Justin and Atlas returned to the cave entrance within the hour. Justin had relented, using his Ring of Hygiene to change into his Dapper Adventuring Set. The Sun Shade enchantment was definitely the ticket, and the air went from an infernal furnace to at least somewhat bearable.

  On the way back, he’d discovered that he could summon a status screen for his companion, keeping track of his ether reserves, abilities, and how much time remained on his shield.

  It wouldn’t be until tomorrow that Vorthak’s Flame became available, at which point he would consider switching back to his Founder’s Regalia. He wondered if it would refresh faster since this planet’s days were shorter. It was an interesting question, and something he’d have to keep an eye on.

  Atlas scuttled ahead into the shade of the cave, chirping in relief.

  Inside, Eldrin hunched over a makeshift laboratory, a flat stone serving as a workbench covered with vials and herbs, while a small cauldron bubbled over the fire. The air smelled of bitter plants and something like cinnamon. He still wore his Founder’s Vestments. Maybe the increased attributes allowed him to create better potions or something.

  On the far side of the cave, Lila practiced with her daggers, which orbited her body in a mesmerizing dance. Like Justin, she had switched to her desert gear. She moved through a series of stances, the blades adjusting their height and distance with each shift of her posture. From time to time, she would grab one and throw it toward an imaginary target, recalling it after a few seconds.

  When Justin stepped inside, he was grateful for the relative coolness of the cave. He wiped his brow, then activated his Ring of Hygiene to remove the sweat, dirt, and grime from the battle.

  “Much better,” he said.

  “You’re back,” Eldrin said, not looking up from the vial he was measuring. “How was your little exploration?”

  “Educational,” Justin said. “Atlas and I encountered a Vault. Easy peasy.”

  Eldrin’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. “A Vault? Out there in the canyon? And you cleared it on your own?”

  Lila’s daggers dropped from their dance, snapping back to their sheaths as she turned. “Justin, are you being serious? Why didn’t you tell us?”

  He smiled. “Well, I’m leaving out the important part. It was a false Vault, I’m afraid.”

  “False?” Eldrin asked.

  “It was actually a Vault Mimic,” Justin explained. He walked to a flat stone and sat, while Atlas settled beside him. “It disguised itself as a Vault entrance. It was quite convincing, too. Atlas and I were lucky to escape with our skins.” Justin cleared his throat. “And carapace.”

  Atlas whirred in agreement.

  Eldrin whistled. “I’ve heard of treasure mimics that disguise themselves as chests, but never a Vault Mimic. This world is far more dangerous than I would have guessed. Was it any different from a usual Vault?”

  “Well, the barrier was purple.”

  “A Solo Vault,” Eldrin said.

  “So, those are real,” Justin said.

  Eldrin nodded. “Yes. I’ve never seen one, but variable Vaults—that’s a Vault that changes depending on a party’s composition, or even the lack of a party—can become Solo Vaults.”

  “So that part wasn’t strange, then,” Justin said. “The description mixed up the whole ‘courage and resolve’ line that every Vault gives.”

  “Interesting,” Lila said. “Next time, you can use your ring to swap into your adventuring set first. That could help you sense the trap.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Justin said. “At the time, I had no reason to think it was a trap, but going forward, it’s a good idea.”

  Eldrin watched him. “So, how did you survive?”

  “It had some sort of trap at the beginning that caused petrification and a poison effect called Lithic Venom. A nasty combination.”

  “I’ll say,” Eldrin said. “Some rock-based creatures, like mimics, can have a Poison Affinity. And Lithic Venom is particularly brutal on petrified enemies.” He arched an eyebrow. “I assume you reversed both with your Elemental Affinity boon?”

  Justin nodded. “I did. Without that, I’d be dead.”

  Justin recounted the battle in greater detail, describing the mimic’s appearance and how he and Atlas had targeted its violet veins, plus his trusty Poison Barb, Add Injury to Insult, Sapphire Aegis, and Proper Sendoff combo, which he had come to think of as the “Sapphire Gambit,” or more simply, “the Boss Killer.”

  Atlas chirped and whirred at appropriate moments, adding his own “commentary.”

  “So, did this false Vault offer any real treasure?” Lila asked. “That’s the real question.”

  “As a matter of fact, yes.” Justin held up his hand, displaying his Ring of Hygiene. “I used a Gold Ascension Crystal to upgrade this. It now cleanses my body of non-magical toxins, diseases, and impurities. Magical afflictions will be suppressed or slowed, depending on their strength.”

  “Sounds useful,” Eldrin said, leaning in to examine the ring. “Can’t go wrong with that. Even a mighty adventurer can be brought low by the common Crimson Chill.”

  “Crimson Chill?” Justin asked. “That sounds awful.”

  “Nasty business,” Eldrin said. “Starts with a fever that burns like fire, then your skin flushes crimson before the freezing chills set in. Not even healing potions work once it takes hold.”

  Justin suppressed a shudder. Common diseases were not something he had even thought of, but it was nice to have an extra measure of protection.

  “Atlas received an upgrade as well,” Justin added. “A Companion Core that allowed him to learn a new skill.”

  “Oh?” Lila raised an eyebrow. “What skill is that?”

  “Drill Charge,” Justin explained. “It deals double damage with a chance to stun.”

  “That’s quite useful,” Eldrin said. “Shadowflight has some useful abilities. He started at bronze tier with one skill, but I managed to find three Companion Cores during my adventures. I haven’t found one in several years.”

  “Do you think Shadowflight can hang here on Solanis? Does your new recall ability work across worlds?”

  “I haven’t tested it,” Eldrin said. “I’m worried the heat would be too much for him. He’ll be fine in Serenthel; once we’re back home, I can recall him.”

  Lila frowned in thought. “Why didn’t you use the ascension crystal on your Cane of Valoria? Even if it would only be gold-tier compared to your Cane of the Drake, Gentleman’s Rebuff is valuable, and it could become even stronger. It might make a good weapon to lead with in certain situations.”

  Justin stroked his chin. “Good point. If I find another gold crystal, I’ll do that. At the time, I thought an upgrade to the ring would be more useful.”

  “Fair enough,” Lila conceded. “Speaking of our equipment, I’ve reorganized the packs and noted all items we could sell. We’ve picked up a lot of loot. Most of it we can’t even use.”

  “Good thinking,” Justin said. “When we link up with Emberlyn, we can offload it in her town.” Justin turned to the Ranger. “What about you, Eldrin? How goes the brewing?”

  Eldrin’s eyes lit up. “It’s going well. I’ve created the base solution for ten silver-tier healing potions. I also developed several silver- and gold-tier antidotes.”

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  “Nice!” Justin frowned. “What’s the difference between the tiers of antidotes?”

  “Efficacy and scope,” Eldrin explained. “A bronze-tier antidote might neutralize the most common of poisons. Silver-tier works on more exotic toxins, while gold-tier can handle magical and compound poisons that affect many systems simultaneously. Of course, you can also brew antidotes for specific poisons; that will save you ingredients in the long run, and it’s what a proper Alchemist would do. But at the same time, ‘universal antidotes’ are far more useful, and I’ve gathered so many ingredients that I’m not concerned about wasting them too much.”

  “I see,” Justin said. “Well, I trust your judgment for sure.”

  Eldrin returned to his workbench and gestured to different clusters of vials. “I’ve also brewed a few attribute-boosting potions, elemental resistances, and status protections. I’ll finish the remaining batches tonight; then we can inventory everything.”

  Justin arched an eyebrow. “Anything that boosts Charisma?”

  Eldrin chuckled. “As if you need it! No, I’m focusing on things that help with pure survival. I’ve got a few that grant +4 to either Power, Endurance, or Coordination. I should also say, about the healing potions, most are not instant, like what you’re used to. I could make them instant, but I decided to make them slow-release because it’s more efficient on resources. I will craft a few instant ones, since sometimes you need that infusion of healing. But for the most part, if you take one of these before a tough fight, it’ll go a long way and serve you better. The ones I’m making give a boost to healing for about an hour.”

  “An hour?” Justin asked. “That’s awesome!”

  “Yes. And the beautiful part is, the healing effect doesn’t trigger until you’re actually hurt. Then the potion kicks into gear. Of course, if nothing happens within that hour, the potion loses effectiveness.”

  “Still sounds useful,” Justin said. “I guess you can’t take several at once?”

  The Ranger shook his head. “No. Each potion of the same type reduces its effectiveness greatly. Now, you could take a slow-release potion and then an instant one, since the base catalyst is different. But a second instant potion would be reduced in effect, to the point it’s not worth it unless you’re desperate.”

  “I see. Thanks for the crash course.”

  “It’s important to learn these things. But I still have a lot of work to do.”

  “I’ll let you get back to it then.”

  Eldrin turned back to his work, while Justin turned his attention to Atlas, who had settled into a resting posture. He focused on his companion and summoned his status screen to check his energy levels: 180/400. Not bad, considering the fight they’d had. Atlas had used an Environmental Shield, a couple of Twin Drills, and demonstrated his Drill Charge. The rest of the energy drain had come from his exertions throughout the day.

  That meant Atlas could go about three days without a recharge, assuming no fights. After a heavy bout of fighting, where he was using his skills a lot, he could go through a lot of crystals.

  Justin wondered when the appropriate time to charge him up was. His main crystal had turned orange yesterday, and right now, it shone a steady blue.

  He should be good to go until tomorrow morning at least, assuming no other incidents.

  Lila went to take a nap, and Justin was of a similar mind. It was early afternoon now, and he was hopeful that a long nap would be good enough to earn him Level 19.

  Justin took up his spot as Eldrin continued brewing. He closed his eyes, and such were the events of the day so far that he fell instantly asleep.

  [You have reached Level 19. You can almost taste it...mastery. You’d be surprised how many journeys end right here, faltering before the summit. Don’t rush. Savor the climb. The destination matters, but the journey makes you worthy of it.]

  When Justin awoke, he felt…different. Not stronger exactly, but centered. Rested in a way that went beyond sleep.

  He put on his fedora, glancing outside to see the light of the evening. Lila and Eldrin were sleeping, while Atlas kept vigil.

  [You have two attribute points to distribute].

  Justin willed both into Charisma, as usual.

  [Your Charisma is now 52.]

  He was one step away from Level 20. But first, it was time to unlock his Level 19 skill.

  [As a Level 19 Gentleman, you have two skills to choose from. This will be your final skill as a Socialite. Choose wisely! There is no going back.]

  The realization of this being his last Socialite skill was almost enough to make him misty-eyed. He had come far, much further than he would have ever guessed.

  Two options appeared before him. His eyes widened as he registered what he was dealing with.

  “Ascendant,” Justin whispered, his pulse quickening.

  His fingers trembled as he looked at the options on his interface. Ascendant-tier abilities were the stuff of legends.

  He had earned a Mythic Boon and a Mythic Skill already.

  But now, he had his choice of not one but two Ascendant skills.

  He couldn’t believe his fortune.

  The Upper Hand (Ascendant): Victory is not merely taken—it is orchestrated. Gain three charges of Advantage. Each charge grants +1 to all Attributes. You may spend one charge of Advantage to guarantee a dodge or block, deal 50% extra damage on your next attack, or boost your combat speed by 15% for 60 seconds. Or you can spend all three at once to reset all skill cooldowns, except this one. Unspent Advantage charges disappear after one minute. (Cooldown: 6 hours)

  A Gentleman Never Misses (Ascendant): One strike. One word. That’s all it takes. Your next attack, skill, or social challenge cannot be dodged, blocked, or resisted, provided the tier of available counters is beneath the rank of Ascendant. Any status effect you inflict via this skill bypasses standard resistances, always lands, and lasts twice as long (except in cases of full immunity). If this skill is somehow countered, its cooldown is immediately refreshed, and you gain the Poised Execution buff until the end of combat, gaining +6 to all attributes. (Cooldown: 12 hours)

  “Mylanta,” Justin breathed. “We’re entering godlike territory here.”

  He took a moment to collect himself before thinking it over.

  The Upper Hand called to him. Flexibility—the cornerstone of a Gentleman’s philosophy.

  There were several ways to play this skill. The first was that he could keep all charges for a +3 boost to every attribute—enhancing strength, agility, resilience, intelligence, magical resistance, and his already formidable charismatic presence. Then he could spend them all quickly before the sixty seconds elapsed.

  For it was in spending these charges that the skill’s true potential was revealed.

  First, he could use them to guarantee dodges, essentially giving him access to three Gentleman Sidesteps.

  Second, a charge could add 50% increased power to an attack, making his Sapphire Gambit even more devastating. Salt in the Wound gave triple damage, a Proper Sendoff double, while burning an Advantage charge gave 50%. By Justin’s math, that was nine times the damage for a single attack, edified by the base damage soaked up by Sapphire Aegis.

  Third, he could boost his combat speed by 15% for a full minute, and speed could make all the difference.

  And finally, spending all three charges at once would reset every cooldown he possessed. This was powerful enough, but in theory, this meant his Sapphire Gambit could hit four times a day instead of once.

  Adaptation. The essence of his class. A jack-of-all-trades who could now master survival in countless combat scenarios.

  The Upper Hand transcended mere power. It embodied everything an Ascendant skill should be.

  Yet A Gentleman Never Misses offered brutal elegance. His next attack or social challenge was guaranteed to land.

  No defense. No evasion. No second chances for the target.

  He blinked. The sheer simplicity of it—the certainty—hit harder than he had expected.

  How many times had things gone wrong because of some unforeseen factor? Was it crazy to think someone like the Baron might have some obscure ability or hidden resistance that turned a sure win into a disaster?

  Even if it hadn’t happened yet with his Sapphire Gambit, that didn’t mean it would never happen, especially as he rose to face more powerful enemies.

  Would it not be better to have the ultimate insurance? That alone made the skill powerful.

  But it didn’t stop there. If, by some miracle—or nightmare—his opponent had an Ascendant-tier counter, then the skill wouldn’t go to waste. The cooldown would reset and he’d gain a temporary buff: Poised Execution. +6 to all attributes until the end of combat.

  That wasn’t a consolation prize. That was a full-blown momentum shift.

  And the status effect bonus? Insane. Already, his Cane of the Drake had the chance to inflict Freeze, so if he used A Gentleman Never Misses, that would become guaranteed and last for twice as long.

  And what if there was some high-tier weapon out there that inflicted multiple deadly effects at once? Deathtouch, for example, was something he had come across. Would that land a guaranteed kill that couldn’t be dodged?

  Such a thing would be too powerful to be believed. It would be a glaring gap in the System, an exploit.

  Eldrin had told him once that there were no exploits. If there were, someone would have figured it out by now.

  But who had access to an Ascendant skill like this? In theory, if he ever gained access to a Deathtouch cane—and paired it with A Gentleman Never Misses—it would be game over for nearly anything.

  But that wasn’t how a Gentleman fought. And getting access to such a weapon would no doubt come at a moral price. Such things were the domain of Morvath, God of Death.

  And Justin didn’t want to be associated with the Death God in any way, shape, or form.

  But all that was hypothetical. One key advantage of A Gentleman Never Misses is that it could guarantee status effects landed—something The Upper Hand couldn’t promise.

  The idea of walking away from that guarantee made him uneasy, like he was tempting fate.

  Because when the moment came, what if he needed a sure thing?

  And yet...there was the matter of the cooldown. It was twelve hours.

  A Gentleman Never Misses would be devastating, but could only be used once a day at most. If he used it, that was it.

  The Upper Hand was six hours. Still long, but he could use it in an early skirmish, then again before the next big fight. If things lined up, maybe even twice inside a Vault, and once more against the boss.

  He didn’t have to go all in. He could spend a charge for a dodge, a damage spike, or a speed boost—whatever the moment called for. The one thing it couldn’t do was guarantee status effects landed, which gave A Gentleman Never Misses a distinct advantage in certain scenarios.

  So the question became: Did he want one perfect moment with guaranteed success, including status effects? Or did he want the freedom to choose several nearly perfect ones with more flexibility but less certainty?

  Justin stood at a crossroads. The most consequential decision of his journey so far.

  He closed his eyes, letting the essence of both skills wash over him.

  And after a long moment…he made his decision.