"Everything's so different," Kira whispered as she glanced down at the thick book laying open in her hands, sitting comfortably against the wall of a Dungeon's safe zone. Mrs. Dole taught geography and history, essential subjects for first years who planned to do anything other than take up a desk job once they graduated, and earlier that day the old woman handed out a modern atlas for each student to reference in their upcoming classes. She apologized profusely for being late, having promised them at the beginning of the term, but accurate maps were difficult to come by in a constantly changing world so the newest atlas was always understandably expensive.

Flipping through the brightly colored pages, Kira felt an odd sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

It wasn't even recognizable as the same planet anymore.

Everything from country borders to terrain and continent outlines were different. In fact... Kira opened her System and searched for an old map of Earth, comparing it directly to the largest world map printed in the new atlas. Both maps had a legend in the corner detailing comparative distance, and she took a moment to do some quick math.

'The planet's gotten bigger?' She frowned, furrowing her brow. 'So when Gramps said Gates merge with the world... It's literally adding on to the planet? Magic can even do that sort of thing, huh...'

Kira glanced up, looking first at Brigit polishing the edge of her blade, to where Ribbon knelt in silent prayer beseeching her goddess for empowered spells. They entered the Dungeon right after lessons, and though Kira was expecting to just charge into the fight, her two companions dragged her back into the Sanctuary in order to properly prepare.

Double-checking their weapons and armor, praying to their deity, rationing potions... All with a clinical precision that left Kira's head spinning. She put her atlas away and stared at the ground with her brow still furrowed, until Brigit tapped her on the shoulder a few minutes later.

"Kira, are you okay?" Brigit asked, gentle concern in her golden eyes. Her armor was polished to a fine sheen, a different set than what Kira remembered her wearing when they first met, and her sword hung sheathed from her hip. Strapped to her left arm was a round metal buckler with a faintly glowing blue sigil engraved in the center.

"Mm." Kira nodded, then shook her head after a moment's hesitation. "Last time... I just started fighting right away. This waiting... It's..."

"Scary?" Brigit finished her sentence, and Kira nodded with a glum expression, making the Drakke smile. "Last time, you were with Mrs. Reid, but I never asked... How did it go? What exactly did you do?"

"Um. Ailsa just told me to go fight? So I... Went and fought. I cleared the first floor, then I... Rested. And talked a bit. Then the next morning we fought the boss." Kira didn't want to explain the minor mental breakdown the experience gave her, so she skimmed over the details while glancing toward the safe zone's exit to disguise the fact she couldn't meet Brigit's gaze.

"You cleared the first floor?"

"Mm."

"By yourself?"

"Mhm?"

Suddenly, Brigit started laughing. Ribbon, who just finished her prayers, jolted with alarm and automatically reached for the healer's staff laying beside her. "What? What happened!?"

"Kira... Kira cleared a whole dungeon floor by herself at 1-F! But... But the waiting... The prep time's too scary!?"

Brigit covered her mouth and looked away, her shoulders shaking from the effort of trying to suppress her uncontrollable giggling. Kira was so shocked by the sight of Brigit laughing that she forgot to even feel offended by what the Drakke was laughing about.

To her surprise, Ribbon started giggling too. The Drakke and Kobold exchanged glances, flicked their eyes to the confused Kira, then dissolved into laughter once more.

"Anticipation is exhausting..." Kira muttered to explain her reasoning, but that just made her friends laugh even harder.

And it was the first time she'd really seen Brigit laughing, so she couldn't even get mad about it! Kira sighed in exasperation, double-checking her handwraps as her cheeks burned red.

"At... At least we know you're not a procrastinator?" Ribbon said, attempting to compose herself. "That's a good thing!"

"If I get things done right away... I can relax all I want after. The faster I get something done, the better." Kira nodded sagely, crossing her arms. "But no cutting corners. Cuz that just makes more work later. Doing it right the first time, is the best way."

"You're absolutely correct," Brigit said while patting Kira's head, a broad smile on her face. "So let's get this Dungeon right the first time too."

"BRAT!"

A thunderous voice shook the house, making Ailsa flinch and nearly drop the mug of coffee she was pouring, splashing its contents all over the counter. Once she got over the initial shock, the Dwarf closed her eyes and groaned while her wife struggled to hide a grin.

She received a simple message from Karl the night before, saying only "He knows.". And since the stubborn old man hadn't sent any messages through Chat, Ailsa knew she'd be getting a visit from him soon enough.

But the next damn day?!

"We're eatin' breakfast!" Ailsa bellowed after covering Vanessa's ears with her hands.

"IT BE WELL PAST NOON YE WEE GIT!"

SLAM!

STOMP!

STOMP!

STOMP!

The door slammed shut, followed by the sound of unhurried, heavy footsteps down the hall.

"Breakfast fer me, I had a late night!"

"Hello Grandpa, would you like some lunch?" Vanessa said with a grin as Ailsa's grandfather rounded the corner, his entire snow white beard bristling from emotion.

"Thank ye, Nessie, if'n ye wouldnae mind. As fer ye, ye brat!" Feldar gave a kind smile to Vanessa before rounding on his grandchild, smacking his large, heavy fist on the kitchen island in the center of the room. "Did ye think I wouldnae find out what ye did? Do ye ken 'ow disappointed ye made yer Pappy!?"

"She likes rocks," Ailsa muttered, adding cream and sugar to her previously brutalized mug of coffee. "Plants. Books. And cute things. Animals, like."

"Harrumph!" Feldar snorted, mustache quivering. Then he sat in one of the comfortable wicker chairs sitting around their breakfast table in the corner, drumming his thick fingers against the smooth surface. He nodded his thanks when Vanessa set a plate in front of him, doling out heaping piles of fried potatoes and eggs from the skillet. "What kinda rocks?"

"All kinds. She thinks they're, ah, 'neat', if'n I be rememberin' her words right." Ailsa set the mug of sweet coffee in front of her grandfather, then turned to make a stronger cup for herself. "She took home Safirite her first run in a Dungeon, ye know. Just ta play with it."

Feldar spluttered into his coffee, raising his bushy eyebrows until they were in danger of shooting off his face. "She did?"

"Bare handed, aye. Just plucked it offa wall."

"And nothin' 'appened after?"

"No punishments fer impudence or nothin', nah. Pappy, she only leveled once in the entire Dungeon, after doin' a fair chunk of damage ta the Boss. Such a low EXP rate! But then she went and got 【 Gaea's Pique 】 and 【 Arcana 】 already. Asked me about it, then awhile later said somethin' about 【 Arcana 】 bein' a bitch, which gave me a right laugh, but-"

"Ye didn't tell 'er ta use it?!" Feldar shouted, slamming his mug down with enough force to spill the little remaining liquid inside. Vanessa froze in the middle of reaching for a sponge, furrowing her brows.

"Aye?" Ailsa said, scratching her cheek.

"She used 【 Arcana 】... At 2-F?" Vanessa muttered, growing concern evident on her face.

Alarmed by the looks on her loved one's faces, Ailsa glanced back and forth between them before slowly responding. "Yeah, I told her ta give it a shot. The earlier ye use it, the better the foundation and base quality."

"Aye, true enough, but it's got a minimum mana requirement that needs be met fer first activation that ain't listed in any of it's descriptions, like! If'n ye ain't got enough MP ta cover the cost, it'll take yer HP! If'n ye ain't got enough HP... And ta make matters worse, it ain't a skill most get afore Rank D! Sure, it ain't an issue fer most ta activate it upon first receivin' the skill but it's cuz their base mana pool's bigger! Fer a wee 2-F? Even as a Human, 'ow much HP and MP did the lass have ta start?"

"That... 110 combined?"

"Och... The base requirement fer first activatin' 【 Arcana 】 be close ta 500 MP. And the HP to MP conversion ratio always be 2:1, as ye know."

Ailsa paled, shakily taking a seat in a wicker chair across from her grandfather. "Oh, ye gods... That... That coulda killed the bairn?"

"Nah, nah. She wouldnae die," Feldar said with a sigh, waving his hand. "Coulda 'urt 'er, aye. Damaged 'er HP or MP permanent, like. Maybe siphoned a stat ta compensate the difference. But only if'n the lass fainted! Did she faint?"

"I... I dunno." Opening her Chat log, Ailsa scrolled through her Friend list to find the window with Kira and turned on timestamps. "She sent one when she got the message, and one after usin' 【 Arcana 】..."

(6:45 AM) Kira understood (7:33 AM) Kira 【 Arcana 】 is a bitch and i think i almost died 0/10 would not recommend

"Said she almost died, but... I thought she be havin' a lark, but was she serious?" Sighing, Ailsa ran a hand through her dense auburn curls and shook her head.

"'Ow long?"

"Eh?"

"'Ow long between messages, ye wee git!"

"Oi!... Well, can't say I don't deserve it at the moment... Less than an hour between the two messages."

"Aye, then she's fine." Feldar let out a relieved sigh, slicing a piece of bread off the loaf on the table. "If'n the lass fainted, she'd be out fer 'ours, mebbe a day even. But less than an 'our ain't nothin' ta worry, none. Must be a quick-like thinker, drank potions or sat in a mana gatherin' array, mebbe. Good lass, good lass indeed! Real Albite material, that one!"

"Ye remember I'm the one who's yer grandkid, right Pappy?"

"Yer me grandfool, mebbe! Yer first disciple and it be a Human 《 Relic 》 with a 2-F activated 【 Arcana 】? Ye really do 'afta learn the 'ard way, aye!? Ye great stoneskull!"

Considering the weight of her mistake, Ailsa could only make a face and sink lower in her chair. Vanessa gently pat her wife's shoulder and set a plate of breakfast in front of her. "Everyone makes mistakes with their first disciple, hon. I'm sure Grandpa Albite has more than his fair share of stories too. Luckily, it seems little Kira pulled through and there's no harm done... This time. But you should still apologize, it's your job as a mentor to look after her. If you want her to keep trusting you, you have to prove you're reliable by owning up to your mistakes and learning from them. It'd be terrible if she learned the truth about this incident later from someone else."

Ailsa didn't respond, clenching her fists under the table. The gentle yet firm admonishment of her wife hurt more than any of the half-hearted insults flung her way by the old Dwarf. After a long moment of silence, she glanced up at Vanessa, who was waiting with an understanding smile on her pretty face. "Love, ain't ye been talkin' about takin' a vacation? How about stayin' in Atmont fer a bit...?"

"【 Steadfast 】!"

Brigit's strong clear voice rang loud off the cavern walls, a soft azure glow surrounding her entire body, boosting her natural defenses and strengthening her combat stance. She held her sword and buckler at the ready, firmly placing herself between her Teammates and the small goblin patrol occupying the room whose attention had been drawn by her shout.

Dungeons were made of rooms and halls. Rooms were areas with higher ceilings and more maneuvering space than halls, and could range from the size of a small bedroom to a cavernous chamber large enough to fit a town. Halls could be wide or narrow, short or tall, but would absolutely never have treasure chests in them, and most of the time only had enemies patrolling in small groups. Monsters would often move around the dungeon, checking out suspicious activity or just keeping an eye on things, using the halls to travel between various rooms.

The layout of a Dungeon floor changed every time it was cleared or reset. So when Kira entered with Brigit and Ribbon, the map was entirely different from her visit with Ailsa. Straight across from the safe zone was a large cavern room, with just a little narrow tunnel hall connecting the two, and it was there the goblin patrol had set up camp with rough woven tents and a skinned rat roasting over a smoky campfire.

As the one with the most Dungeon experience, Brigit was designated the Team leader. She had everyone position themselves near the tunnel to the safe zone, where they could be sure other monsters wouldn't sneak up on them, before drawing the attention of the three goblins anticipating their meal.

"【 Ward 】!" Ribbon's cute little voice quickly followed Brigit's, surrounding the entire team briefly with pale yellow light to bolster everyone's defenses for a time.

The goblins snarled and scrambled to grab their weapons.

"Watch me carefully for this pull, Kira!" Brigit said, tapping her sword against the surface of her buckler. "Don't interfere, just watch!"

"Mm. Okay." Kira nodded, flicking her eyes to the window she had opened. She was examining her stats compared to those of her friends using the Team window, and the difference was...

More than a little shocking.

【 Kira Hawthorne 】 【 Brigit Cinderscale 】 【 Ribbon 】 HP 40/40 HP 30/30 HP 8/8 MP 70/70 MP 8/10 MP 11/15 RANK F RANK F RANK F LEVEL 2 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 2 STR 10 STR 15 STR 2 INT 10 INT 7 INT 4 AGI 7 AGI 7 AGI 4 DEX 9 DEX 13 DEX 2

'I didn't think to check their stats until now, I was so busy with everything else... That really is ridiculous, no matter how you look at it. I guess my slow leveling speed will balance it out a little, but still... I'm closer to a 5-f than a 2-F, how much bigger is that gap going to grow as I level...?'

Kira sighed and dismissed the windows, centering her focus on Brigit and the agitated goblins.

Monsters found in the world were different from ones in Training Dungeons. Monsters in Training Dungeons were formed of mana, imitations using divine powers to create advanced golems similar to the ones found elsewhere. Their intelligence was limited, especially among lower levels, and so the number of actions they could act on were limited as well. Most of their observed behaviors were mere mimicry of what monsters in actual Dungeons might be doing in similar situations. Only Bosses were the exception, in order to provide more of a challenge for training adventurers preparing to delve into true Dungeons.

Anything in the Rank F bracket of Training Dungeon monsters had essentially one battle tactic: Rush Them.

In her position, Kira would have sidestepped, avoided the first attack and looked for an opening like Ailsa taught her. Brigit, however, was a Tank - her job was to block attacks to protect her allies, intercepting enemies to keep her softer, squishier allies safe.

Namely, Ribbon.

So when the goblins charged, Brigit didn't budge an inch. She met the first attack head on, slamming the goblin's weapon with her buckler as it swung a makeshift club down. The strike made it drop the weapon in surprise, leaving its entire chest and side exposed. Instead of using her sword, which wasn't in an optimal position compared to the goblin for a finishing blow, she lashed out instead with her foot, kicking it back into one of its allies while swinging her sword at the third goblin.

Smooth, fluid, and practiced. A few strikes and the goblins were done for.

"Wow!" Ribbon exclaimed, clapping her paws and wagging her tail at maximum speed. "That was amazing!"

Brigit smiled shyly, clearing her throat before turning to Kira. "Did you see?"

"Yeah. Very cool." Kira grinned, which only served to make Brigit blush and clear her throat again.

"Alright, then. That's what an average 5-F Squire is capable of. You're 2-F and not a pure fighter-type class, you should be using a less than half that amount of power. That's easier said than done though, so I'll tank and you'll practice pulling your punches. Ribbon, keep using 【 Ward 】 and only use 【 Refresh 】 if one of us drops to 50% HP. Let us know when your mana empties, and we'll take a break."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Ribbon did a little salute, her fluffy tail still wagging away, which made the other two grin.

"Okay, let's go!"