Tucked away in its own pocket of space, a chaotic, sprawling dungeon lay secluded from the outside world. Unlike its simpler counterparts, the dungeon in question was a land of opposing extremes: Raging volcanoes loomed over frozen tundras, while desolate wastelands were tucked between bountiful oceans and verdant forests.

  Swirling above this patchwork landscape was an equally hectic sky, filled with strands of vibrant mana. The tendrils of pure magic stretched themselves thin as they traveled through the air, colliding with one another and recoiling to form complex swirls and patterns.

  Though they were few and far in between, the denizens of this strange space were often just as arresting as their environs. Now and then, a massive feathery roc could be seen soaring through the skies, showing off its resplendent white and green plumage to those below. Tucked away on a stretch of mountainous terrain, the roc’s distant cousins congregated, a flock of gryphons letting loose energetic caws. Only a short walk away, bark-skinned panthers, coral-camouflaged cephalopods, and sand-encrusted scorpions respectively stalked, swam, and scurried through biomes of their own.

  For all that the patchwork dungeon was filled to the brim with volatile energies and inhabitants, however, the space had largely remained static for the preceding centuries. Devoid of any outside influences, the many regions comprising the pocket space evolved at a glacial pace at best.

  At least, that had been the case.

  In under a year, the dungeon had undergone rapid changes, some more obvious than others. Beneath the shifting sands, a once-powerful necrolord now slumbered forevermore. In contrast, a great tree stood tall in the center of a forest, aroused from its countless decades of dormancy.

  Nestled in their own corners of the dungeon, even more fearsome foes had drawn their last breaths: a creature of darkness, tucked beneath a labyrinth; a five-headed hydra, its mouths spewing potent poisons; and an amalgam of wrathful mental energies, felled only a few hours prior.

  In a single glance, however, it was perhaps the changes to the landscape that were the most obvious. One region, once home to an endless morass of mud, had flooded over, forming a deep lake. At the farthest reaches of the dungeon, where once a giant crystal had stood, now there lay only a wide crater in the earth.

  And if all these changes weren’t enough to signal the dawn of a new era for the dungeon, the final difference was the clearest sign of outside influence yet.

  At the very center of the space, erected alongside tall swathes of prairie grass, stood a humble wooden cabin. A bath, a garden, and a few simpler facilities lay off to its sides.

  It was here, just outside the cabin, where the dungeon’s most important denizen sat alongside two of her friends.

  As for why she was the most important, it wasn’t for her strength. Though she was undoubtedly powerful, the dungeon was filled with beings far beyond her. And while she had some passing contact with multiple gods -- indeed, she was a Protagonist -- not even this was the main cause of her present significance.

  No, today this one figure was important for a much more mundane reason.

  As it so happened, today was her birthday.

  To properly commemorate this momentous occasion, a single chest sat before her, its exterior woven from thick jungle vines. After all, no birthday was complete without a gift or two.

  Understanding this truth better than most, one of the three shouted out, her voice carrying over the silent prairie.

  “Tess, stop spacing out and open your presents, or I’m going to do it for you!”

  Even with Cal crying out, it took me a second to come to my senses.

  And in fairness, who could blame me? By any stretch of the imagination, today had been packed with enough action to last a lifetime. Only hours before, I’d been locked in a protracted battle with a Mind Reaper, a creature of pure malice who’d kept me trapped in my own head. Courtesy of a new Legendary skill -- Soul Forging -- I’d barely managed to come out on top, partially healing my own damaged mind in the process.

  The brief span of time between then and now had been just as eventful in its own right, too. In the wake of a traumatic incident which had almost entirely shattered my mind, we’d come to this dungeon with the sole purpose of visiting Sett, a powerful mental and soul-magic practitioner. Discovering the mage to be trapped in a spell ritual far beyond our understanding, our only real chance of getting home was to destroy the ritual’s batteries -- four mana-collection sites positioned at the far reaches of the dungeon.

  And for the very first time, we’d actually succeeded. After the better part of a year stuck within the dungeon, the three of us had finally managed to bring down the first of the four batteries.

  And then, of course, there was my birthday. After a fair share of moonshine and a feast that was not quite fit for kings, but came close, the three of us now sat around a chest. Theoretically, what lay within were our rewards from clearing the jungle region of the dungeon, a feat which had involved slaying a giant, poison-breathing hydra. While we’d received a good deal of loot from the dungeon already, given the occasion, Cal was intent on treating this chest as a birthday gift to me.

  If all of that wasn’t a sufficient reason to feel a little pensive today, I didn’t know what was.

  Unfortunately, Cal had her own opinions on such matters. Not willing to wait a second longer, the rogue-turned-warrior lunged for the chest, intent on unwrapping my presents without me.

  In the blink of an eye, I lost sight of her as a thick wall of ice sprouted from the earth between Cal and the chest. Even robbed of my sight, I could tell from the resulting thud and muffled curses that the princess had run directly into the ice. Off to the side, Verin sat prim and proper in a wooden chair, the faintest hint of a smirk the only evidence of her involvement.

  “All right, sorry Cal. You’re right. That’s enough waiting.” If a bit less eager than Cal was, I, too, was curious to see what loot we’d earned. As Cal rounded the corner rubbing at a small bump on her forehead, I at last indulged her, moving to reveal our rewards.

  Lacking any sort of latch or keyhole, the chest instead seemed to react to my intentions. The very second I tried to open it, the vines began to unravel before burrowing into the earth. When all was said and done, the chest had vanished completely, leaving behind three items lying before us.

  “Dibs!” Once again ignoring her earlier claims that the chest was a present to me, Cal swooped in, grabbing the first of the three items, a small green vial. Knowing that the dungeon had likely generated an individual reward to suit each of us, I could only roll my eyes at her antics. A quick application of God’s Eye confirmed that she’d picked the correct reward.

  Hydra’s Bane

  Pouring this vial on a weapon will permanently transform it, adding +2 Strength and causing attacks to inflict a local mild regenerative poison. Any wounds dealt with the weapon in question will resist healing and natural regeneration.

  The vial was slightly niche and ultimately useless for anyone who tended to constantly find weapon upgrades, but it suited Cal well. Her last major reward had been from the air region, where she’d gained a ring, Chicken Itch, which allowed her to create a feathered blade, Chicken Scratch.

  Before either Verin or I could claim our own rewards, Cal had already summoned her sword, hastily pouring the vial over it. The solution hissed and sizzled on contact with the razor-sharp plumage, and for a moment, I was worried it would damage her weapon. When the reaction died down, however, Cal brandished her upgraded weapon, none the worse for wear.

  “Love it! You guys were asleep for most of the fight, but you wouldn’t believe how long I wailed on the hydra just for all of its wounds to seal shut. Don’t know how often we’ll be fighting monsters that can regrow their heads over and over again, but if we do, I’m ready now!” She gave the weapon a few test swings before unsummoning and resummoning it a few times, seemingly content with the results.

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  With Cal out of the way, Verin signaled for me to go next, content to wait her turn. Even without identifying the remaining items, I had no issue singling out which one belonged to me. Ignoring the third reward entirely, I homed in on my own gift, by far the largest of the three.

  If Cal’s contribution to our hydra fight had been entirely martial in nature, mine had been much less violent in nature. For weeks leading up to the fight, I’d spent my days brewing potions and cooking antidote-laced meals to slowly neutralize the hydra’s poison. Evidently, the dungeon had decided to reward me for these efforts, as what lay before me was very clearly a set of cookware.

  A bulky cauldron sat on the ground, and within it sat a smaller pan and kettle. Shockingly modern-looking, all three appeared to be made from something akin to stainless steel, with the only hint of their magical nature being a few red mana-laden gems inlaid into their exteriors. Feeling a bit cross that I hadn’t thought to open the chest before I cooked us all a celebratory meal, I identified my prize.

  Noxious Gastro-chemist’s Cookware

  A tri-set of a cauldron, pan, and kettle, ideal for both culinary and alchemical uses. Inlaid fire gems allow the user to directly heat the cookware’s metal, with exact temperature control dependent on their mana manipulation skills. Full-proof self-cleaning enchantments make tidying up a breeze while also ensuring no residue from past alchemical experiments ends up in your food. Great for stews, teas, and horrific gut-melting poisons.

  Additionally, gain +5 to Cooking and Alchemy whenever brewing poisons or cooking meals with poisonous ingredients.

  By and large, I didn’t expect the set to help me conquer the dungeon, and in any sort of fight, it was entirely useless compared to Cal’s vial. Even so, I would have gladly traded a thousand of her Hydra’s Banes for the cookware before me, and I barely kept myself from full-on embracing the metallic cauldron.

  Temperature control! The rest of the perks were good, to be sure. Gods only knew how many times I’d wanted my crude stone pans to clean themselves. Even that major convenience paled in comparison to the utility of finally having fine temperature control, though. From an alchemical perspective, I’d partially damaged or outright botched countless concoctions because I hadn’t been able to heat my reagents properly. While I’d had slightly better luck on the culinary front, a more precise application of heat would still vastly improve every dish I could make.

  That was to say nothing about the kettle. While Verin was trying not to intrude on my moment, I could still detect the way she perked up on seeing the last piece of my reward. Now and then, I’d attempted to make her some tea by throwing some herbs in a pot and boiling them, but thus far, nothing had satisfied her more refined palette. With any luck, that would change.

  Tea aside, Verin had an actual reward of her own. After I tossed the cookware into my Arcane Storage, she at last ascended from her chair, bending down to snatch the last and smallest of our prizes. A simple square of white cloth, it defied any attempts to guess at its purpose until at last I caved and identified it.

  Adhesive Stimulant Patch

  +2 Endurance

  +1 Intelligence

  When coming into contact with an antagonist sleep-inducing substance, or on conscious activation, flood your system with stimulants. On activation, removes most negative sleep-related and mental statuses. For one minute afterwards, receive heightened resistances to these effects along with +2 Intelligence. Usable twice per day.

  Lips tightly pursed, Verin read through the description with a palpable air of disapproval. Kind of understandable, I guess. As best I could tell, the dungeon was poking fun at her, highlighting that she’d spent most of the battle asleep from the hydra’s soporific poison. Nonetheless, she slipped the adhesive onto an inconspicuous patch of skin beneath her clothes, not willing to pass up on the stat bonuses.

  “Somehow, I find myself far more appreciative of your kettle than I am of my own item, though I suppose if I wish for better rewards, I will simply need to do more to earn them, yes?” Putting the matter to rest, Verin turned her gaze downwards, shifting to our next order of business.

  “If we’re done here, then, shall we pay a visit to our imprisoned benefactor?”

  By the time the three of us made our way through the spiraling tunnels that led to Sett, we’d fully sobered up from our earlier festivities. Either that, or the grand magus’ prison forcibly sobered us up. Looking no different than it had many months prior when first we’d visited, the gargantuan chamber was largely empty, holding only a spell diagram, a chained demon, and a small gray gem on a pedestal.

  The ritual, we had no hope of messing with, and even looking at it was enough to give me a headache. The crystal -- a Sundering Gem -- we’d already used to grant Cal and Verin new classes. That left only the demon as an object of potential interest. Covered in shackles and manacles from head to toe, the grand magus Sett almost looked like some artificial construct with chains for limbs. Those chains began to clink together as the magus raised his head, noting our entrance.

  That, in and of itself, was rare. I’d expected to have to wake him up, but it appeared that our stunt with the mana-collection site had already roused him. Better yet, for once, he appeared to be in a good mood, his restraints and general predicament notwithstanding.

  “Ah! Look at that. All three of you. Frankly, I was convinced one of you would have kicked the bucket by now, but I will admit to being pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. A marvelous job you’ve all done.” With his limited range of motion, the grand magus did his best to beckon us closer.

  Letting his casual callousness slide off of us, we complied. Ever-eager, Cal decided to serve as our spokesperson, wasting no time blurting out the reason for our visit.

  “Sett! Long time no see. Tess needs new spells.”

  Far from the reluctant grumbling that I’d expected from the magus, he instead hit us with a congenial smile. “Very well, then. With one of the collection sites down, the drain on my mana has lessened, as has some of the ritual’s suppressive effects. I’d say most of my magic skills are effectively a good ten levels higher than when last you saw me. More than that, the ritual is remarkably less painful and unpleasant than before. Not even I would be stingy enough to deny you a few boons at this point. What exactly are you looking for?”

  Moving to within arm’s reach of the demon, I decided to test the limits of his temporary affability. With as genuine a smile as I could manage, I hit him with my wishlist. “Well, I could use some help with the enchanting training you gave me last time. And I’m missing Apprentice-rank spells for water, fire, frost, death, earth, light, mental, and spatial magic. Want to give me something for all of them?”

  Finally offering us his first frown, the grand magus eyed me warily before reaching out to place a hand on my head. “I don’t recall you being quite so chipper. One moment.” Sending out a few mental tendrils, the demon began to scan my newly refurbished mind.

  “Remarkable! You’ve gained some sort of mental construction skill, yes? Admittedly, you’ve made it considerably tougher for me to restore you back to how you were before, but perhaps you won’t need my help at all if you get good enough at it. Never mind that, though. Enchanting. I’m quite confident I gave you sufficient materials to practice with. What seems to be the issue?”

  I briefly outlined my progress with the newest of my professions. His earlier resources had introduced me to “enchanting matrices,” which were basically molds in the shape of spell forms. By running mana through them, the spell contained could be activated even if you didn’t originally know it.

  I’d had some limited success making my own matrices by weaving a spellform within me, dragging it out of my body, and then letting mud dry or water freeze around it. If I focused enough, the presence of the mana kept the matter away, thus creating a shoddy mold. When I outlined this process to the grand magus, however, he looked utterly baffled.

  “Who would even think to do something so inefficient? Just use your Mana Intrusion skill and use your mana manipulation to directly burrow through some stone or metal.” At my blank stare, a sudden look of incredulous horror crossed his face as he finally realized the issue. “Are you implying you don’t even have Mana Intrusion? The prerequisites aren’t even that hard! If I recall, it’s just 50 Wisdom and a Journeyman-ranked external mana manipulation skill.”

  A second blank stare later, and Sett’s bafflement was replaced with the most genuine expression of pure pity I’d ever seen from the demon. “Oh. Oh my. Well, don’t beat yourself up too much over it, all right? I’m sure you have other redeeming qualities.”

  I briefly considered informing him that my progress was actually supposed to be incredibly fast given how long I’d had the system for, but maybe the pity points worked in my favor. He quickly taught me a few exercises to train up my External Intrinsic Mana Manipulation skill, but other than that, he had to begrudgingly admit that my current strategy was probably the best I would get for now. Only, he doubted I’d make anything better than Trash-tier matrices unless I used something sturdier like molten metal rather than mud.

  Annoying, but it looks like Enchanting is on hiatus for now. Thankfully, once we got back on track, the grand magus had better news for me.

  “Now, in terms of new magic. That, I can certainly do, although it looks like you’ve already recently learned two Apprentice-rank life spells?”

  Oh. Right. The king of the forest, Arbor, had taught me Heal and Cure as a reward for waking him up. I’d made good use of both spells already, so I didn’t regret grabbing them, but it seemed there was a cost for doing so, too.

  “As I said last we spoke, neither your mind nor your soul can withstand too many direct spell transfers at once. As best I can tell, you can handle perhaps three more spells before we risk any serious soul strain. Depending on the spell complexity, maybe less. With that in mind, what would you like?”

  For a while, the grand magus and I went back and forth as I had him list out some of my options. Despite his initial good mood, however, I could tell my questions were beginning to wear at his patience. Before he could get too fed up and make my choice for me, I locked in my selection.

  One massively disorienting influx of knowledge later, it was done. As proof of the successful transfer, a congratulatory notification greeted me.

  You have learned three new spells!

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