Before Alex got lost in trying to use his enchanting skill, he wanted to speak with his team and check on the status of the new people. He knew that when he started experimenting with the new profession, he would disappear for hours. It was also a good idea to relay the advice of professions to the rest of the team.

  I know when I give them the advice, they’re going to ask where it's coming from, and only Derek knows about my racial changes. Maybe it's time to tell them, too.

  He quickly found Sam sitting outside the cave, unfocused and clearly lost in the System Store, again. Alex flicked him on the ear.

  “OWW! What the hell, dude?” he vigorously rubbed his ear trying to make the pain go away.

  “Where’s the rest of the team? I need to talk to everyone.”

  “Uhhh, they were here a few minutes ago. Probably still around.”

  “Alright, wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  Alex returned five minutes later with everyone. He got lucky that everyone was still around camp, and even Rykos had returned from scouting.

  “Come on, Sam,” he said when he walked by. The rest of the team was trailing behind him.

  He led them to the council room. The chamber was empty while they were outside helping the newcomers. Inside the room, he channeled earth magic and raised a stone wall.

  “Blocking the entrance? That's not sketchy, dude. Not at all,” Sam said to them, looking casual and relaxed, despite what he said.

  “Is everything okay, Alex?” Sarah asked.

  He raised his hand to wave down her concern, “Everything is okay. I just need to share some things with you, and I’d rather not be interrupted. Some of the things I want to discuss, Derek already knows, and I just didn’t have the opportunity to share them with the rest of you.”

  Derek nodded, understanding what the conversation was going to be about.

  “Let me start at the beginning…”

  Sarah, Sam, Korgrith, Rykos, and Derek all listened as Alex wove his tale. He told them what happened after he fell into the cave: how he found the ruins, the book, the integration that threw him into the dungeon, and changed him into something else.

  He told them about his class and new race. He shared what happened during his evolution, how he spoke to Archy, and all the information he gave him on his race and history. Well, as much as the old man was willing to share.

  The group asked some questions here and there, and he answered honestly, holding nothing back. He knew he needed to trust them. It was difficult for him to trust people before the integration, but so much had happened so quickly that he found he did. These five people had become important to him.

  “Soooo… you're not human? You look normal except for your hair and eyes.” Sam asked, eyebrow raised.

  “Nope. I’m a Progenitor, whatever the hell that is. But as far as I can tell, I look fully human aside from those. Can’t say I’ve had a mirror, but I haven’t noticed other physical changes. The biggest changes are to my personality and my brain in general. I think differently, want different things, and have different emotional responses.”

  Derek nodded. “I’ve seen what you're talking about. We talked about this a bit before, but I’ll repeat it for everyone here. You’re a lot different from when we first met when entering the cave. More decisive, commanding, and more of a leader all-around. Plus a little murder-y.” He gave a wry smile.

  “Exactly. Being a Progenitor had completely changed my brain. It pushes me to take on leadership roles and won’t settle for me standing by while someone else leads. Its why you’ve seen me give speeches, ensure I’m in command, and get angry if anyone under me is threatened. Progenitors are possessive and protective of what’s theirs. Including people under their command. I can’t really stop myself from doing these things; it's who I am now. Apparently, this also includes murder-y stuff, like revenge. If someone hurts what's mine, they’ll pay for it.”

  “I seeee… Not sure how I feel about being your possession, but glad you’ll avenge me!” Sam laughed a bit.

  “It’s not like that. Its more like.. A command structure. Those who fall under my command, for lack of a better term, are mine. And I’ll protect them in any way I can.”

  “I know, I know, I’m just teasing you, Mr. Space Alien.”

  Korgrith joined in next with a question, “You're not bound by the Universal System with your class?”

  “I’m not really sure how it all works. I think I just have more freedom in the system. I’m not limited by my class, skills, or even professions; I’m able to learn anything, from what I can tell.”

  “Why haven’t you learned Sarah’s healing magic or my smoke stuff?” Sam followed up.

  “From what Archy said, some mana types are more complicated. I’m too inexperienced or low-grade to learn everything right now. For example, he mentioned that healing magic is highly advanced, even with the System teaching the skill.

  The only reason Sarah can use it is that the Universal System makes it easy because of her class. I would have to learn it without the system teaching it to me.”

  “That… makes sense,” hand on his chin, thinking about what Alex had said. “I’ve noticed the differences in my own mana type when manipulating them. Fire mana is much more basic compared to my newer ones.”

  “Exactly. I’m just speculating, but I feel there are different tiers or grades of mana. If you noticed, the original mage classes say Basic, as do the mana types. When I learned all four basic mage elements, I got a skill called [Basic Elemental Mastery]. Which means the other mana types won’t be considered basic; they would have to be higher.”

  “I see wh—” Before Sam could reply, he was interrupted by Derek.

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  “Alright, alright, you two can geek out later on mana types, let's get back on topic. While I’m sure everyone appreciates you telling us your backstory and secrets, I feel like you didn’t just call us here for that. So what else is going on?”

  “Right. Has anyone accepted a profession yet?”

  Everyone shook their heads no.

  “Good. I have a little advice to share with you all. Follow it or not, that’s your choice. The advice came from Archy.”

  He told them about the reward he received from the event, his profession, that it came from the old man, and the letter he included. Alex detailed the profession advice for Rykos and Sam, and mentioned the others could wait. He opened the letter again and read each person's advice aloud.

  Rykos spoke up first, “Agreed. I will pick one he suggests.”

  “Same same. I was already leaning towards alchemy, and his advice makes sense.” Sam replied.

  Alex butted in before anyone else spoke, “You don’t need to decide now. Give it some thought. We don’t even need to pick. If you wanted to wait until after the tutorial, that’s probably fine too.”

  Everyone agreed to give it some thought, and they left it at that.

  “While we’re all here, how do things seem in camp?”

  Sarah stood up from her chair. “People seem hopeful. The announcements today are some of the only positive news they’ve heard since coming into the tutorial. While it’s true there are still more events to come, having cleared one is a boost to everyone's morale. The freed prisoners are settling in, the injured are being looked after, and everyone is fed. But it’ll take time for them to recover.”

  “Hmmm, that's good. Maybe we should take advantage of that then. We still have two full days before the next event starts, so maybe we should celebrate a little tomorrow. Have a large feast and cheers to one event being completed.”

  Korgrith nodded in approval. “Yes. That would be a good plan and would help uplift their spirits. We can hunt tomorrow morning for meat and any other edible things we can find. The System Shop Might also provide some new foods for the feast.”

  “Good idea, Korgrith. I’ll check the Shop in the morning and buy new foods, seasoning, and spices. Hopefully, there will be some vegetables in there, too.”

  Motioning towards Sarah, Derek added, “Sarah and I will coordinate with the council members first thing in the morning, to make sure they’re aware of everything and the plan. They can ensure it's all set up.”

  “I like it. This will be good for everyone. Even us. I’ll be happy to get some good food that isn’t just plain meat.” Alex responded. “But it’s getting late, let’s make sure everyone is situated for the night and then get some rest.”

  Alex removed the stone that covered the council room entrance, and then they went their separate ways. He spent the next hour wandering around the camp, helping where he could, buying any supplies that were needed, and making sure things were in order before retiring for the night. It had been a long day, and sleep came easily for once.

  <<<<<<<<<>>>>>>

  The following morning, he awoke early as usual. Alex felt rejuvenated and well rested.

  Man, that felt good to get some sleep. It's been a hell of a week, and last night was the first time I’ve slept well. Maybe because the first event ending was a bit of a relief? I’m not sure, but it felt nice.

  He did his usual morning stretch routine and just enjoyed it for a few minutes. No interruptions, no fighting, no stress existed for just that moment.

  When he exited his room and looked around the cave and the outside courtyard, only a few people were moving about. A majority were still resting. He could smell that some of the cooking fires were already started and could hear a few people training outside. But overall, the world was still pretty quiet.

  I could almost forget that we’re inside a death tutorial from a magic universe wide System.

  Almost.

  Outside the cave, he made a beeline for the cooking area. Hungry or not, he liked eating. Once he reached the cooking area, he noticed Kenneth was there, the man he learned water magic from.

  “Hello, Kenneth.”

  The elderly man turned at the sound of his name, made eye contact with Alex, and almost bolted immediately.

  “Sir! I mean A-Alex.. How can I help you?”

  “Relax, Kenneth, I’ve told you I’m just a normal guy. But I came over for some breakfast, and thought I’d say hello after I noticed you. What's on the menu today?” Alex motioned towards the cooking fires loaded down with pots or animals being roasted.

  “O-of course. There are just the usual meats, A-alex. Cragtusk, bovicus, elk, and a little bit of rabbit.”

  “Has anyone had any luck finding large amounts of fruits or vegetables?”

  Kenneth shook his head as he continued rubbing his hands nervously. “No. Just small amounts here and there. But we have noticed there are a few items in the System Shop that could be useful.”

  “I see. Well, I planned to check the shop this morning and buy various items for the camp. I’ll look into that after I eat something. Thanks for the info. I’ll take a few different meats, just to vary up my breakfast a bit.”

  “Help yourself.” Kenneth quickly scampered away, putting some distance between himself and Alex.

  I was really hoping he would be less afraid around me after last time. But I guess not.

  He took one of the carved wooden plates and loaded it with several different meats, then walked over to a fire and sat on a bench. He planned to scroll through the shop while he ate.

  These monster meats really aren’t bad. I can’t wait to get some seasoning, though, it's going to be soooo good.

  Now, let's take a look through the store and get some ideas. I’ll purchase them in private, though. Would be weird if a bunch of stuff started raining down on me while sitting here eating breakfast.

  The first thing Alex started with was food. Opening the main category, he didn’t recognize any of the names, not a single one: vegetables, fruits, seasonings, nothing.

  Where is all this from? I don’t see a single thing that was from Earth. Does the System just give us access to foods from throughout the universe? I’ll need to talk to the others and see if any of the beastkin or other races recognize any of this. If not, it’ll need to be tested to find out what they are.

  Alex quickly finished eating and found one of the beastkin.

  “Kren, do you have a moment?”

  “Hello, Alex. How can I help?” The elder catkin asked.

  “Can you open your System Shop and glance through the vegetables, fruits, and spices, then let me know if you recognize any? None of them are from my planet.”

  Her eyes glazed over as she reviewed the items; it only took a moment.

  “No, I don’t know any of the items I saw.”

  Alex sighed. “I was afraid of that. Can you round up a few of the other races from different planets and ask them to do the same? If no one recognizes anything, we’ll need a few people to purchase some and start testing them to see what they are, or which are similar. Maybe one person from each planet can examine and test them.”

  “That should be easy enough. There are a few different ones on the council. But we’ll need a human if your team is busy.”

  “Easy enough. Ask Kenneth Sutherland to help out. He’s an elderly man who helps out in the cooking area.”

  “Okay, I’ll gather the other council and Kenneth. Anything else?”

  "Did Derek or Sarah talk to you all yet this morning about a feast today?”

  “Yes, a few minutes ago. So I’ll be sure we have completed everything before lunch time.”

  “That would be great, thanks. You all are doing amazing work.”

  “We’re glad to help. It's good to be useful and able to make a difference here. But I’ll let you know after we’re done.” She waved and turned to go find the other members of their small council.

  Alex headed back towards his room. It was time to play with his new profession for a few hours. The urge to enchant something was strong, and he knew how useful the skill was going to be once he could do it.

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