Micro’s coat of energy fluctuated as he got used to it, but as he stood up in the place where he had been meditating, he felt refreshed. He looked at his hands and noticed the same type of aura he’d seen the cultivators emitting before, though the colour was slightly different. Kel’s was slightly green, but his own aura was like a white fog that swirled around him.

  “It feels like the first time my driver figured out how to get out of first gear,” he celebrated before the confused Kel. “This is much better, thanks. Oh, wow. Look at them go.”

  Micro noticed that since closing his eyes, Kel’s friends had dug a massive hole in the side of the cave, big enough for a truck to drive though with room to spare. What impressed him the most is that they didn’t use any tools at all. All they used to smash and move the rocks and debris were their hands, though their hands were glowing mysteriously as they worked.

  “So they use the same energy on their hands…?” Micro asked as his understanding began to increase. “Normal paint would definitely chip.”

  “That is a fair assessment,” Kel replied, shaking his head to dispel the shock of Micro’s sudden accomplishments.

  “Their energy coating is a lot smoother than mine,” Micro added, noting that while his own energy was still fluctuating wildly, theirs was calm and controlled.

  “It is tiring to maintain that degree of control for cultivators of our level, but it becomes a trivial matter to harden one’s body with internal energy if one has mastered certain techniques.” Kel’s voice slowly returned to its normal, confident tone as he explained the process to Micro. “Using internal energy in this way is not dissimilar to the technique you just mastered…”

  Kel’s voice trailed off as Micro stood up and seemed to be making small adjustments to his aura, fine tuning its thickness and intensity. When he seemed content with his mostly stable protective layer, he walked ahead of Kel back to the others. They were busily breaking apart the dense rock, piece by piece, and moving the debris farther down the tunnel.

  “I can help with that!” Micro said happily when Den passed him by with a boulder in his hands. “Anything under half a ton should be fine.”

  “Half a what…?” Den asked in confusion as he began to notice the new and powerful aura coating Micro.

  “Wait, you aren’t ready to push yourself that far yet!” Kel called out as Micro politely took the boulder from Den. Den was the most muscular of the group by far, and he was about to voice his concern as the rock left his grip. However, he was left speechless when Micro effortlessly removed the large rock from his hands and began carrying it down the cave to the existing pile.

  “What technique is that…?” Den muttered as the small boy quickly returned for another rock.

  “He may be a prodigious talent,” Kel replied as he watched Micro work.

  “That doesn’t make sense at all,” another attendant blurted out.

  “He hasn’t learned to strengthen his body with internal energy. At least, that isn’t what he is doing now,” Tae explained while analyzing Micro with her glowing eyes. “It’s something simpler, in some way—”

  “But his body lacks the strength to even break those ropes we tied him up with,” Den said while scratching his head. “Look at him go, as if that rock was hollow…”

  “He didn’t hesitate at all, but it couldn’t be—” Kel gasped.

  “He’s not using a skill, and that artificial vessel is not particularly strong,” Tae confirmed.

  “No…” Den gasped. “Then, you mean to tell me…”

  “Yes, I’m almost certain.” Tae deactivated her Spirit Vision Skill and nodded, her eyes wide with doubt. “Micro’s soul possesses a will that defies his own physical limitations.”

  “Physical limitations?” Micro asked while picking up a boulder at least twice the weight of his own body, having overheard their hushed conversation. “If I couldn’t carry this, I wouldn’t have a sticker on me that says I can.”

  “A sticker?” Den’s eyebrows reached new heights while trying to place the boy’s words in context.

  “Otherworldly philosophies, found in a cave…” Kel said with a wide smile. “Our journey has truly been blessed.”

  “But arms are more convenient than I thought,” Micro said as he stopped halfway to the debris pile and threw the rock the rest of the way. “I feel more like a forklift without my doors though, and fingers are strange. Why do you need so many?”

  Kel and Den watched as Micro wiggled his fingers in front of his face for a moment before bending over to grab another heavy rock. Tae, Den, and the others were doing their best to avoid looking distracted from their task, but frequently bumped into each other while looking over their shoulder at him. When Den noticed that progress on the tunnel had actually slowed since Micro began to help, he straightened his back and cleared his throat with a loud rumble that shook the cave.

  “What are you dragging your feet for, everyone?” Den’s voice boomed. “Are you going to make the boy do all your work while the young master watches you rest?!”

  His words were effective in hastening the gate’s excavation, with Micro happily assisting in carrying whatever rocks were flung out of the tunnel in his general direction. Kel attempted to assist several times, feeling guiltier by the minute as his comrades overworked themselves to the point of exhaustion, but he was unable to make it past Tae each time he tried to sneak in to help. With his role diminished, he decided to spend his time cultivating as always, and he returned to the process of trying to master the Jade Fire Appraisal Skill card in his possession.

  “Why is it so dusty in here?” a sleepy voice sputtered from within Micro’s pocket. “And where is all this energy coming fro—”

  The pixie poked her head out of Micro’s pocket, but she immediately saw the cultivators hard at work all around him and dove back into the pocket’s depths.

  “You found a sect already?!” she whispered in panic, still coughing. She poked her head out one more time to confirm that she hadn’t been noticed. “Give me some warning next time!”

  “Oh, you look well.” Micro smiled down at her while transporting another rock, sending even more dust into the pocket in the process. “It’s not the sect I need, but they are very helpful.”

  “Wait, what’s going on?” Blue coughed, but before she could continue her questioning, her eyes began to glow as they often did, and her expression became one of amusement. “Oh, look at that. You’re making use of some of that stupidly large amount of energy in there.”

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  “Kel taught me how to use my body like a radiator for energy,” Micro replied quietly with a smile. “I’m more efficient now!”

  “Sure,” she mumbled as she turned around in his pocket to face the general direction of his core. She held her hand out against his chest, his Core Cards against her back, and sighed. “Ah… That’s the stuff.”

  Micro tripped over his own foot as he suddenly felt his strength drain out of him. After dropping a rock on his foot, he quickly made efforts to compensate for the apparent leak in his aura, and was relieved to find there was minimal damage to his old boot.

  “Wow! Your energy is weird, but it’s delicious! It’s so much easier to steal now!” Blue half shouted as Micro shook his foot around to confirm it still worked. “Whatever you’re doing, don’t stop. It’s not much, but this should get me up and running soon.”

  “Are you siphoning my fuel again?” Micro asked with a betrayed look on his face.

  “Hey, you still owe me, remember? You owe me a lot!” she argued back and stuck her tongue out, then went back to absorbing the energy flowing out of him little by little. “You have more than enough to spare. Don’t be greedy, human.”

  “Okay…” Micro shrugged, admittedly grateful for her assistance over the last few days. “Do you need any—”

  “Hmm?” Blue suddenly looked around with her eyes glowing, careful to stay out of sight of the cultivators. “Those idiots are about to dig up something real nasty. Oh well.”

  “What do you—”

  “Be quiet and let me focus,” she snapped. “I’m busy.”

  “Sorry,” Micro said quietly, but Blue had already fallen back to sleep in his pocket. Though he could still feel her draining some of his energy, he returned his full attention to picking up and moving the rocks.

  “What did you say?” Den called out to Micro from behind, sweat dripping from his face. “Didn’t catch that.”

  “Oh, hello.” Micro turned to reply.

  “You look tired all of a sudden,” Den said with a smirk. “Any problems?”

  “What do I do if I run out of fuel?” Micro asked, wiping some sweat from his face.

  “Fuel? You mean internal energy?” Den asked in reply. “That’d be bad.”

  “How do I refuel it if it runs empty?” Micro continued. “What happens if I run out?”

  “Oh, that’s a simple matter.” Den paused his work to explain. “If your internal energy is completely depleted, you’ll die.”

  “Oh.” Micro’s face hardened, and his eyes wandered suspiciously down to his pocket. “Oh dear…”

  “But that’s not something you need to worry about at your level,” Den insisted.

  “I won’t run out?”

  “Not easily,” Den continued. “At your level, fully utilizing your internal energy would be nearly impossible. Think of it like breathing.”

  “I refuel by breathing?” Micro frowned as he began to focus on his breathing. He still found it odd that his lungs seemed to repeat the process without him having to focus on it. “Breathing is already mysterious enough.”

  “That’s not completely wrong,” Den replied, but a troubled look appeared on his face. “I’m not really good at explaining this kind of stuff…”

  “While breathing is a component of many cultivation techniques, that’s not the point this big dummy was trying to make,” Tae added as she passed by, punching Den on the shoulder. She looked back at Micro and continued as Den rolled his eyes and got back to work. “You need air to breathe, but you can’t hold your breath until you die.”

  “Ah!” Micro laughed. “I’ve seen a child do that before!”

  “Exactly, so as long as you’re the only one using your energy, you’ll be fine,” Tae reassured him.

  “Uh oh…” Micro frowned, but he decided not to explain his predicament. “If only I had a fuel gauge… By the way, you’re about to dig up something nasty, whatever that means.”

  “Wha—” Tae stepped back, surprised by Micro’s sudden change of tone.

  “There…” Micro added, pointing ahead of the group, where the excavation was continuing.

  Tae wasted no time running ahead with her eyes glowing.

  “Clear out!” she screamed as the others jumped out of her way in surprise.

  “What and where?!” Den asked, preparing his shield and looking around the cave cautiously.

  “Right here,” Tae replied, tentatively pressing her hand against a large rock which had yet to be disturbed. “There’s definitely something… there it is.”

  “I sense it too,” Kel said as he appeared beside Tae. “What is it?”

  “It’s a firelight spider,” Tae replied.

  “What is that?” Micro asked with a curious smile. “I haven’t heard of that kind of spider.”

  “Those things are awful,” Den spat. “They dig long tunnels, and they move around them faster than anything you’ll see.”

  “If we had run into it, we’d have been no match for its speed,” Tae explained. “A cave would be the worst place to encounter one.”

  “Is it a spider that’s on fire…?” Micro tilted his head.

  “It moves fast, and its bite feels like hot embers under your skin,” Tae replied. “It’s lucky we found it before it found us. They’re faster than we can deal with, but they aren’t strong. Den, if you wouldn’t mind.

  “With pleasure.” Den smiled, winding back his shield and coating it with energy. “Brace yourselves…”

  Tae pointed at the rock which the monster was hiding behind, and Den gave a great shout as he drove his shield through it with a crash.

  EEEK

  A terrible sound filled the cave, and the mangled frame of a yellow spider, bigger than Den’s shield, fell to the ground. It squirmed and shrieked until another of the attendants drove a sword through it. Again, the cave was silent, and Micro was surprised to see how calm and content the others were. After the digging had resumed for a while, and Kel had returned to his meditation, Tae walked back to where Micro was now standing in silence with a suspicious glare.

  “Thank you,” Tae said to Micro, but her eyes narrowed. “How did you notice that before I did?”

  “Well, I had some help…” Micro replied timidly, wondering what he should say. However, he was relieved when Tae’s attention was immediately called away.

  “We found it, young master!” an attendant shouted between ragged breaths. “It’s just as described in the sacred texts.”

  Kel jumped out of his trance and ran excitedly into the tunnel to join his comrades, and he gazed in awe at the scene before him.

  “This dungeon has lived in my heart for so long. To see it now with my own eyes…” Kel spoke humbly, his eyes watering. “It’s only the second dungeon I’ve seen. I grew up near the Mountain Art dungeon at home, but to find one like this… Is it always like this?”

  “They all look a little different to one another,” Tae replied. “But the first one you find always looks the most…”

  She trailed off while watching the wonder in Kel’s eyes. Micro soon joined Kel before the gate, curious about where it led. It looked like a simple gate, made of stone, but there was no door or handle. Rather, the inside of the gate looked like flowing water, suspended in the air in a way he couldn’t imagine.

  “So, that’s a dungeon gate?” Micro asked the group.

  “Yes, it is,” Tae replied with reverence. “You can tell by the simple structure and its colour that it is a jade level dungeon. And if you look closely…”

  “Ah, it’s a turtle!” Micro exclaimed when he noticed the patterns that were occasionally visible in the gate.

  “It’s a sacred icon, and one of the foundations of our sect,” Kel added. “This is where the progenitor of our sect first acquired the Jade Fire Turtle Art Core Card. While the Jade Fire Mountain Art is at the heart of our sect in a more literal sense, this dungeon is perhaps the most important step to mastery of our sect’s teachings…”

  “So everybody in your sect needs a turtle card?” Micro asked Kel.

  “Only the heir is required to obtain it. Its teachings can be passed down in part by one who has mastered the art, but true mastery would be impossible without the card itself,” Kel explained as he composed himself. “Though it is not unheard of for others to master it, it is a rare path to walk in recent memory.”

  “So the card is in there?” Micro asked as he pointed at the gate.

  “It is…” Kel’s voice was still full of awe as he began to comprehend the weight of the quest before him. He looked around at his comrades, all of whom wore knowing expressions, thanking them in his heart for supporting him that far. “I must overcome the dangers of this dungeon, however harrowing they may be. Then, and only then, will I finally be worth to—”

  “Okay,” Micro replied casually before walking through the shimmering green door.