As Jared stalked through the trees, he thought over his next steps. Considering the limited amount of Class Skill slots, he had to prioritize which parts of his training to turn into Skills. He felt that the most important ones were shooting, which was already taken care of with the Marksmanship Skill, Stalking, again already a Skill, Target Detection, and general information gathering. A sniper spent over 90 percent of his or her time doing reconnaissance, after all.
Since he didn’t have anyone else to place items for him to find, he did his best to train target detection by keeping a close eye on his surroundings, looking for anything out of place. It wasn’t terribly effective, and the fading light of dusk didn’t help either. Deciding that trying to move through unfamiliar territory in the dark, in a monster-infested forest was probably a bad idea, he started scouting the nearby forest for spots that he could use to hole up for the night.
As the last of the light was fading, he came across a large hole in the ground, with a cobblestone path leading down into it. Investigating the nearby area and first few meters of the cave, he didn’t find any indications that it was being used as the den of an animal or monster, so he used branches from nearby trees and bushes to build a little hide in the mouth of the cave.
He didn’t know if there were creatures deeper in that he hadn’t detected, so he made sure to not block the cave mouth completely, but made it look like random debris had fallen in. This gave him little room in which to hide himself, but he didn’t need much. Settling himself into his makeshift hideaway without so much as a bedroll, he drifted off to sleep.
A few hours later, he woke up, his rest having been undisturbed. He had another MRE for breakfast, leaving him with only one more. He would have to find another source of food today, either by hunting, or by finding civilization. He didn’t have any idea how far away he was from the closest town, so he dismissed that as an option. He could be right next to a town, or weeks of travel away, so planning on relying on a town as his immediate source of food was probably a bad idea. That left hunting. He decided to make sure there actually wasn’t anything living in this cave, then go look for game near the stream. He had seen the strange jackalope with wings earlier, so there was a good chance he would be able to find other edible creatures.
For a moment he considered trying to eat the monocular devourer he had killed, but just the thought made him shudder.
Hoisting his pack, he set off deeper into the cave, lighting his way with one of the glowsticks he kept in his pack. He was brought up short after a few paces, as words scrawled themselves across his vision, unprompted.
Warning, you have encountered the dungeon [Clandestine Caverns]. Suggested Level: 10-20. You do not meet the suggested minimum level. Entering an area of a much higher level greatly increases the chance of serious injury or death, but also provides commensurate rewards. Would you like to enter [Clandestine Caverns?]
Jared considered the prompt, then shook his head. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” It was far too much of a risk for him to enter an area dangerous enough that the system warned him about it. He turned to leave, when the writing in his vision changed from blue to red, and a new message wrote itself in his vision.
Error… Dungeon overpopulated…Dungeon Break imminent…Searching for solutions…Solution Found.
New GEAS Quest(Mandatory): Cull the Dungeon
The [Clandestine Caverns] Dungeon has surpassed its maximum monster threshold, and if the situation is not rectified very soon, the dungeon will break, unleashing monsters to terrorize the surrounding area, among other calamitous consequences
Objective: Clear the Dungeon within 1 day(24 hours)
Reward: Specialized reward of High value or greater. Value dependent on performance and speed
Penalty for failure: The Dungeon will break, with terrible consequences. Chances of survival are negligible.
This is a Mandatory quest, and cannot be refused. Opening Dungeon.
Jared cursed as a rift in reality tore itself open before him, and before he could take another step, he was pulled in.
***
The box sat and waited for something, anything to come along and give it something to eat. It didn’t know how long it had been alone, but the hunger was becoming fierce. All had been well until another dungeon monster had killed its mother and siblings. The box had only survived because it had fallen into a crack and gotten stuck beyond the other creatures’ view.
It knew if it didn’t get something to eat soon, it was going to die, but fear of the creature that had killed its mother kept the box from leaving. It could only hope that its current form, which its mother had taught was enticing, would convince something to feed it. It had a little while before it would be in immediate danger of starving to death. Until then, the box would wait.
***
When Jared’s vision cleared, he was standing at the end of a long stone hallway, enclosed on all sides. Crimson firelight flickered from torches placed along the cavern every ten meters or so. Behind him was a solid stone wall.
I guess the only way I’m getting out is by clearing the dungeon.
Within the confines of a cave or tunnel like this, his rifle would be too unwieldy to use, so he left it strapped to his rucksack. Instead he withdrew his large knife, and kept his sidearm handy. He only had two more magazines left for it, but those two magazines could mean the difference between survival and death.
There didn’t seem to be anything immediately threatening in the area, but he had seen firsthand how quickly that could change. Deciding that his ghillie suit would be more trouble that it was worth in a place devoid of plants, he stripped out of it, leaving him in just his fatigues and ballistic plate carrier. They didn’t seem to do much against the last monster he had fought, but they would be better than nothing.
Doing his best to stick to the shadows, he crept down the hall, alert for anything out of the ordinary. He assumed the mindset that he was behind enemy lines and tried to be ready for anything. His vigilance was rewarded as the tunnel opened up into a larger cavern. Just above the floor immediately before the tunnel ended, he briefly caught sight of a silvery shimmer reflecting the torchlight. Crouching down, he inspected the area, finding a whisper-thin metal tripwire spanning the width of the hallway.
Skill Unlocked! Trap Detection(Unskilled I)
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Competence shown… Assessing true Skill level… Skill Trap Detection upgraded from (Unskilled I) to (Proficient I)
Trap Detection(Proficient I) - Many aspiring delvers are brought low by the insidious traps present within some Dungeons. You, however, have shown the ability to spot them, greatly increasing your chances of survival.
You now find it 11% easier to spot traps in your vicinity. Bonus increases by 1% per level in the Skill
Primary Class Skills(3/10)
* Marksmanship(Unskilled I)
* Stalking(Skilled IV)
* Trap Detection(Proficient I)
Jared blinked as he registered the notification, then dismissed it. It wasn’t exactly what he was going for, but it would be a great help, he was sure.
Stepping gingerly over the tripwire, he took in the room before him. It was roughly circular, about 50 meters across, with a high, vaulted ceiling. Spearing down from the center of the ceiling,a massive multicolored crystal glowed brightly like a chandelier. The bright light made it easy to spot the monsters that filled the room.
They were small, no more than a meter in height, and roughly humanoid. Their skin was deep gray, and seemed to blend in with the stone around them, aided by the fact that almost none of them wore more than a loincloth. They carried a variety of crude weapons, which looked little better than rocks tied onto sticks.
As he examined them, taking in every detail he could, words appeared above their heads.
[Stoneskin Goblin Stabber](lvl 12)
[Stoneskin Goblin Sneak](lvl 11)
[Stoneskin Goblin Smasher](lvl 14)
…
There were about a dozen of them, ranging in level from 10 to 15, with the highest being a level 16 [Stoneskin Goblin Packleader].
General Skill Unlocked! Identify(Unskilled I)
Identify(Unskilled I) - Study a creature or object to learn basic information about it. Amount of information varies based on several factors including Skill level.
General Skills(1/10):
* Identify(Unskilled I)
The goblins hadn’t noticed him yet, but it would only be moments at most before they did. He had to act fast. Targeting a goblin that was fairly close to his tunnel and facing away, Jared dropped his rucksack and darted forward, grabbing its mouth from behind with his left hand, his right bringing the knife up to slit its throat. Though he executed the movements almost perfectly, his knife barely bit into the goblin’s rough, stonelike skin, making an otherwise fatal strike into just a bad cut.
Immediately, the goblin started thrashing and trying to scream through Jared’s hand, attracting the attention of every other monster in the room. Cursing, Jared plunged his knife back into the cut, finishing the monster off.
[Stoneskin Goblin Sneak](lvl 11) Slain!
EXP Gained.
You have gained enough EXP to level up!
Level up unavailable while in combat.
It seemed that if he could get through the tough outer layer of the skin, the insides of these creatures were no more difficult to damage than expected. Tossing the goblin corpse aside, he looked around at the goblins jumping to their feet and charging at him. He knew that if they surrounded him, he was going to have a really bad time, so he retreated back into the tunnel, making sure he avoided the tripwire. Having a bottleneck would hopefully make this a much more survivable situation.
Then he was out of time to prepare or consider, and the lead goblin, one wielding a crude mace, leapt at him. It screeched out a battlecry, its arms raised up high, ready to bring its weapon down onto Jared’s head. He was taken aback at its stupidity in leaving itself completely open with a hugely telegraphed attack. Despite his bemusement, he still capitalized on its error in judgment. Stepping to the side, he deftly evaded the goblin’s strike, sending it stumbling. Before it could recover, he slammed his knife into the back of its neck, this time making sure to use enough force to get through its tough skin. The goblin fell limp, and he got the notification of its death.
[Stoneskin Goblin Smasher](lvl 14) Slain!
EXP Gained.
You have gained enough EXP to level up!
Level up unavailable while in combat.
In the moment his back was turned, another goblin struck at his back with a spear. Luckily, it aimed for the center of his back, which was protected by a ceramic ballistic plate. The spear strike rebounded, but Jared was still sent stumbling forward a step, feeling the armor crack where it had been struck.
These things are a lot stronger than they look
It was a good thing, too. As Jared regained his balance, he turned just in time to see the spear-wielding goblin hit the tripwire. A giant metal blade sliced up from the ground, bisecting the monster without a hint of resistance, before receding back into the floor.
[Stoneskin Goblin Stabber](lvl 13) Slain!
Partial EXP Gained.
You have gained enough EXP to level up!
Level up unavailable while in combat.
Shut up! I’ll deal with you later!
He didn’t mind the notifications, as long as they weren’t distracting him from a fight for his life.
Non-Emergency notifications restricted to outside of combat
That’s handy
He would have to explore what other functions the system had later. Right now, he was kind of busy trying not to get killed by goblins. The blade trap had stymied them for a moment, but they were rallying. They all gathered together, forming a messy formation behind one of the goblins wearing more than a loincloth. It stepped forwards, waving its hands and babbling unintelligibly.
[Stoneskin Goblin Shaman](lvl 16)
It was tied with the Packleader for highest level goblin. A small orange bead appeared just in front of it, growing in size. Jared was pretty sure that if he let the shaman finish casting, that spell would end him. So he didn’t. Pulling his pistol from its holster, he fired two shots at the caster. Its head snapped back as the bullets impacted it, its eyes going glassy. The spell, now around the size of Jared’s head, promptly exploded. A thunderous boom shook the cavern, and Jared had to shield his face from the light and heat generated by the exploding spell. When it faded, he looked around the room, and his jaw dropped.
Goblin bodies were strewn about the cavern, having been thrown in all directions. Those closest to the explosion had been burnt to a crisp and were obviously dead, the shaman included. Those a bit further away were a little luckier, surviving with severe burns across their bodies. Going around the room, he put all the survivors out of their misery, then slumped back against the cave wall. Adrenaline still coursed through him, so he took a few deep calming breaths, his heart rate gradually slowing.
After about a minute, the system must have decided he was out of combat, because blue words once again wrote themselves across his eyes.
Stoneskin Goblin Shaman(lvl 16) Slain!
EXP Gained.
Title Gained: Spelljammer
Stoneskin Goblin x10 Slain!
Partial EXP Gained.
Title Gained: Offensive Powerhouse
Title: Offensive Powerhouse upgraded!
Level up! (x6)
You have 6 unspent Stat points.
Greater than Average competence shown… Assessing true skill level… Skill Marksmanship upgraded from (Unskilled I) to (Exceptional I)
Marksmanship(Exceptional I) - You have trained with several different ranged projectile weapons, giving you greater mastery over any you wield. Gives a 16% bonus to accuracy and damage while using projectile weapons. Bonus increases by 0.5% per level in the Skill.
He brought up his profile, considering where to invest his stat points, and curious about his new titles.
Name: Jared Moore
Primary Class: Marksman Lv. 7
Auxiliary Class: N/A
Ascension: Basic
Stats:
Free points: 6(ALA or PRO)
Physique: 8
* Physical: 6
* Magical: 2
Alacrity: 9
* Physical: 5
* Mental: 4
Projection: 6
* Evocation: 3
* Manipulation: 3
Skills:
Primary Class(3/10)
* Marksmanship(Exceptional I)
* Stalking(Skilled IV)
* Trap Detection(Proficient I)
Auxiliary Class(0/5)
General(1/10)
* Identify(Unskilled I)
Titles:
Spelljammer
Offensive Powerhouse(+)