"Confidence is key. That's true for every situation, right?" ~Grace Allturia,

Spell Sword

"Right. Rules." Shallies started cleaning the dishes using mana-control.

For her, it was something natural, like how limbs did their tasks automatically after having done them thousands of times already. For Grace and Arun'dul, however, the sight was mesmerizing. The half-orc could summon her Mana-Edge with mana-control, and that was the only thing she could do, as far as what Shallies had seen her practice. The seraph, however, should have a better understanding of what was happening.

Regardless, Shallies took their attention off the dishes by waving in front of their faces. "Hello…"

"Sorry," Grace said. "I just can't believe that it's possible to use mana-control like that."

"The same for me," Arun'dul added. "I apologize."

"There'll be a time to train for that," Shallies said, smiling. "You need more mana to effectively practice precise mana-control."

"It costs that much mana?" the half-orc asked, her glowing green eyes widened.

"No, no. Not like that. It's just better to practice with mana-control, when you can practice it for a long time. And in order to do that, you need more mana in general."

Shallies opened her System Console and retrieved the map for the dungeon that Grace, Ben, and Marisa had drawn on their previous scouting quest. She extended her screen and propped it to the side to let the other two look at it.

"Right. So rules." Shallies pointed towards Arun'dul. "You're on defense duty. Only pure defense. Defend yourself and Grace. You're not allowed to attack. You can counterattack anything you've defended against, but you can't kill them. Use anything you want as long as it doesn't aggravate your Curse."

He nodded confidently. "Roger that."

The Godkiller turned to Grace next. "Your goal is to defeat the Dungeon Boss before the next sunrise. Our dungeon doesn't have a day-night cycle, so Stachie will be keeping a clock for you. The earlier you can do it, the better rewards I'll give to the both of you."

"I'll have to fight it alone?" the half-orc asked.

"Not really," Shallies said, pointing towards Arun'dul. "You'll attack alone, but he will keep you alive."

"As in, put my life in his hands?" Grace asked, turning to the seraph. "No offense, but we've never worked together."

"None taken," he said.

"Then work together for a bit," Shallies said, shrugging. "It's not like you're fighting a six-horned noldzwjak. Work through it, like you would in an emergency situation where you had to merge parties with others. In this case, it's just you two."

"I don't mind doing a little practice, Grace," Arun'dul said. "My only goal is to keep the two of us alive."

Grace didn't complain any further. "Alright. It's better if we start now, then." She turned to Shallies. "Can I let Chippy stay with you?"

"You should bring him along. He'll benefit from your gains in experience and grow as well."

"Oh, and he'll grow faster?"

"Precisely." Shallies lifted a finger. "But you have to keep him safe. That'll also be a part of your job, Arun'dul."

"Not a problem," said the seraph.

"I'm glad that you're confident, but make sure you stay vigilant."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, I have a few more things to discuss, before you go," Shallies cast Star Shine on the half-orc. "You'll need this. Also, you're only allowed to fight the Dungeon Boss when you're Level 35."

"Wait! You're saying I have to grind 10 levels in a day?"

"You did it before. Almost. You have an entire dungeon to grind. It'll definitely give you about 10 levels. Besides, I'm giving you twenty large mana potions. You know what to do with it, right?"

Shallies retrieved the vials from her Class Inventory and placed them neatly on the table. All twenty of them. They were the same ones she had given Grace when she and her party had learned about Mana Energy yesterday. The half-orc's eyes looked like they'd pop out of their sockets for a moment with how wide she was stretching her eyelids.

"Are you sure?" she asked after collecting herself from almost breaking down due to too much amazement. "Aren't these super expensive?"

"Relatively," Shallies admitted, choosing not to hide the truth. "For a Beginner Class, a vial of this quality is technically cheating. It's also technically too much. But if you drink and expend the mana quickly into Mana Energy, you'll have enough to rejuvenate your body and still have a full mana reserve. Use as much as you need. If you run out, return to me, and I'll give you more."

"So my rest is basically just drinking this mana potion?"

"Yep. Arun, I'm giving you three vials as well. You have Mana Energy, too, right?" Shallies took out more potions and passed them to the seraph.

"Yes, ma'am. I can manage my own mana, but I'll take them in case of an emergency."

"Good man. Take my Bright Sun, too."

"Bright Sun?" he asked. After Shallies cast the Spell, he quickly understood the concept. "Thank you."

"Shallies?" Grace began. "How much exactly are these per vial? And how many do you have?"

"I'll tell you after you're done with the dungeon, how about that?"

Shallies wasn't exactly sure how Grace would react if she told her that her supply of these mana potions could prepare three sub-raid groups over a period of weeks. An actual raid group composed of nothing but Hero Class holders would prefer varying higher qualities of mana potions, of which she had four raid groups' worth. She even had a separate stock for armies she would need during a Divine War. All, of course, stored in Consumable Containers. Organization, notwithstanding.

Regardless, she didn't want the half-orc to be distracted by such an absurd supply of mana potions. But she didn't want to keep it a secret the entire time either. Grace was someone who was easily amazed by things, and Shallies liked watching her sparkle with joy.

"Alright, that's a bet," said the Spell Sword, fixing her Mana-Edge +3 on her belt.

"Great." Shallies smiled and started to shoo them playfully. "Off you go now. Time's not waiting."

"What about you?" Grace asked. "What are you doing?"

Shallies' mana-control had finished cleaning everything up. To answer Grace, she opened her Class Inventory.

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"I just took the Skill, Field Dressing and Butchering, so I'm butchering up the things you got for me. But I'll be keeping my Class Inventory open, so I can monitor you guys." She started heading inside, waving at the two. "Good luck! And don't forget to have fun!"

[Congrats, Grace! You're now Level 30!]

"Wha—?" Grace caught herself surprised by Stachie's message. "Wait. Since when did I jump four levels?"

"You were a little focused on killing everything we faced, Grace," Arun'dul replied, settling down beside her. His feathered wings retracted until they were completely gone. "I think Stachie made it so that the System won't bother you, except for emergency situations."

Chippy was on the seraph's shoulder. The phoenix chick had been quick to realize who was assigned to protect him. But as soon as the fighting stopped, he hopped back to snuggle with his mother.

"Oh. I see." The half-orc mindlessly dumped all her Attribute Points into Mana-Affinity while she rubbed Chippy's head.

She had decided to invest heavily on it, since she wanted to benefit from Mana Energy in the same way Tayin was. Still, she could feel that her mana reserves weren't enough. She retrieved another mana potion from her Class Inventory. This was the third one now. She was running through these little vials like they were water bottles and she had just finished a sprint.

But it's really effective, she admitted.

"Thank you for protecting us," she said to Arun'dul while rubbing Chippy's chest. She noticed he had somehow doubled his size. Standing on her shoulder, he was now tall enough to peck her eyes if he wanted to.

"Don't mention it," said the seraph. "It's amazing to watch you enter such a tunnel focus after realizing that nothing was going to hurt you. But I still suggest that you don't forget to protect yourself."

"Right. I'll try."

Grace recalled how she fought. After Arun'dul had displayed his ability to protect her from any possible attacks, she had focused solely on attacking.

It had felt liberating, to fully submerge herself in nothing but pure violence. The part of her mind that had constantly reminded her of caution, she utilized instead to find the most efficient ways to kill the monsters.

When she had felt tired, the rejuvenation provided to her by Mana Energy and Shallies' mana potions did more than just keep her going. They had literally urged her to not conserve any strength.

Free from all worries, free from restraints, free from consequences, Grace had tapped into her orcish heritage without her realizing.

The orcs, even in civilized tribes that they were in now, still carried within their blood the art of war and violence. It was not lost in Grace. Her natural physique, her ability to take advantage, her desire for growth and strength. These were qualities more prevalent in orcs than in humans. Humans were more cautious, more thoughtful, more calculated. There was something more confidence-inducing in the way orcs understood graceful brutality.

[You have 2 Skill Points available now, Grace. Would you like to pick a Skill while you take a break?] Stachie said, pulling Grace out of her self-reflection. The half-orc was still surprised that the System Assistant could choose to speak directly into their minds, rather than opening a System Console.

Grace didn't really need to take a break. Mana Energy did its job, and she was absolutely ready to go again. But she took a moment to consider the System Assistant's words. Now that she had taken Flametongue, Lightning Surge, and Nurture Stellar Mana, she wanted to backtrack a bit and learn one essential Skill that she had been ignoring the entire time. She had been getting access to a few more new Skills, and was afraid that this important one might get buried under the amount of new information, if she didn't get it right now.

"I should probably take Scan first," she said mainly towards Stachie, but she implied the question to Arun'dul as well.

The seraph simply shrugged. "Your Class, your Skills."

Grace sighed. "That's literally what everyone says."

"It's because every person has their own way of doing things. Unlike Lady Shallies, you only get to take two Classes. So you'd want to make that your own."

[It is true, though, that you should take Scan now. You're still getting used to your new offensive Skills, so this would be the best time to start learning more about points of interests with Scan.]

Stachie's words were delivered both to Grace and Arun'dul. The seraph nodded.

"That's true," he said. "I guess, if you're looking for opinions, Grace, then yes, I agree with your choice."

"Now I feel patronized," Grace said, smiling in disappointment. "Fine, fine. I'll take Scan, please, Stachie."

[I'll ask for a double confirmation on that one, please.]

"Double confirmation?"

[Well, there was a bit of a discussion on whether you should take the Skill or not. I'm asking for a double confirmation to make sure you actually really want to learn it.]

"Oh, well…" Grace gave it one last thought, but ultimately decided she really did need to take it now. "You have my double confirmation, Stachie."

[Thank you. Congratulations, Grace! You now can use Scan. By running your mana through an object or any point of interest, you may learn things about it. Skill Proficiency determines your success rate and the depth of information you can perceive. You should be aware of it now, but as an extra reminder, please note that level difference, certain Skills, and enchantments may prevent you from completing a Scan.]

"Wow…" Grace exhaled as she read through Stachie's notes. "It's way more intuitive than an actual System Message."

[Perks only I can provide.]

"And I love it! Thank you!"

[You're welcome, Grace. Happy to help! I suggest trying to scan something now. Maybe a mana potion.]

"Oh, good idea." The half-orc opened her Class Inventory and pulled out another potion, focusing her mana towards it. "Scan."

[Scan successful. The item you're holding is a Great Mana Potion of Sustained Recovery. It'll recover a hefty amount of mana instantly and provide you with a steady stream of mana for five more seconds before it fully uses up its potency. Shallies recommended this for you so that you could take advantage of the initial burst of mana for your Mana Energy, and then refill your reserves with its lingering effect, in order to utilize on other Skills.]

"That's very thoughtful. Shallies really thought things through."

[Experience plays a huge part in it.]

Grace had half a mind to Scan Arun'dul before she remembered how other people considered it rude. The seraph, however, noticed her intentions.

"You can give it a try, if you wish," he said. "I will not resist."

"Don't mind if I do, then. Scan."

The half-orc focused her mana on Arun'dul.

[Unfortunately, you're too low-leveled to make a successful Scan, even with Arun'dul not resisting. He also doesn't have the same flexibility with his system to permit you through his instinctual defenses, unlike Shallies.]

"Well, looks like it didn't work," the seraph said. "I didn't even know it's possible to purposefully let a Scan through."

"I didn't expect it to work anyway," Grace said. "I think we should move on. We've rested enough."

Arun'dul opened his System Console and produced the dungeon's map. Grace took a look, and realized that they were quite a ways away from their camp already. In fact, they'd pass through the ruins where Shallies and Valor'el had subjugated the seraph's cursed form.

"I didn't realize we're this far away already," she said.

"We've been going for only a couple of hours," Arun'dul said. "Do you want to head in deeper?"

"Yeah. I think if we fight everything on our way to the Dungeon Boss's Lair, I'll be somewhere around Level 35 or closer to it. We can probably do this before the next sunrise."

Their path led them into a cave. Arun'dul provided floating lights with his Skill. A bunch of goblins tried to ambush them, but Grace made quick work dealing with the pesky creatures.

Inside, their progress was slow. Back then, it was Marisa who had led the way with her ability to detect traps. This time, it was Arun'dul. He wasn't as efficient as the Wood Stalker, but his insane reaction speed allowed him to essentially bypass any traps even after triggering them.

After more traps and more goblins, they finally reached an opening that led to a huge hallway. There, they found a narrow path to the right that led outside of the cave system. In front of them, however, was a huge set of steel double doors.

"This is the Dungeon Boss's Lair?" Arun'dul asked.

"You didn't have any dungeons in Avel Paradise?" Grace asked in return.

"There are, but my duties are around Avel Paradise, so I've never really entered any of them."

"Oh. Well, this isn't the lair yet," Grace answered. "These doors lead towards the deepest part of the Dungeon. Most adventurers call it The Delve. Some call it The Dive. It's interchangeable, but I call it The Delve. That's where we'll find the lair, but it's most likely still a ways away from here. Inside, we'll probably meet stronger monsters."

"Stronger relative to the ones we have here, right?"

"Yep."

"Nervous?"

"A little, yeah. My scouting quest ended here. Our job was basically to map out the exterior dungeon and find The Delve if possible. So I haven't been inside."

"Oh. But we can probably handle the monsters, right?" Arun'dul stepped forward to touch the steel door. "Is there a bigger problem?"

"The environment. It won't be a forest area anymore. I doubt it's going to be blocked or impossible to traverse, but our enemies might be different. I've fought all the monsters out here before, but not those inside."

"Well, my job here is to protect you, Grace," Arun'dul started, looking back at her. "As long as I know that it's possible, we can keep pushing forward. But if I tell you that we should run, then we just go back to Lady Shallies."

Grace stared as the seraph presented a hand. She realized she was being overly cautious. Her human side compensating for having been ignored earlier.

No… She shook her head.

This has nothing to do with either of those. I need to get a grip. Grace smiled, like she always did. She took the seraph's hand and gave it a firm shake.

"I'll place my life in your hands, then, Arun'dul."

"You can count on me, Grace."

Chippy made a determined chirp.

"You can count on me, too, Chippy."

Grace let go of the handshake to pat the phoenix chick's head. Nodding to Arun'dul, they took one door each and pushed it open.

The world around them changed. The ground disappeared. The sudden light blinded them. A rush of strong winds forced Grace to cover her eyes.

Then, they started to fall.

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