Langa was surprised when Roah did not immediately enter the working district when they reached it, turning instead towards a short set of stairs on the side. His confusion must have shown, because she decided to explain.

  “We can’t just enter the working district. We need the dwarven foreman’s approval,” Roah said as they descended the stairs.

  “Why?” Langa asked curiously.

  She snorted. “Because Players are pieces of shit who’d pretend to be honest workers while attempting to steal ore from the mines,” she said. “That’s why there are so many high-level guards around here.”

  It was true. Most of the guards in this district were level 15 to 20. The foreman was a muscular, grey-haired dwarf named Carver Dawnbrook. He eyed Langa warily, but seemed to trust Roah since he listened to her explanation.

  “Come on, let’s check Coalhaven,” the foreman beckoned, leading the way down a set of stairs that led deeper into the earth.

  The air was warmer, and Langa could feel the heat radiating through the stone walls as they descended about 500 metres below the surface.

  They arrived at the mining area, where the sound of pickaxes striking stone echoed through the tunnels. Langa watched in awe as dwarves expertly manoeuvred through the smaller tunnels. Mine cart tracks crisscrossed the area, and he marvelled at the ingenuity of the dwarven technology as he saw carts filled with shiny materials being transported away.

  “Using geothermal heat, they’ve built forges down here,” Roah explained, seeing his curiosity. “The temperature is significantly higher, which allows them to smelt and create weapons and tools.”

  Langa felt the heat intensify as they approached the forging area, which contained massive furnaces, and dwarven smiths worked diligently at their anvils, shaping glowing metals into weapons and tools.

  “Behold the heart of our industry,” Foreman Carver said proudly as he pointed to a group of smiths who were passing a sword to an enchanter.

  Langa stepped closer. “How do you manage to keep the smoke and heat from filling the entire city?” he asked.

  Carver smiled. “We have multiple shafts that connect to the surface. Smoke escapes through reinforced grates into the nothingness above. The heat is an unavoidable part of our work, but we’ve learned to manage it well.”

  After passing through the forging area, the foreman led Langa to a balcony overlooking the mining tunnels. Below them, the dwarven miners hauled carts filled with metals and gemstones.

  “From this depth, we have access to some of the richest veins of ore in the land,” he explained. “We started with coal, but it’s everything now.”

  “It’s that way,” Langa said, following the map Rezaah gave him, and the foreman followed his directions to an area of blocked-off tunnels.

  “This is it,” Carver said, pointing to the tunnel.

  Langa sensed some breaths of life below them with his Avatar title. “Is this the deepest place?” he asked.

  “It should be. This area was blocked off years ago because there was a massive cave in,” the foreman said. “And lots of dwarves died.”

  “Well, it’s not. I’m sensing corrupted creatures down here,” Langa said.

  “Because of the mana density of the cave in, the surveyors and everyone who came to assess the damage said the dungeon was also destroyed. If it’s still there, then a dungeon eruption down here would devastate our mines!” Carver said, alarmed. “I’ll have to send for a team of guards right away.”

  “No, I’ll go,” Langa said. “I can take care of it quickly, I promise.” This was the only level 12 dungeon that allowed someone at level 15 to clear it after all.

  “Yeah. There’s no point in putting your people in danger when he can do it. That’s what Players are for, after all,” Roah said.

  “True,” the dwarf said. He perked up immediately.

  “So can I clear it?” Langa asked.

  “Sure, but not now. Come back later, once the shift is done,” the foreman said. “Don’t want to disturb the workers, yeah?”

  “Okay,” Langa agreed. He still needed to find a partner who hadn’t cleared the 2nd Floor yet.

  “Come on, let me show you our Cult’s home,” Roah said, leading him through another archway. “You can rest before you attempt the dungeon.”

  *

  They entered a corridor lined with beautifully made doors, each representing a different clan. Dwarves chatted and laughed in the corridors, children played with simple wooden toys, and the sound of cooking wafted through the air.

  Roah’s home was, unsurprisingly, a lab. They entered a workshop with Roah’s crest: a hammer with sparks coming from it. It smelt of acid, burning wood, and metal. On the other side of the room were beakers, massive test tubes, and massive round glasses glued to the room’s ceiling. A few people were working in there, all members of the Cult of Tarquinius. That side smelt of herbs and the faint sweetness of concoctions brewing in the background.

  Roah had cleared a space for them to sit, and from behind a pile of metal casings emerged Ormeth, the dwarf from Aquila and Aramaga’s team. They had met and worked together on the 1st Floor a few times.

  “Great to see ye!” Ormeth said, grinning and slapping Langa on the back hard enough to make him stumble.

  “Hey, long time.”

  Roah put on a leather apron covered in scorch marks and covered her hands in oversized gloves.

  “How do I meet the War Chief?” Langa asked. He had to close the rift on the 2nd Floor and get one of the War Chiefs to sign his lucent tile.

  “There are a bunch of quests you can do to improve your renown in Coalfall,” she said. “Then you can meet him.”

  Langa had high Tower renown and 1st Floor renown, but raising his renown on the 2nd Floor would take too long. “Can’t you just introduce me?” he asked.

  Roah shook her head. “Sorry. I’m not that high up.”

  “What about Captain Rargar? If he raises his renown with a guardsman, maybe he’ll meet the Chief,” suggested Ormeth.

  “Sure, you can try that,” Roah said. “He’ll be here to collect the brew soon.”

  “What is this place?” Langa asked. “You said you’re an Artificer, so you make weapons?”

  “Not exactly. I mean, I do in my spare time, but here we make blastpowder for the War Chief.”

  “Blast powder?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Those exploding orbs I’ve seen you using in your videos all use this stuff in some shape.” Roah nodded. “Ormeth, show him around while I fix the formula before Rargar gets here,” she said.

  “Aye. Over there’s the storage vault,” Ormeth said, pointing to a reinforced door covered in glowing runes. “Blastpowder and other materials are kept separate to avoid… accidents.”

  “Wait,” Langa said, heart filling with anticipation. “You make bombs here?”

  ”Just the powder! Officially,” Roah called.

  Langa eagerly followed Ormeth around. This looked like a good place to improve his bombs, after all.

  “This is the mixing chamber,” Ormeth said, stopping in front of a rune-inscribed steel sphere mounted on a heavy pedestal.

  Roah was on the side where they brewed potions, but she still spoke over everyone and the machines. “We use it to blend the ingredients for Blastpowder. See the stabilising runes? Those keep it from exploding while we’re mixing.” She mimicked an explosion with her hands and laughed.

  Langa nodded, wide-eyed. “So… what exactly goes into this Blastpowder?”

  Ormeth scratched his beard. “A mix o’ simbrecoal, sulphur, and shroom ash.”

  There was a furnace whose coal was glowing faintly red. There were bags covered in a yellow powder that smelt awful, and he recognised it. “Is that sulphur?” he asked.

  “Yup. We crush and purify it ourselves. Smells awful, but it’s what makes the Blastpowder reactive.”

  There was also a white powder with a pungent smell.

  “That’s shroom ash! Comes from special mushrooms we grow down here. We burn the mushrooms, then refine the ash to get rid of impurities. Without this, the Blastpowder wouldn’t explode right!” Ormeth explained.

  “You activate the mixing runes here,” Roah said, pointing to a glowing panel on the side. “The chamber keeps things stable while blending the powders evenly.”

  The fuse was a spool of thick, glowing threads. “This here’s a fire rune fuse. It burns at a steady pace once lit, but it’s not perfect. Sometimes it fizzles out in damp conditions or burns too fast if the runes are uneven. We mainly use enchanted papyrium cloth from the 3rd Floor. It’s really good at retaining heat without causing excess damage, but now it’s too expensive, so I’ve been trying to find new ways to improve the blastpowder,” she said.

  “Why don’t you just use Lucent Patches?” Langa asked again

  “You need at least an Advanced Enchanter to enchant things that are direct lucents,” she said.

  Langa felt like he could probably help them out by closing the rift between the 2nd and 3rd Floors, but that wasn’t why he was here. He didn’t have time to help them, although Tarquinius had probably led them to him because he was hoping Langa would help them, maybe once he was done with his own shit. Still, if Roah could help him make his enchanted explosives better, he was interested.

  For some reason, Roah was now assisting in his tour, excitedly explaining things to him instead of working. They were making some cool things here, and it made him wonder why she was only level 15. Even if she no longer gained Experience in the first five Floors, it wasn’t impossible for a Batch 3 Player to be level 18 or 19.

  Roah dragged Langa toward a hulking piece of machinery in the corner. It was metal, all gears, levers, and a glowing lucent crystal embedded in its side.

  “This,” Roah said proudly, her hair bouncing as she pointed to the machine, “is the Compression Forge. It’s how we pack Blastpowder into casings without blowing ourselves to bits! Brilliant, isn’t it?”

  Langa eyed the large device with interest. “It looks dangerous.”

  “Oh, it is!” Roah grinned and shoved a thick leather apron into his hands. “C’mon, I’ll show you how it works.”

  Before Langa could protest, she yanked a lever on the side of the machine. The crystal embedded in its casing flared to life, gears sounded, and the machine rumbled as the enormous press at its centre began to move.

  “See how easy it is to operate? You just feed the casing in here, infuse a little mana into the crystal to adjust the pressure, and-”

  A deafening bang rang out as the press slammed down unevenly, and the machine’s rumbling grew louder, shaking violently as smoke began to pour out from the sides.

  “Uh-oh,” Roah muttered, her cheerful demeanour evaporating. “Ormeth! Turn it off! TURN IT OFF!”

  She stumbled back, coughing, as the machine continued rumbling. Langa’s hands shot toward the glowing crystal. He infused his mana into it. The crystal flashed white, then dimmed, and the machine sputtered to a halt.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  He turned to face Roah. “Why didn’t you just shut it off? You were right there.”

  Roah froze, her previous energy drained from her expression. She glanced down, straightening the hem of her dirty apron. “I… I can’t,” she said softly.

  “What do you mean, you can’t?” Langa asked. “It’s a simple mana infusion. Anyone can do that.” He didn’t have a manacore and could still do it.

  “I can’t!” she snapped, her voice breaking. She hugged her arms tightly around herself, looking away. When she finally spoke, it was quieter this time. “If I use mana, it starts eating me from the inside.”

  Langa blinked in confusion. “Eating you?” Then he realised. “You have Mavalisticus.”

  It was something he’d learned after Merreddyd had told him that was one of the things deities couldn’t, wouldn’t rather, fix. A disease where corrupted mavale lucents lived in a person’s body.

  She nodded, her fiery demeanour deflating. “Degenerative. My body can’t handle mana. Thanks to The Artmaker, it turns on me like a rabid beast. First, it burns my veins, then my insides. Eventually…” She trailed off. “That’s why I’m stuck here on this Floor. I don’t fight. I can’t heal and I can’t enchant. But I can create, and I can use guns. Machines and explosives don’t need me to channel mana to do their job.”

  Langa stood stunned for a second. Was that why she carried a regular rifle, not a mana-infused one?

  “Excuse me, I have work to do,” she said, walking away towards the potions. The workshop was silent, save for the rumble of the now-cooled machine.

  Behind the machine, Langa noticed what at first he thought to be a massive collection of black rocks stacked together in an odd four-legged shape. Looking closer, however, looking closer, he saw that it looked like a large tiger made of rocks. Its eyes were earth-lucent stones. He stared at it uncomprehendingly before shrugging and leaving it alone. He’d ask Roah once she calmed down.

  “So, can I partner with you for the dungeon?” Ormeth asked. “I haven’t done the 2nd Floor Main Quest yet and I’m sure the dungeon you mentioned will have the simbrecoal I need for Roah.”

  “You’re level 11. I appreciate the offer, Ormeth, but I’m a few levels higher than you,” Langa said with a frown. “That aside, I don’t know if you have any useful Skills for me. I’ve only ever seen you healing.”

  “I have an Intermediate Healing-over-time Skill, a Beginner Instant Healing Skill, a Beginner Potioneering Skill and a Beginner Power Strike Skill,” Ormeth said as he leant back. “I understand your concern, but I’m not just a healer. I have earth magic, and I’ve spent years studying potions and remedies. I can provide support, keep you alive, and Roah’s been teaching me a lot of things.”

  “Fine, whatever,” he said. Mainly, it was because it was too much of a hassle to find someone new. “Don’t get in my way. I have to make a call.”

  *

  Langa stepped out of the lab and tried to contact Liv on his comcer so he could find out how far he and Synn had got through the plans they had made. Surprisingly, however, Langa couldn’t reach Liv. He tried sending a message as well, but there was no response.

  He was sure he wasn’t dead or anything because he could see him on the active guild members list, which was now up to 17 members. Liv was probably in a dungeon or something. He also noticed that even though he’d sent him an invitation, Undkese hadn’t officially joined the guild yet. He supposed he was still busy with The Infinite Challenge.

  Langa decided to call Synn to find out where Liv was.

  “Hey, look who’s back,” Synn said, answering him.

  He could tell she was smiling. “Hey, I just got to the 2nd Floor today. You still here?” he said.

  “Nope, I’m on the 3rd Floor.”

  Langa had figured as much. “Oh, too bad. I was hoping to see you, that’s why you’re the first person I called when I got here.”

  “Really?” she asked sceptically. “Not Liv’Kungsadu?”

  “What? No… you’re my number one.”

  He could almost hear her eyes rolling through the comcer. “You called him and couldn’t get through, so you called me, didn’t you?” she asked

  “You got me,” he laughed.

  “Check the Achievements. He and I cleared the 2nd Floor together. We did it really, really fast, and we tackled a lot of dungeons to earn 10 000 Karma. We didn’t eat or sleep well for five days so that he could get the Unique Achievement of being the first person in our Tutorial Batch to enter the 3rd Floor.”

  Wow, it seemed Liv was serious about leaving an impact on the Tower. “Right now, he’s looking for a suitable raid boss so we can do either two 10-person raids or one 20-person raid to level the guild up, so you won’t be able to reach him. I think he’s inside a dungeon,” she said.

  “Oh,” Langa said dumbly. Of course. “Great. I saw on the guild menu that we got a few new recruits. Good work.”

  “Yeah, so how was the Infinite Challenge?” she asked.

  “Honestly, not very Challenging,” Langa said.

  He could almost feel her shaking her head in exasperation. “Well, you were over levelled for it. Did you consume the World Core?”

  Before, Synn hadn’t been able to talk about the specifics of the Challenge with him. It seemed like now that Langa had begun the Infinite Challenge, they could talk about it, since they were both in the know.

  “No, I didn’t,” he said. “Life’s offer didn’t seem right to me. It felt like stealing the world’s life, you know?”

  “Oh, good. So you only consumed half of it?”

  He shook his head. “No, I gave all of it back to the world.”

  She was silent for a second, and a part of him wondered if that had been the wrong decision. He didn’t regret it, though.

  Synn burst out laughing and said, “Wow, I can’t read you. Sometimes you’re really self-centred, other times you’re incredibly selfless. You did the right thing. I greedily consumed the World Core in my first Challenge. It made every subsequent Challenge harder because I had to give up every other World Core, otherwise, my universe would have been unstable and easy prey for other Players. If you have a good base, if you put good people in charge, the next Challenges are gonna be much, much easier for you.”

  “Thanks. I’ll make sure to tag you in once I get to the 50th Floor,” he promised.

  She laughed again. “Oh, how sweet of you, but maybe make that promise once you’re there, okay? Qualify first,” she said. “So, when are you coming up here?”

  “As soon as I’m done with the High Commissioner’s quest and dealing with Fi Kindaro III,” he said. “How’s it been going with finding the Maluta Syndicate? Any news on Khaya’s father?”

  Synn sighed. “I’m trying my best. I searched for Motyan in the hollow, but it’s almost as if he knew I was searching and he wasn’t there. I saved a couple of his subordinates from being captured by Menika Shin, so I’m keeping them with me right now,” she said. “I’ve commandeered a couple of his bases, too.”

  “Maybe he knows you want to strangle him for sending you into The Accari Crows’ clutches,” he said, knowing she could hold a grudge.

  She was thoughtful for a second. “Well, I’m sure he’s on the 2nd Floor. If you see him, get a deal for us so they can find out the information we need.”

  “I’ll do my best. And how’s the 3rd Floor? Do you have any leads on the voidents who wrote that scroll I found on The Accari Crows?” he asked.

  “The only voident gang on this Floor is the Daara, and they are a bit… You know what, this Floor is weird in its treatment of voidents. It’s hard to explain. Just hurry up and get here,” Synn said, sounding exhausted.

  “Okay, I’ll call you later. I have to go clear a dungeon soon,” he said.

  “You just got there. Aren’t you tired?” she asked.

  Langa shrugged. “Is this coming from the same person who was saying you and Liv didn’t eat or sleep for five days, clearing dungeons? I also have to do the same.”

  “Fine, but don’t be reckless,” she said. “I have to go.”

  “Don’t be reckless? Synn, do you know me at all? I can’t change my entire personality like that,” Langa said with a smile. “I’ll see you in about a week or two.”

  Not long after he ended the call, a still downcast Roah came to inform him that they’d received the go-ahead from the dwarven foreman and could take on the dungeon.

  *

  According to the writing on the wall, the mine had long been forsaken by humans, but had now become home to a host of corrupted kobolds.

  Langa and Ormeth found that the only source of light came from the glowing lucent crystals embedded in the walls. Rocks filled the walls, glowing with veins of a pale blue mineral that Ormeth wanted for Roah’s experiments.

  They soon encountered the corrupted small, lizard-like creatures that were armed with enchanted pickaxes. They made annoying, high-pitched screeching sounds as they charged at the two Players. Langa was quick to react as he struck down three kobolds at once with Tonare, getting instant kills.

  Level 11

  Corrupted Kobolds

  610/610

  “Cool.” Ormeth handed him a rolled-up black pill. “I won’t get in your way, and since you like speed so much, I think you’ll like this pill.”

  Langa popped it into his mouth as soon as he scanned it.

  [You have consumed ErXi’s Stumbling Pill

  +1 Agility for 30 seconds

  +30 Stamina for 60 seconds]

  Langa felt an immediate bout of energy ripple through his body as the alchemical pills kicked in.

  “This dungeon run won’t take long. Try to keep up,” he said to the dwarf.

  The inside of the mine was dark, and Langa needed to get out of there as soon as possible because he was starting to feel the walls close in around them with each step they took. The tunnels were narrow but occasionally opened up into caverns where the corrupted kobolds had set up their mining operations. As soon as Langa and Ormeth stepped into a new chamber, the kobolds attacked them with their enchanted pickaxes.

  This dungeon would have been challenging for a normal Player who just entered the 2nd Floor at level 10 or 11. It would have taken hours, maybe even days of exploration and sneaking around, then mining the ore, but for Langa, all he needed was force. He wasn’t hoping for a challenge, and knew he wouldn’t earn much Experience or Karma here, no matter how many kobolds he killed, so he would clear it as fast as possible.

  He hoped the amount of gems and ore he earned here would help beef up the guild’s treasury. He had seen from the guild menu that Synn and Liv had put a lot of the gains from their dungeon delving into the guild. This way, they could make good offers and pay their Players well.

  A new wave of Kobolds began to shuffle out of another chamber, drawn by the sounds of battle, including the dungeon’s mini-boss. One Lucent Patch bomb would incapacitate the entire group, and he’d easily dispatch them. Langa had a better idea.

  “You said you can fight, right? Wanna take a crack at them?” he asked.

  “Can I?” Ormeth asked.

  “Knock yourself out,” he shrugged.

  Ormeth drew on his mana and suddenly started growing in size. Langa had seen him use his Skill before when he’d helped Aquila’s team back on the 1st Floor. One thing he liked about the Tower was that while it was important to maximise your build, even as a healer, you could have a few offensive Skills to defend yourself and allow you to survive on your own.

  He was satisfied as he watched Ormeth strike the ground with his enhanced fists, causing the kobolds to scatter. Then he raised his staff, and red bolts of energy flew from it. One by one, draining the kobolds’ health quickly as they fell to the ground easily, dropping like flies. The remaining kobolds rushed at him, pickaxes glowing. They struck his armour, but there was a sudden burst of energy that sent them flying back, emitting from the armour’s core in the centre.

  Admittedly, Langa was watching him to see if he could recruit him for the guild. Liv had said they needed people they trusted, and Langa didn’t have many of those, as, besides the Guardians, Synn, Liv and Undkese, Aquila’s team were the only people he was close to. He wanted to recruit Aquila because he knew he was Skilled, but he also knew Aquila wouldn’t join up without Ormeth and Aramaga. Ormeth was...decent, Langa wasn’t sure if decent would be good enough for The Rays.

  “Duck, and then finish them off!” Langa called and threw a Lucent Patch bomb at the approaching kobolds. Once the explosion died down, only a few of them remained alive, and Ormeth made quick work of them.

  Langa struck the mini-boss kobold, the force of the blow sending a bolt of lightning coursing through its body, leaving it burning in a second.

  He parried a weak strike from the kobold mini-boss before slicing its head off.

  Ormeth threw alchemical powder at the remaining enemies that corroded their weapons. “But I could use your help to get a few more of these minerals.”

  “Sure. You have cool armour, by the way,” he told him.

  “Thanks,” Ormeth said proudly. “As a healer, I can’t wear heavy armour, but Roah modified my cloth armour with this blasting core of hers. It was a failure in making an artificial reflector for her, but it worked great for me.

  After picking up the loot, they rounded a corner, and the snarls of corrupted kobolds echoed off the walls. A mass of the small but vicious, lizard-like creatures charged out of the shadows, their eyes burning blue. Langa reacted instantly, Tonare impaling one kobold and sending a numbing shock of electricity through another.

  “What’s up with Roah?” Langa asked, comfortably taking the horde out with Legacy of The Tonare Thunderbird’s Spearmanship. “She seemed upset, but if she’s good enough to lead a section of the Cult of Tarquinius, then she must be a decent Player. How did she get Mavalisticus?”

  “Ah,” Ormeth said, picking up ore. “I don’t know the full story, but she’s from the 30th Floor. Apparently, magic is a rare resource up there, and because she had it, she got captured, and a magic terrorist named the Artmaker drained it from her. That’s why she can’t use mana.”

  “That’s awful,” Langa said. He imagined it was painful to watch others squander what she desperately wanted.

  Ormeth spoke again. “Roah’s tougher than she looks, lad. She may not be able to use mana, but she’s the best damn Artificer I’ve ever trained with… well, she’s the only one but….”

  He was interrupted by another attack. Ormeth stayed a bit of a distance behind Langa, picking up the loot and staying out of his way. Langa cut down kobold after kobold, his speed and Agility heightened by the pills Ormeth had given him.

  Ormeth bent down near the kobolds Langa had killed, scraping the substance from the rocks into small vials. The number of kobolds dwindled the further into the mine they went. This was Langa’s first time clearing a dungeon without a specific quest for it, and he was used to receiving all the Experience at the end, so it was strange receiving the Experience as he went, as the fact that the kobolds were dropping loot.

  Even the boss fight was boring for Langa. The final cavern had its walls lined with glittering veins of silver and gold, but at the far end stood the boss kobold, much larger than the others and wearing heavy, rune-carved plate armour. It waved its two axes haphazardly, and dark gems soared out of the walls, headed straight for Langa and Ormeth.

  “Stay back,” Langa said to Ormeth. He twirled his spear. “Maybe I’ll get into a real fight after all.”

  Langa took the defensive stance of his spearmanship and spun Tonare in a wheel, deflecting the gems quickly before charging forward. His movements were faster thanks to Ormeth’s pills, which were starting to feel like a waste. At least the boss kobold’s armour absorbed most of Tonare’s blows.

  The boss kobold slammed its staff on the ground and Langa rolled to the ground, coming up in a crouch before jumping forward with lightning-infused speed. The level 13 Kobold Boss was certainly stronger than the trollimp Psike, but Langa was much stronger than it, and he met the boss head-on, thrusting his spear at its chest. It raised its axe in defence, but it didn’t even have time to use its signature OreBreaker attack with its massive axes before he cut its head off and instantly killed it with Tonare.

  With the boss defeated, Langa knelt by the corpse and looted its body, finding a pouch of rare gems and enchanted metals. Ormeth approached in his enhanced form, causing rumbles as he moved.

  “You’re done already?” he asked, surprised.

  Langa nodded. “Yep, pick up the loot, let’s go.”

  Their total loot was 103 pieces of simbrecoal Ore, some gems and common lucent stones, over 300 Copper Coins. Ormeth’s level had risen to Level 12. For his part, Langa gained pitiful Experience and negligible Karma. He finally understood why Batch 3 Players never reached Tier 2 before the 6th Floor.

  Now that Langa was done with the first part of the 2nd Floor main quest, all he needed to do was earn some Karma. He didn’t want to complain, but damn, the 13% Karma loss from the Visage Contract was eating a lot into his gains and it would take him far longer than most other Players to earn the 10 000 Karma required to clear the Floor.

  He supposed that was just the price of borrowing the power of a god. With great power came great Karma sacrifices.