Alright. So I’ve been wondering around this dungeon for a while now, and some random roaches just seem to pop up now and then. I certainly had my fair share of trouble with them, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the first roach.
The little buggers being only Level 1, Rank F might’ve played a large part to why they were so easy to off, but I think my newfound weapon also has some reason to do with it.
I mean, this bad boy has three times the damage as that old stick, which I totally threw away
…Totally didn’t break while I was defiling the body of that stupid D ranked roach.
Maybe Durability is more important than I thought.
Oh yeah. I also found out something cool. I didn’t notice when I first got here, cause I was panicked and all, but the default clothes that I spawned in with actually have better stats than the shitty loot from the totally fraud hero gig. I mean, just look at the comparison!
Armour: 1 Durability: 150 Resistance: 5 Specials: None> Armour: 0 Durability: 50 Resistance: 1 Specials: None> Armour: 1 Durability: 125 Resistance: 5 Specials: None> Armour: 10 Durability: 150 Resistance: 10 Specials: None> And then compare it to this! Armour: 10 Durability: 200 Resistance: 5 Specials: None> Armour: 5 Durability: 70 Resistance: 10 Specials: None> Armour: 10 Durability: 200 Resistance: 5 Specials: None> Armour: 15 Durability: 180 Resistance: 10 Specials: None> It certainly isn’t anything special, but even those minuscule number changes in armour helped a lot! Also, for you pervs out there, changing isn’t anything R-rated, so don’t try anything funny! I just click this item icon, and viola! My pant just changed, just like that. Oh yeah, I found this out accidentally, but my inventory can only store 5 items at max. I was trying to stash up a bunch of roach legs in order to see if there was some sort of craft function to combine them and get a better weapon, but that idea was short lived after I got a message from the system saying my inventory was full. So I have to use that space sparingly. I’ve got my roach leg on me, and I’m wearing the clothing I spawned in with. Meaning in my inventory, I have 4 items, [Basic Shirt], [Basic Cloak], [Basic Pants], and [Basic Sandals]. Which I’m totally gonna throw out! “Empty inventory!” And so the useless rags of cloth randomly flop onto the ground. Who needs trash armour when you have slightly better armour and a roach leg! … I really gotta stop calling my weapon ‘roach leg’. It just sounds downright wrong! And weird. I’ll just call it a sword I guess. Alright. So I’ve been wondering around this dungeon for a while now, and some random roaches just seem to pop up now and then. I certainly had my fair share of trouble with them, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the first roach. The little buggers being only Level 1, Rank F might’ve played a large part to why they were so easy to off, but I think my newfound weapon also has some reason to do with it. I mean, this bad boy has three times the damage as that old stick, which I totally threw away I walk around for a bit once more, until a challenger suddenly appears! Unnamed Level: 4 Rank: F Class: None> Yikes, this guy sure is stronger than the previous contestants. However, I'm confident that I can beat him. The gap between Rank F and Rank D must be huge, because I can easily read the roaches' movements, and sidestep to dodge its charge before striking it down with my sword in its backside. Ladies and gentlemen, did you see that epic display of skill!? It looks like Rena, the undefeated champion keeps her title, and masks another win under her belt! The crowd goes wild, and cheers erupt everywhere! Haha... This is pretty stupid, isn't it? But come on, can you blame me for getting cocky after killing Mr. Cockroach that easily? Oh wait nevermind... Roachy is still struggling on the floor. Crunch All basic attributes increased. Level up proficiency acquired. Proficiency has reached required level. Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Stab Lv1] Skill points acquired. Combat points acquired. 50% of max health has been healed.> Well, I feel like that was bound to happed sooner than later, but who can't appreciate a nice reward? I even got a new skill, [Stab] <[Stab]: a skill that increases damage from attacks with a piercing attribute. Bonus damage increased as skill levels up> [Stab] seems like a pretty straightforward skill. It will be pretty useful though, because right now all of my attacks are stabby. Well, my only method to fight is to stab, but I’m not far off. I also appraised [Pain resistance], but the name is pretty self-explanatory. It allows you to resist pain. Simple. Right now, I know I've got three skills, [Pain resistance Lv2], [Appraisal] and [Stab Lv1]. My level is three, and my Rank is F. I also have no class. In this world, rank seems to be much more important in determining strength than level. My current sword is Rank F, just like my previous sword, but this one's stats are almost threefold, which means there’s probably a large range in each rank. Say, the strongest Rank F is as strong as the weakest Rank D, you could essentially say that Rank F and Rank D are the same. But that clearly isn’t true, meaning that level is the secondary factor. Level 1 in the lowest possible level, but I’m not sure what the maximum level before rising a rank is. But I should probably stay away from any Rank F's above level 10. It's too much of an unpredictable variable to gamble on anyways. Level aside, class is also pretty important. Different classes always give different perks, whether in the form of stats or skills, meaning that if I wanna get stronger, getting a class is a necessity. What class would suit me? With the way I’m going, I’ll probably end up with as sword wielding class. Although personally, I prefer using daggers or being a brawler. I suppose I could still go down the dagger user path because [Stab] also applies to daggers, but if I keep on using a sword, I’ll eventually end up with a whole lot of swordsmanship skills, and then I’ll be forced to choose the sword class because it'll be too late to change. I wish I could go back and scavenge Mr. Roaches corpse (the D ranked roach) for some potential dagger-related parts, but that corpse is unsalvageable after what I did to it. I'd say my super short term goal is to find some decent daggers, or at least something as good as my current weapon. My short term goal is to escape this dungeon. My mid term goal is to find and secure a class, and my long term goal is... ...I'm not too sure about long term, but all my other goals are set in place. The first goal certainly is doable. I just have to find a roach with the same specs as the one i got spawned camped by, and almost killed by. Maybe if I get lucky enough, I’ll get an actual mob drop, not just an item from salvaging. I'm not sure how long my short term goal is, because I have no idea how dungeons work in this world, but from a bigger perspective, that goal certainly is achievable as well. Unless something awful happens to me. No unpredictable variables please. ------ I run. I keep on sprinting, and don't look back. Not a single glance. It's not that I don't want to, but I can’t afford to. I feel my tendons sprain, my muscles screaming in unison. My soul, my mind and my body all wail the same thing. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. There is no way you could have ever beaten that monster. No chance at all. That beast was way out of your league. I’m soo boored. How empty can this dungeon possibly even be? I've literally been waltzing around for quite a few hours, but I haven't even seen one monster yet. That’s right, not a SINGLE mob in this whole entire freaking maze! Is this place totally deserted or what? Wait... wouldn't it actually be beneficial to me if there were no mobs around? Yes please! No mobs! Empty dungeon! So this is an empty dungeon with a scarce number of enemies, yeah? Mhmm, for sure. Wait... but wouldn't that mean one super strong, stupidly over-levelled boss monster? Heh... ...On second thought, I might be royally screwed. I mean, if it’s just a hoard, I can use guerilla warfare techniques, but if its one super potent boss, I don’t think I can beat it as I am now. If I struggle on some goon roach, the big boss roach would be way out of my league. But if I can kill of enemies one by one in a swarm, I could slowly level up and when I fight the boss, I would be stronger. Ok. This is not good. So say possibilities lie towards a But if I can kill of enemies one by one in a swarm, I could slowly level up and when I fight the boss, I would be stronger. Okay... This is not good. So say each dungeon has, I dunno... 500 points to allocate towards its mobs. It would be much easier to fight five hundred mobs each with 1 power than one super enhanced boss with 500 power. T-the analogy makes sense, right? It seems clear enough to me. It’s like those would you rather questions. Would you rather: fight 500 ants or a dog? Yeah Something like that. Without any more thoughts to dwell on, my endless constant of boredom starts to loom again. I wanna fight a swarm! After some time, I find this huge gaping hole. It's so deep that I can't even see the bottom of it. In fact, If i squint, the... floor, or whatever that massive, dark, gaping thing is moving. Then I try appraising it. Unnamed Level: 1 Rank: F Class: None> Unnamed Level: 3 Rank: F Class: None> Unnamed Level: 4 Rank: F Class: None> Unnamed Level: 1 Rank: D Class: None> Unnamed Level: 1 Rank: F Class: None> Unnamed Level: 7 Rank: F Class: None> "Eek!" You idiot! That's not a hole, those are a bunch of pitch black roaches in such a magnitude that cover the who freaking floor! The roaches seem to notice me, and a cacophony of screeches overwhelm me. As they start to move, the whole floor seems to rumble. But, that isn’t the floor. The floor isn’t even visible at this point. The 'floor' is just a multitude of roaches lumped together, stacked on top of each other. And so I run, with a tidal wave of impending death slowly approaching. ------- No matter how hard, no matter how long I run, I can always hear scuttering behind me. I start to lose my footing, and stumble constantly between my strides. HURRY, YOU IDOIT! STOP STUMBLING! YOUR LIFE IS LITERALLY ON THE FUCKING LINE! I want to run. My mind is screaming for me to take those steps... But my body has already given up. It's a miracle that I’m even still managing to move at this point. And then the thing I dread the most happens. I feel a bite on my leg. I feel my exhausted, oxygen depraved blood trickle down my leg. Unnamed Level: 4 Rank: F Class: None> GODDAMNIT! "Materialise weapon!" An ebony sword materialises into my hand, and I strike it down onto the roach. It's blue, sapphire blood drops out of its exoskeleton, mingling with my crimson blood. Despite the satisfying crunch, I haven’t killed it yet, so I stab once more. Unnamed Level: 4 Rank: F Class: None> However, there isn't much to celebrate. Even though I killed that one roach, a dozen or so swarmed me in the time it took for me to kill the first roach. WHAT THE HELL? I HATE THESE STUPID, CAMPING BUGS! CAN’T YOU 1V1 ME INSTEAD OF NO-SKILL TEAMING UP?? I blindly thrash around, grabbing and stabbing anything that I can get my hands around. However, despite my violent flailing, the sheer numbers of roaches overwhelm me. I hate roaches. I really do. It’s strange, isn’t it? Just then, I was panicking, my life flashing before my eyes. Yet now, when death is a single step away, I feel oddly tranquil. My heart was beating in an everlasting flurry, unable to contain my emotions. But now, I feel numb. No – not numb. My emotions still feel as real as ever, and I am aware of my impending death. A more accurate way to describe it is that I have accepted it. I have nothing else to lose, so I might as well fight recklessly in a last ditch attempt. I know I certainly can’t win, but I still must do my part to dwindle the population of these sewer dwelling scum. If I remember correctly, I had gotten something know an ‘skill’ and ‘combat’ points whenever I levelled up. The first time, they all got doubled, meaning that I have three levels worth of skill and combat points. I never bothered to check what those did because the one time I did, nothing happened., but I suppose this is a now or never situation. I might as well find out their purpose or die in the process – literally. “Skill points!” “Combat points!” Nothing happens, just like before. What if I try something different? “Allocate skill points!” Figures. Nothing apparent happens. What about combat points? Surely I can allocate combat points to my stats and stuff? “Allocate combat points!” I recoil in surprise. That actually worked? Momentarily stunned, I fail to avoid a roach flinging itself right at me and take the brunt force of its fangs. I feel lukewarm blood trickle down my shirt. Stupid body! Focus on fighting! Yes! Please, increase my specs! <15 combat points Health: 7 Mana: 5 Damage: 8 Defence: 5 Speed: 6 Which attributes do you wish to increase?> Umm… I’m not mad or anything, but are my stats totally dog water or what? I mean seriously? My stats average at around 6! I suspected I was weak, but this is way too much! No wonder I’m getting overpowered so easily. In fact, my sword does almost twofold the damage I do! Right now, survivability is my top priority, meaning that I have to allocate these points carefully. Magic seems cool, but I have no way how to activate or use it whatsoever. I feel like damage and speed should be the way to go, because that way I’ll be able to evade attacks while dealing massive damage to them. I mean, why increase defence if you wont get hit anyway? Agility can be used both defensively and offensively, so speed takes the number one spot on my radar. Damage is also important though. Similar to defence, health isn’t the best no matter how promising it sounds, but because I’m in a serious pinch, I will need that extra hp. I decide to allocate my combat points into health, damage and speed. Damage: 8 (+2) Speed: 6 (+10) Confirm?> Yes. Confirmed. Current combat points: 0> Nice! I feel stronger already. With my speed literally three times faster than before, the roach’s attacks seem much slower. Not to the point where I can dodge every single attack, but their movements are certainly readable now. A much better improvement than before. I see another roach attempt to lunge at me. Seriously, is jumping headfirst into danger the only thing they can do? How simple headed can one get? Well, with the ability to pre-empt the roach’s attacks, things get much easier. I suppose my increased damage is also playing its part because I can now 1 tap the weaker roaches, but speed really is the best stat. It's an all-rounder than can be used to increase my offensive output as well as minimising damage by being able to see and dodge attacks. I mean, this crowd of roaches are actually pretty weak. It was the sheer copious amounts that gave me trouble. Whenever a roach jumps at me, I mercilessly cut it down. I keep on slashing, refusing to give any mercy to some stupid bugs. <[Stab Lv1] has become [Stab Lv2]> ln no time flat, most of the roaches are wiped out, and I only see three more roaches. All basic attributes increased. Level up proficiency acquired Proficiency has reached required level Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Rationality Lv1] [Stab Lv2] has become [Stab Lv3] Skill points acquired Combat points acquired 50% of max health has been healed> All basic attributes increased Level up proficiency acquired Skill points acquired Comat points acquired 50% of max health has been healed> The satisfying churn of level up and new skill notifications soothe my soul. However, the three roaches in front of me do not. Unlike those weak ones, these roaches give off an intimidating aura, perhaps even more than my first roach encounter. I quickly glance at their stats with [Appraisal]. Nameless Level: 2 Rank: D Class: Soldier> Nameless Level: 4 Rank: D Class: Soldier> Nameless Level: 3 Rank: D Class: Soldier> Seriously? These guys are only ranked D, and level wise, they should be weaker than my first roach encounter, but the vibes they give off are totally different. Their class, and even species are different than the other roaches. This seems like bad news. Quickly, I allocate my combat points to my stats. <10 combat points Health: 14 Mana: 7 Damage: 15 Defence: 9 Speed: 20 Which attributes do you wish to increase?> Wait what? I thought levelling up only gave +1 to each stat. So why did health, defence and speed grow by an extra 2, and why did damage grow by an additional 3?? Do stats grow differently than I expected? Maybe stats I have a better affinity with grow faster? Well, no point pondering about this. I have to lock in! Damage: 15 (+2) Speed: 20 (+7) Confirm?> Mhmm. Confirmed. Current combat points: 0> Alright. Everything feels even lighter. Maybe if I try using my skill points, I can access a shop or something? I mean, skill points have to be able to do something. They can’t just be some useless, aesthetical feature. And so far, I’ve figured out how to use commands one way or another. Maybe I had insufficient skill points before, so I was too broke to access the shop. Well, although the soldier roaches are totally raring to go, they haven’t attacked me yet, so I might as well take this opportunity to quickly see if my skill points can be used. “Allocate skill points! Pleeasee!” [Run Lv1] – (Active) Temporarily increases base speed at the cost of stamina. Bonus speed increases as skill levels up [Jump Lv1] – (Passive) Adds correction to spatial movements related to jumping. Bonus correction increases as skill levels up. [Sense Lv1] – (Passive) Increases perception of the surrounding area. Bonus perception increases as skill levels up. [Bulk Lv1] – (Active) Temporarily increases base damage at the cost of stamina. Bonus damage increases as skill levels up. [Reparation Lv1] – (Passive) Heals the user from damage and negative attributes such as paralysis. Repairs faster as skill levels up. Which skills would you like to purchase?> Um. Whew, that sure is a lot to process. I think I would get either [Run] or [Reparation]? [Run] just makes me faster, which certainly helps. However, my only way to heal right now is through levelling up, which doesn’t seem very reliable to me. Also, [Run] is an active skill whilst [Reparation] is a passive skill, meaning that if I choose to buy [Reparation], I can constantly heal no matter what, and it doesn’t seem to cost anything. [Run], on the other hand, can only be activated when I will it, and it totally absorbs my stamina while at it. So yeah. [Reparation] seems waay more useful. [Reparation], please! Yeah. Sure. User Rena Shinohara has 0 skill points remaining> Oh yeah! Alright. I went and bought [Reparation], but it probably won’t directly help me in this battle. Sure, it could help with the aftermath of the battle, but I don’t see how it would let me kill these stupid soldier roaches. If anything, combat points seem really useful. I poured most of my stats into speed, and now my speed is 28, which is by far my strongest trait. Am I totally a speed demon or what? After getting lost in thought, I fail to notice one of the soldier roaches darting towards me. Unable to react fast enough despite my enhanced specs, I fail to dodge the roach as its fangs skim my torso. Holy crap! That really hurts, y'know? Blood trickles from my wound, but that isn't the biggest issue. It's the other part that is. I totally suspected these guys weren't your ordinary roaches, but this really is something else. From that interaction, I can already tell that these soldier roaches are much stronger than the other dungeon roaches. First of all, their stats are way higher. The roach that attacked me was the runt of the litter, only being level 2. Yet the speed in which it moved was too fast. Much faster than a level seven dungeon roach from the same rank. Not only that, but the way they attack seems much more sophisticated. Instead of blindly charging at me, the soldier roach feinted to the left, while swivelling to the right in an attempt to catch me off guard. And I have to deal with three of them?!? Alright. Calm down and assess your surroundings. I can tell that they're trying to bait me into a corner before finishing me off. So I do something that none of them expect. Instead of backing down despite them already being individually stronger than me, I lunge forwards and slash one of the roaches with my sword. The roach, not expecting me to go on the offensive, recoils in surprise, unable to fully counter my blow. But when I focus on one roach, the other two come attack me from the back, forcing me to turn around and deal with a new threat. The light scrape done by the first roach is already bleeding heavily. The roach’s fangs barely made contact with my skin, yet I’ve already suffered a lot of damage just by bleeding. If a graze already cuts so deep, I really don't wanna think what a proper face-on bite would do. Shit. This isn't good. The three continuously pressure me, forcing me to play defensive. These guys move more like cats than roaches, constantly bouncing around and slowly whittling me down with small cuts. How am I supposed to be prepared for this? Damn you, God! Maybe retreating to a corner would be a good idea. That way, I don’t have to watch my back and leave myself wide open. No. If I back down into a wall, I can’t utilise my speed very effectively. I can't win either way. Maybe I should just retreat. Run away and hope for the best. NO! I refuse to run. I have my own pride to live up to. Running away won't suffice. I want more. I want power and strength none of which can be achieved if I scatter with my tail between my legs. I will not run. No matter what. I sprint towards the weakest roach and grab its antennas with my hands. It tries to fight back, and bites down onto my arm with immense force. My arm starts uncontrollably convulsing and spasming, but I ignore the pain. True to its word, the pain is my arm slightly subsides. Not that it helped much. My right arm is numb with pain and the roach has its mouth clamped down. Perfect The roach, solely focused on my arm, fails to notice my sword swinging down on it. My sword cracks the exoskeleton, letting the slimy, gooey liquid clow out. The roach responds by shaking violently. I feel my arm ripping off its sockets. SCREW THAT! [Reparation] can deal with that later, I have to push past the pain, and kill this damn roach! Skill [Stab Lv2] has become [Stab Lv4]> I tear my sword out of the roach’s exoskeleton, only to maniacally thrust it right back in. I feel the sword break through the other side of its exoskeleton, blue blood spurting all over my arm. I grab the roach by its leg and smash it onto the ground. Again. again. And again. All basic attributes increased. Level up proficiency acquired Skill [Pain resistance Lv3] has become [Pain Resistance Lv4] Skill points acquired Combat points acquired 50% of max health has been healed> The voice rings soundlessly within my head. I feel my arm twist back in place with a gnarly snap. All my cuts close, and I cough out the excess blood within my body. I look up, my eyes clouded with red. You think that one death would satisfy me? Fools. I want more. I want to watch the fear in your eyes as i tear you apart. Disassemble you and torture you beyond death. Unable to hold back my sanity, I scream out in wrath. "DIIIIEEEE!!!" Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Resentment Lv1]> I pour all my combat points into damage. I'll hit as hard as I can. These blockheads should have known that a cornered rat bites back. Confirm?> Confirm… Current combat points: 0> Now satisfy me with your deaths...