Reginald entered the first of the Tutorial Dungeons, and blinked, realizing that he had set the dungeon to randomize the spawn point. "Shit... well, at least this is the beginner dungeon, which only went up to level five basic mobs with a boss of level seven and ten... Looks like we've spawned somewhere in the forest at the base of the mountain that the goblin camp exists in. At least as the creator, I know what to expect in this dungeon," he muttered to himself as he looked around, scanning for any threats.
The forest was loud with birds, insects, and tiny mamals, including rabbits and squirrels. The trees and ground were heavy with snow, magical lights glittering in various colors all over the trees and bushes. He rolled his eyes as he realized he had gotten the Yule themed dungeon. "Oh, great, it dumped me in the random dungeon of Yuletide. I had to make the Tutorial slot for 'random', didn't I?"
When building the dungeons, he had decided that it would be much more fun for everyone if the dungeon layout was random, with level appropriate challenges fitting the zone. As he was taking in the area around himself, his system notifications chimed.
CHANGES HAVE OCCURRED BASED ON YOUR DEITIES!
WELCOME TO THE WICKED OVERYULE FOREST!
WARNING! SPECIAL CONDITIONS EXIST IN THIS DUNGEON!
CONDITION: MAXIMUM OVERLEVEL!
ALL MONSTERS HAVE LEVELED VIA MAXIMUM OVERLEVEL!
MONSTERS IN THE YULETIDE FOREST RANGE FROM 5-7!
ALPHA RABICORN DETECTED: LEVEL 8 ELITE!
ALPHA SNOW OWL DETECTED: LEVEL 8 ELITE!
ALPHA SNOW WOLF DETECTED: LEVEL 9 ELITE!
WINTERBITE SPIDER QUEEN DETECTED: LEVEL 18 ELITE!
MONSTERS IN THE GOBLIN VILLAGE RANGE FROM 7-10!
GOBLIN CHIEF DETECTED: LEVEL 12 ELITE!
MONSTERS IN THE SNOWBLIND MOUNTAINS RANGE FROM 10-15!
YULETIDE GRINCH DETECTED: LEVEL 18 ELITE!
MONSTERS IN THE NAUGHTY POLE RANGE FROM 15-20!
NAUGHTY LITTLE HELPERS DETECTED: LEVEL 22 ELITE!
NAUGHTY BIGGER HELPERS DETECTED: LEVEL 24 ELITE!
DUNGEON CLEAR CONDITION: DEFEAT KRAMPUS LEVEL 25 BOSS!
BONUS CONDITIONS:
CLEAR THE FOREST 1
DEFEAT THE ALPHA RABICORN!
CLEAR THE FOREST 2
DEFEAT THE ALPHA SNOW OWL!
CLEAR THE FOREST 3
DEFEAT THE ALPHA SNOW WOLF!
CLEAR THE CAVERNS
DEFEAT THE WINTERBITE SPIDER QUEEN!
CLEAR THE VILLAGE
DEFEAT THE GOBLIN CHIEF!
CLEAR THE MOUNTAINS!
DEFEAT THE YULETIDE GRINCH!
CLEAR THE POLE
DEFEAT ALL HELPERS!
A sudden sharp pain tore through the back of his calf as another message popped up.
YOU HAVE SUFFERED DAMAGE!
LEVEL 5 RABICORN USES PIERCING THRUST!
RABICORN STRIKES HAMSTRING (CRITICAL DAMAGE 2X)!
SNEAK ATTACK BONUS (3X)!
DAMAGE RECEIVED 150 (PHYSICAL [165-140]x6)
YOU ARE UNDER THE EFFECT: HOBBLED!
HOBBLED: YOUR MOVEMENT IS REDUCED BY 20% FOR 10 SECONDS!
CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR CLASS HAS BEEN ASSIGNED: BLUE MAGE!
YOU HAVE LEARNED SKILL 'PIERCING THRUST'!
"Gah! Ambushed by a Rabicorn! Damn it, I can't believe I let my guard down like that! I can't believe it took off over twenty percent of my health in one hit!" Reginald snarled as he wrapped mana around himself in a spherical shield to prevent another such strike against himself. He pulled out a weighted net from his waist as he received a message about the rabicorn being deflected by his barrier.
He timed off four seconds and turned, throwing the net at where his back had been, catching the snow white rabbit with an ivory horn coated in his blood.
COUNTERATTACK!
LEVEL 5 RABICORN USES PIERCING THRUST!
YOU COUNTER WITH WEIGHTED NET!
YOU INFLICT 50 DAMAGE (PHYSICAL [70-20])!
LEVEL 5 RABICORN IS TANGLED!
TANGLED: YOUR MOVEMENT IS SEALED UNTIL EITHER THE END OF THE SPELL DURATION OR YOU HAVE A SUCCESSFUL STRENGTH CHECK TO CLEAR!
The Rabicorn cried in anger and a bolt of lightning leaps from the horn into Reginald's mana barrier.
LEVEL 5 RABICORN USES STATIC DISCHARGE!
ALL DAMAGE NEGATED BY SPHERICAL BARRIER!
YOU HAVE LEARNED THE SPELL: 'STATIC DISCHARGE'!
Reginald shook his head and knelt, watching the rabicorn struggle in the net. As he watched, he learned the player version of the Inspect skill, as well as watching it glow golden as it healed itself of the damage it had taken when it got tangled in the net.
LEVEL 5 RABICORN USES MINOR HEAL!
LEVEL 5 RABICORN IS HEALED FOR 50 HP!
YOU HAVE LEARNED THE SPELL: 'MINOR HEAL'
Reginald smiled as he learned the spell, then pulled out a sword, aimed it at the heart of the rabicorn, and activated Piercing Thrust, thrusting through the rabicorn and into the ground, managing to pierce the heart on the way through.
YOU HAVE USED PIERCING THRUST!
YOU HAVE STRUCK LEVEL 5 RABICORN'S HEART! FATAL BLOW!
LEVEL 5 RABICORN DIES!
YOU GAIN 100 EXPERIENCE!
Reginald nodded and pulled the sword free, and then lifted the net off the rabicorn. In dungeons, when a monster dies, it fades away into mana and will leave a loot bag, while out in the world you would either need to treat it naturally, or offer it up to your deity and they would replace it with a loot bag. Reginald quickly changed his settings so that he would only receive notifications of status effects, or learning a new skill or spell, with the exception of when his health dropped below twenty percent. He then touched the sack and smiled.
YOU HAVE OBTAINED YOUR FIRST LOOT SACK!
AS THIS IS YOUR FIRST LOOT DROP, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE THE ABSOLUTE BEST RESULT FROM THE MONSTER LOOT!
YOU HAVE RECEIVED 1 RABICORN PELT [PRISTINE]!
YOU HAVE RECEIVED 1 RABICORN HORN [PRISTINE]!
YOU HAVE RECEIVED 5 RABICORN MEAT [PRISTINE]!
YOU HAVE RECEIVED 1 RABICORN FOOT [ID EQUIP]!
YOU HAVE RECEIVED 1 RABICORN CORE [SUMMON]!
Reginald frowned and shook his head, instructing his prmopts to stop being in all capitals before he pulled out the Rabicorn Core and examined it.
Item: Rabicorn Core
Type: Summon
Usage of this item creates a Rabicorn Pet from the Mana of the user. This pet is considered a Battle Pet and requires either the primary class or subclass of Monster Tamer or Summoner to make the most of the pet. This Core is currently unbound and can be traded, sold, or stolen.
Would you like to choose Summoner as your Subclass?
Note: Adding a Subclass decreases the amount of experience you currently have and will receive by half. You cannot obtain new levels in your Primary Class until your Subclass reaches the level of your Primary Class.
Yes / No
Reginald shook his head and put the core back in his Inventory before selecting No as his answer to the prompt. He then pulled out the Rabicorn Foot pendant and equipped it.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Rabicorn Foot
Slot: Pendant
Type: Id
Soulbound: Reginald Montgomery
Durability: Indestructable
Status: Level 1 (0/20,000)
Luck +5
This soft fur pendant radiates good luck.
He sighed and shook his head as he watched out of the corner of his eye another rabicorn preparing to attack him. In order to draw out the Alpha Rabicorn, he would need to kill fifteen of these fluffy balls of loot and experience. Reginald quickly countered it's piercing thrust with the net as he had the first one, then followed it up with thrust to the pinned creature's heart. He looted it.
You have received 1 Rabicorn Pelt [High Quality]!
You have received 1 Rabicorn Horn [High Quality]!
You have received 2 Rabicorn Meat [Fatty]!
He shook his head and smiled to himself as he headed towards the center of the forest and the Grand Yule Tree, where he has a chance to find a package known as the Yule Surprise. Of course, the Great Yule Tree has a lot of mobs around it, and not just the quest mobs either. There is also a chance of a mythic spawn of a Fenrir Cub. Regular mobs around the tree included rabicorn, frost fox, winter squirrel, silverfrost elk, snow wolf, polar panda, and snow owl. The rare spawns were the white tiger and winterbite spider. Holiday gnomes were quite common too, but they weren't considered mobs since you could trade with them.
As Reginald made his way through the forest, he would stop and collect some of the herbs needed for healing and mana potions for the members of the guild who took up alchemist as a trade option. He followed his previous method for killing the rabicorns that attacked him as he made his way towards the Yule Tree.
By the time he arrived at the Yule Tree, he had learned a variety of abilities from the winter monsters. He looked over the list of the active abilities he learned from minor fights with a couple of wolves, foxes, and even a snow slime!
You have learned 'Claw Swipe'!
You have learned 'Bite'!
You have learned 'Pack Howl'!
You have learned 'Charge'!
You have learned 'Snowball'!
You have learned 'Frostbreath'!
You have learned 'Icicle Dart'!
You have learned 'Nut Bomb'!
There was one extremely surprising notification he had received, after defeating a Rare Spawn of a Snowman Slime, Level 7 Elite monster.
You have successfully gained the Slime's Racial Ability: 'Absorb'!
He pulled it up, sighing and shaking his head when he realized it was exactly the overpowered move it has been portrayed as in light novels all across the land.
Absorb [Legendary]
Level 1 [0/20,000]
Cost: 250 Mana
Absorbs the remains of a foe to have a chance at learning one of their abilities, skills, or spells. This can include racial or passive skills in addition to active.
Current Chance 1% + [Luck/100]%
He stopped at a clearing on the way to the Tree, seeing a Winter Goblin sitting on a wooden treasure chest and realizing he didn't have any money in order to buy new weapons since he didn't give himself any overpowered weapons before coming into the dungeon! He sighed and entered the clearing, the goblin jumping off the chest and banging the sword it is holding against the shield in its other hand.
Level 7 Winter Goblin [Warrior] uses Challenge!
You have been inflicted with the status effect: Taunted!
Taunted: All damage done to all but the taunting creature is reduced by 90%. All damage done to the taunting creature is increased by 15%. You cannot build aggro with creatures other than the Taunting creature until this effect is over. Duration: 30 seconds.
You have learned 'Challenge'!
He shook his head and charged at the goblin while spinning the net and preparing it to throw. He launched the net as he avoided the swing of the goblin's sword, and as he moved to attack the goblin he felt a sharp pain in his back.
Level 7 Winter Goblin [Pickpocket] uses Backstab!
Critical Hit!
Damage received 300 [Physical [240-140]x3]!
You are receiving this pop up because you have fallen to 200/500 Health!
You have learned 'Backstab'!
"FUCK!" He quickly cast the healing spell he learned from the rabicorn on himself as he thrust his sword into the netted goblin's eye. "Of course there's more than one..." He grunted as the goblin in front of him kicks him in the shin, which isn't where it was aiming. He continued fighting and healing himself until he was the only one left, blood trickling from his open wounds before they sealed up under the minor healing spell.
After he caught his breath, he saw that he had learned 'Goblin Punch' (which turned out to be a Ro-sham-bo field goal kick toward's the opponent's genitals) and 'Pickpocket' which has a chance to steal an item from a target's inventory. He used Absorb on both of the goblin corpses, which liquified them as an invisible tendril treached down to the corpse to drain it completely. Sadly, neither goblin awarded him anything, but he did notice the counter on the ability was now at 2/20,000.
He knelt down and inspected the chest, and once he saw it wasn't trapped, he opened it and pulled out five gold coins and high quality short sword, as well as a note to himself.
Dear Self,
It appears we were stupid and went in without proper weaponry or any money. Here's some spending cash and a better sword to increase our survival. Apparently, our Patrons have activated EVERY DAMN RARE SPAWN in the zone. At least that means we will have a chance to be extremely powerful by the time that we clear this dungeon. Also, congrats on the sweet ubercheat ability!
Regards,
Reginald Montgomery, [Hidden Leecher], Dungeon Core
He burst out laughing as he equipped the short sword and continued to look around the clearing. He frowned and shook his head, before moving the treasure chest, revealing a hole that had been dug. "Never leave a clearing or room unsearched, and always make sure to move everything and tap on walls for secret hide aways..." He reached into the hole and pulled out a sack which had another thirty gold, and a couple of jewels, as well as a Ring with a +10 Health regen every second out of combat, which he quickly equipped.
You have learned the skill 'Cache Detection'!
He pulled up the tip for this new skill and chuckled.
Cache Detection [Rare]
Level 1 [0/200]
You can sense a hidden item cache within 10 feet of yourself. Higher levels will increase distance and give a sense which direction to check in.
With that, he kept his guard up as he walked out of the clearing and back into the forest heading towards the Yule Tree.