The next day went by much as one would expect, similar to the last. They fought a tough battle, then they rested, rinse and reapeat. Until now.

"You really should have been more careful," Nova chided, casting a spell over Anny's leg. "Like I said, regeneration works poorly against poison."

"Well, I didn't know they could shoot those damn pincers!" Anny winced as the healing magic worked against the venom spreading through her calf. Angry red lines stretched from a puncture wound just above her ankle.

"Exactly, you didn't know. That's why you should have been careful." Nova focused on the spell, directing essence to neutralize the toxin. The red lines slowly faded, receding back toward the entry point.

"...I took down twice as many of them as you." Anny flexed her foot experimentally, testing the injured leg.

"Yes, because I was being careful." Nova adjusted the flow of healing energy, targeting the remaining venom.

"You really frustrate me sometimes." Anny crossed her arms, looking away from his concentrated expression.

"...I'm sorry." Nova's hands paused momentarily over her leg.

"What? Really?" She turned back to him with clear surprise on her face.

"Yeah, I know I can get preachy. It's a bad habit." He resumed his work as the blue glow of the healing spell illuminated the dim chamber.

"...But you're right." Anny admitted reluctantly, watching the last traces of venom dissipate under his hands.

Nova chuckled. "That's the worst part, people tell me."

"It really is... I'll be better in the future." The tension in her shoulders eased as the pain subsided.

"You are the strongest of us right now, so it's good that you take charge. We also waste less essence that way. And honestly, if this is the worst injury you can get by being reckless, you're saving us a lot of time." Nova completed the healing spell, satisfied with his work.

"That changed quick." Anny raised an eyebrow, standing to test her weight on the healed leg.

"Don't always trust that I'm right. I make mistakes and misjudgments all the time. That's part of why I shouldn't preach." Nova stood as well, wiping residue from his palms.

"...Well, I'll be sure to call you out more often, then." A small smile played across Anny's lips as she took a few experimental steps.

"Heh, please do. Let's continue our climb." Nova gestured toward the passage ahead, gathering their minimal supplies.

Anny paused, taking a deep breath. "The air is getting noticeably thinner."

"It is. I've been considering storing a few flasks of air in the ring in case it gets really bad, but I don't feel like it's a great solution." Nova felt the strain in his lungs as he spoke, each breath delivering less oxygen than normal.

"It wouldn't last us long. But as long as we're over halfway there, I think we'll be fine." Anny adjusted her pace to compensate for the thinner air, breathing more deliberately.

"Let's hope so. Judging by the previous levels, I think we should be close." Nova scanned the ceiling of the passage, searching for any signs of the level's end.

The path ahead rose steadily upward, twisting through the stone like a snake seeking the surface. With each step, the blue crystal light seemed to grow dimmer, though Nova couldn't tell if it was actually fading or if the lack of oxygen was affecting his vision.

As they kept ascending, the rests between fights became longer, and the fights themselves harder. Then finally, after defeating a dozen of those centipedes they faced in the first chamber, they saw a door in the distance above them.

"Finally!" Anny yelled, leaning on her sword as she tried catching her breath.

"Yeah, it's a welcome sight... I'm worried about the fight, though."

"Same here. Considering how much stronger the… guardians are compared to the normal enemies… this will very likely be dangerous." She struggled to talk properly, getting the words out in bursts between breaths as she wiped her brow.

"...Should we use the kilosouls?" Nova asked, feeling the weight of the coming battle settling on his shoulders.

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"I don't see a reason not to. If you take them all, you should be able to… reach a hundred thousand, right?" Anny sheathed her sword, resting against the cool stone wall of the passage.

"You don't want any?" Nova studied her face, searching for any sign of hesitation.

"I can handle myself. You're way more versatile, so having you get stronger would be a bigger advantage." She gestured toward him with absolute certainty.

"...Well, if you're sure. This is why we saved them, after all." He had to admit, he was excited about the prospect of accessing another fragment.

Anny nodded, wiping sweat from her brow as she looked at him. "I'm sure. But I want to reach the next level after we leave."

"Yeah, of course. I'm excited to see how strong you'll get then, with access to a bunch of powerful beasts." Nova gave her an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, me too..." Anny's voice trailed off as she watched him prepare. She sank to one knee on the stone floor, watching intently.

Nova reached deep into his core, summoning the kilosouls they'd received so far. A flash of light illuminated the dim chamber as the first few appeared in his palm. They hovered there like perfect spheres of swirling energy. They were no larger than marbles, each pulsing with its own inner rhythm. Soft blues and whites twined together inside the transparent orbs, occasionally flashing with brighter sparks.

He turned one over in his fingers, feeling its warmth spread across his skin. The sensation was similar to the soul stones once they were filled with souls, like there was something he could pull on quite easily.

'These remind me of spirit stones from the cultivation world... A shame things have to die in order make these in this world. There, they simply grew in the ground, increasing in purity and power as time went by…'

Nova studied the orb for another moment before pulling on the power inside them. The effect was immediate, melting through his flesh like it was passing through water. A rush of warmth flooded his system as the Soul Power entered his core without resistance.

"Oh, they're kinda weird," he said, blinking in surprise. "I usually have to consciously absorb them into my own soul, but not with these." The pleasant sensation continued to radiate through him, settling into his bones and muscles.

"Sounds pretty easy, then. Keep going." Anny watched with interest, noting the subtle changes in his posture as his power increased.

Nova retrieved as many spheres as he could fit in his hands now, well over half of what remained. The light they cast painted the chamber walls with shifting patterns, strangely beautiful in the dim dungeon.

He pulled on the energy within the small spheres again, sending pulses of light flowing through his arms. Each impact sent a stronger pulse through him, building upon the last. Sixty thousand to seventy, the first threshold marked by a sharp intake of breath. Seventy to eighty, his muscles tightening as they adjusted to the influx. Eighty to ninety, the power coursed through every part of him, ringing in his ears.

The final cluster struck him all at once. The chamber flashed white as the energy wave pushed outward from his body, briefly illuminating every crack and crevice in the ancient stone. For a brief moment, Anny shielded her eyes against the brightness.

When the brightest light faded, leaving only a warm glow on his skin, Nova stood there with a triumphant smile. The air around him seemed different, as if reality itself acknowledged his heightened presence.

"Fuu, this feels great," he exhaled, rolling his shoulders as the last of the energy settled. One hundred and eight thousand Soul Power in total. "And here we have my new fragment."

"What was your name in that life?" Anny asked, stepping closer to examine him for any visible changes.

"Nova Regis," he answered simply, still processing the information on the stat sheet.

'Oh, an active trait? That one sounds really strong! And since it's on a fragment, I can avoid the weakness after… Could this be what Shivere had? Or something similar?'

He thought back to the time when Shivere had turned her hair white to stop the formation from completing its task. It had been a powerful scene, but less so after he learned her true intentions.

'And the ability to know if someone's lying, that could be really useful. I would have to keep it a secret, though. It's easily countered.'

He mentally cataloged the applications and limitations of such a power. Anyone who knew he possessed it would simply find ways to obscure their deceptions, making half-truths or believing their own lies. The most valuable tools were often those nobody knew you had.

His attention drifted to the quotes under the trait descriptions for a moment. They didn't evoke the emotions that earlier fragments had. But the final line caught his attention, stirring something unexpected within him.

'Heh, yeah… The little princess kept on trying. Both clever and stubborn, and not intimidated by her uncle at all.'

The memory carried warmth with it—a flash of admiration for someone who had stood her ground despite overwhelming pressure. That ability would come in handy after his passing, when she had to take the reins of their kingdom.

'Two hundred thousand, that's about what I expected. I might need to keep this one, since the traits are so useful... But at least I can equip it during the fight. That should make it easy.'

He weighed the benefits against the potential costs. Absorbing the fragment would grant him a permanent increase in power, but it would be at the expense of losing one of the traits, most likely. For now, equipping it would be enough.

Anny's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "What is it like?" She studied his face carefully, trying to read the changes in his expression as he processed the new fragment.

"A bit better than expected. The traits could prove quite useful in the future, so I don't want to absorb it just yet. But we should still be able to defeat this guardian pretty easily." Nova moved his essence around, feeling the new power humming beneath his skin.

"Nice! You lead the way!" She stepped aside with a sweeping gesture, pointing up toward the door in the distance above them.

'Whatever might be behind that door, I should have more than enough power to take it down. Especially with the active trait. But that will be only for emergencies.'

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