Manhattan's dank, dark sewers were home to more plant life than James had expected. Seaweed of many different kinds had made their home in the waters, and there was even moss sprinkled in patches all over the platform Team 0 was walking on.
Considering how desolate the rat dungeon had been, it was a pleasant surprise. It gave an otherwise dreary landscape a burst of life.
I wouldn't mind it too much if it wasn’t for the murderous crocodiles. Well, I certainly won’t be coming back even after we have cleared it, but it’s not as repulsive as Coney Island’s sewers.
The mere fact that he was seriously contemplating the qualities of different sewers made James shudder. Refocusing, he glanced down at the corpses of the fourth swarm of little crocs they had defeated. Luckily, it didn’t seem like they would be getting any bigger than four feet, but they were already plenty dangerous.
Their increased size also meant more agile movement, especially when they jumped from the water. Still, the team had developed a successful tactic for dealing with them and managed to get through the assault without any injuries.
“I wonder if we can keep some of this leather and have bags and belts made from it. It’s not as cool as a high-rank material, but this vivid green is much better than any in the same level.” Maria and surprisingly Ezekiel had been engaging in that kind of talk for a while now.
They had found out that they were both fashionistas and had been spending their downtime wondering over possible combinations of high-quality materials for their next suits.
The ones we have work just fine. I don’t think we need to worry about them for quite a while, to be honest. D-rank leather can stand up to anything a dungeon can throw at it until E-rank, and we need some time before we can get there.
“Alright, guys, I think that’s enough of a break. We shouldn’t waste too much time anyway. Remember, we need to get back up before lunch so I can nap a bit more!” Lauren’s enthusiasm was met with a half-hearted cheer.
They had decided to stop for a while, since the constant waves of monsters and the occasional ambush by the much larger specimen had been wearing on them, especially after having had to fish out the remains of a man out of a crocodile’s stomach.
“You feeling alright, Jimbo?” Daniel’s shoulder bumped his as he directed a questioning look his way.
“I’m good. I was just thinking about how long the road ahead of us is. We’ll probably need to run a dozen dungeons like this before we can get to G-rank, then a couple dozen more of those to get to E. And then more and more. It will take some time to become actually powerful.” James wasn’t foolish enough to aim for the stars immediately, but he wanted enough strength to gain agency.
Daniel hummed, considering his words. “That’s true. But it’s better to get there doing things properly rather than simply rushing ahead. Levels count for a lot, but you risk getting a weak evolution for your skills if they are not where they need to be before the second Awakening.”
And wasn’t that the truth. Skills operated in a slightly different way than the rest of the System. They could only go up to level 10, and after their holder reached the limit of their Awakening - level 100 for 1st tier, level 200 for the 2nd and so on - they could evolve into a more powerful variation.
If, for some reason, the Awakener in question had not brought all their skills to level 10 - which could take some time, as they were not something that would rise with simple repetition - they could still evolve them, but they’d get a weaker variant of their normal evolution.
So, for example. Thakinetic Empowerment, which is already at level 3, is pretty much guaranteed to reach level 10 by the time I’m at 100 if I keep pushing myself. Generally, enhancement skills become a more holistic version, granting their bearer some exotic effects. If I were to go through the second Awakening while it was still at level 8, instead, it would simply become Thakinetic Empowerment II, giving me just a little bonus on top of what it is now.
“You are right.” James replied, looking forward into the darkness “I know I must be patient, but it still grates on me. I can’t do anything to really help anyone the way I am now.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Daniel, though not one for long conversations, had turned out to be something of a kindred spirit to James. He didn’t know the details, but from little bits and pieces, he had discovered a great injustice in his past, which he was determined to see made right.
That resolve was something he and James shared. An unspoken bond had formed between the two, as they discussed possible paths to advancement and ways to accelerate their growth.
The black Tank was always steadfast in his belief that good things came to those who worked for them. That although human society had long since abandoned meritocracy, if it had ever implemented it, the System changed things.
It made it possible for someone like them, two young adults who hadn’t been sure of their future, who could have given in to despair at seeing how fucked up the world was, to have a worthy, respectable career.
Daniel patted him on the shoulder before nodding in the direction Lauren was walking towards. “I’m getting close to level eleven, so you must be too. Just think that by the time we clear this dungeon, we’ll probably be at twelve, well on our way to thirteen.”
James agreed, the fire of determination reigniting “That’s right. Enough moping.” Then, with a louder voice “Alright people, let’s get going. If we dally any longer, Lauren’s gonna hog all the monsters and leave us in the dust.”
The girl in question grumbled but hid a smile, showing she wasn’t that annoyed. They all gathered their things and were off, walking deeper into the dungeon’s maw.
The path enlarged slowly, until it had become broad enough that all five could comfortably walk next to each other. Not that they did so, as that would leave them vulnerable, but they appreciated the additional room.
It wasn’t long before James felt something approaching from behind and soon after, another presence ahead of them, waiting in the water. He quickly alerted his teammates, and a grim air came over the group.
“How do we want to handle this? Just concentrate on one while Daniel holds off the other? Or split up?” Ezekiel asked, but Maria had a different idea. Two scorching hot orbs were forming atop her palms and her eyes were trained on the sewer line, looking for any sign of movement. “Where are they hiding, James? I have a present for them.”
Grasping her plan, the Thakinetic pointed in the correct direction. “Alright, force them out, and hopefully give them some nasty burns. Meanwhile, Lauren and I will rush the one behind us. Ez, buff us so we can finish it quickly and come to help you with the last one.”
No one had anything to say against that, so they took their positions. Maria launched her fireballs, which exploded on contact with the water. A cloud of steam covered most of their sight, but they were already used to operating at low light. The two beasts, as large as any they had encountered so far, emerged from the sewer with a growl, their forms shrouded in the vapor. Still, their frantic movements made it clear they had been hit, though they were not out of commission yet.
James used his sensing skill to march directly to where the largest of the two crocodiles was thrashing halfway out of the water. Before it could understand it was being attacked, he launched a devastating strike to its head, a place he wouldn’t have dared to attack had the monster been aware of him.
His gloves, strengthened with D-rank materials, hit a lot harder than his old reinforced kind and allowed him to deal much more damage than his bare hands would have.
The crocodile’s skin, however, was resistant enough that it wasn’t out of commission yet. It reared up and, with a swiftness that belonged to an apex predator, managed to avoid Lauren’s lethal strike.
She still managed to score a gash on its snout, which gave it enough pause that she could get away from a retaliatory strike.
Meanwhile, the other three were keeping the second crocodile at bay with a combination of Maria’s fireballs, which it weakened by using its tail to throw water up in the air in a surprising show of intelligence, and Ezekiel’s flashes of light and debuffs, which greatly disturbed it. Daniel stood before them, glowing shield held firmly to ward off any lunge the creature might try.
Slowly, both groups were chipping away at the crocodiles. The damage they inflicted was not lethal, as they couldn’t get close enough, but it was slowing them down. Soon, they’d reach a tipping point and would attempt a desperate last move, which was precisely what the Awakeners were waiting for.
Unfortunately, their carefully laid plan was thrown in smoke when James sensed another swarm heading their way. They had a few seconds before it arrived, and given their current situation, he was afraid they might get overrun.
“Swarm!” He called “I’m going to leave finishing this one to you!” He then yelled to Lauren, who pursed her lips. She determinedly looked at the monster and nodded, telling him she would take care of it.
That done, James launched himself deeper into the dungeon, where he could now visibly see the swarm of little crocs. He crossed the hundred feet between them in what felt like an instant, and then everything became a blur.
The little monsters jumped at him from all sides, latching onto the protective suit and trying to bite through. Fortunately, the AA had not skimped when buying their gear, which easily held against the combined assault.
James ignored all those beasts, instead concentrating on simply maintaining his rhythm. His punches flew true, and each hit another croc, sometimes simply shooting them away, sometimes stunning them, and when he got lucky enough, killing them on the spot.
James’ mind was blank as he kept mowing through the swarm, hitting leathery flesh again and again, ignoring the aches building up until, finally, there were no more targets.
It took him a second to realize that he had utterly annihilated the swarm before he remembered his teammates' precarious situation. He turned to rush toward them, only to witness Lauren jump on top of the monster Maria, Daniel and Ezekiel were fighting, driving her knife into its brain, killing it instantly.
Behind them, the carcass of the one he and the girl had fought before lay sprawled on the concrete, blood pooling from the myriad gashes all over its form.
James sighed in relief. When he had felt the swarm approaching, he had been afraid they would be done for, but luckily, they had managed to pull through. Well, it wasn’t just luck. He thought, looking at his bloody fists.
An itch in his brain distracted him then, and he smiled. With just a thought, he brought the notification to the forefront.
Level Up! Congratulations, your level is now 11
Well, at least it can’t be said that the rewards aren’t worth it. I might get to level thirteen by the time we have cleared this whole thing.