[Wave 2: Success]

[Mission Complete: Grading Complete]

[Reward Selection Prepared]

The prompt he'd been waiting for finally appeared. While waiting for the results, Lucian had walked around the battlefield gathering the spears and examining the rat's corpses to see if the hides could be salvaged. Out of the nine rats that had assaulted him, only three of the skins were still mostly intact. One of these was the giant rat, which had only taken damage to the head and neck area. The other six had been pierced or slashed multiple times, leaving the furs damaged.

"I can still use it for strips or rolls..." Lucian mumbled before focusing on the new prompts. The words changed after a few seconds, and he hurriedly read through the report.

[Wave 2 Reward Selection]

[Category : Grade : Reward]

[Style : F : Wooden Bow]

[Preservation : D- : Iron Block]

[Efficiency : D- : Microlink]

Though he was curious about the bow, primarily due to the Sharpness Property his knife held, Lucian wasted no time in selecting the Efficiency reward. He was satisfied with the results, though he was a bit irritated by the low Grade for Style. Lucian felt that his performance was much better, and since his prior Style Grade was higher, it meant that whoever was doing the grading enjoyed watching him get abused by the rats.

"Ed, you aren't the one grading me, are you?" Lucian asked.

[Error]

[Reward Chosen: Initiating Download Sequence]

"Sure..." He squinted at the red words before finally sitting down to rest. There was a lot of work to do, but he could take a few minutes as he decided how to spend the Psyons. "I wonder how many Psyons I'll earn from a D- Grade?"

[2%]

[3%]

[4%]

The count was only climbing by one every few seconds, so he leaned his head back and rested against the side of the shack. The battle hadn't lasted that long, it had to have been less than a half-hour, though he couldn't confirm that without the clock. Lucian was positive that without the Endurance Microlink, he wouldn't have survived.

His mind drifted off as the concepts of Endurance began to run through his mind and, funnily enough, began to merge with one of the first lines in the short poem. As though he was in a trance, Lucian started to mumble the strange song, and he felt as though there was another concept to Endurance that Ed hadn't mentioned...

"With blackened eyes and hardened soul..."

"Hardened soul..."

[99%]

[100%]

Flashing red lights interrupted his thoughts, dragging him from his trance. His body felt strange as the concept that he'd almost grasped started to fade away.

"What... was that?"

Lucian closed his eyes and tried to recall the feeling, but no matter how he tried, it wouldn't return. Not knowing whether he should continue chasing something he didn't understand, Lucian opened his eyes and focused on the [Microlink] tab. The enormous wall of hexagons spread out before him and then zoomed in to the [Initiate] Microlink, along with the handful of others around it. In the top left corner of his vision, he could see the roman numerals XI flashing, signaling that he had eleven Psyons to spend.

"Ten Psyons for a D- reward..." Lucian looked at the number before asking, "Ed, can you tell me the rewards for every Grade?"

[Error]

"Worth a shot," He shrugged and went back to looking over his options. There were a few combinations, but he wasn't sure what would be best for him at the moment. "Should I unlock all of the first-level Microlinks?"

[Host should focus on a specific path. Those who try to broaden their horizons too early limit their future growth and can even destroy the core that allows them access to Psyons. Before unlocking another path, Host should increase current path to Tier two. After that, only begin new paths adjacent to the basic Laws or Concepts that Host has learned. This will ensure that Host can fulfill their maximum potential]

Lucian read through the information and smiled, "Is this information that you should be giving me... Ed?"

He waited for a few moments, but there was no answer. No error message or otherwise, and his smile only grew. Lucian knew something was up, and now he felt like he'd confirmed it. There was a living being on the other side of the system, and whoever it was didn't want him to fuck up... Though he wasn't sure of the reason.

"Thanks, Ed," Lucian chuckled, not trying to drag out more information than he should. If he was correct, it was likely that the person on the other end would get in trouble for giving him knowledge that he shouldn't possess. "That settles it then. First, I'll unlock the [Orelia] Tile for water, and then I'll upgrade [Endurance I]. I don't need every piece of leather I craft to shoot out electricity!"

Truth be told, he was somewhat apprehensive about continuing to use the fruits to craft materials. What would happen if he crafted something that blew up and killed him? Lucian didn't intend to stop crafting with the fruits. He just wanted to gain a better understanding of how they worked. There had to be a way to force the concepts he wanted on specific pieces of equipment.

As for opening up the Tile first... He needed water to properly preserve the rat's skins. If he unlocked [Endurance II] right away, there was a good chance that he would fall into a long trance again while comprehending its Concepts. Lucian couldn't be sure of that, but it did seem to be a recurring pattern. He got to his feet and walked to the edge of his Domain.

Lucian gripped a spear in one hand while his other was held over the dagger on his back. With excitement and trepidation, Lucian switched over to the [Map] screen and stared at the void between himself and the [Orelia] Tile. He focused on the Tile, choosing to spend a single Psyon to unlock it.

Whatever may come through, he would be ready.