It hadn’t taken long before we were out of the forest proper, only having come across a handful of Summons conjured by the close proximity to the nearby Dungeons.

I hadn’t even had a chance to really experience my new gear before the creatures had all ended up as smears across the forest floor.

I thought of my time hearing the cautionary tales and horror stories from the elders in my clan. How they had spoken of the terrors and atrocities the summons could wage on the Coreless and those who had Cores but had never advanced past Beginner Tier.

They had been fables of horrors untamed, monsters that would destroy even the bravest who could stand against them.

After I had killed my fourth group of Undead, I had to reassess just how different my new strength was compared to those who chose to stay weak out of fear of risking their lives or the inability to strive further into any given crafting path.

“I assume that the extra life span and ability to use magic is enough for most,” Mel said as she glided across the dusty orange rock that made up the top of the ravine. “There are plenty of people who would just as soon waste away in contentedness as long as they have their needs met.”

I kept walking, thinking of those in Kira’s village who had their lives upturned by being too weak to fight back against creatures that could barely be considered a threat to any who had made it to Novice; such a low bar, but one that many failed to reach.

“I just don’t understand,” I said. “I get those not blessed with Cores, but those with Cores that I have met, most are underwhelming. I made it to Novice in two weeks, most of those I’ve seen have had years of mediocrity and are still at such a low level.”

“You have to remember that you have quite the advantage of being able to fight creatures well above your own level and Tier. Most others would consider what you are attempting as pure suicide and not worth the risk.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever understand it. I just can’t wrap my head around choosing to stay weak.”

“Most people are not hell-bent on chasing Ascension. I assume most would consider their current plot in life to be absurdly fortuitous, and aspiring for more could end in regret and a loss of everything they covet and hold most dear.”

I shook my head, pushing my thoughts away.

I needed to focus on my growth and not on those who chose to abstain from their own.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled open my Stats screen, making sure to keep an eye out of my periphery to ensure my distance from the edge of the canyon’s sheer drop.

Name: Cassieus Hinari

Level: 52

Affinity: Karmic

Class: Weaver

Armor Rating: 27,699

Health: 27,450/27,450

Health Regen: 27.29/sec (1% Vitality -0.16/sec Soul Damage)

Mana: 13,247/61,350

Mana Regen: 613.5/sec

Stamina: 28,110/28,110

Stamina Regen: 281.1/sec

Stats

Strength: 2,742

Vitality: 2,745

Endurance: 2,811

Toughness: 2,722

Agility: 2,755

Dexterity: 2,753

Perception: 2,750

Wisdom: 2,747

Intelligence: 6,135

Willpower: 2,750

Luck: 5,738

Though I had killed a few creatures on my walk back to the estate, my Experience gain had been so minimal it might as well have been nonexistent.

“Your Stats are coming along quite nicely,” Mel said, reassuringly. “According to the books on advancement, you are starting to lose the gap you had with those at the next Tier. I would estimate that you would be a match for someone at Isamaar’s Level now, while still falling short of someone as far ahead as Trennel depending on how he has his Stats distributed..”

I nodded, still fixating on the hovering screen in my vision.

“I have been thinking about that.”

“Oh?” Mel asked, turning to a stop just ahead of me.

“I think the balance is a decent strategy while I am in a low Tier for now, but I think I should begin to focus on my original idea of having Agility and strength as my main Stats once I reach Journeyman.”

“I don’t think-”

“I know you disapprove, but it feels right. Once I advance again, my foundations will be a lot more solid, making it more difficult to catch me off guard or take advantage of any weaknesses that my opponents perceive.”

A dark scowl passed over Mel's face as I watched her.

“What?” I asked, unsure if I had upset her.

“Ira agrees,” she growled through clenched teeth.

I opened my eyes a bit wider in surprise.

“You are talking to him?”

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“My consciousness is still in the Library and he has not stopped bothering me since you left,” she complained, clearly annoyed. “And if you build your foundations up, I suppose you are right that you can safely explore your own path.”

I laughed despite myself.

“Well, at least you have some company in there.”

“Oh yes, it’s been a blast,” she said, turning away while rolling her eyes. “Let’s go. You still have work to do and we are running out of time if you plan to make it for your self-imposed deadline.”

I smiled, picking up the pace as I followed behind her spectral form.

***

“And she’s been living in your head this whole time?” Trennel asked in amazement as he poked a finger at Mel's torso.

She took a step backward just before he made contact, glaring at the mage.

“Please keep your hands to yourself,” she said, annoyed.

“My apologies,” he said, sheepishly. “I’ve just never heard of a familiar that lives in someone's head.”

“I think it’s more accurate to say she lives in my Soul space,” I corrected. “Though the Library isn’t really inside me anymore is it?”

“No,” she answered. “More like it is in its own separate plane while being attached to your Soul space through our bond.”

“Astonishing.”

Trennel couldn’t take his eyes off of her, writing notes down furiously on a scrap roll of parchment that he had pulled from his own Dimensional storage ring.

“You can access this plane?” He asked. “Can you show me?”

I shared a glance with Mel.

“At the moment, I would suggest we wait while I deal with a few matters before I let others enter, but once I have those ironed out, I don’t see why not.”

“What kind of matters?”

Trennel looked up from his notes.

“Some personal ones,” I said flatly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean… sorry.”

“It’s fine, as soon as we get some of the things figured out, I will have the team come in anyway. There are some useful benefits I think we can utilize going forward.”

When he didn’t say anything, I decided to change the subject.

“So tell me about these new devices you built.”

We were currently sitting in the dining hall waiting for the staff to bring out our breakfast before we set out to the village.

I had learned that rather than sleeping, Trennel had spent the majority of the night in the Enchanters Lab, creating a new kind of Automata that resembled a small bird.

It had two spindly legs that were made from tough steel and a body that was shaped like a pear, made from a transparent glassy material. Its beak looked like a drill with several wires sticking out of the front end.

“I realized that with the first floor, we missed out on a lot of the ores and mineral deposits because normally, expeditions would travel with heavy machinery to excavate down deeper into the Dungeons. I managed to create a small-scale version that should be able to accomplish something similar.”

He pointed at the tip of the beak.

“These sensors use Earth Mana to differentiate the types of minerals it comes across, while the drill cycles the loose earth and materials through its body, collecting the more precious of the two, and moving the waste through its hollow body.”

He explained this with a fervor that belied his normally shy nature. A stark contrast to his mood just moments before.

“That’s amazing,” Mel said, a look of deep-seated greed in her ghostly eyes.

“Thanks,” Trennel said, beaming. “I believe we missed out on about sixty percent of what the first floor had to offer.”

“That much?” I asked.

“Oh yes, if not more,” he answered, holding his creation up while he inspected some of the inscriptions carved into the glasswork. “As I said before, normally, delving groups have dedicated excavating teams that spend the majority of the delve just hunting for the precious materials that are not found on the surface. These are typically sold to the major crafting guilds or on the open market as they can be used in a variety of fields.”

“Why didn’t we think of that?” I muttered under my breath.

“Because you basically found the first people you came across that were willing to go on a fool's errand, and took off full speed ahead without trying to find an actual group that could take full advantage of everything the Dungeon has to offer,” Mel said unapologetically.

Trennel looked questioningly towards me.

“Really?”

I shot Mel a look, but she didn’t seem affected by my glare as she was peering over Trennel’s shoulder to get a peak at the machine in his hands.

“That’s not entirely accurate. I did put some thought into my choices. Though, I did not know about the underground loot, I just assumed the majority of it would be dropped from monsters or found on the surface like the Mana crystals. I was more focused on combat ability and scouting.”

The young Noble’s face fell into something I couldn’t discern.

“You alright?’

He took a moment before answering, fiddling with his metal bird.

“Do you think she’s coming back?”

I was lost for a moment before Mel sent a sense image into my mind.

“Kira? I don’t know. She seemed upset about finding out I had been hiding my true Level from everyone.”

His face fell even further into what I could now tell was disappointment.

“Though,” I added quickly. “She doesn’t strike me as the type to give up so easily, and she is not on the team for selfish reasons. She has a home to protect, and probably more of a reason to continue than most of us.”

He gave a shallow attempt at a smile.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

The heavy doors leading to the kitchens swung open and in walked Trucia and Iyema, the former wheeling a cart full of decadently aromatic meat and several roasted sides of local vegetables, many covered in some type of amber glaze.

Iyema held a decanter of a maroon liquid and two fluted glasses with an embroidered cloth draped over her arm.

“Day, M’Lords,’ she said, dipping her head in a respectful bow, without the fear of spilling what was most likely a very expensive wine.

Trucia let out a sharp gasp when she spotted Mel, hovering near Trennel's shoulder, nearly tripping over one of the wheels on the pushcart.

“Trucia dear, do not be disrespectful in front of the Lord’s guest, back to your post.”

‘Yes, Ma’am,” the young woman squeaked out.

“My apologies Young Lord,” Iyema said with a furtive glance toward Mel. “We were not expecting any… exotic guests to be joining you this morning.”

She placed each glass in front of the both of us, filling it halfway, before wiping the rim of the decanter with the cloth on her wrist.

‘It is not a problem,” I said waving her off and smiling at the young girl who was still eyeing Mel warily. “Please leave these with us, we will serve ourselves.”

“Are you sure young Lord?’ Iyema asked hesitantly.

“More than sure. If we need anything further I will call for you.”

Turning, the two women began heading back towards the kitchens.

“Before I forget,” I said quickly before they left. “Can you send Lenox down, I have some errands I need for him to find and hire some auxiliary staff for me and some items that I need acquired.”

“I will send him down immediately.”

Iyema bowed deeply before shuffling herself and her subordinate out the set of doors, closing them on their way out.

I looked over at the steaming pile of food, grabbing a few of the platters, and moving them to the table for us to dig in.

I was hoping to enjoy this as when we entered the next floor, we wouldn’t be returning until we cleared at least two floors consecutively.

Hopefully, they would be as simple as the first floor had been.