The following days were a whirlwind of adjustments. Despite initial discomfort, John was exhilarated by his newfound mathematical prowess. He spent countless hours immersed in complex equations, his typically carefree nature replaced by a focused intensity. Robert watched him closely, concerned about any potential negative side effects of the knowledge transfer. Richard and Stacey, while not as deeply engrossed as John, also exhibited significant improvement in their mathematical understanding.
The day after his return, Robert informed his boss of an urgent personal matter that necessitated his immediate resignation. His boss was less than pleased but ultimately understood. Fortunately, Robert had accrued thirty days of vacation time, providing a temporary financial buffer.
Examining the silver coins he''d acquired, he noticed their plain design and strange symbols. Hal explained that the symbols were in the System''s original language and could only be affixed to official System coins. Each coin, weighing one ounce, could be sold for approximately thirty dollars. While not a fortune, a few hundred coins would suffice to cover their basic expenses. If he could obtain a few gold coins, it would alleviate their immediate financial concerns until they could explore the potential of enchanting.
Robert continued his rigorous training regimen, dedicating himself to mastering the intricacies of the spellbook, swordsmanship, and Aikido. He was eager to embark on his second dungeon expedition, armed with newfound knowledge and skills.
Three days later Robert decided to go ahead with the second floor. Talking to his family, they all agreed that it was time.
Robert this time fully equipped with his armor and weapons stepped through the portal into the Dungeon to run the second floor.
"Welcome to Dungeon 7883667HG8776DE985762763FF7-1 currently called The Training Dungeon," the dungeon AI announced.
Robert, recognizing the familiar room, quickly snapped a few photos for his family. He then turned his attention to the System Store.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 88.5417%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Item Name</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">Item Tier</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">Item Rarity</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">Item cost</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">Item Description</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Food Ration</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">1</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">common</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">2 copper</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">
A basic daily food ration.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Water Bottle</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">1</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">common</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">2 copper</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">A small bottle of daily water.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Small Healing Potion</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">1</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">common</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">10 copper</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">Small healing potion that when used will heal for 10 health.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Skill Token Package</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">1</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">common</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">1 gold</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">This package contains 1 basic skill token.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Tier 2 Spell Book of Elemental Fire</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">2</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">uncommon</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">10 gold</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">This book contains 25 random Tier 2 Fire spells.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Tier 2 Spell Book of Elemental Air</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">2</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">uncommon</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">10 gold</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">This book contains 25 random Tier 2 Air spells.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Tier 2 Spell Book of Elemental Water</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">2</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">uncommon</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">10 gold</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">This book contains 25 random Tier 2 Water spells.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Tier 2 Spell Book of Elemental Earth</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">2</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">uncommon</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">10 gold</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">This book contains 25 random Tier 2 Earth spells.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 21.4114%">Uncommon Armor Package</td>
<td style="width: 7.77867%; text-align: center">1</td>
<td style="width: 9.14194%; text-align: center">uncommon</td>
<td style="width: 7.05694%; text-align: center">1 Token</td>
<td style="width: 54.6111%">Includes a Heavy Leather Jerkin, Leather Pauldrons, Leather Bracers, Leather Greaves, and heavy leather boots</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
“Hal, is the System trolling me?” Robert asked, puzzled by the offerings.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 46.3141%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">No, while the System won’t simply hand you everything, it also recognizes your unique circumstances. It’s ensuring you’re prepared without making it too easy</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
“So, these spellbooks could contain incredibly powerful spells, or they could be useless?” Robert questioned.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 41.5064%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">I can’t say for certain. Any spell can be valuable, especially for training your skills. However, the specific spells are random</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
“That ruins my plan to sell coins to support my family,” Robert lamented.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 39.343%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">Selling System coins might not be a sustainable strategy. It’s unlikely that people regularly find large quantities of gold and silver coins</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
“You’re right. I’ll need to focus on enchanting to generate income. I can probably sell a few enchanted items before anyone gets suspicious,” Robert concluded. “Also, healing magic could be a lucrative option. If I can acquire more powerful healing spells, I might be able to offer paid healing services.”Stolen story; please report.
Robert purchased the Armor set and closed the shop interface. Before he entered the hallway outside of the room, he equipped the new armor pieces.
The first room was unusual. Unlike the others, it was bathed in a soft, eerie glow. Peering inside, Robert spotted several amorphous shapes shifting and pulsing.
"Hal, is there a way to identify something?"
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 63.8622%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">You can use the Identify skill to learn about creatures and items. Higher tiers provide more detailed information.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
"Sounds useful." Robert allocated a Skill Point to learn Identify.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 42.6282%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">General Skill Identify Learned, due to feats, skill unlocked at Tier 4 Level 5.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
With his new skill, Robert focused on one of the creatures.
Name: Common Slime
Class: N/A
Race: Slime (Red)
Profession: N/A
Gender: N/A
Stats: Str 1, Dex 1, Con 1, Int 1, Wis 1, Cha 1
Level: 3
Resistances: Physical (100%), Fire (100%)
Health: 25
Mana: N/A
"So, these are slimes with 100% physical and fire resistance. Great, my sword''s useless"
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 99.0385%; text-align: center">That would be a good guess.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
"So five Red Slimes, 100% resistant to fire, so no fire spells. I''m guessing water is the way to go here."
Casting a protective shield, Robert cautiously entered the room. The slimes, slow and sluggish, began to advance. Aiming at the nearest one, he fired a water bullet. The projectile struck the slime, and Robert checked its status.
Name: Common Slime
Class: N/A
Race: Slime (Red)
Profession: N/A
Gender: N/A
Stats: Str 1, Dex 1, Con 1, Int 1, Wis 1, Cha 1
Level: 3
Resistances: Physical (100%), Fire (100%)
Health: 10
Mana: N/A
"Water it is." With swift precision, Robert dispatched the remaining slimes, each succumbing to a pair of well-aimed water bullets.
After defeating the slimes, Robert took a moment to loot the fallen creatures. Each slime yielded a modest reward of 5 copper coins, and to his surprise, the final slime dropped a small, shimmering opal. "A gem! Not sure what it''s worth, but it''s definitely something."
With the room cleared, Robert moved on to the next, eager to see what challenges awaited him. Inside, he encountered another group of slimes, but these were a different color.
Name: Common Slime
Class: N/A
Race: Slime (Blue)
Profession: N/A
Gender: N/A
Stats: Str 1, Dex 1, Con 1, Int 1, Wis 1, Cha 1
Level: 3
Resistances: Physical (100%), Water (100%)
Health: 25
Mana: N/A
"Five more slimes, this time blue. Water won''t cut it, so fire it is."
With practiced efficiency, Robert dispatched the blue slimes, eager to see what awaited him beyond. The next two rooms were familiar territory, populated by brown and whitish-blue slimes, respectively. Earth and air proved effective against these elemental foes. While the loot from these rooms was unremarkable, the fourth held a surprise.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 52.9647%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 17.7225%">Ring of Lesser Stoneskin</td>
<td style="width: 5.45309%">Tier 1</td>
<td style="width: 76.8244%">Simple copper ring that when activated creates a thin layer of stone around the wearer that protects from 15 points of damage. Takes 1 charge per use, contains 10 charges, and can be recharged at a rate of 100 mana per charge.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
"A magic item! My first one. Not bad." Robert slipped the ring onto his finger and moved on to the next room.
"Well, this is interesting. Two groups of eight slimes, two of each color. A bit more challenging, but nothing I can''t handle."
Robert devised a strategy, deciding to target the slimes in the same order as the previous rooms. He began with the red slimes, neutralizing them with water bullets, then moved on to the blue slimes, using fire to their weakness. The earth and air slimes followed suit.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 7.69231%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; text-align: center">Level Up!</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
After looting the fallen slimes, Robert proceeded to the final room. Inside, he found two massive, imposing slimes. Using Identify, he learned more about these formidable foes.
Name: Uncommon Large Slime
Class: N/A
Race: Slime (Red)
Profession: N/A
Gender: N/A
Stats: Str 3, Dex 3, Con 6, Int 3, Wis 3, Cha 3
Level: 3
Resistances: Physical (100%), Fire (100%)
Health: 100
Mana: N/A
Name: Uncommon Large Slime
Class: N/A
Race: Slime (Blue)
Profession: N/A
Gender: N/A
Stats: Str 3, Dex 3, Con 6, Int 3, Wis 3, Cha 3
Level: 3
Resistances: Physical (100%), Water (100%)
Health: 100
Mana: N/A
"Alright, these will be tougher, but we can do this."
As soon as Robert entered, the red slime launched a fiery projectile, catching him off guard. Taking 10 points of fire damage, he quickly learned to keep his distance. Dodging a water bullet from the blue slime, he retaliated with a water bullet of his own, dealing only 7 points of damage.
"This is going to take a while."
With a determined focus, Robert began a relentless barrage of water bullets against the red slime. After several minutes of intense combat, the red slime finally succumbed. Turning his attention to the blue slime, he used fire bullets to finish it off. Exhausted from the battle, Robert checked his stats and realized he had reached 10 points in Stamina, explaining his fatigue.
Looting the fallen slimes, he was surprised to find a silver coin from each. As soon as he claimed the final reward, the slimes vanished, and a chest appeared in their place.
Dungeon run complete. Uncommon chest awarded.
Chest contains:
<ul>
<li>One Book of Blueprints (Enchanting Tier 1)</li>
<li>Twenty-Five silver coins</li>
<li>One Uncommon Shop Token</li>
</ul>
Items added to user inventory.
Thank you for visiting The Training Dungeon!
As soon as the items were claimed, the chest vanished, and a portal materialized in its place.
Casting a healing spell to recover his strength, Robert took a final look around the room before stepping through the portal.