I once more awake to the soft feeling of sheets, surrounded by my own warmth, in the same room as before.
I can''t deny the jubilation from sleeping in a bed, it really is the best feeling ever, upon waking.
Why am I still hear you ask?
Well, the first reason is that yesterday when Kroll said the mana would rise, he wasn''t talking about the dungeon. He wanted me to level up and I managed to kill 13 monsters before the goblins had met their quota. After helping out myself and the goblins alike the unexpected happened, my status showed a long-awaited update. Not much has changed from before except for a couple of upgrades, but the crucial anomaly that has plagued me from the beginning has finally been remedied.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 89.7065%; height: 126px" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 48.4169%">Name: Erin</td>
<td style="width: 48.5488%">Health: 123/123</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 48.4169%">Race: Divine Being</td>
<td style="width: 48.5488%">Mana:46/99</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 48.4169%">Level: 13</td>
<td style="width: 48.5488%">Stamina: 70/70</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 48.4169%">Title: None</td>
<td style="width: 48.5488%">Class: Dark Knight Level 5</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div>
<table style="width: 89.9736%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20.8211%">STR</td>
<td style="width: 21.7009%">101</td>
<td style="width: 23.4605%">WIS</td>
<td style="width: 25.5132%">71</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20.8211%">MAG</td>
<td style="width: 21.7009%">69</td>
<td style="width: 23.4605%">VIT</td>
<td style="width: 25.5132%">82</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20.8211%">AGI</td>
<td style="width: 21.7009%">79</td>
<td style="width: 23.4605%">INT</td>
<td style="width: 25.5132%">70</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 20.8211%">LUCK</td>
<td style="width: 21.7009%">2</td>
<td style="width: 23.4605%">DEX</td>
<td style="width: 25.5132%">71</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="width: 89.7094%; height: 380px" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 44.4282%">Skills</td>
<td style="width: 51.173%">Spells</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 44.4282%">
Night Vision Level 7
Starvation Level 3
Pain Resistance Level 3
Poison Resistance Level 3
Fear Resistance Level 4
Paralysis Resistance Level 4
Overpower Level 3
Dark Slash Level 2 (UP 1)
Sword Mastery Level 2 (UP 1)
</td>
<td style="width: 51.173%">
Sphere of Illuminating Light
Fire Wall
Identify
Cure
Gravity Ball
Angelic Fountain of Everlasting Water(NEW)
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Mwahahaha. I almost have half of my total mana available now.
After returning with Gorb, Borg and Org, as it turns out they where named. I had a brief lunch consisting of a club sandwich back at the inn, which was also dreamy by the way. How does everything taste so nice? Goblana pulled the story from me of how I helped the three brothers, before even thinking of letting me head back off to floor 26 again for more monster farming.
I had killed another 26 monsters before finishing for the day.
I now feel like a, somewhat capable, hunter.
Even though the majority whereof the vegetable variety, some crazy carrot men and potato ladies that just ran away comically, the rest where different types of farm animal monsters. Cows, chickens and even a large boar-like pig, I thought I''d acquire some tasty meal ingredients for when I''m back out levelling, you can never be too prepared.
I even used Dark Blade a few times since I was curious about it. With a swing of my blade, whilst activating the skill, an arc of blacklight flies forth from the scimitar slicing anything within 10 meters. An awesome attack, but sadly it uses 8 mana and 10 stamina a time and can run me dry quite fast. Turns out it''s not the most cost-effective skill in my repertoire, it''s also quite confusing on the mana cost. I could probably cast a spell of my own for a lot less than either of the mana and stamina amounts, it seems unreasonably high when that glorified fountain only cost 6 points to cast, using 2 elements no less. Mana usage has been confusing me lately, so I''ve decided to figure that out when I have the spare time.
I still can''t believe I have to kill monsters to gain my own points back as I hypothesised before, even though that''s exactly what I''ve been doing. It''s a good thing those veggie monsters don''t give much XP, not that levelling up is a bad thing but because I''d always be chasing the dragon. Getting closer to reaching it, before it is once more ripped away from me by my advancements. I can at least kill the same couple of monsters over and over, to regain more mana and acquire more confidence at the same time. It would have dragged if it had been one mana point per different type of enemy, I''d only be on 14/103 at this moment.
Temi still doesn''t know why my mana was restricted in the first place. It was like a limitation was placed on my body before I arrived. Maybe someday we''ll figure that mystery out too, but I''m all good now so, moving on.
It turns out that today is also the day of a big feast. It''s where the goblins make an offering to the dungeon, or so I was told, that''s why so many hunting parties were out yesterday and the village was apparently emptier. Not that I''ve been here long enough to notice what is normal or not. Kroll told me that I wouldn''t want to miss this event so I decided to stay here again last night after returning for dinner, which was once again fabulous, and for tonight for the feast. I''ll set off again tomorrow after I''ve enjoyed a night of celebration to the fullest and once I''m nice and rested from these amazing beds. Goblana decided to wave the fees for the room last night, I helped transport a lot of the food with my storage, she was very pleased when we arrived back. I got to keep a few of each monster in my inventory as well, just for when I''m on the trail again, adding to my collection. It''s a good job inventory can store multiple items in single slots, otherwise, I''d be carrying way too many items. I''ve even got five slots free
<table style="height: 60px; width: 89.9736%" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 20px">
<td style="height: 20px; width: 42.9619%">Inventory</td>
<td style="height: 20px; width: 52.6393%">10/15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 42.9619%">Oran Matt</td>
<td style="width: 52.6393%">Lizard Skewer x2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 42.9619%">Steel Scimitar</td>
<td style="width: 52.6393%">Onion x5</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20px">
<td style="height: 20px; width: 42.9619%">Potato x11</td>
<td style="height: 20px; width: 52.6393%">Carrot x9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 42.9619%">Radish x5</td>
<td style="width: 52.6393%">Beef Meat x3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 42.9619%">Chicken Meat x4</td>
<td style="width: 52.6393%">Pig Meat x2</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
To my side is the same familiar platter as yesterday, a nicely decorated lid conceals my food once more, along with another two pitchers of fresh refreshments as well. I feel as though the dungeon wants me to stay, with how my time here has passed and let''s be honest, I don''t mind being lavishly treated with great meals.
What a diamond.
Breakfast once more is superb and I feel stuffed afterwards. There was even more bacon today, it''s strange to picture it but I think these goblins might eat more than a good majority of the rulers of this world.
Leaving the room heartily and heading downstairs I find the only receptionist Goblana, scribbling away on some paper, at the main desk.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Morning Goblana, what''re you doing."
She leers at me for a moment, then returns her attention back to the paperwork.
"Stupid forms, say wat food wes need, need do it or no gets food."
I suppose every business has forms they don''t like to submit. Even goblin run ones.
"Yous did good last day, carry foods fast, no damage. Was good job, free one more stay."
I was going to offer a payment to stay for the festival with some of what I have in my storage, but seeing how it will be my last night here, I''ll let the house foot the bill again. I have been super helpful, haven''t I?
"So, what''s in store for today then? What''s the plan?"
"Plan, wat plan, ders no plan. Just festival and eat. That all."
For some reason, Goblana knocks her mug on the floor, whilst flapping her arms around like a duck?
"Isn''t there anything to do during the day I meant, you know ''What''s the Plan''."
"No Plans!"
I''m not an expert on goblins, but I''m pretty sure that''s what flustered looks like. Maybe it''s the paperwork? The goblins have been really good to me so far, so I don''t want to be mistrusting of them now, however, Goblana is definitely making me feel anxious.
"Master has taken liking to yous, she going grant your ask and sees yous tonight."
What.
"I can meet her, how?
"Silly, boss always round, already met."
"I meant meet face to face, how can I do that?"
"Yes, tonight, yous see her tonight, at feast. For now, jus relax, goes to spring, lay in room. Soon festival begins."
I''m liking this situation less and less. Why does it feel as though she''s purposely trying harder to make me stay, even though she knows I''m staying for the festival? I said I want to trust the goblins, and that''s what I''m going to do, but I''ll be fucked if I don''t take some type of precautions.
"Ok, I''ll rest in my room for a while longer, thanks Goblana."
Leaving her to clean the mug and its contents, I head back the way I came from, the whole time trying to imagine ways the goblins might try to screw me over. They wouldn''t right? Not these cute little green balls of adorableness. I can''t think of much, all the way to my room which isn''t far, I get nothing but one reoccurring thought. Call me a cynisist if you will, but I most certainly do not want the last sight I see before I die to be goblin teeth chowing down on fresh Erin meat. The invitation of free food and drink after already partaking in its delicacies is a hard allure to deny. The charismatic goblins that I have spoken too seem nothing but charming. I want to believe all the nice words I have to say about them myself yet, I cannot remove the image of my naked body, stuffed with an apple in my mouth and bound as the centrepiece of the festival table. Maybe I''m reading too far between the lines, after that short conversation with Goblana and my scary wandering thoughts about the deathly encounters I''ve had, I just feel the need to be prepared.
It''s experiment time.
Open entering my room, the first act I commit is to store the bed.
"That''s coming with me."
''What are you doing Erin?''
"Just taking a few precautions in case the goblins want to eat me, how are you feeling?"
Wondering about my companion, I ask her a question about her even growing sense of emotion, whilst propping the chair in front of the door so I can''t be snuck up on just in case this goes wrong. I have 46 mana available to play with, I know this is my experiment, but I have no clue as to how to start what I''m about to attempt or how I''m going to make it work. The festival is tonight, so I don''t have much choice but to throw myself into magic wholeheartedly. I have to give this my all and put my trust in myself.
''Every day is the same, with only little differences creating little matters in life.''
Deep, you will be a philosophy teacher at this rate. Her moods are always opposites so I need to say something to lift her spirits.
"Temi, I''m going to try and summon the dungeons spirit here, it''s a sort of practice for when I create your body. Can you time me and take note of whatever mana drain occurs, please? It will be hard for me to keep track of it all."
''It will not work. It is impossible as there are no spells classifying the type of magic you are about to perform. I will, however, do as you requested.''
I''ll take that. It''s way better than ''no''.
Here goes. I need to use my mind to the fullest now.
No distractions.
Remove all unnecessary thoughts.
What is a dungeon? It''s a place adventurers go. To earn loot. Aquire treasure and riches.
What is a dungeon to me? It''s a second life. A new home. A fresh pair of underwear.
Why is the dungeon a She?
Is it reincarnation?
Memories of a past life?
In my imagination a young girl begins to appear, she can''t be any older than 12, she''s only just hitting the 5-foot mark and she''s clearly a human. She has short, cropped, pink hair. Large, yellow eyes and pouty, red cheeks. Small freckles are visible just below her cute glare. She''s wearing a small white dress, with a large pink bow on her collar, laced around the bottom are lots of frills. She is emanating power on a scale you wouldn''t believe. Magic can be seen rippling out, all around her. I have no idea where the image of this girl came from, as I have not seen any human females since reincarnating. Seeing how this is my imagination, I''m going to say I must have seen this type of girl before somewhere and I have somehow used her for a template for the dungeon core girl, I don''t think I did a bad job.
Ha, after that little piece of inspiration, now comes the hard part. I begin my mana generating before I even try and fuse them together, knowing that this is not going to be easy. It starts up slowly like a storm, before cycling faster and faster, getting stronger with each rotation. It even starts developing its own gravitational pull gathering more mana from the surrounding atmosphere. It keeps going inside me pulling in more mana from the village, like a tornado fulled by water, until I feel as though I have enough. Once I feel it cycling at an extremely strong capacity which I can hardly hold, I pull the mana from inside me and the image from my mind, combining them on the spot in front of me.
A tremendous drain starts to form within me, at this moment however I can do nothing but concentrate on the spell, I''m just going to guess that it''s mana leaving me in a large amount and hope that it''s nothing life-threatening. Temi should be paying more attention to what''s going on inside me and my status more than I am right now. Directly in front of me is a light so bright, that all I can see is white. I am forced to shield my face from the ever-increasing brightness and end the connection with my mana from fear of going blind. This is nothing like before in the tunnels, I had no idea what a blinding light was until now.
"I do not control the....."
What? Did it work?
The light starts to dim in the area as my mana was cut from it and it is fading away.
"Hello? Is that you dungeon?"
More and more the brightness recedes and I see the woman from my mind, her silhouette shines even through the demising glow.
"The reason for the festival is not......The goblins are.......... He cam............ My name is Abi."
Her voice is cracked, probably because of the lost mana connection I''d guess, but I most certainly picked up some useful information through that. Her form loses the last of it''s radiating light and slowly fades away with the rest of the mana.
"I''m Erin. Don''t worry Abi, I''ll come to the festival. Thank you for everything so far."
With that, the last of the light disperses and I''m left with a stupified Temi.
''Oh. My. Shit!''
"Woah, who did you learn that from?"
''The best, apparently.''
Hehe. That''s right.
"That''s not like you though, it caught me off guard."
''As you did with me. Once again, Erin, you are amazing. How did you do that, the spell I mean, I know what your body did but how did you imagine the dungeon?"
"Honestly Temi, I''m not 100% sure yet myself but with more practice, I can probably find out. What did my body do?"
''You used all 8 elements at once and it cost you 32 mana alone, just for the connection to establish.''
Well shit.
Good job I put off this experiment before, damn 32 mana gone like that, not that it wasn''t worth it though.
"All 8 elements you say? Is that all of them?"
''Yes, as far as I am aware, but I''m not sure anymore after seeing that spell, Erin. You gathered the natural mana from the atmosphere, to make this place denser, for the magic to work and I''ve never even heard of a spell that uses all the elements at once. That''s why it was so amazing.''
"So if there are 8 elements, that means they all have the same cost to cast, right?"
That makes magical planning in the future a little easier.
''No, there are 4 lower tier magic and 4 higher tier.''
"Nevermind that theory then. I''m trying to establish the cost of my spells and why some are higher than others. It can wait though, what''s important is what she said Temi."
''It did not sound like much, but the goblins might not be trustable as you stated. Don''t forget, they are monsters ..''
Why did that one sound open-ended? Temi seems to enjoy me killing monsters for some reason. It could be because of what I said before about getting her a body, it makes sense I mean, the stronger I am the better my chances are.
So many thoughts for the future, not the here and now.
"How long will I take to regenerate from now? Is it still a minute per point of mana?"
''It appears so, you have just over 30 minutes to wait until it''s full. If you want, I can explain your magic cost problems, as you are having difficulties managing it? Or you can just use Identify on your skills to get detailed information about them and what they cost.''
.........
What?
Every time!
Every time, I think there''s nothing she can say that won''t stump me on the spot, she just demolishes me.
"Temi? Why am I only finding out about this now!?"
''I explained how to use Identify, didn''t I?''
"Well... yes, but you never said I could use it on my skills to get more details."
......
''Oh... well, you can. Yay.''
I''m going to sit here now and meditate, regenerating my mana, whilst not talking and remaining calm. I''m just going to think.
How would I sum up my life at the present moment in time?
1 crazy as shit assistant with a personality disorder, potentially multiple man-eating goblins waiting till lights down to feast on me and a dungeon stalker named Abi that I''m feeling obliged to help even though I have no clue about the actual situation. Only that she told me her name, spouted some missing nonsense with the mana I provided and she gave me a pair of boxer shorts that one time.
How did it change from sunshine, rainbows and unicorns? To barbequed Erin, bad jokes and spectators.
Did I ever mention how much this new life sucks?