I turned my attention back to my Dungeon. Faellen and her trio were resting now, so I have some time before they try to engage Thistleskin in combat again.

In the meantime, I might as well see how this whole Mystic Realm thing works.

I’m not really interested in expanding all that much, but I’d like to at least see how it looks and works. It’ll also be useful for planning out how to actually set the Mystic Realm up when I get around to doing that.

A simple activation of the Ability doesn’t do much.

Wait, no. Something does begin happening. A bit of mana is gathering from all over my Dungeon, making its way to my Core and waiting there.

This is taking too long.

I convert some of my stockpiled Universe energy into mana. Immediately, the mana density around my fold rises severalfold.

My Ability enters its second phase.

The sea of mana I released rushes at my core. But unlike usual, when it’d enter it to get cleansed, it just sort of… bypasses it? My Sense Ability alerts me to what’s truly happening.

The mana is streaming into a separate layer or reality, similar to how Zemis’s Divine palace was adjacent to reality.

That’s not all though. Yes, the mana is going into a weird fourth dimension, but it’s also gathering around me in my layer of reality.

It gathers more and more mana until it compresses into an almost physical form. One ball of mana around me, in my layer of reality. Another ball of mana where I am, in another layer of reality.

Then, with a dimensional pop, they merge and I’m no longer inside my Dungeon.

Except I am?

I don’t feel any of the pain I felt when I tried to go into the Wyld that one time. And I’m still connected to my Dungeon.

A look at my former Core Room reveals the truth of the matter.

Where previously stood my great and majestic Core, now stands a portal. Behind which is an extremely plain room, as well as a perfectly tetrahedral crystal. Me.

It would seem I’ve Created a new Core Room.

I know I said I wouldn’t expand my Mystic Realm too much, but having both the entrance portal and my Core in the same room doesn’t feel great so.

I expand.

My newest Mystic Realm Ability hijacks my other Dungeon Abilities. Through them, I am able to push the borders of this new layer of reality and expand my Dungeon. It’s almost like a mini-Universe.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Once I have just enough space for a second room, I move my Core over there.

Alright, this is awesome. It still feels somewhat weird to at the same time be in my Dungeon but not really. Also, if I focus too much on my Sense Ability I can tell that where my Core is right now is where a wall is in the main layer of reality. That also doesn’t feel exactly great.

I’ll just have to not focus on that aspect of the Ability for now, at least not within my Dungeon.

Additionally, what do I even call my Dungeon now? It’s technically still a moon. But I doubt most moons have a portal a separate layer of existence in their centre.

So Dungeon moon is out. Eh, I’m sure I’ll figure a name out eventually.

Back to reality though.

The whole thing didn’t take too long, surprisingly enough. At least, Faellen and its charges are still resting. Unless they’re resting again and I missed another fight.

...nah, surely not.

Oh, there was another thing I wanted to check on, wasn’t there? My Sipaloons!

Last I checked, they were doing some kind of weird group meditation in that one building and… they’re still doing that. What? Why?

Wait a second.

I recognize that one in the front, the one seemingly leading the meditation for the rest. Isn’t that the ‘mayor’, aka the high priest?

Oh. Oh no. This isn’t good.

Are they seriously having group prayers? A damn mass?!

My cult problem may have just escalated a bunch.

As I watch them, something strange happens near the mayor. A sort of… haze(?) appears around him. It sort of felt familiar as well. Weird.

Once the haze or aura or whatever it was somewhat solidified around him, another strange phenomenon occurred. A few stone balls, which I hadn’t notice laying by each Sipaloons’ legs, floated up and began to orbit around him.

And that’s when I realised why the haze felt familiar. The floating orbs confirmed it.

That was my Dungeon Domain! And my Control Ability!

How the in the hells did they steal that shit from me?!

Completely unbidden, the System came to answer me.

Answering query:

That appears to be the effect of your blessing. Normally a blessing allows one a minor connection to a patron’s Abilities if one is extremely in tune with them (example: Faellen). Your blessing appears to grant the power to create a copy of your Abilities, a sort of temporary pseudo Dungeon.

Oh gods. Does that mean every single Sipalian and Sipaloon I’ve blessed has the potential to be a walking disaster?

Well, with the System growth they had the potential anyway. Still, this seems uniquely bad. Not UNIQUE-ly though, that’d be a true disaster.

Fuck. System, help me out here. There’s gotta be a way to mitigate this, right? Without taking away the blessing, since I still need them to not be disgusted at my existence.

User is already in a position to do so. About 90% of blessed individuals worship you. A proper doctrine to guide them could restrict their use of the blessing into non-destructive applications.

You’ve got to be kidding me!

I. Do. Not. Want. To. Become. A. God!

Just- just leave it be for now and help Faellen finish the whole Thistleskin situation. They I can ask my assistant to assist me.

Damn, why has everything got to be so difficult?