I emerged from Home Base after a shower. An amphibian with a sledgehammer was not the alarm I had expected to wake up to, and it had received my ire in full. I actually didn’t remember the battle. By the time my mind had truly woken up, I was already covered in blood. After looting the monster and upgrading my belt to an orange belt, I went to wash off.
“Suppose there’s worse ways to get you breakfast.” Naea was sitting on the bannister just outside the house, picking her teeth. Despite the damage to the property, I wasn’t in all that bad a mood. I had taken my shower as an opportunity to check out the new System page I had access to and had not been disappointed. “We can do some cool stuff with this later, but for now…”
I scooped Naea up and moved away before activating the Faction options I had chosen. The Faction screen was mostly obscured, which was interesting but not unexpected. A building wasn’t a faction, after all. I would need to meet others before there was any kind of faction. Still, I was able to make some purchases. First, the repairs, costing me a measly 10 gold coins. Both of us oohed and aahed as the splinters recollected themselves, the wood unwarped and the door returned to normal. “Not bad,” Naea remarked.
“And to stop this from happening again…” Now for the next option. For the low cost of 400 more gold coins, I purchased some security. At four times the cost of the building, I wasn’t let down by the effect, even if it was described as “Basic Defenses” by the System. A bubble appeared around the house and my inner child squealed.
“I’ve got a house with a forcefield…” For all the chaos of the System, it could be ridiculously cool when it wanted to be. Even better, this forcefield would obscure the sight of anyone not in the faction. As that was just me and Naea, it was basically invisible. We wouldn’t have to worry about the place being ransacked while exploring the dungeon.
The dead amphibian hadn’t put up much of a fight, but I was quickly gaining power every day. With all of my levels and achievements, I was easily five times stronger than when the Shift had begun. I looked at the orange belt sitting comfortably around my waist and gave it a fond pat.
Item - Orange Belt (Upgradable)
It’s not about being the best. It’s about being better than you were yesterday.
Effect: Attributes +7.5%
I tried not to be too disappointed the effect had been additive rather than multiplicative. Another 2.5% boost was a great gift to wake up to. The warhammer was interesting, but the assassin had only had the chance to use it on my front door before I took him out.
Item - Sorehammer (Rare)
Once wielded by a strongman called Charles, leading to the confusing name Chuck the Hammer. Eventually he did, costing him his life.
Effect: Infusing the Sorehammer with mana increases its effectiveness against inanimate objects.
Maybe it would come in handy but for now, it was an inventory filler. Maybe I could sell it once I left the dungeon. Naea was happy with her sword and as the warhammer weighed about as much as I did, she had no chance to use it anyway. Thoughts of the outside world filled with equal parts anticipation and dread.
What would I find when I finally escaped the dungeon? I had avoided thinking of home once it became clear I wasn’t going to get there any time soon. Please be okay. Offering a rare prayer to an unknown higher being, I considered my options for the day ahead.
I didn’t once consider taking advantage of some of the more luxurious options in the Faction menu. Spending any more time than necessary at Home Base was wasting precious time. I felt a burning need to clear this dungeon, not just to get home, but to keep up my momentum. I had achievements to hunt, after all.
While there were definitely achievements my situation kept me from getting, I was the first in the world to defeat a dungeon boss. I thought that was crazy, but then again, my own start was hardly likely to be common. Whatever was slowing others down, I was sure they weren’t far behind. If there was an achievement for defeating a dungeon, I wanted the first one. The volcano within my chest bubbled happily at the idea.
So, it was time to conquer this bitch.
Of course, making a decision is the best way to get the universe’s attention, or in this case, the System. I was barely ten steps from Home Base when the world shook, the dungeon bouncing up and down like a huge snowglobe. I grabbed Naea and held on, coming away bruised and sore from literally bouncing off a tree and back to the ground. I had managed to cushion Naea, though. “Thanks,” she gasped after being released, “but what the hells was that?”
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Even as I shrugged, Naea’s back went rigid. The low buzz of her wings stopped, yet she remained in the air. “What’s going on?” I demanded, not really expecting an answer as I cast my eyes around.
Dungeon recalibrating.
What? Why?! I recognised the voice of the System and felt a surge of mana pass over me. The ground recommenced its colossal earthquake and I had to burn some mana to stay stable. I tried to grab Naea again, aiming to take her into the house, but it was as though she were locked in space. To avoid harming her or damage coming her way, I stayed nearby, hopping as the earth beneath my feet reformed itself.
I swatted away a few falling branches from the nearby trees but the drama soon abated. Once the shaking stopped entirely, Naea blinked and resumed her flight. “Did you move?” She asked, trying to make sense of the time she just lost. My hackles were still completely raised, so I didn’t respond, which in turn had Naea on alert. “What’s going on?”
“We’re both asking the same question,” I replied, “the System just did something. Dungeon recalibration?” Naea’s gasp into immediate silence was not a good sign. Due to her position as Dungeon caretaker, the System could feed Naea information, which was the case right now. The issue was, until I asked the question, she didn’t have the knowledge.
I waited as she received understanding from the System, still looking around warily. The immediate vicinity hadn’t changed, but that was true last time, too. Luckily, I wasn’t going to stumble around in the dark with Naea at my side. Before I could relax or get bored, she stirred back to her excitable and loud self.
“Fuck!” She shouted, scaring me half to death. I was on edge and the sudden shout in my ear caused me to squeak. Naea spat onto the ground, which for her was like a single raindrop. “So, we’ve got a problem, well I don’t know if it’s a problem, exactly but… Did you just squeal?”
“No.”
“Right. Well, the System’s not happy with you, apparently.”
“What did I do?!” I asked, shouting with indignation. “What? Did I kick the poor Dungeon’s ass too hard and now it has to mix things up?” Naea’s awkward expression was as much a grimace as a smile and I groaned. That’s exactly what happened. “Okay then, do you know what’s changed?”
Naea shook her small head. “Not exactly. I feel like the place is smaller now?” She got a thoughtful look as her eyes scanned the trees. She kept the same look on her face as she rose into the air before her mood broke and she guffawed at something in the distance. “Quick,” she shouted down, laughing, “climb that tree and have a look.”
I obliged, scaling the tree with ease. I resisted the urge to flip and jump my way up, but only barely. The memory of the way the Dungeon had just shaken was still buried in me. Once I reached the top, I immediately saw the four large structures arrayed at the edge of the trees about a kilometre away. “Are you actually joking?”
I wanted to be mad, but my inner child was having none of it. Outwardly, I rolled my eyes but internally, the Dragon and I crooned. I had no doubt the System had just made things harder for me in a bunch of nasty ways I was yet to find out, but that was okay. Each time I’d come up against adversity I had gained something from it, this would be no different. Whatever dangers the four towers held, there were surely also riches.
Four equally tall fortresses had appeared. I would have to get closer to understand what was happening, so I did. Wasting no time, I leapt from tree to tree until I had cleared the now smaller park area. To both the left and right of Home Base, a wedge of about 30 degrees had been cut. Everything outside the wedge was blurry, now outside the Dungeon wall. I’d never been clear on its geography before, so I squashed my stray attempts to understand it now.
“It’s become a Solo Dungeon,” Naea’s voice floated over. She didn’t look overly troubled. “You’re not being punished, the System just didn’t know what to do with you at first. I can tell already the Dungeon’s level has risen to challenge your’s. What do you want to do?”
I was already soaring past Naea as she asked her question. Hesitation was costly and patience was a virtue I was quickly losing. Using the tree, I vaulted forward, causing the fairy to yell and the wind to sing in my ears. The Dungeon changed to keep up with me? Great. Hopefully that meant more levels for me. Admittedly, I had been looking forward to an easier time, but the prideful core of my being shook the lamentation away.
If the System itself wanted to challenge me, then so be it.
I aimed myself directly for the left-most tower, as seen from Home Base. After a quick thought now I was closer, I decided it was the South tower based on the position and distance of the others. There was a distinct design to each tower and I picked this one on a whim. South Tower was austere, a bleak grey bar on the horizon. It was an eyesore, more than the others which at least were interesting.
West tower, the second tower from the left, had a distinctly eastern design. A gorgeous pagoda, each floor had a sweeping roof structure adorned with statues. I couldn’t make out the depictions from this far distance. However, if each tower had the same amount of floors as the eaves on the pagoda suggested, the towers were five floors and a smaller room at the pinnacle.
North tower, the third in the line but the furthest from my base, was hard to look at. The sun caught on stained glass and threw bright colourful flashes of light at me in a way which honestly felt intentional. What I could see suggested pristine white walls. East tower was the opposite, covered in a fog which had appeared quickly. If I hadn’t known there was a structure there before, I would have had no idea.
I smirked. Not bad. It beats wandering around the desert or park circle. Hopefully the bosses are in there. I waited at the final tree of what remained of the English park. The previously large area had been sliced into a square mile wedge. The desert was where I expected it, but with the addition of a paved road some ten feet above. The road split further ahead, leading to the other towers hopefully.
“Okay.” I cracked my neck as I landed on the path. Naea alighted on my shoulder, gripping my dirty shirt with one hand and wrapping her other in my hair to hold on. I got into the stance of a runner’s start. I was no athlete, but I’d leave anyone in the old earth eating dust now. I planned to keep it that way when I got back to my world.
“Let’s see what the apocalypse considers a challenge.”