The soft chime of Avince’s phone startled him from his thoughts as he sat on the edge of his bed, staring absentmindedly at the faint glow of his phone screen. The notification light blinked insistently, pulling him back to the present. He opened the notification bat, expecting some automated alert from the academy system.

Instead, the name “Erica” flashed on the screen. He swiped it open, curious.

Erica: Hey! How are you holding up? Rested yet after the dungeon?

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

Avince: Hey, I’m fine. Just woke up, and had breakfast. You? How’s everything on your end?

The reply came almost immediately.

Erica: Better now that I’ve had a full night’s sleep. My legs still feel like jelly, though. Those water elementals were relentless. My team… well, let’s just say we didn’t exactly shine in the third section.

Avince raised an eyebrow as he typed back.

Avince: Relentless? What happened?

Erica: We were overwhelmed. Completely. Those water elementals swarmed us, and I had to burn through nearly all my mana to keep everyone alive. Honestly, we’d have been wiped if the 4th year wasn’t with us to save our skin.

Avince: That sounds rough. Everyone okay now?

Erica: Yeah, we’re fine. And hey, I’m actually proud of myself. All that healing didn’t go unnoticed—I got a pretty solid contribution score.

Avince: Oh? How much?

Erica: 90,000 credits! Not bad, right?

Avince let out a low whistle. That was an impressive number for a healer.

Avince: Not bad at all. That’s a great score, Erica.

A smug emoji appeared on his screen, followed by another message.

Erica: Right? I was starting to think I’d set some kind of class record. But then I realized you haven’t told me how much you got yet…

He hesitated for a moment, knowing what was coming.

Avince: 353,257.

The typing indicator appeared on Erica’s end, then stopped, then appeared again.

Erica: …Are you kidding me?

Avince: Nope.

Erica: That’s insane! How is that even possible? I thought 90k was a lot! What did you do in there? Carry your whole team on your back?!

Avince chuckled, shaking his head as he replied.

Avince: Not quite. I think we got further into the dungeon than most, and our total contribution ended up around 980,000. A lot of it was probably from this water stone we found, but I guess I pulled my weight too.

There was a short pause before Erica’s next message.

Erica: 980,000?! That’s more than I’ve ever heard of for a single run! No wonder your score’s so high. You must’ve done a ton to get that much credit. I’m impressed, Avince. Really.

He felt a twinge of embarrassment at the praise but quickly changed the subject.

Avince: So, what are you planning to do with your points? Any ideas yet?

Erica: Well, my dad told me to save them for now. He said I should think about getting some physical augmentation to help with my close combat skills. Makes sense, right? I can’t always rely on healing to get me out of trouble.

Avince leaned back against his headboard, thoughtful.

Avince: Yeah, that’s actually a really good idea. Augmentation could give you a serious edge in battle. But it’s not exactly easy to come by.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He paused, memories of his rune-crafting studies and late-night research bubbling to the surface. Augmentation was, in essence, an advanced and highly specialized form of rune engraving. But unlike the runes on weapons or equipment, augmentations were designed specifically for human bodies, making them infinitely more delicate and dangerous to apply.

The process involved inscribing intricate runes directly onto a person’s mana flow, enhancing their physical or magical capabilities. A single miscalculation during the engraving could cause catastrophic damage, potentially killing both the engraver and the recipient.

Currently, only a handful of engravers in the world were skilled enough to perform augmentations safely. Most were contracted by powerful clans or organizations, their work tailored to specific needs and closely guarded.

Avince’s own experience with runes was nowhere near that level yet. The thought of attempting augmentation with his current skills made him shudder.

Avince: Augmentation’s definitely worth looking into, but it’s not something you can rush. You’ll need to find someone really skilled for that.

Erica: For sure. Dad said the same thing. I’ll probably save up and take my time researching my options. What about you? Any plans for your points?

Avince: Not yet. I’ll ask around for advice first. No point rushing into something I might regret later.

Erica: Smart move. Anyway, I should let you go. I’ve got some training to do with my father again now that we have a break again, and you probably have something important to focus on too.

Avince: Yeah, something like that. Good luck with your training.

Erica: Thanks! And good luck with… whatever it is you’re working on. Talk later!

He set his phone down, her words lingering in his mind. Erica’s mention of augmentation had sparked something—a reminder of just how vast the world of mana applications was and how much he still had to learn.

But there was no time to dwell on that now. He had other priorities.

Avince reached for the amulet around his neck, its smooth surface cool against his fingers. Althiel’s cryptic words from their last encounter echoed in his mind, and he knew it was time to get some answers.

Closing his eyes, he focused inward, nudging his ability toward the familiar pull of her dungeon. The sensation was immediate, a gentle tug that grew stronger with each passing second.

The room around him blurred, the boundaries between reality and the dungeon world dissolving. As his consciousness began to shift.

The familiar forest clearing materialized around Avince as his vision cleared. The air was crisp and filled with the faint hum of magic that seemed to permeate every inch of the elf’s dungeon. In the center of the glade, the elven woman stood with her back to him, her white hair cascading down like a silver waterfall. She turned, her piercing emerald eyes locking onto him as though she had been waiting for his arrival.

“Welcome back, Avince,” Althiel greeted, her voice calm yet carrying a note of urgency. “I trust your last dungeon venture was… enlightening?”

Avince stepped forward, his hand instinctively reaching for the ring in his storage space and wearing it. “It was. But that’s not why I’m here. You said there was an issue last time. I’ve been meaning to ask—what did you mean by that?”

Althiel’s expression grew serious, and she gestured for him to sit on a fallen log nearby. She remained standing, towering over him with an air of authority.

“You’ve progressed well, perhaps too well,” she began, her gaze unwavering. “But that progression is not balanced.”

Avince frowned, unsure of what she meant. “Balanced? What’s wrong with my progress? I feel like I’m getting stronger.”

“Indeed, you are,” Althiel said, crossing her arms. “But only in certain ways. I’ve been observing your growth, and it’s unusual. Possibly because your presence in the dungeons is not physical. Only your consciousness enters, leaving your body behind in the real world. As a result, your soul has been strengthening at an accelerated pace—twice as fast, in fact. But your body…” She trailed off, letting the words hang in the air.

“My body?” Avince echoed, leaning forward.

“It’s barely improving,” Althiel said bluntly. “The little improvement I’ve seen is likely your body adapting to the strength of your soul. But adaptation is not enough.”

Avince frowned, his mind racing. “I don’t see the problem. Isn’t soul strength more important? It powers my abilities and influences mana. Shouldn’t that take priority?”

A faint smile played on Althiel’s lips, though there was no warmth in it. “Yes, soul strength is vital. The soul is the source of your power and connection to the world. But the body is the vessel that carries it. Let me give you an analogy.” She crouched slightly, her eyes meeting his on a level plane.

“Imagine your body as a container,” she said, tracing an invisible shape in the air. “And your soul as water. Normally, if you fill the container with too much water, it overflows. But that’s not how it works with the human body.”

“What happens instead?” Avince asked, a faint sense of unease creeping into his voice.

“The container doesn’t have an opening to overflow— so it breaks,” Althiel said simply, her voice cutting through the quiet of the clearing.

Avince sat back, her words sinking in. The thought of his body “breaking” was chilling. His mind flashed to the dungeon, to moments when his spells had felt unnaturally powerful, even when he used less mana than usual. A memory of a crackling lightning strike that seemed to ripple through the air with an intensity he hadn’t intended resurfaced.

“I’ve… noticed things,” he admitted, his voice quieter now. “In the dungeon. My spells feel stronger than they should be, even when I don’t use much mana. Is that because of my soul?”

Althiel nodded, her expression grave. “Yes, your soul grant you an edge in how you interact with mana and the world. The more refined your soul becomes, the more influence you can exert in the world itself—shaping them to your will. But there is an issue. Your body cannot sustain this accelerated growth. At the moment, your soul is the only thing getting stronger, but without corresponding growth in your physical form, this may begin to take a toll.”

Avince’s mind raced as he thought back to moments when his spells seemed to exceed his expectations, when his presence alone had seemed to warp the environment around him. "So… the more my soul develops, the more I can influence the world, but my body is lagging behind?"

"Precisely," Althiel said, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. "This could lead to… complications. Your body might break under the strain if you continue at this pace."

Avince’s thoughts shifted quickly. “Then how do I fix it? Should I focus on strengthening my body?”

Althiel’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “That’s part of it. But there’s something more you must consider. How good are you at transmogrification?”

The question caught Avince off guard. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Not very good at all. I haven’t really put much importance on it while training.”