Thane had experimented with using the storage of his TV. He was able to withdraw and store items at his control. But it required some focus and concentrated thought for it to come out.
He glanced at the glowing menu, where a neat scroll unfurled with a triumphant ding.
[Celestial TV Storage Rules]
Capacity Upgrade Clause – The TV storage expands every 5 levels of the Host.
Size Matters, Unfortunately – Item file size depends on the object's mass, magical essence, and stubbornness. A pebble = 1 KB. A Lich Lord's heart = 500 MB. A five-meter radius boulder- 300 MB.
Five Meter Range – Thane can only store items within a clear view of five meters. Anything hidden underground, behind a rock, or covered in magic cannot be stored. Anything submerged in water or any liquid, including magma, can be retrieved.
Multimedia Bonus – The TV Storage can hold not only items, but pictures, clips, and videos, provided the Host uses the built-in TV Camera.
Thou Shalt Not Steal – The Storage refuses to accept anything that "belongs" to another person. If it's in someone's hand, pocket, soul, or grandma's purse, it's a no.
Colossal Entities – Thane's momma cannot be stored in the TV, as she is classified under "Colossal Entities."
"THE FRAGMENT?!" Thane cursed as he read the last line.
"That Euriel angel has some issues!" Thane shook his head.
He thought for a bit, and a small white orb that looked like a webcam appeared.
[TV Camera activated]
[Cameras deployed: 1/5]
[Note: Only Thane can see this camera.]
Thane could then see a small window that shows the view of the camera.
"Nice! I could do screenshots with this thing! Maaaaan, where was this back when I was young? I could have taken mental pictures of all those books instead of photocopying them from my classmates!" Thane recalled his poor life before.
The webcam disappeared as Thane canceled the setting.
The spear appeared on his hand, and Thane held it.
He continued to test, retrieving all the items in his storage, and soon discovered that it was easier if he named and 'marked' an item.
The spear appeared in his hand, and Thane gave it an experimental twirl.
"Alright, so marking items really works. Let's test this."
He pulled open the [Favorite Items] in his [Storage] tab.
[Favorite Items]
Spear – "Pointy Justice"
Club – "Bonky Stick"
Dagger 1 – "Stabby Boi"
Dagger 2 – "Stabby Boi Jr."
Dagger 3 – "Stabby McGee"
Thane grinned. "Perfect. Easy names. I'll never forget them."
He tested it, and with the thought of Stabby Boi, the item quickly appeared in his hands.
"Good! This should work!
Finally, Thane pressed onward down the cave.
The deeper Thane traveled, the more alien the subterranean world became.
With his sight, he could see in the dark as if it were daytime.
"No wonder Goblins are born from this. Because of the magic, the ground is alive. I'm guessing dungeons like in those fantasy stories are common here if it's like this."
Pale threads of mana ran through stone walls like glowing veins, and his ambrosia-gifted sight let him trace their flow. Strange fungi pulsed softly, and odd minerals hummed beneath his boots.
It was then that his eyes caught something curious near the corner of a jagged rock.
A mushroom cap, faintly glowing, tilted toward him like it was watching. Its stalk seemed to twitch with every drip of water from the ceiling.
Thane crouched low.
"Oh no. Don't tell me the mushrooms are alive. If this thing starts singing, telling me to eat it like an Alice in Wonderland Disney episode, I'm out."
Still, curiosity won.
Thane could clearly see mana coursing in it.
He reached forward, tapped the Celestial TV overlay, and a glow shimmered as the mushroom dissolved into digital fragments.
[New Item Acquired: Unidentified Magical Shroom]
You lack the knowledge to identify this item.
Thane blinked.
"A shroom... that I can't identify? Hmm... Maybe I should watch more shows?" Thane entertained the thought, but shook his head.
"No! I gotta remember that I'm still in a dangerous place!"
Thane willed it, and the TV stored the shroom as Thane was afraid to touch it.
Thane continued, and from then on, Thane grew bolder.
Every glowing fungus, glittering rock, or humming moss patch caught his eye, and each one got the same TV-overlay treatment. Finally, Thane had a small set of items acquired.
[Newly Acquired Items]
Unidentified Magical Shroom (x1) – Oddly luminous mushroom, faintly pulsing with mana. (File Size: 3 MB)
Unidentified Mana Moss (x1) – Feels alive. Possibly useful, definitely itchy. (File Size: 5 MB)
Unidentified Sparkstone Shard (x1) – Flickers faintly like a dying ember, but somehow hums with energy. (File Size: 7 MB)
Unidentified Mana Vine (x1) – Plant matter that won't stop wriggling. This could be a worm, though, idk. (File Size: 4 MB)
Unidentified Golden Puffcap (x1) – Glitters faintly as though dipped in sunlight. (File Size: 8 MB)
Unidentified Ember Ore (x1) – Warm to the touch. Tiny rock, suspiciously heavy with magic. (File Size: 52 MB)
[Storage Summary Update]
Total Used: 367 MB
Remaining Space: 1.633 GB
"Hmmm... That Ember ore... It has quite a large amount of magic. I hope all of these are useful." Thane thought and continued onwards.
He continued deeper, the cave narrowing until his shoulders brushed the damp stone. Just as he adjusted to the eerie silence, faint flickers of light broke the darkness ahead.
Thane froze.
Small flames bobbed through the tunnel.
"Torches!"
Thane stopped moving, recalling the lesson about Goblins and Groundlings.
As expected, a squad of Groundlings appeared. Their shadows stretched menacingly across the cave walls, grotesque and sharp.
"Fantastic," Thane whispered, crouching low and summoning "Pointy Justice" back into his hand.
"They discovered fire! What's next? Taxes?" Thane complained.
Thane began to slowly step back, being careful not to alert the Groundling.
But as he did, a strange pulse of magic moved through the ground.
Almost instantly, all the Groundlings in Thane's view turned to him, even though he was still deep in the dark!
"What the fragment?! What was that?!" Thane was confused.
"GREEEEE!" One Groundling ordered as all the Groundlings began to charge at him!
"Stabbby Boi!" Thane commanded as it appeared on his other hand.
The dagger appeared.
"I should have watched Bullseye Basics!" Thane sighed.
With a fluid stance, Thane stood up with the dagger, holding it as if he would hold a dart.
"This time... I will fight you all and defeat you all without getting hit!" Thane vowed.