As I got close enough to the boss, it noticed me. Intelligence was clear in those eyes. Not the same kind shown in the guarding litts eyes. No, this was the one who gave them orders. With confidence, it stared at me, scanning the area for any other presences. Maybe it believed that navigating this path alone was beyond the capabilities of a mere human. I would make it understand how I did.
My Incorporate Lightning already flowing throughout my body, I didn't have any reason to deactivate it in a dungeon. The gigantic litt started moving in my direction, gradually gaining momentum. Every step caused the earth to shake. I needed to control this battle. The intense eyes of the litt boss conveyed a strong desire to tear me apart. I moved with the power of law. Unwilling to let it make the first move, I circled it.
Using the same tactic as before, I wanted to kick it, but its height proved it difficult. I opted for punching, as its wide chest leveled with my shoulders. My lightning infused punch connected, followed by a sound of crumbling rocks. Unfazed, the monster turned despite being punched. I kept circling to avoid facing it. As I was circling, I could see where my attack landed. Neither too shallow nor too deep. My lightning hadn't stunned it, perhaps not reaching through its exoskeleton. The litt started swinging its limbs wildly, forcing me to distance myself.
The further away I was, the less it needs to turn to face me. Dodging in and out of its range took great effort. I need to make it stop moving!
The armor on its body was thick. I would need to break its armor to reach the flesh. One part of it lacked the same defensive capabilities. Its face!
I need to hit its skull. My lightning can get through!
Still circling it, I needed an opportunity. Swiftly, I maneuvered myself to the front of it and unleashed a lightning-fast uppercut.
"GAHRRR!"
The monster, its gaze never leaving me, shook violently in its place. More and more of my lightning ravaged its hideous face, blood spewing in a grotesque display. The crackling lightning overwhelmed it, unable to retaliate. The monstrous face was crumbling in a mess of rock and bloody flesh. My punches were relentless, infused with immense power and a fusion of strength, law, and skill. I wanted to destroy it! My hands forced the lightning snakes onto the boss by gripping the mushy face. I could sense the crackles coursing through my body, streaming from my hands. Smoke billowed from its skull, charred beyond recognition.
"Huuuu.. Huuuuuu…" I breathed out heavily.
[LEVEL UP]
The monster fell. Its head a mangled mess. I collapsed to the ground, completely drained of energy, something I had never experienced since awakening. I had put all my thoughts of stamina away, focusing only on Mana. The relentless assault and tension of danger sapped me dry. My Stone Skin talent protected my knuckles from my own attacks. My knuckles were bleeding, but I expected worse from constantly smashing them into rocks with that power.
As I caught my breath, I wondered how I could improve my energy reserves. My bet was on vitality, the only stat I left alone. This fight was very hard, way harder than I expected. In spite of my skill not being effective against the physical defense of the monsters in this dungeon, I still had the impression that I am much stronger compared to others at this level. I even had multiple talents to support me. Either the level scaling was incredibly harsh, or something else was at play.
I stood up from the ground, brushing off the dust that had settled on my clothes. As I gazed upon the humongous litt corpse, I checked my gains.
[INVENTORY]
- Ring of Minor Defense (E) - 1
- Top-Grade Mana Crystal (F) – 1
- High-Grade Mana Crystal (F) – 42
- Rockscale Litt Scale (E) – 20
- Chieftain Short-Sword (D) – 1
- Crude dagger (F) – 12
- Crude Club (F) – 8
A ring?
Surprised, I inspected it.
[Ring of Minor Defense (E)]
- Defense: 8
- A ring imbued with the essence of stone.
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- Affects every part of the wearer.
Equip!
The ring manifested on my left index finger. The iron band was unadorned, except for the captivating yellow gem nestled within its center. A momentary sensation washed over me briefly before vanishing. The feeling was indiscernible for me. Nothing I've ever felt before. I’d keep it equipped. It was never a bad idea to have more protection!
The other item in my inventory was another Mana crystal. It didn’t surprise me.
[Top-Grade Mana Crystal (F)]
- A crystal containing Mana. Can be consumed.
- Grade: F
- Mana: 500
Compared to the high-grade one, it had only twice the amount of Mana. The increase does not seem to follow a static pattern. I would sell this as well. Mana is not a concern for me, and I wouldn’t even be able to hold all of that Mana if I tried.
I wanted to enter the tower. With my newfound points, I invested them all in vitality, hoping to boost my endurance. Despite the lack of information on any of the stats, I speculated that it would be related to stamina. If not, then I have more health points.
The gate nearby hummed as usual, waiting for me to enter it. I tried putting the Rockscale Litt Boss corpse in my inventory, to no avail. I thought I could cheat the system. As I exited the gate, my phone rang with multiple notifications - one from Tobias and 14 from Jennifer. My plan was to contact Jennifer initially, but the information I had might save lives.
*Riiiiiing* Riiiiiiing*
"Hello, Arild, is that you?" came a voice from the other side.
"Yes, it's me. I finished the dungeon, but it was much harder than expected!"
"How so?"
"The monsters were resistant to physical attacks!"
The conversation continued until I told him about the drops.
"They also dropped crystals two grades higher than expected. The boss dropped a top-grade one."
After a pause, the other person continued.
"That doesn't seem right. Every report about level 5 to 10 dungeons has the normal monsters drop mid-grade, and the bosses drop high-grade!"
"Well, I don't know what to tell you… That's what happened. I have proof of it."
"No, no! It's not that I don't believe you. It just doesn't follow the expected outcome."
"Perhaps different tiers of monsters exist within the same level, considering they were extremely tough." I suggested.
"Yes, that's possible. We won't know anything for sure, but they might be a special monster! We don't have many reports of those dungeons yet. There's very little information to go around."
He ended up telling me they would hold a public announcement. Announcing the possibility of dungeons differing in strengths at the same levels. In the announcement, they would refer to it as an elite dungeon.
People around the world had already started awakening en masse. Many beginner dungeons gates had people waiting in lines, expecting a glorious awakening. I was still ahead of the curve, but people needed to be aware of the dangers.
I ended up telling Tobias about laws as well, not wanting to hide it. If they wished to conceal it, that was their decision. I just didn't want to waste my personal time pondering about sharing system functions that would come to light later.
As he was about to overcome his shock from learning about laws, I asked the next question.
"Say, where’s the nearest tower entrance? The system said I can enter now that I'm level 10!"
“WHAT! YOU CAN ENTER IT?” he yelled.
“Ye—yes… That’s what it said. The requirements are reaching level 10.”
“That’s amazing news! No other government entity is aware of this across the world!”
“That you know of, correct?”
“Yes… That’s true. But it should be one of the first occurrence at least!”
Only one day had gone by. The only reason I got this far so fast was because I could quickly train my already powerful skill, thanks to my learning talent.
“Then, the tower location. Do you have it?”
“Oh, yes! There is one located halfway towards the island city of Troms. On the hillside of Ruark town. I’ll send you the coordinates right now! But please promise to escape if it’s dangerous! Your life is more valuable than exploring.”
“Thank you for the concern. I’ll be careful!”
I called Jennifer next.
“ARILD! Are you okay? You can’t just leave without saying anything!”
“I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you. That won’t happen again!” I pleaded.
“You have to! Else I might worry myself to death!”
“Yes, I understand. I promise… This might not be the best time, but I might be gone for a while…”
“Huh! Already? It’s not like I can stop you, but don’t you dare put yourself in danger!”
“Of course! I would never…”
…
I felt guilty after talking with Jennifer. I already put myself in danger, and the next place I was going had no information on it. My adventurous spirit wouldn’t let me stop here. The tower was my next stop. Unsure of what awaited, I knew it would broaden my horizons.