The moment Alan read this new notification, he drew a sharp breath.
You CANT be serious! Alan thought, I don't have time for another quest.
To make matters worse, upon pulling up his Quest tab, the (System Oath-Quest) was nowhere to be found.
"It doesn't do me any good worrying over it right now. As much as this System seems to love notifications, I'm sure I'll know when it's time .. Besides, having a pile of Status Points just sitting around.. It's about time to put them to work." Incoherently mumbling to himself with a mouthful of sweet-tasting bug meat, Alan got busy planning out his Status Point Spending Spree.
While taking the last bite of his meal, he was assaulted by another random notification.
Remarkable! Due to the effects of eating Corrosive Stout Tail Scorpion meat, You have gained +1 Constitution!
You mean to tell me I can actually GET STRONGER by eating monsters!? AND the damned things taste great? Should I try eating a Flan? Honestly I really doubt eating sand monsters works the same way.. Unless I have to somehow eat the Core..?
As a whole new realm of possibilities opened up before him, Alan recalled his canteen from storage and used the cool water to chase down his greasy Scorpion meal. He stretched his back and grunted with satisfaction. For the first time since the Tutorial began he was starting to feel stuffed.
After placing his canteen back into his Storage Ring, Alan quickly opened up his Inventory tab and surveyed it's contents.
***INVENTORY***
1 (U) Warlockwood Staff
1 (B) Health Potion
6 (B) Mana Potions
2 Self Refilling Water Canteens
31 Pounds of Jerky
18 Pounds of Trail Mix
27 Pounds of Corrosive Stout Tail Scorpion Meat
61 Pieces of Corrosive Stout Tail Scorpion Chitin
6 Charcoal Sticks
23 Pieces of Paper
1 (C) Shadow Shuriken
42 (Copper) Tutorial Tokens
4 (Iron) Tutorial Tokens
1 (Silver) Tutorial Token
201 (Silver) Lotus coins
700 (Iron) Lotus coins
8642 (Copper) Lotus coins
"Totally forgot about that hungry Staff.." Still mumbling, Alan attempted to retrieve the forgotten Staff from storage, but was met with a notification instead.
Warning! You may only equip up to (2) Weapons at this time!
Don't want me strapping a thousand weapons to my body and gaining thousands of extra Stats huh...Guess that makes sense... I only have 2 hands after all... Well... Godsdammit man, I SHOULD have two hands! I WANT MY DAMN ARM BACK!!...
As his emotions began to stir, so to did his {Suit of Anger}. He felt a flicker of warmth behind his eyes suddenly become an unexpected wave of calm shooting through his body, cutting off his rising anger at the roots. It all happened so fast he wasn't sure he hadn't imagined it.
But he couldn't ignore the fact that once again his mind was at ease. To rid his worries of an impending berserk rage, he pulled the information on his Emotional Stockpile.
*Unique*{Suit of Anger} Lvl 1 Current Emotional Stockpile: 2%
Alan breathed a sigh of relief. It would seem a single bout of anger hardly put a dent in the technique's charge. And he now knew his {Suit of Anger} was extremely fast-acting. Almost as soon as showing their ugly little heads, his anger and anxiety had been destroyed and syphoned away. Stored for future use in his Emotional Stockpile.
Once the anger was gone, his brain was able to rationalize, attempting to make the best of the situation. Although I suppose I SHOULD count myself lucky that I can even equip a weapon to my Left Hand slot at all..
Alan took a deep breath, the rage he felt at the loss of his limb was understandable, but now more than ever, he knew he needed to learn how to govern his emotions. His Emotional Stockpile was already beginning to syphon his negativity. If he wanted to remain in control, he would need to figure out how to exercise command over his thoughts. While the idea of being a mindless berserk maniac for 5 minutes at a time didn't sit very well with him, what really bothered him was the careless destruction of Loot. It made him want to vomit.
He knew it would take time to get used to the loss of his arm, and even moreso his strange new emotion-based Skill. Alan sighed in resignation and stored his Tutorial Dagger. His next attempt to retrieve his Staff worked as expected. The sleek black Staff appearing in his right hand and Swiftly draining 1000Mp from his Mana pool.
The gem atop his staff began to glow. At first it was merely a slight oddity, but it soon flared to the point Alan had to avert his gaze. He gasped at the staggering loss of his energy reserves and stumbled. Shoving the base of his Staff into the sand, he used it as a crutch to support his weakening body.
With the Warlockwood Staffs thirst for Mana finally slaked, Alan's Mana pool slowly refilled. Once again able to concentrate, he skimmed over his Statistics, and plotted out the most efficient way of evening out his Stats.
Strength: 56 (61)+5%
Constitution: 57 (63)+5%
Vitality: 55 (57)+5%
Endurance: 55 +5%
Perception: 58 +5%
Agility: 58 (62) +5%
Dexterity: 58 +5%
Intelligence: 58 +5% (+5%StEf)
Wisdom: 62 +5% (+5%StEf)
Resistance: 62 +5% (+5%StEf)
Willpower: 58 +5% (+5%StEf)
Luck: 84 +5% (+10%StEf)
Unallocated Status Points: 119
Mind made up, Alan allocated 13 Points to Strength, 11 Points to Constitution, 13 Points to Vitality and Endurance, 10 Points to Perception, Agility, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Willpower, 6 Points to Wisdom and Resistance, and finally he tossed his remaining 8 Points into Luck.
Still waiting for his Mana to finish regenerating and unable to stop himself from satisfying his curiosity, Alan opened up his Statistics tab.
"I think I may have an addiction.." Alan smirked, shaking his head in mock self pity as he reviewed his updated Statistics.
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Name: Alan Robbins
Race: Human(G) LVL 12 EXP 659/21624
Class:
Cultivation core: (dormant)
Titles: Dungeon Explorer, Novice Mage, Above Your Weight Class, Singularly Skilled, Surpassing Expectations, Peerless Mage, Prodigious Mage, Luck Of The Daemons, Unprecedented Entity, Twisted Trials 1, Aspiring Martial Artist,
***STATISTICS***
Hp: 2240/2240
Mp: 1466/2205
Stamina: 2271/2271
Hp Regeneration: 332.5 per minute
Mp Regeneration: 327.5 per minute
Stamina Regeneration: 343 per minute
Strength: 69 (74)+5%
Constitution: 68 (75)+5%
Vitality: 68 (70)+5%
Endurance: 68 +5%
Perception: 68 +5%
Agility: 68 (72)+5%
Dexterity: 68 +5%
Intelligence: 68 +5% (+5%StEf)
Wisdom: 68 (72)+5% (+5%StEf
Resistance: 68 (72)+5% (+5%StEf)
Willpower: 68 +5% (+5%StEf)
Luck: 92 +5% (+10%StEf)
Unallocated Status Points: 0
*** SKILLS***
(B)[Examine] Lvl 5
(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] Lvl 1
(C)[Falling with Character] Lvl 1
(B)[Walking] Lvl 4
(U)[Steady Hand of the Cartographer] Lvl 1
(B)[Dagger Utilization] Lvl 3
(C)[Throw Weapon] Lvl 3
(C)[How to Take a Punch] Lvl 1
(C)[Trap Detection] Lvl 2
(C)[Enhanced Cognition] Lvl 5
(U)[Tenacious Concentration] Lvl 4
(C)[Pain Resistance] Lvl 10 Prepared for Evolution? Y/N
(R)[Unburnt Flesh of the Impure One] Lvl 2
(C)[Shock Resistance] Lvl 2
(C)[Mana Perception] Lvl 5
(R)[Advanced Spell Alteration] Lvl 2
(C)[Dual-casting] Lvl 6
(Unique)[Daemonfire of the Impure Realm] Lvl 4
(U)[Mana Regulation] Lvl
(C)[Blind Resistance] Lvl 1
(C)[Acid Resistance] Lvl 2
(C)[Bleed Resistance] Lvl 1
*** SPELLS ***
(U)[Healing Fog] Lvl 3
(B)[Water Jet] lvl 7
(B)[Lightning Strike] Lvl 5
(U)[Spectral Firebolt] Lvl 5
(B)[Banish Darkness] Lvl 1
(B)[Wind Blade] Lvl 2
(B)[Stone Skin] Lvl 3
(C)[Aqua Shield] Lvl 3
(U)[Shocking Water Cannon] Lvl 2
(R)[Spectral Plasma Storm] Lvl 4
(C)[Blessing of the Wind] Lvl 2
***TECHNIQUES***
*Unique*{Suit of Anger} Lvl 1
(C){Mirage Step} Lvl 1
Scanning the information, he made it halfway down his Skills list when he saw that next to [Pain Resistance] were the words Prepared for Evolution? Yes/No.
"What an idiot! How did I forget about the Warlockwood Staff AND Evolving my Skill?" Alan mumbled. He selected Yes and was given a pounding headache in response.
Caution! Your Skill [Pain Resistance] is attempting to Evolve!
"Well, get ON with it then!" Grunting through his clenched teeth, Alan's body involuntarily shuddered. To him, it seemed as if a pair of slimy hands were making changes to something within his mind. A slight pinch could be felt as the intruder grasped hold of whatever it had just altered and slowly Twisted it.
It was as though his pain had been attached to a volume dial. The moment the intruder twisted, he found he could no longer 'hear' the pain at all. An overtly odd sensation, Alan was still feeling the pain, it just failed to register as real. It almost seemed like he wasn't injured in the present. Instead, it felt similar to the sensation given by remembering a past wound. The pain was there at one point in time. It could always be remembered, it just couldn't be relived in the present.
Remarkable! Your Skill (C)[Pain Resistance] has Evolved into the (Common) Skill [Enhanced Pain Resistance]!
(C)[Enhanced Pain Resistance] Lvl 1- This passive Skill provides the ability to resist moderate amounts of physical pain.
Pain reduction increases with Skill level.
What's this garbage!? Confused, Alan re-read the description. It's still a (Common) Skill? The only change in the entire description was a single word.. Before evolution it was listed it as able to resist Minor amounts of physical pain, and now it's Moderate amounts.. what does that even mean? How do I calculate the difference? Why couldn't it be something straightforward like 'Skill effectiveness increased by 30%' or something? And what was that Thing mucking around in my head? The System? An Administrator?
In an attempt to cheer himself up, Alan tried to execute his new {Mirage Step} Technique, but was instead greeted with more bad news.
WARNING! You have not yet met the requirements for this Technique. A minimum Evolutionary Stage of (F) is required.
"Now you're just fucking with me.. Alan bit his knuckle in frustration. Why did it even bother letting me open the damned Scroll in the first place!?"
Nothing happened. Worse, not only did nothing happen, but it reminded him of when he'd attempted to cast a Spell with an empty Mana pool. He was able to intuitively feel that he lacked something crucial to the execution of his Technique.
Now the proud owner of both an unusable Technique, and one he couldn't trust, a depressed Alan pulled a Scorpion Claw from inventory and used food to try and sooth his gnawing disappointment.
A quick look at his Quests tab and Alan was dumbstruck to see it was still telling him it was the first day of the Tutorial. Judging from the information on his PSA, he had not yet managed to complete the first objective of his (Dynamic Tutorial Quest). Survive the first day of the Tutorial.
There's no way. That can't be right? Can it...? How long have I really been in this stupid place!? Am I going insane? If it seriously hasn't even been a single day, this has been the longest day of my life. How long am I gonna be stuck here? This is ridiculous! Does time even work here? Am I being an idiot? Is time always fucked up in dungeons??
He sank his teeth into another chunk of scorpion, his brain reeling at the implications. Either his PSA couldn't update his (Dynamic Tutorial Quest) while within the Dungeon, or time flowed differently in here. Either way, he knew there wasn't much he could do about it.
Should I stop letting my apprehension and greed hold me back and Evolve to the (F-Stage)? He paused and scratched his chin, feeling the strange sensation of his emotions being pulled away and stockpiled.
Honestly I probably should quit putting it off and just evolve already... But some of my best titles are for accomplishments achieved 'While still in (G-Stage)'! If I have to choose between potentially losing out on new Titles, or not being able to use a Technique I've never used in the first place, the obvious choice is to hold off on my body's evolution for now.. Alright! If I haven't earned any new titles from being in (G-Stage) by the time I clear the first floor, then I'll stop with the procrastinating and evolve.
Mind made up, Alan devoured another large scorpion claw, soon followed by another as he impatiently waited for his Spells to come off cooldown.
After an agonizing three hours of standing by, Alan brushed all of the stray chunks of Scorpion Chitin into a pile and added them to the pieces already held within his inventory. Having no idea if the broken pieces of Chitin would be useful, or perhaps valuable, he wasn't willing to leave them behind.
"Let's get this over with..." Alan mumbled. Rubbing the stump of his arm for good luck, he leisurely retraced his steps to the heavily trapped passageway he'd been putting off for so long. Although he was still leery of the Mini-boss, he no longer felt terrified. Having recently managed to reach Level 12, he had almost bridged the Level-gap separating him from the Desert Naga.
Pausing just out of view of his destination, Alan took a moment to prepare. After activating [Trap Detection] and [Dual-casting] he cast [Aqua Shield] and [Stone Skin]. Keeping his healing and buff Spells on backup, Alan cautiously stepped around the corner, placing him within full view of the trapped cooridor.
What he saw within the room ahead halted him dead in his tracks. The entire hallway had been completely redesigned. The massive, rusted gears he witnessed slowly grinding away in the walls were gone, along with the gaping holes they protruded through. Another blessed absentee were the numerous steam traps that once lined the walls, randomly spraying lethal bursts.
Is it because I cleared the Dungeon Trial Room? Alan pondered, that has to be it, right? Am I supposed to clear the rooms in a certain order?
Not about to let this perfect opportunity pass, Alan made his way down the now seemingly normal, plain sandstone passage. Scanning the walls and floors for traps, he slowly made his way further into the dungeon than he'd ever been.
The path abruptly made a sharp 90 degree turn. Alan cautiously crept up to the edge of the wall, taking care to make as little sound as was possible while trudging laboriously through the sand.
Remarkable! Due to your increasing aptitude at remaining unnoticed by your enemies, you have gained the (Basic) Skill [Stealth]!
(B)[Stealth] Lvl 1- Upon activation, this Skill provides a minor increase to odds of remaining undetected and increases physical damage dealt while undetected.
Odds of remaining undetected and damage dealt while undetected increase with Skill Level.
Got another one! Alan thought happily as he stole a sneaky peek around the corner. He saw he was faced with yet another long, empty corridor and groaned. He activated [Trap Detection] and peered down the hall. A careful examination left him confident that there most likely weren't any hidden traps.
Alan placed his hand against the cool, smooth sandstone wall to his right, and started walking. He dutifully kept his eyes forward as he advanced. He slid his fingertips along the unblemished stone as he scanned the walls, floor, and ceiling for anything out of the ordinary. After walking for what he guessed was about ten minutes he found himself standing before another 3-way intersection. Alan warily glanced at the left and right paths before he pulled up his Mini-map
Sticking with his tried and true method, Alan ignored the right and left turns. With a final glance at his Mini-map, he strode slowly, yet confidently down the path in the middle.
In the nearly silent Dungeon corridor, each sound was magnified as it bounced from wall to wall. So when Alan heard the sound of sand shifting behind him, it immediately put him on guard. Recognizing he was no longer alone, and getting fed up with being caught with his metaphorical pants down, he began to cast [Spectral Firebolt].
Alan snarled with frustration as he leapt forward, attempting to avoid any attacks that may or may not have been heading towards his back. He covered nearly a dozen feet in a single powerful step, once again surprising himself with the rapid advancements in his physical capabilities. The seemingly bottomless well of strength he felt coursing throughout his body had grown to the point it almost felt intoxicating.
What surprised him most however, was the Speed at which he'd traveled. He was fairly certain that as of now, he was actually faster when walking at a brisk pace than he had been when running at a full-on sprint before the Tutorial. The moment his feet touched the ground, Alan pivoted around 180 degrees on his right foot and crouched down with his left knee in the sand.
Where he had been standing perhaps a second before, a lone Desert Golem stood bent over at the waist, knee deep in a crater of its own making. The Golem slid its arm out of a deep hole in the center of the crater and straightened its back.
Alan hurled his Firebolt at the sneaky Golem as he was hit with a sudden realization. He'd been a single step away from getting pulverized.