They left the dungeon master's chambers with an air of triumph.

  After trading in what was, quite frankly, an absurd stock of dismantled body parts from all of the dungeon spawn they had killed and looted, all of their useless equipment, and a literal pile of shit, they had, much to the dungeon master's annoyance, come out on top with more points than they had from all three of their assessment scores combined.

  With all the extra points to spend It made all of the earlier theatrics from the dungeon master pointless. If they had traded everything else, they wouldn’t have had to sacrifice any of their points to each other, but Kai guessed it was the thought that mattered.

  He suspected the dungeon master had expected them to trade everything in and was just messing with them while he could.

  The mound of manure and rapidly decomposing guts and viscera however, that had defiantly caught him of guard. ‘

  In the end, both Kai and Alicia came out with three items each; Syl, however, had deferred to Kai.

  Alicia had tried requesting a runic regeneration ring, but unfortunately the price was astronomical, and she decided against it. In the end, she secured a spatial storage ring of moderate size, a mana storage cuff similar to his own, and a pair of teardrop-shaped mana regeneration earrings.

  Kai had immediately seen the comparison to items he had secured and thought she might have lacked imagination. But Syl had complimented her foresight in requesting items that were known quantities that would serve her for many levels to come as she brought attention to the fact Kai had just bought what amounted to nothing more than a mystery loot box.

  The thing that really confused him was the storage ring; she had access to his storage ability through their party; why did she still want a spatial storage device?

  When he made the mistake of asking before thinking about it, he was taken down another peg for not realising that while Syl may be anchored to him, Alicia was in fact not. That meant there would naturally be times ahead where they were separated, and she could not always lean on his soul ring abilities. So Alicia, having an opportunity to get what was outside the dungeon, a rare and expensive item for nothing more than a few thousand of her assessment points, took it.

  Syl had cleverly made a request for “any items or materials that are needed to construct, cast or perform the spells within the Art physical manifestation, refined and perfected for the exclusive use of Syl the worthy, by Kain Merribellium.” Only for the dungeon master to shake his head and state no such items exist within the catalogue.

  To his surprise, the dungeon master's deadpan reply actually pleased Syl, and she deferred to Kai, insisting that she would spend the remainder of the points if there were any.

  Having been chided about his mystery box, he decided he should check its contents so that he would be better informed when making his requests, but the dungeon master put his foot down and created a rule on the spot that they could not use or open anything they bought until they left his chamber.

  That screwed Kai over, as not knowing what was inside the box meant he didn’t know what to request.

  Kai thought back on Inego’s advice; the man had made quite a few recommendations, which now only gave him quite a few problems.

  For example, Inego had said he should invest in better armour, and while the box he had received was not large enough for a whole set of armour, it was large enough for any individual piece.

  Inego had also recommended some kind of magical armour, and for all Kai knew, a trinket that had such an effect could certainly fit inside.

  Furthermore, they had also talked about getting materials like mithril, oricalcum or, amusingly enough, unobtainium; again, the box was big enough to contain raw materials, so asking for anything like that might be a waste of points.

  In the end he had to admit the mystery box was possibly shortsighted, but he trusted Inego knew what he was doing.

  Thinking back on how Syl had given a vague yet sufficiently specific request, Kai asked for something that would help him with the abilities he had gained within the dungeon, which just so happened to be all of his abilities.

  The dungeon master had narrowed his eyes at that one before begrudgingly presenting Kai with a pair of dragon scale gauntlets.

  They were exactly what he asked for, as they not only enhanced his mana control and flow when channelling mana through them to cast any of his skills, spells or techniques. They also gained a passive defence boost and self-repairing capabilities when sufficiently infused.

  The issue was they were expensive, causing him to hesitate before accepting the trade. However, after explaining what they could do, his two party members insisted he get them.

  For Kai’s last item, he burnt through his requests asking for something that would hide his glowing eyes.

  Both Syl and Alicia had been taken aback the first time he made the request, but when he explained Inego’s warnings about assassins, they both agreed vehemently with the man's recommendation.

  The only problem was he didn’t like any of the dungeon's recommended items, the bulk of them being some strange variation of a mundane helmet without any arcane properties.

  On Syl’s and Alicia's prompting, he adjusted his request to something that would hide his glowing eyes while also improving his vision, that also provided ample protection and could not be seen; he was offered something he hadn’t expected.

  A spool of thin black cloth called spectres shroud.

  His newfound problem was that that was all the information he got when he tried to examine the item; when he asked about it, all the dungeon master said was that it was the nature of the item he requested.

  What also stood out was the price. It was a solid sixty thousand points. Implying that despite its simple nature, Kai either really wanted it or, more likely, as he had no clue what to do with the cloth, that he really needed it.

  When he deferred to his party, he was surprised to see Syl was almost salivating as she looked at the item the dungeon master held out for him.

  So, despite the price of the item consuming almost all of their remaining points, he got it.

  Kai felt terrible for consuming the majority of the points they had earned, but his friends seemed pleased.

  Syl had, of course, tried probing for items that could have been of use for her, but out of her remaining eight requests, there was nothing she could afford or that piqued her interest.

  The dungeon master had circled back to them trading in the dungeon keystone again, but they had all agreed they wouldn’t be taking that risk for what could amount to short-term gains.

  Things became especially suspicious when he said he would allow Syl to make another ten requests, promising that he knew of dozens, if not hundreds, of items that would suit her and her unique nature specifically.

  In the end they left the chamber, leaving behind one sour dungeon master. None of them sure if they had failed or passed his test.

  They, of course, immediately reconvened at the table out on the deck of their domain home to go over their haul.

  Kai couldn’t believe his luck; he had come away with a growth item of all things. Sure, everything apart from Syl's tome and his mystery box was soulbound but his new gauntlets were actually a growth item.

  The gauntlets fit perfectly, the soft, supple, dragon-scaled hide reaching up past his elbow, feeling like a second skin. The hue of black metallic scales changing subtly in the light as he tested the fit and flexibility of the strange materials. Touch scales ranging from large enough to cover the back of his hand and encapsulate his wrist down to small enough to wrap around each finger, overlapping one another to provide a flexible defence that even made his old plate vambraces seem like tin foil in comparison. Even the clawed tips at the end of each finger could be used as a weapon in a pinch.

  Unable to contain his enthusiasm, he examined them again.

  Trengor’s scaled gauntlets. ( Soulbound-Growth )

  Gauntlets made from the discarded scales of a powerful ancient dragon. Your mana control and flow is enhanced when channelling mana through these gauntlets. They also gain a passive defence boost and self-repairing capabilities when sufficiently infused with mana.

  They were perfect. His first growth item, sure they were no Gift, but still he couldn’t wait to see how they would evolve as he levelled. And genuine dragon scale, that was just plain old fantasy world cool.

  Whoever Trengor was, they were probably pissed they had lost these. Though the fact these gauntlets were available for Kai to trade for probably meant Trengor had brought them into the dungeon and died. That or they had been submitted at some point.

  He realised he wasn't actually clear on what happened to growth or soulbound items when you died; he added that to his mental list of things to ask his system guide.

  Kai found himself wondering if they were part of a set; they didn't say they were, but he decided he would formulate one of his next requests for items related to them when they next met the dungeon master.

  Syl set her tome down, wisps of mana scattering away as the book disintegrated.

  She groaned, “I think that damn woman got me again. I can just about do everything I need to to be able to physically manifest; the only issue is I lack the final part, the key ingredient.”

  “And that is?” Kai asked as he stored his gauntlets and went back to fumbling with his spectre's shroud; so far he had been unable to figure out what he was supposed to do with the slick black cloth.

  “The only way I can physically manifest with all the perks, tweaks and changes Kain worked into the spell construct is if I have a focus, some kind of core that’s tied to my soul, one I can anchor a physical form to.”

  “You can’t use Kai as a focus because your physical manifestation will overlap his physical being,” Alicia said, as she admired the spatial storage ring she had inexplicably decided to wear on the same ring finger as him.

  “And you asked the dungeon master for pretty much exactly that, so we know you won't be getting what you need from within the dungeon as a reward.” Kai said as he fiddled with his soul ring, rolling it back and forth with his thumb.

  Syl let out a frustrated laugh. “If everything else about it wasn’t so perfectly tailored for me and my, let’s call it, unique situation, I would have thought she was just being mean, trying to poke me one last time before we get out of this dungeon and I escape her reach forever.”

  “You seem to have changed your opinion on her…” he said carefully, probing things out; he would be seeing Kain soon enough, so he had an interest in knowing how things were before he passed through that particular arch again.

  “Yeah… her letter explained a few things; it doesn’t mean I forgive her, especially now that she got me to waste all those points on that useless skill tome.”

  Kai let go of the shroud and sat back; he couldn’t figure out how the thing was supposed to help him with his glowing eyes situation. Honestly, he too felt cheated, but he didn’t want to say as much when the one item Syl had procured turned out to be a bust.

  “Is it that bad, the focus, I mean? Do you know exactly what you need?” Kai asked, hoping together they could find an answer.

  “It’s bad… I need something that I can form another anchor to, something that won't affect the connection I have to you. It also needs to have the capacity to maintain and simulate the real me, not just an impression of me. If it’s too small or contains any flaws, the physical projection will be distorted, and I won't be able to use it as a separate proxy capable of channelling any mana and casting spells; that, and it won't reflect any of the properties of my physical core, so I would be next to useless in a physical capacity.”

  Alicia chewed her lip in thought. “How much capacity are we talking? Master or even my mother might have something suitable tucked away in a vault somewhere. I'm sure with the value of the information on core cultivation and Kai’s control over the world wonder, they would be more than happy to accommodate you.”

  Syl sank into her seat, folding her arms and resting her chin on the table. “Do you remember the mana battery we defended? Bigger than that…” She said, “Even if they had something the size that would work, the spell doesn't do anything transformative to the anchor. If I did not end up sealed inside the crystal, I would still be rendered immobile by its size and weight. No, I need something small. Something I can store in or carry with the projection. Barring something condensed and refined, something made by an artisan the likes of which won’t exist on a still-integrating world, I’m clueless as to what Kain had in mind.”

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Kai shifted in his seat and rubbed his chin; thinking out loud, he said, “It is all but certain that I will be seeing Kain when we repeat the second test… I'll ask her. Hopefully she will let me know what she was thinking.”

  Syl got up and came to stand behind him. “Let her know I won't forgive her for what she did until we figure a way to make her spell work.”

  Wrapping her arms over his shoulders, she reached around and kissed him on the cheek. “And make sure she knows I definitely won't be accepting any apprenticeships until you come out of her test unharmed.”

  That caught both Kai's and Alicia’s attention, the two of them giving her a questioning look.

  “It was in the letter,” Syl sighed. “She knows what happened between Kai and Inego, and she wants to do a little experiment. Apparently your new shadow master has been quite insufferable in the back rooms of the dungeon ever since he found out his real self ascended.”

  “It’s not my fault. Inego said he would let me call him master; I even said no at first. But then he offered to teach me a sword technique that would resolve all the issues I was having with infused strike and mana conjured weapon. I relented and actually called him master. I didn’t think much of it, just me showing him some respect, but that’s when I got the achievement; it wasn’t supposed to become a whole thing… This isn’t going to follow me outside the dungeon, is it?”

  “Words have meaning, Kai. Especially when your intent and words are aligned,” Alicia explained. “My guess would be you acknowledged him and wanted to learn what he was offering, no matter the cost, and vice versa; he wanted to take you as an apprentice. The moment you called him master, the system would have informally acknowledged the apprenticeship, the relationship between master and student… I wouldn’t worry too much about this following you; if there was no contract defining terms, then you should be able to abandon the relationship anytime you want.”

  That actually made sense; he had been practically chomping at the bit to learn everything about Inego’s technique. If things became problematic, it was like Alicia had just said he could just abandon the relationship.

  “But Kai, that achievement will have marked you.” Syl said, “The real Inego probably knows already. You really need to be careful about what you do next. He could take offence if you just dismiss him outright. Like you took advantage of his image to steal his technique.”

  “Why did nobody warn me? I'm new to the system; I didn’t know. I should have at least gotten a notification asking me if I wanted to accept a formal apprenticeship.” Kai said he had a sinking feeling this was going to become a thing someday.

  “Seriously Kai, stranger danger, you just did the system equivalent of getting in the back of a stranger's van just because they offered you a few hours of tutoring and a cool sword technique. The only saving grace, and the reason you didn’t get the chance to accept anything, is because for the moment things are informal. That’s the only reason I’m considering Kain’s little experiment.”

  “Okay, okay, I get it, I did something stupid. First the dungeon master chastises me, and now I have you two ganging up on me.”

  “Kai, we aren’t ganging up on you; we are just doing our best to make sure you don’t wander off a cliff in your ignorance… Honestly, we are separated for the first time since we got bound together, and you go and form a connection to a god you’ve never met.” Syl said as she slipped into his lap, reaching over to pick up the Spectre's shroud, feeling the fabric's texture with her thumb and forefinger. “Speaking of ignorance, I can’t believe you actually got a spectre’s shroud.”

  “Yeah, I’m clueless about this one. I don’t see how this small bolt of cloth will help me hide my eyes. I mean, using it as a blindfold would obviously cover my eyes, and that technically will hide them… But what’s the point if I can’t see?”

  “Kai, think about what you requested.”

  He shrugged, “Something that would hide my glowing eyes?”

  “And…” Syl said.

  "Something that should improve my vision whilst also providing ample protection?"

  “And…” Alicia said, taking her turn making him feel stupid.

  “Not be visible… I think. I was expecting something like a skill book or a magical item. Not a piece of cloth.”

  “You know you’re so stupid sometimes. You got all that you requested and more.”

  “So what you’re saying is, this cloth will actually provide some kind of physical protection?”

  “You didn’t actually ask for physical protection now, did you?” Syl said, shaking her head, Let me put it on for you; you tend to comprehend things better when you can see for yourself.”

  She got up, folded the fabric over a few times, and, much to Kai's surprise, blindfolded him.

  There was only darkness. “Great, now I can’t see, which I guess means it’s working, no glowing eyes. What about the other parts of my request?”

  “Give it a little mana… you’ll see, literally.”

  He did as Syl suggested, and following his destructive experience with infusing mana into swords, he did his best to only pass as little mana as he could channel into the cloth wrapped around his head.

  The shroud immediately shifted from being a thin gossamer black cloth that somehow completely blocked all trace of light, effectively blinding him, to something more sheer that he could make out rough shapes and determine colours through, then eventually to allowing him to see without any obstruction at all.

  “Neat,” he said as he looked about. “So my eyes, how do they look?”

  Alicia leaned over the table and squinted. “Yeah… the same, but I cannot see the shroud at all; it is like you are not even wearing it.”

  “Damn, the whole point of this thing was to hide my eyes from people.” He said he reached up to take it off, only he couldn’t feel anything. Just as Alicia had said, it was like he wasn't wearing anything, like the blindfold didn’t exist anymore.”

  “Relax,” Syl said as she slipped back into his lap. “As I said, the shroud is doing everything asked for and more.”

  “It is?

  “Of course, just not in the ways you anticipated. The spectre's shroud is a magical item… well, it's more of a material with magical properties. From what I remember, it’s usually made into a cloak or a hood. But the point is, when infused with mana, it shrouds you, your presence, or any number of other things from anyone you want. Typically those that would do you harm or those you do not wish to notice you, whilst also obscuring its self from any detection.”

  Kai blinked.

  “You see, it fulfils all your requests perfectly.”

  “No defensive boost then?”

  “No, but it's still providing the ample protection you asked for. It will hide your eyes if that's what you intend; it just might not work on people you trust unless that is your specific intention. Because if you haven't noticed by now, magic is shaped by intent… even if that intent is subconscious.”

  “How do you know so much about what it does? The item description tells me nothing.”

  “Because the spectres shroud just so happened to be a very rare drop at the end of a very hard tutorial dungeon aimed at the more shifty rogue types. And it just so happened to pop up on a few very rare occasions. You actually picked it up twice: once off someone who tried to kill you and the other on the third, no… maybe the fifth time you ran that particular dungeon. Back then you had a few more context clues about what to do with it.”

  “Must be destiny if it keeps coming back to me… Hopefully third time's a charm.” Kai said as he thought about what he could have done with the shroud during the tutorial, “Please tell me I didn’t wear it as a cape or something like that?”

  “Worse, you sat and sewed it into a cape. The lining would disappear each time you activated it, but the cape itself remained.” She looked at him, trying to hold a serious expression; she failed. Letting out a laugh, she said, “It was a cloak, a lot more functional; you loved that cloak, for good reason too. And besides, there’s nothing wrong with capes. I think you would look quite dashing in a good cape. Dashing, heroic”

  Kai reached up to check the blindfold again. “What happens if this comes off? I can’t even feel it. It could come loose and fall off.”

  “It’s melded with your mana; it can’t come off unless you stop infusing it or you run out of mana. It will be interesting to see what happens when you run out of your own mana and start using mine.” Syl said as she tapped her lips. She shrugged, “It should be fine.”

  He snuck a quick kiss and asked, “One thing I don’t see is how this is improving my vision.”

  She clipped him on the shoulder for his pun, saying, “That… that I don’t know; no one I remember having it ever looked through it. They just wore it in some fashion. And sadly, I no longer have access to my cheat sheet.”

  “When are you going to open your package? I am dying over here waiting on you two lovebirds.” Alicia said as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

  “You know his lap is big enough for the both of us.” Syl cooed as she wriggled her hips.

  It was Kai's turn to shift uncomfortably.

  “To be honest, I’m a little worried about what’s inside,” he said, looking at the box in the middle of the table. If it’s a pair of gauntlets or something else that would also hide my eyes. Well, I’m going to be pissed about all of the wasted points.”

  “If it’s more spectres’ shrouds, I promise we will find you a cape you can sew it into.”

  “The sad thing is I actually think a cloak would be cool. But I think it would just get in the way in a fight… unless of course my swordsmanship skill already accounts for it.”

  “A lot of people wear cloaks, though tailored coats and… capes are the fashion amongst the aristocracy.” Alicia said, always happy to have something only she could input.

  “Well, I guess I should see what's inside; it's not like I can return it.” Kai pulled the apprenticeship package closer, a simple wooden box, wider than it was long, plain unfinished wood free of any adornment, only two simple hinges and a clasp keeping it closed.

  He flipped the clasp with his thumb but held his hand, “Opening this apprentice package isn’t going to lock me into some kind of formal apprenticeship, is it? because-“

  “What’s in the box!” Syl cried.

  He flipped the lid. “Huh.”

  Syl groaned, “Sabre hilts.”

  Alicia got up and looked inside. I don’t think so… Sabres usually have some kind of guard or basket to protect the hand.

  “Not that kind of sabre.”

  “Relax, Syl, I highly doubt that kind of weapon was the first of its kind; it's just what everyone thinks of first because of popular media.

  “I know, I know, everything is derivative on the scale of the multiverse. I’m just messing with you. I have a vague memory of the last time you went all space warrior wizard; things didn't go so well. But back then you had a crippled mana core.”

  “Oh, there is a letter stuck to the inside of the lid.” Alicia said from her vantage point on the other side of the table.

  He pulled the lid back over to see there was in fact a letter. Taking it, he broke the wax seal and decided to read it aloud for everyone's benefit.

  “Dear Apprentice,

  “Thanks to you, I am the talk of the dungeon; your entry into the trials wakes a part of the dungeon that is all of us up, and the majority of us agree this has been one of our most interesting awakenings.

  “The moment our time together was over, fair lady Merribellium started working on something significant for that friend of yours, and I knew I could not be outdone.

  “Unfortunately, I lack my lady's patience and attention to detail. Making it beyond me to produce anything near the quality you deserve.

  “I thought long and hard about what I could give you, how I could show my appreciation. thinking about my recommendations. In the end, I decided to call in a few favours among the few artisans that populate the dungeon.

  “I have commissioned a set of hilts that will fit best with the sword types you favour. In this container, should the work be finished in time, you will find two one-handed hilts, a hand and a half, and finally a longer two-handed grip that should fit what seems to be your favoured styles.

  “It is good that you have something you favour, but you have only just begun to walk your path, and you will find remaining flexible will serve you greatly.

  “Much like the broken and appalling unbalanced hilts we worked with in the test, these remain functionally mute. Alas, when I asked about enchantment, I was warned such things would drive up the cost.

  “However, as I advised you, the materials used should give the four hilts properties that will aid you on your path.

  “The hollow core of each hilt is made from a rare metal, recovered from melting down some rather unique sword some amateur brought into the dungeon on a distant world a long time ago. I am assured this material allows for absurd amounts of mana to be channelled through and anchored to it. This means you should be able to expand and refine your technique far sooner than you could using your current equipment.

  “The core has been encased in Kalabassa wood, which should do a good job insulating your hand from any loose mana that would otherwise cause you injury should your control get sloppy.

  “They should last far into the second tier, and hopefully by then you will have the resources to improve the design, like a repair enchantment.

  “Find me, Inego Monteyo,” Kai said, finishing the letter.

  Syl tapped her lip in thought. “Hollow core, encased in wood that protects the user? Kai, you realise these are basically short, reinforced wands with insane capacity for casting spells.” She turned to him and brushed his hair aside, making an exaggerated point of examining his forehead.

  “What is it?”

  “Just looking for a scar.”

  “A scar?”

  She put on a gruff, masculine voice and said, “You’re a wizard, Kai.”

  Alicia blinked. “But wizards are not known for their use of wands; magicians are. But, as these hilts are not pre-charged with any spells, a magician would find them useless. If anything, I would say that they are more like a focus, closer to a wizard's staff than any magician's wand. So I yes, I do suppose you are right for calling him a wizard, just in a roundabout way.”

  “Semantics, Alicia, semantics. Besides, there are still wands out there that serve no other purpose but to facilitate and amplify the magic cast through them. Staffs are just typically used at the lower levels because their increased size gives amateurs a larger margin for error.”

  “So…” Kai was trying to keep up. “The two of you are saying there are actually distinctions in how magic is done?” He asked, feeling like he was out of his depth again; he thought he was getting an idea of how things worked. Turns out he had only scraped the bottom of the barrel.

  “Yes, of course there are distinctions!” Syl cried, “You know how people just love segregation… The simple explanation is magicians exclusively use magical items; no personal skills or abilities are involved. Warlocks and witches both draw on some other power source and use it as their own, usually through some kind of pact or conditional agreement. Wizards use magical craft and knowledge, usually having some kind of grimoire they refer to when casting. Magi and mages use a mix of… well, everything; I guess that’s the category we probably fall into. High or "archmage are both terms for someone adept at the many different schools of magic. Oh yeah, there are shamans and druids that draw their powers and abilities from the natural forces… You know what? I could go on forever. I’m not even accounting for how magic is categorised within all the different schools.” Syl said as she picked out one of the hilts and peeked at him right down the centre like it was some kind of telescope.

  “Most people start out as mages,” Alicia said, “Then people specialise as they fall into a school of magic that suits them. Magicians sadly receive much derision for solely relying on magical items. Take away a magician's trinkets, and they’re typically useless.”

  “Yeah, Inego told me not to rely on items.” Kai mused as he thought over what popular fiction said about all the different schools of magic and how they might actually light up with his new reality.

  “Don’t rely on items, but hey, apprentice, here’s a box of items.” Syl said doing a silly imitation of a man she had never met.

  “Yeah, they’re kind of training tools, kid gloves for the real technique. Apparently trying to grasp raw mana at my level of skill would wreck my hands.”

  “Yes…I suppose it would be like trying to grab lightning.”

  “These are a bit plain-looking,” Alicia said as she held one of the hilts, examining it closely.

  “I am sure that was to keep the point value down; we can get someone to wrap them when we get out of here, maybe even some kind of belt sheath or holster or clip since Kai seems intent on keeping his hilts out for some reason.” Syl surmised.

  Shifting Syl from his lap, Kai picked out the longest hilt as he got up and channelled his mana, anchoring it within the hollow core; he constructed a simple blue phantom blade that pulsed with flashes of purple as he supplied more and more mana.

  When the blade started to hum softly, he stopped adding power and pulled a little back until the sound ceased. Satisfied, he tested his technique. As he moved it gently through the air, it trailed faint vapours akin to a white flame.

  Unable to help it, he grinned to himself like a kid with their first toy sword. He had just used more mana constructing the blade than he had ever managed before, and yet it remained within his control.

  He couldn’t wait for tomorrow's test.

  “You know, Kai. You never told us the name of that technique.” Syl said, looking at him expectantly.

  “About that…”