I take a pair of cushions from my storage bracelet, make an improvised bed, and let my exhausted body fall on it. By the end of the fight, I had less than 10% of my mana left. It’s been a long time since I drained my pool that much in a single battle—I really had to give everything to win. A little less, and I would have lost on the final floor.

  I take the chance to check my status. I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait to receive my rewards.

  Maki: 12 years old – Intermediate Sapphire.

  SKILLS:

  ? Sharpness of Death (IV) – level 14

  ? War Architecture (IV) – level 8

  ? Deadly Arcane Construction (IV) – level 8

  ? Personal World (IV) – level 8

  ? Thundersnow (IV) – level 7

  ? Dimensional Step (IV) – level 3

  ? Advanced Vital Synthesis (IV) – level 4

  ? Crushing Zone (III) – level 14

  ? Raging Electrifying River (III) – level 8

  ? Gravity Surge (III) – level 4

  Laws and pseudo-laws:

  ? Yin Yang Law: Life and Death

  ? Celestial Dominion Law: Space

  ? Ice Pseudo Law

  ? Sharpness Pseudo Law

  ? Electric Pseudo Law

  Banner (special) – rank 1

  I gained a ton of levels! Finishing a hero-type dungeon always grants a huge wave of level-ups. It’s extremely satisfying to know all my effort paid off—especially during the last 5 floors, where things escalated to a whole new level.

  Gravity Surge was the most benefited skill; I got an absurd number of levels during these fights. It makes sense since I used it every moment and every movement. My body and mind are already accustomed to using it alongside my mental skill.

  Only one thing worries me. Will it be able to level up once it reaches rank 10? There’s always an invisible wall I can’t surpass unless I have a Law or Pseudo Law to empower it. I’m already dealing with trying to evolve my pseudo-laws into full Laws, and now I’ll have to learn a new one just to keep leveling what is currently one of my best skills.

  I hope this dungeon gives me a solution like the Fallen Hero Dungeon did, or else I’ll have to ask Cype when I return. Otherwise, I’ll be stuck… or forced to use another pseudo-law to push it further. That’s my last resort, something I want to avoid if I can.

  The same issue applies to every rank IV skill; once they reach level 20, if they don’t have a Law and a Pseudo Law supporting them, they get stuck. Level 30 is the max for rank IV, and level 40 is the absolute cap.

  In both cases, there are prerequisites to evolve skills to the next rank. I haven’t taken the time to study them well. My hands already have too many things to hold, and I’m still far from pushing any of these skills to rank V.

  I don’t know how much time has passed since clearing the last floor. I’m starting to feel anxious from waiting so long. Not knowing how much time has passed outside the dungeon is another problem.

  “Your rewards have been calculated!” Finally! I sit up immediately to read the next notification.

  “First, you may choose your reward! Afterwards, you will receive another depending on your choice.” The omnipresent voice is already making me think before I even read. I open the mental window to see the rewards.

  ? A new ability slot

  ? Item linked to the cube

  ? Weapon/armor linked to the cube

  ? Upgrade a Pseudo Law to a Law (Suitable for the user)

  ? Cube-enhancement resource

  ? Banner-enhancement elixir

  ? A Law Guide (Suitable for the user)

  ? Skill Fusion (Up to rank IV)

  ? A rank V skill (Suitable for the user)

  Nine options? That’s a lot. I reread the list just to be sure which to discard first.

  A new ability slot? Very useful short- and long-term. Having an ability slot makes mana and Imra management way easier. The difference is huge. But… I already have a free slot and I’m not planning to add a new skill anytime soon. My hands are full leveling what I already have.

  An object linked to the cube or a weapon/armor—both tempting. My Thundersnow Fangs have been incredible all this time; only Diamond or Obsidian ranks could break them. I don’t need another weapon or armor right now, maybe in the distant future, but not now.

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Thinking of a cube-linked item reminds me of my bracelets. Without them I would’ve never been able to fly before reaching Ruby rank. They also helped me improve my gravity control and related skills. I’ll leave this option as a “maybe.”

  Upgrading a pseudo-law into a full Law? Extremely tempting, and it would be tailored to me. In any other situation I would grab it instantly, but… right now I’m less than half a step away from evolving my three pseudo-laws naturally. Using a major reward for that isn’t efficient.

  A resource to enhance the cube? I’ve read and heard a lot about these. They can be liquid or solid, but they all serve the same purpose: making your next evolution easier. Results vary—a huge boost or barely noticeable progress.

  But the big drawback is becoming dependent on artificial growth, which can stall your own development. Hero dungeon rewards are the only exception—they never cause stagnation. This option is interesting, but uncertain.

  The same goes for the Banner elixir. Both are similar, just focused on different areas. My Banner has improved a lot these months, though slower than others. Being special comes with benefits and the price of progressing slowly.

  Both of these options I’ll save for last—they’re too valuable to ignore.

  Skill fusion is a special mechanic. I learned about it from Brendu recently. Combining two skills not only frees a slot, the resulting skill is often on a higher tier than others of the same rank. But synergy is everything—get it wrong and the result can be disastrous. For now, it’s a discard. I’m not planning to fuse any skills.

  Getting a rank V skill is similar. Many dream their entire lives of reaching Diamond rank and unlocking a rank V skill. For me, it’s unnecessary—eventually one of my rank IV skills will break through. Another discard.

  A Law Guide suitable for me? I almost picked it instantly. This could solve my gravity-law problem. Gravity Surge proved its worth in this dungeon, and I urgently need a Law to keep leveling it in the near future.

  I lie down on the floor, thinking through the best options, and begin discarding.

  After careful thought, I remove two at once: the Banner elixir and the cube resource. I understand their value, and I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again. But… I don’t need them right now. My cube evolved recently, and it’s far from the next evolution. And I’d rather improve my Banner on my own.

  That leaves two: a soul-linked item… and the Law Guide. I’ve had both types before, and both were extremely useful. I roll on the floor in frustration—I can’t decide.

  The space Law Guide was useless at first, but when I finally understood how to use it, the difference was enormous. There’s no way to measure how much it helped improve my spatial Law and affinity. And I could use a new guide immediately.

  My bracelets also proved their worth—granting me flight completely changed how I fight.

  “Which one should I choose?” Why is choosing a reward always this hard? I tug gently at my hair—I already had a bad experience tearing some out by mistake because I didn’t control my strength. I was scared for a moment that I would be left with a bald patch, but thankfully Life magic fixed it.

  “Damn it! I choose now or I’ll keep hesitating.” With my heart tight, I make a decision. If I keep doubting, I might even reconsider options already discarded.

  “I’m taking the Law Guide!” I shout—still somewhat hesitant.

  “These are the available guides.” The voice answers immediately.

  Among many options for ice, electricity, and other common affinities… I find the one I was looking for: “Gravity Guide.” I accept it without hesitation.

  “The guide will adapt to your needs and previous usage.” Fantastic. There are different ways to use gravity, and I won’t need to study all of them—I’ll receive what suits me.

  “The granted reward is an item linked to your cube: Ghostweaver Scarf.” Did I end up receiving a cube-linked item too? Excitement floods every inch of my body—it can’t be a bad thing.

  “As a special reward for clearing the dungeon in the top 3, a light enhancement will be applied to your Banner (dragon-based).” I almost fall backward from hearing about a special reward. I didn’t expect an additional one for my performance. Susan didn’t lie—this hero dungeon is more special than any other.

  I focus on the scarf materializing inside my cube. It appears in my hand, but I don’t feel it—it’s as if it has no weight, or rather, as if it doesn’t exist. It’s a strange sensation. I tie it around my neck, check my reflection in conjured ice… and it’s nearly invisible. I can only see it because I focus on it—or maybe because it’s bound to me?

  I focus on it, and a description appears: Made by an ancient and majestic tailor, forged with countless monster cores and materials capable of becoming invisible. Once worn by a legendary assassin and thief.

  Can I become invisible with this? I inject a bit of mana—nothing. Imra—nothing. Am I missing something? If it doesn’t react to mana or Imra… how does it work?

  Should I use both at the same time? I weave my mana and Imra together, delicately—and a second later, my reflection disappears from the ice.

  A thin layer wraps my entire body. Thanks to my good mana sense and Imra control, I notice something instantly—this item hides my presence almost entirely. It’s not just visual camouflage.

  It’s magnificent. Something I can use in countless situations. The only issue is consumption—it’s fine for now, but maintaining it for long periods might be tricky. I put away my new toy when another notification appears.

  “You will now be teleported out of the dungeon.” My mind flips, everything turns black instantly. It seems this adventure has ended—it’s time to return.