Adrenaline Junkie [Book 2 Complete]

Archie pulled the Thermal Carver from the stone with a faint hiss, the glowing Volthrinite tip dimming as he deactivated Runic Amplification, the air around it instantly cooling from the enhanced concentrated thermal energy.

He kept Runic Mending active for a few seconds longer, just enough to let the runes etched along the shaft - Self-Repair and Thermal Convergence - do their thing, mending back the damage caused by the amplification.

Rolling the Thermal Carver in his right hand, Archie waited until the Volthrinite tip fully cooled down, which thankfully didn't take long due to Thermal Convergence's regulatory effects, before sending it back into his spatial storage.

Glancing between the entrance and exit of the cave, Archie spotted numerous neon-red outlined creatures lurking at a distance, watching the cave nestled at the base of the hill, and watching him in confusion.

With his hands now free, Archie sank his fingers into the freshly scored seams at the far end of the stone wall in front of him. The still-red grooves radiated a dull heat against his gauntlet-clad hands as he planted his feet firmly against the cave floor and took a steady inhale.

Then he pushed.

Thick veins bulged across his bare chest, back, and arms as the massive chunk of stone began to shift, shrieking in protest. Dust and small chips rained down onto him as the giant slab cracked along the carved lines outlining the entire left wall of the cave.

Almost there…

With a low grunt, Archie activated Adrenaline Rush at 10%, sending a rush of mana and stamina through his body. His veins tinged faintly red beneath his skin, granting him the final oomph he needed as a deep crack split from within the wall.

His feet dug into the ground as he began to drag the entire left wall of the cave outward - stone scraping against stone - as it tore free from the hill's base and began ripping through the dirt just outside.

Archie steadied the massive slab on his left shoulder as he continued pushing forward, the stone now digging through the grass. Only once his feet were a good four to five meters away from the cave entrance did he give a final heave, shoving the massive chunk forward before taking a quick step back.

The stone teetered to the right for a moment, then slammed down onto the earth with a deep, ground-shaking thud, kicking up a thick cloud of dust and stone chips.

Archie took another couple of steps back, now inside the cave, waving a hand in front of his face as the dust cloud swept over him.

Archie let out a soft exhale as he deactivated Adrenaline Rush and began to roll the stiffness out of his shoulder as he stepped further inside, his newly crafted boots crunching over loose stone chips that fell from the wall he pushed out.

He ran a hand along the wall, now further left cave wall, dragging his fingers across the raw surface. Yeah, he thought. This'll do. I can finally breathe in here now without feeling clammy.

Flexing his mana, Archie created twenty corded mana strings that sprang into motion like tendrils, weaving through the cave. Each one snaked along the floor, sweeping up loose dirt, stone chips, and fractured chunks of rubble, gathering them into neat piles off to the side.

Similar to how he'd helped Aoife while tunneling toward the Netharim Sovereignty's Border Wall.

While the mana strings were cleaning up the cave floor and the top of his satchel on his back, Archie retrieved his Thermal Carver once more from his spatial storage, its metal surface pulsing faintly with heat as he channeled his mana into its mana container. He activated the Thermal Convergence runic script, and the tool responded with a soft whine as the Volthrinite tip began to grow a bright, molten red.

He approached the jagged edges of the newly exposed left wall and got to work, slicing through the uneven protrusions with a steady hand. As he carved through the uneven stone, it hissed and occasionally cracked from the Volthrinite tip's heat.

As both Syjun and Ryjun, the twin suns of Fractal, slowly rose over the horizon, Archie stepped back and looked over the now-smoothened cave wall. It was clean, flat, and very satisfying to look at.

After a few seconds, he turned and walked out of the cave, the now clean satchel on his back shifting slightly with each step.

Now that he was putting a momentary pause on fighting, he finally understood why regular clothes should have been something he purchased before leaving Neo-Eden.

I can't wait until I figure out how to make nanites, Archie mused as he hopped onto the tipped-over stone wall he'd ripped from the cave. Armor that's form-fitting, protective, and comfortable - that's the dream. Not to mention, I'd basically be a billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. You know, if I manage to get giga-rich.

The closest I've gotten to being a billionaire was during the final scoring of the First Tutorial Event - 75,068,542 Tutorial Points. Which means I'm only 924,931,458 points away, Archie smirked as he activated his Thermal Carver once more. Should be easy enough, right?

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The Thermal Carver hissed to life in his grip, the runes etched along its frame flaring dimly as it heated. Archie lowered it toward the chunk of stone beneath him. Basically, there already, he chokingly chuckled as the Volthrinite tip sank into the stone with ease.

With a swift motion, Archie made a shallow cut with the Thermal Carver, marking a 3 by 4 meter section from the massive 50 by 10 by 4 meter stone wall he both ripped and hauled out earlier. The red-orange glow of the heated line faded slowly, leaving behind a precise groove etched into the stone's surface, steam hissing softly as the heat dispersed into the crisp, early morning air.

Just as he was about to stow away his Thermal Carver, Archie paused and pulled out both his Headdress of the Savage Ursine and his Spirit Nucleus from the satchel slung across his back. Placing them beside him, he crouched low, his eyes flicking between the two items and the stone beneath him as he began carefully etching their features into its surface.

Once they looked satisfactory and he placed them both within his satchel, Archie then began to round the corners of the stone slab. He also made sure to carve shallow grooves that ran along the full height of the slab where he had stopped along its length, more for alignment than anything else.

With that final mark complete, he deactivated the Thermal Carver and slid it back into his spatial storage, mentally pleading with the universe that he wouldn't have to pull it out again anytime soon.

Not wanting to mess up his future door, Archie pulled out his Reinforced Steel Hammer, which was linked to his Basic Workshop - Blacksmith, and a level 80 Steel Dagger he'd crafted some time ago from his spatial storage.

Hopping up onto the larger stone slab, he crouched beside the shallow groove and drove the dagger into the cut like a makeshift chisel. With a steady hand, he brought the hammer down onto the dagger's hilt, sending a sharp crack echoing through the stone as he began working his way along the marked line.

Once he finished tapping along the entire groove with his hammer and Steel Dagger, all it took was one final, gentle tap before a loud, groaning crack split the air as both slabs shuddered from the separation.

The smaller stone slab jolted, then broke cleanly away from the larger one, landing with a solid thud as it dropped from where it had been propped up by the bigger half.

Sending away his still-sharp Steel Dagger and Reinforced Steel Hammer back to the Basic Workshop - Blacksmith, Archie hopped off the larger stone slab and crouched beside the smaller one he had engraved. Digging his fingers into the ground beneath it, he lifted the slab with ease and propped it upright with one hand, steadying its weight.

With his other hand, he pulled out a short steel rod - about an inch and a half in diameter - from his spatial storage. He applied Forgesmith's Flame at three points: both ends and the middle, heating it just enough to bend it into a slight arch.

Then, lining it up with the stone slab, he drove both ends into the opposite side - directly across from the Headdress of the Savage Ursine and Spirit Nucleus engravings he'd carved earlier. The steel hissed as it sank in, the molten edges fusing with the stone as the heat locked it firmly into place.

Perfect.

Deactivating Forgesmith's Flame on the steel rod, Archie pulled out another of similar size from his spatial storage and repeated the process, forging a second grip. With both of them now in place and properly attached, the stone slab had two solid handles - enough for him to seal the cave shut from the inside.

He poured a bit of water from his Water Tin over the glowing grips, steam hissing up as they began to cool. Once satisfied, Archie hoisted the stone door by its handles and began walking toward the entrance of the cave he'd carved at the base of the hill.

While walking backwards, he noticed that all the dirt, stone chips, and chunks had been gathered into neat piles on the outer edge of the cave's entrance.

Now stepping onto the now clean stone floor of the cave, Archie dismissed the mana strings that had shaped themselves into the old snow shovel he used whenever he got roped into clearing the driveway during winter visits to his family.

It even has a rough outline of a logo on it, he noted as he passed by it. Guess my mana control is getting fine enough to the point where I can let my imagination take the steering wheel.

Tilting his head toward the top of the cave entrance, Archie pulled the stone slab door toward him, sealing the cave from the inside. The heavy thud of stone meeting stone echoed through the cave, like the closing of a vault in a game he played months ago.

Dust puffed out from the edges under the pressure, swirling briefly in the dim light before settling across the floor.

He glanced up at the four faint rays of light that peeked through the corners he rounded, just enough to let in fresh air so he could breathe, and just enough light for him to still be able to tell the time.

Slinging off his satchel and unclasping the buckle on its flap, Archie pulled out the Spirit Nucleus and the Headdress of the Savage Ursine. He flipped the satchel over, laying it flat on the stone floor, then carefully pooling the Headdress atop it before nestling the Spirit Nucleus on top of them both.

Not sure if Spirit Nuclei follow the same rules as regular eggs, but I assume they need to be kept warm, Archie mused as he began wrapping the Spirit Nucleus with the two cloaks he'd looted from the Hounds that had attacked Aoife and him days ago.

Watching the spirit beast's vital energy outline nudge itself deeper into sleep, Archie deactivated Vital Sight and took out the Information Crystal filled with 'Basic-ass Spatial Magic' from his spatial storage.

I ain't leaving this place until I figure out how to perform Spatial Pull or Spatial Anchor, he thought to himself, while pulling out a crate of Meteoric Iron and activating Spirit Link.

Camilla.

Henry's arm halted mid-swing, eyes wide as the mental sound of string snapping and alarm bells blaring echoed through his mind. But just because Henry was stunned didn't mean the stonetunnelers were.

The protective wards that covered his apartment had been destroyed.

Camilla was in danger.

One of them slinked back into the ground, taking advantage of his hesitation, only for another to burst from the earth behind him. It spun rapidly, and with hundreds of jagged teeth, tore through the side of his armored left thigh.

Henry didn't even flinch.

Instead, he twisted on his heel and sprinted back down the tunnel he had come through, leaping over the corpses of stonetunnelers he'd slain on his way in.

"Camilla!" he shouted, panic sharp in his voice as he raced through the winding paths of the underground kingdom he'd been living in for almost a month now, rushing toward his apartment.