Chapter 245: Two Sides Of The Same Coin
They walked in silence, the sun beating down on them from above.
Judging by the angle at which its rays came down, its position in the sky, and the fact that it was still climbing its way overhead, Lukas could tell it was morning.
Melody was the first to break the silence.
"Karrakas," she said, her eyes still fixed ahead, "how is it possible that those three people were in the same dungeon as us? I thought two teams entering the same spatial gate just get sent to separate copies."
This was one of the most basic functions of a dungeon. Several groups can enter and use it at the same time, but they won’t technically be in the same dungeon.
Instead, the dungeon would create several copies of the same thing inside it, sending the groups to an isolated yet identical copy.
So, others shouldn’t have been able to meet them inside their own dungeon.
"That’s correct," Karrakas said, his compass still open in his hand. "Our two teams were supposed to run parallel to each other. You shouldn’t ever see the other group."
"So how did they end up in ours?"
Karrakas thought about it. "It’s rare, but I’ve heard of it happening before. Two dungeon copies inside the same spatial gate can sometimes bleed into each other as the walls between them break down and the two copies merge into one."
"What causes that?" Lukas asked.
"Usually some kind of spatial skill or class," Karrakas answered, shaking his head slowly. "Something that puts enough pressure on the boundary between the two copies that it gives way. But I couldn’t tell you what exactly triggered it here. I’ve never actually seen it happen firsthand."
Melody nodded, her brow creasing. "That man. The one who was glowing. He was B-rank. Maybe he has a spatial ability. Something strong enough to push through the boundary between the copies."
"That would explain it," Karrakas said. "I think a special B-rank spatial class could do it."
"Or it could’ve been the explosion," Lukas offered.
"Could’ve been both," Melody said.
Nobody argued with that.
They fell back into silence after that, the only sounds between them the steady crunch of sand beneath their boots and the whisper of wind moving across the desert.
The heat pressed down without mercy, shimmering off the ground ahead in waves.
A few more minutes passed with nothing but open desert in every direction.
Then Karrakas raised his head, squinting into the distance.
"There," he said.
On the horizon, the ringed city appeared, its walls catching the morning light, rising up from the desert like something that had always been there and always would be.
The city grew larger with every step, its walls rising up from the desert floor until they were close enough to make out the worn stone and the guards moving along the top.
After almost an hour of walking, they finally passed through the gate.
They didn’t stop to look around, moving straight through the familiar streets towards their inn.
Even to those passing them on the street, it was clear that the four of them had just gone through a particularly stressful dungeon.
As they made their way up the stairs inside their inn, Karrakas slowed, letting the others move ahead before speaking.
"I have a few things I need to take care of here," he said. "So when you leave the Second Floor tomorrow, you’ll have to go on without me."
Lukas glanced back, nodding. "Alright."
Karrakas waved a hand. "I’ll catch up with you guys later. When it’s time to prepare for the ball, I’ll come find you at your apartment."
Lukas held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
Karrakas gave them each a nod before heading off down the hall, his door closing behind him a moment later.
The remaining three continued to their room.
Once inside, Akira dropped onto the edge of the bed, exhaling slowly.
She looked up at the two of them with a smile.
"I found something important down there," she said.
"Tell us," Lukas said, pulling up a chair. "What happened? Where were you?"
Melody sat close, her eyes fixed on Akira. "And what was with those people?"
"When the walls closed on me, I ended up in a hidden dungeon connected to the Undercity. Somewhere called the Underneath."
Lukas frowned. "A hidden dungeon inside a dungeon?"
"I didn’t know that was possible," Melody said.
"Neither did I," Akira said. "But it is, and I cleared it."
Melody’s eyes widened. "You cleared it alone?"
"Not entirely. But the MVP was mine." A small grin crossed her face before it faded again. "That’s not the part that matters. When the rewards came through, I didn’t just get stats."
She paused for a few seconds.
"I got a new class."
The room went quiet.
Lukas leaned forward. "A new class? From a dungeon reward?"
"I’ve never heard of that happening," Melody said, her voice low.
"I hadn’t either," Akira said. "But it’s a hidden dungeon. Maybe the rules are different."
She looked at both of them in turn. "I’m now a [Tinker] on top of [Necromancer]."
Lukas sat back, staring at her.
Melody simply blinked, lost for words for a long moment before finally managing to speak.
"A [Tinker]," she repeated slowly. "Akira, that means you’re dual-classed."
"Wait a minute," Lukas frowned. "What’s the difference between [Tinker] and [Artificer]?"
"An [Artificer] works with runes. They use them to craft magical [Items], enchant equipment, that sort of thing. Everything they make has a magical element to it." Akira answered.
"And a [Tinker]?"
"A [Tinker] uses blueprints and tools with no magic involved. They build things from raw materials. Mostly mechanical and functional things."
Lukas made a low sound of understanding, sitting back in his chair.
So a [Tinker] was essentially a normal engineer, who built things with their hands, tools, and the knowledge of how things fit together.
While an [Artificer] was the magical counterpart, someone who built with runes, mana, and enchantment.
They were two sides of the same coin.
Melody had been quiet for a moment, then she looked up. "If I went back to that same hidden dungeon, would I be able to get out too?"
Akira shook her head. "Unlikely. The way out required destroying the entire mechanism holding the Underneath together. Your skill set isn’t built for that kind of destruction."
She glanced at Melody plainly. "You don’t have anything with that kind of raw damage output."
Melody nodded slowly in agreement.
Lukas shifted in his seat. "What about your new skills? What did the [Tinker] class come with?"
