Chapter 25 - Rushing
“Ah, but of course, let's not let the suit steal the entire spotlight, shall we?” Lucas said with a theatrical bow, his tone laced with playful elegance.
As he spoke, a spear and a sword, both wrapped in cloth, floated into the room. “As remarkable as the suit may be, our humble establishment has other marvels to offer. Perhaps something a bit more… offensive?”
Turning his gaze to Samantha, he added, “For you, Miss Moon, I present a spear I believe will suit your taste.”
Unwrapping the cloth around the spear, he introduced it with a flourish. “Behold, Blue Lightning. A spear of unrivaled elegance and deadly precision. Forged from the rare Birunium alloy, it boasts exceptional mana conductivity. A weapon truly worthy of someone with your skill.”
Samantha delicately took the levitating spear, her fingers brushing against the shaft as she admired it intently.
Even Chloe seemed captivated by the blue spear before snapping out of her trance when Lucas turned to her.
“And for you, Miss Helens,” he said smoothly, unveiling the sword, “I present Rending Fang. Forged entirely from pure Birunium metal, it exudes an unrelenting primal ferocity. Its every strike carries the might and savagery of a wild beast.”
Chloe picked up the sword, her eyes shining as a foolish giggle escaped her lips.
Shaking his head with a smile, Lucas headed to the garage and suited up with his array of customized equipment.
Walking back to the girls, Lucas noticed they were still mesmerized by the weapons in their hands. “Pretty sure I didn’t add any charm-related enchantments to those and I can’t even do that either,” he muttered to himself.
Stepping in front of them, he snapped his fingers, “Hey, wakey-wakey!”
Startled out of their stupor, Chloe immediately exclaimed, “Lucas! How did you make these?!”
“With determination and glue,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug, attempting to brush off their excitement.
Unfortunately for him, his answer only fueled their curiosity, and the girls began pestering him endlessly.
“Alright, that's enough. Pack your stuff onto the mule. We’ve got a dungeon to raid and loot,” Lucas clapped his hands, and a mechanical quadrupedal creature walked out.
Patting its head, Lucas introduced, “Meet Phillip. Our personal porter. Now, place your stuff on its back.” He demonstrated how to do it.
Samantha was baffled by everything, the suit, the rare weapons, and now the mechanical animal. She muttered, “How much time did you spend on all this?”
“You’ll be surprised how much a night can do,” Lucas replied as he helped the girls pack their gear onto Phillip.
All the crafting and building had earned him several levels, and the constant progress kept him revitalized.
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Lucas Kun
Level 23
Class: Mechanic
Title: Forerunner, Talented Crafter
VIT - 40
POW - 8
AGI - 11
INT - 56
WIL - 25
Free Points: 0
Talent: Avid Reader.
Class-Exclusive Skill:
Oversurge Protocol - Lv 1
Machinery Affinity I - Lv MAX
Skill:
Knowledge - Lv 6
Combat Fundamentals - Lv 4
Matrix Simulation - Lv 7
Analysis - Lv 6
Eternal Suffering - Lv MAX
Steel Flesh - Lv MAX
Artisan Touch - Lv MAX
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Throughout the crafting night, he gained six more levels, which he invested into his usual stats. His
***
17th October of 2023, Town of Mount Mor, Hexxen Tower.
“There,” Samantha pointed to a man with a giant sword on his back. “He’s the boss. They call him Bryson.”
The trio sat perched on a sturdy branch, peering through binoculars at the camp below.
Checking the time, Lucas noted, “There’s still an hour before the dungeon refreshes.”
“How should we approach this?” he asked the girls, still eyeing the camp through his lens. “This guy’s a maniac, bullying people left and right.”
Through the binoculars, Lucas saw the camp bustling with activity. Bryson, the leader, barked orders while hitting people around him.
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Chloe spoke up. “Let’s create some chaos in the camp, then sneak into the entrance, click yes, and enter the dungeon.”
“What's the difficulty of the dungeon?” Lucas asked, considering Chloe's suggestion.
“Hard,” Samantha answered curtly before adding, “We could just break their kneecaps. Most of them are barely Level 10, and Bryson’s only slightly higher. It’s doable.”
Chloe hummed thoughtfully before shaking her head. “Too many of them. It’d take too long, and Bryson might escape into the dungeon with a small group.”
“It’s not like he can clear it,” Samantha quipped.
“Neither can we,” Chloe replied coldly.
Meanwhile, Lucas listened to the girls debate as he continued to observe the camp. After a moment, he spoke up. “Let’s do both.”
He extended several mental tendrils, pulling a few tin cans from the pack on Phillip’s back, which was stationed under the tree.
“Are those smoke bombs?” Samantha asked, grabbing one of the cans.
Handing a couple more cans to Chloe, Lucas explained, “It’s not exactly a smoke bomb. It’s more of a vile concoction of gas I whipped up. It’s toxic, but with our enhanced bodies, we can endure it for about five minutes before passing out.”
“So, we’re doing it just like before?” Chloe asked with a giggle.
Nodding, Lucas leaped down from the branch and replied, “Yeah, the old bombing trick.”
“Seriously? You couldn’t come up with a better plan?” Samantha rolled her eyes but followed him down.
Lucas retrieved several gas masks from Phillip’s storage and handed them to the girls. “Put these on. Pull the pins, and toss them into the camp. Knock out anyone still standing, then head to the dungeon entrance. Got it?”
The girls nodded. But before they took action, Samantha intoned, “Elinap,” and small, greyish circles of runes appeared on the trio’s feet.
“That’s Samantha’s new spell!” Chloe exclaimed while stomping through the grass. “Look, no noise at all!” She giggled as her boots crushed the blades of grass silently.
“Hoh, that’s very good,” Lucas praised as he followed suit, stomping on the grass floor.
Frustrated by the couple’s foolishness, Samantha snapped, “Stop playing and let’s go already!”
Lucas shrugged while Chloe smiled. Samantha could feel her blood boiling at her partners' nonchalant acts. Without hesitation, they moved silently through the shrubbery, carefully lobbing the gas bombs toward the camp.
Within seconds, a thick brown gas began to spread, and chaos erupted.
“What the hell is this?!”
“Kahff! It's burning my eyes and throat!”
“Healer! HEALER!”
The choking gas thickened, engulfing the camp. Cries for help turned into wheezing as some of the group collapsed, unable to breathe.
Even Bryson, the leader, began panicking. Their only healer had fainted. If the healer was out, what should they even do against the toxic onslaught?!
Unnoticed in the chaos, three figures slipped through the camp, navigating the suffocating fumes with ease.
Moments later, they stood before the dungeon entrance.
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Dungeon Entry Confirmation
Dungeon: Sector 13
Difficulty: Hard
Requirement(s): Level 10+
Party Member(s)
* Lucas Kun
* Chloe Helens
* Samantha Moon
Total Party Member(s) Entering: 3
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As Bryson’s bloodshot eyes caught sight of three suspicious figures standing at the dungeon entrance, he roared, “Sto-KAHK! HRKK!”
But his words were cut short, choked off by the toxic fumes wracking his lungs. His voice faltered into a desperate wheeze.
Before he could do anything, the three figures dissolved into white particles, vanishing from sight.
***
As Lucas and the girls’ vision cleared, the trio found themselves standing in a futuristic-looking lobby.
Before they could take in the sight, however, a blue system notification materialized before them.
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Dungeon - Sector 13
A research facility disguised as an information technology company, Hexxen Corp, had been conducting various illegal experiments. However, a fatal accident led to a biochemical outbreak. Security systems went rogue after being overwhelmed by mutant attacks. In response, the higher-ups decided to permanently lock down the facility to prevent the monsters within from escaping.
Clear Requirement(s)
* Defend against the monster waves (0/7).
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As soon as the system notification disappeared, the trio could hear monstrous and beastly grunts and growls from all directions.
All of a sudden numerous fleshy humanoid creatures burst out, charging frantically at the trio. Some were running on two while some were crawling on four.
“Are those zombies?” Chloe muttered, her eyes widening as the horde shuffled closer.
Drawing
Lucas sighed, pulling out his rifle. “Looks like the resident is getting evil.” Suddenly, he froze and glanced at the girls. “Wait, didn’t you both say this was supposed to be a golem-related dungeon? Those aren’t golems.”
Samantha shrugged, clearly as puzzled as Chloe. “Beats me.”
Shaking his head in resignation, Lucas cocked his rifle. “Guess we’ll find out later,” he muttered before unleashing a spray of bullets into the oncoming zombie horde.
Several minutes later, the ground was littered with the corpses of fleshy creatures, their blood painting the once-pristine white floor a deep crimson.
With Chloe and Samantha darting and weaving around the battlefield in their new equipment, Lucas’s role was reduced to providing cover fire, picking off zombies before they could get too close to his teammates.
Twirling her spear with a satisfied smirk, Samantha remarked, “Well, that was easy. I was expecting something tougher right out of the gate.”
“Finally! Fresh air!” Chloe groaned and finally ripped off her gas mask, which she hadn’t had a chance to remove since the monsters had appeared so suddenly.
Following suit, Samantha removed her gas mask and couldn’t help but tease, “So, how are you enjoying your zombie movies now?”
“Yeah, I like watching them, not smelling them,” Chloe retorted, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Honestly, can’t this place come with an air freshener or something?”
Lucas chuckled, “You could always put the mask back on.”
As if on cue, the ground beneath them rumbled, and a deep moan echoed ominously through the lobby. The trio immediately turned toward the source of the noise.
At the far end of the room, a pair of massive metal doors bursted open with an ear-piercing screech.
From the dark interior emerged a dozen giant, grotesque creatures. Their fleshy bodies were riddled with tubes and pipes, pumping some unidentifiable fluid as they lumbered toward the group with menace in their every step.
“That’s Mr. X if anything,” Lucas chuckled, raising his rifle.
Samantha tightened her grip on
“I’m holding you accountable if my hair gets ruined, Lucas,” Chloe sighed as
Lucas rolled his eyes but grinned. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t lose your head out there, princess.”