Xavier was a little shocked by how easily Justin had killed the dungeon boss, the Alpha Werewolf.
He’d been leaning against the temple’s stone wall, more than ready to intervene, yet Justin had simply killed the thing with two hits of his Airstrike spell. It had been clever, getting the beast to drop the temple’s roof on itself, but as Xavier had watched it happen, he’d worried it wouldn’t be enough to actually hurt the thing. The attributes even a low-level beast or Denizen possessed made them supernaturally strong and resilient, meaning they’d have to be hit with more than a falling rock to do them any serious damage.
Unless it was a meteorite…
But it turned out Justin didn’t need a fancy plan. He just needed to attack. Xavier had been underestimating his party. They may not have been strong enough to hold their own in the melee of the tenth floor of the Tower of Champions, but that didn’t mean they weren’t stronger than average.
Besides, they’d gained a lot of levels and titles in the past few hours alone, and they were now a higher level than the dungeon recommended. With their titles on top of their levels… it really should have come as no surprise.
When the boss had been defeated and the dungeon completed, Xavier swiftly read through the titles he’d gained.
Title Unlocked!
Dungeon Diver 3: You have cleared your second dungeon. Dungeons populate randomly in the Greater Universe. They are a proving ground for Denizens of all levels and grades, where they are able to prove their worth.
You have received +6 to all stats!
Note: As you have a similar title, “Dungeon Diver 2” has been combined with this title and shares its stats.
Title Unlocked!
The Moon Sky Dungeon – First Clear: You are the first to clear The Moon Sky Dungeon. Gaining a first-clear title for a dungeon is incredibly coveted in the Greater Universe. Many Denizens will travel to new, burgeoning sectors and worlds in search of fresh, untouched dungeons to achieve what you have.
You have received +24 to all stats!
Note: As you have a similar title, “The Deathly Dungeon – First Clear” has been combined with this title and shares its stats.
Title Unlocked!
The Moon Sky Dungeon – Record Clear - 25 minutes and 2 seconds: You have achieved a record time for this dungeon. Dungeon records are coveted titles, with many Denizens training specifically toward the end goal of clearing dungeons. For dungeons such as this without a level maximum, it can be incredibly difficult to achieve.
This title is a Temporary Title. If your record is beaten, you will lose this title.
You have received +36 to all stats!
Note: As you have similar titles, each has been combined with this title and shares their stats. You may still view your previous dungeon records if you will it.
-God, that’s a lot of stats! And the others just gained the same amount.
His skin tingled as a thrum of energy ran through his entire body. His Toughness attribute was now over four thousand.
Feels like I’m breaking new thresholds every few minutes…
The loot box had contained 25 E Grade Mastery Points, as it had in the other two dungeons, and now he was only 4 points away from gaining his next level—something he would surely gain when he received his quest rewards.
It wasn’t until they’d left the dungeon that the quest notification popped up.
Quest Complete!
You have completed the quest: You are in possession of a Sanctuary Seed.
This area is no longer under dispute. You have mastered its dungeons and cleared away others that wished to claim it as their own, and now it is your right to plant your Sanctuary Seed and become a Base Leader.
Here are your rewards:
1. 100 Mastery Points (E Grade)
2. Guardian Golem Core
3. Land Claiming Rights
Xavier barely had a moment to register what he’d received when another notification popped up.
Congratulations, you have reached Level 101!
Your health has been regenerated by 70%!
Your Spirit Energy (E Grade) limit has increased by 30!
You have received +10 Strength, +10 Toughness, +10 speed, +15 Intelligence, +15 Willpower, and +20 Spirit.
You have received +40 free stat points!
All your spells have refreshed and are no longer on cooldown!
“Hah!” he said aloud, almost as a shout, startling the others—each of them had had their eyes glazed over, clearly looking at notifications of their own.
He’d finally reached Level 101!
He pumped his fist into the air. He’d gained a lot between Level 100 and Level 101, so it wasn’t as though he wasn’t advancing in power. It just felt absolutely wonderful to break past that barrier. This was the first time he’d received a level while he was the Otherworldly Reaper class, too, so it was nice to see all of those stats roll in for him, and have the forty free stat points to work with.
Quickly glancing at his current stats, he noticed his Speed was at 4996. He smiled, and threw ten points into that attribute, pushing it over five thousand and into a new threshold of power.
He was delighted to see that his ten points had been worth twenty-four because of all the percentage boosts he possessed.
He didn’t need to be more powerful to do what he needed on Earth, but he was beginning to wonder if there were other things he’d be able to accomplish—things beyond Earth—before he was teleported back to the Tower of Champions by the System. He’d get to be here for well over a month, after all.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Xavier stared at the number of E grade Mastery Points he’d just received. One hundred. That was the exact total number of Mastery Points he needed to go from Level 100 to Level 101.
-There’s no way that’s a coincidence.
He quickly allocated the rest of his free points. Intelligence was his next closest attribute to reaching a threshold, even if it was still almost two-hundred points away, so he threw the other thirty into it.
With that all done, the others still with their eyes glazed over, Xavier looked at the item he’d just received.
{Guardian Golem Core}
This is an item capable of summoning a guardian golem construct that can be bonded to a Base Leader’s fortress. The golem is both a defender of the fortress and an assistant to the Base Leader. Its appearance and abilities are customisable to suit the base’s needs.
Guardian Golems grow in strength relative to the fortress they are bonded to.
If the golem is destroyed, it can be restored and resummoned following a cooldown period.
Whoa. That’s kind of awesome.
He couldn’t help but grin. They’d achieved more in the last few hours than he’d thought possible. Not only had he gotten stronger—something he’d thought would be far more difficult once he’d returned to Earth—so had the other members of his party, and they were drastically stronger.
And now he’d received something that would help defend the fortress he was about to create.
Xavier stood within the survivor’s makeshift camp, a camp they’d stolen from the invaders who’d captured them and turned them into slaves. The forest clearing was dotted with tents. The corpses of the dead invaders had been cleared out. A few cookfires were burning. He wondered how many of these people had ever cooked food over an open fire back before the System had integrated Earth.
Three survivors had been on watch when they’d arrived. They’d spotted Xavier only a few seconds before he’d made it to the middle of camp. He’d been running too fast for them to see. Xavier had sent the others through the portal, so they were already huddled about in the middle of the camp when he arrived. He’d sent them through the portal, but run here himself—otherwise he’d have to leave the Portal Stone behind on that mountain top.
The Portal Sones were definitely useful, but he wished he was somehow able to make portals or teleport without them. He could Soul Step, sure, but only as far away as he could send a recently deceased soul that would allow him to do so.
Xavier touched a finger to his Storage Ring.
The Sanctuary Seed was inside. He summoned the seed into the palm of his hand and looked down at it. It was larger than a normal seed, with glowing runes etched into its surface. It looked like something between magic and technology—which, he supposed, was what the System was.
He struggled to contain his excitement. Ever since he’d received the Sanctuary Seed, he’d been looking forward to planting it. To creating his fortress. All heroes needed somewhere to rest after an adventure. A base of operations. And though he didn’t know how much time he would actually spend in his fortress when there was so much to be done around Earth, he was eager to bring people to it.
How large will this place be? How many people can I protect here?
A part of him wondered if this middle-of-nowhere forest was really the best place for him to “settle down,” but another part thought it was, quite honestly, the perfect spot. A place that they could start anew, without all the trappings of civilisation they were used to. If they were in the middle of a city, it might leave the inhabitants stuck in the past, reminding them of how things used to be as they passed their old houses, their old schools, their old places of work or restaurants and stores they’d frequented.
The survivors had been through a terrible ordeal, but people survived terrible ordeals like that, and often the hope that keeps them going is a return to their normal life. Here, they wouldn’t be reminded of all that near as much. Here, they could start fresh. Because, for better or worse, Earth would never be the same again, and the lives of Earth’s inhabitants would be far from normal.
Howard, Siobhan, and Justin noticed his arrival. Xavier couldn’t help but draw his gaze toward the new items his party members had received. The quest clearly catered to specific individuals’ needs when granting them their “unknown item.”
Howard had a new axe. This one was too large to hang off his belt, and instead was strapped to his back. The man could have kept it in his Storage Ring, but clearly he preferred the aesthetic of having it on him. Like the last one, this axe was double-bearded. Its haft was made from some sort of red wood that apparently came from another, distant world—it resembled the colour of blood a little too closely.
The blades themselves looked ridiculously large. Honestly, Xavier struggled to imagine an ordinary human even being able to pick up the thing even if it had been made from normal materials.
As it was, the materials were no doubt incredibly dense to make its weight even heavier, just as Xavier’s scythe-staff weighed a considerable amount—to the point where none of the other members of his party would have any luck actually wielding it.
Justin had a new sword. His hand rested on the pommel. His shoulders were back, his chin raised, clearly proud of himself. Xavier had been a little worried when the teenager had totally disregarded Howard’s commands back in the Moon Sky Dungeon’s temple. The party should’ve been working together better than that. Watching one of them just go off on their own with no regard for their safety…
Well, that reminded him of himself, if he were honest. Fortunately, Justin had been more than capable. Besides, if he’d gotten in any real danger, he would have let Siobhan teleport him back.
He was glad he hadn’t had to step in.
Justin’s new sword was slender, like the last, but a little bit longer. Xavier wasn’t sure he’d seen a sword that long before. He imagined it would come in handy, especially when the Airborne Duellist swooped down at his enemies from above.
Siobhan had a new staff, one she carried with pride. It had a blue crystal at its top and the haft appeared to be made from some sort of white metal.
Looking at the three new items made Xavier wonder about the various crafting materials available in the Greater Universe, and who had made the items they carried.
Had the System created those items? Or did Denizens in this sector, or other sectors, create such things and sell them to the System Shop?
He shook his head. He was getting distracted, letting himself drift off course.
Not the best quality in someone who might end up as the leader of Earth…
Xavier moved the Sanctuary Seed around in the palm of his hand. He supposed this was a momentous occasion for their world.
I’ve got to be the first on Earth to set something like this up… right?
Siobhan eyed the seed. “Should we clear the area?”
Xavier nodded. “We don’t know how large this fortress will be, or how it will grow.”
Howard stepped backward and turned on his heel. With a loud, commanding voice that had likely been used for crowd control in the past, the man instructed the survivors to pack up their camp and wait at the side of the clearing.
John Hammond snapped into action first. He took control, and in mere minutes the cookfires had been put out and the tents packed away.
Xavier dismissed the sentries from their watch duty, chances were he’d sense an enemy’s aura long before any of them saw anything, and walked to the centre of the clearing with the Sanctuary Seed in hand.
His party, John, and the rest of the survivors were lined up around the camp, watching.
Xavier looked at the seed once more, then used Identify on it.
{Sanctuary Seed – E Grade}
The Sanctuary Seed can be planted in any terrain. Once planted, it grows into a fortified dwelling. The appearance of this dwelling is dependent upon the environment in which it is planted.
The sanctuary that grows from this seed can be adapted and upgraded as needed, acquiring unique defensive and offensive capabilities, and the ability to grow resources.
A telepathic link and portal nexus can be established with the Sanctuary Seed if certain conditions are met.
The Sanctuary Seed bonds with the soul of the Denizen who uses it. It will grow in strength with the user, but the user will suffer if the sanctuary is damaged or destroyed.
That last line made him frown.
I better not let this fortress get destroyed.
He’d expected to have to infuse his Spirit Energy into the item before planting it, even though he’d read this description before, and was still a little surprised that wasn’t necessary.
The Otherworldly Reaper knelt in the grass. He’d never really been a gardener. In fact, his memories of gardening were mostly poor ones, of a time when his mother had made him pull weeds from the backyard. They hadn’t had gloves that had fit his hands, and so he’d done it without them, often getting cuts on his palms from the work.
If his mother had known what he’d gone through she would have found him gloves, but he’d always kept those things to himself, suffering in silence.
I can pull a blade from someone’s hand without getting so much as a nick on my palm nowadays.
He dug a small hole with his hands, the feel of dirt pleasing between his fingers, creating a pile of soil beside it, then gently placed the seed inside, replacing the dirt and patting the top.
Xavier stood, stared down at the freshly turned earth, and rubbed the back of his neck. “How long do you think—”
The ground shook. A wave of energy emanated from the spot he’d planted the Sanctuary Seed. It shoved Xavier away, pushing him back to the tree line where the others had been waiting. He managed to flip around while in the air and land smoothly on his feet.
He certainly hadn’t been expecting that.
Xavier looked at the ground and blinked. The Sanctuary Seed was growing.