Director Mori filled me in the gaps as I sipped tea that never quite reached my stomach. It was like it just ceased to exist before I could truly enjoy it. A bit sad but I sipped since the Director had made it himself and seemed pleased to have company.

I tried not to think I was in some Dungeon sipping tea but I knew now that information was vital so I could be ready for the ‘Infection’ ahead.

“I see that you gathered some of these gems. Amazing creations I must say. You know that red grants offensive abilities. These can be skills or spells,” he began then crinkled his face into a smile.

“Magic... I would never believe such a wonder was under my nose,” he said ruefully. He carried on, drawing on the existence of the Zone that was hidden beneath the echo of Director Mori. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to be an echo and part of the made-up world.

“Yellow is a pure item acquisition. These can be anything, given you have a high enough rank. No doubt G-1s offer basic objects that would be considered ‘trash’ at worse and ‘not worth the effort’ at best,” he sipped his own tea here as outside the window, the sun never moved. Fake as Director Mori was.

I nodded, letting him know I figured out something similar.

“Blue is the abilities that allow creation. From active summons to crafting skills of all sorts. They may even allow you to create doors or walls of different materials. It's hard to pin down the common element besides ‘creation’,” he offered apologetically. Then he got to the colours I was eager to hear about.

“Green is the colour of beneficial skills. These have zero attack skills but may offer a wide arrange of healing, passive skills, and natural resistance,” Mori hummed as if he wouldn’t mind those himself.

“Green sounds like pure healing or buffing in some ways,” I agreed. The Director smiled at his words.

“Quite! Indigo is a type of strain of gems that lend themselves to detection or avoiding detecting if you boil it down to the basics. Stealth would be the staple of this type but the sheer amount of tracking and utilities lets you find more things than you wouldn’t otherwise,” Mori went on.

So maybe stuff that would affect my map or interface? It sounded interesting.

“Orange is a powerful group that is best defined as limit breakers. They can enhance many aspects to be pushed past what you are capable of or reduce many limits and recharge on energy and magic meters. But in return, the limits they can remove on you they can force onto foes. Best to think of them as sliders to adjust in the battle for a time,” he said next. Buffs and debuffs. I kinda wanted them before long...

“And the last one I have access to is Violet but there are more colours out there I do not have access due to my limited creation,” he admitted sorrowfully. I perked up, more unknown colours?

“Violet is change. These types allow you to alter yourself in many ways to gain powers. Something as simple as animal claws to full-blown inhuman shapes. It may not even be a moving creature. You could transform into things that benefit others or alter your body to use senses not usually possible. I simply do not know,” Mori finished.

I leaned back, suddenly overwhelmed with choices. Mori seemed to see my conflict and he went quiet to allow me time to think.

I right away declined red and yellow. I simply wasn’t able to get much out of a yellow gem I thought that might help and a red gem skill wouldn’t be levelled up or particularly strong for a G-1 gem. After a moment, I ruled out blue as well. If Pure Rock was a measure then they needed massive levelling to be useful and a G-1 wouldn’t cut it either.

Leaving me with a new colour to pick. Green for a maybe heal. Indigo for some detection or location ability or violet for a change in my body somehow. The System did say that if I used them then they would slightly alter to fit me but not by much.

There was a good chance the boss would drop some as well. Which would likely include a red.

I was torn between green and violet. Wanting the safety of a heal or a shield but the usefulness of maybe flight or some natural body armour was tempting as well.

Not that I expected flight with a G-1 but I could pretend.

There was a second option... there was one more foe besides the main boss and I had no doubt there would be crystals down there in the morgue.

“Do you know what's in the morgue?” I asked and Mori blinked.

“Hm, yes. A dark creature. It mocks me in my son’s voice but it too is just a sad echo but it grows strong. It has a link to the real world I know that much,” the older man said with a frown.

“Can you sense which is stronger, the boss or the basement creature?” I pressed. Mori hesitated as if he wasn’t sure he could even do it or be allowed to.

“Now? The infection on the roof. It has gathered the filth to itself and the basement dweller hasn’t emerged since. I think it is afraid,” Mori admitted. He quickly cleared his throat.

“But the infection hasn’t gone down either so it may be less about fear and simply territorial advantage over each other. They could be equals,” he said and looked a little apologetic as if couldn’t offer more.

I mulled that over.

“Give me the green,” I finally said and Mori held out a hand, his form fading as a green gem fell to the floor.

“Good luck, Russel,” the fading man said, sipping his tea as he completely vanished.

“Later, Director,” I waved to the empty air. I crushed the gem with a torn heart. Hoping I made the right choice.

Well done! You gained the spell: Retrace!

Retrace Lv 1: Active spell. Magical. Teleport back to where you were located previously. Max number of steps: 5. Cannot retrace if the previous location is blocked or is sealed off. Cannot retrace through barriers or spaces smaller than current body size. Cool down 10 seconds. Cost: 2 Mana

Right, support meant more than shields and healing. It also meant really... interesting dodging powers, it seemed. Right, okay. This was not the worse ability I could have gotten by far. If I got a healing burn or a soothing rest power, I’d be more pissed.

I blinked as my energy bar was refilled. I turned to Director Mori’s empty space then at my fading cup. I think...

He may have just given me a refresh on top of a gem. That sly old fox!

The room around me blinked away and I was in an empty hallway before a flight of stairs which claimed that it led to the roof. I grimaced as Retrace finally settled, the knowledge of slotting in a little painfully.

It wasn’t time reversal or true teleportation, it felt more like exact backwards motions calculated down to the way my hair moved. My brain and body functions remained moving at the same speed as everyone else.

So it wasn’t gonna undo damage or let me move through fire unharmed. I had to be careful with it or I’d end up doing more damage to myself than the foe.

Still, it was a damn good ambush or escape ability in a pinch. Shame about the cool down.

I turned and travelled through the now quiet hospital. Down to the ground floor and at the top of the morgue stairs. I held my Pure Rock like a limited light and took the steps ever so slowly. There was hardly any rust here like it was avoided. Which I had the strong urge to do as well.

I ended up at another narrow hallway with absolute darkness ahead. I chucked a spare Pure Rock and it clattered once before breaking. Showing closed doors and more damage to the walls.

Pure Rock has reached level 4! Pure Rock will evolve in one more level! Increased durability and light radius.

That damn rock was levelling fast.

“Little fly wandered into the night...” a lone droning voice hissed from far off. I chucked another rock and slightly brighter rock bounced, cracked but actually landed at the end of the hall without breaking!

I now had a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. I moved forward, holding my steel pole firmly as it ignited.

“A spicy meal for little old me. How kind. How kind...” the voice mused and it seemed it was in another part of the basement altogether. I hadn’t heard it move.

“Sure, whose paying the take out fee? Do I sign it out to creepy spider demon using cliche fly terms?” I called and the voice rumbled with a queasy noise.

It took me a moment to understand it was laughing.

“Spiders... always taking credit of eating spiders when others are known for their taste. I do not need venom or web to find you,” the voice said amused. The voice faded and something heavy crunched stone as it moved. I frowned and moved forward, using my Pure Rock to peer around the corner.

The hallway ahead had a huge depression on the wall where something had kicked off it with enough force to crack the wall.

Oh neat. Just what I wanted. Bouncy demon with witty remarks.

If I had to fight an evil kangaroo I was fucked. Those swole pricks didn’t need magic to hurt me. I moved forward and chucked more Pure Rocks at the corners. The basement seemed to intersect like a giant number 8. Two massive rooms had empty body backs and chained up freezer lockers. At the far end, I found a door with the elevator and another large door. Grimacing, I moved into it and nearly fell three feet into a pool of brown murky water.

Something had turned the very heart of this place into a swamp. Pipes gushed waterfalls as mounds of slime and mud created artificial pillars. A large broken boiler at the back gushed mist making it hot as sin in the large room.

What really caught my eye was in the corners were two large piles of glowing yellow eggs about the size of a watermelon.

Inside, Tadcells curled up, undeveloped and frail.

“My boss senses be tingling,” I announced and the split second I got from danger sense was all I got in a warning. I activated my Retrace and between my suddenly narrow vision as I shifted back. A large shadow that had emerged from the elevator crashed into the room. If I had been standing there, I would have been crushed or forced into the water.

The large purple frog turned, its oddly curving skull stretching the skin as sick yellow eyes locked on to me. I had the oddest sense of deja vu as the body actually stood on two legs like a person.

The clawed webbed hands flexed as if readying itself.

“You Mori’s kid?” I shouted and the frog actually paused.

“Am I? Was he himself? Are we really anything here?” it mused and a spiky tongue licked the rather flat face it had.

“He was telling me how his son ruined the place and ran it into the ground,” I said lightly. I used the chance to Observe him as he visibly looked angry.

Greed Spawn: Monster. G-4

An echo with much power as it grows in strength to match the Demi-Hollow it is based off. It has fast movements and the ability to think.

“My father left me with a crumbling empire! I was on a sinking ship!” the frog screamed and it drooled a horrible yellow spit. He growled.

“I’ll kill you. Eat you. Eat my spawn and eat the very thing I own. This place will be mine!” he hissed and the ugly eyes narrowed on me.

“Copying the big guy upstairs? Eating the kids to get strong?” I mused and the frog shrugged, a disturbing human gesture.

“If it works...” he trailed off. He suddenly moved.

The tongue shot out and I was yanked hard towards the open mouth but I Retraced and found myself even further back. I gripped my hand where the spikes had dug into my flesh. I fired a bunch of Firebrand Discard pebbles at the rushing form as Greed tried to follow me into the hall.

He screeched as his slimy purple skin sizzled. I ignited my pipe next but the frog vomited a puddle of yellow spit. I jumped back, the splash impacting the ground.

The few drops on my shirt eat through the fabric and I yelped at the burning sensation.

Acid spit... fricking acid spit.

I had a terrible idea so I through my flaming shield at him, repeating my frisbee tactic. Greed put both hands up and the shield left black smouldering burns before Greed crushed it with one hand but I was already right in front of him.

His yellow eyes opened wide as did his mouth.

I threw a Pure Rock in and as his claws went for my soft flesh... I retraced.

I noticed I left a bit of an obvious blur when I backtracked. I had a feeling faster foes or sharp-eyed ones would be able to track me...

The Pure Rock vanished down his throat and he gagged. He coughed and looked alarmed. A sizzling noise came from the mouth as the Pure Rock removed some protective coating from his mouth, letting his own stupid acid spit burn himself.

“I KILL YOU!” he roared.

“Can’t wait to hear that repeated a million times by every Hollow or Demon,” I muttered. I pelted him with more Discard pebbles which either tore tiny chunks out his body or hit his thick head with a thunk.

He leapt and I had to throw myself to the side as he crashed into the wall, rage blinding his thoughts.

I hit the ground with a yelp barely brought the steel pipe up to block the gaping mouth that tried to remove my head.

The gleeful yellow eyes were mad as he bit down and my pipe broke into two. I felt the air leave my lungs as he slammed me into the wall and basically pinned me with his body. I tried to Retrace but the small space between his body and the wall was too thin. It didn’t work.

This would be an intimate scene between me and a lover if my partner here was a giant acid-spitting demon frog. Greed pinned my arms with both of his, his teeth all he needed to end the job but he was content to enjoy this now.

“I would say I’m sad to lose the only conversational piece I’ve had but you do smell delicious,” he informed me calmly. The acid drool was leaking again.

“Was it really a doomed job?” I asked in pain. Greed tilted his head.

“Hm?” he purred. A frog purring was a damn sound I never wanted to hear again.

“The hospital. Did your Dad really leave a bad place for you to take the blame?” I forced it out. I had to focus really hard here.

If I acted too soon...

“He was gone before I even was at the door. So eager to ‘find himself’ and ‘enjoy his years’. He left me with no support and his advisors were sharks! I was... he left me to take his sinking ship. HE RUINED ME!” Greed screamed into my face. I winced and shook as the acid spittle burned my cheeks.

A little more but I had to be careful, this was the moment I died or he died.

Simple as.

“Well, you certainly showed him how you handled leadership and pressure. Did you even ask for help?” I managed a grin and the frog was still before the bestial noise in his throat reached a new level.

“I am going to kill-” he began and there was a wet splat noise that rapidly turned into hissing flesh.

He dropped me to scream, reaching one claw back as my new tentacle, sprouting from my shoe retracted between the creature’s legs and back into my body as one half of my combat rod burned in the back of Greed’s head where I stabbed him.

“You just got penetrated by my tentacle and rod. I just school girl’ed you,” I spat as Greed stumble back, his body flopping as his brain was burned to ash. The hard part was the angle but he was so kind as to break my steel pipe into sharp pieces. If his stupid head wasn’t so thick and shaped deformed like a frog, I’d never be able to reach for any true damage.

I slid down as his body burned. The acid now eating away at his own corpse.

“I guess if your Dad was here and heard what you said about failing... he might say ‘if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the spooky hospital’. Or actually he might just be too polite so I’m going to speak on his behalf,” I explained to the being that was no longer able to hear me.

I was alive.

I sighed and nearly peed myself when a short horn honked cheerfully.

You have killed the optional boss: Greed.

You have gained 55 EXP! You have levelled up!

I blinked and the status went on.

All stats gain 1 from levelling. You gain 3 stat points to spend as you wish!

Next level... 2: 300 EXP required.

31/300 EXP.

By using an ambush on a powerful foe, you have gained the skill: Ambush

Ambush Lv 1: Passive. Physical. Massively increased damage to unaware foes of incoming attack.

Then came the notifications I had to ignore during the battle.

Retrace has reached level 2: Increased retrace speed.

Firebrand has reached level 4! It will evolve in one level. Increase control over density and brightness.

Discard has reached level 2! Increased speed and damage!

Flimsy Weak Tentacle has reached level 2... 3! Increased control, increased flexibility, increased length by one inch. It will evolve in 2 levels!

Fire Affinity has reached level 3! Most primitive of fire skills may be within reach of learning.

Danger Sense has reached level 3! Increased range.

Pure Rock has reached level 5! Increase the cleaning effect. It can now evolve.

Please choose a guided path for skill evolution.

Path of Sanitation or Path of Light. One path will be absorbed into the other as a sub-power and not grow as fast as the main path.

I stared blankly. The box shifted.

The System will hold the choice, please do not feel pressured until you feel ready. You fought well. Well done, Russel.

I closed my eyes and knew I had to get up and smash those eggs before I was swarmed. The words appeared in my mind instead.

The System suggests that perhaps the User should use dropped gems before making evolution choice. It would be painful to see a choice being made only for a similar skill to be gained... Just a suggestion.

I cracked my eye to see a red gem, an indigo gem, and a white gem.

“You’re... right. That’s pretty smart,” I said with a smile.

Thank you but that idea is rated in System as below average common sense. System promises not to hold vast intelligence against Russel’s as that would be cruel.

I let the silence settle for a moment.

“What does a white crystal do?” I finally asked.

The White gem is considered the best besides Black. It can be any gem colour upon use that you desire.

Oh, that was really damn useful!

“And Black?” I asked with deep interest.

Black gems will grant a desire within limits of rank of gem. Example. Money, stat points, new malice zones. I need not say that SSS- ranked Black Gems are... not to be used without caution.

“Oh.”

Do not let people with ill intentions find them. Just a suggestion.

I decided to ignore the potential threats and sit back with a small amused smile.

“I bet my SSS marble is better than yours, Aizen,” I mocked taunted to no one. The amusement faded as the sheer idea of having that power made me hug my legs for a long time.