After entering the Prize Vault, Riseth began browsing through the catalog of prizes, while Alistair approached a large, magic slot machine. He intended to leverage his high Luck affinity to get a sense of the kind of rewards they could expect, as this slot machine would likely be the primary source of rewards for this dungeon. Starting small, he spent 500 chips—the lowest reward tier—and pulled the lever. The display, filled with an overwhelming number of symbols, began to spin. Out of the chaos, only four symbols started to whirl rapidly before slowly petering out. Two of the symbols halted on alchemy flasks, one halted on a symbol of three metal bars stacked on top of each other, and the last on a fluctuating, intertwined symbol he didn't recognize.
As the symbols came to a stop, a familiar glowing orb materialized beside him. Reaching into it, Alistair pulled out what appeared to be a silver bar. However, upon sensing the concepts embedded within it, he realized the unknown symbol represented adaptation. The moment he grasped the bar, a chime echoed, indicating that his Dungeoneer title had upgraded to level 7, granting him an additional skill point. This was a welcome boost, especially since he had gained two levels in the past weeks, reaching level 124, and his next skill selection was fast approaching.
A quick use of Identify revealed the bar's true nature: [Chimerasilver]. Based on the alchemy symbols, Alistair decided to give it to Jessica to see if it held any value for her alchemy projects.
Riseth stopped her browsing to curiously look over his reward. "Chimerasilver?"
"Yeah, before the symbols came to a stop, half the symbols were alchemy flasks. Probably, this is some kind of alchemical ingredient or material used in alchemy tools," Alistair speculated before storing the bar in his storage.
This was technically the lowest kind of reward, but it was still quite good. Some of their people might just work the dungeon professionally, he thought as he spun for another 500, but this time, two of the four symbols came to a halt on a red X. One landed on a gem symbol, and the last on a symbol he didn’t recognize. Just like before, a portal appeared beside him. Reaching in, he pulled out a gem that resembled a ruby, though it emanated a concept he wasn't immediately familiar with. After letting his skills analyze it, he recognized it as the concept of conductivity, and his identify skill confirmed it was a [Geradium Gem]. He stored that small gem, too.
"This might become an issue," Riseth mused, her tone thoughtful. "This place is a gambler's paradise. If people get hooked on the more luck-oriented events, they might end up spending an unhealthy amount of time here."
P.A.L. quickly interjected, its voice bright and reassuring. "There is no such thing as an unhealthy amount of time spent in the Platijum Lily! I wouldn't waste my guests' time!"
Alistair glanced at the chrome and gold-plated drone, which had always kind of reminded him of fancy Wheatley from Portal 2. Responding to Riseth over their Akashic link, he said, "I'm sure Nessyra can handle it once we figure out how—and if—we can move the flying island with the dungeon on it. There might be some magical interference. I can't imagine just lifting the ground, like with regular dungeon rifts, can be done on a whim."
"I dunno," Riseth replied, considering the situation. "This dungeon entrance is different. It's directly connected to the island instead of just being a loose portal. It might work differently."
Sure hope you are right about that, he thought. The dungeon was very peculiar, and it would be a shame not to recover it. It might be worth using a realm catcher if necessary. The chances of someone else finding the planet and discovering the dungeon were slim, at least for now. But they weren't nonexistent. The planet was a gem, and many factions would wage war over a world like this. They couldn't stake a claim just yet, as they were still working to ensure Lacustrine and Nautilus were safe from outside threats. They would have to rely on the vastness of the universe to obscure them long enough to grow their numbers and secure their claims before other factions expanded into their projected territory.
As Alistair considered their situation, he continued testing the slot machine by feeding in 1,000 chips to gauge the difference in reward tiers. He had enough saved for two spins at the lower tiers and one spin at the 100,000-chip tier, hoping the results would be worth the investment. Meanwhile, Riseth was still browsing the available items, seemingly torn between a few specific choices.
As he reached out for the lever to pull it, he considered the dungeon. They had accumulated far more points than usual by sharing ideas and exploiting the unrefined nature of the events. However, they noted that most events allowing participants to bet on themselves didn’t multiply earnings—those payouts were usually fixed. Only the primarily chance-based games offered large multipliers, which would slow down the speed at which their people could earn rewards. Still, dungeon farming wasn’t uncommon, and the time investment here seemed worthwhile. The random nature of the rewards made it somewhat inconsistent. Still, it was likely to produce valuable prizes eventually, making the time spent delving not only safer but more enjoyable than in most dungeons.
This time, six symbols began to spin on the machine. To his annoyance, two of them landed on the red cross again, signaling a dud. However, he noticed new symbols that hadn't appeared in the earlier spins. Eventually, the symbols petered out again; one was a hammer, another a die, and two others were unfamiliar but likely represented some obscure concepts. When the spinning stopped, he reached into the glowing loot portal and needed both hands to pull out his prize: a large stone barrel that streamed volatile, unstable mana in an endless torrent. Holding the wild contraption at arm's length, Alistair turned to P.A.L., who was observing the object with keen interest.
"What just happened?" Alistair asked, still wary of the mana-spewing barrel.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
P.A.L. chirped with enthusiasm. "Ah, what a fascinating combination! As I mentioned earlier, the effects are random, with each rune symbolizing a different modifier. The modifiers you land on determine the prize you receive. While you had some bad luck with a couple of less favorable modifiers and missed out on two, you also hit one of the rarest modifiers at this tier—a mana-producing one! Unfortunately, it came paired with the 'volatile' modifier, which explains the current... behavior. I would strongly recommend putting that thing in storage for now."
"Just how dangerous can these rewards get?" Alistair asked, still examining the peculiar barrel. He noted that it seemed to be connected to a plane brimming with chaotic mana before finally storing it away.
P.A.L. paused as if carefully considering how to respond. "Very," it replied nonchalantly. "For example, if you were to land on modifiers like death, volatile, and explosion, you might end up with a literal bomb. At least, that’s my best guess. Whether or not that bomb would be active, though... I couldn’t say."
"And what happened to not wanting to see your guests harmed?" Riseth questioned, her tone skeptical.
"Of course, I don’t want to see my guests hurt," P.A.L. replied with its usual cheer. "I always keep healers at the ready and will intervene if I deem the situation or result to be truly dangerous."
This realization gave them pause. The rewards from that particular machine were almost more of a gamble than half the events in this dungeon. A mana-producing treasure was quite valuable, even with its volatile nature. One of the most significant ways magic—and mana, in particular—defied conventional laws was in its disregard for the Law of Conservation of Energy. Mana could be both created and generated out of nothing, yet it could also be destroyed or depleted just as easily.
For instance, planets gradually increased in mana density over time, generating it through a variety of external and internal processes. Similarly, individuals experienced a natural regeneration of their energy pools. While mana had many known sources, it typically didn’t materialize from nothing. However, mana could refine and multiply itself, even without converting or using other forms of matter and energy. However, the process was far more efficient when such conversions were involved, especially under certain favorable conditions.
Alistair and his clan had explored various methods to improve their planet’s mana density. Their goal was to ensure that they wouldn’t be a burden on the planet, but rather help it grow faster while bearing the weight of their presence, elevating it alongside them. Beasts and materials could also enrich an environment—whether through refinement processes between them and the planet, or through their own mana generation and usage, where the excess mana would accumulate and enhance the surroundings. Dungeons also improved the mana density of planets they were on over time. The more powerful the dungeon, the stronger the benefit and the more mana spread out from it.
He noticed that Riseth had finally narrowed down her choice of prizes to two items: a jade magic ring that boosted mana regeneration and an array plate containing a long-range offensive array. The latter would be a valuable addition to their collection, offering additional insights into the structure of such enchantments.
As his attention returned to the slot machine, he observed a promising sign—only one dud symbol appeared this time. Two symbols landed on an alchemical flask, suggesting that alchemy-related rewards were common; another symbol resembled a plant, and the final one was an hourglass. Alistair had a strong suspicion about the concept it represented. He reached into the loot portal with his right hand, the one more adept at handling time-distorted treasures, and pulled out a strange root that looked like deep purple ginger, although more spindly and twisted. Immediately, he sensed the time deceleration effect within the root and quickly stored it in his inventory, recognizing its potential value.
It was hard to tell just how valuable these small treasures would be as far as materials went they were pretty good and if they could propagate the [Chrono Root] it would be well worth the time and points he had spent. The silver bar and gem were less valuable, though he had hopes they could be used in some alchemical tools even if they likely couldn't propagate those materials. The most valuable reward was by far the barrel even though chaos aspected mana wasn't ideal.
Alistair had saved enough for just one 100,000-chip roll, and he was too intrigued by the potential high-tier reward to spend his points on multiple smaller, lower-tier spins. He and Riseth watched intently as he pulled the lever for the final time. This time, ten symbols began to whirl. They cursed when two duds appeared, leaving them with eight active symbols. Two landed on a symbol depicting armor, while another initially showed a weapon but then flipped to armor. One symbol was blank, but it writhed and morphed in a way that caught P.A.L.’s attention, who called out excitedly.
"How fortunate! That’s the symbol for an Unattuned Concept, combined with strengthening, regeneration, and three armor symbols. The wood and weightless symbols add an intriguing twist to the mix!"
A new loot portal materialized beside Alistair, and he felt a surge of curiosity. If this armor could be attuned to Kinetics like the unattuned Affinity orb, it would be an incredibly valuable dungeon reward, surpassing all the others he had received so far.
What he pulled out seemed to be a full suit of black armor. At first glance, it appeared to be simply colored, but upon closer inspection, he realized the incredibly light wooden material was black through and through. The armor had a sleek, futuristic design with elements reminiscent of samurai armor, though it lacked the traditional flair and decoration. He quickly checked to see if they could replicate the enchantment structure for unattuned concepts, but despite his efforts, the intricate details remained elusive but he and Riseth still did their best to map and memorize them for later review in his Akashic Link. Once they had recorded the incredibly complicated, unattuned pathways to a satisfactory degree, he infused the armor with the concept of Kinetics, and it immediately responded. He did his best to observe the changes as they happened. The suit rippled as energy coursed through it, and he could feel his kinetic energy circulating and propagating within the armor, smoothly flowing back toward him.
The true test came when he attempted to integrate the new armor with his existing set. He encountered a barrier and instinctively knew that he would need to overwrite the healing enchantment from his bracers, the boost to blasts he received from his kinetic combat gloves, and the freedom of movement enchantment to allow full integration. Fortunately, he had planned to discard the freedom of movement enchantment, as he intended to acquire it as a skill during his next skill selection. He had several people working on enchantments for his armor, but most had either not been up to par yet or were still in the process of being made, so this was a significant boon. Accepting the exchange, his armor absorbed the new one, taking on a darker hue as the engravings on his armor warped and changed to accommodate the powerful new enhancements. Alistair watched the changes with a wide smile.