He opened his eyes. His body felt clean. His mind, lucid. He breathed in and out a few times, throwing the visions into the back of his mind, and identified himself.

Caesar

Level 21: 17 Free Stat Points

Ability: (Essence Crown) Dominate (A) – Rank 2

Facet: (Essence Fusion) Group Regeneration (D)

Strength: 9 -> 14

Agility: 12 -> 17

Vitality: 16 -> 21

Magic: 5 -> 10

Willpower: 14 -> 19

Spirit: 6 -> 11

(Essence Crown): Steal the essence of enemies slain to power the crown. Mark enemies up to your rank to bind their essence cores and summon them after slain. Store up to eight cores at a time and summon a maximum of three. Hold up to two marks. Replenish marks with essence or time.

(Essence Fusion): Fuse a weaker essence core into another to empower and alter it with additional traits. Fuse a core of equivalent strength into another to create a new being but fail with lesser compatibility. Attain more fusions by increasing cores’ strength.

Why are you so vague?

Two marks registered in his mind, having regenerated after the rank-up. Dominate now displayed a maximum limit of two creatures at once, confirming Arnold’s words of the possible sublimation path. But he suspected the system could not register his ability for whatever reason, choosing Dominate as a suitable substitute, and Group Regeneration as a facet. Whether this might affect an ability that discerned others’ abilities remained to be seen if they even existed.

Unlike before, his essence healing was available to him and his summons even without any abilities activated. It had become passive. But activating the Essence Crown quickened the regeneration rate, unlike the red orb.

He checked his items’ updated descriptions.

[Item]: Soulsear Coin – Rank 2

[Rarity]: Uncommon

[Effects]: A cursed coin that activates upon touching bare skin, reducing Spirit by 3 for three minutes. Each additional curse applied will only reduce Spirit by one point.

Although the Spirit reduction was miniscule, using these against somebody with few points in Spirit might end up denying them access to critical skills like Rain of Fire. He pocketed them with a smile.

[Item]: On the Construction and Coherence of Undead Abominations

[Rarity]: Rare

[Effects]: Contains knowledge on the necromancy spell [Create Undead Chimera], using Discordant Cores to improve success rates.

He looked at the ground. Next to the skull and scepter lay a glimmering sphere – the Discordant Core of the Undead Abomination. It was perfectly intact, and as a rank two material containing chaotic energies, did not necessarily have to be used for necromancy. He saved it in a pouch, then picked up the scepter.

[Item]: Scepter of Undeath – Rank 1

[Rarity]: Rare

[Effects]: When wielded, increases the Strength and Agility of user’s undead summons by 1 up to rank 1 limits. Once a day, the scepter can cast [Repair Undead] at 10 Magic. Both effects doubled for created undead.

Finally, an artifact. He tested it with his spear. Although he could grasp both with one hand each and apply the effect to his skeleton mage, it’d reduce his combat capabilities. On the other hand, his summons counted as created undead.

Caesar strode to the entranceway and sent his Ever-Shifting Faces to check the situation outside before he climbed up.

With the path clear, he exited the posthouse and confronted the Spectral Warhorse from earlier. The Curse of Impotence proved too much for it. It drowned under spellfire while staggered and slowed. After its death, a black wisp flew from the subsequent explosion and into Caesar’s crown.

Spectral Warhorse: Uncommon

Level 21: 21 Free Stat Points -> 1 -> 0 Free Stat Points

Ability: Immolation (D) – Rank 2

Facet: Meltdown (C)

Strength: 8 -> 13

Agility: 8 -> 16 -> 21

Endurance: 8 -> 13

Magic: 8 -> 20 -> 25 -> 26

Willpower: 6 -> 11

Spirit: 6 -> 11

[Immolation (D)]: An ability that lights the user on fire, dealing fire damage to all nearby entities based on Magic. No damage is done to the user, and the ability may be toggled off at will.

- Footprints leave a burning imprint on the ground, lasting as long as the user maintains the ability.

[Meltdown (C)]: A facet that allows the user to explode themselves at will, dealing massive fire damage in a moderate range based on Magic. Triggers passively on death.

Caesar was unable to stack more points into Magic until the first twenty points were spent before the rank one limit – twenty, which would then be twenty-five after ranking up. He frowned but prepared himself to test his new facet.

Caesar willed his two most recent essence cores to merge together in his mind. He dubbed this merge a “minor fusion,” and the other merge as a “major fusion.”

He met resistance and pushed, and the core representing the Bloated Corpse began to melt into the warhorse’s core. The process was slow, and he had to maintain close focus. There was no way he’d be able to do this in combat.

It succeeded. Caesar checked its new stats.

Spectral Warhorse: Uncommon (Fused Bloated Corpse)

Ability: Volatile Charge (C) – Rank 2

Magic: 26 -> 28

[Volatile Charge (C)]: An ability that lights the user on fire and accelerates forward with increasing speed based on Agility, dealing fire damage to all nearby entities based on Magic. No damage is done to the user. Triggers Meltdown after use, leaving a fiery pool on impact.

- Footprints leave a burning imprint on the ground, lasting for the duration of the charge.

A good stat increase. Caesar hoped the ability’s damage improved more than what was stated since Meltdown didn’t change either. From the facet description, he wagered minor fusions could be applied once for each rank. He tried to move the essence core again but failed. While he couldn’t fuse this warhorse into another core, the skeleton mage could still be fused into it.

The stables contained an enchanted saddle, which morphed itself to fit the spectral warhorse. He placed it into the skeleton mage’s bag with the rest of the loot and continued exploring, trying to find the source of water from before.

A well sat like a bottomless abyss, further down the hillside, entrenched in a slope. A chill emanated from the mouth, and the Ever-Shifting Faces shook its head at him, indicating danger. He peered downward and clicked his tongue at the murky water that filled his vision. To start the fight, he summoned the skeletal mage.

His party retreated up the hill with the mage’s equipment while it sent spells into the water. It took a scant few seconds before a shriek sounded out and a ghostly figure floated into the air. Caesar replaced his skeleton mage with his new spectral warhorse beside him and identified the ghost.

Wraith – Level 21

[Rarity]: Rare

The hippo moved down the hill, applying a Curse of Impotence and blasting it with Bolts of Decay. These bolts had little effect. Caesar narrowed his eyes and commanded his Ever-Shifting Faces to attack as well. Although Mind Spikes had a greater effect, distorting the wraith’s form with each attack, it'd take too long to kill.

The hippo bit down, but the wraith flowed out from its jaws and placed its hands on the behemoth. It leeched Vitality, ignored the shield, and took no physical damage. Its speed frightened him a little.

Caesar took drastic measures. He was not willing to test the warhorse’s explosion in such a close environment, so he sprinted further uphill and ordered it to charge once he reached the posthouse.

After he reached the top, he unsummoned his hippo without turning around. A good thing too – the wraith had just disappeared, causing the horse to ram into the behemoth and explode. The heat tickled his back. One could only imagine how much damage the hippo received.

[Notice]: Your Spectral Warhorse has died.

The wraith reappeared in the same spot it had been before, now replaced with a monstrous conflagration. Fire clung to the ghostly figure. It screamed and wailed, fleeing back toward the well. But its home had already been destroyed in the blaze. Although a geyser gushed from the wreckage and splashed onto the flames, diminishing the heat, it wasn’t enough to save the wraith. Black energy gushed over and began to heal the hippo’s core.

Once enough time had passed, Ca­esar resummoned it to clear away the rubble. All of a sudden, he heard the ground rumble far in the distance. He frowned. Must be the others. While the Ever-Shifting Faces explored the water under the well, he deliberated his next decision.

The underground area likely had lots of potential loot and experience. But it’d also look highly suspicious if anyone discovered him wandering. Furthermore, there was a good possibility the other members of Arnold’s group could also find the underground area on their own, allowing him to pick up scraps if he joined them instead. And if he came across the other group instead, he could easily kill them with no loss.

Having made his decision, he picked up a rank two icy crystal from the mouth of his horror and started to flee. He dashed from here to there, jogging occasionally, and tripping in rugged terrain to scuff up his clothes some more. A cover story formed in his mind. Not long after, he came across a pair of unlikely teammates – Lily and that stern guard from earlier.

Their eyes widened as they saw him approaching. She seemed relieved, while the bodyguard seemed surprised. Caesar looked just as shocked to see them, and the large thorny humanoid standing next to her. He shuffled up to her side and dropped to his knees, panting. She looked a little panicked, reaching out a hand to help him but paused.

The man looked disgruntled at the time he took to catch his breath. A few coughs rang out, but he ignored them.

“Caesar, what happened? Where’s my brother?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know. I came from over there with the other guard guy. We got separated after an ambush. I ran and hid; he fought. Probably dead by now. Heard an explosion from his direction.”

She nodded and cursed. “Sorry about this, Caesar. We had no idea the dungeon would be like this.” Lily paced around the area while he took a good look at the scenery. Three crumbled buildings stood in three points, forming a triangle.

“What happened here?” Caesar asked.

“A miniboss.” She studied the three ruins and the ground. “We let it explode to signal the others here. But if you came back first, then…” She trailed off and walked in between the destroyed buildings. “My brother’s pretty reckless, right?”

He nodded. In combat, Arnold always led the attack.

“It’d make sense for him to do risky things without the rest of us. Keep an eye on that guard for me.” Lily walked over to the middle of the three wreckages with her summon and ordered it to start digging.

The bodyguard seemed confused. He spoke with a deep voice, “Shouldn’t we go somewhere else? What’s she up to?”

Caesar shrugged. In truth, he did know, but kept pretending. “Finding her brother?”

“In the ground? What’s wrong with you?”

The golem dug for a long time before it hit something hard. The three went over to take a look. Stone carved in intricate, ornate patterns revealed itself. Lily swung open the wooden trapdoor and peered inside. She nodded at him and jumped, landing on a stone platform. The two men looked at one another, hesitated, but followed.

Dim energy particles lit up the tower below. The group tiptoed down the stairs, wary of attackers. At the bottom, a closed iron gate blocked their path. Lily’s golem went over to the winch at the back of the room and opened it.

The group continued down the dim hallway. Dry skeletons huddled together on the walls. Pieces of bone lay scattered on the floor as if a beast had come in and savaged the corpses. They stopped before the entranceway to a massive, pitch-black room. The snores of a beast echoed from within.

Lily grew thorn spears in the shape of a shoddy barricade. Caesar noted the improved quality of her thorns. Some looked sharper and thinner, almost like javelins. The guard walked in front as a barrier flashed around him and pulled out a sword. Gargantuan red eyes opened in the darkness. The monster growled and tore the air open.

A wolf claw swiped in from the side, on a colossal humanoid arm. It tore straight through her barricade and smashed the bodyguard into the wall. His barrier lasted for no more than a second. Lily looked shocked and stepped back. Another arm crawled into view from the darkness. Too small. He immediately registered how the skeletons had died.

It crept into the doorway and morphed its claws into fingertips. These feelers searched the room for them, slithering up the ceiling and down the walls. Caesar kicked a skull at it, delaying it for another second. The two backed up as the hand approached them. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from ahead.

“Over here! An exit!”

He looked at Lily and nodded. Caesar sprinted to the door with the thorn golem as thorny armor covered him. The monster’s wrist flexed, knocking him forward. It chased, giving Lily room to flee. The other hand outside was scurrying around the area where the guard had collided with. It didn’t notice the duo as they ran to the exit.

The man dropped the gate once they made it through. A shriek sounded out – the gate had pinned the tip of its finger to the ground. They kept running.

A small wooden door presented a safe opportunity for the party to rest. No terrible beast hid here, only an unlit fireplace and plenty of supplies for a cozy rest – a stark contrast to what lay outside. Lily checked the man’s wounds while Caesar buried his face in his hands. He looked spooked, but inside he was actually thinking about how to kill that monster. He guessed it was another chimeric abomination, meaning its first ability would likely be passive. It should be an easy fight for something that could dodge well.

He stood up to take a walk outside. Lily apologized again for her mistake, but he shook his head. He didn’t blame her for not having vision of the monster. Truth be told, he himself would be hard-pressed to fight it in the room without his hippo. The key to fighting these distorted beasts was to exploit their weakness.

Caesar summoned his Ever-Shifting Faces through the gate. It glanced at the monster and nodded back at him. Good. He told it to use Hallucination to mimic sounds of breathing after the deed was done, perhaps to ward anyone off from following them, and walked back into the safe room.

The bodyguard had just finished drinking a healing potion and was now clutching his arm. Caesar sat against the wall and closed his eyes.

The group took a short nap before they continued. Most of the hallways remained empty, although some held rusted or damaged items. Large rooms contained the decaying corpses of monsters similar to those he had encountered. After a few more rooms, the walls began to resemble the ones in the abomination’s room.

He was almost certain they were heading towards the room he had been in before. The party hurried into a colossal tunnel, wary of the space. Lily lacked power in this dungeon, devoid of plants. With no way to make snap reactions, she focused on keeping herself and Caesar alive, in an effort to make up for earlier. The bodyguard had no such qualms. He seemed more worried about not finding his charge and walked steadily ahead, with a clear purpose.

Caesar was just about to suggest hugging the right wall when the sound of wheels and hooves appeared in the distance. Lily and the guard did not miss this chance to let loose. The fight was quick – a vast improvement from earlier.

She stopped staring at the ceiling. Her mood lightened, and she chatted a little with Caesar. The guard slowed down his pace too, becoming less grim.

The team ran into another chariot before a small, well-lit doorway appeared off to the side. They went through there – avoiding the abomination room entirely – and encountered a more manageable abomination: a zombie with three heads. Lily patted him on the shoulder to stay back.

Caesar leaned against the wall. A dull numbness had settled inside him during the trip, and he wanted out. Restricting himself like this made him feel powerless. The call for adventure rang in his bones. He weighed the options in his mind: stay with Arnold and continue pretending, hope to get lucky exploring the Wilderness, or leave the area entirely for new places and sights, where his parents might have gone.