Infinite Potential System

Seeing that the Sun Stone Golem had already dropped dead, the new arrivals at the top of the stairwell sighed in regret. They didn't bother trying to steal any of the loot, since William had raised a timely barrier around the Sun Stone Golem's drops that would slow anyone down just enough for an attack to land.

With a System Notification to accompany the Boss' death, several members of the group rushed forward to collect the Solar Nectar. William opened a path for the group, allowing them to enter without risk of being harassed by the others.

The students had no intention of stealing the items. No, they weren't rushing forward out of greed, rather to prevent the liquid from being absorbed into the Dungeon floor, hence becoming wasted.

William was extremely satisfied with the group's performance during the course of the battle, making sure to personally speak with each member and thank them for their help. As part of the Noble Prowess Talent, William already knew how to maintain morale within his group.

As an exception, he gave Yuhe a simple nod of approval due to their previous conversation, in which she clearly explained she didn't want her family to think she was associating with a Commoner. Regardless, he was glad that she had helped out as promised, since it truly was a great turning point for the battle.

William knew personally just how strong the Sun Stone Golem's defenses were. If Yuhe hadn't cast that Light Laser Spell, he would have had to show off much more strength than he was currently comfortable with.

He didn't mind exposing a little more on the higher floors, though. He simply was playing it safe, intentionally avoiding most circumstances that would lead to yet another target painted on his back.

This was a much better idea than taking out the Boss by myself. If anyone notices what's happening here, I can easily shift the attention to Yuhe or Odessa. Then, I can continue looting without worry!

-You really think it's that easy? Look at the Vice Principal and your Professor.

William shrugged, I did my best. That's all that matters. If I'm pursued because of them, I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Just like on the 10th Floor, Bethany and Jonathan Irisa approached William after the fight. They mostly did so because of William's strength, but the other reason was because they didn't have as hefty restrictions as the other large Families. The Irisa Family was very sparse amongst the Slightveil Plane, so networking was of critical importance.

They spoke with William some more about his life in the Mortal Realms, also sharing some of their own stories.

Jonathan talked back and forth with William about his fitness regimen, most questions William could only answer because of his muscle memory from moving with the Fitness Talent and not due to any specific knowledge.

On the other end, Bethany shared stories of her family's history, explaining several more in-depth functions such as diplomacy, internal marriage agreements, and other things that William frankly found quite boring. He listened regardless, though, since Bethany seemed to enjoy it.

Their conversation attracted several other students from William's class, as well as the Second-Year students that had joined later. The Second-Years weren't nearly as awkward as the First-Years, since they had no need to worry about familial issues. William was hardly an acquaintance to them, though they acknowledged his leadership skills.

After a few minutes of small talk, the Second-Years finally got straight to the point.

"So, William, how did you find out all that stuff about the Boss? I mean, it's an ancient creature that I didn't think existed in the Mortal Realms, yet you were able to not only identify it but point out several weaknesses..."

William replied without any hesitation, "I've fought it before, though I never killed it. I simply tested out all of its abilities while playing defensively, and managed to destroy one of its joints purely by chance. A few days later, I went to a library in the City and read up on Magical Beasts that resembled its form, which is where I got most of my information from."

His lie was smooth and without any flaws, and even the students hadn't expected such a flawless response. If anything, they wondered why William hadn't kept the information to himself, since no one would be able to reach the 16th Floor without overwhelming strength or special abilities.

Of course, they knew that this could be all part of William's plan, using those ascending the Quake Dungeon as bait for Magical Beasts, or free guides to map out the floors. Either way, it was a win for William.

The group was mostly exhausted from the fight against the Sun Stone Golem, even though it only lasted a few minutes. The amount of Mana required to block an attack at that level was immense, and only William and Yuhe could handle such a task without breaking a sweat.

Odessa looked relatively okay, but she had spread her Ice Magic over a large range and also gave it loads of defensive power. Based on William's assessments, Odessa probably had about as much Mana as Yuhe, but she had spent nearly eighty times as much in that fight as Yuhe had.

With the Boss down and no need to continue climbing the Dungeon for the time being, everyone rested for almost eight hours before returning to work. During the rest period, several members of the group noticed that their individual ability had grown stronger and more refined, making them wonder where and when such a change had happened.

Most assumed that the life-or-death battle had spurred their growth, but only the System knew that it was actually William's Teaching sub-Talent in effect. Every time William gave a suggestion to one of his classmates, they actually improved in real-time and would almost never make the same mistakes again.

Compared to the rest of the Filem Academy, over half of the First-Years were now strong enough to go toe to toe with the Second-Years. In due time, they might even be able to compete with the Third-Years, though that was still far off.

It had to be said that the First-Year students had only spent a few days with William, yet this was the result. If they were to be near him for an entire year, like his friends in the Mortal Realms, who knew how strong they would become?

William spent the majority of the rest period recovering his Mana to almost full, which would probably be emptied when Yuhe next requested assistance. He spent a small portion of Mana on adding one more Greater Mana Point to his Mana Circuits, which gave him enough space in his Mana Reserves to last another four to five hours.

William's strength had increased yet again, but he was left with a dilemma.

Considering the current power of the First-Year students, they most likely wouldn't cross the 25th floor before they were completely useless. The Second and Third-Year students might even be in the same boat, depending on if the Cultivation of the Magical Beasts inside continued rising by a tier with every Floor or every other Floor.

So William now had to figure out how he'd take care of the remaining fifteen Floors...

Do I hire a mercenary or something? Are those a thing around here? William asked the System.

-Only individuals affiliated with the Filem Academy may enter this area. Have you forgotten that?

Oh, right... In that case, are there any students that you think are promising?
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-Why don't you figure that out for yourself? You're fully capable of walking around and looking at people, aren't you?

William sighed, I guess even if I find someone good, they'll probably not listen to me. I guess that leaves me with only one other option...

He looked at his left middle finger gingerly, reaching out with his right hand to softly stroke the gem of the Ring of Primary Laws. It was one of William's new favorite treasures, and he realized that it was a perfect fit for his plan.

As long as William had a large supply of Mana, he could keep refueling the Ring of Primary Laws. In this case, he could simply give it to Yuhe, who already said she possessed the Primary Law of Fire. In her hands, the Ring of Primary Laws would be exceptionally powerful and extremely unlikely to break, allowing William to continue using his Earth Element while Yuhe wreaked havoc everywhere else.

After the break, William managed to convince the other students to check out the 16th Floor, which they did not regret when they saw several Sunny Pebblets running around with a considerable store of Solar Nectar.

Once the students discovered the rare treasured liquid, they had almost become like William, their eyes glistening gold while their storage devices captured the Solar Nectar so smoothly that it was as if they were in a dream.

William couldn't help but smile at this sight. It seemed that his Noble Prowess Talent— or maybe something else— had started to create a small army of Loot Goblins.