I went over to the spell book I saw, and I picked it up. When I did so, while the outside looked like a normal scroll, the inside looked pink. I used > to see if I could determine what sort of spell was inside.

Type: spell book (Unique) Uses: 1 Spell: cannot be determined

I decided to ask the system what a Unique spell book is.

[system information sealed. Recognized unique spell. Unsealing system data. Result. Unique spell: spell grades where only a limited amount of people can learn the same spell. Grade universally unique: only one person can learn spell. Grade creator unique: custom-made spell used by person who created such spell. Grade world unique: only one person from planet can learn spell. Grade unique: only five people per planet can learn spell]

Once it finished with the information, I heard the system again.

[achievement: First sealed information release by Earth Explorer. Award will be distributed.]

[Skill book: transfer obtained.]

Appraisal showed

Transfer Level 1 Mana use: 5/use Requirements: Description: transfers skill user and those in direct contact with caster's skin to area within sight.

Even though it was a skill, like >, that used mana, it still seemed useful for escaping some situations. I also knew I would gain new magic, and I wondered what kind of magic it would be. I had no reason not to learn it, so I opened the scroll. When I did, the system gave another message. I've heard from the system a lot recently.

[Due to the effect of class: ???, spell book (Unique) has been rearranged. Current seals: 7]

When I appraised the new spell, I was surprised.

Heaven's Grace

Rank SSS

Level: determined by individual skills

Mana use:

Requirements: heavenly affinity 100%

Description: Seven seals will be released every 24 hours, revealing a new spell. Heavenly affinity increased greatly.

With that notification, I checked my status. Heaven's grace didn't show up, but I had a new heavenly affinity. I was surprised that there was a new affinity, as I did not think it possible. I was also confused as to why my affinity was above 100%, or how that was possible. The system didn't reply, either. I then tried to use Heaven's Grace, and I felt I learned a new spell. Other than that, nothing happened. Using >, I saw the information.

God's Purification

Rank SS/WU

Level: 1

Mana use: 200/square meter/minute

Requirements: heavenly affinity 110%

Description: the ultimate purification magic. Purifies an area equivalent to mana input, removing all curses, undead, devils, and the like

I was surprised to learn another SS-grade spell, especially a unique one; however, my MP was not enough to cast it for more than one square meter for one minute. Even then, it would take forever for my MP to recover.

[grand achievement: First unique magic learned by Earth Explorer. +2 skill points. +34MP. +2 strength. +$30 BTP. Skill mana manipulation learned. Skill mana manipulation leveled up!]

Again, using appraisal after the system butted in, I saw the random skill it decided to give me.

"I have enough skills to worry about. I don't need any more!" I thought.

Skill: Mana manipulation

Level: 5

Requirements: maximum MP above 200, wisdom above 15

Description: allows the direct manipulation of strands of mana. Level 3: allows one to see mana (passive). Level 5: can sense surrounding area by using mana (passive) distance increases with wisdom increase

At least I didn't have to do anything with this one, as many of the skills were passive. I finally went home. I spent enough time in the dungeon, for now, and I wanted to sleep for the rest of the night. When I went to tell my mom I returned, I saw my father was also home from his business trip.

"Hi, Dad. Welcome home!"

"Oh, Hey, Roberto! I'm back. You're sure up late tonight."

"What did I tell you earlier? As soon as we are finished, go to your room. You are not supposed to be playing this late at night. Do you understand?!"

"Yes, Mom, I understand."

I knew it was late at night, but I still wasn't happy about her nagging. I wanted to hear about my father's journey. He is a researcher, and, recently, he was part of a team who was sent to a ruin under the ocean to research the ancient writings. He gets to come home only on the weekends, so I did not expect him tonight.

"What happened?" I asked

"Well, you see, there were three of us at the site. We had finally gotten through the first room—it's not easy moving things underwater. We went into the second room, and I was reading what was written on the stone. It talked about orbs falling out of the sky, signaling the end of the world and mythological creatures such as goblins terrorizing the world. That was all we could read."

"If only I could tell him goblins are real. I've been fighting them recently," I thought.

"It was a small room behind the first one paved with gold. This room reminded me of the one we heard about during our religious service the other week, as it was covered in black scales and had eerie red lights on the ceiling. Our great Dragon God was rumored to once live in a place like that. It took us a few hours to decipher the reading, though. It was written in a whole bunch of different languages! Arabic, Latin, Chinese… it was all over the place!"

"Please be quick, dear. Roberto needs to be well rested for school tomorrow!"

One of my mom's major points was that I always had to go to bed at a certain time of night. She was the meanest when it came to this rule, even if she was kind otherwise.

"OK. I'm almost done anyway. We were running low on oxygen, so we went to return. I grabbed a few scales and put them into their containers. I also brought one home."

He then took it out. When I used >, I was even more shocked.

Item: Black Dragon's Scale (dungeon part)

Description: Scale of the Black Dragon

It was a real dragon's scale! I was curious if this had anything to do with the dungeon and if dragons are somehow connected.

"I also gave one to Paster Franc. It may not be a sacred item like our cross and scroll, but I hope it will lead us to the truth of this world. Oh, great Dragon of the Black Tower, we praise thy name."

My father went into a sincere prayer to the dragon, and I retreated to my room to sleep through the night. I found it increasingly difficult to do though, as I could not stop thinking about the scale. Were dragons once on Earth? Are they still here? Will I ever see them? What does the scale have to do with the dungeon?

All of these thoughts and more crossed through my mind, as I attempted to sleep. I woke up the next day, and I went to school as normal. When I was walking home from school, I noticed a thin, pink strand going through the air. I blinked a couple of times, but it still remained. I used >. At first, nothing happened. When I got closer and tried harder, I finally saw the result.

Mana string

Description: String of mana. Can only be seen by those who have requisite mana manipulation skill. Normal appraisals cannot see.

I did not know why there was mana in front of me, but I decided to stay away and went a round-about way back home.

Wednesday afternoon, when I returned home, my father was sitting down, and he looked grim.

"Dad, what happened?" I inquired

"I went back to get more scales this morning. It was a long drive, as usual. When I finally arrived, I was directed to a meeting room. This late in the day, our team would, normally, already be preparing to dive."

"Then why were you directed differently? You weren't fired, were you?"

"No. no son, I was luckily not fired today."

"He had me worried the same when he first told me the story," my mom chimed in.

"Continuing on, when I went there, I saw video from some of our underwater robots that showed the entire area of the ruin imploded, and it became a giant crater. Even our robots couldn't find the bottom. It was lucky that they were sent ahead, or else it could have been me when it imploded!"

"I'm sure glad it wasn't!"

"Me, too. I was then told we were to conclude our excavation of the ruin site and to begin the analysis of what we have gathered. Our biggest find, though, the dragon scale is still being studied in the lab."

"You're safe, and that’s all that matters, honey!"

"Yeah, Dad, don't go dying in an unknown ruin!"

"I won't. I won't."

"I hope your analysis finds something. I'm going upstairs."

I then proceeded the go, in actuality, into the dungeon. With my father home, my mom would most likely be occupied talking with him for the next few hours. As such, I did not have to worry about her seeing me gone. I arrived back in front of the cavern, and I saw the first goblin come towards me. I readied Blackmail, and I > through the goblin's shoulder. As this goblin's unarmed, I did not have to worry as much. My next attacks were >s of > and >. Soon, after a few rounds with my sword, the goblin disappeared. It left behind an EXP shard. With no weapon, it kept trying to tackle me, unsuccessfully.

I walked further, slowly. It was dark, and I couldn't see too far in front of me. I soon went down a slight incline when I saw three goblins coming at me simultaneously. I readied >, with a small area of effect and very intense heat. I used 30 mana, about a whole day's worth, and fired it at the lead goblin, which promptly vanished. It grazed the second goblin on its way, and that goblin seems to have been burned. The goblin's one arm was black and non-moving. That goblin, as well as the remaining goblin, both had clubs on them. I dodged the clubs many times while striking at the goblins with my sword. The more I dodged, the easier it seemed to be. I was losing energy fast, though. Damage was also piling up, with my MP at 8. I used > on them both, stunning them. In my last attempt to beat them, I used > with > on the one goblin. It disappeared, leaving behind an EXP shard. The final goblin swung at me. I was barely able to > the club, and my HP went down to 4 with that strike. I imbued mana into Blackmail and bestowed upon it the heavenly element. As it was new, I was unsure if this would work. My MP went down by 70, but the sword shone brightly amidst the darkness. I raised my sword and used its weight to sever the goblin in two, leaving behind an EXP shard. The EXP shard suddenly vanished, without me able to absorb it.

Looking at my status, I saw that it did not add to my experience; however, my HP went up to twelve, and my mana went up to 200. Dodge, of the evasion techniques, also increased in level to level 5, which was probably why I was able to dodge easier. Elementary evasion techniques itself also leveled up to level 3, granting me the skill of concealment. This skill makes it harder for me to be noticed when around other people or objects. It didn't have much use in the dungeon, though.

I retreated away, but another goblin behind me cornered me. Before it could do anything, I backed away with haste and began chanting the spell for >. For this goblin, I again used 30MP. Unlike with the first goblin, though, this one still went to attack me. I fought back and > the club before going for the eye with >. The goblin was already severely wounded, and this attack seemed to finish it off. From this last goblin, I got an EXP shard and the club. A familiar message popped into my head.

[What would you like to do with item: goblin club? Options: store, sell, equip]

I, again, sold it, and, again, I obtained 5BTP. I was still injured, with an HP of 12, and some minor bruises, so I went to my mansion. I stayed there for a few hours and noticed my HP went up by 1. All I did was walk around the garden and the house. It was now 9:00 PM, so I went back to my normal bed and told my parents "good night." I went to bed, normally.

I woke up and noticed I was still bruised, and my HP hadn't gone up. When my mom saw me, she was surprised. She asked why I was so bruised. I lied and told her I fell off my bed while playing video games last night. I didn't think she believed me, though.

"I don't know if you should go to school in that state, Roberto."

"Mom, it's just a couple of bruises. I'll be fine."

"I don't like it. They don't look good. As your mom, I know when you're in pain. No going to school today. I'll bring up some ice for you."

"but, mom, I have to go to school! I have a lot of work to do today!"

"no buts, Roberto. I'm doing it because I said so."

Those famous four words, "because I said so!" Even though I was in high school, they still worked on me. It was almost like that was her skill.

She returned with ice, and I did some of my work during the day. Midday, she went to run errands. Using this time, I went back to the dungeon. My HP also was at 14 by now. I returned and, immediately, the system spoke up.

[Conditions met. Heaven's Grace second seal released. Current seals: 5]

I gained a new spell, regeneration. I immediately appraised it.

Regeneration

Rank SS/WU

Level: 1

Mana use: 750mp (full regeneration), critical/life-threatening wound heal: 200-700mp.

Requirements: heavenly affinity 110%

Description: Two uses. Use one: regenerate body part or organ. Use two: heal critical rooms by using a proportional amount of MP.

It was yet another spell I did not have the MP to use. I immediately went back into the dungeon. This time, I imbued the fire element into Blackmail before charging in. For the first goblin, it took a few strikes, but it went down easily. My burn resistance went up a level. I then came to where I was yesterday. Slightly further in was a stone corridor. I went to step into it, but I saw the floor looked a little glossy. I saw another goblin coming at me. I backed away a little. When it was closer, I noticed it had a sword. The sword it had, though, was chipped in a few places. We began our bout. Before it could draw its sword from its waist, I cut off its one arm. I tried to throw the arm at the goblin, but it dodged. The arm, instead, hit the glossy floor and caused an arrow to shoot horizontally across the passage. I was glad it wasn't aimed at me. I almost died if it wasn't for the goblin.

After dodging, the goblin attempted to slash at my shoulder. I > the sword, and it continued with the monster slashing me while I quickly blocked. The second that one of the slashes was deflected by my blade, I immediately used > >. The goblin then tried to stab me with its sword, but I used >. I then used >. As my speed was slightly increased, I was able to use > for the next few stab attempts, then I used > on its eye, finally ending the sword duel. The goblin, in the end, dropped an EXP shard, which I took.

I cautiously went into the stone passageway. The floor did not seem glossy anymore. I soon encountered a small room with about six goblins nearby. While I did not know if it would help, upon seeing the goblins, I activated >. The goblins seemed to be asleep. I went to the first, and I choked it from behind. Even though a goblin isn't a human, it seems the choke is still effective in cutting off the vocal cords if done correctly. When the goblin was subdued, I moved onto the second. In a similar fashion, I took three down. At this time, the remaining three began to get up from their nap.

As the cooldown period had passed, I used > again. I stabbed the goblins with Blackmail as I passed the three I already dealt with. I was left with a sword and one EXP shard for my troubles. I could not immediately rejoice, however, as there were now three goblins baring down on me. I decided to try using > and, like fireball, a chant appeared in my mind.

"Light that shines in darkness, the harbinger of the end for those who worship the night, remove the shadows! I Roberto command you! Let there be light! Luminescence!" I chanted while I thought of a small but very bright light.

I closed my eyes the second the chant finished, and, very soon after, I saw the goblins slightly backed away from such a bright light. I hit the first of the three survivors with Blackmail, using > and critical strike. It worked, went through its eyeball, and the goblin vanished as usual. It left behind a 40mL vial of pale blue liquid. The final two goblins came at me, now that they were unstunned. I used > on both of them at that time. While they were slightly paralyzed, I used the same technique on the second as I did on the first. When it vanished, I prepared for my battle with the last remaining one in the room.

It was one on one, and, after another battle of swords, it vanished. I picked up the two swords and, like with the club, the system gave me a choice.

[What would you like to do with item: broken frail sword x2? Options: store, sell, equip, combine]

When I saw combine, I asked the system about it. The system responded that, when I present multiple of the same weapon, it could combine them together to fix one of them. I decided to try it and selected combine. Both swords went into the air and vanished. A single sword remained, and the system prompted me again.

[What would you like to do with item: frail sword? Options: store, sell, equip]

I chose sell, as frail sword sounded bad and I already had Blackmail. When the sword disappeared, I saw I received $10 BTP. I ended by drinking the pale blue liquid, already knowing the effect. As the vial was twice as big, my MP increased by 100 instead of 50. Not wanting to worry my mom, I went back to my bed. It was now the afternoon, around when I would normally return from school. I still had to finish my work, so I spent the rest of the afternoon doing such until evening came.

When evening came, my bruises were better. As such, I showed my mother that I was fine. She seemed relieved to see that, and she said I could go back to school tomorrow. I ate dinner with my mom and father at home. We had pasta with marinara sauce. During dinner, I asked how the research was going.

"We don't quite know anything about the scale or the missing ruin. We can't seem to split the scale no matter what we try."

"Not even the diamond mechanical saws?" I asked

"We even tried using acid to break it apart, but there was no reaction. This seems like it might be the strongest material we've ever seen. We tried using pressure to crack it, but even at 4 million times the pressure of our atmosphere, we can't seem to do it. The university who helped with that part of the experiment was as surprised as we are."

I hoped I would not encounter these scales in the dungeon for a long time. Maybe, if I'm able to keep leveling up, I may have the strength to crush the scales. That would still be a long way off, though. When I was in my musings, my mom got a call from my sister, Emily. Emily is currently at a prestigious university with a dual major in pre-law and American history. She called just to say that she was doing well and to remind my mom about her allowance. Even though she works part-time as a dance instructor, my parents are nice enough to support her still.

When the meal ended, I went back to my room to return to the dungeon. I went back to the room I was in previously fighting the goblins. On my way there, I saw a single goblin. Using Blackmail, I was easily able to slash it in half without trying much. Checking my status, not much changed. I wondered why the goblin was so weak.

I quickly used > to go into the room as soon as I saw it. I wanted to fight more goblins there to get more EXP shards. When I arrived, I saw thick, intertwining pink strands on the entire left wall. Pressing on the mana, the wall shimmered and revealed a pure black, perfectly smooth indent taking up the middle third of the wall. The mana was still present, but it was only on the black part of the wall. Afraid that this may be the dragon scales my father was talking about, I attempted to appraise it. It took three times, with me trying harder each time, to successfully appraise it. I knew my > should be able to see through it. The first time, it was

Wall (Unknown) (Dungeon part)

The second time, I got a little more information.

Item: Spawner (unknown monster)

Finally, I got the entire result.

Item: Monster Spawner (Weakened Goblin)

Dungeon classification: type 1: monster-related

Special property: indestructible

Description: generates baby goblins at a fixed interval until a predetermined maximum is met. After two hours, the goblins grow up to become weakened goblins. There is a small chance that they will continue to grow and become normal goblins.

I wanted to find out more, so I didn't advance the rest of the night. After nine hours of fighting the baby goblins easily, it seemed like the fixed interval was one hour for the baby goblins. I did not get any rewards from the goblins, though. While waiting, I practiced my sword skills. At some point, I also received a notification from the system.

[Conditions met. Heaven's Grace second seal released. Current seals: 4]

I did not appraise the new skill, as I was busy perfecting my methods of slashing. It felt a little easier to slash after so many hours of practicing.

I wanted to continue my practice and baby goblin slaughter; however, I realized it was time to go to school. I still wanted to appraise the new magic; however, I didn't have time. During lunch, I snuck away to the dungeon while pretending to be going to the bathroom.

First, I checked my status. I saw slash became slash II, which must have been while my slashing was a little easier. Next, I appraised the new spell.

Heavenly sight

Rank: S/WU

Level: 1

Mana use: 100/1-minute use

Requirements: heavenly affinity 100%, target's heavenly affinity < 100%

Description: can see the true nature of people, objects, and monsters

It seemed a little weaker than the other spells, especially since I was able, actually, to use this spell for two minutes, currently. The description was vague, though, and I did not want to waste such a significant portion of my mana. I could also see mana, so that was enough for my seeing ability, currently.

[Skill appraise everything leveled up!]

When the system chimed, I checked the upgraded-skill. The description changed—it gave more information.

Appraise Everything

Level: 2

Mana use: 1/use

Description: appraises everything the user wishes to be appraised; upgraded version of appraisal. Depending on the level that is to be appraised, it may take multiple attempts to appraise. Cannot appraise information user is unable to comprehend with current knowledge. An increased level allows easier appraisal of higher-sealed information.

I went back to school. When school ended, I walked back the usual way. Again seeing the mana, I took a different way back. My father will be gone doing his research during the day, and my mom's going out for her friend's birthday tonight and Saturday. The friend lives some distance away, so she's spending the night. With the house to myself, I was ready to spend the weekend challenging the dungeon.