The island dungeon chest looked like something a pirate king might store his lost treasure in. Its treasures didn't disappoint.
There were 40 Merchant's Guild tokens, 80 high-grade Essence Stones, a cultivation Talent-boosting Elixir brewed by a junior Alchemist of the World Tree Faction, a fragment of a Cult of Eternal Winter Inheritance, a Dormant Lava Wyrm Egg, and a chunk of Neutron Star ore.
It was all A-rank.
Reina put them in a Bag of Holding which she kept safe on her person. Some of these, like the Ore or the Lava Wyrm Egg, she planned to sell off to boost their Auction fund. Others—like the Talent Elixir—would be reserved for Zane's use, once he stacked up enough essence elixirs and other Leveling treasures. He trusted her to manage it for him—she'd do a better job of it.
All in all, it was another big haul. Zane was satisfied. Reina was even moreso.
They set off for Norway after. It'd be a long trip—all the way back down the West Coast, through the new Panama Canal—which was controlled by the , the big South American Faction. Their leader was the person directly ahead of Zane on the Level rankings, World Rank #6 Cristina Dos Santos. They swapped places every few days.
The journey took about a day and a half in total. They crossed a tropical storm on the way down South, but the boat had runes that let it slide easily through the waves, hardly rocking. Earth didn't have the Artificers to make this kind of enchantment. It came pre-built with the System, though the treasure description said it was done by a Master of the 'Steelheart Conclave.'
That night Zane and Reina had dinner below decks. There were translucent windows on the sides of the hulls, giving them a panoramic view all around them as they ate. The waters were so clear they could see for hundreds of feet beneath, way down into the murk. There were countless schools of fish streaming with Water Laws, Electric Laws, Ice laws. They came in silver and red and purple, in the Levels 50s and 60s—all a good deal bigger than what you would've found on Earth pre-Change. They were armed with horns and jaws and stingers.
A few Monsters were down there too; they must have leaked out of nearby dungeons. They fought the fish creatures often. He saw a kraken-like squid attacking a red barnacled whale that spewed heat vents from its blowhole. When a shark-Monster came a little too close to the ship, Zane flared his aura. It went scurrying the other way.
Dinner was steamed crab and eel with a special seasoning. Reina had gotten their best chef on board; she'd arranged the whole thing. This whole trip was feeling like a nice vacation for the two of them. She smiled at him. She wore a tight silky purple dress.
Later that night it lay ripped on their bedchamber floor. He listened to her breathing as she slept on him. Her chest was pressed up on his own; his hand rested gently on her back. All the thinking in her head had died down. He liked seeing her like this, all calm and peaceful. Nowadays she could never fully relax unless she was around him.
He looked out their long strip of a chamber window, out into the ocean. They were moving through some kind of coral reef—a stony, colorful forest stretching up hundreds of feet high, radiant with bubbling life. Little fishes darting out of all kinds of nooks and crannies, sparking with essence.
He just lay there deep in the night, watching as Reina slept. He saw giant blind sea-serpents drifting by, all milky-eyed. He saw massive fish made of weathered stone that looked like moving mountains. There were fish that had far too many fins, fins on the bottom too, steering them like rudders. And eldritch-like octopus beasts drifting about deep in the endless murk, ghostly tentacles dangling…
Later that day on deck, they passed a couple of islands. Some were barren, some forested. Some had white dots on them—they were inhabited, though Zane wasn't sure by who. One memorable island was the only one in middle of hundreds of miles of dead ocean. It had just one white dot on it. There was a hammock and a little cabin and a rowboat, a little forest, what looked to be a miniature dormant volcano—that was all.
The nights got misty. Sometimes the crew swore ghostly shapes passed them in the middle of the night, though they never got bothered. Every time a red dot neared, it seemed to feel Zane's aura. They always fled after that.
He saw a few shipwrecks—some were so huge they must've spanned half a mile deep on the ocean floor.
Soon it started getting cold. Ice sheets drifted along the surface. Captain Enzo had some of their mages go below decks, and soon the ship's prow glowed white hot—lit up with something nearing elemental fire. It melted straight through the ice. They kept moving.
Eventually, they arrived.
The land was blanketed in snow here, fluffy snow that went up to your knees, piling in thick drifts on the trees on the far bank. The water was so still it was like glass throwing back the shade of the sky. They drifted into an inlet and were welcomed boisterously at the port by the Faction that had invited them—the Valgard Shieldbearers, the best Faction in the region.
Their head, Jarl Erik, was a hefty man—Level 103. Almost as tall as Zane was. And even wider. He wore his thick beard down to the waist. He greeted Zane with a chortle and a hearty slap on the back.
As he gave them a quick but enthusiastic tour, he pointed out the saunas scattered about their camp, which was mostly sturdy log cabins. There were steaming outdoor hot springs too, simmering with essence. Each was a B-ranked treasure.
Jarl Erik also showed off their smithing. Open-air forges manned by burly Warriors who worked over lava-soaked kilns. They had one of the most advanced smithing shops in the world. They could craft B-Rank armors—even A-Rank, given the right material.
Reina saw her chance to sell the guy that Neutron Star Ore. They haggled a bit, settled on 35 high-grade essence stones. Which was more than it was worth. But that was Reina for you.
Their Town Hall was a grand wood hall, quite boisterous inside and brightly lit. Long tables with a bonfire raging in the middle. They were mostly rugged, meaty warriors wielding axes and swords—few rogues, almost no archers. Zane figured it was a cultural thing? There was lots of drinking going on. Zane shook lots of enthusiastic hands. He took a few drinks; they didn't do much for him, though. Too weak for his body.
After a quick meal, they set off.
The leaking A-Rank dungeon was dug into a mountain range a few hundred miles out from camp. It was called the Frostheim Caverns.
Inside, Zane and Reina encountered Lord Jokul, a Level 125 Greater Frost Giant—a blue-skinned, white-eyed beast. It tried engaging in a fist fight with Zane, which went about as well as every other time something challenged Zane to a fistfight. He folded it in two vicious punches.
Then they fought a nine-foot-tall Ice Elf with vampire-like teeth. Level 128. Zane Stormfire-stepped so hard it sent cracks rippling down the cavern floor. A blink later, he blasted the Boss's head off its shoulders. At the same time, its body exploded in Stormfire.
He saw Reina blinking at him. She was used to seeing him in action by now, but she still got stunned sometimes. After he upgraded his Stormfire, his raw explosive power was in its own league.
On the second floor, they found Hel's Envoy, a ghostly figure riding a stallion made of bone, whose skin and muscles were shifting smoking shadows. It was a tricky one, prancing here and there—but nothing was faster than lightning. He didn't even hit it clean. His Stormfire Smash just caught it in the blast radius, and that was that.
Then there was the Level 139 Giant Snow Wolf, Fenrir Unchained. Its howl brought on a blizzard—until Zane fed a hammer down its giant throat, which shut it up nicely before blowing it up from the inside.
The Final Boss was the Glacier Goliath, Level 148. A golem so huge little ice caps grew on its back; it went on all fours, like a silverback gorilla. It came lumbering at Zane, snorting plumes of snow. Zane wanted to have fun with it—so he smashed his fists together and got to work.
The Goliath got a few good shots in. By the end of it, Zane's nose was shattered. So was a cheekbone. So were a few of his ribs. He was panting, spitting blood. That was what happened when you traded blows with a living glacier.
The Goliath got the worst of it, though. He'd blasted off its arms. Then its legs. Then its head. It was split into a dozen giant, quickly-melting ice cubes. Melting faster and faster as the Stormfire did its work. Then it was nothing.
He grinned bloodily.
Reina got a little exasperated at him. He'd nearly gotten to 50% Health there. She would've preferred he finish it cleanly from the start. But she understood him—she didn't chastise him. Sometimes you just had to let Zane be himself, even if it was dumb. His whole body ran hot that fight; he had to strain, had to push his whole body, draw out every last bit of raw power he could muster. It made him happy.
They got a Dark Law shielding skill, 100 more high-grade Essence Stones, a set of diamond-studded greaves. Then, particularly interesting—
ℝ𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℂ𝕣𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕝: 𝕃𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕡𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝔾𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕥𝕙 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℝ𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕨𝕒𝕝 (𝔸+)
𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 ℝ𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℂ𝕣𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕝 𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕤 𝕒 𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕒 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕡𝕥 𝕔𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕪 𝔼𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕙-𝕎𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝔽𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕡𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝔾𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕥𝕙 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℝ𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕨𝕒𝕝. 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕃𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕘𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕪 𝔼𝕝𝕕𝕖𝕣 ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕆𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕚𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕤, 𝕔𝕚𝕣𝕔𝕒 𝟠𝕥𝕙 𝕄𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕦𝕞.
It seemed like Reina would find some use in it. After trying it out, though, she said it wasn't like a normal Minor or Major Law—it quickly became clear to her it'd take a lot of study for her to grasp.
Afterward, Jarl Erik threw a celebration in their honor. Just eating roast meats this time, since he'd picked up that Reina didn't drink. They got 30 more high-grade Essence stones as quest payment too. A great haul, all in all.
***
On the way back to Luminous Faction Headquarters, they spoke with Avery and Evan over transmission crystal. The two of them were rolling up the Midwest, tackling B- and B+-rank dungeons as they went—and clearing them with ease. They'd hit seven by now, and they were almost up to Idaho. They were fast making a name for themselves—lots of Factions were contacting them, trying to get their services too many to keep track of.
He spent some more time cultivating with Reina too. By the end of it—
𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝-𝕦𝕡!
𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟚𝟟 -> 𝟙𝟚𝟠
***
That whole trip felt almost like a honeymoon for the two of them. Quite relaxing even though they were tackling some of the toughest dungeons on Earth. It was fast coming to an end, though.
The Auction was coming up. And after that—the S-Rank dungeon.
It was crucial Zane got what he needed here. The last few weeks had been spent prepping it; how the S-rank Dungeons, and the Superdungeon went could hinge on this. They had to get him something that could progress his Stormfire. Ideally, an Inheritance.
Almost as soon as they got back, Reina was off to the Silicon Coven. She returned with 200 high-grade essence stones—streaming rights for Zane for when the World Ranker Network crew covered his S-rank dungeon raid.
Zane was a little surprised she managed to get that much. It was Reina… he probably shouldn't have been.
She gave him a briefing based on all she'd gathered about the Auction. Which wasn't a lot, but she knew the basics.
It would start some time after midnight, she said. It'd take place in the Astral Plane, where the bidding would happen. "Here," she said, and handed him a blank mask. She had one for herself too.
"The auction is anonymous," she explained. "Once you fall asleep, it lets you enter a dream-state. That's where everything will take place. It's already got your entry token applied to it. That'll grant you access. You can take one Bag of Holding's worth of items to trade with—it's all here."
She pressed a small black bag, embroidered gold, into his palm.
"One Merchant's Guild credit converts to one high-grade essence stone. I've sold off all I could. Including our savings, we have seven hundred and ninety-two credits to trade with."
It was quite the war chest. It sounded like a lot to Zane.
She nodded, bit her lip. "It is…it should be enough."
Reina was concerned, but Zane was pretty sure she was doing the thing where she worried, then it turned out all her preparation was overkill—and she aced it the moment she tried it.
Zane wasn't worried, for a simple reason. An Auction was a kind of strategy game. And he had Reina. It was like having the cheat code to a video game, as far as he was concerned.
He was just curious what kind of goodies they'd make out with.
That night they put on their masks and let themselves drift off.
They woke somewhere different.