Blinking a few times, it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the bright light outside the dungeon. It had taken me almost two hours to get from the final boss's room to the entrance, and I could see the sun had passed its highest point and was starting to set. All in all, I estimated I had spent probably two days in the dungeon, which wasn’t all that bad considering all the loot and level I had gotten. I was already over halfway to my target, so I probably wouldn’t have to do as long of a delve in the Gemstone Depths as I had thought, which meant I wouldn't have as much time to find that team the guild master had insisted on before I could look in the Guild Archive.
«I still don’t get why you insisted on walking all the way back to the entrance when you could have just used the checkpoint behind the boss’s throne,» Gem commented as I started walking down the path back to Southport. Most dungeons had a checkpoint system that allowed delvers to teleport between levels they’d already cleared and the entrance. This allowed delvers to bypass floors they had already cleared, which meant they would be fresh and at their best for the floors, which would be challenging.
Most dungeons have checkpoints every five floors right after the floor boss, which results in dungeon runs that start at the last checkpoint the group reaches and end at the next one. Then, the group takes a few days to rest and recuperate before going again. Typically, that wasn’t a problem because the amount of loot a group could get from any given run was more than enough to support them on those rest days.
«I mean, I understood it with the dungeon back in Forestend. With only five levels, it hadn't actually invested in setting up a checkpoint system, but here, there was a perfectly good teleport pad right behind the throne, and you wouldn’t have to spend two hours walking back to the entrance,» Gem continued.
«I didn’t use the checkpoint because I wanted to improve my stealth skill. You know that one of the skills I’ve been trying to raise naturally instead of just making max level. It's the same reason I spent most of the last eight years working on my sword and archery skills. Yes, I could give myself the max-level skills, and I would have all the knowledge that would come with them, but I wouldn’t have any practical experience, and in a life-and-death situation, practical experience trumps theoretical knowledge,» I answer.
Skills could be purchased using skill points, and all the required knowledge to use that skill would be “magically” downloaded into your brain, but that didn’t mean you actually knew how to use the skill effectively. That was one of the reasons all the training classes the Adventurer’s Guild offered enhanced practice skills instead of relying on the knowledge the system gave. It was also one of the reasons those classes focused on acquiring physical skills through training and repetition instead of purchasing them. That way, the person has the underlying experience and foundation to make the best use of those skills.
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«And there’s no better chance to improve my stealth skill than trying to evade random groups delving into the dungeon. Especially with the way Shipwreck was laid out, you would know if another group was coming down a tunnel until they were right on top of you. System, I ran into no less than three groups like that and had to think on my feet about how to avoid them. Also, since I leveled the skill twice, I think those two hours were well spent.» Gem grumbled, but she eventually conceded the point.
«Anyway, it's not like we're on a schedule or anything. It is not like anything catastrophic will happen if I don’t reactivate the lost dungeon within a given timeframe. The only thing that would remotely put a time constraint on this whole thing is Danial and Sarah's wedding. That reminds me, I should really ping them to see if they’ve settled on a date yet. I sent them a message back when I arrived to let them know I’d gotten to Southport safely, but I haven't heard anything from them since. What? I can almost hear you laughing?»
«Nothing, just remembering a ten-year-old girl who got confused every time I used slang from my creator's homeworld,» Gem answered with amusement clearly in her voice, and I couldn’t help a little smile playing at my lips as I realized what she was getting at. It was in moments like that that I remembered how much my life had changed in those eight years. Going from a scared young girl who didn’t know what class the system, an unknowable nebulous, ever-present object, would give her to a young woman who knew exactly what that system was and was, more importantly, in a position to affect how that system operated.
For the rest of the walk back to Southport, Gem and I lapped into companionable silence as I composed a quick message letting my brother know I’d had my first successful dungeon delve and asking if they’d set a date for the wedding. It wasn’t long before the walls of Southport came into view, and getting past the gate was a lot easier as well. Instead of a long line for new entries into the city, there was a shorter line for returning adventurers and residents. I only had to show my adventurer’s card before being waved on through.
«So, the plan now?» Gem asked as I stepped out of the tunnel into the bustling market square.
«Head back to the Wondering Adventurer and see if they have any rooms available. Then, go to the guild tomorrow to exchange the loot. Finally, see if any groups are looking for new members. I figure if I’m almost ready to go into the lost dungeon, I might as well see if I can get a group together, and we do a few delves of the Gemstone Depths to work out any kinks,» I answer.