Today the system saved my daughter. I had given up on ever seeing her again, but the system helped me get her back!

It wasn’t just the system. A nice man named Jack was the one who actually found her deep in the forest and surrounded by a nightmare wolf collective.

It was the system that brought Jack to me however. Without the quest I made pouring all my heart and soul into, along with my useless possessions I never would have been able to get her back.

Jack is a weird man. He wore a cloak and I was initially frightened when he came and confirmed that he would find my daughter.

He came through however. When he came back out of the woods holding my sweet Abagail on his shoulder. Words can’t describe how grateful to the system I was.

The man received a great shining axe for his trouble. I can’t believe that's what he thought my daughter was worth. I’m just glad my old jewellery was enough to pay for that axe. I'm just glad my daughter is safe.

Excerpt obtained from one single mom's diary.

Mana Specification Rank 3 Mana specializations (NOTE Racial affinity is 40% at base, in comparison to 90% for Rank 1 mana) Eternity Entropy Control / 2, Eternity Control * 2 Void Space Control / 2, Void Control * 2 Entropy Eternity control / 2, Entropy Control * 2 Space Void / 2, Space Control * 2 Entropy + Eternity Eternity&Entropy * 1.75 (+bonus to preventing negative effects), Void&Space / (1.75 * 1.75) Space + Void Void&Space * 1.75 (+bonus to preventing negative effects), Eternity&Entropy / (1.75 * 1.75) All 4 Base Elements By settling in the third rank all 4 Rank 3 elements are increased by 10% Unlocked Specializations due to Crystal Specialization Forge out into the unknown and specialize your crystal mana into a specialized and less known type. Exact control results are un categorized till more chose them. Estimated values based on similar choices are as follows. 1-5% increase in Earth control. 0-50% increase in crystal control. 5-85% increase in chosen flavor control. Diamond Quartz Amethyst Celestite Fluorite Garnet Malachite Rhodochrosite Tourmaline …Focus and expand for more. Unlocked through Special actions Experimentation Mana Through consistent and deliberate experimentation you have edged up against experimention mana. A mana type not typically found in dungeon cores. Experimentation mana starts at 55% base control. Mana Specification Rank 3 Mana specializations (NOTE Racial affinity is 40% at base, in comparison to 90% for Rank 1 mana) Eternity Entropy Control / 2, Eternity Control * 2 Void Space Control / 2, Void Control * 2 Entropy Eternity control / 2, Entropy Control * 2 Space Void / 2, Space Control * 2 Entropy + Eternity Eternity&Entropy * 1.75 (+bonus to preventing negative effects), Void&Space / (1.75 * 1.75) Space + Void Void&Space * 1.75 (+bonus to preventing negative effects), Eternity&Entropy / (1.75 * 1.75) All 4 Base Elements By settling in the third rank all 4 Rank 3 elements are increased by 10% Unlocked Specializations due to Crystal Specialization Forge out into the unknown and specialize your crystal mana into a specialized and less known type. Exact control results are uncategorized till more chose them. Estimated values based on similar choices are as follows. 1-5% increase in Earth control. 0-50% increase in crystal control. 5-85% increase in chosen flavour control. Diamond Quartz Amethyst Celestite Fluorite Garnet Malachite Rhodochrosite Tourmaline …Focus and expand for more. Unlocked through Special actions Experimentation Mana Through consistent and deliberate experimentation, you have edged up against Experimentation mana. A mana type not typically found in dungeon cores. Experimentation mana starts at 55% base control.

Okay! let's see. Hah! Eternity is a mana type. Bet Bose will pick that one. Can basically guarantee that.

Now let's see what's the smartest choice...40%? That’s...to be honest, I don't fully understand this “base control” it keeps giving me. But if rank 2 mana was 70% and rank 1 was 90%...it’s the difference between controlling something that wasn't changed in rank 1 and any of the rank 2 types? So, Fire or Water mana vs Kinetic. Hmmm...I mean it was a bit worse? Wait let me think of it like this. Air had a /2 control so that means I had 45% of base control? That’s...not good. Air mana sucks and if I ignore this these will be even worse?

Ish. I guess if I want to start using any of these consistently I have to pick one of them.

I can't just ignore them this choice and "get them all" as I did with rank 2 mana...

Moving down the list just to see if anything’s better.

If I was following the pattern of continuing to double down on Earth and Crystal mana I could pick one of these...Diamonds at the start I can imagine that's the best option.

But I don't like the fact that it’s not telling me exactly what I'll get. I don't feel like gambling with such an important decision.

The values it's giving also aren't that great. Like I'm starting off at...on average 45%? I already decided that was bad with the rank 3 choices based on Air...

I think I might skip that this choice and try and increase my strength in a different way.

OH! Experimentation mana for the last choice. That's...that fits me somewhat. But then again how useful is experimentation mana. If I use it in a material, I'll get experimentation material? material that helps with experimentation? Or a monster that can cast experimentation spells?

...I don't want monsters that can experiment I want to experiment myself.

Maybe if there isn't a better option.

Back to the first 4 options. I'm pretty sure they are the safest bet.

Eternity. That...

Innearth tried to compare what was in his "dictionary" for the word with what it could look like as a mana type. It contained the concept of time stretching on forever.

So, this option can slow down time?

Entropy had a slightly different concept of breaking down and rushing towards the end.

...and this would speed up time?

They both sound pretty powerful. I can imagine being able to make monsters that can maybe trap adventurers in slow areas with spells – or speed themselves up even faster than they could with kinetic materials.

Part of the demon's strength was in that weird out-of-sync time it lived in. I wonder if it was using one or both of these?

After Eternity is Void.

Void is…the absence of space? The opposite of space? What is Space? Space is what everything is in…that doesn’t make sense, space is space how can you control it. Is…

So, Space magic can let you make space? Like "put more space in an area"? Assuming that’s true Void can remove space?

Wait if you remove space what happens to the stuff that was in it? Does it disappear? Is this…is this the solution to my storage problem!

What about space magic. If I use that on something, do I increase the quantity of it? If I do it in an empty area, I could make more space to put stuff and that might fix my storage problem too.

Innearth couldn’t check his status with the affinity choice floating in front of him, but he remembered being really really close to getting completely full. Dangerously so.

I really need to be able to get rid of some of my storage. It feels stifling and I did nearly just die because of that expanding material.

Innearth thought about all his options. He was leaning towards either Void or Space to solve his problem. He thought about multiple uses for both of them.

…

Okay, here’s what I think. I think both could solve my storage issue and help me continue to expand indefinitely. However, of the two, Void sounds like it would make for stronger monsters and traps than Space would. I also keep thinking of it first when I compare the two and something about it feels…feels like I am drawn to it? That has to count for something.

Innearth tried to figure out what that feeling was and where it came from. It wasn’t external and wasn’t even conscious. It seemed to just be coming from the deepest part of his instincts. A “I want that”.

Well logical side says this and so does my instincts so here goes nothing.

Nothingness.

…

Innearth came to and felt. Felt…different. Felt strong and more confident. There was more of a feeling to this choice than either of his prior two.

Checking his status, he stared at his new “goal” and took a few moments to try and make sense of everything.

Innearth Level 33 0/1462 exp to next level. System Access Level 4 0/2 requirements met to advance. -1+ Ascended Monster -Level 48+ Stats Mana Regeneration 39.74 unit/min Mana Storage 1462.00/1462.00 units Physical Storage 92% Percent Capacity Titles. Earth Mana Specialization, Crystal Mana Specialization, Void Mana Specialization.

I guess Tier goals aren’t as hard to reach as each rank change? I’ve already gotten that before.

Just have to make sure I can stimulate a monster enough to make it change.

Innearth closed his status and checked around the new entrance to his dungeon once more.

The small part of his influence that poked out felt…exposed. Vulnerable.

He tried to stare out from his hole but couldn’t make out anything more than a meter or two beyond his entrance.

That does not feel good.

Innearth tried to expand outwards slightly more to see if he could see more and felt wind rip through the end of his influence hitting one side and popping out the other constantly.

It felt gross.

The surface is gross.

Innearth Pulled back to just within his cave and felt slightly safer once more.

A part of him realized he was being irrational. The endless emptiness couldn’t hurt him – he had chosen void dammit. He should be revelling in emptiness. Also if he had a problem with the breeze wouldn’t he have a problem with adventurers entering and exiting him?

But another part remembered the warning he had received all the way back in the tutorial. He would be branded a “insane” dungeon if he spread around on the surface.

I wonder how much “spreading around” means. Not that I want to test that. No, I think any core that likes that feeling has to be mad. If I want to scout around me I guess I’ll either have to wait for an ascended monster or stuff to come to me.

Innearth returned to review the rest of his new changes.

He opened the new group chat to see…

There will be a stream of the Screaming Brothers running in roughly 1 hour! 5000AMU a pop.

Sky’s above that’s expensive. I mean I’ll pay it. It’s the screaming brothers who doesn’t love them. But honestly, that’s some extortion-level pricing right there.

LIKE. SUBSCRIBE. SEE THE ACTION!

Does anyone else feel dead to the world? Like you’re just going through the motions? I do. I feel like I’m running on autopilot.

@Corvo stop selling your friend's show. Shady! I bet they didn’t even get the actual screaming adventurers.

Not my friends show. I just really like the SBs

…what is…what is that. People had pictures instead of names?

…whats my picture.

Innearth checked his status and saw nothing. Then he checked his message profile.

Send Trade Send message

Oh, I don’t like that. I don't like that at all. Call me old fashioned but names worked just fine for me. How do I revert to “old chat”?

Innearth fiddled with his systems settings and managed to stop displaying Cores' pictures by default. He could still find them by opening people's profiles but this was cleaner.

I should figure out what else has changed and maybe buy some information…

Amy was back! Her name was once again visible while Abe and Bose had greyed out and become inactive.

Innearth: Hey just advanced right behind you! Wonder how long it will take my other friends to catch up.

Amy: Hey! You made it! that's great

Innearth: What's the new rank like? Have you figured out anything yet?

Amy: Yes! We can watch other cores either stream or record and playback whatever they want to show off. Most of them are making you pay for access. Streams are mostly adventurers but some cores are showing off "tours" of what they have done with their dungeon and a few have more...unusual shows.

Innearth: Who are the Screaming Brothers?

Amy: Adventurer duo. They get frightened really easily but are quite good at adventuring. Real popular to watch. Personally, I don't quite get the appeal? But some cores really like them.

Innearth: Does this mean I can show you what I've done with my dungeon!

Amy: Sorry we can watch streams right now but can't make them ourselves until we are tier 5. Oh and sadly we can't make dedicated video streams that people pay to get into ourselves until tier 7. We could get a Tier 7 to host us and make the group but they like to take most of the profits that way.

Innearth: Tier 7!!! Why is that so far away?

Amy: There are group chats here. Tier 7 lets you make a group. Tier 6 lets you moderate it or take it over if the tier 7 leaves. Moderate means add and remove new people or prevent someone from talking for a bit.

Innearth: ...Amy. I think the groups are an important factor in this rank. Why are you focusing on streams?

Amy: I don't know it seemed the most important?

Innearth: How do we make a group! We can make a group chat with you me Abe and Bose!!! Doc too! They should be here soon!

Amy: ...we would have to find a Tier 7 willing to make and moderate the group for us. I...Sure. That sounds fine. I'll see if I can find us an older core. What should I look for?

Innearth: ...They have to stay after they make the group right? And can probably read everything we write? Just make sure they aren't a jerk. Find a cheerful Core that's friendly enough. We are making a group to hide from the cancerous main chat.

Amy: Might take a while but sure I'll try and ask around. Most of my other friends have started trying to do the same.

Innearth: Okay. Anything else I should know?

Amy: There's probably a few more things but that's all I've found out for now. OH. you can block people now if you want. Prevent them from messaging you.

Innearth: Well I don't need that right now but it might be useful sometime.

Innearth: So how have you been? What's new since you broke the surface?

...