Galvina swirled the glass of cider in her hand. It didn't do anything for the flavor, but she missed a good red. The wine selection in the Southern Continent was awful. They did make a decent Charred Volcanic Berry Cider which she drank now, but again, it wasn't wine.

The noise of the tavern was muted thankfully as the cost of this establishment was prohibitive to the common rabble. Its counters were made of dark petrified wood from the Ethereal forest of the mainland which in the current age was rather rare. Considering how far she was from civilization, she found it acceptable.

A tall muscular troll wearing nothing but a loin cloth stepped up and set down another glass of cider for her. She purred. "Hey there, pretty. What's your Strength?"

Awkwardly, he eyed his boss behind the counter and Galvina scoffed.

"Don't look at him, boy toy. Look at me. I want to know if you're as rough as you are pretty."

He looked nervous which pissed her off, but at the same time, she appreciated the chase. It wasn't something that she ever got on the Main continent. Demons never hesitated to throw themselves at her to further their station. She didn't get a chance to pursue the troll further though as one of the goblin runners she'd hired came sprinting in.

"Master Galvina," the child said, his disgusting little goblin ears flopping as he tried to catch his breath. "She's dead. Ferra is dead."

She wanted to crush the glass in her hand. A lot of her resources had gone to the Ferrous Clan's ascent and the fact that she'd failed so close to breaking into the Sky Clans infuriated her. She'd have to check with her Reflection Scholars and figure out how bad time had gotten. That was for later though.

"And who killed her?"

"Elizabeth, Master."

"The Mercenary?"

"Yes, Master Galvina."

She rubbed at her chin. While she wasn't an expert on the ground levels, she knew Elizabeth. The undead was probably the strongest independent monster below the sky levels. If there was one thing about her reputation though, she was a true mercenary through and through and she never did anything without getting paid.

She tossed some coins on the table and even a copper to the goblin peasant before heading out of the tavern. She needed to find out who was pulling the strings on the Ice Mercenary.

***

Danna collapsed back against the impossibly soft rock couch that her mentor had conjured. She'd spent every ounce of her divine power keeping Richard from the brink of death. His plan had been foolhardy and stupid, but it had worked which made her question whether it was actually stupid or not.

"Your husband is quite the gambler."

"You know, I really recall him being very risk adverse as a human. I feel like this whole gods and monsters thing is changing him a little much."

Her mentor laughed, the humor not quite reaching his draconic eyes. It was less that he wasn't amused and more that he just seemed too tired to get invested. It reminded her a bit of her depressed roommate in college. Despite it all, he was helpful.

"Why are you guiding me?"

Her mentor shrugged. "Amusement? Eternity is a long time. No divinity can make it through without some diversion or particularly strong beliefs." He stood. "Now, I understand your stores of divinity are depleted, but you're starting to gain new followers. You'll need to create your Heaven soon."

Danna's eyes widened in alarm. "You think I'll need it that soon?"

"If there's one thing that truly defines a mortal, it's their death."

"I suppose that's true as a matter of definition, but still kind of morbid. Honestly, I'm fond of little Tiria. Richard would have died several times without her already. She's great."

Her mentor didn't really respond. Instead, he waved his hand and the two of them were no longer in his endless cavern and instead were in a sea of infinite white. "Do you understand what you need to do?"

She'd have preferred an explanation even if dipping into Truth was easier. She'd become more proficient at finding what she needed in that vast river and the information came soon enough. It was very similar to how she'd built her body. In fact, she'd need to watch herself onto the endless to complete her heaven. It would take divine power though of which she was currently limited. "Yeah, I got it."

He smiled. "Good then we-"

A strange lizard like spirit popped out of nothingness. "Mr. Owl, you have a prayer-"

"Very good," her mentor said, interrupting the spirit and it blinked away with a wave of his hand. "It appears I have matters to attend to. I bid you farewell for now."

And just like that, he left, leaving Danna alone with her nascent heaven. "Now what the hell should Heaven look like?"

****

Undead Machination (Elite) defeated!

1 Body Orb received.

Nori tossed the strange mechanical remains of the undead thing beside her. It was a strange amalgamation of dead flesh and steel and was unliving in both senses of the word. However, it had succeeded in the Dungeon.

The portal to the Dungeon Stream still pulsed in the tree, surrounded by the small wood. The Playground had changed since the Eldritch's defeat with Gi's otters creating a base near where the river connected to the old Eldritch forest.

Hillin's abandoned town had already disintegrated back into nothing. The players changed and yet the stage remained the same. "Useless," Nori said. None of them mattered. Only the strong mattered.

Her focus was simple: The Strong Rule

She'd defeated the Eldritch Leader. She was the strongest here even with her missing arm. After dozens of attempts at creating the last Elite, she'd finally done it. All of her tasks were complete.

Ego Task complete!

All tasks in the Child Stage have been completed. Ascend to the Adolescent Stage?

Yes/No

All she had to do was say yes and she could finally move on. Nori tried to think of any way that she could prepare for the next stage further, but she didn't have enough knowledge to do more. So she dumped her last Body Orb into Vitality and accepted.

Child Stage has ended.

Primary Tasks completed.

Optional Task complete. Gestalt jobs available. An additional 5 Soul Orbs have been awarded for completing the Optional Task.

Current Soul Orbs: 35/30

Nori's consciousness floated in a sea of white. The hunger that had driven her for so long to be the best finally took a back seat. Her mind felt clearer than it ever had.

Still, it wasn't as though that hunger was gone. She would be the strongest monster even if she had to dance on the bodies of gods to do it. The only difference was that the hunger wasn't all consuming now. It was a motivation rather than a singular drive.

She explored her option for the Adolescent Stage.

Choose Job: Fighter / Monk / Noble / Demolitionist (Up to 2)

It seemed like a job defined what skill lists that she could pull from as well as what traits could be upgraded. Other than Demolitionist which she'd gotten from the way she'd killed the Eldritch Leader, any combination of two would allow her to fully upgrade her traits.

Ultimately since Fighter also seemed somewhat basic, she went with Monk/Noble as it's benefits were best.

Traits:

Martial Arts (Inherited - Unnamed) -> Aether Arts (8)

Intelligence -> Awareness (5)

Empower -> Aether Control (10)

Dodge -> Evasion (6)

Nori hadn't captured a ton of traits from the Infancy Stage, but they were strong and her success in the Child Stage had given her the ability to really level up. Assuming she understood these descriptions, of course.

Aether Arts -> Improves your fighting style to include your Aether manifestations including but not limited to skills. (Passive)

Awareness -> Expands your perception to 360° in a small area (Passive)

Aether Control -> Fortify your body with Aether, providing increased durability, speed, and strength.

Evasion -> Increases ability to dodge. (Passive)

With her remaining points, Nori selected two generic skills from the Monk list as those seemed the hardest to get naturally. Having two jobs meant that she had twelve slots for generic skills so she wasn't too concerned with her current small list. Overall, she was pleased with her final status.

Name: Nori

Race: Fighting Goblin (Goblin Mercenary - E)

Job: Noble/Monk

Stats

Strength - D

Agility - D

Vitality - D

Wisdom - E

Trait Skills:

Aether Arts (Unnamed)

Awareness

Aether Control

Evasion

Skills

Forceful Palm

Measured Step

***

Fader sat in the practice yard, staring dully at the squires that he currently trained. As much as he hated kids, he wanted to make sure they were strong enough to survive. He took a long draw out of his pipe and blew out an imperfect smoke ring.

"I assume you know that smoking kills?," a voice said behind Fader. A voice he recognized. He spun around and Prince Rellington stood watching him with hands clasped.

It had only been a year since the incident, but where Fader had broken after the nobles died under his charge. The Prince had matured. His brash confidence had mellowed and a true man stood before him instead of the brat he'd been.

Even his attire had changed, he still wore robes that were a fiery red matching his affinity with Fire, but they were less gilded and possessed absolutely no lace. A leather cord that rested tightly above his forehead kept his long blonde hair out of his face. It wasn't something in fashion. The style was purely functional.

Fader hopped to his feet, trying to knock dust off of his leather britches. He tried to recall the last time he'd had them cleaned... "M-M'lord," Fader managed, sputtering smoke out of his mouth. "How may I be of service?"

"Peace, Fader," the prince said, "I'm not coming as your prince. I'm coming as a friend begging a favor."

"Anything, my lord."

The prince sighed. "I much preferred your blunt honesty."

"With all due respect, I am being honest. I know I've never been the most respectful of royals but you saved my life. If there's anything you need, you only have to ask."

"I seem to recall that you were the one who saved my life. It was you that carried a crying princeling from a Dungeon, was it not?"

Fader's mouth dropped open in horror. He'd never told anyone that the prince had cried in front of him and yet, he spoke of it openly here. The king might kill him for disparaging his son's honor like that. "I- I didn't. I mean to say, the nobles-"

"Stop," the prince commanded. "Please relax. I do truly consider you a friend and true friends are difficult to find as a noble."

Then just like they were old pals, he sat down in the dirt of the practice yard. The other squires had stopped practicing to watch and another of the teachers set them back working. Yet, that didn't stop all of them from looking out of the side of their eyes.

"Despite our troubles at the hands of that aberrant, I've continued to level. My Father sent the highest level party that he was able to ensure I bested the fifth level properly."

"Yes, m'lord, I know. You've grown admirably."

The prince snorted. "Perhaps. Well, I've reached the next milestone of my journey and it's time I delve back in."

"The twenty fifth."

"You have the right of it. I'm assembling a team to push the twenty fifth and beyond if I have my way. For that goal, I'm in desperate need of a shield."

Fader realized with horror what favor he was asking. For a moment, he forgot entirely who he was speaking to. He stood up, raising his voice. "I can't do that! I got all of your little noble friends killed!"

"I remember 'all my little noble friends' dying because we were overconfident idiots who broke at the first sign of adversity. I remember the guardian who fought so hard to save us against our own follies. I also remember the adventurer called the Immovable Bulwark."

Fader dropped back to his knees. "That was a long time ago. I'm not that man anymore and even if I was... I've never cleared the twenty fifth level either."

The prince's voice was like unrelenting iron. "Frankly, you'd be useless if you'd already completed it. Fate blocks anyone who already has. A man who's run it and brought his entire party back practically unharmed though? That's the man I need."

Fader shook his head. "My prince, I'll do whatever you ask of me, but I beg you to reconsider. There are better peak E rank adventurers."

"No, it has to be you," The prince said and he leaned close to whisper in his ear. "Listen, my father's illness is not as managed as it seems. If I don't push into D-rank before then, the Thousand Islands will be thrust into civil war. All of the noble houses know that and it makes me a prime target. I need only people I can trust in the Dungeon with me. Can I trust you?"

Hearing the prince's reasoning lit a fire in Fader that he hadn't felt in a long time. The man in front of him had grown to be both strong and compassionate and was a better ruler than any including the current king. If his presence could save the prince's life, he'd have it. If Fader wasn't good enough to save it, then he'd just have to be better.

Fader knelt, dropping to both knees and bowing until his forehead touched the ground. He'd never bowed like this to any man in his life, but in this moment, anything less wouldn't do. "You have my trust for my entire life, my lord. I swear by the system and my hope of reincarnation that you may trust me."

The prince clapped him on the back and Fader looked up to a boyish smile alight on his lips. "Good man. I'll be in touch."

With no other fanfare, he stood up, dusted his clothes off, and left. Fader took a long draw from his pipe, inviting the death into his lungs. He'd started smoking just to feel like he had some control over his own mortality. It hadn't worked. It had just set him up with an addiction that he'd be hard up to overcome before at least D rank.

He worked the rest of his training shift in a fugue state. His mind constantly working through the prince's favor. Part of him was angry for being put in a situation that he was guaranteed to fuck up again. Another part dreamed that it was a chance to be redeemed. That part was small though. Every vision of him heroically protecting the prince and his team from certain death felt like a fanciful daydream of one of the squires in front of him.

The end of his work day hit and he headed straight back to his room in the servants quarters. He closed the door behind him, kicked off his boots and undid the tie on his shirt before collapsing in his chair.

His room was little more than a closet, but it had a bed, a cushioned chair, and a small desk. Best of all, it had dreamleaf. Fader tapped the old ashes of talon petals from his pipe and filled it with the iridescent dreamleaf from a wooden box on his desk. Lighting it up, he took a deep inhale and leaned back in his chair.

He might not have answers tonight, but at least he'd have some relief.

His mind grew hazy and his dreams of protecting the prince played through his mind. Even more, visions of himself as an adventurer again drifted through his increasingly hazy subconsciousness. He smiled. It hurt as his face just wasn't used to the gesture anymore, but that was fine.

Dreamleaf took all of his worries away. As he exhaled, all the dreams and visions in his head drifted out on the cloud in front of him that lingered in the room. He continued to watch his heroics without any sting of the past.

Tears slipped down his eyes, but it was the tears upon seeing a friend for the first time in a long time. This was the only bit of happiness that he had. He continued happily watching his dreams play out until the smoke turned black and opaque, taking up his entire vision.

Fader bolted upright, wondering if he'd gotten a bad batch of dreamleaf when a man in a strange outfit stepped out into the cloud as though he was only a dream in his head. He wore black trousers with a black coat over a white shirt except the cut was foreign. He glanced around as though truly seeing his tiny quarters and disgust radiated off his face.

"Pathetic."

"W-what?" Fader said, his mind still groggy from the dreamleaf.

"You used to be great Fader, one of the best, and now look at you. High off your ass in a room for fucking slaves."

The dreamleaf was supposed to push away any sad thoughts, but each word of this man hit him dead in the heart. No stone walls could block out the emotion and he choked out a sob.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry. Be better."

Fader wanted to apologize again, but he didn't. He tried to work up some of his old anger to protect him, but either he had truly broken or this vision somehow blocked any attempt to do so. The man straightened the cuffs on his crisp buttoned up shirt.

"I can see that you want to be more than this... thing that you are. I can help you achieve that. Protect the prince? Become an adventurer? Get out of this filthy squalor? Simple. For me. Is that what you desire?"

Fader nodded. He desperately, desperately wanted to be someone else- anyone else- than he was now. With the prince now relying on him? He knew he wasn't enough.

"Good. Now all you have to do is obey."

"Wh-who are you?"

"You may call me The Father."