Songs in the Void

ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.

"Seriously, ****, You really think your elementals are better than my [Space Magic]?" A young man with brown skin and long, purple-tinted black hair asked a young man who appeared to be a few years older than him. "I mean, look. The lightning one even seems to be more respectful of me than she is of you, her master."

"Even if she is, she's still my precious elemental." The other young man said with a grin. "it's kinda weird, though. I've never seen Peika treat anyone like that before."

As he spoke, the older of the two young men used his index finger to rub the head of a floating, adorable black-haired girl with golden eyes who did not even reach eight inches in height. However, before he could do it for too long, the small girl swatted his finger away with both of her hands while pouting adorably.

"Stop it, Master!" The small girl, Peika, a Lightning Elemental, complained as she smoothed out her hair. "You're gonna get it all tangled and frizzy."

"Sorry... Sorry..." the older of the two young men said with a chuckle.

"****, you can pat my head." A female voice said energetically right after Peika rejected the young man's head patting.

In the next instant, a beautiful, snow white-furred wolf with bright blue eyes, who was about the same height as Peika, appeared next to her with its tail wagging happily.

In response, Peika quickly grabbed the young man's index finger and put it back on top of her head as she glared at the white wolf.

"Go away, Wolf." Peika growled cutely.

"****, she's being mean." the wolf said in an aggrieved tone. "Tell her to share."

"Hmph! You spend all day attached to Master." Peika said snappily after snorting at the wolf. "You're the one who needs to learn how to share."

And just like that, the two Elementals, Peika and the white wolf, Ruyue, began bickering over the older of the two young men's attention. Meanwhile, the young man they were arguing over could only smile at this with a wry expression on his face.

"*Sigh* Whenever I see you with your elementals, it feels like you're taking care of your kids." The younger of the two young men said with a smile. "And because they're all so cute, it reinforces the notion."

"You know, ******, it still amazes me that you can even see them." The older of the two young men said while shaking his head. "You're not a member of the Fairy Race, right? They're the only ones I know who can see elementals they don't have a contract with."

"Nope." The younger of the two said. "I'm pretty sure I'm not of the Fairy Race. I was born on Earth, after all. But this just proves that I'm better than the rest."

"*Sigh* I guess that's true." The older of the two said while completely ignoring the narcissistic follow up. "Anyway, we'd better get going. Those Wyverns aren't gonna kill themselves, you know."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." The younger of the two said with a smile. "Besides, if we make her wait too long, ***** might try to burn our hair off... again... And although I'm sure I can pull that look off; you'll look like some kinda of gangster if you lose all your hair."

With that, the younger man ran off towards the rest of their companions who were gathering at the entrance to an enormous canyon, leaving the other young man to shake his head as he slowly walked to follow. After that, the entire scene faded to black.

----------

"Ugh... What a weird dream." Tatsuo said as he woke up in his bed. "And I woke up with such a bad headache, too."

After spending eight hours working with Lin on the [Orc Lord Set], Tatsuo left the Dungeon and climbed into bed without even taking a shower, let alone changing out of his defensive gear. Apparently, a day and a half spent exploring the Dungeon followed by eight hours of crafting was tiring no matter how strong his body had become.

However, the sleep Tatsuo experienced this time was a little different from any other time. And the reason for that was because he had a strange dream. And despite having never seen the young man he was speaking with in the dream, Tatsuo recognized him.

And he knew exactly what that meant. Something that caused him to smile happily.

In the next instant, Tatsuo, who was lying on his bed while still dressed in his defensive gear, suddenly disappeared from the top of the bed, reappearing in front of his piano, sitting on the piano bench.

As soon as he was seated on the piano bench, Tatsuo heard a Dungeon Alert sound in his ear, accompanied by the sound of fan fair.

{Congratulations! You have obtained the Class: [Dimensional Assassin]

-With control over the element of space, [Dimensional Assassins] are unmatched when it comes to stealth and one-hit killing. Not to mention, they have the ability to quickly traverse great distances by controlling the distance between two points if it is deemed necessary to escape.}

{As a Dimensional Assassin, you have gained the following Skills.

-Blink

-Spatial Slash

-Enhanced Stealth}

{Skill: High-Ranked Stealth has been replaced by Class Skill: Enhanced Stealth. Level Adjusted to Low-Rank Lv. 5}

{Your Magic and Dexterity have increased by 20 each thanks to the Class acquisition.}

Hearing the series of notifications, Tatsuo could not help but smile even wider. Though he thought the Class name was a bit edgy, there was nothing he could do about it. He could only think that Sherifina had limited imagination.

Despite what he was thinking, Tatsuo could not help opening his Dungeon Status to take a look at the changes.

Dungeon Explorer Status

Name: Soramoto Tatsuo

Race: Human

Sex: Male

Class: Dimensional Assassin

Title: Orc Lord Slayer (All Stats +1)

Rank: Bronze 6

Level: 9

HP: 2350/2350

MP: 1800/1800

Strength: 32

Dexterity: 56

Constitution: 29

Intelligence: 29

Magic: 70

Charm: 296

Luck: 151

Skills

Mid-Ranked Martial Arts Technique: Lv. 9

High-Ranked Dagger Mastery: Lv. 1

Mid-Ranked Marksman Technique: Lv. 7

Overwhelm: Lv. 1

Class Skills

Blink; Low-Rank: Lv. 1

Spatial Slash; Low-Rank: Lv. 1

Enhanced Stealth: Low-Rank Lv. 5}

Next, Tatsuo focused on the descriptions of his three new Class Skills.

{[Blink}

-A short range teleportation skill.

-With the use of spatial magic, the user is able to teleport anywhere within the user's line of sight.

-At Level 1, the maximum distance for teleportation is 6.5 feet with a 10 second cooldown.

-Distance and cooldown will be increased and reduced, respectively with each increase in Level.

Cost: 400 MP}

{[Spatial Slash]

-The user coats their weapon with spatial magic, damaging the space struck by their attacks.

-Increasing the Level of this Skill will result in higher damage to the effected space.

Cost: 300 MP}

{[Enhanced Stealth]

-Like the normal High-Ranked Stealth Skill, the user can obscure their presence with the aid of their mana. However, unlike normal Stealth, with the use of Spatial Magic, the user folds nearby space to conceal their presence rather than just obscuring it.

-Stealth State will be broken once the user attacks an enemy or is hit by an attack.}

"Hmm?" Tatsuo hummed in a curious tone. "There's no mention of MP Cost for the Stealth Skill. I guess I'll have to test it out to see how much I can handle. Either way, since I'll have space bent around me, hitting me should be much more difficult for beings on my level when I'm in stealth."

With his thoughts spoken aloud and the giddiness in his heart still not vented, Tatsuo decided to check his [System Status], as well. Just before he did, however, he remembered that he had not yet checked his [System Notifications], dating all the way back to the last time Sumire came to spar. So, he checked those first.

While most of the [Notifications] were expected, Tatsuo did notice one that caught him off guard. And it happened around the time when he was in the elevator with Sumire and let his bloodlust explode outward.

{[Notifications]

You have learned the [Racial Ability], [??? - ???}

"Huh?" Tatsuo made a dumbfounded tone. "Shouldn't that be when I learned [Overwhelm]? Instead, it's another [Racial Ability]?"

Reaching that point, Tatsuo quickly opened his [System Status] to take a look at the changes.

{[Status]

[Personal Information]

Name: Soramoto Tatsuo

Age: 15

Race: Human/???

Title: ???

Coins: 449,275

[Physical Attributes]

Comprehensive Physical Evaluation: D+

Strength: D

Agility: D+

Dexterity: C-

Endurance: D-

Intelligence: D-

Perception: D+

Energy: C-

Charm: B-

[Skills]

Language: E+

Pianist: D

Singing: E+

Vale Tudo: E+

Weapon Mastery: E+

Dagger Mastery: D-

Firearms Mastery: E+

Cooking: F+

First Aid: E-

Hacking: D

Stealth: D+

Blacksmithing: E+

Leatherworking: E+

Tailoring: E+

Programming – E+

Blink – D-

Spatial Slash – D-

[Abilities]

Mana Reactor A+

??? - ???

[Note: The average values of an average adult are F+. Trained Athletes have values of E-. Those at the peak of their field have values of E. Those at the peak of humanity have values of E+. Anything D- or higher is considered supernatural, usually requiring the infusion of mana or an equivalent energy to achieve.]}

"Damn, [Overwhelm] really isn't there." Tatsuo muttered in a confused tone. "Does that mean Sherifina is unable to recognize it for what it really is? But she's supposed to be on a whole other level in this universe, isn't she?"

Unable to wrap his head around what happened, Tatsuo tried to click the unknown skill. Unfortunately, when he did, all he saw in the description was an even longer string of question marks. Luckily, just like [Overwhelm], this skill seemed to be a passive skill that effected his enemies. So, there was no rush to figure out what it was at this moment.

Still, Tatsuo equated the new [Ability], as well as [Mana Reactor] with is mysterious second race. Though he had no way of figuring out what that race could be, he knew he would be able to find out eventually.

"Oh, the [System] doesn't differentiate between my old [Stealth] and what the Dungeon calls [Enhanced Stealth]." Tatsuo muttered after realizing that the [Stealth Skill] had not changed, only rose in rank. "Well, I guess the [System], being multiversal, would have more information than Sherifina, who is only universal, at best."

Shaking off the thoughts about the differences in the two systems, Tatsuo smiled brightly. Then, he rushed into the Dungeon to test out his new Class Skills and climb the 9th Floor.

ICDS Universe, 1st Dungeon, 8th Floor Shop.

"Welcome back, Tatsuo-Sama…" Loretta said as soon as Tatsuo entered the Dungeon. Though, she trailed off at the end.

"Hey, Loretta-San." Tatsuo said while waving at Loretta as he strode towards the entrance to the 9th Floor with an excited expression on his face. "I'll see you on the next floor. Talk to ya later."

As Tatsuo disappeared onto the next floor, Loretta stared at him blankly. She could feel the rise in his magic power. And although it was not much to someone as strong as she was, she could feel the drastic increase.

"Just what is that boy?" Loretta asked herself in a daze. "I've noticed that his mana increases even when he's yet to clear a floor in the Dungeon, but I just attributed that to training. But no amount of training can nearly double someone's mana reserves in a single night."

ICDS Universe, 1st Dungeon, 9th Floor.

While Loretta was thinking about Tatsuo's rise in strength, the person in question had already shouted "Commence Exploration" after reaching the 9th Floor. Then, as soon as he did, he went into [Stealth].

Not only did Tatsuo go into [Stealth], but he started walking forward while studying the path his [Energy] was taking while the [Skill] was active. That way, he would not have to rely on the Dungeon's assistance to activate the skill in the future.

Eventually, Tatsuo came across his first Wraith. And two his surprise, the wraith could not perceive his presence, even when he approached less than three feet away. So, Tatsuo activated another skill as the bladed knuckle duster in his left hand streaked past the wraith's neck.

"[Spatial Slash]." Tatsuo said, calling out the name of his skill as he attacked.

Immediately upon launching the attack, Tatsuo came out of his [Stealth State]. However, by the time the wraith was able to notice him, it was already too late. In the next instant, the wraith's head was separated from the rest of its translucent body before dissipating into motes of mana.

"Well damn…" Tatsuo muttered as he looked down at his bladed knuckle duster. "It didn't even have a chance to scream out. ON top of that, I finally realized what I was doing wrong. Instead of grinding my [Energy] together to sharpened the edge of the blade, I should have been doing the opposite, using my [Energy] to pull apart the space in its path."

{Your understanding of [Spatial Slash] has increased.

[Spatial Slash] has reached Low-Rank: Lv. 2}

"Alright, now I need to be able to control it consciously." Tatsuo muttered as he clenched his fists in excitement. "Okay, let's keep going."

With that, Tatsuo once again activated [Stealth]. Then, he dashed forward to find his next victim. And it did not take long for him to do so. On top of that, the wraith he found was not alone, as there was a group of three wraiths floating aimlessly through the corridor.

On top of that, Tatsuo also realized why there was no cost associated with his [Enhanced Stealth Skill]. Apparently, his natural regeneration was on par with the consumption of the skill. So, there was no reason to add the cost to the description. At least, that was what Tatsuo surmised.

A moment later, Tatsuo appeared next to the closest wraith. Then, without using [Spatial Slash], he slashed it from its crotch to the top of its head with a simple coating of [Energy] on his weapon. However, to Tatsuo's surprise, the wraith was still killed in only one hit.

*Screech!* x 2

The two other wraiths did not leave him much time to ponder on the one-hit kill, though. Instead, they screeched loudly to call in reinforcements. Then, in the next instant, before the reinforcements arrived, one charged forward while the other opened its mouth and shot an arrow of energy at Tatsuo.

In response, Tatsuo made a half spin to his left, avoiding the ectoplasm arrow. Then, using the blades on his knuckles, he punched the wraith that charged forward in its attacking arm, cutting through it cleanly and avoiding taking any damage.

In the same motion, Tatsuo rode the momentum of his attack, spinning his body as he stabbed through the wraiths neck with the bladed knuckle duster in his other hand. Then, as the wraith he just killed began dissipating into motes of mana, he vanished from where he stood.

"[Blink]." Tatsuo muttered.

When Tatsuo reappeared, he was six and a half feet closer to the wraith shooting ectoplasm arrows. Then, he dashed forward, avoiding two more ectoplasm arrows along the way before eventually bisecting the wraith at the waist once he was in range.

Unfortunately, just as he finished off the third wraith, a small horde of six more appeared in response to the screeches from earlier. Undeterred, Tatsuo rushed into the horde with a smile on his face.

And for the next three days, Tatsuo would fight as many wraiths as he could, trying to gain control of his skills without the Dungeon's aid. And although he was able to get to the point where he did not need to call out the name of the skill, he still had yet to have proper control of the skills without the Dungeon's help. Even so, all his class skills went up in rank by the time he reached the 9th Floor Shop.