Four days later, on the first day of November, Rowan took on Cory’s Quest. Convincing Grace to let him go alone had been hard and a last-minute feat. She insisted that the word solo in Solo Quest was optional, and wives qualified to come with their husbands. Rowan and Cory were not so sure. In the end, there were no premonitions of danger in the previous days, which sealed the deal. As far as the minimap showed, the ship was just outside the middle of Randolph County’s northern border. Nothing there, for miles, but forest.

  He parked Grace’s car as close to the spot as possible, hiked for an hour, took a fifteen-minute break to have a snack, and approached the limit. A transparent yet shiny light blocked the path: the County’s Quantum forcefield. On the other side, the hills continued, and nothing looked out of the ordinary.

  “Wasn’t the exterior supposed to be irradiated or something?”

  [Cory]: Only on the western side of Elkins.

  “OK, so what now?”

  [Cory]: I’ll open a passage. You can’t see the ship because the System cloaked it, but it’s just ahead.

  Why didn’t the government claim it?

  [Cory]: The System forbade access, remember?

  Vaguely.

  [Cory]: It doesn’t matter anymore. You have been granted the right to make the first attempt at salvaging the Traipenent. Make it count. Go due north, and you’ll find a hull breach. Once inside, keep going straight. After the first airlock, the Quest activates. Follow the minimap. Godspeed, and please h—

  Communication with the entity known as Cory is now cut to prevent exploits and spoilers.

  The passage out of the County resembled a portal, only less shiny. Before going out, Rowan checked his armor. It was made in the Technoforge and consisted of enchanted leather pants, segmented body armor, and a racer helmet made from mana-strengthened material. Cory had insisted on a full plate armor, but Rowan found it cumbersome. Finally, he fixed his rucksack on his back and stepped through.

  You have left a High Mana Density area (Randolph County) for a Low Mana Density Area. Warning: Your stats and skills will remain the same, but your HP and MP will regenerate at a much lower rate.

  Straight ahead was easy to say, but in a forest, harder to follow. Rowan found the breach in the outer hull—a patch of darkness among the already murky shadows of the wood—a couple of hundred feet to his left, hidden under an overhanging. The notification came when he was still outside.

  You have entered a High Mana Density area.

  The ship’s wall looked thick and weird, with cables hanging out of the rupture, not the kind of shooting sparks of electricity one sees in movies, more like conduits of sorts. Or veins. The tech looked at the border between artificial and organic.

  Shotgun at the ready, Rowan went past the wall, arriving inside a corridor, its blackness going forever to the left and right. He switched on the torch affixed to his helmet. Thirty feet wide, or maybe more, the tunnel had a double rail in its middle. Far away, there were the remains of a wrecked mini-train. Just in front of him was an airlock, plain and metallic. On its right was a round red button, and Rowan pressed it, obtaining a notification.

  Warning: Dungeon Wing 1 is malfunctioning. Missing Core. Pocket Universe Perk: unavailable. Resurrection Perk: unavailable. Damage Reduction Perk: unavailable. Detecting residual constructs from the previous iteration: Broken Lab (Tier 1, Type: Training, Lvl. 20). Do you want to continue? Y/N

  “Yes.”

  Instead of opening, the airlock vanished. One second, it was there; the next, only the empty doorframe. Rowan stepped on.

  You have 12 hours to complete the Main Objective of the Explore the Traipenent Quest.

  The first room was covered in absolute darkness; the torch barely reached the next wall. On the floor was a maze of fallen furniture, scattered lab equipment, and broken glass tanks. It looked ominous, so Rowan opted to proceed slowly.

  Monsters are compelled to attack you, no matter the level difference; he remembered Cory’s warnings. The first creature jumped from a shelf, smashing itself on his enhanced helmet.

  You have slain Lab Rat, Lvl. 20, 1/100.

  The rest arrived like a flood from every corner. He shot at some, stomped, kicked, squashed, and then the wave receded, but the notification was worrying.

  You have slain Lab Rat, Lvl. 20 x5, 6/100

  Shit, this will take forever! I need AoE.

  He had no skill or spell for that, but he was prepared nevertheless. The experience from the sewars had taught him lessons. Rowan replaced his shotgun with a portable fumigation device with a single gesture, his spatial storage working like a charm. He also put on a breather two seconds before the second wave arrived.

  DOTs and Debuffs applied on Targets (Lab Rat x30): Poison, Paralysis, 60 seconds.

  Rowan continued to release gas around. The target count went up, and soon, it showed that 93/100 rats were immobilized. Finding all of them under the furniture would have been hard, but the DOT finished the job.

  Dungeon Wing 1: Floor 1 cleared: 100/100 Targets killed. No XP or APs were awarded. 41/100 sections cleared on the Main Deck

  Forty-one? Who cleared the rest?

  It was not the time for hesitation, though. A hundred feet onward, Rowan found the next airlock on the right wall. Pressing the same type of red button dismissed the panel again. The next space was smaller in size and empty. A few lights still worked here and there on the walls, offering more light over his torch.

  Anew, a push on the button and the airlock disappeared. Walking forward, he forgot to close the door behind him. Ten steps later, he heard terrible screeches from above and behind. A cloud of tiny flying monsters covered him, trying to get into his suit or helmet, and a second swarm attacked from behind, exiting the previous room. Rowan waved his arms wildly, releasing a plume of poisonous smoke simultaneously.

  You have slain Lab Bat Lvl. 20 x 11 (5/100 + 6/100)

  You have been inflicted with DOT x3 (3 X 0.05% HP/second)

  Heavier than air, the poison cloud started to flow down, and the monster flew up, escaping.

  “Just you wait, you little fuckers,” he cussed. Unstrapping two stun grenades, he pulled the safety pin. He threw one in each room, covering his ears and closing his eyes, continuing by releasing poisonous smoke around and up. The disoriented bat swarms began to hit the walls or the floor in a frenzy.

  You have slain Lab Bat, Lvl. 20 x 188 (100/100 + 99/100).

  He finally found the last bat squirming on the floor of the previous room, untouched by the poison but with a broken wing. He put it out of the misery, squashing it under his boot. The DOTs disappeared as soon as the last monster was killed.

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  Dungeon Wing 1: Floor 2-3 cleared: 200/200 Targets killed. You have received 0 XP and 1 AP. 43/100 sections cleared on the Main Deck.

  AP reward rule discovered. AP granted = number or rooms cleared simultaneously -1.

  Well, well, well…

  Happiness crept into Rowan’s heart. There were quite a few APs to be obtained there. The plan was simple: reach the Bridge, get Cory back online, then exploit the rule, clearing two or more rooms at a time. On the map, there were seventeen more divisions until the Main objective. He resolved to take it easy, go into a room, see how tough the monsters were, and decide whether to continue. Unlocking the next space, he took a peek. Snakes slithering on the floor.

  Eek…

  He ran around, luring them after him. Kiting, as Thomas taught him. Poison didn’t seem to bother them, so he took back his shotgun, shot a couple, and stomped others.

  You have slain Lab Snake x 4 (4/20)

  Good, numbers vary from room to room.

  The next room had spiders as big as his fists, then came snails.

  Easy peasy.

  To prove him wrong, his feet got stuck in something, and he fell on the floor.

  You have been immobilized by Snail Trail Glue. You cannot move until all foes are defeated.

  That sucked. His knees and right hand, the one holding the shotgun, were caught on the floor. With his left, he took a real grenade, pulled the pin with his teeth, and threw it. Then another. Bits of metal hit him but didn’t manage to penetrate the armor. The spiders' fangs and the serpents’ teeth, on the other hand…

  You have slain Lab Snake x 10, Lab Snail x 9, Lab Spider x 45 (14/20, 9/20, 45/100)

  You have been inflicted with multiple DOTs of Venom and Acid. Total HP loss 1%/second.

  Shit.

  He had less than two minutes to live if he didn’t manage to kill the rest of the critters. His right index pressed the trigger again and again. Even if immobilized, the revolver shotgun managed to ket a few kills. When it was empty, Rowan summoned the flamethrower. It was heavy and a pain in the ass to aim while monsters kept attacking. Yet even the radiating hit on the sides of the flame was enough to turn the spiders into cinders and make the last snake alive retreat.

  You have slain Lab Snake x 5, Lab Snail x9, Lab Spider x65 (19/20, 18/20, 100/100).

  Acid DOT has been dismissed.

  Warning, your Health is under 50%.

  The Venom DOT was still there. He didn’t have the luxury to pause the fighting. The two remaining snails were in sight but had retreated into their shell; the flamethrower was not going through. He let it down, took the shotgun, recharged it, and shot it with his left hand. It took four shots to get the monsters.

  20/20 Lab Snails slain. Snail Trail: Glue dismissed.

  Warning, your Health is under 20%.

  Jumping on his feet, Rowan ran back to the previous room, searching for the snake. He willed his senses to search around, listen for noises, look for any movement, and even try to detect the repugnant odor of the scales, now imprinted in his memory. And then, Rowan knew where the creature was. In his back, on the floor, hiding and waiting for the venom to do its job. Two shots later, the monster was dead.

  20/20 Lab Snakes killed. Venom DOT dismissed.

  Dungeon Wing 1: Floor 4-6 cleared: 200/200 Targets killed. You have received 0 XP and 2 AP. 46/100 sections cleared on the Main Deck.

  You have discovered the skill Mana Sense. By Feeding 1 MP/second in the surrounding Mana, you can detect enemies up to a radius of 30 feet. The skill can be improved through practice and experimentation.

  Warning, your Health is 10%.

  Letting himself down on the floor, his back on the wall, Rowan closed his eyes, panting. It had been too close. There were lessons to be learned. The difference in levels was not such a big thing. After all, he had killed the DireDeers elites, twenty levels higher than him on his first day. Now, low-level monsters almost had him. He had been smart against the Deers and stupid here. Too greedy.

  Understanding how the monsters did the damage was a priority. None had managed to pierce his skin, yet the DOTs had appeared.

  There must be a Magic component in DOTs, bypassing the armor and all…

  First, he felt that his weaponry was inadequate for taking on more than a room at a time. He had to think of better ways. But first, he had to get back to full health. There were ten High-Quality potions in Rowan’s spatial storage, made to ressemble nicotine patches and set on a bracelet, courtesy of the technoforge. He bit his lower lip in self-anger because he had forgotten to wear it. He equipped the bracelet but renounced activating it.

  Let’s not waste them. Regeneration will get me in full health in about an hour. Meanwhile, I can experiment with things.

  Fifteen minutes later, with his health nearing thirty percent, Rowan decided to put the remaining time to good use. Extracting his favorite weapon from the spatial storage, a half-pike, he started exercising his thrusts and flourishes. After a while, he felt his Mana was trying to help him achieve a better technique and tried to let it flow freely around his body. To his surprise, it slid over his skin and continued along the shaft and the blade. A strange sensation, like the weapon was now a part of himself.

  You have discovered Imbuing.

  “Imbuing? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: It is a combat or crafting Mana-related ability. The question denotes a lack of familiarity with basic notions. Are you an adult of your species? If not, please exit this place ASAP.

  An AI? Hey there. I’m an adult.

  There was no answer.

  “I’m an adult, newly Awakened. You’re some sort of help, right? Can’t you read thoughts?”

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Negative. Function disabled because of the ship’s malfunction. But I can project my answers in your mind because receiving messages is your ability.

  “What were you saying about the Imbuing stuff?”

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Imbuing lets you project your Mana on a weapon or your body at all times, increasing your overall performance on normal attacks or applying Elemental Damage if you have some affinity for it.

  “Oh… OK. What’s elemental damage? Fire stuff?”

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: For the simple-minded, it represents things like fire.

  “Thank you so much,” Rowan sneered.

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: For one who masters true understanding, elemental damage means using Mana, a special form of Dark Matter, to interact with other Quantum Particles to create specific effects.

  “OK. Go on. How?”

  The notification shone all of a sudden, making Rowan take a step back.

  You have discovered a Secondary Secret Quest: Learn Secrets by interacting with a Learning Module. The Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ will deliver you a package of customized data. The quest is cleared by listening to it; the only reward is the information acquired.

  “Did you see that?”

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Certainly. Let me elaborate further. The key benefit of Mana is that it doesn’t just interact with Quantum Particles and fundamental forces; it also interacts with living beings and sentience. An Awakened Mind can harness Mana to create a wide range of effects, with more powerful outcomes as its tier increases.

  You asked about Fire elemental damage. But what exactly is Fire? Is it a chemical reaction (combustion)? Is it heat, the transfer of thermal energy between systems? Is it the result of heating a gas until it becomes plasma? Or is it the byproduct of atomic fusion or fission, like in nuclear reactions? The correct answer is that Fire can involve all these processes—and more.

  But what about Cold? In scientific terms, Cold is simply the absence of heat, the opposite of Fire. However, to create Cold using Mana, you must first understand Fire. Otherwise, your Mana will be wasted. Will you use an Endothermic process? Will you manipulate conduction, convection, and radiation? Or perhaps summon a temporary mass of Dark Matter and control gravity, lowering the thermal energy of molecules?

  What is Light? To the naked eye, Light is the visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. This element can blind enemies or shape energy into a magical blade. However, Light can also be harnessed for healing. For instance, Cure uses ultraviolet light to sterilize wounds and alchemical reactions to neutralize poisons.

  What is Life? Is it speeding up plant growth? Understanding the forces of nature? Healing? Again, the answer includes all of these and more. Healing doesn’t just accelerate natural regeneration—it can also use X-rays to diagnose injuries, which ties into the concept of Light.

  “Looks like true love,” Rowan said.

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Light and Healing work together well, but how does a Health Potion know what’s wrong with you? Imagine if it healed your cavities first and let you bleed out. Healing and Alchemy also interact with Mind Magic, allowing your subconscious to guide the Health Potion to the areas that need it most.

  What is an Energy Shield? It's essentially plasma, related to Fire, but plasma is also created through Electromagnetism, much like Lightning.

  The data package is nearing completion. Elemental Magic can take many forms, each with its own application method. A character focused on Intelligence (INT) might study the scientific side of magic, preferring technology. Characters with high Charisma (CHA) are adaptable but tend to avoid taking risks. They often escape danger by using charm, shaping Light into illusions, or manipulating others mentally. Willpower (WIL) classes rely on determination, learning through experience and instinct. A combination of genetics, learning, personal history, luck, experience, training, and assistance from others all contribute to a unique journey where you can improve step by step.

  “Then I guess I should start experimenting. One more question: Are Damage Over Time (DOTs) magical? I had some Venom on me but no wound.”

  [Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Venom and Poison DOTs have a Mana component and can affect you if the Poisoned Mana touches your skin. These effects persist during combat or until you use a Cure. However, Bleeds or Burns require actual wounds to occur, but they deal more damage over time and need specific types of First Aid or Healing to be stopped.

  Rowan nodded, rotating his shoulders to warm up. “Thanks. Time to experiment with this elemental stuff.”