When he closed his status window, Alex felt momentarily adrift. He had spent two weeks in a deep trance, a blur of alchemy from dawn until dusk. His first interaction with another living soul in all that time had been with an ancient, immensely powerful being, and it had ended with a blessing of staggering power and a long, surprisingly pleasant conversation.
Now, however, it was time to return to the grind. It would be deeply embarrassing to
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