They Wanted a Hero. They Made a Monster: Born at the Bottom
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 5: A Crystal and a Plan
“Why do you have a Mana Crystal this good?”
“How long do you think I’ve been here?”
Evan did not know exactly how much time had passed since he arrived in this world. The dungeon depths had neither day and night nor changing seasons. By his own estimate, however, it had been at least two or three years.
Even if he counted only the time since founding the Mycelial Garden, he had been mining for a long while. The entire rock face belonged to him. Given enough excavation, a few high-quality Mana Crystals were inevitable.
He had not collected them because he understood their value. Pure Amethyst Crystals simply looked prettier, and placing them around his true body allowed them to gather mana while serving as decoration.
“Can you cast other spells more quickly with this?”
“You’re letting me use it? Truly?”
Evan had not known Elara long, but even he could tell that she genuinely loved Mana Crystals, or perhaps everything associated with magic.
“Of course. I want to see more spells. Come to think of it, Elara, what spells do you know?”
Her Status Panel listed [Light Magic LV4], but that only indicated the highest tier of Light Magic she could use. It did not reveal the individual spells she had learned.
Every school of magic contained a multitude of spells across its tiers, and many spells had countless variations. A living-creature Polymorph, for example, might turn its target into a hawk, a dog, a Puffcap, or any number of other forms.
Elara stood still for a moment as she searched her memory. Evan imagined that, in human form, she would be counting them one by one on her fingers.
“Let me think ... Water Serpent, Refracting Water Mirror, Ice Blade, Purify, Healing Light, Revelation, Illumination, Create Water, Energy Ward, Mire ... I think that’s all.”
That was quite a collection.
“Try Mire on this Puffcap.”
Evan summoned a mining Puffcap from the rock wall, where it had been hammering stone with its armored cap, and sent it to the clearing used for Detonation. Another tendril extended beneath a mushroom and tied the A-grade Mana Crystal to Elara’s cap.
“Be careful not to break this one. It’s the last tendril here.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Mana surged from Elara into the crystal. This time, the moment she began casting, ambient mana rushed toward her. The A-grade Mana Crystal above her cap became a tiny vortex, devouring mana from every direction.
No wonder such crystals were used in wands. With that much mana reinforcing a spell, its power was bound to multiply.
“It worked!”
The mining Puffcap sank slightly. The firm ground beneath it had become a pool of mud. It tried to lift one foot, but the mire held it fast.
Mire was normally supposed to slow its target, and even with the A-grade Mana Crystal, the enhancement should have expanded the affected area rather than made the spell restrain a creature completely.
The mining Puffcap was trapped only because its shell was too heavy and its body too weak to lift it free.
“Now try Ice Blade.”
“What? Are you sure? It might...”
“It’s fine. Cast it.”
It was only a Puffcap. If one died inside the Mycelial Garden, it would return to the cycle as fertilizer. The loss would be negligible.
“All right.”
An Ice Blade formed before Elara. This time, even she was startled.
Unlike Mire, the crystal’s effect on Ice Blade was immediately obvious. The spell was normally less than three feet long. The enhanced blade stretched past seven feet, and the bitter cold rolling from it promised a corresponding increase in power.
“Go!”
Ice met chitin with a crisp crack. The blade cut into the shell and passed through three-quarters of its thickness before stopping.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.