DREAMS

JINGLE JINGLE

Ivan looked on pensively as the crystals he held in his hands made quite the soothing noise as he threw them into the air. Normally he'd take extreme caution with mana crystals but these tiny ones with no particular abilities had been reduced to his playthings for the past week.

It seemed the Kingdom had no intention of giving him any of the mana crystals they had acquired from strong monsters. Those were rather used for making staves and other tools.

He'd likely acquire them if he explained what they were going to be used for but then all the artifacts he'd produce would be kept by the Kingdom for their army.

His progress with his stats had stagnated quite a bit as it seems manufacturing potions was seeming less and less effective for exp. Though Ivan wasn't obsessed with strength, he'd rather have his stats in a high position as to not be inept when in an emergency or the Kingdom and Holy Church decides he has no use.

It wouldn't be difficult for him to transmute the ground around him to act defensively or offensively but having to come in contact with whatever he wanted to transmute would leave him in a vulnerable position he'd rather not be in.

And so this got him thinking. What if there was a way to transmute the world around him without lifting a finger? If he could achieve that then he'd essentially be invincible. That's when he remembered that such an ideal was also highly sought by alchemists.

"Ars Magna," the dream of alchemists to mold the world with just their thoughts. Such a pinnacle brought excitement to Ivan. Though he believed molding the entire world was impossible of him, he did have hope that within a certain distance that control would exist.

The problem was that even as an Alchemist he had no possession of such a world-breaking spell. As much as he wanted to think it into existence he couldn't create his own world with just his thoughts.

Which brings up the earlier point, he had gotten all he could from the Kingdom. If he wanted such power then he would have to search for it.

'The dungeon.' Ivan thought to himself. No one had ever reached beyond the 65th level of the labyrinth, and even if they managed to reach that level they would meet the legendary Behemoth. A fearsome beast that even the legendary hero, who everyone called the strongest in the world, couldn't stand against it.

But as they say, the greater the risks the greater the rewards. Ivan had no doubt that at the end of the Dungeon would be a treasure the world would covet. As for whether that treasure would help him in his goal or aid in creating Ars Magna, Ivan had no idea. All he knew was that if he stayed within the Kingdom's grasp for any longer than he would go insane.

He was really itching to initiate the plan he had set up since he got to this world. Seeing Hiyama in great condition did nothing but fan these flames. And he already got the impression from the guy who delivered his materials that for a steep price he'd assist in his escape.

For now he just had to wait for the perfect moment when Claire is not visiting the Atelier. It had been a great month he had spent working with her, but now it had to come to an end. Whether or not she was a spy he'd rather not drag her to the lowest levels of the Dungeon just to sate his curiosity.

And while it would be lonely without his energetic assistance, Ivan felt no remorse in doing what he believed to be preserving her normal life. He had no idea how strong her ties with the Kingdom are but rather than make her betray it and live a life on the run, he felt the better option would be fleeing on his own.

"Claire, would you like to take a stroll in the Kingdom for a bit. I can't seem to come up with anything at the moment. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to head out and get some fresh air."

Ivan got out of his seat and approached Claire who was monitoring the growing plants in the grow room Hajime and Aiko assisted him in.

Claire looked at Ivan who seemed rather laxed and couldn't help but be surprised that the guy who had been nonstop working since they met decided to take a break.

But in the face of such an invitation, who was she to decline?

She got up from her crouched position and patted her chest confidently.

"Leave it to me! I'll show you all the best places!"

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"So this is one of 'the best places?'" Ivan gave a deadpan stare to Claire, who had brought him to some wooden shack in the back alley of this world's equivalent of a 5-star restaurant.

"Don't give me that look. C'mon, you can't knock it till you try it. Trust me they got the best food for a cheapskate for you." She ignored his look shamelessly and held his hand as she dragged him in.

The maid outfit brought a lot of attention but as the onlookers identified Ivan as one of the heroes they either awed from afar or broke eye contact afraid of causing any disrespect.

Ivan's doubts were immediately swayed as the moment he stepped foot into the restaurant he was hit by an aroma that immediately put him in a trance. And so he took a seat close to the exit and left the ordering up to Claire.

She didn't have any qualms about this since as his maid she was already familiar with his tastes in dishes.

It didn't take long for her to return back to their table with a grin on her face.

"Hoooo~? What's got you in such a good mood?" Ivan responded to her grin with an equally mischievous smile.

"Hehehe, I just can't wait to see the kind of expressions you make when you get a load of this food." She snickered softly and pushed the frames of the glasses Ivan gave her up slightly as she stared back into his eyes.

It was after their slight little play of theirs that things got quiet on their table. Ivan was never a conversationalist so to him this quiet had become the norm when waiting for food at a table with others. Usually other people at the table would strike up a conversation first then he'd interject with his own thoughts and opinions but this time he had a different idea, this time he was going to extend the branch.

"Hey Claire, mind if I ask you a question?" Ivan knocked on the table rhythmically with his index finger while averting eye contact with Claire.

It was a movement suspicious to her but nonetheless she saw no harm in answering his question. Their month of working together was one in which they needed to build trust in order to not get in each other's way.

She wasn't sure how Ivan felt but she felt as though she could confidently say that Ivan is someone she trusts wholeheartedly. As far as she's concerned he held no secrets from her, he never badmouthed her behind her back, he treated her as an equal rather than his servant, and he took her thoughts seriously whenever she voiced them. He was someone she became comfortable with, not minding the roles they were assigned.

"Sure, as long as you don't ask me to be a guinea pig for your concoctions I wouldn't mind helping you out."

Instead of offering to answer his question she offered him her immediate help, it was a gesture that made Ivan smile warmly.

"Very well, how do you feel about the Kingdom?" Ivan saw no use in playing coy anymore and decided to directly voice out his thoughts as Claire did.

"My feelings about the Kingdom huh…. Well, for starters it is my home." Claire was indeed born from this Kingdom, in fact her family has long served the royal family. As such she was trained from a young age to do such as well.

She didn't hate it, in fact it brought her solace knowing that from the moment she was born she served a purpose. Something she was confident she could talk about more than other people.

"To me it is an honor to continue to serve this Kingdom as my family did for generations. I'm grateful for being given the opportunity to show my worth, and I will continue to do so to make my family proud of the person I've become."

If she were to describe her lineage, then she'd say they were a very traditional kind of people. Ones that put the lives and comfort of others before their own. It was a modo of the family she is very proud of.

Ivan looked on as Claire flashed a resolut smile. It was at this moment that he came to a rather predictable conclusion.

'I just can't ask her to throw away this resolutions of hers.' Regardless of whether she'd agree or not, Ivan didn't want to intrude on the dreams of others.

As he held dreams of his own it would disgust him to ask others to abandon their dreams for him. It was a spirit he would respect no matter the side. He understood in this life of his that different goals drive people to different directions.

But it wasn't till now that he felt first hand what that separation would feel like when he thought that he would stray from the life of his first friend.

He held back the selfish side of him that wanted to ask Claire to accompany him on his adventures, and nodded in affirmation to her smiling figure.

"Here you fellas go! Oh and Claire don't worry about payin' this is my thanks for all the help you've done around here." A waiter arrived at their table carrying the dishes they ordered and bowed gratefully to Claire who rather eyed the food in front of her

The stares directed them on the way to this restaurant, they weren't the eyes of those who held malicious intent, they were the eyes of those who wanted to approach Claire to thank her for everything she's done for this community.

It wasn't till now that Ivan realized his misinterpretation and laughed embarrassedly. But the warm attitude of the locals here eased some of his worries, so long as Claire had people she could count on then she'd be fine.

And with that he decided to dig into the food, free of worries.

"Huh, this stuff really does hit the spot." A single spoonful of the porridge in front of him was enough to make him content.

"Hehehe, told ya' so." Claire nodded enthusiastically at his words before digging in herself.

And in silence they together devoured the food brought to them. Claire laughed out loud eyeing Ivan who had slouched back in his chair and patted his tummy.

They bid farewell to the waiter and the cook before heading out into the Kingdom once again, this time just going for a stroll. Ivan was amazed by the different compartments and stores as he followed Claire around.

She took great pleasure in seeing his amazed expressions, in fact she was quite proud that a hero from another world praised her home so much. Opting to up things a notch and showing him the beautiful locations that would often attract tourists.

By the time they had enough of their little escapade, night had arisen.

For Ivan this was a very fulfilling day. Today he had learnt various things, whether it be about himself or the only person he called a friend. Regardless he was prepared to move forward, more determined to chase after his dreams as Claire does.

So with that resolution in mind he bid farewell to Claire, who had to split off into a different direction to head home.

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"Ghehehe.Welcome back, Ivan!"

The moment Ivan opened his door and reached for the lights a sinister voice resounded from in his Atelier.

WHOOOSH

A gust of wind hurled towards Ivan as he slammed the door behind him and jumped behind one of his tables.

He took a moment to look at the door before noticing the cuts and slashes engraved by that one attack. Without peering over the table Ivan yelled out to the assailant.

"Hiyama, right? That cloak does you no good. I've been waiting for this moment for quite a while now, thank god you finally grew a pair and came." Ivan provoked the figure who he knew was just Hiyama in disguise.

The 'bomb' he had set up back on the training grounds has finally li its fuse. And now it's here to do exactly what he intended it to do.

Hiyama stumbled slightly before rushing the table with another one of his wind attacks.

WHOOOSH

Ivan once again opted to dive into another hiding spot.

This elicited a laugh from Hiyama.

"Hahahaha! She was right, without your potions you're just a coward!" He yelled maniacally before launching another barrage of attacks.

Meanwhile Ivan caught an interest in the 'she' that came out of Hiyama's mouth. He factored out Claire immediately, as she has never seen him in combat.

Then that just leaves members of his class or any of the female knights that accompanied them into the dungeon that day.

"Bastard! Bastard! You bastard! How dare you tarnish my reputation in front of the others… How dare you humiliate me in front of Kaori!"

Hiyama, seeing as his attacks would just keep being dodged, unsheathed the sword at his waist and moved in to cut Ivan.

Ivan revealed himself from his hiding spot and met Hiyama head on.

CLANG

The sound of metal colluding resounded through the room. Except what Ivan was wielding was not a sword, in fact he wasn't wielding anything.

Hiyama eyed the gray tendril in front of him, stupefied by the sudden appearance of it. If not for his 'Sword Art' skill, he would've been impaled before reacting in time.

"W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" He stumbled back against a wall and held his sword in front of him.

"Oops, you weren't supposed to see that." The tendril disappeared before Ivan slapped his hands to the ground, a gray magic circle appeared and sparks spread to the wall behind Hiyama. It then collapsed on top of Hiyama and melded to the floor beneath them.

With his legs and arms bound to the floor, Hiyama could only struggle until Ivan reached him.

"Not that it matters what you've seen. After today, no one will believe what you say." Ivan pulled a vial from his satchel and uncorked it in front of Hiyama's nose. The moment the dark blue elixir was exposed to the air it started bubbling to the brim.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ivan opened up Hiyama's mouth and dumped the entire vial in. Nothing happened for a moment until Hiyama stopped moving altogether.

Then another moment passed and all of a sudden he wouldn't stop moving. He foamed at the mouth, scratched the ground and kicked his legs fiercely, desperately attempting to break out of Ivan's hold and tear his face apart.

This was Ivan's freshly brewed Hysteria Potion. The consumer would be consumed by rage and lose all signs of intelligence. So long as they were under its effects they would go into a violent frenzy.

Ivan nodded at his work a bit before moving to his bedroom. He laid on his belly and dragged something out from under his bed.

What came out was a brown leather suitcase with two padlocks closing it together. Ivan unfastened the locks and was momentarily blinded by a rainbow-like light.

'Haaaaa~' He sighed for a bit looking at his collection and then moved on over to where Hiyama was at.

"So this is where it all ends huh…Y'know when I walked into that classroom that day I never would've thought this is where it was gonna head." Ivan sat on the suitcase and spoke softly to the feral and foaming Hiyama.

"But now it's time for me to head on out. This world has too many opportunities that I can't just give up on. Opportunities that just aren't afforded to us in our world." Ivan got up from his seated position and dragged what looked like a body out of one of his cabinets.

"But the Kingdom and Holy Church won't let me just roam as I please so long as they know I'm alive. Which is why today, I will die.'' He laid the body next to the suitcase and stood before Hiyama.

As for the body, well it was just a little something he transmuted using the components of what makes a human. Other than that it was just an empty husk of flesh and blood.

Ivan stepped on the myriad of crystals in the suitcase and let his tendril of mana crawl from his chest down to the case.

The crystals shone even brighter before cracking sounds emitted from the case.

"But don't worry, Hiyama. I have no intentions of killing you here. In fact, you'll be the one 'killing' me. So… see you later I guess?"

BOOM

The case full of mana crystals exploded the moment he applied more pressure. His Atelier was engulfed by flames and bright colors as he dove into a hole he transmuted for himself. Glancing at the body he created as it burned into a blaze, Ivan closed the hole and followed the path he carved.

Not turning back and without a pause in his steps, Ivan marched forward.

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Hello world! I've come to announce the establishment of my discord! Maaaa~ It's mostly cause I want people to play games with and hang out but all are welcome to join. If you wanna ask some questions or need my help with something you're welcome to come on in.

https://discord.gg/tQ5TWbYd9t

Largest chapter yet. I really liked it and hope you guys too. This one felt pretty good to write. Other than that I wanna thank you all for for reading once again.

On to the dungeon!