Micro immediately felt refreshed to see Kira’s bright eyes greet him as he exited the Amber Water Dragon Art Dungeon. There seemed to be few people as cheerful as her in the world where Micro currently resided. She quickly noticed his sour mood, however. Lena looked mildly concerned, but Kolt and Arbur remained seated with their eyes closed in meditation.

  “Was it difficult, master?” Kira asked.

  “The dragon wasn’t very nice,” Micro replied. “It wasn’t a fun dungeon.”

  “What did the dragon do?!” Kira gasped.

  “He was very rude,” Micro replied quickly, but he quickly pushed the thought from his mind and looked down at his core cards. “At least he gave me some cards.”

  “Oh!” Kira shouted excitedly. “Which ones did you find this time?!”

  “Let’s see…” Micro activated his Appraisal Skill and the most basic information of the cards became clear to him. “Dragon Art, Storage Skill… That makes sense… Oh? What’s this?”

  “What’s that?” Kira peaked at the last card Micro was observing. “It—it’s just a circle?”

  “A circle—” Lena blurted out, apparently startled by Kira’s observation. She raced over with a strange look on her face. “Are you certain?”

  “Yes, look…” Kira replied timidly.

  “It can’t be…” Lena mumbled as her eyes fell upon the card. Though the card glimmered as beautifully as the other amber core cards, the design with which it was decorate was strikingly simple. “Micro, please confirm the card’s name!”

  “Amber… Water… Immortality…” Micro recited, carefully following the words which appeared in his mind. “It’s the Amber Water Immortality Trait.”

  “What did you do in that dungeon, Master Micro?!” Lena asked, no trace of her usual calmness in her voice. She stumbled backward several paces as if she had grown lightheaded, then looked at Micro in disbelief. Even as Tohan and his daughter exited the dungeon behind Micro, Lena didn’t look away from Micro’s eyes. “Tell me everything!”

  “I carried the old man away from something dangerous,” Micro replied.

  “Dangerous?” Lena asked, her tone becoming more urgent. “What exactly was the danger?”

  “Umm…” Micro thought for a moment. “It was like a fog, but it was red. It smelled rusty… Oh, and it hurt a lot.”

  “Father, he couldn’t mean…” Tring whispered to her father. “It must be something else.”

  “It could only be…” Tohan gasped. “That card—”

  “Oh, hello again!” Micro turned to greet them, but their wide eyes surprised him. “What’s up?”

  “Please, explain what you are able to explain,” Lena requested of Tohan with one hand clasped in the other.

  “Oh, of course… Well, the enemy you face is a manifestation of your deepest fears, you see?” Tohan began to explain slowly, looking at Micro as if he were seeing him for the first time. “But fear, as you know, is not always so easily defined.”

  “It was pretty unpleasant,” Micro said, waiting for Tohan to continue.

  “I am embarrassed to say that the most prominent fear in my heart was revealed to be a large cat which attacked me as a young child. I thought I had overcome that trauma…” Tring interjected. “The dungeon guardian reluctantly awarded me the Dragon Art Core Card after I abandoned the first gold coin I ever earned. The cat chased me everywhere I ran, and the coin was so heavy…”

  “At least he’s consistent,” Micro said with a heavy sigh. “Making things heavier is pretty straightforward…”

  “That is how he acquired so many treasures,” Tring added. “He keeps the manifestations of the treasures which cultivators were forced to abandon. He just tossed the coin in a pile at the end…”

  “I faced my wife, truthfully,” Tohan eventually added with quiet voice, slightly embarrassed to admit the nature of his own trial. “I escaped after abandoning my desire to lead our sect. I remember feeling quite sure that my wife would rip me apart if I didn’t give up on that dream, and I felt it more valuable to survive and continue to cultivate, though it stings to have collected only one card…”

  “My father may sound ridiculous, but my mother is feared my most…” Tring added with a distant look in her eyes. “But for all of our troubles, it would seem that the both of us were only rewarded with the Dragon Art Core Card in the end…!”

  “Master Micro’s challenge may be incomprehensible to mortals,” Tohan said solemnly as Lena continued to listen with an intense glare. “To obtain the card which Master Micro has attained…”

  “Then what Micro described truly is…” Lena muttered.

  “A fear of rust?” Micro asked. “But rust never hurt that much. Don’t get me wrong, it’s terrible but—”

  “No, that is not what you faced,” Tohan replied. “I have only read as much in the archives of my sect, but there is one known account which is similar to what you have described. There was a great master of the Dragon Art who had ascended to the ruby stage, one who was famed for having overcome fear. Alas, he had only overcome those fears which can be known by mortals.”

  “There are levels of fear?” Micro asked. “Does everything have a level on this world?”

  “There is only so much a mortal can know in life,” Tohan explained. “Beyond the confines of our mortality, the archives of our sect tell of a certain kind of fear…”

  “A fear beyond death?” Lena asked? “That would be…!”

  “Universal death, as it is commonly called, but rarely is it comprehended,” Tohan continued. “If he speaks the truth, which is likely, then he is uniquely fearless, and was rewarded in kind.”

  “I’m not fearless though,” Micro said. “I was definitely scared of Cerena. I was literally shaking in my boots.”

  “Did that fear make you hesitate to challenge such a great opponent? You were wise to feel as you did, but you certainly were not ruled by that instinct,” Lena reassured him, though her tone was still strained. “Your will and your spirit have far surpassed the limits of your physical form. But to have a soul devoid of mortal concerns at your age is beyond my understanding.”

  “What is universal death though?” Micro asked. “Isn’t ordinary death already pretty scary?”

  “Death is not inherently final in nature,” Lena replied. “As you are well aware, energy changes forms, but rarely vanishes altogether, and the soul’s continued existence is not dependent on a single physical form. Even the extinguished soul rejoins the unending flow of energy that comprises this realm.”

  “Okay…?” Micro nodded as his head began to ache. “Ka-Rim said I have lots of fears though…”

  “Perhaps, but what the dungeon trial showed you is that your deepest fear is not simply losing your place in the universe, but losing the universe itself,” Tohan continued, stroking his beard with a blank stare. “To see one’s existence in this universe come to an end is the common fear of every mortal being who has lived. But the immortal fears the end of the universe itself.”

  “I don’t feel like I’m worried about the end of the world though,” Micro said. “I’m only worried about the old man. He was the treasure I had to carry.”

  “What?” Tohan blurted out, then cleared his throat. “Forgive my discourteous outburst, but you mean to say that you fear nought but the loss of a single life?”

  “But what he saw could only be universal death,” Tring added. “I’ve read the descriptions of it in the same ancient texts…”

  “The only reason I exist is to keep him safe on his travels,” Micro shrugged. “I wouldn’t say I don’t care about the world, but…”

  “Master Micro…” Kira interrupted the cultivators’ serious discussion with a timid voice. She wiped tears from her cheek with the sleeve of her robe and sniffled. “How can you treasure one person more than anybody could treasure everything in the whole world?”

  Realization set in slowly among Lena, Tohan, and his daughter after nearly dismissing her comment as a naive misunderstanding. The truth in her words became harder to ignore as they resonated among the veteran cultivators.

  “Is that possible?” Tring was the first to open her mouth after a long period of confused silence. “The weight of his fear over such a trivial matter is equatable to the immortal fear of universal death?”

  “But would the dungeon guardian recognize such a sentiment?” Tohan wondered aloud. “Could mortal sentiment transcend mortal bounds?”

  “So it is not what is feared, but how much it is feared…” Lena closed her eyes, as if to meditate on her questions for a while. She strained her mind to the point that she looked to be in pain, but eventually she shook her head and sighed. “I think we have pried far enough into Master Micro’s personal affairs. We are likely not to understand Micro’s path until we have travelled a considerable distance upon it.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Of course!” Tahon’s face suddenly reddened. Tohan then cast a worried glance at Micro, clearly ashamed of his remarks. “How shameful of me to pry into the most intimate matters of your soul, Master Micro!”

  “No, it’s fine,” Micro assured his friends. “I guess this card is pretty useful, huh?”

  “It is a legendary card, even at the amber level, young master,” Tring answered. “You will not age a day past your prime, and you will never feel hunger again.”

  “Woah…” Micro gasped.

  “To be clear, you will still be able to die,” Lena added. “But only if you are killed. Even my own sect knows little of the Immortal Trait beyond the amber level.”

  “I was going to avoid getting killed anyway,” Micro stated blankly. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do, anyways—”

  “Please try harder!” Kira shouted, lunging forward again and hugging Micro’s waist tightly as the tension dissipated The air became less tense in the cavern Micro had created, but Blue finally exited the dungeon before they could relax completely.

  “Haha!” Blue laughed so hard that she spiralled down to the ground, where she lay laughing for a while. “Should have seen it! Oh man—”

  “What in the…” Tohan grumbled, backing away nervously. “Th—the pixie also…?”

  “Ah, that was great…” Blue finally collected herself, then stood up and pulled out two core cards and a large, luxurious shoe. It was at least large enough for Tohan to wear. “The trial was easy, but he sure didn’t like me trying to steal his gold! He landed a good kick on me at the end, and I managed to grab this on my way out!”

  “That’s a nice show, Blue,” Micro replied with a thumbs up. Micro joined the others in analyzing the valuable looking piece of footwear. The eyes of Tohan and his daughter sparkled, as if the gem-encrusted shoe was shining a bright light upon them.

  “Storage again, eh? Waste of time!” Blue said as she observed her other rewards. She tossed the Storage Skill card over her shoulder and looked at the next one with a brighter expression. “Dragon Art? Well, that sounds alright. I wonder what it does…”

  Tohan and Tring scrambled over to collect the card that Blue had discarded before it had even hit the floor, leaving Micro with Kira. Micro laughed as he looked back at Kira, who finally released her grip on him, and Lena, who looked calmer than before.

  “So, are we good to go?” Micro asked.

  “Don’t let me stop you,” Lena said, waving her hand. “You are one step closer to your goal. Or should I say, three steps?”

  “Three shiny, yellow steps! Micro smiled and immediately retreated into his mind, refreshed as always to walk into the garage he called home. This time, he found the dog napping atop the roof of the truck, and quietly loaded his three new core cards into the bed. Though the immortality card seemed a little heavier than the rest, he was relieved to feel that he still had room for many more. Micro awoke from his meditative state as a bright aura swirled around him. The light subsided as he took a deep breath, then he looked around to see familiar expressions on the faces of Tohan, Tring, and their guards.

  “Did he just…” Tring whispered. She dropped the core card she had just fought her father for control of in her surprise.

  “Two—no, three cards?” Tohan added.

  The whispering voices of the Dark Cat Sect members also began to echo in the cavern, but Kira’s proud laughter soon drowned out their gasps.

  “Master Micro is amazing, after all!” Kira announced, to which Tohan and Tring could only nod.

  “He truly is!” Arbur added, recovering from his own state of shock.

  “How do you feel, young master?” Lena asked, scanning him thoroughly with glowing eyes. “What difference do you feel, if I may inquire?”

  “I can feel how much bigger my storage got,” Micro replied. A small, dark window appeared next to him with a soft sound, and he reached through it curiously. His hand appeared to vanish into the air as he did so, then he pulled his hand out and closed the window. “Yep, lots more room for things in there now.”

  “And your body?” Lena asked more urgently. “I have never seen energy flowing the way it now flows through you now. It looks to me as though a great river is rushing through your core, but I sense no instability, no fluctuations, no wasted energy…”

  “Ah, now that you mention it…” Micro nodded, squatting down and then jumping into the air a few times. “I feel like I just got an oil change.”

  “Excuse me?” Lena asked.

  “It feels smoother now,” Micro continued. “My energy tended to gather around my core before, unless I put some effort into using it elsewhere. It took a lot of concentration, but now it’s all just flowing by itself. Well, not exactly…”

  “Not exactly?” Lena pressed him to proceed with his explanation.

  “I do understand what it’s doing, but it doesn’t take any effort to make it move now. I’m aware of it, but it almost feels automatic,” Micro tried to explain. “Like when you start the engine, and—oh, well, never mind.”

  “So you’ve experienced this sensation before?” Lena asked.

  “It’s basically how trucks are designed,” Micro answered. “As long as everything is installed properly, you only have to steer it once it’s moving.”

  “You say you were a farm tool in your past life, but you seem to have developed some understanding of the nature of immortality…” Lena pondered for a moment. “The great philosophers of our time would give anything to see into your mind.”

  “Anyways, I can tell the Dragon Art will be useful already,” Micro smiled, and the aura around him suddenly grew intense.

  “Ugh…” The four Dark Cat Sect members stumbled to the ground as the air grew heavy in the cavern. Kira caught Kolt by his arm before he could fall, but she also began to feel dizzy.

  “It feels…” Micro said with a small grin as he waved his hand toward the cavern wall. Though his hand moved lazily through the air, it impacted the bedrock surface like a wrecking ball. “Powerful…!”

  “Woah…” Kolt said with a feeble voice.

  “Father…” Tring said, grasping the sleeve of her father’s robe. “The dragon claw technique… Have you ever seen it performed with such power at the amber level?”

  “That is something to aspire to, Tring,” Tohan replied. “But it may be unwise to draw a direct comparison, or one may lose heart.”

  “Right…” Tring sighed, then looked back down at the discarded Amber Water Storage Skill Core Card. She bent down and picked it up, then closed her eyes. She offered it to her father, but to her surprise, he declined it.

  “I will not have time to master that skill any time soon,” Tohan said with resolve. “My focus shall lie elsewhere for the foreseeable future.”

  “Are you sure?” Tring gasped. “I don’t feel very worthy of it…”

  “Do with it as you please, daughter,” Tohan insisted, and Tring reluctantly accepted the card with an awkward silence.

  “Alright then,” Micro said, his voice piercing the quiet air. “I think it’s time to go.”

  ~

  After a while, the tension in the cavern where the Amber Water Dragon Art Dungeon’s entrance still remained relaxed, and the party made their way back to the surface. The sky was clear above the clearing in the forest which Blue had created. Tohan, his daughter, and their guides felt a surreal sense of peace as they basked in the sunlight for a while.

  “So, that was all you needed to take care of, right?” Micro asked them.

  “We have concluded our original business,” Tohan replied. “However, I believe our next steps will need to be reconsidered…”

  “I’m going to get back to work on this road now,” Micro said, gesturing to the road behind him with his thumb. “Feel free to use it any time you like. It would be nice to see more familiar faces on the road.”

  “I humbly accept your invitation!” Tohan bowed deeply with his hands clasped in front of him.

  “As do I, Master Micro!” Tring joined her father in a deep bow, much to Micro’s surprise. “I have a lot more to learn from this path of yours…!”

  “Good luck with that,” Micro replied cheerfully. He then turned to the four Dark Cat Sect members. “Next time I’m looking for a dungeon, I’ll have to hire you!”

  “We are much obliged,” the apparent leader of the four replied, and they all bowed gracefully. “We have learned much from this encounter, and would be happy to repay you with whatever information you desire.”

  “On the topic of information,” Lena interjected, addressing the leader of the Dark Cat Sect guides. “What information have you collected regarding the recently summoned being with a silver core?”

  “That information is well guarded, but as you have already provided us with information regarding that issue of which we were previously unaware, so I shall answer freely,” the leader replied. “It is reported that after several violent encounters with imperial forces, the hero with a silver core departed this kingdom’s borders and is currently headed north. We have collected conflicting reports pertaining to the alleged abilities of the summoned being, but it is likely that you already possess a greater understanding of its power.”

  “Yes, I am painfully aware of its power,” Lena said with a slight bow. “I am grateful for the information.”

  “We are honoured to be of service…” The Dark Cat sect members all bowed again, then turned to Tohan.

  “Yes, yes. Well then,” Tohan announced. “We shall return to our sect now. There is much to discuss with the elders…”

  “It’s been fun, Tohan,” Micro said. “We’ll walk you to the end of the road, if you are still headed that way.”

  “How gracious!” Tohan laughed. “Let us depart!”

  ~

  The party enjoyed their walk along Micro’s crudely carved path at a leisurely pace before they finally parted ways. Tohan and Tring thanked Blue for the Storage Skill Core Card with a large bag of gold coins, though Blue refused to sell the shoe of the Dragon Art Dungeon’s guardian for any price. Kolt’s mood immediately worsened as Tring departed, but his vigour returned to him when Kira began teasing him about his encounter with the beautiful young woman. Before Micro returned to clearing a road through the forest, Blue tossed her bag of coins to him, much to his surprise.

  “I thought you liked shiny things,” Micro said in confusion.

  “It’s not the same if it’s not stolen,” Blue pouted. “No fun at all, And it feels gross getting a gift from a cultivator!”

  “Sometimes we all have to rely on the kindness of others,” Micro declared. “You’ve helped me a lot. You even gave me your energy a few times!”

  “Fair enough,” Blue said with a shrug. “I do like that hairy merchant though. He’s got eyes like an old pixie.”

  “Aren’t you an old pixie?” Arbur asked.

  “Older than some,” Blue frowned. “You saying I look old?”

  “Anyways,” Micro said quickly as he placed his gold coins in storage. “How do you like the Dragon Art?”

  “Oh, that? It took some effort to digest, but it didn’t do much for me,” Blue replied, testing out an attack on a nearby tree. The bottom half of the tree turned to dust, and the top half fell to the ground with a loud crack. “I’m still so weak…”

  “Still?” Micro asked with concern.

  “But the Core Cards do make it a lot easier to use what little energy I have,” Blue explained. “It’ll have to do, for now…”

  “Well, you seem stronger than yesterday,” Micro reassured her. “How about a race?”

  “Hmm?” Blue’s ears twitched at the word. “You already owe me a lot of beef.”

  “I’ll try and earn it back now,” Micro said. “You clear that half of the road, and I’ll take this half over here. I want it to stay about four lanes wide, so two lanes each.”

  “Lane?” Blue frowned.

  “Oh, a lane is just about twice as wide as I am tall,” Micro explained.

  “So we’ll each clear a path that is four ‘Micros’ wide. Got it.”

  “That’s not a unit of measurement—” Micro began to explain, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of another exploding tree.

  “Go!” Blue shouted, laughing uncontrollably as she obliterated another tree.

  “Wait!” Micro shouted, but then he simply laughed and chased after her with a wide smile.

  ~

  Lena remained with Arbur, Kolt, and Kira as Micro and Blue began their race of destruction. Trill remained sleeping in Kolt’s pocket. Arbur returned to his meditation as soon as he was able, dedicated to mastering the four core cards he had been granted after his time in the mountain art dungeon with Micro, Blue, and the soul of his canine companion, Though he was excited to begin with the Crystal Art card he had acquired by his own efforts.

  “You have much work to do while your master performs his duties as sect leader,” Lena declared with a stern tone as Kira and Kolt struggled to concentrate.

  “I got it…” Kolt mumbled.

  “Yes, Master Lena,” Kira replied with a bow, imitating the manners she had observed in Tohan and his daughter. “I don’t want to be left behind again…”

  “Good,” Lena continued as an ominous aura swirled around them. “Then it is time for you to begin your training in earnest.”