EPISODE 44: Project Adam 3
— Edryan Queendom, Year 7291. Season: Central.
Most of the working class in Edryan is… well… under the Common [Worker] class. A few manage to advance to the Uncommon [Experienced Worker] or Rare [Advanced Worker] class. Gaining more attribute points and authority over their peers. Crabs stuck in a barrel.
Nevertheless, they are all [Workers] at the end of the day. This [Worker] class can allow the citizens of Edryan to take on a multitude of jobs, from construction to cleaning jobs and more. Anything you can think of that requires a [Worker] will have one. Classes dictate the path of one’s life. They are an essential path to surviving in this world. I’ve yet to hear anything about someone not having a class. Career changes are as easy as going to a new profession. Although the [Worker] class is more flexible because of its wide range of skill trees… it is still a [Worker] class regardless.
Had the circumstances of my birth been different, I could very likely end up as the Common [Worker]. Working for merchants and noble houses who hold far more attribute points than I’d ever be able to imagine. Fortunately, the [Worker] class is lucrative and always hiring…
— Excerpt from the private journal of His Highness Lawruthian.
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“There is no way you’re going to clear the [Tiger’s Den – ★★] without any of your guards accompanying you,” Alexandria said in a firm, unquestioning tone.
“Look, I don’t care if they wait right outside the entrance. I’m clearing that dungeon alone.”
“Chirp, Chirp Chirp Chirp Chirp Chirp. Chirp.”
Minerva repeated after me and attempted to cross her wings in the same manner my arms were crossed. I hope this phase of hers ends soon.
“You are the [Holy Prince of Edryan] your protection is my responsibility now that I am your general. I, we…,” Alexandria gestured to my guards who were standing behind her like scolded children. “…are your shield. Yes, we are still inside Edryan, and I trust all the individuals here have been verified by Her Majesty's forces. However, I cannot allow you to put yourself in such unknown danger.”
“Alexandria, it’s an artificial dungeon, with its highest average monster being two stars. I have more than enough strength to face such a beast alone. Moreover, I was never asking for your permission. This is me telling you as your commanding noble. I’m going in [Tiger’s Den – ★★] alone.”
Alexandria groaned and turned to Lily. While the guards behind her held increasingly worried expressions. I squinted at them and rolled my eyes. They were the ones who immediately ran to Alexandria the moment I stated my intentions for the day.
Lily's arms were folded across her large chest and a frown was apparent on her face as well. She and Alexandria were perhaps the only two who could hold actual sway over me in this situation. Alexandria because she was my general and that meant more than just being someone who fought in my name. It meant she was my sword and shield. Wherever I pointed, she would go without hesitation. Although she had a Crowned Oath of loyalty towards me, it was still up to her interpretations. If Alexandria allowed me to travel into [Tiger’s Den – ★★] and I very well died. It was a great chance she would too, as she’d most likely see it as a failure on her part. Even if she didn’t… my mother would.
I knew her pledge held a certain line that would not in good consciousness allow her to go against such a belief. ‘To protect your life if it means giving those of my men or my own. I pledge myself to thee.’
“Lily say something that will snap His Highness from trying such an…, unwise decision. I’m certain you feel the same as I do.”
“Your Highness, I’d have to agree with Alexandria here. This is not something we can just let you do. Have you ever been in a dungeon before?”
“Yes, My Third Step was to solo the dungeon [Goblin’s Den]. An artificial dungeon under the royal family's control. I very well do understand how dungeons operate if that is what you’re leading to.”
Lily pursed her black painted lips and looked at Alexandria. It was clear she didn’t have a rebuttal to what I said. The argument continued regardless.
----------------------------------------
I paced around the front of my mobile home, clear irritation expressed on my face. Alexandria was holding on firm to her reasoning.
“Your protection is my responsibility. Thousands of lives depend on you. Those of our men in the Imperius Army, and those of the students in Imperius Academy. Not to mention the millions of citizens of Edryan. You have impacted all of our lives. Please be understanding, Lawruthian.”
The words of Alexandria still echoed through my thoughts. I had a good reason for my actions. Currently, I am waiting for Lily to finish contacting Mariam, who would be able to communicate with my mother. She was the only one who could assure Alexandria that it was fine. After all, it was my mother who strictly instructed me to always delve into dungeons alone.
I paused in my pacing and jumped up to the top of my mobile home. This gave me a small vantage of just how big the base of operations had become. We were roughly eight to ten miles outside the capital. The base of operations had turned into a small village as thousands of people worked on it. More permanent structures appeared, including the beginnings of a connected sewage system that was very reminiscent of the systems of the reconstructed districts. Transporting both freshwater and draining the sewage to areas in which mages could treat them.
A popular profession for many mages because of the extremely high pay was [Purification Mage]. [Purification Mage] required both air and water affinities. With both, a mage could generate fresh air and pull the moisture from the sewage. Of course, not many could stomach such things, which is why the job paid so much. It amazed me at the versatility of classes and the options that this world presented.
From my vantage point, I could see the large constructions ongoing through the unnamed base. To the left-hand side was the area in which the Imperius Army trained their men. Recently, they began joining the students in clearing the area around the tracks of beasts and monsters. On the right-hand side were large processing warehouses. [Mages], [Workers], and more all labored within, in an industrial-like setup. [Imperius Smiths] would refine raw iron ore before turning it into steel ingots. Those ingots were further refined into the steel beams and delivered to the waiting mages. After the mages inscribed the required runes, the workers would deliver the completed beams to one of the waiting rail carts. Said cart would travel down the miles-long completed portion of the railway and deliver its goods, transporting those who were switching shifts back to the base.
Already we were a third of the way to Laguu. That was close to three hundred miles out. Several of the noble territories we passed through began to stare in awe at what was being accomplished. While I had to redirect these noble inquiries when it came to helping us expand the tracks. It became annoying extremely fast at the number of minor nobles who wished to see me and other matters. The land the tracks were laid upon was already bought, and I was not here to confirm whether they were paying the right amount for their taxes. Ugh, I can’t wait to get this over with.
Four different sets of tracks were laid. Two outbound and two inbound tracks. The first month of Central was coming to an end as we made great progress. Any whispers of discontent died down as the RAIL-2 trains helped with the transport of goods to the forward operating base. Slowly, Edryan was going to become connected. It was only after I was born into this world that I truly began to appreciate just how far the humans of Earth had gone. Hopefully, I’d be able to replicate those same steps the forefathers of innovation took in creating a connected Earth.
I turned to look at Lily, who seemed to appear from thin air next to me. A complicated expression was on her face as she gazed at my devious smile.
“Go tell Alexandria, she can have my guards wait outside the dungeon. [Tiger Den – ★★] is reported to only be two floors, which should take me a day at most to clear. If I’m not back by then, feel free to come in.”
She nodded and disappeared. It was clear she held some sort of fast movement skill. It was the same skill she used to threaten me. Although, the skill seemed geared towards escaping rather than fighting. It was only right as a [Imperius Shadow Curse-Master]. Lily was an assassin who used spells and curses to kill her targets or retrieve information from them. She was not someone who was directly involved in battle usually. Unless her second class was geared toward it. I hadn’t asked, so I wasn’t certain. I needed to have a good chat with my mother and see if something was missing in my education when learning about the three destroyed ducal houses.
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Would you like to enter the Artificial Dungeon: Tiger Den – ★★?
Accept
Decline
‘Accept,’ I mentally selected.
Behind me, the repaired Adam followed me and Minerva into [Tiger’s Den – ★★]. This time, the golem was equipped with its tower shield. The golem would be able to block his base damage and an additional 35% based on the shield’s function. For its weapons, the golem held its spear, while equipped on its waist was the dagger I made for it. With a quick wave of goodbye to Tobi and the three other [Imperius Knights] assigned to guard me, I stepped through the glowing entrance.
Instantly, the thick smell of beast mixed with the earthy tone of the dirt brought back old memories of the bear's den and my first fight with a starred beast. I felt a spike of adrenaline hit me as my light steps made their way inside [Tiger Den –★★]. It was only because of the glow of Adam and the soft fluorescent moss that I could see more than a few feet in front of me.
The cave had high ceilings and several obvious cat perches were displayed by the entrance. Besides the glowing moss, not much else was present aside from dirt and stone. A few scattered bones lay here and there. [Tiger Den – ★★] was known to have 5 rooms on the first floor, each with a minimum of two [Tiger of the Den – ★★] guarding the room. If not a not, then another variation of the big cat. As this was an artificial dungeon, it meant some bandit or lucky monster managed to find an Artificial Dungeon Core. As long as they were able to capture a decent beast, they could have the fake core create copies of it up to an extent. Just like normal dungeons, the core still needed to feed on souls and other forms of energy to process and increase floors and floor size.
The dungeon was reported to the capital a few years back and the adventurers were sent to clear the bandits within. Since then, they left the dungeon behind to become a high-level training ground for lower-level adventurers in the region. Without input from a third party, the artificial dungeon could not operate. The dungeon's isolated and out of the way area left it as a seldomly visited training ground. One that needed to be cleared as it remained in the path of the incoming tracks.
“Fire is the origin of man. Allow it to light the path in front of me by this (Mage Light).” The spell took effect immediately, only taking around a second to cast. A small miniature sun floated from the palm of my hand and hovered above me. Moving as I moved.
“There goes any element of surprise,” Minerva chirped.
“Surprise isn’t necessary, I’m here to clear this dungeon and capture the artificial core. Not only that, but we must run more tests with Adam. As the golem fights, its capabilities will improve, and I will also gain the much-needed experience to catch up with the students of the Academy. Class 1 always makes level 25 by mid-summer at the latest. What would I look like… lagging?
Perhaps you can gain combat experience as well,” I said to my young bird.
Minerva finally shed her downy feathers and fluff. She now held sleek ebony-gradient feathers with matching red-gold eyes. The Keeper of the Codex puffed out her chest, pride radiating in her eyes. The evolution happened last night as Minerva finished consuming the final bestiary of monsters native to the Edryan lands.
“I will slay any beast that crosses our path! After all, I am the [Keeper of the Codex]. A hero just like you!”
Warm feelings of affection made their way into my heart, and I tapped one of my spatial rings and threw some jerky over to my perk. “Just don’t fight until I give the go-ahead. Stick with me, this isn’t my first rodeo.”
After confirmation from Minerva, I ordered Adam ahead. In my hands were both my Mythical ranked weapons, yet I didn’t equip the full set. I chose to wear some student-crafted armor that boosted my base defense. My armor was kept in my ring, since I received this present I hadn’t let it leave the vicinity of my person. The same as [A Mother’s Gift]. These were life-saving items that could never leave my person.
CLANG.
CLANG.
With each step Adam took, his large frame made noise against the scattered rocks and other debris. A growl was heard from before us as two [Tiger of the Den – ★★] appeared before us.
“Adam, Exterminate. (Inspect).”
[Tiger of the Den – ★★]
Base Atk: 150
Base Def: 135
HP: 690/690
SP: 960/960
HP Regen: 18/Hour
SP Regen: 26/Hour
Power: 500
Endurance: 320
Vitality: 230
Self: 450
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Description:
A dungeon monster that was created to protect the core and its user. The Tiger of the Den lacks finesse, but it makes up for that in its raw physical might.
Adam charged, several runic scripts going active at once. The blue glow of his weapon buff ignited on both spear and shield. In one second, the golem was next to me and in the next, it slammed into one of the two [Tiger of the Den – ★★]. Spear pinning it through its shoulder blade and lifting the beast slightly off the ground. His base attack and defense were boosted by 1.5 with the activation of the first level of the skill.
The golem attack pattern differed from his initial testing, as the life in the fusion spell that powered him learned. It was no (Adaptive Learning Algorithm) which I estimated was able to hold a petabyte worth of stored data. Instead, this golem was powered by the infusion of life from (Golem Forging). Once I achieved level fifteen, I’d get a dedicated golem infusion skill.
Tiger of the Den -118HP.
“Mana is the force that establishes all, coat my blade with the properties of a (Mana Armament).” Just like Adam, my blade glowed blue as I charged toward the second beast. Quickly activating the common version of the spell twice to make sure my golem wasn’t torn to pieces before I could help. With my weapons’ skill buff, (Mana Armament) and my title's plus blessing, my overall attack shot up to 245. Easily enough to break past the monster’s defense. As I charged, both my weapons glowing blue, Minerva jumped and took flight. The owl began circling above us.
“Careful! [Tiger of the Den – ★★] is known to be able to use the skills (Stamina Burn), (Debilitating Roar), and (Pounce)! (Stamina Burn) will increase both its attack and defense the longer the fight goes on! The final two skills could be anything!”
“(Imperius Combat Arts: Flash Step).”
Without hesitation, I interrupted the charge of the second beast. Stopping it from attacking my golem as my blade sunk deep into its flesh. The [Tiger of the Den – ★★] roared in rage more than pain, and I pulled back, yanking my blade out as the beast shifted. Attempting to do much of the same.
Tiger of the Den -110HP.
Your weapon skill (Unending Flow) has been activated. Tiger of the Den will receive {Bleed}. -45HP over the course of 1 minute.
You have gained +45HP.
Tiger of the Den -178HP.
Tiger of the Den -110HP.
Your weapon skill (Unending Flow) has been activated. Tiger of the Den will receive {Bleed}. -45HP over the course of 1 minute.
You have gained +45HP.
I felt energized as I over-healed. My Hit Points went from 330/330 to 420/330 after two consecutive attacks. My gaze never wavered from the monster before me, but my hands tightened in excitement around [Eternal Love] and [Limitless Love]. Silently, I thanked my mother.
My body moved fast, easily outpacing the beast before me as Adam fought methodically. Forcing its opponent into a corner. The monster activated a skill just as the one before me did as well. Steam rose from the beast as (Stamina Burn) activated. Knowledge of what the skill did made its way into my thoughts. The bond connecting me to Minerva only grew stronger with time. I could nearly read the pages straight from her memory.
(Stamina Burn)
Description:
Increase Base Attack and Defense by 10% every 30 seconds.
Cost:
50 SP per activation.
That’s new! I circled the beast. The first room was large, around 10 meters in length and half that in width. The [Tiger of the Den – ★★] kept its eyes on me, yet I could see the bleed de-buff going to work. Spurts of blood erupted from the two wounds I inflicted. The snarls of rage turned into whimpering of pain as the battle continued. The beast continued to pull back, seemingly looking to draw the battle out. Like I’d allow you to get stronger. Let’s make this quick.
Tiger of the Den -178HP.
You have gained +45HP.
“Fire is the origin of man and air is the leader of change, combine and burn away my foes with this (Greater Fireball).”
Tiger of the Den -291HP.
You have gained +73HP.
The explosion left a manic grin on my face as it forced me several feet back. Thirty-two mana drained from me instead of fifty as my bloodline passive went to work. The more I fought, the more I understood why magi-humans held great pride and many chose to walk the path of Spell-Swords. With this type of power at our fingertips outside Edryan, a magi-human would gather large amounts of respect. Naturally, being born with the ability to wield mana compared to much of the other races causes the pride of the Edryans to swell beyond belief.
You have defeated the Tiger’s Den – ★★ first room. You have received one level from combat experience. The level is auto-assigned to:
[Hero of Edryan].
“Adam, Guard.”
The extra Health Points drained quickly and soon returned me too normal. The final attack I dealt alerted me that regardless of if [Limitless Love] dealt a blow or not, as long as I had it equipped, I would gain a percentage of the HP lost from the opponent I fought.
The golem began to patrol around the room as I went to work dismantling the beast for its beast cores. The meat and other parts of the creature could make an adventurer good money if sold at the guild or another establishment. A two-star beast was worth a small gold at the minimum. The [Tiger of the Den – ★★] was probably worth a large gold, slightly over 3 grand back on Earth. I didn’t need it. The beast cores were the only thing of some value to me. Able to serve as alchemical ingredients and more.
“Great job Law! That was outstanding! It only took 45 seconds for you to clear the first room. If we keep this pace up, then we’ll clear the dungeon in no time at all!”
I held out at arm and Minerva landed. Her eyes glued to the few prime choices of meat I cut off the beast for her.
“Oh, so you know how to flatter and not just mock?”
I dangled the juiciest piece in front of Minerva. Chuckling to myself as her eyes didn’t move away from the piece.
“Chirp. Chiiiirp?”
“You deserve a congratulatory present because you reached level 13,” I laughed as I questioned Minerva. An eyebrow cocked up at my partner. “What about me? I started taking on Silver Ranked beast at level 11 and without a second class, with barely any combat skills to support me. In fact, I guess it’s time to finally make (Imperius Combat Arts) a general skill. I’m so tired of these notifications annoying me!
“You’re not normal! You’re the prince of a country with vast wealth and superior weapons than anyone else your age. Go kill a Gold Ranked beast if you want to be special or impress me. Now gimmie!”
Minerva swiftly snatched up the piece the moment it came within reach. Not hesitating to down it before looking at me anxiously for more. I rolled my eyes and fed the bird. Using this time to allow my mana to recover a bit before moving toward the next room.
Once Minerva was sated, I turned to Adam. The golem's head swiveled about, and its weapons remained ready. The spells were deactivated, but it only took a moment for the golem to reactivate them. I pulled up its status tab, I had to ensure it could take on another room without running out of juice.
[Adam – ★★]
Base Atk: 135 +50
Base Def: 120 +50
HP: 825/825 +124
MP: 1094/1125 +169
HP Regen: 25/Hour
MP Regen: 34/Hour
Power: 450
Vitality: 275
Mind: 375
Self: 400
“Good job buddy, it seems you didn’t use too much mana. We should be able to clear the first floor before taking a break. The monster numbers per room will be steadily increasing. Perhaps I should level now and not later.”
“Even if the monsters increase, I will save you! I am a [Hero] after all!” Minerva chirped happily. Puffing out her chest with pride. I didn’t know where this new fascination with heroes came from. The owl held the class of [Keeper of the Codex] since day one. It was only recently she began taking pride in it. Perhaps it was after she read Tales of Demons & Heroes and truly began to understand what it meant to hold this class.
“Status.”
Lawruthian Imperius Koltius Edryani – Level 13
HP: 330/330 (+300)
SP: 240/240 (+300)
MP: 330/330 (+204)
Base Atk: 65 (+50)
Base Def: 38 (+60)
HP Regen: 31/Hour +27
SP Regen: 23/Hour +27
MP Regen: 31/Hour +27
Bloodline: [+]
Race:
Magi-Human
Main Class:
[Hero of Edryan]
Perks:
Codex of Earth
Power: 130 (+100)
2nd Class: [LOCKED]
Core Skills: [+]
Vitality: 110 (+100)
3rd Class: [LOCKED]
Racial Skills: [+]
Endurance: 80 (+100)
Faith: Goddess Madris
Status Effects: [+]
Mind: 110 (+100)
Affiliation:
Royal Family of Edryan
Equipped:
[+]
Self: 101 (+100)
2nd Affiliation:
Imperius Academy
Skills: [+]
Intent: 80 (+100)
Achievements: [+]
Active Quest: [+]
Magic Affinity: -
Attribute Points: 78
So far, I kept my build roughly even. Several factors made me do so, but the most important one was because I originally didn’t know where I was going to take [Hero of Edryan]. A [Heroic] class molds itself around the user and not vice versa. The moment I chose my skills and applied them was the moment the class began to alter and change. I fully expected the class advancement at level 25 to be more golem-based, especially after I received the final five class skill slots at level 15. It was also a chance for me to change my core skills. (Might of Edryan), (Party), and (Call of the Prince) had yet to truly see use.
“Show me my core skills.”
[Hero of Edryan]
Core Skills:
Function:
Description:
(Might of Edryan)
Passive
Boost the Base Attack of Edryan’s within 30 meters by 10%. For each Edryan Boosted, gain a portion of their experience.
Show the might of your people! Spread the Glory of Edryan!
(Party)
Active/Passive
0/6
Upgrade the class tier of any member who joins your (Party) to [Heroic].
How can a [Hero] not have a party to accompany them?
(Call of the Prince)
Active
0/5
Gain up to a 25% attribute boost by calling upon those who pledge their service to you.
In Edryan under the Prime Sun, all men are free.
Core skills were supposed to be what you built your class around. They were supposed to be your most essential skills. Unfortunately, the [Heroic] tier class gave me skills I wasn’t fully interested in. (Might of Edryan) and (Call of the Prince) were two skills I didn’t find myself needing. At least within the next few years. (Might of Edryan) was an aura-based skill that wasn’t that strong. I read of far vaster and greater aura skills. Alexandria would have skills that affected the entire army. (Call of the Prince) was useful now that I held people in pledge to me, but I hadn’t bothered to activate the skill on any of them. My blessing [Chosen of Madris] gained me +30 attribute points sporadically. I doubt I’d ever be in a position in which I required the strength increase from (Call of the Prince).
I sighed before I turned my attention back to my status. In my heart, those two skills were already gone the moment I hit level twenty-five and my class advancement. For my attributes, I’d still keep them roughly even.
Lawruthian Imperius Koltius Edryani – Level 13
HP: 390/390 (+300)
SP: 270/270 (+300)
MP: 390/390 (+204)
Base Atk: 79 (+50)
Base Def: 38 (+60)
HP Regen: 37/Hour +27
SP Regen: 25/Hour +27
MP Regen: 37/Hour +27
Bloodline: [+]
Race:
Magi-Human
Main Class:
[Hero of Edryan]
Perks:
Codex of Earth
Power: 158 (+100)
2nd Class: [LOCKED]
Core Skills: [+]
Vitality: 130 (+100)
3rd Class: [LOCKED]
Racial Skills: [+]
Endurance: 90 (+100)
Faith: Goddess Madris
Status Effects: [+]
Mind: 130 (+100)
Affiliation:
Royal Family of Edryan
Equipped:
[+]
Self: 101 (+100)
2nd Affiliation:
Imperius Academy
Skills: [+]
Intent: 80 (+100)
Achievements: [+]
Active Quest: [+]
Magic Affinity: -
Attribute Points: 0
With that done, I turned my attention to the mossy-covered opening that led deeper inside [Tiger’s Den – ★★]. “Adam, Forward.”