Rexus wiped his mouth as a tingling flow of energy trickled into his body. Another several notices flashed, piling up on top of the one he'd previously dismissed.
Remarkable! Your Skill (B) [Dagger utilization] has grown to Level 2!
Remarkable! Due to your basic understanding of using a handheld weapon as a projectile you have acquired (Common) Skill [Throw Weapon]!
(C)[Throw Weapon] Lvl 1- This passive Skill slightly increases your accuracy, distance, and damage dealt when throwing weapons.
Accuracy, distance and damage dealt increase with Skill level.
Remarkable! You have defeated a lvl 1 Scumbag!
+9 Exp gained!
241 Exp to next Level!
"Why thank you for that whopping NINE WHOLE EXPERIENCE!!" Rexus shouted out. Grumbling under his breath, he retrieved his dagger and drenched it with water from his canteen. Though he swore his blade still reeked, once all the Scumbag had been rinsed from his dagger, he placed it in its sheath and started scrubbing the thawing goo off of his leather boots and greaves.
He flicked a large chunk of Scumbag clinging to the side of his boot, and a small notice appeared next to the goo now stuck to his fingernail.
Would you like to Loot this Lvl 1 Scumbag? Yes/No
Once he read the notice, he focused on the Yes and the rancid remains of the monster dissolved into purple mist and let out an extremely obnoxious sound.
Remarkable! You have received 4 Phials of Rancid Scum!
CAUTION! All loot will be automatically stored within your Spatial Storage Ring if open slots are available.
"Let's all be honest here" Rexus declared to an invisible audience as he removed a phial from inventory. "That mist sounded like a rowdy fart right?"
A small, ornate glass vial filled with multicolored slime materialized within his palm on-demand. He unstoppered the phial and without thinking about the consequences Rexus sniffed the greenish sludge contained within.
Immediately the stench laid siege to his nostrils, forcing him to reflexively gag. He replaced the lid and returned the vile substance to inventory with utmost haste. "Oh yeah, that's the good stuff...crap smells so damned strong I can taste it.."
Pulling his Canteen out once more, Rexus rinsed out his mouth, and thoroughly soaked his hair before placing it back into inventory. With the stench of Scumbag mostly gone, he was able to breathe freely once again. Double checking to make sure he didn't forget anything, Rexus faced his destination and took his first step towards the stairway.
Even without any further distractions it was nearly an hour before he reached the base of the stairs. Rexus placed his hands on the enormous worn-stone surface, tilted his head back and stared wide-eyed at the wondrous sight before him. Now that he was directly below the sheer wall, it's magnitude forced him to admit that calling it a 'Cliff' had been a severe understatement. The ivory colored rock wall had to be at least a mile tall. He was no longer able to make out the middle, let alone the very top of the stairway
"Yup, that there's a mountain," Rexus stated in his best Texan accent. He had to admit that seeing the stairway from a distance did it no justice. He had severely underestimated the scale of the stairway. Each step was nearly 3 feet tall, and 20 adult men would have no problem ascending the mountain shoulder-to-shoulder.
Regardless of that fact, Rexus still kept a hand on the cliff wall for reassurance. "I can't fall off if I don't go near the edge...I can't fall off if I stay over here..." Rexus chanted nervously, climbing one massive stair after another. The entire time keeping his gaze locked on the very next stair ahead of him. Climb a step, walk to the next one and climb it too.
Rexus had barely climbed ten stairs and he was already over it.
He continued to ascend the colossal steps, and within twenty minutes his nervous chatter had ceased. Replaced with silence, simply to conserve oxygen. Finally, nearly four hours later, after climbing exactly 2112 massive stairs a ghostly white and gasping Rexus finished the final flight of steps.
He'd barely managed to claw his way over the final step, and he was sure that as things currently stood, he was physically incapable of moving much further. With the final shreds of his Stamina Rexus was able to slowly crawl forward on wobbly jello legs. He made it less than ten feet before he collapsed into a heaving pile on the hard-packed earthen floor.
Left exhausted by the mind-numbing climb, Rexus was forced to take a break to give his trembling legs and bottomed out Stamina Pool time to recover. Once he felt up to standing, he made his way over to the edge of the cliff and rotated 360 degrees on his heels. As he absorbed the scenery Rexus began to form a plan of action.
As he reveled in the majestic view the cliff provided of the valley below, facing what he assumed had to be North, Rexus could make out the edge of a large forest several miles away. When Rexus faced East, perhaps a quarter of a mile away from where he first arrived was the noisy, sluggish river that immediately caught his attention.
The river followed its winding banks several miles to the South, and if Rexus were to squint, he could just make out what looked like the mouth of the river opening up into the largest body of water he'd ever seen.
Rexus was hit with a shocking revelation, and he whistled out a long, high pitched chirp. "If the lake looks this damned big from such a distance, it must be absolutely monstrous! Imagine the size of those catfish!!" He slapped his knee and began to chuckle.
Thoughts of food set his mouth to salivating, and in a hurried attempt to distract his grumbling stomach he faced East. "And that... would have to be the Tutorial Town.." With a look of confusion, Rexus slowly tried to process the ridiculous sight before him.
Far off on the distant horizon, looming over even the most enormous of the solitary trees strewn haphazardly around the rocky plateau, Rexus gaped blankly at what looked to be a multicolored soap bubble of mind blowing proportions.
"That things gotta be a thousand feet tall! And there's freakin' BUILDINGS inside of it!! I LOVE THIS PLACE!! Rexus shouted enthusiastically.
Gone was his mundane day to day existence within the Guadalupe River Dungeon. For the first time, he actually felt free.
"And I'm going to enjoy every single minute!" Rexus stated confidently, turning to the east and beginning the long walk to town. He hadn't even covered a mile before a high-pitched yell startled him into drawing his dagger and taking a defensive crouch
"HELP ME!! I'M UP HERE!" A shrill scream shocked Rexus out of his daydreaming. Shooting a quick look to his left and right, all he could see was rock filled dirt, random patches of grass and the occasional oversized tree. Shrugging in confusion, Rexus assumed what he'd heard was some kind of a strange bird call and set off walking once again.
"I'M UP HERE YOU STUPID IDIOT!! As he passed under the branches of one of the easily five-hundred foot tall trees, the same shrill voice rang out again, this time accompanied by a downpour of peanuts and raisins falling upon his head.
"ARE YOU DEAF AS WELL AS DUMB?!" The shrill voice blurted out, obviously growing frustrated, "WATCH OUT FOR THE SCUMBAGS! THEY STINK LIKE SHIT AND THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!'
∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆
Alan regained awareness in a confused panic. As he flailed about in the sand, understanding was quick to set in. He grunted in satisfaction, thinking back to his final desperate casting of [Wind blade]. He had somehow managed to destroy the Core and defeat the Mini-boss.
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Alan hopped nimbly to his feet and renewed his [Aqua Shield].
Remarkable! Your Spell (C)[Aqua shield] has grown to Level 7!
Damn! Another one already! Must be a leftover from getting the shit kicked out of me by that sand cloud..Alan reminisced.
What the hell was that thing anyways?! It was only by complete Luck that I literally stumbled over its core. That whole situation was getting out of hand really fast...but...I'm still alive. Perhaps I should've just let loose and used my new Spell, but [Gaea's Tempest] just costs too damned much Mana. Plus it seems like it's gonna be a real shit show for everyone involved. I know it says I'll be protected by [Gaea's Benevolence], but I'm honestly sick of eating my own Spells. The damned things taste terrible.
"Don't forget to mention that in your panic, you TOTALLY FORGOT YOU HAD THAT DAMNED SPELL!!" Alan's subconscious howled out, not believing his rationalizations in the slightest.
Lost in his thoughts, Alan hardly noticed the outburst. His Emotional Stockpile kicked in and smothered his petulant inner child before it could gain a foothold. He sighed in annoyance as his protective bubble formed around him, and immediately noticed that the thickness of the shield had visibly increased. Curious about the actual changes to his Spell, Alan called up his Skills tab and searched out the description for [Aqua Shield].
(C)[Aqua shield] Lvl 7- Upon casting, this Spell places the caster or their designated ally within in a protective shield of water. Shield will absorb 400 Hp of damage before failing. Shield will remain in place until destroyed or dismissed. Damage absorbed increases with Spell level. Cost increases with Spell level.
Cast time: 30 seconds Cost: 300 Mp
Cooldown: None
"Getting pretty expensive aren't ya," Alan halfheartedly complained. Although unhappy about the cost increase, there was nothing to complain about the shields durability increasing by 300 points. Now capable of blocking out 400 Hp worth of damage, Alan hoped that now the barrier Spell might actually be able to do its job. Instead of continuously failing when subjected to even the slightest physical pressure.
A sudden roar from Alan's stomach reverberated out as the offending organ made it's demand for sustenance known. After glaring down in surprise, he reluctantly obliged. He begrudgingly retrieved half of his remaining scorpion chunks from inventory, and his nostrils flared in remorse. Unless he could locate another batch of edible beasties before too awfully long, it would mean going back to peanuts and leathery Jerky.
He took a few swigs from his canteen in order to wash the bug meat currently stuck in the crevices of his teeth. Before he returned the endless jug of water to inventory, Alan rinsed the heavy clumps of sand out of his patchy and uneven hair. He even removed his armor to clean himself and his gear before heading out.
However, he soon discovered that not only were both the inside and outside of the armor as clean as the moment he found it, but as he returned his Breastplate to his Storage Ring he received an unexpected bonus. Alan had to rub his eyes and do a double-take. What he was seeing just didn't make any sense. As he inspected the bare skin of his chest, Alan had to assume that the armors self-cleaning enchantment came with the added bonus of cleansing his skin as well.
Just as he was about to finalize his preparations for setting out, he saw that in the direct center of the room, hidden just out of view behind the mound of sand that had contained the pyramid shaped Core, an (Uncommon) chest was resting on the ground.
He slowly crept towards the Loot Box, activating [Trap detection] out of habit. The Skill quickly determined the chest to be safe, and with a lopsided grin, Alan placed his hand on the lid. As the Silver light gifted him with a Buff, Alan sucked in a deep, contented breath and exhaled slowly through his nose.
Caution! You have been bestowed the (Mana Regen) Buff. Mana regeneration rate increased by 10% for duration of Buff.
Duration: 5 minutes.
Aside from the (Mana Regen) Buff, Alan found 500 (Silver Grade) Lotus coins,1 (Silver Grade) Tutorial Token, and pair of Wasteland Tortoise Scale Greaves. To top it all off, in a mind bending violation of the laws of physics, Alan pulled a six foot tall, three and a half foot wide Tower Shield from within the tiny box. While it was inside of the box, the shield had seemed to almost be a tiny replica of a tower shield, but as Alan lifted it, the shield somehow Expanded.
Alan glared at the stump of his left arm as the dungeon reabsorbed the loot chest into the floor. Even with his increased Stats, the strain of holding up the ridiculously heavy shield with one arm was already becoming an annoyance. With a grunt of disappointment Alan placed the shield into inventory.
After a moment of careful consideration, he concluded that the only thing realistically holding him back from proceeding was the 73 unallocated Status Points waiting for him. In order to get his Stats evened out again Alan tossed 11 Points into Strength, 2 each into Constitution and Vitality, 3 into Endurance, 8 into Perception, 13 into Dexterity, 3 into Intelligence and Wisdom, 13 into Resistance, and 3 points into Willpower. Leaving all of his Stats aside from Luck sitting at an even 88. Left with 8 free Status Points, Alan shrugged his shoulders and placed them all into Luck, bringing it to an astonishing 119.
Alan summoned his new greaves from inventory. As with the rest of his gear, they took the place of his worn out Tutorial leathers. The burned leathers around his calves and shins vanished. Alan released a long whistle when he used [Examine] on their gorgeous replacements. His new greaves fully encased his lower legs in a layer of blue scales wrapped with black shell. From his ankles, all the way up to his knees. He immediately recognized they were made from the same soft yet sturdy scales as the rest of his gear. The bottom of the Greaves locked into place in slots on the sides of his boots, and the upper portion had several clasps that fastened automatically to the sides of his Faulds.
(Uncommon) Wasteland Tortoise Scale Greaves- High quality scale and shell greaves, painstakingly crafted from the remains of an Adult Wasteland Tortoise and Enchanted with both the Auto-cleanse and Self-repair Enchantments. +2 Constitution, +1 Agility.
Set bonus: +5 Constitution, +5 Vitality, +3 Agility, +2 Strength.
A flood of energy raced through Alan's body as his new and improved Stat Bonus went into effect, providing him with fifteen additional Status Points.
I wish I had a mirror! Alan thought in a rare moment of vanity. I bet I look DAMN good in this gear! From his neck, down to his feet, Alan was now decked out in armor that beggared anything he'd ever owned. All he needed now was a regal cape and a crown.
Then I'll declare myself as king of the Tutorial. King Alan...It's certainly got a nice ring to it. Alan snorted in amusement.
On his return trip to the obsidian door, a feeling of unease settled into the pit of his stomach. With his Quest sitting at (99/100) he knew it would only be a matter of time before he had no choice but to face the Naga again. His stomach fluttered uncomfortably at the thought of the impending confrontation, causing him to groan in self-disgust.
"Get your shit together man..." Growling at himself from between clenched teeth, Alan forced his worries to the side. With far more important things to worry about, namely survival, he knew couldn't afford to waste his limited mental energy on hypothetical what ifs and guessing games.
He coiled his leg muscles and leapt over the empty pitfall trap, landing smoothly in the middle of a square black tile. Only to find that the Naga was already waiting for him. Standing before the Boss door with a Lvl 11 Golem by her side, the wandering Mini-boss yet again caught Alan off guard. The moment their eyes met, she smiled cheerily at him.
He couldn't help but feel like she was waving with a little Too much enthusiasm.
Even though his mind was full of conflicting thoughts, Alan took a calming breath and stepped forward. Wary of the situation, he stopped with a large expanse of tiled floor separating him from the motionless beasts. All of a sudden, as if angered by the Human's approach, the Golem lifted up its thick arms and took a boxing stance. With a bellow of hatred, it quickly charged forward.
Alan studied his foe while readying himself for a fight. He quickly loosened up his shoulders in preparation before pulling his Staff. Yet in its sudden rush to get to him, before the beast was able to move more than a couple of feet, Alan watched in surprise and concern as the Naga raised her hands in a sudden gesture.
Assuming the Naga had decided to attack, Alan activated [Stealth]. In an attempt to avoid the oncoming confrontation for long enough to formulate a plan, he cast [Blessing of the wind] and dashed to his left, staying parallel to the wall. As the energizing boost of his (Haste) buff came into effect, Alan began to consider making a strategic retreat into the maze of corridors surrounding this room.
As if reading his mind, with a quick flick of the Naga's wrist, the entire entryway simply ceased to exist. Slack-jawed, Alan stopped his sprinting and stared in confusion at the solid sandstone wall where only moments before his exit had been located.
With no further options left to him, Alan summoned his Warlockwood Staff from inventory. While he hastily armed himself, the Naga bellowed out a musical flurry of unintelligible commands towards the back of the advancing Golem.
Alan was unsure whether it failed to notice her orders, or was simply making a show being defiant. Either way the beast ignored her commands. The Naga narrowed her eyes and dropped her arms to her sides. In a confusing turn of events, she whipped her tail out in a lightning fast blur that slammed into the Golem, dashing it against the smooth stone wall.
Not expecting an attack from behind, the Golem was virtually defenseless to the sudden attack. The stunned beast hit the stone wall, the immense force causing its body to simply explode into a cloud of sand
The now enraged Naga rushed at the ruined beast. Before it ever had a chance to react, she materialized a stone spear in her hand and executed a precision strike, piercing straight through its exposed Core.
With a twist and a sickening crunch, the Mini-boss withdrew her stone spear from the remains of the final Dungeon Born Monster and turned to face Alan. Without warning she pointed at herself, then at him, then at the boss door and back to herself. Finally, with a questioning look on her face, she pointed up towards the roof. As she made her random gestures, the snake-woman continued ceaselessly chirping at Alan in her lilting voice.
Remarkable! Your Skill (C)[Multiversal language comprehension] has grown to Level 2!