Chapter 22

Something that had taken me a while to learn in the simulation about learning skills from skillbooks was that most magical skills could be somewhat guided when they were initially learned. A lot of it had to do with the person learning the skill’s intention and mental image of the skill.

The user couldn’t completely change the function of a skill, but there was some flexibility built in to make using skills more intuitive.

For Cora, it turned Arcane Blade – a skill that most used to create small, ranged blades – into something that she used as a melee weapon. I hoped to do something similar with Ice Blade, though I didn’t want the blades to manifest in my hands.

I focused on what I wanted out of the skill as I activated the skillbook. My experience with Enchanting gave me an advantage in this, since firming my intent and visualizing effects was something I was quite familiar with.

I wanted strong, adaptable blades that anchored to my weapons.

I imagined a spearhead, then the head of a glaive. A short sword, then a serrated blade. Each I pictured made out of ice and growing from the weapons I most frequently used.

For a Common skill – which is where almost every skillbook originated skill would start – I might have been reaching too far. But I hoped not.

I felt the skill lock into place, filling my tenth general skill slot.

“Well?” Cora asked.

The fire was already burning merrily, indicating that I’d taken a bit longer than expected to learn the skill.

“Let me test it,” I said, though I already knew the skill wasn’t quite as adaptable as I’d hoped.

I pulled out a baton and activated the skill. A blade of ice appeared to literally grow from the wood, turning the blunt weapon into a bladed one.

“That was what you were hoping for, right?”

I dismissed the skill and tried to change the shape of the blade that manifested. I managed to make it a little thicker and longer, but the overall style didn’t change.

“I wanted to be able to alter the blade more, but it will work for now.”

I swapped the baton for a quarterstaff. It was still the same beginning quarterstaff I’d gotten at the start of the dungeon.

Activating the skill, I watched as the same blade as before grew from the top quarter of the stave, turning it into something similar to a glaive. I dismissed the skill and tried to create a spearhead, but the result was just a smaller version of the original blade growing from the very tip of the weapon.

At least I knew that I could attach the blade to the end instead of having it only grow from the side of the weapon. That would add a little versatility.

“Maybe you’ll get that ability when the skill upgrades?” Cora hypothesized.

“Hopefully,” I agreed, dismissing the skill once again. “Regardless, thanks for letting me have it. That’s one element down. Now I just need to get my hands on fire, air, and earth.”

Realistically, I could probably skip fire since lightning, or rather, plasma, could do most of the same things. The only thing I’d really be losing is the concept of combustion, but I was certain that I could create similar effects with lightning.

Maybe it would be better to swap out my plans to get a fire-based skill for a metal-based skill instead. I’d likely have a lot more uses for metal magic in Enchanting than I would for fire, considering the magics I already had access to.

“Good. It was my first time making something like that since I ascended, so I wasn’t completely sure it would work like it was supposed to,” I told Stephen after he verified that the preservation artifact was working as intended.

Mike, Cora, and I had spent two full days on the fourth floor, which had pushed me and Mike to level fifteen, while Cora lagged slightly behind at level fourteen. Stephen was just about keeping pace with our progress and had advanced to level eighteen during that time.

“Can you make storage bags with expanded interiors?” Stephen asked. “You mentioned being able to reduce weight, but didn’t say anything about expanding storage space.”

“I can. Is your inventory not large enough to fill your needs?”

“I can manage with what I currently have, but I’d be able to stay in the dungeon longer if I had more storage. I figured if I put a storage bag in my pocket space, it should extend the amount I can carry by quite a bit.”

“That’s true, but the preservation effect might not be able to handle the extra load, depending on how much space the bag contains,” I pointed out. “Also, if you were to get a dimensional storage item instead of one that just expanded space, the preservation effect wouldn’t work for it at all.”

Stephen laughed lightly. “That’s good to know, but I doubt I’ll be able to afford something like that anytime soon. If it wasn’t for you practically giving me the preservation artifact, I wouldn’t have been able to afford that, either.”

“So, what can you offer me for the storage bag, then?” I asked with a playful grin.

The archer sighed. “All I can offer is more leatherwork. I have a passing familiarity with a few other crafts and professions, but nothing that I’ve slotted a skill for.”

“Would you be willing to join my party for a delve?”

Stephen’s expression darkened. “That doesn’t seem like a fair trade at all. Besides, I’ve already told you that I delve alone.”

“Hey, no worries. I just thought I’d ask,” I said casually, trying to dispel some of the tension that had bloomed at my suggestion. “I know how lonely it gets, being isolated while you grind for levels. If you change your mind, let me know. I’m not asking you to join us permanently, just join us for a single delve. I think you might enjoy it.”

Given his sudden shift in demeanor, it was clear that the archer really didn’t want to enter the dungeon alongside others. I wondered if he knew that most dungeons, including this one, started combining party instances after the first evolution.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Stephen replied, somewhat stiffly.

He looked torn between finding an excuse to leave now that the purpose of his visit had been completed, or letting go of his discomfort and hanging out for a while.

To make his decision a little easier, I pulled a plate of mixed sweet and savory snacks from storage.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Want one? I picked these up at a bakery nearby. I like to stock up on stuff like this since I don’t have to worry about anything going bad.”

The archer carefully selected one of the sweet pastries and seemed to almost force himself to relax.

“I should do something similar, now that I’ve verified that the preservation artifact works as it should.” He leaned back on the couch. “How did the bracers hold up?”

“Good. I enchanted them with durability and self-repair, so I expect they’ll last me a while.”

I could tell that he was interested in getting something similar for his armor, but after my last suggestion, he didn’t want to bring it up.

“I meant to ask earlier, but can you make furniture?” I asked, thinking about some of the things we still hadn’t purchased for the sanctuary.

“That’s not something I’ve got a lot of experience with,” Stephen admitted. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m sure we can come up with something if you really want a storage bag.” After a moment of thought, I added, “Or some enchantments added to your armor.”

Stephen actually seemed to flush a bit at having been seen through so easily.