The river is wide and flat under the Elven boat. Misted banks slide past as the barge pushes against the current. A young Elf, known only as Veyl to most, stands at the prow with his arms crossed and his cloak pulled close. He stares straight ahead because he does not want to waste time on the view.

His servant waits a few steps behind.

The servant is nervous and tries to keep his voice steady when he finally speaks.

"Veyl, why are we taking this detour? Your place in Ytrial is set. What are we doing here for this Sky Hunt?"

Veyl does not answer right away. He watches a bird skim the surface of the water, then finally turns so the servant can see his face.

"The Kingdom asked a favor of me," Veyl says. "They want to build relationships with weaker powers who have something they want. Resources and a few uncommon Skills. They want me to help the Duke's eldest daughter take her spot as heir in the Sky Hunt. That way, the Kingdom gets another ally."

The servant frowns.

"Why not just take what we need? We have the power. Why all this talking and waiting?"

Veyl keeps his tone flat.

"Even vermin need space to survive. If we crush every weaker power, we just waste our strength and create more trouble for ourselves. It's normal for those who trained in the state's academy before going to Ytrial to be given one task such as this before heading to the Academy. Plus, it's easier to let vermin grow and take what we need when they're willing to give it. Conquest is work. Peace is cheaper."

The servant nods, not sure if he agrees.

"Is that all? Or did something happen?"

Veyl's eyes narrow.

"They asked for help at the last minute because something unexpected happened. I do not know what it is, but it does not matter. If there is a problem, I will deal with it. If someone stands in my way, I will crush them."

He turns back to the river. The boat glides forward, carrying both of them into the mist. Veyl waits, calm and sure, because he has done favors for the Kingdom before and nothing has stopped him yet.

* * *

Guildmaster Dorn isn't happy.

He just lost thousands of Platinums in bets.

Even as a Diamond Adventurer, that's a veritable fortune.

But what can the man do? How could he expect Jacob Cloud, previously known as Bocaj Duolc, to not only accept his proposal to dive into an Elite Dungeon, but also that he'd be able to clear all of it until the Boss Room?

He can't. He can only sit there, red-faced, while the crowd in the Adventurers' Guild shifts and whispers, every pair of eyes glued to the map that still pulses with Jacob's green dot, now parked outside the final chamber.

A junior scribe sets down a quill and says to nobody, "I don't even care what drops now. Even if the kid gets nothing, he's already a legend."

Guildmaster Dorn overhears that and scowls.

Someone laughs, more out of relief than anything else. "You're just mad you're broke, Dorn."

He ignores them. "He hasn't fought the boss. It's the Crucible's greatest test. Most people enter this at Silver and, by the time they come out, they should have half a foot in the Gold Rank territory. The Boss is at Level 90. How do you think that pipsqueak is going to kill it?"

"I mean, he must have gained a few levels by now," someone chimed in.

"He might have," a Gold Rank intercepts the conversation. "But he needs to be either level ninety or the greatest genius in all of Clearwater, perhaps the entirety of Clearbay and the entire region, if he wishes to Boss."

Guildmaster Dorn agrees with the assessment.

The only problem—he fears—is that if this had been anyone but Jacob Cloud, he would have already nominated them as the greatest talent he had ever seen.

* * *

I check how many levels I gained since the last time I opened my status.

Furnace Core – Level 60 → Level 95

Flameform Blueprint – Level 60 → Level 84

Infernal Thread – Level 70 → Level 100

Hellspire – Level 90 → Level 100

Intermediate Strength – Level 20 → Level 60

Intermediate Endurance – Level 20 → Level 48

Bronze Grip – Level 85 → Level 95

Infernal Wings of Ash – Level 20 → Level 45

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Infernal Architect (Platinum) – Level 40 → Level 70

Name: Jacob Cloud

Class: Infernal Architect (Platinum) – Lv. 70

Core Skills:

Hell's Sword – Lv. 100 (Gold – Offensive)

Fire Slash – Lv. 100 (Silver – Offensive)

Fire Shield – Lv. 100 (Silver – Defensive)

Fire Armor – Lv. 100 (Silver – Defensive)

Fire Walk – Lv. 100 (Silver – Movement)

Veins of Fire – Lv. 100 (Gold – Support)

The Grimoire Extraordinaire (Rainbow – Support)

Class Skills:

Furnace Core (Passive) – Lv. 95

Flameform Blueprint (Active) – Lv. 84

Infernal Thread (Passive) – Lv. 100

Ember Keystone (Active) – Lv. 1

Architect's Insight (Passive) – Lv. 100

Hellspire (Active) – Lv. 100

Ignition Array (Active) – Lv. 1

Attributes:

Strength (STR): 105 → 137

Dexterity (DEX): 110 → 174

Endurance (END): 93 → 125

Vitality (VIT): 101 → 165

Intelligence (INT): 200 → 328

Spirit (SPI): 170 → 298

Wisdom (WIS): 126 → 222

Charisma (CHA): 18

Luck (LCK): 10

Unassigned Points: 0 → 160

Other Skills:

Minor Cookery Lv. 34 (Iron)

Minor Night Vision Lv. 32 (Iron)

Light Lv. 67 (Bronze)

Pickaxe Mastery Lv. 81 (Bronze)

Minor Mineral Sense Lv. 72 (Bronze)

Mana Pool Lv. 100 (Silver)

Echo Pulse Lv. 100 (Bronze)

Meditation Lv. 65 (Silver)

Bronze Grip Lv. 95 (Bronze)

Intermediate Endurance Lv. 60 (Bronze)

Intermediate Strength Lv. 48 (Silver)

Infernal Wings of Ash Lv. 45 (Gold)

I redistribute the rest of the Attributes like the Grimoire suggests.

Attributes:

Strength (STR): 137 → 200

Dexterity (DEX): 174 → 200

Endurance (END): 125

Vitality (VIT): 165 → 200

Intelligence (INT): 328

Spirit (SPI): 298 → 300

Wisdom (WIS): 222 → 256

Charisma (CHA): 18

Luck (LCK): 10

Then it's time to enter the Dungeon Boss's room.

I look at the giant door.

The doors are massive. Their frames stretch nearly to the ceiling and each slab of glass is as thick as my arm.

I stand in front of them and feel the heat radiate through my boots and up my legs.

This is the last challenge here, I think to myself.

But the real challenges are out there. The ones here are just monsters made of glass, an Infernal challenge that I made short work of thanks to the Grimoire, and that Shadow Mimic.

What's Ytrial going to be like? I think, clenching a fist and hearing my knuckles crack. How strong am I now?

I am stronger than I could have ever been without the Grimoire.

Without a Rainbow Skill, I could have never amassed this much power this quickly. It's just something that I have to admit to myself.

But the Grimoire is just one piece, one small part of the jigsaw.

I will be a Knight.

I will be a legend one day.

I summon one Hell's Sword in my right hand, and I start slowly walking toward the giant double doors.

* * *

The Adventurers' Guild is packed. Nobody is placing bets anymore. Most just stand and watch the map in silence. Some of the older adventurers start whispering to each other.

One Silver Rank leans against the wall and speaks up.

"Boss fights always take the longest. You can't just rush in and expect to win. Bosses are different. They think. They use skills you've never seen before."

A scribe nods and looks down at his logbook.

"I've seen challengers hold out for half an hour. Sometimes longer. Bosses are crafty. They know how to bait you in. You can't rely on the tricks that work on normal monsters."

Someone else adds, "There's no shame in losing to a Boss. You either die fast because you weren't ready, or you survive a bit and get crushed anyway. That's how it is for everyone the first time."

A Gold Rank shakes his head.

"And this an Elite Boss. The kid has had a great run. Beyond what everyone here could have imagined. But he wasn't ready. He doesn't have the equipment, the Skills, or just the luck. Unless he's ordained by the stars themselves, an ambassador of fate in a world of mud, he won't be able to do anything. He's doomed."

A merchant's son speaks up from behind the crowd. "How long do you think he'll last? I mean, he made it this far, but even the best get stuck here."

An older adventurer shrugs. "If he's lucky, a few minutes. If he's unlucky, he dies right at the start."

Guildmaster Dorn just sits behind his table, silent and tense. He keeps one hand clenched around a stack of betting slips and stares at the green dot. For all his bluster, he says nothing.

Felisia has walked to the front of the crowd and stares at the highest room, with her head tilted up. She does not say a word, but her eyes never leave the green dot.

Sir Greyson is beside her, arms crossed. He watches with the same hard look as always.

They see a bright dot appear in the Boss's room.

The Boss.

A hush settles over the Adventurers' Guild when the Boss's dot lights up on the Dungeon Map. The green dot stands still just inside the chamber, and the Boss's mark pulses in the center, bright and clear for everyone to see.

Someone in the crowd says, "That's it. The Boss is awake."

A group of juniors leans forward to get a better look.

A Silver Rank who just joined in the last hour grips her mug so hard her hands shake.

"This stupid map won't show us the fight. All we get is those dots."

"Just keep watching," someone else says. "If the green dot vanishes, he's dead. If it moves, he's still alive."

Felisia stands at the front, her fists clenched. She does not blink or look away from the map.

Sir Greyson stays beside her, silent, his eyes fixed on the Boss room.

A Gold Rank at the back clears his throat.

"If Jacob Cloud lasts a minute, he's done better than most. Nobody has to win to earn respect in a fight with the Boss. People just want to see if he can stand his ground."

A merchant speaks up, voice flat.

"It's a pity. The kid did have some talent, whatever his background is."

A young adventurer says, "He's made it further than anyone in years. Maybe he'll surprise us."

An older man shakes his head, never looking away from the map.

"He's good, but being good doesn't matter to an Elite Boss. We're about to witness the death of this young kid's legacy so early, which is regretful but—"

About fifteen seconds after Jacob entered the room, the Boss's dot goes out.

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