Chapter 24

While registering as an apprentice Enchanter with the Association’s Enchanting Shop, I asked how compensation worked for items created by apprentices in modern times.

I soon learned that, though the rules limited how much I could be compensated for my work while still unevolved, it didn’t prohibit the shop from setting aside what I should have earned and holding it for me until I reached the first evolution.

Of course, a small portion of those earnings would be lost to compensate the shop for the service, as well as to pay for any resources that I used. They kept a record of everything to ensure things were fair, which made me feel a lot better about working with them.

Curious, I headed over to the medical facility and asked Meria if they used a similar structure. She hadn’t mentioned anything about an additional account, so I was pleased when she verified that most professional organizations that worked with the Delver Association had a similar program in place.

It wasn’t just for Ascenders, either. Any unevolved person learning a trade or working as an apprentice had the potential to earn funds the same way. Typically, however, they ended up using more resources than they earned, especially in the beginning.

This was less pronounced for healers, though it still applied since training and oversight weren’t free. Still, by the time an apprentice reached the first evolution, most had reached a point in whatever field they were interested in to make a profit.

It was also worth noting that few ‘dedicated’ delvers bothered with such things, especially during their early years. Only those with plans to become professionals or tradesmen really bothered with apprenticeships since skill slots were limited, and most viewed slotting any non-combat skill as a waste.

That tended to change after someone evolved once or twice, but by then, few were going to bother with official apprenticeships. There were always exceptions, though.

“You didn’t have to bring me food,” I said when Cora stopped by the next afternoon with a platter stacked high with a variety of street food she’d picked up from various street vendors just outside the Dungeon Complex.

“I know. But I felt kinda bad that you’re basically supplying all our meals while we’re in the dungeon. I figured it was only fair to contribute,” she said, handing me the platter after swiping a meat pie and something that looked like spiders grilled on a skewer.

Though I had no problems eating the legs of certain spider species that tasted a lot like crabmeat, I found the thought of eating small, grilled spiders completely unappealing.

“Besides,” Cora continued as she made herself at home, ignoring my reaction to her food selection. “It’s lunchtime, and I’m tired of eating the same boring meals from the dining hall.”

“I’ve noticed the quality of the food has gotten a little better recently,” I said, eying the grilled spiders on her skewer. Even the most tasteless food in the dining hall looked more appealing.

“Has it? I hadn’t noticed,” Cora commented before biting one of the spiders in half. I tried not to react to the sight.

“Then again,” she added once she swallowed the spider, “Mike and I have been eating out a bit more often. You should really try these. They remind me of home.”

“No thanks. I’m happy with my meat pie,” I said, after grabbing one of the pastries and sending the rest of the tray into storage. The options would provide a bit of variety to our meals later.

“And, yes. One of the people refilling food on the buffet mentioned that their Chef supervisor recently returned. Apparently, they left when the dungeon started its evolution, and they only recently got back.”

“Oh. Well, maybe we’ll start eating there again. Eating out was getting a little expensive.”

I’d walked around the dungeon complex, so I knew there were plenty of cheap meal options available. But even the cheapest options would start adding up after a while.

I was actually a little surprised at myself for not seeking better food like my party members. I’d cooked a little bit to prepare for our next delve, but aside from that, I’d mostly stuck to eating the meals provided by the dining hall.

Nothing was cheaper than free, after all.

“How was the Enchanting lesson?” I asked, changing the topic as I sat in the chair next to the couch.

Cora’s expression tightened slightly. “It was… not as good as I hoped,” she admitted. “To be honest, I didn’t even make it past the essence control exercises Enchanter Donnovan had me doing.

“When he mentioned that new prospective Enchanters often took months just to learn how to manually control essence enough to even start the process, I realized that it’s probably not going to be a good fit for me. That’s not even taking into account how limited I’d be as an Enchanter without completely changing my build.”

I nodded knowingly. The part about her build was definitely relevant, and I hadn’t fully taken that into consideration when I recommended she consider the field.

She probably had a couple of skill slots she could use to gain access to new magic, but unless she wanted to incorporate those skills into her fighting style, they’d probably be largely wasted.

“Yeah. I probably should have anticipated that,” I admitted. “I also wasn’t thinking about the essence control requirements. It took me quite a while to get it in the simulation, too. Maybe not months since I already had a lot of experience with manually controlling mana, but it certainly took a while.”

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“Simulation?”

At her question, I realized that I hadn’t told her or Mike anything about the simulation I’d gotten to experience to prepare me for ascension. I didn’t think I’d mentioned it to Stephen, either, come to think of it.

I’d told them about challenging the Realm Dungeon, but hadn’t gone into details about the actual rewards I’d gotten or how it had prepared me for life in Dia.

As we ate our meat pies, I shared a little bit about the reward I’d earned for the last trial of the Realm Dungeon, where I spent fifty subjective years inside a simulation as a Traveler in the realm of Dia.

“Well, that certainly explains some of your knowledge,” Cora said with a smirk. “I was wondering how you knew so much about everything when you’d been here the same amount of time as us.”