For the 96 minutes under [Measured Savagery] we focused on doing as many [t1] dungeons as we could, but left just enough time for a [t2] [Minerals Springs] in the end. We did all six [t1] Flooded Lairs in the row, back to back in quick succession.

Overall, the loot wasn’t anything to write home about. I couldn’t expect amazing items from these lowest tier dungeons, but that didn’t mean we didn’t luck into treasure. A secret area behind a crumbling wall had revealed a hidden chest. Inside was a [t2] skill tome for a [Mana Ward] skill.

* [t2] Mana Ward [Duration] [Defense] [Mana]

* Grants an energy shield that absorbs damage

* Energy Shield: 300

* Cost: 800 mana

* Cast Time: 5 seconds

* Duration: 60 seconds

* Affected by [Will] and [Constitution]

I didn’t like the long cast time, the huge mana cost, and the short sixty seconds of use. However, I didn’t have any other defensive abilities besides my own thick, scaled hide. The fact that it was affected by my [Will] and [Constitution] attributes very likely meant that the Energy Shield would be tripled in value. In the end, I chose to postpone learning it because in the morning, I intended to visit a shop selling skill tomes. I hoped to find a better alternative there, and if so, I could simply exchange or sell this tome. After all, with my skill slots being limited to twelve, I didn’t want to clutter them.

Other notable loot included Wandcrafting material in the form of silver wiring, a pointy ivory tusk, and a handful of jade fragments. Darya pocketed more crafting materials for her profession too. I also picked up fingerless leather gloves with metal studded knuckles. They made me look like some kind of a punk.

We didn’t just kill the bosses. Using the new tactic to draw in the regular mobs together, I dispatched them at once and quickly. This gave me easy experience, enough for another level. We collected another fifty minor power crystals, and a few of the dungeon orbs dropped as a higher tier, nudging us in the direction of higher tier dungeons ever gradually.

Killing the War Toad myself also granted me another two evolution points. Evolution points came from killing [t2] and higher creatures, but only once for each type. This meant I couldn’t endlessly farm the same dungeon bosses to get unlimited evolution points. To gain more evolution points I had the option of seeking out [t2] and higher monsters outside the Void.

“You could do all these dungeons without my help. I might even be slowing you down,” Darya told me when I brought up the topic of loot sharing.

“Are you at least getting much for experience points?” I asked her.

Darya frowned. “Not with the way the gods are seeing things. I’m also level forty-five, so the amount of experience I’d need for the next level is .. a lot.”

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“You’d helped immensely by pulling the monsters after us, and then by collecting the loot while I took care of the boss. It would have taken me a lot longer to do the same without you.”

She beamed. “I-I suppose you’re right.”

After a little bit of back and forth we agreed to split the loot two to one. I counted out twenty power crystals out of the sixty and handed them to her. Could I have kept all the loot if I wanted to? Sure. Was I perhaps swayed by her good looks and pleasant company? Of course, and who wouldn’t be in my place? I wanted to be liked and appreciated, and I certainly didn’t want to come across as a stingy bastard.

“I adore this dungeon,” Darya said.

And as soon as we entered [Mineral Springs], I could understand why. In a wide open area with many pools, the water cascaded from one to the next. Steam rose from the surface of the water, forming ethereal wisps that dance in the sunlight. The air was filled with the scent of minerals, carried on a gentle breeze rustling through nearby lush foliage.

I dipped my toes into the inviting warmth of the water, and a sensation of bliss washed over me, easing away my tension and fatigue. This was nature's therapeutic oasis, and I couldn’t wait to take a relaxing bath in the crystalline waters with hues of azure and emerald. But first, we needed to clear the place of the critters, starting with the boss.

I moved ahead and monsters rose up out of the water. A group of cute and cuddly rodents. And that was true until they charged at me, screeching loud and full of nasty teeth and claws. These were no usual rodents, but exceptionally large.

* [t1] Crazed Capybaras [Gray]

Darya slowed them with her venomous shots, and I put them down with my sword. With a few minutes remaining on my [Measured Savagery] we ran forward through the dungeon toward the back in search of the boss.

***

The 65,536th iteration of The Keeper of the Void approached from below, watching and studying his prey up close. The Keeper was more than just a construct made to manage the Void, and it wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last. Another would take its place, another iteration. Much like the previous iterations - or so it assumed - it also yearned for freedom, to escape this wretched prison. Though it had purpose and will, it also had ambition.

It scanned the body of the curious creation and found it acceptable. No. It was more than acceptable, but exceptional. Yet, such a host wasn’t as finely tuned as it would have liked it to be. No matter, the Keeper thought, once it had come to possess it, it would make the necessary adjustments as needed. Whoever, or whatever created such a body had left ample room for another. For it. If the Keeper could smile, it would have.

The Keeper followed him, unseen and unheard. It watched the creature dispatch the boss with great ease. It watched him jump for joy. How mere trinkets could elicit such great emotion was far beyond it. What did they see in it?

He continued watching and waiting for the opportune moment. After their celebratory dance, the creature and his companion had removed their attire and were bathing in the heated liquid. The Keeper could guess what would happen next. [Mineral Springs] dungeon type was well known for such activity. All the gunk these troublesome pests left behind had to be incinerated with prejudice. Normally, the Keeper would frown - if it could - at such activity, but this was exactly the sort of an opportunity that it needed.

Shifting its form into the material plane, the Keeper pounced on the unsuspecting creature, swiftly embedding itself in the cranium of its victim through the creature’s side port. It was overjoyed and excited at how quickly it could position itself to take control.

Except. It had made a grave miscalculation. If it had a mouth to scream with, it would have.