The profession that spoke to him was much like Lifeweaver, in that its description was vague at best.

  Seeker: Trace and uncover the secrets of The Greater System.

  After talking with Relian and spending some time in a dungeon, Luke felt more curious than ever about what The System was and what it offered. This profession was a way of learning more, he hoped. And he had an inkling that maybe, just maybe, it would give him an edge going forward.

  He'd reached level 9 now and was likely the highest level in all of Chicago, since he was one of six who had been through the first and only dungeon. Still, level 9 was nothing. He needed more, needed the power leveling up granted him. It was a rush, that level-up notification. Feeling himself improve. Grow stronger. Finally, it felt like he was doing something with his life. Something good and right.

  Many other professions offered bonuses right away, by creating equipment, crafting traps, boosting items and gear, and even speaking the tongue of some monsters in dungeons, while others still offered a different sort of power, one that complemented your class, like a sort of specialization.

  Luke knew knowledge would trump them all, and what profession would be better at finding that knowledge than the Seeker? He chose Seeker. Confirmed his pick, and grinned when he read the first, and only, bonus offered by his profession:

  Sense Dungeon. Profession skill. Seeker: The Greater System sees your innate curiosity and grants you the ability to sense the location of dungeons.

  Pleased with himself, Luke sped up a little, hoping that he might get another stat point from Boon of Potential on his run back to the house. This addition to his powers was just what he'd hoped for. Other than the orb and the classes themselves, dungeons were his only connection to The System, or The Greater System, as the label read. Relian mentioned The Greater System. That alone piqued his interest.

  No new skills had appeared since he reached level 5, and he guessed he'd get something new at level 10. The only one available to him now was the useless skill of making his staff unbreakable for a moment. It was even more useless now that he didn't even have his quarterstaff anymore. Luke dismissed the interface. He wouldn’t waste a skill point on The Healer’s Staff. He’d rather save the point and use it later, when he leveled up again and more skills became available to him.

  Once he got out of the inner city and set a comfortable pace, Luke felt himself getting into the groove of running and even found some enjoyment in it. That got him thinking. Boon of Potential granted him something special. The ability to get stronger without leveling up. That, combined with the points for each new level-up, meant his attributes had the potential to surge upwards. This truth only held if he trained the attributes, however. Strength training in the gym had never been something he cared much about, but now he had several low physical attributes that needed boosting, not just strength, but agility and endurance as well.

  He could get some agility and endurance from running, but to get the most out of this, he needed to hit the gym and improve that aspect of his Integrated attributes. Come to think of it, he should take up some sort of martial art as well. Since the only weapon he could use was a staff, focusing on that was a given.

  Ray seemed to have gained some innate knowledge of combat when he picked the Assassin class, but Luke didn't have anything like that. What he did have was the determination to improve. He'd have to go online and see if there were any martial arts using staffs in Chicago, and he'd have to get a new one somehow. Some boxing training or the like would be beneficial as well, just to practice movement and improve his footwork. Standing around to let any little goblin stab him with a spear was something he wanted to avoid, if possible. Not a great experience the first time, and not one he wanted to repeat.

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  With the first portal dungeon cleared, there was some time to think about his next steps. But any change would need money. The 50K from Alan would be a great start, but he still needed to help his parents out.

  Keeping that in mind, he brought out his phone, fumbling a little with it as he ran, and texted Alan.

  "Do you want me to take a look at your brain again?" Luke texted.

  He didn’t get an immediate reply, so he put the phone back, then thought of something and took it back out. He checked eBay. Just as he thought, the most popular items on there were loot from dungeons. Even crappy things like a goblin eyeball and a health potion were up to almost $10,000, and he almost stumbled when he saw a cracked, ugly little monster core going for $25,000.

  If he hadn’t sold that Groll Champion Monster Core in the Integrated shop system, he could have made a killing. He considered listing the core of the knight or Flesh Golem, but decided not to. The likelihood of getting scammed was just too damn high.

  Once he made it back to his house, panting but not quite as exhausted as on his first run, he hadn't gained a single attribute point. He rushed in to find Milla on the couch, still looking a little worse for wear.

  "He returns," their father said. "Your mother was worried sick about you."

  "I'm fine," Luke said.

  He kept his attention on Milla. "You touched the orb?"

  She nodded. "I did, little brother."

  "It's dangerous," Luke said, sitting down on the couch between Milla and his father.

  "I mean, I got through the Tutorial Dungeon just fine," Milla assured him. "Healing is simple enough, and I didn't have to run around much. So, what class did you pick?"

  "Lifeweaver," Luke said. "It's a type of healer."

  "You picked a healer class too, huh?" she asked. "Mine is called Bloomcaller. You didn’t choose healer because of me, did you?"

  "That wasn't the only reason," Luke said. "Can I take a look at you?"

  "But I already tried," Milla said. "I told you already, it doesn't work. I couldn't even heal Dad's headache."

  The moment Luke entered the room, Weaver’s Eye told him that something was wrong with Milla, but he hadn’t quite been able to figure out what. Their father was fine, but Luke didn't need his skill to know that. The stubborn boomer just needed to drink more water.

  Milla pulled back from the Thread of Mana. "What's that?"

  "It's how I heal," Luke said. "Now sit still."

  "Doesn't seem very practical," Milla said, but she didn't shy away again.

  Using Threads of Mana, Luke let his mana move through her skin and deeper to interact with her mana channels. Milla's lungs were in a bad way, withered with poor elasticity. When she breathed, they didn't expand the way they should. Despite the obvious symptom of something being wrong, he saw no reason for it anywhere. The lungs looked healthy enough to his senses, but his knowledge of medicine was intermediate at best.

  "It’s your lungs," he said.

  "No shit, Sherlock," Milla said with a nervous laughter. "You should be a doctor."

  Luke opened his eyes and looked up at her. "I’m something better than a doctor now."

  Hoping with every fiber of his being, Luke spent most of his mana, flooding her lungs to heal them, since he didn't have a clue how to do it with Needle of Life. Pouring in more and more, he used enough to bring someone back from the brink of death. Grinning, he opened his eyes again. It'd worked.

  Watching his sister draw in a deep breath afterward was perhaps the best feeling he’d ever had in his entire life. Tears formed in her eyes as she pulled the nasal cannula, the little tube thing that carried oxygen from the tank and into her nose, off, drew in another breath, and then cried out. "Little brother!"

  She threw herself into his arms, laughing and crying her eyes out.

  "It worked?" their father asked behind them.

  Their mother entered the room from the kitchen. "Oh, Luke, you're home. Thank goodness." She stopped and looked at Milla, Luke, and their father. "What is going on in here?"

  The chaotic swell of emotions lasted a little while before Luke was finally able to take a shower. After that, Milla joined him in his room, where he sat on his bed. Luke took another look, frowning.

  "Your lungs are much better, but they are still not back at full capacity."

  "I don’t care," Milla said. "I can breathe." She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath through her nose and then expelled it through her mouth before hugging him again. "You did it, little brother."

  "Did what?" Luke asked, hugging her back.

  "You cured me. Just like you said way back then."

  "I did, didn’t I?" Luke said, smiling again. "Now you're going to owe me for the rest of your life."