Opening a dungeon’s door was a task usually left for the dungeon. Normally, Spok wouldn’t even bother with the matter. It was well established that the only being that could open a door was the dungeon itself, and occasionally some overly determined adventurers. This was supposed to be no different. However, if the last few days were an indication, knocking was always occupied with furious shouting, annoyed grumbling, or sometimes both.

Umm, there’s someone outside, the spirit guide said.

The dungeon didn’t react. Most likely, it had already managed to doze off. This presented the spirit guide with two options: use its newly granted powers to open the door or do nothing and wait until Theo woke up. Not being one for shouts, Spok decided to open the door.

The door swung open, as if caught by a draft. To the spirit guide’s surprise, however, the only thing there was a small wooden box placed neatly on the floor. This was rather unusual. Normally, one would ask about in order to inquire about the sudden delivery. However, since didn’t have the body, the only remaining alternative was to quickly levitate the box inside and close the door.

“What happened?!” Theo stirred, woken by the sudden noise.

You’ve received something… Spok hesitated. Sir.

There was no rule stating that a spirit guide cannot be a butler, although Spok could say with absolute certainty that no one in their right mind had even considered that a valid possibility.

“A something?” Theo asked, moving half of the new furniture within the rooms as he did so. “What something?”

That is what I was trying to determine, sir. The guide moved the box to the first-floor hall, placing it on the table. The object seemed fairly common. The craftsmanship was great, though it wasn’t terrible either. One side was revealed to have a stamp of some sort—potentially a cat in front of a full moon, if one used a bit of imagination. A rather ornate latch on one side kept the lid closed.

“You really went all out with the changes, by the way,” Theo said. “Nice. I like it.”

Thank you, sir. Spok was relieved. Do you want me to open the box?

“Oh, sure. You’re responsible for all the mail, right?”

The guide levitated the latch aside, then opened the lid. A single scroll with a blue seal lay inside atop a cushion of black velvet.

“What does it say?” Theo asked as the spirit guide unrolled the scroll in the air.

Just a lot of pomp and snobbishness, sir. In short, the Feline Mage Tower has given you a class S special mage permit, along with their deepest thanks for your generous contribution.

“Class S special permit?” Two of the seats in the guest room tilted, indicating the dungeon’s surprise.

Permits have their own classification, Spok explained. Actually, it’s a commonly used classification that is widely used by various organizations in the world. To put it briefly, C is considered the lowest grade.

“C as in Common?” Theo asked.

No… C as in the third letter of the alphabet. Although, it could be said that C could stand for common. B class permits provide additional benefits, such as defense magic capabilities, A grants you the use of combat spells, as long you don’t overuse them. And S—or Special—class allows you to use pretty much any type of magic. In this case you have been granted a special mage permit, which means that the permit applies not only to the building, but to all items in it, and to you as well.

“What’s the difference?”

In your case, none. However, if you were an actual wizard living here, you wouldn’t have to apply for a personal license or register any magic items in your possession.

“Oooh, I see.”

That was actually quite a good deal. While Theo was fully aware that he would never use the full benefits of his license, by the looks of it, he had gotten a V.I.P. package of some sort.

“How much money did you send them to get this?”

Not that much. I just cleared all the coins that were left.

“Hmm. Are you sure it isn’t a scam? That didn’t seem like a lot.”

It’s possible that they simply are a new mage tower. I didn’t look into it. I just sent the request to the most powerful tower I could sense in the area. Do you want me to frame the permit and hang it in your study?

“Oh, definitely!”

In his previous life, Theo had an entire wall of framed diplomas, online courses he had finished, even a photo of him and one of the company’s vice presidents. There was no way he’d break the habit now, especially after he’d gotten such a fancy permit.

A perfect steel frame appeared around the permit, encapsulating it between two thin shards of crystal. Spok was about to levitate the item to the third floor when the entrance door suddenly opened. This time, it was Theo who had done so.

“It was about time, Cmyk!” Theo said in the way of welcome. “Do you know how long we’ve been waiting? We redecorated all the rooms and got a magic permit before you managed to show up.”

Spok felt like coughing. There was no reason for the spirit guide to be upset that the dungeon had shared credit for something it hadn’t done… and still, Spok felt deeply annoyed.

Cmyk, on the other hand, didn’t care in the least. Calmly, the muscular minion carried in two large square stacks of hay, then went back out and brought in several bags of belongings—mostly clothes, armor, and a few weapons.

Don’t put the hay on the floor, Spok sighed, then diligently levitated it to the attack.

“And the permit?” Theo reminded.

A smirk formed on the minion’s face. With the speed of a cheetah, he grabbed something tucked away in the back of his belt and held it high in the air. The item was a rolled-up piece of parchment, and while it could have passed as quite luxurious by local standards, it couldn’t hold a candle to the magic permit floating in the air less than a foot away.

“Is that it?” Theo asked, disappointed as he unrolled the new parchment. “Why can’t I read this?” the dungeon wondered. “In fact, why can’t I read anything?”

Dungeons don’t have the ability to read, Spok said. Not that it’s a difficult ability, it’s just that there has never been any practical need for them to do so. And since no one likes to waste Core Points… The guide stopped. I shall grant you the ability to read all languages, it said shortly after.

CORNUCOPIA OF SOUNDS AND LETTERS

You have the ability to understand and read all mortal and enchanted languages.