Michael was running through the trees, a bird the size of a labrador chasing him. To be specific, Michael was running through the treetops. He had discovered that the combination of high Agility and Perception, along with a decent amount of Strength, let him emulate the blonde ninja.

When he found this forest had had been surprised. Pre-apocalypse this area of Wyoming had been an arid grassland, practically desert, but when he got here he found a seemingly endless forest of mile high trees. He had bought a map from the system Store back in Turkton, now renamed Benneton despite Olivia's protests. The map had cost 3,000 credits, the same as the Superior Quality Weapon, but it had been worth it. The map was interactive, allowing him to zoom in and out with a thought. When he zoomed out completely he could see the shape of the continent and when he zoomed all the way in he could see the area within a mile of him. The map unfortunately got less detailed the further it zoomed out and lost all terrain detail when covering an area bigger than ten miles. Since the map always centered on him it led to surprises like this forest. Michael didn't really care about all that though as the map contained a crucial piece of information, the names and locations of all the Towns and Cities throughout the continent.

He had been on the way to a town named named Casper when he discovered the forest. Ever since he and Hazel left Benneton three weeks ago they had been travelling in a straight line directly towards Haven, a city located almost smack bang in the middle of what used to be Michigan. Thankfully Gaia had kept Lake Michigan and Lake Huron intact so it was relatively easy to identify. If Sarah was still alive she would be there, there was very few other option. From what Michael could tell the further inland on Pangea the stronger the Monsters were. He worked this out based on the locations of the Towns and Cities on his map. Areas like the Western US, South America, Australia, New Zealand and most of eastern Asia had plenty of Towns scattered about, whereas Europe and Northern Africa were complete dead zones. Haven was one of the last Cities/Towns in the Eastern US, likely only existing thanks to the surrounding lakes.

Michael would have gone into more exposition-y detail but he was still being chased by that giant bird. The bird was fast and since it could fly it moved through the trees with a greater ease. Michael was faster than the bird but having to maneuver through the branches was pushing his Perception to the limits and slowing him down. He was managing to keep ahead of the bird right up until the branch he was kicking off broke. He tried to correct grab on to a branch but missed. He didn't miss the tree trunk though, he hit it straight in the face. Or rather, it hit him in the face.

By the time Michael smacked into the ground he was beaten, bruised and down 300 HP. The bird landed on his chest, the weight deepening the small crater he was in. A second later the bird shifted, morphing into a familiar fuzzy shape. Along with the Map Michael had bought a ridiculously expensive earring for Hazel that carried an active effect that let her transform into a bird.

[Got you!]

Michael looked up at the grinning face of his self adopted daughter. [Yes you did, well done. Now could you please get off so that I can breathe?]

[Ha! Never!] Came the telepathic reply.

Michael grinned. [Okay but you asked for this.]

Hazels eyes widened but before she could move a glowing arrow emerged from Michaels hand and slammed into her side, sending her flying. Michael had been working hard on his new upgraded skills and had gotten his Wizard Arrow to level three a few days ago, his high Mana Regen letting him cast level the skill through the sheer number of casts. The new effects included Slowing and the one Michael just used; knockback. The effect was similar to the Boulder Toss but without the damage that came from being smacked by a boulder.

[Hey, no fair! You said no magic!]

"For the chase. After you catch me all bets are off"

[So I can use magic now?]

This time it was Michaels turn to be surprised as a bunch of vines burst from the ground and wrapped around him, holding in place long enough for the bear to reassert her rightful place.

Hazel let michael off eventually, a bit of fun was good but there was still Monsters around. They continued on, evading or killing the occasional Monster as they went. Michael had to keep checking the Map to make sure they were going in the right direction.

They were still 83 miles out when they came upon a Mysterious Ruin. Mysterious Ruins were similar to the Dungeons in that they were formed by Mana but the main difference is that they are formed without the guidance of Gaia. That meant that there were no rules when it came to a Mysterious Ruin. There could be a whole menagerie of different monsters or no monsters at all. Some spanned miles of tunnels and rooms, some contained only a single room. Some had traps, others didn't. There was almost nothing that could be guaranteed about a Mysterious Ruin, hence the Mysterious part.

To enter a Mysterious Ruin was to gamble with your own life. The worst part is that exceedingly few people on Earth had encountered one before and even fewer had lived to tell the tale so when Michael discovered a wooden door set in a stone frame he had no idea what it was, only that when he use his Treasure Detection Skill it had led him to this ordinary looking door.

The two of them stood side by side, Hazel in her fuzzy form, and stared at the door. "Any idea what that is?"

[No idea.]

"It's probably something dangerous though."

[Almost definitely.]

"We're still going to go in, aren't we?"

[Of course we are silly.]

Man and bear looked at each other, and grinned. One of the things the two of them shared, more than all the other things they shared, was a deep love of adventure.

Hazel went in first, shield up and scanning for danger, with Michael following right behind her with an arrow nocked and infused with Chilling Touch. His bow was currently the only item of his carrying the permanent infusion of a spell, courtesy of his newly upgraded skill Spell Arsenal. Thanks to the skill his bow now had an extra 20 damage as well as a 20% chance to apply the knockback effect to an arrow. The Spell Arsenal skill was not as powerful as Michael had imagined, the permanent version of the spell infusion created a very watered down version of the temporary effect. The current effect, created from the Boulder Toss spell, would increase damage by 100 and always apply a knockback effect. Still, the effect was permanent and by infusing an arrow with a spell he could almost double down on the skill.

The sight that greeted the two of them was a worrying one, especially when the door slammed shut behind them and then disappeared. The lack of a way out worried Michael but the way forward was far more worrying. Michael and Hazel were standing on a narrow rocky ramp suspended over a lake of lava within a volcano. In front of them, higher up the ramp, were crowds of Golems. Michael quickly Identified one of the Golems.

Molten Golem

Tier 2, Level 20

500 / 500 Health, 50 Health Regen

130 / 130 Mana, 13 Mana Regen

Strengths: 50% Fire Resistance, 25% Lightning Resistance, 25% Plant Resistance

Weaknesses: -50% Ice Resistance, -25% Water Resistance.

As Identify's level increased it gave more and more information. The skill was only level 3 but it already included a lot of helpful information. Granted, the weakness to ice was obvious from the waves of heat coming off of them.

Before Michael or Hazel could react they heard a rumbling sound. Lava started to flow in waterfalls from above, landing into the lake below. The level started to creep up, slowly yet inevitably. With a feeling of dread Michael realised the design of the place; they had to charge through the golems faster than the lava rose.

This was a test of speed, so they started to move immediately, their bond letting them communicate at an instinctual level. Michael started with a Dupli-Cast Boulder Throw, hoping to clear at least a few to start with. The plan didn't exactly plan out, the Golems at the front batting the boulders out of the air.

The sight threw Michael off, he'd hoped it would at least make the Golems pause. It was a good thing he had a back up plan. The golems were still 50 meters out when Michael activated his Power Shot skill. The power built up in his bow, the strength building until finally he released the arrow.

The arrow blasted through Golem after Golem, obliterating three of them before slamming into a fourth. Frost spread out over the Golem, ice encasing it until it couldn't move anymore. Michael saw an opportunity and readied another arrow, infusing it with a knockback Wizard Arrow. As soon as it was ready he released.

The Golem couldn't block the arrow this time and it slammed into its chest. Michael was lucky this time and the knockback effect on the bow activated. The double knockback caused the Golem to rocket backwards, slamming into six more. Half of them fell of the ramp and the rest collapsed into a heap.

Michael would have preferred to stay there and keep taking Golems down but the lava was only meters away. The two of them started walking forwards, keeping pace with the lava. As he walked Michael swapped out the Spell Arsenal permanent effect on his bow with the Chilling Touch spell. The effect gave his bow an additional 20 Ice Damage and a 20% chance of freezing the target.

As soon as the effects were swapped out Michael started firing arrows at the Golems, each arrow leaving frosty wounds on their bodies. Michael was killing a Golem with every three shots but the Golems were advancing quickly. When the Golems were ten meters away Michael pulled out his second trump card, activating the attached skill of his bow. The arrow was more powerful than his Power Shot but he couldn't couple it with an infused spell, the power from the effect canceling the skill out.

The arrow slammed through eight Golems, the armor penetration effect particularly lethal against the Golems. The arrow might have gone further but the molten innards of the Golems destroyed the arrow.

Having bought some time Michael continued firing. The pace continued for another thirty meters, Michael using his various skills to take the Golems down before they got close, but the Golems eventually reached them.

Hazel burst into action, attacking the Golems with her formidable Strength along with her spells. Unfortunately her offensive spells were Earth and Nature based so the weren't all that effective against them but it was enough. With Hazel creating a barrier between Michael and the Golems he could pick them off ease. The Enhanced Bond let them coordinate effortlessly, their intentions and feelings being communicated at a subconscious level.

The effects of the Enhanced Bond had been almost unnoticed before but over the past weeks they had found that they would often know what each other was thinking, feeling, without having to speak. A little experimenting had let them discover the effects and a lot of training let them use it effectively.

They managed to make it to almost two hundred meters before Michael could see the end. A door, similar to the one he had arrived in, was at the end of the ramp. The end of the ramp was another three hundred meters away though, with dozens of Golems in between.

By the time they made it the lava was still dozens of meters behind them and both Michael and Hazels Mana was nearing zero. They chose to wait and regenerate as much Mana as possible rather than drink a Mana potion. Michael had no idea what all this was and he had no idea what was coming next. He knew it wasn't a Dungeon, his traits and Mana Regen confirmed it, but it looked similar. If it was then this door would be the way out, if not ...

While they were waiting Michael pulled up his Status to check on what changes the fight had brought.

Status

Name

Michael Volker

Age

33

Class

Ranger lvl 10

Class Experience

4683 / 8900

Profession

Treasure Hunter lvl 5

Profession Experience

0 / 800

Path

Boundless Adventure

Race

Mana Attuned Human

System Credits

2,742

Tier

2

Health

387 / 387

Mana

183 / 976

Health Regen

35 per min

Mana Regen

85.7 per min

Attributes

Unassigned Attribute points : 0

Strength 25 Agility 30 Vitality 25 Dexterity 30 Perception 44 Magic 63 Luck 16

Affinities

Nature 58% Water 32% Fire 25% Light 19% Life 9% Ice 6% Skills General Basic Alchemy lvl 7 Boulder Throw lvl 2 Beginner Camping lvl 8 Chilling Touch lvl 2 Beginner Cleaning lvl 4 Beginner Climbing lvl 6 Basic Construction lvl 3 Basic Cooking lvl 7 Novice Dodge lvl 4 Dupli-Cast lvl 6 Beginner Exploration lvl 10 First Aid lvl 6 Basic Leatherworking lvl 3 Basic Fishing lvl 5 Beginner Herbalism lvl 6 Novice Heal lvl 9 Identify lvl 3 Wizard Arrow (Upgraded skill) lvl 3 Beginner Mana Manipulation lvl 7 Limb Regeneration lvl 2 Basic Skinning lvl 8 Novice Stealth lvl 9 Beginner Taming lvl 5 Novice Throwing Weapons lvl 6 Beginner Tracking lvl 9 Beginner Trading lvl 5 Basic Trap Making lvl 4 Novice Unarmed Combat lvl 4 Basic Woodworking lvl 6

Class Maglavin Archery (Upgraded skill) lvl 1 Enhanced Bond lvl 3 Vine Trap lvl 5 Poison Spores lvl 2 Spell Arsenal (Upgraded skill) lvl 1 Power Shot lvl 2 Profession Treasure Scan II lvl 3 Lock-Picking lvl 1

Michael smiled, one more level, or even a single item that increased Magic, and he'd finally be able to use his Portal skill. As much as he enjoyed being out in nature he missed sleeping in a proper bed. He also missed the team, he'd promised to visit as soon as he got the Mana but t had taken longer than he'd expected. By this point he was starting to get scared about how Olivia or Anne would react when he got back. That's why, when he finally returned, he was having Hazel go first.

He was surprised by the sudden increase in his Fire Affinity, a full 5% since the last time he'd checked. He'd known Affinities increased when surrounded by a corresponding element but he had no idea it would increase that much.

Unfortunately they didn't get long to rest, the lava was slow but not that slow. Thanks to Michaels monstrous Regen rates he managed to get back over 500 Mana but Hazel wasn't even up to half. Hopefully whatever came next would be less Mana intensive.

They went through the door to discover a long hallway, the walls and floor made of solid stone. Michael focused his vision down the length of the hallway but couldn't see the end, or anything else. Michael was confused, he had no idea what was going to happen.

The Ruin didn't wait for him to figure it out though, a rumble sounded out and the walls started closing in around him. Michaels Perception kicked in, time slowing around him. Looking around he saw that only the walls for the first five meters were closing in. While his reactions were still in overdrive he moved, grabbing Hazel and carrying her forward. His lower Agility slowed him down but he managed to get past before the walls closed. He didn't slow down though, having already guessed what would happen.

His guess turned out to be right and the next five meters started to close seconds after the first five slammed shut, but Michael was already ten meters down the hallway and still running. Placing Hazel down they kept moving but stopped speeding up. Michael wasn't sure how long this hallway was but he could already see over a kilometer down and didn't see any doors. They needed to conserve their energy as much as possible, this was looking like a marathon rather than a sprint.

A marathon was right, the two ended up running for roughly 50 kilometers, the walls constantly closing behind them. By the time they burst through the door at the end they were dead on their feet. The environment on the other side was a blessed relief, especially for Hazel. The poor bear was dying from the heat in the first chamber and the constant running in the second hadn't done her any favors. So as she lay there in the soft snow and felt the cooling relief she almost burst into tears.

Michael was a bit more aware of the situation and checked their surroundings. The fact that he did so whilst lying down in the snow was irrelevant. The surrounds was, in a word, bleak. Miles of snow lay all around though Michael could only see the first fifty meters or so due to the heavy blizzard they were currently in.

Before the two could do much more than look around they heard another rumble, though this one was somewhat muffled by the snow. As Michael prepared for whatever was about to come he remarked just how much he was starting to really hate that sound.

The preparation turned out to be for nothing as a crystalline pillar rose from the snow covered ground meters from their location and ... did nothing. Michael, arrow nocked, infused and drawn, waited for something to happen. He waited for the pillar to shoot lasers or turn into a golem or explode.

The pillar did not. All it did, was sit there, as if waiting for something. Michael was also waiting for something. Hazel had gone back to lying in the snow and enjoying the soft fluffiness. Eventually Michael lost the patience contest, as anyone would when playing against an inanimate object, and approached the pillar. This caught Hazels attention and, before her idiot adopted father could do anything idiotic, she snapped a shield onto him. Michael was used to being shielded whenever Hazel thought he was doing something dangerous so he paid it no mind and continued approaching the pillar.

As he got closer to the pillar it continued to do nothing, standing there as if trying to fool him into believing it wasn't some sort of death trap. By this point the icy relief had stopped being relieving and started being worrying but Michael wasn't going to start looking for a shelter until he figured this pillar out. Whatever the point of this level was it had to have something to do with this pillar.

Approaching the inanimate pillar did nothing, the same very much could not be said of touching it though. When Michael placed his hand on the pillar a bubble sprung up, encompassing the surrounding area and providing a nice warmth. Along with the bubble appearing Michael could also feel his Mana being drained into the pillar. The whole thing gave Michael a shock and a second later he was ten meters away with an arrow pointed at the pillar in a speed so fast it looked to Hazel almost like teleportation.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by his reaction, which was only worsened by Hazel laughing in the background, Michael went back to the pillar and placed his hand on it once again. Just like before the bubble sprung up and the warmth reappeared, along with the drain to Michaels Mana. With time to look around Michael noticed a few things. First, the bubble was roughly ten meters in diameter, plenty enough for a party of five or a party of two if one of those was a great big bear., the second thing he noticed was that everything in the bubble felt warm, even the snow which surprisingly did not melt in complete defiance of those silly little laws of Physics.

The third thing Michael noticed was the draw on his Mana. Specifically, the rapid draw. Every second 2 Mana was being drawn out of his body and into the pillar. To put it in perspective, a person would need to have 120 in their Magic Attribute, without including Traits, just to break even. even with the Traits they'd still need Magic in the high 90's. Which meant that the person would likely need to be a Tier 3 with a Magic focused class who had put most if not all of their Unassigned points into Magic.

Either that, or gain a truck load of AP from a Path and put a large chunk of it into Magic whilst also becoming a Mana Attuned Human which boosted their Mana Regen by a massive amount. Which was probably the more ridiculous requirement if Michael was being honest.

As it was Michaels Mana was being regenerated almost instantly, his Regen being almost 3 Mana per second. He'd actually had to fire off a spell, letting his Mana go down by a hundred points, just so that he could see exactly how much the Pillar drained.

Looking around Michael saw that the surroundings hadn't changed. The blizzard was still raging and there was still a distinct lack of anything other than snow. Sighing, Michael settled down to wait. From the looks of things this was likely supposed to be a trial of their Mana endurance, much like the previous one had been a trial of their Physical endurance. If so, then this was going to be a long wait.