EPISODE 45: Tiger’s Den
— Edryan Queendom, Year 7291. Season: Central.
“Adam, Forward.”
Adam tore its way through the moss. Its new tower shield faced forward as it barged through the entrance to the next room.
“Chirp,” Minerva asked. A puzzled expression on her face.
Just as I was responding to my partner, her very warning showed itself. A large click came from underneath the golem's foot. The wind whistled as arrows shot out of the fluorescent mossy-covered walls and toward Adam.
CLANG.
Adam -30 HP.
CHINK!
CLANG.
Adam -80 HP.
Two large bolts flung themselves from the walls and hit Adams's exposed sides. The first hit with enough force to break the +50 defense (Golem Commander) gave Adam. A sound of glass breaking was heard right before the second bolt struck the other side of the golem. Breaking past its base defense to deal eighty additional damage. It’d be several hours before that could reactivate on Adam’s status.
The golem continued forward, and Minerva gave me a knowing smirk. Her smirk was a slight tilt of her head as her keys seemed to say it all. “Don’t say anything, and I’ll have them run to the capital and order that favorite fish you like.”
I could feel the smugness radiating between our bond. Minerva puffed out her chest in pride. After all, she did just ask ‘ What about the traps?, ’ as I allowed Adam to barge its way forward.
“Adam, Forward, Defense.”
The next few times it stepped on traps, the golem was able to skillfully block with its tower shield. The machine slowed down and proceeded cautiously.
Before the golem could get too far, I hurried to catch up, activating (Mana Sense) to watch the mana’s flow. If it seemed concentrated in one area, I’d know Adam missed stepping on the button to activate it. This wasn’t an advance dungeon, so they didn’t have other hidden mechanisms.
The moment Adam stepped into the second room, it paused. The golem sensing its objective was finished. The dents caused by the arrows were slowly repairing themselves as time moved on. It’d take close to five hours for the golem to fully heal, minus any repairs on my part.
Four different monsters emerged as we neared the center of the room. Appearing from behind large boulders that originally hid their frames. This time there were three [Tigers of the Den – ★★ ] while the fourth monster was a brand-new cat. The cats noticed us immediately. Far before we even entered the room. It was hard not to, as the loud thumps of Adam and the glowing ball of sunshine over my head were clear indicators that intruders were there.
“Adam, Defense, Exterminate. (Inspect).
[Greater Tiger of the Den – ★★ ]
Base Atk: 210
Base Def: 111
HP: 690/690
SP: 600/600
HP Regen: 22/Hour
SP Regen: 19/Hour
Power: 700
Endurance: 200
Vitality: 230
Self: 370
Description:
A dungeon monster that was created to protect the core and its user. The Greater Tiger of the Den is a significantly stronger version of its previous archetype. Although this tiger too lacks finesse, it makes up for it in its overwhelming strength.
The moment I spoke, the action began, barely allowing me to take a glance at what the new creature was. It was similar to the previous version, only slightly larger. With long, sharp black claws extended from its paws, the greater tiger moved unnaturally fast for its size.
If we were on the outside, all this creature would need was a simple opportunity to evolve. Unfortunately, it belonged to a soulless artificial dungeon. Without a [Dungeon Master] nothing would change, and it would forever Rea I’m at two stars.
Adam braced its tower shield as the [Greater Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] (Pounce) toward the golem. The other three immediately showed rising steam as they moved toward me. Their bodies growing hot as (Stamina Burn) activated.
“Shit. Minerva, be prepared to help me.”
Without hesitation, I activated my combo art. I needed to successfully pull off the combo on one of my opponents before any of its den mates could respond. Hopefully, Adam would be able to hold on. He’d experienced an upgrade since his first use. Noting major, but the golem learned as it grew. Not to an extent Hero Golems could, as its life infusion was only so-so, but it’d sell as a high quality mediocre golem on the market.
Adam -177 HP.
Under my Life Points, Adam’s shot from 825/825 +14 to 662/825. Another loud CLINK alerted me that my golems health buff was gone. Shit, Adam cannot take another one of thos-
A [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] (Pounce) towards me. The same skill that Adam was hit with. Minerva screeched a warning. Her alarmed cry of terror turned into words within my heart.
“DON’T LET THAT HIT YOU, (Pounce) DOUBLES THEIR BASE ATTACK AND TRIPLES IT AGAINST UNSUSPECTING OPPONENTS. WITH (Stamina Burn) ACTIVE, THEY MIGHT FINISH YOU OFF!”
I wasn’t one to use shields, and I knew any attack would almost completely break into my true health points. If the tiger managed a critical hit, I could very well die from the 1.5 to 10 times increase in their damage. The critical hit scale runs from 1.5 to 2.5. Damage multipliers increased by a .1 per critical level.
Calmly, my mind focused, and I activated an innate skill all magi-humans could do. My true mana and stamina points surged before decreasing by a quarter. While this went on, my mind moved rapidly, preparing to activate (Imperius Combat Arts) while shouting out.
“(Overclocked)!”
One of the major differences between skills and magic showed itself, as the ability activated instantly the moment I shouted for its activation. No cast time, just the instant intention behind my shout, and the skill came to life.
Skill Name:
(Overclocked)
Description:
This is to go…even…further…BEYOND!
Function:
With a surge of mana, increase the attributes of golems underneath your command by 30%. After exiting this state, -30% of the golem’s attributes for 4 hours.
Cost:
100 MP of the user and 300 MP of the golems.
Adam’s blue gold coloration from its runes now held a hint of red. The golem struck out at its opponent decisively.
Greater Tiger of the Den -228 HP.
Good, now it's my turn. (Imperius Combat Arts) held nine different skills under the Combo Art. Five attack skills, two movements skills, two defensive skills, and one buff.
(Imperius Combat Arts):
1. (Imperius Combat Arts: Form Breaker)
1.1 (Imperius Combat Arts: Flash Step)
1.2 (Imperius Combat Arts: Piercing Strike)
1.3 (Imperius Combat Arts: Battle Tremor)
1.4 (Imperius Combat Arts: Power Blow)
1.5 (Imperius Combat Arts: Elemental Shield)
1.6 (Imperius Combat Arts: Resistance Up)
1.7 (Imperius Combat Arts: Continuous Movement)
1.8 (Imperius Combat Arts: Elemental Armament)
Each skill was carefully thought about in great detail when designing and building this combo art. Ensuring that it’d be compatible with me and any of the many forms of combat I was trained in. It was versatile enough to be used with any weapon. Both close combat and ranged were considered when creating this combo art.
My perception slowed as the [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] (Pounce) toward me. On its left and right were the other [Tigers of the Den – ★★ ] leaving me with little to no major room for maneuvering. A few feet behind us was the exit back to the first room.
I was not one to take the easy option out.
[Eternal Love] faced outwards as I jumped to activate two of my skills. Flames licked upon the blade as, with a thought, (Imperius Combat Arts: Elemental Casting) activated. My body moved far faster than I could without the ability of several skills to support me.
“(Imperius Combat Arts: Form Breaker).”
My figured blurred as I was unnaturally accelerated by the skill. My form broke past the left and right [Tigers of the Den – ★★ ] and directly into the path of the (Pouncing) big cat.
The move connected, and it knocked the [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] out of its skill as my shoulder bashed into the large tabby. This left the big cat open to a perfect counter as its base defense became negated for a split second. One that I didn’t hesitate to take advantage of as we both fell.
“(Imperius Combat Arts: Piercing Strike).”
CRITICAL HIT! Damage x10.
Tiger of the Den -988 HP
The first move under (Imperius Combat Arts) was (Form Breaker). It was a skill that mimicked the skill of the Royal Guards of Edryan. (Defense Breaker) was one of the first advanced combat skills I was taught as a youth. It involved rushing forward into your opponent's space without giving them the opportunity to counter-attack, and quite literally busting their defense open. It didn’t do damage, but it negated the base defense. This then left them open for a critical strike. Critical strikes multiplied your damage a number depending on the targeted area, and could very well kill an opponent in one hit if they didn’t buff their Base Defense. Combo Arts were all about increasing your opportunity for lethality.
Our bodies crashed together, but the [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] lacked resistance as my sword pierced through its body, dealing a critical blow. The impact of the blow blew us deeper into the room and passed its den mates. A large amount of mana was expended in those few seconds, but what was mana worth to my life? These beasts were more than enough to kill me. What kept me ahead was my years of training, skills, abilities, and finally, the fact that these beasts were focused more on physical might than speed saved me a ton of trouble. A Silver Ranked beast was still a Silver Ranked beast. A single one of these could easily kill off a small village, lacking anyone with the proper class to face it. An Uncommon Silver Ranked [Knight] would need to put in his all just to face such a beast alone… and they’d still would probably die. There was a reason nobles were nobles , and bloodlines were important.
I was far too privileged ; my attributes far surpassed every one of my levels, and the skills available to me could have me kill opponents far greater in level than me. My damage made me pause as I stared at the Critical Hit notification. My Base Attack was 79, but double from the weapon skill (Attack UP). (Imperius Combat Arts) was a legendary skill, and that held true for all the skills under the combo art. This meant any elemental buffs scaled increasingly with Common weapon buffs multiplying damage by 1.5, Uncommon: 1.7, Rare: 1.8, Legendary: 1.9, and Mythical: 2. Finally, my blade struct a critical hit as the [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] defense was completely open from (Form Breaker). As time passed, I increasingly began to understand exactly how powerful I was on the scale of this world. I was the strongest on the same level against any other. I didn’t doubt this.
“Well… I can safely say I’m not cannon fodder. I’m probably elite cannon fodder when it comes to the realm of the truly strong.”
My thoughts drifted to my mother, Margret, Liana, and a few of the powerful Royal Guards who just seemed to disappear to my senses whenever they fought. I understand all the anime shows where they just show bangs as two characters fight. It’s truly realistic.
Greater Tiger of the Den -228 HP.
Adam removed its spear from the large cat's shoulder. Its frame appeared menacing as the spear flicked and tossed the large cat aside.
Adam has inflicted {Terror} on Greater Tiger of the Den.
-10% Base Attack and Defense.
' That’ll teach you that us birds are superior, ’ Minerva chirped triumphantly.
Adam has inflicted {Bleed} on Greater Tiger of the Den. -5 HP Per 10 seconds for one minute.
“Damn too bad, it’s on Common.”
Adam was efficient. With a 30% increase to its attributes, the golem nearly killed its opponent in two hits. Its base attack went from 135 to 176. Combined with (Mana Armament) at the Common level of weapon buffs and the +50 to its base attack, the golem was highly dangerous to any silver-ranked beast right now. The [Greater Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] was on its last legs. A strange terror in its eyes as it faced the golem. Its death was imminent. My proficiency in using Adam was far different from what I did in our first battle.
' A golem only as good as its user ,’ I recalled the words of Margret many years ago.
One [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] turned to face Adam and help its den mate, while the other ran toward me. Ready to avenge its fallen den mate as I removed myself from its burning corpse. The flames from my skill held no effect on me as my Intent permeated the attack.
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I looked down at the corpse of the [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] and then I looked up at the one approaching me with greater caution. Seconds ticked by as the beast gazed at me warily. The tiger's rising steam intensified, showing enough time passed for our opponents to activate (Stamina Burn) a second time.
Greater Tiger of the Den -228 HP.
Before the bleed could weaken it further, Adam moved swiftly, stabbing the Greater Tiger one final time. The blue glow of its spearhead was now covered in blood. I looked lively at my opponent.
‘ Minerva, would you like to do the honors? ’
‘ Chirp! ’
The attack was instant, silent, and swift from the moment Minerva acted, and even after… not a sound was made. My words barely left my mouth before the tiger was dead. I swallowed hard as I looked at the owl that landed on my shoulder. A proud expression was showing on her face. She shifted through her feathers and waited for my praise. The body of the [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] she killed was completely intact. Only a light scratch remained on its forehead. Otherwise, it was left in such a perfect condition you’d believe it to be asleep.
Tiger of the Den -690 HP.
I opened up the skill she used and read through the description and function of the skill Minerva just used. A calculating glint in my eye.
Skill Name:
(Keeper’s Talon)
Description:
The Talon of the Keeper cannot be denied, for the Keeper seeks to consume all and know all. All shall be grasped by its talons eventually.
Function:
Unsuspecting enemies grasped by the Keeper’s Talon are inflicted by one instance of { Instant Death }. Costs are refunded for any successful executions.
Cost:
100MP, 100SP.
(Keeper’s Talon) was one of three core skills Minerva class held. This was a heroic-tier skill I could get behind. Its ability to cause { Instant Death } was a de-buff I’ve read about but never seen in person until now. I fondled [A Mother’s Gift] around my neck and opened the tooltip for { Instant Death }.
Status Effect: De-Buff
Name:
{Instant Death}
Description:
Instant yet not absolute .
Function:
Bypass defense and strike 100% of damage to your target's Health Points.
' PRAISE ME! ’
CRITICAL HIT! Damage x10.
{Mortal Reminder} inflicted, damage is doubled.
Tiger of the Den -1,140 HP.
' Oh? I think Adam may have outperformed you.’
You have defeated the Tiger’s Den – ★★ second room.
You have received one level from combat experience.
The level is auto-assigned to: [ Hero of Edryan ].
Just as I was turning to help Adam, the golem rushed forward in a brilliant move. Thrusting its powerful spear under and up as the final [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] (Pounce) toward the golem. The blow was swift and final as it speared the beast through its skull, instantly killing it. I felt the ecstasy of a level-up hitting me, but the overall look at both my and Adam’s mana reserves told me a lot about what I was currently lacking.
“ The skills you have are too overpowered. You don’t have anything that deals with small fry without wasting a ton of resources, ” Minerva chirped. Speaking my thoughts into existence.
“Doesn’t it come with the class and territory…? You’re right though, that was exactly what I was thinking myself.”
When I moved it was too powerful and part of it was the downside of skills. Each held its cooldowns, and each held its cost. Common skills usually ranged in 5-25 mana range, whereas legendary or mythical skills could be upwards of 100-1000. The same goes for [Heroic] tier skills. The cost to use these skills was astronomical for my level. It would balance out as I level, but at the early stages, a [Hero] ran out of juice quick.
HP: 390/390 ( +300 )
SP: 202/270 ( +200 )
MP: 292/390 ( +0 )
That single moment of intense battle spent roughly half of my mana because my skills and abilities were all at the top of this world for my current level. The only way I could truly hold back was to either use no skills and fight only with my regular ability, or get a class specialized in combat the way I needed it to be.
“ Or, as most warriors do, you can find skills that are more Stamina Points intensive rather than Mana Points intensive. You could also follow the footsteps of many warriors in the Edryan Lands. Using both mana and stamina-intensive skills to create a balance and become a proper [Spell-Sword] . Regardless, this is a battle where you can very well get hurt if not die . It is better for you to go all in from the beginning rather than risk the opportunity for your opponents to gain the ability to face you. ”
Minerva nuzzled against me, which caused me to smile. “Perhaps for my second class, I should look for Teacher Eliana or Liana to help. Liana knows my strengths and weaknesses best when it comes to physical combat.”
“Chirp!”
“Well let's repair Adam and take a break here and after a good review of the battle should help narrow down what I need to work on. That’s what Liana would say… probably.”
“Chirp.”
“At least I’m leveling finally. If there's anything good that came outside this delve, that would be it.”
Alexandria paced around her tent with worry. Her tough, worn military boots created a pattern in the freshly tilled dirt. Her [Imperius Soldiers] were heavily training, as the irritation Alexandria Indrian felt needed an outlet somewhere. She left the comfort of her tent and was quickly followed by two of her adjuncts, who pestered her with concerns.
“Lady Alexandria, perhaps we should have Knight Tobi and the rest enter and see if His Majesty is ok.”
“We’re not at the Indrian Compound anymore, that is General to you. Disobeying His Highness's orders before we’ve even set foot on the battlefield? What a quick way to end my career.”
Alexandria waved their concerns off and overviewed the training troops. Shouting orders and working Imperius Army up to another degree. Due to the prestige of His Majesty, as Lily loved to say to her, a wide range of classes now became available to the [Imperius Army]. From [Imperius Recruits], the two hundred under each of her lieutenants had become [Imperius Swordsmen], [Imperius Spearmen], [Imperius Archers], [Imperius Heavy Warriors], and finally a few different classes for the final division that was composed of scouts and other personal. They included [Imperius Scout] and a few different [Imperius Worker] classes that took care of the odd jobs for the army.
These classes were special, but the skill cost was high. None were below the tier of Rare and that held a weight and value in the Edryan society. Men would kill for the opportunity to join the Imperius Army, and rumors were spreading, no matter how hard Alexandria tried to suppress them.
When it came to His Highnesses plans for recruitment, Lawruthian had been strangely vague. It was clear the young prince held some sort of idea or notion that Alexandria was certain would revolutionize the way Edryans warred. Unfortunately, the prince was the only one with those ideas, and his time was extremely valuable . Getting Lawruthian to stay in one place was nearly impossible. Something, Alexandria found out rapidly as several institutions fought for his attention at all times. Whether it was Imperius Academy, New America Research Center, or Alexandria herself. Not to mention, the young prince needed time to level and understand his class and skills.
Alexandria did not have that time.
The first thing revealed to the young woman by Lawruthian was his intention to begin the conquest of the Elrunian Continent in under ten years. Alexandria suspected he held a quest of sorts, but the exact quest was never shared with her. Not that she minded, a divine quest from Goddess Madris would set the nation aflame. Even rumors of one would spark a bigger surge than the descent of The Sage.
“Lily,” she spoke, suddenly sensing the woman near her.
“We need to capture His Highness's attention for at least a month. Tell me your thoughts on this matter.”
“ Oh , you want my opinion,” Lily questioned in her monotone voice as she appeared from the shadows.
Alexandria pursed her thick lips and folded her arms. For the first time, she turned away from the training troops in front of her and looked at the tall woman next to her. Her gaze was serious and lacked the same playfulness that Lily held. Sensing Alexandria’s seriousness, Lily gazed leveled, and she began to speak much more somberly.
“Ugh, what a drag . You’re right. However, it is not easy. His Highness Lawruthian is the kingpin. He likes things to be done a certain way, and therein lies the problem. Because of this, his attention is drawn from one project to the next as these various initiatives call for his input. What he needs is to loosen the grip on his power. That way things can still proceed forward without necessarily having to wait on him.”
“Exactly, now how do we get His Highness Lawruthian to understand this? If you’ve observed all those details on him in this small period of time, then surely you’ve come up with a plan."
“Since His Highness does not like when authority is not under his control, there are several options to rectify this. I've killed numerous minor nobles who all share this trait. The first method and the best I’ve seen is to annoy His Highness until he has no choice but to give in. The con of this method is translating His Highnesses intention. Those intentions are usually not shown properly without his direction. However, this method would work perfectly for now. His Highness has no need to dictate the small matters of Operation RAIL, yet he is involved anyway. Dealing with these matters takes up unnecessary time His Highness can pass onto someone else.”
“Principal Camille Romus, perhaps,” Alexandria interrupted.
“Exactly, or Celcus Kain, leader of the TechShop.”
Alexandria nodded and motioned for Lily to continue. The general’s eyes were bright with strategy. It was clear the young woman was forming her thoughts on the matter.
“The second option is to come to him directly and state the problems we see as His Highnesses first strong followers. If we can have Vice-Chairwoman Bucca support us with this method…, it would be for the best. Her Lash file is very detailed on the mannerisms and interactions she’s held with His Highness. She is the first follower of His Highness and ensures his company makes massive profits each year,” Lily stated.
“Judging His Highness Lawruthian’s personality, this would be the most direct in confronting him and making him understand our situation. It seems His Highness has grown far more direct than when I interacted with him in the previous years,” Alexandria began.
Her thoughts reminisced to the young prince who showed her the ins and outs of the Golem Corps. She knew it was only a matter of time until Lawruthian added a new addition of golems to their growing army.
“Let’s establish this meeting with Vice-Chairwoman Bucca before His Highness finishes his little… adventure. It’s best we proceed with her expertise.”
CRITICAL HIT! Damage x10.
{Mortal Reminder} inflicted, damage is doubled.
Stalking Tiger of the Den -645 HP.
I heaved the heavy cat off my blade.
You have defeated the Tiger’s Den – ★★ first floor.
You have received two levels from combat experience.
The level is auto-assigned to: [ Hero of Edryan ].
“Nice! Level fifteen!”
You have unlocked 5 class skill slots for [ Hero of Edryan ].
“Huff.”
You have…
“Huff.”
You have…
“Damn, I’m exhausted.”
You have…
“Let me allocate my attributes, this time let’s get mana over the threshold and see if this skill is better than the previous.”
“ You’re nearly solo clearing a dungeon meant for a team of 4–6 people by yourself. Each room has doubled up to the third room. By the third room, the [Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] no longer shows up, it's just the greater variants. You need to be careful! ”
“Next time we do this, I’ll need to build several supporting golems. At least a dedicated Mage and Worker Variant for sure. Maybe some sort of Heavy Knight specialized in tanking. That way, I can do this safely and carefully. Minerva, what is the adventurer party composition again?”
“There are several variations, but most commonly you have a [Warrior], [Mage], [Tank], [Ranger], and the final member can be anything from [Battle Alchemist] to [Enchanter] and more.”
Ten hours passed since my entrance into [Tiger Den – ★★ ]. My level quickly shot up from level eleven to level nineteen as I cleared room after room. I’d finally drawn closer to the levels a member of Class One should be displaying by now. What I was trying to accomplish would be much harder if I hadn’t built Adam. I wonder how my mother did this so young.
Before me was a dirt slope that led deeper into the earth. Fluorescent moss covered the ceiling, lighting the way, while a newly cast (Mage Light) made us appear to be outside under the sun. [Tiger Den – ★★ ] was considered a high-level training ground that was perfect for lower leveled adventurers and the like. The reason no one used it was because it was far out of the way from any city and major road. Part of the reason it was considered a low-level adventurer training ground was because of how it introduced a new monster in every room. As it did this, it would gradually phase out the older variations of its monsters while new skills and abilities were introduced.
The only room to not have a new monster introduced was the fifth, and I understood why the Adventurer Association had a [Dungeon Master] set up the [Tiger Den – ★★ ] dungeon this way. The [Stalking Tiger of the Den – ★★ ] was far more dangerous than its counterparts. It possesses the skills (Debilitating Roar), (Stamina Burn), (Stealth), (Pounce), and (Mighty Paw). Adam’s tower shield looked like a beat-up piece of scrap metal. I didn’t know how its defensive properties still worked.
With the introduction of the stalking tiger. The way I fought thoroughly changed. No longer did I fight outside the range of Adam but more in conjunction with the golem. A single connection from any of the big cat’s attack skills would nearly kill me instantly if a critical hit activated.
I was playing a very dangerous game, but according to my mother, it would all be worth it. I looked down the gentle slope before turning to Adam.
“Adam, Forward, Defense.”