As the team continued moving and going deeper into the winding tunnels. Even though the basic worker ants were easy to handle, the group stayed alert, especially after facing ants that could spit acid.After half an hour, they encountered another group of ants, a mix of regular and advanced types. Michael who was the party's shielf took on him most of the acid attacks, while Caster, the mage, used a protective spell to shield them, saving their precious spell scrolls for later.Caster couldn't just practice his magic skills anymore; they needed to conserve resources. Each scroll could make a big difference in a tough situation.This strategy required more effort from his companions. Michael, who used to rely on fast-acting runic spell scrolls, now had to use slower spells that took time to cast."Duck, Michael!" someone shouted."Got it!" Michael the dwarf replied, quickly jumping to the side."Mana Blast!" another voice yelled. A big ball of magic shot a little inch off Michael's ea
A loud yell shattered the silence. Samuel's sharp eyes darted across the battlefield littered with dead ant bodies. Caster spotted two figures unlike anything they had seen before. These weren't the usual worker ants or even the acid-spewing ones. These were adventurers, lying dead among the carnage.A wave of dread washed over the party. It was clear the other team had met a horrible end. Most groups adventuring like this stuck together in teams of five. That meant the others were probably out there somewhere, hurt or even dead."Blast it all," Caster mumbled, tracing his finger across the map. Their escape route, a narrow tunnel leading to the next exit, was now a blocked mess of debris. The other team must have caused a cave-in while trying to escape in a panic. A feeling of regret stabbed at him. Sure, his magic skills were getting better, but at what terrible cost?The only silver lining was the abundance of mana stones scattered amongst the fallen insects. Even some of the lar
Suddenly, they were swarmed by even more monstrous ants! Caster and his team found themselves in a big cavern after defeating a giant ant soldier. There were all three types they'd seen before, and some especially dangerous soldier ones too. Luckily, their mage had enough firepower to keep the soldiers busy.Giant balls of water splashed onto the ants, followed by others that seemed to crackle with icy energy. One of these icy balls flew at a big soldier ant, who barely dodged out of the way. But part of its giant rear end got hit and it froze instantly. The frost began to climb up its body, literally bringing the creature to a standstill.These ants were as cold blooded as insects, as they also lacked a fixed body temperature. They were also confined to an environment where they could not generate their own heat. Some ant species had special organs to fight this, but not this kind. Once their body temperature dropped too low, they'd get sluggish and eventually fall asleep for the w
The other man nodded and walked away. A loud boom echoed a short while later. Wells frowned; this mission was supposed to be easy, with maybe a few unlucky newbies getting hurt.These explosions were on purpose. The miners had set off explosives deeper in the mine, collapsing the tunnels. Sure, the ants could dig through rock, but it would take them time. Once backup arrived, they could clear the rubble and try again, with more muscle this time.Meanwhile, the supposedly dead team of five was resting and eating after a brutal ant fight. Frost covered the area, but they'd managed to make a fire with some coal and magic. Their spirits were low, but at least they were alive. Several dead giant ant bodies lay scattered around.'More than half my scrolls are gone,' Caster thought, munching on some jerky from his bag. Everyone except Felix, who lacked a magic bag, had brought snacks. The half-gnome wasn't left out though; they shared food and water."W-will they just leave us here to die?
Caster grinned, thinking about a certain scroll he'd made. It wasn't great for attacking, but it could be used as a bomb."You came prepared," Felix observed, a mix of relief and frustration in his voice. He was glad to have Caster around, but also bummed about his own lack of usefulness. Maybe after this, he'd take a safer approach to adventuring and prepare more supplies next time.Samuel gave Caster a rough pat on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over. "Heh, not bad for a shrimp," he said with a grin. Caster, despite being the youngest, had become their temporary leader thanks to his powerful magic."I've got some mana back," Caster announced. "We should get going. If Mark's right, no rescue party is coming anytime soon."The trip from Winterfell took about two days. Even if they blew open the entrance now, and factoring in the time to gather adventurers, help wouldn't arrive for at least three days, maybe even a week.Everyone was tired, and Caster was running low on scrolls.
A young man in a black robe suddenly moved forward, screaming loudly and alerting the people around him."Hey, calm down," one of his companions said.Caster's eyes widened in shock. He wasn't sure what was going on. His first instinct was to check his right arm. He remembered using a scroll he had made, which was unreliable and dangerous. Caster had used an entire monster sheep pelt and high-quality magic ink to create the magic spell by combining as many fire arrow magic box as possible. He put it together using magical pathways and fixed it with his debugging skill. The result was a messy spell scroll that overloaded when activated, nearly causing his arm to explode.At least, that's what he thought had happened. But his arm looked mostly fine now. His fingers weren't damaged or missing, and the burn scars were faint. He looked around and realized he was in a moving carriage with his party members sitting nearby."Quite the crazy yelling you've got there, man," Michael the dwarf l
Caster wasn’t the only one who benefited from the expedition. Everyone in the party had collected many mana stones and gained lots of experience from killing monsters. Felix had the biggest level jump, going from tier 1 level 10 to level 23. In only a short while, he could gain another tier 1 class and be in the steel adventurer ranks.Caster gained two levels during the encounter. He may have reached the top of his class if it wasn’t a crafting profession. The magic mastery skill he had was unusual for his class. He hoped it would unlock better job options in the future, maybe not just other tier 1 classes.“Thanks for pulling me out,” Caster said to his party members, who were arguing about women’s busts again. He needed to thank them for getting him out of there; he wouldn’t have survived otherwise. The guys laughed a bit. The elf stayed quiet, looking outside the carriage. Felix blushed slightly, not used to being thanked.They returned to Winterfell safely. The journey back
Winterfell was a big and prosperous city known for its crafting professions. Many of the country’s magical items were made here, and anything with Winterfell's quality seal usually sold well.The city’s money flow was regulated by the merchant council and the local noble house. Nobles mostly stayed out of business matters, focusing on parties, gaining merits, and currying favor with higher-ranking nobles or the royal family.In a brightly lit room, six people sat around a round table, though two chairs were empty. These were some of the richest merchants in the city. One of them was the demon manager Caster worked for.“What the fuck. That mine you blew up cost me a lot of cash, how did a Gorgonite infestation spread there? It makes no sense!”A large dwarf with a bit of a tummy slammed his hand on the table. His hand and beard were adorned with golden rings.“Just some bad luck?” An elven man with dark skin smoking from a cigarette holder said. He wore a black suit that revealed a
Caster was mature enough to see the world as it was. He understood that most younger folk saw it through a lens of hope and ambition, their dreams of treasure and fame setting them apart from his more grounded approach. Some were from humble beginnings: sons and daughters of farmers; young people from families that were better off but that had fallen on hard times and now were boy or girl determined to claw back some of that perceived lost respect, no matter the price."My jaw twisted into a small smirk as I imagined their wide eyes and wide, baseless plans and all they think is, ‘Get some gold, a shiny sword, you’ll be a hero.’" It was the same story, time and again: things that were often only dreams, rarely aligning with reality.Lowfield had been a deliberate choice despite what she had become. Knowing full well it wouldn’t be clear, he took the fast route but he took the fast route. The road taught him about its steep hills, its rocky passages and on occasion, the unfriendly tra
The early morning breeze bit into the cloak and the underdress at Caster’s shoulders as he walked the narrow cobblestone path into Lowfield. Today he had gotten rid of his imposing helmet and heavy armor. Dawn's fresh smell of its own earth together mingling with the familiar taste of his workshop on his clothes. He wasn’t hiding his identity, or painful silence had been left behind, today. Today was about remembering the life that kept breathing after his magesmith-tools stopped.The caravan had added liveliness to the town which reminded me of festival time, the town was waking up. Some of the faces settling onboard Caster recognised—newcomers amongst the adventurers. With fresh ambitions and none of the resolve yet tested, they walked on their own journey wide eyed and reminded him of the person he used to be. He watched the newcomers with a kind of quiet amusement, catching snippets of eager chatter about dungeons and imagined battles, bravado thick in the air.A young man, prob
Casting his small treaty of provisions, a load of stale bread crusts, some wrinkled fruits, and a hard wedge of cheese that once lived on a more hospitable broke surviving clunk to clunk. He made a gagging noise as he peered at the dried meat again and poked it with distaste. "Wouldn't it kill the fates to give me a real meal?" Just once. Something hot, even." He sneaked a look over at where a stove should be, the ones that made his mouth water when a hearty stew bubbled away. For a moment he smirked, "No stove yet … maybe I could conjure a magical pan up." "Oil might be asking for a miracle."Peering out the window he squinted at the city in the early light. Carts creaked along cobbled paths and vendors hawked fresh fish and newly baked bread in the place I had walked into, even now. He’d done a lot with the house in the week that he’d been there, turning it into something livable, barely. "What the hell?' he murmured, 'Doors actually close now' he concluded feeling a bit more proud
Caster adjusted his grip and took a close look at his work, scrutinizing every line and angle of the newly crafted weapon handle. The wood was tough but carefully sanded, bearing faint, meticulous patterns he had engraved over hours of work. "Alright," he muttered, almost to himself. "Let's see if this holds up."He lowered his gaze to the small, rough-edged mana stone beside him. Its surface shimmered faintly, a testament to the raw energy that pulsed within it. With precision, he made a tiny opening at the base of the handle, using one of his tools to keep the gap just wide enough for the stone to fit snugly. Holding his breath, Caster slid the stone into place, his hand steady even as he felt the twinge of nervousness in his gut. One wrong move, one crack, and the handle would split, and the entire effort would be wasted. He exhaled, the pressure off his shoulders as the stone was secure. He picked up a little hammer and taps the opening closed, sealing the stone.Caster was co
Caster’s gaze shifted between his rough tools and the iron-cast walls around him. The dim, flickering light from a lone torch cast dancing shadows on his workbench, where the worn mace lay, waiting. Each scuff and nick in the wood handle held a tale of its own; it wasn’t just a tool but a companion, a weapon that had been through as much as he had. And here he was, weighing its life and usefulness like a weary healer judging the last pulse of an old patient.He ran his hand over the handle one last time, tracing the grains and grooves with a practiced eye. “Adding a stone’s one thing,” he muttered. “But what it needs is stability.” His fingers slid to a small crack, an old fracture that hadn’t yet spread but threatened to. “If that widens… this thing’s done.”His hands worked without thought, reaching into the assortment of stones, metals, and powders he had scavenged over time. His fingers found a small, rough mana stone, and he rolled it between his fingers, feeling its faint warm
Caster knocked metal hard on metal, the sound reverberating in the almost pitch black workshop. With every hook an aura of magical energy was discharged providing brief glimpses of light on the roughly completed stone walls. It smelled of hot metal and a low, tense buzz, which seemed to say that the room itself had tensed to watch him.Caster, still young but hardened by the trials of his craft, stood poised over his latest project: a shield, its shape still raw but which is already starting to look graceful. Though not tall and still somewhat thin, he seemed to possess good illating strength, every punch he landed being calculated. Each movement was accompanied by complex magical ripples, which Indragni had seen on the surface of the shield before a layer of runes he more or less sketched with great detail. In addition to a frown a look of intense concentration took over his face only to be interrupted the occasional lean back to examine the painting.After several more strikes, he
Caster climbed the winding stone stairs leading upward from the basement of Lamba fortress as the red rays of the morning sun spread across Lowfield. He sighed as he breathed in the crisp morning air and hours spent wading through dim and damp caverns had taken a toll on him. The bustle outside was a stark contrast to the quiet gloom below. Merchants, hawkers, and small-time dealers filled the open area, all eager to cater to the steady stream of adventurers drawn to the dungeon.“Potion for mana, sir?” called a nearby merchant, brandishing a small flask that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Clearly, the man wasn’t going to miss any opportunity to sell.He gave her the distinct pleasure of a faint smile and a polite shake of his head. “Not today, but thanks.” The merchant glanced up as he passed saying “As he passed his gaze fell on a young boy standing beside the merchant with his hands outstretched each palm held small stones of different colors.”“Lucky charms,” the boy put out
Caster climbed the winding stairs stone leading upward from the basement of Lamba fortress as the red rays of the morning sun spread across Lowfield. He sighed as he breathed in the crisp morning air and hours spent wading through dim and damp caverns has taken a toll on him. The bustle outside was a stark contrast to the quiet gloom below. Merchants, hawkers, and small-time dealers filled the open area, all eager to cater to the steady stream of adventurers drawn to the dungeon.“Potion for mana, sir?” called a nearby merchant, brandishing a small flask that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Clearly, the man wasn’t going to miss any opportunity to sell.He gave her the distinct pleasure of a faint smile and a polite shake of his head. “Not today, but thanks.” The merchant glanced up as he passed saying “As he passed his gaze fell on a young boy standing beside the merchant with his hands outstretched each palm held small stones of different colors.”“Lucky charms,” the boy put out
Caster met them along the way quite often, which slowed down his progress. As he fought, he had to wait for them to finish before he could move on. “Hey, Caster! Need a hand?” one adventurer called out, swinging a sword at a monster.“No thanks! I’m good,” Caster replied, keeping his eyes on the battle ahead. He knew he could be accused of stealing if he forced his way through. Caster wished to avoid conflict with others, at least for now. He didn’t want to risk incurring their wrath or losing potential allies. “Once I get a silver-grade card, things will be different,” he thought. With higher levels, prestige wouldn’t be far behind, and the dynamics of encounters would shift dramatically.The level wasn’t that large; if someone knew the way, they could stroll past most dangers and quickly descend to the second level. Caster recalled hearing about hidden paths that only seasoned adventurers were aware of. These shortcuts could be the difference between life and death, especially dee