DMS Chapter 193

Flinx continued his journey after discussing the intricacies of casting Galder's Tower with higher-level spell slots through the web-based messenger he and his friends used.

Paul assured him that his request to redesign Galder's Tower would be completed quickly since he had hired a large team of designers to work on it.

Even so, everyone urged Flinx to test his spells using higher-level spell slots, and he could only agree.

Since he didn't want to become overwhelmed by the project, Flinx decided to tackle it one spell at a time.

He chose to begin with what he and the others considered one of the most essential spells: the seventh-level Wizard spell, Plane Shift.

Flinx discovered that preparing the spell in an eighth-level spell slot increased the maximum number of people he could transport by two, raising the limit from eight to ten.

The result was somewhat disappointing.

Preparing it in a ninth-level spell slot increased the limit by another two people. However, the most surprising discovery came when he prepared Plane Shift in a tenth-level spell slot.

Everyone transported by the spell gained Dimensional Hide for three minutes, rendering them effectively invisible to anyone who happened to be at the destination during that time.

Using an eleventh-level spell slot granted everyone affected by the spell Dimensional Shield for two minutes, making them completely immune to both physical and magical damage during its duration.

Preparing Plane Shift in a twelfth-level spell slot granted everyone a thirty-minute Plane Shield against the consciousness of the destination plane. It was essentially the same protection that had shielded Flinx from Earth's consciousness for one hour after he first returned there with magic—a protection that had ultimately prevented him from immediately losing his transmigration gifts.

The thirteenth-level spell slot increased the Plane Shield's duration to one hour. More importantly, the description explicitly stated that its duration stacked with any existing Plane Shield already in effect.

That meant Flinx could now remain on Earth for two hours without losing his transmigration gifts.

He began having second thoughts about sharing his discovery with his friends. If he had known about the thirteenth-level effect before they returned to Earth, they would have had more options regarding their transmigration gifts.

In the end, he decided they deserved to know.

A few minutes after posting the information, the group chat exploded.

As expected, several of his friends scolded him.

Fortunately, Mark eventually brought the discussion under control.

"Nothing has changed," Mark pointed out. "Even if we'd known, most of us still would've chosen to return to Earth because we all had unfinished business there."

Besides, none of them had known they would be attacked by Earth's consciousness the moment they arrived. Everyone, including Flinx, had been caught completely by surprise when they lost their transmigration gifts.

Andrew then pointed out that the real problem was Flinx's failure to thoroughly examine how his spells changed when cast with higher-level spell slots.

"If you'd tested every spell," Andrew said, "you would've discovered Plane Shield much earlier. At the very least, we could've started forming theories about what it was meant to protect us from."

Mark shook his head.

"Even if we had figured that out, we still wouldn't have known what it was protecting us from until we experienced it ourselves."

Unable to argue with either of them, Flinx promised everyone that he would thoroughly test every one of his Wizard and Cleric spells with higher-level spell slots.

Although it was only noon, Flinx left the road and entered the forest. He cast Galder's Log Cabin among the trees, keeping it partially concealed from passing travelers.

He assigned Pip and his Wind Elemental to stand guard before dedicating the rest of the day to testing every Wizard and Cleric spell he knew when cast using higher-level spell slots.

He possessed a tremendous number of spells, and many of them required field testing, so he did not finish until midnight.

Afterward, he compiled all of his findings—including the results of every experiment—and posted them in the group's web messenger.

Flinx felt relieved once he completed the task.

It meant he could finally return to his solitary journey through the wilderness.

His friends thanked him for all his hard work, and Flinx retired for the night.

The following morning, after breakfast, Flinx happily resumed his walk along the road.

Around noon, rain suddenly began to fall.

Thanks to Shape Water, he continued walking without getting wet.

As he strolled beneath the steady rain while protected by his spell, Flinx realized that he genuinely enjoyed walking in rainy weather.

Had he been an ordinary traveler, soaked to the bone by the cold rain, the experience would have been miserable. Instead, he only felt the cool breeze against his skin, making the journey surprisingly refreshing.

By late afternoon, the rain had intensified, so Flinx decided to stop for the day.

He conjured his magical log cabin beside the road, took a hot shower, then settled comfortably into his favorite chair in front of the fireplace and continued reading his current book series.

After sunset, Flinx ordered a lavish meal from the System Shopping Site and enjoyed a hearty dinner.

He then resumed reading until he finished the fourth book of the Spellsong Cycle, The Shadow Sorceress.

Since he still wasn't sleepy, he immediately began reading the final novel in the series, The Shadowsinger.

The next morning, the rain had stopped, and the rising sun greeted him with clear skies.

Flinx happily continued his journey.

He had no idea where the road would eventually lead, but if he were honest, he didn't particularly care.

Even if it ended at the ocean, he would simply continue enjoying the adventure.

The thought made him wonder whether the System Shopping Site sold boats.

Out of curiosity, he searched its catalog.

To his astonishment, it even offered yachts.

The cheapest model cost only around one hundred and twenty thousand dollars.

A quick internet search revealed that used yachts were significantly cheaper, but unfortunately, every item sold by the System Shopping Site was brand new.

Not that Flinx intended to sail across the ocean.

He was simply curious.

Pip soon reported that the number of monsters within the surrounding forest had noticeably increased and that several had wandered close to the road.

That could only mean one thing.

Flinx had entered the true wilderness.

He couldn't help but wonder how far away the nearest kingdom was.

Late that afternoon, Pip suddenly informed him that his familiar had discovered a wild dungeon hidden within the forest.

Using Pip's vision, Flinx saw what appeared to be the entrance to a natural cave.

Curious, he decided to investigate.

When he reached the entrance, Flinx placed his hand against the left side of the opening.

Instantly, information flowed into his mind.

The dungeon had formed only a year earlier and had already grown to twenty floors.

The information also told him that if he destroyed the dungeon core, he and his party would be rewarded with a spell of his choosing.

Flinx frowned thoughtfully.

Who was providing this information?

Was it one of the world's gods or goddesses?

Could it be the world's consciousness itself?

Were dungeons something the world wanted eliminated, rewarding those who destroyed them?

If that were true, then what about the dungeons located inside cities?

Since the mysterious presence asked what spell he desired as a reward, Flinx immediately thought of Plane Shield.

He activated the mana pattern used for Plane Shift and spoke aloud.

"I want Plane Shield."

About a minute later, the unseen presence responded.

If Flinx cleared the dungeon, he would receive an additional hour of Plane Shield, and its duration would stack with any Plane Shield already in effect.