Chapter 395: An Overly Cautious System Spirit

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Daniela pointed at Gemini, then lowered her hand, apparently giving up on finishing the question.

Riven could hardly blame her. He had been the one doing it, and even he hadn’t known exactly what would happen. Hearing her try to explain it made the whole thing sound even stranger.

"This is so fascinating!" Label said, clearly excited. "This is so cool, Riven...! C-Can I analyze her? Please let me...! Maybe we could replicate it with Alchemy..."

Label was already leaning closer, trying to get a better look. Riven opened his mouth to answer, but Gemini spoke before he could. He looked at the spirit, curious about whether it would agree. Label seemed ready to start the moment anyone gave her permission, until...

"I would rather not be analyzed by unfamiliar hands. Please refrain from touching me, or my self-defense mechanism may activate."

"Self-defense... Whoa?!"

Label fell onto her butt as the little spirit, no bigger than a house cat, suddenly glowed red and manifested several floating cannons and laser guns, all pointed at her.

"Hey! What are those for?!" Label raised her hands, staring at the weapons instead of the spirit. She had been excited to get a better look at it, but this was not what she had expected! She tried to move back, only to remember she was already sitting on the floor.

"WARNING, WARNING, WARNING."

"Yeah, I can see that!" Label said. The repeated warning wasn’t helping her figure out what to do. She looked toward Riven, hoping he would say something before the little spirit decided to do more than point its weapons at her. Riven was already looking at Gemini, clearly unimpressed.

"Calm down, Gemini. She’s Label, a friend and ally. If you’re going to act like this with everyone, perhaps I’ll kick you out."

"..."

Gemini quickly withdrew all its weapons and stared at Riven in silence.

Label kept her hands raised for another moment, making sure the weapons were actually gone. Then she lowered them and let out a breath. "You could have just said no!" she complained. Riven glanced at her, then back at Gemini. He wasn’t going to have it threatening people every time they approached.

"Confirmed. Decreasing security for those allied with Master."

"Good. Keep it that way," Riven said. Label got back on her feet, keeping a little more distance from the spirit this time. She still looked interested in it, but apparently, she could wait before asking to analyze it again. For now, Riven was glad nobody had been hurt.

"Okay, we’re done here for now," Riven said with a faint smile. "Kagehisa’s in the last dungeon. Thankfully, that one’s not a fake."

Daniela immediately turned her attention back to him. Between the little spirit and its sudden display of weapons, the conversation had gone in a completely different direction. But there were still people in another dungeon, and she wanted to hear about them. Riven’s smile alone wasn’t enough to tell her how they were doing.

"Right, Kagehisa! What’s happened to him and the ninja? Are they okay?!" Daniela asked, worried.

She waited for his answer, watching his face. Label stopped brushing herself off and looked at him too. Riven could see that Daniela wasn’t asking out of curiosity. She was worried, and he didn’t want to leave her guessing while he tried to explain everything else that had happened.

"They’re fine." Riven nodded. "I was with them the whole time, right up until I fell unconscious. A Spirit Clone went with them. I had placed a strong Spirit Core inside it so it could become more solid. I made the clone by fusing a hundred weak clones together. Hinata’s Summoning Jutsu kept it tied to her, allowing it to move freely."

Daniela looked relieved at the first part, though the explanation about the clone made her pause. Label, meanwhile, seemed to have found something else to be fascinated by. She glanced at Gemini, then focused on Riven again. A hundred clones fused into one, with a Spirit Core inside? That was a lot more interesting than simply hearing that he had sent someone along.

"So that means you can have another body elsewhere?!" Label asked.

"It’s still tiring, but I can use my other minds to control it more smoothly. It requires precise control over both spiritual and psychic energy," Riven explained. "Anyway, Kagehisa has single-handedly taken down the Communication Tower, and now he’s fighting the last remnants of the reactors. The ninjas are doing fine on their own, but we should go help them out a little."

Riven was glad the clone had been able to stay with them, but he would rather be there himself now that he could move again. Having other minds to help didn’t make controlling another body effortless. He still had to pay attention to what he was doing, and keeping that up while talking to everyone here wasn’t exactly relaxing. At least Kagehisa had already dealt with the Communication Tower.

"Right." Daniela nodded. "Let’s go!"

Daniela was ready to leave as soon as he finished explaining. Riven couldn’t blame her for that. Hearing that the others were fine was one thing, but seeing them in person would be better. He looked toward the place where the portal would appear, ready to stop standing around and finally lend them a hand.

Using the Spirit Stigma Riven had given him, Kagehisa opened a portal to the Spirit Dungeon Realm, where Riven and the rest of his group were waiting. They passed through it, teleporting to the dungeon Kagehisa was in.

Riven stepped through with the others, glad they didn’t have to find another way in. The Spirit Stigma made that part convenient, at least. One moment they were in the Spirit Dungeon Realm, and the next they were on the island. Daniela looked around immediately, while Riven turned his attention to the surroundings. He knew what kind of dungeon this was, but arriving in person still gave him a better look.

The dungeon Kagehisa had entered to conquer alongside Riven’s Strongest Spirit Clone was the C-Ranked "Abandoned Tropical Island" Dungeon. It was, well, a large tropical island in the middle of an endless blue sea, with a tropical jungle, a beautiful beach, and three roaming bosses, each occupying its own territory within the jungle.

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