Reed continued, “Look, you know us CraftNesters are all about making, testing and crafting.”

  A few heads dipped in agreement.

  Luke nodded too, though his understanding of CraftNest was shallow at best. To him, they were the people who handed him cool gear, upgraded his armor, and somehow turned dead monsters into useful things. That had been the extent of his curiosity.

  Reed caught the look in his eyes and gave a thin smile. “Most of you think we just make cool stuff.”

  A few quiet chuckles moved around the table.

  “We don’t only do that,” Reed went on. “We study how mana behaves when it’s bound to material. When it’s twisted. Layered. Anchored. We map what works. What doesn’t.”

  “That’s what I do too,” Leslie said. “But instead of working with leather or bones, it’s all about the metal, baby.”

  She flashed the metal sign with her hands. “That’s why I’m proud to be a CraftNester as well.”

  Reed smiled. “Exactly. We’re all huge nerds who love the idea of making new things that previously didn’t exist in the world. We’re inventing new things and always trying to figure out why mana works.”

  Kanuka said, “Yeah, you guys have pretty much been dominating all the mana usage. All our fragments and loot from the Deadlands go to you.”

  Reed nodded. “One thing we’ve been speculating about is how mana flows through the human body. What Luke described matches that. He says it comes from his core, but he’s somehow pulling it from everywhere. Not just one point. That confirms th3 fact that it’s all over. Saturated not just born organically.”

  He leaned forward slightly. “So can you tell us why you think you might be the first person to cast a spell?”

  Luke shrugged. “Really, I don’t think I’m anyone special. I just go out with my team and do what I’m told.”

  WickerBasque lifted a tablet. “Here are Luke’s reports. He spends twenty-five percent more time in the Deadlands than any other member of his squad.”

  Luke blinked. “Really? I didn’t realize that.”

  He genuinely hadn’t.

  Ren nodded once. “So that might be why you became the first to cast a spell.”

  “I guess,” Luke said.

  WickerBasque tilted his head. “I don’t know. It seems like an obvious reason. But there are plenty of Black Masks out there who spend serious time outside, and they haven’t even casted. Not even a whiff of magic.”

  Luke frowned. “Huh. Oh. Wait. I know something. I’m Cracked.”

  WickerBasque paused. “Hmm. That definitely changes the curve.”

  “Hmmm,” Kanuka added, scrolling. “I have your medical records.” He pulled them up. “Your baseline markers are strong. When was your last full medical?”

  “I don’t know. Three months ago?”

  “So before the merge.”

  “Yeah. We only do them when they’re mandatory.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Kanuka looked up. “Do you mind if we run one now?”

  Luke hesitated, then shrugged. “Fine with me.”

  A couple of messages were sent out. Within minutes, a doctor stepped in with a compact diagnostic unit.

  The machine hummed softly as it began scanning Luke’s vitals.

  After a little while, the doctor said, “Yeah, we can definitely see that your baselines have improved. Especially compared to three months ago.”

  Luke stared at the numbers scrolling across the screen. “I don’t really get what any of this means.”

  Ren nodded. “I didn’t either when we first started scanning for this stuff. It would be easier if we had a game-like system like in Towerbound. Something that just quantified your level.”

  Reed leaned forward slightly. “If I had to simplify it, you used to be level zero. Now you’re level one. That’s probably the cleanest way to explain it.”

  Luke let out a breath. “Oh. Yeah. I hope I hit level twenty-something again.”

  Ren let out a low whistle. “Hey, Kanuka. This tracks exactly with me and Lorena’s improvement curve. And that’s just from living inside the Living Core rooms.”

  Kanuka fought their medical records, and leaned closer to the display. “You’re right.”

  Leslie folded her arms. “I think we’re on to something.”

  “So we’ve confirmed your baseline stats are above human. You’re out in the field more often. And you’re getting the same benefits we’ve seen from living inside the Living Core,” Ren said, moving his fingers as he spoke.

  They had agreed Leslie would run the meeting, but Ren was being Ren. He naturally slipped into leadership mode.

  Luke nodded. “You think that’s it? Those three things?”

  Ren shook his head. “There has to be more. Let’s really dig into this.”

  “Can you think of anything else?” Kanuka asked.

  Ren looked at Luke. “What role do you play in the field?”

  Leslie added, “And how often do you get hit?”

  Luke glanced around at all of them, listening as the questions stacked up.

  He tried to answer them one by one. By the third question, he had already forgotten the first two.

  “Uh, well, I’m a Black Mask. It’s only recently we started having defined roles. With the new setup, I’ll probably be a mage sniper. DPS.”

  Leslie nodded. “Yeah. That kit’s coming out fast. You’ll see the new version soon.”

  “Nice,” Luke said.

  He tried not to sound too eager. The scouts and tanks already had their upgraded gear. He had noticed and had been low key jealous.

  Ren tilted his head. “Mage Assassin. Until now, you couldn’t even throw a fireball, right?”

  “No,” Luke said. “I couldn’t.”

  Ren studied him. “Let me ask you something. When you kill something, do you prefer close or far?”

  Luke blinked. “Does it matter? I just need the kill.”

  Then he thought about it some more. “I guess I’ve always fought like I did in Towerbound,” Luke said. “I played a CinderSpark. Pepper the enemy with spells, then go in and finish them with a sword.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Except here, I’ve been using my gun more. Still, I like to finish things with my machete. It just feels more efficient sometimes. Does it matter?”

  “It matters,” Ren said. “For one thing, Leslie, can you pull up his equipment stats? Stuff he’s returned, broken, damaged.”

  “I can,” Leslie said. “You want his most current gear?”

  “No. His first gear. Then compare it to how other people performed.”

  “For what?”

  “I’m looking for melee damage.”

  Leslie blinked. “Melee damage? Like machete damage versus wear and tear on his rifle?”

  “Exactly,” Ren said.

  Everyone waited while Leslie worked.

  Luke shifted in his chair, suddenly very aware of how many breakage slips he had filled out over the months. He hoped this wasn’t about to turn into a lecture.

  Leslie finally turned her tablet around. “Here’s the neat thing. Luke has returned fifteen percent more equipment on average.”

  Luke’s face heated immediately. He knew this was coming. He broke things. A lot.

  Leslie kept going, not looking at him. “But his return rate is actually low for submachine guns and rifles.”

  Ren leaned forward. “Interesting. So it’s high for physical weapons?”

  “Exactly,” Leslie said.

  Ren nodded once. “Then yeah. That proves it. Another data point. You kill your monsters with your blade, not your gun.”

  Luke shifted. “Hey, I just feel better that way, you know?”

  Kanuka raised a hand. “We’re not complaining about your blade usage. That saves us bullets. We’re discussing how close you are to the monsters you kill.”

  Luke paused.

  “Oh.”

  Ren said, “Okay. So you’re Cracked. You always had higher than nothing mana sensitivity. You’re a Black Mask on regular duty, but you prefer close kills. Yeah. Is there anything else?”

  Luke thought for a second. “Well, let’s see, I was also one of the first squads to use the tower. The battle where we found out that teleporting is brutal.”

  Kanuka nodded slowly. “Good point. And you’re one of the Three of Ten, right? The guys they’re talking about in the songs.”

  Luke groaned. “That is so embarrassing. Yes. That song is about us.”