Primer for the Apocalypse

Upon arrival, I immediately extended Spatial Sense, focusing primarily on our immediate surroundings. I made sure to look for anything strange, like gaps in my perception, but the only things close by were normal mobs.

“There are mobs nearby,” I whispered, motioning toward the closest creatures I’d sensed.

Without discussion, Niall positioned himself between us and the creatures. Since he was a front-line fighter and we had more ranged options, his positioning made sense.

Though I hadn’t encountered the beasts before, I was familiar with the Ascenlana from the books I’d read. They were climbing creatures with four strong limbs ending with prehensile extremities capable of functioning as hands or feet. Ascenlanas also had a tail, though it was short and probably only assisted with balance.

Their fur was longer than most beasts in the dungeon, giving them a bit of a shaggy dog appearance. That mental image was reinforced by their elongated snout and large, pointed ears, making me think of some of the larger sheepdog mutts I’d seen back on Earth.

Like feral dogs, as soon as the creatures saw us, they immediately flew into a rage and attacked. Since they were somewhat clumped together, I cast Gravity Bomb, excluding my party and the surrounding flora from the effect. It had been hard to learn how to manipulate my spells with such precision, but between Stella and Master Kairos, I’d learned.

The spell yanked the half-dozen creatures from their feet, disrupting their charge. Niall rushed forward, stabbing one of the creatures with his Void-coated spear as Zavira sent spinning blades into the mass of bodies.

Noticing Niall’s lack of Barrier, I cast one on him while he fought.

If he’d been fighting this whole time without using a Barrier spell, it was no wonder he kept getting injured.

When one of the creatures managed to extract itself and ready an attack, I hit it with an [Ice Shard] from my scepter. With Niall so close to the creatures, I couldn’t risk using [Lightning Bolt] since it might jump to the metal in his armor or weapons.

When the last of the creatures fell, I took a closer look at our surroundings – beyond searching for threats. There were a few subtle changes from the last time I’d been there, and the discrepancies nagged at my subconscious.

“It looks a little different than it did before,” I said, staring at the jungle around me.

“Oh, I meant to tell you,” Zavira exclaimed as she collected the remains with a flex of Telekinesis. “I mentioned your encounter to a few people the other day, and they seemed really excited about the potential for a floor reset.”

“Why is that?” I asked. “Space-attuned creatures aren’t unheard of in the jungle zone; they’re just rare, and nothing ever referenced them being able to lock space. That was what caught me by surprise.”

Grinning, Zavira said, “Apparently, eighty-three years is on the upper end for the time between resets. It sounded like most of the locals are looking forward to the shift. New creatures and—” she motioned around us “—if you’re right, changes to the zone, are some of the signs it is impending.”

“The creature you fought was verified to be a new variant?” Niall asked me. I looked at the Smith for an answer since I’d given her the remains that I didn’t want or need.

Zavira nodded. “It was. The dungeon golem at the Crafting Hall verified it.”

We considered the implications silently as we made our way forward. After a few minutes, a small mini-map manifested in the corner of my vision. It didn’t encompass everything I could perceive through Spatial Sense, but it was pretty close.

It even had little red dots representing the creatures I could sense.

“When did you learn to do that?” I asked my Interface Assistant silently.

“Six and a half hours ago,” she replied. “It is a new feature I gained from interfacing with the upgraded DIVE equipment.”

“Can you share it with the others?” I asked. If they were able to track the location of nearby threats, it would make things much safer for all of us. It would also allow Niall to lead us directly to the next encounter without having to wander or get directions from me.

“If they have upgraded interfaces,” Lisa replied.

A few pointed questions revealed that both of my new companions had upgraded interfaces. I’d been a little worried that Niall might not have known about the upgrade since not every Academy graduate was aware of it. The nobility usually kept the information contained, and since Niall didn’t have a surname…

I wasn’t familiar with the Kastet’s background beyond the fact that he was an Academy graduate without debt. The fact that he wasn’t beholden to his Academy implied he at least had backing, but I wasn’t sure what that entailed. Thankfully, whoever was backing him at least ensured that knowledge of the upgrade had been shared.

“This is quite convenient,” Niall commented as he examined his new mini-map. He gave me a considering look and nodded. “This will make finding opportunities for growth much easier.”

As if demonstrating the point, Niall headed toward the closest cluster of red dots displayed on the map. I followed alongside Zavira after pointing out that I needed to be present and actively using Spatial Sense for the augment to work.

I didn’t bother worrying about the potential dungeon shift while we sought out new sources of experience. More than two weeks had passed since I’d last been in the jungle, and the area had only minor changes during that time. If the zones were shifting, it would likely be a gradual thing.

I’d do a little research when we returned to the city. But for now… It was time to hunt.

“So, it’s definitely going to happen while we’re here,” Zavira said with subdued excitement. We’d returned a little early so I could go to the library before it closed, and I’d learned what I could about the floor resets during that time.

Sitting in a restaurant near the library, I explained my findings to Zavira as we ate. Niall had declined to join us, opting to do his own thing after we returned from the jungle.

Everything I read said it would take about five months from the first noted change until the reset was complete. The position of each zone wouldn’t change, meaning there would still be an underground zone of some sort below whatever replaced the desert. There would also continue to be an underwater zone, though how that manifested was anyone’s guess.

We hadn’t explored the underwater or desert zones yet, but both were on my list of things to do before the zones changed too much.

“I want to explore the underwater ruins before the zone shifts,” I said once the thought fully manifested. “During my research, I read about the almost mini-dungeons in some of the ruins. They weren’t there before this reset, and I’d hate to miss out on the experience.”

“Are they like Trials?” she asked curiously between bites.

I shook my head. “No. They’re like the dungeons from stories. Like a rift, but guided?” I said, struggling to explain it better. “There are often hidden treasures inside, too.”

“That sounds a lot like the Trials on higher floors,” Zavira said with raised brows. “I watched a few people challenge them before I entered the dungeon, and at least two fit the description you just gave. They were even located in randomly spawned ruins.”

“Huh,” I grunted thoughtfully. “Maybe it’s a precursor Trial? Or, like, a practice run for higher levels?”

Zavira shrugged. “Maybe. Either way, I’m interested in exploring them before they disappear. Do you think Niall will be interested?”

“I have no idea,” I admitted. “I don’t really know much about him aside from the fact that he attended an Academy, is a Void Mage, and knows how to fight with a lot of different types of weapons.”

“I think he’s from a noble family,” Zavira said confidently. “The fact that he had an upgraded interface when he got here and he reached Tier Four before graduating from the Academy – debt free – implies as much.”

“But he doesn’t have a last name,” I pointed out. All nobles had a last name.

“Maybe he gave it up?” she countered with a shrug. “Maybe he was disowned for some odd reason. Or maybe he has one but is hiding it to climb incognito. There are tons of reasons why someone from a noble family wouldn’t display a surname.”

She was right. I’d almost forgotten how well an upgraded interface could provide false information to identification spells. Ultimately, his background didn’t matter all that much.

As long as it didn’t impact our ascension, there was no reason to dig into the man’s past. Maybe someday he’d feel like sharing, maybe not.

We all had our secrets.

A few seconds later, I said, “I’ll ask him if he’s interested tomorrow before we head out. Either way, we should take a week or two to explore the jungle before moving to a new zone. That should be plenty of time to collect a variety of materials from each zone before things change too much.”

“That’s fine,” Zavira replied before pushing her mostly empty plate away. “Uh. I’m done. I think I’m going to go explore the entertainment district for a while. I don’t feel like starting a new project this late.” She looked at me hopefully. “Do you want to come with me?”

I shook my head with a rueful smile. “No thanks. That seems like a great way to get mixed up in things I have no desire to bother with.”

“What are you talking about?” Zavira asked playfully. “The entertainment district is fun! I haven’t had any issues the whole time I’ve been here. As long as I don’t wear my sect robes, hardly anyone even bothers me. Though I have to admit, sometimes, it’s fun to wear my robes and see how people act. Even the hidden elites give themselves away when they think they might have a chance to connect with a Hephaistos Sect Force Smith.”

I chuckled, imagining just that. I’d seen how some people fawned over Zavira while others looked on in confusion. It really was easy to tell who recognized her sect emblem and who didn’t.

“Maybe another time,” I apologized lightly. “I still have a lot of training to get through, and I want to get the E3 talismans working against a Null Field before we do too much more exploring.”

“Inheritance training?” Zavira asked knowingly.

I nodded. “Yep. I entered the dungeon at low-Tier Three. Master Kairos didn’t want me to miss anything critical, so he gave me an inheritance crystal,” I said to explain. I didn’t mention Stella’s contribution. Nobody needed to know that.

“It makes sense,” she said casually. “Most elites get an inheritance of some sort. It wouldn’t make sense for them to enter the dungeon otherwise. It’s not like there are a lot of educational resources for people like us here.”

After settling the bill, I Teleported to my apartment and got to work. There were only so many hours in a day, and I had a lot to accomplish.