Two days later I have completed five thousand thrusts without a single failure. Out of that five thousand one was special, the thrust was so perfect that the ripple in the barrier was three times the normal size. The swordsmanship skill still hasn't leveled up so I am guessing I have to master Pierce before I can unlock the next sword form.

I also finished reading the how to make a skeleton book. I'm going to have to permanently sacrifice some of my demonic power to make it but I think it will be worth it. But first I have to make a skeleton body, if I don't make a body the sacrifice is much higher. So, I have been using fang bear bones to practice since I have never made a skeleton before.

Of course the final skeleton will be made from the drake bones but only after I have practiced a few times first. After going through my pouch I decided to get rid of all the other bones I have collected anyway, I would rather keep the drake's bones. Luckily the skeleton doesn't have to be exact, the spell will fill in the details, so I don't have to remember the hundred plus bones that make up a body.

As long as the mass of bones and the size of the skeleton are close to the goal the spell will fill in the details. As part of the process I will be able to sacrifice some of my skills to give them to the skeleton. I really wish I had known that before I learned the supreme swordsmanship, I could have given all those skills to the skeleton.

As I continue to practice making humanish bones the pile of completed bones in the corner of the room keeps growing. At the rate I am going it will soon look like a mass grave, but I can't think of any other use for those bones. After the skeleton I have decided to make a bow and arrows for Myria from the drake bone.

Since I can't use my forge here without Ruby, scrimshaw is pretty much the only craft I can work on. But it gives me something to do while I am resting after training with the sword. Besides, I really like the idea of having a skeleton minion to help me with the battles ahead.

I have been running from one battle to another since I arrived in this world, this is the first time I have been able to really relax. A long time training and improving without having to worry about being attacked is a good thing right now. The fact that the time lost outside is going to be very small also helps a lot.

As I think of it I check Drog's position, he has moved a little west. By that I can guess that morning has arrived outside and they have left the road to head west. Through all the trials and the time since it has been about two weeks for me, while outside has been a few hours.

From the speed Drog is moving it looks like they are not running, meaning the plan worked and the soldiers didn't catch up to them. This lessens my worries for them by a lot, it means I can focus on improving myself and escaping. Although, since I am going to be here for a long time, maybe I should think about improving the living conditions.

After all, the trial rooms are just plain empty rooms where I can't even hang my hammock. I can't pass the barrier but the barrier isn't right outside the trials, there is a space of normal rock. From what I felt from the barrier it is a sphere, meaning if I cut in at an angle back towards the barrier there should be a lot of normal space where I can make a room.

With that decided I put aside the scrimshaw and take my pickaxe out of the pouch and head for the cave outside the trials. Based on the curve of the barrier there should be about ten feet between the corner of the last room and the barrier. If I cut a tunnel about ten feet long from that point the available space should grow to at least fifty feet between the barrier and the walls of the trial.

However I don't really think I will need much space, room to hang my hammock, a cooking area, and maybe a bathtub. After a bit of experimenting I found that I can't use zap directly to cook because it damages the pot. But I can use it to heat rocks and then use them to make stew, it just takes a bit of effort.

Every swing of the pickaxe shatters the rocks in front of me, with my current strength it is too easy. As I cut the tunnel and the room I find no traces of ore or anything else interesting. Cutting the tunnel and the room ends up taking me two days, but the time spent is worth it.

*DING*

Congratulations! Skill Mining has progressed to level 10!

Mining

Level 10 ????

Str +10 End +5

You are adept at mining ore.

When I see the question marks I dig into the pouch and pull out an average beast core. Now I will only have one left, I wonder what skill will be the next I need to evolve.

Would you like to use the average beast core to evolve skill Mining? Y/N

"Yes!"

Congratulations! Mining has evolved into Expert Mining!

Expert Mining

Level 11

Str +12 End +6

You are an expert at mining ore.

'I wonder what comes after expert, is it advanced or master? And what type of beast core will I need to evolve it again? It will probably be awhile before I have to worry about it.'

As I was mining out the corridor and room I set aside the densest chunks of rock to use for cooking. Since zap damages them each time they will eventually be destroyed, but the denser they are the longer they will last. If I do end up here for years I will eventually run out and have to mine more.

Several more days pass as I continue to improve my living conditions and practice the pierce form. I can now perform it perfectly about one in fifty times, at this rate I should master it in about a month. Being able to use my hammock and get a good night's sleep does wonders for my mental health.

I wake up, eat a little, and then practice the pierce form until I am completely exhausted. I plan to do this time after time until I master it, once I see what happens when I master it I will decide my future course.

*DING*

Congratulations! Skill Weapon Master has progressed to level 2!

Weapon Master

Level 2

Speed and Damage with all weapons +10%

You are capable with all weapon types.

'Huh! I thought that skill was deleted with all the others? I will take it though! The ten percent damage boost is very nice since it applies to Blitz.'

A quick test and I can see that the ripples in the barrier are bigger. Not only that but the speed of the thrust is noticeably better even though it wasn't a perfect strike. Assuming the higher forms are more powerful I might just get out of here sooner than I thought.