The sounds of muffled steps echoed in the sloping tunnel as Ethan made his way down. His claws were out, but they weren’t ignited yet.

The tunnel was bright enough thanks to the blue and purple fungi lining the walls, and there were no monsters to fight just yet.

He was looking forward to that. His new and improved claws had not gotten a real test just yet. Meeting Liz and her people had been a nice change of pace, but he had side quests to finish. Levels to acquire, and a new wand to feed.

Before I head down there though, I should maybe spend some fragments. And how about the spell token from the hidden quest?

Ethan came to stop and hummed. A new spell could be useful. But it would be a tier-2 so it would tax his mana even more.

Which would mean I should upgrade my mana. And I just have enough for that.

Ethan started with the mana regeneration upgrade which boosted the property to 3 mana units per second, then considered his option for the spell.

Do I really want to crack this open just yet?

What did he really want? A way to heal quickly would be nice. A ranged attack was less of a priority now that he had [Small-Fireball], so variety and utility were once more attractive.

Though I don’t know how the Prime wand’s going to work. It may be better to see how that turns out before I commit.

Ethan nodded to himself. He should hold on the spell token for a bit more. Maybe he’d want to get a weapon or another Enhancer-spell for the new wand and, in any case, the first form was not too far off. He was already at 46 fragments from the required 150.

A handful of minutes later, the slope eased up and the tunnel’s exit came into view. The smell of wet soil filled his nose, sending pulses of excitement down his arms and finally, the room came into view.

Ethan’s mouth dropped.

A tapestry of blue, purple, and‌ every color in between stretched below and ahead of him. The cave was nearly twice as large as all the above rooms combined. Easily as wide as three or four stadiums and as for the length, he couldn’t see the end. The giant space sloped down near the horizon then continued around the corner, far in the distance. More fungal trees spread out in clumps, but they seemed more sparse than above, most likely due to the higher number of ponds in this area.

“How is this place even standing?”

Ethan was no geologist or engineer, but it was shocking how the cave hadn’t caved in on itself yet.

Standing near the edge of the tunnel’s exit, he climbed down as he kept his ears and eyes open for any nearby dangers. Along the nearby cavern walls, he noted holes in the wall, not unlike the tunnel he just came through, which meant there might be even more entrances to this space from above.

The air was full of the humid scent of underbrush, while a mix of throaty calls and roars filled his ears, but fortunately, none seemed too close to him.

Nearing the bottom, Ethan hopped down and landed on the soil with a soft squelch, which was quickly followed by a surprised garbled screech from behind.

Shit!

Ethan turned in a crouch, claws ignited, and came face to face with a small fire-camp of groggy lizardlings. One had been on watch, and it had its spear brandished at him, while four more were scrambling up, still dazed. One of them was a stout warrior who was the first up, and the only one at level 31, while the rest hovered between 20 and 28.

Ethan slowly exhaled with relief. This could have turned ugly, but thankfully, the lizardlings had been as surprised as he’d been.

He hadn’t expected a fight this fast, but he didn’t mind it.

Ethan extended a hand and waved. “Hello there,” he said to the alarmed lizardlings.

The high-level one narrowed its eyes and summoned a second dagger, but before it could speak or do much else, a small ball of concentrated fire zipped out of Ethan’s palm and hit the soil at their feet.

You have defeated [Lizardling - Level 21]

…

You have defeated [Lizardling - Level 27]

You have reached Level 31. 1 stat point awarded.

Ethan took a step back and brushed off some of the dirt that showered him.

Easiest level I’ve gotten to date.

The fire and smoke began to clear, but Ethan didn’t let his guard down just yet and just as he took a step forward, the smoke rippled and a gray arc of magic came zipping at his head. Ethan braced with his hands up and summoned more flames to shield himself. The arc of energy cut through his flames and hit his forearms with a sting of pain, leaving a shallow cut right as the form of the warrior came hurtling out of the smoke.

Smoke drifted off its loincloth while burn marks marred its scales, but it was still standing. It came at Ethan low, daggers out and in response, Ethan pointed both clawed hands out and let his flames surge and fill the shallow cave until he had to squint from the glare.

There was a muted screech, then he received another notification.

You have defeated [Lizardling (I) - Level 31]

His heart was loud in his chest as he exhaled and studied his surroundings for a few seconds. When nothing else moved or made a sound, he dismissed his wand and went around collecting the fragments into his Prime wand. The warrior lizardling could have been dangerous if it had gotten close or if there had been more than one. So even though he’d made quick work of this camp, he’ll have to be careful from now on. If he’d dropped on a camp with two or three dagger wielders, he might have been in trouble. His fires were effective in closed spaces such as these, but he might not always get the terrain advantage.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Ethan leaned over and collected the last fragments, which brought his total to 167 in his Prime wand. He almost clicked the first form upgrade, but refrained and quickly scampered up the wall to the tunnel.

Just in case this takes longer than expected.

Ethan brought up the menu once more, then selected the first form upgrade.

Prime wand - [First Form] upgrade confirmed.

Select a form to unlock for your Prime wand:

Spellcaster

Armament

Enhancer

Damn. No details?

Still, a few puzzle pieces began clicking in position. The prime wand would have three forms he could access, which meant he would be able to access every type-advantage, eventually.

He had no clue if he could have all three at once or if he needed to pick a form each time, but that would come into play once he had more than one form unlocked.

Speaking of…

Ethan furrowed his brows as he took in the three options and began thinking through them. Spellcaster would have been a regular wand, but would Armament or Enhancer come with their own form, or did he have to provide his own spell?

The upgrade is called form though. And I already have the wand itself.

It did seem like he won’t have to provide a spell, but in case his assumption was wrong, he was glad he had the tier-2 spell token. Even if a tier-2 spell might not be compatible.

Well, form or no form, I’ll be unlocking all of them eventually, so it’s not the end of the world if I don’t make the most optimal choice right this second.

Though it was still a bit irritating to not know what he was paying for.

So. What should I start with?

He was the least tempted by the spellcaster wand. He could cast spells just fine as is and even if the spellcaster would cast them faster, it wouldn’t be as large of an addition as a new Enhancer form or a weapon.

Ethan nodded to himself. Yes, offensive and defensive options were best, considering he was in a new area.

He read through his options for a few more seconds until he heard the breaking of nearby branches.

Furtively, Ethan glanced out of the tunnel and further into the woods. The mushroom-tree tops swayed and rustled as something large made its way toward him.

Must have been the explosion from earlier.

Ethan turned his attention back to the form selection and selected the Armament option. He would have liked to choose exactly the form the wand would take, but it didn’t look like that was possible.

He took a step back into the tunnel as the light coalesced around him. Ethan summoned his claws and was glad to find the process wasn’t interfering with them.

There was hissing and more rustling outside, but he didn’t dare peek out just yet. Thankfully, the upgrade didn’t take long to finish, and the light sunk into him, almost making his bones vibrate with the flow of strength that coursed through his whole being.

A second later, a new message popped in front of him.

Armament form: Lance of the Juggernaut

Summon an adaptable lance to pierce through your opponent's defenses. Impacts of the lance as well as the spells cast by it can provoke explosion if willed.

Ethan summoned the new wand and grinned as the large weapon fell into his open palm. His claws tightened around the pommel as he eyed the guard that covered his hand. It didn’t feel too heavy at all, even though the whole thing was taller than he was.

It did say adjustable, though.

Ethan felt at the wand with his mind and willed the lance to grow smaller. Instantly, the wand shrunk, growing smaller until the whole thing became slightly longer as a shortsword. Something he could maneuver a lot easier.

Magic’s awesome.

Ethan took a second to admire the pearly-white metal-coating of the lance. He couldn’t tell what material it was made of, but no matter what he did, every couple of seconds he’d find himself looking back up at the incredibly sharp point of the lance.

This thing could do so much damage. Especially if I manage to put some momentum behind me. Imagine this with wings…

He could drop on monsters with this thing pointed down for an incredible amount of damage.

Ethan shook himself off his admiration and glanced at the wand page.

What else? Can I slot a spell in this now?

Prime Wand of the Juggernaut:

Tier: 1

Form: [Lance of the Juggernaut]

Essence: 5

Stat Bonus: +5

Fragments: 17

Available wand upgrades:

[Second Form - 300 Fragments]

Ethan carefully read through the updated wand page and if he was understanding things right, the classic wand functionalities were still not available, but they might be once the three forms were unlocked.

No other upgrades either…

A growly hiss shook him out of his daze and Ethan finally peered out and saw what it was that had come looking for him.

[Water monitor (I) - Level 42]

[Water monitor (I) - Level 37]

Two particularly large lizards were dragging the smoking corpses of the lizardlings and tearing into them.

Their tongue flicked in the air. The higher level one tilted its head to the side, and a surprised Ethan met the yellow-slitted eye.

How did it detect me so fast?

It hissed, and the second one looked up at him as well. Bright-scaled and sharp toothed, they bared their teeth at him while thick strands of viscous saliva dripped down and clung to their jaw. They didn’t seem to mind each other, to Ethan’s chagrin. Which might be a problem.

Cooperating opponents were more annoying to deal with.

Ethan ignited his claws as he looked down at the two lizards. He raised his left hand and shot a [Small Fireball] at the higher level monitor, only for the lizard to open its jaw and shoot back a jet of concentrated water that hit the fireball and snuffed it out. Before Ethan could register what had happened, the second shot came at him from the side, punching right through his flames and clipping him on the right shoulder.

The jet of water hit him like a sledgehammer. Ethan felt the world twist and turn for a second before he crashed into the wall and hit the ground once more.

Ethan groaned at the pulsing pain in his shoulder. The skin was bright red, but other than that, it wasn’t really injured. Still, it really stung.

He got back to his feet and carefully peered out at the lizards. With alarm, he saw them climbing toward the tunnel and a quick glance around told him he didn’t want to get stuck in a tunnel with them.

He’d have no chance of dodging those jets of water.

Run away or get out there. No other options.

Ethan looked at the short-lance in his hand and then at the 300 fragments he needed for the next form. This was going to be dangerous, but he just needed to bring one of them down. If any more showed up, he’ll re-adjust.

I’m not running.

Ethan exhaled and peered out of the tunnel once more. He shot another fireball, but this time, he hit the soil between him and the lizards.

Soft earth and stone geysered out of the point of impact, throwing the lizards back to the flatter soil. The monsters quickly recovered and looked up at the screen of smoke and dust in time to see a pearly gray metallic point shine through the cloud of debris, with Ethan right behind it. With the lance held overhead and aimed down, he came down on giant lizards like a falling spear.