PftA Book 5 - Chapter 35 - Sharing Information

“Before we do, there is something I want to talk to you about,” I said, motioning toward one of the sets of chairs placed strategically throughout the open area.

We headed toward the closest pair of chairs and sat down. I could have transported us back into my demesne for the conversation, but aside from saving a bit of time, I didn’t see the point. I could sense the privacy formations encircling each of the sitting areas.

“Is this about the conversation you had with the golem earlier?”

“It is,” I answered. “I got permission to share the information I learned from the ninth-floor’s trial reward with you, though you’ll be under a geas to not share it with anyone.”

Kai raised a brow, eying me with curiosity. “How did you manage that?”

“I promised to do the dungeon a favor,” I replied blithely. “I assume the dungeon has something specific in mind, but since part of the agreement was that it wouldn’t hurt me and would ultimately be to my benefit, I feel like it’s a safe enough agreement.”

“I’ve never heard of the dungeon making a deal like that with someone,” Kai said with a hint of trepidation. “I also haven’t ever heard of it asking for a favor. I would ask if you were sure about this, but I assume the deal has already been struck, so it would be a moot point to worry too much now.”

Kai sighed and shook his head. “I’m not sure what kind of information could be worth promising an open favor to such an entity, though.”

“I think you’ll understand once you hear it,” I replied. “Whether your sister is right about you ascending early or not, I think you knowing what to expect in the next realm is worth me owing the dungeon a favor. You’ve been so supportive of me and my family, I feel it’s the least I can do.”

“But I already know what to expect,” Kai responded. “Anya told me about her visions, and the floor’s setup only reinforces that she was correct.”

“I understand that,” I said agreeably before continuing. “However, from personal experience, I’ve found that the additional knowledge and verification from the dungeon’s primer for ascension have made my perception of skill training shift dramatically.

“Also, there’s more to it than merely stating that we will lose our affinities and get to retain a spell or skill per affinity lost. There is a lot of information about how the realm works and how new skills can be acquired. Anya mentioned none of that. At least, not to me.”

“No. I have no knowledge of such things, either.”

Interpreting the comment as acceptance, I did my best to summarize the primer’s contents, answering any questions my mentor had as the conversation progressed.

“A lot of what Anya has said makes a lot more sense now,” Kai commented. “And if I manage to gain a second affinity as a reward for the final trial, the benefits will be even greater than I expected.”

His eyes drifted to the door at the far end of the building, where the portal to the floor’s trial was located.

“When do you plan to challenge it?” I asked, hoping that it wasn’t something he planned to do anytime soon.

Aside from Anya’s warnings about the trial being connected to Kai’s early ascension, we both knew he wasn’t anywhere close to being ready to face a challenge like the one I’d had on the last floor.

Assuming this floor’s challenge would fully restrict system assistance with spells and skills, he was going to need a lot more practice and training to be ready.

“As much as I’d like to get a second affinity as soon as possible, I trust my sister’s advice enough to wait until you are close to reaching the pinnacle yourself,” Kai replied. “Just because she saw me ascending alone doesn’t mean we cannot reconnect in the next realm if you ascend shortly thereafter.”

“That’s a good point,” I said.

I still hadn’t made any real decisions about when I’d ascend, but Kai’s return to the dungeon just to keep my company had gone a long way toward warming me to the idea of going sooner rather than later.

“So… skill training?” he asked, pointing toward the capsules.

“Sounds like a good idea,” I said.

= = =

After chatting with the golem in charge of the small shop, we learned that our suspicion about the capsules was correct. They were, in fact, skill trainers. To be specific, they were designed to prepare challengers for deeper zones and the floor’s trial.

I suspected they were also meant to prepare future ascenders for the next realm, though the golem didn’t mention anything about that.

The cost to purchase one of the Tier Ten skill-training DIVE capsules outright was almost as much as a five-month unlimited membership to the regeneration pool. However, renting one for an hour or two was only a small fraction of that cost.

“So, should we plan on buying one and sharing it?” I asked Kai after we finished our first training session.

Though the cost was high, I felt the investment was worth it, especially if we were both able to use it for several decades.

While we could get the same kind of skill suppression by entering the fifth zone, the skill trainers had actual trainers within the virtual environment that would teach a user and assist them in growing their skills.

I wasn’t sure what the limit was for such training since the primer had made it clear that there was a soft cap on how much could be accomplished without an actual Skill. I felt like the limit should be pretty high since the realm wouldn’t hinder a person from using skills they’d trained and earned.

This was important because I didn’t want to use one of my limited skill slots for something like Cooking if I could produce exceptional meals through raw skills. And if I could free the need to take up valuable slots with support skills, I’d be able to use them to slot spell-type skills instead.

“There’s no way we can afford the cost, even if we sold most of the equipment we have,” Kai said. “At least, I can’t,” he added with a grimace.

After going through the storage ring he’d brought with him to the dungeon, I knew that my mentor had left behind most of his wealth – aside from the Tier Ten materials he’d collected over the years.

Since he knew there was a good chance he wouldn’t be leaving the dungeon again, he’d left most of his legacy behind for the sect. It wasn’t like he would need any of it in the dungeon, and he couldn’t take it with him. It only made sense to leave it for those he’d once been responsible for.

Though I was his disciple, I didn’t really count myself among that number. And even if I did, I was already Tier Ten. I didn’t need any of his assets anymore. Truly, his company was far more valuable.

“It’s not as if we need to make the purchase right away,” I said. “We can also wait until later. I’m sure we can both craft a few things that will sell well in the interim to earn money.”

As Kai had reminded me, he was a Grandmaster Alchemist. His concoctions were quite valuable as well.

“Should we stick to the first two zones so you can keep most of the system’s assistance?” I asked.

We’d both noticed that the system’s restrictions on skill assistance applied within my demesne when we were in zone two. It was something that we’d need to be cognizant of, even if it could be mitigated with a quick trip through the portal.

“That might be a good idea while we’re working to earn some funds,” Kai answered almost sheepishly. “I tested my Alchemy skill during the session and was astounded to see how much the system helps during brewing.”

I nodded understandingly. Though Kai was a Grandmaster Alchemist, losing the system’s assistance in crafting would be difficult to adjust to.

“I’ve noticed that as well. Not necessarily with Alchemy,” I clarified, “But with other things. The system does a lot of the little things, and that help really builds up.”

It would probably make adapting to the next realm very difficult for those who didn’t ascend through the dungeon.

In fact, I wondered why more information about the next realm wasn’t made available to those who were close to ascending. It would make sense to do so, especially if producing functional ascenders was something important to the realm.

Then again, even with the information we’d been given, there was still a lot we didn’t know. Maybe the next realm didn’t care about gaining functional ascenders. Maybe all they wanted was raw numbers.

It was a sobering thought.

“Let’s grab some food, then head out to Zone One,” Kai suggested. “We can start training our skills after we earn enough funds to cover the cost of a capsule.”