Chapter 1

 
Matt looked at the result blinking on the screen in front of him. It was unbelievable,
unacceptable.
Unchangeable.
He had done everything right. Followed every instruction. Pushed himself until the
instructors forced him to rest. When his group of orphans turned nine, and the physical
conditioning and rift training tests began, he never slacked off or skipped lessons.
The one hundred and eighty-seven children of Warrington’s Upper East Side Orphanage
#3 had trained hard for their Awakening. Every profession was covered, and every combat role
was touched upon. Even the more obscure variations were at least mentioned, if not directly
trained for.
Matt could answer any question about any role or their sub-variations. He had studied
every extra book his instructor’s thought might be the slightest bit useful. Unwilling to be
unprepared for a Talent that could change his weapon of choice, he practiced with every
weapon the training armory had.
He preferred a longsword but was familiar with one-handed and shield combinations,
dual-wielding daggers, weighted gloves, staffs, and even had practice time with the fake wands
that simulated casting spells. 
Matt was ready no matter what uses his Tier 1 Talent had.
However, Matt had not prepared for his Tier 1 Talent to be useless. Or worse than
useless. He had not prepared for his Talent to be so bad the Empire's AI would officially rate it
as ‘detrimental.’ That was a death blow to any potential career with an established guild.
Matt sat in the testing chair, wires still connected to his arm. Staring at the display that
doomed him.
 
Tier 1 Talent determined.
Mana Regeneration inversely proportional to current mana, directly proportional
to Maximum Mana.
Secondary Effect: Essence cannot be applied to mana cultivation. Mana
Regeneration is decoupled from mana cultivation.
Tertiary Effect: Anomaly detected…
…
…
…
Anomaly processed.
Maximum Mana is substantially below average levels.
 Additional review required. Please, wait until a higher authority can be contacted.
 
Matt felt the blood drain from him. He was lightheaded, couldn’t breathe. The screen
blurred, words merging, sealing his fate with their little white proclamations. 
Everything was falling apart and there was nothing he could d—
He focused on his primary effect! If that was good enough, then nothing else would
matter. Heart pounding, Matt pulled up the complete description of the first aspect of his Talent.
He blinked when, in addition to the paragraphs he was expecting, a complicated
mathematical formula and graph popped up. Apparently, the amount of mana he naturally
regenerated varied dramatically depending on how full his pool was.
Matt froze when he noticed the percent signs on the graph. His Mana Regeneration was
being measured as a percentage of his maximum mana. He could generate mana at a rate
equal to his Maximum Mana per second while below 1% of his total mana. 
What this meant was he could channel mana endlessly at an extremely high rate but any
single use mana spells were effectively useless.
That was…insane. At low tiers, Mana Regeneration was usually so slow it was better
measured in mana per hour. That was why mages dedicated massive amounts of their
cultivation to improving their Mana Regeneration. Improving only the size of your pool and not
how fast it filled led to mages constantly running out of mana. 
Mages were forced to spend most of their cultivation on three separate non-physical
attributes from all the research he had done prior to his Awakening. This made them physically
weaker and more vulnerable to melee attacks, though many considered this a fair trade-off for
the ability to summon fire out of nowhere. Matt certainly did.
Regenerating a percentage of his Maximum Mana meant Matt could completely sidestep
this issue. By the time he dumped enough cultivation into his Maximum Mana to double the size
of his mana pool, he would automatically have doubled the amount of mana he regenerated
each second without spending anything on his Mana Regeneration.
Secondary Effect: Essence cannot be applied to mana cultivation.
Just like that, Matt’s fantasy crumbled to pieces. 
Before they raised tiers and began cultivating, people could typically hold only 100 mana
in their pool, unless their Talent applied some boost to it. Conventional logic said the initial size
of someone’s mana pool barely mattered in the grand scheme of things. Even if Matt only
started with 10 mana, by focusing a slightly heavier ratio into Maximum Mana, he could just stay
at relatively low mana permanently while still casting endless spells. However, conventional
logic assumed people could add essence into mana cultivation. 
Matt looked back at his projected Mana Regeneration graph hopelessly. According to
the AI, he would regenerate at a flat rate equivalent to his entire Maximum Mana per second for
as long as his current mana was less than 1% of his maximum capacity. 
Starting at zero mana, Matt needed only a fraction of a second to regenerate his pool to
1%. The instant he exceeded 1% of his Maximum Mana, though, his regeneration rate started
plummeting below 1% of his capacity. 
 The AI even provided a little table showing how long it would take to reach certain
benchmarks. It would take exactly ten minutes for Matt to reach 10% capacity but reaching 25%
or 50% would take him months or years respectively.
While these rates were ludicrous, they were also irrelevant. With normal mages, getting
to full capacity was important because it meant more spells to cast during a delve. In Matt’s
case, if he could raise his maximum up to 1,000 mana, then he’d regenerate 10 mana near
instantaneously whenever he dropped under 10 mana. That was enough to endlessly cast a
basic [Fireball] spell with a cost of exactly 10 mana. 
No mage could cast any spell endlessly. Even if they had 100,000 mana, it would
eventually be exhausted since normal Mana Regeneration was still calculated in mana per
minute.
Secondary Effect: Essence cannot be applied to mana cultivation.
Those damning words shredded any hope Matt had still carried. Even melee fighters
dedicated at least 30% of their essence to mana cultivation, just so they could use skills in
battle. The most aggressive cultivation ratio he had heard of, from an actually successful rift
delver at least, was 80% to physical and 20% to mana. And that was only possible because that
particular delver’s Tier 3 Talent let him negate the mana cost of skills based on his physical
abilities.
Tier 3 Talent. That was his ticket out of this debacle. Matt never heard of a Talent set
being purely detrimental. The ones that seemed useless at Tier 1 usually had synergy with that
person’s Tier 3 or Tier 25 Talents.
Matt could do thi—
 
Higher authority reached.
…
Anomaly resolved.
…
Tertiary Effect: Lowered starting Maximum Mana. 
Maximum Mana determined to be 1.
 
Matt felt as if he'd been punched in the gut yet again. A starting Maximum Mana less
than what was needed to cast a [Fireball]. And he could never increase it. His stomach roiled
with renewed vigor once the reality of his Tier 1 Talent’s secondary effect set in again.
He stood out of the chair once the wires disconnected from his arm and the screen
flashed and said, “Please, have a nice day,” as if it was mocking him.
Looking around at the seemingly unfamiliar world, Matt tried to find anything or anyone
that could fix him.
Everyone in here was an acquaintance he grew up with in the orphanage, no one who
could turn back time. He had been with them since the mass rift breakout five years ago that
destroyed half the city and orphaned so many kids like himself. As his gaze wandered, all the
people he knew so well appeared alien to him.
They all looked so…happy.
A dozen feet away, Roxanne stood at a recruiter’s desk for Victor’s Elementals, a mage
focused guild that was the husband guild to Estor’s Escalators, a physically oriented guild that
acted to round out delve compositions so the parties were balanced.
Every word that came out of the recruiter’s mouth made Roxanne smile more. The
paperwork placed in front of her was quickly signed. She’d dreamed of being a mage since their
Introduction to Magic class all those years ago.
Matt wanted to feel happy for her, but nausea clawed at his stomach. He looked over to
Gavle’s Good Guilders, a respectable Tier 10 guild based on Ilstor, a neighboring Tier 12 planet.
As he approached their booth, the head recruiter, Miles, stared at Matt with alarm.
“Ascender’s balls, Matt! What’s going on? I just got a notification saying your Talent isn’t
up to recruitment standards.” Miles’ head swiveled around, and he whispered, “Get over here.”
He reached out and snagged Matt’s arm and pulled him into a vacant conference room behind
the recruiting stands.
“What happened? I can't see the exact details, but your application was just booted back
by our AI with…”
Miles held up the pad currently displaying Matt's conditional contract into GGG. He
scrolled all the way down to show a flashing red box with the words ‘applicant does not meet
minimum requirements.’
“Is it really that bad?”
Matt debated what to tell Miles. He was a good guy who tried to get as many of the
orphans into the fairly prestigious guild as he could. With Matt's knowledge and skill with a
blade, Miles easily arranged a conditional contract for Matt with extremely good terms that only
lasted ten years instead of the standard fifteen.
His percent-based mana regeneration could have been useful, if not for his pitiful
Maximum Mana. So, he revealed the worst of it and ignored the solely useless parts.
“Completely unable to cultivate mana,” Matt whispered. Venturing a glance over at Miles,
the man had abruptly stopped pacing on the other side of the table.
“Fuck.”
“Fuck.”
“Fuck.”
Miles pressed his hands together in front of his face and started pacing again. Clearly
deep in thought, he said, “There's not much I can do without getting both of us into trouble. If I
show too much favoritism, other guilds might think I'm trying to create a spy to infiltrate another
guild for us.”
Matt waited and silently hoped Miles could think of a way for this not to be the end of his
career as a delver. 
Was he finished before he even started? 
 The nausea resurfaced even stronger than before, gnawing at him as the contents of his
stomach fought to escape by any route necessary. With a deep breath and an effort of will, he
forced his stomach to settle.
“I know that sounds like an excuse, but it’s happened before. It would end in you getting
blacklisted from any guild on this planet, and probably the neighboring ones, too. Even some of
the city governments wouldn't allow you anywhere near them.”
The next pause idled for what seemed like an eternity. “All right. The way I see it, you
have two options. Well, only one viable option really. The other is a long shot at best.
“Best-case scenario, you somehow find a sponsor for The Path of Ascension. That
would come with admission to the PlayPen Island. It's an Empire run training facility only the
best of the best get into.”
Of course, Matt knew of The Path. It was literally legendary, the place where legends
were forged, racing through the Tiers to become the heroes of the Empire.
As Matt opened his mouth to state he no longer fit that category, if he ever had, Miles
held up a finger. “But there is a second way into the PlayPen. Most city adjuncts get a couple of
slots per year to send promising youths. Getting one of those slots is even harder than usual in
this city. The adjunct has been using them as political favors for the last ten years or so.”
“That’s the ideal case, but 99% of people never even sniff a PlayPen’s air. More
realistically, you need to buy a slot in a public Tier 1 rift. It’s what freelance delvers do if there’s
too much competition for local rifts of their Tier.”
He pulled his pad out and started tapping on it. “Ah. Here, in Glesie, two cities up the
coast. They have a kobold Tier 1 rift, the going price is…”
Miles’ eyes flicked around, scanning as he sucked in a breath. “Ten thousand credits.
That’s more than usual, but the price seems to have jumped in the last few years. That's the
problem with a Tier 4 planet. At Tier 5, the planet would have far more Tier 1 rifts.”
Miles spun the pad to show the listing that further confirmed his doom.
I’m fucked. It will take years to get that many credits. I’d be so far behind everyone else
it would be terrible.
Matt forced himself to drop the self-pity and think about the situation more.
No, I don’t care if I’m older than everyone at my Tier. I’ll still become a delver and stop
the rifts from overflowing again.
Earning ten thousand credits wouldn't be easy. That would take at least three years of
work at any job willing to hire a thirteen-year-old. Let alone someone without a useful Tier 1
Talent and no job skills besides beginner delver training.
“Is there any chance I could join a lesser guild? Not that I don’t want to join Gavle’s, but
it has to be easier to join a guild and get access to their rift than to get ten thousand credits,
right?” Matt hoped for it to be true.
Miles' face hardened at Matt’s question. He stared Matt right in the eyes and forcefully
said, “Matt, with a Talent rating as bad as yours, it doesn’t matter if your Tier 3 might fix the
problem. No one here is going to willingly risk the resources to train you without a near illegal…”
he grimaced, “or an actually illegal lifelong contract you’d never get out of. They’d take all your
earnings or use some other nefarious deal to suck you dry.”
Matt sputtered for a response, but Miles held up his hand and continued, “This planet is
just too new and too poor. Just the teleportation to neighboring planets is too expensive for
wasteful transits. Every inch of space is worth its weight in mana stones. A good 80% of the
recruits we pick up today are never even going to leave this planet in the next five years. If they
don't have clear potential, the Guild isn't going to shoulder that cost.
“Go ahead and try, but don’t sign anything without reading the contract. Every single
word. All recruitment contracts have to be in plain text that is easy to understand.”
Miles reached into a cabinet along the wall and grabbed some cards. He held his hand
out for Matt to shake and handed the cards over in his off-hand. “These are PlanetNet vouchers.
Each card is good for an hour of uptime, and these five should get you through the next few
years. The CityNet mostly just has general info, but the PlanetNet will let you check Glesie’s rift
status from time to time.”
Miles looked drained all of the sudden. “Good luck, kid. And when you solo delve, play it
safe and don’t get injured. Healing will put you into crippling debt faster than anything else. Slow
and methodical. Careful. Just be careful.”
With that, Miles turned and trudged out of the room, and Matt took it as the dismissal it
was.
He tried to help me, and his advice about the contracts is good to know. Without that
warning, I might have jumped on the first offer without looking into it.
For the next hour, Matt traveled from stall to stall seeing if any guilds, corporations, or
crafter associations would take a chance on him. But Miles had been right. Few were willing to
even talk to him after seeing the detrimental rating for his Tier 1 Talent. Those who were still
willing presented him with predatory lifelong contracts, all containing inescapable clauses where
at least 50% of all his earnings were owed to the guild, even if he left the guild at some later
point.
One particularly heinous contract had a line stating he forfeited ownership of his own
body. Matt shuddered to think what people who accepted that contract ended up doing. Illegal
prostitution would be the most preferable outcome, if the look the recruiter had given him was
any indication.
Matt picked up the bag with his few belongings inside and headed for the door, eager to
escape before he lost his breakfast all over the polished floor. The moment he got outside, he
fertilized the shrubs next to the front entrance with the contents of his stomach.
After rinsing his mouth out, Matt stood up and headed away from the Awakening Center.
He didn't know where he was going, but there was no point in standing around.
This being only a Tier 4 planet meant the resources needed to advance past Tier 3
weren't readily available for the population at large. The only reliable way to accumulate
essence was to delve into the rifts and slay whatever monsters you found.
Some of the books Matt read referenced the air on the Empire's Tier 47 capital planet.
The atmosphere alone held so much ambient essence people could cultivate without delving
into rifts. On this backwater, the ambient essence was near zero.
 Transportation off the planet is too expensive. No guild will accept me unless my Tier 3
Talent is synergistic enough with my Tier 1 and lets me accumulate more mana, so I’m not
crippled. 
Or unless I sign my life away.
Matt pondered his next steps.
I need a job.
Thirteen wasn’t technically considered an adult, at least not by the Empire’s normal
standards. Starting today, though, they were all on their own. The orphanage just didn’t have
the room or resources to spare on older children when most could find employment or an
apprenticeship after receiving their Tier 1 Talents.
To relieve some of the crushing stress on the orphanages, both emancipation and
Awakening were performed early on Lilly. Orphans were made legal adults at the age of
thirteen, instead of the usual late fourteen or fifteen when Awakening normally happened.
Matt wandered south. The further he walked, the more lingering damage he came
across from the rift break five years ago.
While the debris was mostly cleaned up and repaired on the northern side of the city, the
southern section still carried battle scars in the form of the occasional burned-out building still
waiting to be demolished and rebuilt.
As Matt passed a crater where some great spell had ripped into the horde of monsters,
rainwater filling in the bottom had turned it into a stagnant pool thick with algae growing on top.
Just another sign of what happened when rifts weren’t delved regularly enough. Another
bleak reminder of the loss of his parents and the destruction of his city.
***
When searching the CityNet as he wandered aimlessly, Matt found a business called
Benny’s Inn advertising an open position for ‘general staff. No skills needed. Room and board
included. Pays four hundred credits a month.’
The description was lacking in detail, worryingly so. But with that kind of pay, Matt at
least had to try. It offered more than any of the other unskilled labor jobs being advertised.
Matt looked up directions and followed the road for several more miles until he came
upon Benny’s Inn. It was right near the edge of the five-mile coastline that served as the safe
zone, the water preventing rifts from spawning.
Benny's Inn was situated on the trail leading to the closest Tier 4 rift in the region, the
highest Tier available on the planet. It also had the benefit of being near the trailheads leading
to the three Tier 3 rifts closest to the city. That made Benny’s the best place for local parties and
groups to relax and recuperate between delves.
They say delvers spend way more credits than normal cultivators, so I need to work
near delving to reach Tier 3 anytime soon. To reach a city with a public Tier 1 rift, I need money.
The ten thousand credits on their own won't be enough. At the very least, I'll also need to buy
gear and cover travel money.
What Matt found at the end of the road was a six-story building with a large, garish sign
proclaiming the owner's name.
 When he opened the front door, Matt found a large common area with a bar at the
center surrounded by tightly packed tables and seating. Behind the counter, a big man in a
greasy apron gave only a quick glance to Matt in the open door before immediately returning to
whatever he was doing behind the bar.
As Matt approached, the man gruffly barked out, “Kid, unless you’re a paying customer,
fuck right on off. No charity. No donations.” He never even bothered to look back up.
Matt braced himself and gathered all the cheer he could muster despite the man’s tone.
“No, sir. I’m here to talk to Benny about the position that was posted. Can I assume that’s you,
sir?”
That got the fat man to look back up. He scanned Matt with squinted eyes before asking
“Lemme guess. Shitty Tier 1, kid?”
Matt swallowed hard before answering with what dignity he could, “Yes, sir.”
“Got any inkling what the job entails?”
“No, sir, but I'm willing to work hard. I’m—”
Benny cut him off. “Yeah, yeah. I already expect that, and I won't put up with nothin’ less.
What I need is a floater. Somebody who can do any job. Jump between ‘em as needed.”
Benny’s eyes flicked around, and then back at Matt. “Might mean you scrub toilets. Might
mean you help the girls carry out food when it's busy. Hours are from five in the morning to
midnight, with a two-hour break ‘round noon. You get four hundred credits a month, no tips. I
see you take a tip, I kick your ass out.”
Matt ground his teeth as much as he could without letting it show. The old bastard had
him good. That kind of pay was excellent, even if it sounded like he’d be earning every credit.
The delve slot in Glesie was ten thousand credits, and that was his last lifeline. Simply
too many people needed the low-tier rifts, and there were not enough of them to go around.
Slots were bought, then later resold when the delvers team outgrew the rift’s Tier, so credits
wouldn't be wasted. Nonetheless, the barrier to entry was high.
A little more than two years. That’s all. Call it two and a half for extra expenses. I can do
this.
Matt’s decision was already made.
“Where do you want me to start, sir?”
 Chapter 2
 
“Matt, I need you to check the staff bathroom. The water is really slow,” Beatrice called
out as she passed by.
“Is it the hot, the cold, or both, Bee?” Matt shot back from the maintenance room, where
he was assembling a table. He got no response. Apparently, Beatrice had already returned to
the slow lunch crowd.
Matt decided to finish the table first. They needed it more. Last week, a bar fight had
destroyed nearly half of the tables in the common room before it was brought under control. 
The problem was, they had a limited number of spare tables in reserve. It’d been just
enough to keep the common room from having too many gaps, but just barely. To make the
room feel less empty, they had spread the remaining ones out, which only worked because they
hadn't been slammed yet. But with the weekend approaching, they needed the seating. So, Matt
had been making tables in all his spare time to refill the common room, and then get their
surplus back.
If Benny wasn’t such a tight ass with money and just bought better tables instead of
treating them as disposable, I wouldn’t be playing amateur carpenter every other week. Or if he
just hired a bouncer.
Matt finished the table and grabbed his plumbing bag. As he walked through the
common room, he looked for Beatrice, but she was nowhere to be seen. He sighed. Of course,
two customers were already at the bar, clearly waiting to be helped. Matt didn’t recognize them,
which meant they were probably new customers.
Where is Beatrice? Must be nice to be able to slip out for a dozen smoke breaks just
because you sleep with the boss.
That made him pause. Maybe she did earn the extra breaks. After all, no one else
wanted to be near the man longer than absolutely necessary.
If Matt didn’t help the new customers, Benny would have his ass despite it being
Beatrice’s job to man the common area.
Matt hurried over to the front desk part of the bar and greeted the guests. “Hello! How
can I help you this afternoon, sir and ma’am?” Benny expected unfailing politeness to his guests
and would side with any paying customer over his staff on any issue.
The man answered, “We’d like a room, please. But we don’t know how long we’ll be in
the area. So, what can you do for around, umm…say a two-week stay, with the option of it going
longer?” As he leaned forward, Matt got a better look at him under the bar’s brighter lighting.
He was tall. Based on Matt’s 5’10, he was at least 6’2, possibly up to 6’4. Dark hair and
gray eyes with a face that, while hard, looked used to laughing. The woman next to him was
probably 5’9. The ponytail of copper-colored hair made her green eyes pop even more in the
dim lights in an almost disturbing contradiction to her classically attractive face.
What took Matt by surprise wasn’t their good looks, it was that these two felt far stronger
to his spiritual sense than the normal Tier 2s and Tier 3s that usually frequented Benny’s Inn.
Even stronger than the Tier 4s that came around, though that was beyond his ability to get a
good sense of. He pegged them at the peak of Tier 4 or possibly even Tier 5.
 It made Matt nervous. If these two wanted to start trouble, no one here could stop them.
No one would even want to try. 
Who knew what an enraged pair of Tier 5s could do? 
Matt didn't want to find out.
If they felt slighted, no one was there to greet them… I don’t want to think about what
Benny would do to me to keep in their good graces.
Being fired would be the least of his problems in that situation. Rumors still circulated
about former employees who were never seen again. Supposedly just rumors, but Matt wasn't
interested in testing their veracity.
“Yes, sir. We have several packages that might suit your needs. If you’d like, we can
offer a room for a week and, after that, you can just pay by the day at about the same rate. It
comes with unlimited access to the training room and three meals a day. It would all be for just
four hundred credits the first week and then sixty credits a day going forward. Is that something
you’d be interested in?”
The woman answered, “We’ll take it. Can you show us to our room, please? Then to the
training room.” She swiped her hand at the payment reader, and Matt saw ‘accepted’
immediately appear.
That was a pleasant surprise. Despite Tier 1 mana stones being worth one hundred
credits, the price was still enough that most people complained and tried to haggle.
“Yes, ma’am.” Matt did as requested.
The duo only stayed in their room long enough to drop off their bags. Then Matt led them
to the training room, where the woman looked around at the training dummies in obvious
disappointment.
Why is she disappointed? The training aids are only years old and updated with the
newest software for attack and defense patterns of Tier 4 speed. It’s one of the few actually nice
things this place has.
“Is there something wrong, ma’am? The training aids go up to Tier 4, and the software
was just upd—”
Before Matt could finish, she waved him off and sighed. “No, it’s fine. I just forgot where
we were for a moment.” Her flashed smile took the sting out of the comment.
Matt decided to leave before she could take her obvious disappointment out on him. He
had a sink to fix anyway.
Just one more year. Keep your chin up. You got this.
***
The alarm started blaring at 3:55AM, and Matt was down at the training room by
4:00AM. He could squeeze in two hours of practice time before Benny was up and assigned him
tasks.
Matt started with a few warmup stretches, then used the variable weight bar to do
strength training. Today was legs, which meant he would be walking like a newborn until
tomorrow, but Matt had to admit he liked the tingle.
 Using part of the PlanetNet vouchers Miles had given him, he had long ago found a
training routine good for a young man looking to be a melee delver. It wasn’t amazing, but it was
free and didn’t require proprietary supplements or a subscription to a sketchy netsite like so
many others did.
As he completed each set, he recorded his weights and sets while trying to keep the
fatigue at bay. For the last year, he’d put in as much physical training as he could manage while
still needing to work twelve-hour days. While he had clear results to show for it, he was
perpetually bone tired. Even when he slept, he felt tired.
Each rep was paired with the mantra, ‘One more year.’ When the time came, he had to
be ready to delve a rift with only his physical abilities.
After weight training, Matt took his usual practice-longsword down and started a Tier 2
combat sequence on the training dummy. It was faster and stronger than him at this setting and,
with his wobbly legs, his ever-rotating collection of bruises would grow again.
Matt practiced in rounds of five minutes, trying to inflict damage while avoiding being hit
as much as possible. Everything he read on the CityNet said injuries were what retired most low
Tiered delvers.
With few Healers on the planet and fewer still who had their skill as public knowledge,
most injuries could only be healed with mundane methods. That meant months of recovery if it
was serious. Which meant months of not delving and not progressing. It meant months of
wasted income and increased debt.
I can’t afford to get injured. Literally.
This sucks. Living on a low Tiered planet means anyone with a healing Talent or an
innate healing skill immediately gets snatched up by the guilds and shipped off planet. It leaves
only the lucky few who get a healing skill as a rift reward and don’t take that opportunity to join a
guild and do the same. Or the few idiots insane enough to sell such a valuable skill shard.
Can I blame them for bailing, though? I was going to do the same. Am I just bitter I
couldn’t escape this backwater shithole?
Matt had to admit, that sounded truer than he’d like.
The training aid landed a blow that brought Matt out of contemplation and back into the
fight. With a pivot and an upward slash, Matt deflected the next blow and brought his sword
down on the training aid’s collarbone. The blow was hard and clean enough that the lights
flashed red, signifying a ‘kill.’
The aid had a programming oversight that didn’t handle overhead attacks on its right
side well. It was hard not to abuse it. Matt didn’t want to develop habits that might get him killed
but finding an obvious flaw in an opponent was possible, too.
The beep chimed, signifying the start of his three-minute rest interval.
He picked up his water bottle, wiped the sweat off his face, and stretched. When he
noticed someone was in the other corner of the room, he came to a halt.
Shit! Is it that late already? Am I late for work?
 Matt quickly checked his pad and saw it was only 4:23AM. Looking closer, there were
actually two someone’s loitering in the corner, the man and woman who had checked in
yesterday.
The strong ones.
He didn’t want any trouble, so he turned down the volume on his pad so the beeps
wouldn’t disturb the training duo. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off a customer, let
alone a powerhouse who could probably level the building in seconds. Matt wasn’t sure what a
Tier 5 was capable of, but he knew they were stronger than most people on the planet. Lilly was
only a Tier 4 world and, therefore, only had rifts up to Tier 4. Anyone higher Tier than that
needed to travel off-world to find higher Tier rifts to help them progress.
Matt continued to practice in intervals. As a Tier 1, he didn’t have enough essence or
physical cultivation to keep up with nonstop high-intensity combat. Right now, he was only
marginally stronger than he’d been before his Awakening.
During a lesson about high Tier cultivators at the orphanage, he had seen a recording of
a competition between two Tier 15 participants. The combatants were so evenly matched the
fight lasted over an hour of nonstop fighting. Matt’s heart would explode if he fought at that
intensity for that long.
Cultivation was the journey of power and strength, after all. The normal human
limitations quickly fell away as you ascended.
Matt cleaned up his area and stored the training aid along the wall, preparing to go
shower. As he crossed the common room toward the staff housing hall, he saw Zephyr. The old
man had first stumbled in around two months ago and never quite stumbled back out. The entire
time he’d been here, Zephyr followed a strict routine; he drank until he passed out on a table,
woke up, and then kept drinking.
Matt had eventually taken it upon himself to make sure the grumpy old bastard got into
his bed most nights and ate at least one meal a day. The look of loss and despair in the man’s
eyes was easy to recognize.
It stared back at him every time he looked in a mirror.
He saw it in everyone who’d lost people in the rift breaks.
He couldn’t fix Zephyr, but he could at least stop him from killing himself before he
worked past whatever loss had broken him.
“Come on, Zephyr. You need to sleep. Preferably in a bed. And drink this.” Matt shoved
his water bottle in the man’s hand and glared till he finished it off.
“All right, give me your arm.” He hooked an arm under Zephyr’s and helped the man
shuffle to his room. He grumbled nonsense at Matt the whole time.
A Tier 4 reduced to this is just depressing. Who did he lose to end up like this? Spouse?
Kid? Mother? Father? Brother? Sister? Some shitty combination of those?
Matt fished the key card out of Zephyr’s pocket and dumped the old man on his bed.
Before he left, he filled a glass with water and left it on the nightstand.
Is there really no escaping the pain? Will ascending to higher Tiers not even help?
***
 The next morning, Matt once again started in the training room. At 5:00AM, the redhead
and the dark-haired man strolled in. Unlike yesterday, though, the redhead came over to his
side of the gym. Once she confirmed she had his attention, the woman held out a hand to
shake.
“The name’s Dena. Sorry, I either didn’t get your name when we checked in or forgot,”
she said with a smile that removed any sting from her forgetting his name.
“No, ma’am. That’s my bad. I must not have introduced myself. The name is Matt.” He
took her hand and gave it a firm shake. “Is there something I can help with, ma’am?”
“There actually is. I’m in need of a sparring partner who specializes in longswords. My
husband Eric, over there…” She pointed a thumb over her shoulder at the man, who just
nodded along at the mention of his name. His concentration was fully aimed at a floating ball
circling his hand. “He’s too busy working on his mana control. Would you be interested? I’d pay
the standard fee.”
Matt was interested, but there was no way he could take Dena’s money. If Benny found
out, he’d be out on his ass so quick his head would spin. Then he’d be truly screwed.
“I’d be happy to help, ma’am. Though I can’t accept any payment. Part of my duties is to
assist guests in any way I can.”
Dena gave him a look that said she sensed something was wrong but wasn’t going to
press it.
“How would you like to spar, ma’am? I’m only a Tier 1, so I won’t be able to challenge
you. But if you need to practice a certain move or technique, I’m happy to fill whatever role you
need me to.”
“I’m more looking to practice my staff technique against the longer weapon, so I’ll reduce
my speed and strength to match yours.”
Matt shrugged. “Whenever you’re ready, ma’am.”
He pulled his longsword up into a neutral stance. When Dena moved, Matt sidestepped
the thrusting butt of her staff and retaliated with a cut toward her leg, but she stepped out of
range of the slash.
As the fight progressed, it became clear Dena wasn’t very used to the staff. Which was
probably the only thing that stopped her from easily annihilating him. Even with her speed and
strength reduced to near his levels, Matt struggled to take the initiative. 
Whatever her normal weapons were, she was well accustomed to melee fighting, and it
showed. The Tier 5 was always ready for every move he could think of, and it let her control the
flow of the fight effortlessly.
She called the end of the spars at 6:00AM after several rounds of combat. The breaks in
between were purely for Matt’s benefit. Even after an hour of training, she’d yet to sweat a
single drop.
Reaching a higher Tier truly was stepping above the common man.
“Do you train here every day? Or do you have a set schedule? This was a far better
practice than I thought it would be. You have good instincts with that longsword of yours.”
 Matt futilely tried to get his breathing under control before answering, “I’m here every
morning, ma’am. Also, I’d be happy to spar with you as much as you’d like. It was far better than
the training dummies even turned up to Tier 2.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” 
***
Every morning for the next month and a half, Matt sparred with Dena. Occasionally, Eric
would get fed up with his mana control exercises and also treat him to a thrilling longsword vs.
longsword sparring match.
Apparently, the taller man was the dedicated melee fighter of the duo, but he’d found his
mana control to be lacking recently and worked to shore that up.
The few suggestions Eric gave Matt about longsword combat had greatly increased his
confidence with the blade. The advice was nothing revolutionary, but he shared tips about
attacking from unexpected angles and a few feints that Matt found enlightening. Matt believed
he was good, but the older man seemed to be one with the sword.
Surprisingly, Eric preferred an ax but said no melee fighter could rely on just one
weapon. You had to be at least proficient with most of them. Monsters came in infinite
variations. Some would eventually be resistant to or problematic to fight with your preferred
weapon type.
Those were probably the best weeks of Matt’s life. Dena and Eric were nice to him,
didn’t treat him like spare luggage they were trying to get rid of or as a charity case because his
parents were dead.
The couple gave him respect, even though they were so much stronger than him. They
could have treated him like something you’d scrape off a shoe and no one would have looked
askance at them for it. He’d received invitations to eat with them a few times, and even Benny
hadn’t said anything during the occasional meal.
Matt swore to himself that when he was that strong, he would remember their kindness
and strive to show the same to others. So many of the delvers coming through Benny’s treated
anyone weaker than them as sub-human and fawned over anyone stronger. It was all so fake.
So meaningless. He wanted nothing to do with it.
“Hey, Matt. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I’ve got to ask. Why are
you here?” Dena looked awkward as she asked. Even Eric looked up from his mana control
trainer, which he put away to stand and join the conversation.
“You’re strong, good with a blade, and very hard-working. I’m just confused as to why
you haven’t been snatched up by a guild or party already?”
Matt sighed. “No real secret to it. My Tier 1 Talent doesn’t allow for any mana cultivation.
That invalidated my contract with the guild I was going to join. Any other guilds willing to take
me had terms so absurd I might as well have sold myself into slavery.”
Dena winced, and Eric mirrored her expression. She opened her mouth to speak, clearly
going to apologize for something that wasn’t her fault. So, Matt cut her off. He didn’t want their
pity.
“That’s why I’m working here. Miles, the head guild representative, did what he could to
help me. He wasn’t able to do much, but he pointed me in the direction I needed to go. That’s
why I’m here saving up money to purchase a slot in a Tier 1 dungeon. Everyone says there are
no purely detrimental Talents, just paired talents you need to advance to fix. So, I’ll be a solo
delver and advance on my own. It’s not even a purely bad thing, delving solo. I won’t have to
share the essence, so I’ll advance faster, which will let me catch up with my age group.
“Hopefully, the problem is solved at Tier 3 and not Tier 25.” Matt tried to lighten the
atmosphere with a joke, but the pair just stared at him for a long moment.
“Well, that’s a shit hand to get dealt. But you didn’t give up, which is the most important
part. If this planet were a higher Tier, you’d be picked up by a guild for that alone. So many
delvers lose the will to continue, the drive to advance. And that’s not something a Talent can
compensate for.” Eric shook his head.
On that sour note, Matt went about his day resolved to avoid thinking about his Talent
more than he had to.
***
That night, another big fight broke out, one worse than the usual two-to-six-person brawl.
The party of delvers responsible for starting it came in later than most, so the common
area was already crowded with parties eating and drinking. They sauntered in as if they’d just
found the crown jewels of the Emperor himself.
Their attitude attracted everyone as they walked to the item identifier. Without hesitation,
their leader walked up to the man about to use it and shoved him out of the way violently.
The air of anticipation built as they placed a skill shard in the reader. Skill shards were a
rare drop at this planet’s Tier, but they could vary in usefulness. This group was so cocky and
sure they got a good skill, they didn’t even bother to set the readout to be sent privately to their
pads. Instead, the process was displayed on the large screen for the whole crowd to see.
Their reason for their arrogance was readily apparent when the first lines of text
appeared.
 
Analyzing skill shard…
Cracked skill shard detected. Requesting a higher authority to
complete analysis.
 
A cracked skill shard was a rare variation of shard modified off the baseline. The change
could be anything and finding two that were identical was said to be impossible.
The most famous cracked skill Matt knew of was a cracked version of [Shadow Sword].
The original skill projected a copy of the weapon to the side during a strike. Nothing crazy. The
‘shadow’ was only a quarter the strength of the original strike, making it useful but not amazing.
The infamous cracked version allowed the user to summon fully autonomous shadow
swords. This was superior to even comparable skills like [Sword Minion] and [Sword
Doppelganger]. The former needed real blades and the user’s concentration to control them.
The latter was just a single sword that, while autonomous and equal in strength to the original,
lacked durability and could be shattered with a powerful enough hit.
 That [Cracked Shadow Sword] let the user summon endless autonomous copies at only
a quarter strength. Having hundreds of blades that worked together in perfect harmony made it
a skill everyone feared.
Matt blanked on the name of the individual who had gotten the skill but could remember
they’d carved themself out an earldom spanning several new planets with that skill alone.
Are we going to see the birth of a legend here?
Matt hoped not. Desperately.
If the cracked skill turned out to be a useful variation and not neutral or detrimental, this
night would turn into a bloodbath. These idiots should have never revealed it publicly. They
could get themselves and, more importantly, Matt, killed in the rush to steal the skill.
Just as Matt moved to escape the crowd on the cusp of exploding, the man who’d been
holding the skill, and who was probably the party leader, got everyone’s attention. Still with his
back to the crowd, in a voice dripping with arrogance, he called out, “I’d love to meet the people
stupid enough to attack the son of Brackus of Brackus Holdings.”
That’s what he’s relying on to keep him safe?
Matt was flabbergasted. Brackus Holdings was a local courier service. While they had
some influence and power, they weren’t nearly enough of a deterrent to stop people from killing
his arrogant ass. The only difference was now they’d make sure to kill all the witnesses, too.
He spun, intent on slipping out, but saw Zephyr passed out on a table not too far from
the item identifier. For a moment, Matt debated leaving the old man to his fate. It was his own
fault he’d chosen a spot right where the action would be fiercest.
Just leave him. Getting yourself killed to save a drunk isn’t worth it. Just go.
Matt cursed at himself even as he started toward the old man. In the end, he couldn’t
just stand by. Inaction was a choice, one he refused to make.
The trick would be getting close without attracting attention or triggering a stampede
toward the party at the item identifier.
The item identifier beeped right as Matt slid up to Zephyr’s table.
The noise grabbed everyone’s attention, including his.
 
Analysis complete…
Skill shard identified as [Cracked Phantom Armor].
Original Skill Description: Tier 14 skill. Pre-charge 200 or more mana
into the skill. When a lethal blow is detected, skill will automatically activate
and block the attack. Alternatively, skill can be activated at the user’s
discretion.
Cracked Skill Description: Channel mana into the skill to activate
[Phantom Armor], which will then block physical and elemental damage with
efficiency depending on the rate at which mana is channeled into the skill.
 Rating: Detrimental - Extremely niche or limited use due to mana
cost being continuous. Crack turns a highly sought-after, life-saving skill into
a costly and inefficient general defense skill. Possibly recommended for
mages with a strong emphasis on Mana Regeneration cultivation.
 
Matt swallowed. No one would be getting murdered for that skill shard. However, judging
by the look on the party leader’s face and the crowd’s growing laughter, a brawl was about to
break out anyway.
Matt hoisted Zephyr up and whispered, “Start moving. We need to move. Now.”
Before he could get Zephyr balanced on his wobbly legs, the man who had been pushed
aside early spat at the party. “Hah! That’s what you arrogant pricks get for cutting—”
Before he could finish, the son of Brackus of Brackus Holdings snatched the skill shard
out of the reader and hurled it at the man. While he ducked to the side of the projectile, his
attacker took that opportunity to bash him in the face. With the first punch thrown, both parties
went at it, and it immediately spread to the rest of the room.
People took the opportunity to get aggression out or settle grudges.
Matt pulled Zephyr along, no longer trying to be subtle and just trying to find the edge of
the fighting. He didn’t want to get crippled by an errant blow from someone multiple Tiers above
him. Benny wouldn’t cover the cost of healing him after all.
They had almost made it when something hit him from behind. As he and Zephyr
tumbled to the ground, Matt picked out a gleam under a broken chair leg.
It was the skill shard.
Matt's world slowed.
He glanced at Zephyr and saw the man was completely out of it, eyes closed, mouth
slack.
I have to take the chance. It may be useless for most, but I could use it. I just hope this
doesn’t get me killed.
Matt quickly grabbed the chair leg, and the skill shard with it. As he pulled Zephyr back
to his feet, he raised the chair leg threateningly while letting the skill shard slip into his sleeve.
Carefully, he swung the chair leg at someone’s back and let that knock the wooden
weapon out of his hands. Then he switched the arm he held Zephyr with, trapping the skill shard
in his elbow.
The feeling of the small crystal shard pressing into his flesh haunted Matt’s every step
and pumped adrenaline through his veins like never before.
Once he and Zephyr were out of the brawl, he carried the old drunk to his room, quickly
dumping him on the bed before heading to the maintenance room. As Matt closed the door and
ensured he couldn’t possibly be seen by Zephyr, and before he fully stepped into the hallway in
view of the cameras, he shoved his right hand into his pocket and let the skill shard slide down
his sleeve and fall in.
 His heart was racing, but not from the fight. He had been an unwilling participant in more
than one of them. No, it was the danger of the stolen skill causing him to spiral.
When Matt entered the maintenance room, he prepared to make tables and chairs as a
cover. Benny popped in not five minutes later once the noise died down a bit.
“Oh, good, you already started. And I saw you getting the old man out of there. I can’t
charge him rent if he’s dead. So, good work.”
Matt resisted the urge to scowl when Benny made callous statements like that. He had
practice. The comments were commonplace.
“No problem, Boss. What’s the damage? Do we need more tables or chairs?”
“Tables. People can eat standing up, but no one wants to eat on their lap. If they wanted
to sit, they wouldn’t use my chairs as fucking weapons.” With that, Benny stomped out.
Matt let out the breath he’d been holding.
He’d almost shit himself when Benny said, ‘I saw you.’ Matt expected Benny to check on
him, but if he had seen him steal the skill shard, Benny would have just killed him. Useful or not
and lazy as he was, Benny still treated his customers like they were his only source of income.
Which they were.
Matt knew he shouldn’t be checked on for the rest of the night, and there were no
cameras in the maintenance room. The spare tables and chairs were kept in a separate storage
room, so there should be no interruptions while he hid the skill shard.
If the arrogant party complained the skill shard was missing, which Matt bet they would,
Benny would try and appease them by searching the staff. It was Benny’s standard practice, so
he could say he did his best, then do nothing else.
Matt grabbed a finished table and wedged it under the door handle. Then he went to the
desk and pulled out his pad.
It was an older model that had seen numerous repairs by Matt and the previous owners.
He pulled out a shim, carefully pried off the back, and immediately ripped out the speaker. The
pad’s sound system was subpar and intermittently went out, so it was no real loss.
In the newly opened space, Matt carefully placed the skill gem. It was a close fit.
Thankfully, the shard was oblong, a little less than an inch long and a quarter inch wide in the
middle.
He quickly inspected his work and guesstimated it would work. Most of the cramped
internals were taken up by the screen. The processor was small, and the mana battery was
even smaller. He had the skill shard nestled in next to the battery right where the speaker had
been. 
Matt grabbed a hot glue gun. After an eternity waiting for it to heat up, he applied a drop
under the skill shard, stopping it from rattling and giving its hiding place away.
As fast as his shaking hands could move, he closed the pad back up and checked to
make sure it still worked. Nothing seemed amiss. Matt shook it to see if he could hear anything
move.
Not a sound. It was perfect.
 After cleaning up and putting everything away, Matt smiled and was about to get back to
making tables when he saw the small speaker. He couldn’t leave it out. It wasn’t like anyone
else came in here, but leaving any clue to his theft was stupid, suicidally so.
He proceeded to smash the small speaker until only an indiscernible powder remained,
which was tossed to intermingle with the dust and debris already in the shop.
With the evidence of his theft taken care of, Matt removed the table he used to bar the
door against interruptions and began making new tables. After about an hour, the shouting
started. Matt repressed a smile. Shortly after that, Benny came in with the irate party leader.
As soon as Brackus' idiot son saw Matt, he started screaming, “Did you steal it, boy?! I’ll
fucking kill you if you took it!”
Inside, Matt smiled. That was all he needed to hear. It was a question, not a statement.
Outwardly, Matt put on a surprised face and stood up. “Steal what, sir? I didn’t steal
anything. Benny would kill me if I did, and I’ve been working here for over a year. Never stole a
thing.”
The man didn’t seem to care, but the show was for Benny not him. He had a wand in his
hand he pointed at Matt.
Matt knew what it was, a mana detector. These things only worked at close ranges but
would find Mana Concentrations. A skill shard would be detected if said skill shard wasn’t right
next to a mana battery, which would overpower any reading with unstructured mana. Even if he
replaced the battery with the skill shard, so long as no one tried to mess with the pad, they
wouldn’t think anything was amiss but a broken pad.
Even if the wand picked something up. Mana was supposed to be there after all.
Matt hadn’t expected the man to have a detector like this on hand, but it was a standard
tool used at the orphanage to check for any kind of mana contraband. There was nothing to be
concerned about. While he personally hadn’t smuggled anything in, kids liked to brag about their
successes, and the best smuggling methods were well-known by all the orphans.
This was a very reliable way to beat the scanners.
“C’mere, Matty. Let Mr. Brackus scan you. Doubt you took it but, if you did, say so now.
Even if you swallowed the thing, the wand will find it. Don’t do nothin’ stupid,” Benny recited
through a bored expression, clearly only humoring the man.
With nothing to fear, Matt walked over and let the pompous ass run the wand over him,
focusing on his stomach, shoes, and pockets. After a murmured curse, he waved the wand over
all the drawers. When he repeatedly found nothing out of the ordinary, he stormed out.
Wanting to reinforce his alibi, he stopped Benny before he left. “Wouldn’t it be more
likely that someone else took it and absorbed it already?”
Benny yawned out, “Nah. Not that anyone would want to take that shit skill, but it takes
days to absorb one.” As he was leaving, he examined the tables Matt had stacked in a corner.
“That’s enough for tonight, just get some sleep and finish tomorrow. All this ruckus over a great
life-saving skill turned into a shitty defensive one. Whoever heard of a channeled defensive
skill? No one can afford that kind of mana cost.”
 As Benny turned the corner, Matt heard the murmuring turn to ‘arrogant whelps who
throw skill shards then want them back.’
Matt was surprised Benny didn’t try and get him to stay up all night to finish. He had
before. “Thanks, Boss. I’ll be sure to finish it first thing tomorrow.”
Not caring if Benny heard him, Matt took the excuse offered and fled to his room.
 Chapter 3
 
Lying in the dark, Matt cradled the pad in his hands. He had tried to get some rest, but
the anticipation and thrill of getting away with the theft kept sleep away.
He looked at his pad again. This was his lifeline. Some part of him kept expecting Benny
or the party leader to burst into the room and snatch the pad and skill shard out of his hands.
But all was gloriously quiet.
Delving without a skill was common at lower levels, but the casualty rate was much
higher for those unlucky delvers.
Matt already decided he wouldn't let this pad out of his sight for the remainder of the
year. This skill was near perfect for him. A channeled skill would allow him to use his full 1 mana
per second of mana generation while he was under 0.1 mana. 
Matt used his PlanetNet voucher time to check on the status of the Glesie public rift. The
purchase price for a spot was still ten thousand credits and holding steady. A while back, it had
spiked to eleven thousand for a few weeks before dropping to nine thousand for a bit. Now, it
was back at its usual price. He then quickly searched for average mana stats for lower Tier
mages and found a guide put out by the Juniper family that had the barony over the planet.
The guide was only recommended up to Tier 3, then more advanced versions had to be
purchased. It focused on directed mana cultivation and its three aspects: Maximum Mana, Mana
Regeneration, and Mana Concentration.
Fascinated, Matt read on. The orphanage hadn’t covered the nuances of directed
cultivation. They taught that as you gathered essence from killing monsters in rifts, the person
dealing the final hit absorbed the lion’s share of the essence.
Most teams wore devices that automatically divided the essence amongst the rest of the
party. Ratios could even be changed so one person could get nearly all the essence, which was
how crafters got the necessary essence to advance without having the skills to fight monsters
themselves.
Once out of the rift, you would process the essence, allocating it to either your body or
mana.
Cultivators could direct how they allocated the essence. Physical and mana were the
two sides of cultivation. After that choice, you could target sub aspects of each, which was
called 'directed cultivation,’
The other option was to let the essence go where it was needed, called undirected
cultivation. It was an easy way to shore up weak areas.
The guide described directed cultivation as making mountains to have specialization and
letting the valleys get filled in, raising the baseline to build your peaks even higher called
undirected cultivation.
All power needed a strong foundation, after all.
None of these details were discussed at the orphanage. They were just told that the
group they joined would have their own guidelines and recommendations specific to their
position.
 The guide said the goal at Tier 3 was to have 1,000 mana and Mana Regeneration of
about one mana every two and a half minutes. The guide explained this was the ideal ratio for
directed mana cultivation at lower levels, with 70% directed mana cultivation and 30%
undirected physical.
The guide strongly warned against attempting directed physical cultivation until Tier 3,
and only when the appropriate classes were taken. The guides specifically for it were not
available until after the classes were taken.
What's the difference? Why are you allowed directed mana cultivation but not physical at
Tier 1? Matt wondered but got back to reading. The information was interesting but not
particularly useful until he could collect essence in a rift. It was still something to do, so he kept
reading while he couldn't sleep.
The general idea was that a mage would regenerate 576 mana a day. It also wasn't
recommended to delve more than once every three days, and delve slots reflected that. That
would let mages fully regenerate their mana pool in under two days. That extra mana could then
be used for practicing their skills or stored in rechargeable mana stones for quick mana
recharges in a rift.
The rechargeable mana stones were particularly recommended. Because it was mana
from your own mana pool, there wouldn't be any time needed to aspect the mana to match your
natural mana pool. The guide also recommended emptying and refilling any low Tier
rechargeable mana stones after a week because the mana would un-aspect, turning into
ambient mana.
Un-aspected mana was great for powering devices but was hell on a cultivator's mana
channels. Directly using it could cause near permanent damage.
The last and most interesting part of the guide covered Mana Concentration. Allocating
any essence into Mana Concentration before Tier 5 was flatly not recommended.
Mana Concentration shrunk your other mana cultivation aspects to make your mana
denser and more concentrated. Denser mana gave your spells more power for the same cost,
but the returns were terrible.
To double the power of a spell with Mana Concentration, a Tier 5 mage would need to
diminish their base Maximum Mana and Mana Regeneration values back to what they had at
Tier 1. That was at a 70% essence allocation to mana through all the preceding Tiers.
That brought Matt up short. 
What an insanely bad return. 
The amount of essence a Tier 5 had would be massive. In the early Tiers, advancing to
the next Tier required ten times the essence of the previous one. If it took ten essence to reach
the peak of Tier 1, then it took a hundred to reach the peak of Tier 2.
It was why people didn't farm low Tier rifts despite them being safer. The monsters didn't
have enough essence to make it worthwhile. Killing a single monster in a Tier 2 rift was worth
the equivalent of killing a dozen in a Tier 1 rift.
The amount of mana and Mana Regeneration a Tier 5 mage would have would be
insane, completely incomparable to a Tier 3. Doubling the power of each skill would force them
to give all of that up to reset back to the base of around 100 mana and one mana every twenty
minutes.
 Mana Concentration, for all its downsides, was an important part of mana cultivation.
Maximum Mana and Mana Regeneration had diminishing returns when applied to the allocated
essence after a certain point. The spirit could only grow so much without strain, and Mana
Concentration increased that cap farther than the cultivators lost from Maximum Mana and
Mana Regeneration when allocating to it eventually allowing a mage to have millions of mana.
Which just proved going from Tier 5 mana levels to Tier 1 wasn’t worth it. But, then
again, this guide was tailored for lower Tier mages. Matt doubted this was the whole truth.
It was a good warning, though. Matt was sure many a young mage would have crippled
their mana cultivation early on without that warning. They would be in the same boat as Matt,
unable to cast a single spell but without his advantages.
Matt stroked his pad. His Tier 1 Talent wasn't perfect, but this skill shard synergized with
it amazingly.
Before falling asleep, he plugged the pad in so the mana battery would charge overnight
and tried to drift off.
***
The vibration of his pad woke Matt up. It was 3:55AM.
Panicked, Matt clumsily tapped around the pad, finally opening a video to hear nothing.
Sighing, he flopped back to his bed.
All was well. The skill shard hadn't managed to run off in the night somehow. It hadn’t all
been a dream. Still exhausted, he forced himself to get moving. Midnight had been rolling
around when he’d finally fallen asleep.
I can nap during the day in the maintenance room.
Despite his weariness, he arrived at the training room only a smidgeon late. According to
his schedule, today was only flexibility training. If it had been a strength training day, Matt didn't
know how he would have done anything. Stretching was a perfect way to wake himself up
before Dena and Eric came down to spar.
When they arrived, both headed straight to his corner. Matt was surprised. Eric had
recently said his control training was almost done, so he was doubling down on the practice to
get it over with quicker.
As soon as they got close, Eric announced, "Matt, Dena and I talked it over last night.
You have talent, and it's wasted here. We want to help."
Matt started to say it wasn't necessary. He didn't want to take charity from them. They
were too kind. It would make him feel dirty.
He thought back to last night, the skill shard he’d swiped. Did he still even deserve help
after that? If it had been theirs, he knew he wouldn't have stolen it. The arrogant stranger was
another matter.
Before he could get anything out, Eric continued, "It's not charity. You’re going to earn it
in a spar. Unless they have a Talent that boosts physical cultivation, a Tier 1 fighter just landing
a hit on a Tier 3 is more than enough to earn them a guild invitation. Anywhere but here, at
least. It's actually a pretty standard test in the Empire proper. Though they usually make the
fight against a peak Tier 2 with a 70% split."
 Dena returned from the weapons rack with a pair of blunted daggers.
Instinctively, Matt wanted to reject her offer. On the other hand, though, this might be his
best shot at escape from this shit hole city. He wouldn't need to spend another nine months
slaving away. He could escape with his stolen skill shard all the sooner.
Dena clearly saw his internal struggle because she preempted, "Remember, this isn't
charity. You're either going to earn the hit or not. And I’ll be fighting at Tier 3 strength and
speed."
The hesitation didn’t completely disappear from Matt's face, so Eric followed up, "We
won't force you, but sponsoring a young talent isn't unheard of. It's really not that uncommon in
the Empire proper. You're hardly the first person to ever come out of the Awakening with a…
less than ideal Tier 1 Talent. The Emperor doesn't want potentially strong people to languish in
the gutters because they were born on low Tier planets or with weak Talents."
"That's where the Path of Ascension comes in. A sponsor even gets rewarded if their
sponsee does well. Make it to Tier 5, we get some small rewards. Make it to Tier 10, we keep
getting more and more, all the way up to Tier 25."
Eric looked wistful as he continued, "The Empire wants powerhouses, needs them. But it
also won't waste resources on those who won't put them to good use. This system helps all
involved, but we won't recommend anyone if they don't have the drive to advance."
Matt swallowed. It didn’t sound like he’d be taking advantage of them. But what would
happen if he didn't do well?
Dena anticipated his question. "If you stop advancing or die before Tier 5, you simply get
marked as a failure. If a sponsor has too many failed recommendations on their record, they
lose the ability to sponsor more people. That's really just in place to stop people from
recommending everyone they see to play the odds."
A final bit of reticence held Matt back, so Eric added, "This moment right here, this is
exactly how we got started, two street rats from a Tier 5 planet. Someone saw potential and
gave us a chance to prove ourselves. There are thousands of low Tier planets in the Empire,
Matt. More great people than you probably think come from places like this."
He and Dena shared a smile, reminiscing on their own beginnings.
That decided it for Matt. "All right. I'll do it. I'll rise all the way to Tier 25 eventually and
get you those rewards." Matt tightened his grip on the training longsword. Who didn't want to
complete The Path? Who didn’t want to be a legend?
Dena laughed. "That's the spirit!"
With that, she lunged at him and started the most intense fight of Matt's life. She moved
faster than in any previous spar. Matt strained his eyes just trying to make out some of her
movements. They were mere flickers that left lines of pain in their wake.
As the five-minute mark passed, Matt realized there wouldn't be rounds between
engagements to catch his breath in or rethink his strategy. This would only end when he gave
up or landed a hit.
Matt's resolve hardened. He hadn't chanced stealing the skill shard because he was
afraid of a risk or a challenge. He could take some risks in a spar. So, h concentrated on
keeping his movement defensive, disregarding Dena's strength and speed advantage. Her Tier
5 endurance meant she could just attack at full speed until he collapsed. Even if she kept her
speed to a Tier 3.
Matt sent out more attacks, probing his opponent. His was the longer blade, so offense
was his best defense. When she closed in, her more maneuverable daggers had the advantage.
One could tie down his blade while she got in vicious stabs with the other.
Switching his attacking pattern bought Matt some breathing room. With a moment to
think, he concluded Dena’s lack of skill with her staff did not extend to her daggers. The woman
had mentioned she preferred them as her main weapon, and it showed. She was intimately
familiar with her range and light on her feet, which let her evade every blow as if she saw the
future.
Matt stayed patient. He wasn't trying to kill her just land a single blow. Not an easy feat
on someone with much higher physical abilities than a Tier 1 like him. While each Tier didn't
quite double the power, if two people had the same allocation ratios, the difference was
significant.
Higher Tier meant more essence. More essence meant more power.
The golden rule stated total essence distributed equaled increased power. It was the
reason the higher Tiers required more than ten times the essence to rank up and was also why
the higher Tiers had such massive jumps in power between them.
After another few exchanges, the fight stalled. Dena was content with sending probing
attacks or blocking with her daggers or forearm guards.
The more the fight dragged on, the more the fatigue and desperation set in. His energy
was flagging. Running himself dry would spell the end of this chance. There was only once
choice left, he had to go for broke, attacking with everything he had left at once.
Disregarding defense and leaning to a fully offensive strategy, he no longer conserved
his energy and, instead, bet everything on the exchange. He tried to push her into a particular
trap without being too obvious. The flurry of blows kept Dena on the defensive until Matt used
the rebound of her blocking a side slash to step left and forward, closing in on her. He brought
the longsword around with every last drop of power and speed he could muster.
Matt was 5'10, and Dena was only 5'8, maybe 5'9. It meant Matt held the slightest reach
advantage even before their weapon choice came into play. Dena was more experienced and
faster than him, though. As the blade swept in, she danced back from the blow.
His desperate plan failed. Matt wanted to curse but couldn't waste the breath. As he
surged forward to follow up, Dena just kept retreating, holding her hands up.
Matt halted, fear gripping him.
I didn't hit her. Is she just calling it now because I wasn't good enough?
The next words he heard shocked him, "Well done, Matt! I knew you had it in you."
Off to the side, Eric even clapped a few times.
Matt was flabbergasted. He missed. They claimed it wasn't charity, but what was this
obvious faking of a hit? At least they could have made it more convincing. 
"I didn't hit you, though?" Matt protested. Somehow, charity from these two felt worse
than failure.
 Dena grinned broadly and raised her right arm to reveal her side. "Think again! You
grazed me right here."
Matt saw nothing, but Eric nodded right along.
"You don't have to sponsor me. I couldn't make my part of the deal, so you don't have to
feel—"
"Matt! You did hit me. Look!"
Dena reached down and pulled the workout shirt over her head. Matt couldn't help but
stare, she was only wearing a sports bra now, and she had a light sheen of perspiration on her
athletic body that reflected the light. She had freckles that ran down her upper chest down to her
—
Matt jerked his eyes up to meet their combined smirk and felt his face flush hot. 
Pale skin and a trail of freckles tempted him to look down again but, with an effort of
willpower he didn't know he had, Matt kept his eyes on hers.
Dena had righted the shirt and showed him a small mark under the right armpit. Matt had
to squint, but he could see it, if barely. A small diagonal line was only distinguishable from the
fabric’s weave because it didn’t run parallel.
He had done it! 
That was truly the smallest of strikes, but it was all he needed. Relief washed through
him. As the stress of failing left him, his body wanted to collapse, being hopped up on
adrenaline no longer enough to keep him standing.
Matt turned to Eric and Dena's smiling faces. Eric tossed Matt a small bag he definitely
hadn’t been holding before. "Well, congratulations, Matt. You did what most can’t even dream
of. Striking a person two Tiers up is one hell of an accomplishment."
"I don't know how I can repay you both."
Dena waved him off before he could continue. "Advancing will be more than enough
thanks. Let alone the rewards we’ll get the more you progress. But if you really want to pay us
back, pay it forward once you get the chance. When you get to Tier 5, you can recommend
someone for the same program. Don't waste it, but don't forget about it either."
"In the bag, I left you more instructions and a train ticket." 
As Eric spoke, Matt managed to turn to him. Keeping his eyes off the woman standing
not two feet away was a challenge.
Eric didn’t seem to mind. "Though, you might want to get moving. The train leaves at
eight, and the station isn't exactly next door. Unless you’d like to spend more time here,
maybe?"
That statement cut through the cacophony of thoughts in Matt's head.
Not next door… That's an understatement. If I leave now, I'll still have to run at least part
way to make it.
Matt gaped at them, unable to express his gratitude. 
 Dena took pity on him. "Best get a move on. I know I look good, but I don’t think I look so
good you’d pass up an opportunity to bail on this dump."
Matt flushed hot again, but her teasing also spurred him into action. Calling his thanks
over his shoulder, Matt snatched up the pad from next to the wall and ran to his room. Then he
had to find Benny to tell him he was done.
Freedom awaited.
***
Matt dashed down the road. A train couldn’t be seen in the station, and he was terrified it
had arrived and left early. Checking the pad clenched in his hands, the time only said 7:32AM,
but he couldn’t shake the fear he’d be stranded here.
He pulled up to the station with a torrent of sweat rolling down his back. Bouncing on his
back was the pack holding his clothes and the few other possessions he had to his name.
He joined the small line at the teller's booth. As he waited, Matt opened the small bag
Eric had tossed to him. Inside was an envelope and a few other odds and ends. At the bottom,
hidden by the envelope, he found the train ticket.
After retrieving the precious paper, Matt carefully closed the pouch and waited his turn.
He'd explore the other contents of the bag later when he could sit and dedicate his full attention
to it.
When the person in front of him walked to the waiting area, Matt moved forward and
handed the ticket over to the man behind the glass. The clerk scanned it and reviewed their
screen. "One cabin to Durham. No transfers. Do you have any luggage you want to check into
storage?" The man’s eyes never even peeked away from his screen while he recited the
question.
"No, thank you."
"Well, in that case, you have a four-day trip ahead of you. Two meals will be provided
per day. You can choose what meals you take. You'll have to go to the food cars near the front
and rear of the train. Any questions?" The man mechanically pushed a new slip of paper out of
the small window, his attention still not wandering from the screen.
Matt took the slip, said he didn't, and thanked the man before walking to the seating
area.
With no train in sight, he stowed the boarding pass in the pocket with his pad and found
a restroom to freshen up. His earlier sparring session and run to the station had left him in a
grimy state.
Keeping an ear out for his train’s announcement, Matt hurried through his ablutions, still
anxious he'd miss the train. After only another ten minutes of tense waiting, the train finally
pulled into the station. Only a few people departed, and then the boarding call started.
Handing his pass to the man at the door, he was directed to car twelve, room two.
Matching the room number to the one on his boarding pass, Matt was prompted to scan his
pass and pair the door key with his pad or AI to secure the room from unwanted guests.
The room was small but more than enough for his uses. Matt dropped his pack of
clothes to the side and carefully poured the contents of Eric’s pouch onto the bed.
 Starting with the envelope, Matt opened it and read the letter inside.
 
Matt,
We are so happy you earned this opportunity. You are hard-working
and dedicated to improving yourself, traits rarer than you probably think.
We will be leaving as soon as you are on your way, so don't bother trying to
find us. It's harsh, but if you have too much contact with your sponsor, it
spoils a lot of sponsees. You are meant to find your own path. It's called
The Path of Ascension because it's only wide enough for one, don't be
afraid to make unconventional choices. Learn from others but don't treat
anyone's advice like it's the only truth, even this advice.
You are on a good start, believe it or not. You may think you’re
behind because you spent a year working at Benny's, but most places don't
perform the Awakening ceremony until late fourteen at the earliest,
anyway, and don't let people delve until fifteen. Emotional maturity will
keep you alive in a rift as much as strength once you arrive at the PlayPen.
 
Matt was struck dumb. Arrive at the PlayPen? It was true, then. A part of him had
thought they'd be covering the ten thousand credits to get a delve slot, not getting him into the
PlayPen, no matter what they had said. He still remembered how Miles talked about the
PlayPen like a desire that couldn't be fulfilled.
He continued reading.
 
Once you arrive at the PlayPen, take the intro course and what they
recommend there. It's been quite a while since we were under Tier 3, so
it's a little fuzzy, but only the best are chosen to staff a PlayPen. It's a
prestigious position, even on a low Tier world like Lilly. You can trust their
advice, though you should think critically about everything you hear.
I do recall you will get a slot in the rift once every three days. Be
careful. They will have true healers on staff, but it's expensive. Though
you shouldn't have a problem with getting injured with your skills if you
are careful and patient. We gave you permission to immediately start
delving because, with your combat ability, it shouldn't be hard for you to
solo a Tier 1 rift. If you don't get cocky.
Well, and that skill shard you swiped should help a lot.
 
The letter slipped from his hands. The earlier shock at going to the PlayPen was
replaced with dread.
They saw that and still gave me this?
Matt gulped and, with far more nerves than before, continued.
  
Well, and that skill shard you swiped should help a lot. It's a good
skill to pair with your Talent and, no, sponsors can’t see a sponsee's Tier 1
Talent until they are accepted, but we can feel your mana pool when you
use items. Eric and I both feel that, even if you don't get a paired Tier 3
Talent, you can strive to get the Tier 25 Talent, even with this handicap.
Though we find it unlikely. AND DON'T DIRECT CULTIVATE PHYSICAL
UNTIL TIER 3!!!!!
Back to the shard, don't feel bad. You took an opportunity placed in
front of you and made it out successfully. Being willing to take a risk is
important, and knowing your limits is crucial. You took both into account
and won. Besides, if those idiots didn't make a scene and throw a fucking
expensive skill shard to start a brawl, he wouldn't have lost it.
That's on him, and if you hadn't tried to get the old man out of
harm's way at the cost of your own safety, you wouldn't have been in the
position to profit. Karma was working fast yesterday.
 
The handwriting style changed and became sloppier.
 
Eric here. That was a slick palming. The only reason I noticed (Dena
completely missed it!!!) was because we were watching to make sure no one
killed you by accident. But it was a good plan, and well-executed!! Just had
to say that. Good luck and visit the—
 
Whatever the last word Eric had tried to write had been scratched out to the point it was
illegible. And the handwriting went back to the loopy style of Dena.
 
Don't go to places like that. He's just trying to live vicariously
through you because he knows if he went to one, I'd go to one in revenge,
and neither one of us wants that.
 
Matt had to pause.
What the hell are they talking about?
 
Anyway, good luck. You got this.
Best Wishes,
Dena and Eric Thorne.
PS: I forgot because of Eric stealing the pen. Look up 'the curve.' It
will be informative. While you're on the train, just focus on absorbing the
 skill shard. When you get to the PlayPen, buy a newer pad. The ones they
sell there are Empire standard, and that means they're twenty-plus years
ahead of the best this planet otherwise has.
PPS: Also, the card has a 20k limit, so buy a good weapon and don't
be afraid to go into a bit of debt in the beginning. The PlayPen should
have a budgeting class. Take it.
PPPS: PSs are fun.
 
Matt was surprised to hear they’d been watching out for him in the brawl. He hadn't been
looking for them but, then again, he hadn't seen them either. It felt good, like a warmth in his
chest he hadn't known since before the rift break.
Playing with the piece of plastic, he inspected the credit card. He'd never even thought of
owning one before. No bank would risk loaning to someone under Tier 3 or without a backer.
Which I guess I have now. 
Now, he had a credit limit twice what it would have cost to buy a slot in Glesie. It felt
unreal.
Matt inspected the last few things in the bag. One was the mana control ball Eric had
been practicing with for so long. It was a nice gesture, and a good reminder that even if he
couldn't allocate into his mana cultivation, he could still work on control.
Once he got more mana, that was.
For the first time, that didn’t sound like an outlandish dream. Two Tier 5s thought the
problem would fix itself with his Tier 3 Talent, and he trusted their expertise more than his own.
The last gift was a pair of gloves, like the ones he saw Dena use but in his size. 
Are they special?
Matt tried them on and couldn't see anything different about them. Knowing those two,
though, he trusted they were useful. Even if just as normal gloves, he'd cherish everything they
gave him. Because of them, he had a chance at true freedom. Even before the sponsorship and
as strangers, they’d treated him better than most people in his life.
Matt repacked the items and went to retrieve his skill shard from his pad but came to the
realization he didn't have anything flat and hard enough to pry the back off. After scouring the
room and finding nothing, he briefly debated smashing the pad to get the back off to get his skill
shard out.
Opting instead to be reasonable, he trekked over to the dining car and, finding it empty,
grabbed a pre-packaged meal and utensils. After eating, he dumped his tray into the disposable
rack while pocketing the unused knife.
Back in his cabin, the pilfered knife was used to get the pad open and retrieve the skill
shard.
With it in hand, Matt reassembled the pad before realizing he didn't know exactly how to
absorb the skill. No one ever discussed the details. People acted like it was self-explanatory, but
Matt was clueless about where to begin. Fear seeped in that he would somehow ruin the skill by
experimenting.
Matt opened the PlanetNet and quickly found a guide. It wasn't free, but only cost one
hundred credits. He had six thousand credits saved from Benny's and a credit limit of twenty
thousand. Still, he paused.
Why am I worried about such a small price?
With warring instincts, Matt inputted his account information and waited as the purchase
was verified.
As Matt read the guide, he was glad he purchased it. The actual process of absorbing a
skill was easy, just send a strand of essence to the skill, and it would flow into your spirit.
According to the guide, there were three ways to absorb a skill. Or rather, three different
functional degrees of distance you could pull the skill into your spirit, which was the determining
factor on how long a skill took to absorb.
The first example was called core skills according to the guide. The number of such
skills your spirit could hold depended on Tier but could also be influenced by Talents. However,
on average, Tier 1 people could hold two skills in the core spirit.
The limited number was made up for by a notable boost. Skills in the core generally saw
around a 30% boost to some combination of their efficiency, power, and casting speed. Being in
the core of the spirit also allowed the skill to be modified by the user far more easily. It was
recommended that build defining skills or lifesaving skills went to the core spirit.
There was a trade-off, though. Even at Tier 5, most people only had three slots, and
then at Tier 10, four. Every tenth Tier after that allowed for one more as the spirit grew with
cultivation.
Next was the inner spirit. This was where the average skill was presumed to be added
to. At Tier 1, six slots were the norm, with two more being added with each new Tier. The inner
spirit was the place general combat skills were recommended. Space was plentiful enough that
most wouldn't have enough skills to even fill it as they advanced. It was the average, the
baseline everything else was judged on.
The outer spirit was last. By far the largest area, it had room for twenty skills at Tier 1
and expanded enough for five more each Tier. The skills located here were slower and weaker
by about half, with the mana cost also going up 50% on average. Non-combat spells like
[Purify], [Cleanse], or [Create Water] were often put there. Skills that, while useful, were not
time-critical to cast.
According to the guide, while skills could be shifted around the spirit after initial
absorption, it took months of deliberate meditation.
Finally, and most importantly, was how long it took to get the skill into each of the spirit’s
areas. About a day was required per area it moved through, starting with the outer spirit. That
rate would be slightly sped up by Tier. So long as the shard constantly had essence circulating,
the skill was considered to be in the integration phase and would slowly move closer to the core
region. 
The guide explained he should feel the difference as the skill moved along, and its
progress through his spirit would give him a good example of the core, inner, and outer regions
of the spirit.
 Learning all this, Matt was relieved he bought the guide. He'd never heard anything
about this and was sure he'd have ended up with his single very synergistic skill languishing in
the outer spirit without the guide, losing out on a ton of power.
The guide recommended skills being absorbed should be secured to the body with
specially made holders so they couldn't be stolen or dropped. 
Matt taped it to his chest.
Once the shard was secured, he directed a strand of essence to the shard and felt the
process take over. The skill shard seemed to gently pull his essence while feeding back the
essence after circulating through the shard, completely automated. He just had to be mindful of
his chest until the skill moved to the core of his spirit.
***
The next day, Matt felt a jolt in his spirit. He instantly knew that if he directed mana
through the skill structure still moving in his spirit, he'd activate the skill [Cracked Phantom
Armor]. With a day-long grin, he anticipated the arrival at Durham, and then the PlayPen in two
more.
 
 Chapter 4
 
Durham and the PlayPen were still a day out when Matt felt the final jolt in his spirit that
signaled [Cracked Phantom Armor] reached his core spirit.
The skill’s structure stuck out to him in his spirit. Like an infinitely complex 3D blueprint, it
sat waiting to be used, begging Matt to try out the skill.
His first skill.
Knowing he couldn’t test the skill was eating him alive. Using a skill outside of
designated areas was automatically considered a hostile action. No one wanted a stray
[Fireball] to burn down a building or injure someone, so cities enforced a blanket ban on the
activation of all combat related skills. Sadly, that included even defensive skills. Matt had
checked, twice.
Resigned to having to wait until he reached the PlayPen and their training grounds to
see what his skill could do, Matt tried to relax. But after the last year and a half at Benny's, he
could scarcely remember what free time was. Without another outlet for his attention, he just
pondered his new skill.
The skill would be better than most, Matt was confident. One mana a second into a
channeling skill was far more than a normal mage could reasonably maintain. They would eat
heavily into their mana reserves pulling something like that off, even for a short time. 
The situation just grated. Everything he dreamed of was within his grasp, but he was still
stuck waiting.
Trying to spend his time productively, Matt searched the PlanetNet for anything he could
learn about the PlayPen. There wasn’t much information readily available. 
The only guide cost two thousand credits, and when reading the reviews, he found one
stating the author deleted any negative ones. Considering Matt couldn’t find any negative
reviews, he deemed it fishy enough that he wouldn’t risk that many credits.
What public information Matt found was sparse and only general to all PlayPens, not the
particular one in Durham. PlayPens were manmade islands that used the five-mile safe zone
between the essence convergence of land and water to create an island that had Tier 1, 2, and
3 rifts.
They would then dump mana to force rifts to form. If the rift had an acceptable monster
type and didn’t have any peculiarities, they kept it. Otherwise, teams would delve the rift until it
lost enough essence and mana it dissipated, or they drained the area, but that was said to be
much harder.
A PlayPen was incredibly expensive to build, and then just as costly to maintain on a low
Tiered world. The rifts had to be supplied with mana stones because the ambient mana and
essence that fueled the rifts wasn’t enough to keep up with the rate of delving PlayPens
needed. Some speculation Matt saw said it cost more than a Tier 6 mana stone per day to run a
PlayPen.
That explained why others didn’t copy the method. A Tier 1 mana stone alone was worth
one hundred credits. From there, each higher Tier increased in value by tenfold until Tier 5,
when the value jumped by fifty-fold each time. That put the speculated cost of maintaining the
PlayPen’s rifts at a quarter billion credits per day. 
An unfathomable number to Matt, who’d made just four hundred credits a month.
That number completely disregarded the cost of the facilities the Empire staffed, said to
be state of the art, with top-of-the-line technology. In total, it might cost double that to run.
The sheer amount of money was unbelievable. It made Matt even more grateful Dena
and Eric got him in.
***
When Durham came into view, Matt was ready and waiting at one of the doors of the
train, bag over his shoulder. Stepping off the train, a rush of people trying to board confronted
him, fighting against the tide of people trying to leave.
Once through the crush of bodies, he saw a tall man holding up two signs. One read
‘Darius Blackwell,’ and the other had his name, ‘Matthew Alexander,’
Matt walked over to the man. As he approached, the stranger glanced at him, and then
down to a pad. After looking back and forth, he said, “You’re here. Good. Try to find the other
guy.” He turned his pad around and revealed two pictures, one of Matt and another of a stern-
faced youth with black hair and silver eyes.
The other young man had almost the exact opposite features of Matt. Where the man
was dark, Matt was light. His own hair was sandy blond, and he had green eyes that trended to
hazel at the edges.
A minute later, they found Darius had waited for the rush to end, and he walked out as
the doors were closing. Bag rolling behind him, he quickly spotted his name on the sign being
held up.
“Okay, good. You two are the only new entries to the PlayPen this week. The name’s
Griff, and I’m the second in command here. Tier 15. I’ve been an active delver for the last ninety
years. A bit slower than The Path but better slow than dead.” He paused for a moment. “I’m
here as a break and to raise my kid. He just turned one. You gotta see him. He just took his first
steps. I have to show you. It was so cute.”
Griff then showed the two newcomers far more pictures of a small child than Matt felt
necessary. He wished the man would get back to talking about the PlayPen. Any nerves about
being near the strongest person Matt ever met quickly vanished as Griff swiped through pictures
of his kid on his pad and accompanied each with a story of his kid’s antics.
After various compliments from the boys, Griff returned to the subject of the PlayPen.
“Sorry about that. Me and the wife have been waiting forever to hit Tier 15 and have a kid.
Having a kid before Tier 15 is a great way to kill your momentum as a delver. After Tier 15, you
have all the time in the world. Immortality, it’s a beautiful feeling not having to worry about old
age.”
Matt was envious. Immortality and Tier 15 seemed so far away, it hurt. And Griff had
done it in around one hundred years. That answered why he only looked to be in his mid-
twenties. Matt wasn’t sure how that was ’a little slow.’ It seemed fast to him. Matt craved that,
and a glance at Darius showed the same look on his face.
 “So, we have a few things to do before we board the boat to the island. It shouldn’t take
long.”
The few things Griff needed to do was shop for baby things. Massive amounts of clothes
and toys were purchased. Matt assumed the Tier 15 was loaded because, if his running
calculations were close, Griff spent a one hundred thousand credits in the two hours.
It made Matt look up the mana stone to credit the chart up to Tier 15.
 
Tier of Mana Stone Credits per Mana Stone Mana Stones to Next Tier
Tier 1 100 10
Tier 2 1,000 10
Tier 3 10,000 10
Tier 4 100,000 10
Tier 5 5,000,000 50
Tier 6 250,000,000 50
Tier 7 12,500,000,000 50
Tier 8 625,000,000,000 50
Tier 9 31,250,000,000,000 50
Tier 10 3,125,000,000,000,000 100
Tier 11 312,500,000,000,000,000 100
Tier 12 31,250,000,000,000,000,000 100
Tier 13 3,125,000,000,000,000,000,000 100
Tier 14 312,500,000,000,000,000,000,000 100
Tier 15 31,250,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 100
 
It boggled his mind that a single mana stone could be worth so much. The little
information he found on the CityNet said after Tier 5, most people didn’t use credits as a
currency, but the mana stones themselves.
He could only assume all spending was like throwing away spare change to the Tier 15.
All the purchases were absorbed into the ring on his finger. When Darius asked, Griff
said, “It’s a spatial ring. Can’t use one till your Tier 15 because of the strain it puts on your spirit.
But, damn, are they useful. Don’t worry too much, you'll get there one day.”
Matt felt that by the end of the shopping trip, he and Darius were far closer from the
constantly shared looks of envy and awe at Griff’s spending.
Finally, after what felt like hours, they boarded a small, sleek boat.
 Once the boat was underway, Griff talked more about the PlayPen. “So, you’re both
sponsored and on The Path, which has some benefits and limitations.”
At their questioning looks, Griff continued, “You get better discounts and top priority at all
facilities on the island and preferential treatment in most larger establishments throughout the
Empire. The limitations are all about ‘The Curve’ and teaming up with others outside of The
Path.” Matt could hear the capital letters in the words.
Darius asked the question Matt was thinking, “My sponsor mentioned that, but I wasn’t
able to find anything on the PlanetNet about it.” Neither had Matt, so he wanted this answered
as well.
“Yeah, you’ll need access to the EmpireNet to have access to information like that. Only
sponsees are on The Path here, so no need to make everyone else feel inferior. The curve is
how The Path of Ascension is graded. It’s an Empire-wide race to the top. 80% of people will fall
behind after Tier 5, and the rest are true powerhouses. Future pillars of the Empire.”
Griff looked around. “It’s hard. You have to keep ascending Tiers fast, really fast. Tier 3
by seventeen is easy, but Tier 5 by twenty-one is a bit harder, Tier 10 by thirty-nine is absurd for
most people.”
Matt swallowed. That was absurd, by what he knew of this planet, at least.
“It’s easier to show you.” With that, Griff tapped at his pad, sending Matt a message.
The
Path Reached By
Tier 1 15
Tier 2 16
Tier 3 17
Tier 4 19
Tier 5 21
Tier 6 24
Tier 7 27
Tier 8 31
Tier 9 35
Tier 10 39
Tier 11 44
Tier 12 49
Tier 13 55
Tier 14 62
Tier 15 69
 Tier 16 78
Tier 17 88
Tier 18 98
Tier 19 110
Tier 20 123
Tier 21 138
Tier 22 153
Tier 23 168
Tier 24 183
Tier 25 200
 
Matt had no frame of reference for the numbers. It seemed impossible to reach Tier 25
before turning two hundred. He hadn’t even heard of people reaching Tier 3 before their mid-
twenties.
“And, no, you can’t just have a guild or noble family power level you or give you
resources. That’s a part of the restrictions. While you can join a guild, you can’t take anything
from them. Can’t even use guild-owned rifts without paying the public price yourself. It's meant
to be a solo climb, and most just can’t keep up, but those who do are stronger than anyone else
at their Tier.”
Griff looked out over the sea for a long moment before he cleared his throat and
continued, “If you stay on The Path, the rewards are immense. There are tournaments for only
those still competing, and the prizes are beyond your imagination. Speaking of prizes, if you are
still on The Path, your sponsor’s rewards are equally absurd.
“The finish line is Tier 25 by age two hundred. By the end, you have to ascend a Tier
every fifteen years.” Griff shook his head. “My whole party fell off at Tier 10.
“It’s easier for solo delvers in the lower Tiers as you don’t have to split the essence,
which helps a lot. Even then, my party was delving every two days. Everyone who makes it past
Tier 10 is delving rifts at least one Tier higher than themselves. It’s dangerous and gets many a
—” Griff made finger quotes, “‘genius’ killed because it’s hard.
“I won’t tell you not to push to stay ahead of the curve. I even encourage it! At least until
Tier 5. But, after that, take a good hard look at yourself and ask if it’s worth it.”
Griff mentioned rewards better than he could imagine. His imagination was pretty big, so
he had to ask, “What’s the reward for getting to Tier 25 while on The Path?”
Griff sighed as he answered, “The last person to hit Tier 25 was Duke Waters. He wasn’t
a duke at that point, but he was given the title and a Tier 35 world as a personal fiefdom, and
management over nearly sixty other worlds. All under his command. His sponsors were
rumored to have gotten a Tier 30 world as well, but that’s not confirmed as they never went
public. He was also given access to the Emperor’s own vault and was kitted out with the best
skills and equipment.”
 Matt took it back. His imagination wasn’t nearly big enough. He had seen movies about
Duke Waters. The man was a living legend. 
Darius asked a question Matt hadn't considered, “Isn’t a Tier 25 far too weak to rule a
Tier 35 world? Wouldn’t those under his rule be discontent being ruled by someone so much
weaker than them?”
That made Griff laugh. “Yeah, a few thought the same thing and sent their sons to try
and duel him. They thought they could get him out of the way by sending from Tier 27s up to
low Tier 30s to accidentally kill him. Those who went are called the lost generation now. He
killed every single one who stepped up. When their parents sought revenge, the Emperor
himself stepped in and told them to fuck off.
“Remember, he’s the first person to ride The Path to the end in the last few thousand
years or so. Duke Waters was soloing Tier 28 rifts to make it to Tier 25 before age two hundred.
That’s not remotely easy. Any man or woman crazy enough to do it and survive isn’t someone
to mess with.”
The older man slapped his thigh. “All right, enough of that. We’re almost at the PlayPen.
When you get there, I’ll take you to the administration building to get you both your Empire IDs,
and then medical. Gotta get your shots and birth control set up.
“After that, you both will be assigned delve slots. Since you’re newcomers and it’s the
off-season, you shouldn’t get night slots. We usually get waves of newcomers right after the
school year ends, so it shouldn’t be crowded for you right now. You’ve both been cleared by
your sponsors to delve immediately, but I would talk to the Tier 2s and Tier 3s for advice before
going into the rift. Killing your first monster can be harder than most think. There are even
simulations you can buy. I suggest it but can't force you. Just remember, there are no safety
nets in the rifts.”
The Tier 15 sighed out, “Any questions?”
Matt and Darius had none and, soon, they arrived at the island.
As Griff dropped them off at the administration building, he left them with one last piece
of advice, “Don’t delve more than once every three days. You can request and get more slots
but don’t. Take one day for the delve, one day for training, and one day for leisure and classes.
That’s the best schedule to go with at these Tiers to avoid burnout.”
As he left, he gave them a hard look and finished, “Don’t die, kids.”
The admin process was easy enough. At one point, the clerk had them fill out
identification cards. When giving the forms to Matt and Darius, he stressed that, if anything was
wrong, it would be years of work to change, and this information took precedence over any
other.
Matt noticed Darius inputting a different last name. He didn’t feel it was necessary but
assumed there was a story behind Darius’ actions. Not that he would press the other teen on it.
Arriving off-cycle, Matt even got a delve slot for the next morning. After being assigned a
room, he quickly went to a general store he’d seen on the way to the admin building. The place
was massive and seemed to sell anything Matt could think of.
With only minimal searching, he found the pads and discovered they only sold a single
model. Looking at the specs, it truly was better than anything on the open market. The pad was
faster and more efficient than even the latest model on the local markets, let alone his current
refurbished pad.
It not only had a battery that held twenty mana, which was ten times more than his
current pad, but it could also slowly absorb ambient mana or be directly charged from the user.
That took time for it to un-aspect the mana to ambient mana but was still amazing in longer
delves.
The pad also came with permanent access to the EmpireNet so long as he was on The
Path. The screen was even made from artificial mana stones, so it was scratch resistant to
anything weaker than diamonds. It advertised so much storage he didn’t think he could ever fill
it.
All these features came with a corresponding cost, a whopping fifteen thousand credits.
As Matt was about to walk away, an employee approached him. “Are you a sponsee and
on The Path? If you are, you get 50% off all indicated prices throughout the store, and the first
pad you purchase is 80% off.”
That information put Matt in a fantastic mood as he realized how much father his money
would go. He felt Griff had undersold the benefits of staying under the curve and on The Path.
With that good news, Matt’s shopping spree began in earnest.
New pad, into the cart.
New boots, cart.
New well-fitting clothes both for delving and leisure, cart.
A new close fit backpack he could fit an emergency kit and water bladder in, cart.
Matt wandered the aisles and filled his cart with anything he thought would be useful.
As he was shopping, he found out what the gloves Dena had given him were. They were
mage gloves. They let mana seamlessly pass through but blocked the physical manifestations
from harming a mage, no burns from casting to’ many [Fireball]’s. According to the packaging,
they were a good unarmored alternative for melee fighters because of the same resistances.
He couldn’t even find the same gloves she had given him, so he wasn’t sure how much
they cost. But he was, by examining the gloves, able to guess they were a higher quality than
what they sold here.
The employee only suggested wearing them until Tier 3 because, after that, custom
orders would be a better option. As at that point, enchantments would be available. It seemed
like good advice, and Matt filled it away for later.
His final purchase was an essence accumulator. It was a thin bracelet that let parties
share essence. It was what allowed mages and other backline fighters to collect essence
without having to get in close and finish off monsters.
Matt was skeptical he needed it as a solo delver, but the clerk pointed out it improved
essence accumulation, even if by only a few percent. It would still add up.
Pushing his overflowing cart to the checkout, Matt happily paid the five thousand credit
cost and stopped by his room to drop off his goods. He then set up his new pad.
 Once that was taken care of, Matt inputted his schedule. Before he could get too
engrossed in playing with new features, he forced himself to change into his new combat
clothes and head to the weapon shop.
When Matt entered, he noticed it wasn’t a store like he expected but a workshop with at
least a dozen active forges. There were twice that number as well, all sitting cold and empty.
A resting blacksmith near the entrance saw his obvious confusion and waved him down.
“You new here?”
At Matt’s nod, he continued, “That means you’re new on The Path. Makes it easy, then.”
He waved at the surroundings. “The Path isn’t only for combatants. There is a separate
route for crafters. It’s just as hard, but it’s about what you can make not how fast you climb the
Tiers. Though that’s still a part of it. That’s irrelevant, though. What you need to know is how this
works. There are around forty blacksmiths on the island right now. No clue on the number of
alchemists or other professions, but the same basics that apply to all crafters in all professions.”
He pointed at a screen in front of his area. “Any crafter has to have a sign with five
pieces of information: their profession, their specialty, their Tier, the Tier of equipment they sell,
and if they’re on The Path currently.
“Blacksmiths usually display a shield with the weapon or type of armor they specialize in.
That's two of the requirements right there. The border of the emblem will be gold if they’re on
The Path, silver if they were on The Path and fell off, and bronze if they never were on The
Path. Then, they will usually spell out what Tiers they work with somewhere.”
The sign was a gold shield with crossed daggers inside with a stylized ‘3’ next to the
arrangement. Underneath it was ‘Smith’s Ironworks and Enchantment,’
The smith is named Smith? What are the odds he changed his name?
Smith the smith smiled. “I’ve still got unenchanted works if you’re in the market for a
shortsword or daggers. Until you’re Tier 3, I can’t sell you any enchanted pieces.” He gestured
to a rack of beautifully made daggers.
“I will want a shield and some kind of single-handed weapon eventually, but I’m a
longsword user first and foremost.”
“Welp. I don’t have those. If you want that, you should be fine in the rifts here with a
longsword. No cramped spaces. Really, though, a dagger is always good to keep as a backup. I
even have a leg sheath for you.”
He pointed at a blade next to him on a shelf. “Here, for only three thousand.”
Matt was tempted but didn’t want to have to skimp on a longsword because he bought a
backup weapon first. Matt only had fifteen thousand credits left on his card, and if the price of
daggers indicated the price of a longsword, he would need all of it.
He was leery of dipping into what he had saved from Benny’s. If he needed healing, he’d
be screwed if he had neither credit available nor liquid funds.
When Matt said as much, Smith pointed him in the direction of the smiths who
specialized in longswords. Thanking the man, he promised to come back for a dagger if he had
the credits. He was proficient with the smaller blade, so it wouldn't be a wasted purchase, and a
close range back up weapon wouldn’t hurt to have.
 Matt came to Tun’s area next. The sign was a shield with gold trim, along with a
longsword inside and an ornate three next to it.
When he approached the smithy, Tun was hammering away, so Matt browsed the
displayed longswords. Finding the section with the length he preferred, he proceeded to test
each one for weight and balance, carefully performing a few swings in the open area.
After a few minutes of debating between two similar swords, Matt was still undecided,
and his preference was wavering between them. Both were good swords that fit him well
enough. One was a tad shorter than he wanted but had superb balance. The other was slightly
blade heavy and a little more expensive, but it was his preferred length.
As he pondered, the smith paused his work and approached with a hand held out. “Tun.
I see you’ve got good taste. They’re both good weapons, but that one was a commission where
the other party never picked it up.” The smith pointed at the blade heavy weapon.
Matt shook his hand and replied in kind, “Matt. And I was wondering why it’s blade
heavy. Clearly it’s not an accident.”
Buttering up the person he was about to make a massive purchase from felt like a smart
move, so he tried to flatter the man. He had enough practice with having to serve all the
customers who worked at Benny's.
“Yeah, the guy wanted to have a heavier blade. Not a huge difference, but enough that
it’s been sitting there a while. Not many styles need a heavy blade that’s not a bastard sword or
greatsword.”
“If you like it, I’ll cut a thousand off the price. Even throw in a sheath for it.”
The discount brought it down to the same price as the other weapon. Matt liked this
blade slightly more than the shorter one, so that made the choice easier. He used blades
balanced worse at Benny’s, so it wouldn’t be hard to change his style. The sheath was nice, but
he would only use it while traveling as he would enter the rift without his weapon at the ready.
Still seeing Matt hesitating, Tun said, “Why don’t you take it and test it out a bit. There’s
a small sparring room over here.”
Small was an understatement. It was barely a broom closet, but it served its purpose.
There was only one training aid that pivoted to focus on Matt as soon as he entered the room.
Exchanging a few blows, Matt decided he’d take the sword. It was a blade made for
attack, and it sacrificed defensive speed to do so. But his singular skill was defensive, so the
combination should mesh well. He still needed to test exactly how much damage the skill could
block, and how [Cracked Phantom Armor] performed in simulated combat. But he was confident
enough in his skills to take the risk of the heavy blade.
After completing his purchase for ten thousand credits, he stopped by Smith’s and
bought a cheaper dagger for a thousand. It was a simple curved dagger, so if his primary got
stuck in a corpse, it would be easy to draw in a pinch.
Matt quickly scanned the provided map on his pad and found the training yard. It was a
little after 4:30PM, and he wanted to get a few hours of sparring and testing his [Cracked
Phantom Armor] before tomorrow. Griff had suggested he wait, but the desire to finally progress
after spinning his wheels at Benny’s was too great.
 As he arrived, he was almost run over by a group of six who came out the door right as
Matt was opening it.
“Sorry, dude, bad timing on our part.” The man in front was Matt’s height and a year or
so older, if he had to guess. “Hey, are you new? Don’t recognize the face. Name’s Mathew.”
He ended his introduction by sticking out his hand.
“Mathew? Well, it's always nice to meet a fellow Matt.” The Matts shook hands, and each
laughed.
“Well, now that I know you have good taste in names, we have to be best friends! So,
new best friend, I’m assuming this is your first time at the training center?”
At Matt’s nod, the older teen continued, “Well, let’s give you the tour before we leave. By
the Emperor’s balls, we could have used a guide when we started.” He then shook his hand
back and forth. “Though we came on season, so it was slammed with Pathers and non-Pathers
alike.”
A tall blonde behind the older Mathew poked his side. “You’re supposed to introduce the
rest of your party, dumbass. I’m Melinda, that’s Kyle, Sam, Vinnie, and Tara. Since Mathew is
rude, I’ll do the introductions. We are a sponsored team, high Tier 2.”
After her introduction and handshake, Mathew looked sheepish and murmured, “I got
excited at the name thing,” before wilting further under Melinda’s glare.
Melinda turned back to Matt. “You have new gear, and that’s good, so you’ll want to
break it in.” She pointed toward a hall lined with rooms. “That hall has the melee training rooms.
So long as you’re on The Path, they are free to use. And those…” she then pointed to another
adjacent hall, “are the skill-testing halls. You can sync up your pad with the room to get training
metrics and analysis of your fighting abilities and actual skills, if you have any. It’s useful, but if
you want real improvement, go to that counter and hire a personal trainer.”
Before Matt could say anything, she proceeded, “If you need a skill analysis, you need to
talk to the front desk. They have testing rooms where you can get hard numbers on any skills
you have.”
Well, that’s good to know.
“And that info is confidential, right?” Matt said before she could pass that comment by.
Mathew answered this time, “Yup. Only your sponsor can see that info, and only if you
give them special permissions they have to request.”
“Thank you. You guys have been super helpful, I would have bumbled my way around
until I figured it out myself, so thanks for the time save.”
That put sheepish looks on the entire party. “Yeah, we were in your shoes and, well, we
try and help where we can.”
Mathew asked, “When is your first delve?”
“Tomorrow at 11:00AM.”
Melinda jealousy said, “Ugh, lucky. Our Tier 1 was at 4:00AM, and I hated waking up
that early. You got lucky coming during the off season.”
 “If you eat around 6:00PM, find us at the dining hall, that’s when we’ll be there, and we’d
be happy to talk to you about the Tier 1 rift. You know, share our experiences.”
Matt was touched. It was far more than strangers had to do after bumping into him and
happening to share a name with one of them.
“I’ll take you up on that offer, though I don’t know if I’ll make it tonight. I need to practice
my skill and break in the new gear.”
The older Mathew looked like someone had kicked his puppy until the other girl of the
party, Matt thought she was introduced as Sam, said, “Then take our notes about the Tier 1 rift.
It’s nothing the official information doesn’t have, but they have good tidbits about what we
figured out that worked for us.”
“There’s an official guide?”
Melinda asked, “Didn’t you get one when you checked in? With the check-in classes?
Who was your guide?”
When Matt said Griff, they all winced. Obviously, they had also been subjected to his
baby craze.
“Well, that explains it. If you see him, run the other way. We got stuck looking at baby
pictures for like three hours once.” The entire group shuddered at Melinda's statement. 
“Yeah well, now that you’re on the PlayPen, there is a local network that has a bunch of
good information. From guides on all the rifts to a ton of general information about Tiers. It’s a
mini-EmpireNet in a sense,” she added with a shrug.
“Well, I’m glad I ran into you guys. Thanks. Who knows when I would have found that on
my own? So, what’s your party’s name?”
That was the wrong thing to ask. Everyone but Melinda immediately started bickering.
With a strained smile, she said, “We’re still deciding.” She pulled out her pad. “Let me send you
our notes, and then I have to settle this.”
He quickly got the file and escaped the conversation turning into a bigger argument with
every new word added.
Matt went to the desk Melinda had pointed out and was led to a testing room by the
receptionist. Once the door was closed, he pulled the room’s testing options upon his pad and
selected ‘Defensive - Full Evaluation,’ The prompt stated the room would stop before he was
injured, and it would give him a detailed breakdown on the skill’s capacities.
Test settings prepared, and with great anticipation, Matt directed mana into the skill
structure resting in his spirit.
At once, his reflection along the wall was wrapped in a mist-like covering. [Cracked
Phantom Armor] was an opaque grayish silver with a tint of the blue of mana. It was vaguely
shaped like full plate armor.
Searching, he couldn’t find any gaps where normal joints would be. The skill covered
everything, including his face, although he could see and breathe as though there was nothing
in the way.
 As Matt moved about and stretched, [Cracked Phantom Armor] didn’t restrict him in any
way, nor did it seem to weigh anything. So far, it was a perfect armor, with all the advantages of
plate’s coverage and none of the added weight or restricted movements.
With building nerves, Matt initiated the testing.
A flat voice called out, “Please, hold still. Defensive skill test engaging.” A bladed arm
extended from the ceiling and proceeded to swipe at Matt’s chest. The strikes started feather-
light and slowly increased in force until Matt was afraid it would pierce [Cracked Phantom
Armor] and carve him up. He could actually feel the skills structure in his spirit destabilize as the
hits grew in strength.
When Matt was about to stop the test, finally, the blade pierced the misty armor and was
retracted before it could touch him.
“Physical slash testing complete. Analyzing results… Results determined. Skill will
protect up to low Tier 2 slashing attacks. Any attacks that break through will have damage
reduced by that flat rate. Please, increase mastery with skill or increase mana expenditure to
increase the effect.”
Matt was elated. One mana a second was a lot of mana for his Tier, and it showed he
would be near-invincible in the Tier 1 rift. Even better, the Tier 2 rift would only be half as
dangerous.
Talk about an amazing advantage.
His shit-eating grin froze as the flat voice announced, “Proceeding with piercing test.”
For the next twenty minutes, Matt was poked, smashed, set on fire, frozen, electrocuted
and, finally, even attacked with void.
The last one terrified him. Void was the most destructive known affinity, cutting through
defenses at its Tier like they didn’t exist. Matt was delighted to learn that [Cracked Phantom
Armor] was slightly resistant to the element. While it wasn’t immune, it outperformed any Tier 1
defenses not specialized in defending against the type. To his shock, the armor was nearly
impervious against attacks composed of pure un-aspected mana, though a strong enough strike
could still destabilize the armor and pierced through with force alone.
[Cracked Phantom Armor] was everything Matt hoped for and more. The original
[Phantom Armor] was a stored skill meant as a life-saving measure, and its conversion into a
channeling skill was just as resistant but permanently active.
Matt was happy he had chosen to take the risk and swipe the skill shard. Even if he
didn’t get more mana at Tier 3, he would still be able to improve his mastery with the skill and,
therefore, its effectiveness. It would be a slow process, but he could put in the hard work. 
Feeling like he was floating on air, Matt went to the training room and sparred with the
training aids until almost 9:00PM. With [Cracked Phantom Armor] active, he was able to trade
blow for blow with the Tier 2 training aid. What would have been deep cuts were turned into light
scratches and bruises instead of broken bones.
He felt like a new man. 
While eating, Matt reviewed the information Melinda had sent him. With that and the
official guide, he felt ready for tomorrow.
 
 Chapter 5
 
Matt stood in front of the rift and just stared at it. It was a jagged tear in the fabric of
reality, at least to his spiritual sense. It was only a slight shimmer to his physical senses, like a
multi-colored heat haze.
Wrongness, hate, and discontent screamed back at him. He wasn't sure if that was what
everyone felt, or if it stemmed from his loathing of the things that ravaged his city and
slaughtered his parents.
The rift was enclosed in a building with three guards, two melee and one ranged fighter
ready for a rift break. It was redundant. This rift was delved so often it needed extra mana
added to it just to keep it from dissipating.
At least the Empire has more sense than the Junipers.
Matt pushed thoughts of the local nobles who ruled Lilly out of his mind. He drew his
sword off his back and braced himself.
His slot of the rift time had just started, and he needed to move before he messed up the
schedule for rift instances. Every fifteen minutes after someone entered the rift, there was a new
instance made, which was completely independent of the others. If he waited too long, he could
mess up the entire rotation for the day. Once the rift cycled, that instance could only be exited
and never entered.
The guards didn't rush him, thankfully. After a deep settling breath, he walked into and
through the rift.
The world bent and blurred for an instant, then snapped back to normal. Except now he
was in the rift, standing near the wall of an underground cavern, exactly where the guide said he
would be.
This was essentially a safe room in the rift. No monster would appear unless led by
someone. Matt took stock of his surroundings, the ceiling was fifteen feet tall at his best guess,
and lit torches lined the wall providing light.
All was as it should be.
Looking behind him, Matt saw the rift portal shimmering. His escape if the monsters
proved too difficult for him to handle. 
Perfect.
Activating [Cracked Phantom Armor] Matt stepped into the adjacent room. The feeling of
mana coursing through the skill's structure in his spirit was an odd but invigorating sensation. It
felt like water rushing through a pipe, except it was inside of his spirit.
One lone goblin waited for him, right where the guide said it would be. Matt had decided
to take his time on this fight, test his limits and those of the goblins.
When he crossed the threshold, the goblin charged with a shriek and wildly swung the
bone shank in its hand. Sidestepping the wild and uncontrolled attack, Matt had to stop from
slashing down at the passing goblin and ending the fight instantly.
 Letting the goblin swing repeatedly, Matt got a feeling for its speed and agility. Both
would be good baselines for the entire rift. He pegged the monster at about four feet tall if it
wasn't hunched so badly. The green humanoid creature only wore a ragged loincloth and
wielded a pointy bone with a bit of leather wrapping the handle.
Matt let the next blow land on his left forearm, testing his skill, the monster's power, and
weapon. The bone fractured on [Cracked Phantom Armor], which left the goblin stumped for a
heartbeat until it lunged with clawed hands outstretched.
Dodging to the side again, he swung at the goblin's waist. He expected to severely injure
the monster in the first swing, then finish it on a second backswing, but the goblin was bisected
by the attack.
Matt stepped back, dodging the blood and entrails which splattered the floor. Using his
sword to push through the viscera, he saw the goblin's bones were thin, far weaker than a
human at that size would have. More reminiscent of bird bones than human ones.
After the kill, he felt a small amount of essence trickle into the band on his wrist, and
then into his spirit, waiting to be assimilated and distributed. It wasn't much, but it was progress.
After the last year of only being able to train physically a few hours a day and working brutal
hours, he was advancing.
Matt proceeded to the next room, where three goblins stood mindlessly until he crossed
the threshold. From what he read, this was a characteristic of Tier 2 and below rifts only. As a
rift's Tier increased, the realms became larger and the monsters more natural. A Tier 5 goblin
rift would have had the entire clan attacking and retreating with strategy and cunning.
At Tier 1, these goblins just charged mindlessly. Matt still took the time to dodge and
dispatched the closest monster with a slash. He cut deeply into its chest. The remaining two
jumped at him and, with a heavy crosscut, Matt made two more corpses.
The next room contained five of the goblins, but they proved no greater challenge for
their increased numbers. Unable to break his armor skill, they were easily crippled with even
glancing blows.
Passing into the fifth room of the rift, Matt saw this goblin stood straighter and had an
actual iron dagger. Though for its size, it was closer to a shortsword. Repeating his test of the
first goblin, Matt determined the monster was no faster or stronger just better armed.
The soft iron dagger was noticeably misshapen where it hit [Cracked Phantom Armor],
but the iron was useful to the outside, so Matt placed it in a separate bag for collecting loot.
These small pieces of iron weaponry and the armor on the last monster were the only things of
value this low Tiered rift had to offer.
With the same repeating pattern of one, three, then five goblins. The first three sets of
rooms offered no challenge to Matt. The only improvement the third set had was they wore
clothes not quite thick enough to call armor.
On the fourth set of goblins, Matt got his first challenge. This single goblin was a bit
faster, no longer hunched, and of a slightly heavier build. It was also not as mindlessly
aggressive as Matt tested it. To his relief, he discovered it wasn't trained just better with its
decision making.
The room with five of that type of goblins got bloody. Matt was flanked by the little green
monsters, and while his reach and reflexes were still better than the monsters, it took effort to
kill them without being hurt. It was the first time Matt felt his swordsmanship abilities pushed
inside the rift.
Two of the three that came straight on were taken out easily, but Matt had to deflect the
last's dagger, stepping in and kneeing the goblin in the chest and sending it stumbling back.
Matt was fighting as if the [Cracked Phantom Armor] wasn't active, treating every swing as a
possible threat. He didn't want to get too reliant on the skill and let his longsword skills rust.
The final two that attempted to flank him were easy to take out. The left with a thrust as it
lunged, and the right goblin with a slash that took off its outstretched arm as he backstepped.
Matt finished the goblins off before collecting the essence and loot.
Taking a drink of water, Matt pondered on [Cracked Phantom Armor]. It was permeable
to the air, his clothes, and backpack while also stopping the goblin attacks completely. It didn't
even have eye slits. He was just able to see through the mana construct perfectly as if it wasn’t
there.
It was amazing how a single skill turned this rift into a joke. He wasn't arrogant enough to
imagine he could be this aggressive if he didn't have the skill to rely on, but when they couldn't
even harm him, it was hard to treat the fights seriously.
Melinda's party’s notes talked about how they got injuries the first few runs they did, and
the increased intelligence of the goblins made the backline take injuries despite the frontline's
best efforts.
Even still, Matt hadn't taken a single blow he didn't allow to land. The rift monsters were
smaller, weaker, and slower than him, which let him dictate the pace of combat. 
He couldn’t ignore the difference between Melinda’s team and his solo delve. Without
others to worry about, Matt didn't have the usually limited movement of melee fighters who
couldn't dodge every blow because that would open the mages, archers, and supports to attack.
As he proceeded through the rift, he fought five more sets of goblins, collecting essence
and iron weapons along the way. His sack was getting heavy to the point he placed it before the
entrance of each room instead of carrying it with him.
An hour after he entered the rift, Matt arrived before the final room and peered in, careful
not to cross the threshold. Five goblins in scale armor, just thumb-sized pieces of metal
attached to long shirts, stood in front of a sixth larger foe.
The final occupant of the room was a hobgoblin, 5′5″ and bulkier than his lesser
counterparts. It had actual plate armor, even though it was only iron, and had large gaps
between the pieces.
This was one of three variations the final fight could be. It was also the most common,
appearing around 50% of the time. The other two variations had a goblin mage and archer,
respectively. Much harder fights because of the suppression the ranged fighters could put on a
group.
Matt smiled, happy he didn't have to fight a variation his first delve. That would have
been awful luck.
Stepping through the doorway, the five goblins charged in a loose formation, with the
hobgoblin trailing behind and wielding an ax.
 As the group approached, Matt circled left, so their formation was unable to flank him as
easily. He lashed out at the first goblin to reach him and disarmed it. The goblin fell to the
ground clutching at his stump.
One more obstacle in their way staggered the goblins out farther, so Matt had all of them
dead or incapacitated by the time the hobgoblin approached. This was the fight he was
anticipating.
The hobgoblin had a near-human size and with low Tier 2 strength and peak Tier 1
endurance and durability. Matt was not willing to underestimate this opponent. He had no one to
help him if he messed up. With Tier 2 strength and a solid weapon, this hob could probably
injure him, unlike his lesser cousins.
But this was what he trained for. He had spent months at Benny's practicing to solo a rift,
and this was the time for him to prove it hadn’t been time wasted.
Backing up while circling, Matt brought them back to the center of the room where there
were no bodies to foul up his footing and stopped retreating. The hobgoblin continued his
approach at the steady walk he had maintained the whole time and swung his two-handed ax
when Matt stopped.
He back stepped, not trying to match the opponent's strength. As he went to lunge at the
armored foe, using his straight weapons ability to pierce armor, he had to jerk back as the
hobgoblin reversed his swing and tried to impale him with the spike on the rear of his ax.
He used his aborted thrust to strike the handle of the ax, sending the weapon over his
head while stepping under and past the hob's arms. But was unable to get a blow in as the
hobgoblin retreated to the side and reset his stance.
For a moment, Matt and the hobgoblin locked eyes, then he surged forward with an
overhead chop. The hob, thinking he had an easy victory, stepped back and let Matt’s blow hit
the ground before countering with a heavy, horizontal swing aimed at his neck.
Matt raised the pommel of his longsword and stepped to the opposite side of the swing,
using the planted tip to block the heavy blow. Dropping the longsword after the block, Matt
closed in with an elbow strike to its unarmored face that made the hob stumble as cartilage
crunched.
With the head of the ax still near the floor, Matt kicked at the handle, ripping the weapon
out of the hob's hands. Before the monster could recover, Matt drew his dagger from its thigh
sheath under his armor and drove it up under the hob's chin and into its brain.
Shoving the hob back, Matt retreated until he stepped over his fallen longsword and,
without taking his eyes off the still body of the hob, he picked his weapon up.
Watching the corpse, Matt waited until he felt the rush of essence to approach and
ensure the goblins were dead. The essence he got from the hob was worth half of all the
essence of the preceding rift.
Matt tried to steady his breath, but his heart hammered hard in his ears proclaiming his
triumph. 
It had been an exhilarating fight. The hobgoblin had been smart and more experienced
than any of the goblins preceding it. It also didn't have the mindless aggression that made the
goblins easy to predict.
 Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Matt pushed the energy down. The
adrenaline was still pumping through his veins, and the accumulated essence created a rush
Matt had never experienced before. His spirit felt heavy and full for the first time in his life.
He wanted more. He wanted to exit, then enter the rift again.
After a few deep breaths, Matt settled his emotions, though his racing heart wasn't
slowing. Running a catalog of what he needed to do, he grabbed his sack of loot from the
entrance and stripped the goblins and the hobgoblin of their armor and weapons.
With that taken care of, he turned his attention to the real prize of the rift. The reward for
killing the strongest monster was always random and found in a distortion like the rift entrance.
It could be anything from the most common of mana stones to the incredibly rare skill shards.
This being a low Tiered rift, it didn't often drop skill shards. According to the official
guide, Tier 1 mana stones could appear in quantities ranging from one to one hundred, with the
average being around seven.
Matt could hardly imagine making seven hundred credits for an hour and a half's work.
It makes all the hours at Benny's feel like wasted effort. I can make more in two hours
delving the weakest of rifts and more than I made in a month.
This rift also could reward delvers with a few ingots of perfectly pure metals. Usually,
only copper and iron, but there was the chance for steel or aluminum. The smiths prized these
drops because they were easier to enchant when forging Tier 3 and above blades. Or at least
the guide said so. Matt knew nothing about smithing or crafting skills.
The iron weapons he had collected along the way were just melted and sold as
mundane building materials. The Empire paid for the scraps believing there was no reason to
have expensive mines ruining land for mundane metals when most low Tier rifts created them
endlessly for free.
Matt approached the area of distortion next to the exit rift. It was a purple color to his
spiritual sense. He wasn't sure if that was because of the item contained within or it was just
random. The guide had said nothing about that.
After taking a deep breath and crossing his fingers for good luck, he sent a pulse of his
mana at the small field. It shimmered before a small pile of stones appeared.
Mana stones. Jackpot.
Matt collected the small shards. They were only slightly bigger than the last knuckle on
his pinky, in the shape of a hexagonal bipyramid, but thin. Each Tier 1 mana stone held 10
mana. Unlike artificial mana stones, once these were drained, they would turn to dust, and even
the dust would disappear after a moment.
At each higher Tier, they held more mana at the same size, that being the reason a ten
to one ratio was standard at the lower Tiers. Lower Tier mana stones didn’t hold as much mana
as the higher Tier did to equal the value. It was the convenience factor of having millions or
billions of mana in a tiny stone that set their value greater than the mana in the stone. According
to what he had read, the standard was set in the higher Tiers and calculated down.
Matt collected the small crystals and counted them from one hand to the other. Eight
mana stones, one better than the average.
 He couldn't stop smiling, eight hundred credits. 80 mana in his hands, the very power
modern society needed to run was so small. So nondescript.
His instincts felt something this small should be fragile, even though Matt knew that was
just an illusion from their resemblance to glass and size. The mana stones were nearly
indestructible so long as they had mana remaining.
The only negative was if a mage wanted to convert the rifts mana stones to personal
mana, there was a loss ratio of near 40%. It also took time and special equipment to slowly
match the mage's unique mana signature before it could be safely absorbed.
That was why mana stones were mostly used for powering daily life and only
occasionally used to refill mages at great cost.
Matt pocketed the mana stones, stopped channeling mana to [Cracked Phantom Armor],
then stepped through the portal, returning to the real world.
One of the guards waved Matt through to a check-out area where he could leave the iron
scrap he collected.
The attendant looked like she was bored but trying to hide it. She almost succeeded.
"Iron scraps can go on the scale, and if you are willing to report what you received, please do
so."
Matt didn't mind. The Empire spent far more running this place than he had just earned.
"Eight mana stones was the only reward. Well, besides the scrap." Matt waved at the sack full of
metal.
"We are willing to purchase the mana stones here if you wish, or you can take it to any of
the banks." The young lady sounded like she said these same words hundreds of times a day.
Come to think of it, she probably does.
Matt thanked her and walked away, checking his new account balance: 6,872 credits. 
It was amazing and took a weight off his shoulders he hadn't realized was there. He
wasn't sure what he wanted to do with it. He wasn't in a hurry to pay the credit card off as he
didn't accrue interest being on The Path.
When he arrived back at the populated part of the island, he saw it was just after 12:30
and decided to go shower and eat lunch. After eating, Matt didn't know what to do. He couldn't
remember a time where he didn't have something on his to-do list. At Benny's, he was working
or training. Even at the orphanage, he was in lessons or doing extra training.
Matt was at a loss.
He decided to wander the island. It was little more than ten miles across. 
It must have something I can do.
What Matt found during his walk was people at the beach. It seemed to be the way to
relax as parties lounged in the sand or water and larger groups formed around various sports
and games. He thought about joining but decided he was still too keyed up from the fight.
That led him to the interior of the island. He had checked, and there were no predators
on the manmade island, so when he found a small clearing off one of the paths, he just laid
down in the shade.
 He found watching the slight breeze change the patterns of the shade cast by the trees
was relaxing. For the first time since the alarms went off when he was eight, Matt allowed
himself to fully relax.
Sometime later, he drifted off.
***
Matt woke slowly, stretching as he did. He felt good, light. So many worries were
removed after getting a skill and a source of income.
Checking his pad, he hurried to the dining hall. Melinda's group said they'd meet him
there, and he was eager to talk to someone about his delve.
Arriving only a little past six, Matt saw the group in line and waved at them as he joined
the back of the line.
As he took his tray to their table, Matt saw the anticipation on their faces. Before he
could fully sit down, Mathew asked, "So, how was it? You're still in one piece at least."
Melinda elbowed the other Mathew. " At least wait for him to sit down."
As soon as Matt had situated himself, she blurted, "So, how did it go? Don't keep us
waiting. I didn't think to exchange numbers, so we couldn't call you when we got out of our rift."
"Yeah, I wanted to ask how your rift went first."
He was cut off with a series of 'nooos' and 'you firsts,’
Matt acquiesced and recounted his delve. "It wasn't bad. Your notes and the official
information made sure there were no surprises. My Tier 1 Talent and skill synergize really well,
and that made it so none of the regular goblins were able to hurt me."
As he spoke, he realized how weird that sounded. He was so used to thinking about his
Talent in a negative light that he couldn't quite believe what he was saying.
"I took the fights seriously but, in the end, the goblins are so weak it was easy to not get
hit at all."
Sam asked as soon as she could, barely getting her words out before the others, "What
boss did you get? Did you pull a variant?"
"Nope. Just the standard, a solo hobgo—"
"Uh, how did you solo him? We all did, but not until we were peak Tier 1s and everyone
else was ready to help," Kyle cut in this time.
The comment about peak Tier 1 jolted Matt. He hadn't cultivated his accumulated
essence. He'd taken a nap instead.
"Oh, no, I forgot to cultivate." Matt went to stand, but Vinnie, who he sat next to, dragged
him back down.
"Chill, man. It's fine. You won't start to lose the accumulated essence for a few days.
Relax. Really, man."
Matt sat back down reluctantly. "I feel so dumb. How did I forget the entire purpose of
delving?"
 "Yeah, how did you?" Vinnie had a smirk on his face as he asked, but it didn't come
across as unkind.
"I got excited about the mana stones and how much they sell for. And ugh…took a nap
in the woods." Matt blushed slightly as he said it.
When he didn't hear laughter from the others, he glanced around. They were blushing
harder than him.
With red cheeks, Melinda raised her cup. "Here's to growing up poor and fixating on the
money."
Everyone, including Matt, drank to that.
Matt broke the silence after that. He wanted to follow up on that statement. "I grew up in
an orphanage after a rift break. What about y'all?"
That seemed to ruin the mood even more. It was Mathew who answered this time,
"Same with us, and a lot of the sponsored folk here. The Junipers haven't been doing their
damn job, and rift breaks are at an all-time high. They should be…"
Before Mathew could continue, Melinda covered his mouth. "Yes, we were orphaned as
well, but talking bad about the nobility isn't smart without the power to defend yourself. DO NOT
get us all in trouble, Mathew."
That finally stopped Mathew's struggles. Sam said, "My evasion instructor said he heard
rumors the issue was being passed up."
Mathew scoffed around Melinda’s covering hand. "That means we'll see results in twenty
years if we are lucky. All the nobility are above Tier 15, and immortality makes bureaucracy take
forever."
"Enough. We can't do anything. Matt, you were talking about the hobgoblin. How did it
go?" Melinda forcefully changed the subject, and Matt took the topic shift willingly.
"It wasn't a long fight, honestly. While he was a better fighter than the goblins, he wasn't
that good." Matt described his fight in detail, and everyone oohed and aahed at all the
appropriate parts.
"What about you guys? How was your delve? And what do you do on your off days? I
haven't had free time in forever."
Melinda said with a bright smile, "Our rift was easy. We’re nearing the peak of Tier 2
and, in the next month or so, will advance, but we are balancing out our essence so we can
advance together. And our days off. We usually spend the remaining time after the rift day
cultivating. That usually takes up most of that day, but we have a strict no work policy on delve
days."
"Hmm, the day after for us is training, both group and solo. We’ve all hired combat
instructors for personal lessons. It's good, and when you can afford it, you should look into it.
They are all Tier 7 or higher. Most are here on extended R&R. Either someone in their party got
so injured they can't delve safely and are waiting for the cooldown on healings. Or they are
taking a break from delving. They are all vetted and know their chosen fields."
That piqued Matt's interest. "Cooldown on healing? What is that? I thought you were just
healed and back to normal. Just do it and be done. All better."
 The entire group looked to Melinda this time. “Well, for small injuries, that's exactly how it
works. But if you get ripped in half, regrowing and acclimating to the new parts takes time. Think
of it like stress that accumulates. I don't want this to be a lecture, but I'm assuming you don't
know how healing actually works, do you?"
At Matt's confirmation, she continued, "Don't feel bad. None of us knew either till I got a
healing Talent. There are two types of healing spells. One is undirected. Cast the spell, and it
does its thing. Each individual spell will be better at different things, but it just heals. The
problem is, if you get a limb chopped off and you only have a basic healing spell, it will just seal
the wound. It's technically healed.
"You need other spells, like [Regrowth] or [Regeneration] to heal missing limbs
automatically, though [Regeneration] is a self-cast spell. The point is, they will save your life but
are kinda limited in their execution.
"The other type is a directed heal. It's like…" Melinda paused and pursed her lips before
continuing slowly, "The best way to describe it is if someone gets their head chopped off, an
undirected heal won't do anything. The spell will just consider them 'dead,’ Despite the fact you
don't instantly die with decapitation. Even mundane medical technology can reattach a head.
"A directed healing skill is able to reattach a head, it just takes dozens of times more
mana and absurd amounts of control and knowledge of anatomy. The spell doesn't guide you if
you mess up. You just killed somebody while trying to save them."
Mathew continued for her, "I like to think it's like patching a blanket, a hole can just be
stitched together, and a directed healing spell can easily do that, but a blanket that was ripped
in half is harder to get back together."
Melinda smiled at him. "We got distracted. The point is, after a lot of healing, the body
needs time to recover or the next healing will be even harder and might not take, so parties wait,
and that gives PlayPens combat trainers. The higher the Tier someone is, the longer the
cooldown can be for the same injury."
"The day before a rift, we attend classes, math, science, and pursue a crafting hobby.
Do some group training at some point. It's the recommended schedule, but you can flip the days
if you want."
Tara spoke up, "The night after a delve is for partying. There are clubs and parties every
night, but most only go after a delve to blow off steam, which is where we are going next. You
will come, right? Let us show you the scene."
Kyle chimed in, "Yeah, you don't have to stay long, just have a drink or two, play some
pool with us, and then you can head home. It's too late to cultivate anyway. Better to wait till
morning when you can do it properly."
Matt wanted to decline. He felt the urge to rush back to his room and cultivate. The
pleading looks they gave him finally decided for Matt.
"Sure, I'll go, but just for a little while."
***
Matt and Kyle played doubles pool and had their collective asses handed to them by
Sam and Tara. Mostly Tara.
 "It's still unfair your archery sense works for all projectiles. It's cheating, Tara," Kyle
whined, and Matt agreed.
The archer girl was even using her non-dominant hand, and they had limited her to two
shots per round, but she was still clearing the table.
Her skill felt superhuman, and it was. Talents were unique and wondrous. From what
Matt understood, Tara had a projectile sense of some type. Talents weren’t commonly shared
except with the closet of friends or spouses. There was too much that could be gleaned and
countered when the ins and outs of a Talent were known.
If her Talent alone makes her this good at pool, just how good is she with a bow?
Melinda and Mathew snuggled together in a dark corner, while Vinnie disappeared with
a woman he’d met.
Matt nodded toward the entwined healer and tank. "So, they’re together, then?"
Sam tiredly shook her head in response. 
Kyle translated that into words. "Nope. Our sponsor heavily suggested we avoid any
relationships in the team until after Tier 5. It wasn't quite an order, but Melinda and Mathew
would jump off a cliff if Harper asked them to."
Tara scoffed. "Like you wouldn't?"
"True." Kyle tipped his beer at his teammate.
Matt understood. If Dena or Eric had 'heavily suggested' something, he would have
taken it as an order as well.
"Did he give any reasons?"
"Yeah, he saw how Melinda and Mathew looked at each other. He said the risk of young
love not working was pretty high, and youthful mistakes could break up a young couple in a
flash. That would destroy our team. So, they’re waiting." Kyle missed his shot while answering.
"I was meaning to ask. How does being sponsored as a teamwork?"
"Pretty much the same as a solo, but we can't add more people to the team without our
sponsor’s approval. Other than that, nothing really different." Tara flopped backward onto the
pool table, beer forgotten to the side. "How did you get picked by a sponsor, Matt? Were you
top of the class or something fancy like that?"
Matt hesitated to share his failure, but he got the feeling they were honest and kind, so
he decided to share a little. "No. Our orphanage was so overcrowded we all got Awakened at
thirteen and pushed out."
All three winced. "It wouldn't have been that bad. They did what they could to ensure we
got some face time with guilds and corporations even before going to the Awakening Center. I
almost got recruited to a guild, but my Tier 1 Talent is—"
Sam chimed in, "You don't have to say more."
"Nah, it's okay. My Talent is…limiting. Yeah, ‘limiting’ is the best word for it. It really
restricts my cultivation, and that broke my provisional contract. Luckily, the recruiter was a good
guy and helped me find a way forward. I just needed to make money, then buy a delve slot. So,
I got a shitty job at a shitty inn. Worked there for over a year, then Dena and Eric walked in."
Matt had their attention now. "They were Tier 5s, and stronger than anyone I’d ever met
at the time. But they were kind." He gave them a look. "I'm sure you know how high Tiered
people can be."
Tara and Sam simply nodded. A dark look flashed across Kyle’s face.
Receiving murmurs of agreement, he continued, "I was working twelve-hour days as a
general handyman, with only some time before everyone else woke up to practice. So that's
when I did it. After they checked in, they came down to spar roughly the same time I did.
"Dena asked for a sparring partner while she worked on her staff technique, and that's
pretty much how the next month went. They sparred with me in the mornings. Later, they said I
had good talent and could feel my Tier 3 would pair with my Tier 1, fix my problems.
"So, they had me spar with Dena at low Tier 3 strength." At the sound of three intakes of
air, Matt paused. He reminisced over the fight. "It wasn't even close. She was so much faster
and stronger, I was barely able to eke out a tiny little scratch. But it was enough.
"They said hitting a Tier 3 at Tier 1 was special enough that they'd sponsor me. Though I
didn't know what that really entailed. A few hours later, I was on a train headed here. Shit, that
was only last week."
"Wow. If we didn't have a rule against sleeping with friends, I'd drag you to my room right
now." Tara's words made Matt blush a bit before everyone laughed. She’d even bounced her
eyebrows, cutting the tension of the story with a joke.
"What about you guys?"
Sam piped up, "We were all friends in school when the rift break happened. It was bad."
She took a long pull from her bottle before continuing. "We were close to the initial hit area, out
at the edge of town. Our teacher died killing the giant kobold that pushed through the door. That
turned out to be a blessing. Their bodies mostly blocked the door, and only small monsters
could just barely squeeze through."
At that point, their gazes turned to Mathew and Melinda in the corner. "Mathew took
charge and got everyone to pile stuff in front of the door to block the entrance off more. Took a
blow doing it that nearly shredded his back. I still remember Melinda holding bloody rags to his
wounds, crying. I know there isn't any way to predict Talents but, at that moment, I knew she
would be a healer. Talent or not.
"Out of the twenty-three kids in our class, we were the only ones who lost everyone. The
others had someone left to go to. But not us. That made us close. We've been inseparable
since. When our Awakening's happened, we all got pretty lucky, nothing detrimental."
Tara winced. "Sorry, Matt, I didn't mean—"
"It's fine. Really. It happens to some. And that ‘some’ includes me."
Clearing her throat, Sam finished the story. "We’d already decided to team up. From day
one really. So, we had spent the entire time training together. The problem was Melinda."
Matt peeked over at the blonde, giggling into Mathew's shoulder. How was she a
problem?
 Catching his glance, Sam explained, "Yeah, Melinda's Tier 1 Talent was rated as
‘exceptional’ in the healing category. It made a massive stir."
"Fucking shit show is more like it," Kyle grumbled.
"Yeah. Well, everyone came. It was overwhelming. There were hundreds of guilds and
groups offering to pay massive bonuses to attract her. Our sponsor heard about it, and seeing
how they were acting, put a stop to it.
"Harper's a Tier 7, and he was like a walking storm. His very presence made everyone
scurry back to the holes they crawled out of." Her disgust was palpable in the scowl that crossed
her face.
"Harper tried to take Melinda aside, but she refused to let go of Mathew and Tara.
Literally. She was hanging onto their clothes. So, Harper herded us all to an empty room and
explained what was going on. Apparently, there is something of a finder’s fee for low Tier guilds
to get rare Talents for higher Tier guilds or noble families," Sam said.
Kyle added, "They recruit them with long, nearly unbreakable contracts, and then
basically sell them to the highest bidder. The guilds were trying to turn Melinda into a cash cow."
Tara took back over, "Harper gave us EmpireNet access, and everything he said was
true. The Empire doesn't technically allow it, but it's really hard to police on low Tiered worlds.
The guilds can easily get away with it when the local nobles don't care enough."
Apparently seeing Matt's expression morph, Kyle quickly added, "Not that the people are
treated badly, it's just they don't get a say on where they go. Their services are essentially
leased out by the guild. But, sometimes, it's the only way off these planets."
Tara wrapped up, "So, Harper offered to sponsor us if we could meet his standards. A
‘basic competency test’ he called it."
They all shuddered at that. "It was a very tough few months, but we’re better for it."
A thought popped up in Matt’s mind, and he vocalized it. "Why has everyone been so
friendly here? Not that I mind, but it seems odd."
"Easy answer is 90% of the people on the PlayPen this time of year are sponsees. Most
of us come from poor backgrounds, and now we’re hot shit. In, oh, I don't know, maybe four or
five months, we'll have another wave of newbies roll in. Most of those will be the rich kids here
to spend mommy and daddy’s money and die. There’s like a 10% to 25% death rate amongst
the non-sponsored, but they spend money like crazy. That's why the Empire gives spots to
people running the cities. The politicians pass them off as favors, and the rich help pay for the
rest of us. It also lets the rich kids possibly show off some skill and maybe get sponsors of their
own."
Matt looked aghast. 
How do people die in that rift?
Seeming to read his face, Kyle answered, "The non-sponsored kids don't get the
discounts or anything, but they don't have restrictions either. So, they get cocky and throw
themselves into the Tier 2 and 3 rifts way too early. Then they die."
Tara chimed in, "Going back to the original question, you never know who's going to be
a powerhouse in the future. It could be anyone here. Besides, we aren't competing for spots on
The Path or anything. We’re all already on it. The higher everyone climbs, the better. No reason
to cut each other down."
 Chapter 6

The next morning, Matt got up and reviewed the cultivation guide he read last night.
There wasn’t anything complicated to do at Tier 1. He just had to relax and focus on his
essence.
As excited as Matt was, he couldn’t relax enough to reach the required state to cultivate.
He tried sitting, legs crossed, sitting in a chair, even tried slow movements. None of the top-
recommended positions worked for him. Eventually, he flopped on his bed and was slowly able
to get a good grip on his essence.
The essence he had accumulated delving sat in his spirit, concentrated in the center but
also present dispersed through the rest of the sphere.
Once Matt had a good mental grasp on the essence, he felt two paths. One led to his
body, and that channel was open and seemingly thirsty for essence. The other led to what he
knew was his mana side but felt completely sealed off. No matter how he tried, the essence
couldn’t go down that side.
Matt hadn’t actually believed it would work, but it had been worth an attempt. Giving up,
he sent the essence to the physical side.
That was all there was to it. There was no real effort to cultivation, just concentration and
time. He had to constantly coax the essence along or it would try and settle stagnant in his
spirit, but that was all.
He found it incredibly boring.
What felt like minutes later, Matt was finished, his spirit empty of essence. He looked at
his pad and saw it was almost 3:00PM. He had started at just after 7:00AM. 
Where did eight hours go?
Matt felt robbed and hungry upon seeing the time. Sighing, he changed into sparring
clothes and quickly ate a light lunch before heading to the training room. 
He did what Melinda’s group suggested last night. For one thousand credits, he could
purchase a simulation of the final room of the Tier 1 rift. It even came with the variations.
Matt made the purchase and wandered, looking for an open training room, but he didn’t
find one until the fourth floor. Linking his pad and simulation to the room, Matt activated
[Cracked Phantom Armor].
Six training aids came out, and he exchanged blows with the aid.
After a few hours of practicing and learning the aids’ patterns and strategies, Matt went
and had dinner with Melinda and company. They had a tactics training class after dinner, so
they didn’t linger long.
Matt went back to his room and browsed the available classes. Everything seemed
useful, but he had to prioritize at least a little. It was only recommended to take one or two
classes at a time, and with them meeting once every three days, they were built around the
three-day delve schedule.
 First, he looked up the finances class Dena had recommended. Most classes lasted two
months, and he was in the middle of a cycle, so he’d be waiting no matter which classes he
chose, but he wanted to browse. The other one he decided on was manners & etiquette, a
recommendation passed on by Melinda’s group’s sponsor to them.
After having that planned out, he looked up the personal trainers.
***
Matt stood in front of the rift again. It shimmered with colors he couldn’t put names to.
Rift really was an apt name. With a bracing breath, he stepped through.
The beginning of the rift was the same as it had been three days ago. The entire rift was
a repeat of the last delve. That was until the final room, where he only saw four goblins in the
scale armor. To the side, he found the fifth.
It was an archer. Matt didn’t have anything to fear from this goblin as it was only mid-Tier
1 in strength, and its bow wasn’t particularly powerful.
Still, Matt went over the scenarios that had worked for this combination yesterday.
Stepping through, Matt ran at the four charging goblins, veering off to the right-most
goblin and stabbing his longsword through the small monster while charging at the goblin with
the bow.
Using its comrade as a meat shield, Matt closed the distance before the others could
rescue the archer, who stood shooting arrows into the corpse on Matt’s blade for a breath too
long.
That mistake let Matt add one more to his goblin shish kebab. Turning while using his
foot to push the goblins off his blade he lashed out at the hobgoblin, who had nearly reached his
back as it was closer to the rear when Matt ran past the group of monsters.
Matt’s attack caused the hobgoblin to step back, aborting its swing. That change in
location caused the goblin charging past to catch the ax in the side.
The final two goblins flanked Matt to either side, trying to box him in and restrict his
movement. He stepped to the right, parrying the goblin’s swing before stepping on its feet and
hip-checking the smaller creature.
The force sent the goblin falling backwards, but Matt standing on its feet caused the
monster's weak ankle bones to snap.
With a stomp, he finished the goblin off while keeping an eye on the hob and remaining
goblin.
The goblin ran out wide left of the hob and refused to move closer to Matt than the hob
did. It was probably the best move the creature could make at this point, and it stood by,
covering the hobgoblin’s weak side.
Matt tried baiting out the goblin, but it refused to wet his blade like its brothers did. With
the weaker goblin’s assistance, Matt was forced to retreat from the heavy blows of the hob’s ax.
Biding his time, Matt waited for his opportunity. When the hobgoblin struck out, Matt
didn’t dodge or deflect the strike but, instead, blocked the haft of the weapon with the flat of his
longsword.
 Matt took advantage of the opening and ran his blade down the haft to catch the
hobgoblin’s unprotected fingers.
Flesh met steel and lost.
Screeching in pain, the hob retreated, unable to hold his weapon. Matt used that
opportunity to finish off the goblin next to the hob with a clean cut.
Seeing the hob was just clutching its mangled hand, he thrust through the unprotected
arm opening in the plate, bisecting the last remaining monster.
Looking around, Matt felt like this could have been done cleaner. He might not have
been hit, but that didn’t feel like a particularly high bar to set with opponents this weak.
There is a reason this rift was kept when they made the PlayPen.
Sighing, he collected the bloody armor and weapons before moving to the reward
distortion.
Sweeping it with his spiritual sense, he felt it was an orange color this time. But not quite.
It had a multicolored thread weaving through the field.
Matt wasn’t sure if it meant anything but waited until the thread was at its most visible
pulse before dispelling the field.
There were two bars of metal. He thought they were steel but wasn’t sure. He wasn’t a
smith, after all.
It was something to look into, and a class on blacksmithing would be useful for
identifying materials like this. At least then he would be able to tell the quality of weapons apart.
The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. If he was going to be a mostly
melee fighter, it would do him well to understand his weapons of choice better.
Matt exited the rift and sold the steel bars to the receptionist for five hundred credits
apiece. The money added to his account etched a smile onto his face.
Overall, he felt it was a successful delve.
***
The next month and a half were some of the best in Matt’s life. He delved, he cultivated
and advanced, and he learned.
All while becoming closer to Melinda’s group. Most of his days off were spent with them.
After delve days, they all relaxed together, watched movies, played games, drank, or just
explored the island. They also sparred together, which was a learning experience for Matt. They
were strong and coordinated, never letting him get past Mathew or Kyle.
They never tried to hurt each other, but they had fun challenging one another in the
controlled environment. 
Over the time they spent together, they became true friends, and Matt was grateful. He
hadn’t let anyone get close at the orphanage or Benny’s. 
Matt didn’t think he had purposely kept people away, just that he hadn’t met people he
wanted to become that intimate with. Most of the people at Benny’s were older and jaded from
life, content to eke out enough to live but little more.
 He wanted greatness. Melinda’s group wanted the same. They pushed themselves and
refused to languish at the lower Tiers.
The classes were interesting. The financing class was an eye-opener. Matt didn’t realize
he had misunderstood Dena’s letter. When she had said the credit limit was twenty thousand,
he had assumed she meant credits and based his purchases around that misconception.
He had been given a credit limit of twenty thousand Tier 1 mana stones not twenty
thousand credits. It was a mind-boggling amount of money that Matt couldn’t even imagine. It
was an ungodly number of credits. That extra cash let him hire a Tier 7 melee trainer to give him
lessons.
It was subsidized by the Empire, but he still had to pay fifty thousand credits. He had
been hesitant to go into that much debt but, after the first lesson, he had no regrets.
Dominic was a 6’4” monster who mainly used a sword and shield but was competent in
most weapons. After seeing Matt’s skill, Dominic had him rotating weapons, with a focus on a
shield and one-handed weapons. His reasoning was that if Matt ever joined a team, a shield
was usually better for the group than a single longsword user.
It was challenging. He thought he was good with the longsword, and Dominic even
confirmed he was. But when using a shield and sword, he felt clumsy and had a hard time
getting into a groove that felt as natural as he did with his longsword.
After Dominic felt he was ready, he had Matt tackle the Tier 1 rift with the sword and
shield. It was a different experience from his runs with a longsword. With a longsword in hand,
he barely took half an hour to clear out the rift. With the shield and sword, it took almost two
hours. There was an incremental improvement in each run, but not something Matt was
satisfied with.
Dominic had even started Matt with spear training, with and without a shield. He was
sure that would be his next weapon to take into the rift and delve with to get practical
experience.
During his delves, Matt hadn’t had exceptional luck, either good or bad, with the rift
rewards. He mostly earned around the average of seven mana stone value either in metals or
mana stones.
On the other hand, his cultivation was almost a quarter of the way through Tier 1. It was
only that fast because he didn’t have to split the essence. It was nice to advance quickly, but he
was warned by everyone that the Tier 2 rift was a large step up in difficulty.
Once Matt broke through to Tier 2, he would see a larger improvement. While cultivating
and distributing essence, a cultivator only got half the results and got the other half when he
broke through the Tier barrier. It was the reason a new Tier 2 was so much stronger than a peak
Tier 1.
Even so, Matt was seeing improvements in his strength, speed, and endurance. The
changes weren’t massive, but after every delve, he could fight a little longer, strike a little
harder, and move just a bit faster.
He was cultivating after his delve when his pad chirped. He ignored it until the pad
vibrated. He had it set to ‘do not disturb’ and only an emergency contact would override that
setting.
Matt rolled over and looked at the message after snatching up the pad.
 Melinda sent a message, ‘Have you seen the news? Come to our suite. Quick.’
A worried Matt hurried to their collection of rooms and found them in the common area
watching the TV.
An official-looking man spoke to the screen. Behind him was an expensive-looking
manor with people crawling over it like ants.
“…rise. The Empire expects its nobility to guide and protect the common people. After a
thorough investigation, the Empire has found the Juniper family negligent to the extreme. With
this verdict, the Empire will be sending relief efforts to repair all cities that have been affected by
rift breaks.”
Matt gasped. That’s what this was about? Negligence from the nobility leading to
widespread destruction, solely because they hadn’t wanted to take measures to prevent it
wasn't exactly news to him. He expected the news to be another rift break and city burned.
“Holy s—” Matt was hushed by everyone.
He squeezed in between Vinnie and Sam on the couch as the broadcast continued.
“Because of the devastation, there will be compensation to all affected parties. Please,
be patient. Millions have lost loved ones and family members. The Emperor cannot bring them
back, but reparations will be given to those remaining, and punishment to those responsible.”
A crowd behind the camera cheered at that. The official held up and hand, and it was
instantly quiet. “By the Emperor’s will, all will be made as whole as possible. Healers, both
mundane and magical, will be arriving on Lily in the next few months. This includes
psychiatrists. Their services will be on an at need basis. All will get their time and help. Please,
be patient.”
He looked down at his pad for a moment, then back at the crowd and camera. “Standby
for a royal decree from his Majesty Emperor Emmanuel the Third. Hear and obey.”
With a flick of his fingers from his pad to the camera, a new image replaced the official.
The man on the throne was tall and in seemingly simple clothes, but Matt was sure they
probably cost more than twenty planets would generate in a decade.
The Emperor was dark-haired, with gold eyes that gave off a visible light like miniature
flashlights. The odd part was it didn’t interrupt the view of the man’s eyes, which Matt could see
clearly. He wasn’t sure if it was how the Emperor looked in person or if it was a camera trick, but
it gave a feeling of strength and power as though a single look moved mountains.
His voice was deep. Even through the recording, Matt felt the pressure on his chest like
a physical weight. “It has come to our attention that the Barony of Juniper of planet Lilly is guilty
of neglect to the extreme. We, after reviewing the events, have decided an outsider will care for
the planet no more than any other noble family raised to the position.
“Our solution to this predicament is as follows. The Path of Ascension is meant to raise
the strong, and from The Path, your next noble will be chosen.
“The first person or group who was affected by the rift breaks to reach Tier 15 will be
given the opportunity to take the noble title. It is our hope that someone who has experienced
the tragedy of rift breaks will not take the lives of their subjects as lightly as the Junipers did.” He
then repeated himself with more enunciation. “Any who have been affected and are on The Path
are eligible. Good luck.”
With that, the image returned to the official. “The Emperor has spoken. The planet will be
placed under an advisory council until one of your own ascends to the position. More
information will be passed in the coming days.”
The man stepped away, and the view of the reporter was spliced in and started
chattering.
Matt and the rest looked at each other in shock.
“Holy shit,” Tara said. That broke the shocked silence, and everyone clamored to talk.
Eventually, it settled, but the excitement was still palpable.
Mathew, who had a quietly weeping Melinda in his arms, said, “I saw it myself, but I can’t
believe it. I thought it would take an official challenge to the noble family and killing them at Tier
15 to get revenge. Shit, I don—”
Melinda slapped his chest. “It’s a good thing, dummy. Now we don’t have to risk
ourselves to right that wrong, and people are getting the support they deserve, not…” she
hiccupped, interrupting herself, “not just revenge, but actual help.”
Vinnie voiced Matt’s growing fear, “Is this concern, or something else? The Emperor
himself heard of this incident on a Tier 4 planet? There are how many thousands of planets
below Tier 5 in the Empire? Why does he care? It seems too good to be true. And how did he
even hear of this? To ascend, the Emperor must break the Tier 50 barrier. He could break this
planet in half. It doesn’t sit right with me.”
Sam chimed in, “I can’t say how or why he stepped in, but he pissed a lot of people off
with his decree, that’s for sure. Normally, new baronies are given to the second and third
children of higher nobles. Only the first child of a noble to hit the Tier for their rank can take the
title. Everyone else gets nothing.”
“In my in-depth nobility class, they talked about it. New lower Tier planets are always
being added to the Empire, and doing this sets a precedent that probably pissed a lot of higher
nobles off. What plot can there be in that?”
The seven of them talked around the topic until dinner. They couldn’t believe there was a
chance that any one of them could be the next baron of this planet. Even if there were stronger
people who had suffered the attacks and were on The Path, it was still The Path of Ascension,
and anyone could fall off at any time.
After they finished eating, Melinda dropped even more shocking news. “Are you all ready
to go to see our Tier 3 Talents?” Matt was shocked. They had said they were at peak Tier 2, but
this was a huge step and the last Talent they would have unless they got to Tier 25, then Tier
50.
“Wait, you guys broke through? What are we waiting for? Let’s go! This is huge.” Matt
was excited. This was their first step into the larger Empire. After reaching Tier 3, people could
only spend six months at the PlayPen before they had to make their own way on The Path of
Ascension.
They all looked at him with expressions he couldn’t place. It wasn’t the happiness he
expected. The looks put his hackles up.
 “Matt, we talked about it over the last few days and, well… Here, it’s easier to see.
Please, don’t share this with anyone. Obviously, we trust you, and this will let you know we’re
okay when we leave.”
His pad pinged, and he pulled it out to see…
 
The party “Unbroken” has sent an offer of alliance.
Alliance Details: Full viewing access to individual profiles granted to
all members.
 
Matt’s thinking ground to a halt. This was massive. It would let him see their skills and
Talents. It was more than most friends shared, and a tremendous show of trust.
With only a moment’s thought once his brain started working, he accepted and gave
them the same permissions. He could trust them. Even if this bit him in the ass in the future,
Matt was willing to risk it. They were friends.
He saw the group check their pads with relieved smiles until Mathew gasped, “What is
this bullshit?”
The other had incredulous looks as well as they saw his Talent. Sam was the first to
react to his skill. “What is this skill? It’s broken. What are these resistance numbers? This is
absurd.”
Sheepishly, he said, “Just two useless things that synergize really well.” He still wasn't
used to thinking of his Talent as a positive.
“Hah. ‘Really well’ is an understatement, Matt. I wish our Mathew had tank skill that
good.” Mathew, who was next to Melinda, looked at her as she said that, gave an exaggerated
shocked look, and clutched at his heart.
Matt took the time to look at their information.
 
Mathew:
 Talent - Tier 1: Everyone in the party has lowered threat
generation. Threat generation is redirected to an individual of choice.
 Talent - Tier 3: Unknown. Please, visit a Talent scanner.
 Skills: None.
Melinda:
 Talent - Tier 1: All healing skills are 50% more effective
and cost 50% less mana to cast.
 Talent - Tier 3: Unknown. Please, visit a Talent scanner.
 Skills: [Ranged Heal]
Kyle:
 Talent - Tier 1: All strength allocation has double the effect.
 Talent - Tier 3: Unknown. Please, visit a Talent scanner.
  Skills: None.
Samantha:
 Talent - Tier 1: Poisons and venoms only affect designated
targets.
 Talent - Tier 3: Unknown. Please, visit a Talent scanner.
 Skills: [Venom Strike]
Vincent:
 Talent - Tier 1: Innate [Earth Manipulation].
 Talent - Tier 3: Unknown. Please, visit a Talent scanner.
 Skills: [Earth Manipulation]
Tara:
 Talent - Tier 1: Innate understanding of ranged weapons.
 Talent - Tier 3: Unknown. Please, visit a Talent scanner.
 Skills: None.
 
Matt’s jaw dropped. None of their Talents were weak. Melinda had joked about Mathew
not being a good tank, but redirecting threat generation meant enemies wouldn’t prioritize the
backline damage dealers and healers. That was a defensive frontline’s entire job, and he could
do it without an expensive skill shard.
Kyle could focus on other parts of physical cultivation with his Talent, and that would
either let him get a bit more mana cultivation and be a true hybrid or be an even better physical
cultivator. He could be twice as strong as anyone on his Tier while being better in the other
aspects of physical cultivation, or even match someone a Tier above in pure strength.
Sam’s Talent was what every poison mage dreamt of and would beg for any skill shard
that would be able to mimic it. Most had to become solo delvers because, while they were
immune to their own skills, they would kill their allies as quickly as their enemies.
Vinnie had [Earth Manipulation] as an innate skill, which meant it was a free core skill.
Matt knew that skill. A Tier 10 on The Path had used it not five months ago in a tournament to
beat every one of her opponents without moving a muscle.
She had stood there with arms crossed, and as soon as her opponents had touched the
ground, it simply swallowed them. She had even faced an opponent who had a flight skill and
had simply launched spears of stone at them until she impaled them.
Tara’s innate understanding of ranged weapons was less flashy, but if it worked like
other innate understandings Matt had heard of, she would need next to zero training to get
decent with a ranged weapon. She’d need far less to master the weapon than any normal
cultivator would. Matt had only read of single weapon understandings, never such a broad
category covered by a Talent.
Then there was Melinda. Matt didn’t know what to think. It was no wonder she had been
given a rating of exceptional. From everything he’d read, 50% was the acknowledged limit of
what a Talent could do to a skill or type of skill without giving something up in return. And she
had two in one Talent.
 Just having a talent with two abilities was already incredibly rare, but having two with
maxed benefits? She might be the only one on the entire planet.
They were watching Matt as he took in the information. He just glared at them before
turning up his nose and saying, “I hate all of you.”
***
Matt paced outside of the row of testing rooms. It had taken half an hour of bickering
about how broken the Talents of the others were before the stalling became obvious and the
party faced their destiny.
He was more nervous than any of the group had seemed to be. He wasn’t sure if it was
just that they were hiding it better or truly not nervous. They may have hesitated in coming but,
once they arrived, they didn’t falter.
As he paced, he felt a breeze then, suddenly, there was Griff and a woman next to him.
Matt knew Griff was the second in command of the PlayPen and Tier 15. Judging by the
way he stood at the woman’s side but slightly behind her, Matt assumed she could only be the
person running the PlayPen.
I’m pretty sure I remember reading it was always a Tier 20 in charge of a PlayPen. Why
would a Tier 15 and a Tier 20 both show up?
Matt gulped. Had something gone wrong? Why were the two most powerful people on
the island here? Then a second breeze alerted Matt to yet another presence.
He turned and saw the official from the earlier proclamation. The news reporters after his
announcement said he was a Tier 30, and a high-ranking minister of the Empire who had the
Emperor’s trust.
Why are all these people here?
Matt felt the fear building at the unknown and quickly looked between the group of three
and the doors. He wasn’t dumb and could tell exactly what door they were viewing.
He wished he had brought his sword. It wouldn’t have done any good against the three,
but he couldn’t let something happen and just stand by. Matt had promised himself long ago he
wouldn’t let the people he cared about to be snatched away from him.
Just as Griff noticed him and opened his mouth, the right-most door opened. The door
they had been watching. Melinda came out pale, tired-looking, and covered in sweat.
That grabbed all their attention, and the official spoke up, “Miss—”
Melinda cut him off. “I know. Can we wait until my party is done? I don’t want to have to
do this twice.”
A Tier 3 had just interrupted a Tier 30. Matt looked at the official, and while he looked
like he wanted to argue, he said nothing.
Matt felt out of his depth.
Melinda looked to Matt, and that drew the attention of the three powerhouses. Griff
spoke up, “Hey, Matt, maybe you should clear out. Okay?”
 He was surprised the Tier 15 remembered him at all. As he was about to agree and
leave, Melinda once again spoke up, “He’s an ally of our party, so I’d like him to remain.
Please?”
Once again, the others just agreed.
Matt was really concerned now, and he felt jittery as his mind raced through the
possibilities. His flight or fight response was going haywire. All he could think about was helping
Melinda and getting away from the immortals. His body screamed at him to do something, even
though his mind knew either would be useless in the face of these powerhouses.
The only thing letting him keep a hold of himself was they weren’t hostile. Clearly, they
were here for Melinda, and considering what she had just been doing, there were only a few
possibilities as to what could have drawn these people of position and power here.
Just what did her Talent reveal?
Matt could check but didn’t feel comfortable reaching for his pad with the stillness in the
hall. If he broke it, those three might just decide to act.
It only took another few minutes for the other five to come out and, as soon as Tara
walked out of her room, they were ushered into a conference room down the hall.
The official started before they were even inside, “Miss Combs, we were all alerted to
your Talent. We couldn’t see what it is, but the rating came back as Exceptional: Unique, top
priority. We would like to offe—”
A quick two beeps interrupted the man, and his face drained of blood. With shaking
hands, he pulled his pad out and flicked a finger at the wall. For the second time that day, Matt
saw the Emperor.
Matt gulped as the immortals went to one knee, heads bowed. He and Melinda’s party
followed suit a moment later.
“Your Majesty, what can your humble servants do for your excellency?”
Out of the corner of Matt’s lowered head, he saw the official shaking slightly.
“Good, you got to them already. You three get out.” There was a power in those words.
Even with his face toward the ground, Matt felt it. He could see it. The world grew sharper, and
colors gained contrast for an instant before returning to normal.
Matt didn’t know what the Tier 50 did, but Griff and the other two looked pale and
haggard after the words were spoken. He felt nothing where the other three clearly felt
something.
Immediately, the official, Griff, and the woman were simply gone. Matt didn’t even hear
the door open or close.
Still kneeling, they waited for what came next.
“Get up, kids, will you? Ugh, this is a shit show.”
As they stood and faced the Emperor, they saw him at a desk with pads scattered about
and papers covering the free spaces. Screens obstructed part of the desk until a wave from the
Emperor made them vanish.
 “That’s better. Hey, kids. Who would have thought I’d be hearing about Lilly twice in one
day?” The Emperor smiled and waved at them. Matt felt his stomach tighten.
“I’ll get right to it. These inter-planet connections are expensive, so I’ll try to be brief. My
AI just pinged me about your Talent, Melinda. Can I call you Melinda?”
Melinda just nodded, still struck dumb. The Emperor seemed surprisingly personable.
During the royal decree, he was stern and, even in a recording, he had an air around him that
screamed power and authority.
Now, he was like a kind uncle. Even his luminescent eyes were warm. It unsettled Matt.
In his experience, people with strength didn’t take notice of the weak unless they had something
they wanted.
“Thanks. I deal with enough formalities every day. Would you mind sharing why my AI
lost its shit with notifications? You don’t have to, but it might make things easier.”
Melinda had to clear her throat twice before she could get any words out, “You can’t
just…umm…see it, your Majesty?”
The Emperor chuckled at that. “Nope. If there is one loophole in the Talent AI, it risks
security breaches, so not even I can see without permission being shared from you directly.”
That surprised Matt. Everyone said no one could see your Talent, but this was the
Emperor. The very man who controlled the system. He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t
heard it out of the man’s mouth. But why else would he be talking to them now and not just
viewing her Talent himself?
Melinda nodded. “I don’t mind. It would answer some questions I have as well.”
“Good, the six of you are… Wait, why are there seven? Who are you?” Looking at Matt,
the Emperor clearly didn’t expect him.
“He’s an ally and a friend. I trust him. And we’ve all already shared our info,” Melinda
spoke up for him.
“Ah. Okay. Still…” the Emperor’s golden eyes flicked as if he was reading something,
“Matthew Alexander. Age fourteen, well almost fifteen. Tier 1 Talent rating of…detrimental?
Hmm. Sponsored by… Hmm… Skills… Hmm… Okay, Matt, I have to ask for your story. This is
all just a bit too weird.”
Matt felt put under a microscope, the glowing eyes of the ruler of thousands of planets
seeming to strip away everything that made him unique. He scrambled for how to explain
without lying or admitting he stole something.
“I was given a detrimental Talent at Tier 1, your Majesty.” Matt brought his pad out and
flicked his information to the screen. Talent and skill now showing to the seven in the room and
the Emperor planets away.
The Emperor read the information over, and Matt continued, “I wasn’t able to join the
guild with the rating and worked at an inn called Benny’s where I met my sponsors and got my
skill shard.”
The Emperor read the skill information, “Did your sponsors…” He looked away and
asked, “Dena and Eric give it to you?”
 Matt really wanted to lie and say they did, but he didn’t want them to get in trouble. He
also figured lying to a Tier 50 would be a recipe for disaster.
Reluctantly, he told the story. Instead of being angry at the theft, the Emperor just
chuckled throughout the story.
“Hold on. You said it was called Benny’s Inn? Let me pull up the security footage.”
A moment later, the screen showed that night. The group of idiots swaggered in at twice
the normal speed and replayed the event as Matt described. When the man threw the skill
shard, the Emperor’s laughter boomed so loudly Matt thought he might hurt himself.
As the footage showed Matt pulling Zephyr out of the brawl, the Emperor asked, “Wait,
when did you get the skill shard?”
Matt told him, and the Emperor went back and replayed the moment. “Good hands, kid.
From this angle, I can hardly even see it from this footage despite you pointing the moment out.”
The video continued to the man waving the mana wand at patrons and demanding
Benny let him search others. When they walked out of the frame, it switched to Matt pulling the
pad apart and hiding the skill shard, being scanned, and then the man leaving in a huff.
Matt stared at the screen in confusion. There weren't cameras in those locations. He
knew that for certain. Yet, somehow, the Emperor had video. Unsure of what to make of that, he
just moved on.
The man was Tier 50. Matt had no idea what was possible at that level of power.
“So, your Majesty, that’s why Dena and Eric sponsored me.”
“While this was very impressive… No, it wasn’t. Those two submitted the paperwork for
your sponsorship two weeks before this happened and had been there for months.”
The Emperor flicked a finger and, on the screen, a sponsorship form to the PlayPen
appeared, dated just as the Emperor said. Two full weeks before the duel and theft.
Matt didn’t know what to think of that. Dena and Eric had planned on sponsoring him
before the spar? He’d thought it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
“Thanks for the laughs, kid. That was amusing. With your Talent and their
recommendation, I expect great things from you in the next few centuries. You’ve got guts, and
that will take you far if they don't get you killed first. Don’t worry about the skill. That fool threw it
to attack someone, so that makes it a ranged weapon. Therefore, you just picked up battlefield
salvage.”
He winked at Matt, then turned back at Melinda. “Now, to you, Melinda. If you would?”
Melinda took her pad and flicked information to the screen.
 

Melinda:
 Talent - Tier 1: All healing skills are 50% more effective
and cost 50% less mana to cast.
 Talent - Tier 3: All healing has the ‘Overhealth’ effect.
 Skills: [Ranged Heal]
  
The Emperor’s face melted into shock as Matt simply felt confused. With wide eyes, he
let out a whistle. The sound created the same effect as before, the world sharpening for an
instant.
“Do you mind if I call my chief healer over? Honestly, I want to be fully certain what this
means. I have some ideas, but…well, I’d rather get an expert’s opinion.”
At Melinda’s shy nod, he flicked his glowing eyes. Not a full second later, an older man
appeared.
After being quickly filled in by the Emperor, he glanced at the screen, “Ah. Well, this is
rare. Overhealth has only been seen on some cracked or upgraded skills before. Hmm… To
start, Overhealth functions like an automatic directed healing skill. So, limbs regenerate with no
additional effort, and the skill won’t stop when a normal undirected skill would reach its limit.
“The [Regeneration] controversy would be a good comparison. It will take some testing
to determine if her Talent works the same way. I don’t think anyone’s ever gotten a Talent with
Overhealth before. Not in the Empire, at least.”
That seemed to clue the Emperor in, but Matt was still in the dark. Judging by the looks
around him, the rest of the party felt the same way.
Looking through the screen, the older man asked, “I’m assuming none of you have
heard of that controversy? It usually doesn’t matter till well after Tier 15.”
Melinda shook her head, so he continued, “Well, there are exceptionally rare upgrade
orbs from Tier 14 and above rifts that can upgrade skills within certain limitations. When used,
they make significant changes to the skill, and it’s always more powerful.
“Well, almost always. There are niche exceptions, which is where [Regeneration] comes
in. The skill works like any normal healing skill, you put in mana, and you heal. With the upgrade
orb, that changes.
“Then it’s more like a channeled skill where you can dump as much mana in at a time to
increase the effect. Not only that, but it also changes how it heals. If you are a physical
cultivator, [Regeneration] is always useful, but it can take months to grow back an arm. With
[Upgraded Regeneration], it’s like healing a percentage of health. For the same mana cost, it
heals better the more physical cultivation you have.
“It’s easy to think of with numbers. If you have 100 health, then healing 10 per minute is
a lot. But if you have 10,000 health, that same 10 per minute doesn’t amount to much. The
upgraded [Regeneration] is like healing 1% of your max health a minute. The upgrade is good
for physical cultivators who have more health, The non-upgraded is better for mana cultivators
who have more mana instead. Some people believe this means we all have hidden health bars
and are in a video game, but they are idiots.”
Just saying that last part seemed to irritate the older man, and he scoffed. “Physical
cultivation makes you stronger and tougher. Of course, it’s harder to heal what’s harder to
damage.
“The true value of Overhealth is seen when someone takes what should be a lethal hit
while the upgraded [Regeneration] is active. They can come back from what should have
stopped a normal healing spell because they were dead. The Overhealth won’t stop when they
are considered ‘dead’ by a normal skill. It only stops when the mana put into the skill has run its
course.
“A good example is of a healer with a [Cracked Healing Touch] with an Overhealth
effect. Someone’s head got smashed flat.” The man clapped, “The brain was completely
destroyed and, even with the best medical technology and healing, he should have stayed
dead. Even if he had been saved, his memories should have been wiped. New gray matter had
to grow after all to heal him.
“With Overhealth, though, it was like a balloon inflating. Poof, he was up and perfectly
fine, memories intact. Closest thing to a miracle you’ll ever see.”
Melinda’s eyes widened. “What does that mean for my Talent?”
The healer exchanged a look with the Emperor, “It means you just became the most
valuable healer in the Empire. Every spell you cast will guarantee your party doesn’t stay dead.
Further testing needs to be done, but I doubt you’ll ever need to learn directed healing skills.
You’ll have an exceptionally lucrative career in medicine, either as a civilian, a delver, or a
member of the army. I’d be happy to—”
The Emperor lifted a hand, and the man stopped immediately. “Moon, she and her party
are on The Path. We won’t interfere.”
“Of course, your Majesty. I got ahead of myself.”
The Emperor waved him down and stared through the screen. “If you wish to leave The
Path, I won’t stop you. I’m sure Harvest will be waiting to snatch you up in a heartbeat. But,
instead, I’ll just leave the offer on the table if you guys decide to stop climbing or fall off.
“My time on The Path was some of the best of my life. It’s where I made the truest of
friends and had the moments I’m proudest of. I only made it to Tier 20 before falling off, but
those Tiers are truly mine. No one can say I didn’t earn those.”
The Emperor sighed. “Ascend as much as you can. I can guarantee no one will talk
about your Talent, but I want a promise from all of you.”
The seven of them nodded. For the first time, the Emperor looked stern. Even the soft
light radiating from his eyes grew hard. For a moment, the colors contrasted, and the world
sharpened. 
It lasted only a breath, but it brought all their focus to the man in front of them. “Don’t die.
Don’t push yourselves to take stupid risks. I don’t just say this because of your Talent but
because it’s a trap. So many try to be the next Duke Waters and end up as corpses. I’ve lost too
many friends to rifts, and I’ll never truly know how they died. Don’t add to their numbers”
The Emperor turned to the side. “I’ve taken up enough of your time. Can you send the
other three in? I need to make a few things clear to them. Enjoy your evening and have the
party you deserve for reaching Tier 3.”
With a smile and a nod, he dismissed them. Hurrying out the door, they found Griff and
the other two pacing the hall. When Melinda informed them that the Emperor wanted to see
them, the trio looked like they were walking to their executions.
Matt noticed none of them hesitated to enter the room despite their trepidation.
 They all looked at each other before Vinnie spoke up, “I need a fucking drink. And a
change of underwear.”
 Chapter 7
 
Matt woke up fuzzy and lightheaded. After struggling to open his eyes, he found his back
pressed against a door.
As the memories came back, he couldn’t help but groan. After talking to the Emperor,
the seven of them had done as suggested; they had partied.
Hard.
One too many drinks in, Melinda had tried to drag off the older Mathew to consummate
their relationship. Preventing that took the other five jointly keeping them away from each other
before herding them to their own rooms.
Not five minutes after Melinda had been put into her room, she had tried to sneak into
Mathew’s. That had left the boys sleeping in Mathew’s room to stop him from doing the same.
Matt peered around and saw everyone else was still unconscious. Checking the time, he
decided to get breakfast for everyone.
Returning from the dining hall, Matt found Sam with eyes covered, splayed out on the
couch. She peeked at him and made ‘give me’ hands toward the bags of food.
Matt set the bags on the table, “Wake the girls, please.” Only a hiss was given in reply.
After waking the boys up, Matt set the table and started eating, slowly. As he picked at
the food, the others trickled out of the rooms and to the table.
Mathew was the first to speak. The older boy had the beginnings of a bruise on his
cheek. “Who punched me last night? I don’t remember.”
Matt smirked. “No one. You fell. And your face met a wall. So, if you fought anyone, it
was a loss against a wall.”
Melinda pointed a finger at Mathew, and a green light danced to him before sinking in,
quickly healing the bruise.
The healer repeated the move at all of them. As Matt felt the spell hit him, it washed
away his hangover. That spell would have been useful before he braved his way to get
breakfast for everyone. The dining hall had been painfully noisy.
After eating, they sat around the screen, not having to do anything for a few hours more.
Wanting a break from the news coverage about the Junipers, they found a channel
reviewing tournament videos.
“Light and Shadow are still crushing it in the Tier 23 to 24 groups despite being only Tier
21. Truly, it’s remarkable to watch the people with the best chance to complete The Path of
Ascension. If they do, it will be a first since Duke Waters himself four hundred years ago.”
That got Matt’s attention. Someone was close to completing The Path? That was huge
news. Sadly, they had joined the program at the end. It closed out, and new anchors replaced
the last to start a new segment.
Matt turned. “Do you know who they were talking about? Light and Shadow?”
 Mathew and Sam covered their faces as Melinda, Kyle, Vinnie, and Tara all jabbered
over each other.
“Yeah! How do you not?”
“They are only the best couple ever!”
“Shadow is amazing! She’s the best!”
Melinda offered actual useful information, “Light and Shadow are a couple on The Path
of Ascension. Just the two of them. They are Tier 21 and only one-hundred-seven years old. At
that Tier, they have until one-thirty-eight before they fall off.”
Kyle interjected, “They won’t fall off. Duke Waters himself met with them and said he’d
bet his duchy they are the next to complete The Path. He’s never spoken up for a person on
The Path before. He can’t be wrong.”
Tara flicked a picture to the screen. “They are super strong. Shadow has some kind of
shadow teleporting Talent. Most speculate it’s her Tier 3 but, obviously, no one knows for sure.
But she’s nearly untouchable ever since she also got ahold of [Shadow Manipulation] at some
point.”
She looked dreamy. “How can you hit someone who disappears at will? Here is their
Tier 15 Path of Ascension tournament. It’s the last sponsored tournament on The Path. After
that, they compete in normal tournaments, usually against a few Tiers higher. Watch this.”
On the screen, two party’s line-ups were displayed. On the left was a team of five listed
with their names and positions. They had a classic composition of tank, melee damage, ranged
damage, mage, and healer.
The other side showed just two masked faces, one in the lightest of gray and the other
the darkest gray without being black. The names Light and Shadow were under their portraits.
The fight started quickly as Tara jumped ahead of the commentary. The larger party
stood across a huge ring that must have spanned a mile across. They quickly turtled up. It did
them no good.
Shadow melted into the ground before Light shot forward. The large man crossed the
mile in a breath. Light's weapon of choice was a hammer with a head at least five inches
across. The way the Tier 15 handled it showed the massive weight of the hammer.
The opposing tank intercepted the blow with his physical shield and a larger copy made
by some skill. Upon impact, a blinding light whited out the screen before the camera adjusted for
the brightness. When the picture came back, the fight was already over.
A replay showed the events from during the bright flash. The moment Light struck the
shield, Shadow rose from the man’s own shadow and tore through the rest of the team. Every
throat was slit with such speed that, even slowed down, Matt couldn’t actually see the blade
appear from the darkness, only follow the clutching of throats.
The tank didn’t fare any better. From that one blow, his shield was mangled, and his
heavy plate armor was dented to such a degree Matt was sure his chest was crushed.
Matt couldn’t believe it and had to ask, “That wasn’t an exhibition match? That other
party was on The Path? No way they were defeated in a single attack.”
 Vinnie answered with a huge grin, “Yup, and a solid party as well. They were Tier 15s
who delved rifts at Tier 16. There just isn’t anything to do against massive power differences.”
“Why didn’t they just counter the flash Light used? Then Shadow couldn’t have gotten
into their entire team. Seems like an easy way to counter the duo. Light seems more like a
support that enables Shadow than someone powerful on his own.” Matt still couldn’t believe
what he had just watched.
Tara scoffed. “Yeah, people had the same thought before. Not hard to think of after all. It
doesn’t matter, though. Light could have handled that entire team himself. Look, this was a 1 vs
1 back when Light was Tier 10.”
With a flick of her finger, a new video started. This time, two announcers talked before
the pre-match introductions.
“Pepper, do you think Light has a chance here? His opponent is a peak Tier 10, and
Light only broke through the Tier 10 wall two days ago.”
“I don’t think he has a chance. We’ve seen how he makes Shadow stronger and gives
her mobility, but he hasn’t done much himself this entire tournament in the party vs party
brackets. Now that it’s down to the 1 vs 1 duels, I think it’s the end for this half of the winning
party.”
“Agreed. I think he’s out of the tournament this match. His opponent is a hybrid tank with
[Projected Bulwark] as his main skill. It’s going to be hard to break through that. In the team
fights, it was Shadow who took him out. Even damage heavy Pathers will have a hard time
getting through that. I just don’t think he has the power to do it.”
The countdown ended, and the man in full plate looked at Light. The moment the
counter hit zero, he pushed out his shield, and a ten-foot-tall replica made from mana appeared
from it. The man taunted, “Let’s see you get through this without your little whore in the
shadows.”
Light pulled a longsword from seemingly nowhere, Matt assumed it was a spatial device,
and slashed in a lazy X pattern. From the blade, two crescents of energy shot out, racing toward
the armored man. Then Light thrust the sword out, and a third beam appeared.
The first two [Mana Slash]’s cracked the large projection before the third energy attack
pierced through the [Projected Bulwark] and the man behind it.
The announcers went wild, “He doesn't have [Mana Thrust]. I checked. Was that a thrust
with [Mana Slash]? That’s impossible! The skill needs a slashing movement to discharge the
stored energy. This is completely unheard of—”
“Effin—”
Tara paused the recording. “See? They! Are! Monsters! That was them at Tier 15, and
then Light at Tier 10. Now, they don’t even have to try to win against Tier 23s. And they are so
young, they aren’t even rushing the last few Tiers like Duke Waters had to.”
Melinda chimed in as she slumped back into her chair. “They are so strong. I wish I
could have half of their power someday.”
Matt was aghast. That was how top Tier cultivators fought? Matt thought over the [Mana
Slash] that had been used as a thrust. He wanted a small part of that power. That was where
the peak was.
 He wondered about the masks, so he asked the group. Vinnie responded the fastest,
“It’s not super common, but it isn’t rare either. Not everyone wants the notoriety of climbing The
Path. So, the masks.”
“So, no one knows what they look like?”
Tara answered him, “Nope, not even a little. Duke Waters killed like twenty people when
they revealed his face during his climb. He was staying anonymous, but someone snuck a
camera into a private changing room. Then he couldn’t go anywhere without crowds blocking
his way or dealing with assassins from the other Great Powers. He’s made it very clear, anyone
who breaks the rule will regret it.”
Melinda added, “It only happened once since, and he kept his word. A team at Tier 7 got
outed, and he slaughtered the entire company responsible.”
“That’s not true. He only killed those who ordered it and did it. He only killed like…three
people. That bullshit about him slaughtering everyone is propaganda against him,” Vinnie
countered Melinda’s statement.
Matt tuned out the bickering.
He wanted that power. How would it feel to smash everyone, even Tiers above your
own? His resolve to delve and climb The Path of Ascension grew every time he pictured that
sword thrust.
***
Matt had just entered the rift and could tell something was wrong. It was in the air, in his
spirit…in his gut.
In the first room, he found proof. Where one unclothed and shoddily armed goblin should
be, he found three goblins clad in the scale armor usually only found in the final room of the rift.
Matt had been planning on using a shield and mace for this delve but quickly stowed
them in the sack and drew his longsword.
No reason to risk something new without my best weapon.
Matt debated leaving to report the anomaly, but then he would lose out on his chance to
delve. And it wasn’t like these goblins could hurt him with his [Cracked Phantom Armor] active.
What do I have to fear?
At worst, there would be three hobgoblins, and then he could retreat to the entrance.
Matt advanced. It took more time but, through every room, he found three times the
usual number of goblins.
Halfway through, he had developed an inkling of what might be going on. He’d heard
about something that rifts would do on rare occasions; a rift challenge. If Matt remembered
correctly, it could happen to any Tier of rift but was incredibly rare.
The topic had been covered in his introduction information, but he couldn’t remember
most of the details. The statistic of one in a million tickled his memory though.
Matt did know one thing, the greater the relative risk, the better the reward. That mantra
was always mentioned when delvers made daring risks and became legends overnight.
 The catch was that greater rewards came with greater challenges.
If his vague memories were right, a Tier 1 rift going through a rift challenge put its power
around Tier 2 strength. But the rewards would dwarf any normal Tier 2 rift rewards.
That thought pushed Matt on. If a Tier 1 rift couldn’t even scratch him, then he could
handle a Tier 2 rift, so long as he proceeded slowly and carefully.
Would Light and Shadow have run from this? No. They’re so strong, they would wrap
this up without breaking a sweat. This is my chance. I could get Tier 2 mana stones. If I’m lucky,
I could even get a Tier 2 essence stone, or maybe something better! I can buy anything I want
with that kind of wealth.
Matt knew greed was driving him forward but couldn’t stop. Risk paired with reward was
the one constant of delving rifts.
In the second-to-last room, the enemies changed from fully armored goblins to the
normal hobgoblins.
The sight almost made him turn around, but he still hesitated.
If the boss was just a training monster before, what’s waiting for me in the final room?
Matt decided to at least peek at what was waiting for him.
Even if I turn around now, I’ve still gotten more essence from this than in three normal
delves, and way more gear to sell. This is profitable either way. But I should at least check the
final room.
Matt finished off the three hobgoblins with little difficulty. He had been fighting them for
almost four months now and could predict every one of their moves.
Peering into the final room, Matt froze. Instead of the normal five goblins and one
hobgoblin, it was five hobgoblins and what Matt could only identify as an orc.
The large, tusked monster was at least 6’5” and had a build so wide it looked stocky
even at that height. It wasn't fat, though. The muscles rippling under its armor spoke of the
monster's strength.
Matt glanced from the pile of armor and weapons he had dragged here and back to the
orc. Then he looked to the reward distortion.
It shone with whitish-blue light to his spiritual sense. The glow spoke to Matt, whispering
of power and fame.
In his mind, he could see Light and Shadow fighting. A single blow of Light’s weapon
crushing a tank at his own Tier, who was also on The Path at Tier 15. He envisioned crushing
someone most people thought of as the best of the best in a single blow.
The Emperor’s words from weeks prior rang in his mind, “In a few hundred years, I
expect great things from you.”
Heading back felt cowardly. Matt wanted greatness. He wanted the power, the fame.
He stared at the reward distortion. He wanted that item. He craved it.
Matt stepped into the room.
 When he stepped through the entrance, the situation immediately grew worse. The
hobs, who he now saw were in much better armor than usual, charged at him directly. The orc
leader pulled a throwing ax off his belt and hurled it at him just inside the entrance.
Matt sidestepped it, but the wind of its passage and the spray of chipped stones from the
wall stressed [Cracked Phantom Armor] in a way that the boss hobgoblins never had.
This may have been a bad idea.
There was no more time for regret. The hobs were on him, and he was forced to retreat
to the left. He managed to bait out and punish an attack by the closest hob, drawing his sword
under its helmet to slit its throat.
He sidestepped to keep the orc from throwing another ax at him while he was open but,
as the hobgoblin blocked his view, Matt noticed a smirk on the orc’s tusked face.
He threw himself to the side. As he came up from the roll, he saw the hob in front of him
take the projectile to the back. The ax head was buried through the armor, down to the shaft.
The power of the projectile sent the hob flying into its two remaining kin. Matt took the chance to
finish the downed opponents with quick thrusts of his blade before they could stand.
The struck monster was a grim indication of what he would look like if a throwing ax ever
landed.
As he stabbed down for the final time, Matt heard the telltale whoosh of an attack and
rolled again. The throwing ax crashed off the wall. He looked to the orc as it lifted a shield and
spear, charging at him.
Quickly retrieving his dropped longsword in an awkward scramble, Matt deflected a
probing thrust, only to narrowly avoid taking a shield bash when he stepped to the orc’s left.
He looked to the entrance to escape. This wasn’t a fight he could win, but the orc had
curled around his path and blocked his retreat.
The pull of the rewards and promises of glory were gone. Only terror remained as he
realized what fate awaited him if he made a single mistake from here on.
Matt flicked a strike at the orc’s legs as it pulled its spear back from another light jab at
his torso. The orc just stepped back and thrust again with the spear, shield raised and at the
ready, not worrying about the light blow.
This orc is keeping me back with his height and weapon length advantage. What should
I do? What can I do?
Matt deflected the spear again, but instead of using the flat of his blade, he used the
edge in a heavy chop. He’d be spending money to have the blade fixed from striking the
hardwood, but it was better than dying.
As the orc repeatedly attacked with the haft of the spear, Matt retreated in circles,
parrying each blow. When he felt enough damage was done, he dodged to the left and chopped
the head off the spear, striking the weakened shaft where his repeated attacks chipped at the
wood.
He went to press his advantage, but the orc reacted quickly for the first time. It discarded
the now shortened shaft covering himself with the shield while reaching for something behind its
back.
 Matt drew his dagger with his left hand and threw it at the orc’s face. The dagger was
going to miss, but the orc instinctively raised his shield to block the thrown weapon, and Matt
took the opportunity to thrust with his sword.
He caught the orc in the guts, and when the weapon was deep inside monster flesh, he
pulled his blade to the left with all his might to try and eviscerate the monster. However, the orc
was faster than Matt predicted. The boss slammed its shield into his still embedded longsword
and ripped the weapon out of Matt’s hands, along with its guts, and stepped over the clattering
sword.
That’s when Matt noticed a red haze appearing around the orc. He knew what the skill
was and immediately retreated, leaving his sword on the ground. He was entirely unwilling to
stay anywhere near the monster.
The skill was [Berserker's Rage]. It was rarely used by humans due to its reliance on
taking injuries to fuel stronger attacks and increased speeds.
The skill had a nasty side effect. Any wounds were much harder to heal when active, so
only the truly desperate used it. And monsters. Matt had heard it was fairly common to see
when fighting melee monsters. He just hadn’t expected a Tier 1 rift, even one under the
influence of a rift challenge, to produce a Tier 3 monster.
Matt turned and ran to where a thrown ax had bounced off the wall.
He heard a whooshing sound from behind and tried to dodge but was hit by the thrown
shield in the left side and arm. Bones shattered in a flare of pain, his arm and several ribs
breaking under the hit. [Cracked Phantom Armor] flickered as he focused on rebuilding the skill
structure in his spirit after the massive blow.
The impact sent him sprawling, and his skill deactivated long enough for him to scrape
his face and good hand along the stone floor. Quickly, he forced himself to stand through the
pain. The only good thing was that he had landed on the ax, and as he stood, he swung it where
he expected the boss monster.
The orc was faster.
Under the suicidal influence of [Berserker's Rage], it had charged with arms spread,
intent to take his smaller human form down, and use its weight and strength advantages in a
grapple.
Matt's wild swing had cut into the outstretched hand, but the pain meant nothing to the
monster. Unable to get completely out of the way, he was bowled over. Only [Cracked Phantom
Armor] reduced the impact enough to prevent it from overwhelming his senses.
Scrambling to his feet one handed, he turned and ran before the orc could finish
gathering itself for another charge.
If that brute gets a good grip on me, I’m done for. I’ll never break free before he crushes
me, [Cracked Phantom Armor] or no.
The orc had already proven even a glancing attack was strong enough to overwhelm the
skill.
Matt reached the center of the room and turned, ax raised, to see the charging orc just
feet away. The monster’s stance was low, with arms over its head, primed to protect itself from
the raised ax.
 I don’t want to die here.
I can’t lose in a Tier 1 rift.
Matt firmed his will. Panicking wouldn't do him any good, he needed to take full
advantage of his one edge. The orc was using [Berserker's Rage], and that made it less
rational. That was his only chance.
The monster approached with bounding strides, it was so fast, Matt only had a moment
to make a decision.
I will be endless. This cannot be my end!
Matt had an instant of clarity. The world sharpened, and the pain of his broken arm
faded.
His overhead blow wouldn’t work, so he dropped the ax and abandoned that plan. With
his right hand, he picked up the broken haft of the spear, wedging its iron-clad butt into the
stony ground and bracing it with a foot.
The enraged orc ran onto the length of wood, impaling itself on the broken remains of its
own weapon.
Dying hands tried to get a grip on Matt as they went tumbling, but [Cracked Phantom
Armor] provided enough defense to outlast the orcs' final, desperate struggles.
A massive amount of essence entered his spirit. It felt like he had eaten far too much,
but instead of his stomach being bloated it was his spirit. Some essence was lost, but he
couldn't find it in himself to care.
On his back, Matt gazed past the ceiling before starting to laugh. The blood he tasted
didn’t diminish his joy in the slightest, it was simply proof he was the victor.
That had been exhilarating. He felt truly alive for the first time. He had fought a monster
that was probably at Tier 3, and he had won.
Still lying on the cool stone of the floor, Matt looked to the orc a few feet away. He was
pretty sure only monsters at the very peak of Tier 2 or Tier 3 had skills, but it hadn’t come up in
his reviews yet.
Matt laughed again, but the pain in his left side stopped him from doing so for long.
Looking down, he saw nothing but the blue of his skill armor, but he felt the wetness
clinging to his clothes inside [Cracked Phantom Armor].
Huh? [Cracked Phantom Armor] keeps my blood inside? Why?
Carefully, he stood up and fetched the ax he had baited the orc with. He was taking a
trophy. With careful maneuvering, Matt decapitated the orc and proceeded to gather the armor
from where he had stashed it and all the metal from the final room.
His sack was nearly too heavy to lift with his injuries. Only with great care and patience
was Matt able to get everything to the tear in space that was the exit. 
He was growing foggier as his adrenaline faded, and each movement became stiffer.
Matt was damned if he was going to leave a single thing behind. Even if he got Melinda
to heal him, healing was always expensive, and he refused to take advantage of his friends. He
had seen best friends turn to enemies at the orphanage over items worth far less than a healer’s
skill.
Gingerly, after he moved the pile of loot to the exit rift, he looked to the final reward
distortion. Now that the fight was over, it once again called to him with blueish light.
He paused. Some instinct told him this was a pivotal moment. 
The pain in his side grew as the adrenaline completely faded, and Matt stood frozen in
place.
He knew there was no proof that a reward wasn’t already set when the rift was created,
but this felt like a time to lean into superstition. On instinct more than thought, Matt sent out a
pulse of essence. Nothing had changed, but he felt that was the moment.
In the place of the small distortion was a… Matt wasn’t sure what it was. It looked like a
fist-sized egg made of ice.
He knew bondable creatures were possible rifts rewards, but he had only seen one in a
movie. Beyond that, he had only heard of them as voluntary contracts with wild beasts, or he
vaguely thought there was something about buying one, but he was too lightheaded to dredge
up the memory.
Matt hated that so much information was kept from the low Tiered cultivators. He sighed,
nothing he could do about it now except get it scanned and evaluated.
Looking at the orc’s head at the top of the sack made Matt smile again.
The risk was sky high, and my reward should match that.
Matt pulled out his pad and typed a message to Melinda asking for her help. The
message would be sent once he left the rift, and he could deal with broken bones for the time it
took to get to the living quarters on the edge of the island.
He wasn’t looking forward to the ride back from the center of the island, but if he was
going to pay a healer’s outrageous fees, he wanted the money to go to a friend instead of a
stranger. 
Broken bones weren’t life-threatening, they just hurt. But Matt was old friends with pain.
After he placed the large egg next to the orc head, he lifted the sack, hissing as the
weight put pressure on his broken ribs. Stepping through the portal, he was quickly seen and
helped by the waiting guards. As he was led out of the room, he tried to decline the offers of a
healer, saying he had one on the way.
Before Matt could make his way to the check-out desk, he heard Melinda.
How is she here so fast?
He couldn’t understand what was happening with the ever-growing darkness
encroaching on his vision. He had taken much longer than usual to finish the rift. It should have
been well after they usually finished their own delve. Even after becoming Tier 3s, they never
took more than three hours to finish clearing a rift.
He was grabbed by Melinda and, as her hand touched him, he felt her [Ranged Heal]
soothing the pain slightly.
 When her face moved in front of his, he still couldn’t understand. Her mouth was moving,
but no sound was coming out.
“Deactivate your skill. It’s interfering with my healing.” 
Matt felt the fog lift in his mind enough for the words to sink in and stopped feeding mana
to [Cracked Phantom Armor]. As he did, he felt wetness moving down his side.
As the pressure from his skill ended and the broken bones shifted again, hands guided
him to the ground. He tried to protest but was overruled and manhandled down.
More gentle soothing energy washed the aches and pains away, and he finally
becoming more clear-headed. Melinda’s Talent healed the injuries as if they never happened.
“You back with us, Matt? What happened?”
Melinda kneeled over him and an older lady in healer’s robes stood behind her.
“Yeah, I’m good. Think I had a concussion.”
“No shit! And your left side was all fucked up. You realize you had a two-inch chunk cut
out of your side?”
It had felt far worse than that, but Matt kept that to himself. “I think it was a rift challenge.
It was way harder than it should have been.”
The older healer standing over them interjected, “That’s a bold claim, young man. Do
you have any proof? Or are you trying to save face because you fucked up?”
That irritated Matt. Who was she to judge him? She implied he couldn’t handle a Tier 1
rift.
“Look in the sack and tell me what you think. It should be all the proof I need.”
Matt got the shock he expected, but not for the reason he thought. Instead of pulling the
orc head out, the healer removed the large egg made of ice.
“I’ll give you a million credits for this,” she said and tucked the egg away.
Matt shouted, “Fuck no!” As he struggled up. Melinda kept a firm grip on him, preventing
his movement.
The healer hesitated but looked at the guards before saying, “Ten million.”
Matt struggled to his feet. “Give it back!”
Who did this woman think she was?
The commotion had drawn the guard captain to see what was wrong. As he took in the
scene, he said, “Iris, you know that pressuring a sponsored individual is against policy and
trying to lowball a prize is even more of a crime.”
“It’s not like he would make good use of it. The idiot almost got killed in a Tier 1 rift. He
should take some money and go live a normal life.” The healer holding his reward took a step
away after saying that.
The guard captain walked over to the sack and pulled the orc head out. “Sure, looks like
to me and my spiritual sense that this, ‘idiot who almost got himself killed in a Tier 1 rift,’ killed a
Tier 3 orc using [Berserker's Rage] before it died. If what I'm feeling is right. Am I lying as well,
Iris?”
Matt was startled. How could the guard tell all of that? Was his spiritual sense that good?
Or was it something else? Maybe some hidden aspect of the monster he couldn't recognize.
That represented the power he wanted. If he had power like that, this arrogant healer
would never dare to try and steal what was his.
The guard captain continued, “You know as well as I do that a Tier 3 can only appear in
a Tier 1 with a rift challenge. And you want to try and steal from someone on The Path?
Someone on The Path who can kill a Tier 3 at Tier 1? If the Empire didn’t hunt you down, how
long do you think you’d last before he did?” As he finished, Griff suddenly appeared. “And I
already reported this incident.” The captain shrugged as if it was already settled.
The healer looked pale but still tried to defend herself with Matt’s egg clutched to her
chest. “This is wasted on him. Ten million is more than fair. I—”
Griff interrupted her, “Iris, you know stealing from someone who is on The Path while
working at a PlayPen is a capital offense?” Iris tried to speak, but Griff cut her off. “And ten
million for that egg is stealing. Iris, you know it, and so does everyone here. Now, how about
you put—”
“It should be mine! I've been healing these brats for so long! I deserve this. If I can’t have
it, he sure ca—”
Matt’s heart stopped as Iris moved to smash the egg, but before she could do more than
raise her hand, Griff had already moved. He held her raised hand with his right, and his entire
left arm was through her chest.
With a shake, he took hold of Matt’s egg and dislodged the dead healer. “Captain, I’m
sure you and your men will act as witnesses for the investigation. The cameras should have
gotten everything, but we'll still need to go through the motions.”
With one arm covered in blood, Griff looked at the woman on the floor. “Why? Why do
you all insist on making my life difficult?”
He handed the egg to Matt and peeked at the orc head with a nod.
“Well, the events shouldn’t be that hard to explain. Matt, I’m assuming you found
yourself in a rift challenge and decided not to leave?”
Matt, now having been completely healed and only sore, nodded.
“I remembered they were rare an—”
Griff sighed and cut him off with closed eyes. “They aren’t actually that rare. Solo delvers
find them more often, one in say ten to twenty thousand delves. It’s the rifts way to get a free
kill. They get stronger from every death inside them.”
That was common knowledge. Rifts could grow slowly over time, but deaths accelerated
the process.
“Rifts aren't alive, but they do run like magical code, with a lot of ‘if-then’ statements. If
the group that enters is stronger than it, then the rift uses as little essence as it can to not waste
resources. If the group is weaker than it, then it will send the normal monster. Because why
waste the essence?”
 The large man shook his hand, trying to get the blood off it. “But there is a gray spot
between the two. If the rift's calculations lead it to believe it can get a kill from boosting its power
a bit, and it thinks it won't spend more on a rift challenge than it would get for killing the delvers,
a challenge will appear. The odds go up if the rift is low on essence.”
Seeing the blood refusing to come off, the man summoned a towel from nowhere and
wiped off the blood. “Most solo delvers are smart enough to just back out and re-enter. It’s
essence expensive, and the rift can't recycle the monsters. Rift challenges have a survival rate
of about one in a million for solo delvers. It’s better for those on The Path because most are
stronger than average, but it’s still near one in five hundred thousand. The rifts only do it when
the math adds up in their favor. So, please explain why you were stupid enough to actually
attempt it.”
Matt suddenly felt very foolish. The information Griff stated cleared up the confusion he
had and jogged his memory of his brief when he first arrived on the island. He had thought there
was a one in a million chance to get a rift challenge, not one in a million chance to survive one.
“I, uhh…misremembered it as being one in a million to find one and…didn’t want to pass
the chance up.” He swallowed hard at the look in the man's eyes.
Griff ground the heels of his hands into his eyes, not noticing or caring about the blood
covering his left hand. Then he wordlessly screamed into his hands.
Matt suddenly felt really scared. Would Griff hurt him if he snapped?
After he stopped screaming, Griff took his hands off his face. “I can’t even accurately
prove to you how dangerous that was. I just hope you remember that in the future, the
difference between Tiers is larger. Tier 1 to 3 is manageable. As you advance, the gulf just
increases.”
The bloody handprint covering half his face gave each word a menacing aura.
“It's not manageable by everyone, or even most people, but it’s not completely unheard
of. As you ascend to higher Tiers, it takes more essence to advance, and that makes the gaps
between them wider. There’s a reason those who complete The Path are so rare. It’s a race
where you have to fight three or more Tiers above yourself, and at Tier 20 or higher, it’s nearly
impossible to cross Tiers. That’s why those who can are so highly valued.”
Griff was working himself up, and even the guard captain had retreated. Matt felt frozen
and vulnerable on the ground with just Melinda and company directly behind him.
“There has been one person, one single fucking person, to do it in the last thousand
years. One thousand fucking years. Can you imagine how many people have been born in the
Empire in the last millennium?”
Matt didn’t think he was supposed to answer that, but when Griff paused, he opened his
mouth before Griff’s eyes refocused. “I just looked it up. About 714 billion per year. Give or take
some. Seven. Hundred. And fourteen. Billion people per year, over the last millennium. Not a
single one has managed to replicate Duke Waters feat.”
The man looked pleading as he said, “Matt, you are not better than the seven hundred
and fourteen trillion people before you.”
Griff took a deep breath and sighed. He looked like he’d aged ten years.
 “And the worst thing is, you got rewarded for your reckless behavior. Tens of millions will
die trying to get the same reward as you did. If you care at all, you’ll keep the source of that—”
he waved at the egg in Matt’s hand, “a secret.
“Just say you got lucky in the normal rift. Or better yet, don’t answer at all. Because if it
gets out that it was from a rift challenge, every new person on any PlayPen for the next decade
will try it instead of escaping as is recommended. They will attempt to repeat your feat, and so
few of them will make it out alive. Even fewer will make it through alive and victorious as you
did.”
Matt felt terrible. He hadn’t thought his actions out that far. What was this egg? Was it so
valuable to send people to their deaths to risk getting something similar?
The icy egg suddenly felt heavier than the orc corpse had when it tried to end his life
with its own.
“Melinda, is he okay to move?”
The healer just nodded at Griff’s question, not daring to speak.
“You can all go home. I beg you not to talk about this. I really do. I just had to kill a Tier 8
Healer because of it. Please, don’t get more people killed. I am sick of watching children die.”
With that, Griff was gone.
 Chapter 8
 
Usually, Matt rode the bus that made trips between the rift and developed area of the
island, but not tonight. None of them wanted to wait near the rifts and left quickly after.
He looked down at the trophy he had been so proud of and felt sick. With an effort that
surprisingly didn’t strain his recently healed body, he threw the orc’s head into the woods.
It had transformed from a symbol of his bravery and victory to a token of his stupidity.
He nearly died and had wanted to take the head of his fallen foe and proudly proclaim he
had killed it. A statement Matthew Alexander was the next Duke Waters. The next Light and
Shadow.
The encounter now tasted like ashes.
Healer Iris’s greed toward the cold egg in his hand had angered him, and that still had
him simmering. If not for the Empire and its rules, the strong would be able to take anything they
wanted. Matt wasn’t strong. He was protected by a Tier 50 who was planets away and wanted
people to grow and not be oppressed.
That wasn’t his strength. The healer should have followed the rules but, instead, tried to
crush Matt with her money and power. Griff was a better person than Iris, but what if he hadn’t
been?
Everything he risked his life for could have been snatched in an instant.
He did not want to… No… He could never be weak again. Iris reminded him of how he
felt at eight when the rift break had torn everyone he had ever loved away from him. He knew
he had only been a child, but if people had been stronger, the rift break would have been easily
pushed back. If the Junipers had done their duty, he wouldn’t have lost everything he held dear.
Power is the only way to protect what I care about. Is that all that matters?
Matt wanted that power. He looked at Melinda, Mathew, Kyle, Sam, Vinnie, and Tara. He
wanted to be able to protect his friends who had run to help, even if he didn’t know how they got
there so fast. Now wasn’t the time to ask, but he made a note to return the favor however he
could. They had been friends through the good times and parties but, tonight, they had proven
they were there in the bad times as well.
Griff had been right. Matt could admit that. He may have misremembered the information
about rift challenges, but he had played it smart and cautious until he had seen the reward
distortion. If he hadn’t been blinded by his avarice, he could have retreated and still could have
made good gains in both essence and credits.
The fight with the orc could have gone worse in a thousand different ways. Any misstep
or dodge in the wrong direction, and he could have been killed. He had only been hit with a
single thrown shield, and it destroyed the left side of his body, and that was through his armor
skill.
Matt knew he was lucky it was only a glancing blow, and that [Cracked Phantom Armor]
had stopped him from bleeding out. His left side was covered in blood from only a few moments
between the skill turning off and Melinda healing him.
 The area felt oddly perfect to his senses. The wounds were healed and not even sore to
the touch. Matt looked to the healer. He owed her. He couldn’t imagine how to even begin to
repay the debt, but he promised himself he would one day.
He would become strong enough that he wouldn’t need to rely on the protection of the
Empire and the Emperor. He wouldn't need to lean on his friends. He would grow strong enough
to be able to support them as they had supported him. To do that, he needed to get better.
***
As the long walk ended and the residential area was in sight, Melinda broke the long
silence. “Healer Iris wasn't a good person. Rumor had it she was here because she tried to
extort someone while acting as an official Healer. It's just a rumor, but she's always been an
asshole. Never willing to share techniques or offer suggestions when I’m learning.”
Mathew chimed in after his girlfriend, “Well, I think her actions tonight kinda prove those
rumors right.”
“Yeah, I guess they do.” Melinda sounded resigned to the fate of the late healer. 
Tara quietly asked, “Did Griff have to kill her? That seems a little excessive with his
power.”
Kyle quietly answered her, “Yeah, he did. Theft of rift rewards is considered banditry,
and the punishment for that is always death. My combat tutor talked about it. He said it’s
considered kinder to just kill them and avoid the publicity.”
“That’s stupid. We shouldn’t kill anyone that easily. She could have been given a second
chance.”
“She was on her second chance. No way she deserved a third. She tried to steal from
Matt. Are you saying she should?” Kyle snapped back.
“No, I—”
Matt felt the need to interject before they got farther off track, “Thanks for the quick
reaction. I swear I’ll—”
He was stopped as a red-eyed Melinda jumped in front of him, finger in his face. “If you
say ‘pay me back,’ by every bad thing I can think of I can think of. I. Will. Hurt. You. We help
each other. That's what friends do. If you had the chance, I'm sure you'd do the same. All that’s
needed is a thank you.”
As he opened his mouth to protest, Melinda glared harder. “Matthew Alexander, the next
words that leave your mouth better not be anything other than ‘thank you,’ Do. Not. Fucking.
Test. Me.”
Matt acquiesced. “Thank you, Melinda.” He looked to the rest of her party. “Thanks to all
of you. I just don't want you guys to feel like I'm only friends with you for free heals. I've seen
friendships end over far less. And I value our friendship too much.”
Mathew looped an arm around his shoulder. “It's not like we haven’t had to fend off
people who just wanted to cozy up to us for Melinda’s abilities. It’s easy to tell who’s who.”
“Also, as the healer who treated you, I'm banning you from delving for the next two
shifts,” Melinda sounded smug at the proclamation.
 “You can do that? What about your…?” He paused, not wanting to say it out loud, “You
know what.”
“Yeah, and I’ll make it three if you give me any more lip. And it's not fully tested. While it
should remove the healing cooldown, I don't trust it yet.”
Looking at her still red eyes and slight sniffle she was trying to hide, Matt didn’t feel it
would be smart to call her bluff.
“Okay, but you need to explain what happened,” Sam steered the conversation into safer
waters.
“After you all explain how you got to the rift so fast.”
“Easy. You’re usually out of the rift way before us, and when you didn't answer our
message, we got worried. We saw your pad hadn’t gone online since your rift time, so we
waited outside in case you needed Melinda’s help. We know your skill makes it so you can’t
really get hurt in a Tier 1 rift, so we got worried.”
Kyle added, “Unless he's crazy enough to fight a Tier 3. I'm surprised you can walk,
Matt”
Matt didn't know what he was talking about. Walk? His legs hadn't been injured.
“With the size of those balls on you, I’m surprised you aren't just bouncing down the road
on them.”
Ohhhhhh.
The attempt at humor didn't quite land, but he appreciated the effort. Tara added, “Yeah,
give us the story. How did you do it?”
So, Matt told them. Their reactions made him feel a little better after Griff's dressing
down. But he still felt Griff had been mostly right, even if a little harsh. He definitely would make
a different decision if presented with the same situation a second time.
The incident felt as if it happened to someone else once the adrenaline had run its
course.
As they got to the housing complex, Matt was urged to scan the egg, and after he had,
they rushed to the group’s suite to view the results privately.
Bound Pet: Arctic Fox.
Elemental Affinity: Ice.
The group then looked up how to bond the pet, which was like bonding a skill shard.
Send essence in, and then a few days later the creature would hatch.
That sparked a debate on why a fox was in an egg until Melinda, who looked up the
procedures with Matt, saw an author's note, which she read out loud.
“Guys, holy shit. This explains why Iris tried so hard to steal the egg! Listen to this,
‘While arctic foxes aren’t particularly stronger or weaker than other bound pets, they are prized
for their beauty. Most eggs that are placed on the market go for fifty Tier 11 mana stones.’ Wow,
that's a lot of credits.”
 Then Melinda straightened in realization, “That bitch Iris only offered you ten million
credits.”
“Wait, why is it worth fifty Tier 11 mana stones and not five Tier 12 mana stones?” Kyle
asked.
That led to more searching for the group to learn that after Tier 5, mana stones
increased the total mana they held, leading to a ratio jump of fifty to one. Then another jump
every ten Tiers until it was a thousand to one at Tier 50.
Strategic resources like shielding and rift disrupters used millions of mana a second at
the higher Tiers. There the mana capacity of rift-made mana stones was valued much more, so
the price increased faster than the total mana. Manmade mana stones that were rechargeable
were only able to hold 200 mana at the same size of the rift-made ones. After that, they
ballooned in size.
Matt and the others spent the rest of the evening trying to decide on what to name the
unhatched arctic fox, looking at the available pictures with a chorus of oohs and aahs.
They even watched some combat footage with companion arctic foxes. There wasn't
much, but what they found impressed him. The lowest Tier of video they found was Tier 7, but
the fox had created a small blizzard and shot icicles at the targets.
He thought about selling the egg, but the thought was quickly pushed aside. He had
fought too hard to give even an average pet away. The money would be nice in the short term,
but a bond would be a partner that could travel the Tiers with him. Added to the fact foxes
seemed to be natural mages just solidified his choice.
He could use more ranged attacks in his arsenal.
There was no way he was selling the prize of his rift challenge.
He looked at the egg in his lap, the PlayPenNet said it could take anywhere from one to
three days to hatch, but he wanted it to hatch now. Or rather, in the morning. He was tired and
needed to get pet supplies.
Shit. What do foxes need? Are they like cats? Dogs? I've never had a pet.
***
The next morning, Matt stood outside Griff's door. It was early enough that Matt hadn't
expected the man to be in, but the light was on, so he knocked.
“Come in.”
He did so, and Griff looked surprised to see him.
The Tier 15 gave Matt a tired smile. “Sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have yelled at
you. I had just come back from a party’s funeral, but that doesn't excuse how I acted. I shouldn't
have lost my temper like that, and I apologize. That was both unprofessional and wrong of me.”
Matt was surprised. This wasn't how he expected this to go. He had planned to
apologize and thank the older man.
“No, you were right. It was stupid to push on. I got greedy, and it almost got me killed. I
thought over the fight a lot last night, and it went about as well as it could have. I'm pretty good,
but I know I'm not good enough to guarantee a kill on a Tier 3. I got lucky.”
 This next part felt embarrassing, but Matt pushed on, “I thought I could be the next Light
and Shadow. I told myself to take it easy and not risk it. And I did until the last room. Before that,
only the last three rooms could even get through my skill, and they were just the normal
hobgoblins. Even three of them weren’t so strong that I was concerned at all.”
Swallowing, Matt finished, “And I looked in and saw the hobs and the orc. I knew I
should have turned around, but when I saw the reward distortion, it felt…” Matt looked down and
pulled the large ice egg out of the backpack he was carrying it with.
“It felt like this was my chance to be great. I considered myself too good and skilled to
waste the opportunity. I swore I'd be the next person to complete The Path. Looking back, they
were just bullshit justifications to be greedy. I looked up what little info I could find, and Light and
Shadow were clearing Tier 1 rifts at Tier 1. They weren't great and strong until they got skills
and experience. I don't have either. But I thought I did especially after winning.”
His voice broke slightly, so he swallowed and continued, “So…I just wanted to thank you
for the reality check. And stopping that healer from stealing my prize.”
Griff had leaned back in his chair during Matt's stumbling apology and wore a slight
smile after Matt finished.
“Well, I didn't expect that. A lot of people don't appreciate the fact they’re not the hero of
the story, that they won't get to save the Empire and get the girl. I learned that lesson much later
in life. I thought I was hot shit, thought I was the next Duke Waters. I believed it, too. My whole
team thought we were going to be the next greats.
“So, we started delving into Tier 12s at Tier 10. It's how we fell off The Path. My wife was
chopped in half, and the other two of my teammates were moments from death but, thankfully,
we were all able to retreat with our lives. And the worst part is, I didn't even get a bruise.”
The man met Matt's eyes, but he was clearly somewhere else. “That was the day I
learned I wasn't special. My wife and two of my best friends were almost the price I had to pay
to learn that lesson.”
Griff turned a picture on his desk around, him holding a woman smiling up at him with
another couple doing the same.
“I treasure them more than advancing fast. The prizes are an illusion, Matt. After Tier 5’s
free skill shard, The Path is not worth risking everything. You know how age works with
cultivation?”
Matt shook his head. “I know the higher you get until Tier 15 you live longer, but I don't
know the details.”
“At Tier 10, you’ll have a life expectancy of almost seven hundred years, Matt. Seven
hundred years is a long time. Those who go slow and steady are far more likely to hit Tier 15,
and those who do hit Tier 15 slowly are more likely to reach Tier 25. People like to fixate on The
Path, but it's a charnel house.”
“Then why is The Path a thing? It seems wasteful.” Matt wasn’t just happy to move on
from his blunder but was actually interested.
“It is and it isn’t. I wish it weren't so, but The Path is a net positive. The Empire isn't the
only Tier 50 power out there. There are seven others of relative strength. And all have some
variation of The Path. It shows everyone else that our younger generation is strong. It's an
internal competition to show external power that the Great Powers put on.
 “The last war the Empire fought was six or seven hundred years ago. It was a tame war
as far as those things go, and yet we still lost eight hundred million people.”
“What was the war about?” Matt was curious now.
Griff laughed, but there was no humor in it. “A Tier 30 world was found with natural
portals to both Empire territory and the republic. Both sides claimed it, and so blood was shed.
Do you know why we haven't had another?”
Matt shook his head, so Griff continued, “Duke Waters. He's one of three people in all
eight Great Powers who have completed The Path. He alone stops any attempts. And his
presence will continue to do so until he ascends to the higher planes.”
“How can one man do that? It seems like they could just send a squad of Tier 40s or
stronger.” That didn’t make sense to Matt, and he refuted the claim. Duke Waters was a legend,
but how could one man do so much.
“That isn't allowed.”
Seeing Matt surprise Griff laughed for real this time. “Yeah, I thought the same thing.
Wars are only fought with people Tier 15 to Tier 35. But attacking someone in a lower Tier is
forbidden. If a Tier 16 kills a Tier 15, it can domino all the way up to the Tier 50s.”
The Tier 15 waved his hand. “If a Tier 40 or higher wants to wipe out all life on a planet,
it’s easy. They could snap their fingers, and we wouldn’t know how we died.” 
Griff leaned back and rubbed his temples. “Twenty or so thousand years ago, a conflict
happened where the rules of war were ignored. It was a three-way war between the eight Great
Powers, and someone somewhere killed a battalion of Tier 15s. Then the other side retaliated,
getting revenge by sending a team of Tier 17s to kill the Tier 16s. After the war was over, forty-
three high Tier worlds were left uninhabitable. Trillions of lives lost. It cost too much to be worth
it.”
Those numbers and powers were so far out of Matt’s realm he couldn't even think about
how that would happen. 
Griff continued as Matt was thinking, “So, Duke Waters’ very presence stops anyone
from attacking us and our allies because he's a true monster. He just reached Tier 31, and he
can solo Tier 35 rifts. The other two Ascenders are strong but not Duke Waters strong. That's
why we have The Path. That’s why the Empire allows its best to get killed trying to grow as
strong as possible because one man can stop billions of deaths.”
He seemed to have aged a dozen years as he leaned forward, putting his weight on his
elbows. “And that leads me to Healer Iris. She was a valuable asset to the Empire. Healing skills
are rare, and those who wish to dedicate themselves to the profession are even harder to
nurture. She lost that value to the Empire after her stunt. If we let people abuse their positions, it
breeds enmity. If there isn't a swift punishment, people will do anything they can to take
revenge. Just a few years ago, a young man's sister was raped and murdered. He tried to get
the culprits punished.”
Griff waved off to the side. “He reported it to the authorities and even the nobility of his
planet. They ignored him. He was a lower Tiered crafter, and the rapist was a mayor's son. They
valued him and his sister as less because they weren't strong. Do you know what he did to get
revenge?”
Matt didn’t have words so just shook his head.
 “He waited until the city's defensive shielding was up because of a nearby rift break and
broke a family treasure. He torched a city of millions. Not a single survivor. It was the only way
he could see to right the wrong done to his sister. The Empire has laws for a reason, and when
they aren't fairly enforced, millions can pay the cost of a few.”
Matt didn't know what to say. It was a grim tale, but one he understood. He had fantasies
about getting revenge on the governors and Junipers who let the rift breaks occur. Killing
millions seemed excessive in his eyes, but he understood the desire for revenge. That much
killing just created more pain.
The room was silent until Griff shook himself, sitting up and slapping his desk. “On to
better topics. Matt, you have skill. I've looked at your training stats and clearance rates. You’re
good. I think you can get to the 10th or 15th Tier safely on The Path. And just that will show our
enemies we have one more powerhouse in our rosters they have to be leery of.”
He pointed out where Matt thought the accommodations were. “You mentioned Light
and Shadow. Do you know why they cover their faces? It’s so they don't get assassinated by
the other powers. No one wants the Empire to have two sets of Ascenders at once. It would be
unprecedented.”
The second in command of the PlayPen waved his hands around. “It would make us the
strongest power by miles. Duke Waters still has another seven or eight thousand years before
he hits Tier 45 and can travel to the higher planes at the fastest. That amount of time is nothing
to the other seven powers. The mere thought of a single Great Power having that kind of power
terrifies them. Light and Shadow have probably had an attempt on their lives every few years
since they hit Tier 17.”
He leaned forward slightly to catch Matt's eyes. “Matt, standing out too much will draw
attention. And, yes, you were right. They were weak at Tier 1. It’s common knowledge they
came from an under Tier 5 world, and so did Duke Waters. As far as which planets they came
from? That information is completely hidden. When you roll the dice trillions of times, that’s how
you beat the odds, and that’s how the Empire gets lucky enough to have two sets of
Ascenders.”
His eyes were hard but not unkind. “War is close, Matt. Remember this. If you kill a
genius before they can fully grow up, they aren’t a genius.”
Griff stood and walked to the window, peering out at the sun as it peaked over the
ocean, bathing the island in the light of the new day.
“To happier topics, what pet did you get? It's obviously ice-based, but did you get
something crazy like an ice dragon?”
“No, an arctic fox.”
“Ahh, that's still a good one. It starts a bit weaker than a dragon or a phoenix, but all
bonds can get to absurd power levels. Hmmm, I don't think we even have bond collars here.”
The older man nodded along as he spoke.
“Bond collars? I didn’t see anything about needing a collar.”
Griff glanced at him. “Yup. It's how bonds and pets show they are owned and not just
wild monsters until they gain enough intelligence to use an AI. Also, they function like the
bracelets and will allow you to share essence. I'll get one special ordered for you.”
 Griff turned and stuck out his hand. “Matt, really, thanks for coming by. I still am sorry I
snapped at you, but I appreciate you for understanding what’s at stake.”
Then Griff laughed. “Let’s hope you get a female fox.”
“What? Why's that, Griff?”
Griff just laughed harder. “All nonhuman monsters can take a human shape at Tier 15.
Considering you're going to be binding your spirit to your fox, they will be taking a form you find
attractive. Marriage between bonds isn't unheard of even if rare.”
The older man grinned lecherously. “And, besides, if it's a she, she would be foxy.”
***
Matt walked into the general store and looked at his pad. He had a list of things to get,
but every time he thought of his fox bond, Matt couldn't help but remember Griff’s bad joke.
Griff’s wife had walked in at the end of the conversation just in time to hear his ill-timed
joke, and a whispered argument ensued. She told Griff if he got an animal companion, she'd
have to get a male companion of her own.
Matt felt the argument was strange because she had their child in a carrier the whole
time. He was just glad the kid was asleep when he made his escape and heard the contents of
Griff's desk clatter to the floor.
It wasn't like he could change the gender of the animal in the egg. It just seemed weird
to want to have sex with something that was once an animal. He pushed the thought off. That
was a problem for decades in the future at the earliest. Tier 15 was just a dream to the current
him.
Griff had ordered a collar for Matt as an apology, and while Matt felt guilty accepting
when he saw the price tag of a Tier 5 mana stone, his protest died.
That was more than twenty-five times his credit limit. Griff warned him that bonds were
usually only bought at Tier 5 because they were so expensive. The spiritual strain the bond
placed on the cultivator was only a problem if the bond wasn't willing to bond.
The true barrier of having a bond on The Path was the restriction on outside financial
assistance for their upkeep. Griff even admitted he was skirting the rules pretty heavily with his
‘apology,’
Arriving at the general store, he found an employee who helped him access the off-world
catalog Griff had directed him to. The prices were absurd. A month's supply of food for an arctic
fox kit cost a little more than a thousand credits.
Matt looked at the egg and wanted to cry. He didn't know how he was going to feed the
little monster.
Then there were the toys and bedding.
Why do toys cost hundreds of credits each? Why does the bedding cost four thousand?
As he looked into the blatant extortion, he found pets were considered monsters for a
good reason. At Tier 1, most could chew through iron. All their toy materials needed to be Tier 3
monster parts or higher.
 The bedding was specially made for cold creatures and would deflect their cold back at
them, which was apparently important. Despite his best efforts, Matt couldn’t find any specifics
as to why, just that every bed rated for the foxes came with it, and that feature increased the
price considerably.
To make matters worse, the fox would also need special alchemical concoctions to
strengthen its innate cold powers as they advanced if he didn't live in a high Tier world with
significant ice caps.
Matt could see his future of living with no savings and his debt constantly climbing. The
only reassurance he had was his peak Tier 1 status after the rift challenge. Now, he just had to
wait for his spirit to accumulate to its newfound bond before attempting the breakthrough into
Tier 2.
Confirming the purchase for six months of food, two supplement packages, a bed, and a
massive number of toys and grooming supplies was painful. Seeing his credit limit instantly
halved, Matt almost wished Griff would yell at him again so he could get some more free stuff. If
it wasn't for Griff’s generosity, he wouldn't have two credits to rub together.
The arrival time for his order was scheduled for two days from now, the quick turnaround
being another perk of getting on Griff’s bad side. He was grateful he wasn't charged with the
usual fee of a Tier 8 mana stone to activate the portal off schedule.
Matt decided to go to the gym to work out. He needed an outlet for his frustration at his
newly acquired pauper status, and the only way to claw his way out again was to delve higher
Tier rifts.
Tier 2, here I come.
***
The night before the pet items arrived, Matt was in the shower, pondering the impending
arrival of this creature that would have a heavy influence on the rest of his life. The frozen egg
left an un-fogged section in the mirror next to it as it rested in the sink next to his shower 
Suddenly, a powerful jolt reverberated in his spiritual energy, warming and chilling him
all at once. There was only one thing this bizarre sensation could possibly mean.
His fox was about to hatch.
Matt hastily ended his shower, threw on his pants, and sent a rushed message to
Melinda’s team.
He stared at the egg placed carefully on the center of his bed when all six of them
barged into the room. Seeing they hadn't missed the culminating moment of their days spent in
anticipation, the team sighed in relief.
Less than fifteen apprehensive minutes later, a crack appeared with a crisp, satisfying,
ringing sound. The egg shook slightly as the crack expanded along its surface until, finally, the
eggshell fragmented into frost-covered pieces.
Out popped a fuzzy mass of white. She, as the hatchling had clearly asserted through
their newly formed spiritual connection, looked at Matt as she wobbled to him on unsteady legs.
The little fox advanced all of three steps before falling over, and Matt quickly scooped
her up and cradled her to his chest.
 She was so soft. And as frigid as a block of ice. A chill permeated the air around her,
emanating constantly from her fur.
He could barely make out sounds of appreciation and wonder coming from the others.
Words like adorable, fluffy, and cuddly barely registered. He was completely lost to his
surroundings, except for this new facet of his very identity.
Matt only had eyes for the small creature in his arms. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and
she seemed perfectly content to stay pressed against his chest listening to his heartbeat, but
she explored the link between their spirits.
It didn’t feel as if it was an invasion into his consciousness but, instead, like a hopeful
inquiry from an innocent child. Matt got the sense this bond was deeply familiar to her, and the
very reason she had woken from her deep sleep. It wasn’t through spoken word that he
understood her but, instead, he almost immediately interpreted the emotions, colors, and
impressions she projected to him mentally.
The tiny kit opened intelligent, light blue eyes the color of towering glaciers. After a few
minutes, Matt realized he had forgotten something important.
She was hungry, and she wanted food now. He had no idea what he should feed the
hatchling. The food he had purchased wouldn't arrive until the next morning.
The dilemma was solved for him, and through the spiritual connection, Matt got an
impression of the fractured pieces of egg. Setting her down next to the remains of her vessel,
the arctic fox ate half of the remains before falling over, stuffed and exhausted.
Matt looked to the others and saw Melinda biting her knuckles to keep quiet, and the rest
weren't faring any better.
His new bond would be asleep for a while, so he whispered, “If you want to pet her, go
ahead. She's going to be dead to the world for a while.”
That started a very fierce but careful rush to gently stroke her soft fur.
Only now did Matt understand why arctic foxes were prized for their aesthetic more so
than their combat ability. Their coats were divine to the touch. The fluffy tail felt how clouds
looked.
After they had their fill of admiring and appreciating the new life before them, each
member of the party reluctantly left, one after the other, allowing the newly bonded pair to sleep.
***
Matt woke up the next morning and quickly realized why the fox beds cost so much. The
little bundle of fluff had crawled onto his chest in the night to curl up, nose tucked into its tail. But
the damn thing had chilled him to the bone as she slept, causing him to wake up shivering.
Gently setting the kit on his pillow, he scurried into the shower, letting the heat wash
away the deep chills that permeated his body. Before he had fully warmed himself, he felt a jolt
of pure panic through their spiritual link as the kit woke, frantically searching for her lost bond.
Following their connection as it led her to the bathroom door, Matt sensed her irritation
as she scratched at the door, worry flowing into his spirit. Stepping out of the water he bent
down to comfort the fox, getting pawed at and scolded with small yips for leaving her side.
 The kit left to explore the bathroom, so he finished his shower. She seemed interested in
but wary of the falling water. Curiosity overcame her caution as she stuck a paw into the running
stream of water. Matt finished up and checked his pad for the status of the delivery. 
To his relief, it was at the island's post office waiting for pickup.
Quickly, he scooped up his fox, receiving loud protests to the interruption of her
exploration. Matt noted she had finished the egg remains he had left on the side table. Through
their link he felt that, while she wasn't hungry, she wasn't full either.
Hurrying down to the post office was a challenge. His fox squirmed in his arms as she
tried to take in anything and everything they passed as they went. He quickly grabbed a single
bag of kit chow, as well as the box containing the toys and care products. Seeing his
predicament, the postal workers didn’t make a fuss at him leaving five large bags of food.
When he got back to his room, he found Melinda, Sam, and Tara waiting. Seeing the fox
awake, they quickly showered the kit with affection, completely ignoring him and his
precariously carried packages.
The little traitor basked in the pets and coos from the girls while Matt unboxed the bowls
he had bought and filled one with water, the other with food.
The fox leaped off the girls’ laps, darting to the food and scarfing down the kit chow. It
was some blend of fish and beef according to the packaging and was supposedly formulated for
her breed in particular.
Mathew, Vinnie, and Kyle arrived with breakfast as the fox was still eating, relieving
Matt's gnawing hunger.
“Have you decided on a name yet?” Tara asked through a mouth full of food.
“Not yet. I ha—”
“How could you? Are you neglecting her?”
“She's adorable. How could you leave her without a name?”
“Look at her! Call her Snowball.”
Vinnie’s suggestion started a chorus of clichéd snowy names being suggested while the
fox in question just nosed the box of toys. She pulled one out, giving it a shake and a scratch
before going back to pull out the next.
“I am not naming her Little White. Why would I put little in her name anyway? She will
grow up. And naming her based on her color seems lazy. I'm sure there are a hundred arctic
foxes named Snowflake or something similar.”
Matt put the supplies for the fox in a bag, and when he got to the collar, he was afraid
the fox would resist the small band. However, she didn't seem to mind it at all. She was far more
interested in the brush Melinda had found and was using to her growing satisfaction.
The trip down to get the remaining bags of food was even slower. The fox demanded to
be let down so she could inspect every new object or stimulus she came across. Matt found it
adorable that she would find something, then push her curiosity to him through their bond as if
to ask, ‘ohh, what's this?’ He would try to explain with vague impressions, but the little ball of
fluff didn't have the attention span to allow Matt to get the idea across.
 How do you explain what a rock is to a baby?
The fact that everyone who saw the little white fox had to stop and pet her delayed the
group even further. The fox loved the attention, and Matt swore she was prancing after a while.
That is, until she was distracted by something else.
The slitted eyes of the kit were drawn to a spider, which had built an elaborate web in a
nearby bush. The staring match only ended when the kit sneezed, blowing the spider away and
startling everyone, including the fox. She shot Matt an inquisitive stare, as if to question ‘who did
that to her’ through their link.
Matt found himself with endless patienceA week ago, if someone had told him he would
watch a baby fox take an hour and a half to make the typically much shorter trip to the post
office, he would have laughed at them.
Now, curiosity flowed across their bond, and trust in the fact he would keep her safe as
she stuck her nose into everything she could reach.
The display led Matt to picture a hazy memory of staring at the stars one night with his
parents. The details were lost to him, but the sensation of their care and love was still clear. He
remembered asking them the names of each constellation and their patient answers to his
repetitive questions.
An idea for a name popped into Matt’s head. He looked up and saw bright blue skies but
still imagined the stars hidden behind the veil of blue. He smiled and sent a query to his fox.
She liked it.
Aster liked her name.
 Chapter 9
 
Matt was still trying to get used to Aster. She felt the need to be a part of every single
thing he did. While it was adorable and cute, it could be frustrating at times.
Currently, he was on his bed attempting to break through to Tier 2. Every time he sunk
into the meditative state required, Aster shifted on his chest, or flicked her tail, or did something
else to break his concentration.
He didn’t want to fail the breakthrough. It wouldn’t harm him, just waste his hard-earned
essence. His physical side of cultivation was full, and he had a decent amount of essence in his
spirit. He just needed to use that essence to compress the loose essence acquired from delving
into something more solid.
The guide suggested a mental image of sand to sandstone, but he felt Aster shift again.
Her chill permeated his shirt, his mental imagery shifting to snow being compacted into ice
sheets.
From shifting and unstable to firm and unmoving.
With this new place to build upon, the Tier advancements after this would compress his
essence even more, slowly adding more weight. This new arrangement of essence would be
the foundation the rest of his life would be built upon.
Matt thought of his helplessness after the rift break, and his anger at Iris trying to steal
Aster. He took all that emotion and, with every ounce of power his spirit had, he squeezed.
The essence compressed down easily at first as the loose snow became hard. Matt
didn’t let up. He kept pushing, and just when it felt there was no more progress to be made, the
essence compressed again. The once hard bundle of essence he had created shrunk, but it had
also loosened. It was only slightly harder than it had started before the first compression.
He repeated the process four more times, five compressions being good for Tier 1.
Coming out of his trance with Aster's wet and cold nose against his chin was a bit of a shock.
Matt checked his physical cultivation. Right in the center of his chest was a small, rock
hard sphere of essence with a small layer on top that wasn’t as densely compacted as its core.
Diving into his being with his spiritual sense, he inspected his metaphysical half. The mana
cultivation was tiny and seemed atrophied in comparison to his physical half.
Where one was a bright ball of essence, the other was dark and hollow.
He sat up and cradled the kit. Five compressions. He had five more to go to fully
stabilize his cultivation, but he’d do it with the first essence he accumulated at the Tier 2 rift
instead of allocating it to his core like normal. That way no problems could occur. Problems
were said to be rare, but he didn’t want to take chances.
The importance of compressing the essence foundation was repeated numerous times
in the guide the PlayPen provided. It was possible to advance to the next Tier with only a single
compression, but the cultivator would be able to express less power than their peers who had
completed the full ten. Though, apparently, more than ten compressions were possible, but the
benefits were negligible, under a tenth of a percent with the returns diminishing with each
additional compression.
 Still, with his now denser essence he had officially reached Tier 2. 
Tier 2! He had done it.
Aster, feeling his excitement, wiggled out of his hands and picked up a toy. So, Matt
played with his bond until she was panting, ready for a nap.
With Aster curled into a chilly ball next to him, he looked up the information of the Tier 2
rift.
It was a jungle path with large insects as the monster of choice. The regular monsters
were a mix of giant centipedes with a monstrous bite strength and giant praying mantises with
steel-like, grasping arms used as blades and crushers all in one.
The boss was a peak Tier 2 ant queen. Like normal ant queens, this one was a fighter
and would ferociously defend her territory. The final fight was against her and a horde of soldier
ants.
It was reportedly a hard fight for solo fighters. The only benefit was that the soldier ants
were barely Tier 2 and should have trouble getting through his [Cracked Phantom Armor].
The skill was only strong enough to fully block the weakest of Tier 2 attacks, so his
advantage was gone. He would slowly be able to get more defensive power out of the skill as it
imprinted into his spirit but, for now, he would have to be careful of injuries in the Tier 2 rift.
If his Tier 3 Talent didn’t change his mana shortage, he would have to face the fact that
the skill would become increasingly less effective.
Matt looked at the snoring fox next to him and was more concerned with her safety. He’d
need to bring her with him so she could gather essence as well, but he wasn’t sure how to keep
her safe from a bunch of ground-level insects.
Maybe I should keep running the Tier 1 rift until she gets stronger?
He decided to ask Melinda’s party tonight at dinner. They had actual experience running
the Tier 2 rift, and he didn't want to have to run the Tier 1 unless he had to. The Tier 2 monsters
would have higher Tier essence, and larger amounts of it at that. Aster would progress and
catch up to him much faster if Matt stuck with Tier 2 essence as her fuel.
***
Their advice was so simple Matt should have thought of it. He bought a larger backpack
and stuck Aster inside with a blanket to pad it out for her.
He was sure he looked comical. A man covered in ghostly blue armor with a shield, ax,
and a white fox poking her head out over his shoulder.
Even the ant queen was only slightly over waist height, so Aster was out of reach.
Matt worked his way down the main path of the rift, smashing the tough chitin
exoskeletons of the monsters. He crushed them one by one as they swarmed him, careful to
avoid their mandibles and arms. As he progressed, he barely made out the end of the long trail
cut out of the dense jungle foliage surrounding him.
The Tier 2 rift wasn’t really any more challenging if he was careful. There were no
distinct rooms like the Tier 1 rift. Here, the insects were more ambush predators, focusing more
on surprise attacks from the underbrush alongside the jungle path than on frontal assaults.
 Matt had tested his limits and had found that his [Cracked Phantom Armor] was nearly
impenetrable by singular attacks from the basic monsters. It took them a few seconds of
sustained bites or grabs to overcome the mana running through the skill.
As he chopped his way through the waist-high monsters, he eagerly collected the
essence. It was weird to describe, but it felt thicker than that of the Tier 1 rift. The difference
between water and syrup but less exaggerated.
Splitting a portion with Aster didn’t affect his gains as he anticipated. He still seemed to
be gathering more essence from each kill here than he would from any two of the Tier 1
monsters, but the space he needed to fill in his core was more than ten times as large as he had
needed to reach the peak of Tier 1. Thankfully, Aster seemed to take from a portion he had
never noticed he wasn't gathering.
After making his way through the long hot jungle path, leaving a trail of dismembered
heads and limbs in his wake, Matt came to a large clearing at the end. Here, the thick
underbrush gave way to tall tropical trees and brightly colored flowering plants, all coated with a
layer of vines.
In the center of the clearing, a giant mound of dirt signaled the entrance to the queen’s
underground network of tunnels. As he approached, the ground itself shook and split apart as
the queen and her drones breached the surface, sensing the imminent threat.
Sizing up the queen ant, Matt realized he had a problem. She was big, the top of her
head reaching slightly above his waist. While he knew her pincer attacks were strong enough to
tear him in half, Matt doubted she was fast enough to land an attack.
After quickly dispatching her guard unit, Matt’s suspicions proved correct. He easily
maneuvered around the queen's slow and predictable lunges, so that wasn’t an issue. 
The real problem was his inability to damage the queen. His ax didn’t have enough
weight to drive through the chitin of the stronger insect. Where he could hack and crush the
shells of the weaker insects, the queen’s exoskeleton was like steel plate armor, and his single-
handed ax was ineffective for his purpose.
Matt eventually was able to chop through a weaker leg joint, but all that did was slow her
down even more. Seeing no other viable options, he endured the tedious process of de-legging
the queen one limb at a time. Aster at least seemed to have a blast yipping at the monster
throughout the fight.
The queen’s lunging attacks became increasingly pathetic with each missing limb, but he
was still wary of her mandible’s crushing power. If he was caught in their grip, he didn't think he
would escape with all his limbs still attached.
It took him a while, but he was able to separate the queen from her legs and finished the
fight by bisecting her at the joints of her head and abdomen.
I’m coming with a bigger ax next time.
Matt approached the reward distortion as he steadied his breathing. This one shimmered
with a pale gray light that seemed to try to hide from his sight. 
When he collected his prize, he nearly spat at the reward of only four Tier 2 mana
stones. A below average haul, which Matt felt summed up the delve perfectly.
 The bright side was the bag of mushrooms and herbs he gathered along the forest path.
Apparently, they were worth a decent number of credits to the alchemists, so the trip wouldn’t
be an entire waste.
When Matt checked out and converted his mana stones to credits, he was given a start
as the Tier 2 mana stones were worth one thousand credits versus the one hundred of the Tier
1 mana stones. Even with the disappointing amount of mana stones, he still made more in this
delve than in four or five average Tier 1 delves.
Arriving at the alchemist workshop, Matt perused the displayed items. Potions of
strength, speed, proprioception, and even odder things like night vision littered the shelves in
protective casings.
He was disappointed to learn they didn't have actual healing potions, just blood clotting
potions. Matt would consider them more alchemical triage than the miracle potions he saw in
movies. They were just enough to get you out of a rift and to a healer and little more.
As much as he wanted to get a few of the potions, the problem were the prices. Every
item was sold with the price in mana stones. Tier 3 mana stones.
That put the prospect of buying something clear out of Matt’s mind, and he gave up on
the idea of getting any of the expensive items. Matt left the store area and found a desk with a
person behind it to inquire how to go about selling the loot he had from the rift. He told the
receptionist he'd like to sell items from the Tier 2 rift and was quickly directed into a back room.
The room he was brought to was occupied by a man in opulent robes. He sat reading a
book behind a plan table. Matt sat down and put his bag on the table but was ignored. He
coughed slightly to get the man's attention, but the alchemist waved his hand at him with a
shushing sound.
After five minutes of waiting, the man put down his book and barked, “Where are the
goods?”
After Matt emptied the bag, the man had pulled each item out of the bag and found fault
with every single one.
“This one wasn’t harvested properly. The entire stem isn’t here.”
The man rummaged through a few more before saying, “This one has too much
surrounding dirt, we can't use this.”
How can too much dirt make moss worthless?
Frustration building, Matt fought the urge to punch the alchemist in his smug face. The
large bag he had trekked through the humid forest was only valued at one hundred credits.
Matt knew he was getting ripped off. The guide said the items should have carried a
value of fifty credits per item, and the man had a smirk he knew all too well from Benny’s. It was
the look of someone who knew they were screwing you over and relished it. 
Raging internally, Matt thought over what he should do. What irritated him was that he
had been careful when harvesting the items. He followed the guide to the letter, so there was no
way they were that badly harvested.
Aster, who had sat quietly in her bag, sensed his irritation and started a low growl.
 Looking at the smug man across the desk, Matt decided he didn’t want this man’s
money. He wasn’t sure if this was a scam the alchemist ran himself or if the entire department
was just a bunch of assholes.
Decision made, he snatched the pouch up and stuffed his goods inside. Walking out
before the man could say anything, he found a trash can and proceeded to shred every item in
his bag.
He got a few odd looks but couldn’t tell if they were because of the crazy man angrily
tearing up mushrooms and moss, or the fox yipping in excitement every time he did. Matt just
wanted to go home and cultivate. That was the only positive he could still hold on to. Finishing
solidifying his foundation would be worth the absolute slog this delve had turned out to be.
***
The next few months of Matt’s time on the PlayPen was uneventful. He delved, trained,
and took classes when he wasn’t relaxing with Melinda’s team. Aster also reached Tier 2 and
could now push her cold aura out further, but that ability was useless in actual combat. She had
managed to freeze an insect he had cut legs off, which was an improvement, but unless she
had actual ice to manipulate, she was limited in her abilities.
She usually just sat behind him taunting the uncaring insects. But the rifts, while
productive, were no real challenge to the duo.
After some time, the day Matt dreaded had arrived. It was Melinda’s group’s last day on
the island. They held a private dinner, and then, the next morning, they would be gone.
It wasn’t a surprise that they would be leaving the island before him, but now that the
time was here, he didn’t want them to go. They were the best friends he had since… Well, he
couldn’t think of better friends. The other kids at the orphanage all had their own issues that
prevented strong friendships from being built. Their shared experiences only made them so
close. 
He knew it wasn’t like they wouldn’t be able to communicate, it would just be slow once
they were on different planets. The data dumps only happened when the portal was opened,
and that was normally once a month. It just felt like he'd be losing them forever. 
This was the reason they were leaving two weeks early. Paying for a slot on the monthly
portal was only a Tier 3 mana stone apiece, while getting a personal portal was a Tier 8 mana
stone.
Sitting on his bed, he cuddled Aster to him. She would be all he had once the others left,
and the thought was his only comfort. He didn’t even mind anymore that she refused to use the
incredibly expensive bed he’d bought her and preferred instead to freeze him nightly. The
closeness was nice.
Checking the time, Matt made his way down to the reserved room, with Aster on his
heels.
When the duo entered the room, he plastered on a smile he didn’t feel. He was
determined to act happy to see his friends move on so they didn’t feel bad.
As they mostly finished eating, he asked, “So, have you decided where you are going to
go?”
 “Yup. We’ve got three jumps to get to the planet. It’s called…” Sam looked at her pad,
“Relstor. Weird name, but it’s a Tier 7 world and has enough Tier 3 and 4 rifts there isn’t any
real competition for spots. So, no fee to purchase a delve slot, and we can delve as much as we
desire.”
Matt internally nodded. Planets were able to naturally create rifts with a five Tier range
below the planets own Tier. That meant a Tier 7 planet had Tier 3 through Tier 7 rifts with
proportionally more of the lowest Tier of rifts. It was like a pyramid, more Tier 3 rifts and less
and up to the planets own Tier. That same logic was why Lilly had so few rifts. They were
missing the bottom level of their pyramid with a Tier 4 planet.
Mathew continued with a full mouth, “There’s even a rift with goblins. It’s only Tier 3, so
just a single tribe. It’s where we'll probably go. It lets us use our numbers pretty well.” He
swallowed at Melinda’s glare before finishing, “And we’re familiar with the monster type. We
should be able to reach Tier 4 in a few months, give or take.”
“That’s only if we delve every day, and we talked about that. It’s too risky. We’re only
sixteen. We’re still well under the curve if our goal is to hit Tier 5 before we reach twenty-two.
We don’t have to rush for it. The free skill we get at Tier 5 will seriously increase our strength.
And, by the way, don’t speak with your mouth full, you delinquent,” Melinda ended her comment
with a poke to Mathew’s once again bulging cheek.
Matt agreed, “Yeah, a free skill would be amazing. Do you guys have any idea what you
want?”
“Nope. We’ve only got the two skills among us that aren’t Talents. And they were gifts
from our sponsor. Have you seen the price for skills?” Melinda was the only one with an empty
mouth and answered before she took another bite.
“No, I haven’t even looked into them at all honestly.”
Tara waved a chicken leg to catch his attention. “Tier 8 rifts are the first point where they
become common drops, at around a one in four chance. Even then, it’s still only a set number of
weaker skills that drop at Tier 8. So, most weaker skill shards sell for about a Tier 8 mana
stone.”
Vinnie chimed in, “Yeah, but you can get lucky and have higher Tiered skills drop. What
if we got something like [Regeneration] or a healing skill? That would sell for a lot more.”
Kyle cut him off, “Dummy. We’ll be the ones buying healing skills. Even with the free Tier
5 skill, Melinda’s gonna need more healing skills. [Ranged Heal] is great and all, but she needs
a group healing skill, and some kind of heal-over-time would be good as well. And
[Regeneration] is like Tier 32, so that won't be a free skill for Tier 5s.”
Matt understood the bitterness in his voice, so he raised his cup. “To being poor!”
That got a laugh out of everyone, and they started talking about their ideas for
archetypes to build into.
Aster took the distraction to steal an extra chicken leg off Matt's plate, and he pretended
to not notice.
Matt let the others run with the conversation as his mind drifted. He didn’t know what he
wanted. It really depended on how his Tier 3 Talent fixed his mana problem. He trusted it would,
but he had realized there were multiple ways to ‘fix’ it, and not all of them would be good.
 The best, and most unlikely fix, was his Tier 3 Talent just unblocking his Mana
Cultivation. Matt didn’t think that would happen, as that would require a direct contradiction of
part of his Tier 1 Talent and didn’t fit with the growth norm for Tier 3 Talents.
That indecision left him at an impasse he couldn't easily solve. After all, he could hardly
make plans if he didn’t know what direction his Talent would take him.
He mentally rejoined the conversation to hear Sam say, “I want an area poison skill. It
would be so nice. Then I wouldn’t have to stab things to actually use my Talent.”
That jolted Matt. He had forgotten to check their Talents. The night they met the
Emperor was so chaotic with Melinda’s Talent, he hadn’t remembered to check the others.
 
Mathew:
 Talent - Tier 1: Everyone in the party has lowered threat generation. Threat
generation can be redirected to an individual of choice.
 Talent - Tier 3: You are much harder to knock off your feet. Being knocked down
gives a temporary durability bonus. Grows With Tier.
 Skills: None.

Melinda:
 Talent - Tier 1: All healing skills are 50% more effective and cost 50%
less mana to cast.
 Talent - Tier 3: All healing has the ‘Overhealth’ effect. Grows With Tier.
 Skills: [Ranged Heal]

Kyle:
 Talent - Tier 1: All strength allocation has double the effect.
 Talent - Tier 3: Blood carries extra oxygen, giving strength boost
dependent on regeneration. Grows With Tier.
 Skills: None.

Sam:
 Talent - Tier 1: Poisons and venoms only affect designated targets.
 Talent - Tier 3: Can control poisons and venoms in the surroundings if
not directly controlled by a skill cast by someone other than Samantha.
Grows With Tier.
 Skills: [Venom Strike]

Vincent:
 Talent - Tier 1: Innate [Earth Manipulation].
 Talent - Tier 3: Can see through earth. Grows with Tier.
  Skills: [Earth Manipulation]

Tara:
 Talent - Tier 1: Innate understanding of ranged weapons.
 Talent - Tier 3: Ranged attacks have more penetrating power. Grows
with Tier.
 Skills: None.
 
After reviewing the group's Talents, he wasn’t surprised but was slightly jealous. They
had good Talents, even if they weren’t as absurd as Melinda’s. The ‘grows with Tier’ modifier
was apparently a ubiquitous trait of Tier 3 Talents.
From what Matt read, Tier 1 was unique, Tier 3 was growth, Tier 25 was power, and Tier
50 was sovereign.
Matt couldn't find much on what the last two actually meant, but they must be powerful to
be awakened at such high Tiers. He had heard of more than one account of people becoming
powerhouses after being unknowns before their Tier 25 Talent.
He put the pad away, forcing himself into the conversation and to be happy for his
friends.
***
It’d been five months after Melinda’s group left when Matt found himself in trouble. He
was slightly surprised it had taken so long.
The new groups of non-sponsees had come with the graduation of the latest year of
classes and newest batch of awakenings. Most of them were arrogant but kept it contained to
their peer groups. Some pecking order had been established based on their backers he wasn't
aware of. Add to the fact most weren’t stupid enough to mess with Tier 2 or 3s, so Matt was
mostly left alone.
With hundreds of people, one or two were bound to be stupid. And, sadly, Aster
attracted stupid.
Matt ate at a table by himself with only his bond. Jasmine, his not so serious girlfriend,
was delving tonight which left him and Aster to eat alone.
Their relationship had started as a physical fling when they encountered each other at
the nightly parties’ various groups held. That repeated a few times until they had decided they
were a good enough match to make it exclusive while they were at the PlayPen.
As they were eating, someone tapped his shoulder. From the force of the tap, he knew it
wasn't anything good, and he debated ignoring them but finally gave up on that idea when he
was tapped again.
When he turned, he was confronted by six people. They crowded him and his table,
having moved in uncomfortably close. Matt didn't need to be a mind reader to know they didn’t
have good intentions.
 “Do you need something?” He didn't bother being polite. Their demeanor raised Matt’s
hackles. Even Aster felt the rising tension and looked up from her bowl of food.
He scanned them with his spiritual scene as he waited for their response. They were a
group of middling Tier 1s with smirks on their faces. 
From just that observation, it was no surprise when the boy in the front said, “Give me
that fox. It will make a good gift to my mother.”
Matt clenched his jaw so hard he was afraid his teeth would break. “No.” He turned
around and picked up his utensils ready to eat.
“You dare to defy me, the son of—” Once Matt heard that, he tuned the idiot out. They
could use that kind of pressure on their peers, but there was no larger backer than the Emperor,
so he ignored them. 
He didn’t think they were dumb enough to try and steal from a Tier 2 who was near the
peak of the Tier.
Matt decided to let them bluster all they wanted. It wasn't worth the trouble a
confrontation would cause.
Sadly, they lacked the sense to quit while they could.
A slap on his shoulder made Matt turn around again.
“Did you not hear me? I—”
Matt faced his dinner again, growling, “Fuck off, kid. No one cares. I’m trying to eat, so
go bother someone else.”
That’s when someone reached for the still eating Aster.
Matt pinned the person’s hand to the table with the knife he had been eating with. Rage
fueled his actions more than logic, and he let it empower him. He jumped up, shoving his chair
back while activating [Cracked Phantom Armor]. The two hits on his back were ignored as he
smashed his armored fist into the closest face.
He grabbed the hand holding the dagger that had just skittered down his chest and
slammed his palm into the elbow. His assailant crumpled to the floor screaming as Matt moved
to kick the nearest person.
Before the fight could escalate further, the guards were on the scene. They had their
batons drawn and shouted for everyone to stop.
Matt complied, raising his hands.
One of them barked at him, “End the skill.”
Calmly, he replied, “Once the idiot next to me doesn’t have a dagger in his hand. I’d
rather not get stabbed.”
The guard grabbed the kid and his dagger, so Matt deactivated his skill and was pulled
off to the side.
Aster hadn’t even stopped eating, confident Matt would protect her.
 Matt wasn’t even mad at her. She didn’t do anything wrong by existing. The jackasses
shouldn't have tried to steal what was his. He corrected himself, they shouldn't have tried to
steal a sentient bond.
Shame the guards arrived so fast or I might have been able to break a few more bones.
His anger at the arrogance they showed still burned like embers in his gut. Matt calmed
enough to remove the snarl from his face. 
Maybe I’m not as over Iris’ attempted theft of Aster as I thought.
He hoped this would teach the fools a lesson, but he doubted it. Paying attention to the
detained group, their obnoxious leader prattled on. With a now bandaged hand, he spun a tale
of how Matt had stolen their fox, and then fought them.
Idiots.
Aster was well-known and unique. Matt just smirked as the guard asked, “And that’s
your official statement?” before typing in his pad.
Matt honestly couldn’t believe the kid didn’t realize the guard was letting him dig his own
grave.
“See? My fox loves me!”
The idiot reached for Aster with his good hand. If he had been looking, he would have
seen her tilt her head. As it neared her, she lashed out, sinking teeth that could tear apart iron,
deep into his hand.
The boy let out a guttural scream and wrenched his hand out of her mouth, further
shredding his hand.
He then turned to Matt, shouting, “How dare your beast attack me? I’ll be wearing it as a
coat! And I'll see you hanged for attacking me. My father is the castellan of the Junipers, you
worm.”
Matt had to replay the words to make sure he heard the kid correctly. 
Confirming he had, he decided to rub salt in the wounds, “Wait? You are the son of a
guy who worked for the nobles who just. Got. Arrested. And you’re flaunting that? Really?”
Matt turned to the table watching the developing drama next to him. “Hey, you! My dad
just got canned. Respect my authority!”
As they laughed at his mockery, the kid lunged at Matt but was held back by the guard.
He was actually snarling. The crazed display made Matt wonder if the last of his brain cells had
short-circuited at the mockery.
Matt sent a thought to Aster, and she snarled at her attempted foxnapper. The blood on
her muzzle and large canines made it a far more menacing sight than the kid’s attempt had
been. The fool flinched back from the fox wearing his blood.
That got even more sniggers from the watchers.
The guard bandaged the kid’s other hand, then put him in handcuffs.
“What are you doing? You should be arresting him!”
 “Sir, you admitted to a crime not moments ago. And we've already reviewed the security
footage. You came to his table and started the confrontation. If nothing else, you lied on an
official statement.”
The guard read him his rights, but the boy continued to refute the guard’s words as he
was frog marched away.
After giving his own statement and being asked to wait, a separate guard came over to
Matt half an hour later. “You’re clear but, in the future, please, don’t use so much force.”
He just thanked the man and assured him he would be more careful if something like
this happened again. He hoped it didn’t. Those assholes had ruined his dinner.
Grabbing a meal to go, Matt went back to his room to find Jasmine sprawled across his
bed. Aster tried to go and greet the girl, but Matt forced her to sit still while he brushed her teeth.
He didn’t know where the foxnapper’s blood had been.
Set free, Aster jumped on the bed and shoved a cold nose into Jasmine’s cheek, waking
the girl up.
“Aster, nooooo! It’s so cold.”
Aster cuddled in deeper. Then licked the brunette’s face.
“Why does your breath smell minty? Did you eat poop again?”
Aster looked heartbroken, utterly betrayed at the mention of her past folly.
Jasmine opened her eyes and saw the food Matt bought as he left the dining hall.
“Oh, you brought me food! You're the best.” With a sweet smile and a quick kiss,
Jasmine stole his dinner and started digging in.
In between bites, she asked, “So, why did you brush Aster's teeth? Did she really eat
poop again?”
Aster yipped her protest. She had only done it once after all and, really, it wasn’t her
fault. She hadn’t known what it was.
Matt told the story, and Jasmine was in disbelief that he had been accosted. When she
heard the part that he was the castellan’s son she just ahh’d.
“Yeah, I met him a few times. Always acted like his father was the biggest backer one
could have. The funny thing is, most kids from the Junipers his age hated him. Never
understood how he was so arrogant.”
She swallowed another bite. “Whatever. Maybe before he could have gotten his father to
put some pressure on you, but now he’s got nothing. From what I heard, the workers of the
Junipers were all given one free pass to the PlayPen so they wouldn’t fight the transition of
power, but that was it.”
“I’m not worried, just amazed how someone could be that stupid. He lied to the guard,
who repeatedly asked him ‘is this your official statement?’ Like, he was given so many
chances.”
Jasmine finished the sandwich, “Well, enough of idiots, I just had an amazing run and
we got seventy Tier 2 mana stones.”
 She bit her lip, then turned around and walked into his shower. “Want to help me
celebrate?”
***
Matt looked up from his bed. Today was the day. His delve was in four hours, and his
physical cultivation was nearly full.
It had taken ten months of delving the Tier 2 rift and, finally, only a month shy of his
sixteenth birthday, he was about to hit Tier 3. This kind of rapid cultivation was the greatest
advantage of a solo delver. 
Aster wasn't slowing him down at all. Pet companions could gather essence humans
normally couldn't through eating the unrefined monster meat, so she was gathering what he was
unable to.
She was at middle Tier 2, and nearly her full size at almost ten pounds and three feet
long. She could easily defeat the Tier 2 insects in a one-on-one fight. Her ice powers were still
weak, but they got stronger every day.
Since Aster could also eat the monsters and gain essence that way she always did. She
relished eating her personal kills, even if the insects tasted horrible to her. The impression he
got through their bond was one of pride and victory.
That ability to eat monster meat made Matt jealous. Humans needed specialized chefs
to process the food, otherwise the mana and essence in the flesh was extremely toxic. The
problem was, no chef would work with monsters under Tier 5. The sheer amount of mana it took
to prepare the meat for the cooking process made it not worth their time and resources.
Matt stood and was about to leave to catch the bus to the rift portal when Jasmine
opened the door. “Guess what? My parents got me and my team a slot in a Tier 3 rift one planet
over and an interview at a guild.”
She hugged and kissed him before doing the same with Aster.
“That's good news. I know your team was bummed out that y’all didn’t get sponsored.”
She frowned at the mention of her team's plight. They were a party of non-sponsees,
who had hoped to catch someone's eye and get sponsored before their advancement to Tier 3.
It just never happened, and Matt agreed with their assessment it had a lot to do with the
Emperor's recent proclamation. Anyone who had lost family in the unaddressed rift breaks and
reached Tier 15 would become the rulers of their home planet, which was an enticing reward for
anyone able to sponsor for The Path.
Sponsors were finding and scouting the orphanages around the world according to the
news reports Matt saw. They weren’t looking to sponsor a team with wealthy connections who
had not suffered during the rift breaks, and thus were not eligible to get the big reward.
Jasmine frown deepened. “That's the problem. The rift is on my dad's home world, and
he had to pull strings to get the slot. Which means we have to leave today. The portal is this
evening, and we can't leave the slot open for long or we'll lose it.”
Matt felt like he had been punched in the gut. Today was his big day. He was going to
reach Tier 3, and she had to leave now?
Is there a Tier 50 playing pranks on me?
 Matt worked hard to not let his melancholy show.
Jasmine and her team were good people. While they came from rich families, they tried
their hardest and never acted arrogantly. When they had heard of Matt's fight, they had all
reached out to their parents to make sure none of the others in the castellan son’s party tried to
make trouble with him.
It had been unlikely with Matt being on The Path, but they had done it simply because
Jasmine cared about him despite them both knowing their relationship was one of convenience.
“Well then, good luck and congratulations. It's a big step, I know you guys only had
another two months on the island, but it's good to see you have a path forward.”
“It's just terrible timing, but I can't make everyone wait on me. I know today is a big day
for you. I just wish I could be here with you to celebrate.” Jasmine got a look on her face and
asked, “You have what? Four hours till your rift?”
At Matt's nod, she pushed him into the room.
“Good. We have time for one last goodbye.”
***
Matt watched Jasmine run out of his room and down the hall, hair still mussed. They had
cut it far closer to her boat's departure time than they had planned, but neither could let go.
With a promise that if they ended up on the same planet again, they’d at least say hello,
she had left.
There wasn't much either could do at this point. Her path was forward, and Matt’s was
still on the PlayPen.
Matt went down to the waiting area and sat impatiently. He couldn't stop looking at his
pad. Aster had gotten tired of his impatience. She started roaming out of boredom and was
sniffing a bush off to the side of the road.
When the bus arrived, Matt held down the urge to push through the exiting people and
tell the driver to hurry. He did none of that and waited his turn. Fantasies of finding a teleport
skill in his shoe and just teleporting to the rift running through his head.
The ten-minute ride to the rift was the longest of his life.
Entering the rift, Matt hurried Aster into his backpack, and he sprinted through the jungle
path.
He would get as much essence from killing the queen ant and her soldier ants as he
would get from killing the fodder insects, so he ignored the lesser monsters. He only needed
half of the queen's essence to make the attempt at his breakthrough and couldn't bear to wait
any longer than he had to.
When he reached the queen’s area, he hastily sped past her drones and drove his
heavy ax into her skull with an impatience-fueled attack. Only after feeling the rush of essence
from the queen did he massacre the remaining ants.
Matt checked his pad. His delve had only taken twenty minutes. If he hurried, he could
catch the next bus back to the residential area, where he could perform his breakthrough and
test his Tier 3 Talent.
 Quickly grabbing the mana stones the reward distortion hid, Matt exited the rift and
bypassed the checkout counter, sprinting to the bus stop.
He climbed on and mentally begged the bus driver to leave early.
Aster, pouting in the seat next to him, forced him to calm down.
He didn't like to cultivate when sitting, so he picked Aster up and went to the back of the
bus. There were seats running the entire back wall where he could lay down. 
Once he was horizontal, he forced his spiritual sight inward.
Calming his breathing, Matt gathered the newly acquired essence in his spirit, wrapped it
around his little sphere of physical essence, and squeezed.
What was loose turned hard. What was hard turned solid.
His Tier 1 essence was compressed even further when Matt squeezed his Tier 2
essence down.
One compression, two compressions, three, four, five. It was after the sixth that Matt lost
his momentum and couldn't continue.
He felt his physical cultivation with his spiritual sense a second time.
Tier 3.
He had done it.
 Chapter 10

Matt probed at his mana cultivation and felt it still completely blocked.
It made him panic.
Eric and Dena had told him they believed his Tier 3 Talent would fix his problem. The
scanner didn't unlock the Talent, it just analyzed the spirit and deduced what the unique change
in the spirit did for the cultivator.
Matt felt at his mana levels and only observed it nearing the 10% mark it usually sat at.
Nothing unusual.
He was tempted to get off the bus and run the way back. The knowledge that it would be
slower than just waiting was the only thing that stopped him, but he had to get to the scanner.
The next seven minutes felt like decades. He watched each tree passing and urged the
driver to just go a little faster. The driver ignored his internal pleading.
Matt did the only thing he could do and moved to a seat right by the middle doors. They
would be slightly closer to the training facilities, and he was going to run for it as soon as the
bus opened its doors.
Aster didn’t care for his impatience. She pushed thoughts he interpreted as ‘what’s done
is done. You can't change your Talent, so calm down,’ Matt knew she was right, but he had
been looking forward to this moment since Miles had given him hope the day of his Tier 1
Awakening.
The bus stopped, and Matt ran, Aster yipping at his heels.
Once inside the testing room, he quickly sat down and placed his arm into the tube and
tapped on the pad to start the Tier 3 Talent scan after bringing the second bar over his chest.
Time seemed to slow as the machine whirled and hummed. As the moments passed,
Matt was hyper aware of a bead of sweat that wandered its way down his back. 
Any movement was impossible. He had to remain still for the machine to get a good
scan of his spirit, and if he moved and slowed this down, he would need to repeat it. If that
happened—
 
Tier 3 Talent determined.
Primary Effect: Any mana in the mana pool over the maximum will permanently
increase Maximum Mana.
Secondary Effect: Maximum Mana can at most double from the previous
maximum, once per Tier.
Tertiary Effect: Maximum Mana adjusted to unknown value.
 
 Matt read the readout twice and laughed hysterically. The Talent was useless. He
couldn’t regenerate any mana over 10% without decades of time.
As an idle thought passed through Matt's mind he shot out of his chair and started
running to the general store. Aster sent confused thoughts and yips as she followed him.
A small kernel of hope bloomed in his chest. He wanted to smack himself. He might not
be able to regenerate to full, but he could store mana in a refillable mana stone. Then he just
had to draw it back into himself to fill his mana over his usual max to meet the conditions of his
Talent.
He had done so for Melinda, which was the thought he had had. 
Their group had bought their healer twenty rechargeable mana stones. They had gotten
the expensive ones that allowed the user to inject a sample of their own mana, and the stone
would slowly convert any mana added after into mana with that aspect.
They had done it so Melinda wouldn’t run out of mana in a rift. So long as she had mana,
she could make them effectively immortal, so keeping her topped off was their priority.
The problem was, even with all their Mana Regeneration stats, it would take days of
putting their mana into the stones to fill them. Each stone could hold 200 mana, with twenty
stones, they would need 4,000 mana. So, they had decided to wait before delving new rifts
without the mana stones full as a safety measure.
If Melinda didn’t fill the rechargeable mana stones herself, she would need to wait for the
mana to un-aspect into ambient mana, then aspect to match her mana. It would take a week per
cycle and using the mana from low Tier mana stones was just too expensive to justify. So, the
team was going to spend their mana, but the ones with skills wouldn’t be able to practice, which
was less than ideal.
There were better stones that let you spend more mana to speed the process up, but
their price started at Tier 15 mana stones. For the largest capacity of 200 mana, it was a Tier 25
mana stone. The group had no way to borrow that amount of money so were stuck with the
slower stones.
Matt had offered to fill them for the group, and what would have taken them days had
taken him a little over an hour, though Melinda would still need to wait for the mana to convert to
her personal mana. It didn't cost her team their mana.
It was why he knew his idea was possible. The mana he gave Melinda remained his
mana, so he was able to reabsorb it without issue.
As he arrived at the general store, he ran to the wall that held the rechargeable mana
stones and the chargers. The middling grade ones like Melinda’s group had bought were nearly
a million credits, but he passed them by without a second look. That was mostly because of
their aspecting ability, and because the efficiency ratio was over 90%.
Matt didn’t need either of those features, so he moved to the back where the cheaper
versions were shelved. He found the cheapest model for just ten thousand credits and checked
the back of the packaging information.
It was a pretty crappy model with an efficiency ratio of barely 20%, but Matt had mana to
spare. He didn’t mind if he lost mana while charging the stone.
 Flipping the package, he scoured the back of the box for information about the mana
stone sold with the charger. He found it. It was a cheap mana stone that only had a max
capacity of 50 mana and couldn’t aspect the mana inside.
It was perfect. At least it was perfect for Matt to test on.
On his way to the counter, he grabbed a cheap handheld scanner that would allow him
to check his maximum mana and current mana. He had never bothered before because all
cultivators could feel how full their mana pool was at any time, but that was a ratio not a hard
number.
He couldn’t increase his mana so why get something to show him a number less than
one?
After checking out, Matt found a tree outside, sat down, and tore into his purchases.
The scanner went on his wrist, and he checked the display.
Mana: 0.1/1.0
Matt picked up the charging system for the rechargeable mana stone and slotted it. He
directed mana into the device and felt the waste of mana caused by the 20% efficiency. Most of
the mana dissipated into the air, lost to the planet.
He waited. Watching the number climb.
Current Mana: 1
Current Mana: 2
Shaky hands pulled the stone out and absorbed the mana.
Mana: 2/2
Matt laughed. He laughed till tears streamed down his face.
He had done it. He had made it to Tier 3, and his Talent did what Dena and Eric had
predicted it would.
Finally, he could increase his mana. It wasn't perfect like cultivation of mana would have
been, but it was a start. He could make this work.
Matt pulled the worried Aster into a hug and sent happy thoughts through their bond.
She responded by cleaning the salt off his face.
After he collected himself, he filled the mana stone to five mana. It was amazing to feel
the stone fill even faster. With his under 1% Mana Regeneration being equal to his Maximum
Mana, he could now output double the mana he had a moment ago.
Mana: 5/5
Matt repeated the process again, giddy with anticipation.
Mana: 10/10
Repeating the process for a fourth time, he charged the stone to twenty mana but, this
time, nothing happened. The mana over ten just refused to expand his Maximum Mana.
 He sent his awareness into his mana cultivation side and looked at the once dark core. It
was now vibrant. Not as large or bright as his physical core but alive. A quick test showed he
still couldn't add essence, but he hadn't expected it to work.
It was odd that his mana stopped at ten and not some other number like four or eight, as
if his Talent was acting retroactively, but Matt threw that thought to the back of his mind.
Neither thing bothered him. He felt like he'd float off if he got any happier. He pulled out
his pad and did some math. The Talent reader said it would double each Tier. He wanted to
visualize what his projected Maximum Mana would be, and what he could expect to regen in
between fights.
His Mana Regeneration under 1% of his total mana was equal to his Maximum Mana,
and that number was important, so he made a column for that. His regeneration rate fell off
quickly after passing the 1% mark, but he could accumulate 10% of his maximum mana in ten
minutes if he accounted for the decrease in his regeneration. And his Maximum Mana was his
mana regeneration rate as one as he was under 1%, so it was good to see on the chart.
That was a reasonable timeframe in between fights, and with that small reserve, he'd be
able to get a spell off at the start of a fight. He made a column for that as well.
His current mana at 1% would be important in the higher Tiers. He would always have
that much mana, so it was good to at least figure out what his numbers would be. If that number
was higher than the initial cost of a spell, he could cast that spell with no cooldown other than
the skills cooldown.
Setting up the formulas he made a chart to Tier 25.

Tier Max Doubles To 10% of Max 1% of Max

Tier 1 1 0.1 0.01

Tier 2 1 0.1 0.01

Tier 3 10 1 0.1

Tier 4 20 2 0.2

Tier 5 40 4 0.4

Tier 6 80 8 1

Tier 7 160 16 2

Tier 8 320 32 3

Tier 9 640 64 6

Tier 1,280 128 13

Tier 2,560 256 26

Tier 5,120 512 51

Tier 10,240 1,024 102

Tier 20,480 2,048 205

Tier 40,960 4,096 410

Tier 81,920 8,192 819

Tier 163,840 16,384 1,638

Tier 327,680 32,768 3,277

Tier 655,360 65,536 6,554

Tier 1,310,720 131,072 13,107

Tier 2,621,440 262,144 26,214

Tier 5,242,880 524,288 52,429

Tier 10,485,760 1,048,576 104,858

Tier 20,971,520 2,097,152 209,715

Tier 41,943,040 4,194,304 419,430

 
Matt looked at the numbers in disbelief, then checked his math for a second, then a third
time.
His stomach churned, and he wanted to vomit. These numbers were absurd. At Tier 25,
he would have a reserve of 400,000 mana to cast spells from and was unable to go lower.
There wasn’t public information for high Tier mages, but Matt didn’t think that most of
them would have a Maximum Mana of 40 million at Tier 25 or a Mana Regeneration of
41,943,040 mana per second.
With trepidation, he continued the graph for the next twenty-five Tiers. Looking at the
Tier 50 numbers, Matt could taste the bile in his throat.
He was suddenly glad that he had gotten confirmation from the Emperor himself that no
one could see Talents.

Tier Max Doubles To 10% of Max 1% of Max

Tier 1,407,374,883,553,280 140,737,488,355,328 14,073,748,835,533

 
He would be generating one and a half quadrillion mana a second at Tier 50. Matt
looked up the mana numbers for higher tier mana stones. That was a Tier 46 mana stone every
fraction of a second.
At least at Tier 25, I’ll only have a generation of a Tier 24 mana stone an instant.
The panic peaked. Quickly, he erased the chart and deleted the application he had used
to make it. He didn’t need anyone to know how stupid his mana generation would become. It
would be a good way to end up a slave to some Tier 40 plus superpower.
Matt decided right then and there that if his secret ever got out, and he wasn’t strong
enough to protect himself, he’d throw himself to the Emperor’s mercy before submitting to an
unknown. He wasn’t naive enough to believe the Emperor was a benevolent person, you
couldn’t rule thousands of worlds, reach Tier 50, and be soft, but he had met the man, even if
briefly.
If he could treat a lowly Tier 1 with a detrimental Talent with kindness, he probably
wouldn’t throw Matt into a hole in the ground to charge mana batteries by the millions.
What shocked Matt was how innocently it all started. Conceptually, he understood how
doubling worked, but he wouldn’t even reach what a normal Tier 1 had in Maximum Mana until
Tier 6. By Tier 15, he was pretty sure he’d be caught up with most mages of the Tier and, after
that, he’d blow them out of the water.
It gave Matt a lot to think about. He was a melee fighter out of necessity. The minuscule
amount of mana he had, and his only skill shard forced his style. 
Should I consider changing my fighting style to a magic-based one?
 As he thought it over, he decided no. At least not until Tier 8 when skill shards started
commonly dropping in rifts. Then he could collect more skills and diversify his combat methods.
Matt thought of the graph. Even then, he would not have enough mana to cast any skill
that didn’t allow charging.
It wouldn’t be until Tier 10 that he could constantly throw out low-cost spells like
[Fireball]. That meant he would be a melee fighter for the foreseeable future but, over time, he
could slowly transition into a true blade mage in the higher Tiers.
Sitting there under the tree, he imagined it. He would be stronger than most at any given
tier, at least physically. Even the craziest melee fighter put at least 15% of their essence into
mana cultivation so they could use skills. The fact he could dump all his essence at each tier
into physical cultivation gave him an advantage that would only keep growing as time went on.
A future blossomed in front of Matt. He would be an unkillable tank with [Cracked
Phantom Armor] and could throw out siege level skills without rest.
The fantasy was cut short by Aster's cold nose poking him. She sent over her feelings of
hunger and a desire to be brushed as compensation for him ruining her delve today.
He just smiled and picked the large fox up. She struggled, but Matt could feel through
the bond how much she loved to be carried and knew how she'd protest if he actually set her
down.
As they ate, Matt browsed the classes he’d need to take. One was directed physical
cultivation, and the other was called Tier 3 and Beyond Planning for The Path and After. He
looked for the next available slots and found that they were held once a week and back-to-back.
Looking deeper, Matt saw they were taught by Griff and Helen on alternating weeks.
Helen, he learned, was the director of this PlayPen. He assumed she was the woman Griff had
been standing behind when Melinda’s group found themselves the center of attention.
Quickly, he signed up for the upcoming class. When he went to request a Tier 3 rift slot
as well, he was unable to. He received an error message stating slots would be provided only
after the Tier 3 classes were taken.
Matt went back to his room. It felt lonely. The cheer from his Talent and advancement
lessened a little.
It still smelled like Jasmine.
Another person who left him. 
It was hard not to be resentful at the world. It would have been so much better if he was
able to celebrate with her. He knew it wasn't either of their faults, but the empty room almost
seemed to mock him.
Curling up with Aster, they watched a movie. Matt pretended he didn’t notice her stealing
popcorn while she pretended to care about the movie. It was a fair trade all things considered.
 He was at least entertained. It was the newest movie about Duke Waters’ time on The
Path.
This movie covered his time as a Tier 15 when he was just becoming famous, and how a
guild tried to trap him into a binding contract.
 Duke Waters had been chased down, and when he escaped pursuit, he circled around
and started killing everyone from the guild responsible for the attack. It took him almost a year,
but after that time the guild was disbanded. Even with a Tier 25 leading the guild, people had
been afraid Waters would come for them next.
Matt wasn’t sure how much of the movie was real, but it was interesting to see higher
Tier combat. The duke got his name for the very element he had dominion over, and it was
justly earned.
His ability to summon absurd quantities of water meant he could simply drown his
enemies. He, at least in the movie, could breathe underwater and had achieved several kills by
hiding in the swampy area the guild was based out of and pulling people into the murky water.
Matt almost felt bad for the guild members Waters killed, their deaths were brutal and
slow. Duke Waters locked the water around them, so they could only look back at him while
they struggled their last. Drowning with the surface inches above you seemed like a special
torture to him.
In the movie, he had only killed those who had directly wronged him, but Matt well knew
that history was only written by the survivors. If the movie was only half-accurate, Matt
understood how the duke alone could hold off the other Tier 50 Great Powers.
The man was as cold as his namesake, and as unforgiving. Matt could easily imagine
the duke biding his time until drowning entire planets of any enemy dumb enough to attack the
Empire.
Matt wasn’t sure how much was propaganda but, in the movie, Waters had repeatedly
expressed loyalty to the Empire.
Could the Emperor even stop the duke if he wasn’t loyal?
Matt wasn’t sure. The Emperor was a Tier 50 powerhouse, but Duke Waters was a
known monster. How long until the duke was Tier 50, or even Tier 45? It wouldn’t be the first
time the duke had killed someone five Tiers above himself.
Could they even make this movie if the duke didn’t approve of it?
From what he could find on the EmpireNet about him, the duke was cold, but he upheld
the laws of the Empire above all else. The man didn’t tolerate people of higher Tiers taking
advantage of lower Tiers. Matt wasn't sure if it was a vendetta or a crusade against a past
wrong, but the man was brutal to anyone he found.
As he found more information, he saw the duke as more of a protective figure than a
monster.
He had recently killed a fellow duke, Duke Cumulus when it came to light that Cumulus
had captured several young women and had kept them in what was described as a “sex and
torture chamber.”
Waters had killed Duke Cumulus and proceeded to block all attempts of the media from
finding the identity of the women involved.
The only information the media had obtained was that they were all under Tier 5. The
duke had killed a fellow noble, a Tier 35 noble, over a couple of people under Tier 5.
How many people would value a few Tier 5s over a Tier 35?
 He wasn’t sure many would. A Tier 35 was a strategic weapon. How many were there in
the Empire? It couldn’t be that many, maybe a few thousand. Matt thought about that again and
changed his mind. There could be a ton. The only way to die after Tier 15 was getting killed
after all so the number would only increase as time passed.
The only thing slowing down growth after Tier 25 was the lack of rifts available. There
were only a hundred or so worlds in the Empire that were over Tier 30. With the capital being
the only Tier 47 world in the Empire, the top powerhouses had to share the few Tier 47 rifts.
That made it even more impressive that the Emperor was Tier 50. How long must it take
to advance when the essence requirements were that high and there wasn't even a rift of your
Tier to delve?
Matt stopped thinking of things far beyond his level and cuddled the block of ice also
known as Aster as they drifted off to sleep.
***
The next morning, Matt went and trained with his newly increased mana regeneration for
some testing. He first went to the skill-testing room and performed the same series of tests he
had done when he was a Tier 1 to [Cracked Phantom Armor].
The results were slightly worrying. He could only put about 3 mana a second into
[Cracked Phantom Armor] before the pure amount of mana overwhelmed the structure in his
spirit and it destabilized. He had hoped to be able to shove all ten mana a second into the skill
and become an unkillable wall, but the skill couldn't handle that kind of mana input yet.
Tripling the mana gave increased results, and Matt was positive he could slowly train the
skill to accept more mana through practice. That flexibility and malleability were the benefits of
having the skill in his core spirit.
He just needed time.
The results of his testing were promising. At three mana a second, he was completely
impervious to Tier 2 attacks, and Tier 3 attacks needed a few seconds to break through. Only
multiple direct attacks to the same location in a short amount of time were an actual threat,
while attacks that hit different areas were of little concern.
He could advance either by increasing his mastery with the skill or getting it to accept
more mana per second. That would entail slowing forcing the skill to the edge of breaking so it
got used to that and would accept that level throughput.
The mastery would happen naturally as the skill burned into his spirit, and he got used to
using it. The longer it was nourished by his spirit, the more it would strengthen, and the more
power he would get out of the skill for the same cost.
Either way, Matt was happy. He could delve Tier 3 rifts with a level of safety most other
delvers without expensive armor couldn’t hope to match.
With nothing else to do, the duo went to the gym where he worked out, and Aster played
around. He was at loose ends until Friday when he could take the class with Helen and get his
Tier 3 rift slot. He wanted to see what he could buy now. He was Tier 3, but the sign-up details
of the classes had recommended holding off on any big purchase until after the classes.
Matt really wanted to check out the enchanted swords he now had access to, but he
knew the Empire had to have its reasons for its recommendations. It had nurtured billions of Tier
3s in PlayPens, so he trusted their regulations. He just wanted to see the new toys he could
play with but avoided temptation by not looking anything up.
***
The class was in a small room, with only enough seats for ten. When Matt arrived, there
was no one else there. Checking his pad to make sure he had the time and location right, he sat
after confirming he was in the right spot.
Aster wanted to sleep in, so he left her in his room.
Five minutes before the class was supposed to start, another party of four came in and
nodded to Matt before sitting.
At 9:00AM on the dot, Griff walked in.
“Hello. I’m going to be the instructor today. Director Helen had other matters that
demanded her attention and could not be pushed off.”
He placed his bag next to the desk he sat at and continued, “If you would like to wait and
take the class with Director Helen next week, feel free to leave.” No one moved. “Well then, let's
get started.”
“We’ll start with directed physical cultivation. It's hidden before Tier 3 for a reason. If a
cultivator allocates their essence wrong, they can cripple themselves, so it’s better to gain some
experience with cultivation first. You can allocate into the seven main categories. They are—”
He tapped the air in front of him and the screen behind Griff the large screen showed the
categories he listed, “strength, durability, proprioception, which is sometimes called dexterity,
flexibility, senses, mind, and regeneration.”
“That’s the most basic level of directed cultivation. At Tier 5, you can go one level
deeper. For example, in strength, you can focus on particular muscle groups or types of
muscles. In senses, you can increase smell over vision, or vice versa.”
The older man shook his head. “It's not recommended to try and reach for that layer yet.
It's dangerous because, without the foundation, you can get your abilities out of whack and not
be able to function. I wouldn't even recommend it until Tier 15, but at Tier 5 it's safe enough.”
One of the girls in the party had a hand raised.
“Just hold the questions for now. I'll probably cover it. If I don’t, I’ll take all the time we
need after to explain. Write it down if you think you'll forget.”
He cleared his throat before continuing, “You should never direct cultivate more than
50% of the essence you are going to allocate into your physical core per Tier. If you have too
much strength, you can hit hard, sure, but without the proprioception, you won’t hit what you’re
aiming at. Or without the flexibility, you'll pull a muscle every time you reach for something.
Without durability, you’ll break a bone punching something, and so on.
“50% is a nice, safe margin. Also, if you are going to direct cultivate, it's better to do that
after undirected cultivation. Undirected cultivation will try to fill in the areas with the least amount
of essence allocated before anything else, so it's better to direct cultivate afterwards. A good
way to picture it is snow filling valleys more than building up the peaks of mountains even
higher.”
“Questions before I move on?”
 The girl from earlier raised her hand again. “What about mind and regeneration?”
“What about them?” Griff didn't seem to hear a question in the girl’s question.
“Well, how do they work? Does mind make you smarter, then? Does regeneration work
like the skill?”
“Ah, good question. No and no. Mind will make you think faster, but you won't be
‘smarter,’ It will just let you process information a little faster. Any ideas are on you. If you want
to get smarter, take classes and learn new stuff.”
Griff gestured as he said, “Regeneration is just boosting the body's natural recovery. You
won't be growing back limbs or anything, but it will let your body adapt to heavy healing better.
Also, if you get rich enough to buy [Regeneration], the essence in that portion of the core will
multiply the effect of the skill a bit.
“Regeneration is also good for increasing endurance. It will help the muscles recover
faster. It's not a replacement for working out and increasing endurance that way, but helps
prevent getting tired in a fight.
“Did that answer your question?” the girl nodded.
“Good. Directed cultivation is really useful when you need more of a particular ability for
your fighting style. An archer will still want strength to pull a bow, but proprioception and
flexibility will be higher priorities. Even senses are useful. Mind and regeneration as well. But
that's why I'm telling you not to direct cultivate more than 50% of your allocation. You should
only be multiplying your strongest aspects not neglecting the other.”
A thought seemed to come over Griff, and he added, “Mind is needed as you get into
higher Tiered combat. Monsters will be faster because of their strength, and mind will let you
actually process the attacks. I knew a guy who didn't want to ‘waste essence in mind,’ His logic
was that it doesn’t help you be smarter so why invest in it? He got his throat slit from an attack
he couldn't even react to. He could have defended against it, but he couldn’t process the
information and react in time. He then spent the next two Tiers fixing that mistake with his
allocation. Lucky bastard only lived because we had a healer with us.”
One of the guys asked, “What about strength? Why work out at all if a cultivator could
just focus on strength some.”
Griff nodded. “That's a good question actually. Strength and all physical cultivation
multiply what's there. One multiplied by five is just five, but two multiplied by five is ten. Your
physical body will allow you to get more power for your essence expenditure.
“If you train proprioception with hand-eye coordination games, you'll see more
improvement with the essence you put in. But if you don't train at all, you'll see only minimal
benefits.
“That's another benefit of regeneration. It will, around Tier 8 for an average melee
fighter, be high enough you won't lose muscle mass by not working out. A nice side benefit.”
The last guy in the party spoke up, “But how do you have the time to train all of that?”
“You don't, not really. It's part of the reason The Path is so hard. Most people hit Tier 15
and spend a few years just training and shoring up their weakest points. If you are still on The
Path, you don't really have time for that.”
 Griff looked off into the distance. “That's about it for physical cultivation. Questions
before we move on? Information packets will be made available to you on the PlayPenNet after
this. They go into more detail if you want to check specific ratios or interactions between parts of
cultivation. I suggest you at least skim it over.”
No one had any questions, so Griff continued, “Okay, next is what to do now that you’re
Tier 3 and only have six months left in the PlayPen.” He met each of their eyes, “That
countdown starts the day you do your first Tier 3 rift, or two weeks after this class.”
Matt noted that. He had figured it started from the moment he broke through, but it was
good to know his enforced downtime wasn't going to hurt him.
“First thing is planning for when you leave the PlayPen. There is a priority for people on
The Path concerning rift slots, and we have a list of all the Tier 3 and 4 rifts on the nearest
couple of planets.”
As Griff said that, Matt’s pad pinged with a second information packet, and he assumed
it had the information the older man mentioned.
“Speaking of rifts on other planets, the Tier of the planet shows the highest Tier rift that
will form stably on the planet. Usually, a planet will have stable rifts at the Tier of the planet
minus five. So, a Tier 10 planet will have five through ten.”
“Any lower means someone is preventing it from growing stronger, or it’s brand-new and
still growing. It's expensive to prevent the growth of a rift, but you'll find it on stronger worlds with
developed noble families or strong guilds. They’re used for training their own people and aren't
usually available for public use.”
Griff sighed at that but continued, “But you all have three big purchases in front of you.
And they’re expensive enough you'll want to choose at least one while in the PlayPen for the
discounts.”
“First is an enchanted weapon. Getting something with a sharpness and durability
enchantment is pretty much all your spirits can handle at this Tier. Well, you can get any one
major enchantment and one minor, unless you have an exceptionally strong spirit. Those are
the recommended runes to put on bladed weapons anyway.”
He raised two fingers in the air. “Second is a personal AI. It takes a core skill slot, but the
sooner you get one the better because it grows with you. They are great for everyday general
use but, in combat, they are invaluable. They can provide a HUD, and if you have a party, they
can get information from the other AIs about your teammates’ physical condition. So, you can
know if they are low on mana or get injured. They will save your asses more often than you can
possibly imagine.
“They come with preset builds for the basic types of combat. For the melee versions,
they can run predictive algorithms on your opponent. For ranged combat, it can do the same
thing, just not as well. Showing wind speed for an archer or tracking opponents is their main job.
For mages, it can help spell cost by assisting casting along with a lesser version of the ranger
things.”
Griff leaned forward. “The AIs start as a base template and will improve in its specialized
aspects over time. You can also get the software for the other versions, so you won’t lock
yourself out of any capabilities in the future. But the ones you get first will improve more as they
have more time to grow. Eventually, the AI will be unique to yourself and good at what you need
it to do.
 “The downsides are, they’re expensive, they reserve more mana with each software
running, and—”
That sent Matt's hopes crashing. The AI seemed perfect to him. The predictive
capabilities seemed amazing, and that also meant he could use the information gathered for the
training rooms instead of paying for the premade versions.
He just didn't have mana to reserve.
“They can eat into your regular mana pool if you make them compute too much. It's
mana expensive and, at low Tiers, it can hurt you if you buy too many modules.
“Finally, a spatial bag is a great purchase.” Griff pulled a backpack from his ring with a
flick of his wrist.
“They’re lesser versions of spatial rings. They can hold stuff but don’t reduce the weight
much. And they don't have the effect of slowing time on the items placed inside. They’re still
useful, though, so don't think otherwise.”
“Your spirit won't be able to support a spatial ring until Tier 15, and these are the next
best thing. Most of the time it's not the weight of what you are carrying that makes it awkward,
it's the size of the items. At this point, each of you can carry a few hundred pounds, but good
luck trying to hold that much crap.
“The price is an issue for all of them. The enchanted weapons are expensive despite
being the most mundane of the three. Go check with the blacksmiths and enhancers for prices.
The AIs are usually near three million credits, and the extra software is half that.”
That was thirty Tier 4 mana stones, or three hundred Tier 3 mana stones.
“The spatial bags are also around the same price. Also, those prices are with the 50%
off you get for being in the PlayPen. Bags being the exception and having a greater discount.”
Matt blanched. Getting three hundred Tier 3 mana stones wasn't impossible in six
months, but double that would require some good luck. He didn't think he had any more luck in
the tank after surviving the fight to get Aster.
“So, that's all from me. The general store has the last two items and, no, I won't give you
suggestions on what you should get. It's dependent on what you think you and your team
needs. As well as luck.” The last seemed to be tossed out as an afterthought.
The others quickly thanked Griff and quickly left. 
Matt waited until they were out the door before he asked, “You said the AIs reserve
mana but can eat into non-reserved mana if it was computing too much. Is there an AI that
doesn't reserve mana?”
Griff looked at him with pursed lips before saying, “Yeah there is, but it's the researcher’s
version. The normal AIs are all the same base but specialized. They reserve mana because
they are hyper-efficient at their one task. The other software lets the AI do other things, but the
core of the machine is built to do one of the tasks incredibly well. They’ll never be as efficient at
the others.”
Seeing Matt open his mouth, Griff put up a hand and said, “It doesn't mean it won't be as
good, just that it cost more mana.”
With that, the older man packed his stuff up.
 “I know what you are thinking and, yes, the researcher AI would be perfect for you. They
eat dozens of mana per minute. Most researchers are pure mana cultivators, nearly 90%
allocation, just so they can run the simulations and computations needed for their jobs.”
Matt was shocked. How had Griff guessed why he couldn't use the normal AIs?
“Don't look so shocked. Take an acting class kid. Or play some poker. You show every
thought on your face.”
The Tier 15 shook his head. “I figured it out when I saw you with your skill active. One,
you didn’t, and still don't, have a veil up to hide your cultivation and mana pool. And two, I could
feel the absurd amount of mana you were generating while it was active. Then, after the skill
stopped, your mana generation plummeted. I can make some guesses.”
Matt didn't know what to say. He was fearful Griff might do something but realized it was
stupid when he thought of how much the man had done for him.
“I ugh—”
“Cut it. I don't care to look into it. You keep your secrets. I’d suggest you take the veil
course as soon as possible, though.”
Griff gave him a hard look. It worried Matt because he had no idea what the man might
do.
“This is not a recommendation. I am not legally allowed to give recommendations during
this class. But, if I had your mana problems, I would contact the manufacturer of the AIs. They
have a location in almost every world for troubleshooting purposes.”
Griff held up a finger. “They pay handsomely for high Tier cultivator’s AI scans. That's
how the new generations are made. They see how the older AIs process information, and they
build better base models around that. The AIs grow with use, and everyone uses them
differently after all.
“My AI is old. Old enough that it's two generations behind the current models. I have a
DK model when the newest ones are DM models. The new models start out a bit better, but it's
no substitute for time in the field and learning on its own, but it's a better starting point.
“Now, I know they love unique Talents that produce mana, and they pay handsomely for
the privilege to test odd configurations of skills or Talents. That's where the best breakthroughs
come from. The normal folks are good for testing baselines, but the odd Talents interacting with
the AIs are how interesting advancements are made.”
Griff shot him another hard look. “If I had a Talent that produced a lot of mana, I’d
contact them and see if I could work out a deal.”
“Won't they be able to know everything about someone if they get a scan of the AI in the
future?” Matt couldn't let that happen at any cost.
“No, they scan the structure the AI becomes in your spirit, then run the AI through testing
and benchmark the results. They don't get any personal information. They'd piss off far too
many high Tiered people if it came to light. And, well, that's a good way to end up dead.
“But I. Did. Not. Recommend. Anything to you.” With a final hard look, Griff hurried out of
the room.
 Chapter 11
 
Matt thought about Griff's words for the next few hours. He didn't know what to do. The
risk was fairly high, but the reward was also great.
If he reached out to get the specialized researcher AI, he would have an AI to use but, in
the process, he risked letting important information slip. It was as if he was shouting that he had
a unique mana producing Talent from the rooftops, and that was dangerous.
Mana was precious on higher Tiered worlds, where the general population didn’t just live
by the safe areas along the coast. The runic formations that stopped rifts from forming in cities
cost a lot of mana to run. The cost was only partially offset by the higher Tiered cultivators and
rifts producing more mana and mana stones.
That completely discounted the fact mana was literally money. If he had thought of it and
was willing to share his actual Talent, he was sure Miles would have taken him to Gavle’s Good
Guilders in a second. He had only said he couldn't cultivate mana, not that he produced 1 mana
per second. His focus on the detrimental rating had accidentally prevented him from being
shoved into a hole on day one.
Still Matt contemplated the risks and benefits of the AI. He leaned more toward doing
what Griff suggested. It was dangerous, sure, but he didn’t think even massive companies
would dare risk the Empire’s wrath. Matt’s status garnered from being on The Path would
protect him.
Research first. 
Matt looked up what he could about the company TrueMind Corp. What he found lined
up with what he expected. Would a company that large let negative publicity ruin their image? 
He didn’t think so. Or he hoped not.
What he discovered was that their main source of revenue was producing Tier 30 and
above smart runic formations. The selling of personal AIs was a side project subsidized by the
Empire. The official imperial statement said they stood to benefit from the advantages the AI
would give their younger generation. 
Shadi, the founder of the company, was also reportedly altruistic in her old age. That
was after she had crushed the competition, twenty thousand years ago.
Now that TrueMind was alone on top of their target market, the founder reportedly had
given up on advancement of her cultivation. Instead, she had been focused on a personal
project and had been rarely seen. Matt didn't trust that at all, but he doubted she was up to
anything too heinous. Besides, producing a few mana a second couldn't be that rare at higher
Tiers, it was just uncommon at low Tiers. Any benefit the founder would gain from taking
advantage of him wouldn’t outweigh the consequences.
The thought that if she knew the scaling, she'd probably be willing to capture him, was a
dark one but he shook it off.
It was still a risk, but the reward of a personal AI was worth it. The AI would always be
useful, unlike the other expensive items Matt needed to progress. An enchanted sword would
grow obsolete after he reached Tier 4 or 5, and a spatial bag had the same problem. The bag
would last longer than the sword but would still be replaced at some point. 
 Most Cultivators used them even after Tier 15 because the lower-ranked spatial rings
had a limited storage area. However, it was said that, eventually, the bags were completely
replaced with rings after a point.
While he couldn't always plan for Tiers ahead of his own, it felt like a wasted opportunity
to not get the only item that would grow with him.
Making his decision, Matt called the local offices of TrueMind. When the receptionist
answered, he simply asked to speak with a manager and was transferred.
When the person picked up, Matt asked, “Are you someone who can make decisions
about unique Talents and AIs?”
“Nope. This is the complaints office. Let me transfer you.” Matt facepalmed. He had
immediately asked for a manager, so it made sense that the receptionist had sent him to the
complaints department.
It was a much longer wait this time.
“Hello, this is Janet with the development team,” the voice on the other side sounded
only half attentive.
Development team? What were they developing on this low Tiered world? Matt wasn't
sure but gave her his best pitch.
“I was informed TrueMind was interested in unique Talents. I happen to have one that
produces a lot of mana under the right circumstances but that also makes me unable to use the
standard AIs.”
Janet sounded more interested when Matt said that. “Really, now. How much is a lot? If
it's enough, we would be willing to hire you.”
He had already decided to not reveal his true powers, but he also realized he had to
show a little of his abilities if he wanted their attention.
“I am not able to work for your company as I'm on The Path of Ascension.“ He wanted to
get that out as soon as possible so they wouldn't get thoughts of crossing the Empire to get his
Talent after what he said next.
“And I can produce around…hmm…let’s say five mana a second. No reserves.”
All he heard was a chair creak, and it was a long moment before Janet spoke up ,“Okay.
okay, that's interesting. So, some kind of high mana regeneration but lacking in capacity. That is
unique. I assume the trend will continue, or you would have just waited. I'm assuming you want
the researcher AI, right?”
Matt swallowed hard. Those assumptions were too accurate for his liking.
“Yes, that's exactly what I want.”
For the next few minutes, all he could hear was rapid tapping at a screen.
“If you want to purchase a researcher's AI, I can do that. It will cost fourteen Tier 6 mana
stones.”
That crushed his happiness. That was three and a half billion credits. He didn't have a
hope of getting the AI unless he could work out a deal.
 “I was informed that a deal could be worked out?” Matt asked, trying to keep the
desperation out of his voice.
“It could be, but it comes with some restrictions and conditions. Are you interested? Most
would rather wait.”
Matt didn't like the sound of that, but this could help him grow faster, and that was
priceless.
“What are they?” He was happy his voice didn’t waver.
“So, I can get you the standard researcher AI and software, but you have to come in to
do scans and testing at every Tier until Tier 10. If you miss any because of any reason, you
would owe us the missing Tiers after Tier 10.
“The other option is something we’ve been working on for a while. It's the beta version of
the next generation researcher AI. It’s more versatile and built to be more malleable. The
problem is it’s mana inefficient. Our job and another dozen worlds is keeping the malleability
while reducing the mana cost.”
This sounded better to Matt. Something new would be an advantage. Griff had said the
newer models had a higher starting point. It was tempting.
“The adaptability and increased computing power are expensive. Very expensive. If you
hadn’t said you generated five mana a second, I wouldn’t have even offered it. The idling mana
cost is a permanent one mana a second, and the active computing can multiply that easily.
“So, if you exaggerated your mana abilities now's the time to say so.”
Matt hesitated for a moment, thinking over all the scenarios he could imagine. Then with
determination he said, “No I didn’t. That sounds like a useful AI for my situation. What’s the
catch?”
Janet chuckled. “The normal catch is the absurd mana cost. We would give it all the
software for combat and predictive modeling. We’d want you to push the AI, and heavy testing
under combat conditions always brings out good data.
“If you take this option, we would have you come in to scan until Tier 15, and we’d send
you a special pad with testing software. We would expect the AI to be tested on downtime. Also,
I’m obligated to inform you that we usually pay for scans and testing of cultivator’s AIs. The
usual rate is one mana stone of their Tier plus one. So, you’d be losing out on a load of income.”
None of that bothered Matt. The AI could do the testing when he was asleep, which
would also allow him to benchmark its growth. The income loss wasn’t relevant. It was a lot of
money now but, to the future him, who was a Tier 10, earning a Tier 11 mana stone wouldn’t be
impossible.
Matt made his decision. “As long as the testing won’t run into my own time, I don’t mind.”
“Really? That's good. I can send you the contract, then. I gotta say I didn't think this
would come across my desk today. It's good for our branch, though.”
A vibration singled the arrival of the contract on his pad. As Matt read over the contract,
he idly asked, “Why is that? Do you get a bonus or something for finding a tester?”
“Eh, kind of. If you prove even mildly useful, we’ll get a bonus, sure, but this is an
important project. It usually takes decades to get an AI good at something without incredibly
specialized programming. And the programming limits the AI. The ones that learn naturally are
far better than ones that get massive software programs.”
Janet continued, with the passion she had for the job showing clearly, “It’s why it takes
so long for a new generation of personal AIs to come out. We learn from the older AIs and can
make the starting parameters even smaller and less detrimental to the AI’s future growth. The
older an AI gets, the more it can break the shackles of early programming. But it’s hard and can
take centuries and an absurd amount of mana to do.”
“This design has been on our back burner for at least a hundred years. Really, it's an
interesting design philosophy…”
Matt only listened with half an ear as Janet continued with how his data could help them
in the smallest ways. As he reviewed the contract, he found it was as she had said. He would
owe them a scan and test every Tier until 15, and if he missed one, he would have to make it up
on the back end.
The other part about the AI having to run specialized testing was vague. It was written as
a pre-established set of testing software that would take up no more than an hour a day under
normal conditions. And he had a month to adjust to the AI before testing began.
After scanning the contract again for anything he might have missed, he digitally signed
the document.
“Got it on my end. We'll have a package sent over with a special courier immediately. I
look forward to seeing your data.”
Matt hung up after thanking her and felt relieved it was over. He hadn’t even needed to
spend any money, he’d just needed to sell himself for the next few decades.
Sighing, he went to the blacksmith area. He had some ideas for blades and wanted to
see if they were possible. His mana regeneration meant he could use an enchanted blade with
ease. He could fill the mana stones to charge the runes himself and not have to worry about
using his rift-acquired mana stones.
As he arrived, he looked for Smith the smith but couldn't find him. Eventually, he found
the smith Tun who he had bought his longsword from. He waited for the man to finish the mace
he was working on and drew his attention with a wave.
“Hey, Tun. I hit Tier 3 recently and wanted to look at enchanted blades. Considering I
bought my last sword from you, well, I wanted to see if you had anything.” Matt didn't know why,
but he finished hesitantly.
“Depends on what you are looking for but, yeah, probably. I'm going to assume you want
a longsword. The real question is are you looking for something cheap, or something to last you
a few Tiers?”
“What are the differences between the two?”
“Well, it's only a Tier 3 weapon. By necessity, it's not going to use amazing materials.
One, because they are way too expensive and, two, most people outgrow the weapons fast
because the Tier is low.”
It made sense, so he asked, “So, why get a good weapon? I'll have it for a year or so at
most.”
 “The idea is, you get a better weapon and don't get a new one till Tier 5. You pay more
now but can skip the Tier 4 upgrade.”
“I can see the logic. What are the differences in the weapons, though?”
Tun walked over to a book and opened it to a page. He pointed to a picture of two runes.
“Well, the cheaper ones have less runes on them. At Tier 3, you can barely get a major rune
and a minor one on a weapon. Tier 4 can hold stronger versions of the same combo.”
Matt wanted to clarify that before Tun moved on, so he interjected, “Wait. What is the
difference between a major and minor rune if there are stronger versions in Tier 4?”
“A major rune is just a better version of a minor one. Think of it like a deeper engraving,
or an allocation of mana to the rune. At each Tier, the runes become increasingly complex and
harder to inlay into weapons and armor. And metals are inherently bad at enchanting. A mage's
staff or wand can hold two or three major runes at Tier 3, a sword can barely do half that. Well,
until you get to high Tier metals. And even then, metals still lag behind equal Tier woods and
monster parts.”
“Okay. What can you do for each type and what's the price run?”
Tun tapped the book, “The normal combination for a Tier 3 longsword is a major
durability and a minor sharpness. At Tier 3 and 4, most monsters can't take a hit from normal
steel, and the durability ensures the weapon can survive your increasing power. The sharpness
is just because it's nice to cut shit easier. Together, they mean you will keep your edge sharp
longer.”
Pointing at the other page of the book, he continued, “The other cheaper option is to just
get one or the other. If you get the sharpness, you might bend or break the blade, though, and
chipping will be an issue.”
That left Matt with a conundrum. While he wanted the better blade, he didn't know if he
could afford it.
“And the price?”
“Two-point-five to three mil.” Seeing Matt open his mouth to protest the absurd price,
Tun hurried to finish, “Putting both runes on is a shit load harder than putting one rune on a
weapon. And the mana cost only increased as well. I need to buy my mana, and it will take
thousands of mana to even attempt this.”
Matt winced. Even with his credit card, he would need to nearly max it out again. He had
paid down most of the debt, but he didn't want to lean on it again so quickly.
“What is the difference between a Tier 4 and 5 weapon? Seems like I need to get one of
them.”
Tun spun a hammer in his hands as he said, “Well, I haven't worked on those Tiers yet,
obviously, but starting at Tier 4, the spirit is stronger. So, a fighter can handle the stress of
activating the runes, and the materials get less mundane. A smith will add trace amounts of
more magically inclined materials at higher Tiers. It's usually only a few grams of a Tier 6 or 7
monster, but it's enough to make the blade stronger, hold more runes, and easier to enchant.
“Tier 5 is where you can add active enchantments onto a weapon, essentially a skill the
weapon or armor can activate. That’s a huge increase in price, though, at the same time, it's the
only way to add damage for most people. At least until skills start dropping at Tier 8.”
 Tun shrugged and pursed his lips. “At higher Tiers, it's less about mana efficiency and
more about mana throughput. Dumping more mana through the runes wears them down faster,
so you need better materials. In turn, that means you need more complex runes, which are
harder to enchant.”
Tun still stared at his hammer, continuing to twirl it in his hands as he spoke. Matt
couldn't tell if it was longing or something more complex going through the smith. “There is also
the problem that skills in a weapon are unable to grow to handle more mana, unlike skills in the
spirit. Runes in a weapon aren't able to keep up at the higher Tiers, where a skill can take
thousands of mana of throughput.
“But what you want to know is how much better each would be. Well, it depends on the
smith or enchanter doing the work. But the usual improvement is Tier 4 is about thirty to 40%
better than Tier 3. And Tier 5 is usually twice as good compared to a Tier 4.”
That didn't really help Matt at all. If he got a new weapon at each Tier, it would be
incredibly expensive, and he still needed to get a spatial bag. That gave Matt his next question.
“Would this make the spatial bag impossible to use?”
“Only at the same time. The real problem is how expensive the bags are. The spirit is
only strained when actively using the enchantments, so it shouldn’t interfere unless you can't
deactivate one or the other.”
Tun shrugged.
“Really, it's up to you. After Tier 5, most get a new weapon every rank. I can't really tell
you to do either but, from what I’ve seen people buy, the dual rune Tier 3, and then 5. Or they
get the single rune Tier 3 and buy both a Tier 4 and 5. I can make you a custom longsword with
the size and runes you want.
“The turnaround is usually a week though, so—”
“You don't happen to have a buy one get one free so I can get a Tier 3 hammer or ax as
well, do you?”
Tun just looked at him, then turned around and started hammering on a red-hot bar of
metal he pulled from the furnace.
Seeing his joke fell flat, Matt thanked him and walked back to his room. He couldn't
decide if it was better to get the higher Tiered weapon. It was so expensive that it would eat into
his spatial bag budget if he did, but he might be able to use it for two Tiers if he got the better
one.
The next day, he decided to get the better sword. He was putting all his essence into his
physical cultivation, so he was growing stronger than most people in his Tier. The chance he
broke a weapon was higher than most, and if he broke one, his wallet would be punished far
more than the single large purchase.
He also had to consider he didn't have another way to attack, other than his weapon. So,
he needed the ability to deal damage, and the dual rune option offered him a way to increase
his damage per hit.
The two of them spent a few hours designing a sword for Matt, and it was far more fun
than he thought it would be. He designed a balanced blade that was slightly longer than his
current one so he could grow into it. While he had grown quite a bit in the last year and a half,
he expected to grow more before his next upgrade at Tier 5.
He had just finished with Tun and was playing with Aster in a field when his pad beeped
that he had a package waiting for him.
With excitement, he retrieved the package and found another pad and a box. A note
came with the smaller package. It just stated the device was to be installed by medical
professionals only.
Matt checked over the pad that came in the package. It was smaller than his current
one, and heavy. At least three times heavier than his.
When he arrived at the medical facility, he was told it would be at least an hour before a
healer could oversee the installation of the device.
It made Matt slightly nervous when he considered the fact the small, rice-sized hardware
would be connecting to his spinal column at the base of his skull. It wasn't strictly necessary to
have the hardware left in after the construct took residence in his spirit, but it allowed for more
computing power before the AI grew and evolved, so it was usually left in for the long term.
When the healer came out, Matt saw he was an older man with a touch of gray at his
temples. He escorted Matt to a room and explained Matt would feel groggy for the next three
days. That is, until the AI was fully online and settled both in his spirit and in his skull.
Matt laid down, and the doctor wiped at his neck, the area going numb. Then he felt the
surrounding flesh moving. A healing spell washed over him, and the numbness and small aches
from training washed away.
“All right, when you cycle essence into the construct, it will assimilate like any skill. If you
have important things to do, I recommend doing them before. You'll feel drunk or very tired. At
least, most people describe it as one of the two. I felt drunk when I got mine. Also, you are
barred from delving for a week after the three-day period. Good luck.” With the last words
tossed over his shoulder, the doctor swept out of the room.
Matt ate lunch with Aster, and then headed back to his room and put on a show before
cycling essence to the back of his skull. It was gradual, but he felt mentally exhausted. He
wasn't physically tired, but his thinking turned slow and sluggish.
The next three days passed in a haze. He couldn't even work out safely so combat
training was certainly out of the question, so he and his bond mostly relaxed.
The third morning, he woke up and felt clear-headed. The world seemed sharper,
crisper. He wasn't sure if it was the AI doing something to improve his senses, or if it was just
the contrast of coming out of the fog he had been in for the last few days.
He sent a mental probe to the AI, and his mana drained to near zero in an effort to feed
the construct. If he didn't have his Talent where his mana regeneration was equal to his
maximum mana under 1% of his max mana, he wouldn't be able to fuel this AI. It was taking
nearly half his available 10 MPS.
In his vision, he saw, ‘Startup procedures initializing. Please, stand by. Estimated time to
finish, fourteen minutes.’
 Matt took Aster to eat at the dining hall and, after setting out her food, ate his own. The
new food was even more expensive than her kit food, as it was made of Tier 4 and 5 monsters.
The expense drained his already tight budget, but he wasn't going to skimp on his companion.
The startup process finished, and a heads-up display overlaid his vision. ‘New host
detected. Start scanning? Yes. No.’
Matt selected yes, and the pull on his mana grew stronger.
This AI is absurd.
It pulled almost seven mana a second. Any normal mage at this Tier would be empty of
mana in just a few minutes. It explained why they had been working on this model for so long. It
was nearly unusable at lower Tiers, and at the higher Tiers no one would want to get rid of their
older, more established AI for this glutton.
After a moment, the mana draw slowed to a trickle, and Matt had an outline of his body
covering his view of the dining hall. When he looked closer, he was tinted green. Focusing on
any part gave a breakdown of the limb and its current status.
Under that was a display for his mana.
Mana: 0.9/10
While the mana display wasn't very useful for Matt, the body scan was. It would be nice
to be able to see any damage done to him.
Matt looked to Aster, who cleaned herself, and the AI responded to his intention. ‘Bond
detected. Start scanning? Yes. No.’
He went through the process, and a small outline of Aster appeared next to his own
outline with the same breakdown. It hurt to realize his fox had 900 mana at Tier 2 while he had a
whopping ten mana at Tier 3.
After they finished their breakfast, Matt headed to the training room and set the room to
the goblin and hobgoblin configuration of the Tier 1 rift. He made sure to bump up the difficulty,
but only to peak Tier 2 strength. This was more about testing the AI than his own skills.
Once he activated [Cracked Phantom Armor], the AI prompted ‘skill use detected. Start
analyzing and optimization? Yes. No.’
Matt smiled. This was exactly what he hoped for. All AIs could optimize mana usage, but
it was usually only seen at Tier 5 and higher. Hitting yes, he waited eagerly.
‘[Cracked Phantom Armor] detected, analyzing properties and mana usage. Processing.
Processing. Processing. Analyzing complete. Optimizing. Failure. Please, provide more usage
data and information on optimizing skills.’
Decidedly less thrilled, Matt realized he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. It was a long
shot to expect a brand-new AI with the mostly barebones software to do what took most AI
years to accomplish.
He started the combat predictive mode, then had the AI start the training room scenario.
Immediately, he stopped the training room.
The AI had shown every possible move the training aid could do. 
 Every single one.
The predictions ranged from the general attacks to more obscure combinations the
goblins would never do. It was blinding and cluttered to the point of being useless.
One prediction had even shown a one in a million chance of the training aid just shutting
down. That prediction was useless even in practice.
Tweaking the settings was tedious but easy enough. He lowered the tolerance for shown
actions to 40% or higher only while taking into account past actions for the monster type and the
general body structure.
He repeated the process again. It was better with less clutter but, after a few exchanges,
he paused the training aids again. Matt then re-enabled the predictions that accounted for the
weapon type.
The next fight was better, but he stopped the training after a few exchanges to raise the
threshold of shown prediction to 60% and increase the transparency for all predictions greatly.
After that, Matt just fought the training goblins and hobgoblin. He wasn't sure if the
learning speed was normal, but the AI soon predicted the attacks with far fewer possible
predictions. Even better, the most likely path was nearly always correct after only a half hour.
He didn't quite trust the predictions because, in the end, this was a simulation of the
goblins, not the real thing. While it was nearly perfect, the real goblins could, and did, make
unexpected attacks at times.
The training continued for the next hour, with Matt tweaking settings as he went. He
ended up changing the transparency to indicate the probability instead of showing numbers as it
had before.
Having the AI re-review all the data it processed, he went and purchased three new 200
mana rechargeable mana stones. Tun had suggested it so he could swap the power source for
his new blade, and Matt agreed. He didn't want to get screwed because of the wait time for his
mana to un-aspect.
When he had asked about letting it use his own aspected mana, Tun had said that would
double the price because of the added runes, while also forcing him to use two minor runes, so
he just dropped the idea.
Tun said the weapon would be done in four more days, but that left Matt with little to do
for the next week, so he trained and exercised. Any down time was mostly spent stress testing
the AI.
The pad TrueMind had sent had far more testing scenarios than what was mandatory.
There was monster vs monster combat, monster vs cultivator combat, and even cultivator vs
cultivator combat.
Most scenarios were just small snippets the AI was supposed to reconstruct the fights
off. Some contained a small area left over from a fight, and some a vast, destroyed landscape
with hundreds of corpses. A more interesting scenario he found was when the AI was put into a
PoV of a fighter and had to predict the opponent's movements. The AI was awful at it, but Matt
was interested in watching the fights play out and making his own predictions.
At first, the AI had the same predictive problems as before, but as he let it watch the
early fights, it slowly got better at predicting the flow of combat. It was still useless when it came
to skills or Talents, but it got better after he found an information repository on common Tier 8
skill shards on the EmpireNet.
The AI could predict low Tier skill usage somewhat, but only after seeing the skill used at
least once. So, surprise attacks and a clever first usage still tripped it up.
It was only at a 5% predictive ability with any fight that involved skills, and only 2% for
combat over Tier 5. Still, Matt felt progress of his own watching the fights. Seeing the flow of
combat in higher Tiers gave him ideas and possibilities for his own fighting style.
He also found an AI downloadable class on veils and purchased it for ten thousand
credits.
 It was incredible. The class had information packets that allowed his AI to simulate the
feeling and pattern of what a veil should be.
With the AI’s help, Matt was able to get a rudimentary veil that would dampen any
spiritual sense trying to probe him in only a few hours. It wasn't perfect, as he couldn't hold the
essence at the edge of his spirit as well as the AI projected, but he was happy with the
progress.
It was a strain on his concentration but would help hide his mana regeneration, so he set
the AI to ping him any time he let the veil slip. The improvement was slow but steady. He and
the AI predicted that, within a few weeks, he would be able to hold a weak veil constantly. Then
it would just be a matter of strengthening it over time as his spirit grew stronger.
His new weapon was finished two days before the ban on his delving was lifted. Matt
was glad he had gone with the more expensive version of the weapon once he got it. He and
Tun had done a cutting test and, even without the enchantments activated, it was stronger and
cut better than his first sword.
When the enchantment was active, it cut through a log like a dream. It was odd to use
the enchantments on the blade. It felt like his spirit was trying to lift heavy weights while being
covered with a wet blanket. It was a distracting sensation to get accustomed to.
It was mana efficient, being a low Tier weapon, but the more stress the weapon was
under meant a faster mana drain. Still, Matt went and bought another three rechargeable mana
stones. He just had to will the runes to active with his spirit, and they would pull from the mana
stone in the pommel.
Having extra was a nice backup, and he wasn't going to run out of mana to keep them
topped off even with the worst recharging rate stones he bought.
After his testing, he discovered with constant use, he could expect the 200 mana to last
an entire rift. But if he did run out of mana in the middle of a delve, he had extra mana stones to
swap out. 
Using a rift mana stone was a waste of credits he couldn't afford.
His Talent was even a source of income with his mana if he was careful. Out of the
PlayPen, people could sell mana to fuel the cities. The price was pretty low at fifty credits for
200 mana, but it would keep him from starving.
For a moment, he wished he had had a rechargeable mana stone and device to transfer
the mana when he was at Benny’s. He could have made ten thousand credits in no time if he
had it.
 The lack of information had greatly hampered his planning, though Matt figured he
wouldn’t have been at Benny’s to meet Dena and Eric and join The Path if he had sold his
mana. So, maybe it was better he didn’t know of the ability.
It's weird to think ten thousand credits was a far goal just a few years ago. Now, I can
make it in a single rift if I get a little lucky. And with the Tier 3 rifts, I'll make that with every mana
stone. Yet, I still feel poor. Things are more expensive, but I’ve come a long way.
I can't believe I once thought Benny charging four hundred credits a week was a lot.
Most of them were Tier 3. The place truly was a dump that was just in a good location.
His gear was getting a little small, so he took his time off to buy new clothes for combat
and casual wear. The combat clothes he bought were simple, just sturdy cloth, but they fit better
and wouldn’t tear apart if he moved too fast.
***
Four days later, Matt stood in front of the tear to the Tier 3 rift, and with Aster on his
heels, he stepped through.
 Chapter 12
 
The forest around Matt was covered in the thinnest layer of snow. It was almost see-
through, giving a muted look to the area.
The rift was cold enough that he activated [Cracked Phantom Armor]. Not because of
the ever-present danger but to stop the biting wind.
It was a strange feeling. Matt couldn’t feel the wind, but [Cracked Phantom Armor] gave
him slight sensory feedback. It was almost like wearing a thick jacket in the winter but not quite.
Aster was loving the cold, and the wind didn’t bother her in the slightest. She pranced
around sniffing the air without a care in the world and excitement flooding through their bond.
Matt had his new longsword in hand as he surveyed the area. The trees were a mix of
tall pines and shorter evergreens. He saw the first monster of the rift as he walked to the left of
the entrance.
It was a bipedal wolf about 5’5.” Matt estimated it would be taller if it wasn’t so hunched,
closer to 5’9.” It snapped its head toward him as he approached and, with a howl, it rushed him.
The wolfman had its disproportionately large claws held out to either side, and its teeth
bared as it charged.
Sidestepping, he struck out with his blade’s enchantments active, and the blow sliced
the monster in half. It had landed one hit with its claw but was unable to pierce [Cracked
Phantom Armor]. One stab through its head put the whimpering monster out of its misery.
Smiling, he cut the hands and head off the monster. The claws and teeth were useful to
both alchemists and blacksmiths, so into the sack they went.
The rush of essence from the Tier 3 monster flowed into Matt’s spirit, and he couldn't
keep the grin off his face. It was so much more than the Tier 2 rift had given him. Even the ant
queen hadn’t provided so much essence. It was also a denser, better material to build upon.
Quickly, he pulled Aster along, who was busy eating a mouthful of the wolfman's heart.
This was a Tier 3 rift, and the entire area was a valley two miles long and half a mile across.
There were no distinct rooms or zones like the Tier 1 rifts.
The wolfmen had a camp in the center of the valley where the exit was, and Matt knew
from the guide the howl would have attracted attention.
That would cause the wolfmen leader to send hunting teams out, so he wanted to move
before they inevitably picked up his scent.
A few minutes later, Aster, with her keener senses, heard the trio of wolfmen gaining on
them. Matt turned and sent the fox behind him. Her role was to watch out for any that had been
ahead of them and that would try to attack their rear, now that he had turned to fight.
The monsters tried to surround him. Two circled to flank him, trying to get Matt to place
his back to one of the three. He wasn’t willing to call their bluff quite yet. He wanted to learn how
the monsters fought.
Normal wolves were pack animals, and these bipedal rift wolves were no different. Matt
kept retreating slowly, keeping the trio to his front. As he watched, he assessed the enemy in
front of him. They had large hind legs with powerful thighs, their hunched stature belying their
tendency toward lunging attacks.
One went for a swipe at his left side, while the rightmost wolfman did the same on the
other side. The pincer attack forced Matt to make a quick decision. He sidestepped to the right
to disrupt the timing of the charging wolfmen and slashed at the one now closest to him. His
attack took off the wolfman’s swiping hand as the other skidded to a halt in the snow.
Seeing an opportunity, the third monster rushed at Matt’s exposed back while the other
charged from the front. He kept them at bay with swipes they weren’t willing to take after seeing
their compatriot disarmed so easily.
After an aborted lunge and swipe of its claws, Matt thrust his longsword, catching the
wolfman in the chest. It wasn’t deep enough to kill, but the attack gave the second monster
enough courage to lunge forward.
Matt had planned for that and stood his ground, swinging his sword toward the attacking
wolf.
The wolf must have thought it could sacrifice an upraised arm to get a killing blow.
However, its rudimentary intelligence couldn’t comprehend the enchanted blade’s total
disregard for things as frail as flesh and bone.
The slash sheared the monster clean in half, its lower body frozen n the harsh cold as
blood sputtered from its dismembered entrails. Steam drifted away from the gushing blood, as if
mirroring the life leaving the wolfman's remains. Matt felt more of the powerful Tier 3 essence
flow into him.
I love this sword.
Matt took advantage of the hesitation in the wolfmen caused by the death of their
packmate and rushed at his next kill. He ran the beast through without breaking stride, [Cracked
Phantom Armor] allowing him to absorb a glancing blow. The last wolfman roared in protest,
and Matt took the opportunity to finish it off by hurling his sword at it. It sliced through the
monster’s skull with ease, impaling it to a thick pine tree. Whistling his satisfaction, he collected
his sword, as well as the monsters’ heads and hands.
The new sword was so amazing, he couldn't help but test its limits a little with the killing
throw.
Aster took a couple of bites out of their corpses before following Matt.
As they ran, he checked his HUD for the charge of his mana stone in the hilt of his
longsword.
Sword: 178/200
The mana consumption seemed reasonable and was easily produced with his Talent. It
would take longer for the mana he produced to un-aspect than it would to make. He could have
shut off the enchantment but was happy to burn the mana to get a true test of the blade.
He also checked his AI. It was working correctly and recording the fight data, but he had
it off for now. He would review the data after the rift. He didn't want to rely on the predictive
capabilities of the AI until he had confidence in his own ability to fight.
 Matt repeated the same maneuver until the wolves stopped attacking, slinking silently
through the trees with Aster until they came upon another hunting party. Thirty-seven dead pack
members later, the leader called everyone into the central camp.
Now that the retreat was sounded, he would have to fight almost seventy wolves in the
large clearing the pack called home. It was weird. They had the facsimile of an intelligent
society, but they didn't have young, or even pregnant female wolves in the camp. It was all
wolves of fighting age.
That was how most rifts operated, but Matt still found it odd. In nearly eight hundred
million years of recorded history, rifts had been repeatedly proven to not be intelligent, so why
the farce of having the wolves in a clearing with structures?
He had Aster retreat a few feet behind him deeper into the woods while he stepped out
of the woods into the clearing. As he stepped out of the trees, he surveyed his surroundings,
only to have half a dozen wolves rush him.
This was a far less elegant fight, but Matt only took three hits to his [Cracked Phantom
Armor]. Which, for the intensity and lopsidedness of the fight, he considered acceptable. He
didn't back up this time, and they didn't try to slowly whittle him down. It was a brawl his
enchanted blade and skill turned into a bloodbath.
His plan was to step back into the forest and repeat the same actions until the pack
leader appeared, continuing his pattern of guerrilla warfare. The leader had no intentions of
playing along. He obviously noticed Matt’s last fight and led the remaining wolves in a charge.
This wolfman was a foot taller than his brothers and sisters. And, of course, he came
with five others that were also larger specimens than the previous he had fought. As the leader
charged, his underlings used the same tactics Matt had already seen and flanked him as he
backed to the forest line. He wasn't hoping to stop the monster's charge but simply break up the
attacks.
He took an attack from the leader while killing two of the lesser wolves. That single blow
nearly cut through [Cracked Phantom Armor]. This monster was stronger than the orc he fought
in the Tier 1 rift challenge. It was only because he could supply more mana to his skill than it
held. If he took another attack on the same arm before the skill repaired itself, he would need a
healer.
He tried to push more mana into [Cracked Phantom Armor] but, when he did, he felt the
skill’s structure in his spirit start to destabilize.
Ducking the next attack, Matt struck out at the wolf leader. The enchanted blade, which
had sliced through everything so far in this rift, just bounced off its large claws. He had assumed
that would happen but had hoped for a better outcome. The pack leader’s teeth and claws were
worth ten times what the lesser wolves’ were worth for a reason.
Dodging the leader's attacks and taking out the remaining lesser wolves took all his
patience and skill. It was a battle of mental endurance as well as physical. Each lunging attack
was followed by another from the opposite direction, so Matt had to dodge and parry at once to
avoid damage. Any misstep or error in timing would leave him vulnerable to the leader’s
powerful swipes. He took glancing hits from the smaller wolves as he dispatched them but was
able to choose where they landed. His focus and agility were able to keep anything from getting
through [Cracked Phantom Armor].
 The fight was hectic and seemed to drag on for hours. Matt had approximately forty
wolves left, and they surrounded him, trying to use their numbers to land hits on his back and
whittle him down. When that didn't work, they eventually charged as one and tried to tackle him
to the ground.
That was far more dangerous as his mobility was the only thing keeping the leader from
being able to land lethal hits. Matt had no choice but to hack his way through the pack, ducking
and weaving through the mass of claws and fur. After a good five minutes of carnage, it was
only him, the leader, and two of the larger wolfmen left.
During a biting lunge from one of the last wolfmen, Matt was finally able to turn the battle
into an equal fight with two slashes of his own. Even if the lesser wolves hadn’t been able to
hurt him easily, they could disrupt his footing with their momentum and weight.
Now that he could fully concentrate his attacks and attention on the leader, he quickly
struck out and landed a blow to the leg. He knew his first hit already marked the end of the fight.
With less mobility, the leader was circled and whittled down. Nick by nick, cut by cut, Matt bled
the leader of the wolfmen until it collapsed dead from blood loss. An anticlimactic end to the
large wolf.
Once Matt felt the rush of essence, he collected the remaining spoils of the delve. He
was exhausted. That last fight was long, and it had taken everything he had to not be pulled
under with their sheer numbers. He was slow in his collection of the monster parts while he
settled his racing heart.
As Aster came out of the woods she ate the bits of the monsters she wanted, mostly the
choice bits of heart as he dragged the leader's corpse over to the exit rift and looked at the
reward distortion. It was a swirling yellow and, as he sent a burst of essence to dispel it, he
found a pile of mana stones. After counting, Matt laughed. Fourteen, double the average. That
was one-hundred-forty-thousand credits. He was making a dent in his money problems after just
one delve.
The advantages of a solo delver were showing themselves more and more as the Tier
increased.
As he prepared to leave, Aster sent that she wanted to remain in the rift a while longer.
She got the feeling being in the cold would help her ice powers.
So, Matt sat down and let her manipulate the cold around them. As he waited for her, he
enabled the AI overlay and had it process the data. He had kept it throttled to a max of two
mana a second for the duration of the rift because he didn't want it to distract him during the
delve.
As he let it analyze the data, with all the remaining mana he wasn't feeding into [Cracked
Phantom Armor], he saw a replay of his vision appear in his lower right field of view. The AI ran
through the entire time in the rift three times before signaling it had completed its analysis.
The data was good, and the analysis had a decent number of predictions. Matt looked
forward to using the predictive methods during his next delve.
The final battle had been hectic, and Matt was excited for any advantage he could find. If
his skill wasn't so strong, he would have taken a lot of hits and could have died. He also didn't
need the AIs reminder that this was a weak Tier 3 rift, and that the leader didn't have a skill to
use. This was still the PlayPen, and they wouldn't allow a rift with a boss who had a skill to
linger.
 Matt tapped the sword resting between his legs. It had carried the day. Its ability to slice
through the wolfmen with ease was crucial in the last melee.
Watching Aster, a blue-tinged white energy swirled into her. He assumed it was cold
manipulation of some type but was unsure as she didn’t know and was acting completely on
instinct.
Upon further inspection, he noticed she was actually cycling the cold. He could only
guess it was a control training method of some sort and left her to it.
He sat and continued to review the battle, using the AI and his own expertise to
formulate a better attempt for the next delve.
When they left an hour later, Matt had a plan simmering in his thoughts.
***
The next day, he stood in front of Griff's desk and explained his plan.
“I would like to do a two day delve cycle. It will let me maximize my time remaining on
the island, and it takes advantage of me being a solo delver. The Tier 3 rift doesn't have any
significant risk to me with my skill and Talent combination. If I can do a two-day cycle, I can go
from sixty delves to ninety. Also, it lets Aster get more time in the cold environment, which helps
her cold powers.”
Matt held up a pitiful looking Aster to the man on the other side of the desk. He didn't feel
bad in the slightest in having the fox put on a pitiful face in front of the Tier 15. They had
practiced until she was heartbreaking.
“Fine, I'll allow it. Only because you were smart. The contract with TrueMind is good,
even if it will cost you a bit down the road. Just remember a good sword and an AI’s predictive
algorithms will only take you so far.”
He was surprised Griff had heard about it and said so.
“You think a massive corporation can make a contract with someone on The Path
without the Empire making sure it's not predatory? Nah, I got a copy, and so did the boss lady.
It's a bit hefty on the back end but nothing crazy.”
Griff glanced at the screen in front of him, then said, “I wasn't going to bring this up yet,
but I guess now's as good a time as ever.”
As the Tier 15 reclined in his chair, Aster took the opportunity and scampered into his
lap, brush carried in her muzzle.
As Griff took the offering and put it to use, he asked, “What do you know about life
outside of the PlayPen? In the Empire at large or, more specifically, for people on The Path?”
“Not much. I plan to review the open rifts so I can use my advantages well. As a solo
delver, I don't have to worry about the rest of my team's weaknesses when choosing a rift. I'm
more flexible, and I can make more per rift because I don't have to split the rewards.”
“Yeah, that's true and all, but not what I meant. What do you know about training worlds?
There is one opening a few planets away in seven months. Are you interested?”
Matt had no idea what a training world was, and at his inquisitive facial expression, Griff
continued, “Mostly they're worlds that aren't worth colonizing, and mostly left to sit. The essence
builds up, and the rifts overflow. It turns the world into perfect training grounds for larger guilds
and families.”
“Why isn't the world colonized? That seems odd to leave an entire planet to waste
away.”
Griff flicked his finger, and Matt's AI received a packet of information.
“What I just sent you is a data packet about it, but the short of it is, this world has nearly
no water at all. So, no safe areas, and it's only a Tier 5 world. It's not worth the effort to send a
strong water mage over to fill an entire world.
“That leaves the world empty and barren, so it's given to a guild to use as a training
ground every few years. This one has been sitting for ten years. That means the rifts will be
bursting, and the final rewards will be much higher than usual.”
Matt had his AI analyze the data packet as soon as he received it. As he skimmed the
report, one thing popped out, so he asked, “The republic has an entrance to this world as well?
Wouldn't that turn into a bloodbath?”
Griff just smiled at him. “Yeah, they have access to the world as well. And no, it won’t
turn into a bloodbath. We aren't at war right now, and each side will send a Tier 25 to monitor
the situation. Fights will happen, and even some deaths, though everyone discourages killing.
Rob someone, beat them up, but killing and crippling are frowned upon.”
The large man was still brushing Aster while Matt pondered the opportunity. Then, Griff
broke the silence, “I figured it might be a good opportunity for you. Especially if you delve at a
two-day schedule. You should be near Tier 3’s peak at that time, and it could be a great
opportunity for you to advance. The rifts have been sitting so long, they are far more likely to
drop skill shards.
“That means the price of skill shards will be a lot cheaper while the planet is closed.
Trading is far easier when people can't just sell their skills to the highest bidder, with massive
guilds and families buying up skill shards.”
That got Matt excited. “So, there will be a lot of rifts. How many people will there be?
And will Tier 5 be the highest Tier competing?”
Griff nodded. “Yup. The highest Tier will be 5, so you'd be on the weaker end. But that
just means there will be a lot of Tier 3 and 4 rifts for you to delve. The world will only be open for
six months, and the portals will only be activated for a week at the start and end of the
competition. The republic will do the same.”
Matt reviewed his mental plans and started shifting things around.
“Thank you, Griff. I think this is a good opportunity for me as well. I need to go and
prepare for the next six months.”
The big man waved him out and called out right before Matt exited. “Get a self-filling
water source. They will be absurdly expensive on Bladehold.”
Matt thanked him and hurried to the general store.
Reviewing the data sent, he saw it was a cold, dry planet. Like Griff said, it had only a
tiny amount of water, so there was only one safe zone. That meant the Empire and the republic
had to share.
 Matt grabbed his pad, thinking about what he would need. He couldn't really think of
much as he had always lived in a city with modern amenities.
He found a camping guide recommended for overnight delves. Food, a portable cooker,
tent, sleeping bag rated for the cold, a portable chair, lantern, rope, and a multitool all seemed
appropriate. As he looked at the list, he knew he would need to get a spatial bag before this trip.
The bright side was, if he got completely average luck during his delves, he could afford a
smaller bag.
This was a challenge he could plan for and mitigate most of the dangers. He could do
this.
***
Nearly six months later, he was in the Tier 3 rift again. It was mostly a repeat of the first
day, except it was a cleaner and more refined delve, his AI predicting enemy attacks allowing
him to dance around the wolves. It still wasn't perfect, but he had gotten better with every delve.
The largest change was that Aster had reached Tier 3. Her control of the cold was now
at a level she could kill a wolfman with conjured ice projectiles. She wasn't perfect, and her aim
was only slightly better than terrible, but she was improving.
They now just charged at the center of the wolfmen camp, and Matt cut his way through,
with Aster taking out the stragglers. His skill with [Cracked Phantom Armor] had reached the
point he could now feed it with nearly four mana a second. He was essentially immune to
anything but multiple hits from the boss landing on the same spot in rapid succession.
It had taken a lot of training out of the rift, but Matt had gradually gotten the skill
accustomed to handling more mana. It was mostly meditation and exercises focused on slowly
increasing the amount of mana he put into the skill that allowed it to grow accustomed to the
increased throughput.
His problem was his mana control. Matt’s saving grace was the orb Eric had given him
when they offered the sponsorship to the PlayPen. Only after months of long hours of practice
with it was his mana control able to improve.
Most of their time in the rift was spent letting Aster feast and practice in the cold
environment. Her ability to ingest essence from the monster parts was a source of envy for Matt.
It cut down on her portion of essence shared, but he wanted that ability for his own. He could
get 30% more essence if he could eat the monster meat.
He sat in a chair he had pulled out of his spatial bag. It wasn't a large one, but it had
wiped out all his profit from the rift in the last few months. He was broke again but, as a positive,
he had no debt either.
The spatial bag was amazing, a marvel of enchanting. It was the size of a small
backpack and thin enough that [Cracked Phantom Armor] covered it completely. The outer
appearance was deceptive as it held a six cubic foot space, about the size of a bathtub. That
limited space was enough to cost over a million credits, even with the 50% discount he got for
being on The Path.
The space was large enough for all his camping supplies and a six months’ supply of
food for him and Aster. They had even tested it out by sleeping in the woods during one of their
off days.
 The test run proved useful. He had forgotten important things like hygiene products and
a perimeter alarm. They also discovered the portable heater was greedy. Instead of buying a
better, more efficient one, Matt bought more rechargeable mana stones.
That gave him more leeway with his water supply as well because the enchantment for
the spell took around fifty mana to fill a single water bottle. It was a mixture of created water and
water pulled from the atmosphere. It was even rated to work on a dry planet. It would be mana
expensive, but he had mana to spare.
He and Aster would be leaving directly after this rift and heading to TrueMind for a scan.
He was nearly Tier 4. If he had another month of delving at this rate, he could advance, but his
time on the PlayPen was up today. It was time for him to truly step onto The Path of Ascension.
He checked the reward and was pleasantly surprised he got twenty-two Tier 3 mana
stones. It felt like a promising end to his time in the PlayPen. It would also help pay for his travel
expenses while he made his way to Axel.
It was three planets away, and the trip was expected to take three weeks. A week of that
was waiting for a public portal to Axel from Otto, the second planet on his trip.
The boat ride back to the mainland turned him introspective. He was only sixteen and a
half years old and at peak Tier 3. He thought over the kids around his age in the orphanage.
What were they doing? Were they as strong as he was? Stronger?
The last year and a half spent in the PlayPen had been amazing for his growth, both as
a cultivator and as a person. He found it hard to imagine any of them advancing faster unless
they had an amazing Talent and were picked up by a larger, off-world guild.
He felt like such a different person than the one who arrived with just a dream, hope, and
empty pockets. Matt chuckled to himself. He might have had empty pockets, but he had also
had a stolen skill. That skill had allowed him to take risks most wouldn't consider.
It's all paid off, though, Matt thought with a smile and caught Aster, who jumped into his
arms.
This is her first time off the island, isn't it?
Matt pushed happy thoughts of adventure to his white fox, and they stepped off the boat
picking up the newest members of the PlayPen.
The first thing they did was go to TrueMind to get the Tier 3 scan out of the way. He had
called ahead, and they were immediately ready to conduct the scan and AI testing.
The room they brought him to was like the scanning rooms on the PlayPen, clean and
clinical. A scanner circled him while he had his AI run the simulations they sent him. It was quick
and easy.
Getting the staff to stop lavishing attention onto Aster was harder than the testing had
been.
As they had the rest of the evening off, the duo went window shopping. Matt felt it was
an odd contrast to when Griff had dragged him through all these shops the day he arrived at the
PlayPen. Now, he could afford most of what he saw. When he had walked these streets last, he
would have agonized over any purchase.
 Now, he enjoyed watching Aster preen over all the attention she received from the
workers at the various shops they stopped at. That is, until a vendor offered her a bit of ice
cream. The cold treat instantly became her new favorite snack, and the only way to get her to
leave was to pick her up and carry the squirming fox away from her new best friend.
Ignoring the mental pleas to return, Matt continued his trek through the city. They rented
a room and had a lavish dinner, with Aster devouring more than her fair share of the banana
split.
As they checked out the next morning, he thought over the bill. The nice room and feast
they enjoyed cost a little over a thousand credits.
It felt unreal. He would have vomited blood at the thought of spending that much on a
single night at a nice hotel before The Path.
How things change. I can make more in a single delve than years working at Benny’s. I
wonder why they don't charge more for a room. Maybe they do on higher Tier worlds? I can't
wait to find out.
He arrived at the teleporting platform an hour early and checked in with the front desk.
Looking at the prices, he was glad he was on The Path because the prices were absurd like
Griff had mentioned. Twenty-Five Tier 4 mana stones a teleport for a single person. He got
subsidized prices so long as he was on The Path and did not waste resources.
The platform was nearly thirty feet across, and there were runes engraved along the
perimeter. Large metal beams enclosed the top to make a half-sphere.
After checking in, he was directed to a lounge that had seven others waiting. The first he
noticed was a group of five, who all were in a guilds uniform he didn't recognize. He didn't care
enough to look them up. The other two were in business suits and didn't look up from the pads
they were typing on.
Finding a chair out of the way, he sat down with Aster, idly brushing her silky white coat.
He felt eyes on him after a few minutes, and a glance showed one of the guilders looked
at him. His first thought was that she stared at Aster, but following her eyes revealed it was the
longsword propped on the wall next to him she was eyeing.
He gave her a nod and went back to his perusal of the information about the training
world.
The world was officially named B-7112923 but had the nickname of The Vacant, The
planet was slightly larger than the average and, despite the lack of water, the planet was on the
colder side.
The equator was temperate enough, but it was brutally cold at the poles, reaching a
regular daytime temperature of -50°F. Matt made a mental note to avoid getting too close to
either pole.
The only other information he could find was that each nation had a base near the
equator. There, they had jointly created a large lake and had built a city on opposite sides of the
water source.
The last piece of information he managed to discover was that there was a local
teleportation system set up. It served to help delvers traverse the planet quickly in the limited
time the event was active.
 They would teleport participants from the hub cities, and each participant was given a
recall beacon. It could be activated to be pulled back to the user’s original teleporter. The catch
was that only the first teleport out was free.
Any other teleportation was costly, at the going price of 1,000 mana each way per
person. It would be far cheaper for groups to pay the mana directly than trying to pay with mana
stones. The problem was, that much mana was enough to leave one or two of the party
members completely spent for days.
That fact alone encouraged down time in the city, so those drained of mana could
recover safely. The cynical part of him wondered if the guild charged rent as well.
Matt wouldn’t have that problem, but it was good information to have. It gave him an
inkling of how he could take advantage of his Mana Regeneration to hop between areas with
large amounts of rifts.
According to the information from last time the world opened, there were tens of
thousands of rifts on the planet. It was a gold mine of rewards. New rifts and rifts left alone for
long periods of time built up essence, which led to greater rewards.
Skill shards twinkled in his eyes. The last time the planet had opened, there had been
over four hundred skill shard rewards sold. That didn't even account for the shards people
directly absorbed.
This was the best time for Matt to get a second skill. Even if the skill he got was useless
to him, he could still sell or trade it for something useful.
He had pursued the Tier 8 skills that lower Tiered rifts usually dropped, and one stuck
out to him. It was perfect for his mana situation.
[Mana Strength] Reserve an amount of mana to infuse into the user's body. The more
mana reserved, the larger the increase.
It was the first choice for melee fighters, except it was a reserve skill. He could
technically use it, but the effect he would get from reserving less than one mana would be
negligible. It took a hundred or more to make the skill valuable.
No, [Mana Strength] was good, but his choice was:
[Mage’s Retreat]: Infuse mana into the body to increase physical ability. Channeling skill.
They were similar, but [Mage’s Retreat] was better for Matt. The skill was usually used
by mages to keep distance between themselves and opponents. Even then, most higher Tiered
mages preferred short range teleports or a pure speed increase. [Mage’s Retreat] was good, but
other skills were considered better at the same job.
Its advantage was that it was a Tier 8 skill, and a common one at that. Its only real
downside was the constant mana cost needed to use the skill. Around two mana a second. That
cost ensured it was, at best, the third or fourth choice for most delvers. [Mana Strength] was
undoubtedly a better skill when looking at a mana cost comparison.
However, [Mage’s Retreat] was the perfect skill for Matt. He might not have mana
reserves, but he had the mana production to beat anyone. He had even paid for a more detailed
analysis of the skill, and there didn't seem to be an upper limit of mana the skill could use, just
the minimum of two mana a second.
 He’d need to train with the skill so it could accept his absurd amounts of mana, but he
theorized he could boost his bodily power to unheard of levels at high Tiers.
The skill had been sold four times during the last planetary opening, and Matt was
confident he could trade for [Mage’s Retreat] if he found a half decent skill during a delve.
It made him oddly happy to take a skill most saw as useless and turn it into something
extraordinary.
Kinda like him in a way.
The door opened, and a worker guided them to the teleporting platform and started
speaking.
“If you haven't traveled with teleportation before, please take a barf bag from the stand
over there. It can upset the senses and lead to nausea for new travelers. Other than that,
please, don't move much as we are very tight today.”
Matt looked at the platform and saw the half-sphere was stuffed with smaller platforms
and containers. Only a small portion near the edge had an open hatch and conformed to the
edge of the sphere.
The man continued as they walked to the open door, “Once the door is shut, please
don't try and leave. The vessel is for your own safety. Anything that is out of the teleporter field
is left behind. That includes any bits or pieces of you.”
As they climbed into the small pod, Matt realized just how cramped the room was with
eight of them occupying it. With his 6’2” frame, he was awkwardly pressed along the curve of
the outer hull.
Aster was better off with the extra room between the legs of the passengers.
After the hatch shut, things got worse. The businesswoman was pressed uncomfortably
into him. With his height and the way the wall curved, he was almost resting his cheek on her
head in an attempt to not look down her blouse.
A speaker in the corner announced, “Two minutes until teleportation.”
The next two minutes felt like hours but, soon, Matt heard, “Scans complete. No
protrusions. Transit in…ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”
When the countdown reached one, Matt felt like his body and spirit were being torn
apart. The sensation only lasted a second, but the nausea he had been warned about
appeared. With a pure effort of will, he was able to keep it down. But from the retching he heard,
someone on the other side of the container hadn’t done so well.
The door quickly opened, and a woman's voice asked them to exit. He was happy to
comply but had to wait for the others in front of him. The smell of vomit permeated the small
space and, through the bond, he felt Aster's sensitivity to the smell as she bolted for the now
open door.
As Matt stepped out of the hatch, he realized this was the first time he was on another
planet.
 Chapter 13
 
The first thing Matt noticed as he exited the small transport hatch was the most beautiful
woman he had ever seen. Dark brunette hair in a thick braid rested over her left shoulder, and
eyes like melted chocolate looked up at him as he cleared the entrance.
As he stood to the side of the hatch, he ever so briefly considered staying as long as it
took to try and win this beauty’s heart.
With a shake, he freed himself of that notion. He didn’t want to stay here. Even if she
turned out to be interested, he wouldn’t remain. Joining The Path might have been an escape to
get out of poverty, but now, he truly enjoyed the feeling of growing stronger and overcoming his
limits.
His path was to be the Ascender to get to Tier 25 by two hundred years old.
Matt wanted his name to be known as Duke Waters’ was.
He wanted to grow strong.
Staying on this Tier 6 world wasn’t his destiny.
After he checked in with the beauty, he walked toward the exit. He found it more
challenging than he expected. It didn’t make sense. He didn’t even consider giving up The Path
for Jasmine. This woman seemed magnetic. With effort, he removed himself from her pull.
With Aster following at his heels, he walked out of the building and onto the city streets.
As he reached the sidewalk, Matt realized he had no idea where he was going. He knew where
he needed to go, though. The train station that would trace half the continent to the next
teleporter location.
He used his AI to connect to the CityNet, downloaded a map, and followed the trail it
projected for him. His train didn't leave for another five hours, but he needed to leave the
teleportation area.
The walk was short, but Matt distracted himself with the city around him. He expected it
to look more urban since it was one of only three cities on the planet with teleporters. Instead,
he saw green everywhere. Trees, parks, flower beds, and creeping vines covered the
landscape.
It was refreshing. The city even had a pleasant smell from the flowers despite being in
the middle of the night.
Aster was playing stop, sniff, then run to catch up. They only passed a few people as it
was after 10:00PM local time, and most stopped to lavish attention on the white fox.
As they reached the train station, he was amazed. The space surrounding it was a
massive park. This all felt foreign and out of place for a city.
Matt quickly checked in and registered his AI with the station. He planned to go and do
some shopping in the nearby mall that was still open. It was still morning for his internal clock
after all.
When the train finally came, he was lying in the park as Aster demolished a stick she
had found. He was more interested in the entirely new night sky to observe. The Empire made
sure all planets had a twenty-four hour days for uniformity, but years were based on the capital
planet.
It amazed him a higher Tier could slow or speed up the rotation of something as large as
a planet.
Is it a specialized skill or just their raw power?
The moon on this planet was a vibrant peach, and it had several smaller sub-satellites
that traced complex patterns across its surface.
It was an entrancing sight. Matt wanted to travel and see every planet the Empire had to
offer.
He sent a picture of the sky to Melinda's group. They were busy with their new rift, but
they had gotten to Tier 4 a few months ago and were pushing quickly to Tier 5. With him
traveling, it was much easier to get messages through to them. They didn’t have to snake their
way through a dozen portals trying to find them anymore.
They had only exchanged a handful of long letters to each other. Matt’s were mostly
filled with the mundane while theirs were full of tales of their delves in various rifts. They decided
to bounce around between a few rifts instead of staying and repeatedly delving the same rift. It
gave them a more varied combat experience, but it also kept them busy and left little time to
message.
He hoped to send them interesting tidbits about his time on the training planet.
He had tried to message Dena and Eric when he left the PlayPen but had simply gotten
a message stating they were unavailable to receive notifications.
That struck him as odd since the message hadn’t even tried to send. If it had bounced
back after a few attempts to locate the couple, it would be understandable, but immediately
being kicked back to him? It felt off. The only thing he could find on the EmpireNet regarding the
topic was that it meant Dena and Eric blocked him, they were on do not disturb mode, or they
were dead.
He couldn’t do anything, then, but hoped it wasn't the latter. He didn't know what he
would do if they had died.
***
Matt stepped out of the teleporter onto Bladehold. The Tier 14 planet was rich with high
Tier ores, and most smiths in the earldom flocked here. With the world’s higher-than-average
metal concentration, it made for a perfect smithing planet. Armors and weapons were far
cheaper than they would be on a neighboring world.
The city he was currently in was only a short train ride to the guild capital of Dual Stars.
They were the guild that had rights over the training world.
Dual Stars was the strongest guild on the planet. Technically, this wasn't their guild’s
main branch, but it was their starting location and original world. So, they kept a large guild hall
established.
From what he had found in his research, Dual Stars was a major local power and did
most of their recruiting locally. Their deep ties to the planet and its people gave them
tremendous support from the citizens.
 What Matt had been looking for, and hadn't been able to find, were scandals about the
guild and the training world. Only a few small stories about their guild leaders supposedly
cheating on one another came up. He didn't care about that. He was just worried about them
trying to strong-arm anyone on the planet to give up or sell rewards for values below their worth.
He thought it was unlikely something would happen since the world was a gift from the
Empire. That same Empire had the habit of executing anyone and everyone who interfered with
Ascenders, so the guild would be unwise to cause Matt any unnecessary trouble.
If they did mess with those on The Path, it was more of a question of whether Duke
Waters would get to them before the Empire did. He was far less gentle with his methods of
retribution.
That didn’t mean they couldn't cut his throat on the other planet and just say he never
returned, but that was always a risk every delver faced, so he found it unlikely.
The train was packed, and Matt and Aster had to fight to get a spot to stand in. Many of
the passengers were young, and he thought they were around Tier 3 to Tier 5.
Some even had masks to hide their identities. It wasn't a bad idea, and Matt even had a
mask, but it was useless. An arctic fox was a dead giveaway no mask could hide.
After the uncomfortable train ride, they arrived at the guild headquarters. It was more of
a typical city than the teleporter city was. This city was nestled into a valley that took up the
entire window Matt was pressed against.
The valley and city were split into thirds of roughly eight miles. The east-most third was
the guild’s territory and had wide-open spaces. The border was a wall that looked more
decorative than practical. Though Matt wasn’t sure, as runes and formations could be hidden
inside, turning the small wall into a barrier that would take years to break.
The center third of the city was one of skyscrapers and massive estates, an odd combo
Matt wouldn’t have thought went together. The last third was smaller. He would almost call it
slums, but there was no trash or debris, just a poorer part of the city. Even if it was clearly
crowded, he didn’t see graffiti or gang signs as they approached the station.
Once they arrived, Matt’s AI received a ping from the CityNet. The message was short
but stated that, as a participant in the training world’s opening, Dual Stars provided him a room
until the portal’s opening. There would be a trolley to take participants to the guild’s staging
area.
Seeing the massive line, he decided to just walk the few miles. It would do him good
after the nearly two weeks of traveling. He and Aster could use the time and stretch their legs.
They weren’t the only people with the same thought as half a dozen groups saw the
mass of people waiting and started walking as well.
The path was easy to follow as the train station was between the city’s wealthy and more
impoverished areas. According to his AI, it was only five miles to the front gate.
It was a leisurely walk. The guild maintained the area well, and every third building was a
smithy of one type or another.
The odd part of walking by so many smithies was that there was no noise. At all.
 The city must’ve had a law about noise barriers because every workshop had them. It
made the walk almost otherworldly.
As they walked, he saw so many signs proclaiming the smiths’ skills inside, or
declarations of enchanters who could imbue any rune onto items.
Matt felt truly poor when he looked up some of the prices at an enchanter’s shop. The
prices weren’t even in credits, they were in mana stones, and the starting prices were usually
Tier 10 mana stones. The prices only went up from there.
It would be good to remember that, even though the guilders participating would be Tier
5 and below, they might have backings that allowed them to have incredibly strong items. The
only thing saving him from being crushed under the guilders’ wallets was that their spirits’
strength would limit them.
A Tier 5 might be able to use a Tier 6 weapon, but it would be a dangerous strain and
limit the time they could use such a weapon.
The more he thought about it, the worse it seemed. Even if they couldn't use the higher
Tier weapon enchantments, they could use the metals’ raw power to cut through lesser
materials.
Matt decided to be extra cautious with anyone from the guilds. He didn't want to fight
over a rift and get killed because some brat could crush him with equipment out of his Tier
thanks to daddy's wallet.
Though, if I could steal someone’s higher Tiered equipment, it could be worth a fortune.
He shook that thought out of his head. That was a dangerous path to take. Everything he
read suggested taking equipment after a victory was considered acceptable, if in bad taste. It
would still be stupid to try and extort his host.
The other item he saw advertised was a Tier 5 booster. If the advertising was to be
believed, they were necessary to break through into Tier 5. The expensive elixirs gave people a
bonus to one of the aspects of physical or mana cultivation. The price was understandably high
at two hundred and fifty Tier 4 mana stones or twenty-five Tier 5.
It wasn’t immediately necessary, but he made plans to look up guides and save money
for the purchase.
As the pack of people rounded the last corner, the entrance came into view, and the
fifteen-feet-wide gate was packed with people trying to enter.
He and Aster approached the crowd, and he picked her up. He was afraid that, with how
close everyone was, she would get crushed or stepped on.
As they waited for the line to progress, Matt scanned the people around him with his
essence sense and eyes.
Most were only lower Tier 3, but at least a quarter of the people were Tier 4. It would
mean stiff competition after he did at least one more delve. He was near the peak of Tier 3, and
with the essence of a Tier 4 rift, he could make his breakthrough.
If he had a few days on Bladehold, he could absorb the ambient essence and make the
breakthrough here, but he didn't think he'd get the time. The portal was scheduled to open in
just three days.
 He eventually reached the front and found several booths with guild members behind
them. Quickly finding the booth for people on The Path, he was checked in and given a
temporary badge allowing him free access to the guild’s facilities and a room for his stay.
Once he was through the gate, the noise and clamor instantly dimmed to a quiet murmur
instead of the roar it had been.
Matt immediately went to his room and decided to stay put for the next two days. He
didn't want to get involved with the zoo that was the guild's territory.
He had already checked, and the guild had rifts held at Tiers 1 through 9, but they were
completely closed to anyone who wasn't a guild member. And even then, there was a six-month
waiting period.
Resigning himself to making his breakthrough on the training planet, he waited the two
days in boredom. The one party he went to had ended in a stabbing, and the guards had
arrested half a dozen people. After that, he avoided other people and concentrated on his
breakthrough. Even the gyms had fights breakout because of the smallest perceived slight.
His research said it wasn't a good idea to cultivate ambient essence for delvers. The
essence was like sand to the bricks of the essence from rift monsters. It would need to be
processed and, even then, it was a lot of slow work. Most delvers just relied on the essence
from rifts to progress.
It was annoying, but he wasn't willing to ruin his foundation to break through a few days
sooner.
***
Matt, along with a hundred thousand others, stood in an arena. They were the first group
to transit to the training planet. The final number of participants from the Empire was a little over
a million.
The transfers would be going for days. Then the portal would lockdown for the six-month
duration of the event.
Next to the portal were multiple large scaffoldings in the half-sphere of the teleportation
pad.
As he stood with his teleportation group, he saw the Dual Stars’ leaders and namesakes
take the stage. The Dual Stars were a couple that leaked light. Literally.
They were two individuals that, rumor had it, possessed nearly identical Talents. It was
how they met. What the exact details of their Talents were was a constant topic of speculation
but ultimately unknown. They were obviously walking light sources, but some of the rumors
attributed far deadlier aspects to their Talents.
The male star spoke with a resounding voice that seemed to weigh on Matt. It was
impressive, but he couldn't help finding it lacking compared to the Emperor's. The sheer weight
of the Emperor’s voice had more of an effect through a video call planets away. This pressure
was like activating his enchanted weapon but affected his body, spirit, and mana at the same
time.
“Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome, welcome. We are so happy to welcome you to the
opening of the training world. Before I continue, let me introduce myself and my wife. I am
Richmond Page, and this is my lovely wife, Faye Page. I am Tier 29, and this genius beside me,
Faye, just broke through to Tier 30.”
At that, everyone with the white and yellow colors of the guild cheered. It was so loud
Aster flinched and used her paws to cover her ears.
Richmond let the cheering continue for a solid minute, his wife next to him smiling and
waving to the crowds. When she turned her blinding smile to an area, the fervor of their cheers
increased.
When the applause died down, Richmond continued, “We are happy to return to our
roots again. This is where the guild was founded, and where we toiled.” At that, he was
interrupted again by more roars of approval.
“This is home.” The rhetoric and grandstanding continued for several more minutes, and
Matt just tuned it out, reviewing information his AI produced.
When he heard the man get to the relevant information, he tuned back in. “We are happy
to introduce your Tier 25 guide for this training expedition. He is the son of our guild’s treasurer
and was on The Path of Ascension until Tier 15. Driver.”
With that introduction, a tall man with dark hair bounded on the stage. He waved, and his
reception was astoundingly loud.
“He recently reached Tier 25, and we are proud to have him overseeing this exercise.
He will be your protection from the republic.”
This time, there were scattered boos, but Faye spoke for the first time. “Do not
disrespect your enemies, it will quickly get you killed. We are sending our best, and so will they.
This brings up the point of the competition. You will be fighting for the same rifts as the republic,
but do not go too far. Indiscriminately killing will not be tolerated. Death will happen, but it had
better be accidental. Rob and push away those weaker all you want, but every death in the
overworld will be noted and investigated.
“That is the point of sending a Tier 25 to a Tier 5 world. The republic and we ourselves
each send one to guarantee good behavior. If you have AIs, make sure they are recording, it's
the best way to prove your innocence if someone gets killed.”
That was good advice, and Matt took it to heart.
“Remember, don't bring shame to the Empire or to yourself.”
With that, the first scaffolding moved into the teleportation circle, and Driver jumped on
with the set-up team.
They would be the guild's staff and defense force. If there was a problem, they would
remain on the platform and be swapped back with the second teleportation of equipment.
With a flash, the teleportation platform was empty.
The next platform, which was packed with boxes, was moved into place. Five minutes
later, it was swapped with an empty one as the teleporter activated again.
A data packet was transferred through with the returning structure, and Matt's AI picked
up the data. Most of the message was encrypted and unreadable to Matt’s AI, but the overall
message was everything was as it should be. They were deploying the defenses and had
detected the republic doing the same. In essence. All was as it was all as expected.
 Matt and everyone else who had intercepted the data let out a cheer, and the
anticipatory atmosphere evaporated. Vendors who had been at the sides started hawking their
goods at the waiting people.
He was glad that being on The Path earned him a spot in the first wave of people sent
over. It wasn't a massive advantage, as the first teleport out of the city wouldn't be until mana
had been built up for the defenses. It did, however, mean he could get in line and be one of the
first out.
The thought of going out of the city on foot and grabbing a rift near the city had crossed
his mind, but that was a risky venture as he was sure that others would have the same idea.
Several vendors had to be waved off by Matt and the others around him. The vendors
charged exorbitant prices for essentials. Things like cold-weather gear and self-filling water
bottles were being sold for ten times their normal price.
He was glad that Griff had warned him about the price gouging. He did end up relenting
slightly and bought some sketchy meat on a stick for Aster and himself as they waited. She was
as bored as he was but had the option of lying down and sleeping.
Seeing the fox lounging, he contemplated following her example and bringing out the
small foldable chair he had. But the press of people was just tight enough he decided against it.
The next two teleports happened at five-minute intervals, and after the third, it was time
for the next group of people to go. This group had more staff, but most were support types.
They would be the ones running things for the next six months, and their departure marked the
start of the actual transfers.
Matt was in group thirty-two, and as the first group of a thousand loaded onto the waiting
platform, his anticipation grew. Now, every two and a half minutes, a platform was transported
over.
It was somewhat of a race to load and unload nearly a thousand people, and that was
why each side had five of the giant platforms. With transfers that quick, it would lead to deaths if
everyone had to vacate it in that short of a time.
As the line moved in two and a half minute bursts, he quickly got onto the platform. Matt
hadn't realized it at the time, but this was much larger than the interplanetary teleporters he had
used before.
He had his AI pull the data and found this teleportation sphere had a radius nearly 50%
larger, which was essentially triple the amount of area of the transit world’s teleporters. From
what he could find, this size increase decreased the efficiency of the teleporter by 80%. The
only reason they didn’t use the smaller, more efficient teleporter was due to time constraints.
That explained the massive price for anyone outside the Dual Stars or The Path who
wanted a spot on the training planet. This was an opportunity to get rare rewards and skill
shards. And for people Tier 5 and under, that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
A single extra skill could change everything for a delver. It was so expensive to get a skill
shard under Tier 8 that it was the main draw guilds used for recruiting.
Skills were the lifeblood of anyone trying to delve. Every skill added to your ability to
survive and thrive in a rift.
 He thought of the profiles of the Tier 5 guilders. Several of the best from Dual Stars and
other guilds had public profiles. Each prodigy he checked had five or six skills given to them by
the guild or parents who could afford it. It made them much stronger than those without.
That changed around Tier 8 when skills became more common. Anyone who was able
to climb that high with minimal skills and support was on average stronger at the same Tier. The
real difference came in delve speed. With more skills, they ran rifts daily. Or at least as often as
their mana let them.
Matt didn't want to be cynical, but it was hard. Those with rich backing didn't have to
struggle. Low on mana? Buy mana stones. Need a skill to round out your abilities? Buy it.
He thought it was the reason so many on The Path came from poorer backgrounds.
They didn't have the opportunities and advantages, so the restrictions of The Path meant
nothing.
The rich were giving up safety and easy advancement for what? Matt wasn't sure.
Maybe it was pride.
He couldn't be sure of others’ motives but was self-aware enough to admit that if he had
been offered an easier way out before meeting Eric and Dena, he would have taken it.
Now, he didn't think he'd voluntarily leave The Path. His luck and odd Talent gave him
an advantage over most, even if it was limited for now. In the future, he wanted to be able to
take pride in the fact he had stood on his own, that he had risen from the bottom of society to
the top.
Matt was pulled out of his musings when the platform he was on moved. It was his turn.
Aster jumped into his arms. She never took teleports on the floor after she got vomited
on during their second jump. He didn't mind, as he had no interest in cleaning vomit out of her
fur again. She had moped for days.
The speakers built into the platform quickly counted down the time to leave.
When the countdown hit zero, he felt the lurch. It was far worse than the usual jolt of
teleportation. It also felt like it lasted years. Time warped and twisted before snapping back to
normal.
Matt's spirit felt wrung out when the sensation ended, and the teleport was over. He
even heard familiar sounds of retching as he felt the platform move.
Being near the center of a middle level, he couldn't see anything but heard exclamations
from those who could. After the platform jerked to a halt, the speakers instructed everyone to
disembark quickly.
When Matt got his first view of the new planet, he was incredibly disappointed.
Everything was gray. The ground, the walls, the buildings, all made from the same gray stone.
Looking past the monotony, Aster noticed it first and drew his attention to the sight that
had made the commotion.
There was a multicolored dome covering the sky. Matt knew from his research it was a
defensive shield that also helped regulate the city’s temperature, but that didn't take away from
the sight’s beauty. It would be invisible when it was fully powered, but for now it was a
mesmerizing, multicolored specter in the night sky.
 Matt felt the bump of someone behind him and stepped off the edge of the platform.
When he reached the ground, he moved away from the crowd and checked the messages his
AI received.
There wasn't anything unexpected. Designated buildings were for teams to use as
lodging while on the planet. It was free, but furnishing wasn't provided. Crafters were in the last
groups of people coming over, so the participants were warned not to expect them unless they
were waiting the full week.
Costs for things like food and water were posted and were unsurprisingly absurd.
Finally, near the bottom of the list, he found what he wanted to know. Teleports were
unavailable until the city's mana reserves reached an acceptable level. Priority teleports were
going to those who provided more mana to the collection.
That was exactly as he had read about, and he planned on exploiting this privilege so he
could be one of the first people out.
Following the directions to the mana depository, he found a central building that was the
only one he had seen guarded so far. From the feel of their spirits, they were Tier 10s and one
Tier 15, though the last was a guess, as it was already at his limit to sense the Tier 10s.
The building was the center of the temporary city, and even had an aqueduct feeding
water to the lake. The vast body of water faded in the distance through the distortion of the
shield.
He could make out the republic’s city’s outline on the other side.
It was a good reminder that this was a neutral planet and enemies were at the proverbial
gate.
Matt followed several others in the building and stepped to the side to see how this
worked.
Even if he was willing to show off some of his abilities, he didn't want to broadcast them
far and wide.
As he watched, the group that had entered before him walked to a pad and signed in,
then touched a large crystal. With a flash of mana, they walked out after depositing what mana
they had to spare.
It seemed simple enough if you were just depositing your mana pool, but Matt would
need space to sit and channel his mana regeneration.
He saw someone with a scanner and a pad he thought was a technician and asked to
speak to whoever was in charge of the mana reserve.
After talking to the tech, he was directed to a small office, where he knocked and waited
for the man behind the desk to acknowledge him.
The man sitting there typed at a pad and watched readouts. He didn't look up and just
murmured a distracted, “What?”
Matt took it as the best he was going to get until he proved his worth. The man was
setting up a city, and Matt was surprised it was as easy to find him as it had been. So, he made
his pitch as enticing as possible “I can give half a million mana in half a day if you get me a
private area to do it.”
 The man's fingers froze. It was disturbing as he went completely still, and even his spirit
stopped. It raised Aster’s hackles, and Matt’s, too.
The man’s head turned from the pad in front of him with unnerving stillness. “Prove it.
Send me your profile.” The words were said politely, but there was a threat hidden just under
the surface. There was also disbelief in the tone.
A part of Matt regretted this decision, but it was too late to back out now. He swallowed
and sent a modified profile. A cultivator’s profile was a personal record of skills, abilities, and
Talents everyone had. It was impossible to lie on one as it was calculated and verified with the
same AIs that did skill and Talent testing.
It was possible to lower your abilities or confirm a statement of capabilities. If chosen,
the sent profile would show the question and an answer that was verified, but with no detailed
information.
Matt sent a verification that his claim of half a million mana in half a day was accurate.
Or at least close, as it would take a little over thirteen hours.
The claim still stood, and Matt watched the man's eyes go side to side. He was clearly
reading, then rereading the message.
The man stood and reached out his hand. Any previous hostility was gone. “Simeon. I'm
the director of the day-to-day operations here. Driver is in charge of defense, but I'm the one in
control of everything else. That’s one hell of an ability you have.”
After shaking Matt’s hand, Simeon looked him up and down, clearly getting information
from his AI.
He lamented, “You’re on The Path. Ugh. Well, I can give you a great recruitment deal if
you want to join the guild, but it has to wait until you leave The Path.”
Matt didn't want to let this continue, so he cut in, “No, sorry. I’m happy ascending on my
own. Maybe when I fall out naturally but, until then, I'll stay the course.”
Simeon didn't look surprised but did look disappointed. “Shame, Shame. But I
understand. Welp, to your mana, I can get you a room, and I can have you on…” he paused,
and after getting the information, continued, “the third teleport out. The first two are guild VIP
teams. I'm even willing to put you in any spot you want not a random one.”
That was far better than Matt had been expecting. He said as much, and Simeon
laughed and left the office. The halls they traversed were made of the same gray stone, with just
mana lights brightening the corridors.
“We brought a ton of mana with us in mana stones. We could start teleports now if we
didn't have the republic on our doorstep. While it's unlikely they'd attack if we didn't have
defenses up, it's a possibility. So, we don't run the teleporter until we’ve built up a reserve of
mana. The higher Tiered combatants will donate as well, but they only go down to three-
quarters of their max.”
He looked at Matt and had a feral grin. “With you giving half a million mana, we can get
our people out nearly a full day before the republic. That means they will either have to cut
spending to vital systems or wait and let us get a massive head start.”
 That made sense, but Matt felt something was off. So, he asked, “I know half a million
mana is a Tier 18 mana stone, but it seems like a guild of Dual Stars’ Tier would be able to
cover the cost.”
Simeon chuckled at that. “On paper, sure. A Tier 18 mana stone isn't hard for a Tier 25
guild to produce, but the guild spends nearly everything it makes on building up crafters and
honing the combatants’ strength. Most guilds don’t make money and sure as hell don't have
money to burn on something like saving a few hours. So, your contribution is far larger than you
think.”
They arrived at a small room with just a chair and a copy of the crystal he had seen in
the lobby.
“Here you go. I'll send you my contact information and run your special status. After
today, you can get front-of-the-line privileges. If you spend time in the city in the future, I've set
you up for guild access to the trading nets. So, no fees if you use the auction house. Also, we’ll
take any more mana you want to give. The crafters burn through mana like you wouldn't
believe, and after we settle your mana into ambient mana, it will help a lot.”
After that, Simeon hurried out with a massive grin plastered to his face. Matt sat and
started the tedious process of pushing his mana into the stone. As his current mana reached .1
mana, his regeneration ramped up to 10 mana a second. He channeled everything his AI didn’t
need into the crystal.
 Chapter 14
 
Thirteen hours later, Matt lounged in the chair. Aster curled in his lap as he watched a
movie on his pad. Sitting around and transferring mana was incredibly boring and didn't take
much concentration at all.
The only problem was he couldn't sleep. He could doze, but if he fell asleep completely,
the mana left his control.
He was interrupted by a message from Simeon letting him know they had enough mana,
and that the teleports would start soon.
He woke Aster and they left to go to the local teleporter. As they walked, they passed the
interplanetary teleporter that was still running.
The teleporter was much smaller and, from what Matt had been able to find out, it
operated under an entirely different set of principles than the planet-to-planet teleporters. The
exact details were hidden, but it was an interesting concept he wanted to look into in the future.
As he arrived, he found a sign posted that stated the rules of the teleporter.
1. All times are subject to change only once.
2. All times within two hours of teleportation are unchangeable.
3. If return teleportation is used, no teleportation is allowed for one full standard day.
4. Payment must be paid in full before the second teleport.
5. If non-random teleportation is desired, price is doubled.
Matt was glad he didn't have to worry about nearly any of the rules. Being useful had its
perks.
He and Aster cut the already forming line. Inside, he found more guards and, with a brief
scan, they let him bypass the line to the grumbling of those waiting.
Matt found Simeon bidding a group goodbye. The fleeting feeling he got before they
disappeared was that of Tier 5s, and strong ones at that. They would be the guild's young elite
or best connected to get that treatment from someone as high as Simeon.
When Simeon saw him approaching, he handed him the transponder that would allow
for emergency transportation back to the city. It was a lifesaving measure and a practical one.
The planet was 1.5 times larger than standard, and with no oceans, the expanses of land were
massive. Walking, or even traveling with a vehicle, was impractical with the terrain being so
jagged.
“Do you know where you want to go?” Simeon was all business, though Matt saw
happiness hiding in his stern expression. Instead of saying it out loud, Matt transmitted it
through his AI.
He had a particular spot picked out. He had scoured the historical records he had gotten
access to with the special privileges Simeon had given him.
 Simeon saw the chosen location and just grinned. He didn't say anything but clearly
understood what Matt was attempting to do.
Matt was hurried onto the platform and found himself and Aster in the blistering cold
after a crackle of light. Activating [Cracked Phantom Armor] as protection from the elements, he
looked around.
He seemed to be where he wanted, and with Aster yipping at his heels, he took off along
the rim of the canyon.
According to the guilds, this was the fourth or fifth most populated area of rifts in the
Fourth Tier.
He had chosen it over the top three for two reasons. The first was that it was an area cut
in half by a canyon over three hundred miles long, and at the shallowest three miles deep. The
second was the area’s latitude near the arctic circle of the planet, and the year-round bitter cold.
Those who were okay with competing over the better locations usually chose to avoid this area
altogether.
Matt was happy to use his [Cracked Phantom Armor]’s defense against the elements to
sweep this area before others became more desperate and headed this far north.
The masses would swarm the more tropic latitude, with their relatively mild temperatures
as the random teleports weren’t calibrated to arrive near the poles for safety reasons.
Essentially, he should have free pickings here for the nearest rifts. Even if another team
or two came this far north, there were more than enough rifts to go around.
With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he felt two rifts within a mile of his location and
headed for the weakest. It felt like a weak Tier 4 rift, so either a newly advanced Tier 4 rift or
one that had a rift break recently. Either option made it perfect for his final delve to breakthrough
to Tier 4.
As they ran, Aster yipped in pleasure at the negative-fifty-degree weather. To his
spiritual sense, the cold seemingly condensed and swirled around her in blue-white streams
with each step.
Matt was slightly unnerved as they ran because his skill drew slightly more mana to
rebuff the cold. That had never happened at any point in the Tier 3 rift on the PlayPen. It wasn't
quite a concern. The cold was well within tolerable limits, and his camping gear could handle
this weather, but he hadn't expected the cold to be so overbearing.
The view was amazing. He had to admit that. The cold gave the landscape a sharp edge
that added to the gray, making what would be a drab scene into something enticing.
The sky was an odd mixture of night and day. The stars shone bright in the sky, even
while the sun was still visible. Nebulae and other celestial formations added a beautiful
backdrop full of color to his run.
When they neared the distortion in space, there were hundreds of frozen corpses.
Humanoid corpses. They stopped, and Matt took out a small flag that would designate that this
rift was delved. It was common courtesy to place a marker by a rift and fill in information about
its contents.
The practice allowed follow-up teams to either bypass the rift for un-plundered treasure
or farm a rift they countered.
 While he didn’t expect anyone to follow his trail so soon, Matt wanted to be courteous to
those who would.
He and Aster stepped through the distortion and found themselves in a forest at night.
With his longsword already drawn, he turned and struck out at the moan behind him.
The enchanted sword sliced the grasping arm of the zombie reaching for him. Two blows
later, the walking corpse was a corpse again.
Matt was not enthused to find zombies. The Empire often destroyed undead rifts as a
matter of practice, as they usually had diseases and terrible rewards to pair with it.
After a moment of consideration, he decided to complete the delve. This was still an
opportunity to accumulate essence and advance. At Tier 4, he would be far more confident, and
a rift of humanoid corpses was easy enough if he didn't get cocky.
As they progressed through the forest, encountering and dispatching more and more
shambling corpses, Matt felt the moment his spirit was filled with essence.
He debated on whether he should retreat and breakthrough or push to the boss and
finish the clear. After deciding, he and Aster retreated to a clearing they had passed.
With Aster on lookout duty, Matt firmly gripped the essence in his spirit and directed it to
his physical cultivation core. He squeezed with every bit of willpower he had.
With a crunch, he felt the breakthrough. After seven more crunches, he ran out of steam,
opened his eyes, and saw Aster eyeing a twitching corpse penetrated with several hand-sized
shards of ice.
“Thanks, girl.” He pushed thanks and love through their bond. He would have never
risked breaking through in a rift without her to watch his back.
He still needed essence to finish the last two crunches to solidify his foundation, but he
felt the difference the breakthrough made.
He had done as Griff recommended and only directed about a third of his essence to
directed cultivation. He had focused on regeneration, proprioception, and senses.
As the changes swept his body, Matt flexed his muscles and did some stretches, finding
improvements no matter which way he bent. The slight soreness in his muscles vanished with
each heartbeat.
It felt amazing. The difference between directed cultivation and undirected was night and
day. Matt always felt like a better version of himself after a breakthrough, but this was a
completely different level. Because of the inherent imbalance created when not raising
everything together, it made this breakthrough more impactful.
The sensory enhancements were subtler. He saw colors more clearly. The smells in the
air felt more vibrant despite only being pine and rotted flesh. Even the feel of his clothes had
changed. Despite being in a snowy forest with his range of vision limited, he was pretty sure he
saw more details farther away.
Those weren't the only changes, just the most obvious. Breaking through to Tier 4 had
actualized the rest of his gains. The sword in his hand felt lighter, and the skill in his spirit more
robust. He pushed more mana into his armor with a small effort of will, and the skill accepted it
all without strain.
 Matt smiled at the watching Aster as he pulled his rechargeable mana stone out and
filled it with 20 mana. After absorbing the stored mana, he felt his mana capacity double.
That expansion was reflected in the increased generation he could feel as [Cracked
Phantom Armor] sucked his mana pool down to under 1%.
“We did it, girl! Tier 4 has been achieved! And now, to hunt.”
Aster yipped back. She was ready.
***
The boss was a zombie. That much Matt was sure of. It was just a variant he hadn’t
downloaded information about. His AI came back with question marks.
Its skin was the dark gray of a thunderstorm, and it had claws that didn't belong on any
humanoid. It had the characteristics of a wight, but the color was off. Long, matted hair the
same color of the snow covering the forest outside obscured the gory details of the zombie’s
face. While the size of the boss wasn’t necessarily unnerving, it’s aura and aesthetic most
certainly were.
He looked at Aster and checked her confidence level. She wanted to proceed. Her
confidence in him was endearing, but he wasn't sure it was well-placed. This was the first time
he had to fight a completely unknown enemy.
It’s a weak Tier 4 rift that just broke, and my armor should be able to tank a few hits with
its increased mana throughput.
Matt stood from the small hill they were crouched behind and proceeded forward. As
soon as he stood, the monster's head snapped unnaturally toward him, but the rest of its body
didn't move an inch. It was as still as the corpse it should be.
When Matt crossed the clearing, the monster shrieked. The sound was so high-pitched,
Aster winced in pain through their bond. His armor defended his much less sensitive hearing,
but the screech was more than it seemed as more zombies rose from the ground at the call.
Instead of staying back as a summoner should, the leader charged, claws leading the
way.
Now that he was close, his AI provided more useful information. The monster was a
lightning-attributed monster. The slight distortion on its claws was lightning mana of some type,
and the probability gave it high chances of being a paralytic.
The analysis also predicted his armor should neutralize the effects, but Matt didn't want
to test it.
This zombie was everything the preceding ones weren't. Fast and agile for starters,
smarter if Matt had to guess. While it advanced, it circled him, making sure he wouldn’t be able
to land any ranged attacks. As the leader closed, more and more hordes of zombies clawed
their way out of the earth, answering their master’s call.
Once some of the horde was close enough to follow up on a direct assault, the boss took
off toward Matt at a full sprint. The zombie’s hair flowed behind it from the speed of the assault
and stood on end as the boss gathered lighting mana in its claws. The charge revealed an
eyeless, ghoulish face composed of rotting flesh and bone filled with maggots. Matt eyed the
claws glowing with a bright blue tinge. He knew he had to avoid those at all costs.
 When the boss finally closed, Matt’s AI had a half-decent profile built on it. That allowed
him to take a risk. He was betting the monster would fight like other higher-level melee undead,
hyper aggressive with all-out attacks. He could take advantage of that lack of balance. Matt
jerked to the left at the last moment, and the feint was enough to have the monster veer left to
counter the aborted movement.
That opened the zombie's side to a heavy blow that took its leg off. The now unstable
monster tumbled to the ground. Matt took the opportunity to jump on its upper back, slamming
his blade through its head.
The rush of essence confirmed it was no longer undead, just dead.
The AI is so amazing. It is worth every credit I'll lose in the future.
He and Aster had no trouble finishing off the few remaining zombies. Compared to being
swarmed by the wolfmen, weaving and slashing through the horde of zombies was child’s play.
After the carnage, Matt received a disappointing reward of two Tier 4 mana stones. He knew
this was a freshly depleted Tier 4 rift, but this was a bleak start.
The other rifts that hadn't used their accumulated essence to rank up or rift break should
give greater rewards. At least he hoped they would.
The cold wind slammed into Matt as he stepped through the rift’s exit. Meanwhile, Aster
reveled in it. With his fully consolidated Tier 4 spiritual sense, he reached out and found two
other rifts.
The farther one felt like it was about to burst. Either it was about to rank up or have a rift
break. If the latter happened, it wouldn't last long in this cold, but Matt wanted to delve it and get
the greater reward.
After updating the beacon with the rift’s information and lacking rewards, he hurried to
the new rift. These first few hours were the most crucial for maximizing his benefits.
Others would have the same ideas to avoid the more contested regions, and while this
was a massive area with many rifts, only the first few delves had greater rewards.
Matt took off in a jog toward the nearest of the two new rifts. It was a little over three
miles away, and he covered the distance in just over twelve minutes. The new power of his Tier
4 body was exhilarating.
As he neared the rift, a flash of light marked the arrival of a new combatant. Matt readied
his blade and shouted, only to find the wind stole his words before the new person could hear
them.
He directed his AI to send a message and waited, blade at the ready and skill humming
with mana. The message startled the armored newcomer, who whirled around and drew a
wand.
‘Are you willing to fight for the rift?’ Matt's message was short, and he punctuated it with
a step toward the rift.
The mage fired off a bolt of lightning that sizzled up his blade in answer. Through the
protective layer of [Cracked Phantom Armor], it only stung a bit. Matt charged while Aster
launched shards of ice to the unresponsive man in front of him.
 The man tried to retreat, but Matt was already too close and slapped the flat of his blade
across the man's exposed head. Or at least he tried to. There were two tracks of electrified
ground where the man's feet had dragged backwards from the skill he used.
Matt queried his AI, but it was dealing with issues that came with two AIs trying to predict
each other. Each would counter the other's moves, invalidating every new prediction as soon as
the other could react to the changes.
Pushing the AI’s overlays to the side, he charged again. The mage would either run out
of mana or retreat when he saw he couldn't beat Matt in a straight-up fight. A solo mage wasting
mana before a delve would be foolish.
The man launched another lightning bolt, and Matt decided to run right through it. His
blade leading the charge, Matt quickly closed the gap between himself and his opponent.
Seeing the rapidly approaching armored figure, Matt’s adversary raised his hands, retreating.
‘You win. Let me leave.’ The message Matt got was what he expected. What he didn’t
expect was it being in the republic's language.
Watching the man turn and run, Matt and Aster entered the rift.
They were in a building. It could have been any office building in the Empire, sterile
cubicles and motivational pictures lining the wall.
Looking around, Matt found nothing out of the ordinary with his eyes or spirit.
Aster sniffed and smelled nothing that caused any concern. The air was stale.
As she approached a potted plant, it lashed out with a tendril of false wood. Aster got
whipped across the muzzle and recoiled from the blow. Her pain filtered through their bond, and
with that driving his blade, he cut the mimic apart.
Once the essence rushed into him, he knelt to check on Aster. The skin under her white
fur was sore and swelling, but her beast body was made of sturdy stuff.
The fox was not happy. Her cold aura blossomed out from the little ball of fury and
covered everything in a five-foot diameter in ice.
A wall and a poster screeched in pain as the bitter cold hit their mimic bodies.
Matt skewered the poster as it launched itself off the wall toward Aster. Tackled by the
nearby cubicle wall as it came to life, Matt was forced to the ground. The wall tried to envelop
him, but the cold made it brittle, and Matt's struggles caused the monster to crack and break
apart.
Standing, Matt and Aster made their way through the floor, killing various pieces of office
furniture and other parts of the building as they went.
As they reached a small kitchenette, they were attacked by a fridge that launched plates
far sharper than they had any right to be. [Cracked Phantom Armor] stopped them from
penetrating, but that wasn't Matt’s chief concern. He had absolutely no interest in getting
swallowed by the fridge, as each of the teeth in its giant maw were the same size as the plates.
The next kitchen oddities to be launched were rotten foods that stressed [Cracked
Phantom Armor]. His AI registered the foods the mimic launched were acidic and trying to eat
through his skill.
 His AI was having trouble predicting the fluid movements that the mimics were capable
of, but he landed a heavy blow into the door that acted as the fridge’s mouth. The large mimic
was enraged and waddled back toward him. It was just slow enough for him to slice a large
gash on its side that leaked a clear fluid, which bubbled the floor on contact.
He checked his swords mana and saw the blood of the creature was rapidly draining the
slotted mana stone.
Sword: 148/200.
With a launching thrust, he punched the enchanted longsword through the other side of
the fridge. He quickly withdrew the blade and slashed hard to remove most of the acidic blood.
He swapped the one in the pommel with a new mana stone. It was nearly drained from the
single thrust.
The monster waddled toward Aster, who pelted its maw with shards of ice. One clearly
hit something vital as the imitation fridge locked up and fell forward before completely melting
into a pool.
Aster darted forward and ate the mimic's heart. Matt panicked for a moment as he was
afraid of the blood hurting his bond.
The fox didn't have any problems and swallowed the small lump of muscle. “Aster, NO!
Don’t do that.” He picked the fox up so he could look at her face. “I was worried for you. At least
let me know it won't hurt you.” The unrepentant fox just licked her chops and tilted her head at
him before dropping her ears.
He placed her on the ground before pointing an armored finger at her. “You can't use the
pouting skill I taught you. You were only supposed to use that on Griff not ME.”
Realizing the fox didn't care about his protest, Matt put his indignation aside. They
walked through the kitchenette and found a set of stairs. They led both up and down. Using his
spiritual sense, Matt could feel the exit rift on the upper floor. Still, his gaze was drawn to the
downward stairs.
Why have a lower floor? I can't feel anything down there.
With hesitation, Matt stepped downward. He didn't know why there was a lower floor, but
the lack of any response to his spiritual sense intrigued him. He was too interested in finding
out.
The dark stairwell was being frozen over as Matt and Aster made their way down. The
worst-case was the stairs turning into a mimic, but Aster was using her AoE powers to find any
hidden monsters.
As they continued down what must have been fifty feet without finding anything but more
stairs, Matt debated turning back up to just head to the exit. He stowed that line of thinking since
they had already gone so far.
Right as he was about to turn around, a brightness came into view as he rounded the
next corner, and the duo found themselves descending into a small room with a giant furnace.
Wary of the giant metal contraption being a mimic, he had Aster blast it with her cold power.
When nothing happened, he proceeded slowly, blade ready to strike anything down that moved.
 When nothing came to life, and Aster’s cold had thoroughly blasted everything, he
lowered his blade and examined the furnace. It looked old and had an open door he carefully
peered into. Seeing nothing, he retrieved his lantern and peered deeper into the darkness.
All he found was a normal area to place flammable materials. It was clean with no ash or
debris. He was wary of sticking his head inside so, instead, he used his longsword to check the
reflection of the entirety of the inside of the furnace.
When he was done his inspection of the innards, he checked the outside and found just
a normal-looking furnace. The only thing that stood out was an emblem missing from the door.
A quick search of the rest of the room yielded nothing out of the ordinary.
Shrugging, they retraced their steps up to the floor they started on and proceeded to the
floor above. There was an empty floor with just a single wooden treasure chest in the center.
Matt looked down at Aster and back at the obvious mimic.
“Do we spring the trap?”
Aster just pushed out her cold aura and launched a handful of shards of ice at the sitting
chest.
It burst open with a massive maw and long spindly hands while loping at the duo
standing at the bottom of the stairs. Matt ran at the sticky legs and swung his longsword,
enchantment active. To his astonishment, it bounced off with only a small nick cut out of the leg.
The mimic decided Aster was the bigger threat as its full focus was on her and her
alone. The little fox was faster and nimbler than the lumbering chest on legs and easily kept out
of its reach.
Matt gripped his blade and kept hacking away at the same spot while being ignored by
the mimic completely. When the wound on the hard leg was enough to curl it, he reached back
and swung full strength, chopping clean through. Silver blood sprayed out of the stump. Now, he
had its attention.
The boss monster tried to fall on Matt while he was still standing under it, but it was too
slow in its pain-filled fall.
As it toppled, Aster sent a wave of cold that hardened the mimic's false wood exterior,
causing it to become brittle. Matt slammed down his sword, and the exterior shattered. Aster’s
shards of ice pierced the pulsing mass of interior flesh.
As the rush of essence hit, Aster dove in to get her snack of monster heart while Matt
made his way to the center of the room. He dispelled the distortion that contained the reward of
the rift. Out of the green distortion dropped a jar with a mercury-like metal in constant motion,
even while the jar was still.
Aster pulled his attention with a tug on their mental bond. He walked over to see the fox
with silvery blood dripping down her muzzle and a bloody piece of metal in her mouth.
Wiping it clean, he asked, “Was this inside it, girl?”
Her yips were an answer in the affirmative. Looking at it, a suspicion crept up his spine.
Checking his AI, he found the little piece of metal was an exact fit to the missing emblem on the
furnace.
“Wanna go investigate or head out, girl?”
 The white fox looked at him, then pranced to the stairs.
Together, they made their way to the furnace, carefully slotted the emblem into the door,
and jumped back, blade at the ready.
The furnace rumbled to life, with a fire appearing in the large potbelly. The door
slammed shut while it heated up. Matt prepared for a fight, with Aster sending shards of ice, but
the furnace was just active not a mimic.
Matt and Aster both nosed around looking for anything that had changed, but they found
nothing.
As they re-traced their steps, they searched the boss room and found nothing different
from when they left it the first time.
Going to the trashed office floor, they finally found something different in the bathroom.
Where there once was a blank wall, there was now a shower room. As Matt and his fox
wandered into the room, the world enlarged.
Once they reached the shower, they were only inches tall.
Or everything grew. How can I tell the difference?
Out of the drain, a gurgling sound appeared with a spray of water.
With the geyser of water, a massive tangle of hair came out and rolled toward Matt and
Aster. She sent a wave of cold out to slow the mass clawing toward them with slimy tendrils of
multicolored hair, and Matt lashed out with his sword. He was only able to slice away a few
strands of the animate clog.
As it bore down on Matt, who tried to repeat his movement, the ball hopped off large
columns of grimy mess. The giant clog could clearly manipulate every strand of hair at will, and
its irregular jumps made it hard for Matt to predict its movement. With the ball approaching, he
stood his ground and lowered his shoulder.
The disgusting hair tangled him and pulled him in, wrapping around his limbs, trying to
pull the sword out of his hand. Matt went to stab into the center of the mass, but the random
jostling made him miss each strike.
Aster sent a panicked wave of ice over, and it slowed the tangle of hair long enough for
Matt to cut his way deeper into the core of the monster. His blade bounced off something hard.
[Cracked Phantom Armor] drained more and more mana as the strands tightened, but his newly
strengthened spirit was able to handle the increased mana flows.
The mass of hair and gunk released Matt and launched him into the tiled walls of the
massive shower. After bouncing off and picking his weapon up, Matt charged the stinking heap
of hair and sludge.
Aster had slowed it down by freezing its wet tendrils to the floor, but it broke free slowly.
Her cold aura was strong, but it wasn’t strong enough to freeze the monster completely.
As Matt arrived, he was swatted at by twisted ropes of wet hair that tried to launch him
again.
“Aster, freeze my feet to the ground!” Matt also sent a mental picture to the fox behind
him.
 A chill hit him as the wet tiles froze over and ice crept up his legs. The clog monster
approached again and tried to knock him back but was unable to with the stability Aster gave
him.
The fight turned into a slugfest, with Matt relying on [Cracked Phantom Armor] to tank
the whip like hits and cutting anything that came close to him.
“Step right foot!” Matt shouted to the fox behind him and felt the ice around his right foot
release him.
After taking the step and being frozen into place again, he shouted, “Step left foot!”
They repeated the process until Matt was able to hack his way into the center of the
mass. It was dank and disgusting, but getting deeper into the monster let Aster concentrate on
freezing more of the monster to the ground. With its attention on Matt, it couldn't get the
leverage necessary to break free.
With several more chops into the center, Matt found the core again. When he hit it, the
monster shuddered and tried to wrench itself free, but its entire lower half was completely frozen
to the tile floor. Matt reached as far back as he could, with the pommel of his sword touching the
square of his back, shattering the core with an overhead slash. The entire mass of alive hair fell
and was motionless.
Standing, heart pounding, Aster tore at some of the frozen strands on the outer edge. He
ran the enchanted longsword down his armored body to clear the grime and entangling strands.
“Well, that was a shit show. Let’s see what we got.”
Stepping back into the tangle of hair, he cut to the center of the monster and found two
interwining rings locked together.
They were massive, easily large enough for him to step into. As he lifted the rings, the
duo started walking back toward the door. They grew bigger and bigger while the rings
remained the same size. As he cleared the door, he and Aster were their normal selves again,
but they had a pair of normal-sized rings. He tried to separate them, but when he couldn't, he
placed them into a pouch in his spatial bag.
Sending essence into an item whose function he didn't know could be incredibly
dangerous.
With a slow march, they climbed the stairs to the boss room exit for the last time.
 Chapter 15
 
Aster and Matt left the odd double rift and headed out into the cold. There was another
rift not too far away. It wasn't overly strong, but it gave off an odd sensation that caught his
attention.
This rift was hazier than any he had seen before. It seemed almost immaterial, or like it
was about to dissolve into the background of the world. It felt stable, so he decided to enter.
The other side of this rift was a clear blue sky, with a chunk of the sky simply gone.
Looking around the area, it was full of holes that led to missing sections of the world. Where the
ground was supposed to be, there was only emptiness.
Carefully, he picked up Aster, and they retreated through the entrance. This rift was not
stable enough for his liking. His AI had nearly stalled when trying to analyze the missing
sections of the rifts. The one thing it did see was the sections of emptiness were moving.
The risks were not worth the potential rewards.
The duo took off in the direction Matt felt another rift in. He had a vague impression of
direction, but it was too far to get much more than that.
When they approached, he found a small, fully armored figure approaching the rift. He
was about to send a challenge when the figure pointed a finger, and a massive blast of mana
shot out in the shape of a spear.
The [Mana Spear] punched into [Cracked Phantom Armor], and its power sent Matt
stumbling back and scrambling to hold the skill structure stable in his spirit.
Retreating, he waited for a second follow-up attack. When one didn't come, he turned
and ran with Aster.
They were either a peak Tier 4 or Tier 5. I didn’t even get a chance to feel them out.
Matt felt his chest after checking with his AI. It said that [Cracked Phantom Armor] had
failed for the briefest of moments, but he wasn't injured.
Through the skill, he only felt his shirt was charred and a small hole through which sat
unbroken flesh. That was far too close of a call.
On his run to the next rift, he didn’t encounter anyone else. He and Aster quickly slipped
inside when they arrived.
The damp air hit him first. It was like trying to inhale water. They were underground,
surrounded by crystalline walls that shimmered with a teal light.
The first monster that attacked was the puddle of water that sat quietly at the side of the
entrance to a tunnel. It wasn't a large or very formidable creature as a single slash broke
through its outer layer. It splashed to the ground, giving Matt a minuscule amount of essence.
Checking his AI, it found the monster to be a variant of slime. It was called a shallow
water crystal slime. The breed was exceptionally weak to physical attacks but had massive
resistance to magical types. The AI determined Aster’s ice shards would injure the monster as
they were physical shards of ice not mana constructs. The only trouble the slimes presented
was that they could grow to absurd sizes if the location permitted the expansion.
 The duo trekked down the tunnel, with Matt killing most of the monsters, Aster trailed
behind, letting her mana regenerate.
When they came to the cavern in the tunnel system, they found a blob of water sitting
chest high and dozens of slimes sitting around the larger one. Aster just backed up while Matt
charged in slashing. Each cut popped the slimes, and they fell to the ground, essence draining
into him.
Less than a minute later, he stood in a puddle of slime water while Aster nosed around
looking for a morsel to eat.
The pattern repeated itself for two more caverns until the fourth, which presented a
much less monotonous challenge. A crystalline golem, standing nearly ten feet tall, walked
through the slimes. They were careful not to get in the pacing monster’s way, and Matt paused
to assess the situation.
He pushed his spiritual sense to the max and got a slight feel for the monster. It seemed
like a standard golem variation. The problem was, he only had his Tier 3 longsword and no Tier
3 blunt weapon. Trying to break the monster apart with his only Tier 3 weapon would be risky at
best.
If the weapon broke, he was done. Looking at the sword, he debated on what he could
do. After a moment, he decided to turn and leave.
This is why delvers don't just carry one weapon type. If I wasn't so poor, I could have
done this rift.
Cursing the nature of unknown rifts and his lack of blunt weapons, Matt hurried to a
different rift he felt in the distance.
This rift didn't feel odd like the second one, nor did it have a powerful mage at the
entrance. Matt hoped this one didn't have rock monsters or the like.
As they stepped through this portal, Matt first noticed the starry night. He wasn't sure
where he was. The gravity felt normal, but the ground was a dark craggy structure his
enchanted blade couldn't scratch.
Before he could ponder further, Aster alerted him to their first encounter with the
monsters of the rift.
They looked like giant maggots and felt strong. Mid Tier 4 at the weakest, but they were
slow. Matt had trouble believing this could be the true encounter monster. When he dispatched
them and got a massive amount of essence, he understood why they were so weak.
Maggots were larvae, so the question was whether they were the normal monsters, or
was it whatever they hatched into?
Matt held out hope he wouldn't have to fight a giant flying bug.
That hope was quickly dashed when he heard buzzing around the corner of a larger
crag.
It was a giant fly. This one pulled itself out of a pool of gunk, and Matt quickly closed in
before it could get its bearings or take flight.
The kill was easy; too easy. He stopped and looked around again. Something was
wrong here.
 He was in a rift, and they could take nearly any form, but this felt wrong.
This was deep space, as the sun was a distant dot in the distance, but there was
breathable air, and gravity felt normal. An asteroid was the most logical answer, but that didn't
make sense. Rifts usually were small ecosystems.
How do giant larvae and flies make sense in space?
Matt pushed the odd situation to the back of his mind and AI. He needed to complete as
many rifts in the next few days as possible and standing around to question the scenery didn't
help any.
The rift was annoying as the flies couldn’t hurt Matt when flying, but he couldn't do
anything to them while out of melee range. The flies realized that and landed to fight him, but
the wait took time that felt wasted. He had Aster save her mana. The flies weren’t much of a
challenge, and he suspected they would need her ice shards later.
The rift was easy. He killed giant flies and navigated through the floor of the canyon,
trying to make his way toward the faint resonance of the exit. The uneven ground made the trek
much more irritating as the landscape’s hills and valleys turned the rift into a maze.
When he got to the final monster, Matt was surprised to find a half translucent tree with
purple branches. Even stranger, this tree was a peak Tier 4 and had corpses of flies and larvae
decomposing in its branches.
His AI brought up a window. It determined that the boss was actually draining the prey it
had impaled in its branches.
That brought him up short. After a few moments of analysis, his AI predicted he could
fight the tree monster, but there was an 82% chance that it was a void monster. That was
extremely dangerous, as any void element attack would be able to ignore nearly half of
[Cracked Phantom Armor]’s resistances.
The reward distortion next to the exit felt ready to burst. It was tempting him. Matt looked
at Aster, and she looked back. Was he being as reckless as when he had found her?
After thinking it over, he decided to risk it. This wasn't a rift challenge. If it was, the boss
wouldn’t only be peak Tier 4. It would be higher. And fighting the unknown was part of delving
rifts.
Worse comes to worst, I just retreat.
Matt and Aster took the step needed to enter the arena.
Nothing happened.
He had expected the tree thing to do something, but it sat there, waiting for him to
approach.
As he got within what he calculated to be its range, the entire tree slammed down at him.
Jumping back out of range, he swiped his sword and cut a branch off.
When the branch hit the ground, it vaporized. At the same time, the ground rumbled
slightly. The tree clearly didn't like losing its limbs.
 Matt's plan of standing back and whittling the tree away was quickly negated by the tree
standing up. Its very roots broke the incredibly hard ground as the tree lumbered toward him.
Sending as much mana as his AI could handle, he demanded a combat prediction for
this encounter. The threat of a moving tree was on a completely different scale than a stationary
one.
The tree lashed out with a single branch, more of a whipping attack than the full-bodied
slam it had tried earlier. Aster pelted it with shards of ice and waves of slowing cold, but it
seemed to ignore her spells. Its void element’s resistance to magic was already showing its
strengths.
Matt sliced through the appendage, and the tree bled purple sludge that ate at his armor.
That gave his AI confirmation it was a void affinity monster, but the blood, while thick and
sticky, was diluted. It would eat through his skin, but his armor was able to hold its own without
destabilizing the skill.
Mentally, he sent Aster away from her position behind him. This wasn't a fight he wanted
her in close. If he had to hack his way through the entire tree, blood would end up everywhere,
and she didn't have any resistance at all to void.
He checked his sword next. The durability enchantment was draining mana at an
alarming rate to combat the blood’s corrosive effect. Even so, Matt’s mana output kept him
ahead of the problem. This would indeed be a mana expensive fight, but he could easily fill the
drained mana stones after his delve.
Matt dodged the next blow and ran toward the tree’s trunk. He hoped to take out the
larger roots and limit its movement.
Before he could advance more than a few feet, he was attacked from multiple directions
by lashing branches. He cut through the first two and dodged the rest until he was sent flying by
a limb he didn't see.
The massive blow didn't get through [Cracked Phantom Armor], but it did strain the spell
structure keeping the skill active. The direct hit was right on the edge of what he could handle.
He increased the skill’s mana throughput to nearly 8 mana a second. It was right at the
edge of the mana [Cracked Phantom Armor] could handle without destabilizing. If he messed up
and overloaded the skill, it would dispel the skill in the middle of a life-or-death fight, but he
needed the extra protection.
He was still disoriented from the tumble. He'd have to do this the slow way, one branch
at a time.
He kept the tree monster at a distance and baited out the slam attacks that would
expose more of the monster’s limbs. He lopped off as many branches as he could before the
boss would pull back and try to shuffle after him.
Twenty minutes and two rechargeable mana stones later, the tree had no branches
longer than a foot. Matt approached the trunk, trimming the remaining roots that lashed out at
him.
Step by step he advanced. The tree tried to retreat to its previous hole, but Matt ran to
cut it off. He didn’t know what the monster wanted with the hole it crawled out of, but he knew
stopping it was definitely a safe bet.
 Once it was little more than a trunk, he reached back for a deep stab just to have his
blade penetrate only an inch before being halted on the thick bark.
Hacking with the enchanted longsword, he methodically ate through the protective bark,
and eventually hit something vital. This tree monster’s bark was softer than the crystal golem
had been, so he was safe to rely on his blade’s durability enchantment to protect the blade from
chips or warping.
The slow trickle of void blood soon turned into a geyser. Matt jumped back to avoid
being soaked. He wasn’t confident that he would survive being doused in this blood. It wasn't
long before the tree monster bled out, and he felt the essence rush into him.
Aster pushed her intentions at him, and he looked at her skeptically. She wanted to eat
the heart of that monster.
After some mental back and forth, she assured him the heart wouldn't be dangerous to
her. So, he stepped forward and cut its heart out.
The core was something he would have expected out of a normal monster, but not a
tree. Instead of a knot inside of the void wood tree, there was an actual heart.
Aster distracted with her meal, Matt went to the reward distortion and dispelled it.
A block of metal fell out. A metal bar that radiated power. He picked it up and scanned it
with his spiritual sense. It didn't feel like an inert metal but one with an enchantment in the bar
already.
His AI had no luck scanning for more information. He had purchased a Tier 8 skill shards
database, but this was many times more complex than anything in that repository.
Matt was still happy. He was sure it would sell for a good price. Rift enchanted items
always sold for more than their Tier.
This was the kind of reward that made delving worth the risks. He was sure if he could
get a few more rewards like this, he could afford [Mage’s Retreat].
Before Matt could celebrate any longer, the ground shook. A silent roar that seemed to
fracture the very air around him slammed into him. The edges of the rift trembled. Clearly, it
blocked whatever made the noise. The ground continued to tremble like it wanted to shake him
off.
Then Matt saw it. It was a darkness that blotted out the distant stars, but the glimpse
was enough for his AI to recognize the outline and shape.
It was the head of a dragon. The maw that blotted out half of the visible vista of stars
opened again and, this time, the fabric of reality shattered like a pane of glass.
Matt never even heard the noise as he appeared back on the training world, the cold
biting into his unprotected skin.
The final roar had shattered his [Cracked Phantom Armor]. Reactivating it, he found
Aster with her paws over her ears. His AI didn’t pick up any actual damage to her, nor did he
sense any immediate danger through their bond, but his partner was nearly unconscious.
Picking her up as gently as he could, he looked and saw the rift was simply gone. That
was a relief, as he didn't want to be anywhere near that monster. As he turned to set off, he saw
that half of the heart was on the ground near her. He picked it up for Aster to enjoy later.
 As he walked toward the nearest rift with a groggy Aster in his arms, the shakes started.
His AI unhelpfully calculated the dragon’s size from the head’s outline and distance from the
sun.
The beast's head was somewhere between the size of a standard planet on the low end,
and a dozen times larger than that on the upper end.
It was all he could do to keep his feet moving. If that monster came for vengeance, he
wouldn't know how he died. Or how an entire planet was eaten along with him.
That brought his attention back to the fact that a Tier 4 rift had materialized on its back. It
wasn't unheard of for a rift to localize a piece of real space and use it as the location, but it was
incredibly rare.
The logical conclusion was that killing the boss of the rift was somehow responsible for
the dragon’s awakening and its reaction at the end.
As Matt went over the possible repercussions of his actions, his AI gave him more bad
news. That dragon shouldn't be possible.
Dragons got bigger with age and Tier, that was common knowledge. There was even a
formula to calculate their approximate Tier and age, based on their size.
It was hundreds of times larger than even the largest Tier 50 dragon ever recorded.
There was a Tier 50 dragon who ascended to the higher realms a few centuries ago, and it
would be a mere snack to that monster.
Had that rift been in the higher realms?
He didn't think so. That wouldn't make sense. The essence density of a higher realm
world would have instantly killed him. That was the main reason for people waiting to reach Tier
50 before ascending. Even the crazy ones waited until Tier 45 at the earliest.
It was a well-known, established fact that even children knew. Matt fed his AI all the
mana it could handle and reran the calculations. The answers only changed by a few decimals.
A thought query to his AI gave Matt a hopeful answer at best. It was an unknown
variation of dragon, so its growth could be different from all the species’ members.
The .00000000000000000001% probability didn't exactly dissuade Matt from
questioning his sanity.
Even that absurd probability was more likely than being transferred to a higher realm.
That was a number so small, his AI just gave up calculating it after a few pages of zeros.
By the time they neared the next rift, Aster was groggy but now awake. When he offered
her the remaining heart, she refused, so he placed it back into his spatial bag.
When the rift came into view, a figure crested the far hill.
Another person.
Matt drew his sword. Bringing it out in this temperature wasn't ideal. The steel was
magically tempered, so it would fare better than normal steel, but the cold ate at its mana
reserves. Sadly his [Cracked Phantom Armor] did nothing for his blade as the coverage was
only his physical body and didn’t extend any further. While he had recharged the crystals on the
walk over, he still had to wait for the mana to settle in order to use one on the sword.
 The far figure raised a hand and gave a shooing motion. They were clearly signaling
they wanted the rift.
He didn't want to give it up either. While it wasn't as bursting as the dragon's rift, it was
practically singing it had an abundance of essence and a juicy reward.
And I've already had to retreat from three rifts today. They don't feel much stronger than
me.
Matt repeated the gesture at the figure, then pointed at the ground and tried to point out
he was at least a few feet closer to the rift than they were.
The far figure shook their head and pulled out a spear, but they didn't advance. Matt
then received a ping from his AI. He viewed the message.
‘Single combat until surrender? No intentional killing blows. No maiming. AIs calculate
the winner? Winner gets the rift. Ascenders guarantee.’
It was pretty standard, and Matt could use a good fight against a normal person. It beat
worrying about a monster that could eat planets by a mile, so he agreed to their terms.
Their AIs paired and tracked the fight by comparing damage dealt versus damage
received. They would be able to calculate a winner without one side having to cripple the other.
After setting Aster, who was still feeling queasy, he watched the lone figure while Matt
bent down to comfort her.
They didn't try to take advantage, and when he stood up, they walked toward the center
of the distance between them, after dropping what he assumed was a spatial bag. He was
grateful [Cracked Phantom Armor] covered his own slim-fitting bag.
When his opponent was within fifteen feet of him, they took an aggressive stance with
their spear and waited. Matt stopped as well, taking a more relaxed, neutral stance.
If his opponent was going to treat this duel with respect and honor, he would return both
in kind. There were more than enough rifts to go around, but anyone who shied away from
combat on The Path wouldn’t remain for long.
The wind was too fierce to communicate, so he had his AI send a countdown.
3.
2.
1.
When the countdown reached zero, they both sprung at each other. Matt didn't activate
the sharpness enchantment, just the durability one to keep things slightly less lethal.
When he slashed with his longsword, his opponent met the blow with the bottom half of
the spear, instead of what he expected, and kept their weapon’s range advantage. What
actually shocked him was their strength.
He could tell this person was his equal at early Tier 4, but they felt slightly stronger in
that exchange. Matt didn't feel any active skills, but they could have a strong veil, and his AI was
predicting some blessing of physical strength.
 It made him smile. Usually, focusing all his essence into physical cultivation was an
advantage that left him without equal at his Tier. This made things interesting.
With a thrusting lunge, his opponent's spear scraped against [Cracked Phantom Armor]
but was not able to pierce.
He used the exchange to lash out and land a blow on their more traditional armor, cloth
with thin plates attached over vital areas.
Considering his AI didn’t count that as a deciding blow, it must be strongly enchanted.
The AIs would account for the unused sharpening enchantment, so that meant it was amazing
armor.
They both stepped back, and even through their full helmet, Matt could see them
analyze his [Cracked Phantom Armor]. It truly was a broken skill.
He could aim for the pure cloth parts of their armor, but unless they had something that
let them hit a lot harder, they wouldn't get through his skill.
Their AIs were constantly trying to counter each other and essentially rendered each
other useless. That left Matt with only his skill and training. He tried to land another blow, but it
was blocked by the butt of the spear planted in the ground, stopping his momentum. He took a
fist to the kidney in retaliation. It was far weaker than he and his AI predicted.
His AI drew more mana as it tried to figure out the discrepancy.
Stepping back, they seemed to realize something as they visibly sighed with their
shoulders. Matt’s opponent drew their spear’s blade along their wrist, between their gloves and
armor.
Matt was wary of the move. Losing a match-up wasn't a reason to commit suicide, but it
didn't feel like giving up. He sensed the fight was about to turn much more serious.
The blood did not freeze as it should, flowing like the water it was mostly composed of.
When it gathered into a glob about head high, it crystallized in the cold. When it was solid, the
blood mage launched their shard at Matt.
He didn't need the AI’s warning to get out of the way of the skill. His spirit screamed
danger at him. This was a powerful skill. So powerful he was wondering if it was a Talent.
After his dodge, he faced the spear wielder, who had transitioned to a staff grip. The
change in style made sense when he saw the blood hovering like a snake around them. As the
cold froze the blood, it was pushed up and launched at him.
Matt prepared to rush in. Closing the distance was the only way to end this fight. His only
other option was hoping they would run out of blood, but that was a vain hope. No one would
use a skill that required bleeding out this early, especially if they couldn't manage the side
effects.
When he reached the mage, he lashed out with his blade, aiming for one of the cloth
gaps between pates on their hip.
A strand of blood intercepted him. He expected to cut through it like water, but his blade
bounced back. This allowed the mage to slam the butt of their spear into his knee. [Cracked
Phantom Armor] took the hit without a problem, but between the defensive tactics of a staff
user, and the ropes of blood keeping him at bay, the combatants were at a stalemate.
 After several more exchanges, his bleeding opponent tried to trip him with a whip-like
tendril of blood, but that gave Matt an opening. It seemed they could make their blood strong or
flexible, and for it to be flexible enough to wrap around his leg, it also was easy to cut through.
Matt heard them say something, but it was lost in the howling wind near the edge of the
canyon.
Blows continuously lashed out from one to the other. As Matt debated conceding to end
the waste of time, he felt an energy convergence. In a flash, there was a group of four
approaching, draped in the Dual Stars colors.
The newly teleported group drew their weapons and shouted something, but it was also
swallowed up by the wind.
Matt and his opponent shared a glance and pivoted to face the new threat. Better to
band together and fight off the intruders than to both be pushed off the rift.
 Chapter 16
 
The group from the guild shouted again. After realizing their efforts were in vain, they
sent Matt a message.
‘Leave now, or we will force you to use your emergency teleport.’
Matt sent back, ‘We were here first. Go find another rift.’
All he received back was a simple, ‘No.’
With a slight shift of his head, he looked at his former opponent. While they couldn't see
the other’s face through their respective armor, they had a general sense of one another after
their brief duel. At a slight nod, Matt charged.
The other group was shocked to encounter people who stood their ground. They were
so shocked in fact that they didn't react until Matt had closed half the distance.
The four new combatants were an even split of melee and ranged. One had a massive
hammer, and the other melee fighter had a rapier. The remaining two looked like a ranger and a
mage of some variety.
Matt was intercepted by the hammer user before he could get to the back line. As he
sized up the enemy in front of him, the rapier user flanked him and landed a pitifully ineffective
stab to the ribs.
Not one to let an opportunity like that go, Matt launched a vicious backhand to the rapier
user’s face as he sent Aster a thought to help their temporary ally.
Even with his helmet blocking some of the hit, Matt felt something break under his
armored hand. Before he could follow up and incapacitate his first victim, the hammer user
swung at him.
Dodging the heavy attack, Matt quickly advanced on the hammer user, using a flurry of
slashes to hold the larger but slower opponent at bay. With their attention completely focused
on Matt, his ally was able to slip a tendril of blood around the hammer user's foot. With a strong
pull, the blood mage yanked the heavily armored limb out from under the hammer user, leaving
them sprawled on the ground.
Matt used that opportunity to rush the back line. The archer had an arrow nocked and
loosed it the second a clear shot on Matt presented itself. The arrow itself didn't feel enchanted,
though the bow seemed to hum with the resonance indicating an enchantment.
He moved his blade to intercept, and the arrow hit squarely in the center of his chest.
[Cracked Phantom Armor] took the blow without a whisper of interruption.
Note to self, don't try and block arrows with a sword.
These guilders were no match for Matt and his armor, let alone with the assistance of a
skilled blood mage.
The blood mage hit much harder than this group of amateurs did. He had nothing to fear.
Once in melee range, Matt went to work. He feinted a strike at the archer’s side, trying to draw
them off balance. When they pivoted to react, Matt drew his blade toward himself and carried
the strike’s momentum into a pommel to the face. He struck at a limb being used to shield what
remained of their face with the flat of his blade, snapping the arm for good measure.
The screams were audible over the wind and, at that moment, Matt was engulfed in a
torrent of flame. The fire quickly dissipated in the bitter cold and wind. Matt barely felt a change
in temperature as the flames licked the translucent plates of [Cracked Phantom Armor].
Engulfed in the negligible flames, he turned to the terrified mage, who realized their
massive disadvantage in the cold. Acknowledging their already weakened skill was useless
against Matt’s armor, the mage put their hands up in surrender. Matt closed the distance with
two bounding strides and used the momentum from the third to power a knee to the gut. He left
his final quarry doubled over, coughing up blood.
Matt sent them both a message, ‘Pop your recalls. Just like you wanted to do with us. Or
I'll keep breaking things.’ He wasn't going to show any kindness to anyone as openly hostile as
this group, especially with their pathetic attempts at backing it up. A part of him enjoyed cutting
them down to size, especially after the struggles he had endured during this expedition.
Using the emergency teleport would truly screw them. They would be at the end of the
teleporter line after the mandatory twenty-four-hour layover. And with more and more delvers
coming planetside, they would be days behind the first arrivals.
‘Come on, don't—’
Matt didn't read any further. He poked what remained of the archer’s pulverized nose
with the tip of his sword, drawing more cries of pain. The archer and mage got the point. The
bands around their wrists lit up, signifying they had started the non-emergency recall procedure.
Matt quickly turned to see the rapier user disappear from a pool of blood in a flash. The
hammer user backed off from Aster and the blood mage as he watched the rest of his team
retreat.
Aster and the mage had frozen chunks of blood orbiting them, with even more blood
coating the mage’s spear tip. If the ripped armor was any indication, the new blood was hammer
guy’s. Matt was glad he didn't start bleeding during their fight. He had assumed this mage could
only use their own blood.
The implications of being able to use your opponent's own blood against them meant a
single scratch was a loss condition.
Matt flanked the hammer user, and he activated his armband, seeing it was now a two
versus one fight.
As the beacon charged, a message came through. ‘Fuck you.’ And as a flash of light
swallowed up the retreating figure, an object fell in his place.
Matt tried to dive toward Aster, but he was too far away. He felt her panic as the
explosion went off. It wasn't as large as he had feared. There was nearly no fireball or visible
damage. That was until the ground slid out from under his feet.
The retreating asshole had blown the entire side of the canyon off.
As the earth slipped away, he saw Aster and his opponent turned ally being wrapped in
blood that quickly iced over.
 With as much assurance of her safety as he could have, Matt focused all his mana into
[Cracked Phantom Armor]. It was his only chance of surviving the ensuing landslide.
Quickly chucking his sword into the spatial bag on his back, he felt the ground pick up
speed in its grim descent.
***
When the world stopped shaking and the earth settled, Matt found himself at an
elevation three miles lower and on the outer edge of the newly created slope.
With a quick check of his bond, he found Aster was still alive but somewhere to his left
under the rubble.
He yanked out the small shovel he had packed. When he neared the point where he felt
her presence, he dug for all he was worth. When he encountered rocks, he dug around them
until his Tier 4 bodily strength could shift them.
She didn't feel that deep, and when he was through five feet of dirt and debris, his shovel
struck the frozen ball of blood.
He shouted, and fresh blood pushed up, expanding the hole he had dug, and a
thoroughly red Aster came out in the arms of the blood mage.
As soon as she saw Matt, Aster jumped from her savior's arms and into his. The wind
was far less noisy down at the bottom of the canyon, so they didn't have to communicate by AI
anymore.
“Thanks. I owe you a huge debt for saving Aster.” Matt was infinitely relieved this
stranger had chosen to save Aster. They could have been selfish, and that thought horrified
him.
“Seeing as him dropping the bomb might have something to do with me going a little
overboard on the backline.”
His savior just looked to the top of the canyon, and he heard an audible groan. The wind
was nearly nonexistent in the canyon.
“You didn't happen to see my spatial bag when we were falling did you?” The voice was
higher than he expected, clearly feminine. Noting the detail for later, Matt quickly reviewed his
AI’s information, and sent a snippet of his view as they fell. The panel in their vision clearly
showed when he saw the bag tumbling down with them.
When she received the information, she put her head in her hands and groaned again.
Matt understood. Losing a spatial bag was not only expensive, but it made surviving out
here without the gear almost impossible. He still felt in her debt, so he offered, “I'm happy to
share what I have, if you don't want to teleport back to the city.”
He knew she wouldn't want to. It would be just as much of a death sentence for her as it
was for the team they just beat.
She pulled her helmet off, and copper waves of hair poured out of her helmet in a thick
ponytail. She looked at him and asked, “You don't happen to have tampons, do you?”
Matt had no idea how to respond to that. He had everything a guy or even a fox would
need for months in the wilderness. Tampons were probably the one thing he didn't have.
 “Umm, no. But I do have toiletries, and you're welcome to use them. I really do owe you.
It's the least I could do.” He raised the fox, who was unsuccessfully trying to clean herself in his
arms as he continued, “Aster is worth far more to me than any material possession.”
Matt thought over her actions in their fight and the team up against the guild party. He
had a good feeling about the blood mage, so he proposed, “Getting a new spatial bag will be
costly. Why don’t we team up? Everything until you have enough to cover the cost of a new bag
will be yours. From the rewards I've gotten so far, it shouldn't take more than one or two rifts.
Then we can go our separate ways or go to an even split.”
The woman across from him looked at his armored face and down to Aster in his arms.
She sighed again and nodded. “Sure, I’d appreciate it. Lost my weapon in the fall as
well. I can fight without it, but it will be easier with a tank.”
She glared to the top of the cliff before kicking a loose stone. “That petty asshole. I lost
two rift rewards with that bag. When I get back, I'm going to challenge him to a duel and break
even more bones than you did.”
The armored blood mage looked back at the cliff and said, “I don't think you went that
far. They came and immediately tried to force us into not just leaving but popping our recalls
because we didn't immediately roll over. Fuck that. And fuck them. If I had known he’d do that,
I’d have snapped his stupid neck. Let him heal a broken neck and be out of the rifts for a
month.”
With a heavy sigh, she finished, “Let's go.”
With silent agreement, they headed to the nearest rift in the canyon. After a few minutes
of walking, she turned to him and stuck out a hand. “Elizabeth. Liz works, but if you call me Beth
or BethBeth, I'm stabbing you. What about you?” It sounded like a joke, but he took the warning
seriously.
Matt stuck out his hand and replied, “Matt, and this is Aster.”
The fox glared at both of them, still trying to clean her fur.
Liz saw and winced. “Sorry, girl. When we get to the rift, I can pull most of it off but, with
it frozen, I can barely control it.”
That seemed to mollify the fox enough to go back to her ineffectual licking.
When they arrived at the closest rift in the valley, Matt drew his longsword from his bag
with a wince at the glare Liz gave the landslide behind them.
Setting down Aster and a beacon, he stepped through and out of the rift's entrance. A
moment later, Aster and Liz followed.
It was a warm and bright day in the rift. They were in a vast grassland, and in a small
clearing of waist high grass.
Liz came out of the portal with a ball of blood hovering over each hand, and three more
orbiting behind her head.
When they weren't attacked immediately, she turned her blood into a whip, and knocked
the grass down in a ten-foot circle around them.
 Still, nothing attacked and, with that, she sat right in the center of the circle by the rift
entrance.
“Ugh. This sucks. Do you have some water? All the blood loss dehydrates the hell out of
me.”
Matt just took off his spatial bag and tossed it to her, telling her where the canteen was
and which pocket the extra mana crystals were in.
After draining the bottle, Liz activated the rune but was shoved out of the bag by the
angry fox. Once she grabbed her brush, Aster took residence in Liz’s lap and dropped the
brush. Clearly, she was unhappy with the manner of her salvation.
Matt was slightly worried Liz would take offense, but she just chuckled and fished out the
bottle of shampoo as well.
While she scrubbed the wrong-colored fox into a sudsy blob, they talked.
“So, where did you get a beauty like Aster here? You're on The Path, right?”
“Yeah, I'm on The Path. You are, too, right?” Matt could team up with someone not on
The Path, but it was heavily frowned upon as power leveling was a possibility. That would ruin
the integrity of The Path.
“Yup. That's good. I'd hate to have to leave you because you weren't on The Path. The
last thing I need is someone saying I was cheating”
“As to how I got Aster…” Matt wasn't sure what to say. He had told Griff he wouldn't
spread the information, so he kept his answer simple “Well, I took a stupid risk and got lucky in
both surviving and getting her.”
Liz didn't push and reached into the bag to grab a towel to dry the now clean fox.
When she laid the towel out to dry, Liz sniffed around. Then like a dog after a bone, she
leaned into his bag and pulled out the heart from the tree.
“What’s this?” she looked perplexed and sniffed it again.
“The heart of a boss from the second rift we delved here.”
Her face lit up, and she turned with hunger in her eyes. “Really? Which one? We need to
go back!” She stood up and moved to the entrance.
His next words stopped her, “The rift collapsed when we left.” He didn't mention they
hadn't left voluntarily, or that he had not collapsed the rift willingly. An omission wasn't a lie.
She looked into his armored face and sighed. “What do you intend to do with this, then?”
Matt knew that her asking meant it was valuable, but he still felt indebted to her for
saving Aster's life.
He shrugged and told the truth, “Aster ate what she wanted from it, so I was really only
saving it if she wanted more. If you want it, take it.” He deliberately did not ask what it was
worth. It was easier to be generous with Aster’s scraps than some super valuable treasure.
Liz looked from the heart to him, then to Aster. With visible effort, she stuck it out to
Aster. “Do you want to finish it, girl?” That raised his opinion of her. She clearly wanted it, but
treated the fox’s opinion as valid.
 When Aster looked at it, then went back to drying herself, Liz’s face went from relieved
to guilty. She looked back at Matt and asked again, “She already ate some, right?”
Once he confirmed it, her eyes went back to the heart, and a conflicted look came over
her face.
“Ugh. You don't know what this is do you?”
“No. Is it that valuable?” He knew he'd regret asking, but she was acting far too skittish.
“Yes and no. For anyone with a bloodline, it's worth a king's ransom. Without that, it's still
valuable, but without a storage device made to preserve it, not really.” She looked back to him,
and her eyes were drawn back to the heart in her hand.
“It's got a dragon's blood essence inside. It's not a lot, but it is incredibly pure and strong.
The problem is, it's already starting to fade. And, honestly, I don't know if the city would have
any proper containers. If that rift was still there, this planet would go from a training ground to a
capital world in an instant. Blood essence of any kind is rare, and blood essence from a dragon
is nearly unheard of from a rift. I'm assuming this is part of the reward?”
Matt shook his head. “No, it's from a tree looking monster on the back of a big ass
dragon.”
That got her attention away from the heart. “What? Explain. Please.” There was an
earnestness in her voice that made him answer truthfully.
“The rift was normal at first, but we found a void affinity tree. After killing it, I realized we
weren't on a planet or asteroid but a giant dragon's back. Then it roared, and we were returned
to the overworld.”
He sent her the final moments of the rift and watched as her eyes turned massive.
Her voice was hoarse when she said, “This is impossible. That dragon is far too large.”
her eyes went back to the heart, and she pushed it back out to him. “You could, and probably
should, immediately take the next portal off this planet and go put this in a container. You’d fetch
an earldom on the open market. You'd even have the Emperor's attention with that video and
blood essence. This is rare. Like retire off The Path and get enough resources to advance to
Tier 25 rare. At a minimum.”
That brought him up short. If she was even half-right, this was an amazing opportunity.
He could give up a life of struggle and be immortal.
As he looked at her face filled with longing for the heart, she extended back to him, he
steeled his will.
He didn't want to leave The Path. He enjoyed the fights and the growth.
He did, however, still have questions about the heart. “You said it's more useful with
people with bloodlines. What does that mean? Can I use it? And Aster ate some, will she be
okay?”
Liz shook her head. “Bloodlines are what you get from having a parent that is an evolved
beast. Or a beast yourself.” She nodded at the fox, who ignored them still.
“This blood essence will purify her bloodline and make it easier to evolve in the future. It
will basically help her get stronger, faster. Probably double the gains for every Tier in both
physical and mana cultivation. That's with a normal dragon's bloodline. With how large that one
was, I don't even know. It's only a positive, though. Higher Tier always means a better purity, to
a degree.”
Seeing the hope on Matt's face, she continued, “Normal humans don't have a bloodline
for it to work on. It would do literally nothing. I can swear on that with an Empire oath to be
checked when we get to a good signal. There is no such thing as a dormant bloodline either. It's
an all or nothing thing. They can be weaker or stronger, sure, but the bloodline is either present
or it isn't.”
That dashed some of his hopes, but he asked, “And you can use it?”
Liz nodded, then shook her head. “Yeah, I could. My mom is an evolved companion. I'm
a first generation, so I have a bloodline. B-but I can't pay you for this. Like never. I could
probably get my parents to help pay for it, but that would be outside help, and we'd both have to
leave The Path.”
That wasn't what he wanted to hear, but he thought back to her grabbing Aster when she
could have dived for her bag or held her weapon instead.
The decision became easy.
“Take it. Aster got her fill, and I can't use it.” Liz looked like she was going to protest, but
he cut her off. “I'm not leaving The Path until I fall off. Easy rewards are nice, but not what I
want. And you saved Aster's life. I wasn't kidding when I said she was worth more than any
material goods. Consider it a reward for kind choices.”
With that, Elizabeth looked from the heart to Matt, then Aster. Then with a massive bite,
she took a chunk out of it like it was an apple.
She made a sound that was somewhere between a moan of pleasure and one of pain.
As Matt watched her eat in fascinated horror, he saw the rivulets of blood running down
her chin retreat to her mouth.
The mix of her pale skin and red hair when eating a bloody heart like an apple gave him
an idea.
“Hey, does being a redhead—”
He didn't get out any more than that because she stopped chewing and around her
mouthful of flesh said, “Finish that redhead joke. Please. Be like everyone else who makes the
same joke. I. Will. Stab. You.”
Matt decided the joke wasn't worth it.
She closed her eyes and finished the heart with slow bites. When she finished, she
looked back at him and grinned. “You have got to realize that a redhead joke about using fire or
blood is older than time. If you’re going to make a redhead joke, at least make it semi-original.
Because, I promise, I've heard them all.”
With a swig from the refilled canteen, Elizabeth stood and brushed her armor off. “I'll
need some combat to burn off the energy from that snack. I think I got more out of it because of
my blood Talent.”
That gave him a bit more information than he thought she realized. His AI added it to her
projections.
 She wiggled to set her armor and looked to him.
“You good? Don't need to rest at all?” She had just eaten the heart, and Matt didn't know
if she'd need to process the energy like cultivation.
“Nope. Ready when you are. And let's just go to the even split now.”
With a shrug, all the blood in the area from the washing and from outside the rift flowed
onto her like a second layer of armor. When she replaced her helmet, it encased her head as
well.
His AI alerted him that it was far more blood than should be available. It theorized either
the blood was much thinner than it looked, or that she generated large quantities of blood
quickly.
It was good to know your enemies’ capabilities and those of your allies,’ One might
become the other at a moment’s notice.
As they advanced with Matt in the lead, they came upon their first monster. It looked like
a scarecrow made of the surrounding grass, braided into a vaguely humanoid shape.
When he cut through it with a single blow, he was expecting the familiar rush of essence.
Instead, the monster fell into the grass and was reformed into a complete whole. When Liz’s
whips of blood leveled the surrounding grass, Matt cut the small figure down again.
This time, it did not regenerate.
“Fire would make this a breeze.” He heard Elizabeth's grunt of agreement from behind
him.
They slowly made their way deeper into the plains, cutting down larger and larger groups
of grassmen. Liz made a great lawnmower, and that let Matt finish the monsters off quickly. Any
that got close to escaping into the uncut fields were frozen by Aster.
The trio made quick work of the rift and quickly progressed deeper into the grasslands.
When they reached a hilltop, all they could see in every direction was an endless sea of
waving grass. It was only disrupted by the path they cut to get there.
The loud thumping of hooves snapped them to full alertness, and they scanned for the
source of the sound.
The grass surrounding them was waving. But, unlike before, Matt's AI pointed out the
patches of grass were moving against the wind.
Liz sent out a blood whip in the direction of a massive wave of grass. Then, rising out of
the grass like a submarine from water, was a fifteen-foot-tall grass centaur.
It was massive and armed with a giant halberd. Thick plates of woven grass armor
covered the beast from head to hoof.
Matt rolled out of the introductory charge’s way, even if his armor could handle the
weapon, the combined force of the attack and charge would send him flying.
As the centaur charged past the hill and back into the grass, it sunk down and
disappeared.
 He fed his AI everything it could handle, trying to predict where the monster would
reappear.
After a few seconds, rustling grass circled them and picked up speed. The centaur
charged out from his and Liz’s flank.
“Get it to bleed!”
Matt understood and was shocked at the implication that Liz could track an open wound
but formulated how to do as she asked.
This time, it charged directly at Liz, so he took the opportunity to slash at the centaur’s
horse flank.
The blow was mostly stopped by the armor, but a thin line of a wound was opened and
trickled a sap like blood as the centaur rushed past.
“Gotcha, fucker.”
Matt immediately received a message from her AI with tracking details. There was now a
highlighted, moving line through the grass.
The odd movements from before made sense as the line teleported short distances in
the grass.
While they chased down the centaur, Matt saw it surface several yards away then, with a
burst of speed, it came directly at them.
Matt stepped aside while Liz and Aster did the same in the opposite direction. The
centaur would now have to choose a target.
It focused on Matt, and he prepared to dodge and counter. As he waited for the
opportune moment, he noticed the blood on his sword fall to the ground in a single wave.
When the horse man was upon him, Matt rolled, and heard crashing and screaming.
Quickly standing, he set his feet, and with every ounce of power he could muster, he drove his
enchanted longsword into the flailing rear leg. The tip of the blade cut clean through to the other
side.
His AI knew the bone was hard. It had directed him to focus on cutting through muscles
and tendons, rather than the stronger bone. He did so to great effect.
The centaur tried to pull itself free from the pool of blood it had been entangled in. As it
tried to stand, its crippled rear leg completely failed, and the monster collapsed to its knees.
With giant sweeps of its halberd, it kept him and Liz back. It was only prolonging the
inevitable. Without its mobility, it was little more than target practice, but a cornered animal
always struggled until the end.
And, indeed, target practice it was. Matt stepped forward and fended off swipes from the
halberd, while Liz slammed the centaur with whips of blood.
The blood whips, Matt noted, sucked up the blood pooling from every additional strike
and were constantly growing in size and density.
His AI also noted the whips hit harder than water would at that density and volume.
 He had no idea what her Talent was, but it was either completely absurd, or she had an
array of really versatile skills.
When the blood loss sapped the remaining strength out of the monster, Matt deflected a
halfhearted blow into the ground, used the shaft of the halberd as a springboard, and attempted
to finish the boss with a flying thrust into its humanoid chest.
Unexpectedly, the rush of essence didn't flow into him as the upper body went limp. A
spike of blood pierced the flank where a horse's heart would be and truly brought an end to the
fight.
The shared essence was a nice rush, and Matt was surprised the amount of essence
was about what he expected from a solo boss kill. It felt almost normal, maybe a percent or two
different. It was a much easier fight with Liz, and losing a fraction of essence was a small price
to pay for an easier kill.
He was closer to the reward distortion, so he dispelled it. Twenty-nine Tier 4 mana
stones dropped out. Not a bad haul. Double the normal rewards for each of them.
Liz came over, and peering around him, said, “Not bad, over average. Honestly, I'm
really hoping we can get a skill shard or two to trade.”
“Yeah, agreed. You up for another rift today?” Matt hoped to get one last delve in before
the night set in and it got colder.
Liz rubbed her helmet where her chin would be, and then said, “Yeah. I should be able
to do one more, but I’m only at a third of my mana. I'd like to be at half at least.”
Matt paused at his oversight. He had forgotten about mana costs. It wasn't something
he'd ever had to consider. He had his AI run the skills she had been using. From what he could
tell, she was using a skill like [Blood Manipulation], but she was using the skill nearly constantly.
Using the more common [Water Manipulation], he was able to get rough estimates of her
ability. According to his AI, that constant expenditure and the complexity of the manipulations
she performed put her mana usage at an absurd rate. Her Talent had to be an exceptional one,
or he just hadn't seen its weakness yet. It was the only way she should be able to use a skill this
often.
They waited in the rift until Liz said she was ready, and they returned to the cold
wasteland. Before they left, she asked Matt to cut a staff from the haft of the halberd.
Aster relished in the cold and sniffed rocks and anything that caught her interest as they
trekked to the nearest rift. She was in a good mood, as she didn't have to do much in the last rift
and was now clean again.
Matt noticed Liz left most of the blood back in the rift, only taking a small amount with
her. His AI noted it was nearly the same volume she had entered the rift with. It was either a
limitation of her skill or its interaction of teleporting through the rift.
When they reached the next rift, they set out a beacon and entered.
The first thing Matt noticed was the darkness. It was dim and rocky. This rift was an
underground cave system of some variety.
When Liz and Aster came through, they looked around, and Liz asked what he was
already wondering, “Which way is the exit? I can't feel anything.”
 Matt had been examining the surroundings, trying to answer the same question. Rift
exits were spiritually loud. It was normally very easy to sense the mass of power, just as the rift
entrances were easy to locate.
He couldn't find anything and, apparently, neither could Liz. Considering they were in a
circular chamber with six exits, Matt had the sinking realization this was a maze rift.
Not common, maze or labyrinth rifts were puzzles delvers had to navigate. They usually
came with conditions that had to be completed to exit. They could be anything from killing the
boss to flipping levers hidden throughout the rift.
This was going to be a long delve if it was a puzzle.
He turned to Liz and asked, “Do you want to pull out and try another rift or test our luck?”
She turned a circle, checking out the passageways before saying, “Labyrinth rifts usually
have above average rewards, and this rift is bursting with essence…”
She trailed off, letting the statement speak for itself. And it did. They could strike it big if
they got lucky.
Matt weighed the risks of time lost versus the possible rewards and ended up agreeing
with her unsaid sentiments.
“I think we should do it. At worst, we don't get anywhere and, in a few hours, we simply
retreat with little loss.”
Liz took that as approval and checked out each exit.
“I don't see or sense any traps, so it's a question of one out of six chances to get the
right path.”
Matt ran the odds with his AI and offered, “Start from the top and work clockwise?”
Liz didn't have any better ideas, so they marked their path and started down the tunnel.
There were no splits or other tunnels to take, so they just walked down the path. That was, until
they found the first enemies.
There was a giant lizard on fire, seemingly a standard salamander. What had Matt wary
was the salamander's companion. The trio looked up to see a flying dragonfly that dripped
sparks. That combination could prove annoying if not difficult.
The ceiling was high enough that Matt didn't have any good options for killing the
dragonfly if it refused to land. It would be up to Liz or Aster.
“I can tank both. Let me draw their attention.”
Matt rushed in, and both monsters turned and let loose their respective elements on
[Cracked Phantom Armor]. He felt a slight weakening where the attacks overlapped, but it was
nothing his standard feed of mana couldn't handle.
The salamander whipped its tail around, and the blow was absorbed completely by his
leg’s translucent armor, stopping the beast for a moment.
He activated the enchantment on his blade and plunged it into the lizard. The blade
pierced the back of the thigh high beast. But when he pulled out his sword, it was glowing hot,
and the strengthening enchantment drained a large chunk of mana to keep the structure intact.
 As he turned his attention to the head-sized flying insect, he caught one last lightning
bolt to the chest before the dragonfly was blasted out of the air by a thumb-sized orb of blood.
He nodded to Liz in appreciation. He really didn't relish flailing around trying to cut down
the creature. Waiting for Aster to hit it wasn’t a great alternative. Her aim on moving targets was
still questionable.
Waving his sword to help cool it, they proceed down the hall, repeating the encounter
four more times.
When they finished off the fifth group, they rounded a corner and found a salamander
and dragonfly with large red crystals embedded in their foreheads. The duo were at least four
times the size of the normal pairs they had previously encountered and had four of their lesser
counterparts circling them.
Matt scoped out the room, and turned to Liz, asking, “If I get their attention, how long do
you think you need to kill the flyers?”
Liz sized up the gem-embedded versions of the monsters before saying, “I should be
able to take out the smaller ones easily enough. But the larger ones' armor is going to give my
shots trouble. I'll probably need to use a whip to pull it down for you to finish off.”
She looked at Aster and asked, “Think you can hit it with a shard of ice?”
The fox just tilted her head and quietly yipped a negative.
With or without Aster’s questionable aim, the plan was good enough for Matt, so he
stepped into the room with a loud cry.
 Chapter 17
 
The loud noise brought a barrage of fire and lightning strikes. Matt was able to roll under
most of them. The combination of all those attacks hitting at once could pierce his [Cracked
Phantom Armor], so he pushed as much mana into the skill as he safely could.
Rolling with a sword was awkward, but he had practiced for this moment, and with the
enchantments off during the roll, he wouldn't accidentally cut himself through his armor.
The large salamander was clearly irritated at the unsuccessful attacks as it whipped its
tail around. What was an easily absorbed attack on the lesser, waist-high salamanders was now
a brutal blow Matt needed to avoid. He had no confidence in being able to block the gem
salamander’s strikes without being sent flying.
The tail was a mass of muscle and, at the size of a horse, it was a danger he wouldn’t
willingly tank.
He came out of the next roll in a lunging attack that took a smaller salamander out with a
thrust to the head.
His AI warned him a swipe from the gem salamander was incoming. Having a partner
watching his back and sharing AI information made his life so much easier.
Matt dove over the corpse he had just created and slashed at the giant, fiery tail coming
straight at him.
The tail was two feet shorter after passing over Matt, but the tail’s momentum had driven
his weapon into his shoulder. Knocked back, Matt was forced into a defensive stance as two of
the smaller salamanders approached.
At the same time, he took a massive lighting strike from above. It was so strong it nearly
broke through his armor. He was able to feed just enough mana into the skill to block it, but he
hoped Liz would take out the dragonflies faster.
With a slash and body check, one salamander was seriously wounded, and the second
was knocked off its feet.
He followed his AI’s warning ping to look up and see the larger salamander bearing
down on Liz. Matt disengaged with the remaining smaller monster and ran to the gem
salamander, landing a massive blow on its leg.
That returned its attention to Matt, and his AI informed him why it had targeted Liz. She
had taken out all the smaller flyers and dragged the other boss to the ground with her blood
whip. She was in the process of bashing through its armor when the gem salamander attacked.
He needed to buy her time to finish the gem dragonfly, and the wounded salamander
was keen on getting revenge for Matt’s successful slash. Stepping back, Matt avoided the
ensuing onslaught of bites and swipes but took a face full of flames. Like the lighting attack, it
was right on the limit of his defensive capabilities, but he was able to withstand it.
Relying on his AI to protect his blind spots, Matt heeded its warning to step left. He
heard the charge of the lesser salamander as it tried to tackle him from behind.
Taking advantage of the clear shot presented to him, Matt stabbed with his glowing
sword and caught the eye of the flaming gem salamander.
 Then a spike of blood passed by him, finishing off the remaining lesser salamander. With
wounds dripping bright orange blood, the giant salamander was finally alone.
The fight was over quickly as Liz didn’t hesitate to drive a spike of blood into the
salamander’s brain.
She lost blood engaging the hot monsters, but she had drained the dragonflies until they
were only shriveled corpses. Now, she had blood to spare.
With heaving breaths, they surveyed the bodies and looked at each other.
Liz was the first to speak up, “That was too easy for a final boss. And no reward
distortion.”
Matt agreed with a nod. He looked around and, following his gut, walked over to the
dead salamander boss to cut out the crystal in its head. Liz, understanding his idea, did the
same with the gem dragonfly.
They brought the gems together, and when they touched, they snapped together into
one. As the combined gem vibrated, a portal appeared on the back wall of the boss cavern.
Exchanging a skeptical glance, they inspected the portal.
“It’s not leading outside,” Matt stated the obvious and probed with his senses again.
Liz offered, “I can’t reach that far, but I think it’s to the starting area. I’ve heard of rifts like
this before. One of my older brothers told me a story of one he found like this.”
Matt looked at her, waiting for more of the story.
“In his rift, they had to fight mini-bosses, then got teleported to a random location in a
giant dimensional maze. Rinse and repeat until they found an exit.”
Matt considered her words and shrugged. It didn’t feel dangerous, so he raised his
sword and stepped through.
He found himself back in the starting cavern, with the portal covering the entrance they
had taken.
Liz followed through a moment later. “Oh. Well, shit. We’re gonna have to fight six mini-
bosses, aren’t we?”
Matt figured she was right. They went down the next path and, this time, they took it at a
jog.
They encountered another salamander and dragonfly duo, however, the salamander
dripped green liquid. Matt had to assume it was acid, and he had a theory about the dragonfly
shining with white light.
Matt found both of his guesses to be correct. The salamander spat out a jet of the green
liquid that bubbled away at [Cracked Phantom Armor] in futility. When he slashed the poison
salamander in response, a ray of light from the dragonfly covered the wound as it quickly
stitched itself together.
Matt quickly put an end to that by tanking a tail sweep and piercing the back of the
salamander’s head. Poison again splashed his armor ineffectually, but Matt knew this would be
dangerous when facing the salamander mini-boss of this variant.
 With a resigned sigh, they began the process of clearing another four pairs of monsters
before coming up to the boss cavern. It was a repeat of the last, with four each of the lesser
variants to help the two larger monsters.
The only difference apart from the mini-bosses’ affinities were the orange gems lodged
in the monsters, instead of red ones.
Matt took the lead and distracted the salamanders, while Liz waited for her chance to
cleanly kill the healer bugs.
He didn’t even try to damage the salamanders. Instead, he just retreated while circling,
luring the dragonflies hovering above him closer to the hiding Elizabeth.
When she had a clear shot, she sent forth four bullets of blood and killed the lesser
dragonflies while simultaneously lashing out with whips at the retreating gem dragonfly.
Meanwhile, Matt had to throw himself at the lesser salamanders to keep their attention
away from the mage killing their healers.
The poison of the mini-boss was more effective, but it was only strong enough to render
[Cracked Phantom Armor] ineffective against other threats. He didn’t dare tank a hit from the
enraged monsters. It took everything he had physically, as well as his AI predicting the
monsters’ movements and attack patterns, to keep him from getting hit.
When Liz attacked from the rear, Matt went on the offensive, and they quickly ended the
fight. The poison salamanders were more of a problem for her as her armor would quickly
degrade. So, Matt was forced to keep their attention with opportunistic stabs and slashes. Some
well-placed blood shards quickly dispatched the lesser salamanders, and the gem salamander
quickly followed with their combined efforts.
When they finished the fight, they connected the orange gems and walked through the
portal they created.
When they went down the third path, they encountered a salamander with porcupine-like
spines made of sword aura. They were wispy but incredibly sharp. His full-strength armor was
pierced slightly by a spray of spines from a salamander. He very quickly had a shirt full of little
holes.
This variant of dragonfly was also something Matt had only ever heard about in stories of
higher Tiered rifts. It was actually living glass.
They quickly dispatched the monsters, and Liz bent to inspect the fallen pair.
“This blows. I lost my bag, and sharpness aura is expensive. Something this weak would
sell well to someone trying to cultivate a sword Concept. I’d love to harvest this. At least the
living glass is semi-valuable,= and easy to collect.” With that, she swept it up and placed the
shards of glass into his bag.
That grabbed Matt’s attention, so he asked, “You know about Concepts? I haven't been
able to find any solid information about them. What do you know?”
Liz was happy to explain on their walks between fights.
“A Concept is a baby Intent. And a Concept is required to break into Tier 15. You need
an Intent to break into Tier 25, and an Aspect to break into Tier 50.
 “A Concept is essentially just understanding something. It can be anything. My sister
cultivated a growth Concept. It allows her to grow herbs a little faster and makes them a little
more potent. Sharpness aura is made with sharpness Intent. It empowers any attacks with a
sharp weapon. For example, take a Concept of ‘Sword,’ It’s defined by the person who
cultivates the Concept.”
“If the person can gain a deep connection to what ‘Sword’ means to them in their spirit,
they can manifest their ‘Sword’ Concept. With a ‘Sword’ concept, one can generate sword aura.
Technically, it’s all sharpness aura, but it gets broken into subcategories if it only affects a single
weapon type. Like battle-ax aura or, in our case, ’Sword’ aura. These salamanders’ sharpness
aura can help with cultivating any concept involving a sharp weapon.”
She looked at him and asked, “You following?”
He was impressed she knew this much. She had mentioned her mother was an evolved
companion, so that meant Tier 15 at minimum. It must be nice to have high Tiered parents. She
might not have material advantages while on The Path, but her knowledge was enviable, to say
the least.
At his nod, she asked another question, “You know the potions you have to buy to
breakthrough into Tier 5?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of them. They make it possible to break into Tier 5 from my
understanding. They are pricey, though.”
Liz nodded at that. “They are expensive, that’s true. But what they are is more important.
They’re basically prosthetic Concepts for people who can’t cultivate one on their own.
“A person’s Concept should always involve a core idea they can identify with, down to
their very spirit. As they broaden into Intents and Aspects, it becomes more difficult to find an
understanding deep enough to manifest the next level. The potions help the individual create an
understanding of the Concept they’re created from.
“The potions themselves are essentially distilled Concepts, and the ones on the open
market usually are simple physical or magical boosts. They’re much broader in terms of the idea
behind the Concept. That’s done intentionally so they’re easier to make, which is why they’re
cheaper and more plentiful. They’re also easier to identify with strongly enough to manifest the
actual Concept.
“The potions are an aid to break through into Tier 5. But because they aren’t self-
discovered concepts, they don’t mesh right. So, you have to buy new, stronger ones at Tier 10.
And at Tier 15, you have to purge the old ones and create your own.
“That’s why the salamanders are so valuable. If you have the proper tools, you can
harvest the aura. And if you’re a sword user who wants to understand some variation of a
sharpness Concept, you can absorb a bit of that aura and try to create your own Concept. It’s
more valuable because it’s only Tier 4 aura, so they could make their own Concept before
breaking through to Tier 5 instead of using an artificial one. And it won’t pop their spirit because
it’s too strong.”
That gave Matt a lot to think about. It was complicated, and from what he had found, all
information about Concepts was gated until after Tier 10.
He did have one question: “You said it’s better to use your own Concept. Why is that?”
 “Easy. Imagine fighting someone with the sword Concept we talked about. It would
empower every strike and every skill. And it’s a power source completely separate from mana.
So long as the fighter can keep his will focused, he could be twice as deadly for free.”
That sounded amazing. Matt looked at his sword and imagined the advantage he could
get with the ability to cut as easily as the salamanders did.
Liz continued after they dispatched the last duo of salamander and dragonfly, “The
earlier you can create a Concept, the more it grows with you. So, created ones are always
better than buying a Concept potion to break into Tier 5. Developing your own Concept as you
advance to Tier 5 lets it grow stronger within you. It’s easiest to grow a Concept while you are
advancing. So, if you can begin developing your own Concept before Tier 5, you have extra
Tiers of growth and practice with it.”
They reached the boss cavern, and the conversation was put on hold as they fought the
monsters. This time Elizabeth fought with him, ignoring the attack less dragonflies. Their attack
plan against the sharpness salamanders consisted of careful and coordinated attacks. Aster
and Liz provided covering fire for Matt as he ducked and rolled out of the way of the sharpness
aura.
They created opening after opening, allowing Matt to dispatch each of the salamanders
inhabiting the boss cavern with ease. The living glass dragonflies posed no threat, but their
defensive prowess certainly made up for it. Ending the boss encounter proved tedious if not
challenging.
When they started down the fourth tunnel, Matt asked, “How do you create a Concept?
And what’s the difference between Concepts, Intents, and Aspects? I’ve never even heard of
the last two.”
She shrugged. “From my understanding, the last two are larger, more encompassing
versions of the Concept. Something like a longsword Concept, a sword Intent, and then a blade
Aspect. Like a reverse pyramid. The scope of the Concept you have power over can grow wider
and stronger. From a single type of weapon to a group of them. And, finally, anything with a
blade.”
She paused. ‘Hmmm. You can get too broad, though. I heard my parents talk about one
guy who is…was may be a better word, a genius. He started with a blade Concept at Tier 5,
then created that into a melee Intent. Apparently, he’s spent the last like, thousand years trying
to create a weapons Aspect. If he succeeds, it would be absurd. Can you imagine it? Every
weapon is able to be empowered, but he’s completely failed at trying to advance it. He reached
too far and got himself stuck.”
“So, how did he make the Concept? Did your parents ever mention that?”
Liz shrugged. “Sure. It’s simple in theory but hard in practice. That's why the Empire
doesn’t let too much information out about it. A lot of people would refuse to take the easier path
and never break through to Tier 5 because of their delusions of grandeur. You just need to find
a truth about you and your magic. Or…” She hesitated and waved her hands around, “not your
magic, but… I don’t know the best word. It’s your style. If you’re a fire mage, you try to embody
fire and heat.
“It’s personal, and it’s easiest to sense when fighting at the edge of death. When you’re
reduced to your smallest part. What’s the essence of that part? What defines your spirit down to
the core? That’s the easiest way to find the best Concept for yourself.”
 Matt pondered her words as they killed salamanders with claws of ice and dragonflies
with gales of wind surrounding them. He fixated on the requirement of creating your own
Concept at Tier 15, regardless of Concept potions.
“What about at Tier 14 when creating your own. How does that work?”
“It’s easier and harder. At Tier 14, you have a life expectancy of over a thousand years,
so people who reach that point have a lot of time. They either figure out their own Concept or
change to fit another Concept. Most of the time, people can fortify the potion Concepts into a
true one by Tier 15. But most scrap those altogether and are able to break through with a
completely new Concept of their own.”
That surprised Matt. From what she said, he thought they were final once manifested.
“Aren’t they set and permanent for the individual?”
He knew it was a stupid question based on her last statement, but he had to ask
anyway.
“Nope. It’s funny, I asked the same thing. Well, they usually are pretty set, depending on
the circumstances. If a fire mage gets a fire concept, they’re not going to fight that. But if they
get a water concept, they have two options. Change their style to match the Concept or change
the Concept completely. That could potentially mean having to change even your own attitude
and disposition. Once you start walking down a path, it’s easier to just continue.
“That’s why you hear about high Tiered people with weird personalities or quirks. They
are manifestations of their Concepts and Intents trying to become Aspects. To create an Aspect
of water, you have to be water. It’s not just understanding water. It’s going into a pool and
becoming one with it.”
Matt asked the question as it appeared in his mind, “Doesn’t that mean people with less
physical concepts have it harder?”
Once again, Liz waved her hand. “Eh. I’m not sure, as this is all second-hand, but I think
so. I can only think of a few of my parents’ friends who don’t have a physical thing as their
Concepts. The ones that do are… Hmmm, it’s hard to describe. They are more…” she huffed,
“it’s more a feeling you get when you’re near them. One has a water intent, and you can feel the
idea of water if his control slips. When I was younger, he’d let me swim in the air. It felt like
swimming in normal water to me, but I could breathe. That was his Intent changing the world
around him. It’s concrete and physical.
“One lady’s Intent was happiness. She was just a joy to be around. Everything was just
better. Even something as simple as a nice comment was ecstasy. It wasn’t impossible, but it
was hard to be sad near her. She couldn’t spend too much time near people who didn’t have a
Concept or Intent of their own. The feelings could become addictive if she slipped.
“They also have to do with fighting styles and professions. Intents are usually what
cultivators do the most, so those styles and professions hold a heavy influence on their being.
And both of those things are usually physical.”
Matt was honestly getting in over his head at this point, so he changed the subject. “You
could swim in the air? That must have been fun.”
They continued to talk about more casual topics, mostly about her childhood. He
answered the reciprocated questions as best he could but kept away from the time after his
parents’ deaths.
 The final two side tunnels were easily dealt with, and when they had at last collected the
yellow, green, blue, and finally, indigo crystals of the rift, they paused at the portal before them.
This boss cavern had two portals. One was clearly an exit portal with a reward rift next to it. The
indigo portal was like the previous colored ones that led to the center cavern, but it burst with
essence.
“What are the odds it stops one short of the rainbow?” Liz asked, with arms crossed and
foot tapping. Even with her full helm, he could tell she glared.
“I’m going to guess zero.” Matt paused and thought it over. “Either take the indigo one
into a fight or take this portal out.”
The foot-tapping sped up. “Does it matter? Even if we walk back, the portal covered the
other exits. I expect we have to spring the trap if we want whatever these things unlock.” She
jiggled the bag of gems they collected.
Matt agreed with her assessment.
“Screw it. I’ll head in and either clear it or hold my ground so you can get a foothold.”
Matt stepped through and immediately took a blast of arcane energy to the face.
He was grateful it was a large area attack and not a focused beam. That would have cut
him half. He pushed forward through the neutral magic, and the attack eventually ended.
Instead of a salamander and a dragonfly before him was some abomination of the two.
It looked like the salamander had chitin instead of scales, and it stood on its hind legs. It
had the giant, paneled eyes of a dragonfly, and two massive mandibles protruded from the
sides of its maw of serrated teeth. It had translucent, stunted wings that seemed useless for
flying, but Matt was sure they had some other purpose.
The figure was at least twenty feet tall, and its head nearly brushed the ceiling. It let out
a roar as Matt ran to the side, trying to get its attention away from the portal Liz and Aster would
be coming through.
The monster’s wings glowed with a blinding light that intensified as it reared back, and it
let out another breath of powerful, colorless magic. Arcane magic was the opposite of void.
They were the only elements that countered each other.
Arcane embodied creation, whereas void was pure destruction. That didn’t mean an
arcane attack was any less dangerous for its creation properties. It was a less focused version
of all other aspects of mana while being none. It was great for crafting skills, with all the
advantages of having aspected mana but none of the disadvantages.
A massive whip of blood wrapped around the standing hybrid’s mouth and cut off the
blast of magic. Matt looked back at Liz, with Aster at her feet. She growled as she created ice
shards and froze Liz’s blood globs. The combination attack allowed them to penetrate the hard
outer shell of the boss.
When the spears of ice and blood punched through the chitin of the abomination, it
whipped its tail in a spinning attack, covering the entire cavern room. Matt was near the end of
the tail and was slammed into the far wall, only to again get caught and flung by the tail.
His sword was lost during the tumbling, and when he finally gathered himself, he noticed
he was right under Liz and Aster. They stood on a platform of blood Liz had created to dodge
the blow.
 Matt scanned for his sword and raced to retrieve it before the next attack came. He
found the sword and scrambled to pick it up as he was nearly crushed by a stomping foot.
He took the opportunity to slash at the monster’s ascending foot after sidestepping the
stomp. His attack sliced through the armor and flesh of the hybrid. He was slightly surprised to
feel the resistance of bone as he cut deep into the foot.
The underside of the monster’s foot was unarmored, and the strength and sharpness of
the blade left the foot mangled as the hybrid roared.
Elizabeth pulled over the massive amount of blood gushing to the floor in a wave. As the
blood continued to leak, the flow of her blood wave increased, growing in size and
encompassing her. Soon, the giant sphere of blood enveloping her broke, and she emerged as
a ten-foot-tall blood golem.
Matt tried to keep the monster’s attention, but it was becoming increasingly hard. As the
blood creation grew, it attracted more of the hybrid’s attention than the diminutive human.
Aster pattered up behind him, and they watched as the blood golem and monster
grappled. As Liz punched out at the standing abomination, Aster used her powers to tip the arm
with a frozen spike. It skittered off the thicker armor plating around the monster’s chest.
When it slashed into the torso of the blood golem in retaliation, the blow simply splashed
though ineffectually. The blood was scattered across the cavern, but it quickly returned to the
golem’s feet and was absorbed.
Matt saw his chance to take advantage of its fixation on its larger opponent.
He ran to its rear and, with all the power he could muster, chopped into its tail as its
wings glowed again.
The sword couldn’t cut completely through the chitin and bone, but it opened a vital
artery if the fountain of blood was any indication.
The blood flowed into Liz’s golem, and she grew to match the monster in size.
With her improved leverage, she slammed her ice-spiked right hand into the monster,
finally possessing the weight and power to drive it through. Her left hand acted as a muzzle,
keeping the monster from using its arcane breath.
After a few moments of pounding, the golem simply fell on top of the monster. Liz fell out
the back of her golem while clutching her head, glaring up at the monster.
Despite losing its golem form, the blood still surrounded the monster’s head. As it
struggled and failed to release itself, the abomination drowned in its own blood.
A few heartbeats later, the rush of essence came over him, and he looked at the
kneeling and panting Liz.
“That was fucking incredible.”
His AI had to completely rewrite its portfolio on Liz. She was more of a monster than any
of the creatures they had found in the rifts.
If her Talent worked like normal [Blood Manipulation], it should have the mana cost and
mental control demands of [Water Manipulation]. The information on the former was more
speculative because of its rarity. But the latter was common enough to have public information.
 It took not only a lot of control to manipulate that volume of blood, but also a massive
amount of mana to animate it. His AI calculated the amount of blood to be equivalent to around
nine cubic feet of water.
That was over five hundred pounds of blood she manipulated. It even pointed out the
golem must have been mostly hollow or composed of a structural lattice to be that size with the
amount of blood available.
At Liz’s slight whimper, Matt pulled off his spatial bag and had her pop a painkiller for the
massive headache brought on by her efforts. She had clearly overextended her mental capacity
with that last engagement.
She took the pill and water with her eyes closed and drained the canister after
swallowing the pill.
Aster, who came to investigate, got pulled over her face as an impromptu ice pack.
Matt quieted the fox, who protested the rough treatment.
He finally was able to deactivate his armor for the first time today as he drank from the
refilled canteen.
There were no enemies present, and his sword was in reach if one appeared. However,
Matt found another encounter unlikely as the rift was cleared out. They had traveled the entire
length of it to do so.
Half an hour later, Liz pulled her face from Aster’s fur. She glanced at him, then looked
him up and down.
With squinted eyes, she said, “Huh. I was starting to think you were the armor.”
Matt quietly chuckled at her attempt at humor.
“No, just my best way to stay warm between rifts.”
That made her face droop even more.
“You’re telling me you don’t feel the cold out there? Go die in a hole, please. My fingers
nearly freeze off, even with the heated gloves.”
With a grunt, she stood and said, “Let’s get that last crystal and open the reward
distortion.”
At her words, Matt looked and saw there was a large violet gem in the center of the
monster’s head.
When he got close, he used the tip of his sword to pry the gem from the monster’s chitin.
Once it was out, the cavern rumbled. Out of a blank spot of wall, a chest with a huge
indent in the middle appeared. Upon closer inspection, they found six indents in a circle around
the larger one in the middle.
It was obviously a recreation of the pathways where they had killed each mini-boss and
the final boss.
When the last crystal clicked into place, they found a pillow and a single small gem
placed directly on top of it.
 A skill shard.
Matt and Liz turned from the skill to look at each other. If they had any plans to betray
one another, now was the time. And she was spent from the last fight.
He backed up a half a step and asked, “Do you want to do the honors of testing it since
you got the final kill?”
Liz looked relieved at his non-aggression and plucked the shard up, staring at it.
“Huh. It’s [Puddle Jumper]”
Matt looked it up in the low Tiered skill database he had purchased and found it.
[Puddle Jumper]: A near-flight skill. Cost per cast: 50 mana. Allows the user to jump mid-
air. While skill is active, the user will not lose altitude.
Matt whistled. “That’s a pretty valuable skill. I can’t use it. Can you?”
He was offering to allow her to take and bind the skill at the cost of having to reimburse
him for his half. It was fair, and he really couldn’t use it with the mana cost.
Liz shook her head and said, “I could, but it’s not very useful to me, and…” she paused
and looked hard into his face and continued, “my Talent affects the skills I bind. So, I could
completely ruin the skill. I’d rather sell it and get a skill I know I can make useful. Besides, we
should make a killing with a near-flight skill, especially with the Tier 5 guild members.”
Matt was surprised and touched she had revealed that much about her Talent. Talents
were incredibly personal and, usually, the cornerstone a fighter’s style was built around. It
wasn't something to share lightly.
He turned to the rift’s reward distortion. He had felt it move from the previous mini-boss
cavern but hadn't wanted to rush his spent blood mage. He and Liz walked over and, this time,
he dispersed the reward. A bar of dark metal fell out with a thud, denting the ground where it
landed.
He had his AI analyze it. A Tier 6 iron bar. It was a valuable reward. Very valuable. But it
still felt lacking compared to the skill.
With a shrug, he put it in his bag, and the two left the rift.
They chose to set up camp in a nook of the canyon where the wind couldn’t assault
them.
After setting up the tent, Matt went inside and cleaned himself up before trading
locations with Liz.
He slipped on his boots and activated [Cracked Phantom Armor] while in shorts and a T-
shirt.
Now, it was Liz’s turn, and Matt waited outside for her to finish her longer ablutions. He
had taken the first shift because he didn’t have to clean sweaty armor after cleaning himself.
He played with Aster until he got a ping from Liz’s AI saying she was done.
Once in the tent, he reveled in the warmth of the heater and saw Liz in some of his
underclothes. They were comically big.
 She saw the smirk on his face and asked, “What?”
There was a challenge in the statement he didn’t want to touch with a ten-foot pole. He
cautiously answered, “You remind me of when we would get the clothes the older kids outgrew
but didn’t fit us yet. Everyone looked like blobs until we grew into them. A good memory
actually. We enjoyed getting the hand-me-downs. It was like an extra New Year’s celebration.”
That got her to smile, and she pointed to the heater, changing the subject. “Did you have
to skimp on the heater? It’s gotta be the most ineffective model I’ve ever seen.”
Matt laughed and decided to return some of the trust he had been shown earlier. “No, it’s
one of the few heaters that can run on personal mana. I’m sure you’ve done the same
calculations I’ve done on you.”
That comment got her to avert her eyes and added a bit of color to her pale cheeks.
“Part of my Talent allows me to produce a lot of mana, but I have almost no capacity. It’s
why I can run my skill all day but can’t use [Puddle Jumper]. I can’t afford the mana cost.”
He didn’t get into specifics, but he touched the heater’s inset mana stone and quickly
filled the 200 mana capacity.
Liz looked at him and to the heater and said, “That’s an interesting limitation, and an
even more interesting advantage.”
Part of him scoffed at the word advantage, but that was the year and half spent at
Benny’s trying to rear its ugly head. He did have an advantage.
“Yeah, it’s got its uses. It will even let me take advantage of less expensive skills.” Matt
didn’t mind talking about his intentions to purchase [Mage’s Retreat]. The purchase was going
to be public record, so it was harmless to talk about.
Liz was intrigued at the idea. While they talked, he pulled his pot out of the spatial bag
and started making dinner for the three of them.
“[Mage’s Retreat]? Huh, an odd choice for most, but with what I’ve been able to
calculate, it should be potent. At the upper ends of mana cost, [Mage’s Retreat] is actually better
than [Mana Strength].”
That turned into a conversation about skills and combat styles that lasted through dinner.
They had just finished eating as Aster went back outside into the cold, and Matt asked,
“You said your mom was an evolved companion, right? Do you know why Aster does that when
we get to cold places? She doesn’t know why, just that she should. I can’t find anything about
it.”
“Yeah, that’s easy. She’s refining her bloodline and mana with cold stronger than her
own. Those with bloodlines, normal humans with specific Talents, or those possessing super
rare rift rewards, can aspect their mana based on the type. It gives a massive boost to skills and
spells of the same type, but at the disadvantage of absurd mana cost for everything else. When
Aster begins to absorb other skills, she’s really only gonna be able to use ice skills.”
After a slight pause and bob of her head, she added, “Maybe wind or water as well. All
blizzard stuff. But fire? She won’t be able to activate a fire skill if her life depended on it.”
Matt was once again thankful to Liz and her knowledge and irritated he couldn’t find any
information about this.
 Liz clearly saw the frustration on his face and asked, “You were in a PlayPen, right?
Didn’t someone explain this to you? They should have, even if it was someone else with a
companion.”
Matt looked back at her and answered, “No one had companions. It was a Tier 4 world.
Companions were completely unheard of. I even had a healer try to ‘buy’ Aster’s egg from me.”
He told her the whole story and, at the end, Liz said, “She’s lucky she got such a clean
death. If there was an evolved companion or beast in human form present, they would have
done far, far worse. It’s one of the tenets of companions, you don’t pressure the one who finds
an egg into selling. There’s a bond of fate that’s sacrosanct. And, wow, I can’t believe you didn’t
know what a rift challenge was. You are a lucky little shit, aren't you?”
 Chapter 18
 
He and Liz talked long into the night about topics far and wide. He told tales of Aster's
misadventures in the PlayPen. Liz seemed to particularly enjoy one about Aster trying to jump
over a serving line to get at some smoked rabbit they had been serving.
She came back with a story of her own about her mother when she was still a flame
sparrow. Her mother burned down her dad's tent while they were stuck in a blizzard simply
because he had bumped the stand the small bird rested on.
Eventually, they broached the topic of Matt’s Tier 1 Talent and its detrimental rating.
What Liz had to say about it threw him for a loop.
"Detrimental ratings are not common, but they all have one thing in common. They all
carry a condition where the cultivator can't do something. It doesn't matter if your Tier 1 Talent
comes with free fire skills. If you can't use other skills, it's deemed detrimental. Even if fire spells
are completely free. Still detrimental."
Matt was shocked. "That's so stupid. The AI has to be smarter than that. I-it doesn't
make sense."
Liz simply shook her head. "Nope. It's not perfect, but that kind of scenario only turns up
about a quarter of the time a detrimental Talent is determined. The rest are truly…" she
shrugged, "detrimental."
"But what about the others? I was lucky. I got into the PlayPen, which gave me the
chance to grow and got a perfectly synergized skill, all by chance. If it weren't for Zephyr, and
Eric and Dena, I would be…" He trailed off. He didn't want to accept it. The AI just saw an
arbitrary negative in a Talent and slapped on a detrimental rating with no other considerations.
That seemed incredibly wasteful. And stupid.
Liz rolled over to face him. "Matt, you didn't get lucky with your sponsors coming to the
bar you worked at."
"It was an inn."
"Who cares. Same difference. My point is, when people get a detrimental rating, the
planetary AIs start watching. If the individual is driven and doesn't give up, a team of past
Ascenders is dispatched. They’re a team who made it to at least Tier 5 while on The Path and
are now higher than Tier 15. Your sponsors were sent there to scout you. See if you were an
asshole who would abuse people if you got strong. So long as they liked you, even if your
Talent was 'I’ll literally never progress,' you would have gotten the invite."
Matt was shocked. He knew it hadn’t been a spure of the moment desion to bring him
onto The Path of Ascension but even their meeting hadn't been an accident? He reviewed all
his past interactions with Dena and Eric. They had questioned him about his desires quite a bit
now that he thought about it. What had been casual conversation now seemed like an
interrogation.
"They said they were Tier 6." Matt paused. They had never actually said that. He had
assumed that. "Well, I assumed they were Tier 6. They didn't feel that strong."
 Liz looked at him like he was crazy. "Matt, you’re using a veil right now. If you loosen it
up a bit, you can give the impression of any power level under your own. They must have
figured Tier 6 on a Tier 4 world was high enough to not have to take any crap from the locals."
His veil reminded him of his skill. "Did they somehow manufacture getting my skill?"
Liz raised an eyebrow, and he gave her the details, "There was a party that came in and
scanned the skill. They knew it was cracked and made the fact very public. When the skill was
given a detrimental rating because of the high mana cost, a brawl started. They threw it at
someone to get a punch in. I was able to swipe it and hide the skill up my sleeve during the
chaos."
The blood mage next to him just smirked at his story. "Nah. I doubt they did. Maybe, but
it seems like you actually did get lucky there. The only times where people on The Path are
allowed skills are for healer Talents, or if you need a skill for your Talent to function. Even then,
the Empire only allows for Tier 14 or below skills to be given. Not cracked ones. They would
have just handed it to you."
He stayed silent as he processed what Liz told him. The couple may have been
evaluating him, but they still treated him well. It was a revelation he hadn't just caught their
attention.
Why doesn't the Empire just rework the AI system?
When he asked Liz, he didn’t get much of an answer. "I don't know. I think people are
afraid someone will steal information about Talents if they’re allowed access to the underlying
code. So, no one dares to propose touching it for fear of drawing suspicion to themselves. The
Empire does what it can to mitigate the detrimental rating mishaps. The AI handling Talents is
so old, it can't even learn or grow on its own. The thing’s a relic."
"What about people whose Tier 3 Talents fix their Tier 1s?"
"They get a rating of corrected if the AI sees the build as viable. You probably got one. I
don't know what your Talent is, but you put out a ton of mana. No way that doesn't count."
That made him wonder why he didn't get another call from the Emperor. If his mana
projection had ever been calculated out for more than a few Tiers, the Emperor had to have
been notified of the results.
Thinking back about the Emperor's words encouraging Melinda's party to stay on The
Path, he figured it might be the same for him as well.
Who am I to guess at a Tier 50's thoughts? Let alone the Emperor’s? Maybe he doesn't
need mana at the higher Tiers. There's no way my Talent didn’t set the system off. Or am I
being arrogant?
Matt didn't know and didn’t care to guess. So, he asked his new repository of hidden
knowledge, "What about the ping for good Talents? Do you think I got tagged? How does the AI
work with that?"
Liz just shrugged and curled into the extra sleeping bag, looking at him with just her
yellow eyes visible. "How am I supposed to know? Most of that is just secondhand info from my
parents and their friends or my older siblings. It's not like I can call up the Emperor and demand
answers."
 Liz wiggled into a comfy spot on the plush pillow they found [Puddle Jumper] on while
Matt, stuck with his crappy camping pillow, turned over. That ended the conversation.
Matt thought over his Talent. Why did he get a max of 10 mana at Tier 3? If it was
backtracking from Tier 1, it should have been 8 mana. And if it didn't, why didn't he just get 2
max mana?
He had so many questions running through his head.
He still didn't have any answers when Aster came back for the night. Matt was glad for
the heater's warmth because her presence was like an ice cube had curled into his sleeping
bag.
The next morning as they were eating breakfast, Liz hesitantly asked if he was willing to
fill the pair of mana stones she had.
They were the fast-converting type. They used more mana to speed the process up, but
they would allow her to fight longer if she didn't need to expend an abnormal amount of mana.
It took nearly 2,000 mana to fill each of the stones near its limit of 200 in Liz's aspected
mana. But the extra mana would potentially allow them to hit an extra rift today.
He tried to remember what Melinda's party had told him this type of mana stone could
cost. It was supposed to be expensive, but he thought he'd never use a mana stone back then,
so hadn't committed the information to memory.
When they got to the first rift, they found it already had a beacon outside without any
entries so they assumed the delvers were still inside and moved on.
The next rift they came upon was clear and felt full, so they entered. It was a standard
rift they easily cleared. The rewards were equally standard, with only ten mana stones given.
On the way to the next one, they passed a group of four who had just exited as they
approached. There were a few tense moments until Matt and Liz backed off, trying not to show
intentions of robbing the group of their prizes.
After that, they spent an uneventful day delving. Three more rifts netted them twenty-
seven more mana stones and a bottle of reagent that was good for Tier 5 alchemists.
That night, they repeated their dinner of stew cube and watched another movie on Matt’s
pad before they went to sleep.
When he woke the next morning, he found Aster curled in Liz's arms. The traitor was
seduced by the brush the evil woman had used to great effect.
As they walked to the rift, Matt enjoyed Liz's mutterings on the unfairness of his skill
blocking the cold and letting him eat without dispelling the mask.
So, he made sure to exaggerate his slow, deliberate bites of the snack bar.
He delighted in the murmurs of pure hatred she growled in his direction. Threats
abounded of boots in swapped places, so they were backwards, and shirts turned inside out.
His favorite threat was that of a spitefully rotated bowl so it felt weird when he ate.
They were so comical, he just had to press his advantage. He scratched his nose and
ran his hands through his hair without dispelling the armor. Her pathetic attempts at muffling
curses were music to his ears.
 That was payback for seducing his traitorous fox.
Their playful banter ended when they exited a rift and encountered an ambush.
They had gotten a small, enchanted dagger they hoped would be valuable. The group
that shouted at them wasn't from the Dual Stars guild, or they at least weren’t wearing the
guild’s colors.
"Give us everything in your spatial bags or we’ll kill you all," one shouted. The voice
shook.
Matt didn't think they'd risk killing, but he was sad the robbery had started so early. He
didn't expect it to start for at least another few days when more loot was accumulated.
He sent Liz, ‘Any behind us?'
'Seems like one archer behind a rock. They feel weak, though. We should be fine.'
Matt took that as the go-ahead and charged the speaker. It only took two hits with the
flat of his blade for the lightly armored bandit wanna-be to fall. The mage behind the speaker
was dispatched when Matt brought the flat of his blade down on his arm, breaking it.
He didn't want to incite any more explosive rage, so he kept the injuries to a minimum.
He saw Liz dragging a smaller figure along the ground, with bands of blood restraining
them.
Matt grinned at her, even though she couldn't see it through [Cracked Phantom Armor].
"Mighty fine catch you got there!"
He heard the grin in her voice as well. "Ah, but you got two, and that's even better than
one!"
Matt kept his blade pressed against the speaker as they talked. The threat was clear,
even if unspoken. If anyone tried to activate their emergency beacons, the leader would be
finished.
Liz said in a singsong voice, "We should see what our little bandits have on them."
They had absolutely nothing on them as it turned out.
Matt looked to Liz. "What are the odds these little rats don't have a single spatial bag
among them? I think they’re hiding them."
"I agree—" Liz was cut off by the archer trying to speak, but the bands of blood
tightened, silencing them. "I say we force them to go back without their goods. Have fun trying
to get another portal without any loot to sell."
They stripped the trio of their armor and weapons, forcing them to activate their beacons
essentially naked.
Once they were gone, Matt and Liz spent an hour looking around for the group's stash of
rift loot but found nothing. They were sure it was somewhere nearby but moved on before they
wasted too much time.
 It was disappointing, as finding the stash could have netted them another spatial bag
and more camping gear. But even with aster’s nose, they couldn't find anything in the
surrounding area.
Liz ended up taking the leader’s short sword. It was only Tier 3 with a single sharpness
rune, but it was better than the staff of wood she had been using.
The rest of the group's items, they tossed into a corner of the next rift they entered.
When they stepped in, they were in ankle-deep water and found themselves in the
middle of a foggy jungle.
"I can't sense the exit, can you?"
Matt pushed his spiritual sense out, but the thick mist blocked his sense after only a few
feet.
"I got nothing. Think this is a maze?" he asked. He already was leaning that way but
wasn't sure.
Liz hmmmed, then sent a glob of blood into the distance. It fell as soon as it was more
than arm's length away from her.
"Probably. That's the only reason I can think of for a disruptor fog like this. I don't see a
path. So, we either wander or back out?"
As he thought it over, he wanted to push. But if they couldn't sense the exit, they
probably wouldn't be able to sense the entrance either, or that could leave them wandering for
hours.
"I think we should try it," Liz said.
"It's not worth it. Let's leave," Matt said at the same time.
He looked at Liz. This was their first disagreement, and he wanted to know what she
would do.
She beckoned to him so he would follow her. One foot raised to start heading deeper
into the fog.
"This rift can't be that big. It's only a Tier 4. Even if we get lost, it can't be that bad. Come
on."
He gave her his thoughts. "I don't know about that. I think we can end up walking in
circles and not know it for hours. Better to just leave and go to a rift we know we can complete."
That stopped her, and the armored head in front of him bobbed back and forth as she
pondered his logic. When she answered, she seemed like she was leaning his way, "Well, there
are only so many first delves to go around. Eventually, we’ll have to delve the same rifts or
these less ideal ones."
That was a point Matt hadn't considered. As he thought it over, it only solidified his
decision.
"That means we shouldn't waste time here. Especially while others delve the easier
rifts." He stepped closer to the portal.
 Liz called out, "Wait. Let's refill the canteen here with all the moisture. It will be cheaper
on the mana cost here than out on the dry-ass planet."
Pausing, they filled the canteen and drank as much as they could while the runes pulled
water from the humid rift.
When all three had their fill, they stepped into the bitter cold.
As they walked to the nearest rift, Liz sent to him, 'I feel someone following us. Don't
look around or react.'
Matt did as she said and kept his gait steady but pushed out with his spiritual sense. He
felt nothing. No living unveiled creatures were near them. He trusted the blood mage, so he kept
his senses strained and felt a blip.
Someone had let their veil slip for the briefest of moments, and they were trailing a few
hundred feet behind them.
No one with a veil that good would be following this close with good intentions.
'What should we do?' He didn't know if Liz wanted to turn and confront the person
behind them.
'I think there might be more than one, so let's just enter a rift and see if they try to follow
while it's still our instance.'
Having no issue with the plan, Matt followed as she walked directly into the next rift.
They found themselves in a cave. It was dimly lit, and they quickly hid behind a bend in the
tunnel. Aster kept a lookout, and when they counted fourteen minutes, they felt the ripple in the
entrance rift.
The other group had snuck in after them. Coming in right at the end of the period that
would allow them to join with Matt and Liz.
The two of them looked at each other's armored faces and nodded. When the light
sounds of footsteps neared their bend in the tunnel, they stepped out.
Liz brandished her salvaged shortsword, and Matt swung his enchanted longsword in a
sweeping arc that took up most of the narrow hall.
Matt’s blade bounced off the front man, who was encased in full plate armor. As the thick
armor deflected his blow, Matt took a mace to the chest. The weapon wasn't enchanted, but the
force behind it pushed him back a step. From behind the tank, a spear lashed out at Matt's face.
He gripped the blade of his longsword in a half-sword style and used the length to
deflect the blow. This was too small of a tunnel to swing his blade, and it was useless against
the armored foe in front of him.
Using the crossguard of his longsword, he slammed its edge into the neck of the tank.
The blow didn't break through the armor, but Matt used the opening it created to his
advantage and stabbed the man's less armored armpit.
His attack was able to penetrate, and blood flowed from the wound. It was quickly
whisked away, and a shard of frozen blood shot toward the spear wielder. A cry rang out, and
the duo of bandits pulled back.
 As Liz and Matt pressed forward after them, they were struck by a flash of light. While
blinded, Matt lashed out, while stepping in front of where Liz and Aster were moments ago.
No blow landed, nor did he get a damage report from his AI. They were both still healthy.
When his eyes closed and his ears stopped ringing, they found the entrance room empty. The
pair had cut their losses and made their escape.
"Well, fuck them," Liz summed up his feelings about the encounter perfectly.
"At least they didn't stay and fight. They were pretty coordinated."
Aster yipped and pawed the ground. The flashbang had hurt her more sensitive ears.
"Think they’ll be waiting for us to leave?"
Liz rocked on her feet before saying, "Probably not. They clearly don't want to work hard,
just take easy pickings."
"Wouldn't easy pickings be when we’re exiting a rift?"
"Sure, if we didn't know about them and came out unprepared. Now? I don't think they’ll
make a move."
The two started down the tunnel. They had been walking for a few minutes before Matt
felt something give under his foot and arrows slammed into his protected head, chest, and legs.
Liz and Aster, following behind him, froze.
"The fuck was that!?" Matt's racing heart was trying to leave his chest.
"It was a trap."
"Thanks, Captain Obvious. I figured that out from the arrows slamming into me," Matt
snapped back. That had come from nowhere, and he had only realized his mistake when the
arrows slammed into him.
They got the lantern out and put it to its highest setting. What they found were small
holes all over the walls, and the loose ground was covered with rocks and dips. It was nearly
impossible to know where it was safe to step.
"Well, shit. How do we press forward? I don't know anything about traps."
"Neither do I. This is usually a Tier 5 thing."
Matt thought that over, then realized what had been bothering him since they started
their delve. "Where are the monsters?"
Liz looked around and said, "The theme would imply either no monsters or ambush
predators of some type."
Matt looked to the much easier targets behind him. "Can your blood block these
arrows?"
Liz formed a wall of blood around him and said, "Step on it again."
He knew it was probably fine, but intentionally triggering a trap a second time felt foolish.
Then again, he had just tanked the attack without any problems.
It was fine.
 After two deep breaths, he raised his foot and placed it down again.
Three arrows slammed into him. They were slowed by the blood but not enough to make
the attack survivable by the mage or fox.
Forcing himself to calm, he thought the situation over.
"I think we should continue."
Liz looked at him in shock. "Really? Why?"
"Well, this trap didn't really stress [Cracked Phantom Armor]. If that's the case, I just
need to poke the ground with my sword and find the traps. If I mess up, I should be fine. Then,
you can hold Aster and take the path we know is safe." He swallowed and finished, "Watch out
for ambush predators. Please."
When Aster was safely in Liz's arms, Matt began tested the ground and rooted out more
arrow traps. They came from the walls, ceiling, and floor. This was turning out to be a tunnel of
pain and torment, and Matt's stress levels were through the roof, but he kept it together. The
thought of the rewards at the end of the delve kept him going.
The hall of arrows finally ended as they came to a room with perfectly flat floors and
walls. In the center of the room, there was nothing but a solitary podium. As they cautiously
approached, they found a series of blinking lights.
Matt was the first to speak up, "I have no idea what this is. Is it a pattern or something?"
Liz looked at the podium and the walls. She even knelt to inspect the underside of the
podium.
On a hunch, Matt fed his AI with as much mana as he could and found no pattern.
"I got nothing." Liz brushed off her knees as she stood, and they continued to search for
answers.
Matt pressed the button when the color flashed purple and, suddenly, a group of
monsters dropped from the ceiling.
He lashed out with his sword and took out the tall rhinoceros’ eye. The other was already
charging at Liz, who launched herself and Aster over the charging monster. The lumbering giant
charged into the hall the trio came from and became a very large pincushion as it stepped into a
multitude of traps.
Contemplating what to do about the podium, he and Liz exchanged a glance.
She looked at the rhino corpse and said, "Before you press anything else without
warning me, let me gather some blood."
Once she drained the large monsters, she created a ball around herself, the fox still in
her arms. From inside, she called out, "Okay, I’m ready."
When he activated the podium as it flashed orange, a pair of birds harmlessly flew out
and down the hall.
He received a message from Liz, 'Did this rift get dropped on its head as a kid or what?'
With no way to answer, he touched the podium when it was silver, and a door on the far
side of the room opened.
 Liz exited her ball of blood and had it orbit around her as they approached the door.
Looking at the blood, Matt suggested, "Umm, can you send some to trap detect for us
now that you have a lot? I'd rather not get shot any more than necessary."
With a whoosh, the blood went down the hall and set off a pitfall trap consisting of a
fifteen-foot drop onto sharpened stone spikes.
"I really don't like this rift," he murmured in protest. At least he wouldn't have to be the
guinea pig for this hall.
They followed the wave of blood, with Liz creating platforms for them to walk over as
they came across sections of missing floor.
When they came to another room, it had a clear glass wall with pegs interspersed. There
was an obvious entrance and clear goal at the bottom.
"Plinko? Really? Where are our balls?" Liz shouted at the wall.
Another podium gave them the answer they were looking for as it slid out from the
ground. There was only a single flashing, cream-colored light, and when Matt touched it, a
goblin ran out of the far wall. It had a comically large head, one that was appropriately sized for
the hole at the top of the Plinko board.
Killing the goblin with a blade of blood, Liz used her [Blood Manipulation] to try and guide
the head into the hole, but her skill was blocked by the glass.
It took them over twenty heads to get one to enter the proper hole with the correct path.
Once they hit the goal, a section of wall shifted away, which let them progress deeper into the
rift.
The only positive the two muttering humans could find was their advancement toward
the exit rift. They should only need to progress past two more hallways and one more room until
they could leave.
The next hall was full of sticky tar that refused to release the blood Liz tested it with.
Aster came to their rescue by freezing the tar to the point of losing its adhesive quality.
The trio made their way down the hall and found a room with a pattern set into the tiled
floor.
There were six symbols on this podium that matched the ones painted on the tiles. Fire,
a lightning bolt, a blade, a vine, a tornado, and a snowflake.
The foot-long tiles on the floor matched the ones on the podium next to the entrance.
"So, is it a pattern game to cross, or is it a what can you dodge or tank?" Matt asked Liz.
"I don't know, but I'm tired of this stupid fucking rift." With that, she sent the blood
hovering behind her onto the tiles. It was torn apart from the combination of attacks from all the
“stepped-on” tiles.
Matt's AI pinged him and, from her sigh, Liz saw the message as well. This was a
pattern game where they had to guess the solution correctly. The first tornado tile the blood had
hit hadn't gone off.
 It took them forty minutes to scout out the correct path with Liz's blood, and Matt was still
nervous as he traversed the solved puzzle. Their testing, along with their AIs, had found the
safe path to the exit, and all three were able to cross without mishap. Still, Matt’s nerves were
frayed, and he wanted out.
This rift had started with an attempted robbery at best, and an assassination attempt at
worst, and they hadn't even been able to settle the score. Now, he was getting toyed with by a
rift that wanted to give their AIs a workout.
When they reached the far hall, it was a perfectly circular tunnel. Not a crevice or
blemish on the wall, and when Liz checked with her blood, there was nothing.
With gritted teeth, Liz growled, "Traps on all the other halls and nothing on this one? This
rift is truly fucking with us."
She turned out to be right as they had nothing to contend with while walking down the
long tunnel. Every uneventful footfall only served to raise their anticipation, and when they finally
reached the end, Matt really wanted a nap.
The final room was just a rift reward and exit distortion. There was nothing to fight, no
monster or trap waiting, only sweet, sweet victory. When Matt dispelled the reward distortion, it
didn’t provide a single bit of loot. Instead, it turned out to be a giant mirror, enchanted to trigger
a blade hidden in the ceiling.
It slammed down from a hole completely hidden by stalactites, shattering the trick
distortion. A smack from Liz's blood just barely knocked him out of the way in time.
As he stood, Matt kicked at the remaining shards of glass. "An entire rift of games and
puzzles, and then that bullshit right at the end? This rift was so unbelievably fucked. The reward
had better be worth it. And no essence from that last kick in the nuts?"
As he walked to the real reward distortion and dispelled it, he found a pair of earrings.
They didn't seem to have any enchantments and felt pretty ordinary.
He showed them to Liz. "Can you feel anything from these? Or did this rift just give us
ordinary jewelry?"
Bringing her face close, she said, "They seem normal to me, but we'll still need to get
them appraised. Maybe it's a hidden enchantment or something."
They walked out of the rift, weapons ready, but found no ambush. They cautiously went
to another rift and waited the fifteen minutes, ensuring there was no way for someone to follow
them in again. This rift was a standard kobold rift, with a clan that roamed the tunnels, waiting to
overwhelm the trio at every turn. They battled their way into the center of the mountain and
found the chief and his largest warriors.
The fight was bloody and exactly what the three of them needed to blow off the steam
from the earlier rift. It was simple, fight the monster in front of you and don't die.
No worrying about hidden traps, or puzzles, or fake rift rewards.
Still, they ended the day with heavier pockets and enjoyed a rest in the tent while they
waited for their dinner to finish cooking. They were yet again watching the food cubes dissolve
into the water as they formed the stew that would fulfill their dietary needs if not the desires of
their palates.
 "You really cheaped out on the food." Liz's tone suggested she was trying to joke, but he
wasn't in the mood. He flopped back and had his AI turn on the pad they hung from the ceiling.
It was a comedy he hadn't seen, but it didn’t hold his attention.
He and Liz had a quiet night as they fell asleep.
 
 Chapter 19
 
It was five days after the initial teleports to the training planet started when they
encountered the first group of republic delvers.
It was a group of four. They were walking the opposite way in the canyon, and as they
crossed paths with Matt, Liz, and Aster, they stopped. The group waved them down, and Matt
received a message.
'A match for an equivalent prize? We are willing to wager a Tier 5 tailoring thread that
increases lightning resistance.'
Matt and Liz looked at each other, and Liz sent, 'Team or single fights?'
The response came back quickly, 'Teams, of course.'
That was as Matt expected, as they had a two-person advantage, but he felt confident.
They were peak Tier 4's, but their cores felt airy. They either hadn't bothered to compact their
essence or had relied on essence stones for their advancement.
He and Liz had cores like steel. Monster essence was by nature more compact, and as
they both had only advanced with rift essence, they never had to worry about secondary
compression. On top of that, their teamwork had only gotten better over the last few days of
delving untouched rifts.
Matt thought over the loot they had and offered as their half of the bet the Tier 5
blacksmith catalyst they had found. With the prizes settled and everyone’s AIs linked, they
squared off.
The leftmost enemy shot out a crescent of wind, which Matt simply barreled straight
through as he closed the distance. It was less of a blade and more of a small cyclone. The blunt
wind damage had no chance of breaking through [Cracked Phantom Armor].
He was intercepted by the opposing team’s two melee fighters. One had large gauntlets
that glowed yellow. Matt got the impression of an earth affinity from them through his spirit
sense.
The second melee combatant had a thin saber of some mysterious make Matt’s AI
couldn't immediately identify. The thin blade twisted like a snake as its wielder lunged for a stab
at his shoulder.
Matt was surprised. Two enchanted weapons of the fifth Tier? That confirmed his
suspicions about this group coming from money. And they certainly spent it. Tier 5 weapons
came with a large price increase because they usually had an embedded skill. Making a
weapon of that caliber usable by a lower Tier only added to the exorbitant price.
It also gave up the game they were playing at. This group used their weak spirits to lure
in teams they felt they could handle, using their superior equipment.
When Matt brought his sword down to parry the slithering saber, the gauntlet fighter
landed a clean blow to his ribs.
He felt the skill activate. It tried to bypass his armor and deal earthquake-like concussive
force to his weaker insides. A good anti-armor skill. Unfortunately for the gauntlet fighter,
[Cracked Phantom Armor] didn’t behave like physical armor. Matt’s skill stopped the damage in
its tracks, letting virtually nothing leak through.
If they were a true Tier 5 weapon, the gauntlet’s tremors would have easily disrupted
[Cracked Phantom Armor]’s structure in his spirit. But weakened as they were for the wielder’s
sake, they lacked the power required.
Matt was knocked back but otherwise unfazed from the first combination attack. He
created an opening against the opposing swordsman by disarming him with a flourish of his
longsword and took advantage with a powerful downward slash.
The swordsman's armor was as good as his weapon, so Matt used his full strength. It
was a clean strike, but it only staggered his opponent. The saber user wore light armor to
maintain freedom of movement and speed, but there were still heavily reinforced sections. Matt
was unlucky to hit a particularly well-padded section of pauldron.
He had more essence in his physical core than anyone of his Tier, and while this man's
core was filled to its peak, his physical cultivation paled in comparison to Matt’s at low Tier 4. If it
wasn't for the expensive armor, the opposing swordsman’s arm would be dangling off his
shoulder by frayed tendons.
Suddenly, an arrow slammed into Matt’s neck from his blind spot. It wasn't a killing blow,
but if [Cracked Phantom Armor] hadn't stopped it, he would’ve had to leave immediately for
emergency treatment. His AI hadn't even had time to warn him. The information he received
after the fact showed the arrow was shot at Liz but was twisted in the air, making the path
unpredictable.
Matt took his anger out on the saber user, who continued to dance around him.
Predicting their next move, he tucked his arm into the side of his body, and threw it out
sideways, in the direction of the swordsman’s slash. He easily tanked the blow to his arm,
knocking the saber user off balance in the process, and brought the enchanted blade of his
longsword down on his opponent’s exposed hip.
He felt bone break and saw blood fly, sending the man to the ground, screaming and
clutching at his waist.
Matt didn't understand the words the man spat at him through his agony, but he
definitely understood the venom behind them. He ventured a few guesses at what kind of
emphatic curses were sent his way. His AI, however, did not consider the words important
enough to translate mid-fight.
The gauntlet user retaliated by tackling Matt to the ground and trying to grapple him. It
was a good way to counter heavily armored foes. Armor doesn't defend against limbs bending
in ways they aren't supposed to.
The issue with that strategy was that it didn't account for Matt’s superior strength. He
was easily able to gain the upper hand with a reversal, and the gauntlet user found themselves
in a nasty armbar. With some leverage generated from a hip thrust, Matt snapped the republic
brawler’s elbow.
Looking up, Matt saw Elizabeth had shredded the archer's armor and incapacitated
them. She used their blood to batter the wind mage, who hid in a bubble of circulating air
currents.
 Pushing the mage back with blow after blow from bludgeons of blood, it was only a few
more moments until Liz got him to step near a puddle of blood. With the trap sprung, Aster froze
the puddle over. With one final blow, Liz pushed the mage back onto the frozen blood, and they
lost their footing on the slick ice. The wind shield dissipated with their concentration broken, and
Aster was quickly able to finish the mage off.
Matt turned the translation feature of his AI on and asked, "So, where's our prize?"
They didn't receive an answer, and a small spool of thread was thrown to his feet as the
lights signaling teleportation enveloped their opponents.
The vanishing figures made sure to fit in a few yelled curses regarding their lineage as
they left. One even referenced some supposed sexual deviancies with various wild beasts.
“Such a beautiful language.”
With a chuckle, Liz walked over with her stolen blade slung across her shoulders.
"Some people just don't like losing. I didn't know I was the daughter of a pig fucker."
Matt laughed. "Huh? I'm apparently an otter fucker. I wonder why an otter, though?
Seems random."
Liz had no answer, and they shared a few more wise cracks about the outlandish insults.
The armored blood mage looked around and asked, "Want to head back as well? The
auction will be starting in two days. And I'd like to get there a little early."
Matt weighed the options and agreed. "Sure. Most of the rifts have had their first delve
done already. Better to sell our loot and head back out with better gear and an extra skill."
He had a thought, though, as they reached for the beacons. "Wait, do you want to go try
and dig up your bag? Now that we aren’t in any rush to delve, it might be worth a shot."
Liz perked up. "Good idea. I was just gonna hire an earth manipulator to dig it out. Worth
a shot to see if we can do it ourselves."
As they jogged to the landslide, they encountered a standoff.
"Hold up." As Matt sized up the fighters, he recognized one. It was the mage who had
blocked him from entering a rift a while back.
The mage battled against a group of republic delvers.
From a safe distance, they watched as the battle started. The group of republican
delvers was a party of four. There was a massive man in full plate, carrying a mace and shield.
The group also had an archer, a mage of some type, and a whip user.
The lone mage didn't seem perturbed. As they slashed out with a hand, and the same
[Mana Spear] that blasted Matt shoved the shield-wielding tank back several steps.
As the archer took aim and loosed an arrow, the mystery mage sidestepped and
returned fire with his [Mana Spear]. This one was bigger and faster than the one launched at the
tank. It ripped through the cold air with a scream.
The weaker [Mana Spear] had staggered the likes of Matt and the tank. This one
punched right through the archer. He had dodged, but the blast of mana curved slightly to catch
him in the side. The now wounded archer fell and tried to stanch the bleeding from the new hole
in his side. After a moment, his band lit up, and he was teleported away.
While the archer was taken out, the republic group’s mage and tank tried to mount a
counterattack together. Using the tank as a shield, the republic mage launched a steady diet of
[Fireball]s at the mystery mage. The whip user tried to use his range advantage to flank their
opponent, but being so lightly armored, he was much more worried about dodging the perilous
blasts than attacking.
When the armored tank closed within melee distance, Matt expected the mage to
retreat. Instead, he shoved a glowing hand toward the tank's shield, and a [Mana Spear]
punched completely through, slamming into the tank’s heavy armor. The man's chest plate had
an indent at least three inches deep. Matt highly doubted the tank’s ribcage was still intact. He
was quickly removed by a flash of light, just as his partner before him.
The remaining two of the republic group held up their hands and were gone in a flash,
retreating with their injured teammates.
The victorious mage turned their head to Matt, Liz, and Aster. The trio took a step back.
They didn't need to talk to know this was a fight they couldn't win.
Matt’s AI was giving him feedback and had calculated an 80% chance of the mage’s
[Mana Spear] punching right through [Cracked Phantom Armor] at full power. They wanted no
parts of this fight, and Matt planned how to cover Liz and Aster’s retreat. If the mage showed the
slightest inkling of hostile intent, he would do whatever it took to protect them. Battle plans ran
through his AI and transferred to Liz's as fast as his mana throughput would allow.
Their sense of dread was for naught as the mage turned and entered the nearby Tier 5
rift.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Liz said, "Well, shit. He sure hit like a truck. Peak Tier 5 if my
spiritual sense was right."
Matt hadn't been able to get that clear of a scan, but he didn't need one to know the
mystery mage was stronger than him. He had already been beaten once. He didn’t need a
second example of their power.
They finished their jog to the landslide in silence. Matt was busy contemplating what he
could possibly do to fight an opponent so much stronger but was coming up blank. If he was so
outclassed, only relying on [Cracked Phantom Armor] to stop the blow was suicide.
With their spirits a little dampened from being humbled, they arrived at the landslide and
dug where their AIs approximated the bag to be. After an hour of digging, they came up with
nothing and called it quits. Even with Liz burning through mana to dig with a blood scoop, the
radius provided by the AIs was too wide to completely cover.
Deciding to cut their losses, they activated their non-emergency teleport beacons and
waited. Matt had a thought and mentioned, "Oh, I have guild-level access to the auction, so we
won't have to pay the full fees. That'll be nice."
Intrigued, Liz asked Matt to explain, leading to a quick synopsis of how his mana
donations had helped to start the teleports early.
Liz whistled at that information. "When I was in line, I heard the higher ups in the guild
were super happy about that. A full day's head start on the republic means more first delves,
which means better loot. Damn, we need to take advantage of that. Gotta see if we can get out
ahead of the second wave."
That made Matt smile. Liz clearly intended to keep their collaboration up. He was going
to suggest it after they split the profits of their loot, but it was good to know her mind was
already on the same track.
They worked well together. He was able to keep enemies off her, allowing her to build up
blood reserves until she was like a tidal wave, crushing all that stood against them.
They weren't a perfect team, but they were a good one. If it meant delving more rifts
faster, and what was the point of disrupting something that was clearly working?
They had already encountered rifts that completely countered one or the other. Matt with
flying creatures, and Elizabeth with creatures lacking the blood she needed to supplement her
powers. The only thing really hampering them was the mana cost to Liz's skills. Even with her
quickly converting mana stones, they were only able to delve two or three rifts before the mental
strain wore her down.
When they were teleported back to the city, they arrived on a platform covered in blood.
The team of medics looked up. Seeing they stood under their own power, they went
back to their screaming patient with severed legs. The healers were trying to reattach them, but
there was a corrosive green liquid eating into the ends.
Matt, Aster, and Liz quickly stepped off the platform. Seconds later, a mechanical voice
said, "Emergency transfer incoming. Party of five"
As they exited, Matt received a message from Simeon, 'Glad to see you’re back. If you
have time, the higher-ups are willing to give full guild level access to the rift information we’ve
accumulated, in exchange for another 'donation.’'
Matt relayed the offer to Liz, and she deemed it was fair. They would be spending a few
days in the city for the auction and skill exchange anyway. He agreed with her reasoning and
replied to Simeon. He wrote he would be available tonight, after they settled their rewards.
When they arrived at the processing building, the line was so long it wrapped around the
building twice.
Liz took one look at the debacle and said, "Okay, Mr. Mana. See if your guy can get us
through this line. We’ll be waiting for half the day at this rate."
Matt sent a view of the line, and Simeon quickly granted them access to the guild VIP
appraisers. It was on the second floor, and they felt the glares digging holes into their backs as
they bypassed the line.
Once upstairs, they found an open booth. After a few minutes, they pulled out their
rewards for the appraiser for when they sat down.
Matt hadn't realized they had found so much loot until it was all laid out on the table. The
bathtub-sized pocket space in his bag was stuffed with rift rewards. The weight wasn't heavy
enough for him to notice the difference. An extra sixty pounds was no strain at all on his Tier 4
physique.
The clerk was pleasant enough and sorted out the goods into piles for the appraiser to
verify. When he was done, they waited for the appraiser to finish with the table next to theirs.
 When she was finally finished and sat down in front of them, she said, "My name is
Emily, Tier 8. Appraiser with forty years of experience in rift items. If you have questions about
my assessment, please, feel free to have a second or third party verify anything you wish."
Matt also received a packet of information through his AI, verifying what she had told
them.
She quickly went through the crafting supplies they had accumulated and offered a price
of forty Tier 6 mana stones. They were only ten mana stones away from a Tier 7. A fantastic
reward, even when split in half.
When Emily came to the items, things got a little more detailed. She took her time,
reviewing every item carefully with a variety of tools.
The dagger they had found turned out to amplify wind attacks channeled through it.
Useful, but not amazing. The biggest selling point was that it was a Tier 4 weapon with a skill
amplification. Neither of them wanted the dagger, so they gave it to Emily to add to the auction.
Next up, the necklace Matt had found in the zombie rift. Emily said it was a weak spell of
underwater breathing. Essentially, it would last around twenty minutes, independent of mana
expenditure before the wearer had to surface.
It was useless on this planet but could be worth a decent sum on a water world. The only
issue with this particular reward was that it was a bound item. Once it was activated, it was
permanently tied to the user and would only work for that person. That greatly lowered its value.
To the auction it went.
The earrings they found at the trap rift were determined to be completely mundane. The
proclamation made Matt grit his teeth, but he tried to keep a smile on his face. He barely
succeeded.
He sent Liz a message through his AI as they exchanged a glance. ‘One last ‘fuck you’
from that damn rift, huh?’
The boots they found had a feather fall enchantment, which slowed downward
momentum. They would be useful, but the boots were a smaller size than either of their feet.
Enlarging the item had the chance to break the enchantment, so they decided to put it on the
auction.
The second to last item was one Matt and Liz were confident was worth a hefty price. It
was a wand that felt exceptionally powerful. Emily's assessment agreed with their prior notion.
The wand would lower the cost of any ranged magic spells, regardless of affinity. It was a
proper Tier 5 weapon, and they were confident it would rope a few interested parties into a
bidding war.
The final item was the reward Matt had received from the office rift when he fought the
second boss. The intertwined pair of rings. This item took much longer to analyze than the
previous ones. Emily went through every tool she had and, finally, just gave the rings a blank
stare before shifting her gaze toward them.
"I need to get my manager to confirm what these are. One moment, please." With that,
she hurried to the back through a door behind the booth and left Matt and Liz to ponder what
her actions meant. Matt hoped this was a good sign. Maybe he could sell these items for
another skill.
 He felt at them with his AI and spiritual sense, but the rings only felt wispy to his senses.
If Emily couldn't get anything through her expertise and array of tools, how could he possibly
find anything meaningful through his own senses?
When she returned, Emily came with a woman who had slight wrinkles around her eyes.
"Tina Tier 15." That was all the woman said before taking Emily's seat and going through the
same routine.
When Tina had finally finished her appraisal, she addressed them with a stern look and
said, "This is a mighty fine reward. These are a bound pair of rings. They let the wearers swap
places and teleport short distances."
Matt wanted to jump and cheer. There was no way he was going to sell these.
Teleporting was rare until the skill shard [Side Slide] appeared in Tier 20 rifts. Let alone proper
[Teleport]. Being a Tier 44 skill, Matt could go a thousand years without even a whiff of it.
Tina pressed her lips and leaned in. "That's not all. As far as I can tell, they are mana
expensive to use. Somewhere near a thousand mana to swap places on base, and double that
for a teleport of a few feet. The mana cost after that would increase exponentially every foot."
That crushed Matt's dreams. That was a lot of mana. Enough that most cultivators
wouldn’t be able to use the rings effectively.
He hopefully asked, "That can be stored, yes? It doesn't have to be the full cost…right?"
it was his only hope of being able to use them.
That earned a surprised look from Tina's, but she remained professional when she
answered. "Of course, it can be pre-charged. That's one of the aspects of rift items that makes
them so valuable. It also can be charged with mana stones or personal mana. That's because
this is…” she cleared her throat softly, and whispered, “this is a growth item."
That didn't mean anything to Matt, but Liz rocked back like she had been slapped.
She quickly leaned in to ask, "How sure are you?"
Tina seemed offended at the suggestion and said, "I'm confident."
Liz leaned in as well, quickly scooping up the rings. She whispered, "We'll be logging a
formal notification of a growth item with the Empire systems. And we’ll be attaching your names
as the verifiers."
Neither appraiser seemed thrilled at the declaration, but they showed no signs of protest
either.
Liz continued, "Also, we need this skill shard verified as a [Puddle Jumper]."
They did so, and Liz brusquely dragged Matt out of the room.
When they were outside, Matt tried to get some answers out of Liz but was quickly
hushed. She looked around, then asked, "We have to go fill the mana. Where is that? Let's go.
No questions till we can get inside."
Matt trusted her enough to stay quiet and led her to the room he went to before in the
town center.
When the three of them were safely inside, Liz scoured the room for listening devices,
even checking under the chair.
 "Wha—"
"Shhhh!"
Matt stood quiet until Liz slumped against the door, and an AI message popped up in his
field of vision.
'No talking about this out loud. This is important.'
He nodded and sat to start filling the crystal with mana. He kept it at 10 mana a second,
just like last time. No reason to advertise his ability’s growth per Tier.
'Okay. So, this is a fairly big deal. Growth items aren't super rare, but they are special.
They’re all bound items, and expensive as hell to grow. It's also the reason training planets are
left for so long to accumulate essence. That ups the odds for one of them to appear massively.
Dual Stars probably only pull ten or so growth items a decade. Who knows how many others
people get and keep to themselves.
'Most growth items only shine after a few upgrades. That’s why it's so expensive to
upgrade them. Rare resources and a shit load of essence. Still, it’s worth it. They’re like a skill
that grows with you. You'll never get a fire sword to aspect to water, but they can cover a
weakness. The only other catch is, once they’re bound, they break with the death of the person.
'Weapons and armor are the most desirable, but support items have their advantages as
well. Growth weapons and armor reign supreme at the higher Tiers, but the support items are
generally useful at all Tiers, minus the spike at the top.
'Following?'
Matt agreed with a nod, and she continued, 'They’re usually bought up by the rich to give
to their kids. It's a safety measure. While they’re expensive to upgrade and expensive to buy,
they can be a cornerstone of a fighting style or a life-saving treasure. But from what I
understand, a lot of base growth items are weaker than something the average person can buy
because the upgrade requirements are so rare and expensive.'
Matt followed that to the logical conclusion. 'But support items don't have that problem.
It's not a sword or armor that’s being used to fight.'
'Exactly, and that's what makes them so valuable. It's a lot easier to get Tier 14 materials
when you are Tier 15 or 16 but, by then, a sword would have lost most of its value. At least until
you could rank it up, then it would out class everything at its Tier. The rub is how difficult it is to
get upgrade materials at your tier from equivalent rifts.
‘Support growth items are amazing regardless of Tier because you don't have to
upgrade them. It's a good thing the mana cost is storable on the rings. It’s so high, it would have
canceled out a lot of the advantages of a teleport skill.’
Matt paused at that and sent, 'Yeah, but I don't have that problem. I can fill 1,000 mana
pretty quickly.'
Liz just nodded at that.
Matt became lost in thought, and Liz left him to it, preoccupying herself by petting Aster
while he considered the possibilities.
'What would this sell for? Here and the open Empire market?'
 'Hard to say. It’d be a lot, though. Maybe a few Tier 20 mana stones. While it is a Tier 4
item, it's useful for everyone up until the 30s. Even then, it's still useful for the swap ability as it
could get someone out of danger.'
Matt stared hard at the small and silvery interlocking bands that lay in his hand. They
would be amazing to use, but he couldn't use them alone. That meant the best option was to
sell them and buy a skill or two to round out his repertoire.
The more he marinated on the thought, the more he hated that option. Skills were nice,
and the right ones would last him a lifetime, but this was a chance at something different.
Something unique.
All the best delvers had special advantages they leveraged into greatness. Whether it be
their Talents or a lucky skill, they made it big with whatever opportunities they were presented
with. They didn't sell their advantages. They took what they found and pressed it for every bit of
advancement they could.
Another part of him whispered that, at the same time, he also had no idea of the number
of delvers who took the same risk and paid for it. More often than not, leaps of faith led to early
deaths instead of long, prosperous lives.
Maybe he was misguided by arrogance from his prowess with [Cracked Phantom
Armor], but he felt like this was a risk he was able to take.
He looked to the blood mage leaning against the wall. She had helped him, even when
she had no stake in these rings. She could have let him sell them for far less than they were
worth.
He thought through their last week of interactions and all about how they were able to
fight and laugh together. They made a good team.
Matt knew the logical choice wasn't the right one. The safe bet was to sell the skill and
get a high Tiered channeling attack spell, but…
Matt made his decision.
He held the bound rings out to Elizabeth.
She looked honestly shocked when the second ring was dangled in front of her.
'This is too much. I really can't take it.'
Matt had already thought of that, so he sent the message his AI had prepared.
A moment later, she grasped the growth item offered to her, and when they each pushed
essence into their interlocking rings, they separated.
The pair both put on their newly bonded rings. Pushing his sense into the ring, Matt had
a faint impression of where its twin was located on Liz's finger. Before he could get lost in
exploring the connection, he received the message confirming Elizabeth Moore had accepted
his invitation to form a permanent party.
"Welp," Liz seemed stunned, "I guess that means we’re in it for the long hall. Hitched
together like a horse and a wagon going off a cliff."
Matt wasn't sure he liked that expression. It was very morbid.
 Then she smiled. "Oh! Now, I get to see what your Talent actually is."
There was a pause, and she cocked her head as she looked at him then changed to
conversing through their AI.
‘That's absurd. At that rate, you'll make…" her eyes flicked back and forth, "way too
much mana. You realize you'll have more mana at the 1% mark than most mages have after
Tier 25, right? And once you get to Tier 12 or 13, you'll be able to transition to a full mage
build…’
Her message trailed off, and as she contemplated him with an exaggerated glare she
said, "I'd like to file a complaint with the heavens.”
Moving back to text through their AI she added, ‘And your skill. How do you have that?
Did your sponsors suck off the Emperor? That is not a low Tiered skill. What?’
Matt had to re-explain the situation at Benny's, and Liz just shook her head at his story.
"Yeah, they were dumb to think it was a useless skill. Even a normal mage could use it for a few
minutes. Even if it wasn't a core skill, and a little less efficient. But, damn, it synergizes well with
your Talent."
Matt examined her profile while smiling at her continued threats to lock him in a box and
sell him as an unlimited mana source.
Name: Elizabeth Moore.
Age: 17.
Bloodline: Phoenix. Grade: High. Purity: High.
Tier 1 Talent: All skills brought into the Core Spirit or Inner Spirit gain blood aspect.
Tier 3 Talent: One with blood. Grows with Tier.
Skills: [Blood Manipulation].
The world was truly unfair. She had said her mother was a flame sparrow. Bloodline of
the phoenix, what bullshit was that? And it was both high grade and high purity, which meant it
gave even more advantages. Though he didn't know what the phoenix bloodline gave on base,
as a peak fire creature, it was guaranteed to be strong.
He sent Liz his best glare. She didn't even have the decency to look sheepish.
"You say I'm broken?" he hissed. That only served to enlarge her grin. "And what about
your mother being a flame sparrow? I remember that being explicitly stated. My AI noted it
down."
"I said she was a flame sparrow. If you assumed I meant she evolved to only have a
human form, that's on you."
Matt wanted to pull out his hair.
"Just how strong are your parents? I had assumed around Tier 20. But now I don't
know."
"Does it matter? I'd rather not say. It has nothing to do with me. I'm on The Path to
escape that exact situation. People just assume I’m nothing more than my parents' Tier."
 There was heat in her voice, and it brought Matt up short. After thinking it over, he
understood. He wouldn't want to have every accomplishment credited to someone else, just
because they gave birth to you.
That didn't mean he wouldn't give her shit about it.
"Okay, miss double high."
That got a blush out of her. "Well, okay. That has its advantages and is from them. But I
didn't ask for it!"
"What does the second one actually mean?" Matt wanted to be vague out loud, but Liz
understood what he was asking and sent him a message explaining.
'My Tier 3 lowers the mana cost of all blood skills and makes them easier to cast and
control. It's not much right now, only a few percent, but it helps. And it’s also like a crappy
version of [Regeneration]. I heal slowly from pretty much anything that doesn't kill me. It's just
really slow. So, slow it's useless at this Tier.
'It's also the reason I can absorb other people's blood. It changes to my blood type,
which is easier to manipulate.'
Matt ran his hand over his face. He thought Melinda had the most absurd combination of
Talents, but maybe Liz might beat her out.
'What about the skill?'
'Oh, that was a gift from my sponsor. It was originally [Water Manipulation].'
Matt peeked through his hand at the smug blood user sitting against the wall. His head
hurt.
He decided to change the topic. "So, what do you want to trade the [Puddle Jumper]
for?"
Liz sat up and spilled the napping Aster out of her lap, inciting some yips of annoyance.
"I want [Create Water]. It's a fairly cheap skill that should show up here. Not too many
people take it as a canteen can nearly do the same. Only water mages, or me."
Matt understood what her idea was and was impressed. It was similar to what he was
doing. Take a skill most overlooked or couldn't use but change the paradigm and make it strong.
[Create Water] would become [Create Blood] with her Talent and would cover her
weakness of needing to slowly siphon blood from her enemies.
"Think we can get both for one [Puddle Jumper]?"
Liz was lying on her back, half-heartedly trying to grab Aster, who kept just out of reach.
"Probably. The skill exchange takes place after the auction, so we'll have some mana stones to
cover the difference, if needed. It's a near-flight skill so…"
They lazily watched movies while Matt fed the crystal half a million mana.
Liz could have left and done the shopping she needed to do but stayed.
 There was a closeness growing between them that forming a party had only solidified.
This wasn't a temporary team-up but a near-permanent one. A leap of faith into a budding
comradery.
It was in the air, and it felt nice.
Warm.
Comfortable.
 Chapter 20
 
They sat there for half a day, napping and dozing as they could. When Matt wasn't
resting, he was tenaciously researching, displeased with the clear gap in knowledge between
Liz and himself. The lacking LocalNet of this barren training planet was a hindrance, however. It
only had a pittance of information compared to a normal CityNet.
Once Matt had finished filling the city's mana reserves with the promised amount, they
proceeded to the guild’s general store. Prices were absurd. Double or triple the cost due to the
lack of a supply chain other than rift loot. The portal that brought everyone here was deactivated
for the next six months.
On the bright side, that scarcity hadn’t affected any items Liz needed. Her standards,
however, were another story entirely. They were sky high, and nothing available seemed to
satisfy her.
The best options they had were picked at until they all seemed substandard. All the gear
displayed was small compared to her previous, state of the art equipment. They obviously had
nothing of the sort on this training planet, and Matt was losing patience with Liz’s
indecisiveness.
He finally had to say something, “Okay. You clearly don't think this stuff is good enough.
Why not get a small spatial bag and the bare necessities, and we can get access to more stuff
when we leave? Then you don't have to give yourself an aneurysm from nitpicking so hard. And
if we get lucky, we’ll find someone with an earth sense or mover skill while we're still here. We
might still be able to get your old items back.”
Liz was slightly taken aback at Matt’s mild tone of annoyance. “I'm not that bad. Am I?”
Matt ignored her and grabbed the smallest spatial bag available. He understood her
frustration, but what could they do? The small bag was only a quarter of the size of his and cost
ten times as much. This was basically highway robbery, but they needed the gear.
Liz finally settled on the small bag and begrudgingly gathered the other necessities Matt
didn't have already. The only thing he was surprised she purchased was a harvesting set and
containers.
She insisted her original set was superior in every way. The way she was hyping them
up, Matt wondered if they made soup as well.
He figured they might. He hadn’t pressed her on her parents’ Tier, but he figured around
Tier 30. At that level, who knew what kind of connections her family had. The harvesting set
might grill steaks and clean the dishes at that Tier. With that kind of power, the possibilities were
endless.
Tier 30 was mindbogglingly high, so high he couldn't really fathom the kind of power
Liz’s parents were operating with. He had seen a few video duels of high Tiered individuals, and
they were world shaking.
He had even looked up what he could about phoenixes to try and get a better sense of
Liz’s potential future. There was only one well-known phoenix, and she was the Queen of
Beasts. An absolute monster at Tier 48. She had subjugated all other monsters, including the
dragons who had fought her for the throne.
 The fight had been recorded, albeit from a distance. Mara was the undisputed winner of
the free for all.
She cut her way through beasts Tiers higher than her. In fact, she was the lowest Tiered
royalty to ever ascend to the throne. Her ascension at Tier 39 had shocked the Empire nearly a
thousand years ago. Mara had taken her throne a few weeks earlier than when the current
Emperor had ascended to power, allowing his father to ascend to the higher realms.
Mara was now at Tier 48 and was considered the second or third strongest royalty. First
was the Emperor at Tier 50, then Mara the Phoenix, Queen of Beasts and Evolved Humans.
Tied with her for second place was Leon the Storm. He was a Tier 48 storm mage. An incredibly
challenging affinity to master, it was a combination of lightning, water, and wind magic with
devastating power.
Fourth place was Rusty, a melee fist-fighter at a solid Tier 47. Matt had found a video of
him at Tier 6, using his signature [Fist Blast] to break through layers of armor in a tournament
championship bout. At his current Tier, he was said to be able to shatter planets with a blow
from that same skill.
The fifth royalty was Tur'stal from a tribe in what was once a backwater desert planet.
She was named 'Burden' in her native tongue because she was the smaller, weaker twin.
Unwanted and discarded, she was picked up by a wandering group of exiles and given a
second chance. Her Tier 1 Talent was legendarily vague; plants loved her. Useless to a desert
world. Her Tier 3 was absolutely mind-blowing. Wherever she spent an extended period of time,
the world around her warped into her ideal image.
She brought life to the desert and slowly terraformed the entire planet. Matt couldn't find
any combat footage about her, but she was reportedly deadly. The LocalNet had little literature
regarding her fighting style. The only bit Matt could scrounge up was a small blurb of her having
nature fight for her.
The sixth royalty, Harper, was a Tier 47 mage who specialized in [Telekinesis]. It was
their Tier 1 Talent, and they never bothered to get anything else. The one skill wrecking ball was
a complete unknown. Gender, age, marital status, planet of origin, all complete mysteries. It all
could only be speculated on as they only talked through their AI and a speaker. On top of that,
no one had ever seen Harper without the full coverings they always wore. From what Matt read
on them, they were to be considered a contender for the second spot on the royalty list once
they broke through into Tier 48.
Matt was locked out of any more specific details as his Tier was too low, and the
LocalNet’s public information was much too limited.
He did make it a point to watch Mara in action, assuming Liz's mother would just be a
watered-down version. The same breed of monster should fight in similar ways, just with a
difference in Tier and power. Besides, she was the sole royalty who had live battle footage, and
a Tier 39 fighting against stronger monsters was nothing if not good entertainment.
The footage was terrifying.
If Liz's mother had even the smallest fraction of Mara's power, Matt wanted to be
absolutely sure he was on her good side.
Mara had been cut in half, crushed, and completely obliterated several times during the
video. Every time she reformed, it was at peak condition, and she was ruthless to those who
had the gall to attack her.
 She had won her throne by outlasting everyone else. By burning her opponents to the
very ash she reformed from.
Matt, like everyone else in the Empire, speculated on who was stronger, Mara or Leon.
Leon was almost a perfect counter to a fire user, but Matt couldn't find a video of the man
fighting no matter what he searched up. He assumed that to be a king, Leon must be at least
equally strong, but Matt had seen the phoenix burn a water monster half to death.
Matt looked at the redhead comparing two types of alchemy containers and wondered if
she would be like that someday.
He corrected himself. She'd be a blood phoenix. It was hard to imagine.
As the first-generation daughter of a phoenix, with a pure bloodline, Liz said she would
be able to take a monster form once she reached Tier 15.
Apparently, her mother had beseeched Mara to check on Elizabeth when her Talent was
discovered. They were told it would be fine, but Liz had confided in Matt she was still nervous
about it.
He couldn't believe she had met a queen in the flesh. When he asked her what it was
like, Liz had shrugged and said she seemed normal enough. Almost as if you could pass her on
the street without knowing. Mara had a well-known soft spot for the young, and especially other
phoenixes, so she had answered Liz's mother's request.
At first, he had refused to believe her until he thought over his encounter with the
Emperor. He had seemed more like a kind uncle than a walking disaster in human form.
Matt looked to Aster, who was mentally pushing him to open the ice cream container in
the cart he pushed. Would she be like Mara someday, ruling over all other monsters? He could
easily picture Aster with the haughty airs of a queen, but that power seemed so far away.
Smiling down at the white fluff, he promised he would find out.
***
Matt sat on the couch, feet on the coffee table. Liz sat across from him with crossed
legs, tapping at her newly purchased pad.
"I think we should try and be sellers on the skill exchange. It will force any who want our
skill to figure out the logistics of getting both [Create Water] and [Mage’s Retreat]. We have the
rarer skill, so we can get away with putting the burden on the buyer."
Matt had his eyes closed, slouched deep into the cushions. "Wouldn't that drive up the
price, though?"
"Maybe. Ehhh. Probably, but it's an exchange, so it's hard to say, 'Hey, I'd like credits as
well.’ If you want that, you just submit it into the auction. We lose a little, but we avoid the
potential of a bidding war. We don't have the cash reserves to fight it out with the Tier 5s of the
rich and famous."
That made Matt grin, eyes still closed. "Does that make you regret joining The Path?"
"Nope! This is part of what makes it fun. We scrape and pinch every credit, but it forces
adaption and creativity."
 He opened his eyes in time to see her stretch her hands in the air and flop to the floor
with a thud.
"Are you ready for the auction tonight?"
Matt groaned at her question. She had insisted they go to the auction in person. There
was a feed they'd be able to watch from their AIs or pads, and Matt would’ve been content to
just lounge around and watch from their room.
He simply didn't see a reason to leave their comfy suite. Liz burst his bubble and insisted
they go in person, saying, 'That was how it was done,' and, ‘Higher Tiered auctions didn't allow
remote viewing, so he should get used to it.’
A part of him thought it was just an excuse to show off the clothes she had bought.
It wasn't all bad. Matt was excited to see the other items people put up for auction. And
seeing Liz in her tight new body suit wouldn’t hurt either. She had a fuller figure than Jasmine.
He was still a man and could acknowledge the reality, but he didn't have any intention to act on
it. He pushed that thought out of his mind. Team romance was a terrible idea, casual or
otherwise.
He shifted focus back to the auction. If their items were the average, he might luck into a
longsword with a ranged skill.
The first delves happened when the training planet’s accumulated essence was at its
peak, and thus the first week’s auction had the best possible gear.
Still, all that essence wasn't immediately used during the first delve. No, for the next few
months, all kinds of exotic rewards would be plentiful. It was the reason the planet was only
active for six months. Just enough time to squeeze the best rewards out of the rifts. But still, the
rifts at the peak of their essence build up seemed to yield rewards ever so slightly better.
That small difference in quality was enough that nearly everyone came back after the
initial rush. It was standard practice on a training planet to sell and barter the first week’s items.
Matt and Liz had already walked through the blacksmith and alchemist areas to check
their wares. They were possibly even more excited for tonight's auction than the delvers.
Those crafters who came to training planets did so to obtain as many high-quality
materials of their Tier as they could. They would spend fortunes to push their boundaries and,
hopefully, have a breakthrough.
The trade professions didn't just need essence to advance but to also hone their skills. If
they created a work greater than their Tier, they could advance on the spot. It was a rare
occurrence, but it could be done when given the resources of a training world. Normally, it was
hard to obtain the materials needed to even have a chance, but not here.
On this planet, there were thousands of people at various Tiers eager to fight for and
bring back those same materials. With the training planet’s Tier cap, this was the perfect chance
for crafters to buy up the rare goods and use them to craft a Tier advancing item.
The air of advancement was palpable throughout the city.
Even with groups losing members, or people walking around waiting for limbs to be
regrown, Matt had mostly seen smiles.
What was an arm or a leg when you got a new skill?
 Matt would take that trade.
As they arrived at the auction hall, Matt used his VIP status to bypass the lines and get a
room on the third floor. They didn't immediately go to the room, instead mingling and chatting
with the others selling valuable items.
Matt was impressed with the ambiance. Only the best items were auctioned here, and
the clientele lived up to the prestige as well. The more common or mundane items just went to
the digital auctions or in instant buyout stores, as did the more mundane delvers.
The Dual Stars were taking a 5% transaction fee for all purchases in their stores. It was
interesting to hear the people complaining about such a small fee. Liz had said some places
charged double that as a starting fee.
They avoided that problem with Matt's 'donation' of mana. This auction wasn't run by the
guild, so they still had to eat the 5% handling fee, but it was the best way to get exposure for
their items.
What shouldn't have surprised Matt, but did, was how at ease Elizabeth was in the
crowds of affluent people. She mingled as if it was her Talent and had small talk ready for
everyone who visited their cocktail table.
She was in a simple back ensemble that looked more like a garment to wear under full
armor than something formal, but she assured him it was the style now. He wore a similarly
stylized body suit, which he found somehow less comfortable than his usual under armor wear.
Most of the people who visited their table were young men of a certain mind. They had
various methods of inviting her to their table, room, team, or as one particularly arrogant Tier 5
tried, a closet.
Matt had been astonished at the blatant arrogance and disrespect he had shown them.
He was about to escort the man away when he noticed a change in Liz’s demeanor.
The welcoming aura she once had vanished, now replaced with vitriol and power that
radiated off her like heat waves from a fire.
The man had tried to sputter something about his father, but the aura from Liz wilted him
and, after a moment, he slunk away.
"What was that? He looked like you kicked his puppy."
Liz's smile was back on and, in between pleasantries, she explained, "That little puppy
was trying to use his bloodline to pressure me."
That almost brought Matt's eyebrows into his hair.
Liz continued, "Well, pressure me is the wrong idea. Kinda. Stronger bloodlines are
attractive to people who think that matters. So, he felt part of my bloodline and thought he could
wow me into his bed."
She laughed slightly at that. "I'm not sure what his lineage is, but it's weak in him at best.
So weak he could barely sense my bloodline and probably thought that meant it was beneath
his. Little did he know, he could barely sense it because mine is so far above his."
Matt took note of what she said as he fended off the people who couldn't talk to Liz. He
tried to imitate her candor and disposition but, from the disgruntled looks and terse
conversations, he wasn't nearly as good.
 He had never dealt with this much attention. He was ignored at Benny's, and while on
the PlayPen, people never tried to weasel agreements out of him during casual conversations.
This was new territory, and he felt like he was dancing to a tune that kept changing the moment
he grasped it.
When he voiced his displeasure to Liz, she just laughed and said, "You'll get better the
more we do this."
The wicked smile on her face told Matt his suggestion of her handling the parties from
now on wouldn't work.
Aster, on the other hand, had more than her fair share of admirers. And, to Matt, she felt
much more in control of her situation than he was. Being outdone by his fox felt like being
kicked when he was down.
Finally, the auction started, and everyone headed to their rooms or the general floor.
When they were seated, they found a pad and waited for the start of the event.
It started with a woman in an elegant dress coming out and taking the stage.
"Welcome to the first auction of this decade's training cycle."
A round of cheers followed her declaration.
The auctioneer smiled and let the crowd work themselves up for a few moments.
Her voice cut through the noise as she said, "I am your auctioneer tonight. Susan, Tier
12, with the Yellow Feathers Auction Houses."
Liz quietly said, "They’re a pretty big auction company. Not the best, but one of the more
common on Tier 25 planets and under."
He nodded to show he heard and continued to intently listen to Susan.
"Tonight, we have many fine items. Both rift rewards, and the fine works of our resident
crafters."
Another smaller cheer broke out.
Susan smiled. "With that, let the auction begin."
A podium rose from the ground in front of her, and a burly man in only a loincloth and oil
came out with a sword and shield. He went through several forms, and then turned to face the
crowd with the items out for display.
Matt heard a, 'mmm,' from Liz and just rolled his eyes.
"This first item is a Tier 5 sword and shield paired item, with the skill [Increase] on both.
It allows the user to double the size of the items for a few moments."
At that, the man activated the items and proved her point. The blade thickened and
lengthened with extensions made of mana. The shield did the same, gray projections enlarging
the protective area greatly.
"Bidding starts at five Tier 5 mana stones."
 The bidding lasted for several minutes and culminated into a bidding war between a man
on the top floor shouting his bid, and someone using the pads to remain anonymous.
The man on the top floor won the item, to cheers from the others in his suite.
"Up next, we have a rift pendant that has the innate ability to reduce fire damage to the
user. It also increases the duration of plant-based skills by a few seconds."
This time, an oiled woman came out with the pendant draped between her barely
covered breasts.
Matt let out a soft whistle. It was in part to mock Liz and also out of pure appreciation.
She just chuckled at his antics. Still, Matt made a mental note to see if he could find the pretty
auction helper when the event was finished.
He had to chuckle at the thought because anyone who was attracted to women would be
trying their luck as well. If the cocktail hour they had to survive was any indication, he felt like
that would be a good portion of the people at the auction.
Susan continued, with all kinds of interesting items being displayed. Matt got the sense
the crafted items were well thought out and strong, but the rift items were all kinds of random
odds and ends.
There were even a few weird combinations of effects and skills that made some items
nearly useless.
One that caught his eye was a pair of heavy gauntlets that increased the accuracy of
bow shots.
A crafter bought it, apparently with the intention of trying his hand at transferring the
enchantment. Liz had just scoffed at the woman for trying to ‘grab at the stars,’
At her skepticism, he looked up the odds of a successful skill transfer. He found that, at
Tier 15, there was a 5% chance of success for items under Tier 10.
He had to agree with her. It seemed incredibly unlikely.
Maybe she has a skill or Talent that will help.
The next item also caught Matt's attention, albeit for a different reason. It was one of
theirs. The necklace of underwater breathing.
A different but equally scantily clad woman was wheeled out, with the necklace sitting on
an equally robust bosom. She was completely submerged in a glass container filled with water.
She surfaced so the necklace and her chest were above water and waved at the
cheering crowd.
The sheer cloth clinging to her curves did about as much to grab their attention as the
thin metal band she wore around her neck.
Matt panicked. "That's a bound item! Why is she wearing it?"
He was about to jump out of his chair in protest when Liz grabbed his arm and pulled
him back down.
"Relax, she isn't using the necklace to breathe underwater. It's probably the clip in her
hair. It's a tactic to show off an item, even when it's bound."
 Matt felt his heart slow as the auctioneer said, “This is a Tier 4 rift necklace of
underwater breathing. You have fifteen to twenty minutes of time underwater, and it is a bound
item. Starting price of six Tier 4 mana stones."
It was quiet for a moment, and Matt leaned forward, begging someone to start bidding.
From a higher floor, he heard "Ten."
That opened the floodgates. At the end of the frenzy, another bidding war between two
women broke out. They spat pure vitriol at each other between bids. They clearly had history,
and through whatever ill will each bore toward the other, the final selling price soared to two Tier
5 mana stones.
Matt was so ecstatic, he almost acted on the urge to sing and dance. He settled for
picking Aster up and coercing her into a little jig in his seat.
He wanted to go down and thank the auctioneer and the woman in the tank personally.
Hell, he wanted to thank everyone at the auction.
That was their worst item, and its final sale price was a full Tier higher than its ranking.
Liz seemed happy but was more so trying not to laugh at his antics than surprised at the
sale.
"I thought that might happen."
He looked at her. "Really? You know them?"
"Nope, but I talked to people, remember? One of the rumors was of a Tier 5 rift that has
massive underwater sections, and no one's been able to complete it. That's why small talk is
valuable. Next time, don't just grunt at people, and you might learn some juicy gossip as well."
Matt tried to defend himself. "I didn't just grunt at people."
His protest fell on deaf ears as Liz turned her head back to the auction.
The next item left a sour taste in his mouth.
"Here, we have a mirror that can change the location of your spirit presence or remove it
altogether." The auction helper came out in strategically placed camouflage body paint. When
he stood in the center of the stage, he wiggled the palm-sized mirror. To Matt’s spirit sense, he
was seemingly teleported around the stage but, to his eyes, the helper hadn’t moved at all.
The bidding was fast and rabid. Matt looked to Liz, who clearly had the same thought.
That item sounded suspiciously like the mirror from the worthless trap rift.
It hurt him to watch as the mirror that could have been theirs sold for forty-seven Tier 5
mana stones.
A few items later, their dagger came out. The burly auction helper who brought it out
used it in several wind and slashing attacks.
"This is a Tier 4 rift dagger with a 30% amplification of wind spells. Both mages and
dagger users will find this a desirable item. Starting bid of one Tier 5 mana stone."
Matt couldn't contain himself and pumped his fist in the air.
The final price of nine Tier 5 mana stones nearly killed him.
 A few items later, a spear was brought out. Yet another attractive and barely dressed
auction helper completed his customary flips and attacks as Susan introduced the item. "This is
a Tier 5 rift spear that will cause wounds from the blade to bleed longer than usual. Starting bid
of one Tier 5 mana stone."
Matt knew what the effect meant and saw Liz already out of her seat and at the window,
loudly calling out, "Five Tier 5."
That started another bidding war, which Liz won with a final bid of two Tier 6 mana
stones.
When the gavel struck twice, a voice called out, "Five Tier 6."
That brought Matt's attention to a far box one level higher. It was the man with the weak
bloodline who had propositioned Liz earlier.
Matt knew things were going to get out of hand when Liz slammed her hand on the
railing and shouted, "Twenty-five Tier 6."
With an arrogant grin, the man leaned forward and said, "Twenty-five Tier 6 and one Tier
1."
He was so smug that even Matt wanted to punch him in the face.
Liz took it far worse. "You arrogant little fuck. I'm goin…" She shook her fist at him and
growled, "One Tier 7."
The man's grin seemed to almost split his face in half. "One Tier 7 and one Tier 1."
At that, there was some grumbling from the other boxes. This was him blatantly trying to
drive the price up. While it wasn't against the rules, it was frowned upon. No one wanted to be
on the receiving end of that kind of manipulation.
At that, Liz's demeanor changed, and she snapped from rage to coy and smiling. "Enjoy
the spear," she said with a wink as she twiddled her fingers at him.
The man went red in the face. "I take back my last bid."
The auctioneer quickly cut in. "All bids are final. That's the risk you take when you bid on
something, Mr. Woods."
There were audible sniggers in the crowd, and he turned to Liz and growled, "I'll make
you pay for that."
Liz just laughed and said, "Oh, threatening a guest."
The auctioneer followed up with, "Mr. Woods, please, refrain from threatening guests in
our establishment. If you have another slip-up, you will be removed."
Her smile was sickly sweet and held no fear. Susan’s repeated use of his name showed
the auction house knew of his family. The fact they were threatening to kick him out spoke of the
family’s lack of status.
Matt whispered to Liz, "Next time, let's use the anonymous function, okay?"
She turned to him and scoffed. "Why? That's for cowards. And, besides, I'll bet I can get
the spear for free now. The little puppy is spitting mad and going to challenge me."
 "Wait, you planned this?"
"Nah. Nothing so sinister. Once he tried to play games, I planned it out. Something like
this usually happens in auctions, so I’ve had a game plan for a while. Just in case. It's just the
first time it's happened to me."
That brought Matt up short. Then he asked the next relevant question, "He's part of a
guild based on the colors he wore. And they said his family's name is Woods. Do you know
them? Are they going to try and get retribution for him?"
Liz's smile turned feral, and she nearly shouted, "Nope. I don't know every dog's family.
What's the point? They're all interchangeable."
She bent over and snickered. In a voice that wouldn't carry, she said, "Ohh, he's gonna
be pissed."
The Woods kid was indeed pissed. He hung off his balcony and looked like he wanted to
jump into theirs. "Bitch! I'll fucking kill you for that! I challenge you to a duel!"
Matt wasn't watching him but, instead, the auctioneer, who was intently eyeing the now
standing Liz.
"Oh, I welcome it, Puppy. What are the terms and prizes."
The puppy comment made him glow an even brighter shade of scarlet. "The spear is the
prize if you win. If I win, you'll be spending the night in my bed, where a bitch like you belongs."
Matt thought Liz would get angry at the suggestion, but she pursed her lips and said, "I
guess having to pretend to enjoy it is enough of a punishment if I lose."
Seeing the exchange was over, Susan said, "Well, now that that situation has been
settled, please, escort Mr. Woods out. You were warned."
She then turned to the crowd and said with a bright voice, "Now that the after-party
entertainment is taken care of, to the next item." She was able to carry the buzz to the next few
items, earning final selling prices of multiple mana stones of higher Tiers for each item.
Matt turned to the lounging Liz. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
She waved her hand. "I'm not worried. I got a good scan of him earlier. He's a new Tier 5
who hasn't settled his cores. And he's definitely taken ambient essence. His foundation has
flaws he either hasn't bothered to get rid of or can't."
She turned to him and smiled. It reminded him more of a cat who had caught a bird than
a phoenix. "Besides, he should remember the little lesson I gave him earlier. His bloodline will
crumple like wet paper when I put pressure on it. He won't be able to stand, let alone fight."
Matt was reassured at her confidence, at least enough to turn back to the auction.
Their feather fall boots were up a few items later. The display started with a woman in
near nudity standing on a high platform, wearing only the boots and a few tiny pieces of sheer
fabric.
She twisted her feet each way, showing off the look of the boots. Then she jumped from
the platform and slowly floated to the floor with a flourish.
 Susan beamed at the display. "As you can see, this is a feather fall enchantment. It's
also a rift item, at a women's size 8."
The bidding was fierce for the boots. Matt wasn't sure if everyone bidding had the right
shoe size, or if they just were willing to take the chance with changing the item's size.
He didn't care, so long as they bought the item. Once they did, it was theirs to risk as
they would.
The final price was a massive twenty-two Tier 6 mana stones. He nearly fell to the floor
in pleasure.
Their last item, the wand, was one of the last few items, a slot reserved for the truly rare
or exotic items.
Matt was ecstatic to see an oiled man come out with just a loincloth and a floppy gray
hat.
He had a target as well and cast several spells while flexing and posing.
Matt hoped every woman in the building was taken with the man enough to bid, and that
every man wanted to buy the wand to be him.
"This is a wand of extraordinary rarity. This is a Tier 5 rift wand that will lower the mana
cost of all skills that are ranged."
There were murmurs at her words, "Yes, any skill that doesn't require touch can be
channeled through this wand for a 20% cost reduction. The starting bid is five Tier 6 mana
stones."
Matt saw the man who held the wand smile before his face went neutral. He looked at
Liz and asked, "Why is the assistant guy happy? Do you know?"
She didn't look away from the hall as it became a mess of people trying to shout over
one another. "Yeah, the auctioneer gets 15% of the hall's fee, and the assistants are getting
another 5%. It gives them an incentive to get the best price. And when you look like that…well,
sex sells."
That certainly explained the clothing choices. At this point, he hoped the man's loincloth
would fall off if it would increase the price.
When the bidding stopped at two Tier 7 and fourteen Tier 6 mana stones, Matt picked up
the napping Aster and kissed her before cackling with glee.
He hardly paid attention to the rest of the auction. He was counting his credits and all the
things they would buy.
The second to last item was a rift Tier 6 Longsword that had both durability and
sharpness enchantments, on top of the skill [Extend Blade]. Matt wanted the blade, but when he
heard the starting price of two Tier 7 mana stones, he decided to sit the ensuing chaos out. He
simply watched as the price climbed to a mindboggling forty-nine Tier 7 mana stones. It was a
rift item with excellent enchantments, sure, but that was absurd.
The final item was enough to even surprise Liz. This item wasn't used like the others. It
was a rapier, brought out on a long, pristine, white pillow. The rapier had odd bits of purple
energy where the blade was seemingly missing in parts of the sword.
 "Here we have something truly rare. This is a Tier 4 void rapier, rift-made, of course."
The auctioneer's voice turned sultry. "The blade of this weapon will change any elemental skill
that uses a rapier or a blade into a void element skill or enhance natural void spells." The
crowds murmuring increased, and Susan let it build until she dropped her final bomb.
"The starting price for this item is one Tier 15 mana stone."
There was a pause as the crowd was in disbelief and, an instant later, he saw Susan
open her mouth, as Liz started mouthing expletives.
"Oh, and this is a growth item."
The crowd went mad. Bids were shouted so fast the screen that kept track turned into a
blur. The bidding finally settled when the price hit an absurd three Tier 20 mana stones.
Matt looked to his finger and wondered if he'd regret not selling the linked rings. That
was enough for a few Tier 14 skills, or possibly even a Tier 20 skill. Though, most of those
would have too high of a mana cost to be practical at Tier 4 or 5.
What's done is done. I'll just make sure that I…no, we, make enough with these rings for
them to be a better investment.
He looked to Liz. "why would they sell it?"
Liz hopped up and pulled him and Aster out of the room. "Come on, let's go. I want to go
get my new spear. And if I had to guess, they couldn't use the item and could use a higher
Tiered skill more. But who knows, maybe they already have one and don't feel the need to keep
this one."
When they exited the building, the Woods kid was waiting and shouted at them, "Get
over here! crawl if you want forgiveness."
Liz just walked up and looked around. A crowd was already gathered, but the man had
brought a healer and a Dual Stars referee. They could tell because of the armband the man
wore, denoting the position.
"Start the fight, Ref."
The referee looked bored and, frankly, as sick of the kid’s shit as Matt was.
"This is a fight of honor between Daimian Woods and…" he looked at Liz and repeated
her name when she gave it, "Elizabeth Moore. The fight is to the opponent’s surrender, or if the
healer or I calls it. No intentional killing or crippling of the spirit. The prize is this spear or Miss
Moore spending the evening with Mr. Woods."
At that, he looked at Liz and asked, "Do you agree with the stated terms?"
At the bubbly agreement from the challenged, he asked again, “As sexual favors were
one of the terms, I must confirm you have not been pressured into the duel. If you have, the
Dual Stars guild will deal with it. You just have to say the word, and I'll stop this.”
That got Liz to look at the referee, and she gave him a genuine smile.
“No force, and even if I lose, it won't be the first time I've been disappointed in bed.”
The referee just shook his head and said, “I'm activating the protective shield. On the
count of zero, the fight starts.”
 When the count hit zero, Daimian reached out his hand for a shake and said, “No hard
feelings.”
It was so obviously a trap, Matt couldn't believe it when Liz just stuck her hand out to
shake. She was falling into it. No, jumping into it.
When she gripped his hand, he laughed and slapped a band around her wrist.
“Hahaha! You arrogant bitch! You thought I would forget your bloodline is stronger than
mine? Ha! With that suppressor on, you won't be able to use even a tenth of your power! Now,
let's get you on your knees. That ass of yours will look excellent in my bed tonight.”
There was a rustling from his clothes like he was in the center of a breeze.
Liz just turned her hand, looking at the band like it was a pretty bracelet.
Matt looked for worry or fear, but her face was cold.
“So, this was your plan. Huh, I guess I don't have to play nice, then.”
Daimian dropped to his knees, and then to his face, as his hands couldn't catch him in
time.
Liz squatted and looked at the prone figure as if he was a new rift creature she
dissected. It was slightly unnerving observing her expressionless face. He never wanted to find
out what it was like to receive that look.
Liz watched the struggling boy, and Matt looked on with a hint of fear as blood leaked
from his eyes and nose.
She ran her hands through his hair in an almost gentle and kind movement. It seemed
so, at least until she gripped the back of his head and ripped it upwards to face her.
“What was that about kneeling, doggy?”
Daimian gurgled at her. Only blood came out where words would normally.
Liz waved the bracelet in front of his face as she said, “Were you really counting on this?
Traps only work when the trapped doesn't have overwhelming power. 10% of my bloodline is
more than enough to break a weak little doggy like you. Even 1% is.”
She ran her manacled hand over his face. Most probably saw it as a tactic to humiliate
Woods further, but Matt saw the blood sticking to her hand.
“What do good doggies do?”
When Daimian didn't respond, she violently shook his head, bending his neck at a
painful angle.
“I asked a question. What do good little doggies do?”
Blood seeped from the kid’s pores. What is she doing to him? Is it her Talent or
bloodline?
Matt looked from her cold face to the crowd around them. The healer appeared shocked,
but the referee looked like he had been run through and gutted.
 The rest of the crowd was silent. They had been expecting a fight. Not this one-sided
humiliation.
“Doggy, answer me.”
Daimian finally succumbed to the humiliation and loss and did what she wanted.
He barked.
Like a dog.
Liz smiled and said, “Good doggy.”
Then she ran her thumb across his neck.
She dropped his head, with his throat cleanly sliced through. Matt saw the white of his
spine as Liz walked away.
The healer was quickly on Daimian and tending to his wounds, hands glowing with a
skill.
Liz walked to the shocked referee and put out the arm with the shackle. With a bright
smile, she said, “Can you take this off? Oh, and where's my new spear?”
 Chapter 21
 
Matt stood there with Aster in his arms. He looked at Liz like she was a completely
different person.
He shook himself free and walked over the smiling redhead. She had gotten the
manacle off and examined her new spear with an air of affection.
That was the Liz he was used to. Happy and seemingly carefree.
He came up and congratulated her. “That was one hell of a fight.” He didn’t know what
else to say.
She just waved him away. “Nah. That wasn’t much. I just had to show someone playing
dirty has its consequences. That little trick with the bloodline shackle is incredibly underhanded.
He’ll be spending the next few weeks unable to delve with the damage a slit throat does. Or I
guess he can risk the chance of the healing not taking if he doesn't give his body time to
acclimate.”
That shocked Matt. “If that was dirty, then why didn’t the ref call the match? And why
would he use it? There were so many witnesses.”
His methods didn’t make sense to Matt. If you had to do underhanded things, you didn’t
advertise them, let alone carry them out in front of dozens of people.
“I don’t know. I can’t read his mind, can I? Really stupid of him. It really pissed me off in
the moment, though.”
“It didn’t affect you, did it.” A statement, not a question.
Liz shook her head and started toward their hotel. “Nah, it did. But that shackle was a
very limited one. Meant for impure, weaker bloodlines. I was playing it up for the crowd, but that
thing only reduced my power by maybe 2 or 3%.”
“And the whole bringing him to his knees? How did you manage that?”
“That was his bloodline reacting to a larger, stronger predator. It instinctively protected
him by submitting. He was sort of reaching out with his power at the same time, trying to flatten
me. When he did that, I was able to grab hold of it. Once I sunk my teeth in, he couldn't pull
back or stop. If he wasn't waving it around like a jackass, I would have never been able to do
that much damage. I got a better sense of his bloodline during the duel. It’s some wolf type.
That’s why I kept calling him doggy. Wolves hate that more than anything.”
Liz chewed on her lower lip before finishing, “Wouldn't have worked on a dragon
bloodline, or even a pure and high Tiered wolf bloodline.”
“And that treatment won’t come back to bite us?” Matt was concerned that Daimian or
his father would try to get revenge. Matt didn’t think they’d be stupid enough to try while they
were on The Path, but the Empire could only punish their killers not reverse their murders.
“That bloodline skill won’t work on his father, will it?”
Liz was still smiling and walking, inspecting her spear.
 “Nope! It only works around my Tier. Don’t worry. We are all under the Monster
Kingdom. This is how things are done. If a weaker bloodline tries to throw its weight around
without power, they get humiliated. If it wasn’t a duel, I would've had full rights to kill him and
demand resources from his father. When we get back, we’ll get a very sincerely worded apology
for his actions with gratitude for being lenient.”
She looked at him and punched his arm. “Relax. I know how far to push things. If his
father does come and kill us, there’s nothing we can do. Besides, like my dad always said, if
you’re gonna teach someone a lesson, make it one they’ll learn the first time.” Liz laughed, and
it actually made Matt feel a little better.
It was true. There wasn’t anything a pair of Tier 4’s could do if someone above Tier 7
tried to kill them. It was a surprisingly comforting realization.
Liz immediately ruined his mood with her next words, “Someone called my mom a
broodmare once, and my dad ripped her in half in front of the entire Imperial Court.”
“That’s murder!” Then morbid curiosity got the better of him as he asked, “Umm. how did
he rip her in half? Like a burger or a sub?”
Liz tittered, “More like a grilled cheese. Diagonal, shoulder to hip style. And he had to
pay for her healing. Got slapped with an aggravated assault and battery charge.”
After a moment, she continued, “We got off topic. It’s far more likely some of his
guildmates will try and ambush us out of a rift. That, or we’ll get endless challenges while we’re
in the city.”
She laughed while twirling her spear.
“This isn’t a joke, Liz. This could be trouble.”
She was taking this far too lightly for his taste.
Liz turned, and she was more serious when she addressed him, “We can’t do anything
about what’s done. I’m not going to let people walk over us. And, besides, this is more my area
of expertise than yours. It’s all a game, to a degree. The higher Tiered people are watching after
the show I put on. They might not have a bloodline to feel how strong I am, but the Tier 25
guarding this place should know what a bloodline like mine means. He’ll stop anything from
going too far.”
Matt chewed on her words and acquiesced that her logic checked out.
With a sigh, he let the worry go and asked, “What will they think your bloodline means?
Seems almost…” he mulled over the word he wanted, “threatening.”
“A little, yeah. The Dual Stars are a Tier 25 guild that want to become a Tier 30 guild.
That means they’re playing politics. They have to be scheming for a position in the fight when
another Tier 30 world is found. Either that or trying to get permission for a guild war with one of
the existing guilds.”
She shrugged.
“They don’t know who my parents are, but with how I crushed the idiot back there, they
know to be wary. Even if my parents were Tier 5 weaklings, my bloodline strength guarantees
I’ve gotten attention from higher Tiered people. Everyone’s always looking for marriages to
improve their bloodlines, or they simply attach themselves to anyone they see as a rising star.”
 That boggled Matt’s mind. She was only a few months older than him and had been
given marriage offers? All for her bloodline.
He wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse. It seemed reductive to her as a person.
She was more than what her bloodline could do to benefit others. He thought it might explain
her stance on her independence. So long as she stayed on The Path, the Empire would protect
her. If she fell off before making a point of her power, her parents might not be able to protect
her.
A Tier 25 did not have any more of a chance against a Tier 30 plus than Matt or Liz had
against Daimian’s father.
Once again, Matt tried to lighten the mood. “So, what, you had the other kids all following
you around?”
That got the smile back. “A bit, yeah. That was more because I was always getting us
into trouble.”
Matt could easily imagine a young Liz leading other kids on all sorts of fool’s errands. He
had seen those types at the orphanage and had avoided them like the plague. Now, he was
stuck with one.
Practice and doing what he was supposed to do hadn’t gotten him into a guild or on The
Path, taking risks and stealing the skill shard had.
Taking risks had also almost gotten him killed with the rift challenge.
Okay, maybe I won’t turn into a wildcard after all.
Optimistically, Matt said to Liz, “The auction was a success I’d say. We made a lot of
money. Enough that we might even be able to buy a third skill, if it’s weird enough. Two Tier 7,
and 26 Tier 6 mana stones isn’t anything to scoff at.”
“Yeah, if we’re lucky, we can look at the exchange tomorrow. But we aren’t the only ones
who made it big today. And other people brought outside funds. Skill for skill is the best way to
trade right now.” Liz had all but crushed his dreams of buying a third skill.
They reached their suite and decided to lay low for the evening. The recording of Liz’s
fight had spread all over the LocalNet, and she already had half a dozen people challenging her.
She ignored the provocations and, the next morning, they went to a blacksmith. Liz
wanted to make a modification to the spear she bought.
The blacksmith didn’t even bat an eye at the odd request to put a metal cap on the butt
of the spear, with a small chamber that screwed shut.
It had barely taken him five minutes to finish and, afterwards, Matt and Liz rented out a
training room for the morning.
They practiced with the bonded rings’ swapping and teleporting features. The ring took
1,000 mana to swap places, with a range limitation of nearly ten feet. The base teleport was
expensive, with the price scaling with the distance the rings were away from each other. Every
few inches after that, the price doubled.
They wouldn’t be using the rings to do anything more than dodge to the side.
 It took Matt fifty seconds to dump a thousand mana into the ring at his full output. With
[Cracked Phantom Armor], [Mage’s Retreat], and His AI, it would take twice as long, at best.
Matt became lost in thought while considering the adjustments he would have to make
after adding [Mage’s Retreat] to his arsenal. He realized he wasn’t sure how much mana the
skill could handle. From what he read, it should be able to take anything and everything he
could throw at it. There were lingering doubts deep in Matt’s gut that no one had the skill, and
even more about anyone wanting to trade it for [Puddle Jumper].
Breaking free of the trappings of his mind, he refocused on their training. The next
limitation of the rings was their mana capacity. They could hold 2,000 mana. After that, any
mana over the limit was slowly bled off. Liz said that was normal for rift items.
They theoretically had unlimited storage capacity, but there was still a soft cap. Matt,
with his regeneration, could get the storage to a little over 3,000 before the loss was greater
than 10 mana a second. That number was half of his Tier 4 Mana Regeneration under his 1%
total. In other words, this was the first time he’d need to budget his mana.
[Cracked Phantom Armor] was able to handle 8 mana a second, and his AI took about
two mana per second in a combat situation. If [Mage’s Retreat] worked like he had read, it could
handle the rest of his mana throughput with no problems.
Liz assured him that both aspects would improve as they advanced the rings. When they
looked up some of the common items growth items needed, the price for even Tier 5 materials
made Matt sick.
Tier 5 materials should never be sold for Tier 8 mana stones.
Liz, seeing his face, just laughed. She pointed out they wouldn’t even know which
materials the ring needed until they advanced with the rings. So, really, it might need exotic
materials that cost far more.
She suggested they visit a proper auction hall, which would have a collection of
materials the growth items usually wanted. They'd have to bring the rings close and wait for
them to react to a material. It was a common testing method to figure out what a growth item
wanted at each Tier.
Even with all the limitations, the rings were still useful items that would let them surprise
their enemies.
The teleport was unlike any of the planetary ones Matt had experienced. It was smooth,
and as far as they could tell, nearly instant, with no disorientation from the magic itself.
Despite his complaints, he could see how even higher Tiered teams would want a
growth item. Especially if they were as powerful as the rings, or the sword they saw at the
auction.
As they continued training with their weapons, Liz wreaked absolute havoc with her new
spear. Matt found her idea of creating a place on the weapon to store some blood to be genius.
It allowed her to recall the weapon if she threw it, and that along with the bleed effect
was a deadly combination. He refused to let her play target practice with him, despite her
insistence it wouldn’t hurt.
Her last spear had a reinforced, hollow core along its length. That let her fill it with blood
after each blow, at the expense of a bit of mana and mental concentration.
 She couldn’t risk losing the enchantment on her new spear by hollowing out the inside.
Instead, she had a hollow sphere mounted on the bottom end of the spear. This only allowed a
simple recall, which was still a potent ability, especially considering it only took five minutes of
work and few Tier 4 mana stones.
Matt also bought a small crossbow so he could add to his ranged options, at least until
he got a ranged skill of his own. Liz and Aster were good, but a mundane backup was a safety
net he didn’t want to leave the city without.
He had to dedicate a lot of time in the future for practice. He could hit a stationary target
at ten feet, but if the distance increased, or the target was moving, a successful hit would be
through luck more than skill.
That was even with his AI helping as much as it could, with predictive tracking and wind
calculations. He still had to pull the trigger, and he jerked the weapon enough that even the best
AI could only get him in the general vicinity.
The skill exchange was later that evening, and Matt and Liz were in their combat clothes.
Armor for Liz and his usual form fitting clothes for Matt.
The skill exchange was both a place to get new skills and a place to show off the ones
you had.
Seven arenas would be available, with both referees and healers on standby.
The event was more dangerous than Matt had originally thought as it took place on a
massive floating platform in the neutral lake. Delvers from both the Empire and republic would
be attending.
There were various competitions of both martial arts and crafting skills. Matt figured it
was essentially a dick measuring contest between Dual Stars and the faction the republic sent.
They arrived at a large ship docked at the wharf. The ship consisted of multiple levels of
furnished platforms, with large staircases connecting each level. After their identities were
verified, they climbed aboard and walked to the roped-off edge. It was serrated and had clamps
ready to bind the platform to another.
Matt and Liz claimed a couch and waited for their platform ship to fill and get moving.
They watched and whispered to each other about the various teams and individuals that
boarded.
The guild seemed to only be admitting the strongest examples of each Tier, from the
factions they had power over. As part of the Empire’s Path of Ascension, Matt and Liz were
exempt from their scrutiny. They watched with muted interest as a few groups were turned
away.
When the bottom level of their ship was getting crowded, the Tier 25 stepped into the air
so all could see him.
“I’m not one for speeches. Tonight, is a night of trade and combat. Draw from that
whatever conclusions you may. Don’t deliberately kill. Any deaths will be judged by the other
faction. So, expect any hostile actions to be returned.”
With that, he dropped, and the ship started moving.
Matt looked to Liz, who played with Aster’s paws.
 “That was…ugh. Brief?”
Elizabeth didn’t look away from the game with Aster. “Eh, pretty standard from what I
understand. Usually, we’d get a speech that lasted far too long about everyone and their
mother’s importance. I liked his comment about conclusions, though. What do you take from
this?”
Matt thought it over. There was something to be said about two massive political entities
interacting like this with rules so vague.
“I think it’s a comment about how power gets you more.” He paused and continued after
settling his thoughts, “If you have power, you can take from others, but the inverse is true as
well. Also, there is only justice when two people have a strong backing or are equally powerful.”
Matt looked out at the match to their ship.
“Maybe that’s the more important point.”
Liz nodded and hummed before saying, “Not a bad answer. Better than my first
Exchange. Remember this, though…” Her voice changed, like she was quoting someone else,
“perceived power and actual power are nearly indistinguishable at higher Tiers. That’s why the
children fight. Powers and talents are clearer and show the future of a country”
In her normal voice, she said, “The other Empires are all nearly the same size as each
other. Each is so big they don’t really need to trade resources or technology. So, to keep things
from becoming insular, we have the Exchanges. At these Tiers, it’s practice, and no one takes
them seriously. From Tier 15 to Tier 25, the stakes get higher. New planets can be won or lost
in a single fight.
“Also, watch your own faction as much as the enemies.” Liz pursed her lips and looked
up. “Yeah, I think that’s all even my parents said about these things.”
“How many have you been to? What can we expect?”
Liz shrugged. “No clue, really. I’ve only been to one as an observer. It was my brother’s
first Exchange at Tier 15, so the family went to cheer him on. I was, ohh, seven, I think.”
Matt gave her a flat look.
“You just enjoy sounding knowledgeable and wise.”
She beamed at him. “You’re figuring it out!”
With that, Matt accessed the LocalNet and found more concise information. It was fairly
simple in concept.
Both sides could put their skill shards into a shared database and list themselves as
selling or exchanging. The sellers would take cash or another skill they thought was more
valuable. The exchange was generally reserved for more valuable skills. People would come to
you with the listed price.
Seeing that, Matt listed their skill [Puddle Jumper] as an exchange for both [Create
Water] and [Mage’s Retreat]. That settled, he was directed to deposit the skill at the Exchange
desk.
While it could be done in person, Matt decided to take the anonymous route. He didn’t
agree with Liz’s notion his chosen route was cowardice. If she had placed her bids
anonymously, she wouldn’t have had to deal with that idiot Daimian playing games with the
price. Or the subsequent fight, for that matter.
If someone decided to target them and their skill, they could purchase all the skills they
wanted to screw them over. Matt refused to take the chance. He needed the power the skill
would grant him, and so did Liz.
As he sat back, he observed the two approaching platforms. The three levels of the
individual boats were rectangles that would come together and make a square. Inside was a six-
layer box with a cylinder from top to bottom.
The cylinder was where the arenas were. It gave everyone who watched an excellent
view of the fights. Seven arenas were arranged in a heptagon, with the top arena bisected. It
truly did look grand.
As the sides neared, Matt saw the faces of the republic’s cultivators watching and
observing the Empire.
He saw some with hands on weapons, seemingly ready to jump into action at a
moment's notice. Others seemed more calculating, and Matt saw the flash of a few unknown
spells.
When the ships touched, and the snapping of clamps locking into place quieted, Driver,
the Tier 25, stepped onto a see-through platform over the center of the fighting circle. A woman
in a robe mirrored his actions, and their sitting down signaled both sides to break out in a
clamor.
Liz looked to him and asked, “Who do you think will get challenged first? I’m thinking
some dumbass will challenge you because they saw my smackdown yesterday.”
Matt thought over the odds and chances and said, “That’s likely, sure, but you made a
large enough impression that someone might want to beat you to earn their fame.”
They got up and moved to a newly placed standing table, each snagging a drink from a
passing waiter.
They had a decent view of the arenas as they sipped. The show started quickly.
Someone in Dual Stars colors jumped into one of the circles and shouted, “I am Yan of
the Dual Stars, Tier 5. I welcome any challengers brave enough to step up.” He kept his eyes
locked firmly on the republic side, his intentions clear.
His provocation worked as five people jumped down.
Matt looked up to the platform with the Tier 25s. They weren’t even looking down, just
sipping their drinks quietly. Were they not worried about this escalating into an incident?
The fight was already starting when Matt looked back. Before he could get a good look,
Liz just huffed and pulled him away from the table.
“Where are we going? I thought we wanted to fight.”
“Pshhh, it’s just going to be weak fools who think they’re the best fighting now. The Dual
Stars played their hand well. Now, the fights will be useless for at least an hour. After that, it'll
get interesting. Especially with the rewards they posted.”
 Matt hadn’t seen any rewards, so he checked the LocalNet. The Dual Stars were co-
hosting the event with the republic faction called The Deserving, They had a point system for
both the crafting and fighting cultivators.
The LocalNet spelled out a point system for fights and how they were won. The stronger
the opinion, the more points you could get if you won. The prizes were vague, only that the top
five would get access to what they needed.
He wasn’t sure if that meant weapons or skills, but it was an enticing reward. He needed
a lot.
His hopes were dashed when he saw there was no Ascenders board, just a mixed
board. Matt was confident in his strength with people of his Tier, but the elite who had wealth or
backing would have skills and good gear. That realization shook his confidence in being able to
counter everything they did.
Putting aside his daydreams of wealth, he looked at the tailor’s booth Liz perused.
Seeing nothing he thought was interesting, he wandered to the next store where he
found colorful bands that would act as covers for beast collars. Calling Aster, they tried on
bands until Liz found them, and the two of them watched as Aster tried each and every color
she liked.
They settled on a dark purple Aster simply wouldn’t let them take off.
She preened with the new garment and kept showing it off to the shops they visited.
They came upon an alchemists’ tournament, where they watched Tier 5 alchemists
battle it out, concocting mixtures Matt knew nothing about. Liz understood some and narrated
what a few of the contestants were doing.
When the winner of the round was decided, Liz vehemently disagreed with the decision,
along with a sizable portion of the crowd. He ended up having to pull her along before they got
caught up watching the unfolding drama.
They found a blacksmith who had a longsword Matt was interested in buying, but the
smith was trying to sell at an outrageous price, so he and Liz walked out on the deal.
While a new sword would be nice, he wasn’t going to pay the price of an expensive Tier
5 weapon for a standard Tier 4 sword.
They were back at the arena when Matt decided to place his name in the longsword
melee category. Watching the fights was getting his blood humming, and he wanted to see how
he matched up against others.
He was called up a few minutes later when an arena was free. A mage cast a spell to
blunt the fighters’ blades as this was a test of ability not a true fight with skills.
His opponent was a large woman, almost his own height. Her longsword was a heavier
variant than his own, which was more neutral.
“First to three clean hits wins, or theoretical death blow. No head blows. Fight.”
With a nod to each other after the referee had explained the rules, the fight started.
He flicked his blade toward the woman. She stepped back and attacked his hands. Matt
sidestepped and returned the move with a thrust of his own.
 He had always enjoyed this kind of spar in the orphanage. It was more tactical. More
about the ability with the sword than a matchup of skills or Talents.
The mock battles at the orphanage were always interesting as the randomly assigned
skills and Talents could change the outcome. But when it came to sword skills, Matt excelled far
beyond the others.
After a few more exchanges, Matt pushed hard. With a quick flurry of blows, he slipped
an attack around her defenses and thrust at her center of mass.
Feeling the blade pressed on her chest, she nodded and bowed slightly, then said in
republican, “Well fought. Your blade skills have shown me a weakness in my own. Thank you.”
Matt simply nodded and returned the thanks. “It was a good fight. If I had been even a
millisecond slower, I would have been hard-pressed to end it.” He was exaggerating slightly, as
he could have still ended the fight without much trouble, but there was no need to embarrass
someone after a victory.
Her problem was that she was trying to string together sword forms instead of letting the
fight dictate her moves.
Matt looked to the referee and asked, “Anyone else on the docket?”
The man looked at a pad next to him and asked, “Are you willing to take other types? If
so, yeah. We can throw a few more people at you.”
“If they’re willing to fight against a longsword, sure.” While he could use most weapons
with at least some ability, he wanted to use his weapon of choice. He’d rather step out of the
ring if he couldn’t at this point.
He fought a bout against an ax user he ended after two blows. He assumed they were
used to a skill or Talent to enhance their combat style because the man had no feel for the
weapon.
The next was a quarterstaff user. He held the weapon in the more traditional form, like a
longsword.
Matt was interested in this fight. He’d only read about quarterstaff techniques that used
them like a combination of spear and longsword.
The fight began with them testing each other with light blows. Matt noted the quarterstaff
was made from hardwood, or at least had a metal core, because the thing landed with
momentum.
He was ready when the man transitioned into spear forms, and Matt pressed his own
attack instead, pushing the staff wielder to the more common center-based staff forms. While he
had never encountered this combat style, he had read up on it.
Matt was hard-pressed to land a blow because the man was able to block with one side
of the quarterstaff and flick out quick blows with the other end.
He was pushed to the defensive when the man unleashed a flurry of blows. That forced
Matt to grip his sword’s blade in a half-sword technique and copy the man’s defensive staff
techniques.
 When Matt tried to catch his enemy off guard with a heavy downward strike with his
blade’s pommel, his blow was parried, and they disengaged. Each fighter stepped back until
they were out of easy striking range.
They nodded in appreciation to each other. Matt was impressed with the man’s range of
styles, both offensive and defensive. He was using the quarterstaff to its full potential, and it left
Matt with few ideas of how to end the fight.
Matt was tiring quickly. The three fights before this, while not full out brawls, had taken
their toll, and his breathing became heavy.
When they reengaged, Matt purposely overextended slightly on a downward strike, and
the man took the opportunity to sweep Matt’s leg.
Matt accepted the strike and went with the fall. As he hit the ground, he was able to slip
his blade behind the man’s quarterstaff and thrust up under his ribs.
His opponent looked shocked, then laughed, rubbing the spot, and said, “Well, shit. I
wasn’t expecting that to be how I’d lose.”
He took it in good spirits and helped Matt up before leaving the arena.
Matt looked to the referee and held up one finger, signaling that he would take one more
opponent. The last fight had winded him, but Matt had a bit more left in him.
The next opponent, who came in a minute later, was a member of the Dual Stars. He
was physically a stockier man. He was wide, with bulging muscles that, combined with his large
hammer, made Matt wary.
Fighting a heavy weapon user was like asking to get things broken, and Matt debated
stepping out. He decided he’d use his skill if he thought the man was going for a head blow.
Anything else could be healed, but if his skull was caved in, he might live, but his personality
would be toast.
Matt decided to play it safe. He was assuming he was faster than the guilder, and the
first exchange proved that to be mostly true. The guilder had a veil up that made it hard to get a
sense of his strength, but Matt thought he was a high Tier 4. Not quite at the peak but close.
The man was clearly a frontline fighter. He never took a step back and tried to punish
Matt for every strike. That would have been a winning tactic with armor, and if the rules didn’t
count three hits as a loss.
Matt scored the three blows within the first few exchanges, bringing the fight to a swift
end.
The gilder got redder after each blow, and when the last one landed, the referee called
the fight, and his frustration broke. “This is bullshit. I wouldn’t have lost with real rules. I want a
rematch.”
Matt just looked at him. “Are you cracked in the head? You signed up for the rules.”
That just made the man glower more, “If I had known you’d fight like some flitting fairy, I
wouldn’t have agreed. Fight me like a real man.”
Matt just gave him a flat look. He wasn’t going to get into a dick measuring contest with a
random person over petty insults.
 As Matt turned to the referee, the guilder called out, “I’ll wager a Tier 5 mana stone,
normal dueling rules.”
“I don’t need your petty cash.” Matt took a page from Liz’s book. He might just be able to
rile the guilder up and offer up more mana stones.
Keeping up the act, Matt started toward the edge of the arena. As he was about to step
off, the guilder growled, “Ten Tier 5s.”
That was enough to make Matt pause and consider. The guilder was confident. The only
question was, is he overly confident or justifiably confident?
Matt sized him up and asked, “What do you want if you win?”
That put a sneer on the guilder’s face. “When I win. And beating your face into the
ground will be enough.”
Matt agreed. He had nothing to lose except a broken bone or two. And he didn’t think the
man could get through [Cracked Phantom Armor] anyway.
The guilder quickly left and came back in a set of full heavy plate armor. His hammer
and weapon were all nearly black, and Matt had to conclude that they were high quality. Low
Tier 5, or peak Tier 4 for the whole gear setup.
The fight started, and the man lowered his shield and weapon, saying, “Come and try to
get your puny blows to be ‘effective’ now.”
Matt still hasn’t activated [Cracked Phantom Armor]. He’d see what game the man was
playing at. His bet was on a heavy, crippling retaliation strike when Matt approached.
Assuming his skill was stronger than the man’s hammer, he rushed forward to thrust his
blade at the weaker neck armor.
As he was about to land the blow, his blade was dragged down by an unseen force, and
Matt tried to pull back the sword. When the weapon touched the breastplate, it was ripped from
his hands like a magnet latching onto metal.
Matt stepped back. This wasn’t how he expected this fight to proceed, and he was
prepared to surrender.
The guilder just laughed, pulling Matt’s blade from his chest. He inspected it, turned it,
and ran his hands along the blade.
“See, this is why I hate you flitty types. Once you take their weapon, you take everything
from them. What can you do without a weapon? Nothing, because you are nothing. If you beg,
I’ll only break a few bones.” He looked at Matt’s face, and when he didn’t see what he wanted,
he smiled and continued, “Perfect. I’ll make this lesson hurt.”
At that Matt’s weapon warped and bent into a ball.
Matt’s anger simmered. He looked to the referee.
“Deliberate destruction of a weapon seems a little far, don’t you agree?”
The referee just looked down.
The armored man across from him laughed and said, “The weak have no right to
complain. Now, stand still and let me break you.”
 Good. So, that’s how we’re going to play this.
Matt grinned. This cocky little shit had truly pissed him off. The guilder, seeing that,
smiled and charged.
The anger burned hot from having his weapon destroyed with no repercussions.
Matt quickly reviewed everything he had on him. As far as he could remember, he only
had metal on his boots, belt, and the button of his jeans.
Rolling away from the hammer and taunts, he unlaced his boots before throwing them
off the stage.
The guilder stopped and cocked his head before laughing, “Go ahead, strip. It’s a good
idea and will make this all the more humiliating.”
Matt quickly dropped his pants and kicked them off as well. If he was going to do this, he
would take a page from Liz’s book and make this a show.
 Chapter 22
 
Matt removed his shirt as well. The man had a point. It would be humiliating to be beaten
while naked. But he forgot that the inverse was equally true. Being beaten by a naked man was
arguably even more humiliating.
Left with just his tight-fitting boxers, Matt stretched. If this was a show, he’d play his part.
The crowd around the arena found his display amusing enough that he heard some whoops and
cheers. He was even sure he heard a catcall or two.
Matt just smiled and waved. The guilder, tired of waiting, charged. Matt just waited,
acting cool and nonchalant.
When the man swung, Matt slipped the attack, weaving between each of the heavy
blows.
“What, can’t you hit a flitting fairy?”
The man growled, “You can’t dodge forever. When I hit you, I’ll break you and wipe that
arrogance off your face.”
That was exactly what Matt was waiting for, the perfect opportunity. “Then I’ll stand still.”
He did just that and waited for another wide swinging blow to approach his left side.
He activated [Cracked Phantom Armor] and stepped into the blow. Surprisingly, the
attack had enough force that Matt felt the blow under [Cracked Phantom Armor] ’s protection.
It was only a mild force that got through, a heavy punch at best. Matt could take a punch.
This time, Matt didn’t follow up with a witty comment or snarky remark. Now was the time
for violence.
His punch landed on the man’s armored face and rocked his head back. The guilder was
frozen in disbelief. Not only was his attack ineffective, but the little fairy had the means to
actually fight back without a weapon. Matt took advantage of his opponent’s hesitation and
grabbed the hammers head while chopping down at the hand holding it.
It was enough to disarm the guilder, and Matt threw his hammer out of the arena. If his
opponent tried to retrieve it, Matt would have a clear violation of dueling rules.
Breaking a weapon wasn’t technically against the rules, but it certainly wasn’t condoned.
It set a bad precedent. A precedent Matt was going to enforce in front of everyone here.
Matt had proved he could take the man’s best attacks, and now he would outlast him. It
didn’t matter how strong or defensively capable the man was. He'd simply keep punching until
the guilder ran out of mana.
Matt was an endless spring whose reserves would not falter.
He felt the world sharpen slightly as he focused all his attention on the adversary in front
of him. Matt turned on his AI and sent every drop of mana [Cracked Phantom Armor] wasn’t
using through the construct. The guilder wanted a real fight, and Matt was determined to make
sure he wasn’t going to like what he asked for.
 Matt’s fists rained down blow after blow. His skill protected him from the usual problems
of fighting with one’s fists. That allowed him to keep up his relentless assault without any fear of
pain or recoil. While his barrage of blows was not dealing visible damage, they were clearly
disorientating.
The armored man eventually had the wherewithal to start blocking. Without his
hammer’s strength multiplier, his attacks no longer had enough power to get through a fully
powered [Cracked Phantom Armor] ’s defenses. The fight turned into two armored men trying to
bash each other into unconsciousness.
Matt suspected the other man was counting on his physical armor to last longer than
Matt’s mana. The guilder was tanking hits he easily could have blocked, deflected, or dodged,
as if he was trying to burn through Matt’s mana reserves.
It was a good tactic against defensive types who relied solely on a skill for armor. It was
a vain hope against Matt, however, as his Talent made his mana endless.
It made him endless.
The world went blurry for a moment, but when everything came back, Matt wasn’t
disorientated or waiting for his opponent to strike. He was moving on autopilot, slamming
ghostly gauntlets on the man’s helmet over and over again. Each blow was smooth, with clean
contact that rocked the guilder. The man was now simply defending, just trying to stop the rain
of fists landing on his head.
The guilder used an ability that enveloped him in a barrier of light. Two heavy blows from
Matt's anger fueled fists shattered the barrier and sent the guilder stumbling. Before Matt could
take advantage, the guilder charged forward and tackled him, deciding to take the fight to the
ground. There at least, his armor would give him a weight advantage, if nothing else.
As soon as they hit the ground, Matt used the advantage in maneuverability his ghostly
armor gave him. The best armors allowed for near perfect movement, but they were still bulky.
While his opponent had more mass to throw around in a ground fight, Matt’s quickness allowed
him to counter any technique the guilder threw at him. As they battled for dominance, he latched
onto the man’s arm, and quickly transitioned into an armbar.
Matt had his opponent’s hand near his face and both legs wrapped around the man’s
chest. He had to remind himself of the grappling teacher’s words of wisdom from his orphanage
days. Don’t cross your feet. They’ll break your ankle given the chance.
There was no hesitation. Hesitation meant the guilder could wiggle out of the hold. So,
he leaned back and extended with every muscle in his body while the man tried to resist with
just his biceps.
The struggle ended quickly.
The snapping sound from the man’s elbow was louder than Matt expected, and he felt
the shattering bone and tearing tendons reverberate in his groin.
The guilder let out a piercing scream. Usually, Matt wouldn’t have pressed the
advantage and would have given the man a chance to surrender. But his earlier actions of
scrapping Matt’s sword had eliminated what civility Matt had left in him. The only thing he could
find in himself for the guilder was contempt.
Actions had consequences, and Matt was happy to deliver them.
 He rolled off his back and kneed the man’s armored head. The coupling that kept the
helmet mobile but sturdy broke on the second blow. The third blow snapped the guilder’s neck.
Matt stood up and looked around the arena. The referee had wide eyes, and the healer
was already on the field, rushing to the still man’s aid.
Seeing the fight was truly over, Matt deactivated [Cracked Phantom Armor] and gave a
smile and wave to the crowd. Still only dressed in his form-fitting undergarments.
The other members of Dual Stars all glared at him, but the rest of the crowd, including
the republicans, were all cheering with thunderous applause.
As he was walking to retrieve his pants, Matt was interrupted by a man in Dual Stars
colors. He was stronger than what Matt’s ability could accurately judge, but he felt weaker than
Simeon, Tier 9 or 10.
“You didn’t have to be so cruel in breaking his neck. He’ll be out of commission for
weeks.”
Matt opened his mouth to protest but was cut off with the man focusing his spirit sense
on him. Matt’s spirit and cores slowed down. They were being suppressed, like he was covered
in a thick wet blanket.
Matt pushed. He shoved with everything he had. He forced his cores to circulate as they
usually did, along with his mana making its usual loops through his body. For a moment, the
world brightened, and the man’s suppression was thrown off.
The world was clear, but Matt’s last thoughts were hazy and indistinct. The man’s next
words brought him back to the moment.
“Children don’t need to speak in front of their betters. Take it as the mercy of the strong
that I don’t break your neck here and now.”
Matt could feel his hackles rise. He had done nothing wrong. The idiot he had beaten
would be fine with the healer already working on him.
His blood heated. This wasn’t fair.
He stopped himself. The man had been right about one thing. He was too weak.
Matt just scoffed and walked away. The man was trying to save face for his guild when
they had been in the wrong. Nothing Matt could say would change the man’s opinion.
It was only empty bluster. If a Tier 10 got revenge for a non-fatal duel…no, for a non-
fatal duel with an Ascender, let alone an Ascender who was the challenged, the Empire would
come down on the Dual Stars like the fist of an angry god.
Slipping on his pants, he saw Liz with her head cocked at the man, who was busy
observing the healer. The look on her face said she wanted to press the issue, so Matt grabbed
her sleeve and said, “Don’t bother. He’s trying to save face.”
“He’s doing it in the dumbest way possible. He’s just shaming them more. I can—”
Matt wanted this to end here, so he interrupted her.
“Let’s not bother with him. I need a new sword, and I’m not going to get robbed.”
“But if we press, we—”
 Boots on, Matt stood and just started walking away not caring for his prize in the
moment. They couldn’t do anything to a Tier 25 guild alone. Elizabeth’s parents could probably
put pressure on the guild, but they were planets away and not stranded on a planet with the
Dual Stars as the strongest power.
That didn’t mean Matt was going to forget this incident. He internalized it. One day, he’d
find that man and challenge him to a duel.
Still, there was no point in focusing on revenge fantasies when he couldn’t back it up. As
he was now, they were truly just fantasies. If he wanted to slap the guild back for their blatant
rule-bending, he needed to be strong enough to enforce his will upon them.
He went around to all the stalls that had longswords and couldn’t find what he wanted.
All the swords were either the wrong size, had enchantments he didn’t want, or were absurdly
overpriced.
Liz finally broke him out of his single-minded perusal.
“Hey. I wanted to say that was a good fight.”
Matt breathed out slowly, “Yeah it was pretty fun, honestly. I wasn’t even that mad about
the sword after breaking the idiot’s neck. He broke my weapon, and I broke him. Then that
Tier…I didn’t get a good feel for him. 9 maybe 10?”
“I think he was peak Tier 9, that or he’s a really weak Tier 10.”
“Then he swung his dick around. That pissed me off. He must know I’m a part of The
Path of Ascension, and he can’t touch me. But because he’s a little stronger and has a Tier 25
guild behind him, he can say whatever he wants. It’s fucking infuriating”
Matt forced himself to calm down and finished, “It’s a reminder that the only reason
people aren’t literal slaves to the higher Tiers is that the strongest people want social mobility.”
Liz just patted his shoulder and said, “Remember this feeling.”
He looked at her in confusion. Why remember feeling weak? Then he understood, and
the question answered itself.
“If the people who become strong don’t enforce the rules, the people who become strong
after them will just make it worse.”
She looked at him and wiggled her hand.
“Not quite where I was going, but sure. It’s not wrong. But I was going to say, when
you're a Tier 45 and have the power to enforce your will on others, remember this feeling of
being powerless. And chose to be better.”
That wasn’t what he expected to hear from the woman who slit someone’s throat
yesterday for disrespecting her.
“You want me to drop this? Not get revenge in the future?”
She looked at him like he was the odd one.
“Fuck no. Get revenge. It’s your right as the wronged, but also, don’t turn a broken sword
into a reason to butcher the entire guild. Get strong enough to break that idiot’s face, then get
stronger than the leaders, and break their faces for not enforcing better discipline. Just don’t go
too far.”
That actually made a lot of sense, even if he wasn’t planning on doing more than
breaking the face of the idiot who stepped in. He felt beating up the guild leaders was both
impractical and unneeded.
Liz might have a point about them needing to enforce better discipline over their
members, though. He mulled it over, then tossed it to the back of his mind. He was a long way
away from beating up Tier 30s.
“You should just get a Tier 5 sword. Get a weak one. While you won’t be able to use the
skill more than once or twice a day, it’ll be better than getting a Tier 4 sword.”
Matt weighed her words and asked, “Is that really worth it? I thought of that, but a weak
Tier 5 sword I can use now would be pretty shitty when I get to Tier 5.”
Liz thought for a moment and said, “Kinda, yeah. I guess you could get a decent Tier 5
sword now and just not use the spell.”
Matt hadn’t thought of that. The reason a Tier 5 weapon was difficult to use was the
strain it put on the spirit, but that only applied to the embedded skill itself not the weapon.
“Why doesn’t everyone just use high Tiered weapons, then? Seems like everyone
should.”
Liz chuckled at that.
“It’s not that simple. Think about it further. You can only do that when your opponents
don’t have skills on their weapons either. If they do and you don’t, you’re already at a one skill
disadvantage. And that could be deadly. There’s also the fact that stronger materials get heavier
both physically and spiritually. While wielding a Tier 10 weapon won’t kill you, it will stop your
spirit from cycling. So, no mana, no skills.”
That made sense, so he decided to stick to looking for a weapon closer to his Tier.
There were a lot of Tier 5 smiths here, so the price of a Tier 5 longsword would be less
overpriced than the rift-made one he had been looking at earlier.
They spent the next half-hour looking for a smith willing to do a rush job or who had a
longsword Matt found perfect. They decided if they were going to spend the money on a Tier 5
sword, they might as well do it right the first time.
Most who had good Tier 5 weapons used them until Tier 7, when skills could drop and
allowed for delvers to start filling out their weaknesses.
It was another weird period, as Tier 8 rifts were where skills became truly ‘common’ at a
25% drop rate. At Tier 7, it was more like a 2% chance, but even so, any skill drop at all allowed
for bartering for the one you needed.
The awkward period between Tiers 4 and 8 created a lull in weapon and armor power
between the Tiers. The general power of gear at those Tiers changed with the needs of the
delver. On top of that, the common skills blacksmiths and enchanters could add to a weapon
became less useful than specialized skill shards. The shards could only be added during the
forging process, so that left most delvers with a dilemma as far as what Tiered gear to buy.
 Bringing his wandering thoughts back to Tier 5 weapons, Matt thought on what he
wanted from his new longsword.
Ideally, he’d get a ranged attack like mana slash, but the mana cost in weapons was
much more expensive than a spirit bonded skill. [Mana Slash] cost 100 mana for a self-cast, but
when embedded in a weapon, the cost ballooned to three or four times that. That was if he
could even find a Tier 5 or 6 blacksmith who could imbue such a complicated skill into a
weapon.
Rechargeable mana stones only went up to 200 mana in the standard mana stone size.
It was the reason the rift mana stones got more valuable as the mana increased, they never
increased in size.
The manmade versions were hard-capped by current technology. It was impossible to
squeeze that much energy into a small space and not create a bomb. The rifts did it, but no one
had replicated the feat.
So, Matt couldn’t just use a Tier 7 mana stone every time he used the skill in the future.
Not knowing his other options, he and Liz found a smith that specialized in larger weapons and
had no other urgent orders.
When he specified the type of blade he wanted, the man said he’d have no problem
creating it in the next three days.
The enchantment and skill were a tricker matter. Eventually, he just sent Matt and Liz a
list of what he could do and the expected cost.
They retreated to a diner and had a light lunch while they threw out ideas.
The list was comprehensive. There were the standard runes for buffing the weapon’s
attributes or the wielder’s, but Matt was contemplating getting the durability and sharpness
runes again. It was a potent combination. It was critical to fighting armored targets difficult to
damage otherwise.
“What do you think about a void affinity enchantment?” Matt thought of the blade he had
seen at the auction.
Liz pondered the question and said, “I don’t know. The void would eat into the blade
quickly. You’d be repairing it every week.”
Matt crossed that off his idea list. As they snacked on potato skins, he reread the list
once more, waiting for something to stand out.
Liz mumbled around a chewing mouth, “What about a size spell? That’s pretty standard.”
Matt mulled over the idea. It was a fairly standard tactic. A size spell allowed a melee
fighter to extend their blade with solidified mana. It wasn’t a bad choice, it just didn’t take
advantage of his unique mana situation.
As he looked over the list again, he stopped at [Mana Charge]. It was a mana variant of
the skill [Momentum Charge]. Both skills siphoned off excess energy and stored their respective
types before allowing the user to release them on a blow.
As he looked into [Mana Charge], the more he liked the idea. He could trickle a bit of
mana into the spell and build up a few hundred mana’s worth of damage, finally releasing it in a
swift blow.
 From his searching, mages used it as a defensive measure in case someone got into
melee range. The accumulated mana from casting spells would give them one heavy hitting last
resort.
He tossed the idea to Liz, who said, “Not a bad idea but, at that point, you have to drop
one of the enchantments to a lesser Tier. Otherwise, it would be tough to have the enchantment
allow for the use of personal mana.”
“Eh, that’s not a terrible trade off. I’d have to start that eventually. I’m still thinking about
using a sharpness and durability enchantment.”
“You might want to think of using a repair enchantment as well. Three lesser
enchantments aren’t great, but durability can only help stop damage. If it gets twisted out of
shape, a repair rune can fix that for some mana and metal. And it’s a pretty standard combo
until you can fit three greater enchantments on a weapon.”
“Does the loss of efficiency of a weaker durability rune get offset by the repair one? It
seems like if the weapon was stronger, you won’t have to fix it.”
“Only until you take or give a hit that snaps the weapon in half. Then the weapon is
fucked. Durability enchantments are great, but they end up creating a hard cutoff where the
weapon simply goes from handling the damage to shattering.”
Matt looked up the information and had his AI run the numbers. It was as she said, not
that he doubted her, but he wanted to see why it worked that way. It wasn’t a problem until
higher Tiers when the damage done was higher. Ordinary steel had its fracture point, and a
durability enchantment raised that, but then the weapon would just explode if that was
bypassed.
The repair enchantment allowed the weapon to fracture and crack before exploding. If
mana and a similar Tier of metal were available, the sword would fix itself to its peak condition.
Matt wished he had known this. Liz seemed so knowledgeable at times. He understood
that having Tier 25 plus parents had its advantages, but that was what he envied the most. Well,
that and having parents.
Matt crushed that line of thought.
He ate another potato skin while leaning back. “Well, I guess that’s the best option, I’ll
send th—”
The ping of his AI stopped the words in his mouth, and as he read the message, he
looked at Liz with a grin plastered on his face.
Their trade had been successfully completed.
They got their skills.
***
Liz watched Matt out of the corner of her eye as she typed in her AI. He looked at the
skill shard in his hand with wonder. He alternated between the shard and the fights down in the
arenas. The fights were boring. She had seen bigger and better duels. More skills, higher Tiers.
This was almost mundane, no need for her to pay attention.
She analyzed her own emotions. She was happy she had earned the skill, and proud
she had done it without her parents’ help, but that was the problem.
 This was a Tier 8 skill. Her parents could get her millions of them just by checking their
old spatial rings.
Liz looked to Matt and tried to channel a little of his enthusiasm.
It worked, barely.
They had earned this skill with an amazing fight, and it was all hers. That helped. There
was a small glow in her chest. No one could say she was relying on her parents now.
The worst part was that they understood and loved her, even though she wanted to
escape from their shadows. They were so supportive of her and her decision, which had almost
made it worse.
She looked back to Matt. He was the first friend she was sure was her friend because of
her and not a desire to cozy up to royalty.
All her life, lower Tiered people sent their kids to try and worm favors out of her parents.
Or they told them not to challenge her in any way. “We don’t want to upset the daughter of two
of the six royalty.”
It didn’t help that she had been a surprise pregnancy. Immortals, let alone Tier 48s, had
a hard enough time getting pregnant with fertility treatments and decades of trying. Her six
siblings had been planned and had others of similar backgrounds to grow up with.
Matt knew none of that. He was with her because they made a great team and got
along.
She’d have to tell him eventually, but she was determined to push that day far into the
future. If he looked at her differently, it would hurt far worse than any of the others growing up.
Liz had nearly had a heart attack when he had asked about ‘Mara,’ She had nearly
panicked and asked how he figured it out. But no, he had just been trying to learn about
phoenixes in general and stumbled upon her stupid mother’s fight for the throne.
She was going to strangle her mother for letting that bit of video stay public. It had taken
some inventive truth-telling to keep the illusion up that her mother wasn’t the very person he
was studying.
She was just happy her mother hadn't taken her concerns very seriously when she was
awakened. Liz being petulant had formally asked her mother to go into monarch mode to
address the issue. Her mother was flippant, but Mara the Queen was anything but.
The conversation had only gotten more awkward when he had asked if Mara was
stronger than Leon. Liz’s parents would have gotten a kick out of being compared. They always
said the other was stronger.
That was the longest, tensest conversation of her life.
Liz had gotten through it, though. The topic hadn’t come up in the last few hours, and
she hoped it wouldn’t reappear at all.
That was a problem for future Liz.
It didn’t help at all that her parents would absolutely love Matt.
 She already knew what they would say. ‘Oh, they’re just like us when we were young.’
Then they would stare into each other’s eyes, and one of them would drag the other into their
bedroom.
Liz knew it wasn’t fair to criticize them for being in love, but they still acted like
newlyweds. It was so embarrassing.
Her mother had also broken every record of high Tiered births. It was unheard of to have
seven children at her Tier. It had led to rumors. She had only been called a ‘broodmare’ once.
Her father had ripped the woman in half in front of the entire court. His being fined for the cost of
the women’s recovery bills had not stopped his point from getting across.
None of that changed the fact they were still overly romantic about companion pairs.
Each and every one was a reflection of them as a young man and a flame sparrow, struggling
on The Path.
Liz vowed to keep Matt and Aster away from them. At least until Tier 10. That was the
deal, she’d have her privacy until then. She had tried for Tier 15, but her parents had flatly
refused to go without seeing their daughter that long.
Their love was like a heavy blanket. After a bump in the dark, it was the greatest
comfort, but it was hot and smothering the rest of the time.
Liz absently ran her brush through Aster’s tail. Aster was a problem. The dragon’s blood
she absorbed was a great help for her future, but if the little fox wanted to use the bloodline, it
would burn itself out. The bloodline not being a natural part of her makeup made it a
consumable resource instead of a permanent part of her.
The bloodline was still amazing. Liz still felt somewhat guilty about eating it. Logically,
she knew it was going to start fading and eventually become useless. It was still a kingly gift she
struggled to accept. Her mother would love to get her grubby talons onto a source of that
dragon’s blood essence.
Liz made a note on her AI to have Matt send a report of the rift to her ‘mother,’ to be
passed on to ‘Mara’ so he could get credit for the find. She knew as soon as her mother saw the
video and ran the numbers, she’d be on the planet in minutes.
Liz looked around. It was pointless. Either of her parents could be inches away, and
she’d only know if they allowed it.
It was a perfect plan to distract her parents for a year or two as they tried to restabilize
the rift. Matt had said the rift had been dissipated, but a Tier 4’s spiritual senses and a Tier 48’s
were two completely different things.
Freedom. Blessed freedom.
She might even be able to get favors from her siblings for distracting the pair.
Liz thought over the high Tiered phoenixes she knew. Who would be willing to give up
some essence to the little fox on her lap?
Aunt Helen is probably the easiest. She even has a restaurant on Bladefall, so it could
be an ‘accident’ if we run into her.
 Liz liked the plan. It shouldn’t be too suspicious to Matt. It would allow Aster to bind the
phoenix bloodline power of rebirth to the dragon’s massive power, creating a strong,
regenerating source of power.
She had already shown Aster how to spread the bloodline out so it would nourish and
empower her. At this Tier, Aster couldn’t use even a fraction of a percent of the power of the
bloodline but binding the phoenix bloodline earlier was always better.
It would also help the fox advance her own bloodline. Phoenix bloodlines and essence
were highly sought after because they made the best support bloodlines. Rebirth was an absurd
ability, and while binding a small portion of the power did not let others cheat death, it did let
bloodlines regenerate what was otherwise permanently gone.
Liz turned her attention to the Dual Stars dueling arenas. She was not happy with them.
The Tier 25 should have intervened when the weak idiot of a Tier 10 stepped in.
People in power thinking they could do anything was how the tragedy of et’Tithil
happened. It had only happened two years ago and, already, people were throwing their weight
around. Did someone need to burn a city of millions down again for the lesson to sink in?
Liz had seen the look in Matt’s eyes as he left the area. They were dead and resigned.
Empty.
They looked far too similar to Lizar, the young man who had felt the only way to get
revenge was to kill the entire city.
The worst part was it was true. As a Tier 7, it was his only way to strike out at those who
had raped and tortured his little sister.
Liz remembered his eyes. They still haunted her.
His story was one of tragedy. He was a gifted blacksmith who had won a city-wide
competition. What should have been a day of celebration turned dark when the mayor’s son
took an interest in his younger sister.
The sister declined the son’s advances and was kidnapped and raped as a result. Lizar
tried to get justice for her and was shot down at every turn.
With his sister’s mutilated corpse dumped on his doorstep, Lizar did what only those with
nothing left could do. He doomed everyone.
He waited until the shields were raised because a rift spawned near the city. With the
shield raised, he broke the Tier 20 family heirloom. It was a forge with a massive fire core
inside. Normally, the resulting explosion would have done little more than kill him and a city
block. Most of the energy would be vented up.
The shield that was supposed to protect the city had, in fact, doomed it. It had registered
the fire inside as an attack and strengthened the defenses, trapping the raging inferno until it
burned itself out.
In a twist of irony, Lizar survived. His Talent was a massive resistance to fire, and he
had lived long enough to tell his story and verify his sister’s killer had perished. After that, he
cracked his own core. Death followed quickly.
 Uncle Manny had quickly issued justice to those who had caused the tragedy. Lizar had
tried to get the crime punished, and while he didn’t have the power to force change, the
Emperor made sure heads rolled.
The baron on the world, and the viscount he reported to, were executed. They had both
seen the report of a rape and murder and had completely ignored it. They felt one Tier 2 girl was
worth far less than a mayor’s son.
The whole debacle was preventable. Lizar had only wanted justice, and when he was
denied that right, he took matters into his own hands. Rape and murder were illegal from Tier 50
to Tier 1. If anyone had done their job properly, 32,756,621 people would still be alive.
Liz wouldn’t let Matt follow down that path. What had brought on Matt’s frustration had
been much less severe, but his eyes had been the same.
She wouldn’t let a small issue get escalated. She already had messages for her parents
and uncle Manny, with the recording of the entire incident, waiting to be sent.
It was overkill for such an incident to make it to royalty, but she still remembered Lizar’s
words, “Why did no one help?”
Liz had pushed Matt to see his reaction, but she wasn’t sure if his resigned words were
because of his current weakness or because he wouldn’t go overboard.
She made another note to get him into a therapist when they left this dust ball. He had
waved off the question of why he hadn’t seen one, saying there were others who needed the
time slots more. It was infuriating.
He still needed to process the death of his parents. As far as she could tell, he just
shoved it down and focused on the present. It seemed like he had been doing that since the rift
break.
The fact that the planet he had grown up on had more than ten rift breaks was
completely unacceptable.
Uncle Manny had apparently already dealt with it, but she still had written a strongly
worded message, ready to send when the information portal opened. She’d make sure more got
done for the planet. A decree and the help Matt had detailed just wasn’t enough.
If the powerful didn’t set an example, who would act kindly? Who would ever refrain from
abusing their power?
Liz was determined to make sure Matt got the help he needed.
What else were friends for?
A small part of her whispered she was only doing this because he had potential. She
squashed that voice. She would help any friend she could. The fact that he could keep up with
her was the reason she had formed a party with him. Not the reason they were friends.
In the maze fight, she had gotten the smallest whiff of a Concept from Matt. It would be
difficult to tease it out, but Liz was sure she could do it. That whiff had only been confirmed in
the duel with the guilder. He had touched upon it, but getting him to actualize it would be the
hard part. Concepts had the habit of disrupting memories involving them until the individual
could fully realize them.
 That advantage would ensure he could keep up with her when she used her own
Concept of blood to form the core of her Tier 5 advancement.
Concepts at Tier 5 would become a larger advantage as they advanced, like a stone
rolled down a mountain. The earlier it was started, the more momentum it could gather.
Matt was impressive, even by her standards. He used a crippled Talent to advance, and
when that handicap turned into a boon, he didn’t get arrogant, and he kept his head down. That
didn’t even account for his synergy with his skill or talent with a blade. [Phantom Armor] was a
good, lifesaving skill on its own. [Cracked Phantom Armor] synergized with him well and was
used to amazing effect.
Skills that could offer that much protection with almost complete coverage were rare. Liz
made another note on her AI to teach him some tips and tricks to direct the growth of his skills.
Matt was as determined to advance on his own as she was. Together, they might just do
it.
She still intended to shove a box over his head and market him as an unlimited mana
source. The look on his face would simply be far too amusing.
Her smile was back.
Liz reaffirmed her reason for joining Matt and Aster. They were strong, and she wouldn’t
have to leave them behind as she advanced. They were friends. That and the rings.
The rings.
Another thing her parents were going to gush about. They had tried to give her a growth
item, but she had refused. She joined The Path to stop that. She wanted to escape their
influence, and now she had a good growth item anyway.
It wasn’t perfect, but it could take advantage of Matt's mana regeneration, so it was
better than nothing. At least they wouldn’t have to swap it out for a better fitting one.
If she had asked any of her aunts or uncles, she never would have heard the end of it
from her parents. Better to use a somewhat useful item than listen to her parents gloating.
If the world truly was on her side, they would have gotten the rings her brother and his
husband had. It allowed them to share mana with no compatibility issues. That would be perfect
to have with Matt's Talent, but this was still good.
Liz shook herself free. This was a happy moment.
As Liz looked down at [Create Water] she felt pride. She had earned this.
She felt a smile on her face that matched Matt’s.
With Aster in her lap, and Matt next to her…
She was happy.
 Chapter 23
 
Matt fiddled with the skill shard in his hand. It was pretty.
It glimmered along with the high-powered lights overhead. This was the fruit of his hard
work and risk taking. He'd be using the skill for essentially forever.
The skill went into a band that locked and secured it to his wrist. The timer was set for
two days, as he didn't have a core slot to dedicate the skill to.
That brought his thoughts to the future. He'd be close to the peak of Tier 4 when this
training world closed, and he needed to start deciding what Tier 5 reward skill he wanted for his
core slot. With a start he remembered that he needed to see TrueMind as well for his next AI
scan.
The arena grabbed his attention. There was a duel going on that caught his eye.
A short woman in Dual Stars colors was blasting at a republican mage. The mage was
using a silver-colored dome for defense.
The skill gave his spiritual sense an impression similar to a spatial distortion. It felt just
like the sensation that interplanetary teleports gave.
The Dual Stars woman panted as she threw [Fireball] after [Fireball]. It seemed
ineffective, but she kept on firing with persistence. Either it was her only skill, or she had already
tried everything else in her arsenal.
The fight ended when the fire mage realized she wasn't going to break down the barrier
and decided to stop wasting her mana.
That unusual skill made him turn to Liz, who was idly brushing Aster as she was curled
in her lap.
"What skill are you thinking of for your Tier 5 reward."
The blood mage barely reacted to his question, her eyes flicking around. She was doing
something with her AI. When he was about to turn back to the fights, she answered, "I'm going
to get [Endurance], and so are you."
Matt opened his mouth. Why would he get [Endurance]?
Quickly looking up the skill, he found it in his Tier 8 skill shard database.
[Endurance]: A channel skill that removes fatigue.
That was it. The only other thing was that it was a rare Tier 8 skill.
It didn't seem all that valuable to him.
"I just looked it up. Why would I get it?"
It once again took her a moment to answer him, "It’s because of how the skill actually
works. [Endurance] functions by enhancing the second layer of directed physical cultivation for
regeneration, the one focusing on muscle recovery. With [Endurance] in the core of your spirit,
you can expand its capabilities to all the second layer regeneration directed cultivation.
Essentially, it makes it the best option for a low Tier selfheal. It's never gonna be as good as
[Regeneration], but it is the next best thing."
That shocked Matt. Then it irritated him.
"Why is that not common knowledge? I could have made a terrible choice without that
info." A channeled self-healing skill was perfect for him. If not for Liz, he would have passed
over the skill without a single thought of how it could be improved upon with his Talent.
This lack of knowledge was infuriating. The Empire might be doing what they thought
was best but, to him, this was a step too far.
It was another long moment before Liz answered, "It's from Madam Del'vir's guide on
Tier 8 skills. It's a common repository of knowledge. It's also given to all Tier 5s on The Path
before they can choose a skill from the Empire's stock. [Endurance] usually sells for a Tier 14
skill shard, and the Empire buys a lot of them up. They always keep a stock of valuable skills to
be used as rewards for those on The Path. Acquiring [Endurance] through other means has
always been incredibly challenging. Most have to wait until Tier 14 when they can trade a
common skill of that Tier for it."
"What’s that name again? Madam Del'vir. That's just a pretentious pronunciation for
Madam Delver. And, besides, how do you even know this?"
"My brother had a physical copy at his house, and I read it. The name is a pseudonym,
or at least that's how it started out. The original author has either ascended or faded into
obscurity at this point. They’re on like version two hundred of the book. The digital copy is free
and updated with crowdsourced information now. The name is just kept as a nod to the original
author who tried to get the information out to the masses. You can still buy it, but most wait until
they get it for free."
That mollified Matt. At least he would’ve had access to the book before making an
uninformed decision. But still, the fact that he had made plans without it was irritating.
He left Liz to whatever it was she was doing and pondered how he could use the
[Endurance] skill. It was an amazing match for him if what Liz said was true. Not that he doubted
her, but he had never heard of skills being able to expand like that in your spirit.
He looked down at the band that [Mage’s Retreat] was locked in. He had already started
cycling essence through the skill, bringing it closer and closer to his inner spirit. Would he be
able to expand its abilities in the same way [Endurance] could be expanded?
A quick check with his AI brought back no results. He'd have to wait until he got off this
training world to get a true information packet about expanding [Mage’s Retreat].
Idly rubbing his fingers over the band, he ignored Aster's subtle pushes to go get her
some ice cream. The fox’s nose caught a whiff of the frozen treat, and she was carefully
sending suggestions of a quick snack. However, her idea of subtlety was actually a tidal wave of
sensory information that interrupted his musings on skills.
Matt scratched her head and went back to watching the fights. The republican with the
strange space shield was still on the stage, and a melee opponent was futilely trying to slam
through the layer of silver with a mace.
The woman stood there, not even deigning to look at the ineffectual battering her shield
was taking.
 It was only a few minutes later when the man gave up and walked off the stage as well.
Looking above the arena floor, he found the screen with her information and ranking in
the tournament.
Name: Tu
Tier: 5
Rank: 4th.
This girl was simply outlasting her opponents and had climbed to fourth in the rankings.
How many people had she done that to on this stage?
Matt didn't know but watched as another contender stepped onto the field. This guilder
was a painfully thin man, with cheekbones so prominent he looked like he was being starved.
The man seemed to say something, and at the republican's nod, he produced and threw
out three beakers that shattered once they hit the ground.
The three beakers were each filled with different colored liquids, and with a wave of the
guilder's hands, a summoned golem rose out of each puddle.
The red puddle gave off heat waves and produced a flaming golem that shot out balls of
fire. They were potent but seemed too small to be [Fireball]. Matt's AI determined it to be an
application of [Fire Manipulation].
The green liquid summoned a golem that seemed to give off a poisonous or possibly
acidic impression. Matt’s Tier 4 spiritual sense was only able to narrow it down to one of the
two.
The third vial contained a thick purple liquid that reeked of void affinity, and a twig-like
golem rose from the puddle it had created.
The battering from the three golems seemed to get the republican's attention. She began
to retreat from the bombardment but was cut off. The golems boxed her in and continued
pounding at her shield. In response, the girl slashed out a hand, and an arc of silvery light flew
forward and cut each of the golems in half.
The fight seemed to be over until the guilder mage waved his hands again. Out from the
puddles of goo left by the dissolving corpses came three new, completely intact golems.
The golems charged and herded the republican mage until she was over the original fire
puddle. His trap sprung, the guilder mage quickly dismissed and re-summoned the fire golem,
directly under the republican’s shield. The fight ended quickly after that.
The republican mage surrendered, and the gaunt guilder didn't press his advantage.
At the conclusion of the fight, Matt's attention wandered to an arena on the far side of
the central plaza.
There was a gun mage, an odd variant of mage and archer. They used enhanced
variations of mortal weapons that threw bits of metal at opponents. After a quick search, his AI
provided some data about two variants of the archetype. One used magic to propel the metal
'rounds,' and the second used various alchemical substances.
 The drawback of the former was that the mages relied on hyper specialized wands. The
‘guns’ were enchanted wands, fashioned into the shape of their mundane counterparts. The
wands still threw bursts of mana like normal spells but, according to his AI, most of these mages
just transitioned into true spell casting at Tier 8. In the end, they weren't used for the same
reason staves were better than wands, larger items meant more runes and enchantments could
be imbued in the weapon.
The second variant used alchemical propellants to launch the metal rounds. They
usually allocated essence, essentially like a standard archer, but with less strength. They were
similar to crossbow users in that regard. There were two main drawbacks to this variant. The
first was the ever-increasing difficulty of manufacturing the propellants with Tier advancement.
On top of the cost, if the weapons had any problems at all, they were prone to exploding
in the user’s hand. Even with his AI’s negative assessment of the fighting style, he was
interested in watching the duel. The gun wielder used two different types of guns. One was a
dark blue and the other a burnished rose gold.
His opponent was a standard sword and shield user with chainmail armor. The shield
glowed with either a skill or enchantment. It did a good job of blocking the golden gun’s blast of
energy. Gaining confidence, the melee fighter charged, but when the gun mage fired his blue
gun, it spat out a projectile that cracked the shield with ease.
Giving up on cautious movements, the melee fighter simply ran at the gun mage, trying
to close into sword range. The gun mage was able to keep his distance and slowly whittled the
man down with rounds. The finishing shot again came from the blue gun and ripped out a chunk
of the melee fighter's leg.
The gun mage’s next opponent was a standard mage. They had a very familiar dagger
in hand as they approached the arena.
Matt looked to Liz to see if she was done with her AI. He wanted to get her attention so
she could see their dagger put to use. He saw her eyes still fluttering as she stared into space,
so he left her to it.
This fight was far more interesting. The mage with the dagger instantly conjured a
sphere of wind that stopped energy blast and physical projectile alike. Next, they channeled
[Wind Blade] through the dagger and shot out empowered slashes of compressed wind that
screamed toward the gun mage.
The gun mage was able to dance away from the blades but struggled to get through
their opponent’s [Wind Barrier]. The Tier 14 skill was a wall that blocked and redirected all
attacks weaker than the skill.
After watching three more similar exchanges, Matt became bored of the stalemate.
Suddenly, the gun mage was able to land a grazing blow on their opponent, timing up the air
currents of [Wind Barrier] and firing at the perfect moment.
The woman looked in shock at the bleeding hole in her side. With one hand pressed to
the wound, she slashed out again, but instead of [Wind Blade], it was [Cyclone]. The mini-
tornado chased after the gun mage, forcing him to focus on avoiding the deadly swirl of wind
rather than shooting at the wind mage.
As the gun mage rolled out of the way from another [Wind Blade], the wind mage
dropped her [Wind Barrier] for a moment and launched a [Fireball] at the still active [Cyclone].
 The now flaming tornado raged toward the gun mage, lashing out with tongues of flame.
They ignited the newly erected [Wind Barrier], as well as the [Wind Blades] the mage sent out
from the safety of her flaming barrier.
Dagger empowered wind attacks combined with wind strengthened fire spells led to a
quick conclusion to the fight. The gun mage was unable to dodge the final slash of flaming wind,
and with his clothes on fire, rolled out of the arena.
Matt was amused at the wind mage still lashing out with [Wind Blade]s until the referee
called out and stopped her. He gave it fifty-fifty odds as to whether the red in her cheeks was
from her now flaming wind barrier or pure embarrassment.
Seeing no other fight that caught his interest, Matt wandered to the smith he had
contacted earlier. When he arrived, he talked the options over with the smith one final time. In
the end, he decided to go with Liz’s suggestion of three minor runes that allowed the blade a bit
more safety.
The smith didn’t have any problem with making the weapon to his specifications. After
some deliberation, he decided to make the weapon a bit longer and a lot heavier than his past
weapon. It was closer to a typical greatsword in length and heft. Only Matt’s height would let him
use longsword techniques with his new weapon.
He was about to have [Mage’s Retreat], which at a 2 mana a second throughput, would
give him a 25% strength increase. With all his essence allocated to his physical cultivation, that
would be a sizable boost. It would mostly be boosting his strength allocation, but there was a bit
of enhancement of his durability as well.
The graph he found regarding [Mage’s Retreat] read: