Ting! Your Bond has obtained level 589!

Ting! Your Class, Fairy Summoner, has obtained level 246! 15 status points awarded.

I quickly check my growth from my efforts in the dungeon for the last two months. My level has been getting harder to increase; monsters are getting predictable, and the challenges and handicaps I need to impose on myself to get more experience are becoming unreasonable. A change of scenery is a must at this point.

Part of fighting monsters, when we first entered the dungeon, was the unknown. Unknown monsters inherently had danger to them and were thus worth more experience. I have it worse, though: there is no danger for me, so I earn less experience, although I won’t change. Why would I? Why risk death for faster level gain? I’d prefer to level slower, knowing that I am safe, rather than risk it all.

I look around the mountains for more suitable monster dens, but I instead find a colossal mountain goat seemingly made of stone. It has huge metal antlers branching high into the sky and seven eyes, all of different gems, from peridot to diamond, amethyst to ruby. A giant worm bursts out of the ground under the goat, who jumps out of the way, and with a glance from its peridot eye, which flashes with light, the worm turns to stone.

Seven-Eyed Rock Gazer (Exalted), Level 1556 Lord of Sights (Exalted), Level 1222 Eyes of the World (Exalted), Level 989 Endless Watcher (Heroic), Level 797 Earth Bond.

Its Bond level is pathetically low for a level three and a half thousand monster. Alright, I get it; the mountains are extremely dangerous, with monsters ranging in the thousands that can instantly kill someone.

I look to the west, toward the desert. The first thing I notice is the presence of aquatic-looking monsters dwelling in the sand dunes; sand sharks, sand squids, and even a sand whale! The sharks have hardened bone covering the front half of their body and more fins than should be normal. The squids have between sixteen and twenty arms, hooks instead of suckers, and harpoons on the tips of their tentacles. The whale has many rows of backward-facing barbs instead of teeth, likely to swallow their prey whole and make it hard to climb back out.

Stalker Sand Shark (Major), Level 345 Gnawler (Adept), Level 214 Earth Bond

Tracker Sand Squid (Major), Level 312 Many-Armed Catcher (Adept), Level 199 Dark Bond

Size-Shifting Sand Swallower (Grand), Level 554 Acidic Gourmet (Major), Level 367 Acid Bond

These monsters seem to be around our level, so it’s a good place for getting out of our comfort zone. Exploring the desert, I find a large gold pyramid with symbols and pictographs etched into its sides; a squiggle, kind of like picturing a snake, is prominent in the symbols. Inside the Pyramid, the reasoning becomes apparent, as it is filled with large snakes. The serpents have large frills on the sides of their head that occasionally crackle with lightning, and a double stinger on the end of their tails.

Electric Temple Serpent (Major), Level 369 Venom Master (Adept), Level 284 Venom Bond.

I notice a dungeon waystone in the Pyramid, in the entrance room, making getting here a top priority for the ability to teleport right to the desert.

Moving on, I discover a city half buried by sand, another dungeon den or ruin with a waystone near its entrance. The city is swarming with Sandstone Golems. They are similar to Runalymo in shape; they even have a tail, but they’re just walking around aimlessly.

Despite being made of sandstone and not flesh, they still have souls and vitality. They don’t have brains that I can see, or anything else. Are they alive? Surely, somehow, but do they think? Do they have emotions? Are they animalistic or something more akin to basic AI?

Guardian Sandstone Golem (Major) Level 412 Crusher (Adept) Level 102 Earth Bond.

Exploring deeper into the ruins, I see Enforcer Golems, which have higher levels and a better Class. As for bosses, I notice an Aegis Sandstone Golem and Chief Enforcer Sandstone Golem.

I don’t stay around the city too long; this is just a simple scouting mission for basic information. The next thing I see is a huge antlion-like monster buried in the sand. Only the gaping maw, with a mouth full of backward-facing teeth similar to those of the sand whales, can be seen, but the large hidden body is like a cosmic horror, hundreds of long tentacles roam under the sands as if it were water, snatching anything, including one of the whales, before tossing it into its mouth. An illusion lies over the mouth, likely a simple camouflage to increase the chances that anything will fall in.

Ancient Desert Consumer (Heroic), Level 804 Hidden Trap (Grand), Level 414 Sand Caller (Grand), Level 702 Light Bond.

It may be old, but its exp gain must be absolutely terrible. It just grabs things and eats them; there’s barely any challenge to help it level up.

I make note of the area to avoid and move on. More dunes with the occasional monster, either walking on the sands or swimming below. This place is dangerous because it’s not just the monsters on land that you have to worry about.

I see a large canyon, as if the land has been ripped apart. Webs stretch from wall to wall, covering the canyon in sheets of silk. Enormous spiders crawl around, often huddling against each other like penguins. These spiders have too many legs; twelve, with six on the bottom and six sticking up in the air. Some spiders weave parachutes and hold onto them to drift down further into the nest; others use their upper legs to walk on the ceiling.

Double-Legged Hive Drone (Major), Level 322 Hive Worker (Adept), Level 180 Earth Bond.

Double-Legged Hive Drone (Major), Level 377 Hive Soldier (Major), Level 278 Wind Bond.

So they are a hive species; that must mean they have a queen, right?

After looking around for a while, I spot the queen, a grotesque monster the size of a mansion laying dozens of beachball-sized eggs every minute. Workers stick the eggs next to others and web them in place. Eggs are everywhere, even on the walls and ceiling. Next to the massive queen is a smaller spider – small compared to the queen, but still massive compared to the others. It doesn’t move, but I can feel a curious mental presence brush up against mine.

Double-Legged Hive Queen (Grand), Level 656 Broodmother (Major), Level 513 Mind Bond.

Double-Legged Hive Mind (Heroic), Level 699 Hive Consciousness (Grand), Level 444 Mind Collective (Grand), level 734 Mind Bond.

The Queen is strong, but the Hive Mind is a greater threat. It is the first monster I’ve seen with a Bond level higher than its Class level, and it seems to be the brain of the Hive.

I’m not ready for a mental confrontation from the Hive Mind, so I pull back before it gets aggressive.

Deciding to take a break from scouting, I send a clone to meet up with Esofy and the others and tell them what I know about the desert. Meanwhile, back in the village, I am teaching Lotis about how Bond skills work now that she has incorporated her Bond into her lifestyle. She complained a lot about the posture she needed to adopt, but once she became accustomed to it, it became second nature for her.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Bond Classes are good, but they have some problems,” Alysara explains.

Lotis’ tenth year is next week, so she’ll be unlocking her Class, and has asked Alysara what the best Class is. Lotis isn’t all that surprised when the older girl goes into a long lecture about the pros and cons of each one.

“What about warrior or crafting Classes?” Lotis asks. The whole lecture have been about mage Classes.

“I don’t have them for my Class, so I am not too familiar with them. I know warriors can have Bond Classes, but I don’t know if they have a caster equivalent. As for crafting classes, just take an apprenticeship and go from there. My advice for that is to have some sort of sensing skill, if possible, that applies to your craft. For example, a smith will benefit from [Sense Metal] and [Sense Mana]; being able to know what goes on inside the material you are working with will benefit you greatly.”

Lotis can’t help but be distracted by Alysara’s tails elegantly swaying behind her as she paces, pointing to an imaginary visual aid.

How does she do that with her tails?! No matter how hard she tries, she can’t match the elegance of those movements. She can’t match the serene posture, or the passionate dances during the Lojyo.

“Just listen to your Bond,” was what Alysara had said before.

I do! I do everything it tells me, yet I still can’t match you! Lotis complains in her mind.

Alysara lightly coughs to get Lotis’s attention. Somehow even that exudes beauty, like the gentle humming of a musical note.

“You’ll get there eventually,” Alysara says, seeming to read her mind. “Your Bond level is almost at one hundred; it’ll get easier. Most people aren’t pushing their Bond to the extreme like you, so most don’t notice the change. Even I didn’t at the time, but I also didn’t know how to push my Bond as much as I do now.”

So it’s just a matter of Bond level?

“How do I level up my Bond fast?” Lotis asks.

“By doing what you have been doing. Getting one hundred levels in just a few months is amazing, Lotis.” Alysara says encouragingly.

“But you know a faster way, don’t you? How else did you get your Bond to over five hundred in four years?”

Everyone starts at around ten years old... well, almost everyone, some of the younger kids here already know their Bonds.

“I’ve been using my Bond since I was one year old, so your growth rate is higher than mine was,” Alysara says matter-of-factly.

One?! Who would teach their one-year-old how to use their Bond?!

“Bonds can be dangerous; that’s why it’s taught at around ten years old.” Alysara smiles at Lotis' expression.

“I learned how to use my Bond by myself,” Alysara explains. “Anyway, another good way to level up your Bond is to kill monsters, but it’s more than just the act of killing the monsters; it’s more about trusting in your Bond, especially in a situation where you might be harmed. At first, you will level up a lot from the new experiences and from learning more about your Bond, but that will slow down, and you will need to seek greater challenges.”

“So why don’t we go kill some monsters? I’m soooo close to level one hundred!” Lotis says.

“Fine,” Alysara sighs. “But only because you will be unlocking your Class soon anyway.”

Alysara leads Lotis out to the island where three of her clones are waiting, holding struggling Domrs. She cannot wait until she can make her own copies! She will be able to do so much!

“Alright, you should still have some open Bond skill slots, but even if you don’t, that’s fine. Here’s a lesson in combat skills...”

Alysara talks a lot about conceptual damage, about lasers and concentration of light, and about something she called ‘Light-Energy-Strong-Building-Body-Damage’, or strong light that damages the body’s building materials, or something like that. Anyway, the simplest and easiest to use is conceptual damage, then laser damage, then UV radiation-like damage… whatever that means. Some of the words and concepts Alysara uses make Lotis’ head hurt just trying to understand them.

“...For now, you should just try to learn a conceptual damage skill to kill these Domrs.”

Lotis nods and starts to conjure her Bond. From what Alysara says, a laser is sustained and steady, and can do good damage if kept on target. This makes it useful for situations where the target is slow, staying still, or being held like the Domrs. Against fast-moving targets, pellets of mana are usually better for damage… but if she misses, she’ll lose all of the mana. It’s a trade-off, and each method of attack has its uses.

What if she uses both at the same time? Conjures orbs of mana that then can shoot lasers?

She forms a ball of beauty mana in front of her, then pinches a little bit off in the form of a laser, hitting the Domr. She doesn’t get a skill despite doing it successfully; is she doing something wrong? She looks at Alysara for answers.

“That is an advanced skill; it’s going to take a lot more practice to get at your level. Just keep trying, and you’ll get it eventually.” Alysara gives her a warm, beautiful smile, like the beauty of a sunset.

It is taking Lotis less and less time to recognize the types of beauty Alysara uses; it always seems to fit the situation.

Ting! You have developed a new Bond skill! Beauty Orbs!

It takes about an hour and several dead Domrs before she manages to obtain the skill.

“Congratulations, Lotis, on your first attack skill. Do not use it without permission from either me or your parents, got it?”

“Yes, Alysara!” Lotis smiles warmly, relishing her accomplishment.