Going through the Gargoyle Ruins, I defeat the first floor boss, a silver Gargoyle. Its heart, a silvery glowing crystal, allows for the manipulation of silver, which its body seems to be made of rather than simply coated with.

On the second floor, I see door Mimics, floor Mimics, ceiling Mimics, as well as the normal treasure Mimics. The Gargoyles are becoming more unique, too. Fire Gargoyles light the rooms instead of braziers, poison and wind type Gargoyles attack with toxic air, and more.

I take my time to rest after killing each boss. One is a light mage, able to shoot lasers and blind its opponents; obviously, it can't do much against me. The other is a wind warrior who can summon blades of wind. It takes almost all of my mana to defeat the level three hundred bosses, so I need to rest for about two hours to refill my mana reserves after each kill.

I have five hundred seventy points to spend; should I put more into mana reserves or more into mana generation? I should also try to put more into my other stats, endurance and vitality at least. I'll put one hundred more into both my mana stats, one hundred into vitality, and two hundred into endurance.

Unused stat points: 70/2970
Mana: 200 [10200] (+12954)
Mana Generation (/hour): 200 [10200] (+41004)
Vitality: 100 [3100]
Strength: 9 [99] (-18)
Agility: 12 [132] (-12)
Endurance: 10 [310] (+45)
Intelligence: 32 [1632] (+979.2)
Wisdom: 24 [1224] (+673.2)
Charisma: 18 [198] (+32)

Fifty thousand mana generation per hour, that's an insane amount, and I can get it even higher by working on my [Summoner's Core]. Adding my Kyhosa, I have a total reserve of seventy-three thousand mana, not nearly enough for what I need. I can take on the level three hundred bosses with that much mana, but any higher, and I'd burn through all my mana before killing the boss. Tank-type bosses are annoying, too; they take three times, or even more, as much mana to kill, so they are out of my reach.

I suppose they can't kill me either. Whelp, it's worth testing out.

Conveniently for this test, the next boss seems to be a type of life tank Gargoyle, so I make myself invisible and sneak directly to it.

Vitality Guardian Gargoyle (Grand) Lifespring Juggernaut (Grand)

I can see vitality pouring from it instead of mana; much like Tana, it seems to have traded mana generation for vitality generation. My only hope is to damage this one faster than it can heal and restore, but the Gargoyles have naturally high endurance. With a fully charged spear costing nineteen thousand mana I now have enough for three of them, so hopefully I can kill it with the combined attacks of all three spears, but my hopes aren't high. I really need a Bond version of my charge spear so I can get the Bond-level bonuses. I have my class version, but if I use it now, I'll level up the skill and raise my max class level above two hundred; I want my Bond at a higher level before then.

I suppose I don't have to evolve my class. Still, I really should before I hit level two hundred fifty, where I'd gain another evolution opportunity, since I don't know what will happen to my potential evolution options then. Will they go away? Will all I have achieved before not be applied? The risk is too high. Also, if I get to level two hundred, I'll get a massive experience gain reduction for passing a hundredth level milestone, and that will make leveling my Bond a lot harder.

I summon two more clones and shift my minds to them, all charging up spears. The high pitched humming of three spears sings like a chorus, signaling that my attack is ready. I run into the boss room while invisible, my signature starting move at this point. I jab into the Gargoyle once, twice, three times; its health drops as the spears discharge their payload over the course of three seconds. I see the Gargoyle's vitality continue to thin as its body’s cells die; but as the last of the beauty essence is spent the gargoyle still has a fifth of its max vitality and is recovering rapidly with its massive vitality generation. It roars angrily and lashes out, swiping at the air around it. I don't stay; I clearly can't slay this one without help.

I work throughout the rest of the night. However, I cannot slay two Gargoyle bosses because they regenerate vitality faster than I can damage them. An advantage that physical fighters have over me also becomes increasingly clear; if I run out of mana I can't do anything other than wait and recover, but people like Kadona and Uloru can still fight on physical stats and skills alone.

Unfortunately, the floor boss is not there, and the way down is blocked off. Now that I think about it, it seems like the floor boss will only spawn once all the bosses are slain. The floor boss was already spawned the first time we came through the dens, probably because they spawned when the dungeon was last in use.

This means that I literally can't progress in the Gargoyle Ruins until the tank bosses are slain. I can't progress in the Glade because the floor boss is a tank type and a mighty one at that, it would likely take dozens of people to take it down. That leaves the ant tree, continuing down the rodent den or the arachnoid den. The Slime Ruins we are saving for a deep dive, but I guess I can kill the bosses we've killed before, although I don't know if it will be the same ones. I probably shouldn't kill all the bosses and should leave some for other people, which means I should choose one den and go as deep as I can.

In the morning, I report more of what I found in Gargoyle Ruins to the leaders, giving them an updated map and telling them about the Diamond Felin.

"The materials we'll get from the Diamond Felin will be incredible," Shura says, greedily.

"It's too dangerous; if we send a lot of people, that just means more people are at risk of dying, but if we send too few then we can't defeat it. We should just ignore it," Tato says dismissively.

"I agree with Tato. It's too risky," Haruo says, shaking her head at Shura.

"I didn't say we have to go after it now, but once we get multiple people with good enough armor and weapons and our people at a high enough level, then perhaps we can kill it." Shura defends herself with a slight pout.

"Either way, this should be a discussion for when we might be able to take on the Diamond Felin," Esofy says. "Right now, our number one priority is getting our people as strong as they can get, and that means getting better equipment, higher tier classes, and higher levels. So we'll be training for a week before doing another deep dive."

Esofy then turns toward me and says, with a slight grin, "I hope you haven't slain all the bosses yet?"

"Even if I wanted to I couldn't, I have to let my mana recharge for a couple hours after each one.”

"It's good to hear that a lot are still around. They are good challenges for groups and are worth a lot of levels." Esofy says.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Tanafyam molds the clay, a misshapen lump of earth. It is so bad [Perfectionist's Eye] doesn't even recognize it as an attempt at making something. Tana sighs frustratedly, four days of this and not a single thing even close to resembling a sculpture. Perhaps he should go with carpentry.

"You'll get there; it just takes some practice," Chozu, Alysara's aunt, says encouragingly.

Tana would like nothing more than to go back into the dungeon and fight more monsters. Yes, it's scary, but at least he can do something competently there. Getting stronger, the rush of leveling up, the thrill of battle; it spoke to him during the first expedition and is still calling for him now.

Chozu walks away to check up on Nyam, hand on her gravid belly. Tana rolls his lump of clay back into a ball and starts elongating it, first rolling it, then flattening it, until he’s struck by a moment of inspiration. It's hard to sculpt a person, but he knows swords, axes, and spears. His hands move over the clay, now with purpose, and before Tana knows it, he has made a clay arming sword, scaled down to the size of a dagger, double-edged with a fuller, wider at the base and tapered at the tip. The hilt is nothing special, no decoration, just an average sword.

[Perfectionist's Eye] at least has something to say about this; it recognizes it as an actual attempt to make something. The work is uneven, the handle is bent, and the blade guard is too long on one side, but it is progress, finally.

"Good work!" Chozu praises. Tana was supposed to sculpt something else, but at this point, any progress is good. "This is a good point to stop; it's time for an after-work bath."

He nods, cleans up and then leaves, walking to the baths and, on the way, passing the Storm Warden, who is talking to some people passionately.

"Once we stop doing unnecessary things and start living according to Myrou's ways, the disasters will stop. If we pray to her at least once every day, things will get better. Ideally, we should pray during every bath, when we clean ourselves."

Tana doesn't care. The only thing that matters is getting stronger; the system facilitates this; why else does it reward people for killing monsters?

"Tanafyam!" Tana's parents call to him, motioning for him to join them in the baths.

"Tana, you should stop trying to be a Kheshamo; it's tainting your mind. You've heard what the Storm Warden says." Momara Aya says, before he’s even fully in the water.

"That's right; fighting is neither art nor craft; it's a waste of time!" Momara Folor agrees with fervor.

Tana can't believe what he is hearing; they praised his decision a couple of years ago, now they want him to stop?!

"If you really want to be a warrior, you can be a Warrior of Myrou! The priestesses are looking for capable and faithful warriors to help spread the faith to all of our peoples, detain and judge criminals, and help keep monsters away from our village. It's a much more prestigious position than a Kheshamo!"

"That's right! If you join Myrou’s warriors, then Myrou will understand if you neglect your arts. Protecting the people is important after all; it is even a form of art in some ways."

If Tana can continue fighting monsters, then perhaps he should look into it, but what is the feeling he has in his stomach? He doesn't like it, but it can't be that bad... right?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"You are going against our way of life, Papuyo!" Tusile chastises. "Who are we if we let our faith consume us?! It's one thing to live with Myrou’s guidance; it's a whole different thing to live with nothing but Myrou in mind! You are promoting excess; anything taken too far is bad, faith included!" She paces back and forth. The priestess is simply going too far; even Yukika agrees.

They are in a coliseum with over a hundred other village elders. Papuyo sits on a chair in the center while the elders stand around her, judging her recent actions.

"Pray three times a day?! ‘Myrou's Warriors’?! You want to abolish the inter-village tournament?! Have you even thought of what you are doing?!” Tusile’s rant continues, her face red with anger. “Not only are you corrupting tradition, but you are warping the very foundation of Myrou's priestesses! We need to separate arts and craftsmanship and warriors. It's not under Myrou's guidance to be peacekeepers! That's on us! It's our responsibility to maintain peace, each village has its own rules, and if a person doesn't like a particular rule they can just move to a village that better suits them!"

"You should calm yourself, Tusile," Henaru, the head elder of another village, says rather cautiously.

"She doesn't show any remorse," Kilonu, the eldest among them, adds. "I've lived a long time and made many tough decisions in my life... we may need to consider exile if Papuyo continues this madness."

That gets Papuyo's attention. She looks at Kilonu with wide eyes as if she can’t believe what she is hearing.

"I was hoping we didn't have to come to that conclusion, but I think you may be right," Tusile sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, her rage fading, leaving her looking tired.

"I say we exile her now," Mara, former Kheshamo warrior turned Elder, speaks up. "She knew what she was doing when forming ‘Myrou's Warriors’. She wants to take over and at the same time remove opposition by denouncing the Kheshamo fighters."

Mara leans forward, closer to Papuyo. "We aren't idiots."

"That may be going too far, Mara, but she has shown less care about Myrou's guidance and more for increasing the priestesses’ power. I say we strip her of her priestess position," Hajilu says, crossing her arms.

"Can we even do that? It's never been done before," Another elder says warily.

"We may not even have to do that; a simple warning is all that is necessary," Another elder argues.

This prompts a long discussion as to how harsh the punishment should be with Mara spearheading for exile. Finally, a vote is cast, with thirty-four being for exile, eighty-nine for stripping Papuyo of her Priesthood, and ninety-two for a warning.

"Idiots!" Mara curses as the elders head for the docks. "This is a major mistake!"

Tusile agrees, silently; although she had voted for stripping Papuyo of her priesthood, exile may be too much. Still, either way, Papuyo can't stay with the priestesses; the look in her eye shows that she won't take this lying down. The elders are only forcing her to act in the shadows more.

"We need to keep a watchful eye on the Storm Wardens and priestesses and make sure they aren't hiding anything," Tusile says quietly, Mara nodding in agreement.