Published at 16th of February 2024 2:22 pm

Chapter 57. Can’t Please Everyone

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Nox struggled to sit still during Beginner Dungeon Theory. He often wished the professor would let students take the written exam early. After a lifetime of studying dungeons in the Golden Isles’ library, the course’s contents felt like basic, introductory knowledge to him. Nox’s research focused on Sundarshahar, its surroundings, flora, and fauna. However, before understanding the machinations of an archon-ranked dungeon, Nox needed to study its lesser cousins.

Instead of giving the professor his full attention, Nox spent most of the class studying the alchemy recipes necessary for his adept license. Since he now had time to spare, he could afford to dedicate brain power to figuring out the essential spellforms. The simpler recipes felt within his reach, and Nox believed he already had ingredients for some of them.

Two recipes especially stood out to Nox.

Rock Melter was a powerful acid that excelled at dissolving stone while ignoring organic material. It wouldn’t just help remove obstacles during delving; the rare rock elemental and golem would probably fall vulnerable to the concoction too. Nox believed he could successfully modify the recipe to ignore brass, iron, and steel, ensuring it didn’t damage the vanguard’s armor.

Tea of Spirit Sight wasn’t really tea. Nox had already brewed a simpler version of it for Pudge. He used it to locate a family of elusive Seeker Gremlins. He sensed other spirits but struggled to see them as clearly as Otis and his brood. The tea wouldn’t just help Nox find spirits in the physical realm. He’d also successfully see entities transitioning to or from the ethereal planes. More importantly, the tea allowed the user to communicate with willing spirits.

After bonding with Otis, Nox saw the value of communicating with spirits. Most current mages ignored their existence. However, before humankind found the strength to escape the gods’ tyranny, spirits, and spirit callers helped people resist. He wondered whether they would help him solve rift and dungeon challenges since spirits hated the gods as much as humans.

While the professor rambled off on a tangent, Nox prepared the spellforms for the two brews.

“Maintaining rifts taxes the ruling entity a lot more than a dungeon does the Dungeon Lord,” the professor said. “You’ll rarely find boss-class monsters in rifts. Even if the Rift Lord is powerful enough to divide their realm into different levels, you’ll only find powerful elites protecting the entrances to them. The Rift Lord is the most powerful entity you face in a rift. Meanwhile—” The professor paused. “You should know this. It’ll be on your final exam. Who can tell me what fallen gods value most?”

“Their domain,” a girl in the front row yelled out. The sixteen and seventeen-year-old students had grown more brazen over the course of the semester. Only a few raised their hands and waited to get picked.

“Incorrect! C’mon. Don’t forget the basics. I might just have to give negative marks if you get something this simple wrong.”

“Creation!” An excitable high-pitched voice called out.

“That’s correct. The gods value nothing more than their ability to create and conjure. Most fallen gods give up the bulk of their power to create traps, creatures, and artifacts to lure in the greedy and modify their domains. After all of that, they have little strength to protect themselves. As a result, they spend a fair bit of time and energy nurturing beasts to create what we call bosses. You’ll find the younger, weaker bosses protecting key points in the dungeon’s periphery, and they get stronger as you delve deeper.”

The class know-it-all chimed in. “The boss at the dungeon’s heart tends to be the oldest and strongest.”

“Yes. Because the final boss, their elites, and minions exist as the Dungeon Lord’s final line of defense. Unless a dedicated cult supports them, the entity won’t have much strength to protect them if the last beasts fall. If they’re lucky, the final fight leaves the delvers weak and injured enough for the god to finish the job.”

Nox had his book bag ready long before the noon bell rang. His usual seat at the back of the classroom let him rush out of class before the corridors got too crowded. He spent most of the lunch break demonstrating the new Shaping spell to Lillin. Michelle and Ernest found the pair—their visits to the cafeteria during lunch hour had increased after joining the party—and Nox showed it off to them, too.

Unfortunately, Annabelle only accompanied them to the paupers’ cafeteria after Intermediate Dungeon Studies or waited for Nox outside. They had plans to meet before dinner just after the fifth bell. Nox would have to wait until then before sharing the good news with her. She expected the process to take a couple of days. For the time being, he floated the idea of delving over the weekend with Lillin, Michelle, and Ernest. None of them protested. It had been far too long for all of them.

Introduction to Barriers and Shields started at the first bell after lunch. Nox felt abuzz when the class started. He couldn’t wait to continue showing off his new planet’s capabilities. Professor Lorenzo believed all decent mages needed two at least forms of defensive spells: one low-cost, quick-to-execute spell for regular use and another high-investment to survive a boss’s powerful wide-area attack.

Caitlin already had a high-investment armor spell. It wasn’t as powerful as stone or metal versions, but she made up for it by repairing damaged sections for cheap. The spell excelled at defending against continuous small attacks. It could survive powerful blows at well but needed a handful of moments to recover. Caitlin wanted a shield to reduce the strain on her armor. Given her current defense’s strength, Professor Lorenzo thought that was enough for her to complete the course.

The current spell Shaped brambles and branches into a knitted shield. It was strong but didn’t meet Professor Lorenzo’s standards. The defense only added a layer barely as powerful as her living tree-elemental armor.

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Meanwhile, the professor considered Nox’s layered pyramid defense barely passable. It drained ten mana from his star and four from the Shaping planet. The external layer used the Slow cantrip while the internal housed Crystallize Essence. Professor believed it was too expensive a spell for an apprentice. The spell cost wouldn’t sting as much once Nox reached the higher end of the journeyman rank when his star hit triple digits.

“Low-cost defenses won’t work for me, professor,” Nox said. “My scars and mana system aren’t built that way. My control effects have proven potent, and I spend my time in the backline with an effective rear guard watching my back.”

“Fine. I’ll accept the pyramid barrier, but you still need a second spell. If a boss launches an all-out wide attack, will you and your rear guard survive it? Or will you have to run to your vanguard and duck behind him, possibly entering the boss’s reach in the process?”

“I have an idea I’ve been developing, but it's not cheap. It’ll be durable, though, and will take a beating. I can start simple and build a moon out of it to reduce the cost and focus needed. Then as my mana system grows, I could add to it and mature the idea.”

“Actions speak louder than words, Nox Ratra,” the professor said. “Demonstrate your idea. Use your manameter so we can track the cost.”

An investment of twenty-five mana made a chunk of Slow-infused essence glass big enough for Nox’s purpose. Another five Shaping Mana turned into a tower shield as tall as him. Instead of the standard curved front, Nox opted for the strongest geometrical shape—a triangle. Since an ugly chunk of material stuck out of the top, he Shaped it into jagged pyramid spikes that covered the shield’s upper half.

Before Nox could explain his thought process, Professor Lorenzo pulled back his fist. A giant spectral gauntlet manifested around it as he came at the essence glass shield with a right hook. The blow rattled the conjuration and sent cracks spiderwebbing through it. Large chunks fell off, but the triangle held.

“This should sufficiently protect me from a boss’s attack,” Nox told the professor. “If something dares to approach me at melee range, I can revert the crystal to its original form and trap them in a dense slowing field. Unfortunately, this is the best I can do with what I have available and my mana zone.”

“If I had your mana zone, I wouldn’t be delver at all,” Professor Lorenzo commented. Nox found the statement extremely unprofessional, and Caitlin salso hot the older man a surprised look, “This will suffice. However, I can’t approve you for any of the advanced courses I teach unless you develop a strong Manipulation or Animation focused planet once you’re a journeyman. Your defensive spellwork is satisfactory but not good enough to meet my standards.”

“I suppose I can live with that.” Nox sighed. He knew he couldn’t please everybody. “My barrier is tailored towards energy attacks and swarms. The shield will protect me from powerful blows and last a while. Given my mana system and limitations, I’m afraid I won’t be able to produce anything that satisfies you until my energy levels are significantly higher.”

“That’s probably true. I suppose what you’ve displayed is enough to pass this course, but I will require you to attend every class until the end of this semester. Your performance isn’t enough to win you the same privilege Dean Woodson and Professor Sen granted you.”

“If I’ve already passed the class, what’s stopping me from simply now showing up?” Nox wasn’t proud of his question. However, Professor Lorenzo’s tone and attitude toward him were starting to press Nox’s buttons. He struggled to respect a person so rigid. The comment about Nox’s delving potential didn’t sit well with him either.

Professor Lorenzo glared at Nox. “It might very well affect your chances to enroll in my more advanced classes.”

“Are you in charge of courses related to defensive spells beyond barriers and shields?” Nx asked. “For example, armor spells or animated defenses?”

“No.”

“That’s good to know.”

Nox left the classroom as soon as the third-afternoon bell rang, seething. He didn’t want to see Professor Lorenzo or attend a class he taught ever again. However, he reminded himself not to make any rash decisions while angry. Nox stopped, took a death breath in, and exhaled slowly. His heart rate slowed, and the pulsing heat along his temples faded.

Mou always told Nox he needed to grow accustomed to failure and authority figures challenging his work. He needed to acknowledge that there would be times when his scholarly prowess failed him, or someone disliked how he did things. However, he inadvertently tied such rejection to Queen Mercer, which often filled Nox with rage and left his chest feeling tight.

Professor Lorenzo’s words, tone, and attitude betrayed his feelings toward Nox’s ambitions as a mage. Nox failed to think objectively through his bottled rage. He wanted to know whether his comprehension was correct. The professor believed Nox’s crippled magical circuits made his delving ambitions foolish. However, such a line of questioning would only cause more friction. So, he resolved to sleep on the matter before discussing it with Kris. Nox had come to trust the woman’s sound judgment.

“Hey!” Caitlin caught up to Nox as he speed-walked away from the classroom. “Are you okay? What he said back there wasn’t appropriate. At all.”

“I know it's stupid, but he’s got me wondering the validity of his comment. Prof—”

“There is no validity to it at all,” Caitlin said, interrupting him. Unlike Annabelle, the petite woman stood a couple of inches shorter than Nox. Her hazel-green eyes betrayed her annoyance. “Your alchemy, use of essence glass, and creativity have made you one of the most devastating mages in our combat class. To the Void with defensive magic. Who needs it when you have a good party and a potent control spell? Just invest in your vanguard.”

“Thank you,” Nox said.

A calming presence surrounded Caitlin. She didn’t speak needlessly; her words always carried weight and meaning. Nox understood how the seemingly awkward Michelle had become swift friends with the woman.

“I’ll speak to Professor Kris before making decisions about the course.”

“You’ve passed four classes, and I’m sure you’ll do just fine in the other three. To the Void with Stefann. I’m starting to think this class was a waste of time for me, too. I already know the basics. Perhaps focusing on recovery and regrowing my armor should take precedence. I can’t afford to invest more mana in a defensive spell. But, yes. Talk to Kris. She knows you and your mana system better than I do. Kris will tell you whether putting up with Stefann Lorenzo is worth your time.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Congratulations, by the way. I know how long you’ve been working on your Shaping planet. The execution looked smooth.”

“Thank you.”

Nox was in no mood to continue the conversation, and Caitlin sensed it. She gave him an awkward hug before heading off to her second afternoon class. Meanwhile, he went to the rooftop to absorb the mana radiating off Ygg and circulated it through his mana system and the temporary channels created by the tattoo.

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