“It’s just a cave.” declared Leher.
“Not like any cave I’ve ever seen” Geog replied “The entrance is too… smooth, and you can’t see more than a foot inside.”
Leher leaned on his pine wood spear, an easy smile adorning his face.
“Then it’s a magic cave, all the more reason to explore. I could level up if whatever beast inside is strong enough!”
“If it doesn’t kill you, old Serega knows about magic, we should consult her.”
“The clan is half a day away, and we can’t return with no food, let’s go in, slay the beast and return with a story to tell around the fire. Or,” Leher let out a storyteller’s sigh “I can go in alone and you will have to wait for me to return with my tales of glory!”.
Geog glared at his younger cousin. Leher was a man of seventeen winters, a level six hunter, yet still behaved like a brat. A brat that Geog felt bound by blood and duty to protect. It was his turn to sigh.
“Fine, we’ll poke around this magic cave, but if we are outmatched; we run. Do you understand?”
“Of course!” Replied Leher, already entering the cave.
The cave they found themselves in was surprisingly square and well lit. There was an ambient light not coming the entrance or from a natural source like the bright moss Geog had helped Serega collect down south, but rather seemed to be a property of the air. The walls and floor of the cave were strangely smooth, with no sand, gravel, or even an incline visible.
Welcome to [Newborn Dungeon 31]. Conquer the dungeon for experience, loot, and special Perks!
“Looks like I’ll be getting that level up, Geog”. Grinned Leher.
“We should go tell the family, consult with them on what we should do with this strange cave”. Replied Geog, though even speaking the words he could tell they fell flat. Leher continued smiling and strode further in.
This cave was separated from another one by a small opening. As they strode through the entrance the next opening seemed to illuminate itself in front of them. Once they saw what was inside, they stopped in their tracks.
A wolf stood in the center of the room. At first glance it looked like any other wolf native to these lands. It stood about half as tall as the hunters, with a shaggy grey and brown coat and yellow eyes. But Geog could tell there was something strange about the beast. Its grey coat seemed too undisturbed, its breathing too quiet, and it was prepared for the hunter’s entrance. Unlike a natural wolf which hunted in packs and would run from human if it encountered them alone, this wolf did not hesitate to pounce towards Geog.
The two hunters burst into action, stepping out of reach, fanning out around the wolf, and allowing their [Pack Tactics] skill come into use. The wolf kept advancing on Geog allowing Leher to strike into its neck for massive damage augmented by [Pack Tactics] and [Hunters Strike]. Geog followed up with the finishing blow to the creature’s eye.
You have killed a [Grey Wolf]. You have received x95 [Experience Points].
“Ha-ha. I told you I would level up in here!” Leher cheered.
Geog could not contain his shock as the remains of the animal crumbled to dust and blew away on an unseen wind. When he was a child of eleven winters, barely level 3, he had received 102 XP for helping his father kill a [Dire Boar]. Never since had he even come close to receiving such a large chunk of XP from one kill or task. To receive 95 XP now that he was level 9, meant that this [Grey Wolf] was worth even more than that boar. It certainly had not been close to as hard a fight, and yet it was worth almost a 10th of the experience needed to get to level 10. Just two more kills and he would level up.
It’s the dungeon. Something about it makes beasts like this, monsters worth huge amounts of XP, but no meat or bone. We should go back and tell the others.
“But what if someone else comes and take all the XP” A treacherous voice inside himself whispered “Imagine getting your 10th level today, you would practically have to be seen as a leader once you receive your [Journeyman Class]. What would it matter if you haven’t seen your 20th winter?”
“We’ll continue” Geog stated gruffly, trying to ignore Leher’s triumphant smile.
The next room held an identical wolf which the duo found even easier to defeat. Leher was in an even better mood after they dispatched the monster.
“Level 7! I must have beaten you by at least two winters, Geog.” Gloated the young hunter. Geog snorted in response “More like two moons, and I didn’t have the gift of this hunting ground.”
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“But you were part of that auroch hunt a few years back. I remember I begged my father to take me along, but I was not yet considered a man.”
The pair advanced into the next room, but found it empty of foes. The room was of similar makeup and dimensions as the previous rooms, with walls of smooth stone and width enough for two more men to stand shoulder to shoulder with Geog and Leher. But there was no foe for them to fight or another opening to advance through. Instead, on the opposite side of the room, there was only a small plinth upon which rested a shining crystal.
Geog stopped in his tracks, unsure of what this change in pattern meant. But Leher continued striding forward.
“What a beautiful stone, maybe Ansna could make it-“ The young hunter was cutoff as the very floor he strode upon gave way.
“Leher!” Geog rushed to the edge of the pit which had suddenly formed in the middle of the room.
Down below Leher ley on the floor unconscious, bleeding from his head and surrounded by the flimsy stone which had collapsed under his weight. Suddenly two [Grey Wolves] pounced from the darkness onto the incapacitated hunter.
These wolves… did they somehow set a trap?
Geog had no time to ponder the malignant intelligence behind the beasts. He knew he must deal with one of the threats immediately if he wanted to rescue Leher. He was already winding up his [Hunters Strike] as he jumped. Geog gave a war cry as he landed next to one of the wolves and thrust forward, transferring the momentum of his jump through his spear into the beast. The spear entered with a sickening squelch, driving almost clean through wolf’s side. But the monster did not fall, or even cry out in pain. Instead, the animal tried to turn towards Geog and capture him in its jaws.
Geog became trapped in a life and death struggle with the wolf. It took all of the hunter’s strength; trying to avoid the beast’s jaws, tear free his spear, and keep the wolf from joining its companion at the same time.
The other wolf!
Geog stole a look towards where he had seen Leher unconscious, and his heart dropped. The other wolf had ignored its companion and Geog in favor of ripping at Leher’s unprotected neck.
The wolf Geog was struggling with seemed to sense the hunter’s distraction and spun, twisting the spear in its side out of Geog’s grasp. The hunter leapt back in surprise, but wolf pounced after him, determined to down the human before it bled to death.
Anger surged forth from Geog, and he dived forward into the beast. He wrapped his arms around the wolfs neck, even as its paws cut open his chest, grasped the animals muzzle and twisted until he heard a crack.
Exhaustion surged through Geogs, as the struggle of wrestling a wolf caught up to him, but he could not rest.
The other wolf was finished with Leher, his bloody corpse lay torn open on the grounds. Suddenly, both Leher and the wolf Geog had slain, crumbled into dust and disappeared.
You have killed a [Grey Wolf]. You have received x95 [Experience Points[.
Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 10. You are eligible for a [Journeyman Class]
The remaining wolf rushed towards Geog as he scrambled to pick up his now free spear. The spear had cracked during the struggle with the first wolf, but Geog did not need it to kill the remaining beast, rather he needed it to bide time.
Thankfully the beast was not suicidal enough to force the confrontation. It darted forward, Geog brandished his spear, and the wolf withdrew to try again. This gave Geog crucial time to choose a [Journeyman Class].
There were several possible options, including the common [Experienced Hunter] which Geog’s father had, and even the rare [Hunt Master] which Elder Gerlos’ had taken as a [Master Class] at level 30. But there was one which stood out to Geog.
[Barbarian]
[Rare] [Adventurer]
A wild man who channels his rage into combat, capable of superhuman feats of strength and endurance.
Gives [Barbarian Rage] at first level.
Upon choosing this strange new class Geog could feel his spirit sing. Activating [Barbarian Rage] for the first time felt like a flood of fire flowing through his veins, burning out any exhaustion or weakness that remained. A roar of joy and anger was upon his lips before he knew it.
This time it was Geog who charged the wolf, swinging his spear through the air until it hit the beast’s head with a deafening crack. The already weakened spear snapped in half, but the wolf faired no better, its skull cracking upon the impact and it face exploding in gore. Geog stepped forward, using the remaining half of the spear like a switch to repeatedly beat into what was left of the wolf. He almost found himself disappointed when the beast scattered into dust before him and a notification informing him that he had received more XP popped up.
Leher was gone, not even a corpse left to bring back to the clan. But before dwelling on his failure, Geog needed to get out of the deathtrap.
Exiting the pit was not difficult. While the front of the pit had been a sheer drop which Leher had fell victim to, the otherside of the pit was a gentle incline, leading back up the shining crystal the hunters had noticed upon entering the room. It was that crystal which most intrigued Geog.
Upon exiting the pit Geog reached out to take the crystal, but upon touching the strange Gem his vision became filled with a new system message
Congratulations!
For conquering [Newborn Dungeon 31] you have received x2000 [Experience Points]
For telling the story of a young hunter defeating a pack of rabid wolves you have received x1 [Wolfbane Spear], x1 [Mystic Hide], and the Perk [Wolfbane]
For telling the story of a failed protector you have received the title [Cursed Survivor]
You will now be transported out of the Dungeon, you will not be able to challenge it again for x12 [Moon]