“Go become the strongest of the strong!”

Grandpa’s words rang in Vivi’s head as she trotted aimlessly across the forest, hoping not to die from a monster ambush. She was “hunting,” as Lucius called it, though Vivi certainly didn’t feel like a hunter. Hunters were fighters who received training, learning their spirit’s abilities to the maximum before ever stepping into the wild. Most new hunters started on the second level, performing small-time jobs.

Blessed names, thousands of ether, superhuman powers… Ether hunters lived such simple lives.

Vivi knew she couldn’t fulfill Grandpa’s hopes. He himself had spent over a decade training her in runesmithing. How could Grandpa expect her to become an expert in hunting as well?

Find food and water, and a place to set camp, Vivi thought. That’s the first step in survival.

The gems in the stone sky slowly brightened as the hours passed. Their shine was comparable to daylight on a cloudy day. The gloomy forest was revealed with surprising clarity. The leafless trees appeared depressed, and the monotone stone spanned as far as the eye could see. The mood wasn’t all too different from Fellwater’s thick rain clouds constantly blocking the sun.

A thump within the vines made Vivi flinch. A gray-furred animal hopped over a fallen tree, then scurried off without once meeting eyes with Vivi. She stood stiff, watching as the animal disappeared into the forest.

Just a rabbit… she thought. The lower levels had animals as well. Though in a place as hostile as the fourth level, signs of life were rare. Ether monsters hunted animals too, not just humans.

Vivi took a deep breath to calm herself and asked, “How does this place have oxygen?” The air was musty, but only slightly. She could breathe just fine.

“Oxy-what?” Lucius asked. He fluttered around her nonchalantly. His mood was the opposite of Vivi’s. Carefree and excited.

“Air,” Vivi said. “How can I breathe? How do the trees breathe without leaves to take in oxygen?”

Lucius blinked. “How should I know? You’re breathing, and you’re alive. The trees stand tall. That’s all that matters.”

“Right,” Vivi said. She remained on guard as she walked, holding onto the twilight elk’s skull.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” Lucius asked. He flew around her body, smirking. “I can assure you, nobody has set human traps in this forest. Ether monsters don’t hunt through sound or sight. Most wander around aimlessly, feeling the world through its natural ether. They don’t care about someone whose reserves are in the negatives.”

“How did the ether stick find us, then?” Vivi asked. She kept her gaze ahead, scanning the area. Lucius's flying figure was tiring for the eyes to constantly follow.

“Could have been a coincidence,” Lucius said. “Or it could have sensed me. Even if you’re in the negatives, I still hold ether. To me, your reserves are the same as zero. That’s why we’re able to use our powers.”

Vivi kept walking, unsure what to say. In a typical tie between a human and spirit, the human was the one carrying the ether. The hunters claimed this was because humans had more stable ether reserves than spirits, making it safer to carry ether in a human’s reserves. When a human wanted to wield powers from their own reserves, they pushed the ether for their spirits to shape. Essentially, spirits were used as a tool for ether hunters to shape ether—a task that humans couldn’t perform by themselves.

Vivi, with her reserves in the negatives, couldn’t use her own ether. Lucius would have to carry their ether directly.

“Either way, we were lucky to come across an ether stick,” Lucius said. “We need to search for more. Monsters are simple to make out when it’s dark. Look for the white wisps.”

“And what about our plans?” Vivi asked. “What if we really find a surge hound or a twilight monster? How will we defeat anything harder than an ether stick?”

“We fight and we beat them.” Lucius chuckled.

Vivi bit her lip. Lucius was too hard to understand. Was this how spirits usually acted? Was Vivi supposed to embrace Lucius’s behavior and respect his decisions?

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Survival and teamwork were most important, she figured. “How much ether do you need for your powers to become useful?” Vivi asked.

“My powers are always useful,” Lucius said. “It’s up to you to use them well.”

“It would help if I knew what powers you had. Spirits are all different from each other, are they not? What’s your specialty?”

“The ether hunters called me the ‘Scarlet Dagger,’” Lucius said. He stopped flying around aimlessly and took a proud pose. “Not a bad name, coming from such idiots. I create sharp things. I can cut anything you need. My claws are strong enough to cut dragon scale!”

And how much ether will we need for that… Vivi wished to ask. “What about the ‘Scarlet’ part?” she asked. “Does that mean anything?”

“Oh, yes it does,” Lucius said. “But we will need a lot of ether to unlock those abilities. I’m a special spirit. You see, most other spirits stop growing stronger after their reserves reach five to ten thousand ether. That Goldbridge examiner and her spirit had around two or three thousand. I, however, can continue to grow. None of my wielders have reached my true potential yet.”

Lucius laughed, as if he believed himself to be the most powerful being to ever exist in the world.

Vivi pouted at him. “Your potential doesn’t help, considering your claws are currently duller than the first sword I ever smithed.”

“Hey!” Lucius said. “I’m the one who spent most of my ether teleporting us out of certain death. Don’t you start belittling me, Mrs. Runesmith! My claws are already growing. Look!” He held out his paws and showed his claws in spirit form. They were sharp; he could have no doubt given Vivi a nice cut. Still, he was by no means scarier than any regular cat.

“Sorry,” Vivi said with a smile. She was about to remind Lucius of her name, when she spotted something poking out of the ground. Her eyes opened wide. “Lucius. I think we’ve become rich!”

The corn-like worts grew from gravel underneath trees. Their stems were purple and feeble-looking, supporting a bud at the top. They grew in thick clusters, buds fighting for space. None grew taller than a few inches, though the stalks extended underground.

“Balm worts, and so many!” Vivi gushed. She’d used these same worts for alchemy, once. The sap inside the buds was a miracle ingredient for crafting strength potions. Balm worts were rare, and the ones Vivi had access to on the surface were dry and crumbling. The ones in front of her now were pristine.

“They’re plants?” Lucius said.

“Each wort might sell for a quarter of an ether,” Vivi said. “Maybe more when they’re this fresh. There’s hundreds all over the place!”

Lucius stared at her as if she was the dumbest person in the whole world. “These plants might be rare on the surface. Down here, they’re everywhere. Rare materials appear on the lower levels. That’s why humans are so adamant in getting down here in the first place. You’re stupid if all you bring to the surface from the fourth level are herbs.”

Vivi opened her mouth to argue back, but Lucius had a point. The worts would have dried out long before she made it back to the surface. Attempting to sell them would be pointless. Still, she picked out a handful and placed them inside her raincoat’s inside pocket. “I heard Balm worts are edible if you roast them,” she said. “We’ll need to make a fire.”

“You already need to eat?” Lucius asked. “So soon?”

“Humans run on food,” Vivi said. “I will need food sooner than later.”

Lucius looked annoyed, but he sighed. “I will help you as best I can, if it means we can get back to hunting quicker.”

“We need firewood,” Vivi said. “And a good place to set camp. Sleeping out here will be dangerous. We need a spot where I won’t be eaten alive during rest. Afterward, we’ll need to form a better plan than simply wandering around, hoping to miraculously find monsters that we can defeat.”

Lucius stopped floating around and faced Vivi. “Ideas?”

“Maybe we’ll craft weapons or build traps. We’re too weak to fight monsters directly. If we want to earn ether, we’ll need to get clever.”

Lucius grinned. “You’re starting to sound like a hunter already.”

Vivi sighed. “I’m a runesmith, Lucius. Don’t forget that. I’m not good at fighting or hunting, or whatever. Crafting is what I do.” For all the good a hammerless smith is worth…

Vivi still couldn't believe she was down on the fourth level. A poor runesmith, teleported down to hunt for ether. Her skill set was specialized entirely into carving runes for runeswords. Without her tools and metals, Vivi wasn’t special. The one advantage she had, her ability to craft weapons, was taken away from her.

Somehow, she had to create new advantages for herself. In a situation like this, she had only one path forward.

Vivi had no choice but to grow strong where she lacked.

“Anyway, firewood,” Vivi said. “Do you have good eyesight? Can you fly up and scan the area?”

“I don’t think searching for firewood will be necessary,” Lucius said. He flew up to the air as Vivi had suggested. “Someone has already left a campfire for us. Follow me.”

Vivi raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Lucius didn’t respond. He flew ahead toward whatever he’d found.

Vivi clicked her tongue and rushed after his figure. She weaved between vines and trees, trying not to stomp on balm worts. A short trot later, Lucius paused overneath a small clearing within the forest. Vivi passed the final trees and stared at the sight.

Within the opening sat a cute little campsite.