“Hmmm. Dagger’s out.” He said as he read through its description.
A poison dagger would have normally been great, but in a world where there were beasts as strong as Tier Five, forcing himself to get up close and personal would be worse than suicide.
“Yeah, definitely out.” His eyes then drifted over to the spear. “Simple. Straightforward… but I can probably make something like it.” He paused. “…would just be a little worse though.”
Shaking his head, he didn’t hesitate anymore and picked the bracers.
The screen flashed as he made his choice, and the matte black bracers materialized in front of him with a muted hum. They didn’t have glowing runes, no jagged spikes, no wow factor. They just floated in front of him and slowly rotated.
They were almost underwhelming—until he put them on.
The moment they latched on, he felt his mind sharpen.
He moved his arms around experimentally. The bracers moved with him like a second skin, light enough to forget about, solid enough to remind him they were there.
|Ding! [Chitinous Bracers (R)] equipped!|
- Moderate defense against power levels under Tier Three
- Boosts Dexterity effectivity by 8% when under threat
“Perfect!” He exclaimed, then eyed the next notification.
|Ding! Achievement! You have cleared your first Dungeon! Bonus rewards available!|
Select one bonus reward:
- [Delver’s Compass (R)] – A mana-tuned device that guides you to dungeons, dungeon cores, exits, or boss rooms. Recharge: 24 hours.
- [Dungeonbane Rune (R)] – Single-use rune. Weapon: +50% damage to dungeon bosses/elites for 10 mins.
- [Mana-Storing Crystal (R)] – Stores ambient dungeon mana (max 500). Instantly refill your mana or release in an AOE knockback. Rechargeable only inside dungeons.
Elias squinted at the screen, already thinking ahead. “Okay… Compass is good for not dying lost. Rune’s good for not dying to something huge. Crystal’s good for not dying tired.” He rubbed his jaw.
“I’m sensing a theme here.”
He eyed the Rune a second longer—the boost to boss damage was tempting, especially with how close the Broodmother fight had gotten. But one-time use?
“Nope. Not worth it.”
His gaze drifted to the crystal. Extra mana for emergencies, with a bonus AOE knockback?
“You’re it!”
He selected the Mana-Storing Crystal, and a small, hexagonal gem dropped into his palm, faintly pulsing with energy. A simple leather cord looped through it—worn like a necklace or strapped to gear.
|Ding! [Mana-Storing Crystal (R)] acquired!|
Elias grinned. “Okay. Time for the last one!”
|Ding! Achievement! You have cleared your first Anomaly! Bonus rewards available!|
Select one bonus reward:
- [Immortal’s Respite] – Grants clarity even when in a death state.
- [Sculptor’s Tool] – Can transform into any sculpting tool the user wants. While in use, slightly enhances material manipulation and precision based on Will.
- [Seed of Creation] – Boosts comprehension progress of the Law of Creation by a significant amount. (WARNING! May enable breakthrough to the next stage)
Elias let out a low whistle as he scanned the screen. “Now THAT’S a reward!”
He tapped his fingers against the Mana-Storing Crystal, the gem warm in his palm, then glanced back at the options.
Immortal’s Respite. Practical. Let him think while kind of dead.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
“Would’ve been great while I was in that nebula… but I’m not really planning on dying again anytime soon.”
His eyes then shifted to the Sculptor’s Tool. The customization, the precision buff—it was tempting. He could already imagine the possibilities, the finesse, the sheer control it’d give him over his work.
But his eyes were repeatedly drawn to the last option.
“Significant increase… and a chance to breakthrough.”
Aside from a larger storage capacity for creation mana, the third law stage—Spark—would enable him to create things made of two elements at once.
Which at first, didn’t sound impressive, but it gave him access to compounds—or more importantly, alloys.
With furrowed brows, he squinted at the last option.
“It’s gonna hurt.”
He was still Tier One.
The last time he comprehended the second stage of the Law of Creation; his soul literally fell apart.
Remembering that pain was not fun.
“It’s gonna fucking hurt.” He cursed again. “So much…”
He stared at the screen, fingers twitching, heartbeat slow and steady—for now.
The sensation of being unmade—not just physically, but at the soul level—was unlike anything else. No wound, no torture, no death even compared to the raw, tearing agony of a Law comprehension that his body and soul weren’t ready for.
His hands clenched instinctively, knuckles pale.
Last time was an accident. And yet here he was, considering to experience the pain out of his own free will.
He slowly exhaled.
Elias knew it was what he was going to choose. But he still hesitated.
“Is it worth it?” He muttered.
Flashes of what he’d be able to do ran through his mind—but one thing in particular popped out at him.
A reforged Primus.
He glanced over at the big guy. Now an armless, dent-ridden, practically falling-apart stone golem.
It stood tall behind him with its core still faintly pulsing. Weak, sure. But still very much alive.
“Yeah. Fuck it.”
Without further hesitation, he looked back at the reward screen and selected the Seed.
It materialized in front of him. A small, multicolored sphere that cycled through colors nonstop. For a moment, he hoped that he’d be able to take it out of here and absorb it somewhere else.
|Ding! You have gained the [Seed of Creation]!|
|WARNING! Must either be absorbed immediately or stored in a specialized container!|
“Well… can’t say I’m surprised.” He sighed.
Elias stared at the orb, watching it shift between colors like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. Typical. No luxury of preparation. No time to brace. No time to breathe.
Just go.
He reached out, fingers brushing the surface of the Seed. It was warm, vibrating with a pulse that didn’t match his own—faster, more erratic. Like it was alive. Like it was waiting. He took one last breath, steady and slow, then clenched his teeth.
“Alright, let’s get this over with.”
And he popped the Seed into his mouth.
His pulse spiked. His vision blurred.
Then the pain began.
Outside, the trio of high-level chucklers patiently waited.
The clearing around the dungeon was unnaturally still.
No wind. No birds. No life. Just the low, ever-present hum of corruption leaking from the cracked dungeon entrance—the kind of mana that made the air taste like rust and ozone.
Rhyx kneeled near the edge of the clearing and pressed his fingers into the dirt. He sifted through the soil, dark and clumped with decay, then brought it up to his face and inhaled deeply.
“Fascinating…” He murmured.
Behind him, Myrin lounged on a jagged stone, one leg dangling over the edge. He lazily tossed a rock into the air, catching it with the same easy rhythm of someone with too much time and too little concern. “Please don’t start tasting the dirt again.”
Rhyx ignored him. “The dungeon seems to be calming down. I think he’s just about done in there.”
Myrin smirked. “Think he’s alive? Or are we collecting pieces?”
Rhyx didn’t look back. “Anomalies don’t behave like normal dungeons. Time’s different in there. He could be fighting. Or sleeping. Or… decomposing.”
Myrin’s grin widened. “I vote decomposing.”
Another ripple of corrupted mana oozed from the entrance, weak and unfocused. Not the blast of a battle. Not the death pulse of a core collapse. Just... noise.
Myrin caught his rock mid-air and pointed it lazily toward the portal. “You’d think with all that drama, we’d get a show.”
Desippe stepped into the clearing before either of them sensed her arrival.
The atmosphere shifted immediately. The air grew heavier, thicker, as if holding its breath. Shadows seemed to draw toward her, eyes locked on the dungeon.
Neither Rhyx nor Myrin spoke. Not at first.
Desippe came to a stop a few steps from the entrance, silent.
Myrin finally broke the stillness. “It’s been a few days now…”
Desippe’s voice was quiet. “He’s not dead.”
Rhyx blinked, brow raised. “You’re certain?”
“I would feel it.”
A pause.
Rhyx straightened, brushing dust from his hands, thoughtful. “You really think he’s worth the risk?”
Desippe didn’t look back. “I think he’s already dangerous. One way or another.”
Myrin snorted. “Spoken like someone who doesn’t mind cleaning up a corpse.”
Desippe’s eyes narrowed, but her tone didn’t shift. “If he dies, that’s the end of it. If he lives… then we might just get off this accursed planet.”
Suddenly, the dungeon pulsed.
The corrupted mana shuddered violently, rippling out from the entrance like a shockwave. The ground trembled—not enough to unbalance them, but enough to snap Myrin upright, the rock slipping from his fingers.
Rhyx’s eyes widened. “That wasn’t just ambient decay.”
Cracks spread from the edges of the dungeon’s mouth, light—pure, searing light—forcing its way through like it was trying to escape. A low hum built into a sharp whine, and then—
Silence.
A moment later, Elias staggered out with Primus close behind him. His eyes were red, his face clearly haggard. Black ichor covered his hair and some parts of his body.
Every step he took was shaky at best, but he didn’t fall.
He exhaled, slow and ragged. His gaze lifted and met theirs.
Myrin whistled. “Well shit. He lived.”
Rhyx smiled faintly. “Barely.”
Desippe said nothing. But her eyes narrowed. Watching. Calculating. And then—just for a moment—she smiled too.
“Something’s different about you.”