While Shane waited for Liz to catch up, he reopened the quest reward menu.

-You May Choose (2) of The Following Rewards-

(Unique) Sturdy Plate Repulser of Confusion

Heavy Armor that creates a defensive bubble that explodes

(Rare) Enchanted Acolyte's Staff of Sorcery

A powerful staff that can alter gravitational forces

(Rare) Crusader's Destroyer Bow

Projectiles used with this bow have AoE effects

(Unique) Enigmatic Retribution Ring

Using this ring summons something special for an opponent that also taunts them

(Rare Active Feat) Phase Roll

A feat allowing the user to bend their bodies into and out of light

(Rare Conjuring Spell) Sentient Arachnid

This spell lets you summon a powerful ally with unique conditions

Damn! He thought. I REALLY want all of these. He sighed and studied each reward carefully. Ultimately, he wanted at least one of the unique's on offer. Beyond that, he couldn't help but gravitate toward the new summoning spell. He opened his inventory and observed his current gear-set. Since Shane didn't yet have any accessories, the unique ring and sentient arachnid spell were what he picked.

Another window appeared when he was about to inspect his new rewards.

-Congratulations, You Are Now Level 6-

You have received 4 Soul Points!

You have received 10 Attribute Points!

You have received 1 Active Feat Slot!

You have received 1 Active Spell Slot!

He smiled, temporarily forgetting about the massive amount of experience from the quest rewards. Shane considered maxing out a single stat but thought better of it. He distributed the points reasonably evenly, with most going into Wisdom and Intelligence. The rest went into his various other stats.

Shane took a step back to marvel at his character screen. Even he could admit it was fun to grow and gain strength in a world like Endless Veil.

Name: Shane Carther

Race: Human

Class: Sage

Level: 6

Exp: 761/978

HP: 155/155

Mana: 07/120

Fatigue: 10/135

Soul Points: 6

Attributes:

Strength: 20

Agility: 19

Vitality: 22

Endurance: 20

Intellect: 24

Wisdom: 24

Luck: 22

Physical Attack: 30

Magical Attack: 0

Physical Defense: 30

Magical Defense: 29

His primary goal with leveling was to raise his Intelligence and Wisdom high enough to use the game's coveted "God-like" spells. Luckily, there weren't usually requirements associated with feats of the same level, outside of specifically powerful skills. Shane didn't realize it, but Liz had been looking over his shoulder at his stats for a while.

"Your stats are pretty evened out, but in a way that makes sense for your class. I like it!" She said with a bubbly tone.

"You think so?" Shane smiled.

"But it could be better. It looks like you have a focus on Mana and spellcasting. So when we start building your dwelling, you should focus on terminals that will synergize with that part of your build!"

They began walking again toward Krooth, its tall, majestic buildings shining in the distance.

"What, what do you mean dwelling? And…stations?"

"Well, as it turns out, building your own dwelling was an update made to Endless Veil after its incredibly successful launch. Great job, by the way!" she chirped as they walked.

Shane stopped for a moment. Liz turned and noticed he had a huge grin.

"That's awesome!" He exclaimed as he pumped his fists in the air. "I knew everyone would love it! Wait, how did you find that out, Liz?"

At first, Liz couldn't help but share in Shane's joy. When Shane asked how she knew, she replied a little more seriously—her voice adopting the tone of a teacher lecturing a student.

"I was created by The Director that governs the system of this world. Since I am a part of it, I also have some knowledge of the outside world. I'm sure you aren't surprised at The Director's capabilities at this point."

He knew she was referring to The Director's ability to monitor the outside world and, even more impressively, its ability to create a digital copy of its creator. Shane continued walking but didn't reply. He instead gave her a half-smile and a few quick nods in acknowledgment of that evident truth.

Just before Shane was going to further inquire about dwellings and stations, Liz floated on ahead. She stopped near the body of the deceased doppelganger. Shane was a bit surprised to see the body hadn't disintegrated into data yet. He used his foot to nudge his previous iteration's chiseled body. The moment he did, a new window opened up.

-Would You Like To Loot Corpse?-

Accept/Cancel

Shane accepted the prompt.

-You've Received The Following-

Cane's Resonance Shard

Shane curiously pressed on the item, which brought up another window with further information.

-Cane's Resonance Shard-

Fragmented pieces of Cane's (Corrupted Shane's) mind. Some memories remain. It can also be used to inherit some scant traces of Cane's class.

Shane excitedly turned to Liz and told her what Cane's body had dropped for him. Her eyes sparkled with an equal level of enthusiasm for his discovery.

"Has this kind of thing happened before while traveling with him, er, me?" Shane asked while pointing at Cane's corpse, now breaking down into digital dust.

Liz shook herself from left to right a few times.

"Not really! Something could have happened while I was damaged and unaware. I was out for at least a few weeks. Maybe the shard will show you something?"

"True," Shane said while grabbing the shard from his inventory. It was long and thin in shape, with ends that thinned out into a sharp point. As he rotated the crystal, it reflected random glowing colors in its many rigid angles. Shane focused on it in his hand as he closed his eyes.

Flashes of light assaulted the inside of his eyelids as the subtle music of nature around him receded, slowly replaced by the sounds of new places and people.

The flashes were intensely vivid as if he were dreaming them. A floating island that looked like a wasteland. A hot desert with sand dunes rivaling mountains. A small tavern with a warm fireplace and a friendly owner.

These all must have been places I visited in a previous life, Shane thought. It was odd thinking of earlier copies of himself as previous lives, but it wasn't technically incorrect. The flashes were like a slideshow set to fast-forward on a Blu-ray player.

An erupting volcano that spewed molten rock high into the sky. Snowy mountain peaks looming over a small yet wealthy kingdom. Wet marshlands that hid dangerous beasts and deadly flora.

Shane groaned inside his mind. It's all too much! He had to slow it down, or he would have to stop from the pain. It took some time, but after several deep breaths and concentration, he slowed down the onslaught of fragmented memories. The flashing of random scenes became closer to a memory he could almost re-live like a first-person movie.

In one scene, Shane saw himself fighting a heavily armored centaur. In another, he was haggling with a stingy merchant for supplies. Seeing his previous self's history in real-time was astonishing—Shane couldn't help but feel it was both fantastic and tragic. His concentration waned for a bit as he let the scenes play out one after another while occasionally taking in small details.

A voice snapped his attention back into focus. He fixated on it and was met with darkness, but the sound was thankfully louder. Shane tried listening intently. He was talking, but it sounded like it was coming through a wall—there weren't many words he could make out.

Shane took another deep breath and concentrated with everything fiber of his being. The voice slowly became coherent, and what Shane thought was darkness was actually just a lack of light in a dank, damp dungeon setting. A dark figure was standing in front of him down a dark hallway. Lit only by a small open hatch that led to a bright moonlit sky.

"Please, I'm looking for a powerful healer. Do you know where I can find one?" He heard himself ask.

The person cloaked in darkness shook their head side to side.

"I'm only here to offer you a way out of this cursed existence," said the man, his voice sounding artificially deeper than it should be.

"Listen, all I care about is finding a capable healer, but even if I wasn't, I'm enjoying this world and what it offers me. I'm living my own fantasy. Not a lot of people can say that."

"You're very naive," said the shadowy man in disappointment. "What would Dad think about how you're choosing to live, I wonder?"