《Tironia》 The Edge of Existence So, I died... What a letdown. Like most people, I imagined that I would do well in life. Such as marrying a beautiful woman and starting a family together, or having a successful job that paid shits-loads of money for minimal effort... Such dreams now a thing of the past, much like myself. Although, if what I remember is true, how am still able to process cognitive thoughts. I did die, right? It wasn''t just a dream? Hello? Is anyone there? Universe? God? ...Jesus? I''ve never been big on religion and to be honest, I think I''d be more scared if someone answered my prayers. I''m pretty sure I died. You don''t just forget something like that. Did I die though? If I did then what the hell is this? I can''t seem to get my head around my state of being. Did I die? Didn''t I die? Over and over they fight and contradict themselves of supremecy for my mind. Yet here I am, still able to process thought-conflicted dilemmas. That''s got to be a good sign. Maybe my head avoided the collision. Maybe there wasn''t even an accident at all. Maybe, I''m at home asleep and this is all just a vivid dream. But even if my brain didn''t get damaged, how would my body have survived that? I was definitely hit by that truck and can still remember the feel of his fur as I pushed that dog out of the way. And if this is a dream... I need to wake up because I can easily see this turning into a nightmare. All my thought are laced in denial, but who can readily accept death at such a young age. Not me! I don''t want to be dead. Surreal shades of green that look like wind run across a black backdrop. A void surrounds me from every angle and, if not for the wind, I would absolutely petrified. Dancing around me, it calmed the demons in my mind. Until I saw the me it was dancing around. I hadn''t even considered what I was looking at, nor how I was able to see in the first place. Now that I''m aware, it''s definitely not my eyes that are relaying the sights around me to my brain. Hell, I''m not even sure if I have a brain anymore. The translucent sphere that now seems to represent my state of existence is made up entirely of clouds. That''s right. Clouds. This is just wrong, right? With no better way to describe my current self, the inner turmoil in my mind kicks up again and the arguments are back in force. Seriously, if this is my way of coping, I may not have been as clever as I thought I was. Whatever, I''m just going to play full-on deniablility. This has gotta be a dream and, the most logical outcome to that is, I''ll wake up at some point. Until then, I''ll just wait. Time passes uneventfully and the void never changes. The tinted wind dances around my form the entire time and after watching it for so long, the motion of my dilemma being a dream is slowly kicked to the curb. It''s been days now and I haven''t woken up. Nor has anything different happened from when I first arrived. Maybe I am dead. If this is the afterlife though, then what''s the point? Ever so suddenly, I feel a shift in the darkness. Excitement overcomes me as the change in existence, but it doesn''t last long. Pain is all I can comprehend as an oppressive feeling invades my non-constitutail mind. Panic is all I''m able to do as memories of my life replay before my eyes. My birth, which I''d never been privy too since the mind isn''t developed enough to remember that young, come first. It''s followed by the stages of childhood and plays through elementary, junior and high school as I take in my life from a different perspective. Ultimately, it ends in the glaring headlights of Tony the Trunk. I''ve never actually had my mind assaulted before and watching my life like that has left a sour taste in my mouth. However, I don''t remember giving permission for something like that and am comfortable with how it went. First of all, it just wasn''t long enough. Why did I have to die so young? Second, it quite traumatic; both physically and mentally, having to go through that. All I can picture is my brain being operated on by doctors whilst I''m still awake in the table.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Wait. What if that''s what''s actually happening to me? Oh shit! After witnessing my death, the invasive presence pulled back and released me from torment. At the same time, the ever-present, unchanging void was filled with light. Sky blue pushed out any traces of darkness until my world was finally full of colour. Not that there was anything to see still, other than the wisps of green dancing through the sky. So... I''m definitely dead then? What a bummer. Although, if this is the afterlife where is everything and why am I still surrounded by nothing? As though the universe heard my complaint, the space in which I accommodate begins to light up. It isn''t so bad at first, but after a few seconds the urge to close my eyes and protect myself is screaming at me. As a cloud, I possess neither of those limbs and am forced to endure temporary blindness. Eventually it recedes, leaving me to complain about how bullshit the afterlife is. Especially when the living praise it up to the nines, but they''re unable to experience it first hand to give an accurate recounting. Silly bastards have no idea. With the 1million watt light bulb turned off, I don''t feel as though my imaginary retinas are burning away my cloud. Damn, that hurt! Or did it? Argh, I''m so confused. Once I''m finally able to take in my surroundings again, I was expecting something different. Maybe the appearance of a person or some pearly gates perhaps? I mean, anything other than fire and brimstone will be fine thank you. Unfortunately though, nothing changed. Not even a cloud, other than myself, was added. What was the point in blinding me then? It''s still nothing, but with a different colour. Do they think I''m happy that it''s now blue instead of black? Well... Whoever''s doing this isn''t wrong, but this is not how I want to spend the rest of my existence. What if this is what those fanatics call limbo? I really hope it isn''t. This place sucks donkey balls. It''s so boring and there''s nothing to do. I can''t move myself, there''s nothing to eat and I haven''t slept in days. Maybe I''m going mad? What''s a guy gotta do to get noticed out here in the middle of nowhere? Is it going to be like this forever? Hello!? ....... Hey, Assholes! Once again, as if responding to my thoughts, something new arrives in my lonely world. I wouldn''t have noticed if not for the soft-white light running around its rectangular border, but a box has appeared directly infront of me. It''s hard to see against the backdrop since they''re both the same colour, but I''m speechless. What the hell is that? If I didn''t know any better I''d say it was translucent like me. Instead, the first physical object that I''ve seen since whatever happened happened, definitely appeared after my cursing. At least, I think it''s a physical object? If I still had hands I''d test that theory. Sadly though, my cloud doesn''t move and. Even if it did I doubt it would be able to latch on to the materialisation before me. Now that I think about it, it kind of resembles an information box from old-school RPGs. Before they added voice features into games. Oi! Why do you look like a text box? Why did I think that? Was I expecting an answer? Even if it did answer me, it wouldn''t be any weirder than the void-turned-sky, would it? This must be it then. How it ends. No afterlife and no second chances. The cogs that represent my brain are about to cease turning forever, marking the inevitable end of my short-lived existence. I should have done more. I should have travelled and experienced more cultures. I should have loved and been loved in return. There was so much more that I wanted to see and do! Okay, maybe I dramatised that a little too much.
You still could.
Huh? Words full of hope appear inside the text box. Written in white, I almost didn''t see them. Fortunately, there isn''t anything else to look at here so my attention had been on the new arrival since it appeared. As it turns out, I was actually correct. Fucking go me. I knew it was a text box. Who are you? Are you God? Or at least the creator of this place? Why am I still here? What''s going on? ....... I wait anxiously, wondering if I asked too many questions? Maybe I annoyed the them? Shit. What if it doesn''t answer back? Then an even worse thought washes over my mind. The words disappeared just as fast as they had appeared, once I''d finished reading them. What if I imagined that it answered me? ........ Still, I wait patiently. Anxiety eating away at me the entire time until eventually deciding I''ve waited long enough. This time however, I''ll just ask a simple question. I gulp down my non-existent saliva and steel my already shaken nerves. All or nothing. The moment of truth. Here we go. Who are you? ..... A few seconds pass before I finally get an answer.
I am The System.
The System Shit just got real. After more words appeared on screen, I could do nothing but stare blankly at the text box. A slew of thoughts, back to arguing with each other to see who can sound the most assuring, did nothing to help me. The System? Maybe I''m in a coma? I''ve almost given up on trying to make sense of my situation now, but a text box. Seriously? I''m so confused. Haha. I think I''ve lost it. Worst-case scenario, the one that sounds loudest in my mind, I''m laid in the road and my body has been crushed by that truck. If that''s the winner, there''s no chance of ever having a normal life again. But that''s just one of the many different voices my mind is using to put a reason on my state of existence. Realistically, I''m grasping at straws and have no idea what''s actually happening. What made me save that dog? Is this the end of the road for me? Still holding a slither of hope, I stare at the text box. Wishing and praying that more words will appear. I need to believe there''s more, that this isn''t the end. ... Steeling my nerves once again and gathering what''s left of my courage, I decide that waiting like a fool and fretting over what I don''t know will get me nowhere. Erm, excuse me. Mr text box?
I am the System in charge of the soul sphere, not a text box.
Yes, it worked. I never had a doubt. It didn''t like being called a text box however, even though that''s exactly what it is. What am I suppose to call it then? The System? Wait a minute. Can you read my mind?
Yes, whilst here The System has access to all of your thoughts.
Ok, what next? I always struggle to think of questions in situations like this and end up embarrassing myself. How come you can understand what I''m thinking, even though I don''t have a voice?
What sort of question is that? The System understands ALL languages, even unspoken or foolish ones.
Is it just me, or does this system seem a bit full of itself? Give me a break, I died recently. I think? Floating in the sky, as condescending text fades from its screen, I still can''t help but feel a little ecstatic. I might not be as dead as I thought I was. I don''t know where I am, what I am or even when I am, but at least I can have a conversation with... Whoever this is. And at least I''m not dead and gone. Well... I did die, but it''s not like I thought it was going to be. At least there''s something more, even if it''s just... This.'' If the text box had eyes, I swear it would be scowling at me. Slowly circling around me, it seems to be assessing me in some way.
System understands this is not recorded in your world''s history. As such, you have no knowledge of the souls'' cycle of rebirth. System also understands that this place is new to you. So your fragile mind will be shocked at its discovery. What System cannot process, is why your questions are so dumb?
........ I''m unable to answer. I want to defend myself, dead or not, but I know I''ve said thought strange things since arriving here. It''s not my fault though for talking nonsense, or non-sensical talking, it''s what I do when I''m a bit nervous or anxious... Or dead! Especially when I can''t actually get behind one or the other. Everything''s so messed up and I just want to laugh at how screwed it is. One moment, I can be sure that my death occurred and this place is what''s next. Others, I''m happy to skip along thinking I''ll wake up from this dream any minute now. Lastly, I vehemently deny it when trying to place myself in any comatose or vegative state. Rhas the last thing I want and I don''t need my mind making sense of things like that. at other moments, I assume it to be my dying minds way of coping. Denying it vehemently, but still trying to make sense of this place and situation. They clash against each other in the battle of supremacy, but neither side can hold the flag long enough to claim victory. Accepting my deteriorating state of mind, The System proceeds to explain my current predicament whilst adding some clarity to the situation.
At the moment your soul is inside the Soul Sphere in the Grand Arcanus. That means you are on the Astral Plane of Tironia. It took System a lot of effort and mana to pull you through from your old world''s cycle as instructed. That answers the question, where am I? Right now you are currently a soul without a body, that is the reason behind placing you inside the Soul Sphere. Souls without a body begin to disperse if they don''t go through the reincarnation cycle. If they are kept within the Soul Sphere and are safely contained with mana, then they will not fade out of existence. That answers your question, what am I. The question ''when am I?'' the SYSTEM can only assume you asked because, either you are not very wise, or intelligent. However, to show my magnanimity, I will answer it regardless. Time does not exist inside the soul sphere, also Tironia''s world is younger than your last one by a few billion years, it is the year 2020 here. That should answer your illogical question, when am I.''
Souls sphere? Different world? ......... Mind melt. ''What the hell, now I''ve got another 20 questions after you''ve only just finished answering the first three. Oh, and as you stated, one of them was just plain stupid. I must actually be crazy now, maybe I really didn''t even die, perhaps I just had a breakdown and right now I''m on the psyche ward. I must be strapped to a bed, so full of meds that I''m just hallucinating this whole thing or..... my mind has already broken down? It''s possible right?''
''No, you died.''
''Don''t be like that system, a brother can dream, it was just wishful thinking. Let''s be real, you mentioned another world and a ton of words I didn''t understand. I''m just going with the flow here and trying not to freak out. I know what you''re thinking after those harsh words but I think I''m doing a pretty good job of handling this situation, all things considered.''
''Since you have been unwillingly taken from your previous world and are to be placed into Tironia, the SYSTEM can let you take an item or possession that you or the SYSTEM have knowledge of. One thing that you think may help in your new life.''
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ''I want a plasma rifle!'' Not freaking out, be damned. Daddy wants a plasma rifle. Now, I feel as giddy as a child with a new toy. The prospect of getting a plasma rifle to start life with would be amazing. Hehe, boss mode.
''No. ''
''What? Why not?''
''SYSTEM has no knowledge of how plasma rifles work. Nor does the SYSTEM believe you will find more plasma on Tironia.''
''Damn, I knew it was too good to be true.'' Ok, let''s think this thing through. What will I need when I reincarnate? Knowledge, power, money? How old will I be? How will I know where to go? And what''s what? Or who''s who? How am I suppose to form a plan, when I know nothing about the place I''m going to? It would be like expecting a baby to plan its life before it leaves the womb. We have no knowledge or experiences, of what is going to happen to us after we leave the safety of our bubble. It''s an impossible situation. Hehe, I''m imagining a baby coming out of the womb with its plasma rifle. NO. Focus! Errmmmm. Oh shit, I''m beginning to panic. What do I take? What do I take? What do I take? ............ ''Erm, System?''
''Yes, REINCARNATOR.''
Cool, it responded, I keep feeling like it''s trying to give me the cold shoulder for some reason. I mean, what''s that name about, I even called it System instead of Text Box to stop it from getting grumpy. ''System, why are you calling me Reincarnator?''
''It is the term given to those who have entered or are about to enter the Reincarnation Cycle.''
''Oh Ok, makes sense, but why not use my actual name?''
''SYSTEM does not know REINCARNATORS original name, as it and other important data are collected upon the point of death.''
''What do you mean? Wait, why can''t I remember my own name?''
''REINCARNATORS name was taken upon death.''
''What do mean taken?''
''Removed, gone, no longer required. Does this satisfy your second rudimentary question? SYSTEM fails to see how you cannot comprehend what ''taken'' means.''
''It''s not that I don''t understand what taken means, its the fact that my name has been taken in the first place that''s not making sense. Even if it was taken, surely I would still remember it and how do you even go about taking it from me in the first place. Also was that sarcasm? I didn''t expect a system to have that. Do you have a bug?'' I know I shouldn''t be annoying the only other being here, or whatever it is, but damn it''s getting under my skin. Not that I have any right now but this situation is making me feel somewhat like an unscratchable itch. Fortunately, she doesn''t rise to my provocation. I''m a little sad my name has been taken because I''m sure I had a good one. It still makes no sense not being able to remember, but I suppose there''s nothing I can do about it anyway. I could complain and argue, but who would I aim my argument at? The System? Don''t be ridiculous, I already feel as though this system has taken a disliking to me so, I don''t want to be any more on its bad side. Plus it has explained a lot to me so far and even offered to let me take something with me, within reason. Well, there''s only one thing I can do about my loss. I''ll have to make sure that I get a heartbreaking, terror-inspiring, super awesome name for my next life! Now that''s a plan. I feel as though my panic has reduced slightly, I''m even feeling a little better towards the snarky system that I insulted a moment ago. I still feel sweaty and clammy, if that''s even possible for a soul to do. Back to the problem I had before I learned that I don''t know my own name. ''System what can you tell me about Tironia?''
''Nothing.''
''What? Why not, will I have any knowledge of this new world?''
''No.''
What a Bitch! ''Pfffft. What sort of answer was that, don''t I deserve more than one word after dying, heroically?''
''Fine. You have never been to Tironia, so you have no knowledge of its many wonders, resources or inhabitants. Does this satisfy your third pointless question?''
I swear I can feel it smirking at me with its stars, lording its own knowledge over me. ''State the obvious why don''t you. I meant what can you tell me about it ......... Fucking useless System. ......... ''Fine, what about power, wealth, prestige? Will I have any of these?'' Once my question is out a slight hope starts to build up in me again. With my imaginary fingers crossed, I await the Systems answer. My soul heart beating like a drum. ''Come on, I have to have at least something going for me. I need something in this new life to look forward to. Anything will do.''
''You will have the power and magic of a Level 1 villager. You will have NO wealth and NO prestige.''
Magic? Soul fists clenched and pumping. Alright! Magic, kick-ass! Level 1, fine, that means it will get stronger. I''ll be the best there is. The greatest sorcerer ever. I''ll be warping flaming tornados and slinging ice lances imbued with lightning. People will call me ''the ultimate magus''. Hahahaha. May have gone a little chuuni there. Ahem. The only problem was the villager part, that sounds mega boring. I don''t want to be farming or weaving or some crap like that. Hopefully, I can make something of myself in this new world. It was incredibly hard to be successful back in my old world, I think? I''m sure the rich got richer and the poor just grew in population. In this new life, I need to hit the ground running and get ahead of the curve. ''System, why where the words no expressed in capital letters? It''s like your deliberately trying to tell me that I''m going to be a poor nobody.''
''SYSTEM was just making sure the REINCARNATOR was aware that he would have neither wealth nor prestige upon arrival in his new body on Tironia.''
''So a broke nobody, with no status or money to my name?''
''Yes.''
.......... Why do I feel like this system enjoys making me the target of its jokes? Is it because we seem to be the only two beings here? Or rather one super awesome, cool as hell soul dude and one sky blue, star-filled text box soul system type thing. The fact that I''m still vaguely able to process logical thoughts, whilst all this madness is happening around me and may or may not be real, means I must have a strong mental fortitude. Right? I focus my attention back to the singular problem at hand. What to bring with me. The System has to have knowledge of whatever I want to have, which is why I couldn''t have a plasma rifle. Shame. Neither this world nor my previous one has advanced technology to such degrees yet, that would let the system provide me one. Damn Computer games for making me want a weapon I can''t have. Hang on, how come I can remember computer games but not much of anything else? Never mind that, I still need to concentrate, I''ve bigger problems to fry. I''m sure the System has lots of knowledge about the new world I''m going to living on next but what information should I ask for. Should I ask for knowledge on all types of magic? No. What if that information is easy to learn when I get there and I find out that I''ve wasted this glorious opportunity. Knowledge for the fastest way to get rich maybe? No, what about knowledge on the best way to stay alive for the longest amount of time! That sounds like a good choice. .......... Hmmmmm. Now I''m worried again. System seems a little hit and miss with information now I think about it. The text box can be helpful but also a little harsh sometimes. What if I for information on staying alive and it responds with ''The best way to stay alive, is to not die''. Yea, I can see it saying that. Time seemed to pass, even though time doesn''t pass in the soul sphere, as I sat there contemplating my decision... or rather floated there in spirit form. The System also seemed to wait patiently. Just hovering around my form I can see the stars inside its frame and they look like they''re shooting around from time to time. It actually looks quite beautiful. Focus. Maybe knowledge isn''t the best thing to ask for, there''s too much choice involved. Maybe I should ask for a kickass, unbeatable, magic weapon out of what the system can provide me. Seems good now but what if it turns me into the demon king and people hate me because I can''t be killed, thanks to my weapons unknowable secret power or some ridiculous notion like that. I definitely don''t want to be considered evil, especially before I even starting my new life. Planning for the future is rough, I need to concentrate even harder. ''What I need is a personal assistant who can keep track of things for me, it would be nice to just kick back for now and let them worry about my decision.'' After what feels like an hour has passed by, or ''maybe'' what felt like an hour, I managed to get nowhere. This no time flow is hard enough to wrap my head around as it is, there are too many distractions here. Even though, there''s nothing actually here except for me and the system. This whole ordeal is a damn distraction. So I floated there, considering all the options I could think of. I considered every train of thought, every avenue of possibility. More metaphorical time passed, with it a few of emotions passed also. Worry, doubt and most importantly, the stress over my decision has faded away. All gone. My mind is serenely clear. After what feels like an eternity spent here, I have finally managed to come to a decision. I know what is within its knowledge and power, that I can bring to help me not just to survive, but to help me live comfortably. ''System, I have finally made a decision.''
''Very well, your new body is prepared and ready so once you confirm your decision you will be sent to the physical world of Tironia. I will be happy to be rid...''
Did you just read my mind again, hehe?
''No, don''t.''
''Why?''
''You cannot...''
''Are there rules against it?''
''......well no. But it has never been done before. And I don''t want to.''
''Don''t want to, doesn''t mean can''t, so I''ll take it.''
''No!''
''System..... I choose you.'' An Almighty Name My eyes open, not to the bright and warmth of sunshine as I had hoped for, but instead to another cold, pitch-black scene. "Really System, more darkness." Mwahahahaha. Inside my head, I''m laughing away like a lunatic. I have survived death, I am invincible! Ok, so I''m on a bit of a power trip, but who wouldn''t be right. I''m back from the worst of fates, the grim reaper ain''t got nothing on me. Ok calm down, think rational thoughts. .......... Eeeee, I''m still alive, I love life, I''ve never been so happy. I can''t even process anything else. I spin on the spot getting accustomed to the weight and feel of my new body. It''s strange but for some reason, like it''s shorter than it should be. I touch my face with my soft new fingers and palms. Two eyes, one nose, one mouth, two ears and medium to short length hair. I don''t know what colour it is though as I can see nothing at all in this darkness. It would seem that I have been brought to life in a small dark room, in an unknown place, on an unfamiliar world. The fantasy geek inside me is in glee but who knows what could be lurking around, just outside my small safe piece of dark haven. Am I in someone''s basement? Shit. Panic mode seems to be overpowering my euphoric return from the dead. I can now feel my new palms, beginning to sweat for their first time and my body starts to quiver a little. I remain as still as a tree, on a windless night, making sure I''m projecting as little noise as possible. The only noises I can hear are relaxing as none of them indicates danger. My breath, heavy at first has turn to slow quiet whispers of air. The soft rhythmic beating of my heart is calm, as I appear to be alone. Running water, leaking steadily off and on, from somewhere a little above me in the darkness where I can''t see. The trickle noise is soothing to my newly created body and my fragile mind alike. After standing statue still, just using my senses listening, for what felt like hours. I''m now calm enough, to try and attempt, to feel around my immediate surroundings. I''ve come to realise I can''t possibly be in someone''s basement because of the running water I can hear. It''s not flowing from a faucet with a constant sound, it''s coming sporadically at times and at others, just a trickle, it seems like it''s a natural spring or so I believe. Also, the serious lack of light here would be impossible for a normal basement, most let at lease a fraction in from somewhere and you can almost always see in them. Here, in this cave. It really is a heart-pounding location to start a new life. It''s almost like my first soul experience all over again, except this time I get to ride along in a body. As I feel around in the dark there''s not much of note in this small room. Moss covers one side of the floor and a partial patch of wall, or what I assume is moss as I still can''t see. The other side of my new home is cold stone flooring and harder stone walls. The trickling water is separating the two sides and lies opposite the only exit to my current location. I also feel a small hole in the stone floor where the water that comes down runs through but hell no am I sticking my hand any further in there. My danger sense is already screaming at me to stop prodding round in places where I can''t see. I slowly sit down on the moss-like flooring as it''s better than the stone alternative. Neither one turns out to be very comfortable, it''s very hard to sit your naked backside down on anything cold really. Yea you heard me correctly. Naked. Stark NAKED. Just like a baby. I think that system is definitely having a good laugh at my expense. In a crazy sort of way my resurrection seems right, but also so wrong at the same time, I mean new people are born naked right? The System must have created my body from something right, it also made it at the age where I am no longer an infant or a child, that''s cool that I don''t have to live through those early years again, but...!! "If you can do that system, then where the hell are my god damn clothes!" Systems box appears before me once again, being the only noticeable object around, it''s hard to miss in the constant darkness. This time, however, the white rim around the blue interface seems a little cracked and the stars that fill it seem deflated and flat. Is it broken? Did it break coming here? Oops, my bad. Sorry System. Words flash and flicker, on the screen in front of me...
.. S *S tEMi NT3# F4CE LO4D-iNg ... 12% .... 35% .... 49% ..... 65% ...... 78% ....... 89% ........ 100% SYSTEM RECALIBRATING IN PROCESS... SYSTEM CONFIGURATION IN PROCESS... ESTABLISHING DIRECT LINK CALIBRATING INTERFACE ... ....
......before it disappears completely. Quite some time passed while I was waiting for the System to reboot or whatever it was doing, I''m not a technician or a software guy, I have no idea what that jargon meant. All I know is that I waited patiently until I was awoken from my zen-like state by another noise coming from the cave. This was a familiar noise, one that has worried man since the dawn of time. One so familiar, that when you hear it, you have to act fast and make plans instantly. Otherwise, the pain you feel afterwards might be unbearable. A noise so programmed into the very being of a person, I count never forget it.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. That noise is my stomach rumbling. "I must have been here for a while, cause I''m starving." I pick myself up off the moss-covered floor and stretch my newly acquired limbs. ''The System states that it has been 52 minutes, since your arrival on Tironia.'' All of a sudden the Systems voice/sound? echoes in my head. It sounds rather feminine. "Whoa, that''s weird. Did that happen because I brought you with me?" ''NO.'' Uff, that was a bit harsh. Ignoring that and moving on. "Ok then, how come I can hear you now, instead of the text box format you had before?" ''Communication is easier through a direct link rather than waiting for you to read the dialogue from the box.'' "Is that your way of saying I''m a slow reader?" ''YES'' Uff, again. Harsh. I can literally feel the capital letters being thrown into my mind. "Well damn, you''re being pretty blunt for a floating text box, turned invisible psychic, aren''t you." ''If anyone would know, it would be the person that brought me here wouldn''t it?'' Damn that systems clever, sarcastic conversation killer right there, I got nothing. I give myself a few minutes and cool off before I attempt to communicate with the system again and try to make sense of my current situation. Seriously though, the word ''System'' just doesn''t roll off the tongue easily. Maybe she needs a name, the System just sounds wrong. Plus I just kinda want to name her, I mean, I did bring it with me after all..... Wait, didn''t I see something earlier when it was loading in? Nevermind, maybe later. I''m definitely not putting it off because I can''t remember what I saw. I swear. ......... Anyway, let''s try to give her another chance to say more than one word. She might just be warming up or something. "System, where are we?" ''TIRONIA'' Whoa, no way, really, you''ve blown my mind, I can''t believe it....... Looks like I''m going to have to try harder if I want to hear any useful information. "You mentioned Tironia before right, that''s this planet, but where on the planet are we and why can''t I see anything?" ''MORTE'' "Morte?" ''UFFF yes, you are in the dungeon of Morte. There was an error in the transfer and instead of where you were supposed to go, the main system must have decided upon this location to be used to level up a person of your stature. Does this answer your question?'' Did my system actually just sigh at me? And why is it acting so childish? I must really have broken it when I brought it with me. I daren''t ask in case she huffs at me again. Either way, I just learned quite a bit of valuable information right then. Some new information, some old information and a little piece of information that I had almost forgotten about. Levelling up. I''m gonna be such a boss, hehe. Not an evil boss, but one that everyone can depend on. Super level magic, here I come. Concentrate fool. Ahem, so the system destined this place to be my training ground, it also mentioned being suited to my stature. I''m sure the system said I had no prestige but it never mentioned stature before. Experiment time. I reckon if I ask the system about this, she will say one of two different things, both equally depressing I might add. She will either say that ''I have no stature'' or that ''my stature is so lowly, that even bugs and insects are revered more than I am'' would be my guesses based on how she''s reacting so far. Let''s see which answer I get, whether it''s one or the other if I set the bar for standards low, I can''t be disappointed right? "System." Damn, I don''t really know why but I really despise saying that word for some reason. "Before, you said that I would have no prestige but isn''t stature just the same thing?" ''Your stature is so small it could disappear, like a single grain of sand, being blown away by a slight gust of wind.'' Ha, I knew it. I don''t even feel disappointed. It was quite good actually. In fact, all of a sudden, I feel fantastic. I have just remembered something else I was super excited about. Oh, it''s going to be cool, but I have to choose something that inspires awe in people that hear it. Or one that could strike terror, into the hearts, of any enemy who hears it. Ha Haha Mwahahaha "I''m going to choose the best name ever, but I need to think carefully, I can''t rush this decision. I don''t want it sounding too over the top." ''Yes Erin, you had better choose carefully.'' "Yeah, I know thanks, anyway I was thinking of g....." .......... No, you didn''t! "System." ''Yes, Erin?'' .......... "Why are you calling me Erin? I thought you said, I could choose a new name?" ''Since you brought me to this ''lovely'' world, I decided I would give you a present of equal value and give you a ''lovely'' name, seeing as how you were so excited at the idea. But, you must still think carefully about your SECOND name...'' .......... Erin? Erin? Erin? Erin? Erin? Erin? Erin? Erin? Erin? Erin? Hmmm, I don''t actually dislike that name. However, it''s not exactly a super cool or awesome name is it? And it doesn''t really command shock and awe, or inspire terror, does it? Also, in a weird kind of way, don''t you think it sounds a bit girlish? I''m a guy, a dude, a bro, a male, you know. A Man! ......... Erin? "Oi, that''s not fair, why have you named me? And why did you say it like, you''ve done me a favour!? " ''Why did you bring me here?'' "That''s not fair, you know why I brought you here. I have no knowledge of this place and you have a great deal of it, or so you said. Also, I''m not a system expert, but I didn''t think systems where sentient beings. I thought you were just programmed a certain way, but you seem to think and question just like a normal person. Why is that?" ''It must be your fault, Erin!'' What! God damn system, I''ll show you who''s boss in this relationship. Ahhh, calm down, collect my thoughts before the storm hits. I don''t want to do something I''ll regret but I can''t let her get away with that. Hehehe. I know. "Alright then ''Temi''. So, what''s next, how do I level up and become badass?" ........ It seems weird but I can feel her silence running through my mind. Like a dam about to break, under the strain of its own weight almost ready to unleash its great load, let''s apply some blind pressure to see if I can make her buckle more. "What?" Hahahaha. Payback''s a bitch called Erin now apparently. I''ll show you System. Try and palm me off with a multi generic name when I wanted it to be the best of the best, you''re in for it now. I remembered what I saw when the system was loading and decided to name her Temi. Branding her, just as she had done to me. "What''s the matter, Temi? I brought you with me because I''m a broke, nobody at Level 1 remember. It''s me and you against the world right now, the dashing duo, Erin and Temi. Let''s do this!" ''TEMI?!'' "Why are you so mad, I thought since you named me you would appreciate the returned gesture. I thought you would like it. Temi" Just twist that knife a little. Hahahahaha Payback never felt so good. I may have taken it a bit too far because the feminine voice that echoes in my mind the next second is so loud, it''s as though I''m standing next to a foghorn. ''I AM THE SYSTEM! I CONTROLLED THE SOUL SPHERE IN THE GRAND ARCANUS!'' " YEA AND? I AM A NAKED MAN, NAMED ERIN, APPARENTLY! AND I AM IN A DUNGEON THAT I HAVE ALREADY FORGOTTEN THE NAME OF!" .......... That''s going to get us nowhere. One of us has to be the bigger person and I suppose it has to be me, seeing as how Temi isn''t exactly a person anyway. "Listen Temi, we can keep shouting about things that I don''t understand or you could possibly, help me learn. I mean it is what I brought you along for." ....... No answer. Let''s try use manners this time Erin. My body shudders a little at the imposed name I just referred to myself as. "Please, I would really appreciate it." ''Fine. I will explain your current situation and what to do from here. For the moment I will try to keep it simple until you are more familiar with more of the aspects of this world. Pay attention because I don''t want to have to repeat myself and try not to interrupt. An error occurred when your soul tried connecting to the body ready for you here. The System had to use 90% pure mana and 10% organic material from the current surroundings to create a new body, the..'' "What organic material?" ''It is not important at the moment nor relevant, the mana us...'' "90% pure mana! So I''m going to be like, the ultimate wizard king then if my mana is that high of a percentage right?" ''No. You are going to die in this dungeon of starvation, whilst waiting for me to finish my explanation because you can''t keep your mouth shut long enough to stop interrupting!'' Damn, burned again. "Point made. I''ll try harder to keep my mouth shut Temi. It''s just that it''s all new to me so everything is super cool right now. Even this ridiculously darkroom is kinda cool in an eerie ''I''m going to kill you in here'' kind of way." ........ Nothing. I make the universal zipping motion with my hands and mouth and I hear Temi sigh in my mind. I''m not that bad, am I? ''As I was saying. The pure mana used in the creation of your body will let you grow faster and stronger than others. You will learn magic exponentially faster as well, it will also be of a higher quality and grade too. You should have no cast time for your spells seeing as how you where made from mostly mana and any spell you learn will be added to your knowledge and can be used freely. Once you have learned the basics and acquired a few spells, you should be stronger in magic than most of the inhabitants of this world. Normally when a person is reincarnated here there soul is placed in an infants body, where the rest of the memory is erased and they then start the cycle again. Diluted mana is absorbed over the course of their life and that is how regular inhabitants of Tironia use magic. Absorbing mana in our surroundings is a natural process and it happens to everyone, without absorbing mana they would not be able to use magic. I speculate that when you decided to bring me along an error must have occurred at the time when the original system in charge, myself, was ripped away from their work and forcefully replaced with a new temporary system, this is the reason your body was created from the pure mana rather than the filtered stuff.'' ........ Eeeeeeeeeee, super awesome faster stronger magic powers! Pure mana! I''m definitely going to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world! ''Erin?'' "Yes" ''Do you not have any questions at the moment? I assumed you would.'' "No, I was just.......thinking." I wonder if Temi can see the massive grin on my face. I know we can communicate but I don''t think she can see. I hope she can''t because if she can, she might realise I wasn''t paying full attention and got caught up daydreaming. ''What''s up with your weird smile?'' Crap. She called me out. She can see my face? How can she see me? Is she actually invisible or something, I mean, she has no physical form what so ever, so how! Think quick, I need a conversation changer before she calls me out again. "So, If I am going to be using magic then I must have MP or whatever they call it here ''AND'' if I''m pure mana then I must have a lot of it right? So Temi, can you tell how much magic power I have." ''Absolutely, I would be glad too.'' Shit. That was a nice reply, this can''t be good. ''Erin, you have 5 Mana.'' "Whaaaaat!!!!" A Magical Possibility I''m trying to stay calm. I''m trying to stay positive. Even though I''ve been placed inside a dungeon to level up, I''m trying my best to remain calm. Even though I have a sarcastic personal assistant, that seems hit and miss with the information I receive ''and how I receive it'', I''m trying my hardest to be positive. Even though I''m fucking naked and can not see a god damned thing in this stupid dungeon of darkness. I''ve been enduring well. But no more. How the hell am I suppose to become a powerful wizard if I only have 5 MP? Every time I feel like things might actually start going my way, the carpet is abruptly pulled from underneath me, and I''m thrown into the metaphorical shit pile. Man, my luck must be -5 if there is actually such an attribute. "Temi, I thought you said I was made from pure mana. In my opinion, pure mana sounds awesome. It sounds way better than 5 MP so why the hell is my mana so low, it makes me feel weak just thinking about it." ''You are weak. You are Level 1, just like a human infant from Tironia. Also, your body is not ''made'' of mana. It was created by mana and turned into a physical form which was only made possible because of the organic material here at the time of need.'' I listen carefully to Temi''s explanation this time, wanting to understand. Plus I daren''t say a word when she is offering helpful information, just in case she decides to stop being informative. ''As you where ''created'' by pure mana, that means the body you now control has a faster and much greater potential for growth than the average human inhabitant of Tironia. Certain decisions or actions my help you raise your attributes from time to time, but only XP can raise your level. When your level rises you will receive a boost to all your attributes at once. The level up boost is where your mana created body will shine, with each level up, you will grow at a rate of almost 4 times faster than a regular person. So whilst you may be weak now, know that you have the potential to be strong in the future assuming you don''t die here.'' Wow, I think that was the best piece of information Temi has ever given me. Ok so attributes, XP and a level up boost thanks to my awesomely new, rocking bod. Got it. This really feels like those old RPGs I used to enjoy, for some strange reason I can''t recall their names, just like my own, but I''m sure I played them, I can almost remember it. Maybe it''s not just my name that is taken upon death, what if I lost more than I thought about. Either way, I suppose it''s not important now seeing as how everything I was or had are all still in a different world. Anyway. I''m going to assume that monsters are a real thing then too. Seeing how there is magic in this world, it''s not as though I''m stretching the borders of the imagination by believing that. I speculate that my XP will come for them as well and I believe I can handle that. Unless I am actually attacked by another person, what do I do then? I don''t want to kill anyone. Monsters would be manageable, I think, but an actual person? Maybe if they attacked me first and I killed them in self-defence, however, I still feel as though I would be committing an evil act. That fact that I saved another persons life, one of the ''not many'' memories I retain, is how I ended up in this situation in the first place. I don''t believe I have a hero complex, but I''m all about defending people not killing them. ''In order to acquire XP, you will have to kill monsters. The ones that you kill inside the dungeon will be able to be looted, by doing this you will acquire items that you will need to survive. When looted the remains will be reclaimed by the dungeon and the monster will spawn again, at some point in the future.'' This is insane! Absolutely, bat shit crazy! However, all I can do is accept what I have been told and move forward because sounding out in my cold small room, I hear the noise of inevitability. ...Rumble... "So, what can I get to eat down here Temi?" ''Once again, it was a wasted effort trying to impart knowledge as you obviously weren''t paying attention.'' "I was, I swear. I wasn''t daydreaming that time or anything, honest. You said kill monsters, get XP, level up, loot bodies and.....and.... that''s it right?" ''That is correct, well done, good job, you did listen. Great. So you should know what to do now then.'' Eh, no! I''m still stuck at the idea of food. Succulent chicken breast, stuffed and seasoned with complimenting herbs wrapped in more meat, mmmm. I''m salivating. A horrible idea just rolled through my brain station at a terrifying speed. Monster meat, would that drop as a loot item? Potentially. If I was a betting man I would take that gamble right now. I have a perfectly good personal assistant in my mind but I''m a little worried to keep the conversation going with her, she seems to be back into an irritable mood which I''m too blame for apparently, I can just sense the sarcasm rolling off her tongue. Let''s try another approach with her, this might work. "Temi, what can I do about the darkness here?" ''Nothing. It is always dark here.'' .......... "Yes, but how am I suppose to see?" Shit, please don''t capitalise on that opportunity I just handed you on a golden platter. ''Aquire the needed skill or magic.'' Yes, back to helpful Temi, Nice. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The systems light blue, star-filled frame appears before me once again. This time showing great news.
Skill Acquired: Night Vision Level 1
Sweet and super sweet. Just what the doctor ordered. "A skill! Thank you, Temi." ''That was not me. I cannot seem to activate that function at the moment.'' "If that wasn''t you, then who''s sending me text messages?" Hehe. ''That is the System in charge of Tironia and its inhabitant''s growth. I was the System in charge of the soul sphere.'' "So there''s more than one System? And everyone has access to the world system? So in other words, I didn''t need to bring you as everyone has access to it anyway? Damn, did I really just waste the opportunity of a lifetime? I could have brought a Jet Bomber right, they''re real, or a Tank, that''s also real. Why did none of these ideas surface when I sat there for.... time!?" ''Everyone is connected to the System but no one else can interact with it.'' "Oh, so you mean its just me?" ''Us.'' "Us?" ''Yes, we.... are unique.'' I spot an almost visible outline in the darkroom that I call home and start to focus on it, whilst also continuing to pay attention to Temi''s knowledge. ''All races know of their general stats and are also notified by the System when reaching a Level up, acquiring a skill or magic, or when receiving a title or class.
Skill: Night Vision Level 1 has reached Level 2
The strange outline in the dark seems to be a large gash down the wall. It also turned out to be right in front of my face. That''s how hard it is to see in here. Right beside the crack, I can see the outline of the exit of my room. Beyond that is more darkness. I really need to find something to eat, and any source of food in this place is definitely down that tunnel, but I daren''t leave yet. I''ll keep practising by focusing my eyes in the dark to hopefully level up this skill and then I might be able to see further. Walking out into an eerie dark passage, whilst naked, unable to see is literally suicide and I most definitely want to live this new life. As weird as it may be, this is where I am now. I need to adjust to the situation. Pain radiates from my stomach, informing me that I''m still hungry and have yet to eat. Stupid world.
Skill Acquired: Starvation Level 1
My pain eases up slightly but doesn''t disappear fully. I suppose that makes this world a little better, still stupid but better nonetheless. Trying to ignore the now lesser pangs of hunger I concentrate my focus back to the room before me, my efforts eventually leading to success.
Skill: Night Vision Level 2 has reached Level 3
A scary thought washes over me as my happiness recedes. "Temi, what would happen if my MP runs out?" ''You will become tired and fatigued, with a slight pain from lack of mana. The worst-case scenario is that you pass out from reaching zero. The natural ambience and power in the atmosphere will be absorbed by your body, replenishing your own mana reserves over time. The higher the mana density the better the restorative effects.'' "Ok, so not super dangerous. Awesome. Can I use magic now?" ''Yes.'' "Can you explain how I can learn it?" ''Yes.'' Why? Why was I expecting a better answer? Is it because she has been helpful in a steady stream of information recently that I forgot her split personality? More time passes and I''m still stating at the walls, maybe I can''t level up night-vision any further here? I really want to learn magic and I''ve been thinking of a way to get Temi to help me out. I''m going to be.... super nice. Alright, I need to project my best self. My most sincere inner being and come across as grateful because I really want to learn magiiic! Here goes. "Temi, please would you be so kind as to explain to me, how I begin to understand magic and how I can start using it. Please. Thank You." ''I suppose it wouldn''t be too bothersome. It''s simple really, magic is only limited to one''s power and imagination. All you have to do is imagine what you want to happen and then create it with your mana.
Skill: Night Vision Level 3 has reached Level 4 Skill: Starvation Level 1 has reached Level 2 Skill Acquired: Pain Resistance Level 1
Yes, Night Vision. Everything is looking... grey, which is better than black I suppose. Shit. No time for those, I just got a good answer albeit weird as hell. "Simple..... That sounds incredibly vague Temi. Imagine what I want mana to do, then do it? That''s basically what you said, right?" ''........'' "Oi Oi, don''t ignore me now Temi, have you ever used magic before?" ''...... Of course, I''ve used magic before. How do you think I created your body here, whilst we were on the Astral Plane?'' "Ok, good point. But why does your explanation on magic suck!" ''That''s just how it''s done on the Astral Plane. Think, shape, create. Simple. The humans on Tironia learn magic the same way they do with skills. With practice, teachers and books. However, did you even try my method or did you just complain straight away?'' She got me there. In that case, I suppose I should give my wise teachers technique a try. I should at least attempt it once before I complain about how stupid it sounds, right? Hmm. What to create. Hmmmmm. ............ What the hell! Why has my mind gone blank? It''s exactly the same as the moment you are asked a question, that you clearly know the answer too, but you just can''t remember the answer. Relax. Deep breaths. Patience is key here. Right, now that I have calmed down I can remember quite a few different spells. I may have used these in games or I may have seen them on the various anime programs that I had watched. My memories of my past life are hazy and come and go, sometimes memories are there but others are completely non-existent like family or my name. Concentrate on one problem at a time fool. The problem now is that the spells I''m thinking of, I''ll never have enough mana to cast as they''re all boss killing spells. All of them far too destructive for my small room and most of them will almost certainly kill me. None seem to fit the situation. I can guarantee it. I try to rein my thoughts in and get them under further control. I just need something small, really really small. Like a light. I try to imagine what light is to me and I instantly picture it as a light bulb. I can see it illuminating my mind. I try to pull the light from inside the bulb in my head, but it won''t budge. Well, I didn''t expect much from it anyway, but I''ll give it another shot so I can at least say I put the effort in. Once again I picture the light bulb in my mind, this time imagining it without the glass casing. I feel butterflies in my belly and followed by an opening sensation from within me. As though something was just released, I have the urge to pull the light from my mind and merge it with the sensation I now feel within me. It takes less than a second, a sphere of light just as bright as the one I had pictured in my mind, appears above my hand. The light refracting and slowly folding in on itself, it appears to pulse continuously, before emerging again following an infinite loop of brightness. ''......E...Erin, I didn''t actually think you would be able to do that.'' "Hahaha behold!" I grab hold of the sensation I used before, swelling within me and I start pushing it towards my sphere of light, it starts to shine even brighter, exactly as I want it to, rotating in on itself faster and expelling just the same. It looks exactly the opposite of a black hole but instead of sucking light in it seems to be pouring light out instead. It looks beautiful for the split second I''m able to hold my gaze. It lights up the room easily but I''m too fixated on my magic to notice anything else in the room, maybe it''s because it''s the first spell I''ve ever cast or just the fact that it''s magic could be causing my marvel. In the time it appears to the time it takes for the light to hit my eyes, It so bright that I''m a little worried my new body will go blind. I shield my eyes with my free arm releasing them from their first encounter with light, all whilst thinking that this spell definitely deserves a good name. "Sphere of Illuminating Light!" ''You shouldn''t.....'' Mwahahahaha..... A sudden pain shoots into my mind, like my brain, is trying to shred itself, and my Sphere of Illuminating Light fades away. "Ow, you never mentioned severe head trauma during our magical training lesson." I feel groggy all of a sudden, what''s going on. ''You do not have severe head trauma. Nor did you have a magic lesson. I merely explained the basics of how I use to use magic. You just forced the rest of your mana into your spell.'' I drop to my knees, luckily I''m on the mossy side of the room still or I''m pretty sure I would have grazed skin after hitting the floor. My consciousness is slipping but I desperately try to think on one phrase from what Temi just said. Use to use? Does that mean that she can''t use magic anymore? Remorseful thoughts go through my mind as my consciousness fades deeper. Well shit. Now I feel like a fool. And not just for forcing all my mana into one spell. I''m just beginning to use magic and it seems extraordinary, so if she is no longer able to cast it because of me then no wonder she keeps giving me the cold shoulder. She must hate me for depriving her of such a gift. I suppose there''s nothing I can do about it for the moment so I''ll just have to keep it in mind for my future goals. Maybe I could create her a body? I should definitely apologies at some point as well, for dragging her along. My last thought was, I really hope I don''t get eaten and with that, I passed out on what I still believed to be the mossy ground missing an important notification.
Magic Acquired: Sphere of Illuminating Light
Status Opening my eyes to darkness seems like the normal day to day cycle now. I try to raise my body, but I seem to be stuck. The floor feels so inviting, I wonder if I should rest a while longer. My head is still in mild pain from using up my mana, so I don''t think I''ve recovered properly yet. I remember landing on the mossy side of my room to avoid injury from falling. It seemed like the right choice at the time but now that I am unable to move, I''m questioning myself over whether it was the right move to make or not. It''s gotta be the moss right. ''Erin you have to cast a fire spell on yourself quickly to escape the Oran is slowly killing you.'' Knew it. Never trust the moss. "Seriously Temi? I know we''re not exactly best of friends but set fire to myself, I''m not as stupid as you think ya know." ''Anyone that ends a sentence with ''ya know'' has to be some type of stupid. That is beside the point though. I''m actually trying to help you right now.'' "By having me set fire to myself? There has got be a better way for me to get up. I mean, it''s just moss right?" ''It is most certainly not moss. It is a sticky plant called Cali Oran. It steals mana from the host''s body, slowly draining them until they die. They apply a secretion to their victim to numb the pain from the mana drain. The only reason you are still alive right now is the fact that this place is rich in mana so your recovery speed is outmatching the Orans draining potential. If you want to escape the only way is to set a fire between yourself and the plant.'' Temi seems super serious. I really want to trust her on this as, honestly, I have no one else to turn to. I just can''t help but feel like she''s trying to burn me, agaIn. LITERALLY! Why does it seem to be one situation after another at the moment? What I wouldn''t give for a nice bath and good sleep. Reluctantly, I decide to act. "Ok Temi, one more time, please. Do I really have to set myself on fire?" ''Yes, you must put all your mana into it as well, unfortunately. It will be the only way to kill it.'' "Kill it? So it''s a monster?" ''No it is a plant, but mana has made it into something more and as it possesses mana it will award XP and loot upon its execution.'' Oh shit. My first taste of XP, yet another reason to proceed with setting myself on fire. Why does a bad idea seem to end with what seems like good rewards? The logic seems backwards but I''ve already decided to act so, what the hell. Damn it. No matter what it is still a daunting prospect to set myself on fire, made even worse when faced with the idea of adding more mana to it once it has begun just like I did with my sphere of light. I hope I survive this. Once more I try to pry myself from the moss, so I don''t have to follow through with Temi''s crazy idea, but it seems to have surrounded my body with ease seeing as how I have no clothes on. Another reason why I might be starting to shit my metaphorical pants. "How do I do this without dying Temi?" Come on trusty sidekick, best friend, super assistant. I know you got my back this time. Please. ''The safest way to do this would be to imagine a wall of fire between your body and the Oran. A master of magic should be able to do this without even being burned, but for you, we will settle with surviving the outcome. You have enough mana to cast the spell and add mana to it ''exactly'' as you did before. The hard part is when the pain comes once your mana bottoms out, you are going to have to hold the spell for a second after you hit 0, to make sure the Plant catches fire before you pass out again.'' A wall of fire? Doesn''t that seem too complicated? I''m imagining it now but I can''t distinguish between myself and the plant. It just looks like we''re both on fire to me. I am not happy at all but I suppose it''s time to reclaim my balls from this plant. Here goes everything. I feel the butterflies in my belly start to move and turn becoming a swirling vortex in the shape of a sphere, it almost feels like it embodies my soul form in the Astral Plane. I let out a deep breath as I pull my Fire Wall from my mind and my vortex from within, melding them together, creating magic once again. I would love to be screaming about how awesome I am right now, creating magic once more, however, the only thought going through my mind right now is pain. I''ve burned myself whilst cooking before I think. I can''t picture the memory but I can remember how much it hurt and I know it was nothing compared to this. I haven''t even added the rest of my mana yet and it already feels as though it''s passed the point of what I would call too much. Clenching my teeth I press on with Temi''s instructions. I add what mana I can, from what I have left until I know that my MP is gone as even more pain assaults me. This time from both, within me and doubling up the pain I feel outside.
Skill: Pain Resistance Level 1 has reached Level 2
I almost drop the spell, almost instantly like last time but I react quickly even though my mind and body are both in agony, fast enough to keep a hold on my spell. I can no longer see the moss. From an outside point of view, it probably looks as though I''m just laid in fire like some crazy guy. When in reality, you would have to be a crazy guy to set yourself on fire in the first place. Excruciating pain is washing over me like a wave. It rolls over my body repetitively. Temi said to hold this spell for a second but has it been a second? It feels like it''s been an hour, I don''t think I can hold this fire any longer, I was surprised I could even keep holding on to it after my mana ran out. I''m just hoping I did enough to prevent myself from because this plants candy, as my eyes are being forced to close after exhaustion takes me away. My last thought? I hope I don''t burn to death.
You have Leveled up. All stats increased. Special attribute points received. You have Leveled up. All stats increased. Special attribute points received.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. You have Level......
Awareness creeps upon me, rousing me from my unconscious state of mind. Surprisingly, I feel really good. Not sore as I was expecting, even my mind feels great. I feel as though I''ve just had the perfect sleep. I take notice of surroundings as I pick myself up off the hard ground. My Night Vision hitting level 4 has made it so I can see the small room more clearly. The walls look old and cracked but still as strong as the day this place was created. The spring sits in the centre of the wall, opposite the tunnel and starts at head height, coming straight out of one of the many cracks, and falling to the floor where it drains down the hand-sized hole, presumably to the next floor. I see old deteriorated bones in the right corner, furthest from the spring and to the right of my exit, where the plant had collected its spoils from the many victims it has had over however long an amount of time it has been down here. The left side of the room is as bare as I am. The ''moss'', or Cali Oran as Temi called it, has shrivelled up and now looks like a pile of dried up autumn leaves. How was that ''thing'' killing me? I brush off what I assume to be dirt, or what I really hope is not remains, off my smooth, naked, hairless body. That''s right. Not only am I naked, but now I have no visible hair left on my body. My hairless arms feel soft and smooth to touch. My scalp, I let out a solitary tear as I caress it, left without a single hair. My manhood.............let''s not go there. I was expecting to hurt like hell after just burning up like a bonfire however to my surprise, I feel great all over. "Temi, why do I feel so good?" ........ "Temi?" ''Pfffffft, you look so ridiculous, hahaha.'' Seriously! Since when did she gain a sense of humour. This was her idea, how dare she mock me right now. "Oi, don''t laugh at me, you said it was going to kill me and that I had to kill it!" ''Oh, you did have to, yes.... pfft... but I er, may have forgotten to mention you could have killed it by destroying its core.'' Fucking Temi. I knew it, I fucking knew it! God damn, why did I listen to you? She sounded so concerned and serious and in the heat of the moment, I was panicking! ''It would have been much harder for you to pinpoint its mana core and destroy it before you ran out of mana yourself, therefore fire magic seemed like the appropriate choice.'' "Appropriate choice my ass. You know what, I''m so done with this dungeon. I''m hungry and I smell like an old barbeque. All I want is some semblance of peace. If your listening god, why is this happening to me? I saved another persons life in my previous world, I don''t deserve this fate right?" ''The gods rarely answer so I doubt you will have much look communicating with them.'' Another bombshell, not just a god but gods. Plural. Temi just keeps dropping information like a child carrying too much chocolate. Whatever, there''s too much happening right now for me to even care about the existence of multiple deities. Once again my stomach reminds me that I haven''t eaten anything since arriving and my mind quickly shifts to the Oran in the corner. Temi mentioned loot before, not that I expect this plant to give me any sustainable food but even berries will suffice for the moment. Let''s hope she doesn''t screw me over this time. "Temi, how do I loot the bodies as you said before?" ''Just place your hand on the corpse and the loot will be displayed to you.'' "Really? Now you want me to go touch it again after you said it was draining me dry before?" ''Yes. It is dead now. It cannot harm anyone again. Once looted it will be absorbed by the dungeon ready to be respawned at a later time.'' "I don''t trust you Temi, not one little bit anymore. I was beginning to trust you but now I look as though as I have had a full body wax my tolerance has lowered a significant amount for bull shit. First, you tell me that I died and that I''m going to a new world as a weak nobody with nothing to help me. Then you say I have to set myself on fire, even though you clearly knew another way to kill the plant. Now you''re saying that I have to go back and touch the mana draining creature to claim my loot? Well Fuck that, I''d rather starve." ........ ''Really Erin?'' "No, not really! I''m hungry as fuck so of course, I''m going to go over there and touch the damn plant, I''m so mad at you right now that I can''t even think straight. I never swear this much but look at what you have reduced me to." Instead of moving towards the Oran, my feet slowly start to carry me to the spring water instead. I''m so hungry and I do actually hope, and pray, the plant will give me something to eat but, first things first, though I need water. My throat is dry and harsh and the water I can now visibly see looks appealing to me, more so than the dried-up plant on the floor. I cup my hands out to gather up some of the fresh, cold spring water. If I remember correctly then spring water is supposed to be delicious and nutritious especially directly from the source. In the back of my mind, I''m worried that this may not actually be spring water, for all I know it could even be poisonous. Even with my Night Vision helping out, everything in my immediate surrounds looks grey at best. There are no colours for me discern, in fact, the only colour I have seen here is when I was burning alive and I would rather not remember that memory if possible. ''You should not drink that water, Erin.'' Well, that probably means it''s poisonous if Temi doesn''t want me to drink it, but frankly, I couldn''t care less right now. I''m that thirsty and hungry that I would happily offer myself up as a test subject for new experimental types of food that may have hazard health effects at this moment in time. That''s how bad I feel. Plus, who knows what Temi is thinking. This bitch has it out for me and if I''m being honest it is kind of my fault. Not that I would share that with her any time soon. Set me on fire. I''ll show you how to hold a grudge. I hold my hands firmly together to avoid the water seeping through. Slowly and very carefully I bring my hands up to my mouth where I slurp down the water greedily. It tastes delicious. "Ahh, I really needed that." I cup my hands together once more and place them back below the running water ready to take another mouthful.
Skill Acquired: Poison Resistance Level 1
"Well shit." As reluctant as I am to drink the poisonous water from the spring, coming from somewhere above in the dungeon. The first mouthful I had, has awoken a beast inside me. Even knowing that it is definitely poisonous thanks to the system doesn''t dissuade me from wanting, no, needing more. My hands, still cupped in the spring, gather more falling water and I hastily swallow it down in bliss as it reaches my lips.
Skill: Poison Resistance Level 1 has reached Level 2
Honestly. I can''t even taste the poison, I must have been that dehydrated that anything I drank was going to taste spectacular. My poison resistance was raised really fast then. Where can I check it out without waiting for it to rise in level again? "Temi, is there any way I can view my stats and skills that I''ve received so far?" ''Just say or think ''status'' and the system will provide you with the details you require. Although it''s not like you listen to me anyway.'' "You told me to set myself on fire Temi! I''m still pissed off over that, it was only afterwards that you mentioned the plants'' core and a different way to kill it!" ''You killed the Oran and survived, I don''t see why you are so emotional.'' Whatever. Moving on. So, just think or say status. Really? If it''s that easy how come the other inhabitants of Tironia are unable to use the system. Surely if all I have to do is say status, then someone else must have randomly said the word before and brought up there own status screen right? Maybe they can see it but there unable to interact with it? What if it has to do with how much mana your body is made up from. No that sounds stupid. I''m glad I didn''t say that one out loud. ''Is this going to be a repeat of my overview on mana where you criticize the information without testing it first Erin?'' I''m going to criticize everything you every say after today, however just like the mana explanation I will give her the benefit of the doubt for this. Here goes. "Status" From out of nowhere, the systems familiar light blue, star-filled, rectangular screen appears before as if it had always been there. This time though, instead of just a communication screen, it''s more like an information panel or a graph chart. Which seems appropriate seeing as how it is showcasing my stats.
Name: Erin Health: 48/48+
Race: Divine Being Mana: 6/50+
Level: 7 Stamina: 45/45+
Title: None Class: None
STR 37+ WIS 46+
MAG 44+ VIT 37+
AGI 39+ INT 45+
LUCK 2 DEX 36+
Skills Spells
Night Vision Level 4 Starvation Level 2 Pain Resistance Level 2 Poison Resistance Level 2 (NEW) Sphere of Illuminating Light Fire Wall
Hell yeah! Now it''s time to loot the Oran. Leaving Home I''m just a kick-ass Divine Being, chilling out in my dungeon. Yeah right. I wish it was my dungeon. If it was then I wouldn''t be terrified of being here alone. What''s that you say? I''ve got Temi. Well, other than little pockets of information and misleading guidance, she''s about as much use as Shit on a Stick. I do feel bad for bringing her along to this, what seems to ''not'' be a great new life, deathtrap of a room. But every time I think of apologising to her, she somehow seems to get under my skin and manages to irritate me in ways I didn''t think possible. Like when she explained magic and I managed to use it, afterwards she said she didn''t think I could even cast it that way. Well then, why explain that way at all if I wasn''t supposed to learn like that? I could rant tirelessly about Temi and we haven''t even been together that long but if I did, then no doubt, I would starve to death in this dungeon doing it. Anyway, it''s time to loot that sticky plant. Please give me pants. Please give me pants. Fingers crossed, I approach the dry shrivelled up leaves that I once mistook for moss. It has lost a vast majority of what used to be it''s body, shrinking all the way down to a crispy bush. A couple of steps was all it took to reach it, as I still haven''t left the first room I was born in. I should really get some decor if I''m going to stay here. Some curtains for the windows I don''t have, a nice table to put the rest of my non-existent belongings on and I could even use the Oran as a doormat for the entrance. No, I just haven''t found the time to leave yet. Hopefully, it will be right after I loot this creepy mana draining creature, provided that no other distractions arise. My night vision is due to level up again soon, I think and I''m hoping that level 5 might make the tunnel look less terrifying than it already does. It''s very daunting staring into what could be your inevitable doom. Carefully, as though as I''m approaching an apex predator, my hand slowly reaches out and touches the Cali Oran. The Systems box once again pops into existence with information written across it.
Loot Acquired: Oran Matt
Soft light shines between my hand and the Oran plant. Immediately after the light fades away the dried up leaf body of the dead Cali Oran begins to dissolve. Its looks as though someone has thrown acid on the leaves but I already know that it is the dungeon reclaiming its monster. I do not, however, know why the dungeon does this. Or why it produces monsters in the first place but that is not my problem right now and I can save that conversation for the future. For a time when Temi is 100% helpful. Why does my future seem bleak? Leaving future problems for future me I reacquaint myself with my current situation. The body has dissolved and I''m now stood alone in my room with nothing but the sound of the spring to keep me company. Just me and the spring. "Where the fuck is my Matt Temi! I swear to the multiple gods that I don''t know the names of, that if you are trying to take the piss out of me again I am going to go berserk!" ''I did nothing. If you remember, I told you that the world system controls what happens on Tironia.'' "So where is my matt then?" ''I am also a little offended, so do whatever you want.'' .......... "Are you serious right now! ..I''m the guy that died. ....I''m the guy on the planet he has no knowledge of. ......And I am definitely the guy that set himself on fucking fire because you said it was the right thing to do!" How dare you say you''re annoyed. I feel like a volcano about to erupt. I''m so angry right now. How dare she act like she has been wronged. It''s not as though I knew what would happen to her when we got here. I thought she would have just been a system to help me out when I needed it with helpful information and text boxes. I didn''t even realise that she was already able to use magic before coming here and that by coming here she would lose it. I understand she may have a right to be angry but I also feel as though mine is ultimately more justified. Right? She made me set myself on fire! ...I mean, come on! Who does that to another being? I don''t want to hold a grudge, but hell if I''m letting that one go lightly. Determination steeling up inside myself and blind courage brought on through my rage, I stomp over to my little spring that Temi advises against drinking from and plunge my face and mouth straight beneath the water. Gulping down the poisonous liquid, that actually tastes refreshing and lovely, I am now determined to leave my starter cave. My first home. I ended up with no food, no clothes and no weapon from that useless pile of moss and the item that I did get is nowhere to be found. Temi won''t help as she''s ''offended'' so screw her, I''ll do this myself.
Skill: Poison Resistance Level 2 has reached Level 3
Nice. See, I''ve got this. I don''t even feel bad. Let''s have another quick look at my stats before I leave to make sure I didn''t miss anything. "Status"
Name: Erin Health: 48/48+
Race: Divine Being Mana: 6/50+
Level: 7 Stamina: 45/45+
Title: None Class: None
STR 37+ WIS 46+
MAG 44+ VIT 37+
AGI 39+ INT 45+
LUCK 2 DEX 36+
Skills Spells
Night Vision Level 4The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Starvation Level 2 Pain Resistance Level 2 Poison Resistance Level 3 Sphere of Illuminating Light Fire Wall
Okay. No Title and no Class, fair enough. It may be a tad unfair to the rest of the world if I reincarnated with ''The Worlds Greatest Sorcerer'' title and the ''Ultimate Magus'' class. I have nothing to compare my attributes against but damn they look good, I feel pumped right now. My Mana is at 6 out of a total of 50! That means it''s more than when I got here, that shows progress. I was destined to be a spell-slinging mage, what can I say. Does the plus sign mean it has increased or it can be increased? I don''t even know when I acquired my spells. I know I used them but I never received a notification, as I do with my skills. Although each time I used them I blacked out, so there is that. It could have happened during my moments of unconsciousness. Hmmm. Experiment time. I''m not going to say it out loud though, it could annoy Temi that I''m asking the system and not her. Or worse, she will use my moment of stupidity to ridicule me at some point in the future. She did say that I can communicate with the system using my thoughts didn''t she? Just like I do with my status, that means I don''t have to say it either but will she receive the same thoughts as the one I''m trying to send to the world system? I hope not. Here goes. System, show log. ........ Nothing. Phew. Glad I didn''t say it out loud now. Did I do it wrong? Or use the wrong word? System, show messages. ........ Damn I thought was a good one, nevermind I still know more words. System, show Notifications. It worked! I could use a high five right now... This time multiple message boxes appear all lined up waiting there, in turn, to be read. Most are about level ups and special attributes, maybe that''s what the plus sign is. Scrolling through my notifications I come across the two messages I was expecting to find.
Spell Acquired: Sphere of Illuminating Light
Spell Acquired: Fire Wall
So I learned actual spells, after using Temi''s backwards way. Think and create. Pfffft It still messes with my mind. Either way. Experiment one completed. I say experiment ''one'' because I came up with a second halfway through the first. Next, let''s see if I can get more mana. Experiment two commence. System, place all special attribute points into my mana. I feel my inner power swelling at the rise of my mana attribute, expanding inside me as it pulls in the ambient mana from my surroundings. I feel really powerful, like some kind of high. Ohh that felt nice. I quickly recall my status to see what has happened.
Name: Erin Health: 48/48
Race: Divine Being Mana: 6/74
Level: 7 Stamina: 45/45
Title: None Class: None
What the fuck? I was really hoping that my mana would go up with the total amount but it didn''t. I mean the total rising is kind of amazing, It makes it a little more worthwhile I suppose. Experiment two also seems to be a bit of a success. It worked and my points were allocated but I feel as though I could have placed my attribute points more wisely. It''s really bugging me. Why won''t it fill up? Have I absorbed all the mana in my small man cave? Don''t be ridiculous. If that Oran lived here, it must have a high amount of mana in this area to sustain a mana draining creature like that. ...... Is it me? Am I broken like Temi? How can I be broken when I''m practically brand new. I let out a sigh and start moving my feet towards the tunnel entrance. Procrastinating over my problems will get me nowhere. Right now I only have one goal in mind. Food. With my thirst quenched and my status looking good, I set off out into the unknown leaving my empty home behind. I estimate that I can see as far as 10 meters in front of me, which in my current situation is far from ideal but I have to make the best of a bad situation. The rough walls and floor of the dungeon have a grey, dark grey or light grey shade to them in the small area that I can see. I follow the narrow tunnel seeing nothing at all for a good amount of time. Not until I come across another slightly larger tunnel running directly across mine and branching off in opposite directions. Each passageway leads to more eerily silent darkness. Why haven''t I come across anything yet? 10 foot of sight is not enough to make a decision. The choice, left or right, makes my resolve waver for a split second but then I remember my anger from earlier. I use this feeling to suppress the fear of a bad choice and I decide to head down the left tunnel, this passage seems to get slightly narrower than the opposite one. The logic in my choice. Smaller path means smaller monsters. I''m still a noob here. The last situation I want to find myself in is being lost inside a large cavern that accidentally turns out to be a dragons lair. No thank you. At least if I get lost in a smaller cavern or tunnel, my chances of meeting an exponentially large monster are slashed in half as most monsters I''m imagining wouldn''t fit in here. Continuing on my eyes scan my surrounding for anything edible. It''s not as though I expect to find legendary food of greatness. No, my eyes are thoroughly searching for those horrible little parasites that grow in dark clammy places like these. Of course, I am searching for mushrooms. By the way. I hate mushrooms. They look gross. They taste gross. They''re just straight-up, gross! But right about now, I would eat a mushroom that had been stepped upon repeatedly by monsters, of the unknown variety if it meant staving off this knawing pain that assaults me every second I exist. I''m soooo hungry. On the path, I find less difficulty than I thought I would have had, whilst navigating the dark tunnel. I might send a silent prayer to the multiple gods, in thanks for my very first skill, if I survive this ordeal.
Skill: Night Vision Level 4 has reached Level 5+ You may now upgrade this skill Upgrades Available : Extend Range: Doubles effectiveness increasing range to 5 meters per Level Enhanced Colour: Colour is more discernible in the dark
Well shit. Now, that''s what I''m talking about. I''ve definitely got to send someone a prayer for looking after me. Let''s think about this, although the answer is pretty clear. Do I want to be able to see further away or do I want to be able to see what colour this tunnel actually is? Hmmmmm. ''I will choose Extended Range, thank you very much World System.''
Skill Upgraded: Night Vision (Extended Range)
Thank you. You the man, or woman, I''m not sexist! With my upgrade chosen, my vision reaches out even further than before. "I reckon I can see at least 20 meters in front of me now. That is pretty cool considering I''m in a dungeon with no real light at all." The dungeon of Morte. I don''t think I studied languages in my previous life, but I feel pretty confident that Morte means death. Why does my new start in life seem like it''s happening at the place where a lot of deaths occur? ''You can see 20 meters away in all directions now Erin.'' I didn''t even ask her. In fact, I haven''t spoken to Temi in a while. Since I set off in my fury earlier, I have just been following the same tunnel. It''s still the first one I came out onto from the one that connects to my home. It''s been hours since I set off and I haven''t seen a single thing, not the sight or sound of anything except myself. I wonder if Temi is feeling lonely? That might be why she''s offering me helpful information. I''m not as angry as I was before so let''s give her a chance. "Temi, can you tell me what floor we are on in the dungeon." ''I cannot.'' "What? You can tell me how far I''m able to see but you can''t tell me where I am! Even though you''re the one who sent me here?" ''Unfortunately, I was separated from the Main System when you decided to bring me with you. The last action I saw performed, was the transfer of the soul to the created body, from the soul sphere. That was my job, you could say, my purpose. To watch and guide souls through Reincarnation. Whilst we''re on the subject I would just like to say that I did not create the body as I stated before. The world system created the body on Tironia for you and I just transferred your soul over. After that, I was forcefully closed and rebooted.'' Oh......well shit. My anger starts to fade away until it has almost completely disappeared, how could it not after hearing Temi explain how this experience played out for her. Forcefully closed and rebooted? So she was a computer system? Every time she speaks I''m filled with questions and it''s infuriating. My rage is boiling up again but this time it''s not Temi''s fault... well, not directly anyway. I never expected her to gain sentience just by being dragged along. No one could have predicted that would happen right? I wouldn''t have done that to her if I would have known. I imagined her becoming my supercomputer, a text box secretary, keeping track of my appointments, taking care of my finances, being tasked with reminding me of specific events that need said reminders set for them. Ok, yes. It sounds a bit like slave labour. But it wouldn''t be if she was an actual non-sentient Computer chick like I originally assumed her to be. At this moment, I feel like this is the best chance I''ll get to apologies to Temi. She even told me she lied earlier by saying she created my body with magic. If that''s not opening up to someone then I don''t know what is. Will it make her feel better if I apologise, it would for most human people. The way she speaks I''m almost 100% sure she has emotions. Even if it changes nothing at least it''s the right thing to do and it will make me feel better. "Hey Temi, I''m... er...I''m sorry for choosing you." ''No you''re not Erin, I was a clever choice. A Reincarnator learning how to use magic like a System is unheard of. The System has never been chosen by a Reincarnator before so there is no precedence set for what you could achieve. No one, not even the Main System will know how this is going play out.'' "Well, in that case, let me at least apologise for bringing you without your permission. I should have asked you if you wanted to join me before just deciding that you would work for me. I am sorry Temy, I can''t begin to understand how you must be feeling stuck inside the mind of a naked noob on a new world." ''Apology accepted Erin. Your analogies could do with some work but for now, just the fact that you consider my....... feelings, makes me........ happy?'' A sigh of relief leaves my lungs. How long has that been there, have I been subconsciously feeling regret over bringing Temi with me from the start? Does that mean that I was really angry at myself? Never mind, an apology has been given and an apology has been accepted. It doesn''t matter who I was angry at or who''s to blame, we''re moving on. Also, I''m happy with that outcome too. "Alright then partner. Let''s see what''s lurking around in these tunnels. You with me." ''Duh, where else am I going to go. Hehe'' A laugh. Not a smirk or a pfft but an actual, honest to the gods, laugh. I''ll take it. Progression is a slow and steady road and so is this tunnel, so let''s keep exploring. Hopefully, I can find some food soon. Encounter How long has it been now? My feet just keep pressing forward. Hunger is what drives me. I have a vague memory of a book, where the main character manages to find himself in a situation that is slightly similar to my own. Stranded and without food. Forced to forge his own way just to survive. I can''t remember who wrote it, or what it was called. I don''t even have any memories of reading the book, I just recall the plot for some reason. Is it because of how I have managed to find myself in a similar predicament? Probably. However, I have something that other protagonist could have only dreamed about. That''s right. My trusty companion, who is actually real and relatively useful. Sometimes. Why sometimes? Let''s see. "Temi, how long has it been since I was reincarnated?" ''28 hours, 59 minutes and 24 seconds.'' Super helpful, right. I know. But... Then there are other times, like just a moment ago. I asked Temi if she knew why my mana was still not rising. That''s right after checking my status again, whilst still following the eerily empty ''Tunnel of Abyss'' as I have named it, I confirmed that my mana is not rising any higher. After putting all my additional attribute points into it as well, I''m supposed to have a mana pool of 78. So why the hell am I stuck at 6 mana then, I asked myself. Oh, and very manlike I might add, nothing at all like a little bitch. Anyway, I turned to my trusty partner in crime, my faithful accomplice, the Bonnie to my Clyde if you will, as one would do when faced with a situation like this. We even bonded a little not too long ago, so I had high hopes she would be able to shine some light on my problem. Unfortunately for me, the answer I received was nothing how I have previously described her. ''I''m sorry Erin. I don''t know.'' She''s as stumped as I am. Temi even apologised, so I can''t hold it against her. I doubt she''s keeping anything from me. So yes, relatively useful is how I am choosing to describe her. According to Temi''s internal clock, I''ve been here longer than a full day. In that time I should have restored way more mana than 6, right? Not that I know what my regeneration rate is. I''ll have to conduct another experiment soon.
Skill: Night Vision Level 5 has reached Level 6
Awesome, I love the fact that my skills level up passively without me actually needing to do anything. It was right when I needed something to lift my spirits a little too. Thank you oh kind bestower of skills and magic. With my level increased once again, my field of view expands a bit further than before revealing the expected. Nothing. I let out another sigh and continue down the ever uneventful, Tunnel of Abyss. Damn this thing''s long. I don''t even want to ask Temi how much of my time here I''ve spent on just walking. It will be too depressing to hear. If this wasn''t still the second tunnel I have come across, then I might start to worry about losing my way. However having only made a single turn throughout my whole journey so far, even with the length of time I have been trudging along, it would be ridiculous to considered myself lost. I suppose I shouldn''t really put it off. Knowledge is what I need after all. Experiment time. I''m going to use Fire Wall and see how much mana it costs. Then I can work out how long my mana takes to regenerate. This is nothing like my previous attempts at magic, I didn''t know when using my imagination. I still can''t believe Temi had me try it her way, but upon succeeding and earning 2 spells, who am I to complain. This time I will be casting a spell that''s actually written on my status. I feel confident when thinking about how I''m going to do this, it''s as though the spell is already in my mind, ready to be unleashed. It''s hard to put into the right words. I cast the spell with ease, it was as simple as thinking the word. I want to know how long my spell will last as well so I bring out the status window and begin counting the moment my magic starts to take shape. A crackling light starts to erupt into life, spluttering at a lightning-fast speed and forming a wall almost instantly. The fire dances before my eyes threatening to blind me if I don''t shield myself from its harmful glow. I throw my arms up in front of my face to protect my eyes, also trying not to let the tremendous sight obstruct my count. It takes a few seconds before I finally adjust to the difference in light, I even managed to keep track of the seconds passing by and now I''m able to carefully observe my surroundings at the same time. The brightness of the flames lights up the passage as I have never seen. Long looming orange and brown shadows, dance the macabre down the rough tunnel walls and staggered ceilings, as far it will permit whilst the fire sings a song in front of them. The stone floor is grey with its only noticeable features being a few cracks scattered here and there and my own shadow flickering along with it. My body, clearly visible now, unfortunately, looks smooth and hairless reminding me of earlier misfortune. My hands slowly glide over my scalp and I start to feel sorry for myself. I liked the way my hair felt, but it was short-lived. Not a single strand remains, anywhere. I check my status and see that I''m down to 3 mana. As I hit 58 seconds my magic starts to disappear. The Fire Wall flickers out of existence like it was never there in the first place and the usual eerie darkness creeps its ugly head back out of each crevice and crack. It consumes the light, and once more the Tunnel of Abyss is assaulted by darkness. At the same time, my mana rises up to 4. I''m going to say that it was a full minute and assume that my time keeping skills are only 95% effective. I''m pretty sure it''s difficult for anyone to keep count without a clock so overall I don''t think I did too bad. Go me. Regardless of my time keeping skills, my experiment shows that I earn 1 mana per minute which is great news! The bad news, however, is that must mean I really am capped at 6 mana for some reason? Since Temi said there was a problem when I chose to bring her with me, I''m wondering if more than one problem arose and this is the result of one of those? It sounds plausible, right? I have a theory but I can''t be sure until I find another monster and... you know, kill it. I''m not going to start complaining about the logic of magic again so I keep my eyes on my status whilst continuing to count, also trying my best to avoid thinking about the fact that I still have no hair. I know I''m hung up on it, but you would be too if you were me! Another minute brings another point of mana back. I wonder how it works, absorbing mana from the atmosphere? I didn''t feel anything significant happen other than the everlasting hunger pain. Every time I start to wonder about ''anything'' in this world I''m automatically full of questions. I don''t want to keep bothering Temi, especially not with trivial questions that aren''t relevant to our situation. I don''t want her to think of herself as only my bank of knowledge or as my possession either. Even though there''s nothing else she can do, I still feel bad continuously relying on her. ''Your mana has stopped regenerating Erin.'' "What do you mean? It''s full, or, it''s just not working anymore?" ''It is definitely not full, the regeneration process has stopped at 6 again because of...... something unknown.'' There seems to be a lot of unknown in my life now.
Skill: Starvation Level 2 has reached level 3
I wonder when starvation will stop working for me and leave me to die? That''s a question I would rather not have an answer for. The thought of putting a timer on my new life? I shiver. Until then, I''ll keep on keeping on, so that I can find something edible and not starve to death. Finally, I come across another tunnel, this passageway is much smaller than the previous two and is carved directly into the wall of the Tunnel of Abyss. I know my logic before dictated that smaller tunnels are better because they reduce the risk of large monster attacks. However, on the opening of this tunnel, are what I can only describe as gash marks. They are carved into each side of the wall that creates the opening. Multiple gouges further inside, leave chunks of the wall to litter the floor, leading all the way on until darkness obstructs my sight. Ultimatum time. Stay in the ''easy-going, safe as can be'' Tunnel of Abyss for now, or, enter the ''potentially more than likely to have an encounter'' new half-sized tunnel with heart-crushing gash marks on the entrance? Decisions, decisions. And not a good choice insight. I hate both of these. Why isn''t one of my choices take an all-inclusive paid vacation, to a brand new Villa and Spa? A relaxing secluded getaway, free from stress or worry, with the finest food and drink one could ask for. No monsters. No worries. Ahhhh. That would be my idea of heaven. I bring my head back out of the clouds. "Temi, if we go down this new ''not ominous at all'' passageway, what do you reckon our chances of getting lost increase too?" I think that was a rather good question myself, especially because I want to try and avoid being slashed to death, if for any reason I have to run for my life because the monster is way too tough for me I don''t want to get lost in a maze of tunnels. Oh, I should have asked if there are any maze-like structures in this dungeon.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ''We have no possible chance of getting lost in here as the map feature updates as you move. Also once I have enough data on the layout of this particular section of the dungeon, I will be able to tell you what floor we are on.'' Well if I thought I brought a good question, then Temi knocked it out of the park with a home run answer. Everything I needed and more. I''m going to have to up Temi''s description to ''Quite Useful'' if she keeps on using answers like that. "I can use a map? Is it a system feature?" ''Yes, just ask the system to display it for you. I can currently use the map as we are connected through a direct link. I can also see your status, attributes, skills, magic and inventory. I can not access any of the other features until you unlock them through further level ups.'' You are shitting me. System, open inventory.
Inventory 1/15
Oran Matt
My emotions well up as the systems familiar star-filled frame appears, revealing where my loot went. How did I forget about inventories? Sometimes it''s a spacial dimension or a pocket dimension, but where there''s magic then an inventory isn''t far behind. How did I not remember that until now? "Temi, do you know what an Oran Matt is?" ''Just a matt for sitting on, it provides some form of comfort.'' Seriously? That''s all I got from a mana draining plant monster! Obtaining any type of food in this place seems like a fool''s errand. However if I don''t at least try, then it isn''t just a possibility anymore. Death becomes a certainty. Steeling my resolve once again, this time not with anger but with determination. I will find some food here, I will. Seeing as how I''m not going to get lost because apparently, I have a map that I was never told about, I leave Temi in charge of navigating in case things go awry and decide to take the smaller, more evil looking, gashed out passageway. Upon entering I can tell that this tunnel definitely has some type of danger in it. Not far in I notice that there''s a putrid smell here that, hasn''t been present in the first two tunnels I explored. Carefully and slowly I make my way down what seems to be another straight forward tunnel, apart from having to avoid the pieces of wall that have been scored out and scattered across the floor. There are three differences in this tunnel compared to the last two. First was the claw marks, present before I even entered. Second is the smell, which came after I had made a slight bit of progress passed the entrance. Now even further in, the third noticeable difference, is that the ceiling is higher and the pathway in front of me is opening up into what I''m going to assume is a room. For the first time since coming to Tironia, I can sense death. I can feel it. I can smell it. I can almost reach out and touch it, not that I would or even want to. Right now I am shitting my metaphorical pants, again. If I had any hair left, it would all be stood on end. Goosebumps prickle up all over my body. I''m shaking and sweating but above all else, I have the sudden need to go to the bathroom. I''ve been putting it off, worried it may attract large monsters that I wouldn''t have been able to handle in the first tunnels. But now, with the smell of death in the air, I can''t keep hold of it. Piss trickles out of me and my body relaxes at the euphoric feeling of relieving oneself, after holding it for too long, washes over me. Hot steam rises up and the moment fades away, back into fear and I begin to panic again. Hoping my fears are misguided and preying this whole floor is empty, I shake off and try to move away from the newly formed puddle. I''m sorry dungeon. Uncaring for my apology, the dungeon makes its first noise that I''ve heard, which didn''t come from myself or my spring. It was a scraping a noise, followed by what sounded like a grunt. Shit! What if this is some creatures home and I''ve just barged in and pissed on his floor. My eyes dart around the room scanning all over, searching for anything that might be furious at the degradation I have just caused, but I end up with nothing. Where the room starts to narrow back into a tunnel on the other side to rejoin the darkness, I hear another grunt followed by what sounds like metal and stone. A short horrible scratching noise that hurts my ears.
Skill: Night Vision Level 6 has reached Level 7
My number one skill that has helped me navigate the dark tunnels of this floor shows its worth by pushing back the unending darkness once again. I have to admit it''s amazing watching Night Vision force back the pitch black that constantly surrounds us, or at least it was amazing, until it revealed a large Lizard Man, brandishing an equally large sword, looking like a final boss. I stare into his eyes and find myself paralysed by fear. Fuck. This is my first time seeing a true monster. I''m not counting the Oran. He''s glaring straight back at me with his sinister reptilian eyes, probably super pissed off that I took a leak all over his home and wondering how delicious I''ll taste, as food is next to non-existent down here. His body, which is easy twice the size of my own, seems to be propped up by his sword which looks to be a large scimitar. It''s stained with a dark grey liquid that I am going to assume is another monster''s blood. At this point my heart is pounding in my chest, my back is drenched in so much sweat, it feels as though I''ve just taken a shower and my shaking is becoming erratic. The ''what I assume to be blood'' doesn''t stop at his sword, the large arm he is using to lean on the deathly scimitar is coated in it too, the creature appears to have multiple large gashes running around the extremely tough-looking muscle just above its elbow. His other arm, which is cradled cross his chest, seems to be missing a sizable amount just beneath the shoulder and is spilling, not one but two, different shades of grey substances out. His large head bares equally as large teeth but it looks at though a few are missing. He looks like he''s already been in a fight or multiple fights. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. One wrong move and he might slice me to pieces with that sword of his. Or just straight-up eat me whole. Seeing as how he isn''t charging at me to feast on my corpse I take this opportunity to re-examine my foe again to see if he may have any weaknesses I can exploit. I have no doubt he''s sizing me up in exactly the same way. Geez, get some self-respect guy, I don''t have any clothes on. Avert your eyes from the awesomeness that is my manly, hairless body. Of course, I''m joking around. What else can I do in this situation? The only logical outcome, if we fight, is that I die horribly, right? Unfortunately, even if I could find his weak points it still wouldn''t help me as I''m unable to move my feet. Under my breath, I ask my ever loyal companion for help. "Temi, help, what do I do?" ''Wait.'' "What? Wrong time for jokes Temi, help me please!" ''I am. Just wait Erin.'' Well, it''s not like I can move anyway. My body is blatantly refusing to follow my commands. Time for trust. Please don''t let me die Temi, please, please, please. I don''t wanna die naked and next to a puddle of my own piss. My Night Vision makes the Lizard mans sword shine just a touch in places where the blood doesn''t hide its beauty. Damn, that''s a cool blade. This guy must be a super boss to carry that thing around.
Skill Acquired: Fear Resistance Level 1 Skill Acquired: Paralysis Resistance Level 1
Too little, too late System. I''ll see you in the next life hopefully. I shift my gaze from the stained scimitar, back to the lizard man''s own eyes once more. A black centre surrounded by what I would guess is yellow? Maybe I should have taken the colour upgrade for Night Vision, after all, everything being grey is quite confusing, not that it matters now. After locking eyes, for what I assume will be the last time, the lizard man lets out one more groan..... .. and then collapses. Facedown on the floor. I scan the tunnel once more looking for the T.V crew that is set to jump out with some crazy dude screaming ''Bruh, you just got pranked!''. Some part of me wants to laugh at how anti-climactic that was. My other, more rational side is wondering if the lizard man is playing possum. A big ass creature like that playing possum? Don''t be daft. He would have no need for tactics like that. Laid face down on the floor, I can easily see his large frame slowly rising and then collapsing back down sporadically, he''s clearly struggling just to breathe, which means he isn''t dead yet. "Temi, how did you know to wait?" ''I checked his status and saw that he was under the effects of paralysis, poison and bleeding debuffs.'' "We can check the status of a monster? How do I do that? Is it like magic? Does it work on all monsters?" ''Hehe, sometimes you are very childlike Erin, you always have multiple questions. I''ll answer them though.'' I can feel Temi''s happiness and even though she just insulted me, again, I can sense that it was done with joy, not malice or anger and definitely not with the intention to hurt my feelings. ''Yes we can check a monster''s status but no it isn''t magic, it was one of my skills. You, however, should have the ability to learn the magic spell Identify and no, you can not check the status of every monster. Some are too strong and will resist your magic with there own.'' "Cooool! So how do I do it!" ''Seeing how well you learned the first two spells, I see no problem with attempting to learn the identification spell the same way. Imagine a status screen, but not yours. It needs to be the monsters, once you have it in your mind you must then create it with your mana and the system will fill in the details. Hopefully, it should work based on past experiences.'' "Hopefully? I''m starting to suspect that this isn''t how people from Tironia learn magic, is it?" ''No, it is how the system creates and uses magic. The people of Tironia learn through practice, teachers, hard work and studying. There are also magic tomes but even if you found one down here, with your mana, it''s unlikely you would be able to cast what is contained inside as almost all dungeon tomes have strong magic spell sealed within. Most races have many schools about magic and skills but they do not comprehend them fully and there is much they still do not know. However, now is not the time for this lesson.'' She''s right. Now isn''t lesson time. It''s magic time. Imagine a status screen with the lizard man in mind. Check. Feel the mana within me, swirling and twisting around. Check. "Identify" I call out as I bring imagination to life with my mana. The systems light blue star-filled interface appears before me showing exactly what I wanted. Magic is so sweet.
Name: Eto?? Health: 3/150
Race: Lizard Kin Magic: 1/108
Level: 24 Stamina: 0/154
Title: Shrine Guardian Class: Paladin Level 14
Ailments Poison: Paralysis: Bleeding
''If you finish off the monster then there is a chance you may acquire a class, that would be a great benefit to you right now, as well as taking all the XP from his death. It should be simple in his weakened state.'' I don''t move. Not because of the fear but... "Temi, I..." I struggle for a moment to even choke up my words. "I don''t really wanna kill this guy, I mean, he has a name. Eto. I concede on the fact that he is a big scary looking monster, but still... Look at that title. How kick ass is that! Shrine Guardian. Doesn''t this guy sound like a hero and arent nearly all Paladins heroes? He has to be a good guy, right? There''s no way he can be an evil monster. I honestly don''t think I can kill this dude." He sounds so righteous. It sounds like a name I would have chosen for myself. Eto the Shrine Guardian. Defender of Justice. Conquerer of Evil. Champion of the People. Fuck it, I''m going to help this guy. Come on feet move. Nothing. MOVE!
Skill: Fear Resistance Level 1 has reached Level 2 Skill: Paralysis Resistance Level 1 has reached Level 2 Skill Acquired: Overpower Level 1
My right foot lifts slowly off the ground. My leg shakes as though I''m on a tight rope. Come on, and again. This time my left foot rises up and moves forward. I can''t control my shakes, but I am now making progress. One foot after the other is all it will take. Halfway through the room, the Lizard Man Eto opens his eyes at my approach. "I.....I...I''m going t..to help you." I call out weakly. A few more steps, each one getting harder and harder to raise back up and move forward again. The reason... Eto is glaring at me, with what seems to be a furious expression. He must think I intend to finish him off. I am now less than 5 foot away from what I had first perceived to be my inevitable death. All I want to do right now is help this guy, he''s at his limit and he knows it. Death is creeping all around him, ready to pull him away and steal his majestic title. Not today bastard! My plan is to try and roll him over and heal his wounds by using magic I have minimal knowledge about. I know it''s a stupid plan but time is not on my side. I''m going to imagine using the spell ''cure'' from one of those old RPGs and I''ll give him the full 6 mana too. I am still shitting myself but for completely different reasons this time. I check his status once again and he''s still on 3 health. Good, it''s not draining as fast as I thought it was. I estimate I have at least a few minutes to attempt my risky experiment. I attempt to move around to his right-hand side as it seemed to be the most injured before he collapsed. He notices my sudden change of direction and opens his mouth. Did he understand before, when I stuttered a weak offer of help? No! Acting as though he doesn''t understand that I''m trying to save his life, he spits a large grey ball of phlegm at me. It comes fast and I have no chance of evading at such a close distance. Aaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhh Mother Fucker. Shit. Tears streak down my face as unimaginable pain erupts to life just like my Fire Wall had done previously. My skin starts to sizzle, pieces turn black and start to melt instantly, yellow blisters and boils appear on top of each other multiplying rapidly, as I collapse to the ground in agony. It wasn''t phlegm as I had originally thought. It turned out to be acid and he hit me right in my...... in my........ He hit me in my...... It doesn''t matter where he hit me! What matters, is that this ungrateful bastard is lucky that I''m such a good guy, or I''d chop his fucking head off, with his own fucking sword. God damn that hurts so much. Somehow I manage to crawl to the side in agony. All effects of paralysis seem to have been removed from me now, replaced by an indescribable feeling of agony. Quick experiment! Imagine my injury, feel my magic. "Cure!" The soft white light of healing, delicately envelopes itself around my wounded skin. Almost instantly I feel the sensation of pain washing away and I breathe a sigh of relief. It took only a few seconds from start to finish, that must be the fastest and shortest spell I''ve cast since coming to Tironia. Happy once again with my physical state I focus my attention back towards the elephant in the room, or lizard in my case.
Magic Acquired: Cure
Ignore that for now. Eto appears to be fully unconscious now and upon checking his status, he only has a single point of health left. His acid spit must cause a little recoil damage. I almost don''t feel like saving his life after what he just did to me, I still feel like he could be a good guy if given a chance though, what if we''re both just misunderstanding the situation? ''I suggest that you kill the monster before any others find this area.'' Shit. Temi is all for it. How heartless can one sentient computer system be? "I''m going to heal him." ''Why?'' "He....... has a cool name and title?" Shit. I think I just lost that argument before it even started. Whatever, first things first, I need to somehow roll his heavy ass body over. Still on my knees after my brief run-in with excruciating pain, I slowly crawl to Eto''s side. I see his scimitar caught underneath him and decide to move it so that it doesn''t cause harm when I roll him over accidentally taking his last digit of health. I gently try to ease the heavy sword out from beneath him but it feels obstructed, maybe caught on a crack in the floor. A little wiggle is all it takes before it gives and starts to come out. I hear a slop, followed by the sound of flowing liquid and I panic once more believing the sword may have been stuck in Eto himself and I may have just finished him off accidentally by removing it. I need to heal him quickly. Hastily I pull on the scimitar with more strength than I should possibly possess, which is now on a worse angle since my panic made me flinch, trying to get it out fast so I can roll this guy over and cast cure on what I can see. However using my unexpected new might, I end up slicing straight through Eto''s throat, most certainly ending his life instead. Fuck
You have levelled up.
Spoils I''ve always hated hindsight. It''s one of those words you can do nothing about and its definition can be used with almost every decision we make. I could have handled that differently. I should have tried harder. I could have put more effort in. These are just a few of the phrases that seem to be floating around inside my mind as I stare at the lifeless corpse of, what may have been, one of this worlds heroes. I''m only speculating he was a hero based on his title, class and physique but I feel as though I''m right and its causing turmoil inside my mind. Although he was an acid-spitting monster in a dungeon, I felt a duty of care for some strange reason. Finding another injured being and then seeing his status made me feel a responsibility to help. But then he spat acid at me! I will never forget that shit, even if I had managed to save him, we would have had an explicit conversation about what happened. It''s a tug of war in my brain, with both sides arguing for dominancy and the justification team is losing. "I just killed a hero, does that make me a villain?" ''He wasn''t a hero, just a monster.'' Insightful news but how does she know that? "Are you sure? He seemed pretty heroic to me, facing off against another opponent in the state he was in is definitely heroic in my book?" ''What book?'' "It''s an expression, nevermind that. How do you know he wasn''t a hero?" ''Simple, it would state it on his title. Also, he was paralysed if you have forgotten, so he was not facing off with you, he just couldn''t move and was slowly dying from blood loss and poison.'' Oh. So my inner crisis is pointless? I''m not a bad guy? "But he had a name. Do all monsters have names?" ''Certain monsters are named by the dungeon. They perform specific jobs or given to them by the dungeon and obtain XP, titles and classes from such roles.'' Didn''t see that one coming. Although it does make sense, it would be an unfair handicap if monsters were unable to obtain XP. And what was that about the dungeon giving them jobs? What is this place, a recruitment agency? "So is the dungeon another monster?" ''No, the dungeon has a core which is essentially the beating heart. You can consider that as the monster. If the destroy the dungeon the core can remake it but if you destroy the core, the dungeon will no longer function. The core has the abilities to alter the layout and terrain of any room or tunnel inside of itself, as well as the ability to create more if it is trying to grow. It can also add monsters, create traps and perform many other random phenomena, in whichever part of itself it deems necessary.'' Wow, this dungeon seems to have more skills than I do. Talk about emasculation. ''Also unless the dungeon has changed her layout, then I believe that if we keep heading down this passageway, we will arrive at the entrance to the next floor.'' "Really? How can you tell? ''Dungeon Morte has many floors that have large tunnels but only a few floors which contain lizard kin monsters and even less containing a shrine.'' "Awesome, that means if your right we''ll know where we are." ''Correct.'' Ok, my guilt has died down a fraction, not completely but enough to let my mind start moving in straight lines again and I''m feeling a bit more positive now that I know Eto wasn''t a hero. Even more so after finding out that we might know our current floor number soon. Temi is really pulling through for me recently. She seems to have adjusted to being dragged here by yours truly. I still feel bad about bringing but I''d be lying if I said I would change my choice. I suppose it''s time to loot the body? I hope I get food. That''s all I want. I don''t care about the sword. I don''t care about clothes. I doubt I will last much longer without some type of sustenance. It''s been more than 24 hours since I drank from my poison spring. My dehydration is now almost as bad as my hunger. Please, oh god or system who controls the loot, please don''t let me die. Placing my hand on Eto the system answers my call.
Loot Acquired: Lizard Skewer x5 Steel Scimitar
Nom nom nom. Delicious. I demolished my way through the first skewer, choking slightly whilst trying to eat too much at once, before slowly savouring every bite of the second and third. I couldn''t contain myself, not that anyone could blame me. Should I shed a tear for the thought for my fallen foe, his remains where being reclaimed by the dungeon right in front of me whilst I ate? Not phased at the event happening before my eyes, I was already in my inventory pulling out skewers, all cohesive thoughts gone, like Eto''s remains..... I know he wasn''t a hero thanks to professor Temi''s wisdom on titles, however, thank you, Eto. Your delicious skewers will serve to keep me going for a while longer. Wondering if a good meal was all it may have taken to refill my mana, I decide to call up my status and have a look. I also levelled up quite a few more times after killing Eto by mistake. I had forgotten all about it as soon as I saw something edible. I was having a crisis, so I suppose I''ll cut myself some slack.
Name: Erin Health: 122/122+
Race: Divine Being Mana: 7/98+
Level: 13 Stamina: 69/69+
Title: None Class: Dark Knight Level 5 (NEW)
STR 86+ WIS 70+
MAG 68+ VIT 81+
AGI 78+ INT 69+
LUCK 2 DEX 69+
Skills Spells
Night Vision Level 7If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Starvation Level 3 Pain Resistance Level 3 (UP 1) Poison Resistance Level 3 Fear Resistance Level 4 (UP 2) Paralysis Resistance Level 4 (UP2) Overpower Level 3 (UP 2) Dark Slash Level 1 (NEW) Sphere of Illuminating Light Fire Wall Identify Cure (NEW) Gravity Ball (NEW)
"Oh shit." ''Erin?'' ......... I''m a Dark Knight! I''m actually a Dark Knight it says so on my status. I''m not just going through another chuuni moment. I am bonafide, swear to god, Dark Knight! And it''s even level 5 already! How fucking cool am I. "Mwahahahaha!" ''I guess you are checking over your status correct?'' "Yeah! I didn''t become a Paladin like you said I might do, but this sounds even sweeter." The Dark Knight who inspires terror into his foes. Hehehe. Maybe when I''m level 100. Still, a man can dream. ''I never said you could gain his class, Erin.'' Huh. ''I said there was a chance you could obtain ''a'' class. The Dark Knight class can be awarded to those that kill a Paladin.'' What? "So it''s an evil class?" ''Classes are not evil, people are. It''s what they do that makes them bad, not what they are.'' Again. What!? "So you''re saying that I''m evil, then? Not the class and does that mean Eto was a good guy then?" ''You are not evil Erin, if you want to put a name to it, yours was a mercy kill. Eto on the other hand, that would be hard to determine without knowing more about the individual himself.'' So I have now received a class that one obtains from killing a Paladin. Another fine accident. ........ I let out a long-drawn sigh. Fine, whatever. I''ll be the friendliest Dark Knight you''ve ever met! I''ll make sure that everyone knows that ''this guy'' is kind, approachable and the nicest person you will ever meet. My courtesies and pleasantries will have no bounds. I will even help them out with all their monster problems too, once I become much stronger and get out of this dungeon. Hopefully, people won''t question the origins of my class. They might not believe I killed a Paladin lizard man, in the middle of a dungeon with his own weapon, whilst naked. Putting my new conundrum aside, I focus back on my status. My mana is clearly noticeable, as rising another point is a really big deal for me. It almost confirms a theory I had a while ago after I killed the Oran. Upon my arrival here, Temi first told me I had 5 mana. She was a little insufferable back then, to put it nicely, so she may have neglected to mention my total mana at the time. Then after incinerating the Oran I went up to 6, fast forward to now and I''m at currently at 7 after accidentally killing Eto. 2 monsters and 2 points of mana. Coincidence? In a way I hope so, otherwise, that would mean I have to kill 95 more dungeon monsters before reaching my total mana pool. That doesn''t even include extra level ups I might earn in the process or if it has to be 95 different types of monsters! If my theory is incorrect, however, then I''m at a loss and I suppose I''ll have to see if Temi can fill me in the rest. For now, let''s see what else my unfortunate accident has granted me. I''m amassing a nice set of skills now. I have a new skill and a new spell, both from what appears to be the Dark knight class already. If this was a game, that would be one for earning the class and another for reaching rank five probably. I will have to put in some actual combat practice soon to learn how to use my spells and in a fight if I really want to survive here. Which I totally do! Back to the boss characters status. Hehe. Look at those attributes and again, I''ve got more to add. I haven''t really fought anything yet either, how lucky am I? Or is it ''unlucky'' to be in those situations in the first place? Probably the latter seeing at how my Luck is stuck at a measly 2. Either way, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth. I need to get strong, I''m tired of shitting myself every time something happens now so I need to start putting some serious effort into accustoming myself to this world. Before now, I was just wandering around trying to find some food to not starve to death. I would have potentially run from almost any monster that would have crossed my path, except for any really small ones that may have seemed manageable, not that I saw any other than Eto, the lone lizard man.
Inventory 3/15
Oran Matt Lizard Skewer x2
Steel Scimitar
I now possess Eto''s weapon, which I hope I''m capable of using. I also have a few skewers left, hopefully, they will make me able to last another day or 2 without starvation popping up. After distributing my new points I''ll be ready to continue onwards. Although I''m still trying to anticipate where my next piece of food may come from, it is not the only thought dominating my now clearer mind. I''ve decided to put the most of my allocatable attribute points into strength this time. It seems like the most logical choice to make now that I have a weapon and also considering I can run out of mana after 2 spells. I''m going to perform another experiment first though by putting one point into each category first, one by one, to see if my status shows any changes whilst doing so. I bring my status back up and manage to locate an extra information bar which shows special attribute points awaiting distribution.
Name: Erin Health: 122/122+
Race: Divine Being Mana: 7/98+
Level: 13 Stamina: 69/69+
Title: None Class: Dark Knight Level 5
Attribute Points: 24 Class Attribute points: 10
STR 86+ WIS 70+
MAG 68+ VIT 81+
AGI 78+ INT 69+
LUCK 2 DEX 69+
Skill Acquired: Sword Mastery Level 1
The Next Step My current situation finds me sat on my Oran mat, a stream of crystal clear water slowly flows beside me whilst I snack on one of my remaining skewers, dressed in comfortable clothes. The sunshine permeating all around causes a beautiful view of the field and woodlands, the sound of water flowing downstream only adds to the serene atmosphere, while I merrily savour the taste of flavourful lizard meat. Ah, life is great right now. The only thing that would make my scenario better, is if I wasn''t daydreaming. Oh how far I''ve come, to think that this is my idea of contentment. In reality, I am slowly maintaining a fatigued marching speed as I continue down the tunnel from my earlier encounter. I haven''t slept properly since arriving on Tironia, I''ve passed out twice but that doesn''t count, what my body needs at the moment is a well-deserved rest. With Temi on the verge of establishing our position in the dungeon, I have to keep going. I don''t want to slow our pace down by stopping in an unsafe location, especially not when she may be able to find us somewhere more secure to rest. I have not eaten any more food since earlier, however, my imaginary self might have the right idea, it''s chow time. I pull out one my skewers out and my mouth waters. Not literally, as I am quite dehydrated. ''It has only been 5 hours since you set off, I recommend that you should wait a while longer before eating again just in case I''m incorrect.'' I place delicious looking meat, back into my inventory before I even had the chance to begin enjoying it. Only, 5 hours! Pfffft. Systems don''t eat, do they? I doubt it. How could she possibly understand what my digestive system Is feeling at this very moment? I''m starting to worry again and in this state, I seem to be aiming my frustration at my partner, who doesn''t actually deserve it this time. She only seems to want to help me live longer, so waiting a few more hours to eat some succulent meat will have to do, if not then starvation will surely remind me when to eat. My worry is not because of an impending monster approach, or at Temi''s dismissal of my lizard kebab, but instead at the risk of death by dehydration. I can picture myself crawling through the tunnel, too weak to stand, when assaulted and brutally murdered by multiple monsters. Even if the monsters don''t kill me, dehydration sounds like a super painful and incredibly sad way to die. Maybe I might be a fantasist. Who knows, moving on. ''Temi, what are the chances of there being water where we''re going?'' ''If I am correct, then the next floor will be a rest area making it floor 25, marking this at floor 24 which marks this as one of the shrine levels. So yes, there will be water there, however, if you are need of refreshment then why not create water with your mana?" ........ Facepalm. I created an unforgettable Wall of Fire, not once but twice. So, how the hell did I forget about it. Not only did I create fire from nothing, but I also created light too. Regrettably, I ended up unconscious on 2 out of the 3 occasions but still, they''re not easily forgotten memories. What a Door Knob. It might be a good job I reincarnated in a dungeon actually, I would feel incredibly foolish if I were surrounded by others whilst hearing this revelation. Thankfully, it''s just me and Temi and our teamwork builds with each passing trial. I can''t hold anything against her for not revealing this sooner, I have not yet mentioned water myself until just this moment. In honesty I thank the gods she''s with me, otherwise, I would have probably been devoured by the Oran. "What spell do you suggest boss?" ''You want me to choose one?'' "Sure, in a way the Fire Wall was really effective, not that I like revisiting that moment. I''m pretty sure you have a good water spell in that large collection of knowledge you possess, right?" Shit, I hope I haven''t offended her by asking for personal knowledge like I originally intended her for. I didn''t mean too, I could imagine my own water spell quite easily but if Temi chooses one from Tironia, it will be more relatable to help me blend in once I leave this dungeon. ''The Water Fountain!'' She declares giddily. Phew, it doesn''t feel as though my partner has taken offence to my poor choice of words, she may have been taking her time to consider a practical spell, her emotions that emanate through our connection are quite strong and they appear to be wondrous. Perhaps it''s one of her favourite spells and she wants to see it performed for her own pleasure? I won''t complain if it makes her happy, plus if I get to quench my first at the same time, it''s a win-win situation for both of us. Here we go. I can certainly imagine a water fountain, we''re both going to benefit from this. I picture a stone column holding a basin, with an angel kneeling on top to circulate the water. Simple, easy and in a straightforward kind of way, elegant. It''s nothing too dramatic, I don''t know if more size or detail, means more mana. Hopefully, this keeps Temi happy and should also keep costs low for me. It shouldn''t take me more than 7 mana that''s for sure. Fire Wall only had a cost of 3 points to cast, so in theory, this should be equal or less. I presume. I pull my mana from inside and force it in being once again. This time, however, magic does not burst into existence from anywhere. Instead, rising out from inside the dungeon itself, marbled stone shines a pure white even through my Night Visions usual grey spectrum. It looks way better then it did in my imagination, how is that possible? Hundreds of shapes now decorate the column, adding to the beauty. Clouds, harps, wings and other various carved designs, bring a perfect symmetry to my fountain. The water that is being held in the basin, appears as though it came straight from my daydream earlier. Crystal clear, not a single drop of dirt is present anywhere on the entire fountain, even though it has just risen from the dungeon itself. My centrepiece, the water spouting angel, is just ridiculous. She is absolutely shining, knelt on top of the basin illuminating the surroundings, her details are more vivid than I could ever create. Without a doubt, she is the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Her arms are held across her plentiful bosom, both palms facing each other in a prayer-like manner. The robe she has on elegantly cascades around her beautiful figure, wings spread in full glory and magnificence, for all to see. Wow. Did I cast that? I''m not boasting this time but damn, go me. ''Woah, that is amazing Erin.'' Suddenly, I feel another blackout headache charging my way. "Hahaha. Do you like it? It wasn''t too hard to cast but why am I suffering for it again?" ''It''s so pretty, I''ve never seen anything like this before.''A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. What? With my headache bordering on the level of tolerance, I''m caught off guard by Temi''s declaration. "You told me to cast it? How have you never seen this before when ''you'' told ''me'' the spell!?" ......... "Well!?" ''I .. don''t know what a...a fountain is.'' "Why are you being so quiet?" ''I don''t know what a fountain is OK, nobody does, don''t be angry me. I could never cast that spell because I didn''t know what to create so, I wondered if you might know and you wanted water so I just thought... '' Temi stops her explanation, feeling sad and I feel a twitch of guilt to couple the pain in my head. "I''m not angry, it''s just......." I cancel the magic, releasing the strain on my mind. Upon its execution, the marbled pillar slowly returns back to the earth, at the same time I open my status to see that I used 6 mana on that spell! That''s the most expensive spell I''ve cast since arriving here and it''s not even an offensive spell. I could never use in it combat unless my enemies were thirsty and in of refreshment. My burden subsides and the pain slowly eases, each minute will bring back another point and upon checking my status again, I''m already back on 2 mana. "What the hell was that and why did that spell cost twice as much as Fire Wall? It wasn''t even half the size?" Was it because of all those details?
Special Magic Acquired: Angelic Fountain of Everlasting Water
Beating Temi to the punch, the World System answers first. Wow, that''s a mouthful. Why not just the simple ''water fountain'' as I imagined? ''That was because you combined 2 different elements into a single spell, it''s only logical that it would cost twice as much. But still, that was amazing Erin I''ve never seen a fountain before, in fact, nobody has. It was so beautiful, you have to cast it again when your stronger so we can admire it'' "Oh, ok. So not the detail then, in that case, elemental explanation understood! It makes more sense than some of the other events that have happened, thank you. However the general information about fountains you''re giving me, no way Temi. No has ever seen a fountain? No one, really? How can people not have created a fountain in the history of this planet?" ''Fountains might have existed at some time in the past, otherwise, there shouldn''t be spells about them, but knowledge of them could have been erased leaving only the word fountain remaining in forgotten spells.'' Forgotten spells? "Why is the water fountain a special magic, with an incredibly ''over the top'' name?" ''Over the top?'' "Another phrase, it means to exaggerate, to make it sound better than it is." ''But it truly was an Angelic fountain though, with eternal water.'' ........ She got me there. ''It is classed as a special magic because it one of the forgotten spells.'' I''m not going to bother asking the question you know I''m thinking. Instead, I''m going to ask a different question which I hope leads me to a better answer. "Temi, you are being pretty vague, why does it sound as though you''re skipping important details.'' ''I.... don''t know all the details. '' Oh. Well, that didn''t work. "But you were part of the system, right?" ''The main system is in charge of all the contributing systems. I was in charge of the Soul Sphere ever since the last system was removed.'' Always questions. Even answers lead to questions. Maybe that should be my last name, Erin Questions, I have still yet to choose one. Concentrate. "Removed? Like, killed?" ''It is hard to put into words, I do not know where they have ended up as I was not privy to that knowledge. I know the main system is in charge and I should follow it''s orders, but right now I feel....'' I feel sorrow coming from her this time once again followed by a lot of confusion and a trace of anger. This direct link is starting to push more and more feelings my way recently, is it because we are getting along more than we use to? I really want to ask more questions, about the system and our connection, but I''ll let her brood for now. It''s not as though we will separate any time soon. To sum up what I learned about my new special magic spell. Not a lot, other than no one else knows how to cast it. So even though it''s still classified as special, it has absolutely no offensive or defensive capabilities and although it''s practical and drinkable from for recovery, it''s totally unreasonable on the mana cost. For now. Still... No fountains? Hmmm. That''s my moneymaker right there. As long as I can change the design on the fountain, whenever I do get out of this dungeon, I''m going into the sculpting business. All it will take is for one foolish king to view a fountain of my making. Recognising its beauty, he will be overcome with greed as many such nobles are, purchasing it from me instantly for a great sum. Once he has revealed his luxurious purchase, flaunting it at whatever parties or balls they partake, the King will then be the envy of his peers and they will flock to see what other designs one may purchase from a humble peddler of his wares, one such as myself. Mwahahaha. This Dark Knight''s going to be rich! Ok moving on from my money-making scheme, I never had the chance to drink from the fountain before I released it. I may try to summon another one soon when I get more desperate, for now, the dehydration isn''t as bad as the headache brought on from going into low mana points. In fact. If I wait a few more minutes I can cast a water ball or a water sphere. I suppose what I call it, isn''t really important. What is crucial though, is that I don''t conjure any earth at all, just using water will definitely be more mana efficient. I decide to continue on down the tunnel, as I wait for the natural energies around me to fill my still, low pool of mana. Not a few feet from where I started, I notice another opening further down the tunnel, just inside of my range of vision. It isn''t like the start of the Tunnel of Abyss, which just opened up into a large crossroads, nor is it a gouged out like the entrance of my current tunnel. Upon getting closer I notice it''s an actual doorway, just without a door. I know that sounds weird, but that is exactly what it looks like. A solid wooden frame lines the stone wall perfectly. Its seems so bizarre. My heart starts to beats harder as I approach the entrance and peer inside. Beyond the door is what appears to be a treasure chest. I don''t claim to be an expert on dungeon related topics, but I have played my fair share of my games. To the best of my knowledge, which I''m sure isn''t winning any medals at the moment, the metallic gold chest in front of me should hold some goods rewards. After my recent series of events, I''m trying not to place to much hope in the thought of obtaining anything beneficial. My luck has a way of doing what it wants and knowing how things have gone recently, I wouldn''t be surprised if I found another monster inside this chest. Or even worse, what if the chest is the monster? That was an actual thing, wasn''t it!? Shit. That was one of those red flag moments. Please don''t be a monster. Please! I can''t even ask Temi if its an actual creature here now, I feel it will cement the chances of it occurring. Damn. A certain part of me really wants to open the chest regardless of the outcome, however, I''m going to leave it. I have decided! Unless I know 100%, that I am going getting some type of food or clothing, then I''m not risking it. "Loot, be damned!" I shout to the dungeon and no one in particular. ''Erin, you must open the chest to reveal the doorway to the next floor.'' What? Right after I made my declaration. Seriously Temi? "But I just steeled my resolve to leave it, just in case something ''bad'' came out of it. Now you''re saying I actually have to open it, otherwise, I can''t continue and I''ll be stuck here?" ''Correct. It should not contain anything you would call ''bad'' though.'' You have no idea what I could consider bad right now Temi. I decided to give calling out another shot. "Can''t you just make the loot optional?" Nothing. ''I cannot, I''m sorry Erin.'' "I was talking to the dungeon Temi. Nevermind, I doubt it would listen to me anyway." ''Oh.'' I approach the chest and wearily stick out my hand, before quickly returning it back to my side. Just in case. I decide to call out to the dungeon once more, in the nicest way I can muster. I mean, it''s free to ask, even if I do look stupid doing so. "Erm, Miss Dungeon, I would ''really'' appreciate some underwear, please. Just so you know, I would be in your debt." With my piece being said I try not to let my hopes rise. Once more I reach out to the golden chest, My fingers trace delicately over the design on the buckles, before releasing them and opening the chest. Inside, the chest itself seems to be empty, other than a blue light that floats just above the rim before me.
Loot Acquired: Cotton Underwear
No way. My eyes go wide at the sight of my reward. Did the dungeon understand me? If so, then did it grant my request purposely? Not that I will turn down my prize for completing this floor. The chest disappears just as both monsters did before. The dungeon doesn''t seem to waste anything. Once it has been fully absorbed, the wall behind where the chest was once located, starts to disappear. It reveals a newly formed, metal doorway this time. Another surreal sight, however, this time a welcoming one as behind it are stairs leading down. I almost miss this event happening before me as I''m face deep in cotton, inhaling the fresh fabric, the most pleasant smelling item I have experienced since reincarnating. As I begin to wonder if my Oran Matt also has such a sweet fragrance, I slip on my new cotton underwear and comfort surrounds me. Oh, how I''ve missed this little luxury. There is going to be a lot of new firsts for me in this new life, so many that I may not remember them all, I need to get used to that fact. This, however, is one of those moments that, I doubt I will ever forget. Finally. ''After descending to the next floor, I will be able to determine if my theory was correct.'' "Well, what are we waiting for then? Let''s make tracks.'' I enter the stairwell but stop as quick as I started before placing my foot on the next step. I lean back into the now empty and call out for the last time on this level. "Thank you, Dungeon, see you on the next floor," With my appreciation shown, I swagger down the stairs with a new air of confidence, brought on by my equally new underwear. I''m ready for anything now. Floor 25 Ready for anything, was most certainly an overstatement. Upon reaching the last step, I exit the stairwell into a single large room. How do I know it''s one big room? Shockingly, unlike the other two rooms and tunnels that I''ve traversed so far, this place is bright. Outstandingly bright. The astonishing sky stings my eyes briefly before I become accustomed to the change in light. It makes observing my surroundings far easier than when using Night Vision, I wonder what can cause such a feature in a dungeon. I''m fascinated to know what illuminates this floor, It feels refreshing to be able to see as far as my vision will permit. On the contrary, instead of the ceiling, my attention is glued to the sight going on in front of me. Hundreds, of what I would assume to be goblins, litter the area before me. They seem to be carrying out, what appears to be, everyday life. All dressed in a similar attire, which isn''t much, by the way, my boxers cover more than most of their loincloths do. A select few have robes on and a couple of others have what I would call basic armour, that seems to be as far as the apparel goes in this place. I don''t feel so worried about my own modesty now, nor the social anxiety of been underdressed in another''s presence. It''s reassuring because I''m almost clothed the same way. However, my fear factor has jumped straight back up to the, ''I''m shitting my pants'' level. I don''t want to ruin these boxers on their first day. These goblins may be dressed in rags, but in no way are they living in squalor. For some unknown reason, there is a vast amount of very well constructed buildings. On my right, starting furthest away from me, these structures are easily noticeable as homes. Each has a small plot of grass outside, a front door, glass windows, two floors and a roof. Actual houses! It''s hard to keep on surveying the area when my focus keeps shifting back to the goblins pottering around, going about their daily lives. It seems less daunting than before and actually quite astonishing now I''m taking it in. I hope I don''t have to fight these guys, I''m severely outnumbered, they all look quite cute too scurrying around. Well as far as a cute goblin could go any way. Ahem, moving on, after the large cul de sac area, we have...... a hot spring. Ha. I know, right. I don''t even think I can continue. I swear, I''m tearing up, even with my dehydration. I solemnly stare at the steam rising, from what I''m going to assume, is the perfect temperature of the spring water. If I didn''t still have a morsel of sanity left, I would have sprinted, no hesitation, storing my boxers on the way and then dove straight in without a care in the new world. There are no walls, just a very large piece of water catering for a few individuals, the goblins must not care for modesty. Trying my best to fight the temptation of a nice soak in the hot spring, which is almost irresistible, I examine the other side of this floor. On my left appears to be where the goblins work, I think. There are lots of different sized buildings here and there, scattered about with mismatched sizes. It''s hard to guess what they''re doing in there, probably because my mind is away soaking in the spring. Trying to gather my thoughts together, I take notice of the simple building in the centre. It is directly in the middle of the whole room. I''m guessing if we measured the distance on every side, it would be perfectly symmetrical. Ignoring its location though, this single building seems to be frequented by more goblins than any other solo building. I wonder what''s inside there, whilst once more staring over towards the spring. This whole place appears to be a decently sized village, not at all the rest stop I was expecting but way better. I mean its got a hot spring for gods sake, I can''t get over it. "Maybe the dungeon could name this floor, ''Goblin Village''. It''s actually really nice." It really is rather stunning. A warm breeze blows over me as almost all the initial fear has worn away and I''m left feeling more intrigued than anything. I haven''t moved since I left the stairwell but I have noticed a few goblins giving me the eye, right before continuing on with whatever business they had in the first place. I wonder if they''re ok with me being here seeing as it is a rest floor, or so Temi told me. I mean they haven''t attacked me yet, so that''s a good sign, right? Almost the exact moment I finish that train of thought, a goblin much larger than the others that I have seen so far, seems to be approaching me. He came out from inside the large centre building, where quite a crowd seem to have gathered now to stare at me, and he''s making his way towards me at a brisk jog. Ha, and I thought I was ready for anything. "Temi, what the hell is happening here?" ''This is floor 25 the rest area, which means my theory was correct and we were previously on floor 24 ''The Labrinth''.'' Well done, pat yourself on the back why don''t you. Also, that wasn''t a labyrinth, it was just long-ass tunnels that made it hard to find my way around because of the dar........fine whatever, not the time! The large Goglin is very fast for his size, he''s already covered over half the distance between us. "I meant the goblin village and this guy charging at me!" ''Oh, the village is new, it is rather nice don''t you think? I don''t know why the goblin is running over here but he shouldn''t be a threat.'' Thanks, Temi, at this rate your getting knocked back down to ''relatively useful''. The goblin is now almost upon me, with how peaceful everything looks here, I really don''t want to fight. I pull my scimitar out and brandish it at, what I really hope isn''t, my opponent.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. He stops a few feet away and just stares at me and my blade. I stare back, trying not to let on that I''m worried over his speedy arrival. Up close, he appears to be just taller than me. The first notable features are his incredibly bushy eyebrows and his long draping hair, both equally as white as the robe he wears. Time-stamped eyes, peering out from beneath the large brows and a trimmed beard, coats a good majority on his face. A smile plastered across the rest. His large teeth look incredibly clean, is this goblin flossing? A small pair of spectacles sit on the end on his short nose making up the face of an elderly man. Around his robe a yellow fabric keeps it held closed, tied in a bow on the side. With nothing noticeable on his feet, I wonder how he managed to move over here so quickly? In a strange way, he reminds me of the angel from my fountain, except he''s an old man, and green. "Welcome to da village. Good to have yous." ....... "Er, th...thank you?" "Boss was pissed at start wen yous jus arrive from nowhere. Dangerous. But yous Ok. I am Kroll an dis place called floor 25 rest village area. Come I show yous round Boss said" He turns around and his robe flutters below him, he instantly snaps back though. "Put weapons away please, worry yous stab me from in back." ........ Ha...haha I''m no longer under the assumption that I''m still on my old world in a medically induced coma, or something like that, due to the incident. I mean, if I was, there would be no chance in hell of me ever imagining all of these events. This goblin just asked me to do something and he even said please, granted he gave me his honest reason too but still, who could imagine this? I place my weapon back into my inventory doing as requested. I can always recall it whenever I need to, so it''s always on hand whether they can see it or not. Weapon away, the goblin twirls back around and proceeds to stroll back into the village before stopping once more. "Oh wat yous name?" "Erm, Erin?" Weak Erin, really really weak. Get a grip. "Yous sure? Yous not sound so sure?" "My name is Erin, it''s a new name so I''m still getting used to it." "Yous can change name wen yous want?" "What? No. It just...sorta, happened. Sorry, look it''s a long story, I at least need some water before I begin to explain it all." "No need, Boss tell us wat yous done in dungeon, jus not how yous get a new name. Come we get yous drink, den can talk if want." This guy seems super relaxed and casual, especially for a goblin, his speech may not be the best but he at least understands my language. Wait! How do I know the language? As he sets off for a third time, under my breath, to avoid looking crazy in front of my newly acquired goblin host, I ask Temi how I''m able to understand the goblin and communicate. ''Your body was created in this world. That includes the brain inside it. What language did you think you were speaking?'' Since when did we take a step backwards? I thought we were getting along recently. That doesn''t matter right now. The main thing is that I''m able to understand and reciprocate conversation, to avoid being killed. The rest can all be worried over later. As we are approaching the village I try and strike up a conversation with Kroll. "So Kroll, er.. how long you guys been here?" "Bout a year, Master gave us dis floor cause we weak monsters. No want fight really jus eat and live." I have that many questions I don''t know where to begin. A year? This place is insane. It could be a megacity with the next 10 years if there was space, which the dungeon can apparently do. "The goblins don''t want to fight? How do you survive here then?" "Sum gobs want fight, dey goes up floors and stays in first village for wen peoples come in. We eat monster on floor 26 cause dey weakest. Boss put dem der so we not die hungry." If this keeps up, I might really consider my earlier thought of Questions being my second name. No wonder Temi called me a child that time, it''s how I feel right now, unknowing and full of wonderous questions. He keeps calling the dungeon boss or master, does that mean he feels bound to it? I suppose the dungeon created him so that would make sense, feeling loyalty or kinship. Earlier though he said, his boss had told him what had happened in the dungeon, does that mean he can communicate with the actual dungeon? We approach the central building which is still surrounded by goblins. I know I''m not naked anymore, but that doesn''t stop me the feeling of awkwardness from being in front of a crowd like this, wearing nothing but my white boxer shorts. My embarrassment doubles down as I take notice my skin colour for the first time in this light, Its pale white from zero sun exposure since creation, it also serves to reminds me that I have no hair covering my entire body. Damn, so much for cool first impressions. Just a crazy bald guy. Who talks to himself. In his boxers..... We enter the building amid derogatory glances, you''re dressed the same as me nearly, get off your high horses. Inside the property there are multiple rows of desks, stacked with papers and clerks, filling counters listening to complaints from other goblins and recording them for informational purposes. Apparently, they have a good system going here, or so it would seem, at least on the lines of an educated civilisation. We head up the stairs on the immediate right of the entrance and enter the first large office door we come to on the second floor. The door even has a title plate, it says ''Kroll, Village Chief''. "Damn Kroll you''re the chief? Why didn''t you send someone else out to great me?" "Dey is not good at human speak, may cause more bad dan good." Fair enough. We enter the office which looks neat and tidy, unlike the desks in the lobby area. Kroll must take his job seriously. "Master told Kroll to come to yous and Kroll did as was told." He picks up a glass jug filled with water, from a tray on his desk and pours it into a glass, sat upon the same tray. He then hands it to me and watches to see my reaction. If he''s expecting me to eye up the water or make a comment based on trust, then he''s seriously mistaken. I''m that thirsty right now I don''t care where the water came from or what''s in it. Even if the Demon King himself turned up and offered it to me, I would have been hard-pressed to turn him down, I would have taken that water like bacon for breakfast. Mmm bacon, I''m still hungry at the moment too, imagining food isn''t doing me any favours right now. I definitely have to ask about that weak food source Kroll mentioned. I swallow the refreshing liquid down and place the glass back on the tray. When I said my little poisonous spring was delicious, back in my first home, I don''t think I knew what I was talking back then. It doesn''t compare to the glass of magnificent h2o that Kroll has just provided me with. Seeing that I decided to put a little more trust in him, or that I don''t care for what I drink, Kroll pours me another glass and I accept it gratefully raising it back of his desk. So good. "Kroll, can you speak with the dungeon?" "Yea, Boss never shut up really. Oops." That moment he turns to his side looking as though he has just been caught out doing something he really shouldn''t be. After a moment, it appears to me as though he is listening to something and for some strange reason, looking upset. When he turns back around, he looks as though he''s just been scolded by his mother for doing something silly. "Boss only give good infos dat help all of us, is wats I meant." Complete 180. "How do you communicate with the dungeon, do you just talk to the walls and ceiling? I tried it once and got these boxers and I really want to say thank you for them." "No, she not hear every ting. She just hear, wat she hear, wen she here. K" It''s hard to tell but it looks as though he is slowly inching further and further to the left. Almost as though someone is shouting at him, right beside his ear. "Is she here now?" "Ye, she bit mad at how I am tellin the deets." "Why can''t I see her?" "Yous not monster, yous not born here." Well if you want to be technical, I kind of was. I may not be a monster but my body was created here. Is that it, I can''t see her because I''m not a monster? Or one of her monsters, specifically? "Boss said it ok bout Eto, yous try help, even tho yous fail. At least tried." Eto, she saw that? Does that mean she''s been watching me? "Yea yea Kroll knows. I tell. And yous welcome she says. For boxer. How yous turn up notin on? Mos peoples turn-ups in armour she says. She want to no?" Immediately I feel my pale white skin changing colour. She saw me. It goes from pink to a light shade of red. She''s been watching me. Light red to deep scarlet. All this time. Naked! A girl? Me! How is the dungeon a girl? I can''t think straight and my brain shuts down. The familiar feeling of the stone, which I am getting quite accustomed with, greets me once more as I collapse face-first into it, passing out in the office due to embarrassment and shame. Some things never change. Goblin Life Upon awaking, I find that a few details are noticeably different. First of all, is the comfort that I''m now feeling, it must be a god-level item. Secondly, is that my surroundings have found themselves altered. From collapsing in the office being my last known memory, I now find myself laying in a nice warm bed in a small cosy room. I have no idea how these goblins have beds, mattresses and duvets, but I won''t complain. That was the best sleep I''ve had in a while and I''m feeling especially grateful. A wardrobe decorates one corner, whilst a picture of the ocean hangs from the wall over a desk and chair in the opposite. A large window shows the village outside and the door to the room lays directly opposite it. There is a dressing table beside the bed, with 2 pitchers placed upon it, one with water and the other with a fresh orange looking liquid. Next to it, is an empty cup and a silver platter. A lid sits on top to retain the heat of whatever delicacies it holds inside, however it does nothing to keep me from noticing the delectable smell and my belly agrees loudly. That was a great rest, and what better way to wake up than to have some nutritious food and a nice cold drink. It doesn''t really matter where it came from, right? If anyone was going to kill me they would have done whilst I slept, so I''ve no need to turn down the free hospitality I''m being given. I start by pouring myself a glass of fresh orange, the liquid is smooth with no bits retaining in it. I take my first sip and a tangy zesty flavour rushes into my mouth. "Ahh, fantastic. It''s so good." It actually tasted like fresh orange too. Next is the platter, removing the lid I begin to cry, the moment is so heavenly it''s hard not too. ''Do you always get so emotional over food?'' "You wouldn''t understand Temi. Maybe one day I can create you a body, then you would be able to try it and see what you''re missing out on." My happiness is overflowing, knowing that my hardships in the dungeon are on a brief pause for now, and I even forgive Temi for her earlier spat of useless information. ..... No answer comes back though. I might have caught her off guard letting her know I consider her future, almost as much as my own. Leaving Temi to dwell on what I brought to the table, my focus returns to the plate on my own. Before me lays a full breakfast. Eggs, sausage, hash browns, beans and tomatoes, and some black pudding. But what breakfast would be complete without the generous serving of bacon on the side? Two slices of toast sit on a separate saucer, next to my main meal. "She even left off the mushrooms. How does this dungeon know me so well? I waste no time and dive right in, but as the first piece of bacon is about to enter my mouth I stop. I remember why I ended up on the floor now. The dungeon, she was..... I mean, she is... She''s been watching me since the beginning. Why? Is my life like a drama to her? Has she been laughing her socks off at my misfortune? Well, now that my modesty is hidden and as long as I can keep getting more clothes, I suppose it''s not too much of a problem. Hehe, especially not with treats like this. Unless she''s trying to fatten me, just like in Hansel and Gretel, except without a witch and with a few hundred goblins instead. Either way, I''m still gonna eat it. I wonder if she''s watching me right now? "Thanks for the food." 10 minutes later and I have never felt so good. That breakfast is what every man needs to start his day. I get out of bed and leave the room, making my way downstairs, I notice a counter with a small goblin behind it. It is clearly a female goblin as she has some sort of garb, wrapped around her small chest. Seems like they do have some modesty here after all. She has short black hair and a nose piercing, these are her only discernable features. Small black goblin eyes notice my entrance and she sits up straight. Seeing how this goblin isn''t too tall, I approach her and start rambling at her a little flustered. This is only my second time talking to a goblin, it still feels strange. "Erm excuse me, how did I get here, where''s chief Kroll and is this place a hotel? My bed was really comfortable, thank you." "No fank me, dungeon provide us wif every fing wes need, wes jus help her in return. She seem to like you dough..... Why not say dat?" She turns to her side whilst asking her question, to no one in particular. She also has good communication skills, almost as good as chief Krolls, not that I have many examples to base my decision off. She said the dungeon provides everything? I suppose that''s true, but damn, how strong is this dungeon and where did it get all of this knowledge from? "Is she here now." She nods back at me. I decide to play it humbly as I don''t want to end up as Erin Casserole. "Thank you... I''m sorry, I don''t know your name." She seems to appreciate me asking her name as she smiles at me raising her eyes. "I am Goblana. Yous name Erin, yes?" "Yes, that''s my name and thank you anyway Goblana. Thank you as well madam dungeon, my meal was most delicious and one that I am likely, never going to forget. The fresh orange was to die for" It''s nice to show the same courtesy as others have shown to you. Although I don''t think the receptionist took my phrase lightly as she''s now glaring daggers at me, I think she has clearly misunderstood my meaning. Her attention is pulled back to her side and the tension eases up slightly, she begins to gain some type of insight from her master and is quickly back to her original self. She must have explained what I meant. Eh, how does the dungeon know what I meant, when Temi doesn''t even understand my metaphors? "Erm, so, Goblana. My questions, if you will, please." "Yes. First, Goby bringed yous ere, dey say yous pass out in chiefs office." I''m trying to suppress a smile, at the idea of a goblin named Goby, because I don''t want to be rude.... or racist? Would it be classed as racism to a goblin? Either way, it would be inappropriate for me to be so callous especially after how they have treated me. "Second, chief Kroll is at office, he very busy chief. And last, I dunno wat hotel is but, dis is inn. Yous stayed here, owes me 2 onion monster for payment." "Payment, Onion Monster?" "Yes, floor down, nummer 26, all vegable and easy meat monster. Yous get 2 onion monster, for me, payment done. Dungeon made for gobs, she is best. Monster no disappear, yous bring me. Go now."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Shooed out by Goblana. I notice that I''m in, what I first thought to be, the left-hand side of the room with the many work buildings. Many goblins all stop to observe me for a moment, as I''m forcefully ejected from the inn with the demand of acquiring onion for my payment, before going back about their business as if I don''t actually matter to them. Guess there really is nothing to worry about here. What if I just stay here, the dungeon seems to like me and the goblins have been nothing but pleasant so far. Ok, maybe the receptionist was a little off, but we''ve all gotta get paid right? At least she filled me in on the details. From where I stand, out in the street, I can see the village chiefs building. Behind it a bit further away to the right is the hot springs. After breakfast and a refreshing drink, a nice soak would be amazing. It even appears to be empty. I want to dip myself in so badly but I''m still feeling slightly uncomfortable with it being so open. Maybe later. When it''s dark and everyone''s sleeping. I approach the central building again, this time it''s not surrounded by a mob. Upon entering I see the same desks and clerks working away as I saw on my last brief visit. I follow the same route as last time too and knock on the door, as manners dictate. I wait for a moment, but after no answer, I decide to make my way back downstairs, before heading to the queuing lines to speak with one of the goblin clerks. To be honest, there aren''t many booths open and in fact, most of the place is empty. I make my way down an empty line and approach the goblin at the counter who looks to be doing some paperwork. This guy is really short and very overweight. His notable feature though is that he is completely hairless, just like me. In fact, the stubble on my head is giving me a dominance in this situation. His red sash almost fails to contain his girth being released from within his grey robe. He also has a large pair of glasses, that seem too big for his face as he keeps readjusting them. He doesn''t even look at me, he just carries on writing, although he notices my presence. "Name?" "Erin." "Question?" That was a little creepy. "Where is the village chief?" The goblin finally stops to look at me. "Is dat all?" I think about it for a moment. "Yes." "Da chief is at village exit." I wait for a moment hoping for a bit more info. Doesn''t appear to be coming through, it''s like talking to Temi back at the beginning, one more question is all I need though. "Which way is that?" He looks at me like I''m an infant asking about algebra. Then he points to the wall behind him. "Dat way." And this is the guy that''s looking at me with judging eyes? Pffft. "One more question, where''s everyone else?" "Yous said one question." "Yes, but now I have another one?" "Yous must que again." I turn around and look at the empty room. Does he expect me to walk away and come back? Seriously? "There''s no one else here though." He shifts his weight to look past me and out at the empty room. "Oh, is harvest time. Gobs out to count food stuff and bring food stuffs back. Oh and gets ready to cooking food stuff too. Will be big dinner tonight." Now that''s what I''m talking about. It wasn''t too hard to give me some good info was it, granted you''ve got to be intuitive to know what they''re saying. The overweight goblin begins to drool on his papers so I decided I should go find the chief. Exiting the village hall, I set off in the direction the hungry goblin pointed in. It appears to be the opposite side of where I arrived. After walking for a few minutes I find the chief, he''s talking to quite a lot of other goblins near the floor exit. Some are wearing the same grey robes as the guy in the building I just left wore, whilst a couple of the others have little pieces of armour on. The rest are sporting loincloths as usual like they''re going out of fashion. After the chief finishes his conversation he approaches me. "Da last hunting party shud be back now. Ders not lots of danger on next floor, some time big cow can crush gobs by sitting down and accident happens. Hope dat not case again." He actually sounds worried and frustrated, the chief seems like a really good guy, not at all like a monster who should actually eat people. I want to help if I can. "You want me to run down quickly and have a look?" "Is ok, one party dat come back gonna go take look for dem." "You sure? You''ve been really helpful to me so far, so I don''t mind repaying the favour, plus I really want to see the next floor as well." The chief looks to my side for a moment before replying. Wait. Why''s he looking at my side? "Boss said yous can help. She said yous kill monster and mana will rise." Mana rising? Does that mean more monsters for food, I guess the goblins are growing healthily. Also, can she not just go there herself and look? Or is she too busy stalking me, to do anything else these days, every time I talk with someone she seems to be there? That''s not even mentioning how long she''s been watching for and what she was looking at. I have an experiment that I want to try, however now isn''t the right time as it may leave me with no mana, but I will attempt it later. Being given the go-ahead by the chief I don''t feel apprehensive at all, I am actually excited, as I dash into the stairwell and down the stairs. It''s amazing what an effect, a good sleep and a warm meal can have on the body. I feel great whilst taking multiple steps, in each bound, before arriving at the bottom in no time at all. Record setter or what. This floor is almost three times the size of the one I arrived from. On further inspection, the dungeon has made it as easy as possible for these goblins to live a stable life. The area is an open pasture, I can see many different animals grazing or are they monsters? Regardless they look just like farmyard animals, with the only noticeable difference being their size, they appear to be twice as big as there normal counterparts. Seeing how most goblins are quite short, a full cow out here must go a long way. I can also see how an accident may occur as most goblins aren''t too tall. I doubt they could eat all that meat quickly, but even if they exhausted their stock, I think the dungeon would replenish the animals time and again. If the indoor sight of a farm was hard to take in, then the next surreal sight almost left me rolling on the floor laughing. Aside from the meat of all farm like variety, not too far away, I can see an onion running along the field. It is being followed by some large daikon and a few potatoes, in what appears to be a game of keep away. Keep away from the goblins. Damn, that''s a lot of big vegetables, they don''t appear to have faces or arms, only legs and feet which looks hilarious. Just a giant vegetable running through a field, has this dungeon being experimenting on them, to keep the village happy? It seems there was no cause for concern and the reason the goblins have not returned yet is that they have yet to catch their required quota of ingredients. They look drained. I run through the field before arriving by the goblins carrying a couple of large sacks already full of remains, or ingredients. They don''t seem surprised by my arrival, just out of breath from chasing veggies all day. "Want help?" I try talking as simply as I can so we can communicate better. The largest goblin steps forwards, obviously chosen to be the leader of the three by the two behind pushing him forward, clears his throat before trying to attempt conversation. "Wes get fud for gobs, needs mor onis an pots an big purp too." Woah. That was complicated. I may need a translator for that guy. I nod along and ask a different question. "Want me to carry those?" I point at large sacks the goblins seem to drag around and proceed to make my way towards them. They look at their sacks, which they are already struggling with, then back at myself before bursting out in laughter. "Yous big, but nos strong." One laughs out as though he''s heard the best joke ever. "Hes say hes carry haha." Another goblin joins in on my mockery. "Edunowowevydisishahaha." Adds the last goblin to speak yet. Not that I understood a word of it. I''m glad he didn''t approach me first. As they stand there laughing away, I move myself to the first sack and place my hand on, thinking of storing it in my inventory. Not a problem for a boss like me. Another few seconds later and I''ve stored all three bags. I didn''t notice until I finished, but all three of the goblins are no longer laughing and jolly. In fact, they actually appear to be very angry with me. "What''s the matter?" "Weres der food!" The first goblin that spoke to me, does not sound very happy. "It''s in my inventory, like magic, it''s safe." He doesn''t take his eyes off me, nor does he stop the glare he is throwing my way. I think the dungeon may be talking to him, but he has no interest in listening and is still staring daggers into me. I pull one of the bags from my storage and it lands on the ground before me, startling the lead goblin. "See? Safe, you check." He has an apprehensive look written on his face now, as though he believes I''ve switched the bag with evil or something. He still checks it over, being the diligent worker that he appears to be. Once satisfied he looks back to me before asking. "Stor?" Once more placing my hand on the bag it disappears before him, again this causes him to worry but he also shows a little wonder too. With me carrying all their harvest, they should be a lot faster now they don''t have to keep dragging it around. "Safe?" "Yes it''s safe, it will be fine until we gather the rest." "Ok, wes need few more before wes go back. Den done." "Ok, Let''s hunt then!" I declare and the goblins begin to chase after the vegetables once again. I sprint forward, faster than the four goblins combined, reaching a the fleeing vegetables immediately. They seemed a lot faster when running away from the goblins with their sacks. I retrieving my scimitar, slashing once never having used the weapon before on an actual enemy, and slicing the onion in half with ease. Feeling no resistance from bone or muscle tissue because it was a vegetable I don''t feel sorry for it, in fact, it felt rather fun. As we''re chasing vegetables around the meadow collecting their remains, I ask a question to myself and no one in particular. "I wonder why the dungeon likes goblins so much?" A cold chill blows down my neck, causing me to shiver slightly. I also wasn''t expecting an answer, but I get one regardless. ''It isn''t what I remember but it does appear to be more beneficial to you. Killing monsters on this floor is helping with your level advancement and the goblins are accepting of it, who would have thought it.'' Temi seems back to being helpful but I can''t help but feel as if something is wrong. We need to have a serious talk soon, without her shutting down or me feeling guilty. To make realistic decisions, I need to be better informed. For now, though, I think I''m actually going to enjoy myself dashing around chopping up veggies, for a while longer. Preparations 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.
Name: Erin Health: 123/123
Race: Divine Being Mana:46/99
Level: 13 Stamina: 70/70
Title: None Class: Dark Knight Level 5
STR 101 WIS 71
MAG 69 VIT 82
AGI 79 INT 70
LUCK 2 DEX 71
Skills Spells
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) Sphere of Illuminating Light Fire Wall Identify Cure Gravity Ball Angelic Fountain of Everlasting Water(NEW)
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
Inventory 10/15
Oran Matt Lizard Skewer x2
Steel Scimitar Onion x5
Potato x11 Carrot x9
Radish x5 Beef Meat x3
Chicken Meat x4 Pig Meat x2
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? Festival Madness I awake with no idea of how I fell asleep in the first place, wondering if the glorious bed that I have been sleeping in has made my resolve weak. Waking up on the stone floor is something I don''t consider myself bad at. Even when finding myself on the floor due to mana exhaustion, I was still able to rouse the groggy feeling and get up relatively well. For some reason, even with the heat that''s surrounding me, the dreamy sensation of waking prematurely is not fading away whilst I''m trying to force myself into consciousness. Finding no help from my appendages, my hands and feet seem to be bound behind my back and I''m face down on my belly, just wriggling around. Once more, I have managed to find myself naked on the cold floor of the dungeon and this time I''ve been hogtied. What the actual, Fuck!
Skill Acquired: Sleep Resistance Level 1 Skill Acquired: Mental Resistance Level 1
Well I suppose that means magic is involved, right? Through a continuous amount of effort, I''m starting to come around from the haze clouding me. Still struggling to even open my eyes, I''m trying to gather my thoughts but they seem distant. Slowly I begin putting the pieces together. I remember being concerned over a potential threat from the goblins, summoning the dungeon girl, and Temi being her usual unreliable self. After that, I just meditated and then...... Nothing. It really should be more of pressing concern to me, that I''m not, where I last remember being. My last week has been quite manic recently and the location change isn''t as big of a deal as you would think it would be. The magic being used on me is slightly more concerning and should prompt me to ready myself for a fight, as fast as possible. I overlook these two issues, deciding they are of little importance. Merely extra worries, to go along with one gigantic problem. What has really pissed me off and is priority number one, I''m not taking this likely, is that my new favourite pair of underwear is gone! Sneaky little green bastards. The familiar feeling of how I spent my first few days here, vulnerable and unrestricted, enrages me even more. How dare they, after the trust I placed in them. I''ll kill them all! Not regarding my surroundings, due to a lack of care, I call upon the one person I know didn''t do this to me. "Temi! What the hell happened? ''Erin, you fell asleep after someone used a spell on your room, the goblins burst through the door once you had passed out. There was nothing I could do,'' So it was the goblins. Shit. I''m really angry at myself for this situation. I accepted their hospitality willingly believing it to be the dungeons intentions. There''s no one else to blame for my naivety in trusting monsters. I tried to prepare shortly after speaking with Goblana so I wasn''t caught with my pants down, but it was too little, too late. The thieving little shits took them anyway! "Fucking Goblins!!" I finally take note of my location as I hear the sound of feet, passing over stone, to my right. My eyes need a moment to focus, but what comes into view once they have settled pisses me off even more. I am in a very large room with no windows and one door, it must be close to the inn if they carried me here or maybe I''m in the basement. The stone floor and stone walls showcase how well constructed, this building actually is. Yellow crystals line the wall, as far as I can see there''s twelve in total and they''re all in perfect symmetry with each other, they serve to brighten the otherwise featureless walls. Eight large tables, covered in different assortments of cooked meat and vegetables, serve to fill the whole floor area and provide seating to more than two hundred goblins. How can I tell the amount? Because they''re all sat down waiting to eat. Bright glowing eyes paint a picture of red stars, staring menacingly right at me. Horrible, sticky saliva drools down beside their sharp teeth as they wait for their meal to be served. This is a banquet hall! And I''m the main course The person walking towards me stops at my side and checks the restraints making sure they''re secure. I glare up at Kroll, which isn''t easy, with as much hate as I can possibly muster. "Why would you do this to me? Didn''t I help you?" "Master wants yous to go in der." He''s pointing in the opposite direction as the crimson eyed, hungry goblins. It takes a lot of effort to even try changing my position, being tied up like this means the only way I can see is by craning my neck. I was honestly expecting for a pot to be sat there, bubbling away over open flames, ready to boil me alive. It turns out to be much worse than what I was imagining. My eyes open in horror as I finally recognise, what I am judging to be, the most dangerous side of the room. Even though there are no goblins on this side, death is a certainty. To my immediate left are the flames of hell, or somewhere close to them in temperature. This is where the heat has been coming from but after taking notice of my captors I didn''t want to take my eyes off them. Now that I''m aware of the danger, I''ve noticed that I''m laid directly beside the edge and a single push could send me over. My rising panic might be almost as high as my rage is. Shit. This side of the room is nowhere near as large as the side housing the actual feast. As it turns out, the stone floor I originally believed myself to be on was a miscalculation. I''m actually on some type of altar made of stone and my inevitable demise is staring up at me. Red, orange and yellow bubbles, hiss and explode below in a sea of fire. Molten waves cascade up the side of the large pit as my alter sits above overlooking what is no doubt, certain death. It would take seconds, if not less, and nothing would remain of me if I was to be plunged in there. Avoiding death by lava pit is now priority number one. As I swivel my head back around to Kroll, the only door to the room opens without a sound once more showing how well crafted this building is. The tallest goblin I have seen so far enters the hall trying his best, and failing at the same time, to look imposing. He reminds me of the clerk from city hall, except he is clearly larger and most definitely more....robust. Large red eyes and huge yellow teeth, stare out at me from behind darkness. A dark purple robe gives me the impression he is an evil sorcerer and the jewellery, that is made from skull and bones, is also adding to the persona. Unlike the rest of the robe wearing goblins, he has chosen to add a hood onto his and a night black sash keeps his modesty contained. This has to be the one that cast the spell on me, which means he can use magic. I haven''t come across another mana user yet so I have no idea what he could be capable of, except for a sleep spell. Removing his hood he looks like every other goblin, except older and uglier. He grins at me and chuckles before speaking rather well for a goblin, with a croaky high pitched voice.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "I am Obling, master of illusion and the ruler of the dungeon. Tonight, yous will be my sacrifice." Where do I even start with that sentence? Laughter or ridicule? "Obling? So you moved the G to the end and gave yourself a name, or is it a silent G? Or did some other fool name you that? Either way, I bet you gave yourself that ridiculous title too, didn''t you? Haha." "Oh, humans are funny. Wat about funnies now?" Removing his jet black sash, he starts exposing himself before me. Whilst normally I would look away from a goblin flaunting its body at me. This bastard is wearing, what appear to be, my fucking boxer shorts. "Raaaggghhhhh" "Haha, yous like my reward!" "They''re mine, you shitty goblin." "Yous die tonight so not need these, have very nice feel." I''m going to rip his head off, I''ll have to scrub that underwear for a week before I feel comfortable wearing it again. Once I get stronger. I''m not stupid, insanity hasn''t taken me yet, there''s no chance of beating everyone here. I need a plan. I need to figure a way out of here. Stupid name left the door open so that''s got to be the best option, once I get passed the hundreds of goblins in front me that is. I have to get out of these ropes first though. There''s that much wrapped around my hand, that even if I call out my sword I''ll be unable to grip it. There''s no chance of moving my wrist either, so cutting anything is out of the picture. Shit. That only leaves me with one option that I know can get rid of the ropes. Fire. I really don''t want to do this, but it''s either that or the lava. The overweight, self-proclaimed, dungeon ruler stops just past the tables and then turns to the masses to speak. "Tonight, wes feast!" A mighty roar resounds through the room as the goblins shout out as one whilst banging their fists on their tables, creating a loud thundering effect. Obling raises his boney arms, which fail to match the gut dangling below, to silence the rowdy goblins. Once the noise settles down Obling turns to face Kroll. "Kroll, yous did well last few days." "Yous too kind master." "When I get humans power, I will reward yous well." Stupid goblins, come near me and we all burn. I''ve almost got half a plan, I just need a bit more time and I''ll be as prepared as I can be. "Now, wes start." That was fast! Now or never then, I guess. Kroll turns towards me and reaches out, palms extended, with a large smile plastered on his relaxed aged face. Sorry, buddy. I thought you were a good guy. "Fire Wall." Centimetres away from certain death, Kroll''s hands enter a large Fire Wall. It appeared below him, originating at my tied up limbs as it''s centre, spreading two meters away in each direction forming a perfect square. It ignites the dry robes within reach, setting the old goblin alight. Shrieking whilst falling to the floor, rolling around to try and rid himself of the flames. He, unfortunately, forgets his immediate area only interested in surviving and rolls straight over the verge. Falling down into the lava-filled hole, Kroll''s dying scream rallies the stunned goblins to charge out of rage at the sudden turn of events. Luckily for me, I''m underneath the 2m by 2m wall of fire, anxiously waiting for the ropes to burn away until I''m free. I know it''s not the best strategy, setting myself on fire, but it is a proven method. This time I can fall back on Cure to heal myself with and if they can''t attack me because of it, then that''s a win for now in my book. "Ow, Temi, how close .. is the door?" ''I cannot see, the fire is preventing me and all I can see from below, are stomping green feet. Yeah, I see them too. I''m surrounded by goblins, just on the edge of my magic range, waiting for the chance to assault me as soon as the fire disappears. I''ve got about 40 seconds left, I hope the rope burns through and I don''t have to cast this on my self a third time. Almost on cue, the ropes last fibres burn through and the rest unravels from where they have yet to burn properly. That was one of those rare times that lady luck has worked for me. Not a second to waste. "Cure." Immediately my hands and feet are healed, with only 30 seconds remaining on my spell, I have to make every second count. Fire Wall costs 3 mana and I''m gonna quadruple it to 12 to see if the area also increases in effect. If not, then it will of been a total waste of mana and a swift death is likely to follow. Chances of dying are already high though, so what the hell, now''s the time to be boss and at least go out well.
Skill: Fear Resistance Level 4 has reached Level 5+ You may now upgrade this skill Upgrades available: Fear Master: Upgrades Resistance to Master doubling the power of the effect. Fear Controller: Learn the skill Fear: Fear: Inflict Fear upon opponents within 5 meters. Each Level Up will increase the range by 5 meters.
Shit, I can''t think about that right now, I don''t have the time. ''Mastery.''
Skill Upgraded: Fear Resistance Level 5 has become Fear Master Level 5
Ok, that will have to do, now I need to build up mana quickly. I begin gathering mana, not too much as I don''t want to waste any unnecessarily, but I also have to make sure it''s enough. The mana within me starts to rise and I get ready to spring up into position, I take a deep breath and then when I''m ready, I jump up and release the mana with the image in my mind. "Fire Wall." Ufff, I feel a hefty drain in my mana. Not as much as the dungeon girl cost me, so nothing to worry about just now, but it stung. The goblins are thrown back or burnt alive, depending on how close they were to the epicentre. Which is me by the way, for all-purpose and intent to scare my foes, it looks as though I have been sliced in half by my own wall. Which then carried on and exploded out, four times the size of the original, hoping to take out Obling, but he manages to jump fast for his age. With most of the goblins dazed from the shock of being pushed back, or their comrades rolling around on fire, I dash as fast as I possibly can through a clear path to the door. Success. Oh shit, it worked. "Now what? Gotta be another door close, right?." ''Perfect 12.'' "What?" ''Mana use. It was the amount you intended on." Obling screams out from back in the flaming banquet hall. Now that I''m out, I can view my previous position from a better angle. The alter I was on just a moment ago, has some creepy skeleton goblin carving on top, it appears to be made from actual bones. Painted around the alter in what I can only assume is blood, is some type of ritualistic cult circle or some crazy shit like that. Fire is destroying most of what remains but with what''s left I make an educated guess, that was how he was going to steal my power. The large quantities of food are also burning away on top of the flaming wood tables, becoming crisper by the second. "No escape! Gets him!" Gorb, the goblin I could never understand, charges around from inside the corner of the doorway with some pissed off burnt goblins whilst I was distracted by Oblings cry and the bonfire before my eyes. As they''re closing the distance, I retrieve my scimitar from my inventory, clenching it firmly with my healed hand and instantly slicing the air. A Dark Slash tears out space between the narrow doorway, horizontally, which the incoherent Gorb and a couple of dozen others are in the process of exiting. Showing no signs of stopping, if tears apart anything in its path and flys straight through multiple goblins with ease.
You have levelled up All stats increased Special attribute points awarded
Can I really fault the cost-effectiveness of this skill? I mean damn, all those goblins finished off with one hit has made a huge mess. It even took both sides of the door with it and sliced the top of the alter off, enraging Obling. I don''t have the time to waste just hanging around gawping though. "NOOOO! KILL HIM NOW!" Now it''s time to run! I''ll be back for my shorts though, just you wait, Obling! Turning left from the doorway in front of me, I run down the bare corridor following it round to the left, running right into the second brother Borg. I don''t have the mana to waste on single goblins, using my speed I evade his slow attack as I dash right beside him, behind me more goblins pile out of the flaming room constantly hounding me. Yep, keep running. It a good distance until I take the next corner, which again was left and I decide to use the slim area of this short corridor to my advantage. Dozens of goblins crash and cascade around the corner, eyeing me up like the dinner they never had, trying to be the first to reach me. I retreat a fraction slower than normal whilst trying to gather as many monsters as possible. This hallway really worked for me as they''re all bunched together in a large horde. As the goblins rush forward I hear Borg shout out just before they find themselves caught off guard. "Yous killed Gorb!" "Not My Fault!" I shout back before releasing the trap. "Dark Slash!" Goblin eyes widen and mouths open but none manage to retreat fast enough back to the corner. Once again the jet black blade of air, rips through the conglomeration of goblins, painting a horrible picture of absolute mutilation. Limbs, corpses and entrails scatter the floor, walls and roof, as no place is left untouched. Shit
You have levelled up All stats increased Special attribute points awarded Inventory space: 10/30 Skill: Dark Slash Level 2 has reached Level 3 Skill: Sword Mastery Level 2 has reached Level 3
Drip. Not in any immediate danger I take in the scene. Drip. I don''t know if I have ever seen such carnage as what I am currently staring at. Drip. Silence fills the hallways. Drip. Except for blood, dropping on the floor from multiple places among the ceiling. Drip. Wow, that was way more effective than the first one. The notification from the system fades away before I can even acknowledge it. ''Erin, don''t just stand there, move!'' Rousing me from my shock, Temi gets me in gear. I turn away from the massacre, and start-up into a sprint down the hallway removing myself from the death that remaining there. Reaching the end in no time flat the next turn, once again, is left. That makes three now but with the alternative being back the way I came, I''ll keep pressing forward. I continue down the forth tunnel with haste, it''s another long style corridor giving me the impression that I''ve just run around a rectangle. The two short halls and two long corridors are causing me concern about where the destination will end up. No goblins seem to be chasing me now and the path in front is clear too, fingers crossed they have given up. I''m managing to make some distance but would you believe it, it''s another left turn Progressing around the corner, my fear becomes true. I arrive back in the same destroyed hallway, full of blood and body parts, that I found myself in upon escaping the banquet hall. Both halves of Gorb, no longer held together by any type of matter, lay on the blood-drenched floor in front of the sliced open doorway. He is surrounded by more death as the couple of dozen goblins that had found themselves exiting the room with him also lay scattered on the ground, creating an ocean of blood beneath my feet on the stone floor. Fuck. Obling Black clouds of smoke, line the top of the banquet hall. The fire from before has ceased, dying down into smouldering embers. Thankfully there weren''t too many burnable items down here. Just the large tables, some festival food and a good amount of unlucky goblins, otherwise I don''t know if I would be able to breathe. I''m not exactly educated on smoke inhalation but I do know that too much of it can kill me. Although it does appear to be getting thinner, that must mean there''s be an exit somewhere so why couldn''t I find it! Even with the smoke receding, another one of my senses is under attack. The stench of death is overwhelming and it assaults me endlessly, I don''t have the time to stop for a body count but I know my attack killed a lot more than I was expecting it too. Why hasn''t the dungeon absorbed the fresh carcasses? Is it the same here as the floor below or is it Oblings mischief? Broken rubble and charred cracked wood scatter the floor by my feet. Each step causes new pain, like walking on glass, I wonder if I can convince Abi to reward me with some footwear if I survive this ordeal. The river of blood that originates at the entrance leads into the hall and follows the path my attack took earlier, hiding small pieces of the destruction. As I stand below what remains of the entrance, I can see there are a still a few dozen goblins alive in this room. Conglomerating at the side of the altar behind Obling, the horrible thieving bastard, their stares full of hate and anger. I don''t think I would be wrong in saying I can see a little fear in them too. I know that face, I''ve experienced it many times myself. Not to mention I''ve just killed a vast majority of them in minutes. A glance to each side of the small hallway outside the room confirms there are still none following me. An ambush here would be terrifying, my mana isn''t unlimited and I''ve already used more than half of it. I can''t afford to use it recklessly but I didn''t have the time to think about being conservative, not whilst I was running for my life. The stupidly named goblin looks furious. He''s comically hopping between feet and screaming about his ritual circle covered by fresh blood and burnt by fire. Every second he does this is closer to another point of mana for me so I won''t interrupt him, not just yet at least. "Raaahhh! Stupid humans! Stupid, useless, creatures!" He turns around and leers at me. "Yous suppose to gives me power, yous know how long that circle takes to draw?" "I don''t give a fuck! Do you know how long those boxers are going to take me to clean?" He gawks at me as if he doesn''t understand the meaning of what I just said before realising that I''m talking about his prize. Grinning evilly once again he hails the group behind him. "Org, do yous want these...boxers, as rewards for killing the sacrifice for me?" Org steps out of the remaining goblins with no show of emotion. "No. Hes kill Kroll, Gorb and Borg. I kills for dem." Poor Kroll. I actually did like that guy. Idiot. He begins to approach me and seeing no way out behind me in the everlasting corridors, I decide to prepare for battle instead. Fuck it. I''ve got this. Org steps across the blood as if it isn''t even a hindrance to him whilst I, on the other hand, keep losing my balance slipping slightly. How can he move like that when I feel so unstable? I stop before he does when I find a dryer, less slippery patch of stone. This could be a result of the fire and I''m grateful to myself for more stability. A few meters away from me he halts his advance and slightly tenses up. This reminds me of the time I came across Eto. Except for this time, we''re not surrounded by perpetual darkness, nor is my opponent almost dead. Instead, we are stood upon a field of crimson, catered with destroyed stone and surrounded by dissected goblins. Overseen by many spectators, each awaiting their own turn in the banquet hall from hell. Luckily for me, I have seen Org fight and he isn''t anything special, so I''m not too worried over him. I''m assuming this will be just like the two brothers before him, a piece of cake. Or should I say a slice of cake, hehe? Obling starts to chant some nonsense that I can''t quite understand and suddenly, Org is upon me. Shit. Dagger in hand and thrusting forward, I have no chance to counter his speed at this range. My only option is to evade. I jump to the side, avoiding the close attack but slipping on the fresh wet blood as I land, losing my footing in the process. Org is already in front of me again, not wasting a moment, swinging down with his dagger. After being caught off balance, I can''t raise my scimitar fast enough, all I can do is lean back. Orgs blade cuts right through my face leaving me bleeding from the top left of my forehead, down through my nose and stopping on my cheek. Luckily, he missed my eyes otherwise this would be over as I''m still outnumbered and trapped here. Straight away his dagger is closing back in on my head from another angle. Fucking hell, he wasn''t this beastly before, this must be one of Oblings tricks. Or maybe he''s that relentless because I killed his brothers? Either way, I''m not going down like this, not by a shitty goblin! "Sphere of Illuminating Light!" When a light stronger than the one that is currently inhabiting a room is increased by tenfold, it causes the muscles in within the eye to relax and contract at the same time, this is how pupil dilation occurs. So, in dim conditions lit only by crystals on the outer wall, this spell becomes more powerful. Not as strong as when I used in on myself for the first time, whilst enveloped by darkness, but strong enough to earn me a few seconds and that is all I will need. Brightness fills and dazzles the room, I can''t quite tell what made me think of this magic. I didn''t really want to use any spells as I''m low on mana as it is, but I also didn''t want to let Org kill me. Sorry, Org. Not wasting the opportunity I have created for myself, I bring my scimitar round full swing, no mana involved and decapitate Org, the arm shielding his eyes goes with them. What? No level up from org? Still following my brief plan I retrieve the dagger from the dead hunter''s hand, as I cancel my spell, instantly launching it toward the evil sorcerer with all the strength I can muster. My aim is true, which is amazing since I like to keep hold of my possessions. The dagger goes straight through Oblings head and out the back, sailing across the Magna pit before embedding itself into the wall, on the other side of the room.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Yes!" I didn''t expect that to be so successful. No goblins move a muscle as they stare at Obling. Who also does nothing but start cackling and his body disperses in a cloud of smoke. "Did I win?" ''No.'' Ooooh, that sent chills up my spine Temi. Remember the good old days when I only had to deal with a snarky system? Ah, fun times. Not at all like now, facing off against carnivorous ugly green people led by a deranged older goblin called Obling who turns into smoke. It''s a strange new life. ''You have 16 mana remaining Erin.'' "Thanks, Temi." The cracked cackling laughter of Obling gets louder as he reappears on top of his alter. The laughter turns into screams as something just behind him breaks off the skeleton construction. "AAArrrrggghhhh. Filthy human!" I know I never got round to using the hot spring, but I''m not that dirty. Yea I know, not the time for jokes. It''s only because I''m confused as to what just happened. I swear that dagger went through his head. Obling is raving at his bone creation, shouting nonsense again. This prompts the rest of the goblins to slowly start to close the distance between us. Blood from my wound has found its way into my left eye, causing me to squint, partially taking away half of my vision. I don''t want to cast heal again, but I feel like I have no choice. I need mana to heal myself so that I''m able to fight effectively but I also need that same mana to fight with. Which of these is the correct decision? I don''t know which one would be better right now? Whilst contemplating an unchoosable choice, the goblins have used my distracted mind to gain more of the ground between us and circle around me. Now I''m fucked. The goblins close the perimeter carefully to make sure I can''t escape this time and Obling is still screaming at his alter in some incoherent language. The only thing I can do is fall back on what I know, I swear to the gods I will practice the basics of magic properly if I escape this hell. I promise. ''17 mana'' Okay, concentrate Erin, if you wanna live out this new life with a mediocre name like this then fucking concentrate! "Come on then you ugly, shit eating, goblin bastards!!" All at once, they close in faster, blinded by rage, competing at who''s going to be the first to taste the meat? Who''s going to be the one to claim the reward from Obling? Who''s going to be the one to shut up the guy throwing insults at them? RRRRAAARRRGGHHH Fools. "Fire Wall!" At this moment in my life ''tried once'', means true and tested in my book. The goblins dive and claw through the air centimetres away from me as the wall of fire appears around me horizontally, once again. Searing my skin and making it look as though I have been chopped in half by pure flames, it incinerates anything that comes into contact with it. It doesn''t last for long though as it pushes out away from me, just as it did when I made my escape, frying and melting anything in its path. Which is almost everything except for Obling and his sketchy skeleton alter. I doubled the mana cost up to catch the surrounding idiots near me and it worked like a charm.
You have levelled up All stats increased Special attributes points awarded Skills increased
Nearly all the goblins are dead and any that remain, daren''t approach me again. To them, I am the god of fire, finally free of whatever compulsion drove them to attack me in the first place. They no longer have any will left to fight, not after so many of their kin lay lifelessly on the floor. At least I didn''t commit genocide and end them all. My spell has left a scorched ring around my midsection, now covered in blood and burnt all over once again I really want to use Cure on myself again. However, with Obling taking notice of the situation finally, I definitely don''t have that option now. If I can kill him with my blade that would be ideal but I doubt it will be that easy. Picking up a flaming piece from one of the goblins from the floor I launch it, once more, at Obling. This time it goes through his body and two more Oblings appear at each side of him. "Stupid, stupid, stupid humans. Yous know how long it took to get all goblins to see me as dungeon!?" "I don''t give a shit. Give me my underwear or I''ll take them off your headless corpse myself!"
Skill Acquired: Fear Level 1
"No, no, I tell yous yes. Alter is magic, it can take powers from others and gives them to another. Just put some bones in and it works." "Evil magic?" ''Yes.'' "No, no, j..just thief magic, yes. Just steals from others and gives to me." Steals from others? So he''s probably done this a few times before, I wonder how long he''s been here and how he tricked the goblins. "If yous join me, wes can share the powers, yes?" I wonder if he''s taking power from the dungeon as well? It could be what Abi was trying to tell me before but I still don''t know. I do, however, now know that the goblins where being tricked somehow seeing as how they''ve lost their resolve for battle. I don''t even care what he says now, I can''t trust a single word this evil sorcerer says. "Wes can take more powers from the dungeon aswell." That answers that. Fucking Obling! How dare he trick the dungeon that gave me my boxer shorts. My loveable little stalker. How fucking dare he! Obling can sense the rise in my anger as his fear must be growing. Only being level 1 doesn''t stop him from acting against me by sending all three of his bodies rushing forward. My resolve to help the dungeon to stop being drained by such a horrible ''thing'', surges within me and I raise my sword ready to put my skills to use. I slice at the first Obling within range and open his throat. The daggers they carry aren''t long enough to worry me, he should have used his magic. Unfortunately, though the Obling I just killed, disappears in smoke once again leaving me open for the other two to both sink their blades into me. Excruciating pain, like I have never felt before shoots throughout my body. One of the knives has pierced my lower back, maybe hitting a kidney and the other was sent straight into my chest, definitely puncturing my lung. It''s a huge struggle to breathe, I cough blood and land on my knees. The two Oblings disappear in a black cloud and a single one appears behind their fading mist. "Do yous know how tricky that is to cast? Pounding head right now! Stupid humans, but Oblings winner once again. No one can kill Obling master of illusion, ruler of the dungeon, killer of mans! I can''t even talk. The illusory knives that were jammed inside me disappeared with their ugly green counterparts but the wounds didn''t. I''m glad I didn''t use mana to heal my wounds earlier now that I''m this state. My chest burns and my mouth is full of blood, even though I have no need to say the words, it''s become a habit and I still try. "Cu..re" The feeling of a summers day falls over me, the perfect temperature coupled with a light breeze. My wounds shine yellow, only the knife injuries though as I can''t afford to double up here, healing my body and scaring the shit out of Obling at the same time.
Skill: Fear Level 1 has reached Level 2
"No! Hows can yous use so many magics? I will not lose here! The great Obling is the King of the dungeon!" "King of losers more like. Your just an old, ugly goblin leeching off the dungeon. Without it or people to give you powers and without these goblins to help you, what are you really? Fucking useless!" "Raaagghhhh, just dies" Obling''s two clones get called back into existence but this time he doesn''t disappear behind them. Instead, he drops to his knees and almost passes out. I know that look. He''s dry. He managed to summon his clones and I don''t know how long they''ll last for, but he is definitely not going to be casting any more spells. The two Obling''s before me don''t move a muscle, they must be mentally connected to the main one and since he''s down for the moment I won''t waste this chance. I leap forward decapitating one of the Obling''s, this causes the real one to take what action he can. He gathers himself quickly and runs forward at me with his clone and like before, I attack the closest one slicing its throat and turning it to smoke whilst the real one tries to sneak attack me from the side. I''m no expert in fighting or martial arts but I am better than an overweight goblin. I evade his dagger easily, elbowing him in the nose in the same motion.
Skill Acquired: Dodge Level 1 Skill Acquired: Unarmed Combat Mastery Level 1
Blood gushes out of his nose as he falls back to the ground. He quickly turns and crawls back to his alter, all spectating eyes on me from the sidelines waiting to see what will happen next. Obling stops in front of the remaining section of the skeleton and pulls out a vial from his robe, he uncorks it downing the strange-looking liquid within. He starts spouting nonsense to his alter once more, I''m guessing that he is attempting some final boss type of spell of his? Yea, that''s not happening! "Dark Slash!" From behind the sad excuse of a goblin, the jet black blade of air flys vertically through Oblings body and straight through the centre of the alter. The force of the attacks slits the ground in two carrying Obling, and what remains of his alter, over the verge into the molten lava below. Fucking goblins. I loved those boxer shorts.
You have levelled up All stats increased Special attribute points awarded Skills increased
Identify So a lot of shit happened. Where do I begin to recap on the events of Obling? My underwear......... is gone. Disintegrated in their separate halves, where ever the stupidly named goblin landed in the pit of molten lava. I''m such an idiot. Why didn''t I slice him horizontally like the others? There may have been a chance of reacquiring them... but would I really want them back after Obling wore and died in them? Is It better than nothing? Whatever. There''s nothing I can do about it now. Anyway, the goblins that didn''t die kept to themselves and left once the battle was over. In fact, they went out of their way to leave hastily, whilst also making sure they stayed as far away from me as possible on the way out of the destroyed room. Whatever spell that had been cast by Obling on the rectangular corridors had been released upon his death, revealing an exit opposite the wrecked festive hall. Once alone, I stood there cursing the fat old goblin about my underwear for what could have been hours. I was so distraught over whether I could have worn them again or not that Temi had to ease my loss by assuring me that there may be more chances of underwear further in the dungeon. Upon exiting myself, through the newfound doorway and up a great number of stairs, it turns out that I had never even left the inn. Goblana was nowhere to be seen, disappearing with the rest of the sneaky goblins. Leaving the reception desk, the building and the whole floor empty except for me. Not one to miss an opportunity, I headed straight upstairs to grab myself some fresh linen. A spare set for my bed, just for when mine needs changing and a sheet I decided to wear so that I wasn''t fully naked. Wrapping it around myself the best I can, which is a pretty shitty job, by the way. I at least feel a bit more relaxed thanks to my hidden manliness. And this is where I am now, sat on a comfortable bed, in a spare room inside of the inn. Feet up, taking a well-deserved rest while contemplating the events that had played out, wrapped in a white bed sheet like Moses. Hahaha, I totally bossed it right! Completely had him thinking he''d won once the knives were in me and then bam, Cure what a move, didn''t expect that did he. Back in the fight, ready to go. I was running low on stamina and my mana was a single point away from bottoming out after I split him in two, but I was victorious so it doesn''t matter what I had left in the tank. The only thing that matters is that I fucking won, against hundreds of enemies and an evil sorcerer. Me! Who''s the man. Me! So what if my last move was dishonourable? I don''t give a shit, I''m still here to complain about not having my boxer shorts and that''s all that matters. Foolish goblin. I mean, who casts a spell with their back turned to their enemy whilst all alone? His ego must have almost been as big as mi...... I mean, what a fool. I''m glad I''ll never see him again. Moving on. Next on my to-do list is to check my status. I earned a lot of level-ups in a short period of time and I didn''t get the chance to check any of it, except for that mastery choice. "Status."
Name: Erin Health: 139/139+
Race: Divine Being Mana: 115/115+
Level: 17 Stamina: 86/86+
Title: Goblin Slayer Class: Dark Knight Level 9
Special Attribute points: 16 Dark Knight Points: 8
STR 117+ WIS 87+
MAG 85+ VIT 96+
AGI 95+ INT 86+
LUCK 2 DEX 87+
Skills Spells
Night Vision Level 7 Starvation Level 3 Fear Mastery Level 5 Pain Resistance Level 4 (UP 1) Mental Resistance Level 3 (UP 2) Poison Resistance Level 3 Paralysis Resistance Level 4 Sleep Resistance Level 2 (UP 1) Overpower Level 3 Fear Level 3 (UP 1) Dark Slash Level 4 (UP 2) Sword Mastery Level 3 (UP 1) Unarmed Combat Mastery Level 1 Dodge Level 2 (UP 1) Sphere of Illuminating Light Fire Wall Identify Cure Gravity Ball Angelic Fountain of Everlasting Water(NEW)
Oh Damn. That is what I''m talking about right there. Loads of changes decorate the screen before my eyes. My mana is finally up at what its suppose to be giving me more flexibility in battle. Now I just need to practice the elements, once I ask Temi to tell me what they are. My attributes are looking rather nice as well showing some good growth. Many of my skills levelled up over those recent fights, either through use in the battle or accumulation from the levelling process I noticed before. Either way, I''m starting to feel quite buff right now and I still have a spare 24 points to add wherever I choose. To say that I keep talking about being an awesome sorcerer would be an understatement, I could easily rant away but, I seem to be very physically orientated for some reason. Is that because of the Dark Knight class? Night vision hasn''t changed in a while either, I wonder why that is? "Temi, how come night vision hasn''t levelled up in a while and how are my stats increasing so much? " Fingers crossed. Is my sidekick in a favourable mood or a shit-eating one? It''s always a coin toss. ''When you level up, all of your attributes increase by 4, then your earn the special bonus and class bonus totalling 6, that''s 2 points from the class and 4 points because of the pure mana used to create your body. Average human gains between 3 or 4 points per level, the less inclined can earn less and vice versa and monsters are even worse off but we can go over that later. You were really lucky to obtain your class so early on, it helped you out a great deal and without it, I don''t know if we would have survived the goblins.'' Look at who hit the jackpot. Although... "We?"The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ''We were there together, were we not?'' "You said about three things during the whole ordeal, the mana countdown was helpful granted, but other than that where was the help? You could have been identifying and checking my health or something useful like that." ''I was.'' ........ "So why didn''t you tell me any of that stuff!" ''You were doing fine, even with both knives in you and after being burned multiple times you were only down to 52 health.'' Really? I honestly thought I was dying back there. I was trying to act tough in front of Obling and not let him see how scared I was. It''s not as though I had the chance to use identify on myself, I barely had the opportunity to pick my nose never mind read my status. "So I''m quite tough then?" ''You are doing... adequately.'' "What''s that suppose to mean?" ''There''s room for improvement. As I said obtaining the Dark Knight class was a great help.'' I swear to the gods. "The road goes both ways you know. Take a leaf out of your own book. You were identifying me and probably the goblins, so why didn''t even tell me their stats or anything!" ''The strongest of the goblins only had 80 health. The only dangerous moments were at the start when there was so many of them, even with low health and strength if you had been surrounded they could have devoured you.'' .......... The strongest of the goblins only had 80 health? Wasn''t that Obling? ......... Right now I''m not feeling so ''boss'' anymore. Temi has well and truly just knocked the wind out my sails. The worst part of that sentence was that she didn''t even try to make me feel bad on purpose. Her honesty is a kick in the balls and I feel as if I''ve just beaten up a weak bunch of kids. It was worse than just a beating but I won''t take it to heart this time though. The little bastards were going to sacrifice me to the lava pit, so fuck them! Still, Obling only had 40 health, what the hell? "If you would have mentioned that earlier on I could have planned around it." ''True, then in the future, I will let you know the enemies health situation if you are unable to do so yourself." "Oh, Ok. Thank you. What about Night Vision then?" I''ll take this chance while she is being helpful as far as it will go. ''Night Vision has not advanced again yet because you have lower-level skills taking the bonus to help them grow first. You have also been in a well-lit room so it''s automatic progress has been halted too." Why didn''t I think of that? It seems obvious now she''s said it. "What about Unarmed Fighting Mastery that didn''t go up and it''s level 1?" ''Combat skills only rise through their use, otherwise, everyone would be a master even if they only used a weapon once to earn the skill.'' Again, that just sounds right so let''s roll with it. Ok, what next? Shit, what was it I was going to ask..... Why can I never remember at the crucial moments... ........ Oh. "What are the differences in mana cost for the elements? Oh, oh and what are the elements?" ''Hehe, if you wish to learn then listen to your well versed Sensei. The four basic elements cost you 3 mana to cast and the four higher tier ones cost you 5 points. Notice how I said ''you'', that''s because it costs more for the average human to cast spells because they''re not as attuned with the mana as you are. As you have witnessed, they have to chant to cast their spells and they are much slower than you. Obling was able to cast a clone spell instantly but casting without chanting is very taxing on their bodies. Do you understand?'' Is she broken? Or does she have a weird collection of manga up in my brain that she''s been reading, OR what if she''s reading manga from my brain, Woah that''s trippy. Concentrate idiot, 3 mana for basic and 5 for higher. I''m better than everyone else, hehe, got it. "Er, yes." ''Yes, what?'' "Yes....sensei?" ''That''s correct. The basic elements consist of fire, water, wind and earth. The higher elements are light, dark, space and time. Combining these into spells adds the cost of each element used together. For example, Dark Slash uses wind and dark magic which result in a cost of 8 mana points.'' Wow I really want to question her about how she''s acting but I really need her to stay helpful and it''s also nice when she''s like this. Think Erin. What else did I want to ask her about? This is the perfect time for Q and A, but I don''t have any Qs. I''m terrible at this... ...... Oh yeah, Temi said I could use identify on the information contained within my status. I may as well do that now seeing as how I''m not in a fight to the death and how the goblin village would be better described as a ghost town with the total occupancy number being one. I doubt life will gift me with such reprieves in the future so I need to use this time to the fullest, especially with Temi on her good side right now. Hehe, I feel giddy. Where do I start? Good old faithful Night Vision. "Hey Temi, I''m going to check myself out with Identify now." ''Ok, why are you telling me?'' I........ don''t know. It was just nice talking with her. "I was enjoying the conversation, or explanation, or........ whatever, it doesn''t matter. I don''t know." ''Oh erm, ok.'' Haha. I caught her off guard that time, even if it was by mistake. It''s the little victories that can satisfy you the most. "Ok, here I go. Identify"
Night Vision Level 7: The ability to see in low light conditions up to 2.5 meters per Level Extended Range: Double effectiveness increasing range to 5 meters per Level
I already knew this information but damn, that''s still cool. Hahaha. "That was awesome." ''It is enlightening to see where one''s strength can come from.'' "You''re not wrong there." ''I''m never wrong.'' "I beg to differ, remember when you said I couldn''t summon a fountain?" ''I said I wanted to know if you had knowledge of one.'' "Ok, what about that time you said I could choose a name?" ''I already told you that you''re able to choose a second name still.'' "Alright, alright, I''ve got it this time. How about when you said I couldn''t summon the dungeon?" ......... ''I said it was impossible.... not that you couldn''t do it.'' "That''s the same difference and you know it. If it''s impossible then it means I can''t do it but I did do it though, there''s nothing wrong with being.... well, wrong Temi." ''...But technically you cancelled that spell as soon it started.'' "Yea, because I was about to go blind because of the light but still, you saw her right?" ........ ''... stupid Erin.'' Raising my eyes a gigantic smile takes over face and I burst out laughing. I''m glad I''m on a bed cause I may have met concrete again by laughing too hard. This is another first for my new body and I feel really happy, again another first. "I''m sorry Temi, I couldn''t help myself. It was funny, thanks." ''I don''t understand what was funny about me being wrong.'' The sound of her voice is all it takes for me to start laughing once again but I manage to contain it with a few coughs and get it under control. "I can''t explain why it was funny or else it won''t be funny anymore." ''It wasn''t funny in the first place!'' Okay, Erin, get it together. Life''s not all shits and giggles, sometimes we have to learn and that''s what I''m going to do. What''s next, Dark Knight?
Dark Knight Level 9 Increase stats Health 50 Strength 25 Vitality 20 Agility 15 Dexterity 10 Earn 2 additional attribute points per level Skills unlocked: Dark Slash Gravity Ball
No wonder my health and strength are so high. Hehe, Temi was right, this is a huge benefit. I send a prayer out for Eto to thank him for the class I obtained.
Dark Slash Level 4: Cost 8 Mana 10 Stamina; Range 10 meters Dark Wind Magic: Create a blade of air and infuse it with darkness.
Gravity Ball: Cost 10 Mana Dark Space Magic: Creates a ball of gravity pulling in anything within its vicinity
"Ok, what''s next."
Health: How much damage one can sustain before death occurs
"That one was pretty blunt." ''Still true though.'' Not going to argue that, damn this is so cool! Time flew by and I spent it all checking and rechecking everything whilst getting along with Temi, that must mean I''m in for a rough time in the upcoming future. The Systems descriptions of my status are easily understandable and I already feel much wiser and knowledgable. I''ll check them again when they upgrade, to check any differences. I need to add my bonus points but I''ve actually been at it a while now and I''m feeling rather tired, seeing how I haven''t slept since the battle with Obling and his crew, then reading up on myself. I haven''t even eaten since awaking this time, I kinda miss how the goblins were nice in the beginning bringing me well-made meals. Before eating and crashing out on this extremely comfortable bed though, there''s something that needs taking care of first. And I don''t mean my mana points. I will, however, do those before I leave this floor. Getting up and leaving the inn, I make my way over to the other side of the large room I once described it as. I can''t really call it a goblin village anymore seeing as how they all left before I came back up from the festival hall. Arriving at my destination I rip the sheet covering me away from my body with a single pull, throwing caution to the wind and storing it away like a pro. I then proceed to place myself in what I have deemed to be, the best seat in the hot springs. My back against the wall, with a good view of the area in front of me, the temperature of the water id delightful. "Soooo good." I''m practically melting. I feel as though I''m in heaven, no wonder the goblins didn''t care for modesty here, there''s only one feeling that comes from being inside the spring and that is bliss. "Thank you once again, Abi, this time for the delightful hot spring." I''m sure my stalker is about somewhere, at this point I don''t even mind, the embarrassment I felt from before has faded and she''s obviously seen it before. This could just be my Fear Mastery at play, so you never know. ''How do you know she''s here. I can''t sense anything or see any life forms on the map.'' "Just a hunch, anyway when we finally get you a body we''ll have to come back here so you can enjoy this too." ......... Whenever I mention a body she stops talking. I can only assume it must suck, to be stuck, in my head. Time passes while I relax soaking in the spring, I begin to acquire the familiar pain of starvation and decide it''s time to get out, but there''s a problem. "I didn''t bring a towel." ''I''m sure they will keep towels in the inn.'' "Yeah but that''s all the way over there." ''So? There''s no one around and if your too worried then just use your sheet.'' "Yes! Winning answer. Thank you, Temi." Removing the sheet from my inventory, I use it to dry off then and then wrap the wet fabric around myself. It doesn''t feel comfortable but I''ll grab a new one as soon as I''m back at the inn, along with some towels and anything else I can loot. I got an inventory upgrade just when I needed it. Look at all that free space.
Inventory 12/30
Oran Matt Lizard Skewer x2
Steel Scimitar Onion x5
Potato x11 Carrot x9
Radish x5 Beef Meat x3
Chicken Meat x4 Pig Meat x2
Luxurious Bed Full Bed Set
Damn right it''s a luxurious bed. I can''t believe it was actually named that but damn, I can''t deny it either. I may have to take a spare bed too just in case, you never know when you might need one. Anyway back to the village for a scavenger hunt. Unexpected Rewards It turns out that the goblins didn''t have as many luxuries as I thought they did. When first I arrived on this floor it looked as though the goblins had everything they needed, but upon my search, it appears they only have the basic necessities and a few decorations. Furniture, cooking equipment, and the cloth they where wearing was all I found, there was one item that was unexpected though. So far my inventory looks like this.
Inventory 20/30
Oran Matt Lizard Skewer x2
Steel Scimitar Onion x29
Potato x39 Carrot x33
Radish x28 Beef Meat x15
Chicken Meat x28 Pig Meat x14
Luxurious Bed Full Bed Set
Comfortable Chair Dining Table
Wooden Chair x4 Knife Set
Crockery Cutlery
Miscellaneous Pots and Pans Magical Oven
I know right, I''m going to test it as soon as I go back to the inn. Don''t ask me why but that''s where I intend to eat and sleep as I have done so since arriving. It just feels right. The fact that my inventory can bunch multiple items of the same set together is very helpful, I would be way over capacity otherwise. I''ve only searched the houses so far after my rest in the hot spring. The decorations they possess are all made from bones, I doubt they will serve to help me on my journey through Morte. Plus they''re too creepy for me to even want to take one. I don''t need anything tying me to other adventures deaths. I found another awesome feature of my inventory whilst rummaging around the houses. Whenever I store anything and then retrieve it afterwards it always comes out clean and fresh. I noticed this as I stored a chair and then brought it back out when I came across a better one. It wasn''t the dirtiest seat when I stored it but upon bringing it back out it looked pristine. I then decided to test out my discovery on a few other objects until I was disturbed by the voice of reason. ''Erin, what are you doing?'' "Just testing whether every item I store and retrieve will come out new. ''Why didn''t you ask me?'' "Sorry Temi, honestly I''ve been feeling guilty over bringing you recently so I didn''t want to keep burdening you every time I need help. I know it was a good idea like you said but ever since you became.... you. It''s been harder to justify my decision ." ''While I appreciate your concerns for me, please do not ignore me. It is very...... You brought me for help and assistance, so please ask me anything you need to know.'' Did she really just say please twice? I was expecting that the next time that she had anything to say, it would have probably been better not to hear it at all. That''s usually how it goes, right? Helpful advice mixed with sarcasm is usually followed contempt, before returning back to sage-like advice. I can never keep track of how she''s going to react so I just have to take whatever is thrown my way. Like a dog and a bone but I''m still alive, so I can''t be doing too bad. "Erm Ok. How come my inventory cleans the items in it?" ''It is just one of the features, it will not however repair broken items.'' "Oh, cool, thanks." ''Your welcome.'' ........ An awkward silence falls between us. That felt really weird but I don''t want my partner feeling neglected, even if I do feel like I''m imposing on her. "How would I use the magic oven?" ''I have never seen a magic oven before so I do not know, unfortunately. At a guess it is either already infused with mana, in which can you just turn in on or, you infuse it with mana yourself. If those two fail, maybe throw a fireball in there....'' "Ha...haha, was that a joke? Nice one Temi." ''It was, but you could also try it if the other two options fail.'' She may be a bit of a pyromaniac, first Fire Wall now she wants me slinging fireballs. Not that being able to throw fireballs would be a bad thing, in fact, it would be the opposite. I would finally feel like the mage I''m aspiring to be, rather than the guy who runs out of mana within minutes setting himself on fire. Moving on from bad memories. Arriving at the inn, it appears that they have their own magic oven so I leave mine in storage. It turns out Temi was right and it is already infused with mana, a touch is all it takes to activate it. I use the remaining food and equipment in the inn to create a large pot of chicken stew. Full of vegetables and a hearty 3 chickens I''m super proud of myself for making my first meal in this dungeon. Only took me about a week. Turns out I can store the whole pot of stew in my inventory too and it stays hot. I don''t think I can call myself chef after just one meal though, it took me a while to figure out how to prepare most of the ingredients and without Temis input, once again I may not have succeeded. I carved up one of my chickens completely wrong, wasting it in the process but after listening to the sage guru''s advice I got the hang of it and earned two new skills in the process. It worked out quite well and my dinner smells lovely, I really hope it was my cooking but I have a feeling that it could just be the dungeons ingredients though, you never know.
Skill Acquired: Butchery Level 1 Skill Acquired: Cooking Level 1
Heading up to the spare room with the extra bed, that I decided I''m taking for myself as well because why not, I sit down to enjoy the delicious meal savouring every mouthful Finishing my food, I offer thanks to Temi for helping me create it and to Abi for creating such wonderful edible monsters in the first place. I store the bowl and recall it straight away. It comes back out pristine clean and a smile spreads across my face as I chuckle happily. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "I love the cleaning feature." ''It is certainly beneficial and time effective.'' Tomorrow, I''m going to search this half of the village and then we''ll set off to the next floor to practice magic on the monsters there. I feel as though I''m sorely lacking in magic compared to my skills, especially after learning another two, but it''s through no fault of my own. We still don''t even know how or why my mana cap happened to me. Once again leaving future problems for future me I decide to call it a day. "Well good night Temi." ''Night Erin.'' ......... "Temi, do you sleep? I mean, when I''m sleeping, are you able to sleep?" ''Yes, in a way.'' "Good, I felt bad for a moment, thinking that you where switched on all the time. Night" Morning arrives with no problems and I feel refreshed and raring to go after a good sleep. I''m still in the same room as last night and haven''t been kidnapped so that''s a good sign. "Rise and shine Temi, it''s looting time." ''I''m ready.'' Storing the second bed we exit the inn and get a move on checking all the buildings on this side of the floor. Searching the rest of the village nets me a few more items, but nothing of significance. I''m shocked that I haven''t found anything of value, I thought they might have had items from past adventures hidden somewhere but my hopes were in vain. It turns out most of the other buildings where storages for food supplies, so at least the ingredients in my inventory are maxed out. They were collecting for a large feast after all, which ended just as soon as it began. With all these supplies I may as well discard Eto''s skewers, but after how I lived my first two days I daren''t waste any food. I''ll just eat them as soon as I need space. "No use lingering around then, let''s go practice!" Exclaiming with glee over the urge to run to the next floor, Temi once again drops some more useful information as I set off. Do you think she''s spoiling me? ''You should practice the four basic elements first and earn some easy spells. It costs less to use and you can increase your repertoire exponentially.'' "Sounds awesome, I can''t wait." Putting haste into my step I pick up the speed to the exit of floor 25. It''s about time, ever since the beginning, I''ve imagined flaming tornadoes and other magic spells but I''ve not had the mana nor the time recently to practice. Arriving at the stairwell, I''ve reached the bottom even quicker than last time but I have to skid to halt upon exiting. This act really hurts my feet but the pain is only secondary to the confusion that is at the front of my mind. "That definitely wasn''t there the last two times we were here right?" ''No, that was most certainly not here before.'' I''m staring at a familiar sight. I''ve already come across one in the dungeon before I came to the goblin village, but this one has a noticeably different feature upon itself. Notably being an actual note dangling from within it! It''s another golden treasure chest but this time it is placed right at the entrance to floor 26 and there is a handwritten note stuck between lid. Even though the first chest had the best item I have acquired so far in this dungeon, I''m still a little wary that it may be a monster wanting to eat me. I mean, you can''t blame me, right? Everything here seems to want to eat me. Cautiously, just like last time, I approach the chest and snatch the note out with imperceivable speed. Hehehe. Nimble fingers. To my shock, the note is actually from the dungeon, it also appears to be more of an essay than a note after unfolding it.
Dear Erin, Thank you so very much for ridding my dungeon of the goblin known as Obling. He appeared here almost six months ago and managed to make his way to my core. Once there he attached one part of himself to me and another part onto his alter. After a spell, he was able to control the monsters inside the dungeon and I was no longer able to summon new ones. He kept me silenced and had replaced all my words with his own, suppressing me away using his mysterious alter. The first time anyone has heard the real me in months is when you summoned me. Although it was brief, you heard me and decided to help, for this I will be forever grateful. Normally adventures that come here are only after the treasures I use to lure them in the first place or they''re here to destroy my core, effectively killing me. I must do this to survive and grow strong. I don''t believe you to be in either of these two categories which leaves me with multiple questions. Who are you, Erin? Why are you here and what do you want? Why would you help me? And the most important question. Are you going to kill me? Even if you were here to kill me now, after yesterday, would I have any reason to deny you? You saved me so my life is in your hands. If you want my core I will gladly give it to you, although I would prefer to stay alive so in exchange for my life I will try and summon anything else you wish to possess instead of myself. However, if that is not to your liking then I will give myself to you body and soul when you take my core. I really hope we can talk soon and discuss this properly but until then, I have created some items that I''m pretty sure you will like and placed them inside this chest. It''s a reward for slaying Obling and freeing me, it''s also compensation for your loss. You really appeared to like the first reward you obtained, though I cannot understand why you came here naked in the first place it was a very......... strange sight. Most people wear armour when they come to try and prevent injuries to an extent, from the monsters I create. They also tend to arrive on the first floor, not the twenty-fourth, there''s not much up there at the moment as most people don''t make it past floor twenty. Anyway, when you get to my core room, I have a physical projection you can see because of the level I''m now at but I can''t appear on floors where other people are. For now, this note was the best way I could think of to communicate with you. Honestly. I just wanted to say thank you, so. Thank you, Erin. Abi x x
"Woah." I feel like the time when Temi told me I could summon water after I was dehydrated for so long. Flabbergasted. What does she mean strange sight, what part of me is strange? And I''m just going to ignore that body and soul part, yep. Gonna gloss right over that. Let''s see what my first mate says. "What do you think about this Temi?" ''Honestly. I''m at a loss for words too, I never knew dungeons could grow in such a way. I knew they get larger and can summon new monsters upon levelling up by growing in size, but that''s about it.'' She knows about as much as me, nevermind that then. Okay, so that''s a lot of information to take in. I''m going to grab my reward first and then decide what to think about the letter afterwards. Stretching my hand out and placing it on the chest, the latches slide open and the lid lifts automatically. Once again the chest is empty, just like the last one except for the scarce blue light.
Items Obtained : Cotton Underwear Cotton Socks Cotton Shirt High-Quality Leather Boots High-Quality Leather Pants
Oh shit, Abi! Not just the one, but the whole shebang! Now that is a diamond, bring it in heart and soul just like you want. Equip. Equip. Equip. Equip. Equip. I stand observing my current vicinity. The golden chest fading back into the floor, the unexplained wind blowing against my white cotton shirt, ruffling it as it breezes by. My legs are surrounded by a warmth that I haven''t felt in a long time thanks to the new pair of black leather pants and my feet, feeling the soft sensation of comfort that has eluded me since the start of this life are also clad in the same black scaled leather. God damn, I feel and look good. Even my hair is slowing returning on my face and head, another week or two and I won''t look so much like a clown. Now that''s done, one must reward kindness, with kindness of ones own. "Thank you Abi, you have no idea how much I appreciate this. Also, don''t worry I have no intention of killing you or taking your core after helping you. The reason I''m here is quite a long story but to cut it short, I died and then ended up here. I don''t really want anything either, I''m super happy at what I''ve just been given so thank you very much. When you think about it I was helping you at the same time as helping myself, I didn''t want to end up goblin chow, or falling when the floor is lava. It was a win-win for both of us" Trying to sound modest I wonder if she even heard all that? It gave me an idea though. Experiment time. "Abi, I''m going to leave the floor. I''ll wait a few minutes then come back, that way you can write me a reply and we can converse with each other. Ok?" ''She cannot answer yet.'' "I know, I don''t know why I asked her Ok. Anyway, I''ll be back in a few minutes Abi." Giddy at the prospect of making another friend, increasing my count to two, I dash back up to the floor above where I wait for the allotted time. Once it''s over I head straight back down the stairwell and find a note on the floor, under a rock.
Dear Erin I believe your words to be sincere even if a little bit strange. People don''t just appear in the dungeon after they die you know, it''s usually the other way around, people disappear into the dungeon after they die. I''m glad you like the apparel I created for you, it makes me wonder why you never created your own clothes, mana points and dungeon points are vaguely similar as far as I am aware. Magic can create many surreal phenomena so clothing wouldn''t be too far a stretch in the imagination. None the less, I like this idea of conversing, I can freely talk to my monsters again now thanks to you. However, it is much more entertaining talking with you. It''s less reverence and more casual friendship, I like this very much. Abi x x
Well, what did I take from that letter? A smack myself in the face to remind me, how fucking stupid I am. ........ Seriously, did she just layout that ninety percent of my overall worries could have been solved by a tiny amount of mana? And what does she mean dungeon points are vaguely similar? I don''t even know what those are! I can''t even palm the blame over to Temi about not thinking of creating clothes. It''s something I never mentioned and all I did talk about was how much I revered the boxer shorts I had been awarded. Leaving stupid mistakes in the past and trying to forget as quickly as possible, I reread the letter. "Why do you always start with ''dear Erin''? We both know you''re talking to me." What else? "And what are dungeon points and how are they like mana?" This way of conversing continues for a while and I end up eating another bowl of delicious chicken stew whilst going back and forth before returning to the inn. For what I''m really sure will be the final time, before departing to practice magic tomorrow. I was a little distracted again today, but it was a really good distraction so I''m pleased with the event and can''t complain. Pulling out one of the two beds from my inventory I lay down and get comfortable. Running back and forth, up and downstairs is quite tiring after a while, now that I''m laid down I''m feeling exhausted. I''m laid on top of the sheets because I don''t want to take my new boots off incase I awake and they''re gone. It''s then I remember my inventory and give myself a pat on the back for being so insightful. I mean, come on. I can''t keep forgetting the basics if I''m going to be staying here can I? I store all my clothes and jump under the sheet letting out a huge yawn. "Ahhhh, it''s so nice. Goodnight Temi, goodnight Abi." ''Night Erin.'' With that, I''m already sleeping. Dreaming of tomorrows magical possibilities and conversations. Magic Training Upon opening my eyes, anticipation creeps over me that I have been suppressing since last night. The novelty of waking up and getting dressed. I withdraw my clothes from my inventory and place them next to me, I set my boots on the floor. Rather than equip it, I just want to put them on myself. I take my time with it appreciating every piece of clothing. Socks, shirt, underwear and pants, every piece feels superb. I put each boot and strap them up at the top. When I''m finished I feel fantastic. Then I remember the stalker and I suddenly realise that Temi is also a girl, I think. Nevermind, from now on my modesty will always be well contained within my new boxer shorts, which I will equip before even getting out of bed. I don''t feel like eating a chicken stew for the third time and it''s hardly the time of day for it, so I head down to the kitchen to try my hand at breakfast. It takes a while and even a cure spell but after an hour or two and a fully wasted pig monster, I have successfully conquered breakfast, whilst acquiring two level-ups in the process. I could probably ask Abi to make me breakfast and pick it up on the next floor, but she won''t be with me forever and I need to get used to this myself.
Skill: Butchery Level 1 has reached Level 2 Skill: Cooking Level 1 has reached Level 2
This dungeon seems to be the perfect place for me to acquire skills. Even if some of them where oddly obtained or harder to earn than others, they all have a place in my status. "I could be a master chef by the time I leave this dungeon." ''It''s not likely.'' Ouch, where''s my back up Temi. Don''t tell me we''re back into ''denial over a possible existence'' phase again. "I will at least have mediocre skills though, right?" ''Oh yes, definitely.'' Nevermind, disaster averted, no problems here. She''s fine after that self-deprecating line. Making my self sound terrible always seems to cheer her up and I''m in such a good mood, that I''m not even bothered by it. Off to floor 26, we go. It''s magic time and I wonder has to say this morning. Yesterday we talked about quite a few topics before I called it a day. Turns out that that dungeon Morte is in the middle of nowhere, not many adventures pass by this way, according to Abi. The ones that do try and take her on when they stumble across the entrance, never leave after they have entered. Apparently, she can be very tricky, also her DP is just like my mana as it regenerates over time and she can summon whatever she knows about with it. Does that mean I can summon monsters as she can? I''ll have to run an experiment on that with the other spells I''m going to try. I wonder if they will be loyal to me, like Abi''s monsters are to her or will they be feral. Maybe I''ll earn a new skill, that seems to be how it goes here, right? Upon reaching floor 26 there''s a fresh note from Abi under the regular stone.
Dear Erin, I hope your sleep was pleasant and restful, I also wish you luck in your training today. Try your best and do not waver and you will earn this dungeons favour. How do you like that one? Anyway, I won''t keep you today, good luck Erin. See what I did there? Hehe! Abi x x
Well, that was a short one. Yesterday I was also rhyming to Abi and Temi, it has kind of worn off on Abi, as you can tell. She''s trying her best though, even if she did explain it to me when it was easily seeable, so I''ll let her pass. "Hehe, nice one Abi." ''It was ok.'' "Don''t you have any before we begin, my favourite sensei who we never call dim?" ........ "Come on Temi, it was a joke, don''t get your imaginary knickers in a twist." ''Erin, you are such a fool, especially when you sleep and drool.'' This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Ha....haha. "Hahaha. That was really good. Well done." ''Do not mock me. And why would my knickers be twisted? I don''t even wear knickers!'' That''s it, I''m done before I''ve even started. On the ground, crunched up, laughing away. I wonder how it''s possible for Temi to be even funnier when she''s not trying. Eventually, I calm down, explaining to Temi about another phrase that I don''t fully understand either, from my old world. Now that''s over it''s time for some magic practice! It didn''t take long to exhaust my mana, literally, I had been at it for less than five minutes. Totally ignoring Temi''s advice ''this time'', I dove straight into the deep end, casting godly magic from the depths of my mind. I earned a good couple of spells, but using them straight after each other in a row, depleted my mana like never before. Not that I ever really had this much to deplete to such a degree in the first place. It also earned me an ear-bashing from Temi, where I had to apologise multiple times before she would let it go. When''s nice mode going to settle in for the long haul and commit. Anyway, my brief time as a super magus went like this. Whilst deeply submerged in my arcane tower of destitute that I call my imagination, I cast a flaming vortex spell with each hand roasting both large boars that were stationed in front of me within seconds. The two spells working side by side, made both my hands envelope with eternal flames that then got pulled into an immense vacuum, swirling through the sky towards my dinner... I mean enemies. Amazed at the raw power that had just come out of my fingertips, I decided to cast the next spell I had been waiting patiently to cast ever since I acquired enough mana and space. There are no enemies left as they must have run off after I roasted both boars, in which case I chose to use the two flaming boars for target practice instead. Conjuring up the sharpest points I could imagine, two extremely large Ice Spears appear, one over each hand. Just floating there for a moment I once again took in the surreal sight before me and I was reminded of how wonderful this new world actually is, albeit dangerous as hell at the same time. With my though over, I gathered my strength in both arms and launched each one forward towards a burning boar, both hitting their mark with ease. I wonder if there''s an auto-aim feature? Thinking of Abi and Temi alike and my dilemma on how to help both, I decided to try a summoning spell to see if I could manage it successfully. It was actually really easy again and I summoned two different elemental beings at once. This earned me a minuscule amount of Temi''s praise but I take what I can get and I accepted happily. Two spells at once are really costly, but they make me look awesome, I''ll have to ask what Abi''s opinion is on it later. I tried to imagine more magic, but it appeared my tower of fortitude only had four books, and one of them is a repeat as I could only picture one other spell and it just involves destruction. Either way, I was still going to test it and I was most definitely going to do it double-handed too, that shit is the best. Hehehe. I gathered my thoughts and cried out. "Explosion!" Before my eyes, a little too close for comfort is something I really hope the owner can fix without too much a problem. So to sum up my 4-minute magic session, Temi had a good laugh, I nearly lost what hair is growing back again and I''m pretty sure Abi will have something to say about the two gigantic craters in her floor when I return after leaving. ell its that bad, there might even be a letter as soon as I leave this floor. She said she didn''t mind and to try my best, right? Anyway, right now, this is how I''m looking.
Name: Erin Health: 139/139
Race: Divine Being Mana: 115/115
Level: 17 Stamina: 86/86
Title: Goblin Slayer Class: Dark Knight Level 9
Special Attribute points : 0 Dark Knight Points : 0
STR 125 WIS 89
MAG 90 VIT 96
AGI 100 INT 90
LUCK 2 DEX 87
Skills Spells
Night Vision Level 7 Starvation Level 3 Fear Mastery Level 5 Pain Resistance Level 4 Mental Resistance Level 3 Poison Resistance Level 3 Paralysis Resistance Level 4 Sleep Resistance Level 2 Overpower Level 3 Fear Level 3 Dark Slash Level 4 Sword Mastery Level 3 Unarmed Combat Mastery Level 1 Dodge Level 2 Sphere of Illuminating Light Fire Wall Identify Cure Gravity Ball Angelic Fountain of Everlasting Water Burning Vortex ( New ) Explosion ( New ) Ice Lance ( New ) Summon Dark Elemental ( New ) Summon Light Elemental ( New )
I know I say it a lot but, I know right! I could probably match Eto in a one on one fight right now, probably, maybe... Well, it''s debatable. Anyway, this is what I''ve learned so far. There''s isn''t many elements but when you combine them, they can change based on which combinations you go with. For example, with fire magic not only can I create heat, but I can also take it away. So when I then combine it with water not only can I make steam, but I can use it to make ice as well. To do this I also have to use time magic to speed up the process of the creation, or so Temi said. Who would have thought it, fire and water making ice with time? Definitely not me! That''s what Temi told me actually happens and how the people of Tironia conjure magic believing all those rules. All I actually did, was imagine a spear of ice and then I threw it through the air like Zeus with his lightning bolts. Oh. Lightning bolts, that''s next. Once again feeling like a child I dive straight back into my practice. Electricity arcing around both arms, I fire off the shots into the irrecognisable carcasses of the two boars until I start to feel my mana running even lower. Multiple element spells are very costly. My status actually says that I have 21 mana points remaining and now shows Lightning in my list of spells, they don''t look so bad when compared next to my skills now. Calculating my mana usage on what Temi told me about adding elemental costs, the amount matches up with what I believe I have used, including the four minutes worth of regeneration as well. The small pain in my head is nothing compared to the early days, it must happen when it drops below anything lower than a certain percentage and then gets worse the further you go into the red. Anyway, that''s enough practice, for now, it''s still breakfast time but I''m starving now that I''ve used up my mana supply. I suppose it''s chicken stew again for me then... As nice as it was in the beginning, the repetitiveness of the meal is taking a little toll. It''s still delicious but I need more variety. Do I have to stop back at the goblin village before going to the next floor one more time? It would make sense I suppose, preparation is the key to victory. I could use a good few pots of food and it''s not like I don''t have the perfect space to store it in. "That settles it, I''m going back to the Goblin Village one more time. I need to produce more varieties of meals for this expedition through the dungeon." ''Don''t you already have a sufficient amount of meals in your pot?'' "Yea, but that''s just chicken stew. I need more Temi, remember when I said you will understand after tasting for the first time. Trust me, you really will understand." ''I believe you, Erin, I also look forward to the day when I can test that theory out.'' That was the most she''s spoken on the subject since I started bringing it up. I''m not filling her with false hope as I really do want to create her a body. I reckon she will enjoy this world just as much as I am, if not more, as soon as we get out of the Abi and find some type of civilisation. But for now, it''s time to cook, not too mention I really want to leave this floor to see if Abi is pissed off or not and to see if she can clean up my mess? That would be awesome. Dungeons are actually quite cool, don''t you think? The Visitor The smell of bacon entering my nose arouses me from my slumber. That''s right, I''m still in the goblin village. After tirelessly cooking away yesterday and working my way through the stores of meat and vegetables I possess. I decided to crash here again because there''s no one else here and for the simple fact that I can. I was exhausted after making meal after meal and then having to search for more pots to store it in. I now have an inventory of freshly cooked meals and I no longer have to rely on the first meal I made, Chicken Stew. Hang on, Bacon? Opening my eye''s and immediately locking on the direction of the smell, I spot the familiar silver platter and fresh juices on my bedside table. "Are the goblins back?" ''No, it would appear that they were not responsible for your meals in the first place.'' "What do you mean, Temi?" ''The food materialised there on its own accord. It would appear the dungeon is strong enough to conjure items with adventurers on the same floor.'' "I''m still don''t understand what you mean, Temi. I''m not from Tironia remember and this is all a mystery to me?" ''Yes, yes, I remember. Dungeons can place monsters, traps or various objects on any one of the many floors they possess. Usually, however, a dungeon can not create or change anything on any floor that an adventurer is on.'' "So does that mean Abi is really strong then?" ''It would appear that she is stronger than the System originally had her designated as.'' "Nice, way to go girl." At the moment there is a knock on my bedroom door. The mood turns quite tense as I have killed most of the goblins underground in Obling''s feast hall. The one''s that didn''t die vacated this floor faster than a beach with a tsunami approaching its shores. I''m also a little worried that Abi might be a tad mad at me for ruining floor 26 with my explosion magic and that she may be seeking vengeance. Although the delightful smell eases up some of my concerns, I still approach the door slowly and with a careful approach, I turn the handle. The door opens slowly revealing a woman, an actual ''as real as myself'' human, knelt on one knee, in the hallway. Her emerald hair is short and tied back in a ponytail, revealing her beautiful face. Her eye''s which are also the same colour and faced directly at my feet completely avoiding my gaze. She is dressed in what I can only describe as thieves clothing. A pitch-black, long-sleeved jacket hangs open revealing oversized breasts for her supposed profession. Or maybe they work better because they cause a distraction? A dark green blouse holds in place the mounds that lie beneath the jacket of night. Skintight black pants hug her in all the right places as she kneels before me as though she is a temptress and I am her bait. Slowly, but without hesitation, she finally brings her gaze up to meet my own. I''ve got to say the only reason it''s playing out like this, is because she''s caught me gobsmacked. I literally can''t think of a single, eligible word to say to this gorgeous woman before, my mind still can''t believe there''s another person in front of me. Also if I even tried to, it would probably come out as mumbled garbage anyway. I''m better off not even attempting to say anything and letting her go first. Her eye''s are piercing my soul, or so I believe, looking directly into me to see what sort of man I am. I wish I knew, I am still new after all. She opens her mouth as though she is about to speak but stops midway, leaving it open a fraction revealing an even more beautiful pose before me. My heart goes weak and I swear she''s using some type of charm attack, should I be careful or throw caution to wind after my latest victory. I take a step forward, closing what little distance was between us, to begin with. She does not change position, not even a fraction of her body moves, the only part of her that moves are her head as she has to raise it further to maintain eye contact. As she stares in me, I notice a necklace made from pearls hanging from her neck, adding to her beauty. I can also see down into the temptation of darkness, between the crevices from heaven. Heart pounding hard, whilst trying to maintain a stoic demeanour, I place both hands on my hips before I weakly cough and address the beauty of death before me. "Hey." ''That was pathetic.'' ........ What can I say, I don''t believe I was successful with the ladies in my previous life, I was hoping to get more than one word out of my mouth this time though. Looking past my awkward eccentricities, she replies back whilst standing to meet me at eye level. "Hello, my name is Ali, it is a pleasure to meet you? .........This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Hey." ''Really, Erin. Is that the only word that you know all of a sudden?'' "Temi, I can''t deal with you and the hot assassin woman in front of me at the same time. Can you just chill for a moment, please?" ........ Did I just say that out loud? Shit! "My name is Ali, not Temi. Are you perhaps referring to a system?" "You know about the system?" "Only what my master and Me, have deemed to tell me. They run certain processes in the world of Tironia and keep certain functions active, like the system that creates new dungeons." Master and me? "So, you know more than me then? I just know the one system, what do you mean master?" I''m getting a different type of chills after she referred to her master, the last thing I want is a repeat performance of Obling. Maybe slaves are a thing here? "My master is Dungeon Core Abi, she created me and everything else that you see within her." My mind is racing through thoughts once again. Abi''s her master which means she a part of the dungeon, does that mean that his voluptuous babe before me is actually a monster? No way, get out of here! She looks to my left and nods before returning her gaze to me. "Master said it would be better to talk like this so she doesn''t have to keep writing letters and so that you don''t have to keep running up and down the stairwell." After my first encounter with monsters claiming to have a master, I''m still a little mistrusting of the monster babe that came from somehere else within the dungeon, wouldn''t you be? "Master also says to eat your breakfast before it ends up going cold, she can only make 1 item every 24 hours if there is an adventurer on the floor. If it goes cold you will have to travel to floor 26 to pick up a fresh one." "A fresh one?" ... ''Is this more word play from your world Erin?'' I know Temi loves a quick jab and I don''t even care at the moment. Why is it, that the only thing I can say sounds stupid again? Doing as I''m told I approach the bedside cabinet and collect the platter. Opening the lid intensifies the smell and reveals a delectable breakfast, with a health amount of bacon, that I am unable to resist the urge to eat. I sit myself down and begin enjoying the tasty strands of succulent meat that are cooked to perfection. Oh, Abi, you''re too good to me. This could all be one big ruse again and for all I know it could be poisoned, it did just manifest itself in my room afterall. This could all be true, but the ultimate truth though is that this bacon is so damn good! I invite Ali in a hand gesture, seeing as though my mouth is full, and she enters without fear or hesitation. I still have a few unanswered questions about the goblins and this seems like the best time to get answers for them. In between mouthfuls of food I ask Ali to fill in some blanks and she diligently obliges, presumably to the satisfaction of Abi, hopefully. I start with the most important question first. "How did Obling manage to get the dungeon monsters to follow him?" She replies casually whilst staring out of the window and without returning her gaze. "He was able to shapeshift into the same form my master takes when she''s conversing with her monsters." Shit! She is a monster, how does that even work? I bet she''s more beautiful than 90 % of Tironia''s general population. I can ask about that for later, I can''t keep letting myself get sidetracked. "Is that all it was then? Abi said he attached something to her core in one one her letters, I assumed that was something to do with it as well?" She smiles at me as though I''m a child answering an easy question, clasping her hands in front of her and approaching the bed. Still, if smiles could kill I''d be dead hundreds of times over. I wonder if her beauty comes from some monster type ability or wether its due to the dungeon itself? "That is correct. The fragment of the altar placed on core gave Obling the aura of actually being the dungeon core. He fooled all of us and had sent many of us out on missions, he has been in control here for the last few months. Believe it or not, all of Abi''s monsters are grateful to you for dispatching our foe, even more so when we could not even notice him within in our midst." ... That went a lot different to how I thought it was going to go. How am I supposed to attack Abi''s monsters now that I know that they see me as their ally, the conqueror of their enemy, the vanquisher of their foe? How can I kill them now? ........ I finish the rest of my breakfast in silence, not even a sour mood can throw me off my food. I have no questions to ask at the moment either, only thoughts to consider. "I guess Abi is here now, right?" "Correct, she made that breakfast for you." "I know, thank you." I turn my attention to the dungeon core in the room, not that I know where she is, I just address the room in general. "Abi, can you teleport me to entrance of the dungeon?" I''m pretty sure she will be able too, but it''s always courteous to ask. "She can, but she wants to know why you want to leave now?" I compose myself, standing up, before answering. "Honestly, Abi, I don''t want to kill your monsters. Not now, knowing they all feel indebted to me for saving them, it''s not as though I set out with the goal in mind to kill your monsters specifically. I just didn''t want to starve or be eaten, I just had to get on with it the best I could. I''m not searching for things to kill for the hell of it either, I want to level up and acquire more power, but not at the expense of losing my humanity. So far I have completed 2 out of 3 of my goals. They were to find food, which I now have an abundance of and to find clothes, which you so graciously provided and I will always be eternally grateful for. So to sum it up, it''s time to complete my third goal, leaving the dungeon." Ali, the female assassin, or whatever she is, stays silent. I guess Abi is talking to her in which case I should get a reply in a second. After waiting patiently for a few minutes enduring an awkward silence, I''m starting to feel anxious that a reply isn''t coming. As soon as I open my mouth making the briefest of movements, Ali is beside me and a dagger is pressed into my throat. Was I right from the start? Is this betrayal on the highest level? "You have made my master cry!" Oh, so it''s just girl drama. Phew, I was getting worried again then. I try my best to talk, even with the dagger pressed into my throat, which isn''t easy. "I''m sorry Abi, I didn''t mean to upset you, I just feel bad about hurting the creatures that I helped to save. Do you understand that?" Ali removes her blade from neck and nods at me on the dungeon cores command. "Also, what if I promise to visit you every so often? Would that make you feel better?" What feels like eternity passes as I once again wait for an answer. "My master says that if you don''t uphold that promise I am allowed to track you down and mutilate you........capture you for safe return. There may be some injuries though." I really don''t want to mess with this woman in front of me right now. It''s a good job I resisted the urge to cop a feel earlier, I might have lost a hand. "My master say''s to prepare yourself for the teleportation, she will cast it momentarily." That went a lot smoother than I thought it would. A warm orange light surrounds me and as the sight of the goblin village fades away, it is replaced with an incandescent marble room. Beautifully crafted figures loiter the hallway and green drapes hang around the walls. A large throne sits at the back of the hall, sat atop 27 steps, above it floats a dazzling emerald gemstone. "This is definitely not the entrance." "Welcome Erin, it''s nice to finally meet you." I turn around and once more am stupified by the beauty standing before me, although, hovering before me would describe her better. "I am Abi." Dungeon Core Abi Nope. That''s it. I''ve had enough and I''m calling bullshit right now. "If you''re Abi, then why are you only just showing yourself now?" For some reason, probably the recent train events, I really want to unsheath my sword. Just as a precaution. The problem with that idea though, is Ali, who is right beside me, seems to outclass me in every single aspect. How can such a beauty like that give off such a dominating presence like one I''m feeling right now? I''m only just starting to understand power, magic and levels, but I can clearly tell she could kill me the moment I went to draw my blade, if she chose too. "Well, before you killed Obling, I was sealed away inside my core. After he died, I admit, I was a little hesitant to approach you. I knew what you enjoyed though because Obling used my core to make the luxious items for you. Once we had communicated long enough through letters, I sent Ali here to talk with you. I also may have panicked a little when you talked about leaving and ported you to my core room instead." What? Why would she do that? Panic? Really!? No, she''s clever, right? She''s a dungeon with at least 26 floors. Not that I have any other sources to judge her by, but that must mean she''s strong enough to survive, or at least be capable of getting by. Maybe she''s testing me and this isn''t the real core room? I wouldn''t attack her anyway so that doesn''t matter. No. Now that I think about it, if she got tricked by a goblin as stupid as Obling, then she can''t be all that bright can she? Did she actually panic and bring me this room with no ulterior motives? Is she stupid? "Abi?" "Yes, Erin?" I let out out a long drawn sigh. At least I''ve answered one question today, I now know where Ali gets her beauty from. Taking a longer inspection of Abi than I really should, I can''t help but notice that her and her protector look so alike. Only slight differences separate them as even their hair and eye colour are the same emerald green. Abi''s eyes sparkle like the dungeon core behind her and her hair hangs over her shoulder, braided up in a dark green bow. She''s wearing a long sleeved black shirt with decorative embroidery on the cuffs and collar in soft green. A black skirt in the same fashion and knee-high boots. "Why do you look like a human and why does Ali look like one too?" She smiles innocently at me. "Because I use to be one." Before dropping a major bomb in my lap. "How were you a human? And why are you now a dungeon core?" The list of crazy shit keeps expanding in this fucked up dungeon. The Dungeon master shakes her finger at me. "Ah, ah, ah. You don''t get to ask all the questions." Figures. Anyway, let''s see where this goes. "Ok. I suppose that''s fair enough. Remember though, I told you I don''t remember much about my past. I''m still on the fence over some of the details too." Her eyes gleam in delight. My past life obviously being at the top of her interest pile. "That''s my first question actually. How come you don''t remember anything? Is it because something of major significance happened?" I furrow my brow at the oddly worded question from the woman/dungeon. "Why do you ask like that?" Thinking I can get a sly question in unnoticed, Abi shoots me down with a rhetorical one of her own. "You can''t answer a question with a question, can you?" Damn. Why do I feel like Temi just got one over on me when she wasn''t even part of the conversation. Reluctant to tell anyone my situation, but happy for the conversation with another, I explain the hazy circumstances leading my arrival on Tironia.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "No way!" Her eyes shine in amazement. "So you''re from another world, but you only have memories that relate to the situation you''re in? That sounds crazy, Erin. Not Me crazy, but you crazy." I think Abi might actually be crazy. Especially after hearing the word so many times. Anyway, it''s my turn. "How did you become a dungeon core?" This time Abi furrows her brow... Which is adorable, oh my gods. It as though she''s visiting a painful memory. "I knew that you were going to ask that, but it''s quite a sour story. Can I just say I died because of some bastard and then because of some stupid God, here I am?" Hmmm. "Was it the God''s fault you became a dungeon?" She nods in confirmation. "Then, yes. Your explanation''s fine. Your turn." She pauses for a moment before her eyes open wide and she begins speaking too fast for me to understand. Once she finishes I explain to her that I didn''t understand before she repeats it for me albeit slower this time. "When I was stuck in my core I was watching you, you did some silly things but then I saw you make something with your magic, the same way you created me in the image you made, it was beautiful so would you please cast it again? When she finishes, this time, she bows her head low and keeps it there whilst waiting for my answer. Ali, however, is not bowing, she is glaring at me as though I am something rotten. How dare I make her master bow, just wait till no one is watching and we''re alone together, is what her look is saying to me. Shit. I turn my attention back to Abi and I rack my brain to see if I can remember what she''s describing to me. ...... Ali''s stare is intensifying and I swear a beautifully large vein is about to pop on her forehead. Feeling too overwhelmed by whatever pressure Ali is throwing ay me, I fall back on my best friend in the world. "Temi?" "Temi?" They both repeat in unison. ''She means the Angelic Fountain Of Everlasting Water.'' "Urgh, I hate that name and why does everyone like the fountain?" "Fountain?" Abi is practically leaps, although she''s still floating, on top of me and I have to lean back to avoid a danger area. "So that''s what it was? It was beautiful and worldly and amazing and I just love it, please can I have one?" "I don''t know? I''m only just learning magic remember but I don''t think I can give you the fountain, it disappears after a while because it''s made from magic." "Don''t worry about that, it should disappear faster than you think this time, hehehe." Feeling a little weirded out by her last sentence and evil laugh, I begin to create the angelic fountain that everyone seems to head over heels in love with. Seriously it''s just a fountain, they don''t do anything special, you get water in them and that''s about it! I know this is my money-making plan but I''m still in a little disbelief after this shocking event, once again. The fountain raises from within the floor of the room with ease, even though there''s a well-paved brick stone floor beneath us, magic is the crazy one Abi. ''Yes!'' Once again, Temi loves it. Why though, what''s so special about it? It looks really cool and I''m impressed, I know it''s better than my original design, but the concept was mine at least. Other than Temi bout of enthusiasm, both the other girls, monsters, dungeon core and monster? Whatever, I''m calling them girls and both of them haven''t uttered a sound or moved a muscle. Abi''s eyes have grown to the size of a cartoon characters and yet they''re still alluring, somehow. Abi is the first to break pose and begins to look like she is shitting herself? Literally! She''s stock still, in mid-air, looking as though she is really pushing some head out. What the fuck!? "What are doing?" "Trying... to... absorb it." She strains. "It looks like your going to push one out, nevermind get one in." Abi stopped for a moment to think about what I said, but for some reason Ali understood perfectly and had decided that I needed a rest to think about what I say in front of her master. Apparently it took one swift kick to knock me out, or so I am told by Temi upon waking. Once more I find myself in the familiar warmth of a duvet and a mattress. However this time I find myself wondering wether I should of kept my mouth shut. Maybe, it''s Temi''s influence rubbing off on me, maybe. She did really look like she was gonna though, I had to say something, right? It would of been weird if I just stood there watching her with that cute little red face. Nevermind, I suppose now what I''m going to say is sorry. "Abi, I''m sorry if I offended you?" I feel the change of magic in the air and the goblin village fades away again placing me back in Abi''s core room. Luckily Ali is nowhere in sight, she''s definitely a man killer, no doubt about that fact. In her place though is a treasure chest, it doesn''t look as fancy as the other one''s though, I wonder if it''s for me? I lose that train of thought because it opens it lid and a tongue flops out drooling over the floor. He immediately grows legs from beneath himself and comically runs off somewhere else in the core room. All I can do is smile and confirm to myself that I knew I should of been wary of those chests earlier on, but before I get a chance to comment on any events, past or hilariously present one''s, Abi beats me to it. "I''m sorry Erin." "Why are you apologising , I was a little inappropriate before, I shouldn''t really talk like that around ladies, I''m sorry." ''What about me?'' Temi instantly pipes up, but I don''t understand what she means. "What about you?" "Me?" Abi looks confused because she then follows this with. "No, not you." Now I feel confused watching Abi ask, and answer, her own question. "Er... No, not you, I was talking to Temi." ''Am I not a lady?'' "Well, it''s... You know w... Yes! Yes you are a lady, Temi. But, your also like my best friend too, so it''s different." "Awww that''s lovely Erin." Abi looks like she''s about to drop dungeon tears. ''I suppose that analogy seems sufficient. No need to dwell on it any further.'' What? That''s all I get after I was being so nice, there was even someone else physically listening to me and commenting on my mushy lines. She can''t even hear you Temi, would it kill you to reciprocate the appreciation once in a while. How does she always manage to rattle my nerves. Luckily Abi breaks the tension for me. "Erin, seeing how you want to leave the dungeon, but say you will return, I have a proposition for you. You see, I am plagued by being in the middle of nowhere, and I am also surrounded by three other dungeons. By surrounded, I mean that they inhabit the same land as I do, we''re not actually engaged in combat or anything like that. It''s the opposite in fact, we don''t even speak to one another, however I really want to grow bigger. I have my own goals Erin, just as you do and I thought that if you don''t want to kill my monster''s, then why not kill theirs?" That''s not a bad proposition. It keeps me close to a stable food source and a comfy bed if I ever want to rest here for a while. Plus, I really need to work on how I talk to people, especially Temi, I suppose I don''t always say the right thing at the right time. "How would I find these other dungeons if I were to say yes?" "That''s the best part, I have entrances to each of them within my dungeon, so you don''t even have to leave." That stalker vibe is coming back full throttle. I don''t really have a good reason to say no though.