<< Aah! So that’s why one of the dots suddenly changed colors,>> Emily remarked. Much to Bandur’s displeasure.

<>

‘Right,’ Severin only now realized that as busy as things had earlier this day been for him, over on Bandur’s, and by extension Sabina’s, side, things had to be even worse.

The people attracted by the rumors about the Eagle’s recent breakthroughs would naturally also gravitate towards his cafe; that was even if what they sold wasn’t potent buff-food.

Severin felt a bang of guilt. He had been too infatuated with the amount of coin that had come his way during Magda’s so-called research, that he had forgotten all about the kitchen and how his decision to close the store to the public, on a day like this, would only create even more work for those two.

That Magda then similarly decided to, due to staff-shortage, temporarily close her branch-office, certainly wouldn’t have alleviated the situation, either.

<> Judging by Emily’s tone of voice, Severin wasn’t the only one with a bad conscious; apparently she too had been enjoying herself, and the attention people gave her, in the form of free food, far too much, to give either the dwarf’s or Sabina’s circumstances any thought.

Severin was gratified by her reaction; though reluctant, the girl was obviously willing to concede to the dwarf’s request.

Still, the responsibility didn’t lie with the girl, Severin knew. As did Bandur, and the fact he still asked for her assistance, therefore, only further highlighted how overworked he was.

<>Severin cut the girl off before she could make the promise, <>

This was the first time the dwarf actually learned his new coworker’s name. And it was one not at all unfamiliar to him. <> The dwarf truly had been left in the dark.

<>

<>

<> Severin quickly appeased as the dwarf was still searching for a fitting insult. <>

A short <> in return indicated Bandur wasn’t quite convinced. Nor did he have the time of day to discuss such matters more in-depth; later, it was.

Someone else, however, couldn’t wait any longer to hold in their questions. “How?!” This far exceeded all of her expectations and suspicions.

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“How, what? The telepathic link?”

“No, not just the… telepathic link. All of it! What’s going on here?”

“All part of the System,” Severin replied with a shrug.

“As are the [Language Mastery], the [Identify], and the [Contract Magic] skills, by the way. You know, everything necessary to run a successful business,” he joked, trying to imitate the phrasing of the System’s notifications, an attempt that was clearly lost on her.

He cleared his throat and continued to explain to a blank faced Mylana,

“Only works for people directly bound with the System, though; unlike those other skills, that link isn’t really a something we can just use however and with whomever we want. Meaning, can’t communicate with Krill and Sabina, our two regular employees, this way. Don’t know about it either,” he said, giving her a meaningful look.

Mylana understood Severin’s not-so-subtle warning, but waved him off.

“But… how?” was the more important question right now.

“Or rather, what is the System?”

“I don’t know either.” He answered plainly. “To be honest, I hoped you could tell me. Came with class, but… Well. Samuel suggested it might have something to do with dungeon cores.“

“Dungeon cores?” She sounded incredulous. “How would…” she then started, but almost immediately realized, “What?! Sammy?! What does he have to do with all of this? What does he know?”

“Nothing really. Just expressed his suspicious after I said I was looking for one. A core, that is. Talked about new buildings popping up overnight, just like that. And about those contraptions that seem to work with no observable magic oscillation.”

“Fluctuations,” the woman corrected by habit, so deep in thought she probably wasn’t even aware of it herself.

“Right, that one. Anyway. Said it reminded him of a dungeon expanding and shaping its domain. Therefore, concluded I’m somehow able to harness a dungeon core’s powers. Or something along those lines.

Warned me others would reach the same conclusion and that it might spell trouble if they do. That’s about it. Guess I wasn’t exactly discreet with my actions. Not that I have much of a say in those matters.

But I’m kinda surprised he didn’t tell you, to be honest.

Do you think he’s right?”

“So am I”, the old woman sounded almost annoyed; maybe especially so knowing she couldn’t let her displeasure out on this old mentee of hers without risking that thing’s, that System’s, wrath.

She paused for a while.

“I’m I’m not sure. I guess it would make sense from his point of view. Always had been a bit of a dungeon dweller. Certainly spent more time in them than even me. Of course, his mind would go there.

But… I don’t know. I need more time. To clear my mind and to observe things. Take things in. Do my research.

That said, [Unique] classes are far rarer than you probably realize; rarer than their names already suggest, even. And they truly are unique. Not just in the sense that there is no other copy of that class out there. According to the few records that are out there, they work… differently.

I guess what I mean to say is that there simply is no point of reference. Nothing to compare to or judge things by.

He is right, however, in that people might reach the same conclusion as him.

As for what that means… again, I’m not sure. But it certainly helps that you were smart enough to surround yourself with some powerful and influential allies.”

Severin didn’t like what he heard. At all.

Not only was nothing clarified, but the fact that what might await him in the future could even require the help of powerful allies to begin with made him more uncomfortable than anything else. Even more so when in his mind, at least one of those allies Mylana undoubtedly referred to, namely the Society, was more of a supervisory authority than an actual ally of his.

Not aware of her new boss’ thoughts and worries, Mylana simply continued,

“That said, if things were easy to figure out, I wouldn’t be here in the first place. This… For now, I think I should get familiar with all of this. With being an [Employee], I mean” she finished with excitement in her voice, delighted at the prospect of being able to investigating some strange phenomenon and a [Unique] class, from this close up; and just in time, as an impatient, overworked dwarf made himself once again heard, and demanded to know,

<>