When Ray was able to see again, he was already on the Second Floor.

At least, he hoped it was the Second Floor. The System notification had already welcomed him, after all. It was just that all he could see around him were plain white walls, the missing roof providing him a large window through which he could see the Eternal Guardian flying away.

For a moment, he considered calling it back. He had the Flight Mana crystal. With Channel Mana, he was sure he could use it to make the Tower Node of the Songstress function correctly and control that ginormous monster.

Not yet. He didn’t want to use up the only source—limited at that—of Flight Mana he had. Not before he had figured out how to acquire more or convert more using the Tower Node of the Abstractor.

“It’s not the last you’ve seen of me,” he told the behemoth dwindling in the distance.

[Floor II]

Welcome, Denizen, to the Second Floor of the Tower of Forging. Having risen to the challenges of the Tower, here you can realize your ambitions and make your dreams a reality. Please review your Objectives and proceed as you see fit.

Calculating objectives based on [Path of Lifeblood Chaos] and [Tower Conqueror]…

Objective 1: Destroy the connection between the Floors [0/1]

Objective 2: Defeat a Spirespine [0/1]

Objective 2: Defeat 3 Viledrakes [0/3]

Objective 4: Defeat 5 Lostcallers [0/5]

Objective 5: Defeat 2,000 Elementals [0/2,000]

Objective 6: Defeat the plague [0/1]

Objective 7: Defeat an Arch Imitator [0/1]

Objective 8: Clear 5 dungeons [0/5]

Hidden Objective 1: Find 2 Tower Nodes [0/2]

Hidden Objective 2: Unveil the secret of the Floor [0/1]

Personal Objective 1: Meet new Denizens [0/10]

Personal Objective 2: Conquer an enemy Base [0/1]

Denizen, go forth and continue your conquest of the Tower of Forging!

Ray took a good while to look through those Objectives. Some of those made sense. Some others… were a bit wild.

Defeating two thousand of anything sounded insane. Ray could only hope they were small, weak creatures who tended to bunch of up together, which would at least allow him to kill them pretty easily. But the requirement of two thousand took the task from tedious to borderline ridiculous.

Besides that, what in the world did the System mean by asking him to destroy the connection between the Floors? Wasn’t that insane?

Why would Ray even want to do something like that? His goal was to climb higher up the Tower, to face more and more difficult challenges to make sure he continued growing. Destroying the Floor’s connection made it sound like he’d be stuck on his current Floor.

He really didn’t want that. Ugh.

“What the fuck, System?” Ray asked. “You want to me trap myself here?”

It didn’t reply. He wished he could talk to the same entity he had met when he had first been brought into the Tower of Forging, the one who had accelerated his class and path pickings. Would that… administrator have explained what all his Objectives meant? He doubted it.

For just a moment, Ray felt rather alone. He had no one to ask anything, no one to count on for answers, no one to even share the shock of the strange set of Objectives.

It would have been nice if the Eternal Guardian had stayed for a little longer. At least, until Ray headed out.

He tutted, then shook his head. Damn, he was turning woolly. Ray blamed it on spending too much time with other people on the First Floor. If he had gone at the whole thing on his own, these pesky feelings of loneliness wouldn’t be troubling him. As much.

Deciding not to waste time pondering over all the Objectives at once, Ray got going.

The very first step he took brought up another glowing blue window with flashing white letters.

[Primordial Gauge—Dungeon]

Imitator’s First Conquest [Tier 9]

The Imitators’ greatest sign of being never truly satisfied manifests in this long forgotten manor. Once the hallowed ground of their first true foothold on the world, it now lies nearly abandoned as they have sought and obtained other settlements. Nevertheless, the structure remains stable, and holds the dregs of their civilization the Imitators never cared for.

Oh, huh A Tier 9 dungeon right from the start. Looked like Ray wasn’t going to have a lot of trouble getting Essence here. Excellent.

Ray looked around as he got moving. The white walls seemed modern somehow. Like plaster. The floor, which was white too, had a marble-like sheen that was almost reflective. For a long-abandoned ruin. It was strangely spotless. He barely caught any dirt or dust anywhere. Ray himself was probably a ton dirtier.

Far above, the sky was heavy and grey. The clouds were literally sinking. Bulges and streams all pointed down like the clouds had grown weight. It was strange, and eerie in a way.

The room opened up into a corridor lined with the same white plaster. Ray kept walking. It seemed a bit too peaceful for a Tier 9 dungeon. No sign of traps. No Dungeon Obstacles yet. Where were the monsters?

Passing through another empty room and going through more corridors eventually brought him into another little inner courtyard as he was starting to think of them. Another chamber with one exit at the opposite end and no roof at all. At least the sky didn’t appear it had sunk even lower.

That was when Ray spotted the other person in the room. Person. A seeming person who hadn’t been noticed by Primordial Gauge.

“Hey, there…”

Despite Ray’s trepidation, his friendly greeting quickly dwindled to nothing. He realized it wasn’t exactly a person like he had first thought. This thing looked a lot like a human being, but it couldn’t be an actual man, could it?

It had the general shape and figure of a short human. Flat chested torso, a hairless, masculine head, two arms and two legs. But its skin was whitish-grey, like the belly of a fish, except somewhat shiny and chrome. Also, there was no sign of any clothes. Just that shiny, greyish-white skin. Basically, a fucking warboy from apocalyptic Australia.

The thing—he­?—turned to face Ray with an eerie smile. Really not making him feel welcome here.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“A new… person,” he said. “Welcome. What brings you here, person?”

Ray really wanted to ask this weirdo what exactly he was, but that would have been a bad introduction. “I’m looking for a way out of this dungeon. Do you know which direction I should go?”

“A dungeon? Are you suggesting you are trapped?”

“Well… I hate to break it to you, but since you’re here with me, you’re kind of trapped too, right?”

“Am I now? I do not feel trapped. I feel free. Capable of going wherever I wish.”

“And yet you haven’t told me where the end of the dungeon is.”

Ray wasn’t stupid. The dungeon’s name was the very hint, even if it’s description had entirely been some kind of weird and not very helpful lore. Imitator’s Conquest. That was the dungeon’s name. Ray might very well be standing in front of one of those Imitators.

“As you wish then,” said the strange not-person. “I can tell you where to go. In return, however, I want to be recompensed properly.”

Ray’s hackles rose, though he tried not to show it. “What sort of payment do you want?”

“Can you spare some food?”

Ray blinked. He had gotten some more Mana fruits before leaving the First Floor. It would be interesting to see if he continued getting more now that he had arrived on the Second Floor, but that was besides the point. For now, he took one out and offered it up.

“Will this do?” Ray asked.

The not-person accepted it and stared down at it for a while. He still had that eerie smile. Then he proceeded to prod the fruit, before first sniffing, then licking, and finally holding it against his humanlike ears.

“Thank you,” he said, chewing quickly and swallowing it whole. “I appreciate it.”

“Great. And now, my directions?”

“One moment.”

Something strange was happening. If Ray’s hackles had been raised before, now they were flying off his shoulders. The thing was turning bloated. For a weird moment, Ray really thought the not-person was going to let loose a massive burp. But he kept growing and growing, while still mostly maintaining his shape as a person.

Ray stepped back. He focused on Primordial Gauge. Still nothing. The hell was happening?

In half a minute, the expansion stopped. The not-person was now nearly twice as big as he had been before. Where he had stood over a head shorter than Ray before, now he was tall enough that he could knee Ray in the face without even needing to raise his leg much.

“Uh.” Ray was glad his voice was still steady. “So, those directions? You know the way out of the dungeon, right? Mind pointing me in the right way to go?”

The big guy looked down on Ray. The smile that had seemed eerie before was now almost predatory. “You have more food?”

“I already gave you some. It’s your turn to hand over the info, big guy. Tell me where the dungeon’s exit is. If you want, you can come with me, and after I reach the exit, I can hand over another Mana fruit then.”

“No.” It took a step forward rather threateningly, though still with that damning smile. “I want more food now.”

[Primordial Gauge—Dungeon Obstacle]

Bad Bargain

Once mired in a bad deal, often the only recourse is to break free with violence. Give in once, and all will be taken from you till you are dry as a husk. So escape by any means necessary.

Oh, so now he got the Dungeon Obstacle notification. At least it clarified what his next action ought to be.

Ray stepped back, then activated Soulstrike. True Mana sizzled even harder within him. It was always burning in his soul now, a constant hum of energy that radiated everywhere inside, but whenever he used a spell, it turned into a small wildfire.

Now, it crafted up an impressive arm of monochrome energy, where he shaped the end into a tapered point. Impaling form.

The thing reacted, which was finally when Primordial Gauge decided to work.

[Primordial Gauge]

Lesser Imitator [Monster] [Tier 8] [Level 20]

Artificial creatures that have gained sentience and control to such a degree that they are now more or less independent. Capable of assuming nearly any form, given the consumption of the right pieces, their potential for growth as both individuals and as a society is thought to be frighteningly potent.

Skills:

Mimic Form [Tier 5]: Assume the full form of any being that you have consumed. While in this form, your true nature is suppressed and cannot be detected. Activating any other ability dispels this form. At Tier 6, this skill can store up to 6 different forms.

Fluid Form [Tier 6]: Partially combine current form with other forms. At Tier 7, this skill can combine up to 7 different forms at once.

Channel Mana [Tier 4]: Channel up to 5 different kinds of Mana to create different effects, depending on the variant of Mana channelled.

Digest [Tier 5]: Absorb a portion of whatever you consume so that you may adapt it to your form.

Malleable Matter [Tier 5]: Passive ability that makes your physical form fluid and malleable, that can be shaped around and into anything. Can be condensed to harden and vice versa.

Reconstitution [Tier 4]: Use pieces of similar matter to add to your body. Added matter can bring in new forms, if such forms were stored in the original vessel. At Tier 4, this skill can draw from 4 different sources at once.

Ray’s glance shifted to the creature’s feet. They had changed. From being simple human legs to the long talons of something like an emu or an ostrich. Or maybe a dinosaur. No wonder it had jumped back so quickly.

“Ah, so you reveal your true form at last,” Ray said. He raised his Soulstrike arm higher. “Makes things a lot easier when we’re not pretending, doesn’t it?”

“Give me more food! More food.”

It was now the Imitator’s turn to attack. The arms turned from normal to eldritch in a matter of seconds. The hand split, the fingers lengthened, the whole limb turning into a mass of tentacles that all stabbed towards Ray like they were living spears.

He jumped back, using Soullife Cloak at the same time. A heavy sizzle of energy passed out from him, even as his speed and evasion went up. It made dodging the monster’s attack pretty easy.

The Imitator came after him real quick, though. Its taloned feet were incredibly fast, and Ray had to take to the air to prevent himself from being grabbed by one of those wandering tendrils. He also attempted to counter with a swipe of his Soulstrike arm, but the monster was agile enough to dodge that without difficulty.

As such, Ray rose higher, using Mottling Spiritguard at the same time. He bid the dozen sparking spheres turn offensive, aiming them all at the Imitator.

But then it generated wings and flew.

A burst of buzzing power grew from the monster’s back, creating wings that kind of reminded him of fairies. Except, these ones fluttered like that of a hummingbird, thrumming so fast in the air that they were almost invisible.

The Imitator launched itself off the ground, evading all the Spiritguard orbs without difficulty, before shooting straight at Ray.

It would have started a quick and furious aerial battle, but thankfully, the monster’s own aggressiveness was its undoing. It shot past Ray as it was attempting to strike. Neither of them managed to connect, but the Imitator was faster to react. Just as it flew past, its backside exploded into a new form.

Ray twisted around, just in time to see a deformed tail heading straight for him. A tail with mandibles and small scuttling legs running along its—no, that was a giant centipede emerging from the Imitator’s ass.

Options flitted through his head. With a start, he realized he knew what to do.

Ray set his mouth just as the centipede arrived. He didn’t need to dodge with too much effort. Timing his evasion and effort just so, Ray swished to the side by two feet so that the centipede shot past him. Then he slammed in his Soulstrike arm, turning the end into a grasping point with the application of True Mana.

The Imitator jerked to a halt as Ray caught its “tail”.

“Got you now,” he shouted.

Before the monster could react, he yanked. The strength in his constructed arms always surprised Ray a little. This time, he had pulled so hard that the Imitator was bodily pulled from his flight to be slammed to the ground. That impact made the floor crack and squished its wings and half its back, its greyish matter spreading out like a pool of oil.

Wasting no time, Ray shot in. He kept the Soulstrike arm in the shape of a fist and smashed it in, setting off a huge explosion of crimson flecked, black-and-white energy.

Even still, that didn’t kill the monster. Bits and pieces of it rolled away from the explosion, little chrome globules somehow escaping the fiery burst. A bit of distance away, more of those silvery flecks were appearing from nowhere and everywhere. Rising out of the ground, seeping out of the wall. The hell were they coming from?

Had to be the Reconstitution ability he had read. Nothing else came to Ray’s mind.

As the creature reformed, Ray used Lifeblood Soulform to draw up the flying Greater Windbane Maw. He was not about to do nothing still while his opponent was busy.

“More food,” the Imitator said, now nearly back to normal. Or, as normal as it had been before starting the fight with Ray “All I wanted from you was more food. Must you make this so difficult?”

Ray frowned, then stood straighter. “Alright, fine. I’ll give you one more Mana fruit.” To show his sincerity, he pulled it out too, then held it out for the monster. “In return, you’ll stop hounding me for more food. Deal?”

“Certainly.”

With his gait halfway between human and whatever the strange talons had provided during the battle, the Imitator approached. The smile was back. Ray couldn’t be sure if it that slash of a grin on its mouth had ever left, even during the fight.

When it was about ten or so feet away, Ray chucked the fruit straight at it. “Catch!”

Or rather, he moved his arm like he was about to throw it. Even the monster was startled, stopping as it moved its head in expectation of a fruit coming flying in its direction. But the Mana fruit never left Ray’s grip.

Instead, the draconic maw fired off its fiery laser from the side.

Fast as the monster might have been, the Imitator didn’t see it coming. No speed in the world would help when one couldn’t even catch sight of an attack.

The flying maw’s overpowered breath washed over the entire area. It burned away the Imitator in no time, the monster’s form disappearing inside the laser breath. Ray didn’t hold it there. Instead, it forced the draconic maw to paint the walls with its chaotic fire, to destroy the ground in the same manner.

No more Reconstitution. Not on Ray’s watch. There was so much firepower that Ray was even forced to create an Impervious Shell and Mottling Sphereguard in a shielding form.

The final notification confirmed his success.

[Enemy Defeated— Lesser Imitator]

Tier 8 Monster: Lesser Imitator [Level 20] x1

Essence: +1,600

Knowledge: +3

True Mana Restored: +200

Essence to Level 23: 27,240/30,500

Knowledge to next Threshold: 609/800

Okay, that was decent. If Ray played things right, he ought to be able to get to level 23 just inside this dungeon.

He ought to remember to use Spiritsorb on the next one he encountered.

“Good work, soldier,” Ray told the maw. “You are now my official mimic-killer.”

He offered it a short salute before dismissing it. Now he had a good strategy for dealing with the Imitators without getting into pointlessly long-winded fights.

Ray decided to get moving. Hopefully, one of these corridors or chambers would reveal more of what he was supposed to do. He tried flying straight out of the room since the ceiling was gone.

That was when it turned out the roof wasn’t gone. It had just transformed into the ceiling.