The leveling up had changed the garden realm quite a bit. Emerald green pebbles covered the ground like an alien meadow while pillars of white rocks rose to the sky. Whatever sort of improvement this was, it wasn’t one that Dallion had seen before.

According to the initial rectangles, the level of the garden had suddenly jumped to five. That meant four improvements by a noble with a single action.

Nobles really are something, Dallion thought in awe.

Dear boy, if they weren’t, do you think everyone would simply let them be? Nil asked, amused.

Becoming a noble was more than a carefully controlled club—it was proof of someone’s power. That’s why all existing members were so careful who they allowed to proceed with the necessary steps; it was also the reason Dallion’s grandfather had jumped at the opportunity three decades ago. If it took a war to allow the mere possibility for a commoner to join the noble’s ranks, the requirements had to be pretty serious indeed.

“Nox, get out here,” Dallion said.

The crackling leapt into existence, landing a few feet ahead on the green pebbles.

“Feel any of them?”

“Meow!” Nox walked along the pebbles, then started running. His ability to sense cracklings had increased considerably since his own level up.

Dallion waited for a few moments, then followed his familiar.

You’re not going to fly around? Nil asked.

Maybe later. I prefer to walk for a bit.

I honestly cannot figure you out, dear boy. You’re a real oxymoron of life.

That didn’t sound too much of a compliment, but it was better than nothing.

For half an hour, Dallion and the crackling continued walking. Every now and again, Nox would stop, then change direction. At first Dallion thought that the cub was getting a better feeling of the direction, but soon he started to suspect that the creatures they were chasing were on the move as well.

At this point, firebird intervention became necessary. Ordering Lux to propel him forward, Dallion then had Nox jump on his shoulder. This way, he had both a crackling seeker and a propulsion system. The only problem was that Lux—being the embodiment of flame—still had problems considering that Dallion might not be as used to high speeds as it was. The first intense burst made Dallion feel nauseous. His body level prevented him from outright throwing up, though he wasn’t far away. The second was a bit more measured, though still with a lot to be desired. It was only after the tenth that a balance between speed and comfort was established. It was also around that point that their enemy came into view.

Nox hissed. As any crackling, he was highly territorial and did not appreciate others that weren’t part of his pack. The cracklings that had been released in the realm were of a similar opinion, letting out a loud growl.

A pack wolf, Dallion thought.

That brought back memories. Of course, back then Dallion’s level was considerably lower than it was now. He could easily slash them with a single zig-zag attack with his harpsisword. However, there was something else he wanted to try.

“Sorry, Harp.” Dallion summoned his Nox dagger. “There’s something I want to try. Nox,” he shouted. “Get back in there.”

Confused, the crackling looked at him, but obeyed.

“Lux, you can let me go.”

The firebird chirped and dropped Dallion to the ground. The release method also needed work, but that was something for another time.

A dozen steps ahead, the pack of cracklings snarled at Dallion. The fear was more than the aggression. In a battle, it was obvious who the winner would be, but even so, the cracklings couldn’t step back—their entire existence depended on them infesting the realm further.

“I don’t suppose you’ll be fine to surrender?” Dallion asked.

In response, the giant wolf leaped at him. There was no way they would. They weren’t guardians after all.

Thought as much… Dallion concentrated. The previous battle still had him quite exhausted, so he was unable to split into instances. However, he could at least focus on the present moment. Target markers covered the creature, each indicating a separate being.

I want to attack and defend, Dalliion thought, and raised his shield. Snake-like tendrils emerged from the black wolf's silhouette, only to be pierced one by one with extreme precision. As adept as Dallion was, though, he had to constantly move back during the attack. Fighting with a dagger was different from the way he had fought before/ Too short to do wide slashes, Dallion found it more comfortable to attack with pinpoint precision, then pull back.

Hardly the most efficient way, Nil said. There is no evidence that this would cause Nox to level up. It’s not the first time he has defeated enemies. At your last awakening trial alone he must have killed dozens.

He wasn’t a dagger back then.

As much as he wanted this to work, Dallion knew it was a long shot. However, there was more to it. The experience with the noble had reminded him of something—sometime soon, Dallion was going to have to start fighting more in the real world. Whether it was going to be in the wilderness, against members of the mirror pool, or against the Star itself, he was going to have to get used to real fighting, and for that he had to be able to handle his Nox dagger adequately.

A head emerged from the crackling-wolf’s body and sunk its teeth into Dallion’s leg.

MODERATE WOUND

Your health has been reduced by 10%

Unphased, Dallion struck the beast in the forehead, making it poof out of existence. Still, this was an indication that his combat skills were far from perfect.

So many stats, and to think all of them were important. Focusing along one path was a possible solution, but more and more Dallion was starting to consider the idea of a maximized development. After all, the only thing better than a specialist in one field was a specialist in all fields. The only thing it was going to take was a lot more effort and—despite Nil’s warning—achievements. While collecting achievements came at a future cost, they also allowed him to improve his stats to levels that simple leveling up couldn’t achieve.

The fight continued for a few minutes more. The crackling pack had managed to inflict a few more wounds, though thanks to Lux Dallion had quickly restored his lost health. In the end, the realm was flawless once again. Unfortunately, there were no achievements and Nox remained at his previous level.

Good effort, though, Nil said. Sometimes one must go with one’s gut even if there are no rewards. In your case, I’d say don’t do it again until after you get past the next gate.

Thanks for the support, Dallion grumbled mentally.

It’s not a matter of support. There are way too many things you have started to pile on more. For example, what happened to your plans to practice your forging skills and make new equipment?

Dallion remained silent. He very much planned to start focusing on that, it was just that other things constantly popped up. And it didn’t help that he had chosen a really complicated hammer…

Or you singing to the stone orchid until it blossoms?

I’m doing that when I have the time, Dallion protested, even if he knew it to be true.

Learning to play the ringchord? Nil went on. Or even a mandolin?

I’m already doing it for work—

Improving your stiletto daily? Improving a level a day? Fixing your awakened realm? Need I go on?

I’ll get to all that! It’s just been a difficult week. I didn’t expect Gloria to show up, and with that new assignment March gave me, it’s normal that I’m taking a while to organize my thoughts.

Dear boy, you’re an awakened. You literally have all the time in the world. And even with that, you are unable to do all the things you’ve set out to do. And you never will. It seems you love starting things, as if your life depended on you doing so. However, when it comes to finishing them, you slack off. I have no doubt that you’ll fix that at some point as you level up, but until then you need to limit your new “goals” at least for a bit.

As much as Dallion hated hearing it, he knew the echo to be right. When he had come to Nerosal, he had done with pretty much one main goal—to find out more about the city in the hopes he’d find other people from Earth. It had been years true time since he had given the matter any thought. Getting to the inn, then the Icepicker guild had quickly changed his priorities, making him focus along a certain path. So many new goals had sprung up, from the mundane to the quite serious… and that was before his Euryale episode. A while back, it seemed that becoming an official guild member would be the hurdle that would grant him all the time and freedom in the world. Well, it hadn’t.

I know life is complicated, dear boy, but sometimes you must just focus on a few things. The world won’t end if you leave a few things for later. Leave Nox at level two. Decide which of the things you want to focus on the most and stick to them. When you get bored, switch them around, or just add a few more.

That was good advice. Nil definitely sounded like a teacher who had seen others go through the same many times.

What would you suggest?

Well, if you’d like my opinion, you should focus on the key aspect of it all—personal development. You’re at level fourteen. I think you should be at least at fifteen. However, to get there, I feel you need to learn how to split more efficiently, which means a few lessons with Vend.

Lessons then leveling. It sounded logical, although Dallion couldn’t help but feel that there were so many other things calling out for him.

Anything else? He asked in hope.

One more thing, the echo replied. Pick something that you feel is the most important on a personal level. No more. Don’t ask me about it, don’t tell me what it is, just pick one and stick to it.

Pick one. Easier said than done. Of all the things he had started, what should he focus on? The stone orchid wasn’t a bad choice. After all, it was calm and would help him chill after all the training and fighting in the realms. And who knows, if it blossomed, it was something he could give to Eury when she returned.

Or maybe he could learn to play the ringchord? The old man at performer’s plaza said that it was an old instrument, so maybe learning it would make Dallion seem more exotic. Somehow, that felt more like a hobby than anything else.

The familiars were another possibility. With Nox having a home, it was only right that Dallion found one for Lux. All in all, that didn’t sound too difficult. All it took was for him to buy a spheric item, fulfil its destiny, then give it to the firebird and link it to his realm. Then he could check whether he could use it to heal wounds in the real world, similar to what the Nox dagger was capable of.

Everything so far seemed like a good choice, but Dallion felt it still didn’t hit the mark. After a moment, he knew what his focus would be. No doubt it was going to delay him finding answers about Earth, and likely affect his rise in the guild, but despite that, it was the one thing he felt he had to do.

I’m going to learn forging, Dallion thought. There’s something I want to prove to someone.