Okay, that might make me change my plans a little bit. At first, I wanted to go and upgrade my [Mana Manipulation], but now I'm not that sure.

Yes, there are some amazing upgrades for it, especially [Advanced Mana Manipulation] and [Mana Amplification].

BUT!

What the hell is this?

[Dual Focus]?

Is it what I think it is?

Instead of one [Focus], would I have two? Does that mean it's almost like having two brains? Does that mean I could keep up my [Oscillation] with one and use the other one for [Armament]?

Would it split my current skill into two parts or would it duplicate it? From description it sounds like it would duplicate the skill.

Up until now, I always felt as if my brain was about to melt when I used too many skills at once, and I could never give them the attention they deserved. But this?

Sure, I would miss out on better mana handling, but isn't this even better?

And maybe.

Just maybe.

I might be able to upgrade it in the future again?

I will be able to do multiple things at once.

Like…

Like a woman!

Huh?

Nevermind.

Okay, let's go over the others.

[Deep Focus] might be an improved version of the current [Focus].

[Focus Extension] doesn't sound that good in comparison to the others.

[Focus Synergy] also sounds good, but [Dual Focus] beats it for sure.

Almost all upgrades for [Mana Manipulation] are great but my eyes keep ticking back to this one upgrade.

I just chose the upgrade before I change my mind.

 

Congratulations! You have upgraded your skill. [Focus] > [Dual Focus]

 

Unable to help myself, I quickly try it out and enter the [Focus]. The weirdest feeling hits me. It's hard to describe and dizzying. It's just... weird.

I cancel the skill and breathe out.

This will need some serious training to get used to it. I also notice that my [Focus] didn't strengthen that much. I'm sure that would happen if I picked the other option, but I still like this one a lot.

Hopefully, it works the way I think it does.

Now I should check if we got new quests, right?

 

Floor quest:
Witness the end of the world.

Rewards:
Skill upgrade token
20 stat points
Increased daily limit of community usage
Tutorial Difficulty change token

 

Side quest:
Reach level 50

Rewards:
Trait strengthening token

 

I enter the [Focus], not activating the upgraded version, just the old one.

Okay, first.

I'm not witnessing a thing! What am I? A freaking dinosaur? I won't be witnessing the end of the freaking world.

What's with this jump? From fighting spiders you could probably find back on Earth in Australia to watching the end of the world?

Also, what the hell is Tutorial Difficulty change token? Does it mean I can change my difficulty to easy? Or does it mean more people can come to Hell difficulty? Most likely, it means just that. Hmm, that's interesting, to say the least.

Other rewards for the floor quest seem nice but not as interesting as these two.

Rewards for the side quest are quite good but level 50 is still far off.

I sigh.

Biscuit, come here; I need to relax.

As if hearing me, the best doggo of the first… of the second floor comes to me and puts his head on my leg as I am still sitting down.

(Food?)

I boop his snoot, and he lets me, only looking at me with big eyes.

Soon, okay?

I pet the corgi and feel myself calming down a bit, feeling his warm body so close to mine.

“Lily?” I get out of myself slowly, and the girl looks up at me; her eyes still look empty.

“If you want to talk, I can listen. If you want to cry, I can be here with you."

I'm not good at these things.

Kevin died, yet my reaction is minimal. There is a hint of sadness at what could be, but that's it.

I can laugh now, and I know I won't cry.

And it's not only because of [Focus].

Lily's eyes become wet, and she finally starts crying. She hugs me, and I feel her tears wetting my chest. I awkwardly put my hand on her back and hug her back. Even my sympathy might be fake.

But does it really matter if it makes her feel better?

 

---

 

[Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]
Difficulty: Hell
Floor: 2 - Mana-Infused Kingdom
Time left until forced return: 4y 334d 21h 36m 02s
Traits (1/3): Mana Circuit (Passive)

Lvl 24
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 38
Mana: 62

[Primary Class: Mana Channeler]
[Sub-class: Unavailable]

Active skills:
Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 10
Mana Manipulation - Lvl 10
Mana Perception - Lvl 9
Oscillation - Lvl 6
Kinetic Redistribution - Lvl 8
Armament - Lvl 3
Mana Surge - Lvl 1

Passive skills:
Mana Flow (rare)

[Skill Points: 1]
[Stat Points: 0]

 

More time passes, and there are no signs of living beings, and we still stay on grassy hills. Hungry, and thirsty, yet all of us are resting.

The breeze is amazing, the temperature is perfect, not hot nor cold. The grass feels nice to sit on and is calming to look at as it moves in the wind.

Almost as nice as my stats!

Hell yeah.

"..."

Sorry.

So, should I invest my skill point? I could get my [Mana Perception] to level 10 or [Focus] to level 11. But I think I'd rather keep it for another bottleneck for a skill I will need more. It might be a waste to use it right now, so yeah, let's maybe keep it.

Also, my poor mana. Why is it so low? Or why is my constitution so high? Sure, my body would complain every time I handled my mana, but it was okay. It was totally fine!

Anyway, I was also able to talk with Tess, and her class is something like this:

 

Storm Sentinel:

A novice class that manipulates the power of lightning through their psychokinesis, electrifying their projectiles while using farsight to maintain a constant vigil over the battlefield.

 

Sure, it sounds good. Maybe even really good, but did you see mine?

Hehe.

Not jealous at all!

Together, we also went over Lily's classes and picked one for her.

 

Harmonic Dissonance:

A novice class that draws on the power of opposing forces, utilizing rejuvenation to heal and protect, and disintegration to obliterate obstacles and enemies, demonstrating the duality of life and destruction.

 

Yup.

Still not jealous.

Her healing improved after getting a class, so I am already feeling much better. Hopefully, she won't use her other skill by mistake.

That would be… interesting.

Kim seems to be avoiding us. He is neither joining Hadwin and the twins nor Sophie; he just stands alone to the side, and small stones continue to fly around him as he practices.

So that's it. He is still young, a teenager; maybe he will calm down after some time. It's not like Lily did it on purpose.

But first, let's try to find some food and water.

 

---

 

We slowly start walking down the gently sloped hill covered in vibrant green grass, and Tess walks first, using her [Farsight] to scout for us.

While we do so, I think about the name of the second floor.

Mana-Infused Kingdom.

What does it mean? Will there be people? An entire kingdom? Medieval age style with some magic? Sci-fi style with all kinds of things running on magic? Is this kingdom destroyed, and are there only ruins? Is this kingdom made not of humans but of monsters?

I don't know, and it makes me nervous in the same way the start of the first floor did.

We did have some break after getting here, but not even for a second did I dare to forget that this is Hell difficulty. There is no way this will be easier than the first floor.

Yet, it feels different with massive clearings, pretty hills of grass, and fewer trees, making us able to see much further in comparison to the forest of the floor we just cleared.

"There is a lake nearby and a stream flowing into it," Tess says shortly, and we all start paying more attention.

My perception still hasn't picked up a single living being as we move closer and closer to the lake; soon, we see it.

It's not that big, but under the sun, the water shines beautifully, looking almost unnaturally clear. Small waves are over the surface of the lake as the wind blows gently into it.

We move towards the running water and stop in front of it.

"We don't have anything to boil it in," Hadwin says shortly.

"You should test it out; you have the high constitution."

"Fuck off, Nat," the older man says.

Hey, I tried to help.

"It looks so clear," Lily says carefully while putting her hands into the water, using it to clean her face and neck.

I kneel down and do the same; the water is nice and slightly cold. When the wind blows into us, and I feel it on the wet skin of my face and neck, I let out a quiet sigh.

Damn, this feels nice. I jump into the water, diving my entire body into it by lying down in the not-so-deep stream. When I get my head out of the water, the others are looking at me.

"I would recommend moving higher; downstream water isn't safe anymore."

"You have got to be kidding me," I hear Hadwin say, but I already dive again under the water while scrubbing my body as much as I can.

It looks like Hadwin is slowly not hiding his grumpy mood, as there aren't that many people he has to trick and pretend to be a reliable leader. Currently, only the twins tag along with him. Their opinion of me doesn't seem that good, and they seem to be avoiding Sophie's group even more.

They do have some telepathic and physical connection between themselves. So maybe they can feel her [Manipulation], or Hadwin told them?

When I get up, I continue to look down at the water and then cup my hand, taking a bit close to my mouth, and take a sip. It tastes good, but I stop. Let's see if I'm going to be okay in a few hours.

"Enemy," Tess says shortly, and I jump back onshore.

She points towards somewhere, and I send my mana in that direction. A really weak hidden mana signature comes back to me.

Around level 10 non-named monster?

We wait a bit, and soon enough, the enemy appears from behind the bushes.

 

[Horned Rabbit - lvl 9]

 

A cute white rabbit with red eyes and a horn on its head.