[Wakey-wakey.]

Kaltyr awoke to find that the sky had shifted to its blue phase. After Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth concluded its lecture, it gave her time to rest, which she used to sleep. She had a feeling that she liked napping, but due to the nature of her new life, she didn’t have the opportunities for them until now.

The girl unstealthed and crawled out from under her lean-to. The skies were finally clearing, and brilliant rays of golden light poked through the clouds to shine upon the earth, as though in an apology for the storm. Kaltyr accepted that apology, but didn’t care much for it, because the rain had assisted her back before she leveled up past the point her enchantments were useful.

She stretched her arms and back, then released a yawn before asking, “Time for the next lesson?”

The fire puppet sat in the center of the cold fireplace, seemingly pretending to be its blaze.

[Correct. Did you have your next question in mind?]

Kaltyr walked up to the bags she brought back from the Dungeon raid and sifted through them until she pulled out a long bone.

“Yeah.” She lifted the bone—which still had traces of gore attached to it—to eye level, presenting it to her teacher. “I pulled this, I think it’s called a femur, out of the Boss. I want to make higher-level spears, but because of how you only told me how to make pills from levels 0 to 2, I figured that there was something special required to make stuff at level 3 and up. It’s that ‘3 is a special number’ thing. Am I right?”

Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth nodded its featureless head.

[You are. Enchanting, crafting, elixir brewing. Anything beyond level 2 requires a special ingredient to complete its making.]

Kaltyr put the femur over her shoulder as though it were a…baseball bat. “And that ingredient is? Do I have any on hand? Is it the same ingredient for all those production skills, or do they have different special ingredients? Is it…my blood?”

She wasn’t sure where the idea for that last sentence came from, but hey…magic is magic, and if she had to cut open her arm to make stronger and better stuff, so be it.

[It is money.]

Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth gave no indication that it was joking, so after blankly staring at its glowing figure for a moment, Kaltyr asked, “Uhhh, do you mean that I can’t make anything past level 3, so I have to buy it from others who can make it?”

The fire puppet shook its head.

[My statement was literal. You require the money of Manic, called Moons, to complete any recipe beyond level 2.]

“So…I have to find civilization and get a job to make my new gear?”

Kaltyr was struggling to follow along. She could buy the idea that money was literally consumed in the production of items—magic was magic, after all—but how did it work? Was all the official currency in Manic magical? Were the currencies made from natural resources that were necessary for items level 3 and beyond? Was she going to have to gather or mine those resources to make coins from, to then use in the recipes? Did she have to get a job? But if getting a job was the plan, why not just use her money to buy better equipment than she could make? Or was making one’s own equipment cheapest? But that didn’t make sense because…what would that mean for the economies of Manic?!

Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth shook its head again before getting up from the fireplace, walking over to the storage lean-to, and grabbing one of the mangled level 3 bunny corpses. It then made its way to Kaltyr, held the corpse up to her, and said, [Moons.]

Before the girl could figure out what her teacher was trying to tell her, a bright light blinded her, exactly like what had happened multiple times before when she looted corpses. However, she had enough physical awareness to not fall back or retreat, this time. She simply groaned in discomfort until her eyes functioned once more, upon when she opened them.

Well, I wasn’t wrong about money coming from natural resources…apparently.

“You better not be joking with me.”

Kaltyr bent down to accept the ruby-red coin from Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth’s fingerless stub-of-an-arm.

“You didn’t just…disintegrate the corpse and replace it with this coin?”

She studied the red piece of metal in her palm, which was about one and a half of her fingers wide, a perfect circle in shape, and had an identical engraving on both sides. The image carved into it was definitely a simplistic representation of a flame, which was round at the bottom with three tongues rising from it. Yet, those details barely registered to Kaltyr—even the familiar-looking flame engraving didn’t catch her attention much—because smack dab in the center of both sides of the coin was…the number “2”?

[I did not. Just as you would loot a corpse for any part of its body, you can loot corpses from Life Levels 3 and above for Moon Coins—the currency of Manic. Before you ask; yes. The engravings are of the symbols on Manic’s moons.]

“Uh huh…and,” Kaltyr gestured toward the number at the center of the coin, “why two?”

[That is worth two red Moons.]

The girl’s eyes and mouth twitched as her mind raced, trying to put all the fragments of information together into one cohesive thought…but before she could cobble together a question, she was interrupted.

[No need to think about it so hard. I will explain. It goes like this…]

……

[Now, repeat it back to me.]

“Moon Coins are harvested from beasts—really anything alive with levels, like people, scarily enough—Life Levels 3 and above in exactly the same way one would loot corpses to obtain any single part of the body. Once you have multiple Moon Coins, you can infuse them with mana to split or combine them with your will.”

Kaltyr held up the coin in demonstration and poured a smidge of energy into it. With a thought, the piece of metal split into two, becoming two separate coins in her hand, each with the exact dimensions of the first, but with a “1” carved into their sides. Then, she repeated the process, but in reverse, by filling the two coins with mana and urging them to combine. The Moon Coins melded together seamlessly until they resumed the appearance they had before the girl split them—a single red coin with a simplistic flame and number 2 on each side.

“The red Moon Coin can only contain up to 100 Moons. Adding another Moon to that costs quite a bit more mana than what adding each before did, and the red Moon Coin of 100 Moons will become an orange Moon Coin of 101 Moons. The pattern repeats with adding a Moon to an orange Moon Coin that contains 1,000 Moons. That becomes a yellow Moon Coin with 1,001 Moons. Then a green Moon Coin at 10,001 Moons, a blue Moon Coin 100,001 at Moons, and lastly a purple Moon Coin at 1,000,001…”

Kaltyr scratched the back of her head, an uneasy expression on her face.

“Yeah, thinking about it like that, though it’s correct, is confusing. It’s easier to say… Red Moon Coins can hold a maximum of 100. Orange Moon Coins can hold 1,000. Yellow Moon Coins can have 10,000. Green Moon Coins, 100,000, maximum. Blue Moon Coins 1,000,000 at most. Purple Moon Coins is everything from 1,000,001 and beyond, without a limit. Hypothetically, a purple Moon Coin can contain an infinite amount of Moons because it doesn’t stop at 10,000,000.”

[Yes, it is fine to explain that way. Now, continue.]

“Yeah, so, that’s how you get Moons and how many each color can contain. Um, after that you said that Moons look the way they do, and are named, because of Manic’s real moons. This red Moon Coin…”

Kaltyr held up the red coin and traced her finger along the shape engraved into its faces.

“The reason this image looks familiar is because it’s the same thing as what’s on the surface of the red moon. According to you, it’s the same deal with the orange Moon Coin and so on, where each coin has the same image as what’s on the moon of the same color…and you won’t tell me why, just that it is how it is.”

[Correct. Continue.]

“So, um… Every production recipe level 3 and up will cost Moons to complete. That’s all.”

Kaltyr used her thumb to flick the red coin into the air, where it flipped several times before landing back in her awaiting palm. The “ding” produced when her thumb struck the metal was strangely satisfying.

[Indeed, that is all regarding money. Now, we can move on to the matter of making you a new spear.]

Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth waddled over to Kaltyr’s personal lean-to and looked over a few untouched spears leaning against the structure’s frame. After a few breaths’ time, the fire puppet grabbed one of them and held it horizontally, moving one of its stubby arms along its haft. The puppet inspected the various blue lines carved into the long wooden handle that were created after the weapon was enchanted, then moved on to feeling the spear’s bone tip, which was still as sharp as when it was first whittled due to never having pierced flesh and spilled blood. Kaltyr wanted to remain serious since her teacher was clearly about to begin another lesson, but she couldn’t help smiling at the sight of her guardian spirit carrying a spear over twice as long as its body was tall.

[Are you aware of exactly why you require a new weapon?]

Its wording felt a bit off, but Kaltyr obliged the question.

“Because, being Life Level 11, I can’t use enchantments on items below level 6. And, um, enchantments can have life-saving properties, so it’s always better to have them than not.”

Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth finished examining the homemade spear and angled it vertically, letting it stand spearhead pointed up.

[That is not even half of why you need a higher-leveled weapon, Kaltyr.]

The girl was shocked upon hearing her teacher’s words. Less than half? But…why? She thought she could forgo enchantments, but the way it worded its statement made it sound like enchantments were much more than what she previously knew. Had she missed something painfully obvious?

She voiced her thoughts like that.

[Incorrect. The enchantments can be lived without, for now.] The puppet used a single stubby appendage to effortlessly twirl the spear in circles. [But do not fret. You were not expected to know why.] It let go of the spear mid-twirl, allowing its momentum to take it into the air, flip end over end quite a few times, then land head first into the ground just a few centimeters from Kaltyr. The girl gulped.

“And…what I don’t know is?”

The fire puppet put its arms behind its back.

[I will lead you to that understanding with a chain of questions. Firstly, I noticed that you only brought those bags of phantasmal goo and spirit herbs. Where are the spears you brought to the Dungeon?]

“Well, my hands were full bringing back the goo and herbs, which were my first priority so that I can bury them in my territory because beasts like eating those, and no beasts are gonna try to take my spears.” Kaltyr pointed a thumb at the improvised sacks made from animal skins.

[And?]

“Uhh…” She returned her thumb to her pocket and surfaced the memories from the fights against the beavers. “They were damaged by lightning and stuff. They looked worn down. Even if I did bring them back, they’ll eventually break…” Suddenly, the girl’s brows furrowed in contemplation and her mouth formed an “o”.

[What did you realize?]

“Yeah, besides the enchantments, I need a higher-leveled weapon so that it can survive my higher-leveled battles right? Because my fights now will be producing a lot more force and stuff, which will break weak things.”

Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth shook its head.

[Almost. You are on the right track, but did you forget that infusing your mana into an item increases its fortitude? Why would your mana not keep that,] it pointed toward the spear standing next to Kaltyr, [safe?]

The girl was at a loss for words because her teacher was absolutely right. If infusing items with her mana—which grew in strength alongside her—prevented wearing and tearing from all the abuse her fights brought upon them, why would she need to worry about their durability?

[You have not attempted to infuse your equipment since reaching Life Level 11.] The fire puppet gestured toward the spear. [Go ahead. Try.]

Kaltyr obeyed and wrapped her fingers around the weapon, wincing as she injected her mana into it, expecting something to go awry on account of how cryptic Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth sounded… But nothing happened. Her mana entered the spear just fine, and she could feel how her energy protected it from harm while simultaneously increasing its damage output.

“I really don’t get it. What am I supp—”

The girl suddenly closed her mouth, extending more of her perception into the weapon. Although it didn’t seem like anything substantial would happen, there was definitely a change in how her mana interacted with the tool.

[What you felt was the destructive potential of your mana, Kaltyr.]

Hearing that, the girl pulled away from the weapon in alarm.

[Not that anything bad will happen, ha ha.] Its monotone laugh caused her to stick her tongue out with a scowl. [If you were a single Life Level higher, your mana would begin to destroy that spear. That is why it is best for you to acquire better equipment every once in a while.]

Kaltyr sighed in disappointment. “With a difference beyond ten levels, mana will destroy stuff? That sucks… And I bet clothes are no different?” She looked down at the basic survivalist clothing she first awoke in Manic with, dreading the idea that she might have to make her own clothing if she wanted to be able to fight without her own energy ruining her only outfit. Additionally, she sincerely doubted that she was capable of making anything nearly as comfortable as what she was currently wearing—even when torn to the point of resembling rags in several places, her clothes remained unnoticeable to her the majority of the time.

[You are free to infuse your clothing and try it out. They are level 0, after all.]

The girl paled and violently shook her head.

“Nope! I’m good!”

[Ha ha. Wise. Though, I can demonstrate the results of mana destroying items, if you wish.]

Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth raised a fingerless arm, pointing at the spear still planted in the ground next to Kaltyr.

“Eh, sure. Why not? It’s useless to me.”

The girl plucked the weapon out of the dirt and tossed it toward her teacher, not very wary of what she was about to witness because she expected the item to crumble into dust rather than explode.

[Do not blink.]

Then, somehow without Kaltyr sensing even a shred of it, ethereal strands of blue flowed from the fire puppet’s arm into the weapon…

The air and ground violently shook and trembled as Kaltyr was left gaping, wondering what just happened as—despite having been watching the weapon the entire time—she no longer saw the spear. It took a moment for the girl to realize that not only were her ears incessantly ringing, but little chips, mostly of wood, now littered the surroundings, destruction in their wakes. Grass and leaves from even several meters away were still falling to the ground after being cut, and nearby tree trunks were peppered with small holes.

“Hoooollyyyyyy shiiiiiiit…”

The girl, remembering what she and her teacher stood in the middle of, spun on her heels, scanning her lean-tos for damage before realizing that she, too, was in the blast radius. Just as she was checking her body for signs of harm, another monotone chuckling sounded from nearby.

[Ha ha, ha ha. Fret not. I redirected all the shrapnel. Nothing of value was damaged.]

Kaltyr looked up with relief.

“That was insane. What’s your Life Level for something like that to happen?”

Though she didn’t think anything of her question when she said it, Kaltyr soon after had second thoughts about having asked. Was it impolite to ask such things in Manic? Now that she thought of it, if Manic’s civilizations reflected what she had learned about the nature of the world, then it would, indeed, not be the best thing to ask anyone what their Life Level was. After all, most of one’s combat potential came from their Life Level, and enemies who didn’t otherwise know it might be able to take advantage of that knowledge in their scheming…

Though, Kaltyr then figured that because she was so much weaker than Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth, there would be no issue.

[Irrelevant question, and that kind of instantaneous reaction will occur with any difference larger than fifty levels.]

So maybe there is a problem with asking…

“Okay, got it… What’s next? I get why I need a new spear, so how do I go about making it? Same way I made the other spears?”

[Several things, but we shall begin with how to gain the Weaponsmithing skill because Improvisation alone—despite assisting you in various ways—only allows you to craft level 2 items. Everything beyond that requires one to be taught by someone with the specific crafting skill. This will take a long while.]

……

It did take a long while.

Another three days passed since Kaltyr returned from raiding the Beaver Lodge Dungeon, and she had spent a total of fourteen days in Manic. After Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth brought up the Weaponsmithing skill, it immediately entered teaching mode.

To begin with, nothing changed about how Kaltyr needed to build her spears besides how she prepared the materials, because she wasn’t trying to do anything more than wedge sharpened bones into the ends of wooden sticks. All she needed was Sir Quiggly-Do the Fifth to be present through the entire crafting process of at least one weapon for her to gain Weaponsmithing because she already knew how to build it.

But was that all there was to the entire process? No.

Kaltyr learned that to make higher-level equipment, she needed higher-level ingredients. Obviously. Yet…where would she get a higher-level haft for her spears? In fact, did the saplings she used in crafting her first spears have levels? No, and that was the problem. Kaltyr needed higher-level hafts, but the only way to acquire those was to take down huge beasts to use their bones, or find special spiritual trees that cultivated their Life Level like she did… But there was a common way around all that.

All Kaltyr had to do was boil whatever material she wanted to give a level in phantasmal goop. Thus, the girl chose to set up a temporary base near the beaver lodge—though it was no longer a Dungeon. Kaltyr had a strange feeling in the back of her mind suggesting to her that the beavers would be back, somehow, but her guardian spirit informed her that after a Dungeon is defeated, it is gone for good…excluding special cases.

After setting up camp near the empty beaver lodge, Kaltyr dug a large cauldron into the ground and immediately began the process of crafting better weapons to increase her Weaponsmithing skill’s level. She had enough phantasmal goo for several level 3, 4, and 5 spears from looting the beaver lodge’s storage, so wasted no time in making them. She located and chopped up some more young, thin trees and boiled them in phantasmal goop before cutting one end of the hafts and wedging sharpened bones in them that she’d prepared beforehand. After tightening the spearheads with some metal wire, her Weaponsmithing skill’s level increased, and she repeated the process until all but the highest quality phantasmal goo she had available were used up.

Having used up all the phantasmal goo she was willing to use for crafting, Kaltyr invested the rest of her resources into concocting pills. She couldn’t use any of them, but they would serve as fantastic beast bait and increased her Alchemy level more than usual due to the high-qualities of goo she used. When absolutely all of her phantasmal goo was gone, she was left with only a few tasks—hunt more beasts, practice using her skills, and wait for the 50+ beavers to phantabilize.