[Master, have you decided which domain you are going for?]

  Viktor scratched at his chin as he leaned back, letting the chair creak under his weight. “I think we should summon our next Guardian first, before we decide on the domain.”

  [Why, Master?]

  He gave a chuckle. “Because otherwise, it’s like picking a recipe before even knowing what ingredients you have. There’s no sense in selecting the Domain of Fire only to end up with a Guardian who wields the power of ice. No, it would be best if the Guardian and their assigned floor’s environment complement each other. And since we can’t choose the Guardian before the summoning, it makes more sense to see who we get first, then select the domain that brings out the most of their abilities.”

  [I see.]

  “Celeste, show me your current stats.”

  [Yes, Master.]

  Path of the DungeonLV11Essence Point: 801/931Mana: 13,550Floors: 3/4Minions: 190/220Guardians: 1/2

  Skills:- Shape Terrain- Transmute Gold- Summon Lesser Minion LV6- Summon Water Minions LV2- Summon Greater Minions LV1- Summon Guardian- Mutate Lesser Minion LV1

  >> Choose a domain to unlock...

  Even though he had spent considerable resources to summon repcements for the minions sin during the Dungeon Reavers’ attack, there were still plenty left. Enough to use the “Summon Guardian” skill several times.

  He still remembered the first time he used that skill. Since he had only enough mana for just a single attempt, he was basically stuck with whoever answered the call. With the looming threat of the Azran and Lahmia’s invasion, however, he had no choice but to take the gamble. Fortunately, Sebekton had proven himself to be a reliable and capable subordinate, who had contributed a lot to the dungeon’s defense. Still, he didn’t want to rely on luck ever again.

  Now, he could afford to be picky. His mana reserves were ample, so he intended to thoroughly assess each and every summoned candidate. If their skill set or contract terms didn’t meet his expectations, he would just dismiss them and summon someone else. He could go through the process as many times as necessary until he found the best Guardian for his dungeon’s needs.

  He gnced at the words and numbers hovering in the air before him, showing him the Dungeon Core’s “stats” and “skills.” The first time he had seen this status screen was the day he met Celeste, at the ruins of his old castle. When she revealed it to him, he was taken aback. He hadn’t expected it at all that she also possessed a power that was structured so simirly to his own—his Thaumaturgy.

  But after the initial surprise passed, he realized it was actually a blessing. The simirities made it easier for him to figure things out. He and Celeste had different “modules,” “Path of the Thaumaturgist” and “Path of the Dungeon,” which did different things, but the way the progression was organized was essentially the same. For the Dungeon Core to grow, he just needed to help her gather points, and once she had accumuted enough, she would level up and unlock new skills. Pretty straightforward, really.

  He couldn’t help but wonder who had come up with all this in the first pce. The Gods, perhaps? After all, it was said that the Gods had created the Dungeon Cores, so maybe they had created Thaumaturgy as well while they were at it. But if that were the case, then why?

  Well, it didn’t matter.

  Asking why the Gods did anything was like asking why bears shit in the woods. Some things just were, and trying to make sense of them was a fool’s errand. His objective remained unchanged: to track down the descendants of the Six Heroes, and kill them. Each one held a fragment of his power, a so-called “Key.” Only after obtaining all six would he recim what was rightfully his, and what made him him.

  [Master, do you want to summon the new Guardian now, or wait until this afternoon?]

  Viktor shook his head. “No, there’s not much time left this morning. I want to interview each candidate thoroughly, so it might take a while. As for the afternoon, I'll be at the Guild and won’t be coming back here.”

  [Is something happening, Master?]

  “The new Guildmaster will arrive today,” he replied. He needed to be there to observe them closely and assess what kind of person they were.

  [I see.]

  Now what? He still had some time before he needed to head back home to make lunch for Cire.

  What should I do for the time I have left?

  His gaze wandered around the room until it rested on the murals etched into the walls. A new scene had been added. It depicted Sebekton, his loyal Guardian, locked in a duel with Bjorn, the formidable Northman, with crescent moons and icy comets dancing between them. Off to the side, a lone mermaid was gliding through the water, toward the fight, and toward her doom. This was the first mural that didn’t depict someone meeting a gruesome end, and he found himself pleased by that. Yes, this portrayal felt just right. Celeste hadn’t disappointed him.

  His eyes continued to roam the room, and then, he found the corner where several weapons and pieces of equipment y scattered on the floor.

  The Reliquaries.

  These artifacts had once been wielded by the Dungeon Reavers, the invaders who had stormed his dungeon and sughtered his minions. They were all corpses now, their cold, lifeless bodies stripped of these precious items.

  Yes, I can use the remaining time to decide what to do with these spoils of war.

  He walked toward the corner, crouched down, and picked up a vambrace. It was made of boiled leather, its surface dark and weathered. Though it looked unremarkable, this was the Reliquary that had caused him so many headaches.

  Soul of a Victim of the Coldest Fme

  Soul of a luckless woman, who lost her way in the frozen wastends of the North. Just when all hope seemed lost, she spotted a brilliant fme in the distance. A surge of newfound energy rushed through her as she hurried toward it, to seek her salvation. As she drew closer, the air grew colder and colder, yet the woman pressed on, determined to reach the fme. When she arrived, however, all that awaited her was despair. There was no warmth to be found. The fme offered only cold, and surrounding it stood many ice statues, victims who had arrived before her. In the end, she too became one of them, frozen in pce beside the Coldest Fme.

  Rank: C

  Ability: Manifestation of FrostThe user can use the Reliquary to create ice from any nearby water, and shape it into objects. The conjured ice objects could generate more ice if there is water around them. After a certain amount of time, the ice will detonate, though the user can dey it to control the timing of the detonation.

  Viktor frowned. “What the hell is that backstory? A fme that doesn’t warm, but freezes people?”

  [Well, there are many strange things that can happen in the world.]

  “How do you know all of this anyway?” he asked, gncing at Celeste.

  [All I did was show you the information stored within the Reliquary. I don’t know any more than you, Master.]

  Someone had fought desperately for her salvation, clinging to the final shred of hope that she might escape her fate, only to realize it was all a lie. She was not even special, just one among many, deceived by an entity that was beyond her understanding and died a meaningless death. Viktor couldn’t say hearing that story brought him any comfort.

  He shook his head. There was nothing to be done about it, and letting such stories cloud his mind would only hold him back. He needed to focus on the present and keep moving forward. Yes, just because someone else had failed didn’t mean he would end up the same way.

  “Let’s put this into storage. I’ll decide what to do with it ter,” he told Celeste before moving on to the next artifact, Bjorn’s sword.

  Soul of a Challenger

  The soul of a swordsman of extraordinary skill, who made his living as a duelist for hire. After countless victories, his name spread far and wide, and people from all over the nd came to him to seek his services, knowing that he was a fighter without equal. Yet, the swordsman grew bored. His opponents always died too quickly, so he never got to demonstrate the full extent of his skills. In order to find a worthy foe, he set out to challenge others himself, but, much to his disappointment, no one was bold enough to accept. One day, a strange creature descended from the sky. One-eyed, six-winged, bathed in light. Seeing the sword in its hand, the man, eager for a real fight, approached and challenged the creature. However, in the blink of an eye, he was cleaved in two, before he could even draw his bde.

  Rank: B

  Ability: Bde of the Higher WillUpon drawing the Reliquary, a bde of radiant light will be created to envelop its edge. The bde could cut through anything, but it gradually fades, losing both its reach and sharpness over time, and must be recharged by returning the Reliquary to its container.

  So that was why the Northman kept unsheathing and resheathing his bde. The Reliquary’s requirement made it a bit cumbersome to use, but considering what the damned thing could do—how it cut through his minions like they were nothing—that awkwardness was but a trivial inconvenience.

  “Let’s have Sebekton give it a swing. If he likes it, this could be a solid upgrade for his weapon.”

  [Understood, Master.]

  Now, the shield.

  Soul of an Unyielding Warrior

  The soul of a warrior from the North, who stood alone upon a narrow bridge to hold back an entire army. His comrades had been caught unprepared, their lines scattered by a sudden attack of their enemy. But the warrior did not flee. With a great axe in his hands, he roared a challenge and met the tide alone. One by one, his foes came at him, and one by one, they fell by his wrath. The bridge ran red, yet still he stood, unyielding and unbroken, holding the line and buying his friends the time they needed to retreat. In the end, he was brought down not by strength, but by trickery: a spear thrust from beneath the bridge. He died facing his enemies, his axe drenched in their blood.

  Rank: D

  Ability: The Last StandThe user can use the Reliquary to block any attack from the direction it faces, nullifying the attack completely.

  A warrior from the North? Was he a Brefjordian? Also, someone who died fighting to defend a bridge, huh?

  Fianna...

  Viktor sighed. “Again, tell Sebekton to try it out. We can use this to upgrade his armor.”

  Next was the medallion, his old medallion, still looking the same after three hundred years.

  Soul of a Drowned King

  The soul of a king, whose pride eclipsed the sky and whose hunger for power rivaled the ocean’s depth. He ruled the mightiest of kingdoms, yet his heart knew no peace, for he envied the immortals, and he feared the fate that would eventually cim all living men. Heeding the whispers of the Deep and lured by promises of eternal life, he decred war upon the Gods, and rallied his great armada. They reached the edge of the world, where the whispers said the gate to the Realm of the Gods would be, where divinity y waiting to be plundered. But there was no gate, no shore, no paradise. Only a shadow, a shape, a titan rising from the bck beneath. The skies tore apart. The sea howled in fury. The king’s ships were swallowed by the storm, his armies buried under the waves, and he himself was dragged into his dark, watery tomb.

  Rank: E

  Ability: Sinking to the DeepThe user can breathe and move freely underwater when equipped with this Reliquary.

  Viktor had been keeping this medallion for quite a long time, using it to conquer many water realms across many dungeons. Yet until now, he had no idea it was forged from the soul of someone with a story like that. A foolish king who decred war upon the Gods, a king who desired to be more than a mortal, only to end up less. And all because he had listened to whispers from the Deep. Was that the same Great One the Acolytes worshipped? And then, the king’s entire fleet was destroyed by a storm summoned by a titan? The Storm Titan?

  “Are all those backstories real? Did they all actually happen?”

  [Yes, I think so, Master.]

  “In this world?”

  [Not necessarily. While crystallized essences usually stay put, every now and then one falls into the Ethereal Sea through a rift, and ends up drifting about until it either washes ashore in a different world or gets picked up by someone.]

  So there was a world where the Storm Titan and the Great One of the Deep were both present at the same time? He wondered when that story happened, and what fate had ultimately befallen that world. Oh well, whatever. Not his problem.

  Finally, the bow.

  Soul of an Arrogant Archer

  The soul of a master archer, whose arrows never missed their mark. It was said he could shoot clean through a falling willow leaf, dead center, mid-air, from a hundred paces away. He rode out with his king when war came calling. He thundered into battle on his chariot, leading the charge. With each arrow he loosed, another enemy soldier fell. Through the eye, through the throat, through the heart. They fled, and the master archer gave chase, ignoring the warnings for caution from his comrades. He ughed as he pursued, certain of victory, certain that death was something that only happened to other men. But it turned out the enemy’s retreat was a ruse. They had id a trap, and he ran straight into it. He found himself surrounded, projectiles raining down on him from all sides. Thus ended the master archer, swallowed by the storm of arrows.

  Rank: C

  Ability: Bull’s EyeAllow the user to alter the trajectory of a projectile after firing, steering it toward any target that is visible to the wielder.

  Out of all the Reliquaries, this was the one that interested him the most. After all, it guaranteed that every shot the wielder took would find its mark, as long as they could see the target. A terrifying prospect in the right hands. And in the hands of someone like him, who could see every corner of the dungeon, it was downright disgusting. The only problem was this scrawny body. He simply cked the strength to shoot far enough to utilize this weapon’s potential to the fullest. Unless—

  An idea had just dawned upon him.

  “Celeste, call Kazyk. Tell him I’ve got something I want him to build.”