Dan opened his eyes. He saw a very dead, normal looking green lizard. It was small, about a foot and a half from head to the tip of its tail, and its body was badly damaged by the Dark Bolt. Looks could indeed deceive. There was a window on one wall of the room, but other than that it was entirely nondescript. There was a door in, a dead lizard, a barred window, and a door out. He'd expected a Medusa of some kind.

Ray flew up and landed on his shoulder.

"Well done. I hope you're not ruminating on how a physically small being could be powerful. I might have to take that personally."

Dan couldn't tell whether or not that had been a joke. As human as Ray often seemed, the bird was very much alien. It was easy to forget that.

"I got a System message when it died. I've been offered as an additional reward a beneficial mutation called 'Fangs of the Basilisk'. Do you know anything about that, or beneficial mutations in general? I'd like a bit more data before I accept, though it seems pretty obvious that I should unless you tell me otherwise."

"These rewards are known but uncommon. They take many forms, and typically are drawn from an aspect of the defeated monster. Some are of little use, or have a very narrow purpose. Some are considered unattractive by other members of your kind. Others are quite useful and require minimal change in appearance. What level was the monster?"

"Level 15".

"It was very dangerous, and of a much higher level than you. It is a reward for one who is the sole member of a party, and it is the first time this mini-boss has been defeated. All of this points to a good reward from the System. Have you tried asking the System for more information on it?"

Dan did not admit that he hadn't. His first thought had been to just ask Ray.

Fangs of the Basilisk (Beneficial Mutation) (R6):

Physical modification of head adding two fangs capable of injecting venom or spitting venom short distances and a venom gland. Modifies cranial bone structure and musculature to accommodate new body parts. Awards skill "Venom Spit" at level 1 of 10. Awards immunity to Basilisk Venom and 25% resistance to all toxins and acids. May allow access to other aether abilities and/or perks for selection.

Dan read this off, verbatim, to his familiar. He waited for confirmation that getting stronger was useful, then accepted his reward. It wasn't an easy decision, not really. It would transform him, make him less human in a tangible, inescapable and quite likely visible way. It wasn't easy, but it was still no real choice at all. It was power. He needed power. Given what Sam, the System Administrator, had told him, it would be profoundly selfish to forfeit an opportunity to better his odds of getting home again for a reason as shallow as aesthetics. It wasn't a reward he'd have hoped for, but it wasn't one he could turn down.

Dan had assumed that a physical change to his body would require time, that he'd be able to feel it as it happened, that it would be painful. Instead it was instant. He accepted the reward, and now he had two fangs folded neatly in the roof of his mouth, as if they'd always been there. There was a venom gland also. It was full. He knew that his jaw could now open much wider. He knew how to use his fangs just as fully as every other part of his body, as if he'd been born knowing. It was freaky. He pulled out his stolen chef's knife and used it as a crude mirror in the light that shined down from the window. His face looked the same. That was somehow both a relief and a disappointment. He turned and spat venom at a spot in the wall, five feet away. It flew in a small stream, tight at the start and spreading with distance, and began to sizzle when it hit rock. Very slowly it ate away at the wall for several seconds before its power was spent.

Ray cocked their head and watched the wall. "Interesting. That does seem potent. There are many mutations stronger, but thinking monsters who have fought your kind before will not expect this."

"Uh, thanks. Yeah, seems good. I'm pretty sure it's got an effective range of about eight feet, which isn't too far. I really don't want to get into fights where biting a monster is the best thing to do. Those don't seem like they'd end well for me. But it's certainly better to have the option. The System said it might open up other perks. I'm gonna take a look."

He found one. It was "Venom Gland Enhancement", and would increase the potency of his venom in both its acidic and neurotoxic elements. Apparently his venom was both acidic and neurotoxic then. With Ray's assent, he took it, which left him with two perk points and four free aether abilities.

Earlier, when Dan was not in a dungeon with monsters that could command swarms of deadly insects or quite literally kill you if you looked at them funny, the plan to keep a few perk points and aether abilities free had seemed quite sound. For as knowledgeable as Ray was, it'd still be better to learn from those the System classified as similar to him before spending such a precious, finite resource. On top of that, it was good to have them available to meet a specific need, such as a way to deal with poison, or if a new opportunity opened, such as the Venom Gland Enhancement he just took. That specifically was completely unforeseeable, but other options opening up was a known possibility. The logic there remained sound. It now felt wrong though. Shouldn't he be using every resource he had to live through this dungeon? But that was his fear talking. If he sacrificed an arm now, metaphorically, what were the odds he'd be able to survive seven years of fighting monsters with that loss? He stuck to his guns and left his remaining points unspent.

Next he asked Ray about his newly awarded aether ability, Perception Enhancement. It was simple, powerful, and rare (only beings with at least 100 Perception were known to have had it). For all aether abilities, perks, senses and mental effects that benefited from perception, it increased the attribute bonus by 20%. Better yet, it was another like Eagle Eye or Unerring Aim that he could just keep active all the time. His perception was now at 120. He activated Perception Enhancement. Immediately, all his senses became even more absurdly acute, and his mind grew proportionately more able to handle the increased flow of sensory data. His effective perception was more than double what it'd been at level one, when he'd first selected his Blessing and his mind was paralyzed, overwhelmed with the information the flooded into it. Days later, and with several additional senses unlocked, it felt pretty natural being able to have near absolute knowledge of his surroundings.

Dan and Ray reviewed the human's available perks and aether abilities, just in case there was something worth taking now, but nothing stood out. They continued through the door. This time, there was a very short, wide hallway. The floor was cut stone, tan rather than gray. There were ornate candelabras set into the walls that were lit and burnedbrightly. The door at the end was intricately carved wood enchanted with aether to block Dan's Esper abilities. That was expected by now of course.

There was writing on the door, and Dan found that Universal Translator worked on written as well as spoken language.

Office of the Honored Warden.

Do not enter without authorization.

Dan and Ray were not invited. After a quick planning session, they opened the door anyway.