Syl: Chapter 60 - 67 (Patreon)

Chapter 60: Shadowcaster

'What the hell is a Shadow... Caster?'

<Class Shadowcaster has been unlocked.

Would you like to swap classes?>.

Shit. I needed to make a decision. Tabitha had warned me that I should be careful not to blindly decide, especially if it was a different class type. But the name of this class hinted at casting spells, so I could safely assume it was still magic-related. Also, aside from fighting ghosts, my slime abilities were still vastly superior to my class.

'If it's bad, I can swap back. If it's good, I can get a headstart on skill revelations... Yes, swap class.'

<Class Mage LV 11 swapped to Shadowcaster LV 1.>

<Your class has revealed the following skills: [Corrosion Magic], [Vanish]>.

<Spend 1 Skill Point to upgrade [Stealth] into [Vanish]?>

'Uh. Yes?'

<Skill [Stealth LV 5] upgraded into [Vanish LV 5]. Skill Points remaining 5.>

<[Vanish LV 5]

Helps the user hide their presence, greatly scaling with skill level.

Obscures the user's Lifeforce and Mana while the skill is active.>

'Oh, now it greatly scales? Well worth the point. I had no idea skills could upgrade like that. Obscuring my lifeforce reminds me of one of my prior evolution options. Now let's grab the new magic.'

<Skill [Corrosion Magic LV 1] obtained. Skill Points remaining 4.>

<[Corrosion Magic LV 1] spell [Acid Dart] learned.>

'Acid magic! No doubt it's weaker than my [Acid Slime], but now I could use it while in my disguise.'

I fired the spell, and a luminescent green magical dart shot out at high speed, sizzling into the wall. I copied its size and coloring and fired an acidic slime shot, giving my mimic skill the praise it deserved for replicating it with one glance. I compared the damage between the two, and I'd say the spell was easily less than half as effective as my slime.

I excitedly descended the stairs, eager to see what the next floor held. Eventually, the steps ended, and I stood before a massive archway with glowing sigils decorating it. It certainly gave the impression of the final challenge of the dungeon. When I approached it, a notification appeared.

<You have reached the Dungeon Boss room.

As a beginner dungeon, retreat is allowed.>

'Oh. So, some dungeons lock you in? Good to know...'

Since retreat was an option, I felt obligated to enter and at least see the final challenge. I entered the room, which opened into a large circular arena fully decorated with the graveyard motif and surrounded by marble pillars with ominously glowing runes carved into them. At the center was a massive four-armed skeleton equipped with a spear, sword, mace, and shield. It had a few bits of fragmented and corroded plate mail scarcely covering it, which was unlikely to protect it but certainly added to its threatening presence. It stood there silently, waiting for its challenger to approach and duel it in honorable combat.

<Skeletal Juggernaut LV 10; Knight 5.>

'Wait... Is this thing lower level than me?'

I equipped [Apex Hunter] and felt no tug of worthiness from this monster. Some quick and rough head math made me estimate I had around five more combined levels than it, give or take. It felt extremely disappointing, as I would have loved the boosted experience and the free skill point. I hoped it would at least give me enough for my evolution.

Before I engaged with the creature, I needed to prepare myself. I withdrew slime mass and engorged myself to an impressively girthy blob. I felt like I wouldn't be able to dodge it physically, so instead, I wanted to take a page from my [Sub-Cores], which had demonstrated a much more efficient dodging method in the past by purely maneuvering their cores out of the attack's trajectory.

Since it still refused to move, I would exploit its arrogance. Even if I was at a higher combined level than it, I would gladly take this free opportunity. After all, I had proven that levels weren't everything by defeating foes above my own.

I prepared a massive burst of maximum density sticky-flammable-acidic slime and held it ready to launch at a moment's notice. Then, I coordinated with my cores to prepare two fully empowered [Fire Arrows]. This finally caused the creature to stir, but it still would let me make the first attack.

With a burst, the slime combination covered the creature, and then both flaming bolts rocketed into it, one smashing into its skull while the other entered its chest cavity. The entire skeleton ignited in rapidly spreading flames. Its bones rattled in anger, and it charged forward with weapons pulled back, ready to swing.

I ordered Alpha and Beta to continue coordinating more empowered [Fire Arrow] spells and had Gamma spam [Acid Dart]. Meanwhile, I took control of my slime mass, forming all my tendrils and shaping four of them into replicas of the two-handed maul I had devoured and one of them into a shield. I regretted not trading for a tower shield like Roderick to add to my profile collection.

Before it reached me, I gave it another thorough coating of my slime combo, which ignited promptly upon touching the monstrosity. Its spear was the first weapon it lunged forward with, and I tried casting [Bubble] to block, but it instantly popped upon contact with the spear. Luckily, I was prepared, and with the help of [Evasion], I maneuvered my core out of the way.

I swung my weapons at the creature while trying to block its sword with my shield. I managed the block, but it wasn't enough, even with all my traits working together. Thanks to the reduced velocity, it sliced through the fake shield and cut partially into my slime. When the mace came down upon me, I shifted the impact area with [Elastic Slime] in addition to my regular defenses and watched as the blunt weapon bounced off my slimy hide.

'Ha! Glad to finally have a use for that trait. Also, I'll be eating this spear, thank you.'

The effects of my weapons were decent, although it did parry one of my pseudo-mauls, which splattered against the shield. I looked forward to eating all these weapons. I clung to its spear and started eating it immediately. Unfortunately, the sword wasn't deep enough for me to keep my hold on it, and the monster reclaimed it before I could eat it.

I was having quite a lot of fun battling this monster, using a full combination of all my traits and skills. Sadly, it was not durable enough to keep up against the onslaught, and its form was falling apart as it melted in my acid or burned to cinders. I grabbed its four limbs with my tendrils and started to pull; I could hear its bones creaking up until the point I ripped them from its sockets. Shortly after that, its entire form went limp, and I had won. While devouring the skeleton, I reviewed all the notifications I had ignored.

<Profile [Spear] updated.> <Profile [Sword] updated.>

<Profile [Hammer] updated.> <Profile [Shield] updated.>

<Profile [Skeleton] updated.>

<Proficiency gained. [Consuming Osmosis LV 4] improved to [Consuming Osmosis LV MAX].>

<Proficiency gained. [Acid Slime LV 5] improved to [Acid Slime LV 6].>

<Proficiency gained. [Poison Slime LV 4] improved to [Poison Slime LV 5].>

'Now that is some big upgrades, long overdue for the acid.'

<Proficiency gained. [Magical Attack Proficiency (Lesser) LV 2] improved to [Magical Attack Proficiency (Lesser) LV 3].>

'Great! I can fuse that after a bit of bow practice.'

<Class Experience threshold reached. Shadowcaster is now LV 2.>

<5 Skill Point is now available.>

<Your class has revealed the following skill: [Rogue Expertise]>.

'Only one level is a little disappointing, but hopefully, I'm close to the next. What's with this Rogue skill, though? I guess that means my class is somewhere between Rogue and Mage.'

<[Rogue Expertise]

Receive knowledge on Pickpocketing, Lockpicking, Trap Detecting, Trap Disarming, and Sleight of Hand, all scaling with skill level.

All the tools of the trade you'll need for an aspiring Rogue.>

'Uh... I guess I'll need to speak to Whitney about this.'

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Mimic Slime (Blue) is now LV 20 (Max).>

<Evolution options are now available.>

<5 Trait Points are now available.>

'I made it. Without nearly dying this time. Looks like there's still another notification.'

<Your accomplishments have been acknowledged.

Emblem Achieved: [Dungeoneer].>

'Oh? A new emblem! I hope it's an equipable one.'

<[Dungeoneer]

With extraordinary effort and luck, you have completed a dungeon solo. Or perhaps you over-leveled and stomped a low-level dungeon? Either way, congrats!

Dungeon loot earned has a higher chance of being enchanted.

Equipping this emblem will slightly increase the chance of dungeon loot dropping and allow the user to detect nearby undefeated dungeons.>

'Seems decent? Although, with that poison resistance ring as my only reference - I'm not exactly impressed. Now, let's take a peek at-'

"Monster! You dare violate my dungeon?"

'What?'

Suddenly appearing in a swirl of darkness was a robed skeleton. Its empty sockets flickered with an ethereal violet flame, and it held an ornate staff gilded with multiple small golden skulls along the shaft and topped off with a black orb swirling with magical energy. It floated in midair, still surrounded by the floating mass of dark energy. My emblem immediately proclaimed this being as worthy. But all I saw was...

<Proficiency gained. [Identify LV 2] improved to [Identify LV 3].>

<Blocked; Dreadlich LV 60; Master Necromancer LV 60.>

Death.

<Proficiency gained. [Identity Block LV 4] improved to [Identity Block LV 5].>

"Is this some prank by the humans letting loose a red slime in my dungeon? Be gone!" It shouted and waved its staff.

Vast black magical energy erupted and immediately surrounded me. It penetrated all my defenses, layers of slime, and reinforcements, ignored my other cores, and honed in on the real me as if guided to my life or soul.

<You've taken critical damage. [Defy Death] has been activated.>

<Proficiency gained. [Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 3] improved to [Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 4].>

I didn't even feel pain. I just felt the life ripped from my being. The skeleton looked curious as to why I was still alive. It raised its staff as if about to finish the job. I wanted to cry out and beg for my life when it shuddered and fell to the floor like a ragdoll. I stared in horror for seconds before rushing to the exit when the archway was sealed shut.

'No!' I slammed my slime against the archway, using every trait I had to try to damage it and melt a way through, but it didn't even have so much as a scratch. I fired a barrage of every spell I had, but it was impenetrable. Behind me, I could see the Dreadlich beginning to stand up.

"Great One... Why do you stop me?" It questioned into the void. It seemed to be listening to something before it examined me with excruciating detail—it felt like my soul was being violated.

"I... I had no idea this was one of yours. I thought it was a simple monster. I humbly beg for forgiveness." It stated and started pleading to the void.

"Of course, I'll offer it compensation for killing it."

"We don't normally reward monsters that stray into our territories. How was I supposed to know?"

"You... Forgot to tell us?" It shook its head, dejected.

"Yes, I'll give it the dungeon loot it was supposed to earn."

"What!? For an entire day?"

"I see... You wish for it to safely evolve. Yes, that would be hard to do outside. Very well."

I didn't dare move as I heard this one-sided conversation, but it appeared I had been saved. The Dreadlich cleared its nonexistent throat and looked towards me.

"Syl, I would like to apologize for disrespecting your dungeon challenge. Please forgive me."

I shifted into my elven form to converse, automatically equipping my outfit. It stared at me with intrigue.

"Interesting... A mimic slime? Such a rare species, you must have some highly trained skills and traits to fool even me into thinking you were actually that elf from yesterday."

"I... Yes. So you're going to let me live?"

"Yes. The Great One wants you to evolve and speak with him. I've locked the entrance to the dungeon so nobody will be able to disturb you."

Was he talking about Gramps? That was the only one I could think of who knew about me and wanted me to evolve.

"The adventurers might question why I'm missing for an entire day."

"Just say you were trapped when the dungeon closed. It is partially true since I've been told not to let you out until you evolve. I'd suggest doing it soon, as testing his patience is not wise."

"I see. Thank you. I just want to get my traits and skills in order first."

"Ha! I can imagine, although if you've come this far, I don't think any brand new ones would affect your evolutions."

I nodded at its advice. I'd look now and then see if gaining any new traits or skills changed my options. Perhaps I could even ask the Dreadlich for advice?

I opened up my evolution list and gasped at the amount of options.

Species Evolutions Available:

Mimic Slime (Red)

Mimic Slime (White)

Mimic Slime (Yellow)

Mimic Slime (Pink)

Mimic Slime (Silver)

Mutation Evolutions Available:

Gluttonous Mimic Slime (Blue)

Aquatic Mimic Slime (Blue)

Doppelganger Slime (Blue)

Alchemic Mimic Slime (Blue)

Predation Mimic Slime (Blue)

Chimeric Mimic Slime (Blue)

Magma Mimic Slime (Blue)

Cloud Mimic Slime (Blue)

Special Evolution Available:

Queen Mimic Slime (Blue)

Chapter 61: Evolution Consultation

'Interesting... So Green and Purple are no longer options, and the Parasite mutation.'

<Mimic Slime (Red)

A dangerous member of the slime species, often found near sources of magma or high-rank dungeons.

Its red slime can generate temperatures equivalent to the magma it often inhabits, and even approaching one can be deadly.

Battles with this species are often compared to fighting against a Fire Mage and should be countered with Water or Ice magic.

Their cores are highly desired and sought after for their usage as Fire Mana Catalysts or inside Dwarven Forges.>

'Well, that explains my staff. I've already integrated one, so this is a skip.'

<Mimic Slime (White)

A deadly member of the slime species, often found in frosty mountains, icy tundras, frozen lakes, or high-rank dungeons.

Its white slime contains vast amounts of cryo-energy and can cause rapid freezing and damage living tissue on contact.

Battles with this species are often compared to fighting against an Ice Mage and should be countered with Fire or Lava magic.

Their cores are highly desired and sought after for their usage as Ice Mana Catalysts or for creating frozen storage for alchemical reagents, monster parts, and food.>

'Is deadly better or worse than dangerous? I imagine this would give me Ice affinity and likely cold immunity. I wonder if I could purchase or trade for a catalyst. Or travel to an ice region? I wonder how rare they are.'

<Mimic Slime (Yellow)

A deadly member of the slime species found almost exclusively in dungeons and rarely on floating islands.

Its yellow slime can generate sparks between its core and outer membrane and even discharge bolts of lightning.

Earth and Nature magic is recommended to counter this slime, and Lightning magic should never be used against it, as it only empowers it.

Avoid using metal or water near this slime, or you will be targeted by it.

Their Cores are highly desired and sought after for their usage as Lightning Mana Catalysts and experimental Mana-Tech.>

'Floating islands? As in unconnected landmass, or do they mean literally floating, like in the sky? If it's the latter, then that sounds like an amazing place to explore. What amazing profiles would I be able to find there? Lightning sounds interesting, although I wonder if it wouldn't directly counter me due to my nature as a blue slime. I'd need to use my stealth skills to ambush one or, if possible, trade for a catalyst.'

<Mimic Slime (Pink)

An extremely rare form of slime species coveted by the world as its iconic slime is the primary component in superior healing potions.

They do not spawn naturally and are only scarcely found, sometimes occupying Healing Fountains inside the largest dungeons.

Their Cores can be utilized as Healing Catalysts or ground down into a vital component in Regeneration Elixirs.

The prize for selling such a slime is untold riches from some of the most powerful nations. Some even consider it a crime to kill such a creature.>

'Nope! Never. I don't need more reasons to be harvested. What would this even give me personally? Healing magic like Evan, I suspect. I can't regenerate mana with my blue slime, so the signs point to pink slime being unable to heal me personally. However, perhaps it would increase my vitality if my assumptions that [Mana Slime] is partially responsible for my absurd mana capacity. It seems slimes and dungeons go hand in hand, so seeking them out has great potential for me.'

<Mimic Slime (Silver)

A somewhat dangerous and very sturdy slime—a strange characteristic among slime—it is often found deep underground near ore deposits or within dungeons.

This slime can harden its silvery slime into metals similar to the ores it devours and form dangerous blades and spikes to attack and defend itself.

Its sturdy nature means that mundane weapons are completely ineffective, and even enchanted weapons can struggle to damage one.

Like most slimes, it retains its weakness to magic and is one of the only known ways of defeating it. Fire can weaken its form, Ice can slow it down, and Lightning is usually deadly.

Their cores can be utilized as Earth Mana Catalysts, but attempting to pry the liquid metal from the Dwarven Empire is daunting.>

'I think this is my first time considering a species evolution. The benefits sound amazing, and it sounds like it has something similar to [Poison Slime], where I can sample metals. Not to mention Earth affinity, which could mean even more magic. Exploring the Dwarven empire sounds compelling, and once again, I could go dungeon hunting instead.'

'Well. That's the end of the species evolutions. The winner is most definitely silver in my eyes, but I wonder what my mutations have to offer.'

<Gluttonous Mimic Slime (Blue)

A mutation of an existing slime species, this slime has an endless hunger it constantly seeks to end.

This mutation can efficiently turn anything into a slime mass and grow to tremendous sizes; plants, animals, even rocks—this slime devours all.

Due to their ability to devour an entire ecosystem into a wasteland and lack of subtlety, they are often quickly exterminated.>

'This feels more like a comment on my eating habits than being actually worthwhile anymore. I can generate slime with mana now, so getting slime mass from rocks isn't appealing. The only remaining benefit would be better slime control at a tremendous size, but that's me making assumptions.'

<Aquatic Mimic Slime (Blue)

A mutation of an existing slime species, this slime gains the ability to command bodies of water that its slime core is submerged within.

This mutation can freely traverse water and gain greater control over water as it grows.

Extremely destructive when angered, but fragile as water lacks the defensive properties of its own slime.

The largest recorded species took over a lake, and many fear what would happen if one found the ocean depths.>

'If I compare this to the bear matriarch, I assume this would have given me [Water Magic]. I already have magic now, and with so much synergy between my slime traits, I don't see regular water cutting it. I can't say I regret skipping it the first time.'

<Doppelganger Slime (Blue)

A direct evolution of a mutation is a rarity beyond measure. It answers a long-standing question: If the primary species can evolve, why not the mutation itself?

The Doppelganger Slime has gone beyond simple mimicry and now steals the lives it has claimed entirely.

Levels, Class, Race, Emblems, Traits, and Skills - all are copied at the time of the prey's death and form a perfect transformation.

Doppelganger forms, however, cannot be improved beyond their originals. Who needs to grow when you can take more?

Almost no information is available for this species, and it is rumored to be only a theoretical possibility.>

'Fuck!' I stared at the description with conflicted feelings, as it sounded immeasurably powerful and was a direct upgrade of my mimic mutation. It felt like my instincts were screaming at me to take this option immediately, others be damned, but something about it irked me.

'Did I earn this because I stole Tarz's life? Walked around pretending to be her, fooling all her friends?' I questioned, and a dark thought bubbled in my mind.

Or because you're stealing Sylthaeryn's currently?

'No! She gave it to me!' I screamed my denial, 'She even marked me with part of her name...' I countered and continued to look through the options, praying for something more promising.

<Alchemic Mimic Slime (Blue)

An extremely rare and highly sought-after mutation of slime that is the envy of alchemists worldwide.

Its slime can substitute for almost any alchemical ingredients, and high-level monsters of this species are said to be able to generate complex potions from scratch.

While many alchemists have tried to obtain this slime as a bonded familiar and lab assistant, its mutation condition is not entirely confirmed, and controlling non-intelligent monster evolutions is another challenge in itself - this has led many alchemists to early bankruptcy.>

'Why do so many slime options always talk about the value of us? Mana potions, health potions, liquid metal, and now alchemical reagents! I'm sure there are all sorts of crazy things I could do with this, but the risk of serving myself up on a silver platter for some mad alchemist to capture me and bond me. No thanks.'

<Predation Mimic Slime (Blue)

A mutation of an existing slime species, this slime targets and hunts prey like a veteran assassin.

This mutation gains unique traits to blend into the environment and eliminate its own sounds and smells, in combination to make it nearly undetectable.

Advanced cases of this species are said to be able to detect lifeforce and conceal their own lifeforce and mana.>

'I really liked this option, and I nearly picked it before. Although now, if I wanted to be an assassin, I could simply pick the class, so I'm not sure if it's still as valuable. If I use mimicry, I can blend in, and [Vanish] at least partially hides my life and mana. I can't detect lifeforce, but perhaps there's a skill for that? It's like this was a good first evolution option, but it's now sorta outclassed by my other second evolution options.'

<Magma Mimic Slime (Blue)

A mutation of an existing slime species, this slime gains the ability to command magma and lava that its slime core is submerged within.

This mutation can freely traverse the molten rock and gain greater control over it as it grows.

Extremely destructive and hard to kill due to being protected by the molten rock, the only saving grace is that they are generally small due to the inherent difficulty of controlling such a powerful element.

Commonly mutated from red slimes, they share the weakness of water and ice magic, which can trap their core in a rocky obsidian prison.>

'Another elemental branch mutation, I assume, just like Aquatic and Earthshaker. It is most likely coming from the red slime core. The question that comes to mind is, where would I even get molten rock from? Would I need to find a volcano? Could I make it myself by just blasting rocks with Fire magic? Like Aquatic, I'd be losing out on slime synergy, so I'm reluctant despite it having added protection.'

<Chimeric Mimic Slime (Blue)

A mutation of a mutation is an infrequent but not unheard of occurrence.

The Chimeric Mimic Slime has broken the constraints of its mimicry and learned that one form does not have the adaptability required to survive.

If you cannot find the ideal form, why not create it yourself?

Almost no information is available for this species, and it is rumored to be only a theoretical possibility.>

'This is another path from my original mimic choice, although it sounds weaker than Doppelganger. The option of making my own forms is appealing, which I had tried to do early on. I could likely mix and match parts and possibly even traits.'

Unlike Doppelganger, I didn't feel the urge to pick this. But emotionally, at least, I liked the sound of this more.

'But isn't that stupid? Picking a likely inferior option over emotions. I want to survive, after all.'

I moved on to look at my final choices.

<Cloud Mimic Slime (Blue)

A mutation of slime that is said to only be found on floating islands.

This slime has the ability to transform and control its slime into a cloud-like substance and slowly fly around.

Its primary form of attack, suffocation, is extremely deadly and feared amongst careless adventurers.

However, due to its inability to reasonably protect its core, it often dies swiftly.>

'Floating islands again? Now I assume they do mean they actually float in the sky with all the mentions of clouds. While flying sounds tempting, swiftly dying is a no-go. I'm guessing my early kill strategy of suffocating boars and [Vaporize Slime] led to this.'

<Queen Mimic Slime (Blue)

The apex of a particular slime species, this evolution is the final destination for any slime species as it turns away from self-growth to progeny.

The Queen Slime loses the detriment of decaying slime mass and instead produces new slime mass over time, which is a necessity for its new goal and ability to create entirely new slime cores.

Slime cores birthed by the Queen that become independent slimes become the base slime species, but on rare occasions, can also be born with any of her other mutations.

For this final evolution, the Queen Slime gains a boost to all its attributes and traits.>

'As tempting as it sounds, this would be my final evolution choice. I'm unsure when that is, but I'll consider it then.'

My thoughts muddled over my options, so I asked the Dreadlich some questions.

"Hey... So... Would you be willing to give me your thoughts on my evolution options?"

"Oh? Slime evolutions. Fascinating. Yes, I'd gladly like to hear what has been presented to you. Your kind don't often live long out in the wild."

I reviewed all my options, and when we reached Alchemic, the light flared inside its skull. Instantly, I was being coerced into taking Alchemic and even threatened to choose it until the Dreadlich collapsed to the floor lifelessly again. It picked itself up again, dusting off its robe.

"Well... I've been thoroughly informed to ignore my personal interests."

We continued through the list, and then it started to scratch its chin in contemplation.

"If we ignore Alchemic, then Doppelganger and Chimeric are the winners. Doppelganger reminds me of my early necromancy days when I started with weak undead and kept finding more powerful corpses to raise. I'd take that, eat the biggest adventurer in this town, move to the next city, and repeat the process."

"Now Chimeric, on the other hand, reminds me of my later days, when I grew bored of simply resurrecting corpses as is. I started to experiment, mix parts, and create whatever I fancied. I fondly remember my first Bone Hydra with a different monster skull for each head! I think you could have a lot of potential in the future, assuming you survive that long."

"There is one obvious flaw in my thinking. I'm approaching this with reference to my accomplishments and comparing it to necromancy. Doppelganger does something my necromancy could never do - copy everything. Even if I killed and raised a legendary swordsman, there's some inherent loss, and not all the traits or skills remain, and certainly not the emblems."

"I would like to say that it is a case of guaranteed power versus potentially greater power, but there are too many unknown factors, especially if you throw creativity into the mix. Anyway. Those are my thoughts. Good luck, little slime."

I gave my thanks and looked at the notification that had appeared at some point during our conversation.

<Proficiency gained. [Enhanced Charisma LV 2] improved to [Enhanced Charisma LV 3].>

I mentally cheered at [Apex Hunter] getting the last level I wanted in Charisma.

<Would you like to Fuse: [Enhanced Intellect LV 3], [Enhanced Willpower LV 3], [Enhanced Charisma LV 3], [Mana Well LV 3]?

Becomes Trait: [Soul Mastery LV 6].

This will cost 1 Trait Point.>

'Yes.'

<Fused Trait [Soul Mastery LV 6] obtained. 4 Trait Points remaining.>

I was tempted to fuse [Attack Mastery], but I still lacked a level in ranged weapons. The Dreadlich had said any new traits and skills obtained this recently shouldn't affect my evolutions, and I couldn't see any new options since gaining [Soul Mastery].

I also tried fusing my slime traits, but none of them in any combination led to anything. Perhaps Gramps hasn't thought of any yet? Maybe I can ask him to work on them?

"Thanks for your consultation. I guess I'll evolve now."

"Not a problem. It was a fascinating discussion, and I'm considering raising my own slime pet for research. We can speak a bit more afterward."

I nodded and opened up my menu. I hoped I was making the right choice.

Chapter 62: A Long Overdue Discussion

<Confirm Chimeric Mimic Slime (Blue) Evolution?

Warning: Evolution will cause the body to go into torpor until complete.>

'Not like I have much choice. I'm locked in here with a magical skeleton who can kill me instantly with a wave of a staff... Yes.'

<Evolution in progress.>

"Fascinating as always. I wish I still had evolutions left in me..."

I felt my core burning, swelling with power, and the world began to fade.

"I should have offered a bucket or something... My dungeon floor..." were the last words I heard before the void consumed me.

I found myself once again in the familiar infinite void and placed on a chair. While I knew Gramps could hear my thoughts, I had a neurotic concern that one day, I'd accidentally mess up talking to myself in my head and speak out loud, revealing something slime-related while disguised. So I shifted form, sitting in the chair for real this time.

"Syl, so good to see you again!" The loud and cheerful voice of Gramps erupted.

I opened my mouth to reply but was immediately interrupted, "Before we start, I need to clarify that I am not responsible for creating the elves. I even voted on putting severe population restrictions on the race and for their racial emblem to be usurpable."

Gramps was evidently displeased about all the badmouthing I had been doing ever since I read their profile.

"Why is their profile so ridiculous? Compared to everything else I've seen so far?"

"It's a long story... But the gist is we adopted a soul from another world as a test to see if bringing otherworldly essence would be profitable. That soul bargained to start as an elf, which used to be a simple race back then. He achieved immeasurable success; he freed the elves from enslavement, stopped a demon incursion, brokered peace amongst the racial nations, and achieved absolute mastery in the arcane. When we approached him to reward him at the end of it all, he instead turned us down and asked if he could leave behind his legacy to the elves. He spent every Reincarnation Point, every bit of goodwill, every achievement and accomplishment, and the current elf is the result."

"Why don't elves rule the world then? If they used to be enslaved at one point, I'm assuming that not all of them could let bygones be bygones."

"Yes. We had to step in after the fact and set severe restrictions on them. Their race is practically infertile, and the usurping of their emblem allowed a lot of powerful competition. This did lead to some unfortunate culling of their race, but eventually, another peace treaty was brokered, and the world reached an equilibrium. But enough of a history lesson, I'm sure you have much better things to ask."

"Thanks." I replied, pausing with a big sigh and dropping my largest concern first, "Am I going to lose my mind from evolving?"

"Ha! No, not at all. In fact, this experiment is testing whether we should remove that evolutionary impulse from intelligent monsters."

"That's a relief. So why did I start without a class? It seems intelligent monsters are supposed to start with one."

"That was intentional! I specifically requested it." Gramps casually dropped the bombshell.

I restrained myself from facepalming, "... Why?"

"Tell me, Syl, what do you think of Traits compared to Skills?"

"I've only recently begun experimenting with Skills, but my Traits feel superior so far."

"And the rest of the world? The goblins and humans you encountered?"

"They all seemed to think Traits are worthless. The goblins even thought evolutions were pointless."

"Exactly! I worked so hard on so many of those Traits, and the majority of the world thinks it's useless! I wanted to prove them wrong, show that they are all idiots for changing their experience distribution."

"Huh... I honestly forgot I could change the distribution."

"Well... You can't. I disabled that and nearly set your class distribution to the minimum when you went out of your way to unlock a class. However, I was overruled and told I was interfering with the test results. Bah!"

I silently thanked whoever stopped Gramps.

"Can you blame me? You were so close to your next evolution. You were going to be the first. At first, I questioned why you were protecting those goblins, but then it paid dividends. I thought it was a stroke of genius, then you went and joined the adventurers, made no progress to evolving, and then went and got a class which only further delayed it."

"Sorry... I just felt lost and confused. I had so many unanswered questions; everything was a mystery, and everyone and anything seemed to have a class except me. I didn't even have [Universal Language] till I got bonded."

"That's my fault. I forgot it gets applied to intelligent monsters via their class. And look on the bright side; you may not have been first to reach their second evolution, but you still won a bet for me."

"A bet?"

"You picked the evolution option I created. They accused me of playing favorites again, and someone else created Doppelganger to tempt you."

"It felt like my instincts were screaming at me to pick it. I very nearly did."

"They certainly did their research. They knew you were desperate for a class and to obtain skills." Gramps said, then paused as I heard him mumbling before he continued, "Honestly, maybe the adventurer thing wasn't a bad idea... If you evolved before getting a class, then Chimeric might not have even stood a chance."

"That's... Huh... Yeah... I probably would have thought now's finally my chance."

"And you were also the first to enter and conquer a dungeon. Gave me a real scare when Simon killed you,"

"...Is Simon the Dreadlich?"

"Yes, make sure you milk something good from him because if you didn't have [Defy Death], he would have completely ruined our test results. Just further proof how useful Traits are."

"Speaking of Traits, why can I not purchase [Prodigy]? Every time I try, it says error."

"What!?" Gramps exclaimed and then went silent. I awkwardly shifted in my chair as he began to mumble to himself. I caught a few of his words: cleaned, mistake, soul, and leftover. Unexpectedly, a notification suddenly appeared.

<Trait gained: [Prodigy].>

"There we go, I fixed it for you." He announced. It sounded not entirely true, but at least I had it now.

"Any other questions? It will be a long time till our next meeting, so I will give you a few more."

I had a few questions I wanted to ask out of my own curiosity, but if I was going to be limited, I'd shelve them for now. I'd much prefer to ask questions concerning myself than an explanation of why the adventurers could utilize notifications.

"Are there any slime trait fusions, and if not, would you consider making me some?"

"Good question. Currently, there are two, but both require specific conditions that I'm sure you'll stumble upon." He replied. An image of an old man smirking flashed in my mind, "I'm always considering new Traits, so I'd say the future is bright."

"Thanks. I hope you're right. Speaking of Traits, are you responsible for the [Sub-Core]?"

"Yes! I'm glad you are finally starting to use its real potential. While using them as independent casters or creating joint spells with them seems obvious, or your defensive orders, what impressed me the most was using one to filter information and another to handle mimicking wounds." There was so much enthusiasm in his voice. If he wasn't a disembodied voice, I bet he would be enthusiastically slapping me on the shoulder.

I honestly felt a bit proud to receive his praise, and I easily imagined a doting Grandparent.

"I would like to know if you have any goals for me. When does this experiment end? You keep mentioning others and competition, but I'm stumbling in the dark here."

"Hmm... You're quite the paranoid individual. But very well. The experiment officially ends when you either reach your final evolution or perish. I'm unable to disclose information about the others or the various side bets going on, but you may stumble upon other monsters in a similar position as yourself."

"As for goals..." He paused. An image of an old man giving a sympathetic and reassuring smile flashed in my mind, "Just live a fun life, Syl. Your previous one ended tragically, but you seem to be having quite an adventure already. There's a huge world out there! Raid a labyrinth dungeon, investigate a floating island, and climb a mountain! Meet new races, meet new monsters, and collect slime cores! There's so many possibilities."

I nodded, "Thanks, Gramps."

He gave a friendly chuckle before responding, "Watching your antics has been riveting, and I can't wait to see what you do next."

I was about to open my mouth when the chair disappeared from under me.

"It looks like we're running out of time. Good luck, Syl. I'm rooting for you!"

"Wait! When's my next evolution? How many evolutions do I have left? Can I gain-"

I heard Gramps chuckling as I fell into the void.

"Always so many questions..."

I woke up to a barrage of notifications. I felt amazing.

<Race Mimic Slime (Blue) LV 20 evolved into Chimeric Mimic Slime (Blue) LV 1.>

<Trait [Shape Slime LV 6] upgraded to [Morph Slime LV 6].>

<Traits [Adhesive Slime], [Elastic Slime], [Slime Density LV 5] subsumed into [Morph Slime LV 7].>

<Trait [Shapeshifting Mimicry LV 5] upgraded to [Chimeric Mimicry LV 5].>

<Trait [Morph Slime LV 7 is being enhanced by [Chimeric Mimicry LV 5].>

<Proficiency gained. [Pseudopod LV 5] improved to [Pseudopod LV 6].>

"Nice joke, Gramps. You could have told me it was going to combine some traits."

<[Morph Slime LV 7]

Freely manipulate and change your slime mass into whatever shapes and forms you desire, limited only by your creativity, knowledge, and available slime mass.

Furthermore, the characteristics of slime mass are configurable on the fly to change density, adhesion, elasticity, or even texture.

Morphing speed and maximum density greatly scale with trait level.

Compatible with other slime traits.>

'Wow. Talk about an upgrade. Although, this makes me wonder what the purpose of [Pseudopod] is now. Not only did it not combine into this trait, but my evolution also gave it a level up. I guess Gramps must have further plans for it.'

<[Chimeric Mimicry LV 5]

Enhances an existing trait that allows bodily transformation or manipulation and greatly bolsters shapeshifting into any creatures or objects.

This trait level, knowledge of the targets, and practice all affect the accuracy and capabilities of the forms in an additive or substitutive manner.

Forms can be freely modified, such as changing size or making other adjustments, and can also be combined, including limitless partial transformations.

The combined level of both traits reduces any physical discrepancies between your natural form and shapeshifted forms.

While transformed, traits the targets possessed can be mimicked, provided sufficient knowledge about them and any required bodily parts are currently manifested.

The maximum level of mimicked traits are capped to [Chimeric Mimicry], but quantity restrictions have been removed and limited with a trait budget.

Trait budget: 25.

Enhanced trait: [Morph Slime LV 7].>

I had to reread this one a few times, and each subsequent completion left me dumbfounded by the improvements and possibilities. I could combine forms and cherry-pick the best traits from my forms, limited only by a budget that I assumed would grow with the trait level.

I looked around and noticed the floor around me had been elevated to form an impromptu bowl. I noticed my clothing folded into a neat pile outside the bowl. I probably should have deposited that before evolving, and I was glad it had survived the process. I grabbed and deposited my outfit with a tendril.

I shifted into my elven form and sighed with relief when it perfectly matched my original form. I had some bubbling anxiety that my changed traits might have impacted my form. I tried something simple by changing my teeth to the wolves' and successfully mimicked [Enhanced Fangs]. I admired the intimidating set of pearly whites that added a rather horrific quality to my previously elegant elven form.

Since I set [Enhanced Fangs] to the maximum, it took up five points of my budget. Curious about traits without levels, I shifted my fake innards and mimicked [Robust Stomach] from the goblins. I was very pleased when I saw it only cost a single point from my trait budget.

While I was shifting hobgoblin claws to one hand and bear claws to the other, the room began to darken, and a familiar swirl of black shadowy energy erupted, revealing the Dreadlich.

<Blocked; Dreadlich LV 60; Master Necromancer LV 60.>

Gamma remembered my order, and I smiled when I recalled Gramps telling me to milk some recompense.

Chapter 63: Recompense

Whitney, Kurt, Roderick, and Dewi sat around a small table in the Adventurers Guild. There was quite a lot of activity in the building, with people trying to make sense of the situation, rumors and gossip buzzing in the air, and some even making bets.

"It's almost been two days," Whitney said while impatiently tapping her foot.

"Her guild tag says she's still alive. Don't worry so much." Kurt replied, "You should have seen her blasting through the dungeon. I doubt a few undead could stop her."

"Are we sure she's even in the dungeon?" Whitney snapped back.

"The guards said that she entered, and they warned her to stick to the first floor," Roderick answered.

"To think she'd trigger a Dungeon Trial. I didn't even think that was possible in a beginner dungeon." Dewi murmured, scratching his chin, "Clearly, I have an eye for talent if the Gods even agree with me."

"I can't believe you're joking about this. She could be dying right now. Why did she go to the dungeon by herself? It's so stupid. Ugh!" Whitney raged and threw her empty mug at the wall, causing some of the other occupants to curse at her.

"Look. Tabby says she's still alive, so have some faith in her. We didn't even take a single injury when we were partied up. She's got a water shield spell, and she can blast those undead to pieces without breaking a sweat." Kurt said, trying to reassure her.

"The guards will report to the guild as soon as the dungeon reopens," Roderick added.

"My theory is that she hit thirty, triggering the Trial. And if she followed my advice with her ascension, she could burn her way through the undead." Dewi postulated.

"That reminds me, you said Water was shit. I think all the undead she killed would beg to differ." Kurt said, pointing at Dewi.

"I mean, can you blame me? Evan is the only caster with Water Affinity, and he uses it to fill canteens. Besides, nothing beats a good old Fireball."

"I dunno... Those water flails looked really cool."

"Greetings, Syl. Congratulations on evolving. I hope your talk with the Great One was riveting."

"Thanks, Simon," I replied, and he visibly shuddered.

"Please... Don't call me that." He interrupted, and when I stared at him in confusion, he explained, "Fear the mighty Dreadlich Simon. It just doesn't invoke fear. The Great One refuses to allow me to change my profile, says it's too amusing."

"Sorry, I didn't know. I guess that's why you only block your name, which I had no idea was even possible. I can only disguise my profile or block it entirely."

"Oh, that's rather simple. You merely identify yourself and focus on the part you wish to obscure. Since you no doubt have a mimicry-related trait, you can probably manipulate it more than simply blocking it."

I identified myself, which I had no idea I could do.

<Syl [Apex Hunter]; Elf LV 31; Shadowcaster LV 2.>

Then I focused on my name, thinking block.

<Blocked; Elf LV 31; Shadowcaster LV 2.>

"Thanks," I replied, then returned my profile to normal.

"You've been unconscious for just over two days. I'd advise you to keep this in mind for your next evolution and ensure you can find somewhere to seal yourself."

"Two days... Shit. How am I going to explain this to them."

"If I were in your position, I'd just kill them all. But, the Great One says you could claim you received a Dungeon Trial, which is when one of the Gods orders us to trap an individual or group inside as either a test or a culling."

'Culling!? Gramps is more ruthless than I thought...'

"If you don't mind me asking, what is your role?"

"I'm the caretaker of this dungeon. I manage this region's ambient flow of essence and utilize the excess to create monsters and treasures, which the adventurers try to claim."

"But why? I think you could singlehandedly destroy the entire town."

"Indeed, but as a caretaker, I'm prohibited from attacking them directly. I am getting something out of this ordeal that makes the effort worthwhile."

"I see..."

"Yes. Now, about your reward for beating the dungeon and your compensation for... Killing you."

A chest appeared in the room, which I opened and found a bow.

<Longbow of Endless Arrows.>

"Huh."

"Yes... I wasn't sure what to give a slime, but considering you carried a bow, I figured this might be useful. For an insignificant amount of mana, this bow can generate a nocked arrow when drawn."

"Thanks," I replied, pulling back on the string, and an arrow appeared.

"Unfortunately, I'm limited to what I can spawn. As for your compensation... The Great One suggested I spawn a monster to consume and offer you some skill training. The former, I'm again limited, and the latter, I'm unsure of what I could train you on as I do not sense Necrotic Mana within you."

"Can you spawn any slimes?" I asked enthusiastically.

"I'm limited to nothing above Blue and Green."

"I'll gladly take a Green slime. As for skill training, I have an idea."

"Let's hear your idea then."

"Can I shoot arrows at you to raise my proficiency? I have an emblem that gives me bonus experience when fighting higher-level monsters, and you meet the criteria."

"I see... Unorthodox, but I suppose I can accept that. Those arrows can't harm me."

I spent the next while firing arrows at Simon. He was correct in that they couldn't harm him. I triggered [Slime Conversion] to get some bonus experience and had [Mana Sight], [Low-light Vision], and [Thermal Vision] all active. I certainly took Gramp's advice to heart and made some considerable gains before Simon lost his patience and ended our training session. I had hoped he would have let me cast [Acid Dart] at him. I looked over my gains.

<Proficiency gained. [Slime Conversion LV 2] improved to [Slime Conversion LV 3].>

<Proficiency gained. [Ranged Weapon Proficiency (Lesser) LV 2] improved to [Ranged Weapon Proficiency (Lesser) LV 3].>

'Time to finally fuse them! Having one skill for all my attacks together is much preferred, and since the new trait doesn't differentiate between attacks, I can feel confident it would apply to my slime attacks as well.'

<Would you like to Fuse: [Melee Weapon Proficiency (Lesser) LV 3], [Ranged Weapon Proficiency (Lesser) LV 3], [Improved Accuracy (Lesser) LV 3], [Magical Attack Proficiency (Lesser) LV 3]?

Becomes Skill: [Attack Mastery (Lesser) LV 6].

This will cost 1 Skill Point.>

'Yes'

<Fused Skill [Attack Mastery (Lesser) LV 6] obtained. 4 Skill Points remaining.>

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Sight LV 3] improved to [Mana Sight LV 4].>

<Trait [??? LV 0] has become [Thermal Vision LV 1].>

Sadly, there wasn't enough time to unlock [Low-Light Vision], and I didn't gain a level for [Chimeric Mimicry]. I hoped I didn't lose my previous progress in the trait from before it upgraded. Finally, Simon summoned a green slime for me.

<Slime (Green) LV 1.>

I quickly ate it and received my updated profile.

<Profile [Slime] updated.>

<Slime (Green) LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Slime (Green) Core absorbed. Trait [Acid Slime] gained.>

<Existing Trait [Acid Slime LV 6] improved to [Acid Slime LV 7].>

I mentally chuckled at effectively gaining an entirely free level in one of my strongest traits. I tried asking if he'd be willing to spawn another, but he said it went against his dungeon's theme and had already greatly bent the rules for me.

"I believe that more than makes up for my mistake," Simon said.

"This will sound extremely weird, but do you think you could cast that spell on me again? The one that nearly killed me. While I can mimic injuries, they could sense my lifeforce, and I think being completely unharmed would be unbelievable."

Simon sighed deeply, "Very well. But this is the very last thing I will do. Having the dungeon sealed for two days has diminished my essence gathering."

I was about to thank him when, abruptly, the black mana burst from him and penetrated deep into my core. I felt the life inside me suddenly drain away rapidly.

<You've taken critical damage. [Defy Death] has been activated.>

<Proficiency gained. [Defy Death LV 2] improved to [Defy Death LV 3].>

<Proficiency gained. [Enhanced Vitality LV 3] improved to [Enhanced Vitality LV 4].>

'Ha! Totally worth it, and the best part was no pain, so much better than bludgeoning my own core.'

Alpha had already created plenty of fake injuries to match my current health level; it was great to have such dedicated workers. I ripped, burned, and dirtied my outfit by staining it with some blood-red slime in patches. I hated ruining the outfit Whitney gave me, but it had to be done.

"You should consider finding some enchanted armor. If you have something with self-repair, then you wouldn't need to do this activity. I'd also recommend the size-modification enchantment; it would help keep your equipment intact despite your transformations."

"Thanks! That certainly sounds useful."

"I suggest you promptly leave. I reopened the dungeon when you awoke, and five humans have since entered. I've removed the monsters from the third floor so you can make haste to the second floor, which they are close to reaching."

"Five? That sounds like Roderick's party."

"I do not know. But please... Don't return to my dungeon. This is supposed to be for beginners."

I chuckled, "Sorry... And thanks for all the help."

Simon waved his hand as if to shoo me away before fading into his cloud of darkness. I swapped to my new [Dungeoneer] emblem since it would corroborate my story. I could feel slime slowly being drained to heal my slime core.

The third floor was indeed empty, and with [Mapping], I quickly ascended to the second floor. The green slime profile was boring with only [Slime Shot], and unlike blue slimes, which had the hidden gem of [Slime Conversion], they had no special secrets. But looking at how my evolutions had removed it from the list, I could assume it was a much lower tier of slime. I hoped the other slimes I read about during evolution would have much more to offer me.

Before I headed into the next room, I looked over my new status menu.

Name: Syl [Dungeoneer]

Race: Chimeric Mimic Slime (Blue) LV 1

Class: Shadowcaster LV 2

Status: Dying

Mana: Overflowing

Emblems:

[Experiment]

[Apex Hunter]

[Elven Legacy]

[Dungeoneer]*

Traits:

Slime:

[Mana Slime LV MAX]

[Acid Slime LV 7]

[Poison Slime LV 5]

[Blaze Slime LV 4]

[Morph Slime LV 7]

[Pseudopod LV 6]

[Slime Shot LV 5]

[Slime Burst LV 5]

[Vaporize Slime]

Core:

[Core Refinement LV 6]

[Core Storage LV 5]

[Sub-Core Alpha LV 4]

[Sub-Core Beta LV 4]

[Sub-Core Gamma LV 4]

[Consuming Osmosis LV MAX]

Mimic:

[Chimeric Mimicry LV 5]

[Chroma Shift LV MAX]

Mana:

[Mana Circulation LV 5]

[Mana Reinforcement LV 5]

[Slime Conversion LV 3]

Attributes/Other:

[Soul Mastery LV 6]

[Enhanced Vitality LV 4]

[Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 4]

[Defy Death LV 3]

[Prodigy]

Senses:

[Olfactory Sense]

[Dark Vision LV 3]

[Mana Sight LV 4]

[Thermal Vision LV 1]

Trait Points remaining: 4

Skills:

General:

[Universal Language]

[Equipment Swap]

[Dissection LV 5]

[Mapping LV 3]

[Tracking LV 1]

[Identify LV 3]

[Multitasking LV 1]

Combat:

[Evasion LV 3]

[Attack Mastery (Lesser) LV 6]

[Affliction Master LV 1]

Magic:

[Water Magic LV 3]

[Fire Magic LV 3]

[Corrosion Magic LV 1]

[Mana Manipulation LV 3]

[Mana Suppression]

Sneaky:

[Vanish LV 5]

[Sneak Attack LV 5]

[Identity Block LV 5]

[Acting LV 4]

Skill Points remaining: 4

Chapter 64: Mistaken Identity

Simon must have been tired of me killing his undead, as the room I entered had only two regular skeletons. We coordinated to empower two [Acid Dart] spells, which immediately destroyed their skulls, causing them to collapse into a pile of inanimate bones.

'Surely I should have unlocked [Ritual Casting] by now? The worst part is I don't even see the unknown skill on my profile. Can some things just not be earned at all?'

The next room had two zombies, which also went down in one spell each. I was hoping to reach level two in [Corrosion Magic], but if Simon was being frugal, then it wasn't likely. I could hear the sound of some fighting up ahead, so it looked like I would meet up with the group.

I hoped [Acting] was up to the task as I immediately started to fake fatigue and injury, even giving myself a slight limp. When I entered the room, I saw five figures busy finishing off a small group of skeletons.

<Keaton Stanton; Human LV 5; Fencer 13.>

<Nelson; Human LV 5; Rogue LV 11.>

<Conor; Human LV 3; Warrior LV 12.>

<Kad; Human LV 2; Scout LV 8.>

<Edmund; Human LV 7; Knight LV 18.>

One wore a fancy cloak with pristine leather armor and held an ornate-looking rapier, while another was a large man wearing plate armor armed with an equally impressive longsword and buckler. Compared to the first two, the remaining three were practically wearing rags.

'Who the hell are these people? Actually, the one guy with the fancy cloak looks a little familiar. I like his choice of weapon.'

When they finished killing the last undead, they turned to face me with weapons still drawn. Mister fancy cloak grinned triumphantly.

"You are an idiot thinking you could get away from me. Did you really think changing your name and class was enough to fool me? I'd recognize you anywhere, Sylthaeryn."

'Oh, shit. They know her.'

"Master, you should deal with her quickly so we can get out before the guild notices the dungeon has reopened," the knight replied, while the other three began to try to flank me as if to prevent my escape.

"Yes, yes, you're right, Edmund." He agreed and flourished his weapon, "I don't know how you survived, but your luck has run out."

"Well, boss, since she shacked up with the adventurers, ya know they have a saying... What happens in the dungeons stays in the dungeons!" One of the thugs mentioned, cackling at his own joke.

I began to laugh, causing all five of them to look a bit startled. I remembered now that this was the guy who was traveling with Sylthaeryn, and now he's just admitted that he was the one who had tried to kill her.

"It looks like the reality of her situation has made her go mad," Keaton chuckled, composing himself.

"No. I'm laughing because of how weak you all are."

"Fucking elf, think you are superior to us, I put you in your place before, and I'll do it again. Grab her!"

Two of the thugs moved in to grab me, and I could only chuckle as it was time to try out what my new evolution could do. Two tendrils burst out from either side towards the approaching men, and at the end of each one was a set of claws from the Venom Barbed Badger, enhanced with the appropriate traits. Their shock and surprise were short-lived as both tendrils disemboweled them before retracting back inside of me. Their lifeless bodies collapsed to the floor.

"What!? Has she sold her soul to become a demon? What was that!?" Keaton screamed, his eyes filled with abject terror.

"Sir, get behind me!" The knight interceded.

"Your first mistake was trying to kill her. Your second mistake was trying to kill me. And your final mistake was assuming I'm an elf." I chuckled, "At least now I can avenge her. So thank you."

Five tendrils emerged from my back, each with a different end, as I decided to maximize my new trait. There were five heads: a wolf, a boar, a bear, a badger, and a panther. It's probably not as cool as Simon's Bone Hydra, but I had limited animal profiles to work with. I figured I'd feed Keaton to the panther tendril, as it was her original companion.

The remaining thug screamed and tried to flee, only for me to gore him to death with the boar's tusks. The knight swung at me, and his blade at first deflected off of my defenses, then he seemed to utilize a skill as it shone and passed through me on the second blow. When his blade swung through me, I could see the visible relief appear on his face when blood oozed out of the cut.

'You're so dramatic, Alpha.'

I smirked when the wolf and badger snaked around to bite at his arms. Unfortunately, even with all my boosts, it appeared his armor was no joke, and I couldn't penetrate it, but I could quite easily restrain him, which I did.

While this happened, I had the panther tendril "sparring" with Keaton. It was hilarious how he thought he could damage the head by stabbing it. I was a little surprised when he cast a rather feeble-looking [Flame Arrow], and even if I didn't have [Blaze Slime], I didn't think it would be enough to penetrate my defenses.

"You call that a spell? This is a spell."

I formed an empowered [Acid Dart] and fired it at him, aiming for his leg. When it struck, there was a horrible sizzling noise, and he collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain.

"Sir!" The knight screamed and struggled from his slimy bonds.

"Fuck! No! I can't die here! I'm a Stanton!" He screamed.

I watched him trying to crawl away. It was honestly pathetic, as I had expected more from Sylthaeryn's killer. The adventurers I fought as a goblin put up more of a fight; they had struggled with their every last breath, yet Keaton had presumably more levels than them and went down from one spell.

"If you let me live, I can give you gold. You'll be rich!"

"I'd rather get experience than gold. Plus, with what you've seen, I can't let you live."

"No! No! No! You can't do this to me, Sylthaeryn! My family will find out!"

I chuckled softly, "What happens in the dungeons stays in the dungeons."

I maneuvered the panther's head towards him and enlarged it, and then, with a satisfying chomp, bit his torso in half. The knight was screaming profanities, all semblance of reason gone, and trying to escape. I started to dissolve his armor away, then began casting [Acid Dart] repeatedly at him. Unlike Keaton, he didn't wail in pain and just cursed me, my family, and the entire elf race until he perished.

I started grabbing all the evidence and consuming them. Meanwhile, I looked through the notifications I had been ignoring.

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Chimeric Mimic Slime (Blue) is now LV 2.>

<5 Trait Points are now available.>

<Class Experience threshold reached. Shadowcaster is now LV 3.>

<5 Skill Points are now available.>

<Proficiency gained. [Chimeric Mimicry LV 5] improved to [Chimeric Mimicry LV 6].>

'That confirms it kept my previous experience when upgrading. Really glad about that. Looks like my new trait budget is 36.'

<Proficiency gained. [Corrosion Magic LV 1] improved to [Corrosion Magic LV 2].>

<[Corrosion Magic LV 2] spell [Poison Mist] learned.>

'Wait, poison!? I thought this was acid magic?'

I immediately cast the spell, and it released a purply cloud that rapidly drifted away from me. I cast it again and captured the mist in my slime but received no notification from [Poison Slime] about a new sample.

'Very strange...'

<Class Experience threshold reached. Shadowcaster is now LV 4.>

<6 Skill Points are now available.>

<Your class has revealed the following skill: [Perception]>.

'So I gained two class levels and one race level. Not much, if I'm honest. I'll check this skill afterward.'

<Profile [Sword] update.>

'At least I got a rapier out of this exchange. I'm happy for the profile.'

<Profile [Armor] completed.>

<Profile [Armor] updated.>

'Oh? Wait... Have I never considered eating armor? It feels stupid in hindsight. Although, I'd just be faking the appearance. But if I can get enchanted armor like Simon mentioned, that would surely be extra protection that my slime can't replicate. Although... If I can get a silver slime core, perhaps that's irrelevant.'

I had cleaned up all traces of our scuffle and retaken my injured appearance. I started walking back, and it seemed Simon had no intention of throwing me any more monsters as the walk back was completely undisturbed.

<[Perception]

Sense hidden foes or threats around you.

Success chance and maximum radius scale with skill level.

Sensory traits can increase this skill's success chance.>

'Unlike my previous revelation, I think this is an instant purchase. Hopefully, I can ask Whitney about the other one, assuming I'm not emerging from here as public enemy number one.'

<Skill [Perception LV 1] obtained. Skill Points remaining 5.>

When I reached the dungeon entrance, I saw it was late afternoon. Shockingly, there were no guards by the entrance and no signs of a confrontation. Keaton must have bribed the guards or thoroughly hid the evidence if he disposed of them.

I cautiously approached the inn, but everything seemed normal beyond a few stares and points from some townsfolk. I arrived at the inn unaccosted, and when I entered, Trevor seemed relieved to see me.

"Gods, I'm glad you're back, Syl!"

"It's certainly been quite an ordeal," I replied, giving my best impression of a fatigued smile.

"I swear, Whitney was about to burn down the dungeon to get to you. Speaking of, why are they not with you? They were waiting for the guards to report the dungeon unsealing."

"There were no guards in sight when I left the dungeon," I replied honestly.

"That's not right... They were under strict order to report to the guild immediately, and even so, someone is supposed to guard the entrance at all times." Trevor frowned deeply.

He sent off one of his staff to call the group and tell them I had arrived at the inn in an absolute mess but safe. Trevor even handed me a healing potion, practically shoving it down my throat. My core filled with a soothing sensation, and I could tell my unseen wounds were healing.

"Go wash up, you look like shit. I'll leave a huge plate of food for you."

"Thanks, Trevor."

"And congrats on beating your first Dungeon Trial! You earned that emblem!" He said proudly. He looked like he wanted to slap me on the back but was restraining himself due to my injuries.

'I don't think Simon would agree with you.' I chuckled internally.

Chapter 65: Reunion

I went upstairs and cleaned myself off, swapping into a fresh robe. When I returned to my room, there was a large plate of food, water, and what looked like a bottle of wine. I threw my ruined clothes into a corner of the room and quietly ate my food.

I wasn't sure what my next goal was. Gramps had told me to live my life and explore the world. The only thing that came to mind was consuming more slime cores and monster profiles, as my evolution had removed my restrictions. My new emblem also encouraged me to hunt for more dungeons. There was also my class and progressing through the adventurers guild. I certainly wasn't starved for options.

'I think I'll ask if it's possible to get ice or lightning catalysts here and if there are any other dungeons. I wonder how far away the Dwarven Empire is and if traveling to it is an option. Getting my tendrils on a silver slime would be my first choice.'

A knock on the door brought me back to reality.

"Come in," I replied, and the door opened to reveal the whole group.

<Roderick; Human LV 11; Fortress Knight 26.>

<Whitney; Human LV 8; Rogue LV 18.>

<Kurt; Human LV 4; Dualblade LV 6.>

<Dewi; Human LV 13; Pyromancer LV 16.>

<Evan; Human LV 5; Cleric LV 12.>

I was surprised at the sudden prompts until I quickly remembered Gamma's orders. I was honestly shocked at Roderick's level and a little afraid. That was a lot of levels in what I could only assume was an advanced class.

Whitney immediately rushed to my side, followed shortly by Evan. I hadn't seen him since the trip back, so I was a bit surprised.

"You're alive! Thank the Gods!" Whitney squeezed me tightly.

"At least you're not as bad as last time," Evan noted and began to cast a healing spell on me.

"Thanks, Evan. Trevor gave me a healing potion, which helped a lot. I also had a bath and change of clothes."

"Locked in a dungeon for over two days. Lass, the trouble really seems to like you." Roderick said.

"It wasn't so bad. I earned a lot of experience."

"I told you she'd manage. I had full confidence in you, Syl." Kurt said proudly.

"A new class, an ascension, and an emblem. You surely proved yourself." Roderick nodded.

"Wait, new class?" Dewi suddenly asked before looking at me and frowning, "A hybrid class? Did you not get an intermediate pure caster class?"

"This was the first and only class offered to me so far. I thought it might help and figured I could always swap back if it wasn't ideal. It's been good so far, although it's been offering me some Rogue skills now."

Dewi scratched his chin before asking, "If you don't mind me asking, what's your highest magic level?"

I didn't see the harm in answering, "Three."

"You likely overqualified on the one half and underqualified on the other, which is why you were offered a hybrid class," Dewi explained.

"She did qualify for Rogue and Assassin right out of the gate." Whitney replied, "Honestly, I think it's a good thing. You'd be wasting all your previously built-up experience on a pure class."

"Did you at least pick Fire Affinity?" Dewi asked, looking hopeful.

I raised an arm and produced a small flame in my palm, and Dewi looked ecstatic.

"I also can confirm that [Sneak Attack] works with spells. It's likely why I got this class and was pivotal against all the ghosts on the third floor."

Kurt snapped his fingers, "Ghosts! Now I remember."

"Yeah, I had a nasty encounter with a Wraith."

Everyone except Kurt shuddered, who seemed oblivious.

"I got two skills I wasn't sure about, [Ritual Casting] and [Rogue Expertise].

Dewi groaned, but Whitney seemed happy.

"Grab the last one, especially if you plan on doing any future dungeons, as they can be full of traps."

I nodded and turned to Dewi.

"It's a good skill... but extremely limited, and worst of all, like most no-level skills or traits, you can't earn it for free."

"Wait, are you sure? I think I've gotten one before..." I tried to remember.

"Likely an integration skill, you can technically earn [Appraisal] for free, but it's such a hassle it's easier to just buy it." Dewi answered, "Anyway, [Ritual Casting] is good, but you need multiple people who all took the skill. Most groups only have one or two spellcasters and overlapping affinities can be seen as a downside to group versatility. Not to mention, there's also no guarantee your group will stay together. They'd rather spend the point and further advance their own magic."

I nodded along with his explanation. I disagreed with the frugality over a single skill point, but I supposed if you're constantly risking your life as an adventurer, then maybe every point counts. But unlike them, I always had my [Sub-Cores] and eagerly wanted to buy the skill.

"You're healed up physically, but mentally, I think you need to rest and recover. You can talk more in the morning." Evan eventually said, hinting to save our discussions for tomorrow.

Everyone nodded and started saying their farewells and congratulations on surviving the Dungeon Trial. Roderick stopped at the door before closing.

"I just want to confirm with you. There were absolutely no guards outside of the dungeon when you left?"

"None at all. I left the dungeon and came straight back to the inn."

"Thanks, lass. Something reeks. They were under strict orders to immediately inform the guild when the dungeon reopened. Rest well. I'll handle this."

I thanked him and sighed as I sat on my bed.

'Keaton must have done something.'

I bought my two new skills.

<Skill [Ritual Casting] obtained. Skill Points remaining 4.>

<Skill [Rogue Expertise LV 1] obtained. Skill Points remaining 3.>

After the flood of information washed through my mind, I sighed in relief. While I didn't have that evolution addiction, I certainly was addicted to gaining new skills and traits. It was bizarre to suddenly have a bunch of thievery information inside my head, but I wasn't going to complain if I got to avoid and disarm traps in the future.

I cast [Water Orb] and had Gamma join me in the spell. The ease of our coordination made our previous attempts look like an absolute joke. A regular version of the spell was about the size of an apple, and when I solo enhanced it, it was about the size of a watermelon. With this trait, I wasn't sure if we would even reach a limit, as it was nearing bear size.

I stopped the size increase and then started to compress the water. I was happy to see that I could apply my slime knowledge in such a fashion, and I imagined this version of the spell would have a particularly violent explosion when it hit. When I started noticing the spell construction threatening to unravel, I had Beta join us, and immediately, the spell reinforced itself and was perfectly stable.

'I cannot believe they disregard this skill, even if your partner died or left you. Or perhaps it's not as effective between two different individuals? I guess they wouldn't be able to instantly communicate full intent mentally and expect their partners to obey without question or hesitation.'

I had Alpha join in, then tried to hand over the spell to my [Sub-Cores] entirely. The spell immediately threatened to collapse, and I quickly rejoined to prevent damaging my room. I didn't realize how much my own mental capacity contributed to the spell. I stared at my remaining trait points. I wanted to keep a small reserve in case I discovered something in a profile.

'I can definitely afford to buy one more. Is two too greedy?'

After humming and hawing for too long, I bought two more. Gramps had personally made this trait and vouched for its effectiveness, and [Ritual Casting] now further proved its usefulness.

<Trait [Sub-Core Delta LV 1] obtained. Trait Points remaining 4.>

<Trait [Sub-Core Epsilon LV 1] obtained. Trait Points remaining 3.>

I integrated both into the experience link and had them immediately join our spell. I then eased off my contribution to the spell. They struggled to hold it at first, but I held off on rejoining unless it started to dangerously unravel. Thankfully, My intervention was unnecessary, and the five [Sub-Cores] worked together to hold it.

While I left them to maintain the spell, I wanted to see what I could do with [Chimeric Mimicry]. I changed one of my hands to the badger claws - sized down appropriately. I had previously failed to mimic evolved monsters and assumed I just couldn't for some reason. Was this an upgrade from my evolution or due to a higher level in my mimicry trait? I suddenly regretted not trying them again before evolving in hindsight.

I formed the rocky carapace from the Earthshaker Bear along my arms and stared at the tangled mix of thick black fur and rocky protrusions. It was definitely the trait, despite me not having the prerequisite Earth affinity, but it felt considerably weaker.

'It's still better than nothing. If I get Earth affinity, will the copied trait have its full power? The Dwarven Empire is sounding more enticing.'

I wanted to try mimicking some of the undead traits I had taken from the dungeon, [Undead Resilience] in particular, so I could potentially maneuver amputated body parts. The trait finally applied when I created a fully undead arm. I chopped it off, and it remained under my control, which was fascinating. The unfortunate part was that as soon as I tried to change the arm into anything but an undead arm, the trait immediately ceased, and the limb fell into a puddle of lifeless slime.

I kept experimenting and eventually, with inspiration from the undead wolves, crafted a zombified bear arm, which I could still control once severed. After my success, I felt like I should get some sleep. I looked at the notifications I had ignored while my [Sub-Cores] worked hard.

<Proficiency gained. [Sub-Core Delta LV 1] improved to [Sub-Core Delta LV 2].>

<Proficiency gained. [Sub-Core Epsilon LV 1] improved to [Sub-Core Epsilon LV 2].>

'Great job. I wonder if that's [Prodigy] at work, although it is five cores working together and three donating all their experience.'

After setting up some slime depositing and withdrawing loops between them, I finally lay down to sleep. Despite being unconscious for two days while evolving, I knew it hadn't counted as real rest.

'Tomorrow, I hope to get some information about my goals.'

Chapter 66: Hybrids and Ranks

I woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day, but it still felt too early to head downstairs, so I decided to experiment a little. Now that I had so many [Sub-Cores], I realized I've never tried to remove one or have one in slime separated from my body. It was stupid, in hindsight, but I had been distracted with everything going on lately. I maneuvered Epsilon towards my hand and plucked it out.

<Connection to [Sub-Core Epsilon] lost.>

I examined it carefully, then put some of my slime mass inside a mug and dropped Epsilon inside of the slime. Nothing happened. I then placed my finger inside the slime.

<Connection to [Sub-Core Epsilon] reclaimed.>

'Interesting. Epsilon, I want you to continuously wiggle the slime mass inside of this mug.'

The slime mass started to wiggle and writhe in the mug. When I removed my finger, it stopped moving immediately.

'Well, shit. I thought perhaps it would retain orders even when separated.'

I recovered the slime mass into my one arm, which I shifted into a zombie arm. I severed the arm and retained control over it with [Undead Resilience] but lost my link to Epsilon even though I could still control the arm. It was infuriatingly baffling.

'Maybe an evolution or trait will solve this in the future.' I thought before reattaching the arm and allowing Epsilon to rejoin again permanently.

The last thing I wanted to do was test how free I was with morphing. I created a pseudopod and then added bristles to it, stolen from the Venom Barbed Badger.

'I'd hate to be hit by that.' I chuckled.

I then morphed it into the Blade Wolf's tail, and when I swished it around, it felt near perfect, with both of my traits at a high level. My thoughts immediately turned to trying to get a silver slime so that I could add metal to the tail blade, which would likely improve it even further than the original.

'Enough playing around. Let's head down.'

It was just Dewi, Whitney, and Kurt at breakfast. Evan had temple duties, and Roderick was assisting the guild master. The reason for Evan's devout inclination was it could be difficult and tedious to level up Healing magic, as you'd actually need to heal injuries or ailments and couldn't just cast at targets or monsters. His encounter with Bloodrot had ignited a fire under him to improve his magic. I mentally apologized, as it sounded like Krutz's infamy would live long in this town.

After a spectacular breakfast, we headed to the Adventurers Guild. Tabitha was giddy as she congratulated and thanked me repeatedly for passing my Dungeon Trial. I was confused about why I was getting thanked until Kurt pointed out that since Tabitha "recruited" me, my achievements would earn her a bonus.

'At least that explains why she's filled her head with so much class and skill knowledge despite using none of it herself.'

Tabitha led us to a small office for our discussion, as apparently, the information would be a bit sensitive and might "piss off" some of the regulars.

"With Syl's levels, class options, and now solo dungeon achievement, the guild wants to promote her to Silver Rank," Tabitha explained.

"I can see why you wanted to keep this private. That would certainly anger the locals. Some newcomer comes around and suddenly outranks people that have been struggling along." Dewi replied.

"Yeah, I still need to scrape off my rust," Kurt added, "If I hadn't seen Syl in action, I'd be grabbing a pitchfork myself."

"Sorry... Rust? Silver?" I asked, feeling very confused.

"Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond—those are the ranks of adventurers," Tabitha explained.

"Scraping off the rust is a bit derogatory... But basically, anyone below Silver is not seen as a real adventurer yet." Whitney added, "You're very limited in what quests you can accept, and non-adventurers tend to look down upon you."

I nodded.

"The only issue is that you've done no quests officially. We could give you credit on some of the extermination quests with your harvested goods. The bounty on the Forest King is certainly enough on its own; the issue is nothing is post-joining. The guild wants you to do a quest as a test." Tabitha continued.

"I believe it will be decided soon with the Guild Master, and Roderick will be the evaluator since he wants to join the staff. So it will be for both of your benefits. But that's for you to discuss with them later. Let's talk about your Dungeon Trial and your new class."

I summarized what happened, glossing over some of the slimy details. When I explained the dungeon boss I encountered, they all looked relieved, as sometimes the boss could be very dangerous if you were unlucky. I chuckled at the thought of Simon swapping bosses on a whim. I mentioned picking up Fire Affinity and showed off my [Kindle] spell. I also showed my reward for defeating the boss, to which Dewi complained that even the dungeon was against him.

"So your new class is a hybrid between Mage and Rogue, as you've assuredly discovered. The downside of a hybrid class is your revelations get narrowed down a little. As a Mage, you could have gotten practically any magic revelation. As a Shadowcaster, your revelations will be more limited in scope until a higher level. For example, let's say you could get [Lightning Magic] before level ten as a Sorcerer. As a Shadowcaster, you'd need to be at least thirty." Tabitha explained.

"However, since it's an intermediate job, you've unlocked intermediate skills. No matter how high your level, you'd never get [Lightning Magic] as a Mage." Dewi added, "So later is better than never."

"Why is it later, though?" Kurt asked.

"Lightning doesn't fit the class theme of Shadowcaster. It's like asking why you don't use a greatsword as a Dualblade." Dewi answered.

"So what is its theme?" Whitney asked, "I'm curious how magic would help my class."

"Umbral, Corrosion, and Curse from intermediate and everything from basic." Tabitha answered, "That is how the class hierarchy works. If you got an advanced hybrid class, you'd also qualify for every intermediate magic you had the affinity for."

"Please tell me you got at least one. I have to assume you did, or you wouldn't have had the class offered." Dewi asked.

I felt comfortable sharing this, as I wanted to use my magic to hide my slime abilities if I was in public, "Yes. I got [Corrosion Magic]."

Dewi whistled loudly, impressed. "That's a good one. It has acid and Poison spells. I think it also has a few debuffs, basically anything that corrodes away. It's fitting for a magical assassin."

The three begged me to show off the spell despite Tabitha's protests. Eventually, she relented, and I cast [Acid Dart] on an old book of Dewi's. He was impressed as it melted away.

"Huh... That might explain your lack of Nature Affinity now that I think about it." Tabitha murmured.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Obviously, I knew the truth, but I'd gladly take any extra ammunition for my disguise.

"While Affinities are usually completely separate, there's a theory that it's impossible to be born with opposites. Corrosion is said to be one of the opposites of Nature."

We chatted a bit longer before Tabitha asked the others to leave, mentioning that the guild master and Roderick were due shortly to arrive to discuss my quest. When they left, Tabitha turned to me.

"Those three are some of the good ones, so no need to worry, but I'd be a bit more reserved with your personal information in the future. Knowledge can be valuable, and some even trade it. You never know when you find a rare skill or trait, and then you could potentially sell it."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Do you have any questions for me? I'm technically your handler, so I can offer advice or guidance if it's in my best interest."

After thinking about how to approach the subject, I finally said, "I want to get a lightning and ice catalyst, preferably one from a slime core. Is that possible here?"

"Wow, Whitney wasn't kidding when she said you had expensive taste. Unfortunately, you won't find them in a small town like this. The only reason there was a fire catalyst here was the merchant specifically imported it to try to make a fortune from our two resident fire mages. Unfortunately for him, one is broke, and the other hates catalysts."

"I see... How rare are the two slimes? What if I wanted to collect the cores myself?"

"White slimes are pretty common, and the main issue is reaching their location, while yellow slimes are on the rare side, but you'll occasionally run into one in a dungeon."

"What about on floating islands?"

"Okay. Seriously, Syl, are you a spoilt rich princess or something?" Tabitha looked at me enviously before she sighed, "Floating islands aren't too hard to find since their locations are monitored, and the monsters they spawn can sometimes create problems for us ground folk. And yes, you'd find yellow slimes on them quite easily. The biggest issue is trying to pay for the travel. You could probably buy five catalysts for the price of one trip."

"That much, huh..." I replied, trying to think of a solution, "Are there any other nearby dungeons?"

"Sadly not. And ours isn't ideal. I'm sure you've heard the joke before, but our town would likely collapse if not for the blue slime farm. It's great that the dungeon is regulating the flow of essence so that we have a radius of safety from monster spawns, but if it had a more profitable theme, our little town could have become a city by now."

I must have looked disappointed while I was lost in my own thoughts as Tabitha tried to encourage me.

"Don't look so down, Syl. On the positive side, if you're looking for bigger and better things, you might really like your evaluation quest."

I was about to ask what she meant when there was a knock at the door, followed shortly by Roderick entering the room, followed by a muscular and slightly elderly-looking man I'd not seen before.

<Harris [Guild Master]; Human LV 24; Battle Commander LV 41.>

Chapter 67: Guild Master

"Well, well. Seeing is believing." Harris said, "Not that I doubted you, but seeing the actual emblem on your profile certainly adds to the flair."

I could only assume he was referring to my [Dungeoneer] emblem. I spoke up, "Nice to meet you?"

"Yes, sorry, where are my manners?" The man said with a friendly smile, "I'm Harris, and I'll be the leader of this branch until Roderick here finally takes over and lets me retire."

"You'll be bored out of your mind as soon as you retire unless you plan on taking up cooking like Trevor?" Roderick said with a grin.

"Cooking? Nah. Maybe smithing or farming. Put my strength to good use."

Tabitha cleared her throat, and the two men stopped their rambling back and forth.

"Right. So. Let's get this out of the way first." Harris said, raising his right hand. A soft light enveloped him, but [Mana Sight] didn't reveal even a hint of magic. "By my authority as Guild Master of Stantondale, the contents of this discussion are not to be revealed to any other party outside and remain strictly confidential."

I grimaced at the town's name, which I had just found out. As he finished speaking, I noticed my necklace and Roderick's shone brightly. Tabitha also had a hint of a glow around her while Harris spoke.

"I agree," Roderick said, and his necklace dimmed.

"I agree," Tabitha said, the faint aura around her receding.

I looked around confusedly.

"One of the perks of being Guild Master comes with the emblem." Harris said with a grin before explaining, "If any of us violate this after agreeing, that individual will be immediately expelled from the adventurers guild and our profile blacklisted and published to all branches."

"By making it official, we hope you'll trust us, Syl," Tabitha said.

I nodded, "I agree."

<Harris, Roderick, Tabitha, and Syl have agreed to the conditions. The Adventurers Guild will enforce any breaches.>

"How...?" I murmured at the notification.

"Long ago, a great hero saved the world, and her request from the Gods was to make an organization to unite the world, which then became the Adventurers Guild." Harris explained, "The Gods accepted her request and gave us the emblems and tools needed. Every now and then, another great hero makes a final request, which gets added to the growing list of benefits."

"This seems oddly specific, though," I questioned.

Harris laughed, "If my memory is still good, I believe there was a dark time in the guild where lawlessness and thuggery were prevalent. Adventurers threatening towns or only offering to help if paid exorbitantly, backroom deals, absolutely disgusting behavior happening behind the scenes. So the request was some way to enforce guild law, so to speak, which led to things such as this."

"Thanks for the explanation."

"No problem. Anyway, let's get down to business." Harris said, taking a seat. "I did some investigating. The guards were bribed and, supposedly, threatened. Although I have my doubts on the latter, we found them piss drunk."

"Bribed to leave their post?" Tabitha asked.

"And inform the Stanton boy when it opened up," Roderick added.

"But why?" Tabitha asked.

"Well. I have my suspicions, but I assume he was after the elven legacy emblem." Harris replied.

'I knew this emblem would be trouble.' I thought bitterly.

Tabitha gasped in shock, staring at me in horror. "But... Oh, Gods."

"So, Syl, did Keaton Stanton attack you in the dungeon? I swear, on my honor, as a Guild Master, nothing will happen to you."

I paused before answering, "Yes."

"And you dealt with him and his accomplices?" Harris followed up.

"...Yes."

"Good riddance." Roderick spat.

I looked at them, confused by their attitude to the situation. I was half expecting to have to fight my way out of here, despite Harris' promise.

Seeing my disturbance, Harris spoke up and explained how they'd been investigating Keaton after I returned. Sylthaeryn had originally entered the town beforehand and interacted with Keaton, only to disappear completely. Worse, he made zero effort to report what had happened, and they suspected foul play. Considering I found her bleeding out and poisoned, that was obvious.

"So what now?" I asked.

"Well, the guild won't hold you responsible; in fact, we want to protect you. We take self-defense very seriously. Our members are out there risking their lives fighting monsters every day, and you're expected to protect yourself. However, we can't say the rest of the Stantons won't cause something, as this is their town. They are already asking what happened to their precious boy," Harris explained.

"As much as I hate to say it, I'd recommend you leave Stantondale," Roderick said, looking apologetic.

"Sorry, Syl, I know you just made friends here," Tabitha said, looking downtrodden.

"Which is where your quest comes in." Harris continued, "You'll be doing a merchant escort to Kaerlin. Which will get you promoted to Silver and get you away from that horrible family."

"Of course, this is just a suggestion. You're free to do whatever you want." Roderick pointed out.

"No. I think it's a good idea. I'd rather not need to worry about constantly watching my back if his family decides to come after me."

"Kaerlin is also a city, not a town, so you might find some of the items you were looking for." Tabitha pointed out.

I nodded. All things considered, this worked out well for me. In a bigger city, I'd have access to more resources and hopefully stand out less.

"We're also paying out the bounty for the Blade Wolf, AKA the Forest King. It's been deposited into your guild account. Should you need the funds, you can withdraw it from any guild branch." Harris said.

"That bastard killed many fresh adventurers," Roderick said, looking very grateful.

Tabitha informed me a caravan was going out tomorrow or next week, and I could choose either. I agreed to go tomorrow since I couldn't find any reason to stay in this town anymore. Even the dungeon hardly held anything worth killing for experience, and I didn't want to test Simon's patience.

"Why do all this for me?" I asked before getting ready to leave.

"As I said before, we adventurers look out for each other. One reason for having a worldwide organization is to prevent nobles from throwing their weight around," Roderick responded.

"Besides, if the Gods are giving you Dungeon Trials already, clearly, there are big plans for you. I'd rather not face divine judgment so close to retirement." Harris added.

Tabitha just gave a thumbs-up and a friendly smile. I thanked them and headed to the inn, Tabitha joining me to grab a late lunch. During lunch, I was given the details of my quest. A shipment of potions and reagents was being transported to Kaerlin, and I'd need to protect the caravan from bandits or wandering monsters. It wouldn't be just me, but I'd be assigned to the lead caravan. Roderick would help in an emergency, but his duty was to assess me.

After lunch, Tabitha took me shopping for supplies. When I mentioned I didn't have money on me, she laughed and said I'd better make sure I get my Silver promotion. When I reached Silver rank, I'd receive one of the upgraded guild tags, which could make purchase orders with almost all city vendors. Tabitha demonstrated by swiping her own employee tag on a small crystal the shop owner had.

"Your tag keeps your balance, and it'll stop if you try to exceed it. The shop owner then comes to the guild and can withdraw the payment, although we vet purchases to ensure you aren't being scammed."

"Does that happen a lot?"

"Some adventurers are... Special. You try teaching commerce and bartering to a Barbarian or Berserker."

"I'm just glad I don't need to worry about keeping track of money."

"Whitney really wasn't kidding. You are hopeless." Tabitha expressed, dumbfounded.

"Was this another request to the Gods?"

"Yes. A dwarf king wanted a better way to facilitate the trade of wealth between nations without needing obscene amounts of security. The Adventurers Guild recently adopted it, so the enchantment required is a bit rare and thus only limited to Silver and above members."

'I wonder if I can make a request if I pass this experiment,' I thought to myself as I was being dragged from shop to shop.

After Syl and Tabitha left, Roderick and Harris were alone in the office. Harris visibly sighed and seemed to deflate in his chair.

"Do you think she bought it?" Roderick asked.

"Gods, I hope so. The last thing we need is a war between the elves caused by our shitty little town." Harris responded while rubbing his temples.

"You still think she's a noble?"

"With that presence, I'd almost guarantee it. Regardless, someone has their eye on her. Who's ever heard of a Dungeon Trial in a beginner dungeon? I almost think it was a warning for us not to fuck up."

"What I don't understand is why she came back when she knew he'd try to kill her. Or why she didn't tell any of us."

"Maybe she's testing us, seeing if we humans are keeping up the peace treaty? Maybe she's giving us a chance to prove that one bad apple doesn't spoil the bunch. Maybe she wanted revenge on Keaton and knew he'd come after her. Maybe she lost her memory and had no idea who Keaton was until he attacked her in the dungeon. I could make a hundred speculations."

"Maybe I should reconsider trying to become Guild Master of this branch if I have to worry about all this crap. Travel the world, get to Gold rank, kill a dragon. Sounds much more fun." Roderick said with a cheeky grin.

"Ha! I'd recommend it, although your fiancée might leave you if you don't settle down." Harris countered.

"Is there a reason for all your concern, though?"

"My Grandfather survived the war, and he'd always tell me the horrors they faced, entire battalions wiped out with a single spell. The forest itself turned against them. All because of greed. I'll be damned if some greedy lesser noble dooms our entire race."

"Heavy..."

"Sorry, Roderick. Forgive a slightly paranoid old man." Harris said, then smiled, "It's not all doom and gloom. If she becomes a successful adventurer, perhaps we can get a foot in the door to get the elves to sign on with the adventurers guild."

"That's quite an ambition for someone who said he was looking forward to retirement."

They both laughed at that.