198 – Failure

“Üëgh!” I gagged at the foul smell of the Dungeon. “Fu!” I winced, but remembered something and quickly equipped a face mask from my storage, then shook my head at having forgotten it worked.

The smell disappeared immediately.

I stood up and produced a dumpling to munch on, storing my helmet.

It withered and rotted the instant it materialized in my hand. The dough turned black and a thick fuzz of white fungi grew on it.

“Gross!” I dropped it and produced a towel to clean my hands.

The unfortunate dumpling fell next to a corpse, further rotting until it was unrecognizable.

A surge of anger rose from my chest to my throat.

I took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Whatever...” I sighed, letting go. “I have better things to do than eating,” I rationalized, looking down at my crotch.

The Class' flavor text stated I was 10% bigger.

One hundred and eighty six, times one point one... is two hundred and four point six... I did simple math, raising my eyebrows. A growth spurt of eighteen centimeters is wild. I'm a whole cock taller... what a comparison.

No matter what I checked, though, everything looked and felt the same. My body proportions hadn't changed in the slightest.

Still, if my penis was 10% bigger as well, it was two centimeters longer and over half a centimeter thicker.

Lapia and Pokora might have trouble with it, I considered briefly, thinking of the two shorter women of the group. They've taken it all the way in regularly, though, so maybe I'm overthinking it.

Next up was my now constant fertility. But that would have to wait, since I wasn’t unhinged enough to masturbate in a Dungeon where ambient E'er rotted everything on contact. More specifically, I didn’t want my very first masturbation session to be surrounded by the broken bodies of hundreds of thousands of undead.

Then there was [Halo of Solar Conquest]. It seemed vague and repetitive, though clearly related to my beauty. Sunlight made me prettier as stated in my Halve species information. I wasn’t sure yet how much of a difference it made.

Next, I tried willing into existence the feats of blinding the unworthy and dispelling deceitful magic.

Nothing happened. My pool of E'er remained full, and my glow didn't change in the slightest.

Not surprising, since I was alone in a Dungeon of death, rot, and decay.

Then I checked my new stats.

Status (Quantity)

Strength

6000 (+750)

Constitution

3000 (+750)

Intelligence

750 (+250)

Wisdom

750 (+250)

Dexterity

4500 (+750)

A second, careful inspection of my skills made it clear that [Solar Expansion Through the Eternal Heavens] had to be active constantly, even when I wasn’t using the skills it enabled. This way, it could level up through continuous, uninterrupted use.

So, I did, allowing E'er to flow into the formula in my mind, activating it as a toggle skill.

Several things happened simultaneously. The light radiating from my skin and hair intensified to levels only comparable to when I was enraged, illuminating the cave until it reached the solid stone walls. My core lit up, heating my entire body with the warmth of a summer noon during the Aphelion, while every particle of E'er inside me turned gold. I also became aware of the exact position of the suns in the sky and the precise time: 4:02 in the morning.

I glanced to my right, directly toward where the suns were at that moment. "Interesting," I muttered and moved on.

The second skill that would need permanent activation was [Heavenly Rebuke of the Conquering Golden Suns].

As with the previous skill, I activated it without a set time in mind since it was quite expensive.

Hot E'er flowed from my mind into the skill and then outward, suffusing my armor with Solar Energy. The silver metal gradually changed colors—dark silver, then black, pink, red, orange, and finally settling into a solid gold, just like my skin. Though it didn’t emit light, it produced a low, steady thrum.

My original plan for the skill was for my armor to release energy whenever something struck me, and for my weapon to hit even harder. Galeia had added the whole suns motif to the class, though.

As for the names of the skills... well, I cringed in a mix of conflict and gratitude.

The next skill to activate permanently was [One Sun, One Land].

Once again, golden E'er flowed from my core and throughout my body. Instantly, I felt lighter, more responsive, my mind sharper, and every part of me incredibly comfortable.

I checked my attributes.

Atrributes (Quality)

Tenacity

650,00%

Toughness

650,00%

Perspicacity

650,00%

Insight

100,00%

Alacrity

650,00%

I squinted at the information. Where is the effect of [Ignore Pain] from my Warrior Base passives? It should increase my Toughness based on Class level average... Is it too low to register? It didn't show while I was high, and I had three classes at the same level back then. Is that why Shorvanna criticized the skills? I wondered, giving it a good thinking that, unfortunately, didn't lead me anywhere.

Merging my basic classes at level two thousand total was still ahead of me, after all. New changes could be made, and reformulating the skills was possible.

That was something I would take care of later, though.

Now came the fun part.

I rubbed my hands together in excitement, the gauntlets clinking with the motion. Striking a dramatic pose, I stretched an arm forward, aiming at the wall. I activated [Heavenly Weapons of the Conquering Golden Suns]'s alternative use and declared, “Gate of Babylon!”

To my absolute shock and dismay, nothing happened.

E'er flowed into the skill but fizzled out as it encountered a small check, returning to my pool without triggering.

My face flushed with unending embarrassment.

Luckily for my reputation as Eternal Protector of the world, nobody was around to see me copy that game character.

Shame turned into confusion.

“Mhhh?” My eyebrows furrowed and I tried again, activating [Heavenly Weapons of the Conquering Golden Suns], but kept quiet.

Again, E'er flowed into the formula, but the outer rings only spun halfway before coming to a full stop.

“What...?” I muttered, bewildered. “Why?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chestplate. “What the fuck?! I conjured one already! Why isn’t it working?”

Frustration surged, making me grit my teeth.

I carefully reread the description to see if I had missed anything.

Heavenly Weapons of the Conquering Golden Suns, level 1.

Conjure copies of the Attuned Weapon with the current Attuned Inner Energy Nature to freely control. Concentration and Control are based on STR and its bonuses.

Alternatively, launch copies of the Attuned Weapon of the current Attuned Inner Energy Nature towards the target or location. Conjured projectiles can prioritize Sunburnt foes, homing towards them.

Type: Conjuration – Celestial – Spear.Cost: 250 E'er / spear / Hour.Alternative Cost: 50 E'er / spear.Range: (Solar Expansion Through the Eternal Heavens Skill Level x 750) meters.Alternative Copy Duration: (Skill Rank) seconds.Number of Copies: (Skill Level x Skill Rank x 5) / (Skill Level x Skill Rank x 10)Projectile Speed: (STR) meters / second.Source: Glow.Requirement: Attuned Inner Energies of Solar Nature.

It hit me.

“Attuned Weapon?” I read aloud, then summoned my spear and appraised it.

+100 Alma Pike (Mythical) {Ascension Lvl 10}

Sharpness: SSS+

Durability: SS+

STR + 250CON + 200DEX + 195STR + 250 (Transmutation)CON + 250 (Transmutation)DEX + 250 (Transmutation)

-Sharpness + 100% ({Lvl 10 Emerald}x10)-Sharpness and durability + 45% (Enchantment)

-Infects wounds, cursing enemies-Cursed enemies have their reflexes impaired-Cursed enemies' nervous system is crippled, reducing their offensive capabilities

The new look was a bit surprising, but when I didn’t find anything related to attunement, I brushed it off. Growing increasingly frustrated but refusing to give up, I gripped the spear tightly and activated [Heavenly Weapons of the Conquering Golden Suns].

Nothing happened.

“It's not... attuned?” I muttered, scowling deeply. “Why aren’t you attuned, you useless piece of shit? YOU WERE BORN WITH ME!!” I screamed, hurling the spear to the ground. “FUCK!!”

The one-thousand-kilogram weapon bounced off the hard ground and clattered loudly.

I took a deep breath, palming my face. “I’m going to kill myself...” I mumbled, my anger driving unnecessary thoughts. “Fuck it.” I walked over, retrieved the spear, stored it, and turned toward the Dungeon’s door.

A break would do me good. I wanted to eat and drink, even if I didn’t need to. Plus, Pyotr had returned at some point during my delve and was with Sonya.

I was gong to write Nilenna a letter asking about the subject.

Thirty minutes later, I reached the fog wall and crossed it.

The hall of handprints greeted me as I walked to the spot where I had landed before. I activated [Third Heavenly Sun’s Rightful Place].

E'er flowed through me, and enormous wings, five meters long and made of blades instead of feathers, spread from my back.

Too angry to give a shit about their appearance, I simply looked up and willed myself to fly, even though I didn’t know how.

In less than a second, I shot upward, crashing through the ground and slamming into the ceiling of Shorvanna’s ‘room'.

The statue of the Goddess began to move. “HAR—”

A single swing of my spear shattered her likeness, cutting her off instantly. “Shut the fuck up,” I snapped, deactivating the wings and sprinted through the narrow tunnel toward the exit.

Two minutes later, I stepped into the open cave, still angry but less so.

Irtorodon was nowhere to be seen.

Sonya was asleep, and Pyotr was resting on her head, also fast asleep.

Okay, I sighed, then took a deep breath. I can’t take this out on them. I need to calm down.

The animals stirred, woken by my presence.

It seemed I was too bright.

“Natasha!” the Corvitex croaked, hopping over to me. “Dragon! Hunting!”

Sonya glanced at me for a few seconds, then turned away from the intense light and laid down again.

I nodded, producing a bone and offering it to the boy.

He took it eagerly and began gnawing on it.

I sat down, retrieved a notebook and quill, and started writing while still fuming.

Nilenna,

I hope this letter reaches you intact. The world is vast and unpredictable, and I know that time has a way of making distance feel heavier than it should.

Regarding Elena: she’s fine, for the most part. She doesn’t know where Yulianna is. It’s a simple matter of ignorance, though her demeanor leaves much to be desired. Since regaining her memories, she’s become difficult—her bitterness is a wound left festering, though one she seems to wear as armor. I doubt anyone around her finds her pleasant company.

As for King Gordon, his response to the Demons was calculated. Nothing rash that would require us to act too soon.

I carried your message to Saravia and the other Gods. Their responses, as always, were subtle, veiled in the ambiguity that is their nature.

One more thing. I met with Galeia—our creator. It was... beyond words. To be in the presence of something so beautiful, so deeply woven into the fabric of all life, was overwhelming. It’s not often that I feel small, but in her presence, I understood what it means to be part of something far grander than I will ever comprehend. She holds us, each of us Halves, with such care. The weight of her love is both a burden and a comfort. I wept, I won’t lie.

Now, there is something I need your advice on. I’ve come across a term I don’t fully understand: weapon attunement. It came up when I attempted to use a new skill, but the skill won’t activate unless my weapon is attuned to me. Have you heard of this before? Is it some kind of bond with the weapon, or is there a ritual involved? It’s frustrating, like trying to grasp a shadow with your hands. I thought perhaps you might have come across this in your time.

I hope your search for Yulianna bears fruit soon. There is no one better suited for the task than you. Until then, stay vigilant.

Regards,

Natasha.

I flipped the page and wrote another.

To my dearest companions in love,

Another night, another task. The world is heavy with its own weight, and I am one of the many hands holding it up. Two nights ago, I met a dragon. Not the grand, glorious beast of stories—no, just a thing, breathing and growling like the rest of us. Another creature bound to its instincts, blocking my path like so many before it. I arrived at Ualrin, still within the same forest, still in the Cradle of Life. But life, my dears, is a curious thing. A cradle for some, a coffin for others.

The journey itself was unremarkable—roads, rain, mountain chains, snow, and the biting wind, always pressing me forward like a whispered command. Sonya, ever faithful, never complained. We found the cave easily enough, the one Shorvanna wrote of, though it was hidden behind what at first I thought was a boulder. I pushed it, only to realize it was no stone, but the wing of the dragon. I had lifted a part of its slumbering body without knowing. There was something amusing in that—imagine being so strong that a dragon becomes little more than an obstacle, a nuisance. And yet, it didn’t feel satisfying, nor did it fill me with pride.

It woke, of course, stretching and unfurling itself as though its very presence demanded awe. But I felt nothing, not fear nor wonder—only impatience, perhaps. It asked why I disturbed its rest. I told it plainly: it was in my way. I gave it courtesy by speaking at all.

I should have felt something, some thrill at the challenge, but instead, I felt a dullness creeping in. A dragon is no different from a Human, a Lupum, or even myself in this sense. We all grasp for meaning, for survival, in a world that promises so much. It roared with ancient pride, and I stood there, calm as the snowfall.

Mortal, it was. I, Eternal.

You see, loves, what is a dragon or any other creature against the march of time? Even I, born as I am, will one day outlive all I currently know, and yet, what will remain of me then? Perhaps I’ll be like this dragon—another forgotten thing, waiting for someone to shake me from my rest. Or perhaps I won’t be so lucky. Perhaps there will be no one left at all.

I did not fight the dragon, not yet. I offered it a deal instead—stay with Sonya while I enter the dungeon, and I might indulge it with a fight afterward. It agreed. It is a creature bound by its pride, after all. Yet, I wonder, what will we fight for? Glory? Honor? It feels hollow when eternity stretches before you like an endless road. But perhaps that is the curse of my kind.

The days stretch longer than I imagined, though time here is a cruel illusion. This dungeon has revealed horrors beyond the comprehension of most, but it is not the monstrosities of flesh and bone that truly test me. No, it is the solitude, the endless, gnawing silence broken only by the thunder of my own heartbeat.

There is a strange quiet here. Not the quiet of peace, but the quiet of desolation. It is the kind of silence that settles like a heavy fog, thick with the knowledge that life and death are mere breaths apart. In these depths, where no mortal should tread, I find myself grappling with thoughts of survival, but more than that, thoughts of purpose—thoughts of you.

What is it that drives me forward through this hellish abyss? The monsters here, mindless and savage, do not frighten me, nor does the endless tide of undeath that seeks to crush spirit and body alike. What I fear is simpler, and yet more profound—the thought of returning to you incomplete, having lost something more than just blood or bone. For in this place, one risks losing something far more precious: the soul’s fire, the will to live beyond mere survival.

You, my loves, are the keepers of that fire. Each of you, in your own way, hold the pieces of me together. Here, surrounded by rotten flesh and the stench of death, I realize that it is not these creatures that are my true enemy—it is the void of absence. Your absence. It gnaws at me like a cold wind that blows through the cracks in one’s soul. I understand now, more than ever, that it is not the act of living that sustains me, but the knowledge that I live for you.

Eternally yours,

Natasha.

I removed the sheets of paper from the notebook, folded them, and placed them into envelopes. Producing the seal Nilenna had sent me, I stamped the letters, infusing the device with E'er. A circle resembling a traditional wax seal appeared, glowing bright silver and gold, keeping the letters sealed shut.

“Pyotr,” I called as I wrote on the envelopes.

The bird, having finished his snack, skittered over to me, stopping at my feet. “Ahh!” he cooed with interest. “Letters?”

I nodded, showing him the second one first. “This one’s for my girls. Deliver it first, okay? They’re closer,” I instructed, then held up the other letter. “This one’s for Nilenna. Please deliver it as fast as you can. Got it?”

He nodded, took the letters in his beak, and flew off faster than any bird I’d ever seen.

I sighed and shook my head, still irritated by the skill failure. “Fucking hell,” I muttered under my breath.

Nearby, a decently sized mound of ores and stones lay next to Sonya. The idea of a dragon providing the Ratnak with food should’ve been amusing, but I was in no mood for humor.