Over the next few minutes, I tried interacting with Glyph a few times but nothing seemed to be able to shake him out of his ‘updating’ state. I even went so far as to hang a bag off of his spindly foot to no reaction. Putting him out of mind, I turned my thoughts back to what the [Soulfire Monitor] let me know about myself as I roved around, killing [Bark Spiders] almost absentmindedly with sharp jabs of [Psyknives] behind their heads whenever they got too close.

  How is the Racial Evolution going to work for me? Hell, how is it going to work for everyone with a non-mixed parentage? Is everyone who evolves their race going to suddenly transform?

  Despite my inner turmoil, Raiju landing next to me out of nowhere totally didn’t scare the shit out of me and I’ll die on that hill.

  Anyway, as I took calm and totally not panicked breaths, she grinned at me. “I found a boss!” She prowled around me and I realized she was herding me away from our friends. “Come on, let’s look at it together!”

  A very large, and surprisingly vocal, part of me wanted to just go with her. She was excited to look at a boss with me, so why shouldn’t I go? But, in the end, it was the idea of Ylsa’s reaction if I didn’t bring her, as my bodyguard, along that convinced me to make the smart decision.

  ‘Everyone, Raiju found a boss.’ I messaged the entire group. ‘Let’s meet up and go take a look at it.’

  ‘Gabby is communing with a [Whispering Willow] she found and she said not to move her.’ Her irritation shone through in Ylsa’s tone. ‘Volta, you’re in charge of keeping Artie alive until I get there.’

  ‘Auxiliary bodyguard duty,’ Volta mentally chuckled. ‘I’m on it. Mindy and I are making our way to you now.’

  Seeing Raiju’s ears droop, I patted her shoulder. “I’m sorry, but as much fun as it’d be going just the two of us, it wouldn’t be safe. Maybe we can go somewhere together when we make it to Sunhome.”

  Her eyes shone like a pair of brilliant sapphires. “Really? We can go somewhere alone together when we get to Sunhome?” She glared over my shoulder before looking back at me with a raised pinky. “Do you swear?”

  Maybe I’m growing as a future ruler, but I paused at her phrasing. Can I really swear to do that? Ylsa would have a conniption… I mulled it over and was truly grateful she was as patient as she was when I finally answered thirty seconds later.

  “Assuming my grandfather is in the city, yes. I swear to go somewhere with you alone while we’re in Sunhome.” I snagged her finger and tugged it with my own pinky.

  It was the best I could do to avoid my bodyguard’s wrath. With Grandpa in town, no one would be stupid enough to try and hurt me. It would be a death sentence for not only them, but their entire family. Grandpa doesn’t do things by half measures, just ask the Goldvein dwarves of Ironhold about the dragon they used to harbor beneath their city despite him asking them to push it out…twice.

  With a happy yip, Raiju pulled me into a surprisingly comfortable squeeze before springing off of me back the way she came. “Come on, everyone, it’s over here!”

  Shaking my head, I looked back to find Mindy and Volta a dozen yards away. With a quick wave at them, I turned away and hurried after Raiju, who didn’t appear to have considered that she was faster than anyone else in the party by a wide margin, as she was nearly a quarter mile away in just those few moments.

  Behind me, I heard Volta chuckle while Mindy complained. “If we were near the water I’d…”

  Mindy’s complaints faded away as I used [Haste] to try and close the gap between Raiju and I, but even that wasn’t able to do much with her having nearly two hundred more [Agility] than I did. Still, it was enough for me to keep her in sight until she stopped next to a thick copse of trees a few minutes later, her tail wagging like mad.

  Disabling [Haste], I allowed myself to approach at a jog until I stopped right next to Raiju’s vibrating form. Taking in the wall of vegetation in front of us, it took me nearly a minute to figure out how she was able to see anything through it. It was a tiny hole, maybe three quarters of an inch wide that bored straight through the verdant shield.

  I went to look through it, but realized I’d have to stand on my tippy toes to have a chance at it. Before Raiju could try and pick me up, I used [Air Step] and leaned in confidently–four inches higher in the air–to take a look through the tiny window into the boss’ domain.

  I’d expected the wall of foliage to be thick, at least a few feet thick if I was being honest, but instead it was less than an inch thick and I was able to get a good view of the boss and its environment.

  The enclosed space was nearly two hundred feet across and dead in the center was an enormous white barked oak tree. As my eyes roamed the rest of the space, taking in multiple entrances evident to the space, [Essence Reading] pinged and let me know how much I’d been missing before.

  [Whisperwood Sentinel - Rank B Dungeon Boss

  Level: 40

  Vulnerabilities: Fire

  Immunities: Poison, Acid, Necrotic]

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  [The majestic guardian of the Whispering Woods, the Whisperwood Sentinel is a towering white treant, its ivory bark gleaming like polished marble. Its silver leaves shimmer with an ethereal glow, casting an otherworldly light upon the forest. Armed with razor-sharp thorns and the power to weave illusions, the Sentinel is a formidable opponent. Corrupted by the influence of some exterior force, the once wise and mighty guardian of the Whispering Woods has lost much of its former character in favor of the corrupting influence’s control of undeath.]

  Turning to Raiju, I frowned. “You don’t have [Analyze] yet, do you?”

  She cocked her head. “What’s that?”

  “It’s how most people identify whatever it is they’re looking at.” I tapped the side of my head. “I use an evolved version called, [Essence Reading], but it’s more of a passive than anything at this point.”

  “Oh,” she shrugged, “are you sure I need it? I already know what most things are.”

  Hearing a twig snap, I spun around to see Volta running comfortably alongside the panting and complaining Mindy. The Storm Elf waved happily. “Made it, milord. What are we dealing with?”

  “That’s what I was getting to,” I waited for the three girls to gather, wondering idly why I had no male friends before I heard Glyph snort over my shoulder, his update finally having finished. I didn’t dismiss the [Air Step] as I addressed them. “This boss is called a [Whisperwood Sentinel], but from the description I got with [Essence Reading], I think it used to be able to be reasoned with instead of having to kill it.”

  Volta, ever the soldier, remained silent while Mindy raised her hand. I nodded to her and she took a few deep breaths before beginning her question.

  “Why does that matter?” She posed an interesting question. “Our goal is to clear the Dungeon and that has to include the Boss, does it not?”

  “Actually,” Glyph stole my thunder. “Your active tasks are not to use fire magic, depart through the Dungeon exit within eight hours of your entry time, and to locate the shrine hidden within the Dungeon and sanctify it. None of those things mention a Dungeon Boss.” He smirked when he looked over and saw my mouth quirked to the side in frustration. “Unless this Boss is hiding said exit or shrine, you have no real need to kill it unless greed has jumped on your savage mortal heads.”

  Hand shooting up like a snake after a bird, I snatched Glyph’s wing, causing him to go limp in my grip. “That’ll be quite enough talk about us mortals and our savagery.” I gave him a quick shake before releasing him, where he floated a few feet away, staring at me with wide eyes. I turned back to my party, sans Gabby and Ylsa. “While he might be a pain in the ass, I don’t think Glyph’s wrong. I think fighting this Boss might be a mistake. Instead, I think we should be hunting for the shrine Dominus wants us to clear. I’d be willing to bet my personal stash of gold coins it’s why the guardian has changed.”

  I may have been confident, but not confident enough to risk my platinum coins, despite having far more gold. Something about platinum pieces just sang to me.

  “Makes sense to me.” Volta nodded thoughtfully before snapping a quick salute. “Permission to scout, milord? Between Raiju and I we can probably map this whole Dungeon in less than four hours if we’re moving at full speed, assuming I’ve gauged the size of this place right.”

  Looking from her, to Raiju, and finally over to Mindy, I made my decision. “Permission granted. I’ll watch Mindy and Glyph while you two scout.” I reached out and flexed my will to try something new and unusual.

  Come on, I can do this! It’s no harder than controlling multiple [Magic Missiles] at once.

  With a grunt, I felt [Haste] apply to both women at once. “I’ll advise you to move swiftly. I don’t know how long I can hold [Haste] on both of you.” Already, I felt the beginnings of a headache forming, but a few deep breaths were enough to abate it…for now.

  Ever practical, Volta saluted once more before sprinting away from us, after buffing herself with her own variant of [Haste] in [Lightning Fast], in the opposite direction from the way we’d come. Raiju, on the other hand, paused a moment before blurring over to give me a lightning fast hug. I caught a glimpse of her face as she turned to blur away and saw her grinning like a child on their way to a Winter Solstice party.

  Turning back to the remaining members of my party I had nearby, I found both of them staring at me with gaping mouths. Mindy clacked hers shut before turning and looking at Glyph incredulously.

  “Did you know he could do that?”

  He blinked a few times before glaring at me for a moment and then looking back at her. “I did not. He has yet to master [Haste] fully, being at a mere seventy-four percent at the moment, though he did gain a full percentage point in that reckless stunt, so it should not be possible for him. I b–”

  “What are you two going on about?” Tired of being talked about while I was present, I interjected. “It’s no different than targeting two different monsters with an attack Spell or Skill, just less flashy.”

  Totally ignoring me, Glyph continued speaking to Mindy, who was nodding along. “My current working hypothesis is that his connection to Dominus has granted him the ability to warp Skills from their intended use.”

  Mindy’s eyes went wide with excitement before her gaze snapped over to see me growing increasingly more frustrated. “Artie, is something the matter?”

  “Incorrect.” I put my hand up and turned to glare at Glyph’s diminutive form. “My willingness to push the System and attempt to manipulate Skills beyond their normal uses are both things my grandfather taught me.” I scoffed. “While Dominus may have created most of the Skills we use here on Genovia, Grandpa has spent his entire life learning new Skills and flexing his creative muscles to make his Skills do what he wants.” My mind raced with the stories Grandpa had told me about all the times he’d used a Skill in an unorthodox or unusual way that ended up saving his hide. “He taught my mother, and later me, how to do the same.”

  Realizing Glyph and Mindy were staring at me with fear in their eyes, I looked down at myself and found my entire front was coated with light blue lightning. Closing my eyes, I thought about the sounds of the wind rushing through the mountain valleys and the sounds of the waves crashing against the seawall of Mom and Dad’s vacation home. They were both happy memories and when I opened my eyes, the lightning was gone and the pair were both staring at me again.

  “I apologize for the impropriety just now.” I bowed shallowly to them before quickly straightening. “When I stopped learning magic after what happened when I was a younger man, Grandpa took me in for a couple of years and taught me everything I know about Skills in that time. He’s the reason my [Analyze] evolved before I even saw my System Day.”

  Mindy recovered first and she curtsied deeply, lifting the hem of her travel dress up nearly to her mid thigh. “I meant no offense, it’s only that what you’re able to do is, frankly, supposed to be impossible. Scholars have attempted what you just did for generations but, as of ten years ago, no one had ever succeeded without having an evolved version of [Haste] and then only when using the base Skill, not the evolved Skill.”

  Unlike his partner in observational crime, Glyph didn’t bow or curtsy, instead he floated around me like I was some sort of science experiment.

  His eyes shone like a kaleidoscope as he stared at me. “So. Much. Data!”