Infinite Potential System

William wanted to give Mikaela a snarky reply to her "compliment", but the damage to his Sea of Consciousness prevented him from coming up with anything more than a weak smile.

"I'm fine, thanks. It's just a cold." he replied, his legs shaking slightly from trying to stay standing.

Mikaela looked at William weirdly. He surely appeared to be suffering some sort of affliction, but...

How can a Cultivator get a cold? Much less someone in the Ascension Realm?

She couldn't fathom it, and neither could several nearby students who happened to hear their exchange. If she was at home, Mikaela would have at least tried to evaluate William's condition, but she didn't find their relationship to be that close.

To so much as enter within five meters of the pervert was pushing it.

Her hesitation started to turn into an awkward silence, so she asked, "Are you staying here, then?"

William shook his head, "I plan to go back to the City until school starts; there's no sense in staying here."

And you've had no problems handling the Dungeon alone, so I hardly need to do anything. Shit, I could disappear for a week and you'd get all my followers for me...

Mikaela sighed, "Do what you want, but take your share first. I don't want to keep track of it anymore. Also, don't blame me if you miss out on something good later."

William nodded while Mikaela dropped mostly Quake Dungeon Gems and some Solar Nectar from her Space Ring. He wasn't fully confident that he was given the correct amount due to his absence, but it seemed close enough.

Either way, trying to scan his memories for the exact number would hurt more than it would help, literally. He opened a portal to one of his Specialized Space Rings with difficulty, keeping the portal open for a few extra seconds while the items were put inside one by one.

This wasn't the usual storage device for Quake Dungeon Gems or Solar Nectar, but it was one of the few Space Rings that carried Tier 6 anti-observation Arrays. It also had several anti-theft features, making it most ideal for his current situation.

William couldn't afford to let the others see what he had stored, even if it was a bunch of Quake Dungeon Gems. The more treasure one had on hand, the greater the likelihood they would be robbed.

As expected, several of the new members of the group tried to look into William's Space Ring from a distance, but they snorted and turned away when a fake image of merely a dozen Quake Dungeon Gems showed up on the other side. Only a few noticed the complexity of a Tier 6 Array, but none were able to see through it given the short suspense.

William remembered something.

"Mikaela, don't take anyone to the 19th Floor."

She turned her head, "Why not?"
Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

"It's too dangerous. I sense multiple enemies at the same strength or maybe even higher than the 15th Floor Boss. If I had to guess, they're probably a filter prior to the 20th Floor." William came up with an excuse on the fly, which he was getting better at.

Mikaela wondered how William could detect something a floor above them, but she didn't fully reject his good intentions. "We'll keep an eye out, but I can't say I'll be able to stop everyone from going further."

William nodded, "That's good enough."

As long as they were careful, William didn't think a group of elite students would be stupid enough to push their luck. By now, they should have already acknowledged that they were further in the Dungeon than any student had ever been before.

Given the size of the 18th Floor, William didn't think they'd clear the entire area before the school day anyways. The labyrinthian shifts may have stopped, but that didn't stop it from being considered a maze.

On the way to the 19th Floor, the group would also need to wipe out the Sunny Pebblets with incredible efficiency. If they ran out of Mana at the wrong moment, they'd be surrounded, just like on the earlier floors.

If they did find the stairwell early, the Sun Stone Golem should have respawned and its signature boulder throw should deter anyone from moving forward.

When William left the group through another small portal, he didn't appear directly on the first floor like he'd planned. Instead, the portal's maximum range had been severely reduced, to the point where his exit coordinates told him he was on the 11th floor.

Normally I could make more than the entire distance in one go, but now I can't even make it halfway... William thought to himself as he spent a few more seconds channeling his next portal.

Despite taking almost 15 seconds to create this portal, William still only crossed a gap of seven floors before the portal reached its limit. He was now on the Fourth floor, appearing in front of a small group of Second-Year students that reeled backwards in shock.

Not only this, but the portal was so unstable that William felt a funny sensation from his left arm. When he turned to look, he found his left arm to be fully merged with the particles of the Dungeon wall. With support from his Fitness Talent, William pulled as hard as he could.

"Crrrshk!" an audible ripping sound could be heard as William's arm broke loose from the wall, along with several bricks. The students watched in horror as William's muscles were exposed and blood dripped out, but William's Ascended Recovery Talent concealed the gruesome sight a few seconds later.

"Hey guys, sorry 'bout that." William waved as he made another portal. He disappeared through the portal entrance before anyone could ask questions, exiting at the safe room of the first floor without any issue.

So the range of my Space Magic really has dropped. And using too many Spells in a short period really hurts... William rubbed his palm along his forehead to stave off an oncoming headache.

"Hey! You're William, right? The First-Year who knows about the Bosses? So I was wondering..."

On his way to the exit portal, several students who'd heard about William's information stall approached him and asked for freebies. Their smiles were ingratiating and they seemed to have the money, but William didn't have time for these matters.

"You'll have to find me next time." he replied before stepping out of the Quake Dungeon.

The headache feeling returned despite having not cast any Spells, but this time he attributed it to the distance traveled. He sat down for a few minutes at the exit, then manually walked out of the fortress without the assistance of Spatial Steps.

Having been used to moving around with Spatial Steps, not using the Spell anymore made William feel like he was crawling. Every step was equal to... one step. And that should be a crime in itself.

William gauged how long it would take for him to reach Great Rouge at this rate of movement, and the results were disappointing to say the least. If he limited his portals to one per hour, it would take William almost an entire day to cross the distance.

Welp. I hope nothing tries to attack me on the way. William looked at the evening sky with a hint of worry.

-Famous last words.