(Gavin)

Looking around at the violet ice surrounding the peak, I wonder if, even though this is a Dungeon, the Dragon has a hoard. Odds are that it does, and I want to see it.

There has to be something in it.

First, though, I need to figure out how to break through the ice. My last three bolts of lightning did almost no damage to it.

Summoning up even more of my power, I blast through the ice with a bolt of lightning more powerful than any I have cast before.

That done, I manipulate the air around me to fly off the peak and scan the area surrounding me, until I spot a small glimmer in the distance.

There.

I fly in that direction, manipulating the air around me to guide me to the cave, settling down gently and looking around at the gold and treasures. There's a nest not far from the entrance, but what captures my attention rests on a pedestal at the back of the Dungeon.

A thick, leather tome with the same symbol on its cover as on the cover of the Grimoire in my ring.

Approaching, I confirm that it's another Grimoire, and flip it open. Between the cover and the first page is a separate sheet of paper.

To whomever has managed to slay the Dragon and make their way to this cave, congratulations. Know that the Dragon which spawns here has no more power than any Dragon a year old. A full, adult Dragon is not something a mortal could do, even a long-lived one such as the Wizards.

If you're reading this, then you are, no doubt, familiar with the Class of Wizard, possibly even one, yourself, so I won't go into details.

Know this about Dragons: they are beings which mix all 11 types of Resource into one. Likely, you didn't experience this power. If you did, then you already know all 11 of them, and can wield them.

This Grimoire contains the secrets to Aether, and is the text containing my most powerful Aether Magics. Even I, with all my power, was unable to slay the Dragon. I had to return after our initial battle, and request of it permission to hide the Grimoire here. If you have never found one before, know that I have hidden them throughout the world in places that will likely kill more people than will ever be able to hope to enter.

Thankfully, the Dragon isn't a mindless beast, and understood that I did not wish to kill it, but to hide something of great value. Holding the Grimoire when I came onto this floor likely helped me that.

Good luck with your journeys, warrior, and know that this is just the beginning to it all.

Whatever that means, I burn the paper, then pick up the Grimoire. It's quite hefty, just like mine, and I don't have the space for it in my ring. I tuck it under my arm, then spot a ring that sat beneath it.

It's similar to mine, but the space within it is far, far larger than space of my ring.

I slip on the ring and send the Grimoire into it. The ring was in a small dip in the pedestal, and I don't recall Gabriel having a ring on him when we found him.

If someone looted him, they would have taken something as valuable as the Grimoire and the True Ward.

Did he lose it before then?

I doubt it, but it might have happened. That, or he simply didn't take it. Perhaps he didn't notice it, not examining further after finding a Grimoire filled with magics like that one.

The Dragon reforms behind me, and I stare at it.

"Hi."

The Dragon exhales a breath of flames, and they draw to my arm, the Ouroboros consuming the magic. It then glares at the Dragon, which stares at it in shock.

Then, then Dragon walks over to its nest and lies down, and the Ouroboros takes its tail back into its mouth, turning invisible once more.

I fly back to the peak, then begin to descend the Dungeon, making sure to spend some extra time at the upper Floors, so that I can bring Archmage up to Level 25. once I finish that, I make my way all the way down to the surface, breezing by Adventurers who don't even notice me at my speed.

I don't even bother dropping off my loot, just make my way to my house, startling Michael, who was reading a book.

"Back."

"You spent more than 'a few days', Gavin," he rolls his eyes. "What'd you do – Master Archmage while you were in there?"

"I didn't know how long it'd take me to be somewhere that would give decent Experience to it again."

He snorts and rolls his eyes.

"I"m glad you were the one I came across," I say. "I know your memory is excellent – could you draw up a map of what you know of the world, and the Dungeons across it, and how they link?"

"Already done that for you," he says.

"I meant another copy," I correct. "I'm not going to the Grind Arena with you guys."

"Why not?" Warren asks, entering the house.

"You two," I say. "Need to get stronger. I, on the other hand, need to start getting shit taken care of, before time runs out on my Blood Quest. I'm going to see your father, then track down Kade and King Tyler."

And while I'm on that continent, might as well start boosting Jozan's reputation. There's nothing in the Blood Quest requiring it to be on my continent that their reputation is boosted, just that it reaches a certain value.

I only hope it's enough that it can make a difference, once I start boosting it on our continent.

Those fuckers have no idea what they're in for.

At all.

I am beyond the recommended power for my Blood Quest, and have no doubt that by the time war comes, my allies will surpass the recommended for allies as well.

He nods, putting his book down.

My brothers return home, and I let them know that we'll be leaving tomorrow, and we go out for one last feast. I make my First Dragonslayer Title public, just to shut people up, and we aren't charged for our meal.

That wasn't the intention, but it's nice.

Michael finishes the new map after dinner, and I look it over, memorizing it. The world really is huge, and he hasn't even been on all of the continents. He doesn't know how they're arranged, so just guessed, based on stars and such, but I'm not sure how accurate that is.

It's Michael, after all.

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I send the new map into my inventory, then head to bed, writing a few things down before I actually turn in for the night.

In the early morning, we wake, make sure our preparations are completed, then bid my brothers farewell and leave.

I surround Michael, Warren, and myself with the flight spell from my Grimoire, the same one I used to fly to the Dragon's nest. I turn and look at Dylan.

"By the way," I say. "I left something in my room for you. Notes from one of Tristan's Grimoires, this one on Aether. Figured, since you use the power of it for Rift Magics, you might benefit from his notes and spells. I won't leave the Grimoire with you, though, as I don't believe you're powerful enough to protect it."

He nods, then I lift my team and I into the air, flying us to the Dungeon that will lead them to the Grind Arena. We bid farewell, then I fly to the nearest Dungeon that will take me back to the other continent. Velus, or whatever it's actual name is.

The Dungeon sits near an ocean, not far from a harbor city, and I startle the guard standing outside of it when I appear.

"Hello," I greet him.

"When did you go in?" He asks.

"Pardon?" I ask.

"This Dungeon," he indicates it. "Kicks people out after four hours. I've been on shift for six, and haven't seen you go in."

"Ah," I say. "I've never heard of a Dungeon that does that."

I walk off making my way into town. A festival of some sort is going on, and after chatting for a bit, I find myself smiling inwardly.

Kade is around, and it seems he just dealt with a powerful sea creature they've been dealing with for awhile.

I locate him sitting in a restaurant, then kick my Title to public, approaching him. He's gotten stronger, despite the difficulty.

Dedication to a cause.

Is his dedication to that cause going to prevent him from returning to Jozan with me?

The restaurant goes silent as I approach him, Kade himself unaware of my approach.

"Hello, Kade," I say in Jozan.

He tenses up for a moment, then turns and looks at me, mouth open, as if to say something. Whatever he was to say, however, falls silent the moment he sees my Title.

"Still think retaking Jozan is hopeless?" I ask.

"Gavin," he stands up, looking confused, annoyed, and curious as he speaks in Velusan. "How did you manage to kill a Dragon?"

"In Jozan, Kade," I say. "Our business is of that nature."

"I told you," he says in Jozan. "It isn't possible, despite how powerful you may have-"

"I have three," I interrupt him. "Tier IV Classes mastered. I have two Mythical Classes. My lowest stat is over six hundred. My Mana Pool is over sixteen hundred, yet my most costly Spell only costs me around a hundred Mana – and that is the spell that killed a Dragon with a single blast. I made that spell myself, in that battle against the Dragon. I am the most powerful human in the world, and once I've completed my Species Advancement Quest, I'll be a True Human."

"Species Advancement?" He blurts in Velusan, eyes wide. "You-"

He falls silent as I make my Species Level public as well.

People begin to whisper, wondering who this powerful being is, and how he's connected to Kade, their 'savior'. A creature like that would probably be no issue for me to just smite, but for Kade? It was probably a long battle, and the people revere him.

I admire him, for that. Things come so easily for me, and to be able to slay a monster by himself that teams of warriors couldn't… that's just incredible.

"My goal," I tell him. "Is to start here. Raise Jozan's reputation on other continents, since doing so on ours will be difficult. Once formidable alliances have been developed, I will return to our continent, and begin my work on the other nations, making the distinction between Jozan and Turas. Build up the reputation, and gain allies there. Then, work with the resistance, and end the tyranny of Turas. Reinstate Tyler – or if he refuses to take the throne, instate someone else as King – and finish restoring Jozan. Once the Blood Quest is completed, I'll get to work on another Quest – taking down the Boundary of Sages."

"The what?"

"The barrier that prevents passage between continents in this world," I answer. "It was set in ancient times, and no one knows why. I want to create a place of safety, where people can live without fear of enemies coming in and attacking. To make this place accessible, I will need to remove that Boundary."

"Wouldn't that-"

"Who in their right mind," I say. "Would attack a place the most powerful mortal in the world himself created and protects? I might not be there all the time, but I will live for thousands of years."

"Thousands?" His eyes bulge.

"I said every stat," I say. "That includes LIF. I might achieve eight or nine thousand total years of life, before my natural lifespan comes to an end, and there's nothing else for me to do, factoring in the boosts I've yet to gain from my Bloodline, as well as from Species and Advancing Classes."

He stares at me for several long moments as people continue to whisper.

"Everyone," Kade says in Velusan. "This is Gavin, the most powerful magician from the land I come. He is a Dragonslayer, a being soon to exceed the Human Species, and master of Classes. It appears that the time for me to return home is nigh."

I smile.

"Thank you," I say to him in Jozan. "If you don't mind, would you act as translator? I'd like to keep my ability to speak their language a secret, for now."

"Sure," he responds. "You know, I only recognized you by the look in your eyes, and the fact that you had your name public."

"I know," I nod. "I barely recognized you, myself."

"Your team?"

"Grind Arenas."

"What?" He looks confused.

"This world," I explain. "Has quite the variety of things within it. They're Arenas where monsters come out in waves, and you gain Experience once they end. Good for gaining Levels, apparently. Michael loves them, but I think he just likes killing things more."

Kade snorts.

"Probably," he says. "So what, now?"

"Now?" I ask, and he nods. "I'm going to go visit the fairies, and see if I can't make an ally out of Oberon."

"You do realize that he's more likely to kill you than he is to support you, right?"

"Probably," I nod. "But then again, he hasn't reached the Fourth Tier in a Class yet, and I have in three. In addition, I've not only mastered those, but one of those is Archwizard. He'd probably have to summon up a powerful spirit to actually hurt me."

"Ah," he says, and I decide something.

"Actually," I say. "If you're willing to let me stay in whatever room you're staying out, and stick around a few weeks, there's something I'd like to do, before heading to Jozan, but it'll dock a few of my LIF off, and cripple me for a little while. I'm not sure how long, but it shouldn't be too long. A few weeks, at most."

If I can get it to work quickly. It might take me a couple of weeks to do it. I'm not thickening my Mana, since the Rift Wolf said that wouldn't be a good idea to do until after restoring Jozan, if I didn't do it then.

"Sure," he says. "I only killed one of those beasts – there are still three more that might come, and I was planning on staying here until they were all dead. It might be a few months."

"Alright," I say.

I sit down beside him, and he orders me some food. After we eat, he leads me back to his room at the fanciest inn in the city, and I strip and lie down on the bed.

"So what are you going to do?" He asks.

"When I was first here," I close my eyes. "I was thickening my Mana at a rate faster than someone should do, and ignored the Fog of Power, which begins to cripple you until it clears up. I have a Skill now that allows me to ignore it, a little bit. Making my Mana so dense so fast gave me a Title called Thick Mana. I contain more Mana than my Pool would show, if someone were to look at it, as a result, because the Mana's much, much denser.

"Since I'm going to the realm of people who use Spirits," and where a Spirit Grimoire is likely hidden. "Which requires the use of the Spirit Resource, I decided that I'm going to thicken up my Spirit. It might take me a couple of weeks to do it, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to manage it faster, since the Fog of Power won't affect me as quickly and force me to stop earlier."

"Alright," he says. "Should-"

"I'll probably scream up a huge fuss," I tell him. "Once I make it thick enough to earn the Spirit equivalent of Thick Mana. My body will be in a lot of pain. Ignore it – I'll be fine. It'll only remove a few of my LIF, and that's it."

"A few LIF-"

"I have over six hundred," I say. "I can sacrifice a few, and have, before. I want at least a thousand Spirit before I face Oberon – the sheer size of it should give him some pause."

He nods, sitting down, and I begin to focus.

It takes me no time at all to condense my current Spirit as much as I can, gaining Spirit Manipulation as I do. I hold it, waiting the painful regeneration time for my Spirit Pool to fill up, the Fog of Power beginning to fill my mind as it draws near to full again. I continue to pull in the new Spirit, making it as dense as possible, until a splitting pain fills my head, then my body.

When the pain finally fades, I scan the messages that float in my vision.

Title Gained!

Thick Spirit: One whose Spirit is thicker than ordinary, you are far more powerful than you seem.

Someone needs to work on their descriptions.

-0 INT!

Shut up!

-0 CHA!

At least he's still around. I was getting concerned, with how quiet he'd been lately. His annoying buff and removal messages were a fair bit missed.

+0 CHA!

If he could blush, he probably is.

No response. He's probably blushing.

I lost another 10 LIF, but my SPA is now 1,004, and my OFC went up by three. RRN is another eight higher as well.

Kade looks relieved when I sit up.

"Did you get it?"

"Naturally," I stretch, then slide off the bed. "I'm going to wash off the sweat, then fly to the fairies' kingdom."

"Alright," he points at a door. "Bath's through there."