Monroe

Bailli spent six days delving with Bob. After the third day, she declared her Lightning Blast to have reached level six, and she started using her Lightning Aura instead, which ended up delivering a touch more damage over the course of a fight, with the last wolf normally electrocuting himself as it went in for one last desperate bite.

They'd developed a quiet camaraderie over the course of the week, and Bailli had explained to Bob that her path, Lightning Savant, increased her damage with lightning spells by two percent per level, while blocking her from taking any of the other elemental spells from the Conjuration school. It was a lesser-known derivative of the Conjurer Path, which required you to have Conjuration and one of each of the elemental spells, delivering a one percent bonus per level to the damage of all Conjuration spells.

Bob had explained to her that he didn't have a path, and couldn't take one due to his matrix damage.

Bailli was surprised and sympathetic to his plight, demonstrating a certain viciousness in her suggestion that he should summon everyone from his world that had been involved in stealing his work, and see how they liked being torn out of their world.

As they were sitting down for breakfast the day after their last delve, with Bailli now sporting two arms again, she brought up the subject of Bob's skills.

"Without a path," she said quietly, "you don't really have anything to guide you along towards a set end."

She was kneading Monroe with both hands, working the big cat into a doughy, purring mess.

Monroe seemed pleased that his human-meat-bringer-servant was once again able to offer her full attention to his needs.

Bob nodded as he scratched Monroe's ruff.

"While that does mean you don't receive any benefits, it also means you aren't restricted in any way," Bailli continued, "you can do anything you'd like, and while you're fairly committed to being a spell caster based on your attribute choices, you still have a huge variety of options."

Bob nodded. He'd been considering what his next few skills were going to be, having more or less decided to hold off on pulling Amber into this reality, at least for the moment.

"Normally you'd be looking for Matrix manipulation," Bailli said, "I know that I'll be taking that for my next skill."

"I was thinking about maybe picking up Elemental Earth and then Control Earth," Bob said, "but I'm not sure I'm ready to dip into divine magic, I'm just not really religious you know?"

Bailli nodded and replied, "You could always go a bit further into the Dimension school you know? You've managed to level it up a bit and believe me, once you get to the point where you can do a five-foot cube, you'll have Adventurers lined up around the guild waiting for you to make their bags."

Bob considered that as Theo delivered their breakfast.

He was slowly leveling up his Dimension school. It hadn't hit level one yet, but it was nearly halfway there.

He already had Portal, so Teleport wasn't a great skill choice, at least in Bob's mind. Spatial enlargement was basically the bag of holding trick, and Bob could think of a few uses for Spatial reduction. He wasn't sure what reinforcement and distortion did.

"I'll look into that," Bob told Bailli between bites, "it would be nice to have something to do while I'm not delving the Dungeon."

Bailli nodded and replied, "It's always good to have a hobby."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was Bob's day off from delving, so he'd decided to do a little research. Which meant laying in bed with Monroe, and abusing his ability to directly query the System via Trebor.

"So," Bob asked once he was comfortable and Monroe had settled down on the pillow just above Bob's head, "Spatial Reduction, Enlargement, Distortion and Reinforcement. What exactly do they do?"

'Spatial reduction and enlargement either increase or decrease the size of a container by a value up to the casters spell score divided by one hundred and expressed as a percentage, as well as maintaining it's normal mass.' Trebor replied.

"And I'm assuming the level of the spell increases that value by ten percent per level, and the school does the same?" Bob queried.

'Quite,' Trebor answered.

"And what about Spatial Distortion and Reinforcement?" Bob asked.

'Spatial distortion is a skill used to attack a dimensional area or entity. You could use that skill to attempt to destroy the enchantment on a 'Bag of Holding', as you call them. Or you could use the skill to directly damage a dimensional entity,' Trebor said, 'while Spatial reinforcement provides protection against exactly that.'

Bob paused to consider that statement.

Monroe wriggled down the pillow a bit, and draped himself over Bob's head, a favored nap time activity that Bob had dubbed 'Purrmuffs'.

"Are monsters considered dimensional entities?" Bob finally asked Trebor.

'Yes,' Trebor replied, 'because of the manner in which they manifest.'

"So I could, in theory, utilize Spatial distortion as a spell to attack monsters?" Bob asked.

'You may exclude theory and proceed directly to practice, as others have used the skill successfully for that exact purpose,' Trebor said.

"What is the downside?" Bob asked, "I mean, why don't fledgling dimensional masters all use that spell to level up their school?"

'They do,' Trebor said, 'as it is considered one of the only viable ways of raising the dimension school via combat,' he continued, 'and the downside, as you say, is that everything, even a monster, has a greater resistance to being ripped apart dimensionally than they have to, say, a fire blast.'

Bob sighed. There was always a catch.

"Using my current spell casting power as a base point, I know I could throw a one hundred and twenty-six point fire blast if I had the skills," Bob began, "now using a wolf from level seven, as an example, how much damage would the fire blast inflict, and how much damage would spatial distortion inflict on the same wolf using my values?"

'Using those values, and assuming the wolf in question was able to defend itself, your fire blast would inflict nineteen points of damage, with the wolf having avoided by means of both toughened hide and dodging one hundred and seven points of damage," Trebor said, "while your spatial distortion would have inflicted none, as the wolf would have been able to add their endurance as further resistance to the damage, and could withstand one hundred and thirty-seven points of spatial distortion before suffering any damage.'

'This is,' Trebor added, 'assuming no levels in either school or skill.'

"Of course," Bob muttered.

Bob closed his eyes for a minute, enjoying the stereo effect of having Monroe purring on each ear. As long as Monroe didn't suffer from a hairball, or have any prey-chasing dreams, this was nice.

"So," Bob said, eyes still closed, "a big question, but an important one. Do I have to worship a God to gain access to divine magic? It sort of seems like you'd have to, but..." Bob trailed off.

'No,' Trebor replied.

"No?" Bob asked hesitantly.

'No,' Trebor agreed.

"How does that work?" Bob asked, "I thought you had to have a divine blessing to access divine magic?"

'For the inhabitants of this world, that is true,' Trebor said, 'as they interact with the system entirely through the lens of faith which is provided by the deities that call Thayland home.'

'You,' Trebor continued, 'on the other hand, interact with system directly, bypassing the workings of the entities that strive to garner power from the people here.'

"Garner power?" Bob asked with trepidation.

'Yes,' Trebor said, 'by accepting and using a divine blessing of a deity, you are transferring to them one percent of the experience that you earn.'

'Please keep in mind,' Trebor continued, 'that the deities of this world are simply tier ten creatures that are seeking to maximize their skills and schools, all while forever searching for a way to reach tier eleven.'

"So the God's here are just people who have reached the level cap and are leeching experience by offering spells?" Bob asked incredulously.

'While it is a little more complicated than that, yes.' Trebor replied.

'Although,' Trebor added in a casual aside, 'tier ten and level one hundred isn't some sort of hard limit imposed by the system, but rather a function of the mana density of this planet, which is a function of its mass more than anything else.'

"So the mana density on the next planet over is different?" Bob asked.

'Yes, although the difference is hardly noticeable, and it still operates with a maximum tier of ten, as does the third inhabited world of this solar system,' said Trebor.

'To be fair, technically Neptune's mana density is sufficient for tier eleven, Jupiter's tier twenty-four, and of course the Sun would support tier two-hundred and seventy-four, but even tier ten creatures would be hard-pressed to survive, let alone thrive on even Neptune, to say nothing of Jupiter, and surviving on the surface of a yellow dwarf is nearly impossible.'

"So there are tier twenty creatures out there?" Bob asked incredulously.

'Yes, although to be fair, there are no naturally born species above tier nine, if that serves to bring you peace of mind,' Trebor said helpfully.

"I don't know if it brings me peace of mind," Bob muttered, "although it does serve to rather firmly reinforce the fact that humanity is not the center of the universe."

Bob took a few steadying breaths.

Back to the subject at hand.

"So, because I have direct interaction with the System I can just take the Divine magic schools?" Bob asked.

'Yes,' Trebor replied, 'as your link to the system is not filtered through the mana sphere of this planet, you aren't part of the relevant entity's purview.'

"That does bear some thinking about," Bob mused, "thanks Trebor."

'You do realize that as a piece of transdimensional code, thanking me is unnecessary?' Trebor replied.

"Humans like to anthropomorphize things," Bob said.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next day found Bob back in the Dungeon, pumping out a pair of effect over time UtahRaptors and sending them through a portal to fight the wolves.

He was trying to level his dimension school by way of his portal spell, but as his portal spell cost was a base of eight mana, his matrix damage multiplied that to seventeen point six, which slowed his killing speed down as he was forced to wait to regenerate mana after each fight. Focusing on using it each fight was an easy enough habit to get it into, despite the increase in downtime. He was twenty minutes into his new routine when his Summoning School experience bar reached its maximum capacity, and instead of just zeroing out, a System window appeared.

Magical School of Summoning Tier threshold reached. Summoning Affinity Crystal detected, redefining parameters.

You have reached your tier in the Magical School of Summoning. Please select from one of the following: All Magical School of Summoning Skills maximum level increased by ten percent. All Magical School of Summoning Skills costs reduced by ten percent. Magical School of Summoning Skill "Summon UtahRaptor" maximum level increased by twenty-five percent (Summoning Affinity Crystal). Magical School of Summoning Skill "Summon UtahRaptor" costs reduced by twenty-five percent (Summoning Affinity Crystal).

"Trebor," Bob said slowly as he looked at the screen, his UtahRaptors finishing the fight on their own.

'Yes?' Trebor responded pleasantly.

"Could you provide a little more information about this System screen?" Bob asked.

'I'm not sure what is unclear,' Trebor said, 'you've reached your tier threshold in a magical school, and you've received a selection of bonuses to choose from. Due to the fact that you only have one skill that is solely from the summoning school, Summon Monroe having been transformed and now shared with the dimension school, your options are rather limited, although those limited options are enhanced by your usage of an affinity crystal.'

"Does this happen with all skills?" Bob asked slowly, his mind racing.

'It happens with all parent/prerequisite skills,' Trebor explained, 'such as Magical Schools or Melee weapon types.'

"So," Bob said as he looked over the options more closely, "does this happen again at level ten?"

'Yes,' Trebor replied, 'every time you reach your tier you meet a threshold.'

"So if I were to choose the option that increased Jake's maximum level, at level ten in the summoning school would I have an option to do so again?" Bob asked carefully.

'Yes, I believe that you would have the option to increase the level by fifty-percent,' Trebor answered.

Bob leaned back against the wall. He would have started petting Monroe, but the big guy had moved into Bob's inventory for a nap.

"That's just so fucking broken," Bob muttered.

'Bob,' Trebor said, 'you keep coming back around to the idea that the System is somehow supposed to be just, or fair. This isn't the case. The System rewards those who seek out power because they will inevitably live longer, and cycle more mana through the System. Which is the System's only purpose.'

'There is a balance in all things,' Trebor continued, 'however equality or equity don't come into the equation. Thidwell discovered the Affinity Crystals and gave them to you. You discovered a use for them that allowed you to accumulate more power.'

'Would it surprise you in any way to know that there have been others, many others in fact, in this world who have discovered the requirements to obtain, and the manner in which to use Affinity Crystals? And that they have chosen to keep that information close, sharing it with only a select few?' Trebor asked.

Bob blinked at the question. Trebor didn't often ask him questions.

He only had to think for a moment to recall the warning Kelli had given him before having his memory wiped in regards to Bob's access to the System.

"Fucking nobles," Bob said.

'Yes, all of the current Royal families and a portion of the noble houses on this world have some knowledge of Affinity Crystals,' Trebor responded.

"Trebor," Bob said, "how, exactly, do you find Affinity Crystals?"

'They coalesce from monsters that you've killed which are both a tier higher than your base, and at least three levels higher than you are,' Trebor answered.

"So, for me," Bob said, "I'd need to fight level twenty-six monsters at level twenty-three."

'Yes,' Trebor replied.

"No wonder no one knows about them," Bob mused, "no one fights above their level plus one."

"Wait," Bob said, "if the nobles are keeping these things a secret, how come they haven't come out and told Thidwell to keep his mouth shut about them?"

'Beauracracy and arrogance,' Trebor said, 'Harbordeep serves as the capital for twenty-one towns that are around this size, and forty-six that are half this size or even smaller. His father's work notwithstanding, Thidwell isn't important to the guild, despite being trained by his father, as his father wasn't shy about sharing his Dungeon design methods and philosophy,' Trebor continued, 'As a result, Thidwell's monthly reports, which are formatted to outline the revenue of the guild, the tithe to the main chapterhouse in Harbordeep, and the losses of personnel incurred during the month, aren't given any real review,' Trebor finished, 'Put quite simply, no one cares about this backwater town except Adventurers looking to retire to someplace where the waves aren't bad and Dungeon is well designed.'

"Ok," Bob said, "having worked in academia, I can accept that."

"Back to the screen in front of me, given that I don't have the benefits of a path," Bob said with a touch of bitterness, "it would seem to me that I ought to double down on my UtahRaptor, don't you think?"

'My calculations indicate that this would be optimal for your continued survival and advancement,' Trebor replied.

"Yeah, my survival and advancement," Bob muttered.

A bit of math indicated that he'd be able to push Jake to level twenty immediately and that the UtahRaptor would end up at level forty-three when he was twenty-five, or level fifty-two if Trebor was right and he had the option to bump the maximum level of the spell by fifty percent once the summoning school reached level ten.

Bob mentally projected his selection, and he watched in satisfaction as the experience meter for both his summoning school and this summon UtahRaptor spell dropped back down to empty.

"I'll need to tell Eddi to expect this," Bob muttered as stepped away from the cliff face.

"At least I'll be gaining xp for the summoning spell again," he said as he started to bring Jake out.