Gary packed away the skillbook, and relaxed a short moment to de-stress himself from all that had happened.

Gary assumed there might be something dangerous down here, but for now it seemed peaceful. So, Gary sat a while next to the stream, and let his troubles melt away. We all need a moment to relax from the hustle, and bustle of everyday life now don't we?

Eventually, Gary decided he needed to find a way out of this crevice in order to complete his delivery. Gary did not want his final moments to be spent endlessly meditating next to a stream.

Gary searched along the wall of the crevice, and found the entrance to a cave system. Gary was getting an odd feeling from the cave. A magical sort of feeling. Warning any small animals from entering.

Gary is a bit weak, no wonder it mistook him for a mouse or insect.

Gary, indignant at the magical barrier's assessment, made his way into the cave.

It wasn't dark. There was a glowing moss arranged in two lines along the wall. The cave was straight. The floor, and walls were smooth. The ceiling arched.

Gary walked through the underground hallway for a long time. He even had to set up camp and rest for a night.

Gary reached the other side of the massive hallway.

He found a door.

Presumably meant to be locked, but it had been busted down.

Gary stepped over the door and found a large laboratory of some sort.

It was in complete disarray. Corpses littered the area, research notes were missing or torn to shred, all kinds of chemicals lay about the floor.

Gary also notes that he can now hear some sort of thrashing coming from below. Noise must not travel into the hallway.

Gary decides that it is in his best interests to salvage something from the lab as quickly as he can and head straight for the room conveniently marked "Teleportation Room."

Gary quickly pats down the corpses, finding some loose coins, pens, pocket watches, cigarettes, and even a couple of flasks. One of the corpses has a little booklet leaking mana everywhere.

Gary is quite happy with his haul.

Unfortunately, the facility is silent.

Gary is not happy with this silence.

This silence is not happy with Gary.

Gary breaks the galactic speed walking record on his way to the teleporter.

A white semi-corporeal tentacle rips out of the ground impaling Potential Gary. It's a gruesome affair, and it would've been a fitting end.

Fortunately for Gary, Potential Gary is not Gary.

Gary is currently a morph ball, having combat rolled out of the way of the tentacle at the perfect moment.

The tentacle undulates, and spits spikes out around itself.

Gary unmorph balls himself, and deftly backflips over the spikes.

Gary lands in front of the teleportation console.

Gary has never used one before, but he assumes that all he needs to do is send some mana into the orb.

The spikes land everywhere around the laboratory, hitting some of the corpses, and dissipate.

The corpses start screaming.

Piercing shrieks assail Gary's consciousness.

He's already added mana to the orb, but the portal is taking a damn long time to activate.

Gary sees a corpse crawling towards the open door of the teleportation room. White mist pours out of their skin. Gary can see the fingers turning into claws, and their eyes sinking into their face.

Gary dived into the portal that had finally appeared.

Gary appeared in the teleportation station of the city of Cal Evras. How lucky!

Gary was amazed at how remarkably airport like it was. Gary lined up, was patted down, had his baggage checked for contraband, and asked for the reason he was entering the city.

"Transportation. I need to get from here to Subardos, pronto" Gary anxiously exclaimed.

Gary did not have time to witness the beautiful treetop city. It stood above the midnight forest. High up in the clouds, and was a magnificent trade center. It had grown from a tiny outpost of elves to a shining jewel formerly coveted, and now administered, by the empire. One of the cities with the highest density of cultivators, due to the immense hunting value provided by the Midnight forest.

Gary was at the port of the city. This was actually an artificial island off the coast of the city created by the elves back when they were more xenophobic. They wanted the benefits of trade without having to see the stinking faces of the 'lesser' races. The port became immensely profitable, and the main motivator for the empire's recent subjugation. Elf goods tended to sell at extreme margins. The port was connected to the city via a teleporter, and thus Gary never had any need to leave the Teleportation Station.

Gary had a bad feeling about that laboratory, and he was not sticking around for the fallout.

Gary had managed to get aboard a ship that was leaving within the hour.

As the ship sailed away from the port a white mist slowly crawled off the midnight soil, and started making its way up the trees towards Cal Evras.

Gary often dreams about the screaming.

Gary sorted through his spoils.

He'd found nothing of real note. Most things were old trinkets he would have to sell, or letters that Gary would either burn or send off later with a note that the original writer was now dead. He felt it was the least he could do.

In one satchel Gary found an entire original trilogy of smut. Gary decided not to burn it if only to see how much he can get for them.

Gary examined the magical book he had found.

True Death Defy(incomplete)

This cultivation technique allows one to cheat death even within the Perfect Self realm. It is focused on the idea that reality is malleable, and that death, as part of reality, is also malleable. What a ridiculous idea. This technique is likely incomplete as its previous owner was indeed a corpse.

Gary's eyes glazed over. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

Gary had finally acquired a cultivation technique. Marvelous.