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-oOo-

Sylvia kicked the door.

Bang!

Mechanically speaking, Sylvia was 151 centimeters tall and massed a mere 45 kilograms. Those with a material bias would assume an itty bitty thing like her couldn't exert much force. They'd be wrong. This was the netherworld and Sylvia was a fey creature just over level 500.

Never mind the flimsy door, Sylvia was strong enough to knock out a heavyweight boxing champion if she wished.

So, when her heeled foot hit the plank, the door blasted straight off its hinges. The detached block spun in place for half a second before – bang! – collapsing down with a second shocking sound.

…

Oops?

She'd, uh, reattach it later.

And rebuild it stronger. Yes, it was an interior door, but it still shouldn't break like that!

Schooling her features, Sylvia stepped into the room. A man and woman occupied the bed, both as naked as the day they were born. Thin blankets shrouded skin so smooth it looked like an airbrushed photo. Sylvia didn't care much about the girl. She belonged here.

The dark-haired man she hit with a nasty glare.

"Out!" Sylvia commanded.

He looked up, blinking his groggy eyes twice. Then he smirked.

"You're welcome to join us, if you wish."

Tiffany Lowe's cheeks turned as red as an apple. The blue-haired, gossip-loving witch smacked her paramour on the back of the head.

Sylvia's lips curled with displeasure. A moment later, her expression turned positively evil.

"You've got three seconds before I incinerate you," Sylvia declared nastily. To make clear she was serious, Sylvia conjured a ball of fire in her hand. "Three. Two. – "

The man's eyes went wide. He jumped, flying from the bed, sparing a brief moment to snatch his discarded clothes from the bedroom floor. Sylvia's already unhappy expression turned darker. The witch had caught a glimpse of a dangling thing she really would've rather not seen.

"– One."

The dark-haired boy threw himself out the window. Being a gentle lady, Sylvia tossed her meteor blast after him. Boom! The flames detonated close enough to give the man's pale skin a nice, dark sear.

Her foul mood instantly turned better.

First problem taken care of, Sylvia shifted her pastel pink eyes to the blue-haired witch hiding beneath her covers.

"No men in the Starlight Residence."

"Sorry, Sylvia," Tiffany apologized, wearing a cute smile. "Last night, I got carried away."

Uh-huh. Sure, she did. Sylvia didn't believe a single word spilling from that woman's mouth.

"This is the third time," Sylvia noted darkly. "If it happens again, I'm sending you back to Starport."

Tiffany cringed. Sylvia marched out the door.

"■■■, ■■, ■■■■," she chanted.

Mana swirled behind her, a combination of elements. An arm of wind lifted the door, putting it back into place. The second and third magics healed the hinges and fixed the cracked plank. Finally, before letting her levitation spell dissipate, Sylvia pulled the door shut behind her.

Thud.

Alone in the hardwood hall, Sylvia relaxed.

The population of the Beginner's Village was booming. Over the last half year, new players had arrived on the first of every month. The initial group consisted of ten. The latest had been twenty-eight. If Sylvia included the asteri from Starport, the swelling numbers were just shy of one hundred and fifty.

Her village was finally worthy of the name 'village'.

With this wave of players came a host of problems. Jobs. Housing. Infrastructure.

For Sylvia, though, her biggest headache was men.

Gamers were, broadly speaking, attractive. The boys were young, tall, and built. The girls were slim, curved, and busty. Many players had availed themselves to the System's beautification filters, the average person enjoying looks that'd put them in the top tenth of Earth's population if not the top one hundredth.

And, as this was the land of the dead, the ladies had no fear of pregnancy.

Throw in high adrenaline battles, a return to youth, and a very real sense of immortality and what happened next should've been expected. The gamers copulated like rabbits.

And, of all the girls in this wilderness, the asteri were the thirstiest.

Baroness Esmeralda Vallenfelt had always kept her students on a tight leash. The juniors weren't allowed to set foot in Vallen. The seniors were also subject to the dean's authority, albeit to a lesser extent. Even if a witch had the itch, the majority of Hell's men didn't comply with the body standards to which humans were accustomed.

And, no, Sylvia wasn't talking about skin color preferences.

She was talking about bestiality.

Werewolves were furries. American-style, not Japanese. Which was to say they had fur instead of skin and a dog's muzzle instead of a face. Hogmin were closer to normal, but they looked like humanoid pigs. Goblins were goblins. Ogres, appearances aside, were big enough to tear a delicate magissa in half.

It wasn't as though Hell was completely void of attractive men. They existed. Beast-kin were quite good-looking, given one or two consolidations to fix their hodgepodge asymmetry. Vampires were famously beautiful, despite their pallid, corpse-like features.

But the handsome fellows were few and Vallen's witches many.

In short, the girls had gone boy crazy.

Sylvia's first inclination was to close her eyes and shove her fingers into her ears. Sex was a private matter. Esmeralda's witches were old enough to make their own decisions. No harm, no foul. Women chased men and men chased women. Sylvia didn't want any part of it, but that was life.

Alas, things weren't that easy.

When Sylvia turned a blind eye, the witches had taken silence as permission to be anything but discrete. The Starlight Residence had the nicest beds in all of Axis, you see. So the girls wanted to do the horizontal tango right here, at home.

At which point, Sylvia grew irritated.

Then some idiot paramour had crawled in through the wrong window for a midnight visit and the silver-haired witch had decided enough was enough.

"Trouble?"

A door opened. Piper's head poked out into the hall.

The redheaded witch was just as Sylvia remembered. Silver eyes, a loose, confident smile, her dark hair tied up in a ponytail. The only thing that'd changed since the Sunday Course were the former captain's robes. Now, Piper sported dun colored clothes instead of a school uniform.

"Already taken care of," Sylvia answered with a sigh.

"I'll talk to her later," Piper said, opening her door further. "Tiffany is a reasonable girl. She's just caught up in the moment."

Sylvia nodded. "Thanks."

"No, thank you," Piper countered. "It was starting to get out of hand. Most of us here in the Starlight Residence appreciate that you're putting things back in order."

That was nice to hear. Sometimes, Sylvia felt she'd turned into the big bad, judging by all the grouching she heard. Relaxing, the silver-haired witch faced Piper proper.

"No beau of your own?" Sylvia joked.

"I'll keep that to myself," Piper returned.

The redhead's expression gave no hint. Piper had always been a steady one. Her rival from the Hunter's Club, Brianna, on the other hand….

"I've heard you're planning to explore the way down south," Sylvia noted, changing the subject.

Piper stepped back, inviting her in. Sylvia entered the redhead's room. The space was incredibly clean, with every book and knickknack set in its place. Even the bed had been made to military precision.

"I have to put together a ground team first," Piper answered. "The skies aren't clear outside of Axis, and we've covered the interior region already."

Back at the Starlight Nether Witch Academy, Piper had been president of the Explorer's Club. Being a woman true to her heart, Piper had set her first task as mapping the whole of Axis. Not just the terrain, but also the distribution of phantasms and resources. The witch had even dared to make her way half up the mountains guarding the crater.

The town had benefited immensely from her work. A few months back, the redhead had found a good source of cabalistic copper, a magic loving metal used in all kinds of enchantments.

"I know," Sylvia said. "I bought all your maps."

Piper smiled. "Good to know. I was worried there for a bit, but it looks like I'll be making good money off them in the long run."

Mapping data wasn't shared by default. If Sylvia wanted to see the data other gamers had gathered, she had to purchase the rights to it in the System shop. The good news was that it was cheap. Buying maps of Axis had only set Sylvia back a dozen merit points.

The provider would also earn a reward. Not merit, unfortunately. Instead, the System provided a pittance of cloud cash.

As the woman who discovered the area around the Beginner's Village, Sylvia scored a few coins of her own, two dozen silver all told. Piper had collected three times that amount. Not much for her labor, but a few years from now the redhead would be making bank, as everyone loved maps.

"If you're looking for work, I can give you a quest to find a safe air route," Sylvia mentioned. "Especially, if you're willing to go north to Starport."

"Are you trying to feed me to the birds?" Piper laughed. "Maybe when I'm higher level. For now, my goal is to make it to the mouth of the Viridian."

Most of the rivers in Axis flowed into Yaalon Lake. The Viridian River was the only one to do the opposite, spilling from the lake and out past the cauldron to the south. There, the water continued to wind, traveling further and further until the river poured off the edge of Pyrinas.

Sylvia had seen the waterfall, but only from the Utrecht hundreds of kilometers away.

"That's going to be quite the trek," Sylvia mentioned.

"Just us and the wild," Piper smiled. "It might take a few years to map it all out, but it'll be worth it."

Sylvia recalled her own adventure: landing on Pyrinas to the north, working her way through the Black Silk Swamp, traveling along the Snake River. Finally, the moment they reached the mountainous crest that divided the rest of Pyrinas from its center. In some ways, Piper would have it easier. She had a town and its resources to draw from, and a bigger team to shield her from the danger.

In other ways, it'd be harder. Piper had crossed the first consolidation before receiving her System. She was a long way from her second class advancement, especially without the astral resources needed to fuel her cultivation.

Sylvia felt sorry for the older witches. It was hard enough for those like Riley, whose talent fell short of the worst gamer. Decades from now, Piper's strength would turn into a struggle.

Belkis's situation was, in some ways, worse.

But that's just how things were. Life wasn't fair. Any change created winners and losers. The important question was never: 'are things fair?' Because, of course, things were never fair. It was always: 'are things better?'

That said, fairness was always a component of better.

"I'm willing to invest in your venture," Sylvia offered. She rubbed greedy fingers together. "But I'll want a share of the royalties in return."

"That'll help, but I'll have to discuss it with the team first," Piper said. "But the best thing you could do for me is get us better brooms. If we could outfly a three sisters roc on the horizontal, I'd actually be tempted to try for that air route of yours."

"I'll see what I can do," Sylvia said, stepping back out of the room. "Good luck."

The door closed behind her. The hall was silent. The silver-haired girl paused to gather her thoughts then continue on her way.

On the first floor of the Starlight Residence was a single common room broad enough to fit twenty. Light poured in through tall windows. Today, the plane's illusionary star rose from the southwest, thus the morning was shaded instead of bright.

Since it was early, the room was relatively empty. The only witches in the commons were Natalie Ward with her long, wavy, forest green hair and Natalie's thug companion, Camila Powell. The two were quietly conferring when Sylvia entered, but Camila was quickly waved when she spotted the silver-haired witch.

"Mad dog!"

Transmigration had blunted the nastier parts of Camila's personality. Natalie Ward, being a ruthless woman, had used this vulnerability to better mold the dark-haired girl to her liking. Specifically, Natalie seemed intent on transforming Camila into her secretary.

The nicely dressed, knee-breaking type.

Sylvia gave the lilac-eyed asteri a small nod then continued on her merry way. The silver-haired girl wasn't quite sure when or why her interactions with Camila had jumped from hostile to friendly.

Err…. Were they friendly? Sylvia just kind of assumed 'mad dog' was a compliment. Maybe it was supposed to be an insult.

In which case, thanks!

Before Sylvia could slip out of the common room, Natalie stood.

"Governor Swallows," the forest-haired woman greeted. "I have a number of proposals…."

Sylvia came to a dead stop. She pinched her nose. After a moment she turned, her face showing none of her displeasure.

"Send them to my email."

Natalie's dark blue eyes tightened.

Natalie Ward had always been ambitious. Before her rebirth as a witch, she'd pushed herself to stand at the top of her class. In the Academy, she'd striven for the same while gathering around her a group of followers. Now, here in the Cloud Island Wilderness, Natalie had an eye for political power instead.

The witch felt she was deserving of it.

And in a certain sense, she was right. Natalie put more heart into governing this land than Sylvia ever had or would. Sylvia enjoyed building the foundation of this new world, but she was quickly discovering that she had little interest in ruling it.

But this same ambition could easily become a disqualifying trait. Sometimes 'I know better' isn't reason enough. A reality of life is that children must be allowed to trip, fall, and cry over their own mistakes. It wasn't a parent's duty, nor their right, to tell their kid how to live.

It was simply their place to make sure, when their child was hurt, that the hurt was never lasting.

Governments were quite similar in nature. Sylvia's place was to set the stage, create the opportunities, and lay the safety nets. But that was it. The players would have to choose their path on their own. And sometimes they'd choose wrong.

…

Who was she kidding? They'd choose wrong a lot more often than sometimes. Adults were just bigger kids.

But, Sylvia had to admit, the pressure Natalie exuded was something she needed. Especially when Esmeralda's gentle guidance was missing.

"We'll meet in the evening to discuss. Let's say around six," she relented, adding a note to her calendar. "This morning, I have an appointment with Empress Idetta."

One would think a village of one hundred and fifty would be the very definition of sleepy, but the Beginner's Village was a town bursting with energy. The speed of growth left the government laggard in comparison.

Which made Sylvia a very, very busy woman.

One of these days, she'd burn a skill book to learn management, delegation, and politics. And probably architecture, city design, law, and a bunch of other crumb muffins while she was at it.

But not now. Sylvia's merit pool had been mashed down to nothing after buying her soul fruit and an entirely different skill book required for her current task.

The soul fruit sure had been tasty, though!

"Thank you for your time, Governor Swallows," Natalie replied, frigid expression turning friendly.

Transmigration had done Natalie a lot of good.

"If you send them to me early, I'll try to review your requests before the meeting," Sylvia added.

The forest-haired witch nodded before returning to her seat. Camila waved again as Sylvia left.

"Murder some bad boys for us, mad dog!"

Ha! She'd already grilled a bad boy this morning!

Bright light hit her as she walked out the door. To shield her eyes, Sylvia tipped her hat.

Today, Sylvia was wearing her 'blue dress'. The Gown of the Water Maiden was what the System had named Emily's creation. By appearance, the garment was a simple shirt dress, the ruffled skirt ending around her knees. Pink trim, ribbons, and lace were added for flavor.

More importantly, Emily had lied. Yes, the outer layer of the gown was mostly blue, but the inside was pure pink.

Vile deceiver.

On the technical side, the dress had two abilities. The first let her catalyze the wet feather dodo's innate spell, water skin. When cast, the magic would wrap Sylvia in a weak barrier which held for a single minute. The second perk was even better. The gown boosted her water palace regeneration rate by 25%.

Very practical.

But what Sylvia truly loved about her new dress was that it came with not one, but two, hats. The first was a shiny blue top hat with a pink ribbon tied around the base. The second, an equally blue beret adorned with a pink bow set elegantly off center.

Today, Sylvia had chosen the beret. It wasn't good to look too fancy.

And yes, all of this came with a pair of shoes. The shiny blue pumps sported eight centimeters of heel. Ingrid would be aghast. Can such low heels even be called high?

Chuckling to herself, Sylvia mounted her broom. It was still the same old Academy junker she'd been provided before Tartarus.

"Riley is probably sleeping in," Sylvia commented as she ascended. The asteri felt a stab of envy. When was the last time she could laze about? She let out a breath. "I shouldn't keep the ant queen waiting."

The Beginner's Village spread out beneath her. The town was growing. Two streets had been added, Bedford and Zeppelin. Both ran parallel to Adventure. Huts and houses were being raised, along with shops, warehouses, and other industry.

Sylvia had helped finance a good bit of it. Before leaving, Emily had given her long lectures on the subject. Sylvia had stuck to the emeraldette's plan half because she agreed with it and half because she didn't have anything else to spend her money on.

The development of this plane was too limited to serve a high-level gamer's needs.

The morning mist still clung to the Beginner's Forest, but this didn't deter the people. Some entered the forest to log wood or harvest plants, herbs, and berries. Others pushed carts to the quarry up north. Resource extraction was the heart of the village's industry, but higher-level production was emerging. Materials were brought to the smithy to be refined by a furnace. Others tried their hand at forging. Many failed. A few succeeded.

A year ago, this little village was entirely her creation. Every bench, building, and street was laid according to her will. Now, the town was taking on a life of its own, growing beyond the foundations Sylvia had set. The result was equal parts frustrating and incredible.

Sylvia glided around the village once, two hundred meters above the land. Then she directed her broom toward the low mountains to the west. Dense forest appeared beneath her, the deep green canopy rising above the foggy floor. The mist would burn away by late afternoon, as it always did, leaving a few hours of clarity before the sun sank below the horizon.

Seconds turned into minutes. Trees gave way to the rocky hills. Southern Axis was the lowest part of the crater. As the land sloped west, these low hills became squat mountains. In the distance, cloud island eagles circled. While slower than a broom, the creatures were a grave threat. If they came from above or appeared unexpectedly, it was easy to get caught by a flock.

For safety, Sylvia let her altitude drop. The silver-haired witch skimmed fifteen meters above the ground, her shadow rippling over the craggy earth.

A few moments later, she set down.

The brightness of her blue dress was almost surreal beside the scrubby brushes and yellowed grass. Absently, the asteri crushed the shadow of her broom. Without the supporting ether, the object's essence shrank into her soul.

After giving the area a glance, the witch hopped into a crevice before entering a dark cave.

A hive ant warrior was waiting for her.

The creature was big and bulky. Its pincers, sharp and serrated, were raised high enough to wrap around Sylvia's waist. Layers of chitin protected the phantasm's body, though this defense had little meaning against a demon's strength. It was also big. From head to abdomen, the ant was half again longer than Sylvia was tall.

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Sylvia curtsied in greeting, showing her ladylike charm.

"Good morning, Empress Idetta," she said gently.

The ant lowered its antennae, a gesture akin to a bow. The creature's jaw clicked. Psychic energies warbled, transforming unintelligible sounds into clear meaning.

"Apostle of Fire," the ant greeted. Idetta's self-taught spirit speech held an intriguing accent, the tone and inflection very different from the flow common between bloodlines. "You grow stronger by the day. Soon you will stand among us as an equal."

Empress Idetta was an immortal beast, one of four living in the Cloud Island Wilderness. Idetta ruled the world beneath Yaalon's roots, overseeing the great pools of sap drawn from the world tree. Her court consisted of six nether beasts and fifty common queens.

The ants that served her numbered two million.

Idetta wasn't here in person. She didn't have to be. Hive ants were a psychically linked collective. They shared both thought and senses. This warrior was nothing more than a proxy puppeted by Idetta's person.

Still, it was wise to treat the phantasmal beast as though it were the empress herself.

"It will still be many years before Nithe grants me audience, much less respect, Lady Idetta," Sylvia returned politely.

"A dragon's arrogance knows no bounds," Idetta clicked. "Worth is judged by sacrifice to the collective, not by the fury of their fire."

Truly, the mindset of an ant. Natural-born commies.

The warrior's antennae wiggled. "Have you come bearing the seeds of success, Apostle of Fire?"

"Yes," Sylvia answered. From her soul, she drew a ninety-drom mass. "Though I can't say I am pleased with the result, the System has deemed my efforts sufficient for our task."

In the witch's hands rested a bulbous, quivering shape as broad as a basketball. The flesh-like lump throbbed between her palms, a massive living heart that could've been torn straight from a giant's chest.

To safely carry this object's weight, Sylvia had been forced to all but empty her inventory. She'd even gone so far as to leave her Ghost Lightning Staff in her room.

A blue window flickered, identifying the item.

Item: Crude Dungeon Core Weight 97.6 droms Type Territory Phantasm Dungeon LImits Species List Black Spinner monster Max 30 / 250 User Resources 8 / 70

A prototype dungeon core created by Governor Swallows. This crude creation was produced using the hearts of three black spinners along with a portion of flesh cut from a blood fruit and a psychic fruit. The combination was then refined like a soul stone before being imprinted with the System server software.

As a semi-living object, this core can absorb ether and convert it to essence in order to grow. Within the walls of its controlled domain, it can spawn any phantasmal creature in its monster list. These phantasms will be dungeon monsters under the influence of the core. If the number of monsters exceeds the dungeon's limits, they can be released into the wild.

This core also operates as a weak System Node, providing enough processing resources to support a handful of Users. As the dungeon core develops, the processing resources will expand.

Though crude, the creation of this core represents a major R&D milestone.

That's right. Sylvia was holding a dungeon core.

Dungeons were everything the System loved in one beautiful package: resource farming, gameplay, and a server rack.

Sylvia had been dreaming of dungeons before the first wave of gamers set foot on this plane. Initially, she'd planned to dig a hole, tweak the world logic, and run some ether channels to create a good place to farm phantasmal beasts. But right about the time Sylvia started digging, she slapped herself upside the head and asked: 'Why was she out here, breaking her back, when there were people far better suited for the task?'

Like, say, an army of ants.

An ant empire whose queen now had a System and could therefore earn merit points by lending her assistance.

Enlightened, Sylvia had contacted Empress Idetta.

Which had immediately triggered a massive update to the side quest she'd designed.

Dungeon Designer was the name of her current quest. A main quest that promised to transform into an entire chain. Since the System had spoken, the cultists convened. Next thing Sylvia knew, High Queen Telma had a team of elite wasps hovering outside her house bearing two fruits cut from Yaalon.

Realizing the seriousness of the matter, Sylvia had poured her heart into it. Three months, six failures, and a skill book later, she had this: a crude dungeon core.

"Can this flawed thing become an altar of His will?" Idetta questioned.

The ant waved its antennae unhappily.

"Every great invention is built on a pile of failures," Sylvia said in retort. "And I still have enough pieces from those fruits to make two or three more. Once we're sure of the process, we can use a whole fruit to nurture a superior core. But I want to exchange notes with my teacher, Esmeralda Vallenfelt, first."

With that said, Sylvia returned the core to her soul. It was better not to leave it exposed. Despite the size, it was still rather fragile. Hopefully, it'd get tougher when it grew.

The warrior ant Idetta was piloting turned. Her antennae waved.

"The tunnel structure is complete. I will show you the path so that we might experience the depths of His satisfaction."

"I'll be in your care then, Empress Idetta," Sylvia accepted gently, offering a second curtsy.

The warrior led the way. The silver-haired girl trailed behind the insect phantasm.

The walls of the cave were lumpy stone. Hive ants didn't just dig, they shaped the surrounding material with their natural magic, compacting it into a hardened substrate.

In the ceiling was carved a trench. Wooden channels ran down the length, absorbing and transporting ether. This grouping of pipes came in several sizes, the largest of which collected blood ether. Others carried elements primordial. These were the veins and arteries of the dungeon, the source of its strength and life.

One day, perhaps, Sylvia would create a core that could truly treat these channels as organs. The asteri imagined the hideous horror of pulsating walls, nervous adventurers descending into a hellish maw.

Lips quirked, Sylvia walked, keeping half an eye on the piping. While the tunnels had been dug by ants, the channels had been laid by Faith and Riley at Sylvia's behest. The stable glow revealed the lack of breaks, leaks, and choke points for flow.

They continued down the shadowed path.

The dungeon, unsurprisingly, was dark. There was no natural lighting. Normally, this would leave a gamer blind to the world surrounding. Not Sylvia. Her pure starlight eyes could see well enough thanks to the faint illumination cast by energetic ether. Every now and then, the cave forked. The main halls were always wide, big enough for three players to advance side by side. The access tunnels, however, were considerably smaller, barely enough for a hive ant worker to squeeze through.

Any player who tried wiggling into those gaps deserved what would inevitably happen after.

"Does this place have a map?" Sylvia questioned, pastel pink eyes scanning the interior.

The dungeon was far more complicated than she'd imagined.

"He has willed that the depths be secrets known only to those who walk their breadth," Idetta answered.

Sylvia nodded. Good gameplay, that. "Probably for the best."

They needed lights, Sylvia decided. Something dark and creepy, but sufficient for the average gamer to see by. This was a low-level dungeon for noobs. The Tomb of Giants would be saved for higher-level players.

Heh, heh, heh.

Finally, they came to a dead end.

Sylvia let out a huff of amusement.

Disguised as part of the wall was a secret door. Though, to Sylvia's eyes, it wasn't terribly secret. The stone blended well enough at the seam, but the faint differences in the layers of magic made the path pop. Of course, Sylvia might not have noticed if Idetta hadn't led her to this point.

"Through here, I assume," the witch said, pointing.

Idetta's antennae wagged. "The mechanism is detestable."

Sylvia placed a palm against the wall, the point too high to be comfortable for an ant. A pulse of mana triggered the runes. The hidden door slid open. She clicked her tongue.

"I'll fix the design and improve the security later."

"And the chamber should be made easier for my bodies to access," Idetta added.

"Of course."

The hidden door would stay though, if only to keep troublemakers out.

This wasn't one of those dungeons where the delvers were meant to seize the core. It was the type where it was better the players never knew the core existed. Certainly, Sylvia could expect the System to deter destructive behavior, but there would definitely be gamers who insisted on smashing everything and taking any item that wasn't nailed down.

The two of them entered the hidden tunnel.

Compared to the paths they'd walked prior, this one was low, thin, and uncomfortable. For once, Sylvia was thankful for her petite height. If she were even three fingers taller, her head would be scraping against the ceiling. As it was, Sylvia had to tuck her silver tails behind her so they didn't brush the walls.

Ki manipulation was so convenient.

The wooden channels grew thicker as they walked, the massive beams carrying ether from every part of the dungeon. Sylvia knew there would be others. The design called for three major pipes flowing into the chamber to ensure the core was not easily cut off.

With the greater beams came vaster flows of ether. Some of that power slipped from the channels, filling the air with an electric light. The tunnel grew increasingly bright, driving away the darkness with its shimmering colors.

When Sylvia reached the giant cavern at the end, the silver-haired witch had to squint lest she be dazzled.

The broad chamber was fifteen meters in diameter. The walls were smooth, reinforced with layers of stone to the standards of a resurrection pool. Like a pool, blood stone tile made up the outer layer, the material manufactured locally with an ether furnace. Beneath would be additional reinforcements and protective enchantments.

The production of a dungeon was quite expensive.

At the center of the chamber was a podium. A thick band of wood flowed up from underneath while another descended from above. A gap capped by brass lay between the two, waiting for the heart. Right now, primordial ether was most abundant, despite the greater channels set aside for blood, but when the walls of the dungeon had been soaked by ten thousand dead the world logic would change and the favored ether with it.

And when it did, this chamber would practically drip with crimson.

"Everything looks to be in order," Sylvia noted, carefully scanning the structures. "We have a fair bit of leakage right now, but most of that will be cured once the channels are sealed. I'll have Faith and Riley check it then."

"My children have done their part. This duty falls upon yours, Apostle of Fire," Idetta responded.

The asteri approached the podium's top, carefully checking the network of runes. Then Sylvia drew the throbbing dungeon core from her soul. Cautiously, she set the bulbous mass in place. Th-th-thud. Th-thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. The core beat like a heart, each pulse a tremble of the atmosphere. Spectral lines crawled along the core's surface as the phantasm drew ethers from the domains primordial and life.

Sylvia stepped back, watching the construct like a hawk. Only when the System bell sounded did she relax.

Ding!

Quest Complete: Dungeon Designer

A dungeon serves as a source of wealth, an agent of adventure, and a foundation of possibility. Create a dungeon with a core that operates as a System node. This core should additionally have the ability to spawn creatures and influence its environment.

A true dungeon designer is only satisfied when they create something worthy of the name.

Quest Reward: * 1000 merit points * Ten Thousand Dungeon Domain * A Perfect Core * Dungeon Core Creator Certificate Objectives: [x] Create the dungeon structure [x] Create a secure room to house the core [x] Supply ether to the core to support its operation [x] Design a simple core and upload the System code into it

Sylvia smiled. There was always a rush when a quest completed.

And she didn't mind those merit points, at all.

"My doubts were misplaced, Apostle of Fire," Idetta clicked, the insectile sounds intelligible only from the psychic warble. "Though your creation was crude, He is pleased with our offering. You have served the Great Work. There is no greater meaning or joy."

The silver-haired witch's lips twitched. Damned cultists.

"The System is supposed to be a utopia in the form of a game," Sylvia reminded. "The real reward is the merit points."

"Blasphemous words spoken by an apostle," Idetta scoffed. "Truly, His benevolence knows no bounds."

…

Sylvia had to bite her tongue. Lucifer was a giant, narcissistic jerk. The asteri didn't know what nonsense the immortal beasts had been brainwashed with, but the Devil himself had made quite clear that he only wished to create a utopia so everyone would be forced to praise his genius.

The Keeper had really done a number on these poor beasts.

Maybe Telma had a good head on her shoulders. Sylvia could only hope.

Putting her thoughts aside, Sylvia gazed at the first of two new blue windows.

Open Ended Quest: Ten Thousand Dungeon Domain

If there are limits to human desire, this plane is too small to contain them. To feed the need for resources, create more dungeons. For the purpose of this quest, only dungeons with a System recognized dungeon core will count.

This is an open-ended quest. Rewards will be given for each dungeon created. Additional rewards will be also given when 25 dungeons have been created in a specific category. Dungeon creation is first come first serve. However, multiple players may join in on the creation of a single dungeon unit.

Completing this tasks requires dungeon cores. To this end, ingredients will be supplied under the authority of High Queen Telma. Only Users with a Dungeon Core Creator Certificate may apply.

Due to the limited development of this plane, the System will allow up to 10 flawed dungeons to be placed during this quest. * 1 / 10 flawed dungeon allowances used

Quest Reward: * 200 to 700 merit points per dungeon (based dungeon quality) * 2500 merit points for each category completion Quest Failure: * A penalty of up to 5000 merit points for lost or destroyed ingredients * Temporary or permanent revocation of the User's Dungeon Core Creator Certificate Objectives: [ ] 1 / 300 subterranean dungeons [ ] 0 / 100 field dungeons [ ] 0 / 50 sky dungeons [ ] 0 / 25 water dungeons [ ] 0 / 25 guardian dungeons

Ten Thousand Dungeon Domain was the single most beautiful pile of merit points Sylvia had ever seen. Despite the name, only 500 dungeons could actually be installed. But if she collected max merit from all, Sylvia would earn 400,000 merit points. That was well over ten times the amount Sylvia had earned in her life as a gamer.

And the best part? Sylvia was currently the only player with a Dungeon Core Creator Certificate. Thus, she was destined to devour a healthy chunk of that magnificent reward.

Om nom nom.

Of course, if the only service Sylvia provided was creating cores, she wouldn't earn anything near the max value. Furthermore, she couldn't fill in more than ten of these objectives with the crude cores in her repertoire.

Which, incidentally, led to the next quest: A Perfect Core.

Quest: A Perfect Core

The User has successfully created a crude dungeon core. The flawed construction does not satisfy the goals of the System. A better, more perfect core is desired, so System functions can be effectively offloaded onto computing resources in the local network.

Design new cores. Develop new features and greater dungeons. This is a limited, open-ended quest. Every new R&D accomplishment will reward merit points. However, only Users with great skill and reputation will be allowed to participate in this endeavor.

Noted Users with a Dungeon Core Creator Certificate, may request ingredients for this research activity.

Quest Reward: * 1000 merit points per an objective completed * 8000 merit points upon full completion * Dungeon Core Creator Certificate Quest Failure: * A penalty of up to 5000 merit points for lost or destroyed ingredients * Temporary or permanent revocation of the User's Dungeon Core Creator Certificate Objectives: [ ] Create a core that can provide System support for 5000 Users [ ] Create a core that can handle 10000 creatures of 3 different types [ ] Create a core that can grow to Class VIII status [ ] Create a core with living channels [ ] Create a core with a soul [ ] Create a core with 3 of the 5 features (must include the first) [ ] Create a core with 5 of the 5 features

If Ten Thousand Dungeon Domain was a task relying on pure labor, A Perfect Core was the research and development quest acting as support. In fact, Sylvia suspected that she'd have to complete one of these objectives to have dungeon cores which met the System's minimum standards.

"How quickly can you deal with this task?" Idetta asked, antennae twitching toward the latest window.

"A year at least," Sylvia answered, snapping the windows closed. "Creating flawed dungeons is my limit. I need to do supplementary research first. And I might have to go off-plane to obtain more information. For now, we can stick with adding flawed dungeons around Axis. That'll give me room to experiment and gather data."

Creating a core wasn't easy. To make a crude one, Sylvia had used a blank skill book to learn Bloodline Codes, part 1. This had gifted her a breadth of specialized alchemical knowledge.

But it was hardly enough.

And to learn more, Sylvia required a mountain of books.

Knowledge was like a tree. To hold mighty branches demanded a broad trunk. Bloodline codes were a derivative of alchemy, which itself expanded from the domains of spell theory and arithmancy. Furthermore, all this was built on a foundation of runes.

If Sylvia wished to tackle Bloodline Codes parts 2 and 3 she'd need to expand upon the prerequisites first.

On this, the System was quite explicit. After that malicious woman, Griffmiss, stole Intermediate Arithmancy, Sylvia had tried to charge ahead and snag the advanced version of the skill book. The System had crushed her dreams, stating she had to improve her understanding of mathematics first.

Tch.

She'd already learned calculus in college and forgotten all of it, thank you very much.

"We must devote ourselves to this Perfect Core. It is His will," Idetta insisted.

"Every main quest is important, Lady Idetta," Sylvia refuted. "And research can never be rushed."

Sylvia would admit, she was also eager. If she could make even one true core, she'd open the gate of infinite merit. But Sylvia was well aware there were quests more pressing. Dungeons, at the end of the day, just increased planar resources. Right now, there were plenty of monsters in Axis.

"Gateway Express is more imperative," Sylvia continued. "Having a true gate network will allow players to collect resources from the entire Cloud Island Wilderness."

Cracking the gate problem meant setting up a mine on Nemesis. The wayward island was constantly pressing against the Great Gyre. The stone and rocks would be impregnated with chaos. Glimmer, space stone, and void rock would be abundant. If they were really lucky, they'd find naturally occurring veins of stone or metal that could substitute for realm brick.

Also, having a gate network would improve access to Starport. Sylvia was getting sick of having to carry tools, people, and resources by herself. If this went on much longer, she'd end up a courier instead of governor!

"So it has been writ," Idetta accepted with solemn ceremony. "My role in this task is done, Apostle of Fire. To ensure this sacred creation is unharmed, I will leave children here to protect it. But the remaining labors fall upon yours."

"I have not forgotten," Sylvia replied. The silver-haired witch curtsied, fingers lightly pinching the skirt of her blue dress. "Empress Idetta, it was an honor to work with you."

"I am but a servant of His will," Idetta returned, both antennae lowered.

In its chamber, the dungeon heart beat. Swirls of ether were pulled around it like a cloak. Slowly and ever so slightly it grew bigger.

Soon, once the core had adjusted, the first eggs would emerge. Then would be born an army of black spiders. Thus, there would be silk.

Emily, your dream has come true.

-oOo-

Netherworld Economy

Whereas Earth draws much of its economic productivity from machines, the netherworld remains heavily dependent on personal labor. For this reason, the per capita earnings vary quite significantly with individual strength. Tools and infrastructure can impact the degree of wealth, but not to the same level as seen on Earth.

Typically, regional GDP ranges from 5,000 to 30,000 soli per capita. Older planes with higher-level demons perform better, while younger planes perform worse. Heaven, which maintains a mostly unconsolidated population, has the lowest GDP per capita of the major powers, but makes up for this weakness with a large population. The celestial cities, divorced from the rural 'paradise', however, have economies somewhat superior to those of Hell and the Fey Federation.

Hell

Population: 4.88 billion

GDP: 71.3 trillion soli

GDP/capita: 14,610 soli

Fey Federation

Population: 8.16 billion

GDP: 132.7 trillion soli

GDP/capita: 16,270 soli

Heaven

Population: 16.53 billion

GDP: 149.2 trillion soli

GDP/capita: 9,030 soli

Wages

As virtually all economic output comes from individual labor, GNI is a good approximation of GDP throughout the majority of the netherworld. In advanced cities, earnings may be half again larger than those listed below. In deep rural planes, earnings might be 30% lower. However, this chart serves as a general estimate of actual value and wealth.

Level Earnings (per year) Slaves 5,000 soli Lower Class 10,000 soli Middle Class 20,000 soli Upper Class 50,000 soli Devils 200,000 soli

Cloud Island Wilderness

As a newly civilized plane, the Cloud Island Wilderness suffers from a lack of tools and infrastructure. This has a strong impact on earnings, particularly for high-level players. However, this detriment is partially made up by the abundance of territorial resources. As the plane develops, improved tools and infrastructure are expected to offset the waning resource abundance. It may be a decade before technological growth can exceed resource exhaustion.

The below chart provides approximate earnings from personal labor. Incomes may greatly exceed this if relying on capital investment.

Level Earnings (per year) Earnings (as soli) 0 1 gold 2,500 soli 100 3 gold 7,500 soli 300 8 gold 20,000 soli 600 20 gold 50,000 soli

System Forums

► DrSodium [Posted: 24 days ago] If the System is just printing cloud cash, doesn't that mean we'll have hyperinflation? We should just go back to merit points. At least those are backed by something real.

► ThatFinanceGuy [Posted: 21 days ago] The causes of hyperinflation are more complicated than just the 'printing' of additional fiat currency. Governments print money all the time, but most economies rarely experience high inflation, much less hyperinflation. So long as the System manages the currency and sops up excess liquidity, the inflationary risks are minimal.

I am far more concerned with the technological development of the plane. It's clear that the expansion of weapons and infrastructure cannot keep up with the population increase. Because of this, the Cloud Island Wilderness could enter a period of Malthusian growth as the resources around Axis deplete.

► Npc72 [Posted: 21 days ago]

I think you're severely underestimating the impact of artificial intelligence on all of this. ResearchKing has already done some amazing things with Griffmiss's Runeworks Studio. I can only imagine what we'll be able to accomplish when Griffmiss releases version three.

► Griffmiss [Posted: 21 days ago]

Thanks for the shout out, Npc72 :)

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 18 days ago] (Planar Governor)

The development of resources and technology is a major consideration of ours.

In fact, we recently cracked the code on how to make soul-space silver, which has been a big limiter on economic growth. Everyone, give EmeraldElegance your thanks. She's not part of the System yet, but she deserves 90% of the credit here.

Unfortunately, it'll be a while before we're producing in bulk. But once we do, the players can expect exciting things.

► SecretProtagonist [Posted: 18 days ago]

Does this mean you'll stop telling us space bags are a myth, even though they're mentioned in multiple books?

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 18 days ago] (Planar Governor)

Lies. I never once claimed such a thing. I've always insisted bags of holding don't exist. Space bags are obviously real.

Also, a little secret, you're not the protagonist.

► Npc72 [Posted: 18 days ago]

The day Cutie stops trolling is the day the world ends.

► DrSodium [Posted: 15 days ago] Can we get back to hyperinflation? This is a very serious concern.

> Governments print money all the time, but most economies rarely experience high inflation, much less hyperinflation.

It hasn't happened yet. Everyone knows printing currency always leads to hyperinflation.

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 14 days ago] (Planar Governor)

Yes, DrSodium, any currency can experience hyperinflation. That's not because money is printed, it's because from time to time morons get put in charge of the financial system. What you're trying to do is find a magical way to idiot-proof government.

And, like they say, whenever you make something idiot-proof, the universe creates a bigger idiot.

You know how you protect government from morons? Don't put them in charge. That's the only thing that works.

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