I would rather spend my time exploring other doors in the hallway and look for new beasts. Besides, level seven soul level is pretty decent, enough that the dragon shouldn't be mad. For all I know, that might be high enough for me to take on the controller.

  I really need to talk to the dragon again and find out, that will decide my course from now on. For now, I just keep running back and forth killing the same packs over and over. I only need to kill forty-two, but it is already really boring, no way am I killing thousands.

  52 Lesser Wolves defeated! 2,600 Soul Exp gained!

  *DING*

  Congratulations! Your Soul Level Has Increased!

  Level 6 -> 7! Soup HP +500, Soul MP +2,000!

  'There we go! Finally!'

  As soon as I get the level up message I turn and head back to the portal. However, when I open my eyes I find that the kids are still sound asleep. Since I am still trapped, I have Jarvis turn off the time dilation, and then I open a soulscape.

  Once it is open, I summon the big doors and knock how the dragon told me to. Just like last time, I am sucked into the dragon's soulscape and appear on the mountain top. The dragon is there in his small form, staring at me as if he is trying to decide if he wants to eat me.

  "Is this enough to fight the controller?"

  Dragon looks and says "Level seven?! What did you do to increase your level so fast?!"

  "I went into a god's domain and slaughtered the souls of his followers."

  Dragon says "You did what?! Wait, wait, start at the beginning! What has happened since I kicked you out?!"

  I have aroused the dragon's curiosity and he no longer looks at me like I am food. Before he can get mad, I start at the beginning and tell him everything that has happened. Well, at least as much as I can remember, I might have missed a few details here and there.

  Still, even without all the exact details, the story is more than interesting enough. From the beginning to the end, it manages to keep the dragon completely enthralled. Even after I finish talking, it takes the dragon a while before he says anything.

  Dragon says "You just can't sit still can you? I would dare to say that you do more in a few months than most beings do in their lifetimes!"

  "I don't know if I would go that far, but I guess I am pretty active. It is partly me trying to avoid boredom and partly because I have a time limit."

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  Dragon says "The first part I completely believe, but I think the second part is just an excuse. Anyway, go ahead and ask your questions before you burst."

  "Great! Is my level high enough to face the controller now?"

  Dragon says "Possibly. You should at least be able to defend yourself enough not to die in one hit. As for defeating her? I kind of doubt it, but you are full of surprises so I won't say it is impossible."

  "Can you explain to me what my soul level has to do with fighting her?"

  Dragon says "You should have fought in the soulscape, right? You should have gotten a mental defense and attack skill, yes?"

  "Yeah, I have both. Why?"

  Dragon says "When a being passes the halfway point with their soul, what you would call level five, their soul becomes strong enough to affect the world. Meaning that you can use those mental attack and defense skills outside of the soulscape. That is what the controller, as you call her, uses to send those invisible blasts."

  "So, as long as I use mental defense, I will be able to block those attacks?"

  Dragon says "You can attempt to, yes. Keep in mind that she is an ancient beast and her soul is about as strong as it can possibly get. Trying to go head to head with her would not be a wise idea."

  "Not wise, but not impossible either, right? She may be old, but since she is a spider I am guessing that imagination is not her strong suit."

  Dragon says "Maybe not, but you can still learn a lot over tens of thousands of years. Do not underestimate her."

  "I know, I know. Never underestimate your enemy. I wasn't just going to rush off and fight her right away!"

  Dragon says "You weren't? Really?!"

  "Yes, really! I have a bunch of other stuff I need to do before I can run off again. Besides, even without her mind blast thing, I am not sure that I could take her."

  Dragon says "Not alone, probably not."

  "Besides, you've just told me I can use soul attacks. I am not about to go after her without testing it first."

  Dragon says "Good plan. Now, what other questions do you have?"

  "I remember you telling me there would be other benefits to increasing the level of my soul, but I haven't seen any of them."

  Dragon says "That is because you haven't built a Soul Palace yet. Now that your soul is strong enough, I will teach you how."

  "What is a Soul Palace? What does it do?"

  Dragon says "It is similar to the room you use when you are meditating. Once built, you store memories inside it. Those that you choose to store will be the ones you keep in the next life."

  "Alright. Is that all it does?"

  Dragon says "At first, yes. Once built, you can add more to it with work. If you build it up enough, you can store certain skills as well. It also acts as a defense against soul based attacks and can improve your mental defenses as well."

  "That sounds good. Does it affect my defenses when I am in soul form in the hallway and the worlds behind the doors?"

  Dragon says "Yes, but only if you develop it enough."

  "I hope you are not going to tell me that it takes a lot of time and effort. I have too many things on my plate as it is."

  Dragon says "Building it isn't too hard, but expanding it is. Although, all you really have to worry about right now is getting enough space to hold all the memories you want to keep. You can always develop it more in your next life."

  "So the palace is like my soul level? It stays with me through multiple lives?"

  Dragon says "Once built, it becomes a part of your soul. It will be with you as long as your soul exists. The same applies to anything that you store inside it."

  "Is it just memories, or can knowledge and ideas be stored as well?"

  Dragon says "Anything that is in your mind can be stored, as long as there is room in the palace."

  "Okay, good. So I can store anime and manga!"

  Dragon sighs and says "Yes, you can. If you want to store all of them, you are going to have to put some work into expanding your palace."