“Damn it... Let’s catch our breath first.”
“No-arguments-here...”
Isaac and I slumped against the wall, exhausted, as we wheezed in and out. We had just finished killing a group of ten imps that gave us a lot of trouble. As we delved deeper into the cave, they seemed to grow in number with every encounter. We didn’t even know what time it was, as our phones weren’t functional. If I had to guess, it’s probably been around a couple of hours since we entered.
I checked my Status while taking a sip of water I got from our ration bag.
“Status.”
Status Inventory Name: Laila Rank: Undecided Strength: 3 Agility: 7 Durability: 0 Mana: 0 Masteries Marksmanship: Lvl 1 Swordsmanship: Lvl 1
I’d say I’ve come a long way from how I first started. Isaac and I attained mastery in [Marksmanship] by throwing the Imps' claws like knives. Our swordsmanship was developed by using steel to confront those who escaped our surprise attacks. I’d say we had a reliable system going on. Sneak up on a group and kill them from a distance. And if that didn’t work, close-quarter combat. We would then scavenge the bodies for anything good. Rinse and repeat.
After chugging a water bottle, I crumpled it. “Isaac. How’s everything on your end?”
Isaac was gawking at his Status screen with an unsure expression. “It’s going fine, I guess. I just have one minor problem.”
“Which is?”
He traced his finger in the open air. “Durability hasn’t increased at all since we started fighting. And for mana, I got no clue how to increase or use mana at all. I hate looking at these numbers and not make any progress.”
“Well, we have been playing it safe, so of course our durability hasn’t increased,” I reminded him. “As for mana... I have absolutely no idea either. We have never seen or experienced magic.”
“It’s pissing me off.”
Isaac closed his eyes and folded his arms, lost in thought. With a sudden burst of energy, he shot up, arm extended like a power ranger, and screamed out.
“Fireball!”
I knitted my eyebrows, unable to say a word after what I had just witnessed. An uncomfortable silence between us grew.
Isaac cleared his throat. “Ahem! Well, it was worth a shot. I knew it would not work. My mana is at zero. I’ll probably start slinging spells as soon as I increase my mana stat.”
After his face turned red from embarrassment, Isaac sheepishly lowered his arm. I grabbed it and yanked myself up, brushing the dirt off my backside with a pat.
“My poor eyeballs just witnessed someone acting a fool... I’d say break time is over. Let’s keep going.” I then started my usual trek, hoping to forget the last two minutes.
“Come on! It wasn’t that embarrassing… Hey, wait up!” Isaac ran up from behind and blabbered away in my ear as we headed deeper inside the cave.
****
“Good afternoon, Mr. President.”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Reed. Come in, have a seat.”
I quietly accepted the president’s invitation and stepped inside the Cabinet room, feeling the plush carpets under my feet. The grand, polished wooden table in the center of the room stood out against the leather chairs that lined either side. There were also colorful paintings plastered across the walls. Above the president’s chair, there hung a painting of him and a family of four, their faces lit up in a warm, familial embrace.
I sat across from the president and waited for him to speak. The president of the United States of America was a man nearing his sixties, with thinning, stark-white hair and a bald spot that glistened in the light. His eyes and cheeks were lined with a multitude of tiny wrinkles that gave his face a crinkled appearance.
The president straightened his tie. “Let us begin our monthly appointment. Have you done what I asked you to compile last time?”
I nodded as I pried open a suitcase I brought with me. Rummaging through a pile of papers, I found the report I’d been searching for. “I’ve got an estimation- and still counting- on how many people have tragically lost their lives during the first monster outbreak. The world's first dungeon couldn't be cleared in time, causing amphibian-like monsters to spread and cause chaos among civilians near the ocean. It took us a week to clear out all hostilities.”
The president furrowed his brow. “How many people have lost their lives?”
I hesitated for a moment as I glanced at the paper in hand. “Around 1,667,023 and counting, sir.”
“...And the mass number of missing persons?”
“Unknown, sir.”
The president closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. He lets out a tiresome sigh. “Why does something of this magnitude have to appear during my presidency?”
“There was nothing to be done about it, sir. It was unexpected that this would happen, even in a million years. If we had somehow known beforehand, we would have done extensive preparations to enter the dungeon and complete it in time.”
“The people are getting restless and unsure about the future,” the president retorted. “We must worry about these dungeons that pop up out of nowhere and we do not know how they form. In addition, there exists a planet that remains beyond our reach because of an inscrutable force that impedes our access. In addition, there are reports of individuals who have gone missing, and to quote, they were teleported without leaving any trace.”
The president remained still and quiet for what seemed like an eternity. The room was filled with the shrill, constant chirping of a bird’s adamant cry. As I peered through the window, I caught the sight of two birds, their onyx feathers glimmering in the morning light, perched on a tree branch. One of them laid their beady eyes toward me. For whatever reason, goosebumps emerged from my shoulders.
The president tapped his fingers on the table. “It’s been two months since this whole thing started, and a month after terrifying creatures were discovered. We aren’t the only countries scrambling to regain order. Russia, Canada, Japan, Korea... they are all in disarray after the first dungeon appeared in our country, thinking that they would be next. They’ve pooled an unimaginable amount of resources into their defenses.”
“That is correct, sir.”
“Enough about that. How is progress with the new crystals mined from the dungeon?”
At his request, I dug through more piles of papers and located what I was looking for. “While we do not know its exact contents yet, it is highly probable that it’s some sort of energy source. We are still conducting experiments and trials.”
“What about the materials gained from the monsters?”
“We are also conducting research on their anatomy.”
“Good to hear. Anything else to report?”
“No, sir.”
“You are dismissed.”
I thanked the man for his time and got up from my seat. I moved quickly and silently, packing away my papers and zipping my suitcase, aware of the president’s watchful eyes on me. When I was leaving, the president added a final note.
“Mr. Reed, I have high expectations for you as the head of the Department of Mythical Affairs.”
The comment weighed heavily on my mind, adding an extra burden on me. “I’ll do whatever I can, whatever it takes,” I replied before finally closing the door behind me. I glanced around my surroundings, spotting no one lingering in the wide halls or hiding behind furniture. After making sure there wasn’t a single soul, I slumped over to a nearby wall.
“Dear lord. I’m going to have gray hair before I turn fifty…”
****
“This is quite the predicament. I blame you for jinxing us.”
“Hey man. I don’t know about you, but I’d say this is a good thing. I was getting tired of fighting imps.”
I glared at Isaac. “I hope you remember that this is still a dangerous situation. The imps may have been easy, but I don’t know about this new creature...”
Isaac and I were whispering to each other behind a cavern wall. Moments ago, we were making our way through the cave, alert and ready to defend ourselves, until we noticed a fork in the path. What stood in front of the left entrance was a gray creature that looked like a demon. Its hunched form still managed to reach a solid two meters in height. Its body size gave the impression of being on the fatter side, but the toned muscles clarified it was incredibly strong. It was even holding a club fashioned out of rocks. The most notable feature was a singular curved horn on hits head.
Isaac peered over my shoulder, scratching his chin. “I’m detecting a similar theme here. This one looks like a demon, too.”
“It’s likely that we will encounter more of them the deeper we go in.”
“Which means the more we progress, the harder the difficulty,” Isaac said. His face lit up with a soft, faint smile when he acknowledged the challenge. I had to make sure he didn’t do something stupid.
“Since its back is turned, let’s snipe its head with these claw darts.”
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“Already got it pulled out from the Inventory,” Isaac said. He was holding claws that had terribly sharp tips. We had been accumulating a large quantity of it in the Inventory.
Holding the claws in my right hand, I started the countdown. “On my mark, we aim for the head. One-two-three!”
Isaac and I released the claw darts at the same time. The darts flew in a blur, cutting through the air with unerring accuracy towards the looming demon. Things were going well with this strategy when something unexpected happened. The darts bounced harmlessly off the creature’s head! Noticing something had stung it, the demon spun its head around and made eye contact.
“Grr...”
Isaac spat out a few curses. “Shit... It’s the tanking type. I should’ve known with that type of physique it has. I’m disappointed in myself.”
“Isaac, now’s not the time to question your entire existence. We have pressing matters.”
The annoyed demon’s great speed was a shock as it barreled towards us, appearing to defy its size. The creature moved slowly and awkwardly, like an American footballer who had just sprained their ankle mid-sprint.
Isaac clicked his tongue and pulled out his longsword. “Scatter! It can’t focus on both of us at the same time! Once it charges at one of us, the other will take the moment to attack.”
I nodded my head and rushed toward the rightmost cavern wall while Isaac stayed on the left. The demon, not stopping its pursuit, ran toward Isaac.
“So, it’s me you want? I don’t mind. Bring it on!”
The demon lunged and swung its club against Isaac, who raised his sword to block the blow. When the attack connected, the air was filled with the sound of metal ringing throughout the cave. Isaac's body hurtled towards the cavern wall, and he was powerless to stop his momentum as he collided with a resounding thunk. I winced when the boy slid down the wall.
Isaac massaged his back while groaning. “Ow…. that hurt a lot. I thought I could stand my ground, but I got sent flying instead!”
While Isaac was recovering, the demon was already starting its next attack. Isaac noticed this and quickly sprang up from the floor and dodged just in time as the club sank into the ground where he was previously at. After finally reaching where the two were fighting, I thrust my sword where the neck was located. Feeling flesh, I thought that would’ve injured it, but upon closer inspection, the wound was shallow.
With a defiant roar, the ogre-like demon raised the club from the ground and swung it in my direction. I hastily retreated and was out of arm’s reach. The creature snarled, unhappy that its prey had got away. Isaac rushed over to my side, still rubbing his back.
“You okay over there? You took a big hit there.”
“I’m fine. Just had to take a breather for a sec,” he reassured. “At least my durability went up after that hit.”
I clutched the hilt of my sword. “Please tell me you did not just withstand an attack of that magnitude on purpose just to raise a stat.”
Instead of answering, Isaac averted his gaze.
“We’ll talk about this later. My attack just now could barely scratch it. We might have to draw out this fight to deplete its stamina.”
“Ah, so hit and run. Very popular strategy when fighting foes stronger than yourself. It’ll be more effective since there’s only one of the-“
A sudden roar drowned Isaac’s sentence out. The ground shook from the force of the mysterious, ear-piercing screech. I covered my ears to lessen the pain. Just where was that scream coming from? It didn’t seem to come from the ogre demon we were fighting.
The sudden noise died down. After an excruciating amount of time has passed, the cavern was finally quiet. Soon, a faint yet distinct raspy chanting was audible from the right entrance of the split path. The ogre demon, hearing the chanting, craned its neck to where the sound was coming from. It then smiled as if it knew what was going to occur. Narrowing my eyes in the darkness, I noticed a small light, similar to the blue rocks scattered across the cavern, beginning to glow brighter.
“What in the hell is that...?”
It then stopped. Right when that happened, my head snapped to the side almost instinctively, feeling the rush of air as the blue light whizzed past my cheek. When I touched the place where I was marked, I felt the warmth of my blood on my fingertips. I stood in disbelief, my body frozen while my mind tried to take in what had happened.
Isaac crashed into me before the gray ogre could pummel me to death. We both tumbled away from the creature. “Stop standing there and move! Our fight attracted an unwanted visitor. One that’s extremely dangerous. See?”
Isaac pointed at a figure, its silhouette slowly coming into view from the shadows beyond the road. To our surprise, a slimmer, red-hued demon emerged, looking similar to the one we were fighting. A necklace of bones of different sizes framed its neck, but the most eye-catching item was the staff it held. The base had the appearance of bone, and a vibrant blue crystal was fixed on top, radiating a soft light.
“We already had trouble with one of them, but now there are two. Not only that, this one knows how to use some sort of magic. The magic was released from the staff it carries. All we gotta do is dodge whatever it throws at us.”
Yes… Isaac was right. Freezing during a dangerous situation could cost us our lives!
With a deep breath and a determined heart, I rose to my feet and gave Isaac’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I was just a little shaken there for a moment. That beam of light did almost shoot a hole into my head, after all. I’m fine now.”
Isaac grinned with a wild glint in his eyes. “Great! Now that you’ve come to your senses, I already figured out how to beat them!”
“Both of them? I’d understand the gray demon, but what about the red one? It seems like the biggest obstacle now.”
“I’d love to explain, but just follow my lead. They already started their attack.”
Isaac had barely finished his explanation when the gray demon was already rushing towards us, and the red mage was muttering an incantation. We both split up and begin our original plan of fighting on separate sides. In the corner of my eye, I saw Isaac materialize the claw darts, holding one in each knuckle. I understood his plans immediately. Since magic was thrown into the mix, we couldn’t leave the red creature alone or else we would get screwed through its long-range attacks. With that in mind, I knew what I had to do.
Using speed as my advantage, sprinting past the gray demon was easy. It stopped its movements and turned around to stop me from getting further away from it until a dart was sticking out of its arm. The creature gaped at it with a dumbfounded expression.
“Hey ugly! You should pay attention to me instead of her!”
Hearing the provocation, the ogre turned its head towards Isaac, but was soon met with both of its eyes stabbed. A claw dart was sticking out of both eyes. The club clattered to the ground, and the creature screamed in pain, its hands quickly covering its face.
“Now’s my chance while it’s distracted. With the big one out of commission, Isaac can finish it while I deal with the mage freely.”
The red mage raised its staff while a familiar light was emanating from it.
“Is it going to use the same beam as last time? That won’t work on me since I’ll know it’s coming.”
Picking up the speed, I raised my sword and swung at its neck. I had expected something soft, but my sword met a surface as unyielding as stone.
“An invisible shield?!”
“Kekekekeke!”
The mage, while snickering, released its magic from the staff. The dark cave became illuminated as the single blue ball of light splintered into three. I retreated far enough to ascertain the next course of action. With just a glance, it was clear those things were dangerous. Dodging them would be the best course of action, which shouldn’t be difficult for an agile person.
The magic spheres that were idle moved in a clockwise position. By a mere flick of the staff, they swiftly approached me. Sidestepping to dodge the first one was easy, but the second and third flanked my left and right. I ducked just in time for them to collide right into each other. I had assumed that I was out of harm's way, but the crash caused a minor explosion. As I moved forward, I felt a burst of energy in my legs and a fierce itch on my back from the explosion. I gasped in pain as I felt my back burning, as if someone had splashed boiling hot water over me.
“Just a single touch can cause them to detonate… Wait a second!”
An idea just popped into my head when those words just left my mouth.
“If it explodes through touch... I can use this to my advantage.”
I navigated to my Inventory and pulled out the claw darts, counting only three in my hand. I had to make the most of what little resources I had. When I turned my attention back to the creature, the red mage had already finished its next spell. This time, it created five small spheres, each one hovering dangerously near the mage.
With my sword securely tucked in the Inventory, I sprinted towards the mage. The demon’s face contorted in shock as I charged towards it, releasing the spheres in a hurry. Expecting this, I threw the claw darts, hoping to hit at least one of the oncoming projectiles with the [Marksmanship] mastery. Two of them hit their mark. As soon as they touched, a chain reaction occurred, detonating all the spheres in proximity, and a series of blue explosions emerged. I then used this chance to take advantage of the explosion as a sort of smokescreen against the mage. Materializing the longsword back into my hands, I ran through the smoke and appeared right behind the confused mage. With its back turned towards me, I swung my sword as swiftly as I could, once again aiming for its neck.
This time, the flesh was felt, and the demon’s head was cleanly decapitated from its body. With a loud thud, its body crumbled onto the blood-spotted ground. With my breath coming in ragged gasps, I fell down, feeling my body weighted down and weakened by exhaustion.
“That was a great fight! I wish I had popcorn while watching that spectacle.”
Isaac was clapping while approaching me with a toothy grin. “Using the explosion as a cover to initiate a sneak attack was genius. I knew no one else but you could have thought of something like that on the fly.”
I glowered at Isaac. “And what if something went wrong while you were watching me struggle?”
“Obviously, I would have helped. But I knew you had it all along. I just wanted you to handle this on your own. You would not lose, that much was known. My original plan was to kill the gray demon while it was distracted, and once it was out of the picture, I would help you with the other one. But you were doing so well that I didn’t want to steal your thunder.”
I quietly stared at him briefly. “You’re so understanding. Come closer and help me up, would you?”
Isaac reached out his arm to help me up. I took his hand. Instead of standing up, I yanked him to the floor and felt the hilt of my sword vibrate in my hand as I drove it into the ground beside him.
“Pull that shit again with me and you’ll end up losing a couple of fingers. Got it?”
Isaac raised one of his eyebrows. “Only my fingers this time? Very generous, aren’t you?”
I released Isaac from the ground and forcibly hoisted him up. “Now that we’re in an agreement, it’s time to check the spoils of war.”
We both made our way towards the headless body, our eyes specifically eyeing the most important item: the staff.
“This crystal must be very important if this thing was using it. Doesn’t it look the same as the blue crystals we’ve been walking past, Laila?”
I nodded at Isaac’s deduction. “That is true. The demon was also casting magic while using this crystal.”
“This can only mean one thing...”
We both ogled the staff, unmoving. And then...
“Rock, Paper, Scissors!” We shouted in unison. I held out rock while Isaac had scissors.
“Ah come on! Best two out of three!”
Ignoring him, I picked up the bone staff. Unexpectedly, a familiar screen appearred.
[Rare item acquired: Magi's Crude Staff]
This System was quite convenient. The items even got a name! The staff gave me so much trouble, yet it was an unrefined version. Just how powerful would a high-quality version of this item be?
With the staff held up high, I hoped to witness its magical effects, but to no avail. “Oh wait, I can’t use it. My mana is still at zero. And we still don’t know how to use magic.”
Knowing the staff was useless, I referred to the Status screen.
Status Inventory Name: Laila Rank: Undecided Strength: 3 Agility: 9 Durability: 1 Mana: 0 Masteries Marksmanship: Lvl 1 Swordsmanship: Lvl 1
While my stats were a little lopsided, it was still amazing progress. With each rise, I sensed an enhancement in my strength and speed. Switching on over to the Inventory tab, one of the five spaces was occupied: the longsword. I inserted the staff into the Inventory by just shoving it in front of an open slot and it disappeared.
Isaac walked up next to me with a sad look and said, “I’m guessing you couldn’t use it?”
I shook my head. “It just wouldn’t resonate with me. Having zero mana can be inconvenient.”
“Right. Anyway, it’s about time to get into the really important bits.”
“I had the same thought. You’re talking about the blue crystals, right?”
“Exactly. Think about it. If the mage who was casting magic used these crystals as a sort of catalyst to manifest those explody spheres from earlier, doesn’t that mean that these crystals could contain mana itself?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Meaning these blue crystals are potentially a gold mine.”
Isaac nodded vigorously. If I were to depict his eyes, it would be comparable to a farmer discovering a fertile land or a burglar completing a successful heist.
“Not only do we have the Inventory to store all these crystals, but with a little experimentation we can find out how much load it can carry, right Isaac?”
“I didn’t think about that last part at all. Great thinking.”
After careful deliberation, we started our assignment of carrying as many crystals as possible.