After nine minutes I had to stop for the first time. I deactivated Mind Mapping. My Stamina was almost entirely depleted with only a few points remaining. I did not want to risk it to deplete my stamina entirely because I did not know what would happen after that. So I stopped for the moment and sat down while leaning against the wall.
I decided to stop every time my stamina was at about ten points. It simple safer than going full power because I would be without any energy should something happen while I rested.
I would take the time to regenerate my stamina. I had calculated it. It would take about forty minutes to recover my Stamina. After a few minutes, I discovered that for every point of stamina recovered my breathing technique would also get one point of experience and this gain would be doubled if concentrated myself on the exercise of the breathing technique and focused on the right way of breathing.
So I focused and tried to regenerate my stamina trough breathing the breathing technique. It was really relaxing. I knew that could do it unconsciously but it was not quite as relaxing as doing it consciously. I also got more experience in the progress bar of the skill, when I do it consciously.
After my Stamina was finally full again I decided to check up on all my skills because I had made progress with the Mind Mapping skill and wanted to discover how much progress my other skills have made. The reduced stamina cost that came with the level ups of the Mind Mapping skill was very imported. Through it, I could keep the Mind Mapping skill active longer. Then I would get more experience and I could explore the dungeon faster. It also helped that my stamina regeneration was doubled.
Skills (Active&Passive)
Active:
Mind Mapping: Level 11(43/1100) (Active)
Inner Clock: Level 1(7/100) (Active)
Running: Level 1(79/100) (Active)
Passive:
Dark Vision: Level 4 (338/400) (Active)
Mathematics Mastery: Level 1(678/1000) (Passive)
Sama Vritti (The Art of Equal Breathing): Level 1(123/1000) (Passive)
It was time to explore again. As I went on again for nine minutes I noticed a pattern in the map I drew in my mind. After many dead ends, it became slowly squarish. I also noticed that the only ways without many dead ends followed to the middle of the map.
As I was recovering my stamina for the second time I contemplated a bit. I also theorised that my Mind Mapping skill was getting so much experience because it cost so much Stamina to use it and through this, my Mathematics Mastery skill progressed also fast because for every point of experience in a skill that the bonus of Mathematics Mastery was applied to it also got a point of experience.
The progress bar for the Art of Equal Breathing was also going up fast because I focused on the breathing aspect. It was my most important skill now. It doubled my stamina generation and added points to my physical statistics.
After the short look on my skills, I stood up from my rest, activated Mind Mapping and began to advance forward again. As I went on it became really clear that my idea about the paths leading me to the middle of the dungeon was correct. It spurned on my resolve to stay safe. I would first complete the outer layer of the dungeon and then go carefully to the middle.
Just a minute before I had to rest again I got a ping from the system. I ignored it in favour of exploring and mapping the dungeon but I had noticed that the map in my head had become more detailed after the ping. So I sat down with excitement for the rest and opened the notification I had ignored so far.
Mind Mapping has gone up one level.
I decided to look at the description of the skill again because I had levelled it up a second time in barely two hours. This was massive progress for me.
Mind Mapping: Level 12(285/1200) (Active)
Mind Mapping is the ability to map the surroundings with your mind. It saves the map of your environment in your mind.
Cost: 9 Stamina per Minute
Bonus for the Level of this Skill: The higher the Level of this skill the more can you remember of your surroundings and the more accurate the map of your surroundings in your mind will get.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Adds 0.05 Points of Perception per Level of the Skill. (0.6 Perception)
Adds 0.05 Points of Intelligence per Level of the Skill. (0.6 Intelligence)
It was a good idea to look at the skill description after it had levelled up because many things had changed. The first thing which had changed was the cost. It cost less to have the skill active now. I could now keep it active for ten minutes and still have about ten points of stamina in reserve if something unexpected should happen. Through this, I could get more progress on my experience bar on the Mind Mapping skill and also on the Mathematics Mastery.
This routine went on for about two hours at that time I decided to rest before something peculiar. I was now on the other side of the squarish dungeon map. As far as I could possibly be away from my spawn point and I had found something really peculiar here.
It was a dead end but there were stairs downward in the floor of the dungeon and a wall was behind the stairs. There was also something written behind the stairs on the wall of the dead end. It confirmed the whispered words I always heard before I fell asleep was real.
We are always changing
Be it in mind or body
Be it good or bad
But in the end
We decide if we Rise or Fall
In front of this written words on the wall, I decided to rest and look at my skills because in the about two hours I had levelled up Mind Mapping and Dark Vision. My Mathematics Mastery had also changed much.
Skills (Active&Passive)
Active:
Mind Mapping. Level 14(153/1400) (Active)
Inner Clock: Level 1(7/100) (Active)
Running: Level 1(79/100) (Active)
Passive:
Dark Vision: Level 5 (47/500) (Active)
Mathematics Mastery: Level 3(367/3000) (Passive)
Sama Vritti (The Art of Equal Breathing): Level 1(689/1000) (Passive)
I had really made I massive leap in my ability. I could now keep the Mind Mapping skill active for about fourteen minutes before I had to rest and that even though I kept ten points of stamina in reserve. There was also something else. With the level up in Dark Vision, Mind Mapping and Mathematics Mastery I had finally upgraded my intelligence and perception but disappointingly I had felt nothing after it happened. I just hoped I would feel a difference in the real world. I would think about it after I was safe in the real world. I just focused on the breathing technique again as I rested and pondered the question if I should go down the stairs or if I should first explore the dungeon further.
In the end, I decided to explore the dungeon further and only when I had cleared, explored and mapped it completely would I go down this stairs.
So I went again with exploring but this time I went further to the middle of the dungeon because I had completely mapped the outer layer of it. Shortly after my fourth rest, I discovered a dead end on this path with a chest in front of the wall. First I was totally surprised but then I used my game logic and concluded that it was simply a treasure chest. But it really surprised me. After I had wandered the dungeon for hours and only discovered the stairs I had thought that it would be the same for the rest of it.
I was careful while I neared it because most treasures were protected but this was not true here. It was a simple wooden chest with no traps. Just as I wanted to open it a different thought crossed my mind. What if the chest was a trap? So I decided to not open the chest with my hands. I kicked it with all my strength and jumped away as far as I could. Rolled on the ground and turned around.
The chest gave out a terrible screech as the kick connected. It was thrown against the wall and a red bar appeared above it. The red bar was drained rapidly of its red colour and as the red bar had completely vanished so had also the chest. It just vanished in a puff of smoke which cleared itself in a second.
Then a heard a ping and a screen flashed in front of my face.
You have killed a Mimic on the First Floor. Loot will be handed out after you have left the dungeon.
I had just killed a creature. I mean a monster if you go by game logic. There were monsters here? Yes, I had thought about that option but to see it with my one eyes is something different. The dungeon was becoming more terrifying and I could not help but to reprimanded myself for my carelessness. I had just walked carefree around the dungeon without thinking. I was just lucky to not be attacked by anything on my way through the dungeon. I would have to be more careful in the future.
There was this notice about loot that I would get after I left the dungeon. Did this mean that I would get it after I woke up and what could I get as loot? I decided to think about that after I left the dungeon and also ignored the part about the first floor while I was in the dungeon.
I opened my skill window after I had rested on the place where the mimic had died. I had heard some pings as I had explored the dungeon which I had all ignored and was ready to get my reward after I had waited for so long.
Skills (Active&Passive)
Active:
Mind Mapping. Level 15(1059/1500) (Active)
Inner Clock: Level 1(7/100) (Active)
Running: Level 1(79/100) (Active)
Kicking: Level 1(10/100) (Active)
Passive:
Dark Vision: Level 5 (445/500) (Active)
Mathematics Mastery: Level 4(2127/4000) (Passive)
Sama Vritti (The Art of Equal Breathing): Level 1(989/1000) (Passive)
So much had changed on this list and I wanted to ´check it all out, especially the new skill I got. First, the Mind Mapping skill only cost six stamina points per minute now and I could keep it active for about eighteen minutes. Mathematics Mastery had levelled up again and I was thrilled by it. The skill gave my 0.2 points of intelligence for every level of it. Then there was the art of equal breathing. It would level soon and I was anticipating the change to skill. There was also the new skill I had earned Kicking. I think I got it through kicking the Mimic to death.
Just as I wanted to open it everything began to get black. After some seconds everything was black and I was whisked away into the darkness without any noise.