The next week happened incredibly quickly. Salae’s troops left Lesterwood as soon as the threat was deemed null. A few were left behind as their injuries were declared too vital to move, but each day more were shipped through the Gate to Salae’s clinics. There were a few casualties among their ranks, but Clammy assured that no compensation was needed for their lives. Salae held massive pension funds for events like this. The families would be taken care of.

She, however, hinted that anonymous gifts to the families would go a long way. But Clammy felt responsible for bringing the soldiers to Lesterwood in the first place, so she took it upon herself to come up with the gifts. As well as the gold needed to fund such an offering.

Lesterwood’s leadership was quick on the upkeep for future attacks. They realized that without Icarus the city would have been more than likely destroyed. It had been a few decades since an attack of such scale, but Lester was around for those. Now, more than ever, the city needed its own contingencies. Mayor Silverjewl tasked Guild Master Domic on acquiring such magical means.

The Adventuring Guild as well as the guard found record applicants in the wake of the fungal attack. Nothing like the threat of city-wide destruction to get the cogs rolling. Shatterwind and Guild Master Yel couldn’t complain, however, even if the number of applicants were too much. It just gave them an excuse to only take the best.

Rumors spread through the city about the fungus. Some called it natural, others a terroristic attack, regardless, it was apparent that people were worried. Even though official notices were posted about the threat being dissolved.

The rumors themselves mainly came from the wall defenders. They saw the odd behavior of the monsters and it left ill impressions. Monsters, even the more elusive species, at the end of the day, were monsters. They had instincts and urges; their behaviors could be predicted at least to a certain extent.

The fungus changed everything in the defenders’ eyes. Who’s to say the odd behaviors won’t remain, even without the fungus? One thing is for sure, hunting is going to be vastly different for the next little while. Especially since the fungus gave Lesterwood exact locations of various rare herbs and monster nests. Once the information was released the markets were going to shift.

The fungus itself was brought to the Yepu Plains. Seetrin oversaw the contract between herself, the spores, the Centauri leadership, and the Legendary Beast who oversaw the Plains. Max took over transport, volunteering himself simply because his involvement would allow things to progress incredibly fast.

While the contract details were never released to the Lost Lord, he could make a few inferences. The spores would take over the blanched lands devastated by the Flame Dimension portal’s opening, in return for assistance if the Centauri ever need it. Some limitations were put in place, such as how far the fungus was allowed to spread and how many hosts they were allowed to have at once.

With this, hopefully, the desolate lands would quickly regrow and repopulate. Of course, this would only happen after the destroyed portal frame was removed. Which it was, quickly in fact. Members of God Yepu’s Church appeared in the Plains, removing the frame and planting seeds. Soon beasts and monsters would move back in, forming a symbiotic relationship with the fungus.

[Druid] movement was never very high in the Plains, the lack of trees, and sentient beings for that matter, were listed as the causes. But everyone was on the lookout for them. Their potion may not have had the intended effect, but that did not mean the concoction was useless. Removing a magical contract was no small feat, especially one involving Legendary Beasts.

Seetrin suspected the [Druid] Order will remain quiet for the time being. Especially as Lesterwood’s [Druids] were still missing in action. Celenia took this the hardest. Her relationship with Dreamstem crashed and burned in a single day, no one could blame her. But those who were in the know, quietly were thankful. Celenia was not a [Druid] yet, her reputation was still untarnished.

For all intents and purposes, Dreamstem was considered dead. Not just physically, however. Lesterwood all but denounced the Order, stating the odd behavior of their residents as well as evidence found. With the fungus’s words as a starting point, the guard’s [Detectives] set out for undeniable evidence. They found it.

Dreamstem’s home was ransacked, but not by Lesterwood. Someone had gotten there first, removing, or destroying everything that was not nailed down. Two similar apartments were found in a similar condition and through witnesses the owners’ identities were found. The other [Druids], Ruden and the host the fungus currently occupied.

A few questionable scraps of information were found, however, which was promptly brought to the fungus. The spores explained all questions regarding the information with eerie accuracy. When compiled together, it was plainly evident that Lesterwood’s resident [Druid] along with the other two shadow [Druids] were responsible for many crimes. Murder being the least of which.

Max was questioned, again, about his encounter with Ruden, which gave more context to some missing links. The villagers that had seen the trio adventuring team last were also questioned, which led the guard to finding the fourth member. A young man with a broken leg. He had been to the Guild multiple times searching for his missing team, but now he was finally given closure. At least somewhat.

Two days after the fungus entered the Plains, a notification appeared to all of those who participated.

Divine Quest Complete!

The Yepu Plains have been defended, invasive monsters exterminated, and set on the path of correction.

The top 15 participants will receive rewards based on their accomplishments.

1. Max Fowler (Human)

2. Gelion Pegiun (Centauri)

3. Kuby Soothli (Elf)

4. Ivetes Pengiun (Centauri)

5. Ancaros Startemplar (Centauri)

6. Shiba Fullclaw (Human)

…

15. Veline Tayler (Human)

Thank you for defending my lands.

Vel shouted in glee as she read the notification, golden light expanding from her. “Heh, always a great feeling.”

Bishop watched her with jealous eyes. He had gained a rather large chunk of experience defending the walls, but nothing even close to a level-up. But the look didn’t last long, instead he and the others focused on Max. If people didn’t know Max’s name by now, the scoreboard gave him away.

Max wasn’t surprised in his placement. Actually, he would have been surprised if he was not top three. Destroying the source of monsters and unnatural heat had to have been worth something. He was still hesitant in opening the notification. Killing the Inferno Magma Ram as well as one of the Brown Colossal Bears had pushed him to level 25 in both classes. He had yet to visit the class stones, however. So, he held the notification closed, in case he was awarded experience.

He had already mentally scheduled his visit to the class stones, first thing after the funeral. Which was later that evening. In the meantime, Max continued tinkering away. He and the others were inside a small cavern, the same cave he and Emi fought the Ogres in so long ago. The reason they were so far from the city was simple. The space-lock.

The lock used at the Coalition was never destroyed. From speaking with Clammy and Reep, it was apparent the other two locks were significantly weaker in design. They shattered from a simple, albeit powerful, attack. The Coalition’s lock was another beast entirely.

Max theorized that it had to be more powerful. Locking a portal to another dimension must have taken a lot of power and ingenuity compared to blocking a Gate or teleportation spell. Even now, without the stress of potentially being killed, Max still struggled with tracing the lines of ever-twisting space. But he was making significant progress in unraveling the lock’s secrets.

He had already done it once, circumventing it long enough to teleport a few times in rapid succession. But, as if it was learning, the path had been scrambled. It would be a good learning tool, as long as no one could find it, which Bishop was taking care of.

The Drake was slowly carving wards into the cave’s entrance, ones powerful enough to obscure it to all but those who knew about the entrance. The cave’s remoteness made it only feasible to travel with Max, not that Max didn’t trust the others. He felt it was the safest away from civilization.

Max sighed, prodding the device with a screwdriver-like-tool. Sparks of blue-white mana blistered off the cylinder of spiraling power. There goes that idea… He thought.

Just then, a head poked out of a shimmering ribbon of purple mana. One good thing about the lock was that Max didn’t have to hold the entrance to the Pocket World open… Which meant he couldn’t close it. Not easily at least.

“Are we all ready?” Celenia’s disembodied head asked, looking around the runic mana lit cave.

“About time.” Vel grumbled, “We were waiting on you three.”

The Elf rolled her eyes, “Give her some slack, you know where we are going. Come on, we don’t want to be late.”

Vel hopped up from her rocky chair, along with Bishop. She wore a guilty expression and was thankful Clammy wasn’t around to hear her comment. The girl had been through enough and Vel knew her cynical attitude would only make the evening worse. So, the elder zipped her lips.

“Are we going, boy?” She asked just after Bishop entered the Pocket World.

Max, who was still sitting before the space-lock, gently strummed Emi’s scales. Not so much for her pleasure, but his. He found comfort in the simple motion, which helped with the feeling of dread he faced.

“I-“

Before Max could even begin, Vel cut him off, “How many times do I have to go over this with you! Tobyn’s death was not your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s but Cresthill’s.”

“But if-“

“’But if I healed myself faster, or I teleported quicker-‘” Vel anticipated his words with a tone that was mocking and strict, “But nothing, Max! He made a choice of what he thought was right at the moment.”

They have had this argument a few times over the last week, each ending with Max silently sulking for a few hours. Normally Max felt he was rather calm headed about situations like this. When Red Mask attacked, he knew the guard that died weren’t his fault even if they were protecting him. He had felt guilty, but at the end of the day, Max knew it was a part of the job. Especially on Nava.

The King was different, however. Maybe it was because of his relationship with Clammy, maybe it was because Tobyn offered a brighter future… Maybe… Maybe it was because Max could have done something differently. His mind went back and forth about potential avenues of better outcomes.

If he was less tired, if he killed the mannequins instead of knocking them off the portal frame, if he teleported the royals somewhere else… He knew he was making excuses for himself, which only guilted him more. Finally, Max nodded and focused on the space-lock. Before he could get very far, Vel leaned into hug him.

“It wasn’t your fault, Max. Tobyn wouldn’t have wanted to see you like this. He wouldn’t want his daughter to see you like this.” She uncoiled herself and stepped to the pocket entrance, “Get stronger, Max. Strong enough to kill the Blood [Queen] for good.”

With that she stepped through, leaving Max and Emi alone in the damp cave.

“She’s right, you know?” Emi said quietly. “I’ve thought about it also. There is not much we could have done, even if I stayed conscious for it.”

Max didn’t respond, instead focusing on circumventing the lock, Emi continued, “We didn’t know he held that kind of ability. Even if we did, neither of us were in the position to inform him that we were fine.”

Again, Max didn’t respond. Instead, tears streamed down his cheeks where they were magically evaporated into nothingness. For the first time in a while, Max thought of his family. What he would do if his father died. What he would say to the person who’s fault it was. Would he seek revenge? Would he fall into despair?

How was his family, for that matter? For all he knew, they could all be dead. Maybe what brought him to Nava exploded when it took him. Just like how the blood mannequins exploded.

Max shook his head. Now was not the time for this. Activating the auto equip function of his inventory, he changed into Salaen formal attire. Blue was for funerals, which he found mildly interesting. He gave himself a minute, allowing his puffy eyes to fade. With Emi in hand, Max filtered through the space-lock’s security, temporarily disabling it. A moment later the cave was empty except for a swirling cylinder of mana.

Max teleported directly into Salae. A somber note held in the air as music akin to a soft bagpipe dirge played across the city. Magically, the slow song looped all throughout the streets, even touching the edge of the slums. The elegy solidified the day, along with the citizens moving in mass towards the castle.

His sudden presence drew the attention of everyone nearby. Puffy eyes splotched with red turned to Max, finding interest in the sudden Human. Anything to forget about the day. Max Jumped to a nearby roof out of line of sight and took a moment to collect himself.

Blue streamers merged against the blue sky, casting the city in a perpetual mourn. The flowing crowd continued down the marble streets and down the thousands of steps. Nobles mixed with commoners, wealthy mixed with poverty, everyone was out to pay their respects. All stores were closed, but venders remained. They passed out two blue candle sticks for each person, a small token for those who had fallen.

The sun hung high in the sky, almost like it was mocking Max. Noon designated the starting time, along with a haunted deep horn. It shook the Lost Lord to his core, a sound he would always remember.

A few Jumps later, Max and Emi arrived before the royal cemetery behind the castle. They bypassed all guards, simply accepting their invitation by different means. Rows of chairs outlined the grassy field. Headstones, some cracked others pristine, filled the area in seemingly random locations. Some were within the sun’s first light, others in the shade of an old tree. Tobyn and Viclear’s caskets were stationed side-by-side, a troop of Queen’s Guard overseeing their legacies.

Alia was the first to notice the sudden arrival, and quickly stepped over as if she was waiting for Max. The two didn’t speak, instead sharing a mighty hug. The eldest princess wore a deep red dress, one that plumed outwards at the hems. Her attire’s color was only matched by a few others, as the color was reserved for family only. Eventually the two split and Alia pulled Emi into a similar hug.

The sudden movement caused eyes to turn and noses to flick into the air. The rumors had long spread, mostly by Eden. Max was not shed in a delightful manner. In fact, if it wasn’t for Alia and Clammy, Max would have been barred from the service.

He wasn’t sure if he would have preferred it that way.

As a purple ripple opened and more bodies filled out, more words were shared between Salae’s upper echelon. It was a display of power, one specifically crafted by Vel and Clammy. Now was not the time for Max to seem weak, but also not the time to become flamboyant. The act was subtle and easy to miss, but for those who saw, their minds racked with questions.

Max wasn’t sold by the idea when it was proposed to him. He thought that since Eden, Alia, and some others already knew about his magics, there would be no point to show off. The prince surely had told everyone to prepare against a unique [Space Mage], just in case. But, as Max listened in, it was apparent most were ignorant.

Clammy hugged her sister, then moved on to her other siblings. Each shared a few words, questioning where she had been, or why she didn’t come back. Clammy wanted to answer, but she couldn’t. Not in a way she felt fair. At least, not on a day such as today. The youngest princess may have settled her grievances with her father in his last moments, but that was too soon to fully accept for the others.

Eden gave her the cold shoulder. Which was fully expected. The man had things to work out, his massive, greyed bags under his eyes was testament of that. Besides recovering, mentally and physically, from excruciating torture, he had just found out he was [King]. No one would envy Eden in this moment. The lowest point of his life with the weight of a nation on his shoulders.

A changing from woodwinds to strings marked the start of the service. Everyone found a seat, Max sitting with Vel and the others. Celenia sat beside him, leaning gently into him similar to how Belopi was doing with Bishop. Both Elves were on the verge of tears as the caskets were slowly picked up and carried to the graves.

Eventually, the music quieted, and Eden stepped forward. He stood before the two bodies, not as a son or nephew but as a King. He held two candles, one in each hand. He moved his eyes across the crowd before finding Alia who nodded. He cleared his throat and began.

“My father, Tobyn Salae, and uncle, Viclear Salae, have been killed.” The bluntness of the words caused many shocked faces, including Alia’s, “They have been betrayed, along with Salae itself. People, who were called friends conspired with the enemy to bring ruin to this great nation.”

Clammy didn’t miss the look Eden gave her when he said friends, nor did Max miss the look when he said enemy.

“I will find them and execute them.” Eden spun on his heels and plunged the lit candles into the wooden caskets. Mana sparked, causing a dim blue flame to teeter into existence. Once the flame was in full effect, the other headstones bloomed into life. Soon, the graveyard was dancing with excited motes of flame, each sporting the infamous blue.

The moment was supposed to be a remembrance, a dedication to those who had lost their lives, and it was, at least for most. As the music picked up, all around the city, others extinguished their candles. Motes of flame were summoned from each, echoing the graveyard’s standing.

The people present, however, wore masks of smiles. They tried to play off the new [King]’s words like it was a normal eulogy. But the moment was lost. Everyone knew what it truly meant. War, and not the pretty kind. Alia’s expression was worst of all. She had practiced with Eden. She knew what his speech was supposed to be by heart. She wrote it for the juvenile man. It was a final send off, a promise for the future, and a resolution for Salae.

Now, Alia was embarrassed to even call Eden family. He spit on his father and uncle’s graves, he tarnished the throne, and worst of all, he didn’t even mention their missing mother.

Clammy, who was a few seats down from Alia, stood and extinguished her candles. The remainder of the royals followed the youngest’s cue. There was supposed to be an order of operation, but all was thrown out by now. Clammy hugged her siblings one last time, sharing a few words with the ones she was closer to, but ultimately found Max.

“Let’s go.” She said, as less of a demand and more of a plea.

Max nodded and opened space.

Walking through the streets had grown weird for the young Lost Lord. Before, people looked at him strange because of Emi, but now, they saw him. Some had already known of Max before his title was released, but they always assumed he was some ecstatic mage with connections to people in high places. For example, the guard trainees under Shatterwind’s tutelage.

Now, he was the Lost Lord that killed a Brown Colossal Bear.

Which was unfair. The others had contributed to the spell work in their own ways. Without Clammy, Max knew the spell would have been much less potent. That line of thought bugged him, however. In truth, the attack was less of a singular spell and more of a combination of physics exam questions. Maybe that was why no notification boxes appeared after, even though he was sure the spell would be barred.

It he had created the same attack using multiple Accelerate spells rather than Clammy’s gravity, would it have created a new spell? Would that have been barred?

What ever the case, Max now had a way to deal with massive threats. Is there a possible way to weaponize the concept into smaller scale? Most likely, but that was for the future.

In all honesty, Max was tired. In the past week alone, he had teleported all around meeting with people. Whether it be about the [Druids], Salae, Lesterwood, the Plains, or about himself, Max was fed up with meetings. One thing is for certain however, he was looking forward to the next few hours.

Class-up.

The Class Stones were busy. They usually were, but after the above average horde of monsters an above average number of people were around. The usual Stone Cult was still in numbers, however. They worshiped the Class Stones as if they were Gods, but Max could never find evidence that they were sapient. In fact, the cult was often mocked for their odd warship habits, which caused some discord with the believers.

Just like last time, Max felt a whisper in his mind signaling an open spot to touch the Stones. After situating himself in a comfortable position, he nodded to Emi and Celenia who accompanied him and let the system take over his senses.

Welcome to the Class Stones. Take your time, there is no rush.

Two max-leveled classes found!

Based off of multiple factors, the class [Tidal Mage] and [Astral Dimensionist] cannot combine.

[Tidal Mage] evolutions:

Abyss Walker

Blood Mage

Chilling Waters

Dripping Sentry

Forgotten Rain

Frozen Rain

Glaciermancer

Grasp of Healing Waves

Hydromancer

Hydroturge

Mist Harbinger

Ocean’s Claw

Ripple

River’s Claw

Sorrowful Tempest

Steammancer

Water Shaper

Water Spirit (Evocation)

Water Spirit (Healing)

Max was surprised at the number of potential classes, but as he began to read through them, he understood just how useless most were. Take [Steammancer] for example. The bonuses were great! If using a steam-based spell, but only steam-based spells. Any other type of spell, even basic water spells, were severely penalized to the point the class was instantly put in the discard pile. Along with the other -mancer classes.

Ocean’s Claw and River’s Claw were odd. They gave huge bonuses to attacking from the ocean or river respectively. Strike like a crab or lay a trap like an alligator floating as a log, the description said. Suffice to say, the -Claw classes were not getting chosen.

Ripple was another interesting class, but just not what Max was looking for. It gave him the ability to hear sounds through the surface of water, while giving buffs to obscuring spells. The class was meant to pair with a [Spy] or [Assassin] class, which again, Max was not looking for.

Frozen Rain, Forgotten Rain, and Sorrowful Tempest each gave bonuses to aspects of weather. Frozen Rain gave blizzards and hail storms a huge bonus, Forgotten Rain made any rainstorm that the caster was not in stronger, and Sorrowful Tempest was meant for insane levels of destruction.

The class’s description referenced a certain powerful mage that single handedly destroyed a defenseless army under orders. The mage was driven to suicide after extreme levels of guilt, and thus never forgotten by the system. Max was sure the class would be banned if it wasn’t already, not to mention he didn’t like being tied to such sorrows.

Max also threw out Mist Harbinger, Water Shaper, Chilling Waters, and Dripping Sentry. They were either too limiting, too specialized, weak, or just not what Max wanted. Mist Harbinger was the most interesting, however. Not because it was especially strong, but because if Max wanted to, he could always emit mist in a large area around himself. The description explained a serial killer that used the class to abduct and kill victims using the mist’s cover.

In the end, Max was left with six.

Abyss Walker (Mythic): You have traveled further down than most, unusually so.

(All previous class buffs remain [Tidal Mage])

Your eyes will see further in low-light situations.

You can speak through water as if it were air.

You can hear through water as if it were air.

Water affinity spells cost 25% less mana.

Non water affinity spells cost 75% more mana (excluding second class affinity).

All water affinity attack spells now adopt the Curse of the Abyss.

Curse of the Abyss: Inflicting enough damage to a target applies a debuff that obscures vision and hearing.

Targets also hear the whispers of the Abyss.

All water-based healing affinity spells now adopt the Gift of the Abyss.

Gift of the Abyss: When under the effects of healing mana, a buff is applied that heightens eyesight, hearing, and temporarily buffs physical defense.

Unlocked through an achievement most do not even fathom.

Max had to be honest, the class was pretty good. Like really good. More than he could hope for. Well, not quite, but nevertheless a very good option.

Blood Mage (Rare): Crimson rivers are now under your control.

(All previous class buffs remain [Tidal Mage])

Allows significant control over spilled and directly touch blood.

Be warned, for the price of control is despised by most.

Blood affinity spells cost 10% less mana.

Non-blood affinity spells cost 25% more mana (excluding second class affinity).

Unlocked through previous knowledge and firsthand accounts of the power needed for blood magic.

Even if the class wasn’t banned, Max doubted he would accept the class evolution. He had felt firsthand the horrors of blood magic, and simply did not want to house such power. Even if he became the strongest mage the world had ever seen, it would be on the back of vile magic. Having the evolution option was interesting, however. Was [Blood Mage] a normal evolution for [Water Mage]? If so, did that shed any light onto Cresthill and her rise to power?

Grasp of Healing Waves (Epic): Your touch heals the worst of wounds.

(All previous class buffs remain [Tidal Mage])

Water-based healing affinity spells grant 15% extra potency while in physical contact with the target (effects are doubled for self-inflicted spells).

Water-based healing affinity spells cost 25% less.

Water affinity spells cost 5% less.

Non-water affinity spells cost 65% more (excluding second class affinity).

Unlocked through atypical means of a prior showing of dedication to healing.

A powerful class but limited to physical touch and healing. If Max had decided to join the Church of Healing, then the class might have appealed more. But, in the end, he didn’t want to be a dedicated healer. How he unlocked the option made him wonder, however.

Hydroturge (Rare): Your spells have been deemed miracles by some.

(All previous class buffs remain [Tidal Mage])

Water affinity spells potency is increased by 45% when directly assisting someone in their darkest hour.

Water affinity spells cost 20% less mana.

Non-water affinity spells cost 20% more mana (excluding second class affinity).

Unlocked through saving the lives of multiple people minutes before their death (confirmed by the God of Death, Peneil).

Max gulped when he read the last line. The class was powerful but limited. He might have thought more about accepting it if the directly assisting portion of the description was worded differently. The argument could be made that he always was protecting someone, but he could not make the argument for directly protecting someone. Well, he could, but he figured it was not worth the risk.

Water Spirit (Evocation) (Epic): Become one with your spirit.

(All previous class buffs remain [Tidal Mage])

Transform your body’s state into an ethereal form, bolstering your water affinity attack spell potency by 75%.

While in this form:

You can only cast water affinity spells.

Use of magical items is prohibited.

All healing is suspended.

Unlocked by coming into contact with a spirit.

Water Spirit (Healing) (Epic): Become one with your spirit.

(All previous class buffs remain [Tidal Mage])

Transform your body’s state into an ethereal form, bolstering your water-based healing affinity spell potency by 75%.

While in this form:

You can only cast water affinity spells.

You can only cast healing affinity spells.

Use of magical items is prohibited.

Unlocked by coming into contact with a spirit.

Max racked his mind trying to come up with when he interacted with a spirit. He never met Beolen’s wolf spirit, so that left Geond, Honeygreen’s dead wife. Forgetting the odd means of unlocking the class, it was powerful, but extremely limiting. In all honesty, the healing form seemed significantly better than the evocation. Again, if he had chosen to join the Church, then the evolution may be a contender.

Max shrugged internally; Abyss Walker was obviously the best option. He wanted a class that achieved two things: stronger attack spells and lower mana costs. While Abyss Walker was outshined in spell potency, the debuff it applied to enemies was incredibly unique. It also gave a sizeable decrease to mana cost, even compared to the others. Not to mention it was a mythic rarity…

He locked in his choice.

[Abyss Walker] confirmed, [Tidal Mage] evolved.

[Astral Dimensionist] evolutions:

Lost Astral Lord

Huh? Max thought, Only one choice? What kind of scammed nonsense is this? Before he became too irate, he read through the description.

Lost Astral Lord (Unique): A Dimensionist that has yet to travel to the coupled Dimension? Are you lost?

Those who Watch are looking questionably at you.

Increased understanding of Pocket Dimensions.

Teleportation is faster.

Tracing space patterns comes easier.

Plus 100 total mana.

Space affinity spells cost 35% less mana.

Non-space affinity spells cost 65% more mana (excluding first class affinity).

Unlocked through idiotic means.

Uhhh…? I’m being made fun of? By the system, he thought as he read, I’m being watched by more beings? Great.

Max sighed unconditionally. Something like this was so typical. Even if he knew how to enter the Astral, he didn’t have the time. There was so much he wanted to do and so little time to do it. Being made fun of by the system or whoever controls it was not appreciated. But the class bonuses were just what he wanted, and then some.

Max felt his weakest link, when it came to space spells, was mana cost. [Lost Astral Lord] gave a sizable decrease, along with three things he didn’t know he wanted. Knowledge about his Pocket World will come very rarely, so anything will be helpful. A speed buff to teleporting was always welcome, and if the last week said anything it would be that space lines are important. Space-locks were no joke, along with masterly crafted portals to other dimensions.

As he confirmed the evolution, a scraggly text box appeared.

The Watc▓ers s▓ile a▓ you impati▓nt▓y

It was replaced a breath later.

[Lost Astral Lord] confirmed, [Astral Dimensionist] evolved.

As the boxes of the Class Stones faded, Max idly thought about the reaction he would get from the system and the Watchers if he ignored the Astral until next class-up.

Before he went to the others, Max opened the participation notification.

Thank you, Max Fowler. I feared for my lands without proper intervention. There are plenty of things I could offer you for your help, none of which will prove beneficial for you long-term. That is a creation of who we are, beings of water or of grass.

We are not the same and as long as you are not apart of my following, I cannot hand over my strongest of secrets. Alas, that is the failing of Divine Quests, they were not created for events such as what happened to my home.

Thus, I will behold a long-standing favor.

Max groaned.

“How did it go?” Emi asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

On the way back to the mansion, Max, Emi, and Celenia made a few stops. One such stop was a small seal shop where a friendly [Tinkerer] worked.

“Max!” Elliot yelped in shock. It had been some time since the two friends saw each other. With all that has been going on, Max unfortunately couldn’t find the time to go to his classes.

“Hey Elliot, I wanted to talk-“

“Is it true!?”

Max sighed, “You are going to have to be more specific.”

“Did you kill one of those bears, create a blizzard that killed hundreds of monsters, and negotiated the fungus’s surrender with the Legendary Unicorn!?”

Max heard Emi and Celenia quietly snicker, “Sort of. But listen, that’s not why I’m here. I want you to make me something.” A sheet of parchment materialized on the counter. It held lines of ink that depicted a simple blade contraption that was powered by a few runic formulas.

“Wha-“ Elliot wanted to discuss Max, but his thoughts were drawn to the paper, “Is-Is this a weapon?”

Max laughed, “It’s a lawn mower.”

“Oh… How big is the lawn?”

A purple sheen opened just beyond Max’s shoulder, “Let me show you…”

The following twenty minutes consisted of short explanations and plans for the future. It had long been decided that the Pocket World needed some type of flooring. Max and Emi saw no reason not to use dirt and grass. It was relatively cheap, soft, and could be easily changed if needed. The issue became mowing the grass.

“So, I’m thinking fifteen or so. What do you think?” Max asked.

“Mmm, maybe twelve? I’ll do the calculations once I know the metal prices.” Elliot said, “What about water drainage?”

“I’ll handle that, I have the material already.”

“Just leave the tedious work to me then, I see.” Elliot smiled, “I can have them to you in a week or so. I’m currently working on something for Manus.”

“Oh? You finally opened your own shop? What happened to finishing classes and apprenticing under someone?”

“I’m still going to do that- Manus just wanted something quick, and I apparently impressed him…”

Max stepped through the Pocket World entrance, Elliot a moment later, “How about this; you finish the classes you are currently enrolled in, take whatever other classes you want, and partner with me in opening a shop.”

Elliot did a double take, “What?”

“I have the capital, you have the time, general knowledge, and drive, we both have ideas.” Max summoned a stack of papers, “Here’s some of what I have come up with.”

As Elliot began to peek at the blueprints, Max continued, “I’m sure you have a similar stack somewhere. Fifty-fifty split, even on inventory rings. I may be a dreamer, but I believe we can help people with some of those ideas.”

“Did- Did you say inventory rings?”

Max nodded, “I don’t think we’ll ever have money issues. So even if our other products fail, we will have a crutch to fall back to.”

“Okay, I’m in.”

“Not to mention- You’re in? Just like that?”

Elliot nodded enthusiastically, “I hate running my uncles’ shop. Do you have a name picked out?”

Max smiled, “Leviathan Works.”

Why don’t we go somewhere? Just me, you, and Emi? I know a place on another continent with really good fried hen.” Max discussed with Celenia.

Celenia, who was chopping vegetables, spoke in an almost pitiful voice, “That would be nice.”

The new couple had just returned from talking with Shatterwind. The guard captain had the unfortunate news that no one has seen or heard from any [Druid], let alone Dreamstem. While it was expected at this point, the hope was not gone. Which only let the young Elf down more.

Max abandoned skinning a pink root and hugged her from behind. The two stood together for a few minutes, even though Emi sent Max images of her puking from the scene. Emi was perfectly happy for her partner’s new relationship but didn’t miss the chance to mock either party.

Eventually, Max spoke, “My new class gave me some extra mana to play with, so we could go somewhere further than the fried hen place. How about the real Elven capitals?”

“They wouldn’t let you in. Not until we are married.”

“Even as a Lost Lord?” Max wiggled his eyebrow.

Celenia thought for a moment, “Maybe actually. I guess the worst they can say is no… But are you sure you want to throw around your title like that? I thought you didn’t want to become a real Lord.”

“That is true… Maybe somewhere else? I don’t know much about Nava’s tourist locations.”

Celenia giggled and kissed Max on the forehead, “I don’t either.”

Max and Emi stood in a giant tree trunk. Dinner had ended and the duo had just finished dropping off a long-awaited shipment of supplies. Before them a humanoid figure made of sticks circled in awe around a purple shimmer. Xylem’s woodgrain mouth was almost cracking from his shock, but he didn’t seem to mind. Instead, the [Arbor] traced the emanating lines of space, finding an unimaginable pattern.

One thing the former [Space Mage] was looking for was security. Not from the average person but other fellow [Space Mages]. Sadly, one downside to Pocket Dimensions of any kind was how easy they were to simply collapse. In a sense it was similar to what Max did to destroy the Flame Dimension portal, but smaller scale. One upside was the Pocket Dimensions usually are anchored to their creator, which gave protection in and of itself.

Inventory rings could be destroyed in a similar fashion, but simply hitting the ring with a hammer was usually much cheaper, faster, and easier. Granted most would rather steal a ring rather than break it, people usually kept their greatest treasures on their person.

“Max,” Xylem began, “I-I don’t know what to say! This is incredible! I can tell it’s quite large, but exact dimensions… It almost seems… rounded?”

Max nodded, “It’s a sphere.”

“A sphere!? How did you anchor the stilts? Or level the bridges? How did you bend the walls without creasing the folds?”

Max deliberated on what to say. He didn’t want to go into depth about his racial, so he embezzled slightly, “I just thought about what I wanted down to every detail. Cooperative casting between Emi and I supplied the mana and well… I needed a solution fast, so my adrenaline was running high.”

“But this-! This is not something a tier one and his bond can make!”

“Tier two!” Emi chirped.

“Even so!” Xylem began but Max held up his hand.

“Please, Xylem. Drop it. Besides, with this I now have a way to teleport others.” Max motioned to the door. The trio began to walk around the city. “I do think that Esmel is the most protected city currently, however.”

Xylem frowned, “What do you mean?”

“The Empire killed [King] Tobyn Salae,” Max grimaced as he said it, “Viclear Salae, the King’s brother, and kidnapped Evelynn Salae, the [Queen].”

The [Arbor] stopped in his tracks, “Who hold the throne? Elisha or something?”

“Eden.” The name was given with a frown. When Xylem raised his stem eyebrow, Max continued, “He does not like me.”

“Ah. Well, captain Ism and I will discuss moving citizens out of the dome. Maybe we should wait for another [Arbor] to awaken.”

Emi spoke up, “Are others getting close to waking?”

“Yes and no. Truthfully I am the furthest along, and I can only achieve this sort of body.” The party rounded a corner towards the growing fields, “The others and I can speak more clearly, but they are not awake yet.”

“But you can communicate with them?”

Xylem nodded, “Short bursts of speech through use of vibrating roots, yes.”

“Better than nothing.” Max said.

“What’s better than nothing, aye?” A nearby kid yelled. He was covered in mud and carried a sack of onions.

“We were talking about the fields. Better than nothing,” Max lied, “Tell me, do you know the female [Water Mage] that works here?”

“And what if I do?” The kid puffed his chest.

“Could you give her something for me? It’s really important.”

“What’s in it for me?”

“What do you want?”

“Gems.”

Max and Emi looked at each other, “Gems?”

The kid planted his foot in the mud, “Papa says gems never de-pre-she-ate in value. Mages always need gems. For enchanting and such.”

Even Xylem raised an eyebrow. Max nodded along and summoned three small blue gems he found in the caves in the infinite beach. “Make sure she gets this. I added a special rune that tells me when its delivered, by the way.”

That was a lie, but the kid’s eyes were wide and nodded along, so Max didn’t think it would be a problem. The problem was the two notifications he had just received.

Elrin, Goddess of Lightning and the Storm is watching you.

Lord of the Eternal Wave, Rilis, is watching you.

Max ignored them, however. The trio watched the kid run through the mud towards the city, long having dropped the sack of onion.

“What did you give him?” Xylem asked.

“Just some instructions on how to make longer rains.” Max said which caused Emi to roll her eyes.

More like infinite rain, the little monster thought.

Zicu has had a long day, but most days were long as a [Royal Surrogate]. His job usually was simple, as it was tedious. Set out reports of the [King]’s declarations while staying within an arm’s reach. Tobyn had been a rather good boss, he always let Zicu out early when requested, did not often cause panic in the streets, and never verbally berated the staff.

Eden on the other hand… It had only been a few days since the crowned prince assumed the throne and Zicu was at his wit’s end. Constant demands, citizen unrest, the night terrors. It seemed everything the new King did was specifically designed to cause his attendants annoyance. Which would be bearable except after Eden’s show at the royal funeral.

The short eulogy sent most of the nobles into a frenzy, all of which came back to the King’s chambers. More specifically Zicu, as Eden explicitly explained that he did not want to deal with his father’s closest enemies. It had taken hours and a few death threats to get the nobles to leave the castle after the funeral.

Even the wee morning hours were held hostage by the King. Eden’s nightmares had sent a small ripple through the support staff. Shifts were upheld to verify he didn’t harm himself through these episodes, as the healers called it. It was eventually decided that a belt would have to be worn while he slept, as he became prone to running in fear while asleep. A bookshelf and wicker chair had already been destroyed from such matters.

The night of the funeral was the worst, and the attendant on call was forced to call for Zicu. He arrived a few minutes later, groggy, and sluggish, to Eden pacing through the throne room. The attendant was cleaning up a broken wine bottle but bowed and left at the [Surrogate]’s arrival.

“My Liege?”

“Zicu! What took you so long? Quickly, call the defensive cabinet.”

The defensive cabinet was a small club of the kingdom’s greatest militaristic cumulative knowledge. [Generals], [Strategists], [War Mages], even a few [Politicians] made up the cabinet. While they met regularly to discuss neighboring nations’ movements, they hardly met with the [King]. There was simply no need, not unless there was a war.

Zicu nodded, creating a few mana messages. In the message he briefly explained the King’s need to discuss Salae’s defenses again. This had become a rather frequent occurrence. Which, in all honesty, was needed as the castle itself was breached. But the odd hour would cause more discord for Zicu in the morning. He could see the letters now…

It took an hour for the cabinet members to arrive, all of which were dressed in night garments and looking rather irritable. Alia, at one point, had arrived, being sent for also. She was as confused as everyone at her summoning, but quietly sat and waited.

“Everyone is finally here,” Eden began, “This meeting is not about the city’s defenses. In fact, just the opposite. We are waging war. Lost Lord Max Fowler is too great of a security risk to be left alive.”

Before Alia could express her distain, a [General] spoke, “I was thinking the same thing. I saw his magic at the funeral, and I cannot express my concern.”

“Exactly, he could bring in an army-“

“Eden! What are you doing? Father clearly made his position about Max to you! He wanted to bring him-“ Alia was cut off.

“Father is dead. I rule now, and I think father was a fool in this regard.” The King stood and circled around the table, “Max is a weapon ready to fall into anyone’s hands. That is, if he’s not already one.”

The royal siblings had discussed this once before, ending with a screaming match, “Max is not working with the Empire, Eden! Bella- I mean Clammy is his friend! She wouldn’t-“

“Bella knew of father’s death before it happened. She sent Max to the Plains where he just so happened to get father killed.” Eden stopped right behind his sister, “They showed their cards too quickly. Bella and Max are working with the Empire. A simple fact.”

“Oh, come off it!” Alia screamed, “We would both be dead-“

“Untrue. You heard what that Blood Witch said. Salae was off limits. We were untouchable. At least, to her.”

“You are a fool and a disgrace to the throne! I thought your words at the funeral were a victim trying to find peace by whatever means, but I now know that they were just the words of a coward!”

A smile crept across Eden’s face like a hunter hearing a trap sound in the distance, “You insult the [King]? Guards! Arrest her! Maybe some time in the royal dungeon would do my sister well!”

“Wha- You can’t do this! Mother-“

“Is most likely dead.” Eden finished, “Face it, dearest sister, I am Salae’s ruler. Bow to me or executed. The choice is yours.”

Alia continued to shout and squirm even as two guards dragged her away. Music to Eden’s ears at this point. He turned back to the spooked cabinet. The message had been clear. Do not mess with the King’s authority. Name, title, family, it does not matter. Those in the way will be thrown away.

“Now,” Eden said as to continue the previous conversation, “Lesterwood will be a problem. They protect the Lost Lord, so assassination is out of the picture especially with [Bounty Hunter] Yel and Arc Step Bishop around.”

“We could leverage our militaries power.” Someone said.

“Explain.” Eden snapped.

“We declare war on the Lost Lord, stating King Tobyn’s death on the young man. If Lesterwood protects we declare war on Lesterwood. He will be forced to flee; we hunt him down without losing manpower to a war.”

Eden thought for a moment, “I like it.”

Alia was being dragged deeper and deeper into the bowels of the castle. She has long since resigned struggle, opting to silently loath in reluctant hatred. Eventually her guard escort unlocked a cell and gently pushed her in. It was dark, wet, and reeked of filth. A moment later she was alone and left with her thoughts.

At least, she thought so. Until a distinctly male voice cut through the darkness.

“Alia Salae… [Royal Historian], interesting. Why would the King send his own daughter to the dungeons? It has been a few decades since he mentioned you, but it was always with respect and love…”

“The King is dead.” The words were barely audible, but the prisoner heard.

“Oh… A pity. My condolences.”

It was a few hours before either spoke. Alia, trying not to spiral into madness from the isolation asked, “Who are you?”

“Did ol’ Tobyn never mention me?” The man asked, followed by “No? Oh… No matter! My name is Isaac the [Immortal]!”

The silence stretched on before Isaac spoke again, “Seriously, did Tobyn never mention me? Founder of Vast Empire? Immortal being imprisoned under Salae? Did he ever mention finding a way to fulfil a promise to kill someone who wanted to die?”

Isaac almost let out a tear, “No? Well okay then…”

Max and Emi were drifting through the endless void of the infinite beach. With his new class, Max could see further than ever before. But that hardly mattered as the waters were as barren as they were abandoned. Occasionally a pop of muted color would slowly pass by, coral or some sort of deep-sea flora. Monsters swam by, but a few quick fired spells dissuaded their approach.

They had started at the reef they had killed the Hydra in. It was always nice to see the rapid growth the small ecosystem went through. Now, the coral was almost like a miniature forest. A home to the massive fish and even bigger predators of the lightless depths.

They began down the smooth ravine, traveling deeper than they had ever gone before. Past the caves housing telltale signs of intelligent life and hundreds of small gems and towards the abyss. The connection finally registered to Max, [Abyss Walker]. His class connected this place to an abyss. While true in spirit, Max always equated the depths to just that. Depths.

To him, the abyss was a lifeless place of nothingness. There was no color, no light, no food, and certainly no water. The depths, while not having light, had all of the others. It was more akin to a desert than an abyss, at least in his eyes. But he was not the one who created or maintained the system. Who was he to argue?

The smooth rock wall began to shift after they passed a certain threshold. The water turned into a murky mixture, like soda mixing with olive oil. A thermocline. A passage into a new source of water, into a new realm.

Not a true realm, Max knew. He remembered the stories from Earth. Scuba divers passing through the plane and being transported to another world, or manatees disappearing through as divers playfully chased. Myths, fables, superstition, whatever the case Max had heard lasting stories to never cross.

But those were just stories made up by bored sailors or diving instructors trying to dissuade their students from cave diving. There was clearly scientific evidence that the phenomenon was natural in nature and nothing out of the normal.

Still, Max hesitated. He felt something pulling on his mind, far from his consciousness. The feeling reminded him of the first time he ventured into the deep. An angler’s light tried to charm him and pull him close, which would have resulted in his death if he had not resisted. But this feeling was the reverse.

It was almost like the thermocline wanted him to stay out, almost like obscuring ward- Oh. That’s where he knew the feeling from. Wards. Clearly, people were supposed to stay out. But Tiodepth wanted them to go further. To dive deeper.

They pushed through.

The water disappeared around the duo, like a droplet being held to a spigot with surface tension. They fell.

The sudden freefall caused Max to teleport in rapid succession, grabbing ahold of Emi and canceling their momentum. Once they stood on an Immovable Platform, the scale of the situation hit them. They were in a cave, but not a natural one. The cave stretched on past the horizon and reached thousands of meters down.

The air felt crisp and cool, while being very mana abundant. A city rested in the nook and walls of the cave, branching out to the surfaces of water-logged holes. Just like the hole Max and Emi fell from moments before.

Floating ships moved around the open air almost dancing around each other as to not collide. Humanoid beings stood on magical platforms, waving ships through the watery holes while barring entry to others. It was a port city. Import and export. The clear signs were there, but the grand extent went over the duo’s heads.

As they watched the city’s hustle and bustle, a winged figure slowly flapped up to them. It was a man, but unlike any Max had seen on Nava. His skin was pale white, like all its pigment had disappeared. Only his wings were colored, vibrant blue and deep green. Beautiful just like a butterfly.

“Max and Emi, I take it?” The winged man said after landing on the platform.

“Who are you?” Max asked, a faint trace of water forming in his fingers.

“Do not take alarm. My name is Aquis, please Inspect me, if you wish.”

Mur, [Holy Water Elementalist]

Aquis continued, “My Lord sent me to collect you two upon your arrival. I do have to say I expected you earlier…”

“Lord?” Emi asked.

“Why Tiodepth, of course. Do you two not feel his mark? We all share it.”

And they did. They had ignored the feeling as the situation took precedence, but they both definitely felt something. It was as if all three of them radiated the same callsign. Or brand.

“I thought the Mur were extinct.”

Aquis nodded, “Everywhere but here, that is true. Lord Tiodepth has made sure of our survival.”

“And where is here?” Max asked.

“The Abyss, port city of the Water Dimension.”

Oh, that’s what the system meant, Max thought.