Chapter 54 Through the Depths

After we had the whole rapier thing sorted out, we chatted about what the Kobalai said. Evelyn had never heard of a creature called a Kobolai, though she was worried about the fact that she was supposed to do something for me. Again, neither of us knew that the creature said, and she had never even heard of the language that the creature spoke.

We did decide to try and have her mind cope with me allowing all the information of Panoptic Sense through the party link. The idea was to first go into my Void Nexus, I could adjust the space to be completely empty and it would not completely overload her mind. Once she was used to the entirety of the information I provided, I would add more and more things to the space.

Once we adopted that approach, the process went much faster. After finishing in the Void Nexus and returning to the cave, she still experienced a headache, but it subsided within minutes. Then, the real challenge began.

We moved through the cave system of the Dungeon with almost no worries. The one time we had a problem was when I fell into a pit fall trap. The hole for the pit fall had been so flawlessly melded with the floor that neither of us had noticed that it was a pitfall until I fell into it. Luckily for me I had Arcane Armor on and landed on the spikes, so nothing actually happened.

We made our way through the cave system much faster than before. Maybe it was because Evelyn had gained confidence now that she could see everything with Panoptic Sense, or maybe it was because I had decided to charge ahead, blissfully disregarding her increasingly exasperated warnings. Either way, we were making good time, though I had a feeling I’d be hearing about my recklessness later.

Beyond the first cutout, we entered a larger chamber divided by three imposing stone formations. Their sheer size and positioning created the illusion of multiple pathways, and without Panoptic Sense, I might have been fooled into thinking we had to choose a direction rather than continue forward.

This section was swarming with hundreds of Kobold Brutes, led by a single Kobold shaman. The shaman, acting as their leader, wielded multiple elemental magics, hurling fireballs, summoning earth spikes, slicing through the air with wind blades, and even attempting to trap us in globes of water.

My Arcane Armor absorbed most of the attacks, while Evelyn effortlessly evaded the few spikes that came her way, thanks to Panoptic Sense. When the globes of water tried to entrap us, I simply used Arcane Step to phase out. If Evelyn was caught, I’d Arcane Step into the globe, grab her, and step back out, because why struggle when you can cheat physics? Instead of slogging through the horde of brutes to reach the shaman, I took the direct approach, grabbing Evelyn’s hand and using Arcane Step to get behind the creature. She was already mid-strike, her blade driving toward the back of its head before we even fully materialized.

After clearing that section, we approached a narrow bridge. As we crossed, Panoptic Sense detected a hidden cutout, one that seemed nearly impossible to reach without Arcane Step. Luckily for us, that wasn't an issue.

The small alcove was only about twenty feet deep, with a treasure chest sitting conspicuously at the very end. Evelyn, ever the cautious one, was ready to take her time, and for once, I fully agreed. Before we even got within ten feet of the chest, I picked up a rock and hurled it at the box with all my strength. When that did absolutely nothing, I decided to get creative, I shaped a tiny humanoid figure from Arcane mana and sent it forward. I’d been practicing my Arcane manipulation over the past few days, and I had to admit, I was getting a bit better at it.

The little mana figure cautiously advanced toward the chest, and just before it could attempt to open it, I extended my Arcane mana to form a protective shield wall. Evelyn, ever cautious, remained behind me, ready for anything.

All of our preparations for nothing though as the lid just opened and revealed about twenty gold worth of coins, and a cape. The cape was a little basic, but it would be helpful for Evelyn which is why I gave it to her.

Cape of Defense – This cape is imbued with an enchantment of protection, decreasing the damage the wearer receives from physical attacks slightly.

When we finished with the chest, we moved back to the path and continued on with the Dungeon. We had decided to wait until the boss chamber before checking how much Evelyn had gained from all the kobolds.

The next group we faced had several hundred brutes and five shamans. This is when Panoptic Sense truly shined. While I had not been concerned with the creatures that were moving about around the edges, Evelyn had been paying attention. It turned out that the things moving about were actually rogue type kobolds using a stealth ability.

The moment they attempted to sneak behind Evelyn, she would effortlessly pivot and drive her rapier through their skulls. Panoptic Sense enabled us to move in perfect harmony, allowing Evelyn to detect threats before they even materialized, sharpening her reflexes and tactical decisions. This heightened awareness let us anticipate each other’s actions, making our teamwork feel almost instinctual. With all the information she gathered, her talent continuously guided the party toward the best possible decisions. We maneuvered freely, even when surrounded, and despite the chaos of battle, Evelyn remained untouched.

It amazed me how seamlessly our abilities complemented each other, Evelyn’s Sovereign Instincts allowed her to predict enemy movements and guide our strategy, while my arcane capabilities provided the firepower to execute those plans with precision. Even still, there were times that things did not go exactly as her talent had planned. It left me feeling like her talent had yet to fully adapt to working specifically for the party, and my involvement sometimes made the instinct wrong.

We travelled through several more caverns, each stronger than the last. More rogues, more shamans, and eventually we started getting these kobolds that almost reminded me of naga type creatures but Identify still just called it a kobold.

These snakier type kobolds were faster and stronger than the normal kobolds we fought, most of them were around level 45 as well. Though even though their level was higher, I felt that even a regular kobold at the same level as this thing would still be weaker.

The last few cavern systems we traversed were flooded, giving some kobolds a distinct advantage. They moved through the water with an eerie, serpentine grace, gliding far faster than any we had encountered before.

It made me worry, that I might have been wrong about the dragon thing when I first saw them. Still, they were easy enough to defeat by crushing their heads with a hammer like strike of my shield, or a rapier through the brain from Evelyn.

At last, we reached a door deep within the cave system. It was time to assess the rewards of our efforts.

Name: Jace Obexis Talent: System

Level: 36

Class: Ascended Arcane Juggernaut (Level 26)

Experience: 1285/6900

Profession: Relic Seeker (Level 3)

Experience: 137/300

Race: Primarch of the Arcane

Strength – 197

Dexterity – 110

Endurance – 143

Constitution – 195

Wisdom – 84

Intelligence – 153

Luck - 36

Abilities:

Inventory

Eye of the Eternal Seeker

Void Nexus

Skills:

Identify – Level 4

Panoptic Sense – Level 4

Mental Reverie – Level 5

Shield Mastery – Level 5

Leadership - Level 2

Martial Arts - Level 6

Dodge – Level 5

Arcane Armor - Level 4

Arcane Manipulation - Level 9

Arcane Step - Level 4

Arcane Detonation – Level 5

Arcane Surge - Level 4

Arcane Rejuvenation – Level 2

Arcane Retaliation – Level 1

I was not expecting to have received four levels, though maybe I should have. There were thousands of kobolds in this Dungeon. Evelyn had to stop for several breaks, and if I had not already been level 36, I might not have made it myself. I was also happy to see that I had a new skill.

Arcane Retaliation - When blocking or withstanding a significant hit, Arcane Armor absorbs the force and converts it into a reservoir of volatile arcane energy. At the user’s command, this stored power is released in a controlled eruption, sending out a pulse of arcane force that damages nearby enemies. The intensity of the release scales with the energy absorbed, allowing stronger attacks to fuel a more devastating retaliation.

I was eager to see how this skill would integrate into my combat strategy. Arcane Retaliation had the potential to transform absorbed damage into a potent offensive tool, filling a gap in my defenses. If I could control both the timing and the form of the released energy, it could serve as a versatile weapon, either as a devastating area-of-effect blast or a precise counterattack. This would enhance my battlefield presence, reinforcing my role as both protector and aggressor. I was particularly interested in whether I could shape the energy into a concentrated beam, allowing for an occasional, exceptionally powerful strike.

I was a little surprised by the fact that my Status page now had a level indicator next to my class, it was nice, if only for my profession. At first I was saddened by the fact that I did not get any stat points from my profession, but the abilities are pretty strong and specific for the class which is nice in its own way.

While I quickly skimmed through everything, Evelyn took her time, carefully analyzing her gains. Curiosity got the better of me, and rather than wait, I decided to be a little rude and check her Status myself.

Name: Evelyn Magnalon Talent: Sovereign Instincts

Level: 21

Class: Ascended Battle Arbiter (Level 11)

Experience: 2141/3300

Profession: Royal Princess (Level 1)

Experience: 0/100

Race: Human

Strength – 50

Dexterity –69

Endurance – 59

Constitution – 66

Wisdom – 93

Intelligence – 78

Luck - 64

Skills:

Identify – Level 2

Knife Mastery – Level 5

Bow Mastery – Level 3

Sovereign’s Gambit – Level 2

Truth Sense – Level 4

Adjudicator’s Edge – Level 1

Arbiter’s Dominion – Level 1

Adjudicator’s Mandate – Level 1

I was surprised that she had gained so many levels. True she required a lot less experience than I did, but I did not expect her to gain that many when I was doing a lot of the fighting and killing. Unfortunately, I was unable to see what the skills did, so I would have to wait until she told me. The wait was worth it.

Evelyn was turning into the perfect battlefield support role. Arbiter’s Dominion was a skill that when she used it flooded an area with Evelyn’s presence. Giving her party a boost to perception, focus, and a “slight” increase in damage done. If that was all, it would be a good skill, but it also caused her enemies to feel slight fear in the presence and lower their reaction time.

Adjudicator’s Mandate, however, was more singular in function and stronger than dominion. It allowed Evelyn to choose one creature and cause them to lower their reaction time moderately and increase all damage done to the creature by those in Evey’s party by a moderate amount.

This made her highly effective against both powerful single opponents and large groups. While I don’t regret the fact that we waited until now before we looked at all the notifications, her domain skill would have really come in handy with all the mobs that we faced.