Because it was morning, she stopped her experiments, restored the floor, and went to the tavern on the fifth floor.

  “Dungeon Mistress is back!” Someone shouted.

  “Yes, I’m back.” Naomi waved her hand and smiled. “I saw your preparation for a fight with the champion, so I came in to say that the next floor is ready.”

  “Hurray!” Adventurers immediately started celebrating.

  “I see, Mistress, you calmed down.” Paoli approaches her.

  “Hard work helps.” Naomi shrugs. “Why are you not preparing with them?”

  “I got what I wanted, and now I’m grounded for next year.” She caressed her belly.

  Naomi's eyes widened.

  “Congratulations! But I bet you will be bored to death.”

  “Only a little. I will work as a support and guide for the next two or three months.”

  “I guess. Still, take care of yourself.”

  “Of course I will.”

  When Naomi appeared in the oasis, only a few people were present, busy with daily tasks. Most people were already on the fifth floor. The first floors were used to get easy money or a handful of mana stones. Now, only low levels or newcomers will be using the first floors.

  Naomi approached her stall with a guest scroll. Even though no caravan left the oasis, a few people had already written her name on it. For example: Paoli adventurer. The desert is my home, and now I have the dungeon. I don’t go anywhere. Or this one note: Crall adventurer from the north. I strangled the golem rat, you beat that.

  “Oh well. Not exactly how it was planned, but I like it anyway.” Naomi smiled.

  The next stop was the obelisk. Naomi looked at the name of the fallen adventurer, sighed, and whispered, “I’m sorry.” After a short moment, she went to the Adventurers Guild.

  “Good morning, Dungeon Mistress.” Maxwe greatest her.

  “Good morning.” She answered. “I don’t see Guild Master. I guess he is busy?”

  “It looks like. I think he should be here any moment, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “I just came to inform you that the sixth floor is ready.”

  “I will tell everyone immediately, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “Adventurers already know. I told them, only guild left.”

  “Thank you for your help, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “No problem. Have a nice day.”

  “You too, Dungeon Mistress.” Maxve bowed.

  Naomi decided to spend the day resting. And what is a better way to start the free day than to wander through the orchard? So she took off her boots and vanished between trees. At some point in her wanderings, she stumbled on someone. It was Selphie. She was engrossed in reading something and taking notes.

  “Hello.” Naomi interrupted her.

  “What? Dungeon Mistress! I’m sorry for not seeing you!” The elven sorceress tries to stand and bow.

  “No bowing, kneeling, and rest of that shit.” Naomi stopped her. “Status is something that has to be earned, not something that is given.”

  “With all respect, Dungeon Mistress, but you earned it too. So many gods are watching you.”

  “Ha, ha, ha.” Naomi laughed, embarrassed. “Anyway, what were you reading? You were so engrossed that you forgot about the whole world.”

  “It’s a basic scroll about magic and the material world and how they interact.”

  “Interesting. Can I see it?”

  “Of course.” Selphie immediately handled the scroll.

  “Oh my.” Naomi smiled seeing a lot of basic physics equations. “Do you know if these formulas were invented by scholars or mages, or given by dungeon masters?”

  “When I started learning about magic, I was told we already had most of the knowledge. Dungeon masters refine it and show us how to write those formulas, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “Glad to hear that. So which part was so hard for you?”

  “It wasn’t knowledge itself, Mistress. It was the author's description of how his experiment failed. He tries to compare how mana affects thrown objects. According to equations, with more mana, range and speed should increase. And that is what is happening. But according to his measurements, it isn’t proportional. He concluded that mana is too chaotic. But my experience tells me otherwise.”

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

  “Found it.” Naomi immediately read the mentioned paragraph. “I see. The author tries his best, but unfortunately, he didn’t prepare the right tools and materials for the experiment.” Naomi returned the scroll.

  “So equations are right?”

  “I don’t know.” Naomi laughed. “I haven’t checked it yet. But my magic is different, so there could be differences. I have an idea. You will tell me about normal magic, and in exchange, I will tell you how to prepare this experiment.”

  “Normal magic?”

  “Yes. I will never see or experience the everyday life of people outside the dungeon. Because of that, I love stories about your life. So how does someone become a mage or sorceress?”

  “Well. The first signs can be observed from early childhood. Children can sometimes see mana particles, and sometimes even play with them. They are often called loved, or touched by magic.”

  “It isn’t dangerous?”

  “Mostly annoying for adults. Kids lack understanding of processes or objects, so they only interact with pure mana. Children who have some knowledge of fire are usually old enough to know not to play with it. Also, until your sixteenth birthday, when your path is revealed to you, your access to mana is erratic. The chances of properly casting any spell are minuscule. After your path is confirmed, the priest will teach you the basics of magic. If you are from a noble family, you can become a student of a real mage.”

  “Like always, money talks.” Naomi sighted.

  “Unfortunatly. For people like me to follow the path of magic, we need a lot of money. There is a fee for entering libraries and renting a scroll. Buying a scroll, especially with advanced knowledge, is costly. Some of us need specialized tools and materials.”

  “That's why you become an adventurer. You can train your skills, and earn extra money for it.”

  “Yes, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “Don’t worry. I bet you will reunite with your friends.”

  “Thank you.”

  “What about affinities? I saw and heard about ice mages, fire mages, and so on.”

  “It’s a sort of misconception or oversimplification. Any mage can use any magic. However, sometimes we have this instinctual understanding of water, earth, or another element. That gives us the opportunity for specialization, which could be potent. However, if we neglect to learn one or two additional elements, we will soon find a challenge we can’t overcome.”

  “Right. I have one last question. I stumbled recently on a problem. I think it involves magic, I’m not sure. You see. I built a golem and ordered him to cut a wooden plank. When I watch him, there is no problem. But if I go away, it turns uneven or rough. I think the act of observing makes a difference. Do you hear something similar?”

  “Yes, Dungeon Mistress. I asked something similar to my teacher. I noticed my parents watched, listened, and even smelled to know what was happening while working. When they got distracted, often something failed. My teacher explained to me that all people, in essence, are mages. Everything around us is soaked in mana. And mana is sensitive to our will.”

  “And when we observe the process, we concentrate on how it should go. That tells mana to act. Without our input, mana will act randomly and the result won’t be as desired.”

  “Yes, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “Good. Now it’s my turn. You will need a few things before you repeat this experiment. I will start with the easiest one. First is an exact unit of measurement.

  “I have a ruler with metric units.” Selphie showed a short ruler.

  “Good. But you will need more than that. Maybe rope with precise marks every one meter?”

  “Understood.”

  “The second thing you need is projectiles. They need to be similar, both in shape and material.”

  “That's impossible.” Selphie groaned. “I’m sorry, Dungeon Mistress!” She immediately added.

  “No problem. It could be difficult but not impossible. Remember we are in a dungeon, and the impossible happens constantly here.” Naomi smiled. “Next thing is a way to measure mana.”

  “With respect, Dungeon Mistress. You can’t measure mana.” Selphie protested.

  “Yes and no. There are no units of weight or volume of mana. When the spell is cast, we use the exact amount of mana needed, but we don’t know how much. However, mana stones always contain a finite quantity of mana.”

  “Dear gods. You are right, Dungeon Mistress.” Selphie exhaled, realizing a simple truth.

  “Remember that you need to know the weight and dimensions of the chosen mana stone. We don’t know what determines how much mana can be stored.”

  “Understood.” The Elven sorceress hastily started to make notes.

  “The last thing is time. That will be challenging. You need an accurate clock.”

  “I will need years or decades to save enough money to order such a mana clock.” Selphie deflated.

  “Not necessary. We have a skillful Grand Forge Master. And the secret lies in the golem’s heart. Sorry. Dungeon rules. It seems I can’t tell you directly what you need.” Naomi sighted.

  “It’s still a lot. Talking with you, Dungeon Mistress was like talking with a grand master, maybe even an archmage!”

  “I’m not archmage for sure. Even calling me a grand master is an exaggeration.” Naomi laugh.

  Meanwhile, an adventurer's expedition descended to the sixth floor. Four teams of five people will lead the search. They will be supported by almost thirty less experienced adventurers, a few scholars, and two assistants of the Grand Forge Master.

  “It’s looking like mine.” Someone said.

  “It’s more like the dwarven city.” Jilax shakes his head. “You can hear smiths working, and smell melted metal.”

  Other dwarves present agree with him.

  “And tracks?” Iason asked.

  “They are convenient. And this room looks like a warehouse.” One of the assistants shrugs.

  “Next to the wall is a pile of things to take, and in this crate are shovels.” One of the supporting adventurers shouts.

  “Looks like Dungeon Mistress is seriously thinking about town,” Nurmela said.

  “She will need much more than a few shovels.” One of the Grand Forge assistants said.

  “Who knows what we will find in the tunnels?” Nurmela answered.

  “We have four teams. I propose to go to the tunnels on both ends. The maze most likely connects in the middle.” Nurmela said to the other leaders, and they agreed.

  “How do we decide who goes where?” Jilax asked.

  “Usual.” She pulled out a playing die.

  “Counting from the left?” Crall, leader of adventurers from the north, asked.

  “Fine by me.” Nurmela shrugs.

  The outcome of the rolls was like that. Crall got first, and second was for Nurmela. The third tunnel was left to be explored by Achille and his team. Jilax will be responsible for the fourth.

  Supporting adventurers split into four groups and followed.