The Girl in the Abyss

Chapter 9

Under the twilight sky, we drank next to a fire and three fading gravestones. We ended up going north to Kenneth’s parent's house where he originally left his kids. The house had long since decayed, but Kenneth was able to find his Father’s stash of looted alcohol in a fallout shelter on the property.

-Congratulations! Poison Resistance II has increased to 8/10!-

I was attempting to drown out the world, but my skills were working against me.

“Are we going to talk about it?”

“About what?”

“The inn.”

“I told you that there would be killing, there’s nothing to talk about.” I turned away from the fire and kept drinking.

“I take it you made a hard choice in there so I won’t push the matter. Just know I’m here to listen.”

I stayed quiet for a couple of minutes before realizing I was declining someone’s kindness which caused more regret to build up inside. Not long after I broke and started talking.

“Fine. They skinned her, stuffed her, and then kept her as a dining area decoration. I wanted to kill them all. I wanted them to suffer like she did but I showed mercy and only killed the old man.”

“There is nothing wrong with showing mercy, Ellie.”

“They didn’t deserve mercy! T-They didn’t deserve it…” I started crying.

-Congratulations! Emotion Nullification has increased to 6/10!-

‘You failed her. It won’t be long before Kenneth dies too.’

“To be kind after everything you’ve been through is an impressive feat, not something to look down on yourself for. I think she would be proud of that.”

‘You’ll never know because you already let her die.’

I was still troubled by the events, but Kenneth’s kindness helped.

“For someone that offers to listen, you don’t talk about yourself much.” I pulled my knees in and held the bottle against my chest while waiting for Kenneth’s reply.

He laughed. “I’m okay, thank you for worrying about me though.”

“Just know I’m here to listen…” I mockingly mumbled those words while looking away.

“Hey! Are you making fun of me?!” He teasingly replied.

It was nice being able to open up to someone even if it was just a little bit.

~~~

The night arrived as we silently drank listening to the calming crackle of the fire. While emptying a bottle of rum into my mouth, a notification appeared.

-Congratulations! Poison Resistance II has increased to 10/10!-

-Congratulations! Skill completion has granted 10 skill points!-

-Congratulations! Poison Resistance II has evolved into Poison Resistance III!-

-Congratulations! Poison Resistance III has increased to 5/10!-

“Why can’t you just let me get drunk!?” I threw the bottle off into the field.

-Congratulations! You have earned the skill Throwing Mastery!-

-Congratulations! Throwing Mastery has increased to 5/10!-

“Pure Vampires are immune to Poison and Disease thanks to a racial ability. I completely understand how you feel.” Kenneth opened another bottle for himself, and I continued with the pile I was hoarding next to me.

“Kenneth, how did you become a Vampire? If your son and daughter are still alive, they must be Vampires too.”

“I suppose I should tell you about that. I apologize ahead of time… I’m generally not one to talk about my past.”

I opened another bottle, this time vodka.

“When the world ended I was on a group trip with my family, two friends from the military, and their families. We were on our way back to the hotel from Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, California when God visited. After that monsters started appearing and chaos began. I saw a couple get pulled into the sewers by some hairy creature, there was a bloodbath on the beach, and larger monsters were running rampant in the streets. My friends and I were armed so we guided our families to a stronghold that the military was setting up. Things went smoothly for us the first day but the second was when everything came crashing down. Any power source or advanced chemical reaction stopped working. Electricity, bullets, gasoline, all of it was gone, so we had to switch to combat knives which made things even harder.”

He became silent for a second and downed the bottle he was holding. “Have you ever seen the person you love most in the world look at you like you’re a monster?”

His comment caused me to think about myself. ‘What would Arty or the table members think of me now?’

“I never let my family see the side of me that comes out during work but people were desperate, and I had kill to protect my wife, even if she hated me for it. From the start, all the death was taking its toll on her but what pushed her over the edge was seeing me kill a man who was trying to open the gate for looters. I slit his throat from behind without even thinking, it was just natural. After that, she stopped talking and looked at me with such a horrified expression anytime I came near. Not even our kids could bring her out of the state she was left in. She was too good for this world… too good for me…”

He looked back at the gravestone with his wife’s name on it. He told me his children must have made them.

“Our kids took to the new world surprisingly well. My 13-year-old daughter became the star monster killer and saw the new world as nothing but a game. She obtained the Legendary Class “Mystic Blade Dancer” and wiped out entire waves of enemies on her own. I had rare Marine as my origin class, my son had common Student, and my wife had common Florist.”

“Were rare and legendary classes common?”

“No, not at all, we were just very lucky. Both of my friends got uncommon solider classes and civilians rarely got combat-related origin classes. On the third day, we were scouting the stronghold perimeter when a pack of wolf-like creatures attacked us from over the hill. It was my friends, a few of their kids, and my two children. We were struggling, but we were going to make it until a fat guy wearing trench coat showed up. He started doing some monologue about being our savior and then announced he had the legendary class Plague Master. He casted “Zombie Plague” on the wolves which killed them instantly, but he was not a necromancer, so when the now legendary zombie wolves rose from the dead they went straight for the stronghold. The moron started to panic and told us he would grant us his blessing which was “Vampiric Plague.” The last thing I saw was the guy getting torn apart by his own zombies as we passed out from our changing bodies.”

‘I wonder what Plague Master’s class shop looked like. That was a dangerous class with those two skills alone.’

“We woke up sometime later surrounded by undead. Zombies, skeletons, ghosts, every undead you could imagine. It turns out those zombies could infect corpses, and as you could imagine there were a lot of corpses. My son said that the land was probably tainted with undeath which was causing the other types to appear naturally. We went back to the stronghold to find almost everyone dead, only the people who made it to the panic room were alive. It turns out it had been a week, and we were all hoping our families were in there.”

“The undead didn’t kill you while you were sleeping for a week?”

“Undead see vampires as one of their own, so the mindless ones ignore us completely. We cleared the area and forced open the door only to find the most horrible scene you could imagine. A group took advantage of the soldiers who died protecting them and deemed themselves the leaders. To save food and water, they started killing anyone who resisted. Next, they focused on killing the men and then finally the woman who would not “join” them. I found my wife’s body piled in the freezer and I killed them all for it. Every last one that joined them died and became food for us. Thinking back on it now there were many I should have spared, but at that moment none of them deserved to live. Its why I don’t think your mercy and kindness is a bad thing, Ellie.”

I stayed quiet as he continued.

“After that we split up, my kids and I went to Washington to see if the government fell and the rest stayed. The entire west coast was death and undead all because of a single idiot, but the rest of the nation was not much better. If it wasn’t monsters, it was disgusting people taking advantage of the situation. The land of freedom I fought for was gone, but I still held some hope for Washington. After checking on my parents and leaving my kids to protect them, I went to Washington alone where what was left of the government imprisoned me and started doing tests. I slowly went insane from not feeding and became a monster, before I knew it I was the bloodthirsty boss of a dungeon. That’s the just of it.”

-Congratulations! English has increased to 6/10!-

It was now late into the night, the fire was dying down, and I was out of alcohol. Kenneth offered to take first watch, but I no longer slept, so I told him it was fine. Using the spare time I decided to manage my Status.

‘With everything that’s happening, I probably shouldn’t be so stingy with my Free Attributes and Skill Points.’

“Status.”

HP: 90/90 (1.27/H) STM: 90/90 (1.27/M) MP: 45/45 (0.40/M) DP: 3/?? (??)

Active Level: 62

Total Level: 68

Title: [Divinity]

Name: Ellie Noir

Race: Nightmare/Seraph

Age: 20

Gender: Female

Mana Affinity:

[Abyssal: 200%], [Serenity: 200%], [Electricity: 11%], [Fire: 14%], [Unaspected: 93%],

Origin Classes:

[Nightmare Lvl: 12], [Seraph Lvl: 12], [Hero of Twilight Lvl: 12]

Classes:

[~L~ Starlight Chef Lvl: 25/50], [~U~ Electricity Mage 1/20]

Sub Classes:

[~L~ Ancient Engineer Lvl: 1/50], [~V~ Slave Lvl: 5/5],

Attribute Points: 16

Skill Points: 561

Companions: [X - Artel Noir Lvl: 1],

Attributes:

Strength: 4 Dexterity: 5 Constitution: 12 Endurance: 17 Perception: 4 Intelligence: 9 Wisdom: 8 Charisma: 2 Luck: 11 Craftsmanship: 7 Control: 7

Attribute Enhancements:

[Enhanced Constitution], [Enhanced Endurance],

EXP Bonus: 9000% (91x)

EXP Bonus to Skill level 0-5: 129,000% (1291x)

[Origin ?? 3/3] [Origin Divine 10/10], [Origin Mythical 5/5], [Power of the Fallen Abyss 5/5], [Power of the Fallen Abyss 5/5], [Power of the Radiant Sky 5/5],

Titles:

[Nightmare], [Seraph], [Divinity], [Legend Slayer], [Slave], [Dragon Slayer], [Undead Slayer], [The Undying], [Dungeoneer], [Soloer],

?? Skills:

[Nightmare 1/1], [Seraph 1/1], [Brilliant Dawn 1/1], [Dusk of a Thousand Shifting Rays 1/1],

Combat Skills:

[Combat Medic 5/10], [Limit Break 5/10], [Hallowed Ground 5/10], [Scars of Despair 1/10],

Passive Combat Skills:

[Dagger Mastery 2/10], [Short Sword Mastery 5/10], [Throwing Mastery 5/10],

Passive Combat Defence Skills:

[Pain Immunity 8/10], [Fear Immunity 7/10], [Blunt Damage Resistance IV 5/10], [Slashing Damage Resistance IV 8/10], [Piercing Damage Immunity 6/10], [Evasion 5/10], [Undying 1/10], [Poison Resistance III 8/10],

Magic Skills:

[Aura of Divinity 5/10], [Abyssal Infusion 6/10], [Unaspected Infusion 5/10], [Shattered Light 10/10], [Consuming Darkness 10/10], [Passage 1/10], [Reality Shift 1/10], [Serenity Infusion 5/10], [Shock 1/10],

Passive Magic Skills:

[Soul Link 5/10], [Eyes of the Abyss 6/10], [Abyssal Manipulation 5/10], [Serenity Manipulation 5/10],

Passive Magic Defence Skills:

[Abyssal Immunity 10/10], [Serenity Immunity 2/10], [Mind Immunity 1/10], [Electricity Resistance II 2/10], [Fire Resistance II 6/10], [Draconic Resistance 5/10], [Barrier of Twilight 5/10], [Wind Resistance 5/10],

Survival Skills:

[Climb 9/10], [Flash Steps 5/10], [Jump 5/10], [Swim 5/10], [Flight 9/10], [Dodge 5/10],

Passive Survival Skills:

[Hunger Nullification 10/10], [Emotion Nullification 6/10], [Exhaust Nullification 9/10], [Thirst Nullification 9/10], [Survivalist 2/10], [Pathfinding 6/10], [Taming 5/10], [Stealth 2/10],

Life Skills:

[Hero’s Refuge 1/10], [Fear 5/10],

Passive Life Skills:

[English 6/10], [Reading 5/10], [Noble Etiquette 5/10], [Housekeeping 4/10], [Singing 5/10], [Labourer 1/10], [Bartering 6/10],

Crafting Skills:

[Starlight Kitchen 1/10], [Hasty Touch 3/10],

Passive Crafting Skills:

[Starlight Cooking 5/10], [First Aid 6/10], [Animal Husbandry 5/10], [Ancient Engineering 1/10],

‘I’m just going to stack Intelligence.’

-Please confirm free attribute placement: 16 Intelligence Attributes (Y/N)-

I clicked Yes and I felt my magic power sky rocket. The first shop I checked was the Attribute Shop for Enhanced Intelligence and after purchasing I was surprised to see Enhanced Intelligence II for 20 skill points appear which pushed my magic power even further. Enhanced Intelligence II replaced the “I” version and increased the bonuses from Intelligence by 100%. I now had 250 mana and each point granted 10.

‘My next goal is getting Wisdom to 25 then.’

With the obvious choice out of the way I opened all my Class Shops and started browsing.

-Fallen Class Store-

[Divine] Grasp of the Abyss – 50 SP

[Divine] Summon Abyssal – 50 SP

[Divine] Extinguish Life – 50 SP

[Divine] Requiem of the Fallen – 100 SP

[Divine] Land of Death, Sky of Darkness – 100 SP

[Title] Ruler of the Fallen Abyss – Store Completion Bonus

Available Skill Points: 521

-Hero of Twilight Class Store-

[Mythical] Shadow Fade – 40 SP

[Divine] Darkness Unending – 40 SP

[Mythical] Shimmer – 40 SP

[Divine] Light Eternal – 40 SP

[Companion] – 40 SP

[Weapon] – 100 SP

[Title] Hero of Twilight – Store Completion Bonus

Available Skill Points: 521

-Electricity Mage-

[Uncommon] Static Touch – 5 SP

[Uncommon] Shock Armour – 5 SP

[Uncommon] Lightning Bolt – 10 SP

[Title] Electricity Mage – Store Completion Bonus

Available Skill Points: 521

-Attribute Store-

~ Store Updates based on Attributes ~

Available Skill Points: 521

-Affinity Store-

[Rare] Generate Random Dark Skill – 10 SP

[Rare] Generate Random Death Skill – 10 SP

[Rare] Generate Random Light Skill – 10 SP

[Rare] Generate Random Life Skill – 10 SP

[Rare] Generate Random Unaspected Skill – 10 SP

~ Store Updates based on Attributes ~

Available Skill Points: 521

I eventually picked Grasp of the Abyss, Extinguish Life, ‘Land of Death, Sky of Darkness,’ Shadow Fade, Shimmer, Weapon, Static Touch, Shock Armour, and Lightning Bolt.

[Divine] Grasp of the Abyss – Summon an abyssal arm at the desired location. The arm always has Touch of the Abyss active however the damage can be toggled on or off.

Mana Cost: N/A

Source: Fallen Class Store.

Skill levels: 1/10

[Divine] Extinguish Life – Attempt to destroy a target’s soul. Powerful souls will be able to resist this skill.

Mana Cost: N/A

Source: Fallen Class Store.

Skill levels: 1/10

[??] Land of Death, Sky of Darkness – Remove the border between this world and the Fallen Abyss.

Mana Cost: N/A

Restrictions: Can only be used once a day.

Source: Fallen Class Store

Source: Adjusted by Nightmare.

Skill levels: 1/1

[Mythical] Shadow Fade – Fade to the realm of shadows. While within you can not be seen or attacked. Attacking removes you from the shadows.

Cost: 100/M

Source: Hero of Twilight Class Store.

Skill levels: 1/10

[Mythical] Shimmer – Sparkling lights surround your body allowing for gravity-defying bursts of speed.

Mana Cost: 25

Source: Hero of Twilight Class Store.

Skill levels: 1/10

-Dodge has merged with Shimmer granting one skill level and 1 skill point.-

-Generating ?? Hero’s Weapon with 11% Luck Bonus-

-Congratulations! The ?? sword “Setting Sun” has been granted!-

Name: Setting Sun

Rarity: ??

Equip Effect: All melee damage causes additional Twilight damage. Twilight builds at twice the normal rate allowing for more frequent use of ?? twilight skills.

Description: A blade containing the power of a star.

[Uncommon] Static Touch – The next target you touch is stunned for a short time.

Mana Cost: 3

Source: Electricity Mage Class Store.

Skill levels: 1/10

[Uncommon] Shock Armour – A small amount of electricity surrounds you causing slight electric damage attackers within melee range.

Mana Cost: 3/M

Source: Electricity Mage Class Store.

Skill levels: 1/10

[Uncommon] Lighting Bolt – Shoot a bolt of Lightning at the target.

Mana Cost: 5

Source: Electricity Mage Class Store.

Skill levels: 1/10

-Congratulations! You have completed the Electricity Mage Class Store! Title “Electricity Mage” has been granted!-

-Congratulations! “Electricity Mage” has granted the skill Electrify!-

[Uncommon] Electrify – Channel electricity into a target within arms reach.

Mana Cost: 1/M

Source: Electricity Mage bonus skill.

Skill levels: 1/10

I was only able to glance at the passing notifications before my attention turned to the sword floating in front of me. It was lighting up the entire field as if it were day and even caused Kenneth to wake up startled. The sword’s hilt was a twilight orange with the symbol of a setting sun just before the blade, the handle was designed to look like twilight flames, and the blade itself had light yellow edges surrounding moving flames almost as if the sun itself was trapped inside.

“Ellie what is that!? The heat is burning everything around it!” Kenneth who was now standing with his gun ready yelled.

‘Now that he mentions it everything around it is burning. How come I can’t feel the heat?’

“Sorry for waking you. It’s a weapon from one of my class stores. I didn’t expect it to be so bright or hot.”

I walked over and grabbed the handle causing the blade to dim. It was still glowing and emitting a gentle warmth, but it wouldn’t interrupt anyone sleeping now. I removed my old iron sword and placed Setting Sun on my side.

“Consuming Darkness.” The fires vanished into the darkness.

“I was worried it was a monster. The light was preventing me from getting a shot so I would have been useless. Even like that, I can still feel the warmth coming from it. Are you okay with having it right on your side?”

“It's not hot for me maybe it only affects others. Want to try holding it?”

“I’ll take your word for it. Next time you’re summoning otherworldly weapons please give me a heads up.”

He waved as he walked off back to his side of the campfire and I returned to my notifications.

‘Shadow Fade and Shimmer have a mana cost, so I’ll assume they don’t activate Nightmare or Seraph. As for my new electricity skills… They all look weak, but at least I have options now.’

I reviewed my status once more and realized I now had the required mana for some older skills. In particular, I wanted to try Hero’s Refuge since I never had a home. Even if the skill only gave me a small room I would be happy.

-Generating Hero’s Refuge with 11% Luck Bonus-

-Congratulations! The Divine skill “Snowy Nights” has replaced Hero’s Refuge!-

[Divine] Snowy Nights – Summon a doorway to your personal pocket dimension. Each skill level allows the selection of a new perk.

Mana Cost: 100

Source: Generated by Hero’s Refuge.

Skill levels: 1/10

“Snowy Nights”

-Congratulations! Snowy Nights has increased to 5/10!-

A screen popped up with the options Personal Entrance or Customer Entrance. Not understanding why there would be one for customers I clicked personal causing a fancy door to appear in front of me. It was black with a large cloudy design on the upper half, piled snow and ice on the bottom, and in-between were small falling snowflakes. I wanted to go in and explore, but I already said I would keep watch. I walked over to Kenneth who was sleeping again and poked his shoulder.

“Kenneth, I summoned a door. Want to go inside with me?”

He woke up and quickly grabbed my hand. At first, I thought it was defense, but it seemed more like preventing someone from going. When he realized it was me, he let go and apologized.

“I’ll be okay. I’ve slept in much more dangerous areas than this.”

“Thanks Kenneth, I will try not to be too long.”

The door opened to a snowy pine forest path that had an occasional lamppost and bench as it went off into the distance. It was a beautiful calm night with light snow falling, and the only sound was the untouched snow crunching beneath my feet. I walked slowly down the path, not due to fear or caution, but the feeling of peace that was rising inside me.

“It's beautiful…” I whispered to myself only to be surprised by my breath made visible by the cold air.

Not far down the path was a large building covered in snow. It looked like a house mixed with a castle that was made of dark stone materials. I reached a black stone fence that surrounded what looked like a front garden and in the middle was an archway which had “Château Noir” carved into the stone at the top.

The path then continued to a set of black double doors with glass around it. Since it was my personal dimension, I opened the door without knocking and stepped inside. The stones beneath my feet absorbed the snow that was on my boots, but I still took them off at the door. The entrance way was not grand like Robert’s and instead gave a cozier feeling. The floor changed to heated wood, and most of the building’s interior walls appeared to be made of stone. The entrance room had glow stone lights which turned on when the door opened making the painting lined walls visible. They all seemed to be of different locations but the weather and time were calm snowy nights in each one. At the back of the entrance room was a large staircase and a wooden door next to it. There were also some tables and chairs, a closet near the entrance, and two rooms to my left and right.

The room to my right looked like a living room with a fireplace already burning and it even had a bay window with cushions on it which looked perfect for reading. To my left was a large dining area with a grand chandelier, a big wooden table, and its own fireplace.

“Is this really all mine?” I asked out loud amazed by the outcome of a skill I originally thought nothing of.

“It is, we hope you like it Radiant Night!” Three voices said simultaneously from behind.

I turned to find three… Pixies? The one in front wore a black fur coat, had long styled now-white hair, and matching snow-white eyes. To her left was another Pixie in an ice blue robe. She had ice blue eyes and matching hair which hung just over her left eye. On top of her head was even a small wizards’ hat of the same color and she had a tiny staff with a snowflake on top. Finally, there was a male Pixie who was wearing a standard black suit with short storm grey hair and black eyes. All of them were young looking, no bigger than my hand, and had butterfly wings with matching colors.

“You’re all Pixies?”

“We are your house Pixies! It is an honor to serve you Radiant Night!” They spoke at the same time again. “My name is Snowy. I am here to help with anything you desire as well as managing the house. The shy girl behind me is Icy. She manages the perks you can pick and all the magic within your home. Last is the serious one Cloudy. He ensures everything remains clean and helps as a server in the restaurant and bar when it’s open.”

They all bowed after the explanation finished.

“How did you all end up here? Are you from the Fallen Abyss?”

“Your magic made everything here including us! This pocket dimension was created based on the desires of your heart.”

“So, its an illusion?”

This question caused Icy to speak up from behind Snowy’s back.

“I-Its real. Normally the skill would make a single room, but with your power it made a very large dimension and even granted us life. T-Thank you, I very much like being alive so far.”

“We will do our best to serve you forever.” Cloudy added which caused the other Pixies to nod in agreement.

“I made you? If you are alive, you don’t have to serve me, and I won’t force you to stay here.”

A look of despair spread across their faces.

“I-If Radiant Night orders us to leave we will, but if we are given a choice, please let us serve you! You granted us life, your Radiant Night, please don’t make us go!” Icy begged with tears forming in her eyes.

“I don’t even know what Radiant Night is, but I will not turn you away if this is what you all desire.”

“Thank you, Radiant Night!” They bowed and spoke simultaneously. “If you will allow us we would like to show you around. Icy also needs to speak with you regarding the perk choices.”

They began the tour starting with the upstairs. It had many rooms all seemingly guest bedrooms and one large bedroom which was mine. Despite being the usual dark colors, it was unexpectedly cute. It was filled with stuffed animals, a big snowflake covered black bed, a desk with dolls sitting on top, an empty bookshelf, and an empty walk-in closet. At the back of the room was even a balcony that overlooked a stream passing behind the house. There were however two things I didn’t know how to feel about. The first was the photos of myself and people from my memories found around my new room. Some were sad memories like Robert’s and others were me smiling alongside my old friends, sleeping with Arty in my arms, and even a recent one of Flora handing me her charm. Then there was a certain plushy on my bed. It was of the cartoon ghost from the wrapper which looked a lot like Arty.

“Is everything alright Radiant Night? We can remove the photos and plushy if you do not like them.” Snowy asked.

“It’s fine. Let's continue the tour.”

We went back downstairs, through the living room, and then into a large empty library. Shelves lined all the walls, and cozy seats were near the windows.

“There are some books on the shelf over here Radiant Night.”

Cloudy brought me to a shelf in the corner. Sitting on it were copies of the books I read during my time at the orphanage. As I reached the beginning of the row, I saw one I was very familiar with.

“My old storybook…” It was in perfect condition.

I opened it up and sat near the window while reading through it slowly. I didn’t know how to feel about it anymore. ‘My mother sold me, do I really want a gift from her?’

When I reached the final page even the note was there however there was a big difference. Above it was a small picture taped in of a brown-haired woman in a hospital bed holding a baby close to her chest. Her hair was short like mine used to be, her face was gentle, and she was crying with a smile as she held me. I sat silently staring at my mother. This was the woman who sold me, who started every bit of suffering I’ve faced, yet I couldn’t bring myself to hate her.

“Cloudy please take this book to my room and place it on the shelf there.”

Cloudy went off with the book as we were brought to the room in the middle of my house. It was an exact copy of the marble washrooms, change rooms, and bath from Flora’s Inn. We returned to the library and went through a small wooden door leading to the back of the house. The room spanned the entire back of the house and had many glass cases reminding of a museum. There was also a glass door and large glass windows all along the back wall granting a view of a small yard and the stream. Cloudy who had just returned began an explanation.

“This area is your museum which patrons of your restaurant and bar may browse. It is one of the three areas in the Château that customers may go. Your armory and item storage covers the entire basement, so you needn’t worry about keeping everything here. It is only the things you wish to show. Currently, there are a few items here, your knife, the legendary pendent of elemental enslavement, and a pile of white children’s gowns which I have cleaned. For the divine and legendary item, I have listed the analyze screen in front so everyone can see what they are.”

“Please burn the gowns. The dagger and pendant can stay for now.”

The pile quickly burned and vanished like it was never there.

“If you would follow me, the next area is the bar and restaurant which I am in charge of.”

Cloudy lead us through the long museum to the left side of the house and then through the restaurant to a door like the one I entered originally. Facing towards the back of the house the restaurant and bar covered two thirds of the left side, and I assumed the dining room I saw earlier was behind us taking up the remaining one third. Like the museum, the left side was large windows with a big glass door in the middle, and outside there was a patio with many tables and chairs. Inside there were lots of decorated tables with fancy cushioned wooden chairs and each looking like a small throne fit for a king. The right side had the bar, and many different bottles lined the wall behind it. All along the roof of this room and the museum were very pretty glow stone chandeliers.

“This is Snowy Nights’ Restaurant and Bar, and the door behind us is the customer entrance. This area and the outdoor seating are the other two places which patrons may go. As you can see the bar and kitchen are on the right, the seating is in the middle, and the patio is on our left. The patio is fully enchanted for warmth should anyone choose to eat outdoors. The ingredients and alcohol we have at this time is everything you have personally tasted before. You can grow our selection by bringing items back or simply eating them. This is all due to the first perk called “Restaurant and Bar” which supplies everything you need including the food and Alcohol. Generally, there would be a limit based on your mana pool, but drawing power from the Fallen Abyss and Radiant Sky has made everything quite limitless.”

“Did I accidentally pick this perk?”

Icy spoke up. “T-This perk was picked a-automatically.”

After that, we went through the kitchen which had everything I knew from the Cooking Guild and looked like a high tech old-world kitchen and the basement which was a massive storage area. We ended the tour back in the entrance area.

“This concludes the tour. We hope that everything has met your requirements.” They all bowed once again.

“Thank you, its nice knowing I have a place to call home. If you three ever want to see the outside world, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“We are grateful Radiant Night!”

“Before I head out, Icy let’s sit in the living room and go over the perk options.”

“O-Of course! I will meet you there.”

Cloudy quickly prepared tea for everyone, and I couldn’t help but think their tiny cups were adorable.

“I will bring the screen up for you now; please take your time!”

-Snowy Nights-

Owned:

Restaurant and Bar

Available:

Pocket portals Hot Springs Door Upgrade. Power Pixies Sacred Greenhouse Ancient Human Necessities. Crafter’s Cathedral Winter Wonderland Frozen Mage Tower

“Are there descriptions for these?”

“I’m not sure Radiant Night, I believe it's like the class shop. Forgive me for being so useless.” Icy started tearing up again.

“It's not your fault Icy, don’t worry about it. Let’s start with Pocket Portals, Door Upgrade, Power Pixies, and Crafter’s Cathedral.”

“Radiant Night you're so kind! I promise I won’t let you down again! So it was… umm…”

“Don’t tell me you forgot Radiant Night’s order that quickly Icy!? Pocket Portals, Door Upgrade, Power Pixies, and Crafter’s Cathedral.” Snowy scolded Icy while Cloudy nodded his head repeatedly.

“She won’t forget again. Please forgive us Radiant Night!” They all bowed.

“Its really not an issue…”

“This one, this one, I think this one, and this one. Done!” Icy exclaimed looking proud.

‘If I ever open the restaurant she is definitely not taking any orders…’

“Wow! They all did so much! The first one makes it so you can access the storage from tiny portals! You think of the item you want and pull it out, or you can also put stuff in and we will organize it! The doors have lots of new options and no longer cost mana!”

“I can explain the next one Icy. Power Pixies seems to have granted us each a unique fully leveled Mythical class so now we can help you fight or kick out annoying customers! Mine is Power Pixie of Snow!”

“M-Mines Power Pixie of Ice.”

“Mine is Power Pixie of Clouds.”

“T-The last one is a Cathedral which has everything you need for your crafting classes in it. I think it’s a separate big building that you will need to go to. I’ll do my best to lead the way!”

After putting my boots back on, I followed Icy down the snow-covered path. About halfway between where I entered from and the house was a new path leading to my left. After a few minutes, we arrived at a plaza with a large frozen fountain in the middle.

‘It’s the fountain plaza from Dungeon Town with snow and ice all over it.’

To the left of the plaza was a massive gothic cathedral made of dark stone and stained glass. I felt like an ant standing in front of a giant work of art.

“Radiant Night, your heart likes scary things…” Icy who was seemingly scared by the many statues and stone depictions on the building muttered.

Hesitantly she flew over and opened the door that was three times my height with ease. The inside consisted of the standard cross-shaped layout of a cathedral, beautiful stain glass, and an altar. Where the pews should be instead had rows of chests, the two sides of the cross layout seemed to be a work area, and the altar had a single podium with a glowing book on it.

“The chests are empty, but you can set materials to generate automatically over time. Rarer ones will take longer to make so please choose carefully!”

While the three Pixies explored, I walked to the altar and opened the glowing book.

-Congratulations! You have earned the title “Divine Crafter!”-

-Congratulations! “Divine Crafter” has granted 3 Craftsmanship and 2 Control!-

Divine Crafter – Creator of divine items and owner of a divine workshop.

Grants: Grants a separate category for crafting class slots. All crafting classes receive their full bonus however they no longer count towards active level. Craftsmanship +3, Control +2.

Source: Create a divine level item or own a divine workshop.

My two crafting classes moved to the new “Crafting Classes” area of my status while Slave returned to the now open active class slot. I knew I was nitpicking a great bonus but having Slave in an active slot really bugged me.

‘More attributes are always welcome at least.’

I returned my attention to the book, inside only the first two pages had anything on them. The first page was an illustration of a kitchen and the second page was a workshop with lots of machines. I tried looking for ways to activate the book, but nothing was happening.

“R-Radiant Night I think you put it back down and open it to the page you want.” Icy who joined me again suggested.

Following her advice, I placed the book down and opened it to the page showing a kitchen. The empty alter shined bright and turned into a kitchen with every tool and cooking device imaginable.

“The quality surpasses our own kitchen!” Cloudy exclaimed.

‘I should get Kenneth. He could sleep in an actual bed and then we can discuss what to do in the morning.’

“Everyone, I will be heading out to bring someone here with me. I am very grateful for the tour and your kindness. I look forward to spending more time with you all.”

All three Pixies flew in front of me teary-eyed and bowed.

“We don’t deserve such kind words Radiant Night! We are happy just serving you!” Snowy exclaimed.

“Please call me Ellie. I head down the path I came in from to leave, right?”

“T-That’s correct. We will come with you to wave goodbye!”

I returned to the path I entered from. With everything I’ve experienced thus far having such a beautiful home and three kind Pixies brought me great comfort. ‘I can’t wait to share it with you Arty.’ At the end of the forested path was a dark tunnel. When I entered, I appeared back in the dark field with the moon high in the sky.

“Kenneth wake up, one of my new skil—”

“I’m sorry Ellie… I was… to weak...” He coughed up blood while trying to speak. “Please run… I’ll be fine…”

In front of me, held within an air prison, was Kenneth’s mangled and bloody body.

“Did you truly think you could kill one my daughters and get away with it?! Today, after twelve long years of searching, justice shall be served.” A deep male voice rang out shaking the sky itself.

When I looked up, I saw an army of different colored dragons.