"May Galdir have mercy on your soul," Viessa said, peering out through the massive hole in the shack. "You killed him."

  "He's not even dead." I rose off the ground, staring at the knocked-out brute as I drew heavy breaths.

  Using Abyssal Veil a second time confirmed it was indeed a channeled ability. While Xodoven had been trying to pelt my face with molten orbs, my stamina dropped in chunks with each shot Abyssal Veil absorbed. Although my fingertips had suffered toaster oven level burns from Xodoven's initial heat-up, overall I was in great condition.

  "I thought he was an ally. Did you lie to me?" Viessa asked.

  "No, he is our ally. And you might want to back away, he'll be up in a second."

  Xodoven opened his eyes and gasped for air. I took a few steps away, waiting for him to remember what happened, expecting a harsh retaliation.

  He sat up, took his helmet off, and a cool breeze swept his hair back like he was modeling for a shampoo commercial.

  Is he, OK?

  Viessa walked out through the gap in the shack. She approached Xodoven's side and outreached her gloved palms, but he pushed her away.

  "Don't bother, I'm unharmed," he said, voice deflated.

  Honestly, I was surprised he didn't set me ablaze the moment he regained consciousness. Maybe I had successfully bruised his ego after all.

  "It was a short distance, but you teleported without an incantation." Xodoven said, eyes wide with curiosity. "Where was your mana signature? I couldn't detect it."

  I shrugged, wondering how far I could get by playing dumb. "I used the same ability last night against those mercenaries."

  "I missed half of the fight while I was wading through the sludgecrawlers you lured in."

  "Eamon didn't mention it? He made quite a fuss about it after our spar"

  Xodoven's expression soured. "I'm coming to find out the old man failed to mention several things."

  Yes, focus on anything but the abilities I can't explain.

  "And how did you negate my Ignition spell? I saw you do the same thing when you fought the lich."

  "Those are the only secret techniques master instilled in me. I'm afraid their teachings cannot be replicated," I lied, praying to Justice herself to make this fool stop asking questions.

  "Displacement magic is impressive in its own right. But to cast negation magic moments later... It makes no sense. A negation spell powerful enough to stop Ignition can't be used while the mana fragments from a previous magic type still linger in the bloodstream," Xodoven looked into the sky, perhaps silently asking the gods for answers.

  Despite the word mana constantly being thrown around in this world, I didn't have the slightest clue as to what he was droning on about. By severely lacking knowledge, I had once again accidentally raised suspicions.

  I really should enroll in night classes.

  Xodoven yanked his gauntlets off, tossed them to the ground, and clapped his hands together. "Help explain it to me. Because I don't understand how your organs didn't explode."

  I was starting to wish I had actually broken Grimspark's neck when I had the chance. "The answer is already known within," I said, opting for the cryptic route rather than weaving another lie.

  Being entrenched in a false persona was tiring enough. Keeping track of every falsity I spewed was becoming impossible, and considering how the Hollow Demon lie had panned out, lying more could be outright detrimental. Bullshitting had its limits, and it was nearly impossible when faced with an expert in the subject matter I knew nothing about.

  "I've allowed several of my questions to go unanswered in respect of my duty. But don't dare keep playing me for a fool."

  "I'm bound by a pact of secrecy with my master," I said, turning my back. "Kill me if you like, but I'll never betray him and sully my honor."

  "You don't even know his name!" Xodoven whined. "All I'm asking for is a hint. A hint isn't a betrayal."

  "Look within, remember?"

  "Fuck." Xodoven huffed as he kicked a rock into the forest.

  Eventually he calmed down. Dropping the word 'honor' was truly a get out of jail free card it seemed. Relieved, I stretched my legs and walked over to our cart full of supplies. I grabbed my supply pack and did a quick inventory, emptying my belongings on the cart. Aside from a potion, and canteen, I was still in possession of the weird key I had gotten as a quest reward from the Emerald Dungeon, and the amulet I had stolen from Rook's corpse.

  "Where's the guardian's key?" I asked.

  Xodoven appeared at my side and tapped his chest. "I'm keeping it safe."

  He glanced down at my items strewn atop the cart and snatched up the amulet. "So this is how you did it?"

  "No, it's a memento from a Soul Viper employee." I reached for the amulet, but he swung it out of reach.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  The silver amulet dazzled with a ruby embedded in its center. "No… This still doesn't make sense. A negation amulet of this caliber couldn't have possibly stopped Ignition. What in the realm?"

  So that's what that amulet does.

  Confounded once more, Xodoven dropped the amulet in my palm and walked away dazed, his reality forever altered. I clasped the chain around my neck and tucked the amulet beneath my shirt.

  I restocked my supply pack with two rations, five mana and healing potions, a first aid kit, and refilled my canteen from a barrel of water. Waystone's villagers had been quite generous with their donations. There was still another crate filled with potions and clothes, and a third with rations.

  Content with my level of preparedness, I strapped the supply pack over my shoulder and slid it under my cloak. Although I appreciated the new clothing and armor Waystone had gifted, the quality was mediocre. The scalehide armor I had spent a pretty penny on was beyond repair. If I ever climbed out of the proverbial money pit, I swore I'd source some quality equipment.

  Scoring two stat points in a day was quite the accomplishment, but I sought the trifecta. "Xodoven, I must continue my training. Please stay here and watch over our belongings. I won't go far."

  ***

  Despite my many protests, Xodoven tagged along like an obsessed parole officer. He watched each of my movements closely, learning nothing as I simply ran laps up and down the hill with the sole intent of burning stamina in hopes of gaining another raw stat point. Without a witness, Shadow Weave would've been a far superior method to quickly drain my energy. But Xodoven sat on a stump with his legs crossed, unimpressed as the cardio session continued well into dusk. At least he wasn't complaining and it seemed he had given up on dragging us back to the guild early.

  I kept draining my stamina until the system's warning appeared, then I'd take a ten minute break before repeating the process several times.

  Initially, I only cared about gaining another stamina stat point, but after hours of stamina conditioning my ability to gauge its capacity had vastly improved. Now I could easily tell how much stamina each movement cost.

  Long after losing track of how many circuits I had completed, I skipped over a memorized series of logs and footholds with my eyes closed. Instinctively, I felt my stamina tick down right toward its low warning threshold.

  +1 Stamina

  I quit mid-stride, transitioning into a relaxed stroll still nearly a quarter-mile from the hilltop. I inhaled the fresh woodland air as I mulled over my achievement.

  +Stamina Proficiency Rank 1 Unlocked

  The second system message came as a total surprise.

  Proficiency Rank?

  Excitement fluttered through my chest as I finished ascending the hill. I was used to the lack of explanation regarding mechanics, figuring I'd know more once I accessed my status screen.

  Moonlight dressed Xodoven in harsh shadows. He sat hunched over on a stump, staring me down with a sinister look on his face. I drew closer, cautious from his odd demeanor. When I was almost within an arm's length, I exhaled a quiet breath.

  He was just fast asleep. Frankly, his resting expression was horrifying. Tense lines were etched across his forehead and his teeth were clenched like he was dreaming about biting into someone's throat.

  I doubled back with the utmost care, tiptoeing over twigs like a child sneaking down the hall for a midnight snack. I didn't risk going far, worried he had a sixth sense or some kind of bullshit magic that would alert him to my departure. I crouched down on mossy soil, reached into the supply bag under my cloak, and retrieved my pocket glass.

  "Die," a voice said in a soft, whistling tone.

  The sudden noise almost startled me into cardiac arrest. I looked up, but Xodoven was still asleep, head slack down with his chin tucked into his chest. Then I heard it again.

  "Dieeeee."

  This time the word was so drawn out it sounded like a loose string of syllables. Yet, it wasn't threatening or loud. I cupped my ear, pinpointing the sound.

  Grimspark is... snoring.

  Thoroughly disturbed, I shuddered realizing what it would sound like once we were all confined within the shack's close quarters tonight. Casting my worries aside, I flicked the pocket glass open, quickly accessing my status.

  Choose one passive stamina bonus.

  Endless Energy: Provides unlimited stamina for 60 minutes, potentially causing Stat Debt.

  Relentless Metabolism: Greatly increases passive stamina regeneration in proportion to caloric consumption. Starving becomes easier.

  Stamina Battery: Massively increases total stamina capacity. Breaching critical stamina levels result in death.

  Beyond the three choices, there was another tier of passives locked behind a blurred layer. Wondering how many more proficiency tiers there were, I tried scrolling further, but the status screen locked. No amount of eye twitching or instinctive mind flexing could flick the menu away. Would I gain another proficiency point for every 10 stat points I gained?

  Despite my curiosity, I focused on the three bonuses at hand. While they all offered great benefits, the cons were awful in the most drastic of ways. Unlimited stamina for an hour sounded incredible until I read the fine print. Whatever Stat Debt meant, I wanted no part in it. Trading the future for the present was never a solid choice. Although, it was certainly more appealing than starving to death.

  As some who had experienced several flavors of suffering, I deemed starvation as one of the most distasteful—a slow, and nefariously painful way to go. I refused to entertain the Relentless Metabolism bonus for that reason alone. How much easier would starving become? Would I need to eat three properly timed meals per day or keel over? Or maybe it would only reduce the average time it took to starve from 7 days down to 5. But without anymore information, I deemed it way too risky.

  And Stamina Battery may have enticed me if I hadn't already breached the critical stamina system warning less than 24 hours ago. Like usual, the system was viciously vague. If I knew the numbers I could do the math and make an informed decision.

  Justice, these are truly too awful to be called bonuses.

  However, my entire status screen was locked out, forcing an eventual choice. Ultimately, the safest option was Endless Energy. If I simply didn't activate it, the ability couldn't put me into Stat Debt. I nearly chose it, but hesitated. Taking a bonus with no intention of using its advantage was dangerous in its own right.

  I took a calming breath and closed my eyes. Why panic when death is certain? If it came in the form of a blade or because I tripped some inane system trigger—what made the difference?

  + Stamina Proficiency Bonus Stamina Battery Unlocked

  A tidal wave of vigor swept through me, eradicating pockets of exhaustion throughout my being. The bonus set in, blowing the ceiling off my previous limits. My stamina had at least tripled by a rough estimate.

  I glanced back down at my pocket glass, finding my status screen once again fully accessible. Agility was my second highest stat at eight, with strength trailing just behind it at 7. Part of me was excited to see if they offered their own proficiency bonuses at 10. On the other hand, I dreaded what negatives the system had in store.

  I gently closed the pocket glass, put it away, and walked back toward Xodoven. "Wake up, my training's complete. I'm ready for you to escort me back to Ingcaster," I said, clapping my hands.

  But he didn't move. For a moment, I thought he was just a heavy sleeper. Then I noticed a thin needle sticking out of the side of his neck. A sudden gust of wind came with a prick. As I reached for the numb spot along my throat, my fingertips barely touched the cool steel needle sticking out of my Adam's apple before I hit the ground.