Riven waved a hand, instantly deactivating the poor attendant construct mid-sentence. The golem-like figure froze mid-motion, its glowing eyes dimming to a lifeless hum as it slumped into stillness.
"Finally," Riven huffed, stretching like he'd just tossed out an annoying salesperson. "We can talk without that walking encyclopedia droning on. Honestly, one more info dump and your brain would've exploded. Shame there's no tower for boosting IQ in this place."
Denwen shot him a glare, raising a hand as a crystal spike slowly emerged from his fingertip, gleaming with threat. "You want to test that theory? Keep talking."
"Aye!" Riven yelped, zipping backward through the air like a startled bird. "Alright, alright, simmer down, porcupine."
With the chaos quieting, Denwen turned his attention to the displays in front of him—an array of shimmering items suspended in crystal-like projections, each tagged with floating prices.
"So," he asked, eyes scanning over strange talismans and gleaming potions, "what makes the dungeon store so special?"
"You can buy just about anything here," Riven replied, hovering beside him again. "Revive cards that give you an extra life—but they boot you out of the dungeon the moment you use one. That's 3,000 points. Escape cards go for 1,000; they yank you out no matter how deep you are. Tons of potions, too. Health, mana not that with boundless you would even need them, even ones that fix your broken bones."
Denwen nodded slowly, still flipping through the holographic listings.
"But," Riven added, voice dropping to a mock-whisper, "here's the catch. Anything you buy in here? You can't use it outside. No smuggling loot into the real world. So don't get greedy."
Denwen frowned, falling silent, the glow of the display reflected in his eyes. Strategies began to form in his head as he weighed the cost of survival against the price of ambition.
Denwen exhaled slowly, lowering himself into a meditative pose as his essence churned with urgency. His eyes flickered with crystalline light as he activated Crystal Manifestation, hands rising with precision. A low, glimmering table formed beneath him, translucent and refined, as if carved from frozen starlight. With a flick of his wrist, his spatial ring shimmered—spilling out a cascade of glowing cores across the surface.
Level 1 and 2 Crystalvore cores clattered into neat piles, followed by a single, ominously radiant Rank 3 core. Denwen began assimilating them one by one, his palms hovering over each orb as its internal light dimmed—essence drained and absorbed into the very fabric of his being.
"Smart choice," Riven muttered, wings fluttering as he hovered beside him. "You'll need all the power you can squeeze from those laws. Especially now."
Denwen didn't answer. A quiet glow pulsed around him with every fusion, his body flickering faintly as the crystal laws etched themselves deeper into his soul. Each core that dimmed dropped from the table with a soft thud, now hollowed of meaning—like a gemstone stripped of magic.
Riven hovered above a drained Level 2 core, letting out a dramatic sigh. "What a bloody waste. Boundless really doesn't care about economy, does it?" he murmured, shaking his head. "And considering how broke you are out there… maybe sell these husks. Let's hope your haggling isn't as bad as your IQ."
Denwen's fingers twitched, but he stayed focused.
After several more glowing pulses and crystal deaths, he finally opened his eyes. The transformation was subtle but undeniable—a faint, mirrored sheen shimmered across his skin like sunlight dancing on glass. Riven blinked and drifted back, tilting his head as he took a second look.
"Well now," the eyeball said, tone softer. "You're starting to look like something dangerous."
Denwen ignored Riven's banter, exhaling slowly as he called out, "Menu."
The screen blinked to life in front of him:
Host: Denwen Amun Ra
Race: Human
Rank: Peak Rank 2
Experience Points: 10,000
➤ Strength: 870
➤ Agility: 770
➤ Stamina: 770
➤ Vitality: 900
➤ Essence: Undefined
{Laws}
➤ Crystal Law – 25% [Level 3 Assimilation]
{Skills}
➤ Prime Algorithm (Locked)
➤ 75% Crystal Immunity
➤ Level 3 Crystal Manifestation
➤ Level 1 Prism Shard Volley
➤ Level 1 Resonance Armor
➤ Level 1 Crystal Bind
{Innate Ability}
➤ Level 1 Boundless
{Artifacts}
➤ Empty
{Nexus Vault}
➤ Dungeon Vault
➤ Martial Vault
{Requirements for Advancement}
➤ Assimilate a Level 4 crystal law to advance Crystal Law
➤ Assimilate 5 laws to Rank 3 to level up
Denwen gave a slow, measured nod as he scanned the changes. "The Rank 1 and 2 cores barely do anything for me anymore... their law density is too diluted. I'll need higher-quality crystal cores to make any meaningful progress." His gaze shifted to the remaining glowing Rank 1 cores—untouched and underwhelming.
"Maybe you could swallow that massive pride of yours and rack up a little more debt with that human Kop," Riven offered casually, circling above.
Denwen's jaw clenched. "I don't think I want to see him, let alone owe him again."
With a sharp breath, he stood up. "Give me an escape card, two mid-grade restoration potions, and access to the Support dungeon."
A soft chime echoed from the front desk. In a blink, the requested items appeared, neatly arranged. Denwen swept them into his spatial ring without hesitation. Below the Support tower, the atmosphere began to ripple. The very essence of the dungeon itself churned, vibrating with expectation. A portal unfurled—glowing, pulsing, alive—as a rich purple gate took shape, shimmering like liquid amethyst.
Above it, gleaming words etched themselves into existence:
"Rank 3 Dungeon: The Ant's Nest."
"What the—? A Rank three gate?" Denwen stepped back, eyes wide. "No one mentioned that!"
"No one said it'd be a walk in the park, either," Riven chuckled, wings flicking smugly. "Word of advice—go after the smaller mobs first. Farm some stat points. You're already skimming the edge of Rank 3 anyway. Just punch through."
Denwen's expression sharpened. "Wait, what's the average starting stat range for early Rank 3s?"
Riven shrugged nonchalantly. "Roughly 1000 per stat."
A grin crept across Denwen's face. He looked back at his numbers, then at the gate.
"Oh… I'm going to enjoy this."
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