Like how a small leak can quickly turn to a flood, so too will the rushing sensation of an epiphany. Using [Bomber] made me tingly, like it was something that was always meant to belong to me. Was it an invention or a reclamation?

  It was irrelevant. [Bomber] served as the beginning of my great reconstruction. If I could manipulate [Burning Rain] like this, what else could I do with my mana?

  Harden it? Sure, three coal-colored spikes appeared beneath the new guardians, impaling them before they had an idea of what was happening. I could make far more than that or I could make them larger or sharper or jagged or burning if I so wished to invest the appropriate amount of mana to accomplish it.

  But, they were no longer made of tar. They were brittle, iridescent. They had the charm of an ancient power to them so I named them accordingly.

  [Obsidian Spikes].

  What if I hardened the mana with it on my fist? I could do that as well. A long black spike formed on my knuckles and impaled the guardian. It died instantly, a hole the diameter of an arm ripped into its chest.

  [Obsidian Lance].

  Did still count as my fist? Apparently. I could infuse it with my [Iron Fist] to make a lance that would stun the enemy as soon as it touched them.

  [Stunning Stab].

  The cave turned into a melting pot of ideas. A cork in my brain was unplugged, letting all the ideas that I could possibly have flow out. Were they all equally as effective? No, absolutely not. Not every song from your favorite artist is perfect. But, each of them added a new wrinkle to how I could fight, to how I could manipulate the battle into my favor.

  The only issue was that all of this began incurring a heavy mana tax. Every ability was now layered spells on top of physical attacks. If I didn’t want to be drained in a critical moment, I would need to constantly have a high magic stat.

  “Or do I?”

  There was a rarely used resource sitting just on my fingertips. The [Shop]. All sorts of interesting things were in there, it was just that none of it was particularly worth giving up the raw stats I got instead of spending it.

  But now, XP was becoming less and less relevant for me. Technically, if I so desired, I could spend all of my excess to get to Level 100 this seconds. I had already reached Level 80 after all of my feasting down below. Was it a smart plan? No, absolutely not. I wouldn’t be able to fill my [Hoard] properly and I would just be wasting the bonus stats I get from kills from each level.

  “Let’s see what we have here.”

  I started to peruse the listings. I mentally focused on mana items first. There were staffs, robes, tomes, and all sorts of magical item that could boost Magic stat, mana pool, and mana recovery. The only issue is that all of these items were quite frail. I would snap my staff in a second. A robe on me would rip in an instant. A book would catch on fire.

  But then, I saw the wonderful world of rings.

  It seemed like there was a ring for everything. Rings that gave damage resistance, rings that let you breathe underwater, rings that let you use abilities a limited amount of times, and, most importantly, rings that gave you stats.

  None of them were all that high valued. Twenty five strength here, forty magic here, and all sorts of variations. They also weren’t all that expensive, a little steeper that the one-thousand XP to one stat ratio that [Hoard] offered me, but definitely not a rip off. If I stacked up enough of these, it would rise my stat floor even higher.

  I do have ten fingers, why not get ten rings?

  And I have two wrists and two ankles, why not get some stat increasing bracelets and anklets? They provided even more stats than a ring. I have a neck, why not get an amulet? Hell, I have over forty teeth, they offer dental caps that provide stats as well.

  The only issue was that my grand total would be three million, four hundred and sixty seven thousand XP. I could afford all of it, but it would result in sacrificing a portion of my [Hoard]. If I could get a discount of around one million or so, I could easily purchase all of this and have room to spare to Level Up.

  Fortunately, there was a demon who was perfect for that.

  It was his job after all. I activated [Urgent News] and wrote Charles a polite letter. It went something like this:

  “I gave you four million XP as soon as we got here, I want one million right now.”

  Ding.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  The XP funds showed up in my account after only a minute or two. Perhaps parting with a small amount of XP was worth keeping me away for longer. I’m sure that Charles started making plans as soon as he read it.

  It wasn’t of any concern to me. I made my purchase. After a few moments, an entire pawn shop’s worth of accessories tumbled out of the void and into my Inventory.

  Gold and silver coated my body. I looked like a gator skin purse that spilled all of the jewelry inside of it. But, I already felt better.

  I tested out my spells to measure the difference. I could use everything a few more times. I could recover the missing mana faster. Not only that, I grew faster, stronger, and tougher with these purchases.

  I experimented further with my abilities. Compared to Control’s mirror world, I was learning blindfolded, bumbling about in the dark to find the perfect combinations of attacks.

  Though, something still felt missing. I had done what Master asked, I killed the three guardians in one strikes. I went beyond that. I learned new moves and new combinations and even augmented my stats further with items.

  So what was missing?

  Instead of dwelling on it, I decided that the best source would be the one who found me lacking in the first place. It was time to visit Master again.

  I returned to Master’s realm to hear the sound of metal being worked. Weapons that he would never use himself were formed and sent off into the ether to be used in Wrath’s war. He looked in my direction, unsurprised that I was back already.

  “Have you completed the task I assigned you?” Master asked, rising from his workstation.

  “I have, Master,” I said with a bow.

  Master walked close to me and inspected my body. He inspected my muscles and the heat radiating from my hands. The only thing that seemed to catch him by surprise was my sudden interest in items.

  “You reached a breakthrough,” he complimented. “It’s a wonder what you can accomplish when you stop and think for a moment.”

  “It’s thanks to your teachings,” I said gratefully. It is true that I would not have had this epiphany without the setback.

  “Does that mean you’re ready for a rematch?”

  The air around Master began to pick up. Small gusts were accelerating in violent gales that howled over the mountain tops. The look in his eyes seemed to be eager to test my progress, but there was hesitance on his face for I did not reciprocate.

  “I do, but I know I will not win,” I answered. “There is still something missing that separates you from me. I ask your help in trying to find it.”

  The winds died and Master’s bloodlust drained from his aura. Instead, he placed a hand to his chin and inspected me closely again.

  “You made your own skill, yes?” Master asked.

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “I made several.”

  “Several? Hmmm. Have you thought about how you would use them? How these individual parts can be merged together to make a more powerful whole?”

  “I have developed some combination attacks and gave some thought about how they can be used together to form stronger moves,” I answered. “I even purchased some items to address my mana limitations.”

  “I expected that you were going to require several more spars to learn these lessons,” Master admitted. “After combination attacks with your own unique moves, I had no more lessons to teach. What is it that you feel inside is missing?”

  My eyes closed and I looked inside of myself. What was it that gave me so much confidence that I was going to lose? I knew his attacks, violent as they may be, while he did not know mine. I was not inferior in stats, at least not to the point where it would make a significant difference.

  So, where was it?

  My mind kept humming along; reviewing and re-reviewing the information as it stood in front of me. There was only one thing that contributed to a significant disadvantage.

  The terrain.

  A mountaintop was the ideal place for a wind user to be. There was nothing to impede their currents. I could only battle him in the wide open sky.

  Why did this mountaintop exist? We were in a cave, weren’t we? Was this simply a pocket dimension purchased through the shop or some other means? Or was it perhaps something Master created himself, much like the maze that minotaur created?

  “Master, where does your mountaintop come from? How did you obtain this view within a cave?”

  Master looked over the scenery, completely rebuilt since our last spar. The natural wind that flowed over the peaks blew through his fur.

  “It is something that I manifested,” Master answered. “It is a place that brings me peace. It is a place that gives me power.”

  Peace and power. I wondered what would give me the feelings of peace and power. My home, the one that Ecstasy envisioned for me? No, probably not. I may feel some peace, but I derive no power from that place. It’s too open, there’s too much sky.

  So, then I would want a place that is more boxed in. I would want a place that is closed in; somewhere that can’t be escaped from. You cannot make space to get away from me.

  It would need to be hot, boiling hot. The ground needs to weep magma and steam. The air has to be near a boil; you feel like you’re being cooked alive while you’re standing in it. It’s suffocating; it rips the air out of your lungs.

  A volcanic cave. That would be where I felt the most powerful. Who needs peace? Who needs a place that makes you feel comfortable and at ease. I don’t need that. I need something that is as likely to harm me as it is to harm them; a vessel to augment my abilities and nothing more. It is devoid of life, it is devoid of hope. You will despair when you are in there.

  It is clearly envisioned in my mind. I felt the heat rising up beneath my toes a volcanic vents spew out their steam and silt. The air was heating up like I was locked in an industrial oven. The sky closed up above me.

  “What have you done?”

  A violent shaking removed my from my mind’s eye. Surprise covered my face. The mountaintop was gone with the fair winds. My imagination became manifest on this place. My influence turned it into a fiery hell, one befitting of my power.

  “I found out what separated us, Master,” I said with a grin. “Once again, I am indebted to your wisdom. I am ready for that rematch.”

  “How impudent!” Master shouted. His body bristled with bloodlust. His eyes gleamed and his horns glowed with mana.

  There was something new mixed in this time, something that went beyond just a pure desire to kill. He wanted to maim me. He wanted to stomp me into paste. It had grown personal now that I had taken his home from him. It felt radiant to be the object of Master’s hatred. I knew that there would be no holding back, there would be no kick undelivered. If I were to lose, I was to be butchered.

  I heard the ceiling cracking above me. I felt the winds rush by as Master tried to reclaim the mountaintop and shape it back into his preferred image. There was to be two battles; the one for the terrain and the one for our lives.

  “Master, allow me to show you how appreciative I am.”