What I found, is that my home was terribly undefended.

Well… Calling it “home” was a bit too much, considering that it was just a cave with a hand-made bed and a huge carcass of a gecko-like monster, but I’ve lived here for several months already.

Originally, the plan was that after I finished the dungeon, I’d be going to wherever the resident Demon in my head would tell me, and it still hasn’t changed. What has changed is, my estimation of just how long it would take me to conquer the dungeon.

I first thought it would take a month, two at most. Now, I changed it to a year, maybe longer. What was originally a raid became an entire campaign, and therefore I had to make according preparations.

First of all, I had to make the space more livable. I could tough it out for several years like I have been so far – by living in this barely modified cave with few utilities and many flaws, but this was not the way of life I hoped for. While my mental durability was probably beyond your average caveman, I am not the kind of person who would go for less when I could get more.

I had the ability to change it into something more like a home, so I would.

Another point was, that winter was coming. The forest was getting more grey and gloomy and the original vibrant green that could be found everywhere changed for a more subtle, faded yellow.

While my ability to live without food was superhuman by the standards of my previous life, I still needed sustenance to survive. I had to prepare some kind of method of preservation of food for long periods of time.

Another problem was the dangers I was facing. Last time, Ralph allowed me to play foul and prepare a suitable strategy to face the gecko. Next time, I doubt he’d show the same level of generosity.

He had said that I didn’t have to worry about intruders like the gecko or humans for a while, but, was his “while” long enough to allow me to finish my business with the dungeon and make a leave? It was a question I didn’t have an answer to, but knowing Ralph, I had to prepare for a siege by a horde of enraged dragons or something in the near future. Well, at the very least, I had to prepare the measures to stall my foes, whatever or whoever they might be, to make an escape. It was probably the hardest item on my list to complete.

I also would very much enjoy a laboratory. Naturally, I had no magical technology to make any serious research, but I had to, at least, make a place where I could control the conditions well enough to make spell design easier. Doing so in the open posed various challenges: the wind, the humidity, the sudden changes in the composition of mana in the atmosphere… Having a place where at least those things could be taken care of would aid me greatly.

Also, I had to worry about the carcass of the gecko. At this point it’s a bit like an expensive piece of garbage. I can’t study it – it’s too tough to open up and too complicated to analyze its properties at a glance, it takes up lots of space, it may begin rotting in a while (the fact that it hasn’t yet speaks volumes of just how durable its mana structure is. If my average spell is 1, the average piece of wood in the forest is 100, then the carcass is probably somewhere in the thousands).

If does begin to rot, I don’t know what will happen. Maybe it will begin to spread some magical disease, maybe its stench will attract magical scavengers – it’s all in the air.

I would dispose of it, but then I’d miss an opportunity. Once it begins to decay, its structure will become less stable and I will be able to pick a few things up from studying it. I really want to see what made the thing tick, even if a little. I am certain the stability of the structure of my spells will skyrocket and I’ll be able to realize so many projects that I couldn’t before.

Basically, things are complicated, as always, and I should expect some terrible things to go down some time in the future, as always.

Well, that’s just some long term planning. What is important for the moment is what I need to prepare for the second floor.

The first floor is now basically my backyard at this point, but that doesn’t mean that the second will not give me some nasty surprises. Besides, just as with the first, the second floor is going to become an expedition too, with me going there many times over even after I beat it, so I could learn from the things there better. In any case, overkill is always better than under-kill.

Since I have acquired some experience in the way of battle, I have improved upon my arsenal of spells after fiddling with things for two weeks.

I removed all water spells – they were basically useless last time and who needs a water arrow anyway. Ice was somewhat useful too, but it was outshone by stone.

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Speaking of stone, I didn’t like its accuracy. It was great, no doubt, but it required precision in handling.

Fire… It was good. Though, I found that fireballs, fire spear et al. were not practical against fast-moving enemies (aka the tiger), though they served well as crowd-control. The biggest concern was that it was easy to get burned myself. I have handled it carefully but the heat hitting me in the face each time was not pleasant by any means.

Wind spells were both slow and weak.

So, I have decided to get rid of all the spells that had the words “ball”, “bullet”, “spear” and such in their names from my arsenal. They were easy to make and mass-produce but they weren’t good enough for me. Instead, I went for the route of technological sophistication.

Thanks to the psychic abilities I had, though my level in Mana Manipulation hadn’t increased, I have acquired more finesse in shaping spells. I now could do things I didn’t have the technical ability to pull off.

For the time being I went in the direction of increase of impact and heat, since these two things are the most useful in general. As for specializing against the foes in the dungeon, I sprinkled a few anti-undead varieties, but for the time being, that’s it.

Introducing the new spells:

1) Individual controllers – spells, theoretically effective against single enemies.

1.1) Shrapnel bullet: a tiny and fast projectile with an hard case made outer case, possessing a light weight. Its accuracy is in the close ranges. When it hits its target or is in flight for longer than 20 seconds, it blows up and releases a wave of heat onwards, with many small solid particles. Very lethal, I blew a hole of 20 cm in diameter through a tree during a test run. Accuracy and lethality decreases dramatically with increased distance, recommended range is less than 6 meters. Also has a variation that is very poisonous to undead of the first floor, including the tiger and its minions, though that version is not as deadly to other things. Still damn deadly though.

1.2) Sniper bullet: A tiny and very fast and very precise projectile made out of very hard and solid material. Very deadly and accurate within about 100 meters. Explodes into a small ball of strong heat that set a log on fire.

2) Crowd controllers – spells, meant for handling large amounts of enemies.

2.1) Grenade: as it’s name suggests, it’s basically a large shrapnel bullet with a timer. It shreds the undead mob on the first floor, cripples the tiger minions and gives considerable damage to the tiger itself. I don’t like using it, since I have to use a spell to defend myself from the shrapnel at the same time, which is a waste.

2.2) Fog grenade: explodes into think fog. Basically a mini version of the Labyrinth spell I used when I fought the tiger for the first time. Also deploys webs to let me see in to fog. Deploys immediately. Is harmful to undead.

2.3) Mine: My favourite crowd control spell of those I have. Creates a big explosions that is dangerous to undead and the living. Based mostly on the explosion spells I used against the gecko. Causes necrosis in living beings, careful handling required. Has both remote-controlled function within 200 meters (though mana channel) and time-controlled function.

2.4) Heat wave. Simple, rude and effective. Sets a large wave of heat in a direction of choosing. Preferably used when fleeing, as the temperature may drop slowly depending on the environment. Careful handling required.

3) Defense spells: self-explanatory. Each lasts for about a minute, with standard deviation of 15 seconds.

3.1) Barrier, lvl 1: Creates a “light” omnidirectional barrier that allows breathing and movement at running speeds, can change trajectory of high-speed impacts, can prevent low-level physical attacks (me, beating it with a stick at full power)

3.2) Barrier, lvl 2: Creates a “medium” omnidirectional barrier that allows breathing and waling speed movement. Can defend against the tiger’s attacks consistently, blocks explosions of fireballs and heat.

3.3) Barrier, lv 3 (Desperate situations only): Creates a “heavy” omnidirectional barrier that doesn’t let air through and allows very slow movement. Theoretically, can block a casual attack from the gecko, can block all of my spells consistently, including the Mine, as well as the “Times of Year” series (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter spells I made when I first came to the dungeon). Allows for short term survival in a desperate situation and gives some thinking room to plan for further strategies.

3.4-6) Shield series, same as the first three, but not omnidirectional, and movable.

4) Body enhancement – what I learned a while ago when I first discovered the mana pathways and the mana vertices in my body, with the help of the gecko. Cannot be used several times in succession, or with other enhancements. Can’t be “preserved” (i.e requires MP at the current moment). Doesn’t take effect immediately. Is very painful, the aftereffects are even more painful. Leaves body weak and thoughts sluggish. Is to be used with caution, in desperate situations only.

4.1) Speed enhancement – a temporary enhancement that increases my reaction speed as well as my speed of movement three times over. Have tested only two times. Not enough data to tell more.

4.2) Durability enhancement – temporary enhancement of body’s durability to the level of wooden bark. Works alongside with the “living dead” skill too. Have tested three times. Not enough data to tell more.

4.3) Berserk boost – a temporary, very dangerous enchantment only to be ever used in the most of life-threatening situations. Has strengthened effects of 4.1 and 4.2, alongside with weakening effects on all enemies and increase of strength of spells in my arsenal. Requires use of skills: Living Dead, Domain of Life, Domain of Death, the Element Manipulation series, permission from Ralph to unlock all functionality of Mana Insight and Multitask. Uses most of mana in body, MP consumption unknown, SP consumption unknown. All effects theoretical. Never tested it, and hopefully, never will. Who am I kidding, I will probably have to use it in two chapters or something.

…

I have designed and tested the new spells and, before I begin to manufacture them and go to the dungeon, I’ll start working on my home