I entered Zavira’s apartment three days later and was unsurprised to find she was still busy working on new projects with the ore we’d collected.

The workshop she’d set up in the spare room of her apartment was almost like my crafting pod, except hers was shaped like a box instead of an oval, filling the otherwise empty space. The walls of her mobile workshop functionally served as a barrier that protected the apartment from potential damage caused by her crafting process.

The forge was set up along the back wall, which was where Zavira’s attention was currently focused.

“I’m done with my projects,” I said with a sigh when I realized Zavira was nowhere close to being finished. “I need more variety of material to work with, so I’m going to head into the jungle zone and check it out.”

Zavira responded without looking away from the metal heating in the forge. “Okay. I’ll message you when I’m done. I just want to finish a couple of things while I’m feeling inspired.” Using Force magic, Zavira removed the glowing piece of metal from the furnace and began manipulating the piece.

Not wanting to interrupt further, I Teleported to the edge of the jungle, just beyond sight of the gate. I had to use Phase in addition to the movement spell to reach the unfamiliar location. However, since I was traveling alone, it wasn’t too much of a drain on my mana pool.

I noted several groups of hunters and foragers in the area, but it was easy enough to avoid the mixed groups as I made my way deeper into the jungle.

With my senses extended, I noticed a pair of Shadow Stalkers following one of the groups that had moved a bit farther into the zone than most of the others. While I was sure the hunters assigned to the group were capable fighters, I decided to quietly step in.

Even the best combatant could be waylaid by a properly laid ambush.

The first of the shadowy felines likely didn’t even realize it was in danger before my enchanted knife severed its spine just below the creature’s skull. Beasts that relied primarily on stealth and agility were rarely tough enough to resist such a targeted attack, especially when the blade projected an edge of Space mana that practically sliced Space itself.

There was little that could resist such a force. Even I would struggle if the weapon were turned on me unless I erected a Barrier capable of withstanding the effect.

It took a moment before I was able to store the mob in my ring, and I tried not to make any noise as I waited for the creature’s body and soul to realize it was dead. I certainly didn’t want the beast’s partner to attack preemptively. It would be best if I managed to remove the threat without the dungeoneers ever learning of my presence.

Unfortunately, the other Shadow Stalker must have smelled its partner’s blood or somehow sensed its demise because it yowled in anger and anguish as soon as the dead mob’s body disappeared.

The foragers below froze as their protectors sprang into action, surrounding the weaker members of their group protectively as they looked for the threat.

“I’ve got it,” I called out without thinking, alerting the dungeoneers to my presence. Feeling a flush of embarrassment, I activated [Invisibility] to prevent being noticed or recognized. I had no desire to get caught up in the ramifications of my intervention, nor did I feel like answering any questions.

All I wanted to do was remove the threat, gain some experience, and continue on my hunt.

I didn’t listen to whatever response they might have given since I was busy shooting the now leaping feline with a Compressed Space Bolt. I normally wouldn’t use so much of my mana when alternative weapons were available, but I was trying not to draw too much attention.

My aim was true, and the Bolt pierced the creature’s eye and exploded, shredding its brain and instantly killing it. Without the targeting enchantment I’d added to the new focus ring I wore for Space magic, my shot would never have been so clean.

Having access to such items was one of the many benefits of being a capable Enchanter. The thought made me smile.

The hunters below had no idea the threat had already been dealt with, and they immediately hit the falling creature with several spells and projectiles. I didn’t blame them. Shadow Stalkers were dangerous foes, even when they didn’t have the element of surprise.

I remained perched in the tree where I’d killed the first stalker as a spear-wielding hunter hesitantly approached the fallen mob.

“Is it dead?” one of the foragers asked nervously as he pressed his back against one of the nearby trees. The Tier Two man was quite underleveled for the zone, as was the other forager – a woman who looked more annoyed than afraid. She held an enchanted wand and stood apart from the terrified man, seemingly ready to defend herself and the cowering man if anything else were to attack.

I didn’t blame the man for being afraid. Ambush predators were a threat to even experienced hunters. Non-combatants would have little hope of surviving an attack, especially not when they were at a lower tier.

The trio of hunters with them were well into Tier Four, marking them as the protectors for the group. It was obvious the hunters were used to working together. It was likely they’d taken the protection mission from the Dungeoneers’ Guild – the dungeon residents’ version of the Adventurers’ Guild.

I’d been curious when I learned about the Guild. But after looking into it a bit, I realized the organization was designed to help the city function, not assist in the ascension of challengers.

There was nothing preventing me from joining, but I didn’t really see the point. I didn’t need anything the Guild could provide.

“Yes,” the spear-wielding dungeoneer said after poking the stalker a few times. “I’m not sure how, though. The damage we did shouldn’t have been enough to kill it.”

“I think someone else is here,” their Mage said as she scanned the area. “I heard someone yell as the beast attacked.”

Since I had no plans to reveal myself, I counted the carcass as a loss and Teleported away before someone sensed me. It was a shame to lose the material I would have been able to harvest, but at least I managed to collect the first beast.

While I could have claimed the remains of the second, that would have taken entirely too much time and effort. Sure, I could have just swiped it, but that would have caused a whole separate set of issues. It was better to just cut my losses and move on.

Besides, I’d done a good thing and potentially saved lives. I didn’t want to sully that by getting into a conflict over something as minor as the body of the remaining stalker.

My Teleport brought me near the threshold separating the low and mid-tier areas of the zone. I didn’t hesitate to cross into the more dangerous section. With my affinities and the life-saving talismans I wore, I wasn’t overly worried about getting in over my head.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

If things got bad, I could always use Teleport to escape to my apartment. Even if I were to be critically injured and knocked unconscious like Faith was, the [Emergency Escape] talisman I wore would save me by healing my wounds and teleporting me to the Anchor I had in my new apartment.

Having such an item was a huge reassurance.

Besides, I’d researched the zone before leaving the city, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. It had been eighty-three years since the floor last shifted. That was plenty of time for each of the zones to be thoroughly explored.

While minor changes occurred regularly and the floor Trials constantly shifted instead of remaining stationary, I felt decently prepared for anything I might encounter. I wouldn’t have to worry about running into a Trial until I reached the high-tier portion of the zone. Even then, the fourth floor’s Trials were known to be safe.

While nobody ever spoke about what the Trials entailed – likely due to some kind of dungeon geas – every person known to have entered one eventually emerged unharmed. Some took a while, but they all returned safely.

There was even a chapter in the floor guide dedicated to the Trials, though it was mostly limited to discussing the locations people had entered and what rewards were received. Participants did share that system-supported parties had the option of challenging the floor Trials as a group instead of being separated.

It was an obvious departure from the Trial I’d undertaken on the third floor, where each participant competed separately.

Eventually, I planned to seek out and challenge the fourth floor’s Trials with Zavira, but that would have to wait for another day.

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

The jungle grew darker as I pushed deeper into the zone. The canopy overhead seemed to close in above, blocking the light from the false sun.

The shadows seemed to grow with the increased mana, as did the ever-present humidity. It wasn’t quite as bad as the swamps of the previous floor, but that was only due to the relative solidity of the ground beneath my feet.

The flora carpeting the floor of the jungle somehow grew denser as the light faded, as if the plants were reaching for what little light managed to force its way through the thick canopy above.

Spatial Sense alerted me to the presence of several aggressive creatures hidden within the turquoise foliage, most of which were on my list of targets for crafting material if the reports I read in the library were accurate.

After taking out a few of the easier targets, I shifted my trajectory toward a large, scaled creature that had burrowed into the loose soil beneath a thorned berry bush about a hundred meters away. Once I got close enough, Assess informed me that the unfamiliar berries were edible and contained potential medicinal properties.

I made a mental note to collect a sample when I was done with the hidden threat.

Not wanting to give the creature any kind of advantage, I targeted the beast with Mana Spikes made of Space mana. The response was immediate, and the creature erupted from the ground, spraying dirt and detritus as it lunged at me.

I’d learned how to handle heavily-armored creatures, especially those with large mouths that aggressively attempted to eat me. While the reptile’s mouth was not nearly as large as an alligator’s, it was plenty large enough to target with a Compressed Space Bolt.

Once again, the targeting enchantment I’d added to my newest ring came in handy as my Bolt unerringly made its way down the creature’s throat before exploding. Though the outsides of such creatures were often quite resistant to such attacks, the same could not be said for their soft interior.

Unfortunately, I somehow managed to miss the second reptile and was caught off-guard when it emerged from the shadow of its fallen mate a heartbeat later.

I’d barely managed to take a breath when the creature launched itself at me. My reflexive blast of Space mana did little to slow the creature, and I felt my Time Barrier straining as it crashed into me.

Pinned beneath the weight of the massive purple-scaled lizard, I struggled to fight back as the creature aggressively attempted to rip off my appendages.

The sudden shift from being in control to practically helpless caused my mind to temporarily freeze. It was the first time since my return that I’d been in real danger, and the shock of having my spell completely rebuffed took a moment to fully register.

I cast Space Blast at the creature, using my proximity to enhance the effect. I felt like a toddler pushing an adult. The attack barely affected the heavy creature.

As my Time Barrier shattered and the backup [Barrier] talisman activated, panic set in, and I frantically attempted to Teleport away. To my surprise, the spell failed. However, my instincts (and Lisa) informed me that the area had somehow been spatially locked.

The realization hit my brain like a bucket of ice water. But instead of causing me to freeze, things became clearer, and I was once again able to think.

I worried that I might have somehow run across a Void creature, but there wasn’t supposed to be anything with the Void element on the fourth floor. Had I somehow managed to encounter an anomaly?

I cast Pause and sighed in relief when the spell immediately froze the frenzied reptile in place, proving it was not a Void-affinitied beast.

Assess.

[Locusmander – Level 36 – Space]

Seeing the creature’s affinity, my offensive Space magic’s lack of effectiveness suddenly made sense. I was still a bit surprised that the creature managed to spatially lock the area. However, after a bit of consideration, I came to a realization.

Stella hadn’t been able to Teleport away if she was within a domain I’d spatially locked once I reached Tier Three, even though she was a full tier higher. Given that, it made sense that a Space-affinitied creature at the same tier would be capable of interfering with my ability to use spatial magic.

Taking advantage of the locusmander’s temporary inability to move, I quickly deactivated my [Barrier] talisman to provide a bit of wiggle room. Without the added buffer, I was able to pull my arm out of the creature’s clenched jaws and drag myself out from under the heavy reptile.

Once I was clear, I moved well out of reach and recast Barrier. Feeling a bit more comfortable with the protective spell back in place, I exchanged my partially exhausted [Barrier] talisman for one that was fully charged.

I tried not to think about how lucky I was to have been wearing a backup. I didn’t want to imagine how much the locusmander’s teeth would have hurt had they breached Barrier without another protection in place.

If it had been a Void creature, I would have been screwed. I might have actually died, I realized.

I shivered at the thought before turning my attention back to the matter at hand. I could have an existential crisis some other time. I still hadn’t dealt with the threat.

Since actively attacking the creature would interrupt the Time spell holding it in place, the first thing I needed to do was ensure I was outside the creature’s immediate reach.

I was no longer willing to run away, but I also couldn’t keep the stronger creature Paused indefinitely. Given its affinity and my Space spells’ utter lack of effects, it was obvious that Space magic wasn’t an option in this fight.

Since I could always hit it with another Time spell if my weapons didn’t work, I swapped my current staff for one that used Lightning and Ice and prepared myself to fight once again.

Mentally crossing my fingers, I charged the strongest [Lightning Bolt] the staff could manage and targeted the purple-scaled dinosaur-lizard currently suspended in Time.

The spell effect shot from the end of my staff and slammed into the locusmander, releasing it from the spell that was holding it in place. The frenzied lizard immediately dropped to the ground, stiffening as magic-empowered electricity locked its muscles in place.

I didn’t give it time to recover and immediately sent another bolt of Lightning at the oversized lizard before flipping the staff and following up with several thick lances of Ice. When the Ice failed to break through the locusmander’s scales, I channeled mana into another Ice enchantment fueled by the Tier Four mana core of the Yeti boss from the third floor.

Ribbons of Ice threaded around the still-twitching creature’s limbs, restraining it against the slab of Ice beneath it. Swapping my staff for my spear, I took advantage of the creature’s position to target its less-protected underbelly, which was now exposed.

As soon as I breached the softer scales, I triggered the enchantments I’d built into the spear, ending the fight before the creature could respond.

After scanning my surroundings to ensure there were no more immediate risks, I collapsed beside the quickly-cooling corpse of the locusmander. Its presence had been a complete surprise, a fact that shook my confidence more than I wanted to admit.

I’d used Spatial Sense to locate and track other creatures with Space affinities in the past. My previous successes had caused me to completely overlook the fact that it was possible for creatures – including people – with the right affinities and abilities to hide from my perception.

It was something I’d conceptually known since Stella had demonstrated the ability several times. I really should have considered the possibility that others – including beasts – might be capable of the same thing before finding myself in such a situation.

It was a failure I didn’t plan to repeat, though I was uncertain how to mitigate my weakness. It was something I’d have to bring up with Master Kairos. Hopefully, he would have an idea of how to address the problem.