"Before we go," Tinkwezilsky said, "Allow me to switch Mrs. Altia... research assistant Altia's Arbitrium to diagnosis mode."

Altia put her left arm over the table near the gnome. "Thank you, professor Tinkwezilsky."

The gnome took his tools and fiddled with Altia's Arbitrium. The screen lit up.

> Diagnosis mode is active.

"There is no problem leaving the Arbitrium this way but most people get annoyed by the messages and only a few can understand what they mean. The default procedure is to hide these messages."

Nero raised a hand, "I have a question, regarding the Attribute stress, it is clear the Arbitrium measures the values, is there a way to know where they are?"

"Maybe. Why would you want to know?"

"Training," Nero stated as a matter-of-fact. "Just as I trained with a sword since a tender age, if I can know my Attribute stress values, I can change my exercise to induce stress on the Attribute I want. This way, I can decide which Attribute to raise in the event of an Accolade."

The three researchers looked at each other. It was Glom that spoke what they were thinking.

"You see, that is why I told you we need to go out in the field more. I told you that, my experience traveling around and activating the Arbitrii gave me a lot of contacts, new friends, and more insight. Staying in the lab all the time is good to pursue ideas that may or may not have a practical use, but nothing beats the opinion of someone experienced in the day-to-day activities of an Adventurer. Imagine what insights we are losing. Nero - and I mean no offense, my friend - has a little over a month as a Delver and just because someone's blunder left his device with the diagnosis messages turned on he already brought us such insight."

Tinkwezilsky shrugged. "Yes, but not everyone can gain Accolades on every kill. As you know the difficulty ramps up faster than an Adventurer can keep up, even with good cards. Past level thirty, give or take a few depending on Class and Skill selection, it gets too dangerous to hunt above one's level. One would have to be made of purples to keep up."

Bezzias was the one to defuse the situation, "I don't think we can modify the display but we can try. I know we can make the device print the stress values to a blank card though."

The gnome nodded, "Yes, it can. We can make it print the stress values along with the Attributes since the input matrix for what gets printed is written in the card. We just need to find the correct identifiers for the stress values but I think they are stored along with the Attributes. I remember there was some garbled data we dismissed as nonsense, but maybe..."

Glom nodded. "This requires further investigation. We should start with the preliminary tests now, professor Tinkwezilsky."

"Agreed. Everyone, please follow me."

Bezzias led them outside. Nero noticed how fast people moved. The foot-tall Glom was actually the faster of them, at least on the ground as Bezzias could fly if he wanted - although he'd have to strip to his boxers - as the squiig bound with his long and slim digitigrade legs on the floor. Nero equally amazed by his ability to get on a table with a single leap, easily clearing three times his own height. The gnome was the slowest of them all.

They went to another room on the same floor, where among several gadgets and instruments, a glass box with some machinery above and below hummed.

"Our first test is to measure your absorption rate. We can determine, within some margin of error, both the current level and the level cap of a person with this method. It is akin to the door on the ground level. First, assistant Altia will enter. The machine floods the chamber with Essence, imitating the inside of a Dungeon for a tiny amount of time. Your device will pick up this increase in Essence density and absorb a bit. By measuring the amount of Essence released and the amount left behind after absorption as well as the speed of the phenomenon, we can measure your Level."

Altia looked skeptically at the chamber and then asked a thoughtful question. "What is the precision of the device? I can see the government abusing this to track people's levels."

"Yes, each technology has good and bad in them," The bat-kin admitted. "Like how a knife can either murder or chop vegetables for dinner."

"It is safe," Tinkwezilsky said. "Look, let's test it on Glom."

The squiig wasn't very happy and his inner nature was already looking around for an escape route. "Assistant professor Glom, please step into the device. You know it is safe."

Reluctantly, Glom entered the box and Tinkwezilsky closed the door. Bezzias turned on the device and it lit up the color of Essence. Glom's device lit up and a stream of numbers appeared on the panel in front of the bat-kin.

"Glom, current level 110, level cap 140. The margin of error, five levels."

They took notes of the measurement, then Altia went inside. "Altia, current level five, level cap one hundred-eighty. Error, five levels. Your turn now, Nero." The young man switched with his wife and the reading everyone wanted to see. "Nero, current level five, level cap five, error, five levels."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"This is not good," Tinkwezilsky sighed. "it should read zero with an error of zero."

They repeated the reading with the same result. The three researchers gathered to figure out what could have messed up with the reading, while Altia went to check with Nero.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Normal. I don't feel any different."

"The chamber made me a bit dizzy. I don't know if it's normal or not."

"Let's ask our esteemed professors then," Nero suggested.

They told what Altia felt. Bezzias, the one that built the machine, answered. "It is because the limiter disengages briefly. You noticed your device reacted as if you were entering a Dungeon, right? But we leave the exposure time too low for it to start powering up the Attributes."

It made Nero a bit angry. Altia wouldn't have problems with the limiter, but he liked Glom enough to worry for the tiny scientist. "Do you mean that if this field remains on for too long a high-level person can die?"

"Yes." Tinkwezilsky answered.

"Maybe." Bezzias wondered.

"I won't test it." Glom was bolting for the door already.

Nero frowned. "So, if that glass case breaks with the device on, does it become a death field?"

"Congratulations, professor Bezzias," The gnome slapped the bat-kin's back. "you created your first weapon."

Bezzias pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in the ultrasonic range. All Nero felt was his ears popping and a slight buzz. Glom, however, crouched and folded his flappy rodent ears.

"Oh, dear, I'll have nightmares with that," he mumbled and trembled.

Altia scooped him from the floor and placed the squiig on a table, holding her hand on his back. After Bezzias stopped, he straightened himself, bowed, and thanked her.

The bat-kin faced the gnome. "I can't believe it."

"Unwittingly, I will add in my testimonial. We need to disassemble and double-check the safety devices and the Essence limiter. We can't run this risk."

"I'll have to report it, Tinkwezilsky. The committee may even withdraw my funding because this was supposed to study the theory of absorption, not create a death field."

"If there's a silver lining, my comrade, it also reinforces your theory that people with high-level caps have a weakness."

The two discussed things for a while but the ape-kin couple was looking after the Squiig. Altia used [Potion Toss] on him because some of the blood vessels in his delicate ear burst. Applying the potion via the Skill granted the boosts of her Class and passive Skills. The two senior researchers called the junior trio after they finished talking.

"This will take a while. We will have to disassemble my Essence infuser. Glom, could you take the two assistants to a tour of the campus while we work?"

"And take them to the registrar's office to pick their badges. There might be some paperwork for you to sign," Tinkwezilsky added.

The poor squiig was more than happy to get away from the bat-kin. "It will be my pleasure."

----------------------------------------

They got out of the building, through the stairs this time. Nero wondered if the 'elevator' only elevated people or if it was possible to descend, but Glom told him that the wait to use the device wasn't worth the joy of riding a box of metal hung by a cable inside a stone shaft. As they went downstairs, several other students and staff walked around with parts, devices, valves, and, of course, cogwheels of all sizes. The whole building smelled of machine oil.

Glom held the door open so Nero could get out and they stepped out into the mid-morning sun. Students were reading books under the trees, some were walking to and from their classes and some were even enjoying youth in a non-academic way, in a large group far away and in more intimate groups of two in shaded spots where they thought nobody was watching. The squiig bounded ahead of the ape-kin couple, leading them to a central building that was only two stories tall. As they walked, he showed them the other buildings and their function. The fine arts academy, the department of mathematics and philosophy, dungeonology and history. Before they reached the administrative center, Nero asked.

"What is that building with the metal dowel sticking out of it? The one with the dome on top of the hill?"

"Oh. That's the most recent addition to the campus, it was built last decade. It is an observatory!" Glom answered with pride.

"And what might it observe, professor Glom?" Altia asked.

He laughed, his whiskers bouncing up and down. "The universe! The moon! The stars! At first, everyone thought the astronomers were crazy but they built an optical contraption called a telescope that allows you to see really far away! Then they pointed it at the sky and found new stars! It is amazing, you must see it for yourselves someday. It seems that between the stars in the sky, there are more stars with a faint glow we can't see with our naked eyes! Then they convinced the dean to build a bigger version of the telescope, it is the thing you called a dowel, Nero."

"Amazing!" Nero gasped.

"Indeed, isn't it? It is amazing, our observatory."

"No, I mean, the observatory is cool. What is amazing is that!" He pointed at a group of students gathered in a grassy field, all sitting and chatting with enthusiasm."

"What?" Altia squinted her eyes. "They are trading cards?"

"I've never seen so many people trading cards like that!" Nero ran.

"No!" Glom tried to stop him but it was too late.

As he approached the group of more than two scores of students trading cards, someone shouted, "Teacher!", and chaos ensued. Students scattered everywhere, away from the three figures in white and gray uniform approach. Most tried to gather all of their cards but it was impossible. As they ran like there was a Dungeon boss coming after them, all that was left by the time Nero reached the spot where everyone was having a good time was trampled grass and abandoned cards.

Nero deflated. he looked at the students vanishing in the distance, hiding behind parked carriages, buildings, trees. Even the ones that were having another kind of good time with their partners also hightailed it.

"I just wanted to trade cards!" Nero cried.

The other two caught up right after. "There's no way around it, Nero. Students are not supposed to be trading cards during lecture hours. When we are on our way to and from we usually turn a blind eye as their truancy will reflect on their grades, but Lyceum regulations state that if they are caught, they will be punished. And now we have to gather all these cards and turn them in at the administration."

"What?" Nero was confused. "Won't we return the cards to their owners? There are even some green cards around."

"I'm afraid not, Nero. If they come to get the cards, they will have to admit they were here trading, and that will count against them. They'll get detention and even a penalty to their credits."

"Detention? Do you put your students in jail?"

"Not in jail. Just some time to sit down and reflect on their actions," The small academic answered while picking up cards.

"Alright, country bumpkin, now that you are done scaring the students, help pick up cards," Altia teased Nero.

"Oh, hey pot. Didn't see you there," He answered but started to pick up cards too.