After crafting a few items and enhancing what I could from my inventory, I spent the next couple of months carefully scouting the rift. I occasionally got lucky enough to scavenge from the fights between factions, but it wasn’t nearly as often as I would have liked.

Of the five groups, four seemed to fight against each other regularly enough. However, the fifth seemed more interested in fighting amongst themselves.

It took me a while to find that last group, mostly because they were an aquatic race of mer-creatures called Lacusin, who lived within a large lake on the opposite side of the rift.

Unlike true merfolk, Lacusin did not look like they shared any genetics with one of the sapient species. Though their upper bodies were roughly humanoid, with a torso, head, and two arms, that was where the similarities ended.

Instead of the smooth, scaled skin of most merfolk, the creatures had thick, rubbery skin reminiscent of dolphins or whales. Their mouths were wide and filled with shark-like teeth, while their eyes were set far wider than a normal merfolk or humanoid.

Additionally, the creatures had no noses or ears, nor were there any obvious openings to serve similar purposes.

The creatures’ hands were large, with webbing between each of their claw-tipped fingers, which they used to slice into each other as they fought for dominance like berserkers.

The other target species were also violent, but they directed their aggression toward other groups instead of fighting amongst themselves.

I was under no illusion that I could defeat any of the factions now, even with the weapons I’d crafted using Tier Nine materials. While it was obvious none of the creatures were sapient, each group was clever in their own way.

The monkeyoids (Simians) were able to use weapons, especially bows and javelins. I also noted quite a few mages among their numbers, assets that were often kept well-protected by the rest of their groups.

The bird-harpies (Avemon) were more likely to use magic, though swarming and overwhelming their prey with sheer numbers seemed to be their preferred tactic when fighting other groups. When they did use magic, it was often Sound-based, though Air and Ice were also fairly common.

Goboles were a subterranean race that looked like goblins with hardened carapaces. They preferred traps and poisons, though they seemed to have no hesitation about engaging in close-quarters combat. Their carapaces made them a difficult opponent for all but the susorcs, who were strong enough to easily dismember the goboles if they managed to get ahold of one.

Susorcs looked like gray humanoid boars, and I suspected they were loosely related to actual orcs, just like goboles were similar to goblins. Both were races from the Collective, which I found interesting in an academic way.

None of the target mobs were within my reach, though I’d found some success against the beasts in the rift.

Beasts like the diamond colossus I was currently stalking.

The creature reminded me of a woolly mammoth, except its fur was hard like diamonds, and its tusks looked more like coal. I wanted both of those materials.

Surprisingly, it was one of the lowest-leveled creatures I’d encountered in the rift thus far.

I already knew most of my magic was underpowered against the denizens of the rift, so I didn’t try lobbing any spells or manatech attacks at the solitary creature. Instead, I cast Haste and channeled enough mana to slow the world around me to a near stop.

I teleported forward and sliced with one of my newly crafted weapons, angling the strike so it slid under the heavy fur. Having functionally bypassed the creature’s armor, its skin parted easily. I struck two more times before teleporting away and canceling Haste.

The maneuver was a bit mana-intensive, but I still had plenty of mana left to attack again.

As the diamond colossus reeled back in pain, I repeated the process. This time, instead of slicing, I injected several explosive talismans into the creature’s neck before darting away.

The talismans work as desired, but I found myself frowning at the remains.

“That isn’t a good approach. It takes too long to make the talismans and damages too much material,” I said to myself before cutting into the creature and beginning my harvest.

The experience gains were good. It was one of the few silver linings about being stuck in the rift.

I’d done the math with Lisa and found that, given the crazy level of time dilation, I might actually come out ahead by the time I left the rift.

By that, I meant that I’d be farther along than I would have if I’d spent all this time in the dungeon. It was just too bad I wouldn’t get to spend any of that saved time with my family.

Spatial Sense picked up several creatures moving in my direction, so I quickly Anchored a tight Time Domain and focused on harvesting everything I could as fast as possible. I certainly didn’t want to be there when the creatures arrived.

While I could take on one or two beasts in a controlled fight, a group was still far beyond my capabilities.

I tightened my domain and increased my speed. It would be close.

I’d crafted a [Stasis Storage] ring out of Space and Time infused Crystal from the Crystal node I’d gotten in the dungeon, but even with my affinities, I wasn’t able to make a large enough space to contain the entire diamond colossus.

I needed better, more appropriate materials to work with. Unfortunately, the rift seemed to be lacking in that area.

“I should probably make some storage bags and compartmentalize like I did when I entered the dungeon,” I mused as I stored a huge portion of the creature’s liver. I stood and glanced over the remains. “Damn, I hate leaving so much behind.”

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

I didn’t bother glancing over my shoulder before dropping my Time spell and teleporting back to my new home.

I hated thinking of the safe room as home, but since it would serve that purpose for the foreseeable future, it seemed silly to resist. When it came down to it, I’d probably spend more time living in the stone room than I had any other place in my life.

Subjectively, I was going to be there for a long time.

I pulled up just the experience portion of my status.

***

Level: 72 (1054381/3824100)

***

There was definitely progress, but it was slow. It was going to take years just to reach level seventy-three at this rate. I needed to find a way to grow faster.

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

“Three, two, one…”

I covered my ears as the explosion shook the shelter I’d created and reinforced just outside the target area.

As soon as the shockwave passed, I teleported to the site of the formation. Taking in the damage, I cast Haste and quickly made my way around the kill zone, putting all the injured creatures out of their misery before collecting the carcasses.

I’d made several storage rings to ensure I could collect everything and run before stronger opponents arrived. It wasn’t the most efficient approach, but I was working with limited materials.

“Incoming,” Lisa said, though her warning was unnecessary. I could easily sense the susorcs approaching at a loping run. Even so, I thanked Lisa for the warning before teleporting away.

“That was a good haul,” I said to my digital companion. A wave of my hand placed my furniture and belongings in their rightful places. A familiar face appeared on a Crystal screen mounted to the wall.

The woman on the display appeared to be somewhere in her late twenties, with dark purple skin and almost white, shimmer-colored hair. Her features were just a bit sharper and more even than mine, and aside from the stark difference in coloration, we could have easily passed as siblings.

Lisa looked exactly like the avatar she used during our virtual lessons.

The display was something I’d created during a particularly rough patch where I’d struggled with feelings of isolation. Since I didn’t want to spend all of my time in the limited virtual space my disconnected DIVE gear could manifest, crafting an alternative seemed like a good idea.

“It was an excellent haul,” Lisa said with a smile. “You’ve nearly reached level seventy-six!”

I grinned at my friend. In the years I’d been stuck in the rift, Lisa’s personality had really bloomed. I wasn’t sure if it was something she’d done to keep me from going crazy or if it was a natural evolution for the Mana Intelligence.

Either way, I was grateful for the companionship.

“I think I’m going to train with the new Stealth spell the next time I go out,” I said as I plopped into the worn reclining chair in front of the display.

Several months earlier, I went through a phase where I fixated on Spell Modification. I hadn’t put a lot of time or effort into learning Arcane magic before that, thinking of it as more of an enhancer for enchantments and spells than a separate part of my magical arsenal.

However, conversations with Lisa led me to test a few things, and one thing led to another, as they were prone to do.

I wasn’t totally fixated on the skill anymore, but I still messed around with modifying spellforms whenever I grew tired of enchanting items. I’d even swapped my tertiary profession to Researcher to earn a bit of extra experience from my efforts, and I was happy to say it was an excellent choice.

Besides, it wasn’t like I had anyone to sell my items to anymore.

***

Name: Emie Momentia

Level: 75 (3810962/3846300)

Profession: (P) Enchanter

(S) Manatechnician

(T) Researcher

Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane

***

Health: 320/320

Stamina: 532/550

Mana: 995/1050

***

Attributes

Strength – 23

Agility – 33

Vitality – 32

Intelligence – 105

Wisdom – 73

Perception – 38

***

Spells*

Skills*

***

I’d dumped my last three levels' worth of attribute points into Intelligence to gain a bit of extra mana since that was what I needed the most right now.

Wisdom would probably help as well, but with the added regeneration from the dungeon hot springs, Wisdom wasn’t quite as critical as it was before.

I’d probably invest a little more into Perception when I gained the next level. I really should have done it already, but I was a little hyper-focused on being able to kill the things I did perceive instead of expanding my senses.

“That’s a great idea,” Lisa said encouragingly. “Based on the modified spellform, it should do a much better job at hiding you from the rift creatures than the talisman.”

“I’m a little worried about the mana inefficiency,” I admitted.

“It’s a concern, but not one I’d worry too much about. You’ve invested enough in Intelligence that you should have enough to compensate for a little inefficiency.”

She was right, of course. Lisa usually was.

“You should probably go ahead and process your kills before you get too settled in.”

I sighed at the admonition but didn’t argue. I needed a little help to stay motivated. We both knew that.

I forced myself out of the comfortable chair and moved to my old table. With an exaggerated sigh, I started unloading carcasses. None of the creatures caught in the blast were large enough to warrant setting up my processing area outside the safe room, and it was easy enough to clean up the mess once I was done.

I also preferred to process my kills in the safety of my home. In all the years I’d been stuck there, I’d never once had a rift creature enter the dwelling. Even so, part of my regular setup included a formation around the doorway, ensuring nothing hostile entered the space.

“Ah! This one has a Space affinity!” I exclaimed when I saw the color of the mana core. “I can finally make a better storage ring!” I added as I held the core up triumphantly.

“Congratulations!”

I grinned and took extra care to harvest every scrap of material that I could from the dead creature. It was the first one that I’d encountered in the rift with such an affinity, though I hoped it would not be the last.

I’d learned early on that the respawned creatures, both beast and otherwise, were never exactly the same as the ones they replaced. Even with the occasional variation, several affinities hadn’t made an appearance within the rift.

It was something I hoped would eventually change since I could really use a bit more variety in my materials.

I hummed to myself as I harvested the rest of my kills, organizing the various bits into special containers I’d made for just that purpose.

As I placed one of the last few carcasses on the table, a soft vibration from behind drew my attention, and I paused. Turning, I noticed the altar pulsing with mana.

“What’s going on?” I asked Lisa, though I doubted she knew any more than I did.

“I have no idea. Perhaps you can connect to the altar like you did upon your arrival to see if any information is available.”

It wasn’t a bad idea, though I didn’t feel particularly comfortable connecting to the altar while it was doing… whatever it was that it was doing.

I cast Cleanse on my hands to remove the blood while I watched the altar grow slightly indistinct from the movement.

I was in no hurry to approach.

With Mana Sight active, I watched as the altar became a vortex and sucked in a massive amount of mana, pulling it through the open doorway like a vacuum.

“That can’t be good,” I said warily, keeping my distance.

“Conversely, this may not be a bad thing,” Lisa commented. “It appears as if the altar is absorbing ambient mana.”

“Do you think the rift is destabilizing?”

“I’m uncertain, though I doubt it’s a full destabilization. There are no records of such a thing occurring while a rift is occupied.”

Before I could think of another hypothesis, the suction abruptly ended, and the altar once again became inert.

More curious than worried, I stepped forward and placed my hand on the altar, connecting to the rift as I had several times since my arrival.