Mathew’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Idea after idea continued to pop up. Things from trying to understand the banners that mimicked rituals to the way the two powerhouses fought. Ideas for other things he needed to purchase before going into the World Dungeon in a few days also kept popping up into his mind.
It was a clutter that prevented him from focusing on anything. When cultivating, he knew he needed a clear mind. He started to do what he always did when his mind was filled to the brim of things to think of.
He started to put things into boxes. Each inkling of a thought was placed in various boxes. Each box was then placed into a bigger box. Further sorting them out. As each idea was silenced, the world around Mathew became slightly clearer.
Mathew took it slow. He wanted to ensure everything was taken care of and his mind was clear. His imaginary self continued to work. It was a common practice he did in therapy. One he’s resorted to only a few times the past year.
Once everything was sorted, Mathew saw himself sitting in a small white room. In it were dozens upon dozens of boxes of various colors and sizes. Some were older, boxes Mathew had long put away to forget forever.
Other boxes were the newest ones. Mathew didn’t have a perfect memory, but sorting things out like this always helped him organize his thoughts. He took a deep breath and relaxed for a moment. He had realized he should have been doing this more often. The feeling of peace was enlightening.
Mathew then started to cultivate. Breathing in steady cycles in an out. [Trinity’s Manual] described the process. Cultivation was to be done slowly and patiently. The most patient could gather experience over time, improving abilities, skills, and even spells just by contemplating over them.
You could never surpass the threshold to the next level doing that method, but gaining two or three levels was always expected if you understood the process.
For pondering upon Axioms, the process was similar. First, Mathew needed to find the first thought.
The entire fight, one thing was prevalent. Both fighters were talented, but relied upon other methods to boost their capabilities. From using the lives of others, to one's own environment.
The physicality of improving one’s self was always something humans have wanted. Pills, Drugs, diets, workout routines, all of it was in the name of becoming better.
With magic, that previous ceiling had been shattered and the new one was beyond view. Mathew wanted that power. Ideas of enhancing himself using magic to shore up his weaknesses vibrated with him.
Enhancing oneself wasn't just additive. It was to multiply your output. Mathew’s mind went to his Ritual of Acceleration. All that mana and magic for a boost to anything's speed. He could go beyond that. That reality was true.
Mathew then realized that this entire time he has been striving to do just that. Making himself better. Constantly putting himself in danger in the name of power. He refused to remain weak. He would constantly shave off the weakness in his body and come out stronger after every encounter.
Even the ones he loses.
Mathew’s mind started to buzz, a surge of energy filling his body, but he was not done. He turned to yet another box. “There was more to that battle.”
There was something that The General continued to do that reminded Mathew of his own battle against a powerful opponent. When he and Morthrus were in a contest of will power he had no Axioms. He didn’t even know what they were.
Yet, he stood his ground and overcame the odds. He refused to bend to her will, but there is another side to that coin he saw within the Progenitor. He not only refused The General's will, but enforced his own.
The General’s actions were powerful. He was up against so many enemies, but he didn’t falter. If anything, Mathew saw him leave it as a better person. More alive. As if he knew that path forward was the one to true victory.
Mathew understood there was more to a battle than just winning. It was to ensure your own reasons were sound. Mathew had changed a lot the past few months. From going to wanting to just survive to wanting to thrive, to now leading. His own goals needed to remain firm no matter who stood in his way.
Time continued to tick by as Mathew contemplated these two new truths. He looked at them from all angles, implementing them into himself. He could almost feel them solidify when a shock of pain erupted across his body.
His soul lurched. Mathew was in his own mind, but someone else was there now. A figure that looked almost like he did, but more grotesque. His left arm was replaced by a slithering tentacle. Patches of skin were replaced by different shades of color. The figure also looked very faded, almost black color. Yet, somehow transparent.
“We’ve been waiting to meet with you.” A series of voices said overtop one another.
Mathew took a step back. “Who the fuck are you?”
The copy of Mathew smiled. “A piece of yourself. A shadow of who you really are.”
“Get out of here. This is my mind.”
“You can’t get rid of yourself Mathew Valrix McGonald the 7th. We are you, just as you are us.”
Mathew narrowed his eyes. “So what if you know my name, you think that’s special? If you are a part of me, you should know at least that much.”
The figure laughed horsley “It’s to prove that we are a part of you. Give in to your true desires. We can become stronger. That’s what you just tapped upon right? The truths that can make us stronger!”
“Get out of here. Final warning.” Mathew tried to pull mana to his hand, but realized with a slight panic that he couldn’t cast [Mana Bolt]. He couldn’t summon any of his weapons either. He tried to even Summon Agnox, but that didn’t work as well.
“This isn’t the real world. You can’t bring the outside reality in here. If you want to live, you are going to need new pieces of souls.” The figure gestured to itself. “Look at us. We are how you really look. Your soul is a patchwork of others. It is a matter of time before your outsides look like your insides.”
Mathew looked at it, but much closer. He wouldn’t become that monstrosity. “I refuse. I didn’t follow the path of Necromancy.”
“Necromancy? Nay, we are talking about something much more powerful. Your destiny goes past the matters of life and death.”
“You are not part of me.” Mathew said with confidence. “If that was the case, you wouldn’t have to convince me of these things.”
“We are closer than you think. After all, you invited me into your soul.”
Mathew was confused for a moment, then his eyes went wide. “You're the soul piece from my Rod.”
“You mean our Rod. The same item I used to keep my servants chained to me before I outgrew its need.”
“So, you are Doozkora.” Mathew stated. It wasn’t a question.
“We are a piece of who we are. I am here to prepare our newest addition.”
Mathew took a deep breath, then put on a face of nonchalant. “Please. As if I will ever join you, or your cause.”
“It’s not a matter of what you want. It’s a matter of what we want. Upon adding us to your soul, you have twisted our strings of fate. We are destined to cross paths in the flesh. On that day, WE will destroy your will to live, and bring you to your knees. You will beg to join us. Your soul isn’t all yours anymore. It’s borrowed power.”
Doozkora walked toward Mathew. “How about a taste of what is to come?”
Mathew’s eyes bulged outward as the air grew heavy. His throat tightened and he fell to his hands and knees. Instantly he circulated his Axiom of [Resistance], it helped alleviate some of the pain, but it wasn’t enough.
“Your understanding of the truths are too weak. Even as a sliver of yourself, you are nothing to me.”
Mathew strained against Doozkora’s power. “Please.” He gasped. “You think you are the first one to try and overwhelm me with raw willpower? I’m getting really sick and tired of this petty trick. This is my mind. I have the power here.”
Clenching his hands, Mathew looked toward the boxes of his thoughts. He started to crawl to them all.
“No, don’t crawl away from us. Fight back! It will make the moment you give in all the sweeter.”
“It’s funny. You and Morthrus, someone I think you will enjoy meeting one day. Tried the same thing. You can’t hurt me here. Only make me think you can. Mental tricks like those don’t work on me Doozkora.” He continued to crawl. He was almost where he wanted to be.
“A mental trick? Mathew, we had better hope for you than that. How about I show you.”
The tentacle arm’s end opened up into a teeth filled maw, and clamped down on Mathew’s leg. He cried out in pain. Mathew realized he could be harmed here. If he died inside his own mind, would he die for real?
He looked back toward the boxes. His eyes locked with a large gray one. He tried to crawl, but was held in place.
“We could kill you right here. But we wouldn’t be able to meet you personally then. We’ll just leave you with a stern warning. Continue to get stronger so we can have a tastier meal.”
Mathew looked down at his leg and then the tentacle. With a grunt he swapped from [Resistance] to [Piercing]. The mental energy solidified in his hand. He reached down and cut through the flesh with ease.
Doozkora hissed. “You fool. This isn’t a game. Your efforts to fight back are pointless. You are stuck here until we release you.”
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Mathew reached up and unclasped one of the boxes. “I’ll heed your warning. I’ll become strong enough to kick your ass. I’ll be sure to give you back that Rod too. But just as you gave me something to remember you by. I’ll give you something in return.”
Opening the box, the memory of when Jeffery attacked Mathew leaped out of the box and attacked Doozkora. “It’s my mind. If I can’t bring things here physically, then I’ll just use their memories to fight back.”
The young and weak Jeffery collided with Doozkora. “Insignificant mutt. Get off of us!”
Mathew stood up and pulled a new energy into his body. He felt overall stronger. It solidified across him and Mathew walked up to the copy of himself. “Now that we’ve met. I kindly as you to fuck off.”
Strength wasn't Mathew’s forte. Yet, right now he felt stronger than he ever had before. Whether that was due to his mental perspective, or the new mental energy, he had no idea. Mathew didn’t care right now. He punched Doozkora straight in the chest, sending him flying back.
“I said leave. You are in my domain. This is my mind. Nobody fucks with what is mine. That includes my soul. I’m going to find a way to get you out of me. Your days are numbered.”
“Weak threats. You can’t cut us out. If you do, you die. We're the reason you are alive right now.”
Mathew’s words became heavier. “I said leave.”
Doozkora’s form started to fade in and out. Mathew actually saw a face of surprise on his copy.
“We will be back Mathew. When we do, there won’t be a conversation.”
Mathew just glared and pushed once more. His words were not a request. A moment later, the monster vanished. Mathew closed his eyes, trying to make heads and tails of everything. He glanced over to the memory of Jeffery.
The wolf growled at him, and got low to the ground, ready to pounce. “Get back in that box Jeffery. Don’t make me force you into it.”
Mathew’s words once again held weight, but not as much this time. Jeffery whimpered, and scampered back in the box. It closed with a click.
Exhaustion soon came across Mathew. “How the hell am I tired inside my own mind?” He sat down and leaned against his knee in thought.
Mathew considered it was due to him using three different Axioms. Yet that didn’t feel right to him. Mathew scrunched up his face in thought. He reached out with his thoughts. Feeling around for an answer.
He realized the truth. “Four Axioms.”
Mathew had created the foundations for two new Axioms. He was proud of himself. Truly proud. The next step would be to get all four to the next stage. Going from Apprentice rank to Student is when a Glint becomes a Fragment. The power boost was phenomenal. The manual did not go into much detail about what Axioms looked like at that stage.
Yet with the battle between the General and the Progenitor, he had an inkling of an idea. Right now the Axioms were tools to Mathew. At the point they became Fragments, Mathew would become closer to those truths. Internalizing them.
He looked forward to that day. However, he needed to wake up and finish getting ready for the world quest. With one final look around his mental room, Mathew couldn’t help but think back to every other time he was here.
“It just feels so much more real…”
He allowed himself to fully wake up. Light filled his vision. “Wait, I thought it was dark in the room when I came in here.”
“Kid, wake up!” The booming voice of Rankork shouted.
“I’m up! Sheesh, leave me alone, I was in meditation for only a few hours.” Mathew rubbed at his arms. Soreness filled his body followed by a growl from his stomach. “Okay, maybe it was several hours. I’m starving.”
“Hours? Kid, it’s been nearly three days. The World Quest dungeon portal is about to close. Everyone else already went in.”
Mathew jumped to his feet. “Days! Why didn’t anybody wake me up earlier?”
“No time to explain.” Ragnork picked Mathew up and rushed down stairs and out The Workshop. For a hulking statue, he practically flew down the stairs. Waiting there was a vehicle. Jeffery and Agnox were sitting in it. Three bags were in the backseat.
“Boss! Hurry! We need to get into the portal!”
Mathew didn’t waste a moment and hopped into the vehicle. As he sped off, he glanced at Agnox “Which way?”
“Portal is by the Hearth Crystal. We got maybe ten minutes before it closes. Don’t worry about supplies, I acquire a bunch of stuff. You owe Melton 300,000 UC by the way. Then another 60k to Di.”
Mathew didn’t have time to ask why everything cost that much. He can ask once he is inside the Dungeon. “I can’t believe I almost missed the World Quest! What were they thinking of letting me sit in my own mind like that? I could have woken up before Doozkora attacked me and have time to finish preparing!”
Mathew’s vehicle came to a screeching halt. He opened the door and grabbed the bags. Jeffery and Agnox followed him, all three rushing. In the courtyard, dozens of guards stood ready. Mr. Melton looked at Mathew with shock. “Go in! I’ll take care of everything here. Henderson will explain!”
Not even a thank you came from Mathew. The glowing white portal had a shimmer of all other colors. Mathew didn’t even bother reading the blue box that detailed what kind of Dungeon it was. Instead of instantly appearing in another world, Mathew was floating in a dark void.
Agnox and Jeffery were with him as well. A blue box appeared.
Are you entering alone or with a group?
Mathew paused. For the first time since waking up thinking everything over. He didn’t know if this was part of the timer, and chose the ‘alone’ option. He was, after all, alone. His summons didn’t count toward anything. His title for completing a dungeon alone proves that much.
Welcome to the World Dungeon. Inside you will face challenges that are to test the current might of Earth. These challenges come in many forms, but the heart of each of them is to grow stronger.
The World Dungeon is broken into three parts:
The Novice Floor’s theme is Hollow Forest
The Beginner Floor’s theme is Mountain’s Veins
The Student Floor’s theme is Sauna of Dreams
To progress to the next floor, you must defeat a marked enemy on the current floor. There are dozens to hundreds on each floor. Fewer showing up on higher tiered floors.
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Each of you will have a token. You can use this to leave the Dungeon at any time, but upon doing so you may not come back inside, and you lose all rewards gained inside. If you defeat a marked enemy, you can choose to leave with your rewards instead of progressing to the next floor, also being unable to return.
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There are three leaderboards to progress upon. The top ten on each will receive rewards. Those three are:
Treasure Gained
Challenges Completed
Kills
Overcome your past weaknesses, and come out stronger.
Mathew’s vision filled with light for a moment before he was standing in a thick forest. It was quiet, but not silent. Faint noises of nature echoed around him. Birds chirped. The wind blew through the oak trees. Sunlight filtered through the mass of leaves above him, showing the mossy ground he stood on.
Looking around, Mathew saw he was alone. “Shit, did I get sent somewhere alone because of that choice? I thought it just wouldn’t force me to always do things with Henderson and the others, not magically appear alone.”
“Sorry Boss. I wish we had time to explain. If I knew that was an option, I would have said something to ya.” Agnox said as he floated next to Mathew.
Taking in a deep breath, Mathew relaxed. “No worries. The first two floors shouldn’t be a problem for us.”
A slight curiosity of the second floor came to his mind. “Would that count for Gaia’s quest? Mountains are Earth right?”
Mathew found a fallen log and sat down on it. “Okay, start filling me in on everything I missed. How long was I out for?”
“Just under three days. When you left in the middle of the night, everyone was wondering where you went. Luckily a few people saw you go into The Workshop. Ragnork wouldn’t let anyone see you except for me and Bob. Yet we both agreed that it was a bad idea to let Bob up there. Too many questions would be asked. I checked on you a couple times a day. Meanwhile, I started to get supplies including Henderson and Melton.”
Mathew nodded, thankful that Agnox did that. He looked down at the bags. It was obvious they were enchanted ones he made. “Anything good in here?”
“Plenty of ritual supplies. Mana Cores. Food. Water. A few other things we might need. The System didn’t give us very much warning. We didn’t even know the themes.”
Mathew sorted through the bags. Anything important such as Mana Cores or medicine went into his personal storage. As he sorted through it all, he found a set of armor and a couple of odd weapons.
The armor didn’t look like it could fit him. It was too wide. “Agnox, what’s with this metal?”
“That? Oh it’s for Jeffery.”
“Jeffery has armor now?”
“Yup! It was my idea. The big mutt probably needs it. Ragnork helped Zack since it was directly helping you. You mentioned it once before. It’s nothing fancy, however it is Uncommon Beginner ranked. Probably one of the top five best items Zack can make right now. Sadly he can’t keep it on if he is unsummoned.”
Mathew pulled out a few staves and other piercing weapons. “Just how long are we expected to be here? I have a personal arsenal it seems.”
“Right! The System did give a time warning. It’s a time dilation scenario. Essentially a 50% ratio. So six days here is three days in the real world. We have 2 months to go through it all. A month on the outside.”
Looking around, Mathew tried to figure out where to start. “Any suggestions on where to go?” Mathew asked his two summons.
Agnox looked at Jeffery and shrugged. Mathew sighed, “Let’s just pick a direction and go.”