Speedrun 20

[Quest Update: [Labyrinths] 2/7 Completed]

"So who was the skeleton?" Aletia inquired after exiting the magical circle. "And why did you put it into a cupboard?" She added, tilting her head in confusion. "Also, where did that cupboard come from? It wasn't here a few moments ago."

"I remade your body, and you're surprised by magically appearing furniture?" I chuckled, and she replied with a shrug. "That was Oscar Orcus, or at least what remained of him. He was a Liberator and the creator of this Labyrinth. If I didn't alter the magic circle, you would've met his projection."

"Oh, so that's why you fiddled with it," she nodded in understanding. "I actually wanted to ask you why you did that, but you didn't let me."

"I didn't want the circle messing with my mind," I explained, "nor did I want to listen to his story. Genocidal god, save the world, blah, blah, blah... You know the gist of it already." I gestured towards her while rolling my eyes.

"You did mention it," she agreed with a nod, "but that doesn't explain why you put his skeleton into a cupboard."

"Oh, that's my little embarrassing secret," I replied with a satisfied grin.

"Your skeleton in the closet?" She asked, confused, before it dawned on her. "Really imaginative..." She said with a deadpan expression.

"Why, thank you," I responded with a confident nod. "I am extremely satisfied with my creation," I said, without revealing that I had used [Raise Dead] on the skeleton and instructed it to kill anyone who opened the door.

Unimpressed by my antics, she raised her hand and conjured a fireball before her palm. She glanced at me, and upon seeing that I wasn't going to do anything, she fired it off at the cupboard, only for it to safely bounce off it without causing any damage at all.

"I might have forgotten to mention that I enchanted it," I said with a grin, watching her slowly turn toward me with an annoyed expression. "That expression was worth the trouble," I added with a chuckle.

"Gah..." She raised her hands, clearly irritated by my antics, and trotted away.

"Don't go too far, sweetheart!" I shouted after her. "We're leaving any moment now!"

"Fuck you!" She didn't even bother to turn around but raised a hand and sent me a bird.

Her antics made me laugh out loud, further fueling her irritation, and making her grunt in annoyance. She was cute and, in her new form, quite alluring, and for some reason, I enjoyed teasing her. However, if that bothersome skill ever thought of reacting on its own, even for a moment, I wouldn't hesitate to shred her soul before it could fully activate.

I wasn't naive; I knew she harbored some feelings toward me. However, I was pretty sure they stemmed from a white knight syndrome, not from genuine affection. White knight syndrome was a type of mental disorder where one developed romantic feelings for another person who had saved or helped them in a significant way. To be honest, I could understand how it had formed. She had mixed up gratitude and love, and spending 300 years in solitude had taken a toll on her mentality. When I appeared like a shining light of hope, I brought light into her world of darkness.

I was leaving this world soon, and I didn't want her to form an emotional dependency on me. That's why I had been so abrasive, hoping it would repulse her, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"Well, let's think about it when the time comes..." I murmured with a sigh, then turned my attention away from her jiggling rump and looked at what I had accomplished.

The last floor of the Great Orcus Labyrinth began as a simple room with a magical circle and a throne on which a skeleton had sat. However, it didn't end there. Connected to this room was an actual dungeon floor—a vast clearing with a large waterfall and a serene lake, along with a cozy-looking cottage right next to it.

After Aletia exited the room, I vanished the magical circle, removing one of the greatest rewards one could gain from this dungeon. However, along with a surprise skeleton in a closet, I left the rest of the treasures for future conquerors.

With an inventory, I had no need for a storage ring, and the ancient history books, as well as the crafting materials hidden in the vault, held no real value for me. Even without being in direct contact with them, I had used my abilities to analyze their material compositions, and that was enough for me to recreate them if need be.

Speaking of creation, compared to the last one, the reward for clearing this dungeon was both underwhelming and exciting. With such a grand name as "Creation Magic," one would assume it allowed you to create materials on a whim. However, in this context, creation refers to crafting, manipulating, and enchanting materials and items.

It wasn't something overly impressive, but the magic had its merits. It was an offshoot of matter manipulation magic, allowing one to manipulate inorganic matter. Thankfully, the information upload came with a user manual, explaining what each rune, shape, and magical matrix did. Otherwise, I might have needed to experiment or rely on my divinity to uncover all of its secrets. The information that was deposited within my mind not only allowed me to refine my already existing spells but also enabled me to develop potent spells centered around inorganic matter manipulation.

However, that wasn't the end of it. The moment the complete information about this magic was uploaded into my mind, both [Mystery] and [Enchanting] soared in levels, reaching their evolutionary thresholds and even surpassing them.

[Enchanting V LVL: 400/500]

- Enhances enchanting speed and efficiency by 3% per level, allowing for quicker and more intricate enchanting processes.

- Decreases mana expenditure for enchanting by 0.15% per level, conserving energy while imbuing items with magical properties.

- Enables the utilization of various resource types for enchanting purposes.

- Unlocks the ability to analyze mana patterns lingering on items, enabling the user to learn and replicate enchantments from other enchanted objects.

* Unlock the ability to oversaturate enchantments, raising their potency by 0.1% of the user's total Dexterity.

[Mystery IV LVL: 300/400]

- Allows the user to imbue an item with a concept, enchanting it with a perpetual spell.

- Enchanted items' mana consumption is significantly reduced, allowing their perpetual spells to persist for longer durations without exhausting the user's mana reserves.

- The user's grasp of concepts becomes more substantial, allowing for a more nuanced and refined understanding of their mysterious nature.

* Unlocks the ability to perform soul-based enchantments, enabling the user to reinforce, weaken, or alter the inner workings of souls with enchantments. 

As I read through the descriptions of the two newly evolved skills, I couldn't help but grin in satisfaction. With these evolutions, the guided evolution system had once again shown its potential. With one evolution, the system had taken care of an issue I would have faced in the future, mainly how to create and integrate an artificial system into souls.

My mind buzzed with excitement as I formulated plans and thought about skill and spell combinations that would allow me to create a unified system spanning my entire domain. It would be a challenge, but the idea of a self-replicating spell relying on [Curse Creation], [Mystery], and spirit magic was already taking shape.

With my separate mind instances preoccupied with that task, I turned my attention to the second gift I had received from the good old Liberators.

Similar to the last magical circle, which had granted me [Spirit Affinity], this one also bestowed an affinity, although compared to that skill, this one was... quite strange...

[Crafting Affinity LVL: Max]

- Increases the effects of crafting-related skills, abilities, and spells by 25%.

- Allows partial control of your crafting ingredients in the local area.

Disregarding the fact that it boosted my crafting skills by twenty-five percent, it also granted me partial control of crafting ingredients in a local area. Now, you might be wondering why I was referring to it as strange.

And to answer that, I have a single question: Who decides what a crafting ingredient is?

Was it based on my perception? Was it the system's, or the world's?

I had no idea, nor did I know what could be classified as a crafting ingredient. The system this time was quite vague about the skill, only granting me instinctual knowledge about a single thing. It told me that the ingredient needed to be mine.

Yet that once again led me to question: What was considered as mine?

If I were a tattoo artist, would my canvas, someone's skin, be considered my ingredient? Could I walk up to someone and, without using another skill, simply will the skin of their flesh?

Also, what about the definition of 'crafting ingredients'?

What if I viewed souls as ones? The two philosopher's stones I had knowledge of how to make use of them as their main ingredient. Couldn't I simply be greedy and claim the inhabitants of a world as my property, and snuff their souls out?

Likewise, could I use abstract things like emotions or even concepts as ingredients? Diligence, gratitude, gluttony, greed, and all the other old sins and virtues, did they count as one?

Did this skill simply allow me to manipulate everything and anything?

There had to be some limit, or this skill would have ascended me to a higher tier on its own. Yet, I didn't know what it was, and that infuriated me.

I had so many questions, yet no answers at all.

With a grunt of annoyance, I activated the skill, focusing on the light in the room, and willed the photons to gather in a single heap.

With that single thought, the room was bathed in complete and utter darkness. Yet before me floated an orb of light that refused to shine and illuminate the world.

Once again I had casually broken the laws of physics...

With a sigh, I released my hold on the photons, once again bringing light to this room.

"This is huge," I murmured to myself while shaking my head. "I'll need to experiment with this to find its limits..."

With that, another note was added to my to-do list, which continued to grow seemingly endlessly.

With a complicated expression marring my face, I exited the reward room and set out to find Aletia. Fortunately, I didn't have to search for too long.

I discovered her near the lake, her feet dangling off the shore, barely touching the surface of the water. She seemed lost in thought, her eyes unfocused and gazing in the direction of the waterfall.

I cast a glance at the unnatural shadow just below her, where a single reptilian eye popped out, giving me a confused look. I shook my head, stifling a chuckle, and then walked up to Aletia. I settled down beside her and asked, "What's on your pretty little mind?"

"Can't you simply look into my mind and find out?" she replied with a hint of annoyance, giving me an unamused glance.

"I could," I said with a shrug, "but where's the fun in that?"

She sighed and returned her gaze to the waterfall. "I'm afraid of what's waiting for me outside," she confessed, her voice filled with genuine concern. "My people are long dead, and there is nothing and no one waiting for me out there."

"So?" I replied with a casual shrug. "Find a new purpose for your life. Restart your civilization, conquer the world, or something, I don't care. Just don't dwell on something you can't change." I gave her head a pat and stood up. "I'm gonna go conquer the rest of the Labyrinths. It shouldn't take more than an hour. Care to join me?" I asked, extending my hand to her.

Aletia shook her head, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Only you can say something so outlandish. Yet, with the capabilities you've shown, I can't help but trust that you are capable of doing it in that timeframe."

"Eh... To be honest, compared to this one, the rest of them are trash. Also, the only reason I didn't conquer this one faster was because Fluffy needed a few abilities," I explained with a shrug, while the little Nightmares voiced her agreement with a happy "Shaa!", startling Aletia and causing her to frantically look around in an attempt to locate Fluffs.

However, I didn't allow her the time to do so, I pulled her attention by asking, "So? What's your answer? Wanna come and learn some magic?"

She looked at me a chuckled once again, then grabbed my hand, pulling herself off the ground. "Alright, lead the way," she said with a smile.

"Perfect," I said with a grin.

I activated [Mana's Blessing] and snapped my fingers, simultaneously conjuring, enchanting, and molding matter into an intricately carved pendant made of heavily enchanted mithril ore. It was covered in a thin layer of mana dispersion material, making it appear as an ordinary piece of jewelry.

"First, put this on," I said, handing her the necklace.

If she was surprised by the casual display of creation and matter manipulation, she didn't show it. Instead, she trailed her fingers along the intricate chain and squinted at me suspiciously.

"Why?" she asked, her tone laced with skepticism.

"Let's just say it's a precaution," I replied with a smile, unwilling to disclose its true purpose.

Aletia looked at me for a moment and sighed. She unclasped the chain, moved it behind her back, and then struggled to lock it in place. After another, albeit feigned, sigh, she turned around, swept her hair aside to expose her nape, and arched her back, subtly emphasizing her figure. Her tone held a hint of playfulness as she gave me a sidelong glance. "A little help would be appreciated," she said.

I rolled my eyes, not falling for any seduction attempts. I caught hold of the ends of the necklace chain with telekinesis and clasped them together in a single swift motion.

She then turned around, crossing her arms beneath her breasts and for a moment I wasn't sure if she realized it or not, but her outfit left little to the imagination, making her actions quite alluring. However, her next move indicated that she was fully aware of her actions. With a cute huff, she pushed her breasts up slightly, almost causing them to spill out of the top, capturing my undivided attention.

"So does this thing now mark me as yours or something?" she said with an amused tone, casting a knowing smile my way.

Shaking my head, I quickly pulled my attention away from her cleavage. The small, victorious smirk on her face was a clear giveaway that she'd noticed where my attention had been. However, I wasn't about to let my desires get the better of me. I wasn't an insatiable beast, I could find her appealing but do nothing about it.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, in confusion.

"Why else would you give me something so beautiful?" she replied, her finger tracing the white pendant in the shape of a bird with its wings spread.

"Your words hurt me," I said in a dejected tone, "The pendant is just a symbol of freedom, your freedom, and it's here as a precaution," I added, flashing her a reassuring smile.

"Alright, I'll trust you on this one, Mr. Thompson, or should I use the title you requested me to use? Hmm, Daddy?" she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

I chuckled in response. "Please don't. That was just a joke."

"Whatever do you mean, Daddy?" She faked confusion, tilting her head in a cutesy manner.

"Okay, okay, stop," I said, raising my hand in surrender, conceding the playful banter to her.

A smile bloomed on her face, and she averted her eyes while murmuring, "Thank you."

"Hmm, did you say something?" I asked, pretending I hadn't heard it.

"Nothing! Now, let's go conquer the Labyrinths!" She said with an excited tone, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the exit.

With Fluffy still concealed within her shadow, and Aletia taking the lead, we navigated our way to the teleportation room. After confirming that the teleportation circle was safe to use, we made use of it to exit this labyrinth. Although I could have employed my spatial abilities for this purpose, the exit of this labyrinth conveniently led us directly to the vicinity of the next one, negating the need for such measures.

In a brilliant flash of light, we materialized in a narrow valley known as Reisen Gorge nestled between formidable mountains. This location was notorious for its harsh and unwelcoming environment, rife with lurking, dangerous creatures. In addition to these threats, the surrounding terrain contained trace amounts of the material called shtar, which had the potential to disrupt mana, akin to the manner in which Fluffy's scale coating functioned.

"Huh, magic acts weirdly here," Aletia mumbled her attempts to conjure a spell repeatedly failing. Without having spent months descending the labyrinth, she was noticeably weaker compared to her fictional self, with her level, mana, and magic power far below what they should have been.

"Yep," I replied nonchalantly, unaffected by the magical disruption. Instead, I expanded my senses across the valley of death, with my mind processing and organizing the wealth of information I was receiving. Shortly thereafter, a satisfied grin adorned my face as I placed my hand on Aletia's shoulder, breaking her focus on magic and making her tilt her head sideways in confusion. I didn't answer her, but flashed a smile, then warped of space, to instantly transport us to the entrance of Miledi Reisen's deadly labyrinth.

"Let's go," I said to the stunned vampire girl, pushing aside the stone acting as a barrier and blocking our entrance.