Chapter 28 – Floor 1 – Gods and Men

Councilwoman Zirene looked up at the nighttime sky of Floor 1. Her flowing golden hair waved in the wind as her brown eyes shone curiously upwards. It was her night off from working in the control room. All council members were expected to help run the ship from the control room, but realistically, there wasn't much need for a full-time staff.

Stars twinkled above as the days passed into nights on the voyage. 4 days had gone by, but there was no sign of land nor the second floor. Ziphe had kept a tight rein on the colorful bunch of individuals thanks to the heavy presence on the council members in the sub-party. A singular red-orange sun shone in the sky during the day, and a bright moon shown at night with roughly the same size of the sun. Twinkling above, stars danced above the Labyrinthian.

"A dungeon with stars," Zirene wondered to herself. Did the Dungeon Administrators know the outside world didn't have any stars? Maybe the dungeon gave an illusion of days past. If the Authorities could salvage the universe, create new stars, why did they hide in a dungeon like this? Zirene hoped for the best. Surely, the expedition would be successful, and the Authorities would eventually save the dying universe.

Growing up, Zirene had hoped against hope. She was born unable to properly control her aura and could not enroll in the famous academies. Born with the infamous Double Network Physique, Zirene had a complex and jumbled aural network. Nonetheless, Zirene was a woman of perseverance. She dreamed of becoming a strong Wizard who could help others.

Power was born through aura. Scientists described aura as an element created from the Aural Organ, an organ on most living creatures that gave them control over their surroundings through the mysterious element. Mystics and mages described aura as the foundational energy of the universe that could bend the conventional laws of nature itself.

Most people were born with the Aura Gland, which helped regulate and create natural aura, but Zirene's body was born with jumbled aura in her blood, making it hard to control her natural power. Zirene naturally had a hard handle on her natural aura and had to work harder than others. Aura is measured in a universal numerical way by scientists. An average human with a lifespan of 80 had anywhere from zero aura to 100 aura capacity. Any person who trained to have more than 100 aura was considered a D Rank Mortal. Those above 1,000 aura were considered Sages. Lifespan and bodily functions heighten dramatically at the Sage Realm, so the goal of most people was to reach this realm.

Those above 10,000 Aura were considered to be Royalty. Those above 100,000 aura were considered Deities. Those above 1,000,000 aura capacity were considered the Authorities, the Supreme Deities who ruled over the universe. Only around 15 Authorities had been documented to exist in the entire history of Ryko. The current number of Authorities located on Ryko itself was currently unknown.

Zirene didn't care about any of the magic philosophy or scientific explanations; whether or not aura was a scientific element, or a supreme underlying energy was meaningless to her. She cared more about saving the world, and seeing the stars return to the sky. By joining the council and in turn the expedition, Zirene wanted to make the world a better place.

Since many of the party members did not need to sleep due to their vast reserves of aura, some slept for fun while others vigilantly stood watch. Others told stories. Zirene looked over to see a small crowd around an artificial camp fire. The vibrant mercenary Kiln sat on top of a keg of beer with a goblet in his hand. He was rough spoken and serious but let loose during times like these.

He was telling the legends of the seven great authorities as told from his own 'unbiased' perspective. Zirene left the railing of the ship and headed over to listen. These crew members didn't have much to do and getting to know them would be beneficial for their future cooperation in the expedition.

Seven Authorities held the positions of worship to the lay people of Ryko. Their unique lifestyles and methods of attaining power were heralded as the seven true ways to live life. Aura alone was not enough to consider when it came to combat and skills. Some people trained to be warriors, utilizing their aura for battle while others focused their aura on non-combative skills like the prophet 21. The quest for aura was something the different races of Ryko sought after, from the lowest human to the greatest Gods, and some, like those of the Church of Seven Paths, worshipped the Authorities and their lifestyles as religion.

Although there are rumored to be somewhere between 10-30 True Authorities throughout known history, seven were considered by many to be the most influential and were often prayed to and worshipped. These Seven Paths of acquiring aura have been documented as the most legitimate paths to becoming an Authority. Ascension to an Authority was so rare, over the theorized billions of years since the origin of the universe, only around two dozen had surfaced. Authorities commanded an aspect of nature to its absolute, and their deity is supposedly eternal.

Kiln slurred his words, but the small crowd listened to the rant.

"First of all, them damned primordials all wents and died! Can you believe that? Only the void, who hid in his void, lived. What a coward! I could probably take him on!" Omira and Clico snickered.

Kiln was referring to the first path, the Natural Path. Natural Magic focuses on the inherent talent of a vessel and the synchronization with nature that can enhance a vessel. Elemental Sages and Beasts are common users of the Natural Magic path. Body tempering and natural physiques are popular natural magic methods for growth. The Primordial Authority of the Void is worshipped as the last living Primordial Authority and oldest living being in the universe. He represents the peak of Natural Magic, someone who has always existed as an Authority.

"Come on don't laugh, he hid. He must be weak! Oh! Don't forget the Spirit Deathless guy. That guy can't even die! The void lost to that guy in a fight, right?!" Kiln scratched his head.

Zirene shook her head, smiling.

Spirit Magic utilizes the communion with Sprits, and the users of this path willingly work with Spirits to raise their aura level. The First Deathless used Spirit Magic and the Shade Path in combination to create the sub-class of Deathless Magic. He ascended by challenging the tyrannical Gods and entered Hell's Dungeon eras ago. His whereabouts have been unknown for a long time, but according to legend, he conquered Hell before its transformation into one of the Three Great Dungeons and is now the Ruler of Hell.

"Umm, I think you're thinking of the Eternal Deathless. The First Deathless is the one who conquered this dungeon that we are, you know, in right now?" A small girl chimed in. She was another Wandering Sage named Utone and friend of Kiln.

"That is definitely the same person U. Anyways, then we have the Shade Queen Xana. She is the big bad guy everyone teamed up against, and now everyone is locked themselves in that other dungeon."

Shade Magic forces the subjugation of others against their will and consumes their soul power. The Demon Lord Xana is the representation of the Shade path. She consumed countless Gods and became known as the Evil Authority, boasting the highest Aura level of any other being in the universe. This path is generally frowned down upon by countries because of its dark subtext. For example, killing another and taking a portion of their soul's aura for your own is an easy way for a Shade to be born.

The greatest risk with Shade Magic is the loss of oneself. A Shade may forget who they truly are with the muddling and mixing of souls if done poorly. It could even destroy the vessel of the Shade by forcing an unnatural amount of aura at once into it. Omira was a shade who originated in the dungeon, and she smiled when Xana was brought up. Even though Xana was objectively evil and Omira would surely kill Xana if she had the chance, Xana was indeed a fellow Shade who followed the same path as her.

"You shades are a tricky bunch, ain't ya. You all cannot beat a true Authority Magic though huh?" Kiln boasted, as someone who used the Authority Path.

Authority Magic is the art of gaining the authority over an aspect of nature or concept. All who wish to become Deities must eventually gain personal Authority over an aspect of nature, making this path a representation of aura itself.

For example, someone who uses illusions as their main authority skill will eventually grow into the God or Goddess of Illusions. By placing theoretical restrictions on skills, they can do more than broader skills from other paths. Truly, Authority Magic was more theoretical than the straight forward paths like the Natural Path.

The Authority of Life and Death are the twin Authorities that represent the Authority path. Life and Death are considered to be the greatest Authority that is held over living beings. Although they are separate, they are worshipped as one Authority on its path. Life currently resides within the Heaven's Dungeon as the Queen of Heaven while Death is sealed within Purgatory.

"Come on you understood that right! Yo Zirene, come here; you know Runes right? Clico here is quite the runic man himself. You two should talk about it sometime." Kiln raised his eyebrows and pulled Clico up on his feet. He then proceeded to push Clico towards Zirene. Zirene's face blushed, and Omira shrieked with laughter. Omira grabbed Clico's legs, trying to trip him.

"Kiln, don't get the wrong idea. Sorry about that Councilwoman. Would you like a seat?" Clico asked while pushing Omira off of his legs. Although the party was in downtime, Clico thought it best to treat a councilmember like Zirene with the utmost respect.

"Thank you." Zirene paused.

"And yes, Sage Kiln, I do know about Runic Magic. Runic Magic uses runes and magical inscriptions to create tangible spells. One can even tattoo themselves with different runes that have different abilities to enhance the vessel. The Eternal Deathless is also known as the Authority of Runes. He is also a Deathless who is locked inside Purgatory."

"Well, well, well, professor Councilwoman, ain't we smart!" Kiln heartily laughed. He patted her on the back and beckoned her to sit. Zirene sat down awkwardly.

"Well, what else is there? These Authorities sit around so much, I can't even remember them."

"How about the Scientific path?" The only adventurer of this sub-party remarked with a sinister glare. Anaxmai, who had been sitting quietly in the shadows. There was always a grim look on his face, and he gave off the impression of looking down on others frequently.

"Thanks, Axaxami! Science! The greatest human to ever live, Cipher, used Science to defeat the evil Demon Lord Xana and locked up most of the Authorities in the Purgatory Prison. Although we call it a great dungeon, there's no chance we could conquer a prison that holds multiple evil authorities. Thank you Cipher for defeating Xana!" Kiln cheered. The reason the universe was on the brink of collapse was almost entirely because of the Demon Lord Xana.

Anaxmai frowned angrily. Clico realized Anaxmai's name had been botched poorly by Kiln.

Zirene didn't notice and nodded. Scientific Magic is the path of using technology along with magic to create powerful artifacts and augmentations to oneself. The human Authority Cipher ascended this path to defeat the Demon Lord Xana. Cipher entrapped Xana within one of the Three Great Dungeons, Purgatory, at the cost of locking himself and others within the labyrinth-like prison according to the legends.

"Hmm, hmm, what's left?" Stumbled Kiln.

"Summoning! What do you think about Summoners mister Kiln?" Utone quietly asked excitedly. Drunken Kiln made her day more fun. She wished her spouse Mite were here to see the spectacle.

"Summoners are cowards them all! Just like them shades! They hide behind their armies. The King of Madness or whatever his name is should just come and fight me one on one like a man. All these authorities hide all day, but I don't see them conquering this dungeon. Hmph." Kiln grumbled.

Summoning Magic was a favorite for Kings of nations as well as Generals. Summoners can link their souls to their summons or subordinates to increase their own aura through leading or controlling them. Necromancers, for example, are a sub-group of summoners. The Authority Kiln was referring to is the famous necromancer, the Authority of Insanity, a summoner who rules over the infamous Army of Madness.

"Who are you calling a coward?" Omira stood up violently.

"He's just kidding Omira. It's okay." Clico grabbed her arm, but she didn't want to be held back.

"Oh no, the little shade wants to come out and fight a real warrior? Where's Xana now to protect you?" Omira and Kiln pounced at each other and wrestled lightheartedly. Anaxmai was amused and cheered Omira on quietly before slugging Kiln in the face suddenly. Anaxmai pretended like nothing happened and walked away upon seeing everyone's surprise.

Zirene and Utone looked at each other and giggled while Clico tried to pull Omira away. The remaining member of the little group, Goln, a small and serious Council Trainee, looked at Zirene to help Kiln, but no avail. As the group laughed and shared their stories, the dawn of their fifth day in the Dungeon approached.