Going back to where I left Astrid was easier than I was expecting. There was a specific feeling here that guided me to that room we were hiding in. Namely, the cold. It wasn't something that caught my attention at first, but it was pretty obvious that the closer I got to something, the colder it was. My assumption was that the Ice Devil was the source of the low temperature, or the room where it was sleeping. Which also meant we were going to sleep near the coldest area of the mine. If I couldn't find anything, we might need to leave and hope to find a better spot to spend the night.

Still, it was a relief that the monster wasn't able to walk in the corridors I was using. The tunnels down here were smaller than the ones above. And from the little I saw from the creature, it wouldn't be able to fit in here, only if it had a skill like {Compression} that it could use on its own body. But somehow that didn't feel quite right.

'Sys, is it possible for the monster to have a skill that allows it to shrink?'

[Although a skill that allows a living creature to change size is theoretically possible, the type of particle required to perform such a task is considerably advanced.]

'Meaning?' I turned a corner, feeling a gust of cold wind. It was so cold that it felt like my clothes were about to freeze.

[System requires a user, or a creature, to be at a high tier in order to create that skill. Alternatively, a creature would have to specialize heavily on this specific type of function in order to achieve the effect of changing sizes while being at a low tier.]

'So the odds of a giant bear covered in ice to be able to do that are very slim, right?'

[That is correct. Although, with the help of System, anything is possible.]

'Anything?' I paused. The tunnel still blew that cold gust of wind.

[Theoretically, yes.]

'Could I travel back in time then?' I asked the most absurd thing I could think about just to see what the System would say.

[In order to travel through time, a skill would be required that allows a user to move at a speed greater than the speed of light. Through normal means, that is impossible. However, by creating a skill that reduces Energy consumption enough, such an effect is theoretically possible. Keep in mind, it would require a high tier user along with high-tier skills for something like time travel to be truly possible.]

'Holy shit... how high tier?'

[System is unable to infer the tier required for time travel. Nevertheless, it is likely that a tier required for such skill would be in the high double digits, if not much greater.]

'High double digits?' I continued walking through the corridor, the cold becoming more and more intense as I made sure to hold the lantern close to my body. The last thing I needed right now was for the little bit of oil I found to end up freezing, 'I don't think I ever asked, what's your upper limit? Like, is there a max level and max tier?'

[No. System is a tool that attempts to reach perfection. Paradoxically, perfection can never be attained no matter how close you get to it. As a result, System does not have an end point, a state where it can no longer improve.]

'But what if you don't know how to improve?'

[System only knows how to improve the current tier. The quests created to allow user to reach the next tier also function to tell System how to improve. As a result, the upper limit of System is directly related to users' ability to find the necessary materials that would teach System how to improve.]

'I see. That's kind of neat. We work together to improve,' I made a turn, finally recognizing my surroundings. Turning on the third tunnel on the left should get me back to where Astrid was. Just then, a thought crossed my mind, 'Sys, is there a skill to bring someone back from the dead?'

[System currently does not have enough data to confirm the existence of such skill. However, there are skills that enable a user to regenerate from previous wounds. If enough Energy is supplied, it is theoretically possible to do the same with a target that is no longer alive. In addition, by reverse engineering the process of giving someone a skill, it is theoretically possible to extract information from a target. With those two concepts combined, it is theoretically possible to recover a body from a deceased state and replant the memories onto the brain. However, System is unable to confirm if the being that was reanimated would be the same as the one who died.]

'So meaning not only I need a fresh body for that, but it also has no guarantees that the end result would be the same person?'

[That is correct. Although it is theoretically possible to reconstruct a body, the information present in the brain is lost once the brain ceases to function. System is unable to copy what no longer exists.]

I nodded, but a smirk crossed my face, 'Sounds like that means that all that talk about nothing being impossible is a lie?'

[Incorrect. However, in order to bring someone back from the dead without access to the recently deceased, a number of skills will be required. For instance, one might travel back in time to the point where the individual died and use the reanimation skill to bring them back. If the two skill branches are too much for a single user, teamwork might be required.]

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

'If I was going to travel back in time to save someone, would it be better to just stop them from dying?'

[User asked the question. System simply answered.]

It was very fun to tease the System like that. Despite it saying that it was just a tool, it clearly had a personality, or it was creating one as we talked. But any attempt at continuing that conversation stopped as {Predatory Sense} forced me to focus on my ears. There was a soft sound of something sniffing nearby. Crouching closer to the ground, I peeked around the corner to see if something was in my way, and of course, there was. I wouldn't be lucky enough to not to have a monster directly where I needed to go.

In the tunnel, close to where the boulder blocked the entrance to our temporary camp, was a large white bear. It looked like one of the ones that were chasing us, the ones that caused the entire structure to collapse. Fighting the monster wasn't the best idea. It would make too much noise and there was a chance for the oil in what was left of the lantern to be spilled. Without it, I had no idea how we would be able to have a decent source of heat. And I wasn't sure if body heat alone would be enough for us to spend the night, even if we left the area.

Then again, if I killed that thing, we could probably use its fur. The surrounding area was covered in a thin layer of snow. The walls had crystals of ice that refused to melt even with my touch. Every so often, a wooden support pillar was attached to the sides of the tunnel. One such pillar was just a few meters behind me and there was a frozen hook attached to the top of the blue wood, likely a remnant of the old world before this place started to give off the pale blue light that belonged to the dungeon. It was high enough that even if a bear rushed past, what was left of the lantern should be safe, as long as the frame held.

With the oil safe, the next step was to confirm my suspicions. I peeked around the corner once more, giving a command to the System to show me what that creature was.

[Polar Brown Bear - Tier 1]

That meant the creature was anywhere from level one to nine. Considering my own level was five, I felt confident in the odds of me being able to beat it, especially with the Frosted Axe in my hand. The one problem was the lack of an attack skill at my disposal, but {Ice Veined Strength} should be enough for the job. Taking a step into the corridor, I prepared to strike. It was hard to be stealthy while moving through a tunnel covered in ice, but the closer I got to the beast before attacking, the better.

Strangely enough, fighting a bear wasn't the part that scared me the most. Instead, it was waking the Ice Devil on the other side of the tunnel. I had no clue what to expect from it and on the off chance that it had some sort of long range attack, I would be screwed. The tunnel was too narrow, and there were no good hiding places aside from the openings leading to other passages or rooms. Which means there were only a few places that could save me from whatever attack came from the Ice Devil.

Still, I approached it, being very careful which step to take to make sure it wouldn't be able to notice my presence. The Polar Brown Bear continued to sniff, getting closer and closer to the rock that was hiding Astrid. My heart started beating faster. What if the boulder wasn't enough to stop the bears? What if the attempted barricade only served to trap Astrid in that room?

Before I could finish those thoughts, much less attack the bear, a loud rumble, a mix of rock grinding and ice falling resonated throughout the entirety of the mines. Almost as if thousands of chains were being ripped from the walls and hitting the ground in unison. Before anything could happen, I dove to the left. There was a small open area there. It might have been once a larger room, but now ice covered the walls, leaving only a small gap near the entrance.

The bear groaned in fear and started running back, away from the Ice Devil, but it was too late. From the other end of the tunnel, a pillar of ice slammed into the bear, sending it flying towards the open area where the Ice Devil slept, or more specifically, was sleeping. The massive beast let out a soft roar, almost as if it was complaining instead of trying to threaten another beast. There was a yelp and a sickening crunch of bone breaking and blood splattering. The sound continued, but it was clear there was no struggle. The Polar Brown Bear was dead, now being a feast for the Ice Devil.

After a few moments, I realized it was better to move now instead of waiting for it to finish eating. I had no guarantee it would go back to sleep or move away, and now at least it was distracted. After confirming it wasn't looking in my direction, I rushed back to where I left the lamp. Quickly grabbing it before moving towards the room where Astrid was. With {Compression} acting as the key, I changed the size of the boulder before stepping in and making it big again.

"The sound. Was the devil?" Astrid asked.

I made a gesture for her to be quiet and approached before whispering, "Yeah, it ate one of the bears that dropped with us here. I was almost caught by the attack it used. Apparently, that thing can control ice."

"Control ice?" Astrid whispered, understanding I had a reason for that.

"Yep, it created a massive pillar to push the bear into its lair. Probably because it can't fit here in the tunnel. It's awake now and I don't know if we can make too much noise, but I found some oil and a fire starter. We might be able to make a bonfire with the wood from the other room."

Astrid frowned, "The smoke?"

"I don't know, but I think the air current will be enough to keep us from asphyxiating. Either way, it's better to have to deal with that than to freeze to death. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Need Energy."

"I might have a way to help with that, but first, let me give you this," I tapped her shoulder and asked the System to transfer {Quick Tier 1 Evolution}.

"Let that one finish, otherwise you're going to end up wasting a good amount of progression. Well, not wasting, but this is more effective. Do you think you can hold on for an hour?" Astrid nodded, as I pulled out a waterskin that didn't have any water, "Okay, when you get that new skill you can drink this."

"Milk?"

"It's Eater blood. I know it sounds disgusting, but those things work like a potion of Energy. You can recover a lot of Energy with just a sip. It also works to give you a lot of progression to the next level if you have that skill. I'm assuming you already talked to the System about leveling up?"

Astrid nodded but then pointed to the waterskin, "What about you?"

"I'm too high level. Once you get to Tier 1, that skill that I just gave you will stop working, and it takes more Energy to progress the same amount to the next level. Even if I drink all of that, I won't get even a level. You, on the other hand, might be able to level up a few times, if you have the skill. That's why I'm saying for you to wait until the skill finishes copying," I got up and started gathering some wood scraps.

"The taste?" Astrid raised one arm, holding the waterskin.

"It's not bad. It's not good either. Tastes like water and metal. Also, try not to drink everything. It's good to leave a bit for an emergency."

I continued working while she rested. Despite {Body Regeneration}, it was clear she still wasn't able to move around. It made a lot of sense. After all, I only survived what I did because of my title, but since her wounds were nowhere near as worrying, we might be able to move out soon.