บท 61: Back to the dungeon

Shingi spent the rest of the day working on different items using the Dragon scale's various element mana.

It seemed like the mana was purer than expected and had a better effect, but nothing like giving the user a bonus. But they appeared somewhat lighter and more detailed as also his crafting speed got increased a bit.

Volig returned after a few hours, and Shingi gave him the scale to test it out.

There was some difference, as Shingi was more used to manipulating mana. However, Volig's final work still seemed to be benefited more: as expected from one who had almost become a Grandmaster CRAFTSMAN.

Volig had once again earned the profession of BLACKSMITH in the days he worked in the forge, but he was currently a Base Rank one.

Shingi also had the requirements to earn that profession, but one can only have one profession recognized by the System. But there are some exceptions.

For example, one can earn the BLACKSMITH, but this won't give him enough crafting benefits, like working with leather and such. But if you had the requirements to gain most of the crafting profession, he could evolve his BLACKSMITH profession to CRAFTSMAN, which would give him all the benefits and some more.

You could still do actions of a profession you don't have, but the result would be the difference would be of heaven and earth. But earning the CRAFTSMAN profession had other requirements too, which even Volig hadn't fulfilled before he reincarnated and was still just a BLACKSMITH back then.

For now, Shingi left the scale with Volig to test things out further as he started training his Skills and Spells for tomorrow.

His body seemed to be improved a bit, and after Nalrin's healing, he was at 100% even after using his Breaking-Limit state.

He tested HASTE, which even if he didn't learn it himself, he knew how to do it by the System.

The feeling was like his ACCELERATION, but also different at the same time. His mind seemed to be more precise on seeing things without using his PERCEPTION, making things easier for him.

Of course, since it was a Base Grade Spell, it cost more mana, but not at much as his INVISIBILITY, but it wasn't too far.

He also adjusted all of them with some ideas he got while replicating Mikhail's moves on his spells, but this time didn't seem to have a significant benefit as before. But he could feel his Spells somewhat different from before, but he couldn't precisely describe the difference.

He could keep HASTE for one minute, but after he dispelled it, he needed a few seconds that his body took to readjust to his normal state. He could also cast it four times, and that was if he didn't release any other Base Rank Spells or many Low-Rank ones.

Night came, and Shingi stayed at the shop once more. He then enabled his TRANCE ROOM.

His training went as usual, and he could adjust to using HASTE better, reaching the speed he could with his ACCELERATION and a little more.

Early in the morning, he woke up and summoned from his Spatial Ring his special cloak.

He made himself a little taller but not too much as the cloak could not add much on height, but he was not looking like a child, at least. He changed his face and clothes just to be sure.

He had shown this appearance to his students when he gave them their cloaks so that they recognized him.

They have decided each head to the Dungeon, each by themselves, not to draw too much attention.

Shingi used his STEALTH and CAMOUFLAGE combo, once again was confident that none could detect him, but he had his detection Skills active the whole time, especially if Mikhail showed up, which Shingi doubt to be the case for now.

He reached the Dungeon soon enough and headed in it and towards the secret room.

He avoided the Ooze monsters easily as his CAMOUFLAGE skill seemed to deflect the Skill they used to detect nearby enemies. At least it worked for lower-level Oozes, but Shingi knew it wouldn't work if they were over 20 levels.

Though that high-level Oozes were rare, and some had developed to have other senses, like hearing.

He made his way to the place in less than 20 minutes, but the secret door was currently closed, and none else was in sight.

Shingi had encountered a few Players on his way here, but none of his Students.

He looked around and then headed toward where he remembered the secret door and knocked thrice. But, unfortunately, he still couldn't detect it with his PERCEPTION skill even if he knew of it to be there, and his MANA SENSE also showed nothing.

After a few seconds of his knocks, the secret door opened, and he headed inside as it closed behind him.

The one who opened it was Little Phoenix, who was the only one who could get in by using her SHADOW FORM.

Nobody else has arrived, not even Wild Tycoon, as they said, for each to get here on their own and not as a group. Of course, Tycoon didn't like to leave Phoenix independently, but she understood she would be ok after some persuasion.

Little Phoenix's level was 19, more than enough to handle the monsters by herself, even those with the Spell Resistance Damage. She could also use her version of the INVISIBILITY spell, which used Dark-Element and not light as Shingi's, but the result was the same at the end.

It was one rare instance for Shingi to find Phoenix on her own, and luckily, it was her shy self.

Shingi had a few things he wanted to ask her, but he never had the right moment.

"What do you know about A06, Phoenix?" [Shingi]

That question surprised Little Phoenix coming out of nowhere and why the NPC boy asked her.

Shingi knew what she was thinking and had prepared for it.

"Master had asked me to learn about it. He said, you seem to know something about it. Something about being a code of a Mythical Realm or something like that?" [Shingi]

After hearing the explanation, Phoenix seemed to get a little calmer, but Shingi could still read some fear in her eyes.

Phoenix took a few breaths and seemed to have prepared herself to tell what she knew.

"Can't get in many details... but back in my hometown, I had found an... ancient artifact of the sort. As you said, it could move people between realms, and one to use it had a code. The one I found abandoned was a used one and locked. After some tinkering, I could open it, but there was something inside it... a corpse." [Little Phoenix]

Shingi now understood the situation. This should be what caused her personality to change, as finding a corpse isn't easy for someone's mentality.

As for how she knew of his save file code, they showed it on a small screen in the capsule with the message for his ban, but Phoenix didn't describe it that way. However, Shingi knew how the capsule worked, so he understood it to be the case.

Cause of the shock, every detail, even the text of this message, got imprinted in her brain, and she couldn't forget. She even had a few nightmares about it, but she became better lately.

After meeting Shingi and training to become stronger, her fears in real life seemed to get less the more time passed. But she had a long way to get back to her old self, and she probably would never entirely reach that state.

She later took the same artifact and started using it, but only a few people knew how he found it, with Tycoon not being one of them.

Shingi asked nothing else, and he secretly used some of his Light mana on the head of Phoenix that seemed to have the effect of calming one down.

He wanted her focused and probably should have asked about it, but this was a rare chance.

When everyone arrived, Phoenix seemed to be ok.

They headed down into the strange lab, and nothing seemed to have changed since last they were here.

Shingi focused on his MANA SENSE once more, and this time he could detect something.

It seemed to be some barrier around the unmovable and indestructible barrel that seemed to block their way.

The barrier surrounded it and seemed to be a small hole. It was smaller than the one leading in the secret room.

Not even Phoenix's SHADOW FORM could get in there, but Oozes probably didn't have that problem. In her SHADOW FORM, Phoenix appeared to have some limits on how wide she could be, and the hole of the Secret Room was barely near the boundary. But Oozes didn't have that limitation.

If it were a few weeks earlier, Shingi wouldn't have any idea what to do, but he did now.

The barrier and one of its energy seemed similar to Mikhail's barrier under the tree, while the other one seemed to be some mana that Shingi guessed was to keep it undetected by Skills like MANA SENSE.

His MANA SENSE was now stronger than then, and also, he had already destroyed a more substantial barrier like that.

Of course, he couldn't replicate Mikhail's move completely like then, but now he had a better chance with HASTE. Also, since the barrier was more straightforward, he didn't have to replicate the move altogether, even partially. It seemed to have some effect, but it was too weak for Mikhail's barrier.

He told everyone to stand behind just in case, as he enabled his MAJOR ILLUSION and HASTE and started testing.

But it didn't take him much as on his first try, the barrier cracked, and at the second one, it broke completely.

The difference in difficulty was too much that even surprised Shingi, as he thought it to be too easy to be true.

The moment that the barrier broke, Shingi heard a sound from some distance behind it.

It seemed to be sounds of a cast meowing.

Shingi told Wild Tycoon to slide the barrel, and she could move it with no problem.

Behind it, there was a hole in the wall leading deeper into the Dungeon. Shingi could tell it wasn't showing in a different direction than the one it would typically would if you followed the usual way.

After a few seconds, they detected some movement of a small creature heading their way in the dark.

It took little for that creature to reach the hole, and right in front of them was a blue cat.

Shingi had his detection senses on it, and he could detect some mana in it, not like an Ooze's aura but like the imprint Nalrin had from Aella.

It was a typical characteristic for the magical pet of someone or familiar as the Arcane Users are calling them.

Shingi could tell that this wasn't an average cat, especially since her color, but it didn't seem to want to harm them.

It headed towards Phoenix, who dropped her guard when she saw the cute animal getting to her and started petting it.

The cat seemed to be pleased with being petted by Phoenix.

Mizuneko got closer to inspect the cat, even kneeled to get a closer look. But the moment his face got close to the cat, it hissed and scratched his face with its claws.

Mizuneko didn't expect it and got hit, and he took minor damage, but he stood up and took a few steps behind.

The cat turned towards Phoenix and acted cute towards her once more, and she started petting it once more.

Shingi was currently staring at the tunnel from where the cat came as he had barely heard some sound from more profound in it.

He had heard some chuckle.