dimension. There was still a lot of space in the branch I¡¯d dedicated to the pod, so I adjusted things a bit to push some of that unneeded area to the other branches.


    Being surrounded by an unending void was a little disconcerting, just as I¡¯d expected it to be. But knowing I was safe alleviated a lot of the discomfort. I still wouldn¡¯t want to look up and see that when I was crafting or resting, though.


    I spent what remained of my time exploring my new domain. I could have cranked up the time dilation to get more subjective time, but since I didn¡¯t really feel like crafting anything and I was already feeling the sting of solitude, I opted to let things run normally for everything but the dedicated storage spaces.


    Once I left, everything would be placed in stasis anyway until I made a few more modifications.


    <hr>


    ¡°Are you sure you want to come along?¡± I asked Bell while the rest of our gathered family members checked over their equipment. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll keep them safe.¡±


    Bell scoffed. ¡°You think that¡¯s why I¡¯m going?¡± she asked incredulously. ¡°Seriously, Emie. If you can¡¯t keep them safe, what good would I do? I¡¯m tagging along because killing Tier Five beasts would help me advance. I¡¯m only Low-Tier Five.¡±


    I sent my sister-in-law a look of apology. I hadn¡¯t really considered the benefit that hunting on a Tier Five frontier world might provide to the higher-level members of the family.


    ¡°Should I invite Amie or Ashlyn, then?¡± I asked a bit uncertainly.


    Bell shook her head. ¡°Both of them have the support of people who could easily get them there if they wanted to go. I mean, you can make the offer if you want, but I know Ashlyn, for one, won¡¯t be able to drop everything to go on a hunting trip. That fancy Alchemists¡¯ Academy she¡¯s attending is far too strict about stuff like that.


    ¡°As far as Amie goes, just invite her on the next trip when you take James and Caesi. Maybe check in with Kaylee and Lucas, too. I¡¯m almost positive Lucas won¡¯t be able to come since he¡¯s off somewhere exploring with the SEF, but Kaylee might be able to get away. She¡¯s living on Morkin right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mas¡ªI mean, Kai mentioned that.¡±


    Bell smirked at my slip but didn¡¯t comment, though her eyes drifted over my shoulder to the man in question. He¡¯d decided to come along for the trip, and I didn¡¯t see any reason to deny him.


    Looking back at the people gathered, it was clear everyone was as ready as they were going to get. Mom, Daniel, and Eve were all obviously very nervous about the trip, especially knowing they would be going against Tier Five opponents. But I¡¯d assured everyone they would be perfectly safe, and I intended to keep my promise.


    ¡°Alright, everyone. Get close and grab ahold of your neighbor. Skin contact helps, so hold hands or something,¡± I said.


    Kai slipped his hand into mine and smiled gently. Bell grabbed my other hand and gave me a knowing look, followed by an exaggerated wink.


    I struggled not to roll my eyes at her antics.


    Somewhere along the way, Bell had gotten it in her head that Kai and I would make a good couple. He¡¯d never directly expressed an interest in such, but he also hadn¡¯t expressed a disinterest.


    I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what I felt for my former Master, but I certainly didn¡¯t think now was the time to figure things out. I only had a limited amount of time outside of the dungeon. Getting involved with anyone seemed like a bad idea.


    ¡°This is going to be a two-step process instead of the single action that most of you are probably used to,¡± I warned, focusing on my task. ¡°Please don¡¯t resist. It¡¯s already going to take a lot of mana to get us all there.¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t wipe me out by any means. Even without making physical contact to ease the mana needed, I¡¯d still have plenty to make the trip a couple of times.


    Phasing into the weave first was a necessity, given the vast distances involved. But I didn¡¯t bother explaining that part of it. None of them were Space Mages, so it wouldn¡¯t have made much sense to anyone except maybe Kai anyway.


    Once everyone was connected, I moved us, first into the weave connecting every physical location in the realm, then to the main Agirock teleportation beacon.


    It was my first time teleporting such a distance, but I found that my increased tier made it just a tad harder than teleporting within the same solar system had been before I was abducted. It was a huge increase in power, and I could only imagine how ridiculous my abilities with Space magic would be once I reached the Pinnacle.

 Book 4 - Chapter 34 - Oaths and Secrets

    The power-leveling trip went smoothly once we worked out a method of retrieving the defeated rift beasts. At first, I handled their acquisition myself, but that quickly became tedious. It also took far too much of my attention with four people actively killing them.


    I didn¡¯t want to say anything since I¡¯d been the one to push for the trip, but Bell noticed what was happening and offered to craft a solution. Since the solution relied on Space mana to function, I still needed to fuel it, but creating a Tier Nine Space-attuned mana crystal wasn¡¯t very difficult.


    The harder part was making an adapter to dilute the mana I¡¯d imbued into it so it would work with the Tier Five material she used. I¡¯d helped with that piece since it wasn¡¯t something Bell was able to do alone.


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of skill since Bell was a very capable Enchanter. She simply couldn¡¯t manipulate the higher-density mana sufficiently to properly shape the enchantment.


    I felt a little bad about practically forcing Mom to spend half of her vacation killing rift beasts, but she needed to get stronger. Honestly, if she hadn¡¯t needed to go back to work so soon, I would have extended the trip.


    I wasn¡¯t as worried about Daniel and his wife since they were still pretty young. But Mom wasn¡¯t, and her age was going to start catching up to her soon if she didn¡¯t keep progressing.


    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Bell asked when we finally returned to Aspirant City. ¡°Are you going to go back to the hotel or move into the sect? I would invite you to stay here, but my lease only allows one resident.¡±


    Her apartment was only a studio, which surprised me when I first saw it. I expected her to live somewhere nicer, given her income.


    But if she was saving and spending everything she earned on reagents for her formation, the modest living arrangement made sense.


    ¡°No worries there,¡± I told her before glancing at Kai to see if he had a recommendation.


    ¡°I have no doubt the local branch would welcome you,¡± he said. ¡°The same applies to any other branch, including the main branch on Aegeas. It may be more comfortable there, given the higher mana density.¡±


    I frowned, not because I was unhappy with the offer, but because it ran counter to my expectations.


    ¡°I thought you wanted me to help new disciples prepare for the dungeon,¡± I said. ¡°How can I do that from somewhere else?¡±


    My mentor chuckled with amusement at the question. ¡°Can you not teleport across the Alliance?¡±


    I blinked several times as I realized the absurdity of my query. Obviously, it didn¡¯t matter where I lived since I could easily travel wherever I needed to go.


    ¡°Wow, Emie. I thought tiering up was supposed to make you smarter,¡± Bell said jokingly.


    ¡°Ha ha,¡± I snarked. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been teleporting between planets for very long. The idea that I can do so easily takes some getting used to.¡±


    ¡°Well, just make sure you come visit soon so you can help me with the thing,¡± she said while giving me a pointed look.


    ¡°He already knows,¡± I informed her. ¡°In fact, now¡¯s probably as good a time as any to have a conversation if you have the time.¡±


    She should, since I¡¯d only just brought her home. But just in case she had something else planned, I figured it was good to ask.


    I glanced at my mentor and raised a questioning brow. I didn¡¯t want to assume he was free, either, just because he¡¯d been traveling with us the whole time.


    He made a ¡®whatever you think is best¡¯ motion and smiled.


    ¡°He knows?¡± Bell asked with a hint of panic.


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no need to freak out,¡± I assured her. ¡°In fact, I want to tell you something important, but I need an oath that you won¡¯t share it or use the knowledge against me.¡±


    Bell looked at me oddly. ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t use your secrets against you,¡± she said, aghast. ¡°What kind of person do you think I am?¡±


    I sighed heavily. ¡°It has nothing to do with that. I just need the oath before I can tell you. I¡¯ve already promised not to share the information, so I have to make sure it doesn¡¯t go any further before I can tell you.¡±


    It was a little misleading, but not really false. I had promised my former Master not to share the secret with anyone else. And when I¡¯d asked his opinion on telling Bell, he¡¯d been the one to recommend the oath.


    ¡°Okay, fine. If that¡¯s what you need,¡± she said nonchalantly. ¡°How do we do this?¡±


    I removed the tablet that Kai and I had used to draft the oath ¨C which functioned similarly to a one-sided contract ¨C and handed it to her. She immediately started reading.


    ¡°That¡¯s a weird bit of phrasing,¡± she pointed out, referencing the bit we¡¯d added to hopefully allow the oath to travel back with her.


    ¡°It has a purpose.¡± I paused before shrugging and explaining things. ¡°It¡¯s so the oath applies even after you go back in time. It¡¯s important that my secret is protected no matter when you are.¡±


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    Bell raised a brow in my direction before shaking her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem very complicated. I can¡¯t share your secret with anyone not in this room, by action or inaction. Don¡¯t write it down. Don¡¯t speak about it anywhere that isn¡¯t warded.¡± Bell nodded. ¡°I can handle that.¡±


    With her agreement, the three of us mana-signed the contract, linking our progress to the terms. Unlike last time, I could feel the mana from the system seeping into my soul, solidifying the oath.


    Neither Kai nor I would receive any punishments if the contract was broken since the only one actually bound by the oath was Bell. And since Kai was only listed as a witness, she would be able to talk to him about my secret as long as they were somewhere private.


    I didn¡¯t see the point in including him as an active participant in the contract since he was the one who advised me to keep it a secret. If I couldn¡¯t trust him, who could I trust?


    On that note, I should probably tell him about the pocket dimension.


    I paused. It might be worth mentioning to both of them, especially if Bell is successful with her trip back in time. I¡¯d certainly like to know that entering a challenge rift at a tier disadvantage might lead to such rewards.


    Then again, the reward might be contingent on having gotten an [Advanced Inventory]. If I never entered the dungeon, it would take a long time before I managed to acquire something like that.


    ¡°Okay, now that that¡¯s out of the way,¡± I said, storing the device and activating my own set of wards. ¡°I actually have two secrets. The first applies to your situation, Bell. I know Justin had some theories, and he was probably closer than he realized. I did travel back in time.¡±


    Bell¡¯s face immediately lit up. ¡°I knew it! It¡¯s supposed to be impossible, but the hint you gave him¡­ You practically told him you¡¯d done it, especially since you started acting different before you even became a beta tester.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. I returned to the first time my body experienced a wave of mana. I expected that to be when the system activated for everyone, but it was actually the first time I played Atlas Online.¡±


    Bell was practically bouncing in her seat. ¡°Tell me everything! What happened?¡±


    I told her about the first timeline and how my parents had been brutally murdered in the first days. I also told her how Justin and Amie had disappeared from the beach during the start of the reintegration. I shared my theory that they¡¯d been taken and sent to the dungeon, though I still wasn¡¯t sure why Amie had been taken as well.


    When I reached the point in the story about being robbed and left for dead in a maze-type challenge dungeon, Bell¡¯s eyes hardened.


    ¡°Obviously, I escaped. I was lucky I was close to tiering up, or I probably wouldn¡¯t have made it,¡± I said before pausing. ¡°What?¡±


    Bell shook her head. ¡°Nothing. I thought something like that might have happened to Justin, but Amie read the surviving members¡¯ minds while they told us what happened, and she said they were being honest.¡± Her expression hardened. ¡°I¡¯m still pissed that they entered the LT4 rift with only half of the party tiered up and then left his body behind. If they hadn¡¯t been so reckless¡­¡±


    I slid closer to my sister-in-law and wrapped an arm around her. ¡°I need to warn you about something,¡± I said softly. ¡°There is a good chance that even if you successfully save Justin, it won¡¯t last.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I looked at Kai pleadingly, and he spoke up. ¡°Sometimes, Fate insists on certain outcomes. No matter how hard we try to avoid them, Fate always gets its way. Justin¡¯s death shows the hallmarks of such predetermination.¡±


    ¡°I know Fate is an affinity type, but you¡¯re saying it like Fate is an actual entity,¡± she said. Her body had gone rigid at my mentor¡¯s comment, but I kept my arm around her. ¡°And what kind of hallmarks? What does that even mean?¡±


    ¡°Fate Mages have learned to recognize certain events; they are often referred to as canon events,¡± Kai said, giving us both a name for the phenomenon. ¡°Visions involving canon events are different, and the Fate Mages usually recognize them for what they are. Efforts to change canon events always fail, eventually. An event might be delayed or temporarily averted, but the consequences always manifest.¡±


    ¡°I had the same reaction as you,¡± I interjected. ¡°As soon as I found out he died, I immediately thought about finding a way to change things again. Obviously, you¡¯ve got enough context to realize that I basically did what you¡¯re trying to do. I made a formation and powered it with the strongest Time core I could acquire. It worked, though it really shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡°Thinking back on the formation I used, it really shouldn¡¯t have. There almost had to be some kind of divine intervention involved. I¡¯m also almost positive that I died in the other timeline. The soul damage was extensive. The formation basically rips a part of the target¡¯s soul away and sends it back in time, creating a new time branch. It¡¯s really painful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that!¡± Bell said heatedly. ¡°If I have to die in this timeline to save him in another, I¡¯ll do it! I don¡¯t care how much it hurts. It can¡¯t be worse than missing him.¡±


    I nodded understandingly. ¡°I felt similarly when I made the decision the first time. But he died again, and the Oracle says it¡¯s destined.¡± I choked up at the sight of my sister-in-law¡¯s tears.


    ¡°If I thought it would make a real difference,¡± I continued, ¡°I¡¯d try again. Even with the pain, I¡¯d do it if I knew it would really save him. But I believe Anya when she says there¡¯s nothing that can be done to stop it. I also believe he¡¯s already been reincarnated. The knowledge that reincarnation really exists helps.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he was reincarnated. I want my Justin back!¡± Bell said between sobs. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do it for me. I always planned to be the one to go. Even if I can only have him back for a little while, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°What happens when he dies again?¡± I asked quietly. It was a cruel thing to ask, but I wanted her to at least prepare for the eventuality.


    Bell¡¯s rigid body suddenly went slack and she slumped against me, sliding until her head was in my lap.


    ¡°I went to see a Mind therapist after his death, you know,¡± she said tiredly, staring at the ceiling. ¡°I was almost ready to move on when she said something that reminded me of Justin¡¯s theory ¨C about how he thought maybe you time traveled, somehow. I knew it was a silly hope, but I couldn¡¯t get past it once my mind latched onto it.¡±


    Her eyes drifted to mine. ¡°I understand that Fate might be involved, but I have to try, at least once. If he still ends up dying¡­¡± She closed her eyes tightly, looking pained. ¡°If I still can¡¯t save him, I¡¯ll try to let him go. I¡¯ll try. That¡¯s all I can promise.¡±


    I nodded, though she wasn¡¯t looking at me. ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask. I want you to be happy, too, Bell. I almost wish I had a Soul affinity so I could find Justin¡¯s new incarnation. Seeing him alive in another form would probably go a long way toward providing closure for everyone who loves him.¡±


    ¡°Anya might be able to do it,¡± Kai said softly. ¡°Fate Mages are actually better at tracking new incarnations, provided they have had contact with the target. Though Anya didn¡¯t know Justin well, she was acutely aware of his passing. It might be enough ¨C provided your brother has reincarnated within her range.¡±


    ¡°Will you ask her?¡± I asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind teleporting her around if it helps her locate him.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better coming from you,¡± he replied before looking at Bell. Her head was still in my lap, but the tears had mostly stopped flowing. ¡°It might be worth finding his new incarnation before proceeding with your other plans.¡±


    As if feeling his gaze, Bell grimaced and then nodded. ¡°If she could find him, I think it would be good to see him before I go back. I still want to try, though, even if it¡¯s ultimately hopeless.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 35 - The Second Secret

    ¡°What was the second secret you mentioned?¡± Bell asked a short while later.


    ¡°Compared to the time travel bomb, this one is pretty tame. I¡¯d still prefer the details not be shared,¡± I said, glancing between my mentor and my sister-in-law. ¡°I mentioned to Zavira that my rift reward was an upgrade to my inventory, but that isn¡¯t the whole truth.¡±


    I¡¯d need to bring Zavira in on the secret now that I was telling Bell and Kai. She was one of my most trusted friends. She¡¯d certainly been the most consistent with messaging while I was stuck in the rift.


    ¡°The rift reward actually absorbed my inventory,¡± I continued. ¡°It¡¯s no longer anchored to my body. Now, the dimensional space is soulbound. I have a lot more control over it, and it can even hold living items.¡±


    Bell¡¯s eyes grew wider than my mentor¡¯s, but it was obvious that he was surprised by the revelation as well.


    ¡°What does that mean, soulbound?¡± Bell asked. ¡°I mean, I get it in a fantasy fiction context, but since respawns aren¡¯t really a thing, I guess I don¡¯t see the purpose in it. Would the space and its contents follow you if you were reborn?¡±


    I shrugged and looked at Kai, hoping he might have some insight on the topic. I had some theories based on the feelings I got from the space, but I didn¡¯t want to color his opinion by sharing my thoughts first.


    ¡°Soulbound items are practically mythic,¡± Kai informed us. ¡°There have only been a dozen or so individual souls in recorded history with a documented soulbound artifact. Interestingly, the reappearance of such artifacts is one way of tracking a particular reincarnated soul. None have lasted beyond three cycles, though, so it isn¡¯t truly as permanent as the label may imply.¡±


    ¡°What happens to them after that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps the link weakens between lives?¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll have the inventory in your next two or three lives?¡± Bell gasped. ¡°That¡¯s pretty overpowered, especially if the contents transfer.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would work quite like that,¡± I said with a frown. ¡°The pocket dimension is linked to my soul, so it¡¯s Tier Nine right now. If I died and was reborn with it, the space would only be Tier One. I doubt the contents would transfer.¡±


    I was actually quite certain of that fact. I didn¡¯t know where the certainty came from, but I knew that if I were to die or ascend, the contents of the pocket dimension would be lost. The space itself would remain in an altered state, but none of the contents would survive the transition.


    ¡°Still, that¡¯s pretty overpowered,¡± Bell said. I didn¡¯t disagree.


    ¡°You mentioned being able to store living creatures,¡± Kai continued. ¡°Have you tested that yet?¡±


    ¡°Not intentionally,¡± I admitted. ¡°I accidentally transferred a few different types of creatures into the space when I was making my garden. I left them there for a day with extreme time dilation in effect, just to see what would happen.¡±


    ¡°What did happen?¡± Bell asked curiously.


    ¡°They were fine¡­ mostly.¡±


    ¡°Mostly?¡±


    I let out a nervous chuckle. ¡°I¡­ uh, I forgot to provide food and water for the critters, so they ate through the vegetation I¡¯d collected. It was probably lucky the ones I grabbed weren¡¯t carnivores.¡±


    It was an embarrassing oversight, but I¡¯d been distracted with power-leveling my family and not getting caught during my nightly trips to one of the uninhabited Tier Nine planets in a nearby system.


    It certainly highlighted my need for some kind of caretaker for the space. Even if I didn¡¯t have anything but plants, I¡¯d need something to control the environment and ensure any necessary pollination took place.


    I didn¡¯t necessarily need insects or other critters for the job since the right formation could do the same task more efficiently. Just having some kind of Mana Intelligence to keep track of everything would be more than enough.


    Maybe Lisa could handle it. She already had a semi-corporal avatar.


    I shook my head. It was something to figure out later.


    ¡°Did you guys want to see it?¡± I asked.


    Kai smiled widely and nodded while Bell¡¯s expression shifted to worry.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s safe?¡± she asked. ¡°If it¡¯s Tier Nine, that¡¯s a bit too much for me.¡±


    She brought up a good point. But as soon as the problem was pointed out, I instinctively knew how to fix it.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I can anchor a localized Tier Five area. It¡¯s basically like a [Mana Barrier], except it won¡¯t be accomplished through enchantments. Instead, the space itself will accommodate you.¡±


    ¡°That seems really¡­¡± Bell trailed off. ¡°Do you really have that much control over your inventory now?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± I promised. ¡°And it¡¯s not really an inventory so much as a personal pocket dimension.¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s still an inventory if you¡¯re using it to store stuff,¡± Bell pointed out. I was glad that her mood had improved since our earlier conversation.


    Once I assured her again that entering the space was perfectly safe, Bell¡¯s curiosity won out, and she agreed to enter my pocket dimension.


    ¡°Okay, hold onto me,¡± I said.


    ¡°Wait, you can enter too?¡± Bell asked. ¡°How does that work?¡±


    I shifted the three of us into my private workshop. The localized Tier Five area manifested immediately around my sister-in-law, ensuring she was kept safe from the higher-density mana within the space.


    ¡°I can¡¯t explain it,¡± I said after letting go. ¡°All I know is that it works. I can enter the space freely and exit anywhere I¡¯ve previously entered from, or anywhere I¡¯ve left a spatial marker. They aren¡¯t quite the same as a regular beacon since it doesn¡¯t seem like they expire, but I obviously haven¡¯t gotten a chance to test that theory.¡±


    ¡°Is there a limit to how many you can have at one time?¡± Kai asked, though his eyes were roaming the sparsely furnished expanded pod.


    ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Bell spun toward me. ¡°Will you be able to use this to leave the dungeon?¡±


    I opened my mouth to say yes, then hesitated.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually not sure. It depends on whether or not the dungeon exists in a separate subrealm like rifts do.¡± I paused, giving it more thought. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I can use this pocket dimension to escape a rift, but I need to test that.¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t jump right back into a rift, Emie,¡± Bell pleaded. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. I was just curious.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t jump right back into a rift,¡± I promised, mimicking her phrasing. ¡°I can check it when Zavira and I do our mandatory delve. I told her I¡¯d bring her along on mine to help boost her progress since she won¡¯t be re-entering the dungeon for the foreseeable future.¡±


    Mentioning Zavira and delving reminded me of something and I turned to Kai. ¡°Zavira wanted to join us when we dispense justice to the former Sovereignty Sect members,¡± I told him. ¡°Do you have any idea when you¡¯ll want to do that?¡±


    The Time Mage removed a familiar-looking cube from a spatially expanded pocket. It looked a lot like the one Sir Eri¡¯Non had had me give to the Gatekeeper.


    ¡°We can start whenever you want,¡± he said, handing me the cube. ¡°Since there obviously won¡¯t be any complications involved in storing this in your pocket dimension, it¡¯s probably better for you to hold onto it.¡±


    I took the cube from his hand and looked at it closely. ¡°Is it a [Stasis Storage] cube?¡±


    Kai nodded. ¡°One capable of storing living beings,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°On the surface, your reward isn¡¯t so remarkable that you¡¯d need to keep it hidden. Just don¡¯t tell anyone any more than that. I¡¯d keep the fact that you can enter it secret, but even that isn¡¯t so rare for Master-quality spatial items. Certainly don¡¯t tell anyone that you can use it to travel. Let them think you¡¯re teleporting like a normal Space Mage.¡±


    ¡°I was going to tell Zavira¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your secret, Emie,¡± he reminded me. ¡°If you trust her with it, who am I to advise you differently?¡±


    ¡°Is there more to it than this?¡± Bell asked.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. This is just the bottom floor of a pod I expanded. I plan to make the top floor into an apartment.¡± I focused on the back corner and willed a set of stairs to manifest.


    I would have needed to touch a wall to manage the same thing outside of my pocket dimension, but within the space, my will permeated everything.


    Once the stairs solidified, I led the way to the second floor.


    ¡°There¡¯s hardly anything here,¡± Bell said.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really had time to go shopping,¡± I replied. ¡°This is what I¡¯ve been using for the last twenty-six years.¡±


    Longer, actually, since I¡¯d had some of it before I¡¯d gotten tossed into the rift.


    ¡°We need to take you shopping,¡± Bell said with an excited glint in her eyes. ¡°You should measure out the space and have your Interface Assistant create a few floorplan options. I¡¯ll help you design everything. It¡¯ll be awesome. You can just live here instead of getting a place somewhere else. You can even use my apartment as a transition point if you need to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± Kai commented as he walked from one side of the floor to the other. ¡°It¡¯s quite a large space. Given your demonstration earlier, I imagine you can easily add or remove walls if you so desire.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve always made my pods capable of having separate compartments.¡±


    ¡°Though I do not think there is any lingering threat toward you, resting in an unassailable location such as this has its merits. At a minimum, you won¡¯t have to worry about security.¡± His expression twisted into a grimace as he came to a stop beside me. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, even our best efforts can sometimes be thwarted.¡±


    I knew he was referencing the surveillance devices discovered in my penthouse after I was abducted. The Assassin hadn¡¯t bothered to collect them once he captured me, and the sect had found them when they placed all of my items into storage.


    I¡¯d gotten several messages regarding the topic from Kai when the security breach was discovered, so I was well aware of his perceived failure.


    I patted his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it,¡± I said comfortingly. ¡°And you¡¯re right. This space is much more secure than basically any other option available.¡± I glanced around the almost empty space. ¡°Do you want to see the garden?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do!¡± Bell said. ¡°Where is it? You didn¡¯t make any windows.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the boundary of the pocket dimension is a bit weird. You¡¯ll see what I mean in a minute,¡± I said, leading them down the stairs and to the only door.


    ¡°Holy hell. That¡¯s creepy as fuck,¡± Bell muttered, freezing in the doorway.


    ¡°It¡¯s safe,¡± I promised a moment before the invisible ground shifted to something that looked like stone. It was gray, at least. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided what to do about the rest. I can manually shift it to look like something else, much like I did with the ground, but it would just be an illusion. I thought about bringing in some dirt and grass, but I don¡¯t want to deal with an ecosystem outside of the garden branch.¡±


    ¡°And where is that?¡± Bell asked.


    I motioned for them to follow me and began making my way toward the garden. I added color to the ¡®walls¡¯ to reduce the unsettling feeling as we went, but left the ¡®ceiling¡¯ unchanged.


    ¡°The branch we¡¯re in is the smallest of the three and only contains my expanded pod for now,¡± I said. It didn¡¯t take long to reach the junction. ¡°The garden and stasis storage are roughly the same size, though most of the garden is little more than dirt and some random plants that I acquired from an uninhabited Tier Nine world.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Bell said curiously. ¡°When did you travel to one of those?¡±


    ¡°While you guys were sleeping during the excursion,¡± I replied, stepping from the faux gray stone onto packed dirt. ¡°The garden and the workshop branches are both kept at about a twenty-to-one time dilation ratio, while the stasis storage is, obviously, held in stasis.¡±


    ¡°I thought I sensed a time dilation field,¡± Kai said. ¡°It isn¡¯t as obvious as it should be, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably because the dilation effect is built into the rules of the dimension. Well, kinda,¡± I hedged. ¡°The active portion of the garden is always dilated, but this part and the workshop branch are only dilated when I¡¯m physically present. Otherwise, they¡¯re held in stasis as well. I can change that if needed, but for now, that¡¯s how I have it set up.¡±


    As if there was a line drawn marking the border between zones, the ground shifted from plain dirt to something resembling a jungle.


    ¡°This¡­ doesn¡¯t look much like a garden,¡± Bell commented.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t, really,¡± I said. ¡°I just grabbed several varieties of plants and trees to start with. I¡¯m just testing things right now.¡±


    ¡°I see you added a stream,¡± Kai commented with a smirk.


    I rubbed my neck. ¡°Ah, yeah. I already ejected the critters I accidentally grabbed, but I thought it was a good idea to include it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Where does the water go?¡± Bell asked before adding, ¡°Where did it come from, for that matter?¡±


    ¡°I made a [Waterspout] formation,¡± I said. ¡°The stream winds through the garden and circles back on itself. It took a bit of effort to build in controls to ensure it wouldn¡¯t overflow, but it seems to be working well enough.¡±


    I was actually a little proud of my accomplishment since I¡¯d had to lightly mess with gravity in a few areas. The water probably wouldn¡¯t support aquatic life without a bit more tweaking, but I could always deal with that later.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind helping you plan the garden too. It¡¯s the least I can do since you¡¯re going to help me with my formation,¡± Bell said.


    ¡°The sect has a lot of resources that would probably benefit your plans,¡± Kai added. ¡°You should ask the new Patriarch when you visit him.¡±


    I paused and raised a brow at my mentor. ¡°When am I supposed to do that?¡±


    ¡°Soon, I would think,¡± he commented. ¡°Before I officially gave up control of the sect, I released you from any obligation to the sect. You are still a member, but your oathbound obligations have been fulfilled. Keep that in mind when you talk to him.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± I asked.


    Kai paused and looked contemplatively into the distance. I hadn¡¯t changed the ¡®walls¡¯ of the garden branch to hide the surrounding void, so there was little to see aside from the unending darkness.


    ¡°The Epikairos Sect has already gained far more from your membership than you have received. If anything, the sect is in your debt, and that debt continues to grow with each day that you remain associated with it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Aside from the MealMaker and maybe the E3 talisman design, I haven¡¯t really provided anything of value to the sect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong,¡± Kai said. ¡°When you became a tri-affinity mage, the sect¡¯s prestige rose significantly. And when you transitioned to an Elder, that prestige only increased. Our recruitment numbers are up significantly, and the quality of new disciples we¡¯re able to select has likewise increased.


    ¡°I would ask that you interact with the sect during your time outside of the dungeon, but merely maintaining your association with the sect is enough. The new Patriarch will undoubtedly want to parade you around a bit. The sect is very proud of you.¡±


    I suppressed a wince at the thought of being paraded around like a trophy, but I understood the value of such things. I¡¯d been gone for a quarter of a century, so showing that I¡¯m still alive and an active member of the sect is probably important.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t publicize the fact that you were abducted, though rumors of it did leak,¡± the former Patriarch said. ¡°Because of that, the new Patriarch will almost certainly want to hold some kind of social event, and your presence will be expected.¡±


    ¡°Will you be there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course. As the Founder, I have an obligation to be there for as long as I remain in the realm.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said with a small sigh of relief. Some people really enjoyed the limelight, but I¡¯d never been one of them.


    ¡°Hey, so I know we¡¯ve been under some pretty hefty time dilation, but if there¡¯s nothing else you want us to see, I¡¯d like to get started on designing some stuff for this space. In exchange, I¡¯d love it if you¡¯d review some of the modifications I¡¯ve made to the formation blueprint,¡± Bell said to me a moment before I received an updated digital copy of the blueprint.


    I was a little surprised that the exchange worked in the pocket dimension since I¡¯d noticed there was a distinct lack of system messages or notifications while I was there. Maybe it was because she was physically in the space with me?


    ¡°Alright, get close then,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll send you the dimensions of the pod now. Let¡¯s limit the garden to a few acres for now. I still need to figure out a way to manage it without needing to focus on it all the time.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 36 - Interior Designs

    ¡°I can see why you asked Bell to design the space for you. I never realized you were so bad at interior decorating!¡± Zavira laughed as she looked around the barely furnished living space within my pocket dimension.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. What can I say? I was working with limited resources.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t bought any furniture since escaping from the rift, so the only things present were the items I¡¯d been using for decades.


    ¡°Surely your mentor would have given you some furniture if you asked,¡± my best friend commented. Even after years without any contact, it was like no time had passed at all.


    ¡°He probably would have,¡± I conceded. ¡°But it isn¡¯t necessary.¡±


    He¡¯d actually offered as much after seeing how little I owned, but most of his items were Tier Ten, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to take them with me into the dungeon.


    Borrowing furniture seemed a little weird since I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever be able to relax on something that I was expected to return. Even though I knew I could easily restore any damage, the idea of borrowing my former Master¡¯s furniture didn¡¯t sit well with me.


    I understood that he wanted a more informal relationship, but I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d ever be able to see him as an equal. I was trying, though.


    I blamed growing up as a military brat, where rank and position were a big part of the culture.


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s why we¡¯re going shopping,¡± Bell interjected. ¡°I think we should pick out a few different setups¡­ give you a variety of options. That way, if you get tired of seeing the same things, you can just change up the floorplan and swap everything out so the place feels brand new. I drew up a few different options.¡±


    My sister-in-law handed me a notebook she¡¯d retrieved from her ring.


    ¡°How likely are you to have other people spend time in here?¡± Zavira asked when she caught a glimpse of the first floorplan. It had four large bedrooms with attached bathrooms and was marked ¡®Floorplan 4-A.¡¯


    ¡°Ummm, aside from you two and Kai, I don¡¯t plan to tell anyone else about the pocket dimension,¡± I replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s why this one has four rooms,¡± Bell said smugly. ¡°You, me, Zavira, and the Founder. Besides, you can always just tell people that your home is only accessible via teleport¡­ or just say it¡¯s hidden, like in a tree or something. That¡¯s not so weird for a Space Mage. You¡¯re going to need a place for visitors to stay, regardless.¡±


    ¡°How would people even find you?¡± Zavira asked. ¡°You said messages don¡¯t get through when you¡¯re in here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m staying in the hotel on Hadier for now, but once we get this place furnished, I¡¯ll probably live here full-time. Bell said I could use her apartment as a transition point, so I have that as an option, but I¡¯ll probably mostly come and go from the sect¡¯s teleportation platforms unless something about entering and exiting the space stands out.¡±


    It was something I¡¯d need to test somehow. I¡¯d probably ask Zavira if she sensed any difference later.


    Zavira made a considering noise and then nodded. ¡°I guess if Bell or the sect can take messages for you, that could work.¡±


    ¡°The lack of outside communication is a bit of a problem,¡± I admitted, addressing her second point. ¡°I think I have a workaround for that, but I need to test it. I¡¯ll also have some pretty hefty time dilation going in here, so I won¡¯t actually be inaccessible for long periods on the outside.¡±


    ¡°What kind of a workaround?¡± Bell asked. I could tell that the Enchanter in her was curious about my methods.


    ¡°Nothing like you¡¯re thinking,¡± I assured her. ¡°I think if I intermittently open a micro-portal to a deserted location, it will be enough for system messages to pass through.¡±


    ¡°Now that would be a handy workaround in the dungeon, even if you don¡¯t get to physically leave,¡± Bell remarked.


    ¡°It would,¡± Zavira agreed. ¡°Somehow, I can¡¯t imagine the dungeon would allow it, though.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree with Zavira on that,¡± I said, remembering the dungeon¡¯s ability to completely shut down uncontrolled Time magic. ¡°The dungeon is so far beyond me, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to get around the restrictions, even when I reach the pinnacle. I truly wonder what kind of genius crafted that thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, regardless, now that you¡¯ve seen the place and you know what we¡¯re working with, we should get on with the shopping!¡± Bell said, mostly to Zavira. Turning to me, she said, ¡°You¡¯re not hurting for credits, so buying a few extra room¡¯s worth of furniture won¡¯t hurt you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll appreciate the variety when you¡¯re stuck in the dungeon and realize you¡¯re tired of seeing the same boring setup.¡±


    ¡°We should get some faux windows as well,¡± Zavira suggested. ¡°There are several brands that are remarkably realistic. Some even allow you to upload your own landscapes so you truly feel like you¡¯re at home ¨C or wherever else you¡¯d rather be.¡±


    ¡°That could be cool,¡± Bell agreed. ¡°Maybe swing back by Earth and record a few famous Earth locales, like the Eiffel Tower.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still standing?¡± I asked. I hadn¡¯t realized the famous icon still stood.


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    ¡°Oh, yeah. The noble who took over Europe was a native, and she was dead set on saving as much of Europe¡¯s history as possible. There are tons of castles, cathedrals, and other famous structures still around now because of her.¡±


    ¡°I should probably spend a little more time exploring my home world,¡± I mused.


    I¡¯d been distracted by family during my first visit after leaving the dungeon, and I hadn¡¯t stopped to take in the sights when I dropped Mom off after the power-leveling excursion.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s totally changed, aside from little bits and pieces that were mostly preserved,¡± Bell said, seemingly unbothered. ¡°The last I heard, Earth is basically just like any other low to mid-tier world. The history there bleeds through, but the people of Earth have largely adapted. Those who didn¡¯t have either died off or will in the next few decades.¡±


    I understood what she meant. Remaining in Tier One didn¡¯t do much for one¡¯s natural lifespan. For the most part, they¡¯d be healthier, but they wouldn¡¯t live beyond a century or so.


    Come to think of it, most all of the abductees from Earth who refused to leave the first or second floors of the dungeon had probably died by now.


    <hr>


    Though Kai felt confident the threat against me had passed, I still insisted we all wear [Disguise] talismans during our shopping trip. I really didn¡¯t want to deal with any awkward tri-affinity mage attention¡­ or worse.


    Most of our shopping was done on Aegeas since it was the Tier Nine world that Zavira was the most familiar with. The same could be said for me as well, but I¡¯d probably spent more time exploring and wandering the uninhabited Tier Nine world I¡¯d used to fill my garden than I had on Aegeas.


    ¡°What about this one?¡± Bell asked, motioning toward a bedroom set that included a pullout sofa. It was the fifth such room design she¡¯d pointed out.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°Just nice?¡± she questioned. ¡°It would be perfect for the second suite of Floorplan Two-B. The pullout could be used if you found yourself with an extra visitor but didn¡¯t want to shift to a different floorplan.¡±


    The Floorplan Two series contained two-bedroom options with much larger rooms. Both bedroom suites included a small, attached sitting room/office. They were practically two hotel suites that shared a common living space.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said unenthusiastically. ¡°I like it better than the last three options, but I don¡¯t love it.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t love it, then let¡¯s move on,¡± Bell said with far more enthusiasm than I thought was reasonable. ¡°We¡¯ve probably got enough for the ¡®Two series¡¯ anyway.¡±


    ¡°What about this one?¡± Zavira asked, pointing toward a large master suite ensemble. ¡°The material is primed for enchantments, and there are options available if you don¡¯t feel like doing the work yourself. But considering your background¡­¡±


    I glanced over the room display before taking a closer look at the furniture itself. It was all excellently made, and I could tell that every piece could easily handle several enchantments.


    ¡°I like it,¡± I said before glancing at the price.


    It was a little higher than I thought unenchanted furniture should cost, but the quality and tier of the material probably justified the added expense. And it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t afford it after selling off most of the materials I¡¯d collected from the Assassin¡¯s rift.


    ¡°It comes with the bedding, accessories, and wall art,¡± Zavira informed me after seeing my expression.


    I nodded, and Bell motioned toward the furniture, letting our sales associate know to add it to the purchase.


    ¡°Good eye, Zavira,¡± Bell said brightly. ¡°We should pick out at least one more bunk-room option before moving on. You never know when you might need to house multiple people.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at my sister-in-law. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on having that many people over at the same time, like, ever.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but what if you want to have another family gathering like the one we did in Hawaii?¡± she asked sweetly.


    I barked out a laugh. ¡°No way am I going to bring someone like Aunt Mindy to my¡­ home.¡±


    I was about to say pocket realm, but considering we were in public, I thought better of it.


    Bell¡¯s playful expression dimmed. ¡°Your aunt Mindy is dead. You won¡¯t have to worry about that. Your uncle Anthony is gone, too.¡±


    I pressed my lips into a thin line to keep from saying something I probably shouldn¡¯t. My knee-jerk reaction was to say something snarky, but I knew that would be in very poor taste.


    I¡¯d become more jaded than I realized.


    I should probably ask how it happened, but aside from a bit of morbid curiosity, I didn¡¯t care enough to bother. I felt a little bad about Uncle Anthony, but the poor man had been little more than a shell the last time I saw him.


    ¡°You should probably go visit your grandparents soon, actually,¡± she added with a bit more animation. ¡°Your mom has been using Life magic to keep them healthy, but an aging body can only handle so much.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I promised, though I wasn¡¯t certain how effective any treatments I did might be.


    My grandparents were all old, and I didn¡¯t think any of them had bothered to level very much. Time magic could do a lot, but it wouldn¡¯t let a low-tier human extend their life indefinitely. Eventually, their bodies would resist rejuvenation efforts.


    While enchantments could be used for mild regeneration, it was a lot like using face cream before the arrival of magic. Most of what that stuff did was superficial, and not all of it worked since the formula wasn¡¯t specifically designed for the individual.


    Real rejuvenation treatments needed active guidance, preferably by someone who actually understood what they were doing. That usually meant a Time Mage, though a Life Mage with access to the right enchanted items could do the job almost as well.


    Even then, there were limits.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said, heading in the direction of the multi-person room options. ¡°It can¡¯t hurt to be over-prepared, just in case I feel like hosting a family reunion one day.¡±


    I ended up leaving without another bunk-room setup, though I did purchase several extra mattresses. One of the room designs sparked my imagination, and I felt confident I could design and craft something better than what was being sold.


    If I never got around to it, then I¡¯d just have a bunch of extra mattresses. It was no big loss.


    ¡°Where to next?¡± Zavira asked when we finally left the massive furniture store.


    ¡°Bedding and d¨¦cor,¡± Bell replied. ¡°Do you know anywhere that specializes in those? I have the names of a few stores that I found through the network, but you¡¯re a local, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I know a few places.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just grab a few varieties and move on with the bedding stuff. I¡¯m really not all that picky as long as it¡¯s all comfortable,¡± I said before reminding them, ¡°We only have a couple more hours before my meeting with the new Epikairos Patriarch.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re not done by the time you need to go, you can just authorize me to make purchases on your behalf, and I¡¯ll take care of the rest,¡± Bell offered. ¡°Just don¡¯t forget to come get me when you¡¯re done!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind helping her finish everything,¡± Zavira added supportively. ¡°I¡¯d like to see it all in place sometime soon, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve already got Floorplan 1-C set up and furnished,¡± I told them with a grin. ¡°I used the last master set we picked out that already came with everything.¡±


    The one-bedroom options left a lot of empty space, but I kinda liked that. After living in cramped quarters for so long, having a lot of extra space was a good thing.


    Zavira looked at me with a grin. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get to it then.¡±

 Book 4 - Chapter 37 - Hints of Fate

    Patriarch Torand Fora stood to greet me as I entered his comfortably appointed office. The furniture and d¨¦cor had all been updated since Kai relinquished control, but the style was still much the same.


    The man himself wore white robes embroidered with the markings of a Patriarch, though his embroidery was done in teal to represent his secondary affinity for Life magic. Time and Life were an excellent combination for a Healer, which was the man¡¯s primary profession.


    Like the former Patriarch, Torand Fora looked quite young. On pre-integration Earth, I would have put him somewhere in his late twenties. However, considering the man was at the peak of Tier Nine, I doubted that was the case.


    ¡°Elder Momentia, welcome back!¡± the man said with a friendly smile. He motioned me toward one of the comfortable chairs in front of his desk. ¡°Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.¡±


    Once I got settled in, the man asked, ¡°How have you been? Is there anything you need?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly fine,¡± I answered. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what is expected of me right now. I know I was supposed to help teach some of the younger disciples before, but with my abduction¡­¡±


    Patriarch Fora nodded understandingly. ¡°You are still welcome to teach if that¡¯s what you wish to do. Let me know what format you prefer and what topics you¡¯re interested in covering, and I¡¯ll have everything arranged.¡± He tapped the tablet on his desk. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to do?¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°What kind of options do I have?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can do anything, really. Even nothing, if that¡¯s what you prefer,¡± the man said amicably. ¡°I¡¯m sure the Founder has already informed you that the obligative portion of your oath has been deemed fulfilled, so as far as the sect is concerned, you are free to do whatever you like.¡±


    Kai had mentioned something along those lines, but I hadn¡¯t really given it much thought.


    ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± I asked, certain that the new Patriarch had something in mind. ¡°I¡¯m happy to help the sect where I can. Even without the oath, I feel indebted to Epikairos, if for no other reason than the support you all have shown to my family while I was in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You were in the dungeon representing the sect and on the behest of the former Patriarch,¡± Patriarch Fora said pointedly. ¡°I really can¡¯t express how much of a boon that your ascendance as a tri-affinity mage was for the sect. I am in agreement with the Founder¡¯s opinion that any debt you may have had was erased by the positive publicity you brought us with your association.


    ¡°If you¡¯d like to contribute,¡± the man continued, ¡°I would love for you to attend the charity gala the sect is hosting in two months. There will be an auction, so if you have anything you¡¯d be willing to donate, the addition would be welcome. Just let me know in the next few weeks so we can add the item to the auction listing.¡±


    Kai had already warned me there would likely be some kind of social event put together to reintroduce me to the public, so the request didn¡¯t come as a total surprise. In fact, I suspected the decision to host an auction in particular was due, in part, to my experience as an Enchanter. I could see how an item crafted by a tri-affinity mage could bring in a decent amount of interest.


    ¡°What kind of charity?¡± I asked, curious about what the sect¡¯s leadership might have chosen.


    ¡°We¡¯re supporting one of the local youth training programs geared toward the children of lower-tiered families living on Aegeas. They provide skill training to the unawakened children of those Tier Four and under.¡±


    ¡°Does the Training Tower not handle most of that?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s always better to develop a strong foundation early instead of waiting until someone awakens to begin training.¡±


    I could understand that, and I wholeheartedly supported anything that helped children better prepare for the future.


    We discussed my position in the sect a bit further, but the new Patriarch didn¡¯t demand much of me aside from asking me to hold monthly discussions on a variety of topics. Even that was a request and not a demand.


    Patriarch Fora also insisted on providing a small apartment in the Elder¡¯s community in the sect¡¯s Aegeas compound. He offered something similar to the penthouse I¡¯d been given on Hadier, but I refused, claiming that I had no need for so much space since I carried a large, spatially expanded apartment with me.


    ¡°So, I guess you don¡¯t need this back then, huh?¡± Patriarch Fora asked, withdrawing a familiar egg-shaped piece of enchanted crystal from his ring.


    ¡°Is that the pod I left in the penthouse?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± he said, handing me the item. ¡°The Founder placed your items into storage when you went missing, and nobody has touched them since. Everything should be just how you left it.¡±


    I¡¯d wondered what happened to the pod when I disappeared. I meant to ask about it, but I¡¯d been too distracted by everything going on to remember.


    I¡¯d probably give the item to one of my family members since I was sure someone could make use of it. It might downgrade over time if it was primarily used on a mid or lower-tier world, but I wasn¡¯t overly worried about that.


    ¡°The Oracle asked that you stop by after our meeting,¡± Patriarch Fora said a bit later when I stood to go. ¡°I apologize for springing a second meeting on you like this, but I only just got the message from her. She seems to have a knack for timing things just right.¡±


    I pressed my lips into a thin line and tried not to say anything. I wasn¡¯t mad at Anya for letting my brother die, but there were certainly some hard feelings there.


    I tried not to let my displeasure show as I followed the new Patriarch¡¯s assistant to the Oracle¡¯s office. Though she¡¯d largely pulled away from the sect, she still retained a small office and residence within the Headquarters compound.


    ¡°Hi, Emie,¡± the white-haired Fate Mage said when I entered her office.


    However, instead of appearing as a typical office with a desk and a few chairs, Anya had set hers up to look like a casual sitting room. The furniture looked comfortable and high quality, making the thought of settling in for a chat more appealing.


    Releasing a tense breath, I forced myself to smile. ¡°Hi, Anya. How are things?¡±


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    She gave me a sad smile and motioned for me to sit next to her. ¡°Things are going well. I¡¯m sorry about your brother.¡±


    She seemed genuine, and Detect Lie didn¡¯t indicate any falseness in her statement.


    ¡°Kai said it was Fate.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± she said. ¡°I know that¡¯s not what you want to hear.¡±


    ¡°His wife is going to try anyway. You probably know that already.¡±


    Anya nodded. ¡°Even if it works, it¡¯ll only be temporary. She needs to understand that so she doesn¡¯t keep trying endlessly. Doing so will likely draw the wrath of the realm itself.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea why? Is there a common theme or connection between people that Fate insists must die?¡±


    ¡°No. As much as I wish I could give you a better answer, I truly do not know how or why Fate works the way it does,¡± Anya said sadly. ¡°I can tell you that your brother has been reborn if it helps.¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± I admitted before hesitantly asking, ¡°Is it possible to learn more about his new incarnation? I don¡¯t want to interfere with his new life, but I¡¯d like to know who he is, if possible. Maybe I can secretly sponsor him after he awakens or something.¡±


    Anya¡¯s eyes flashed lavender for several seconds, and she slowly shook her head.


    ¡°It would ultimately be disruptive to share that information with you or anyone in your family. As far as sponsorship goes¡­¡± She pursed her lips in thought. ¡°I do not think that will be necessary with the family he has been reborn into.¡±


    Oddly, the news comforted me. Her statement meant that Justin had been born into an affluent family. While that didn¡¯t guarantee an easy life by any means, it certainly put him in a better position than growing up without resources at his disposal.


    ¡°Was there something specific you wanted to talk to me about, or did you just want to say hello?¡± I asked after a moment of silence. I doubted Anya¡¯s appearance at the sect during my visit was a coincidence.


    ¡°Yes, there is,¡± the Fate Mage acknowledged. ¡°It¡¯s actually about my brother. Though you are obviously free to do as you wish, I believe it would be in your best interest to keep your relationship with him as platonic as possible.¡±


    She held up a hand to stop me before I could say anything. I really didn¡¯t think such a warning was necessary since I still struggled to see my former Master as anything other than a mentor, but having something said about it again was annoying.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t see it now, but given time, your relationship would likely change without a conscious effort by one of you to prevent it.¡±


    ¡°So, why not mention it to Kai?¡± I asked, curious about her decision to contact me instead.


    Anya shook her head. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t stop you from developing feelings under certain circumstances, and your feelings are the ones I¡¯m trying to protect, not his.¡±


    I found her words a little odd since most sisters would worry about their sibling¡¯s feelings above someone they barely knew. I certainly would, at least.


    The Fate Mage looked up at the ceiling and stared into nothing for a moment. I couldn¡¯t tell if she was using her Sight again or simply gathering her thoughts.


    ¡°Since your return, my brother¡¯s path has grown far more solid. There is still a small chance that something might change, but for now, the most likely future involves my brother ascending while you are together in the dungeon.¡±


    My heart jumped a little. I had no idea Kai joining me on the tenth floor was even an option, but I couldn¡¯t deny the possibility appealed to me. I hated the idea of being stuck alone for decades, much less a century or more.


    Sure, time felt like it passed a lot faster on the eighth floor than it had on previous floors, but I couldn¡¯t count on that being consistent. I found it far more likely the floors would start feeling like slogs again, just like the seventh floor had.


    Having Kai there with me would be immensely beneficial for my mental well-being.


    I could suddenly understand Anya¡¯s warning. Left alone together for that long, it would be easy to develop feelings for him, especially once I got over the mental disconnect I still felt at the idea.


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t enter the dungeon once you reach the tenth floor,¡± Anya continued, ¡°there is an even chance that you will ascend with him. However, if my brother does enter the dungeon, his ascension alone is almost guaranteed.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be intentional, but it will happen nonetheless. You will be left behind, which would be painful if you were to develop romantic feelings for each other. Further, even at your swiftest, you would not be able to catch up to him in any meaningful way. Time flows differently between realms.¡±


    ¡°Again, why not tell him that?¡± I asked, focusing on the first part of her warning instead of the bit about time.


    ¡°Because if I warn him, he won¡¯t get the same advantage heading into the upper realm,¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°He would either avoid the event that triggers his ascension, thus losing the benefits associated with it, or he would inadvertently sabotage himself by overthinking things. Both would be detrimental to his future beyond this realm.


    ¡°I want the best for my brother, even after he ascends. Having him gain the benefits he could get through the dungeon is definitely in his best interest,¡± she stated. ¡°At the same time, I see no need for added heartbreak. Protecting your heart would indirectly do the same for him, leaving him free to progress as he wishes in the upper realm.¡±


    I could understand her point. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. I could definitely understand why she wanted to talk to me before anything could change between me and Kai.


    Before I could comment, Anya asked, ¡°Did you know that no Fate Mage can get more than a glimpse into the upper realm? There are actually several upper realms, just as there are numerous lower realms such as ours. Most of our knowledge of those realms comes not from visions but from ancient texts penned around the time of the system¡¯s arrival.¡±


    I shook my head in response. I actually hadn¡¯t known either of those things. I¡¯d always just assumed the information about the upper realm came from Fate Mages since they were the only ones who could know.


    ¡°Where did the texts come from, then?¡± I asked. ¡°Were Fate Mages stronger before the system was created?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. If anything, we were far weaker since the use of magic was still quite infantile. The system was introduced to help people progress. Most scholars think that having people ascend is somehow beneficial to the realm itself, though there is very little information to support the theory beyond a few vague references.


    ¡°As far as where the texts come from¡­¡± She tilted her head and looked at me with interest. ¡°How much do you know about the Realm Dungeon?¡±


    I was a bit taken aback by the question. The Realm Dungeon seemed completely unrelated to the topic of discussion, but I assumed Anya had a reason for bringing it up.


    ¡°Not much,¡± I admitted. ¡°Sir Eri¡¯Non had some kind of control or oversight of it. The dungeon itself seems to be some kind of sapient, or at least semi-sapient artifact that can either create or control multiple Mana Intelligences.¡±


    At Anya¡¯s questioning look, I explained, ¡°The dungeon golems are each distinct and far more aware and interactive than makes sense for them to be mere constructs. They also share information across floors. All of that is controlled by the dungeon, or the dungeon system, which seems somewhat independent of the outside system. The notifications look different, at least.¡±


    ¡°And its purpose?¡± she asked.


    ¡°To help people ascend, I suppose,¡± I said uncertainly. ¡°I guess whatever studies are being done out of it are just¡­ supplementary?¡±


    I really wasn¡¯t sure about the second part. Sir Eri¡¯Non obviously had some kind of control over the dungeon, and I doubted he cared much about helping other people ascend. I could be wrong, but I doubted it.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty close,¡± Anya admitted. ¡°According to the ancient texts, the dungeon actually predates the system. It is an intelligent construct sent from the upper realm that our realm is connected to with the purpose of increasing the number of ascenders. There is some mention of the system being connected to the dungeon, but that part isn¡¯t clear since there was mention of other dungeons being sent to our realm.¡±


    The possibility of other dungeons existing in our realm was certainly news to me. I¡¯d never heard a whisper about such a possibility.


    ¡°So¡­ how did Sir Eri¡¯Non get control of the dungeon, then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Anya replied indifferently. ¡°But the first Administrator of our Realm Dungeon shared the insights he gained from the position. Those insights are what make up the ancient texts that I mentioned. He was actually a tri-affinity mage, and the one credited by many with the creation of the system.¡±


    I already knew that the stories about the tri-affinity mage creating the system were likely false, but I found it very interesting that the first Administrator of the Realm Dungeon was the same tri-affinity mage. There almost had to be a connection of some sort.


    ¡°Why tell me any of this?¡± I asked. ¡°I mean, not that I don¡¯t appreciate the extra information. I just don¡¯t see the reason behind me knowing any of this.¡±


    Anya smiled, and this time, it seemed far more genuine. ¡°Call it Fate,¡± she said with a hint of amusement.