{Level Three Dark Salamander Defeated}

{Bonus EXP for fighting an enemy higher level than you}

{23 EXP Awarded}

{Acquired title - Dungeoneer (Ashen)}

- Enter a dungeon with a party and defeat at least one creature.

- Gain a 25% chance for dissipating mana to coalesce into an item (Item randomized based on collective species understanding of valuable rewards).

- Title Upgrade - Dungeoneer Prodigy (Viridian)

- Enter a dungeon with a combined party total fifteen times lower than the dungeon's power ranking.

- Gain a 30% chance for dissipating mana to coalesce into an item (Item randomized based on collective species understanding of valuable rewards).

---

James watched as Joey's eyes glazed over—the same distant look adults had when they checked their statuses. The adrenaline still pumped through his veins, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. The salamander's corpse began to dissolve, dark wispy tendrils rising like smoke and pooling above it. Some of the mist drifted toward Joey, seeping into him. James's eyes widened as he noticed an eddy forming in the swirling mass, coming together rapidly until a small coin materialized and clinked to the ground.

"Joey! Look, loot!" James exclaimed, a mix of excitement and nervous energy in his voice.

Joey remained engrossed in his status screen, but at James's shout, he blinked and refocused. "Man, my side really hurts, James," he said, grimacing. "My HP's down to 104. I don't think we can carry on."

As he spoke, another notification flashed before his eyes:

{Passive Skill Acquired} {Accept? Y/N}

- Tough Skin (Ashen Level One)

- Your skin becomes coarse and rough, increasing durability and enhancing defense.

"Wait, I got a skill!" Joey's face lit up despite the pain.

"Congratulations!" James grinned. "Come check out this token. What does your status say about it?"

But before Joey could respond, a sudden scream tore from his lips. His body convulsed, muscles tightening as if gripped by an unseen force. "AHHHHHHH!"

"What's wrong, Joey?" Panic surged through James. His stomach twisted as he watched his friend writhe in agony. The dim glow from the moss cast eerie shadows, deepening the dread gnawing at him. Apart from the lightly bleeding wound, there was no visible cause for Joey's distress.

With a final, gut-wrenching scream, Joey collapsed into unconsciousness. Silence settled over the cavern, broken only by the distant drip of water. James knelt beside him, fear and helplessness crashing over him like waves.

"Maybe there was poison in the salamander?" he thought, his mind racing.

He cradled Joey's head in his lap, the cold seeping through his clothes. In the faint light, he noticed something astonishing—the wound on Joey's side was closing, flesh knitting together before his eyes. Curiosity battled with caution. Gently, he touched the healing wound. Joey whimpered softly, still unconscious.

"Is this because of the skill?" James wondered aloud. "It's like Mom's healing magic, but slower."

The cave seemed to close in around him. Every shadow hinted at lurking dangers, every sound amplified in the oppressive darkness. Time stretched, minutes feeling like hours as he kept vigil. The thrill of their victory was overshadowed by the fear of the unknown and concern for his friend.

When Joey's wound had fully healed and his breathing steadied, James carefully laid him on the ground. Standing up, he scanned their surroundings. The cavern was still, but his nerves were on edge. The memory of the salamander's attack was fresh, and the possibility of another lurking creature sent a shiver down his spine.

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"I should get that coin," he decided, gripping his now three-pronged pitchfork—a makeshift weapon, but comforting in his hands.

As he moved toward where the coin had rolled, the path sloped gently toward the larger chamber with the lake. Each step was cautious, his senses hyper-aware. The thrill of potential loot warred with the fear of what might be hiding in the shadows. His heart raced—not just from fear, but from an unexpected exhilaration.

"Joey always drags me into these situations," he thought with a hint of a smile. Despite everything, a part of him reveled in the adventure. A massive part of James was excited by the prospect more adventuring, though he would prefer to do it with his dad and when he could get EXP for it.

He remembered a conversation with his father from a few months ago, back when life was simpler. They were in the barn, milking the cows as the golden afternoon light streamed through the cracks in the wood.

"Dad, why do we have statuses?" James had asked, his small hands struggling to mimic his father's confident movements.

His father chuckled, the sound warm and reassuring. "That's a question for scholars or priests. You'll get a hundred different answers depending on who you ask. But if you ask me, it's to protect ourselves."

James grinned mischievously. "Can I expect ninety-nine other answers from you too?"

Andy paused, raising an eyebrow at his son. "Cheeky, aren't you?" Without warning, he squirted a stream of milk at James, hitting him square in the chest. Brownie, gave a soft moo, almost as if she were laughing along.

"Hey! I just washed these clothes!" James protested, wiping at the wet spot.

"I think you mean your mom just washed them," Andy corrected, a twinkle in his eye.

"Fine, Mom just washed them." James rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide his smile. "But you said we have to protect ourselves—from what?"

"Well, living so close to the Harrowlands, there's plenty out there that could harm us," Andy began. "Remember the trip to the capital when you were six?"

James thought for a moment. "Was that the place Mom told me not to look at and gave me a lolly to bribe - I mean distract me?"

Andy laughed heartily. "That's the one. Sometimes you're too smart for your own good pal, yes thats the trip when we went to visit your aunt Ilyanna, anyways, we past by them and that's an example of a higher mana dense zone."

"Higher mana zones?" James echoed.

Andy stood up, motioning for James to follow as they moved to the next cow. "Areas where the mana is more concentrated. Your mom's taught you about mana, right?"

"Yeah, kinda. She said I have a natural affinity because I can see some of it when she casts spells."

"Is that so?" Andy looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, we'll see how that develops when you get your status. Anyway, lost track of thought there, Mana zones are where the mana flows more richly or more sparse. in higher mana zones mana can create stronger monsters and greater natural disasters. Humans have a status sheet so that we can properly grow and assimilate into the higher mana dense regions! If we didn't, we would all be killed by any random monster that passes by, well maybe not any if it's a favorable matchup, but still."

"So we can move to higher mana areas? but why, what do people get from it?" James asked, eyes wide.

"Oh to be innocent again, well for starters those who brave the higher mana regions and come out alive are made stronger for it, remember watching Mr. Smith making that sword? I know you and Joey spent many days watching him in the smithy there. well if you were paying attention-"

"I WAS!" James chimed in earnestly

giving him a side eye Andy continued "well when he was just about done he heated it up in the crucible till it was red hot,"

"OH I remember that, he warned us to not even get remotely close as we would get burned."

"I'm sure he did and for good reason, well, tell me what did he do next?"

"Uhhhh, he brought it outside and we stayed inside as he didn't want us getting in his way during this he said."

"Ahhh well if you had gone out with him, you would have seen him put it in a vat of oil which is called quenching. this makes the blade hard and so he has to bring it back into the forge and heat it up again to a much lower temperature than the first time and this is called tempering which makes the blade able to flex and the edge hard."

"This is all fascinating but why are you telling me this when we were talking abou--- ohhh I see, someone going into a mana dense region is like going into the crucible and they are able to become red hot and then they come out harder than before!"

beaming at his son Andy said with glee "See I knew you'd understand, I didn't have to spell it out at all you followed right along!"

"But why ten dad?"

"We're not sure, it's something to do with the age you can withstand the changes it makes to your body or something, like I said ask the scholars and they will give you a better answer than me. All I did was hit things really hard and now I farm things occasionally hitting things really hard."

___

coming back to himself from the memory that brought him a modicum of normalcy in his upside down world, James picked up the coin with his eyes wide looking for anything that might be coming to sneak up on him.