The Lair of the Lich Lord had been a labyrinth: a maze-like Dungeon with multiple intersecting paths, haphazardly strewn. When exploring it, I was certain that it’d have taken quite a while to find the Lich Lord himself. The boss of the Dungeon would be hidden deep within its heart, not shallowly waiting near the top for visitors. That was why it surprised me when we found the Lich Lord so soon after entering.

It didn’t feel like we’d been in the Dungeon for long— although, the fact that Fissyah had slept thrice implied that we were wandering around, lost for maybe three to five days. She was able to go for more than a day without sleep, so it was entirely possible we’d been here for a week at most.

Regardless, we’d mostly been lost. We retreaded a lot of ground, and we traveled slowly to avoid the traps. We shouldn’t have found the Lich Lord as quickly as we did— not after encountering our first change in both scenery and in enemies. My suspicions were further aroused when I saw the menacingly terrifying Lich Lord… Bob.

Heh.

His level was far above ours. His Combat Power was more than triple mine, and roughly five times that of Fissyah’s. The only hope we had against him was if we had used [Arc Symbiosis], but even that his Combat Power would’ve been about double ours combined. Yet, Oblec didn’t allow us to use the only Skill we had that gave us even a sliver of a chance against him. That was what clued me into something being amiss.

I only realized what was truly wrong when I saw the Lich Lord waving his wand around; it almost seemed like his magic was concentrated on that shimmering icicle. That he could only use ice magic. But when he created an arcane barrier— one more powerful than his ice magic— it finally clicked. This had to be a test.

…either that, or Oblec had sent us to our deaths.

Either way, I trusted my intuition and worked with Fissyah to steal Bob’s wand from him. And just as I expected, he clasped his hands together and smiled when we were finished (although, since his face was nothing more than a skull, he was always smiling.)

“Oblec had sent you here for a test. And I am happy to say that the both of you passed,” the Lich Lord said happily.

“Oh.” Fissyah just stared at him.

“Wait, didn’t you realize it as well?” I asked her, and she shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

“...no?”

“Well, you know now.” Bob waved his skeletal hand dismissively. “Let’s take this conversation somewhere more amicable, shall we?”

I glanced around at the arena he had prepared. A kind of winter playground— except, very dangerous and lethal for children. The eddying snowflakes brushed by me, its cool touch numbed by my natural resistance to the elements. On the other hand, Fissyah adjusted her ragged clothes and shivered.

“Sure,” I said.

Bob led us away from the frozen chamber, down a warmer hallway as his skeleton guards funneled out after us— presumably to clean up the mess from the fighting. I spotted half a dozen Skeleton Juggernauts amongst the mob of undead, along with a Level 35 Skeleton Knight. It wasn’t so much as a knight in shining armor as much as it was a deformed amalgamation of a skeleton and a horse’s body in one.

The stone corridors here were far cleaner. Properly maintained. Like it was the hallway of a castle or a fortress, not the difficult-to-navigate cavern of earlier.

“So, as I’m sure you’ve already noticed, the floor here’s made of a different mineral from the rest of the Dungeon. The beautiful shade comes from the onyx mixed with the sediment.” The Lich Lord gestured at the floor, then the ceiling. “And the stalactites deposits are meticulously tended to every day. They’re shaved off three feet above head level to give this gorgeous pattern, as you can see.”

I stared at Bob as he continued down a turn in the hallway. “Are you… giving us a tour?”

“Of course,” he said simply. “Why shouldn’t I show my guests around my home?”

Fissyah glanced over at me, raising a brow. I just shrugged and indulged the Lich Lord. “Well, continue, I guess.”

He beamed. “The walls here are cut from the finest rock—”

* * *

We arrived at the very end of the Dungeon soon enough. Without having to avoid any traps or face any of the skeletons milling about, it was as easy as a walk in the park.

Literally.

Bob knew where we were going, and even if the Lair of the Lich Lord had a remaining length of, say, three miles, it would only take an hour at most to reach the end. We arrived at a throne room of sorts. There was a massive stone chair sat on an elevated platform, with a paved path of chiseled stone leading up to it. A dozen Skeleton Juggernauts lined either side of the throne room, unmoving like they were skeletal statues, but still clearly on guard and watching Fissyah and my every move.

There was a strange marking on the ground to the left of the room. A circle drawn in chalk. It had a symbol etched into it, with a broken altar at the very center. For whatever reason, I was intrigued by it. I paused, eyeing this ritualistic setup as Bob droned on.

“...and this room’s design was actually inspired by the throne room of the God King—”

“What’s that for?” I cut him off.

“Ah, that?” The Lich Lord softly clasped his hands together. “It’s a teleportation circle.”

“You have a teleportation circle?” Fissyah gasped.

“You know what that is?” I asked the girl.

She nodded eagerly. “It’s said to be a powerful magic used by only the greatest Mages in the Dark Empire. They can transport anything and anyone over thousands of miles in an instant and without a problem. But I heard they require setting up the anchor points beforehand.”

“I am not well-versed in teleportation magic,” Bob explained, “but my master was quite capable in casting it himself. This is one of the anchor points he had set up quite a while ago. However, it is… broken.”

“Broken?” I gave the Lich Lord an inquiring gaze.

He sighed. “I don’t know what happened. A few months ago, my master sent me a missive. He told me to prepare as many undead as I can. That he’d be seeking sanctuary at my Dungeon soon. But on the day of his scheduled arrival, the altar broke. The teleportation spell was somehow interrupted.”

There was a slight pause. The grinning skull of the Lich Lord didn’t change, but his previously chipper demeanor faded slowly.

“Weird.” I tilted my body, still focused on the altar. It exuded a familiar warmth. My fascination couldn’t have stemmed from its mere design. I drew closer—

“Wait, is that Lire?” Fissyah exclaimed.

My attention instantly swiveled over to a glowing blob sitting atop the throne. The Shrouded Slime bounced over to us as Fissyah ran over, hugging her.

“Lire?” I was a moment behind them. “What are you doing here?”

The Shrouded Slime, of course, couldn’t reply. But she happily hopped up and down as Bob sauntered over and chuckled.

“She was the one to inform me that you’d be coming.” He patted her softly, his tension from earlier melting away. “She did a good job, didn’t she? Yes, she did. Who’s a good girl?”

The little antennae on Lire’s head wagged as he scratched her back. I glanced over at Fissyah, gaze settling on the Arctic Wand.

“So, was that it, then? We passed the test and we’re done here?” After all, the Gremlin had reached Level 25 and gained two new Skills because of it. I’d say it was a mission accomplished.

“One could say that.” Bob nodded, drawing away from the Shrouded Slime. “However, you… uh… I just realized I haven’t gotten either of your names yet.

“You can call me Violet.”

“My name is Fissyah.”

“Right, Fissyah. I was told you have only previously had [Basic Fire Magic], and now you have two new Skills in your repertoire: [Basic Ice Magic] and [Basic Wind Magic]. These Skills are rare, even for someone at your level, as they are… cheats, so to speak. Shortcuts. And that, while useful now, will become problematic in the future.”

The girl blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

“A [Fireball] will always be more effective and efficiently created than a fireball conjured up from your [Basic Fire Magic],” the Lich Lord explained, looking between the two of us. “The same applies with [Advanced Fire Magic]. So does it apply to your [Basic Ice Magic] and [Basic Wind Magic]. You lack Skills, Fissyah. And so do you, Violet.”

“Oblec said something like that,” I said in agreement. “But that’s why he sent us here.”

“Indeed. He asked me to impart my… treasures to you. Ones that will truly serve you well.” He started for the treasure chest lining the walls along the throne.

Fissyah brightened, giving me an excited look. “The treasures of a Lich Lord,” she whispered. “Can we really accept such gifts?”

“Hey, if he’s giving these out for free, no reason to turn them down.” I slid forward as Bob threw the treasure chest open. I stared at the objects within, and he beamed.

“Behold! My tomes!” he declared.

“...these are just a bunch of books.” I gave him a flat stare.

Fissyah rubbed her eyes, doing a quick double take at the leatherbound wraps. Bob raised a finger.

“The greatest treasure is knowledge, is it not?” he said, grabbing a dozen books and throwing it into a bag. For whatever reason, the size of the bag didn’t change, even when the thick tomes vanished within. “You will find an eclectic variety of different Skills to master, Fissyah. Most of these require mana to learn, not Arcane Essence, but I still believe that they are helpful to build you a strong foundation in your magical abilities.”

“But isn’t mana the magic of the Drasel?” She frowned, even as she accepted the bag. “How will that help me better my control over Arcane Essence?”

“The first is magic that comes from beyond— from the World Tree itself. And the second is magic that comes from within. They may be different, yet they are the same. Both are magic. They have their limitations, and they have their overlap. By studying one, you will learn more about the other.”

Fissyah’s eyes grew round. She looked at the stacks of tomes in the bag before nodding slowly.

“Right,” she said.

“That sounds like homework,” I muttered. “What about me? I can’t use mana magic… I think?”

Bob paused. He tapped a boney finger on his chin as he spoke. “I was told about that as well. That is very much an odd case. It hadn’t been something I’d heard about before. I did a quick purview of my library, and I have only ever found one mention of a creature in the Hollowdark that displays these traits that you have. The Arcslime.”

The light in his eyes flickered. I could tell he was using [Appraisal] on me. He must’ve done it before the test started in the middle chamber earlier, but now he was doing it again, and he was taking his time with it: to deliberate over the facts.

“It was only a single page. Parts of it had faded away. It was hard to decipher what it meant. But one thing was clear, Violet. The Arcslime is the only known monster in the world to be made entirely out of Arcane Essence. A blessing and a curse. Come. Let me show you.”

The Lich Lord snapped a finger, and the throne moved. It revealed a hidden passageway. One that held in it a massive crystalline shard. Its azure light oscillated like the calm breathing of a child. He placed his hand on it, speaking softly.

“This is the Core of this Dungeon. My Dungeon. It is made of pure mana. Not artificially created by an Alchemist or a Tinker. A leak from the Drasel itself, one would even say. It cleanses this land, empowering those who live in it. Giving them strength.”

Fissyah furrowed her brows. “But I thought the land here was corrupted?”

“Just as you are corrupted from becoming a Gremlin?” Bob faced her with an amused look. “Just as you have now become a monster?”

“That’s…” she trailed off.

“Touch it,” he ushered us.

The girl laid a hand on it, eyes widening. “This magic… it’s so powerful.”

“I don’t really feel anything?” I said, tapping an appendage on the glowing stone. “I mean, I do feel magic, but it doesn’t feel any different than when I’m just looking at it.”

“Exactly.” Bob shook his head. “Your nature as an Arcslime is a curse because you cannot connect with the Drasel. You cannot wield its magic. But a blessing too, for your own growth will far exceed that of those around you. It is said a person only achieves their full potential when they unlock their Arcane Essence for it overcomes the weakness of their Physical Essence. However, what if you never had that limiter that even monsters have? What if you have no Physical Essence to stymie your growth? What happens then?”

“Mmm, I don’t know,” I answered honestly.

“Your potential will then be… limitless.” His voice echoed in the small chamber as he finished.