“So, what’s it do?” Chester’s voice pulled Dylan’s attention from Siphoning Veil.

“Here,” he passed his new creation to the Guardian.

“What am I looking at?” Chester asked, flipping the card back and forth as he examined it.

“You can’t read the text?”

“There is no text.” The man pointed at the image branded on the front surface. “All I can see is this ring of smoke.”

“Huh,” Dylan said as he took back the card. “Maybe it’s a class thing?”

“Probably.”

“Anyway, it’s supposed to create a veil of smoke that slows incoming attacks and saps their energy to maintain itself. I can’t be entirely sure how effective it is until I test it out, but I think it should be able to provide a nice layer of protection. And if I’m interpreting it right, I should also be able to use it on other people,” Dylan paused, “but, again, I won’t know until I actually try.”

“How long does it last?”

“Depends on how much energy it drains from the attacks it intercepts.” Dylan said. “Shortest is fifteen seconds. Longest is a little harder to say. It has the potential to last forever, but I’m guessing it’ll disappear when my deck does.”

“Good to know,” Chester said. “Give a shout if you’re about to try it on someone in the next fight.”

“Sure.” Dylan nodded.

After talking about it, he began to wonder if there was a way to make his card effects persist after he released his deck. It hadn’t been something he’d considered before because most of his cards had relatively short durations. The only exceptions were the few rare examples that would last for the length of Card Play. Lizard Corpse and Living Spider Shield. But now there was Siphoning Veil and its extendable duration.

He still doubted the card’s effect could exist without the support of his deck. After all, whenever he’d previously had active phantoms when his deck had dissipated, they’d dissipated with it. But they wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyway. Dylan hadn’t felt it mattered. But if he could find a way to let his effects continue beyond the time he had his deck summoned…

It was something else to think about in the future.

“And that reminds me,” Chester turned to Jaiden, “how was it casting the rock armor on someone else? Could you do that in battle?”

The Earth Mage shook her head. “No. That was more work than I was expecting it to be.” She thought for a moment. “Maybe when I’m stronger, but not right now. Not with my level of power and control.”

“Understood.”

After Dylan stored Siphoning Veil in the card catalog, he began to manage his deck while the group began to discuss what to expect when they passed through the silver gate.

After reviewing what they’d seen so far and comparing everything against what they’d each faced during their individual combat trials, they realized that two monsters still hadn’t appeared.

The first was the oversized version of the armored spider that Dylan had fought. But since they’d already seen plenty of the smaller ones, it was difficult to come to any conclusion about whether or not the big one would be in the next section. It was entirely possible that the System had simply enlarged one of the normal armored spiders as the last challenge in his combat trial.

The second monster was Rowan’s final opponent. The larger, more agile lizard creature with two pairs of fully developed arms and a weaponized tail. The monster was almost certain to make an appearance in some form. There was even a chance that it could be the boss, but it was hard to say for sure.

Any monster in the dungeon could be reappropriated by the System and enhanced to become the boss. Rowan’s lizard was just one of the available choices.

It was also possible that the boss was something else altogether. Something new.

In the end, after comparing notes and discussing their abilities, the group settled on a rough course of action for the next encounter.

Chester would control the boss.

Dena would try to grab as many of the lesser monsters as she could, whittling them down with her music while Jaiden would prioritize taking out anything ranged that the violinist might have difficulty dodging.

Dylan would support however his hand would allow but would focus on the ranged monsters with Jaiden if he could.

Rowan’s role was to float around as necessary, shifting between sieging the boss with Chester and helping to prevent the rest of the group from being overwhelmed.

Sara would be their lookout, observing the battlefield for any sudden changes or unexpected dangers the others might not see due to being caught up in their own respective fights.

And, depending on the situation, Alice would either help guard Sara or pick up any monsters that escaped Dena’s control.

As the party finalized their plans, Dylan also finalized his deck.

First, he added Siphoning Veil. The reward for finishing the second section helped him cover the mana for its exorbitant summoning cost, and while gathering the energy needed for its activation might be tricky, he felt the card would be worth it.

Next, he added Giant Web. He considered leaving it out because of the limited effect he assumed it would have on the dungeon’s spiders, but he thought it might be useful against the lizards. Especially if the one Rowan had faced in his combat trial was truly as agile as the redhead had described. Besides, Dylan felt the card would also be good to have back in Fairbasin.

He had no way of knowing about the state of the town and no way of knowing whether he’d make it all the way through the boss battle. If he had to exit the Tutorial early, this could very well be his last chance to optimize his deck before returning home. Even if he worried that the Tutorial’s dungeon spiders would be able to treat his web like it was their own, the monsters that had erupted from the dungeon just outside of Fairbasin were a different story. The card may prove invaluable in helping him escape.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

When he was adding Giant Web to his deck, he remembered the unusual values listed under its effect when he’d first made it. Finally having a quiet moment to check, Dylan focused on the card and watched the text shift to its more detailed display.

[Name: Giant Web, Mastery Progress 0.00%]

[Type: Summon]

[Subtypes: Object]

[Summoning Cost: 2 Mana]

[Activation Cost: 2 Energy]

[Effect: Summon a Giant Web. Lasts for, time = (0.5) * (Class Tier)², minutes. Covers a maximum area of, size = (π) * ((0.5) * (Magic Power))², square feet. Uses maximum of 100 Magic Power. Has, sticking power = (0.25) * (Magic Power), Physical Power. Uses maximum of 100 Magic Power.]

So, it’s a circle with a radius equal to half of my magic power in feet, Dylan thought. Good to know. And it looks like the duration will get a big jump each time I advance a tier.

Finally, Dylan decided to remove all four of the Phantom Swords from his deck. He hadn’t been using them himself in the dungeon, and now that Alice had a weapon of her own, they felt unnecessary.

He did hesitate a little about the decision when he once again thought of what might be waiting for him if he left the Tutorial early, but he still felt it was the best decision. If there were monsters in town when he got back, his father’s sword, the one he’d dropped during the fight with the welf, should still be on the floor in the basement. It wasn’t the kind of thing that creatures coming out of a wild dungeon would pick up.

And it doesn’t have a limited duration that’ll make me worry about it disappearing.

That left Dylan with a deck of 46 cards. The summoning cost had increased to 70 mana, with a base maintenance cost of 3.5 mana per minute. When he adjusted for his regeneration and included what he’d gain by playing Mana Surge and Lunadera’s Bloom, he should be able to keep the deck summoned for more than 25 minutes. That would drop a bit if he needed to reshuffle, but it would hopefully be more than enough to finish the next battle.

Once he was done, Dylan decided not to change his deck enhancement. Tempo was good, but he had too many cards with turn-based durations to make it feel worthwhile. And as he continued to add cards with more expensive activation costs, he also felt that the energy his current enhancement gave him was becoming more and more important.

When this is all over, I really need to find a way to improve my energy generation.

As he began to load his deck, Dylan decided that once the dungeon was finished, one of his first tasks would be to shore up his resource management. He’d make at least three more Mana Surges and then work on figuring out how to create Intermediate Energy cards. Maybe even the Advanced Energy the previous naming scheme implied should exist. After that, he’d see if he could find a way to integrate more flexibility into his deck by making more cards like Lunadera’s Bloom. Cards that could restore his mana or generate energy while also accomplishing something else.

Ideally, he wanted to create options that were either very efficient at helping him manage his resources, versatile in how they could be used, or both. Both would be good. He guessed the task would be easier to accomplish once he progressed to full mastery of a few of his cards and could add their keywords during card creation, but it couldn’t hurt to try to figure out how to do some of it in advance.

When his deck disappeared between his brows, Dylan stood up and stretched. “I’m ready.”

Chester nodded. “Anyone else need more time?” He glanced around the room. “We’ve still got about half an hour left before we need to move on.” Seeing no response, Chester continued, “Then does anyone have something else to add before we start the fight?”

“Come on,” Rowan said, “we’ve been over it all already. There’s nothing else we can do until we actually see what we’re up against.”

Seeing no one else say anything, Chester took a breath. “Okay, then. Let’s get to it.”

He walked over to the gate, but when he reached up to open it, he stopped and turned back. “We all know that this is going to be our last fight, and it’s probably going to be the toughest we’ve faced in here. If we get through it, we’ll all be rewarded, but no reward is worth your life.” His gaze tracked across each of member of the group. “If you truly find yourself in danger, something you worry you can’t overcome, don’t hesitate to quit. The Tutorial is meant to make us stronger, and the further we go, the more we’ll improve. But you can’t use that strength if you’re dead.” His eyes paused on Rowan. “This is only the beginning. Even if you miss the best rewards the System has to offer, it won’t be too long before you grow past what the Tutorial can give you. It’s a jump start. Nothing more.”

With that, the Guardian touched the gate.

As it retracted into the floor and a new one rose behind the group, Dylan thought about Chester’s words. And about why they’d been directed more toward Rowan than anyone else. The swordsman had acted as if he were hearing any other generic group encouragement, and while that had certainly been a part of Chester’s speech, his focus had left no doubt that he was also singling out the redhead.

Dylan remembered Rowan’s reaction to seeing the first two members of their group choosing to leave. It had shown how much the man cared about the Tutorial’s reward, but in their time in the dungeon, Rowan had never seemed like the kind of person who would throw his life away in pursuit of it. Hell, he’d even threatened to force Mark to quit at one point. An action that would have actually reduced their accumulated reward at the end of the Tutorial.

Dylan wondered if there was something he’d missed. Something that had prompted Chester’s cautionary advice. But as the gate finished moving, he put those thoughts to the back of his mind.

The group walked forward down another earthen passage, but this one was short. In less than a minute, they reached an exit framed by a red glow.

Chester checked the situation ahead before signaling the rest of the group to follow.

The passage opened into the largest cavern that Dylan had ever seen.

The light was coming from another massive chasm that spanned the entire space to the right of the group. Tendrils of mist played across a red glow reminiscent of a world paused at sunset.

Rough earth extended in from beneath their feet until it reached more than a hundred yards in front of the group, ending with a rocky wall curving up to a ceiling that, at its shortest, was at least fifty feet above them.

To the left, an expanse of large stalactites, stalagmites, and columns visibly stretched another hundred yards deep before continuing into a darkness that swallowed the chasm’s red light.

The group spread out a bit as they walked forward, and the area around them only seemed to grow larger.

At least there aren’t any spider webs.

A loud howl pulled Dylan from his observations, echoing out from the dim recesses of the cavern. It washed over his ears, leaving them ringing in its wake.

When silence returned, a violent shock made the earth beneath him tremble. Dylan had trouble keeping his balance, and while he struggled, he noticed that he wasn’t alone. A few feet in front of him, Sara had even fallen over, scraping her arm along the rocky ground.

Another howl made the air vibrate. It was all Dylan could do to remain standing.

As the shaking continued, dust and small stones dislodged themselves from the ceiling, raining down on the group.

When a third cry reached across the cavern, it was overshadowed by a loud rumbling sound coming from above.

Dylan jerked his head up, almost losing his breath as he saw cracks racing through the base of a massive stalactite hanging over him.

“Sara! Move!” He used all his strength to jump backward as he shouted.

Like him, the Runic Scribe was directly under the crumbling rock formation. He rolled across the ground and saw the sharp stone begin to fall.

Sara still hadn’t gained her feet.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rowan rush forward. As the redhead got closer, Dylan could see his new boots glowing with a fierce light. The man was the fastest he’d ever been since entering the dungeon. But it wouldn’t be enough.

A calm look settled across Sara’s face as the stalactite dived closer. Her eyes relaxed and her mouth twitched its way into a wry smile before Dylan saw mana patterns appear in the air around her.

As the headache inducing shapes rotated, they wrapped her in a shroud of light. And then they were gone. Taking Sara with them.

She’d managed to quit in time.

The falling rocks crashed into the ground, sending out another wave of vibrations.

“Fuck!” Rowan’s curse was almost lost in the rumbling around him. He kicked at the new pile of rocks, his boots losing their radiance and returning to their usual shade of faded brown.

A few moments later, and the shaking stopped. Dylan pushed himself to his feet, but he had trouble looking away from where Sara had just disappeared.

The battle hadn’t even started yet, and they’d already lost someone.